1. 47. Bare Your Souls
Avatar Aang had borne an incredible destiny on his shoulders at a young age. The reincarnation of a soul that had undergone countless identities, he had battled the corrupt lord of the Fire Nation, leading to the liberation of an oppressed people and building pathways to harmony between the peoples of the World of Four Nations. To that day, he was an ambassador, hailed worldwide as a hero and looked to by the people of the world whenever crisis came calling.
And on that bright and sunny afternoon, Aang was found on a Fire Nation beach with two of his friends, trying to teach one of them how to surf.
"If you get your balance right on land," Aang explained, "it'll be a lot easier when you're on the water."
"I still think I look stupid," Fire Lord Zuko complained as he stood upon a wood-carved surfboard planted in the sand, arms out to either side.
"You don't," Katara reassured him. "Though you have your feet in the wrong spot. You need to move your right foot back a little."
The three had united for a diplomatic mission, but with political work done, they were free to pursue recreation. Due to the clement weather, Aang and Zuko were dressed only in pants, the blue arrows that adorned Aang's body and shaven head in full view. Katara wore modest swimwear, letting her long, dark hair flow loose.
"Let's try it in the water now!" Aang insisted.
"I don't think – " Zuko tried to protest.
"Come on, Zuko!" Aang was already running down the breadth of the sand to immerse himself in the water.
Katara laughed. "No stopping him now. Don't worry; you're going to do great. You've got the position down perfectly!"
"If you say so." Zuko hoisted up the board, and he and Katara walked down to the water.
The light wind created small rolling waves; Zuko set up to catch one, wobbling on the board. With a "Wh-wha-WHOA!", he toppled and splashed into the water. Popping his head above the surface and shaking his shaggy dark hair, he groaned, "Don't tell me. I need more practice."
"You'll get the hang of it!" Aang said encouragingly. Then, without warning: "SPLASH FIGHT!" He motioned toward Zuko with both arms; the water of the ocean followed his direction, surging over Zuko.
"HEY!" Zuko complained, paddling over toward Aang to attempt to splash him by simply flinging water.
Katara sent a deluge at both boys using the same technique Aang had done. "That's it," Zuko groaned, though a smile adorned his face. "I'm leaving this one to the waterbenders."
Aang looked to Katara; "You're on!"
"Oh yeah?" Katara replied.
The two sent wave after wave of water at one another, laughing and squealing while Zuko swam his way to shore. Zuko found a comfortable position to sit on the sand, letting the sun dry him off.
That was when Sora, Ruby, Jasmine, Stork, and Papyrus stepped onto the beach. "They look like they're having fun," Sora commented when he looked out at Aang and Katara's water war.
"Huh." Ruby looked to Zuko. "I wonder if that guy's okay."
"Let's find out!" Sora decided, running toward Zuko.
"Ummm, how about we NOT just go charging at strangers before we know whether or not they could be serial killers?" Stork called after him. This was followed by a roll of the eyes and a declaration that "We're all going over there, aren't we?"
As five shadows fell over Zuko, he looked up to see who had approached.
"Hey there!" Ruby waved. "We were just passing through and – "
Zuko screamed, leaping to his feet and running across the beach.
"I WONDER WHAT GOT INTO HIM?" Papyrus mused.
"You can talk!" Zuko cried as he observed the crowd from a safe distance.
"Oh," Jasmine realized. "There mustn't be monsters on this world." She stepped closer to Zuko. "It's all right. Papyrus is a friend!"
By that time, Aang and Katara had run to shore to see what all the fuss was about. "What's going on?" Katara asked.
"Whoa…" Aang let his eyes settle on the group. "You don't have any skin! That's so cool!"
"COOL?" Zuko sputtered. "Aang, he's a…he's a…I don't know what he is! Or that green one!"
Aang gaped in awe at Stork. "I've never seen somebody with green skin before!"
"Aang!" Katara snapped.
"Oh, sorry…" Aang said earnestly, "that was rude. It looks really good, though."
"Um…thanks…?" Stork replied, unsure whether or not to take it as a compliment.
"Zuko!" Katara called back to her friend. "Stop being afraid of them just because of how they look and get over here!"
Zuko exhaled deeply, knowing Katara was right, before approaching the group. "I apologize," he said somberly. "I didn't mean to offend you."
Stork very nearly made a snide comment about how they didn't see him pointing and screaming at the burn scar that enveloped Zuko's left eye. However, common sense and decency held him back.
"NEVER FEAR!" Papyrus remarked. "I AM WELL AWARE THAT THE MERE SIGHT OF MY GREATNESS IS TOO MUCH FOR SOME PEOPLE TO BEAR! I DO NOT JUDGE!"
"I'm guessing you're not from the Fire Nation," Aang observed.
"So this is the Fire Nation," Sora mused. "Huh. Good to know!"
"You didn't know you were in the Fire Nation?" Zuko said, perplexed. "How?"
It was time to put the new policy into effect. "Well," Sora said, "we're not exactly from this world."
"Wait, WHAT?" Katara snapped.
"Are you from the Spirit Realm?" Aang wondered out loud.
"Well, no," Sora answered. "Not exactly. Or…at all."
"I don't know what you're trying to pull off," Zuko said sternly, "but we know there's no such thing as any other world besides this one and the Spirit Realm."
"It's multiple worlds," Ruby tried to clear up. "Each of us is from a different one."
"How do you KNOW it's not true, Zuko?" Aang argued.
"If they're really from another world," Zuko said coldly, "let's have them prove it."
"And how are we supposed to do that?" Stork asked.
"Well…" Katara thought it over. "It already helps your case that we've never seen people like you before. Are any of you benders?"
"Benders?" Jasmine repeated.
"You know," Katara urged. "Fire, water, air, earth?"
"Oh, yeah!" Sora summoned his Keyblade, which prompted a flinch from Aang, Zuko, and Katara. "Like this! FIRE!" He sent a blast of flame soaring out over the ocean. "FREEZE!" A bolt of ice shot in the same direction. "WIND!" He became surrounded in a small cyclone of protective air. Then he shrugged; "I don't have anything for earth."
"He's…" Katara gaped. "He's an AVATAR?"
"That's not possible," Zuko stated.
"Not if he was on this world," Aang agreed. "I know he isn't me. But maybe he's the Avatar of his own world."
"What's an Avatar?" Sora asked.
"The Avatar is able to bend all four elements," Katara explained. "Water, earth, fire, and air. The Avatar is looked upon as a savior of this world. Someone who helps keep the peace between the nations."
"And I'm the Avatar of this world!" Aang said with a wide smile.
"Every Avatar is a reincarnation of the last one," Katara went on, "and all of their lives continue in the Avatar who's currently alive. That's why Aang said he knew you weren't him."
"I think I get it," Sora reiterated. "So…people on this world have magic for one of the elements, but only one person has all four, and when that person dies, they just get reborn as someone new."
"It isn't magic!" Katara snapped. "It's bending!"
"Well, mine's magic," Sora stated. "I guess our worlds really are different. I'm not an Avatar. I was just doing spells that a lot of people I know can do. I don't think I have any past lives, but maybe I just don't know about them."
"What about the rest of you?" Katara asked.
"No magic here," Ruby replied. "Or bending. Just my Semblance. It's like a superpower. I can run faster than a lot of people."
"No magic, no bending, no Semblance," Stork chimed in.
"I HAVE QUITE A LOT OF MAGIC!" Papyrus bragged. "I AM PRACTICALLY MADE OF MAGIC! BEHOLD!" A structure of bones spelling out the words "Hello friends" planted itself in the sand.
"Whoa…" Aang knelt down and poked the bones. "That's really cool. It's like…bone-bending."
"No bending here," Jasmine concluded, "and no permanent magic."
"Aang," Katara said, "I'm starting to believe them."
"I'm sure they're telling the truth!" Aang nodded enthusiastically as he stood up.
"This still doesn't seem right to me," Zuko said warily. "They could be using some kind of theatre effects to make it look like they can do those things."
Sora ignored him. "What about you guys?" he asked. "You already said Aang could bend all four elements. What can you do?"
"I'm a waterbender," Katara explained. "Watch this." She put out a hand, motioning for a stream of water to spurt up from the ocean and twist itself into complex shapes.
When Zuko didn't chime in, Aang walked toward him and nudged him. "Tell them, Zuko!"
"I'm not just going to tell them information they could use against us," Zuko said coldly. "I wasn't even going to tell them my name."
"Oh." Aang realized he'd given that away. "Sorry."
"You sound a lot like Stork," Sora said, motioning toward whom he'd indicated.
"And now THEY know MY name," Stork groaned.
"Well, I'm Sora," Sora went on. "These are my friends Ruby, Stork, Jasmine, and Papyrus. So you're Aang, and you're Zuko." He pointed to each in turn. "That leaves…" He gestured to Katara.
"I'm Katara," Katara introduced, placing a hand on her collarbone to indicate herself.
"It's wonderful to meet all of you," Jasmine said contently.
"You sure looked like you were having some fun earlier," Sora added.
"Wanna join us?" Aang asked. "I thought maybe we could build a sand castle together. I won't even use any earthbending; we'll make it the old-fashioned way."
"Aang!" Zuko chided. "We barely know these people, and you want to invite them to make a sand castle with us? Besides, they all look too old for sand castles."
This set Ruby and Papyrus off into a sequence of unconvincing denial:
"What? Sand castle? Of course I'm too old for sand castles…eheheheheh…"
"I AM FAR BEYOND SUCH CHILDISH THINGS! EVEN THOUGH I COULD PROBABLY CONSTRUCT SUCH A CASTLE THAT YOU WOULD ALL WISH IT WAS REAL SO YOU COULD LIVE IN IT! BUT I DO NOT ACTUALLY WISH TO DO SUCH A THING!"
"I mean, it sounds great and all, but, you know, at some point, you…can't just cling to childish things as evil just grows closer…wow, that sounded poetic. I better write that down."
"I AM ABSOLUTELY, DEFINITELY TOO OLD TO BUILD SAND CASTLES. NO MATTER HOW FUN IT SOUNDS…OR WOULD SOUND IF I WERE A CHILD!"
Sora broke the cycle: "Well, you all look about the same age as Ruby and me, and you're making a sand castle."
"No one's too old for sand castles!" Aang insisted.
"I think I agree with Aang," Jasmine stated.
"Let's do this!" Sora and Aang both ran down to the area of the beach where the sand was still wet from the last outgoing tide.
"Weeeeeelllllll…I guess I could help you build ONE castle," Ruby relented.
"IT SIMPLY WOULD NOT BE A CASTLE THAT HOLDS UP TO ITS TRUE POTENTIAL WITHOUT US WORKING ON IT," Papyrus agreed.
"You're really not fooling anyone," Stork told them. "Either of you."
"Okay, I really just wanna play with the sand!" Ruby broke down.
"WE ARE COMING!" Papyrus announced, leading Ruby and Jasmine down to the shore's edge to help collect wet sand; Katara, laughing, joined the group. Zuko and Stork were left to stare each other down.
"I'm watching you," Stork growled.
"And I have my eye on you," Zuko added.
They turned in unison and marched down to join their friends in sculpting what quickly became a sprawling structure of varying architectural styles.
"So you help keep the peace between the nations," Sora said to Aang. "Have you had any cool adventures along the way?"
"Well, one big one," Aang informed him. "And it was only sort of cool. It was also sort of scary. When I started out, I only knew how to earthbend, and Katara and her brother Sokka took me across the world to learn how to master the other four elements. That's how we met Zuko and our other friends Toph and Suki. But that was back when the Fire Nation was ruled by Fire Lord Ozai, and the world was in danger of him."
"Maybe we better not discuss this right now," Katara suggested, thinking of how Zuko might react.
"No," Zuko sighed. "It's okay. If we are going to tell them about ourselves, you might as well tell them the whole story. Ozai was my father. At first, he banished me from our kingdom and ordered me to capture Aang so he couldn't stop my father from ruling the world with an iron fist. All the while, he was planning to subjugate the other nations. The Fire Nation had already wiped out the Air Nomads, and my father wanted to do the same to the Earth Kingdom. My eyes became open to how evil he truly was. I thought I had to earn my honor from him, but all the while, it turned out that doing what was right meant defying him. Aang helped me see that."
"Sounds like a good thing you're around," Ruby remarked.
"Well, it almost wasn't," Aang sighed. "I actually learned I was the Avatar a hundred years ago, when the conflict with the Fire Nation was still just beginning. I didn't want all the responsibility of it, so I ran away. I got caught in a storm and I ended up stuck in an iceberg for a hundred years. I wasn't there to stop the Fire Nation from killing all the Air Nomads. I wasn't there to stop them from taking over the world. If Katara and Sokka hadn't found me, then the Earth Kingdom might actually have been destroyed."
"But we DID find you," Katara reminded him, "and we DID stop Ozai. Now the nations are at peace! Even though you weren't there then, you're here now. And you did the right thing."
"IT SOUNDS LIKE THIS STORY HAD A HAPPY ENDING TO ME!" Papyrus stated.
"Oh boy," Stork sighed. "Then you're really not gonna like the reason why we're here."
"Why not?" Katara asked. "What's wrong?"
"Well…we sort of came here following a bunch of bad guys from other worlds who are after powerful things," Ruby admitted. "And wherever they end up, bad stuff seems to happen."
"Like what?" Katara asked.
"DO YOU HAVE TIME FOR A STORY OF MORE THAN AVERAGE LENGTH?" Papyrus asked.
"Our whole afternoon is clear," Aang informed the group.
"Let's hear it!" Katara encouraged.
"Okay," Sora began. "Here goes."
As Sora, Ruby, Papyrus, Stork, and Jasmine related their tale, the sand castle became larger and ever more dissonant: a collaborative work of artistry.
...
Aghoul reverently placed the Eliacube upon its space in the floor diagram next to the Dust, the Aurora Stone shards, the six souls, the Cornerstone of Light, the grain of colorless sand, and the Elements of Harmony. Over halfway done, he thought to himself. Five more to go.
On his way out of the room, he crossed paths with Yzma and Zevon. "Well, well," he remarked, "if it isn't mother and son in the still-living flesh. And where are you off to?"
"To our homeworld," Yzma explained, "for some much-needed relaxation and bonding time."
"I hope you weren't planning on using the Gummi ship to get there," Aghoul stated. "Snatcher, Roman, Neo, and the brothers Smisse departed in it not too long ago."
"Drat," Yzma muttered. "I don't suppose you could conjure up a Corridor – "
"Oh, I see where this is going," Aghoul grumbled. "I open a Corridor for you, you drag me along so I know when to bring you back, I end up at a spa getting all sorts of nasty pastes and creams slathered on my perfectly dry skin…no thank you!" He folded his arms.
"Then don't come," Yzma told him. "Stay back here, or we'll call you when we need you to make the return Corridor."
It took Aghoul a moment to realize Yzma had meant to say "and." "I'm not your servant!" Aghoul huffed.
"Well, it's not like we have another Gummi ship just lying around somewhere outside the ship!" Yzma groaned.
"Unless you count the one I absotively did not crash," Zevon brought up.
"That's it!" Yzma cried, seizing Zevon by the forearms and shaking him lightly. "The ship you crashed! BRILLIANT! All we need to do is fix it up and we'll be ready to move out!"
"Do you know how to reparate a ship?" Zevon asked.
"Of course I do!" Yzma snapped. "What do you take me for, some kind of idiot? What about you?"
"I drove one, so of course I know how to fix one!"
As Aghoul watched the duo walk away, he shook his head, knowing full well from context that neither one knew the first thing about Gummi ship maintenance.
Half an hour later, Garfield and Peter were making their way down the halls, still familiarizing themselves with the ship. "I just hope you didn't get too bent out of shape over me, is all," Peter stated. "That's my job."
"Yeah, well, I've been burned before."
As they playfully shoved each other, Yzma and Zevon came sprinting down from behind, seizing each by the arm and dragging them down to the Gummi hangar. "You're coming with us!" Yzma declared.
"What did we do?" Garfield snapped.
"Mother informated me you have experientials working on armor," Zevon replied. "If you can forge armor, you can fix a Gummi ship engine."
"And YOU'RE coming along," Yzma told Peter, "because four heads are better than three when it comes to maintenance."
"Seriously?" Garfield groaned.
"It's not that we don't know how to maintain a Gummi ship," Yzma said defensively. "It's just…a very large ship."
They arrived in the hangar to view Zevon's craft: dented, definitely damaged. And unbeknownst to Peter and Garfield, it had looked far better before Zevon and Yzma had tried to "fix" it.
Garfield sighed. "Fine. I'll help."
"Might as well see what I can do," Peter agreed.
"But shouldn't we have some kind of technological division for this stuff?" Garfield asked.
"I'll put a pin in that," Yzma stated. "Now, let's GET TO WORK!"
She raised her right hand, and Zevon raised his left. Peter and Garfield immediately picked up the cue, smacking high-fives to the corresponding hands. Then they set upon the ship.
...
A Gummi ship landed on the edge of Terra Atmosia. From its doors walked Riku, Aladdin, Nora, Sadira, Nick, Luna, Jaune, Kairi, Madison, Vida, Chip, and Moana; Genie and Carpet sailed out aboveground. Finally, bringing up the rear, Dilan stormed his way onto Atmosian ground, clutching a book in hand.
"You didn't have to come," Sadira teased Dilan, noting the grumpy look on his face.
"Leon insisted more protection was needed after the last incident," Dilan stated. "I was not inclined to argue. I am as much as we could spare without compromising the safety of the Committee."
An Atmosian representative rushed forth to greet the crew. "Good!" he sighed. "You're here! We received word help would be arriving! Who's in charge?"
To Kairi's surprise, everyone looked to her. As she sought the proper words, Riku gave her an encouraging nod.
"That's apparently me," Kairi said at last. "How can we help?"
"There's no shortage of things that need to be done," the Atmosian representative groaned. "Homes and government facilities need to be rebuilt. Food needs to be provided to tide us over until we can get systems in place once more, as well as numerous other supplies. The people are in a state of unrest, and no one is able to calm down. Now that the shards of the Aurora Stone are gone, the skies have been dark. And there is the matter of the…funerals that have yet to be held. That's on this Terra alone."
Kairi nodded. "We'll do our best. We've brought several supplies already; we'll distribute what we have. Actually, let's break up into teams! The Mystic Rangers can look out for construction, the Agrabanian contingent can distribute our supplies, Team RNJR can check in with the morgue, Moana and Luna can team up to figure out how we can inspire everyone, and Riku and I will work on a way to light the Terra back up while Dilan supervises. That way, everyone's working with who they know best. I know some of these tasks are going to be harder than others, but – "
"We can handle building a few houses," Nick asserted.
"Talking to grieving families won't be easy," Jaune added, "but Nora, Ren, and I have all been there. We can make it work."
In a flash, Genie was clothed in a polo shirt and a headband with a brim, holding out a pizza box. "Diiiiiiid somebody order the emergency rations special?"
"By the time we leave this place," Luna insisted with a stamp of her hoof upon the ground, "the people WILL be inspired!"
"Thank you," the Atmosian representative sighed. "You don't know how much it means. We can lend you skimmers, too, if you need to travel off-Terra. I have many, many duties I need to attend to, so you'll forgive me if I leave you to your own devices."
"You go ahead," Kairi told him. "We'll catch up!"
The representative took off at a dash.
Kairi looked over the group. "Thanks for agreeing to work with my plan," she said gratefully. "But why put me in charge?"
"You are the princess of Radiant Garden, out of which our operation is based," Dilan stated, matter-of-fact. "We all know Leon wished for you to take a stronger hand in the operation."
"You're gonna be great in charge," Riku encouraged. "Sora and I could probably have avoided a lot of trouble if we'd listened to you more back home."
"I don't know about that," Kairi giggled. "Anyway, we have a lot of work to do, so let's get started."
The five groups broke off and went separate directions.
"Hang on," Kairi realized. "I think I left my sword on the ship. I should probably have that in case of Heartless."
She dashed back onto the Gummi ship, seeking out her blade. Locating it, she sent it into the same place as the sketchbook she carried for easy retrieval later. As she turned to exit the ship, she heard a distinct voice, one she recognized:
"Are you sure it was a good idea to put HER in charge?"
"Huh?" Kairi rushed outside of the ship, looking around. "Chip? Was that you?"
"Is something wrong?" Riku asked.
"I just thought I heard Chip…" Kairi trailed off, shaking her head. "It was probably my imagination. Let's go!"
...
Once Roman, Snatcher, Rémington, Grany, and Neo had settled their luggage in their rooms – one for Roman and Snatcher, one for the Smisses, and one for Neo by herself – they all gathered in Snatcher and Roman's room to discuss the game plan. Snatcher and Roman both sat on the bed; Roman wrapped the blanket around himself, sighing contentedly as the unpleasant chill of the outdoor snow left him. Rémington, Grany, and Neo pulled up three chairs from the small table and desk in the fairly sizeable room. The team circled up.
"I still don't get why we're here," Rémington reiterated. "You literally found a travel brochure in a rest stop near where we landed and decided we had to rob a hotel. Wouldn't a bank make more sense? Or a museum?"
"Now, now, Mr. Smisse," Snatcher said in his natural timbre, "I chose this location because of its history. It's quite old. And old buildings are full of secrets. From our check-in, I do believe we've been handed enough evidence to confirm my little theory."
Neo nodded, motioning as though she were opening a book and turning the pages.
Snatcher pointed at her triumphantly. "PRECISELY, Miss Neopolitan! As the library of this establishment was, in fact, vandalized, it is safe to assume the perpetrator was on the hunt for something valuable."
"You think there's some kind of hidden treasure in this place?" Grany asked.
"Perhaps," Snatcher mused. "Or perhaps information that can be held for blackmail. One never knows. The only certainty is that this building begs for more exploration. Our first order of business, of course, shall be finding our way into that library."
"Y'know, it's really too bad," Roman lamented. "Give me a few minutes with a screwdriver and a wire cutter, both of which I packed, and I could have that burglar alarm knocked out. The problem is by the time a few minutes were up, the alarm would already have gone off."
"Perhaps I can talk our way into entry," Snatcher suggested. "Our receptionist might be holding his ground now, but if Madame Frou Frou should ask in just the right manner, he could be worn down."
"Grany and I will look around some more and find out if there's anything else we should be paying attention to," Rémington volunteered.
Neo nodded, pointing to herself. Then she put her hands together, making a show of separating them.
"Right," Roman translated. "So you'll go case the place too, but you'll split up from the Smisses. Good call, Neo."
"The other factor to recall," Snatcher pointed out, "is that the evening is drawing to a close. Moving about too much after hours may raise suspicions. Keep that in mind as you do your exploration. Perhaps it is best for us to reconvene in the morning. Shall we say six?"
"Archie, no," Roman groaned. "Eleven or nothing."
Snatcher shrugged. "I suppose we are on no timetable. Eleven in the morning, then."
Rémington stood up. "I'm going to get as much snooping in as I can before things start to look suspicious. Grany?"
Grany rose from his seat as well. "I'm with you."
Neo nodded, joining them.
"See you all in the morning," Rémington said as the three departed the room.
Roman sighed, letting the blanket down. "As tempting as it is to scope out our new digs, I am in need of an incredibly hot shower." He stood up, making his way to the adjacent bathroom, dropping his jacket on the floor on the way.
As Roman disappeared into the bathroom, door cracked slightly, Snatcher got a better sense of his surroundings, searching a dresser drawer to find a menu of available food before getting a glance at the magazines on the table.
"Hey, Archie," Roman called from the bathroom. "It's a tub-sized shower in here."
"That's nice, Torchwick."
"I'm saying there's room in here for two, if you're interested."
Snatcher suddenly lost all desire to keep scouting the room. "Just a moment!" he called back as he began to undo the laces of his dress.
...
Ba Sing Se was practically a labyrinth; the journey from Mozenrath's resting place to the location where Vexen was sure information could be obtained was long and winding. That gave Vexen plenty of time to lecture his companions about the nature of their mission.
"There is a reason, of course, we are at least attempting to be covert about our actions," he explained in a low mutter, forcing the Huntsman, Wuya, Mim, and Xayide to huddle into close quarters around him – an arrangement that made him bristle with discomfort. "The Earth Kingdom is crawling with the Dai Li. They are government agents who claim to be officers of culture, but in fact are spymasters, rooting out any oddity in order to keep their kingdom under the illusion that it is free of conflict. Even mentioning their name thus is dangerous, but a necessary evil in order to prevent you from saying anything you shouldn't in a more pressing situation."
"A statement we shall take to heart," the Huntsman replied.
"Why do we have to be all secret about what we're doing?" Mim grunted. "You were the one who picked us out because we were powerful! If they figure us out, we'll just burn down the entire city!"
"I would prefer to keep a low profile for as long as possible," Vexen said dryly. "The Dai Li are incredibly skilled earthbenders. Powerful as we are, should we stir up trouble, we may find ourselves fighting a losing battle. After all, Wuya's minions of choice are ripped from the earth itself, over which they have power. I will leave you to imagine the other consequences."
"We shall trust your words on the subject," Xayide said agreeingly.
"I never said I'd do anything of the sort!" Mim huffed.
"Just don't argue with him," Wuya droned. "It'll make things easier."
"Oh, all right," Mim relented.
"On the subject of matters that could jeopardize our mission," Vexen went on, "I would like to add that the Huntsman is fooling no one."
"I was not aware of whom I was trying to fool," the Huntsman replied.
"You know very well what I am referring to!" Vexen spat. "The way you dote over Mozenrath. You have feelings for him, and these feelings will inevitably lead to your downfall. Emotions always do."
"I do not see the harm," the Huntsman admitted. "Roman Torchwick and Mr. Snatcher seem not to be held back by their affections for each other, nor Mim and either of her suitors."
"Snatcher and Torchwick will eventually be impeded by their relationship," Vexen huffed. "Mark my words. I simply care far less about either of them than I do about your potential. As for Mim, I think we are all aware that she can easily become detached, though why, Madam Mim, you would waste your time on such dalliances with Aghoul and Smisse is beyond my understanding."
"I still do not see what harm could come of it," the Huntsman pressed.
"There will come a time," Vexen told him, "when you have to choose between the success of the operation and some trivial matter regarding Mozenrath's desires, or perhaps his safety. And you will choose the wrong option."
"I have not fallen so far for him," the Huntsman grunted.
"I think you're wrong," Wuya added. "If anything, the Huntsman being more careful about the safety of the leader of all our operations should be seen as an advantage, I would think."
"There may come a time when it will be best to leave Mozenrath behind," Vexen stated. "Even if he is the most central to our success. We will learn to get along without him and move forward in the most efficient manner."
"We would do no such thing," the Huntsman growled. "We follow Mozenrath or no one at all."
"You have to admit we might need to pick a replacement SOMEDAY," Wuya cajoled.
"In fact," Mim reminded the group, a great smile plastered across her face, "if we don't succeed this time around, that might be within a couple days!"
That cast a silence over the entire group.
Vexen decided to break it. "Emotional attachments are naught but shackles," he insisted. "The more you can let go of, the better."
"I believed much the same, once," Xayide added. "And to a degree, I still stand by it. In Fantastica, I was saved by the loyalty of those I now call friends, and it would be unseemly not to repay the favor. But emotions themselves are better off forgotten. Without them, I would not have needed to be saved."
"Perhaps you could consider removing your heart," Vexen suggested to her. "That is what I have done, and I have not regretted it."
"Perhaps I will," Xayide said, "though in that case, I would have to keep my heart safe outside of my body. It is best protected within. Do you not worry that your heart will fall into enemy hands?"
"I do not truly worry about anything," Vexen huffed.
"Back to the matter at hand, I have never seen the use for romantic love," Xayide continued.
"It can be fun once you strip out all the mushy stuff," Mim told her.
Xayide shook her head. "It is not for me. I do not wish to fall into the very trap Vexen has described."
"I will fall into no trap," the Huntsman insisted, though he was beginning to have doubts. He had known from the very beginning that calling what he had for Mozenrath "love" would only lead to trouble. Was it enough to simply agree never to let it become love? Or did it have to be nipped in the bud, should it lead down an undesirable path? "I have not fallen so far. You are reading more out of the situation than there is. I am merely loyal to Mozenrath. Little more."
"Stop picking on him, Vexen," Wuya snapped. "You too, Xayide. The Huntsman is a grown man. He can do what he wants."
"Do you agree, Wuya?" Vexen implored. "Do you believe emotional attachments are burdens?"
"I believe surrounding yourself with the wrong people can get annoying fast," Wuya told him. "You're not the wrong people. For the most part. MUST we keep talking about this? We're just going to argue around in circles and circles! Where are we even going?"
"Toward a library," Vexen explained. "There, we will have the best chance of discovering the location of the Spirit Waters."
"The city is crawling with spies, and you want to use a public library?" Wuya was awestruck. "I thought you were supposed to be the smart one. They're going to be watching us, you know! And they're going to want to know WHY we're looking that up!"
"My thoughts exactly." This came from a deep voice that sounded from off to the side of the group.
The five halted in their tracks and turned to get a good look at who'd spoken. The street they were on was mostly deserted, a back route among the edges of Ba Sing Se. The interruptor was the only person they could actually see. Long and lean, he rested against the wall of a short alley, shrouded in shadow.
"Pardon me for listening in," he said with a great grin. "But y'all look like you're in need of some assistance."
"We can do very well without," Vexen snapped. "Now, stop putting your ear toward discussions that don't concern you at once."
"Or you'll what?" the man asked. "I wouldn't do anything too rash if I were you. After all, I just might be the only person who can get you what you're lookin' for. Y'all really think they have the details about the Spirit Waters out there for everyone to see?"
"How did you know that's what we were looking for?" Mim asked in awe.
"Because he heard me mention it," Vexen said gruffly.
"Of course." The man's grin was unwavering. "But I didn't happen to hear y'all mention that you came here from different worlds. Havin' fun on that big ol' spaceship out there in the middle of nowhere? Or do you ever miss Radiant Garden? New York? Fantastica? Hobnobbing with the Heylin? Followin' Merlin here and there?"
That gave the quintet pause.
"How DID you know our origins?" the Huntsman asked.
"I'm a diviner," the man said. "Just one of my many talents. I also happen to know you're here lookin' for a cure for your sick friend. That's why y'all want the Spirit Waters, ain't it?"
"And what business is it of yours?" Vexen snapped.
"Like I said," the man continued, "I know how to find 'em."
"Then tell us," the Huntsman snapped, "North or South?"
"Ohhh, I don't know WHERE they are," the man said. "Sorry to lead you on. But I know who does know. The man who saw them for himself when he killed the moon. I can set up an introduction for y'all if you want."
"I don't trust this," Vexen spat. "For all we know, he could be working for the Dai Li!"
"Shame about the Dai Li, ain't it?" the man went on. "We almost had a city free of 'em. But that old Earth King had to go and take 'em back in as his special forces. That man would trust a gator not to bite his hand off."
"Free of the Dai Li?" Vexen repeated. "What exactly HAPPENED to this world? The Dai Li have been a fixture of Ba Sing Se for ages!"
"Big changes, my friend," the shadowy man stated cryptically. "Big changes. Like I said, I knew about a man who murdered the moon. They found a way to bring it back to life, of course. I could tell ya all about it. If you're still worried about the Dai Li, well, friends, I have just as much to lose to 'em as you do. You think they want a man like me in their city? A man who knows too much about everyone, and can talk to the dead by openin' up a path to the Spirit Realm?"
"Opening a path to the Spirit Realm," Vexen huffed. "A likely story."
"The man I'm talkin' about is dead as a doornail," the man explained. "That's the only way you're gonna get any information: talkin' to him in person. And that involves rippin' a hole in the veil between the realms. It's your choice in the end. Risk me bein' an agent of the Dai Li. Or go look for information that's not there in a place where you KNOW they gonna find you."
"He makes a convincing argument," Wuya pointed out. "Still, I could use a little bit more proof." She advanced upon the man, reaching out a hand.
"WHAT are you doing?" Vexen sighed.
"Now that I have a physical body, I can't read minds by phasing into people," Wuya explained. "But I CAN see what I need to if I have adequate physical contact."
Her hand reached out and brushed the stranger's fingers, bare but for five rings with stones of varying shapes and colors. She reeled back; when she had tried to see inside, it was like a great solid force had pushed her right back out of his mind.
"Careful, chère," the stranger warned. "I keep my mind under lock and key. Surely you can understand why. Since I know so much, y'all really think I'm gonna let just anyone know the same things?"
"Fair," Wuya told him. "Though surely YOU understand that spawns some trust issues."
"Comes with the trade," the stranger replied. "Oh, and I don't believe we've been formally introduced."
He took one great stride forward, forcing Wuya to backpedal. As the light hit him in full, he tipped his tall top hat; "The name is Dr. Facilier." He extended his right hand, the rings sparkling in the sunlight.
Wuya slipped her hand into his, trying once more to see inside his mind but being repelled. Facilier ignored her action, kissing the back of her hand delicately. "Enchanté," Facilier continued. "Surely a beautiful woman like yourself has a beautiful name."
"I'm surprised you don't already know it," Wuya said, bemused. "I am Wuya: Heylin witch and herald of evil."
"And I am the macabre, matchless Mad Madam Mim!" Mim added.
"Charmed," Facilier told her as he let Wuya's hand drop. "I can hardly tell which of you's more lovely."
Mim folded her arms; "Well, I don't like him one bit! I've never BEEN so insulted!"
"It is only flattery," Xayide told her. "Lies. You are still every bit as hideous as you believe." She nodded toward Facilier. "I am Xayide."
"You may refer to me as the Huntsman," the Huntsman chimed in.
Vexen snorted. "You needn't refer to me as anything at all. I'm not about to just hand over my name."
"In times like these, I sure don't blame ya," Facilier stated. "Now, shall we see about introducing you to the man with all the answers?" He gestured back into the alley; a small wooden door was seen inset into the end. "If you're interested, follow me."
"This is a trap!" Vexen seethed. "A definite trap!"
"Now, I know you said we're not allowed to rampage through the city if we're found out by those Dai Li people," Mim reminded Vexen. "But there's nothing stopping us from destroying HIM, is there? If he really is just leading us along, we'll just let him have it!"
Facilier put up both hands, taking a nervous step back. "Believe me, I know what y'all can do!" he insisted. "I wouldn't even dream of steerin' ya wrong! I've already got on the bad side of the wrong folks in the past. I ain't dumb enough to do it again!"
Xayide nodded. "There can be little harm. We should at least see what he has to offer."
Vexen sighed. "Very well." He glared directly into Facilier's violet eyes. "But if you do attempt to do us harm or tip off the Dai Li to our presence, the consequences will be dire."
"Understood," Facilier said with a solid nod. "Now, follow me."
The door led into a small, round room, bare of any ornamentation save for a tiny, circular wooden table in the center. Three arch-shaped doorways led to other parts of the domicile. "Just moved in," Facilier explained. "Ain't had time to make this house a home just yet."
"What exactly brought you to Ba Sing Se, anyhow?" Vexen asked with suspicion. "If the Dai Li scare you so, it hardly makes sense for you to operate where they can find you so easily."
"Which is why no one would ever suspect to look for me here," Facilier told him. "No one except those who REALLY want what I can offer."
"You say that as if you're running from someone."
"Like I said, I've got on the bad side of the wrong people."
As the Huntsman, the last of the group in file, stomped into the dark room, the door was shut behind him. The Huntsman turned and cast his gaze downward, surprised to see a Shadow Heartless doing the work. The Shadow regarded the Huntsman with curiosity. "You work with the Heartless," the Huntsman observed.
"They're just friends," Facilier stated. "Nothin' to worry about. Watch. Come on out, boys."
Shadows and Neo-Shadows crawled out of the archways, lining the walls of the entrance chamber. Their yellow eyes were wide with wonder as they regarded their five visitors.
"They ain't gonna harm ya," Facilier reassured the group. "They only do what I tell 'em to, an' I ain't gonna tell 'em to do anything bad. Why would I hurt potential customers?"
"Customers?" Mim repeated. "So there's a price!"
"There's always a price," Facilier told her. "Ain't nothin' on this world or any other that comes free. But we'll discuss what you're payin' when we get through the matter of what I'm offerin'. Please, have a seat."
The Heartless were already pulling out six chairs from around the small table. Exactly six had been placed there, Vexen noticed. Had Facilier been anticipating their arrival? Given what he'd known of them so far, it wasn't a leap of logic to make that assumption.
Facilier waited until the others were seated before taking his own chair. "Now, ladies an' gentlemen," he stated, "let's talk the terms of the deal. What I intend to offer you is a passage to the Spirit Realm to bring out one poor departed soul. The soul of the Fire Nation's very own Admiral Zhao. Ain't no one knows the location of the Spirit Waters better than him. After all, that's where he went to murder the moon."
"Why would you want to destroy the moon?" Xayide asked.
"For fun!" Mim cackled.
"It wasn't for fun," Facilier corrected. "Waterbenders gather their energy from the moon. You don't have a moon, waterbenders don't got a leg to stand on. It was all part of Zhao's plan to subjugate the Water Tribe. Like I said, they figured out a way to save the moon and put it back up in the sky. Zhao got dragged off to the Spirit Realm after that. Seems the spirits weren't exactly happy with him. Don't I know the feeling? Now, with the right kind of power, I can open up a gateway between this world and the Spirit Realm to bring Zhao on back. Can't guarantee he'll talk to ya…but then again, Mademoiselle Wuya has a way around that, don't she?"
"He'll have a physical form?" Wuya questioned.
"Soon as he sets foot in this world, yes," Facilier told her. "Then you can get whatever information you want about the Spirit Waters. Which pole, who's guardin' 'em, the works. The problem is in order to open the gate, I need more energy than I got. I just need a little help from all y'all. Now, don't you fret. I ain't gonna ask for your voices or any of that nonsense. I can take the tiniest thing, even something as insignificant as a truth that's close to your heart, an' turn it into the energy I need. What I'm askin' is that y'all five bare your souls."
"Bare our souls?" Xayide asked.
"A common expression," Vexen sighed, "meaning to divulge information that is dear to us, even if we had been bent on keeping that information secret."
"I knew that," Xayide snapped. "Everyone here knew that."
"If y'all gonna tell me your secrets," Facilier went on, "it don't need to be your deepest, darkest truth. Any old thing will do, so long as it's somethin' you'd kept secret from the other people in this room up 'til now." He smiled, looking from Wuya on his left to the Huntsman on his right. "Now, who wants to go first?"
"I will," Wuya volunteered.
"Wuya!" Vexen snapped. "You're going to give away your secrets to this stranger?"
"It's nothing he can use," Wuya retorted. "As information, anyway. Converting it to energy, it should work. But I never told any of you how I became a Heylin witch, did I?"
"As a matter of fact, you did not," the Huntsman realized.
"There was an era during which evil ruled my world," Wuya explained. "The emperor of all this Darkness was a man known as the Shadow Sorcerer. It was he who constructed a tower of darkness underneath perpetual night from which to rule his empire. It was he who put together Mala Mala Jong and his brothers to utilize as his personal guard. He was the most powerful of all Heylin. And I was his daughter.
"As I grew up, I begged and pleaded with him every day to teach me the Heylin arts. But, as I was a daughter and Mother died before she could give him a son, he believed I was worthless. He treated me like a maid, making me wash this, sweep that floor, shine that window, clean out that toilet.
"Since he didn't have a son, he started to take on apprentices. He would teach them magic and martial arts, and I would find a way to hide nearby and watch so I could learn. I practiced in secret when my father was asleep. Of course, none of his apprentices ended up being good enough for him. He disposed of pretty much all of them. The only person I can remember who crossed his threshold both ways and lived was the great Heylin demon Hannibal Roy Bean. I idolized Hannibal. I always thought that if I had grown up with him, not my father, he would have shown me the skills I hungered for outright and not turned me away because I was female! Of course, my father wouldn't let me within ten feet of him. I had to watch them from the shadows.
"When I turned twenty, I finally had enough. I had learned plenty from watching my father train disappointment after disappointment. Which, come to think of it, is the one thing that's never changed about the Heylin: how many absolute losers there are composing the bulk of it. Back to the point: I took my father on in a duel. I had taken what he taught me and made it my own, and that made me stronger than him. I wanted revenge for every time he sent me out of the room to speak to another man, for every time he sent me in to clean up the messes he didn't feel like cleaning up, for every time he told me to my face that I was worthless because I was a girl! So, when I defeated him, I gave him the same fate he gave all of his failed apprentices." Wuya let out a small cackle. "After that, the throne was MINE to take. And everything went my way until Grand Master Dashi showed up with his little friends." Wuya leaned back in her chair, crossing her ankles as she placed her bare feet on the tabletop. "And that's how I began."
"Can't say as I blame ya for what ya did," Facilier commented, pushing her ankles off the table and forcing her to sit with her feet on the floor.
"It never occurred to me that you perhaps were at one time so…" The Huntsman searched for the word. "Powerless. You seem as though you would have been born into magical and political strength."
"I clawed my way up to the top," Wuya asserted, "just like Mozenrath did. Just like I'm sure YOU did." She folded her arms. "All right, I bore my soul. Who's next?"
Xayide sat between her and Vexen. "My tale is not so long to tell," she said, "and that is the problem. I have made it well-known that I have no tale to tell at all, as Bastian Balthazar Bux never thought to give me a story. I was only an obstacle for him to first overcome, then succumb to while he thought he was in control. If I have ever longed for anything, it is my story. I wish to have come from somewhere and lived through something. As it is, I sometimes feel I have little meaning."
"Trust me," Wuya huffed, "you're better off without a past."
"Logically, this is true," Xayide told her. "Yet that does not stop me from yearning. Vexen is correct; emotions are a nuisance."
Vexen was next in line at the table. "I suppose I must divulge something as well," he sighed. "All right. I was, for many years, a caretaker of obnoxious children, as I was assigned by Ansem the Wise in Radiant Garden. It was I who supervised young Ienzo as Ansem continued his studies. While Ansem's mother took on most of the duties involving Kairi, there were nights when the girl would bother me to read her a bedtime story or bring her a treat of some sort when I had incredibly crucial research to do. I would never wish to have to watch over either of those two or any other whining brat again. However…back then, I had a heart. And it grew unnecessarily fond of both of them, even as they irked me. I have long since buried those feelings and am never to revisit them, even if I should, for whatever incomprehensible reason, return my heart to its original place. But I cannot erase that at one time, I would have protected the children, perhaps with my own life. And that is, in a way, something I cannot forgive myself for."
"Your confession is a lot like mine," Mim picked up. "My deep, dark secret is…ever since I joined up with the WHAM ARMY, you've all become my friends. You make me happy. And I actually like it!" She folded her arms haughtily. "How DARE you do that to me!"
"Only you would think of that as a deep, dark secret," Wuya sighed. "All right, Huntsman. Your turn. Bare your soul."
The Huntsman heaved in a deep breath, then forced it out. "You…may be – no, you all are right about what I feel for Mozenrath. It is not love. But I do…I do care for him. Perhaps too much for my own good. We had decided, back in Fantastica, to act upon our feelings, and this is not so much a secret. But he returned what I felt for him then. Ever since he forgot, I have been longing for him to feel now what he felt then. But even if that day never comes, I am simply content to be with him. If we lose him now – if…I…lose him now…it will be as though part of me is carved away." He followed this, almost inaudibly, with "What has become of me?"
"I knew it," Vexen said coldly. "Perhaps you have become a lost cause after all."
"Stop picking on him!" Wuya groaned. "You used to be a babysitter for bratty children, Vexen! I shouldn't have to treat you like a bratty child!"
"I am attempting to look out for our best interests!" Vexen snapped, slamming his hands on the table and standing up.
"You are attempting to tell the rest of us what to do because you don't like how we do it!" Wuya slammed her own hands on the table, standing up to a shorter height than Vexen before levitating just high enough to meet his gaze.
"Please, please!" Facilier stood as well, putting up his hands in a gesture that begged for a cease-fire. "We're all friends here, ain't we? Friends who make each other happy, just like Madam Mim said. Let's not waste time fighting over who gets to tell who what to do or who gets to fall for who. After all, the longer we fight, the longer your friend back at the inn fights his condition."
That sobering fact forced Wuya and Vexen back into their chairs.
"Y'all coughed up a lot of information," Facilier reiterated. "I reckon we've got enough of a solid ground to start. All I'm gonna need is one last thing. First, everybody join hands."
Rather reluctantly, the quintet did so.
Facilier held out his own hands, offering one to Wuya and one to the Huntsman. "When you take my hands," he said, "we seal the deal. I just need y'all to say out loud that you agree to this: I'll open up a gate to the Spirit Realm and bring Zhao out to this world in exchange for y'all barin' your souls."
"I agree," the Huntsman stated.
"So do I," Wuya said.
Xayide looked unsure for a moment before deciding, "I agree."
"Might as well," Mim resolved. "I agree too!"
After a pause of considerable length, Vexen seethed through clenched teeth, "I agree."
"Then take my hands," Facilier said, "and it's settled."
In the past, he thought to himself, he had relied on Voodoo and hoodoo. Now it was time for something he ain't even tried.
Wuya and the Huntsman took his hands, closing the circle.
A great flash of color enveloped the room, twisted and woven into patterns that would have been downright beautiful to a casual observer. Everything in the dark room was now awash in every hue of the spectrum, including the six people present. The Heartless began to squirm; the Shadows crawled up the wall while the Neo-Shadows all gathered at one particular spot.
"THERE!" Facilier yelled, letting go of Wuya's hand to point at the place the Neo-Shadows were indicating. But as Wuya, Xayide, Vexen, Mim, and the Huntsman all turned their gaze, they were diverted from the streaks of color that emanated from their own bodies, flowing through the connection that they made with their hands only to settle in around Facilier's right hand, which still gripped the Huntsman's.
The colors of the room poured toward the place the Neo-Shadows indicated, once again leaving the room in darkness as the spectrum formed a great round frame in midair, stretching from floor to ceiling and just as wide as it was tall. This frame became a gateway, looking upon an entirely different scene from the interior of the small room: an expanse of peach-colored fog that at first seemed to be devoid of all life. Then a lone figure, a man outfitted in red armor, dark hair swept up into a ponytail, wandered into view, muttering to himself.
Facilier gave a sharp whistle; the man was startled, turning to see him beckoning. "C'mon out," Facilier cajoled.
As the man turned to the gate between realms, he stated loudly and clearly, "I am Zhao the conqueror." He stepped one foot out of the gate, and it took on a more solid appearance. "I am the moonslayer!" The other foot was out of the gate. "And I WILL CAPTURE THE AVATAR!"
The gate closed, leaving Zhao in the land of the living.
Facilier withdrew his right hand from the Huntsman's grasp, smiling as he beheld the five rings upon his fingers; the stones glowed more brightly against the dark room's backdrop.
The Shadows craned their heads down from the ceiling to observe the scene. "So you're Zhao," Wuya greeted.
"I…am Zhao the conqueror," the man confirmed. "I am the moonslayer."
"Great," Wuya sighed. "That's all he can say, isn't it?"
"Remember, chère," Facilier told Wuya. "You have a way around that."
Wuya stood, crossing the room to Zhao. "Wh…who are you?" Zhao barked angrily. "What are you doing?"
Wuya pressed her hand to Zhao's temple; he batted her arm away, but not before she got the information she wanted. "It's in the NORTH Pole," she announced.
"Good," Vexen huffed. "Now we know what we came here to learn, and we can leave." He stood quickly, storming out of the room.
The others made to follow, but Facilier cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'd wait for him to finish before I made a move."
"And why is that?" the Huntsman asked.
"You're just gonna be glad you did," Facilier reassured him.
Vexen made it out of the room and all the way down the alley. Then out in the street, he collapsed suddenly, sprawling out over the ground like a fallen piece of cloth.
"Well, he's dead," Mim said casually.
Wuya sensed something suspicious. "WHAT did you do to him?" she seethed, turning on Facilier with an almost feral expression on her face.
Facilier smiled. They really had believed he was afraid of them, never once considering that it was an act. "He wandered too far away from his soul," Facilier explained, holding up the rings. "Good thing he was a Nobody, wasn't it? All he had left was soul and body. If one of you tried to get that far away from your soul with a body and an intact HEART, well, somethin' even worse might happen to y'all. Maybe you'll turn into one of these here Shadows." Facilier reached up, just able to pat one of the ceiling-bound Shadows on the head affectionately. "But as for him, he's just an empty body with no soul and no heart. Technically dead. Now, don't you worry. Soon as he gets back in proximity of his soul, he'll be good as he ever was." Facilier ran the fingers of his left hand over the rings on his right.
"You TRICKED us!" Xayide shrieked.
"Our agreement," the Huntsman seethed.
"Oh, yes, that matter," Facilier said slyly. "Never actually said tellin' secrets was the way to pay, did I? I told you IF you told me a secret, it didn't have to be your darkest. All that 'soul-barin'' you did wasn't even relevant. No, I wanted you to bare your SOULS. An' when you said you agreed, you handed all five of 'em over to me." He held out the hand ornamented with the rings. "And they do look LOVELY, don't they?"
"But the gateway!" Mim argued.
"Always somethin' I could do," Facilier told her. "With or without extra energy. You thought you actually helped me open it?" His smile grew ever wider. "As for Zhao, I wanted him here in the first place. Only left him back there as long as I did to have somethin' to sweeten the deal for you."
"What about me?" Zhao asked, trying to clear his head. "What are you saying about me?"
"In a minute," Facilier told him, holding up his left hand in a "stop" gesture. "I'll get to you."
"So our souls are in those rings," the Huntsman reiterated as he retrieved the huntstaff from where he'd let it rest against the wall. "Or is that another attempt of yours to mislead us?"
"Oh, they're in there, all right," Facilier confirmed.
The huntstaff was pointed at Facilier. "Then it is time to make good on Mim's threat," the Huntsman growled.
Mim transfigured herself into an alligator, inspired by Facilier's earlier comment about the Earth King's trust. Xayide and Wuya each raised both hands, moments away from casting devastating spells.
Still Facilier smiled. "Sweet dreams." He passed his left hand over the rings.
And the Huntsman, Mim, Xayide, and Wuya fell unconscious in one blow.
...
The three rooms that Snatcher, Roman, Rémington, Grany, and Neo had booked were on the second floor. After departing Snatcher and Roman's room, the latter three wandered the hallways for a while before deciding what to do. The decision was brought upon them by the discovery of a door with frosted glass panels in it, showing the way to a vast, dark emptiness beyond. Neo discovered the "Call" button next to the door and pressed it; a quaint elevator with wood paneling slid up into place, blocking out the emptiness. Grany opened the door wide.
"Might as well travel down in style," Rémington remarked as he strode inside. "Grany? Neo?"
Neo shook her head, making a series of gestures.
"You're…hungry?" Rémington guessed. "You forgot to use the bathroom?"
"She's saying this is where we split up," Grany sighed. "She wants to explore other parts of the hotel."
"Ah, yes," Rémington said with a nod. "Grany and I will see how far up and down this elevator can take us, no?"
"Sounds boring," Grany replied, "but probably worth our while."
Neo gave them a nod and a thumbs-up before skipping down the hallway.
Grany crowded into the elevator next to his brother, shutting the door and a metal gate behind them. They hunched over the buttons, which indicated that the second floor was as high as they could go, and they were already there.
"You know, this place looked a lot bigger from the outside," Rémington remarked.
"I'm sure those towers were taller than two floors," Grany recalled. "If we really want to get to know this place, we'll have to get into one of those."
Rémington poked the button marked "B" for "Basement." "Going down," he said smugly.
The elevator began to smoothly slide down. Outside the grate, Rémington and Grany could see the stone that separated the first floor from the second scroll on by –
And the elevator came to a grinding halt when there was still nothing but stone on the other side of the grate.
Rémington jabbed at the "B" button again and again, then the other two.
"Stop doing that," Grany grumbled. "The elevator's stuck. WE'RE stuck between floors!"
"Well, you know what I say," Rémington reminded him.
Grany grinned. "There's always a way out."
Rémington swiveled his head about to assess the situation. His eyes locked upon the ceiling. "Grany. Does that panel look loose to you?"
Grany reached up to a square outline on the ceiling of the elevator, jostling it, pushing it up and aside to reveal the void of the elevator shaft above. "I think we've just found our way out! Though…" He sized up the aperture he'd revealed. "You're the only one who can fit. I'll lift you out first. Then come back for me."
"All right."
Grany hoisted Rémington up to the opening; Rémington slipped out on top of the elevator. "It may take me a while to get it moving," he called down to Grany. "I'll have to find our host and let him know there is maintenance to be done." He turned a 360. The door to the second floor was above him, in easy reach. But the shaft was a place of curiosity. It was far wider than it needed to be to accommodate simply one elevator. Rémington estimated ten more elevators could have fit in the space. It was a long drop to the floor of the shaft, down below above the basement level. Across a great gap, on the far wall, there was a metal ladder.
This got Rémington's attention. He traced the trajectory of the ladder with his eyes, following it up to a square hole in the wall: a ventilation duct without a cover.
"Actually…" he began.
"ACTUALLY?" Grany repeated. "What ACTUALLY? Rémy, you better go find someone to let me out of here!"
"I will," Rémington promised. "But first, I have to check something out."
"Check WHAT out? Rémy? REMY!"
"Meet me back at our room when you're free."
Rémington was seized by curiosity; his instincts told him that investigating the ventilation shaft was worth his time. It was a tantalizing opportunity, for how often did one end up in an elevator shaft with such an entrance afforded to him? It had to lead somewhere, and he had come to explore, after all. The gap between the elevator and the far wall was wide, but not so wide that Rémington couldn't clear it with a slight running start. He flew through the air gracefully, landing with hands and feet gripping the ladder.
"I had money on you falling to your death," one of his guns commented.
"Shut up," Rémington groaned.
He scaled the ladder and swung into the ventilation shaft. It was roomy enough for him to crawl through without any difficulty at all. Rémington smiled at his discovery as he advanced through the shaft. At one point, the path forked, prompting him to either turn right or move straight ahead. Figuring he could double back later, Rémington kept on his course.
His path eventually ended in a wire grate that sealed off the far end of the shaft. At first, he feared his journey had come to an end, but not to be deterred so easily, he nudged the grate, finding that it was only attached to the vent by hinges from above rather than screws and so would move to let him pass easily.
Rémington landed hands-first on the carpet below, springing up to his feet. He had just enough time to ascertain two things. First of all, he was on the upper balcony of a two-tiered room, the main floor spreading out below him, and this room was filled with books. Second of all, the moment he hit the floor, a high-pitched beeping sounded throughout the room.
"This has to be that library!" one pistol remarked.
"And you just set off the alarm," Rémington's dagger groaned. "Nice going."
"You better hide," the other pistol suggested.
Rémington acrobatically flipped into a handstand, kicking open the grate and springing up into the vent feet first. He squirmed backward into the vent and let the grate slam closed just in time for Dexter Egan to enter the room from the lower level doors without noticing Rémington.
Dexter took a look around the library to see what had tripped the alarm, but could see no signs of life. It must have been a fluke, he thought. Rémington spied from above as he approached the burglar alarm set in the wall, grumbling, "Okay, okay, I hear you."
Watching Dexter input a code into the small wall-mounted pad, Rémington wasn't surprised. He was, however, taken aback by what happened next: Dexter stepped further into the library, muttering, "Darn you, crazy old man." He rifled through the papers on a desk, continuing, "I know you hid that thing around here somewhere!" He spent a good amount of time at the desk before giving up, sighing, "The leas you could've done was left me a hint." Dexter turned to stalk his way out of the library, pausing once in the center of the room to let out another sigh and complain, "I don't have time to clean this up." Then he departed, the doors to the library slamming shut.
Rémington crept back out of the vent, no beeping heralding his arrival this time. A small spiral stairway led down from the balcony, and Rémington descended quickly. There must be a treasure trove of things to investigate here, he thought, and Dexter was convinced something valuable was hidden there. Could he have sabotaged the library himself to mask his search for whatever it was? Dexter's little display had lent credibility to Snatcher's hypothesis.
But Rémington wasn't focused on the books, the desk, or any of the other features of the library. His goal was the alarm. It was situated next to the door; he wanted to confirm this visually. His thoughts flew back to Roman's boast that he could disable the alarm if only he had the tools and the time. He already had the tools; Rémington had just figured out how to buy him the time.
From there, it was a matter of simply strolling out of the library doors. As they closed behind Rémington, there was a distinct click. Had they locked? Rémington turned to test the handle. Yes, the doors were locked. He would have to do something about that. Acquire a bit of wire, perhaps, so the others could pick their way in once Roman had done his work.
He strolled toward Dexter's desk, where the old man was organizing his papers in order to leave for the night. "Excuse me?" Rémington broke in.
"Yeah?" Dexter replied.
"My brother and I have had a little trouble with the elevator," Rémington said calmly. "It is trapped between floors as of now. I was able to find my way out, but my brother…not so much. He is still there."
Dexter sighed. "Again? All right, fine. I'll go fix it. I should have him back out in half an hour, tops. You coming with?"
"Actually, it is growing late," Rémington told him. "I do believe it is bedtime for me."
"Suit yourself."
Rémington followed Dexter up the stairs, then took a diverting path through the halls as Dexter continued to the elevator. After waiting for a few seconds, Rémington doubled back, down to the first floor. If he was lucky, he wouldn't have to pick the lock of the library door at all.
Dexter's desk was cluttered with papers. Rémington supposed he could have learned much more about their host if he snooped around, but he wasn't particularly in the mood to read through the letters and files. Instead, he opened the small side drawers, finding exactly what he sought: a small golden key.
A quick trip down to the library, where Rémington fit key to lock, proved that he had indeed found the way to open up the library through the main doors. It was all coming together.
Rémington's next stop was Snatcher and Roman's room, where he knocked gently on the door. He received no response; the pair must have already been asleep. So Rémington knocked louder. He was convinced that the best time to search through an off-limits room was after hours, when there were bound to be fewer prying eyes and listening ears.
There was a low grumble of "You go see who it is" from the other side, followed by rustling sounds and the noise of feet hitting the floor. Roman pried the door open, clad in nothing but a pair of orange boxer shorts while Snatcher remained lying prone in the bed behind him. "Rémy?" Roman greeted, speech slurred by having been jolted out of sleep. "Damn it, whatever you want, it had better be good."
"Call Neo and wake up your boyfriend," Rémington ordered him. "I promise, it's good."
...
Mozenrath's sleep was filled with troubling dreams. He could only vaguely remember their gist when he awoke, but he was sure it had something to do with wasting away: something he was displeased to find out was just as true in the waking world.
He blinked awake, realizing there was literally nothing to do but go back to sleep. So he closed his eyes and tried to do just that.
At first, when the men burst into his room, he thought it was another nightmare. But when they apprehended him in his bed, binding him with chains, Mozenrath realized it was no dream.
Feebly, he struggled, but he was too weak to overpower them. All he could do was cry out in frustration, and even then they were ready to silence him, forcing his mouth shut so that he almost bit his tongue cleanly in two.
They carried him right through the lobby and out into the streets. The receptionist did nothing to hinder them. After all, she thought, the Dai Li had their reasons for taking whom they did.