First Blood Shed

"Hey wait a moment, you know I might be able to read that!" Kyohaku took a moment to look upwards at the letters in question. Soon enough, though he figured that there wasn't any chance that he would have been able to figure out what was going on any more than they had either. "Something about a Prince U I think it reads. Sorry, optical character recognition is beyond my design specifications." If only she had elected to send the message typewritten in a monospaced font, this wouldn't have even been an issue at all.

Taiyo: "Maybe the U stands for Ursula and the H...Heartless?"

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Azuma rights himself and readies to cast a spell before Hitomi says to dive, so while he dives into the water, she multi-casts Firaga.

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Vega falls back and heads out the door and around back as there is no way laser shootin' is quiet.

*Artexi follows Nero's glider, firing at Roatha with her own laser blasts*

Artexi:<What the fuck are you doing?!>
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*Monu flies closer to Lilith, using Eagle's Claw on one of the wisps to give Lilith an escape route*

Monu:<This way!>
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*Safian doubles back so she can stay close to the Prince's quarters, staying out of sight of the heartless as best she can. She sends the following message to Thiera*

Prince's room. 


*Once that's done, she starts looking for a lone heartless to take out*

*True to her word, Daisy exits the house but stays in the yard, casting ice spells up towards the blaze. Turns out that behind Taiyo's house is the Hinterlands, so Nero's lasers wind up striking trees & turning into crystals. They reflect the flames, casting the area in an eerie purple light as Roatha stabs into a tree with the Omega Weapon to slow his fall, firing a beam of lightning at Nero with the Ultima Weapon.*

N"We have to end this now, while he's away from Senthose!"

R"Hahaha, end WHAT? That was the home of that Order Skank I burnt. This is what you DO in war. YOU'RE the traitors, here!"

*For his part, Nero dismisses his Glider & drops down. Roatha also drops to the ground, continuing to aim at Nero, who runs behind a tree to avoid the attack. With his other Keyblade, he fires a wave of Unholy Arrows at Artexi in a fan formation. Nero strikes the ground, attempting Shadow Stitch. Vega, of course, can see & hear the battle taking place from the vantage of Taiyo's back yard.*
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*Their respective attacks strike each other, though Hitomi's does a lot more damage, the Heartless struggling to fly away from the remaining fireballs. Under water, Azuma can see the hazy image of the Windstorm flying to Hitomi's back in a wide arc. Hitomi can also see flashes of light & darkness on in the forests of Skull Island.*
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*It does not work, & soon the Will-o-the-Wisps converge on Lilith, creating a dark aura that surrounds her. A number "12" appears over her head, before changing to "11," then "10."*

L"The clock!"

*She points to it, revealing that the minute hand is moving like a second hand, & each number it passes, a dark flame disappears. It is currently at 10. When it switches to 9, so does the number over Lilith's head. Naturally concerned, Lilith makes a beeline for the clock, while the Phantom does a little twirl, a heart surrounded by a dark blue energy field dropping out of its cloak. When it sees Lilith heading towards the clock, it charges to cut her off, swiping with a claw wreathed in dark flames. The number over her head reads "8."*
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E"Then we'd better go."

*Sure enough, on the way there, they find Shadows roaming the halls. When they spot the Keyblade wielders, they emerge from the shadows to attack, but Thiera destroys them all with a single Blizzard spell & keeps running. They duck down behind a wall when they spot the prince's guards.*

E"(Is Safian nearby?)"

Th"(I don't know, I can't see her when she hides either. Taiyo, can you use Stop on the guards?)"

*Safian slips out of the shadows next to Thiera*

Safian:<(Hope I didn't miss anything!)>
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*Artexi heads down towards the ground, using Sparkra and her glider's laser blasts to destroy the arrows speeding towards her. Once they are destroyed, Artexi lands and summons her other keyblade*

Artexi:<Hey dumbass, blowing up someone's empty, abandoned house is just a waste of time!>
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*Monu looks over at the clock, then suddenly races towards it*

<I don't have any...I'll have to...>

*He tries to exchange keyblades with Hitomi*

Taiyo does just that.

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Azuma emerges, swapping his Keyblade for the Diamond Dust while Monu is left with Pain of Solitude and Hitomi's fighting capability is pretty much ruined.

Hitomi hurls a Darkness Raid at Azuma while Azuma casts Lunar Phase to reduce the impact he'll be taking.

Once together again, Azuma multi-casts Stop Flow on the Windstorm while Hitomi blasts it with Dark Flare.

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Vega gliders up and takes off towards the Hinterlands. When flying over Roatha, he disembarks and returns to his previous fighting style starting off with Eagle Fall, and following up with Rage Blast and Aqua Sweep, and disregarding the likelihood of killing Roatha, Lich.

Originally Kyohaku was going to do something about the Shadows in turn, but it had looked like Thiera got to them well before he even had a chance to do anything about it. Regardless, soon enough he was again waiting to follow along considering that Taiyo had used stop as asked.

*The Windstorm is obliterated, the injured Wavecrest continuing to flap madly towards whatever is going on at Skull Island.*
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*Lilith had planned to swap with Thiera anyway, & once the Oathkeeper is in her hands, she catches the Phantom's claw in the hollow part & twists, throwing it over her shoulder. She aims a 2-handed stab at the heart, only to bounce right off, a "7" over her head. The Phantom quickly rights itself and rushes towards Monu, claws spread wide.*
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*Thiera's Oathkeeper disappears in a flash, being replaced by the Divine Rose.*

E"Is Lilith okay?"

Th"...Let's just focus on our own problems, for now."

*She bites her lip, but tries to lead them forward, when suddenly the boat lurches, throwing them all against the wall. This is followed by the screams from above deck changing from those of irritation to those of panic.*

E"I think the whales might be getting carried away."
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R"This is a WAR! There is NOTHING more important than destroying your enemies! NOTHING!"

*Seeing Vega approach, Roatha aims his lightning ray at him instead, the beam sweeping across the trees, causing branches to burst into flame & start falling. He tries lifting his foot, only to realize that his shadow is literally stitched to the ground. Nero points his Keyblade into the sky, using Umbral Eater to suck shadows into it until he's basically holding a writhing mass of darkness, then uses a Dark Corridor to appear in front of Ira, who parries a stab aimed at his chest with his free Keyblade.*

R"Oh no you don't, don't think I don't know 'bout your little plot to get rid of me!"

Taiyo: "Owie..."

Taiyo tries to pick herself up, hopefully the whales not fucking more shit up.

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The two swap back, Azuma taking the lead, hurling a Darkness Raid at the Wavecrest.

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As Artexi and Nero are garbage (as I've been saying forever) and can't keep someone occupied to save their lives, they may as well be on their own in their inevitable failure.

*Monu dives away from the Phantom, waiting until he gets far enough away from Lilith to safely cast Blizzaja on it*

Monu:<Stop the clock!>
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Safian:<Should I go see what's going on?>
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*Artexi throws one of her keyblades at Roatha's chest, using Spark Raid. Immediately after that, she uses a dark corridor to appear behind him and uses her other keyblade to send vines to bind Roatha's arms against his sides*

"We have plenty of problems of our own, that's true. I could go see what's going on myself." Kyohaku looked over to Safian, unsure if the lion would have wanted him coming with or not. Otherwise he would have stayed with Thiera and Euryale in turn.

Th"Okay, but if it should come down to a battle against Ursula, be prepared to hurry back."

*The boat shakes again, then starts to slow down.*
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*The Wavecrest is next to disintegrate, as whatever keeps happening on Skull Island continues.*
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*After missing Monu with its claw swipe, the Phantom turns & heads for Lilith as she spins in the air below the clock hands, releasing chains of time that bind it at the 6 position. The number over her head stops changing as well, but she has no time to duck as the Heartless takes a swipe at her head.*
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OOC: Shadow Stitch was supposed to inflict stop, not immobilize. Whoops. Also, I forgot to say, "Calm down, Alloran."

*Luckily Nero sees the shine of the Keyblade, or else it'd hit him in the back since he's, y'know, in front of Ira. He rolls out of the way & takes advantage of Ira's arms being bound to stab him in the chest. The darkness he's gathered flares out behind him like a wing, because symbolism, before drilling into his chest. There's a flash of light & a noise like snapping cords as something tumbles out from behind Roatha, who slumps to the ground, now somehow back in his normal attire. The figure behind him props itself up on the Ultima & Omega Weapons, its Organization hood falling back to reveal hair styled like Roatha's, only silver. Upon reaching his full height, he's revealed to look almost exactly like Roatha, save for his hair & eyes, clearly traits borrowed from Senthose. He looks over himself.*

<Well...this is new.>

"Yeah, I totally get it Thiera, I'll head right back over here at the slightest sign." Well, internally Kyohaku didn't like the sound of that, but he actually didn't plan on breaking that rule. Waiting for the vessel to stop, he held to the railing as though he were anxious to get off and thus get going with what he had planned anyway.

*Artexi resummons the keyblade she had throw and points both of them at the figure*

Artexi:<Who the fuck are you?>
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Safian:<Make sure you keep quiet! I'll meet you up on the deck.>

*Safian disappears into the shadows and heads up onto the deck*
--
Monu:<Lilith!>

*Monu darts towards her and the phantom, casting Blue Moon on Lilith to help her get away*

I don't know what they're doing now.

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They fly towards the island.

*The figure starts giggling madly, casting Haste on himself. He sounds like Roatha, but somehow warped.*

Ira<They drop you on your head when you were born? I told you, I'm Ira. Seems removing me from that idiot turned out a bit...literally.>

N"...Why do I get the feeling that you're not just going to go your own separate way?"

<'Cause I've got MUCH bigger plans than that.>

*Shadows build around him & he duplicates before their very eyes.*

Clone<See, once I've killed that useless pile of trash, I'll be free for good.>

*Another clone forms. Meanwhile, the fire begins to eat its way up the trees behind them.*

Clone 2<And then I was thinking I'd eliminate the lot of you, & go create more of my kind.>
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*This is just enough to allow her to dart away.*

L"If it can't be harmed physically, then perhaps with magic. But does its color reflect the spell it's weak to, or the spell it's strong against? And is it water or ice?"

*She tries to use her ring of fire when it makes its next swipe at her, which of course has no effect. She ducks, but it catches her by the braid, swinging & throwing her into the clock tower.*
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*As they approach, they see Senthose's armored Heartless in front of the skull cave, shooting waves of darkness out of its hands. What can only be described as an anthropomorphic mouse in an Organization cloak blocks with a shield of light, before doing an impressive back flip onto another outcropping of rock in the river delta, firing off a few orb-shaped blasts of light. The Heartless absorbs them into a ball of darkness, which collapses into nothingness, & spots the Order, at which point it snaps its fingers, causing a Phantomtail to emerge in front of them. The mouse takes this opportunity to hop forwards until it reaches the same land mass & execute a dashing attack on the Heartless, which of course glances off of its armor with only a scratch.*
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*Once they're gone, Thiera leads the way towards the door. She observes the shadows under the door, pointing them out to the others. She then quickly throws it open, trying to cast magnet but winding up cold clocked by the hypnotized prince. Turns out the 2nd shadow was a Soldier Heartless, which now runs towards them as the disguised Ursula shoots fireballs out of her hand.*
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*Once they get on deck, they can see that most of the animals have dispersed. That's the first clue that it's not the whales rocking the boat. The second clue is the pirate ship fast approaching them.*

Taiyo uses Bubble Ward to defend against the fireballs. The Fenrir disappears with the Oblivion taking its place and Taiyo stabs it into the floor, using Ice Storm against the incoming Soldier.

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The two fly back, the Oblivion replaced with the Fenrir. Azuma casts Stop on the Phantaomtail, while hovering behind him, Hitomi casts Tornado on it.

*Safian sends a quick message to Euryale*

Whales aren't cause. Pirate ship coming this way!

Safian:<I bet they're here to help Ursala! We have to stop them from helping her.>
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Artexi:<Just checking...>

*She uses Sparkga on the clones with one keyblade, and tosses acid on them with the other*

Artexi:<...I wouldn't want to kill anyone important.>
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*Monu dives to catch Lilith before her slams into the clock, casting Blizzard on the Phantom's Heart*

*Ira's clones fall back as he steps forward & uses Thunderwheel to intercept Artexi's attacks. One of the clones starts shooting fireballs at the trees around Vega, increasing the fire. The other advances on the unconscious Roatha, & when Nero steps in its way, begins rapidly swinging keyblades wreathed in blue-white flame at him. Nero responds by using Zero Gravity, causing it & Roatha to float in the air. As Shadow Walker allows him to move freely, he grabs Roatha & starts speeding away. As the fight goes on, Ira's skeletal ghost costume reforms around him & his clones. Of course Roatha remains uncostumed, being unconscious.*
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*As the Soldier is trying to escape from the ice rapidly engulfing it, Euryale bashes it with a horizontal swipe from her Keyblade, prompting Ursula to duck as it sails towards her head & breaks through the window before dissolving. She starts to run towards Ursula while, near the door & with Thiera still unconscious, the blank-faced prince pulls out a knife.*
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*No way is he fast enough to reach Lilith before she hits the clock, but the Phantom does jerk back when struck by Blizzard. It then turns, the shield of energy around the heart now red. Lilith tries twirling the Oathkeeper, creating a ring of fire & hurling it at the Phantom, but it evades, moving towards them with more claw attacks.*
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*Once Stop wears off, the Phantomtail teleports away several times, generally getting farther away, however the wind seems to follow it, forming deep lacerations on its tail & wings. It survives, but is flying rather lamely. The armored Heartless glances at it.*

<Surprisingly clever of you.>

*The Armored Heartless kicks Mickey away, at which point he rolls, releasing a pillar of light. The Heartless screeches as its armor is scorched & cracked. Knowing when it's beaten, it begins to sink into the darkness.*

<Another day...until then, I will leave you with a parting gift....>

*A Jet Baloon rises out of its shadow, which proceeds to launch Missile Divers point-blank at Mickey. Accompanying the Jet Balloon are a quartet of Crimson Jazzes, & another of Sapphire Elegies. The Jazzes immediately begin flying around, spreading their floating red mine fields. The Elegies make their way towards Hitomi & Azuma. As every time they touch a mine, they simply teleport as it explodes, they are unimpeeded.*

Taiyo casts Stop on the Prince with the Stormfall and Wolf Storm with the Oblivion on Ursula.

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Hitomi maintains Tornado on the Phantomtail while Azuma casts Firaga on a Sapphire Elegy.

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Vega rushes Ira, calling his Keyblade and attacking with Radiant Dragon.

For a moment it looked like Kyohaku's plan was working, considering that he had just almost gotten off the ship and he would have taken the opportunity to go exploring around for a few moments before his rather mechanically-tuned ears picked up what sounded like exactly the thing that Thiera had told him would have required him to come back. Grasping his Keyblade firmly, he ran while transforming, hoping to again be useful as he figured that what Thiera had warned him about must surely have become so. Since he hadn't even gotten a chance to go overboard yet, he figured he could still have gotten there just in time.

*Artexi summons and jumps on her glider, taking off to avoid the Thunderwheel. Then, she begins to attack any of the enemies that attempt to pursue Nero, using both her glider's lasers and Sparkga*
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*Assuming that Monu does eventually reach Lilith, he grabs her hand and pulls her close to him so that she doesn't get hit, then casts Firaja on the Phantom*
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*Safian takes off after Kyouhaku*

*With the prince frozen, Ursula uses some kind of bubble shield to block the ice. Seeing Euryale rushing after her, her body contorts, growing tentacles & resuming her natural form. This allows her to swipe Euryale into the wall as she's attempting to fight off the tentacles. Soon enough, she spies Safian & Kyohaku in the doorway. She still speaks with Ariel's voice, which is really creepy.*

Uriel<I take it you've seen my surprise guests? So now you know, I don't need to defeat you--only hold out until the cursed pirates come to sink this ship.>
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*The phantom is not amused by this turn of events. After stumbling back, it twirls, replacing its shield with a kind of translucent white one. It once again heads after them. Lilith tries Thundara, but it seems to just bounce off of the shield.*

L"Seriously!? Why can't I ever hit this thing!?"
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*The Phantomtail maintains its distance, keeping away from the tornado. The Sapphire Elegies once again teleport. Now close enough to Azuma & Hitomi, they perform headbutt & side sweep attacks. Meanwhile, the Crimson Jazzes move behind them, laying down mines in an effort to cut off their escape. Mickey slashes some mines around him in an effort to give him enough room to jump, but isn't quite able to clear the explosions from the missile divers. As he heals himself, the Jet Balloon summons more missile divers.*
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*Artexi destroys the Ira clone after Nero, who props Roatha up against a tree & checks his pulse.*

N"Damn it! Fine time to be without healing spells!"

*Seeing the encroaching fire, he hopes he's on good enough terms with Demyx. Once he has the Leviathan Keyblade, he conjures water geysers in an effort to put out some of the blaze. Vega just manages to stab Ira's side with the blast. He rolls, but the moonlight seems to be healing the gash.*

<It wouldn't help anyway. What he's lost can't be regrown.>

*The clone does a backflip, swinging its Keyblades at Vega to use Firestorm. Heedless of the danger, Ira also leaps towards him with a double Event Horizon charged, Keyblades aimed in a downward stabbing motion & wreathed in darkness.*

Taiyo rushes Ursula, attacking with Cerberus from Azuma's skillset, following through with Sword Rain Tiger from her own roster.

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Azuma blocks while Hitomi directs the Diamond Dust to defend against the Sapphire Elegies. With the Wayward Wind, she uses Diamond Rain which I assume is a spell and therefore compatible with Endless Magic to assault the Crimson Jazzes.

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Vega switches back to Shaolin Shadow Boxing, using his increased speed and jumping capability to evade the incoming attacks, switching back to using his Keyblade, he sends his own wave of fire at Ira with Hell Arc.

Certainly speaking with Ariel's voice instead of her own was unusual, but Kyohaku knew very well that wasn't Ariel talking even if voiceprint analysis on his behalf would have told him otherwise. Sneering as she looked at him as well as Safian in the doorway, he would have soon rushed Ursula as well taking the opportunity that had been made by Taiyo's own attack. He followed through his physical attack with a series of Star Formation blasts aimed to distract her, and potentially harm her if he hit her with enough of them, without blinding the others in the process.