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?

75. Going to the Big City

At the Land of Departure, Aqua was given quite an assortment of books with pictures, Mickey explained. "That should be as many of the stories about the job classes as I could find in the royal library." Aqua felt a massive task was ahead as Goofy noticed a group coming, Sora and the crew. "Hi ya fellas! Did ya have fun learning?" Kairi nodded and looked like she wanted to say a billion things. "We've found out a lot about them and we've written as much as we can."

She and the boys presented Aqua with notebooks. "Where do you want us to sort these out?" Aqua wanted to lead into the castle. "At the lounge, we can sort out which ones we're going to use from the fun books while you and those three boys go out to learn by experience." She and Ana lifted the chest of books and hauled into the castle, Ken and Kairi joined in the group effort as Sora noticed Wanda arriving with Stalwing. "Donald, Goofy, we're going to have a long talk. This is a lot more important than we all took for granted." The mage groaned. "Sora, all this studying is getting to your head." The boy groaned. "I'm serious here, you guys help a lot more than people say you do. We got to keep thinking of new ways to surprise people, like what we've been doing."

Donald and Goofy recalled the moments where they have gone beyond the norm, Goofy realize Donald has a point. "All this serious talk is startin' to get to us." Donald nodded. "He'll feel a lot better once we visit that city and see what's going on." Sora folded his arms upward and had his hands behind his head. "Yeah, but we're still going to talk." He, Riku and Ven followed into the castle as Wanda landed, calmed Stalwing down and jumped off.

She over heard the conversation. "These are children partaking in an grown up world and they are seeing things as we have seen it." Goofy nodded to that. "We get what ya mean. Once they read about those books, they're going to find out a lot of stuff." Donald nodded. "It's a lot of fairy tales about heroes banding together to fight evil, when ever it shows itself." Wanda hummed. "But, where have they come from and how important are they to the young ones of tomorrow?"

The two felt that was a good point and Donald looked to the world bellow. "It helps the rest of us learn to keep trying. Even when things look impossible." Wanda pressed her hand to her chest. "That's why the Freeguilds of the Realms keep holding on, we don't have the kind of power of the Stormcasts, the technology of the Kharadron the potential of the Sylvaneth or the Lumineth and not even the tenacity of the Seraphon, but we make up for that by being a bunch of good men and women who want to make tomorrow happen. Legend says that the Stormcasts are chosen when they make a last stand as a mortal, against the Forces of Chaos." She promised. "If I hear right, the people of this realm are going to show Evil what they can do and send it outta here. We're in this together as equals to the heroes that go in there against the monsters we are told about as children. The fact you two have guided Sora this far is a legend in itself, keep it up and more people will sing about you in the centuries to come."

Goofy and Donald felt honored, the shield bearer asked. "Is this what Sora was wanting to talk to us about?" The mage was a bit overwhelmed. "This is what we get for telling him to read, we get too much of a good thing." Wanda laughed to that. "Someone has to prepare this generation for their journey into a man. I'm sure he'll go back to being a kid by the end of the day though."

In the Castle.

Aqua had the box of books placed near a shelf and started placing them alphabetically as Kairi finished. "And that's why that armor and the job classes are related to what we are doing." The Teacher was torn between sorting and squeeing over history. "With so many of those, stemming from the basic archetypes, it's no wonder some of them branch into our specialties. I'd argue that if you take away the keyblade, we'd be little more than them."

Ken organized the notebooks into one stack and agreed. "We just won the lottery because our hearts had the thing we need to take the responsibility. We evolve as we go." Sora found a particular picture book about a quartet of freelancers fighting again a wicked, orange genie, besting the genie and allowing a princess to seal him with in a ring. He flipped the page and saw the four boys approach a crystal of wind. "We owe the guys at Hollow Bastion a lot, a long with those who want to fight with us as we go along. They're the reasons we fight harder and they keep the worlds in balance."

Flip, he saw the four bows touch the crystal and were presented with a typical blue black belt attire, a set of mail armor, a white robe, a black robe with a pointed orange hat, green bandanas with brown gloves and a stylish red coat with a red hat. He flipped the page and saw the boys make their choice, one picked the armor and became a warrior, one picked the bandana and became a thief, one picked the white robe and became a white mage and one picked the red coat and became something he read outloud. "That's a red mage?"

Kairi and Riku had a look as Sora flipped the book, Kairi whistled as Riku admitted. "Well, that's something for a fashion show." He took the book and turned to a busy Aqua. "Master Aqua, we already found some visual aid." Aqua had a look at it and was impressed by the look. "Nice find." She put it by the stacked note book and advised. "We gotten a lot of data on what they are, but if we can't find something to look at, we can't make the armor how we want it to look like."

Jiminy made sure each book was firmly in place and assured. "A lot of these have pictures, we just need to find which one would do for the four." Aqua nodded to that as Ven started on the second row. "And at worst, these will be good for reading when we get bored. We win either way."

In a few more moments, the chest was emptied and the shelf was full. The group made their way to the forge room, with the notes and story book to place on a table. The busy Lady of the Castle felt that she was onto a good start and started reading the notes. "All we need now is to search for enough Oricalcium and it will be a matter of me doing the blue prints." She smiled to the group who gathered all the valuable information she needed. "Excellent job, everyone. We're one step closer to making the impossible happen."

Riku was the first to smile back. "Not a problem, this might have united a couple worlds as well towards the common cause. Speaking of which." He told Sora, Kairi and Ken. "You got one hour. Pack up what you need, do something you feel like you need to do and meet at the front of the castle." Sora groaned. "But I don't even live here." Riku found that more convenient. "Then you'll be waiting in half the time."

Ken pointed his thumb to the door and asked his idol. "You want to get that thing transposed? That shouldn't take long and I'm bringing the essentials with me anyways." Sora was willing to go along. "How did it go with you anyways?"

Ken was eager to explain and start a conversation. "Pretty simple, you got to treat the spell with respect before it lets itself get absorbed into you and like with Ven's, your spell sounds like another vicious one. If you got doubts, tell me to stop before you put it in the kiln." Riku was worried from the warning. "And you got a bracelet out of that." Ken nodded. "And one moody set of swords prior. I haven't got a chance to use it yet because she's out for Chaos blood." The silver haired boy felt that point was taken. "You're going to need an extra person to make sure this doesn't go wrong. Kairi, you want to come?"

The Princess didn't doubt Sora or her adopted brother and had something on her mind. "There's something I want to get done in the Arena first, Wurzzag gave me and Mickey some good stories and it was kind of sad to see him go." She wanted to leave and insist. "Don't follow me, all those eyes make me a little nervous."

The group respected the decision and the boys left for their choir, leaving Aqua and Ven alone with an impressed Mickey. "Looks to me like we got all this planned out well." Ven agreed, took the book and read it next to Aqua. "With Goofy and Donald going with them, it's going to be the four of us without much to really do."

Ana agreed. "Until you and Lady Aqua take the venture. I... guess we could help sort out the books with images?" She shrugged. "I'm a warrior, not a scholar."

At the entrance of the Castle.

Kairi let the boys sort their ordeal at the lounge and made her way to the other wordly arena. She made her way to the statue and turned on the selection. She pressed the button for Wurrzag's challenge and saw the three Orc Warbosses, she had her finger over the button with the tribal mask and by her side, a familiar voice greeted her. "Ello again, umie! Tinking ya really got what it takes to beat da bosses by yourself! They'z a bit different!"

Kairi turned to find the Shaman giving a tribal dance and waved. "I figured out that all the challenges got something going for them as a twist. What's the catch, I got to take down each of them consecutively?" The Orc had no idea what she meant by consecutively. "Whut dat word mean?" Kairi groaned. "It means, when I beat one of them, I fight the other without much of a break? And I'll bet if I lose to any of them, I'm going to have to start over." The Shaman looked like he learned something know. "Oh... den ya! It consecuty. Ya might want to read on da bosses, dat gonna be your only hint."

Kairi did so. "I won't have anyone here to help me on this one, I want to prove that I can do something like this by myself." She pressed Gorbad and read out loud. "Didn't get stabbed." She pressed Azhag's. "He and da crown got der act together." Then Grimgor's. "He da best." She remembered the history lessons and guessed. "So... Gorbad without the stab wound that undid his waagh. Azhag and the crown aren't going to fight each other and Grimgor... well he's going to be tougher." She felt like it is doable and pressed the button. She heard a mighty. "WAAAAAAAAGH!" She entered the arena and Wurrzag snickered. "Good luck."

The arena shifted into a wide open forest, a particular Gnarla. Gorbad rode on top of the boar, looking quite healthy and raised his axe. "Oi, why does a puny ummie like ya tink you can beat me Waaagh?" Kairi had no idea of any bigger meaning. "I just want to give you bullies a piece of my mind and if I can beat you guys, I can handle some of the real issues I have out there. Nothing more, nothing less."

Gnarla and Gorbad snorted as one, the Orc dismissed her with a dull. "Go back to ya castle, Princess." The boar charged and gave a squeal in sync with his rider's bellowing Waagh, Kairi waited until she saw the red of the Orc's eyes, rolled to the right and tried to swing, Gorbad turned his head as Kairi got close and swung his axe at her, the Princess smirked and used a gust of wind to push herself back, she flung a star of light at the Orc and smacked him good. She readied another one as the Orc whispered something to his steed, Gnarla jumped back to avoid the projectile and sprinted. Kairi saw Gorbad ready another axe swing, leaped at the boars snout and pounced on the Orc to strike him across the chest, Gorbad clenched his fist and punched her off, Kairi flickered in light and landed to the right rear side of Gnarla, the boar tried to rear kick, Kairi back flipped and flickered her blade into a shroud of fire flies, forming a wooden staff with a glowing frog clinging on. She felt she had the duo and spun her staff to form fire flies of light, pelting the Warboss and his pet, who had no real way of defending themselves beyond trying to get to Kairi's personal and crush her, the Princess flickered away in a cloud of fire flies and kept pelting the two. Gorbad grumbled and had his boar dash side ways, circling close to the girl and trying to confuse her for a quick axe swing, Kairi couldn't get a good aim and high jumped with a glow of wings. She flickered through the Orc and landed far behind the attack, forcing her foe to stop the attack and try to turn, leaving him exposed to more fire flies and a strange finale as Kairi flipped the staff, caused the frog to enlarge with a swollen chest and cling to the pointed end. She thrust the staff and caused the frog to stick out a long tongue.

BONK! Gorbad was knocked of Gnarla, the boar kept guard of his master, the tongue was drawn back and Kairi flung it forward like a lasso, wrapping around the boar and with a flip of the wrist, flung him away. Gorbad got up, gave Kairi a rather furious glare and charged at her, giving off a "WAAAAAAAGH!" The tongue retreated into the frog and Kairi readied one more fling. "Waaaaaagh, back to you!"

FLING!

The frog shot out a large inferno of a fire fly and made contact with the Orc.

Bursting in flames and causing the arena to flicker. The staff reverted back to Destiny's Embrace and the Princess phewed. The battle field turned into the borders of a desert and eclipsing the sun, was a familiar wyvern, the dreaded Skullmuncha and a dark green, glowing Azhag on it's back, the wyvern flew close as the Slaughterer spoke in a hauntingly deep voice, even compared to an Orc. "Ya tinks you can stand up to da Darky boyz on ya own?" Azhag learned forward to give her an intimidating death glare. "Dey getting more cunnin ya know."

Kairi readied to fight. "I know they are, but that's why I got to show that I've gotten stronger. You might be smart for an Orc, but that evil crown is why you've lost in the end. Every time someone makes contact with things like that, people get hurt and the one who causes the stuff gets the worst of it."

Azhag isn't even phased. "Urting tings is what an Orc is good at and it da only ting those Darky boyz is good for." The sun became dark purple and Skullmuncha dived down. "Just try to stop me from doing dat, Princess!" With the gust of wind, Kairi rolled right to avoid the mouth of teeth and flowed onto the Wyverns tail, she climbed, felt Skullmuncha spin and wrapped her body around the tail, using the spikes as a support, the spinning stopped and she finished sprinting to Azhag's personal, the Orc turned around and attacked her with more precise axe blows, compared to Gorbad however, Azhag was parryable, she flipped her blade, slashed Azhag across the chest and forced the Orc in a stun lock.

Skullmuncha dived down in the wind to break Kairi's combo and force her to hang on by the chain, Azhag gave off a purple glow and shoot out a spectral, pointy eared ghost, to force Kairi off in a chilling grasp of death. The Princess pulsed in light to get the ghost off of her and she landed in sync to Azhag charging a spell of purple light. "Bye bye." PEW!

Kairi felt a deathly wind as a purple orb of light shot at her in what was nearly point blank range, the orb had a skull, the girl felt the purple light of death flash before her eyes and in a burst, she felt a feeling of nothing, the arena reverted back to what it was. Kairi realized she lost and how she lost. "That's Death Magic!" She felt in the back of her mind, that there was someone who knows about that particular spell, she asked a watching Wurrzag. "Can you give me a moment before I try again?" The Shaman shrugged. "Ya got dat kinda time?" The girl nodded. "I got Gorbad figured out by now and once I figure out Azhag, he'll be quick as well. Wait here, I'm not giving up."

The Shaman sat down and conjured a campfire as the Princess ran out of the arena, a sudden Namine appeared near the door and asked. "I think I know where you did wrong, do you want me to say it?" Kairi knew the basics. "I spent too much time attacking Azhag and he got me where he wanted me when I wasn't paying attention. Mickey isn't there to keep Skullmuncha busy either, so I got to pay more attention to what he's doing as well."

She found Wanda hanging around with Donald and Goofy, smiled and approached. "Hey Wanda, do you got a minute?" The General turned. "I got forty before I see y'all off. What's ya needing?" Kairi asked. "You know people who've used magic in the Realms? Is there those who specialize in Death Magic that aren't with Nagash?"

Wanda nodded. "The wizards of Shyish, I know a few things about them. Did you run into something with that kind of magic?" Kairi nodded and explained a spell involving an orb of purple light, with a skull, the normally calm General cringed. "Eeeeeh. So I reckon the challenge you fought had caught you in one of those, the Purple Sun of Shyish is one of the most dangerous of the Endless Spells. Those who are touched by it's light, face certain death, turning their bodies into crystal, this one wizard I know of unleashed that spell ONCE, upon an outbreak of Slaanesh worshipers. He didn't recover from the shock."

The Princess imagined the recoil of horror, cringed and looked more determined. "Thank you for telling me that, I need to watch out for that at all costs." Donald cringed and asked. "Please tell me, that spell isn't out there."

Wanda doubted. "I know the Slann work in mysterious ways, but they wouldn't let that loose upon a world, unless the world is so tainted by Chaos that there is no other option. However, that pet Necromancer that the Dark Seekers freed from Nagash, might have that. Ya need to stop him from casting that spell or get out of there before he does. Since we have plenty of strong wizards here already, I didn't request that Loru finds one and with some luck, we might have the Slann arrive in person." She felt ashamed that she didn't address it much sooner and Goofy let her know that wasn't her fault. "Gwarsh, I reckon the next time we see something like that, we should talk with an expert or someone who knows an expert as soon as possible."

Wanda sighed. "That might be, but I'd rather have my men know the kind of danger they are in than to have them be in danger and not know it. That's why my forces try to survive." She wished Kairi good luck. "Beat that wizard a new one, we know you can do it." The Princess appreciated it and gave them a thumbs up. "Thanks, keep doing good for us Wanda." Donald and Goofy silently wished her luck, out of respect for the reasons, Kairi went back to the Arena with Namine and spoke. "I just need to focus on Skullmuncher when going after Azhag is a bad idea and then do what I did with Gorbad while avoiding that sun."

Namine nodded and looked upon the cognition that she created. "Just be aware that Skullmuncher can fly and is a lot bigger. I also think I know the adjustment Wurrzag has done with Grimgor." Kairi nodded. "He had him to where he became the Incarnation of Beasts. It probably won't be as dumb, but I know he's an endurance match and I'm doing it alone. I think I can handle this now, go watch me."

Namine gave her a thumbs up and went to the audience as Kairi approached the computer and gave her hello. "I'm back, I think I'm on to you now." Wurrzag hummed. "Orrrw?"

She triggered the challenge and looked him in the eyes. "I don't know how or why you became this active for a figment of a worlds memories that was simply meant to tell stories. But that doesn't matter much now, I got to get in there when trouble comes and fight. That is the one bit of wisdom that you Greenskins have, no matter time or place and that is the kind of wisdom you've been trying to teach me." Wurrzag wondered. "Wuz I?"

Kairi wasn't fooled and faced a Gorbad that was annoyed to see her again, he growled. "Why da zog are ya doing this anyways?" Kairi answered boldly. "I do it, so that way I'll know I can beat those like you. You got something new for me, or are you stuck?" Gnarla took that as an insult and charged with Gorbad. "WAAAAAAGH!"

In the lounge.

Ken had a back pack on his back and he placed the kiln on a table. "I'm bringing this with me in case an Endless Spell shows itself in the city. Miss and Ven isn't going anywhere too specific, but a lot of us are." Riku felt that made sense. "And the Forces of Chaos are aware they're around. Sora, if you use that now, we might not find something that would go better with it. Are you sure you want to get it done?"

The spiky haired boy nodded. "If this crystal breaks, it might go out of control again. It's now or never." He put the grey crystal into the kiln and envisioned a union of two sides, Ken used his power to stir the spell and watched the void become grey, an orb of light and an orb of dark, circled each other in the core. "To think there really is a spell like this, made from two winds of magic, apparently, according to Miss, Hysh and Ulgu are realms that are close by." Riku agreed that it was odd. "And it's another clue to what we are trying to get." He realized what Sora had in mind with the spell and smirked to him, the spiky haired boy agreed with that. "Kind of like that double form, these two things can work together, but we need to keep it away from the guys who are using it to wreck our worlds. That's something that the guy or girl with that Heart of Darkness, ought to figure out by watching us."

Ken saw the grey becoming a mixture of light and shadow, he stuck his tongue out in a rather envious feeling. "This spell is out there. It's a good thing your having this mixed in now, it's got the same air as the Gnashing Winds and my Band of Alchemy. If it's going to be used with that form, you'll be unstoppable once you get it off." He swallowed like he might have said something he shouldn't and felt the mixture in balance, he blushed at a recent memory and stepped out of the way. "and you've beaten a harder Kalameet by yourself. So... most of us are about to be left in the dust, again."

Sora cringed to that. "Ken, just do what you do best at. You and Kairi have came a long way and this isn't the end point, not by a long shot."

He focused on the mixture and watched it draw out, two wisps, one of light and of dark, they flew straight to his eyes and caused his vision to become consumed in Light and Darkness. He found himself on something and got up, feeling the blindness going away and seeing he was on a flat, found platform, yet everything was grey. Hovering high, was the orbs of light and darkness, close together as one and spinning in a symbol of duality, two smaller orbs, appeared in the symbol, in the light side, there was a dark orb, in the dark side, there is a light orb, they looked upon the boy like a set of eyes. Sora called upon the familiar blades of Oathkeeper and Oblivion, feeling the power mix with him, the blinding grey lessened and Sora found himself on a familiar, stained glass, his clothes matched the Double Form. The orbs separated and spun around the platform, the light side flew right and shot projectiles of darkness as the dark side flew left and shot projectiles of light, the boy felt he was unable to run and thought of something. He spun to deflect the shots and stood back wards, he aimed Oathkeeper at the dark side and Oblivion at the light side, channeling a beam that made contact with the light and dark eyes.

The orbs kept a spin and the boy spun with them, drawing them closer to the stained glass, the orbs reached the platform and tired out, dissolving until only the eyes remained, they made contact with Oblivion and Oathkeeper and were absorbed. The blades, flew out of the boys hands and crossed each other, they flickered into particles and faded into the stained glass. With that done, Sora looked to his left and found Roxas, most impressed. "They wanted you to understand something before they considered becoming a part of you." Sora felt he got it. "In Light, there's Darkness and in Darkness, there is a Light. Those of the Light, shouldn't hold back when the worst comes and if we've seen enough already, Darkness would mind it's own business and be with us in the shadows." Roxas gave him a thumbs up. "That is the Balance the geminids have become. Now we got to wake up, I think those things have knocked you out."

Sora yelped and woke up with his vision returning, he was staring at a ceiling and found Riku looking down on him from the right, the older boy looked glad that his friend was safe. "Phew, that got a little spooky right there." He turned. "I told you he was going to be okay, you can calm down now."

Sora sat up to have a look, right, finding Ken shaking his legs and wanting to explain what happened, yet was too scared to say it. "Ken, did that thing knocked me out?" Ken nodded. "I had the mixture right, I swear!" Riku growled and folded his arms. "I think that was suppose to happen, the last couple things that were transposed was something tied to Death but were pretty simple things, an Endless Spell mixture that had Ven still for a moment before he screamed, a core that did nothing to Donald and the band did it's thing when you put it on?"

Ken nodded. "I spaced out and I saw the symbol before I day dreamed about a high tech place. The band didn't want anything to do with this arm here too." He showed the prosthetic and flinched. "Was this because this Spell is made from Light and Dark Energy?"

Riku nodded. "The stuff making up your heart. So the first thing it went to was straight into his heart. You didn't do anything wrong, Sora knew what he was getting himself into." The spiky haired boy cringed and confessed. "I kind of did, but I handled it." Ken counted the blessing in that he didn't scream about it. "Okay," he breathed out. "Okay, we cool about this?" Riku nodded. "We're cool about this. I'd argue the Gnashing Winds was the most dangerous thing you tried creating and it's especially more dangerous than this." He took his gummi phone out and checked the time. "And we still have plenty of time to goof off if your packing this lightly."

Sora got up and thought to pick up a book, one about the same quartet of boys and their journey to a particular kingdom. "We're kind of stuck until Kairi gets back, something about that challenge has brought her heart to wanting to do this with only herself watching." He sat on a couch to read it, Ken looked bored, put the kiln in his back pack, placed the pack on the floor and sat left of him to see what the book was about. "I know it was cool to know where the Orruks and Grots came from, but something she saw must have triggered an instinct. I kind of felt that from the Orks as well."

Riku believed it and sat to Sora's right to see the story. "The Greenskins do what they do, because it's in their nature and even Aqua's spoken pretty highly of them as enemies. Our right and wrong is not theirs. So what did you pack up?"

Ken answered with a little interest. "Nothing too special. I played with Zurg a little bit but I don't want him to get broken by accident or flat out lost while we explore that city." Sora wondered as he flipped the page and saw the boys meeting a particular prince. "What are we going to expect from your friends in that city?" Riku don't recall much. "It might be easier if we meet them first. Things got out of hand really quickly in one morning."

At an Arena with the image of a morning sun.

Kairi repeated her strategy from before and obliterated a dazed Gorbad and his steed. Causing a ripple that transformed the Arena to the familiar edge of a desert. The sun became eclipsed by the coming of Skullmuncha and of Azhag, the Orc taunted. "You'z came back for more trouble? Didn't ya learn anything?"

Kairi posed for battle. "I did, I know your biggest of tricks and what happened last time, won't happen again." Azhag gasped and laughed in an Orcy fashion. "Har, har, har! We shall see, Glitty Ummie!" Skullmuncha dived down after her with a mouth full of teeth, Kairi took a dodge lesson from her Lil Bro and side stepped left, she fired a bolt of ice at Skullmuncha, the Wyvern took the damage as Azhag unleashed the banshee, Kairi flickered in light and flowed past it, using the opening as her chance to rain lightning bolts upon the Wyvern and rider. Azhag jolted in annoyance and had Skullmuncha swerve, dive down and land. The Kairi watched the Wyvern sprint at her with fanged jaws, jumped over him and rushed to Azhag for quick combos, Azhag parried some of them, swung his two axes to counter, saw he missed and tugged his chain upward.

Kairi felt a sudden jerk from Skullmuncha and jumped off, the Wyvern flew as the rider glowed in purple light. "Time to learn why you should have stayed ome!" The wyvern turned and Azhag flung Purple Sun. "Get er Xereus." The orb of death came at Kairi rather fast, the Princess flickered to the far right to avoid it's chase and saw what she had to avoid, the Purple Sun of Xereus turned to find it's prey and the wyvern flew to the Princess's right, it tried to spear her with it's tail in a hit and run. Kairi side stepped right, smacked the Wyvern hard in the leg and caused it to trip it's attempt to get up. Stopping it for a moment and giving the Princess the time to jump on and do battle with Azhag. Skullmuncha saw the purple light coming and flew away from it as Azhag growled in his melee, Kairi guessed. "You don't like that Sun too?"

Parry, Azhag laughed as the wyvern flew higher in the air. "Dat ting crumps anyting it touches. But I'z gotta a plan to make ya meet it again!" Kairi paid attention to the height and saw what it was. "Smart." She gave Azhag a couple quick shots and on the feeling of a barrel roll, she back flipped and flung a star shape projectile at Skullmuncha. She free falled to the battle bellow, where she saw the Purple Sun slowly move towards her landing, she sprout golden wings and used them to guide her to the upper left side of the arena, far away from the sun. She turned her head right and found Skullmuncha flying around to the left, he was going intercept her, she was close to landing and Skullmuncha dived after her for a free chomp, Kairi flapped her wings to push herself back and changed her blade into a mystical staff. She flickered forward to avoid the encroaching purple sun and summoned a light clone to aid her in peppering the flying Wyvern in the wings, then another to force Azhag to redirect Skullmuncha, then another to launch projectile after projectile, then four massive ones to send Skullmuncha falling down towards the center of the arena, where the Purple Sun is, Azhag saw that and waved his free hand to dismiss the spell as his steed crash landed. Kairi hovered a little above the ground and flung ice spell after ice spell as she reached the front of the dazed Slaughterer. She flung a blizzaga to do spike damage, cause Skullmuncher to roar in pain and for Azhag go limp for a moment. Kairi saw her chance, drilled the staff into the ground and summoned a tower, she summoned two light clones and together, channeled light to form an orb that bombarded the duo into oblivion.

The Darkness of Death, faded away and night came, the tower vanished and Kairi free fell to what looked like the ground of a mountain. She knew what was coming and heard war drums, her feet landed and she stood up to find a figure glowing with amber power, the Incarnate of Beasts, the Warboss of da Immortalz, one of the mightiest Orcs who ever lived in The World That Was, Grimgor. The Orc slowly approached and growled. "Let's get to it, ya fought all the way'z here and I'm looking for some skull to wedge Gitsnik in ta. So let's shut up and get ta fighting." Kairi spun her blade, smirked and charged at him with a battle cry, Grimgor found it ridiculious, charged and gave off a bestial. "WAAAAAGH!"

He quickly raised Gitsnik as Kairi flickered to his face and struck once, the Orc chopped a downward right, flicker! Kairi appeared to his left and hit him twice as the Orc expected her to hit him from behind and spun his axe counter clock wise. Kairi back flipped and flung a water spell at the Incarnate of Beasts, Grimgor saw he missed completely, ran to his left, slid right and leaped. The girl side stepped left, watched the Orc smash his axe to the ground and sprinted at him, Grimgor had his right fist read and swung it at her, the girl jumped to dodge it and smacked him again in a flip. She landed, heard the sound of earth moving and knew Grimgor pulled Gitsnik free, she changed her blade into a set of blizzard claws and heard the rumbling from behind. She waited until she saw a her shadow extend and of the Orc with his axe raised up, she flickered forward, felt the swing of wind and spun clock wise to confront an Orc that saw her dodge and tried to shoulder bash her, she formed ice around her feet and used them to slide left, dodging the bash and using it as her chance to claw into him.

Grimgor yelled at the sharp claws piercing his armor and spun clock wise in his attack. Kairi jumped back to avoid the axe and blitz him once more, she turned the claws into shoulder wrists and a set of ice skates, slashed once more at the Orcs chest and felt his breath, she knew the move that was coming and ducked to avoid a head butt. She gave Grimgor a round house kick of ice skates to his shoulder and left the Orc bloodied, he growled and began to laugh, like he was having the time of his life. He watched the girl slide away from him and used the left over ice to skate after her, he swung again, Kairi rolled left to avoid the axe and watched the Orc slide to the edge of the ice, jumped and landed, turning to his left and baiting Kairi into sliding right, she saw he kept turning to where she was sliding and bellowed. "WAAAAAAGH!" The girl flipped, slide back wards and focused, she jumped and slashed her wrists and skates at the Orc, causing blades of ice to cut into him and break the charge, Grimgor nearly tripped to the left and that, gave Kairi the chance she needed, she landed, slide forward and jumped on Grimgor's shoulders, landing right behind him, twisting her wrists upward and lifted them over her head, to jab Grimgor in the back, with a clench of the fists, the spikes extended, caused the Orc to gasp. The arena, ligthen and Kairi found herself before a one person audience of Namine, she clapped in pride. "Whoot! You showed that brute who's the Princess around here!"

Kairi blushed in pride and turned around to find the illusion of Grimgor, lying still. He faded away to the mist of old history and left something behind, a strange green charm, much like the one Ariel had given her. It had no mark and she felt no power from it, she turned to the statue to find Wurrzag clapping to her. The girl approached and asked him. "Grimgor left this behind, it looks like a summon charm, but it's incomplete."

Wurrzag saw that, wiggled his fingers and asked. "You ya tink dat is for? It izn't like ya to hide behind anyone anymore." Kairi confessed. "No it isn't, I saved Sora once upon a time, no matter what was going on and when the time came, I got myself out of another problem and took the chance to fight. The rest, foll-" Swipe! Wurrzag swiped the charm while she was busy talking and giggled to it. "Dat da point, ya found da chance, took da chance and ya got fightin. Oh, dem Darky Boyz would still come afta ya, cause of dat sparkly eart of yours. But ya'z going to hit em where it urts," Kairi nodded to him. "and beat them back to the Darkness they're so crazy about, so me and the others can finally go home and move on with our lives. That is the biggest things between us, Wurrzag, there is a bit more we are fighting for, than just the fight. But, right now the reasons don't matter so much beyond that we got to win, that's why a lot of you ended up underestimating us until we prove you wrong and you guys like it when we prove you wrong."

Wurrzag nodded to that as the charm glowed. "And you'z all going to prove dem Chaos boyz why they izn't gonna take dis here realm. Dat ya earts are da toughest ere and dis realm iz all of yours." He looked at the charm, began to fade and gave it back to her. "Tell da others dat you beaten da meanest Orcs of da World Dat Wuz and dat ya'z all gonna win da Bigger Waaagh of Now." Kairi took it as Wurrzag gave a dance. "We'z be waiting for em!"

He laughed to that and disappeared, Kairi looked down to find a blue symbol of a lower set of teeth and two large spikes resembling tusks. The Princess felt a smirk, held her charm tightly and went to check the computer, finding Wurrzags Challenge, marked complete and saw a line going further down. Revealing a particular challenge, with the title. "The Fist of Gork." She pressed the button to see who is this challenge and saw the image of a foe Aqua told her about, Gordrakk. The image of Wurrzag appeared and he laughed in caution. "Ya'z sure ya even ready for dis one?"

Kairi shook her head. "This is the Orruk that Master had an encounter with and he kind of held back by getting off of his Mawcrusha. I'd argue he did that to see if we're worth the trouble of fighting." She pressed something to turn it off. "He's a different level compared to his ancestors, who've made their mark in history." She saw the Orc on the screen disappear and promise. "If the fighting gets tough out there, I'll call you and see what you can do. Thank you for telling these amazing stories, they are pretty insightful." Wurrzag gave a gracious bow and disappeared in the data.

With her goal finished, she turned and found Namine stepping down, she met up with her and found it hard to believe, the Nobody gave Kairi a hug and an affectionate kiss on the cheek. "That was amazing." Kairi hugged back and kissed Namine on the cheek in thanks "Thank you," they let go and Kairi felt a little insightful. "Like it or not, those like the Orcs and Goblins are needed for the balance of the worlds. Those like them are our first real challenge towards making a difference that matters, that is how we become stronger when something bigger comes around."

Namine nodded with her own insight. "And sometimes you'll meet someone who's view point on what is right and wrong, isn't like yours. That's why most of them and even certain grots, take a stand where anyone else would run, will keep fighting when others find it hopeless." Kairi agreed. "That's the real lesson from those guys and one of them as agreed to help us because I've showed him that I am strong." Namine held Kairi by the hand and disappeared. "I honestly don't know what this summon is going to do, but it should be worth all this. Now let's get to packing."

At the Castle.

Riku presented a packing Aqua and Ventus with the story book Sora picked up, showing the picture of a knight, dressed as a dragon, jumping high in air with a lance as a group of a white mage, scholar and a knight, readied for battle against a bird like demon with a male, humanoid body. "That's what a dragoon could look like and he showed this creep who's boss while the scholar finished him off with lightning." He put it with the other book and the notes. "His Majesty really pulled through for us."

Aqua agreed to that. "If you're really interested in the Dragoons, we can focus on that, I just need the final word on what the other three want before finishing that part." Riku asked. "You could talk with Sora, he's been looking at the knight, the calmer member of those four. The only one of us who doesn't have a good look at what they want is Ken and I don't think these books have a visual for a gunner."

Ven cringed and shrugged. "Did guns even existed in the time of those stories?" Riku doubted that. "He's seen a story about one guy and he's where he got the name of our quick travel from. But Ken isn't making suggestion involving him, I never thought all of us would be brought down to reading books to find these answers."

The Keyblade Master agreed with the realization. "We almost never have the time to do that. It's weird to you all?" Riku nodded and wanted to get back to the lounge. "It is, but it feels nice to finally have some time to ourselves again. We still got a little less than half an hour before we got to get going, think you guys can use a break from this place?"

Aqua took out a bag of traveling supplies. "This is everything we can do for now." She smiled wide in excitement for a smaller adventure and left with the boys to the lobby, finding Ken showing Sora a particular picture of a simple, brown haired man with a white shirt, a black vest, a pair of pants and of a pistol. "This is the guy, a smuggler who answered to no one but himself and got wrapped up in the bigger war because Luke and Obi wan needed a way off that ol sand ball. Then he eventually started to care for the friends he's made." He gave a childish smile as Sora was interested. "Sounds like Solo would have fitted in with the rest of us." Ken giggled. "And would probably loose it too with everything that has happened in this Galaxy. Not everyone believes in the Force."

Sora had a memory of a particular Pirate he knows that got caught in all kinds of trouble. "He won't be the first person I met that is like that, we need to find more places like that Theater." Ken looked at an empty desk on the other side of the room. "Or a Television with a dvd player." He felt a ding and got up to look for something. "Wait a minute,"

Sora was a having a realization and Aqua whispered bad news for him. "This place doesn't have anything to plug a T.V into." Sora turned to find Aqua and the boys, smiling nervously as he raised three fingers and counted down, on the one Ken stopped his search. "Shoot! That means we can't watch movies here." He turned to Sora to shrug in defeat, it wasn't the worst possible thing to happen in the castle. He saw that Aqua, Riku and Ven had arrived and explained. "We were talking about that movie I'm getting gunner ideas from. But I knew it wasn't really going to work and I'm not dressing up as a storm trooper. Those guys can't shoot the broadside of a barn and everyone claims they got a good aim." He puffed his cheeks like a little kid. "But, did you guys get the book on the dragoon? What happened in that was pretty cool."

Aqua put her foot down. "Ken, there is nothing wrong with books. It's the ones with creepy images or look haunted, that you need to watch out for." Ken agreed with that. "And it isn't the end of the world, if I got to go elsewhere to watch a movie and bring you all with me." Riku would have noogied the kid if he was in arms reach and suggest. "Maybe we can find that chance, if nothing important happens in that City. Someone always happens when we visit a world, so don't count on it." Ken accepted it and noticed Kairi arriving with a particular charm, he waved. "Hey Sis, how did the challenge go?"

The Princess breathed in to take in her accomplishment as the rest turned to see what she had to show, she presented the summon charm with the blue symbol. "I beaten those three bullies and Wurrzag gave me a prize for beating it. They were tough." Sora, Riku and Ken clapped in congratulations as Ven was impressed. "How did he do that?" Kairi answered confusingly. "When Namine left to help the boys sort out the knowledge of Archaon, she tweaked something up in the End of Time so Mickey and I could get a better story. That became the well known Orc Shaman of the Old World, the feral witch doctor, Wurrzag. It takes an Orc to explain that kind of history, he enjoyed that job so much that he refused to go away, with the rest of illusions and when I put his card into the program, he came to life as..." she coughed. "da guide to the three Orcs, who might be aware that they are battle programs as well. I have no idea what Wurrzag is going to do when I summon him, but it ought to be good. Master Aqua, I also unlocked a fight that is called, the First of Gork a fight against Gordrakk."

Aqua flinched. "And if those challenges were made to be harder than they were when we fought them for real. Then I can imagine the one small change, that can make Gordrakk one of the hardest in the arena. Having to fight both him and Bigteef, his Mawcrusha."

Sora remembered the Mawcrusha known as Dark Smasha and nervously laughed. "Ah... well... we don't have to fight that right now, if we don't want to." Riku used the behavior as an example. "Even if we had the time, if you're the one who's not sure about beating him, then he would take a whole day to figure out for the rest of us." He changed back to the topic. "Congrats on winning that prize, Kairi. It took a lot out of you." The Princess nodded to that. "Thank you, I'm going to go pack up. Sora, how did the transposition go?"

The spiky haired boy answered proudly. "Fine, we should be careful doing that to spells that come from Light or Shadow, Ken might have panicked when the spell knocked me out." Kairi heard that and gave Ken a point of a challenge. "Be ready if we got to compete in Shugyo. You're spell crafting isn't going to keep you on the edge forever, Lil Bro."

The one armed boy groaned. "I never got to try my trick either, Sis." He smiled to the accepted challenge. "I'm going to like what power you earned." Kairi gave him a thumbs up and took off. With the bit of silence, Sora asked the veterans. "So what are you going to have to fight at the Mirage Arena, anyways? If you find it?"

Aqua wondered. "Probably some old simulations of the worlds, Ven and I visited and the Unverse we had to deal with. I'd say we'll be in an back, long before you guys are close to being finished. Speaking of which, Sora... you decided on the thing?" The boy nodded. "There's a library at Hollow Bastion that has something that looks cool, do you guys think I'm some kind of paladin?"

Aqua thought of it. "That's more of Mickey's specialization, buuuut, I think I know of something that could work. The armor isn't suppose to be a carbon copy of the usual look, so we can tweak it up. All we need now is Kairi's decision and for a good picture of a gunner we can use for Ken's model."

The one armed boy promised. "If the city is as high tech as Riku is making it out to be, I'll send a picture of a good candidate. You and Ven have been doing pretty good for us about this." Sora thought more about the trip to the city. "I wonder how Xion and Dupmic are doing in getting to the city." At the question, Kairi arrived with a back pack, signs of a face wiped in water and a strange perk. "They're probably there or about there by now, we got a lot to do in that place and we could be gone a while." She thought about what kind of fashion the world would have, remembered something and asked her teacher. "Master Aqua, I know the Red Mages are a bit beyond what we could fit in armor, but... could that style be possible?" The Keyblade Master nodded. "It can, it can."

At the Dark Chasm.

Xion and the Replica were half relieved and half bored, the passage was relatively safe without any lurking monsters. The Replica turned and walked backwards to speak with Karla. "Without the Darklurker or any real monsters, this is just an ordinary road without any of the pit stops." The Witch couldn't have enjoyed it any better. "Tee, hee! You speaketh, like the dullness is an ill omen?"

The Replica shook his head and waved his hands like it wasn't the intention. "I'm not complaining about that, it's nice to know we're not going to get attacked the moment we let our guard down and without that problem, things are progressing a lot faster. The whole town started to sound like a town full of people getting by their usual day, instead of just preparing for an uphill war of attrition." The witch gave a wide smile as Xion saw another sconce, with what looked like the light of day, shining. "Found another one."

She scouted ahead as Karla continued her conversation. "For once in a long while, the town breathed a new life. This has but delayed the Everchosen, yet it is the borrowed time the worlds need. Have you two guessed what the Guardians were looking for that is so crucial?"

Xion was busy looking at the light and the Replica answered. "I think it is Darkness related and it involves a fragment of uncorrupted Dark. My guess, since it's needed to kick out godlike embodiment of Chaos, it's a Fragment that is a counterpart, to the Princess's of Heart. The guys were kind of stuck looking around for clues on it, like a bunch of idiots." He raised a finger. "Which is less idiotic than what the Dark Seekers pull, which involved corrupting hearts or taking corrupted hearts. So, laying out the treat they call friendship is the best choice are friends are going to get, oh it will take a long time, but it will work."

Karla agreed with him as they reached the sconce. "And that will help them focus on what is more important for the worlds. Now, what do you three, hope to accomplish through this venture?" The Replica turned to check on the rift, finding what looks to be an alley way leading to the streets of a city. "I honestly don't know beyond look for anything out of the ordinary, check the fashion out and make the place into our bigger playground. We all know Riku involved his friends to that game and we're not really invited to that."

Xion guessed with the catch. "So, we're on our own until the guys settle in?" The Replica nodded as Shadey emerged from the shadows and took the form of a small dog, sniffing the air across the rift and was the first to step across. The siblings followed him and entered the strange world, the creature turned to them, gave something of a pant, akin to a dog and grew something of a leash and a red collar with a blue tag. Dupmic picked it up and told him. "Shadey, you can't pass off as that, because someone will notice you. But, I get what your trying to say."

The two lead Xion out of the alley way and were blown by the sight of giant, high tech sky scrappers, that were so tall that Xion almost fell over to see the top of one. Shadey quickly turned to an emerging Karla and tilted his head, Xion tried to look away from the tower, turned to find the alley way leading tall and asked. "They're going to be blown away when they see this. So now what?"

Karla clicked her tongue and called Shadey to her, the entity approached as the witch answered. "While you two explore, Shadey and I will provide shelter for the two of you. When it is done, he will come to you." Xion understood. "Because my condition makes it nearly impossible, to make a base out of an inn and I don't even know if we have the munny."

Dupmic nodded and let the leash go. "I don't think we do and what ever Karla is whipping up, will keep us safe if we find any creeps around here." He addressed the two dark entities. "Thanks for the help on this," Karla snapped her fingers to form a white circle and Shadey slithered in to it. "Take care." The siblings left for a simple exploration and finding various people trying to get by, the odd flying drone like heartless harassing them, was not a welcome sight. Dupmic groaned, took his keyblade and enveloped himself in steam as Xion posed for battle. "Let's get to work."

At a red bridge.

Riku put on a black device with blue highlights and pressed a button to drop down a clear glass visor. Becoming the envy of Sora and Kairi as Goofy and Donald bantered, the duck looked at the huge city in the distance. "Riku wasn't exaggerating, this city isn't like anything else we've seen." Goofy agreed with that. "Yeah, it does feel pretty exciting to see something the metropolitans see."

Sora didn't know what word meant and wanted to have a closer look at the city. "This place is going to be a blast!" He realized the sheer size of the city and was realizing something, he turned around to the boy who visited the city. "So, which way are we going to go when we get across this bridge?"

Riku tried remembering as Ken arrived to look upon the city and drop his jaw, the silver haired boy spoke to himself. "Across the bridge we...we..." He licked his lips to try remembering and realized he had no way of knowing where to go. "I guess I was so busy. that I never took in the sights," he scratched the back of his head. "Sorry guys, we're already lost."

The party, baring Ken gave a combined. "Aw." The one armed boy tried to ask. "Then how are we going to take in all this," as Kairi noticed burst of green light and the sign of fighting. "But we definitely found trouble."

Boom! The party looked at the fighting and found the remains of a wooden device, a certain band of super heroes fighting against dark, rat looking monsters and a familiar teenage girl in an yellow, biker like uniform with a skin tight black suit, she flung a wrist disk at a brown fur, humanoid rat with black armor, glowing green runes and sinister tech. The rat was knocked back as Riku flinched. "Skaven?! Here?!"

The group drew their weapons as the girl turned her head and recognized the teenager. "Riku?!" She asked. "You came at a good time," The silver haired teenager was ready to rush into battle. "Good to see you too Go Go, we'll talk later." He head a charge into a juggling cluster of dark rats as Sora, Donald and Goofy noticed a red armored robot pulling himself from the wooden wreckage and a particular boy on his back. The boy noticed Riku and the rest of the group. "Phew! Good timing."

Kairi noticed a dark skin man in green armor, hiding behind a car to avoid getting shot at by dark rat monsters that had a green crystal in their bellies, shaking like a leaf at a forming phobia as a blonde woman in pink used a gattling gun to fire balls of icy mists and a blue, cephalopodian monster with claws, breathing ice at them. The boy on the robot watched the Warlock summon a dark corridor and disappear to the far end of the bridge. "Alright guys, this crook is controlling all these Heartless, if we tie him up, that should be the end of it."

The cars were sent flying by an unleashed tide of dark rats, Sora Donald and Goofy save the havoc, looked to each other and dived in at the current swarm as Kairi jumped high, had a scouts view and bombard the horde. "Guys, we got to hurry, that's a lot of Skaven." Ken swallowed, summoned Firekeeper's Wish and joined in the reckless assault. It was a fight of light, fire, ice magic, chem balls and a robot strafing at the horde like a rocket. BOOM!

The last barricade of cars were knocked asunder and a vast tide of yellow eyed rats closed in on their prey. Sora, Donald and Goofy stood valiantly in their way and unleashed a trinity limit of light, vaporizing the rat swarm and giving way to a clearing of the Arch Warlock that was in combat with a certain man in mostly red and bits of blue. The band of heroes caught up and saw the man in an attire fitting for spider webs, the Spiderman aimed his wrists in a gesture like the face of a spider and shot a string of web to stick the Arch Warlocks claw like hand with a metal support, then another to bind the spear wielding hand to a lamp post. PEW! PEW! With two more web shoots, the Arch Warlord's feet were wedged to the ground, he cannot escape, the Spiderman panted at a close call and pointed a finger at the rat. "And stay put, you psychotic freak!" He turned to the group and waved. "Nice work kids! I caught up as soon as I saw the fighting at the bridge."

The boy on the robot waved back. "Thanks Spiderman! We'll take the rest from here." Go Go had a growl at the Skaven that was trying to bite into the web and was unable to move. "Starting with a news flash." She approached the rat, looked him in the eyes like an angry cat and let him know in a hiss. "We're putting you under arrest, how do you sleep at night when you turned all those guys into-" Riku interrupted her. "Pretty well, actually." The rest of the Guardian's heard the implications and gave a gasp of horror, Kairi and Sora shook their heads and looked at the Warlock, like he was a lost cause, the robot scanned the Skaven and found nothing matching. "It appears there is no biological log on the Skaven. Perhaps they are not from here?"

The boy agreed and gestured to the arrivals. "If they were, Riku and his friends wouldn't have figured out what they are." Riku nodded to that. "Anyways, sorry we had to start things off like this Hiro." He was ready to begin introductions as the Warlock caught them off guard with a laugh. "Ha, ha, ha. Pitiful man things! I, Snokch, will always have a trick in my whiskers. Yes, yes!" The man in the monster outfit went. "Huh?"

And turned to see a green pool of darkness opening, a dark glowing, mountain of flesh, rats and mechanical implants, sprinted from the hole and gave a hellish screech. The man in green calmly raised a finger in a warning and gave a girlish scream of terror, Spiderman sprinted to the monsters side and flung webbing to try and keep it contained, if for a moment, the web caught in fire as Hiro gave the order. "Wasabi, calm down and look with Honey Lemon and Go Go for anything that can tip this thing over. Fred, you distract that thing when he breaks out, but let Riku and the others do the heavy fighting."

Go Go was ready to circle around the abomination as the man in the monster suit stood before the struggling monster and shot out an inferno. Ken's eyes lit up and he dashed to Fred's side with a plan. "Watch this!" He slashed the ground and unleashed a slithering flame that went underneath the rat monster and burst, Kairi and Sora flung to the monsters many heads as Riku ran around the monster and saw the engine on it's rear. Go Go felt the device was important and dashed on her wheels, she jumped on the monsters back and cut into the mound of regenerating flesh as Honey Lemon took an orb and tossed it at the monsters rear, causing adhesive goop to catch itself in the engine. Riku and Wasabi looked to each other with a plan and jumped on the engine, keyblade and wrist mounted, plasma cutters did a number on the structure.

Spiderman saw what the crew were doing and dashed to the monsters rear, he flung web at it and used his strength to pull it off. It caused the abomination to bleed darkness, it howled, thrashed it's claws at Sora and Kairi, and shot a barrage of dark orbs at Fred and Ken, the man in the monster suit ran left as Ken jumped back, dismissed his blade and caused his wrist band to spark, a burning liquid formed into a Keyblade with the symbol of Mercury and the boy flung it at the monster, it pierced through it and flew around for another blow. Ken felt liquid on his hand and saw another blade form, one with the symbol of Lead, he flung it and watched it shoot through one of the monsters many hearts, Goofy and Donald saw the boy bringing many, transmetal swords into the fray and the Skaven using the distraction to break from the burning web and run away. Donald wracked in anger and went after him. "Hey, get back here you coward!"

Goofy rushed at the scurrying Warlock with his shield as the robot flew to where the rat was running. The Robot raised his hand and spoke softly. "Halt, you are under arrest, I'd suggest you cease and desist further activity." The warlock hissed, pressed a button on his spear and screeched. "DIE! DIE! MAN MADE THING!"

He tried to thrust into the robot as the boy used his glove to cause the spear to swerve left and miss, letting loose a spark of green lightning, the Robot felt the situation has escalated to where combat was needed. "Oh, no." The boy ordered. "Baymax, let's take this rat down." The robot readied his left hand at the rat trying to charge his high tech claw, firmly grabbed it at the wrist and redirected it to the air. The warlock pulled to try and break free and looked back to find Donald and Goofy surrounding him, keeping the perpetrator from having a real means of escape.

In the fight against the Dark Hellpit Abomination.

Kendry summoned the last of the seven Quick Silver Blades and with twists of the wrists, directed them towards various parts of the monsters body. Sora flipped his blade and shot a fire ball at it's face as Kairi back flipped and flung a star of light at the pulled engine, severing the stitches and asking her Little Bro. "Think you can have one of those swords hit the engine? I think it's about to come off."

Ken flicked a pinky and had the blade of silver fly to the stitches and hack like an axe, loosening the engine to where the wound gushed. YANK! Thud! The engine was pulled and it disintegrated into darkness, the rest of the abomination, thrashed free and flung itself at the four, the keybearers were ready to move as the ground split open in front of them and from the sideways, a wall of prismatic crystal erected itself, shined into the abominations eyes and took the blunt of the charge, the abomination was in a throw and flung dark orbs everywhere, Honey Lemon from the rear view cringed and backed away. "Everyone, back up, it's gonna blow."

The crew either jumped off the monster or stepped back to avoid the globules, Riku took a deep breath and focused something of great power. "We got this now!"

Donald and Goofy saw some of the globules of darkness coming their way and stepped back, the shield bearer warned the kid. "It's coming our way!" The boy saw that and Baymax tried to step back, the Warlock tried to stab the robot once more and like before, his spear was flung off course, infuriated, the Warlock charged the weapon in desperation. "I won't be taken by the likes of you, no no! The Warp Lightning, will put an end to you!"

Baymax simply grabbed the spear, tossed it off the bridge and pulled the wires connecting the claw to the back pack, he was ready to grapple the rat as a globule flung directly at the rat, knocked him off his claw and off the bridge, sending the rat falling and screaming.

The boy and the kings guards cringed as Baymax flew after the rat. Sora called upon Oathkeeper, he jumped over the crystal barrier and did close combat with the rodent monster and flickered in light to summon Oathkeeper, into a double sided form, he pushed the Hellpit back and gave Kairi and Ken the chance to walk around the barrier and see Riku preparing a particular summon, in sync, the duo focused their own, Ken summoned an earthy Crichtonsaurus with Polacanthus side spikes and a Nodosaurus's back plate as Kairi summoned a Chasmosaurus with a Pentaceratop's horn pattern, the ceratoid rushed at the monster with her three horns and impaled it as the club tailed dinosaur smacked a boulder at the monsters hind legs. Sora folded his arms mid air, crossed his keyblades and gave off an orange glow that caused the Hellpit to hover mid air and in a helpless state, Sora unfolded his blades and caused the glow to burst into psychic energy, that flipped the monster on it's back and towards a Riku that finished a summon, he pressed the ground, caused a miniature jungle to sprout, flicker in light and let loose a wooden Carnotaurus that rammed it's head into the back of the monsters back, causing it to burst into dark rats, that disolved in the light.

The battle was over and the group felt it was safe to catch a breath. The dinosaurs looked to each other in respect, gave a grunt and disappeared. The prismatic barrier tried to flicker away like a mysterious super hero and Kairi called to it. "Wait, don't." The light shifted as the Princess took out a crystal. "Come with us, together we can protect everyone."

She lowered herself and placed the crystal on the ground, giving off a similar radiance to the Endless Spell of Light. The spell looked to be gazing upon it, glittered and dissolved in rays, it shined into the crystal and caused it to shine like a star, Ken and Sora looked pleased at how easy that was as Spiderman asked Riku. "Do you know what that was about?" Riku nodded and looked at the purple wearing boy looked over the bridge. "That was an Endless Spell, a sentient piece of magic that we were looking for as a side project. Looked like it wanted to help us."

Ken snapped his fingers to dismiss the burning blades into aetherical energy. "A lot more than the ones we've rounded up so far." The natives were confused by the ordeal as Sora and Riku stood by the tech boy that was seeing a ripple of lightning, die in the water, he swallowed and asked. "Do you think that's going to be the last we'll see of these things?"

Riku cringed to the bad news as Sora spoke of what he heard. "I don't think so, a friend told us that if one of them breaks loose, then there are a ton of them, somewhere nearby." Riku nodded to that. "And often, they break loose to cause trouble until we can find their nest."

He coughed and tried to think of what to say as Baymax flew back to the bridge and landed with a screen shining on his chest and showing a still life line. "This is looking quite grim, Hiro." The tech boy guessed. "What happened down there?" Baymax showed a list of grim outcomes. "The force of the fall upon impact with the water has forced our perpetrator into both, gravity and a cold shock. The weight of his equipment would keep him sinking until he reaches the base of the bridge. I suspect a zero percent chance of survival." The listening group cringed at the brutal statement as Hiro shivered. "That's a horrible way to go."

Riku agreed with that as Kairi and Ken met up, the oldest boy wanted to get Hiro's mind off the trauma. "Anyways, while we try to figure this out so we don't have to do this again. Do you remember that promise I made?"

Hiro blinked and remembered something as Fred gasped in his suit and was ready to chant something, the boy relaxed. "Right, we should get to the garage and I'll explain the rest." Fred chanted. "Shu g yo! Shu g yo!"

Hiro looked at the band and asked. "So who are your friends?" Riku saw Goofy and Donald keeping close to Sora and started with the boy with spiky hair, the oldest boy scratched the back of his head. "Right, we all got caught up in the moment." He looked at the second oldest boy in the group. "That's Sora, he's normally the one going into these places, along side," he directed to the grumpy mage. "Donald," then to the calm shield bearer. "and Goofy."

Sora waved hello and was expected something more fun than just fighting. "Hi ya!"

Riku had his thumb at the eager Princess. "This is Kairi, this is her first time going into a city like this." Kairi gave a nervous wave. "This is awkward."

Riku agreed with that and saw Ken meeting up in a march. "Ken is also a part of the team, although we live in different places." Ken waved with his prosthetic arm and saw Hiro completely amazed by something. "I also wished we didn't run into that mess." Hiro whistled at the prosthetic. "It could have been better. Cool arm." Ken was flattered as Hiro climbed onto Baymax's back and was ready to lead back to base. "We'll talk more when we get to the garage. Welcome to Sansfransokyo!"

At the Land of Departure.

Ven caught a Stitch that was playing around with various jars and laughed to the alien crawling around him. He let him perch on his shoulder and asserted himself. "You can't come with us, this trip is something, me and Aqua have to do by ourselves." Stitch laughed to that as Ven spoke more calmly. "I'm serious, there are things in that Arena that could be too much for you." Stitch tilted his head like he understood that, lowered his ears and looked like he was going to climb off, Ven exhaled to a finished argument and the alien slowly smirked. "Nada," He leaped at the jar collection, knocked them over and spun in a crouch, Ven almost puffed his cheeks as something glittered in front of Stitch, a strange yellow charm, with silver highlights, he was distracted by that and saw the image of a space ship. He looked up to Stitch, who waved an idea. "Call me?"

Ven slowly reached for it and felt it was good middle ground. "I will, if there is another place where you can come along, I'll let you know." He and the alien fist bumped, the boy picked the charm up, watched it disappear, with that, Stitch jumped off the table and let Ven finish packing. The two walked out of the castle and found Aqua with her own pack of goods and talking with Mickey. "So, that's what they decided on."

She and Mickey turned to find the two and Stitch, readying to explore the unknown wilderness. Ripple! Ripple! A ripple of grey appeared and a rather vast swarm of grey, lanky creatures, with stocky builds, grey, gun like weapons, a packet of grenades, curved swords and a matching uniform, appeared at the exit. Leading them was a large, hooded like figure with a two handed torch like mace, Mickey drew his weapon in reflex. "Nobodies!"

The nobodies looked upon the group, at the land scape and simply stood aside, the large figure turned side ways, flipped his mace and pressed it to the ground. "Our lady, comes!" A rift of grey appeared, letting out a particular, black haired woman in military attire and an arm and a leg glowing in sun light. She had a rolled up, piece of paper in a fleshy hand and on her back, was strapped on flamethrower, the stern, professional expression did little to ease the tension. She ordered her troops. "We are not to be disturbed, if you see anything with a symbol of this or anything like this," She cased fire to appear and take the form of the symbol of Chaos. "Intruding upon these lands. Kill them!" The nobodies readied their weapons on the order as Stitch kept a guard, the Adeptas Sororitas closed her eyes, gave Stitch a respectful nod and approached the visitors. "Hello again, your majesty. I've appeared to have arrived at just the moment."

Mickey withdrew his blade. "Ven and Aqua were about to take off on an errand. What's the occasion?" Exrirsa looked upon the doors leading to nowhere and answered. "I come with both, something you've requested and with a request. Which among these doors is the path to this Arena I heard of?" Aqua lead the group to the door on the left, opening it and seeing signs of a mountainous, land scape. A battle was ensuing, she signaled that the group keep quiet and walked in, seeing Ana do battle against Gordrakk, she rushed at the Orruk with mighty blows and a breath of storms. Gordrakk and Bigteeth took the blow, gave Ana a glare and were ready to pounce, the Orruk taunted. "You thinks ya's bigger then Hammer god because you got that sparkling thing?" Bigteeth looked to where Ana was flying towards and gave a scream that knocked her off balance, the Orruk answered. "You got a lot to learn before you can keep us back!" Bigteeth flung himself at Ana and tried to punch her into the ground, the Stormcast recovered, flew up high to do melee with the Orruk and struck him in the face with her hammer, Gordrakk took the blow, had a wide smile and smashed his right axe at the Stormcast's chest to stun lock her and swung again. BASH! "URRRRK!"

The arena shined in light and Gordrakk laughed. "Hah, hah, hah, hah! Keep up the fun, Hammer Lady. I'll be waiting for ya again." The arena reverted back and Ana landed on her knees at defeat. She growled and looked ready to try again. Aqua called to her. "Ana, we got a guest!" The Stormcast shook her head and turned to the group, finding Exrirsa amongst them and dismissing her blade. "I think I know what she wants. It could help us all if she is training that gang."

Exrirsa nodded. "Precisely," Aqua considered it and went to a corner of the arena. "I've heard that the gang use to be a part of an Organization that Xehanort's Nobody ran. They've caused more than enough trouble while they were Nobodies and that was part of the reason you came to them?"

Exrirsa answered her. "Yes, we need more able hands in the coming battle and they've proven... potential." Mickey found it ironic. "After you found most of them, feeling guilty about what they've done, you went and took them under your wings so they can help deal with the worst when it comes. You're whole self has always been someone who is use to war and she has every good reason to throw herself against the Forces of Chaos."

Exrirsa found that the most terrifying concept. "And it is more ironic that the purpose that keeps me going, is an unending Hatred. You lot have reasons, far stronger than mine." Aqua and Mickey felt that painful to hear and Ven clenched his fist. "Resira, if that was true, then why are you coming here to help those guys, learn what we're fighting?"

The Adeptas Sororitas answered without pause. "So they would do better at their task, have their moment of penance and live through that." Mickey heard it and pointed at a flaw in Exrirsa's uncaring attitude. "But why would you care what happens to them after the war is done? It could have been easier to just tell them and call it a day?" Exrirsa clenched her burning fist and Ana found the flaw. "Because she has seen good men and women die before and doesn't want it to happen again." Exrirsa slowed her breathing as Mickey felt that made sense. "And she remembers caring about those people." He turned to her. "That's why she keeps caring."

Exrirsa blew out and asked the Mouse with her voice slowly raising. "I gave up my heart so another world would fight back against the legions of Hell! I gave up my right to be with you when you vanquished those heretics! I wasn't there when the Emperors finest gave everything they had to win one more day!" She was near screaming. "I wasn't there to fight along side them! I wasn't there to see their victory." She pointed to the two way finders and to the Stormcasts. "If more of us were there, Hofneil and the others would have been with us today!"

She laughed at the void with in her. "Everyone mourned them as the heroes they were, but I can't." She laughed to that. "I can't. I can't even feel scared for this galaxy's future. I can't even feel the joy in the small hope we have." Her fit was becoming depressing and Ven approached her. "And when you saw that gang pull through to help us, even a little and see all the people giving everything they have to see tomorrow, you see the same kind of people who've marked their graves back at Hallow Bastion. You don't want to see that happen again?"

Exrirsa shook her head and was trying to cry. "No one here does, child. No one here does. Death is a certainty, but it would be a hollow victory if that is all that awaited us when we finially banish the Chaos looming ever closer. You all have a chance to succeed, where we've failed." She gave the order. "I want you all to take it and if it means I have to prepare you all for Armageddon itself, I shall!"

Ven had her in arms length and gave her an embrace, stiffening her even more. In a long pause, Ven let go and saw the Adeptas Sororitas looking confused. "We're all preparing ourselves for that day, not just you." Mickey agreed with that. "We're all working hard, each day, to win back our future. You can count on that."

Aqua nodded. "Exactly, you can have that gang come over to use this and be ready for the meat grinder. You only need Ana to turn the program on. Even if they were our enemies in the past, they chose to try to make up for that now. Let them have the right to be there with us when the war is over."

Mickey approved of the thought and asked. "But what I want to know, is where did all those Nobodies come from?" Exrirsa huffed confusing thoughts that she wished could be emotions and answered. "They are my, personal forces. If the gang is operating on their own, with only me as a supervisor, then Beau and the others out there are the ones who serve me for the common cause." She asked defensively. "I've gave them purpose and a way to make their sorry state tolerable. So when their time eventually comes, they will look back on it as... an interesting experience, one they won't be ashamed of."

Ana shook her head and wanted to call Exrirsa out. "You claim that you don't have a reason to care about anyone but the war, but here you are, showing others that you do care about them. I don't know if it is you remembering what it is like or not, but you're not going to get anywhere by making that Gang all scared of you." She asked. "If you bring them ere, will you let me overlook the rest of their training with ya?" She smiled. "We'd appreciate more men and women wanting to do good."

Exrirsa took a deep breath and answered. "You can take them, they've already lashed themselves without needing me to do that." Aqua took it as the que and raised her blade to conjure a door and a pendent. She took the pendant and tossed it to Exrirsa. "All you got to do now is find a good spot to put this and they'll have free access to this place. We'll know to stay out of your business, now... there's something else you have to share with us?"

Exrirsa caught the pendent and approached Aqua with the blue paper. "Yes, I believe there was something that Ventus and Kendry shared with me. Before I reveal this, have you made any real progress on this... project I was told of?"

Aqua raised three fingers. "Sora, Riku and Kairi have all made a pick on what their armor should look like for them, but Ken hasn't picked his. Ven told me that you are aware of ideal gunners who fight like Ken but they wouldn't work because that force is made of women. But that isn't the only one that you know of?" Exrirsa was impressed and gave Aqua the paper. "I needed time to make it into an image." She smirked. "Go on, see."

Aqua unrolled it and saw the paper to have a blue print of an adequately drawn uniform. Resembling a human shaped carapace, from the chest, hands, wrists, elbows, knees and more importantly, shoulders, the leggings looked to be of regular cloth and the head was complimented by a helmet with tubing in the cheeks and round, goggle like lenses. The Keyblade Master was in aw. "Hoooo, this isn't what you see everyday." Ven had a look, was impressed by the stature and Mickey had a look, his ears twitched. "You're right, it isn't. Resira, where did this come from?"

Exrirsa didn't mind being called by her whole self and answered. "Why, it is the armor of the Tempestus Scions, the elite ranking soldiers of the Astral Militarium, also known as, the Imperial Guard. I've known that many of you have grown to respect the Guard, Kendry in particular, since escorting them to safety was his first real mission and it was because of them, that he developed his taste for adventure. They're more trained than the average Guardsmen, are the special forces and are more equipped for the job. Inquisitors, any general worth their salt, consider them for more delicate work, if so the Guardsmen throwing themselves in the line, won't be as massacred when the battle comes."

Mickey confessed. "Tahm and his pals, really came through in times where we got lost." Exrirsa nodded. "That they have, that they have." Aqua greatly considers the design, pressed her shoulder pad and put on her armor to make a point. "Most of this speaks for itself, it doesn't need a whole lot of modifications from this blue print."

Exrirsa analyzed the armor. "Compared to the things of fairy tales and rough ideas, the problem should lie in what you should change." Aqua agreed with that. "We have an idea in mind for the others and other problem is the pecking order of who's we should focus on at a time. Some will have to wait a lot longer than the others."

Exrirsa guessed. "And due to the pecking order, this could very well be the last one made. I would recommend that you find a way to make contact with the young ones when you have the blue prints made." Mickey knew one idea and asked. "Aqua, Ven, while you go exploring for that world, I could go take to Chip and Dale about something that could help."

Ven knew what it was. "Gummi phones?" Mickey nodded. "Exactly." Aqua held onto the blue print and gave a thankful bow to the Nobody. "Thank for this, we'll make the best of it. Now let's get going."

Ana looked to the blueprint and marveled the potential as she followed the group out of the arena. Exrirsa gave a wave of farewell and approached her troops. "Venture well... friends." She approached Beau and ordered. "Our business here is done, was it boring out here?" The large mook shook his head. "Not really, we're not exactly welcomed here."

Exrirsa hummed. "Or so you say. Perhaps, when the Governor of this planet is done on that world she and Ven speaks of, we will take our chances with it and work on our militia. Return to the town and await me, we will have more intelligence soon." The second in command saluted and the swarm vanished along with him, Exrirsa turned to the band of heroes, gave a small salute and vanished in grey. The sense of weird vanished and Stitch looked relieved that it was over with, Aqua instructed Ana and Stitch. "Keep watch of the Arena until she comes back, Stitch, can we count on your to watch this post until Wanda comes around?"

The alien nodded and sat. "I stay." With that issue addressed, Aqua, Ven and Mickey parted for their task.

At a Garage.

Hiro finished constructing the last of three visor devices, one black with red highlights, one black with purple highlights and one black with light yellow highlights. Sora was ready to put his on first as Riku explained the situation that the city is in. "There is something smelly going on if these rats are using the Powers of Darkness and it isn't to spread flowers."

Go Go leaned on a wall and had her arms folded as she agreed. "They are a bunch a psychopaths, I guess they are making a hideout, where we'd expect rats to be?"

Riku nodded. "That was when me and a friend of ours, met them. If left unchecked, they'll blow up the moon if it will topple this city." Sora put the AR device on, was seeing things from a virtual stand point, including a squirming shadow that appeared out of nowhere. He drew his weapon on instinct. "Heartless!"

Kairi saw nothing and put the AR device on. "Sora, chill, that's not a real heartless." Sora hummed as Kairi turned her's on, saw the virtual heartless and approached it, she petted it, felt nothing was there and turned to Sora with a sly attitude. "See, it isn't real."

Ken put the tech on, became ecstatic on seeing the virtual world and more at the implications. "Oh, ho, ho, ho, ho! This is going to be fuuuun!" The training super heroes were feeling the enthusiasm and Honey Lemon explained. "All you guys need to do is run through some courses Hiro has scripted. It will take you to the high and lows of the whole city."

The geek boy nodded. "It's why we should get started at sun down, that way you guys will see the course better." Donald coughed. "Lucky." The teenagers had a particular memory of an amusement park that shined it's lights in the night, Sora laughed to that. "This is going to be coool!" Ken agreed to that and cheered with him, face to face. "I know!" Kairi had the same vision and squeed. "Eeeek! This is going to be fun!"

Riku hated to kill the mood and asked. "But, how are we going to keep the Skaven busy and stop them from ruining our fun?" Spiderman waved with an idea. "I think, while you kids do that game, Donald, Goofy and I will go look for a certain someone. It isn't like him to keep quiet for this long." Goofy wondered and asked. "You mean Deadpool?" Donald groaned. "Ah, why do we get the dirty job?" Spiderman shrugged. "Because we're not going to be that much help in the game and someone has to do it."

Donald shrugged in acceptance. "We got to be the responsible grown ups." Spiderman waved his own AR device at the two. "If something comes up, we'll be able to call them." The band felt that was a plan as Hiro marked the time for two hours.

At the Lanes in Between.

Aqua and Ven were on board the silver gummi ship and watched it shoot away heartless ships of unimportance, on the horizon a sphere of a world, with high tech looking rings and an orbiting, flat planetoid with a sphere. It looked exactly as they remembered it, Aqua broke from her usual, mature attitude, squeed like a teenager and leaped in joy, all in her armor. "I don't believe it, it's still here!"

She envisioned her goal and was overheating as Ven suggested. "Woah, calm down." He pressed his shoulder pad and armored up. "We got a lot to get through here if we're to have a chance at finding the oricalcium."

Aqua agreed as she and Ven flickered in light. "We'll have to fight things we're familiar with, get to the core and get our prize, that's easy and short in comparison to everything else we've done."

PEW!

In a flash of light, they were on a large, flat platform with a sphere and what looked to be a computer desk. The two saw someone hitting the keybears with two bone like sticks, a green skin in red chest armor, silver shoulder pads and a pair of blue pants.

He chanted. "Boss wants bettah fights!" He hit his sticks in rhythm. "Give em bettah fights!" Behind him were five, glowing green creatures, looking like small hooded grots with a back pack of mushrooms and holding squigs with strange noses. The grots were looking for something, looked at the keybearers and flinched, one of them squealed. "Not this again!"

The Orruk turned around at the noise. "Wu?" He recognized keybearers and chanted. "Keys leave! Keys leave!" He went into a panic, turned to the computer, head butted it and caused a digital rift to open, he and the strange grots of Bad Light, made a run for it. The Keybearers realize what the Orruk means and looked to each other, Ven asked. "This can't be where that Grot took Dragon Hackah." Aqua found it believable. "But it's the one place they would go to shake off their time in the digital world." She took the lead. "Come on, I smell trouble!"

The two jumped across the rift and found themselves in an arena that glitched, distorted looking, fungal Heartless that Aqua was familiar with, appeared in a dark cloud of spores, Ven found it completely insane as Aqua looked above to find flying mushrooms, propelling themselves with their mycelium. Aqua flipped her blade and whispered. "Ven, we can clear this out with no problems, you see the Spore Fliers?"

Ven looked and realized. "We can use those." The crawling fungal shadows and spore warriors readied to pounce, the duo leaped high at the fliers that tried to fire spore bombs, reached the caps and stabbed them with their keyblades. The Spore Fliers began bursting in light and the duo flung them at the vast swarm bellow. POP! The explosion of light cleared most of them out, Aqua spun her blade and fired crystal beams as Ven slashed the sky and formed a crack, any heartless that were not finished off by Aqua, certain met their end through the divine light unleashed.

The arena kept it's glitch and the duo landed to see another rift open, in the center, going downwards. They jumped in and descend upon a distorted forest, finding a sinister army of fleshy pink, scantly clad beastmen that had crab claws, scantly claded archers, golden armored knights, lead by a scantly clad man in armor that has the symbol of Slaanesh and by a barely clothed, pale, pink, daemon prince that had it's face caved in my a blue scaled Mawcrusha. A horde of savage orruks rushed at the archers as a shaman gave a chant and turned them into wereboars as a horde of armored Orruks go after the Slaangors and the hulking brutes bull rushed the golden knights. The duo witnessed a complete massacre on the forces of Slaanesh and watched the Chaos Lord jump on the Mawcrusha to do battle, an Orruk Megaboss parried a swing of a spiked mace with an armored fist and slashed him in the head with his giant axe. Ending the simulation, the chanter from before, was running to him. "Boss, Keys! Boss, Keys!"

The Orruk turned and tug a chain to get the foul tempered Mawcrusha to turn with him. The Orruk squinted his eyes at the Warchanter and yelled. "What do you mean dem key gitz is ere?" Ven and Aqua approached, getting the Orruks attention, the Orruk grunted rather calmly. "You'z new. You looking for the Moon Travlah? He's bellow."

The keybearers were surprised by the calm question and Aqua asked. "Moon... Travlah?" Dragon Hackah grunted. "Sliznak is one crazy Grot, he saying we are heading towards the biggest scrap this side of the realm has ever seen and if we don't win, them Chaos ting is going to kill em all." He raised his free hand upward in a question. "Where's the fighting after that?" He growled in distrust. "You itching to kick us out of here too?"

Aqua shook her head. "No, I'm actually glad that you guys know what is at stake, should Archaon or Xehanort be allowed to win this war. We're not telling you, why this place is important or why we came, because if you know, you will want it for yourself." Dragon Hackah's scowl lighten and became something of an eager grin, like he took an interest in fighting Aqua and Ven. "So, I get to beat ya'z up in a testy run before checking it out for me self?" He smiled wide with a mouth full of teeth. "Dat's a good idea!"

Ven cringed as the Mawcrusha slowly gave a matching smile, like his masters, the boy whispered. "Uh oh." The Warchanter signaled the Orruk horde to back away as Dragon Hackah and Dark Smasher roared out as one.

"WAAAAAAAAGH!"

Dark Smasher sprinted after the duo with his destructive bulk, Aqua and Ven flew out of the way, left and right, Dark Smasher looked to the woman in armor and on a tug from Dragon Hackah, jumped, leaped and unfolded his stubby wings, by some gravity defying logic, the Mawcrusha flew and circled right. The keyblade duo were too confused on the logic and Aqua realized the Mawcrusha was strifing to dive down after her, a fist like wing first. Aqua back flipped and felt the quake as Ven took his chance and flew on the Mawcrusha's back, to do battle with the Orruk turned, took a slash to his face and used his armored fist to parry, shove and catch Ven off guard for a punch in the face.

Ven was sent rolling off, enveloped himself in a storm and flew back to Dragon Hackah to attack. Aqua took her chance, slide under a fist brawling wyvern and reached the other side, she dodged the tail and enveloped herself in scarlet fire and unleashed an inferno to engulf the brute. Dark Smasher cringed, turned and unleashed a scream that disrupted the flame and caused the Keyblade Masters ears to ring, Dragon Hackah head butted Ven off and had him flung back to Aqua. The duo were bleeding under their armor as Dark Smasher sprinted through the fire and had a fistful of punishment for them. Ven back flipped as Aqua jumped high in the air with wings of fire, the destructive duo realized the keybearers were switching foes. They readied to react as Ven inhaled and let loose a loud scream that surprised the Mawcrusha and caused the Gnashing Wind to form, bite Dark Smasher in the face and caused a rather brutal fight, Aqua enveloped herself in flames, turned into a pheonix and dived at the Megaboss and his steed.

BOOM!

In a fiery explosion, the horde was pushed back, Aqua back flipped, landed next to Ven and panted. The smoke cleared and Dark Smasher was laying singed, with Dragon Hackah sitting on his rear and looking to be in pain. The grouchy Orruk got up as Dark Smasher shook the blow off, Dragon Hackah asked like he was punched hard. "What... you is actually serious?" Dragon Hackah had his Mawcrusha move away and reveal a digital rift, leading to the core. "I tink Sliznak is close to da ting you're looking for. Some blue, sparkly, cube he's been eyeballing. Is that the ting?"

Aqua gasped. "He knows what he is doing. We need to stop him before he steals all the Oricalcium!" She and Ven wanted answers to how the grot came to be as an ordeal as Dragon Hackah asked. "You'z up to something, what ya making?" Ven gave the Orruk credit for guessing. "Something big, but that's all we're telling." He and Aqua dashed to the rift. "See ya!"

PEW! They jump across the rift and found themselves in a spider burrow, where a horde of foul smelling Skaven in sickly green robes were doing battle against a swarm of light spiders with tribal, green glowing grots. A center piece of a giant, green glowing Spider, with the red symbol of Ghur and a shaman on it's back, trying to rush to a Skaven Warmachine with a sickly looking wrecking ball and a plague priest chanting, was ensuing. Leading a swarm of spiders from the front, was a familiar blue spider, being rode on by a Grot chieftain.

Leading a swarm of rats from behind, was another priest. The spiders were overwhelming the priests in venomous bites and left behind many bodies, the Arachnarok pounced on the siege weapon to ensue pure havoc. Aqua and Ven felt caution, like an evil presence was looking over them. The Keyblade Master turned to ask something and saw a sinister figure looming over Ven, a pox ridden, mangy furred, demonic horned rat, with two sickles reaching for the boy and an air of sickly green. Aqua sparked in fire and yelled a battle cry. "Ven, behind you!"

WOOSH!

Ven ducked, saw signs of a sickle slash that missed him and of Aqua bull rushing the fiend behind him, with the fury of the sun.

He turned to find the rat demon, pushed in flame and hissing. "No, no, poxed one no want key things here. No, no!" He glowed and vomited a flew of curses, that quickly turned into a plague cloud, Ven closed his eyes in a glow of light, orbs of white light appeared as the clouds touched him and Aqua. The light caressed them and caused the cloud to be expelled, Aqua gave Ven an affectionate wink and glared at the Verminlord. "Time for some pest control."

She crystalized her keyblade and flung it at the Verminlord like a boomerang as Ven closed his eyes, focused and caused a rift of light to appear, a light bound Stitch appeared, crawled around the boy playfully and caused him to laugh a bit. The alien saw the threat trying to fight back and drew out his pistols, hovering next to Ven, who asked. "Come on, let's take out the rat." Stitch hovered in front of him, aimed his pistols at the keyblade and gave a suggestion, Ven knew what the plan was and aimed his blade with the pistols, pushing Stitch across the back of the arena and forming a line, Ven was flung to his friend and did so again with an upward angle. "Aqua, throw the rat in here!" The Keyblade Master turned, flipped left to avoid a slash and summoned a whip of fire to wrap around the Verminlord, it struggled and kicked as the woman tossed him to a forming, electrical triangle.

PEW!

The triangle made a current and sparked, zapping the rat, Aqua dived at the Verminlord and slashed to keep him distracted as Ven and Stitch followed the formation again. ZAP! The juggling and dodging rinsed and repeated until the arena was covered in electrical triangles, Ven and Stitch aimed their weapons in the air and called down lightning that came down at the rat demon. It's attempts to escape were midigated by Aqua intercepting him and blowing a strong gust of wind to push him back, Ven and Stitch spun together and finished their combo with a laser beam that lit up the triangles and finished frying the rodent to where it was on it's knees. Stitch flickered away in light and Ven rushed to the rodent's neck with a crackle of lightning.

SLASH!

The Verminlord was cut in the throat, fell on his back and flickered away. Leaving the ensuing battle that the spiderfangs were winning, with two plague priests being devoured by large spiders, the keybearers looked around and saw that the rifts was behind the enemy lines. The Arachnarok turned with twitching mandibles and stared at the two, the shaman on top was giving a victory dance and slowly realized who arrived. "Eh... oh zog." The chieftain had his spider turn and noticed, he recognized the two and smiled nervously, Aqua approached with an expecting fight and asked. "We've let you used the town because we thought you weren't going to be a problem. Why the change of heart?"

Venom Dancah cringed and answered defensively. "We hazn't! We said, until da Bad Moon shined upon us and the Moon Travlah, is The Moon!" Aqua and Ven found that too insane to be a lie, yet kept their guard, the shaman continued with the closest thing to innocence he can show. "We'ze getting ready for the biggest fight around, if we don't, them Chaos things will get the Moon Heart and make the Spidah's go splat. Dat's why dem rat things tried coming for us just now."

Even the shaman was confused by the bigger understanding, Aqua put together some of it and asked. "We're just here for something the Moon Travlah is trying to take. Then we'll be gone and leave you all be here. How did he know of all this?"

Stingy Bites gave the order to the swarm to give the keybearers the right of passage. "He isn't speaking anything that makes sense! Can you?" Aqua and Ven were having a head ache, the boy answered. "We might." His tone let the grot know that there was no promise, Venom Dancah had his steed step aside, silently gesturing the duo the best of luck, Ven gestured back. "Take care of yourselves, like it or not, we're all fighting for the same thing." Aqua lead him on. "When this is finally over, we can all go home and live out our lives. We'll see you soon."

The two jumped across the rift and found themselves at the core of the world, where a blue cube awaited, guarded by a horde of light squigs, a horde of Moon lit grots distracted a sickening horde of plague bearers as boingy squigs with spear wielding grots, joined a particular, real looking grot on a giant Moonsquig, in pounding a three fly swarm of plague drones out of reality. A morbidly obese demon approached him with a flail in one hand and a massive sword in another. "You're beyond the reach of your precious moon, little Grot. This waagh must end!"

The grot drew out an odd looking spear that was shaped like a key and screeched. "Like Morks crotch, it will!" He swung the blade in air and screamed. "LET EM HAVE IT!"

Twin moons appeared to the daemons right and in an instant, materialized two giant squigs, bound together in a ball and chain. They howled and sprang to the Great Unclean one. Smashing him with the might of a meteor and biting him with mouths of teeth, actually tearing into the rotten flesh and pushing him an inch with the balls and chain, the daemon squirted bile at the Mangler Squigs, roared and used his flail to knock them back. He slashed with his sword and caused the entity to flicker, giving the grot with the strange sword, the chance to have his squig spring him to the Daemon's neck.

SLASH!

In a strike of light, the daemon began to disintegrated and struggled to keep form, his body rotted away. "Noooo! That metal could have been so... wondrous when heated." The demonic horde began to dissolve in the whiplash as the Mangler smashed into them and disappeared. The horde saw victory was achieved and cheered, the Grot on his Squig laughed with them. "I'd like to see them Chaos gits come here again." He looked at the cube. "Now, what shiny, do we have here?"

Ven puffed his cheeks and yelled. "Hey, back away from that! You don't know what's in there." The cheering stopped, the light grots turned in shock and the squig jumped, nearly knocking the Loonboss off, the grabbed the squig by the horns, balance himself and spun to get an upper view. He gasped. "Key gitz?" He gave a determined scowl. "So you come?" He had his thumb at the box. "You tink you can come here and take what's in that sparkly box?"

The squig turned and forced his rider to reposition himself forward with the steed as Ven asked more confused. "Sliznak, how were you able to do all this?" The grot laughed and waved his weapon to them, a crooked silver, keyblade with an edge of a crescent moon and a key chain of a fanged mouth, he swung it wildly in an order. "Da Bad Moon picked me to get da waagh going. Get them Moon Bouncah, we got ere first!" He flung a cloud of spores that blocked the keybearers vision, they shook it off and themselves in an arena that looked like a cragged, eight peak mountain, hovering as a spectator, was a crescent moon resembling a grots face, next to it was an orbiting planetoid. The glowing squig leaped at the keybearers and left behind a cloud of spores, the duo side stepped to the left, watched the squig land and let loose another cloud of spores, they dashed at the grot and quickly knocked him off his squig.

Sliznak yelped, glowed in moon lit and summoned a large mushroom to spring him in mid air. He fired tiny arrows at the two and caused them to move, unaware of a twist in the grots wrists, that caused a purple, volatile mushroom, to sprout from where they were running. BOOM! The two stepped on the mushroom, were blown back by the explosion and looked like they were flashing red under their helmets. Aqua drew the squigs attention with a soul arrow and glowed for a mighty spell as Ven focused on a summon. Sliznak flipped himself to the squig and kicked his feet at the beasts hide, the squig yelped and sprinted at Aqua, with his tongue slobbering, the keyblade master flew out of the way as Ven summoned a brush of a jungle and summoned a particular, rolling bear.

Baloo saw the squig and the grot. "Well, that's fighting dirty." Ven agreed with that, focused his blade and caused Baloo to curl up. "Can you trust me to do this?" The sloth bear didn't have much to say in the matter and saw he was enveloping into stones. "Oh, I see where this is going. Like a big dodge ball."

Ven nodded. "Exactly!" Aqua saw a growing shrubbery, jumped over it and drew the squig towards a glowing green panther that roared and swipe a paw at the beast, spooking it and the grot. Fling! Sliznak heard something rumbling and turned, finding a giant boulder rolling to him and his partner. "Uh oh." SMACK! The squig was smacked by the boulder and landed on the side as Sliznak fumbled, rolled on the ground and stood up on his feet, Aqua saw a sloth bear laying on his back in a daze and the panther shook his head at the ridiculous.

Aqua finished charging her spell and back flipped, with her eyes glowing blue as she gazed upon the Grot. "This battle is over." The crystal power engulfed her body and took the form of a crystal, four winged, eyeless, aqua blue dragon. Sliznak gritted his teeth and used his blade to brace himself, the dragon was in flight and Ven was taken aback by the otherworldly form, the dragon opened a single slit of an eye on her forehead and fired a rainbow beam. The grots attempt to endure the hit, became paltry and he was knocked into the ground, the beam faded away and the dragonic form flickered away to reveal a proud Aqua, that floated to the ground. Baloo and Bagheera saw a battle that was by all definition, finished and disappeared in light. The arena reverted back to what it was and the swarm of light flickered away, the grot was in a complete daze and twitched, Aqua approached the grot as Ven rushed to the cube, use his blade to open it and find many glistening green crystals, four in particular were the grandest among the rest. He put as many as he could in the bag as Aqua recognized the grot in particular and offered to get him up. "Sliznak, do you remember me?"

The Grot refused the offer and stood up with a disoriented crossing of eyes, he wasn't exactly right in the head. "You is one of the key wackahs that invaded the underground. Darkey boy brought squigglys to our mountain, while you and I stopped them from taking the mountain."

Aqua recalled. "And you jumped into the Darkness, like a moron. It would have swallowed you like so many others, but the Bad Moon took notice of you and either brought you back, or guided you out." She was half impressed. "And you done a lot more to solve some of our problems, than you did cause them. This reminds me of a story that Kairi and his majesty spoke of another of your kind, a grot that became the Dreaded, Warlord of the Eight..." she was connecting the dot and finished slowly. "Peaks."

She stopped talking as Sliznak tilted his head and giggled. "The Bad Moon favors the Eight Peaks! Eight Peaks of Power! Moonclan, Squigs, Spiderfang, Ironjawz, Bonesplittahz, Kruleboyz, Troggoth's and the Deadly Gargants! It's spoke to you to?"

Aqua shook her head in both amazement and bewilderment. "No, but if I told you why that is important, it will blow what is left of your mind." She pressed a finger to the left side of her head and mimicked a gun firing, she tilted her head. "Like that, you've followed in the Bad Moons foot steps and your little, spite filled heart, became something a lot more." Sliznak blinked. "That make no sense. Da Bad Moon has been up there in the sky since da beginning."

Aqua stopped her conversation at the hearing of those words and turned around. "We'll be taking what we came for. Don't let us find you causing trouble in another world, if we meet again, it will be against the Forces of Chaos. Hopefully the light guides us all."

The grot was more confused as to why Aqua stopped, shrugged, got on his squig and marched away. The Keyblade Master saw Ven having a medium sized bags worth of the rare good, he gave her a thumbs up and let her close the box with the power of the keyblade. As the box was sealed away, Aqua took a deep breath in celebration. "Alright, I think I know where we can find the rest of the materials, it won't take long."

Ven secured the bag and imagined a more boring adventure. "I don't think so either, no ones going to really notice by the time we're finished." Aqua nodded in agreement. "Exactly, Mickey and Ana are going to be in for quite the story."

At a shady part of Sansfransokyo, during the nightfall.

Goofy and Donald were a little uneasy from the sinister looking streets, having suspicious people doing suspicious business. A breeding ground, for Darkness. They looked up to find Spiderman slinging from building to building and heard the faint sound of screeching. Along with a sudden shout. The kings guards followed it to an abandoned ware house, where the screeching became more intense and the shout was more understandable. "Bang! Bang! Bang!"

SLASH! SLASH! SLASH!

They reached the ware house and heard the noise die, the door opened and a man in a skin tight, red and black suit, casually walked out with a set of glowing green sword that dripped in viscera. The man tossed the blades like they were garbage and whistled on a job well done. "Ah all in a days work, nothing can ruin the-" He noticed Goofy and Donald in wares he did not expect, like they were a group of adventures and broke is tune. "and I'm back in the story." He cheerfully welcomed them with open arms. "Hey, buddies, this is exactly what it looks like." He looked to an oddly specific location, south west and pointed. "Disney World is that way! Leave this grim dark plot, to a professional."

Fling! Spiderman landed, heard the merc and asked. "Wade, these guys are serious to be coming here. Those Skaven have no regards to life of any kind." He turned to the two and scratched the back of his head. "I... expected this to happen."

Goofy guessed and asked Deadpool. "Were you paid to clear out all these Skaven that have been poppin' up? This sounds like a pretty dangerous job to be handln' alone." The merc lowered his hands and asked. "Huh? You guys are actually serious?"

He dropped his friendly facade, put his hands at his hips and tapped his left foot. "Yeah, my lively client wants me to keep things anonymous, but she's been wanting pest control problems done since these things would give the local exterminator night terrors, for weeks." He took his right thumb and aimed it to the warehouse. "I wouldn't get in there for... another week, if I were you. These rats have been smuggling some rad blades and they still have a half life going."

He put his hands in front of himself and gave the three a vision of size. "This really big one told me that some big cheese, who's called Thanqoul, is the king pin behind all of this. You know of him?"

Goofy nodded as Donald kept his weapon down. "Do you know where he is going to show up? We need to stop him soon." Deadpool gasped at the coincidence and raised his finger, enticing the trio to certain directions. "Ah..." he dropped his finger. "No." He perked. "But, if we find a place that is important, you'll bet they are scurrying over there. We're going to need a louuuud flute."

Spiderman, Goofy and Donald sighed a combined. "Aw." Donald admitted. "It doesn't really help us when we're guessing." Deadpool agreed with that and folded his arms. Ding! A lamp post, that was above his head, shined it's light bulb in sync to the man's eyes widening, he looked up, pointed up and giggled. "Tee, hee, hee" He looked to the group. "I found an idea."

Spiderman put his hand over his face, groaned and slowly slide it down to ask. "You're going to search the Skaven by yourself and blatantly tell us where you're going. So a kid with a keyblade will show up and do most of the work for you?"

Deadpool gasped and put his hands on his cheeks. "Huh! You do remember me!" He swooned like a fan girl. "Oh but it wouldn't be fair if Ol Wade lets them jump into danger, alone." He dramatically pointed with his right hand and had his left hand at his hip, like he was a righteous super hero. "Never fear, I'll leave some crumbs lying around the school." Goofy and Donald came to the conclusion that Deadpool is a couple screws short and wanted to ask something, Deadpool took a smoke bomb and hurled it to the ground. "Vanish!"

POOF!

Smoke puffed and Deadpool vanished into the evening. Donald and Goofy looked to each other, with more questions given than answers, the shield bearer asked the hero with a head ache. "Is he always like this?" Spiderman nodded, with an understanding to some of Deadpools hints. "The University has something pretty special, that's what Wade was talking about. We'll look once our friends are finished with Shugyo." Donald found that a coincidence. "Speaking of which, they ought to be getting started by now."