First Blood Shed

With a couple of blinks that seemed to indicate a degree of instant recognition, Hinode nodded once Euryale pointed out the ship to him. "Yeah if you want to keep a low profile, then I would definitely suggest that you keep out of that thing's line of sight!" Apparently he had dealt with these sorts of problems in the past as it were.

Artexi:<Hey Nero, set him on fire or something.>
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*Safian looks up at Hinode, an innocent look in her eyes*

<Good thing we have you around to help us avoid whoever is in charge here.>
---
*Monu looks for a good place to land*

<Hm?>

N"I don't control fire."

R"I do."

*He starts forward, summoning the Omega Weapon, but Xigbar holds a hand out to stop him.*

Xigbar<As if. And you get back. C'mon, up & at'em!>

*Xigbar grabs his arm & drags him bodily out of bed.*

S"Hey, I just came by to tell you--"

*Senthose stops in the doorway, raising an eyebrow.*

S"Do I want to know what's going on here?"
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E"Well then, where do we go? That thing is surprisingly fast!"

Th"Into the city, find out who came to this tower before us!"

Cid<I can help with that.>

*They jump & turn to the tower entrance, where the voice seems to be coming from.*

Cid<Whoever accessed these files last took off for some remote part of the system. Your slow-ass processing systems will never make it, but you could try those ships of yours.>

E"That's way too conspicuous, we'll be spotted within seconds."

Th"We'll find a way to search while looking like we're supposed to be there, right now we need to hide!"

*She runs forward, to the edge of the terrace, & floats down to the next level. Euryale follows, jumping more normally. As they keep jumping down, they can see that street level is largely empty, but they can see platforms affixed to the sides of the buildings, people dressed with glowing green lines welding things together, then the platform moving up as if it were an elevator when that job is finished. The highest platforms are attended to by enormous black cranes, which may or may not have drivers.*

E"So, again, where do we go now?!"
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L"We don't know if any suspects are here yet, & if they are, we don't want to alarm them. Let's land outside of the town, then go in to check the postings about the tournament."

*Lilith lands near the town gate & finds that she doesn't have to go far. Attached nearby are a pair of scrolls. The left scroll has the listings, while the right scroll describes the current makeup of the teams, as detailed in the information topic.*

MT. OLYMPUS TOURNAMENT
Round 1
*Teams Hades v. Hephaestus
*Teams Poseidon v. Zeus
*Teams Apollo v. Hermes
*Teams Ares v. Demeter
*Teams Hermes v. Bacchus
*Teams Aphrodite v. Athena
*Teams Artemis v. Gaia

*Artexi had summoned the Astral Blast and stepped forward as well, however upon hearing Senthose's voice, she stops and looks back at him*

<...Probably not. May we carry on?>
---
*Safian pads after Thiera and Euryale, landing gracefully on all four feet before staring down at the work going on below*

<I'll stick to the shadows then. I don't think I can look like I'm supposed to be here.>
---
*Monu stops walking slightly behind and to the right of Lilith, arms crossed behind his back as he inspects the sign*

<It appears that we will be facing some old foes.>

Xyukuse's eyes snap open and he snarls, drawing the Frolic Flame and stabbing at Xigbar.

Vega intervenes, grabbing Xyukuse's arm and twisting it around.

Vega: "Dispel your weapon before I break the arm. Think about drawing your other weapon and I break both."

Xyukuse: "You think you're so tough, don'tcha?"

Floating down between the levels and jumping about as he followed Euryale and Thiera along was nothing unusual for Kyohaku, who had of course been through much of this before owing to the fact that he had used to live here.

"You know, Safian, I think I might be able to change your appearance to some degree if you feel uncomfortable. We could say that you're a new beast-monster to fight from some game software. That sounds believable enough that I don't think most people would pay you the time of day...especially if you act like you're trying to draw attention to begin with."

He would know considering that he had used to always try and stand out in a crowd.

Th"I don't suppose you know where to find a vehi--"

*She is interrupted as Euryale barrels into her, shoving her to the ground. Thiera had floated over a kind of red strip in the road, a series of glowing arrows, but once Euryale's foot hit it, an electric aura traveled up her grid lines & she was pulled along at a rapid pace. About 20 feet down the road, she tries to jump backwards, but only succeeds in changing direction, now speeding back towards them while flailing her arms. Up above, the arch-shaped Recognizer ships are starting to fan out, prompting the programs working on the buildings to place their Identity Discs on the windows, at which point they break apart into a multitude of cubes as the platforms they are standing on are drawn inward. Afterwards, the cubes come back together to reform the windows.*
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S"By all means. I only came to announce that the Order has moved on to Olympus Coliseum. So you won't be needed after all."

N"We might as well just go there, then. Artexi & I have a deal with Hades."

S"Yes, I gathered that you never read the stories of Faust, or Persephone."

N"No. Who are they?"

S"Short version: Never make a deal with someone who hides under ground & collects dead people."
==============================
*Lilith crosses her arms.*

L"That's perfect, we need information on the Organization, & now we have an excuse to beat it out of them. Hopefully they won't chicken out."

*Artexi summons one of her keyblades and takes another step forward*

<I'd break his arm anyway. Just saying.>

*She looks back at Senthose*

<At least now we know.>
---
*Safian was about to respond to Hinode when Euryale was throw back. She leaps away from the speeding Euryale, fur standing on end. She moves towards Euryale from the side*
---
*Monu nods in agreement*

<What should we do until the games start?>

Taiyo: "What's happpening?!"

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Azuma: "Assuming they're even here."

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Xyukuse: "If you want me to cut you in half, give it a shot."

Vega twists the arm.

Vega: "Put away your weapon. Both of you."

At first Kyohaku felt comfortable to respond to the question in regards to a vehicle, but then again said comfort was rather fleeting. Looking toward Euryale, he got out of the way like the rest of them. Needless to say, he didn't take the opportunity to keep a conversation going with Safian either. Turning around slowly, he then tried to talk to Thiera. "Those things are recognizers. They want to check out your Identity Disc...I'm supposed to have one but it had apparently vanished when I first ended up meeting up with the likes of you."

S"I am surprised that you had to be warned."

*He turns to leave. Nero points to Xyukuse.*

N"Yeah, if you want to make a scene, save it for the coliseum."
====================================
L"I guess we just look around."
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*Euryale stumbles once she reaches the end of the line & looks back, scratching her head. The normal sounds of The Grid are now being drowned out by [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] from the ships.*

E"Well, that was weird."

Th"It doesn't matter, we have to get out of here! That looks like a door down there! Everyone get on this thing, try jumping sideways when we get there!"

*She points to a kind of circular doorway in the base of 1 of the buildings as she pushes Euryale back on the turbo strip.*

E"Actually, I don't really want to, it makes me kind of siiiiiiiick!"

*After she takes off, Thiera suspends her float spell & zooms off after her. She points the Oathkeeper, firing a beam at a doorway, which slides up like some Star Trek stuff. Euryale tries leaning to the side & jumping. This works, & she quickly vanishes down the staircase. Thiera follows suit. Should anyone follow them, they'll find themselves in a kind of sterile blue basement with a low ceiling, the lines between the tiles glowing slightly white. At the far side is a black countertop, behind which are shelves of vials of blue liquids. Euryale & Thiera had brandished their Keyblades against a 7 foot, broad shouldered program standing in front of the counter, with armor outlined by yellow grid lines, his face obscured by something like a Riot Helmet. He now twists the handle of his weapon, which splits into 2, allowing him to create a 2nd energy knife.*

Th"Why are you always starting fights with the biggest entities nearby?"

E"You're the one who told me to come down here!"

<This Energy Club is closed! By order of the Users, access is restricted, especially to Rinzler's agents! Programs, I don't know how you managed to force entry, but exit immediately, or prepare to be derezzed!>

Taiyo: "Didn't Azuma mention a Rinzler?"

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

Xyukuse dispels his Keyblade, Vega releasing his arm.

Xyukuse: "So you failed to protect the castle and now you compensate by acting like Drill Sergeant Asshat. Your life might have less meaning than mine."

*Artexi opens a dark corridor to the Coliseum*

<Come on Nero, let's go already.>
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*Monu nods, looking away*

<Shall we all go together?>
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*Safian had followed, however she remains hidden in the shadows*

Kyohaku liked music. It was perhaps predictable that he tended toward electronic styles. That being said, he wasn't used to it suddenly drowning out what was going on down on the Grid. Considering the instructions and the unusual activity, Kyohaku decided to follow the others.

He then drew his own Keyblade, but he admittedly felt a little more comfortable when he heard that these orders came from the Users and not from someone else.

"I am Hinode Kyohaku and I fight for the Users! We did not force entry here."

He hoped that would clear up things real fast. If nothing else, then he still had to get back to letting Safian know the best way for an animal to fit in around in such an artificial world as his own.

Barman<Rinzler used to fight for the Users, until he was corrupted by Avici. Now he controls Avici's forces whenever the abomination is not present! Though it is unusual for Avici to be missing for so many cycles.>

E"That's because Avici is dead. We killed him."

Th"You mean my mom killed him."

*Thiera casts an insubordinate look at the ground by her left foot as the program lowers his weapons almost imperceptibly.*

Barman<If all of this is true...then surely you can present your identity discs for a security scan!>

Th"Uh...we don't actually...have any...?"

Barman<Could you be...Users? Or is this a ruse?>

Voice from above<Check in there!>

Th"Oh no, we left the door open!"

*Thiera looks back, eyes wide. Euryale narrows her eyes & runs up the stairs. Thiera reaches out after her.*

E"I'll get it!"

Th"Wait, it might be dangerous!"
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N"Right."

*He & Roatha follow her.*
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L"That's probably wise. Safety in numbers, & all."

*She heads into town, towards the arena.*

*For a moment, Monu looks rather sad, however he quickly follows Lilith*
---
*So they go to the Coliseum, making Xyukuse officially someone else's problem*
---
*A low growl emanates from Safian as she follows Euryale. She remains hidden in the shadows*

Taiyo: "I guess we're-"

She looks towards the door.

Taiyo: "Be careful."

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

Xyukuse: "Like Nobodies, your life will be given purpose by another. Or you can find your own purpose, unlike Nobodies."

They go through the Dark Corridor.

"You know, I believe that they are users. I am a program who was transported into the world of the Users..." Hinode spoke these lines with an unusual but not over the top reverence that seemed slightly out of character for him. "Ever since then I have not had access to my identity disc. If I had access to some sort of terminal, then I would be able to restore it from a backup copy easily." Soon enough, though, he stopped and exhaled, "Euryale, wait, you don't know what you're doing..."

Black Guard<Program: Halt & surrender your identity disc! Arrgh!>

*There's the sound of a scuffle, a door slam, & an explosion, at which point Euryale skids painfully back down the steps, smoking burns covering her arms & stomach. This being The Grid, her innards look more like circuitry. Thiera promptly casts the Aero combo.*

Th"We tried to warn you!"

E"Any chance you can save the lecture? This still hurts, y'know!"

Th"I'll be busy shielding us from them."

*She points to the Black Guards rushing down the stairs, batons in hand. The other program combines the knives to make an energy sword. With his other hand, he pulls an ID disc from behind his back & throws it, derezzing a Black Guard with a surprise decapitation. Another tries to catch him with an energy rope while a 3rd guard makes his way towards Taiyo, energizing his bo staff.*
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*The Organization winds up in a hall, by a gate looking out at the coliseum proper. They can see that the other members are starting to arrive as well--Zexion, Vexen, & Lexeaus also show up via Dark Corridor. Lexeaus takes his usual cross-armed stance as he nods curtly at them. Nero walks over to a plaque.*

N"The 2 of us are fighting that Azuma guy, & 2 others I don't know. Roatha, you & Xyukuse are up against...Marluxia & Larxene? Think they'll show?"
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*As they approach the coliseum, they can hear it's already bustling with activity. Once they get into the antechamber, Phil approaches, pointing at Azuma.*

Phil<Great timing, kid, you're the 1st match, & Herc says he saw your opponents by the East Gate. Now we just have to wait for your last teammate to get here.>

*Artexi bursts out laughing when she sees the team match ups*

<Roatha and Xyukuse...on the same team? I can't wait to see that!>
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*Monu nods at Azuma*

<Good luck.>
---
*Safian leaps out of the shadows on the back of the guard with the energy rope, slashing with flaming claws*

Azuma: "Thanks. You too."

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

Taiyo makes it rain on Euryale in a manner that isn't disgusting and directs her Keyblade at the Black Guard, shooting a fireball at it

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

Xyukuse: "And miss out on the hunt? Should hope not."

What had happened with Euryale was precisely what Hinode had feared, and it was also precisely what he had tried to avoid when he warned her. At first he was going to go and help Euryale with her wounds, but he figured he might better put his skills to use fending off the guards. He rushed over toward Taiyo, pulling out his own Keyblade on the way and taking several strikes with it. It would have seemed like Kyohaku had gotten much more practiced with the motions by this point.

*Caught in a hail of attacks before he can adequately draw his weapon, the Black Guard with the staff is promptly derezzed. The other Black Guard is shocked that some monster jumped on him out of nowhere & tries to force Safian off, only for the friendly program to cut the energy rope, catch his ID Disc, & derez him as well. All that remains of the Black Guards are piles of red cubes, which blink out of existence. As with Avici, Thiera stares at them, looking sick.*

Th"They were alive, weren't they?"

*Showing no signs that he heard her, the program rushes to the bar.*

Program<We don't have much time, more Black Guards will come when the Recognizer doesn't make its report!>

*He presses a hidden button under the bar, at which point the shelves of drinks slides into the wall, revealing a compartment where 3 individuals are huddled together. All are wearing generic black gridsuits, with a kind of stripe of glowing white going diagonally from their right shoulders to their left thighs, with glowing spheres on their gloves. All relatively tall & slender with dark eyes, they appear almost to be a family of 3, the female having black hair in a tight bun at the back of her head, while the male & the "son" are bald.*

E"What's going on here?"

Program<Much has changed since the Users last accessed the Grid. And any change Avici cannot control, he destroys. If you are who you say you are, I will explain as we escape.>
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*[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] emerges from a side passage, holding out his hand when he sees Azuma.*

Firion<Hey there. I'm Firion. And you must be either Squall or Azuma.>

L"The latter."

Firion<I see. Well, it will be an honor to compete by your side. Do you know when our comrade will be here?>
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N"I don't know...to be honest, I don't think you can beat them. If they show up, maybe you should just forfeit?"

*Roatha laughs.*

R"Trying to get me out of the way is pointless. You won't survive the 1st round."

N"I really wasn't...."

Turning to the program, Hinode nodded and exhaled as he of course followed the other. "You have to believe me that I am who I say that I am, and I will identify myself at the earliest convenience. Moreover...these are indeed users." He was honestly just glad that they were able to get through those guards so quickly. For a moment he silently smirked to himself, feeling that his old touch and ability to run through whoever he had wanted to on the Grid had returned.

Artexi:<Neither will you. This is a a team event, after all.>
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Monu:<We haven't seen him.>
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*Safian leaps over to the bar*

<Yeah! We're here to help get things back to normally.>