Kingdom Hearts
The Light in Dark Flames
Chapter 6: In a Day's Work
With Basil, Dawson and Olivia, I managed to follow them through the sewers until we emerged on the street above, to which Basil would whistle right away. Upon doing so, I heard the familiar bark moments later, and sure enough, Toby was running down the street towards us, and like any hound, was rather excited to meet up with us again, especially Olivia. The reunion was brief, for Basil quickly informed the hound that the queen was in mortal danger. As if understanding Basil's words, Toby began to growl and lowered himself to the ground, allowing the four of us to climb onto his back. When we were all on, Toby took off in the direction of the palace.
Sure enough, partway through, more Heartless mages decided to engage us in combat again, and this time, there seemed to be more in number. Ratigan and his thugs must already be starting to produce negative influence to attract their attention… and in massive numbers as well. I had Golden Outback at the ready, and threw it at them accordingly when they were not only in reach, but I lined up my shots so they would rebound and hit more than one. I got blasted with a fireball on the vest I wore, which I was force to shed to keep myself from burning, but I was able to defeat the heartless that did that to me.
Naturally, Basil was providing his form of assistance as well, using his revolver to fire at any that come within range for him to hit accurately and in multiples. After what seemed like a few quick moments of this, the Heartless seemed to thin out, and considering where we were going, there were bound to be thugs as well. Reaching into my pocket for the bronze crown keychain, I put it on and placed the chain that Jake had given me before, which forced my keyblade to return to its normal state, Dark Fire. Purples, blacks and reds with mixed demon wings for the guard, solid, supported chain for the main blade, and a black angel feather for the key end, it was the first weapon I used, and I figured I needed it for what was to come. Maybe the extra weight will have me get used to swinging it around again...
Upon arriving to the palace, I dismounted from Toby just as quickly as Dawson, Olivia and Basil, rushing in, but Basil requested I head to the main crowd and blend in, to which I accepted to the terms. I took my turn to the main hall, but along the way, I put on my proper attire; the maroon coat, white shirt, gray pants, and red and black loafers. However, I had my collar lifted, and while at first, I forced Dark Fire to vanish for the time being. Before the main hallway, I was forced to encounter a couple of Ratigan's goons, to which I had to call on my weapon once again, seeing them dressed for the part of royal guards. I can also hear Ratigan in the other room, explaining the new laws he was going to enforce on the mice of London. It sounded like he was on 'item eighty-seven', so I had to get in there soon.
The thugs, surprisingly, weren't as armed as they should've been; the muskets they had were only props, but the bayonets attached to them were still dangerous. I managed to fight defensively, and as they were actual opponents, I was able to mix in my limited martial arts. I was able to immediately parry one of their attacks, and a few clubs to the head, they fell to the ground unconscious, which left the other, which now on his own, I was able to outwit. When they tried to stab me with the bayonet, I was able to evade the blow, and counter with a tripping sweep with my right leg, forcing them onto their back. Before they could get up, I hit them hard in the face with my weapon, also knocking them unconscious.
With that done, I had Dark Fire properly vanish now, as I entered the room like a late joiner, slipping into the back of the crowd. It was at that time that Ratigan listed off his ninety-sixth item on the paper he had, which was a heavy tax to be forced on the 'parasites and sponges ', specifically, the elderly, the infirm, and little children. That was absurd! And I can see from all the other mice here that they were displeased; one elderly man with a leg cast and crutch openly stated his mind by calling Ratigan insane. However, I didn't want to make the jump; looking around, Ratigan's goons were around, also in uniform, and I didn't wish to make an attack so abruptly.
Then, after breaking the old man's crutch, Ratigan was trying to explain that this was his kingdom to control, and this had me raise an eyebrow; not likely, if the Queen was right there beside him, but then… I noticed there was some features about her that didn't seem right for a mouse. So many squared features… this couldn't be her can it? After a maniacal laugher from Ratigan, the criminal mind seemed to correct himself by speaking modestly, "That is, of course, with your Highness' permission." He was addressing the 'Queen' for this one, and… all he got was silence in return. I would've expected an immediate response as well, but I would've been more patient about it, as Ratigan gave her a noticeable smack on the cheek.
"Most assuredly…" The voice sounded a little off as well, but judging from its change of expression, I couldn't help but grin a little. This is most definitely going to play out differently than what Ratigan had ever hoped for. "…you insidious fiend!" The tone was changed a little, and upon being called this, Ratigan was surprised as much as everyone else in the room, with a quick follow-up that he was not her Royal Consort, though Ratigan tried his best to cover it up, yet with no avail. I knew it; Ratigan hoped to get rid of the real queen, and have this robot say everything he wanted it to, but someone must operate the controls elsewhere, which if I had to guess, Basil was controlling it now.
"A corrupt, vicious, demented, lowlife scoundrel; there's no evil scheme you wouldn't concoct!" I heard the 'queen' pronounce, and when the head quickly rose and bit Ratigan on the nose, I chuckled and knew exactly what was the situation. The goons were at a loss of what was happening, distracted by what they were seeing to even consider the chuckle I provided. "No depravity you wouldn't commit!" The 'queen' added, all while Ratigan tried to muffle it, but like any robot, it surprisingly overpowered the rat, and lifted him up and let him fall.
"You, Professor, are none other than a foul stenchus rodentus, commonly known as a-!" As the robot said and tried to finish this up, it began to fall apart and expose itself for what it really was. I can also see the rat fuming with anger, seething with rage to the point where Ratigan immediately grasped at the now revealed bot, desperately shouting at it to never say it. However, I wandered out to the middle of the hallway, just as Basil came out from behind the curtains.
"Sewer rat!" Basil and I shout out in unison, which seemed to have brought pain to Ratigan himself, and at this point, the goons were unprepared for what was to come when Basil ordered for the arrest of Ratigan, he, Dawson, who I guess to be Flaversham, and the queen and a handful of other mice running up to tackle the criminal mind. I summoned Dark Fire, and after ushering the women and children through the main hall doorway, I watched as the goons were trying to fend off the remaining mice that had a bone to pick with them, but additionally, I saw Heartless begin to appear. I ran in between both crowds, of mice and Heartless, and face my adversary, the shadows and knights that had formed.
After a stare down, I lunged in and began to swipe and attack any that were within my weapon's slightly greater reach. The standard shadows weren't holding up well, but the knights could take a few swings from my weapon. What surprised me, however, was a few of the mice that had finished taking care of the few goons of Ratigan's, they would come in and help in whatever ways they could, mostly to distract the Heartless so I could go in for the finishing blows to make them easier. Fighting alone was difficult, but when it was with a fellow group, it really helped on my end.
The Heartless seemed to be in quite the mass here, for even after a few minutes, I was starting to feel exhausted, but the numbers have definitely dwindled down so I could manage for another minute longer. With the help of others, as well as Basil who joined the fray somewhat unintentionally, the Heartless were gone from the hall, but a voice, Fidget's particularly, could be heard, and up on a nearby balcony, I could see him ushering Ratigan to join him, and not just that, he was holding Olivia. Looking over to Ratigan, I threw my keyblade as quickly as I could, but he managed to narrowly evade my keyblade after grabbing a rope to swing from onto the said balcony. After my weapon returned to my hand, I glared at the evil rat that warned us if we moved, the girl will die, leaving soon after with her. With Basil, Dawson and Flaversham, I followed them out to the courtyard, seeing Ratigan's men get arrested in their involvement in his plot along the way.
Outside, the clouds seemed to have built up, making London rather dark, but a bit of a moon shone through to provide some light. Looking up, we could see a dirigible flying above us, and it was there we knew that was the scoundrel. Basil instructed Dawson and Flaversham to gather up a few balloons, while he brought down the flag, the Uninion Jack, while ushering me close as well. I saw Basil then let something drop towards me, and when I managed to catch it, I saw what it was; a keychain with a miniature gold magnifying glass on it.
I didn't question it, for immediately I would replace the keychain I had already, and put this one on. Then I watched Dark Fire undergo its second change; the keyblade, this time, had a glass blade with a golden rim around it. The handle seemed golden in color, the guard looking like a pair of golden angel wings, and the end of the blade was another, spherical glass with a gold rim around it as well to help it take blows. There was a bit more weight to it than Dark Fire, suggesting it would be slower to swing, but would definitely hit harder and… with the glass, well I can't make any assumptions, but it may help me understand my opponents a lot more easily.
I had no reason to question it, for immediately I went to work to help the other three build a means to travel through the air, using the balloons as both propulsion and lift. After getting on with them on a box-shaped platform, I held my new keyblade firmly. Basil didn't raise any questions about the change in keyblade; perhaps he may have noticed me swap keychains before, and saw the result it brought. Regardless, when we were right before the other flying object, I took aim at Fidget, who was the one making the dirigible go anywhere, and if I can knock him off, it would make it easier to catch Ratigan and end this.
However, I was too slow, for Fidget immediately worked on the pedals to get out of striking range. The keyblade returned to my hand, right as Basil ordered Flaversham and Dawson both to let it go, and holding onto the flag, the means of propulsion had us quickly catch up to our fleeing adversaries. The movements were awkward and hard to keep balance on one's own, but if holding onto something, it made life that much easier. Giving chase to Ratigan, more Heartless mages appeared around us, and considering the circumstances, I had to take them out.
"Keep it on course Basil; I'll handle the Heartless!" I shouted, keyblade held firmly as I waited for those Heartless to come in, to which I would throw my weapon at them like always. It seemed that despite the weight, the keyblade I would humbly call the 'Sleuth's Assistant' had just as far of a throwing reach as Dark Fire and Golden Outback, though the latter keyblade was able to rebound off multiple adversaries. Thankfully, the number of Heartless mages was so few, even with the lacking ability to hit multiple opponents; I was able to handle them with only another hit with a fire bolt on my arm.
There seemed to be no more Heartless around, as we managed to catch up with Ratigan's craft, but I noticed that Fidget was thrown off, probably because he was fatigued from everything going on. This made the path of where Ratigan was going to that much easier to follow, and even keep up. As I wanted to jump aboard and aid Basil in capturing Ratigan, something compelled me to say this was his opponent to triumph over. As such, I stayed aboard as Basil leaped and grabbed one of the tail flaps of the craft, and made an effort to knock Ratigan off, but missed. I could throw my keyblade, but it would put Basil and Olivia in danger as well, so I had to refrain. But, looking up, I saw where we were approaching.
"Slow down!" I called out to both Dawson and Flaversham, and while we were able to slow down and stop in time, the dirigible continued onwards and crashed into the clock face of Big Ben. From where I saw the crash, I didn't see any of the three there by the wreckage, so I assumed they were inside the tower itself. I didn't wish to stand out here and wait, so I immediately began to think to myself; Basil and Olivia would need a way off this, if they are able to outwit Ratigan- no, no 'if's. Basil will outwit Ratigan; he is the greater mind than his adversary, so I could have faith in him. The number of Heartless dropped so low, that I doubt Ratigan's negative influence would draw them in now...
"Flaversham, Dawson, try to get in as close to that ledge as possible." I explained, pointing to a place near the top of Big Ben that seemed to lead inside the tower without having to break anything. As such, with a minor release of air from the balloons, we began to shuffle the aircraft close to the ledge. It began to rain heavily now, the thunder and lightning crashing in the distance, but sure enough, coming through that earlier mentioned entrance were Basil and Olivia, but they seemed to be in a rush. They may have trapped Ratigan, but they know he could break loose and come after them, is the memo I understood.
"Olivia, reach out and hold on tight!" I called out, while holding out the end of my keyblade for her to grab on to, though even with Basil holding her up, she was having difficulties reaching out. Come on… I looked up, and I can see Ratigan, his once dignified suit having been long torn, his hair an absolute mess… He went from civil to monstrous that quickly, but I tried not to think about it. Just before Olivia could grab my keyblade, Basil was tackled, forced to throw her upwards a little. In that split second, I made a small dive to extend the reach of Sleuth's Assistant, enough for her to hold onto. I pulled her in quickly, so she would be on solid ground and hug her father. But, Basil and Ratigan both went down along the side of Big Ben, and… I know that Basil may not be able to handle Ratigan on his own, considering what I seen.
"Hover close to the clock face; I'll see you there." I told them, and… following after the two, I jumped off the aircraft, and slipped down the drenched tiling, though I used my keyblade to slow myself enough so, when I jumped off the end, I would begin to fall towards the hour hand. I made a spread eagle position as I fell, then to slow my decent, I grabbed the bottom of my coat and opened it up, allowing the air draft to catch me a little, and made for a safer landing on the hour hand, a fair bit close to Basil who was trying to keep himself from falling off the limited walking space of the hand provided.
When I heard Dawson call out to Basil, I can see relief on his face, but when Ratigan tried to grab Basil, the sleuth was able to get out of his grasp, but I moved forward to step in Ratigan's path. My heart was beating quickly as I stared at my opponent. Ratigan was fuming with rage; he was clearly a monster at this point, one of which I will have to dispose of for the well-being of Basil and myself.
I held my keyblade firmly; while handling Joanna was sheer luck and the layout of the battleground, this most definitely would be different considering the area I stood was limited, and my opponent was a rat considerably larger than myself. One that was quick at that, no doubt, for he was right there on top of me in moments with frightfully quick agility and speed, I had barely enough time to raise my keyblade defensively to block his blows. I couldn't get the timing right with him to parry them effectively, so I basically had to defend while waiting for a gap to open up.
When I was able to catch on to his attack patterns, I found an opening, one of which I quickly exposed by striking at Ratigan's torso when he began to wind up for another strike. This stunned him while he growled, so I followed up with a thrusting motion and then a wide arch to knock him away from me, but it wasn't that far. From that attack pattern, I lost a fair bit of ground; I couldn't let that happen again or I may fall off the hour hand. Basil seemed to have lost his revolver somewhere, most likely during the crash into Big Ben, no doubt, and that may be why he's unable to participate right now. It was really only me right now to fend off Ratigan.
Once again, the rat was right on top of me, swinging with those dangerously sharp claws, and to get at me, he would reach out with his tail to trip me, which he succeeded in doing. Even on my back, I was able to raise my keyblade defensively as his claws tried to lock into my keyblade. "Boy, you don't know strength when it's before your eyes! I won't allow Basil to escape this time!" I heard him shout at me as I could feel his weight push me back, and it seemed like I may actually lose the lock, but… I was in for a surprise when I saw Basil lunge in to kick Ratigan off me, forcing the lock to break. In the brief moment of exposure, I lunged out and hit Ratigan hard with Sleuth's Assistant, forcing him back again. However, my time to get up was limited, for Ratigan was on me again, and even as I rose my keyblade in defense, I was pushed back a fair ways. There was only about a foot and a half separating myself from the edge!
Think Demitri, think… simply attacking Ratigan doesn't offer much, and with him on the constant offense, my defense is forcing me to lose ground as well. I had to think of something, but my defense was forced to be tested once again, however, Ratigan was able to break through it, and managed to strike me with those claws of his directly, cutting into me rather roughly on my side. Far from my vital organs, and the wound wasn't deep, but my coat and shirt were starting to become a bit red as a result. I lost a half a foot from that hit alone. I got up again, and I was hit again, but the claws never cut me this time; instead, I was hit with Ratigan's palms right into the chin, forcing me to land on my back. That's another half a foot!
Ratigan was on top of me before I made the motion to get up, and once again, claws were locked into my keyblade, and Ratigan's brute strength was again overwhelming me in this lock. Basil would approach this time and try another kick to get Ratigan off me, but… the same trick wouldn't fool the criminal mind a second time, for he was able to keep me in my lock, while knocking Basil away, right so he was hanging onto the edge of the hour hand for dear life. And without any help, I was quickly grabbed by the throat by Ratigan, and I was starting to get strangled. However, rather than have me choke, he threw me to the side, towards the clock face… and off the hour hand!
I recovered quickly, thrusting my keyblade into the glass, but I lost height, from where I stood, I was in no position to help Basil from here, and I can see Ratigan looking down at Basil, ready to deliver the next hit. Then… I watched Basil let go just before he got hit. Dawson and Flaversham, as well as Olivia were close to us, but they were not close enough to catch Basil in mid-fall. I closed my eyes, and began to shout at myself; no, this can't be it! Not by a long shot!
"…Use the power of the keyblade… Use movement and momentum to run up along the wall, and make a leap to defeat the one with the ill mind!" A voice called out to me, and while I did not know where it came from, I saw my keyblade begin to glow a little. Use the power of the keyblade. I looked down, and I saw Basil, who managed to catch the wreckage of the hot air balloon of Ratigan's. He didn't say it, but he was seeing the glow from my keyblade. With a nod of determination, I swung in momentum in an upwards motion.
As I did, I heard Basil call out to Ratigan, who believed he won, "On the contrary! The game's not over yet!" Basil shouted this, and seconds later, he rang a bell; the exact same one that Ratigan used before to have his lackeys knock me out. It seemed Ratigan forgot about me, and I was able to follow the instructions; with my belief in the keyblade, I was able to run up along the tower's face, right so I was right high above Ratigan. I kicked off, right when Big Ben rang out loudly. The feeling and flowing motion was almost in slow motion as I can see Ratigan was stunned from being on the hour hand, and was feeling the brunt of the ringing vibrations.
"Ratigan! Your time is up… now!" I cried out as I made a diving slash towards the rat, the falling momentum of gravity and the weight of the keyblade led to a very devastating blow to Ratigan. The force was enough to knock him right off the hour hand despite his much larger size, with me standing in his place as I heard him cry out from his sudden high-rise fall. As Big Ben continued to ring after hitting a new hour, I had to endure standing for as many rings as there were for the current hour, which seemed to be around ten, there abouts, so nine, minus the first one that Ratigan endured.
I panted and heaved out, releasing my keyblade and had it vanish as the final ring subsided, and I was able to stand upright again. My side was in pain from the injury inflicted, but I remembered the potions I had gathered quite some time ago, and took the liberty to drink one of them. The injury seemed to close up and heal. I may have a minor, hardly noticeable scar there now, but it was nothing too serious; I'll be able to recover, no doubt.
I heard shouts of joy and success as I looked up, and saw Dawson, Flaversham, Olivia, and Basil on the made balloon we had crafted; it seems they were able to help Basil aboard, and now it seemed like it was my turn, but… well, Basil ushered to come in, and he landed near me.
"Excellent display of ability and strategy, young man; you knew exactly that by holding out long enough, Ratigan would forget about the vibrations that Big Ben would have to offer when it would strike a new hour. Thus, it would lead to his untimely demise by the most unlikely of individuals, one of which is not his sheer adversary." Basil spoke to me, as if coming to the conclusion that was what I had planned, and… no, that wasn't it.
"Actually… I was kind of trying to think of a way to get past his powerful onslaught, find a way to counter and parry his attacks, which… didn't work out so well. I never was aware of the time, nor did I know that the vibrations would affect even the clock hands…" I spoke honestly, scratching the back of my head as I do, but Basil chuckled as he placed a hand on my shoulder.
"Regardless, if it hadn't been for you, Ratigan would've gotten away once again. He may not be behind bars, but London is now effectively safe and no need to fear him any longer. And I owe you my thanks… Demitro." I swear now Basil is intentionally teasing me again by mispronouncing my name, but… I chuckled at it, deciding not to be as offended about it like before.
"Demitri… Try to call me that more often if you can, Basil; I know you're more than capable of doing such." I explained with a chuckle, but then, I noticed a bit of a shine from Basil's coat, and stepping back, I watched Basil take notice as well and pulled out what it was; the same bell he rang moments ago. Sleuth's Assistant appeared in my hands, a bit of a bright light coming from it, and… recalling the incident back in the previous book, I knew the ill will was no longer within the book, so I must be at the end of my journey here.
"It seems it's time that I must take my leave, Basil. You're right that I was not from around here… In fact, you could say I came from another plane of reality that brought me here and, subconsciously, led to me helping you put an end to the ill-will that was troubling London. I won't forget you in my travels; as long as I carry this… Sleuth's Assistant, I will always be reminded of this adventure I had with you, Dawson, Olivia, and Flaversham. I won't say goodbye, though… perhaps we may see each other again in the future, Basil." I spoke, taking a step away from Basil, and held my keyblade with both hands.
"It was quite an adventure, young chap. I will be sure to have you mentioned to the queen in some way so you will be known for your success here today… Demitri." I heard Basil speak out to me, with me responding with a nod before I rose my keyblade to the keyhole that formed above the bell of Basil's. The beam of light shot out from the end, creating a bright flash of light as a result, blinding me for the first time in a while…
Upon opening my eyes after the bright light faded, once again, I found myself back in the library, and looking around, I heard the sound of pages fluttering from the book ahead of me, and watched as the lock for it latched the entire thing closed. The cover, like the previous one, had an alteration made to it; right by one of Toby's front paws, there stood a mouse in a maroon trench coat, white shirt, gray pants, and black and red loafers with what seemed to be a key-shaped magnifying glass in his hand, but he was looking through the end lens like it really was a magnifying glass.
I smiled and chuckled softly as I saw this, and then turned to face the last book I had yet to investigate, but I was suddenly drawn when I heard sounds nearby. "Ah… so you have cleansed two of the books I had requested of you, Demitri. Nicely done with the limited knowledge you have in wielding the keyblade" This voice… it was the Pagemaster's, I believe so. Turing in the direction I heard the voice, sure enough, there he stood, in his blue robe, scholar cap, book-topped staff and his beard of pages and scrolls.
"Your progress in understanding the keyblade and its powers are truly fascinating; your friends would definitely be proud to see the wielder you have become. " The Pagemaster continued, approaching me with a firm smile on his expression. "However, the time has come for you to take up lessons from one who has mastered wielding the keyblade. Yet, to do that, you must be able to make contact with them… Thankfully, the one who is able to make contact with them happens to be present, and is willing to teach you how to talk with who will be your teacher." I listened to these words, and this confused me. Wasn't my master supposed to be out on an errand?
"I am aware of what I said, Demitri, but do not be confused… you will still be receiving guidance from the one I told you before. From here, you must travel to the Fantasy section of this library… it will be there that you will meet the one who will hone you on your ability to contact other keyblade wielders, including your friends, and who will be your master, as well…" I heard him speak, and like before, his disappearance was fragmented, from legs and arms, to torso, and lastly, his head, once again leaving me on my own. The Fantasy section… well, no point in lingering around here; I'm sure I'll be able to find my way back here again when I get some of my training complete…