To Hell and Back

To Hell and Back
Date of Scene:	14 March 2013
Location:	Phantom Forest, Underworld
Synopsis:	Avira has been captured, dragged into the depths of the Underworld. Avira's friend band together, ready to rescue their friend, and free Manhattan from darkness once and for all. There can be no failure here, for failure has...perminate consiquences.
Cast of Characters:	Deidra, Skoll Ulfang, Mercade Alexander, Zia, Ember, Avira, Maira, Sora, Navya, The Boss, Hades, Emi Dennou, Isaac Hanlon, Percival, Soan Sagittarius
Tinyplot:	Manhattan Restoration

---

Hades has posed:
Welcome to...

The Phantom Forest.

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJeOJ3zcs4E

This is how the heroes have discovered their only way into the Underworld. Both thanks to Isaac and Shida, who have experience in this field. Isaac, who once responded to a job from Hades, and Shida who has been actually dead. It was a tragic story, involving a time mage and a accelerated object, but this is a story for a different day...

The souls of the departed line up, some as small orbs of ghostly particles, some as fuzzy outlines, some as actual ghosts. Here they gather, to take the train to the Underworld, to be granted their final resting place...or to be reincarnated, or whatever. The feeling is...gloomy, wisps of light hang around the tops of the densely overgrown trees. No light shines on the floor of this forest.

Fog rises up from the ground, adding to the depressive nature and dead like feel of the land. There are tracks lining the road, that seems to split the forest and go off into forever. Wherever it leads...you can not see the end of it, though sometimes you catch a specter who looks down the dark way...and sighs. Sometimes it is sad, sometimes it is fearful.

This is not a happy place, it is not a place you belong. Everything in your body tells you to flee, to leave...but you can not, can you? You're here for a reason, a very important reason.

You can hear the ghost like whistle of the Phantom Train as it approaches. The running of wheels over the train tracks can be heard as it approaches, slowing down...until it stops in front of the platform raised and opens it's doors, ready to take passengers.

Do you enter? It does not seem to care that you are still alive, perhaps it is used to passengers being alive, as the Lord of the Underworld has had many visitors lately. Perhaps it simply thinks that you will not come back...after all, return trips are not things it has to do often.

This might be a one way trip. Do you proceed?

Percival has posed:
The russet-skinned Gargoyle had a muted demeanor during the journey through the phantom forest. They were about to willingly walk into hell, what exactly does one talk about when they're about to do that?

He was tense, and at times the talons jutting out from the balls of his feet would gouge the soil he was standing upon. His tail was jutting from one side to the other in an nervous rhythm. His wings were open, but only because they were still rather tender. Maira's traction of the wing combined with healing magic and a day of stone sleep could only do so much. He kept his arms folded in front of him.

He'd left behind the sword Zia had gifted him with, instead taking only the ornate rapier with which he'd been cursed with. Had he the option, he'd have left it behind as well, and he'd resolved not to use it under any circumstances. If they had to fight, he'd do it without a sword in hand. Even if it felt like he was missing an arm.

The rest of the agency had accused him of wanting to die, trying to make some sort of heroic sacrifice. He didn't want to die, but unlike the rest of them he believed that his death was a very real possibility. One does not simply walk into the underworld expecting to return.

Thoughts turned unbidden memories of onyx hair and jade eyes. She was smiling at him, right before knocking him on his fool arse. And then the two of them were laughing.

A rumbling sound of irritation crawled out of his throat. He had to keep his mind on the mission, and that mission was to rescue the hope of their world from a god who had trounced them with little effort. He couldn't afford any distractions.

The phantom train was a disturbing and macabre sight for him. It seemed to make mock of everything he knew about the afterlife. And yet, he did not pause, he climbed aboard one of the train's cars without hesitation.

Emi Dennou has posed:
Shida and EMi are the team sent out this time. Shida is nervous, of course, because she's been here before. In fact, she had been here for some time, while waiting for the train. She doesn't know if the train will keep her, or let her go, or what--

--but if she doesn't go, then she'll have nightmares about this forever, now won't she? She has to go. And what's more...maybe her other Sisters are in Hades's realm as well.

She is clearly uncomfortable, though, and hesitates upon entering the train once it appears.

Emi holds her hand lightly, as if to be encouraging. She nods once, to her, and then steps onboard.

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade Alexander is here to solve problems.

This problem is that Avira is in the Netherworld. Hades wants her under his flaming thumb. And Mercade isn't going to accept that. Not on his watch.

Despite Evja's best attempts to murder him, Mercade has managed to survive with the assistance of good friends and dumb luck. And now he's here in the middle of the Phantom Forest, listening and watching the departed lining up for the Phantom Train. "So. We're going to take this train to Hell. And then we're going to get Avira. And then we run."

A simple plan.

The question isn't whether he's going to enter. It's whether he's coming back. He swore he would take on anything he has to in order to save Avira. And he's going to put his money where his mouth is.

Zia has posed:
The white gargoyle might just look at home among the spectres lined up here. Partially because her usual black bandages have been replaced by white ones, and she already looks pale to begin with. Oh, she had reason enough to be here. If it weren't for Avira, herself, it would be for Percival who had been so kind has to leave a worrying letter, or for Skoll who probably gave her a text message of similar ilk. If she would have gotten an gloomy letter from a certain mouseling, well, she might have had the matched set. As it is, with two out of the three troublemaking men in her life gone off into the underworld, she's not about to let them go in alone.

Even so, she's hangs back a bit among the trees until the last moment, watching the train's approach and listening to that eerie whistle as every part of her begs to go elsewhere. Her nature sense is screaming at her and it has nothing to do with any impending storms. Too many other faces are familiar, and most certainly not among the deceased. So, as the train stops, she hops down from her perch and makes her way over.

Needless to say, as she steps onto the train, there is a little shiver that runs through her. It almost feels as if the two bone chips that dangle from her neck are trembling. Must just be her imagination, or the feel of the train's engine. In either case, as she walks in to the train car, she stops and gives Percival one of those 'her brother's keeper' sort of looks. Sure, they weren't related, but... someone has to keep him out of trouble, or at least start trouble with him. Hard to tell with these two.

She settles down nearby, looking nervous as a long tailed cat in a room full of rockingchairs. The plan is simple enough, as Mercade put it, but... things are never simple.

Ember has posed:
There is another here, although she is no hero. She's wrapped in darkness of her own making; a black hooded cloak drapes over her form, hiding her face - at least for now.. And she moves quietly through the phantom forest towards the train station.

She does not travel with the others, and makes a point of keeping her distance from them. Amongst all the collection of dead spirits who board the train, with any luck she may go unnoticed, but then again, she's clearly not a ghost. When the train stops to let on more passengers, she is careful to slip in at the back, keeping mostly to herself.

Navya has posed:
Navya has never been dead in her life.

She kind of would prefer to keep it that way. She has spent the last twenty minutes trying to figure out if, upon entering the underworld, she becomes dead until she leaves. And does that mean that, from then on, she is /un/dead? It's really impossible to tell.

Navya actually approached from a different angle. She'd been just wandering for a couple days, but - strangely enough - her wandering has continuously brought her the correct way for some reason due to mysterious forces.

But she's still here in time to look at the train. "This /is/ a two-way trip, right...?" she asks, before setting her jaw and walking towards the door anyway. She has to duck to get her weapon through it; Navya has replaced her gigantic maul (now broken) with a chunk of wood from the forest. It's practically most of a tree, given it's seven feet long, twisted dead wood. She's using it like a staff.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll slowly paces through the forest, pulling on one of the chains of his pants in order to loosen it from a branch it gets trapped on. The youth is uncertain about a trip like this, feeling a chill running down his spine. Sure, he's an Unlimited. But... that's something he has only been told once. He's lived through quite a bit. But... it's never /truly/ been put to the test. Never had he once dared to go into a place like this. The... /The/ Underworld.

"To think a mere train could take us to such a place." Skoll whispers to nobody in particular, in awe of the actual train itself as it comes to a halt in that single strange train-platform in the forest. He'd spoken to Percival regarding this little outing, and had gone out of his way to make sure Zia knew what he was doing -- where he was going. Knowing he could not stop the Gargess if he wanted to, so he simply gave directions along with it.

It's kind of amusing that the male Gargoyle and him end up walking side by side - one with a cursed collar, the other with a cursed blade. "We have to do this." He mutters to Percival, placing a hand on his shoulder, before following him towards the train itself.

"I wonder if this train also will get us back." He comments as he walks besides Mercade, looking him in the eyes for a moment, before walking along into the cabin. The youth then quickly looks back as Zia too follows onto the train. The youth puts his hands into his pockets and starts playing with some of the smaller chains he keeps in there, to hide his nerves.

Sora has posed:
Mercade's mouth is on Avira's, right?

Sora is stubbornly trailing the detective, his blue eyes fixed on MErcade's hat as much as they are his loose, one-handed grip on the keyblade. Sora doesn't like a /single bit/ of this adventure, and it shows in his look that he gives the man.

"I hope it does." He mutters, finally.

Maira has posed:
Maira had said goodbye to Uist. As usual, the ghost was not pleased with having to leave her. He wasn't pleased with any of it. His anger was a deep, smoldering thing that he had no choice but to swallow. If he went into the Underworld, he wouldn't be coming back out. Maira though, and the rest, they would. They /would/.

Maira arrives looking like she'd just had a shower, her hair still wet and curling around her face and shoulders as it dries. She wore nice clothes. One doesn't meet the Lord of the Dead looking like a raggamuffin.

Even Maira is solemn, but she does not look afraid. She looks almost serene. Cathartic. As the train approaches she stands with her friends. Now that she knows how scared Shida is, she will reach out to take her hand and give it a reassuring squeeze. "We won't let you get left behind. I'll hold your hand the whole time if you want, okay?" she says, somehow managing to summon a smile that isn't completely hallow.

Maira looks to Percival then, reaching out to pet her other hand over his talon, sitting between him and Shida as the climb aboard the train. To Skoll she also gives a smile, nodding to him, trying to look confident. "I don't know if the way in will be the way out...we'll see."

Maira turns to look toward Mercade then, a ghost of a smile on her lips. The would be Orpheus. "Just don't look behind," she tells him. That's important, or so she's read.

Soan Sagittarius has posed:
Dragoon Man has very little idea of what he's going to get himself into, beyond 'probably, very possibly, death into the realm of a god of death'. Things are going to be rather dangerous in there, but when it is not for him? Besides, he cannot sit idle, in the knowledge that a young woman is in danger, as well as the potentiality of their world to be returned whole.

Soan wouldn't forgive himself if he didn't at least try to help.

"I agree. I have no intentions to take a vacation to this place." The armoured figure says as he looks around, crossing his arms. Hm. A few are quite familiar to him in the assembled people. Quite a team of heroes, really. "Then we'll have to hope that we do find a stronger way out, Maira."

Deidra has posed:
Deidra knew what they had to do and she was not pleasew this wasn't a place teh living should go but they had no choice. She's hit the books the night before checking out what she could on greek myths for any sort of help and she'd come down to three things. "Do not swim in anything who knows what would happen. Do not drink anything and do not eat anything. She takes a deep breach as she keeps up with the TDA and others. She takes a deep breath as she follows after Percial as she looks at the train, she raises an eyebrow as they reach the train.

"Forward through shot and shell right into the mouth of hell? Isn't that how it goes." She's left a letter behind if they don't come back.

There's nothing else left to do but get into the underworld to rescue Avria she does smile a little bit as she looks over Zia as she joins them.

"Hello Zia."

She doesn't sit down in the train she'll leave the seats to those who should be here as she finds a spot to lean back and wait.

"We shall see, about the return trip now as I said. Do not eat anything from there, do not drink and don't go swimming in anything."

Isaac Hanlon has posed:
Isaac has been to an underworld before. Not this one, but one of them.

Which is why he's not getting on the train.

Isaac wants Avira to get home safe and sound. He wants Manhattan to be restored. He wants Mercade to stop worrying himself to death, and stop getting impaled on every sharp object that gets within ten feet of him. He's willing to provide an emergency exit -- or a possible one, at least -- and he's willing to provide some help... but he's not going down there.

Some things should stay buried, he thinks.

Isaac's aid is simple: he's passed out a handful of charms that look like cheap replica Chinese coins on boot-laces, apparently designed to ward off ambient necrotic energy. He's deflected any questions as to /why/ he has these things and the method to make them lying around. He's also not sure if they'll help in Hades' Underworld, but any aid is surely welcome.

So, there he is, standing on the platform and watching. He is, appropriately, silent as the grave.

Hades has posed:
The Train is full of spirits...some of them ride the train constantly, unable to move on, but too afraid to go back. Some have become mad by their time here, gibbering at you wildly as you approach...but they ultimately can not harm you...not yet.

As Everyone enters the train, the Phantom Train lets out a whistle, almost like a funeral dirge, as it jerks into motion, and slowly starts pushing forward. Soon, things are going smoothly, as the train picks up speed. You can feel every bump, every jerk...this train was not made for comfort.

Looking outside you can see the forest blur by...until...

There is no more forest. There is only darkness. It is not the abyss of the world beyond the light, but the darkness of something...else. The end of the journey of all things. The necessary end that awaits everything. You don't need a name for it, you all know it in your heart of hearts where you're at...what this is.

This is the beginning of the underworld. The Train can be felt going down, entering the earth's embrace as it heads down. It almost feel's like floating, but after a time it starts to straighten out.

There is a grinding noise, as the train starts to decelerate. And slowly, it comes to a halt. There is no communication out of here, Ma Belle's stop working, magic DOES work however, but it is hard to get working properly.

You arrive on another platform, and as you exit you see a long stairwell down. The steps are stone, dark with green moss growing between the cracks. It seems suspended by only the abyss, which is above the rivers that cross. The Rivers look dangerous, one is flaming after all, but you feel a dread from each one. You know falling into them is either death, uncertain death, or worse.

Walking down the platform you can hear the cries and wails of the departed. It is both terrifying and sad, and...

You are sure you can hear those in your life you have lost. Rather it is actually them, or a reflection of their screams on your subconscious...well, that remains to be seen. As you descend, you come into a antechamber. In the center is a small glowing lake, which you can stand in without falling into. It appears to be glowing by what you think is algae.

Out across one of the rivers you can see what looks like a large arena, but it appears to be completely blocked out, unable to be accessed by any means...Sora can not sense a lock for this place here.

Two large doors are opened before you, made of a hard and thick substance you can't immediately identify. They look unbreakable...and something tells you that no matter how much you hate Hades...breaking it is bad. However, they are open...for now.

However, as you enter the antechamber...

Heartless start appearing, aiming to surround you. They are strange Dog Like heartless, similar to Cerberus, and other heartless, armored heartless with spears. They stand to interfere with your rescue of Avira.

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbLHmxpYgHU

At least it doesn't appear Hades knows your here...I mean, you are still alive, right?

The Boss has posed:
There's a blur of motion as the Heartless appear amidst the brimstone stink of the Underworld. It's almost imperceptible to the naked eye; those with trained senses would see it for all of a split second, a brief disruption of the antechamber's lighting and an even briefer moment of light raking across the Heartless. Then it's gone.

Then, so are the Heartless. They swell like balloons along several points, expanding, their big yellow eyes widening almost comically as they burst. Shreds of disintegrating shadows fall around the group like particularly disturbing confetti, but those are hardly the most interesting thing in the room.

No, that honor goes to the man(?) standing in the center of the fluttering Heartless-shreds.

A tall top hat adorns his head. An iron mask hides every part of his face. A tie hangs down around his neck. A heavy duster hangs over an undecorated Cold War-era British military uniform; the duster conceals the entire lower half of the man(?)'s body. It's difficult to tell if he even has anything below the torso.

Gloved hands sink into the greatcoat's pockets as the masked figure's head slowly inclines in a nod. Then he turns around, as if waiting for the group to follow him.

BGM: TAKE YOUR PICK!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xe430i_kamen-rider-w-nobody-s-perfect-subb_music&start=35#.UUJcChyG18F

OR

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5sQHWfRI60

Emi Dennou has posed:
Shida looks towarsd Maira as she makes her offer. She doesn't comment verbally for a few moments, perhaps considering--or just being surprised by the offer. She reddens faintly, embarrassed that she's being so obvious. She glances towards Emi, who nods again.

Shida nods back, ultimately, and then she looks on over to Maira and snakes out her hand to grab onto Maira's. Of course now she's using BOTH her hands to hold onto other hands.

Emi looks on over to The Boss though and asks, "Who is that?" Holding out a finger to point. POINT.

Soan Sagittarius has posed:
The entire trip was rather... tolerable. It is an extremly eerie place, he didn't think that a train could be used this way. Then again, it's rather obvious, really.

"I agree," Dragoon Man echoes, flashing his spear into existance as he skewers a heartless in the way, slamming them into another one as he look up ahead. "Is this someone that we should know?"

Percival has posed:
Percival took Isaac's charm with a nod of thanks, before putting it over his neck. The Gargoyle was so self-absorbed up until that point that he had to scrutinize Skoll for a moment before recognition dawned on him. He remembered him from the battle for Fluorgis. Smiling wanly, he'd return the gesture of comraderie by briefly gripping the Werewolf's shoulder. He responded in a gravelly voice. "We will."

When Maira patted his talon, he would squeeze her smaller hand briefly in reassurance before whispering to her. "Remember Lady Maira, some are fated to be heroes, but you /choose/ to be one."

And then he saw Zia. We're just going to call these moments /Percival moments/. You know the moments where he realizes he's said or done something incredibly foolish long after everyone else has. When Zia gives him that look, that's one of those moments. A palm literally runs across his face. Of course she was going to come, why did he think she wouldn't?

He doesn't sit but instead stands in the aisle beside Zia, Maira, and Shida as his wings required a goodly amount of space to spread out, else they'll be in constant pain. Instead he stands in the aisle, and briefly put a hand on her shoulder, before letting it slip away. He would smile reassuringly, but he didn't say anything to her. Nope, best to keep his fool mouth shut after writing a letter like that.

He remained silent once the whistle blew, and throughout the trip. When the train stopped, he would take a deep breath and descend the platform.

He wasn't prepared to hear her voice whispering dark accusations at him. /Its your fault. Why did you let me die?/ And then another male voice joined in. /I had my whole life ahead of me. I didn't deserve to be savaged by a demon!/ His eyes were misting with guilt and despair, but still he trudged onward at an even pace. Their screams and wails lashed his soul, but he didn't give them even a moment of his time.

Once they had passed through the two large doors, and the heartless began to swarm he'd hook his shield upon his arm, but wouldn't immediately act. His eyes narrowed as he watched the man who stood in front of him. He recognized the uniform immediately, but had no history with the man and could not identify him. He would look to Mercade for his orders, following the man only if Mercade bade him to.

Mercade Alexander has posed:
"I hope so." Mercade says, looking back to Skoll. He's rocking the poker-face hard right now, even as he looks back and waits in the cabin.

That's right, Sora. Watch the hat. The hat will be our beacon and salvation.

He laughs at Maira's suggestion, but it's a bit wan. "How Orphic." He replies. "But thankfully, I'm not a singer or harper. He looks down at the charm that Isaac's procided. He's not sure if it'll help, but he'll take anything.

They travel into the depths of the Netherworld, anxiety eating at the Detective, frowning as they proceed. He exits the train, and he looks over the area. Classical experiences confront Mercade as he approaches the Netherworld proper, and he grimaces at the Rivers. "This place is terrible." He whispers. He looks back up at the Great Doors of the Underworld. "Well then. Nothing to do but go forward." Mercade says, as be proceeds.

They enter the antechamber, and Heartless begin to appear. Mercade pulls his gun, and then... He turns, seeing the man. His eyes widen, and he gasps. "What?! You..." He blinks. "How did you..." He looks to the others. "Quick, follow him!" He says, and quickly moves to join The Boss, watching him intently but saying nothing for the moment.

Deidra has posed:
Deidra is trying to keep her distance and leave the dead be ant yet? some part of her feels sad they seem to stuck but there's not much she can do for them right now. As the train picks up speed she watches out one of the windos as they enter into the underworld she grimaces wondering what awaits them here. All the myths and stories mean little to seeing it for real. She sees as they arrive and the Ma Belle goes off line and she loads it into a pocket she did come armre dtonight a large two handed sword across her back.

Comes the heartless and she gets ready to fight when something happens.

A mysterious stranger, one of the dead who seems to still have the will to do something? She starts as the man? just cleans house of the first wave of heartless she seems suprised as this.

"Thank you but why help us?"

She has no idea whom it but she's thankful though suprised wouldn't anyone down here acting against Hades be horribly punnished for it? She wonders what going through Percy's mind.

She Listens to Mercand and moves to follow after the mysterious stranger whose seen fit to help them.

"I'm on it Mercade."

She's then chasing after Mercade and The boss.

Ember has posed:
The train lurches to a stop and suddenly it's the end of the line! The black cloaked figure rises to her feet and follows the others off the train. Glancing back at the dead that follows, she is certain that she hears and sees those who were dear to her that had died..."Mother...Father...Ser Kasrillen....Lord...Fessner...?" She grits her teeth...No! so he DID die! But...No no no...

She closes her eyes, gritting her teeth, thankful for the hood and cloak that hide her face from the others. No, not now, she has to concentrate. She owed Avira and Maira that much.

As she glances around, she notices familiar faces; There's Maira of course, of whom she recently spoke to, moments before they both left separately to find Avira..Skoll's here, naturally and she just knows things will get ugly if/when he finds out the truth about her..

There's Mercade whom she still has a contract with..Will that contract be honoured once he realizes who she is? The quiet boy with the keyblade whom she had seen from time to time but yet to get a response out of him..Emi of course, the ever chipper girl..The two gargoyles..They definitely would not be happy to see her..

She swallows, slowly drawing her sword, and an unseen wind pulls the hood away from the cloak, revealing the familiar form of Ember, her face still hidden in the helmet. As the heartless fill up the room, and The Boss appears in the center, Ember unsheathes her own sword which springs to life in flames.

"This is it. There's no going back now.." She steps towards the group, sword at the ready...And then, shockingly, she does not turn it upon the heroes as she had done only a few days ago when she captured Avira. No, this time, she rushes at the heartless, skewering several of them on her sword. Specifically, she focuses on destroying those that near Maira, oddly enough.

Sora has posed:
Sora flinches when he enters the Undersworld. While he's not lost anyone, truly, it is Kairi who screams from the depth of his heart, nearly sending him reeling, considering the last things he heard before she disappeared was his name.

Sora helps quickly decimate the Heartless. He's got a Keyblade, it's a thing.

He then tilts his head at Mercade, before shrugging and following him. Line of ducklings(junior heroes) following the Boss, check.

"Something you know I don't, Mercade?"

Zia has posed:
It is a little disheartening to see so many of her kind here. If they don't make it back, that's just that much fewer of them out there. Even so, Zia manages a hesitant smile to Deidra, but it never reaches her eyes. It's a look of someone trying not to be scared, because right now... she's scared. Even so, she's used to facing fears by now. Getting over her fear of humans had only been the beginning.

The ride into the underworld, the white gargoyle is silent, even as a ghost tries to babble her ear off with some sort of nonsense. It's tuned out for the most part, at least until the ghost tries to grab the trinket around her neck. This earns a growl which sends the ghost backpeddling, off to find a less irritable person to harass. Or maybe it's Percival's presence, because his hand comes onto her shoulder a moment later, and Zia just nods her head once. Yeah, well. Hmph.

The final destination is another matter entirely. Stairs into black nothingness where wings offer little real comfort. "Ah dinnae like this place." She admits in an undertone to no one in particular. It doesn't help that every third or fourth scream seems to sound like her mother, or her father. "It isnae real." She tells herself, taking a deep breath. Doing her best to block out the sounds, the gargoyle heads down with the others.

The arrival of the Heartless is no real surprise. They couldn't exactly expect to trapse down here and be completely unnoticed. Tensing, Zia steps back, eyes flashing red. She's about to tear into the nearest of the Heartless when it... poofs. Blink. Stare. She looks at the strange man, then her ear twitches, hearing Mercade speak. Well, at least someone has an idea of what's going on. "Well, at least there's some allies down here." At least, she hopes. Anyways. Onward, follow the dead guy!

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll doesn't really settle down. He ends up standing against the bench that Zia ends up seated in, near Percival and the others, and kind of... keeps moving. His tail twitches nervously and close to his legs, while his ears show that very obvious show of discomfort. Of course, he'll be brave when they get there. He will fight for Avira if he has to. But right now the nerves are getting to him.

Maira's little smile and nod do calm him just that little bit, and he nods back at her, replying with a nervous smile of his own. And from there, he holds on tight as the train begins to buck and finally moves towards...

/The End of the Line/

YEEEAAAAAAAH

Ahem.

The way Maira was trying to hold Shida's hand truly makes him think back of his younger days. Back when his world had still existed. His mother. It actually makes his heart ache a little. He wonders... are they here? His people? The werewolves. His mother, his father... the entire pack. The youth moves on from the chains in his pockets to the little charm he'd received on his way into the train from the stranger -- Isaac. He'd seen him only once. Created a weird elevator portal thing.

By the time the train actually arrives in the underworld, things having grown dark, and his tail is a bushy mess. He growls nervously at any train that may be trying to lash out at him during the ride. When the doors actually open however, Skoll takes his time with the whole getting out of the train thing, letting Zia and Percival go out first - as well as some of the others.

Then... there's the answer. The wails. He shivers. Sad wails holding on, hoping for life. Anguish. Feelings of betrayal. Many of his pack had put their trust and faith in him that fateful day. It all makes things worse, the weight of that regret on his shoulders. To hear those things said though. He looks around, for a moment considering approaching them. To appologize. But when he glances Zia from the corner of his eyes, as well as the others... and those heartless... he forfeits this thought.

The wolf crouches down into a defensive posture and prepares himself for battle. Heartless! His tail sleeks and his ears falter all the way back while he bares his teeth aggressively, showing his claws. But before he truly gathers the desire to attack, the things pop and explode. The time in between is spent staring at those strange rivers. He knows well enough not to get lost in those indeed.

A man is there. A man he's never seen - but it would appear that Mercade recognizes him. And while Skoll may not know Mercade that well, he knows his connection to Avira enough. He'd do anything to save her, of that he is certain. And he feels the same way himself. And as such, Skoll trusts and follows Mercade blindly in that moment. But not before doing one more thing.

Hearing those wails, hearing them call out not just for him but others too... he takes Zia's hand. Wether he is trying to be his strenght, or is trying to loan from her's... is anyone's guess.

Even the proud werewolf can have doubt in his heart at times.

Maira has posed:
Maira will hold to Shida's hand as promised, and she has no intention of letting go if it will help Shida feel better. And who knows? Any added precautions can and should be taken. It seemed wise to follow her heart.

At Perci's words, Maira blushes and simply shakes her head. She's not going to argue about this now.

Upon their arrival and descent, Maira tries to keep her eyes straight ahead as she walks, but it is impossible not to look around. The spirits are no surprise to her. She sees spirits on a daily basis. The only difference is that she is now in their domain. No one particular rises to greet or torment her. Not even her mother.

When Heartless begin to appear, many swarm toward her. She summons her magic to one hand, throwing fire spells to obliterate the dark beings while she continues to hold Shida's hand with the other.

As Ember nears her, Maira looks to her, her lips drawing a thin line for a moment as the woman draws her blade and goes after the Heartless. Maira merely nods to her, acknowledging, perhaps appreciating.

When the masked ghost appears, apparently prepared to lead them, Maira blinks. Who is this now? Mercade seems to know him. Good enough for Maira! She will follow.

Navya has posed:
The ghosts bother Navya. She wants Avira back, of course, but to go down to Hell, or the Underworld, or whatever you call it...

Navya isn't religious. Mostly it just creeps her out, and makes her profoundly uncomfortable. She doesn't say much while she's en route from one place to another; she looks out the window whenever she can, and keeps whatever she's thinking about to herself. Her wings remain furled; she's trying to hide the fact that the left one still has a kind of ragged hole in it.

It's unusual for Navya to be so quiet. Maybe the place affects her more than she really wants to let on. She stands well out of the way, and gets off the train as soon as she can. Those she doesn't know - which is most of them - get looked at, as if she was trying to remember them or make sure they're not part of the ghosts, too.

Heartless appear when they walk off the train. Navya was not exactly /not/ expecting that, but it's still not what she was hoping for. Navya unshoulders the gigantic beam of wood she's brought with her, gripping it near the bottom third and sweeping it through a gigantic arc while she charges with a roar; even if it doesn't destroy Heartless, it's very good at physically knocking them away from her, clearing a path for them to pass.

Navya finishes the sweep, looking around with sharp motions. Nothing, nothing - ghost? Navya has no idea who the Boss is, but she does know Mercade, and if Mercade is going that way... plus, every other time she's picked a direction at random lately, it's been the right way.

"I'm coming!" she calls, breaking into a run. If any more Heartless get in the way, she sweeps them out and keeps running too; what amounts to wood pillars are good at that.

Hades has posed:
The heartless are no match for your combined might, and the sudden arrival of THE BOSS.

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiDlWkuOLLA

The boss turns, leading you through the doors to the underworld, and here...here you know you are somewhere that actively does not want you to be here. This is not a place for the living, and even the dead do not seem to like it...but then again, this is all but the first step to the afterlife.

Here you have three ways forward, the first one seems to go up, the second one seems to go straight, and the last goes down. The Boss will immediately be going towards the middle road. Hades's inner chamber is in the center of this realm, or rather, that is what you guess. You'd have to ask the Boss, because he seems to know the way.

You also feel tired. Exhausted...it is taking steps are tooling. The underworld itself seems to be draining vitality. However, you are heroes, you only feel sluggish...but you can also feel the height of your powers just out of reach here. The wards you have are only enough to keep you from immediately falling over...or perhaps you are just tougher than the miasma that flows through the earth is.

The stone is carved out, as if a large creature burrowed through it, or water flowed down. As you walk, you find your path coming onto a strange river...the river intersects the first room, and mist rises from the water.

The room is thankfully small, but it appears to be your first challenge. You can feel memories slip away, important ones. Slowly...it is hard to focus, it is hard to remember WHY you are here. There are stepping stones to get across the river, and even though you can feel yourself slipping...you know that water is worse than anything.

There is a exit on the far side of the room. However, every step is harder and harder, as both the mist from the river attacks your memories, but the miasma of the underworld saps your strength.

Push onward heroes, nobody said this was going to be easy...or lose everything important here.

Welcome to the chamber of Lethe.

The Boss has posed:
The Boss does not speak. Indeed, the man barely acknowledges Mercade's existence outside the nod. He simply moves, silent and smooth, gliding across the ground like a ghost. His footsteps do not touch the ground, if there are even footsteps under that coat to begin with. He simply moves, uninhibited by terrain and footsteps alike. If he is a ghost, though...

Well, if he is a ghost, none of those 'ghost detector' sorts of powers are triggering.

He stops in the Chamber of the Lethe patiently, waiting for the group, not a word spoken. When they catch up to him, he glides across the stepping-stones, then pauses at the shore, holding out his hand for people to take, like some strange psychopomp in the realm of the Dead, leading them on their journey through Hades.

His hand is solid, for those who touch it, which merely brings up further questions. The heavy gloves obscure warmth, obscure cold, and the heavy sleeves hide the rest of his arm. Who knows if there's even a man under all those clothes? Who knows if there's even a face behind that iron mask?

Emi Dennou has posed:
The Network isn't going to look a gift double agent towards the mouth, though she isn't sure how someone can have second thoughts as such only a couple days after stealing her away in the first place, but some mysteries have to be investigated later. Right now there is a mysterious masked man!

But she does note that Ember is focusing on protecting Maira. This of course naturally helps Shida and Emi out as well since they happen to be nearby, but they lend a hand with electrical bursts, focusing on using their free hands.

They try to conserve their energy, but it seems like their energy is waning. Unlike most 'heroes', their link to death is pretty strong. The two Legions seem very concerned, the harder the curse of this world hits them, the more troubled they seem.

The two very carefully move across the river. They don't want to forget anything.

"...Ah! I know who he is..." Shida says after a while, sliding on her Kamen Rider mask. "He is a fellow Kamen Rider." She adds, in her Kamen Rider Den-O voice.

Percival has posed:
As soon as Mercade gave the order, he'd disregard any errant heartless and immediately follow after the man. He'd shut out the accusing spirits, and instead he was constantly scanning for any Heartless that might work up the courage to surge forward. He'd only act when one got out of line, teaching the three-headed puppy shadows to /heel/ by slamming them upside the head with his shield. He'd never stop following the leader, but tried to stay as close to Zia, Shida, Emi or Maira as much as possible.

He started mumbling biblical verses to himself as they continued their inexorable march into the depths of the underworld. Perhaps it was meant to be some sort of calming ritual, but to anyone who was actually close enough to listen they were passing eerie. 'And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in perdition..' After a while, perhaps even he too realized that the passages were more demoralizing than uplifting, so he became muted once again giving those nearby him an apologetic look. Soon the effort of even keeping up with the Boss was tiring him out. A lethargy was starting to set in, and he liked it not.

Entering the chamber of Lethe, Percival would continue to press onward, but his face would screw up with confusion every once in a while. Who were these people with him? Are they here to help him rescue.. What was her name? The dog faced lady. She sang Cuban Pete once, he thinks. After a while, he was trudging along after their guide with only a vague recollection of why he was here, he just knew somewhere in the back of his mind that he needed to keep following. He would take their guide's hand briefly for memories of what gave him pride were now but fogginess in the recesses of his mind.

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade looks over his shoulder to Sora. "It's the Boss." He says. Mercade never refers to himself as the boss or owner of the TDA. "He started the TDA. He started everything."

Mercade follows The Boss, but his steps slow as the power of the Netherworld begins to sap his energy. "D... Damn." Mercade hisses, staggering a bit as he slows down... But he powers forward, forcing himself to get moving. Maybe it's the charm, maybe it's Mercade himself. He has no idea. He just moves as fast as possible.

Once they reach the chamber of Lethe, Mercade blinks, reeling from the mist. He knows better, he remembers his mythology. He pulls out a cloth and wraps it around his face, dousing it with some much more normal water from a flask. He grimaces, and pushes forward. "Avira..." He says, trying to fix the reason for his being here firmly in his mind.

The reason for everything.

Mercade launches forward, leaping from stone to stone as he works his way across the River of Forgetfulness.

Zia has posed:
Warmth closes around her hand. It's a feeling that isn't entirely familiar to Zia, so she blinks and looks down, not realizing at first who it is that had taken her hand. Seeing Skoll beside her, the girl's ears tuck just slightly, and she doesn't smile or even try to. Instead, she just offers his hand a squeeze, nodding to herself as if affirming his own thoughts. Sometimes, even the bravest of people need a hand.

Of course, lingering behind the others means she has time to notice a woman with a flaming sword. "Tha looks like trouble." She would remember Ember from that last night of Manhattan, from when the knight had faced off against Skoll and fought along side Leida to try and block the Central Park portal. She hasn't a clue that this girl was somehow responsible for Avira's kidnapping, but she glances over her shoulder, uncertain why a servant of the Shadow Lords might have traveled here with them and would be fighting Heartless instead of fighting them.

Shadow Lord minions are crazy.

Unfortunately, thoughts of someone following them soon filter out of her mind. Why does everything feel heavy all of a sudden? As she follows, Zia's feet have trouble keeping up, and there's a point where she only stays on her feet due to having that hold on Skoll's hand. "Sorry." She murmurs quickly, "Dinnae know wha's wrong wi' me." Her tail sags loosely, eyes dull. This place just feels /wrong/.

"Let's go." She nods to the wolf, eyeing the strange masked man warily. Help is help, but she isn't quite comfortable with it, even if she can't quite place why. Shaking her head, Zia tries to clear her mind enough to traverse the rocks. Luckily, gargoyles do tend to have uncanny balance - so much time spent on rooftop ledges.

Maira has posed:
To be truthful, Maira was already tired when she arrived. She'd been taxing herself to make sure everyone was healed enough to make this journey. She is not the most hardy of individuals to begin with. Her steps slow. She seems to trudge forward, as if her limbs suddenly weight more than they should. Still, she holds Shida's hand, though her grip has become a little less strong.

Her mind is clouding, memories slipping away from her into the mists. The stepping stones across the river are eyed with extreme caution edging on fear. She freezes. Her legs feel so weak, she is very much afraid that she will fall, and while she can't seem to remember why she should fear the water, she does all the same.

When she hears Mercade speak Avira's name it reminds her why she is here, giving her a little bit of courage. Shaking like a leaf in a cold wind, Maira takes the first step, moving very slowly, her fear growing that she will be left behind.

Soan Sagittarius has posed:
The pressure of the underworld goes to Dragoon Man. Strength-sapping auras are not too unusual to him, as he has faced Chaos-infested areas before in his life, much to his regret. But this is different. The Darkness that resides here is entierly ... natural, which make senses considering what this place is supposed to be. Still, the armoured man goes on foward, trying to not get the slugginess weighting his legs down get to him too much.

"...I see. Perhaps he is here to help, then." Dragoon Man intones, taking in a deep breath, using his spear to give himself some power as he steps foward. This... is really tiring. He takes a deep breath, then follows on the stepping stones.

Deidra has posed:
Deidra can understand fear she's afraid she's still got her fears as well she just got over one coming clean with Zia she doesn't even think about the other Gargoyles down here perhaps she doesn't feel she should even try to look at them. She keeps focused and thinks some more all myths seem to have some roots in reality and she keeps that in mind. She does seems a little concerned for Zia but there's not much she can do for right now they are following their surprise backup.

She'll not prey about Percy's on comment till perhaps later Maira may have taken Avira situation harder than anyone save for Mercade as she glances over to her for a moment but she seems pretty focused as their crazy run into the depths of a land where no living mortal should be. She has to wonder at some point were they let /in/. She's not surprised really that Skoll has joined this insane run given his connections to VALKYRI and it's members still she thinks they may not have enough they are challenging a god on his home turf after all but all the people the better. Sora was a bit of an oddity to her but here the kid was coming to help and that's enough perhaps enough not being alone can be one of the most important things in life she's found out in recent memory but onwards into the underworld.

She feels weak tired like she did after her enraging the fair folk seemingly so long ago it's hard to move and Deidra realizes without the wards they would be falling over this is a place the living should not be and the effect on them effects them more. She looks about wondering might She tries to remember why has she come here why was she here but harder and harder she moves the mist attacks her memories. She shakes her head trying to keep her forces.

"We ...have to keep moving I'm not sure why but we can't stop here."

The Gargoyle presses on able to hang on to that one thought is to keep moving. The Boss is helpful he seems to know what he's going and he's trying to help them get across she wonders who is he what is he? It doesn't last long as it's rather hard to think thanks to the nature of this place.

She will reach the stones and spread her wings for some added balance before staring to make her way across and the Boss' help to get across as he gives her a hand on the last leg of the trip across the river.

"Thank you..."

She shakes her head and looks back the others are coming right? It is really hard to think her and some thoughts pop up before fading didn't the under world sap the living in every possible way? She could tell Mr Savage this myth is totally confirmed. Shida has more experience with being dead sadly than the rest of the party here tonight but the comment about a Kamen rider makes her smile a little bit for a second. Somehow that idea seemed to be fitting to her but then comes Mercade's revelation. The Boss, the man that she'd heard much about since she joined but she never thought she'd meet him. The stranger's helping them came into stark focus as to why? Living or dead once a part of the TDA, always a part of the TDA.

"It's an honor to meet you, sir."

She then looks back to Zia for a moment "We can't stop here we have to keep moving. So long as we keep together we should be all right

Ember has posed:
In her alter ego, she'd be far more chipper and talkative than this. But as it is, Ember is a far different personna than Katyna. She is still quite surprised that most people have not even noticed that an apparent enemy walks - In broad daylight - within their midst - the very enemy who captured Avira and took her to this place to begin with..Not that it matters. With everything else that's going on right now, at least now she can move silently through them without them all turning on her and attacking.

She too, follows after the silent man whom Mercade seems to know and trust, arching a brow as Emi mentions a Kamen Rider, whoever that is. "Who?" She arches a brow, then just nods when Mercades explains further....Hmmmm interesting. She'll store that away for later. Ember continues on, gritting her teeth as she feels her strength being sapped away from her the further in they go..And then..Memories start to fade away. She frowns, reaching for something underneath her armour, pressing the rosary close to her heart as she murmurs a soft prayer. Gotta focus!

It's true, Shadow Lords are crazy, but she had her own reasons for being there. Ember continues to trail near the tail of the group, keeping an eye out for any more heartless in this area. She notices Maira shaking and she frowns but says nothing..For now.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
To pass through hades... such a thing is hardly feasible for most. Not even most heroes. He's not a god, he's not a demigod. He's just... Skoll. The werewolf offers Zia a little smile before he carries on alongside of her, remaining with the gargess. He'd spotted Ember a little while before, he honestly - he doesn't know what to say. He'd harmed that person quite a bit in the past. But right now, it doesn't look like they are an enemy.

But... she'd been the one to kidnap Avira. The one to put her into this position. The /reason/ they are all even needing to be here! He wants to follow her, to pull Zia along. But that's when he realizes that he's... slower. That he's not feeling as 'good' as he should.

He squeezes the Gargess' hand as she suggests that she too is feeling... wrong. "It's okay. We'll do this together." He whispers to her. After all, she's a good friend. And she looks so frail. He knows very well just what magical power she has, and how head-strong she can be. But in the end, it's just that; she looks frail. And those dull eyes.

He walks forwards further, meeting the mist as he follows along with the others. A fog starts to descend over his mind, trying to take memories. But this is the one thing where Skoll may resist at least a little better than others. At the very top of his mind remains Avira - her name and figure, as well as her plight, burning strong.

But his tail lowers, and his ears remain flat. The wolf's body shivers as he slowly traverses the stone platforms that form the crossing, holding on to Zia and both helping her get across, as well as accepting her help. Her stability.

And though Deidra may not have meant to speak to him, he answers her; "Indeed. We can't stop." And he sets his gaze on Ember... and uses her presence as a fuel to go on. Anger starting to burn within him. Why did she come along? Why is she here? Regret?

Navya has posed:
Navya stops swinging her makeshift enormous club with quite as much vigour as they get deeper into Hades. She doesn't normally really tire out this quick, but she is today... maybe she's just still worn out from her injuries.

It doesn't occur to her that the fact that everything here is suffused with death might have anything to do with it. Sometimes she misses the easy things.

Whatever the reason, she slows down and lowers the wooden pillar after a while, then switches to using it more as a staff. Being worn out means she doesn't talk much either, but she does listen. "He started it?" she says, looking at the Boss a little... well, she can't really watch him more. She's too far behind him.

As they progress, it gets harder and harder. Avira's further ahead, she thinks... or is she? It's hard to think about it quite so much. She just has to keep going. "A parivir never gives up," she tells herself, out loud. "Keep going. Don't stop."

She looks distraught when she sees the water, though. She doesn't want to get in the water - and with her wing with a hole in it, she can't fly. Navya looks at Maira, then Emi, then draws herself up. Push on, she tells herself.

Navya is very careful when she picks her way across the river, slowly. She uses the long pole as something to brace on so she's /sure/ she won't fall in. It can get wet, right? It's wood, why would it matter?

Sora has posed:
Sora doesn't say much, his blue eyes bothered and wide when anybody bothers to look over at him. He takes Mercades' explanation with a grain of salt; after all, it could be Hades playing with the TDA's brain. More disconcertingly, however, is that feeling that...

... something isn't right here. The Keyblade can't do what it should be able to do.

He just starts walking slower, but still struggling on, taking hands if he needs to to help carry people on.

Hades has posed:
Each step is heavier than the last. Footfall by footfall you push your way through the Chamber of Lethe, the river slowly growing more distant...it does not get any easier. Each step questions your resolve, tests every fiber of your being...if not for the strong ties to others in your heart...and probably to Avira, you may not have made it.

But you come out of the chamber, out into another hallway that seems to descend a bit. Water flows through the center of the hall, whisping mist rises from it, but it is not immediately harmful. The effects of the room are not quickly fading, but you feel more mindful as you push ahead. The effects slowly ware off, but the physical drain from the underworld's miasma is still there.

Following the hall way down, The boss will lead you right on the next split. However, as you enter this particular split, rocks fall. The earth shakes, and rocks fall from the air. They are not too difficult to dodge, but it seems that there are more then mental tests to this place. More heartless appear here...

More of those strange dog heartless, followed by whispy ghosts heartless. They are individually weak, and you're able to easily blow through them without much effort. But, they do take up strength. Every little bit counts...perhaps this is Hades' plan? To slowly drain at your reserves until there is nothing left?

Another chamber opens up, this time...

The chamber leads into that of the river Cocytus, the chamber of Cocytus presents a new...issue.

What is it that you feel the most regret? The wailing of your loved ones? The cries of friends? What is it...that causes you the most regret. You can hear these images play in your mind, they seem real...

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQG90AqLvq4

The way out is beyond, similar with the chamber before, you have to get across. This time, the wailing of the dead is loudest at the river...and the water itself seems to be that of hundreds of specter hands, reaching out for help.

What is it you see in that river?

The Boss has posed:
The Heartless rarely bother the Boss; he walks through their ranks, shrugging them aside. Those who can see really really fast motion might occasionally see flashes of his fingers lancing out to punch through some of the spectral Heartless; otherwise, they just look like they explode around his walk.

Again, the River poses no problem for him, but this time, the Boss pauses in the middle of the River. He looks down briefly, then back up at the group, as if warning them not to look. Then he turns and resumes his silent, gliding motion.

He stops on the other side of th bank, waiting to resume his guidance.

Zia has posed:
Keep moving. This is the only thought that Zia holds on to as they leave the first chamber. But why? It takes longer for her head to clear, but once it does, she releases Skoll's hand, offering him a nod of thanks. He would need to keep his full wits about him, and so would she. This trial is far from over.

Falling rocks are not so easily dodged as one might expect, and she hisses at one that lands on her tail, tugging the offending appendage free before tucking herself closer to the wall to avoid the bite of a Heartless. Sweat beads on her forehead, and she breathes, showing fanged teeth. It doesn't make sense to feel this exhausted. It's not like these weaker Heartless were really much of a challenge, but... by the gods it felt that way.

Blasting through two ghost Heartless, she emerges with the others in this new chamber.

Regret.

Once, it might have been Valen that she saw in her mind's eye - the sight of the sorcerer crumpling from the magic she had sent his way. Yet, in some ways she had made peace with that darker side of herself. There were other regrets, though.

She's clinging to her mother's hand as her father ruffles her hair and then leaves. It's the last time she had seen him, and it is his voice and vissage that calls to her, "Papa!" It seems so out of place, since she usually just refers to him as her 'Da', but Zia takes a step forward, lured by the river.

Images flash before her eyes. Her mother staring into the night sky. His wings. The funeral pyre. The smell of ashes in her nose.

Ember has posed:
The dark knight continues to trail at the back, black flaming sword still at the ready..It takes all her willpower to take a step and then another..Why does she feel so weak all of a sudden down here? Was it because of the darkness in her heart that made it especially hard for her?

~But I made a promise..I wont back down now!~ She clenches her hands around the flaming sword that emit so much less light than it does when she is Katyna, fire knight. Still, this guise seemed more..Fitting, for now. She continues on, panting a bit as she tries to stay focused. Of course she was here for Avira's sake too, or was she here to keep an eye on the heros? Only one way to find out, really..

Even though no one has asked her yet *why* she's here - still, she sticks with the group, perhaps even eerily so. She does catch Skoll's eye, but for once she has no snarky comeback, no desire to shed his blood. Of all the people here, he should understand her the most..Or would he? She had seen the rage in his heart..

More heartless appear and she snarls, waving her sword at those who come near, again moving nearby Maira and Emi, dispatching as many as she can. Of course, it takes all her strength and for all her athletic prowess as a knight, Ember is forced to come to a stop, to rest a bit before continuing onto the next chamber..

But what is this? Regret..Regret for not being strong enoguh to protect those she loved as they died one after the other before her... Betraying those she cared about now, even though they were few and far in betwee..Regret for hurting Avira..She growls, trying not to look into the wailing river as she continues along. "Just tricks, games. Messing with your mind.." She murmurs, wishing she could comfort Maira, wishing she could have got to know her team mate Navya a bit better, or even Emi. Will she ever have the chance after this? Will Hades even let her go when he finds out her treachery?

Emi Dennou has posed:
Emi and Shida make their way across the river of REGRET.

It's almost instant. Arms reach out of the waters of regret. Spectral forms slowly grabbing for their legs. They work to try and pull themselves up, using the Dennous as leverage. They coalesce into a slightly more visible form upon pulling themselves out of the water. ANybody can recognize them, though their bodies are translucent, they are the same height, have the same hairstyle, as wispy as it is, and even wear ghostly goggles across their face.

There's at least ten of them, each grabbing for the legs of a Dennou. There's too many.

Emi shrieks out in terror, suddenly, and shakes her body repeatedly to try and free herself. Her eyes widen in absolute--regret. It's not precisely terror, tears appear in her eyes and she slowly, slowly, is gradually pulled towards the pull--

--and likely bringing Shida--and possibly Maira if she ain't careful--into the waters with them.

"The Network couldn't protect you..." Emi whispers. "We are enjoying the lives you could've had. The missing pieces of ourselves... No, no--"

She starts to tumble. Someone's gonna have to intercede here.

Soan Sagittarius has posed:
The crushing weight of the Underworld was one thing enough, but hearing the wailing of the dead, past events that he deeply regrets be shouted in his ears is a true challenge for the young man inside the Dragoon Armor.

He can hear the voices of the people as the Darkness was swallowing Alexander Academy. Cries of a Clutchmate as he struggles against an onslaught of Chaos that he and some other younger Dragoons had the unfortunate luck to run into. THe nessecary for him to lie to some of his closest friends to keep a secret, even for their sake. His parents, that he never knew, which all he remembers is a crushing, unpenetrable darkness. A darkness that looks back. A darkness that still haunts him. A girl that dropped to her death. Misery of the streets of his younger years, regreting his selfishness for survival.

Despite all these screams, echoing through his mind, Dragoon Man grits his teeth as he steps foward, not even giving the water a look. "Do not get yourself bested by these illusions, as real as they may seem to be. We are here for a mission."

He pauses, taking in a deep breath. In hard times, he falls to prayer, a prayer to beings that may not even be able to hear him anymore. "Watching from the Skies above the Sky,
may they grant us strength by their example,
Arm thyself with courage and steel, Let them be your scales that shines against the Dark,
and bring the taint of Chaos to an end."

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Though those steps may continue to be heavy. Though Skoll feels like he is walking up a steep mountain while simply moving on a flat plain, he keeps going. Sweat is beading on his forehead, and his breath is loud. He's doing his best to keep his tongue from lolling out like a dog's - too proud to let such a thing show. He must go on. The hand by which he doesn't hold onto Zia has come to take the pocketwatch from his shirt, and is being held against his heart.

He's moving on, he's pushing through it all. But there is another thing that pulls him down. The collar at his neck makes this journey even more difficult. That anger aimed at Ember turns to sadness as the walk into the hall. The mental test of losing memories was fought off, holding onto them with a vice-like grip.

When those rocks then come falling, Skoll moves quickly. Zia moved away, as does he, and they end up split up for a moment. The Heartless that dare get too close are met with magic. Uncontrolled magic. The youth, holding onto that pocketwatch, lets dark sparks of electricity flail out across their bodies, shattering them with the pressure of that magic. But it takes much out of his. Draining him further. He bites down, tears running down his eyes, but he moves on, grabbing at the collar for a moment with his now empty hand. Sparks lick on his hand, and remind him once again why he must do this.

He can't let someone else walk his path. When he'd found out about Avira's fate, he'd felt so disappointed in her. Betrayed. But by lashing out, he'd pushed her away. Or... he feels like he had. To push someone to walk a lonely path... that was far more dishonorable than anything else.

The youth slumps along further, trying to remain with the others, and hears Zia call out for her father. His heart jumps and his eyes widen, light returning for a moment. That protecting spirit peaking. "Zia, no!" He grabs for her hand as she takes that step forwards and draws her to him. But in doing so, he must see such images too...

And the cold beats him immediately. There, he sees Hati, just as she gets floored by a massive looking werewolf. In the snow. All alone as Odin walks away. Bleeding. Hoping for someone to come and get her. Calling for her brother. Calling for her mother. Such is how he imagines it must have been. Laying there, with such pain, unable to move or return to her home. The wind and ice beating against her.

His greatest regret.

Not being there, when his sister needed him most.

He pulls Zia into his arms and averts his eyes, pulling her away and out of the water, letting the dark energies he wields lash out to push them away from the girl and then begins to lead her to safety. To the other side along with the others.

Yet guilt enters his heart. He understands the meaning of that river...

And it wasn't Avira. It wasn't even protecting his own world that he regrets the most. It was letting his sister down. His blood.

"Lean on me." He whispers to Zia. He feels like she is here because of him. Because of Percival.

And so he look behind himself as the river is passed. And there, for a moment he sees it. Avira, down on her knees, as she is forced to transform into that beast once more. He had not been there for her. He'd chosen his sister over Avira in that moment. And he wonders... is it wrong... to choose protecting and keeping one's sister alive... over a person he has... feelings for? Or are his feelings simply not strong enough?

Deidra has posed:
Deidra is finding it's harder and harder to press forward but somehow he manages to push her way through. Why is she here? Why was she here she manages to press onward but it's pulling her down. If she'd been alone she'd likely have fallen and she knows it as she finally makes her way out she feels her mind a little better of but ot much. She looks ahtead and stares there's a shiver of revultion as she looks ahead and she tries to not blanch at what she sees. She can hear the wailing dead there are so many of them. She looks at The Boss as he makes his way across woth no problem it's not suprising and she does her best to keep moving but things claw at her mind. Why did she she have to pick up that damn old book, she should have left well enough alone, the life she knew is pretty much gone forever at this point. Why did she mouth off why did she mouth off? She'd never really lived a special life before or is it a lie? She's not sure she's trying to not be pulled but it's Soan's wordst hat snale her out of it. She looks to the stranger so far as she know who has chosen to risk life and soul along side all of them. She owes him one...as she makes her way across. It comes to her again without eachother they would not make it, as Skoll also proves this helping Zia keep going as well.

Percival has posed:
As he exitted the Chamber of Lethe, he could barely remember his own name. Was it Galahad? John Marshall? Eventually he would decide it was Percival as the fog in his mind started to flow away. During the journey he would begin to remember the others names, faces. He was here for /Avira/. Not Cuban Pete Dog-Faced Mutate Woman.

He didn't have his wits about him fully when the Heartless attacked, but reflexively he would start to draw the Rapier at his side. Then something in his returning memories told him he shouldn't, as he let the length of naked steel fall back into its sheath. Instead he would slam any Heartless that came at him with his shield, before raking them with talons that could cut through stone. The incorporeal ones proved troublesome for him, but not for the rest of the band.

He felt weaker now, the realm was sapping him, winning by inches, by mere attrition. His wings were already drooping, and the effort of taking out just a few heartless had him panting afterwards. In the chamber of Cocytus, all of his faculties returned to him, just in time! Oh wait, that wasn't a good thing.

Again he would hear the wailing of a female Gargoyle, and an adolescent boy. Mustering his courage, he would begin to walk forward to the edge of the river. He didn't see either of the two figures from before at first. Instead, he saw a male Burmecian, its rat-like features rotted away from death. It lunged at him, and the Gargoyle had to leap backwards. Screechingly it accused him of murdering him. Then another Burmecian, a female would lean against the shore, cackling at him. 'You'll be joining me soon enough. What's left of me will be sure of that.'

Reluctantly, he would follow the others through the waters. And now his greatest shame was playing out in the shimmering depths. A boy surrendering, quavering as he dropped his gun. Another rifle held by a disembodied hand was getting a bead upon another Gargoyle with onyx hair, pale skin, and jade eyes. He watched himself lunge forward, and tripped over the boy. And now the female Gargoyle's neck would snap back, as a hole appeared right between her eyes. The rifle would fall, the disembodied hand splattered with blood from something unseen. He saw himself watch helplessly, before the image of himself would numbly turn on the boy that was cowering in a heap beneath him. The images faded momentarily, and then he saw nothing but a savaged and pulped corpse, where once there had been a boy. His claws and fangs slick with gore.

The image of himself faded, and now the mutilated corpse of the boy and that of the female Gargoyle were getting up. They were beckoning at him. He belonged here, didn't he?

He wrenched his gaze away from the pair. After a while, he would speak very softly with words of apology. "I can't come with you yet. Avira needs us."

Navya has posed:
Navya uses a minimum of strength to plow through the Heartless, in what is very definitely not her usual style. Single sweeps to push them out of the way, and not much more. The rocks, too; she uses the long pole to deflect one, which knocks a very large chip off of it. Not much use as a weapon after that...

But it doesn't matter, because she can't beat up a river.

Navya is inexperienced enough that she has relatively few regrets, but the ones she has are either completely inconsequential or very important to her. She wants to protect people, and the few times she's failed - New York being biggest of them - still weigh pretty heavily on her.

Navya stumbles for a moment - and then straightens. If she wouldn't give up before, she's certainly not going to give up /now/. She forces herself to go all the way up, tail flicking in agitation -

Emi falls. With her current memories, Navya doesn't even think about it; she practically darts for the smaller girl, using the long pole to vault /herself/ over toward the human Network member to make sure she doesn't fall. "I can't fail /here/ either!"

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade Alexander finds himself moving with the others through Lethe, his mind being quietly, softly obliterated of all memory as he passes through it. It takes him a moment to recover on the other side, only his desperate focus on that single thought, the thought of Avira, keeping him going.

He collapses for a moment on the other side, trying to recover from the effects of Lethe... And he looks up, watching The Boss immediately make his way forwarf. It's like he isn't even affected by the Netherworld... Such is the power of preparation.

But is he dead, or did he come here, somehow, helping in his own way?

Or is something else going on? What if that's /not/ the Boss under that cloak? Mercade grimaces for a moment, and pulls himself forward, putting on some speed to catch up. The Heartless are not the main threat here. The main threats are the environment themselves and the likelihood of having to find a way to get away from Hades. Rocks fall, as if to punctuate this, and Mercade launches out of the way, barely missing getting crushed.

The oppressive atmosphere makes it hard to remain talkative, the Detective focusing on moving forward more than trying to keep with the others...

And then the chamber of Cocytus. Mercade makes the mistake of looking down at the river, seeing the grasping hands...

The hands of the people of Manhattan, the horrible, grasping feeling. If anything is Mercade's weak point, it's been his regrets. He sees the mocking gaze of the Mistress of Games, the crumbling remnants of Manhattan...

And he staggers to one side, looking up....

And he sees Emi falling over.

He's flagellated himself enough for things he had no control over. He's paying penance for it now. The calls of his friends, the support that's carried him, the words of people who have shown him that there is a such thing as too much...

And he reaches out, catching Emi. "Come on Emi. Detectives help each other too."

Maira has posed:
Somehow, she's made it. Perhaps she has been fueled by sheer stubbornness. Her heart is strong, even if her body is not. It is her heart that would carry her through this place.

As the river of regret looms, Maira sees the things she sees almost every night in her dreams; the falling of her world. More personally, there is a childhood wasted by frequent illness, the loneliness, the loss of her mother....and every time she's failed to stand up for herself, letting others walk ahead.

Hot tears spill down her cheeks, the crushing weight of regret and self-pity is almost more than she can handle.

Suddenly, she is off balance. Still holding to Shida, and thus Emi, Maira is in peril of falling too. She tries to hang onto them, and Mercade steps in to help out as well. Maira lets out a sigh of relief.

Maira holds up a hand, summoning a flame to cradle in her palm, a light to hold back the shadows as they move on. "Find Avira...find Avira," she chants to herself as the pass another river, filled with reaching hands. No, she will not look!

Emi Dennou has posed:
Emi and Shida couldn't resist that many grasping hands even if they wanted to but Navya cand Mercade can readily help them cross the river. Emi struggles for a moment even against help, perhaps intent on throwing herself inside, but Mercade says 'Detectives help each other too' and she recalls--yes--she can't throw herself in. She still has Sisters, and what's more--she has the TDA. But even so, she doesn't feel like she deserves these gifts. Or rather, how can she have them when the Sisters don't?

She breathes out rasply--Shida is suffering from similar conditions, though she had to deal with this before so she's a bit better about it. "...Understood." She manages. "This one means...yes...yes we do."

They're gonna be leaning on Mercade and Navya to get through this trial. Shida has a

8)

death grip on Maira's hand.

Hades has posed:
The wails and scream of the departed, combined with your own regrets might be the greatest challenge. Hands raise up, Emi and her sister are grabbed, but more than one set of hands come to her aid.

It is not the effort of the individual, but that of the group. Zia and Skoll support each other, Emi and Shida are supported by Mercade and Navya. Perci, Ember, and Dragoon Man push through with their own will...but this is also exhausting. Spectral hands, however do not touch them, they can push through.

Maira lights the way with her flames, the fire causes the wails to recede, falling back...fire is the gift of life, bestowed on the world by Prometheus. The Ghosts remember this...they do not wail...but are given a brief reprieve from their sorrow.

They must move quickly, because it will not last forever...or worse, someone will realize something is /off/. You can push through, exiting the room is just as exhausting as the last.

Another hallway, leading to another River. The River Styx is large, seemingly where the other rivers will flow into. It was large...and across it you can see a lone island. There were still some platforms, but at the center you can see a large area.

Avira had to be there, if anywhere else.

A single boat sits at the edge of the river, with a long stick ready to be used to go across. The boat...oddly, looks out of place. Perhaps it was...transported?

The Boss has posed:
The Boss pauses by the boat for a moment, gesturing for those who follow to board with him. Then he enters it, a large pole in one hand. He stands, waiting for them to board, the moans of the specters of the dead around him.

But it definitely doesn't look *safe*.

Percival has posed:
As they move ever onward, he was truly beginning to tire. Cocytus hadn't just physically exhausted him, it had drained him emotionally. He was beginning to feel numb. Rubbing his extremities unconsciously, he would try to regain feeling and warmth. When Maira lights the way with her flames, he'd range closer to her hoping that it might take some of the chill from him and invigorate him. It didn't, but at least he felt more comfortable.

When they reached the boat, Percival would trudge forward to it, before climbing into the boat carefully.

Seeing the boss take the role of boatman, he'd reach for a coin. At first he could only think of Isaac's charm, hanging around his neck but he didn't give that away. Instead he would take out a large golden coin from pirate treasure upon a previous adventure. He would then hand it to the Boss, brooking no argument on his acceptance. He may not be /Charon/ but he was fulfilling his role. Traditions and customs held power in lands such as these. "Everyone, hand him some sort of coin. Please."

The Boss has posed:
The Boss nods at any treasures offered, but does only that. His hand does not reach to take them, and he does not accept them into his palm or his coat, though anyone who feels like just stuffing things into his jacket pocket will probably be able to do so. Otherwise, it seems that the willingness to offer is more important to him than the offering itself.

Which only makes sense. What would the dead do with money? On the flip side, if he's not dead, what does he care about trinkets?

Navya has posed:
Navya is pretty sure, by this point, that she doesn't want to bring this pole out of the Underworld. That, or she is accidentally creating one of the greatest mystical weapons of an era by sticking it in every river of the Greek underworld.

Though, come to think of it, those aren't exclusive options.

Either way, Navya keeps ahold of it while she's supporting Emi. She feels a little wobbly herself, but she's fired up now; she's not going to let /water/ defeat her. It'll take something more than that to make her stop looking for Avira... or leave Emi behind.

"Thanks," she says. It's hard to tell if she means to Mercade or Emi. She uses the pole as a walking stick right up until they find the River Styx, which she looks at a little angrily. More rivers? /More/ water, after all that? And a boat?

She offers, "I can pole," though the Boss seems to already be prepared for that. A coin? She checks her pockets for spare change. This might take her a moment. She's pretty sure she has a gil or two in there, somewhere. It may take her a while to find it, though. She's pretty broke.

Zia has posed:
The visions end abrupty as she's yanked back, eyes blinking in confusion. Hadn't she just been-- No. That was the past. A shiver runs through her at how real those memories could seem in that moment. "Ah'm alright." She whispers, but her voice has no strength. This place... Maybe staying close to others would be the only way to get through it. So, even as he tensed from his own memories, Zia lingers and pulls the werewolf along until they get to the other side.

Once there, she crouches to catch her breath and martial her strength. In some ways, perhaps Zia was here for Skoll and Percival, but Avira had helped her time and again and she owed the VALKYRI leader for warning her about the Gaudium Lords, and for helping fighting back against the Gaea sister that held the missing werewolf. She didn't deserve what was done to her - what she'd been turned into, and Hades had taken advantage of that.

She's quick to check on the others, eyes sweeping over Percival first, then moving on to Deidra, Emi, Mercade. No one really seemed immune to this darkness. Her tail snakes out and swats at Percy's. Even if she couldn't hear what he said, she's got that warning look about her, "Ye arenae goin anywhere but onwards wi' us, ye hear me, lad?"

The light that Maira offers is enough to get her on her feet again, not daring to look behind her at the river. Time to go before those memories try to pull her back again. She's staying close to Skoll though, just incase. Having a possibly immortal body guard is definitely a plus. She'd thank him for it later, when she isn't too busy fighting for her life and her sanity.

Onwards. Seeing 'The Boss' taking his place as boatman, she's already rummaging in her bags for something even as Percival suggests paying the man. It is tradition, and better to follow it now than risk a more irritated passage when the true end comes. In the end, what she leaves are two old British coins, better than nothing and at least they don't roll around as much as munny.

After all their experiences thus far, she seems a little nervous about the boat. Yet, a breath, a squaring of her shoulders, and Zia gets on.

Ember has posed:
Ember glances around as she notes people clinging on other people, people supporting other people..and yet..She has never felt more alone than in this group, among all these people. Always alone, even moreso as Ember.

It's a while before they reach the next river...And the lone boat, and an island in the distance. Ember shivers a little, feeling increasingly anxious, the closer they get to their end goal. Unlike the others, she knows there will only be punishment for her, but..She made a promise to Maira..She's not about to back down now.

Heroes wouldn't take the easier path afterall now, would they..?

She pauses by the boatman, pulling out the coin she too, had acquired at the beginning of the journey. "Heh, i guess even the afterlife ain't free..I suppose there's no turning back now, though."

And she steps onto the boat without hesitation, not really caring if it sinks or swims, knowing only that she has a debt to pay..Even if Hades is waiting for her at the end.

Emi Dennou has posed:
"Thank you," Emi says, to just about anybody. Once they're out of Regret-topia she seems to recover somewhat. She focuses on her breathing.

She mutters that he didn't ask for a coin and will not provide one unless she is explicitely asked. The actual Charon could show up at any moment and she may need excess coins for that point. Actually, as she thinks about it, if HE made the TDA if anything HE owes HER money.

Thinking about personal funds seems to jar her out of her funk further. But she does say, "The Network apologizes for their slip up. We were not expecting them all to be there." Though they did consider it.

Maira has posed:
Maira actually looks surprised with the light and warmth of the fire she creates seems to ease the suffering of the dead. Ah....fire. Yes, fire can be life. A warm, bright light down here...well, if she could do any good with her talent then she was pleased to do it. The flame glows brighter and she lifts it up, placing it in the air so that it floats above her head and follows. Maira's form giving off a vital heat from the magic that flows within her.

She looks toward Percival, who looks like he needs a little warmth. As she steps into the boat she'll sit beside him, pulling out a coin to hand to The Boss as Perci suggested.

Ready to depart now, Maira gives Shida's hand a squeeze and leans over to give Percival a hug, gingerly, being careful of his injured wing. "I think we are almost there," she says. Goodness, everyone looks like they need a pep talk. "We can do this," she says, trying to meet every eye, trying to smile. Even to Ember. Avira is ahead, she knows it. They are going to take her home.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Maira manages to make the journey more bearable, and this gets the girl both a thankful look, and precious words during a time where it takes so much energy just to keep going. "Thank you, Maira." After all, it gives him a beacon to follow, and a path to walk. He leans on Zia, as much as she may lean on him. Strength amongst friends. He increases pace a little to catch up with Percival and touch his shoulder again.

Nobody is immune indeed. He dreads to think what would happen if they met Hades. If they had to fight the God of the Underworld. Was such a thing even possible? One thing is certain, this is nothing like the plains that his ancestors had spoken of. Nothing like the plains of battle.

This is far more dreadful.

When they reach the boat, Skoll hesitates for a moment. He has little money to give. A 'coin'? He reaches into his pockets, and does eventually find one single coin. A single coin he'd once gotten from Traverse Town's Colloseum.

He slowly puts a coin into the Boatman's hand. It's a golden drachma.

The werewolf then steps onto the boat and holds Zia's hand and also offers one to Percival, as they climb on.

Soan Sagittarius has posed:
Dragoon Man pushes on. He looks at the boat, then the man with the pole. So, this man is the reason of this... TDA, presumably what these people are belonging to. The Armoured man steps on the boat, bowing his head low respectfully at the masked man. He don't have very much to give on his person. "Thanks you for your guidance and your aid." He says, still bowed before standing still.

Percival has posed:
Percival would wince with chagrin at Zia's little tail slap. On the way over he'd do the same to her, just to show her that he's not /totally/ given over to despair.

When The Boss doesn't take it, he screws up his gaze for a moment, before opening his mouth and putting it under his tongue. When the man didn't react it, he'd take it out of his mouth, and sheepishly slide it into his pockets.

He'd then act like absolutely nothing happened, as he sat besides Maira, Zia, and Skoll.

Emi Dennou has posed:
Emi Dennou gives Percival a strange look and inches a bit closer to Navya.

The Boss has posed:
The Boss is silent and unmoving, apparently not concerned by having a slobbery coin shoved into his pocket. That's probably for the best.

Navya has posed:
Navya's tail fails to slap Emi.

She kind of edges away from Percival too, though.

Deidra has posed:
Deidra is being chilled to the core and wonders is this where she's going to end up when she dies? She almost wonders about this. Prehaps the mad men seeking immortality had a point, this thought is shaken off as idioicy a moment later before she follows the rest of the group as they reach the river however there's a boat here?

She realises wait has the Boss become the boatman? She pauses, she's not sure how correct it is here but she's going to offer up a coin, one of the ones from the recent diving tour, she attempts to hand her fair to him but the boss does not accept, she's always wondered abotu that myth and isn't sure what to say from this point on. Prehaps it was the act, or the fact they were still alive? Either way it's time to push across and she tries to not look into the water as she board.

"You have my thanks for everything."

Hades has posed:
The narrator looks at Perci oddly. Seriously. What the <GOOSEHONK>?

Emi Dennou has posed:
The muses start singing about how effed up that was.

Mercade Alexander has posed:
They move past the river of Cocytus, the trip mentally and physically exhausting. No wonder why this kind of thing is usually reserved for the greatest of heroes. Mercade looks on and ahead, helping Emi with Navya as they reach the banks of the famous and terrible river Styx. He looks back to the others, and over to Zia, nodding and whistling. "Wow. This place is... even more incredible than I could have imagined."

The Boss takes his place as the Ferryman, and Mercade nods, stepping forward and digging into his pocket to produce two coins, offering them. He can tell the symbolism is enough: The Boss is not actually Charon.

Though he wouldn't put it past the guy.

Hades has posed:
The Odd staring at Percival passes, as the muse sing their song. Nobody seems to notice this, because this is the Disney.

The boat crosses the river, with...for once, a federal <GOOSEHONK>ing issue. However, the mist that rises up off of the water is...eerie to say the least. The boat seems to be protected by the river, which is lucky for you. Slowly, the boat advances towards the opposite side of the shore, you can see that island get larger.

More stairs, which seem to rise up before hitting a platform. The platform connects to three others, Each one a path along the way towards the inner chamber. As you walk...

"Avira, babe. Give it up, I win. You're here, in the Underworld. Even if your friends DO get here...they ain't gonna last five minutes. Check and mate. You can sit there in your chains all you want, but babe...you should just give it up and work for me."

"Ain't nobody wants to be around a freak like you, at least with me I can make you NOT a freak, and of course, get some use out of it. Anyway...we can wait an eternity...I'm a god, you're not."

Hades mocks Avira...

More heartless stand in your way, rocks fall as you fight, but again, these aren't impossible heartless. Cutting your way through is easy, and with Sora, these Heartless don't come back instantly.

Getting to the sanctum is...tiring, but you're here. You can either rush right in, or wait. Waiting has it's own problems...perhaps Avira will break? Perhaps a minion will show up. There is also only one way in too, no windows to look in.

Bursting in will also be disadvantages...Hades is untouchable here.

Now is the time to decide...

The Boss has posed:
Mysteriously, the Boss has vanished. Perhaps he's unwilling to be seen as a dead man against the God of the Dead? Or perhaps he just doesn't want the God of the Dead finding out that a living man has a way into his realm? Either way, he's just up and vanished between getting off the boat and here, now.

There's a wet coin in Percival's pocket.

Zia has posed:
River after river after river. After this, Zia is going to more than happy to return to her desert paradise. At least there, she just had to deal with the sun and the occassional undead invasion. So much better than restless spirits trying to drag you down to the depths with them. This place is going to give her nightmares, or is it daymares? Whichever.

Once they disembark, she'll work more as crowd-control with the Heartless, which means that Zia will likely fade into the background and let the others do the more important work of... you know, saving Avira.

Percival has posed:
Percival smacks a hand against his fin like ears. What was he hearing? It sounded like women singing gospel music about how crazy he was. No, couldn't be.

During the boat ride he's rather calm, but a little sullen and obviously fatigued by this whole ordeal. His eyes drooped, his head began to nod forward, and then his head would snap up. He'd drift closer to Zia and Skoll at those times, trying his best to stay awake through their presence. He was relieved when they reached their destination.

Stepping out of the boat, he would hear Hades' mocking, and one of his fists would clench at his side. The Heartless gave him just the oppurtunity to get the adrenaline pumping, the blood rushing once again. He would try to fight them as quietly as possible, but even he couldn't muffle the sounds of battle.

Percival would look to Mercade, he knew what his choice would be in this situation, but it wasn't his show. Mercade stood to lose more than any of them here, and he was their leader. "Its your call. What's the plan?"

Huh, what was that? It felt wet. He'd put a hand in a pocket in his makeshift tabard, feeling around. He instantly knew what it is, and groaned.

Maira has posed:
Maira has done enough waiting. She's not rushing in either. She's walking in. Tired but determined, her little ball of flame still hovering above her to cast a warm golden glow in this gloomiest of places. Maira feels dead on her feet, but she is here and she's not going to give in now.

When Maira enters to see Hades, she actually bows her head to him a little. He's a god, she's going to be respectful, even if he is a jerk. He's a god of the dead. This is just what he does. What he is. Didn't have to be such a jerk about it but....

"Sorry, but you are wrong. We're here, and we are taking her home," she says, her voice a lot more confident than she feels. Maira scans for Avira then, spotting her, and begins to run toward her, finding a reserve of energy at the sight of her best friend.

Percival has posed:
When Maira started to speak and move forward, Percival would yell after her with an urgent whisper. "Maira no!" When she started to run, he'd already be taking off after her, legs pounding.

Avira has posed:
It's pretty clear that Avira's on this 'island' or has passed through here. Those with sensitive noses would definitely smell her passing through here and up those stairs. As they all grow nearer and nearer, they'll hear her voice.

She sounds tired and slightly irritated, as if she's been at this argument for some hours. Maybe even longer? Her endurance could be considered impressive but considering who she was up against down here, impressive wasn't going to cut it.

"We're thinking of the same friends here, right? Those guys you watched fighting in your tournament? The realm of the dead is not going to stop them."

There is a clanking noise that follows and the sound of metal scraping against stone. "I've been thinking about this whole freak thing a lot, Hades. I've had a lot of time to think about that."

At least the time when Hades hasn't been sitting there, actively mocking her.

"And I've decided. I'd rather spend the rest of my life looking like this instead of working for /you/."

Those that run ahead will find Avira sitting on the ground, her hands bound behind her in chains. There's also a thick iron collar around her neck that Avira's long stopped looking indignant about, suggesting she's been bound like this for quite some time.

Speaking of those friends though, "...Maira..?"

Emi Dennou has posed:
Emi knows just what to do. "Shida. You're backup."

She follows after Maira. Either she'll be bait or this ploy will work. She does not run, she sees little point. And once Maira rushes out, all pretense of hiding around.

"Hades." She says, "The Network will not take up much of you time. The Network has had a conversation, not too long ago, that we recall now that puts us at ease. Maximilien taught us that Death..."

She points a finger at Hades. "--Is a kidnapper!" She slams her hands down on an invisible table, as if she were intending to Phoenix WRight this. "Avira is not yet dead. She does not belong here."

She swings her arm forward and then exclaims again, "And what's more, if you do not return her to us, you're losing out on all of Manhattan's souls to the Heartless, and--the souls that have yet to come! For your own interest, it is best that you return Avira to us! The Network also warns everybody not to stick their hands in any soul boxes, The Network remembers that now too."

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Another wave of Heartless, more falling rocks. The battle becomes a blur in Mercade's mind as he rushes inward and onward.

"The plan is..." Mercade looks over to Percival, about to answer.... When Maira engages Plan L, for Leeroy.

"Good enough." Mercade steps forward, walking off the stairs onto the innoer chamber. "Avira has people who care about her. You are a liar and the father of lies." Mercade says, leveling a hand to point at Hades dramatically. "Release her, Hades. I swore I would even go to Hell to save her, and here I am. Not even your murderbunny is going to stop us. It doesn't matter if Avira looks like that. I care about her for who she is, not what form she wears!"

Percival has posed:
Percival might have been slapping Mercade on the back and complimenting him, if he weren't currently chasing Maira like a bat out of hell to try and save her from whatever badness Hades has planned.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
When they finally do arrive on the other side, and step onto that little island, Skoll feels more tired than he's ever felt in his entire life. Yet nothing had stilled the burning desire in is heart to protect and save Avira. Above them, he can hear Hades making 'fun' of Avira. Just the man's voice already grates on the werewolf.

He can't help it. He has to make it that way. But the heartless are in the way! He keeps feeling tired. Skoll shakes his head, trying to remain awake, stepping forwards. When Maira goes running forwards - he quickly looks behind him. But Zia knows what he wants to do, and in 'crowd-controlling' the Heartless, she makes a path. One he follows - staying right behind Maira.

"Be careful." He calls out, making his way up alongside the blonde. Facing Hades? Probably not a good idea. But at least he's not alone. And he feels like Avira would never forgive him if he'd let her best friend get hurt. Or at least, he's pretty sure Maira and Avira are basically BFFs.

When he makes it up there, the youth places his hands to his knees, panting, tired, blue underneath his eyes. Yet still he manages to shift his posture to try and look strong. "Avira." He calls for the girl just as she explains that she'd rather spend her life as a 'mutate' than under Hades' thumb.

He smiles. "I knew I could believe in you." He then lays a hand to his chest. Simple words. He lets the others do the talking regarding Hades. Skoll is more concentrated on the girl herself. "Come with us, Avira. Come home. To your friends. Just like Mercade, I accept you for who you are. I always have, you know that."

THAT... is when he notices the collar. And his gaze darkens a little. "Is that...?" He asks.

Deidra has posed:
Deidra is beyond words at the river and everyone in it. So many sounds in there, so many souls. She grimaces for a moment at it but well their times are up there's nothing she can do. She's noticing this is becoming a theme here and she doesn't like it. Thankfully they make it across the Boss is gone, now she's not going to say a thing about it. Either he's dead and doesn't want to get Hades aware of what he did, and she can't blame him. Or somehow prehaps he isn't and has chosen to bug out. Still7 They made it and she looks at the heartless for a moment and heartless are treated to her sword rather than her spells. She's trying to concerve her magic for the main event.

She's very tempted to make a joke about kidnapping a girlfriend but she choses not to make so sassing at this point would be bad but she looks to flank Mercade and she musters whatever power she has looking down at the lord of the Underworld.

"Sorry we're late Avira..."

Ember has posed:
They arrive on the other side and more heartless appear. Just lke before however, they're just small fry, and Ember cuts easily through them as she approaches the place where Avira is being kept prisoner. Of course Hades is there too.

Well, here goes nothing..

She's the last to step off the boat and the last one to enter in after the others. She bows to the lord of deat as she comes into view. "Hello Hades.." she glances briefly at Avira, frowning softly beneath her shadowy cowl, then looks back at Hades, wondering how he'll take her appearance amongst all these heroes, even though she is quite separate from them as well.

Soan Sagittarius has posed:
Dragoon Man was about to suggest to wait for a moment. Dramatic senses be damned, it's just part of his blood. When that young lady stands up and speaks for his friend, the amoured man can't help but admire the guts on that girl. Guts, or lack of senses. Funny how both are interelated that way.

"I can vouch for them. They do care, and they will not relent. They have faced the dangers of your realm to get her back." Dragoon Man speaks, slamming the butt of his spear into the ground, staring at the God itself. Wellp, that's a step up if anything, /talking to a GOD/. His super hero senses are already looking around for a quick exit -- or a quick rescue that he can help perform if talking does not work. "Their hearts are stronger than you gave them credit for."

And it likely wont. That cage catches most of his attention, for that matter, analysing it.

Navya has posed:
Finally they get across this water, that water, all the waters. Navya is getting really sick of water, between here and swamps. She's going to go inland for a while once this is over. Maybe to a desert.

Avira is ahead. That more than anything else revitalizes Navya; she suddenly pushes forward. It's a good thing other people are being forward, because she would be regardless; this way, she's not alone.

"Avira!" Navya calls. She sees Hades but she doesn't really care a bout him; possibly she doesn't know who he is, even though she can /feel/ the power. She wasn't with Avira before, after all; she hasn't ever actually seen Hades before. "Avira, we're coming!"

She sees the collar. It makes her face turn red, and her tail lash again in anger. Navya raises the pole, despite the fact that it's not a very good weapon and /certainly/ isn't against Hades.

Hades has posed:
Hades' little show is interrupted as he sits down on his throne. He looks...mildly annoyed....but this was still /HIS/ Underworld. HIS domain, he was untouchable here, and he didn't give a <GOOSEHONK> what they said...

"Ah ah ah ah...I can already see it on your faces, feeling a little...tired? Go on, take a nap, for /eternity." he laughs, "No seriously. You're all out of your league...you've all lost the moment Avira was turned over to me...by that cheeky little dark elf. Funny, it won't stay Garland's hand." he shrugs.

The Cage is...a cage. It could be sundered, it doesn't look that super duper. The chains on Avira are pretty strong too, but a good whack can free them. Hades starts standing up, as he grins...

He looks at Emi, A desk appears under him, before he slams his hands down under it.

INITIATE COUNTER MUSIC!

BGM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IP9PoBlFDp4

"I have a contract that says she's my minion in that form." he says showing it off. That contract is well worded...but THOSE WITH DETECTIVE VISION can see the end clause. 'True Love's kiss'.

"So as you see, /I WIN/." he says, the desk fades, and the BGM stops.

"So yea-" he looks at Ember, "Oh aren't you just cute? Trying to play the hero? Trying to redeem yourself? That's cute. You know what we /do/ to traitors in the Shadow Lords. /YOU GET TO BE PETE'S COFFEE FETCHER!/" he says, "After about a year in the Lethe Chamber." he grins.

"So yeah. If that's all you guys got... FEEL THE HEAT!" he says, starting to flare up, turning red.

Avira has posed:
Ultimately, Avira's not surprised a small army showed up here in the Underworld since a similar thing had happened when she was taken to Baron (though some of those people were there by coincidence). Given the circumstances, they'd need a small army or more. Even then, Hades had his own army.

It's the reactions of Mercade and Skoll that really draw her attention at first, both admitting that they care about her no matter what she looks like. Skoll's actually pretty surprising to her since the last time she heard from him, he was expressing extreme disappointment with her choices.

(Though to be fair, the contract to begin with was a terrible choice.)

It's all also a far cry with her conversation with Morrighan yesterday. The mood whiplash is jarring, "Mercade..." she murmurs softly, "...Skoll is that true...?" she'd question it more but. Damn. Now is not the time for this stuff. Now is really not the time!

Ember shows up and anything else about the elation of being accepted as a mutate goes out the window. "...why is she here with you guys? She brought me to....uhhh."

Then Hades starts to go nuclear. Avira's eyes widen and she heavily flings herself against the bars of the cage. It's made pretty difficult since she can barely afford to stand in it.

Percival has posed:
Percival saw Hades turning red. He felt the heat rising in the room, and Maira was running straight at him; heedless of what was about to happen. And so he would jump, lunging, and tackle her. Not in a way that would cause any harm. He would bring them low, encircling her with his wings, while yelling urgently at her. "ICE SPELLS!"

And then the Gargoyle would do just about the dumbest thing in the history of the underworld. Well right after putting a slobbery coin in someone's pocket that is. He'd actually take his shield right off his arm. Hold it with one arm, and /Throw/ it right at the cage's lock. No he wasn't Captain America. Yes he'd actually done this before. It occurred to him in his head afterwards that it would have been better to maybe use the shield to fend off the incoming onslaught of fire.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
"No matter how tired I am, or how much this world may drain me, I'm not going to give up on returning Avira to where she belongs!" Skoll answers Hades. The youth then notices the contract. Or rather, that there's words on there...

Okay, so you see, Skoll isn't a detective. He just sees paper with letters on them. Mercade is the detective here. All the werewolf can do is respond to Avira herself; "Of course." He answers the girl, bringing his hand to his chest. "I took you out on a date, now didn't I? I'm sorry for lashing out at you like that."

The youth then looks to Mercade again when Hades gets FIRED UP. "Mercade... I'll cover you. Break her out by any means." They had to leave this place, but not without their price! The youth then glances at Ember, then to Hades, and then finally to Avira.

"If Hades' ranting is anything to go by, guess she got cold feet. We'll deal with her later!" And so the youth moves to stand directly between Mercade and Hades.

Soan Sagittarius has posed:
Dragoon Man knew talking wont work. You don't talk to a God in His domain and trying out rulelawyer a GOD of the DEAD. They're rather firm on what they sign, one of the biggest clauses that they heavily inforce is the whole 'Mortals Dies And Come Here' kind of rules. It's rather rock solid. It's not hopeless, however.

The armoured man lower his head, as his armour makes no sound, whispering down to Mercades as things starts flying in Hades' direction. It's not because Soan's wearing an armor, that he's suddenly not a thief anymore. His secrets are not worth keeping if they can't leave this place with a mission accomplished. The hero gives Mercades a look, whispering. "Follow me."

It's rather amazing to watch the full-plate wearing Dragoon to move that quickly, silently, leaping over obstacles and taking advantages of the chaos that's starting right now. Hopefully the others will be stalwart against the God's onslaught... and Mercades will follow his lead.

Dragoon Man, as he'll approach the cage, is already pulling out a few picks and more... esoteric tools, glowing with some magic. He's going to need his fancy ass toys for this kind of cage and chains.

Maira has posed:
Maira smiles reassuringly to Avira, reaching through the bars to try to take her hand. "We're going to get out of here, don't worry," she says, then turns towards Hades. Maira knows she isn't particularly clever. She doesn't hope to out-wit Hades. She /certainly/ doesn't hope to over-power him. But her friends? She thinks there is a solution to this. There has to be. And someone will know it.

When Hades addresses Ember, Maira frowns. She's worried. She's been betrayed...but she can't just stop caring. "Everyone has a choice--and--and if K--Ember wants to try to do better then I support her," she announces, which is sure to get her more than a few 'are you frigging stupid!?' stares.

Maira looks back to Avira now, to answer her question. Because she can, and its about time they knew. Maira takes a deep breath. "....It's Katyna, Avira. Katyna is Ember..."

Maira jumps up then as Hades lights up in a rage of fire. She can't even help it, fear grabs her and her magic explodes from her too, lighting her up as well. Except Maira just sort of looks embarrassed about it.

Of course, then Percival reaches her and practically tackles her, yelling something about ice spells!? Perci, you don't know Maira all that well, do you? She's on FIRE. "URK! LEMME GO!"

Percival has posed:
Percival would hold onto Maira for exactly 2.5 seconds, a new record. And then he'd howl in pain, and let go. Third degree burns already, before Hades had even erupted.

Deidra has posed:
Deidra pauses at the mention of the dark elf. It could only be one of a few and if it might be a certain one? She pushes any thoughts about out of the way. The imporant thing is to get Avira out of here. Given the Garland comment it nearly seals the deal. She puts her weapon on her back like she's giving up, however? She's going to pull her iTome out and get ready she knows for a moment it may be a hopeless fight but it's too far too much if she's got to meet her end spitting in the face of an evil god for the sake of a friend? There's worse ends out there.

"You wanna turn up the heat? Fine! Let's go."

She pauses at Avira's words but she's got to fights they have to hold back Hades as long as they can. She starts chanting knowing her magic will likely be like shooting a tank with a 9mm pistol at best, namely plink but there's no choice.

She's pulling on what reserves she's got left, her wings flare out. She's likely going to need them to keep mobile and she unleahses a chain of spells as the chainting contiune, in a laughable attempt she's going to try to slow Hades down as best she can.

Ember has posed:
And so it begins..Ember notices the collar around Avira's neck and it causes her to flinch a bit, hands clenched into fists. "Avira....I'm sorry..There was so much I wanted to say..I never wanted this, but I was scared..." She reaches for her sword.

"But, I'm not afraid anymore. I'll make it all up to you, I promise..." For a second her voice slips, going from the deep gruff voice of Ember to...Something vaguely familiar.

She flinches then as her connection with the Shadow Lords is abruptly cut off. Oh yes. She can see the hatred in Hades' eyes, she can guess what's in store for her. "Heh!" She laughs as she takes a step towards him. "I'm not playing anymore, not this time. Maybe I was just trying to be a Shadow Lord all this time, but now that I see what you've got to offer me, I'm not impressed.."

She takes another step towards him, standing next to Skoll and smirks beneath her cowl. "Sorry, but I guess we gotta work together this time.." she brandishes her flaming sword. No, she's not as strong as Maira when it comes to fire magic, but she's got at least a bit of resistance. "Let's do this then.." With a wave of her hand, she surrounds both herself and Skoll in protective magics..

Avira has posed:
Maira tells her that Ember the Shadow Lord is Katyna.

"WHAT?!" Avira abruptly stops slamming herself against her confines to stare at the Shadow Lord turned traitor. "This...this whole time we've been spied on? But..." it didn't make sense. Sure, Katyna was ambitious and treasure-covet-y but she never figured her to be Shadow Lord material.

"...it explains why she went after you to get to me that one time." Avira reflects, "And why she seemed so uncomfortable around Angantyr." She glances sideways at Soan for a second as he comes over to do some lockpicking.

Katyna/Ember apologizes to her and Avira frowns. She's not sure how to take this right now. She'll worry about what to think about this provided they can escape hell.

Emi Dennou has posed:
Emi starts to get nervous about her amazing plan when a desk appears before Hades. She tchs, stumbling back as if she had taken physical damage from his counterargument.

"Couldn't you have had this relevation BEFORE you kidnapped Avira?" Emi asks of Ember. IT was literally just two days ago!! WHY DID SHE HAVE TO DO THIS NOW?

She looks towards the contract, hoping for a loophole--it's Hades, of course, she doubts she can find it. Always be careful of offering favors to Gods, she reasons, they like to maximize those.

Wait--as long as she's a mutate? There's a way to break the spell... But goddammit, this is a horrible time to do this loophole.

"There's an out clause in the contract..." She says quietly. "...True Love's Kiss."

She frowns deeply. Why is it always about who Avira is going to kiss??? Truly, Hades is a twisted God.

Navya has posed:
Navya can't read the contract from here. She's not very literate at the best of times.

But she doesn't have to be. It's other people who can be clever. She just gets angry, and she gets angrier when she hears what's up with Ember and Katyna; Navya bristles, snapping her wings open wide. She looks like she's going to take off.

Hades is more powerful than her. She doesn't care. Percival probably has the lock; Navya throws the stick in Hades' general direction instead, flinging it end over end, and shifts toward the cage (well, and Hades; he's /right there/). It isn't supposed to hurt him, or even hit him, because it probably won't. It's just supposed to distract him from Percival's shield going at the lock.

It does take an effort to not throw it at Ember instead.

"What about love? Why is it about love?" Navya asks. Maybe she doesn't get it either.

Hades has posed:
Perci throws his shield at the lock of the cage...

It had to be a one in a million chance...but fortune favors the bold, doesn't it? The Shield connects, shattering the lock and opening the cage. Dragoon man works the chains around Avira, while the forces of good charge the god.

Who immediately feel like they are doing absolutely nothing. Hades looks bored, looking at his finger nails as he looks at them.

"Is that so?" he says to Ember. And he snaps his fingers...and flames start to rise up all around her. "I'M ON FIRE!"

EXPLOSION.

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Mercade is, perhaps... /dead/ tired. He looks like he can barely move... But move he does. This is the power of the Lord of the Dead, and he is currently not dead. Hades, however, is more than happy to gain a few more subjects.

Mercade steps forward. He knows better than to battle the Lord of the Dead on his own terms, his own turf. The Detective With No Sweet Title steps forward. "HOLD IT!" Mercade points again, and then pauses, slightly at a loss... Until Emi brings up the loophole. "What, seriously?" Mercade says... And then he looks up at Avira in shock. She knew. Of course she knew. But she couldn't tell him, because...

He nods to himself, determination on his face. He looks to Skoll as he provides his support. Mercade steps up, and claps the man on the shoulder. "Thank you, Skoll. I appreciate it."

He begins walking forward, not for Hades. He's walking for the cage. Flames erupt around him, but have not touched him yet. As soon as DRAGOON MAN and Percival can open the cage...

And the cage opens. Mercade steps inside, and he looks upon Avira, kneeling down next to her and smiling.

BGM INTERRUPT: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg7iWlqwwX4

"Avira..." He says. "I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to really get around to this. I know people have teased us about it for so long, and all these things have happened, but the truth of the matter is... I love you, Avira. With all of my heart. Your strength has saved me from so much... And now... Let me help you too." He reaches out, hugging her tight, and gives her a kiss, right on the muzzle, mutated form be damned.

Percival has posed:
Meanwhile, Percival does not see that the Captain America manuever actually worked since he's still rolling around on the ground in pain. This is for the best, as he should never, ever, ever, ever, ever do this again.

Soan Sagittarius has posed:
If this wasn't a situation where they were in the God of Death's very realm, rescuing a person straight from under his nose, Soan would take the time to let the adorable sight before him sink in, give him a warm fuzzy feeling, and probably a small dose of admiration that this guy have the guts to do it when it was the right time to do so. If they get out of this or not, hell! It's done.

It does make him wonder if there is any girls that he could, himself, be able to say that to. Best not think about that right now.

Dragoon Man works on the chains, cutting them, weakning them the best he can, hacking at them with his hand silent drilling tools, as well as his Fire Saws. It's going slow. Way too slow. Very, very, very slow. Thus, after a while, Dragoon Man lets out a grunt, stands back up, manifesting his spear, tipped like an halberd... to then expertly swing it down at the weakened chains.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Wait wait wait wait!

Hold on!

The girl he fought during the fall of Manhattan... is his sister's best friend? And Hades is trying to do bad things to her! But... on the other hand, Ember put Avira into this situation. Skoll's expression could not be any /more/ confused and... well honestly... sad...

"Oh Katyna..." So that's why she hates him? Because he beat the living crap out of her that one time? "You idiot." He adds to that, and then glances back to Avira and - in extension - Soan and his lockpick. That's when the girl's spell falls over him, protecting him. Ember even comes to stand besides him. He wonders just how much of this is because she and her sister are close. After all, so many times had she... well... shown to dislike him.

And then... Emi speaks up. The contract has an out clause. A way out.

And Skoll just starts blushing like an idiot! But Mercade is already stepping over towards Avira. And that's enough for him. He always had a feeling about that man. Skoll gives Mercade a rather poigniant look back; "Don't keep her waiting." There's a pain in his chest. A sudden pain. And a itchy feeling at his eyes. Like his breathing is getting harder... but he remains as he is. A protector.

And so, as those flames come, he does as he promised. He stands in the way of Flames and Mercade, using his very body to ensure they will not touch either him or Avira, letting it burn his body, and standing strong throughout it. Behind him, through the roaring of fire, he can hear Mercade speak to her. His ears fold, his tail moves between his legs, and he bites his bottom lip...

But no matter what, he doesn't look back. He just stares straight forwards, at Hades. Feeling sure that Mercade must be the one... he already points a finger at Hades. "A PROMISE IS A PROMISE HADES! HONOR THE CONTRACT!" His voice jumps a little.

Percival has posed:
Percival does however, look up in time to see the Kodak moment. He was suddenly wishing that he actually had a cell phone, and knew how to work the video recorder app.

Still he holds a single talon as thumbs up to the pair! Oh right, searing pain. GYAGH!

Crawling up, he would see Hades trying to burn a woman he didn't know to death. He knew she was helping him, and that's all he needed to know. Seeing as how the others seemed to have rescuing Maira in hand, he would begin the slow process of trying to limp back in the direction he came towards Ember/Katyna. At about two miles per hour, there's no way he was going to reach her in time of course, he just was trying to help her in the aftermath.

Ember has posed:
"Ugghh...." Ember, or rather Katyna, clenches her teeth, bracing herself against the pain of the flames. No, she's certainly not immune to them the way Maira is, and her own fiery shield only minimizes it a little. Magic isn't really her forte, even if her sword seems to run on the stuff, especially the fiery stuff.

The wind from the blast blows her hood off, revealing Katyna's young and frightenned face. And sad, so very sad. "I'm sorry Avira...So so sorry...It was you..You and Maira..And Hati too, who taught me what friendship was. What it means to be a hero. You believed in me, and now I believe in you..Even if I die because of it, I'm glad I met you..." Oh yes, she's afraid, it's not the first time she confronted death..Or watched those around her nearly die.

"Guh!" She flinches, staggering back from the powerful blast, falling to one knee. She glances sidelong at Skoll then, with a faint, sad smile. "I'm..Sorry..For everything..I always hoped we could be friends.." she manages to murmur before glancing back at Hades, getting ready to jump in between him and Avira, should he choose to attack them instead..

Maira has posed:
"Aaahg! I'm sorry Percival! I'll...I'll fix it later!" she assures him.

Maira looks back to see Mercade approaching Avira, and she knows. The escape clause!

Thought she wonders if maybe someone else should line up too, just in case.

Various people are charging Hades, a thing she can't even wrap her mind around. Really? Even Maira isn't that crazy!

.....Take it back. When Hades summons flame around Ember, Maira rushes to her, walking right through the flame to try to protect Ember from it, using her own magic to try to cast a protective aura around her.

It won't be enough, she knows, not enough to protect her completely. Thus, she tries something crazier.

Maira is powerfully attuned to fire. Not only can she summon it, but sometimes she can control it. This very well may not work with Hade's flames, but she's going to try it all the same.

Maira takes a deep breath and begins to try to draw the heat from the fire that surrounds them, pulling it into herself then extending an arm upward, trying to channel the flame into a beacon, hoping to disperse it above--and give Mercade and Avira some lovely fireworks to kiss by.

Avira has posed:
Avira starts to struggle. The last thing she wanted to see was all of her friends get killed in front of her. Brave and heroic they were, even she could recognize that they were outclassed in the Lord of the Dead's own realm.

Hades waves the contract she signed a while ago around. Her eyes remain on the contract and she mutters unhappily, "No, you were right to get mad at me about that, Skoll. Everyone was. I should have gone to all of you first instead of making a deal with this guy." Her head sags. "I made a weak-hearted decision."

Her cage is opened and just as she looks up, she sees Mercade there. "...Mercade..."

'You remember your promise, right?' He did. He remembered the promise he made to her after she failed to be fully cured months ago.

The contract suddenly ignites in Hades's hand and it's NOT by his own doing.

Avira's form shines with white light that quickly becomes blinding to look at. When it fades, the human Avira remains kneeling there. The chains that had been around her hands slide to the ground, no longer wound tight enough to hold her. The collar sits around her neck akwardly, also far too big.

Her lips also remain locked with his. Her face is bright red.

Maira has posed:
....And massively fails! It was worth a try, anyway.

Maira gasps, burned by the flames she tries to protect Ember from. Lesson learned, painfully.

She misses the kiss, too. That's worse.

Maira falls.

Hades has posed:
Hades' flame EXPLODES into a fiery Inferno.

If you didn't think it was hot before, it becomes like an OVER now.

"HOW DARE YOU HAVE A HAPPY ENDING! HOW DARE YOU!" he says, utterly enraged, starting to advance. "YOU!" he looks at Ember.

"THE AMOUNT OF SUFFERING YOU WILL UNDERGO WILL BE LEGENDARY! THEY WILL WRITE EPICS OF HOW INTENSE IT WILL BE, AND THE LENGTHS I WILL GO TO MAKE SURE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE EVER BELIEVED IN IS DEAD AND GONE!"

Hades literally is a ball of flame...

"BUT FIRST!" he says, pointing a finger at Avira. "I WILL SNUFF THE LIGHT FROM MANHATTAN...FOREVER!" he says, and bang...

So yeah, those trinkets?

Percival has posed:
Percival would continue to limp inexorably closer to Maira and Ember, and reach them! And then Hades would go nuclear. Remembering what Isaac told him, he'd yell out. "THE CHARMS! FOCUS ON THE CHARMS!"

No time to think about the pain that was about to be the end of his life! He would put a hand on both Maira and Ember, then try to concentrate on the charm, hoping that its magic would extend to them both in case they actually lost it/gave it away to The Boss.

His world became fire. And not what was like to be the pretty hurty Maira kind.

Percival has posed:
And then a fire exit would appear in front of them splitting the flames. And he'd pretty much be trying to shove the other two through first, before he'd dive through it, assuming they'd let him.

Emi Dennou has posed:
"Maira...!" Shida rushes over to her as she tumbles, though Percival manages to get to her first. "We've got to get out of here!" There isn't time for her to even use her vocal quirk.

FOCUSING ON CHARMS.

EXIT DOOR, IT EVEN GLOWS SO IT'S EASIER TO SEE THE BIG EXIT.

"Run!" She adds, intending to do just that. She is wearing her KAMEN RIDER DEN-O mask and is hoping Hades won't recognize her behind it.

"Yes the kiss was very romantic, retreating now." Emi runs like hell too!

LOTS OF RUNNING.

Mercade Alexander has posed:
Avira explodes in Magical Awesome and turns back human again, the evil hold of Hades BROKEN FOR EVERS. Right? RIGHT?

And Mercade is kissing her. He could get used to this.

Hades is yelling something. Mercade's eyes open as he disengages from Avira and looks over his shoulder. "Huh?" He says. OH GOD THAT'S BRIGHT. Mercade is staring into a VERY ANGRY Hades, and his eyes widen in a moment of horror. "AVIRA!" He yells, holding her tight and keeping himself in the way of the incoming fire as he pulls up the charm on his belt. "WORK! ISAAC, THIS THING BETTER WORK! COME ON! KLAATU BARADA NIKTO!"

Those were the words, right?

AND THEN DOOR. Mercade turns, and runs with Avira, INSTANT KILL FIRE right on their heels as they make epic escape for the exit.

Soan Sagittarius has posed:
Dragoon Man shields his eyes at the light. By the First Ones... it actually /worked/?

Hold up. A contract had a clause of a 'True Love' that would break it, for one. For two, her form was changed back to what he presume was the girl's natural form with SAID KISS and--

"Later!" He chides himself, celebrations can wait for /later/. Dragoon Man charges after Mercades, grabbing whoever he can that might be in trouble right now to leap into the ... summoned portal? Yeah. That's a summoned portal.

Maira has posed:
Maira isn't able to do much right now, she's too busy having her mind boggled. Seriously? She needs a vacation. Maira doesn't think she can run, so she's pretty glad she's being shoved through the sudden exit door with Ember by Percival. Okie dokie, bye bye now!

Then she's laying on the floor of a ladies rest room. She lays her skin against the tile floor and lets out a sigh. "Ooh...its so cool..." then she passes out like a drunk.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Percival would continue to limp inexorably closer to Maira and Ember, and reach them! And then Hades would go nuclear. Remembering what Isaac told him, he'd yell out. "THE CHARMS! FOCUS ON THE CHARMS!"

No time to think about the pain that was about to be the end of his life! He would put a hand on both Maira and Ember, then try to concentrate on the charm, hoping that its magic would extend to them both in case they actually lost it/gave it away to The Boss.

His world became fire. And not what was like to be the pretty hurty Maira kind.

Skoll wonders what hurts more, this feeling in his chest, or the flames of hell! The pain is almost unimaginable! The werewolf still waits however - he waits for the escape route. That's when Percival reminds them all of the charms. That's when he finally glances back and takes his little charm, and concentrates on it; and then hears Mercade opening a door behind him.

Skoll quickly looks towards Percival and Ember and Maira, hoping for them to escape. Luckily, Shida is also making a way for them to escape.

Yet still he waits - willing to be the last person through. To make sure he sees all there is to see, and ensures that nobody is left behind! "Hurry!" He calls back at the others.

Deidra has posed:
Deidra can only watch at this point as Percy does his thing. Mercade confesses his love and thing just go to hell in a handbasket with Hades. It's time to run, it's time to run as heck rigtht now. She's dared to strike a god and that's the least of offences in hades pov here she needs to focus on the chams at this point. She's got to run, she's going to run with everyone else. She takes the charm nd yells out the charm's incanation. "KLAATU BARADA NIKTO!" She's also running and praying to a Deity utterly unrealted to teh greeks that let it work!

Katyna has posed:
Katyna's eyes go wide as Hades gets all furious and cranky n' stuff. She's even shivering a bit, not really...Wanting to know what they'll do to her if...Or when they catch her. Darnit, being a hero sure is hard work! But..When she sees Maira coming over to protect her, she smiles faintly, stepping closer to her.

"Maira.." She murmurs, flinching as the next round of flames comes. Yeah, she's pretty sure it's all directed towards her. Then Percival comes with one of those trinkets, y'know the one she just gave away - darnit! - and then a big exit door opens. She grins.

"Cool trick! Let's get outta here!" she nods and starts to run towards the exit, then pauses, trying to grab Maira in her arms before running off. "Maira...Come on!"

Avira has posed:
The joy of this moment is quickly cut short for Avira. That is an angry, angry god.

Avira lets out an ear-rending scream when Hades turns towards her with every intention of straight up murder. She doesn't know how everyone's supposed to be getting out. She doesn't know about the charms. She thinks she's gonna die!

Then magical doors start opening. Frantically, she scrambles out the exit, actually outrunning Mercade in this instance.

Percival has posed:
And then Percival collapses on the Lady's room floor, nearby Maira. He wasn't exactly close to being unconscious, but he would just roll over on his back and lay there, laughing. And he would just continue laughing, until he was pretty much sobbing. His laughter echoed throughout the Lady's restroom.

It wasn't until a civilian came in and screamed that he realized that he was A. Laughing like a maniac, and B. He was in a Lady's restroom.

Skoll Ulfang has posed:
Skoll finally opens his own door when everyone has well departed - ensuring Zia and Sora too used their doors - staring at the angered fire-blazing Hades, flames coming his way like a backdraft. Eventually, they would die of old age, and they would come here again - wouldn't they? But what about him? What about himself? He'd just see them depart. Was /this/ all they had to look forward to? The youth steps through and closes the door behind him, arriving at the top of the clocktower in the district. Alone. Aching. His hand raises to his chest.

In all of his life as an Unlimited, he'd never hurt this much.

Yet, as he looks up to the stars above, he is reminded that if Avira was not the one... then perhaps...

Perhaps his own wolf is still out there, somewhere.