Of Keys and Hammers

by zcritic88

In a realm beyond, the Four Chaos has taken notice of a realm tied close to the heart. They squirmed into the darkness and sought to corrupt if to reach a prize beyond the light. Will the Light of Order, be able to repel this ancient evil?

21. Waking up in the Evening

At Traverse Town, Kairi arrived to hopefully settle a long awaited ordeal and stage a get together for her friends for when their task was finished. She noticed the steam tank and medieval soldiers in their post as a particular boy was reading a poster for something. Of an opening to a bistro in a town beyond. Ken noticed Kairi and walked towards the bell tower. "You're here a lot earlier than I expected. How was you're adventure?"

Kairi followed with sharp memories. "I found another princess, her name is Rapunzel. She been through some pretty scary things."

Ken turned his head and asked. "Like?"

Cough!

He and Kairi noticed Namine with them, the blonde girl answered the question. "She was kidnapped as a child and locked away through out her whole life by a witch that only... cared about her hair. She is out of that struggle and we found more information that needs to be passed around."

Ken cringed to that. "Yikes, I hope Rapunzel is going to be okay with herself." He gasped to an idea. "I might have found something some of our Imperium buddies could be interested in for when those wackos are gone. A way home if I can master it."

The girls found that interesting as they reached the bell tower, Kairi felt hesitate to say goodbye to friends and took out her keyblade. "That... how did you learn that?"

Ken turned to her, drew out his two blades and answered. "When the meeting with that Farseer was getting nuts. But only a couple of those guys got hurt and that means no blood on these hands."

Kairi looked at the altered Cadia's Light and gave a rivals smile. "That was when that keyblade transformed. I seen that happen to Sora's a couple times, what's different?"

Ken had little idea of Kairi's battle style and took a stance with his own. "It's shots can punch through armor pretty well and that's all I know right now. Sorry."

Namine backed away as Ken fired Cadia's Light, Kairi dodged and spun head first at her rival like a torpedo, Ken jumped back and used Firekeepers Wish to fling a screen of ashes and cinders. Kairi closed her eyes shook her head and met three stinging shots. She opened her eyes to find Ken by an alley way to her left firing a charged shot finisher, she jumped high with a glow and flung flowers of energy at him.

Ken gasped, yelped and blew air magic to take flight and dodge. He tried to aim as Kairi dashed to his right side in flight and struck with a flurry of blows. Parry! BASH! Ken used Cadia's Light to block a swing and struck back with the burnt blade that gave a bright glow, nearing a spark of flame. WOOSH!

Kairi felt the burn and was shot on her shoulder as Ken turned off his air magic and landed. Kairi landed with grace and rapid fired fire balls, Ken rolled to his left and lowered Cadia's Light for something. Kairi knew a trick when she saw one and noticed a flower she shot before spinning to him, she focused back to see the gun like keyblade glowing in energy. Ken used his air magic again for a high jump and fired a powered shot at the girl, it was fast and the girl's attempts to dodge ended with her being knocked to a wall, she skid to the spinning flower, shot stars in it and raised her blade towards the landing challenger. The flower glowed in light and burst into star like petals, that homed in on the boy that used the burnt blade, stabbed the ground and erupted in a pillar of fog, ashes and cinders.

Kairi closed her eyes to focus and felt a spark of light going to her right. She dodged to that direction and kept movement, Ken gasped and growled. "You-" He went for his back up plan and used his air magic to shoot himself at her like a bullet. Kairi jumped high and out of the way, the boy was heading towards a wall, he flipped to land and shot to the figure flying. PEW!

Kairi deflected the shot and shot a star at him. She heard a grunt of pain, watched the ashes clear and Ken kicking off. He wanted to call quits, she landed and smiled proudly. "Not bad."

Ken agreed and asked. "You're pretty strong yourself. Hey... do you know what happens every time you do that jump? Because... wow! You have a name for it?"

Kairi guessed what additional effect happened and answered. "Not right now, but if you would call it as you see it, what would it be?"

Ken wanted to answer, stopped and felt awkward. "Holy Flight? Someone might have a better name." Toot! Toot! Ken turned to the noise with a wider smile. "And Wanda's back, this town has been building something pretty cool for some of the worlds. Those four might be... pretty surprised once they see it."

This Kairi wanted to see and asked. "Is it that tra-" Crack! She gasped and looked up to the sky, something in the night sky didn't feel right.

Ken and asked. "What's going-" Kairi shushed him and whispered. "Shh!"

CRACK! She saw cracks in the sky, a pulse of dark light looked to be trying to escape, evaporating into flames and ashes upon entry, it was above a dead end with a flowing fountain and Kairi felt something powerful coming. SMASH! Something smashed its way through the sky, it looked like a Manticore with a tribal mask, Kairi readied for battle as Ken screamed on recognizing the foe, a green tide washed down from the smashed open corridor to bellow a "WAAAAAAAAAGH!"

The Manticore shifted into a green skin shaman that wore the skin of a beast, with a mask matching that, Ken yelled out. "Orruks! B...Beast Chompah!"

A horde of thirty savage orruks hollered like animals as Beast Chompah recognized Ken, giggled madly and danced, bringing out a spectral figure of a lion that has a neck of a goat above it, leathery wings and the tail of a serpent. Glowing green and roaring out in unstable energy. The orruk horde wished to charge at the duo as Beast Chompah clapped. "Key tings! Key tings beats the beasts!" He laughed loudly as one more figure fell from the sky, a more civilized by the standards of the species, Orruk with two glowing sticks, cobbled together red armor, a jaw and shoulder pad piece that was in silver. Thud! The humans heard frantic foot steps and knew a battle was coming, the newly arrived orruk gasped at the town, was in a rhythm and chanted. "Chime, Chime, smashe town! Chime, Chime, blow key tings away!" His sticks glowed and caused the spirit to glow, it gave a unified roar and the blade wielders knew they were in for the deep end.

In Dark Beauty Castle.

Sora and Riku set up the final screen in their adventure, watching the title Fantasia drop. Sora asked the depressed rabbit. "Oswald, do... you want to come with us and see what the Song of Awakening is? We all should see it."

The rabbit, tried to refuse, couldn't say the words and felt warmed up to the two. "...Yeah, this kind of thing only happens once in a life time."

Riku appreciated it and took his chance to jump in. "There we go. Last one there is a sleepy head!"

Plop!

Sora gasped and growled. "Oh no you didn't!" He jumped in next, with the rabbit refusing to be the titled sleepy head and following. All three were falling through a moon and down towards a large mountain with a town under its shadow. The boys felt something stirring as they fell through dark clouds, the top of the mountain stirred and shifted. Unfolding like a pair of wings, no, they were wings. Opening up to reveal a giant humanoid demon, its eyes glowed yellow and Sora had a flash back to a foe he fought long ago. "That's...that's... that is the monster that we have to fight?!"

Oswald was taken aback and asked. "Wait, you know him?!"

Sora nodded as he watched the demon look down upon the town, stretched his arms and cast a shadow. "From... the remains of the worlds the heartless took. The worlds that are still sleeping, did... he allow this place to be..."

Riku answered as he watch the town become cloaked in shadow. "Most likely... and now we are heading to his home turf."

The three watched something floating from the town bellow, a mist of souls, the demon pointed towards more of the town and used his shadow to draw more. Souls of those long dead, countless souls, the mist of souls coiled up the mountain and toward the demon, that swatted at the mist, it looked like it was laughing all the while.

The demon raised its hands in the air and cloaked himself in fire, showing faint images bellow, watching him. The trio landed at the summit of the mountain as the fire died down and felt they were surrounded, a horde of unsavory fiends dancing towards them, with claws and hoofs neither of the boys want touching them. Oswald tried to draw something and warned them as the large demon tried to scoop them up. "Look out!"

Riku noticed and jumped out of the way, Sora however was the one the fiends focused on more to where he couldn't make the jump, the silver haired teenager kept the rabbit guarded as he painted up a keyblade and realized Sora was scooped up. He panicked and wanted to look at the sides of the mountain, fighting his hardest through the fiends as Riku tried to focus a super jump and nearly got pounced by a fiend. Sora was fighting against the many that were crawling to the demons hands and realized the demon was moving them all towards its face, above a bottomless pit of fire. The spiky haired teenager was face to face with the demon, both locked eyes. The demon gave an evil smile and quickly turned it into a frown, it remembers him. Sora glided back to the main platform as the demon attempted to drop him and the fiends into the fiery pit. The fiends fell screaming and the demon focused on keeping Sora with in its hands, he wasn't going to let the boy go.

Riku's attempts to rescue him were hindered greatly by the swarming, flying specters as Oswald knocked a few fiends away and notice something far distant from the town bellow, a church that was not cast in shadow. "Hey, Riku, you seeing this?"

Riku glided to where the rabbit was and saw it. "That... that is how we stop this monster?"

Oswald nodded and was being cornered by the fiends. "Think you can get there and find something that can?"

Riku nodded and asked him. "Try and help Sora, he won't last when that demon decides he is done toying with him."

Oswald agreed and shot a paint brush over the fiery pit, forming platforms, Riku jumped off the mountain and felt something in the church calling to him, propelling him to fly towards it.

Sora's jump back was halted by a gentle push and landed on a blue platform that was slowly being consumed by fire. The demon plucked something out of the smoke and used his wings to block Sora's attempt at escape, forcing him to use the opened hand with flames as a platform when the painted ones faded. The demons free hand twiddled fingers and caused the flames to dance beautifully, taking on the form of three women in flames that tried to embrace the boy. Sora dodged and tried to leap at the demons face to strike, that twiddling hand blocked him and threw him back into the hand of flame, the fiery figures twitched and shaped into grotesque animals, disgusting the boy, much to the demons delight.

In a puff of smoke, the figures became scribbling fiends that tried to attack Sora at once, he found another blue platform form out of pant and felt the hand tilting, trying to drop him into the pit. The boy jumped off in the nick of time and watched the fiends try desperately to cling on, as if they think the demon sees them as anymore than amusement. The demon noticed Sora's attempts to escape, adjusted his hand with the fiends and crushed them, smoke blew and the demon opened his hand to show blue flame that formed into beaked, pale, horned fiends that danced before him. Sora jumped back to the main platform and landed into a herd of dancing fiends that were trying to push him into the fire. The demon smiled sadistically, dropped the fiends in his hands into the pit and plucked each one of his minions to try and get to Sora, having them fall into the inferno as Oswald fought a swath and jumped to the boys side. Asking him. "That's definitely what you remembered?"

Bash! Sora nodded and looked exhausted. "I... had the power to fly last time and he isn't letting me do anything to him!"

The demon listened and was cloaked in fire, washing the platform and forcing Sora to grab Oswald, focus on the demons face and flowed to him. Striking away much to the demons annoyance, harpies flew at the two and tried to tear at them, Sora having to glide to them and fight just to stay afloat. Oswald attempted to draw more platforms as more fiends were dropped on top of them, the pit bellow blew out a twister of fire and the creatures burning with in. The two couldn't fight, just survive, Sora knocked a couple harpies down into the fire and found a platform clear of the fire, they need some footing if they hope to continue. The demon noticed, raised his hands in the air to shoot the fire in the pit out and awaited it to return, it sucked in the many souls and dropped down into the pit as Sora and Oswald landed. The duo were nearing a collapse as a white light shined from with in the mountain. Giving the duo a good look at what they were fighting, a entity of pure evil that relishes in perverting all that is good for the sake of amusing suffering. The demon was greatly entertained by the duos misery and was ready to cause more.

Ding!

A shine of light in the distance and the sound of a bell was rung, distracted him, the demon tried to get back to his little game. Oswald sighed and smiled. "Riku actually did it?"

Ding!

The demon looked to be cringing in pain as the fiends slowed their attacking, distracted, Sora inhaled and felt he could think as another chime echoed and forced the demon to stop, the light was hurting it. The fiends were convulsing in pain and retreating into the shadows as the larger demon looked more weaker, a speck of light on the right of the platform shined and connected a string towards the church. The duo went towards the spec and felt themselves shining in the light, flying away from the mountain. They watched the many souls fly out of the mountain, back to the village bellow, to their resting place, the demon curled up and folded its wings, resembling a bald peak of a mountain.

PEW!

The two landed by the base of a church and felt something was missing. Oswalds make shift weapon disappeared and he held firmly on the brush as something looked to be calling.

Sora felt he understood the backstory of the demon. "It... hated this sound, because every time it does its evil, that sound... the light, always drives it back. So it allowed this world to be destroyed, so it could reign in the darkness."

Oswald felt that was likely and shrugged at the mountain. "And it never thought about why it kept coming back. I tell ya." He lead the way into the church. "Come on, we don't got all day."

With in was what was expected of a church, stained glass of holy images, rows of pews and an alter, with a set of stairs leading up to something, Riku stepped down from the stairs and noticed the two, taking a deep breath and asking. "I knew you wouldn't let that old flame burn you up. I think we reached... to where we want to go. You done here?"

Sora and Oswald nodded in unison and followed him to a room with a church bell, out of the window was a glittering light, looking like candles crossing over to a bridge, a trail of monks journeying somewhere. Oswald gasped and asked. "Could this be where that Song is?"

The boys listened to a melody, a hymn, they jumped out the window and followed, Oswald followed with them down a long road that led into a forest. The sight of sunrise after the blackest of nights felt like a new dawn was coming. Sora patted Riku in the back. "Thanks for the help, we couldn't have been able to make it past that without you."

Riku didn't mind and shrugged it as they reached a forest like gateway, the song became more vibrant as he confessed. "One of us had to while the other distracted that thing. Couldn't have been able to get off that mountain without you."

Sora tensed in a rivalry, the songs melody melted that away and he sighed. "As long as the worlds can wake up to see the morning again, that makes this whole adventure worth it."

The monks stood aside and let the three pass through, towards a tunnel leading to a simple hill, a heart shape image with a music note hovered above, dim in tone and light. Sora and Riku knew what it was and aimed their keyblades together.

PEW!

The beams made contact, they heard something click, the heart faded and the sun began rising behind the hill, Oswald watched the rays of light blend in with the clouds and nodded. "Despite everything, you two stick together a lot. I...I can see why he liked ya, why he had you two come here."

They knew who Oswald was referring to and saw him trying to walk away. Sora asked. "Oswald, come on and stay to watch this."

Riku agreed with that. "That... is some of the things we can do for you after how you tried to help us."

Oswald stopped, turned around and felt the light becoming stronger, the song itself was becoming stronger, he gave in and agreed to watch to the end. All three watching the heavenly light shine and the song soothing the three. Sora was the first to close his eyes to the melody and felt himself on something less than comfortable, on a floor by the bench. He woke up to find Donald, Goofy and Jiminy taken aback by something, Yen Sid pressing his hands together in satisfaction and Mickey looking out the crescent shaped window. The same song from before, was gracing the groups ears. Sora looked out the window with Mickey to see that same heavenly light. The mouse looked free of his worries as Goofy and Donald joined to watch, Jiminy asked as he noticed Riku was stirring. "This really is the Song of Awakening?"

Sora nodded to that. "It's exactly as I remembered it. This would mean that-" Yen Sid answered with a smile. "Indeed, the worlds that slept, are finally awakening. You and Riku had quite a journey... something occurred with in?"

The boy tried to answer as Riku woke up and went to the noise, folding his arms in pride at the feat. The silver haired teenager answered. "Something did, some... demon tried to turn Sora and I against each other... it would have worked had someone not snapped us out of it."

Mickey gasped. "Someone?!" Sora smiled to he who doesn't know. "A Rabbit named Oswald was helping us get to where we needed to go."

Riku advised to the mouse. "Try to remember that in an off chance. Just in case."

Mickey felt the names stick and promised he would. The sound of a train tooting and the sense of something running to the tower was felt, Yen Sid relaxed as the song died down. "Sora, Riku; you both have once again accomplished greatness. Remember what you had learned with in those worlds, for that will aid you in the battles to come."

Thump! Thump! Thump! Donald and Goofy readied themselves at the coming intruder, sprinting with all he can. An imperial guardsmen nearly fell on his knees before the guards could do anything, Perkins breathing in and sweating. "H...Her...Cha...Town."

Donald cast a healing spell and quacked. "Spit it out, what is it?"

Perkins felt a hint of relief and forced himself up, barking his report. "We have heretics storming the town and making their way to the clock tower! The Emperor's finest are banding together to push the heretics away but we fear civilians will be in danger if we don't act swiftly! Now what in his holy name was that song?!"

Sora and Riku turned around sharply as Mickey was back into reality and drew out his blade. "The Song of Awakening, they have a nerve to still attack the town after hearing that."

The other four battlers agreed as the wizard stood up with a loss in patience. "Then the followers of Chaos really are a lost cause!"

He slammed his staff down and caused blinding light to shine, spiriting them away to a town they all recognized. Across the commons leading to the station were bold, three man squad of Space Marines holding the line and firing against a full band of ten Chaos Space Marines. Dabriel fed a missile in his launcher and focused it on a Word Bearer firing a gatling gun at the three, Nathanal hid behind a pillar and countered with his heavy bolter. Hofneil yelled out as he watched a helmless Chaos Space Marine champion with a power maul charge at him. "Push this kill team back from the town! Focus on the specialist weapons!"

Perkins readied his lasgun and joined Thompson and Elric in shooting against a Chaos Space Marine with a glowing blue gun, one Sora recognized, focused and flowed to him. Appearing to the marines side and letting loose his fury, actually pushing the marine back as Riku saw the gatling wielding marine and flowed to a wall. Focusing a fire ball and landing to fire, distracting the gatler and angering him. "Insignificant pest! You will perish along with the rest!"

PEW!

Riku flowed behind the marine and kicked him aside. Distracting the many with standard guns as Dabriel aimed and fired a missile launcher, Riku noticed and flowed on top of a building to watch the missile make contact. Leaving behind a crimson splatter and body parts flying. The other specialist marine was more astonished and felt heavy guns piercing his helmet. Sora cringed at the mess and watched the body fall limp as the Chaos Champion locked in combat with Hofneil and gasped. "Khordax! Azugor!"

He pushed Hofneil back and ordered his marines. "Kill them you fools! They must not be allowed to walk away with their power!"

The marines focused their guns on the boys and fired, they vanished back to the crowd of friends as Resira focused on scorching one closest to the right. She yelled in zealous fury. "Die heretic!" The marine felt the heat and turned to her, drawing out a chain sword as a Commissar from the shadows aimed his bolt pistol at his head. BLAM!

The bullet made contact with the horned helmet, punctured and caused a mess to erupt behind. Three chaos space marines laid dead and the champion glowed in darkness, his reddish green eyes glowed with the dark aura. "You have caused enough problems for us Loyalist Scum!" He gave praise to something. "Watch oppressed people, as I, Gurak! Champion of The Word Bearers, free you from the tyrannical Imperium!" The group wondered what the madman meant as something flew from the alley way, a swarm of shadows flying into a twisting orb and attacking as a demonic tide. Gurak laughed with a craze in his eyes. "Demon Tide! Wash them away!"

The tide flew at the guardsmen first, Resira readied her flamer and yelled as Mickey glowed in light and jumped at Gurak, knocking him off his feet and standing by the marine captain that looked bored and charged in for the kill. Gurak sank into the darkness and appeared on a roof top above, ready to jump down.

SCORCH!

Resira pulled her trigger and set the tide on fire, causing many of the heartless to twist, turn, fade bit by bit and fly away as Riku wall jumped from building to building and flew into the tide to hack away. Sora looked at the marine readying to jump down and ran to a wall. Feeling the source of the towns assault needing to be stopped, he jumped on the wall and ran up. Uppercutting Gurak as Goofy shield bashed the run of the mill gun marines and Donald focusing a thunderstorm at the tide. Dabriel took the charge against the bolter spewing heretics as Yen Sid focused a spell. Sora swatted Gurak with his blade and watched the marine took the blow, growling and charging back with his maul swinging. Sora rolled out of the way, watch the marine fall off the roof and focused on the tide, locking down upon it and aiming his blade to fire an orb of light energy that split into many, flying at the tide that was flying into the storm cloud, Riku jumped out and landed next to the guardsmen. Mickey and Hofneil avoiding the falling marine that landed in a thud, Gurak was watching his forces be pushed back and yelled to the keyblade wielders. "Fools, do you not see that the Emperor's lap dogs only see you as a means to an end?! You would be toppled if they were in any power!"

A voice from a corner coughed and argued against that. "Eh, that's coming from someone who... just started using darkness to-" Sora noticed and recognized the man in the corner, one with standing up spiky hair, a timid demeanor, he was more confused at the man that continued. "Sweep everything away and shoot everything that was in the way, yeesh that bullet nearly got someone hiding behind a wall."

He never believed he got that far as a Chaos Space Marine aimed his gun at him and fired, the man was yanked into a store by Tahm, who shushed him. "Are you trying to die?! Stay quiet, civilian!"

Sora wanted to look into that and watched the tide curl up into an orb.

PULSE!

Yen Sid let loose a spell of light that cause the tide to fly back into a corridor, disintergrating the dead Chaos Marines, the Heartless and pushing the living marines into a pile.

Gurak rolled back embarrassingly and felt something beckoning them. Laughing at them as a corridor opened, his men retreated as he taunted. "Ha! Ha! Lord Zagor has finally finished the ritual. Consider this a fleeting victory, for your days in a galaxy of order is coming to an end!"

He felt his skin burning and ran back. Leaving the large group to watch on. Sora watched Riku land and cheered. "That sent them packing!"

Riku looked tired and was impressed. "And it would seem like they were never here."

He checked his phone and notice a few texts as Yen Sid sighed. "Those that fell faded into the darkness they belonged to. But unless they are all bested, they will strike again." He noticed Tahm chasing someone away and concluded. "Now they have nowhere hide, we just need to find the pathway."

Mickey asked his old master. "And for the worlds that want us to stop them, that won't take too long."

Riku smiled and showed Mickey a text. "We should move it to one of the other towns after... this gets settled."

Yen Sid knew what that was and had his staff ready. "To open an alternate route between worlds, that could provide its uses. Tahm, who was that?"

The Commissar reported and had his hands folded behind his back. "A civilian that calls himself Medy. He was one of the more... questionable sort, but even he understands the full threat we deal with. If they have reasons to question us, they don't anymore."

Hofneil sighed in relief and had his marines ready as he ordered the Commissar. "Then we know the citizens would remain away from the taint of Chaos! Commissar, you and you're guardsmen were valuable today, but you should rendezvous with the others at the garden and tell Pyriel that he is requested. Resira, Nanathel, Dabriel, we follow the young ones to the world they are going to. It is time we take the fight to the enemy!"

Resira gasped and looked around the town. "But my lord, who is going to watch over the town?"

Mickey hummed to answer. "If what Tahm said is true, then they know what we are dealing with and why the Word Bearers need to be stopped. We should take it easy here."

Resira wasn't going to listen to a mouse, her face tensed in authority as Hofneil ordered. "Sister Resira, the civilians earned it!"

The Adeptas Sororitas held her tongue as Riku had good news for her. "And the next town has people that has an even more common idea. Just give us a few minutes." He and Sora wondered, how many worlds had heard the song?

At Traverse Town.

Kairi and Ken dodged a charge from the spectral Chimera. Kairi going to the left as Ken went to the right. The serpent headed tail spit out poison at both of them, the duo took flight. Ken burst into flames and dived down at the lion head as Kairi shined in light and dived into the goat head. Causing the beast to roar out of control and thrash, Ken unleashed his burnt blades power as Kairi jumped above and spun, forming a flower of power shed its petals and pelted the Chimera with stars of light. The serpent head snapped at Ken and knocked him off, the Orruks hollered and gave the Chimera a bright glow. The lion head and goat head spewed out fire to both battlers. Kairi let herself drop as Ken rolled underneath the lion head and mixed in between striking the underbelly and shooting charged shots, piercing through and leaving it exposed as Kairi spun to the beast like a missile and knocked it to its side. The Spectral Chimera quickly got itself up and pounced at Kairi as something from the sky descended down.

"SQUAWK!"

POW!

A gryphon pounced on the beasts back, clawed and pecked it brutally, Ken felt his burning was too much and turned it off, he fired at the lion heads eye as Kairi yelled, jumped high and dived down at that head.

PEW!

The Spectral Chimera was kicked down by the Holy Flight dive bomb, giving one more screech as it faded away in energy.

Leap!

SMASH!

A full group of fifteen foes jumped out of the corridor in the sky, enemies Ken recognized as Ogors, many with canons containing weapons, some riding on frigid beasts and a particular one with a mammoth like beast for a steed. He was entertained by the keyblade wielders, the gryphon and a whole platoon of knights coming from the sides. "Finally some better meat!"

He belched out a ball of dark energy that landed on the ground and split in two, one went after a knight and knocked him down as another went for Ken, shining yellow eyes and spooking him to where he shot it down. "Wha...wha."

Kairi realized one off thing. "You actually eat heartless?"

The ogor picked his teeth and answered. "Only cause the Megaboss won't let me eat anything else! I am Frostlord Norek Dark Eater and what is a bunch of scraps like you doing here?"

The duo were ready to do battle as the sound of a steam tank was heard, Wanda arrived by it, gasped at the army of destruction and went for her gryphon. "No barbaric tribe is going to set a foot in my town! Stalwing, let's do this!" She jumped on her gryphon, the bird took flight as Beast Chompah giggled. "Big birdy! Me wants its power!" He yelled out to his boys. "Chomp it, leave da bones!"

Norek stood in front of the savages in protest. "Uh-uh! You had your chance, wasn't the power of the Manticore and Chimera enough?"

Swoop!

SMASH!

More fell out of the corridor, causing the keyblade wielders to be knocked on their rears from the shock wave, a massive blue beast Ken recognized as a Mawcrusha punched a veil of darkness and the ground itself as hordes of armored brutes arrived.

The Orruk on top, one with a large axe, looked upon the army and laughed. "BWAHAHAHAHA! Finally, some hummies to fight! Dark Smasha, let's get em!"

The Mawcrusha glared at the two blade wielders and the Orruk took notice, Kairi asked Ken. "How do you know these guys? Were they the ones Riku talked about?"

The boy nodded and counted the sheer numbers. "That's the guy leading these people, Dragon Hacker."

He swallowed and tried to keep a brave face as something pushed through the cracked ground. The Mawcrusha looked down and flew out of the way as one of the armored Orruks on a armored boar asked. "What else is rumbling?"

BOOM!

The ground split open, a pair of large spider legs forced its way out of the cracks, a blue spider with green stripes. The humans realized a bad situation had reached an escalation point as an arachnarok spider with a dancing grot shaman climbed out to face the forces of destruction, followed by a smaller, if still bigger than a horse, spider carrying a grot Ken recognized. "Stingy Bites, what the heck are you doing?"

The grot noticed them and snickered as he watched many of his kin crawl out. "Spidah Madah was earing fresh meats!" He turned to the mass of destructive kin and barked. "We gots a whole lot tonight!"

Ken and Kairi backed away from the swarm as the Megaboss glared at the shaman. "You working with ummies?! What kind of grot are ya?"

The shaman looked in a venom crazy and yelled. "We ain't working with no hummies! Spidah Madah hears freshies!" He laughed in insanity as a swarm of spiders emerged to turn at the humans. "This ours now and they try sometin funny, they get the webs!"

The forces of order know a massive fight that could easily tear the town apart was underway, Wanda ordered. "We got to stop this mess before it gets out of control."

She looked at figure heads of importance. "If... we can take their leaders and the ogors out, we could find a way to route up the rest back in the underground."

A demigryph knight asked. "But we need to get to all those and these two... powerful they are, can't fight all those at once."

Wanda looked at the Ogor on the mammoth and readied herself. "They can't, but that's what I'm here for!"

The teenagers couldn't believe what they heard. Dragon Hackah yelled out to the grot. "You tink Dark Smashah is dinnah?! We will make spidah soup out of all of ya. WAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The Mawcrusha and Megaboss yelled a bursting waaagh at the arachnarok that cringed and shrieked, both were charged as the vast armies were ready to collide.

Ding!

A bell was heard, it caused the armies to stop, look around and to a bell tower that had a bell blowing in the wind. They dismissed it and went back to trying to fight.

Ding!

A bell rung again and the humans felt the urge to withdraw their blades, despite how foolish it would be against a tide of destruction. A third rang came and the mass horde looked at each other confused. Kairi looked up to the sky and heard a hymn, a song. Ken looked at the barbaric horde and found them afraid of something, like they were doubtful. "...What's happening to them?"

The song became stronger, the Mawcrusha and the Megaboss looked like they couldn't stand the feelings quelling with in, in the perpetual night sky, the sight of sun rise shinned. The skittering grots cringed as the Mawcrusha and Orruk roared together, they flew to a northern wall by the fountain and smashed through a corridor of darkness. The vast army followed to get away from the noise, it felt like they were less scared of it and more scared of what the song was bringing with in. The Ironjaws ran in first, followed by the ogors, then the more savage kin, the shaman gasped and shrieked. "Ai! We still got a fight to finish ya pansies!"

Stingy Bites agreed with that. "Come on ya gits! After them!"

The two large spiders followed in pursuit, then came the vast swarm, the onlooking humans allowed it to happen for various reasons as Wanda looked up to the heavens. "Another miracle you never expect." Her forces agreed as Kairi kept looking to the sky, Ken nodded and watched the last of the spiders follow into the dark corridor that closed up and sizzled. "Something that connects even to these guys... but why?"

The song reached its end as Kairi guessed. "Maybe...because even with how destructive the... Orruks, Ogors and Grots are... they have what they would consider...a light of their own."

Wanda looked confused about that. "A light in those guys?!" She felt something connect. "You mean they have their own ideas of what is right? When it is a good time to be fighting like a bunch of animals and when it is a poor time to do that? I... have heard that even the most vicious of moonclan will cry if their pet squig dies." She looked down at the hole. "And that swarm kept together to the end."

The light faded back to the star lit sky, Kairi nodded and rubbed her eyes. "This might be a point of view... different from what they know."

Ken listened and went into a deep thought. "And this gotten so strong that they couldn't solve this just by smashing it? So they got scared and try going somewhere else that wouldn't mind it..." He asked Wanda. "If we see those guys again, I'm sure it will be back to a bunch of animals. But do they have a reason to come back to this town after that?"

The woman shook her head. "To be honest, we wouldn't have been much of a fight against that. So I'm glad that song scared them off." She looked into the hole and had more on her schedule. "If that finally got rid of all those grots, we can work on reclaiming the sewers and clean up." She considered something and wanted to warn someone. "The Garden committee need to know about this, the last thing we need is those guys getting attacked out of nowhere."

She ordered her men to start investigating and rode to the train station, Ken asked the princess. "Where did you think that came from?"

Kairi guessed and had a text from two people she longed to have contact for. "Sora and Riku finally did it. They brought out the Song of Awakening."

Ken was amazed by that and made his way to the train station. "It was heard from here... how far does it go?"

Kairi answered and followed him. "We all share the same sky, no matter the world. So it went everywhere."

The two reached the train station and found a glow awaiting them. Wanda and Stalwing awaited new arrivals as the travelers felt anxious. Toot! A purple train with starry windows arrived, going a full stop and opening the door. Letting out a particular lady first, Resira with her flamethrower ready, she looked up to the starry sky and at Wanda with her odd beast. Dumbfounded and silent as she stood aside to let out the large party of Donald, Goofy and a particular cricket, Kairi wanted to giggle in her barely contained excitement as Sora and Riku were the next to stand out, she tackled both boys in an embrace. Catching both by surprise as Mickey stepped out to find a more lively town, followed by three space marines that made Wanda confuse them for something out. "What in Sigmars-" The technology looked too advance and she looked disappointed. "Ah, you must be the warriors from the other realm. The Space Marines?"

Hofneil nodded, looked upon the mighty gryphon and asked. "We are and you are the one responsible for securing this town for any wayward traveler?"

Wanda gave him a respectful bow. "I am Wanda Auty, Freeguild General and... self appointed major until an official more qualified comes around." She apologized for her confusion. "Sorry for the miss up, I see so much of a Stormcast in ya."

Nathanel didn't mind it much and laughed. "Well this gives me a reason to want to meet one in person."

Dabriel nodded to that. "But who is Sigmar?"

Sora and Riku returned the warm hug to Kairi as Hofneil guessed. "He... might be someone similar to the God Emperor for all we know."

Resira looked too confused and concluded. "and we are wise to not get those two mixed up."

Ken was reminded of something and asked. "Hey, I... got something that could help you all out that I dabbled in. When this is done and those Word Bearers are gone, we got one more loose end to tie up."

Mickey agreed with that. "Helping you fellas get home... but how?"

Ken pointed a thumb to himself and smiled like an arrogant fool. "I did that to some Eldar instead of doing the other route."

The space marines found it hard to believe as Resira squinted her eyes inquisitively. "What sorcery is that?!"

Ken wished to answer that himself. "I need to figure out how it is done before trying it again. But this means the Eldar are gone."

He sighed as the trio from the islands broke the reunion, Sora had something to announce. "Riku and I brought out what you all might have heard, it woke up the sleeping worlds and now we got to find a path to... them."

Wanda nearly jumped off her gryphon, the bird was just as astonished and chirped, the rider agreed and yelled it to them. "You two?! You... saved this town from a pretty nasty disaster that came crashing down."

Riku blinked and frowned sharply. "Orruks and Ogors?"

Kairi nodded and answered. "Then the grots and their spiders came out after them, the song chased them all away. But-" Riku had it on his list. "I'll make sure others know of that."

Nathanel advised the boy does. "Before a whole planet gets over run." Wanda agreed with that. "The Forces of Destruction might be gone along with the grots that we... kind of had to be in a stalemate treaty for a while. But we still don't know what mess they did down in there and we could be looking for a spider outbreak if we ignore it. So we got more to do beyond fixing a floor."

Resira took her flamer and requested. "Lady Wanda, with all due respect, the underground requires a full cleansing, less they return."

The general nodded and noticed the mage. "Donald, do you mind helping this town out for... eh, no pay and in a place that might be completely dangerous?"

Resira wanted to refuse as the duck imaged being webbed up by large spiders with oozing maws, he refused from the thought of it. "Wrarararak!"

Goofy patted the duck on the back and pushed him forward. "Of course we would. Hi-yuck. Got to clean up the town while we are here." Nathanel didn't mind it so much and asked Resira. "Sister, how much promethium do you have? Surely you can spare a few?"

The sister gritted her teeth and assumed she was going to be with a group of mostly humans. "A dozen canisters. Lady Wanda, where... might our group be?"

Wanda lead the way. "You won't be able to miss it, but I'll give you an idea of what transpired." She smiled to Goofy and Donald for their assistance and lead the three to the district.

Leaving the keyblade wielders and space marines behind. Hofneil stood in wait. "I assume Pyriel would be arriving momentarily. Brothers, we are to have a moment of rest before continuing on."

The devastator duo saluted and waited by the train tracks, with just the keyblade wielders remaining. Sora asked the two newcomers to the keyblade. "So what else happened?"

Kairi sighed and told him. "I found another princess and... found something fishy going on. There was an outbreak of strange heartless that showed up rotting the forest of the world when this witch decided to stop hiding the darkness with in her."

Riku guessed why. "With what is going on in the Realm of Darkness these days-" Sora added in. "And with how the heartless can mix with those daemons."

Riku snapped to a theory. "Could it be when someone of great evil acts up, it draws those heartless to the world?"

Sora imagined the trouble. "Like when a keyhole to a world's heart opens and heartless come."

Hofneil overheard and coughed. "Or... if a psyker... someone gifted with psychic power, goes on with an untrained mind. A daemonic incursion happens when a daemon possesses the forsaken soul and uses their power to open a warp rift. Could it be these people with dark hearts trigger someone similar?"

Kairi had no idea. "Maybe, the world back to normal once the person going out of control is deal with... I just hope they don't lose themselves to it before someone has to do something." Mickey understood that feeling. "They might turn into a heartless and they have to be stopped. Hmm."

He worried about a potential crisis with in the worlds down the path. "But this could mean what ever world we go to, we might have to be ready for when danger comes because of that."

The space marines hope so as well as Hofneil watched the train drive into a tunnel. "You mean you are prepared to go to war? For that is what our enemy is bringing upon our doorstep."

That reminded Ken to warn the others. "That's what a lot of people are scarred about and I heard them mention of a war that happened a long time ago and no one wanting to see it repeat itself."

Mickey's eyes widened. "The Keyblade War?"

Sora had an idea of one. "Or that time all those heartless invaded the garden."

He cringed as Hofneil took a deep breath. "Sora, Mickey, what you read of or experienced could mean something different in the eyes of one who has had experienced centuries of warfare. When it is time to confront the heretical war band and bring them to judgement, you... all of you, would step out of you're world and into ours."

Riku felt grim about the coming battles. "A world where you're heart is bound to war."

Hofneil nodded and heard tooting return. "A world where me and my brothers were made for war. I pray that you're hearts would understand why."

A train of different color arrived to deposit its passengers. Cid stepped out with a tech priest wishing to observe something and a space marine Apothecary. Pyriel saluted his battle brothers. "Hofneil, Nanathel, Dabriel, you are in good health as always!"

The marines saluted to him as the captain recommended. "The civilians who serve order may require medical aid against large arachnids, we are to wait until further instructions and prepare for our battles to come."

The Apothecary understood as Ken pointed his thumb back. "It's down the big hole in water ways and it might be if there are still big spiders around."

Pyriel thanked the boy. "It is best not to take risks." He addressed Sora proudly. "I heard of you and Riku's accomplishment, the mysteries of this galaxy are more strange."

The two felt proud of that, the apothecary journeyed to his task as Magitinus felt the town most peculiar. "Another civilized world? How does it appear as it does?"

Cid had no idea and asked. "It shows up when someone needs a home, you think you can help give an estimate for the gryphons?"

Magitinus nodded as his servo skull was ready for something. "Of course, there is a science behind this."

Swoop!

Land!

Wanda and Stalwing returned, the general gave a dorky smile to more guests. "Sorry about the wait. So Cid, you think you can make the cart work?"

The engineer gave a deep laugh. "Heh! Just watch."

With political stuff being talked about, the keyblade wielders went towards an inn to discuss more plans. Kairi was the first to voice her worries. "So our friends really have spent a life time in war."

Riku agreed with why it is pitiful. "They never had the chance to live anything else."

Mickey had his own concerns and wanted to keep watch. "That explains why some of their hearts refuse to brighten up."

Sora felt it and looked back to the guarding marines. "But they are slowly understanding it. By the end of it, they have each other."

He asked the blonde boy looking up to the sky, lost in thought. "So Ken, what happened with the Farseer that has been bothering you?"

Ken nearly day dreamed and answered as he turned around and walked backwards. "She stopped hating me, but then she started getting worried that all that chaos and darkness stuff would turn me over or something. That it would just get worse for me... so she tried to kill me for different reasons. That's when I had her and everyone else go home. She is from the same place the Imperium guys came from... so all the talk about what is in there hearts might be true if they go to extremes like that."

Sora cringed and knew the idea. "That is how their hearts try to deal with it. But that doesn't give them much of an excuse to act out like that."

Ken blinked and yelled it out loud. "Thank you!"

He nearly tripped on a random stone and turned back around to day dream as Kairi asked her life long friends. "Sora, Riku, is there anything special that happened in you're dream?"

Sora and Riku looked at Mickey, who was interested in some of the details, the silver haired teenager started. "It started when we landed in a wasteland-"

At the Duradin's Cradle.

Aqua laid on a bed and look at the Heartstone Pendent, the pieces were in place, yet something needed to be done to make the stone work. She had a flash back of a tzeentch war band pouring power from their hearts into a fragment to rip open a hole from the Realm of Darkness, followed by the initial use of the stone and Nagash's use of souls to power the stone. She remembered all the times she used the stone herself and jumped between the realms. She gasped to an answer. "A power that comes from the heart! That is what is needed." She felt tempted to experiment and stopped to think. "...But... to make it do something like... that, to go to a realm far away from this one... would require a lot of power. ...Those souls were forced to give that power. I'm not enough."

She placed the pendent to her bosom and closed her eyes, her mind drifted into a dream of a night sky, one most familiar, one feeling like home. She felt a warm and an orange light at the bottom of her vision, finding herself in a town next to a castle, looking to have suffered through disaster and time. She got up to find a statue of a familiar friend, a silver warrior wielding a mighty war hammer. Before the statue was a glowing blade resembling a bonfire; set up by a blonde boy with medium length hair, in a brown jacket and brown pants. He faced away from the dreamer and looked up to the statue, in his right hand was an odd keyblade that resembled a rifle.

He whistled a tune. "Ana, if you can still hear me, I finally dealt with that big problem I was dealing with and now me and some cool people are finally going to take it to Chaos and free the worlds them. We just need to find the pathway... but where is it?"

Aqua felt confused and giggled. "Pathway? Then what are you doing here?"

The boy looked like he wanted to squeak, felt more compelled to focus on the statue. "...Two guys; Sora and Riku, they woke up the worlds that got messed up badly by the heartless to where they needed more work to wake up. We need to find the pathway to the worlds so we can find the hideout of some Chaos worshiping crazies and give them the boot. I thought I rest up after hearing some stories they have about a trip into some dreams."

The names sounded familiar and Aqua remembered two young boys with those names, a boy with spiky brown hair and a boy with silver hair. The blonde boy confessed. "I find myself here a lot and each time, I always like talking to this statue. It reminds me of Anatesis, a Stormcast Eternal... a hero from worlds beyond." He looked down at his blade with pleasant memories. "And the reason I'm still here. I heard she got hurt pretty badly trying to save the worlds from an evil monster. She is trying to help someone that sounds... pretty amazing for as little as I heard."

Aqua couldn't believe what a total stranger said and looked to the statue with a heavy heart. "She... helped me get far when I was in the darkest depths of a never ending nightmare. I... need to keep going, for her."

The boy nodded and hoped. "Same, I want to see her again and show her what she meant for me. Maybe someday. "His free hand was close to his chest as he repeated. "Maybe someday." The statue gave off a faint crackle, a static that flowed across the metal, it rumbled and a cloud formed, both felt themselves before a storm, like something was calling to them. Something shined from the statues chest, a beam shot into the heavens and formed a keyhole of lightning. A guiding light that leads somewhere, the boy sounded like he nearly choked from something as he wondered in joy. "...Did... she hear us?" He looked down at his blade and aimed to the sky. "Please let this be more than a dream. Please let this be the way to some justice!" His blade glowed with his heart, he fired a beam at the keyhole. It flickered as thunder came, the sound of something opening. The hole faded and a glowing storm intensified, what should have been something at least terrifying sparked inspiration to both. "This has to be more than a dream, ha, ha!" He relaxed and marveled the storm as Aqua felt the power letting loose. "It... isn't. Is she... calling to us?" She closed her eyes and felt the wind blow against her back, she opened her eyes and found that boy with his gun like blade and a glowing keyblade of fire, hand in hand. "...If... they feel this... ha! Ha!"

Aqua approached the boy and had her free hand on his shoulder. "Then the time is finally going to come. Who are you?"

The boy shrugged and looked like he was ready to turn to her. "So many people affected my life when things did seem hopeless... heroes. I'm just somebody that goes around exploring." The boy was in a mid turn as the vision faded, Aqua felt words were trying to leave and she felt herself back on her bed. She notice a faint glow from the pendent, blue, white and grey. She wondered and closed her eyes, feeling the comfort of home.

In Traverse.

Sora and Riku were wide awake and heard a full story from Goofy and Donald, the duck shivered. "And that's what they were doing down there."

Riku whistled. "They got tired of each other... glad that was cleaned up."

Sora agreed with that and over heard something coming down the street. Hofneil, his space marine squad and Resira were chatting away. He signaled they hide in a building and listen, Pyriel looked like he marked an objective as finished. "And like that, the traces of those barbaric things are gone from the town. Hopefully the Freeguild would be able to keep in good health, knowing nothing is lurking beneath."

Resira wasn't thrilled. "And she considered a treaty with them?!"

Nathanel shrugged to that. "If it kept them from eating the town for that long, it must have worked. The people seem like those faithful to the Emperor otherwise."

Dabriel agreed and looked to the mage tower. "Although they use too much sorcery. A ward to keep out the heartless and those of that heretical king. What even is magic?"

Resira squinted her eyes to the shrine and chose to ignore it. "Could it be like a psyker? It matters not, once we purge this galaxy of the traitor astartes and their heretical work, we should have a means of returning to the Imperium and into the Emperors domain."

Hofneil looked forward to that and raised his right fist in the air. "To return back to the Reef Stars and report about our disappearance. This all provided important experience for the battles to come."

Dabriel and Nathanel nearly laughed about something as Pyriel asked. "Captain, with all due respect, most would find the talk about hearts... awkward."

Resira agreed with that. "Even with my understanding of these worlds, Lord Hofneil, this would only lead to more questions."

Hofneil looked up to the sky and laughed with his brothers. "Sister, there is no sin to have some light against the vast darkness of war. Especially when this galaxy seems to have moments of lasting peac-" He stopped himself as Resira questioned him. "You... consider this galaxy welcoming? But... what about our duty? What of the Imperium?! What of the Emperor?"

Hofneil shook his head and promised her. "I have not forsaken them Resira, none of us have! That is why we learn, adapt, overcome."

Resira rolled her eyes and felt the marines brother hood becoming stronger. "So long as you don't let the optimism consume you, we will never see these people eye to eye... if we do, that would lead to those less forgiving putting us all to the torch." She looked concerned for him. "You four have been a beacon to these people and to me. I won't warn you again."

Hofneil understood. "You're faith is unwavering like always... a shame you're path didn't lead you to an Inquisitor."

Resira blushed from the praise. "One is simply not present and I had some experience." She wished to continue her patrol. "The beacon wards off any with nothing but darkness in their hearts, but the morality of the xenos is always questionable."

Dabriel agreed with that as Hofneil lead to a western district. "The Eldar may have been expunged, but we never know what else from our galaxy is lurking."

Hofneil agreed with that. "Move, these fine men and women have worked hard enough."

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp! The four onlookers went out of hiding, Goofy looked the most worried. "Gwarsh, is home really that rough for them?"

Sora guessed so. "I get that they are pretty strict, but things might have been worse than what they let on."

He felt something bringing more hope as Riku didn't wish to know more. "And it might be best if they don't tell us. Their time in the worlds are... changing them."

He looked up to the sky in sensing something as Donald sighed. "Why is that a bad thing for them?"

Click!

They heard the sound of an inn open and feet approaching. Sora was the first to turn and notice Ken trying to think of what to say, he asked. "You felt something open as well?"

The blonde boy nodded and tried not to sound weird. "I... might have caused that, I sometimes have dreams about a statue of Anatesis and a latest one was bit more vivid than usual. Sometimes... someone from somewhere talks to me." He looked at his left hand and continued. "Sometimes it is alone... I thought it was an alone dream until a different lady visited. I never got the chance to look at her or ask her name."

"That could be someone who's heart connected with Ana."

The group of five turned to find a patrolling Mickey, Riku wanted to know. "But who?"

The mouse had no answer and let them know. "It could be anyone who knows her deeply. But... it was where the pathway was hidden. The dream of a hero?"

Ken nodded. "That is what it was. She wants us to save these worlds. You felt it too?"

Mickey shook his head and had better news. "I didn't just felt it, I saw a pathway leading somewhere."

Sora gasped and cheered. "Alright, is it somewhere we been to before?"

The mouse answered clearly. "Nope, it could be one of the awakened worlds as well."

Riku was disappointed at a minor detail. "Too bad Kairi turned in and some of us were up for a while."

Donald, Goofy and Jiminy yawned to that truth, Mickey let it happen and asked. "You had a pretty long day yourselves, go get some rest fellahs, there isn't a whole lot of danger to worry about here."

The three were thankful of that and left for the Inn. Ken asked the two veterans. "So the whole dream thing let you two know a couple things about quick moving and going to far away places pretty quick?"

Sora found it hard to explain. "It's a lot to do at once and most of the places didn't need us to fight anything."

Riku folded his arms and leaned to a wall. "That was the point of the exam, finding ways to solve problems without relying mainly on fighting. Now we just need to make the motions better suited, that could take time learning." He asked. "Kairi mentioned that the two of you battled, anything we need to know?"

Ken coughed out a laugh. "I'm not telling you everything because you two need to see it for yourself. She is getting pretty strong, especially if that big adventure was something to go by." He glared at the Inn and vowed. "I'll be better ready for her next time."

Sora had a mental image of Kairi making a dramatic dive and carving a suave against a horde of heartless just to rescue him, Riku felt the talk to secretly be a blessing. "A training rival can keep someone going at an even level... even if their goals are different." The silver haired teenager had one idea and suggested to Sora. "We need to be at the same time as everyone else and Yen Sid never said anything about who was out doing who during that."

He flowed towards a lamp post on the far end of the district in record speed and caused Ken to be speechless, Sora snapped out of his day dream and took it as a challenge. "Really?! Come on, it was like you said, we never got to fight much!"

The observing fanboy found a bench to sit on and watched as he watched the person he looked up to approach his rival for a battle. Ken tried to lift the bench to move back and found it was nailed down as Mickey asked him. "Who did you mean by someone?"

Ken found it insane, drew out Firekeeper's Wish and placed it on the ground to watch it glow, feeling like someone was watching the brawl with him. "A lady that shows up from this keyblade on the occasion... the Firekeeper. She sometimes tells me stories that... don't seem complete." He exhaled and watched the two readied their blades. "There goes any ideas in fighting them again. Getting kicked by both of them once was enough and if they are even tougher..."

He silenced himself and watched as Mickey imagined what was to happen. "They learned flow motion, this could get hard to follow if you don't focus enough." Ken guessed what it was. "It's something that I wish I can do with aero magic and I know why them going into the dreams was pretty important." He gasped and took out his gummi phone. "And she is missing out on this."

The mouse listened and realized. "In these times, you both need to keep getting stronger and this is one way to learn."

Ken guessed why as his heart beat in excitement. "No one to really teach me and Kairi anything, so we both need to scrounge up what we can."

Mickey agreed with that. "This is just from one lesson from my teacher. If we had more time... then." They watched Riku make the first flow dash, Sora leaped to a lamp post and readied something, the eve of a great battle had begun.

Deep with in a dark trial.

A Mawcrusha pushed back against an Arachnarok Spider as Dragon Hackah held Venom Dancer by his neck, the goblin found a valid point. "Ack! Alright, alright, you the boss!" Dragon Hackah let him drop back on the shrine and growled. "Count Gorkamorka's lucky pinky, I been making me ere a Waagh!"

He and his Mawcrusha glared into the darkness and a path was made safe if because the Darkness wanted nothing to do with him. A brute looked up to Dragon Hackah and asked. "But boss, we had a bunch of hummies right there! Two of them with the key tingys, why we ran?"

A larger brute hit him in the head with a club as an answer. "Are ya Stupid? You tink that lighty is normal?!"

He shivered as the Megaboss agreed with him. "Nah Clubba, it isn't! What kind of lighty make us not want to fight?!"

An Ogor asked with a disturbed grumble. "What kind of power makes us not want to fight?! It's absurd and bad for the pallet."

That Dragon Hackah didn't want to answer. "It nothin, just... fighting there didn't feel right. Now common, lets get outtah here and find a place that is asking for a propah fight!"

A polite voice from the shadows asked. "To have you're savage hearts moved by that melody... to understand when it is the time for battle and when it isn't... that was the power with in calling to you?"

The vast horde looked to the right corner and found darkness distorting, a figure in a black hooded coat, with a purple bladed keyblade that had a large rose at the tip. Dragon Hackah and Darksmashah were ready to just attack as the hooded man asked them. "You wander between worlds without purpose and with such... ferocity, the darkness that should corrupt you and those around you is frightened... perhaps this is the heart of the worlds guiding you?"

Dragon Hackah stubbornly grumbled. "I'm the boss and I pick where we'z go!"

The figure gave a faint laugh to him. "But do you even know? Or will you all emerge in another world that would keep trying to point the way?"

That, even an Orruk would admit. "I don't even zogging know what is going on. What's to stop me from just killing ya?"

The hooded figure opened a passage way large enough for a vast army and offered. "Because I can lead you to a place where a great battle... would most likely occur."

He turned to leave the waagh. "If you so wish to have a battle that means something, you will listen, I even opened a way to a world that wouldn't worry much of you're kind." He disappeared and the Mawcrusha followed, roaring and demanding the man come back.

PEW!

The beast and rider found themselves in the middle of a vast canyon with a large castle ahead, following behind was the mighty waagh, looking in aw of a ramshackle village they wandered with in, completed with vast towers that have hints of red. Dragon Hackah looked on a particular stone to find the hooded man undoing his hood and with a hint of grace, revealing a set of pink hair and blue eyes.

He smiled in pride at a gambit at work as the Orruk listened to the spiders, chittering goblins, stomping Ogors, their own beasts and the vast green skin horde exiting into a new world. Dragon Hackah guessed. "You isn't bringing us here for no castle! What's stopping us from toppling it over?"

The man answered with sincere concern. "Because that is a castle my... colleagues would rather have intact! What... is you're name?"

The Megaboss hit himself in the chest and raised his axe. "I'm Megaboss Dragon Hackah and these ere gitz is a whole lot that got the smarts to follow me!" He looked at the savage Orruk shaman with annoyance and the vast primitive orruks. "This is Beast Chompah and his green tide!"

He looked at the Ogor on the Mammoth, observing the vast field. "That's Frostlord Norek, the Dark Eater! He learned something while in that boring squiggly path."

The man guessed by the name and the Ogor having a dark haze from his mouth. "Learning about the darkness with in... his gut?"

He had that memorized as Norek guessed smugly. "I know about the talk of the darkness with in a heart, we have a problem?"

The man didn't. "Nothing is spoken about... the dangers of a stomach containing that, just the heart. If this is literal-" A large spider skittered to the man, carrying a tribal goblin that was less than trusting of him. "Me iz Scuttleboss Stingy Bites, I talk for Venom Dancah," He looked at the arachnarok making a nest with in a tower and a shaman dancing crazily. "And Spidah Madah! We is the Spider Fangs! Who are ya and why ya brought us out here?"

The man humored the goblin. "My apologies for keeping anonymous for so long, I am Lauraim." He looked up to the sky with concern. "I... took a risk with you. Now if we are done with introductions, let us discuss my proposal for you. Dragon Hackah, you have made an encounter with anything... unusual even to us?"

The Orruk stared down at him and answered. "That Space Marine?! He look like some Stormcast and he said I is an Ork. The important ting is that he is a lot tougher than any of ya can take?"

Lauraim nodded and pointed to the distant castle. "We fear an equivalent to them, the Chaos Space Marines, would orchestrate a full invasion upon the worlds and that castle contains... every piece of knowledge they need to know for their plans. They will likely invade this world in sheer numbers and we don't have the kind of power that would deal with the bulk, but... you have had experience with similar foes?"

The Orruk smiled widely to reveal sharp teeth. "Chaos-ting is a chaos ting. Spiky, calls more of them and got big uns for my boys to chomp on. You just going to let us do all the work?"

Lauraim shook his head. "Goodness no, we just request that you relieve us of some of the burden. What you do with the Chaos Space Marines at you're... mercy, is the offer along with a... contact of mine that could bring you all the means to return back to you're simliar lives. What say you?"

The Megaboss thought of it, placed his free hand under his chin and felt a thought that connected. "Bring some of you're buddies to a good scrap after that and you got yourself a deal!"

Lauraim put his hood back on and came to an agreement. "Then you will get what we bargained and more Dragon Hackah." He walked off towards the castle in the distance. "In the mean time, villains vale has been unoccupied for some time and would provide better shelter than the corridors, they are not healthy no matter how you make the darkness fear you."

Dark Smashah growled as the Megaboss laughed loudly. "BWA HA! HA! HA! Dark Smasha iz that reason! But ya, it was getting annoying in there."

Lauraim felt intimidated and dumbfounded by what had been happening, how the very darkness steer cleared of such a beast. "Dark...Smasher?!"

He shook his head and walked off, leaving Stingy Bites to enjoy a coming battle. "He, he, he! We finally going to web up something!"

The Megaboss barked him into scattering. "Shut it you grot! We alls got a scrapping!"