Levi // Cul-De-Sac HQ Private Quarters//

It was about everything you'd expect. The swift takeover of the world "Cul-De-Sac" transitioned in a timely manner. As she sat behind the desk, there was an ominous feeling that overtook the general. A chill that surged down her spine and as if to pique in a moment of brilliance, it unfolded into a terrible string of troublesome thoughts. She was a soldier, a leader, in line with a powerful mass of imperials. There was no whitewashing her affiliation as an older sister, perhaps it was only natural to be twenty-six and worried of past following. A grave was to be dug for her brother, with that letter to reach the mercenary.

"Just seems like nothing is to go as I envision is it." Levi was usually short on remorse, but felt it in abundance towards herself. She was fairly up in the air right now, their forces would be laced to return shortly to their home world, this was their hallmark, their thirteenth conquest in the short campaign of a some odd number of years of declaration. Things would be coming around shortly enough, brining to a very controversial memory as she sat behind her desk. There was a knock at the door.

"Enter."

A woman stepped through giving a rather brief salute.

"General Ciel? What news have you?"

The icy General stood and perpetuated a grimace for a mere second, before resolving to speak. "The remaining stragglers have been compromised by the commander, he quickly disposed of all but the young vassal claimed by the mercenary. The townsfolk have been propagated to defined labor roles, and the resistance has further been executed. Construction of the factory has commenced, awaiting further instruction."

Levi motioned to Ciel with a nod, a feverish squint, as if to constitute a glare that signaled her of a pressing issue. Ciel seemed to acknowledge as she closed the door behind her. "Is something troubling you Levi?"

"It's my brother. I imagine by now our family has already tasked him with eliminating me, regrettably I've moved my protege Maxwell against him."

"I'm never one to question motives...but Sir Salforge would take an order of execution-"

"Seriously. I'm counting on that, and if I know my own blood, he'll still manage to make his way to me in some form. In fact I am counting on that drive to do what we've been planning for the last number of years. Setting the stage of decay from within. The worst thing that could happen..."

Levi paused for a moment, Ciel appeared as though she knew what was coming next.

"I spent a lot of time melding and synergy of our efforts, a true stalwart at best. Ciel, I fear should any of us fall, then the issue of the imperials will fall to you. You are my right hand, you're from another dimension entirely, and as a stranger to this plane I can bestow this trust in you. It should serve you well to befriend the mercenary, it sounds selfish, but he'll serve as our shield, as we act as swords. As for my brother...well, I'm sure he's already in enemy hands, but knowing him something will go wrong and he'll take advantage to escape."

Ciel took a firm stance arms folded, and looking to the window along with Levi. There was still much to come about a coupe being staged by the first division first seat, General.

---------------
Gavin // Twilight Town Hotel Room--

At first movement was feint, as if fighting to regain consciousness, it crept up gradually. Soon both eyes peered open in the slowest animation possible, a combination of daze and fatigue were felt. The young boy tilted his head left, then right, eyes barely open before fully widening. He couldn't speak...HE COULDN'T SPEAK?!

'Silence??? How old school can you get...crap.'

Moving his arms, he noticed they were bound by rope and tied at the top of the bed's headboard. His overshirt was tattered to shreds, he needed a tailor for the wear and tear he'd been doing to his own clothing, a weaver would do. Granted he wasn't in one of the most comfortable positions, but he motioned around left and right trying to pull himself up so that his back was to the headboard and he'd been positioned sitting up on the bed. He grew ever curious as to where he'd been, this looked far too modern, and nice looking to be Agrabah's suite.

'The last thing I remember is the mercenary knocking me out. After that, well, here I am...great.'

Gavin pulled arms to his chest, he tried to blow on the rope, possibly to freeze it. Due to the silence cast on him, he couldn't even change his breath into ice. A woman entered the room, she was armed with a rapier, and possessed the attire of a maid. A maid...WHAT!? His face flooded red, if he could talk, he'd stammer, and couldn't help but remain unable to return another look at her.

"Looks like you've figured out you were silenced. That was my doing, Gavin right? Catherine, Ryoko's........maid." she shuddered even uttering the last word. "I've been tasked with looking over you in her stead, don't worry, you won't be go anywhere so long as you can't use magic. Besides, that debuff is just to suppress your utility for now, I heard you're quite the exceptional darkness user. Can't leave it to chance, please understand."

Catherine had actually entered, believe it or not, to serve him.

"Don't get the wrong idea, she doesn't want you dead...so..." She held a cup of water to his lips, though looking away in embarrassment of this magnitude, her servitude. "We can't have you dying from dehydration, apparently those ice abilities dehydrate you faster than normal, at least thats the conclusion I came when studying you briefly."

Gavin was already gone...yet again! He was fatigued, dehydrated, dazed, and now he'd been rendered unconscious through some manner of highly escalated excitement, causing him to white out. Simply due to the scenario his teen mind perpetuated, being bound to a bed and a maid entering the room, as catherine was looking away, he passed out.

"Your kidding...I suppose i'll have to wait for this damn fool to wake up again." Catherine sighed.

---

“More than I care to admit,” Flora said to Shizuka, glancing over to Cerden laughing.

Cerden looked at Flora with a raised brow, but he said nothing.

That last comment by Shizuka caused a look to be exchanged by the two. Even though they both knew she was probably kidding, in some aspects, they wondered if things had ignited back between them or not. It had been years since they were officially an item. Perhaps the journey to get their son back was the original reason they began working together again, but along the way, the thoughts of ‘getting back together was an interesting one indeed. However, the mission would take priority. They would have to ask each other the personal question when they had their own time, perhaps after the war concludes.

When Shizuka announced that they were within orbit of the world, all three of them had the same reaction to what was in the ocean near a bedding of reef. It was the LyphemusClass T.R.I.D.E.N.T. ship that Nomis had command over. It was the ship that Dominic and Shinto were on as well as the two Princesses of Hearts that Ace and his friends had lost control of.

“We’re close,” Flora said, “hold on..”

---

When the Arianhods were launched in the direction opposite of him, their metal bodies crashing into the wall, pieces of their metal forms scattering about like a glass vase smashed into the ground. The metal gears and screws that made up them spreading all over the hallway. Some of them were rolling against the walls and the rest seemed to just lay still, remaining cold like the heart one who forged them.

Remaining in a somewhat defensive position, Shinto kept his eye out for anything to happen, any kind of attack coming from any direction, be it up, or one of the many directions to the side of him or behind him. He kept the force field around him and his arms constantly moving, gathering the telekinetic energy around them. Indeed, Shinto stood ready for any attack to come his way.

And yet, none came.

He was puzzled. Surely there were more to come. Surely they were laying in wait, biding their sweet time to when Shinto would lower his guard and then that’s when they would strike in numbers. Surely they would wait for the perfect opportunity for Shinto decide in his mind that there were no more and that they could come in dozens, possibly overwhelming the blond. Surely there was going to be something coming his way that wasn’t this unnerving and unsettling stillness. Surely there was something. Anything.

He waited, standing firm where he was. And he waited some more. Five minutes it was, his form not moving, his frame still as a brick wall. Not one pace was taken. The force field remained. The telekinetic energy around his body within that force field remained. A look of determination remained, more intense than it had been in the last five minutes. But even Shinto had his limits.

“Maybe they aren’t anymore of them,” Shinto said, starting to lower his guard just ever-so slightly.

Then, just as Shinto predicted, just as he imagined in his mind when he ran various scenarios through his mind as he waited so very long, he heard noise. It was the kind of noise that was sudden and had the full focus of his hearing sense. It was the kind of noise that could only come from heavy doors being shut and with force at that. It was the kind of noise that, within eerie silence that remained for a prolonged amount of time, would call the full attention of anyone who was within the hall and it called Shinto like an obsessive girlfriend wondering where he was at every given moment of the day.

After the doors shut, the sounds of closing vents came next and Shinto started to feel the effects instantly. The flow of oxygen soon began to decrease bit by bit. Even if it was on the lowest levels possible, Shinto would still feel it as the sudden limited oxygen would soon have a physical effect on him.

So that Shinto didn’t lose what little oxygen reserves he had left, he surrounded himself in such a powerful Telekinetic Aura that it closed off the effects of the room within a small sphere around him and locked in just enough oxygen he needed to keep himself alive and be able to move as he normally would.

Really wish I didn’t send Dominic away. His lightning would’ve come in handy right about now.

Yes, it would have, but Shinto didn’t have time to fret over what could have been. Instead, he needed to focus on the here and now and how he could get out this situation.

“Easier said than done,” Shinto said.

Shinto could barely see even one foot in front of him, let alone one yard or even a few meters. Not only that, but Shinto heard the sounds of those Arianhods launching their lasers, which the sight of the red beams would be seen coming at him from all angles.

Shinto had no form of defense aside from a good offense, so he rotated his body to deflect them. It was like a version of the very common Keyblader spell, Reflect, but dimmed down slightly. It was something he came up with when he studied magic during his times on Hollow Bastion, before it was overtaken by the Empire.

When the beams all scattered around the general area, some of them hit the vents, some of them hit their originator and some just hit the walls, doing minor damage to it. Regardless of where they went, Shinto looked at every one of them, using their deflected trajectory as a way to spot any escape route. And as luck would have it, three of them were deflected back to what looked like one of the heavy metal doors that shut not so long ago.

“And there’s my way out,” Shinto said, smiling.

Preparing for his getaway, Shinto used the remaining amount of his available telekinetic abilities to project himself into flight. It was one of the simplest techniques he knew that had nothing to do with actual battle. It was the easiest way he knew how to get around when he needed to get out of a bind quickly. And it just so happened that Shinto was a master of using it, able to manipulate the speed and force he can fly at as well as projecting his power outward if needed. The only downside was that he had to sacrifice the force field for it, which was bad because he would feel the burning gas on his skin.

One…two…THREE!

On the third count, Shinto took flight. His arms outward and legs closed. Shinto had his hands extended outward so that he could expel his power when the situation would call for it. The smell of his burning skin starting to take effect. Even after five seconds of high-speed telekinetic flight, he could feel the gas starting to tear into his clothing and his skin.

Flying in the darkness, in the burning gas, Shinto felt all sorts of things hitting against his frame and mind. On his body, burning gas tore through his clothing and in his face he felt the dry wind adding to the uncomfortable feeling he had. Added to that, the darkness didn’t help. He only had the general direction of where he saw the door at and the rest was up to a general feeling. His eyes were closed so he wouldn’t get any of the burning gas’ effect in his retinas and iris.

Only five seconds passed and only twenty meters remained until the door, or at least, that’s what he estimated. Regardless, five more seconds would pass and he was a mere meter away. At this point, Shinto unleashed all of the telekinetic force his body would allow. The invisible in appearance energy was sent out, and a second later the doors were forced open. Well, that would be an understatement. So much force was expelled from his hands that the doors not only opened, but they came clean off their hinges and flew several dozen paces backwards all the way to the wall at the end of the hallway. Shinto did that to the other doors too as they came into his special sense radius.

With that, Shinto was like a bird and flew away. He flew away from the remaining Arianhods. He flew away from the gas-filled hallway and made his journey to reunite with Dominic. He just prayed that he wasn’t too late, god-forbid anything happened to him.

---

As Dominic watched the teenage girl do her thing, he couldn’t help but be impressed by what he saw. An amazing display of ice and fire magic being simultaneously used in perfect unison. The ice found its way into the machines, inducing the cogs inside the Birugs with a slowing, frosting agent. All the while, a fireball was expelled that demolished the machines, blowing it to bits.

The display he saw got Dominic all hyped up. It was as if the electricity from watching her recharged something in him that allowed him to go into overdrive. That was evident of the crimson-colored electricity around him, shocking the ground around him.

Just as he was going to go forward, he heard something to the left of him, near where he and the girl were before, looking over the ship and seeing the reef.

A gummy ship of respectable size tore through the sky like. The heroes truly did arrive at the last minute to save the day.

Dominic looked at it with a mixture of confusion and amazement. It was a welcomed surprise to see a helping hand, even more so one that was well-equipped. And when the voice would say stand back, Dominic would grab the two girls and let the cannons of that wonderful ship do its thing.

And boy did it ever.

Seconds after being released, the cannons completely obliterated the remaining machines, wiping them away from existence. Though, the attitude that the voice seemed to be emitting was a little on the crazy side. Dominic enjoyed every minute of it as he found himself cheering and yelling obscenities at the machines.

As the ship came into a lower level and stopped slowly, the top of the ship opened up. “Well fuck me and call me a monkey’s uncle..” Dominic said, completely shocked, “I didn’t know you two would be in that awesome ship. “Dominic said, smiling.
“I see you’re not dead. That’s good,” Flora said, standing up. Her right foot on the edge of the cockpit.
“Yo, Domi! Glad to see you’re well! I thought my crazy brother would have fried you for sure,” Cerden said cheerfully, standing behind Flora as he had a smile on his face.

Punching Cerden, which caused him to go overboard and face-first into the metal surface of the ship, Flora got down too, but she landed on her feet.

“So, what brings you two here?” Dominic asked.
Flora punched him in the gut. Dominic knelt down to his knees, holding his gut.
“Missed you too sis.” Dominic said grunting.

As Dominic and Cerden both got up to their feet, Flora looked around and she noticed something was off. It wasn’t until a few seconds that all of the bits and pieces of the birugs were gathering together and converging around the gummy ship. Obviously they weren’t going to let the lot escape that easily.

“As I figured.” Flora said, smiling with her eyes closed..
“I guess we’re going to have to show Nomis why we’re so fucking badass,” Dominic said.
“Just don’t pull a muscle,” Cerden smirked.

As if on instinct and cue, the three rushed towards the cage-formed Birug. Flora was running in the center while Cerden and Dominic were running beside her. Each of them then utilized their respective ability.

Flora gathered the natural energy that she got through a very common process within plants called Photosynthesis from the sun. The energy she gathered from it surrounded her body in such a blinding appearance that her skin radiated with golden beauty and the aura expanded around her. Cerden had formed crystalline glass around his body, creating a façade of armor, which in reality it was only layered glass to look like armor. Dominic who already was covered in his electrical aura was all ready for the offensive.

The trio went in brutally and effectively, combining their efforts to neutralize the cage Birug without harming the ship. Dominic enhanced the heat within the metal by manipulating his electricity in such a way that would allow that. Flora neutrallized all heat completely, making it even weaker in its texture which would allow it to be suspect to being sliced up like butter. When it was Cerden’s turn, he came in with a glass blade formed from his wrist down on both hands. By a motion as simple as slicing through the Birug several times over, he not only cut up that cage-formed machine like a fine steak, but he also reduced it to metallic dust.

When the trio was all done, Flora looked at Shizuka and her reunion with her friends. "So, as much as I would like to stay here and wait for the next wave of Nomis' Birugs, maybe we should take this brief opening to get the fuck out of here?" Flora yelled out to Shizuka, "or not. We can always spend more time risking our lives."

"I vote for the former." Dominic said.
"I third that." Cerden echoed Dominic.

Ace was caught off guard by the sudden appearance of a hooded assailant. He had grabbed Rika from behind, and rendered her completely helpless. His first reaction was to reach for his sword, but before he even gripped the hilt he stopped. Who was this? The man asked what their business here was, but the more pressing issue was his identity. "Pretty face? Am I in high school again? Honestly..." Ace said, relaxing his posture. He didn't want to endanger Rika's life, but in the case that this man was a potential enemy he couldn't tell him everything right away.

Ace looked at his surroundings, the man did not seem to have any others with him, no one was coming to arrest them all. The man's attire was drab and ragged, as if those clothes had seen years at sea. The chances of him being affiliated with the empire were slim. He gauged the distance between himself and Rika, he could prevent her from being shot if the man pulled the trigger, but only barely. He didn't want to risk it.

"What was it that woman said?" Ace said, pointing towards Rika. That Rika has family here, and that the person we would be looking for would find us. He repeated in his thoughts. Ace looked to the man holding Rika hostage and scratched his head. "The name Masaki wouldn't happen to mean anything to you, would it? That's no way to treat family you know. We're here to help take care of the empire. We aren't your enemy here... So you can let Rika go, even if it is hilarious seeing her this shaken up."



Before they had time to even think of getting back to the gummie ship and escaping, Nomis pulled one more trick out of his sleeve. More of his machines showed up, miniature robots that scurried across the ground like rodents. If not for the fact that they were ignoring her, Asahina would have burned the entire deck to ashes, she was not a fan of rats.

The tiny machines surrounded the ship, their only way off the warship that didn't involve a high dive and a perilous swim through the ocean. "You wouldn't happen to have another ship, would you?" Asahina asked.

"Not on me... We'll need to break through that cage and hurry through before it closes again." Shizuka said. She eyed Asahina, and thought of something. "Hey, do you remember that time we were paired up in combat fundamentals?" She said. Asahina shuddered.

"You threw me like a baseball at the training dummy, that wasn't what our master meant by teamwork as well grounded as a pro baseball team's."

"But it worked didn't it?" Shizuka said with a shrug.

"It won't here!" Asahina shot back. As the two of them bickered, the others had already sprung into action. Through a coordinated assault Cerden, Flora and Dominic destroyed the cage, leaving an easy way back to the ship. "See, that is teamwork." She said.

"Bet they wouldn't have gotten an A like we did though." Shizuka said derisively. Asahina shook her head, and looked back towards the entrance to the warship. Could they leave now?

"What about your other friend, Shinto? He's still down there, isn't he?" She turned to Dominic, hands clasped together in a pleading gesture. "You have a mental link with him, don't you? Can you see if he's alright?" She asked.

"We don't have time." Shizuka said, picking up Jasmine. "I'm not looking forward to dealing with whatever else that guy has to throw at us, so come on." She said, hurrying up the ship's ramp. Begrudgingly, Asahina followed after her into the ship. She recognized the brightly colored interior. Ships made from gummie blocks had always been a tad strange, as you could create all kinds of shapes and still manage to have a flyable ship. This ship in particular had been modeled after a UFO, so it was round, and had various flashing lights on it's exterior. On the inside there was a high degree of blue and green, with the floor looking green and the walls and equipment being blue.

"Alright... umm." Shizuka mumbled as she sat down at the pilot's seat, having buckled Jasmine into a bed in the back. "You guy's might want to buckle up, because there's a lot of stuff flashing here and I only know what half of it means." She flipped the ship on, and something in the innards of the ship crackled ominously. "was that... oh, yeah that was the warp drive... err." With shaking hands she pushed a lever forward, and the ship lurched ahead. The gummie ship popped up like a jumping bean, causing Shizuka and Asahina to nearly swallow their heart in panic.

"Who taught you to fly!?" Asahina screamed.

"I'm gonna have to plead the fifth on that one. Hold on, we're gonna crash into the ocean!" The ship splashed into the blue waters of the sea, and kept going forward. Shizuka hurriedly pulled back the lever, and it began to move at a more steady pace. She looked back at the others with a confident grin. "Well, at least we've got a boat, right?"



Ryoko sat patiently as Shinobu gave out orders to the Turks. He split them up into teams to perform specific tasks on different worlds, essentially acting as his personal investigation squad. Once they left the room, Shinobu requested that she continue. She let out a quick breath and looked at him. "You always know just what to say, You cannot possibly imagine how frustrating that can be, Shinobu." Her voice was placid, and she was speaking with a nostalgic cadence. "You haven't changed at all since highschool." She said, remembering a simpler, yet infinitely more angst filled time.

She remembered barging into Shinobu's home buzzed off of a bottle of some cheap alcohol, forcing him to listen to her ramble on about her latest break up. That was the first time she'd opened up to someone, and to her surprise she didn't regret it later. In spite of how aggravating she was at the time he bothered listening to her, and managed to say just the right things to help her. She ended up crying with him patting her head like a child, it hurt just to remember.

Ryoko stood up, and walked around Shinobu's chair, standing above him. She leaned downwards, and wrapped her arms around him. "Sorry for always doing this, I swear I'll repay you for always indulging my proclivities..." She was silent for a minute, her eyes closed and her mind taking in the tranquility of the room. She often did things like this, she had never told him why, just that she needed to. It let her forget herself, that she was herself, if only for the moment. If it wasn't for Shinobu, she'd have gone on a killing spree long ago... off the clock that is.

She let go of Shinobu, sat back in her seat, and let out a sigh. "I'll handle Gavin, he's essentially a terrorist, one that I have a feeling plans to assassinate another General. And I'll handle Nomis, either he falls in line with my demands or I'll kill him myself."

//Salforge Traverse Town (???) --

"He fell pretty hard...is he dead?"

"Hey! Neku don't poke him!"

'Man your annoying, you apply pressure to see if the nerves respond moron.'

The sound of voices were faint, suddenly his body began to tense and embrace motion.

"H-he's moving! He's alive!"

"Hey Mr. You fell pretty hard just now, you alright?"

Salforge turned his head, spotting two kids in their teens. One with brightly colored orange hair, the other a young female with a faded rose colored hair. He nudged, before bringing himself up to both of his feet, and walking past them both almost as if they were ghost.

"Hey! Talk about rude!"

"Shiki. Maybe he can't see us, don't tell me you forgot about the game already."

"O-oh right."

"No. I can see you kids fine." Salforge turned and looked at them both making eye-contact.

'Hmmm. We should confirm this by using the player pin...'

The teen in the purple threads tossed up a pin and clutched it in his hand. The player pin was a symbol of participants in the reapers game, it also construed a gift that helped players reach objectives by enabling them to read the minds of those on the RG or real ground. As the boy clutched it tightly the area illuminated blue for him, as he attempted to scan the mercenary, there were bars of interference, as if protected by noise, there was only static above where normally would be a speech bubble.

"You see that??" the boy said to the girl.

"Your name is Neku right? And your Shiki." His response was met with cautious and confound eyes, "Don't look so surprised, using each other's names so casually when talking to a complete and thought to be unconscious stranger was a bit lax. Anyway, you kids look like you know this area, I only want some information."

The two looked at each other, then back at the mercenary.

"For all we know you could be a reaper. Hardly willing to take that chance, we can't scan reapers either and Hanekoma said they can move between the RG and UG. If your not a support, you've gotta be a Harrier. I don't trust any of you to be honest about anything."

He looked almost as if he were ready to fight, the mercenary didn't falter in stature, it would almost seem out of character if he did so even remotely. Salforge sighed, then turned his back to walk away without notice before the situation escalated any further. "Based on your response towards me, this isn't going to get anywhere so don't waste anymore of my time. I'll ask someone else, see ya."

The was a shot at his feet, he wasn't even fifteen feet away and there a singed spot on the ground. Just before, the sound traveled from high up, the kids and himself were on the ground, this easily meant it wasn't them. The mercenary stopped walking and put the hands on the back of his head, as if he were under arrest. He chose not to resist this time.

"To think you was actually appear here after what happened."

Jumping off the roof an easily recognizable teen that was transitioned into his later teens. The mercenary turned around slowly, captivated by the face of the young man. He suddenly began to remember, this was his hometown.

"Derek..." Salforge said lifting his hands from his head. "To think Clement didn't catch you...to think he failed to move your world from orbit. You...everyone, it's been years-"

"Anya's dead. Thank you, when I learned you were the one that captured her, I had to wait for the day to-"

"Take revenge right? Something about how human beings interlope always brings this into consideration. Do want to beat me within an inch of my life in order to validate that you did something? I'll tank everything you can throw kid, then walk away still alive having done nothing. I don't like fighting kids, but too many times have I been forced to. Nobody likes the empire, I'm just means to suppress those kinds of people, it's what I get paid for kid, don't take it personal, thats how Anya died remember?"

Derek's anger seemed to fester as if about to overflow.

"Before you loose your cool, I'm not entirely sure if Capell was executed or not, but I know for a fact Concordia escaped, Ty Dex was silence by me. Man he resisted harder than any of you pushovers, vitality and endurance is king in times of war, remember that. Anyway, everyone seems to be rather upset with me today, that I can speak so calm yet coldly of all past occurrences. Ok? Doesn't exactly weigh on your conscious, heart, or whatever you call it, when it's made of steel, it already takes the burden as the same alloy it's produced from. Go figure."

The children were still watching, listening to every word. Clearly Derek couldn't hear or see them, and to confirm what they said about reapers, perhaps something happened to him during that light show not long before. Either way the mercenary found himself eating a string of compressed magic bursts fired from Derek's Tonfa's. He came down and angrily charged the mercenary collectively striking him in random places as Salforge didn't bother to move, but concentrate on the rapid repairs using haste.

"You should know, it was Haruka that killed her, he only did it to spite you Derek. Yes, I captured Anya, but he was the one that executed her, to lie is irrational and unobtrusive. All this what I can only determine as rage, frustration, and anger collectively, is only serving to weaken your ability to comprehend the magnitude of what's happened. You really want to do something, join those in resistance where your group failed, thats all I will say really."

His frustration only continued to escalate as he rapidly attacked the mercenary, who simply did nothing but stand there and absorb the damage with his passive defenses and high durability. After a while, he slowed down and dropped both of his tonfas (they were key blades btw) and slugged Salforge right in the cheek, pressuring so hard it left him red, and threw him through Ghepetto's window.

The stranger was dead silent; somehow Ace didn’t understand the situation he was put in, leaving him to look a fool in front of a man that held a very important card in his grasp. Beneath the hood his eyes would be obscured from view, yet he could see the difference between Ace and Lin immediately. Ace had dropped his willingness to defend himself and stopped asserting his strength in favor of trying to express some wit. Lin was at the ready even after Ace had rambled. Her right hand was strategically placed out of sight while her knees remained bent, and her eyes wide open for anything she could get her visuals on. Ace’s face was careless, while hers was tense. It was clear who valued the life of their comrade more in this situation, regrettably it was not Lin who was apparently the leader in this situation, but rather the androgynous one with all the charm of a pirate to be hung from the neck. His hidden eyes traveled to Rika now, who was rolling her own after Ace’s, and she thought this loosely, effort to diffuse the situation. At first he scoffed, and then he laughed for a short moment, before ultimately bringing his expression to the same serious one he had before.

“Little one,” he looked to Lin now, yet kept his pistol trained on Ace, “I noticed you look a lot more serious about this situation. Why is that?”

“You’re putting my friends in danger. For that reason I have no choice but to be serious.” The Chinese girl replied both low and quick. Inactive physically, the olive eyes that were constantly trained on the stranger’s weapon more than made clear she intended to strike if need be. “Was Ace right? Are you the family Rika spoke of?” Lin asked.

The stranger nodded his head and drew his pistol back, having seen enough of Ace and Lin to create his own opinion. Releasing Rika’s mouth and stowing away his pistol, the familiar green emeralds of his captive went from annoyance to happiness. She jumped into him and hugged his form, letting out a happy groan from the exertion of it. This exchange made Lin lower her guard and relax her body, the tension in her eyes fading almost immediately in favor of the familial embrace.

“You almost scared me, damn it!” Rika muttered happily.

“Almost?” The stranger replied, “You should have seen how wide your eyes were. I thought they’d have popped right out.”

“Nuh-uh!”

“Whatever you say.” The man released her, taking the time to admire her full form. Sizing her up for just a moment and exhaling a sigh of approval, his attention returned to her eyes and through his hood he beamed his approval, something only Rika could see. “You’ve grown so much since I last saw you. I almost confused you for your mom.”

“I got the good genes, you know that better than anyone.” Rika winked.

The man chuckled in response before his attention returned to Rika’s companions. Lifting his hood back, Lin had gasped at the exposed features of the man. While every part of him had screamed handsome, his eyes were just like Rika’s in term of radiance. Her eyes kept locked on the sea of blue in his eyes for a moment more than she intended, causing her to blush and finally look down in surprise. Apparently good looks ran well in Rika’s family.

“The name is James Kenway, I’ll be looking out for you while you’re here. According to that dark woman, you can help the world with a little problem called the Empire.” Lin had bowed, and James had returned it without hesitation, causing Lin to blush further in appreciation. James grinned at the girl, yet his expression hardened when he looked to Ace. “I’ve heard a few things about the people my niece has been traveling with, and not all of it is good. I’m not here to be your friend, I’m here to whip you into shape, to give you a greater chance in all the battles you have coming. But most importantly, you’re going to learn to value your comrades and have an equal share in responsibility on this world.”

James pat Rika on the shoulder and smiled again, then beckoned Lin and Ace along to descend to Port Royal.

“We’ve got a lot to work to do, so I’ll fill you in on what’s happening once we get comfortable.”

~-~

“A terrorist? Compared to someone who represents the Empire, who launched a strike on a foreign world without consent or a justifiable reason? When Tseng and Elena get back to me I can decide what to do about that incompetent eunuch.” Shinobu muttered, unimpressed with Ryoko’s terminology of what a terrorist happened to be. As far as he was concerned, this Gavin character was simply trying to stop a madman from going through with his insanity. Ryoko would no longer find sympathy for her careless classification. “As of this moment Ryoko, the rebels are not a common enemy. Your jurisdiction here was already limited, but now …now I’m starting to think I can’t trust anyone who dares to consider themselves a military leader to have a single right above a civilian in Twilight Town.”

He picked himself up and made his way to the door, opening it and gesturing outside. “Take me to where Gavin is, I’ll form my own opinion. And if he appears sane, I’m releasing him. Do not challenge this.”

If all Generals were like Nomis, perhaps Gavin wasn’t the terror that Ryoko tried making him out to be.

Ace breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that he was correct in deciding this man was the one they were looking for. The man and Rika exchanged a few words, leading Ace to wonder what kind of mother someone like Rika could possibly have... Best left alone, he thought. The man introduced himself as James Kenway, and flipped back his hood. And he has the nerve to call me a pretty boy. Ace could easily see James being cast in an action movie, if not for his clothing and hair he would look out of place here.

Apparently James had been filled in by the 'dark woman,' he really wished she would just tell them her name, if she ever met Chizuma she might be laughed at. But the point was, he was here to guide them, help become better individuals and a better team. Taking Rika hostage must have been a test, which judging by James's reaction he wasn't impressed by. Well he wasn't quite impressed with him either for deceiving them like that.

As James led them through the sea side port, Ace looked over to Lin. "Hey, you're confident that you're alright, right? If you ever have any black outs or anything I want you to let me know." He said, feeling a tad out of his element. He averted his eyes from her and rubbed the back of his neck. "You just had me a little worried, ya know?"

They soon entered a tavern, which had a sign with the name The Royal Anchor wielded into it. Bars weren't exactly his scene, he'd never even had more than a sip of alcohol to begin with. His masters in the academy refereed to the stuff as poison to the mind.



Ryoko glared up at Shinobu, Her arms crossed. "You are aware. That you are the only man I let speak to me like that." She grumbled, walking out of the building. "And the Rebels are your enemy, Shinobu. "If they were to come here I assure you they would disrupt the peace that you are so proud of having built."

With her leading the way, they soon arrived to the hotel, which was eerily quiet without any patrons. She opened the door to her room, and was met by Catherine, who had heard her coming and stood by the door awaiting her. "Master." She greeted with a haphazard smile and a stiff curtsy. "The boy is unconscious at the moment, but yo-" She stopped as she noticed the man behind Ryoko. "E-excuse me." She quickly left the room, making sure to avoid eye contact with Shinobu.

"Unconscious? That woman's fucking useless I swear." Ryoko groaned, tapping her forehead in irritation. Further in the room she saw the boy still tied to the bed where she left him. "Well I'm not waking him up, he can't speak anyway since he's silenced. He's dangerous, he's already tried to kill me, and he's after another general as well."

Lin descended into the town of Port Royal beside the others in silence, keeping both thoughts and questions to herself for the time being. With their arrival into the thick of the community the group had been met with stares – some were welcoming, others were uncertain, even intimidating. The eyes were primarily centered on both Ace and herself, leaving James and Rika to be mostly looked at fondly. Whether envy or fear, the characteristics of youth and a past she had yet to discover surrounded the two. On the way to the destination that went unnamed, some of the folks offered greetings to James and he responded in kind. She determined based on their gestures and tone that it was genuine, as she was familiar with disrespect and insincere expressions. The entrance James had made in their lives had been questionable, but upon close examination of the people and how they looked to him, Lin could tell that James had a good reputation among these ordinary people living ordinary lives.

A small smile of appreciation was directed at the back of their new comrade. It appeared that, in spite of how he looked at Ace, as well as how the man in question put them on edge, he was a good person after all. Just like Rika. Just like family.

Her eyes rested on Rika and James chatting, mostly in reference to Rika’s mother and how long it had been since she had visited. Topics had gone from the fermenting of a good drink and the recent adventures they had embarked on, with Rika going into great detail about what they had just left in Agrabah. With the two Masaki enjoying their due indulgence of one another after what sounded like many years, Ace’s voice brought her attention to him. As the two tailed the Masaki duo, Lin lent her ear to Ace’s expression of concern for her. She briefly looked back at Agrabah – how she had forgotten the events that led them into Aladdin’s apartment were still a mystery, but she did not have time to dwell on it too much since the attack against the palace by a man without a heart.

He turned his head and avoided her face now, just barely missing her smile and the faintest hint of red on her cheeks. Lin’s appreciative stare combined with a sudden heightening temperature brought the attention of the Masaki to Ace and Lin for a second before they returned to giving attention to one another, noticeably quieter in their conversing.

“Your concern is kind, Ace,” she expressed cheerily, maintaining her smile throughout, “but I feel fine now – renewed by the change in atmosphere, and the concern of a good friend. If anything changes I’ll be sure to tell you.” Lin placed her palm to his arm as a comforting gesture. “Likewise, you can let me know if something is troubling you. I will always listen.”

“We’re here,” James cut in, bringing the attention of the others to a tavern with a sign, The Royal Anchor, attached. From several feet away he could already hear the familiar tones of a merrymaking band inside to entertain the patrons of the establishment. He stepped inside with Rika and the others in tow, laying eyes upon an abounding number of patrons. Lin appeared a little on edge, her smile and the heat she emanated vanishing. She did not desire attracting the attention of many rugged strangers, none of which looked welcoming. The air was musty enough that Lin’s nose wrinkled – Rika’s as well – while James appeared used to the scent of this place. Besides that, the place was rambunctious and lively. Everyone appeared happy and enjoying themselves. No signs of aggression on any faces, not even a nasty eye to one another.

A sharp whistle was released from James by the proper placement of fingers, and immediately all attention fell on the party of four. Lin jumped slightly at how fast everyone’s heads spun – even the band had stopped its playing. All eyes fell upon their world leader, as the mysterious woman had called him.

“Gentlemen,” he started, his voice strong and unwavering. “I’d hate to cut this gathering short, but I need the tavern. It’s time we removed this Empire from Port Royal, wouldn’t you say?”

A roar of approval sounded; In Lin’s amazement, many of the patrons had immediately risen and left, some patting James’ shoulder on the way out, and others voicing violent obscenities about the Empire themselves. By the time everyone had shuffled out, only several men remained. One had incredibly dark skin and a scarred torso, as well as an impressive – yet fearsome – height. At his side he carried a long blade of an unknown make. His eyes were soft despite the hardened, scarred exterior the man had. Lin couldn’t describe it, but she felt safer now seeing them.

Another was left at the bar, surrounded by a handful of empty mugs. He was short with muscular arms and a fully-bearded face, and had pistols at his side. He turned to James and the rest of the party, giving them a look over. What was left of the room, including the band, set their instruments aside and joined James over by the entryway.

“Two watching the door, one to the ship, another to the blacksmith. Go.” James ordered. The men nodded and fell out instantly, leaving only the scarred man and the bearded one. While the former was examining Rika closely, the latter was quick to take a mug of rum before joining over to James. Lin noted that the bearded man was walking steady, appearing unhindered by his alcohol binge.

“Rika?” The darker man asked, looking at Rika with curiosity. “Little Rika? Is that you?”

Rika did her best to hold her ground, but her body had slowly begun to tremble. James chuckled at her attempt to be stoic, knowing she’d break at any moment. As expected, Rika’s indifference faded immediately. She towards the man and threw her arms around him, laughing. “Noah, it’s been years!”

“Several, if we are counting,” Noah pointed out in the midst of his laughter, hugging Rika tightly.

Rika’s reaction brought a smile to Lin, while the bearded one took another drink from the mug he carried. “Adorable,” he mumbled sarcastically.

“Oh, don’t be jealous Finn!” Rika snickered,

“I’m not jealous! I’m just …where’s MY hug?” Finn demanded, appearing more shocked than offended. Noah released Rika, and she turned her embrace onto the bearded Irishman. “That’s more like it! It’s nice to be appreciated, you know!”

“Still drinking piss?”

“It’s not piss!”

“Smells like piss, Finn.”

“Well it’s not piss! It may not be any o’ yer fancy Masaki fermented nectar-o’-the-gods, but it gets my blood flowin’, and that’s all that counts!” Finn stamped his foot down on the ground hard in defiance, but peered over his shoulder at the barmaid and owner of the establishment, cleaning up after Finn’s leftover mugs. He slowly turned back to Rika and held a cupped hand in front of his chest, as if weighing an invisible sack of gold. “Not to mention Josie’s chest leverage.” he whispered, prompting Rika to nod her approval without a moment’s hesitation. Lin peered at her own modest chest for a moment before looking away with disappointment.

“You had a good deal of time to wet your whistle, but now we get down to business.” James smiled and beckoned Ace and Lin to join him further inside.

In time a large gathering of men had returned, all of which belonged to James’ crew. The man sent to the blacksmith returned with several blades, flanked by several others wielding pistols and short blades. As Rika chatted with Noah and Finn by the bar, James was left to oversee who was returning. Within twenty minutes the tavern was full once more.

“Rika, up here!” James called to her upstairs and she had soon joined them, leaving Noah and Finn to guide the rest of the men in distribution of weaponry, as well as remind them of the plan to follow. James gave the entire room one quick scan before his eyes settled on the trio of young warriors from unknown lands. “Well, I’d say we’re nice and comfortable now. This world – the Caribbean – is a place of piracy and chaos. But recently, with the Empire’s arrival months ago, the world has changed. There was a Royal Navy that patrolled the waters and guarded various settlements - settlements such as this one - until these people from other lands emerged and declared their right to rule: the Empire. That Navy was disbanded, and all that’s left are volunteers who wanted to continue bringing order, even if it meant betraying the colors they once represented. Even fellow pirates turned to joining them; they may be few in number, but it hasn’t gone unnoticed by my fellows.” James paused and looked among the three of them.

“What exactly is a pirate?” Lin asked.

“It’s got a broad definition,” the two Masaki managed to say at the same time, with James appearing more surprised than Rika. Gesturing to Rika, James would allow her to continue explaining herself. “Some pirates are cruel and ruthless; they kill for the fun of it and do other, more unforgivable acts to people. Sometimes women and children aren’t spared. If you have no use to them, you’ll likely be killed.” Lin looked to James, but Rika held up her hand quickly, making an effort for the young girl to not start throwing around judgment. “Some pirates – like uncle here – are fond of exploration, treasure-seeking, and only fight if they mean to. He still loots and kills, but he doesn’t do it out of a need to dominate the seas,” Rika glanced at James, “which, you know, you could do. We’re kind of bad asses.”

“Your mother told me the same thing. The life of a killer isn’t all it’s cracked up to be,” James responded,

“Well,” Rika looked back at Lin, “my point is, some pirates are treacherous and bloodthirsty, but if you’re going to trust any pirate, trust James. He hand picks his crew so no one’s a total jerk, and he’ll always take care of a target and prevent the least amount of casualties possible. But … there were those seven years—“

“Another time Rika, another time.” James pat her shoulder and smiled weakly before continuing, “Our target is a garrison stationed at Fort Charles that is currently commanded by an ex-pirate named Rutherford Clark – he’s typically known as ‘Runaway Ruth’ due to his knack at running away from trouble. How a coward like him gets command of an entire garrison, I have no idea.”

“Can you take him?” Rika asked. James gave her a plain look, as if waiting for the punchline to the joke. Rika snickered. “Oh, you were actually biding your time?”

“Aye, biding my time.” James responded. “He’s a coward with no significant title, and the men under his command are fresh and untested. I did my best to keep it that way by telling my men to avoid scuffles in the last month. And because of that patience, the patrols through town had no trouble. Without trouble they become relaxed, and when they become relaxed they become easily dispatched.”

Lin frowned immediately, “So we …we must kill, then?”

“If it comes to that, yes,” James replied, “but I have no interest in an extended engagement, not for a battle like this. One of my crew is on him constantly; he can’t lift a finger without it being noticed.”

“So the Empire’s hired natives to join their ranks, and that includes tested ex-Navy. So, what happens to the pirates that fight the Empire?”

“Captured. Tortured. Killed. Those like Ruth are cleared of past charges against the crown and are spared the gallows if they work for the Empire. I can’t blame a man imprisoned for taking freedom the first chance he got – even if it means servitude.” James focused hard on Lin and Ace in particular now. “That woman convinced me to wait for you before I made my move, said that you had some firepower that can’t just be crafted or discovered. I want to see what that means in action, so I’m going to do something stupid, and you’re going to follow me.”

Rika raised an eyebrow, “How stupid are we talking here?”

“We’re going to charge the front door,” James replied plainly,

Rika let out a low, drawn-out whistle in response, “Yeah, that’s stupid, but who better to do something stupid with than you?”

Lin appeared resolute about fighting, even with the earlier comment about possible death on her mind. She still felt uneasy about the idea of actually ending a life, something that sounded so easily done here. Rika trusted James, and he wasn’t a bad guy by any means from what she could tell. She looked to Ace from the corner of her eye, wondering what he thought about all of this.

~-~

“I’m well aware,” Shinobu started, “and I wouldn’t do it if this matter weren’t so serious. It’s only a matter of time before what occurred in Agrabah gets out, and I need to be prepared to make a statement.”

The towering Mayor didn’t feel an explanation of his impatience and uncharacteristic rudeness was needed; she knew all about his determination to protect the defenseless, and what was achieved in Agrabah was not in pursuit of a stable Empire, but instead a madman too afraid to face a group of rebels. Shinobu did not believe in fighting from afar, yet he’d always admit that the front line was not for everyone. As they left the building he was greeted by citizens through town with pleasant smiles and surprised yelps. It wasn’t often he walked through town without being flanked by at least one of his Turks – or his wife – but he was not one to shy away from a stroll to clear his head. Through this walk he breathed easier and smiled cordially, continuing to wave at those he passed by and asked about businesses that have been around since before he had even entered office. Ryoko didn’t say anything, much to his thanks.

Arriving at the hotel and offering a brief greeting to the employee behind the desk, Shinobu continued after Ryoko until they had arrived at her room. Emerging from it was a woman in a peculiar outfit. It took a great deal of effort for him not to comment on it. Ryoko could justify it because she’s Ryoko and she liked to get what she wanted. Whatever convinced that woman to dress up like that – probably Ryoko’s standing – he hoped she never spoke up about it to the wrong person. Thinking nothing more of it, she stepped inside with Ryoko and examined the young rebel chained to the bed. He tensed at the sight but resisted any comment towards Ryoko, instead taking him in.

“He’s young. They usually are.” He muttered, coming around the side of Gavin’s bed and wondering just how long it would take for him to wake up. The shirt he wore was torn to shreds, suggesting a real fight, likely one that Ryoko gave him. “I’ll give him ten minutes. After that—“ a vibration rung out, cutting his sentence short. Digging into his pocket and pulling out his phone, he read a message from Tseng.

We’ve arrived

“After that, I’ll need to consider an alternative for him. I can’t let you torture him, but I can’t let him go until I get a look at him while he’s conscious.” He pocketed his phone and looked to Ryoko, “You’re the only general I know of personally, and you have an aggressive streak to you. If he was after Nomis, I can’t blame him. But it makes me wonder …just what were you really doing at the time he decided to assault you?”

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

~~~~~~Port Royal - Calm Seas / Rocky Reef - Trident Hull/Bow~~~~~~

The decimation of the Birugs as well as the now fleeing Gummi Ship clearly wasn’t something the Scientist wanted to see. Though he had watched the screen before him, the same monitor which showed the basic outline of what happened, represented by dots that is, Nomis still could work out much about what happened from the information sent back from the Ship’s own sensors. The combined energy that was used to destroy the cage that had formed over the ship was something no ordinary person could do, not unless they knew exactly how the innards of the Birugs, the Taint Gears, worked. And judging by the familiar readings of electrical, solar, and crystalline formations in the air, it was clear who the culprits were.

Through gritted teeth, the anger from Nomis immediately spread through the surrounding metal he stood upon. While the large communication tower shook, it wasn’t the new structure that was to be used by the Scientist, it was that of the hull itself. Tearing away from the ship in whole pieces, some of the much heavier and massive outer layers of the ship rose into the air above Nomis, the older man simply focusing his rage filled gaze towards the now dropping Gummi Ship, watching as it landed in the ocean before slowly puttering along, the ship definitely not as effective on water as it was in the air.

It was only then that the huge walls of metal began to move through the air, the faint dark haze around them the only sign that something was controlling them, the panels soon speeding up before they came crashing down into the ocean ahead of the Gummi Ship. As more of the panels landed to further create this curved wall as a way to stop those within the ship, the sudden addition of the panels weight to the ocean was an added concern, the waves now much bigger and violent than they were moments ago. And almost as if supposedly planned to do just that. From the point of the panels crashing, the large waves grew bigger and more frequent with each new panel, and each new wave further adding to those ahead of them, further pushing back towards the stranded Airship.

As if things couldn’t be any worse for those within the Gummi Ship, future events soon would prove them wrong, as back on the Airship’s hull a simple pulling motion from Nomis’ free hand soon caused the wall of metal out in the ocean to begin moving, this time back towards its Master, dragging anything unfortunately caught in its pull.

~~~~~~Port Royal - Calm Seas / Hallways of Trident Warship~~~~~~

The sounds of Shinto launching himself through the sealed corridors grew louder with every new doorway he ripped his way past, the sealed air within these hallways rushing past the telekinetic man as he passed through, the further he got through the place the more he seemed to arrive at the more damaged areas of the ship. The corridors grew more twisted and buckled, many of the doors having been lodged into awkward positions making them worthless to open naturally, though signs of some of dents pointing outwards into the hall itself was clearly enough to show those, who took the time to see, that something still tried to leave their rooms.

With Shinto passing past such doors it would have been difficult to take notice unless he already knew, the rushing air past him probably also masking the dull sound of thumping. However the sudden eruption of one such door from its frame was something Shinto could not miss even if he tried. Rushing out just as the man arrived, the large Abomination creature swung its distained claws at Shinto as if trying to pin the man to the wall, the monster's wriggling tendril mouth and singular eye watching the man carefully, while further back along the corridor the sound of now rapid ramming into metal doors grew louder and more frequent.

Ripping through hallway after hallway with incredible speeds, there seemed to be no stopping Shinto on his mission to reunite with Dominic. He could hear some things from above, but he couldn’t make out what it was exactly. All that he was sure of was that, if Dominic had gotten the two girls to safety, then he most likely was on the top of the ship. That was, after all, where the elevator led to. There was something that was bothering him about all of it, but he couldn’t place it exactly. Regardless of all of that, Shinto had to focus on getting to his friend.

When he passed the tenth hallway, Shinto felt his strength slightly starting to teeter back and forth between good and bad levels. It was no surprise since he was using a lot of his telekinetic powers. He had to or else he would have not been able to push through those heavy doors. Each door needed several hundred pounds of telekinetic force to rip through, and he had ripped through over ten of them. So, it’s no surprise that Shinto’s power was starting to decrease, but he couldn’t let that stop him. He didn’t’ care if he had to reach into his life force, he would get topside one way or another.

Continuing down several more hallways, Shinto heard something. No, it wasn’t the sound of the heavy doors flying towards the next one. It was something that was more of a breeze of wind with a thumping-sound. It was quick, but Shinto shifted his body in a counterclockwise motion, and he was so goddamn lucky, because when he came to the back view of whatever was the source of that sound made it clear that Shinto would be a dead man if he hadn’t shifted when he did.

“An abomination?” Shinto said, as he knew exactly what that was. What was even worse, he saw the big dent in the metal wall. “If that got me, I would have been deadmeat.” Shinto said with a sigh of relief.

Taking his arms and opening his hands in front of him, Shinto pulled the abomination in with telekinetic force that had slightly less than the amount he used to force open the past ten doors of the hallways. By using similar force, the abomination was easily coming towards Shinto. As the distance closed, Shinto then did the exact opposite and repelled the abomination with the same amount of force he used to pull him in. As a result, the abomination was forced so hard and so fast against the wall that he was originally at, that it not only made him crash into several pierce, but it made a body-shaped hole into the wall in the form of the abomination’s own.

“Okay, now back to business,” Shinto said.

Without hesitation, Shinto forced his body to move down the hallway, pushing through the last few hallways, evading the abominations that had been laying in wait. Each time they would come for an attack, Shinto took evasive maneuvers. Tendrils came for at him straight, he went up. Claws came at him from all sides, Shinto would twist and turn, go left, right, up, down -- pretty much any direction he could to evade hits. Only grazes on the skin from the claws would hit, blood dripping, leaving a path behind Shinto, which the Abominations were surely to follow.

Regardless of how he got there, Shinto came to sight of the elevator and he knew it would take too long waiting for it. So, instead he would take the express way and fly up it. “Hopefully Dominic and the others are alright.”

---

Okay, so things were going their way. Dominic had gotten the two Princesses of Heart away from The Empire’s hold. He had reunited with his sister and good friend. Yeah, those two things definitely were good. He even was able to get a mode of transportation ready to be used again. So, everything should be great, right? Well, not exactly. They were about to take off and Shinto had yet to arrive.

“What should we do about Shinto?” DOminic asked.
Flora looked at him, “he’ll find us, don’t worry.” Flora said, assuring her brother.
“I hope your right, big sis,” Dominic said, sounding less like his chipper self and more worried about his best bud.

Whatever the case may be, the three adults joined the teens getting aboard the gummy ship. After a brief discussion between the latter about whether or not Shizuka could fly it or not, the ship took off. If only for a moment, it seemed like things were gong their way, but it was just that: a moment. Something went wrong with the ship. Dominic didn’t know if it was the ship’s hardware or something else, but everyone aboard soon realized that they were going to crash land into the sea. However, what was unexpected was that, even though it crashed into the sea, it still was moving like a ship -- just not one in the air. Fitting that they had a boat in a world mostly made up of water.

With the top off, Dominic felt the breeze swaying his hair back. The same could be said about his sister and Cerden. It seemed that it would be moderately smooth sailing from here on out.

Until it wouldn’t be.

Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye as he turned his head to look back at the ship, Dominic saw two things that caught his attention. The first being the massive wall of metal rising from around the ship, causing large ripples in the ocean, which then caused waves of tsunami level to come for the Gummy Ship. If that wasn’t bad enough, he seemed that these large waves were pulling the gummy ship towards them.

“Um, guys, this is not good,” Dominic worryingly said, looking behind him as the view of the metal wall got closer and closer.

Just he thought it was going to be the end, just when he thought that they were done for Dominic saw the wall being crushed to bits and pieces. He saw that some unknown force had smashed it with incredible force. It wasn’t until one wave had them high enough -- higher than the ship’s height -- that he saw what had done that. The long flowing blonde hair and the red and black outfit and black sunglasses

“Shinto..” Dominic said, narrowing his eyes as he tried to concentrate. “IT IS YOU!”

Seeing a smile on Shinto, Dominic raised an eyebrow. He didn’t know what was happening. Before Dominic could say anything or get out of the ship or even let Shinto to get aboard, the blonde telekinetic had unleashed such a large amount of telekinetic force at the ship. The result of such force had sent the ship flying rapidly in the opposite direction, the view of the ship getting smaller and smaller and the window of freedom was getting wider and wider.

All Dominic could do was scream for Shinto. His best friend had pretty much sacrificed himself to save his friends and the teens.

On the way to the bar Ace had noticed the stares from people in the streets. None of them said a word, but their eyes spoke more than enough. They were strangers here, and people weren't sure what to think of them. At least no one had flung any bricks at him like the people did in a certain medieval world he had visited.

He didn't particularly care what the people thought anyhow, and at the moment he was more focused on Lin. She was likely completely unaware of it, but the girl was a charmer. Her honest smile, her self-less attitude, the warm touch of her hand, it was genuinely enticing, and comforting. Ace let out a nervous cough. "Right, if anything comes up you'll be the first to know." He said.

James announced their arrival to the tavern, a rather busy establishment if the noise and crowd were anything to go by. It reminded him of a night club, an archaic and simple night club, that is. James got the attention of everyone inside by whistling, the music and merriment stopped, and they turned towards him. He told them he needed the place, so they had to stop enjoying themselves and leave. Apparently the idea of finally getting rid of the empire was enough to have them cheer, and then exit without issue. If there was any doubt before, this showed that James at least had considerable respect here.

Only a few people were left in the building now, and then fewer still when James sent some off for preparations. These few remaining men looked like they could handle themselves in a fight, the one with the scarred chest in particular looked formidable. At first it appeared that Rika didn't recognize the taller man, but she suddenly rushed up to give him a hug, and then the bearded man once he asked for one. It was amusing seeing this side to Rika, she seemed to try quite hard to remain ambivalent towards the rebels on a personal level.

After they had exchanged some words of friendly banter James sent the men off and requested they follow him upstairs, where they could discuss things further. Sitting down in a chair Ace listened as James explained to them the way things worked on this world, and the way things were now that the empire had invaded. "Piracy and chaos you say, the empire is great at ruining parties, aren't they?" Ace said.

Lin asked for clarification as to what a pirate was, he was curious as to what James would say in response to this. However, Rika answered instead, fair enough, he thought. Hearing what she had to say, Ace tapped his foot a few times on the wooden flooring, shoving down the urge to say something he knew James wouldn't like. This wasn't the place to be getting on a soap box anyway. At least James wasn't a heartless murderer like some were.

With that out of the way, James began explaining his plans. They were going to attack an empire base commanded by a cowardly ex-pirate. James questioned why such a man would be chosen to command so many men. "I don't think the Empire's standards are very high, in the last world we visited one of the empire's generals bombarded their own palace just to get to a few of us." He said. "The empire only cares about spreading their sick dogma, the cruel rule over the weak, kindness is weakness, yadda yadda."

Lin then asked if they would have to kill anyone, honestly Ace believed that was a given, but James left it as a final option. He wasn't exactly in the business of trying to talk down empire scum, and he didn't want to start now.

Rika asked what became of the pirates that resisted the empire, and the answer was as grime as he had expected. He was familiar with how the empire treated those that tried to fight back. Before the rebels were organized properly there were countless accounts of brutality handed out to would be 'heroes.' Ace shook his head, and listened for the next topic.

"That woman wants us to prove ourselves? Fine, whatever." Ace let out a sigh and slumped back in his chair. "Wait..." He leaned back forward. "We're going to just attack the base head on?" He slapped his knee and let out a chuckle. "Alright old man, lead the way then. I need to have a talk with that woman later, you think this is real funny, don't you!?" Ace said, looking up, though he had the feeling he was looking in the wrong direction if he wanted to speak to where she was from.

He was a little more than thrilled for lack of better "expression" and he used this term loosely. His head throbbed a bit, that sensation seemed to be the only true connection to "feeling" pain, redundant no? With the faint consciousness he possessed he felt his body being dragged along scrapping against glass at first, the sound of a protesting human puppet, Pinocchio as background noised filtered out somewhat by delirium.

A thud woke him from his dazed state and he was in the presence of wood, with Derek's tonfa's propogated against his skull. The rage in his eyes, where as the mercenaries were inanimate and encased in steel. The "CI" could be seen illuminating in both eyes, as they burned a brighter neon red, to his crimson irises. Derek applied pressure to the mercenary's head, pushing him against and into the wall with all the vigor he could muster. Retribution seemed to be the common choice of men that have lost their way, and isolation the path of broken ones.

Violent screaming erupted, as a brutal beating had started. Derek releasing all of his frustration against a nearly immobile Salforge, who at this point had experienced his first ever combination of physical and mental fatigue in tandem with one another, having had to deal with the rebels, his colleagues in their peak conditions, and now at Derek's mercenary. His physical dexterity was all he had to go on at this point. His steel heart could gradually heal him, but the process was staggeringly long, not enough to put complete faith in.

Derek grabbed his head and violently began to slam it against the wall, before going through the wood and tumbling over. Blood was on his hands, and the mercenary was in no state of mind to overpower him. As he tried to inch away, a foot trounced into his back and pinned him to the cobblestone. Derek held both of his tonfa's at the ready to violently brutalize the mercenary.

"That's enough Derek!" a voice from just beyond the alley came racing through. It belonged to a young man, he was fairly pale with a lilac colored shirt, holding a cell phone of the same, if not paler. "Do you really think this is what Anya would want?"

"Joshua...get lost. You wouldn't understand my personal view, it's selfish, but right now that doesn't matter!"

Salforge cringed, "Let him get it out of his system." he said followed by a sigh. "I already told you, I dislike fighting kids, and I wasn't given orders against harming Traverse Town civilians."

"SHUT! UPPP!!" Derek exploded with a blunt strike this head, that struck with a loud ping. "What!?"

"Next time don't let me get a few seconds to build up my defense. Haste."

The mercenary rolled on his side and kicked against the now open fence, using haste to boost himself while sliding on his back, upon hitting the wall and eyeing the item shop on his left, he got on his feet and quickly ran towards the world door. Before he could reach the exit, down dropped the white knight from earlier, nearly taking off his head with a violent spinning kick had he not of reacted while under the influence of haste. Catching the knight's leg, the mercenary tossed them off to the right.

As he reached for the door, he was repelled by an invisible wall.

"What??" he said in genuine surprise. Just to the right, there was a man in a red hoody just like when he first arrived. He gave him the thumbs down, and pointed behind the mercenary.

"You can't leave until you finish my little game." the voice came from Joshua as he slowly crept up on Salforge with smile. "That band you were dealing with earlier, pressure them out of our town and i'll let you leave."

Salforge simply looked at him.

"No. Fuck that." he said while forming a cube in his hand, it was a little different compared to the ones he normally used. As he held this in his hand, the knight rose up, and over the wall they all came.

"Your seriously thinking about skipping out on us? We're only getting started!"

As the odds began to stack, he mercenary just plopped down and looked at them all, with a full pan of his head. He sighed, before standing up and dusting himself off, he looked at everyone one more time.

"I've had enough of everyone's useless banter." he said snapping his fingers, instantly bringing in several of his blocks tactically spaced throughout the entire area. He shot one with a burst of decay, and it literally bounced in between them all before creating an atmosphere of trip lasers, being tethered together by the blocks. "If any of you even thinks about moving, I'm going to move one of the blocks, and slice you to ribbons. Now i'm going to leave, and you guys are going to follow me. My next destination is going to be the key blade graveyard, now if you want to wait for me there where there are no people we can do that too, either way, now is not the time to squash our issues."

He proceeded to take a step back as his body was slowly but surely dissociating into blocks before completely vanishing. You could see it in his eyes, he was creeping into unconsciousness as he summoned what "will" he had left to initiate this single-huge burst of concentration all at once as he was fading away.

O'nam and the others looked on, soon the blocks faded and no one was in danger at that point. Derek then came running out enraged, and the knight that noticed him acted "strangely" almost instantly fleeing the scene.

"Secure that world, for now we'll just play to his favor...for now."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

//Gavin Twilight Town [Hotel Room]

There was a brief window where ceiling flashed, and mercenary came falling in, dropping exactly on Gavin, forcing him out of his unconscious state. Gavin jerked as the entire bed bounced and the recoil from the springs threw the nearly dead, mercenary onto the floor. 'Huh??' a confused Gavin finally came to consciousness again.

He looked over to the side to see that the mercenary appeared...dead? Then to his left, Ryoko, that maid from before speaking with yet another person. Trying to summon his voice, he was still silenced, but he was awake now undoubtedly. If there was ever a time where he was more exasperated, this situation had to top it off. He started to panic and struggle, attempting to free his wrists from the rope, but to no avail.

'Crap crap crap, they're looking this way, what the hell am I supposed to do now?'

Shinobu had seen images of the Palace from Ryoko’s media device, remarking on its magnificence with a somber tone. It pained him to hear that someone from the Empire could have done such a thing. Such careless disregard for another world’s labor and beauty was not only an insult to those who belonged to that world, but also to him. He was prepared for the worst when he could see the light at the end of the Corridor of Darkness. Or so he believed. When he set foot on Agrabah, he heard the sounds of shredded metal and shattered architecture crumble beneath his weight while his attention was focused on the desolation that surrounded him.

Besides Tseng, who he could already see approaching from the corner of his eye, Shinobu had seen nothing more than hopelessness in physical form. Ryoko had guided him to the center of the Palace—and this was it; ashes upon ashes to be carried off in the breeze with remnants of scorched materials scattered about. Nothing appeared salvageable though. That was the only good that could possibly come from such a disgusting result.

He reached into his suit jacket and retrieved a cigar, planting it in his mouth and reaching in his pocket for his lighter, lightning it up in a silence so deafening that no one—not even Tseng—dare open their mouths until he was prepared to speak. A long drag was taken, followed by a slow, smooth exhale, and at last he acknowledged the two beside him once more.

“I didn’t plan on coming out here like this, but I had to see it for myself. Had to see what a madman could be capable of,” Shinobu looked to Tseng, addressing his subordinate with his best attempt at a relaxed expression. Frankly, containing his outrage, his horror, took quite the effort. Even dragging from a high-quality cigar did little to help shield his aura, which had risen to a level that might even cause Ryoko to shiver.

“I won’t say it’s good or bad that you arrived, but I respect your choice no matter what,” Tseng said. He cast his eyes to the surrounding area, joining Shinobu in examining it all. “I only just made it here myself. There wasn’t much I could gather from the locals other than that this was the fault of a ship belonging to the Empire that hung in orbit.”

“So nothing Ryoko didn’t already tell us. What about casualties?”

“Unknown. There were numerous injured, but no one appeared to be looking for someone missing.”

Shinobu met this news with silence. Bad, with a shred of good in that none were missing. With any luck, the only people vaporized in this attack were those that belonged to Nomis. He turned to Ryoko. “It should go without saying but I’ll say it regardless: I don’t blame you for this. Despite your temperament, you are the last person I would pin this on. However, you and I both know that Nomis has caused irreversible damage here, both to the people of Agrabah, and to the reputation of the Empire as a whole. As a result, I would ask you to make certain that he answers for this in a cell for the rest of his days. Or worse...”

“There was something else.”

Shinobu turned to Tseng. “Go on.”

“I haven’t the means to prove anything given that much of the evidence here is scattered to the winds, but there is a possibility that this was more than just damage control,”

“He had another reason for doing this, then?”

“It’s just a theory. A group of people rebelling against the Empire would be easily neutralized under a competent leader’s watch. There shouldn’t be a need to use a bombardment to take out a small group… that is, unless…”

“…Unless they’re that much of a threat,” Shinobu finished, glancing at Ryoko. “If they can outmaneuver Ryoko, also a General, then they aren’t an ordinary group.“

“It’s not just that, it’s… what if Nomis was not only doing this to win, but to protect something?”

Shinobu considered this, offering Tseng a glance before his attention returned to Ryoko. As close as they were once, he knew Ryoko kept secrets guarded closely. There would be things that only a General would have access to in terms of knowledge. He respected that to an extent. But he knew that it could be problematic between them if she were holding anything back. Gambling on their friendship was all he could do for now.

“Ryoko, tell me, you must have some idea of what he was up to here. What is so important to him that he would destroy this place? A group of rebels, are they really so threatening to him? Or...”

Shinobu’s thoughts trailed away as well as his voice. The area had become unnaturally still, as if it was a picture they themselves had placed themselves in. There was not a sound to be heard other than the breaths they drew. Dead silence. This was the sort of quiet that emerged when something dangerous was about to happen.

Or, someone dangerous was near. He knew the feeling all too well.

The sensation of danger was strongest against his neck. With a guarded turn of his head, Shinobu’s eyes narrowed at the sight of a young man with a khopesh in hand, shrouded in a tattered cloak. The sands themselves shifted around him, likely the effect of his own natural energy. A good, hard look at this youth had told Shinobu that he indeed belonged to this world. Except his eyes, pure gold… they reflected much more, as though they had taken in more sights than he could ever know.

Shinobu turned around entirely to face him, slowly as to not instigate a conflict that need not occur. He was only several feet away, yet this stranger’s nature made him feel as though he was right beside him. A chill ran down his spine in anticipation of what could happen next. The eyes of gold had only fell upon Tseng and himself for a fraction of a second before they fell on Ryoko, staying there.

“…A friend of yours?” Shinobu asked Ryoko. Tseng looked to reach for his gun, but Shinobu’s hand had risen, halting him. “Don’t try it. This one... he's dangerous, I can tell.”

The sands that surrounded the three foreigners to the world had begun to shift much like they did around the cloaked figure. Several pillars had begun to rise, stopping at a height similar to the stranger himself. His gaze did not leave Ryoko’s face, but that did not mean he was unaware of the threat the two new faces could represent to both him and his world.

“You should not have come back, Ryoko.”