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?

61. In the Teeth

At a Temple turned into a make shift stronghold, Stitch was looking side by side at a fast pace as a training session might have taken a turn towards something more serious. Ven swiped a keyblade glowing in blessed light and flung a crackle of lightning at Baldred, who rolled back in style and changed his katana for a staff of bones. PEW! PEW! PEW!

The Bearer of the Curse flung a barrage of soul arrows, forced Ven to leap at the temple structures to dodge and quickly charged in blue light. PEW! He fired a geysers worth of a bolt and waved his staff for a finisher as Ven almost yelped at the speed and leaped to the sky, he carved into the air with light and made a crack in the sky. PEW! A ray of light pierced the earth around the Undead, Balred yelped and rolled away from a bombardment of divine light and jumped backwards for good measure. The teenage boy found it his chance, sparkled in electricity and dived down like a lightning bolt.

The Bearer of the Curse gave an omph and tried once more to get out of the way. BZZZAP! Ven crashed on the ground and caused a pulse of lightning that knocked the undead off his feet and smacked him back first into the ground. The undead quickly recovered from his blur and found Ven nearly standing over him with a confident smile, the boy offered a hand up a little worried. "That had a lot more omph than I thought it would, are you okay?"

The Undead took the offer and groaned. "I had worse. That is what the power of a miracle can do for one with good faith." An observant Loru looked at Nightscale awkwardly as Arreia asked loudly. "And you just learned most of these as you go by? From the random travelers, to the scroll you find?" She squinted her ruby eyes inquisitively. "You can't be just a simple undead to house that kind of power. Are you some kind of Lich?"

Ven and Baldred wondered what a Lich even is as Scrooge answered. "He might have had the liking to one if the one thing that keeps him coming back wasn't snuffed out and if his ilk didn't vary from regular joes with average tools."

Arreia listened, quite impressed. "I see." Olgrik finished reading a map and marked three locations as he helped finished the topic. "Prep time is finally over, so lets get started on the job." The band listened in and gotten close as the Kharadron Admiral explained. "Since we have one of the crystals activated already, this would mean we can skip to the fun part of bashing open our interference."

Loru heard and asked. "The Seraphon were relieved of their southern burden and are taking their business to the west. While you focus on the far north and we of the east, this would leave a worthy distraction for our bearers of light to sneak to the crystals and activate their power to drive off the forces of Nagash and Archaon."

Halvek guessed the rest of the plan. "So our hired hand are having to leg it on foot for their pick on the west or east, then work their way to the north before we can go in the temple our selves?"

Scrooge nodded. "That would be less time wasted before Garlands boys throw a wrench into the whole plan." He ordered the trio and marched on west. "Come on lads, we got to jog it." Stitch almost jump in surprise as Baldred huffed. "Guess if we aid the Lizardmen first, then they will be more obligated to help the rest of us?"

Ven shrugged. "That makes sense at least." He turned to the group. "That will give you guys time to keep them busy, we'll also take care of anything important behind their lines." Olgrik approved of that. "Because if you find more rats, then that is where the big cheese are hiding."

Arreia agreed and passed a warning. "Just be careful if you stumble upon the Bonereapers, they are some of Nagash's most deadly of warriors, no matter how you blind side them." The band of four agreed and took off into the Jungle of Teeth, leaving their allies to their duty. With in, they see trees and vines with thorns the size of daggers. Baldred pressed his fingers upon one of the thorns and felt it as slick as steel. "They weren't kidding, a stumble upon one of these is certain death." Scrooge wondered out loud. "What have they been feeding these plants to make them look this vicious?!" Stitch answered with a giggle. "Fighting!"

The rest agreed with that as Ven activated his armor. "That has to be why the Coalesced picked this spot. With so many after this, the plants decided to get some free lunch." Rumble! PEW! PEW! PEW! They heard warfare and opposing battle cries, one sounding like bellowing lizards, the other squeaks and shrieks. Baldred scoffed and jingled his chime to share a radiant glow. "The rat men will have worse than the plants, we shall rid the jungle of their evil."

The party felt invigorated by a sacred oath and entered a deep thicket of the jungle, finding a small skirmish that has a duo of Skavens with cruel whips and strange rat hounds, six rat ogres and two dozen packs of giant rats, going up against a pack of small magenta lizardmen with tribal shields and stone axes, lead from the front by a yellow scaled Skink priest with red feather dressings and from behind by a floral green Skink with golden wear and a head piece mask, he rod on top of a large, dark blue, two tailed dinosaur that has a sail frill on his back, spike like whiskers on his snout and oddly enough, no eyes. The left most pack master balked. "Hwar, hwar, stupid lizard things! While you come here, Master Nedris has his real forces marching upon the Gem of the Rising!" The right most was glared at his partner. "Shush! We are not suppose to talk about that."

The observing party felt the Skink Oracle looking upon the pack masters with a raised eye brow, the Oracle waved his scepter and summoned a barrier of crystals from the ground, blinding the ratmen. The party covered their eyes for a moment and watched a swarm of dark blue pterodactyls with riders, dark blue club tailed, quadrupedal lizard with stone grey scales on his back, head, wrists and tail that carried a stone device with a radiant red crystal that was being controlled by four magenta skinks, appear from behind the light barrier. The Skink priest clicked to the Oracle and like in sync, the Oracle directed his steed to scurry to the north west. Baldred used his chime to enchant his halberd in holy light and slowly crept behind the left most blinded pack master.

Scrooge found a head sized rock and used his cane to line it up with the right most pack master.

Swat! STAB!

The right pack master was hit in the head with the rock as the left was stabbed from behind by the bladed tip of the halberd. Stitch pounced on one of the wolf hounds as flipped his keyblade like the wind and closed in on the distracted pack master, smacked him in a quick combo and hurled him to the sky. He aimed and formed an electrical rift that finished the rat man off and send him falling to the behind of the rat beasts that were unaware of a sudden toad staring down at him. The Seraphon army wasn't surprised and the Starpriest embedded the terrosaurs in holy light, it aimed and ordered. "Purge all but the four!"

The terrosaurs swooped down at the rat ogers and wasted no time mauling them as their riders pierced the rats when they could. The skinks charged at the rat packs with a matching ferocity as the back stabbed pack master hissed in anger and tried to claw at the Undead. Baldred sighed and stabbed deeper to finish him off as he looked on the massacre. The gem of light vaporized what it could and Ven took the remaining wolf rat and tossed it to the pile as Stitch simply snapped the other rats neck. The four found it difficult to watch as Scrooge looked on. "So if we follow that big spinosaur, we'll find ourselves at the crystal too?" He was about to aim his cane. "Come on lads, let's leave the dirty work to these fellahs."

The group were about to agree as the Starpriest simply walked around the massacre and approached, Ven turned to noticed and nervously alerted. "Guys... I don't think the Skinks are done with us just yet." The group turned as the Starpriest whispered in a communed hiss. "The Moulding Rats are lead by one, most fat, to remove him is to remove the head." He pointed to the direction. "But beware of his crimes against nature herself, for they guard him." The band of four listened well and Scrooge asked. "Thanks for the tip, are you coming along as well?"

The Starpriest asked back. "Your allies east, need aid, for Death follows the Night." Baldred helped him finished. "And with morning comes life, so if someone calls to it earlier, it might save a few of our friends until the warmth of safety will reach them." The Starpriest nodded. "Nagash, must be driven off and soon, for you are in great danger with his presence here." The Seraphon skirmish was nearly finished wiping the skaven band to a rat and Ven was ready to take the lead with Scrooge. "We know that already, thanks for the tip and the help."

Scrooge nodded. "Then let's get in there gentlemen!" The two lead the way as Stitch hopped behind and Baldred had a look of a deathly purple ball of smoke and skulls being flung at a battle in the east, he felt a chill and followed. The cold blooded priest looked on at the battle to the east and flicked his tongue in stalwart duty.

At the Muppet Theater

The Replica jumped out of a shadowing rift, right at the time they saw someone driven off. The boy's urgency lessened and he lowered his weapon as he tried to have a closer look at what occurred. He heard the voice of Karla whisper. "Seems like your little sister has leaped into the fire without a second thought, shall we go see what she's gotten herself into?"

The Replica hurried and saw Xion having her hand at the center along with Ken's and surprisingly, Sora's. He whispered back. "Not yet, this was what she figured out yesterday after that dude tried to help her out." He watched the three go into a zen for a few minutes and break out of it, Sora acted surprised and Xion gave him an affectionate tackle. The Replica tried to hold a laugh and gave an applause. "Hah!" He stopped the clapping and asked Karla. "So why is this happening instead?"

Karla shrugged. "Nothing to my knowledge, but do you have an idea? That Sorcerer who wrest you from death, needed some knowledge of the girl to do the same." The Replica remembered and snapped his fingers at himself. "Doi!" He turned to the witch. "Ahriman found out about Xion after his run in with Roxas." then had his eye back at the trio. "Who use to be friends with her." He nearly shed a happy tear for his little sister. "So Ken pulled some strings to reunite the two, even if Sora had to be caught in the middle."

He sighed in relief and looked at Ken, who was leaning against a wall. "You did good, you did good." Karla agreed with that and sat by a metal box as she noticed a puppet like frog. "And it appears he's done well to keep himself safe from the clutches of the monsters in the dark. Even with the forbidden flame burned into his heart."

The Replica guessed as he watched a teenager with spiky blonde hair materialize next to Sora. "And when Sora came around, those monsters got chased off. So Ken's got more problems to deal with?"

The witch nodded. "He's claimed the black flame as his own, away from the prying hands of the Dark Seekers. With that will, he has tapped deeper into the ancient flame..." she took a deep breath. "But this will not be the last time that the Black Flame will haunt him, he will know when to call upon it if his friends are to have a parchment of a clue."

The Replica took a deep breath and thought to relax. "It's going to take a lot more for him to do that, but those friends of his will keep the flame under control." He watched the end of a conversation and the mysterious teenager disappear back into Sora as Ken invited them for something, Karla asked the boy. "That is what he needs to learn, for what good is such power if he is going to do naught with it?" She sighed as the Replica asked back. "What good was taking the Darklurker's power if I'm not going to do anything with it? There are people out there who deserve to be punished and that is what the Light won't do. But were going to keep this idea between us until he brings it up, in the mean time, let's make sure nothing else happens while they enjoy that show. So... how did you get that holy tome in the first place? Who told you about those miracles?"

Karla tipped her hat like it was a fond memory. "An old student of mine, who freed me from a damp dungeon some time ago, had stumbled upon old tomes that a teacher of his couldn't read or dared not to, or for this poor girl, dared not to instill. We shared a few stories amidst the ashes." The Replica sat down with interest. "And in exchange, you teach him the dark arts. What happened to him?"

Karla answered with a bit of sorrow. "Without him, I wouldn't be here right now. He sought to know what lurked in the darkness and was as frightened as the lot of you. When the time came for him to carry on the burden of the lords of past, he sought something different... to let the flame fade. The Age of Dark was long overdue." The Replica wanted to ask about the Age of Dark and the witch continued. "This age has already started so dreadfully, with the Abyss swallowing the world, rather than man kind rising amidst the Dark. He spoken of a vision... that one day, tiny embers will dance together and usher the Age of Fire a new, but how can that be when there is nothing left?"

The Replica stopped to think about it, took a deep breath and answered. "Because all of it became fuel for the fire or... got eaten by the monsters of the dark. So into the Dark realm that world goes. That student, became the last person left alive in that world and the first to call for help when someone came snooping around. Then one by one, those that came before joined in that cry. How do you people do it?"

Karla hummed in curiosity as the Replica asked. "How do you keep going until the end, even when life treats you like it's punching bag?" The witch giggled. "Simple, we don't give up. We find a way to keep crawling and perhaps give others the same idea." She smiled with her teeth showing. "Much like what you, your sister and even that shady creature have done for the Great Lord. Like a torch when you lost your way, seems to be that he returned the favor."

The Replica was impressed by the answer. "That takes guts." He groaned. "It bites that I can't go in there and see what is so special about this world that the guys aren't leaving just yet." Karla thought of an idea and pressed her hands together. "Apparently entertainment is this worlds meat and wine, it is that chance to experience something new and form a deeper connection with those who have a taste." She wiggled her fingers and caused a shadow to resemble a spider, it crawled upward and looked to be inviting the boy. "I suppose we'll have to make due, so... do you need a teacher for this?"

The Replica took it as a challenge and pressed his hands together, trying to form the shadowy image of a bird. "Thanks, but I've practiced on this for a while."

At the Jungle of Teeth, towards the West.

The quartet of Ven, Scrooge, Stitch and Baldred paid heed to the razor thorns and followed a trail to the base of a pyramid that was covered in thorny vines. Leading to their left was the road to the pyramid, being swarmed by a near endless tide of skaven rats, lobbing behind them were storm fiends with launchers built into their arms and gatling guns shooting green rocks. On the right, towards the central temple, was row upon row of blue human sized dinosaur like warriors in tribal stone armor that look to be in glistening gold. Charging with primal ferocity alongside a magenta scaled Saurus warrior with a dark blue stone shield and a dark blue glistening hammer. The Storm fiends were ready to fire as something emerged from their left. A massive orange scaled dinosaur with an armored, yellow scaled saurus veteran with scars and fiery yellow armor, leading beside him were blue scaled raptor like dinosaurs with yellow scaled saurus warriors with swords and shields, much like knights. The Scar Veteran roar in sync with his carnosaur and encouraged the saurus knights to the same, the knights pounced upon one group of Storm Fiends as the veteran went in against another by himself, ripping and tearing them apart and giving the four the chance they need to sneak to the pyramid. BURST!

A trio of Storm Fiends emerged from the base of the pyramid, with green warp stone as drills and in a hate filled frenzy, charged at the band of four. Baldred and Ven rolled back in unison and side stepped left and right as Scrooge jumped back and readied an aether bomb as Stitch rolled underneath one of the Storm Fiends.

Baldred took his chance to charge a bolt of lightning as Ven slipped into the top of the left most fiend and let loose a lightning fast combo before jumping away. FLING! BOOM! BOOM!

The lightning and bomb caused the hulking rats to back away as Stitch grabbed on to the middle rat and crawled on its cables, he laughed maniacally and tore them apart to disable the fiend as Ven and Baldred took their chance to attack again, in a quick glow of lightning infused weapons. They struck like a mighty storm, noticed the two able fiends try to swing at them in a desperate manner and jumped back to dodge, they attempt to take their chance to attack again as Scrooge noticed a shine, looked above and saw comets of light to be falling upon the Storm Fiend, he yelled out. "Look out lads, something's dropping on their heads!"

Stitch hummed a "huh?" looked up to see the light and jumped off the rat monster. "Nada!" The lightning wielders kept a distance as the right fiend looked up to find the comet about to bombard him and his co rats, Baldred turned to his right to find five more comets, four coming down to bombard the skaven forces and one flying towards the top of the pyramid.

PEW!

An explosive power made contact with the Stormfiends and the group heard a thud as the mist cleared. Leaving the left Fiend in a panic, the right one dead and the weapon disabled Fiend to try to make a run for it. ROAR! CHOMP!

A carnosaur rushed at the fleeing fiend and chomped upon him with his mighty jaws and pinned the panicking fiend with is claws, tearing him apart into ribbons. The Scar Veteran looked upon the four and aimed his blade upward, growling with a savage order. "Protect the Pyramid, Heart Walkers! The Skaven must not destroy the crystal if we are to purify the temple!"

Ven almost jumped back and awkwardly saluted. "We're on it Sir!" The Scar Veteran tilted his head to the upward right and bellowed. "I am Aur'alis, Scar Veteran! We will prevail this day." The carnosaur went to thrashing the storm fiend and the four man party understood that they need to hurry. They rushed up the mayan like pyramid and found that Skink Oracle on his dinosaur, cornering a morbidly obese Skaven with a whip, whistle and a rancid grey jacket with a hood. The rat had a glowing green bomb on a stick and was trying to reach a light blue crystal with an orange core, he skittered in a panic. "No, no! You were suppose to be fattening on the runts." He sniffled as the dinosaur snorted a caustic smoke from his nostrils. The Skaven noticed more arriving and pointed at them. "MORE COME FOR THE CRYSTAL OF THE RISING! Look! Look!"

The dinosaur turned to the group as the Skink gave a gentle tug, Ven focused on the Skaven and promised the Skink. "Don't worry, that cheap trick isn't going to work!" The Skink hissed at Nedris and was ready to issue an order to kill, the rat yelped, took a whistle and blew loudly, causing the dinosaur and his rider to yelp in pain and back away. "I'm not going cheap on me! No! No!" He yelled out to the jungle. "Domis! Spiels! KILL THEM! KILL THEM! KILLLL THEEEM!" He ordered hysterically and the trees rumbled, something was quickly crawling up, something heavy.

Ven and Baldred focused on the arrivals as the Skink realized what is coming and hissed loudly. "Hell pit, coming!" Scrooge knew what the word hell pit meant and is about to shiver at the thought as two, gargantuan monstrosities of flesh, limbs, rat like heads and reptilian like bodies. One has an array of grotesque claws, the other has his limbs replaced with a fist like mist that crackled warp energy, bladed limbs and cybernetics to compliment the engine. Scrooge jumped at grabbed his hat as Ven and Baldred screamed in sync, Stitch barked and drew out his guns to fire on the two, doing insignificant damage and prompting the two monsters to charge, the more bio organic of the two at the four, the more bestial at the Skink and his steed. The dinosaur noticed the monster and jumped out of the way while spitting at it, drawing it's attention as the other smashed it's way next to Ven and Baldred to cut them off from Scrooge and Stitch. Spiels slashed at Ven and tried to smash Baldred, the boy jumped back and flung spears of light as Baldred rolled and tried to find an opening, the monster slashed its tails at Stitch and Scrooge as the two saw Nedris about to hurl the explosive at the crystal. Stitch hissed and shot it off the skavens arm, forcing him to stop and scurry in a panic, the Skink glowed his hand and aimed at Baldred, causing a barrier of arcane power to form around him.

The lizard clicked an order to the swordsmen. "Distract the horror while Woodmaw and I bring this one down." He ordered Scrooge and Stitch. "Kill that rat!" The rich duck found it a little hard to jump into action and let Stitch do the job of attacking the Skaven Moulder Master while he tries to seize the bomb.

Woodmaw spit caustic spittle at Domis and caused it to screech in pain, he pounced on it and bit with venomous fangs and his sharp claws. Domis clawed and bit back as the Skink Oracle smacked his hand with his staff. Spiels roared to the sky and smashed at Baldred, knowing he is the closest, the knight side stepped to the side and glowed his hand in pyromancy and opened it in a thrust, letting loose a great combustion and caused the abomination to screech in pain, it sharply turned to Baldred and left it'self exposed, Ven leaped at it's neck and slashed in a rapid combo. The one of the abominations heads focused on Ven, hissed and used it's club like fist to try and smack him, the boy flipped out of the way and ignited in fire to repeat the process again. Baldred noticed the monster to be vulnerable to fire and had an idea. "So he doesn't like that, does he?"

SCREECH!

The Hell Pit Abomination shrieked, stomped at the knight and slashed at him with his tails, connecting and causing him to be sent flying two feet. Ven noticed, cringed at the pain and saw the rat monster focusing on him, unrelenting in his flurry of attacks and trying to keep him from running away safely. Baldred slowly got up, saw his armor and body undamaged and the arcane barrier flickering away, he sprinted after the distracted Hellpit. He rolled over a tail slap and ignited his hands again, he knelt and caused pillars of fire to erupt under the monster, scorching it and causing it to splash in molten lava. The Hellpit roared in horrific pain and flailed in a panic, Ven stepped back, took a deep breath and flipped his blade to form a fire ball. FLING!

He launched one the size of a boulder at the abominations face and watched it explode, the roaring stopped and he saw warp lightning crackle, the body went limp and Baldred jumped back to watch a headless monster fall over dead in a smoulder. The duo took a deep breath and turned to observe what else was occurring.

Nedris was pounced on and tried to fight back against a Stitch that was clawing and biting at him, he tried to reach for the bomb and was nearly smacked by Scrooge's cane. The duck warned him. "Get on out of ere before we make mince meat outta ya, you and your rat friends are evicted!"

ROAR! SMACK!

Woodmaw and Domis pushed each other towards the groups direction and landed in a smack, the dinosaur was on top and jumped away to spit again as the Skink waved his hands and aimed his staff at the Hell pit. PEW! PEW!

Nedris cringed at a plan gone wrong. "No, no, Great Grey Seer will have my whiskers if I return in failure!" He yanked Stitch off his arm and hurled him back, feeling his arm bleeding as he hissed, he took out a smoke bomb and hurled it to the ground. PUFF!

The Skink and his dinosaur smelled the Skaven in sync, the oracle whispered something and the dinosaur swiped his tail to blow wind. Revealing a Skaven getting on the back of the Hellpit Abomination and trying to climb on the top of his head, he laughed and grabbed on. "Hwa, ha, ha, ha. If I can't blow it up, I'll smash it up. Domis!" He stomped on the back of the monsters head and caused a green jolt of electricity to course through him. "SMASH!" The Hellpit howled and rushed the crystal, the dinosaur head butted him off course and bit it once again. Nedris took out a syringe needle and jabbed it into the monster, causing its wounds to rapidly close.

SPARK! SWIPE! BOOM!

A swirl of fire appeared under the monsters back and explode, the thing shrieked and turned to find Baldred looking up at it and staring coldly. He took a stone and tossed it to the ground, it cracked and let loose a deep, awkward. "Hello!"

A boy of an unknown location taunted. "And goodbye!" FLING!

Ven flung himself at the abominations main head and secured himself with a burning stab, the abomination thrashed uncontrollably and the rat grabbed onto a hair and tried to whip him. "Get off! Get off!" SLAP! The whip got Ven on the shoulder, the boy heard a pogo stick springing, pulled his blade off of the abominations head and smacked his foe downward, he jumped off and flung one more fire ball as Scrooge landed in his place and slung at the rat's face like one a golf ball. Nedris was sent falling off of the Hellpit that sprinted after a Baldred that simply ran away and by a charging dinosaur steed that pounced, chomped the monster on the neck and tore for a gruesome finisher.

Nedris tried to get up and was frantic about his failure, he saw the head and neck of his creation be flung into the jungle bellow and turned to face the dinosaur feebly. The dinosaur spit venom at the skavens open eyes and caused him to scream in agony. The party of four cringed at the pain and at the rats fight or flight instincts kicking in, the rat ran over the edge of the pyramid and fell over to scream. "RWARK!"

SLICK!

RUSTLE!

Ven and Scrooge wanted to know what that noise was and looked over to find the skaven on a hanging branch, impaled by it's many thorns and bleeding to death, if the revealed skull that was his eyes wouldn't have been his end. Ven flinched. "Urk, that's got to sting." Scrooge agreed with that. "I wouldn't want to wish that on my worst enemy, ew." Stitch had a peak, flinched and turned to pretend he never saw that. Baldred was the first to approach the crystal and asked. "So a ritual is required to activate this and ensure these Skaven and their allies would never again intrude upon these grounds?" The Skink nodded. "A wizard of the Azyr must tap into the star and call it out." He pointed to himself. "I, Aster' los, know this from the Great Starmaster, Quetartsa. I go where he is too busy to trend." He got off to approach the gem and was about to close his eyes as the Bearer of the Curse took a deep breath and calmed himself, like he was in a prayer. Ven felt the light calling to him and approached as well. Aster' los asked. "You, know of the Heavens Power?"

Ven nodded. "It's the power of the stars themselves and the sky. A power Baldred has studied one for a long time." He gave a friendly chuckle to a pleased Undead and called it. "A power like those he called the gods. What's the difference between the magic of Azyr and Hysh anyways?" The Skink shrugged. "One light reflects, the other radiates the light on its own." He focused and channeled, Ven placed his hand and focused as well, leaving Scrooge and Stitch to watch the crystal come alive in a glow comparable to a morning sun. It absorbed the surrounding light and gave a technological hum in midst the battle bellow, Skaven screamed in a panic and Seraphon roared in triumph.

BOOOMPH!

A barrier of morning light pulsed out of the crystal and engulfed the surrounding area in it's protection. The trio of light bearers broke out of their zen and felt a major task was done, Ven and Baldred tried to regain their breath as Aster' los hummed. "The west is ours." He aimed his staff to the east. "Go, the Skinks should be ahead." The four obeyed without much of a question, Baldred asked. "You're staying behind to ensure these rat men are all wiped out? I'm beginning to think you hold a lot of authority over these saurus." The skink relaxed his staff and corrected him. "Skinks... tend... Saurus... fight! Aur'alis, leads fighters."

Ah from Scrooge. "I was told about how you co exist." He head. "Come on, we'll be done by sunrise." The other three left on their journey and the Skink climbed on his dinosaur, the duo wished to observe the lasting damage and smelled something rotting in the air. They looked around and faced their left, quickly finding a cloak figure with spines sticking out, sprinting at them. The duo were about to attack as the fiend tossed a brown crystal that expanded and engulfed the two. Their vision returned and they found themselves in a crystal palace, before a strange winged demon that was more than pleased. "A Skink bound to the will of the Slann and he who has tamed a Trogglodon? You hold with in you, the vast knowledge of the ancient stone works... knowledge that will be mine." Aur'alis and Woodmaw attempt to attack and found themselves unable to move, their crystal prison was moved to a corner of the throne room, where they found an aqua blue crystal with a chained elfen entity of water in a still. They felt a chain holding them still and their will draining away.

At the Muppet Theater.

Ken felt unusually nervous in his seat as Xion was anticipating anything and Sora folded his arm behind his head to cushion it as he sat next to her. The spiky haired boy asked. "So before all that junk came to bug this place, you were chasing down an octopus?" Ken tried to breath and answered. "Something me and Fozzie found in the prop shed, it wiggled it's way into the boiler room and if you don't know anything about those, they can power a whole building and if something happens in there." He had his hand mimic and explosion. "So I can't fight him in there, but Kermit has a plan for that and I think with the two of us, it can work."

Sora blinked. "Two of us?! You're saying we're waiting for that Octopus to show up before we chase him out?" Ken raised a finger. "Even better, we soften him up for these two gentlemen to pop him in an oven of insults."

Sora looked above to find two elderly men that are mutually, looking down upon the two, Statler asked his friend. "Are they talking about us again?" Waldorf shrugged. "Yeah and they sure are nice enough to give us a joke to use." Statler looked more than pleased. "They're going to needed it after this lullaby."

They laughed together as Ken placed his fingers together. "If that octopus can't handle them, then he's out of the kitchen of roasts." Sora puffed his cheeks upon hearing the cruel method and Xion asked. "He shouldn't be here in the first place and if this works, then we are letting the people here solve their own problem while we control the damage. Are you cool with that?"

Sora guessed so. "Yeah, least we get to enjoy what this place has to give instead of worrying about getting back home so soon." Ken thought of a joke to pass along. "I'll get to live longer until Miss realizes I'm bringing back a dark scary book instead of a bright, crunchy apple. Then my goose is going to be roasted golden."

Sora blinked and asked. "How is an apple going to help you?"

Xion gasped and giggled as Ken answered. "Because then I won't have to deal with a doctor later. The instant Miss sees the book, I'm on my own," the spiky haired boy had the image of Aqua folding her arms and lifting her head highly at Ken with a scolding set of eyes looking down upon him. "Uh... I... think you might be thinking about this too hard."

He remembered the moments when he and Riku fought each other because the later took in the unholy power and remembered how his friend paid the price. "It's better to get that over with now than to deal with it later when no one knows you have a problem to talk about." Xion cringed. "That would get nastier than a swarm of bugs. At best, you're probably only going to get told to not use it at all or unless you got to use it. Those dark spells from that world are just... brutal."

Sora gave a glance to Xion and felt something in him asking. "How did you know that?" Xion answered. "Karla kind of sort of taught me how to use the miracle they call Gnaw, where you summon insects to swarm someone and watch them bite, hard."

Sora gasped. "You call that a miracle?" Xion nodded. "A dark one and I think there are more like that. If those creeps are wanting to pull out THAT out of the bee hive, they're going to get their wish."

Ken silently nodded. "It's our secret unless it comes to sting you. I never wanted that flame in the first place though, that's the problem and I'm going to get into so much trouble because I didn't think about what it means to figure something out and realize right after, what it is." Sora took a deep breath and tried to promise. "Hey, relax. If Aqua takes it a bit far, I'll have your back."

They heard drum roll and looked at the stage with a slide logo. "The Muppet Show" The O slide a panel and let Kermit lean out to cheer. "It's the Muppet Show! Yaaaaaaa!"

The slide was pulled up with him in it and he looked down to try and figure out how he was going to get down. The musicians played a jazzy tone and the curtains pulled away to reveal many door ways, various actors lining up in song. Ken let himself be distracted. "Looks like it's time they get things started, tonight."

The teenagers listened to the catchy intro song and watched a logo be lowered down, Gonzo was with in the O, ready to blow a trumpet. It went completely off tune and resembled the sound of dice rolling, Gunzo tilted the trumpet down and saw two six sided dice drop, one was a 2 and the other was a five. "Wow, lucky trumpet!" That earned a chuckle from the kids, they knew they were in for a show.

Towards the East of the Temple of Teeth.

The quartet of mercenaries heeded the razor trees and began to find a trial of stripped bones to match the fresh foot prints of the Skinks. Ven was deeply disturbed by the barbaric implications as Scrooge had a closer look, the boy asked. "I get those guys want to remove the forces of Chaos from here, but sheesh!" Scrooge grumbled and lectured. "Not these bones, my boy, they are far too old to have been from any fresh carcass."

Stitch unearthed a skull with a sickening grin as Baldred noticed a tree with something glistening, he picked up the remains of a shattered, round layered, dark grey shield, it had a symbol he didn't understand. CLASH! CLANK! PEW! PEW!

Ven was the first to hear an intense fight and rushed forward, the others followed and Baldred gave into a temptation to keep the shield, he put it upon his wrist and hurried along. They found a sturdy guard of twenty armored skeletons holding the line against cold blooded skinks. Their dinosaur was shooting against a catapult of bones that was readying to hurl a orb of necroctic skulls at a battle occurring at the base of the eastern pyramid. As the skinks fell the undead guards, a skeletal wizard with shoulder pads and a crown that resemble boney fingers, wiggled his fingers, spun in a peculiar dance and used an eerie spell to put the fallen skeletons back together. Forcing the vast skink horde into a losing battle.

Baldred signed. "A necromancer." He whispered to his friends. "These skinks are wasting their time on the bone guard, so long as that wizard is alive, they'll keep coming back. Ven..." The boy understood and focused a surge of lightning around his keyblade, he caused it form into a bow of lightning. The Undead used his chime to form a similar bow and the two of them aimed in sync, Stitch noticed something and muttered something alien to get them to stop, the duo wondered why and saw something revealed themselves from the trees near the bone shaper, Chameleon like Skinks with blow darts. They aimed at the necromancer in sync and blew in the darts. PEW! PEW! PEW!

Many of them pierced his boney hide, yet he shrugged most of them off, even those that sunk deep. He danced in elegance and flung a barrage of bone shards to rip and tear three of the chameleon skinks apart. Scrooge sighed. "Those lads had the idea too."

Ven agreed and asked. "Do you think we would be any better off, or should we smash this one apart?" Stitch had his blaster guns ready and snickered. "Ven, go!" The boy was on it as Baldred whispered. "We'll distract them while you go in there and make short work of that mage."

Ven nodded and nimbly jumped his way around the trees as Stitch and Baldred fired upon the boneshaper. Peppering it and drawing it's attention towards them, he continued his dance and spoke with an odd passion. "I say, we have more visitors to disrupt the Undying One's plans." He snapped his fingers and drew attention to the catapalt, that moved towards the party with it's many legs, the crew loaded a cauldron. "You should have stayed home."

The catapalt was in position and the boneshapper was about to clap in rhythm, unaware of a slight flicker of light that was followed by a blonde boy with spiky hair and a key like sword. Ven charged at the boneshaper like a thunder bolt of a storm and locked into combat with a necromancer that only had his claws to defend himself, he knew what the weapon was and cringed. "A keybearer?! Here?!"

One of the units of skeletal warriors heard the word, left the skinks and saw what Ven was. The boy kicked the boneshaper back, flipped his keyblade and was ready to slash. "Yeah, I am." SLASH! He imbued his blade with divine light and cleaved the boneshaper vertically, reducing him to two halves that smouldered in a strange, soul like essence.

Scrooge whistled to Ven and tossed something. "Hurry lad, take this and blow that catapalt to smithereens!"

Ven saw the warp stone bomb, smirk to the idea, much to the skeletal guards surprise and swiped his blade backwards in a strong gust of wind, sending the thrown bomb, to fling at the catapalt that was about to fire. The bomb made contact. BOOM!

Green warp fire erupted and caused the catapalt to throw it's cauldron off course. One of the skeletal guard took out a horn and stared at Ven like he was giving a malicious smile. "HWEEEEEE!" The guard blew the horn and a raspy sound, comparable to a death choke, filled the air, it echod. Something about the noise caused Ven's heart to heat up, the skeletal guard charged after him, the boy knew he didn't have much time, looked at the erected catapalt and nimbly jumped at the back of it to get an accurate jump on the raised bucket, he slashed to the sky and formed a crack that immediately fired beams of light upon the weapon. Pelting it to smithereens, he used a gust of wind to jump over the guard and back to his companions, who are seeing the guard acting like they are walking around in circles. Baldred readied his shield and yelled to the regrouping Skinks. "Make way!"

The Skinks did so and let the Undead counter charge the guard shield first, pushing the front row back and angering the others. Baldred flashed his chime, hovered and caused divine pillars of light to shoot down from the heavens, greatly reducing the ten skeleton unit to a meager four. More than enough for Ventus to handle, the boy jumped into the fight and in a quick combo, dispatched them. The remaining Skinks glowed in sunlight from a Skink Priests spell and finished off the remaining.

Victory was achieved and the four had a chance to catch a breath. Ven's lingering fear loomed on as Scrooge felt it was mutual. "That horn was blown for a reason and the Forces of Death would be mighty angry that we took out their back line anyways. We need to keep going."

Ven understood that. "I think Aqua and Ana warned us about these guys." He took out his gummie phone and went to a file labeled. "Nagash" He read two notable accounts of the Necromancer's attempts to Breach the Realm of Hearts, one was thwarted by a particular novice keybearer at the time and resulted in the Necromancer being locked away. The other was one the boy remembered Aqua being explicit about, the attempt ended with the veteran shattering the Necromancer across the realm of Death. It didn't take long for Ven to realize. "That psychopath ordered a hit on us."

Baldred put the shield away, drew out his halberd and asked. "So that horn was to let those hollows know that you're here?" He chuckled. "They are nothing this old Sentinel won't handle." He lead the way to the pyramid as Stitch was keeping close to Ven. "Nagash went boom?"

Scrooge figured out. "That he did, but his spirit lingers on and was wanting his boys to get all his parts together as soon as possible. That's why his elite are ere in the first place," he pointed to the pyramid. "But if we activate that like we did to the West gem, Nagash will be out of our hair."

Ven stiffened up. "At least that's what we hope." He hurried his foot steps and kept close to the Undead Sentinel, finding remains of shattered four skull faced stone, a dangerous looking obelisk that resembles a statue with a skull head that has four faces. It began to glow in runes, something about the gaze of the statues felt off and Scrooge knew what that is. "This is rude, building something like this on someones property. Looks like those Bonereaper boys built this in a hurry for something."

Baldred guessed. "To push themselves to the crystal and make a war camp for their foul magics after the deed is done? This jungle doesn't need that."

PEW!

The statue shot a fiery red beam unto the battle of the pyramid and confirmed the dangers as Ven advised. "So when that thing started to look at us, we need to run and cover isn't going to help us that much?"

The group nodded and Stitch saw something shift in the shadow, resembling blades that are moving faster than it needed from the trees. He pounced on Ven to get him out of the way and was the first to see long, black blades missing the boy. It was wielded by a bizarre , yet horrifying creature, a large humanoid figure of bones with four arms, two wielding for each falchion. The main body was firmly built, completed with a black cloak, the most bizzarre was a head of four skulls, each resembling a face, two looking like it use to be human, one looking like that of an orruk's face and the one focused on Ven, one resembling that of elven origins.

The stalker didn't wasn't any time to try and attack again, Ven sensed the intent and rolled away from the slash, flipped and drew his blade for battle. He noticed two more stalkers, those with one blade for each hand about to pounce. "Guys look out from that tree!"

Scrooge turned and saw once pounced after him as Baldred jumped away in instinct, they attempt to dodge the swinging blades and the Undead, knowing Scrooge is not a fighter, rolled to stab the stalker with his halberd and drew it's attention, he forced himself to content to two of these warriors as Ven watched his stalker spin his head to one of the humanoid faces and took a cautionary stance, like it was waiting for the boy to make a first move. Ven focused upon the warrior and smirked. "You think we're just going to shot you?" He hovered and watched the construct ready to parry, the boy hovered aimed his keyblade and let loose an electrical pulse. BOOM!

The stalker tried to parry and was knocked back by the blow, Ven fired another to get it in a shot lock combo, then another. The Stalker flipped its face to that of the orruk and sprinted after Ventus, it smashed the falchions at the boy that flipped to the left, kept a distance and waited for it to smash at him again. Luring it to a tree and tricking it into striking it, Ven circled around and fired a lightning bolt. "Missed me." B ZAAP! The Stalker took the blow and began to fall apart.

As that fight was happening.

Baldred knew the stalkers were too dangerous to be in melee combat and used his chime to conjure a bow and arrow of lightning. He fired three at the left most one, it switched its face to a human skull and parried one as two peppered it. The other one spun its face to an elven one and slid to the knight with four precise blades, the knight realized that the shield would aid him little and quickly rolled to the right, noticed the foe missing and redirecting itself to attack him again. FLIP!

He dodged another and switched his chime out, his hand glowed and he thought to go for close range pyromancy. PEW!

A beam blind sided him from the direction of the statue and he found himself in a blank to what fire spell he had in mind. The parrying stalker took it as it's chance and joined with it's comrade to assault the knight, flipping it's face to a thick, stunted skull and slashed multiple times against the knight. Landing a couple solid blows against him. FLING!

A bramble nut that resembles a spiked orb, flew at the Stalker's head and sent it's assault off course, it spun it's head to find Scrooge with the lethal looking brambles and Stitch with a laser gun aimed at it. PEW! A large beam punctured it's rib cage and caused it to fall over. Giving Baldred the chance he needed to remember the spell and swiped his hand to form a massive fiery orb that resembled the sun.

BOOM! The remaining Stalker was sent back towards a tree in a stagger and the undead swiped again, pushing it back first towards the razor thorn tree. SLICK! It was impaled and it slid off, it tried to dash after the knight and simply fell on its torso dead. The group tried to breath in at the thwarted danger, they heard the galloping of hooves towards their path, Ven quickly turned to find five armored skeletal steeds that looked to have been put together with various bipedal animals he recognize, on top of the steeds are heavily armored skeletons with long spears aimed at them. Leading from the front was a rather short legged skeleton on a triple tailed steed that more resembles a horse. He slowed for a moment and ordered harshly. "Kill that key bearer already! The Mortarch hasn't got all day to waste on this!"

He yelled a battle cry to join alongside them. BURST!

An inferno sparked from out of nowhere and engulfed the death riders, two badly singed death riders charged from the fire and the furious battle cry became a howl of defiance. "BLAST IT!"

Rustle!

Ven saw how damaged the riders were and took his chance to fling himself at them, in a few slashes, they collapsed in a smoulder. To his right, he saw the armored warlord maneuvering around the trees and has his shield up front and his sword positioned for a well timed cleave to the neck.

PEW!

Ven realized he was distracted from the menacing tower and felt a green beam radiate all over him, the warlord charged. The boy attempted to roll out of the way and felt his legs incredibly sluggish.

SWIPE!

He barely dodged the bull rush attack and was circled around by the warlord. The warlord slashed again, Ven parried and was nearly trampled by hooves, the steed bit into him and slashed him at the torso with it's tail, giving the warlord the chance to bash his shield at the boys face. Ven was flung across the road and nearly landing on the tree, feeling bloodied and realizing how badly his situation has reached. The warlord took it as his chance to charge again. Then, Ven noticed from the right, a dark aura as black as the abyss.

Woosh, a pitch black bolt of mist rushed at the warlord and rushed past it, in a sudden, the warlord and his steed charged off direction and tripped limp. Ven stepped aside quickly and felt the wind of a mighty foe fall dead to the ground, expelling a misty green aura of skulls. The boy panted and looked to where the bolt came from, seeing Scrooge and Stitch looking upon Baldred with shock. The knight had a staff of bones that was aimed at where the warlord was charging at and lowered it. "Looks like you'll be feeling that in the morning."

Ven wanted to say something and felt another danger coming, he rolled to his left, away from a beam of death, turned to the statue to glare at it and aimed his keyblade, glowing it in a strong light and firing a beam at that annoying statue. BOOM!

With another problem adverted, the boy finally had the chance to feel his adrenaline drain and his whole body collapse in exhaustion. He fell on his rear and began to pant, Stitch and Scrooge rushed over to see what else was wrong and the Undead felt a sharp instinct to stay away, the rich duck asked. "That bone head is gone lad, we can take a breather." Stitch cringed. "Ven?!" The boy knew he was going to be sore and tried to relax. "I'm... I'm fine," He looked at Baldred a little disturbed. "What was that?!"

The Undead took a deep breath and answered as he had a close look at the remains of the warlord and his cohorts. "The most lethal hex I know of, the climax of that dance with death. If used right, it will fall even the most massive of monsters... but there is a hefty price and because of that price, I won't cast it at that power for a while. At least until we best more foes."

Ven grumbled. "You mean until you find more to kill so you can take their life force and power that up?" He counted the enemies he and his group encountered and especially those they slain, he bitterly answered his question. "Yeah you did have a lot of those." He looked firmly at the knight. "That was exactly what I was scared of seeing, the instant that hex touched someone, they just fall." He shivered. "No scream, no reaction, not even a chance to see where that came from. Just... dead."

Baldred looked upon the remains and readied his chime. "Eh.. that is why this power isn't to be use lightly, you have to be willing to take a life when that matters." Scrooge tapped his foot and had his hands at his hips. "Like when that skeleton was showing that it had the strength to end us that quickly?" Baldred nodded. "And when he was going to do that. Ventus, the duty to make those kinds of decisions isn't yours, it's mine. You and your friends are defending yourselves and parts of this realm, while these fiends bring about their own end."

The boy folded his arms like he wanted to lecture his friend and felt there was a point. "Or if we have buddies that won't hesitate to kill. If we can meet up with Halvek and go for the temple, we'll be closer to getting back home and away from this." He breathed deeply into his nose and exhaled. "Thanks for the quick thinking." He gave a gentle smile. "and thank you for having our backs." he noticed Baldred taking a pinch of the green mist and asked. "So what are you doing now?"

The Undead answered. "Some rites to put these undead souls to rest... but this doesn't feel... right." He jingled his chime to begin the rites. "There is always a single soul amidst the entropy of a being, as it absorbs and learns, it becomes stronger on its own. If a soul has close ties to what you call a heart, then there has to be such even for them."

Ven found it weird and asked. "So you can't find a noticeable heart in that mess?" He asked. "You need some help? I think I can single it out." The knight gave off a faint glow of light and asked. "If you can, if you know how that is done." The boy chuckled and got up, feeling his legs sore, but more firm. "Some friends of mine found a way for my heart, so I can find a heart in this."

He approached the remains and aimed his keyblade at it, giving off a glow of light and attempt to shine it with the warlords. One part of the essence lit up, comparable to a spec of glitter, then more lit up, Baldred attempt a divine prayer to help sort the glitter out and found nothing has changed. Ven felt a little nauseous and focused his blade on one of the fallen cavalry, finding a similar result. He vomited like his subconsciousness was trying to tell him something and looked more sick, Stitch realized something and yelped. "Hearts... dust?"

Ven listened, gasped and was shaking. "He didn't!" He aimed directly at the warlord and caused the glitter to scatter, feeling a separating presence in each one. He felt his blood boil as Scrooge was the next to guess. "By Jove, this bag of bones wasn't raised from any old crypt! He was made from them bones!" Ven nodded. "And to make them come alive, Nagash grounded up the hearts of who knows how many people to make it into a perfect soldier." He growled and thought of a spiteful plan. "But maybe these hearts can still have some closure, Baldred, do you got a miracle that can help with that?"

The knight does and kneltd. "If it will appease these misbegotten souls and show Nagash that his tyrannical ways aren't to be taken in silence." He jingled his chime and caused light to shine over the fallen remains, Ven flipped his keyblade, caused the remains to sparkle and shined it with the miracle. The heart essence quickly separated and fluttered away in the wind, with the warlords coming apart in faint images of various generals, from the conquerors to the tacticians, they flew away at the chance of freedom and gave off a color of their own, one particular was igniting into a flame. It became in cased in a red crystal. The group felt that shouldn't have happened and turned to the path towards the western pyramid, finding a demonic fiend in a red cloak that had blue spots. The fiend extended his hand to draw the crystal towards him and he spoke. "You're skills as heroes are as boundless as your compassion, you will need that for your battles to come."

That caught the four by surprise and Ven was ready to attack, despite the injuries. "We don't need any comments from you, let that soul go!" The fiend grabbed the crystal and dragged it with in his cloak. "I'm afraid I cannot do that Ventus, not as long as my Master continues to sow discord upon the worlds. If that Necromancer is allowed to invade this temple, he will find a way into your realm and sow terror upon your kin." The party felt themselves enveloped by a green light that invigorated their spirits and dulled the wounds to where they were not present. "You must hurry in your quest and return with your tow in hand, when we meet again, I will stand before you as a foe." He enveloped himself into a pillar of fire and disappeared with the crystal in hand.

Leaving the four to blink and realize something is going on, Baldred asked. "That... was unexpected. We known that the mad fiend sent his minions to halt us... they're here for more than just to antagonize us." Ven grumbled and knew more was to come. "Garland's trying to milk this and turn things back to him." He lead. "We'll deal with that later, come on, we got a bone head to kick out."

The band of four followed the trail to find a fight occurring between the Bonereapers and a fortified pyramid of canons maned by men and dwarves, alongside Stormcasts trying to keep a hulking mass of bone and souls from barreling through, fighting in the sky was Nightscale and a devilish bone steed, trading claw and bite as their riders, Loru and a skeletal wizard in dark blue armor. Baldred chucked, jingled his chime and formed a great spear of lightning and hurled it at the bone monster.

FLING! BOOM!

The monster howled and tried to turn as a certain Lord Arcanum on a Dracoline pounced on it with her steed and tore it's chest open, spilling spectral bones and cause it to collapse.

The wizard had his steed push back the drake and looked upon the four. If he had eyes, he would have rolled, he swayed his hand to shake off a spectral aura. "Of course the Keybearer and his cohorts would have be near. My Master would like to have a word with you about the trouble your kind has wrought."

Ven focused on the opening and tried to ignore him. "Not interested, he can go back into his pyramid for all I care. You're out of here!"

Stitch gasped and held back from laughing as the wizard formed an arcane bolt upon his staff and aimed it at the boy. PEW! Baldred stood in the way and used his staff to form a distorting barrier that caused the bolt to go off course.

SWIPE!

The Wizard noticed a hammer swing, leaned back to dodge and focused back on the rider, Loru taunted. "You lost this battle, Arkhan. Give up already, the Forces of Death are finished in that realm." Arkhan sighed in boredom. "To think you've reduced yourselves to relying on this rabble to turn your battles forward. But I suppose even a old revenant and a child could surprise anyone." He smirked and cast a curse upon the Drakesworn. "But you won't be around long to hinder my Master any longer! Feel the curse of years! I wonder how long a Stormcast would last!"

The spectral energy pushed against the dragon and his rider as Arriea tried to cast something and felt a power resisting her, she gritted her teeth under her helmet, looked upon the group and barked. "Who among you can tap into the Lore of the Heavens or the Light! Arkhan's trying to take our best with him before he leaves!"

Scrooge looked at Ven and Baldred. "That would be these two, ma'am." Arriea stepped out of the way as she directed her forces to hold up the skeletal army, she ordered. "Then haul yourselves up there, Despondis needs two more with him!"

Ven and Baldred nearly saluted and tried to dash as Arkhan swiped his hand back and caused the ground before them to split open. Unleashing a tide of angry souls that were ready to wash over them. Scrooge grabbed Stitch and had his cane ready as the boy was ready to jump, Baldred used his chime to form a barrier around himself. Scrooge let Stitch hold on by the back and used his cane like a pogo stick to jump across, Ven simply used his nimble skill to leap across and Baldred charged at the tide, he felt himself crushed under the tide and the souls bite down upon him, he kept pushing in a sprint and found himself on the other side of the tide. The party looked at him like he jumped into a blender and the knight relaxed, then turned to Arkhan to taunt. "Ha! You're power won't take this soul today!" The wizard heard that and tried to focus on his foe. Ven and Baldred took the chance to rush up to the pyramid and find the Exorcist with candles and gems for the holy ritual involving a crystal resembling a setting sun.

Despondis noticed them and casually greeted them. "I reckon you would arrive at the moment. Ready to close this tomb?" Ven was a little surprised by the relaxed tone and approached the crystal. "Ready! Baldred, we done this before."

The undead agreed and approached with his chime in hand, he and Ven wasted no time to focus their weapons upon the crystal as the Exorcist channeled a prayer, causing the pyramid to hum like the one before and give off a pulse. SWOOP! CRASH! Arkhan and his steed broke from the fight and flew to the Pyramid in a sprint. He formed a deadly energy with his staff and formed it into a skull, ready to fire it upon Baldred. "This isn't going to free you, Revenant. You will be reminded that you are cursed like the rest of your kin!"

He aimed the skull bolt and was pounced on the back by a blue, koala like alien, throwing his aim off and forcing him into a tussle with Stitch. The skull bolt ignited in radiated green energy and landed next to Baldred, turning into a smoulder that's smoke cling to. The holy casters ignored that and kept to the ritual, powering the crystal and causing it to let loose a stronger pulse. Pushing Arkhan and his steed back by several feet, the wizard growled, tossed Stitch off and cast a spell to open a spectral rift. "No matter, in time, Nagash will return! You have only delayed us for a moment."

He had his steed fly him back into the rift for a quick escape, the presence of the Undead was lifted from the air and the party felt easy.

Baldred stepped away from the smouldering remains of a spell and asked. "So that's three out of the four. We need to get to Olgrik and the others to turn on the last barrier, or everything will go to nothing." Despondis agreed with that. "The leader of the Undead had to either escape this prison or face justice, he's spent too many resources for this side. What of the Skaven?" Scrooge cringed. "Not a problem anymore, but we got to get the northern lights up and running before more of these show up."

Arriea and her steed crawled up to see the aftermath and she over heard that. "We're going back to the central temple and bolster our defenses until then. I assume the Seraphon are waiting for us as well?"

Scrooge nodded. "That they are." Ven thought to get a look north and found a couple of air ships boringly parked in guard, save for some smoulder around the canons. "Looks like they got a hold, but they're going to need the Light to get that working."

Despondis thought of it and asked. "I'll see if the Seraphon are enroute to the idea before I rendezvous with you myself." Ven appreciated it as Baldred took binoculars out and looked at the Kharadrons encampment. "It's too quiet over there." His companions agreed to that as Arriea was ready to lead back. "We're just a little more away to winning this war. Keep up the good work." The two forces separated, the Stormcast and their allies marched back to the temple as the Mercenaries ventured north, unease by the calm.

At the Muppet Theater.

Xion was caught off guard by a skit of a chicken letting a goose loose upon a road way and making a mariachi band with him and a shivering turkey in an attempt to hitch hike. She laughed to that as Sora and Ken looked at each other in disbelief, the spiky haired boy whispered. "We'll, at least we know why the chicken didn't try that."

Ken agreed. "Because the goose needed it to warm up to the turkey that was across and get a ride." The audience clapped at the climax of the skit and the curtains rolled to close, in a few moments, Kermit walked to the stage to announce. "And now for your amazement and confusion, the Muppet Show's resident weird person, Gunzo the great will play the Symphony Number 7 on a xylophone, while riding a unicycle." The trio of teenagers have no idea what the Symphony was from as a trumpets fanfare qued the curtains rolling aside, Gunzo was dressed in a particular black suit that was completed with a puffed up white collar. He balanced himself on the unicycle and began playing on the xylophone in an act that requires complete silence Xion realizes the punch line, cringed and covered her eyes. "Oh I can't watch this."

Sora tried to be optimistic and whispered. "Relax, this is something we haven't seen tried before, it could work." Ken doubted, closed his eyes and counted. "Three..., two... one." Gunzo nearly lost balance and in his attempt to hit a beat, accidentally threw a mallet towards the ceiling, he tried to improvise. "Whoops."

BONK! "EEEEH!"

Something fell the rafters above and near Gunzo, a purple octopus with a cartoonishly long row of teeth just above his set of tentacles. The octopus had green eyes with red pupils and a giggling attitude, he tried to say something as Gunzo reeled in shock, fell off the unicycle and in a panic, kicked it across the theater and right at the octopuses forehead.

The octopus felt another bonk and tried to cover the lump. "Ow! What was that for?!" Xion growled and was about to attack as Sora thought of something and asked. "Stay here where you can hide, Ken and I got this."

Xion puffed her cheeks as Ken stood up and crouched for a leap. "We got a show to save, watch until the end!"

The boys bounced unto the theater in sync and guarded as Gunzo that was trying to get up, he knew what was happening. "This is weird, even for me!" He scurried off stage as the Octopus saw a couple of boys with key like swords and snickered. "Whe, he, he he! What are a couple of muscle heads like you doing here?!"

Ken dismiss Cadia's Light and held Firekeeper's Wish with both hands, lowering it like one a katana. "We got our tickets to see a show, I stayed because I heard of a problem with eight tentacles and I don't see any of them with a ticket." He asked. "Unless you got one and are too shy to sit over there." He looked at the audience and back to the octopus that nervously searched his own person. "Eh..." he realized he didn't have one. "Eh... heh... heh."

Sora asked Ken. "Does it look he can afford it?" The one armed boy gazed at Sora pretty confidently. "No, but it was worth trying to go for the easy way."

The octopus explained. "Please, please, I'm in a terrible, terrible debt, I couldn't pay even I wanted to." He blinked awkwardly, growled and flopped his tentacles around to yell. "Wait, why am I telling you this?! Me, Ultros!"

Sora pointed his thumb to the exit. "You don't, you need to be going that way before you start needing some health care."

Ken noticed the door that is opened by a particular rat, the rat presented the door like it was an option. Ultros felt insulted. "GRR! Don't you kids know better than to tease the octopus?! I ought to teach you some manners."

He wiggled after Sora and tried to punish him with an eight sucker slap, the spiky haired boy rolled out of the way as Ken took it as his chance and rushed after the Octopus, he gave three quick fiery slashes that caused Ultros to yelp. "Yeouch!"

He squirted ink and spun to splatter it at the one armed boy, Ken covered his eyes with his cybernetic arm as Sora took it as his chance to rush at the Octopus and give him a much longer and punishing combo, finishing off with a burst of fire. Ultros was sent rolling as Ken let go of the blade with his fleshy hand and formed a great fire ball.

FLING!

The fire ball made contact and burst, scorching the Octopus to where he tried to wiggle away. "What are you trying to do, cook me?! Why I oughta?"

An elderly man on the rafters answered. "You kids oughta come up with better material, that was one of the worst roasts I seen in my life!"

Sora looked towards the rafters and found Waldorf and Statler looking down upon him and the others in the theater. "Hey, you're suppose to be helping us." Statler insist. "We are, this cephalopod is in for it if he thinks you're the ones cooking him."

Waldorf agreed. "I'll bet the bear's going to be happy that we found someone who can't even make a lousy stand" Statler looked at his partner in crime with malicious intent. "This octopus doesn't have the spine." They laughed at each others joke, Ultros curled his tentacles. "Excuse me?!"

Waldorf looked down upon the octopus. "You don't even have a bone to pick with us." Ken agreed with that. "He doesn't and he isn't even much of a muscle head." Sora dismissed his blade and folded his arms. "I kind of seen this one guy that can at least put up a fight for longer and that's when he isn't hiding behind someones back."

Ken smirked maliciously. "Longer than a minute?" Sora nodded and frowned with indifference towards the Octopus. "Yeah, longer than a minute."

Ultros looked embarrassed and Waldorf took the chance to ask. "That's pathetic. Say, Ultro, how did you get into debt in the first place?" Statler found that a good point. "Those eight tentacle should have been good for something." Waldorf agreed. "They're pretty slippery."

Ultros didn't want to talk about it. "That isn't the point." Statler realize. "Want to bet on that?" Waldorf gasped. "I'll bet on that being the reason,he's hit the rock bottom of the ocean."

Ultros froze in peril and Statler nodded to his friend. "Nah, the big bank took that too." They laughed loudly and caused the octopus to turn bright red. "Stop that!"

The boys began to realize that really was the octopus's problem, Sora asked judgmentally. "Do you realize how much trouble your going to get for sneaking in here?"

Ken agreed. "He's in a bigger mess than he would have if he inked right about now." Woldorf agreed. "This chum p's in for a shark problem." Statler agreed with that. "And not the kind that would eat you."

They laughed at each others joke and Ultros whimpered, he bolted to the door and cried hysterically. Sora groaned unamused. "That was mean." Ken agreed with that. "Yeah, I got nothing to back that one up."

Kermit arrived on stage and agreed with the boys. "I'd say he got over cooked." He looked up to the two elders. "Thank you, gentlemen, that would be enough." The two elders felt proud of themselves, Waldort relaxed his his chair. "Now we get back to watching the real show." Statler leaned on his chair comfortably. "That won't be on for half an hour."

They laughed and Sora grumbled, Ken looked at the frog with doe eyes, convincing the frog to ask. "Sora, Ken, I think these two done enough for tonight, could you help out with a couple skits? You boys got something that will make them quiet down."

Ken smiled widely as Sora gasped, pointed at himself and answered. "Of course, what do we need to do?" Kermit lead the two to the back stage and shouted to a particular bear rehearsing. "Fozzie, you got a partner for tonight's skit."

The bear turned, noticed an easy going Sora and laughed. "Ah, ha! Just in time for some chilly jokes." Sora blinked. "You're talking about snow?" Fozzie nodded. "Got to toss it out there before it leaves the birds behind." Sora got the joke. "That's going be cool, we're going to be taking this north?"

Ken got the joke as well and his face squinted in preparation as a busy chef was gathering things fit for camp, Kermit asked. "Chef, you got your's right here too." The boy stared at the camp equipment blank. "How do I fit in this?!" The Chef grabbed a rapier like one a knight and asked. "Su more?" Ken had no idea what the Chef meant and realized the whole point. "That's it, I don't."

He turned to Kermit. "Are you sure this won't end in an explosive failure? Me and the flame go pretty deep." The Frog answered confidently. "Oh I don't think it's going to be a failure, but it will certainly raise the roof." Ken imagined. "In orbit." Sora signaled that Ken ease up on the puns. "Chill, we haven't gotten started yet."

He realized something and felt cold, Ken wondered what it was and felt it too, the spiky haired boy asked. "Did we just... ditch Xion?" The one armed boy didn't want to answer yes. "She... did see what happen, I'm sure she gets that we kind of got wrapped up." He stuck his tongue out. "So which one of us is going to make her laugh the hardest?"

Sora had no idea and taunted with his fist raised up. "You got lucky in that shooting gallery, but you won't be lucky here!" Ken snickered. "Are you sure about that? You got to keep a cool head to blizz through those jokes or those two are going to make fun of us."

Sora realized that was the case. "Shoot, this is going to be a tough crowd." The boys realized they made a skit of their own and Fozzie laughed to that. "Ha! Ha! That's a good one. Wacka, wacka!" Kermit agreed. "Keep that up and you'll light the show alive."

At the audience.

Xion couldn't believe that the boys were brought back stage to do a comedy skit and pouted. "That's not fair." She noticed Roxas appeared and the boy kind of agreed with her. "It's your condition, you wouldn't be able to get a good joke around even when you got some good ones."

Xion calmed down in acceptance. "I guess you got a good point there. Do you think that octopus is going to be okay after that roast?" Roxas took a deep breath. "He was mooching off the show, he isn't a nice octopus from the start and he has better things to do to get out of that debt. I don't really care."

Xion felt it was cold, yet she shrugged in agreement. "He was one of the reasons Ken is going to be in so much trouble. So that ought to be the last we'll see of Ultros for a while." She twiddled her fingers and asked. "Can... we do something like this again soon? Everyone seems to be out on some bizarre adventures and you'll never know what kind of fun we're in until we go in deeply."

Roxas was about to answer yes and stopped himself, thinking about the current issue to come. "Maybe... after Sora and the others handle this punk that was messing with the worlds. We're all in for crazier stuff and we can't go on missions together that easily."

Xion knew why. "Because you're bound to Sora under most times and I don't remember a whole lot of what I'm suppose to do." She looked at him more seriously. "I don't even know what I'm suppose to do besides do what I can to get stronger, if I scrapped enough info on those miracles, I can learn more tricks to get by with the elements they use."

Roxas is in a loss of what to advise. "There isn't much of a guarantee that a Keyblade Master I know is going to help, but we'll think of something." Xion tilted her head. "If she is that lady with Aqua blue hair, I think she can... but trying to make it not awkward for her is going to be the struggle." She took a deep breath. "If we can't go out on this kind of adventure soon, can... we talk about it over ice cream?"

Roxas froze at the question, almost cried and answered with an awkward exhale. "Y...Yes. Where did you get that idea?" Xion smugly answered. "If we are to start over, we got to hang out in fun places more often." She snickered in mischief and embraced the boy in a one armed hug. "That started with the first person in the outside world to spot me. Think I ought to invite him and some buddies of mine from Twilight Town, when I get the chance?"

Roxas was about to be overwhelmed and like a typical boy, he answered with a mutual cheer. "We should! It would be great to get back to that." The two heard music and let go to watch the next skit, one involving a trio of pigs in space suits, venturing into the voyage of space.

At the Jungle of Teeth.

Ven prepared a face mask of cloth as a foul smelling fog blankets the air. "Phew! Did something die in around here?" Scrooge took a pair of binoculars and was tearing up from the odor as he looked through them to see the Kharadron overlords camping on top of a pyramid, Halvek was looking through a telescope and found the crew in kind. The Duardin looked a little frightened for a moment and gave the crew the signal that they need to hurry, he shouted something to his comrade in arms and prophet something. Baldred coughed harshly and asked. "You found our friends nearby?"

Scrooge put the binoculars down and nodded as he took his glasses off and searched a bag for goggles. "Aye, but they found something else here with us." Stitch pinched his nose. "Phew! Stinky!"

Baldred agreed with that and saw the alien twitch his ear to something, he looked to the pyramid and saw bolts of branches firing from the jungle, aimed at the Kharadron. One of the gunhaulers were punctured by the fire power and sparked in an explosion as another suffered sever damage. He growled out. "What in the pit is that?!"

Ven watched the havok and was about to flip his keyblade to a glider. "Trouble!" He heard a faint whisper from the front left that gave him chills. "Kill da duck quickly, but slow down on cutting da others."

Rustle! Rustle!

The party saw rustling in the direction and prepared for battle, to their surprise, nothing came. Ven kept his guard up and asked the others. "Where did they-" Baldred gasped and quickly turned with an anxious Stitch, they saw something quickly approaching from the back left, a rather vast horde of large, muddy brown goblinoids in barely patched together armor, wielding pieces of a broken sword as a dagger and strapped to their hip was a stick like grenade. The leader of the pack, who has a colossal, fist sized sting wound on his left shoulder and what looks to be an actual sword, screeched. "We'ze here!" He and his swarm took their grenades, he ordered. "Surprise! We'ze not da only ones ere!"

Scrooge yelped to a his back right and saw something sprinting on all fours. A dusty grey troll carrying a basket full of smaller, muddy brown goblins that were equipped with a giant scooping net and a collection of chains, the duck saw the goblins gaze and ordered the quickly becoming aware Ventus. "Look out, lad! This is an ambush!"

The boy turned around to see the foe, he and the duck jumped left and right out of the way as Baldred and Stitch rolled to their left to avoid the explosive grenades. One of the goblins tried to swing their net at the left, missing Ven, the goblin growled and squeak in frustration. "Boss Bactums is gonna use us as trog bait if we don't catch something alive! Get over ere and-" the troll spittled droll and sprinted right after Scrooge, shaking the crew silly. The duck looked up at the spiked tree and used his cane as a pogo stick to jump to a higher edge. Smack! The Troggoth slammed his head against the thorn tree and bleed, he pulled back and groaned in dim witted annoyance as the horde of goblinoids charged the alien and Undead.

Stitch rolled into a ball and flung himself against the horde like they were bowling pins as Baldred ignited his hands and followed in charge. Clacker! The goblinoids were knocked asunder and three of them noticed the undead learning forward to unleash something. Woosh! Woosh! Woosh! AAAAK! Pillars of a fiery tempest engulfed most of the horde from a deadly thirty to a meager ten, the leader of the goblinoids yelled. "What let the Gnasha out ere?!"

He saw his nine underlines dropping their swords and shaking their legs, his aggression was replaced with a hint of cowardice as he watched them prepare to run. He turned to find a crouching Stitch, ready to attack and a calm knight lifting his head up and staring at his soul. Scrooge spring his cane high in the air and gave Ven the chance to focus and glide towards him in sync, confusing the crew of goblins and causing the Troggoth to change direction in a distraction. BONG!

The goblin with the net was bopped on the head with a bouncing cane as Ventus glowed in light, slashed the sky with his keyblade and formed a crack. He back flipped mid air and watched the crack let loose pillars of light upon the troggoth, the boy watched the pillars tear into the troggoth and focused his blade with electric energy. "Eat this!"

Fling! An orb of lightning flew at the troggoth yelling in pain and into his mouth. Boom! The Troggoth waddled back and glared at Ventus in anger as the goblins cowered and tried to hide. The boy landed and expected the monster to attack, it gurgled like a beast and dashed, Ven smirked and was ready to deal the final blow, he hoisted his blade like a spear, envelope it in lightning and hurled it at the troggoth's skull. BZZ PEW!

The leader of the Goblinoids watched the troggoth cringe and fall, then back at a Stitch that leaped. Clawing and biting, the goblinoid yelled out. "Get off! Get off of me!"

His henchmen turned and ran for their lives as Baldred stood up and readied his staff. "I'm ready!" Stitch jumped off and smiled sadistically. "Pew! Pew! Mud Face!" Mud Face was stinging in the face and saw the staff shine, he squealed at certain death and hid behind his sword. PEW!

The goblinoid saw a flash of light, felt nothing happened and blinked to wonder what happened. Burst! The Bearer of the Curse focued on his staff and watched as the goblin looked above, saw an orb of magic burst into many smaller spears. They pelted him and his fleeing underlings into a stagger, some of the goblinoids fell on their stomachs and tried to get up as the undead caused a strong magic to envelop his weapon into the shape of a great sword. Swipe! The goblinoid was horizontally cut in half and a wave of power slashed into three of the running goblins, they fell over and left the remaining six to scurry into the thorny woods. Baldred let the sword flicker away and turned to see the after math of a fight. The fog thickened and made view nearly impossible. The smell burned into his nose and he coughed as he approached where Ven was seen. The boy pressed his shoulder and activated his armor, shielding his nose and eyes from the mist. He saw Baldred a little more clearly and waved. "Can you guys see anything in this?"

Scrooge put on his goggles and answered in a grumble. "I wouldn't see a darn thing in this methane trap!" He pointed towards the pyramid. "But we got to go onward before it is too late for our partners."

The group agreed and were ready to get going, Stitch heard the faint clanker of chains and looked towards the pyramid. He pounced on sync and Ven saw the hint of a grappling hook flung at him. Chomp!

Stitch bit through the chain as a dark, green, reptilian, long talon claw emerged from the mist and seized the Bearer of the Curse, another quickly reached for the alien. The boy quickly swung his blade in reflex and slashed into the claw, he heard a sharp howl and looked on to find something startling, a large dark green lizard wearing brown leather straps, on top was series of wooden posts that on the sides, had rusty iron cages. Riding on the back of the lizard is an upright Orruk wearing light grey leather and black cloth, the orruk wore a grey mask and glared at the boy and his friend. "Oi, no one cuts Toxila cept for me!"

He readied the broken chain like a flail and spun it around to earn their attention. "Hows about I cut the two of ya up before stuffing you in dem cages over there. Ya act like you'd last three weeks in da pits." He laughed crudely as Toxila readied to shove Baldred into the left most cage. The undead ignited his hand and engulf himself in an inferno, Toxila cringed and dropped the undead, she hissed and backed up in the mist as the undead turned of the inferno and formed a massive fire ball, he readied to throw as a deep voice whispered from everywhere. "Ya better nots do that, dead boi. That there's going to get ugly."

The group looked around, Scrooge asked stubbornly. "Who's said that? Show yourself, ya thug."

Ven felt his instincts telling himself to look up and saw hints of large vulture wings, a large black bodies vulture with red tips at its feathers and a stinger for a feathery tail, looked down upon him and opened it's beak, as the voice echoed from the mouth. "That's no way to greet Da Mouth of Mork." Ven squinted his eyes and saw hints of a throne like saddle, the vulture looked amused and lowered its head to reveal a flat faced Orruk with a rather grizzly collection, in his right hand was a well decorated staff with a blue, demonic hand that was forced to raise two fingers. The Orruk squinted his eyes back at him as his steed faced towards Scrooge. "Name's Gobsprakk, my boyz, you see, they been watching ya fore a while. You'z helping them scallies, the humies and the stunties around for something."

The vulture clapped its beak as the Orruk laughed. "Ha, ha, ha, that something is something ol Kragnos don't like. You see, he been wanting a go at the temples little secret and I been wanting a special foot from the scalies boss." The orruk on the lizard agreed with that. "And we'z heard you lot been giving the rats and the bone eads a grim time. So this means we'ze getting sometin ere too!" He laughed and readied to fling his whip at Ven. The boy parried the chain with his blade and sparked as Baldred's staff glowed in crystal and aimed at the Orruk with chains.

Gobsprakk quickly glared at the Undead and snickered. "You izn't that special, dead boi. You cast dat, you iz going to get. Hah, hah, reminded of dat." Baldred snorted. "I already do." The orruks realize that was going to be and Gobsparkk growled. "Then you know that izn't gonna get cast because" He yelled out. "MORK SAYZ, NO!"

The yell gave off a pulse of power and the Undead's attempt to aim came short of a fizzle, the group realized the kind of power let loose and watched their friend quickly cringe from the stomach. Gobsprakk laughed in prideful pleasure and ordered. "Bactums, you'z can handle the rest of these runtz. They isn't so tough without that magic." Ven was in a struggle war with the chain as the snatcha boss gave a sadistic, wide tooth grin in sync with his steed. Toxila sprinted past the boy and alien for a trample and swipped at Scrooge. The duck cringed and rolled back to avoid the claws as Backtums looked upon the recuperating Ventus and Stitch, he flung his broken chain upon them to knock them further in the ground.

Baldred felt his stomach calming down and saw the buzzard swoop down after him. He cringed and rolled to the left to avoid the talons, he quickly switch from his staff to his katana as the buzzard thrust his stinger at him and jabbed him in the gut. The knight puffed his cheeks out in pain and was knocked back, he stumbled as Gobsprakk focused on a Ven getting up and waved his staff. "Don't tink I haven't forgotten about you and your magics too! Without that protecting ya," He caused a strange, blue, swamp gas to spew from the staff and in circle around the boy that tried getting out of the way. PEW! The armor glistened and flickered, exposing the boy to the rancid smell of the swamp. "you iz as well guarded as a bogpole in da big swamp."

The boy tried adjusting and quickly asked. "How were you able to do that?!" Stitch realized quick. "Nasty Hex!" Baldred gasped in horror and took out a glowing flask. "Definitely a nasty one!"

He quickly chugged his flask and felt warm relief, Gobsprakk's lips stiffened dumbfoundingly and he turned to the undead with the strange flask, the Orruk's red beady eyes glistened to the flame. The vulture understood and sprinted to the knight, beak first, Baldred's heart leaped and he rolled to the left to avoid the lethal talons, the vulture flew up to sting down and the knight rolled once more. With the chance he had, he slashed his katana at the birds hide two times, the Vulture lowered himself as Gobsprakk readied his staff, the steed spun to the right and gave Baldred a combining slash of a beak with the blunt end of the staff.

Ven unleashed a quick combo upon Bactums and attempted to dodge the claws of Toxil as Stitch took his laser guns and fired upon the lizards face. Leaving it distracted as Scrooge is watching Baldred having less than fortunate luck against the shaman, he looked around to find shattered fragments of a thorn tree. "Ah! That would help!"

He took the fragments and positioned himself to where he would get a clear view of Gobsprakk, aimed his cane like a golf club and cursed. "Go take your thorny mess somewhere else, ya smog loving greenskin!" SWIPE!

The rich duck flung a thorn ball at the shaman, that caught faint wind of the curse and turned to see a thorn bundle make contact with the right of his abdomen. It tore at it and made the shaman cringe in pain, the shaman growled at Bactums, who turned and saw what Scrooge was doing. The Snatchaboss yelped. "Oh no!" He stomped the back of Toxila's neck. "Eat that duck already so we'z can get back to da snatching!"

He swiped his chain at Ven to force him to back away and Toxila readied to sprint. Ven spun his blade and leaped on the lizards back. POW! Bactums was smacked in the face with the blade and whipped the boy back with his chain, the directionless lizard stopped for a moment and thrash his tail to the boy on his back. Nearly smacking Bactums by accident and causing the Orruk to squeal. "Ahk! What'z ya doing ya scale brain?"

Gobsprakk growled in disappointment over his underling and shook his head as he focused back to the undead drinking from his flask. "Zogging new boyz. That's a shiny flask ya got there, definitely the shiniest ting ya got that matters."

Baldred kept his guard and asked. "And...ha, why would that matter to you?"

Gobsprakk pointed his thumb to his thrones worth of a collection. "Ya noticed anything special of these? I'z got... a talent for hunting something ere." Baldred had a quick look at the throne with a collection of severed hands and the severed head of what looked to be a wizard, the knight focused on the staff of trinkets and especially the hand. "I see, you're a sorcerer hunter?"

Gobsprakk smiled in his answer and let the undead have a good luck at that, the vulture sprinted at him with little warning and forced the knight to roll to the left, it tried to stab with its stinger, forced the knight to jump back and flapped its wings for a jump. The Orruk waved raised his hands, belched and caused the ground to shift into a marshlands that emit a thicker though, shrouding himself and his partner. Baldred couldn't see and knew he was being stalked. He looked around in a panic and caught a slight ripple in the corner of his eye, he sharply turned with his blade ready. Laughter rang from all around and the knight swallowed hard.

Roll! Pounce!

The knight dodged a pounce from above and felt a break in the back of his neck, he jumped right to dodge a sprint and took his chance to cut into the vultures leg.

Leap! A bundle of blue fur pounced on the vulture's left wing, the bird tried to shake it off and Gobsprakk turned to confront the attacker, Stitch leaped mouth first at the Orruk's face, Gobsprakk leaned back and revealed something unexpected, a goblin with a dagger.

The goblin whispered deathly. "Surprise!" He got a stab at Stitch, who counted with a firm grab and a kick. Baldred saw the distraction and rushed at the vulture. He jumped and landed on it's head, the buzzard felt the weight and shook violently, the knight held on and climbed to the backward battle. Gobsprakk saw the knight swing his katana and parried with his staff.

On Toxila, Ven attempted to unleash a quick combo on Bactums and had to juggle between attacking and avoiding the chains. Scrooge flung the razor bundles at the lizard and is seeing some bleeding. He saw Baldred having a struggle with Gobsprakk and noticed something, Ven kicked Bactums back and turned to see the struggle, then looked down at the lizard. He sparked an idea and whistled. "Baldred, we need to switch!"

The Undead was nearly thrown off and looked at the lizard, he felt a spark of brilliance and smirked under his helmet as the shaman cringed. "Ah zog!" The knight jumped off and sprinted, he switched his katana for his halberd as Ven focused on the vulture ready to give chase. PEW!

He flowed in a glitter of light and gracefully landed on the back of the buzzard that had little idea of what has happened, it say the hints of glitter as Gobsprakk was forced to fight against a foe more accustomed to constant shaking and grappling. The grot saw the quick attacks, whimpered and was knocked off by Stitch as Gobsprakk was smacked across the head repeatedly.

Toxila felt nothing was on her and heard heavy foot steps, she turned and felt a sharp stab into her right hind leg. It roared out in pain and turned to find Baldred with a blood covered halberd pulled out, the knight spun it in a taunt, Toxila hissed and sprang her head like a serpent to strike. Jump! Baldred dodged as Bactums gotten annoyed and whipped his chain. POW! The knight took the blow to the shoulder and rolled to the lizards hind leg, he spun and slashed again. PEW!

Bonk!

Bactums felt another bundle of knives at his shoulder and yelled out, he turned to find Scrooge right at his side and panicked. "Oh, no!" He barked. "Jump by the tree and get this git with ya tail!" Toxila growled and obeyed, sprinting to the tree on her right and swinging her tail. Baldred rolled to leap above it at to the monsters right, the lizard stomped and slashed her left claw. The knight rolled back and sprinted at the lizards underbelly, halberd first. STAB! "RWOAR!"

The lizard back handed Baldred to knock him away and looked down to find the halberd sticking out from her guts. It seeped blood and mixed with the sludge of her skin. It cringed in disgust and looked at the knight with mellow fury. Bactums took the chance to look and cringed. "That aint good, that aint good at all!"

The steed agreed and sprinted her head at the knight once more, giving a tired bit. Baldred jumped to the right and took his katana once more. "I got you now, Orruk!"

He slashed at the beasts neck and saw Toxila bloodied as the Orruk reached into his pouch. "Not yet ya don't!" The lizard knew what that que was and sprinted once more on all fours, forcing the knight to get on the lizards back and be in close proximity. "HAH!" Bactums tossed out burning ashes at the knights face, Baldred groaned in searing pain and tried to get it off his face, the pain wasn't going away and he tried to open his eyes to find the Orruk head butting him for a cheap shot. Baldred nearly fell off, grabbed the Orruk by the scruff of his collar and pulled him off with him. THUD!

The Orruk landed on his stomach and saw Baldred land on his back, he turned to the lizard at deaths door and then to the razor trees. He smiled and sprinted to the tree, grabbed a thorn and yanked. CRACK! He took the thorn like a dagger and smirked, quickly rubbed his dagger on Toxila's stomach. "We'ze not done yet! That dead boi got another tin coming!"

Toxila raised her claws upward to smash the knight and was struck in the neck by another bramble bundle, she choked and tried to cover her bleeding throat, annoying the Orruk to where he saw Baldred getting up and charged. "WAAAAAAAAGH!"

The knight yelped and side stepped to the left to avoid a frontal stab, Bactums swiped in the direction, Baldred ducked down and readied his katana in a curve. STAB! "RRWWAAAAAAARK!"

Bactums felt a thrust in his heart and saw Baldred sinking the katana deep, the Orruk gurgled with blood in his mouth and made one last attempt to spit on his foe. Fling! Baldred flung his blade downward and slung the Orruk off, he focused on Toxila, who glared at him and sprinted at him with both claws and a snapping jaw.

The Undead leaned back to avoid the attack and went to her underbelly, he grabbed the halberd in the monsters guts, slashed right and pulled for a clean cut, Toxila gasped, tried to keep moving and fell forward. Baldred dashed right to avoid the fall and watched the beast make one last movement, it fell over limp and the knight exhaled at a victor achieved.

During that fight.

Gobsprakk hissed in annoyance and aimed his staff at Ven. "Get off my bird!" PEW! The boy was shot off by an arcane bolt and the Orruk shaman grabbed Stitch by the scruff of his neck and hurled him off. The vulture took his chance and sprinted after the duo, Stitch rolled left out of the way as Ven flipped to the right. The boy focused on the annoyed orruk and flowed back to the bird's back, he taunted. "Nice try!"

SMACK!

Gobsprakk was hit downward on the head and snarled. He smacked back and had a look at Bactums fighting a losing battle, he hissed. "Ya's lot got a lotta cunning, I give ya that much." Bonked! He hit Ven across the face with his staff and over heard explosions from behind. "But ya, see, I's always got another plan ready!"

Ven sighed. "Like what? Distracting us from our friends over there?" Gobsprakk aimed his staff again. "...Someting like that," PEW! He fired an intense arcane bolt at the boy to force him off and heard the lizard howl. "You see, I'z got a big friend who needed those big guns aimed at the otha side and I don't tink you're friends would take kindly to finding ya all's late for the party."

Rumble! Rumble! Ven and Stitch felt a faint quake, the boy wondered what the Orruk meant and realize that quake was not a coincidence, the shaking worsen. Gobsprakk's face twisted in glee and he gave a full fanged smile. Holding little concern as Bactums and Toxila were dealt a killing blow. The vulture cawed laughter and took flight as Gobsprakk ordered with in the mist. "Get em boyz! Kragnos is a comin!"

The duo vanished in the fog and the sight of many, glowing red eyes looked on at the boy and his alien friend. The eyes formed a yellow glowing maw and laughed like a horde of wicked beasts, one particular face rose above the rest and looked like a growling face about to roar.

Scrooge followed the two along with a Baldred that noticed something flickering on the dead Orruk. The duck felt the worsening quake and looked upon the mist. "This looks to be like another trick. Ven, can ya glide across them and get to the pyramid in time?"

The boy was about to answer as he heard a tink in the mist. He yelped, grabbed his allies and dodged a flurry of cross bow bolts. The knight caught up with the powerful flicker and aimed a fiery hand. "We need to clear this horde off first or we won't make it across in time. Ven, do you have another trick?" The boy nodded and focused in sync as Stitch noticed something green in the fogged sky, it seemed to be getting closer and was approaching the horde in the mists. The hovering face looked to be glaring. "Grrrrrrr!"

It opened it's mouth to reveal a yellow orb with a black circle, it gave off a roar that was comparable to a volcano and halted the flow of energy from the magic users, a sinister voice approached from the horde. "You'z all out of those." Approaching was a large, if thin Orruk in black leather that was complimented by blue shoulders and a belt, he wore a jagged helmet of rusted metal and carried an axe in one hand and a blue shield in another. "We'ze gonna have all da time in the world even when Kragnos gets ere." He ordered a cruel chuckle. "Boltboyz, get em again! Hit for the bits they don't need!"

The green light became brighter and the sound of pulled string was heard. One of the voices in the mist asked, like it was focused on something else. "Boss, iz dat light suppose to be da plan?"

The boss saw the radiating light from behind and turned, seeing something push the mist back and coming at him in a fire ball with teeth. He dropped his weapons, looked at the direction his underlines voice came from and answered. "No, we're crumped!"

BOOM!

The meteor made impact on the horde, to the shock of the crew, mist dispersed and Kruelboyz were scattered across the field with fungus growing across their bodies, those that were able to stand, screamed in a panic and the boss was knocked on his back, with a his eyes consumed by mushrooms and choking upon something in his throat, he gasped for air and faced towards the crew with a mouth full of fungus. Stitch cringed, Scrooge wanted to look away and Ven was squeamish, he looked in the glowing crater to find an orb of green light rising with an odd rider on top. A goblin cloaked in a dark robe and yelled out to the crew. "WHAT THE ZOG ARE YA WAITING FOR?! GET KRAGNOS OUT OF THIS OR YA'S ALL GETTING CRUMPED!"

He took out something odd from his robe and slashed red spotted green light towards the path, revealing a path to a pyramid being besieged by a horde of Kruelboyz that were lead by Gobsprakk, pushing towards a firing line of Kharadron was a dirt grey troggoth being ridden on by an Orruk.

The crew thought that was abrupt and Baldred saw a familiar Stormcast channeling light in a crystal, resembling a black void with an rainbow with in. Ven shrugged, turned his blade into a glider and hoped on, he asked. "Hop on Baldred! We're almost out of time."

The undead saw the trees shake and agreed, he jumped on as the goblin ordered his ride. "Come on Belchy, let's sneak in!" The steed burped in agreement, leaped across the crew and jumped over the pyramid. Ven asked the two left behind. "Follow that goblin and be careful!" Scrooge and Stitch promised so and took off, letting the keybearer use his glider to zip himself and the undead across the battle. The Kharadron looked like they lost some men and their ships were badly damaged, Olgrik looked relieved and saw the confident Gobsprakk cringed at a plan gone wrong. "It's about time we turn this battle! Ya know what to do?"

Ven and Baldred nodded as Despondis was channeling light magic upon the crystal. "We better hurry! These Orruks have us at the ropes!"

Ven and Baldred glowed in light and focused upon the crystal as Gobsprakk focused on them. "You isn't doing nothing, cause Mork Sayz" Olgrik ordered the crew of the Aerial Ultilizer and Old Bountiful. "FIRE AT THAT ORRUK!"

PEW! PEW! PEW! The air ships fired upon the shaman, disrupting his concentration. The vulture gasped and few to the right to avoid the bombardment as the wielders of light caused the crystal to darken and reveal an aurora. The group felt the quake stop as the crystal hummed and turned to feel a presence of great power. A massive, centaur covered in chains and patches of shield armor leaped after the crystal to give a roar. "RWAAAAAAAR!" He had a strange metal shield on one hand and a mace in another, he had the mace ready to strike to stone with combined weight, Ven felt his heart skip a beat as the crystal readied to let loose.

PULSE!

The light pulsed and sent Kragnos flying back out of the jungles borders and landing for one final quake. Gobsprakk and his boyz looked on in disbelief, the shaman muttered. "Uh oh." The centaur climbed his way up, roared and tried to beat at the barrier, to no avail as Ven was shaking in the legs and fell over in disbelief to a close encounter. Baldred slowly turned to the Orruks and asked. "Looks like your trapped, do you have a plan for this as well?"

Gobsprakk is seeing the guns in front of him, marching armies from the south east and south west, as well a temple surrounded in a barrier, he tried to figure out what to say as green energy flickered in the sky, two sets of massive green hands and the image of two, orkish faces gazed down upon the green tide.

One hand scooped the tide in a tight grasp as another reached down for the shaman, Gobsprakk recognized the magically power, faced the alliance of order and shrugged. "I'z got a plan now! Seez what ol Gordrakk wants this time! Heh, heh, heh!"

The Orruk laughed to that as the hand surrounded him and his steed in a grasp. The hands ascended from the sky and the two heads looked elsewhere with in the realm of beasts. Kragnos saw the power and looked towards the distant east, he stomped his hooves and dashed towards there. The mist of war dispersed, the temple is with in the barrier and the armies realized victory was achieved. The Kharadron cheered as the lord Exorcist gaze off into the unknown. "Thank goodness." Baldred agreed, felt his legs giving way and fell on his knees in exhaustion. "OOOH! That was a head ache."

Ven agreed and flipped to sit on his rear. "Tell me about it." He looked at Halvek and asked. "So what now? We use that temple to pay that Slann a visit?" The Navigator nodded and got on Ol' Bountiful. "That's the plan, where are the other two with you? At the temple?"

The boy nodded. "I couldn't fit them in the glider, but this place ought to be safer for now." He felt himself able to breath and stood up. "What else do we need to do before we go into that temple?" Olgrik sighed, looked at the casualties and answered. "Nothing of your concern." He ordered. "Halvek, get your butt over there and deal with Garland, or your getting a massive cut on your pay!"

The Navigator understood and saluted. "Will do Lord Admiral!" He ordered Ven and Baldred. "Come along, we don't got all the time in the world." The boy stood up as Baldred adjusted his body to stand up. "Every moment we waste is another moment Garland has to mess things up." Ven agreed with that and jumped into the Frigate. "He isn't going to give up on stopping us. I hope the others back home are doing better than we are right now."

Baldred hoped so and climbed on. "They'll be surprised at your strength, that's for sure." Ven smiled to the knight in appreciation. "Thanks," he noticed the flicker next to the knight and asked. "Where did that come from?"

Baldred found a place to sit down and held the flicker close. "It came from that Orruk, I believe it is something we called a Soul... a powerful soul that refused to fade away." He wondered as Ven guessed. "So it's someones life force? What are you going to do with it?"

The knight wondered and focused upon the soul, it seeped to his chest and gave him a familiar glow. He looked nauseous and looked upon his katana, he formed a fire ball caused it to flicker and he belched out a green bile upon the blade, soaking it in hazardous liquid. Ven looked like he was going to be physically sick as the knight was amazed. "So is discovered, another forbidden pyromancy from the great swamp?"

Halvek was ready to pilot his frigate and asked. "Ya gotten a new spell that mimics the Kruelboyz habit of coating their weapons with who knows what kind of bile? It's underhanded, but it's why they are as feared as their more brutish cousins of the Ironjawz."

The boy felt a little better about that. "If it can help him keep up, you should have seen him take on this giant lizard they had." Halvek believed it. "A sludgebreaker and it's snatchaboss of a master? That's no small feat." Ol' Bountiful took flight towards the temple as Baldred felt proud of himself. "Neither is the deed we are about to set in motion. We are about to oppose someone who thinks himself a god. When you don't give up and learn, anything is possible," he laughed. "even when hope seems to wither."

Ven felt that invigorating and agreed. "We still got a long way before the worlds are going to be at peace, we're about to accomplish something incredible."

During a night at the Muppet Theater.

The curtains unraveled and showed a pair a travelers with in a snowing mountain, Fozzie was in a scarf as Sora was shivering. "It's so cold! Hey, Fozzie, why didn't you bring a coat?" The bear turned to his partner and answered. "You mean a coat of fur? I already brought one." Sora gasped in joy. "You did?!" He realized something and squinted his eyes. "Hey!"

Fozzie certainly wasn't going to give Sora his scarf and asked. "Wasn't there a discount back in the Bahammas?" Sora puffed his cheeks. "There wasn't any snow there." He noticed something in the distance. "Hey, looks like there are people up here!"

Fozzie turned to find two people circling around something. "Looks like they got a lot of things to keep us warm." Sora agreed and had a closer look, finding a Swedish Chef listening to something Ken was talking about. "And that's why those jackets are the trend of the future. They can catch an eye a mile a way."

The Swedish Chef performed a dance with his utensils, casually tossed them in the snow and spoke in gibberish. "Ar refe, treet fer de cold wimmer es a hot smoore." He went to the campfire. "Irst we set urp the ampfire." he takes out a pair of sticks. "En the olren days, we do this ry, rubbing icks!"

Ken was beginning to shiver again. "Brr, but don't we got another thing to do that. Sticks are last year." Fozzie heard that and added in. "They made portable stoves now?"

Ken turned and began warming up, he gasped and invited them in. "I wish, but isn't important now. You two look like you're behind the trends." Sora raised an eyebrow. "Trends?! Are those some kind of pants?"

Ken looked more determined and answered. "No, but there is a thing as trendy pants." Fozzie looked at the audience in beat to the joke and Sora looked at the boys wears, his teeth clattered as he asked. "Hey, how come you're not as cold as the rest of us? It doesn't look like that chef is going to set that fire up anytime soon."

The one armed boy looked back at the chef rubbing sticks over the fire pit and back to Sora. "I survive by thinking about the latest craze and talking about those." The spiky haired boy asked. "Like a hot topic?!" His eyes widened in realization as Ken dramatically answered with his finger pointing in the horizon. "Yes! If you don't keep up, your going to be behind on old, cold news."

He took four sticks and put marshmallows on them. "For example, this fire. Does it look like my friend going to set it up with yesterdays way?"

Fozzie looked and thought about it. "Hmm. He would have yesterday!" Ken nearly broke out of the script with a wheeze of breath as the audience laughed. Sora asked. "Where did yesterday go anyways?"

Ken shrugged. "No one knows." He took a small lighter and wiggled it around. "Yeah?" He flipped his thumb on a wheel and showed a tiny flame. "This topic ought to be warm enough to cook." Sora agreed with that. "Light it up, we been cold since yesterday."

Ken snickered and approached the Chef, who was tired out from his failed method. Flick! Ken lit the camping pit up and offered the invites a spot. "So what's the latest trend you saw?"

Sora and Fozzie took the sticks and started roasting marshmallows with the boy as Chef instructed. "Un, now, we roast the marshmallows." He took his stick and had it over the fire, he was oddly patient. Sora thought about it as the fire dimmed, he perked. "You look like you've been traveling a lot. Anything new you seen?"

Ken recalled. "You been to a big city before?" Sora answered. "That depends, how big are talking about?" Ken bluntly answered. "Those with buildings as big as this mountain." Fozzie knew of one. "Like Manhattan?"

The fire sparked once more as Ken recalled. "About like that, but the buildings are bigger." Sora thought of it. "That place was bigger than the one I'm use too, apparently a friend of mine visited one that is even bigger and looks trendy."

Ken's eyes glistened as Sora thought of a good joke to follow. "Apparently it likes tomorrows town. At this rate we're going to get cold again."

Ken refused to believe it and began to feel a chill as Fozzie perked. "Maybe we'll find some warming clothes then." Ken shivered. "Not if we show that... brr... city something new." He rotated the marshmallow and looked desperate to stay on the trend. "Something that could be the hottest thing around." He snapped his finger to form a spec of fire and fed it to the fire pit, Sora cringed. "I don't think that's needed, just give it time."

Ken stubbornly focused. "I'll be frozen by the time I'm on the new topic." The fire glowed brightly once more and Ken felt the warmth, he smugly asserted himself and stood proud. "See, instant!" He approached the fire for a quicker roast and turned to Sora like he won. Crack!

BOOM!

The fire exploded and sent Ken falling forward, face first in the snow. Sora cringed as the two muppets looked down in hope the boy was okay, the spiky haired teenager asked. "You got burned on that trend. Are you okay?" Ken raised a roasted marshmallow high as he was face first in the snow, Fozzie answered and rubbed his hands over the heat. "Looks like your the new topic now!" Sora guessed so, shrugged and sat down like nothing unusual happened.

The curtains closed and Xion finished her outburst of entertainment with a chuckle. Roxas took a deep breath. "They tried a little too hard in the end." He laughed a bit as Kermit arrived on stage. "Thank you all for joining us, we'll see you all next week on the Muppet show!"

The musicians bellow the stage played jazz and the teenagers took their leave from the building. Xion asked curiosity. "So, what now? We go home?"

Roxas folded his arms and thought of it. "Yeah, once Sora takes Ken back to Aqua, he's going to be in for a lot and I'll be a little too busy for us to hang out like this again soon." Xion guessed. "Because you're stuck with Sora unless you can find a way to split and do your own thing?"

Roxas nodded and wondered. "A lot of people can't really see me either, because I kind of don't want them to. Are you sure you want to go back through that Chasm?"

Xion wondered and felt an odd urge to say "No, I want to ride back with you guys." She repressed it and noticed Sora and Ken walking out. The spiky haired boy was in complete agreement with someone in the theater. "We should bring all our friends back to watch more of these shows!"

Ken agreed with him, closed his eyes and smirked. "Maybe after we beat Garland, we'll get that chance." He waved goodbye. "Thanks for having us on stage guys!"

Many voices wished them off, Sora noticed Roxas keeping Xion company and waved. "So that's done." He looked up to the night sky of a city. "It's going to be a long flight home." Xion snapped her fingers and asked. "The way me and my brother got home wasn't as long! Maybe we can try that?"

Sora and Roxas stopped at the suggestion as Ken found it difficult to answer. "It might... but... but" Sora scratched the back of his head. "Ken would get into more trouble, even if the way you took sounds a little safer."

The group heard footsteps and turned to find Karla walking down the street with a hooded boy, the mysterious boy asked. "Xion, why did you ask that when they offered you a free ride home?"

Xion wiggled her fingers. "Because it might be awkward if they make a stop for me, and the others want to have Ken back again as soon as possible. If the Chasm can connect to anywhere, it can connect there."

That much Roxas found reasonable. "We don't have to make it awkward, but it's still your choice." Ken agreed. "And I got attacked pretty badly before I stood my ground. So I also don't want to mess with anything Dark again. Least these guys seem nice to you." He looked at Karla specifically, the witch giggled. "And they've made sure the Chasm is safe from the monsters you feared."

She asked Xion and Dupmic. "Shall we?"

The teenagers agreed and followed as Roxas made a quick wave to the hooded boy. "Hey, Dupmic!" The boy turned and asked in a deep voice. "Yeah?" Roxas smiled. "Thanks for watching over Xion. If you like, we can hang out sometime when we have the chance."

Dupmic nearly shook at the other, took a deep breath and turned. "I'll... consider that." He took off as Karla smirked. "He yearns for more companions, he knows not what to say." The group believed that as Xion waved goodbye and followed the witch, the girl gave them a thumbs up. "Good luck, kick Garlands butt so we can move on to happier times!"

The group promised back and watched the girl take off. Roxas saw the coast was clear and disappeared inside Sora. "Come on, we'll need to be back before morning."

Sora agreed and guide Ken to an alley way. PEW! The boys saw a flicker of light and found themselves on board a particular gummie ship. Sora saw a screen pop up to reveal a smile and answered. "I found him Bryn. We had to finish up a couple loose ends."

Ken agreed with that and took the main seat, he yawned and looked to be spacing out. "*Yawn!* Thanks for all the help Bryn, so how far away are we to home?"

The smile face slowly frowned and the eyes looked like the machine spirit didn't wish to upset her friend. Sora smiled nervously. "Very... far." Ken puffed his cheeks. "MMM!" He asked his idol. "Well you traveled enough for one day, let me return the favor. I can do this a thousand times and it won't be close to how much I owe you."

Sora blushed at the flattery as Bryn looked annoyed at Ken, the ship flickered her lights, caused the seats to lower into a resting position and set sail without Ken's input, the spiky haired boy relaxed and advised. "Or... we can let Bryn fly us instead?"

Ken worried for a moment and saw the virtual frown turn into something of a worried friend. He took a deep breath and rested in his head. "We... could, but Bryn, if you run into trouble and you need a guide, wake us up."

The face gave the image of a nod and focused on taking a safe route, Ken closed his eyes to doze off as Sora rested on his seat and texted. "Heading back with Ken, is there any news on Ven?"