Looming Shadows

The events going on around him, but behind the gate so to speak just encouraged Hinode to continue to work that much faster with everything. At that point, though, Hinode finally found a switch and shorted the whole system out. His actions were accompanied with the sound of energy crackling throughout the local circuits around him.

With a dark grin, he turned around and started to leave with a newfound resolve. Sure, it had been tough to get this far, but maybe with a few more successes like this they would have finally found the chance they were looking for and defeat that evil being once and for all.

It would have been nice, that was for sure.

<No, leaving without even a goodbye is abandonment. I'd have listened to him if he came to me before doing something stupid!>

*Artexi yells this up at the guy*
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*Monu casts Fairy Aura over the group to heal them for round two. He then sends diamonds at the masks around them. Safian snarls and shadow travels behind Barbossa, then covers herself in flames and jumps on his back*

Monu: If we can defeat Maleficent here, we can finally free Princess Aurora!

Azuma casts Darkga on Demona.

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Hitomi casts Stop Flow on the Galian Beast while Taiyo throws her Keyblade at Avici.

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Heading to the computer room.

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Xyukuse puts himself in front of the door, cartwheeling out of the Mushrooms path before it can hit him.

*Demona glides to another building, shooting at him along the way. Lilith tries to intercept, holding her Keyblade out to block, but is knocked back into him.*

Demona<Filthy humans!>

*Barbossa whirls around, slashing her across the chest. With his other hand, he pulls out a musket & fires. As soon as Safian falls to the ground, Binah teleports, thrusting her arms out to form a barrier to protect them. She also bids the Master Keeper to orbit it in a ring, forcing the pirates to back away. Maleficent alights atop the entrance to 1st Distrct. After regaining her corporeal form, she raises her staff, which glows.*

Maleficent<Shadows, creep & snake, from their clutches, only the dead escape!>

*When she says that, the shadows of the buildings begin creeping outwards. The floor of the District becomes pitch black as anyone touching the ground begins to sink in--except, curiously, for the pirates.*

L"There are too many, we can't beat them like this!"

*As soon as she says this, water begins swirling around her, Azuma, & Monu, forming a bubble as Ursula swims out of a Dark Corridor & through the air as if it were water.*

Ursula<You won't be beating us at all, Child. HaHA! You'll pay for taking my Trident from me!>

High-pitched, manic voice<Dance, DANCE!>

*Behind Maleficent appears a pair of red garbed figures--one resembles a clown & the other is a cloaked figure, horned & standing over a cauldron. He drops something inside & a green mist rolls over the building, shattering Binah's barrier. In addition, implike creatures wearing crossbows appear on the rooftops, firing at the Order. The clown twirls around, flailing his arms spastically, which causes lightning bolts to shoot down haphazardly over the area.*

Senthose<Do you see it now? The world doesn't need you anymore. The darkness will be held back no longer.>

*In the center of the corridor, the armored form of Senthose's Heartless rises from the shadows. Behind him, black cloaked Heartless also emerge, soaring through the air, as do a pair of Behemoth Heartless. Dozens of yellow eyes & claws appear out of the shadows, hinting at more Heartless to come.*
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*The Avici clone looks at it, his eyes glowing slightly & stopping it in midair. Thiera turns around, firing slush at his feet. It causes him to slip & slide momentarily before he begins to float. Fortunately, the Galian Beast doesn't have much sense. It plows headlong into the spell & is frozen in the middle of charging a fireball. Even the swirling gas is frozen in place around its outstretched arm.*
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E"We don't have time to waste. You there, Computer-Senthose!>

<My identity code is "Avici.">

E"I don't care who or what you are, I'm busting that door down & rescuing the others even if I have to go through you to do it!"

<Evidently, you have not been paying attention to what I can do.>

*Euryale finds herself frozen in place mid-step, Keyblade reared back to throw. Standing behind her, Hinode would have noticed that Avici's eyes flashed almost imperceptibly when it happened.*

<It has been my experience that the most boisterous are also the most easily subjugated.>

*He holds a hand out to the switchboard & all of the switches flip back into the on position.*

<Do you not see the futility of your struggles, Program? You are obsolete. I am the superior technology. I will replace you. Or did you expect that you would be protected by a mere human who isn't even a User?>
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*Once out of the door, the mushroom just keeps running down the hall.*
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*In the computer room, they find Xigbar lounging on the chair, swiveling it left & right slightly as he watches the door.*

Xigbar<Hey. Data-Senthose has me on standby. Says he's got the Order pinned down in the waterway. 'Sup with you?>
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<There isn't much time for talk when you're falling off of a roof. And what would you have done anyway? What would it have changed if you'd been told anything? The Order already tried to warn you about Senthose, but you & Nero just blew them off.>

What was perhaps imperceptible to biological creatures wouldn't at all have been so to Hinode, who was designed from the beginning to sense things on a timescale that was infinitesimal compared to those dealt with by people.

Regardless, his eyes flashed and Hinode saw it.

"I'm not protected by anyone...well we protect each other! Everyone here shares in the fight...as well as the victory and the defeat." Grimacing, he started to step backwards, reaching back out again.

"Sometimes old technology works better than the new shiny model anyway...Euryale his eyes flashed!"

If Hinode's gamble worked, his shouting would have distracted from the fact that he leaned back and hit the switches again to suddenly throw them off...and this time he struck the box pretty hard with his keyblade in the hopes that the thing wasn't going on again.

*Monu raises a diamond shield around himself, Lilith, and Azums, the injuries Safian retreating back as well via shadows. As soon as she arrives, Monu casts Fairy Magic on her*

Monu:<I have to agree! Does anyone have a working glider?>

*Safian nods her head, preparing to attack again, but Monu puts a hand on her shoulder*
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<I meant before that! And if something pushed Nero to attack Senthose, he should have told me about it! I was the one who always spoke out against attacking the Order without provocation.>
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*Eve goes off to find something to eat, hopefully bring Dr. Mushroom with her as well. Ether way, everything she's working on is locked away in hopefully mushroom proof cabinets*

Azuma uses Dark Shell to reinforce their defence.

Azuma: "Not one that can fit everyone and still fly."

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Taiyo hurls the Fenrir at Avici and fires a Wisdom Shot with the Pain of Solitude, Hitomi doing the same with Stormfall and Diamond Dust.

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Vega: "Intruders in the castle. This one believes they're on their way here."

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He closes the door. With it gone, he goes to bed.

*Off-balance & using 1 of its hands against Thiera, the Avici clone raises its left hand, assembling a barrier of electric cubes. But before the barrier can complete, the attacks tear through its chest. Starting from where most of its ribs have been ripped away, it turns red & falls apart in a series of cubes, which then flicker out of existence. Thiera rubs her throat before standing up & raising her Keyblade.*

Th"Thank you."

*A dome of glowing magic runes spreads over the gate for an instant before Thiera dismisses the ability & dives out of the way. Euryale's flaming Keyblade then rams into the gate, causing it to bow outwards. It's not quite down, but it looks like someone could squeeze in on either side.*
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*When Euryale's Keyblade returns to her hand, she spins, Avici blocking with the Keyblade but being thrown into the wall. She smirks at him.*

E"It's been my experience that the most boisterous are also the most easily subjugated."

*Avici glances at the broken panel before vanishing altogether.*

Avici<Lesson learned. Waste less time gloating.>
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*Avici reappears in the computer room, pointing at Xigbar.*

Avici<The Order is indeed fast approaching. I require you to retrieve the weapon I have prepared.>

Xigbar<Sure thing. What is it?>

Avici<It is best classified as an attack hound. You should recognize it easily. Simply seek out the deepest darkness.>
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*Being Master Magician, Binah simply rips off Azuma's attack to keep from falling into the darkness. She then makes a triangle with her fingers, her floating Keyblade firing a beam into the ground. A giant "keyhole" symbol appears & drops them into the Lanes Between, whereupon a multitude of Bomb Gummis & a few Drill Gummis flock towards them.*

Binah<Everyone group together so that I can teleport us back to the Land of Departure!>
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*Dr. Mushroom starts following, but after some time, stops & looks around, its stubby arm touched to its chin.*
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<...You do realize it's all connected, right? The ones who can use 2 Keyblades, Roatha & the Heartless that infected him, & the Heartless labs like the one in the basement of this mansion. Even most members of the Organization worked in the original Heartless lab, in Radiant Garden. They're the ones who got rid of Ansem. It all links back to the Organization. And who created the Organization?>

Taiyo tries to squeeze in.

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Grouping together.

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Vega: "There are other's, as you know."

Looking toward Euryale after Avici seemed to vanish into thin air, Kyohaku tilted his head back and made something of a nod that was less cocky than the gestures that he had been making in the past. "Looks like everything's secured here Euryale; I'll follow you."

Pausing for a moment, he looked back toward the gate, "Uh, Taiyo you want me to try to make that a little wider for you?"

<Senthose did.>

*Artexi stares at the ground*

<Yeah, ok, you're right and I was stupid to ignore the signs. Are you going to kill me or attack me or...let me see Nero? Please?>
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*Eve gently taps Dr. Mushroom on the shoulder*

<Come along now, we're almost there.>
===
*Grouping together*

*The man reaches up to take off his hood &, probably not surprising to the reader, turns out to be Nero. He's not looking too happy, possibly because of his black eye & swollen face.*
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*Dr. Mushroom walks off in a random direction.*
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*After Taiyo squeezes through, Euryale smiles & waves at her.*

Th"Euryale, when I count to 3, could you do that again? I think we might be able to pull this gate off together."

E"Yeah, okay."

Th"Alright, everyone stand back!"

*Assuming they do so, she latches onto the gate with Collision Magnet, backs up, & stands slightly off to the side. Upon counting to 3, she wrenches the cable as Euryale throws another Meteor Raid. The deformed gate then comes flying off, clanging noisily against the opposite wall so that the tunnels are no longer separated.*
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Avici<They are insignificant at present. Only the Keyblade can destroy me.>

Xigbar<Ya sound a bit worried there, Boss-Man.>

Avici<Just go. Stay out of sight of the Order. When they leave for here, take the weapon & we shall attack them from both sides.>

Xigbar<Aye-Aye, Cap'n!>

*Xigbar gives a mock salute & disappears into a Dark Corridor without getting up.*
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*Space contorts around them & they reappear about 8 feet off of the ground at the Land of Departure, falling.*

*Safian lands on her feet. Monu is not quite as lucky, but manages to bend his knees as he lands*

Monu:<Anyone in need of healing!>
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*Artexi's face goes from shock to anger, her face turning red in the process*

<What...the fucking hell...WAS THAT FOR?! Why didn't you just...I don't know, tell me who you were?!>

*She grips one of her keyblades tightly, then after a moment starts to relax*

<...I wish I could heal you...>
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*Eve groans and wanders off after Dr Mushroom*

With Thiera and Euryale pulling off the gate, Hinode made sure to stand back. He would have offered his help, but he figured that having too many cooks in the kitchen, so to speak, wouldn't have really helped. Once the gate was off, he turned toward the others, "Hey Thiera, I got the power down to the system...well I kind wrecked the whole box. I think we're good...for now anyway." He figured that if there were anything else in the electrical department that he would have taken care of that too.

Taiyo sets to healing the two if needed.

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Azuma rolls on impact as he is not a lion, nor does he want to sprain or break his legs.

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Vega: "You wish to ignore the other intruders?"

*Avici sighs & turns around.*

Avici<If this room is compromised, it means not only that I will be deleted, but the Organization will lose control of every single function of this castle to the order. That is the Lift Stop, the security system, the experiments, the records, access to The Grid--everything.>

R"You sound like you're already expecting to lose."

Avici<Only if proper planning & bolstering of the defenses are not observed.>
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Th"Hopefully that is the only thing that requires shutting down. Now we just need to locate the computer room."

*She turns to face the frozen Galian Beast.*

Th"Unfortunately, our tour guide seems a bit preoccupied, at the moment."

*Euryale shakes her head.*

E"Don't worry about me. What about Vincent?"

Th"I don't know if there's anything that we can do for him. Even if there is, how can we be sure he wasn't an enemy all along? This monster is composed of far more darkness than the average Heartless, & Avici implied that he harbors much more. Perhaps he was simply allying with us because the Organization is in the way of his own agenda."
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N"It wouldn't help, I was already healed. Some things you just have to let run their course. And I had to be sure I wasn't walking into a trap. You can't trust anyone in the Organization. And even if you can, you can't assume they won't be followed."
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*Lilith uses Doubleflight to somersault safely onto the ground. She spreads her arms when she sticks the landing. Binah, of course, flutters down on her wings.*

L"I think Mom more-or-less took care of that. Unless...you're not hurt, are you?"

*Binah touches the "Kingdom Hearts" symbol on her chest to dismiss her armor.*

Binah<I only have a few minor scrapes and bruises. I will be fine. But you should know that, while you were away, I sent the rest of the Order on a mission to delete Senthose's program and liberate Radiant Garden.>
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*Dr. Mushroom begins descending a [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

"Well, I don't know anything more about Vincent then either of you - in fact I probably know far less - but the one thing I can do is help find that computer room. A place like that probably eats up a ton of power." With a smirk, Hinode rubbed the back of his head before he started to speak. "Then again, if it's related to computers I guess I should be able to find it since they kind of are my home so to speak." He then blinked, recalling the -reason- that they were headed off to the computer room silently.

*Eve groans and follows*

<So much for my meal. At least I get to stretch my legs a bit.>
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Artexi:<So, do you think it's really me now or...? And as far as I know, no one followed me. I ditched defending Radiant Garden to come find you.>
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*Monu casts Fairy Magic on Binah before dismissing his armor and keyblade. Safian also dismisses hers*

Safian:<Do you want us to go help them?>

*Her tail droops slightly*

<We're kinda beaten up...especially our gliders...>

Vega: "And the Order's attack? Did it succeed?"

E"I don't know, I live in the ocean, but that doesn't mean I can sniff out sources of salt water."

Th"Let's just focus on getting out of these tunnels & we can discuss that along the way. Vincent shouldn't be a danger to anyone down here, we can figure out what to do about him later & come back after Avici has been destroyed."

*She holds her Keyblade sideways, once again transforming it into her Glider. Euryale shrugs & follows suit. They make sure they're being followed before they fly out.*
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Binah<No, for now we will remain on standby. But they may need us soon. So rest, but be prepared to leave at a moment's notice.>
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N"Great, now we have to go back. Once we've proven our 'loyalty,' we can observe the Organization from inside, something the Order can't do."
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*The mushroom just kind of keeps going until it reaches the edge of this part of the castle. Then it jumps up, spinning & disappearing into a Dark Corridor.*
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Avici<I just explained that they are on their way here. Pay attention.>

"Yeah, you're probably right. I'll deal with the problem later." Naturally Kyohaku reached forth as well and produced his own glider, soon latching onto the solar sailer that was produced as a result of that now practiced and increasingly natural motion. He checked behind them as well before focusing on the path that was clearly ahead of them. At that point he just decided to take Thiera's advice and focus on getting out of the tunnels.

Artexi:<And how are we going to do that? You attacked Senthose, and I ditched Avici. Neither of us are going to be welcomed back easily.>
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*Safian nods, looking sleepy*

<I need food and sleep. I'll see you guys later.>

*She wanders off in whatever direction will bring her to food. Monu just stands around, although he looks quite tired*
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*Eve heads back to wherever da food is, groaning slightly*

Glidering up and following suit.

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In search of food and sleep.

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Again Vega questions why he associates with an Organization that uses clearly incompetent A.I. Made all the worse when said incompetent A.I can reverse time.

Neither side is the winning one.

*They presumably get to watch Safian try to work a fridge & possibly other modern kitchen appliances.*
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*They eventually fly up the staircase that Vega used to get down here. With the power down, the Lift Stop is just a completely open space of different landings, the cages hanging mysteriously in space.*

E"Is this some kind of a prison?"

Th"I don't believe so, it would make more sense to put that down below. Given how many floors this space spans, my hypothesis is that this is a type of elevator system, operated jointly by magic & machines. And we've shut down the mechanical component."

E"Okay, but which way to the computer room?"
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*A shimmering image of Xigbar appears.*

Xigbar<I've got the package & the kiddos are nowhere in sight. So how do I control this thing when I release it?>

Avici<I can assume control over it. Simply use my Keyblade to release it, then allow it to sniff out the Order. Send for me once you've encountered them, & I will have the rest of the Organization converge upon their location.>

Xigbar<Got it.>

*The image vanishes.*

R"If we're gonna be sitting on our asses for a while, do you at least have videogames?"

*He starts for the chair, but Avici appears in front of him, blocking his path.*

Avici<Do not touch the electronics.>
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*As with most other locations in the castle, the cafes are large, open spaces with a minimalistic style. The dining area features folding steel chairs on either side of long, gray tables lined up in rows, but situated in the castle ring, they have large windows allowing for a nearly panoramic view. The serving counters are manned by floating [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Like most areas in the castle, it's pretty much empty at the moment.*
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N"Senthose is aware that most of the Organization is less than loyal. He's keeping tabs on Marluxia & Larxene, but mostly just ignoring them. As long as they're useful to the Keyblade War, he doesn't care."

*He turns, opening a Dark Corridor.*

N"I'll be going to help Avici. You can follow my lead if you want, or try to escape from the Organization. But they'll find you eventually."

"I'm not sure if any of my techniques would provide energy in the right state to get this going, but I could try if you want. Still, we wouldn't know where the computer room is. If we somehow find a way to get the elevator going, then could we split up and each take a level to search, or is that too dangerous?"

Kyohaku then blinked, trying to think of something.

"Hey, can we fly up or down with our gliders or something? Anyway, the computer room would probably be in an area that's cold. Machines don't like excessive heat."