Chapter VIII: Deep Jungle Part 2
Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art...it has no survival value, rather, it is one of those things that add value to survival
~C.S. Lewis
Jaden slowly blinked open his eyes and peered about in the early morning dark. What had awoken him? As his eyes adjusted to the lack of light, he saw Daffy and Porky snoring peacefully beside him, whilst Tor was sleeping peacefully on the ground at the foot of the only bed, the one in which Velma was sleeping. Jaden listened intently to the jungle around him and heard nothing out of the ordinary.
Small birds called out in the deep parts of the jungle while spring peepers chirruped away in their choruses, accompanied by crickets. So, again, what had woken him?
Suddenly, a scream echoed through the air that sent shivers up Jaden's spine. All the inhabitants of the tent immediately shot up in fright, except for Tor. The ape-man slowly lifted himself from the ground, body heavy. The pained look on his face said it all. Velma quickly lit a match and caught it on a lantern.
The scream was cut short by the sound of a gunshot, a sound that echoed itself across the Jungle endlessly.
Jaden, Daffy and Porky's eyes widened. Velma paled. Tor's pained face narrowed and he quivered in rage.
"Dastardly." he bit out, spoken like a curse.
"Would Mr. Dastardly really do such a thing?" Velma wondered anxiously,
"He did try to shoot a gorilla yesterday..." Daffy pointed out.
Another shot sounded and Tor bolted out of the back of the tent. Velma hurriedly threw off the covers of her bed and followed. Jaden shot another worried look at Daffy and Porky and ran after them.
Upon pushing aside the draping cloth door, the first thing Jaden noticed when was that it was early morning, the first oranges of the sun just peaking up over the top of the trees. The second thing he noticed was Tor laying on the ground a few yards off, Jaden was kneeling beside him with a hand on his shoulder. Something red and black lay obscured just beyond the two.
What had happened?
As he moved closer it hit him like a punch in the gut.
Tor lay, face in the dirt, shuddering with what Jaden guessed to be silent sobs. Velma was slowly rubbing the ape-man's shoulder, tears trickling down her face and falling over quivering lips. And beyond them, a black body of a gorilla lay on its back. It's face was still etched in horror: eyes wide and mouth agape in a silenced scream. The black fur was mixed red with blood; small rivers of the substance running from underneath the body, coloring the green underbrush crimson. What didn't recolor the brush, the ground sucked up greedily.
What had Dastardly done! He had actually killed a gorilla! Velma mentioned during the night that the gorillas were an endangered species in the Jungle and that was why she was only here to study them. But now, Dastardly had killed one. Not just killed one, but left the body, meaning he wasn't even using it for pelts or meat. He had just wanted to kill it.
Jaden heard Daffy and Porky run up behind, while Tor beat the ground with his fist like he expected it to return the blood it had absorbed, and with it, the gorilla's lifeforce.
Jaden shut his eyes so he would no longer have to watch, turning to face Daffy. "Can you use Cure? Maybe if we do it toge-" Daffy sighed and Jaden opened his eyes again.
The duck slowly waddled over to stand beside Jaden, careful to keep his distance from the mourning. "Sorry, Jaden, but Cure doesn't work when something is—is-is dead..." Jaden clenched his eyes shut again and heard Porky sniffle behind him.
Velma murmured quietly, "It's my fault...I shouldn't have just sent Dastardly back to his homeland...I should've done more...maybe this wouldn't have happened..."
Tor slowly stood to his feet and looked Velma in the eyes. He placed a hand on her shoulder and wiped at the tears on her face awkwardly. "No." he simply stated. This caused her to cry only more, for Tor had understood all she had said and had thought enough of her to reply in the midst of his mourning.
"Tor's right, y'know." Porky began, "It's neanoteot-not your fault what Dastardly did."
Velma nodded slightly, still looking unconvinced.
Porky helped her stand to her feet, Velma murmured her thanks as he helped her back to the tent.
Tor sighed and looked back at the body.
"Bury." he said, his ire rising. "Then find Dastardly."
The sound of rumbling thunder echoed in the distance.
Jaden stood beside the small mound of earth that they had piled above the shallow grave in a clearing. A light rain had started, which had gradually became a heavier and heavier downpour as they had dug, turning the grave and the ground around it slick with mud. The mound itself had small rivers of water trickling down it's sides. The four of them, Daffy, Porky, Tor and Jaden, all stood in silence. The Jungle also seemed to have quieted, the only sounds being the pounding of pouring rain and the occasional crash of thunder.
"I think we better get back to the tent.." Porky recommended. No one replied, no one moved. Jaden hadn't even heard him.
He could only imagine how Tor felt. He probably knew that gorilla very well, grown up with him, played with him. Odd to think of gorillas that way. Jaden wiped the rain from his eyes and pulled the hood of his jacket lower over his face. What if it had been Zane? Or...or Alexis? Oh god. He couldn't bear to think those thoughts anymore. He felt sick and barely held back the tumultuous dances of his stomach. He was going to stick with Tor. He knew he would want to find Dastardly if he had just killed Zane or...Alexis.
He felt sick again.
But, thinking of Zane and Alexis in this instance made him wonder. Were they okay? Was Alexis safe and sound? He prayed to all high-heaven that she was, and that Zane was okay. That the darkness hadn't eaten him.
Porky spoke up again, "Maybe we-"
"Find Dastardly." Tor spoke without taking his eyes from the grave mound.
Jaden nodded and looked to Daffy and Porky who both nodded as well.
The three of them jumped when the thunder clapped again, much closer now.
All of a sudden, a black hole materialized above the grave and out of it popped a small being, resembling a monkey, with two yellow eyes staring hungrily out from a completely black face. Two small, but wickedly clawed, arms jerked about from a dark blue torso adorned with the symbol of a s, criss-crossed in red. Equally wickedly clawed legs stood beneath the creature and a long, blue tail twitched behind it.
"Soulless." Jaden's eyes narrowed as he summoned the Keyblade, but it was unneeded. Tor gave a great howl of anger and dove forward, ripping the Soulless apart and back into darkness. The ape-man straightened up and looked back at the trio from the other side of the grave. Jaden nodded. But Daffy quacked in alarm as more of the monkey soulless appeared, standing in a semicircle around the grave. Jaden sighed and readied himself whilst Daffy and Porky grabbed their weapons.
Tor just gave another great scream and charged toward the closest soulless.
Jaden pushed a wet spike of hair from his vision as he slashed the final soulless into oblivion. He supposed his hood must've come off in battle. The seventeen year old keybearer began to scan his fellow warriors. Tor, Daffy and Porky looked no worse for wear, aside from being covered in mud and soaked to the bone. Thunder echoed again. Jaden blew on the uncovered tips of his freezing fingers and wondered how Tor ran about in this with nothing but a loincloth on.
"So, I guess de-a-de-a-de-a- the Soulless are here too..." Porky noted with sadness.
"But why weren't they before...why now?" Daffy wondered.
Jaden began, "Well, maybe..."
"Dastardly." Tor said firmly.
No one objected.
"So where do we start looking for Dastardly?" Jaden asked, wondering if he had something to do with the Soulless suddenly appearing. Briefly, out of the corner of his eye, Jaden suddenly caught sight of a black form just beyond the treeline.
"Who-who's there?" Jaden took a step toward the shadowy form.
Lightning flashed. The figure was gone.
"Jaden? What happened?" Daffy looked inquisitive.
"I-I don't know..." Jaden continued walking to where the figure had been. "I think I saw someone standing over there..."
"Gawrsh, I didn't see nothing." Porky rubbed his chin.
Jaden reached the edge of the clearing, a few feet in front of where the man had been standing. Nothing. No imprints, no movement, and no sign. Jaden looked up, only to catch sight of the figure again.
Lightning flashed, but this time the figure didn't disappear. The brightness afforded Jaden a slight glimpse of who it was..
The man, for it was most decidedly a man, seemed to be on the shorter side. He wore a black and hooded leather cloak that fell all the way to his black-booted ankles. The cloak was zipped shut from the neck to about knee height. Silver pullstring beads hung down his chest from either side of the hood, which completely enshrouded his face.
Lighting flashed again.
The man raised his hand, beckoning Jaden forward, before turning and walking deeper into the Jungle. Jaden moved forward again, inclined to follow the man. It wasn't like they had any better ideas on where to go. Maybe this mystery man was leading him to Dastardly.
Jaden suddenly heard his name being called by the others. He was again aware of the falling rain, not knowing when he had stopped noticing it. It had seemed like the world had gone into slow motion, all attention bent toward the man in the black coat.
The man was now gone, out of sight, and Jaden suddenly knew he had to follow him. He wiped more rain from his face and took off into the jungle after the cloaked stranger, hearing Tor, Porky and Daffy following behind.
"We cannot afford you dithering about in this Jungle forever, Keyblade Master."
Jaden continued to pull his way through the foliage, panting heavily from the exertion of running through the jungle in the pouring rain. He still heard Daffy and Porky behind him, while Tor had caught up about ten minutes before. Neither he nor Tor had spoken on why they were running or who they were chasing. Tor seemed to have an unspoken trust that Jaden had a reason for going where they were going, following this cloaked man deeper and deeper into the Jungle.
It seemed to Jaden as if the noises of the jungle had gone silent since the man had appeared, only hearing the steady thumping of the group's feet, the rustle of the greenery as they passed. No birds or bugs. No animals. And thankfully, no gunshots. Just the falling rain. As if the Jungle had gone silent in preparation for a next act.
The man appeared again, just over to the the left. Jaden adjusted likewise. He never had the cloaked man in his sights for more than a few seconds, ever only just enough time to right his course if he had veered. The thunder cracked, breaking the hushed silence among the falling rain.
Many different thoughts entered Jaden's head as he ran, thoughts such as was Alexis out in this rain too? He sure hoped not. Well, he hoped both. He wanted her here so that he could find her. He didn't want her to be out in a storm such as this. If she was, he would give anything just to find her for a moment and give her his jacket or something. Why? He had no idea why. He just knew that's what he wanted-
Jaden nearly stopped short as another thought entered his mind. 'A storm such as this.'
He hadn't seen a storm like this since he watched Duel Academy disappear.
Was that same thing happening here? Were the Soulless trying to take this world?
Distracted, Jaden found himself tumbling over a fallen log and out into another clearing.
He pushed himself to his feet, looking up to see if the man was still there. He was. Standing calmly in the middle of the clearing, seemingly unfazed by the storm, as if he didn't notice it. In the distance, just viewable above the opposite treeline, were what looked to be a group of cliffs. The sound of crashing water could be heard in that direction, louder than even the rain. The young Keyblade bearer panted as he stood completely to his feet. He heard Daffy and Porky arrive behind him, gasping heavily. The man still stood, unwinded.
"Who...Who are you?" Jaden yelled, breathless, over the storm.
The man made no move to reply, he just stared at Jaden. Or, at least Jaden guessed he was. It was hard to tell with the hood obscuring his face and eyes.
"Hey! He asked you a question!" Daffy poked an accusing finger at the man.
After a few moments of silence, the man nodded ever-so-slightly and disappeared into darkness, a darkness that came up from the ground and enveloped him entirely.
The darkness faded and left Jaden looking at the soaked form of Sabor charging from the opposite treeline. His face paled even more than it already had in the pouring rain. Sabor was closer now.
Jaden leaped out of the path of the charging beast, only just noticing that the footprints Sabor left in the mud were mixed with blood. The beast's wounds must have opened back up. To his right, Daffy summoned his wand and Porky grabbed his shield.
Jaden looked up to find Sabor charging back at him again, Daffy was shooting off blizzard and fire attacks towards it, but due to Sabor's speed, they all missed. Porky threw his shield like a boomerang after the leopard, but his shots were even less accurate than Daffy's wild magic blasts. Tor was simply running relentlessly after Sabor, dreadlocks flying back. Lightning flashed and Jaden heard a crack somewhere to his left. As he rolled once again out of the way, he glanced over quickly and saw that a tree was collapsing, most likely caused by the lighting. He waved his hands in Tor's direction.
"Look out!" he screamed through the rain. Tor looked up just in time to move out of the way of the trunk, but not fast enough to get out of the way of the branches, which buried him underneath their mass. Jaden guessed that Sabor smelled a quick kill because it stopped running for Jaden and began to run for the tree. As Jaden got an unhindered glance at it, he noticed a rather large, oozing bullet wound in the beast's side. Most likely evidence of Dastardly's previous attack at the treehouse.
"Porky!" Jaden yelled, "Try and hit Sabor with your shield! Knock him away from Tor!" Porky nodded and took careful aim. Jaden himself took off for the tree, hoping to reach it in time before Sabor ripped apart the pinned Tor.
Jaden was given the step up when Sabor's front legs were swiped out from under him by a careful throw from Porky. The leopard's body front flipped through the air and landed heavily on it's wounded side, ceasing to move. Jaden sighed and reached the tree that had fallen atop Tor. As he tried to push back the heavy and thick branches that had buried the ape-man, he heard a warning yell from Daffy.
"Jaden! Look out!"
Jaden turned to find Sabor running toward him determinedly. Would this monster never give up?
The Keyblade master turned fully around and began to summon up a fire attack. The beast would jump upon him any moment, he had to concentrate.
His mind when back to the time at the first world when he had been trapped in the burning fireplace. The heat that had licked his skin then, testing his tastiness. The heat that had seared the tips of his hair and caused the Keyblade to scorch his hand.
"Fire!" he yelled out. A ball of magic flames poured forth from the tip of the Keyblade and flew through the rain, wisps of steam forming in it's wake. Sabor dodged the incoming attack and kept his charge strong. Jaden's eyes widened. He had missed. He didn't have the mental powers to summon up another spell, either. He didn't have to worry about that for long, though, because Sabor was upon him in seconds, knocking him onto his back, prepared to take a large bite of the Keyblade Master's face. Jaden quickly brought the Keyblade forward, blocking Sabor's mouth. The leopard pushed and gnashed his teeth against the Keyblade, trying to bite through it and reach Jaden. Jaden pushed back with all his might, trying to keep Sabor's head as far away as possible, but his strength was failing. Both arms were shaking in exertion and he felt like he was about to pop a blood vessel.
Suddenly, there was a call of "Fire!" by Daffy and Sabor screamed. A howling, ear-piercing scream that sent chills down Jaden's spine. The Leopard, fur now alight, released Jaden and dashed into the jungle, still screaming. Jaden looked up and saw Daffy's form silhouetted against the rain. His wand smoked slightly from launching the attack at so close a range.
Jaden took a breath of relief. "Thanks, Daffy."
Daffy nodded. "Now let's get Tor out."
Jaden slowly pushed himself to to his feet and began to slash away at the branches. He could still hear Sabor's screams in the distance.
"Oh my, I wonder why this storm just won't let up..." Porky wondered as he assisted Jaden and Daffy with rescuing Tor. Suddenly, Sabor's screams of pain were book ended by a gunshot. Jaden flinched. Dastardly was close. Moving faster now, Jaden caught sight of Tor's brown dreadlocks in the mess of leaves and branches.
"There he is!" he pointed out excitedly, "Let's get him out!"
Together, Jaden, Daffy and Porky pulled Tor from the mess of branches. Upon his release, Tor stumbled forward toward the gunshot without a word.
"You okay?" Jaden asked, concerned.
Tor didn't reply, just continued to walk forward.
Jaden, Daffy and Porky all looked at each other sadly. Could Tor handle it if another one of his family and friends were dead?
The storm had still not ceased, in fact, if anything it had gotten worse. The ground was now nothing more than mud that served only to trap the feet of those who walked through it. The cliffs were close now, just beginning to form walls on either side of the party. Tor now led the group, heading ever steadily, not bothered by the storm, in the direction of the latest gunshot. The ape-man was as determined as Jaden had ever seen him. Lightning flashed and Tor halted his trek. Jaden wiped the rain from his face as he ran up to Tor to see why he had halted. As Jaden approached, he saw something that distantly resembled a body laying in front of Tor. His heart dropped to his stomach as he wholeheartedly hoped it wasn't another gorilla.
Tor hadn't moved toward it, or moved in any way at all. He just stood and stared at the body, expressionless. As Jaden looked closer, he found that the body somewhat resembled the remains of a leopard, although burned beyond absolute recognition. Jaden, noticing the tell-tale wounds on the side, decided for sure that this was the body of Sabor the Leopard. The fur of the monster was completely burned away, revealing brown and burnt flesh beneath. Small flicks of magical fire remained, dancing slowly over the body every now and then. The rest had been put out by the rain. Sabor's wounds on it's paw and side were burnt scars that had engraved themselves deep, the head of the leopard was mangled and broken, but it was not due to the Fire magic Daffy had unleashed upon it.
There was a single bullet hole through Sabor's . No blood, the fire and rain had taken care of that, but the beast was dead, and Dastardly had killed it. Jaden coughed. The one good thing Dastardly had done. He had finally killed that bloodthirsty animal.
The thunder roared again, causing Jaden to jump. He had almost thought it was Sabor coming back to life. He sighed and turned away from the sight. Jaden was relieved to know that he wouldn't have to face the leopard again, but he was beginning to become queasy with all the death and darkness in this world.
Tor broke from his reverie and sniffed the air.
"Dastardly close."
"Oh my, you mean he's-" Porky began with wide eyes, but Daffy silenced him with a finger.
Tor gestured forward slowly.
Jaden got close to Tor and whispered, "But what about Sabor's-"
"Leave." Tor spoke firmly.
Leave Sabor's body? But shouldn't they at least bury it? Even Sabor should have that decency.
"But-"
Tor turned and looked Jaden sharply in the eyes, "Leave." he repeated, harder this time.
Jaden sighed. Then again, they didn't really have time for that. Especially if the Soulless was starting to eat this world. Knowing that he wouldn't get anywhere with Tor, and unsure if he even should, Jaden perused the area. The cliffs were much closer now, only a few yards off on either side. They were in a canyon at the moment, small ledges and mini-cliffs were scattered up and down the walls. A waterfall still echoed at the end of the canyon.
Just beyond the treeline in which they were hidden, Jaden heard the soft "click" of Dastardly's shotgun reloading, followed by the horrified grunts of multiple gorillas.
Jaden quickly turned to Tor, "We have to do-" but Tor was already gone. Jaden looked over to Daffy and Porky, "Let's go, we gotta back up Tor!" both his companions nodded, and with that they burst onto the scene. A very, very busy scene.
Tor had Dastardly in an arm choke from behind, pulling the man up and back. Masses of black and brown gorillas were scurrying around, escaping into the treeline in all directions. Attempting to corral them were some of the monkey soulless, probably following Dastardly's direction.
Dastardly was gurgling now from Tor's hold. The hunter quickly elbowed Tor in the gut, causing the ape-man to release his grip. Dastardly turned to catch Tor in the sights of his shotgun, breathing laboriously through a bruised neck.
"Good bye, ape-man" Dastardly grunted through crushed windpipes with a smirk and pulled back on the trigger.
"No!" Jaden yelled, but Porky had already started moving. He threw his shield like a disc toward Dastardly's shotgun, hitting it's mark and forcing the shot to go wide. Dastardly grunted and chambered another round, but Tor had been given all the time he needed. The Jungle-dweller lept forward, knocking Dastardly onto his back and sending his shotgun skittering across the ground,.
Dastardly looked after his gun in shock, as if someone had just cut off his arm and he was staring at the dismembered piece disbelievingly.
The shock soon passed and Dastardly stared up at Tor, his face contorting with rage. Veins bulged from his sweaty brow and his whole face quivered. Tor's face grew determined and he moved his hands back to Dastardly's throat.
As Jaden watched, unsure of how to get involved, he saw Dastardly's massive fist swing and make hard contact on Tor's skull with almost superhuman strength. Tor flew off Dastardly, making a bone-crushing connection with the a rock not far from where Dastardly's gun had slid to a stop.
With Dastardly now free, Jaden began to move, Keyblade in hand, but was cut off by a group of the monkey Soulless. Daffy and Porky faced the same problem. Through the scratching assault, Jaden would occasionally catch a glimpse of Dastardly stumbling toward Tor. Of picking his gun up, whole body quivering. More scratches and Jaden's attention was taken again with the attacking Soulless. His next glimpse was of the hunter popping open his barrel and checking the rounds. Clicking it shut again. The rain seemed to fall much harder now, as impossible as it may've previously seemed to Jaden. Thunder crashed in it's drum-like clashes.
Jaden screamed in his mind for Tor to get up, to not lay there like a lame dog to be shot by Dick Dastardly. He furiously slashed at the Soulless, hoping against hope that they would stop so he could reach Tor before Dastardly took his shot. Was he raising his gun now? If only the Soulless weren't so ferocious...
Suddenly, it all stopped.
The Soulless ceased their assault. They stopped their scratching, their swipes and bites. They all turned, staring in dark, empty-eyed rapture at Dastardly who was just now noticing his new audience. He shrugged and turned back to Tor, who was just coming around.
That was when the Soulless made their move.
All as one, three groups of about seven or so Soulless each charged Dastardly's turned back. The man looked behind him just in time to be completely engulfed in masses of dark blue and black, a scream never even leaving his lips.
Jaden, Daffy and Porky all ran over to Tor, who was struggling to stand.
"Hey, Tor, it's okay." Jaden soothed, "Dastardly's gone. The Soulless got him."
"I wouldn't be too sure of that..." Daffy muttered, slight fear evident in his rough voice.
Jaden turned to see a flash of dark light explode from the pile of Soulless, sending the small beasts flying into the cliff wall, dissipating them into black smoke. Standing up in their place was none other than Dastardly. He smirked and checked the barrel of his gun again. If Jaden's eyes weren't mistaken, he could have sworn that the slightest purple-blue hue seemed to float off of Dastardly's body like flames. Lightning flashed, perfectly completing the image. Trees quaked as wind whipped through the canyon, blowing leaves and underbrush through the clearing and sending stray, oily hairs blowing in Dastardly's eyes, giving the man a look of one powerfully insane.
"How's he still alive?" Porky's jaw dropped.
Tor took a breath, "Not Dastardly..." he muttered some ape-speak that Jaden recognized as the guttural noises Tor had made when they first met. "Not Dastardly." He repeated. He seemed to be gaining a bit of strength.
Not Dastardly? What did that mean?
Jaden didn't have time to ponder this, because the trees behind Dick Dastardly abruptly exploded, sending dirt and leaves flying through the air. Jaden covered his face with his arms to block the debris.
When he was able to look again, he saw a mammoth creature that seemed to resemble a chameleon like the ones he and Zane used to try and catch on the Islands (much to Alexis' chagrin) standing beside Dastardly. Jaden, even in the heat of battle, smiled slightly at the memory of the Island and his friends.. He'd find them.
The monster was black in color, with large multi-faceted eyes. A large horn grew from the middle of it's hunchbacked head. It's body was lean and spiked on the back, leading down to a long, split tail jutting from behind. In the middle of its chest was the symbol of an Egyptian eye. It bellowed as Dastardly stroked it without speaking.
"Not good." Jaden paled and rolled out of the way just as Dastardly lifted his gun and fired. Jaden knew he couldn't dodge bullets, only keep moving and hope that Dastardly wouldn't be able to hit him. "Daffy! Porky! Get Tor out of here, I'll handle this until you get back!" he yelled to his companions. Porky looked ready to object, but Jaden turned and charged at the creature, aiming for it's tail. Upon seeing this, the monster moved to swing said tail at the incoming boy. Jaden subconsciously reacted by diving to the ground and sliding beneath the sweep. He felt the push of the wind as it passed overhead.
He used his non-keybladed hand to push himself to his feet and turned. The monster now had it's back to him and Dastardly was still trying wildly to keep him in his sights. Good. He was fairly confident he could at least stall the Soulless as long as Dastardly couldn't shoot him.
Jaden ran toward the beast and lept onto it's lower back. He began to clamber up to the beast's head where he started to slash at anything he could reach. He noted that Dastardly was firing at him, but the bullets seemed to be going wide or hitting the Soulless itself, due to the fact the the monster had begun to buck around as soon as Jaden had made his first slash.
In his side vision, Jaden noticed Daffy and Porky charging forward. He also saw Daffy calling forth a blast of thunder.
Thunder.
Oh.
Jaden pushed himself off the monster's back, propelling into the air just in time for the thunder attack to miss him and make contact with the beast's torso. The Soulless screeched and thrashed violently, throwing Dastardly backwards with a random hit of it's tail.
"I've got Dastardly! You guys go after the Soulless!" Jaden yelled to Daffy and Porky, who both nodded.
Jaden landed on the ground in a roll and came up right in front of Dastardly's double-barrels. The man grinned and fired. The shot missed Jaden's head as he ducked, but partially destroyed one of the bangs in his hair.
Jaden went for a low swipe at the legs with the Keyblade, but Dastardly, showing surprising agility, dodged the slash by jumping. As he came down, he brought the butt of the gun onto Jaden's head. It made contact with a resounding crack.
Meanwhile, Daffy and Porky were busy dodging the thrashing attacks of the chameleon creature.
"Uh, Daffy, y'sure that Thunder attack was the best thing? I mean, in this rain..." Porky pointed out as he blocked a swiping claw with his shield.
"Shut up, Pork, we don't have time for that!" Daffy yelled back and shot off a fire attack at one of the chameleon's eyes. It made contact and the monster screamed louder than it had before, clawing at it's eye, which smoked slightly.
Daffy turned and yelled to Porky, "The eyes! Go for the eyes, Porky!"
Porky, ears covered and eyes closed, didn't hear Daffy. The duck-mage called out a small blizzard attack on his friend.
"Oh my, Daffy, that's cold!" Porky yelled as he flinched at the attack.
"Shut up and go for the eyes!"
Porky nodded widened in understanding and he took aim. Daffy tried to shoot off another magic attack but the monstrous beast expected it now and batted it away with a large claw. With that distraction, Porky's shield flew true and cut directly into the monster's unwounded eye.
Jaden felt, rather than saw, Dastardly grab his collar and throw him hurtling toward one of the cliffs. Jaden saw, rather than felt, the cliffs charging toward him. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the pain. It soon came in the form of his back crashing into the jagged wall. He felt millions of small spikes jab at him. He also felt a wetness at the back of his head.
Jaden looked up, world spinning, at Dastardly. The man was checking his gun again and the results did not seem to satisfy him, perhaps he was out of bullets. Dastardly merely smiled, shrugged and advanced toward Jaden, who was too dizzy to move.
Upon reaching him, Dastardly grabbed his collar again and shoved him against the rough wall. Grabbing one end of the gun's barrel and keeping his other hand on the butt, Dastardly shoved it up against Jaden's throat. Pushing harder and harder. Squeezing Jaden's life of him.
"Tell me, young man, do I scare you?" Dastardly spoke for the first time since being attacked by the Soulless. His voice sounded nothing like it had before, though, having taken on an unearthly quality. A roaring. A gravelly, rough and deep voice. His eyes flashed wildly as he released a disturbing laugh. Lightning flashed, painting the man's face in pale blue light. He looked like a demon, Jaden tipsily noticed. A crazed demon.
Suddenly, Jaden heard a echoing yell and Dastardly released his hold, jerking his demon-head to the right. Jaden fell to the ground, coughing and rubbing his neck. He weakly turned his head in the same direction.
It was Tor, standing high up in a tree, beating his chest in an echoing yell. Dastardly had no time to make a move before Tor swung from a vine off the tree, feet first, landing a direct hit on the hunter's torso and landed nimbly on his feet beside Jaden.
Dastardly, on the other hand, was sent flying across the clearing.
A little ways away, Jaden heard another scream and noticed the monstrosity that Daffy and Porky had been fighting was stumbling around, clawing at his eyes. Jaden worriedly scanned the area for Daffy and Porky, finding them standing a few yards from the Soulless. Porky had just caught his shield like a boomerang.
Jaden looked back toward Dastardly, watching him shake his head clear and rise to his feet slowly. Daffy shot off a final Blizzard assault, freezing the falling rain into spiky projectiles as it flew. It made a direct hit on the monster's head and sent it stumbling, a building poised to collapse, directly in Dastardly's direction.
Dastardly looked up and blinked in surprise at the massive torso falling atop him, all he was able to do before the Soulless' body completely crushed the hunter. The Soulless slowly dissipated into smoke, leaving nothing beneath it. A small spiritual energy floated into the sky and disappeared into darkness.
Dastardly's gun, thrown when the beast fell, spun along the ground and came to rest at Tor's feet. Tor picked it up and broke it over a rock.
Thunder rumbled again. But this time, finally, further away.
Jaden closed his eyes and sighed, falling back against the cliff wall.
When Jaden awoke, he found himself in the same spot as when he had closed his eyes: leaning up against the craggy side of a cliff. Definitely not good for the back.
On the brighter side, he noted, the rain had crawled to a light drizzle, no longer was it the raging monster it had been throughout the day.
Jaden slowly blinked and rubbed at his eyes, looking to find his compatriots. He spotted Tor sleeping high in the branch of a tall tree. Daffy and Porky were only a few feet away, they seemed to be asleep, those were Daffy's snores. They were asleep. It had been a long, and early, day for them all. Everyone had been tired.
Jaden took a deep breath, they had stopped Dastardly. He wouldn't be hunting gorillas anymore. The Jungle was safe. All that was left was to find Zane and Alexis.
Zane and Alexis!
Jaden jumped to his feet immediately, any feeling of drowsiness completed vanished. He quickly ran over to the tree Tor was reclined in and yelled up to the ape-man.
"Tor! You said you knew where my friends were!"
Tor looked down lazily, but immediately.
"Zane and Alexis?"
Tor nodded and looked about to speak when something else caught his sight. Jaden followed his vision and saw something he had never expected. A large, purple gorilla stood at the treeline, not far from their current seating. Grape Ape was here. The monstrous gorilla nodded and turned into the jungle again. Tor, without a second thought, jumped from the tree with finesse and ran after the gorilla. Obviously this was important. Jaden was about to follow when he remembered Daffy and Porky. He made a small detour to their sleeping forms and pushed them awake, probably a little harder than was necessary.
"C'mon!" he spoke excitedly to his sleepy companions, "Grape Ape is about to do something!"
Daffy yawned. "You woke us up for this?" he grunted.
"Just be patient, Daffy." Porky smiled good-naturally. "I'm sure something important is gonna happen soon."
Indeed, they had been walking through the jungle for about half-an-hour. Again, as they had been all day, following someone. At this time, it was Grape Ape, who walked with a steady pace through the jungle. It was easy enough to keep up with him.
It was odd, Jaden thought, the Jungle-life seemed unperturbed by all the fighting with Dastardly. It had fallen to silence during the day, but now it had gone back to sounding the same as it had yesterday when they had arrived, as if nothing had happened. Strange how that works.
Soon enough, the group came to a stop beside Grape Ape, who was looking into a rock wall. Not too far away, Jaden heard the roar of a crashing waterfall. He wondered if he'd finally get to see that before leaving. The closest things they had on the Islands to waterfalls were small, only a few feet high. Ones that fell into small pools that he and his friends used to play in when they were younger.
Grape Ape moved forward to a large stone that appeared to be leaning against the rock formation and pushed against it, ever so slowly along the wall, revealing a medium-sized opening, leading into an deeper cavern.
When Grape Ape had finished moving the stone, he looked at Tor and nodded again before lumbering off into the jungle. Tor smiled slightly and gestured into the cave.
"Go, Tor get Velma" he smiled wider and disappeared into the jungle quick as a flash.
Jaden peered into the hole in the wall, it wasn't dark, light seemed to filter down from above. Most likely it was open at the top.
While he was gazing, Daffy impatiently marched past him. "Well? What are we waiting for?" he quacked as he barged past Jaden and into the cave. Jaden promptly followed and what he found made his jaw drop.
The cave was not musty or dank as was to be expected, it smelled fresh and earthy. The roof of the cave stretched far above, so high that Jaden could only see the smallest sliver of sunlight peaking through and lighting up the cave. The rock walls were covered in moss and vines, cross-crossing over stone ledges, growing across the vast emptiness above them, thus creating a vague canopy of hanging vines. The stone floor showed signs of being constantly damp and greenery grew across it in some places. The pounding of the waterfall was closer now, in fact, Jaden could've sworn that he saw the waterfall crashing down, creating a fourth wall of water on the far side of the room. He guessed that a river ran above them on either sides of the crack in the vaulted ceiling, feeding the waterfall.
Oddly, It all reminded him of Alexis. He knew that because she always visit the Abandoned Dorm back home. Sometimes she would just sit and think next to the place. Waiting for her lost brother's return. And if there was any place like this cavern, it was the Abandoned Dorm, only times a couple million. If she wasn't already here, he would bring her here someday. But that was nonsense, Alexis was here. She could've already seen this. His only regret was that he hadn't seen it with her.
"Oh!" came Velma's echoed exclamation of awe at the sight. Apparently Tor was pretty fast.
Tor himself soon appeared at Jaden's side and gestured forward to something Jaden hadn't noticed before: A small glowing point in the wall. Jaden was about to ask what it was when Tor suddenly gave his gorilla-speak grunt. The same one he had used at the Treehouse and while fighting Dastardly.
"Look Tor, you've said that three times now, and I have no clue what you're talking about!" Jaden pointed out.
Tor just repeated the sound and gestured to his chest.
"Oh! I think I know what that means!" Velma excitedly exclaimed, "See? Tor is pointing to his chest and—what were the two times he used it?"
"When he said he knew where Zane and Alexis were, my friends." Jaden said quickly
"And, eh-uh, when Dastardly was jumped on by all them soulless!" Porky finished.
"Well then, I do think I can make an educated guess as to know what it means." Velma smiled, "It means 'Soul'"
"Soul?" Jaden looked confused.
Tor nodded vehemently and tested the word for himself, "S-oul." he nodded, content on his test, and continued, "Friends, same soul. You and friends. Together." Jaden's face fell at this, did he mean that his friends were with him in his soul? Not in Deep Jungle?
"Dastardly, lose soul. No soul, no see friends. No soul, no friends." Tor finished.
"So Alexis and Zane..." Jaden started hopefully.
Tor jumped toward Jaden and poked him in his chest, right over his heart.
"Here."
"Oh..." Jaden's eye's fell to the damp stones beneath his feet. Zane and Alexis weren't really here, Tor didn't know where they were any better than he himself did. But he had seen Alexis! She was here! Wasn't she? Jaden sighed. That was one mystery that would have to remain unsolved for now.
"Friends in soul. Special. Don't lose friends, don't lose soul." Tor stepped back from Jaden.
The young Keyblade Master looked to Daffy and Porky who were still busy examining the new area. Were these his friends? They had traveled together for a little less than a week now, but had been through a lot more than any normal week. They were most definitely his companions, but were they his friends? And if they were, had he treated them as such? Jaden thought about. Yes, and no. Respectively, he decided. Daffy and Porky were his friends, certainly no replacements for Zane and Alexis, but they were still his friends. And he hadn't treated them as he should've.
"Daffy? Porky?" Jaden called, "Guys, I gotta apologize for being a jerk earlier. I'm sorry." he bit his lip.
Porky just smiled, "That's just fine, Jaden! We're all friends!"
Daffy looked taken aback. He was silent for a moment before opening his mouth and speaking thoughtfully, "And I'm sorry too, Jaden..." He looked as if he was going to say something else, but quickly stopped talking. Jaden grinned. Daffy wasn't used to apologizing.
Porky laughed aloud, echoing the odd sound of his chuckle around the cavern, "All for one, huh?"
Jaden and Daffy looked at each other and nodded. Velma smiled and Tor tapped on Jaden's shoulder.
"Keyhole." he said, pointing to the peculiar glowing point on the wall.
Jaden eyebrow's quirked and he moved closer to the light. When he was about seven paces away, the Keyblade appeared in his hand and pulled itself horizontal. Then, just as the two times before, it shot a beam of glowing blue light into the Keyhole shape in the wall. The light went supernova for moment before fading into emptiness and leaving behind nothing but a small "click".
Jaden looked to Tor who sighed and showed relief. He nodded to Jaden and moved over to the stone wall, right beside where the Keyhole had been. He pushed on a small block of stone that looked slightly different than the rest. The stone made a slight hissing sound and popped out of the wall. Tor reached into the new hole and drew out two objects. The first, he walked over to Daffy and placed it in his feathered hand.
"A Gummi!" Daffy declared with wide eyes.
Porky sighed sadly, "But it's sure not the King's..."
"It isn't like any of the other Gummi's, though..." Daffy trailed off thoughtfully.
Jaden walked up behind the two creatures, "Maybe Joey or Tristan will know? Why don't we check back to Traverse Town next?"
Both his friends nodded as Daffy placed the Gummi block in a pocket on his vest.
"Jaden, Tor. Friends." Tor suddenly spoke up and pointed to him, and then to Jaden. Jaden nodded and smiled.
Tor smiled back and handed Jaden the other item he had taken from the cavity in the wall. It was a small pendant of a glowing blue butterfly with a green chain running from it's tip.
Tor pointed ambiguously to Jaden's Keyblade.
Jaden looked down at the silver and gold Keyblade in his right hand and found his eyes drawn to the chain dangling from the bottom of the hilt. He began to think. He slipped the chain that Tor had given him onto the hilt, and then proceeded to remove the chain of the King's symbol and pocketed it.
There was a small flash of the light and the Keyblade changed.
It's handle was now wrapped in brown leather, and the hilt circling it was what felt like wood, but it seemed much stronger, wrapped in more leather. Two sharp spikes protruded on the hilt on either side of the blade. As for the blade itself, a long shaft of what still looked to be wood was what it had morphed into. Five spikes of sharp wood stood out from the tip of the blade.
Jaden's eyes widened at the transformation. So these chains changed the look and feel of the Keyblade. Maybe they also made it more powerful?
Jaden smiled, "Thanks Tor."
Tor nodded and walked over next to Velma.
"Well, I guess we better be leaving now." Porky began to make his way out of the cave, soon followed by Daffy.
Jaden said goodbye to Velma and Tor and wished them the best. Velma asked him a few more questions about Daffy and Porky, which Jaden answered to the best of his abilities. He waved goodbye and followed after his friends.
Outside, it had cleared completely, even the drizzle of rain now gone. The sky was a backdrop of pink and orange hues cut straight through by a rainbow, stretching out toward the ocean.
As Jaden moved out of earshot of the Waterfall Cavern, he heard one final thing. The sound of Tor whispering in some form of clarity...
"Friends in our Souls."
Yubel looked out into the darkness of the Castle Chapel. Her allies, although she preferred to call them 'followers', were gathered around a small stone podium. She detested these people, utterly and completely. But each, unfortunately, offered a valuable piece of the puzzle and to the ultimate prize.
The witch waved her green-tipped staff and the image of the young Keyblade bearer and his companions vanished from the stone table in front of her.
"Whatever drew the Soulless to that world?" Pyjamarama sneered in his lofty accent. The arrogant fool probably thought such a world would be beneath even the Soulless. Yubel kept an even face.
"The hunter lured them there. It was his lust for power that was the bait." she allowed a small smirk to grow on her face, "But it seems the bait was too tasty for its own good."
"Yeah," Boogie Man's deep voice laughed heartily, "He got chomped instead."
That obese bag of bugs, always enjoying every ounce of entertainment that could be gleaned from any violent act. She could probably kill one of the followers here, Yubel thought, and Boogie Man was sure to laugh and maybe ask for refreshments. Imbecile. It would be his undoing one day.
"A weak-hearted fool like him stood no chance against the Soulless." Pyjamarama continued on as if Boogie had not spoken, "But the boy is a problem. He has found the Keyholes."
Yubel shook her head slightly, "Fear not, it will take him ages to find the rest..." her small black pupils slanted, "Besides, he remains blissfully unaware of our other plan."
"Yes...the Princesses..." Him's deep voice came from the darkness. Rightly so, Yubel thought, she could scarcely bear to even look at the Witch.
"They are falling into our hands, one by one..." Yubel allowed the smirk to grow wider as she waved her staff and a small casket-like device with a glass top floated out. It was designated by writing at it's foot as "The Fourth Princess"
Inside lay a young girl who looked to be asleep, long blonde hair held back with a bow. She had been changed from the clothes she had been captured in to a long pink and white dress, simple in design, with two small straps holding it up. All befitting of a Princess.
Blissfully unaware, indeed.
*Hey, everyone. Here's some random side notes to inform you all.
TRIVIA:
-Him is a antagonist from the Powerpuff Girls.
-Boogie Man is a antagonist from the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.
Thanks for reading!