During some of my downtime this cycle, somehow I ended up on some director's commentary regarding a certain throwing knife fight scene. The directors mentioned their approach to that scene was to treat it like a snowball fight; ultimately harmless unless something lands where it shouldn't. "This is reality, after all. It's not like video games where a single knife to the back will down someone."
As a side note, don't go looking up that scene unless you're okay with how graphic it might get. Throwing knives aren't what down enemies, after all.
Edit: chapter will come out a little later today than normal. Some things happened last week that required my attention, and I haven't been able to get to the final touch ups that I normally do.
Water exploded into the air, droplets spraying every which way. Standing well behind them, Grima did his best to keep the massive Heartless from utilizing any of its energy based attacks, but his focused siege spells could only do so much for distracting the amalgamation of Darkness and Fell residue. Unless focused along that slowly deepening seam along the creature's chest, Grima's magics barely had any effect. Mickey's keyblade was a different story, but every slash of his weapon brought about its own problems.
Aqua ducked underneath the swing of a shadowy sword, thrusting out with Master Keeper as she completed her spin. It was a sobering thought, the idea that she wouldn't have been able to handle this without Riku or Mickey.
It was Mickey that carved away at the gargantuan beast, its gleaming red eyes slowly fading in vibrancy as the minutes ticked by. It was Grima that kept the energy from its mouth or chest seam from exploding out into that shower of Darkness and pillars of energy that she recalled dealing with so many years ago. It was Riku who fought by her side, keeping her from being overwhelmed by the ever growing Heartless that sprung out of the pools where ichor and water met. Were any one of them not here, she doubted they would have been doing as well as they were.
A cry of pain made her click her tongue in frustration, a wave of Stop magic momentarily freezing her foes in place. Riku was not like her; years upon years spent fighting in this realm and becoming so used to dealing with a bone deep fatigue so persistent that waking up refreshed and with a limber body still felt like an oddity. No, he was still a denizen of the Realm of Light. She lashed out as her teleportation spell ended, Master Keeper cutting through the handful of Heartless that dared to take advantage of Riku's moment of weakness. "You okay?"
"Been— been better," he gasped out. The tell tale tinkle of a Cure spell rang out, its intensity light enough to just take care of the minor wounds Riku must have received.
"Need me to handle things for a bit?" She tilted Master Keeper warningly as one of the rising Heartless— Neoshadows that were slowly gaining humanlike features complete with anguished masks of pain or rage— made to lunge forward, the sheer movement of her keyblade enough to keep it at bay.
"That would be appreciated. Hey, do you have any—"
Aqua silently pulled out an elixir and tossed it behind her without looking, one of several that Mogrii had synthesized for her before their departure. "Fall back to Grima's side." Internally, she cursed herself for not calling him Robin. She wasn't sure whether or not Sora was aware of Grima's existence, but sooner or later that tiny secret would have to be revealed. "I want a chance to let loose while I still have one."
Master Eraqus liked to extol the virtues of control. That if you didn't maintain a firm grip over your energies, you wouldn't be able to handle yourself in a prolonged fight. Aqua let out a measured breath, mentally preparing herself for her assault. But how was she to control herself if she didn't even know her limits?
Without a doubt, it was the Heartless that moved first. Limbs twitching and jerking, even as clawed hands that slowly turned into something more fitting of a human clutched onto their weapons with every splash of ichor, it was undeniable that the creatures of Darkness corrupted by Grima's residual energy lusted for the spark of Light she held. That didn't change the fact that it was her who struck first, the still fragile Heartless dissipating with but a single thrust.
Master Keeper burned for but a moment as she flooded her body with Teleportation magic and Darkness, the weapon passed down from master to master quickly aligning itself with her desires. Zack said that it was the pride of a hero that flowed through his body as he warped across a battlefield, the energies of fighters from his world mimicking that of magic and allowing him to strike multiple opponents in the span of seconds. Though it was not a hero's pride that coursed through her as she blinked across the battlefield, it was definitely something worthy of fighting for. With every series of slashes against her foes, Aqua became so very aware of the lingering marks of magic within the more resistant foes. Tiny little things of magic, all just waiting for a signal. As she fell towards the water's surface, Master Keeper trailing ribbons of Darkness behind it, all she could think about was the far flung future when she wouldn't have to worry about saving the Worlds. It would just be her, Terra, Ven, and anyone else who Master Xehanort had impacted, free to live their lives the way they wanted.
With a single mental command, ethereal magic pulsed out from her body, resonating with the lingering marks within her foes and detonating in massive explosions of Darkness.
It was the idea of being able to freely nap as she pleased. To wander beaches and forest trails, to attend balls and festivals; to allow herself to be a simple civilian instead of having to pretend that Aqua the Keyblade Master was not someone else.
Another beam of Thoron roared through the air as she flung out dual fields of Magnega and Graviga, Heartless once again bounding back and forth between the walls of magic. As she maintained the spell, Aqua couldn't help but wonder if pushing the limits of magic was something she still desired. With keyblade in hand, how far could she truly go? Was the depths beyond her dreams something worth chasing?
...was the depths of an ageless being such as Grima and his avatar worth looking towards for advice? As Aqua ended the spell, she frowned. A drop of mana from her core, reflected through Master Keeper, manifested as the equivalent of a bucket of effort. But how much was her own innate ability, and how much was the result of her Dark Suit and the Realm of Darkness? A splash of water beside her pulled her away from her thoughts, the sight of a star patterned keyblade making her throw out a wave of ice magic and freezing everything around them in place once again.
"I think I need to tap out here." Mickey's stance faltered as he panted for air. "I can't move as quickly as I need to, anymore."
"Riku's already by Grima's side." In order to find a proper solution, one should narrow potential variables. Her Dark Suit retracted in line with her thoughts, leaving her unprotected against the Darkness. "You should go join them."
"But, Aqua?!"
She shook her head. "There are still things I need to test out. I can't do that if I have to worry about not hurting anyone with me."
She could hear Mickey's pained expression. "Okay, if you're sure."
Barely hidden by the sound of Mickey's footfalls, she could hear the sound of cracking ice. Aqua took a breath to compose herself. Up until this point, she was only utilizing mana equal to that of a first or second tier spell. Now that she was all alone, perhaps it was time to well and truly let loose.
Among the Fire class series of spells, there was a spell considered to be the ultimate in damaging magics. For everyone but those of deific origins, the cost of the spell was so great, it would use your very life essence as a catalyst. It was a spell beyond even that of the mythical fifth tier, wherein spells changed focus from potency to that of area of effect.
Murmurs of concern and worry shot up her sword arm, Master Keeper shaking slightly at the line of thought. No, Zettaflare was not what she had in mind. But a deluge of magical prowess? Perhaps it was only with the strength of a keyblade that she could dare think of this.
The waters surrounding her became alight with an orange glow, the orb of fire above her head forming in less than a second. A salvo of Thorons— no, Mjolnirs— boomed overhead, slamming against the shoulders and inner elbows of the massive creature and sending it reeling back. Stronger, stronger! Master Keeper quivered in response, taking her magic and amplifying it to levels that she knew Grima would have been grinning at. Only when she was satisfied with the truly monstrous orb of fire did she cease the flow of magic, letting the miniature sun sit there.
A wave of ice magic not hers crashed down around her, refreezing the encroaching Heartless in place. She didn't bother giving a thankful nod. Such acts were commonplace during their time here. So long as she carried out her role, there was no need for such things.
Shapeless Light flared out around her, a beacon to every Heartless. Light and Darkness were capable of existing in unison. The existence of one did not mean the other could not have a place in a person's heart. It was a lesson so very painful to learn, one that she hoped Terra would be able to accept.
Waves of warmth and pleasure shot up her arm and throughout the rest of her body. Though Master Keeper vastly preferred Light over Darkness, it did not change the fact that it was capable of wielding both. She took a quick breath, letting instincts take over.
Over and over she leapt into the air, Master Keeper plunging down into the waters and leaving pillars of radiant Light behind. No matter what may threaten the Worlds, no matter what Realm she was in, no matter whether or not she had a keyblade or not, above all else, she was still Master Aqua. With a dismissive wave of her blade, the pillars of light scattered about, breaking the frozen cages of her foes and leaving behind misty clouds of Darkness. "Burst!" With that command, the miniature sun overhead finally let loose its payload, spheres of fire the size of her torso flying down and filling her surroundings with steam. Only once she was sure the majority of the Heartless were destroyed, she pointed Master Keeper at the creature before her, fireballs arcing through the air and continually slamming against its body.
"Prepare yourself, Light Bearer."
Aqua felt more than saw something shoot past her, slipping between the fireballs and into the creature's body via one of the oozing pools of Darkness. She did nothing other than prepare a Barrier as she watched the creature hunch over, looking as if it had realized something it ate was no longer agreeing with it. After several silent moments, the creature arched back and screeched, the sound reflexively making her armor reappear, only to explode in a violent shower of rapidly dissipating gore. In its place, Grima stood defensively, a figure kneeling before a massive sword before him.
"Grim— uh?!" She blinked at the sudden hand blocking her way forward.
"Aqua. Do you recall what I said before this fight began?"
She stared at the figure before them. Darkness clung to its form like smoke to smoldering logs, keeping all but the broad details hidden from sight. Ornate, well fitted armor that looked as functional as it did ceremonial, and a spiked crown that went around its entire head. Before it, clutched in clawed hands that must have been a result of the armor rather than natural features, was an equally ornate sword that must have been nearly as tall as the figure was, its darkened hilt reminding her of a creature's spine.
"You said that what we're about to fight is a result of your actions," she paraphrased, "that mixed with the essence of Darkness and the result of your frustrations, it's a bringer of calamity."
Grima didn't lower his arm, staring fully at the figure as the cloak of Darkness enveloping it started to fade away. "Indeed. But there are some things I must clarify. The being before us is a defender from my world, one who had willingly submitted to my magics when the actions of mortals no longer seemed enough."
Details were now starting to become visible. Pitch black Darkness gave way to metallic white armor, the ornate décor of the arm guards and various trimming a vibrant royal gold. Behind him, a somewhat tattered cloak that the color of unlit sapphires sagged to the ground.
"We face someone I thought lost to the abyss when our world was destroyed. A descendant of my mother's chosen and among the strongest humans of my world."
Their sword became visible next. Bathed in the same colors as their armor, Aqua became so very aware of a purple hued red glow within the base of the weapon's blade, as if someone had intentionally designed a hole to to grab onto, or to catch a foe's blade and trap them within. That same glow repeated itself three times along the blade's surface, the dots slowly starting to move independently of each other like the eyes of a beast.
"His strength grew exponentially after my magics claimed it, and now that the essence of Darkness has wormed its way into his body, he's only become stronger."
The man's head was slowly becoming visible, locks of rich blue hair falling free now that Darkness no longer had its claim over them. On his right shoulder, she watched transfixed as two symbols warred over one another. The first and more prominent was a divinely golden version of the keychain Grima had gifted her, sans the six eyes. The second, was the black and red symbol she had noticed on several Heartless, pulsating almost angrily.
"Aqua, the creature before us is Exalt Chrom Lowell, the last king of Ylisse. Transformed by my magics upon his passing, stuck within this realm for the same amount of time as me, and now corrupted by the Darkness of this realm."
Chrom slowly started rising, his armor quietly clinking as he did so.
"He is my brother by oath. A man I condemned to the eternal form of my Risen."
Shorter than her by just the tiniest amount, Chrom struck an imposing figure. Every bit of him voiced into the world the air of a royal ready for war, and his eyes that imperceptibly changed between Heartless yellow and Grima's ruby red made her feel scared of even breathing for fear of disturbing him.
Grima's hand finally lowered, his arm staying by his side. "I have doubts as to whether or not I can strike at him with the intent to kill. Destroying one of my creations is something I can do with but a thought, but the emotions and memories that my host retains are fierce enough for me to hesitate."
Chrom pulled his weapon out of the waters smoothly, the entire thing becoming alight with Fell energy.
"Aqua. I am afraid that you will have to bear the brunt of the battle this time." The bow Mogrii had crafted for him materialized into existence, Fell magic starting to ribbon around his hand. "With the strength he currently has, I doubt that you will be able to defeat him with the form of your current keyblade. I dislike the idea of forcing you to do so in such a moment, but I fear you may need to use the gift I gave you."
Water exploded into the air, droplets spraying every which way. In front of her, dual barriers of red and purple sparking angrily as Chrom's blade ground against them, Grima slowly slid back. "Hurry, Light Bearer!"
Aqua quickly took several steps back, indecision hammering at her heart. A survivor of Grima's world? And one who had willingly submitted to his magics to become an undead for the sake of the continued protection? It was one thing to strike at a Heartless. Another to fight against someone who dared to harm her friends. But to know that the man before them was someone who had been claimed by the Darkness after the loss of everything he held dear?
Chrom and Grima danced back and forth, arcane arrows and spellfire that landed doing little more than exploding harmlessly against Chrom's front, the energies infusing his body reducing the strikes to little more than harmless puffs of air. In return, Chrom's reinforced blade that Master Keeper keenly and disturbingly resonated with clashed against barrier after barrier, neither side giving any ground.
...could Chrom be saved? He had died in order to submit to Grima's magic, but in those moments where his eyes were such a similar shade of red, she could still see signs of sentience. Calculating thoughts born of experience and expectations, and yet whenever they turned yellow those same signs became primal. Instincts that still kept influencing whatever remained of the man Grima once knew into seeing them only as enemies.
"Light Bearer!"
Master Keeper disappeared into that personal space she knew resided right next to her Heart. A place that once belonged to only Stormfall. She had seen how quickly Sora could change keyblades. In some rare moments, the change happened so fluidly, at first she thought she was lacking in sleep. When or where he had learned to do such a thing, she didn't know, but she wasn't sure she wanted to learn how to do the same. Her right pocket felt just the tiniest bit lighter as she resummoned her keyblade, her hand instinctively adjusting to its new weight, even as her wayfinder burned supportively against her thigh.
Fell Legacy.
The moment the keyblade materialized, she could feel the changes it brought to her. The world became sharper. She became all the more aware of every breath she took. Of the flow of mana within her body. The way her muscles tensed with every tiny motion. Of the creeping sense of dread the inherent soul of Master Keeper gave her at its new form.
Something somewhere within this keychain was a complete anathema to her. From the fractured blade that reminded her of Robin's descriptions of his old Levin swords, held together by what was undeniably Fell energy; to the purple-blue feathers forming both the handguard and crisscrossing their way up the blade; even the 'key' extending back towards her hand that both felt and looked as if it was made of some slightly jagged horn; some part of it ate away at her very essence.
Aqua slashed Chrom's next strike away, forcing herself between the two. "Sorry I'm late." Scheming red eyes stared at her, the man shifting subtly.
"Dodge or deflect, Light Bearer." She tried her best to ignore the sound of retreating steps, fully aware that Chrom would take every advantage he could find. "Even alive, an unaltered Chrom's strength was monstrous. I fear what might result if you were to block one of his blows."
Right, then. She adjusted her stance into one more suited for humanoid combat, her Dark Suit forming back up. Exactly like sparring against Terra. Only against someone who was reanimated and corrupted by Darkness. Aqua subtly shifted her weight onto her lead foot. Which meant exactly like fighting against Terra.
At what signal they acknowledged, she couldn't say. She couldn't even say who should have landed the first blow. All she knew was that a salvo of fireballs flew past her head as she rushed towards Chrom, forcing him to swing early in order to counter the projectiles. Aqua flooded her body with magic, instantly closing the gap between her and the once-living king. The screeching sound of metal against metal rang out, the hexes within her armor dampening the effects it would have had otherwise. She spun around on a foot as soon as she could, flicking his downward strike away. She wasn't expecting one single strike to have done anything, but anything would have been better than what was essentially scratch marks at the point of impact.
Chrom continued stalking towards her, his cloak rippling behind him with every step. A crack of lightning from above dimly lit the area, Chrom reaching up with a hand and impassively calling forth a series of blue panels very much like her Barrier. The electricity danced across the panels for only a moment, disappearing as soon as he lowered his hand.
That's right. Robin and Chrom had gone through two wars together, let alone what happened during the final days of their world. Her stance faltered, that one single moment all Chrom needed before rushing her. Dodge or deflect was such a simple thing to say. Conserve your energy as much as possible and use only the bare minimum; that was the basics of a fight. But against Chrom?
Aqua winced as yet another barely deflected strike sent tremors up her arm. With one arm alone she felt like she was dealing with Terra's two handed strikes. What made it worse was that Chrom was still taking it easy on her. Little more than the basic linear strikes of vertical, horizontal, and diagonal. Picture perfect swings that she knew Eraqus would have praised endlessly for how flawless they were. Another salvo of fireballs had Chrom stumble forward a half step, an opening she took full advantage of.
Aqua shut her eyes as thunder magic flowed through her arms. At point blank range, she knew she would suffer some splashback, but what else could she do? Chrom was simply too fast, too skilled to dare land physical blows on. If she had to utilize magic to even the playing field, then so be it. Yet despite the presence of her armor and all the protections it afforded, the hair on her skin still raised at the aftereffects of the spell, and she was all too aware of her rapidly beating heart.
Crouched on one leg and with electricity arcing all over his armor, Chrom stared up at her with an unreadable expression, his blade stabbed into the water by his side to support himself. Aqua leapt back and leveled Fell Legacy at him, sending raw fire and ice at him one after the other. From the other side, she was dimly aware of Grima sending his own spellfire at Chrom, adding his own magical effects to the onslaught.
Through the haze of smoke and frost shards, she could faintly see Chrom's outline slowly rise, flickers of shining blue breaking through the particles. His first strike, a glowing yellow lunge that shone as bright as any Thunder spell, veered off to the side, Fell Legacy ringing painfully in her hand from the deflection. The second, she threw up a Barrier, eyes widening as it slipped through the solidified magic like a hot knife through butter. With her spinning retreat, Chrom's blue glowing blade only sliced through her armor like it was clothing, rather than stabbing through her side like a skewer. Aqua retreated back several hops, her armor briefly reducing itself to a minimum as she cast an overamplified Cure on herself. The next second, her armor was once again in place, every bit of her attention focused on defending.
It was maddening. Nothing she did left anything more than scratches on Chrom's armor, and simply by trying to deflect his attacks she was losing stamina, Realm of Darkness be damned. She spun on a foot as she deflected one more strike, bringing her left hand to bear as she faced Chrom. It wouldn't be as strong as using a keyblade, but the focus still on her glove, her armor perfectly accommodating for it, was still suitable for casting magic. Stop magic rushed out from her hand, slowing Chrom to a manageable level. His stoic expression turned frustrated as she was finally able to land proper hits on him, taking advantage of the openings her deflections caused. Grima's onslaught increased in intensity as well, the two of them turning Chrom into a practice dummy continually jerking away from their attacks.
A glint of gold was her only warning. Metal should have pierced through her stomach, but the sudden sensation of cold, clammy air on her back let her know what happened. The same should have happened to her chest from the two handed slash, but the blunted impact that resulted from her armor adjusting to reinforce the targeted area instead resulted in her flying back several feet, terror and instincts making her tighten her grip on Fell Legacy even as she skipped across the water's surface.
"Light Bearer!"
She coughed painfully as she pushed herself onto her knees. Before her, Grima fended off both of Chrom's glowing strikes with dual layered panels of red and purple, falling into a stance similar to the one he had used against Larxene.
"I... apologize." Grima reached out and grabbed hold of Chrom's sword mid-descent, grunting in exertion and quickly bringing his other hand to reinforce his grip. "I did not realize—"
"Grima, stop." Aqua drowned an elixir of her own, rolling some kinks out of her body as the magical concoction did its work. "I was able to land some blows on him after a Stopga. I know my limits. I'm learning his. I can beat him." She knew he was frowning, despite how focused he was on keeping Chrom's blade in place. "Don't let Riku or Mickey get involved. I—" she grimaced. "I'm still not sure about how strongly a keyblade enhances my magic, I'm not ready to risk accidentally tagging them with something."
Grima nodded. "I'll keep to supportive fire, then." He buckled slightly. "On your mark, Light Bearer."
She took a reinforcing breath. Fight against a foe stronger than her in every way, with the only leverage she had against him being magic. A foe that was claimed by Darkness and a dear to her friend, and by proxy, herself.
This was nothing more than practice for saving Terra's body.
Aqua opened her eyes. In her hand, the slowly budding spirit of Fell Legacy, entwined with the core of Master Keeper, filled her body with resolve. "Give my friend's body back!"
Next chapter will be released June 6th. And for those of you still in school, enjoy your summer vacation~
Edit: as mentioned at the top of the chapter, Chapter 19 will come out a little later than my usual posting time.