[b]"Greetings Master, I am already aware of the two new arrivals in the jungle. Do you wish for me to go to them or do you have something else in mind for me?"[/b]

Axeus smiled. Tendra was always a perceptive one; Axeus should have known his apprentice would already be aware of the situation. Ever since he found Tendra as a child, he sensed great things from the boy. His unique proficiency for fire magic, taking after that of a dragon, amused and intrigued Axeus to no end. Over the years, Tendra had become more and more proficient in the ways of combat, but due to Axeus's endless planning, he had not been able to give the boy the attention he deserved. Now, he knew, it was going to be necessary to devote more time to Tendra's training, as he would be useful in the events that lied ahead. Yes, Tendra was a crucial piece of Axeus's scheme, a stepping stone to his greater goal...

"Ah, good, my boy," Axues said. "I've already sent two teams out to lead them here, there is no need for you to go. However, I would like you to greet them with me. If for some reason they are hostile and attempt to attack me, I feel like it would be good training to let you take care of them." Without giving Tendra a chance to refuse, Axeus turned about and began striding back to his throne room. 

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[b]"I'd...urrm....I'd like to apologize for intruding...I'm not here to cause any trouble. ...Hmm....How do I explain this? ...Umm, ...I was told that a Dark Master of the Keyblade was here. If...he is here, I wish to...speak with him."[/b]

The group was slightly taken aback at not only the boy's groveling tone, but his forwardness. It turned out he came for the exact same reason they had. He wanted to see Axeus, they had commands to take him back. However, to Veros, he didn't look like the boy they searched for. He looked like a sniveling worm, writhing beneath them, begging not to be crushed. Her amber eyes flickered. Hatred welled within her as she stared at the boy. She summoned her Keyblade. It was an elegant and minimalist design, shiny black, with a single rod for the blade and a decoration toward the top that looked like a cross between a stylized wave and a rose. She briskly stepped toward the boy.

"C-captain, please calm down, we have our orde--"

"QUIET!" Veros commanded the scout who spoke up to her. The man immediately became silent and bowed deeply. Veros stepped before the boy, not a foot away from him, staring into his eyes. She sensed darkness within him, but not the kind she was used to: not like herself, not like Axeus, not like the members of the faction of which so many reside on this world. It was a complexly deep mix of light and darkness, but when the two forces were compared, it felt like the light was ready to overthrow the darkness at any given moment. The boy angered Veros. This was the thing that she and her squad went to investigate? This was the person Lord Axeus wanted them to fetch for her? She thought how easy it would be to simply say he resisted and had to be put down...

But, she couldn't do that. She respected Axeus far too much. He gave her purpose, as a captain of his Darkwatch; he gave her strength, as a mentor and guide. No matter how much she hated this boy, she still looked up to Axeus more.

"Listen here, you filth," Veros said, still only inches away from Kotaro's face. "You don't deserve to see Axeus. I don't know what brought you here, but if it were my choice, me and my squad would strike you down where you stand," Veros unsummoned her Keyblade and took a step back. "But, it's not my choice. The 'Dark Master of the Keyblade' you refer to is named Axeus, if you didn't already infer that. I am to take you to him. Address him as Lord or Master Axeus, and don't let me catch you out of line or I'll skin you. Got that?" Veros turned about and began walking. She would lead Kotaro to the temple in which Axeus resided.

"Good."

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Zivahl, a man in his thirties, stood in anticipation of whatever would crawl its way out of the rubble heap he was assigned to. A shock of silvery-gray hair tore its way through the center of his short black hair that was naturally messy. He wore a black button-up jacket made of what seemed to be leather, the buttons stylistically trailing from his left hip to right shoulder. Why he wore such heavy clothing in the heat of the jungle was a question asked frequently of him by his peers, to which his answer was always the same: "There are sacrifices you must make to look as good as I do."

Now, as he waited for an answer from within the ship, if it could even be called that, he lamented the heat. It made him irritated and apathetic all at the same time, and he wanted nothing more than to find a shaded spot to rest. Sadly, duty called, and as long as Axeus needed something done he'd have to be there to do it. He summoned his Keyblade, a flashy thing consisting primarily of black and white, with two intertwining rods of metal forming the blade in a helical fashion. At the top was a dual-sided key head, with stylized hearts resting in the middle of each fin. He then flicked a gesture toward his squad, beckoning them to do the same. Three more Keyblades were summoned in subsequent flashes of darkness.

Finally, a figure crawled out of the filthy wreckage. Though cloaked, she clearly had the form of a woman, with the tips of short, black hair falling a bit past her neck. In her hand she gripped a unique looking Keyblade tightly, chains dangling from it and its colors matching Zivahl's own. She seemed to almost shiver. The woman appeared apprehensive, maybe even scared, but also ready to fight, to kill, at any given moment. Zivahl studied her for a moment. Seeing her Keyblade drawn almost made him think she had hostile intent, but the short nod she gave him as she stepped out of the Gummi ship's refuse quelled that thought. He lowered his Keyblade to his side, to show he was not about to attack her, and cast a [i]Scan[/i] spell. After a few short seconds, he had gathered the information he wanted. She was still a fledgling Keybearer, untrained, for the most part, but with insurmountable potential in the form of a vast reserve of darkness inside her. Zivahl smiled.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here," Zivahl said, resting a hand on his chin and visually inspecting the woman. "I'm not sure how you ended up on this rock little lady, but today's your lucky day. The big man wants to talk to you. You'll have to put aside your current goal and come with us for the time being," He smile became wry. "Don't worry, we don't bite, unless you bite first." He pointed to her Keyblade.

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The two groups each led their respective quarry back to the clearing that contained the temple. Meeting back up there, Zivahl and Veros threw each other a simple nod; usually they might exchange some banter, but they knew that Axeus didn't like waiting. They could talk when they were dead, he'd say... jokingly, but with a twist of malice. The two groups convened around the young Keybearers, leading them inside the temple. As they entered the stone opening, the shadows of the temple licked at them, surrounding them with darkness. They would adjust to it in time, but for the moment the two young guests would feel a cold presence, caressing them, constricting them, threatening to overtake them. It wasn't so strong that it would cause any powerful reactions, but just strong enough to be noticeable.

At long last, they got to the throne room. Upon the blackened stone seat rested a tall, pale but strongly built man with flowing white hair. He grinned at the two newcomers and brushed his hand toward the Darkwatch, signalling them to leave. He then cleared his throat.

"Greetings, my guests. My name is Axeus. What brings you to this far-flung corner of the cluster?"