DESCENT INTO DARKNESS

[Hades]

While Gabranth went off to face with the Phantom Blot, another being of darkness would be making his appearance just off the beaten path near the ship, leaning against a corner of a building.

"Psst, hey, sparky! Over here..." Hades called to the Super, attempting to get his attention. He'd smile in that slick way of his, sauntering over as the eyes of Hardeware would come his way.

"Thought about our deal, sparkplug?" he asked, leaning against the ship. "Not too late to take off and leave these chumps here, yanno? Get those modifications done you've been thinking about..."

He looked at his fingernails, then muttered. "Or get the bad blues off your back? Magic's a nasty thing, huh, buddy boy?"

[Secondary Characters]

As Gabranth made to step past the Blot, the monsterous creature flung its arm out, sending a glob of that bilelike black substance at the Judge Magister's feet. It bubbled and ate through the stone like acid, emitting that acrid scent all the while.

"Perhaps you did not hear me..." the Blot warned again, the sockets of his eyes glowing a hellish red as it uttered its words. "None are permitted here. Turn back or meet your fate..."

[HardeWare]

HardeWare twitched as the 'god' appeared.
"YOOOOUUUUU!

she stormed over to the being a strange contraption on his arm wirred into life and his replacement eye began to glow.

"HOW DARE YOU! YOU TRIED TO MANIPULATE ME! a good attempt BUT NONE THE LESS! YOU! GET RID OF THIS ACCURSED MAGIC BEFORE I DISINTEGRATE YOU INTO OBLIVION..."
the super turned around and began to talk to himself.
"can you disintegrate into oblivion? that doesn't really make sense, well first you need a concept of oblivion, it would probably be hell for religious people, I'm not one for religion, I sent him to oblivion would it send him to my idea of oblivion or his, decisions decisions..."

the super continued to ramble, philosophy was one thing he all ways got stuck on, probably because you cant have a definite answer in philosophy, oh look even the narration has begun to ramble... I'll stop this now before it gets out of hand.

[MeadowSong]

[glow=Purple,2,300]MeadowSong and Kefka returned to the Altar of Naught in time for the Blob to request permission to stay within the grounds, and the faerie queen simply had no objections whatsoever. And then, when he left to go battle intruders, she hovered over to the side, leaning on a notch in the walls, her harlequin partner slithering up alongside her.

"I can honestly say," she began, glancing only slightly beside her to Kefka. "that I doubt they will be the last intruders here...the others should be making their way here soon enough, what with the ultimate shrouding of darkness." A smirk, and the clown chuckled with her.

Staring over the side of the wall at the brawl far below she plotted quietly to herself, sure that Kefka was doing the same. Trust seemed to dissolve once the gates to Kingdom Hearts had been destroyed. Each of the Masters of Darkness had plans that were much different than The Fallen's.

"Perhaps we shall see what happens, then, when that time comes. For now, if anyone needs me, I'll be in my chamber." She rested a gentle faerie hand on the harlequin's shoulder, who brushed it off, annoyed, and disappeared into a rose-themed Corridor.[/glow]

[The Heartless Army]

Above, on the altar where the crazed king of clowns contemplated his carnival of carnage, a similarly broken harlequin would make its appearance from the shadows, half-formed and deranged. It would dance about without words, though its message was sent through shadows to Kefka's ears...

"Terra is in Sherwood Forest..."

[Sir Tweedbottom]

Up in the sky, above the highest spire, space-time shifted to form a wormhole as black as the night. Out of this floated a dark cloud of mist, followed by an armoured figure, also completely black except for two bright yellow eyes. A small portion of the mist formed itself into a top hat and monocle, both transparent. Not too much later an equally transparent hand appeared which adjusted the monocle's position.

"Oh my, it seems we have run afoul of something dark and wicked," a stereotypically british voice boomed, "wouldn't you agree, Talos?"

A hollow hiss escaped the confines of his associate's armour, one could almost think it sounded angry or vengeful.

"Now now, Talos. You signed my Contract, you knew the risks involved. Should have thought things through!" the mist spoke, waving its finger in a condenscending manner.

"Now, let us meet our hosts."

And with those words, the clothing accessories disappeared in a puff of black smoke, and the mist rapidly made its way downward. The armoured companion simply jumped over the edge. The impact was going to leave a sizeable dent, but the owners of this fine castle surely wouldn't mind, now would they?

[kefka]

[glow=Yellow,2,300]As the First Black Faerie spoke to both Kefka and herself, the dancing lunatic was barely paying attention, only turning to cackle at her whenever she took a glance; assuming that is what she wanted from him, since he wasn't listening, it was all he though of. But a distraction caught his eye after several moments; a soldier in his ranks appeared several feet away, dangling in the air and twitching before its master. The clown turned, tilting his head as the whispers of darkness reached his ears.

"At long last," said Kefka, biting his lip in excitement. "You'll have to watch your program without me, Maleficent," he said, referring to MeadowSong by her old name, and knelt, grabbing hold of the Jester. "As a bearer of good news, you should be allowed to live." He grinned. "Ciao!"

***Off to Her Journey Part I, in Sherwood Forest***[/glow]

[Hades]

Hades smirked, walking up to the Super and placing his hands on the man's shoulders when he turned his back on him. "Easy, easy, big guy... No need to get all red in the face over some bad luck..." the smooth talking lord of all dead said in his best sly voice.

"Look, buddy... You got some bad juju on ya, what can I say? Yeah, I could just take it away, likidy-split, just like that, but here's the rub..." he said, patting Hardeware before walking away. "I'm not in the business of charity, ya get what I'm sayin? If you want the bad vibrations to be a thing of the past, hey, ya gotta do something for me. That's just how it works..."

Turning around, Hades chuckled. "Here's your options. One, you take out Hercules before the Judge does. Or two, you live the rest of your life cursed to eternal bad luck on top of your usual ramblings. Then there's option three... and that's get metalhead to off Jerkules FOR you! Do that, and hey, I'll throw in a gyro for good measure. Whattya say, ba-boom..."

Hades held out a hand to shake on it... the proverbial deal with the devil, so to speak.

[Secondary Characters]

"Nngh... Ron?" whispered a voice deep below the surface of the World That Never Was, nestled within one of many dungeon cells that had long since been forgotten in the turbulence of a greater scheme. The voice belonged to none other than teen hero Kim Possible, still tied to one of the walls with heavy chains.

She groaned a little, shaking her head clear of the fuzzies. Looking around, she tried to get her barings. The last thing she remembered was being contacted by Wade that Dr. Drakken and Shego were spotted in Eastern Europe at the abandoned ancestrial home of VonDrakkon. She and Ron had already arrived, having to take a trip with Ellias Maidenhowl as a cash-in for a favor they did for her earlier that year. They were just about to sneak in when they were suddenly attacked by a strange group of black... creatures with glowing eyes. They held their own against them, sure, but when a woman with horns and a flowing black robe appeared and used a blast of lightning from the staff she carried... everything went dark.

"Ugh... well, the decor matches..." Kim muttered to herself, taking note of the stone walls and iron bars. To complete the interior design, an obviously grecian statue nearby of a woman holding her hands up defensively. "Okay... Medusa much?" she asked, then looked up to her hand. Luckily, the kidnappers didn't have the mental wherewithal to take her class ring. She grinned, and spun it around on her finger. With Kim Possible, even something like a class ring was never what it seemed, thanks to a certain teenaged super genius.

Squeezing her hand lightly, the ring suddenly emitted a powerful laser, which she carefully used to cut the chains in strategic areas, causing her to fall off the wall and land lightly. A little shake, and she was free. Stretching a bit, she felt her muscles popping back into place. How long had she been there? Hours? Days? There was no way to tell right now, so she needed to focus on a way out.

Reaching for her Kimmunicator, the teen sensation began attempting to reach her super-smart colleague, Wade. The line crackled, then let out a soft beep tone, indicating that it could not receive a signal so far underground. "Great... looks like I'm on my own..." she muttered, then checked the bars.

Nearby, there was a large... catlike thing sleeping, and near him several of those monsters from before, but now they were wearing makeshift armor and clanking around noisily... How to get by them? She smiled, already an idea forming. "Excuse me? Mr. Big Strong Guard Guy?" she'd call loud enough to wake him.

The catlike thing jerked awake with a loud, "Whawhowhere?" before shaking his head slightly and looking over. "Oh, it's you. Stop yer yammerin' I'm tryin' to get a lil' shut-eye... wait..." he stood up, looking at Kim with suspicious eyes. "How'd you get down??" he demanded.

"Oh, I..." Kim stammered, having almost forgotten about that, but quickly recovered by making it part of her plan. "Well, I've been there for so long... and I haven't eaten or drank anything this whole time..." she pouted cutely, looking up at the cat-thing. "So long that I shrunk and slipped right out! Now I'm starving... could a big strong man like you get your little buddies to bring me something?" she asked, laying the charm on thick.

"Welll.... I dunno..." the cat muttered, rubbing his head. He looked down, only to find KimmyCub whipping out the patented puppy dog eyes and quiverlip combo! He groaned, then jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Hey, you yahoos! Go grab this girly some grub, willya??" he said to the heartless, causing them to run off. In her mind, Kim made a note. Several down, one to go.

"Thanks!" she said happily, then smiled. "Someone deserves a reward for being such a big sweetheart..." she said, pulling out her compact from her pockets and made like she was about to dab her cheeks with it.

"Awww, gwarsh, t'was nuttin' lil' lady! Pete takes care of his captives!!" the cat named Pete said proudly, hands on his hips.

"Pete, huh? C'mere, Pete... I wanna tell you a secret..." Kim said, beckoning him closer, which prompted the massive Pete to bend down, ear ready to receive some information forbidden to all else. "The Secret is..." Kim whispered, then blew across her powder, kicking it up into Pete's face. The cat stood bolt up right, shaking his head.

"What the- who the- when the- rrrrgoodnight..." he muttered, the effect of Kim's Sleep Powder taking hold and causing him to topple into a heap onto the ground with a loud "THUD". Kim closed her compact with a grin and slipped it into her pouch while retreiving her lipstick.

"I can do ANYTHING!" Kim finished, then pointed her lipstick at the bars, causing it to leap from the container and stick as a weird, puttylike substance. Taking cover, the superspy cheerleader pointed her laser at it, and set the plastic explosives off, blowing her way to freedom!

No time to daudle, Kim ran for it, stopping only momentarily to swipe the keys of the knocked-out Pete to avoid any locked doors ahead. Now free, she made her way up toward the entrance...

[Hercules]

"Got it!" Hercules spoke into his transmitter once he heard that Gabranth was on his way in. No time to take in the scenery. He'd have to head downstairs and find the entrance to let his ally in, then they could go about looking for Meg! It was good to have an organized front!

Just as Hercules made his way through the various rooms of the Castle of Naught and finally found the doors leading out to the dark city, he spotted something that seemed... out of place. A streak of red running toward the exit he was going for himself!

Waiting a moment, he discovered that it was in fact a young girl, and she seemed just as eager to get out as he was to get Gabranth in! Seeing no danger, he walked forward, waving a hand. "Hey! Excuse me! Are you looking for the way out? Did you happen to see a woman turned statue anywhere??" he asked, trying to sound friendly and out going. Maybe he'd get lucky, and she'd know where Meg was!

[Secondary Characters]

"Almost there!" Kim Possible said to herself, happy to see the large doors that served as both entrance and exit. She doubled her speed, running for it, but came to a sudden hault when she heard another voice. She spun on the spot, ready for some kung-fu action when she saw Hercules come running forward.

"You've... gotta be kidding me..." she muttered, having recognized the man from her mythology class. Then he began speaking and she felt a little... overwhelmed. "Okay... this'd make a lot more sense if the castle was in greece, but... what?" she stood up, and shook her head a bit, one hand on her hip as she looked to Hercules.

"A woman turned statue? You don't mean-" she gasped, then looked back the way she came. "That was decoration? I saw a greek statue back that way, but that's not a person is it??" she asked, then sighed. She really didn't want to go back there, but it looked like she would have to. She knew Hercules was a hero, from the history books, and what kind of Teen Hero would she be if she ignored a request for help?

"Yanno what, I can show you... but we gotta be careful. Those black monsters are everywhere down that way..." she said, then started heading back, waving for Hercules to follow. "Come on!" she said.

[Sir Tweedbottom]

The mist moved ever downward, contently humming a merry tune, quite an odd sight to any normal person. But he doubted there would be any normal people in his immediate surroundings. Speaking of surroundings, this castle was taller than he had expected! He sure hoped Talos wouldn't make too much of a mess upon landing.

At that point Arthur passed the upper plateau of the castle, and to his surprise he saw some sort of Heartless faerie woman creature standing there, observing the events below. The castle's owner, perhaps? He stopped dead in his tracks, morphed his appearance into that of a ghostly gentleman, and decided to investigate.

"Do have fun down there, Talos!" he shouted after the suit of armour, but it was too busy plummeting to the surface like a comet to hear him. What a shame.

His incorporeal feet gently touched the plateau's floor, followed suit by his cane formed from the few tendrils of mist that were left. After once again staring in awe at the castle's splendid architecture, he decided it was time for a nice little chat.

"Marvelous chateaux you've got, Lady...?

[MeadowSong]

"Do have fun down there, Talos!"

[glow=purple,2,300]An unnamed, familiar voice broke out through the eerie silence of the Altar of Naught and momentarily the Faerie Queen of the Heartless was distracted. Turning from the chaos down below she lifted off the marble surface, her long wings flapping in rapid unison, appearing like a cloud of black mist behind her to onlookers. Holding her sceptre Faeries' Wrath in one hand, her shoulders back and chin high, like so many nobles, she regarded the newcomer with narrow, suspicious glowing eyes.[/glow]

"Marvelous chateaux you've got, Lady...?"

[glow=Purple,2,300]"MeadowSong," she answered, hovering closer to the man now, circling him several times in close inspection. When she stopped again directly before his own gaze she folded one arm below her breasts just over her stomach and put a finger from her other to her lips, considering his familiarity.

"You strike me as someone who would associate with Acteur," she said plainly, and then shook her head, clicking her tongue. "But that is not the case, or else I would know. Who are you and what brings you to my castle?"[/glow]

[Hercules]

Hercules nodded to the girl, ready to rumble when she mentioned black monsters. He was glad, however, to know his guess was on the mark. She knew where Meg was! He followed behind her, speaking into his communicator as he did. "Gabranth! It's Herc, I found a lead to Meg's location, and I'm taking it! Don't wait up for me!" he said into it.

As he tucked it back under his armor, he ran alongside the red-headed girl with a smile, nodding. "I'm Hercules, by the way!" he said, then charged forward to take out some of the oncoming heartless!

[Secondary Characters]

Kim was a bit shocked at the strength of Hercules. Sure, it was legendary, sure the books went into lavish detail on just how powerful he was, but reading about it was one thing entirely different from actually SEEING it! "Wow..." she whispered, watching him plow his way through before reaching the end of a hall to wait for her.

"Yeah, I kinda figured..." she said, responding to him giving her his name. She nodded, then struck something of a pose, smiling. "And I'm Kim Possible, teen hero!" she said, nodding. "Nice to meet ya, but let's focus on the here and now..." she said, then looked down another hall, leading to a door.

"That door leads us down into the dungeons where I was being kept. That's where your statue friend is..." she said, then made her way over and opened the door, finding more heartless beyond. "No big..." she muttered, then proceeded to open up a can of kim-fu on them, demonstrating that she wasn't exactly a pushover herself!

Taking out 5 soldiers, she landed with a perfect crouch and stood up to pat her hands. "Thank you, cheerleading practice!" she said, then waved for Hercules to follow her. Luckily for them, Pete was still knocked out, so it was easy enough to sneak around him and point into her cell. "There's your girl!" she said, smiling. "Let's get her and get out of here! I can only imagine how far past curfew I am!"