The gummi ship was flying across the Lanes Between in the direction of the first piece of artifacts the party must find in order to reach the world of the Fallen and end their threat. In that section, Kairi was observing the exterior from the glass of the bridge, while the autopilot piloted the ship.
"Is something the matter?" Makoto asked Kairi as he walked past him to see how things were going.
"I do not know, that's the truth," Kairi said, turning her gaze to the squirrel girl. "With everything that's happened... we're only about five worlds away from reaching the lair of the Fallen now... and I never thought one of those pieces could be on that world."
"Oh, you shouldn't worry," Makoto said, putting his hand on Kairi's shoulder. "You will see how in a matter of time we will put an end to all this madness."
"I hope so, but most likely things will not be as easy as they seem," Kairi said.
"Come now. Are you saying that something is going to happen that tries to prevent us from getting the fragments we are looking for?" Makoto asked.
"Knowing our luck," Kairi answered.
"Don't worry, okay?" Makoto said with a smile.
Kairi simply sighed, turning her gaze outside, just as they were already reaching their destination: Agrabah.
Upon reaching the mute the group decided to teleport outside the city. Fortunately, and this time, Kairi had not run into the head of the guard Razoul and his men. She didn't feel like dealing with him and liked him. Although unlike her, the rest of the group was quite surprised to be in the city.
"I have to admit this is an imposing city," Nina said looking around her.
"That's right, the only desert city I've ever known was a hanging city," Edea said.
"Yes, and what a palace!" Rena exclaimed looking at the huge palace that could be seen from the street.
"Well, if this city imposes on you, wait until you see one of its inhabitants," Kairi said.
The girls looked at Kairi in confusion, until without warning, the Genie appeared next to her.
"Kairi! Welcome back!" The Genie exclaimed hugging Kairi, as she felt a little overwhelmed by how he hugged her.
"Okay, okay, let me go, I need to breathe..." Kairi said as she tried to break free of her embrace until he released her.
"I promise you that this time there will be no problem with the Fallen, I have already made sure of it." The Genie said, brushing off his hands.
"This, do you know that one?" Priere asked.
The Genie eyed the group for a moment, before moving closer to Kairi's ear. "Hey, who are they? And what is a devil going with you?"
"Don't worry, they are trustworthy," Kairi said. "Rena, Edea, Eve, Nina, Priere, Makoto, Airy, I present to you to Genie." The girls were silent for a moment. "He is a genie, like the one with the lamp."
"A genie?!" the girls asked.
"Are you seriously a wish-granting genie?!" Makoto exclaimed with sparkling eyes. "I wish for a-"
"Hold on!" The Genie interrupted Makoto putting his hand in front of his face. "My time of granting wishes is over." The Genie looked at Kairi. "And I'm a free genie, remember that."
"Yes it's right," Kairi said. "By the way, how are Aladdin and Jasmine doing?"
"Oh, they're both fine, don't worry about them." The Genie answered. "Well, tell me, what brings you here?"
Kairi was thoughtful for a moment. "Let's see how I explain it to you..."
Kairi gave the Genie as concise a summary as possible of what had happened since she had been in Agrabah, including finding out that she was an esper, a half-breed daughter of the Phoenix.
When Kairi finished explaining the story to him, Genie stared at her with a face trying to understand everything, until suddenly his head literally blew up, leaving only a thread of smoke where his head was, until a new one came out of between his shoulders.
"And I thought that my story already made one's head explode!" exclaimed Genie, with his hands on his head.
"That is up for debate," Airy whispered to Priere.
"That's not what's important right now," Kairi said. "The important thing is to find the five artifacts that keep the system that keeps the world of the Fallen trapped active. And one of the locations it's in this world. Will you help us?"
"You can count on that!" Said the Genie raising a thumb. "But now we must find out where it might be. You must know that I was locked in my lamp for ten thousand years, so I was not present when all this happened."
"And you know who might know where it might be?" Makoto asked.
The Genie became thoughtful. "Now, who would know where to find that fragment you're looking for?"
"Well, I'm going to see if I can find any clues on my side," Airy said, flying off down the street before the girls stopped her.
But suddenly a cane got in the way, surprising her and causing her to fall to the ground on her rear.
"You should not go alone, fairy, for you would never find what you seek on your own." Said an old man who seemed to be a blind beggar, putting the cane on the ground.
"I could warn you before you appear out of nowhere, sir..." The fairy complained, getting up and rubbing her behind with her hand.
"Fasir!" exclaimed the Genie. "What a surprise, what brings you here?"
"Just asking these young women not to look for what they are looking for here, to look for it elsewhere." Said the man named Fasir.
"You what?!" Edea asked, apparently annoyed by her comment. "With all the trouble we had to find out that one of the pieces is here!"
"Who is he?" Rena asked.
"It's Fasir, and even though he doesn't look like it, he's a seer." The Genie replied, turning his gaze to the old man. "May I know what's wrong with you, Fasir?"
"I just want to warn you that if you search here, you will only waste your time," Fasir said calmly.
Then Priere seized the man by the tunic.
"Stop the nonsense! If you know where the piece is, you'd better tell us, or you'll be limping as well as blind!" Priere threatened.
"Priere, calm down," Kairi said, moving closer to Fasir as Priere released him. "Sir, I don't know why you are doing this, but you must know that we must find the fragments or something terrible could happen."
"It could also happen if the fragments are obtained," Fasir commented. "But if you really want to go to where the fragment rests, then so be it. But I warn you, this journey will get you nowhere."
"We'll see about that." Makoto said.
"Okay, but for the record I have warned you because the danger is present there," Fasir said. "If you head west, sooner or later you will come to a dense forest that surrounds a large mountain with two peaks. The place you seek is somewhere in that forest. But I warn you, looking for it by air will not help, since the forest is so leafy from above that hardly any sunlight can illuminate its interior, and therefore it does not reveal anything from the sky. Or maybe it's in the very own mountain, who knows."
"Hmm, a lush forest surrounding a two-peaked mountain…" The Genie said thoughtfully. "I think I flew past it while traveling."
"That's better than nothing," Kairi said.
"Yeah. Do you see how it has not been so difficult?" Priere asked Fasir... but he had disappeared. "Where is he?" he asked, looking around.
"It is common on him. He's good at disappearing without warning, just as he does when he shows up." Said the Genie.
Eve thought for a moment before speaking. "Clearly there is something wrong here."
"But at least we know where to look," Nina said.
"Okay, so we have to go west from here, right?" Edea asked.
"I suggest we don't go walking. The place is far away." The Genie warned. "The fastest would be to fly."
"Flying? And how do we do it? Edea asked. "As far as I know, me, Rena, and Makoto are the only ones who can't fly. Only Kairi, Nina, Priere, and Airy can fly at this time."
"Um... you've noticed that Kairi doesn't have wings, right?" Asked the Genie.
"Oh, but when she transforms, she takes on a pair of stupendous, elegant wings," Edea said.
That answer made Genie look at Kairi with confusion on his face.
"But I can't abuse my Esper form all the time. I don't know how long it could maintain that form." Kairi warned.
"Well, okay, there are four of us. And yet how are we going to go?" Edea asked.
"Don't worry, I have an idea." Said the Genie, giving a loud whistle.
The girls were confused by this until suddenly they saw how a carpet was flying towards them.
"Come on! A magic carpet? Edea asked.
The Magic Carpet began to move between the girls as if it were exploring them carefully, which confused them.
"Is it me, or does this carpet have a life of its own?" Makoto asked.
"Don't worry about it. You can trust Carpet. It is the best carpet you can find in these parts." The Genie said, the rug bowing.
"Are you sure he'll be able to take all four of us?" Rena asked.
"Do not worry!" Said the Genie. "He'll be able to take all four of you with no problem." Then the Carpet began to move as if 'nodding' its 'head'.
"Well then. Let's not waste any more time." Kairi nodded.
In that the Magic Carpet landed on the ground, at which point Kairi, Edea, Rena, and Makoto sat on it, which began to rise above the ground, surprising the girls.
Suddenly the Genie transformed into a pilot in a white naval aviator uniform with shoulder patches and a pair of aviator sunglasses perched on his nose with short spiky hair on his head. He was also involved in a much-reduced-scale airplane parody.
"Very well, ladies, follow me!" he exclaimed the Genie, flying out of the city, being followed by the Magic Carpet and its occupants.
"Hey, wait for us!" Priere exclaimed, flying after them along with Eve, Nina, and Airy.
In the dense forest surrounding a large mountain with two peaks, a short stocky man with a thin mustache and beady eyes, dressed in a red and purple suit with a turban and a belt filled with various tools and weapons was walking through the forest. forest, trying to advance through the grove.
"Seriously, I don't know why we're having to do this ride the old-fashioned way." Said the man. "Aren't your powers supposed to make things easier for us?"
The man turned his gaze to a slender humanoid cat with gray fur, light green eyes, and black hair, wearing blue eyeshadow, a long ruby gown, gold cuffs, and an Egyptian-style headdress. She also seemed to have some trouble moving through the forest.
"I've told you before, fat-ball! The strange magic that rules this forest neutralizes the power of the Elementals, so I can't use all my powers." Said the humanoid cat.
"Well, what an Elemental of Evil you are made of." The man commented.
"Be careful, human! Even if I don't have all my powers, they are still enough to wipe you off the map." She said. "The only reason we are cooperating to acquire that mystical treasure is because you found the map and I was the only one who could translate it."
"And what about me?" asked a tall, muscular man, wearing a black stealth suit and long cape, his face hidden behind a helmet with a telescopic lens, a sniper rifle on his back, and a pistol on his belt. The man was several meters away from them. "Do you remind me why I am in this place?"
"Don't worry, Vindicare." Said the man. "You're here in case that nuisance Aladdin shows up here. That street rat always has a habit of appearing when I'm near something."
"I just wanted to make sure, Mr. Abis Mal," Vindicare replied, before turning her gaze from him to the humanoid cat. "And I think it would be best for you to accept the fact that you can't do everything with your magic at this point, Mrs. Mirage."
Mirage glared at Vindicare before throwing a ball of energy at him, but Vindicare dodged to avoid it.
"Wow, the kitten still has sharp claws," Vindicare said.
"Keep it up, and you'll wish you never met me," Mirage warned.
"We'll see about that," Vindicare said, putting his hand on the pistol on his belt.
"Vindicare, that's enough! And you, Mirage, focus!" Abis Mal exclaimed, interrupting them both, turning his gaze to Vindicare. "Why don't you go ahead and find the temple on your own? Maybe that way we can cut ground and find out where he is."
"Yes, it will be for the best. I can't take that witch any longer." Vindicare said turning around.
"Why you..." Mirage cursed.
Suddenly Vindicare's wristband began to beep, catching his attention. He brought the wristband closer to his face, showing a kind of holographic map.
"What's that?" Abis Mal asked.
"A security measure, to let me know if anyone else approaches the place," Vindicare said. "And so it is, and at full speed."
"It has to be Aladdin!" Mirage said. "That human must be heading this way on his Magic Carpet!"
"No, it never fails! That damn Aladdin never fails to show up when I don't want him around!" Abis Mal exclaimed, turning his gaze from her to Vindicare. "Take care of him! And I hope you do well. You have cost me a large amount of gems."
"Don't worry, boss. That Aladdin will not come near you." Vindicare said, walking into the woods.
"Come on Mirage. We must hurry to find the temple." Abis Mal said to Mirage.
"You don't have to say it!" Mirage exclaimed, advancing the two through the forest.
Vindicare positioned himself at the top of one of the trees, picking up his sniper rifle and aiming towards the horizon, until he spotted several figures flying towards the forest.
"They are there," Vindicare said, waiting a bit until the figures were closer. "Wait a minute, who are those? Apparently that Aladdin has not come." Then he pointed towards the Genie to spot it. "But it seems that the Genie that those two mentioned before has come. Anyway, it's a shame Abis Mal didn't pay me for the goal execution fee. In any case, I think I'll have a little fun at their expense."
Kairi, Edea, Rena, and Makoto, riding the Magic Carpet, followed the Genie, who was still in his parody of a plane, who was flying ahead of them while Priere, Eve, Nina, and Airy followed on the sides. The Genie had to slow down so the flying girls could follow him while staying close to the Magic Carpet.
"This is the forest?" Kairi asked.
"Yes that's what it is. This is the place." The Genie answered. "If Fasir is right, the place where the fragment is hidden should be somewhere in this forest or the mountain."
"And where could it be? This forest is huge." Airy said.
"And it's too leafy to try looking for it in the air," Eve said. "And I doubt the Gummi Ship can scan the forest."
"That means we'll have to land and search for it from within," Edea said. "Okay, I'm already a little tired of being on this carpet." Then Edea directed her gaze to the Carpet. "No offense."
"Very good. Let's look for a clear place to land and-" Suddenly a shot was heard, and one of the plane's wings was pierced, making the Genie begin to fall with the plane. "Attention! Mayday, Mayday! They got me! I'm falling! Mayday, mayday!"
The Genie fell into the forest. Concerned by what happened, they all descended as quickly as possible before there was another shot, landing inside the forest near the Genie, who seemed to have cracked his head on impact.
"Are you okay?" Nina asked.
"Yes I'm fine." Said the Genie, getting up from the ground as if nothing had happened. "Wow, who could it have been?"
"That made a sound like a sniper rifle," Eve said. "There's most likely a sniper around the place."
"If that's true, we'll have to be prepared." Said the Genie transforming into a burly, muscular man with short hair and a headband wearing military-style attire, including a green shirt and camouflage pants, armed with a machine gun.
"And how do you prepare against a sniper?" Edea asked.
"Anyway," Makoto said. "We are in an environment where a skilled sniper could take us down one by one without us knowing where he is."
"And what do we do then?" Priere asked.
At that moment Vindicare was pointing his rifle in the direction of the Genie and the girls.
"Wow, that Genie is truly weird," Vindicare said, aiming his rifle at the group. "Let's see, several human girls, a beast girl, a bird-winged woman, an android, a fairy, a pointy-eared woman." Then he set his sights on Priere. "My, my, what do we have here? A demon?" He asked himself, watching as Priere argued with the others while Rena tried to calm her down. "I suppose I could start with her."
Vindicare began to aim his weapon at Priere, preparing to fire at one of his wings, trying to make as little noise as possible.
But at that moment Rena heard something, turning her head, immediately pushing Priere aside… just as a shot rang out and a shell hit a tree.
"Everybody to the floor!" The Genie exclaimed, throwing himself to the ground, at the same time as the rest did.
"How funny…" Vindicare commented, pointing his gun in the direction of the group, even though they were hidden.
"What's going on?" Nina asked, holding her wings to the ground to prevent something from hitting them.
"It seems that the sniper is here," Rena said.
"Well, that's bad. How are we going to defend ourselves if he can take us down from afar?" Airy asked.
"Leave the sniper to me," Rena said. "I have an idea of where he may be. As soon as it attacks, run to the side as far as you can."
"And how do you know where he is?" Edea asked. Rena simply pointed at her ears. "Oh, I see."
"Can we focus?" Kairi asked.
"Okay, get ready," Rena said, preparing her bow.
Rena got up from her position and shot an arrow forward… which hit near where Vindicare was.
"What the hell?" She wondered as the arrow landed near him, before coming back to aim at the elf.
Rena shot several arrows forward again, this time forcing the sniper to move to avoid the mana arrows. Just then Kairi and the others ran to the side while the Genie created a smoke screen to hide them.
Vindicare tried to aim her weapon at the smoke, but he was forced to duck behind a tree to avoid another arrow from Rena, which she used to move forward and take cover behind another tree, this time closer to the shooter.
The sniper leaned in slightly to lean out and look, but he was forced to hide to avoid a mana arrow. But he suddenly came out aiming, shooting towards where Rena was, who jumped towards another tree, taking cover, at which point he did the same behind another tree.
"You're not bad at this, miss," Vindicare said aloud, knowing that the elf archer would be able to hear him.
"You shouldn't challenge an elf inside a forest," Rena said out loud.
"As you say, but let me warn you that I have trained my entire life for this type of work." Said the shooter.
"Come on, me too," Rena said, smiling. "Besides, at your age, I was already very skilled with a bow. And believe me, when I was your age, your great-great-grandfather wasn't even born."
"Oh! What the hell are you? An Eldar?" Vindicare asked.
"I don't know what that is, but what I do know is that you've gotten yourself into quite a mess by targeting my friends," Rena warned.
"Oh, is that a challenge? Because I'm up for the challenge!" Vindicare said, readying his rifle.
The rest of the group kept running until they felt they had gone far enough into the woods to avoid being targeted by the shooter.
"Geez... are you all alright?" Kairi asked, breathing heavily.
"Yeah, we're fine… I think." Edea said, breathing hard as the others nodded.
"I think we are safe here." Said the Genie. "I wonder what a sniper will do here, in the middle of the forest."
"There is only one possible explanation for it. There's someone else in this forest, and they hired that sniper to hold off whoever was coming." Edea said.
"Maybe there are more possibilities, but that's the most likely," Eve said.
"Then who do you think he has hired that person? The Fallen?" Makoto asked.
"I doubt it. The Fallen would not use a sniper to do their dirty work. They are already low enough to do the dirty work themselves." Airy said.
"And then who?" Edea asked.
"All I know is that the fragment we seek is in danger," Kairi said. "We must find him before whoever hired this shooter finds him before."
"And where do you want us to start looking?" asked Genie. "This forest is very extensive, not counting the sniper who could come after us at any moment."
Kairi closed her eyes for a moment.
"The only thing we can do now is to move on. Hopefully, we will find the temple on our own." Kairi said.
"Or whoever beat us to it," Edea said.
The group started to move forward, but then Makoto stopped.
"What happens?" Airy asked.
"Are we really going to let Rena take care of that sniper herself?" Makoto asked.
"Look, we don't actually like the idea, but she's the only one in the group with the skills to take on that hitman. We would only hinder her." Eve explained.
"Look, Rena might be able to deal with him, but I think she'll need help to corner him," Makoto said. "Believe me, it will be easier for him to deal with the shooter if he has to pay attention to two sides."
"But Makoto!" Edea exclaimed.
"Go," Kairi said, making everyone look at her. "I'm worried about her too, and she might truly need help. If you want to go help her, go. But please be careful."
Makoto nodded and ran off in the direction they came from.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" asked the Genie.
"Believe me. I trust them." Kairi said.
"Okay," Nina said. "But that doesn't solve how we'll find the place where the fragment is."
Kairi closed her eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath. He immediately summoned the Keyblade from her and pointed it in a direction.
"Let's go over there," Kairi said, pointing in that direction.
"Are you sure?" Priere asked.
"When in doubt, follow a well-known mantra: May your heart be your guiding key," Kairi said. "So I suggest we go in that direction."
The girls looked at each other in confusion, shrugging.
"It's a rare thing for Keywearers. But we don't have time for explanations." The Genie suggested. Then he looked at the carpet. "You better hide, better be safe in case there is another trap."
The carpet nodded and flew into the trees to hide as the group moved in the direction Kairi pointed.
After making their way through the trees for a while, the group ended up accidentally finding Abis Mal and Mirage, who seemed to be approaching from a different direction.
"You?!" Abis Mal exclaimed when he saw the Genie.
"Abis Mal and Mirage? Working together?! I already knew there was something fishy around!" exclaimed the Genie.
"Who are they?" Edea asked.
"Abis Mal is a thief who does not stop getting into where he is not called, trying to get hold of relics that do not belong to him. A problem one should not worry about." The Genie explained.
"Hey!" The bandit exclaimed, feeling offended by the Genie's explanation.
"But Mirage is something else. She is a very powerful sorceress, and therefore dangerous. She alone could turn a nation upside down with her magic." Said the Genie.
"Ha! Thanks for being kind, Genie." Mirage said. "Tell me, where have you left Aladdin?"
"This time Aladdin is not here. He's a bit busy right now." The Genie said.
"It is a pity. I would have liked to use my magic against him." Mirage said.
"But I hired Vindicare to take care of him, and now they tell me he hasn't come?!" Abis Mal asked.
"Who's this Vindicare?" Edea asked.
"He must surely be the sniper from before," Eve said.
"So you hired him!" Priere exclaimed.
"I take back what I said! You are much more despicable than I remembered!" The Genie exclaimed looking at the thief.
"Okay, okay, let's focus! Who are they? Abis Mal asked pointing at the girls.
"Nothing that interests you, Abis Mal!" The Genie answered.
"I do not believe it. The group is quite heterogeneous, so surely they are not from these lands." Mirage said, fixing on Kairi's Keyblade. "Something that is true because of that weapon of yours." She said pointing to the weapon.
Kairi went on her guard as Mirage pointed her Keyblade.
"That weapon is a Keyblade, right? I haven't seen one in a long time." Mirage said.
"A Key-what?" Abis Mal asked.
"Let's just say that with that weapon you could pick any lock you can find," Mirage replied.
"Oh really?!" Abis Mal asked in surprise.
"Forget it," Kairi said. "You will not get this weapon. And what the hell are you doing here?
"We have come for the relic in this place!" exclaimed Abis Mal.
"You shut up!" Mirage scolded. "They don't need to know!"
The girls looked at each other.
"You mean the fragment we're looking for?" Nina asked.
"Probably," Eve replied.
"Let's see, let's see." The Genie interrupted. "There is something wrong here and I want to know why. Let's see, Mirage, can I tell what you're doing here looking for that with that loser Abis Mal?"
"She can't use her powers here because for some reason this place neutralizes some of his magic and he needs me to find the artifact. She promised to share it with me when we find it." Said Abis Mal.
"Do you want to shut your mouth for once, Abis Mal?!" Mirage scolded Abis Mal, her hands about to strangle him.
"Wow, this is indeed interesting." Said the Genie, rubbing his hands together. "I think revenge is served!"
After this, the Genie transformed into a huge humanoid robot, and with a smile, pointed his weapon at Mirage. But the weapon started to make a very strange noise until it exploded, leaving the Genie confused.
"It seems to affect you too, Genie," Mirage said with a wry smile.
The Genie returned to his normal form. "Wow, this was not what I expected."
"It must be a defense system so that wizards don't find the place so easily with their magic." He gave Eve.
"Well, I guess I can still use my magic here," Nina said.
"Yeah, but if so, it's two against all of us," Priere said. "I think we know who would win."
"Are you sure about it?" Mirage asked.
"I knew this would happen." Abis Mal said, frowning. "That is why I have come prepared." The thief took out a strange orb from his pocket.
"You're not thinking of using that, are you?" Mirage asked Abis Mal, taking a step back.
"There's no other way!" Abis Mal exclaimed. "I'm not going to let some children get ahead of me!"
With those words, Abis Mal raised the orb, causing it to begin to glow blindingly.
Rena kept moving through the trees, looking for the best way to get closer to the shooter at the same time that she used her arrows against him. But Vindicare also moved through the trees, using whatever she could use to cover herself against the elf's arrows.
"I admit it, you are much better than I had imagined," Vindicare said so Rena could hear.
"Well, we are two. By now I should have gotten rid of you." Rena said.
Vindicare began to aim through the trees in the direction where Rena might be. The conversations between the two made them reveal each other, indicating where the other was at all times, but they did not take advantage of it without thinking, since they knew that it could be a trap.
Rena closed her eyes and aimed her bow up, shooting an arrow.
Vindicare kept aiming until she felt something above him, and looking up she was surprised and ran to the side, avoiding a shower of mana arrows that rained down on where she had been before.
"Nice trick," Vindicare said. "Now I also have to focus on not getting a falling arrow from the sky."
"I already told you that you shouldn't underestimate an elf," Rena said.
"I see that already," Vindicare said, aiming again for the elf.
The elf archer began to think of a way to deal with the sniper, since all she was doing was stalling the fight, and Kairi and the others probably need her. She had to end this now. At that moment she felt something, frowning, and squeezed her bow into her hand.
Then Rena came out of her hiding place, shooting a mana arrow in the direction where Vindicare was. This arrow became a hurricane that caught the shooter off guard, struggling to keep his balance in the wind. To his own good fortune, Vindicare managed to aim his weapon at Rena.
"Nice try, but I already got you," Vindicare said in a low voice, pointing to Rena's head.
But before he could shoot, he heard something approaching him, and when he turned to find a squirrel girl jumping on him.
How had she managed to get so close to him without noticing her? It was the question Vindicare was asking himself in his mind until he realized what was happening. The girl used the hurricane wind to camouflage her footsteps with the noise of the leaves and branches of the trees moving in the wind. That arrow turning-into-wind shot by the elf archer and showing herself was a trap to get the squirrel girl closer.
Makoto first hit the rifle to disarm it, and immediately hit him in the face, causing him to fall to the ground. Quickly the squirrel girl jumped on him, putting her foot on his chest so he wouldn't move.
"I wouldn't move if I were you!" Makoto exclaimed.
"That was quite a surprise," Vindicare said. "I didn't think I could get caught this way. I did not expect, sincerely."
"Me neither, honestly," Rena said, approaching them. "Thanks for the help, Makoto."
"It was nothing," Makoto said. "You got it?"
Rena pointed her bow at Vindicare. "I have it."
"Good," Makoto said, getting off the shooter and picking up the rifle on the ground. "I'll take this so you don't use it." Makoto checked the weapon. "Honestly, I had never seen a rifle like this. It must be a modified model the surest."
"Oh, if you only knew. That weapon is more advanced than you could imagine." Vindicare said.
"Well, be that as it may, you will not use it anymore, because you have already lost," Makoto said. "Keep it there while I find something to tie it up with."
"I'm sorry, ladies, but I'm not interested in being a prisoner." Said Vindicare, before tossing a grenade into the air.
The grenade went off, causing a blinding flash that dazzled Rena and Makoto. When everything was cleared up, there was no trace of the shooter.
"Where has he been?" Makoto asked, still holding the rifle in her hands.
"He must have escaped, the coward," Rena said. "At least he shouldn't be able to cause us any more trouble."
At that moment they heard a lot of noise in the distance as if there was a fight.
"And now that?" Makoto asked.
"Come on!" Rena exclaimed, running into the forest following the sound of her with Makoto trailing behind her.
The elf and the squirrel girl advanced through the forest following the noise until they reached the place, finding Kairi, Edea, Eve, Nina, Priere, and Airy separating to be able to face a huge six-legged creature that looked like a giant arthropod with features of spider or crab
"What the hell is that thing?!" Makoto asked seeing the creature.
"Thank goodness you've arrived! This thing is so tough!" Edea exclaimed, avoiding the huge creature's paws.
Rena didn't hesitate for a moment and started shooting mana arrows at the creature, her arrows having little effect on the monster's armor. At the same time, Makoto began to move, looking for a way to hit it as the creature spun around to attack the group.
Meanwhile, Abis Mal and Mirage were hiding behind some trees hoping the monster wouldn't see them.
"You had to do it, right?" Mirage asked angrily.
"Do what?" Abis Mal asked.
"You already know, to release that creature from that orb." Said the feline woman. "Only you could think of releasing a Full Metal Hugger that easily without thinking about the consequences!"
"I had no idea that thing was so dangerous!" exclaimed the thief.
The Genie approached them quite angrily, arms crossed.
"This time you have really gone and done it, Abis Mal!" scolded the Genie.
"Get away," Mirage said, using a spell to drive away the Genilo.
Rena kept shooting the mana arrows at the Full Metal Hugger, at the same time Nina and Airy used her magic on opposite sides against the monster, these spells only hitting her armor.
Edea while she tried to attack the creature from the sides, but the legs were too hard for her sword.
"Why don't you transform?!" Airy asked Edea.
"Let's see, what job could I use against some kind of bug/spider/crab which is really resistant all around?" Edea asked sarcastically.
"You do it!" Priere exclaimed, throwing his staff like a boomerang against the Full Metal Hugger's armor.
"Tell me a weak spot and I'll do it!" Edea exclaimed. Some trades are useless at certain times!"
"Genie! Can you identify what that thing is?" Kairi asked the Genie, as she avoided the monster's legs as she approached it.
At that moment, the Full Metal Hugger directed her gaze towards Nina, launching from her mouth an orb of light that flew towards the winged girl, but she managed to evade the attack.
"A light attack?" asked the Genie. "And they called him Full Metal Hugger? I think I've heard that name somewhere." Said the Genie, taking a book out of nowhere and a pair of glasses, looking at the book carefully. "AHA! I already have it! It's undoubtedly a Full Metal Hugger!" exclaimed the Genie. "It must be the Trials variant…" he said to himself in a low voice. "In any case, his elemental base is light, so dark elemental attacks are effective against him. But be careful with the eyes, because they shoot light literally!
The Genie turned pale as the Full Metal Hugger stared at the Genie, firing two white lasers from its eyes at him, causing him to hide his head inside his body to avoid being hit.
"Whew, that was close!" The Genie exclaimed, noticing then that he had his ponytail on fire, putting it out with his hand.
"So dark attacks, right? You could have found it sooner!" Edea said. "I can't use the Occultist profession with this Multi-asterisk, but I have an alternative." At those words, Edea transformed into the Spell Fencer Job, immediately imbuing her weapon with a dark aura.
"Something is better than nothing," Airy said, beginning to use the Dark spell on the Full Metal Hugger.
Kairi took advantage of the fact that the monster had his attention on Airy due to his attacks on it to focus his magic and conjure Diabolos Form, thinking of using the creature's weakness instead of using Phoenix Form.
"My, it seems that the young lady has met some interesting people." The Genie commented.
Kairi began to run around the Full Metal Hugger, looking for some point to attack, but the huge creature had its eye on her, constantly turning around to keep her steady. That casually allowed Airy to cast the Dark spell on the monster's shell, at the same time Edea ran after it to strike it from behind it in her blind spot with her dark magic-imbued sword.
Those attacks caused the creature to become angry and suddenly spin on itself like a top. Fortunately, Edea was agile enough to block with her sword the attack and was simply pushed away from the Full Metal Hugger, but not without tripping and falling to the ground. There she saw how the monster had fixed her and began to move towards her with the intention of impaling her with its legs, although fortunately its progress was stopped when a huge lightning strike struck the shell. It wasn't a dark attack, but it was powerful enough to stun him momentarily, allowing Edea to get up and put the distance between her and the Full Metal Hugger.
"Thanks for the help!" Edea exclaimed to Nina, who was the one who summoned that lightning.
"Thank you, but this isn't over yet," Nina said as she cast a spell in the form of three fiery claws that slammed into the Full Metal Hugger's face, causing it to flinch with the pressure of the attack.
But this monster did not take long to replicate the attack when she ceased, launching a ball of light toward Nina, who was able to avoid it in time before she exploded next to her. Makoto took the distraction to hit him on one of the legs so that he lost his balance, the instant Priere took the opportunity to hit it hard with her staff. It was strong enough to flip the Full Metal Hugger over onto its belly, legs moving erratically like a spider and trying to roll over.
"I think this will do," Priere said with a smile.
"I'll take care of this!" Kairi exclaimed and jumped on the Full Metal Hugger's belly and started hitting it with the abilities imbued with Diabolos Form, using whatever dark attack she could unleash on the monster in that state, while the girls were ready in case the creature tried any tricks.
"If I don't see it, I don't believe it." Commented Vindicare, who at that moment was hidden among the trees, watching the fight from a distance without anyone noticing his presence, not now that he had lost his weapon to Rena and Makoto. Despite his mask, there was surprise in his voice. "An Esper. You don't see that every day. And from the armor, it can be seen that she is not Diabolos' daughter." At that moment he managed to catch a glimpse of the shape of Kairi's Keyblade despite the rapid strikes he was executing on the belly-up Full Metal Hugger, his eyes widening behind his visor. "You got to be kidding!"
Kairi kept hitting the Full Metal Hugger's belly with what she had as it tried to get up. Right at that moment her eyes began to glow, preparing to cast one of her spells out there.
"Oh no you don't!" Edea exclaimed, impaling her sword on one of her eyes.
The monster screamed audibly at the attack, causing it to jerk harder, even causing Kairi to lose her balance and fall to the ground. Such was her savageness that the Full Metal Hugger managed to turn around, directing an angry look at Edea through her only eye since the eye that Edea hit had disappeared without a trace.
"If looks could kill, that eye would tear me apart," Edea said nervously, starting to run when the Full Metal Hugger started moving towards her at full speed.
"Stop it anyhow!" Kairi exclaimed pointing at the monster.
Rena started shooting her mana arrows at the Full Metal Hugger trying to get her attention, but it seemed to be fixed on Edea, ignoring everything else. Not even Nina and Airy's magic managed to get the Full Metal Hugger's attention on them.
Abis Mal peeked out to see how the fight was going, but his face paled as he saw Edea running in their direction, the Full Metal Hugger behind her in full rage.
"Oh dammit! Run!" Abis Mal warned Mirage before running like hell, while at one point she looked out, and seeing what was coming on top of her she ran off.
"This is already somewhat surreal." Said the Genie scratching his head.
The three of them ran ahead of the Full Metal Hugger, trying to keep as much distance as they could between themselves and the monster, although it did not give up in its pursuit.
"Why the hell did you have to run in this direction?" Mirage asked angrily.
"It's not your fault, look! You were the one who summoned that thing!" Edea exclaimed.
"That doesn't matter! Every man for himself!" Abis Mal exclaimed who, despite his physical form, was the one who ran ahead of the others.
The three continued with their run until they somehow got out of the forest, near a huge mountain, but without noticing Abis Mal and Mirage turned to one side in an attempt to save themselves, at the same time that Edea turned to the other side, causing the Full Metal Hugger to stop and turn towards her.
"Okay, enough of you chasing me all the time, you stupid crustacean!" Edea exclaimed, pointing her sword at the Full Metal Hugger.
The monster only took one step before a mana arrow hit it on the side, causing it to turn around, and see the rest of the party walking out of the forest.
"Good, now that we're outside, there won't be any more trees to interrupt us!" Priere said with a smile.
"Neither us nor it," Rena said, aiming her bow at the monster.
"Then let's get this over with." Kairi said pointing her Keyblade.
The Full Metal Hugger roared, this time launching orbs of light in all directions causing everyone to scatter to avoid the blast of light from the orbs exploding around them. But that didn't stop at least Kairi and Makoto from running towards the Full Metal Hugger, and Edea used the occasion to attack him from behind with her sword before the other two got in front of him and began to pummel him.
"Any bright ideas?" Airy asked, no matter how weird the question sounded in the face of the situation.
"I have a feeling we have half the job done," Eve said, scanning the Full Metal Hugger from a distance and looking for a workable strategy. "But if we continue like this we will finish him off."
"Then it will be better to try to soften it more," Nina said, releasing one of her magic that fell on the shell like a gigantic lightning bolt.
"The truth is that I agree with that," Airy said, casting more Dark spells on the monster.
"It seems that the belly is quite soft," Rena said, remembering how the monster suffered from Kairi's attacks when he was upside down.
"Well, I doubt he'd agree to flip it again," Airy said.
"Well, for now, let's give it our all," Nina said, casting her spells.
"I have an idea," Priere said, looking at Rena. "Try to shoot your most powerful arrow at the monster." She then looked at Nina and Airy. "When I tell you, aim to my staff."
"What are you thinking about?" Rena asked.
"You'll see. It will be fun." Priere said.
Meanwhile, Kairi, Makoto, and Edea engaged in melee attacks with their weapons attacking the Full Metal Hugger, damaging it however they could while dodging the monster's legs as it moved, and sometimes avoiding the light attacks it might throw. throw both by the mouth and by his eye. The only good thing was that the others' ranged attacks hit the shell and that the monster was so big that the brunt of the blow took it full blow without the magic hitting them by accident.
"Any ideas?" Kairi asked, ducking to avoid a swipe from the Full Metal Hugger's claw.
"Well, either we find a way to turn it around again, or..." Makoto started to say until he heard a shout behind them.
"Watch out!" Rena yelled, shooting an arrow into the sky.
The three of them looked up for a moment, and seeing what was coming their way, they moved as far away from the Full Metal Hugger as possible, at which point a gigantic shower of arrows rained down on the carapace, pressing it to stay put. Just as the rain ended, Priere flew over the monster, staff held high.
"Now!" Priere exclaimed.
At that moment, Airy and Nina, reluctant to the plan, launched their magic towards Priere's staff, which was affected by the magic of both combined in a mixture of lightning and darkness. Suddenly Priere swooped down on the Full Metal Hugger, at which point she hit him with all her might. The attack was so powerful and violent that it ended up breaking the shell. The monster began to move violently after the terrible impact as Priere rose away from it.
"Let's take advantage of that!" Edea exclaimed, seeing that the Full Metal Hugger was planning to cast another runaway spell through her eye, and she impaled it with her sword stopping it on the spot, and causing it to move more erratically after drawing the blade out of it.
"I'm starting to see where the shots are going," Makoto said, preparing her arm and throwing a powerful hook into the Full Metal Hugger's face sending it flying.
"On both sides!" Priere called Kairi, and Kairi saw what the plan was about.
Kairi began to fly using the wings of the Diabolos Form armor to head towards the Full Metal Hugger that was flying at the time, while Priere flew from the other side. And in unison, both of them hit the Full Metal Hugger's broken shell and belly with all their might, making the monster fall silent. They both walked away, letting the creature begin to fall, unfortunately onto Edea and Makoto who were below.
"Oh come on!" Edea cursed seeing how the monster fell on them.
"Like I'm allowing that!" Makoto exclaimed and with another of his powerful punches he sent the Full Metal Hugger flying, which crashed into the mountain starting to roll, causing at the same time a rockfall that ended up burying the monster's corpse under the rocks. Makoto smiled pumping her fists. "Dead and gone."
Priere and Kairi landed on the ground, just as the latter's Diabolos Form disappeared.
"I must admit that I had my doubts that you should use Diabolos Form instead of Esper, but I think I saw the reasoning behind that idea," Eve said as she joined the others, before looking at Priere. "That idea was risky, but it has worked."
"Yes, I must admit that it hasn't been bad," Nina said. "Using physical form magic to increase its effect. Where did you get that idea?"
"Bah, from when she worked as a demon huntress," Priere said, reaching for her arm.
At that moment the Genie appeared near them.
"Hurrah! I call that quite a victory!" The Genie exclaimed, causing fireworks to appear around him. "We have to celebrate it!" At that time he became a one-man band, starting to play many instruments.
"This is not over," Edea said, interrupting the Genie, making him scratch his head.
"Yes, those two have disappeared, and it seems that we have found the place," Kairi said, looking at the nearby mountain, which was in the center of the forest.
"Well, let's find an entrance," Eve said.
The girls and Genie began walking along the side of the mountain wall for a long time until they found what looked like the entrance to a temple on the mountain itself. Although the most chilling thing was that the door was open as if it had been forced open.
"I have a bad feeling," Kairi said, looking at the vandalized entrance.
"This can not be!" Abis Mal's voice was heard from within the sanctuary. And from his tone of voice, he seemed angry. "What happened here?"
"The most important thing is, what happened to what was here?" Then they heard Mirage's voice inside, just as angry.
The girls passed through the destroyed entrance, arriving at a large room, which was quite creepy due to the large number of traps that were there, all of them already activated, with a multitude of skeletal remains everywhere. In the center of the room, they found Abis Mal and Mirage, looking toward the back of the room.
"Oh come on! Wasn't there supposed to be something here?" Abis Mal asked.
"I wonder that too!" Mirage exclaimed.
Kairi's eyes widened and she sprinted past Abis Mal and Mirage and to the back of the room, where there was a small altar where there should be something on it, but there wasn't. The only thing there was the symbol of the Order of the Phoenix engraved in stone. Kairi was disheartened to see it empty.
"It can't be. We're too late?" Edea asked, looking at Kairi.
"Someone beat us to it," Priere said looking around her, finally turning her gaze on Abis Mal and Mirage.
"Don't look at me! This was already like this when we arrived!" Abis Mal exclaimed upon feeling Priere's gaze.
"Great, so many problems for nothing," Mirage said, crossing her arms. "And to know what was here."
"A fragment..." Kairi began to say, without taking her gaze from the altar. "...of the key that opens the way to the world of the Fallen.
"Wait, was that what was here?" Mirage asked surprised. She flung her arms up after a while. "Just what I needed! I don't want to have anything to do with those damn freaks! I have enough trouble with the Heartless already." After those words, Mirage opened a portal next to her. "At least I have the strength to get out of here."
"Hey, where are you going?!" Abis Mal asked.
"I am going out of here!" Mirage replied. "I have no mood to deal with this, and I have no power to play with them. So I'm going somewhere else where my magic won't be harmed." Mirage then stepped through the door. "Find another partner next time." She said before closing the portal.
Abis Mal was silent for a few seconds until he turned his gaze towards the girls and the Genie who were at the entrance, arms crossed and looking at him seriously. The bandit stared at them for a few seconds until he made a gesture with his hands asking them to step aside with a nervous smile. As they moved out of the way, Abis Mal ran past them at such speed that he seemed to leave smoke behind him.
"We'll meet again, Genie!" Abis Mal exclaimed as he ran back into the forest.
"Anytime, Abis Mal!" The Genie exclaimed looking at the forest, using a megaphone in his hand.
Following this, the group approached Kairi, who was still looking at the empty altar.
"So many problems... to end up empty-handed," Makoto said.
"In the end, Fasir was right." Said the Genie. "And I thought that he was wrong for once."
"At least we know the map is correct. Here was one of the fragments." Priere said, crossing his arms.
"But where is it? And who has taken it? Kairi asked.
Suddenly they heard the noise of a gun being pointed, causing everyone to turn to the source of the noise, except Edea, since she was the one who had the gun pointed at her head.
"Not a false move, ladies." Said Vindicare, who was aiming at Edea's head. "If you do what I tell you, we will all leave here happy."
"You!" Rena exclaimed, being tempted to aim her bow at him, but she knew that if she tried, Edea wouldn't end well.
"What do you want?" Eve asked, frowning.
Vindicare didn't answer for a few seconds until he turned his gaze to Kairi.
"You are an Esper, aren't you?" Vindicare asked. "I knew it when you wore the Diabolos armor. Only Espers can use that kind of power with Eidolons. At least the armor confirms that Diabolos is not your father. You would surely have come out in the form of a succubus if you were."
Kairi frowned as she heard Vindicare speak, surprised that Vindicare knew about the Eidolons. Therefore he should know about the other worlds.
"Your father is the Phoenix, right?" Vindicare's question made Kairi as surprised as the others. "I guessed because of your weapon, young lady." The killer was silent for a few seconds. "My, my. So in the end there was a survivor."
"Survivor?" asked the Genie.
"A survivor of the massacre. The one that exterminated the Order." Vindicare replied.
"How do you know that?" Edea asked without turning around.
"I know quite a few things, miss. I can even deduce that none of you is from this world, like me." Vindicare said, pointing with his free hand at the altar. "And all looking for the same thing: the key to the seal."
"Do you know where it is?" Kairi asked.
"I have an idea who took it," Vindicare said. "Will we be at peace if I tell you?"
"Do you promise not to come after us to finish the job?" Makoto asked.
"Hey, it wasn't personal." The assassin replied. "Those two paid me to take care of anyone who followed us, but since they seem to have taken off with a fresh wind, the simplest thing to do is cut the contract. But make no mistake, if someone pays me to take care of you, you better get ready. Although it clearly won't be cheap."
They all stayed silent, looking at each other.
"And I wouldn't do that, Genie." Said Vindicare without turning to see the Genie, who was behind him turned into a boxer ready to hit him. "I'm faster with the trigger than you are with your fist."
The Genie snapped his fingers in frustration, backing away from him.
"Well, I guess we have a deal," Vindicare said, looking at Makoto. "First of all, can you give me back my rifle?"
Makoto looked behind her, as she carried Vindicare's rifle the entire time. "Because?"
"Let's say that for an assassin, his weapon is his greatest treasure, and he would like to get it back as soon as possible." The assassin replied.
Makoto sighed and grabbed the rifle, before tossing it to Vindicare who caught the rifle with his free hand, and to everyone's surprise, stopped aiming at Edea, who sighed in relief.
"Now, if you'll do me the favor, follow me," Vindicare said, moving towards the exit of the sanctuary.
Having their suspicions, the group followed the assassin but kept an eye out for him trying to play him off in some way. Following him, they all returned to the interior of the forest.
"Where are you taking us?" Eve asked.
"Yeah, we aren't in the mood for cheap tricks right now," Makoto said.
"Calm down, ladies," Vindicare said. "You see when I was forced to run away after our encounter... let's just say I found something interesting."
"Interesting?" Rena asked. "What can be so interesting that it can interest us?"
"Now you will see," Vindicare said.
The shooter then stood up and pointed to the side of the woods, where everyone was looking. They were all surprised to see what was there because it was not common in the area. What they were looking at was the wreckage of what looked like a small spaceship, some kind of fighter, the color of which was predominantly black with some red and yellow colors. Apparently, it looked like this ship had been there for a while, as some of the vegetation had consumed it.
"Okay, this really interests us," Airy said in surprise.
"And this ship?" Eve asked, looking at the ship.
"I don't know, but I can tell you a couple of things," Vindicare said, approaching the ship and pointing to a symbol on the side of the ship: a skull with four flexed arms. "Does this tell you something?"
"Only one thing: pirates," Edea commented. She knew that one of Eternia's divisions had a pirate flag on the ship, so she recognized the style. But she had never seen such a mark. Neither she nor anyone in the group.
"Indeed," Vindicare said. "If you are interested, if you look for any ship that has this symbol, you will find the fragment." The assassin said, beginning to walk away from the group and into the forest. "Well, I'll see you around." He said, waving goodbye.
"That is if we don't see you," Rena said, receiving no response from Vindicare who disappeared into the forest.
"Well... what do we do now?" asked the Genie.
"You go back to Aladdin," Kairi said, turning her gaze to the derelict pirate ship. "We must continue with the search. And hope for better luck."
They all stared silently at the downed ship. No one knew where it had come from or how it had ended up in this state, but one thing was clear. Someone had beaten them to it, and that ship was the only clue they had to find the fragment.
After walking for a while, Vindicare managed to get out of the dense forest, and after noticing that no one was following or watching him, he took out a transmitter from his campaign bag and put it to his ear.
"This is V-1725, do you receive me?" Vindicare said, waiting for an answer. After receiving it he continued speaking. "I ask for help to get out of this world. Can you come to pick me up?" He stayed listening to the transmission. "Why am I asking you? Well, because I have very succulent information." Vindicara turned, looking into the forest. "Information that will reach your spirit, related to the Order of the Phoenix."