The Heartless were everywhere. Even using the warp drives to bypass most of it to Neverland, it was still rough going.
"Think you can keep up?" Sora asked Ignis as they jointly blasted a hole through the waves of heartless ships and other interspace debris.
"I suppose the question is whether or not you are up to the challenge, Your Highness," Ignis said. Sora started at the title, but he shook it off.
"Gwarsh it's still strange to think you're a prince!" Goofy said.
"I know," Sora said. Noctis's world sounded so dangerous but it also sounded amazing. "Iggy, look out!" The Regalia was sideswiped by a large heartless ship just as they arrived at the coordinates. The next world that the database called "Hollow Bastion." Maleficent's Lair.
"We're going down hard. We will meet up with you at your lading point some how," Ignis said as their signal was lost and the Regalia plunged forwards onto the planet.
"We should go after them—."
"No. They'll be fine," Donald said, "The Mission comes first." Sora sighed as he landed the ship at the edge of a landing zone. He sent out a silent prayer,
Be safe guys.
The Regalia wasn't totaled, but she was very rough looking. Prompto climbed out and shook his head,
"The old girl's a total wreck!" Noctis looked at the car sadly patting the sides.
"She's over heated, but she should be able to fly after a few tweaks," Ignis said.
"I can't believe Mr. Careful crash-landed her!" Noctis said.
"It is hardly my fault that ship smashed into us," Ignis said crossing his arms, "Our next course of action must be to regroup with Sora and the others."
"Right, but who's going to fix up the old girl enough to fly in the mean time?" Gladio said jerking a thumb at the car.
"Perhaps I should," Ignis said.
"Dude, do you know anything about cars?" Prompto asked.
"I can read instruction manuals well enough," Ignis said, "And I was given rudimentary mechanical training whenever it was decided I would act as Noct's driver."
"I'm going to stay here with Specs," Gladio said.
"I am more than capable of defending myself," Ignis summoned a dagger.
"While fixing up the car?" Gladio said.
"Fine. Catch up when you can," Noctis said, "Let's go, blondie!"
"Blondie?" Prompto looked at the others who shrugged.
"How do we even know where to go?" Prompto asked. Noctis pointed up at the sky. A castle dominated the horizon.
"If I was an evil fairy witch bent on world..s domination, I'd probably want a castle as my base of operations."
"Ah, right." They were in what looked like the ruins of a town There were empty water fountains and a lot of ripped of stone pavers. Prompto nearly slipped on a giant sign.
"Radiant Garden Accessory Shop," Prompto read. He snapped a photo of it.
"They weren't kidding when they said Maleficent trashed their world," Prompto took a few more photos, "I wonder how bad Insomnia looks." Noctis sort of looked up at Prompto.
"Oh. Sorry, I—." Prompto babbled until Noctis held a hand up.
"We need to keep moving," Noctis picked his way through the shattered square. Like Traverse Town, this world seemed like it had technology on par with Eos, and even Insomnia. They encountered heartless at an area full of broken water spouts and cracked platforms that looked a bit like a massive bank of fountains. At least that's what it looked like to Noctis and Prompto. Some of the heartless had odd shapes to them. Different from that of the usual shadows, they were taller, more muscular, and had long jagged antenna that hung down their backs. Their claws were also much, much sharper.
"What the hell are these things! Shadows on steroids?" Prompto picked off as many as he could with his pistols before switching to the bio blaster and causing it to black fire a mini black hole to suck up all the creatures. More spawned forcing the pair back to back.
"Got any bright ideas?"
"Not many that don't end up with us getting hit by my own Blizzara spell," Noctis said palming a magic flask.
"But you were getting better at that!"
"I don't trust myself."
"If you don't we're toast!"
"Fine, but don't blame me for your frostbite!" Noctis grasped the orb and threw it in the air. He felt the magic explode outwards. Only affect the darkness. Only affect the darkness! When the mist cleared from the spell only the heartless were frozen.
"Dude! You did it!" Prompto began to sing the victory chant to his favorite video game franchise and danced around. Noctis sighed in relief. Then the ground trembled.
"Look alive, Prompto!" Water gushed out of the ground in geysers drenching them both and the area was flooding rapidly, the winds were picking up and walls of water were forming.
"Did you forget about our agreement, Spec?"
Sora, Donald, and Goofy had landed at a set of waterfalls that were falling upwards as if in reverse. Reverse Falls.
"Gawrsh, look at that!" Goofy had managed to look past this strange phenomenon and up at the twisted towering structure. The ruins of Hollow Bastion. Sora studied it with a strange ache in his heart.
"I know this place….."
"That's strange," Goofy said. Sora took a few steps closer.
"I wonder why... I feel this warmth inside, right here," he placed his hand on his chest.
"You're just hungry," Donald waved it off.
"That's not it at all," Sora said, "I'm serious!" Just then a loud roar ripped through the air startling the trio.
"We'd better go check it out, Fellas!" Goofy said.
"Let's go!" Sora charged ahead leaping from platform to platform wiping out shadows with ease.
On a floating stone platform—not far from Sora, Donald, and Goofy— there were two forms staring one another down. One figure was a humanoid beast. He wore a tattered purple cloak, tattered blue pants, had lupin feet, and a lupine tail, appeared to have short ears like a boar, a mane like a lion, horns like a ram, and the snout of a sort of bear like creature complete with huge fangs. Across from him, looking smug, was Riku.
"No vessel, no help from the Heartless... So, tell me; how'd you get here?"
"I simply believed. Nothing more to it. When our world fell into darkness, Belle was taken from me. I vowed I would find her again no matter what the cost. I believed I would find her. So, here I am. She must be here. I will have her back!"
"Then try to take her!" Riku had his strange wing like blade out against the unarmed beast. Perhaps unarmed was a wrong assessment because the claws on its hybrid paw/hand it attempted to use to take a chunk out of Riku looked lethal. Riku easily dodged the blow with a casual flip and land a mighty blow crumpling the beast to the ground, just a Sora and the other two arrived.
"Stop!" Sora ran to check on the Beast who was still breathing. He summoned his keyblade staring at his friend. Riku smirked at him.
"So, you finally made it. About time. I've been waiting for you. We've always been rivals, haven't we? You've always pushed me as I've always pushed you."
"Riku…" Sora's face fell. How had it come to this?
"But it all ends here. There can't be two Keyblade masters."
"What are you talking about?" Sora's stance loosened. What did he mean by that?
"Let the Keyblade choose…" Riku held a hand out "…its true master." The effect was instantaneous, the weapon began to jerk and wobble in Sora's hands before vanishing in a burst of light and reappearing in Riku's expectant palm, the colors inverted and his smirk turned cruel Sora, Donald, and Goofy exchanged confused looks.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"Maleficent was right. You don't have what it takes to save Kairi." Riku looked up at the sky with his cruel smirk on his face, "Only the True master of the Keyblade can open the secret door." He raised the blade to the sky, "…and change the world!"
Sora stared at Riku at a loss. "But that's impossible. How did this happen? I'm the one who fought my way here with the Keyblade!"
Riku admired his new weapon and spared Sora a glance: a smug, self-satisfied glance.
"You were just the delivery boy." Riku released the blade dispelling it in a flash of light. With a flourish he produced a crude wooded training sword, "Sorry, your part's over now. Here, go play hero with this."
Riku flung the toy at Sora, the wooden blade landing with a very final sounding "clunk." It all was very real to Sora who fell to his hands and knees, utterly defeated. Riku walked away without even a backwards glance.
A few moments passed before Donald stood up and ruffled his feathers.
"Goofy. Let's go. We have to remember our mission." Goofy was visibly torn.
"Oh! Well, I know the king told us to follow the key and all... But…" Donald's gaze stayed on the Captain of the Guard before he walked forwards with a sad sound. Donald took a few waddling steps forwards before he stopped for a moment. Without even glancing back, he spoke.
"Sora, Sorry."
Noctis's eyes widened as a form emerged from the waters. It was not the same Tide Mother he'd fought in Altissia scant…gods it really was only days ago? Instead, he faced down a mermaid like form. From the waist up, it was a beautiful but very feral looking woman with long tangled black hair and fins protruding from her body much like Leviathan's fins on her ordinary sea serpent form. From the waist down, she was still a sea serpent, only much smaller now. Her eyes were the same reptilian golden they had been in her larger form, her skin the same blue-gray as her scales; Her wrath was as great as ever.
"This darkness interrupted your trial, blasphemer, and reduced me to this!" Leviathan shrieked, "Let's see if your spec self stands a chance against me even in this pathetic form!"
"Prompto, go on ahead to the castle and find Sora," Noctis said, "This is my fight."
"Dude, are you nuts? That's a literal goddess who wants to kill you!"
"What's one more spec against the deep," Leviathan sneered.
"Please," Noctis said.
"Fine, but if she eats you, it's your fault!" Prompto retreated via smacking a spigot nearby and using the force of the water to escape and scramble up the fountains to the next area.
"What are you waiting for?" Leviathan sneered before she began her assault. The vortex that formed blocked Noctis off from escaping and it also made it difficult for him to warp. He had to summon his armiger. The eleven weapons sprang to life around him, surrounding him with a glow. He hoped it would be enough this time to turn the tide.
Prompto shot his way through more waves of heartless as he ran down a waterway system. On the other side of the gate was the castle. Only, it was shut. Oh, look, a control panel! Prompto pried it open and had it hot-wired, dropping the grates allowing him to progress. This was actually some seriously cool tech. He could feel his fingers twitching as he thought of poking around it later. Task at hand, Prompto! He pressed onwards. Some weird elevator thing looked dead. Following the chords, he found the generator and rigged it to get going too. It was…a relief to not have to pretend not to know how to do this. So many times he felt useless because he was hiding his past. Prompto stepped off the platform and stared up at the steampunk fantasy mash-up that was Hollow Bastion castle. Larger heartless appeared and Prompto gasped before taking them down with a barrage of bullets. Prompto arrived at the front doors and tried them only to find they were locked. Prompto checked all over the door frame and pulled out a small set of lock picks. What Noct, Iggy, and Gladio didn't know, wouldn't hurt them. Prompto fumbled with the picks, it had been so long and his muscle memory was all but gone. Soon enough the door clicked open. Prompto slipped them into his pocket before slipping inside. He heard it lock behind him causing him to moan. Great.
"Who are you?" Prompto snapped his head up at the snotty tone.
"You're that jerk from the boat!" Right. Sora's "friend" Riku. Yeah, some friend! Wait a second. Prompto's pistols were drawn and pointed at Donald.
"What the hell are you two doing?" he demanded.
"We have our mission!" Donald said. Though he had put some force into his tone, it was also sort of dead.
"We left their little friend a toy to play with," Riku summoned the keyblade, "This really is in better hands now than that—." Prompto's gun was pointed right at Riku now.
"Finish that sentence. I dare you," Prompto said.
"As if you know him well enough to defend him," Riku dismissed the keyblade, "He's not cut out for anything more than being second best." Prompto flicked the safety off, causing Riku to tense up. At this range, only a Lucii had a hope in the hells of avoiding Prompto. Prompto snorted.
"You're not even worth my bullet," Prompto dismissed the guns. Riku looked smug for all of a moment before Prompto sucker punched him on the nose.
"Ow! Your faces is as hard as a rock," Prompto moaned as he walked away shaking out his fist, leaving Donald and Goofy to help Riku stand back up.
Several minutes prior…
Sora just stared at the toy sword before him in numb shock. A scuffing noise made him snap his head over at the source. It was the Beast.
"No, don't move! You're hurt!" Sora held him in place. Beast looked Sora in the eyes. Sora almost flinched at how human those eyes were.
"Why….did…you come …..here. I came…to fight for Belle." Beast stood up again and limped forward, "and though I am on my own, I will fight. I won't leave without her. That's why I'm here." Sora looked down at the toy sword on the ground. He almost picked it up before he held a hand out and focused on one of Noctis's spare swords. If he could warp like Noctis then…. Sora's hand jerked from the weight of the Blood Blade appearing in his hand.
"Me too. I'm not going to give up now. I came here to find someone very important to me." Don't worry, Kairi, I'm coming.
Noctis was drenched and partly covered in his own blood looking a bit worse for wear. Leviathan had a few ragged patches herself as he had managed to slash off a huge section of her right lower back fin.
"The power of kings has failed you!" Leviathan dove at him, a shadowy image of her truer self formed as she moved. Using some of the last of his strength Noctis warped with the Star of the Rogue counting on the royal arm's special power to aid him. It struck several blows to Leviathan's face, spraying Noctis with blood. While she was reeling he had his chance. He switched to the Axe of the Conquerer and gashed her down her gullet through her tail and broke away panting heavily.
"You worthless…spec!" She fell forwards as blue lights floated from her and bound themselves to Noctis. A surge of energy sent him to his knees. The Mark of the Hydrean.
"Don't make me regret it," Leviathan said before she turned into water and vanished into the hole from which she'd sprung. Noctis fumbled for an elixir to keep on his feet. He had a feeling he needed to catch up, and fast. He had a feeling something was happening.
Sora and Beast finally managed to activate the door system and arrived in the foyer in time to see Prompto walking out of a side room shaking out his fist.
"Prompto?"
"Sora! Why is the silver emo running around with your sword? Uh, how did you get one of Noct's spare blades?" Prompto said.
"I'm not sure. I figured that if I could warp, I could use the same weapons as Noctis," Sora said, "Riku has the keyblade because it chose him over me."
"Why are the duck and dog with him?"
"Their mission," Sora said. Prompto rolled his eyes. "I have to confront him."
"I've got your back," Prompto said summoning his guns, "Noct and the others will…catch up later."
"Thanks," Sora said. He strode into the room where Riku waited. In a side alcove Beast spotted something.
"Belle?" Beast went for it, only too late to realize it was a trick. It became a shadow and the doors slammed shut behind him.
"Quit while you ca-where did you get that?" Riku looked just as surprised as Prompto had at Sora carrying an actual sword.
"No. Not without Kairi," Sora said.
"The darkness will destroy you," Riku said.
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Prompto snapped.
"You're really going to stick with him? Neither of you have weapons strong enough to combat the darkness."
"You're wrong, Riku. The darkness may destroy my body, but it can't touch my heart. My heart will stay with my friends. It'll never die!"
"Really? Well, we'll just see about that!" Riku used a hand to send a shield out at Prompto shoving him out the doors and heartless locked it behind him.
"Hey!" several gunshots were heard, but the door didn't take damage. Riku then turned his attention to Sora. He sent a large dark fireball at Sora who held his sword up, only to find himself restrained by a Shadow Sora. The attack was headed right for his heart. Sora closed his eyes. A crash made him open them. Goofy was in front of him. He'd blocked the blast with his shield. A few more shots burst the door open and Prompto took care of the shadow holding Sora still.
"Sora ain't gonna go anywhere!" Goofy said.
"You'd betray your king?" Riku asked.
"Not on your life! But I'm not gonna betray Sora either, 'cause he's become one of my best buddies after all we've been through together!" Goofy gave Sora a thumbs up. Prompto looked less than impressed but he was also keeping his guns trained on Riku.
"See ya later, Donald. Could ya tell the King I'm really sorry?" Goofy waved Donald who finally moved.
"Hold on, Goofy! We'll tell him together!" Donald switched sides and looked up at Sora awkwardly. "Well, you know, all for one, and one for all."
"I guess you're stuck with us, Sora," Goofy said.
"Thanks a lot. Donald. Goofy," Sora said. Prompto.
"How are you going to win with that weak weapon?" Riku gestured at the Blood Blade.
"I know now I don't need the Keyblade. I've got a better weapon. My heart," Sora said.
"And Noct's arsenal of glowy weapons," Prompto said.
"Prompto!" Donald squawked. Prompto shrugged.
"Your heart? What good will that weak little thing do for you?" Riku scoffed.
"All though my heart may be weak, it's not alone. It's grown with each new experience, and it's found a home with all the friends I've made. I've become a part of their heart just as they've become a part of mine. And if they think of me now and then...if they don't forget me...then our hearts will be one. I don't even need a weapon. My friends are my power!" Sora flung his free hand out and unexpectedly, the keyblade rejected Riku and reappeared in Sora's hands.
"How is that possible!" Riku drew Soul Eater with a dark aura surrounding him. He took on an attack stance charging all of them. Sora engaged him blade to blade with the others serving as back up. Prompto switched weapons, and was peppering the silver haired teen with energy bolts from his auto-crossbow. Sora got a good blow on him, sending Riku across the room and into the entry way. The fight didn't last much longer. Riku was no match for a group of four.
"No…not yet…" Riku lost his strange aura before he fled. Beast finally caught up with them.
"So, your heart won this battle?" Beast said. Sora nodded.
"Who's your friend, Sora?" Prompto asked pointing at Beast.
"Oh, he's the Beast," Sora said with a smile, "He helped me through a rough spot."
"He's really strong," Goofy said. Prompto gave him a flat look. Not enough energy to deal with that.
"We need to keep moving," Donald said.
"What about Noctis, Iggy, and Gladio?" Sora said.
"What about us?" Noctis limped in, drenched while was Gladio covered in a few scratches and Ignis covered in a few splotches of oil.
"We managed to get the Regalia airborne again and landed her next to your vessel and we ran into Noctis as we made out way to the front gates," Ignis said.
"Kept getting swarmed by nasties," Gladio said. Noctis nodded. He looked around at the room, noting the damage to the door before he asked
"What'd we miss?"
MP: Hollow Bastion is my favorite KH1 world. I love the design, I love the music. The only thing I don't love is how labyrinthine it can be in layout. That's not practical castle design! Then again, I think it can be argued that Maleficent cares more for aesthetic than function...
In case anyone is wondering, Prompto's guns/MT weapons, Gladio's sword/shields, Iggy's spears/daggers, and Noctis's weapons are all magic imbued. Meaning, they are somewhat effective against the heartless like Goofy's shield: Noctis's royal arms, even more so. The Royal Arms are not quite on par with a basic keyblade, but better than usual.
Sorry for the lateness, but life happens.
I got a paper proposal accepted by the SWPACA conference in February. I also have a different paper accepted by NeMLA in April. So, academically things are going well. Financially...um...Anyway, we're past midterm now so I'm going to be swamped from here on out trying to get my school work done.
As a PhD candidate, my academics must take priority. that and taking time so I don't scream
So, this story isn't dead but my updates might not be as prompt as they have been in the past.
Also, Happy Birthday Prompto! :D
He gets to do to Riku what I wanted to do to him when I first played KH 1 all those years ago.