Shadows Swarm

*Senthose--& the Mushroom--shrug.*

Senthose<Whenever, I suppose...knock it off!>

*He turns to yell at the mushroom, throwing his arms into the air. It of course mimics him.*
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Aladdin<That doesn't really matter. There's a law that says that a princess can only marry a prince.>

Axel<Man, you're slow. Just wish to change the law. Got it memorized?>

*Nero & Axel activate their Gliders, preparing to join Aladdin in getting the fuck out. Axel points at his temple.*

Aladdin<...Do you really think that she'd go for a guy like me? A street rat, whose only friends or family are a monkey & a magic carpet?>
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*Euryale pulls her hand to her chest, grabbing it with her other hand.*

E"It's freezing!"
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R"A ghost dog owned by a skeleton. Are we leaving yet?"
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*So they head into the clouds, landing outside of the Town Near Thebes. As they enter, Lilith squints down at something that she'd stepped on.*

L"Tournament...at the Olympus Coliseum...challengers...from many worlds?"

T"I thought that the worlds are supposed to be myths for the others. Perhaps it's just a gimmick? For example, dressing a gladiator up in feathers & saying that he's from Cloudcuckooland?"

Taiyo: "Oh? I guess I've gotten used to him. I think he likes you."

Kitters circles around Euryale's tail, loving up to her in a way only a ghost can.

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Azuma: "And that's a ghost cat owned by a...catgirl. And that depends if those two are ready."

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Hitomi looks about at the uninteresting sight that is the Town Near Thebes.

*Eve rounds on the asshole*

Eve:<I happento be a researcher, so I've been quite busy. But anyway, it's just that...I'm not the best fighter.>
---
*Artexi summons her glider and follows*
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Monu:<Gods are normally myths as well, however that does not seem to be the case here.>

L"Bah. Amass enough power & declare yourself a god & just about anyone would believe it. I'd be surprised if Senthose hasn't done just that."
==========================
Senthose<Oh well.>

*He enters a Dark Corridor. The Mushroom claps &, with a jump & a spin, disappears into its own Dark Corridor.*
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*Euryale slithers upward, trying to keep as little of her tail on the ground as possible, & jerks each time she's touched.*

E"That's--ahh! That's great but--ee! We need to go! Now!"
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*Al receives no answer as they fly back to Agrabah, complete with magically restored palace.*

N"Huh, looks pretty peaceful."

Aladdin<Yeah, I know what you mean. Guess he couldn't rule over anyone if he destroyed his subjects. Let's all go to separate towers & sneak in. That way, he can't stop us all at once. We'll strike when we're all in the throne room.>

Axel<Good idea. But Artexi & I should take the closest towers. We didn't see very much of the Palace.>

Aladdin<Right.>
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R"Well, they need to get ready. The worlds are in danger, & besides, the others are probably waiting for us."

Taiyo: "Right."

Taiyo pets Kitters, not bothered by its coldness.

Taiyo: "Bye, Kitters. I'll be back again."

And so she follows Euryale out while Kitters goes and floats up to the bed.

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

Xyukuse: "Whatever helps you sleep at night 'cause I sure don't don't buy it."

Xyukuse leaves the room and readies to head out.

*Eve rolls her eyes, and dark corridors away to her private apartments. She takes off her lab coat and replaces it with an Organization cloak, then looks in a mirror, smoothing back her hair with one hand*

<I hate you so much...>
---
*Monu shrugs*

<Maybe, who knows what the so called "gods" actually are.>

Safian:<So, I'm someone's pet, alright?>
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Artexi:<I've actually been in the palace before, so anywhere's good.>

L"I guess that makes sense. Especially if we're signing up for this tournament."

T"Why would we do that?"

L"If there are any seedy characters to watch out for, they would probably join for the fight."

T"Like spies, murderers, mobs...oh, that sort of sounds like us, doesn't it?"

*Euryale, Roatha, Azuma, & Taiyo come into view.*
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*One way or another, she finds herself on a tower in the palace. Presumably positioning herself near the staircase, she hears [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] that will surely guide her to the throne room.*
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*In a not-at-all-forced subplot, Xshittyname has no idea where this world is, & so he has to wait for Eve.*

*Artexi sneaks down the flight of stairs, following the music*
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*Monu waves in greting*

<Ah, there you are all are. How was Taiyo's home?>
---
*HAHAHAHAHAHAHA Eve completely ignores Xshittyname*

Azuma: "Not all that scary. Barring a few instances. How was Safian's?"

Hitomi: "Wild."

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

Xyukuse gliders up and takes off. There's bound to be someone reliable in the Organization heading there. Maybe it'll be Larxene. It should be Larxene.

*As they get closer, they can see that Euryale has her arms stretched out to her sides & is wobbling slightly.*

E"It feels weird having legs again."

R"We never did get that candy."

*Lilith narrows her eyes.*

L"Something seems different about you."

R"Huh? Oh, yeah, I used the Omega Weapon again."

T"What? Why would you do that?"

*Thiera frowns. Roatha shrugs.*

R"There was a bag of bugs & a casino wheel & traps everywhere & I got shot & Taiyo wasn't really helping much, it's a long story."
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*Soon, each invader can see the other hiding behind pillars at the corners of the room. Axel & Nero are at the far end of the room, to the left & right, respectively. Aladdin is off to the left of the throne, & Artexi the right. Jafar sits on his throne, next to which is a parrot perch & a parrot cage. On the perch sits Iago, still wearing his stolen hat, but the Sultan is crammed into the cage. The bird crams crackers into the Sultan's stuffed mouth. Jafar pulls on some chains & Jasmine, with manacles attached to her wrists & a plate of fruits, stumbled up to him. He grabs an apple.*

Jafar<It pains me to see you reduced to this, Jasmine. A beautiful desert bloom such as yourself should be on the arm of the most powerful man in the world. What do you say, my dear? Why, with you as my queen...>

*Jasmine just throws a glass of wine in his face. Jafar pushes her to the ground as he rises to his feet & makes to slap her.*

Jafar<I'll teach you some respect! ...No...Genie, I have decided to make my next wish: I wish for the Princess to fall desperately in love with me.>

*Genie drifts into view.*

Genie<Well, you see, it's like I was trying to tell you earlier-->

Jafar<Don't talk back to me, you stupid blue lout! You will do what I order you to do, slave!>
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*Everyone used Dark Corridors, as they are wont to do. However, a Dusk comes flitting through the air, making a "follow me" gesture.*

Taiyo's glider sinks to hide behind the others.

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He follows the Dusk as it's a hell of a lot more useful than his last option. But it's not Larxene, so he's filled with disappointment.

Monu:<We were all just animals, so I know where you're coming from. At least you still had hands.>

*Safian looks at Euryale*

<You haven't seen Mortal, have you?>
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*Artexi looks at the others, not wanting to make the first move*
---
*So Eve gets to the coliseum via a dark corridor*

E"She's, uh...missing."

R"The Heartless took her. We were kind of hoping that she managed to escape & make her way here."
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*And so the area around the arena & the stands are now swarming with people in black coats. A portly & diminutive satyr approaches from one of the gates.*

Phil<Whoa! What happened here? Did the Underworld let out all of the stiffs, or something?>
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*Aladdin flies in on the carpet. Of course, Jafar notices him & fires a blast of lightning from his staff without even getting up. Aladdin jumps, drawing his sword, as Abu dives for the lamp. Jafar bats the monkey away & clutches it with his free hand as Aladdin charges towards him, holding his sword up to his face for defense/stabbing. At this time, Axel also jumps out, lobbing so many flaming chakrams at Jafar that it's like a wall of fire obscuring his view. Nero tries to grab the lamp with a rope of darkness. He doesn't pry it away from Jafar, but nearly pulls him off of his throne.*

*Vines cover Artexi's keyblades and dive at Jafar, meaning to bind him*
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Eve:<I presume you are the organizer of this event, no?>
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*Safian's ears and tail droop*

<We haven't seen her.>

*Monu pats her on the back*

<We just got here though. Don't lose hope yet.>

Azuma: "Maybe she's there now."

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Xyukuse: "Is this is for participants? I wouldn't mind taking a swing or three at a few coworkers, but this isn't what's on the agenda."

*Seeing so many Organization members in 1 place, Lilith holds everyone back to hide in the doorway & see what's going on.*

Phil<That's right, Sweetcheeks. Alright, I only wanna say this once, so listen carefully.>

*The Organization keeps chattering. Phil jumps.*

Phil<SHADDUP! ...Okay, now that I have your attention, you need a pass to compete in the Games, but once you have one, it doesn't expire. At each match, there will be a call for the contestants, who have a few days to show up. If everyone's here, matches will go fast. If not, they'll be more spread out. Besides that, every event in the Coliseum has its own rules & structure. Since this upcoming tournament is sponsored by the gods, I've given tickets to each of 'em. So, if you wanna compete, then you gotta get a god or goddess to choose you for their team. After that, the teams compete to see who's top god--of the Games, of course. That's about it. Any questions?>

*He folds his arms & taps his hoof, making a slight clopping noise.*
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*Iago & Jasmine get the Hell away from all of this shit, the latter dragging her father's cage. Jafar releases a tornado to blow his attackers back. Seeing that they're all about to be swept up again, Nero starts firing blasts of darkness, causing Jafar to create a spherical, red barrier, instead.*

Jafar<Genie! Crush them!>

Genie<But Genie magic can't kill!>

Jafar<Then don't use magic!>

*Genie's manacles glow, dragging him towards the others.*

Genie<I'm really sorry about this! Run!>

Xyukuse: "Where do we find these gods?"

Azuma: "Looks like they're signing up for a tournament."

*Safian growls softly*

Eve:<I presume we will have to go to their temples.>
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*Artexi gets the hell away from the Genie, while hurling her keyblade at Jafar, using Spark Raid*

Phil<That'd be the easiest way.>
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L"(Then I guess we'll follow them after they clear out, & join these teams while we're at it.)"
===========================
*Axel also rolls, lobbing balls of flame at Jafar. He lets his shield take the punishment & vanishes in a dark flame, reappearing behind them.*

Jafar<You ever get that sinking feeling?>

*He taps the ground with his staff, turning it into quicksand. Axel blasts out with a burst of flame, tossing a Keyblade at him, before a punch by genie sends him flying out of the palace. Nero summons his Glider, blasting at him. As he's forced to use his shield again, this frees carpet up to rescue Aladdin after a short dogfight with Iago, which ends with the parrot thrown against the wall. Jafar quickly drops the shield after crystals start growing on it & he nearly sinks into the quicksand.*

Aladdin<Now!>

*Artexi throws her keyblade at him, using Spark Raid again*
---
Safian:<(There are too many of them. We'll be prey.>
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*Eve bows her head*

<Thank you, fine sir.>

Azuma: "Hardly."

Xyukuse: "Yeah, whatever."

*Nero swerves away from Genie & blasts Jafar again. Jafar is cut several times & covered in crystal, but waves his staff, firing a beam that returns the floor to normal before he falls.*

Jafar<I wish for-->

*Aladdin points his sword at Jafar.*

Aladdin<Doesn't matter, Jafar! Once you make your last wish, Genie doesn't have to listen to you anymore! He has more power than you'll ever have! He GAVE you your power, & he can take it away! Face it: You're still just SECOND BEST!>

*He slashes for emphasis.*

Genie<Al, what're you doing, don't bring me into this! The kid doesn't know what he's talking about, don't listen to-->

Jafar<Silence! No...the Street Rat is right. I wish to be AN ALL POWERFUL GENIE!>

Genie<As you wish...great job, Al.>

*Genie covers his eyes with his left hand as he blasts Jafar with magic lightning with his right. Jafar is caught up in a red tornado, which bursts through the ceiling, before his massive genie body follows. The sky darkens, taking on a red hue, as Jafar laughs. He juggles Buckle Bruisers in his taloned hands, occasionally tossing an Unversed to the ground, where it hits with a large shockwave. Aladdin jumps away from them. Seeing a black lamp between the feet of the Unversed & being protected from the shockwaves by his Glider, Nero rushes in, but so does Iago. Meanwhile, Genie's lamp is falling to parts unknown, & Genie is dragged with it via his magic manacles.*
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Phil<Shucks, no need to butter me up.>

*He scratches the back of his head.*
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L"(Just stay out of sight & we'll be fine. Maybe we can take some of them out in the Games.)"

T"(What?! I don't think they're supposed to be to the--)"

L"(This is about the mission, not sportsmanship.)"

Xyukuse goes to find a temple (wandering aimlessly, really) while Eve romances the billy goat.

Azuma: "What about taking them out before the games?"

*Artexi summon her glider and dives after the Genie's lamp*
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Eve:<So, do you happen to know where the nearest temple to Athena is located?>
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Safan:<Yeah, why not?>

*Thiera looks disgusted.*

L"(Because there's like eleventy bajillion of them & no rules to say they can't gang up on us.)"
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Phil<Athens. It's about 200 kilometers to the southwest. You not from around here?>
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*Sure enough, aimlessly wandering gets him in a dead end alley. As he turns, he sees Lexeaus heading off somewhere.*
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Jafar<STOP!>

*Jafar points & fires a torrent of fire, which Aladdin & Nero swerve away from. A Chrono Twister appears where he'd attacked. Assuming she's after the big blue's lamp, Artexi catches up to it very quickly & notices Axel crumpled up & knocked out in the bushes of the court yard.*

Jafar<CAN'T STAND THE HEAT!?>

*Fissures begin to open in the court yard, exposing a river of boiling lava. Portions of the palace & surrounding city start to sink into it as [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.].*