It must take a special kind of guts to be a leader, Sora thinks as he carefully chews through his entree. The beef dish is excellent, with a creamy sauce that sends his taste buds absolutely soaring. And those potatoes…
Anyway, leadership. The Keybearer isn't exactly a stranger to the concept. More often than not, people tend to look to him in times of crisis, from Azlyn and Telary on down to random people he's barely met. Something about possessing an ancient, powerful weapon must give off that effect. But being a leader of something like a city or kingdom, the kind of thing Mickey Mouse does, must require something extra.
What other explanation could there be for how calm Leon is being, managing intercity relations while his ex-girlfriend sits directly across from him. It would be easy enough to simply ignore her outright, especially considering just how wildly talkative and complimentary of everything Laguna is being. But somehow, someway, the Restoration Committee leader manages to make it feel like even Rinoa is being carefully included in everything he says.
"For the last time," Laguna tells Sergeant Steiner, somehow managing to snap at the man without any apparent harshness, "I'm pretty sure nobody would be crazy enough to poison the entire buffet spread just to get to me."
Steiner frowns at the president, his nostrils flaring. "Sir, I understand that…"
"If you're hungry, sergeant, then go get your own plate. There's no need to come up with excuses to eat off of mine."
The table's occupants laugh politely, except for Kairi. She feels immediately bad for Steiner as soon as she spots how red his cheeks are getting. Sora apparently notices his girlfriend's lack of humor at the situation, quickly slamming his own mouth shut.
"It must be nice," the Princess of Heart declares, loud enough to get the others to stop, "having such a devoted and attentive security man, Mr. President. I can see that sergeant Steiner does his best to go above and beyond."
Laguna stops laughing, looking at his bodyguard with genuine fondness. "Aw, she's right. I could do without the babying, but still. Good looking out, Sarge."
Steiner still blushes, trying to cover it with a snappy salute. "Um, thank you very much sir. You know what, I think I will go and find something to eat."
"Thank you for that, Kairi," Rinoa says, smiling at the younger girl. She then casts a quick look around the table. "We would all do well to show that same kindness and understanding."
If Leon noticed how her gaze lingered upon him just a bit longer than the others, he doesn't say. With a steady look, he dutifully starts in on his broccoli like the big grown up boy scout he is.
"I notice," Aerith says, turning to look at Ardyn while she picks at her steaming corn, "that you haven't said much tonight, Mr. Chancellor."
He smiles at her. "Well, what is there to say, really? Yours is quite the marvelous city. I'm afraid that even before the Fall I never had occasion to visit it. Now that I have… Well, I should hope there might someday be an opportunity to stay for an extended period."
"Not while there's so much going on back home," Laguna puts in, shaking his head. "Restructuring a government is hard work. Even this visit won't be able to continue as long as I would like, unfortunately. But, three days is a long time to be gone in the early days of a new administration. Which reminds me, I want to check up on Celes right after dinner."
"Well," Aerith says, easily resuming her conversation, "I'm sure that once things settle down, all over I mean, you would really enjoy an extended stay here in the Garden."
"I have to agree," Mickey chimes in. It's the first time in a while that he's spoken, which concerns Sora somewhat after the talk they'd had. "This place is nothing less than amazing, considerin' the short amount of time you've had to put everything together. I mean, two years?" He focuses his gaze specifically on Leon now, warmth and kindness radiating from his big eyes. "Ansem the Wise would be so proud of what you've done."
Both Restoration Committee members look appropriately touched, nodding their thanks to the king. Laguna, meanwhile, has an oddly thoughtful look about him.
"Ansem the Wise, eh?" he says, frowning as he uses his fork to mix some peas around. "So what is the story there anyway? Because I was looking over some really old intelligence files we managed to dig up before I came, and there were some pretty crazy rumors going around back then."
The Radiant Garden citizens and their offworld friends exchange glances around the table, a sudden air of nervousness permeating the room. Mickey looks especially sheepish, coughing briefly into his napkin.
"I read those same reports," Ardyn agrees, apparently not noticing the others' discomfort. He turns an open, questioning look to Leon. "He became quite reclusive as the Fall approached. Some even suggested he was involved somehow."
Once again, Leon displays his worthiness to lead. He waves his hand at the others, firmly establishing that this conversation, which needed to happen eventually, is his to have. After a moment of firming up his resolve, Leon turns to Bright Oasis's president.
And then, without warning, all the lights in the castle go out.
The ballroom manages to avoid falling into total darkness, the decorative battery-operate lights at each table providing some meager illumination, and the moon streaming in from the wall of windows helping keep the dance floor somewhat lit.
Still, the sudden lack of meaningful light inevitably causes some consternation. Especially in a city so well-acquainted with what the darkness can hide. A few screams, mostly from children, ring out through the room. Then, just as the shock is starting to wear off and real panic is about to begin, the chandelier lights up just as suddenly as it had gone out.
Leon and Sora are already on their feet, and somehow Steiner got to Laguna's side within the few seconds of darkness. On a similar note, Cid is rushing toward their table, leaving a miffed LeBlanc behind on the dance floor.
"What's going on?" Leon snaps at the older mechanic, casting a nervous glance to Bright Oasis's bewildered president.
Cid just shrugs. "Beats the hell outta me. Power messed up, though I guess that was obvious. But even now things aren't quite as bright. Must be on backup power."
"Oh, why don't you ask Tron?" Sora pipes up. "He should know all about power grid stuff, right?"
"Is everything okay, really?" Laguna asks, standing up and moving to join the conversation. Steiner follows behind like the president's own shadow.
"Just give me a damn second and I'll figure it out!" Cid snaps, pulling back the sleeve of his jacket to reveal a small monitor mounted on his wrist. He extends a small antenna from it, then furiously jabs his thumb at the screen.
It lights up to reveal Tron's face, emitting its usual slight blue glow. The program frowns up at Cid, his eyes flickering from spot to spot like he's tracking an invisible insect. "One moment, please."
"One moment!" Cid roars, his face turning an alarming shade of red. "I didn't invent this damn thing just so you could put me on call waiting in a crisis, ya pixelated little…"
"Okay," Tron interrupts, perfectly calm despite being screamed at. "I was just making sure I had everything in proper order before I responded. It looks like whatever happened to the power generator was purely physical, I can't access anything from that system and it's not due to a block."
"So the generator itself is trashed," Leon says, earning a nod from the system administrator. "I suppose that tells us something right there."
"An attack," Sora reasons, his fists clenching hard.
"The outage is definitely local," Tron continues to explain, once again looking over data. "The castle's power is the only failure I'm seeing. Backup power is on now, which I'm sure you all can tell. As for your 'attack' theory, I can't say for certain from my position. Its possible that the generator just wasn't up to task for operating the castle at such high energy levels. Even with the improvements Cid has tried to make…"
"It's better to assume the worst," Leon declares. "How does being on backup power affect the security system?"
Tron opens his mouth to answer, only to suddenly close it in a deep frown. "Security sensors just got tripped in the study. Accessing cameras now…"
Whatever the program finds, the familiar sound of opening dark portals throws it out onto the backburner. The Heartless have arrived. Interestingly enough, the monsters' appearance doesn't seem to startle the residents of Radiant Garden half as much as the earlier sudden loss of light. Perhaps that first incident prepared their hearts for what comes now.
Or possibly, they're simply used enough to a crisis like this that they know immediately how to react. Mothers and fathers reach for their children, spouses prepare to protect each other, and any friend a person has on hand becomes an immediate ally. Whatever else living from crisis to crisis has done, it has made the people of Radiant Garden strong and prepared.
Sora doesn't see any of that, or rather he chooses to put his focus where it can be best put to use. By the time Kingdom Key is gripped in his hand, he can already feel Kairi and Mickey at his side with both their blades drawn as well.
"Nobody gets hurt," Sora declares, the others nodding in agreement. "Not one scratch."
The Keyblade wielders rush out to help, each one taking a different section of the room. Sora runs immediately into the thick of the Heartless, his silver blade flashing in the dim light as he slices through the creatures two and three at a time.
Kairi isn't too far away, though by now the original Keybearer has learned well that he doesn't need to keep a watchful eye on his girlfriend anymore. While she doesn't quite possess the depth of field experience he does, she's been taught by anybody willing to teach and has seen a bit of combat herself. Certainly enough to handle a few Heartless.
Mickey remains in the dining area, his natural and perfected acrobatics sending him hopping from table to table. His golden Keyblade, some kind of reverse twin to Sora's, flashes even brighter than the boy's as he nails flying Heartless midair. That's good, providing a beacon in the sea of tables.
The three Keyblade wielders provide the main defense, but of course they aren't the only fighters. Even without his gunblade, Leon easily grabs the nearest chair and starts swinging, if not killing the Soldiers that surround him at least knocking them away to where they can't be any trouble. Aerith brings a centerpiece down on creeping Shadow, while Steiner finally gets to prove his bodyguarding prowess. His pistol flashes and fills the air with the loud bang of gunfire, perfect for taking out airborne targets. A Fluttering takes a direct shot to the head, dissipating into nothing before it even hits the ground.
Laguna feels his own fingers twitching, his military experience against the Heartless that would regularly attack the walls of Bright Oasis coming fresh to mind. Ardyn, a civilian through and through, seems content to let those who are so inclined do the defending.
And all around, others take up the fight too. Quistis, though bereft of her whip, easily shifts into hand-to-hand combat. Someone else, Irvine of the Radiant Garden Defense Force Specialty Squad pulls out a pair of pistols, grinning beneath the wide-brimmed hat he wears as he fires at airborne Heartless. Beside him, a pale-skinned girl in black, Lulu, unleashes waves of magic.
Even ordinary citizens without special skills or training do what they can. Near the buffet table, in fact, a rather short gray-haired woman resorts to simply using her bamboo purse to whack any creatures that get near her and her friends! As he arrives and starts slashing away to provide a safe path to evacuate, Mickey can't help but feel mighty impressed.
Sora slashes through two Soldiers, then ducks as a Fluttering comes swooping down. Rising again, he stabs through the creature's chest as if it's a marshmallow for roasting. As it fades, something sharp cuts through his tuxedo jacket to strike at his back. Whatever it is, it thankfully only stays solid for a second before fading out.
He whirls to see several Heartless of a kind he's never encountered: short humanoid creatures in drab gray clothing, large red hats atop their heads. Each one holds a bow in its hand, full quiver at its side.
More arrows, thin lines of dark energy, come flying at him. Gritting his teeth, Sora swings his Keyblade in a wide arc to block. The arrows dissipate upon contact, though a few get through and manage to do some minor damage. Thoroughly frustrated now, the Keybearer charges forward to close the distance.
He only gets a few steps closer before the necessity vanishes. Three bullets and a fireball quickly dispose of the ranged annoyances. Sora spares a brief glance over his shoulder, just in time to see Lulu and Irvine refocusing their efforts toward other areas. And Kairi approaching, Light energy briefly illuminating her hand and disintegrating a trio of Flutterings midair.
"Quite the show," she declares, sliding to a stop beside him. Her feet are bare, the heels she was wearing rather prohibitive to intense combat. "What's it covering up?"
"Someone's in the study," Sora reports, blocking an Archer's arrow before turning his blade to decapitate a Soldier. "They must be after something from the computer. Tron can probably hold anything off for a while, but someone needs to get down there."
"You know the place better," Kairi admits, sidestepping a Soldier's charge before taking it out with a backhanded swing. Two Flutterings swoop down, but she quickly reverses her blade's momentum and slices them into four disintegrating pieces. "I think we've got this."
"KEYBLADE WIELDER!" a boisterous voice echoes through the room, somehow managing to remain earsplitting even over all the room's other noises.
After exchanging a quick look, Sora and Kairi turn to see Gilgamesh enter the room. The tall warrior in red armor moves down the steps with a dramatic swagger, a somewhat tattered coat covering his torso until the "big reveal". Once he reaches the first landing, he stops.
"YOU MAY HAVE ELUDED MY GRASP THUS FAR!" he continues to shout, his cloak spreading wider as he places both hands on his hips. "BUT TODAY, YOUR RECKONING HAS COME!"
"Oh boy," Sora sighs, shaking his head even as he casually crushes a Shadow. "I guess this one's on me, huh?"
Kairi shakes her head. She's already on the move, striding towards the stairs with determination in every step. Sora has to jog to quickly close the distance and walk in step beside her. "He doesn't deserve the satisfaction. You need to get to the study, I can handle him again. Use the right staircase. And be really obvious about it, I want to provide the drama this time."
No Heartless give them any bother while the Keyblade-wielding couple makes their way to the staircase, though whether it's because their master commands it or they just have their hands full is unknown. Though the dark creatures keep coming, it's becoming clear that this isn't a battle that will go their way.
"Ah, finally we meet face-to-face again," Gilgamesh gloats, a smile on his pale white face as he watches Sora coming up the stairs. He throws back his cloak, revealing the red armor on his torso and, of course, all four of his arms. They all reach behind his back, each producing a sword. It would probably be very dramatic, if the Keybearer hadn't seen it happen before. "Maleficent informed me of your treachery in our last encounter, Sora. If that indeed is you, and not yet another wigged impostor!"
"It's me," Sora confirms, stopping just a few steps below the landing and gripping Kingdom Key's handle with his free hand. "But I don't think you're gonna be very happy with this encounter either."
The villain chuckles at the threat, always happy to participate in a spirited exchange of banter. "Oh, I do believe I will. No more tricks, simply my steel against yours. For today, Sora, we fight like men!"
"Funny you should say it like that," the Keybearer replies, grinning.
For all his brashness and overinflated ego, Gilgamesh is still a battle-honed warrior. His instincts cry out just in time to turn slightly and deflect Kairi's downward-slashing Keyblade with the sword held in the hand of his upper left arm. He slashes with the lower, but she's already skipped out of range.
"Afraid you're still not Sora's priority," the redhead declares, holding her blade diagonal across her chest. "But I'm ready for round two."
Gilgamesh's eyes narrow, the old shame of his defeat at Olympus Coliseum filling him with anger. "I am not the same man I was when last we met, you ginger joke! None of your lightshows will win you this day." He grimaces, a pouty look coming over his face. "And besides, this is finally my big chance to face Sora!"
But when he glances toward his desired opponent, the red-clad minion finds him gone. Spluttering in angry confusion, Gilgamesh turns his head just in time to see Sora rushing out the door.
"Oh, come on!" he shouts, stamping his foot against the floor like a petulant child. Taking a deep breath, he turns to fully face Kairi and raises all of his blades. "Fine, whatever. Today, we fight like… like a man and a lady!"
Only the fact that four swords come swinging for her prevents Kairi from rolling her eyes right out of their sockets.
KH-KH-KH
No Heartless challenge Sora as he rides the lift stop across to the castle's entrance hall, giving the boy a much-needed moment to stop and take a breath. Once he's gotten himself together physically, he finds himself hammered by an emotional strike. It's the same one he's been feeling for a while now, and something that just a year ago he almost never would have felt.
Sora is tired. He wants to rest.
It's just as he told King Mickey only a few hours ago. He used to love the rush of adventure, fighting and defeating evil, keeping the Realm of Light safe. He'd missed his home, certainly, and to return was always his goal, but along the way he'd been happy to help wherever he could. It was everything a boy could want, back then with just Sora, Azlyn, and Telary against the universe's dark forces. The rush of heroism could always, however temporarily, push back his need to return to Destiny Islands.
But since he has returned, the thrill is definitely losing its potency. Every time he leaves the islands and finds himself embroiled in chaos, it diminishes even more. Perhaps it's natural, wishing to move beyond constant fighting for peace. Or, maybe he was never as happy to be out saving the universe as he convinced himself he was.
He thankfully doesn't have much time to stew over it all, though. The library door remains open just a few inches, and the sounds of battle waft out into the hall. Steeling himself, Sora rushes through the door.
He nearly trips over a trio of Soldiers, just barely skidding to a halt before impact. The Heartless take note, turning and immediately putting their sharp claws to work. Sora blocks blows from two of them, but the third manages to slip around his guard and slash into the Keybearer's arm. Shocked by the sudden pain, he jerks left, nudging the three Soldiers into each other. He slashes downward to bisect one vertically, then on a horizontal upswing manages to decapitate the other two.
Sora takes a deep breath to center himself, just in time to see Riku flipping backwards over the second floor's railing. The silver-haired young man lands easily, grimacing as a trio of Blue Rhapsodies follow after him with blasts of icy blue energy. Riku raises a shield to block, before thrusting out his left hand and a ball of dark purple fire. It catches two of the small mages, the third ducking aside as it prepares another blast.
It doesn't get the chance to fire, as Yuffie comes over the railing now, a straight downward dive with both arms held out. She catches the Heartless in both hands, bringing it along for the ride. Grunting, she flips over and throws it. The Rhapsody hits the ground hard as she lightly lands behind it. Riku stabs Way to Dawn into the creature, and it disappears in a burst of glowing particles.
His mouth turned down in a pronounced frown, Riku turns to Sora. "I assume something's up?"
Sora opens his mouth to answer, but a cry from Yuffie stops the Keybearer short. He whirls around, just in time to watch the bookshelf behind him start to tip forward. He instinctively throws up his hand, Riku and Yuffie joining him on either side. Together, the trio manage to keep the heavy shelf from squashing them all flat.
Using all their strength, they throw it back the way it had come. Several Soldiers who had been climbing over the diagonal shelf finds themselves suddenly falling back down. Luckily, the bulk of the Large Body that had pushed the shelf over in the first place keeps it from completing its backwards fall and destroying them all. Flexing one arm, the round Heartless pushes the shelf back.
Sora, Riku, and Yuffie are clear of the crush zone, and as soon as the shelf settles they're all atop it and rushing the Heartless. The Large Body swings its fist, but Yuffie flips over it and to the side, while Riku leaps directly over and swings his Keyblade down at the large creature's invulnerable front. Obviously no damage is done, but its enough of a distraction for Sora to make it to its back while still casually taking out the lingering Soldiers. A single swing of Kingdom Key destroys the large monster, leaving the library calm and quiet.
"There's a big attack going on in the ballroom," Sora explains, as if there hadn't been a fight since Riku asked his question. "But it's a distraction. Something's going down in Ansem's study too, probably with the computer."
"We still haven't disconnected that thing?" Yuffie grumbles.
"And I guess you were planning on taking a look?" Riku asks, sardonic even in the face of danger. He doesn't even wait for his friend to respond before nodding, "Yeah, of course. I'll go with you."
Sora smiles. "Sure thing."
"I'm gonna get back to the ballroom," Yuffie declares, already moving toward the door. "Much as I'd love to join you fine boys, I gotta keep an eye on my people. Good luck though." With one last brief look to Riku, she exits the library.
The boys head for the room's back wall, where what was once yet another secret-passage bookshelf has been replaced with some crude plywood and a plain door. Sora opens it up and steps onto the balcony behind, where an elevator platform waits to take them down.
"So," Sora says as their descent begins, looking at Riku with a poorly contained grin. "You and Yuffie in the library, huh?"
The silver-haired young man lets out a sigh before answering. "She just wanted to show me something. And talk away from all the party noise."
"And was it a nice talk?" Sora asks as the platform halts with a light shake. Riku is the first out, walking at a brisk pace that has nothing to do with the situation's actual urgency. "C'mon, you can tell me. What're friends for?"
"Maybe another time," Riku says as they enter the twisting network of corridors beneath the castle. "Now, which way are we supposed to go here? C'mon, this is a serious situation."
Sora decides not to take the matter further, especially since Riku has a point about seriousness. He leads the way, though his memory of the correct route is far from perfect. Still, the pair manage to make their way through without getting lost more than once. The door to Ansem's study is fully opened, what they can see of the room beyond completely empty and silent.
The Keyblade wielders enter with maximum stealth, looking around the small space for any sign of intruders. Their eyes are immediately drawn to where one wall is gone completely, revealing a dull grey hallway much like that of the corridors before. The faint sound of humming wafts through the opening, underscored by a light persistent clicking. Fingers on a keyboard, Sora guesses.
Remaining silent, the boys enter. The hallway, though short, curves at steep ninety-degree angles every few feet, limiting their visibility while also increasing stealth. If Sora is recalling correctly, there should only be two turns before the computer room is visible, offering a perfect charging distance.
That's his plan anyway. Then they turn and find themselves staring at a dark blue metal orb the size of a blitzball. Before either of the boys have time to be curious, a loud click emanates from the orb, and it ignites in a fiery explosion.
Riku manages to react in time, throwing up one of his dark shields just before the bomb goes off. He and Sora still find themselves at the mercy of the explosion's force though, thrown back into the study. Riku tumbles all the way into the back wall, while Sora's smacks into the desk and flips over.
Luckily, neither of the Keyblade wielders are strangers to recovering from shocking throws. Groaning, they both manage to rise to their feet. Sora, happy to be alive even if there is considerable pain, prepares to inform Pete that they'd survived his little trap.
He barely gets his mouth open before a tentacle-like appendage made of some black, inky substance wraps itself around his throat. Moments later, a vaguely humanoid shape made of the same slithers out of the hallway. Sora immediately recognizes the Blot, barely gasping in any air before the tentacle around his throat begins to squeeze.
Riku makes an impressive leap from his landing spot, clearing the desk by a good foot before bringing Way to Dawn down on the tentacle strangling his best friend. It separates from the main body with an icky squelch noise. A moment later, another choked noise from Sora indicates that it's continuing to operate independently.
There's no time to deal with that now, unfortunately. The Blot lurches after Riku, more tentacles growing from the main lump. They strike out at the silver-haired young man, forcing him to focus on his own troubles.
Meanwhile Sora drops the Keyblade, instead wrapping both hands around his noose. He pulls with all his might, but to no avail. The thing simply has too strong a grip. He tries to breath, but nothing gets through his windpipe. Darkness begins to encroach around the boy's vision, his head feeling as if it's swimming underwater.
No! Sora declares inside his head. This can' be how he goes down, not after everything he's been through. Every thought is a struggle, but he just needs to find some kind of spark for an idea.
And suddenly, he has it. The Keybearer closes his eyes, focusing on the energy inside of him. With his last thought before unconsciousness claims him, he releases it in a single magic spell. His hands spark and crackle, white light forming around them as he discharges an electrical current in a low level Thunder spell.
The magical electricity sinks into the millions of tiny nanomachines that make up the Blot. Suddenly overwhelmed by the surge of power, each of them fail at once. The solid tentacle falls apart, in the form of a gooey sludge that oozes down Sora's jacket and shirt. He watches it slide, his head feeling too heavy to lift. So much for this suit, then.
Sora sucks in as much air as he can, happy to feel the oxygen flowing throughout his body with each lungful he gulps down. After a few moments, he finds himself able to move his neck, though the lingering pain is still discomfiting.
Riku is still struggling against the rest of the Blot, his blade working double-time to cut off all the limbs coming at him. Eventually, one manages to slip through, grabbing his right arm and preventing it from bringing the Keyblade to bear. The silver-haired wielder struggles, but more and more tentacles wrap themselves all around him.
Gritting his teeth, Sora raises his right hand toward the semi-sentient sludge's main body. Once again he calls upon his internal energy, releasing more of it this time. Half a dozen bolts of lightning lance down from thin air, producing a halo of energy around the nanomachinary collective. It shudders, wildly flailing about even as it starts dissolving.
Riku grimaces at the slimy substance the fading Blot leaves behind, doing his best to wipe it off. He only succeeds in just spreading it around. "You don't happen to know any water spells, do you?" he asks Sora in a toneless deadpan.
"It's not that bad," the Keybearer declares, rubbing his sore neck. He's still breathing carefully, glad for each lungful. "Besides," he quips, his free hand casually gesturing to his own tuxedo, "now we match. C'mon!"
The boys rush back into the gray hall, no longer concerned with stealth. They reach the end in seconds, spotting Pete within the computer room. Dressed in his usual blue and red jumpsuit, the fat cat stands over the terminal, frowning at its screen. All it's displaying at the moment is lines of code, most of it colored an angry red. The rest glows green, but that color's presence seems to diminish by the second.
Sora is first into the room. Or he would be, if it weren't for the invisible field barring him from entering. He crashes into it headlong, suddenly feeling the Blot's pain as electricity discharges into his body. Riku wisely stops short of ramming into it.
Pete turns to face the Keyblade wielders, a toothy grin spread across his jowls. "Well, if it ain't the Keybrat and Maleficent's old toy. Figured you'd show up eventually. How'd ya like seeing the Blot again?"
"It was a shock," Riku shoots back, steaming from the "old toy" comment. "Not quite as much as the one we gave it."
The fat cat seems annoyed for a brief second, his grin shrinking a few centimeters. "Ah, well I guess that's what I get fer not takin' the time to insulate. Well, I kept ya outta my hair for a minute anyway." He looks at Sora, still a bit woozy from the shock. "Put your guard down considerable too, I suspect."
"You just got a cheap shot!" Sora shoots back. He summons the Keyblade in a flash, bringing it down hard on the force field. There's a brief flash of white light at the impact point, but the shield holds. His next swing produces the same results.
Pete watches his enemy's frustration with clear satisfaction. It only seems to grow when a loud ding emanates from Ansem's computer. A black and gray disc pops out of the terminal, and Maleficent's minion gingerly picks it up between two large fingers. For the first time, Sora notices some kind of metal gauntlet attached to his right hand.
"What's on that disc?" Riku demands, almost stepping forward before he remembers the field once again. "What are you after here?"
Pete unleashes a loud, boisterous laugh at that, his belly shaking. Behind him, a portal of darkness appears. "Oh sure, like I'm just gonna tell ya outright! Ain't quite got the hang of this hero/villain thing yet, eh?"
"We'll know soon enough!" Sora retorts. "Tron's gonna have a record of exactly what you stole!"
If the Keybearer expects his nemesis to be shocked by that statement, he's in for a disappointment. The fat cat just laughs again, taking a step back toward his dark exit. "Sure thing, Squirt." Shaking his head, he holds up his right arm, a small noise coming from the gauntlet. "Alright Gil, show's over. We got what we came for." With a mocking wave, Pete turns and enters the portal. It begins to close, some small object flying out just before it disappears.
By the time Sora and Riku realize that it's yet another bomb, there's a loud click, then an explosion. The boys step back and raise their hands, a futile attempt at protection if it weren't for the force field. It sparks bright blue all over, holding out just long enough for the danger to pass before failing completely.
Thick black smoke fills the hall, swallowing the Keyblade wielders in darkness.
I know all this quick subsequent uploading seems pretty impressive, but actually I had the first two chapters finished, and this one about halfway done, when I uploaded the story in the first place. I actually intended to write a few more in advance, but I got too impatient.
Anyway, shoutouts to Bezerk21 and DJ Scales, and a special mention of Nightwing2013 for finally joining the party! Glad everybody seems to be enjoying this so far, hopefully I can keep that energy up.
As a last note, according to the much more accurate word count at AO3, with this chapter the Keys to the Kingdom series has officially passed the million words mark! That's kind of hard to believe, though not if you're my poor aching hand! Okay, until next time everybody!
