The Ridge(Just the six of us)

I walked forward with Aldearith into the next room, and helped him clear it. We opened the next door and walked until the path split into two different ways. I used the special sight I had previously done to find the path leading directly to the artifact. "It's that way." I pointed, "Ready to go get it?" I began walking down the path. Throughout all this time, I had left a path for Gajeel to follow if he saw fit to do so.

I followed misaaki casually as we walked. Blades still in hand incase of ambush
[note] I am still keita. This thread was made before Aldearith.

Gajeel followed Masaaki."Watch out for traps."He said as he unsheathed his swords,ready for anything that might come their way.

We soon arrived at what was to be my last door. It was engraved with the initials of many, likely all had perished after going into this room. (Poor guys, hopefully they're in a better place now.) This door was slightly taller and of a darker hue than that of the other doors in this place. "hmph... typical." I mumbled. I equipped my gauntlets and gave the door a solid whack, but it didn't budge. I then realized I had to sign my initials into the door. "Hey guys, I think we gotta sign this door to enter." I bent down and carved my initials with my kunai.

I melted my name into the door and let a void open infront of me "prepare for the worse" I muttered as chaos booster activated. I plucked god killer from the void in its calm state "let's go!" My eyes activated and so did demon blade dance. I smiled, ready t unleash hell

(Already have friend.) I thought, walking into the room after him. "Now," I said, staring at the room's interior,"What challenge would this place present us with next?" I finished. I looked around for a slight while, observing all the possible ways we could die. There were more runes fixed in the roof and three pillars equidistant from the center of the room. Each pillar had a different color, one was black, another was white, and the third was red. "But why the three pillars?" I wondered aloud. I turned my focus over to the center of the room now, and found a hollow chamber where the artifact was supposed to be. (I wonder.) I thought as I walked toward the black pillar. "Hey Keita, touch this for me will you?" I asked, trying to test my hypothesis.

I lay my hand on the pillar. Surging dark energy into it. I smiled as I felt the pillar react to the energy "refreshing.." I said as my energy recycled itself. Swelling within me making me stronger. I dulled the energy insertion wen the ground beneath be began to crack.

"That's what I thought. I thought these pillars had to do with a race. Black for Demon, white for angel. (No stereotyping there). But why the red pillar, what type is that?" I half ask, half wonder. I touched the white pillar until the ground began to crack just as Keita's had. The hollow chamber in the middle still remained un-open. I pondered for a while longer, then bit my thumb. A bit of blood came forth from where I broke the skin. I then put my blood on the pillar, and it reacted just as the others did. "Blood is the answer, why does that not surprise me at all?" Just then, all three pillars deteriorated into the air, and the hollow chamber opened. "Finally, the last room to the artifact. You coming?" I said, halfway down the steps already.

I was alreaddy behind him. Following with swords drawn.

Gajeel drew his swords once again.He prepared himself for any attack that might come at him."What's going on?"

As the three of us treaded carefully the hall that led to my goal, I radioed the Gentleman to what was going on. This staircase in the hall kept going down, and down, and down, seemingly never ending. The air became more dense and harder to breathe the further we went. Ten minutes down and still nothing. I then decided to use the specialty I had picked up from being here. Upon Initiation, my vision became hazy and disoriented, so much so that I had to retract it. I then tried to fly, but that also failed. "It seems as though this area we can't use any special powers or magic." I told the others as we continued. Five minutes after that we finally entered what was to be the last room for my quest. It was a relatively medium sized room, but filled with a presence unlike any I felt before. The walls were stained with the blood of all who made it here before. No pillars existed in this room, merely a pedestal for the artifact, which wasn't there. "This is it, but where is that which I seek?" I mumbled. A ghastly voice answered my half asked question. If you want that, then you'll have to kill me and take my blade, for that is the only way to take the artifact from its resting place. A figure materialized in the corner of my eye. A being unlike anything Gallia had conjured stood before us, its powers and abilities unknown. "So fellas, you ready to finish this?" I ask, unsheathing my Severed Justice.

I sheathed my blade and drew god slayer from the void "... Easy peasy..." I attempted to activate chaos booster. Nothing happened. Spread flames. Only a spark. I tried to blink. I did. But only a couple mitres "they're not gone. Just limited...if there was no magic in this room the creature couldn't sustain itself. I saw it take it's blade of it's back there was something missing from it. It was the Phoenix feather "missal I give me the Phoenix feather I whispered holding my hand behind my back towards him. I spoke to the warrior "I have a deal...we give you the missing piece of your sword...if we can take one swing...?" I wanted to feel how the sword swung. Weither I would add it to my collection or not.

I handed the feather off with ease so that the creature couldn't see it. I don't see why one swing wouldn't be a problem, considering you're all going to die by it soon afterwards. There's no way you could have what I need to complete the bane, so knock yourselves out. The creature proclaimed, hurling the sword towards Keita.

I took a few steps forward to catch the blade. With ease of corse. I asked him if there were any ability's I should be wearying of when I swing. I took another few steps so he could show me. Then I was gone. Trying to blink in here sucked. It made you dizzy and it was a pain in the donkey. I was about a mitre to the left of the creature and slightly to the left. Sliding the Phoenix feather in as I slashed at it's back. Idiot. You never let the enemy hold your sword.

"But... How?" The creature asked in disbelief, falling forward and dissapearing from sight. The room began to quake, and two more beings appeared, each a reflection of the first, only this time, their swords had phoenix feathers in them. "So you thought it was going to be easy hmm?" they said, "very foolish, because now whenever one of me dies, two take my place and come back stronger and with what you killed the previous me with." I then began thinking how this could come to be. "If that's the case, then you're also limited to what you can hold, otherwise you die instantly!" I claimed, charging and killing the two. Four took their place, then eight, sixteen, you do the math. "What's his limit?" I asked.

"Hmm....." I thought carefully "you'll have to kill me and take my blade, for that is the only way to take the artifact from its resting place." I struck the pillar with the sword expecting a reaction.

Immediately as Keita struck said pillar, the multiple demons vanished into nothing and the hollow pillar opened to reveal what was resting there. "Nice work." I said, walking over to the chamber in the pillar. I expected no interruptions, but I was wrong. Out from the depths of that chamber sprung yet another creature, this one in full armor, cloaked in magic resistant plating. I jumped back to my original position and threw two kunai at it, but like many times, they just bounced off and hit the floor. "Those won't work on me friend." It spoke with a somewhat noble voice. "I am your final challenge, defeat me, and you'll have what each of you seek. For this is the way of the ridge." It stated once more. "Keita Isanagi, Masaaki Amaterasu, Gajeel Volk, what is it that you each seek?" It inquired.

The Gentleman came dashing into the room holding his hat onto his head and carrying his sword cane, "Greetings everyone! Seems i was a bit late for the party eh? Ran into a bit of trouble when a falling icicle decided to crush the communication array. Terribly sorry about it." The Gentleman looked up at the creature within the pillar, "I say! What do we have here?"

"A multiplying being. If one goes down, two more take its place. It wants to know what we all seek by coming here. Any ideas on how to defeat it?" I asked, blocking five attacks.

The Gentleman grinned and did a backflip over an incoming attack, "Simple my friend! Get it to attack itself!" The Gentleman charged and fired a Doragohameha at the creature, "Have at thee, armored creature!"

It then occured to me that if this did happen, the creature's powers would end up negating themselves and we could find the original. "Do what he says, this might actually work." (It's amusing that these beings think I can be defeated so easily. Oh well, they'll find out soon enough.)

I grinned as I blinked narrowly out of the way of a slash. Causing it to hit another one of the creatures.

The Gentleman watched as Keita blinked out of the way, causing the creature to attack its own copy, "That's the ticket! Keep it up old boy!" as he dove and rolled out of the way, he looked at the various pillars around the room and began thinking of a plan to speed things up a bit.

I noticed what the good sir was looking at, and I had a feeling he had the same idea as me. "How about we bring the house down good sir?" I wryly asked, dodging an attack that smashed into one of the pillars. (Funny that these creatures aren't as smart as the original.)

What...?" I said gingerly whilst sending another creature into a pillar.