The Underworld, First Visit:
In Which A Trap Is Sprung
They stepped through the doorway, leaving the bright, sunlight world of Olympus Coliseum behind and descending into the darkness that existed in the world below it. Roxas considered it with some trepidation, baseless fears that were confirmed when Meg said mildly from behind them, "Be careful down there. If the Underdrome is really open, then your powers should work fine within the arena, but -- anywhere else in Underworld you'll find that the dead sap your strength."
"That is wonderful," Axel said. "That is. Exactly what I wanted to hear."
"Hey, guys, wait up!"
Roxas turned around, glancing back to see a tall, broad-shouldered young man from Sora's memories running at them, waving energetically. Meg put her hands on her hips and frowned at him.
"Weren't you supposed to be working off some steam, Wonder Boy?" she asked him warily, but he breezed right past her.
"You guys are going to the tournament, right?" Hercules slowed and stopped in front of them. "I'm going with you."
Roxas frowned at him. "We're just going to get our friends and then, hopefully, leave," he said.
"That's fine. But I have to see what's going on down there," the hero said, his brows drawing together grimly.
"Herc, come on," Meg said, her voice dropping, and putting a hand on his chest. "Going down there without permission is just asking for trouble..."
They started to argue quietly. Roxas turned around to see if the others were as impatient as he was, but only Namine was still standing there to smile ruefully at him -- Axel had already turned and was walking into the Underworld. Roxas and Namine hurried to follow him.
"A little impatient?" Roxas murmured, lips quirking up.
"Yeah, it's funny how an infinite number of delays on an errand he didn't really want to do in the first place can get on a guy's nerves," Axel said flippantly, gesturing with one hand.
Hercules caught up with them when they were halfway down the staircase.
The path split when they reached the bottom of the stairs, going off three ways. The Underdrome was not subtly the path on their right; there were bright lights rising from its dome, and the cheers of the crowd were clearly audible even at this distance. Instead of heading that way, Hercules paused, frowning. "That's strange," he said slowly.
"What is it?" Namine asked, when no one else did.
"I could've sworn the Underdrome was the left path..."
Axel glanced that way and glanced back, eyebrows lifted. "Yeah? Well, that path is out of commission." There was a forbidding fence set up on the left path, and it seemed beyond the fence to lead off into dark and nothingness.
Disinterested in the demi-god's memory problems, Roxas started walking down the right path.
"This whole thing is strange," Hercules said, catching up with him, still frowning. "The Underdrome was supposed to have been sealed by my dad so that Hades couldn't play any more games. I wonder how he got it unlocked...?"
"Maybe the seal expired, or he and Hades worked it out," Roxas said shortly. He really, really didn't want to get involved in the affairs of temperamental gods. And he really, really didn't like the way this was more and more sounding like it wasn't legitimate.
But it was hard to argue with their eyes. As they approached the arena, they had to steer their way through dozens of enthusiastic fans. Monitors mounted around the outside of the coliseum displayed the current fight, and Roxas checked to make sure, but none of the gladiators in this round were from Hollow Bastion. He asked a short demon for directions to Leon's locker room, while Hercules lingered, watching the fights with a scowl on his chiseled face.
Roxas shoved open the door unceremoniously. Everyone was assembled in the room -- Yuffie and Cid on a bench fixing their equipment, Leon watching the fight on the monitor, and Cloud seated on another bench, brooding despite Aerith behind him, her hands glowing with Cure magic. Another woman was also present, with long brunette hair, practicing fist jabs at the air.
Leon glanced back at them, and visibly stiffened. His gaze slid away, guilty. Yuffie was more oblivious to the implications of their visit, jumping up and grinning warmly. "Oh, hey! Roxas! Axel! Nami--"
"We know who they are," Cid said, not looking up.
"Hi," Roxas said evenly. "We thought we'd drop in to visit you all, see what the fuss is about."
He didn't say anything judgmental out loud, but Yuffie's expression fell slightly. Leon was the one who spoke up now, muttering to the monitor, "It's fine."
"See, now, that's an interesting definition of fine," Axel said helpfully.
"No kidding!" Roxas snapped, unable to rein in his temper. He didn't want to yell at the people who'd been so kind to him, but damnit, he was angry, and disappointed in them. "Since when does fine mean 'Our world could be destroyed at any minute and there's not a single worthwhile fighter there to defend it'?!"
He'd thought Hollow Bastion meant more to them than this.
Leon's expression turned even more unhappy, and he had nothing to say to that. Yuffie stepped in front of him, almost defensively. "That Nobody was still there, right? If anything bad had happened, it would have come right to us!"
"Or you could have been there if anything bad had happened. Or -- or what if something bad happened to the Assassin?!"
"...Roxas," Yuffie murmured. Her voice was so thin, and her eyes seemed unusually bright. "We need this."
It was hard to be angry with that sort of plea, but -- at the same time it was hard to let go of his agitation, even to recognize what she was struggling with. He glanced away, frustrated. The others were just as unhappy: Aerith coiling bandages in her hands, distant and regretful, and Cloud not actually looking at anyone, his irritated demeanor of a moment ago slipped away.
After a long beat, Cid said, "Get off it. Chances like this don't come around every day. They don't come around ever." He shook his head.
Roxas still couldn't think of anything to say that wasn't, Who could be more important to you than the people in Hollow Bastion who are counting on you? What if you win and it's Huey and Louie, or Merlin standing there to greet you from beyond the mortal coil?
Namine stepped forward, saying softly, "Megara and Hercules said that -- there's a chance this tournament is only a front for something more sinister. If..."
"Well, yeah, sure!" Yuffie said, huffing a little, and wet her lips. "But -- that's all the more reason for us to be here, right? Whatever Hades is pulling, someone should be here to check it out!"
Right, their motives were totally pure. "It's not your job to police the universe," Roxas said flatly. "What would have happened to Hollow Bastion if you'd walked right into a trap here?"
There was a long pause before Yuffie could muster another glib response, before she said firmly, "Nothing would have happened. We'd have gotten back in time."
Aerith said, almost to herself, "We didn't trust the offer blindly. Cid has the gummi ship with him. If anything seemed wrong -- we were prepared to leave immediately." She turned a serious gaze to Leon, who nodded his confirmation -- but tense, reluctant.
"Even if he does get something out of this, that doesn't mean he won't do what he promised," Yuffie said, almost sullen.
Roxas felt his jaw tighten irritably. They refused to listen to reason. Couldn't they see how suspicious this whole thing was? Were they so blinded by their desire to see people who'd been dead for years that they'd ignore the fact that the Organization would do anything to destroy their world? It sounded crazy to even think it, but Roxas knew that if the Organization considered the Hollow Bastion Restoration Committee a threat -- they were not beyond masterminding this whole thing to get to the world they defended.
Aerith smiled at him, as if she could hear him thinking. "We just -- want to try, as much as we can, to do both. If our lookout returns with bad news, there's no question that Hollow Bastion takes priority. And with you here, we can travel back there instantaneously, right?"
It was hard to argue with that logic. Roxas frowned at her. Hadn't the Assassin said she tried to talk them out of going? But she was being just as bad as they all were. "You really think that's what's best?"
Her smile slipped a notch, sadly, which was all the answer he needed. "It's what we've decided," she said. "...we all have people we want to see -- enough to take a few risks."
Roxas made himself relax, forced himself to let go of that -- inconvenient, impeding, irrational anger. Work with the situation at hand, like you used to, he coached himself. Don't just... react.
"Yeah, I guess -- it'd be hard to pass up," he said reluctantly. --People and their stupid hearts.
Aerith said easily, more upbeat, "You all haven't met Tifa before, have you?"
The other woman relaxed for the first time, easing out of her battle stance and smiling good-naturedly. "Oh, hello."
"Ah. Hey there," Roxas said, feeling belatedly embarrassed. What a first impression; he'd been yelling this whole time...
Tifa was apparently unfazed, asking, "Are you friends of Cloud's?"
...what a strange question, Roxas thought, and rubbed the back of his neck. This whole room full of people he'd been bickering with, and she wanted to know his relationship with the one guy he hadn't actually spoken to? A quick glance at Cloud showed him not reacting at all to the question.
"I guess... I mean, we're friends with his friends, if you can call them--"
Suddenly the speakers cut in, startlingly loud. "Three minutes to the next round! Cloud-Tifa team versus Leon-Yuffie-Cid-Aerith team!"
The voice cut out again just as quickly, and Cloud was already on his feet, striding out the door without a word. Tifa tossed Roxas a sheepish smile and said, "Sorry. I guess it was kind of a trick question," before hurrying in Cloud's wake.
Roxas blinked at the others, somewhat startled to hear that they weren't actually on the same team.
Aerith collected her staff from the wall, murmuring, "So soon..."
"No sympathizing with the enemy," Cid commanded her, dropping his cigarette and grinding it out with a foot. "Cloud's got the right idea. Get your asses moving. If we're kicked outta the tournament for being late, I'm gonna make you shitheads sorry."
Leon headed out the door with him, and Yuffie hesitated a beat before murmuring, "I'm sorry, Roxas," and trotting out the door.
Ridiculous. Roxas shook his head, turning back to his companions. "I guess we'll go up into the stands to watch." It was hard not to be thoroughly annoyed with the whole thing, but he was struggling.
"It'd serve them right if we let their world burn," Axel muttered.
"They already feel bad," Namine said softly. "It's obvious. But... I think it's natural to want to see people you care about, even when they're gone. ...heart or not."
There was a strained silence in Roxas's wake for a long beat; when he glanced behind himself, Axel and Namine weren't looking at each other. He shook his head, turning back to face front. "Let them have their stupid tournament. Anyway, they'd never forgive themselves or us if we dragged them home and then the Organization didn't attack for a week."
He had to raise his voice to be heard as the cheering of the crowd got louder as the went higher in the stadium, coming out of the underground locker rooms. A few enthusiastic spectators came running past them from the restrooms, not wanting to miss the start of the fight. The announcer's voice could be heard calling, "Prepare to start! In three... two... one...!!"
And then there was utter silence.
Roxas went stiff for just a beat, processing the unnatural, sudden absence of sound. Not so much as a whistle or a whisper, no sounds of combat or shouted magic spells. Then he broke out running, leaping up into the stands and darting towards the arena in the center of the stadium, Namine quick on his heels.
There were no people in the stands now, but Leon and the others could be seen on the arena floor, no longer ready to fight each other but rather arranged in a loose circle, facing outward, ready for anything. Namine rushed up to the railing to wave at them.
"What happened?" Roxas demanded, one hand on the railing. "Where did everyone go?"
"I don't know," Aerith said, her fingers tight around her staff. "Just as the announcer was counting down to the start of the fight -- everyone vanished, and the lights dimmed suddenly."
Roxas felt Axel stop behind him; he'd been moving backwards, cautiously watching the entrances. "This is a B-A-D idea," he warned, half a second before Roxas hitched himself smoothly over the railing and dropped down to the arena floor.
"I knew it was a trap!" came Hercules's voice, even in sandals his heavy footsteps echoing in the empty chamber. He followed Roxas over, with Namine right behind him.
Axel sighed, long-suffering, and followed them down.
The moment Axel's feet touched the ground, the rest of the coliseum seemed to vanish -- the stands and the stairs were gone, replaced by simple unadorned rock high over their heads. The dim lighting shifted, turning in a lazy circle and revealing that the walls around them were ringed by a number of doors, carved out of the walls of what had previously been an arena. They couldn't possibly have been there before. Most of the doors were overgrown by thick vines.
Hercules stumbled in a circle, turning to look at his new surroundings, and Roxas sucked in a breath. "What the... It doesn't even look like where we just were," he said numbly. Hades was very crafty indeed, to have managed something like that.
The doors didn't seem to have a pattern that he could immediately make out -- there were three in a row on one side, and two in a row a ways down.
"I guess this means we're not going to win anything, doesn't it," Yuffie said to herself.
Namine was ghostly pale, and her hand found Roxas's nervously. "I have a bad feeling about this," she murmured.
"Wow, really?" Axel asked her, dryly. "It's like you're psychic or something."
Cloud was striding up to the nearest door, and he tried to brush away the vines -- but they didn't budge, even when he grabbed one and pulled with all his might, even when Tifa joined him and added her strength. Finally he brought his sword around and carefully drew his sword over the vines. Once his blade passed, they visibly grew back instantly. "What the--"
"Stop, Cloud," Aerith told him, frowning. "Any plants that grow that unnaturally aren't just going to go away."
"So pick a door without vines," Cid said, spreading his hands, and Leon argued, "What if it's a puzzle?"
"...shit," Axel said. He held out a hand to make a corridor, and nothing emerged from his palm but black smoke.
Namine clung tighter to his hand, but still Roxas wasn't expecting her to tug on him, dragging him towards the nearest door. "Let's just pick a door and go," she whispered.
"What's wrong?" Roxas asked her, frowning. He glanced down at her hands -- white, and cold as ice.
"We just -- have to go," she said tightly, and reached out to push the door open.
The door opened easily enough beneath her touch, revealing behind it the figure of a tall, gaunt man, watching them with narrow eyes and a wide smirk on his pale lips. Namine gasped, but Roxas felt as if his entire world were narrowing, clarifying. Suddenly all the pieces fell into place, and he knew exactly what was going on here.
"Vexen?!" he heard himself say.
Vexen should have been dead. He'd been dead for more than a year, and being an existence without a heart, it had always just been -- assumed by those in power that he wouldn't go anywhere when he died. But here he was in the Underworld.
Which meant the others who had died would probably be here as well. Which meant that these vines were Marluxia's. That those people and the illusory stadium had been Zexion's.
And they were all in immense danger.
"I'm afraid that hurrying won't help you escape," Vexen drawled, an audible smugness in his voice. "You've already come too far to turn back now."
Axel paused, drawing up alongside Roxas and Namine while the others watched, silent. "Oh, really?" he said, his expression closed and one of his favored half-smirking smiles on his lips. Roxas had never realized how fake that expression was until just now, when he knew that Axel was aware of the danger they were in.
"Who's he? Is he working for Hades?" Hercules demanded.
"Oh, please," Vexen said, his lips curling into something like a sneer. "That hack? XI has him wrapped around his little finger."
Axel snorted, disdainful, and waved casually. "Marluxia, sure. Well, didn't think you'd be stupid enough to listen to him again, dead or alive."
Vexen's voice gained in volume and speed with his indignance as he insisted, "I don't listen to him. I am taking this opportunity to represent my own interests!" He eased up, as if catching himself, and said more calmly, "Frankly, I didn't think XI had the sort of foresight necessary to trap a snake like you. But it seems you've gained a number of weaknesses since last we met." His gaze swept over Roxas and the others behind him, and his smirk widened.
"You really think Marluxia expected you to just sit by and twiddle your thumbs," Axel said smoothly. "You know, that's almost -- C-U-T-E."
"Shut up!" Vexen snapped. "If it means getting my revenge on you... XI's conniving is a small burden to be suffered."
He summoned his shield into his right hand, but the real alarm came as the ground rumbled deeply when he strode out of the doorway. They stumbled, Roxas's grip on Namine tightening to keep her from falling, and then he let go to summon his keyblades. His moment of pleasure at being able to do so without pain was short-lived as the ground began to break apart, and from beneath the surface of the arena emerged a giant claw made of ice -- and then a head, some giant and furious elemental monster pulling itself out of the ground at Vexen's call.
"Shit, it's the Ice Titan," he heard Cloud say.
"You've fought this thing before?"
"I have," Hercules said grimly. "It would be a piece of cake for me, but this isn't the Underdrome... Weakened like this, it won't be quite as easy."
Still, he seemed ready enough as he cracked his knuckles and stepped confidently forward. But as he stepped forward, Roxas caught sight of another man in the distance, who had been hidden by his bulk. Roxas snapped, "Herc, look out!"
"This is not your fight, Hercules," Lexaeus rumbled, and slammed his axe-sword into the ground.
Hercules was caught mid-spin as the earth beneath him suddenly lifted him up, carrying him high into the air. "Hercules!" Yuffie cried, but Roxas was caught, staring at the giant Nobody who was responsible.
He'd never defeated Lexaeus. No one ever had, as far as he knew. Even Riku hadn't really defeated him, from Axel's reports; Riku had weakened him, and Lexaeus had sacrificed himself willingly to the darkness in an attempt to draw out the darkness teeming inside the young keyblade master.
The pillar of earth dropped abruptly, dragging Hercules beneath the surface of the arena, and then sealing itself behind him. Vexen crowed, "You've done your part, V! Now leave the rest of this to me!"
Roxas paused, and then turned back around. Vexen was a lunatic, he realized, looking at the pale Nobody, poised high in the air on the shoulder of the Ice Titan. He was puffed up, already gloating with the victory he hadn't won yet. He had the only undefeated Nobody in the Organization here with him, and he -- shooed him away to claim the credit for winning himself?
Lexaeus gazed up at him, and then acknowledged, "For now." He swung his vast weapon over his shoulders, and slammed one foot down, bringing the earth up to swallow him as if he had never been there at all.
"Fuck," said Cid. He was holding his spear ready and scowling. "This is your fault, Red?"
"Axel's fault?" Yuffie echoed, darting him a half-accusing look.
"Yep. All me," Axel said, expression unchanging. "It's like they just can't wait for me to get killed on my own to have a reunion. I'm so flattered."
Vexen spread his arms, calling their attention back to him as the Ice Titan took one lumbering step forward, breaking off the ice that sealed it to the ground and leaving the stump behind. "I plan to disappoint all the other people eagerly awaiting a reunion with him!" he said, voice rising gleefully. "But they'll have plenty of time to enjoy his company when I'm through!"
Abruptly the temperature in the room dropped, ten, twenty degrees in a matter of seconds, and a blizzard formed in the air all around them, soon so thick that they could hardly see each other, and Vexen and his monster were all but invisible.
"We can still make short work of this," Cloud snapped, his voice hard to make out. "With all of us here...!"
"What do we do?!" Roxas demanded.
"--use its weapons against it!"
They waited tensely, drawing together in a dense knot so that they couldn't be caught unawares. The lumbering footsteps of the Ice Titan echoed in the stillness, seeming to come from everywhere at once, but they waited, a single unit breathlessly anticipating--
"Here!" Yuffie cried.
Instantly they turned in her direction and saw the Titan lumber out of the white haze, alarmingly fast, a giant icicle in its hand that it hurled at the group. Yuffie flinched, bracing herself for the attack, but Cloud leaped in front of her and swung the flat of his sword, sending the ice spear flying back at the immense monster. It struck, leaving a dent in the creature's arm, and it lifted its head to roar in pain.
"Now! But don't get near it!" the blond soldier shouted.
They responded with almost military precision, hurling fireballs and projectiles, bombarding the Ice Titan with magic while it twisted in pain. Cid descended sharply from the sky, aiming for Vexen rather than his subordinate, and with a sharp laugh the Nobody sent him flying back, sharp needles of ice buried in him. Aerith hurried forward, her staff already glowing with healing energy, and so Roxas turned his attention back to the Ice Titan, hurling one keyblade at the creature and then calling down lightning to wrack its slick frame.
Cloud and Hercules had been right; the Ice Titan wasn't as intimidating as it looked, and the way it almost buckled, almost fell under their concentrated attack, meant that it wouldn't remain standing for much longer. Vexen had chosen a poor ally for this battle.
The Titan hauled itself upright and then crashed back into the blinding white, quickly vanishing. They recovered, circle reforming as they listened to its creaking, cracking footsteps.
"You all right, Cid?" Roxas asked quietly after a few beats.
"Yeah, 'm fine. Cold as a bitch, though."
Axel laughed, a little breathless, in spite of the situation, and then Tifa called out, "Here!"
Roxas turned, but the taller woman had it covered, spinning sharply in place and lashing out with one foot. Her boot caught the icicle with startling accuracy, sending it spinning back at the Ice Titan, looming out of the darkness. This time it cracked deeply, howling again, and dropped to its knees, making Vexen stumble and lose his balance on its shoulder, landing awkwardly on the ground and wincing.
"Everyone, focus on Vexen!" Namine said urgently, holding something in her hands -- the tiny ornamental trumpet that Dr. Finkelstein's experiment had given her, Roxas realized. "I've got the Ice Titan!"
As if summoned, the experiment itself tore out of the blizzard and swung one immense arm at the Ice Titan, clobbering its head soundly. To their credit, Leon and the others didn't hesitate to obey; Yuffie whooped, "Nice, Namine!" as they raced across the grounds to Vexen.
"Fools!" he sneered, gruesome spikes of ice flaring out around him in a dangerous, deadly arc. But they were unintimidated; Cloud used them as a stepping stone and Leon smashed right through them with his gunblade. Vexen brought his shield around to block the simultaneous blows of their blades, but he left himself unprotected from the back. Cid landed lightly on the ground behind him and slammed his spear into Vexen's ribs. The tall Nobody cried out sharply and whipped around, slamming his shield into the side of Cid's head.
A blast of searingly cold wind knocked Leon and Cloud both away in the same moment. Roxas leaped forward, leaving healing them to Aerith, and brought both his keyblades down firmly. Vexen managed to block with his shield again, but another quick jab sent it flying, to Vexen's startled cry. Axel appeared behind him and clubbed him across the back of his head.
"You should have kept Lexaeus around. You were never very good at fighting," Roxas said impassively, followed by Axel's smug, "Now you'll have to get revenge twice, I guess," as he slammed his chakram into the older Nobody's vulnerable neck.
Vexen's body gave one last twitch and then began to dissipate, smoke pouring out thickly from his copious wounds. Roxas glanced around, confirming that the experiment and the Ice Titan were both long gone.
"Too much to hope you go somewhere worse from here, huh?" Axel murmured, still watching the dark, sooty stain Vexen had left behind.
"A little too much," Roxas agreed ruefully. If a Nobody had been able to come here once -- well. He doubted you could die while being dead. Probably after a while Vexen would just... recuperate and reform.
"Can I get a fucking heal over here?" Cid said, sitting upright and rubbing the bloodied side of his head.
Somewhat startled, Roxas faced him. "Yeah, sure, just a sec--" Leon and Cloud were also still injured. He looked around, wondering what was keeping Aerith busy -- or Yuffie, he knew she was frequently ready with Potions.
Neither of them were anywhere to be seen. For that matter -- Namine, too -- and Tifa. Roxas frowned, observing, "The girls are gone." His eyes widened. Only the girls. All of the men were still present.
Cloud and Leon jerked around, scanning the arena.
"...well, damn. When did that happen?" Axel muttered, turning in a slow circle.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," Cid hissed. "Please tell me they found the way out and decided to ditch us and go shopping or some shit."
Leon glanced at Roxas, strained. "...you know these people, don't you? What do they want?"
Probably to kill Axel, he thought, but he hesitated a beat, trying to find something -- better to say.
A voice echoed out of the stillness, husky, liquid warmth: "Oh, I'm afraid Vexen was right about that much. You've come too far to turn back now..."
"Marluxia," Axel said, low.
"Where did you take them?" Cloud snapped, turning in a tight circle.
"Each of them is down one of the open paths. The fifth will lead you to the exit."
That was too simple. Marluxia was much too fond of games and riddles -- and much too clever to give them free reign. "What's the catch?" Roxas demanded grimly.
The disembodied voice dropped into a purr, curling through the air. "You don't have long to save them. If you take longer than thirty minutes to reach your slumbering princesses, not even true love's kiss will be enough to wake them... You'll have to wait for another tournament to see them again."
Leon stiffened, his breath rasping tightly. "You bastard."
"Rail at your fate if you like," Marluxia murmured. "But if you want to rescue your missing companions, time is of the essence..."
His voice trailed off, and they all knew that he was gone, as simply as that, his presence no longer hovering in the air.
"Shit," Roxas snapped, and studied the doors. Five doors, five of them, each path held something... "...We can't play it safe. We each need to take a door and go now."
Leon looked reluctant, but he glanced around, wary. "Fine. I'll take..." He paused, staring blankly ahead.
"Hang up a second," Axel said, waving a hand. "Was Vexen behind his door? Door number four?"
Cloud headed towards the nearest door, patently uninterested in talking it out. Roxas watched him go, and then turned his gaze down to the ground. Namine...
They had been born together. They had come from the same action, the same will to live. They were inextricably bound, even if their existences were so fundamentally different now.
If he thought hard enough... If he focused intently enough...
It was almost like he could feel her heart beating.
"Wait, Cloud!" Roxas said sharply. "Not that one. That's my door."
Cloud gave him a blank look, and then wordlessly went through the door next to it instead.
"Because, uh, there might be specific people behind each door, and..." Axel said, eyebrows raised, and stopped talking as Leon took off without a backwards glance. Roxas did the same, heading towards the door.
He could feel Namine, down this path, and he was going to save her.
"Yeah?" he heard Cid ask as he left. "You mind if I take the door that belonged to the ice freak we already killed?"
NEXT >>> The Underworld, First Visit (Part 3)