Hey guys! Well, here we are, chapter number 30... Didnt know if we would make it this far... Um, well just recently today I Platinumed Dragon Age: Inquisition. Which means... Welp, done with that game. I love it, had a lot of fun, but I'm done with it now. Nothing left for me to aspire to in that game. So, yeah, also I beat Uncharted 4, so good. Like... So good. Like, Jesus Christ it's so good, and the new Doom is good. So enjoy!
Also for this Arc of the story, the reaminder of it at least, I will not be accepting new characters. I still have some waiting in the wings however, a few. So, there will be a few more introductions, but until the next Arc I will not accept new characters.
-Aftermath-
Kya sat in a chair next to Violet's hospital bed. Gripping the blonde's hand gently, and staring at her face with a calm, patient look. She looked exhausted, like she hadn't gotten any sleep in days. When Violet let out a small groan, Kya merely raised an eyebrow, hopeful that the blonde would wake up.
"… Where…" Violet asked, her eyes fluttering open, and immediately regretting the action due to the brightness of the room. She didn't know where she was, the last thing she saw was Emily… And that room, and Victoria, smiling sadistically. Her head was pounding, voice hoarse. She ached all over, she could still remember the knife…
"You're awake!" Kya exclaimed happily, but still sounded rather reserved, perhaps it was because of how exhausted she was. Violet looked over at Kya, her eyes adjusting to the light, she couldn't believe it. She was so happy that Kya was here. While she was in that room, she was all she could think about.
"Kya… Where am I?" Violet asked in a quiet voice, Kya just smiled. "How did I get here?" Kya frowned a bit, her thumb rubbing small circles on the back of Violet's hand.
"You're safe, at the hospital. We found you passed, barely breathing at the park. Emily was… She wasn't breathing…" Kya explained. Violet's face contorted in pain. "You've been out for a week now, I'm just happy you're awake." Kya said, with a smile on her exhausted features.
"Have you slept? You look exhausted." Violet noted, Kya just smiled at her.
"No… I've been waiting on you to wake up. Haven't slept a wink." Kya told her, with a small smile, Violet shook her head slightly.
"You've been waiting a week for me to wake up, with no sleep?" Violet murmured. Kya just stared into her eyes, happy that she could do that once again. "Get in bed with me, please you need sleep."
"You just woke up, in the hospital, and now you're making sure I'm okay… My girlfriend is too nice, and I don't think they would allow us to share a bed." Kya pointed out, Violet pouted, making a puppy dog look. "Quit it."
"Please… I just wanna feel safe in your arms, I'm still a little scared… Like I'm back in that room." Violet said, fear in her voice, Kya looked at her concerned. She moved the cover's aside, reluctantly letting go of Violet's hand to do so. Kya laid in the hospital bed next to Violet, pulling the blonde against her, and stroking her hair, and pulling the covers back up over them.
"Violet… Do you… Mind telling me what happened?" Kya asked in a quiet voice, Violet noticeably tensed up in her arms. "Forget I asked, that was insensitive." Kya quickly said, Violet shook her head as some tears came to her eyes, as the memories bubbled up.
"It's… Fine… Victoria she… hurt me. I… She's evil, like, really evil. I can still feel the knife, she wanted to hurt Emily, more than she did, but I protected her… I took most of the… torture. There's nothing else to call what happened, it was just cold blooded torture." Violet said, Kya shook her head as a tear slid down her cheek.
"I'm so sorry you had to go through that…" Kya said, pressing her lips to Violet's hair, making the blonde smile, despite what she went through. But that was short lived as she realized something was missing.
"Kya… It's gone!" Violet exclaimed with worry, Kya looked down at her to see panicked features, and glassy eyes.
"What's gone?" Kya asked gently, running a hand through Violet's hair gently, scratching her scalp slightly, that usually helped calm Violet down, it didn't seem to be working this time.
"My… Choker! It's gone Kya… I'm sorry." Violet muttered as tears slid down her cheeks. She was more distraught about this than the actual situation. Kya frowned at her, and shook her head.
"That's fine, it's not your fault. Victoria is to blame, and you know that." Kya told her in a gentle voice. Violet shook her head but Kya kissed her forehead to stop her. "But if it's that much of a deal, I can go and get a new one." Kya told her, Violet just looked at her.
"But it's not the same…"
"Then I will go and take your choker back from that bitch eventually. But for now, you just get some more rest." Kya ordered her, Violet smiled a bit and nuzzled into Kya's neck.
"I've been resting long enough…"
"That wasn't resting, it was a coma. You don't get rest from that, so quit arguing and listen to me." Kya told her, making her voice a bit firmer, Violet smiled and pressed her lips to Kya's collar bone.
-Aftermath-Hart Residence-
"Toni, Kelsi, there's someone here you will want to talk to." Zack told them, with a hint of anger. Toni, and Kelsi exchanged a look before going with him, out to the front room. Where Vani had Alrik shoved against a wall with a knife to his throat. "He says he knows what happened to Violet." Zack explained, earning enraged looks from both Toni, and Kelsi directed at Alrik.
"Then this mother fucker better pray to every god out there." Toni muttered bitterly, cracking her knuckles. Alrik just remained calm despite the situation.
"I assure you, I had nothing to do with what happened to Violet. I find the whole situation to be disgusting, and sloppy." He told them, if he was lying, he would have been forced into saying so, due to Vani's power. But, he wasn't, he was telling the truth.
"Why did Victoria kidnap them?" Kelsi asked, her hands on her hips, eyes narrowing.
"I assume Vani has already told you about the Replica Program Resurrection? Her agents did hijack the data. They needed Violet's highly potent magical blood to help bring a replica to life. Emma's was needed for something else entirely."
"Which replica?" Zack asked.
"You know of Roseanna, the girl that Victoria killed some years ago? Her. Victoria is having a replica of her made to infiltrate Violet's group. Her plan wont work for some reasons however, reasons that I refused to tell her. If you recall Xion, or the Riku Replica, both projects of Organization XIII, both grew self aware, and eventually their own heart. Roseanna is the same, she will have the original Roseanna's memories, and experiences, it will be like she never left."
"Why are you just giving this all up willingly?" Kelsi asked, suspicious.
"Why lie? I have no love for Victoria, and even less so now, seeing what she did to those two poor girls is unforgivable. We only needed a bit of blood that I replaced anyway, no need to torture them like that… I'm telling you because I hate her, and she needs to be stopped, if I could be away, preferably to some far off world she has never heard of, that would be nice."
"Okay, you want out… That it? Because I can help." Zack told him, Alrik nodded.
"Well, I mentioned that Roseanna will grow a heart, and will of her own. But, there is a program on my computer that can control her. I could always delete the program, if you help of course." Alrik told them, Toni glared at him.
"I really don't think you're in any position to bargain for anything." Toni told him, in a low growl.
"I do know that the Children of Darkness have infiltrated the Protectors. Zack, your people were getting ambushed, my computer has the list of traitors, as well as other valuable information on the Children of Darkness. Only I am allowed to access those features, so if I were to give you something to link up to my locked computer, you could monitor all of the Children of Darkness' activities in real time, since my computer get's automatically uploaded with all data from the group."
"What if they trace it back to our base?" Zack asked him, Alrik nodded.
"I understand you precaution. But, like I said, only I can access this information from my computer. If I were to lock it, they couldn't break in to trace it. They wouldn't know a thing, and you gain an immeasurable lead on the Children of Darkness." Alrik told them.
"Okay, but answer this, what did they need Emily's blood for, and why would Victoria just let them go if she intended to make them suffer, it doesn't add up." Zack said, Alrik nodded.
"Emily's blood is being used to make a special toxin that negates magic. The exact details are on my computer, and I'm the one who convinced Victoria to let them go. I had to tell her that killing Violet like she planned would be counterproductive if she wanted to make her suffer as much as possible." Alrik told them, Toni glared at him.
"Okay… Vani, let him go… I trust you can find your own way out?" Zack asked, Alrik let out a sigh as Vani back off of him, and walked over to Zack, still looking protective.
"I wish, but Victoria can sense my Darkness, so I need to use another means of transport." He told them, Zack nodded.
"I can have Cidney set something up, as soon as we have that data. I need to root out some traitors… Vani, after that, do with them as you please. As far as I'm concerned, they allowed this to happen, so let the punishment fit the crime." Zack told her, Vani nodded.
-Aftermath-Apex High-
"Is she awake yet?" Arthur asked, as he swung his Keyblade at Damon, who jumped back, before rushing forwards and swinging at Arthur's head, Arthur ducked out of the way.
"Don't know, she seems stable, so could be any day now." Damon replied as Arthur grabbed his Keyblade and pushed it away, in an effort to throw Damon off, it didn't work, and Damon tripped him before kicking him in the chest, sending Arthur flying into a tree.
"Son of a taint…" Arthur muttered as he picked himself up, and glared at Damon who smirked, and rested his Keyblade on his shoulder lazily. He raised a hand and taunted Arthur to come at him.
"Come on Chimney, show me that you really got." Damon taunted, Arthur glared at him, and threw his head back, he took a quick breath and rushed at Damon, swinging his Keyblade into the ground, and using the momentum to launch over Damon, kicking him in the head. Once Arthur landed on his feet he placed both hands on his Keyblade and swung hard, using his momentum to turn himself around.
The Keyblades met with a loud clank, as Damon blocked the blow. He used his superior strength to push Arthur's Keyblade away from him, leaving him defenseless as Damon turned with a quick elbow to the face, knocking Arthur on his ass, holding his nose, as a bit of blood dribbled from it.
"You're a fucking asshole, you know that?" Arthur asked, Damon smirked, and held his hand out, dismissing his Keyblade quickly. Arthur took his hand and pulled himself up.
"Maybe you should get good mate." Damon mocked him, with a smirk. Arthur just shook his head and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it with some quick fire magic. Ashley, and another teen walked up to them, looking like he was blushing terribly at being dragged quite literally behind Ashley, Damon recognized him.
Jason Eric O'Conner, or Jace to his friends. Brown hair, styled in a similar manner to the old Hero Cloud, with violet eyes. With a light tan, with an average body type, a few inches shorter than Damon, and Ashley.
"Hey Ashley, why are you hanging around Jace?" Damon asked, Arthur turned to him with a slightly irritated look, after blowing some smoke out.
"Do you just literally know everyone?"
"Pretty much, I get around." Damon told him with a cocky smirk, Arthur just shook his head and took another drag off his cigarette, looking to Jason, and Ashley.
"Were you two fighting?" Ashley asked, Damon smirked.
"One of us was trying to, one was succeeding." Damon told her, Arthur glared at him.
"Dick."
"Anyway, I met Jason here while I was exploring my new school. I'm going to school here by the way… Did you have to register your Keyblade's too?" Ashley asked, Damon, and Arthur nodded.
"Yeah, which Keyblade do you have?" Arthur asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Make that plural, Keyblade's. I have Circle of Life, and Hero's Crest. This may come as a surprise to you, but I really like hitting things." Ashley told them with a glint in her eyes. Damon smiled, and looked to Jason.
"So, Jace, how's the year going so far?" Damon asked, Jason shrugged.
"It's going good. I haven't actually got a chance to talk to you, like at all really." Jason told him, Damon nodded.
"I've been busy following Violet around. I don't think you know her, she doesn't talk to many people outside our group, and even then she only really listens to Kya." Damon said, Jason hummed, and nodded.
"Is she the one who didn't choose a faction?" Jason asked, Damon nodded, Arthur smiled.
"That's her alright. Love that girl, we should visit her today."
"Where is she?" Jason asked, Damon got a sour look on his face.
"She's in the hospital. Something… bad happened to her." Was all Damon said, agitation clear in his voice. Jason nodded.
"So… Damon, I have a question for you, it may not be the best time, but… I don't know, I just have to ask." Ashley said, Damon looked at her and nodded.
"What is it Ash?" Damon asked, with a raised eyebrow, Ashley's cheeks tinted pink slightly.
"Would you wanna go out sometime?" Ashley asked, Damon smiled, with a chuckle.
"Sure Ash, but what brought this on though?"
"I don't know, I just think you're cute, a girl cant ask out a cute guy without some sort of agenda?"
"Well I mean, usually the guy asks the girl out." Damon pointed out, Ashley nodded.
"Yeah, and usually the girl doesn't have two Keyblades, and cant kick the guys ass." Ashley replied.
"You could not."
"Want a bet then? If I win, I get to pick where we go, and what we do. If you win, you do." Ashley said, Damon smirked, and grabbed his Key-Chain, summoning Fenrir.
"Sounds good." Damon said, Ashley smiled wickedly at him, cracking her knuckled, and grabbing her Key-Chains, summoning Hero's Crest in her left hand, and Circle of Life in her right, dropping into a stance similar to Sora, in Valor form.
"You're crazy, this bitch hits hard!" Arthur told her, Ashley smirked at him.
"Hope he can take them then." Ashley stated confidently. Arthur just shook his head and stood back alongside Jason.
"I wont use my full strength." Damon told her, Ashley's face twisted up, as she shook her head. She rushed forwards, faster than the three boys could track, next thing Damon knew Hero's Crest was being slammed into his ribcage, sending him flying into a tree. Arthur smirked a bit.
"Then I wont use mine." Ashley told him, with a smirk. Damon just looked at her.
"That wasn't it?" Arthur asked, Ashley shook her head.
"That was about… I'd say twenty five percent, if I had to put a number on it." Ashley told them, Damon smiled a bit.
"I'm calling your bluff." Damon told her, Ashley glared at him, and motioned for him to come at her. She shut her eyes the moment he was close enough to hit her, letting instinct control her body, as she brought a Keyblade up to block his blow.
She used force to push his Keyblade out of the way, spinning on her heel, and striking him in the leg with Circle of Life, tripping him. She then drove Circle of Life into the ground using it as her new leverage point as she turned in a circle once again, sticking her feet straight out in front of her, and bringing them smashing into Damon's chest sending him flying towards the same tree as earlier. She landed on her feet, and opened her eyes, resuming her stance.
"Thirty Five." She said, glaring at him. "You don't want me to go to one hundred. I broke Zen's Keyblade when I hit it." Ashley warned him, he just looked at her, she didn't look like she packed a punch, but she sure did. She wasn't petite by any means, actually she looked relatively average for her age, with a slightly larger chest, but that was completely irrelevant to the fight.
"You broke a Keyblade? How?" Arthur asked, Ashley shrugged.
"I hit him as hard as I could. Only a Keyblade can break another Keyblade as far as I know. It's actually why Zen uses a katana to fight now, I broke his first katana too… he didn't train with me after that."
"How did you get so strong?" Damon asked, Ashley shrugged.
"I cant access my magic normally, well… Not much, so I put all of it into my physical skills, strength, speed, endurance, stamina… I can fight for hours and not break a sweat. Anyway, come at me. I want one hundred percent!" She yelled at Damon, who smirked, nodding, deciding to go all out, she could take it.
Damon rushed at her, swinging his Keyblade overhead, he noticed her eyes close, before she raised her Keyblade's up and blocked with both. So that Fenrir fit between them, Ashley quickly dragged Circle of Life down, catching Fenrir, and pulling it away sending both Keyblade's flying away.
Ashley kicked Damon in the chest, and held out her hand recalling Circle of Life while he was winded. She raised Hero's Crest up, and swung at him, causing him to duck, he stuck his hand out and summoned Fenrir, just as it materialized in his hand she used Circle of Life to grip his shoulder and pull him forwards, she placed her foot on his back and shoved him to the ground, with a smile.
"Ready to give up?" Ashley asked, eyes still shut tight, Damon growled under her, and reached up and tried to find his grip, grabbing the underside of her knee, causing her to shriek girlishly, and jump away from him, with a blush on her cheeks. Damon pushed himself up off the ground, and to his feet, looking at her red face, eyes still shut tight.
"What was that huh?"
"Nothing!" Ashley shouted at him, he smirked, and ran towards her, she was mindful to not use her feet, or let him get too close as she was put on the defensive. He was fast, but she was as well, plus she had the benefit of having two Keyblade's while he had one. She was trained to use her pure instinct, and not think about her actions, allowing her body to react naturally to threats, each part of her body reacting independently to different forms of stimuli. It had distracted her when he grabbed her knee, causing her to think more, and lose some of her poise.
"Off your game a bit there Ash?" Damon taunted her, Ashley's face twisted slightly as she tried to form a response. Her brain struggling to move on it's own while still processing his words, and trying to form a response. She had to end this now, she opened her eyes, and allowed herself to think about what she was doing, and would do in the future. She glared at him, and knocked Fenrir up with Hero's Crest, kicking him in the chest, knocking him back, she jumped up and behind him, swinging Circle of Life at him, and knocking him to the ground.
"You cant beat me." Ashley warned him, regaining her poise, and closing her eyes just in case. The few seconds of inaction allowed her the time necessary to let instinct take over again.
"Fine, you win…" Damon conceded. Standing up as Ashley opened her eyes, and dismissed her Keyblade's, as he did with Fenrir. He just looked at her, he had several questions for her. "But… What was that with your knee, and why do you close your eyes when fighting?"
"Well, I'm extremely ticklish, particularly there, and I let my instincts fight for me. I don't use thought like most people. I was trained by Zack, Vani, Fiona, and my dad Ridex, alongside Yuri, and Zen. I was the star pupil of that technique. Yuri uses his power to help him fight, and Zen isn't that good at fighting in general."
"Huh, you should teach me sometime." Damon told her, Ashley smiled at him a bit.
"I'm sure there are parts of you that react out of instinct." Ashley told him, with a smile, Damon chuckled.
"I could show you personally."
"I bet yeah. But after our date, at least. Maybe, if you're lucky."
"Where are we going anyway?" Damon asked her, Ashley hummed.
"I don't know. Once I know that Violet is okay, there's this restaurant in Radiant Garden I want to go to, Violet told me she and Kya went there. Should be fun, sound good?" Ashley asked, Damon chuckled, and nodded.
"Sounds good… We should check on her, what do you say?"
"I say, why are we still here? Arthur, Jason, you coming with?" Ashley asked, Arthur nodded, Jason shrugged.
"I'll pass, don't really know her, and I've got some studying to do." Jason told them, Ashley nodded, as she, Arthur, and Damon walked off to see Violet in the hospital.
Oc Introduced in this chapter:
Jason Eric O-Conner- joshadams
Well, that's it folks. Hope you enjoyed and I will see you next chapter! Nothing more to say, other than me gushing about Uncharted 4.