Yaaay....we're actually progressing somewhere. And people are joining my RP. Woot. Yeah, Carbuncle will basically make a barrier/healing thing for a limited time. Or somesuch. Welp, time for the last world before Hollow Bastion.
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"Old bear," said Eriks as he
opened the door. "Elias says it time for you to get moving.
You're the Gatekeeper, right?"
"And?" asked the
druid, cracking an eye open to stare at the boy. "What's your
point, cub?"
"The Keyblade Master is heading for the gates, he says," smirked the boy. "So shouldn't you go keep them?"
"Hmm...very funny," said the man drily as he got up. "So they've already gotten to the Stairwell, have they?"
"Yeah," shrugged Eriks. "It's the only way in, and they've gotten through everything else."
"I see," he said, picking up his wooden mace. "Tell him that I'll be leaving as soon as I can."
"Sure," waved Eriks as he walked out of the room. The boy had changed quite a lot since he had arrived, Stromwind reflected. At first he had been gentle, quietly strong, but uncertain of himself. Now he was confident, not exactly cocky or arrogant, but he carried that upright sort of smug superiority about him, the kind that you don't need to show off, because you know you're good, and you don't care if others do. Stromwind wasn't sure if this was a pleasing turn of nature or not.
He gathered what few things he felt he might need, then left. Soon he was walking down the empty halls of the Hollow Bastion towards the entry hall. He was opening the great double doors when he heard the voice.
"Stromwind," said Elias, standing on the landing up the stairs. "I've got some companions to help you. They're already at the waypoint."
"I work alone," rumbled the druid deeply.
"They'll just be along to keep the lower floors. They might destroy them. They might not. You're there to make sure that even if they don't, the girl doesn't surive. We can't have her interfering with the Master's plans."
"How near is he to opening the door?" asked Stromwind.
"Very close," assured Elias. "There is only one Princess left. And he says that we also have enough power from the worlds to do it now, even with those ones that the Flower of Arcadia sealed. We have located the last girl, so it is only a matter of retrieving her."
"So it's finally here," said the big man with certain satisfaction.
"Yes... he also said something about a 'host'... though I do not know of what he speaks," said Elias, his normally emotionless half a face looking slightly worried for a second. It soon resumed its mask like expressiveness.
"I might," said Stromwind quietly as he turned and opened the doors to leave. "Just remember, Daemonwing, that it was his idea to have the boy be trained as an apprentice."
"So, we're finally here."
Arc had been quiet ever since they started their journey to the next world. These few words, spoken in solemn calmness, startled Orchid and Montblanc, who had been just getting used to the near silence of the gummi ship.
"What? What are you talking about?" said the girl, all in a rush. "Do you know about this place?"
"Yeah," he said quietly, tinted lenses hiding his eyes. "This place is the gates of Hollow Bastion. The Stairwell of Heaven."
"What? Sora never said anythi-" started Orchid before he cut her off.
"That's because it wasn't around then," explained the man. "Soon after the first incident with the Heartless, we warped the roads of space that the ships follow. We forced every waypoint, every highway, every warp jump that headed for Hollow Bastion to go here first. Anyone trying to get there, has to get through here. The top of the tower holds the seal for closing off all access to Hollow Bastion. We thought we were making protection for us. But we were really just making our own prison." He sighed, then continued. "A lot more people would have gotten out and survived the attack when it came, if only we had had other escape routes. But it was one way in, one way out. And now that they control it, our impenatrable gate is their impenatrable gate."
"Wait, wait," interrupted Orchid. "If there was only one way in, and you had this gate, then how did the Heartless get in?"
"They came from...another way. A way that we never thought anyone would come out of. A way that most didn't even know about, a way that we thought was gone," said Arc grimly. "They came out of the door, the one Ansem had opened and Sora had shut. They came from that long gone world, that land of desolation that these monsters spawn from, out the door that had once been sealed. Someone had opened the door."
"Elias," said Orchid.
"No...not Elias," said Arc. "There's someone behind him. He may be powerful, but... I don't think he's running things."
"If you say so..." shrugged Orchid doubtfully. And then it towered before her, and they were there.
The massive double doors opened slowly, moving like mountains. There was a resounding clang as they came to a halt. They walked into the silent, empty halls. They were grandly designed, with high pillars and ornate carvings. But only flickering candles lighted the way, here and there, and the place felt like a broken down palace.
"Hey, Montblanc, you think you could give us some light?" asked Arc as he tripped over yet another bit of fallen masonry.
"Sure, kupo," said the moogle. He waved his rod and held it before him. It flickered feebly for an instant, then went out. He shook it again, and this time it didn't even light up a little.
"What's wrong?" asked the man.
"Orchid, could you try a spell, kupo?" asked the moogle, looking puzzled and frowning in concern.
"Uh, okay..." she said. She pointed the Glass Rose at an unsuspecting column, then cast her spell. "Fira!"
Nothing happened.
"As I though," said Montblanc. "Someone's sealed all the magic in this place, kupo. I don't know how, since it would take an enormous amount of power, and I don't think even Elias has enough to seal a whole world, kupo."
"He doesn't," said Arc. "But this place does."
"What do you mean?" asked Orchid.
"This whole place is practically a fountain of magic," he explained. "If someone got here before us, and I expect they knew we were coming, then they could have just channeled all that energy into one continous sealing spell. None of our black or white magic will work as long as the spell's in place."
"Well, then I'm gonna go back and keep watch on the gummi ship, kupo," sighed Montblanc, turning and heading back. "I can't do anything without my magic."
"Well... then I guess it's just us," said Arc grimly.
"Damn," cursed Orchid quietly. "We're gonna have a real tough time without Montblanc."
A shadow crept stealthily up the stairs, along the floor. It popped up off the ground, antenna wiggling, eyes glowing.
"And?" said Stromwind, cracking an eye open to stare at the Heartless. He was sitting in the center of the magic circle that he had drawn to seal the world. He waited quietly as the Heartless chattered silently. "As planned, the mage has left. Good. Make sure the next part goes as smoothly."
The Heartless swayed from side to side a little, then communicated something more.
"Yes," said the druid slowly, closing his eyes again and returning to his meditation. "You may devour him."
"I hope Montblanc will be okay," worried Orchid as they stumbled through the gloomy halls.
"Ah, he'll be fine," said Arc. "We've got ourselves to worry about."
He was right. They had already encountered a few Heartless. But they had been mere patrols, and taken care of easily enough. Something wasn't right. It was all so empty.
"It's like...like..." muttered Orchid, trying to work out the feeling that persisted in bothering her. As she walked and thought, there was a sudden click as her foot stepped on something. "Like..."
"..a trap!" shouted Arc. He quickly shoved her to the side and jumped away from her as the bars slammed up from the ground between them. The metal dug into the ceiling, simultaneously cutting them off from eachother, and from any escape. "Crap!"
Orchid swung at the bars with the keyblade, with no effect. Arc tried his best to muscle a gap in the bars, but they didn't budge even in the slightest.
"Okay..." said Orchid, pantings slightly from their efforts to break the barrier. "I guess... we'll just have to play it their way."
"Great...first they got rid of Montblanc and your magic, and now they've got us seperated," said Arc, cursing softly. "We fell right into this."
"No choice but to go on," said the girl.
"Yeah," he agreed.
"See
you at the top."
Montblanc was starting to get nervous. The thoughts of all the things that could go wrong in there, with neither him nor his magic to help them, gnawed away at his mind. He was about to try and think of something else, when something caused the gummi ship to rock precariously. Wondering what it was, he hopped down off the chair and walked over to the door. Using his rod, he pressed the button to open it, and it slid open easily.
There was nothing there.
Curious, he got out and walked around the craft. There didn't seem to be anything around, nor any sign of something that might have caused it to rock so. Shrugging, he turned to go back inside.
That was when he saw the eyes. The hungry, glowing yellow orbs.
"Kupo..."
Arc walked cautiously up the stairs, jumping at the slightest noise and swinging his sword. Several times, this paranoia saved him from sneak attacking Heartless. But there were few of these, and the venture up the stairs was mostly uninterrupted. He estimated he was nearing the upper levels when he came upon a large, open room. Walking inside slowly, he looked about. It was empty.
Then something moved.
Jumping back, he watched as shadowed darkness gathered in a puddle in the middle of the floor. It moved upwards, taking form swiftly, and silently. When it was done, it stood as tall as Arc, with long, inky-black flowing hair. Its back was turned, hiding its face and front. Even in the gloom, the figure was familiar.
"It can't be..." whispered Arc. "...Dar'ck?"
It turned, and hissed at him, displaying a jagged mouth and eyes, glowing and hungering.
Orchid was stunned. He stood there in the dark, by himself. In his hand, she could see the keyblade. The figure, silhouetted by the single candle that lit the room, stood silently, his back to her. From the spiky hair to the overly large shoes, he was unmistakable.
"Sora?" she said quietly. "Is that you? What are you doing here?"
He turned. It was not Sora.
The Heartless stared silently at her, then the battle began.
