Shadows of the Past

"I'm assuming you do," Noct asked, "Is everything alright? Shouldn't there be more of you guys?"

--

"I wonder if Ursula is anything like the Oracles of Delphi..." Mortal wondered to herself, "Well, we should probably start heading over there. Euryale, lead the way please."

Taiyo stares about in awe at the undersea kingdom until it becomes apparent the others are beginning to move then follows.

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Azuma: "So you two go looking for whomever amd whomever while we go to the police? Leaving out the whole breaking and entering bit."

*Monu nods*

<I suppose we can pretend to be mercenaries. What about Safian?>
---
*Tirea still looks concerned*

L"Trained attack lion."
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Red Gargoyle<The others are fighting these monsters elsewhere at the castle.>

*He grabs 2 Shadows & smashes them together, destroying them.*

N"Well, if you have everything handled here, we can go look for them."

Red Gargoyle<Thank you, human strangers.>
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T"I suppose."
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E"She lives in the palace, so--"

*She makes the 'after you' gesture to Ariel, & then follows her.*

*Safian sneaks as close as she can to the two*

Monu:<Well, shall we go introduce ourselves?>
---
<Don't worry, we'll help out the rest of your clan.>

"Are you sure it is wise to just..." Noct let out a sigh as Artexi practically beamed with good natured helpfulness, "Whatever, let's go."

--

And so a bunch of fish ladies go off swimming, as fish ladies are wont to do.

Taiyo just keeps swimming, just keeps swimming. What does she do? She swims, swims, swims.

===================================

Azuma: "All righty then."

OOC: Post ended up a bit out-of-order, sorry about that.

*They start to turn, but raise their eyebrows at Azuma & Hitomi making no visible effort to move.*

T"Um...maybe you should go do that...."

*And then they continue on their way.*
===========================
*She leads them into the palace, where a deep, slightly nasally, but nonetheless feminine voice beckons them to enter. She & Euryale push open the doors & enter into a [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] with an open roof, which partly illuminates the room with the strained light that flows in. At the center sits a black cauldron. Then eels with a blue eye & a gold eye hiss in Mortal's & Taiyo's ears.*

Mortal's Eel<There's something different about this one.>

Taiyo's Eel<This one too. I smell magic. And air.>
===========================
*They run into the castle, finding a hall with a blue rug that leads to a desk, & a tapestry on the southern wall. It is also occupied by Goliath & an elderly gargoyle with a sword fighting Wyvern Heartless. The sword-wielding Gargoyle slashes a Wyvern in half & it dissolves into darkness. Goliath slashes with his claws keeping 3 others at bay, but then the central Wyvern dives into his stomach & knocks him into a wall. Through the openings in the castle, they can see red beams of light shooting throughout the night sky.*

N"I'll go check that out!"

Goliath<Don't bother! It's Xanatos, helping to protecting the castle from these...strange beasts.>

N"Heartless."

*Seeing the Wyvern soar towards Goliath with its claws outstretched, Nero rears back with his free hand & fires a blast of darkness, forcing it to back off. The others fly towards him, so he holds up his blade. The old Gargoyle rushes to Goliath's aid, stabbing at the Heartless that attacked him as he passes.*

N"Senthose told me about them once. But they're supposed to be ultra rare."
==========================
L"Alright, let's. And let's don our armor, so that we look more imposing. Safian, stop using magic."

*And so she activates her armor, & struts out there. The pirates on deck rush to grab their pistols, & point them at the approaching figures. The ones on the docks brandish their knives.*

L"We come in peace! Take us to your leader!"

*She turns to Monu.*

L"(I've always wanted to say that.)"

Taiyo shudders freaked out by some hissing bastard in her ear.

===================================

They set off to parts unknown.

"I wasn't aware magic smelled like anything," Mortal said, shooing away the pestering eel. She then looks around for the fortune teller.

--

"So I've heard," Noctis said, "What exactly are they doing here in such numbers?" As she asked her question she slashes at one of the heartless that went to attack Nero.

*Monu grins before donning his own armor and following Lilith. Safian brings up the rear*
---
*Light again covers Artexi's blade and she then attacks any nearby heartless*

*Nero stabs the downed Wyvern & blasts it with a Dark Fire, which finally destroys it. Artexi knocks back the other 2 Wyvern, while Goliath leaps on the Wyvern they're dealing with & the old Gargoyle stabs it, destroying it.*

Goliath<Xanatos believes that they were sent by his enemies...enemies who stole some kind of...modern day sorcery from him.>
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*After presumably walking around aimlessly, they locate the police headquarters at the base of a clock tower. One can only hope that they have the basic self-reliance to walk into a building & start a conversation.*
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*The eel that Mortal shoos snaps at her.*

Mortal's Eel<Maybe we should tell the King.>

Taiyo's Eel<He will be...cross.>

Ariel<I don't understand, what are they talking about?>

*An obese purple woman with a facial mole & a crazy white hairdo who looks like she's wearing a strapless dress that becomes octopus tentacles swims out of the darkness. She smiles.*

Ursula<Your friends from "out of town" are humans, transformed by magic. But don't worry...your secret is safe with me. Flotsam, Jetsam, behave yourselves.>

*The eels swim back into the darkness.*
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*Monu's grin is pointless because no one can see it. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] 2 [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] approach the edge of the deck.*

One on the Right<And what's this, then?>

One on the Left<I've never seen them. Let's shove off to sea & fire the cannons at them.>

L"Hold on! Which one of you is the Captain of this ship!"

One on th Right<That would be me, Captain Jack Sparrow. This friendly chap to my left is my First Mate, Barbossa.>

*Monu goes up to stand beside Lilith, while Safian stands to his other side and a little behind*

Monu:<Greeting Captain Sparrow, and Barbossa. We mean you no harm, we are merely mercenaries who wish to join you.>
---
*Artexi repeats the attack, hoping to finish the Wyverns off*

Mortal tries not to stare at all the hideous features, but soon finds this impossible, "Right, well, lets get to the point then. We're here to investigate any disturbances that may have arisen. Would you happen to know of any, particularly something hard to explain... er, something unnatural?"

--

"Modern sorcery?" Noct asked, "I don't remember New York having magic, but, then again, I don't remember the gargoyles being alive either, so what do I know?"

Taiyo: "Something um...forboding?"

===================================

They walk in and approach the front desk then wait to be addressed because police officers are busy people.

*Ursula waves one of her hands around & the water swirling in her palm becomes a crystal orb.*

Ursula<If it concerns the safety of the kingdom, I'll look into the future, without even asking for a price.>

*The crystal turns black, as though filled with oil. Then, glowing red eyes begin to glare out of it. The stupid fish hides behind Ariel.*

Ursula<Oh, this does not look good....>

Flounder<Wh--what is it?>

Ursula<Oh, it's just awful. This is the face of a swarm of monsters that are about to attack Atlantica, bred by men calling themselves 'pirates.' They've come for your father's trident, my dear.>
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Barbossa<And why would we go & hire a bunch of fools like you?>

Jack<They've got moxy going for them, can't argue that.>

Barbossa<Surely you can't be considering this, Captain Jack. They'll sink like stones!>

Jack<But, it'll be hard for bullets or swords to wound them. I say, "Welcome aboard!">

*The other pirates turn to stare at him in disbelief. Barbossa just shakes his head & heads off, slamming a door on the ship.*
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*A [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] approaches from the hallway, flashing her badge.*

<You kids need something?>
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*Artexi gets one. The last evades Artexi, spinning around in the air & diving for the gargoyles when the tapestry is flung aside. With blinding speed, something rushes out & shreds the Wyvern until it's just a mess of darkness & a heart-shaped light flying through the air. The thing that killed it turns out to be a female gargoyle with a similar skin tone to Goliath & a head of fiery red hair. She makes a kind of hissing noise & her eyes glow red.*

N"Whoa, easy lady, we're here to help."

Goliath<As I recall, you tried to smash my head in whilst I was asleep.>

N"I thought you were a statue! Why won't anyone let that go?"

*Nero waves his arms around in an agitated fashion, but at least thinks to dispel his Keyblade this time. In spite of himself, Goliath actually laughs. The old Gargoyle just stares at the new arrival & mutters "lad." When Goliath looks at her, he looks similarly shocked. Xanatos enters from behind, carrying what looks like a small cannon.*

Goliath<Can you be...?>

Xanatos<Ah, I thought she might emerge. I really wanted to reintroduce you under better circumstances. And I see you kids are poking around my castle again.>

Taiyo: "How far did you look?"

===================================

Azuma goes on to say who they're looking for and that they stopped by their place of residence only to be told that whom they're looking for hasn't been around for awhile.

"No need for thanks," Noct said.

--

Mortal looked at Taiyo, "Lilith and the others were going to deal with the pirates, but they may be overwhelmed if they were not expecting to encounter monsters. We should go to help them."

*Monu claps his hands*

<Thank you very much.>
---
*Artexi looks down*

<Sorry about that...>

Ursula<But surely you're not thinking of leaving Atlantica defenseless.>

Ariel<I'll tell Daddy, he'll know what to do.>

*Ursula holds up a finger.*

Ursula<That...might not be wise. If King Triton learns of this, it could lead to all-out war with the surface world. And I know you'd hate to see that.>

Ariel<Well...then what can we do?>

Ursula<They are after the trident. We just need to keep it safe, & destroy the monsters. Hopefully, your other surface friends will be able to stop these "pirates.">
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*Once everything & everyone are on board, the ship sets off. Barbossa approaches them on deck.*

Barbossa<Listen good. I don't know what the Captain is thinking, but as far as I'm concerned, you're nothing but no-good stowaways. You put a single toe out of line, & I'll have you fed to the sharks.>

L"Nice to meet you too."

Barbossa<Don't sass me, Laddie.>

L"'Laddie'?"

Barbossa<Now, here's the plan: We're after a treasure on the Isla De Murta. 882 pieces of Aztec gold, divided among the crew. Your share will be withheld until we return you to land, so that we may subtract whatever surfaces you take advantage of on our ship.>
============================
Xanatos<Well, if you're so eager to help, perhaps you should see if the others need it. They should be right up the staircase at the end of the hall.>

*Goliath & the female gargoyle embrace, stroking each others' faces with a hand.*

Goliath<Angel of the Night...but...how can this be?>

Xanatos<I acquired a gargoyle statue for my private collection some time ago. It seemed plausible that a trip to the castle might have some effect on it. Or, rather, on her.>
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<I can look into it. Come on, my car's the red one right outside. The name's Detective Maza.>

Monu:<That sounds reasonable.>

*Safian looks down at the deck like she might start scratching it up*

Monu:<I'm sure we won't cause any damage to your ship.>
---
<Aww...that's so cute!>

Mortal frowns, "I'm not sure that is the wisest decision. If they're overpowered it could lead to an even worse situation for Atlantica... Then again, it may be too late to make it back in time to be of any help." Mortal let out a frustrated sigh, "Fine, we'll stay here and defend Atlantica. How long do we have to prepare until the monsters arrive?"

--

Noct looked at Artexi, and simply shook her head, then looked back at Xanatos, "Actually, I'm not all that eager to help. I was just pointing out that we did."

Taiyo: "Would King Triton know we're humans?"

===================================

Azuma: "Azuma."

Hitomi: "Hitomi."

The two follow Maza to her car, presumably getting in once there.

*Barbossa raises an eyebrow, then heads down below.*

L"We should split up, see what's going on here."

*She follows Barbossa.*
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Ursula<King Triton's magic is more powerful than mine, but it's all in his trident. He will probably only know if he turns it on you.>

E"Do you think that's what the pirates are after?"

Ursula<Probably. With it, they could control the entire ocean.>
==============================
Elisa<Nice to meet you both.>

*Elisa drives them to the building. When they get out, the others are already there.*

Elisa<Friends of yours?>

R"Yeah. I'm Roatha, & this is Thiera."

T"We talked to the lady of the estate--"

R"She means the landlady."

T"--And she says that Dawn has been making payments on time for as long as she can remember."

R"But not in person. She apparently became a hermit several years ago."

Elisa<And how do you know that she's missing?>
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Xanatos<Well, as the phrase goes, you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here.>

*Some kind of weird, wingless gargoyle dog runs out to greet the new gargoyle. She lets go of Goliath to grab him as he jumps on her, & scratches under his chin. He even pants like a dog.*

Goliath<I thought you were lost to me forever.>

Shegoyle<And I you. Goliath...I think we should help Xanatos.>

Goliath<I agree. Not only should we repay him for his kindness, but I now fear for the safety of this castle & my clan.>

N"What do you need help with? And do gargoyles treat the retard babies like pets?"

Xanatos<Xanatos Industries is researching travel to other worlds. But some of my technology was stolen by a rival company named "Cyberbiotics.">

*He presses on a stone & part of the wall slides away, revealing a television. It comes on, showing pictures of a tower on the bay, a tunnel, & an airship flying around the tower.*

Oldgoyle<What sorcery is this?>

Goliath<It looks like some sort of...moving tapestry....>

*While they're arguing, he heads behind the desk, sitting down & steepling his hands.*

Taiyo: "Where would the monsters be coming from?"

===================================

Did we come up with a lie about this?

Azuma: "A tenant we had spoken to noticed that her mail had been piling up for awhile?"