The Body Heist (FIN)

There it was, and he couldn't do a damned thing about it. For what seemed like ages he had wandered the wastes of Hell in solitude, the Arcosian's seething hatred becoming his only motivation for pressing on. He could feel his spirit form trapping more and more of his new mystical environment's energies. His negative energy had become much like a venus fly trap, hungrily collecting and devouring the latent energies of Hell. The words of Hale still rang fresh in his mind; however, Hale had materialized his body. Friion had bumped into quite another problem altogether. Various Arcosians had begun to reclaim their bodies and were causing trouble for the ogres, so things had become quite a bit more strict. Through some manner of foul sorcery, bodies were being materialized away from their owners and kept under lock and key. Friion now sat just outside the cell that held his, peering through the jagged metallic bars at his dead-eyed figure, clad in heavy chains. It seemed there would be no way in or out, the confidence the Ogres had in this fact becoming clear when the Arcosian realized nobody was on watch. In his cloud-like spirit form, there was very little he could do about it. He began to scheme, but he knew he wouldn't be able to do this alone.

It was with this newfound knowledge that he sought out Hale once again. If he were to make any progress, his help would be required. He would find him about a mile out from the prison, or rather, Hale would find him. His kinsman approached calmly. ''I take it you've found out what happened to your body. I saw them transporting it.'' ''Then you already know why i'm here, don't you?'' ''Of course I do. You've explained your motivations well enough. I have a plan. I've helped liberate two others since the crack-down, but you have both a blessing and a curse on your hands. Compared to many that they're worried about, they believe your energy doesn't quite stack up to a top-level security threat. On the other hand, they're aware you can still become dangerous by tapping into your True state.'' ''So then what would you suggest? Are they just to leave my body in there to rot?'' ''Not exactly. Patience. The area they've left...well, you, is more of a holding cell location than a proper prison. They're going to move you again. I've been watching it happen to others for days.'' ''So what's the plan to be, then? I'm not of much help in my current form, as i'm sure you're aware.'' 

''The plan is to wait. They should move you soon. When they do, i'm going to assault the guards. That's going to be your chance. You're essentially possessing your own body, understand? Obviously it's unconscious, so this should be easy. There's only one problem, though.'' ''And what might that be?'' ''They call them Chains of Purgatory. It's essentially a binding implement meant to restrict energy, and all the bodies they've been getting hold of are stuck lugging them around; you know, in case something happens, like what we're about to do right now.'' ''Is there any way to get rid of them?'' ''Yes, actually. The Chains vary in strength, since they're difficult to produce. They align with the energy signature of the individual to ensure they're effective; they focus more on the souls much stronger than yours, so in a way you can count yourself lucky. The bad news is, the break-point for the Chains are at about double your current energy. If you want to be rid of them, you're gonna have to work for it. On the other hand, working to train yourself with the Chains stuck to you should benefit you greatly.'' In all honesty, it sounded very similar to weighted training. The only problem is it wasn't at will; by the sounds of things, he wouldn't be able to get rid of them for a fair deal of time. He had to hand it to the Ogres; it an incredibly clever fail-safe.

From the corner of his eye, Friion spotted a trio of Red Ogres. The red ones seemed the more brutish type as compared to the Blue, so Friion was left hoping Hale would be able to handle himself. Hiding behind a large rock, Friion would wait as Hale waited with him to make his move. The lead Ogre withdrew a key, turning it in the door which caused the jagged bars to recede into the ground. The other two each took a shoulder of Friion's chain-clad body, walking along with him as the key-holder kept watch. Friion eagerly went to move out from behind their hiding stone, but Hale raised a hand to deny his advance. ''Not yet, or they're gonna keep you in there. Wait just a minute or so more. Let them get some distance from the cell so they don't outrun me and toss you back in.'' After all this time of waiting, it was surprisingly difficult not to let eagerness overtake the Ex-Captain. He grunted, frustrated, before staying put. The ogre trio began to leave the cell behind, the holding cell closing back up as they made their leave. Once they'd gained a little more distance from it, Hale would spring out from behind the rock and immediately enter his Brute state, letting out a roar followed by a charging advance. 

The first of the ridiculously buff Ogres turned, allowing Friion's body to drop. He and his carrying partner advanced to try and hold back the giant serpent's charge, losing ground quickly as they both slid back toward the one in charge on impact. Their booted feet dug trenches in Hell's soil, and Hale went wild. Throwing a strong hook to the jaw of the one to his left and a stepping kick to the one on the right, he knocked them both a fair distance away and took a defensive stance to buy time. Friion hungrily floated out from behind the rock, his puffy spirit form zipping over to his body. The lead ogre, meanwhile, had let loose an almighty Yemma Lock leaving Hale helpless as his two goons used his torso as a punching bag. Friion's soul evaporated into his body, and he began to stand on wobbly footing; his entire body felt as cold as ice, but warmth and life were quickly returning; his vision had started black and then gone to blurry, and within a few moments was clearing up. Hale hadn't been joking, though; these Chains were going to be a definite problem. His energy output in his Suppressed State now having been reduced to a meager level of around fourteen thousand, he watched Hale smirk as he entered his Third Form, blowing away his aggressors with his energy.

''Run, Friion! If they get a hold of you they're gonna toss you right back in that cell! Now is not the time to fight. Go!''

While he had a mind to celebrate, Hale was right. He would have to get re-adjusted to having a body again, and a fight wasn't the place to get the task done. Watching as Hale began to take the upper hand against the trio, Friion struggled to take flight against the chains' weight on his body and energy. Once he was able to, he didn't bother looking back. He needed somewhere quiet to get himself adjusted again...