My Legacy lives on...

[Culaki]

Culaki wasn't aware that the effects of him bringing in a fresh kill would be so disastrous on the small Abigail. When she put a hand over her mouth and fell to the floor, his ears perked up in alarm, fearing that some malady or curse had befallen her. When Beatrix and Ellin rushed to her side, he breathed a sigh of relief as the smelly crystals seemed to resuscitate her.

The food seemed to be ready, and Culaki decided that he would attempt to season his kill himself. He poked his nose around, sniffing for the good smelling leaves and sticks that Abigail had used on the bits of chicken, when he heard a loud crash coming from outside. His ears twitched and he forgot the spices as his warrior's sense began to tingle.

Rushing out of the kitchen, he signaled to Feynya to follow him, and quickly retrieved the other two Ronso, Jaglen and Savra, and the four large cats slunk out the door. Culaki's eyes adjusted to the darkness quickly, and he noticed a massive floating tube-like contraption made of some sort of metal.

He held his people back in alarm, until he saw an excited Abigail racing from the mansion, followed closely by the general. A group of soldiers were making their way across the field following the tube's loud, cacaphonous landing, and Beatrix slammed into them, toppling the myriad group to the ground.

Culaki walked closer, his cats and he slinking across the ground to listen in on the conversation. Apparently a mistress named "Lil-Uth" was loose on board, and had killed...eleven people! Culaki knew that this Lil-Uth would be no small feat to topple. He imagined the sort of power that it would take, and quickly rose up to take the reins.

He agreed even more enthusiastically when Abigail and Ellin volunteered to go aboard the large ship named after a flower. Culaki announced the presence of his tribe by unleashing a bestial roar, which was quickly followed by the rest of his people. He walked over to Abigail, nudging her hand with his wet nose, and stood to his full, massive height of over eight feet, his voice rumbling deeply as he spoke.

"Culaki will volunteer to go aboard this tube as well. Whoever this Lil-Uth woman is, she will not inflict harm upon Abigail or Ellin so long as Culaki is with them. He can guarantee that."

He bowed chivalrously to the two women, beating his paw on his chest honorably before speaking again.

"Where you go, Culaki will follow. He will be your shield against the darkness that grows by the second in his homeland. Culaki will give his life to protect you, as he would for any of his people..."

[General Beatrix]

When Ellin and Abby, followed by Wall-E, came out to meet the general and soldiers, she turned to them and nodded, waving her arm for them to meet with her; once in range she wrapped her arms around them and stretched to flick a finger over the gemstone on her gauntlet, signifying that they were to transport aboard the ship via telepod.

As they transformed into spectral spheres and zoomed up to the main decks, the soldiers below quickly went to undoing the doors to the cargo hold. Once that was done they would quickly get to work unloading crates with lights and turning them on, so that they would see the beast before it struck.

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Materialized, Beatrix turned to the others after jumping from her pod and drew out Save the Queen.

"She is aboard this ship and the smell of blood is still fresh; find her, bind her, but do not kill her. We need not shed more blood, even in light of the circumstance, until we understand what is going on. Lady Abigail, do what you must, and Miss Ellin...keep her safe. Last I heard she was near the bridge; that means she could have scaled down to mid-deck by now and even some of the foyers...I am heading for the bridge. Meet up here soon!"

A salute, and she ran off.

[Sai]

The transaction completed, Sai slipped the two new notes into his pockets. Notes 2 and 3... One of these two was forged by Shego earlier, the false one still on the Red Rose. Beatrix had reported that she got those notes from The World That Never Was... perhaps the mistress there had others in her posession? No matter, this was a good sign. Only two notes remained before Sai could begin construction of the-

"Keyblade."

He distinctly heard the other Nobody say the word. Spinning to face them, Sai was greeted only with the sight of a corridor closing. He sighed a bit, considering his next move carefully. He could go after them... see what they knew... but there was something in these notes that he knew they didn't have. Something secret that he was there to see the origins of... There was no way they were about to construct a true keyblade. Dismissing Shego's claim... he turned toward the Rose.

Walking over, he looked up to see Beatrix teleport inside with Abigail, Ellin, and Culaki. Apparently, there was some kind of disaster happening aboard, which Sai really had no interest of becoming a part of. Instead, he found the nearest Alexandrian Soldier and placed a hand on her shoulder to get her attention.

"Excuse me..." he whispered, his voice as dull as always. "Where is Dr. Daphne? I need to speak with her immediately..." What she had to say... even Sai could not have predicted...

[The Alexandrian Army]

As Alecia finished bandaging up a fellow soldier nearby she heard the dull footsteps emitted from Sai's boots as he trekked across the dirt towards them. Seeing General Beatrix and the others disappear, she saluted the Nobody when he arrived, and bowed her head, a frown hidden by her helm.

"Doctor...Doctor Daphne," she began, shaking her head slowly, her fisted hands shaking as she tried to hold back tears. "She was taken from us, as well as Private Ria, back at Jidoor's Opera House...a member of the Heartless' rank stole them away through one of the black gates...and we've been unable to pick up their trail."

Turning to meet the Nobody's gaze she gulped hard. "Sir Nexus, however, left the ship with his dragon Airinose to locate them, and assured us that he would find them. No update on how that is going, I'm afraid..."

She grabbed her arm, which had been injured when Lilith slammed into her before aboard the ship and sat on the ground, running her hand up and down over the wound.

"Ngh...Lady Lilith...is really causing a lot of trouble in there..."

[The Brass Duke]

Following the treads left by the new-and-improved Wall-E Brass and the sorcerer-prince of Oz halted behind the tiny automaton as they reached the group of wounded Alexandrians and a Nobody.

Nearly out of breath already--probably from gorging on all the chocolate he could find in his pouches since finishing the reconstruction--and looked to Sai first for an update.

"Now just who is this Lady Lilith and--" he looked over in the distance and saw the massive hull of the Red Rose, and his monocle nearly popped right off his face.

"Wow, that is one large piece of junk...what happened to it? Did someone chew it up and spit it into Hyperspace, or something?"

"Bite your tongue, snake...we've got other things to worry about. Sai, ladies..." he turned to Wall-E, nodding, and pulled out his wand. "Would it be safe to enter through the cargo doors? It doesn't seem like whatever's in there is attempting to escape just yet. And Your Grace, please stop gawking at the ship...we'll need every bit of help we can."

[Sai]

Something... stirred.

Sai couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something unnatural going on with him when he heard the words that Daphne was not there. His one, normally dulled eye opened slightly wider, and his mind erupted into chaos. Lifting a hand, he felt at a normally vacant part of his chest, and though he found no pulsation there, he knew deep down that his "heart" was racing. A moment passed as he processessed it all. He had to think clearly, or risk losing too much. He couldn't feel the emotion, but damn it all if he couldn't feel the effects of memory.

Looking to the woman once more, he nodded grimly. "I understand..." he said, his voice never wavering from the typical Nobody monotone. However, the look on his face betrayed that even he was beginning to fall for an old illusion. Could a Nobody ever feel?

This... would prompt a very unusual act from Sai. Turning swiftly, he swept his hand, summoning three sorcerer nobodies to his side. Without hesitation, he began to order his lesser bretherin into action. "Scour the worlds. Find the Doctor and alert me immediately..." he told them, prompting each to disappear in turn...

***SAI has demonstrated his ability to SUMMON NOBODIES***

Looking back to the others, he nodded slightly. "Beatrix, Abigail, Ellin, and Culaki have things in hand here. I will be leaving shortly, however..." he said calmly, though... was it?

[Lilith]

it was still feasting, another young one, it could be her last of the evening, or ever, but that would be up to the group waiting outside.

it was in the hold, maybe out of convenience or maybe old habits die hard, maybe it just couldn't pull itself from a place where it used to feel secure.

in another part of the hold was another chance to feed and the bird.
she left the near dead body crumpled in a heap and went up into the rafters to stalk its new prey.
she clambered over the oak frame of the hold ever drawing closer to another victim, the group would have to move fast if this monster was to be stopped.

[Sai]

Not too long after Sai sent the nobodies to find Daphne, one would return. This was a Samurai Nobody, a stronger variant which used swords and dealt in deadly skill. Sai looked to it, and a moment of silence passed. Apparently the two shared some kind of mental connection... something normal people couldn't quite understand unless they experienced it.

Sai turned to the others and nodded. "We have located the Doctor and others. I will return shortly..." he said as though he were just going around the corner to pick up milk. He didn't betray the information that he was about to walk into a bloodbath...

Into the corridor he went... disappearing for the time being...

***Off to Pulp Fiction***

[Abigail Crescentlight]

Once onboard and updated on their mission, Abigail nodded to Beatrix just in time to see her run off. She sighed a bit, then looked to Culaki nearby. "Why don't you go on with the General? Ellin and I will head down into the hold. If I remember my studies on vampires, chances are likely she'll go where its darkest and where its easiest to hide..."

She took a deep breath, then looked to Ellin. "Come on..." she said, then walked with her down the hall. As the hallway went on, the lights would be less and less frequent, a result of Lilith's attack on the ship. Apparently, she or somebody else had gotten a hold of the fusebox and did a number on it, as some lights were on, a greater amount were off, and a few were flickering between, causing the entire ship to have a very eerie, half-illuminated quality.

Now, Abigail new that Ellin was a creature of darkness, but in order to see, one must rely on light reflecting off the surface of whatever one is seeing. So, without a word, the white mage lifted a hand into the air and cast Light on her glove, creating a portable light source which she used to illuminate the immediate area. Think of it like a flashlight hand!

She stepped forward, looking all around and using her hand to light the way. Her other was hovering over her bag of holding. Odd that she didn't have her staff out. What did she have to protect herself? She wouldn't reveal it just yet, for fear of tipping Lilith off should she come into view.

Slowly, the two approached the doors to the hold, and Abigail nodded to Ellin to get ready. Once those doors opened... she was certain things were going to get very interesting. Without any more hesitation... she threw them open and shined her light inside...

[Secondary Characters]

Wall-E would be driving himself around in circles. He didn't understand how the first group could just disappear the way they did, and the way Sai just took off without much warning was a little concerning too. Now, they were about to open the back of the ship, and he wasn't entirely sure what needed to be done!

Looking to Oeilvert, Wall-E would release a mechanical sigh, shaking his head a bit. When did everything get so crazy? Was he ever going to see Eve again? Shaking his head once more, Wall-E put these thoughts aside and tried to focus on the task at hand. Getting to a ready position, he faced the cargo bay doors. Whatever came, he'd do his best!!

[Culaki]

Culaki watched General Beatrix run off as the group was teleported onto the ship, and he nuzzled Jaglen and Savra, motioning towards the woman who'd run off. Silently, the two large Ronso stalked off, quickly catching up to Beatrix and informing her of their leader's decision for them to stick with her.

Culaki then turned to where Abigail and Ellin were, and slunk off to rendezvous with them, Feynya tailing close behind. His eyes adjusted to the darkness quickly, picking out small flickering shadows. His ears turned like finely tuned satellite dishes, listening for any remote sounds or disturbances.

A bright flash of light up ahead told him that Abigail and Ellin were safe, for now. He kept himself several yards back, ready to cross that distance in a flash if need be. Once Abigail threw open the door and shined her light inside, he tensed his muscles. At the first sign of movement, he would charge!

[General Beatrix]

"It sounds like a plan, then," said the general, passing through the large curtain that carried the emblazoned crest of Alexandria. Once on the bridge she saw that things here weren't going too well, either; in fact, there was only one of the ten bridge workers here uninjured. She moved over to that soldier first.

"Private Madeline," she started, looking around at the bleeding women attempting to bandage and heal themselves. She seethed, and caught a glimpse of red streaks all over the controls, floor and railings.

"Where has the vampire gone?" she asked, moving with her over to the navigator Lydia. She placed her palm down and called a curing spell before turning back to the Ronso. "Sir Culaki, please carry those two over here and lay them down gently. Madeline, go to the infirmary and find Rachel. She's the closest thing to a proper White Mage we have without Lady Abigail's assistance."

She stood up and shook her head. "But first..."

She had a small conversation with the soldier, who informed both she and the large feline of Lilith's next move: the bay hall. Beatrix' eyes widened.

"She'll make a break for it if she's not captured, and this world will see true terror...go!"

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Seeing Wall-E prepare for action, the sorcerer's confidence was boosted tenfold. This tiny automaton was just as annoyed as any of the organic creatures it traveled with. Its ambition was not really even that different from theirs...

"Wall-E, are you ready?" he asked, flicking his wand and walking forward up the ramp, only nodding to Sai as he left before disappearing off into the hold with his companion.

"We are facing...something dangerous, I'd imagine...please, be careful."

[Lilith]

the vampire was just about to make her move as light flooded the room, its first reaction was to hide, to get back to the shadows.
so that's what it did. hide. the light would disappear soon at least it hoped.
for the first time in a while she felt scared, it scattered back into a darker part of the hold.
and then it hit its nostrils, the smell's, both of them, such power, such strong personalities, it smelt delicious.
now it was torn, feed? or survive?

[Abigail Crescentlight]

Abigail heard the scurrying motions of the vampire within the hold and lowered her arm slightly. The light would dim somewhat, a result of her purposely pulling back some power to try and give some sense of security to Lilith so that she could make herself known.

"Lilith?" Abigail called into the cavernesque cargo hold, her voice echoing off the far metal walls. She stepped forward into the room, looking all around as she did. "Lilith, honey, it's Abigail. You can come out now, everything's alright. We're all back, so come on out for me?" she asked sweetly.

Looking back to Ellin for just a moment, Abigail gave her a concerned look. She had heard what had happened... but strange, she felt bad for Lilith... She needed to save her... This darkness had claimed too many. She wasn't going to let it take another friend away...

[Lilith]

the vampire glanced around a box towards the source of the illumination, it noticed that the light was coming from the girl rather than from another source.
it could take out two birds with one stone.

it crept around through the shadows towards the lone girl, staying out of sight.
as it got close enough, it pounced, in the blink of an eye the vampire was at the mage's neck.

it sunk its fangs into the girls soft, smooth flesh, it was the most delectable taste she had ever experienced... but then it hit, the vampire's entire body cried out in pain as the holy blood flowed though its cursed veins.

the vampire screamed and was threw itself back.
black tears began to stream from the vampires eyes.
Lilith continued to scream as the tears flowed, she collapsed onto the mage, ever crying.
she was scarred for life, but at least the vampire was back to her senses.