Woot: It was getting boring, doing all these combat scenes, but then I figured out a way to make Elias's fight more interesting: Eclipse! Yeah. Catoblepas is awesome. I plan on using something from the Amber Chronicles for his fight. Anyways, not many people have reviewed the last chapter, but then, it's the weekend, so that's understandable. For IB, Outcasts of Arcadia is the planned Sequal to Black Orchid with completely original plot, though featuring the characters you know and love. Anyways, read and review.


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"Planet Diver"

Arc came crashing down on the Defender, crushing the lumbering armored Heartless and its dog-faced shield. Behind him, Orchid and Montblanc double teamed on a Wizard, unleashing a flurry of spells on it. When they finished, they continued up the battlements, furthering their journey into the castle.

"If I remember, just up ahead should be a transport station, and after that we can get to most of the important parts of the castle" said Arc as they ran. "The chapel, the old King's private studies, the throne room, and other places. The Grand Hall, where I think the door is, and the Laboratory are back farther aways."

"Then we should get hurrying" said Orchid as they launched themselves into another Heartless patrol. Air soldiers sizzled under Montblanc's lightning, and Defenders wrestled with Arc as Orchid wreaked havoc among the wizards. They quickly finished them off, though the Defender took a bit of doing to take out.

"Man, hate to see the place like this" grumbled Arc as they jogged up the way and into a door.

"Oh, yeah, you lived here for two years, huh" said Orchid. "What was it like"

"Ah, it was pretty good" he said as they boarded a transport and started the slow ascent up. "Most of the time, anyways. Everyone was just normal people. Since we didn't have a King, Squall and those guys just sort of took over keeping things in line, since they were the ones who went through the first Heartless event. According to them, life went back to normal after they got back." He sighed. "But... when you got to these upper levels, things got edgy. A lot of people tried to pretend that the whole thing never happened, or that Ansem never existed. Heck, I only heard him mentioned a couple of times. And they closed off the Laboratory and the Grand Hall, and only a few people were allowed into his old quarters. I guess no one wanted anybody stirring up trouble from the past. Squall never answered any of my questions about what happened, and Cloud and I never talked much. Aerith only told me enough to know that they had reasons for guarding these areas and being so paranoid. Of course, it was blabber mouth Yuffie that gave me a vague outline of what happened, but even that didn't help much. I just knew that there was some dark secret about something from four years ago, and that was it."

They took the rest of the ride in silence.

It was after a minor skirmish with a number of darkballs, a kind of Heartless they had not previously met, like the shadows, but large, jagged-mouthed balls of darkness, that they came to an ornate pair of doors.

"Do we go in" asked Orchid as they stood before it.

"If anyone's home, then they'll be through those doors" said Arc.

"Let's go, kupo" finished Montblanc.

They pushed open the double doors and walked inside.

It was lit only by eerie pale lights from above, casting a strange and creepy gloom about the hall. Walls made of white stone were cast in a deep bluish sort of darkness, and columns proud and tall now seemed to loom menancly. Their feet were silent as they walked down the carpeted way and the doors creaked slowly closed behind them.

"Well, it seem the Master was right" came the voice. "Of course, He always is."

"That voice..." said Orchid. "Elias"
"Yes" said the man, stepping forwards out of the shadows to face them. "It seems to be my duty to eradicate you."

His half shown face was emotionless, and his half of a mask betrayed nothing but a false amusement. The heels of his shoes clicked softly on the floor as he walked towards them.

"Eradicate, huh" asked Arc, pushing up his tinted lenses. "Well, eradicate this"

He lunged forwards, sword point out. Elias nimbly dodged back, effortlessly deflecting the strike with the back of his hand. Arc swung with his mechanical right, but the other man easily stepped back, just barely being missed.

"Shooting Star"

Elias quickly brought his arms up in front of him, and the keyblade struck heavily. He grunted as the Mage Bloom struck him over and over and as Arc joined in with his own attacks. Montblanc threw in his own salvo of spells, and together, they began driving the man back.

"Enough"

There was an explosion of energy, and the three of them were flung back. Elias stood, staring at them coldly.

"I have no time for your child's play" he said. He raised his arm, then snapped in succesion at each on of them. "Inferno."

Pillars of flame shot up from beneath them, each engulfed in their own fire. Elias watched emotionlessly as the fires danced and flared around them.

Suddenly, Arc came roaring out of the burning flames, sword raised. Elias stepped back, easily avoiding his strike, but gave a grunt of surprise as the man barreled into him, knocking them both to the floor. Arc, still sizzling and seething with rage, straddled his fallen opponent and started punching, landing blow after blow on Elias's face. He paused momentarily, staring down at the battered face of Elias Daemonwing.

Suddenly, Elias looked up at him, as if nothing had happened. Then he faded back, down into the floor, becoming a puddle of shadow. Arc suddenly found himself pinning down nothing but air. Then he found himself hurtling back as a hard black shoe connected with his jaw, sending him flying.

"That...hurt" said Elias disdainfully, one hand brushing his face as he stared at the trio. Orchid and Montblanc, having taken the time to heal themselves some, went over to work on Arc. "I'll kill him first."

"Leave him alone" shouted Orchid, charging forwards. She swung, but Elias dodged easily. He effortlessly moved away from each strike, then, tiring of this, he reached out and deftly grabbed the haft of the keyblade in one delicate hand.

"Tiresome" he noted. Then he flung his arm out, sending her stumbling backwards, and raised his hand before him. He snapped his fingers at her. "Thordain."

The air around Orchid crackled, and the ceiling above and the floor below glowed peculiarly. Then lightning welled up beneath her and crashed down from above. She cried out in pain as twin charges met in her body, every nerve flaring with pain. She fell to the ground twitching as it ended, gasping for breath. Then, slowly, she got to her feet.

"Persistant..." observed Elias. He easily blocked a blow from Arc, who had snuck around from the side, without even looking his way. He dodged back and faded into the shadows as Arc and Orchid both charged in again. He came flying down from the gloom of the ceiling, landing lightly behind them, and swiped at both with his bare hands, glowing white. They cried out and stumbled forwards, sporting long slashes across their backs.

Elias raised his arms to strike again, then jerked suddenly as something it him. He turned to see what.

"Fira" cast Montblanc. He shot off another fireball, striking Elias in the chest and sending him flying. Orchid and Arc cleared out of the way as Elias, followed by a flurry of multicolored spells, went shooting past. He slammed hard against the wall, his body jerking painfully as spell after spell struck him. "Deluge"

Just as the last torrent of water came flying to hit him, Elias looked up, then faded back into the wall, dispersing into shadow. He appeared silently behind the moogle, who turned just in time to see him.

"Freezeblink." He snapped his fingers at the little figure. Jagged spikes of ice shot up around Montblanc, then slammed together, instantly fusing and encasing him. He stood there, frozen within. And then it shattered, leaving him limp and beaten on the floor amidst the shards of ice.

"Moonlight Rave" shouted Orchid.

Elias gasped as the keyblade slammed into him, forcing the air from his lungs. Turning, he just barely caught sight of Orchid as she pivoted gracefully and disappeared again. In quick sucession, she repeatedly slammed into the thin figure of Elias, each strike charging the keyblade more.

"Finale"

Explosions rang out around the man as she appeared behind him, keyblade held out to the side after the final strike. Elias staggered in the blast, slowly turning to face her.

"You... have grown stronger since we last met" he said slowly. "I shall actually have to take you seriously."

"What" shouted Orchid in surprise. It had been hard enough to hurt him before, and he hadn't even been going full force? She looked uneasily from the thing, scarecrow-like man to her two companions, who were getting to their feet. She took comfort from their presence, and pressed on, her voice more confident that she felt. "It's three against one, Elias. You can't win, no matter how tough you act."

"Interesting, coming from someone with so much bravado" said Elias. "But it won't be three against one."

He snapped his fingers, and it rang loudly in the stillness.

"Eclipse."

The dim lights grew dimmer, and shadows lengthened and grew larger around them. Soon it darkened to a strange point where all that could be seen was the three warriors themselves, and a grinning white half-mask.

Suddenly, tendrils of darkness shot up from the darkened floor, warpping around their arms and legs. Struggle as they might, they found themselves being pulled deeper into shadow. Then everything was dark.

-

Something moved in the darkness.

There, in complete obscurity, in shadows that Arc's eyes could not peirce, something moved.

He watched warily, his head quickly turning this way and that, sword at the ready. He could hear it. The loud, wet breathing of something large. He could feel the minute vibrations as it padded slowly around him, stalking him, hunting him. He spun around at a noise behind him, the swishing of an enormous tail. Nothing was there, as far as he could see. Which wasn't very far at all.

He slowly edged in that direction, listening carefully for some noise that would betray his opponent. There was the gnashing of teeth ahead of him, and plunged forwards, sword first.

His blade cut thickly into shadows, shadows, and nothing else. There was nothing there. Panting slightly from the fear and the rush of adreniline, he stood quietly, trying to listen. And then he heard it. Heavy, moist breathing, loud and harsh. Right behind him.

Spinning around and dodging back, he came face to face with a pair of glowing red eyes. They watched him as a cat watches a cornered mouse. It padded lightly forwards, its stealth contradictory to its obvious size. From the set of the eyes in height and distance apart, Arc estimated its head to be about two thirds the size of himself, and its body to be humongous. It growled lowly at him, a sound like the rumbling of distant thunder. And then, to his surprise, it spoke.

It has been long since I feasted on man-flesh, it said in voice like falling mountains that crashed and echoed through Arc's head. Who are you?

This was an old beast. A very old beast. And beasts only grow that old if they are cunning and vicious enough to survive that long. Arc decided to drop his normal flippantry and take it seriously.

"I am Arcanis Tempus Mousseux, ruling lord of the Clockwork City, Adonis" he said solemnly. "And who are you"

It has been even longer since I tasted royalty, rumbled the creature. Then it answered, I am Catoblepas, one-time guardian of the treasure.

"And now we're gonna fight, huh" asked Arc, cautiously backing away slightly while trying not to appear to be doing so. He had heard old legends of Catoblepas. Apparently, it had been a horrendous monster that had guarded the the treasure once said to be buried in the lowest levels of Hollow Bastion, but in a time so long ago as to be myth. And here he was, face to face with it.

That would hardly be sporting, would it? it asked. And it has been so long since I had any sport. No, we shall not fight. Instead, you shall fight my servants, my offspring, my young. And then we shall feast on your flesh and gnaw your bones until you are nothing but a memory.

"Well, if it's sport you want" said Arc, his mind racing"then... I know a way to make this very interesting."

And how would that be, mortal? asked the demon, its rumbling mental voice betraying a hint of interest.

"I propose... a bet" he explained. "If I fight... and kill all of your young, then you must allow me one strike, one chance, to strike you dead, and you shall not fight back."

What do I gain from this, fool human? rumbled Catoblepas angrily. I would gnash your bones between my teeth either way, and without your bet I do not risk letting myself be hurt.

"Well, I doubt I could take out a big strong guy like you in one shot" replied Arc easily. "And after I have my one shot, if I do not suceed, I promise, on this signet ring, that I shall surrender myself willingly to you. And, if I do not kill your young, then I promise, by that selfsame symbol, with your help, to free you of this prison into a world full of prey for you, and you may eat me after. How does that sound"
Yes... it rumbled approvingly. Yes, it is very interesting, and it adds pique and savor of the challenge, the risk. Though I doubt you shall suceed in killing all five of my offspring by yourself. I accept your wager, small being.

The darkness lightened slightly, and he could make out the form of Catoblepas. Large and muscular, it stood on four legs. Long horns protruded from the side of its head and curved forwards, perfect for ramming and skewering anything in its way. Its long, sleek body was feline, though its strong, thick tail was remeniscent of a reptile's. It head was snarling and dog-like, and a wiry mane trailed from between its ears down its back to the tip of its tail. Its body was striped red and purple, and its eyes were fiery. Between it tree trunk legs wove small, sleek forms, each a Catoblepas in miniature, approximately as big as Arc, if not a little bigger.

Arc smiled grimly. He had made a devil's deal. But then, people had called Vins the devil, and look what he did to him.

-

Montblanc quietly pondered the dark and featureless nothingness in which he stood. Then, out of the gloom, something padded up and lay dowd before him. It held its head regally high, and was adorned with an ornate headress and earrings. It had the face of a woman, but was large, and had the body of a lion. It stared peircingly down at him.

"A test of riddles" it stated calmly. It was a sphinx, and sphinx love riddles.

"What if I want to fight" asked Montblanc warily, his rod held before him. "You don't seem too strong."

"You're right, I'm not" said the sphinx. "However, unless you win, the barrier protecting me and keeping you here will not fall. And even then, I'm sure I could make a meal out of someone as puny as yourself. So now, a test of riddles."

Montblanc nodded, knowing there was no other way out, and Elias meant for him to die here. The sphinx started with the first riddle.

"I go up and up, and never come down,

My roots deep in the earth and my head in the clouds.

What am I"

-

"Welcome" said Elias's cold voice"to my realm."

Orchid shuddered at the sound of the unseen speaker, looking about in the gloom, but the darkness was complete, and no light would pierce it.

"Here, I am master" he continued. "Here, I am god. My will is absolute, my whimsy is law. Everything obeys me, here in this shadow realm. Here, you are powerless, and I am all powerful. Here, you shall die."