ANNOUNCEMENTS/NEWS (IMPORTANT)

[Vaden LeMonte]

The doors echoed their creaking as they swung open with some difficulty. For a place that had withstood Time's test, the air was still fresh — if not, just a little less than — the air outside. Vaden had his eyes shut and inhaled, satisfied that the interior wasn't as bad as he thought. He believed that he would have been hacking with coughs, but he'd been blatantly proved otherwise. Before he could even exhale fully, a voice cracked through the silence. "Tsk Vaden, how could you not think we'd track you down, hm? We taught you, you exposed yourself and this is the price you pay," Breana joked.

Vaden cursed under his breath as he looked around the Temple. One look to the left, another to the right and back again; when he looked back to his left, he saw Breana sitting on the shoulder of one of the statues, her legs crossed, trying to look seductive. If she was here, then logic only foretold that Myore was here as well. Not surprisingly Myore had come out from behind the same statue Breana was sitting on with his Kalina Gao hoisted on his shoulder.

"I think it's about time that we finished this, Vaden. Depending on how much of a fight you're willing to put up against two of the main people you owe your Guardianship to," Myore maliciously said as Breana slipped down from her perch to Myore's side, her Mori Crescent scythe drawn.

Vaden looked at the two of them with a narrowed glare of enmity. So they had made themselves clear: it was either handing over his Seal of Annon to them or die protecting it. Though Vaden knew that he couldn't control the Annon entirely, these two were being led on a dead-end path for Vaden was made by the Annon for the purpose of overseeing it, thus his given powers – it would be a waste of time trying to convince "Lady" Breana and "Sir" Myore of that. They lsot their titles in Vaden's eyes and no longer were the Knights they had become before Vaden discovered them.

He blinked and nodded at the two to give his indication of what he planned. Drawing his Mor'Kalina Vayn, he undid the strap of the scabbard from his waist and let it drop to the ground followed by going into his own neutral stance. Myore grinned as did Breana, but hers gave way to that brief compassion in her eyes before returning to an emotionless look.

"I pity the both of you, who can't comprehend that which doesn't rest on your shoulders. It'd be useless to explain to either of you seeing as you're on the road to nowhere already. If this is what you want —," he grasped the pendant which held an essence of his Nostahd, "Then come and pray that you can pry it from my neck."

[Vaden LeMonte]

Myore and Breana stared at Vaden and then looked at each other. With a simple nod to one another, they broke off into their attack formation, Breana to the left and Myore to the right. Myore immediately signified himself as the aggressor with a yell and leap off from the circular wall at Vaden. Gunblade and keyblade clashed as Vaden caught Myore's Kalina Gao on his Mor'Kalina Vayn perpendicular to Myore's weapon. Myore's feet landed on the ground as he tried to push Vaden, whose hand moved to support the blade itself, down. The whistling of Breana's Mori Crescent shrieked through the air as it was twirled in her hands and brought one end down on Vaden. The top of the blade grazed Vaden's right shoulder causing him to faulter and stagger back. Myore had just been given the advantage and pushed him down to the ground. Breana swung her scythe down at Vaden once again, only to have him raise his gunblade to parry the blow. Vaden pushed aside her weapon and swept his legs at Myore's to no avail. Nonetheless, it bought him some time to roll away from Breana and regain his footing once he stood back up. "Eye for an eye" – that was the game Vaden was going to have to play; be pushed, and push back even harder. He made a break for the statue across the room from him as fast as his legs would take him, leaping over Breana's attempt to trip him. The statue was in his way as he jumped, but it was fine. Myore was following Vaden just as the Guardian wanted him to. Vaden kicked off from the statue into a backflip through the air while Myore laucnhed himself like a rocket. Breana glanced at Vaden as he was on the course to land behind her – a pleasure she wouldn't give him in this situation. She hopped back as Vaden landed in a crouch facing away from her. Swearing when he found nothing in front him, his attention snapped to the Holy Knight that was coming on his location. He dropped his gunblade to the ground and at the last possible instant threw himself onto his back with his knees to his chest. Vaden caught Myore for a split second before launching him towards Breana, grabbing up his Mor'Kalina Vayn and rolling up onto his feet.

Breana, through gritted teeth, walked towards Vaden as she used her scythe to smack Myore out of her way into a wall to her left. She wanted at Vaden too badly for Myore to fumble around. Forget about the Seal for now, she thought, Just settle what's in your heart. With a yell she charged at Vaden, her Mori Crescent over her shoulder and ready to strike. Vaden's face stayed as still as the stone of the Temple as scythe and gunblade met once again. Sparks flew as Vaden slid his Mor'Kalina up the staff-like handle under where the blade sprouted from to prevent one end from advancing towards and into his flesh. Breana brought the other scythe-blade on opposite end to try and catch Vaden that way. He suspected this and quickly turned his gunblade as vertical as he could to rotate her attack as well. Fortunately for Vaden, only the handle of the scythe his his right arm which didn't throw him off focus — much. He brought his gunblade back, parried the scythe to the side and made for a stab at her stomach. Breana weaved away from the blow and was now sideways to Vaden. Smirking for a moment, he rotated the gunblade horizontally and slammed it into his intended target. She only jerked forward followed by a yelp of pain as Vaden drew his blade back to him along her flesh and through her armor. It wasn't a deep cut, but enough to keep her occupied with her injury. Not wasting his opening, Vaden spun into a roundhouse kick, connecting the side of his heel with Breana's face and sent her spinning a little past and further from Vaden.

Vaden broke out a sigh of relief before a bellow of rage rang through the Main Hall. Myore practically flew from where he had been slammed into, leaving a fair-sized, irregular imprint. Myore rose his Kalina Gao overhead and slashed down as hard as his arms and the weight of the weapon would allow. Vaden turned to his left on one knee and blocked the blow. Myore kept pushing down with a stern face, glimpsing at Breana who was clutching her wound and trying to regain her composure. "Come on! Stop whining and help me out here!" he shouted.

"Imbecile, the bastard caught me on a vital spot!" Breana hissed in return.

Vaden had adjusted his footing and with the support of his feet started to push back Myore while steadily rising to his feet. "You heard the woman," he grunted, still trying to repel his former teacher, "Much as I don't fancy her, give her some time... it's your turn!"

He threw Myore back into a stagger and made his lunge. Scraping the tip of his Mor'Kalina Vayn along the ground, he brought the edge diagonally up at the Fallen Paladin. Myore impeded the attack accordingly with his keyblade and caught the blade in the nook where the "teeth" rose from the "body" and slammed the tip of the gunblade to the ground. Before Vaden reacted, Myore swung up hard. Vaden felt the jolt in his jaw and his Anta helm as he was sent in an arc through the air across the room and skidded along the floor until his head stopped short from pedestal of a statue flanking the entrance to the Room of Fire. Groaning as he stumbled up to his feet, Vaden saw Myore casting Cura on Breana who brought herself to full height in a huff of frustration. The two appraoched a half-standing Vaden whose weapon was resting under his hands across his knees, hunched over and catching his breath. Breana had to mentally stop herself from the lover's instinct of running over to him and checking on his well-being. Myore chuckled darkly with his Kalina Gao on his shoulder, casually strolling over to Vaden. Vaden let out a cough, his head spinning and spitting out blood.

"Heh, seems like you haven't learned a lot from us, student. What a shame," Myore mused, "Now, Lady Breana and I finish you here and now or we can seize the Seal without further struggle and leave you here to rot before you come to your senses – assuming that smash to your jaw rippled to that dusty mind of yours."

Myore walked over closer to Vaden while Breana slowed behind him. Vaden gave Myore a cold look that slowly transformed into an impish grin. Cocking an eyebrow, Myore let his keyblade off his shoulder and just held it as be approached Vaden. Vaden clenched the handle tight as he felt a surge of dark energy pouring out into his weapon, a faint black aura indicating the Mor'Kalina was building up the black strength. "You know Myore," he panted, "There's something I forgot to tell you back in Fortanius, but I just couldn't get over my reaction."

"Oh really? Spit it out along with your blood before I cracked your spine in two and take that jewel from around your neck."

The Mor'Kalina Vayn hummed with black energy and aura with Myore double-taking between Vaden and his weapon (Dark Slash). Then, a swift uppercut from the blade with a pull of the trigger sent the Paladin flying through the temple and out its doors, the black-white explosion coming and disappearing once it had served its purpose. Then Vaden was rammed into the statue behind him and pinned there. He could feel a sweet, almost nectarine scented breath a second later against the side of his face and neck.

"Alone, alas. Shall we talk? Breana said as she whispered in Vaden's ear, stroking her fingers up along Vaden's arms and slipping his helm off, tossing it to the side.

[Vaden LeMonte]

Vaden growled in anger as he struggled to raise his arrms against Breana, but to no avail. Breana had struck one of the blade ends deep enough into the side of the statue to keep it up against Vaden's abdomen quite closely. The gray-yellow irises of his eyes faded into red as he clenched his teeth. All Breana did was grin and giggle mischievously. "Now, shall we talk or are you going to gnash your teeth like and undead hound?"

"To my knowledge, there's nothing to talk about, now let me go," Vaden whispered in a murderous tone. He couldn't remember feeling this hateful in the eons he's lived.

"Oh, there is – that I'm sure of. Example, that woman you were sparring with outside the inn back in Fortanius," she said, her tone becoming cold, "What's the connection between you and her?"

He looked to the side and pursed his lips for a moment before contesting her question. "There's nothing. The spar was just merely testing her out for a request of a shattered man," Vaden replied before adding his sarcasm, "So relax Breana, you have no competition in your dead-end race."

Breana smirked and laughed before slipping both hands to his cheeks and pressed her thumbs up into the bottom of his head beside the jawbones. She silenced him with a forceful kiss, one that Vaden spat out to the side once she had pulled away. Her hazel eyes glittered with a sadistic joy. "Don't lie to your teacher, Vaden, or you might be punished... You do have something for this girl. I saw how you sparred with her. Myore was watching too — in a hopeful sense, mind you," she commented, "Even behind that red, blood passion in your eyes, you can't shelter behind them, darling. Someone has a soft spot, finally. Unfortunately, for the wrong person."

She pulled away slightly and tightened her into a fist, launching it into Vaden's gut. He lurched forward, but no sharp gasp came from him as he exhaled at the last possible moment — a technique he learned long ago from a warrior — to lessen the pain and effect. Breana huffed before drawing back onto her original position against Vaden saying, "Stubborn, you've become, in the past few thousand years. Myore and I should've seen this coming. Always the stern one, Vaden, and look where it has led you by the nose to." She leaned in for another kiss before shrieking in shock.

Vaden had bit her lower lip as hard as he could to ward her off and brought his feet up against the wall, as much as his legs would squat. Letting out a bellow, he pushed against the statue with his hands and feet until the Mori Crescent loosened and gave Vaden room to move freely. He kicked the weapon out of the statue and watched it swing at Breana, who received a smack — Vaden's personal message — across her face with the bladeless side. Vaden crouched down, grabbed his Mor'Kalina from the ground where it fell, and slashed up at Breana. The gunblade bit her right shoulder's armor and her flesh shallowly. Then he roared again as he shoulder-rammed her straight out the door and let her roll down the temple steps to the grass.

"Don't you ever try and get that close to me again, Breana. Next time I'll literally drill my message into your skull with my gunblade," he threatened as he watched her slowly rise to her feet, whimpering like a wife whose husband had beat her.

Myore came and helped Breana to her feet shooting a look of hatred at Vaden. "Are you alright, Breana?" he asked in a sincere, but firm, tone. Breana brushed Myore off and gave Vaden the same look Myore had."Come, I think I have a way to get this fool to bend. We'll catch his friend in Ghenna," she yelled purposely for Vaden to hear, "We overheard the task, Vaden! Looks as if your training's been locked away!"

She cackled as the two limped over to the Chocobos they had tied to the side of the temple, clear out of Vaden's line of sight when he had arrived. Myore looked at Breana as she hoisted herself behind Myore on the same Chocobo.

"We'll see how committed he is to this whole premise."

Myore simply nodded and rode off. Vaden jumped off from the high steps and onto the grass, running to where the other Chocobo was. After untying it and turning, he rode as fast as he could push the flightless bird. He had shown some sign of weaknessto a pair of ruthless people. Now, he would have to patch it up and become the "impenetrable fortress" that he was once referred to as.
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Lady Breana and Sir Myore Fended Off... for now

Experience Rewarded: None
Money Rewarded: 1,204

Item drops: None

HP (Remaining/Total): 1,603/2,073
MP (Remaining/Total): 675/723