First Blood Shed

*Safian snarls at Flynn*

<Right, huh, I guess you'll be wanting us to walk into your cave, right?>
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*Monu stares at Daisy for a moment, very confused*

<I suppose it is. Shall we go meet our teammates?>
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Artexi:<She's obviously not a member of the Organization.>

It seemed like things were suddenly going a lot better for them after that exchange. Soon enough, though, Kyohaku was facing an entirely new crisis. Well, this one was a good one considering that he was getting an opportunity to meet Kevin Flynn.

He looked around and glanced at the individual in every which direction before he said anything, because to him this was like a human meeting a really huge celebrity.

Having thought carefully about what his great first introductory words should have been to a legend like this, Kyohaku finally let them rip:

"...wow, you look a lot shorter in person!"

Well, it could be worse. Unlike Safian, it seemed like Kyohaku actually had an idea of who it was that they were talking to.

Azuma: "The program was for all intent, immortal until someone deleted the back up files. Was that you, by chance?"

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Vega: "Vega."

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Xyukuse: "Well, aren't you all great detectives? What gave it away?"

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*Flynn looks at Hinode.*

Flynn<So you're a Basic who's been to the physical world? You'll have to tell me all about it later.>

*And now he looks back to Safian.*

Flynn<Well, yeah. It's not exactly safe out here, is it? Hence why I have a secret desert bunker.>

Th"How can we be sure that it's safe in there? This 'DiZ' assaulted us, completely unprovoked."

Flynn<I guess you can't. But I won't be sticking around too much longer, so if you change your mind & decide not to wander the desert for 40 years after all, you'll have no choice but to get your answers from DiZ.>

E"And where do you think you're going?"

*Flynn frowns.*

Flynn<To save my son. He knew there was something wrong with the system, so he came to check it out, & now he's mixed up in Avici's & Rinzler's ISO genocide. I tried to tell him to stay out of it, that it was too big for him to handle, but he just wouldn't listen. He took Quorra and left for the Game Grid, & he hasn't been back for almost 100 cycles.>

E"Is anyone ever gonna explain to me what millicycles are?"

*Flynn picks at his beard.*

Flynn<Uh, about 8-and-3-quarters of an hour in Grid time, 10 1/2 minutes in the physical world.>

Th"So time moves...50 times faster, here?"

Flynn<Sort of. I've been locked in here for about 1000 cycles, but as you can see, I've only aged 20 years. It's more of an information processing speed--kinda--thing.>
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*Daisy points a ghostly, gnarled, overly long finger at Monu & Lilith.*

Daisy<I was referring to that creepy couple over there, but it's nice to meet you, Vega.>

*Lilith sets off for the arena, shaking her head.*

L"She thinks we're creepy?"

*They can also see Cloud, the blond-&-spiky haired man with the sword almost as big as his body, & Lightning, the pink-haired woman with some futuristic weapon secured on the back of her waist, exiting from another gate & approaching their side of the arena.*
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N"I meant how Jailbait there looks like speed & ADHD had a crack baby, & dropped it on its head."
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Squall<No. We still don't know who that was.>

*Meanwhile, the members of Team Poseidon finally begin to stir.*

Azuma: "Hm. Thanks anyways."

Hitomi steps in and tugs on Azuma's sleeve.

Azuma: "Hey, guess I didn't so great out there."

Hitomi: "You did your be-"

Hitomi shakes her head as this isn't the time for awkward small talk.

Hitomi: "Lilith wants to know more about the sorcerer from Team Poseidon."

She motions to Mateus.

Azuma: "You two wouldn't happen to know anything about that guy, would you?"

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Vega doesn't look directly at them, like he has some aversion to eye contact.

Vega: "Perhaps it would be best to observe the other matches."

Monu:<I would be quite interested in what her definition of creepy is.>
===
Artexi:<Oh yeah, that too.>
---
*Safian looks at Hinode*

<You know this guy?>

While it was a little disappointing to Hinode that the techno wasn't nearly as hardcore as he would have expected from someone like Flynn, Hinode didn't say anything about that just yet. "Yeah, basically. I'll tell you everything I can, but I don't really know how it happened."

Soon enough he was scratching his head and he found himself trying to explain cycles. "Every time a processor semiconductor completes an entire instruction coming in, that's one cycle of the processor. Programs don't age, but they do deteriorate over time and need to be refreshed."

He blinked, "Speaking of that, I need to restore my identity disc from a backup!"

Finally he turned over toward Safian and rolled his eyes, "Yeah, this guy is the software developer that wrote the video game I was designed to secure!"

*Euryale points at Flynn.*

E"Now, see, his explanation made sense. Short, to the point, & not filled with words I didn't understand. I think we should listen to him."

Flynn<Unfortunately, the only identity discs I have are saved copies of my own, Quorra's, a program named CLU that was derezzed years ago, & Tron's.>

Th"That's--! Mr. Flynn, if Tron were to become, say, corrupted, could he be fixed with his identity disc?"

*Flynn scratches the back of his head again.*

Flynn<Well, sure, if you know how to take apart & rearrange the data. Why do you ask?>

*Thiera & Euryale look at each other.*

Th"Well...Rinzler, the program that replaced Avici--he used to be Tron, until Avici gained what I can only surmise is the power of a User."

*Flynn blinks a couple of times.*

Flynn<HahaHA! That's GREAT news!>

*Thiera looks at him quizzically out of the corners of her eyes. Flynn claps his hands & rubs them together, licking his lips slightly.*

Flynn<Well, you see, I thought that Rinzler was an upgraded version of Sark, & that Tron was gone forever. I figured he must've had some of Tron's data to fight like that, but if it's actually Tron with some of Sark's & Avici's data, that changes everything! In fact, I'll bet he has the master code, & if we can restore him, it will restore all of the Black Guards to their ordinary functions as well.>
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*Daisy pulls her hood down briefly, so he can see the blindfold, its sunken state indicating that there are no orbs underneath it.*

Daisy<I'm afraid I cannot "watch" anything, though I will be able to taste the blood & necrosis drifting on the winds.>
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L"(They all attack at a range. Eyepatch & Manbraids are super fast & can fly)"

Lightning<I don't need advice from you.>

Cloud<I'm not interested either.>

Phil<Let the match...begin!>

*When Xigbar flips upside down, Cloud pulls his sword in front of him to block the shots & powers through, leaping at him. In a buff of smoke, Yuffie appears behind him. Seeing their other opponents stagger slightly, Lightning & Lilith charge towards Xaldin & Axel, respectively. Lightning pulls a kind of gun from her holster & fires several shots, which Axel blocks despite being dazed. Lilith tries to use Bower of Doom on Xaldin, but at the last second, he claps his hands, producing a tornado that causes it to ensnare Lilith instead, squeezing around her limbs & trunk, sharp pricks drawing blood.*

~3~
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*Firion notices him & scowls deeply.*

Firion<That despot sacrificed our world to the darkness for the powers of Hell!>

*The Emperor sits up, rubbing his head.*

Mateus<A small price to pay for absolute dominion over the forces of the damned. And you'd do well to kneel to your master, lowly worms. Your survival lasts only as long as I am entertained by your farce.>

Azuma: "Does that world have a name and can we at least take this outside if you're gonna start throwing punches?"

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Vega: "Didn't mean to offend."

"Well, is there anyway that I could access a network terminal or something? There's some way that I could get a disc I'm sure and prove to some of these people that I'm not whatever kind of bastard that they think I am." Kyohaku smirked a bit, though he was irked by the fact that Euryale was less than thrilled with what he had considered a superior explanation of what it was that was going on.

"How would we get in so that we could get that code anyway?" Despite his question, he didn't seem to doubt in the slightest that they could have very well done that.

Safian:<Well, if you two trust him, I guess I have nothing to lose.>

*She goes to get a closer look at Flynn*

<Then that's what we'll do! I don't really understand most of this techy stuff, but Thiera does.>
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*Monu runs up to the trapped Lilith, and begins cutting through the vines trapping her torso with his keyblade. He also casts Fairy Magic on her*

Th"I understand the concept of saving a copy of something, at any rate."

Flynn<The master code will be implanted in his data. You'll have to erase it when you reset him. Terminal access is tightly controlled. You won't be able to find one until we're in controlled territory. Even then, you'll need the approved codes to access it. But that shouldn't be a problem, you can just absorb them from a Black Guard. Then you should be able to get past most minor security, no problem.>

E"Oh, yes, that sounds like absolutely no trouble at all."

Flynn<The hard part comes when you have to sneak into the Game Grid to rescue Sam & Quorra, escape without being sentenced to play to the death, find a way to corner Rinzler, & defeat him in combat.>

E"What d'you mean 'you'? Are you trying to flounder out on us?!"

*Flynn raises his hands.*

Flynn<Hey, hey, I'll do whatever I can, but I'm not as spry as I used to be! No way I'll be able to survive more than 2 matches on the Game Grid, if that. Let alone defeat Rinzler. I can offer you whatever help you need with programming, though.>

Th"But what about this 'DiZ' character, can we expect his assistance as well?"

Flynn<He--he comes & goes. Honestly, I don't know how he leaves,where he goes, or what he does, he refuses to tell me. But if he wanted to report me to the Black Guards, he could've done it many cycles ago.>
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*With a twist, Cloud manages to kick Yuffie & slash Xigbar, who blocks with his Keyblades floating in front of him, but is nonetheless thrown back. Yuffie throws a shuriken, which Cloud evades by lowering his head, causing it to strike Xigbar's shoulder & throw off his aim. Once Lightning is close enough, she attacks Axel with, well, lightning, swapping her weapon out for a pair of large, curved blades. Once she has him caught, she twirls around, scattering rose petals as she slashes him up & throws him across the ring.*

Lightning<This is gonna sting! See ya!>

*Lilith is freed just in time. Having collected himself, Xaldin surrounds himself with a sphere of wind & causes his lances to rotate in a tornado formation around her & Monu.*

L"I think we can deflect them if we both use repulsing attacks!"
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Daisy<Oh, no offense taken. So...those 2 were in the Order after all, then? I can smell the unmistakable rust of a thousand battles, feel the icy chill of the Keyblades...which team do you think will win?>
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Mateus<The Palamecian Empire.>

Firion<No, it's fine...I'll mobilize the rebels to defeat him on my own time. For now, just ignore him. We always called it "the 6 Kingdoms.">

*Vexen rolls over & pretends to be asleep, but seems to be writing this information down. Squall gets up to go, Demyx hot on his tail, tuning his sitar again & whistling to avoid the awkward scenario.*

Azuma: "Can't say I've heard of either of those names. Have you?"

He looks to Hitomi who shakes her head.

Azuma: "Okay, then. I'm sure we'll all meet again at some point or other, so catch you both later."

With a casual wave, he walks out, Hitomi beside him.

Azuma: "Think we all learned a few things today, wouldn't you say so?"

Hitomi: "Yes."

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Vega: "Doesn't matter. What matters is what we can learn from witnessing their battles."

"Considering that I was able to hack some stuff for us before, maybe I could get some of those codes for you guys." Slowly Hinode started to look up to Flynn as if he were trying to silently seek approval from the individual who created the game that he was originally designed to protect...ironically from hacking.

Sighing for a moment, Hinode finally smirked and just shrugged, "You know, this sounds foolhardy and dangerous but so is everything else that you guys have dragged me on, so I'm willing to get the job done here."

Naturally he offered one of his trademark expressions and pounded a fist into his open hand in turn.

Safian:<What are matches like on the Game Grid? Can we win? I mean, Hinode's probably an expert, but the rest of us can't be dead weight.>
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*Monu nods and creates a tornado around himself and Lilith to help deflect the attacks*

Flynn<Uh, in the short term, yes, but the ultimate goal is to either reconfigure the combatants into Black Guards or wear down those who can't be reconditioned.>

*Flynn fidgets anxiously, peering at the sky.*

Flynn<Like, seriously, come inside before the man gets here. We totally need to split in a jiffy>
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*Lilith also uses Death in Bloom, & they repel the lances. Xaldin darts aside, waving his hands to gather them back up. Lilith follows up by chasing after him with sliding dash. Xigbar vanishes after Cloud deflects his shots back at him & reappears around him several times, firing at him, prompting Cloud to defend with a spinning attack & cut the shit out of him.*

Yuffie<Hey, ease up!>

*Yuffie raises her shuriken, casting a healing spell on Xigbar. Lightning runs around as Axel gets up, hurling Explosion Raids at her. As she runs, she summons ice crystals to draw him in &, when he dodges, fires at him before flicking her wrist, turning her weapon into a sword, which she uses to dash towards him & cut him up.*

Phil<Fighting with flowers...chicks, amirite?>

*Canned laughter.*
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*The healed Organization members climb the stairs to rejoin their comrades.*

Zexion<Perhaps we should induct some of these fighters into the Organization? They are quite powerful.>

Vexen<Please, as if we need more dimwitted brutes.>

Zexion<So I suppose you want to fight the Order all by your lonesome, then?>

*Demyx shudders.*

Demyx<I know I don't!>
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Daisy<Such as?>

Vega: "Their abilities. This won't be the only time we'll come into contact with the Order, but it will be the only time fighting them won't be to the death. It's a learning experience."

"Hey, Safian?" Hinode grumbled a bit as he spoke, "Just have a little faith in your own self, okay? I think you guys could actually hold your own out on the Games Grid. Thanks for the vote of confidence, but still..."

He actually grinned there, showing that he actually did have some real self-assurance for the team he had been paired up with.

"...you're right Flynn! Which way are we headed? You got wheels at all?"

This felt good. It was the old rush of an adventure on the Grid.

"Safian, you asked if we could win, right...well, there's only one real way to find out!"

*Safian's ears slick back and her eyes narrow*

<...Let's just go before we start getting shot at again.>

*She slinks off towards the entrance*
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*Monu creates a tornado around Xaldin in an attempt to hold him in place*

Th"Frankly, I would prefer to avoid any unnecessary gladiatorial combat."

Flynn<Sam & Quorra took the Light Car, but I should be able to whip up whatever we need. DiZ brought me the wreckage from the Recognizers and Light Jets, & I know the codes for all these vehicles like the back of my hand.>

*Flynn watches Safian march past him, then points.*

Flynn<Hey, was that a talking lion?>

Th"Yes. No, I am not going to explain further."

Flynn<...Far out.>

*And so he follows Thiera [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]. Euryale waits, turning to face Taiyo & offering her hand.*

E"Hey, you alright? Having that guy's computer magic used on me wasn't pleasant, but I don't think there are any long-term side effects."
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*Monu is able to hold Xaldin in place at least long enough for Lilith to stab him. She grits her teeth & presses on, running him through multiple times in spite of being slashed up by the wind. In the end, Xaldin breaks free & begins riding around on a dragon he made out of his lances, cloaked in the power of darkness.*

Xaldin<Beware the face of despair!>

*Parking at a corner of the arena, the dragon blows a massive torrent of wind at her & Monu. But Axel is knocked out of the ring, so at least they won't have to worry about him anymore. Lightning turns her attention to firing Yuffie as Xigbar teleports to the edge of the ring, firing a number of shots at Cloud which go right through his sword.*

Phil<This guy with the braids is really blowin' me away! He shoulda been on Team Zephyr!>

*This time, the laughter from the crowd is much weaker, & 1 guy is actually just coughing.*
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Daisy<I feel swirling wind...& smell flowers...gunpowder....>
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*Meanwhile, Emperor Mateus glides out to wherever Azuma & Hitomi slunk off to.*

Mateus<You there--boy! You were interested in the fate of my Empire, yes?>

Safian:<I'm kinda surprised you just realized that.>
===
*Monu sinks his keyblade into the ground and raises a diamond shield in front of himself and Lilith*

"Gladiatorial combat?! The games were -supposed- to be fun!" Soon enough Kyohaku found himself clearing his throat, "Naturally the operative word is supposed...and was for that matter."

Looking back toward Flynn and Thiera, he figured that he might as well follow inside the bunker as well.

At this point, he figured it would have been a pretty bad idea for him to explain what was going on with Safian as well, so he just shushed up for now.

Vega: "Xaldin, Xigbar, and a girl from the Order. Wields a Keyblade resembling a rose."


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Azuma: "By the sounds of it, the state of your world is less than desirable. In my opinion, at least."

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Taiyo nods and takes Euryale's hand.

Taiyo: "I'm fine."

<On the contrary, my Empire is growing. The hoards of the damned shall pour over all lands, and soon I shall rule over the realms of light, darkness, and everything in between. But I shall be needing a champion...a Dark Knight. Unless, perhaps, you believe the ones who defeated you are more worthy of this prestige & power.>
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<There are 2 different sets of flowers.>
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*Lightning rushes towards Yuffie, only to find herself blasted away by a massive torrent of purple energy. Cloud swings his blade, creating a tornado to launch Xigbar from the arena, then advances slowly on Yuffie, limping as she runs around, huffing & throwing more shuriken at him. Lilith ducks under the shield, then darts upward & knocks out the wounded Xaldin with a Bramble Bomb.*
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E"That's good to hear."

*Presumably, they follow into the bunker. Flynn, putting on an overcoat along the way, takes them to an elevator that leads to a kind of garage, where all of the junk has been left.*

Flynn<Hope you can all drive light cycles.>

*As he holds out his hand, the grid lines on his clothes begin to glow, the wreckage from the Recognizers separating into blocks & rearranging themselves. In short order, he has 6 batons, the backpack sort of thing used by the Black Guards, & some kind of PDA. Slinging the pack over his shoulder, he starts tossing out the batons.*

Flynn<Just get into the riding position & the baton'll do the rest.>

Azuma: "That's quite the generous offer, that I'm gonna have to decline. Not saying those other folk are better suited for the job, just perhaps you might want to look for a candidate that didn't recently get smacked around."

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Vega: "Another with the Order, wields a fairly unimpressive-looking Keyblade in an unorthodox manner. Doesn't look like he can do anything on his own without someone else to guide him and instruct him even in the heat or battle."

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Taiyo: "Like this?"

She holds the baton like one would hold a bicycles handlebars.