[center][h2]The Round Table Discussion III[/h2]
[b]Word Count:[/b] 2,105 (+3)[/center]

[color=D34C25]"Might I say something?"[/color]

Primrose pushed the mug of coffee she'd taken away from the table's edge as she reclined slightly. The discussion had gone a little all over the place again, but now that they were finished with consolidating information about the Consuls, she felt she had to say what little she knew in the wake of learning what had become of Smash City Alcamoth. Her voice was colder than it usually was, but suddenly learning that the entire place was gone (among many other pieces of new information) would do that.

[color=D34C25]"First… I've met the Master of Masters as well. He was at Alcamoth, which was where I was when I was... de-storied for the latest time,"[/color] she said, her voice catching as she thought about how to phrase that. Especially in the wake of learning about the city’s fate. [color=D34C25]"The group's arrival and departure from there is where Midna and I joined in, headed for the desert. As for what I learned from the Master of Masters when I spoke with him... That ability you mentioned must be the 'Gazing Eye' he told me of. Now, I believe he knew a lot more than he let on."[/color] She glanced at the Koopas as she mentioned this.

[color=D34C25]"It was him that first told me about time being strange in this world. And how spirits are like bookmarks, how they're formed by people losing their [i]ka[/i]... and how they can be brought back to life by regaining it."[/color] The dancer figured that factored in to everyone's lives recycling over and over again, but she wasn't sure how even after learned what she had from Asgore. A few chairs down, Therion now sat with his arms folded, chin tucked to his chest, and ears standing up alert on his head after speaking earlier. In the past he'd done his best to let a lot of this information intentionally go over his head, but he'd changed somewhat in the last few days. Knowing how important it really was he listened, absorbing the story of everything he'd missed before he joined up - and what he’d missed since.

[Color=gold]”Gazing Eye?”[/color] asked a confused Roxas, [color=gold]”I've never heard of that in mine and his world. What exactly is this ‘Gazing Eye’ thing?”[/color]

At that, Primrose shrugged one shoulder. [color=D34C25]"His curse, or so he put it. He said that it allows him to see everything that it, the Eye, will ever see, even long after he is gone. So it appears that is how he sees all of time at once, as Bowser put it. Including an ‘unchanging future’."[/color]

[color=gold]”Now I [i]really[/i] want to meet this guy for myself.”[/color] Roxas replied. He’d already decided he wanted to meet this Master guy a while back, and everything he was hearing so far just solidified that even further.

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”I believe I remember him mentioning ‘seeing’ all of the organization members in a ‘city without a name”[/color] Kamek noted, before suggesting that  [color=DeepSkyBlue]”if we find ourselves to wherever that is, and there are only so many cities on our map, then we might be able to find both him and the leader of Organisation XIII”[/color]  

Juri had been leaning against a railing, looking down upon the meeting and listening in. Similarly, so was Captain Falcon, only he was seated in a chair among the speakers themselves while taking an occasional sip of coffee. Thankfully he knew at least some of the score thanks to him having been with the Smashers since pretty much the beginning. But something about all this struck him as being weird, even compared to the wild stuff he’d already seen as a Smasher himself.

This got Roland to pipe up, the fixer having listened to everything that had been going on so far. [color=d7d7d7]”He sounds like someone who needs a lesson from that old hag. Sure the cycle repeats, over and over, a wheel that crushes everyone who tries to stand in front of it, but even in my world, we broke that cycle, twice. Well, I helped break it once… but I will say it wasn’t an easy thing.”[/color] Roland said, his hand trembling a little at being reminded of the intense emotions of that moment. 

[color=d7d7d7]”But for the first time the cycle broke, if you want more details, you’d have to ask Binah… assuming she doesn’t just give you the run around like she always does. I don’t want to mention what it took for me to get a single straight answer from her…”[/color] Roland said, shaking his head. He then clarified a bit, saying. [color=d7d7d7]”I don’t know the details, but apparently it took either thousands, or a million years of endless human suffering in an endless time loop to break the cycle. Angela would know more as well, but I doubt she’ll want to talk about it.”[/color]

[color=BC8DBF]"Real encouraging,"[/color] Therion sighed.

Sandalphon’s eyes lay on Roland as she consulted her mental database. “While little of that may be relevant, I know of someone named Binah. A member of Shinra’s board, the director of his Time and Space division, and even more elusive than the likes of Hojo.”

[color=d7d7d7]”I’m not surprised. I used to work with her for months and I know very little. All I can tell you is she used to be an Arbiter in my world, a human superweapon created by the Head, my world’s ruling body, using their best technology and every singularity they could fit into them. But beyond telling you what she is, I only know she likes to watch and drink tea. She also seems to love to play the villain and managed to defeat the strongest fixer in the City, Beyond that...”[/color]

Primrose spoke again, cutting in before anyone else could respond to that. [color=D34C25]"Second… There were many other people at Alcamoth as we all know, but there was also a machine that housed information on all of them and then some. Is it... could something like that be recovered?"[/color]

If Smash City Alcamoth was truly destroyed then she wanted to know who had survived and who hadn't, even if they’d eventually come back to life. Rather than further derail the meeting though, she inquired about the device that had seemed like magic to her. Surely that information would be helpful going forward, on top of letting them know who among their Alcamoth allies still lived.

[color=BFBFBF]”So we could try to find the other survivors, and…well, figure out who not to look for? As morbid as that is…”[/color] Zenkichi asked, trying to figure out where she was going with that. It wasn’t a bad idea, he thought. It could be their next move, in fact.

[color=d7d7d7]”Well, if the mission is to stop this ‘land of adventure’ from resetting, I suppose we’ve got something to do then.”[/color] Roland said, making it clear and concise. Although he had to ask [color=d7d7d7]”Although, how would we go about doing that? Although it could just be an extraction mission.”[/color]

[color=92278f]”Well, before that, I believe we need to talk about what came after returning to Alcamoth. The whole desert and sea area cleared, followed by the underground and ‘Midgar’. I can only speak of the desert and the underground.”[/color] Sectonia said, she then, having the floor, explained the desert.

[color=0072bc]”Ugh, the deep ocean. Don’t remind me of the Maw. I’m still scared of the dark because of that horrid place.”[/color] Blazermate said, the robot shivering a bit. [color=0072bc]”Geralt has that guardian. It was like some… weird lanky fleshy pale demon thing that came from the moon.”[/color]

“The Orphan of Kos.” Geralt simply added, frowning. “And before anybody who was there asks, yes, I chose to stay fused with it. Though, as I’m sure some can attest, it has not been without its consequences. Namely, an all-consuming rage that I had to use even more Spirits to try to get a hold of.”

The memory prompted an involuntary shudder from Nadia, though she put on a grin. “An Organization member sort of helped us out in the seaside. Some grim, sophisticated type. She sure liked talking in riddles, but she lent a hand on that nightmare island. ‘Isle’ not forget that place any time soon...”

Goldlewis scratched his head, dredging up some memories of his own. “Right, and that girl we met in Al Mamoon. Said her name was Ram.”

“Ram-Ram help fight off sky snakes when we flew up Big mountain, meh!” Tora pointed out. As dire as the trudging climb through the blizzard had been, he'd never forget the feeling of flying that followed it.

“There was also Gneidxick, who trapped us in some gauntlet of combat until another member of the Organization appeared and demanded he stop. Then, they just…left through a portal of darkness.” Geralt added, sighing. “That one still confuses me. Though the portal he created served as an easy way to get from Lumbridge to the Seaside. Imagine it’s gone, now.”

[color=92278f]”One of the organization members named Shmuetax did help us defeat the guardian of the underground as well. Although much like the consuls they didn’t explain why. I do wonder if they are warring factions, with the organization being much better about getting us on their side than the consuls…”[/color] Sectonia said, mentioning their help in the Under.


“And then Xatow in Midgar, the Organization member who tipped us off several times,” Sandalphon added. “While they've been helpful, the intelligence shared by Roxas about the original Organization indicates that we must be wary of their ultimate motives. They most likely intend to use us to help them obtain Kingdom Hearts, a power source said to be capable of remaking reality.” She peered at Roxas. “If I recall correctly.” This got a nod of confirmation from Roxas.

[color=d7d7d7]”I wonder if it can even do that. Certainly if there are tons of worlds out there, other worlds have such an item and yet nothing has come of it. Really the only question is if these organization people are part of the ‘cycles’ of this world or if they are outside of them like the Consuls.”[/color] Roland said.

[color=gold]”It [i]can[/i].”[/color] Roxas said, unflinching. [color=gold]”And even if it couldn’t, that doesn’t change the fact that Organization XIII still believes that it can. Especially considering their leader.”[/color] He said and then added, [color=gold]”Speaking of which, I was able to confirm who the leader of this world’s Organization XIII is, right from the mouth of Xatow herself. He’s a man named Xehanort. Long story short, he tried to use Kingdom Hearts to remake the world where we came from, so if he’s the one giving the Organization their orders, then I’d bet my Keyblades that Kingdom Hearts is his goal again. Even if you’re right and Kingdom Hearts can’t actually remake the world, I have no doubt that Xehanort still believes that it can.”[/color]

[color=DeepSkyBlue]”Sectonia’s Chaos Heart is also one such item, it was once used in an attempt to destroy and remake several realities, but I have to assume that Galeem put in safeguards against such things?”[/color] Kamek noted, frankly rather glad to no-longer had to hold onto that information [color=DeepSkyBlue]”It would be rather foolish of it to leave that power laying around for so long otherwise”[/color] 

Well, that explains why Kamek seemed to be uneasy around Sectonia at times. She’d have to figure out her feelings towards the situation later, although all things being said, she did never ask. [color=92278f]”That explains its extreme dark power. I’m still gathering power, so perhaps that will come in time.”[/color] Granted, her desire was to rule, not to destroy, so that could be a limiting factor on this power instead of Galeem perhaps. 

As for Roland’s other inquiry, Primrose answered. [color=D34C25]"From what the Organization girl in the Under told us, they aren't part of the same loop. Freed by someone or something, she implied that this 'Organization' has been at it for a while. Much longer than we have."[/color]

[color=797979]”Do they have their own secret of immortality?”[/color] Ganondorf inquired. [color=797979]”The Consuls have only lived for as long as they have because of their Flame Clocks. Does this “Organization XIII” have an equivalent of their own?”[/color]

Goldlewis shook his head, a look of consternation on his face. “Compared to Moebius, we know even less about the doggone Organization. They’re a total wild card. The devil we don’t know, as they say.”

[color=gold]”Speak for yourself.”[/color] Roxas muttered under his breath. He knew all he needed to know about the Organization. And even if some people here weren’t inclined to treat them as hostile, well… [i]he[/i] would, no matter what.