As the lion-like Heartless pounced at the group of Keybearers, Tendra reacted quickly, knocking the unwitting Darkwatch out of harm's way and dodging the beast's attack. The three scouts were thrown to the ground rather roughly. Elz hit the muddy earth with a tumble, turning over once or twice before regaining control of his movements. He plucked himself off of the ground, first planting a knee to support himself, then forcing himself onto his feet. They were still alive, but the three members of the Darkwatch were exhausted and sustained several injuries. How much longer they could fight was up to fate at this point. Tendra took only a moment of consideration before shouting a question to the Darkwatch. [b]"Do you have any firing or shooting towers left or at the very least any training in it? The beast hates fire, so you would need to use flames to slow it down or injury it. I'm not 100% certain Dragon Fire would have the same affect as normal fire but if you can at least slow it down, I should be able to kill it. Master will no doubt want something from it to study and I believe that tail tip would be perfect for Master to study, looks like concentrated darkness to me."[/b] Elz thought for a moment but his hopeless expression spelled the answer clearly. "I'm afraid our defenses were ransacked--" Elz said. "Elz!" One of the other Darkwatch said, coughing roughly. "We don't know that yet. It could have just been a simple malfunction--" "I checked them this morning! Are you telling me the cannons just randomly stopped working right before a rogue Heartless attack?!" Elz caught himself and tried to stay calm, once again turning to Tendra. "We don't have time. I'll support you with [i]Fire[/i] spells to try to distract the beast, but that's the best I can do." Just as Elz finished speaking, a roar once again resounded throughout the clearing at a deafening volume. The lion Heartless leaped into the air and shot downward toward Tendra at a blinding speed, its teeth and claws bared. Elz, not hesitating for a moment, shot a [i]Fire[/i] spell at the beast. The incandescent orb slammed into the mane of the Heartless and caused its path of attack to be altered. The bestial Heartless landed next to Tendra, performing a 360 degree swipe with its claws before once again attempting to pounce on him, mouth open and aiming for the apprentice's head. [center]* * * * *[/center] Axeus grinned as the battle continued, the struggle between conscious and unconscious darkness, the survival of the fittest playing out before his eyes. Next to being engaged in combat himself, watching two beings fight each other to the death was his favorite pastime. There was something visceral about bloodsport, knowing that with one misstep, one false move, one of the combatants could succumb; it entertained the old Master in a way he found indescribable. This was different from other times he might have watched a combat play out, however. He had hope in these young warriors... or, perhaps hope was not the right word. He had confidence in them. Though Axeus did not know why, he felt that they would not be like so many others who died during his test. As the fight went on, this gut instinct was proven correct. As two of the Neoshadows spun toward Kotaro, he backflipped away from the attack at the last second. However, as the young boy suspected, the claws did indeed catch the back of his legs, sending ribbons of blood into the air as he finished his flip. Not taking heed of the wounds, Kotaro did something that made Axeus's expression turn into one of impressed shock. He flung his Keyblade at one of the Heartless, its blade impaling the thing's head and destroying it, before recalling the blade to his hand. The throw was shaky and the form lacking, but Kotaro had just used a very rudimentary version of a [i]Strike Raid[/i]. Axeus put a hand to his chin. This boy was just a bag of surprises... he never knew what to expect. As Kotaro predicted, during the blade-throwing maneuver, the last Neoshadow had rushed toward him, raising a claw to strike. As the Neoshadow brought down his dagger-like hands, Kotaro attempted a parry of the attack. However, with a split-second change of trajectory, the Neoshadow avoided the parry and slashed across Kotaro's chest, while the slash that was meant to parry the attack sunk into the Heartless's chest, destroying it with a cross-counter. Kotaro had defeated the Heartless, but sustained some injuries along the way. Simultaneously, Isadora dealt with the crafty Heartless who had used her own cape as cover, leaping out once the cape was donned and slamming Isadora to the ground. With a sadistic motion, the Heartless slowly dug its claws across Isadora's chest, causing a rather painful-looking wound. Axeus watched as the girl barely grimaced, and didn't make a single sound. His head turned slightly, intrigued by this development. The girl showed an impressive tolerance to pain, or so it seemed. A slight smile graced his face. The girl's tenacity was an exciting development. Isadora, once again in control of herself, grabbed the monster and threw it off of her, jumping to her feet and summoning her Keyblade back to her. The two immediately engaged in a macabre waltz, a beautifully lethal choreography of swipes, slashes and stabs. Each strike the Heartless attempted was easily avoided, to Axeus's content surprise. Finally, Isadora made an attempt at a coup de grace, leaping into the air before clashing with the Heartless and dragging it back down to the earth by its neck. Axeus saw Isadora's expression as she exerted complete control over the Heartless. Pinning it down so it couldn't move, Isadora put on a wild grin that made Axeus's heart swell. The expression reminded him of himself, and of Helena. For a moment he was overtaken by emotion, once again wanting to feel that complete dominance over another. He quickly snapped himself out of it. Instead of using her Keyblade, Axeus watched as Isadora simply slammed the Neoshadow onto the hard stone using only her own strength. The blow was strong enough to finish the Heartless, causing it to dissipate. Isadora picked herself up on shaky legs, looking to Axeus with a reserved expression, though he could feel the worry emanating from her. He locked eyes with her, smiling confidently, and gave her a single nod. [i]You passed[/i]. "Well done, young warriors," Axeus said. "You have defeated the Heartless I summoned, and thus completed my trial. I will accept both of you as my newest apprentices." Axeus paused for a moment to allow the gravity of the situation to sink in. He then pointed at both of the apprentices' chests. "These wounds you have sustained are an important part of your training. Pain allows you to feel fear, anger, and hate. It is through pain that we achieve our goals, and through pain that we push ourselves further than we ever thought we could go..." as Axeus spoke, tendrils of darkness crept up the legs of Isadora and Kotaro. The cold, shadowy energy snaked up their thighs, to their stomach, and finally rested on their chest. Axeus slowly raised his hands and twisted them, causing the darkness to enter their wounds and blood to spurt out. "Remember this pain, my apprentices. Remember the power it has over you, and use this power to control others. [i]It is through pain that we will achieve our goals,[/i]" he repeated, more deliberately this time. Axeus lowered his hands, causing the darkness to cease its icy assault and disappear into the temple floor. "Now, I'd like to speak with each of you individually, but first we will tend to your wounds." Axeus snapped his fingers, a cackle of black energy sparking between them, and within moments two Darkwatch members appeared in the temple room through corridors of darkness. Each went to one of the new apprentices. In a synchronized action, they simultaneously called out "[i]Cure[/i]!" as a sparkling white energy enveloped the Isadora and Kotaro, starting from their toes and reaching their head in a blossoming flower. Their wounds were mostly healed by the magics, though the fatigue of the battle would likely linger. The two cloaked figures stepped back, awaiting new orders. Axeus turned to them. "Fetch Veros for me," He commanded the cloaked Darkwatch. They each put an open hand- palm down and fingers together- over their heart, the official salute of the Darkwatch. Then the two quickly left to fulfill their simple mission. Axeus turned to Kotaro. "I must say, I am impressed, my boy. I'm not sure if you entirely grasp what you did during that fight. When you threw your Keyblade, you used a very rudimentary version of the ability referred to as [i]Strike Raid[/i]. A simple but powerful technique, [i]Strike Raid[/i] allows a Keybearer to attack from a distance by throwing their Keyblade in an arc with perfect accuracy. The applications are numerous, and the increased range granted by such an ability is a great boon to any warrior." Just as Axeus finished his sentence, Veros passed through the double doors of the throne room, having been close enough that the trip took only a minute or so. Without turning to regard her, Axeus continued. "Veros here will teach you the basics of the technique. I expect you to be able to perform it by morning," Axeus then turned to Veros. "Don't go easy on him." Veros's bright green eyes narrowed at the boy. "I wouldn't dream of it, Master." "Escort Kotaro to one of the training rooms," Axeus instructed. He then approached Kotaro and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Congratulations my boy, you are officially an apprentice of mine. I know you're probably tired from the battle, but stamina is just another area you need to refine. Back-to-back training like this will make it easier on you when you are in real combat, and the enemy isn't kind enough to give you a break. Now, go." As the two left the throne room, Axeus turned to Isadora. A mixture of emotions flooded his body. He was impressed by her performance, her inky darkness was palatable and endearing, and the way she seemed to fight better when injured was most intriguing. At the same time, her connection to Helena confused him and reawakened what seemed like centuries-old sadness buried ever so deep within him. He went back to his throne, and motioned for her to follow. The stone in a half-circle around the throne was the same, spongy black that comprised his seat, stretching for about fifteen or twenty feet outward. As he sat, Axeus twisted his hand into a crooked claw, causing a pool of darkness to form a couple feet in front of him. The stone reacted to the darkness, forming another chair as Axeus shaped it with his hand gestures. He then beckoned for Isadora to sit. "First of all, let me commend you, young lady," Axeus said. "You have shown great promise. The darkness inside you is deep, unforgiving, and reminds me of my own. When I look at you, I see limitless potential... which must have also been what she saw." Axeus paused for a moment, his face becoming serious and expressing a profound but soft sorrow. "Tell me. What became of Helena?" [center]* * * * *[/center] As Veros escorted Kotaro to a nearby training room, she couldn't help but think of her poor luck. Not only did she have to retrieve the sorry little kid from the jungle with his tail between his legs, now she was his personal trainer. Wasn't this Axeus's job? Of course she would never question the master. She wasn't looking for an early death. She joined his Darkwatch, knowing full well what that entailed. She was very good at her job, and the most loyal captain he had. She didn't plan on changing that any time soon. Still, when she looked back at Kotaro as they walked, she couldn't help but want to retch. The master saw something in him that she did not. Maybe she was being harsh on him, but she knew to trust her instincts and they told her that this boy was not to be trusted. Veros silently sighed. There was no use dwelling on those thoughts. The best thing to do would be to clear her mind of her preconceived notions and trust in her Master. After all, the child had just defeated three Neoshadows. When she first came she wouldn't have survived such a test; thankfully, Axeus still accepted her. [i]Who knows,[/i] she thought. [i]Maybe the kid will surprise me. Might as well give him a chance.[/i] They soon reached the training room, a medium-sized area with a circular hole in the roof that allowed sunshine to brighten the stone. Within it stood all manner of training equipment, from punching bags and dummies, to weight training and exercise equipment, to magical conductors that one could safely practice casting spells on. These conductors would likely be foreign to Kotaro's eyes. They were long, cylindrical objects made of what appeared to be a shiny metal. They were about four feet tall and only about a foot in diameter, and they seemed to radiate magical energy. Upon entering the room, Veros turned around and faced Kotaro, looking at him for the first time since she had seen him in the jungle. "Kotaro, yes?" Veros asked. "As you already know my name is Veros. I will be instructing you on the proper use of the [i]Strike Raid[/i] technique. As I understand, you were able to perform a basic version of [i]Strike Raid[/i] in your fight, but it was not up to the master's standards. As I'm sure Master Axeus explained, this technique is crucial for extending the range of a Keybearer. By using it, your effective striking distance is more than tripled. To use this technique, you have to learn to control your Keyblade without touching it. Observe." Veros summoned her black, minimalist Keyblade and took a battle stance. She cocked her arm back and then flung it forward. Her Keyblade spun rapidly, flying to the farthest training dummy in the room, about thirty feet away from her. The Keyblade connected with it, hard, ripping the dummy in two and continuing its arc. It was only took about five seconds from the moment Veros threw her weapon for it to return to her hand. "See," Veros said. "You don't recall the Keyblade to your hand. Instead, you throw it with utter precision and use your link with your weapon to subtly guide it back to you." Veros pointed at one of the closer training dummies, only about fifteen feet away. "Your turn." [center]* * * * *[/center] As Yaun Lao entered the room with his apprentices in tow, the three white-robed priests became apprehensive. This was not part of the agreement. Lao's reassurance was accepted, of course, but the priests would have to speak more carefully. Though they fully trusted in the seasoned Keyblade Master, youth has a way of being fickle, capricious; they could not fully trust the apprentices, at least, not yet. [b]"So then. Since that's cleared up, why have come here, and what news do you have for me?"[/b] The robed figure in the middle grunted knowingly at Lao's question. Lao was not one to waste time, and it was for this reason that they had came to see him. "Yes, Yaun Lao... the matters we have come to speak to you about are of grave importance," the middle priest began. "Old Bastion and indeed all of the Cluster is once again threatened. Surely you've heard the rumors of a darkness clawing at the edges of the cluster, of Keybearers journeying to the outer worlds and not being heard from again, of... [i]creatures[/i] that have been showing up, killing, and leaving nothing but shadowy pools in their wake..." "Heartless," the priest to the right added abruptly. "The menace of the dark that has been seen only rarely in the past fifty years, since the World Eater's defeat. Even before that, the darkness was thoroughly subjugated, and the nasty creatures weren't often seen. However, of late, reports have been coming in from many of the worlds, the Montresser Spaceport, the Lost Empire, even Snowfall Wastes of creatures with the form of a shadow and frightening, glowing eyes." "You must know what this forebodes, Master Lao," the leftmost priest spoke. "The darkness... it is poised to strike again." "Indeed," the middle priest said. "In addition, there are rumors of--" the priest stopped suddenly, his body freezing. The two other priests came in close, lightly grabbing his shoulders and making sure he was alright. "A vision," the priest in the middle muttered quietly, as the other two slowly returned to their relaxed positions. The priest in the middle drew back his hood, revealing an old, wrinkled face, with pale skin and a white beard. His cheekbones jutted out from his face and his brow seemed to be constantly furrowed, but his most prominent features were his milky white eyes. The man turned his head to the apprentices behind Lao with a profound expression. "You... what are your names? Where are you from? How did you come to Old Bastion, and find Yaun Lao?"