Disclaimer: All characters belong to their respective owners and not me with some exceptions. Only this story is mine, nothing else. Please read and review. Helpful reviews welcome, really bad flames shall be ignored and/or deleted. Enjoy
The Twilight Will
By Demonabyss
Chapter 28: Day 399: Oni Island Assault
Roxas sat with his back up against the wall on the top of the stone mesa known as Watcher's Cape. Amaterasu, Issun, Kumotome, and he were camped out here for the day to make sure they would not miss their chance to meet up with Otohime and invade Oni Island at sunset. The place itself had a few stone ruins, including some broken stone walls and what was once a stairway up here. From what the Nobody could tell this had once been a temple but was lost to the ravages of time.
It was probably just as well as he had been busy thinking. While they waited for twilight to fall, Issun had loaned him the story scroll he had been creating since first meeting up with Amaterasu in Kamiki Village. Using Compass he translated it as he read over their previous adventures up to meeting him at the city checkpoint. As he read, certain things bothered him in the story. The first and most obvious was the timing of everything. Orochi was freed for the first time in a hundred years just when the festival was coming up. That event by itself wouldn't be too suspicious except that it was Susanoo that released him. The swordsman couldn't have been the only person to go to the Moon Cave in a hundred years to attempt to remove the sword. Then there was the fact that the Serpent Crystal which was necessary to enter the Moon Cave where Orochi was sealed was at the very shrine where Crimson Helm had resided.
That was another thing that didn't make sense. Crimson Helm was formed from the blood of Orochi when the demon serpent was killed the first time a hundred years ago in the Moon Cave. Why would it wander so far from there and take up residence in a shrine, a place of holy power that could counter its demonic power? And not just any shrine, but the shrine of Kazegami the wind god, the one whose power could counter his demonic flames. The only thing that would make sense was that he was there guard to Serpent Crystal from being used. But again, why stay at the shrine when he could've just taken it someplace else? There was also the fact that the local priest Yatsu was killed around the same time as Orochi's revival, despite being in combat with Crimson Helm for some time beforehand.
There was also the placement of a couple of the Celestial Brush gods that bothered him. While most made sense given their individual natures, a couple of them were too … convenient for him not to be suspicious. The first was the vine god Tsutagami in Tsuta Ruins. While he could understand a plant based god to be in the ruins of a forest temple, why was he there at the same time as the Spider Queen? What was more interesting was that his power over vines was what was necessary to both reach and defeat the demoness. If he had been located anywhere else, Amaterasu would've have failed. There was also the question of Moegami in the Moon Cave. He had supposedly been captured by the demons and imprisoned there, but that brought up the question of when that happened. If the cave was sealed until recently, then that means he would have to have been captured either a hundred years ago when it was first sealed or shortly after Orochi's revival. Given what he had learned from the guards at the checkpoint about the sacred flaming statues, he was likely to believe the latter. So how had they found and captured the fire god so quickly after Orochi's revival? He doubted any Celestial Brush god would go down easily. Add to all this; the events of Sei-An City happening at the same time and the placement of the mist god Kasugami right where he was needed, all of it overlapping with Orochi's revival, it was too much of a coincidence.
The only way all these different events could intersect like this is if there was a common element besides Amaterasu herself. Orochi didn't count when the events of Sei-An City were added into the equation as they happened separately of his revival and demise. No, the only common thread linking everything other than Amaterasu herself was that arrogant clown Waka. He appeared at every important juncture to give helpful "prophecies" to Ammy. Really, they were just bits of information that could be obtained to be made to seem like prophecies. It was like someone scouting ahead and reporting back, only in this case the scout was trying to make it seem like he had some type of power when he was really just a fraud. He was also the one who was the guardian of Moon Cave to keep Orochi from being revived. Given his supposed abilities and the timing of everything, the only way Orochi was revived is if Waka allowed Susanoo to enter the Moon Cave and revive the demon serpent. Then there was the fact that he was never seen fighting any demons or helping any people. He only appeared after things were done, after the demon was killed and never during the fight. It was obvious he had some motive for all of this.
The clown had practically said so when Roxas first met him in Sei-An City, something about a path to the heavens. Was he trying to get to space or someplace else? If he wanted to go into space he could've just taken Kaguya's bamboo rocket as he was the top candidate for tampering with it. But he didn't and he had said he had wanted the path quick and easy, meaning he was most likely getting Amaterasu to do all the work for him in getting that path. The question was what path was he talking about and where did it lead? What did that path have to do with all these demons running around? Things to keep in mind for later after they took on the Dark Lord … Rao.
-XIII-XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII-
The Dark Lord Ninetails or Kyuubi as some called her sat at on the roof of her fortress in her partial form, contemplating current developments. The recent events in Sei-An had resulted in what many would consider a draw. Blight had been found and destroyed ending the poison mist and saving the people of the city, well most of them at any rate. She smiled cruelly at the memories of watching many of those of the elder generation take their last breaths. The generation that remembered the demons that had once called Lake Beewa home, the generation that had been there when the kitsune were driven out, the generation that had ended her predecessor's … her mother's reign. Under the guise of the priestess, she had watched them perish with hidden glee. While the fall of Queen Himiko was also something she enjoyed greatly, the rest of her plan had failed due to the interference of both the sun goddess and that … Nobody.
Her thoughts turned to the child of the Void and what the spirits of the Fox Rods had told her about his strange offer from when they had been inside the Water Dragon. While she would at first dismiss the claims any human would make to a demon, Roxas was not a human and he certainly was not from Nippon. There had never been a Nobody anywhere in the land before and more compelling were the weapons he used. She was no fool; she knew technology when she saw it as she employed it in her fortress and though his weapons had magic in them; the Keyblade he had used in the haunted ship had definitely been technologically based in design. However, the design was much more advanced than anything she had seen and that lent credit to his offer to give them a home to another world.
The Dark Lord frowned at that. Even if he could open a portal to another world, and she still doubted he could, what guarantee did she have that the world he opened for her and her people on Oni Island would accept them? While Roxas himself wasn't human, it was obvious from his explanation of Nobodies that he had been a part of one and she knew humans were petty creatures to others, even their own kind. It was likely the worlds he had been too were full of them and she doubted they would accept demons like her and those of Oni Island.
The kitsune shook her head to clear it as the sun began to set. She knew she needed to weary as she had seen how resourceful Roxas and Amaterasu and with Kumotome acting as a reliable reference to demons, she was under no illusions that they wouldn't break through her barrier to Oni Island. Come twilight, the siege would begin.
-XIII-XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII-
Roxas, Amaterasu, Issun, and Kumotome stood on the edge of Watcher's Cape as the sun started to set. Immediately, just off shore appeared a massive swirling cloud. In the cloud was a definite island in the center. From a distance, the shape of the island looked like the head of demon with two glowing red eyes and horns. The name Oni Island certainly fit. They walked forward to the end of the outcropping where Otohime was waiting for them with the Dragon Orb. The Queen of the Dragonians turned to them. "Amaterasu, Roxas," she greeted kindly.
"Hiya babe. How'd you ever find this place?" Issun asked the pale queen.
The aquatic queen smiled sadly as she explained. "I sensed Queen Himiko's fathomless regret upon her last breath. It made its way to the distant halls of the Dragon Palace." She then motioned to the fiery red orb in the distance. "Behold the sun! Even now it sinks down beyond the sea. Once it is gone, so too shall Oni Island disappear. No one knows where it will appear next and no art known to mortals can divine its location!" she intoned, motioning to the island in the distance.
Roxas sighed before speaking. "That's all interesting, but it's a moot point if we can't break through that barrier. The Water Dragon could do it, but it was your husband in another form and he's in no shape to be doing anything after having the Fox Rods in his gut for so long," he said with a frown.
The Dragonian Queen nodded in agreement. "While it is true my husband is in no condition to aide us, the Water Dragon can still break the barrier." Roxas raised an eyebrow and motioned her to continue. "I can harness its power with a sincere prayer to the Dragon Orb. I, Otohime, Queen of the Dragonians, will become the Water Dragon and break the wall that divides. May I serve you all as a divine bridge to the heavens!" With that she raised her hands and the Dragon Orb floated above her, gathering energy and light as it did so. In a flash both the Orb and Queen shot up in a bolt of light like a rocket. In mid air the light erupted to show the Water Dragon. They could immediately tell that this dragon was different than the one from before as it had smaller fins and a thinner body. It was no less impressive however as it reared up into the sky and came down on the barrier to Oni Island, smashing right through it. The result was Otohime, as the Water Dragon, became a literal bridge from Watcher's Cape to Oni Island. Once the connection was stabilized, Otohime spoke in a loud, altered voice to them. "Now my friends, you must cross while life yet courses through these veins!"
Roxas nodded absently. "Alright, you heard the lady. Let's move out and remember this is likely a one way trip so either we win or we don't come back." Amaterasu nodded and the group started across the living bridge of Otohime to the demon and Heartless infested island.
-XIII-XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII-
Once they got to her head and jumped off, Roxas turned to the Queen who was biting down on the stone outcropping. "We'll take it from here your majesty. There's no sense in you risking your life more than you already have. Besides, your husband and your people will need you," he said calmly.
"I have taken you as far as I can, now it is up to you to avenge Queen Himiko and end the terror of Ryoshima Coast," the Water Dragoness intoned before releasing the cliff side and was allowed to be pushed out of the barrier of Oni Island.
The group turned to see a small pool of magma with flames shooting up. Issun let out a whistle at the sight. "That looks nasty. Normally, we'd be crispy critters if we touched that stuff. But thanks to that tablet the bamboo girl gave us, it shouldn't be any different from water for you now, Ammy! C'mon! How 'bout some of that water magic of yours!?" he said excitedly. Barking in agreement, Amaterasu worked her brush magic on the magma pool, causing a geyser of molten rock to erupt from it. With no fear, the sun goddess jumped on top of it and rode it to a higher platform. Looking back he saw Roxas below. "Hey, do you want us to throw you the tablet and give you a lift?" Saying nothing, the Nobody took a stance before running at the pool, jumping over it, hitting the wall, running up the wall, and landing right next to an impressed Amaterasu and miffed Poncle. "Show off," he stated simply before the group moved on.
Walking down the stone path they entered the "mouth" of Oni Island. What they found was that the demonic image that had seen from show was actually a hollowed out volcano with a fortress built inside it. The fortress itself was dark and ominous, lit up only by the bubbling lava that surrounded it like a moat. From this distance they could feel the demonic power emanating from it. Whether that was due to the number of demons inside or from the Dark Lord herself was unknown. On the other side was the main gate into the fortress, however there were obstacles in the way of them getting across.
Below them, floating just above the magma were some strange looking Heartless. They looked like floating cylinders with three spikes below them and four large conical spikes on top. There were colored dark gray with their lower section being wider than their top, both edged in yellow. Their face was located at the base on one side with the Heartless Emblem showing above it on the same side. They seemed to float aimlessly, just drifting from over the magma as if waiting for something. Roxas eyes narrowed at the sight of them. "Damn, Heartless. Should've expected this though," he muttered to himself.
"Do you know of these Heartless Roxas?" Kumotome asked from his shoulder.
"Unfortunately no. I've never encountered any Heartless like those before, though that doesn't surprise me. Emblem Heartless are created from the hearts of living beings and take on the shape that best suits that heart. As a result, there are many types of Heartless that will only appear in certain places or areas," he explained as he surveyed the area. "Judging by how their moving, they must be set up as sentries. If' we're spotted be just one of them it's cause all of them to light this place up like a festival," he surmised.
"You got a point Roxas. So how are we gonna get across?" Issun asked from on top of Ammy's head.
The Nobody stood silent for a moment before turning to his lupine companion. "Back when we first went to Sei-An and fought those bird demons, you were able to manipulate the wind to blow them away. Can you manipulate the wind any way you want?" he asked seriously. Ammy just barked an affirmative. "I'll take that as a yes," he said calmly before standing up and summoning his Light Wings. "Our best shot is for me to carry you and glide across. You'll have to use your wind power to give us a boost in order to get to the other side. Got it?" he asked. She nodded in affirmation.
He picked her up around the waist with a little difficulty. Backing up, he ran forward and jumped as high as he could, wings spread wide. Seeing her cue, Amaterasu used the Galestorm technique and help keep him aloft, which was difficult due to her acting as extra weight. Unfortunately the wall on the other side was higher than their starting point so that when they got to the other wall, Roxas had to let go with one arm, summoned Two Become One, and latched onto the edge of the stone outcropping in front of the fortress. With grunt, he pulled Amaterasu and himself up.
He looked up and down the stone pathway. There seemed to be no way into the fortress other than the front door. There was also something else that bothered him. "Where are the guards?" he asked out loud. This didn't seem right to him. While the Bolt Towers below were a good defense, they were still mindless Heartless that followed instinct alone. No one who knew the Heartless would leave them alone without someone or something to direct them. He summoned Sun Tale and started forward towards the main gate with Amaterasu close behind, both moving with caution. When they got close to the gate they got their answer about where the guards were.
From above them dropped two massive forms, the twin demons known as the Blue Oni and Red Oni. Both of them were muscular, centaur-like demons, with large ox-like bodies of blue and red muscle respectively. They had hooves and a black horse tail, and a piece of straw is worn on each of their hind legs. The Blue Oni wielded a pair of giant sickles while its red counterpart had a pair of heavy, spiked clubs. However, the most prominent features of the two of them were the iron masks that each wore. The Blue Oni's mask was a rectangular shape with a rounded top, adorned with the face of the Oni itself. It had four fangs protruding from a wide open mouth, and a single horn on the forehead. The Red Oni's was similar with two long fangs protruding from a seemingly grinning mouth, and two long horns on the forehead. Immediately the two Oni separated, each one going after a different target.
The Red Oni went after sun goddess, covering its clubs in flames and swung at her. The wolf easily dodged to the side with Fleet foot and attacked the monster's exposed side with her Seven Strike glaive. The demon growled in pain as it jumped to the side and tried to swipe at her again. The goddess easily avoided his swings and continued her own assault.
The Blue Oni meanwhile went after Roxas, slamming both of its weapons into the ground, causing a shockwave to shoot out at him. He jumped to the side and lashed out with Aura Blade. Unfortunately the whip of Chaos energy did little more than leave a deep gash against the iron mask it used like a frontal shield. Seeing that it couldn't hit him from a distance, the Blue Oni charged at the Nobody like a raging bull. Reacting quickly, Roxas jumped over the charge and landed on the demon's back. He slashed several times with Two Become One before he was bucked off into the air again. Concentrating on Sun Tale, time seemed to slow down as his vision temporarily changed to that of parchment, as if the entire world was one massive watercolor painting. Seeing the end of his Keyblade shine with celestial ink, he made a horizontal swipe in mid air, leaving a line of ink through the image of the Blue Oni. When the world faded back to reality and time resumed a moment later, the demon howled in pain as it was cut by the Power Slash technique.
The Red Oni growled in frustration at being unable to hit the white wolf. Lifting up its iron mask to show a face identical to it, the demon spat out a huge torrent of flame. Reacting quickly, she cast Galestorm and blew the flames away. Once gone she followed up with a Power Slash right across the demon's face, causing it to stagger back and drop the iron mask. Seeing her chance, she struck with Seven Strike, ending the demon.
The Blue Oni attempted to a breath attack of its own on Roxas. This was a mistake because as soon as he lifted the mask, Roxas shifted his Keyblades into Eco Surge in Peacemaker mode and blasted the demon with a sphere of charged particles. The demon dropped the mask as it crackled and exploded in demonic energy. With the two doormen dead, the group went inside the gate and into Oni Island Fortress.
Once they got inside they found it was a weird mix of oriental and steam punk styles. Artistic scrolls and paper lanterns lined the walls right next to exposed gears and machinery. In front of them was a closed steel gate and in front of that was a metal box with a keyhole on the front and what looked like a light bulb on the top. It was obvious to Roxas that this place had technology more advanced than most other places in Nippon. True it wasn't the most advanced thing he had ever seen, but still further along than most of this world. He was broken out of his thoughts by Issun. "Oni Island. You'd have to have a pretty warped mind to build a castle here. I bet those two-bit monsters think they're big shots living here. Let's teach them a lesson by fighting our way to the top and draggin' that fox-headed wench down by the scruff of her neck!" he declared.
Kumotome scoffed while the Nobody just shook his head. "That will be easier said than done bug. This place was built to be a stronghold and the Dark Lord knows we're coming," she stated before looking at the gate. A glance at Roxas and he nodded. Summoning Sun Tale, he aimed the blade at the keyhole. A spiral of Light, Darkness, and Nothingness shot out from the tip of the weapon at the metal box. However, nothing happened. There was no click indicating it unlocking or any mechanism being activated. "What's wrong Roxas? I thought the Keyblade could lock or unlock anything?" she stated puzzled.
"It can," he replied, "There's just more to this." He walked up to the box and inspected it, opening Compass and giving it a quick scan. Once he got the results he let out an appreciative whistle. "Huh? So that's how this works. Clever," he stated simply.
"What are you talking about? Why can't you open this thing?" Issun asked from a top Amaterasu.
Roxas closed Compass as he explained. "This gate was designed so that the key meant for it would provide the energy needed to open the gate. Doesn't matter if I can unlock it or if someone can pick the lock, without the key itself to be the power source this thing is not opening up." (AN1)
They heard some chuckling and turned to find an odd imp. Unlike the other imps they had seen, this one was much more heavy set, dressed in a yellow robe with a large backpack and umbrella. In front of it was a small stand with various items on display with what looked like prices listed. He chuckled behind his white mask with three squares painted on it. "Quite right my boy, you'll find similar obstacles throughout Oni Island." Immediately Roxas brought Sun Tale and Two Become One out and ready to attack. "No need boy, I am a businessman not a warrior. If you want, you can try and buy whatever I have to offer," he said motioning to the stand in front of him.
The boy said nothing and raised an eyebrow at the portly imp. "Okay, two things. One, why should we trust you or your wares and two, why would you sell anything to invaders?" he asked cautiously.
The imp chuckled. "Fair questions Child of the Void," the Merchant Imp replied, causing Roxas to tense at the title. "To answer them, it's because I am a businessman and I will sell to any who are willing to deal. Also, I've heard many interesting things about you, starting with the spider on your shoulder," he said nodding to Kumotome. "There is also the fact that you have some interesting orange colored orbs that I'm hoping to procure off of you," he chuckled before turning serious again. "Most importantly however is the rumor that you offered the kitsune spirits a way out of this world in exchange for leaving Sei-An alone."
Immediately Amaterasu and Issun turned to the Nobody, shocked at the revelation. Issun went a step further and voiced it. "YOU WHAT!? When … How … Why would you do something like that!?" the Poncle shouted at him.
He just shrugged it off. "It was when I was inside the Water Dragon's stomach. I figured that if I could end this all with as little fighting as possible, it was worth a shot. Plus, the kitsune are not as bad as you think. Lake Beewa was their home before it became Sei-An. They were driven off and have been planning revenge ever since. I figured if I could provide a real home for them, they would leave the city alone and everyone would be better for it. They're not evil Issun, just really pissed off that their home was taken from them," he explained.
The Merchant Imp nodded in agreement. "Indeed young man and they aren't the only ones." Now the group looked at the Merchant Imp who suddenly seemed old and tired. "There are many demons that would like nothing more than to leave this world and go someplace else. The humans hate us and exterminate us, the gods ignore our pleas or aid the humans, and we keep being forced out of whatever home we find. If you can truly make good on your offer Child of the Void, you would gain the alliance of many demons."
The Nobody nodded before looking at what the demon was selling. Surprisingly he had a number of Exorcism Slips and other holy items. Deciding to stock up, Roxas traded some Precursor Orbs for some medium and large Exorcism Slips, a couple of Vengeance Slips, a couple of Inkfinity Stones, and one jug each of Steel Soul and Steel Fist Sake. One of the first things he learned back doing missions for the Organization was to always stock up and be prepared. Once they were done shopping, the group went to the right side of the lobby area to find a second gate, this one sealed by a living, demon lock. It was bright red with a huge mouth and one large eye. The interesting thing though, was that the iris of the eye was actually a keyhole. Deciding to try his luck, Roxas summoned Sun Tale in front of the Lock Jaw. Immediately the demon looked very nervous and shaking back and forth in fear of the holy Keyblade. Smirking, Roxas jammed the Keyblade into the eye of the demon and turned it, unlocking the living lock. The Lock Jaw's mouth dropped open, showing its huge tongue as it glowed for a moment before exploding, opening the gate.
Heading down the passageway, the four of them went below the fortress. Eventually they came to a weird sight. There was a sign on the wall with a strange floating slip of paper next to it that was covered in purple demon fire. Pulling out Compass, Roxas quickly translated. "To the Labyrinth of Torment. Before playing in the Labyrinth of Torment, note the following: 1. Step on the foot switch and the Demon Slip will start moving. Get through the gate first or you will be sealed in. 2. Dashing is recommended as the fastest way to get to the gate. 3. The Labyrinth of Torment is for the enjoyment of everyone on Oni Island, so don't make a mess of it while playing," he read out loud in a curious voice. He then turned to the floating slip whose painted eye seemed to be watching them. It took Roxas a moment before he recognized it as one of the slips Rao had used on the Cursed Ship.
The slip actually spoke to them before he could say anything. "Excuse me good sir. But may I ask what you are doing here?" the demon slip asked in a polite manner.
Issun was the first to voice their confusion. "Huh? Did that scrap of paper just say something?" he asked startled.
The demon slip gave an indignant snort, which was odd considering it didn't have a face. "Scrap of paper? Do not dishonor me with such an unflattering name. My name is Tobi," he said in a proud tone of voice.
"Okay then … Tobi," Roxas replied uncertain of how to address the slip. Really, how does one verbally address paper? "I'm Roxas, this is Kumotome, Amaterasu, and the mini motor mouth is Issun. What can we do for you?" he asked calmly.
"I serve as gatekeeper of Oni Island. My job is to keep suspicious people out. I have never seen your group around here before, good sir. What business do you have here?" he said in an official sounding tone.
Once again the Poncle's mouth moved before anyone could stop him. "You talking to us? This is Full-Throttle Ammy and Light-Speed Roxas. We gotta get up to the top of this castle ASAP! Sorry, no time to shoot the breeze with ya!" he declared much to Roxas' chagrin.
The slip gave the impression of a deadpan stare before answering. "I see. I am afraid I cannot allow that. Did you not hear me? I am a gatekeeper of Oni Island. But let us dispense with the formalities," he said in a calm tone. "So, good sirs. You are known as Full-Throttle Ammy and Light-Speed Roxas respectively, are you? Well, I fancy myself a fine racer too, you know," he said smugly. "How about we challenge each other to a race? Just a race to see who can reach that exit gate over there first," the Evil Being Tobi said while turning to gaze at a close golden gate at the end of the hall. "You've read the sign so you know the rules. But as you said, let us stop shooting the breeze. From now on … let our race do the talking!" he said excitedly.
Seeing that the only way to progress was to participate, Roxas and Ammy stood away from the switch and got into ready positions while Issun and Kumotome hung on tightly. With an unseen signal, the two dashed forward, stepping on the switch which caused both the gate to open and Tobi to rush forward as well. It seemed close but the two were able to cross first. Looking around they could not see the demon slip so they moved on. However, they immediately came to a new area. It was a massive pit lined with spikes. From the ceiling hung a number of platforms on chains that seemed unstable at best. Floating near another switch was Tobi. Looking around they could see the next gate on the other side of the pit. Once again they approached the floating piece of paper that seemed to give off the impression of a smug grin.
"Not bad good sirs. But that was just a warm-up for me. Now you shall see what I really can do," he said proudly. "Now I ask you good sirs … can you bear being skewered alive? Stumble and you will fall headfirst into a sea of needles. Well, can you bear such a thing?" it asked curiously.
Issun seemed to get steamed from the whole thing. "What're you talking about? I mean, who possibly could!?" he asked hotly.
The paper seemed to shrug. "Well, whatever happens, please do not give up. It is so exciting to finally have some worthy opponents after so long!" Roxas said nothing as he and Ammy once again got ready to race. With a dash the two took off across the platforms, the demon slip close behind. It wasn't that difficult for the Nobody due to his Soaring Eagle and glide abilities. Amaterasu was also having a relatively easy time. However they noticed that if they stood on any of the platforms too long they fell into the needle pit. Once again the two made it through the gate with little trouble and continued on.
As they made their way in, Roxas had to wonder where the Heartless were or the other demons for that matter. If he had to guess, it would be because they would simply get in the way of the traps lining this race course here. He knew Heartless weren't that intelligent and could easily set off the traps lining this place. Demons would probably be similar, as that needle pit alone could easily take out some of the slower ones. Shaking his head, they again came to Tobi who was waiting patiently for them.
In front of them was a hallway with a number of platforms on the sides, alternating. Like before these looked like they were made to collapse. Tobi stood ready. "You seem a bit winded, good sir. Do not risk your life by overdoing it. Hee hee the terraced passage ahead is not all that dangerous. Shall we?" he said seeming to motion to the hall behind them.
Once again they were off, Roxas having an easier time due to his Flow motion abilities, though Amaterasu was no slouch either. The Nobody had to admit that if he wasn't running for his life to get through a fortress of demons to face a god-like fox woman, he would actually be having fun with this. Once more they were able to cross the gateway first. Immediately there was another switch and hallway. This one seemed to be lined with various hurdles lined with blades going back and forth like saws.
The demon slip was waiting for them, an air of eagerness around it. "I must warn you now, good sir. The true horror of the Labyrinth of Torment starts here. Perhaps it would be best if we turned back now," he suggested casually.
Issun just seemed to smirk at the polite paper. "Heh heh. Gettin' cold feet, aren't ya, scrap? Now stop blabbing and let's get on with it!" Kumotome just shook her head while Roxas chuckled at the Poncle's confidence.
Tobi himself seemed to perk up at this. "I was hoping you would say that, good sir! The passage of saws lies ahead. This is where I get serious!" Again, the competitors got ready and took off. This time, Tobi was definitely faster that before, forcing the two to really push themselves to keep up now. Roxas literally jumping off the walls while Ammy leapt over the razor hurdles. Again they won, but it was much closer this time. The room they entered was a small one, more like a rest stop than anything else.
Yet again Tobi stood waiting for them. "What a fine race you both run, good sirs. Full-Throttle Ammy and Light-Speed Roxas are fitting names indeed. But I cannot bear to lose again. It is a matter of personal honor! Well, shall we? The passage of demonic wheels awaits!" he announced. Again they dashed forward and started the race. This time was much more difficult as the hallway was had giant spiked wheels that moved back and forth. It was as if they were giant gears and the only openings to get by them were just below or above where they connected. Both Amaterasu and Roxas had to time their movements correctly in order to avoid being minced by them. Tobi, being a relatively small and thin piece of paper, had little trouble getting past them. Seeing as they might lose this time, both of them employed their own type of … edge. Amaterasu employed her Mist technique to slow everyone else down, including the wheels, allowing her to slip past without injury. For Roxas, he used his Flash Rush ability to zip past the spike wheels without risk of injury. Once again they were able to get past the demon paper.
The two stopped to rest a moment in the room they were in. Once more there was only one way to leave the room with Tobi waiting patiently for them. It seemed this game would continue on. Once more Roxas had to admit that this was a powerful defense. Most people and beings would be dead by now. He had to wonder what lied ahead.
-XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII-
The Dark Lord sat like a shogun awaiting an important visitor, which she was in a way, in her were-fox form at the top of the fortress, thinking about what she had learned from the spirits of the Fox Rods. An offer to go to a new world? What a ridiculous idea … and yet one that appealed greatly to her and the residents of Oni Island. The spirits had told her of Roxas' spider companion, how she had once been the Spider Queen in service to Orochi, now in service to Roxas for his efforts on the ship. They had also spoke of a demonic cat companion that apparently would not reveal itself in the presence of Amaterasu.
She snorted at that with a weary grin. Cat demons were one of the few types of demons that were as tricky and clever as kitsune and this one knew to keep his distance from the so called gods of this world, gods that only favored the humans and no one else. They left other races to rot, especially demons, and gave their blessings only to humans. Though some species, such as the Dragonians and Poncles, gained their blessings through service to the gods, most others got nothing. Demons, due to their power and ambition were usually considered a threat to the gods. It also didn't help that the energies of demons countered that of gods whenever the two met, like the wind and a river moving against each other. With the gods and most of the world against them, the idea of another world was very appealing to most demons … including her.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a strange sound and an unknown voice breaking the silence. "Having second thoughts about Roxas' offer?" as smooth yet feral voice asked.
The kitsune shot up and drew her sword only to find … a floating grin? She backed up a few feet, still keeping Ninestrike pointed at the … grin as a pair of glowing slit eyes also appeared. "Roxas' demon cat companion I assume," she asked calmly.
The rest of the feline appeared and bowed to the fox woman. "Cheshire Cat of Wonderland, at your service," he said calmly.
That caused Rao to raise an eyebrow in question. She had never heard of Wonderland or of this Cheshire Cat and that made her very weary. She knew of other cat demons such as the Nekomata, but they were nothing like this creature. Those were two-tailed trickster cats with an aura and stench of death constantly around them. This one didn't have two tails and its aura was something else all together, an aura of controlled insanity, of brilliant madness. Last but not least, no demon she knew of had a grin like this creature's. "What do you want?" she asked simply.
The grin never left his face, as usual. "Simply to chat my dear. I see you are reconsidering Roxas' offer of passage to another world," he stated.
Rao never lowered her sword. "He may not be human, but he was created from one and is just a much a liar as they. Even if it were true, what guarantee do I have that the new world would be any better than this one?" she stated calmly.
"Who is to say it say it would be worse?" the feline countered as he sauntered around the kitsune. "Besides, is revenge really necessary at this point? You've killed the queen, the king is of no consequence, you've already achieved checkmate, why bother with the pawns?" he asked her.
She considered his words carefully. She had already acquired her revenge on those who drove their kind out of their home long ago by ending the royal bloodline. The real reason she was continuing this campaign was to acquire a home for her people by taking Ryoshima Coast. However, she knew the humans, Dragonians, and the gods would fight them constantly for it, thinking it belonged to them and not the demons that had lived here first. But if this Nobody could provide a world where they didn't exist …
Rao shook her head as she remembered that she wasn't the only one with a hand in all of this. There was also her … benefactor. "I will not stop. Thanks to the blessing of Yami, Ruler of the Land of Darkness, I will become ruler of Ryoshima Coast. With this fortress and the Dark Ones, I cannot be stopped," she declared.
Cheshire just chuckled, as if amused by her bravado. "As you wish, but you should know better than most that appearances are rarely what they seem. Your benefactor may help you to your endgame, but do you know what is his?" he asked cryptically as he faded away, leaving a disturbed kitsune with more on her mind than when he first appeared.
-XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII-
Roxas, Kumotome, Amaterasu, and Issun exited the hallway and now stood outside the fortress on rocky outcropping. They had gone through another of Tobi's races. As a result they were now on the outside of the fortress, standing on a stone platform. In front of them was a huge statue. It was of a tiger, frozen in time, roaring at the heavens. Curiously, the tiger had a large bow on its back, a quiver of lightning bolt shaped arrows strapped to it hind leg, and flowing extensions on its body … similar to what Amaterasu had. The only odd thing was that the tiger's tail had the string of the bow pulled back, as if to fire an arrow, but there was no arrow of any kind in place. It was really odd. There was also the fact that Roxas could feel something coming from the statue, as if it were alive somehow.
He was broken out of his thoughts by Issun. Being the artist that he was, he couldn't help but comment on the tiger statue. "Now that's one fierce-looking statue. Look at how it's roaring up at the storm clouds. It's as if it's ready to leap up and take a bite outta the moon! But here's the problem. There's an enormous bow, but no arrows. The lack of a crucial element spells disaster for any masterpiece," he commented.
Roxas didn't listen to him as the Chaos Tear reacted. Pulling it out, it was flashing through symbols again like it did back at the Palace when they found Kasugami. This time the symbols were for divine, thunder, tiger, and war. Seeing an opportunity here, he brought out Sun Tale and concentrated his magic. Instantly the world slowed to a crawl and took on the appearance of paper. He drew a long line where an arrow would be and then released his concentration. The divine ink bubbled in mid air before splattering and fading away, leaving a perfectly formed, lightning bolt shaped arrow, completing the statue.
They only had a moment to admire the completed work when the statue reacted to the addition. The newly formed arrow started to crackle violently with electricity. The group stepped back as the arrow shot forward, despite the statue not moving. The lightning arrow skimmed over the surface of the water before rising up into the clouds and exploding with a wave of lightning. Issun summed up their thoughts of the event. "Wow... The arrow blew away the storm clouds! Hey, look!" he exclaimed as another constellation appeared.
Like before, Amaterasu completed the image in the sky, adding the missing stars. The celestial outline fills in to show a massive white tiger carrying a war bow on its back. It had crimson stripes and flowing extensions just as the other brush gods did. The world faded into the celestial realm as the beast awoke and roared. Curiously, as the celestial realm appeared, so did Sun Tale in Roxas' hand. Immediately he cocked a lightning bolt shaped arrow and let it fly at the Nobody and sun goddess. The two dodged as more arrows came flying by. After a moment they stopped as the tiger realized where he was and who was in front of him. Letting out one more roar it calmed down and spoke to them in a low, rumbling voice like that of a thunderstorm.
"Ah... Amaterasu. Origin of all that is good and mother to us all... The evil forces which dwell here had sealed me away... But you and your companion's arrival awakened me and restored the light within. You both who walk the same battlefields as I, Gekigami, god of thunder, and deserve the power of lightning. Use it to crush our foes!" he declared before becoming a kanji symbol encased in a ball of light. The ball flew around both of them, splitting in two as it did so, and one each flew into Amaterasu and Sun Tale respectively. Once the power was gained, the world flashed white and they once again were standing in Oni Island.
Issun bounced up and down excitedly at seeing the power they had obtained. "At last, the 12th god, Gekigami! Thunderstorm, the fearsome brush technique for controlling thunder, is his trademark. I'm sure you both can master that one! It belonged to you once Ammy and I've seen you throw lightning around Roxas!" He then looked around the area to see a metal door with a strange metal sword placed next to it. "I know! See that sword statue over there? Try striking it with a bolt of lightning! When you see lightning shooting from the storm cloud, simply draw a line connecting it to the statue! That'll guide the lightning down to the target! Go on, give that sword statue a good zap!" he declared. Seeing no other way to go, Ammy did so, a flash of divine, yellow ink appearing for a split second in the air before the lightning from the sky followed. It struck the sword statue and in response the door opened.
Once again Issun was bouncing up and down in excitement. "Awesome! A lightning strike like that will zap an enemy real good! Hey! It looks like your lightning strike opened that door. I wonder if it's controlled by some electrical mechanism or something. That was a freebie! Let's head for the top of the castle with your new technique!" The Poncle then turned solemn for a moment, "Ammy... There's only one more of those Celestial Brush techniques to go. Once you get that one... I will have seen all the techniques. Won't be much longer now." He then shook his head before returning to his usual loud self, "But this is no time to shoot the breeze! We should get goin' you two."
The continued on and found another sword statue next to a massive tilted platform. "My turn," Roxas stated as he watched the surrounding storm. As soon as a bolt of lightning appeared, he activated Sun Tale. The world became a canvas and moving quickly, he drew a line from the lightning to the statue. When the world faded back to normal, the lightning followed the line and struck the statue, activating the platform and allowing it to rotate around end over end. The Nobody looked at his Keyblade in thought, comparing the Thunderstorm technique to his own thunder magic. Thunderstorm had been more powerful, accurate, and faster than any of his thunder magic, even Thundaga wasn't nearly as strong. The problem was that it required a local source of electricity to work while his spells could be done anywhere. He was also limited to what he could see and draw with his Keyblade whereas his magic merely required his will to direct it. He would have to look more into it later, right now they had a castle to climb.
The group continues on, reentering the castle in a different area. However, this area had strange yellow spikes planted in the walls and hanging in mid-air. While the others had no clue as to what they were, to Roxas they looked like emitters of some kind, but were powered down at the moment. So far in their travels they had encountered a few Heartless, mostly just Shadows and the occasional Spearman. However they soon found a strange key in a hidden room behind a painting. The key was relatively large and the handle had an odd circle emblem with jagged spikes pointing out. The weirdest thing about it was it was giving off sparks of electricity at a constant rate. Amaterasu walked up to it slowly, giving it a sniff while Issun voiced his curiosity. "Hm? Wonder if that's a key. Pretty strange looking one if it is. You gotta be careful about what you pick up, Ammy. I mean, who knows what might happen. You might get zapped or something. Don't say I didn't warn ya!" The wolf ignored the tiny artist and picked up the key in her mouth. As soon as she did, all the yellow emitters next to them became active.
Immediately Roxas opened Compass and scanned them, confirming his suspicions from earlier. "Interesting. Those spike things create force fields whenever one of those keys are brought near it. In short, as long as you have one of those keys, those see through platforms become solid," he explained. Using the key they were finally able to ascend up into the fortress and back towards that top.
-XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII-
The group made their way back to the lobby area where they had first entered the castle. So far they had been ambushed by a few groups of demons and Heartless, but nothing major. Roxas supposed it was due to the labyrinth and the fact that many of the doors could only be opened by a directed lightning strike, something only a few beings could do. With the thunder key in hand, they placed it in the box and turned it. Immediately there was a reaction as the light bulb on the top of the box lit up. Massive gears and mechanisms came to life as the gate opened to the other part of the room.
Moving forward they came to a massive demon statue. It was a bipedal creature, heavily muscled, with fangs and horns similar to the Red and Blue Oni they had faced at the front door, and a ring of drums behind it baring the same thunder symbol that had been on the key. Near the statue was an emitter of some sort, sparking wildly with electricity. Issun whistled in appreciation at sculpture. "Now that's what I call a statue! Too bad it's wasted on the no-good monsters here. Still, there's just something not right about it," he said as he gazed at the thing, which Roxas silently agreed with. The statue was posed like it was claiming victory, holding a massive 9-pronged sword up high, a very familiar sword. Issun continued, "Especially that raised sword there. We've got Seven Strike, the legendary 7-pronged sword, but I've never a 9-pronged sword!"
Roxas interrupts the Poncle. "Actually we have. That's the same sword that Rao was using and it's similar to some of the other statues around here," he explained getting an idea. He summoned Sun Tail and focused on the scene in front of him. With a flash of ink, he drew a line from the sparking emitter to the sword held high. Lightning arced from the emitter and struck the sword. In a flash of light and electricity, the statue disappeared, as if it had been nothing more than an illusion. Beneath where the statue had once been was a staircase leading downwards into the bowels of the fortress. The group continued on, undaunted by challenges that awaited them.
-XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII-
The group eventually found themselves in a larger open area in the middle of the fortress. The lower levels they had found were filled with giant gears, all powered by more of those thunder keys. It made Roxas wonder what all that heavy machinery was for. The only thing that made sense was that those gears and machines were what moved the entire island, hence why it was never in the same place more than once. A mobile command center was a big advantage.
In any case, the room they were in was much more cared for then what they had seen so far of Oni Island. On the walls were hanging scrolls with images of demons on them. Yet they didn't show them razing towns or making humans suffer, but instead just … living, acting as normal beings, festivals, markets, things that one would expect of normal people. Most of the images centered on fox demons, kitsune, with the location shown was obviously Lake Beewa. It only further confirmed the story that it had once been the demons' home and that all this was for revenge. Shaking himself out of his thoughts, the group met up once again with the demonic slip of paper, Tobi.
The demonic being spoke in a tone that gave the impression of a sad smile. "S-Sirs? So, you have made it this far, have you? I must tell you, good sirs, the time for fun and games is over. For it is my sworn duty to stand guard here. But, during our competition - Oh, how shall I put it... I became rather fond of both of you, good sirs. The sight of you, risking your lives in a gallant charge... That is something I simply must see again! Heh heh... Have I failed as a gatekeeper for feeling so?" he asked rhetorically. None of them said anything, unable to truly contest it. "So, you see, good sir... I wish to live a life of competition! To come this far only to give up? No, that is not me. I care not if I am a failure as a gatekeeper. Let us make this a race for the ages!" he declared proudly. Roxas smirked at the demon as he had to give him credit for choosing his own path; he understood that feeling all too well. The best he could do to honor one like himself, one that said screw you to those who would dictate his fate, would be to give it his all. Once against the group raced through the trap lined halls of the fortress and once again the group won, though by a slim margin.
The group was now in the highest levels of Oni Island, the top floor just beneath the roof where the Dark Lord was most assuredly waiting for them. The floor was an open area as they stood on one side and the stairway leading to the roof was on the other. Unlike the end of the other races, Tobi did not disappear but instead remained, as if contemplating something. He then turned to Roxas, Amaterasu, and Issun, speaking quietly with a calm sadness. "I am indeed no match for you, good sirs. Your eyes, ever focused on tomorrow, have led you to the climax. Of course, I do not mean our petty little races. O mighty warriors who seeks the castle's summit on Oni Island... The true climax of your adventure is close at hand. Tobi never felt such competitive fire until you, good sirs! Though I cannot join you, I shall send you off with a final dash!" he proclaimed loudly.
Roxas was stunned by the declaration. "Tobi …" he said weakly, wanting to protest that the races were not petty and were actually kind of fun, despite being lethally dangerous.
The demon slip of paper spoke against before he could voice his thoughts. "Alright, good sirs! Now for the race to end them all! Make it one that I shall never forget!" he proclaimed. Once more, the group dashed, this time in a simple straight line from start to finish. The world around them blurred and for a few tense moments, nothing else mattered but getting to that final gate, that final finish line.
Despite losing again, the demonic piece of paper seemed happy. "Truly amazing, good sirs! I am so glad we could part like this. I hope my final dash pleased you, good sirs," he said calmly, though there was something in his voice that worried Roxas.
Issun however didn't seem to notice. "Heh heh, you're not half bad for a scrap of paper. And even though you're an enemy, I guess I should commend you!" he said happily.
The piece of paper seemed to nod in acceptance. "I feel so very fortunate to have such a great man as yourself witness my final moment..."
Roxas' eyes widened as he realized what his earlier declaration about being a failure as a gatekeeper really meant. Kumotome seemed to nod from her perch on his shoulder. "I should have guessed. You are a totem familiar, made to do a specific job. When you fail to do that job …" she intoned sadly.
Again, Tobi seemed to nod in agreement. "Indeed, I have violated the precepts and shall thusly be erased. So it is I who must bid you farewell. I shall now accept my fate for abandoning my duty as a gatekeeper."
The greater Nobody reached out to the demonic piece of paper, wanting to prevent what was going to happen. It wasn't fair! Why should he fade away simply for choosing different from what everyone else commanded him to be? "Tobi …"
The demonic being just laughed despite that he was starting to fade away from existence. "Oh, don't be sorry for me, good sir! This was the life of my own choosing. I treasured it, and no one can ever take that away from me. Though I may have been born a mere servant of spirits, I should at least be allowed to do what I please at my passing, for otherwise, my life would have been in vain! I fear I shall not be able to guide you the rest of the way. I wish I had a bouquet of flowers to present you at this farewell. But, alas, I must part with you empty handed. Please forgive me. Farewell, good sir. And good luck...!" With that the demonic slip faded into air, leaving nothing but the memory of its existence.
The Keyblade user was silent as he reached out to where Tobi had once been, clenching his fist as if he wanted to retain some piece of that demonic paper. He was silent for a moment as images of his own past flashed in his mind. Of where he had been given, forced, into a role he had never asked for. Images of where his defiance was met with an order for his termination. He spoke quietly though whether to himself or to those present was unknown. "It wasn't just some stupid little race Tobi. You pushed us and yourself to go as far as possible. Once more, you died on your terms and no one else's. Now, we move on to face the greatest challenge so far," he said in all seriousness, walking out to the stairway leading to the roof of the fortress.
-XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII- XIII-
They reached the very top of the fortress. Before them was a massive platform with two fish shaped statues on either side spewing out magma like ornamental fountains. Above them was a massive storm, blocking out the night sky with the wind blowing ominously. Roxas brought out Sun Tail and Two Become One immediately as the entire area gave off a disturbing feeling. He knew the Dark Lord … Ninetails … Rao was watching them.
Issun once again voiced his thoughts loud and clear. "Well... Looks like we've finally reached the top of the castle. Now where's that fox-headed wench hiding? The great Issun's gonna avenge Queen Himiko!" he declared angrily while unsheathing his sword. Not seeing their opponent, Amaterasu calls her out, howling towards the stormy sky. Surprisingly, the sky cleared to reveal the full moon, colored blood red with a twisted image of a nine tailed creature on it along with the rest of night sky. Suddenly, a shining light appeared in the sky opposite of the blood red moon… a constellation. However, this one was different. While the previous ones that he had encountered had given off a holy, almost comforting light, the light this one gave off seemed … corrupted, as if glaring down at them. Even worse was the feeling was familiar.
Kumotome was as suspicious as the rest of them. "This area has the highest concentration of demonic energy in the fortress, how could a holy constellation be here?" she voiced out loud though she was pretty sure it was anything but holy. Seeing no other alternative, Amaterasu filled in the missing stars.
The constellation darkened as the outline of the stars filled in, showing a massive nine-tailed shadow beast with glowing red eyes. The shadow came alive, jumping up and flipping in the air, its multiple tails acting as a cape almost as it finally landed on the ground. Thus the full form of Ninetails was revealed. A massive fox, easily four times as big as Amaterasu, stood before them. It was colored off white with nine tails behind it, each as one and half times long as its body with what looked like a cloth wrapped around the end and tied off with a mask, making each look like a paint brush. The only exception was the center tail as it instead had a string of red beads wrapped around it like what the false Rao wore. The fox's fur was similar to Amaterasu's, only it was more jagged and coarse than hers with her face painted in red tribal markings. On her back was the nine-pronged sword they had seen her wielding before, only much larger now and floating above her back the same way Amaterasu's divine weapons did. To put it simply, she looked like a massive corrupted version of one of the brush gods and even gave off an aura that was a mix of demonic and holy, much to their interest.
All around them the world faded into the Celestial Plains, yet it wasn't. Normally they were peaceful, serene, but now they were as violent as the thunder storm that raged above. The wind raged as she spoke, her voice echoing in the gale. "Ho ho ho ho ho … So, Amaterasu and Roxas … You both have crept into my castle like sneaky little mice, have you? By the power of Yami, ruler of the Land of Darkness, I, Ninetails, have been made lord of Ryoshima Coast! You needn't have come all this way just for me to kill you. I would have found you and done so just the same. Just like I did to Queen Himiko!" she declared proudly.
That caught all their attention, especially Roxas who had literally lived next door to the Land of Darkness. At no point had he ever heard of this Yami or any creature that would be considered the Lord of Darkness. The closest thing he had come to were Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness and the Heartless of his former boss Xemnas. If Ansem was here and masquerading as a divine being to control demons, then the question was what was the point of it? What was so special about this world that he would go to all the trouble, again assuming it was Ansem and not something else entirely? Issun once again became the voice of the group. "Yami? Land of Darkness? Never heard of either of 'em! And I don't remember ever giving you my OK to rule Ryoshima Coast!" he declared hotly.
Ninetails snarled at them. "Yami is the absolute ruler of all evil beings. He is the ultimate symbol of darkness and ruler of the Dark Ones. And he is nothing like those false gods of your fairytales!" she roared at them, her displeasure at the gods of this world obvious.
"This Yami thing is deceiving you," Roxas cut in, the tone of his voice surprising those present. "I've LIVED in the land of Darkness and such a being does not exist. Whatever this Yami is, his actions will condemn this world and everyone in it to become Heartless, including you!" he declared while pointing Sun Tail at her. "Listen, we don't have to do this. My offer of passage to another world still stands. You've already gotten your revenge on those who wronged your people, you don't need to condemn the world as well," he tried to reason with her only for the kitsune to get angry.
"SILENCE!" she yelled as thunder crackled along her blade. "I will listen to no more of your lies Nobody! Prepare to face the wrath of my terrible power! A power far beyond your so-called gods!" she declared as lightning flashed in the background of the pseudo Celestial realm.
With that the battle began as Roxas shifted his Keyblades into Eco Surge in Blaster mode, firing off shots and giving cover fire while Amaterasu dashed forward with Seven Strike. Ninetails jumped from side to side, mimicking the sun goddess's fleet foot technique in order to dodge both the shots and the wolf. All the while her tails curved upwards behind her, the masks all watching the fight with sentient eyes. Without warning the kitsune rushed forward, energy swirling around her. Amaterasu and Roxas dodged in opposite sides. Immediately she turned and attacked the wolf with Ninestrike, her sword clashing with Seven Strike. The two blades locked due to their multiple prongs. Seeing his chance, Roxas shifted Eco Surge to Peacemaker mode and opened fire on Ninetails' exposed side. Strangely, one of the masks on tails seemed to see the attack coming. In a flash of movement and ink, a line was drawn mid-air in front of the dark Eco orb, sending it back at the Nobody.
Surprised, Roxas barely had time to get out of the way of the blast. He thought quickly at what he had just seen. It had looked like Ammy's Power Slash technique, but why would she protect Ninetails from his attack? He then realized something odd about the ink that had flash in front of him; it had been red instead of black. It was Kumotome who answered his unspoken question. "That attack wasn't from the Sun Goddess. Apparently the kitsune can use the Celestial Brush just as she can. Even worse is that those spirits from the Fox Rods now inhabit her tails. This will not be an easy fight," she stated ominously.
Deciding to forgo long range, Roxas summoned Sun Tail and Two Become one and dashed forward to attack. Seeing him coming, Ninetails pushed Amaterasu away and brought her tails forward in a wide arc. The masks on the tails started to spew out concentrated toxins, not unlike those of Blight. The toxins hit the floor, creating pools of acid. Ammy leapt back to avoid them while Roxas went forward. Able to jump much higher than the sun goddess, he rose up and above the tails and over Ninetails herself. When the tails went back to their normal positions, Roxas landed in the kitsune's back.
Blocking Ninestrike with Sun Tail Roxas then proceeding to slash at her with Two Become One. However, it was useless as some sort of aura was preventing his blade from doing any real damage. As soon as he tried to attack, Ninetails started to buck like a wild horse in order to get him off. The Nobody hung on for dear life as he rode the gigantic fox. Then without warning, a flash of red ink appeared in the form of loop, the Galestorm technique. Roxas continued to hold on against the corrupted wind until one of the tails turned and smacked him off.
The Keyblade user rolled backwards and quickly got to his feet just in time to see Ninetails thrust her tails into the ground itself. Both he and Ammy were confused for a moment until he saw the tips of the tails moving through the ground towards him. "Shit!" he exclaimed and he turned and ran, just barely avoiding the tail spike shooting up through the ground where he had been. Amaterasu did the same, both dodging the nine tail spikes before they retracted back to their owner. "Dammit, we can't hurt her!" Roxas growled in frustration.
During the fight so far, the spider on his shoulder had been able to observe their opponent and feel out her power. After that short ride on her back, she was able to give an explanation for the kitsune's defense. "She wields a mix of holy and demonic energies thanks to the spirits of the Fox Rods. You need to separate them in order to weaken her," Kumotome explained as they avoided another charge attack by Ninetails.
"Yeah, no problem," Roxas muttered sarcastically. Before he could even consider what to do, Ninetails raised her glaive, Ninestrike towards the sky. For a brief moment, the Nobody saw the blade in the air and remembered the demon statue in the main hall of the fortress. Before he could do anything about it though, the fox brought the sword down, releasing a shockwave of lightning right at him.
Jumping out of the way, he yelled to Amaterasu. "Ammy, slow her down! Use the mist!" he called out. Barking in agreement, two short lines of black ink appeared before the area was covered in mist. The fox was confused for a moment as time seemed to slow down for her. Taking his chance, he ran over to the wolf goddess. "Listen, I have an idea. I'll distract her and when she raises her sword again, I want you to use Thunderstorm on it," he whispered to her quickly as the mist was already clearing due to Ninetails using Galestorm again.
"What good will that do?" Issun asked irritably as he had seen how ineffective their attacks had been.
The Nobody scowled at the Poncle from under his hood. "We don't have time to argue. We can't hurt her directly, we need to try something else, so get ready!" he ordered as the mist cleared.
Switching to Eco Surge in Vulcan Fury mode, he ran to the side peppering her with blue eco bullets right to the face. While he knew it wouldn't do any damage, but it would at least get her attention. Unfortunately, he was right.
"Traitorous Nobody!" Ninetails roared as it once again dashed right at him. He double jumped out of the way as Ninestrike slashed where he had been. Using the his Light Wings, he was able to keep his distance, though it was difficult with the kitsune using Galestorm to try and knock him either down or off the platform they were on. He was able to stay on the platform, but barely and was now in a corner, right in the enraged fox's line of fire. Snarling viciously, the kitsune one again raised her sword for another thunder wave.
Seeing her chance, Amaterasu cast Thunderstorm right at Ninestrike. The result was near instant. While Ninetails was well protected on the outside, inside was another matter. The lightning charge in the blade, instead of going out through the blade, was forced the other way out through the handle that was currently in the kitsune's mouth. Any mystical being will tell you that a sudden shock like that while trying to channel powerful energies will result in a major backlash and this was no different. The lightning coursed through the beast's body until she literally broke apart.
In the center of the arena was a purple energy sphere with four of the masks that had been on the tails circling it. The other four masks had separated and materialized into individual beings. Each one took on the likeness of Rao, but different, as if each was a different version of her. All of them had fox-like features and their outfits seemed to be modified versions of Rao's own nun outfit. There was one that was heavily muscled like an Amazon, another like a samurai wielding a katana sword, a third dressed as a miko with an umbrella, and a fourth with a pair of kunai in a ninja outfit. Enraged, the samurai and ninja go after Roxas while the miko and Amazon went after Amaterasu.
Roxas jumped back, bringing up Two Become One and Sun Tail, blocking the attacks from both blade wielding spirits. Concentrating and knowing he had to finish this quickly; he summoned his Light Shields and sent them towards the two manifested spirits. While they certainly had the looks, they did not have the powers of their master and seemed to only user physical attacks. Amaterasu noticed this as well and held off the miko and Amazon with her Celestial brush while Roxas did the same with his Light Shields. While each dealt with their opposing kitsune, the purple energy sphere in the middle of the arena started to fire off energy bolts at them to keep them from attacking the spirits. This did little good however as both Ammy and Roxas just dodged and used long range tactics to take them out. As good as the spirits were when united, they were far less of a threat when divided.
Once the last of them were destroyed and turned into vapor, Ninetails reformed herself, though she may have needed a new name as four of her tails were now missing, corresponding to the masked spirits they had just defeated. She looked truly enraged at having lost four of her tails. "Damn you Nobody! Damn you false sun goddess! I will tear you both apart for this!" she roared and attacked once more.
She dashed forward, Ninestrike blazing as she did. With the fan of tails lessened there was less drag so she was much faster this time. She had lost power but had gained speed and agility. Both Amaterasu and Roxas kept their distance as they tried to anger the fox into using its lightning wave attack again. However, Ninetails was no fool and would not attempt to use the attack again, instead focusing more on physical attacks such as her rush attack, Ninestrike, tail spears, or poison. She also used the Celestial Brush, mainly the Power Slash and Cherry Bomb techniques, though both were ineffective due to them watching for the red ink and blocking before they could take effect.
They were in a stalemate. Ninetails couldn't get a good hit on them due to their agility and ability to counter her attacks, having seen most of them. Likewise they couldn't damage Ninetails due to her having a mix of divine and demonic energies protecting her. Getting frustrated, the kitsune tried something else, something she had been saving just in case she had needed it. She turned towards Roxas, having missed Amaterasu in another failed Power Slash. "You're mine Nobody!" she roared as another flash of red ink appeared. This time however, neither Roxas nor Amaterasu nor Issun nor Kumotome knew what technique it was as the ink appeared as a large X with a horizontal line through the middle.
Before he could react, the crimson ink flashed and a massive rain of ice shards came down on the Keyblade wielder. Moving quickly, he jumped to the side to avoid it, only to have his legs and feet caught by the attack, freezing him in place. Seeing her chance, Ninetails rushed forward at Roxas, intending to finish him quickly. Reacting to her charge, he summoned Rejection of Fate in place of Two Become One and immediately activated Stand Firm. The five-tailed fox ran into the black-coated boy, expected to run him down. Instead, her head slammed into the crossed Keyblades, stopping her cold as if she had hit the side of a mountain. Roxas stood firm, holding back the crushing power of the demon fox and she continued to claw the ground, trying to run him over and push him off the platform.
Turning to Amaterasu, Roxas yelled out, "Ammy, Thunderstorm now!" Just as he said that, he pushed the beast back for a moment and before she could attempt to attack, he jammed Sun Tail into her mouth and raised Two Become One in towards the sky. Not hesitating, the sun goddess lined up and used the technique, drawing a line of divine ink from the surrounding thunderclouds to where Ninetails and Roxas were locked in combat.
Lightning arced through the Nobody's body and into the demon, once again shorting her out from the inside. He bore the pain, not screaming out as the electricity ran through him or when he was blown back by Ninetails once again exploding and separating into individual spirits and the soul orb again. He skidded along the platform and stopped at the edge near one of the magma fountains on each of the sides. Kumotome skittered after him, having jumped off before the lightning struck. It had been a stupid and risky move, but unfortunately necessary. Ninetails was not going to use her thunder wave attack again with the risk of losing the rest of the Fox Rod spirits. Once again the spirits took on forms similar to that or Rao, but modified to suit their unique roles. While the first four had been a ninja, a samurai, a miko, and an Amazon, these last four were what looked like a soldier, an archer, a sorceress, and what looked like an old woman.
The sorceress and the archer went after Amaterasu while the soldier moved towards Roxas, who was still experiencing terrible spasms from the lightning. The old woman also seemed to be heading towards Roxas, though didn't seem to be in a hurry. While the Might Crown ring he wore negated a small part of the lightning's effect and was hastening its dispelling, no way could it fully stand up to holy lightning like the Thunderstorm brush technique. He got up slowly as the soldier spirit came towards him and readied his weapons. The soldier came at him with her own smaller version of Ninestrike, clashing against his Keyblades while the old lady watched in interest.
The sun goddess took out the sorceress quickly with several well timed Power Slashes as she ran towards the archer. Dodging corrupted arrows and blasts from the soul orb, she raced towards the archer spirit, Sevenstrike ready. The archer tried to block the divine instrument with her bow, but magically enhanced wood would not stand up to divinely forge metal. In no time at all, the archer was dispelled. She turned to see Roxas dueling with the soldier. Sparks flew as Ninestrike's longer range met up against the better defense of Roxas' dual weapons. Getting frustrated, the Nobody pushed the spirit away and quickly shifted to Eco Surge in Peacemaker mode. The spirit's eyes widened, having recognized the weapon from the Dark Lord's memories and before she could react, was hit full force by a blast of charge particles, dispelling the entity. Switching to Wave Concussor mode, he blasted the ice and freed himself before turning to the last spirit, the old woman who seemed to be standing calmly.
The spirit gazed at him, her eyes piercing through his to see the soul inside, as if judging him for a moment before nodded her consent. Not knowing what that was about but not letting this chance go by, he shifted his weapon back to Peacemaker mode and blasted her, obliterating the last Fox Rod spirit and changing everything on the battlefield.
The instant the last spirit was destroyed, the entire area changed. The pseudo Celestial Realm illusion was wiped away, revealing the platform on top of the fortress under the night sky where the battle had begun. Ninetails also reappeared, though nowhere near as divine looking as she had been when the fight first started. While still huge in comparison to Amaterasu, she no longer looked like a Brush God and instead looked like a giant, worn fox. Her primary color was a dark, rust red, with off white on her muzzle, tail end, and torso. Black fur colored her paws and the tips of her ears. Most notably she still retained Ninestrike and her crimson eyes, though her right eye was gone with a massive scar going over the right part of her face with many smaller scars marring her fur.
The fox demon snarled at them, enraged both at losing the power of the Fox Rods and at the seemingly betrayal of the last and oldest spirit. The battle worn fox snarled at them, not hiding her rage or disgust at her true form being revealed. "So you see me as I am; a battered old fox demon. I may have lost the Fox Rods, but I will still take you down!" she roared at them.
She attacked again, rushing forward as Ninestrike slashed at them. This time, without the extra tails to slow her down, her speed had increased dramatically. Amaterasu and Roxas were barely able to dodge her furious assault. Her strikes were wild and full of rage, rage directed at everything, at the loss of the Fox Rods' power, at the spirit's seeming betrayal, at Roxas' supposed deception, at the loss of her people and their home, at everything. All the pain and misery that she had gone through up to this point came out in her attacks. Ninestrike arced with lightning in response to her emotions, sending out waves of energy to try and hit them. However, this had the effect of wearing her out and using up what magical power she had left. Seeing an opening as the fox stopped to catch her breath, Amaterasu used the Cherry Bomb technique, creating a large paper wrapped sphere with a lit fuse right next to the fox. Before she could move away however, she looked up to see Roxas pointing Eco Surge in Peacemaker mode at her, or more specifically at the newly drawn bomb.
Her eyes widened as he released a blast of charged particles. The sphere hit the Cherry Bomb, causing a massive firework like explosion of energy. The kitsune was knocked the ground, battered, bruised, out of strength, and out of power. Her one good eye turned to watch as the Sun Goddess and Greater Nobody approached her. She snarled at them in a last show of defiance as Amaterasu raised her divine instrument to finish her off. She closed her eye and waited for the end. However, instead of feeling pain as her head was cut off, she instead heard a loud clang.
Her eye snapped open to see Roxas had blocked the strike with his Keyblade, specifically the strange Keyblade he had used on the sunken ship, Sanity's Edge. The fox wasn't the only one surprised as the goddess, the spider, and the Poncle all looked at him in a mix of curiosity and betrayal, more the latter from the tiny artist who voiced his thoughts.
"What are ya doing Roxas? Why won't you let us finish this wench off!?" the Poncle demanded, thoughts of the slain queen running through his head.
"Because it would accomplish nothing for anyone. Yes, Rao here did kill the queen, but she did so because of her people being wronged long ago. Besides, my offer still stands from before," he said to the surprise of those present. Lifting the Keyblade, he pointed it away from them and started to channel pure Light, Darkness, and Nothingness through it. While he had never created a Chaos Corridor to a specific world before, he figured using a Keyblade from the world he wanted at a conduit would allow him to do so accurately.
His assumption was proven correct as the Chaos flowed through the twisted weapon and out in front of them, forming a large portal to a very different world. The kitsune, Sun Goddess, and Poncle were all amazed as images of a twisted, terrible, yet beautiful world appeared in the portal. The first image was that of a lush, colorful forest the seemed unable to make up its mind if it should be spring or fall. The sky was a clear blue and had multiple floating islands with forests just as lush as what they were seeing. Oddly, the landscape was strewn with what looked like giant pieces of toys, integrated into the landscape as if they belonged there. Dominoes acting as river stones, dices jutting from the sides of the river, yo-yos handing from the trees like fruits, with some toys floating like flower petals in the wind. The most distinct feature of this place as the image moved through the Vale of Tears were the number of statues acting as fountains feeding into the various streams and ponds. All the statues were of young women holding their faces as they cried. Some of them had pearl eyes letting loose clear, crystal water, others onyx eyes the cried blood and dying the rivers red. Yet still, some of the statues were badly cracked or partially destroyed, with their fragments floating near them as if unable to decide if they should fly away or rejoin the statue. These had burning red eyes and seemed to cry a mix of strange tar-like ink and magma.
The image shifted to a different set of islands. All of these were built over with what looked like factories that had parts oddly shaped like teapots. Gears floated all around with pipes and tracks leading all over. Clocks were built into every building as steam poured out of the factories. Machines whirled as molten metal was poured and shaped. One set of tracks was larger than the others. On it was a massive machine that looked like a dark, gothic temple of wheels. It sides were lined with strange stained glass windows that shimmered black and red light. The image shifted once more, this time to an icy wasteland under a spectacular night sky. The Aurora Borealis shimmered next to stars and galaxies as a crescent moon with a face calmly smoked a large pipe, creating wispy clouds and added to the scene. Below was what looked like a massive ship in a bottle. Around the ship were dark waters, hiding things only a few could imagine. Once more the scene changed, this time to something more familiar to those of Nippon. A hilly landscape with what looked like large pots, scrolls, and mahjong tiles built into the landscape. The sky itself had numerous kanji flowing through it, all of various elemental characters as well as a few ornamental fans.
With each scene, Roxas' claim of other worlds and offer to go to them was confirmed more and more. A spark of hope ignited in the fox's eyes, but her pride, skepticism, and distrust of humans caused her to turn a critical eye on the Nobody who seemed to be waiting for her response. "So your claim of being able to go to other worlds is true, but that doesn't mean me or my people would be better off there. How can we know that the new world would accept us any more than this one has?" he asked cynically.
"How about the word of one who lives there?" a smooth sounding voice asked. Amaterasu jumped to the side in surprise as the Cheshire Cat finally revealed himself in front of the divine canine. While the kitsune had met the demon cat that had allied with Roxas before, this time it was under very different circumstances. The gray fur, the black markings, and that impossibly wide, twisted grin were like no demon or creature she had ever seen before and still gave the fox the creeps.
"Who the hell are you!?" Issun cried in surprise.
Roxas just chuckled at the artist's reaction. "Allow me to introduce the Cheshire Cat, advisor to the creator of Wonderland and annoyingly cryptic feline. Cheshire, this is the Sun Goddess Amaterasu, the former Spider Queen Kumotome, the Dark Lord Ninetails, and the Wandering loudmouth Artist Issun," he said motioning to each of them in turn.
"Charmed I'm sure," Cheshire replied smoothly.
The kitsune stared at the strange cat for a moment before speaking. "You are a … traveler from this world? You are accepted there?" she asked tentatively.
The cat nodded. "Indeed my dear. Though I myself am one of a kind, there are many strange creatures in Wonderland. Demons like you and those of this island would be welcome in our world … provided you received permission to settle there," he said cryptically.
Turning to Roxas, the kitsune asked, "What does he mean by that?"
The Nobody sighed. "While you and the demons here would fit in fine in Wonderland, you would need the permission of the ruler there, the Red Queen of Hearts, and to be perfectly honest … she's mad."
"But … I don't want to deal with a mad queen," the fox said whimpered.
The Cat chuckled. "Oh you can't help that … we're all mad there."
Roxas sighed and kneeled down to look the fallen fox in the eye. "Look, I know you have no reason to trust me, but I have not lied to you since we met and I'm not lying now. I know that this world has not been kind to you, your people, or your fellow demons. You acted against Sei-An City due to what they did to you in the past and you've gotten your revenge. Now I ask you this, why stay here? What would you gain by staying in a world that doesn't want or support you?" He then turned and motioned to the coastline in the distance. "You could conquer Ryoshima Coast, but to what end? You'd have to constantly fight for it from humans and the gods here that support them. It would be an ongoing battle and would probably turn the whole coast into a warzone. And this is all assuming that this … Yami thing will let you. I don't know what it is or what it told you, but there is no Ruler of the Land of Darkness, take it from someone who's actually lived there," he said with a weary smile.
Cheshire decided to speak, unnerving most of them. "Indeed, you have been most uninformed of the truth and the uniformed must improve their deficit … or die," he said darkly for a moment before continuing. "You lose nothing by asking and much to gain, but be warned, settling in a new home means you take on not only the benefits … but the dangers as well," he said cryptically before finally fading away.
The fallen fox looked into the distance at Ryoshima Coast and then back at the portal that was fading through various images of Wonderland, deep in thought. She then turned to the Nobody who was waiting patiently for her answer. He had spared her life, offered her a new home, a sanctuary for the remainder of her people and the residents of Oni Island. But was it a sanctuary? A place where everyone was mad but they'd be accepted or her people's homeland where there would be constant war just to keep it. She debated with herself for a moment before coming to an uneasy decision. "I'll go with you to this Wonderland and petition the Red Queen for sanctuary. In exchange, we will leave Sei-An City and I will tell you what I know of Yami," she offered.
Roxas smiled while Amaterasu barked, tail wagging in agreement. "As you wish Lady Rao," he said before casting a Cura spell on her.
The fox stood up and shook herself off, feeling better due to the effects of the spell. "Also my name isn't Rao; that was the name of the priestess. You may call me Tamamo-no-Mae," she introduced herself. Roxas nodded and the group left through the portal to Dark Wonderland to see the Queen of Hearts.
Though Himiko's death hadn't been avenged in the traditional sense, it was still put rest knowing her people would be safe. Amaterasu's tenacity and Roxas' compassion had proven too much for Ninetails, Tamamo-no-Mae. The fearsome beast had lay defeated, its true nature laid bare for all to see, a tired old fox that was only trying to do the best for its people. Now it was on a quest to secure a new home in a very strange new world.
Oni Island still stood, waiting for its master to return with news of a new destination.
Otohime, who had transformed into the Water Dragon, returned to the Dragon Palace, her role fulfilled, to attend to her husband and their future child.
In the distance, the body of Blight released a mass of undulating darkness that hovered high in mid-air. Then, the black mass moved toward the land to the extreme North. Four such blackened spirits had emerged from Orochi's corpse. Perhaps this one was off to join its remaining brethren, though it had paused at the sight of Oni Island and Ninetails leaving for a new world. Echoing behind were Ninetails' words about the Dark Lord, Yami. Could it be that this formidable creature resided to the North?
Amaterasu just about to enter the portal, sensing a dark presence, trembled.
The diminutive Issun, who had accompanied Amaterasu bravely, felt a tinge of hesitation in his heart, for he had predicted that the journey would end when all 13 powers were restored. With only 1 power remaining and them now going to another world, a tiny frown creased his face. At any rate, their next target upon their return was waiting in the frozen North. Their adventure was far from over...
Far away on the coast, a man with a spyglass watched as they entered the portal, frowning as he gripped the handle of his sword tightly.
Journal Entry Day 399
Yami, Ruler of the Land of Darkness
I have seen many odd and terrifying things, but a Tamamo-no-Mae's declaration of a Ruler of the Land of Darkness, truly worries me. Is it just some sort of demon or do the Heartless truly have a ruler like how the Nobodies have Xemnas? Though I want to believe it's just a demon, my instinct tells me different; that this Yami thing is something else all together. While there are records of other beings controlling Heartless, they were not this well organized and were never paired with other creatures. It was always a general of some kind using the Heartless like an army. I'll have to look into it later. For now I have to seek an audience with the Red Queen and hope she's in a good mood. I also hope Issun will keep his mouth shut but I'm not holding my breath.
AN: My muse decided to leave town and my new job with the WORST scheduling on the planet didn't help. Regardless, here's the latest chapter. Next one will be the return to Wonderland for this strange group. This was a hard chapter to write due to the fortress and the fight and I have mixed feelings about it but I did the best I could.
Also on a different note, one of my reviewers suggested I take on my own challenge of a Narnia and American McGee's Alice crossover. While I am sorely tempted to do so, I'm going to hold back on that because 1) I've tried to do multiple stories at once before and they all suffered for it, and 2) I may know Alice inside and out, but my knowledge of Narnia is limited as I never really got into the books or movies and I don't know if I could write the characters correctly. One crossover I may do in the future is an Alice/Batman cross where Alice becomes the new head doctor of Arkham and actually makes progress with all of the patients including Batman's rogue gallery. You can't tell me that wouldn't be interesting.
AN1 – While the Keyblade can lock/unlock anything, the lock in question has to be able to move in order for it to work. I liken this to an electronic lock with a deadbolt. If the bolt is locked and the device itself has no power, then it doesn't matter if you have the key or not as without power the lock won't move. In this case, the key itself gives the lock its power, meaning that even if you pick the lock or have a skeleton key, such as the Keyblade, then it still doesn't work because the lock has no power and is unable to move, thus remaining locked and secure.
