Shadows Swarm

*A single heart jumps into Artexi's chest. Beyond that, I dunno, she has a Dive to the Heart*
===
*Safian's ears flatten*

<Oh...um...Gaia?>
===
*Monu nods, then he, and hopefully Lilith, go find Phil*

T"Could be possible. If we stepped out of the city, perhaps we could just beseech her?"
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*He wakes up, but is still quite burned.*

Artemis<Prob'ly. I'm expectin' some new recruits, so you can just go back the way you came to meet up with 'em. Tell 'em what's goin' on.>

*Chirion wakes up, spots Artemis, & starts running, letting out a squeal.*

Artemis<That's right, Piggy, run! Anyway, I'd best skedaddle 'fore my critters know I'm gone.>
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*This time, Phil is at the front of the Coliseum eating a pita.*

Phil<Break's over, I guess...okay, what do you 2 want?>
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*Euryale doesn't really say or look at her on the way to the forest. The whole thing is really awkward.*
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*The castle is consumed by darkness & the floor falls away. Artexi finds herself falling towards a platform with a gold background with blue details. It depicts her in her Organization cloak seemingly falling away from the desert & Agrabah, which occupies a crescent shape towards the top. In the center is a circle with the faces of Nero, Axel, & Noctis. Noctis's face is completely chipped away, recognizable only by shape, & Nero's is pretty extensively damaged, as well. A ring of Nobody emblems surrounds this scene, & surrounding that is a ring of Agrabah spires.*

Senthose<A scattered dream that's like a far-off memory. A far-off memory that's like a scattered dream. Line the pieces up. Find the light within the darkness.>

Azuma: "Um, sure."

And so they set off, Azuma having been totally shafted. He didn't want to join some tournament anyways.

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

And that's terrible.

Monu:<We're here to join the chariot tug.>
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Safian:<I think so!>

*She heads off, making sure Thiera follows*
---
*Artexi looks around*

<What?>

*And so the 2 groups join up.*

"We're all on Team Artemis?"
==========================
Senthose<Nobodies were never meant to exist. Don't you agree?>

*In front of her, a thorny white portal appears on the ground. A Dusk rises out of it, its body contorted into a helix. As the portal closes, it stretches its leg, taking a long step towards her.*
==========================
*Outside, Thiera tries raising her arms again.*

T"Uh, we beseech you, uh, oh mighty Earth Goddess Gaia!?"

*A nearby hill rises up, rocks falling away as it takes the visage of a woman. The tremors are enough that Thiera falls on her ass.*

Gaia<Whatta you want, mortals?! Can't you see I'm taking a nap?!>
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Phil<Right this way, kids.>

*He heads into the arena. Lilith follows.*

Phil<So here's how this works. We're gonna cover a weighted bronze ball with twine & light it on fire. Your job is to lug that baby around in a complete loop around the Arena. Anyone who completes the loop in 12 minutes without losing the ball or letting it go out wins a prize. Meanwhile, we're gonna send obstacles your way. You can team up, attack each other, use any kind of method or magic you want, but ya gotta use a vehicle & ya gotta stay on the course, Kapeesh?>

Monu:<I understand. Let's team up.>
===
*Safian dips her head in respect*

<My name'a Safian and I wanted to join your team for the tournament.>
---
*Artexi summons her keyblade and slashes at the dusk*

<Nothing is meant to exist!>

Azuma: "I came as part of an agreement to join Team Hepheastus. So far it's looking like I got shafted."

Taiyo: "I want to join Team Aphrodite."

Azuma: "Who? And why do you have confetti all over you?"

Taiyo tries to brush and shake herself off like someone who's coveres in spiders would.

Taiyo: "The Goddess of Love."

OOC: It was Hepheastus, not Dionysus. And who has that big of a problem with confetti? Freak.

*Confetti is quite stubborn, so she only gets some of it.*

E"So it's just me & Hitomi, then?"
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Gaia<Oh. Fetch me a golden apple from the edge of the world, then.>

*She sounds frankly bored.*
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*The Dusk's "suit" splits open & it dissolves into glowing white nothing.*

Senthose<Then why are you here?>
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*When the racers are all lined up, they include 3 anthropomorphic ducks in little planes (red, blue, & green), [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] on a motorcycle, & whatever is going on [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. Hercules gets into a more traditional chariot--though driven by a winged horse--after helping Phil coat the iron balls in tar & twine & affixing them to the vehicles. Phil takes a torch & lights them on fire. Lilith, of course, is in her Glider.*

Phil<On my mark!>

*Monu is in his glider as well. He prepares to start*
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Safian:<Uh, ma' lady, where's the end of the world?>
---
Artexi:<Because it's how things turned out!>

At least that's what Eve said...

Hitomi nods.

Azuma: "Unless somebody else comes along. What do you have to do to get on Team Aphrodite that you're out here?"

Taiyo: "Express an act of love."

Azuma looks over his shoulder towards the dark, spooky boar and poacher infested forest.

She says like it's the most natural thing in the world.

Azuma: "Right."

Gaia<Ya can't miss it. Now don't disturb me again unless you have an apple.>

*She sinks back into the ground.*
==================================
OOC: The order goes left-Hercules-red-green-blue-Cloud-Lilith-Monu-Lightning.

Phil<Get set--GO!>

*Being that they don't have engines to warm up, Hercules & the pink haired chick take an early lead. The ducks opt to use slingshots to launch water balloons at them. Lilith decides to ram the blue plane & almost causes the trio to crash, but they avoid it by flying away from each other & are able to stabilize. Lilith & Monu now have water balloons being launched at them, as well.*
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*The image of Agrabah begins to glow.*
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E"Sooo...are we gonna just stand here awkwardly, or are we going in?"

Azuma: "You two are going in....awkwardly. We're going to report to moogles. Also probably awkwardly."

*Monu gets going as fast as he can, flying around as many water balloons as possible*
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*Safian looks up at Thiera*

<We better get started.>
---
*Artexi reaches up towards the crescent*

*Lilith spins with the momentum of the flaming ball, forcing the green & red planes to hang back & reorienting herself. The red plane is then taken out by a leaping motorcycle as they approach the 1st curve. The ground opens up, causing the pink haired chick to fall in before a geyser of water shoots out, which Hercules evades by flying over.*
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*Thiera gets into a riding position, summoning her Glider around her.*

T"Then let's go."
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*The pedestal lurches, causing her to go tumbling through into what is apparently Agrabah, outside of the palace gates. Jasmine, Aladdin, & Jafar are assembled in front of the doors.*

Jasmine<What do you want out of life?>

Aladdin<What is most important to you?>

Jafar<What are you afraid of?>
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E"That's ridiculous. If there are still poachers in there, you probably need to get rid of the rest of them before you get rewarded. Just come in with us, I'm sure it'll be fun."

Azuma: "There may not be any harm in that. We weren't told to let other canidates take a swing at them or anything."

But w'ever the two turn around to return to the talk and spooly forest to make things more awkward.

*Monu also flies over the geyser*
===
*Safian does the same*
---
Artexi:<I don't really know the answer to those first two right now.>

*Looks at Jafar*

<However YOU are NOT the answer to the third.>

*Senthose floats down from the fucking sky.*

Senthose<Indecision will get you nowhere.>
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*Lilith starts to, but the motorcycle uses her as a stepping stone to get over it & she's forced to hang back to avoid going through the water, at which point she finds herself under fire by asshole ducks & their water balloons. Meanwhile, Monu is neck-&-neck with Hercules & the motorcycle.*
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*They eventually come to a sprawling garden with many flowers, grape vines, & fruit trees, most important of which is that which bears golden apples. A river of some kind of sparkly pink water is also flowing. They can somewhat see space beyond a mountain range, over the shoulders of a giant man holding up the sky like it's a damn quilt.*
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*And so they awkwardly trek through a dark forest.*

E"So...how did you find your 1st poacher?"

Azuma: "It kind of found us. Can't miss it, they wear a pendant with a skull and cross bones on it or something. Just screams bad guy."

Taiyo: "That's....different."

Artexi:<Fine! I want peace between the Order and Organization.>
---
Safian:<That water looks weird!>

*Safian flies over the water to the garden*
===
*Monu looks back at Lilith, then flies at the ducks to disrupt their water balloon antics*

T"This garden is for the gods, so it's probably ambrosia or nectar. Sources give conflicting accounts as to what the food & drink of the Olympian gods are called."

*Thiera flies by the tree & tries to pick an apple. When it doesn't come off, she tugs progressively harder, even bracing against the tree with her other hand.*

Giant<Won't work. Only a god can pick those apples.>
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*Hopefully at least going around the geyser, Monu is now going backwards. Getting hit with so many water balloons is surprisingly forceful & begins to knock his relatively lightweight glider off course. Worse yet, the ones that splash on the ball of flame that he's carting around cause it to flicker. Part of Lilith's glider peels back & she turns her upper body, shooting seeds at the ball that she's carrying around to slow it down so that the ducks fly past her. They keep firing at Monu while rising into the air. Meanwhile, the Geyser begins to slow down & the horse slowly climbs out of the pit. The ball that it's tugging around is almost out, but the pink haired chick swings 1 of those swords into it, causing a lightning strike that gets the fire roaring again.*
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E"But we have to find them somewhere in the forest first...maybe if you take us to where you defeated the original, any others will be nearby?>
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*The figures behind Senthose vanish into points of light, revealing a trio of pedestals bearing either [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. Senthose picks up the shield with 2 fingers.*

Senthose<The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to repel all. Is this the power that you have chosen?>

Safian:<But Gaia told me to get her one! It has to be possible.>
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*Monu soars away from the ducks and there stupid ass water balloons, then continues in the forward direction*
---
*Artexi nods*

Azuma: "That could work. Wasn't paying too much attention to where we were."

So they wander through the forest, hoping to go back where they came from.

*The shield vanishes in a flash of light.*

Senthose<But what will you give up in exchange?>
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*Because of that huge ball he's lugging around, it's taking Monu a while to get back on course. Lilith fires at the ducks as they turn & expose their planes, & eventually manages to blow off the wing of the green plane, sending it swerving off-course. When the water stops spraying, she starts forward, still shooting. The pink-haired chick also starts forward. Combining her blades at their hilt into a dual-ended staff, she spins it, sending out a flurry of rose petals & a spinning gale of wind at the green plane.*
==================================
Giant<I could deliver it for you, if you would hold up the sky for me.>

T"Even if we WERE that stupid, we don't have super strength."
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*They have a hard time finding a spot that they recognize, but they do hear the squeal of a pig.*

*Safian summons her keyblade and tries to chop off a branch with an apple at the end*
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*Monu keeps flying forward*
---
Artexi:<I don't have anything left to give. Other than...>

*She gestures at the remaining weapons*

Azuma: "Sounds like our mark."

He takes off towards the squealing.