Kingdom Eds: Rise of Darkness
Chapter 10: A deal's a deal
"And here it is: the Cave of Wonders!" Aladdin exclaimed proudly, of course there wasn't much to see in this part. A tiny hallway it was, with a deep chasm to their right. There were a few pots in this area, and there was a hole in the wall for some odd reason.
"What's that?" Eddy asked, walking closer to it. He examined the hole, before putting his head inside it "Nothing in here except... AAAH!" Eddy had soon rolled out of the way, a large stone sphere soon coming out of the hole. Alex and Kevin snickered to each other, as Eddy gave them both harsh stares.
"Curiosity killed the dork!" Kevin remarked, clutching his ribs as he guffawed loudly. Alex himself, also continued to laugh, albeit quietly. Suddenly, there was a small rumble throughout the cave, shaking the ground that the party stood on.
"W-what was that?" Edd wondered, looking around the room.
"It was I." A voice replied casually. The group turned around, to see the same figure from Traverse Town.
"You again?" Eddy asked, summoning his Keyblade. The enigma just chuckled, annoying the group greatly.
"I am not here to fight, not today." He said, gazing at the group "But I have something for you." He then dashed towards Alex in the blink of an eye, so fast that no one could see what he was doing. He gave Alex a few things, stuff he would apparently need.
"What... is this?" Alex asked, holding up a piece of paper in the air. It looked torn, like a missing page of some sort...
"Let's just say it's a present." The enigma laughed "That Jafar has found the Keyhole now; you'd do well to get to him as quick as possible."
"Alright, and where do we go?" Sora asked, folding his arms.
"You merely need to go on ahead; I cleared most of the way underground, down that chasm." He replied, gesturing towards the doorway, "I think it would be better if you hurried your journey."
"And why should we trust you?" Donald questioned, however the man merely walked through the doorway, the party staring at each other.
"Well, now what?" Alex asked "Is it a trap, should we follow him?"
"I say yes." Eddy suggested, placing his hands on his hips "I ain't going down no chasm, and I don't think letting Jafar have his way is a great idea too."
"Eddy does have a point, we cannot let Jafar have control over the Keyhole, and the heartless will destroy this world otherwise." Double D interjected. Alex nodded, pointing towards the door.
"So, we go through..." Alex muttered, leading the party onwards to their battle against Jafar.
Xxx
"Genie, for my first wish, I want you to find the Keyhole!" Jafar ordered. Genie, with a glum expression on his face, merely snapped his fingers. A small explosion was heard, as the Keyhole was soon revealed. Jafar chuckled to himself, he had captured Jasmine, found the Keyhole and had himself a powerful Genie and nothing was stopping him now.
Xxx
"Now this place is cool!" Eddy exclaimed excitedly, jumping in a pile of gold and other treasures. The group merely looked on, as they sighed at Eddy's greed.
"Come one Eddy, we don't have time for this." Alex said, looking towards the open passageway "And I don't see that guy here too."
"But we fought all of those heartless to get here; don't I at least deserve a rest and a bit of moolah?" Eddy whined, emerging from the pile of gold "Please? Pretty please?"
"Alright fine, we'll wait for a while." Alex agreed, sitting on a pile of golden treasure. The rest of the group also sat down, resting.
"Who is that guy anyway?" Nazz wondered, putting a palm on her chin "He's so mysterious..."
"Maybe he's a heartless." Goofy suggested, surprising Donald.
"That's actually not a bad idea Goofy." Donald said, thinking. Alex sighed, looking at the torn page, at the top saying '100 acre wood'.
"Hey Sora, come here a minute." Alex beckoned. Sora trudged towards him, sitting next to him.
"What's up?" He asked, as Alex shoved the page in his hands.
"You'll need a lot of these, when we get back to Traverse Town." Alex replied, standing up "Alright guys, it's time to move!" The party nodded, rising to their feet as they followed Alex through the doorway.
Xxx
"The boy again?" Maleficent asked in annoyed sigh, staring at the Keyhole of Agrabah.
"No, it was another... the one helping them." Jafar replied. Maleficent sighed, staring at the Keyhole.
"So, how are we going to go about this situation?" She asked sternly.
"Why don't you explain the situation to that boy Riku?" Jafar suggested "Doing so might prove useful to our-" Stopping in mid sentence, Jafar turned around to see the party run through the doorway. Maleficent also turned, seeing Alex amongst the party.
"Wait a second, are you... Maleficent?" Sora asked. Maleficent didn't reply, instead she just vanished without a trace.
"Jafar! Let Jasmine go!" Aladdin ordered.
"Not a chance." Jafar replied callously, "You see, she's a princess, one of seven who somehow hold the key to opening the door." Alex was confused now, what door. He worked with Maleficent long enough, but he never heard of this "But you fools won't live to see what lies beyond it."
"What do you mean open the door? What door?" Alex asked, pointing his sword at Jafar. Jafar merely ignored him, instead turning his head towards the dejected Genie.
"Genie! My second wish." Jafar said, before continuing "Crush them!"
"Genie, no! You don't have to do this!" Aladdin reasoned. The Genie merely turned his head up, a sorry expression on his face.
"Sorry Al, but the one with the lamp calls the shots. I don't have a choice." Genie explained sullenly. Suddenly, the way to the Keyhole and the exit were sealed by Jafar, as the party got themselves ready for a fight.
"Alright then Jafar, if you want a fight you'll get it!" Aladdin exclaimed, running at Jafar with his arm outstretched. Jafar however, had used his magic to levitate himself in the air.
"You're going to have to do better than that." Jafar mocked, as he pointed his staff at Aladdin. He then chanted a few words, as a magical beam shot out of the staff, hitting Aladdin square in the chest and knocking him out.
"Aladdin!" Sora shouted worryingly, running to his aid "Don't worry about us, just fight Jafar." Alex nodded, dashing at Jafar. He leapt in the air, slamming his sword into Jafar with the blunt side of his sword, as he sent him flying against the wall of the cavernous chamber.
"Aargh!" Jafar exclaimed painfully, although he'd have the last laugh as Genie grabbed Alex from behind.
"Hey, what in the name of-" Alex was interrupted, as he was thrown upwards into the ceiling by the Genie at full force, knocking him out. A loud thud was heard, signalling that Alex had landed on the floor. Hard.
"Sorry, I couldn't help it!" Genie explained, as Jafar recovered from the attack. He glanced at Alex, before chuckling.
"That's what you get for messing with me, boy!" Jafar exclaimed, levitating in the middle of the chamber. Ed and Eddy decided to double team him, as the two rushed at Jafar from both angles.
"Come on lumpy, let's do this!" Eddy exclaimed.
"What is this?" Jafar asked, glancing at the two boys running at him at full speed "Two lowly Keyblade boys?" However his words were met with Eddy's attack as he leapt high into the air. He then raised his Keyblade high in the air before quickly swiping at Jafar's face, before grabbing the handle with both hands as he slammed Jafar to the ground "Ugh!"
"Now Ed!" Eddy shouted as he landed deftly on the ground. Ed had nodded as he rushed at Jafar, who had slowly risen to his feet. He then slammed him high into the air with all of his strength, sending Jafar into the ceiling.
"Aargh!" Jafar cried painfully.
"Yeah, alright guys!" Genie cheered. Nazz and Kevin had then stood next to Eddy, their weapons in their hand. Jafar was slowly falling to the ground, as the three readied their attacks.
"Strike raid!" Eddy exclaimed, throwing his Keyblade at Jafar like a boomerang.
"Jump!" Kevin shouted, leaping high into the air above Jafar before slamming him downwards to Nazz with his spear, as Nazz was enveloped in light. She had raised her sword in the air, as Double D and Donald had empowered here weapon with lightning magic.
"Lightning barrage!" Nazz shouted loudly, leaping high into the air. Then, with a series of high speed slashes, she ended the attack with a downwards thrust as she sent Jafar into the ground. Genie was cheering; Jafar looked battered and bruised as Nazz landed deftly on her feet. But there was still a problem.
"Hey guys, Alex is still knocked out!" Jonny exclaimed, looking over him. The group ran towards him, including Aladdin who had recovered from unconsciousness.
"Give him this." Eddy said, handing Jonny a potion. Jonny, forcing the potion into Alex's mouth was able to wake him up, as the young boy began to cough. Ed was excited, grabbing Alex in a bear hug.
"YOU'RE ALIVE!" Ed exclaimed, hugging him tightly, even though Alex was becoming red in the face.
"Let... go... of... me..." Alex whispered, as Ed let him go.
"Oops, sorry." Ed said, smiling dumbly. Alex looked confused, staring at where Jafar once was.
"Umm, where is Jafar?" Alex asked, looking around the chamber. The group also searched the chamber; he was nowhere to be seen.
"Maybe we were to strong?" Kevin wondered, staring at Nazz with a smile "I know Nazz was." Nazz merely blushed, looking bashful.
"Aww, it was nothing." Nazz insisted, smiling "Should we check up on Jasmine and the Keyhole?" The group nodded, as they moved towards the Keyhole and Jasmine.
"Genie! My final wish!" The group turned again, Jafar levitated high into the air, fresh from the battle "Turn me into an all powerful Genie!" Genie shielded his eyes, before pointing at Jafar with his fingers as a beam of magic hit Jafar. Jafar was suddenly enveloped in an aura of light, as the chamber began to rumble fiercely.
"Whoa!" Eddy exclaimed, struggling to stay on his feet. The group looked downwards, and instead of the floor, they saw the underground part of the cave. It was filled with lava, lots and lots of lava. There were a few platforms though, but the fall seemed steep.
"He wants us to fight him?" Alex asked, albeit tiredly. He sat down next to Jasmine and the Keyhole, a smirk on his face "I can't go on I'm afraid, it looks like you guys are going to have to do it."
"Alright then Alex, we'll leave you here if that's what you want." Aladdin said, looking downwards into the underground. The Eds looked behind them to Alex, who merely smiled at them.
"Just go guys, if you get in trouble I'll come down to ya, okay?" Alex asked. The Eds nodded, as the group looked down the lava filled area.
"Geez, all the stinking treasure in the world ain't worth this..." Eddy muttered, as he stared down hard and gulped.
Xxx
"Well well, it looks like the rats want to play some more!" Jafar had exclaimed, but he was no longer human. No, he was something more: a gigantic, red coloured Genie. He was large, so large that the party merely looked puny in comparison.
"J-Jafar?" Aladdin asked, taking a slight step back. The giant red genie merely guffawed loudly at the urchin, confidence pouring from his very body.
"It looks like you've bitten off more than you can chew, street rat!" Jafar shouted, dipping his hand in the lava. Iago was flying over head of the heroes carrying a black lamp in between his talons, causing Double D to look up.
"Okay, i've got an idea..." Double D whispered, the group listening closely "Ed, Kevin, Eddy and Sora can distract Jafar while-"
"ARE YOU NUTS?" Eddy questioned furiously, pointing at Jafar "I AIN'T GETTING NEAR HIM!"
"Eddy, what I was saying was, I, Aladdin, Nazz, Donald, Jonny and Goofy will attack the lamp, while you lure him away from us." Double D suggested, glancing at Jafar, before staring at him closely "RUN AWAY!" The group turned, Jafar was holding a large fireball in his hand now. Eddy, Ed and Sora had to distract him...
"I like my street rats extra crispy!" Jafar roared, throwing the large ball of fire at the group. All of the party managed to dodge the ball of fire and the explosion, as pieces of the floor began to rise to Iago's position.
"Go Double D!" Ed ordered. The intelligent Ed nodded, as he and his group had departed to fight Iago. Ed, Eddy, Kevin and Sora had then stood against Jafar, their weapons brandished. Eddy and Kevin stood together as they got in their fighting style, preparing for another attack from Jafar.
"You ready, dorky?" Kevin asked, standing back to back with Eddy.
"Ready as you are, Kev." Eddy replied, glaring at Jafar. The red genie had merely laughed loudly, crossing his arms against his chest.
"Is this the best you've got? I'll squash you flat!" Jafar exclaimed, raising a fist in the air. Eddy and Kevin looked at each other, before looking at Jafar again. Jafar quickly brought his fist down against the two young warriors; however they both jumped out of the way of the attack, before resuming their positions "Die, street rats!" He dipped his hand in the lava again, the Eds, Sora and Kevin sighing again.
"How long's sock head gonna take?" Eddy asked, as Jafar held a massive fire ball in his hand "I can't take this forever!" Meanwhile, Double D and his group were having trouble with Iago, who darted and weaved through all of the magical attacks with aerial maneuvers.
"Come on you stupid bird, hold still!" Nazz shouted as she leaped high in the air, raised her sword high above her head one handed. She then swung at the big beaked bird with her sword, but the red bird evaded out of the way. The lamp was enveloped in a large magical bubble, protecting it from destruction.
"What do you think we should do Double D?" Goofy wondered, looking on as Jafar threw a large ball of magma at the two Eds, Sora and Kevin "We've gotta do something, quick!"
"I'm thinking..." Double D said, placing a palm on his chin.
"Well think harder sock head!" Eddy exclaimed, dodging another ball of magma "I can't do this forever ya know!" Double D nodded, punching his palm with his fist.
"I've got an idea!" Double D exclaimed, summoning his Keyblade.
"What? Another lightning barrage?" Nazz asked, staring at Iago "I don't think I've got enough energy left to do it."
"No Nazz, I've been thinking of something for a while now, a new spell..." Double D muttered, pointing his Keyblade at Iago "Gravity!" Suddenly, a large dome of darkness had surrounded Iago and pulled him to the floor, preventing him from getting up. Then, without a moment to spare, Double D ran towards the nefarious bird and poached the lamp from him
"AACK, Jafar's gonna kill me!" Iago exclaimed, as Double D held the lamp in the air. He then threw it in the air and hit in with a small blue beam of light, destroying the barrier. The lamp landed in his hands, holding it high above his head in Jafar's direction.
"A genie's weakness: its lack of freedom!" Double D announced, as he locked eyes with Jafar.
"WHAAT?" Jafar exclaimed furiously "IAGO YOU FOOL, YOU LET THEM GET THE LAMP?" Double D rubbed the lamp, as Jafar began to roar furiously.
"It's time to be kept in captivity, Jafar." Double D remarked coolly.
"NO, I WON'T BE DEFEATED!" Jafar roared defiantly, but he knew it, that deep down inside he was facing defeat. He glanced at Iago, who desperately tried to escape "I WON'T BE ALONE!" He tried to grab Iago, who merely flew out of range. Then, Jafar was sealed inside of the lamp, where he would do no harm for a very long time.
"Double D, ya did it dude!" Nazz congratulated, hugging Edd greatly. He was blushed, as he returned the hug.
"Hey, get a room!" The two released each other, before looking at Eddy and Kevin folding their arms.
"Yeesh, Double D gets a hug and I don't?" Eddy asked insultingly, "Besides, we gotta seal the Keyhole."
"Dorky has a point Double D; let's get our behinds up there quick!" Kevin ordered, assumingly trying to take Alex's place as 'leader'. The group nodded, as the magic carpet came to take them to the place above
Xxx
"Jasmine, Jasmine?" Aladdin wondered, searching around the chamber "Jasmine!" Sora, meanwhile, had summoned his Keyblade. As it was covered with light at the tip of the blade, he pointed at the revealed Keyhole, permanently locking the Keyhole. The Keyhole disappeared, instead covered with stone. Alex stood against the wall, arms folded.
"Alex, do you know where Jasmine went?" Aladdin asked, staring deeply at him. Alex merely stared back, emotionless.
"Not a clue." Alex replied, sighing. He then stood upright, stretching himself "I'm sorry Aladdin, I dozed off for a moment, and the next thing I know she's gone..."
"No, it's not your fault..." Aladdin muttered, sighing deeply. Suddenly, the entire cave began to rumble fiercely as the magic carpet came to the aid of the group.
"We've got to get out of here!" Goofy exclaimed worriedly, as the group hopped onto the magic carpet. The group escaped from the chamber, and instead were flying through the cave.
"Cool!" Ed shouted, raising both arms in the air. The rest of the group looked terrified, except for Jonny and Alex of course. Jonny was as excited as Ed, whilst Alex had almost zero enthusiasm whatsoever, like he had the energy sucked out of him.
"You're sure telling me Ed..." Eddy muttered worriedly, as the magic carpet dodged the falling boulders from the ceiling. The party soon approached a small doorway, which below it was filled with lava.
"Hold on!" Aladdin exclaimed, as the magic party went through. Suddenly they went through to a hallway filled with hallway and crumbling structures, which was when THEN Alex had suddenly snapped out of his state.
"What in the world-" Alex was soon interrupted as a jet of lava had appeared beside him "DO YOU KNOW HOW TO FLY THIS THING?"
"Hey, I'm doing the best I can!" Aladdin snapped back, dodging another piece of a crumbling pillar. They then passed through a hole in the wall which led to a similar hallway, and the party did this for three more times before passing through another hallway which led to another hallway "Are you happy now?" There were bits of rock falling, but nothing major as the group were closer to escaping.
"I am now!" Alex said in relief, sighing deeply. The group flew through the exit and out through the mouth of the cave of wonders, as they headed back to Agrabah.
Xxx
"So... Jasmine's no longer in Agrabah..." Aladdin muttered, sitting on the steps in his house. The then turned his head up to look at the party "Sora, let's find Jasmine together."
"I'm sorry Aladdin, I can't let you..." Sora replied sullenly, facing his head downwards.
"What? Why not?" Aladdin asked, more in desperation rather than anger.
"Because it would be meddling, Aladdin..." Goofy muttered, staring at Aladdin sadly "I wish we could..." Sora then looked up at Aladdin, with much more determination on his face.
"We'll look for her Aladdin, we promise!" Sora exclaimed, placing his arms around the necks of Alex and Kevin "And we'll do it with their help."
"You could have asked..." Alex muttered, smirking at Aladdin "Don't worry Aladdin, you can trust us." Aladdin perked up too, smiling greatly.
"Okay then, I'll hold it to you guys to get Jasmine safe okay?" Aladdin asked as the party nodded in response.
"Umm, Earth to Al, you have one more wish!" Genie interjected "You can just wish Jasmine to be here in Agrabah." The group looked at Aladdin in an anticipated manner, who merely sighed.
"Alright, Genie..." Aladdin trailed off, as Genie began to crack his fingers.
"You've got it Al." Genie said, ready to answer the wish.
"I wish to set you free!" Aladdin exclaimed as the entire party gasped, even Alex, our apathetic hero was in shock.
"Alrighty Al, wish number three coming... what?" Genie asked in surprise, as the shackles on his wrists disappeared, and a swirling vortex appeared below his 'tail' forming instead two legs to symbolise Genie's freedom "I'm... free..."
"A deals a deal Genie, you can go anywhere you want now. You're your own master." Aladdin said, smiling at him "But can you do me a favour Genie? Can you help these guys find Jasmine?" Genie, enjoying his freedom had stared harshly at Aladdin.
"Sorry Al, but I'm done taking orders." Genie replied sternly, turning away. Then, he turned around, a big smile on his face "But a favour, I can certainly do! I mean, we're pals right? Just leave it to me!" Aladdin just laughed and smiled as he ruffled his hair. The rest of the group chuckled, except for Alex, who stared out of the hole in the wall 'What am I fighting for?' Alex thought to himself, as he sighed deeply.
Xxx
"That smarmy vizier could have had 'em... if someone could have stuck around to give him a hand..." Hades remarked, gazing accusingly at Riku.
"Hey, I did my part right? I got the princess right?" Riku asked defensively.
"Yeah, if that Alex kid wasn't such a pushover..." Hades muttered, staring at the youngster "He can defeat my clients but hands her over to you? Blah!"
"Enough from you two." Maleficent called "You did well Riku, Jafar was far beyond help." She then turned to Hades "He was consumed by his own hatred, and one should be wary of letting it consume them a little too much." Hades backed away with his arms in the air, shaking his head at the same time.
"Whoa whoa, lighten up, I'm as cool as they come." Hades insisted, chuckling slightly "Anyway kiddo, we've got a special surprise for you."
"Huh?" Riku wondered, folding his arms.
"We had a deal, yes?" Maleficent asked "You help us and we grant your wish." An image of Kairi had appeared in the centre of the room, albeit she was in a comatose position.
"Kairi!" Riku exclaimed, reaching out to her, although he realized it was only an image.
"Go to her, your vessel is waiting." Maleficent ordered, as footsteps were heard. Suddenly, a tall man wearing a red cloak, brown trousers and white shin length socks with brown shoes stepped forward. He had a hook as a replacement for his left hand, and he wore a red had with a feather in it. He had a large moustache, and had long black hair.
"Remember that this isn't a pleasure cruise, it won't be a pleasant voyage!" He exclaimed, smirking at Riku.
"Why are you doing this all for me? What's the catch?" Riku questioned, frowning almost suspiciously.
"Catch? What's the catch?" Maleficent asked mockingly, turning to Riku and reaching towards his cheek with her hand "You're like a son to me, I only want you to be happy." However he turned his head sharply, escaping her touch.
"I very much doubt that." Riku muttered, still frowning.
"Believe what you want, but remember I kept my end of the bargain." Maleficent said, as Riku turned away from her.
"And what's HIS involvement?" Riku asked sharply. Maleficent chuckled, as if amused by his question.
"You mean Alex? Don't worry about him, he seeks what he wants to seek just like you. I see him as my son too. Now run along Riku, lest you be late." Maleficent replied wickedly, as Riku walked out of the ghastly room.
Xxx
"Take this with you." Aladdin said, handing Double D a keychain "It's to reward you with not only your intelligence, but your bravery." It was called the 'Three Wishes', and transformed Edd's Keyblade into an Arabian looking one.
"W-wow, thank you Aladdin..." Double D uttered, gazing at the Keyblade.
"Hey, wait!" Eddy exclaimed, crossing his arms "Why don't I get anything snazzy?" Ed came up from behind and squeezed Eddy in a bear hug, as he grinned from cheek to cheek.
"Aaw Eddy, you've got me!" Ed insisted, as Eddy cried loudly.
"That doesn't help lumpy!" Eddy exclaimed, as the party laughed loudly in amusement. After all, they were going to need it.
Xxx
"Hey, remember that Pinocchio kid?" Eddy asked, folding his arms as he sat in the gummi ship "What was his deal anyway?"
(flashback)
"Pinocchio? Is that you?" Jiminy cricket wondered, as he saw a little boy hiding underneath the table in the accessory shop. Although he looked a little different compared to the ordinary boy, instead he was made out of wood. And, what was next to the boy was what looked like some sort of special item "What are you doing Pinoch?"
"Umm... playin' hide and seek." Pinocchio replied, smiling widely.
"Oh, thank goodness Pinocchio, and here I was worrying about you and-" However Jiminy was soon interrupted as Pinocchio's nose grew longer by large proportions.
"Whoa, cool! I wish my nose could do that!" Ed exclaimed, smiling dumbly, although Jiminy wasn't all too impressed with the puppet boy.
"Pinocchio, are you lying to me mister?" Jiminy asked.
"If you see something you like, why wait, why not just take it?" Pinocchio asked.
"Yeah, if only all of us were like that!" Eddy exclaimed, although Alex slapped him in the back of the head "Hey, what was that for?"
"You can't go around telling him to steal, it's bad for his conscious." Alex reminded, crossing his arms "The only thing is though, where did he here that kind of 'philosophy' from?"
"He's right Pinocchio, you need your conscious set straight and I'm the only one for the job." Jiminy stated, crossing his arms too.
"You're right Jiminy, as long as you're my conscious I'll never lie or do bad stuff." Pinocchio said, as his nose grew back to normal "Say Jiminy, have you seen my papa?"
"I thought he was with you?" Jiminy asked confusedly "Well, don't do anything dangerous Pinocchio. I'm travelling with these fellows to other worlds; they will help me find Geppetto!"
"We will?" Sora asked, frowning slightly.
"You don't mind, do ya Sora?" Jiminy asked.
"You could have asked first..." Sora muttered gravely, meaning MORE work for the Keyblade master...
(End Flashback)
"I still say you should have asked you know!" Sora exclaimed, as Jiminy stared deeply at Sora.
"I'm sorry Sora, but It's what I've got to do." The cricket reasoned. Sora merely smiled at him, apparently forgiving him.
"Aaah, it's okay really." Sora said, pulling out the torn page that Alex gave to him "Hey guys, do you think this is the page from Merlin's Book?" Donald and Goofy looked at the torn page, before looking at each other.
"It sure looks like it, should we go back?" Goofy asked.
"Sure, I'm fine with that." Donald replied "Alex, are you fine with that?"
"Sure, I don't mind." Alex replied coolly "With that warp gummi, we should make it in no time." The group the turned on the warp drive, their next destination being Traverse Town...
(TBC...)