The Witch's Keep

[Atticus the Fallen]

Atticus shook his head lightly. "Unfortunately... they have their hearts back... a miscalculation on our dear Ansem's part, I'm afraid..." the dark one spoke, then slowly stood up, towering over the girl, and yet not emitting any hostility. He seemed almost inviting really.

"The Princesses of Heart are those in possession of Hearts devoid of any darkness whatsoever. They're a constant pain for our kind... However, if hearts devoid of darkness exist... then surely hearts devoid of light must also exist, yes?"

He held a hand out to her, as though offering her to come with him. "That is why I need you. A child's heart... come to the dark on its own. There's no doubt in my mind that you are one of the Masters of Darkness... and as such... possess one of the keys to open the door to an entirely new world..."

[Secondary Characters]

The little construct whirred to life. It wasn't large, like some constructs, and it was clear from the look of it that it was re-engineered to run on this clockwork style of locomotion. It was blocky, running on treads, and its eyes were made of some kind of binoculars, and yet it was so expressive when it looked up at the man, its head tilting. When it realized that it was Oeilvert that was responsible for bringing it back on-line, it reached up and shook his hand lightly, pointing to some faded ink on its chassis which read "Wall-E".



Wall-E considered for a second what he had said, then looked down at the man's injury. He tilted his head, then held a hand up to request a moment of the man's time. He opened his little front-compartment and from it withdrew a Potion! Just what the man needed to heal! Then, as soon as he had given it to Oeilvert to thank him, the robot whirred over to the bars, a small point on its face opening up and firing a crimson-colored beam of light. It cut the bars to leave an opening just big enough for itself, the bars clattering to the floor.

Suprisingly, the Monkey never woke up! Wall-E poked his head out of the bars, then whirred his treads quickly to get a speedy start. He rushed over to the monkey and took the key as quickly as he could, making sure not to alert the sleeping Heartless before whirring his way back to Oeilvert through the very hole he created only moments ago. He held up the iron ring, seeming quite pleased with himself, his treads squealing quietly on the floor with excitement!

This little robot was eager to get out of here!

[Leckseeuh]

Miiaxra looked up at him, and how incredibly tall he was. She wasn't scared at all, she'd seen worse than this - nothing scared her now. She let her head down and looked at the floor, listening to him intently.

That is why I need you. A child's heart... come to the dark on its own. There's no doubt in my mind that you are one of the Masters of Darkness... and as such... possess one of the keys to open the door to an entirely new world...

AFter he finished speaking, there was an oddly hostile silence. It was broken as Miiaxra took in a breath and looked up at Atticus.

...It feels wrong, yet right. I've been told I was suited for the dark... She felt like she should have gone, but the thoughts of her past flashed in her head. Even though she felt her sister - if she was even alive - would hate her for it, she took Atticus' hand and smiled. She let out one of those small sadistic giggles and nodded.

[Oeilvert]

Oeilvert took the potion with a nod, and thanked him by wording it with just his lips, and popped the cork. Greedily he drank, and watched and waited as the little machine did its work.

After the assignment was completed he stood up, and collected his book. Again he thanked the construct, taking the keys and bringing them to his cell door. He quietly--as quietly as he could, anyway--reached around and fiddled with the lock until it popped, and the door came open with a creak.

Damn! he thought, and hastily aimed an open palm in the Heartless' direction as he crossed the threshold to reach Locke's cage. Should the monkey awake, he would grace it with a Fireball. They knew the devastating power of such a spell, mostly because their master enjoyed conjuring them on many occasions.

He soon went to work unlocking the cage, and once that was completed the crow flew over to rest on his shoulder.

"Thanks for that," said Locke, but Masheck simply put a finger to his lips to show they were supposed to be quiet. He returned to Wall-E a moment later and nodded, telling the machine to follow, and they began traversing the many dungeon halls, in hopes of finding some way out of here.

He opened his book and called out, "Livevus, wand." and the magical tome simply spit it out through the bindings, as it had with his broom.

The prince was now ready to deal with the Wicked Witch of the West, once and for all, and save Dorothy.

[Atticus the Fallen]

Quite the sight these two were. Atticus was very much the monster of myth, dragging the child into the darkness which swirled behind him. The only difference is that this girl came willingly, taking the monster's hand and following his lead into that abyss of infinite black...

There was no doubt in Atticus' mind. This child was one of the seven he sought. She went to darkness so easily, even sought it herself. There could be no question on the matter. Now, he had six of them. It was up to Jenova to find the seventh and final. He took a moment as he stepped backward into the corridor to lead Miiaxra, to marvel at how simple it had been to get them...

A faerie born of darkness...

A clown of dark intent...

A sorcerer of blackest magic...

A child unafraid of the dark...

A calamity that fell from the skies...

A catastrophe that rose from the earth...

And finally... the seed of darkness itself.

Atticus was pleased, but the work was far from over... And while he waited for the calamity to seek out the seed, he would handle other matters in that needed his attention.

*done*

[Secondary Characters]

The little robot followed after Oeilvert, though he had a little trouble with going up stairs. It took him a little longer, but he got along, of course. When they reached the higher levels, looking for the Witch, they'd hear something in the hall next to them...

"How about a little fire, scarecrow??" came the witch's voice. A moment later, another voice joined hers, screaming out.

"No -- No -- No -- No!" It was the scarecrow, apparently, having just been caught on fire. There was a sound of scuffling around, of confused motion all while the Witch laughed loudly. Dorothy could be heard panicking as her straw-stuffed friend struggled. "Help! I'm burning! I'm burning! I'm burning! Help! Help! Help!"

More chaos in the other hall, and the sound of something being pulled off the wall. Suddenly, there was an odd sound like a one-man fire brigade spilling his bucket onto the floor, and a loud scream from the Witch!

"Ohhh -- you cursed brat! Look what you've done! I'm melting! Melting! Oh -- what a world -- what a world! Who would have thought a good little girl like you could destroy my beautiful wickedness!? Ohhh! Look out! Look out! I'm going. Ohhhh!Ohhhhhh...." and then, silence. Silence punctuated with a horrible, acidic smell of steam and whatever was left of the Witch.

It would seem... that Dorothy had rescued herself! The little robot at Oeilvert's side looked up at him, wondering what he would do now, with the Winkies on the other side cheering that the Wicked Witch was dead. It would seem their mutual enemy was gone... what did that leave for them?

[Oeilvert]

Oeilvert directed his wand at the stone wall, and seeing as it was locked he simply flicked his wrist, and called "Unlife set free, Corrode." A green beam shot forth and stuck the wall; within seconds it was bathed in faint light, and began crumbling, piece by piece, melting in a similar fashion to the Wicked Witch. When the impedement finally dissolved, the prince made his way with the robot through to the tower levels, where he found Dorothy and her comrades; he sighed heavily in relief, and called out to her, his arms flailing wildly:

"Dorothy! Dorothy! Are you all right? Come on, my acquaintance, you must meet a most special woman."

[Secondary Characters]

Wall-E whirred after the man, keeping pace and watching all around them. His voice key wasn't turned, so he couldn't say much, not that he really could in the first place. Still, he was very expressive when they reached the wall, pointing at it so that the man could listen. When it was over, and Oeilvert got them into where it had all went down, the robot stayed just behind, tapping its "fingertips" together nervously, seeing as this was very technically the scene of a murder.

When the wizard spoke out, everyone turned, but none so dramatically as Dorothy, who practically jumped, clutching the witch's broom tightly in her hands. "Wh-who are you?" she asked with a squeak in her voice. The scarecrow nearby was still smouldering lightly from his encounter with the Witch's fire, and the two others, a Lion and a Tinman were both equally nervous looking even though the Winkies clearly were on their side.

"I'm sorry..." Dorothy spoke up again, still holding the broom. "But I have to take this to the wizard of oz right away!"

[Oeilvert]

Masheck stepped forward, only reaching the point where the witch's puddle stood at his feet; he stepped back and dropped to his knee and bowed in a regal fashion before standing upright once more and nodding his head.

"Tis I, Masheck Octavian, Prince of Oz--technically--but you may call me Oeilvert; and this is my companion Locke here, and my newest associate...erm..." he bent down to look at the machine's title and smiled. "Wall-E. I am very glad that you are save my dear, sweet Dorothy. I have been following you since you left Munchkinland, at the bequest of Glinda the Good Witch of the North." Another bow by protocol and he turned to the Winkies.

"I see that Elphaba the Terrible's hold on you is now but a memory? At least I hope so...and as for returning the broom to the "Wizard", my dear, I will gladly take you to him." Oeilvert stepped over the pool of melted witch and advanced on the girl from Kansas.

"Please, all of you, take hold of my hands...I shall take us to Oz, lickety-split, in no time."

[Secondary Characters]

"You will? Oh, that's ever-so kind of you!" Dorothy smiled, happy to be getting some help. She was willing to believe the man since he said he was in the service of Glinda, and quickly held out a hand. The others were a tad more reluctant, but becaue Dorothy trusted him, so did they. They reached out and touched his shoulders or a part of his arm.

Wall-E rolled over quickly and reached up to grab the man's coat-tail, looking up with an expression that seemed to say "don't leave me!" or something to the effect. They all held on dearly, waiting for his magic to take hold.

The winkies, however, all stayed behind. They nodded curtly, and peformed a formal salute with their glaives. "Hail to Dorothy! The Wicked Witch is Dead!" they sounded, repeating it over a few times as the group disappeared...

[Oeilvert]

Masheck looked about his person to make sure his party was all together, and ready for their swift trip back to the Emerald City. He tucked the wand away in his sleeve and recollected Dorothy's hand. He dropped his head as if in prayer and chanted his spell:

"The Old Green One is no more, for there she lies upon the floor; we need not be here any longer, bring us where my friends will grow stronger! Teleport!"

A bright green light enveloped those that were set to leave, and slowly they began to dissolve from this realm, heading out to seek the "Great and Powerful Oz".

***Off to the Emerald City***