First Blood Shed

*Safian had followed behind the others. She speaks as quietly as she can so that the others can hear her*

<(What should we do?! Jump him? I'm not sure how to get off this thing though...)>
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*Artexi crosses her arms*

<Look, I didn't mean to get you angry at me. I hate Ira and Xyukuse because they're both assholes without redeeming qualities. I have nothing against Roatha, I'm sure he's a great guy...>
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*Monu dismisses his keyblade and turns to Azuma*

<I'm a little lost here. Can you fill us in as we go find Firion?>

*A beam shoots from the baton to the terminal, [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Euryale dutifully follows Thiera, but before long a pair of Black Guards are swooping into the tunnel on their winged jet packs, throwing bombs which Thiera takes care of using Reflect.*

E"You know, if Lilith were here, she'd say we wouldn't be in this mess if we just took that guy out!"

Th"Well, Lilith isn't always right! I'm sure we can still escape without destroying any of the guards, right Flynn?"

Flynn<I dunno, man....>

*In addition to the problem of the airborne guards swooping overhead, they're approaching a fork in the path. As before, to take the right path, they would have to jump over the energy channel.*
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*As he's running headlong into an attack, he's blown back, & the petals seem to slice & dice him. Flying in the direction of 1 of Rotha's dark pillars probably doesn't help matters either. Marluxia leaps aside to avoid the Demon Fang, twirling & swinging the scythe in a wide arc, sending a blade of pink energy at him. Forced on the defensive, Celes fires a freezing wave at the blue clad woman. Though she's frozen in her tracks, the pink clad woman appears behind her, & only the timely intervention of Onion Knight saves her from decapitation. He points his sword at her.*

OK<I really didn't want to do this, but you left me no choice!>

*Smiling coyly, the strange woman blows him a kiss, while Roatha throws a Keyblade at Larxene. She quickly backflips to avoid the explosion & releases a large amount of lightning to knock the 2nd strike away. She lands, panting, & throws her knives all around Roatha as he resummons his Keyblades & charges towards her. They begin to spark.*

Phil<2 minutes in, & it's still anyone's match! These guys're goin' at each other tooth & nail, but no one's budging! But Herc could probably take 'em all with 1 hand behind his back! Both hands & a blindfold, after I'm done with him!>
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*Nero looks away from Zexion as he sits back down, still glaring at Nero. Meanwhile, Demyx appears to be trying to learn how to play the battle music on his sitar.*

N"...What? What's Roatha got to do with anything? Wait, are you saying he's putting the moves on the bellydancer babes? That son of a bitch! I bet I can get him from here!"

*He turns & summons his Keyblade, steadying the end with his other hand & squinting as he takes aim. Lexeaus reaches over Zexion's head to push it aside.*

Lexeaus<Put it away. People are staring.>
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L"Well, we didn't see him come out, so he must be in a room off of the infirmary."
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Daisy<Marluxia is clearly the other team's strongest fighter. Why don't they work together to take out his support? At this rate, they might as well just start attacking each other.>

Azuma: "Easy enough. And according to Squall, there's another party involved in what happened in Radiant Garden."

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Xyukuse stabs the Chaos Ripper into the ground to stop his movements in what is likely an unpleasant manner. Dismissing his Keyblades in exchange for his glider, he takes to the skies, firing on Marluxia.

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Vega: "That's easier said than done when neither Organization member wants nothing more than just to be as violent and reckless as possible."

Well, it didn't look like Hinode was getting his wish. Once order was restored to the grid, he was going to have to select a track for the music.

Anyway, though, he shook his head, "Hey Flynn, we can get out of here without the guards, I'm sure there's a way to do it."

The problem was that the airborne guards were starting to really get to them. This wasn't going to turn too well in the long run.

He had no problem if they were going to jump that energy channel though. He'd done things like that plenty of times in the past.

*Artexi looks pissed as she stares at Nero*

<What if he was putting moves on the bellydancers?>
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Safian:<Which way?!>
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Monu:<And your teammate knows this other group?>

*He dismisses his Keyblade & snaps his fingers, struck with sudden inspiration.*

N"You're right, I can always tell them a ton of his dirty secrets, then they won't want to touch him with a 10 foot pole."

Vexen<What exactly are you planning to tell them that's more shocking than the readily apparent fact that he is a violent, unstable sociopath?>

N"For example, he once took a polka dancing class."

*Demyx shuts his eyes, screwing up his face like he just swallowed something foul, & shudders.*

Demyx<That's--that's just WRONG!>
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*The pink energy blade slices into his chest & left shoulder, giving him a much more serious injury, & affecting sensation in that arm. Marluxia twirls, disappearing & reappearing above him in showers of petals, emitting some kind of deranged war scream as he slashes the point of the scythe down at Xyukuse with both hands, dropping like a meteor.*

Celes<What are you doing?! I am on your side!>

*Onion Knight had abruptly spun around, forcing a surprised Celes to block an attack. While he keeps hammering away at her, the pink clad woman rushes to her unprotected side, reaching for her throat. Meanwhile, Roatha finds himself impaled on all sides by lances of lightning as Larxene's knives stab into him. She follows this up by repeating her clone attack, rushing him from all sides.*
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Flynn<Hope your coordination's got better!>

*He jumps the gap, continuing down the northwest tunnel. The Black Guards fly past them & double back around as Euryale & Thiera follow. Thiera fires Wisdom Shots at their wings so they fall safely into the Energy channel. If they all make it onto this path without crashing, they'll find it abruptly turns after several feet & continues straight forward.*

*Artexi rolls her eyes at Demyx*

<Come on, it's not that bad. The Order won't kick him out for some stupid shit anyway.>

*She looks away*

<...To pick up chicks or was he actually interested?>
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*Safian focuses on making the jump without crashing and burning. If they are still being pursued in the straight section, she sends some fireballs at them*

Azuma: "Squall said he has no idea who was responsible for deleting Avici's files. No reason to think he could be lying. Pretty sure Firion has no involvement with that world."

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Xyukuse raises the tail of his glider to hit Marluxia, still firing on the ground below, no specific target in sight.

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Taiyo attempts the jump, not daring to attempt to focus on anything other than piloting the Light Cycle.

"I know mine's comin' back, Flynn!" Kyohaku grinned, leaning backward away from the jump and then carefully toward it once he was mid-air so that he could make a proper landing. Nevertheless, he made an abrupt turn once he was on the other side in order to continue following the path.

He figured that Safian's fireballs might have been sufficient to keep off any further engagements for the time. Therefore he didn't shoot anything himself at the moment.

*The glider wouldn't be much of an issue, as it would've been smashed to bits when Marluxia cut him & forced him to the ground, pink energy bursting from the ground in a huge tremor. Marluxia rips the scythe out of his gut in a spinning motion &, in the same motion, slashes at his throat. The scythe glows, releasing blades of energy as he goes. Meanwhile, Larxene takes out Roatha with a series of quick strikes & Celes spins, using a tornado to repel the assassin & Onion Knight. They're probably not going to win.*
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L"Then it must've been someone either on The Grid or at with the Organization."
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N"Nobody would date a guy in a polka outfit, that's the point."
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Daisy<The other team seems quite violent themselves.>
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*They are approaching a literal fire wall, with another trio of Black Guards in front of it, these on the ground. They roll bombs towards the Order, drawing their staves. They could try to get through the firewall or they could turn left or right. Either way, they have to get past the bombs & the guards.*

Artexi:<Not everyone's that shallow.>

*She looks down at the fight below*

<Looks like Aries is done.>
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Monu:<Perhaps a traitor in the Organization then?>
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*Safian, for lack of a better option, heads to the right, moving to avoid the bombs and sending fire balls at the guards*

Azuma: "If we can send a message to the group at The Grid, perhaps they can ask someone there. Unless you want to cozy up with someone in the Organization, we don't have anything to follow up on."

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Xyukuse uses the plates on his footwear to block, calling the Chaos Ripper and using Ohana Beat, wailing wilding on the Keyblade.

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Vega: "There's a method to their violence."

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Taiyo takes a right, moving to avoid the bombs.

Safian had of coursed headed off to the right in order to avoid the bombs. The lion had also apparently sent fireballs at the guards.

Taiyo, likewise, had moved to the right as well.

While Hinode had initially considered going straight for the Firewall, he instead decided to ride dangerously close toward it before taking a sharp left, hoping to confuse the Black Guards since they were already perhaps trying to pay attention to Safian and Taiyo for the time being.

He still hadn't been sure whether he was supposed to attack them upfront or not.

*Flynn also goes right, because all of the cool kids are doing it. Those who went right are able to avoid the bombs by an extremely narrow margin. Seeing as he doesn't seem to intend to turn, Euryale & Thiera follow Hinode, the latter using blizzard to dispense with the explosives. The guards take to the sky as quickly as possible, swooping down on them. Thiera ducks, a baton barely avoiding her head & takes a wild right, skidding along the wall & in danger of ramming into the others. Euryale swings her Keyblade, smacking the guard who attacked her into a wall, & heads left along with Hinode. Both paths keep going until another T-intersection, but this time, the energy water appears to be boiling & the ledges are gradually disappearing into the walls. At the left turn on the right path, & the right turn on the left, multicolored flashing lights can be seen from something just around the walls.*
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*He is able to avoid the worst of the energy blades, but still sustains a few scratches. Marluxia is tossed around like a rag doll, stuck in the sound waves. A few of the smaller cuts on Xyukuse close. Of course, the Larxene clones surround them & blast him with lightning. Onion Knight spins his sword, firing a stream of meteorites that finally seem to overwhelm Celes. Excited, he runs up to the woman. Whatever he was expecting, it probably wasn't for her to grab him by the throat & drop him in a single move as her cohort begins breaking out of the ice.*
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"Looks that way. Those girls are tougher than they look."

Xaldin<Pay close attention. Such is the fate of all fools who let their hearts guide them.>
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Daisy<Yes, they do seem much more focused.>
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L"Firstly, I thought you wanted to talk to Firion about something. Secondly, spying on the Organization is exactly what we have been doing. Thirdly, I suppose we could try that, but ask them what, exactly? For all we know, we could be sending them on a wild goose chase, & they have a lot on their plates already."

*Monu laughs awkwardly*

<Let's finish this conversation as we go find him. Shall we?>

*He starts off in the direction of the infirmary*
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*Safian chooses the right turn at the next intersection*

Azuma: "Yes, talking to Firion was to be a thing unrelated to Radiant Garden which was largely prompted by you wanting to know more about the Emperor."

The two presumably also set off towards the infirmary.

Azuma: "If the other's have made contact with someone in The Grid, it wouldn't hurt to ask a question. We know nothing of this third party if there even is one. They could be against us or willing to cooperate with us."

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Xyukuse rolls away from the blast, using Stone Dragon Ascent when he stands up.

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Vega: "A lack of focus could have worked in their favor if not for their own instability."

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Taiyo takes a left.

Energy water should never run this hot, and the scene surprised Hinode, but he didn't let it at all get in the way of his riding ability. Computer devices, of course, did not like to run hot. Since Safian and Taiyo had already chosen opposite directions, Kyohaku's decision wasn't as easy as last time, but he ended up simply veering left because it was closer to where he had been at this point.

OOC: Assuming Taiyo went right-left, Safian right-right, & Hinode left-left....

*Taiyo is heading towards a staircase leading up, & she can see a glimpse of city streets beyond. She can also see a Black Guard at a panel trying to raise another fire wall in front of this. Safian, heading the opposite direction, is heading towards a large area where the floor is opening up, the energy being dumped into some kind of grid of red lightning. Turning will not be easy, though she could try doing it while jumping to the other ledge or by riding a pipe up to the scaffold. Hinode's options are much the same, though presumably if he manages to turn around, he will be on a different section of the streets. And it probably doesn't help that a flying Black Guard whacked him in the head with a baton. Thiera blows the remaining guards out of the sky with blizzard, while Euryale acts on her instinct to hit people with rocks, & hits the Black Guard in front of the doorway with rocks, knocking him out & preventing him from raising a firewall.*

E"So what do we do now?!"
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*A few of the Larxene clones hit with rocks apparently vanish. Now free, Marluxia rolls away, stabbing the ground & causing dark pools of thorns to sprout all over the arena. Larxene blasts him with lightning, trying to herd him into them. The assassins leap over, attacking the Organization traitors.*
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Daisy<I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean.>
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L"Perhaps, but let's not discuss that in front of Swiss Army Scout."

*After wandering around for a little, they find him in the antechamber, inspecting the trophies. He turns to them, looking curious.*

Firion<Do you need some help with something? Directions, maybe?>

*Safian decides to jump onto the ledge while turning*
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Artexi:<Huh, I'm surprised Xyukuse and co. haven't gotten their asses completely kicked yet.>
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*Monu looks at Azuma expectantly*

Azuma: "We sure do. Would it be possible to get to your world?"

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Xyukuse dodge deflects towards Larxene, hurling the Chaos Ripper at Larxene.

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Vega: "Unpredictability. If you can't predict your opponent's movements, you won't be able to launch an effective counter."

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Having to take a chance and do more than just stay in one piece, she hurls a Keyblade at the Black Guard, using Aqua Raid.

Had indeed traveled in a left-by-left direction as opposed to the right-by-left taken by Taiyo and the right-by-right taken by Safian. However, it had seemed that he had run straight into a Black Guard's baton on his helmet. Desperately trying to keep up enough rotational velocity to stay straight up, Kyohaku did his best to turn around in the process.

Due to his experience, he wasn't going to mind if a protected leg or foot was going to skid across the ground before he uprighted his bike, provided that he continued to stay in motion.

*Safian is able to stick the landing & now heads in the direction of the exit, wobbling dangerously. The guy Taiyo attacked explodes into a multitude of red cubes that begin flickering, but the firewall goes out in time for Flynn to lead the way up the staircase.*

Flynn<Be sure to raise your front wheel, but just slightly! Brace yourself, it's gonna be a bumpy ride!>
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*Lack of space is a problem, but it doesn't matter, he's going to collide head-on with Euryale anyway. The blast hurls them into the energy. Fortunately it isn't boiling in this spot, but it's still sucking them to an apparent doom, & they're not doing so hot from the explosion either. Thiera glides off, casting cure on Euryale, who grabs Hinode & stabs her Keyblade into the wall in an attempt to stay afloat. Bubbles churn along her legs as they begin to fuse & sprout scales. Now finished with the fire wall, the black guard dons his pack & rockets towards the Order, reaching for his bombs. Hinode can see that Thiera's light cycle, which had continued to run without her, falls to the electrical grid & is derezzed.*
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Marluxia<Sink into the darkness!>

*Marluxia leaps at the assassins, slashing his scythe in arcs around him, releasing petals & blades of pink energy. Though deadly, the girls are not exactly armored, the assault finally knocking them unconscious. Larxene sees the attack coming & ducks out of the way, raising her hands to call down more lightning around her.*
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N"I'm not shocked at all that Roatha lost, really...hey, hey, what'd he do to the hot chicks?! He can't do that, right?!"

Vexen<Of course he can, you simpleton, did you not listen to the explanation of the rules?>

N"But I liked watching them!"

Vexen<As you've made painfully aware, but I don't suspect your romance will progress beyond juvenile voyeurism.>

N"Shut up! Like you'd know. I bet you make out with your beakers when you think no one is looking."

Demyx<*Snigger.* Fellas, fellas, you both disappoint the ladies just fine. Now, if you'd let me teach you how to play the sitar...but, ah well.>

*He shrugs & resumes playing.*
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Firion<I'm afraid not. It is lost to the darkness.>

L"Then do you know anything about the worlds that Mateus guy is thinking about conquering?"

Firion<Some. I know he's teamed up with several other dark sorcerers, & know he's planning to take his forces beyond this world to acquire a new castle.>
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Daisy<I can't say I've ever had much of a problem with that.>

Azuma: "And these sorcerers are?"

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Xyukuse jumps back, recalling the Chaos Ripper and calling the Frolic Flame, hurling both with Firetooth.

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Vega: "There always exceptions. I'm surprised that one has lasted this long."

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Taiyo attempts to do as instructed.

What surprised Hinode the most was not what happened, but how he responded to it. Pride was something that was always really important to him, but for the time being it looked like he wasn't being too shameful but instead practical about what had just happened.

Doing his best not to focus on the fact that Thiera's bike just derezzed - and the fact that any one of them could be in for the same if they weren't careful - he tried to right himself properly and get out of the increasingly hot water.

"Euryale! You're turning back into whatever that fish thing you were!"

Monu:<Likely the other villians we saw before, including Maleficent.>
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*Artexi looks annoyed again*

<When did you become so interested in women?!>
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*Safian makes sure to do that as she heads towards the exit*