Org. XIV (story)

There came a sound like thunder as the entire Underworld seemed to tremble violently, pulsing waves of mad laughter echoing through the dark realm as Hades came to a halt. He turned slowly, his flames flaring up as his eyes burned with a terrible anger. Who dared disturb the domain of the God of the Underworld? "Who goes there!" he snapped as he stomped out of his throne room, only to be greeted by a sea of black mud and unimaginable destruction.

"Wh-what is this?" He stammered, his crimson flames losing their radiance as he stared down into what should have been the River Styx, filled to the brim with the souls he had collected over the years. Except that there was no more souls and the entire river was now black, oozing with a aura that was distinctly unpleasant even to a God of Death. He stepped back, unable to comprehend what was happening. Not even Zeus could have done this... upset the entire natural orders and boundaries. The Underworld was his domain and only he could reshape it completely.

"---...---...---!"

It was a sound of pure, primal madness. Hades jumped back as the River Styx, now completely part of the black mud, suddenly erupted in a powerful geyser that seemed to tear at the ceiling. And worse, it was actually causing the ceiling to crack. And from within the black mud, a humanoid figure stepped out. Slowly, but surely. There was no hint of true emotion or life from him, Hades could sense that. He... it was something else entirely... something even beyond his comprehension. That thought seemed to stir something deep inside her.

Fear...?

Hades' eyes narrowed. No matter. This was his domain, his home! He was invincible here! The thought of him being afraid was laughable! "Who... are you," Hades asked quietly, no hint of his usual rage or impulsiveness as he eyes the shadowy figure carefully. "Answer me and I might yet let you live."

"... God..."

"What? Could you speak louder imbe -!"

"H-hate... all!"

The humanoid lunged, Hades leaping back to evade as crimson flames erupted from the ground. "FOOL!" Hades snarled, blasting the figure with unholy fire as the entire cavern lit up with the pure intensity of the flames. But - "Impossible!" Hades' eyes widened as the shadowy figure brushed aside his fire like an annoying fly, a giant sword appearing in the figure's hands as he swung it around like a bat with incredible speed.

Hades was sent flying as it struck him, his entire body reeling from the pain as he landed on his feet painfully while skidding back from the staggering force of the blow. "Hurts..." Hades hissed, glaring at the figure as the giant, rock-like sword vanished. From his visage, he could see the figure smile almost ravenously to reveal rows of sharpened teeth. "So you are human-like, at least..." Hades muttered as his entire body lit up with a dangerous crimson flame.

"For that wound, beast, I will inflict agony upon you a thousandfold!" Hades bellowed thunderously as he cut loose, demonic flames leaping from his body as he and the Shadowy Being charged at the same time.

The moment they clashed, the entire world seemed to explode.


"Whoa!" Hercules, son of Zeus, gave a yelp as the ground beneath him shook violently, upsetting his posture and making him misfire his arrow as he steadied himself. "What was that all about?" he muttered as he lowered his bow, turning to Philoctetes, his satyr mentor with a concerned expression.

"Beats me," Phil shrugged with a sour expression. "Must be Hades or some of those guys from the Castle again. Those guys sure like to cause a commotion whenever they fight."

"Hey, they're all great guys Phil," Hercules chuckled, only to be cut off as the ground shook again. This time, Hercules could have sworn he heard something distinctly unnatural. "What in the world...?"

"Oi, Herc. I'm getting a bad feeling about this, boy..." Phil was looking decided unsettled. "It feels like the earth is gonna give way - AH!" As soon as he finished, the earth shattered apart, splintering and disintegrating into a million pieces as an unholy scream rent the air.

Hercules reacted immediately, grabbing Phil and leaping high into the air with his immense strength as he looked back at the unfolding destruction in shock. "Wh-what is this...?" he whispered as a geyser of black water burst forth from the ever-widening chasm, spilling onto the world carelessly.

Evil has returned to Olympus.

Just as Rexial had finished his sentence, Maya finished the last of the punch setting down the empty bowl and licking the red liquid from her lips. She pouted slightly looking at the young man with a doll-eyed expression, "Did you want some, Rex? Maya's sorry..." She blushed slightly realizing how rude she had been to down the entire thing especially in front of guests. As a reflex, her hood brought itself up over her head to hide her rosy complexion.

He suppressed a chuckle. "Ah, now, Maya... You know that's not nice. Buuuuuut-" He patted her on top of her hooded head. "-I think I can look the other way this time. There's probably more punch they can bring out anyway."

What the hell...? I got this ominous feeling all of a sudden. ...I'll be sure to check in with the boss later. Something bad usually happens when I get a premonition like this.

Deep within the chasm, Hercules could spot a faint glow as he landed on a hillside clumsily to set Phil down as he turned back to watch the unfolding chaos with horrified eyes. A tremendous sound roared across the landscape without warning, Hercules barely able to keep his eyes open as a spiraling tower of flame erupted from the cavernous depths of the gaping earth.

"What in Zeus' name is that?" Phil gasped, both his and Hercules' eyes widening at the same time as the figure locked in mortal combat became apparent to them. "By the Gods! It's Hades! I shoulda known that good for nuthin -" Phil turned ashen as the fight became more apparent to them. "B-but he's..."

"He's... losing," Hercules finished for him quietly, unable to believe what he was seeing as Hades was riddled with glowing projectiles of every shape and size and hurled across the skies and onto a nearby landmass as the black waters gushed across the terrain like an erupting volcano. "Phil," Hercules seemed to straighten slightly as his lips drew into a thin line, "I'm going out there."

"Wh- Are you insane! You have no idea what's out there!" Phil snapped, looking terrified, "Herc, this thing is smacking Hades around like a punching bag and we don't even have the faintest idea what it is! Getting into the crossfire is just asking to be -"

"I won't die Phil," Hercules declared quietly as he gave a shrill whistle, Pegasus responding to his summons with a giant flap of his wings as the snowy winged steed landed on the hillside with a decidedly unsettled expression. "I can't. Neither can Hades."

"... Right," Phil let out a shaky exhalation as some measure of confidence returned , "I forgot," he smiled weakly, "You go get'em kid.Give that thing the old one-two, you hear?"

"Heh," Hercules gave a wry smile as he mounted Pegasus with a deft movement, "I will, Phil. You have to evacuate the villages. Get Hermes and the other fighters to help you. We need to get them to high ground. I don't know what this water-mud thing is but it doesn't look good to me."

"Already on it, kiddo," Phil was turning to gallop down the hill already, "Don't be careless, ya'hear?"

"I won't!" Hercules called back as Pegasus took to the skies with a graceful flap of his wings. "Alright, Pegasus. Let's go see what this is all about."

-Hades-

Pain. That was Hades first thought as he gingerly picked himself off the ground, the projectiles falling out of his body as his wounds began to close rapidly. It hurt... He was hurt, not by a God but by something. Something not of this world. "Ugh..." Hades gave a low groan as he picked himself up to see the Shadowy Being hovering some distance above him and staring at him maliciously, arrogantly.

At least, Hades felt like it was looking at him. He could hardly tell if it didn't actually have eyes, after all. Still, it did have a mouth so it stood to reason it had eyes. Hades shook his head blearily to clear his messed up thoughts, fixing the Shadowy Being with a venomous glare.

"I will kill you!" Hades swore as he swelled with power again, his body once again turning crimson as anger and resentment shot through him. "This humiliation... will not be forgiven!" The entire area burst into flames, Hades lifting a ball of hellish fire as he swung it at the Shadowy Being.

Again and again and again. Humiliated, first by his brother and then his son. And then all those imbeciles of heroes. And now, now this beast dared to wound him and embarrass him! No more, no more... NO MORE!

The ball of hellfire struck the Shadowy Being, exploding brilliantly as the ground was blown apart from the terrifying force of Hades' rage. But despite that, the Shadowy Being continued to move. Hades gave a another enraged howl and the skies rumbled ominously before a rain of fire hailed from above.

The ground shuddered and rent apart, Hades and the Shadowy Being locking blows with swords of flame and darkness. Pillars of fire shot forth from the ground to impale the Shadowy Being but still it moved, bellowing with mad laughter that only served to enrage Hades even more.

"HADES!"

The two beings of darkness paused, Hades turning incredulously eyes towards the sky as he spotted Hercules on his blasted steed Pegasus. "Whaddya want, Hero?" Hades sneered as he turned his attention back to the Shadowy Being. "I don't have time for you."

"I'm here to help," Hercules answered almost immediately, making Hades chortle helplessly at the sheer ridiculousness as he threw his head back with laughter.

"Help? HELP? I don't need your damn help!" Hades shot back as the Shadowy Being took several steps back to tilt its head slightly. Stupid thing probably lacked a decent brain, Hades thought ruefully as he held his sword of fire defensively. "Go home kid. This dog trashed my place and I'm about to teach it some manners."

"Didn't seem that way to me," Hercules snapped without thinking. "You were being tossed around like a ragdoll!"

"SILENCE!" Hades snarled, turning to face Hercules with unbridled fury. "This is all your fault too! Always making me look foolish, always - ack!"

A moment of silence settled on the raging world.

Hades turned his eyes down numbly, dimly noting how stupid Hercules looked with that dumbfounded expression as he noticed the black-stained hand through his chest blankly. "Wh-?" Hades gave a weak cough as he felt something pulse deep within him. "What... is this?" he choked as the black mud underneath his feet began to crawl up his body insidiously.

"Hades!" Hercules leapt down to try to extricate Hades from the black mud but was swept aside like a useless rug as a tendril with a massive sword struck him from nowhere.

Hades couldn't move, his entire body frozen as the black mud continued its ascent up his body. "Still trying to play hero, huh?" Hades gave a dry laugh as he gave up trying to fight the sweet lullaby that was getting louder and more soothing in his head. "Always... hated..." His consciousness was fad -

And then Hades was gone, disappearing into the black mud as it consumed him entirely.

Jackie silently nodded in thanks to the shopkeeper of Traverse Town's 1st District as she left to start her nightly patrol. The potions she bought would serve her well, but she hoped she really didn't need to use them. The items the black creatures dropped sold well, but not well enough to cover mistakes. With a resolute walk, she strolled onward up towards the 2nd district, waving at the locals as she walked past. Arriving at the large door, she pushed forward, and shut it behind her. Walking around in the eerie silence, she carefully walked around, heading down into the courtyard below, when a large group of Shadows, led by 3 Soldiers, appeared in front of her as she stepped past the fountain. Drawing her spear, she smiled. It would have been bad if she had to exercise at home.

Her fight was briefly interrupted by a giant black mass shooting out of a nearby alleyway and colliding with the opposite wall. The shape slumped against the ground, revealing itself to be a Large Body, a Heartless resembling a man with a cartoonishly-large belly, just before fading away, a glowing pink light emerging from its remains and shooting off into the sky.

Then, there was silence. The Heartless turned their attention in the direction it had come from, one of them shrinking back a little.

However, several more showed up to help. They were just weakling Shadows, but too many of them would mean trouble.

"Does Rex feel it...? That queasy feeling?" Maya's face was suddenly twisted in a slight expression of discomfort. She held her head much like she had in Twilight Town before the battle with X-Sigma, "Maya feels... hurt? That's not normal..." Her expression became more perplexed than pained as she looked at Rexial.

"Do you think something happened, Rexial?" Maya frowned, "It feels like something that Maya should have stopped happened... Like... Maya lost something?" She clutched her head harder falling to her knees, "What's going on with Maya's head? Why is Mr. Bear..."

"Quiet." Her expression became a serene calm suddenly as her eyes shut and she collapsed on the floor.

<Any questions about this, I can answer. But, Maya's not feeling what's happening at Olympus Coliseum... Not directly anyways.>

<Maybe at the OOC corner? o.O?>

Hercules stood frozen as he watched Hades disappear into the black mud completely. An unpleasant shock ran through his body as he stared numbly at the pulsing mass of blackness. He was fully expecting Hades to emerge from the mud, spewing fire like an enraged dragon. Seconds ticked by and all Hercules could hear was the sound of his heavy breathing and the strange being before him.

Nothing.

Hades... gone?

Hercules couldn't believe it. Refused to accept it. Hades was a God. A God. Gods didn't just... didn't just - Hercules leapt backwards hurriedly as the massive sword was swung in his direction again, keeping himself just out of range as he felt his heartbeat quicken and his hands shake.

He knew this sensation, this cold feeling that gripped his very soul. He was afraid, frightened of this being that had defeated Hades and showed no signs of being worse for the wear.

"... - ... - ... -!"

Hercules' eyes widened as the being gave a howl of pure, unadulterated madness as the mud pulsed with a strange energy. The ground reverberated, seemingly rocking the entire world in violent quakes. Dimly, Hercules could hear screams of terror and fear as the mud continued its descent onto the planet.

A single fist clenched as Hercules gritted his teeth. There was no time to be afraid, no time to hesitate. Everyone would be in danger if he did not stop this mad being here and now. There would be no assured chance of victory, no taking refuge in his immortality if this being could defeat Gods.

But even so, Hercules found himself moving forward as he drew his sword. In that instant, Hercules let go of everything. There was only the present. His eyes narrowed in intense focus as he let out a heavy breath. He would defeat this evil with his bare hands. He charged.

The ground beneath his feet shuddered as he broke the barrier of sound, hurtling forward with his massive strength as he swung his blade right at where the being's neck should be located.

A dull sound rang in Hercules ears as a shield suddenly shimmered into existence right above its neck, stopping the powerful blow with a resounding clang. But the shield could not withstand the full force of Hercules' swing, shattering into a thousand pieces as Hercules followed up with a thrust of his knee at the being's stomach.

Twin spears blasted forth from the black mud behind the being as Hercules tried kneeing the Shadowy Being, making Hercules twist aside hurriedly to evade the sudden attack.

The mud pulsed.

"...!" Hercules jumped on instinct, the black mud beneath him suddenly letting loose with a barrage of black weapons as the Shadowy Being gave another demonic cry. "Kuh!" Hercules parried several of the projectiles, his arm snapping up to catch a halberd as it passed by him. Landing atop a tree gracefully, Hercules' arm coiled back like a snake ready to strike before launching the halberd like a javelin straight at the Shadowy being.

Yet another shield shimmered into existence, the halberd impaling itself on the shield with a violent sound as a shockwave erupted from the point of contact.

Both weapons clattered to the ground, vanishing into the black mud as Hercules let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. This wasn't an opponent he could hold back on, he knew as he readied his sword again.

There was only one thing that bugged him about all this.

Where were the other Gods?

Jackie took note of the large Heartless flying across the courtyard, intrigued by the feat, but also wary of whomever could send a mass that large flying that far. She refocused her attentions on the Shadows and Soldiers in front of her. Not a big deal. A quick Thundara, spread to each of the Soldiers, left all but one Soldier defeated, and the Shadows became an irate mess.

Several leaped at her, which she dodged. One that landed behind her came in for another attack, scratching her arm. The wound wasn't too serious, but it hurt to move. She'd need to finish this quickly. In retaliation, she struck three times at various Shadows, dispersing them, then tried to move to a better position, and hopefully heal.

Rexial tried to catch Maya as she pitched forward, but he was too focused on the strange feeling. What the hell!? I haven't felt this in a while...

Picking her up, he checked her pulse out of habit. "Don't worry, I'll take you back to your room. Sleep it off, okay?"




From that same alleyway, a blast of fire shot out, heading straight for Jackie. There was a cry of alarm in the direction it had come from, and then it changed direction, arcing above the fight and slamming into the mass of Shadows, incinerating a fair number of them and scattering the rest.

"Hey, are you okay!?"

It was the voice that had cried out before. Its owner ran out into view, a young man with long brown hair, wearing an odd assortment of clothes, including a long red cape... or was it a scarf?

A wide sweep clearing the last of them, Jacqueline stood and looked at her newcomers, brushing away a little of the sweat that had formed on her brow. "I might not have been if you were careless with that magic. You helped me, though, so I'm thankful. I have to ask you to state your name and business, stranger." Jackie had been leaning against her spear, not casually and at rest, but in a way that showed she was ready to pick it up and shank someone if they moved wrong.

"To be honest, I haven't seen anyone like you around here. I've been here long enough to know the townsfolk, and none of them are as strong as you are. You wouldn't have helped me if you weren't a kind soul, and on top of which, I've heard rumors while I've been here of strangers passing in and out, some crazy, some strong, some kind, others just there one moment and gone the next. You fit "strong" and "kind", and you ain't from around here like I said."

Jackie smiled. "So who are you, stranger?"

A slightly pained look crossed his face, but before he could answer, another voice rang out, this one female.

"Hey, Al, what's going on down there?"

From the roof of the Gizmo Shop, a Large Body came crashing into the courtyard, dissipating into darkness. Once it cleared, there was a young lady standing where the Heartless was, stretching her right arm. "Is something up-" She stopped as she caught sight of Jackie.

The spellcaster sighed. "My name is Aleri, and I'm just tagging along with her. Taking the Heartless population down a notch while I'm here is, uh... what any good person would do?"

"Al, why are you beating around the bush? You're doing it because you're supposed to. It's kinda your job?" She brushed her hair out of her face. "My name is Vita Colletta. I dragged Al here looking for somebody, but we've combed most of the town and he clearly hasn't been here. Nice to meet you, uh..."

"Typically, when asking for somebody's name, you're supposed to give your own, miss." Aleri said.

Jackie chuckled slightly and scratched her head. "Sorry, I suppose. I'm still a little cautious, considering the fight I was just in. I'm Jacqueline Roussieau, originally from the Cliffs of Mirth." She paused and took note of what they said. "So defeating Heartless in combat is your job? And who might you be looking for?" Jackie was leaning forward a little now, nearly hanging off of her planted spear.

"Well, defeating Heartless is a part of my-" Aleri sighed. "...Thinkin' I should come clean. I'm doing a terrible job of this whole not-saying-too-much thing right now."

Vita giggled. "Oh, right, you're supposed to keep quiet about your job, huh?"

"Okay, miss Roussieau, I'll explain briefly. I'm part of an organization that does its best to maintain peace in the worlds, which typically includes beating down Heartless, or handling problems that shouldn't crop up on some worlds. We're probably responsible for those rumors... we're supposed to stay out of sight, but we're not very good at being inconspicuous. I'm starting to wonder if that should just be taken out of the job description, since we were originally running a stealth operation because we would get wiped out if we didn't..."

"Not giving her the massive history lesson?" Vita playfully punched him in the arm, grinning. "I'm surprised, Al."

He shrugged, a smile appearing on his face as her cheerfulness infected him. "Hey, I don't want to drown her in answers she didn't ask for."

"Well, as for the one I'm looking for, his name is Verde. I haven't seen him in over two years, so I'm not totally sure what he looks like anymore, but his name should be the same. I think I have a picture of him here somewhere..." She fished a wallet from her pocket, taking out a crudely-drawn picture of a young man. "...Sorry, but I can't find any photographs of him, so I had to draw him from memory."

Holding out the picture to Jacqueline, she angled it so that she could see it, but gripped it like a vice.




"Lance, I'm sorry to interrupt your conversation, but this is important."

Rexial had grabbed the king's shoulder, a look of deadly seriousness on his face. "Maya fell unconscious. While I'd like to believe it's from drinking too much punch, I'm almost certain she reacted somehow to something seriously wrong that's going on in another world. If it's that bad, then I can't stay for the rest of the party. I have to go out and deal with this before it becomes another universe-spanning incident."

"Maintain peace... sounds like my kind of job." She patiently listened to the spiel, the corner of her mouth twitching after Vita's jibe. She took a close look at the picture presented for her, studying the face. She shrugged and shook her head. "I can't say I've seen this Verde. I'm actually looking for someone myself, but haven't been able to explore outside this town..." Jackie seizes up suddenly, grabbing her arm and failing to keep looking them in the eye.

"Who is it?" Aleri asked. "It can't hurt to tell me; there's a chance that I know him."

Meanwhile, Vita just tapped her foot, wordlessly glaring at Al.

Lance nodded solemnly, "I'll have a maid help Maya to her room then I'll accompany you off world to-"

"No. You won't." Thalia's voice was an icy chill as she interrupted Lance, "You're still healing."

"But-"

"No, I'll accompany Rexial off world. You make sure that Maya's safe and we'll be back before you know it." Thalia responded before Lance could interject, "Rexial, may I?" The young woman spoke politely but it felt as if she wasn't giving him very many secondary options.

Rexial smiled. "With all due respect, Lance, Thalia's right. You've earned yourself some rest. I can take care of my own job, alright?"

"And Thalia, I don't think I..." He turned to face her, his expression changing as he catches her tone. "...could possibly refuse, let's go!"

He started walking towards a hallway, where they could make a corridor out of sight. "Oh, and I already set Maya in her bed, so don't worry about that."

"I'll go with you, too," Necro offered, "Can't hurt to have some extra backup."

Rexial gave Necro a blank stare. "Listen, you just have your talk with Lance. We'll have this taken care of and be back before you know it, uh... whoever you are. I don't think we're acquainted."

"Rai-Pierre Roussieau. He looks like me, but, with red hair, and he often looks... unkempt. Clean, but with wrinkles in his clothes and with a week-old beard. He often had little time after tending to me and his work for things like appearances..." Jackie looked down again, and then back up.

Aleri shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't know him."

"Al. Why aren't you offering to help her look for her dad?" Vita asked him, arms crossed.

"Well, do we have time to look for him? We're already looking for your friend-"

"Then it's no trouble keeping an eye out for another guy!" She punched him in the shoulder. "Come on, Al, let's take her back to HQ with us! I'm sure she'll make the most of what the group can give her."

He looked up at the sky for a moment, then back to the girls. "...Miss Jacqueline, do you want to come with us? Understand that this isn't something to be taken lightly. Once you get mixed up in interworld affairs, it's not going to get any easier. If anything, you're going to be put into tougher situations all the time, and your safety isn't guaranteed. You're risking your life if you choose to come with us."

Jackie's face slowly lit up until she couldn't help but start giggling. "And here I thought you'd ask me to do something hard! Perhaps I've been reading a tad too many novels and need to skimp back on them... but yes! I'd love to assist you!" Jackie's smile melts a little though. "So! What's my initiation test?"

<Nebula… it's Necro. Not Wayne. This tis the third time you have dine this. What the actual fuck?>

"I gave him my warning." Necro assured, "My own issues can wait. And my name's Necro."

"Necro... I think I'll remember that." Rexial muttered. "I'd rather be on my own for this one, but since you insist, I'll let you come with." ...This guy's not exactly normal. He's certainly no cannon-fodder chump, and he's got some kind of additional awareness... he won't hold be back, at very least. Can't hurt to take him with.

"Let's hurry and go. If we stand around too long, the problem might leave before we get the chance to beat it half to death." He quickly made his way through the crowd to a side corridor with Thalia and Necro in tow, turning the corner and opening a corridor. "This should lead to the courtyard in from of the coliseum."


<What the shit, me!? Ugh... I'm willing to bet it's because Wayne and Necro are both five-letter names, and that's one of the things my brain focuses on when remembering things. I DO remember that Wayne is a bounty hunter and Necro is a Jedi, though.>




"What makes you think there's an initiation?" Aleri asked.

Vita shrugged. "If you join as an Unnumbered, you don't have to go through one. Unnumbered like me don't get assigned mandatory missions, and we're really more like honorary members." She grinned. "...But that look of yours says you won't settle for that, so let's tell her about initiation!"

Aleri straightened his cape-scarf before speaking. "...Okay, so long story short, you fight a senior member who assesses your skills and says whether you're good enough to join. Lance just got back and Rex is probably busy, so I guess I'll do it. But even if your skills are good enough, our boss can still say no. But... I think he'll like you. We need to go back to HQ for this, so I'll give you one last chance to back out. Shield your eyes, okay?"

He opened a Light Corridor, gesturing to it. "Once you step through there, you won't be on this world anymore. Ready?"