Fate Gone Awry

<Yes.>


"...So... we still have some people? Dispatch, Nathan, yourself, Kotank, Zane, new recruits Susan and Vita... Nori and Xeromus are terminated, Norio ran off, and our other members are all either MIA or dead."

"...I dunno about you, but I feel like we got off pretty lucky. Adachi saved your hides, most of our heavy-hitters are still with us, and we do still have Castle Restoration. It seems a little risky, using it as a primary base, since the Recompletion machine is housed here, but it can't be helped. We got supplies in Twilight Town, and we can probably use it as a stable supply route, provided Dark Corridors don't suddenly stop working indefinitely."

Rexial looked around. "Yeah, I think we're pretty lucky. But, as I told you..." His face became grim. "...I've lost my ability to fight. We can't risk having a leader who can't handle himself in combat, so Siks, you'll have to fill in until I'm ready. Relax, as second-in-command, I can still take care of plenty, but you have the final say in any decisions."

"So, I'm thinking that the first order of business, internally, should be teaching our new members to use Dark Corridors and magic, if at all possible. Train them up. From what you said, though, I get the sense that Susan is very capable already, so that leaves Vita. Externally, our first priority should be recon. We need to search Hollow Bastion for any other members who escaped, and find out what Organization XIII is up to now. If they're still hanging around at Hollow Bastion, then it's likely that they're hunting our members. If they're not there, then we should begin the search immediately."

"But there's no reason to disregard our duties as Organization XIV. We should still keep an eye on out-of-the-ordinary occurrences and try to keep everything within acceptable parameters. Those events can lead us to new allies, which is what we really need right now. Seek out any new recruits that you can."

"...Anything else we need to cover?"

"I'm a bit cautious about recon at Hollow Bastion," Siks explained, "If Xemnas is smart, he'll have had the Organization set up shop there by now. But, on the other hand, it doesn't look like we have much of a choice in the matter. I'll go with Susan to see what we can't find. In the meantime, I'll need you two and Kotank to get Vita some proper training. I don't suppose we have any weapons around here, do we?"

"She should learn to form one from her memories, I think." Rexial suggested. "I don't know if we have weapons lying around here, but I doubt it. It's better that she have something reliable, right? Still, I don't know if she has the ability to do that, since she's not a Nobody. But, then, Siks, you were never a Nobody. How did you learn to summon Radiance and Soulcrusher?"

"Couldn't tell you," he said. "Just sorta came to when I was in a bad spot. Always figured it was connected to everything else I can do."

Rexial scratched his head in puzzlement. "Eh, then I guess we'll have to scrounge up a weapon for her. I'm sure we can get something synthesized. Er, actually, bad idea... we'd have to know what to make ahead of time, and she wouldn't have the chance to get a feel for the right weapon. Know any good metalworks or smiths?"

"No, but it looked like she was pretty good with a Struggle sword when I saw her at Twilight Town." He turned to look at Vita. "You think you'd be comfortable with something about the same size?"

"Probably not a good plan," said Dispatch. "And are you seriously asking if anyone knows a good metalworker? You're looking directly at someone who has control over everything metal!" He sighed. "Anyway, don't forget, a weapon's probably going to be quite a bit heavier than a stick made of foam."

"True, but she's more likely to get the hang of something that demands a similar fighting style."

Vita shrugged. "I'm only good with something light and fast. A full-sized sword isn't going to work for me, but maybe a short sword or dagger would be good."

Siks nodded. "Dispatch, get on that." He instructed. "I'll go check out Hollow Bastion with Susan. Anything we should cover before I go?"

"Okay, first, I need a chunk of metal," he said.

...

After an awkward pause, he pulled out his axe and fashioned the blade into a knife, separate from its old handle, and handed it to Vita. "If worst comes to worst, I can punch things, so...here."

"Er, are you sure?" Vita asked. "That seems a little unnecessary... Are there any door keys lying around? I can work with a small knife for a while, and I'm sure we can find some metal... somewhere."

Rexial shrugged. "I don't want one of our top fighters handicapped when Organization XIII is going to be keen on stomping us out. We'll steal a few scraps from... I dunno, the pipes outside Hollow Bastion's castle."

"Besides, it's too easy to misplace a knife." She admitted. "I don't think I wanna risk having Dispatch at my throat for losing his axehead."

Dispatch just shrugged. "You've clearly never seen me fight hand-to-hand. But if you really think it's important, I can go look around for something." He left the room to search for random scraps of metal.

<I...don't really know what's actually IN Castle Restoration. There's the Recompletion Machine, of course, and obviously a meeting room...is it just a carbon copy of Castle Asylum outside of that?>

<It has the basic interior structure of Castle Oblivion, with fewer floors and more side-areas, like the ones that are implied to exist, yet we never see in the games. The exterior would be just as unnaturally white and simple as the interior. ...That's how I picture it, at least. There are computers, there's plumbing, living quarters... so, yeah, basically like CA, but not exactly the same. Let's be honest, I don't know for sure. And does ANYBODY know what Castle Asylum consists of, even the characters?>

"Alright." Rexial crossed his arms. "Siks will go to Hollow Bastion, and I'll work on training Vita, and get Dispatch's help to equip her. Kotank is working to get everything online right now, and I'm confident that he can hold down the fort. Susan is currently at Castle Asylum, overseeing the excavation. All other members should either stay here or go out and investigate any disturbances they find. Until our observation equipment is working, we won't have any leads outside of those investigations."

"Is that clear?"

<I can work with living quarters.>

Dispatch entered the conveniently labeled Room VI and set about finding every piece of metal he could, including but not limited to his bedsprings and exterior door handle, as well as the lock on his window. Soon enough, he had enough metal to shape it into a new axe-head. He swung it, and it seemed to be only slightly lighter than it had been.

"Works for me," he said, and went back to the others. "Got some stuff, all good." He turned to Vita. "Anything else you need? Armor, secondary weapon, or just head straight to training?"

"Armor?" She asked. "You guys don't wear armor. Well... I'm not nearly as strong as you guys yet, but-"

Rexial snapped his fingers. "That's right, she doesn't have a coat yet! In fact, Susan probably needs one too, and my old one is shredded to hell and I forgot it in a closet in another world, so we should probably put in an order for those sometime. I'm sure SOMEBODY on Asylum will be available to take care of it."

"Uh, a coat?" Vita pointed to Siks and Dispatch. "Like the ones they're wearing?"

"Er, it's the standard uniform. Not required, but y'know, it's helpful to have 'em. Actually, I think they''ve manufactured a few Disguise coats, ones that alter their appearance to suit new worlds and blend in better. They might have all been burned up, though. I guess we can check that later."

Dispatch shook his head. "Not like traditional armor. I could get that if you want, but I mean something more like this." He rolled up his sleeve, revealing that he'd tied a bandana around his arm. "Gives me extra magic resistance." He rolled his sleeve back down and continued, "Asking for one of those might not be the best thing in the world...I'd probably end up killing you if I tried to touch a sewing machine...but a bangle or a bracelet or something like that, no problem. Might need some help with the enchantments, but I can get the right shape for you easy."

Rexial smiled. "Don't worry about that part, Dispatch. We can just get some of that stuff synthesized for her later. I'll be sure to take care of it. Well, then, Vita and I will be going to Asylum right away to pick up her coat, then to Twilight Town to do some synthesizing. Then we'll look for a more discreet world to train in... since this castle doesn't have a training area. I'll be taking the Gummi Ship I left parked out front, since I can't use Dark Corridors anymore. Alright, then, we're off!"

Vita tried to put in her two cents, but he had already grabbed her wrist and run out the door, in a hurry to get things done.

Left alone in the room, all Dispatch could do was say, "Then what do I do?!"

He felt a chilling, numbing cold. It seeped within his bones and pulsed within him. The darkness chewed at his very being.

Then, a warm, soft glow. It pushed back, pounded in his lungs, and persuaded him to move forward, the light within his heart.

He always fight like this. Stuck between the ebb and flow of two powerful concepts.

Light and Darkness. He stood at the center of the divide of the two aspects.

Xancel, the Fallen King, was a warrior of the between. He'd never known anything other than the constant war waged on his heart. The push and pull of the two powers comforted him much like a child's pacifier.

Looking out on the building on the horizon, the young man produced his signature smirk, "Well, this is where it all begins." Summoning the courage to move forward, he walked towards the massive building that marked the horizon.

"Damn!"

A lance shot past Rexial's ear, embedding itself in the brick wall behind him. He leapt to avoid another, which shattered a lamppost and sent shards of glass flying in every direction. The swordsman tumbled out of the way of three more before jumping over the sixth and final lance, lashing out at his aggressor with a vicious kick.

Vita, meanwhile, was inside the accessory shop, completely unaware of the fight.

The Whirlwind Lancer, Xaldin, stumbled back a little, the wind catching him and stopping him from falling back. His six deadly weapons returned to his side as he glared at Rexial. "So, the mouse has come out of his hole, as he?"

"How did you find us!?" The boy demanded to know. "There's no way you followed me... how did you know I was in Traverse Town!?"

"That is one of the many secrets of our organization."

"You're full of it!"

Jumping over a lance that would have swept his feet from under him while ducking to avoid bashing his head into another, Rexial drew his sword in one quick motion. The second his foot met ground, he surged forward, rapidly slashing at Xaldin... however, not only was his wind barrier up, but he found swinging the heavy, metal weapon more taxing than Drakus. Suddenly, he felt rather envious of Dispatch.

Well, before he got sent crashing into a nearby - and very oddly-designed - mailbox by Number III's aero-tunnel attack. "Gah! You'll pay for that, y'hear me?!" How in the world did they find me? They didn't attack Castle Restoration... perhaps they were tracking me somehow? But that doesn't make any sense! This is the first contact I've had with them since Xemnas kicked my ass!

Landing on his back on the other side of a short wall, Rexial crouched and hid for a second, springing past the door to the accessory shop when Xaldin pounced on him from above. He managed to get into the alleyway, jumped up to another section of road and slipping into the synthesis shop before Xaldin could lay eyes on him again.

Once inside, he slid down the ladder and grabbed Vita by the shoulders. "I don't mean to panic you, but we've got a very pissed-off Organization XIII member after us and OH GOD WE'RE GONNA DIE IF WE DON'T GET OUT OF HERE RIGHT NOW!"

Both the girl and the shop owner gave him a curious look. "...Somebody outside givin' my customers trouble? Bah, so that's what the ruckus was about." The old man grabbed a peculiar machine from nearby, strapping and securing it to the front of his body before opening the front door, where Xaldin was now standing, looking for his target.

"GET OFFA MY PROPERTY!" He yelled, pulling a lever on the machine, causing it to fire an immensely powerful Firaga blast, sending the Whirlwind Lancer flying into the "Come Again!" sign and embedding him in it a little.

The two started to run off, Vita hurriedly dropping a sum of Munny on the counter on the way out. "Thanks, Cid!"

"Don' mention it..." The man returned to his position behind the counter, placing the weapon back on a shelf.