Looming Shadows

OOC: [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

E"There's a Dark Corridor opening up in that alley down there. Do you think it's the Organization?"

L"Could just be Heartless."

T"If it's Heartless, we eliminate them. If it's the Organization, we make them confess to everything that they've done. I want details."
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N"Looks like your other friends are here, too."

*Nero points up to what looks like some oddly colored shooting stars entering the atmosphere. Roatha squints & grins up at the sky, showing off his teeth.*

R"They're not my friends. I say we destroy them."

Azuma: "You make it sound so simple."

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Xyukuse: "Maybe you don't suck after all."

Artexi:<Let's not start something if we don't have there.>
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Safian:<It probably won't be.>

T"It is very simple, actually. Euryale, you will play a key role in capturing one. The rest will support you. After that, I will explain the next step."

E"But what if it's actually Senthose down there?"

T"Even better, he's the one with all of the answers. And no matter what he can do, he's still just 1 person. Restrain him & disable his use of spells & there's nothing he can do. Now, we need to move quickly."

*So she heads down towards the alley.*
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R"You be a coward if you want. I'm going to destroy the enemy."

*Nero shrugs.*

N"If that's what you think is best, then I guess I'm in."

R"Nobody asked you."
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*In another part of the city, Hinode awakens next to a dumpster, to a dirty man in a brown trench coat & fingerless gloves with a grizzly gray-black beard trying to rummage through his pockets. The last thing he remembers is being attacked by inky black creatures, quite unlike anything native to the Grid, & suspected to have been created by Avici, the program that was swiftly taking over. When they started to overrun him, a beam of light shot out of his Photon Debugger & opened some kind of hole into an expansive void. He fell in & blacked out, unclear on whether the light had destroyed the monsters or merely scared them away.*

Azuma: "What the hell are you planning?"

The three head down, not at all liking where this is going.

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Xyukuse: "Ooo, chirps."

Xyukuse summons his glider and takes off towards the Order members.

*Monu and Safian follow as well*

Monu:<Incoming!>

*He points at Xyukuse*
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Artexi:<I'm not being a coward. Why do you lot have to go around picking fights all the damn time?>

*Eve shrugs and summons her keyblade and armor, eliciting a groan from Artexi*

While this was the city...it didn't quite look like his city any more. The last Kyohaku remembered he was attacked by...something. At first he assumed it was all a dream. After all, those monsters were nothing like what lived on the Grid. Those who grew up where he did, regardless of what they did in their personal lives, were supposed to be brought up on logic and reasoning.

They were the children, figuratively speaking, of the efforts of computer engineering. Even members of Light Cycle biker gangs were supposed to think clearly, and thinking clearly didn't fit well with images of the creatures of nightmares. Then he remembered one other thing about his journey.

Avici.

The name itself was enough to force chills down Kyohaku's spine. When a program like that started to take over everything, anything would be possible. That must have meant those somewhat accidental heroics with the Photon Debugger were also true, as was the fact that he fell down some sort of hole.

Having looked over the person next to him, he soon got straight up and tried to shrug off any part of that grizzly figure that may have still been laying over on him. After checking to insure that nothing of value had been taken off his person, he squinted and stood up completely.

"Just who the hell are you, and for that matter...where the hell is this? Screw that; dude you gotta get moving. They're going to be back any second."

This didn't look like the Grid, or anywhere else he'd been for that matter. If nothing else everything looked so much more organic than it did back in his little home world of Space Paranoids.

At the moment he didn't grasp the fact that they weren't near those aforementioned monsters any more, and that they didn't follow him. He wasn't sure whether or not his keyblade had actually destroyed those monsters or just frightened them. They were creatures of darkness after all, so they'd probably fear light for sure.

For the time being it certainly looked like they were going to come back, and if and when they did they were going to be out for blood...his blood. That certainly wasn't a thought that provided a whole lot of comfort to him in any stretch of the imagination even if he was the type to look for a fight and actually enjoy it.

N"You're not going to follow him?"

R"Why bother? They'll come to me. Or maybe just take that guy somewhere & torture him. So it's a win-win scenario."
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*Some [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] is rapidly approaching the Order. Riding it is what appears to be a samurai wearing a gas mask & headphones.*

L"That's an odd ensemble."

E"Why do you say that?"

T"It doesn't matter. Anyone with long range weapons should fire on him now. The rest of us should flank him to cut off his escape. Remember that we'll need to block him off from all 3 dimensions."

*Saying this, she heads upwards. Euryale decides to drive her chariot to the right & Lilith begins firing on Xshittyname.*
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Bum<Are you crazy? Better not be lookin' for a fight.>

*He raises his fists, but upon hearing booming noises in the sky, he looks up, does a double-take, & runs down the alley, screaming.*

*Safian joins in on firing on Xshittyname, while Monu follows Thiera orders and flies around to the left*
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Artexi:<The Order doesn't torture people, but I agree with waiting here and watching him get his ass kicked.>

Xyukuse fires on those chumps and dives, beginning to turn back around.

Having stared at the bum for a few moments, Kyohaku took a step or two back before gawking. He wasn't looking for a fight, but if this guy was going to screw around with him he wasn't going to back down. That was perhaps one of the biggest character flaws that he'd picked up over his course of running a muck on the Grid.

That being said, he soon saw the other flee and took a step back. Apparently he wasn't the only one that fell down that entrance and he wasn't going to have the pleasure of running off like that bum did...if one could even call that pleasure for someone like him who actually loved such thrills.

Looking around for the object that let him dispel the monsters before, Kyohaku finally allowed himself the luxury of a real smirk.

T"He's attempting escape!"

L"I can see that!"

*Lilith strafes to the side & continues to fire, this time in the direction that Hideki is headed. She also continues to move forward.*

T"His Glider is faster than mine or Euryale's! T, A, H, cut him off!"
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R"Why's that? 'Cause they're Goodie Two-Shoes? If you love 'em so much, why don't you go join them? Way I heard it, you're afraid of them."
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*He does not see the Keyblade or the monsters. He does see some people in the streets. Their anatomy is similar to the people of the Grid, except that their faces & other exposed skin have a slightly more pinkish color. Their clothes are strangely non luminous, with most wearing faded blue pants, but looser jackets, ranging in length from waist to calf & mostly brown or black in color. A few are wearing hoods, or caps which cover their ears, & some of the women wear their hair longer than is customary in The Grid, down past their chests & shoulders. One thing that the people all have in common is that they appear to be looking up in the sky, some even pointing.*

*Artexi crosses her arms*

<'Cause they know torturing doesn't work, dipshit.>

*She looks up and points*

<Oh great, he's coming back over here.>
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*Safian strafes to the other side and sends her glider's razor sharp leaves at Xshittyname, while Monu moves to cut him off as well*

The three move to cut him off while Xyukuse directs his gliders cannon to fire on the pursuers while he continues to fallback to the others possibly with the intent on ramming his glider in Eve or Artexi's face for shits and giggles.

"Just what the hell is going around here? These all look like...is this the land of users?" He winced for a second, knowing full well that he shouldn't at all have been here. The people looked unusual, and their clothes weren't glowing with the electronic sheen that defined what normal people were to him.

Worst of all was the fact that he wasn't able to find his Keyblade...or perhaps even worse was the fact that he couldn't find the monsters. Eventually though he turned his head upward like everyone else, hoping to see what it was that everyone else was staring at for the time being.

Nevertheless, he honestly wasn't sure that he was going to like whatever it was...but that didn't mean that he could be negligent when it came to vigilance. Whether he liked it or not, Kyohaku was starting to realize that just running from his problems wasn't going to fix any of them...

"Aren't any of you gonna do somethin'?!" Even if he didn't know what was going on, he knew that if those monsters came and fell back out of the sky someone would have to fight them off.

R"Only if you don't do it right."

*Being that they're so far apart, it's easy for Safian & Lilith to avoid the wild shots. Xyukuse is not as lucky & is knocked down near the alley, which the Order can see Eve, Artexi, Nero, & Roatha lurking within. Needless to say, all of the people on this street run away in a panic.*

T"He's here...?"

*Roatha wastes no time materializing his Keyblades in a draw slash & blasting Thiera & Euryale with red lightning bolts. Thiera spirals out of control & Euryale smashes into a nearby building, disappearing in a cloud of dust & broken glass. Roatha charges an orb of red lightning on the tip of the Ultima Weapon, shifting aim between Thiera & Azuma's group, while holding the Omega Weapon in a blocking position. Nero looks around, as if expecting someone to tell him what to do.*
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*He sees a series of aircraft streaking across the sky, weaving between buildings & leaving trails of luminous exhaust behind them. A pink, wedged shaped craft fires a few laser bolts towards the ground & another looking a bit like a small Solar Sailor launch some kind of reflective disc weapons at the same unknown target. A second later, a pair of red lightning bolts streak out from the ground. Meanwhile, a man with a black pompadour with his hands thrust into the pockets of a matching leather jacket takes his eyes off of the spectacle to look at Hinode.*

Pompadour<Whattaya want me to do about it, fly up & get 'em? Hey, maybe I'm one o' them Gargoyles & don't know it!>

*He then proceeds to snicker through his teeth in a manner not unlike Dick Dastardly's dog.*

Xyukuse stands up in some over the top manner that looks more like breakdancing and calls up the Chaos Ripper.

Xyukuse: "If I had a heart, it would be beating uncontrollably."

Azuma, Hitomi, and Taiyo take evasive manuevers, Hitomi firing at the Organization group while the other two move to find somewhere to land where they won't get blasted.

*Monu dives down towards where Euryale hit the building, casting a healing spell over the wreckage*

<Euryale?!>

*Meanwhile, Safian swerves to avoid any shots coming her way, roars, sending a stream of flame towards Roatha. Artexi and Eve retreat further into the alley and attempt to avoid the shots coming their way*

Artexi:<We should ditch the dipshits and let them get captured.>

Should the pompadour-sporting individual have not moved Kyohaku would have struck him upside his head. Of course, it were just as likely that his strike would have missed as he sneered, "I don't think you'd be laughing if those punks up there got you, now would ya?"

With a stare he soon started to look around, trusting that he could find something with which to defend himself. He wasn't thinking altruistically just yet, and he wasn't trying to be some sort of hero. He just felt that he was going to get killed if he didn't do something and do it quick.

What he needed to find out was whatever had happened to the Photon Debugger. He hadn't been able to see his Keyblade thus far, and without it knew all to well that he was going to be a sitting duck ready for the slaughter.

*Roatha Thunderwheels towards Safian, allowing him to attack her while protecting himself.*

R"Nero, stop the 2 behind us from escaping!"

*Nero, having deployed a Dark Barrier, looks back at Artexi & Eve, then at Roatha, confused.*

N"What?"

R"Only enemies should be fleeing from us--get it?!"

*The only really viable place to land is in the streets, because the buildings here are all skyscrapers.*
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*Up above, Monu has entered an office space with flickering lights & papers strewn everywhere--the workers have abandoned it. Through a hole in the floor, he can see Euryale trying to push herself out of the pile of rubble on the floor below. Her helmet & cape have fallen off, & her armor is a bit scratched, but other than that, she looks okay. Lilith predictably swerves & heads for Thiera, who manages to steady her Glider.*

T"I'm fine! Stick with the plan!"

*And so her Glider's wings fold in & she dives at a 45 degree angle towards Xshittyname.*
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Pompadour<Whatever, mate. It's probably just that Xanatos guy testing some new machines.>

*A blond woman in a similar jacket turns towards them.*

<I don't know about that. I just saw something crash into a building.>

Pompadour<Come to think of it, wasn't Xanatos in prison for something like this? Mebbe we should get outta here--so, wanna come back to my place?>

<What? Ew, no.>

Pompadour<Don't gotta be like that, Baby.>

Woman<I'm not your "Baby," Hair Piece.>

*While those 2 argue, shots & lightning continue to fly up above.*

Artexi:<Yeah, ok, you're a dumbass who can't take a joke. We get it, you can stop trying to convince us.>

*She walks back over to Nero, and summons her keyblade, trying to snare Safian in vines. Safian uses the shadows to teleport behind Roatha and the vines, before jumping on Roatha's back.*

Artexi:<She's behind you!>

*Artexi runs forward. Eve, meanwhile, takes the opportunity to summon two miniature stars and smash them together, sending thorn beams at Thiera.
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*Monu flies down and starts helping Euryale get free*

Xyukuse: "Fleeing? What happened to destroying them?"

Xyukuse high jumps and hurls the Chaos Ripper at Thiera and her glider with Gravity Raid.

Taiyo makes her way to the crashsite while Azuma goes to land, Hitomi continues firing on the Organization members.

"What a couple of assholes..." Clearly, Kyohaku wasn't amused by whatever was going on between those two and started to look around to try and find which direction the building damage came from. He sneered and started off in that direction, looking repetitively over his shoulder as though he never knew if a fighter was going to come down and strafe him or something.

It was then that he looked down and noticed the fact that his hands...weren't glowing any more. His skin was pinkish in hue, and having felt around on the back of his jacket he wasn't able to grasp an identity disc.

"Shit, its worse than I thought, someone deleted me, I gotta work fast..."

If only he could find that weapon that helped him out before, or better yet someone who would tell him a little more about all these monsters that were walking straight into his life.

*Thiera reflects, like a boss, sending their attacks back towards them. Upon landing, she opts to run towards Roatha, sticking close to Hitomi's fire, while Lilith hovers around, firing at Xshittyname. As Roatha can mostly just stumble around trying to keep a lion from knocking him over, Nero rolls behind him to avoid frickin' lasers & aims a light swat at Safian.*
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*There is an absence of lightning. Though he can hear something rumbling in the distance, the only sight of the battle is the pink thing flying around & shooting at the streets. His quest takes him down numerous long streets, lined with crafts not unlike those of the Grid, but generally less compact & not trailing light ribbons, though they do have a few lights on the front & back. As he gets closer to the sight, he notices less people, but something new is flying overhead, coming from his direction. They're quieter, but probably closer, as he can even see the shadows moving over him.*
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*Euryale manages to pull herself out.*

"I'm fine. Are the others okay? Are we still winning? What do I need to do?"

Xyukuse Dodge Deflects while Azuma calls up his Keyblade and charges Xyukuse who resummons the Chaos Ripper. Their blades clash as they each try to force the other back.

Xyukuse: "I'll be sure to make up for I missed out on in Olympia."

Xyukuse takes a hand off his Keyblade and strikes Azuma with a Reaper's Toll, knocking his ass backwards.