World Refugees Final Mix

Calum's eyes flashed darkly at the sight of a flame spell, and he quickly threw up another spell - a strange mix of ice and air - that just barely blocked the fire. An icy look passed over his face, one that could have been masking fury or something else. Either way, the moment Brandon brandished Marvin, Calum did nothing except take a step back and throw his arm out.

One of the knives that Josiah always kept with him went flying out of his hand, blade aimed straight for the other man's heart.

Not even waiting to see if the knife struck, he jumped up onto the side of the ship for needed space and height, and then threw a warped thunder spell... coming at Brandon from behind.

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Brandon knocked the knife to the side as he moved forward, pressing his attack.

He sensed the lightning even as Calum was still casting it, and thinking fast he Thunder Stepped right in front of the man, then waited until the last second before jumping straight in the air, using his Thunder magic to add to his height.

From above he rotated in mid air, conjuring flame into his free hand. He hadn't missed Calum's earlier expression, and if something pissed off the enemy it gave him an edge.

"Feel the heat!"

He unleashed the fireball down at Calum.

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He glanced up, a dark look passing over his face again. But something in his eyes was sharp, calculating. Just as Brandon called the fire magic down, he murmured something in equal parts Latin and Welsh, but did not move until the last possible second. He hissed out the last word of the spell, and the fire collided with shadows colder than arctic winds. But the shadows didn't stop there - some spilled from the initial spell over the sides of the deck, down the hull, and into the water... where another spell had alrady been lying dormant.

There were a few brief seconds of silence... and then a wall of water exploded around the ship, blocking off any visible access to the island of Neverland or the surrounding sea. The ship rocked alarmingly as blackish-blue water rose higher than the even the topsails, obscuring even the moon. Calum jumped onto the shrouds of Hook's ship with the ease of someone who had been doing it all of his life, and glanced back at Brandon. With his right arm still hooked around the ropes, he clenched his free fist, and, like a ghost materializing out of nowhere, a cutlass appeared in his hand. He didn't say anything, didn't show any more emotion other than a raised eyebrow as if to say "well?" before nodding in the direction of Pan and Hook's duel.

And then the waters came slamming down onto the deck, with enough force to force anything or anyone not bolted down off the deck and into the churning waters beneath the ship.

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Brandon swore as his spell was blocked again, realizing that a long range assault was not going to work. Even as gravity took hold and he began to fall back to the ship his mind was racing, striving to formulate a new plan of attack.

Of course, given flying was not one of his abilities, his thinking time was rather limited, and after a few seconds he was forced to conjure an Aeroga spell, the wind shield encasing his body just moments before he hit the deck and pushing him back up to defuse the force of his impact before being dispelled, only leaving him with a sore shoulder from where his spell had rebounded. He’d have bruises later, but considering he’d normally have broken his arm at best he could deal.

Bouncing almost comically to his feet, Brandon regained his balance just as the massive wave rose over the ship, casting them in shadow. Looking up, Brandon fought the urge to groan, his mind racing to keep up with this sudden change in the battlefield. Ari was unconscious on the deck, Peter was off doing his own thing, and he had lost track of Ray and Tinkerbell.

Calum seemed to be challenging Brandon to continue their fight, but Brandon's first priority had always been protecting his friends, and if he had to lose the fight to get Ari away, that is what he would do.

Luckily, he had a spell that might let him have his cake and eat it too. It was something he had started working on during the dark days towards the end of the war with the Organization. He hadn't gotten it ready in time for that conflict, but now he'd had months to practice. Now was the perfect time to field test it.

Before he could begin, however, Brandon thunder stepped in front of Ari, standing over the sleeping girl. Then, without sparing a second to check on her, to observe the battlefield, to even truly think about what he was doing, Brandon began to cast his spell.

The first step was to cast Aeroga again, encasing himself in a miniature windstorm, the force of the spell causing his hair and jacket to thrash about him. Bringing his hands together, he closed his eyes and reached for the lightning that dwelled within him, the power that he had struggled with for so long, but through months of effort had made his ally. He took that power, one that represented unflinching courage, and began to channel it into the spell he had already cast, one that was linked to his sense of excitement. He mixed not only the spells themselves, but the very emotions they had become linked to within him. Feeling and magic mixed as one, and soon the wind surrounding him sparked with lightning, each accompanied by a small rumble of thunder. The windstorm had become a thunderstorm, one that encased Brandon like a suit of armor.

This was his new spell, Hurricane.

He’d just gotten the spell together when the wall of water collapsed on top of everything. Kneeling on the deck on top of Ari and expanding the spell to cover her, Brandon slammed Marvin into the wood and braced himself for a moment before the wave hit him like a runaway train. His arm muscles screamed in pain as he hung on, his legs threatened to give out, he could hear his gloves begin to shred, and blackness crawled on the edges of his vision as he fought with all his will to maintain the spell. Still, between the lightning enhanced winds blowing the water around him and his sword as an anchoring point, he held his ground.

Finally, after what felt like eons, the water finally abated, leaving him standing above Ari, both of them ironically dry in the midst of the soaked deck. His body wanted so badly for him to just lie down and rest, but he rallied his reserves, drawing on adrenaline, magic, and sheer human stubbornness to force himself to his feet.

Looking up at Calum Brandon yanked his sword out and lifted it as if in challenge, before suddenly thrusting forward with his empty fist. The wind around his arm stretched and shot forward, as if some sort of a rubber band that had been released, slicing through the air at the pirate. The wind had shaped itself into a mirror of his fist, crackling with lightning around the knuckles and aimed right at Calum’s chest.

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Ray and Tink both let out surprised screams as they were washed away. "Where are the water fairies when we need them?" Ray fumed, hitting the glass as hard as she could before giving up and providing the brightest light she could manage in hopes Peter or somebody would find them. "Hope Ari's okay," she murmured worriedly.

"I know she'll be okay," Tink told her with a determined look. "Peter will take care of it!" Ray looked at her helplessly and slumped against the glass as it tumbled through the churning water. After what felt like hours, Tink stood - or tried, who could stand properly when they were being tossed around inside of the jar like this? - and listened. "Do you hear that?" she whispered. Ray strained to hear whatever she was supposed to, and a slow grin spread on her face.

"Is that...?" she began.

"It is!" Tink exclaimed as the sound became louder. Before long, they could see green scales and sharp teeth as it closed in on them.

Back at the ship, Peter would have been continuing his duel with Hook, if it hadn't been for the wave that overtook the deck. Even flying, he'd narrowly avoided getting hit himself. He'd laughed when Hook was swept into the water, but then he realized... Tink was still rolling around in that jar. Or she had been, she'd have been washed away by now, too, just like Hook. Determined to find and release the fairy, he glided over the water, searching for just a glance of her. But all he found was Captain Hook as he came sputtering to the surface. He ignored the angry howls and continued his search.

Hook, for his part, was utterly furious about what had happened. That man was a guest on his ship, and he dared pull this sort of stunt?! And Pan... That little brat was busy being concerned with his fairy friends. Well, that was one good thing about this: they'd disappeared into the ocean. It wasn't likely he'd find them now, not with the waters like this...

He froze. What was--

No. It couldn't be.

But it was. That maddening sound was--

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

"Smeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Hook yelled in terror, looking around wildly. It was close, too close; he could hear that ruddy crocodile--

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

--and it was getting even closer and there it was, there it was, grinning at him, and ticking! Oh, that insufferable ticking!

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

"Smeeeeeeeeee!!" he screamed, taking off as fast as he could in the opposite direction. The crocodile, having spotted its favorite prey, immediately released the jar it had had clamped in its jaws with a wide grin and dashed after Hook.

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In the rush of the waters colliding back onto the deck and the obscuring mist that resulted, no one could hear or see the tiny black gummi ship skimming across the water towards the pirate ship.

Calum narrowed his eyes as he jumped back onto the deck, watching as Brandon called forth another spell. Its properties he recognized - he had used the same basic spell to call the Tempest from its watery grave only a handful of months back. A faintly impressed look passed over his face as the waters cleared, but he only shook his head as the other man raised his sword again.

"Do you really know what you're up against, boy?" he asked nonchalantly. He quickly raised the sword as the lightning-laced wind spell as sent hurtling towards him, turning the cutlass so that the spell slammed against the flat of the blade. But even though that gesture took the worst out of the attack which would have broken several ribs or much worse, that did not reverse basic physics. The force of the spell, with its near whiplash effect, threw him back against the mainmast of the ship with a bonecracking thud, with almost enough force to knock the sword out of his hand.

Calum gritted his teeth as pain shot down his spine and the back of his skull, trying to gather his bearings. Sloppy. Not at all what he had expected. He narrowed his eyes at Brandon... and then began to laugh quietly. The laugh was hollow, devoid of any amusement or emotion whatsoever. He closed his eyes, straightening with some effort, even as the shadows rolled from the sea back over the gunwales and onto the deck. Combined with the retreating mist and the moonlight, visibility was going quickly.

"Interesting trick you've learned there," Calum remarked, his voice low. "But not good enough."

He held out his hand, palm up, and when he opened his eyes again, a spark of electricity flickered in the air just above his hand. The tiny spark was quickly consumed by darkness that also seemed to appear out of thin air, speedily growing larger until it was the size of a baseball. Calum watched Brandon carefully, even as identical spells wove around the ship, and then smiled, almost apologetically, at him.

But he suddenly stiffened, eyes going wide in surprise and barely concealed fury. Someone was standing behind him, pale hand on his shoulder. A familiar, strikingly beautiful figure appeared from just behind him, keeping her hand on his shoulder, her odd blue eyes strangely glowing as if lit by an inner fire. She shot Brandon a look over her shoulder, even as she wove her own dreamspell over the pirate.

"Move quickly, human," Lilith hissed, her voice husky and... not quite right. She didn't say anymore than that, going back to concentrating at the task at hand.

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"Yeah," Brandon replied with a growl, "A prick!"

He felt the raw power Calum was gathering, but rather than back down he gathered his own power, clouds darkening over the boat as thunder rumbled in the distance, his own eyes turning silver. If he was going down, this son of a bitch sure as hell was going with him.

Of course, before the clash of the two powers could occur, they found themselves interrupted by a new arrival who was both surprising and deeply familiar. She was, after all, the reason Brandon had tried to see if restraining orders could be extended to other worlds.

Brandon didn't let down his guard for a second, though whether because he was wary of Calum, didn't trust Lilith, or both he couldn't say.

"Oh for fuck's sake, I have a name you know!" Bending down he scooped up Ari tenderly, then fixed his eyes on the demon.

"What are you doing to him?"

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Ray and Tink yelped as they were thrown back into the water. They were slammed into the top of the jar and back into the sides, falling again when it was lifted out of the water.

"Peter!" Tink said, fluttering excitedly when he unscrewed the top. "You found us!"

"Yeah, you found us, that's great, thanks." Ray hovered up to look him in the eyes, fighting the wind and glaring at him. "So where's Ari?" she demanded. "Did you bother getting her, or is she off drowning somewhere?"

"Ray, leave him alone!"

"Why? He totally ignored the fact that we were here to get Ari and just went after Hook!" she argued.

Peter was ignoring the fairies, looking back at the ship. "Hey, is that the girl you were looking for? She looks okay to me," he said, scrutinizing the scene almost irritably. "And who's that?"

Ray turned and sighed in relief when she spotted Brandon and Ari. She flew closer and suddenly noticed Lilith standing behind Calum. Her eyes widened in surprise. "What's she... how..." She shook her head and tried to focus on reaching Brandon and Ari, Peter and Tink joining her. "Is she okay? She's just unconscious, right?" she asked breathlessly when they reached them.

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Lilith didn't respond right away to Brandon's question. Whatever spell she was casting obviously worked - Calum let out a groan, his eyes closing as he slumped against the mainmast. The spell that he had been casting, suddenly without clear direction, shuddered visibly in its points around the ship, and, like dozens of small fireworks, went off, but without their original deadly intent.

Lilith kept her hand on Calum's shoulder, her eyes still glowing with that strange light. A few more minutes passed before she glanced back at Brandon, an unreadable expression on her face.

"Your betrothed would have been highly upset if you had been killed," she said, not answering his question. "But most of you are far too stubborn to ignore even the most basic of warnings." She nearly scowled. "All of those spells he just used - a novice of the grimoire can cast them under the correct circumstances. This man was one of only two masters of the grimoire's magical properties... and his soul is better off burning in hell than being here again." Then, she did something odd.

She hesitated, the anger and tension seeping from her face.

"But I promised that girl that I would at least give her a chance to find a way to separate Calum and my current master," Her tone, though, hinted that she still wasn't very pleased with that promise. "If it were my decision, both of them would already be dead." She paused as silence descended over the ship before clenching her free hand into a fist. She looked like she wanted to say more, but decided against it.

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Brandon didn't actually know what Ray asked, but he had a pretty good guess. Giving the little fairy a soft smile he said, "She's okay, just sleeping."

Still holding Ari close Brandon turned back to Lilith, giving the demoness a deadpanned look. "In case you haven't realized, common sense isn't our strong suit. If you expect me to just run when any of my friends are in danger you don't know me at all. Ryune understands that."

He paused, looking down at Josiah, face hard. "I won't insult you by saying that's human of you, but I do admire your willingness to honor your promise."

He stared her in the eyes, face betraying none of what he thought. "This won't be the first time we've done the impossible."

He moved forward to pick up the other man as well.

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Lilith narrowed her eyes at Brandon - it was another thing about humans that she couldn't ever understand. The closest thing she had done to something like that... she glanced at Josiah, and felt the faint twinge of anger rise again. Humans and all of their damn complications, and lack of common sense.

"I never claim to know the reason for any of your actions," she said darkly, her voice still tinged with the effects of the dream.

She rose to her feet, careful to keep the dreaming spell tight around Calum's mind. She still couldn't sense Josiah, not even at this distance, but she wouldn't tell Song that. Let the girl try - it would make her feel better when the inevitable had to occur.

Her eyes drifted across the ransacked and tempest-tossed ship, remembering, long ago, a place very similiar, grander, and, at one moment in time, peaceful.

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Brandon let his lips curl into a slight smirk as he bent to sling Josiah over his shoulder, sifting Ari to one side before he could get them both settled.

"Yet you care, otherwise you wouldn't be getting so angry."

Turning he hit his com and said, "Alan, time for a pick up."

There was a squawk, and suddenly the roar of the Cork's engines could be heard in the distance.

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"And he's okay, too, isn't he? She didn't hurt him?" Ray asked, settling herself on Brandon's shoulder. "Where--"

"Where're you taking him?" Peter demanded, cutting her off. "He's not staying with the Lost Boys. He's as bad as Hook, kidnapping girls like that." Tink nodded vigorously from where she hovered above his head. "I don't trust him," he declared finally, crossing his arms.

"That wasn't Josiah," Ray protested. "That was Calum; he's the pirate!" Peter shot her a scathing glance.

"Once a pirate, always a pirate," he said, glaring at her as if to dare one of them to refute his words.

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Lilith turned a sharp gaze to Peter, looking at the boy with a decidedly unfriendly look on her face. She only raised one dark brow in challenge before quietly answering him, "Well then, boy. You can stay out of this business."

She then turned to Brandon, a curious look in her eyes. "I'll set the other ship to follow yours - I have to keep close to my master or else the spell will wear off."

And without waiting for anyone to protest, she headed towards the stern of the ship where the gummi ship she had piloted still hovered quietly behind the sails, nearly invisible in the black night.

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Brandon just raised an eyebrow at Peter and answered, "Once a Refugee, always a Refugee."

The words were stated with the simple, uncompromising power of a fact, his eyes holding the same determination as they had when he and the others had stared down Xemnas what seemed like centuries ago.

"We'll get him back."

He turned back to Lilith, and nodded at her statement, though he had to admit he was a bit surprised she had flown here in a gummi ship. For someone like Lilith, traveling around in a spaceship seemed almost bizarrely mundane.

Of course, he also had to admit her ship was pretty cool to. He had to figure out where she got her stealth gummi's from.

"Alright, keep your ship close, and we'll keep the comm open so you can know if anything goes wrong. Just no surprised visits while I'm in the shower," he finished with a suspicious look.

Turning back to Ray, Brandon's smile finally returned, and with a tired smile he said, "Come on, lets put these two to bed, and get you back to your proper size."

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She watched Lilith go curiously, wondering where she'd gotten or learned how to pilot a Gummi ship. Peter simply stared after her scornfully, Tink fluttering nearby angrily. She gave a flustered goodbye to them, and she and Peter flew back to their home.

Ray finally just nodded and leaned against Brandon's neck with a sigh. "That sounds good." Looking down at Ari, she asked, "How long is she gonna be like that?" She seemed to have forgotten - once again - that anything she said would be heard as jingles rather than words.

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Brandon shook his head, watching as the ship lowered itself so the entrance ramp was level with the deck. He suddenly felt the bone weary exhaustion that came from a long battle.

He smiled gently as he felt Ray lean against him, even if he didn't understand her jingling. Still, after a second he noticed where she was pointing, and looking down at the sleeping Ari said, "I'm not sure how long she'll be like this, it depends on what spell Calum put on her. If worse comes to worse, we can find a prince to give her a kiss."

He glimpsed at Josiah out of the corner of his eye as he walked onto the ship.

"Maybe for Josiah to."

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She laughed. "Maybe Prince Mike is due to return, then."

Back in the ship, she flew from his shoulder to study the map. "So we're here now," she mumbled, speaking mostly to herself while pointing at Neverland, "but where are we taking those two? Radiant Garden?" She sighed and sat on console, letting her legs dangle over the edge.

Her wings fluttered lightly as Ray kicked her legs back and forth, but she froze suddenly as a thought struck her. If they were leaving, she'd be changing back to normal. And right now, she was without a clue as to what might have happened to the clothes she'd been wearing before that world shift. They hadn't been with her. She'd... get them back or something, somehow. Disney magic would make it so, right? Yeah, it would, she decided. It hadn't failed anyone before, right?

...Right?

Well, whatever. Ari and Josiah were okay, so they'd done what they'd meant to do. Now they could go home and relax. Hopefully.

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