Rise & Fall

Artexi:<We could set up some decoys too.>
---
*Eve jumps back to avoid the swing, then fires Fusion at the Mimic Master. Monu parries the blow with his keyblade, then slashes*
---
*Safian sniffs at Queen Minnie*

Vega swaps to his Keyblade, both he and Taiyo throwing their weapon, Taiyo with Tiger Slash while Vega uses Raptor Ring.

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

Is suppose they return the gesture until Minnie enters.

Azuma: "Safian, don't be rude."

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

Xyukuse: "Yeah, don't question why it took this long to come up with this plan. Maybe you're not as brilliant as you think."

Xyukuse walks off into the fog, in the direction of the mountains. Not that there'd be many Heatless that could get at them as someone has an aversion to using already known Heartless that have been shown in the World of Darkness.

OOC: Fixed a continuity problem regarding Euryale not having access to earth at the moment. It doesn't really affect the outcome of the posts so far. Despite its name, I'm pretty sure Rock Rend was not mistakenly classified as a strength-based move, meaning it will work on almost any surface.

~Arendelle~

*As far as I can tell, the book attack cannot be blocked, so Monu is sent flying as well. Water & spikes rip through the Mimic Master, leaving the hems of its clothes in tatters, but soon after, pages fly out of the book & float around it, blocking the Keyblade attacks. Orbs of light & darkness form & shoot out in a cross formation (lights heading toward & away from Euryale's group, darkness toward & away from Eve) as it spins around, trying to hit them with said lasers as it backs away from them. Euryale decides to forego evasion & swing the Keyblade into the ground, creating a small fissure for the natives to sink into & be clear of the blasts. Lilith jumps over a light laser & then double jumps over a dark laser before casting Cure on her. Regardless of whether or not it hits the rest of them or if it somehow manages to be struck during the attack, the Mimic Master turns its book toward them & starts sweeping the vortex over the whole group.*
===========================
~Disney Town~

Minnie<Oh, that's alright.>

*She reaches up to scratch behind Safian's ears, but Thiera shakes her head.*

Th"We can discuss this later. For now, Your Majesty, we need to know what's going on and what to do about it."

Minnie<Well, you see, normally the castle is protected by the Cornerstone of Light.>

*She withdraws her hands from Safian, covering her cheeks & shaking her head in dismay.*

Minnie<I don't know how they did it, but 2 evil sorcerers managed to find a hole in the Cornerstone's barrier, then they flooded the castle with Heartless and drove me from the Throne Room! I gathered everyone in here for protection & called Mickey home right away, but we still couldn't protect everyone and get to the Cornerstone at the same time. I'm afraid if we don't get there soon, they'll find a way to destroy the Stone, and then the castle will be overrun by darkness!>

*Behind them, Gadget hefts a wrench bigger than she is, using her whole body to tighten a screw, pausing momentarily to wipe her brow.*

Gadget<The machines are almost ready. That should free up most of the guards to help you escort the Queen.>
=============================
~Agrabah~

N"That's what we should have Demyx do."

*Jasmine hands the lamp to Razoul, who puts it in a nearby casket. He growls at, but accepts Aladdin's help, seeing as most of his men are down. While Nero is sealing all of the various locks, latches, & chains they put on it, & Artexi is doing whatever she's doing, Jasmine checks the downed guards.*

Jasmine<They're dazed, but they should be fine. When they wake up, have them help you take the chest into the nearby chamber. You can get Carpet's help too, if you need it. I'm going to meet with Aladdin & the others in my room.>

Razoul<...If that is what you think is best, Princess.>

*He offers her a hesitantly stiff but deep bow, & Jasmine motions for the trio to follow, since I don't want to spend forever on minutiae. When they get back to the Throne Room, they see the Sultan throwing peanuts at a Shadow, but due to his inaccurate aim, he's mostly just hitting Demyx, who raises his arm to protect himself. As he's no longer strumming out on his Keyblade, his Water Clones collapse into puddles, allowing the Heartless to close the distance.*

Demyx<Hey, you're really not helping, old man! Oof!>

*The Shadow headbutts him, at which point Iago dives down & grabs its antennae. It flails as it's held aloft, allowing Demyx to bisect it with a backhand swing. Nero looks around, sniffing. Jasmine's eyebrow quirks, which only deepens as he explains & flashes the hydromancer the thumbs up."

N"I smell the traces of other Heartless--nevermind--the point is that Demyx was helping after all. They must have sent more Heartless to act as a diversion. Nice call on needing a rear guard, buddy."

Demyx<Uh--yeah--you're welcome.>

*Iago lands on his head & dodges every attempt by the Organization member to wave him off.*

Iago<Don't forget, I helped save the Sultan's life too!>

Al<That's great! You 2 did so well that now we'd like you to set up the traps & decoy traps.>

*They slump down & hang their heads in misery, at which point Abu jumps off of Aladdin's shoulder, pointing at them & making a sound like laughing.*

Al<You can help too.>

*At this, the monkey turns around, shaking his fist at Aladdin & making loud chirping noises. Aladdin just crosses his arms & stares down seriously at the monkey.*

Iago<You heard the man, Banana Breath.>
=============================
~Dark Realm~

V<Try not to forget, you impudent cretin, that I can always open up a blank spot in the fog for the Heartless to find you.>

*Axel shrugs & follows Xyukuse, at which point Vexen trudges along, not looking back or caring what Irritum is doing.*

The two of them high jump on over that shit, Taiyo swapping out her Fenrir for Hitomi's Diamond Dust, so she can glide to a better position and hover to strike the Unversed with Aquaja.

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

Azuma: "Is Mickey here?"

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

Xyukuse: "Not if I blow the fog away."

Irritum moves into the fog and would likely feed at least one of them to the Heartless if given the chance.

*Monu gets back up, jumping over the laser if it comes his way. He uses Wind Raid on the Mimic Master. Eve jumps as well, using Thunderga*
---
Artexi:<Aww, poor babies have to do a little work.>
---
*Safian rubs her head against Minnie's hand, flicking her tail in Azuma's direction*

~Arendelle~

*This leaves Euryale to be struck by a dark laser, after which she stumbles into a light laser. She sinks to her knees, so Lilith casts Cure & runs toward her. Meanwhile, the attacks leave the Mimic Master seeming as if it's held together by charred threads, but before the final blow can be struck, it disappears into its book, which flies apart to cause pages to appear throughout the battlefield. The first couple of pages, behind Monu, fold themselves like origami, recreating the Elsa Clone, now joined by a copy of "Taiyo" in her armor. "Taiyo" darts toward him, creating a sphere of water around them as she does. She swings with the Fenrir as she's doing this, while stabbing with the Stormfall, firing a kind of energy arrow. Behind her, the Elsa clone raises its hands, releasing swirling blue light into the air that causes snowy winds to whip around, & anything or anyone standing stationary begins to freeze over. Soon after, a page behind Vega folds itself into "Lilith," petals falling as she prepares a 2-handed draw slash. The real Lilith changes course, running toward Monu, but takes a moment to yell over her shoulder.*

L"Look out, that's Zantetsuken! It's lethal to anything it--oof!"

*She finds herself cut off as "Euryale" shoulder checks her, sending her sprawling, before swinging down with both hands. Nearby, "Monu" emerges, but ignores her, flying into the air on tornadoes underfoot as he shoots diamond shards at Taiyo. Armed with dark claws, "Vega" is rapidly approaching Eve from the right, & at about 3 feet away, punches a glowing lion head at her. Euryale finds herself pulled toward this, as Eve's double is standing not too far away, Keyblade outstretched toward her. Instinctively, she uses Waterfall to return to the ground after moving a few feet, stabbing the Ends of Earth into the ground & twisting it, bunching up in an effort to keep from being pulled further as she peers around in seemingly random directions with her armor rapidly freezing over.*

E"What's going on?! I can't see anything!"
===============================
~Agrabah~

*While the others are doing their various tasks, Jasmine leads Aladdin, Nero, & Artexi into her bedroom. It looks about the same as the last time they were in here, & when she closes the door, Aladdin exhales a heavy sigh.*

Al<Well, I might as well just come right out & say it: The bandit looked a lot like how I remember my father.>

Jasmine<Your father?>

*Aladdin shakes his head & heads toward the balcony.*

Al<It can't be him. He left home when I barely knew him. Before she died, Mom said he went looking for some kind of treasure, and he'd be back to help us as soon as he could. But that day never came.>

*She starts to follow him as he reaches the balcony & glances back.*

Al<Eventually, I figured out he must have died too. And even if he didn't, he'd never come back here.>

N"Well, whoever he is, the timing can't be a coincidence. He was after the lamp, and he knew exactly where it was. Which means we have to consider the possibility that someone inside the castle told him."

*Jasmine puts her hand on Aladdin's shoulder & the pair look back at the Organization duo.*
============================
~Disney Town~

Minnie<Oh yes, he's right outside, helping the guards defend this room. But....>

Th"You haven't told him your plan yet, is that correct?"

Minnie<Yes. He wants to be the one to escort you to the Hall of the Cornerstone, but the Keyblade is the only weapon that can destroy a Heartless for good. If you all head off to fight the sorcerers, I fear they may overwhelm our other defenses. It's better if he stays here to help. I'm perfectly capable of purifying the Cornerstone myself, as long as all of you are willing to help me get there.>
============================
~Dark Realm~

*Axel steps between them, holding an arm out to each of them.*

Axel<Alright, look, I didn't want to take sides, but the fact is we need Vexen in order to get out of here.>

*He makes a pointing gesture at Xyukuse & looks his way.*

Axel<You are expendable, so if you 2 start fighting, I don't care whose fault it is: I'll do everything I can to help Vexen escape & leave you as a decoy for the Heartless. So you'd better be on your best behavior--get that memorized, ASAP.>

Taiyo switches her remaining Keyblade for the Oblivion and uses Frozen Starlight to rapidly drop to the ground to avoid the Monu clone's attack and casts Curaja on Euryale, so she can see again.

Vega uses Center to melt or at least loosen up some of the ice and jumps over the Lilith clone, attacking it Lone Eagle and following through with Crushing Eagle.

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

Azuma: "Absolutely."

Hitomi nods as well. Although it sounds like someone is nerfing Mickey.

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

Xyukuse: "Only reason I don't blow this fog away right now is because he's my ticket out of here, but don't think I won't stick around longer if it means you're all trapped too."

*Assuming Monu is trapped by the sphere, Monu moves to avoid the energy arrows, then parries the slash with his keyblade. He then uses Eagle's Claw on the clone's neck. Meanwhile, Eve leaps away from the incoming Vega clone, then uses Psychosphere on it*

Eve:<Attack in the direction you're being pulled!>
---
*Artexi looks away from Aladdin and Jasmine*

Artexi:<...That's really rough, sorry about your dad.>

*She leans against a wall*

Artexi:<So who all saw the lamp in the castle?>
---
Safian:<Don't worry, we'll protect you!>

~Arendelle~

*The Divine Rose quickly transforms into the Oathkeeper, an energy barrier flaring out as "Euryale" attacks. As it shatters & shreds her attacker, Lilith quickly rolls & throws the Keyblade in an arc to strike "Taiyo," knocking her out of the sphere. This proves fortunate for Monu, whose movements are slowed by the water resistance, & who was barely able to dodge the arrow. Monu may also notice that the sphere is beginning to freeze with him in it. Unfortunately, while "Euryale's" attack was blocked, she wasn't pushed back, so she grabs Lilith's leg with her free hand, swinging again, while "Taiyo" Stops her with the Rainfell & aims a Brave Shot with Stormfall. Euryale leaps, slashing down with a wave attack that consumes "Taiyo's" attacks. Her clone again whethers the attack, so the real Euryale jumps at it with another Wave Blitz.*

E"Thanks for the advice, but I need to take care of this first!"

*On Eve's end, the clone turns to backhand the Psychosphere back at her, adding an energy blast in the shape of an eagle from his other fist. The real Vega manages to barely evade "Lilith's" strike, hitting her with both attacks. Skidding across the snow, she rolls backwards onto her feet, casting Cure on herself to restore some of the damage done to her as she moves to run away. "Eve" teleports behind the real Vega, attacking with a Keyblade that warps the space around it. Wind swirls around "Monu," & he puts on a sudden burst of speed, slashing at Taiyo once close enough.*
==================================
~Agrabah~

Jasmine<Just us, my father, & the guards.>

*Aladdin clenches his knuckles around the balcony's railing, shaking his head.*

Al<It has to be Iago--I should have known better than to trust him!>

N"But what's his motive?"

*When they turn to him in confusion, he continues.*

N"If he was lying about not wanting to release Jafar, he could have done that at any time. Unless the bandit wants something else with the lamp, Iago's involvement makes no sense. But the lamp is useless until you release the genie from it, right?"
=============================
~Disney Town~

Th"Lead the way, Your Majesty."

Minnie<Thank you very much. You're in charge while I'm gone, Daisy.>

*The mouse turns to the duck, who nods. The Queen then leads them up the ramp, opening a door to reveal a moonlit courtyard with bushes that look like they were once well manicured into various shapes before the Heartless shredded them. Only a few of said Heartless remain, an armored Goofy blocking a fireball from a Red Nocturne with his shield as Donald, dressed as a Black Mage, destroys it by shooting an ice bullet from his staff. Various brooms stand in formation behind them, but make way for the Queen's entourage.*

Minnie<This is Goofy, the Captain of the Guard, and Donald, the Court Magician.>

*They turn, taking off their hats & bowing to her & the Order. Meanwhile, surrounded by armored knight Heartless, Mickey blocks several sword attacks before destroying each with a single well aimed strike. Seeing Minnie & the others, he runs over to them.*
=============================
~Dark Realm~

Axel<Just as long as we all understand each other. Carry on, Vex.>

*Vexen crinkles his nose at them, but sets off, leading them away from the dark shapes looming in the fog & toward the crevasse in the mountains.*

Taiyo blocks the attack from the Monu clone with the Oblivion, countering with Wolf Impact and multicasts Fira from the Diamond Dust at Clone Elsa.

Vega rolls forward, springing to his feet and swapping to the Keyblade where he turns to the Eve clone, attacking with Carving Earth and following through with Mass Devastation.

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

I suppose they exchange more gestures. Being around royalty and the like is awful. They need to be a little less formal when it comes to saving the kingdom.

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

The two follow now that Xyukuse and Axel are done bickering like assholes.

*Monu tries to force himself out of the sphere, using Eagle's Claw to break through any ice in his path. Eve uses Lethal Frame to get behind the Vega clone, then slashes at his back before leaping out of close range*
---
Artexi:<What about one of the guards? Even if you're sure they'll all trustworthy, one could be under a spell or something.>

~Disney Town~

*Mickey scratches the back of his head, but doesn't dismiss his Keyblade.*

???<Gosh, ya don't have to do all that for me. I'm just glad ya came.>

*Spotting Thiera, his ears & tail droop as he looks down. Donald & Goofy become similarly droopy as if in response to his demeanor.*

???<Sorry I couldn't help when you needed it....>

Th"No amount of brooding will bring her back. We plan to escort the Queen to the Cornerstone of Light. Afterward, perhaps you can aid us in striking down Maleficent?>

*Mickey looks up in shock as Goofy covers his mouth with both hands & Donald starts jumping up & down, waving his arms like an asshole.*

Goofy<Gawrsh, are y'sure?>

Donald<No, Yer Majeshty, it'sh too dangeroush!>

Minnie<I assure you all, I'm just as capable of restoring the Cornerstone as Mickey is.>

*She speaks sternly, folding her arms & tapping her foot. Goofy adjusts his hat & hides behind the shield as if bashful, while Donald is suddenly very interested in standing still & inspecting his staff.*
==============================
~Agrabah~

N"Well, if they are, there's only one person who can tell us that. Do you have any idea where your genie went?"

*Aladdin shakes his head.*

Al<No, just that he's off touring the world.>

Jasmine<Maybe we can find a sorcerer to help us.>
==============================
~Arendelle~

*Monu is successful, & presuming he traveled in the direction he was facing, winds up in front of "Elsa." She ceases her attack, raising her hand to create an enormous 6-pointed snowflake that blocks the fireballs. With her other hand, she sends a howling wind at Monu & Taiyo, threatening to push them back as a whirlwind of ice blades rises from the snow around each of them. Euryale had struck her clone in the side & therefore managed to knock it down, though whether or not Lilith had been spared its attack is unclear. Either way, when it reached out to both grab her with its legs & attack with the guard of the Ends of Earth, the real Euryale's Keyblade shimmered & transformed into the Fenrir. She phased behind the clone with a slash, knocking it into the air with another slash, & as it was destroyed, fired a rain of projectiles at "Taiyo." The clone, which had been running to attack Lilith, intercepted with both of its Keyblades before the Rainfell transformed into the Diamond Dust. Ice shards begin to materialize in the air in the 24 foot circle around the clone that some asshole just had to sign up.*

E"Oh, I don't like where this is going."

*As she lands, she races at the clone in the hopes that getting up in its grill will somehow stop it. Fortunately, Lilith jerks back to reality at this point, quickly assesses the ice spreading from the Diamond Dust, & shifts back to her own Keyblade, using Euryale as cover to wrap its mouth in vines & silence it. As she's holding her side & trying to stumble to her feet, "Vega" shifts to his Keyblade, which in turn shifts into a kind of whip sword that he lashes at Eve with as he moves back. "Lilith" keeps strafing, but also shoots Vega's back with seeds while what's left of "Eve" uses Stop Frame to get up from the ground & make a 3-hit slash. "Monu" had flown into the air to avoid his bretherens' spells, & was now materializing a tornado of unclear trajectory.*
==============================
~Dark Realm~

*And so they wend their way through a serpentine mountain passage, walls pressing up on either side of them to the point of forcing them to move single file. At a place where thin stalagmites rise up to make it difficult to squeeze past, but not impossible, an Invisible flies overhead. It's hard to tell through the fog, but they seem to be ~30 feet away from the exit of the pass, where they can see the great portal of light partially piercing their rapidly dwindling fog cover, high in the sky just above the horizon.*

Taiyo swaps the Diamond Dust to the Stormfall and casts Bubble Ward on herself and freezes it while Vega jumps back to avoid Eve clones stuff while using Center to shield himself from the Lilith clones attacks.

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

Azuma: "Looks like she's spoken."

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

Xyukuse contemplates pulling the Invisible on top of all these assholes, but decides against it as fighting in a narrow pass would be a worse idea than his usual bad ideas.

*Safian looks from Mickey to Minnie*

Safian:<...What?>
---
*Monu uses Aero Shield to blow back the icicles surrounding him, then runs towards where he last saw the real Lilith. Eve tries to move out of range of the whip sword, then casts Fusion on it*
---
Artexi:<Do you know of any local sorcerers who aren't evil?>

~Agrabah~

*Aladdin & Jasmine look at each other.*

Jasmine<Is Phasir in town?>

Aladdin<He seems to show up when he's needed. It's worth a shot.>

N"Well, lead the way."

*They head toward the Organization, which is to say, the door behind them.*
==========================
~Arendelle~

*Monu is successful, but soon after he begins running, the spikes follow him, closing in from the back & sides. The wind also threatens to knock him over. Now upright but hunkered down enough to protect against the wind & nursing a wound on her side, Lilith switches back to the Oathkeeper, sliding up to him & blocking some of the spikes with a flaming tower shield, which of course causes them to melt.*

L"These are too big for my Lotus Shield! How is...?"

*She glances back at Taiyo, who wasted an attack to freeze the bubble shield, even though the ice spikes would have done that anyway. Unfortunately for her, that's still, y'know, ice. Radiant blue energy seeps from the spikes to the shield, causing her to be trapped in a collapsing spherical mess of ice spikes as "Elsa" begins closing her glowing fist. Since Euryale can't do shit to break through "Taiyo's" guard anyway, she swaps to Lilith's Keyblade, using Stigma Stem to break a section of the sphere big enough for Taiyo to get through. Naturally, the clone attacks, but just as naturally, Euryale expects it. She double jumps over it, stabbing the clone in the back of the neck as she comes back down, crumpling it with her weight. Since she's holding the arm it's using for the Diamond Dust, it moves to cut open its gag with the Fenrir.*

E"Stubborn monster, aren't you? I hope you're not as pretty under that mask, or I'll have to feel bad about this."

*As she's shit-talking it, Vega catches the last strike from "Eve" & all of the exploding seeds, the combo doing damage slightly faster than he can heal. Because I'm a dick, she's not close enough to burn. Rather than retreat, "Eve" twirls the Keyblade, stabbing it into the ground & releasing void tendrils around her. "Lilith" aims a Bramble Bomb at the ground slightly behind Vega in the middle of her seed barrage. As "Monu" had not noticed that Taiyo got free & wanted to help gang up on him, the tornado is moving to cut off his escape route. Since whips are flexible, "Vega" jerks it at the last minute, stripping a section of armor from the real Eve's leg & leaving a bloody gash, before thorn beams tear through the clone's chest. Too strong to be done in by a single attack, it flips its wrist, wrapping the whip sword around her leg & pulling as it tries to tear away the thorn beams impaling its chest with its other hand.*
========================
~Disney Town~

Minnie<They need you here. The machines can delay the Heartless, but they can't destroy them.>

*The pair of mouses rub noses, before Mickey stands back.*

Mickey<Just--be careful--& take Donald & Goofy with you.>

*The animals salute & follow Minnie as she leads the way across the lawn, Shadows rising up all around. Thiera follows after, & despite finding herself awkwardly weighed out by the Ends of the Earth suddenly dragging behind her, manages to swing enough to create a fissure & block off the Heartless from the right. She stumbles a bit as she hefts it over her shoulder & continues on.*
===============================
~Dark Realm~

*They decide to wait for the Invisible to pass before carefully squeezing through. By this point, the fog is thinning significantly, & they have a minute or 2 of cover left at best.*

Taiyo climbs through the hole which is very unnecessary because she could have just melted the ice, swapping back to the Diamond Dust to assault the Elsa clone with multiple Fira spells.

Vega jumps back, maintaining Center swapping to his Keyblade when he lands and attacks the Eve clone with Malarith.

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

While it's customary to bring the rain first, they ain't got none of that, so they'll have to settle for just Thunder which Hitomi uses on the Shadows.

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

The best part of this canyon crawl is Irritum could have avoided it by crawling along the walls, but that'd mean making the lives of these jerks a little bit easier outside of doing so for Irritum's own gain.

*Eve tries to jerk away from the Vega clone, slashing at the whip with her keyblade. Regardless of her success, she casts Wormhole on the Vega clone, directing the thorn beams at its chest. Monu ducks under the flaming shield, casting Fairy Magic on Lilith*
---
*Artexi follows, hands in her pockets*
---
*Safian sets herself on fire and starts tearing through the nearest heartless*

~Arendelle~

*"Vega" falls to pieces, but manages to do a number on Eve's leg before it's destroyed. Though unable to keep Center up while jumping, because there's no kill like overkill, the fire blades tear through "Eve" & destroy her. Unfortunately, they have no listed homing property, so they just kind of crash into the collapsed ice sphere, but no sooner than it starts to melt does it become some sort of horrible slush monster with an agonized face that tries to ensnare Taiyo with its tentacles, which grow ice spikes as it does so. "Elsa" simply moves the giant snowflake into position to block the attacks aimed at her.*

E"Taiyo, Vega, look out!"

*As brambles rip through "Taiyo," destroying her as well, it becomes clear what she's referring to. Vega had taken several more shots, & in addition to the flowering holes in his armor, he's also feeling nauseous & dizzy. Not a good time, since he's starting to be drawn toward the tornado approaching him.*

L"Help them, I'll destroy the Queen's clone!"

*She moves around wherever the ice spikes try to invade, managing to melt them all. Floating over the water, she avoids the attempts by the ice hands to reach up & grab her. When close enough, she summons a ring of fire around herself as she attempts to ram "Elsa," pulses of blue magic running all through her arms & legs, into the snow & her barrier.*
=============================
~Disney Town~

*The ones furthest ahead enter the castle, arriving at a staircase in front of a hallway, where they're met by a trio of Large Bodies jumping at them. Goofy darts in front of the Queen, knocking one back with his shield, which Donald freezes in a block of ice with a wave of his staff. Minnie holds out her hands, releasing a blast of radiant white light that nearly shatters it & sending it careening into 1 of its comrades. Thiera swings the Ends of the Earth like a golf club, sending the 3rd flying into the far wall.*

Th"Woo, how exhilarating! I believe I'm getting used to this monstrosity!"

*Outside, near where the King is fighting off the Shadows that approach the entrance to the Gummi Hangar, bay doors open in the garden. Out of these emerge robotic arms ending in hands which throttle Heartless, lasers which shoot them, buzzsaws, nets that grab them & electrocute them as they shrink, a boxing glove that punches one in the face, a tongue that starts licking one for some reason, & more. A small Gummi Ship looking something like [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] also emerges to help defend the bunker, while the brooms literally sweep aside the dazed Heartless left by the various assaults. Mostly, the Shadows wisely stand back, turning instead for the rear of Minnie's group..*
==================================
~Agrabah~

*They find Demyx standing on carpet as he hovers in the air, rigging some kind of tripwire to the ceiling as Iago pulls on the other end, both grumbling the entire time.*

Al<Are you almost done? We could use Carpet's help.>

Demyx<Yeah, I'll show you almost--whoawhoa!>

*Carpet had bucked, causing him to teeter & flail his arms for balance. When he brushed the wire, Iago let out a shout as he was dragged forward, toppling into a huge, heavy looking vase that slammed shut. For Demyx's part, an iron ball swung down, catching him in the back. He let out an "oof" as he tumbled nearly a dozen feet to the floor. Carpet came down to cover the groaning Organization member, folding itself into a staircase. Abu can be seen pointing at the vase he was rigging & laughing, but Aladdin just facepalms & shakes his head.*

Jasmine<I hope you're alright.>

N"Do we wanna take these idiots with us? There may be more Heartless in town. But on the other hand--well, look at 'em."
==================================
~Dark Realm~

*As they emerge from the canyon, they see they're a couple hundred yards from what at first looks like a humongous, black tower with yellow spots. Only once they see how it teems do they realize it's hundreds of Heartless climbing all on top of each other, clamoring to get to the portal in the sky. Massive Darksides rear up around it, reaching up to try to tear it wider, while stragglers--mostly Darkballs & a few particularly slow-witted Shadows--move about in the fields between them.*

Axel<Don't think your fog can hide us from all of them, Vex. So what now?>

Vexen<We need to get closer to that portal without being spotted...a sandstorm may be of assistance.>

Taiyo moves to avoid that silly stuff, slashing at it with Reaper and casting Curaja on Vega.

Rejuvenated, Vega can do better to avoid that tornado, swapping weapons for the additional mobility.

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

Hitomi casts Thundara from her Keyblade on the Shadows coming up the back of them. I'm gonna assume Azuma has the Fenrir which he uses to cast Thundaga on the Large Body's.

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

Xyukuse: "Bet you were wishing Xaldin was here, aren't you?"

Monu:<On it!>

*Seeing as Taiyo healed Vega, Monu runs over to Eve and casts Fairy Magic on her, then hurls his keyblade at the slush monster*

Eve:<...Thanks.>

*Eve casts Wormhole to send void beams through the creature's face*
---
*Safian shadow travels over to the large body that hit the wall, then attacks it with flaming claws*
---
Artexi:<Honestly? They're more trouble then they're worth.>

~Arendelle~

*With all of these attacks hitting it, the Slush Monster is reduced pretty much to nothing. Vega finds he can't outrun the wind, but fortunately the tornado disappears as ivy snatches "Monu" from the sky by his lower face, Euryale pulling him to her feet. She steps on his Keyblade arm as she transitions into Zantetsuken. Since Vega, Eve, & Monu are clustered loosely together, "Lilith" grows a thick net of thorns around her Keyblade & throws it over them. The real Lilith goes flying towards it, as "Elsa" had stomped, releasing a wave of snow against her attacker. She then shifts her foot, causing it to reassemble into a pair of [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] around Taiyo. As they attack her with their claws, she holds her hand out, freezing Lilith with a pulse of wind.*
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~Agrabah~

N"Good call. Oh, don't worry, we have our own transportation."

*He says this last bit to Aladdin, who was gesturing for them to climb on along with him & Jasmine. They shrug & Carpet starts flying out of the castle, so Nero summons his Glider & follows.*
==================================
~Dak Realm~

V<Anyone would be more useful than you & that mute beast.>

A<Yeah, unless one of you has an ability that can help, I don't see what we're going to do here. We may have to turn back & come up with a new plan.>
==================================
~Disney Town~

*The Large Bodies immediately in front of them are destroyed, Thiera calling down a torrent of water blasts to help Safian destroy the remaining Heartless. As they get into the hall, she hefts her Keyblade into a defensive position, but quirks her eyebrow in surprise: Instead of a hoard of Heartless & Unversed waiting for them, there's just Kefka, snoring loudly on the floor next to a door in the middle of the hall, which is sealed off by a huge wall of flames.*

Goofy<We'll get him, Your Majesty, a-hyuck!>

Donald<Be quiet, Goofy!>

Goofy<D'oh--sorry!>

*They run off toward the mad mage in a rather ungainly way.*

*Eve uses Lethal Frame to get behind "Lilith" and stab her in the back. Monu dashes off towards Lilith and away from the thorns, casting Esuna on her to unfreeze her*
---
*Artexi summons her glider and follows*
---
*Safian slips into the shadows, padding silently towards Kefka*

Vega swaps weapons, using Explosive Stream to deflect the net back at the Lilith clone while Taiyo casts Firagun against the snow monsters.

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

While it probably won't do them any good, Hitomi casts Moonlight Shadow on the lot of them for invisibly sneaking up on Kefka who is probably aware of their presence.

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

Xyukuse: "Yeah, that's a good plan. Stick around longer and maybe the Heartless will get you."

He continues forward because he can create a sandstorm under the current conditions.

~Arendelle~

*Unable to cast magic, "Monu" summons his Keyblade to his other hand, but before he can swing, Euryale blocks his shoulder with her other foot. She then slices forward with Zantetsuken, reducing the clone to a crumbling pile of papers. Nearby, she sees the fireballs melt a significant portion of the golems, but not without them getting their claws on her, at which point they start trying to literally tear her apart. They also start spitting globs of snow at her face.*

E"Hey! Stop attacking my mate!"

*She starts running for Taiyo, but snow shoots up underneath her in mid-step &, as luck would have it, freezes her as well, combined with sending her flying into the air. "Elsa" waves her hand down, causing a the sky to open & drop a torrent of snow toward Monu, but the unfrozen Lilith (having crashed into the snow nearby) lashes out furiously, an explosion surrounding them hurling the snow away. A funnel of flames whips around the Ultima Weapon in her hand, causing one of the snow golems to fall away from Taiyo as the remainder of its legs are melted off. Meanwhile, after "Lilith" is stabbed she releases the Bower of Doom, which is caught up in the Ripoff Wave & flies back toward them.*
=============================
~Disney Town~

Th"Carpe Diem!"

*She swings the Ends of the Earth into the ground, sending a trail of stone spikes at Kefka. Someone needs to take that thing away from her. But it's good news for Safian, as he decides to release the explosive spell to defend himself instead of in her face, making an exaggerated yawning & stretching as he does. Because they made the first moves, Safian & Thiera are now invisible, Goofy following soon after. Kefka opens his eyes just in time to see the spell Hitomi uses to turn Donald invisible as he bwaaaaks & leaps into the air, calling down a lightning bolt over the clown's head.*
================================
~Dark Realm~

Axel<Are you stupid?! Wait!>

*He starts forward, but Vexen grabs his shoulder, grinning nastily.*

Vexen<Wait...let us see how this plays out. He may provide just the distraction we need.>

*With that, he pulls his hood up & crouches low against the rocks to make himself less visible, Axel reluctantly following suit.*
===============================
~Agrabah~

*The citizens must be used to seeing things like this, because they barely give any pause to look up. Surprisingly, Aladdin flies them somewhere in the slums, leading them into a building with a rug bearing some pattern of concentric circles over the entrance. Inside, a man with long, gray hair, brown robes, & a blindfold sits at a table, behind a crystal ball.*

Phasir<I've been expecting you.>

N"Why, because you're psychic?"

*Phasir points to a spot near Nero, with a sign reading "Open For Business."*

N"Oh."

Phasir<Also, yes. Or, at least, I know where to look to see the unseen. There are portents all around us. For instance, the dark creatures who keep drawing you to this city.>

*He waves his hand over the crystal, dense storm clouds within swirling to reveal the shapes of Heartless jumping around, acting like Heartless. They storm the image of the palace, sneaking up on miniature Jasmine while the bandit figure looms in the background.*

*Artexi crosses her arms*

Artexi:<Seems like you know you know a lot about what's going on around there. We could use your help. That is...if you're trustworthy...>

*She shoots a glance at Aladdin*
---
*Safian shadow travels around Kefka, slashing at his back with flaming claws before disappearing back into the shadows and bounding away*
---
*Eve uses Psychoshift to teleport away from "Lilith," reappearing in the safest place in range. Monu hurls his keyblade at "Elsa," using Wind Raid*