First Blood Shed

Taiyo: "Um, hi."

Taiyo attempts to shake the crab's claw which is probably really awkward.

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The two pursue, Hitomi firing Wisdom Shots while Azuma fires Wolf Storms.

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The two continue their retreat, Xyukuse jumping high in the air and hurling his Keyblades at the armor.

*Thiera shakes, as everyone else is doing it.*

E"Let's take a closer look at this ship."

*Presumably they all rise to the surface, where they see a [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] in the moonlight.*

Th"It looks like it's being decorated for a wedding."

E"What's a 'wed-ding'?"

Th"Uh--well, you see--"

E"My god, I'm just messing with you, who doesn't know what marriage is? So, Ariel went & eloped with some human she just met a few months ago? That is so like her."

Th"I believe the reason for the Heartless is obvious: Ursula must be trying to capture Ariel in order to bribe King Triton."

E"Well, no problem, we just turn into humans, figure out how to get up there, meet up with Ariel, she'll vouch for us, and we can protect her."
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*The 2nd of 3 skulls shatters, since it was pretty close to breaking. The beast screeches, once again whirling around & charging at them. Whether or not Hitomi & Azuma evade it, it will be a straight shot towards Lilith & Monu.*
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*Nero complies, & they find themselves at a series of makeshift tents on carts. Unable to cast healing spells, the Moogles get their First Aid supplies ready. Meanwhile, thanks largely to the additions of the Dusks protecting their flanks & the Creepers attacking the Armors' heels, the Organization is able to stand their ground. Xaldin moves in front of Vega & Xyukuse.*

Xaldin<Destroy the armors or the spy. Either way, stand your ground.>

*Speaking of, King Mickey & Axel square off on either side of the Dark Follower's head, ducking around to evade each others' attacks & swinging from shoulder to shoulder. Every once in a while, the King brains the Heartless with his Keyblade. Realizing this will eventually wear the monster down, Xigbar Dark Corridors up behind him. Fortunately, the sound alerts the King, who rolls onto the generator pack with the 2 Organization members in hot pursuit.*

Xigbar<Don't let him destroy the anti-magic device!>

S<I see you've realized: I'm already back inside the magic jammer's range. So, will you pursue, or will you retreat & wait for Keter to decide which side she's joining?>

*On cue, the Dark Follower attacking the Hall of Masters in the distance is disintegrated in a blinding blast of light.*

S<Then again, maybe she'll sit back to see who wins this fight.>

*Artexi lands and lifts Nero onto the ground as best she can*

Artexi:<I think he's hurt in the chest or the side or something! I'm not really sure, but I need to get back!>

*She jumps back on her glider*

Artexi:<...Take of him for me...>

*She heads off towards the battle, firing on the armies once again*
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Safian:<And I'll be waiting in the shadows if you need me!>
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*Monu uses his increased speed to pull himself and Lilith out of the heartless' path, then uses Wind Raid on the remaining head as it flies past them*

"I was going to ask about what a wedding is too...oh..." Well, it looked like the possibility of Kyohaku learning anything more about these organic rituals was going to have died really quickly. Turning toward Euryale in the hopes that maybe she'd have a little mercy on his lack of understanding in spite of that outburst, Kyohaku twitched an eye for a moment. "Would you mind telling me what eloped is at least? I'm kind of in the dark about all this stuff you know..." At that point Kyohaku started to grumble underneath his breath.

...because I used to be a program who protected video games, and they were pretty abstract video games so they didn't directly mirror activities like this found in the User's world.

Though fortunately it was far too low to actually be audible by anyone.

Taiyo: "She'll remember you, but what about me?"

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Should go without saying they evade. They fly alongside the Heartless, attacking with Wisdom Shot and Wolf Storm.

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Xyukuse makes no effort to go after Mickey as that was their own lame-ass fault. If anything he should stab Xaldin in the back.

The Heartless could haul ass with the selective magic jammers as swinging a Keyblade is about all Vega can do.

*Euryale glances back at Kyohaku.*

E"It's when you run away to get married without telling anyone. Marriage is when people from 2 or more different house holds come together to form a new house hold for the purpose of raising a new family."

Th"I believe you skipped over some things."

E"Look, do we really have time for me to explain the jellyfish & the seahorses right now?"

Th"...What?"

*But Euryale ignores Thiera & next looks at Taiyo.*

E"I'm sure she will. Alright, I think I've got it. Once everyone changes back, I can use a wave to get us up there."

Th"You don't suppose that's a bit conspicuous?"

E"It'll be fine, everyone should be sleeping."

*And so if one looks closely at the shadow of her tail under the water, it begins to separate into legs.*
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*The good news is that they are able to dodge, the bad news is that they hit it maybe once or twice before it flies away. After Lilith & Monu evade, it seems to realize it can't catch them & flies back towards Hitomi & Azuma.*

L"Can you cast that speed spell on others?"
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*They try throwing their Keyblades at the King, but he ducks & deflects, stabbing down into the generator & then jumping, performing a spinning slash down its length. The explosion knocks the Dark Follower over, causing the Organization members to tumble off of it. Binah points in the Organization's general direction.*

Binah<It seems the magic is back on. Stopz-->

*Senthose quickly lashes out with a series of Thorn Beams, forcing her to dodge repeatedly so she can't cast the spell. Lexeaus creates an earthquake to upset the armors attacking him while Zexion points to the sky, clouding it in darkness & creating a white orb. After a minute or so, Saix roars & flexes, energy sending the armors attacking him flying. He then begins tearing through them with lightning-fast speed, each of his attacks sending flaming shockwaves ripping through the armors. Xaldin shoves Xyukuse forward, commanding him to fight, before summoning his lances & joining the fray, spinning & sending his weapons flying to stab through several armors at once. Daisy's fingers finally start to grow, capturing her attackers, & Roatha uses his dark version of Faith to escape from the armors binding him, which then proceed to start hacking at each other.*

Xigbar<So, you've gone & blown up the generator. It still won't save either of you.>

Axel<Yeah. No gettin' outta THIS!>

*Spreading his arms, Axel creates a dome of flame to trap the King in with them.*

Xigbar<You got this?>

Axel<Sure thing, Cap'n.>

*So Xigbar teleports above the battlefield, where he starts firing down at the armors, while Axel touches the ground, turning it to a lava field that burns the King's feet while not affecting him.*

"Thanks for explaining it!" Kyohaku figured that this was going to have to suffice for now, even if Thiera assumed that she had skipped over some things. At some point he was going to have to learn about these jellyfish and seahorses, and perhaps in the process grasp what role such animals played in organic reproductive ceremonies. Naturally he had noticed her tail separating back into legs, but he wasn't sure if he could do this to himself. Looking down at his tail, he flicked it a few times seeing if he could will himself into splitting it in two or not.

Safian:<...Can someone help me get up before I change back?>
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*Monu nods and flies back a short distance so he can cast Hawk's Dive on Azuma and Hitomi*
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*Artexi lands and summons both her keyblades. She then runs forward towards the armors, casting Sparkra on the nearest armors with one keyblade and charges the next group with Sol's Might*

I don't know how sharks are moved, so Taiyo tries pushing from behind.

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They evade, Hitomi firing Wisdom Shots while Azuma uses Darkness Raid.

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

Xyukuse winds up to throw the Chaos Ripper, trying to catch Xaldin in the process before throwing it and the Frolic Flame with Firetooth.

Vega enters the fray with Infernal Torrent.

*Seeing that it can't hit them, it turns & charges Peter Pan, knocking his ass out before it dives into the water. Once again, it emerges from the water many yards off, & fires coins at them.*
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*Fortunately, Xyukuse misses, or he'd have some troubles on his hand vis a vis treason. They destroy many armors, but also many Dusks, & Xaldin deflects Firetooth with a whirlwind after it almost hits him. The Dark Follower rises up & fires blasts of darkness out of its chest & soon all of the Armors are in pieces.*

S<Still think you're going to win?>

Binah<I still have a few tricks, yes.>

*Binah uses Reflect to knock Senthose back & take to the sky, but doesn't get far before a Dark Corridor opens up & a beam from the sky shoots out, destroying her Glider. As she plows into the ground, Keter emerges.*

Keter<You see, this is why you were never the right choice as Successor. You fail to properly understand ruthlessness & deception, & because of that, we've eliminated all of your allies from right under your incompetent nose. Face it, Psyche: It's over.>

Mickey<Not yet it's not! She still has lots of friends left!>

*The flame dome dissipates to reveal an unharmed Mickey & unconscious Axel. Senthose looks over his shoulder as he stands up & dusts himself off.*

D<Damn it, Lea, you had ONE job.>

*Mickey points the Keyblade at the Organization & proceeds to fire a barrage of light orbs.*
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*Euryale watches those 2 be speds for a while as Thiera turns herself back & starts changing the others. Then Euryale surges forward, creating a wave that spills them on the deck which, sure enough, is deserted. Euryale stands, clutching her arms & shivering. When Thiera gets up, she creates fire at the tip of her Keyblade & uses it to dry herself.*

E"Ugh, why is it so COLD all of a sudden?"

Th"Perhaps if you would wear actual clothing...."

E"Perhaps if you humans weren't so fragile to the elements!"

Following along, Kyohaku figured that it would be a good idea to use some energy from his Keyblade to dry himself off once he was out of the water as well. He looked down and blinked for a moment. Well, at least he was dressed properly, even if Thiera had some reservations about what it was that Euryale was wearing. That meant that he could have at least have been decently warm for the time being, considering the fact that his jacket would keep any chilliness out.

Taiyo is probably flat on her face, so she changes back and while on all fours, shakes herself off which is probably unpleasant for the rest of them.

Taiyo: "I think her outfit is just fine."

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The two fly under the Heartless, Hitomi repeatedly casting Thunder while Azuma uses Darkga.

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Xyukuse jumps to avoid the blasts, using Blazing Tempest to close in on Mickey.

Vega ducks and rolls to avoid the projectiles, attacking with Wind Blade.

*Monu lets go of Lilith's hand, then flies down to grab Peter Pan before he drowns*
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*Safian lands on the deck, completely soaked. She moves into the shadows before shaking herself off*

<(Oh, I wish I had a way to dry myself off without blowing my cover.)>
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*Artexi dismisses the keyblade she used for Sol's Might and resummons her glider. She jumps on and flies away from the projectiles before firing back at Mickey*

E"Yeah, see, Taiyo likes it!"

*Thiera grabs her skirt & kind of swishes it.*

Th"You're right. This dress is just too warm, and toasty, and wind-breaking...I'm really so very jealous of you."

E"Y-you s-sh-should b-be!"

Th"I can dry you off, if you want me too. I could probably even get you a blanket."

E"N-n-nope! D-d-don't need it-t! We'll be b-back, Flounder & S-Se-Seb-b-oh, you kn-know your own n-name!"

*She heads off, still shivering, with Thiera following, rolling her eyes.*

Flounder<We'll wait for you down here! Be careful! And let us know if you need anything!>
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*Mickey rolls to avoid their attacks. Of course, no sooner does he try that than Xigbar teleports beside him & starts shooting, but this backfires on him when it turns out that Binah has cast Reflect on him. She herself rolls away from blasts of Light by both Keter & Senthose.*

Keter<Don't you think you have bigger problems?>

Binah<I should say the same thing.>

*They each rush her from the side, forcing her to materialize a shield of light & parry their attacks. As she does, she keeps talking through the crack in her helmet.*

Binah<I suspect you've arranged to rule over the Land of Departure while Senthose continues ruling over some far-flung world-->

S<She is attempting to distract us. Do not fall for it.>

Binah<But if your betrayal of me is successful, what will stop you from turning on each other?>

*Keter glances at Senthose, & Binah's shield turns into chains that bind & gag her. Once Keter falls over, Binah gestures to send a stream of wind to blow Senthose back. Meanwhile, the Dark Follower punches into the ground, pulling out a massive orb of darkness.*
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*Hitomi & Azuma are shot with coins before they even get that far, until they fall into the ocean as their accumulated injuries begin to take their toll. Lilith, meanwhile, uses her Lotus Shield to protect Monu as he & Tinkerbell haul the ginger out of the sea. Eventually, the Ruler of the Sky begins flying around, hurling energy balls into the ocean again--the first ones aimed for Monu/Pan, Hitomi/Azuma, & under Lilith.*

Taiyo picks herself up and latches on to Euryale's waist which does nothing about them both being wet in a manner I'm sure neither care for.

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

Hitomi swaps the Diamond Dust for Oblivion allowing both of them to heal.

Naturally Kyohaku followed Thiera as well as the apparently rather cold Euryale, trusting that this wouldn't turn out as bad as it looked like it would. He was glad that he got to wear proper clothing anyway. Then, however, he winced for a moment and wondered if he should have stopped whatever it was that Taiyo was doing. It almost looked like she might have been a parasite latching onto Euryale like that and taking advantage of her compromised temperature.

*Safian steps out of the shadows near Thiera*

<(Can you dry me off? I'm afraid people'll see me if I do it myself.>
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*Once Pan is out of the water, Monu flies back towards Lilith, avoiding the energy spheres as best he can*

Monu:<We just need to do a bit more damage...>
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*Artexi lands near Axel and drags him onto her glider*

Artexi:<I'm going to take this idiot to the Moogles and bring Nero back if I can. Try not to all get beaten up by a mouse while I'm gone.>

*Fortunately, the others seem to have let up in their attacks, allowing Mickey to block & jump behind Xigbar, striking him in the back & knocking him down. A group of Creepers try to box him in, but he destroys them with a few quick swipes. Xaldin, Saix, Lexeaus, & a shitton of Dusks advance on Binah, but she points at them, creating a sphere of stylized stopped clocks around them that freezes their movements.*

S<So you finally managed to cast your favorite spell. But that won't be enough to save you.>

*He fires a series of dark blasts only for them to be intercepted by a rock wall. Binah glows faintly blue & begins to levitate, swirling her Keyblade above her head. The wind builds, pulling dust into the air, & eventually she's gathered a tornado that could probably consume the entire Organization. With a slash of her Keyblade, she sends it at the Dark Follower, sweeping it up before it can begin its attack. She then lets go of the Keyblade, which floats nearby, shooting gigantic Wisdom Shots the size of a person at Senthose. As he does his best to dodge despite the shockwaves they release when they strike near him, Binah directs the tornado with 1 hand while pulling some of her hair out with the other & dropping it into her shadow. When Senthose steps down, the glowing silvery threads emerge, binding his feat. He slashes through them, but not in time to avoid being sucked up by the tornado.*

Binah<You keep saying things like "It's not enough." The fact, Senthose, is that you can create all of the monsters that you want, you could come here with an army a million strong, & it would never be enough. The moment you ran from the Order, you ensured that you would never mature. Both of you.>

*She glances at Keter, who pauses in struggling fruitlessly against her chains to glare at Binah. Meanwhile, Artexi arrives at the Moogle station, where Nero is removing bandages from his ribs, the Moogles having cast healing spells since the barrier went down. He stares up at Binah tearing through their forces, mouth slightly agape.*
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*That doesn't make any sense, but Thiera does it anyway.*

Th"If Ariel eloped with the Prince, would that imply that she is in his quarters?"

E"P--p--pro-b-bab-ly...."

Th"In that case, judging from the shape of this ship, I would suggest that the most desirable quarters are right below us. There is more space back here, and I believe I saw windows below the deck."

*Once they're down the stairs, they hear rhythmic humming.*

E"Hey! That's h-her!"

Th"Wait, maybe you should--"

*Euryale wrenches open the nearest door without thinking. The person doing the humming is a woman in a white dress with long, black hair, which she is styling in front of a dresser mirror with an ornate, golden frame. When she hears them, she reaches out to adjust the mirror. In the reflection, they see Ursula, wearing a conch shell necklace. Thiera tries to drag Euryale away from the door, but to no avail.*

E"How--what--?"

*The disguised Ursula turns, firing a bolt of lightning, which Thiera blocks with a timely Reflect. Their attacker rolls, the deflected lightning bolt shattering the mirror. She then snaps her fingers, causing the broken shards of glass to whirl in an invisible wind & dart towards them.*
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*Lilith darts forward, creating a ring of flowers around Hitomi & Azuma to continue healing them, which they need, as being struck with an orb of energy & then impaled by a giant ice spike really hurts. The monster continues to fly around the area, continuing to launch energy orbs at them.*

L"Maybe we can try my box-it-in strategy NOW?!"

OOC: I hope Hinode comes down with a case of Heartbleed.

Presumably no longer hanging off Euryale, Taiyo uses Bubble Ward on whoever is in the doorway, freezing it.

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The two pull themselves from the water and fly to avoid the incoming attacks, no one not saying anything about Lilith's plan in the first place.

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

They do what they can to not get in the way of that nonsense, the whole plan going to shit as expected.

*Safian uses the shadows to sneak around to Ursula's back, then jumps on her*
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*Monu hoists Pan over his shoulder, darting around to avoid the energy spheres. He also assists in the healing of Hitomi and Azuma*

Monu:<Alright, let me know what you want me to do!>
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*Artexi gives Axel to the nearest Moogle, then turns to Nero*

Artexi:<Now that you're all healed up, we better go rejoin the fight.>

Even though he didn't understand everything that was going on, Kyohaku did get the idea that Ariel would have been with the Prince, though he didn't know what they would have been doing there entirely. Everything he'd seen thus far might have suggested that one of them might have fed on the other. Soon enough, though, he had no time to think about these things and instead focused on getting out of the way, though he figured that he shouldn't have attacked at the current time. It looked like Taiyo and Safian had things under control at the moment.

*Nero watches Xigbar teleport behind Mickey & fire, only for his shots to be deflected back at him. Meanwhile, Binah grabs her Keyblade & points it at the tornado, consuming it in a vast amount of lightning that momentarily blots out the battlefield.*

N"It doesn't really look like it's gonna be much more of a fight...."

Binah<As a Nobody, I am unable to slay you, however I can still purge you long enough to apprehend your Heartless & so-called "Organization," ensuring that they can do no more damage.>

*Something smoking falls out of the dark clouds that were formerly the Dark Follower. Before it even hits the ground, Binah points to it, firing an orb that explodes into a Mega Flare. All of the combatants find themselves knocked to the ground by the force of the blast--Keter rolling angrily downhill--except Binah herself. She hears xigbar whistling & glances over to see him rising into the air to face her...upside-down.*

Xigbar<Burn the body, just to make sure. If a job's worth doing, it's worth overdoing, right?>

Binah<Why are you still here? Do you want to be captured right now? That is fine by me.>

*She points with her Keyblade, & chains of light fire towards all of the Organization members.*
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*She flies off perpendicular to the Heartless, to intercept it.*

L"It's simple. I'll approach the Heartless from the front while the rest of you circle around it until each of us is flying towards it at a different direction. By the time it attempts to swerve out of the way, at least 1 of us should have a clear shot at its tail."
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*The glass shards plink off of the shield that Taiyo formed around Euryale. The woman screams as a lion jumps on her back. Meanwhile, Thiera glances at Hinode & leans over to explain.*

Th"That is Ursula the Sea Witch in disguise. She is one of our enemies, & appears to have stolen Ariel's voice somehow, most likely via some manner of spell."

E"Thanks, Taiy. And as for you, you should just give up--there's no way you can beat us all."

*She smirks.*

Ursula<I don't have to. I just have to hold out until....>

Man's voice<It's coming from the room of Prince Eric's Fiance!>

Ursula<PLEASE HELP ME! I'M BEING ATTACKED BY PIRATES AND A HAIRY BEAST!>

*Safian stops mauling Ursula and looks up at the others, then jumps back into the shadows*
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*Monu nods*

<I'll take the right!>

*He flies off to head towards the beast from the right*
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*From the Moogle Camp, Artexi watches the blasts, then turns back to Nero*

Artexi:<Looks like you're right. It's over...>

*She opens a Dark Corridor back to the World That Never Was*

Artexi:<Ok people, time to move out. Unless you wanna see how much Binah likes deep fried Moogle.>

Even Kyohaku knew when to take a hint, and he looked around quickly to see if there was some kind of panel or ventilation shaft. He had hoped to find anything at all that would provide cover for him while the Prince's men were looking around. He figured that they could have laid low while Ursula played her little game, but he didn't see anywhere to hide just yet. Fortunately it had looked like Safian had stopped for the time being anyway.

Taiyo casts Stop on Ursula to at least get her to shut up.

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They do as instructed.

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

Vega ducks, rolls, and uses his Keyblade to deflect the chains while Xyukuse jumps and uses his Keyblades, rolling and ducks while on the ground, attempting to advance on Binah's position.