Okage Hearts
Chapter 7
If I owned Okage, then there would have been sequels by now. I think that PlayStation currently owns the rights, as the original company for the game has long since gone out of business.
Ari walked into the Town Hall, dispelled his Keyblade, and went up to the set of windows that were set for different lines. Ringing the bell, he waited until someone came to answer his summon, and asked, "Name?"
"Ari," he responded, not sure if the man even heard him.
"What?" the man asked, verifying Ari's theory.
"Ari," he repeated in a slightly louder tone.
"And what is your business here, Nameless Traveler?" the man asked still not hearing Ari.
"We are here to gather information on this Sewer Evil King, so that I can defeat him!" Stan shouted, rising from Ari's shadow.
"Oh," the clerk said, "Just go through the door to my left, and wait with the rest of the Heroes."
As the pair walked, Stan returned to Ari's shadow, and said, "Well, that was easy. Wait, did he say 'Heroes'?"
Ari opened the door and saw an entire group of people standing in a long line. None of them were particularly intimidating, as the armored ones looked too slow to catch anyone, and the ones without any seemed a bit dim-witted, but that may have just been his view.
"What is the meaning of this, Slave?" Stan asked, not bothering to rise from Ari's shadow, "Why are there so many so-called Heroes. There can be only one Hero, the Great Hero."
Ignoring him, Ari walked up to the window station to get information, when he saw a familiar face. The woman from earlier was at that window, yelling at the man seated there, her parasol still open above her.
"What do you mean?" she roared, causing everyone in the room to flinch in fear, "I have more reason to fight him than anyone here! I need to kill him!"
"Everyone has to take a number and wait, revenge be darned," the man responded, "Besides, you're lucky that you get to go at all, since you're holding an umbrella open indoors. Of course given your situation with your shadow…"
Much to Ari's surprise, the woman with the parasol made a fist and punched the man so hard he fell over. When Ari got to the window, he helped the man up to his feet. Once the man got up, he asked, "What can I do for you? Are you a Hero here to defeat the Sewer Evil King?"
"Not that I'm aware of," Ari muttered, but continued, "I am here to fight the Sewer Evil King, though. Who was the woman who punched you, and why did she do it?"
"That was the Hero Rosalyn," the man replied, "She hit me for mocking her predicament. If you want to know what it is, you'll have to ask her or yourself. Well, since you're here, take a number. You'll be Number 1032001. We're currently on 315, and if they don't succeed, we're going on break for a couple hours, so just wander around if you want."
Mumbling his thanks, Ari walked off, determined to not really do much for the time being. At least that was what he was planning before Stan said, "Slave! We need to find a way in before one of those fools defeat the Sewer Evil King. Search for a secret entrance or something."
Ari automatically began wandering to find such an entrance. As long as he did that, Stan would probably not be very loud or complain. He kept searching before he came across a small building next to the Sewage Treatment Plant. Deciding to be polite, he knocked on the door, only to be greeted by a child who asked, "What's the password?"
"I don't have time for this," Stan growled at the boy as Ari's Keyblade materialized, "Let me in or I'll burn this place to the ground."
Believing that Ari was the one to make the threat, as Stan still hadn't bothered rising, the boy immediately opened the door.
"Welcome to the Spotted Cats Clubhouse," the boy said, "Maggie needs us to come with her to the warehouse. She'll decide what to do with you."
"Great," Ari muttered, "A gang war. I'm really starting to hate this town. I want to go home."
"We can't return until I have reclaimed my power from the Sewer Evil King," Stan responded, rising from Ari's shadow, having been able to understand that comment, "Once that happens, we'll see about going back for a short while. Now go with them. Citizens should have some understanding of the ways through the town."
Ari followed the group and went into a warehouse just across the street from the Clubhouse. Stan had since returned to Ari's shadow, unwilling to be bothered until they were ready to fight the Sewer Evil King.
"Who is this?" she asked, giving Ari a once-over. He had already dismissed his Keyblade for convenience sake, but he was starting of whipping it out just to get them to shut up.
"I am Evil King Stanley Hihat Trinidad the XIV" Stan shouted, rising from Ari's shadow yet again, "This is my servant, Ari. I want you pathetic humans to tell me where I can sneak into the sewer from, so that I can battle the Sewer Evil King and reclaim my power from him."
"Alright, we'll tell you how to get in. Nice shadow trick by the way," the girl said condescendingly, causing Stan to mutter curses in annoyance and return to Ari's shadow yet again, "But you'll have to help us with a little dispute first."
"What kind of dispute?" Stan asked, looking around at all the empty boxes.
"Our kind of dispute," a nasally boy's voice said, "We've taken the cat of your precious leader, Maggie."
Stepping out of the shadows came a boy who had a face that looked like it deserved punching. Behind him were an unimportant looking boy and the Hero Rosalyn, who muttered, "Of all the stupid things to get to the Sewer Evil King…"
"Give him back, Robert," Maggie seethed, rushing towards the boy before he ran off to the next room.
"You'll have to come and get it if you want it back," he said, cementing his position as most punch-worthy person in the room as he left with the other two in tow.
Ari just started walking. If he was going to get that information, he was going to have to deal with this nonsense as quickly as he could. Once he entered this room, he found that there were boxes stacked one on top of the other blocking the way.
"It's one of his puzzles," Maggie helpfully explained, "Do you think you can solve it?"
Ari had now reached a dilemma. He really wanted to get the information, but he also wanted to just leave the "gangs" to their own devices, since it seemed to be some sort of strange lover's spat. He was trying to decide what to do when he had what he considered a good idea. These boxes were empty, anyway, so why not?
Ari summoned his Keyblade and pointed it at the boxes, focusing on them, and thought, 'Fire.'
The boxes were engulfed in flames which were low enough for him to leap over, followed by his two companions of no real use. As he walked into the room, his Keyblade still not dismissed, he looked around for Robert, while the boy that introduced him to Maggie whispered to her, "He said he could burn a building to the ground. I knew he wasn't lying."
"He can talk without summoning the shadow?" Maggie inquired quietly, "I honestly thought that the shadow was the only way he could talk."
Robert came out and said, "So, you beat my puzzle… Why do I smell smoke? Anyway, even though you won, I'm not going to give you your stupid cat back."
Ari's grip on his Keyblade tightened as he began to head towards Robert to get rid of the nuisance, but paused when the Hero Rosalyn stepped forward and slapped Robert.
"You're going to give her the cat back," she said coldly, "I've put up with enough nonsense for today."
In response, Robert ran off, leaving the cat on the ground. Ari just stood there, trying to figure out what just happened while the unimportant boy left after Robert. Maggie ran to the cage the cat was in and let it out, cuddling it to her chest. Then, turning to Ari, she said, "Well, a deal's a deal. The back way is a small area near the locked gate next to this warehouse. You can get there once I unlock it. Thanks for the help."
With that, she left with her cat and the boy who brought Ari to her in tow. Once Ari had gotten his bearings and decided to head out, he was stopped by the Hero Rosalyn holding her sword out to block his path.
"Why are you going after the Sewer Evil King?" she asked.
Ari was about to respond, when Stan said, "I have to get something important form him."
"Oh," Rosalyn replied, before continuing, "Keyblade or not, a kid like you shouldn't be alone down there. I'm going with you"
"Okay," Ari softly replied, "That's okay with me."
"Good," Rosalyn replied, ignoring the fact that his voice seemed different as she drew her rapier, "Let's go!"
