So here's chapter twenty - six. Thank you Seeker-Of-The-Heart, caitlinkeitorin, Flightfoot, Sora Tayuya, CatchingForRain, and Clarilune for reviewing last chapter!
Chapter Twenty - Six: Dragon Flight
Roxas looked upward, towards the head of the dragon Heartless that rose far above him into the star - spangled sky of night, the rocks that pieced together the castle falling away around it. Gripping his Keyblade tightly, he jumped upward. He jabbed the blade of his weapon into the mottled purple and red flesh of the Heartless's leg. It roared with fury, looking down with glowing yellow eyes to where he hung. He swung his legs forward, planting them against the dragon-like creature's leg. Then, steeling himself, he pushed himself up the Heartless's leg, drawing his Keyblade out from where it was imbedded. Then, he was doing something he hadn't done since his battle with Riku at Memory's Skyscraper; running nearly vertical up the Heartless's leg.
The jet of dark flame that spewed from the Heartless's mouth startled him. He pushed himself harder up, allowing him to just barely dodge the stream of flame and jump into the air above it's back. When he began to fall back down, he angled himself towards the Heartless's back, brandishing his Keyblade. He felt it impact the Heartless's back, but it did little to help. The dragon Heartless glanced back, but seemed more preoccupied with the arrows being shot at it by the fox below.
"Hey, Roxas!" Shadow called. Whipping around, he saw that she had made her way up the Heartless's back. "Look out!" she called, jumping into the air and crossing the claws on her gauntlet. He jumped out of the way, allowing her claws to slash down across the flesh of the dragon's back. This it seemed to feel, as it lifted its massive horned head and roared to the heavens.
"Get ready," Roxas hissed to her.
"Hey, Angel's not the only one I make angry," Shadow said, a small smirk on her face.
Then the dragon's tail suddenly whipped forward, stretching across its back towards the two there. They tried to dodge, but weren't quick enough. The tail smacked into them, sending them flying. Roxas collided with the Heartless's thick neck, while Shadow nearly went off its side, and would have, if she hadn't swung her claw gauntlets out at the last second to dig into its skin.
"Are you two alright?" Robin Hood called up to them.
"Fine," Roxas called back down to him. Wincing, he forced himself upwards as the tail swung towards him again. This time, though, he was prepared. He brought the Keyblade up to parry the strike before lunging forward, his blade cutting through part of the skin on the tail. The dragon roared its fury, and would have attack him, had Robin not shot another arrow up towards it. Shadow, who had pulled herself back up onto the Heartless's back, was aiming for the fragile - looking wings. With the dragon distracted by Robin Hood and the tail momentarily still, Roxas decided to join her.
Unfortunately, it appeared the Heartless was more concerned with the two attacking its wings than the one shooting arrows at it. Snarling, it whipped its head back around. Roxas barely had time to register what was happening before the blur of the Heartless's tail sent both him and Shadow flying into the air. He let out a cry of surprise before the dragon Heartless pulled back its head and opened its massive jaws, sending a stream of dark fire up towards them. And, unfortunately for them, there was no dodging that attack. They could only wait, and try to withstand the pain that lanced through them.
As the fire faded, Roxas idly wondered at the fact that though the fire hurt, it didn't even leave a trace on them. Then they were falling down, to the open mouth of the waiting Heartless. "Get ready!" Roxas called to Shadow. As they fall through its jaws, Roxas flipped his Keyblade horizontally, sticking the tip into the roof of the Heartless's mouth and bracing the hilt against the bottom of its mouth. He gripped the blade, hoping desperately that it would be forced free.
Shadow grabbed his leg as she fell past him. "Good thinking," she called up to him.
"We're not safe yet," he warned, looking nervously downward, where he could see the beginnings of the dark fire forming in the depths of the Heartless's throat.
"Leave them alone!" a voice snarled from above them.
Two heads shot upward, to see a shape falling towards them from above. "It's Angel!" Shadow cried, a smile in her voice.
The metal-haired boy had his twin daggers summoned, and using all the force gained by gravity, he slashed them down across the Heartless's head. The dragon-like creature cried out in anguish, lowering its head and shaking it fiercely. The force shook Roxas and Shadow free, allowing them to fall to the ground beside Robin Hood and Little John. Angel landed beside them, looking warily towards their opponent.
"Wow, you actually came," Shadow said, grinning.
Angel shrugged, not looking at her. "Don't read too deep into it," he told her. "I just came to make sure you didn't get killed. After all, I need some help defeating the Time Racers."
Shadow, as usual, wasn't phased. "You care, and you know it." Angel narrowed his eyes and didn't reply. "See? I'm right!"
"Worry about that later," Robin Hood told her. "Our 'friend' here seems to be back to normal."
The five looked nervously at the angry Heartless glaring at them. Opening its jaws, it spewed its dark flame at them. They jumped away, trying to avoid the worst of the attack. Flames licked around the stones where they had once stood, leaving, as before, no marks. Roxas, while the Heartless was distracted, tried to contact his Nobodies. To his frustration, he discovered the link broken. Just like before, he thought. This, after all, had been the original reason he had refrained from using his Nobodies too often in the Organization; he'd never been entirely sure how to summon them.
Fierce pain forced him back into reality. The Heartless had swept a massive claw towards him, the sharp tips cutting through parts of his skin, leaving the bloodless flesh open. He grimaced, righting himself once more. You won't get the best of me! he thought to it. He dashed forward, both hands gripping the Keyblade. The Heartless lowered its head, trying to capture him in its jaws. He jumped up, out of the way, and onto its head. He brought his Keyblade down forcefully across its head, right where he saw the marks from Angel's daggers. The blade hit home, causing the dragon Heartless to trill sharply in pain. He aimed a few more blows at the spot before the Heartless shook him off, causing him to fall to the ground.
Suddenly, he found a massive claw placed over his body, pinning him to the ground. And, no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't force it off of him. "Get off me!" he hissed, trying to draw the Keyblade up to strike at it.
An arrow whizzed through the air, sticking into the dragon's leg. The Shadow and Angel were there, as well, their weapons cutting open flesh on the Heartless's leg. The dragon roared, lifting its foot and allowing Roxas to escape. Quickly getting back into a fighting position, he said, "Thanks."
"No problem," Shadow said, with her usual cheeky grin.
"It's coming back," Angel hissed.
While his two companions dodged away, however, Roxas did not. He brought his Keyblade up to block the snake-like strike of the dragon Heartless's head, using both hands to brace the Keyblade against its jaws. In a power struggle, he knew he could never beat it. What he had to do was get it to push hard enough…
When the Heartless pushed harder against his blade, he relinquished his position, drawing back his Keyblade and rolling away. The Heartless's head, as expected, slammed into the ground with enough force to temporarily knock it out. He wasted no time, dashing forward and swinging his Keyblade at the now un-protected neck. Shadow and Angel were quick to join him, Robin Hood shooting his arrows from afar and Little John doing what he could without a weapon.
Sadly, though, the Heartless wasn't down long. As it startled back to awareness, its head and neck jerked upward. Roxas, in the middle of landing another blow, was caught by it. Instinctively, he grabbed the dragon's neck as it rose upward, lifting him away from the ground. "Roxas!" Shadow and Angel exclaimed in surprise.
Roxas, however, would end up being the one who was more surprised. Because, at that moment, the Heartless jumped into the air, bringing its wings down in a powerful down stroke. He tried to hang on, but the next down stroke jarred him loose, causing him to fall. He jabbed his Keyblade forward, sticking the blade into the flesh of the Heartless. There he remained, dangling from the hilt. In an attempt to hopefully even things up, he reached into himself, trying to find the power of his form. He found it but, as he'd found for a while in Olympus Coliseum, he couldn't access it. No! he thought in frustration.
Don't give up, Roxas!
The voice resounding in his head surprise him. I don't plan on it, he responded.
…That doesn't surprise me.
Do you have any advice for me this time? he asked, not letting himself think about the fact that talking to a voice in your head generally meant you were crazy.
I don't think you really need it, this time.
Roxas blinked in surprise. He wanted to ask how the voice's owner could be so sure. Instead, though, a different question came forth; Who are you?
…Someone who wants to help you.
That's not much of an answer.
I know, but it's the only one I can give you right now. You'll understand, in time.
I'm not so sure.
Trust me.
As the voice faded, he found that he did. Inside his pocket, he felt the seashell pressing against his side. Wait! he called out suddenly. You're the one who gave me the seashell, right? Why? When the voice responded, it was only the faintest of whispers, but still there, all the same:
To…remind you…you're never alone.
Then the roar of the dragon Heartless split the night, forcing Roxas into reality once more. I know what to do, huh? he thought. Then, his eyes widened as a realization hit him. If there's a Heartless, then there might be… Closing his eyes, he focused on his link with his Nobodies. I need your help! he called, hoping desperately that it would reach them. I need you to try and find…a dragon Nobody.
At first, there was no response, and he began to feel as if he hadn't reached them. Then; We gave found it, my liege.
Smiling slightly, he replied, Thank you.
Then a new roar split the skies. In the air, there emerged a silver and black dragon Nobody. While the Heartless seemed all darkness, this one seemed to shine, reflecting the glow of the stars just as the moon reflected the glow of the sun. Roxas's excitement at the sight, however, was short lived. The Heartless's tail had swept around, its powerful swing dislodging both him and the Kingdom Key. He didn't fall far, though. The Nobody flew forward, allowing him to land on its back. He rolled back to his feet, bracing himself. "This is it!" he called. The Nobody he rode upon roared in response. Beating its wings fiercely, it flew forward.
Though he couldn't access Sunrise form at the moment, he could still access his Limit. This was what he drew on now. He sprang off the Nobody's back towards the Heartless, allowing the power of his Limit to run through him. He brought his Keyblade down in rapid slashes, blurs of light in the otherwise dark night. The Heartless roared in agony, and Roxas unleashed his Final Limit. The four pillars of light flew out from where he was, streaking across the Heartless's back. He unleashed them once more before the power of his Limit faded away, and he jumped from the back of the Heartless to the back of the Nobody. He slid down its tail, falling from there to the top of the remains of the stone castle wall.
When Roxas looked up once more, he saw the Nobody and Heartless fighting. Do all Nobodies and Somebodies fight that fiercely? he wondered. After a few moments, he looked away, only looking back when he heard the scream-like trills that signaled both had faded into oblivion.
He made his way carefully down the remains of the rock wall, landing on the stone floor below him. Shadow, Angel, Robin Hood, and Little John came rushing to meet him. "Dude, that was awesome!" Shadow exclaimed.
Roxas shrugged, slipping his hand into his pocket. Fingering the seashell, and hoping the owner of the voice could hear him, he silently said, Thank you.
That's the end of chapter twenty - six. Reviews are welcome, if you want to give them!