Suddenly, in the midst of the battle field, a lone warrior descended from the heavens. With grace and precision, he landed deftly on the evil's greed's head, knocking him to the ground. By which I mean, Silver fell out of the sky and landed on top of greed in a rather awkward way. "Not at all!" he shouted after interrupting their battle. It could have been taken as a reply to Greed's question, of course, but the truth was quite different.

Moments prior...

"Man... it feels like we've been flying for almost a year and we still haven't found them..." Opal commented, listlessly admiring the ground below them as she and Silver hovered miles in the air from Tashi's back.

"Isn't that Josiah there?"

"Huh?"

"Yeah, I think it is! Hi, Josiah!" Silver waved energetically at the crowd below him. Of course, he couldn't be heard from their height.

"You know they won't see us from here... but Tashi, go down to get a closer look."

"Of course."

"No, that's ok, we'll just jump!"

"...Of course..." Tashi sighed.

"What?! Silver, what are you thinking? ...Are you thinking?"

But by the time Opal had finished her question, Silver had already jumped down from his perch and was falling into a battle field. He did, of course, dignify Opal with a response, but... not until it was a bit too late.

And that brings us back to Silver's entrance.

"Oh! It is you guys! Cool! I knew it must have been you, since no one else is crazy enough to draw a crowd like this. So, what have you guys been up to? Having some wild parties, huh? You should have invited us. I like wild parties."

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"Irregardless" and "Over exaggerated" are NEVER CORRECT EVER because they are redundant
Regardless means "without regard", and adding "ir" on the front actually makes it a double negative; exaggerate means "to overstate" so you're literally saying "over overstate."
Example: I can not exaggerate the importance of this fact enough, regardless of how often people ignore it.

((The conclusion of the battle with Greed. I'll have another post up later this week to move things along. Feel free to jump in whenever you want.))

"Silver?!?" David gaped at his friends "grand entrance".

"Can't return without trying to upstage us, can you?" Neo rolled his eyes.

"Uh, you might want to move." Josiah interjected with some more practical advice.

"Move? Why would I-" Opal and Tashi swooped down and yanked Silver out of the way as Greed's blast shot through the air where he'd been moments ago.

"You bumbling idiot!!!" Greed flew back into the battle, his face twisted in rage. "I'll destory you all!!!"

***

As the battle resumed above the castle, Simeon continued his search below. He met with little resistance along the way, as the vast bulk of Greed's forces were out with their master fighting the gamers.

Coming across a large golden door, the lion man pushed it open and smiled. "Ah, here they are." The Aesper weapons were there, carefully displayed in places of honor amidst a varietable museum of treasure. Weapons, spell cards, gold, jewels, art... Simeon had never before seen a collection even a fraction as impressive as this and doubted he ever would again. Moving quickly, he collected the Aespers then, pausing, he took a brief look around the vast chamber. "It's a shame to see so many fine works lost, but I'm afraid this is the only way." pausing only to place a small object on one of the now empty pedastools, he turned and hurried out of the castle.

***

"What the fudge crackers is up with this guy?!?" Silver shouted as Acro Isis was knocked from the sky. "Nothing we do seems to phase him!"

"This isn't good." Jeff fired shot after shot at Greed but the sin just shrugged them off. "He power seems almost limitless. At this rate, we'll run out of strength long before he does."

"It isn't over yet!" Josiah, now in his Ultima Raindow form called back. "Keep trying, there's got to be a way to take this guy down!"

"Fools!" Greed laughed. "I already told you. You can never hope to surpass the power my treasures have given me!"

Without warning, a huge explosion rent the air. "What's happening?!?" Opal struggled not to be blown off her monster by the force of the shockwaves.

"Look, the castle!"

Peering down below, the gamers watched in shock as Greed's castle crumbled and collapsed.

"You! What have you done?!?" Greed screamed in anger and horror. "My castle! My treasures!!!" he lashed out at Josiah only to have his attack fizzle and die before even reaching its target. "My, my power..."

"Looks like you're not much without your treasures, are you?" Josiah grinned. "It's over, Greed. Surrender!"

"No! I won't lose like this! I am the most powerful being in the universe!!!" Greed howled and charged at the young man in desperation.

"Tch, I gave you a chance. Legionairre!!!"

"No... NO!!!!!!!" Greed's anquished cry tore through the air only to abruptly cut short as he was enveloped by the legendary attack.

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My signature site. Because ripping off Silver's ideas is fun.

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*waves hand in a jedi-like manner* Move along. Nothing to see here...

((Feel free to post but please don't advance the time frame too much. There's a couple events involving Jeff and David that I want to taken care of before the next day (the next day in the RP, that is) and a rather major plot event is going to take place before everyone leaves town in the morning.))

As the last echoes of Greed's screams faded away, a card floated through the air and stopped in front of Neo. "Looks like I finally got a virtue card." he grinned snatched it. "Kindness? Why would that be the opposite of Greed?"

"Yeah, yeah, no one cares about the plot holes." Silver quickly interjected. "How about telling me what's been going on since I left?"

The gamers made their way down to the ruins of Greed's castle as the talked. As they neared the ground, they spotted Simeon waving to them.

"Wow..." Jeff whistled as he surveyed the destruction. "Were you the one who did this?"

The lion man nodded. "I'm sad to say that it was neccessary if you were to be victorious in your battle. But not all of his treasures were destroyed. I believe there is something here for most of you." he indicated a large pile of weapons. "For you, Josiah, the Son of Light, the Holy Claymore, blade of valor and protection. For Silver, the Windfall Crossbow, weapon the kindness born on the wind. This," he reached for a rather large gun, "is for Opal. It's the Flame Cannon, a weapon embodying the warm genorosity and harsh destruction of fire. For Neo, the Gaean Warhammer, representing the toil and dilligence of the earth. For David, the Lunar Claws, weapons of darkness to be used with caution and restraint. And, finally, for you Shauni, Daughter of Hellfire, the Arclighting Staff. May the lightning within pierce the storm in your heart, bringing forth humility and awakening the memories buried in your heart." He paused to survey the group. "At long last prophecy has been fulfilled and the seven weapons and united again. We must merely return to town and have the children unlock their powers for you."

***

When they arrived back in town, the gamers were met with a crowd of people celebrating the destruction of Greed's castle.

"I'm glad this people are finally free." Virgo smiled as she watched the festivities. "I hope they'll be able to make this place prosperous again."

"Oh, I'm sure they'll manage." David replied. "This place remind me of home. They're a strong people. They'll survive."

"So what's next, oh fearless leader?" Silver quipped. "Got any more castles to blow up or are we moving on to fortresses?"

"Heh, I think we're good for today. Let's just enjoy the party and then get some rest. We can have the kids re-activate our weapons in the morning and then plan our next move after that."

"Now that's a good idea!" Opal giggled. "Come on Silver, let's have fun!" she grabbed Silver's arm and dragged him off down one of the brightly lit streets.

"They look good together." Josiah nodded in approval.

"Hey, we can't let them be the only couple having fun." Virgo laughed as she took Josiah's hand. "Come on!"

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My signature site. Because ripping off Silver's ideas is fun.

Jeff sat alone on the docks, staring out across the stary expanse reflected in the ocean. Though happy that Greed had been defeated, his was bit dispondent, dissapointed that he had contributed little to the overall battle. Despite the fact that the other gamers were the friends with whom he'd shared so many adventures, he no longer felt entirely like he belonged with them. They were all growing further away, and Shauni most of all. Perhaps he should have stayed with Amhal and helped the prince lead the army to defend Orca. Perhaps... He sighed. What he should do. Where he belonged. He just wasn't sure anymore.

"Why do you keep resisting? What do you have to gain by denying your true self?"

He looked up at the voice to see the ghostly form of a bird standing nearby. "Do, do I know you?" The bird seemed so familiar yet the details danced just outside of his recollection.

"After all we went through together, you still don't remember my name?" the bird asked sadly. "You suppress your memories, your powers, your very self...and what does it get you? Confusion? Isolation? You worry that your friends are drifting away from you, but you're the one who's abandoning them."

"No! That's not true! I'm-"

"Think back on the time you've spent with them. Your adventures together. The times you faced the chosen, Moenn, and Bowen. How much of it do you really remember?"

"Of course I remember!" Jeff retored angrily. "I..." he tried off as realized that the bird was right. His recollection of those days were vague and hazy, the details lost from him. "So I can't remember all the details? So what?!?"

"Your memories define who you are. Your values, your personality, your relationships. Without those memories, you're no longer the Jeff who went on those adventures. That's why you're so conflicted, so lost. You have to remember or the things you care about most will continue to slip away."

"How would you know anything about me?!?" Jeff slammed his fist against the sturdy wood of the dock, anger still lining his face.

"I've always been with you, Jeff. Ever since you first came to this world. If you'd only remember, you'd know that."

Jeff frowned and looked back into his thoughts, trying to pierce the invisible wall the seperated him from the memories of times past. They were all right there. The good times, the desperate battles, his friends, Shauni, and... "NO!!!" he screamed as his body, stiffened. "No! I can't!"

"Not all memories are pleasant." the bird spoke calmly. "Some are sad, and some are terrifying. But they're as much as part of you as the rest. If you supress them, you supress everything else as well. You must accept the bad along with the good. If you deny the darkness, you'll lose the light as well."

"The darkness..." Yes, there was darkness in those memories. In himself... He could remember it spreading though him, guiding his actions... "No..." he was trembling. "I don't want to remember. I, I..."

"Forgetting the past doesn't change it. Your friends have already forgivin you for what happened back then. All that's left, is for you to forgive yourself. Forgive, and remember..."

"Forgive myself?" Memories began flooding into his mind. The darkness that took over him and the horrible things he'd done and said under its coertion. How he later threw himself into his military duties and training, struggling to forget those dark days and no longer be the person who had allowed darkness to take control. Yet, not all the memories were bad. He remembered the times with his friends and their adventures. He remembered Shauni as she once was. Her light, her smile... And, at long last, he remembered them. The companions who he trusted and fought along side. The ones who had defined him as a gamer. The ones he thought were lost forever...

When Jeff looked up again, he wasn't aware of how much time had passed, but there were tears in his eyes as he thought of all the things he come so close to losing forever, just because he couldn't bring himself to accept that darkness in his past. Facing and accepting that darkness, difficult as it may be, was a small price to pay to regain everything else.

"Now," the bird asked gently, "do you remember my name?"

"Yuki..." he whispered, wondering how he could have ever let himself forget his first and strongest monster.

"Yes, it's me." the bird seemed to smile as the air shimmered around it, revealing more ghostly figures.

"Bubble... Drakkone... Fangrel... I, I'm so sorry..."

"Don't be sad. Though our physical forms were lost in the collapse, we were always there with you, Jeff. You just needed to remember. And now, we can aid you again. We'll always be here. Just remember your powers, remember us, and call whenever you need our aid. Our powers are yours, use them to fight alongside your friends again, just like you used to."

As the images of his monsters faded away, Jeff felt a warm glow coming from the Yuki Revolver on his belt. Picking it up, he saw that the chambers that had been empty were now loaded. He could also feel the sprits of his monsters inside him, their powers tied into the data shifting ability he'd long forgotten, ready for him to call upon at a moment's notice. "Thank you." he smiled as he wiped the tears from his eyes. "I promise that I'll never forget you again. From now on, we'll always fight together."

((Ended up being a bit longer than I though, but that wraps up Jeff's sub-plot. Next up, David and then it's time to get back to saving the world.))

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My signature site. Because ripping off Silver's ideas is fun.

((Sorry for the delay. Now presenting, David's big backstory revalation, based on Shirou's original plans for him))

David walked alone through the streets of the town. At first, he'd enjoyed the festive atmosphere but now he was lost in thought, barely paying any attention to his surroudings. The dreams, or nightmares he supposed, had been coming more frequently, leaving strange memories and images that no longer faded when he woke. The imaegs, the memories, whatever they were, were still a jumbled mess in his head. There was a fire, a girl, and pain. Always pain... The girl in particular haunted his thoughts. She looked so much like him. Her eyes, her hair, her smile as the flames rose up around them... Her name tugged at the edges of his consciousness, always just out of reach.

Looking up, David noticed that he'd wondered into the outskirts of the town, far away from the lights and sounds of the celebration. He was just about to turn back when a scream cut through the quiet night. Turning, he ran towards the sound. The darkness began to fade away as he ran and a powerful heat suffused the air. Rounding a corner, he found himself staring a building engulfed in flames. Somewhere inside, a girl continued called out for help, her voice growing weaker with each cry. A quick look around revealed that no one else was in the area, they were all at the celebration, too far away to even notice the blaze.

"Hold on, I'm coming!" David yelled as he charged inside. The building's interior was a maze of flame and smoke, making it hard to see or breath, but he ran on, ignoring the heat and following the sound of the voice. "Damn it!" he muttered. "Why didn't I ever catch a water monster?"

Struggling on, he found her at least. The girl, a few years younger than himself, was trapped in a corner, her leg caught under a fallen beam. "Don't worry, I'm here to help you!" He gripped the smoldering bream, ignoring the burning pain in his hands, and wrenched it off the girl. "Come on!" he grabbed her hand. "We have to get out of here!"

Half dragging the girl behind him, he headed for the exit. The fire was getting worse, making it difficult to find the way out. But he was close, he knew it. Just a little further... A sudden rain of debris fell from above, knocking David and the girl to the ground. A vision suddenly flashed through his mind of a similar scene. He was in a burning house, dragging a semi-conscious girl with him. But something had fallen, hitting him in the head. The last thing he remembered as his vision faded to black, was the computer nearby, glowing despite the flames the wreathed it...

"NO!!!" David screamed suddenly, forcing himself to his feet. "Hang on, Julia!" he broke into a fit of coughing. "I'll... I'll save you..." As the smoke began to overwhelm him, David reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. "I'm stronger than before... Supreme Golem...please..." his vision wavered as he collapsed once more.

When David regained consciousness, he was laying on the street outside the burning building. The girl was nearby, unconscious but breathing. Looking up, he saw Supreme Golem quickly clearing the debris from around the building, creating a barrier to prevent the fire from spreading. But his mind was only vaguely focused on the scene. Instead, it was in another time and place, remembering world, and another fire. He remembered it all now. He wasn't from Orca after all. He'd grown up on Earth, just like the other gamers. He had a family, a home, and a twin sister... When their house had caught fire, he'd charged in recklessly to save her and then... And then what? The remaining memories were fragmented. He and Julia were almost out of the house when he'd been struck. And the computer... It must have been Hellfire, pulling him into this world. But it hadn't worked correctly. The computer had melted in the flames before it could finish, taking only his mind, his consciousness. He last memory was of Julia dragging him towards the door as his body fell into an endless sleep. His memory loss and his original seperation from the others gamers must have all been due to the incomplete transfer...

Finishing its task, Supreme Golem walked over to David. "You did well." he smiled as he pulled himself to his feet. "Can you carry the girl? We need to get her to a doctor." The golem looked worriedly about David and, for the first time, he realized he was crying. "Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm just...just thinking about something that happened a long time ago."

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My signature site. Because ripping off Silver's ideas is fun.

((A bit shorter than I planned (got a busy day ahead) but I'm posting again!))

The gamers woke late the next morning. Some still celebrating their victory over Greed, some lost deep in thought. Over breakfast, they began to plan their next move...

"Before we leave, shouldn't we have those kids activate these weapon thingies? Or something?" having only rejoined the group the day before, Silver was still a little fuzzy on revent events.

"Speaking of the kids, where are they? Shouldn't they be up by now?" Neo looked around the common room. "Shauni seems to be missing too."

"I'll go get her." Virgo headed for the stairs.

"And I'll wake the children." Simeon rose and followed her.

Virgo was the first to return, alone and looking rather puzzled. "Um, has anyone seen Shauni today? Her room was empty."

"I don't think so. Excuse me." Jeff turned towards the innkeeper. "Did the brown haired girl in our group go out early today?"

"No, I haven't seen her at all."

"Then where could she-"

David was interrupted by Simeon, who stormed back into the common room looking both worried and angry. "The children are gone. All of them. We need to hurry and-"

Just then, the ground shook as a loud explosion echoed outside.

Running to the door, Josiah yanked it open and immediately jumped back, narrowing avoiding a clawed arm. "Electriblast!" he raised a card and a large electrib blue and yellow tiger appeared and charged outside, bowling over the monster blocking the doorway. "I hate to say it, but looking for them is going to wait." he grimly surveyed the others. "We're under attack and it looks like they've got an entire army out there."

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My signature site. Because ripping off Silver's ideas is fun.

Though worried about Shauni and the kids, the gamers we quick to respond. Splitting up, they struck hard and fast, forcing the attacking monsters back to the outskirts of the village.

Josiah, in Electric Ultimate form, was the first to clear his area. The remainder of the attacking army remained a short distance outside the village, as if they were waiting for something. The whole thing made him uneasy. While the monsters he'd encountered had been fairly strong, he was sure that they wouldn't be a match for any of the gamers, at least not in small groups. But why hadn't they all swarmed at once. There were hundreds of monsters out there and their sheer numbers may have given them an edge. What were they waiting for?

Soon the other gamers began to arrive, having cleared their sections of the town as well, along with a group of local trainers who had joined them to fight back against the attackers.

A moment later a figure detached itself from the army and floated into the empty plain seperating the two forces. She was tall and muscalar, with deep pink skin and a long tail. She stode atop a massive pink cloud, with a thick rod clasped in her hand. "Her higness Vanderbilt commends you on you success and tenacity." though she wasn't shouting, her voice boomed across the plain. "Clearly the stories about your exploits weren't exaggerated. If left unchecked you could become a serious threat to her plans. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sanku of the Pink Cloud, one of Vanderbilt's twelve generals, commander of the army of extermination. I'm here to bring an end to you once and for all." As she spoke a swarm of small pink clouds emerged and floated towards the gamers as the army behind slowly began to advance.

One of the local trainers yelled a battle cry and charged the nearest cloud, a whispy horse type monster at his side.

"No, wait!" Josiah yelled. "Those are-"

But it was too late. The moment the horse monster touched one of the clouds it fell to the ground, unmoving. Its trainer froze and looked at its card, trying to figure out why it hadn't returned. But as he looked the card turned to ash and fell from his hand. His monster hand't merely been KO'd...it was dead.

"What the..." Silver gasped.

"Remember those rumors about monster killing pink clouds." Jeff sounded sick. "I think we just found their source..."

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My signature site. Because ripping off Silver's ideas is fun.

Neo and Tsuekasa set about clearing their area of the town. It didn't take too long with both of them working together to clear their area and meet back with Josiah. Afew of the town's trainers had join with him and Tuse and joined with them in the center. "Man...where did all of these come from? And how many are there. Seems to be almost endless." Then a figure detached itself from the army and floated towards the gamers and other trainers. She looked somewhat close to Perfect Storm. Well the whole standing on top of a cloud thing, cept this cloud was pink.

Her higness Vanderbilt commends you on you success and tenacity." though she wasn't shouting, her voice boomed across the plain. "Clearly the stories about your exploits weren't exaggerated. If left unchecked you could become a serious threat to her plans. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Sanku of the Pink Cloud, one of Vanderbilt's twelve generals, commander of the army of extermination. I'm here to bring an end to you once and for all.", she said to the group. (Sorry, felt like this should be added to my post)

Then small pink cloulds begain to appear and begain to float near the group. Then in a flash one trainer broke from the group and attacked one of the clouds. The trainers monster make a physical attack aginst the clould and then fell over, dead. The whole group was in shock.

Then Jeff said that the pink clouds must be the rummered clouds that kill monsters. Neo wasn't sure what to do. Then he had an idea. "Well, if touching or being touched by them kills then how about moves that don't make physical contact? Would that work on the clouds? One way to find out."
Then Neo summoned out Raquezez, saying "Use Code Rewrite on one of those clouds!"


(Code Rewrite- a short beam that can change attacks and other things into something diffrent. When used aginst people and monster: has a 90% chance of destroying the data or turning it worse (aka, negative effect on target), 7% chance of changing the data for the better, and 3% chance of leaving the data alone. Time for this varies.
)

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