A month had past since the last chapter, Josh had improved– better than before but the kid was still not great. Rem kept noticing Talon semi squinting in pain from the infected black hand. The pain gotten worse for Talon since his second return from ch.8 to now he felt even more pain but he does his best to endure it, especially when they last transformed
Before Rem was about, Peg interrupts through the speaker
"Hey kids, we came to a nearby world and the compass points to land here next!"
The wielders looked out the window and saw the world they were heading to- a vortex surrounded by dead tree branches.
Rem felt un easy for a reason when she gazed at the next and stepped back
Once Talon saw that she had fear on her face, he placed his good hand on her shoulder "IF you don't want to go-"
"I'm coming! I learned that I have to face my fears!"
The compass didn't fully change them fully physically their fashion, even Peg and Pistol. Agreed to be in the change – the three red, blue, and green in the compass turns into full purple.
Talon wore button up white shirt under his blue vest, grey trousers, high socks over his shins, and has a ponytail with a tricone medieval hat on top and a pair of white gloves. Josh's clothing was less than that – light grey pants with a green loose shirt, a large back pack, also having a ponytail with a red tie at the end The ladies all wore a simple dress – each colored red, pink, and Yellow But Peg had a white apron over it with a heart graphic on it. Pistol wore a bonnet on her head.
Entering the world, Rem was relived to not enter where a jungle again, rolling her eyes "Finally!" She said out in relief.
They learned that a town village was near by the forest they landed in. Before entering the town, heartless creatures started to appear – floating flaming pumpkins that flew fast at them to strike. First to block and strike was Rem – as she spun to attack to counter the strike, a loud ting sound went off. With now a free chance as the creature was paralyzed from shock. Talon smashed the creature and it vanished. Peg and Pistol fired at their targets, weakening them. It was now Josh's turn for a chance and struck away two of the enemies . Resulting the remaining two seeming like they're retreating.
As they went in the town the gang spoke with the people and retrieved some supplies for themselves around Rem noticed a person in a black cloak around the corner. A guy like that was described to her before by Talon. She could have chased the guy but she decided not to since Rem remembers the risk of losing her friend again and not mention the presence of said hooded person while calming herself. she sights a group of fellas, which made her have a flash image of the gang attacking her back on her world. Rem felt a pain on her head and held it. "Grr!" A tapping on her shoulder alerted Rem, "Eep!" she snaps back with key-blade summoned in hand only to snap back to meet gaze with Peg..
"Woah sweetie, Just asking if you wanted some fresh made bread they made!" Peg asked after coming out of a bakery.
"S-sorry" Rem apologized while having her blade vanish
Peg asked "are you okay Rem?"" Peg places her hands on her like concerned parent should. She was only Pistol's parent, but after a while with the key-weilders, she felt like she was mom to all four kids.
"It's just a memory of home, excuse me!" Rem retreats any not paying attention to the Disney dog woman
"Rem!" Peg called but was separated from her in a crowd in a panic, she asks a tall skinny man with a large nose "E-excuse me mister um!"
The bird looking man looked at Peg finding her a looker. The man bows to Peg while taking hat off "Crane's the name madam. ichabod crane!"
"Mr. Crane, have you seen a red headed girl go by?!"
Shaking his head "I don't believe I have! Sorry!"
"Alright, thanks anyway!" Peg responds quickly before she ran off.
Ichabod didn't watch Peg go for long since his attention was caught by a gaze of a blond woman near by.
In the meanwhile, Talon was with Josh and Pistol to load the supplies they received in the town. Pistol was the one who has the role of big sister now since Rem was in town still with Pistol's mom.
It took a while to load in the things, since Pistol had to keep the two boys from attacking each other.
"hey you kids behave yourselves!" Said a man's voice, yes Ichabod Crane but the kids didn't know his name yet All three look over at a tall skinny man with a large honker (nose)
Talon responds to the stranger "We're just playing!" he explains after bonking Josh's head
To confirm, Josh curled his lips to hold back his sympathy seeking tears and gives a hard nod "Mhm!"
Pistol folds her ears "...Yeah! I'll be sure of that!'
"hmmm, well alright then. You boys follow your sister than and have a better attitude in school! And it's getting late, you all should head home!"
All 3 kids looked at this big nose guy after oddly after his odd statement "School?" all 3 three tilted their heads as they said in their minds. They didn't any plans to head to any school
In one direction Ichabod head to his destination, the kids watch him go but to be interrupted by another sorce of worry, Rem running while holding her head.
Josh and Talon said out "Rem?!" Pistol as well "Remmie?! Mom!?" `As If that wasn't much of a reason to be alert. Peg was not far behind, chasing the frightened red-head.
The three left the spot where the ship was to head after them. Which wasn't the best idea. In the forest, all separated and were lost in the tangle of trees.
The sky was getting darker
To Rem, she found herself returned in the 'Tears of a siren 'and being chased by the same gang that tormented and labeled her a witch. Rem trips and face plants to the ground. She was now in trouble, shaking her head and was about to receive her demise.
Reversing her look to end up seeing a back of a young woman in white with her arms out and two key-blades in hand as if she was protecting Rem from said force. Rem hears the girl's voice "...Rem!..."
Reality comes back to her as she un-squints. as she hears she being called again, it was pistol "Remmie look out!" she fires her blaster to attack several heartless. Not all because the trigger jammed. Rem summons her key-blade to attack the remaining other heartless "Pistol?! What happened? Where are we?" Rem asks while looking around.
"we saw you run to here and went after you! But the forest, made us lose each other explains why it was only me that found you!" pistol explained
Seeing the sky beginning to darken as cloud shaped like hands consume the moon , Rem could tell that's a sign of danger "We have to find them!" Rem takes Pistol's hand and they run to search for their friends.
Cut to another part of the dark forest with Talon holding his key weapon ready, he breaths heavily after striking a heartless away, easily stepping because he was on the alert
more heartless appear, three of them - loose bandaged wrapped blue zombie horses with pumpkins for heads, which launches to attack. Talon managed to block/swat away the pumpkins and dodge the galloping/charging bodies. The heads float up to each other's horse bodies to charge at Talon again. He leaps on to one of the horse bodies, to strike at it. The pumpkin head turns it's head back to face Talon and begin to imp laugh at him. Talon freaks out and bashes its head away. Making the horse body blind now as it charged. Seeing it head for a tree, Talon jumped off it before it struck and vanishes. Now there were only two for worry, But there was only one left seen. "Where did the other one go?!" a woman could be heard screaming. it was Peg, riding the missing Headless shadow horses and the head was twisted back to give it's evil imp laugh, like what happened to Talon. Peg kept blasting at it , but the horse half kept galloping which kept making her miss her shots.
Talon is blocking/holding back the blue horse zombie, leaning it's head down to laugh at him. Talon gritted his teeth "Shut up!" Talon says as he pushes the beast back before he spun and struck the head away, making the zombie horse body blind. but still it was charging to attack. Talon got an idea as he saw Peg managed to blast away the pumpkin head of the zombie horse "Peg grab one of it's bandages and get off! Hurry!"
With no hesitation, Peg did so and tumbled to Talon's side, with a part of the bandage in hand. Talon has part of a bandage,~ in his hand. The other ends is wrapped around
Going to a shot of Josh is wandering in the forest. like Talon, Josh walked on the alert with his key- blade ready in hand. He jumped every time a nose happened, he was younger so of course he was a coward of this place. Josh froze as he began hearing a whistle tune, the boy found it haunting as was getting closer while echoing.
A wind picks up, smacking a leaf over Josh's face. The boy began swinging blindly in a panic
A man's voice shouts "w-wait kid!"
Josh does right when he hits a tree, making the young boy shiver from the tremor which results in the leaf falling off. Josh sighs in relief as he sees the schoolmaster, they didn't know each other really. But Josh didn't feel so threated by this silly looking fellow and lets his key-blade vanish as it was stuck in the tree.
"what're you doing here?! Come with me!" Ichabod offered Josh to join him a ride on the horse.
With no other choice, Josh joined Ichabod on his ride on the horse.
As they ride the lazy horse, a croaking frog voice chanting 'Headless horseman' scares the two and hugged each other in fear. Falling off the horse as more alert for them happens once they start to hear horse gallops. Relief happens once they end up seeing near by them cattail plants (corn dog looking) plants were beating a hollow tree trunk to make that noise of a galloping horse. Both Ichabod and Josh began to laugh from realizing that there was nothing to fear, even Ichabod's horse laughed with them.
The trio hooked their arms over each other's necks as they laughed the true horror overlapped their laughter with a louder diabolic laugh, even the others heard.
What they saw was a man with no head and holding a pumpkin and he wore a large red cape over his fully dark clothing. the horse he rode was larger than the blue horse body heartless.
Ichabod and Josh got on Ichabod's horse to flee, the headless horsemen chases . Every time the horsemen nears them, Ichabod and Josh had to dodge the slash attacks the horseman gives once Ichabod struck to his neck to a tree branch, his big nose hooked to it and made him swing off his horse and kicking Josh away.
He picked his head up off the ground to find himself alone again. Some echo clapping got Josh's attention and summoned his key-blade in hand, unsure if this was a threat.
Out behind the tree, was the hooded black cloak person. Josh did learn from Talon that this guy was bad news. "Hmm needs some work, but I suppose this experiment with those boys was good enough, I guess!" the hooded person turned to Josh aiming his weapon at the hooded man "... Hahaha, how nostalgic!" Exavior says as he took his hood off
Josh had no idea what this was talking about, still aiming his key-blade at the guy
"oh yeah, you don't have the experience yet! Hmmm I guess it'll be easier to do this now!" Exavior says as he flung out his arms to lets his rings fly out and expand, looking ready for a fight. Josh was that he might, even after the months of practice that Josh would lose but he knew this battle happen and took a stance.
Before the battle could start a woman's voice interrupted "Finally caught you thief! A dark purple appears and out comes a woman - pink hair with a long braid on the side of it, her skin was dark brown and she was wearing the same black clothing as Xavior
Xavier rolled his eyes "Darn it, she found me!" Xavier said before he looked back at the woman "good to see you Xavia!"
"give it back!" Xavia ordered "a-after I take care of this!" Xavier pleaded, can notice the fear he had in his tone.
Josh was lost from what was going on between these two. Xavia was not having it "Now!" she orders while she was posing for battle as a pocket watch on a chain slithers out of her sleeve and pink clock face symbols began to appear around her
Xavier backed away as if he was the one who had to face a powerful foe, looking back to little Josh and back to Xavia. He was between a rock and a bolder. "forget this!" Xavier shouts as quickly summons a portal before jumping though it and it disappears to nothing right after.
"Coward!" Xavia shouts right as she ran to catch Xavier. Both her and Josh locked eyes and took a while of staring at one another
The others, Pistol and Rem, have reached the area, by following the laughing and screams to find Josh looking like he was about to face the pinked haired woman. Rem shouts "Josh!" rushing to his side, about to fight with him.
Xavia just smiled with her eyes shut as the same looking portal as Xavier spawned behind her. She pointed at Josh "It was good seeing you again! " said as she went in the portal before it closed.
As if things for Josh weren't confusing enough for Josh. It was the first time He met Xavia
"Friend of yours?" Pistol asked "I don't remember you meeting with her at home!" said Rem
Josh defends himself "T-this was the first time I met that lady!"
Before the conversation continued, the Horseman interrupts with his crazed laughter. Floating fire pumpkin heartless appear and went after Pistol, the two key-blade warriors were attempted to rush in to save the Disney dog girl. But only Josh made it because the horseman rushed In, separating Rem from the rescue.
The horseman laughed as a giant ring of fire emerged, making the separation defendant and being a battle stage for just him verses Rem. The horseman laughed as his steed charged and rapidly swings his sword to attack. Rem managed to dodge that attack and swung to hit the headless horseman, striking him which made the headless man fall off and the ghost horse vanished. Rem was going to cheer from victory, but she noticed the fire wall still hadn't left.
The headless ghost rises while laughing; black miasma began spewing out the horseman's neck stump, appearing out a pumpkin. From the Smaug The ghost grabbed his pumpkin head and threw it at Rem. Which she blocked it, it broke and the fire in it made the impact an explosion. the explosion blinded Rem from the oncoming sword attack coming her way aimed for her neck. Reacting quickly, Rem used her key weapon to flick / Direct the blade over her head.
The ghost horseman kept laughing as was sword fighting against Rem, miasma was coming from the spot between his shoulders again, he was planning to do it again.
Talon's voice echoes in "No you don't!"
Rem saw Talon come from above and speared his key-blade down the ghost's miasma spewing neck center.t
The laughing quickly ends as the headless ghost body started to expand from the corked dark vapors, which made the dark infection of his hand start to grow over take his whole arm. The Headless horseman's body exploding and vanishing to nothing, even the fire wall began to vanish and reveal Peg hugging both Pistol and Josh; a mother happy to her child and not child.
They returned to the Pistol ship.
-end