Riku and Telary land hard on the stone floor of a very small room somewhere within Opar's grand palace. They traveled down several staircases to get here, so Telary can only guess it's the cell of some kind of underground dungeon. Lack of windows and illumination are key parts in the assembly of that theory.
Before either hero can react, the two Apewilds that carried them down are pushing a massive boulder across the entrance. Riku rises to his feet first, charging at the rapidly diminishing exit. But he's too late, the cell's barrier slotting into place neatly. With the light from the torches in the hall blocked, the room is plunged into perfect blackness. Even Riku's abnormally good night vision is challenged to see much of anything.
Luckily, Telary's got an idea on the illumination situation. He simply calls magic fire to the tip of his staff, where it burns like a torch. Luckily, a quick scan of the small room reveals a few actual torches embedded in the walls. The wizard quickly lights them.
"Help me with this thing," Riku calls to the wizard once he's done. They both put their hands on the boulder blocking their exit, pushing with all their might. But it's useless, the huge rock never once seeming to waver or budge. After a long minute the pair stops, exhausted.
"Clever trap, to use on a Keyblade wielder," Telary comments, huffing and puffing his way through the statement. "Another little suggestion from Maleficent, do you think?"
"From how that queen talked, it sounds like Maleficent let her in on the secret of Heartless control." Riku sighs, wiping some sweat from his forehead. Unbidden, the memory of himself learning the trick of it plays through the young man's mind.
"You just can't keep that witch down, can you?" Telary lets himself sink to a sitting position on the floor, back still resting on the boulder. "She even came back after we killed her."
"Which still really bothers me, by the way," Riku says, pushing off the boulder and pacing to the other side of the cell. "But that isn't the problem right now. La has Sora, and she's after Kairi too."
"Azlyn must've gotten away, though," Telary says confidently. After Riku silently stares at him a moment, the wizard just shrugs and says, "I would know if Azlyn was… gone. She's out there, and she'll go looking for Kairi."
"I guess it's up to them now, huh." With another sigh, Riku sits down against the wall. He faces Telary from across the few feet the room allows between them. For a moment, the pair just silently stare at one another. A long moment. Finally, the silver-haired young man leans forward.
Telary raises an eyebrow at Riku's new posture.
"We're going to talk now," Riku says, his tone even and voice tightly controlled. "Sora was right, back before this whole mess started. You and I need to get ourselves together. So, what's your problem with me?"
Well, that's certainly blunt. But a long life of dealing with Azlyn has prepared Telary for that kind of thing. He takes a deep breath before beginning to speak. "First of all, it's not what you think, alright? I'm not still mad about you being on Maleficent's team. I understand why you did what you did, though I still think it was, y'know, pretty stupid."
The silver-haired young man snorts. "Yeah, well, join the club." He leans back, his expression pensive but interested. "That's really not it?"
"Not at all," Telary replies, shaking his head firmly. "You're back on the right side now, that's all that matters."
"What, then?" Riku asks, standing up and looking down at the wizard. Now that his initial thoughts on his disapproval have been proven wrong, the young man is immensely curious. "What did I do that makes you so angry?"
"You weren't there for him," Telary replies, his voice quiet yet undeniably angry. He looks up, directly into Riku's eyes. "You never said a word, gave any indication that you were alright, that you were even alive." The wizard is standing now, fists clenched tightly as he takes a step forward. "You just skulked around in the shadows, keeping everyone guessing. You even told the king not to confirm anything. That hurt him, more than I think you…"
"You think I don't know?" Riku snaps, pounding his fist against the wall. "You think I didn't care that my best friend had no idea what I was doing, where I was? But I couldn't face him, not like I was."
"That, if you'll excuse my language, is pure bullshit," Telary counters, his voice steady and iron-hard. "You say he's your best friend, but if you thought he could ever look at you, no matter what, with anything less than complete understanding, then it seems like you don't know him at all."
"And I guess you do, hm? You haven't known him half, hell, a tenth as long as I have. And now, all of the sudden you know automatically what's best for him?"
"We went through hell together!" Tears have begun filling Telary's eyes, reflecting the torchlight. "When he needed a shoulder, mine was there. He told me everything, because he knew he could. Because he knew I would never abandon him, hide away from him for some stupid reason. I do know him."
"Then why," Riku says, looking down at the ground, his voice dropping to just above a whisper, "are you still mad at me, hm? You know he forgave me, that he understood my reasons. But you just keep on trying to be mad at me for him, like he's too stupid to know what he should feel."
Telary's whole body droops, like the steam's run out of his engines. His fists unclench, hands
feeling slightly sore after how tightly they'd been squeezed.
"What else does that leave me then?" the wizard asks, a single tear escaping his eye. "A stupid feeling inside, just because I'm jealous? Of how cool you always are, how tough and strong. He looks up to you so much, even after everything."
"You want to talk about feeling stupid?" Riku replies, a small laugh escaping his lips. "How about me, feeling like a complete idiot next to this great guy who, according to Sora, knows everything about everything. A guy who, like you said, was there for him when I was too stubborn or afraid to try and be."
"He sounds pretty great," Telary agrees, laughing a bit himself. "Wouldn't want to compete with him."
"But it isn't a competition, is it?" Riku says, like for the first time this is a solid fact that he understands. "Sora cares about us both a lot, doesn't he?"
"If he didn't, he wouldn't have been so upset that we weren't getting along." Telary leans back against the cell wall again, tired for some reason despite the minimal physical effort that conversation required. "And he was right, about us. We've got more things in common than we think."
"We're surrounded by idiots, for one thing," Riku declares, chuckling. Telary nods, laughing as well. Their laughter builds upon each other's, and soon, the whole cell is shaking with the sound of it.
"Well," Telary says after it's over, working hard to control his breathing once again, "I guess, once again, being locked in a small room together has saved the day."
"Speaking of," Riku says, turning back to the barricaded entrance. "How the hell are we supposed to get out of here?"
"Pushing won't help," Telary says, stepping up closer to the boulder, looking it over with a critical eye. "And I'm not sure there are any spells I know that could break this without killing us too."
"This is another time," Riku declares with a long sigh, "that I kind of can't help but wish I could still call up dark portals."
"That did always seem pretty handy to me," Telary agrees. "Despite the fact that most of the people using them wanted to kill me. And, of course, the Keyblade can't help."
Riku's about to agree, when suddenly an idea hits him. He moves over to the boulder, crouching down to examine the ground. Summoning his blade to hand, he carefully moves the edge along the ground, starting to jimmy the flat blade beneath the boulder. It takes effort, but he manages to get an inch or two beneath the great rock.
"Maybe it's not so useless," the silver-haired young man declares, his voice triumphant. "We might not be able to push it ourselves, we aren't in the right position. But, if we can get some leverage on it…"
"It could be rolled away," Telary finishes, nodding as he thinks the idea over. "And you said I know everything." He shrugs. "Anything is worth a shot at this point."
Riku rears his blade back, holding the hilt with both hands. He stabs it downward, using as much strength as possible to get the blade a few inches beneath the boulder. He gives it a tug, making sure the lever is secure. To his surprise, there's the tiniest fraction of movement.
"Working," he grunts, conserving words and thus energy.
"Okay, a good start," Telary says. He leans forward, grabbing whatever parts of the metal hilt that Riku's hands don' already cover. It puts him in the rather awkward position of hugging the silver-haired Keyblade wielder from behind, but a little discomfort is a worthy price for freedom. After a count of three, both men tug upward on the makeshift lever with all their strength.
It doesn't take long before they can feel progress, the large rock slowly rolling forward. They know that they need only to move it just enough for its own momentum to get it completely out of the way. For a minute, it seems to be an impossible task. The strain is gruesome, requiring complete focus.
Which is why neither man hears the sound of another blade striking the boulder outside their cell. All they know is that suddenly, the task feels considerably easier. Only seconds later, the boulder begins rolling to the side of its own volition.
Riku dismisses the Keyblade, both he and Telary bent over to try and catch their breaths. A moment later, two pair of shoes step into the men's field of vision. Looking up, they see Kairi and Azlyn standing before them, also looking rather tired.
"Az!" Telary springs up and jumps forward to hug his fiancée, all tiredness forgotten in the sheer joy of seeing her alive.
"Hey, Tel," she greets him in return, wrapping her own arms around him. "What's with all this? You didn't think I was gonna let some jungle lady with a glowing stick do me in, did ya?"
"Nice to see that you're okay too, Kairi," Riku greets his old friend with a fond smile. "I guess you managed to get away from La's goons?"
"Well," the redhead says, amusement evident in her voice, "it's kind of funny you should mention that." She points behind Riku, grinning slightly.
He whirls around, startled to be face to face with a gang of leopard-men. They give him fierce looks, yet make no move to shove him back into the cell.
"Interesting," Telary says, finally letting go of Azlyn. He turns to his sister instead, one eyebrow raised quizzically. "I assume they aren't here to eat us?"
Kairi shakes her head firmly. "No. In fact, they need our help just as much as we do theirs." One of the leopard-men snarls something, startling Telary with its ferocity. Kairi is hardly concerned though, merely nodding along. "You've got a point there, Kaaj."
"You can understand them?" Riku asks, hands on hips.
"I've always been good with animals," Kairi replies with a shrug. "Now that we're all back together, we can go after freeing Sora. According to Unene," she points to a leopard-man, "La is keeping Sora up in the throne room itself. No obvious Heartless, but they can be summoned easily, if she knows the trick."
"So, direct approach?" Azlyn suggests, beating a fist into her open palm.
"Didn't work so well last time," Telary points out. "With Heartless and that staff on her side, La could prove a match even for all of us."
"The staff is the key," Kairi explains. "If I can get my hands on it, then the leopard-men can be freed. Plus, La will be powerless. We need to get to it."
Kaaj speaks for a minute, bewildering everyone but the Princess of Heart in the room.
"The throne room is huge, apparently," Kairi translates for the rest of the party. "And La made sure to seal off most of the clever ways to get into it. If we have to run all the way to the throne with nothing but open space between us and the queen, casualties will be unavoidable."
"No direct approach then," Telary says, waving the prospect away. "We need something sneaky. To catch her off guard."
Riku's eyes light up, and idea coming to him. "This leopard-men mutiny," he says, turning to Kairi. "Does La have any idea it exists?"
"No, she doesn't," Kairi replies, becoming thoughtful as well.
"Good," Riku says, a smile spreading across his face. "In that case, I think I have the perfect plan..."
KH-KH-KH
The sound of the throne room's massive doors slowly opening snaps Sora back into reality. He'd almost fallen asleep, despite the uncomfortable sensation of being tied to a stone column. Clearly, that's not happening now.
Especially once the Keybearer gets an eyeful of what the doors were opened to admit. A large group of leopard-men lead Riku, Kairi, Azlyn, and Telary into the room. All four have their hands bound. Two of the beastly guards carry Az and Tel's weapons. Sora grimaces, noting the subdued looks on every one of his friends' faces. What must have been done to them?
The lead leopard-man bows before his mistress, the others doing the same at the same time they force the captives to their knees.
Queen La stands from her reclining position on the throne. Grabbing her staff, she walks down the stairs of the platform the throne is situated atop.
"I must say, Kaaj," she begins, leering appreciatively at the captives assembled before her, "I had doubts as to your ability to make this happen. You show an incredible resourcefulness, perhaps one worth keeping around."
Sora sees Kairi and Telary exchange quick glances at the queen's words, but what that could possibly mean flies right over the boy's head.
"We'll get out of this!" Riku yells defiantly. He stands and begins to charge, but a leopard-man swiftly punches him in the stomach. The silver-haired young man goes down hard, as yet another indecipherable look passes between Kairi and her brother.
Sora has seen quite enough, body tensing as he readies himself for action. But then Kairi, acting out of some odd relationship-mind-meld, turns one of her looks to him. This one is far less undecipherable, easily translating to "Not now!" Confident in his friends, the Keybearer relaxes. They've got this.
Probably.
"A fighter to the end, I see," La says, chuckling at the sight of her soon-to-be mate on his knees. "Such an admirable quality. I look forward to it being turned to my service."
"That will never happen," Riku grunts, still obviously in pain. Even knowing there's some kind of plan going on, Sora has to fight the urge to break free and attack.
"Not right away, perhaps," the queen admits. "But once your friends are removed from the equation, and I am your only companion, I suspect things will take a different turn. Bring him to me."
The leopard-men comply, two of the picking Riku up by the biceps and dragging him across the stone floor.
"What happens to the rest of us?" Kairi asks, her voice steely and defiant.
"For all my sins, I am a woman of my word," La explains, momentarily taking her eyes off the approaching Riku. "Maleficent desires you, and your tied up friend over there. When she arrives, you'll be handed over to her tender loving care."
Reaching their queen, the leopard-men drop Riku at her feet. He snarls up at the woman, but she only rolls her eyes, smacking him hard in the face with her staff. The silver-haired young man goes down again.
And in that same moment, Kaaj and Sheeta dive forward, grabbing at their queen. La gasps in surprise, the gem in her staff glowing as she quickly backs away. A pink beam shoots out, colliding with Sheeta and disintegrating him on the spot.
Kaaj ignores the plight of his comrade, pressing on to his goal. He manages to get his paws on La's staff, tugging at it for all he's worth. Snarling, La attempts to summon another blast. Until she feels cold metal, pressing against her neck. Looking behind her, she sees Riku standing there, Way to Dawn held at her throat.
"You treacherous…!" La screeches.
"What's wrong?' Riku asks condescendingly. "I thought you were all about having a strong mate. Let go of the staff. I think your reign is over."
Kairi, Azlyn, and Telary stand, easily snapping their bonds with a small bit of applied force. The leopard-men hand the Disney Castle pair their weapons back, and Kairi summons her Keyblade. The heroes and their leopard-men allies approaching the throne.
Until a blaze of green fire whirls to life, directly between them and the captured queen. It fades out in moments, leaving behind Maleficent. In a few quick glances, the witch takes everything in.
"As I suspected," Maleficent sighs. Kairi, Azlyn, and Telary make a run at her, but a negligent wave of her staff summons a burst of flame. The heat drives them back, and when the fire is gone, a group of Powerwilds stand in its place. Her other foes deterred, Maleficent turns back to her erstwhile partner. "Your own arrogant shortsightedness has betrayed you."
"You knew?" La rages, hissing at the jade-skinned woman. "And said nothing?"
"Why should I be forced to hold your hand, my dear?" Maleficent inquires, nothing but sheer disdain in her every word. "Any fool could have foreseen your minions' rebellion. Anyone worthy of my patronage."
"So, what happens now?" Riku asks, stepping closer to Maleficent while still keeping La at swordpoint. "You've done your gloating, flaunted your superiority. Is that enough to convince you to leave peacefully?"
"Why, my dear Riku," the witch declares, pressing a hand to her chest as if offended, "certainly you know me better than that?"
Riku moves quickly, pushing La and Kaaj away as he himself leaps to the side. Just in time, as not a moment later two massive fists crack the throne room's stone floor. The silver-haired Keybearer lands a few feet away, regaining his bearings just in time to have them upset again as an Apewild charges at him.
More Heartless attack the rest of the group as well, Armored Soldiers and Neoshadows advancing on Kairi, Azlyn, Telary, and the remaining leopard-men. Azlyn charges forward and slashes a Neoshadow in half, the battle erupting from there into a more frenzied conflict.
Sora struggles against the ropes holding him captive, every fiber of his being crying out to help his friends. Not to mention the fact that some Neoshadows are approaching him. He tries his best, but the ties still bind. By chance, he sees Telary hurling a fireball at an Armored Knight. Quickly realizing his boneheaded oversight, the Keybearer summons a fire spell of his own. The ropes burn away in seconds.
Magic. Why does he always forget he has magic?
Sora slashes downward, knocking the Neoshadow to the ground and stunning it, though not killing it completely. He doesn't get a chance to deliver a killing blow, though, as two more of the shadowy creatures leap over their fallen comrade, straight at him. The Keybearer slashes twice, knocking them back.
But the first Neoshadow has recovered by now, going for his legs. Sora dances out of the way of its claws, stabbing his Keyblade directly downward, tip first. It sinks into the Heartless's flesh, killing it instantly. The other Neoshadows attack again, but he quickly cuts them to pieces.
He scans the room, somehow instinctively finding Kairi amid the chaos. She's holding her own against an Armored Knight, assisted by two leopard-men. The Princess of Heart cuts through the Heartless. Sora runs over to her, taking out some Shadows along the way. A Powerwild jumps at his back, but before it lands a globe of white light slams into it. With a sizzling sound, the Heartless pretty much evaporates.
"Hey," the Keybearer greets his girlfriend, casual despite all the chaos ensuing at the moment.
"Hi," she replies, stabbing through an Armored Knight. The enemy defeated, she turns to face him with a small grin. "Nice of you to join us."
"Things really fall apart without me here, huh?" Sora quips, smiling his widest smile right back. "But, uh, seriously… What in the worlds is going on right now?"
"Long story," Kairi declares, blocking an assault from a Powerwild's claws. She bashes it on the head. "Short version, the leopard guys are good, and I need to get La's staff."
The Keybearer throws his gaze over to Queen La's last position, and the sight awaiting him there isn't a positive one. La seems to have regained her staff, firing off shots of pink energy more or less at random. One blast manages to hit a leopard-man, his body disappearing and leaving only his meager coverings behind.
"That one?" Sora clarifies, with a gulp that would be audible if not for the surrounding chaos.
"Crap!" Kairi declares, stomping the ground in frustration.
Across the room, Riku faces off against a raging Apewild. He manages a few blows here and there, but nothing with enough power to finish the creature off. If anything, he's only making it angrier.
A huge fist lashes out, the silver-haired Keyblade wielder barely ducking it. He slashes against the creature's stomach, but again the damage seems minimal. It turns and lashes out again, Riku somersaulting forward and past the Heartless entirely.
He regains his feet and turns to see the Apewild charging. Riku braces himself to try and counterattack, but before the Heartless can reach him, Azlyn springs in. The Disney Castle knight plows her feet into the creature's head, sending it hurtling into the floor face-first. With another front flip, she lands by Riku's side.
"I already hate all Heartless," she comments, watching warily as the Apewild tries to get back on its feet. "But I'm starting to hate this kind the most."
"It's tough," Riku agrees. "Got a lot of weight to throw around." He gives the knight a mocking once-over. "Though of course, you'd know all about that."
"You're just bitter 'cause you know you can never have me," she shoots right back. "Although, you might be on to something here. This thing likes to give out the bum's rush. Whaddya say…?"
The silver-haired Keyblade wielder nods. "Taste of its own medicine? Let's go for it."
The Apewild is back on its feet, facing its opponents. The creature is just contemplating a charge when, suddenly, the tables are turned. Azlyn and Riku rush the Heartless, leaping up for momentum and crashing into it. Wrapping their arms around its bulky frame, the pair flip forward, slamming the Apewild into the ground in a devastating suplex. It explodes on impact, the force proving to be just too much.
"I guess," Azlyn declares, a little out of breath, "there really is something to be said for teamwork, huh?"
Shining bolts of lightning crash down behind the pair. They turn quickly, just it time to see a veritable swarm of Shadows laid low by the power. A few feet away, Telary rests his staff against his shoulder.
"You got that right," the wizard agrees with a grin.
A burst of strangely colored light explodes a few yards away, accompanied by a devastatingly loud noise. Startled, everyone turns to the middle of the chamber, where Queen La and Maleficent are demonstrating a remarkable lack of respect for teamwork. The two sorceresses stand across the hall, their staffs swinging and flashing as they hurl great power against each other. Their powers meet in the middle, producing one technicolor detonation after another.
Riku, Azlyn, and Telary, taking advantage of the evil women's distraction, rush over to where Sora, Kairi, and the remaining leopard-men stand.
"We need to get that staff," Kairi growls, watching the magical duel with a frown. "And I don't think we can do that while Maleficent is blasting away at it."
"Maybe we'll get lucky, and they'll just end up killing each other?" Sora suggests, shrugging weakly.
Riku shakes his head. "Probably best not to bank on that. Honestly, I don't think this lasts much longer. We've all seen Maleficent go all out. She's just toying with La."
Kaaj says something in snarls and growls, only Kairi understanding a word. "He says this is as much effort as they've ever seen La go to," she explains. "And she probably can't sustain it for long."
"Which should give us an advantage against her," Telary chimes in. "But we'll need to make Maleficent focus on something else."
"I can handle that," Riku declares confidently. "She won't be able to resist me."
"Finally, a woman you can say that about," Azlyn quips. "I'm in on that action, too."
"Count me in," Telary declares. "I'll have your back, Riku."
"Aw, look at you guys!" Sora gushes, smiling like a fool. "I told you spending some time together would…"
"Save it for later, Sora," Kairi admonishes the boy. "Right now, we've got a job to do."
With another sweep of her staff, Maleficent deflects La's latest onslaught with a curtain of green fire. The queen of Opar seems to scream with every attack, something about betrayal and treachery. Honestly, she isn't paying that much attention.
Until finally something manages to catch her eye. Riku and the two Disney Castle lackeys (She honestly can never remember their names. Then again, what does that really matter?) are making their way over in her direction. At the same time, Sora, the Princess, and the leopard-men head for La. A two-pronged attack, most likely to take advantage of Maleficent and La's preoccupation. Interesting notion, but not anything that could catch the Mistress of All Evil by surprise.
She sends out two bursts of flame, one to keep La from firing, the other directed to Riku and… whoever. The tall redhead raises his wizard's staff, deflecting the fire with a magical barrier. La, meanwhile, barely manages to protect herself, simultaneously noticing the foes coming for her. The queen's attention suddenly shifts, and she turns to face down her rebellious subjects and their Keybearing heroes.
This situation seems to have run its course, anyway. An amusing diversion, but Maleficent has other, more important arrangements to be making. Summoning dark power, the witch takes her leave.
La, on the other hand, is not so inclined to lay down and die. She feels exhausted, thinly stretched after her hard fought duel with Maleficent. The queen of Opar knows her own power is great, but that witch… Something dark taints her magic, undeniably powerful but fundamentally wrong.
But there's no time to dwell on that, either the fatigue or the mystery of Maleficent. Not when her former minions and two Keyblade wielders are charging straight for her. Marshaling the strength she has left, Queen La of Opar unleashes her full power once again.
Kairi raises her blade, sweeping aside a blast of pink energy. The next she dodges, always moving forward, never stopping. From the corner of her eye she sees a leopard-man, perhaps Kaaj or Numa, get hit, disincorporating in an instant. But still she can't stop, can't falter. Not if the rest of these poor people are to get their lives back.
It's never occurred to her before, the sacrifices one must make to carry out heroism. From this day on, she'll never forget it. Driven by the power of her conviction and the memory of those already fallen, she reaches the evil queen first.
A blast of energy, wider and brighter than any before, drives straight for the Princess of Heart. She sees it coming, her body already moving. Instinct takes over, a small, familiar voice in the back of her head declaring, "You're dead, Princess."
"Not yet," Kairi mutters, gathering herself for a leap. She leaves the ground with grace and power, drilled into her by hours of instruction, hard-learned lessons. She sails upward, her body twisting forward and around as she passes through the air over La's head. The mad queen's eyes follow her, a panicked look on her face.
Kairi lands behind La, her feet touching the ground more gracefully than she'd even thought they could. She faces her opponent's back, watches as she turns around, seeming to move at half speed. La raises her staff, held tightly in one hand as she directs the carved leopard's mouth and the jewel within at the Princess of Heart.
But Kairi's Keyblade is already there, smacking the wooden scepter with an audible crack. La loses her grip, the staff rising into the air and turning lazy flips. The queen of Opar reaches out for her mark of office, source of all her power. But she's too slow, too late.
Kairi snatches the scepter right out of the air.
La howls, leaping at the Princess of Heart. Kairi's elbow snaps up, connecting with the queen's chin and sending her to the floor. With the enemy down, Kairi can concentrate on doing what she came here for.
Her Keyblade is dismissed in a flash of light, allowing her to wrap both hands around the staff. She can feel the power inside its gem, calling out to her and reacting with the light of her heart. A glow surrounds Kairi, pink and bright enough to hurt the eyes. Her eyes go white, the power surrounding her now seeping into her body.
Her friends and the leopard-men watch with awe and anticipation, eyes following the staff as Kairi raises it higher. Energy radiates from the gem, flowing freely as water from a broken dam.
A pile of clothes begins to stir on the ground, energy swirling within. There's a flash, and suddenly a full and healthy leopard-man stands there, looking over its revived form with awe. The scene repeats itself all around the throne room, all the fallen beastmen restored to life by Opar's new queen.
But the damage is not yet undone, the ache of transformation still haunting each leopard-man. For too long have these creatures suffered, doing the bidding of a madwoman. No longer, if Kari's to have any say about it. She raises the staff even higher, preparing the strength of her arms.
La realizes the Princess's ploy, leaps for her in desperation. Riku reaches out, holding the jungle queen at bay. There will be no stopping this.
Kairi brings the staff down hard, slamming its powerful jewel into the stone floor with as much force as she can muster. For all its mystical might, the gem itself is a fragile thing. It shatters, bursting into hundreds of little pieces with a small explosion of power.
From that conflagration comes a billowing cloud of thick smoke, pink and orange blending together. It spreads out in a perfect circle, sweeping over everything in its path.
It reaches La and she cries out, wrenching hard enough to pull away from Riku's grasp. But it's no matter, the old queen's reign has ended. She begins fading, every inch of her turning to grey grains of dust. Her form can no longer sustain itself, melting into nothing but a pile of ashes.
"No!" La screams at her last, her entire being falling apart into motes. Somehow she finds a way to turn to the heroes and her rebellious minions, a look of pure spite and hatred on her rapidly disintegrating fingers. "A curse… On you… All!"
Then her mouth melts, joining the rest of her body as it blows away in the wind like fine grains of sand.
Azlyn is about to make a commentary when the wave of smoke reaches Kaaj. The leopard-man closes his eyes, receiving the magical mist like a thirsty man drinking precious water. His form begins to change, his body hunching forward as it twists itself into a new shape. The garments he wears fall to the ground, his body no longer fit to accommodate them.
All around the process repeats itself on the leopard-men, returning them to their true forms. But, as it turns out, La's minions were not men turned bestial, but ordinary leopards made anthropomorphic.
Soon all leopard-men have been restored to proper form, but still the magic smoke spreads in its circle. It reaches the throne room's exit, freely flowing out into the rest of the world. As it passes the threshold, the entire palace begins to shake.
"I guess that magic power was all that was keeping this city intact, huh?" Telary points out, holding on to Azlyn for balance.
"Why do all the ancient cities I visit always collapse?" Sora sighs. He looks over to Kairi, who stands still as a statue, staring at the last spot La stood in. Concerned, he jogs over to her. "Are you okay?"
"I killed her," the Princess says quietly, almost unheard over the sounds of Opar's collapse. "I…"
"You also saved them," Riku reminds her, gesturing to where the freed leopards are making their exit.
One looks over its shoulder at Kairi, giving the Princess of Heart a respectful nod. With a mighty roar, Kaaj leads his people to safety.
Sora does the same for his. The palace is collapsing around them, huge chunks of rubble falling from the sky. A hasty exit is necessary for survival. As a group, the quintet run through the crumbing city. Flying rubble and imploding bridges and roads provide numerous obstacles, each as perilous as the last.
But by keeping a close eye out for each other and working together, Sora, Azlyn, Telary, Riku, and Kairi are able make it through everything. Through anything.
Ah, another successful climax. Uh, that was not meant to sound as dirty as it did. I thought this one wouldn't pull together, but I'm satisfied with how it all turned out. I only just a few days ago looked up the episode of the Tarzan series this is based on, and damn did that whole "disintegrating La" thing disturb me.
Shoutout time, that most glorious part of writing. Thanks to TheIrishWriter for your third review in a row, glad to see someone who's so invested. And of course a big one to Bezerker21. Great to here from you again, you da man as far as this series is concerned.
Next chapter is the standard epilogue thing, so it should be finished soon. I'll probably complete the latest Chain of Memories chapter first, but that shouldn't take long either. Anyway, until next time everybody!