The muggy, hot air ran through their faces like a bunch of red-hot fire balls expelled from a mage. It was so uncomfortable for them. The wind didn’t really help much, either. It only made things worse. Agrabah never was kind to those who moved in swift motions across her rooftops. It was no wonder that the Sultan had servants serve him at all hours of the day. If one were to survive in such heats, it would not be wise to be without cool air on you every minute of the hot days.

When the sight of their destination came to be, several machines of all kinds could be seen flying and patrolling the streets. From the looks of it, they were looking for something. Maybe it wasn’t something, but rather someone. The motion of their bodies and the way they were looking at all directions proved that thought. Whoever it was that they were looking for meant that no one was safe in the event that the persons they’re looking for could be in any building.

“It seems they hadn’t yet picked up on our signal.” Flora said, looking on at the floating eye machines and the hoard of the weird, two-legged creatures following them.
Cerden nodded as he looked to Flora for a brief moment. He wanted to reply to her, but something caught his eye at the last moment.

At the gates into the Royal Palace, there were a few hooded figures. Cerden had known these two figures to be the same ones that worked for Nomis. By the time the eye machines arrived at the gates, the two-legged creatures that followed them seemed to be acting more feral in their movements.

“What do you we do, Cerden?” Flora asked, “those creatures will kill everyone if we don’t do something fast.”
Cerden thought on it for a second. “I think you know.”Cerden said.

Without anymore words, Cerden took a leap from the rooftop he was on with Flora. His body was pointed down until he shifted his momentum, and his body was slightly more vertical. One of his hands gripped a wooden bar that was between two buildings. By doing so, he was able to flip himself with the momentum that followed from grabbing the bar, and he was on the bar itself.

Off in the distance, Cerden saw many bars that were in the same position that the one he was on was. The idea to do the same thing he just did took over and he did it. Flora shook her head as she saw Cerden go trigger happy with the hopping. She sighed and followed him, completely skipping over the bar Cerden had landed over.

Cerden and Flora were able to get to a position that gave them a good clear view of the Bruigs the hooded figures, and the creatures that seemed to be less-than thrilled to be going inside the palace gates. The two ex-lovers looked at each other. Their look said it all. Without even saying any words, they leapt from the rooftop they were on, and in sequence of jumps and flips, they were able to scale the gates with ease. The plan for now was to stealthily follow the minions of Nomis and see exactly what they were going to do. Of course, from here on out, it would more difficult cause of the forces of The Empire within the Palace’s perimeter.

-------------------------------------------------

~~~~~~Agrabah (Desert)-Empire/Trident-Class Warship~~~~~~

“Is that all you got!? Come on! I know you got more than that, you pasty bastard!” Yelled Dominic, the pain a weird draining sensation but combined with a searing hot pain. All this yelling continued on as Nomis faced the wall of monitors, looking up from the numerous keystrokes he continued to input into the machine, in order to keep an eye on the growing Meter diagrams the screens showed him. Already some were steadily rising, yet it appeared to be those that only now reached a tenth of their scale that annoyed the man at this moment.

“UNCLE NOMIS! I KNOW YOU LIED TO ME! TIME FOR THE TRUTH!" The roar that bellowed into the room actually caught Nomis slightly off guard, the older man quickly looking over his shoulder to see Caleb walking into the room, with an anger he hadn't seen for quite some time.

"Caleb. If you'd please wait for a little whole longer, we can discuss things once this has been taken care of. I must have full concentration." Said Nomis, turning back towards the machine and screens as he began to up the strenght of the machine that held Dominic.

"NO! NO! NO!" Caleb roared again, "YOU ARE GOING TO LISTEN TO ME FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE!" He said.

Caleb would not have his Uncle's usual dismissal. He wouldn't allow Nomis to simply push Caleb's around. Time and time again, any time Caleb brought up a matter that questioned his faith in Nomis or even slight doubt, his uncle would act harshly towards the the youth. If it wasn't that, then it was Nomis completely ignoring Caleb as he just did. This time, however, was not going to be like that. Caleb would not have it and it was about time that his uncle understood that.

"It seems there's trouble in paradise.." Dominic said snickering, but then he grunted in pain. He felt an extra dose of pain from the machine each time he laughed.

It was the silence the came from Nomis that was possibly the most chilling in the room. No movement, no sound except the grunts from Dominic as the machine continued its work, Nomis just simply stood at the console, back to Caleb and the bound man.

"Fine then."

That was all that was said. With a twist of his hand on the dial, both the pain and intensity of what was happening to Dominic shot up, far more than he probably could have expected in such a short amount of time. Leaving the device to its job, the older man quickly snatched the metal cane leaning against the wall beside him, before turning and marching straight towards Caleb like an angry Behemoth Heartless. Before just as suddenly stopping before him.

"What is it?"

Though it wasn't a roar, the annoyance and anger was still there, something Caleb had seen just recently with his Uncle, just before he had dealt with the two intruders.

"Hahaha, the wonder twins actually having problems.." Dominic said, continuing his unneeded banter about what was going on in the room. Suddenly he felt a deep pinch of pain as his power was being drained from him at a faster rate. "HAH! That doesn't hurt." He was lying. It did hurt...a lot.

Caleb ignored Dominic's comments as he had calmed down just slightly. it was being replaced by slight surprise from his uncle's rather calm mannerisms. Of course, that was a façade. Caleb knew this form of Nomis' 'calmness'. It was the only look he gave when he was deeply angered, but would not show it unless pushed further. Even still, Caleb would not let up one bit.

You lied to me." Caleb said, "You told me my mother and father died, but they didn't. They're alive and I almost killed them." Caleb said, eyes starting to water, his tone elevated, but mood surprisingly controlled.

"PLOT TWIST!" Dominic kept talking. The more he did, the more his power would get drained. He must have a death wish.

"Continue with your snide remarks, perhaps it will dull the pain." Nomis said towards Dominic, the man not even bothering to look at him, his full attention being solely on Caleb.

"You knew full well your Father was alive. I made no secret of that. As for your Mother, she was as good as dead to you. She clearly didn't care enough to take you or your Father with her, and even then your Father choose the same way and left us too. What does that tell you? Wouldn't you think they would have done anything, risked anything to bring you if they truly wanted you?"

Dominic knew that Nomis was right. Each time he talked, the pain increased, but he couldn't help himself, especially after what Nomis just said in response to young Caleb. "Hah! That's a good one, Skelly." Dominic said as he started to pant. The pain was beginning to become too much.

"Do they truly mean anything to you, Caleb? Haven't I been better than they ever had? You've gotten so much stronger, you've seen many things almost no one has ever had the chance to witness. All I have done, has been for you, whatever else you may think." Said Nomis, the man completely ignoring the small jab that Dominic tried to add into the conversation, though it was enough to cause the man to look back towards the wall of monitors and to see the steadily rising Meters.

Dominic laughed again even though the pain was increasing. Each breath he wasted, the more he risked unconsciousness. "Oh, you think you're better than them huh? Then, go on, Nomis. Do tell young Caleb how his father had to rip his any chance of having a mother cause you were becoming so unstable." Dominic said, "go on, you can do it, since you're on such a truth-telling spree."

That was all it took to get Nomis to react. Swinging his body around to face Dominic, Nomis' arm violently swung as he turned, causing the metal plate currently plastered along Dominic's forehead to whiplash the man's head backwards against the machine. The new feeling was as if Dominic's head was currently latched in some kind of Giant's grip, the tight hold growing worse the longer Nomis held it.

Just as soon as Dominic had opened his big mouth(he does that a lot), Nomis had reacted angrily. By using his useful control over the Taint Metal that was holding Dominic's big gash on his forehead shut, he was able to make the Crimson Flash's head bounce off of the metal contraption that he was stuck to. All Dominic felt was metal on metal and that added to the immense pain he already was in.

Caleb had been so silent despite being so angry towards his uncle, but what Dominic had said reignited the boastful anger he had when he entered the room. "Is what he says true? Did you drive my father to get my mother away from me?" Caleb was more desperate to get answered even more than ever.

"Your Father sent her away, not I...telling me some sorry tale of losing her and that was the end of it! I only ever found the truth before he left you and I!" Nomis' anger was now spilling through, the older man's eyes glaring towards Dominic with all the pent up rage he had.

Caleb was so confused. Shinto told him otherwise. Cerden told him otherwise. They told him one thing and Nomis told him another. How was the teen supposed to know who was telling the truth and who was lying their asses off?

"You planned it with them, didn't you? You and your little friend Shinto...tell me!! Tell me you took my Brother away from me!!!"

Dominic's head was hurting so bad, and Nomis yelling didn't help. "Don't you turn this around on me -- ow -- you're the one who was losing it back then. So of course Shin and I took measures into our own hands. We needed to get my sister away from you and your crazy paranoia. We might not have been the ones to take Flora out of there, but you're damn right we helped plan it" Dominic said wishing he had some kind of pain medication. His head was killing him. "As for Cerden leaving eight years afterwards, that's on you pasty." Dominic said. He turned his attention to Caleb, "If you want someone to blame for your mother leaving, that was me. However, your father was forced to leave thanks to Mr. Sunshine over here." Dominic said, referring to Nomis.

Everything that came out of Dominic's mouth just angered Nomis more, the tight grip reaching near 'egg-breaking' levels of strength upon Dominic's head the more Nomis heard.

"You and your stupid sister just couldn't help it! All of you, ruining everything! Things were supposed to be better, they should have been better!!" One more violent whack of Dominic's head hitting the machine was done before Nomis' hold finally faded, the older man turning back towards Caleb with the same rage filled eyes still.

And there it was. At long last the monster that Cerden, Shinto, Flora, and Dominic all knew came out, and in front of his own nephew no less. Dominic, even though in more pain he had ever been in, had a satisfying grin on his face. It was followed by a laugh that was barely audible due to the fact that he was near unconsciousness. Something else could be seen, but due to the level of intensity that the situation was at, no one would notice that Dominic's ears -- both of them -- had blood starting to come out of them.

Before he had even realized it, Caleb found himself lifted up from the ground. He had jumped three paces forward as he pushed from his right leg. His left knee was bent and forward. Left arm reached out and shadow tendrils extended. These thorns of darkness quickly wrapped around Nomis' throat, and lifted the male up in the air. In his right hand, Caleb had a balled fist. He would motion it towards himself and the tendrils tugged Nomis' body more to Caleb's reach.

When Nomis was just one foot away from Caleb's face, the teen embraced the darkness powers within his soul and surrounded his right hand with said darkness. He then released it as he did a straight jab to his uncle's gut. He repeated this several times until blood no doubt would come out of his uncle.

But none did...at least not even a portion of what young Caleb would have believed. Though the anger filled eyes faded into something more like surprise the moment he was picked up, Nomis eventually just looked down towards the Nephew with a sort of saddened gaze, even as the tendrils burned into his neck and the darkness encased hands of Caleb began to burn through his waistcoat, soon revealing why no blood was present.

The same metal that coated his hands, now could be seen on Nomis' own stomach to Caleb, the young man able to see the odd patches of Taint covering his body, with the newest coming from his very own attack, the faint sign of blood just along the edges of the metal itself.

As he repeatedly hit his uncle, Caleb wasn't thinking. He had no sense of self. It was like each time he hit his uncle, he was reliving those words that his uncle said about his mother. It made no sense though. Caleb didn't even believe he had a mother until just recently and now he was flooded with emotions.Among others, surprise came into the mix as he saw no blood coming from his uncle's mouth or from the area in which Caleb was hitting.

Tightening his metal fist, the floor opening up below Caleb would have been the first thing the Nephew noticed, the young man falling for a brief moment before the metal panels returned, trapping him now half way through the floor and allowing Nomis to plant his feet back on solid ground. With a tight grip, Nomis suddenly began to tear the tendrils apart with surprising ease, like weeds from a garden. Once free, the lifeless stalks faded away from his hands, revealing the large scars on his neck before they too were replaced by a metal plate.

"What the--" Caleb didn't even notice it until it was too late. The floor beneath him opened briefly at his waistline and it closed. Nomis had freed himself of the tendrils that previously bound him by the neck. He would see, however, that all the injuries that his uncle sustained were replaced by the taint metal.

"You are my nephew, Caleb." Said Nomis, his voice now slightly hoarse as he rubbed his throat with his hand, metal scrapping against metal.

"I thought you would be here, for me. It looks like I was wrong, you want to now leave, just like everyone else." Stepping towards Caleb, Nomis' shoes crushed into the dark tentacle stumps that belonged to the young man, watching as they too began to fade.

Caleb wanted to respond to his uncle, but now having realized that he lost control of himself like that, he couldn't. The words wouldn't come to him, and perhaps he felt that he shouldn't.

"You want to leave so bad...then go..." With that, another motion of Nomis' hand soon caused the floor to reopen again, dropping Caleb through it and soon finding himself outside.

Caleb soon was going to speak, but it was too late. Caleb noticed the floor reopening and he fell. No, he didn't fall to a lower level. He fell to the desert that the Trident Warship was above.

"And then there were two." Dominic chimed in, "you must really love pushing people away, huh? First your father goes away, then your sister-in-law, then me and Shinto, then your own brother, and now even your nephew deserted you." Dominic said, reminding Nomis of his obvious lonliness. "You need to work on your people skills."

The words came one after another from Dominic, and yet Nomis remained where he was during the entire exchange, still staring down towards the now solid floor, where Caleb had been just a few seconds ago. Remaining silent, the man knelt a little in order to pick up the dark cane from the floor, before turning and still silently making his way towards Dominic, his eyes coldly staring at the man even as they were face to face. It was like Nomis wasn't seeing a living thing in front of him any more, it was clear he saw Dominic as something else...he saw the blood trickling from the man's ears.

"Looks like you need to be fixed again..." Said Nomis as he rested the cane against the side of the machine, and soon raised the glowing metal of his hands up to cup the sides of Dominic's head.

Alem had not spoken up at Asahina's sudden and surprising choice of topic; the most he did was pass her a glance that revealed nothing more than curiosity. He had reservations about love - loving him could prove dangerous, and Asahina was so delicate that he could not imagine her enduring his lifestyle. Becoming familiar with the signs of darker emotions - jealousy, anger, pain - he was able to read that Asahina had some concerns about that blonde woman's interest in him. He faced forward as Aseela took a corner, keeping them as far from the main streets as possible. Thankfully it seemed most of Agrabah was gone today, allowing the small team to move without fear of the enemy being alerted. The advantage was still theirs.

"I am not tied to someone of significance, no. I don't see myself ever being married... death could come long before a special person in my life." He responded with a solemn tone; honesty was in his best interest, and it was honesty that Asahina might have been able to understand. Merely a day ago, did she imagine herself being able to lead a normal life when she appeared as she did?

"But," Alem looked over his shoulder again, "You have that opportunity ...you're a good person, I can tell. Someday, you will be able to make someone truly happy."

"Psh, so will you, idiot!" Rika flickered into existence, her personal ability to cloak vanishing once the topic had become of considerable interest. Aseela was an impressive specimen, but her ability to keep pace with her was also something of note, especially given that speed wasn't exactly her area of expertise. She liked a man that could move, almost as much as a man who knew when to keep their mouths shut. Her eyes had locked on Asahina and Alem, yet she was able to maintain her pace and leap from the rooftops effortlessly despite unfamiliarity with the terrain and architecture. "You're good, and you can make someone happy, too! Oh, and Asahina, he's all yours sweetheart. I'm too much for him, he needs a modest girl!"

"To that, I can agree!" Alem replied, causing Rika to grin and wink before she had cloaked herself once again. Although they both had begun to see mutual benefits in working together, both were able to see that romantically the odds were slim that they could properly click. Alem almost smiled at her understanding. She caught on quicker than most, a trait that was both attractive and respective.

The chatter had been cut from then on. Arriving at the passage to the far west of the palace, Okal's signal had been raised some time ago, allowing the servant known as Rafiq to meet up with them and help escort them inside. Having been one of Okal's men for a long time now, his work in the Palace was mostly down to tedious dusting activities and caring for the various needs of those that dwell within; this included maintaining a good working relationship with the guards and reporting any suspicious activity, made easy by keeping close to one of the guard captains - another one of Okal's informants among them. Dressed in modest rags that showed his status as little more than what he was - a servant - he had quietly escorted the small party through the palace. Aseela had been left behind, but was hidden around the Palace's perimeter to be called on when needed.

"Asahina, you're breathing so loudly I could probably hear you ten feet underground. Relax, you're safer here than you are anywhere else, and we're not letting you get taken again." Rika assured Asahina. The girl's inexperience was troubling, but she had known of few that could maintain a respectable measure of silence when they were in areas they shouldn't be. Excitement got to them, nerves were flaring and making it difficult to do anything but jitter around. She had been that girl once ...when she was like five, but still.

"Here," Rafiq took Rika's attention from Asahina, and beside Alem he gestured down a nearby passage that had led to the dungeons, "They've kept him down here, as well as other guards still loyal to him. As I told you upon your arrival, they had kept Princess Jasmine down here, too. If she was ever escorted elsewhere, I would have known about it."

"Alright. Thank you for your assistance, get somewhere safe. Things may get dangerous here." Alem warned Rafiq, who had bowed his head. Quickly and quietly he had departed, shuffling his feet in silence.

"It's been easy ...laughably easy." Rika noted. Rafiq knew all of the guards patrol routes, but they had yet to truly encounter any difficulty getting here. A couple guards had been a minor obstacle, but nothing they couldn't get around in spite of Asahina's nervousness. Staring down the dark passageway that lead to the dungeons, Rika glanced at Alem, and then at Asahina. "I can hear voices down there. So, keep calm. Subtlety is my specialty, but I'm accounting for you, too. If we end up fighting ..."

"Then they die." Alem whispered without remorse, and then began the descent towards the prisoner cells. Rika following closely.

Caleb kept on running those few moments through his mind. He found out the truth and instead of acting soundly and rationally, he attacked his uncle. It was so unlike him. It was so out of character for him. It was as if he was someone else. It was like he was…something else.

He actually put his hands on his uncle and what was worse, he seemed to enjoy it. No, that’s not correct. It wasn’t that he enjoyed it, but it just felt right, like he was justified in doing it. All the anger he had been feeling, all that had gathered up until that point was released all at once. Caleb let his uncle feel the anger that he had built up from hating his father, hating anyone affiliated with his father. He was just so angry at everyone involved. He was mad at The Three Prongs for starting Trident that made his father, mother, and uncle the way they were, he hated his parents for not being there for him, and he hated his uncle for lying about his parents being who they were. Caleb was just so angry at everyone.

The journey back to Agrabah was what some would call a self-discovery journey. Caleb had a lot of time to think about what he did, how he acted, and take in all the information he was given. Now, of course Caleb tried to get to Agrabah as fast as he could, but being able to take his time at the same time allowed him to think. Caleb knew that nothing could be decided, whether he would join his parent’s crusade or go back to his uncle until he talked to his parents.

Caleb found that his mixed feelings somewhat blocked his connection the pathway of darkness. He was, at least, able to use it in portal form to quick travel. Or at the very least, use it to propel him to faster speeds. He was able to make it to Agrabah within ten minutes of being dropped out of the Trident Warship.

“So, where are they?” Caleb said, looking around.

He was inside the walls of Agrabah, but he didn’t even know where he would begin to look. His parents could be anywhere in the city. They could be in the markets, living quarters. Literally anywhere was fair game. Caleb spent a minute looking up, to the side, and repeated it several times. It wasn’t until he got a…well, a feeling in his gut that brought his attention to the Palace. For some reason, he knew his parents were there.

Caleb began running through the streets, running off of buildings, propelling his body upward using the sheer momentum gathered from his body movements plus the speed he garnered from his initial running. Caleb would eventually get to a rooftop, and he continued running, but this time running from rooftop to rooftop. Some jumps were perfection and some he barely made. There were also some that were at a lower angle than others, to which Caleb just tucked and rolled. There were also some opposite and higher than others. Caleb would just grab onto ledges, and climb as fast as he could. There was little to no wasted motion from Caleb.

Making excellent time, Caleb was at the palace. It was thanks to the guards knowing who he was that they let him in without trouble. Once inside, Caleb would just have to hope for the best in finding his parents and getting some answers from them.

Ryoko let out a sigh, and glared down at Gavin with disdain. He had just sacrificed himself to save his comrades. At least, that must have been what he believed he had done. She felt insulted by the boy's impromptu gambit, for as dire as his circumstances were he thought he could pull one over on them. "We're not killing him, not yet." Ryoko said, looking to the palace. "We can let the general do as she pleases with him later. Right now, he's our bait. We go to the palace, and use him as leverage to draw the rebels out. If my hunch is correct, they plan to have an encore of what happened in Hollow Bastion." She walked up to Gavin and patted his head as if he were a puppy. "You're going to be the stone that kills quite a few birds."



Shizuka leaped to her feet, moving her head around like a bobblehead in a monster truck. "What, where!?" she exclaimed. One moment she was fighting some Empire jerks, the next she had been teleported to what looked like the top floor of a building. One side of the room had no wall, giving occupants a not so brilliant view of the slums below. There were various odds and ends placed about, a single bed, some scraps of food, many signs that someone had made this their makeshift home. She recognized this place.

"Aladdin?" She calmed down, and looked towards the door. Standing there with a tired cocky grin was a local young man wearing a tattered vest and patched pants. Shizuka gasped, then running up to him to give him a tight hug. She let him go and brushed his shoulders off. "Where have you been? Osa didn't know where you were, I thought you might have been killed."

"Who, me? Don't count on it. I've been looking for Genie, but it seems he's taken a really secluded vacation, maybe he wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to visit the polar ice caps..." Aladdin shook his head and moved out of the way of the door's entrance. "Everyone else is waiting for you, come on sleepyhead."

The two of them walked down a flight of steps to enter a nearly barren room, the only thing worth noting was a large table in the center of the room. Shizuka blinked as she counted off everyone that was here. Acesto, Lin, Osa... Gavin was missing. She opened her mouth to comment, but she knew better. The last time she saw him he was sending them away, leaving him in the hands of the Empire.

"Shizuka, I know what you're thinking." Ace spoke up from the other side of the table. "But there's something else we need to focus on right now. Rika has infiltrated the palace, it's only a matter of time until she reaches-"

"Jasmine!" Aladdin cut in. "I've been looking for her for so long, I can't believe you guys found her!" He pauses for a moment, looking at Ace. "Ah, right, go on."

"When Rika saves Jasmine, the machine will likely cause an explosion similar to the one in Hollow Bastion, We need to secure an exit for her. Aladdin and Carpet can keep watch from above and act accordingly, the rest of us will cover her most likely exit point and make sure it's clear."

"What about Gavin?" Shizuka finally asked, no longer able to hold it in.

"I don't know if he's even alive. The most we can hope for is that they're keeping him alive for some reason..."



Asahina flattened her lips, trying not to make a scene. She hadn't noticed how loud her breathing was, her heart was beating too quickly for her to care at the moment. She let out a slow, steady breath and continued following Rika and Alem. They stopped before entering the floor at the end of the stairs, assuming it was because they saw someone coming she pressed herself against the wall. There was no one coming, and she looked silly.

They stopped because they heard voices in the dungeon below, and it was unlikely they belonged to the prisoners. Asahina tensed as she heard her companions discuss what to do if they were seen. She was sure she could fight, but she had never willingly killed anyone before, and she would prefer to keep it that way.

She made her way into the dungeon, where the light was dim and the air was musty. The voices were coming from further in, in what she assumed was the hall containing the holding cells. She quietly made her way to a door, and slowly opened it. It was the warden's office. Closing the door behind her she started to scan the room for anything useful, but found nothing. She was about to back out of the room when she heard footsteps from just outside. She clenched her teeth and backed into the wall, something jingled just above her head, prompting her to quickly grab the object to quiet it. It was a club, probably used to discipline inmates. The door opened, pinning her in the corner for a moment. A large man adorned in the garb of the palace guards walked in.

Asahina gripped the club, and bashed the man in the back of his head. He fell to the floor with a thud, which thankfully wasn't loud enough to be heard outside the room. Awkwardly stepping over the man she went to put the club back, but noticed something on the end of it, there was a ring of keys. That explained the jingling, but not the warden's poor choice in accessories. She stepped back out of the room, and joined Alem and Rika. "I uhh, found keys... Not sure if we'll need them, but still..."

It went without saying that anyone would've been a bit disappointed in the situation's turn out. Reaping what rewards remained was still of some benefit to all players present, and the mercenary was about to cut his losses here. Insisting that Gavin remain alive, seemed like the wrong choice or if they were already going against the grain as it stood. Salforge chose not to voice his inherent friction to this idea and simply responded with a nod.

"Thats three times now. I don't want to see their faces for at least two days. Lets go."

The mercenary's duplicate incapacitated the youth rendering him unconscious and carried him on it's back.

"Proceed how you like Ryoko, I need to take five for now. Asking for your permission to be debriefed, i'll be leaving this shell and the boy in your more than capable hands."

------------------------------------------

~~~~~~Agrabah (Desert)-Empire/Trident-Class Warship~~~~~~

The multiple layers of metal slamming shut, within the single door frame, came as one loud and very sudden collection of noise. Slipping back on the familiar thick coat of his, Nomis once again seemed much more focused as he passed the various machine covered walls of the adjoining rooms he made his way through. Though the vast majority of the colossal warship had to be traversed through by foot, the sight of a rather large circular and clearly powered platform within one of the rooms was more than enough to show the old ways were now over.

Once safely positioned on the metal disc, it wasn’t long before it began to finally move, bringing its sole occupant swiftly up through the dozens of levels that made up that particular section of the ship. Nomis’ soon arrived to what was clearly the control deck of the mighty ship, the room’s many groupings of monitors and terminals seemingly having no trouble working silently, while the odd few had the familiar form of one of the scientist’s cloaked assistants rooted to the spot, as if checking for mistakes from any of the other monitors.

The various charts and graphs seemed to show rising levels of something throughout the ship, yet it all seemed to lead back to a single growing meter on one of the larger screens. Steadily rising, both the meter and numbers accompanying it grew higher as time went by rather quickly, until suddenly it would seem to reset itself but not before appearing to affect the other steady charts by raising them all in measures deemed most important to them.

Taking a seat on the commander-like throne, a small array of new monitors soon lowered down from the room’s ceiling, positioning themselves around Nomis as if trying to give him the best view possible with anything he needed to see. While some began to show him various camera-angled images from both throughout and outside the ship, one of the arm-latched screens soon placed itself directly before the older man, the data and symbols it displayed almost immediately being joined by an already oscillating sound graph.

“Answer General Ryoko, this is Clacverk. I want to be informed about the current state of security concerning the Factory and its Core.”

Though the voice that came through was more forced and dry than usual, the same cold tone was still there just like always. A rather deep guttural cough along with sounds of metal scratching against metal as Nomis rubbed his dark steel marked neck with his hand soon briefly coming through the broadcast before speaking again.

"Another Core can not be lost, General. That is our priority."

Lin had lost her awareness of everyone and everything surrounding her for the time being. Since arriving here, she had not been her usual upbeat self. The events that brought them to this location were a blur; she recalled running, inner flames being utilized to repel some people that were no doubt enemies, and then nothing more. What made things worse was that a few familiar faces were missing. Sleeping on the job was uncommon of her and she was disappointed that she was so out of it. Had she been awake with the others she may have been able to assist them. Now that stranger, Gavin, was lost as well. Her sadness at losing him to the Empire was overwhelmed by her confusion. Worse yet, no one had said anything to her about it. They had been unaware that she wasn’t able to recall everything down to the letter, even if it happened within the last hour.

She glanced upward from the table before her and looked among her comrades, paying enough attention to catch what Rika would be up to. If there was no mention of anyone else, then that meant that Gavin was the only possible casualty. All they needed to do now was endure the waiting period, giving time for Rika to locate the core and call them in to assist when needed. That normally would have brought comfort or excitement, instead she continued to feel out of place. It was time to ask, if no one would ask for her.

“Hey …um,” Lin didn’t know the best way to put it. How was she meant to explain that she had no idea what she was really doing up until this point? Hesitation would not provide an answer, and the last thing she could do now is have a seat and just meditate. After a moment’s pause she had attempted to continue, this time concluding her thoughts. “Do any of you happen to know how I got to you? I remember running, but I don’t remember waking up. I can’t even remember what I’ve said until we got here …how did we get here again?”

~-~

“Are you sure you want her to do it alone?” Alem murmured to Rika. The pair waited nearby the staircase after Asahina took to wandering off. At first Alem was going to ask her what she intended to do on her own, especially without any existing knowledge of the palace’s layout, much less the dungeons, until Rika held up a hand and smoothly pressed a finger to her mouth. He didn’t say a word from there.

“She’s gotta learn how to take some initiative sometime, it may as well be now.” The assassin said in a hushed, pleasant tone, “Besides, I can hear her, and everyone else nearby. I think I know where they’re keeping the prisoners, and Asahina can handle one guard – the only guard – by herself.”

Alem waited to see if it was true. In a short amount of time Asahina had returned holding a set of keys, keys often kept at the side of a jailer. He did not know how she managed it by herself, but judging from the expression on Rika’s face after she had heard something he could not, she had the potential to become very capable in situations like this.

“Well, we could probably slice through the bars but it was a good effort on your part. You sure you’re not part Masaki?” Rika teased before swinging the loop of keys around with her right forefinger and hustling to the location of the prisoners. With the rest of the way clear for them, Rika had guided them further into the musty, depressing dungeons.

“How can you be certain they’re down here?” Alem asked.

“Their heartbeats. When they’re all grouped together like that, it’s impossible to ignore. Not like I need to strain my ears to listen either, especially with this place so silent.” Rika explained. Disruptive noises might have had a greater hand in distracting her ability. “Did I mention how easy this has been so far?”

“You have.”

“Oh. It’s easy.” Rika said for good measure.

The closer the group had gotten, the faster Rika seemed to move. Rounding a corner resulted in them being face-to-face with said dungeon, where ahead of the trio lied a cell. The darkness had made it difficult to see, but it was thanks to the light from nearby torches that she could manage to prove for certain that they were in the right location. Only their lower halves were exposed with a certain set of legs quite smaller than the others.

“H-hello? Is …is someone there?” Came a meek voice from within the cell. Alem had immediately tensed, something that had not gone unnoticed by Rika. The latter utilized the keys – if only to have Asahina feel more accomplished – and slid the cell doors back. Taking a nearby torch from the walls she had stepped inside the cell, illuminating several rough faces. Among them rested the Sultan, nestled between what Rika assumed were guards of various impressive sizes. Covered in dirt and closing their eyes tightly at the sudden appearance of light, what followed were small groans of pain. All were bruised except the Sultan himself who appeared perfectly unharmed.

“Not Jasmine, but just as good.” Rika moved to the shackles that bound the group together. As she did this, the guards took to asking questions as a ray of hope began to show.

“What day is it?”
“Is the Empire beaten?”
“Do you have any water?”

“Gentlemen,” Rika cut in firmly, “one thing at a time, please. Alem, you got this?”

Alem’s hardened stare had not left the Sultan. Once attention was diverted to him, the guards all examined him as closely as they could. His demeanor was not as warm or ecstatic, yet around him they were more comfortable given he was a native to this world and one they knew fairly well. A scuffle with them was rare. It was known that Alem only engaged guards who abused citizens, and all those inside the cell considered themselves very fair and honorable. The Sultan looked fearful of Alem’s gaze and tried to avert his eyes only to fail in finding some level of comfort. When this young man stared at you, you felt it sharper than any dagger.

“There is a servant here who can guide you to water, as well as weapons. Today is the day you receive your freedom and fight against this Empire. We’ve waited long enough.” Alem gestured towards the exit. “His name is Rafiq. Once he sees you, he should be able to assist you in getting on the outside.”
“B-but wait a moment,” The Sultan, now freed thanks to Rika, rubbed his wrists and nodded in thanks, “what about my daughter, Jasmine? I haven’t seen or heard from her since I was placed in here. We need to save her—“

“I assume these men stayed loyal to you, while traitors roamed upstairs. They chose to defend you over their own well-being, and I think you lack the gratitude you owe them.” Alem said harshly, “We will locate Jasmine ourselves, she is likely still in the palace in its deepest, darkest corners. Let these men get out of here and prepare to fight on the outside. They can help secure the palace if they are strong enough.”

The Sultan appeared defeated for a moment, but determination had appeared within seconds. If they had not located Jasmine yet, he’d just need to help them. There were places within the palace he could help guide them through.

“Then allow me to come with you. The guards will do as you said,” He looked among them, “and I am very thankful that you all stood by me in our darkest hour. I’ll reward you however I can once this is over.”

“A reward is often the deed itself,” Alem muttered

“Speak for yourself, handsome.” Rika winked at him and tossed the keys to one of the guards. “We’ve got a princess to save, so get going you guys.”

Offering words of thanks as they departed, the several palace guards bolted to the exit in order to locate Rafiq and find necessities; water, weapons, and information best suited to helping them beat the Empire back. This left the Sultan, Rika, Asahina, and Alem in the dungeons below.

“I remember witnessing plenty of strange beings travel through here several times, heading down much farther than this place. If Jasmine is still here, she must be farther below this place somehow.” The Sultan adjusted his pants and hat, hobbling out of the cell with the other three close behind. He still felt Alem’s eyes on him intently, but a brave face was better than a scared one. “There were times I often heard stones shift and …what I believe to be harsh yells in the dead of night. I don’t know what’s went on outside of my cell, but I do know that my daughter needs my help – our help!”

Rika cleared her throat and held up a hand. Locating a secret passage was nothing new to her, and Alem was probably capable of finding where they needed to go, too. Instead of all the easiest options available, the blonde turned to Asahina.

“Okay, you’re up again. Think you can find a way for us?”

They were surrounded by walls, yet if what the Sultan said was true then this passage could not have been far. In spite of what she suspected, this dungeon was not extraordinarily large. If this was meant to be the lowest part of the palace, then it made sense for the Empire to craft a means of getting down even lower to conceal their core.

Hearing Lin mumble something, Acesto, Shizuka and Osa turned to hear her out. She explained that she had no recollection of the past few minutes, not even how they had arrived here. "Nothing... At all?" Osa asked, stepping towards her. "You haven't suffered a concussion, have you?" She asked, placing a gentle hand on top of Lin's head.

"No way, I didn't see her get hit at all. You aren't dizzy or anything are you, Lin?" Shizuka chimed in, adding to the worry party. Ace cupped his chin with his hand and looked at Lin. She did not appear sick, nor was she hurt. Maybe Ryoko or the mercenary had cast a spell of some kind on her?

"We were fighting with the Empire, Ryoko and an armored man, Gavin teleported us here, leaving himself behind." Ace said, lowing his hand. He wasn't sure what was wrong with her, but he didn't want her fighting if she was having blackouts. "You basically saved me back there as well, does any of that ring a bell?"



Ryoko decided to drag Gavin back to the palace with her, whatever Salforge was up to she didn't really care, so long as he remembered what his job was. She 'enlisted' a local guard to carry the boy, while she frowned at the ends of her hair. Split ends, how could this have happened? If she needed to cut her hair again she was going to do it with bloody scissors. A ringing in her ear turned her frown into a full on grimace. "What?" She answered, pressing a finger to her ear to activate a cellular device. "Eh? Claverkick? What do you want?" She said, not entirely paying attention.

She stopped walking for a moment, and looked up into the sky. "I know better than most that we cannot let this factory fall. Though... if it comes to it, that ship up there should be used to make sure they don't run off with anything again."



"Part... who?" Asahina had never heard the name Masaki, so she could only smile awkwardly and take the complement. "I was trained in the academy to handle many situations, however, stealth is something that was hardly taught." She whispered. Swordsmanship and sorcery were the key tenets of the curriculum, she doubted the Keyblade Instructors there could even properly teach the art of subterfuge. It wasn't exactly very righteous in their eyes.

She followed after Alem and the Masaki, listening to their conversation. Asahina strained to imagine what it was like to be able to hear heartbeats from so far away. If her ears were that sensitive, wouldn't loud noises be a pain? Could she control her hearing somehow? Did her ear canal close up or something? Asahina shivered at the thought, and instead of trying to figure out the woman's physiology she focused on the fact that they had just come across a cell full of prisoners. One of them was the Sultan. She had only heard of the Sultan before, as the prior ruler of this city she had assumed he was dead. She was glad to be wrong. She noticed a stern expression on Alem's face, she figured seeing his people locked up like this was frustrating, she could sympathize. Her home had been torn apart by the Empire after all.

The keys she found were used to open the cell, and they were bombarded with questions right away, no one asked who they were, rude. Alem laid out the plan to them, simple enough, all according to plan and what not. One problem, the Sultan wanted to go with them. It was understandable that he wanted to assure the safety of his daughter, but she wasn't sure they'd be able to protect him if things got out of hand. She stayed quiet on the matter, she wasn't going to force him to leave.

The Sultan explained all that he knew, which turned out to not be much. Screams coming from down below, large equipment being moved. Well, at least she knew the entrance was made of stone. She waited for Alem or Masaki to make the next move, however, the blond looked to her for the next step.

"Huh, me?" Asahina pointed to herself, looking around as if she had been mistaken. Surely these two would have better luck with this sort of thing, infiltration was not her forte. She let out a sigh and began to scan the walls. She got into the mind of whoever may have built this place, if she were going to make a secret staircase leading to a horrific nightmare machine, where would it be?...

"Here?" She summoned her keyblade and tapped it against the ground at what appeared to be a dead end corner. "I don't see any reason why someone would build an empty hall like this..." She tapped the ground harder, and got a resounding hollow noise back. "Bingo." She said, right away regretting her dorky choice of words. Coughing into her empty hand she straightened her back and pointed her keyblade at the ground. Light formed at the tip of her blade like a gathering of glowing fairies before being shot in a thin beam. The keyblade did what it's namesake implied, and opened the secret path below. The stone floor slid down about a foot, and then slid backwards revealing a staircase. She recalled her keyblade and looked down into the path, it was pitch black and not very wide. It reminded her once again of the pod she had been kept in. The last thing Asahina wanted to do was confront the same thing that had tortured her for so long, but she had to, there was little other choice.

She took a step down, and was surprised to see dim violet lights light up on the sides of the stairs. Those certainly did not belong here. There were empty sconces on the sides of the walls, indicating that the empire had phased them out in favor of artificial light. Asahina looked back to Alem and the Masaki, before heading further down.

---

They both were stalking the machines and those that followed them like a a predator stalks their pray. Their quiet movements ten yards behind them were not detected. Each turn that the machines and those in the hoods made, the two were quickly behind them. They dared not to make a sound other than their respective breathing as any noise other than what came from the machines would be detected instantly. All the while they stalked those machines, Cerden and Flora were careful not to alert any of the Empire’s forces. They were in their territory now. So, combined with Nomis’ machines and the Empire’s forces all spread about the palace, Cerden and Flora had to be extra careful.

Continuing to follow them, the machine seemed to be heading towards a staircase going down. Cerden and Flora intended to follow them. Their movements shadowing the machines and those following them. Just as they were going to step on the first step, a noise came from behind them.
“IN THE NAME OF THE EMPEROR, STOP AND PUT YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR!” Shouted an Empire Soldier from behind them.

Cerden and Flora stopped and they exchanged a look towards each other. They simply nodded as they would turn around slowly to face the Soldier. What they saw wasn’t just a singular Empire Soldier. There were several of them. By headcount, Cerden had them at least in the 20s range. Added to that, Cerden and Flora both were confident that the machines would soon appear behind them as they would want to make sure what the noise was especially if it’s a hostile force such as Cerden and Flora.

“Looks like they caught us.” Cerden said, arms raised up.
“Seems like it.” Flora said, cracking a grin.

The soldiers all proceeded to surround Flora and Cerden in a three meter circle, pointing their weapons at the two of them. “On the ground. Now.” One of them — presumingly the leader — said. His voice was deep and commanding, it bled with an authoritative overtone that not only commanded respect, it demanded it as well. His frame was tall and built. Even under the Empire Armor, one could clearly see that he had bulging muscles that created the illusion that he was a force to be reckoned with. Through his helmet, striking crimson orbs could be seen and a shoulder-length mane of black.

Cerden and Flora both got on their knees, both hands out in front of them. They exchanged one look and both smiled at each other. A second later, a combination of glass and vines suddenly had arisen from the ground, impaling all of the soldiers aside from the commander of those soldiers. Each sharp end of glass and vine impaled them from the pelvic area and all the way up to their skull. This created a pool of blood to coat the ground.

“What have you done!?” The commander yelled, pulling out his Greatsword from off his back.
“I do believe we defended ourselves.” FLora feigned an innocent tone, “You big, bad men attacked us, had weapons pointed at our heads. We only did what any right-minded person would do.” Flora said. Cerden nodded his head.
“I’LL HAVE YOUR HEADS!” He yelled as he came a-chargin’.
“It seems he doesn’t believe you.”
“I believe you’re right.”

As he came charging at them, holding his great sword above his head, Flora and Cerden took to defensive countermeasures. While Cerden had formed a gauntlet on each hand of glass as well as forcing one, 12 inch blade of glass on each hand, Flora had done the same thing, but with green and razor-sharp vines. The blade of the commander came down and Cerden crossed his arms from the wrist in an X formation. The black great sword met with the left wristblade(the one on the bottom part of the X), while the right wristblade was on top. In an impressive feat of physical strength, Cerden twisted his body clockwise and he used the momentum to not only stop the attack, but he also snapped the great sword in half. This, in turn, caused the commander to lose his footing somewhat.

“W-w-what are you?” He stood there scared, looking at Cerden as he started to back away.
“I’m not the one you should be afraid of.”
“Huh?” Cerden pointed above him.

The Soldier Commander looked above him and Flora had positioned herself on the ceiling. Eyes of the commander widened and an attempt of a scream was made, but that wasn’t before Flora had jolted her body down, pointing one of her vine blade arms down and impaled the commander in the head, killing him instantly.

Just seconds before Flora landed, her vines ceased and when her feet touched the wet, bloody ground, the Commander’s body fell behind her, his eyes widened as they looked towards the stairs.

“Sheesh, that guy seems really afraid of both of us.” Cerden said as he laughed slightly.
Flora shrugged as she would proceed to go down the stairs, but she stopped, her eyes widening at what she saw.
“What is it?” Cerden asked as he saw it for himself. “Shit.”

The birugs and all of those following them were facing them. And little did they know, the images of the two of them being in front of the Birugs were being sent to Nomis.

----------------------------------------------------

~~~~~~Agrabah (Desert)-Empire/Trident-Class Warship~~~~~~

Silence fell for a few seconds after Nomis first spoke, the monitors hanging before him giving a rather simple diagram of the surrounding blank desert and nearby city, where a dozen or so dots that seemed to have been placed precisely throughout it were now reacting, lining up from one to the other until the response finally came through.

"Eh? Claverkick? What do you want?" Came Ryoku’s voice back through one of the monitors, the clear annoyance present in her tone easily causing the sound wave to rise and distort with every word. Though silence once again fell, it was most likely due to the delay with broadcasting on such a new connection, Ryoku most likely only now receiving Nomis’ mention of the Factory and its Core, as well as the important need to not let another valuable asset be lost.

"I know better than most that we cannot let this factory fall. Though... if it comes to it, that ship up there should be used to make sure they don't run off with anything again."

“My thoughts exactly, General. In fact work should already have started to counter another “Hollow Bastion” infiltration. Those I sent should…” While Nomis watched as one of the screens soon brought up a once static window, the images it soon showed were not that of a group heading down, deeper into the depths under the Palace and eventual Core, but of a group slowly floating back upwards, the sight of which they found now being that of two familiar figures and a rather sizeable group of bloodied Empire-Garbed bodies.

The tight grip of his fingers soon dug deeply into the arms of the metal framed chair, but it was the way the very steel paneled floors around it began to ripple and in some cases even twist its whole form around itself, that was the most troubling sign of Nomis’ pent up rage to everything these two were responsible for.

“Kill them...Kill them this very instant!” Said Nomis, the sudden anger echoing and broadcasting through the very floating-eyed Birugs that were still firmly watching Cerden and Flora, even as the large desert-bound ship began to rise into the air.

“General! We have two intruders within the Palace, and with the way they have already dealt with your soldiers it might be there are even more throughout its underground! I am now heading into position to deal with the Core personally…”

At the end of his announcement, the sight of Agrabah itself slowly tilted into view before Nomis, the large Warship slowly turning towards the city as it glided above the ocean of sand beneath it.

~~~~~~Agrabah (Palace)-Empire/Underground hallways of the Factory~~~~~~

As the Birugs and Hooded Figures floated and stood in respective silence and peacefulness at the sight of Cerden and Flora, the lenses of the floating eyes still whirled and focused on every little aspect of the current blood-covered scene they had found. Though the silent stare of the machines and cloaked creatures were unnerving, it was the sudden burst of a voice clearly filled with rage and familiarity that would have been the most worrisome for the man and woman.

“Kill them...Kill them this very instant!” Roared Nomis through the small collection of Birugs, his simple order immediately causing a reaction with the group under his control.

With the lenses of the machines already charging and firing blasts of energy at Cerden and Flora, the sudden growls of the Hooded Figures, some of which soon stepping forward with now twisted and morphed forms while the rest continued back down the set of stairs they were on. While their once full body cloaks were now stretched and tattered over their changed forms, the clear sign of metal laced clawed hands and legs was a show of what laid below the surface.

Suddenly leaping from the back and over the still rapidly firing Birugs, the tall hunched over Tattered Figure landed with a thud on top of Flora, the darkness under its hood which still kept the being’s face hidden was clearly more than just shadow. Even face to face all that could be see were the creature’s bright purple eyes, though the frenzied swipes of its skeletally long arms and nails were probably much more noticeable than anything else at the moment, even that of the loud shakes and rumbles that soon began to plague the underground hallways.

~~~~~~Agrabah (City)-Empire/Trident-Class Warship~~~~~~

Though the passing of the ship as it traveled over the desert was more or less silent, the large sand dunes rippling and washing away as the massive Warship moved through the air above it, once reaching the city every building and person was capable of feeling the sudden shaking of it passing overhead as it made its way in the direction of the Sultan’s Palace. Once over the Palace, the ship slowly made one last turn, stopping once over one of the largest of the Sultan’s garden grounds and allowing it to final prepare the last stage.

While it took a minute to appear and align, the multitude of the cannon-like weapons that jutted out from the underbelly of the ship soon seemed to focus on a particular point within the garden, that of a large courtyard with a symbol of the Empire, something that had been spreading throughout the slow redesign of the Palace for some time.

The first barrage of shots were no doubt the loudest, the shots themselves as well as the eruption of stone crushing and erupting into the air would have made a terrifying sight, like some kind of roaring sandstorm. Digging deeper with every blast, what once had been chiseled sandstone soon turned to rock, was just as quickly removed to reveal that of dust covered metal beneath its surface. Soon even that was torn away by the ship’s cannons, still making its way deeper into the ground.

From the command-chair of the ship, Nomis continued to watch what was occurring below thanks to the monitors, the man silently glaring as he spoke to those at the deepest parts of the Factory, the Core.

“Finish the sealing and draining of all output power links from the Core, and prepare Disembark Procedure...the Factory can be rebuilt…”

---

There was an unnerving silence that took over their specific location. The low and almost inaudible sounds that emitted from the Birug’s scanners were the only sounds heard within twenty meter radius. Both Flora and Cerden stood motionless and tried to maintain their near-expressionless faces. They didn’t know when the machines or hooded figures would come at them. The slightest moment could initiate an attack. It wasn’t like they couldn’t take them, but if noise was made from a fight, that would possibly invite more hostile forces to their location and the two lovers didn’t need that at the moment.

A minute of silence passed and suddenly a surprising yet familiar voice roared louder than a Darkside. It was Nomis, but something was off. Flora could sense it and Cerden knew it. Cerden knew his brother to an emotionally-unstable person. Even though it mostly was under control through his almost emotionless, calm and collected persona, there was something vastly different about his tone. Cerden felt a certain malicious intent behind it, a complete disregard for all feelings and notions of remaining calm. Nomis sounded as if he abandoned all stability and wanted nothing but death.

“Flora, get ready..” Cerden whispered to her as his eyes trailed to his purple-haired lover.

Before Flora could make any kind of response, the words from Nomis resonated with the Birugs and forward they marched with the intent to follow their master’s orders fully and completely. The Birugs would fire out red beams of limb-cutting energy at Flora and Cerden. While the latter would dart to the left, evading the beams in the process, Flora wasn’t so lucky. She fell victim to a sudden pounce of the Tattered Figure.

The surprise of it on her was not only enough to knock her on her back, but her neck whiplashed forward and then back, her head hitting the hard ground all due to a loud bang that was heard and felt throughout the palace. Before the beast was able to get any hits on her, Flora had raised her arms over her head, shielding herself from any potential face hits. In that same moment, she brought a hardened wood-like texture, similar to a Californian Redwood spread throughout her entire body. It had a dark reddish-brown color to it. Each scratch pushed her more deeper into the ground as it started to create a human-shaped crater beneath her.

“Damn it!” Flora cursed as she tried to wiggle herself, but she was still stuck on the ground.

Meanwhile, Cerden had effectively destroyed the Birugs by simply using his twin swords Brother’s Requiem as he stabbed each of them once with both blades, causing them to explode in a small radius. However, Cerden would then find himself in a bit of a bind as two more of the Tattered Figures came at him with the same raw animal instincts as the one that attacked Flora. Both of them leaped into the air, their razor-sharp claws pointed at Cerden. The white-haired male brought the end of both sword’s circular hilt. Each circle opened up halfway and locked together and his twin short swords became what was known to the general public as a Swallow Sword. In that same instant, Cerden ran his power of glass throughout the entire sword until it was encased in such a sturdy and noticeable blue and silver coating of glass.

With the Tattered Figures just two meters above him and one meter away from making contact, Cerden began to rapidly spin Brother’s Requiem. Once it obtained enough speed, an array of glass shards began to shoot forth at the Tattered Figures, each shard traveling at twenty miles per-hours and having the cutting power of a finely-sharpened, steel blade, perhaps even sharper then that.

Shared words of concern among her friends were exchanged. Believing it to be some form of head trauma, Osa placed a hand to her head that made her head lightly bob out of instinct. She had no memory of suffering any injury in particular, reinforced by Shizuka’s own word. So she wasn’t harmed. That didn’t change the fact she still remembered so little, and her concerns were beginning to cause a mild panic. “No,” Lin spoke clearly to put Shizuka’s mind at ease, “I’m okay, I’d know if I was hurt, but I’m healthy. I’m not hungry or thirsty, and I got enough rest.” Ace had offered his help next with an attempt to jog her memory. She had flashes in the back of her mind of events leading up to this point, yet nothing was entirely concrete. Lin’s intention was not to make anyone else worry about her, but it was becoming too late for that. Without history of memory loss, it was her that should be the most fearful and not them. Her eyes laid on Ace in response. “I remember a little running, and my flames emerging. Not only that, but my body was really warm – it still is, more than usual.” She placed a hand to her chest and grasped at her shirt not in pain, but in joy. A good sensation was pounding at her chest, her cheeks turning rosy. “But …I’m really happy to hear that I was able to help you, Ace. I’m glad I could.”

“Did someone… say... help?” A cheerful, raspy voice asked suddenly. From the only entryway inside Aladdin’s apartment emerged Okal, a hand at his side. He appeared quite exhausted, panting heavily and wiping moderate amounts of sweat from his brow. Just behind him were three men armed with blades native to the world and red sashes around their wastes, all shirtless. Muscle was nice to have, especially when your only weapon was knowledge. Unfortunately knowing everything there was to know did not always save your life. “Whew …I need to …start working out.” He mumbled, cracking his back sharply and stepping inside, followed by his three men.

“Okal, hey!” Lin beamed at the small merchant, who was quick to extend his arms and beam back.

“Hello young one, it is good to see you, yes!” Okal held out his hands, needing silence at this time. Lin understood perfectly and quieted down. “Now, I’m sure you have questions, and I have answers. Firstly, do you all happen to remember the eyesore that is the Empire’s large creation hovering about?” Okal paused for half a second, nodding. “Yes, yes of course you do. I do not wish to bring any alarm, but …it’s moving towards the palace. I believe something is about to happen, something big. Now, with Rika, Alem, and that frightening girl now no longer frightening inside said palace, I believe that we must act in some form. My original intention was to ...was …to…” Okal leaned towards his left, peering behind the small group. Hearing light snoring just behind them, he was able to identify Yu in the corner of the room, sleeping. “Yu? YU!” he called, clapping his hands together to get the mercenaries attention.

“Me?” Shizuka pointed at herself with confusion.

“No, not you, Yu!” Okal pointed at Yu quite deliberately. Shizuka followed his finger and observed the sleeping warrior just behind them, having been unaware he was present.

“Oooh …I’m Shizuka.” Shizuka pointed out.

Okal rubbed his temples immediately, “Yes, yes you are. NOW!” he suddenly shouted, causing Lin to jump, “With sleepyhead in the back finally joining us, let me get back to the subject of interest: THAT!” Okal pointed through the rather large opening of Aladdin’s apartment, where the palace was in clear view as well as the warship approaching it. “If this is to succeed, we’ll need to be certain they can get out once they’re inside. As long as nothing too ridiculous occurs, the best tactic at our immediate disposal is—“

Excessive noise followed by the splitting and crackling of terrain in the distance made Okal froze. The expressions of everyone had changed: Lin held horror in her eyes, Okal genuine surprise and confusion, and if Yu had not been fully awake by now, he would be at this horrific sound.

“…Well, something ridiculous has just happened.”

------

Rika’s expression fell when Asahina had never heard the name Masaki. Her family was known for some extraordinary things in the past and even in the present; Assassins by history, with powerful influence on events across worlds by involvement. One detail whispered in someone’s ear, or a slit throat the night before a grand event took place, these are the subtle things they were capable of. Rika was a product of said history. Her mark on the worlds had yet to be left, but it was surprising to discover that Asahina had never heard the name before. The blonde expected fear, amazement, or some wide-eyed realization of who she was dealing with to follow after that. Nothing.

“Yeesh, what backwater world are you from?” Rika mumbled, half-joking. It was a bit of an insult to not know of her families exploits. Shrugging her shoulders, she descended the staircase with the three of them close beside her. As expected, Asahina had some potential locked deep within that frail, shy visage of hers. While Alem had not shown any surprise at her ability, Rika could tell that he was impressed with her ability to do as was asked and so efficiently. No excuses, just doing it. It was a respectable quality, and one that Rika intended to continually urge out of her.

In half a minute’s time they had reached the end, the lights having increased in volume and brightness the further they descended. At the very base of said stairs there was a long hallway with cords traveling down it, located both on the walls, ceiling, and floor. From this distance they could make out several rooms on either side of them, all but one on the immediate right leaving a long trail of wiring. Based on the hums she could make out and the noticeable humidity, there were power sources down here that were fueling something.

“Besides the heat,” Rika began, “and the obvious wiring, I think it’s pretty clear we’re close. They needed a place to store the core and they built one, but I doubt the masterminds behind this place ever expected someone to get this far. Security was already light in the prison, and if this is the only feasible entryway then they figured that no one would find it but those authorized. In other words, we’re just about there.” Alem had turned away and looked down the hall where wiring was not present; it was darker and, if you were sensitive enough, much more horrific than the others. The heat was lessened here in favor of an unnatural cold.

“Alem?”

“I’ll be back …” he muttered, heading down it alone. Rika offered no argument, instead looking to Asahina and the Sultan who had been oddly quiet. He was putting on a brave face, yet with the way he was shaking it was obvious he was not intent on staying very long.

“We’ll find her, we’re just—“Rika froze and looked upward immediately, eyes narrowing dangerously. From floors above she could hear the sounds of struggling, not of the palace guards they released but of others, unfamiliar. After several moments of listening the Sultan had tapped her leg. Her expression softened and he looked down at him.

“Could we hurry? If Jasmine is close, I’d like it if we got her sooner rather than later.”

“Yeah, sorry,” Rika turned to Asahina, “something’s going on upstairs. Alem will find us, so let’s—“

The area shook violently with a harsh sound of energy colliding with earth and stone. Rika had managed to maintain her balance. The Sultan, the exact opposite, was wobbling around with arms waving frantically in order to try and regain both balance and composure.

“Wh-wh-what is happening!?” he asked in panic.

Rika had no response, just as confused as the Sultan about what was occurring. Sure enough an answer had arrived in the form of some kind of intercom system. A voice, one she did not immediately recognize, was heard from a distance. Whether intended for the rebel group to hear it or not, it didn’t stop Rika from being able to pick up on it even as the roaring of blasts continued above ground.

“No way,” Rika said in disbelief, “they’re going to destroy the factory.”

“WHAT?” The Sultan had cried out in terror. He held onto his hat tightly and appeared to be on the verge of a panic attack. All this needless destruction and fear for his life aside, he had noticed Rika had begun to shake as well. Hands moving to her stomach, the Sultan believed Rika was going to be sick, but in actuality she appeared …joyous. Gritting her teeth, Rika had begun to laugh, slowly at first but soon roaring with it.

“NO. FUCKING. WAY!” Rika struggled to retrieve the rebel’s communication device on her person. After some more giggling she had managed to pull it out. She intended to reach Ace. “Come on, come on!” impatiently laughing to herself, it was a highly inappropriate time to do this, but it was as good as any.

---

“Not good,” Okal placed both hands on his head and shook his head, “not good, not good!”

Ace’s communicator going off was not as loud or obnoxious as a warship attacking, but it managed to get everyone’s attention. After he established a connection the group had not heard the terrified screams of their comrades, but instead Rika’s amusement made vocal.

“Ace, Shizuka, guys! You there!?” She called between gasps, just as Alem had returned to the group once more, surprisingly without questions. It appeared he understood the situation well enough.

“Rika, are you okay!?” Lin was distraught, the complete opposite of Rika at the moment.

“Y-yeah, don’t worry, we’re fine. Okay, listen, get this: they are destroying their own factory. Right. Now.”

Okal’s eyes widened, “Wait, what?”

“Right?” Rika knew it might take a moment to sink in. While Lin and Okal were left confused, and Ace was likely going to take it seriously, she knew Shizuka might be the only one who’d laugh at the situation. She was shaking more from the humor of it all rather than the guns. “I think they’re—hahaha—getting ready to …to leave, hahaha!”

“Rika, you’re in danger, how can you laugh?” Lin asked.

“Because ignoring the fact our lives are apparently in danger, they’re doing our job. Pretend for a minute that we aren’t in danger and see how funny this is! I’m DYING.OF.LAUGHTER!”

Lin looked to Shizuka, to Ace, and lastly Okal. It was hard to pretend that her friends weren’t in trouble, but Okal had no trouble doing so. He had cracked a smile – as small as it was, it was there, and growing by the second until finally he was chuckling to himself. After the guard’s behind him had noticed that Okal had found humor in said situation they had looked amongst themselves. There was definitely something funny about what was going on. Even if they were meant to be concerned or ready to fight, they all agreed with Rika. Lin was staring blankly as the small group had begun to laugh for several seconds.

“Okay, you know, this is pretty funny!” Okal slapped his knee and shook his head, wiping a tear from his eye. Rika was trying to fight continuing given that the situation was somewhat still serious. Okal cleared his throat and begun to settle down, as did his fellows. “Yu, it’s time you earned the wealth I spent on you. Do something about that ship, won’t you?”

“Whatever you do, do it quickly. We’re going in deeper to grab Jasmine, I’ll call again if I have an update.” Rika had hung up without a response and, once certain she could take the situation seriously again, nodded at the three beside her and began to hustle down the lengthy hallway towards the very obvious destination that would take them to Jasmine. A linear path was perfect for the group. The core was in the distance, all they had to do now was get her out.

“Okay, if she’s surrounded by darkness like Asahina, we’ll quickly use these keyblades to break her free from it. Don’t waste a single opportunity – and KEEP UP!” she emphasized. As a strong solo operator she was fastest on her own, yet here she was in a position to count on others. The Sultan simply had to stay safe while they accomplished their task.

----------------------------------------------------

~~~~~~Agrabah (Palace)-Empire/Underground hallways of the Factory~~~~~~

What had once been small shakes felt through the humming of metal quickly grew into the now constant quakes that seemed to be threatening to tear the Factory’s rooms and walkways apart, and still through it all the Tattered Figures continued with their violent animalistic actions against the two intruders. While Flora was able to hold off the brunt of the Tattered Figure’s wild swipes, it was clear it was only a matter of time until the looming cloaked creature would overpower her. With its purple gleaming eyes still staring wide down towards its prey, the creature’s metal covered bone thin fingers slowly began to dig deeper into the Hardwood texture of Flora’s body with every swing.

The two remaining figures were just within swiping distance of Cerden himself, that was until the chunks of razor sharp glass he shot struck their bodies. While the majority seemed to simply pass through the space hidden by the cloaks the Tattered Figures wore, some appeared to hit something, the dark blood flickering out from the creatures as they were sent backwards by the force of Cerden’s attack, soon landing with equally loud thuds just as another loud quake rocked the hallway. With the metal floor actually twisting slightly, with that of dislocating pipes that were now releasing their pent up steam, the hallway was already rapidly reaching the total level of strain it could handle.

All through this those that continued on down towards the Core seemed to pay no mind to the growing quakes, travelling deeper into the depths of the Factory as if with no perception to anything wrong. This continued even when the still raining blasts would suddenly tear a piece of wall panelling free, exposing them to the sudden rush of force and heat from the cannon shots near to the opening. It was when near the deepest part of the Factory that the Hooded Figures changed, a feeling that suddenly ran through them like those of the Abominations on the surface.

The sense of something pure, no matter if Darkness or Light, just that of a powerful source, was what now drew them, the growls that came from them as their bodies started to twist and stretch like the others sounded deeply through the last few hallways of the Factory, something that was much easier to hear with the sudden end of the cannon blasts outside.

~~~~~~Agrabah (City)-Empire/Trident-Class Warship~~~~~~

While it didn’t take long for the first few blasts to pierce down into the particular section of the Factory, the constant barrage of the shots of energy made it seem like a precision strike in some ancient war, the massive ship still hanging high over the blast zone and palace as it continued its operation. Dozens of the Factory’s levels were now exposed to the open air drafting in from the surface. While some still seemed to retain some kind of passage, the majority would just suddenly end once reaching the massive gap made by the cannons, nothing but twisted searing metal and residual heat, and an immense drop down into the laser blasts newest obstacle.

Though the shakes grew louder with every passing second within the Core Chamber, the small group of Hooded Figures continued with their single-charged task, the room now littered with piles of cables and empty tubes and leaving the large box chamber completely disconnected from the rest of the now useless structure.

“Master Clacverk...Disembark...Procedure...completed and...ready to continue…” Said one of the Hooded Figures, who like all of them, spoke as if each word was a monumental task just to get past their lips.

From on board the floating ship, Nomis still watched the constant rain of shots from the ship’s underbelly, the surrounding grounds of the Palace’s garden now covered in debris and dust both from the uprooted soil and the initial blast into the Factory’s outer shell. The mention of the procedure already completed was the only thing that caused Nomis to finally stop the barrage, allowing the smoke and released steam from the Factory’s deepest levels to fade away before he would even begin the second stage.

With the ship’s cannons soon positioning themselves back into their once proper places, a long line of circular lenses immediately began to take the weapons place, each one simultaneously glowing into life before the collection of bright blue beams shot down into the newly made shaft.

The Core Chamber shook once more, things having been silent since the cannon blasts finally stopped, and though it wasn’t as violent as before, the constant rumbling that seemed to encompass every part of the chamber merely continued as the sound of groaning and creaking metal soon accompanied it.

Soon enough, the sound of metal scraping against itself began to fill the air, the Core Chamber shaking more as time went on, and while those within the walls would have no way to see what was happening, to those outside, they would seem what would have been normally impossible. That of a massive box shaped steel chamber now floating upwards through the blue light that illuminated the carved out shaft.

The rattling was easy enough to spot, easy enough to hear, with all due sincerity this was a result in poor coordination on their part. The Mercenary was deliberating Ryoko's actions regarding their captive, the same captive that secured an exit for the rebels. That made three escapes concurring from the Mercenary, and by what means one wondered.

Magic.

He was a steel heart, unable to even access the power of the mystic. He was able to brandish a cheap replication through his kakugane's special ability to replicate spells, limited in 3 slots. His passive skill virtually deeming himself an armadillo, usually non-lethal, but when the situation becomes frenetic enough it could change within that instance. They escaped when it became that instance, needless to say this befuddled the rational thinking and emotionless contractor. These thoughts were almost inherent and locked in.

His ears twitched, breaking his train of thought and his eyes quickly averting to the location of the factory housed on the world. His eyes darted straight up at the warship the Trident. It seemed as if Clacverk had all but submitted his sanity, but a general's intentions were not to be questioned. What would alarm any "normal" human being, simply proposed a modicum of concern, and a turn to the palace only to walk away.

"I'll seek penance when this has ended. The sins can pile up until then, Twilight Town awaits."

With a whisper, the heartless approached, and opened up a path for the mercenary. A portal, about the size of a doorway, seven feet by three in length. It seemed as if a person would be walking through infinite darkness with no end in sight. The mercenary took head and moved swiftly through the passage the heartless created, as it swallowed itself up behind him.

//Traverse Town (Roughly 8 mins Later)------

He strummed plainly through the street, the cobblestone pavement, a mosaic design or two at every set of steps top and bottom. What caught his attention more than anything, were the number of refugees on this world. They reminded him...of himself, lost after a tragic encounter with his master. A few years ago, he began to suspect his memories, but abandoned the thoughts upon joining empire ranks. As Salforge's hands sifted through his pockets, children raced past him, as if engaged in a game of life or death at the speed to which they ran. Bright orange hair, velvet red, two sets of caps, quickly disappearing into the second districted, a barrier erecting behind them, with a red hooded teen leaning against the second district door.

"This place...has changed some since last coming here." he said rather hesitant. To make matters worse, things weren't as pleasant as he'd of liked to believe. The past that chased far behind for roughly twenty some odd years, was about to make a substantial leap into the present. Salforge approached the doors to the second district, passing the red hooded teen and touching the door, suspiciously, but noticing no such "restrictions" applied as with those children that ran through moments before. He tilted his head

"Nothing to see here."
"My thoughts exactly, ghost."

Then the teen in the red hood suddenly vanished. Salforge proceeded to enter the second district, his eyes instantly fell upon the clocktower, "Looks like the cover for the base is still in tact. Small interior, massive exterior." from the entrance to the second district he jumped several meters to the door leading into the clocktower and proceeded to enter and made his way to the largest mid-sized clock. Changing the big and little hands to 3:16. It slid to the right, activating a hidden elevator and the mercenary stepped inside and proceeded down, with the clock moving back into position, and re-synchronizing with the actual time. There was a small indent on the clock that manually stopped just that one, and as it slid back, the indent popped back disabling the temporary stop, this was the failsafe to prevent the elevator from revealing itself at AM and PM times automatically.

Down he went, traveling to the heart of their well-concealed factory. The empire chose to enter as refugees and build the factory here that way. Similar to Ghepetto's shop which he built himself, but to the knowledge of the townsfolk and it's representatives. Salforge stepped out of the elevator and marveled upon the contents of the lobby leading into the main-hallway. He was ahead of schedule but was greeted by another general, who offered a much more hostile welcome.

"YOU! SALFORGE!"
"Thats enough--O'um Van Glieth."

The mercenary raised his hand in greeting. "Commander Capricious, General O'nam. I'd feel for you if that were possible, you get an unreliable mercenary to boss around for stay. More importantly, I have information to share with you, thats my whole reason for coming ahead of General Ryoko. Lets talk."

The ground shook violently as the sound of ear piercing explosives tore through the streets of Agrabah. Citizens screamed, ran, tripped, ran some more, it was chaos. In the midst of this disorder, Ryoko found herself unable to speak or move. She could only watch completely dumbfounded as the imperial palace was reduced to rubble by the massive ship in the sky. When she told Clacverk to use the ship this was not what she had in mind. The palace and the factory were important installations, to destroy them so flagrantly, she could not comprehend what was going through his mind, had he lost it? "My... Combs..." She said with what little breath she had. Many of her belongings were in the palace, no doubt they were gone now. One might expect her to be furious at the moment, but even that was beyond her right now. "Honestly... What the hell."



As she walked deeper into the factory, it became more evident that they were in the right place. More and more mechanical wiring could be seen, haphazard design that reminded her of the room she had been kept in. Large tubes had been placed in such a way that they spilled out of the wall, like the spilled innards of a slaughtered animal. She could not express in words how much she wished to leave this place, but she felt she had an obligation to help. There were others like her that were being used as siphons for these factories of the dark. She already knew she'd have trouble sleeping, the guilt of abandoning those that shared her fate was not something she could take.

She only barely heard Alem as he walked away, she wasn't sure what he could be doing, but she didn't bother to ask. If there was anyone that was fine on their own, it was him. Rika stopped for a moment, acting as if she sensed something amiss. Asahina also had a feeling something bad was about to happen, but to be fair she'd had that feeling ever since she woke up. The Sultan suggested they move on, Rika agreed. But then that something bad happened.

The walls shook, and there was a banging that was as terrifying as the devil himself banging on your door. Asahina understood right away what was happening, they had been found out, and whoever it was above them had decided this position was disposable enough to excuse destroying it to get to them. This was just like the strike on her home in the academy, where anything that was in the way of exterminating the keyblade wielders was torn asunder. Rika called someone, though she couldn't hear a word that was said. She was too busy trying to calm her breathing. "Not... again!" Asahina cried out, struggling to not begin hyperventilating to the point she passed out. She summoned her keyblade and focused all of her magic into a clear spherical barrier around herself, large enough for multiple people to fit into. In a panic, she ran on ahead, not paying mind to Rika and the Sultan.

Asahina sprinted through the shaking halls, debris bouncing off of her barrier along the way. Before long she found the room she was looking for, the large metal door that was meant to be a secure defense had been knocked over, as there was no longer a wall for it to be guarding. She looked for the container for the Princess of Heart, but it wasn't there. In it's place were torn tubes and wires, sparking with electricity. There was light coming in through a large opening in the ceiling, courtesy of the giant ship looming in the clouds. "W-what?" Asahina stared wide eyed at the metal box being lifted into the air by an unseen force. She could only assume it was the ship doing it somehow. But why?
Did they not know what was inside that box? The true nature of the factories? With the machines no longer there to stabilize the Princess of Heart... She clenched her teeth, and pointed her keyblade at the box.



Aladdin's hideaway shook as shock waves from the battleship's bombardment continued to pummel the palace grounds. Shizuka had wanted to leave right away to help, but Ace and Osa convinced her otherwise. At the moment, Shizuka was looking at the destruction through a pair of binoculars, while Ace configured a communication device on the table. He was just about to call Rika, when she beat him to the punch. She seemed out of breath, but for the wrong reason. Apparently she found this entire situation hilarious. Ace let out a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. The woman didn't seem to take very much seriously, either that or she'd been through a carpet bombing before. Rika tried to have the others see this as humorously as she did. He certainly didn't, and neither did Osa or Lin by the looks of it. He looked to Shizuka, who was still looking towards the palace.

"Pfft.. hrm.. pfff.."

Puffs of air pushed between her lips, and her shoulders were shaking. She wanted to laugh so badly.

"If you're going to laugh just do it." Ace said, as Rika ended the call.

"Wha? I-I'm not..." She muttered, but finally broke out into laughter. "What knuckleheads! Are they insane? Ace can we go down there already? The bombing's stopped."

"It may have stopped, but that doesn't mean it can't start again... Though they may need our help."

"Alright, let's go!"



The metal prison containing the Jasmine had stopped it's ascent into the air, whatever force had been pulling it had been rendered irrelevant now. A chill ran down Asahina's spine as her shaking hands continued to point her keyblade upwards. Faint light grew on the tip of the blade, increasing in intensity over time. She should be able to do this instantaneously, but she had drained most of her magic using the barrier, and it had been a while since she had done anything like this.

The source of the chill then turned into a feeling of malice, like a killer charging towards you swinging a bloody axe. Thick darkness began to pour from the ground around her, draining from the planet it's self and soaring into the sky. It all crashing into the box, passing through the metal as if it wasn't even there and infecting the woman inside.

"A-Alem, Masaki!" Asahina screamed in a panic, in a few moments they were going to have a large problem on their hands. The box shook violently, and then was torn apart from the inside like a tornado of knifes spiraling inside a paperbag. Carved metal fell to the ground with a crash, but the person inside the box remained in the air. Jasmine, the Princess of Agrabah, had been corrupted just as she had.

----------------------------------------

~~~~~~Agrabah (City)-Empire/Trident-Class Warship~~~~~~

Everything seemed to be accounted for. The possibility of others now within the confines of the Factory meant a simpler, although clearly crude, means of reaching and extracting the contents of the Core had to be formed in the short amount of time given to the scientist. Any attempt of trying to go after the intruders by merely entering the Factory left far too many variables for escape, especially with no data on those specifically there.

As each Factory was built from the bottom layer up, designed specially for each Empire controlled world they were on, there was no need to consider any sort of easy access for the Core room. A flaw Nomis was certain he would correct with the next series of constructions. All the while the large metal box of the Core room rose in the air with the ship’s light, Nomis always continued to watch the power levels, the sheer weight of the metal placing a great strain and therefore needing a rather constant level of high energy during the entire process.

While at one point the weight seemed to increase, forcing an even greater pull with the box, this just resulted in the ship increasing the pull. Just as he was suddenly made aware of possible intruders from a single event, so too did everything seem to once again change for Nomis. The explosive force that immediately caused the ship to slightly quake immediately passed through the scientist’s mind as the sole reason for the great drop in weight that the beams were having trouble with, there now being in its place a dangerously high level of darkness, something very much akin to the inside of one of the Empire’s Cores.

Already the ship began to compensate for the sudden change in the situation, the readings on the monitors showing fluctuating bursts of dark energy due to the wide, and also stretched, energy beams that were more concerned with weight than containment. A purpose that was now reversed. Aligning once more along the underbelly of the ship, the large lenses began to focus their beams towards a single area between the ship and the bottom of the carved out shaft within the ground.

As they slowly shifted into position, the once crackling and branching darkness from Jasmine now had to contend with the combining of multiple pulling forces, each one layering around one another now that the larger space was no longer needing to be covered. Without the great size of the Core room in the way of the ship’s sensors, the sign of some other person at the bottom of the shaft was quick to show up on the monitors for Nomis, along with some strange yet strong energy readings.

This new energy as well as the still rising levels of force from the darkness meant only one action could be done in order to safely bring the two subjects on board. Aligning once more towards the beam filled crater, two of the cannons which had been responsible for the aerial bombing began to show signs of some kind of red electrical static as they started to build up energy. Acting as one singular moment, the two bolts of energy which were fired soon struck the outer shell of the beams that trapped Jasmine and Asahina, the red static suddenly running through the entire space like a captured lightning storm. Though it wasn’t as deadly as it looked, the constant jolts of this numbing electricity was shown in the past to be more than enough to affect people, to overload their nerves and cause them to freeze up for easy transport.

As the electrical torture continued, Nomis watched the once spiking levels of darkness now slowly drop along with Jasmine’s current conscious lifesigns, the ship already having worked out the recommended level it had to reach before it was safe to bring the Princess on board. And as these levels dropped the power required for the entire process rose higher by the second, the strain from before soon returning to affect all the systems throughout the ship, and yet the process continued.

It was only when the once erratic bursts of darkness became nothing more than little spiking tendrils that the red lightning finally stopped, the great upward pull returning again now with no more resistance from the darkness-infused Princess and her wild pulses of energy. So much greater the pull now, that pieces of debris from the initial blasts from the ship and the removal and destruction of the Core Chamber started to get dragged into the beam, flying upwards into the sky and the awaiting end within the airship's opening.

---

Whatever was happening around and outside of the palace seemed to be having a direct effect on the inside as the walls were starting to crumble away. The ceilings were starting to come down on the massive structure as one passageway at a time started to be blocked by the beige-colored stone that made up the Palace’s interior. Each corner Caleb took a turn on seemed to show the effects of the explosion.

“No doubt that this is his doing,” Caleb was sure his Uncle Nomis was behind this, but why did he do it? Was he that desperate to secure some type of victory or was there some other reason why he resorted to destroying the Empire’s own factory? Caleb could ask himself so many questions, but at the end of the day, the walls were falling apart around him and the ceiling slowly caved in the lower levels. That meant less time for Caleb to even have a chance for him to find his parents.

As he turned corner after corner, Caleb had to find alternative routes through the palace. It would only be until he found himself near one of the basement entrances that he came to a view of his parents. There, he saw a tall mocha-skinned male with white hair and red eyes, holding two twin swords. The other was a purple-haired female built modestly who had twin daggers in her hands while her body was encased in a redwood shell-like armor. Caleb had found them. He found his parents.

“I fou--”

Before Caleb could even finish that sentence, he found his mouth being covered by a black glove while his waist was being gripped by a similar glove. He tried to look behind him, but the grip on him was so tight that he couldn’t move. It only took one second, but Caleb was gone from any sight as he and some stranger disappeared in a Portal of Darkness to parts unknown.

---

---

As the respective fights continued on, the quakes got louder and louder and more frequent. Both Cerden and Flora felt it as their respective opponents soon became distracted from it. That was their chance to made a hasty retreat. If the two of them kept at their fight, who knew what would happen? Flora was nearing her limit as her Redwood Armor was starting to fade. Even if she had the two daggers of her in her hand, there was still the fact that the Tattered Figures were stronger than she had originally thought.

Cerden and Flora, using the quakes and eventual crashing down of chunks of stone on the tattered figures, they made their retreat. Both of them ran in the opposite direction of the basement entrance. Whatever was happening, they did not want to stay around to be caved in by the crumbling palace.

It only took a few minutes for them to finally make their way out of the palace and just outside the main gate. They had arrived outside just in time see the T.R.I.D.E.N.T. Warship bringing in some odd cube that strangely resembled the Factory Core.

“That isn’t..”
“It seems so.”
“Shit.”

They were right. Nomis seemed to be taking the Core with him. Figure if he couldn’t protect it, then take it and fuck what would become of the Factory. It made sense when one thought about it. The factories could just be rebuilt, but the Cores -- the very sole reason for the Empire building the factories in the first place -- are the most important asset that they have. That must be preserved at all costs, even that of their own creation.

As their eyes were glued to what was happening with the core, developments took place. Whatever kind of pulling force was bringing the core to the ship seemed to be either combed with or replaced with something, but on the instant that it did, Flora recognized it instantly. It was hard for her not to. The appearance of it, the way its sparks shot out to the ground and the sky. It was no mistaking it.

“That’s Dominic’s Lightning..” Flora’s heart began to sink deep down.
“Are you sure?” Cerden knew she was right about it, but he didn’t want to fully believe it until he got confirmation.
“I know my brother and his unique powers.” Flora said sternly as she looked to Cerden, “That’s his power. That’s his lightning.” Her worst fears were confirmed, “they didn’t get out.” Her tone went low.

Cerden didn’t know what to say. He wanted to offer up some words of comfort, but what good would that do? With the slight of that vile darkness mixed with Dominic’s Crimson Lightning, words wouldn’t do nothing for her right now. Nothing would. All Cerden could do was stay silent as they saw Dominic’s powers being used for evil and watch the ship slowly ascend to the sky as it prepared to depart from Agrabah.

It was enough, and the mercenary was dismissed, quickly decommissioned from active assignment and on standby. The commander gave a hasty compliance to the youthful General that had a personal vendetta against the mercenary. It would appear they had an unsavory history, but against all protest from the general, the mercenary himself is unable to resolve their connection. Almost as if several years were gone from his memory easily breaking whatever connection they had.

But to him, nothing mattered.

He'd long since given up on his initial ambition upon servicing the empire's aspirations six years ago. What did the name even mean anymore..."Steel Heart".

"Hmm?"

Salforge sat on the roof of the Gizmo Shop, slowly he could "feel" and he used this expression loosely, the wind picking up in the second district. His eye winced, as if exhibiting a mild tick, he was motionless and quickly began to notice a spell in particular was being cast against him.

Aero. A wind spell used as an aggressive form of black magic or alternatively as a defensive magic or abjuration, similar to what the mercenary specialized in.

"Been looking for your ass for 20 years. Steel Heart, kakugane CI. Salforge."

The mercenary had a bit of a blank expression as he looked around, though seeing no one.

"So you know the old man too..? Whats with this flimsy cage you put me in..." the mercenary replied to the disembodied voice.

"He really did alter your memory with that prototype steel didn't he? Whether you remember what you did to us, or not doesn't matter. We're here to make the remainder of your time conscious, a living hell."

The circle of the aero spell that bubbled around the mercenary started to get smaller and smaller. At that point he threw what curiosity he had to the way side and began to duplicate block after block until the compression turned into contraction, expanding his cage causing the aero bubble to burst releasing a destructive characteristic across the roof.

"Follow me, third district disembodied voice. C'mon puppy, thats a good boy, hustle now. Haste!"

Like a bullet he jumped across the roof and landed into the alley door leading to the next district over, quickly disappearing behind the doors. He whistled as to further taunt his pursuer.

The ground was cold, numbing and biting to the skin. Of course it was cold. To expect a metallic floor to be anything but cold was probably foolish. Just why did she have to be here? Asahina thought to herself as her face laid flat on the chilling floor. She knew why, but she questioned it still. Her flesh hurt, the inside of her chest hurt, the inside of her head hurt. Being electrocuted to the point you lost consciousness did that, she supposed. She wished she could say she was used to pain by this point, but all she did was expect it.

She thought back to the question again, the easy answer would be 'fate' wouldn't it? She had been born different, special, a valuable cog in a machine she did not even understand. Saving those like her and stopping the empire, it was her responsibility now. It wasn't fair. She rebelled mentally against the notion, it was childish.

She tried to move, but all it did was make her pain increase. At least she could move her eyes and see where she was. An unremarkable cell, made of metal. Not much help, perhaps her ears would fare better. There was a constant humming, a droning that was like the sound of birds chirping and waves crashing against a shore to engineers. She was on the ship in the sky, so it really had pulled her into it. How stupid was she to fall for such a thing, she had allies with her, but she ran ahead of them and right into a trap that wasn't even meant for her. Figures.

She wished that Alem or the blond woman would come and save her somehow, the thought was comforting but she knew it wasn't happening, she was on her own in yet another metal cage. She had always relied on others and she hated that about herself. Those that could be independent were like shining stars, they were brilliant, the source of her envy, they were hard to look upon. If only she could shine so brightly.

Her ears twitched as she heard a pained groan from behind herself. Jasmine, of course. The Princess of Agrabah had to be saved, and only she could do it. She tried to move again, this time fighting through the pain and forcing herself to push off the ground with her hands. On her feet, she looked down at the Pure of Heart. It was hard to believe she was in the same shape not too long ago. Holding up her palm she cast a weak cure spell on her, the most she could do as her magic had not fully recovered just yet. Jasmine stirred, her limbs twitching before she leaped to her feet with an eardrum rumbling scream.

Asahina summoned her keyblade and gripped it between shaking hands. She knew what to do, any academy student knew what the most powerful ability the keyblade possessed was. It's ability to unlock the heart. Alem and the Blond woman had done as much for her, but what they did was rudimentary compared to what she planned to do.

Jasmine's tainted yellow eyes locked onto her as if she were a hunting dog and Asahina was a fox. "You can't resist it either, can you? I know I couldn't for long. Go ahead." Asahina said. Jasmine's elongated claws clicked against each other, and she jumped for her prey's throat. A deep breath was taken, and the shaking in her hands stopped.

It was basic swordsmanship, even taught in some normal schools. A foe charging directly towards you with highly choreographed movements was as good as a straw dummy. Asahina took a practiced lunge forward, and moved her torso to the right to avoid being decapitated. She tilted her blade horizontally and thrust it towards Jasmine's chest. She felt little resistance as her weapon pierced Jasmine's body. Students were taught that this technique did not sever flesh, but the bindings between one's heart and outside meddling, yet it was still surreal to experience. Jasmine's body recoiled, stunned and unable to strike back, Asahina turned her blade and unlocked Jasmine's heart.

There was a persistent light that shone so bright she felt the need to close her eyes, but she didn't. This light inside of Jasmine, it hurt just to look at, it was brilliant. "This light... is inside of me?" Asahina called her keyblade away, and blinked in a daze as Jasmine began to revert to her normal self, the darkness inside of her had been expunged and returned to the world. She had saved Jasmine, but now they had to escape. That was going to be difficult.