First Blood Shed

S<Why would you want to leave just when the fun part begins?>

*From the dust, a series of thorn beams emerge. Most wend their way through the chains, snapping them into pieces which then disintegrate. A few strike at the Binah's head & torso, breaking her helmet apart & stabbing into her, respectively. Xigbar fires a few shots. She has the presence of mind to use Cure Barrier, but Xigbar teleports behind her & grins.*

Xigbar<You can't guard forever, lady.>

*Meanwhile, when the dust clears, Senthose stands in the crater, completely unharmed, much to Binah's shock.*

Binah<How--how are you still alive?>

S<Good question. Maybe if you fire a few more spells my way, you'll figure it out.>

*Pointing the Keyblade at Keter, he unlocks her bindings.*

Mickey<Don't worry, Master Psyche! I'll help you out!>

*He jumps in front of Vega & Xyukuse, casting Faith. Roatha powers through it to attack him from the side, using Thunderwheel.*
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*Once they've hemmed the Heartless in, it tries to fly upward, at which point Lilith darts in & starts hacking at the skull.*
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*The spell proves ineffective, & Ursula just laughs.*

Ursula<Did you really think it would be that easy?>

E"We've got her cornered, let's just take her down now!"

Th"We can't, the passengers will be here soon!"

E"Then either they stay out of my way, or they take a few knuckles to the head, either way, they'll get over it!"

Th"We cannot just indiscriminately attack denizens of other worlds! To start with, it would bring on suspicion of our activities!"

E"So you're suggesting we just run away & do nothing?! She's done something to Ariel! She must know where she is!"

Th"We can return later with the benefit of more information. We can observe Ursula from afar & trap her when she is weak. Euryale, please."

*She looks around, wide-eyed, as the steps thunder closer. Euryale takes a long, hard glare at Ursula & hurls her Keyblade--through the window. Afterwards, she runs towards it & vaults over the side, transforming as she falls.*

E"C'mon, let's dive!"

*Artexi closes the Dark Corridor, staring from the battle to Nero*

Artexi:<He just...he just came back...>

*She jumps back on her glider and gestures to Nero*

Artexi:<Come on!>
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*Safian snarls at Ursula before following Euryale, transforming herself for a change*
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*Monu stays in position, using Wind Raid on the skull if he can manage it*

Since Euryale had a tendency to be an aggressive person, Kyohaku often took this as a moral license, so to speak, to act up in much the same way. Glowering at Ursula, it looked like he was ready to go fight her and anyone else who even got in the way, but soon enough he found himself following Euryale and Safian as well, getting ready to change back into the aquatic creature he'd need to be in order to survive in that watery world.

Taiyo follows, transforming as she dives.

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The two take shots at the Heartless when the opportunity arises.

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The two mosey between the pillars, Xyukuse attacking Mickey with Slag Assault and Vega attacking with Wind Blade.

N"But how? There's no way he could have shielded against all of that."

*Nero jumps on the Glider as the Moogles cast healing spells on Axel, who begins to groan. Holding up her Keyblade as her shield fails, Binah summons pillars of light to shoot down from the sky, obliterating the thorn beams & forcing Xigbar to back up. She swerves as he & Keter fire at her, returning fire with her own Great Wisdom Shots--Xigbar & Keter teleporting to avoid them--while Senthose points at the Stopza sphere, causing it to disintegrate & the Organization to slowly regain their movements.*

S<Face it, Master Psyche--you will not defeat even a single Organization member.>

*Against all odds, the pair manage to squeeze between the pillars. Mickey tries to defend, but can't block all 3 attacks at once. He's sent skidding across the ground, unconscious. Fortunately, an object in his pocket glows bright blue & gold, turning him into what appears to be a shooting star that zig-zags into outer space.*

S<And now you are alone. The Old Wizard would not risk losing both of you in a single battle. Even if you resort to begging your students for help, they will never get here in time. While we can always summon more creatures of the dark, if necessary.>

*He smirks, pointing his Keyblade up at Binah.*
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*The monster shrieks as its last skull shatters. It swivels its head, swinging at Monu & Lilith with 1 of its wings (now acting more like claws) & Azuma & Hitomi with the other. Lilith evades, trying to push its claw away with root extensions from her Keyblade. Seeing a glowing, pulsing red object under its shell, she forms a Bramble Bomb in her hand & whips it at the organ or gem or whatever it is. The bomb explodes, sticking the creature with brambles. It shudders & shrieks, but presses its attacks anyway.*
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*The second Flounder & Sebastian swim up to see what's going on, Euryale snatches them up.*

E"C'mon, she'll summon Heartless as soon as she can, & we don't wanna get surrounded! Dive deeper & swim to the side of the boat!"

Th"Excellent point."

*She follows after Euryale. Soon enough, they can hear the popping of Dark Corridors opening in the ocean behind them.*

Wasting no time at all, Kyohaku naturally followed through with Euryale's directions and swam deeper regardless of whether or not her and Thiera along with Sebastian or Flounder were actually following. He was starting to really get the hang of the idea that he could move through three dimensions in the water, and he wasn't complaining about that either.

Artexi:<No fucking idea. Axel will have to find his own way back. I can't carry three!>

*So she takes off back towards the other Organization members*
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*Safian follows Euryale, swimming as fast as she can*
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*Monu dives around the claw, then using Wind Raid on the gem*

Taiyo of course follows.

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The two move to avoid the attack, firing Wisdom Shots at the gems.

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Xyukuse makes a beeline for Binah while Vega does not rush so headlong towards her.

*Nero fires a few Dark Blasts, but everything pales in comparison to all of the Void portals that open up around Binah, firing thorny beams. She continues weaving around them, blowing them away with her Great Wisdom Shots & retreating, but in the end, it proves to be too much. She tries to guard with Reflect, but Xigbar breaks it with a charged shot. The Thorn Beams close in a tight ball before being incinerated with a Flare, but when Binah falls to the ground, her armor has been stripped away & she's badly lacerated & burnt.*

Binah<S...stopz-->

*She's cut short when Ira hits her with a blast of lightning. As Senthose walks up to her, she groans, barely conscious.*

S<Xigbar. Luxord. No interference.>

*The duo nod & a dome of cards surrounds the organization. Xigbar then shoots each card. Black, star-spangled material spreads from the site of each shot, until they appear to be suspended in deep space.*

S<You could have prevented this, you know. If you had killed Keter or the rest of the Organization after you incapacitated them. Or if you ordered the armors to kill Roatha after they'd captured him.>

*He lightly steps on her head, pushing her face into the dirt. He once again points his Keyblade at her, charging an orb of white energy at the end.*

S<How did you think this was going to end? That the rest of the Organization would join you after I was out of the picture? That Keter would be your friend again after bonding over memories of the Good Old Days? That I'd regain my heart & start calling you "Mama Psyche"?>
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*From far-off, they see dark shapes drifting through the water.*

Th"The Heartless tend to wander around aimlessly. As long as we don't get too close, we should not alert their attention. But they will be searching around the ship, so we should be careful."

E"Forget all of that, how are we going to figure out what Ursula is up to if we can't get up there?"
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*The Heartless turns away from Hitomi & Azuma, so its shell will protect its weak point from them, & focuses on swinging at Monu & Lilith. The gem has a few cracks in it, but will clearly take much more damage in order to bring down. Lilith dives, hurling a Bramble Bomb up into it. The cramped shell causes the shrapnel from the explosion to bounce back & embed itself in the Heartless's weak point.*

"Well, I guess this essentially means that we just have to find some way to get up there no matter how difficult it is to do so!" Kyohaku grinned, feeling as though he might very well have instilled a little confidence in someone like that. Well, if nothing else, then he might very well have been convincing himself in the process that they'd be able to figure out what was going on with Ursula despite the obvious.

*Artexi grabs Nero's arm as she watches Senthose about to kill Binah*
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Safian:<I could sneak around in the shadows, but I wouldn't recognize Ariel and she wouldn't recognize me.>
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*Monu weaves around the heartless' swings, sending diamond shards at the jewel when he can*

Taiyo: "Sebastian might have an idea."

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While the Heartless is distracted with getting womped, the two cast Stop Flow on it.

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

Xyukuse hits the dome as he cares nothing for Senthose's Norman Bates relationship with Binah and wants to commit more violence.

*The beast is still not stopped. Lilith swaps her Keyblade for Euryale's & swings upward with a 2-handed Hammerblow that shatters the jewel. The beast literally falls to pieces, each part splashing into the water as the darkness simmers away from it. Just before it sinks, the treasure chest opens & the heart flies off to parts unknown. Dismissing her borrowed Keyblade, Lilith looks around until she spots Pan sitting on a small island, motioning for them to come down. She obliges, & as she gets closer, notices Tinkerbell orbiting him in a golden ring, casting healing spells on him. Groaning, he pushes himself to his feet & crosses his arms, swaying slightly.*

Pan<Well--looks like you guys are a lot tougher than ya look. Ya didn't need my help at all. So if you're not lost, what really brings you to Neverland?>
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*Sebastian scratches his chin with his claw.*

Sebastian<Hm...I tink I do have just 1 idea. But we'll need to call in a lotta favors.>

E"We're getting a bunch of your friends and crashing the wedding, aren't we?"

Th"In that case, we should divide and conquer. Kyohaku & I can accompany Sebastian, while you, Safian, and Taiyo protect Flounder. That way, we can cover the most ground--or, water, as the case may be. We'll all make sure the barge stays in our line of sight, just in case."

E"Sounds good to me."

Flounder<B--but won't that mean we have to get past all of those m-monsters?>

E"Even better."

*Flounder hangs his head & groans.*
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*Nero frowns, but Roatha leans forward, grinning eagerly. Senthose reaches down for the Keyblade, but it vanishes just as he's about to touch it.*

S<...Fine. Use it to pay the ferryman.>

*Senthose steps back & then, after a blinding flash of blue-white light, all that remains in front of him is a smoking crater & a few twisted bits of steel. The light of a Heart flutters slightly above the ground for a moment before it breaks into pieces & scatters on the wind. Senthose dismisses his Keyblade, looking over his shoulder as he hears Xigbar approach.*

Xigbar<Yo! You sure that wasn't a bit much? I mean, now we won't be able to take her key, right?>

S<It would have been too dangerous to try to steal her heart. If the Master Keeper resurfaces, we can seize it then. If not, then at least the Order won't be able to use it either.>

*Xigbar nods, before abruptly disappearing to reappear behind Artexi & Nero, noogying them.*

Xigbar<At least now we know these lil' ankle-biters are loyal to the cause! Or maybe they're just cowards. Guess only they'd really know.>

*Senthose smiles at them.*

S<Either way, there is no turning back. The Order will surely never be able to overlook this. Whatever friends you may have had among their number--that time is passed now.>

Keter<Do not forget: As of this moment, I am the Order.>

When Sebastian mentioned calling in favors, it ended up making a ton of sense to Kyohaku, who had figured by this time that the shellfish was certainly well connected considering whom his boss was. "Yeah, just like Thiera was saying, I'll come with." He offered Sebastian a mock salute that probably just looked silly, but hey it did look like he worked with royalty so he figured it would have been apropos for the situation right now.

*Monu flies down and lands beside Lilith, then looks at her and shrugs*
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*Artexi glares at Xigbar and tries to escape being noogied*

Artexi:<I hope we've settled the debate about where our loyalties lie. We don't attack our team mates.>

*She looks pointy at Xyukuse*
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Safian:<Sounds good to me!>

Taiyo: "It'll be fine."

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Xyukuse: "Collateral damage."

*After separating, Euryale leads her party to the front of the ship where, sure enough, a trio of [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] rocket towards them, pointing their spears out. Spotting them, Euryale swims around in a wide circle, generating a whirlpool to push them back. They seem to have come from the direction of a large [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Heartless, that swims lazily about 20 feet away.*
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*Meanwhile, some jellyfish Heartless tried to attack Thiera's group, but her Reflect made short work of them. At this point, they start hearing the whale songs again.*

Sebastian<Dis should be good. Ahem--oooooOOOOooooo!>

Th"Uh...may I ask what it is that you are doing?"

Sebastian<Gimme a break, so my whale song's a little rusty!>

Th"...You have connections with whales?"

Sebastian<Of course! Who didja tink gave 'em their singing lessons? Found 'em their agents?>

*Thiera rubs her temples, looking exasperated as Sebastian resumes his song.*

Th"Whales have...talent agents...?"
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Pan<Don't wanna talk, huh? Then you must be up to no good!>

*He unsheathes his knife, pointing it at her.*

L"No, you idiot! Argh, we're here to investigate those monsters!"

Pan<Oh, I get it. So you must be part of the S-I-S that Wendy told me about.>

*He puts his tool back in his pants.*

L"Uh--sure. Yeah. Who's Wendy?"

*She notices Tinkerbell blowing a raspberry at her from behind Pan's head for some reason. Pan looks back & she covers herself by whispering. She resumes once he turns back to Lilith.*

Pan<A girl from London. We had adventures a while back, 'til she & her brothers went back home. I wanted her to stay, but I just couldn't convince her.>
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S<Either way, I believe we are done here.>

*With a wave of their hands, Xigbar & Luxord cause the dome to collapse. In the field of armors, a single gauntlet points up at the Hall of Masters--with the Master Keeper in its hands. The keyblade fires a beam of light that enters the doorway, & soon the whole building is glowing.*

S<Ira, get that Keyblade! Vexen, what's happening!>

*Roatha makes a dive, but once again, the Keyblade vanishes before it can be grabbed. Vexen pulls what looks like a remote control with a satellite dish on it out of a small dark corridor. The dish whirls around as he checks some read out on the device.*

Vexen<I can confirm that the remains scattered about the battlefield do indeed belong to Binah Psyche, including those of her heart & soul. Therefore, I conclude that she did not escape her demise, but rather merely used her final moments to cast a spell on her Keyblade. Presumably, the objective was to trigger this effect, then return to the aether and await its next master.>

S<This must be the "last resort" that Keter mentioned--how do we stop it?!>

*Vexen opens his mouth, but falls over as the ground begins shaking. Soon, chunks of land break off from others as the world begins to sink into the darkness. Keter steps forward instead.*

Keter<There IS no "stopping it." To prevent this world & its secrets from falling into the hands of the Order's enemies, this world will slide further into twilight & the castle will become a labyrinth that can only be completely navigated by the bearer of the Master Keeper.>

*Sure enough, behind them, the castle begins to warp & twist, pieces jutting out at odd angles.*

*While Euryale pushes the Heartless back, Safian fires an orb of darkness at one of the screwdrivers, attempting to lure it away from the others*
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Monu:<Have you seen many more monsters like the one we just faced?>
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*Artexi looks innocently at Keter*

Artexi:<But...aren't you the Successor now that Binah's dead?>

*She looks back at Nero*

Artexi:<Either way, let's get out of here!>

Shrugging a bit, Kyohaku looked back as though he honestly wasn't all that surprised by it. Not sure of how much he was supposed to say about the world he was from, he figured that there was a way that he could have phrased it safely enough. "Where I'm from, everyone ends up getting a contract from a talent agent." It was true, since when a user activated a piece of software they had to click on the 'I Agree' button.

Taiyo mozies around and blasts the Aquatank with Thundara.

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Azuma: "Wonder why that didn't work."

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Xyukuse stares at the castle in amazement as if there's one thing he likes more than violence, it's castles.

OOC: Why would he be interested in castles?

*After the Keyhole music ceases, a new [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] drifts from inside of the castle.*

Keter<Don't be so cowardly, the collapse of the world is not inherently dangerous.>

Xigbar<Nevermind all that! You're saying the whole plan's sunk, right? So why are you 2 so calm?!>

*He walks towards them, gesticulating wildly, & making sure to stay on the path left behind by the dissolving landscape.*

Keter<Because, simpleton, the only person alive with enough skill to summon the Master Keeper is Yen Sid. If he wants to oppose us, he'll have to reveal whatever hole he's hiding in. Then we just take it from him.>

*He points at her.*

Xigbar<Alright, Lady Bleached Hair, then answer me this: What if he pulls the same trick that Master Whatever-Her-Name-Was did? Then what, huh?>

S<If I know Master Psyche, she will have bid it to resurface in the first of her trainees who becomes capable of wielding it. And it just so happens that I have a few theories as to who that will be....>

*He resumes his typical smug grin & holds out his hand, dismissing his Keyblade & instead summoning a kind of crystal ball. The image within flashes between Thiera rubbing her temples, Lilith & Monu chatting with Peter Pan, Taiyo shooting lightning, & Hitomi just kind of floating around. Meanwhile, behind him, the world has completed its transformation into [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]*
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*The Aquatank recoils &, spotting Taiyo, swims towards her, albeit at a ragged gait, charging lightning in its antenna. The Screwdriver that Safian attacked indeed charges after her with another spear attack. Unfortunately for the other 2, Euryale's Tsunami has gallons upon gallons of water at its beck & call, & so they are obliterated after a simple horizontal slash.*
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*Sebastian puts his claw to his ear to hear their response.*

Sebastian<Okay! Dey say dey gonna call all their friends and come right here!>

Th"So what is the next step?"

Sebastian<We should try to get some help from above.>

*He points his claw to the surface.*
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Pan<Yeah, there's been a ton of 'em around. Showed up fairly recently, & seem to go wherever Hook does.>

L"That pirate Captain? Do you know where he got them?"

Pan<Nope. But we could ask him. Tracking that old codger's not too hard. Y'see, everywhere he goes, he's followed by this crocodile that makes a tick-tock-tick-tock noise. It ate a clock, y'see. So, we just gotta fan out & fly around until we hear it.>

*Monu looks slightly confused*

Monu:<It...ate a clock? Oh, nevermind, it's not important. We should start looking for Hook before it gets any later.>

*He takes off, hoping the others will follow her*
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*Safian grins, showing massive teeth, then sends shadow shark clones to slam into the heartless. She swims out of the way if it survives*
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Artexi:<Ok, what's our plan now? Wait for one of them to get the Master Keeper, then jump them?>

I assume that Aquatank wasn't obliterated or maybe it was, but either way Taiyo moves out of its path, swinging both Keyblades into it.

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Azuma: "How hard can that be?"

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OOC: It was stated in his bio, he likes castles. Even became a Nobody to see the interior of one. And you say bio's aren't irrelevant.

Xyukuse: "We going inside or what?"

Having stayed with Sebastian and Thiera for the time being, Kyohaku's eyes ultimately followed the crustacean's claw to look straight up at the water above them. "Who's up there that we could draft into our little army?" He didn't know if Sebastian meant they were going to get surface dwellers to help them out or not.

Seb<Seals, seagulls, dat sort of ting.>

Th"Well, in that case, after you."

Seb<Oh no, ladies first!>

*He does some weird crab bow, gesturing with his claw. Thiera starts swimming up to the surface.*

Th"Why, thank you! You know, I find that so few people these days observe good old-fashioned manners."

Seb<Ya been hangin' around Euryale, haven'tcha? Poor ting. I feel your pain.>

*He waits for Hinode.*
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*The Aquatank bursts, expelling its heart. Its remains sink into the depths, dissolving into shadows. The Screwdiver similarly dies after being attacked.*

E"See? Nothin' to worry abou--you can uncover your eyes now, Flounder."

*Reluctantly, the shivering fish peaks past his fins.*

Flounder<Th--thanks! There should be a c-coral reef nearby. I might kn-know some f-fish there!>

E"Then off we go."

*She looks around until she spots the shape of a continental shelf & moves towards it.*
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OOC: I believe I asked the same question when that was posted.

S<Patience. Most of us will be resuming the posts we had prior to this mission. The castle, as promised, belongs to Keter now, on the condition that she continues to provide regular reports & hide her connection to the Organization.>

*She nods.*

Keter<I will have need of Vexen & Zexion, to investigate the castle's secrets.>

Lexeaus<May I humbly ask permission to accompany Zexion?>

Keter<I don't care.>

S<If you don't have a prior assignment, I don't care what you do. See if Keter will allow you inside, if you want. In the meantime, the Organization will continue monitoring the Order, anticipating their next moves.>
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*Lilith follows, but Pan & Tink break off in a different direction.*

L"He's got the right idea, we should probably fan out. It would make the most sense to check the wreckage of the pirates' ship & the last direction we saw them run off to."