Chapter 6: Traverse Town
Donald and Goofy arrived at Traverse Town in a three hour trip. Along the way, Donald filled Jiminiy in on what they were doing. The cricket was able to record it in his journal. Donald set the ship on auto-pilot in order for him and Goofy to change clothes. Donald put on a blue cap and a blue shirt that had two zippers going down the front and had small pouches in it for carrying things. Donald didn't wear pants. Goofy had on a green turtleneck sweatshirt that wrapped around his scrawny neck, a black zippered vest over that which also contained pouches for items, light brown pants that were held to his body by a black belt, and big, brown shoes.
They had parked the Gummi Ship at the world entrance and entered through the big double doors. They entered the first district of Traverse Town. The first district was where most of the stores were. They walked into a small square that had many street lamps illuminating the area. To their left was a little cafe' that had outside tables with candles on it. Straight in front were stairs to an accessory shop. An entrance to an item shop was to the left of that. More stairs were on the right side of the accessory shop which led to an even higher level that had the entrance to the next district.
"Donald look, a star's going out!" Goofy said.
Donald followed Goofy's finger and looked up. He was right. Donald saw two stars blink out one by one. They didn't have much time left.
"C'mon let's hurry," Donald suggested.
Goofy nodded in reply and the two of them along with Pluto began to explore the town.
"Where the heck is this key?" Donald complained.
"Hey you know, maybe we outta go find Leon," Goofy suggested.
The two of them walked up the stairs to the accessory shop. Pluto began to branch out and go to a dark alleyway that was past the item shop. He was sniffing the ground. Goofy knew he was looking for something. He had to tell Donald.
"Hey uh Donald, you know I betcha that-uh," Goofy began to say.
Donald cut him off. "Aw what do you know ya big palooka!"
Goofy actually questioned that. "What do I know?" He stopped thinking about it because his head hurt.
"C'mon Pluto!" Goofy yelled and ran to catch up with Donald.
Pluto didn't come. He was on the trail of something. It was a smell he had never smelt before. He had to know what it was. The dog traveled deeper and deeper into the alley until he found what he was looking for. A boy. Two of them actually. Pluto went over to the closest one and licked him. The boy fluttered his eyes.
"I don't want the pony," the boy muttered.
Pluto didn't know what that meant. He just wanted the boy to get up. This time he jumped on the boy.
"Holy crap!" the boy exclaimed. This wasn't a dream.
Alex Bane got up from the ground, stretching his sore limbs. He saw that Sora was right next to him. Alex wasn't as nice as the dog. He slapped Sora right in the face.
"Owww!" Sora yelled.
"Keep your voice down you idiot," Alex whispered.
"The last thing I remember was getting pulled in by that orb of doom," Sora said. "Where did it take us?"
"I have no idea," Alex responded. He was hesitant to look around, but decided that was the only way to find out where they were.
"C'mon let's get out of this alley before someone mugs us," Alex exclaimed.
He pulled Sora to his feet and the two of them began to walk.
"My body hurts like hell," Sora complained.
"Yeah," Alex agreed. "Fighting King Kong in the air will do that."
They rounded the corner and got their first look at their new surroundings. Their eyes opened wide at the sight that lay before them. They were in a completely different place.
"This is totally weird," Sora explained. "We're in another world."
"Thank you Captain Obvious," Alex muttered. "I couldn't have figured that out for myself."
"Must be some sort of town." Sora guessed.
"So where are all the people?" Alex wondered. They wandered into the square, looking around to see if they could find anybody.
"Hello? Anybody?" Alex raised his voice. No answer.
"This place is a ghost town," Sora said.
"Maybe someones in the store," Alex suggested. He pointed to the accessory shop.
"Let's check," Sora nodded.
They walked back up the steps and entered the shop. The shop was small. To the right was a fireplace and a brick chimney. Leather benches sat in front of it. The middle of the room had a display case that held all sorts of jewelry that sparkled. At the left was a green counter. Standing in the back of it was a man. The man was wearing a tight, white shirt that showed off his muscles, blue jeans, goggles that a pilot would wear on his head, and his blond hair was stuck up like Wakka's, only much shorter. He was smoking a cigarette and had his hands on his hips. He had a slight beard growing which gave the impression that he was older than he seemed.
Alex shook the thought of Wakka out of his head because he might start crying and walked over to him.
The man acknowledged them. "Hey there how can I...aw it's just some kids, damn."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean gramps?" Alex asked, forcefully.
"Nothing, jeez simmer down okay," the man held up his hands. "What can I help you guys with? You look kinda lost."
"Yes," Sora said. "Just tell us, what is this place?"
The man looked as if he had been hit by an anvil.
"You're kiddin' me right," the man said.
"Tell us already!" Alex demanded.
"Fine," the man said. "You are in Traverse Town. Think of it as an intergalactic rest stop. This place has everything a person could want. Hotels, clubs, shops, everything. Why do you think it's called Traverse Town? Because people traverse through it all the time. It's a great place to start a business."
"Huh," Alex scratched his chin. "So do people like us come around here often?"
"You kidding me," the man said. "Everyone knows about this place. Even if they hadn't been here. Now I've answered your questions, so you're gonna answer mine. Who are you guys? Oh by the way, the name's Cid."
Alex and Sora began to tell Cid their entire story. About the islands, the dreams, their friends, and about how all of that had been snuffed away by the creatures. Cid didn't interrupt. He hung on to every word they said.
"Damn," Cid grunted. "That sucks."
"We know," Alex muttered.
"I didn't tell you guys this yet, but people have been starting to appear at Traverse Town. They've said that their homes were destroyed and they were brought here. I didn't say anything before because I didn't know who you were."
Sora turned to Alex. "Do you think that Riku and Kairi could have been one of those people?"
Alex smiled. "They might have been."
Alex and Sora began to run out of the store.
"Hey," Cid called after them. "Where are you guys goin'?"
"To find our friends," Alex responded.
"Well if you need any help, just come to me," Cid grinned. "I'll look out for you."
Alex and Sora nodded a thanks and exited the store. They began to run up the stairs and got to the double doors.
"This must lead to the second district," Alex guessed. He pushed the doors forward and entered.
The second district was much larger then the first. It also didn't have as many lights. It had two levels. Right as the boys entered, the top level forked left and right. The right path went past displays of shoes and houses and led to stairs that led down to the lower level. The left path was longer and went past a hotel and led all the way up to big white building that looked like a mini castle. The lower level was a flat, wide open space. It had benches and at the very front of it was a fountain that had mosaics in its background. A wooden door was by the fountain. Bigger buildings were on this lower level. Alex guessed that they were more hotels or clubs.
Alex was about to take a step forward when a man ran out in front of him, running like the devil himself was after him. The man tripped on the ground and fell. He quickly turned on his back. His face was completely pale and the look on his face was absolute terror. Alex had seen that expression before. Suddenly, the man's chest began to glow. The man screamed. Something was coming out of his chest.
"What is this?!" Sora said.
"I know what this is," Alex growled. It was something he would never forget.
The man's chest glowed even more until a glowing heart popped out. The heart was a mix of red, pink, and purple. The colors were constantly moving. It glimmered in the night. Sora was pretty sure his jaw had touched the floor. The heart began to float the other way and the man's body disintegrated. Alex looked over to see the heart float over to a creature with yellow eyes. This one wasn't a Shadow, though. This one was almost as tall as Sora. Its body was blue, had red claws, and was wearing a knight's helmet. The eyes were visible through the helmet's open visor.
The heart was absorbed into the soldier monster and the monster disappeared. Alex and Sora just stood there, staring at where the man's body used to be. Alex ran out to the center of the fork. He quickly looked around for more creatures.
Right on cue, Shadows began to pop out of the ground.
"They're here too," Alex complained. "Have these things invaded everywhere?"
"All we can do is fight," Sora said.
The boys reached for their weapons. They weren't there!
"We must have lost them in the storm," Alex said.
"We are so dead," Sora said.
The Shadows began to inch towards the boys. They couldn't fight with their fists, they would get overrun. Alex closed his eyes and prayed for something to come. He felt something in his hands. The sword!
"Yaaaaaa!" Sora looked up to see Alex charging at the Shadows like a maniac. Alex was overcome by complete euphoria. He sliced and diced the Shadows until he was being showered with black mist.
"How did you do that?" Sora asked, amazed.
"I don't know," Alex said. "I just prayed and it came."
"Maybe that'll work for me too," Sora began to pray for the Keyblade to come to him. He held out his hand. It appeared in a flash of light.
"Oh my God! It worked," Sora squealed in delight.
"This is so awesome," Alex explained. "Now whenever we lose our weapons, we can just will them to come back to us. I feel like a Jedi."
"What's a Jedi?" Sora asked.
Alex cursed himself for making a slip-up like that.
"Awesome warrior," Alex lied. "I read it in a book somewhere."
"Where should we look first?" Sora asked.
"How about the hotel? They could be taking a rest. Your home isn't blown up every day."
"Let's check it," Sora said.
The boys walked to the left walkway and before they got to the door, they were attacked by Shadows. By this time, Alex and Sora were well accustomed to fighting these creatures. They made short work of them and entered the hotel.
Right as they had entered, Donald Duck and Goofy opened the doors to the second district. They took a look at their surroundings, keeping a good lookout for people with over sized keys.
"Where is this key?" Donald asked himself, angrily.
"I can't see him anywhere Donald," Goofy said. Donald wasn't surprised.
"Keep looking," That was about all they could do.
The hotel was one long hallway that led to different rooms that were established by color. Tables sat on the opposite wall that had flowers. The doors were colored red, green, blue, orange, and others.
"Well this isn't good for safety," Alex muttered.
"Why?"
"Well if someone was trying to kill you in your hotel room, all they'd have to do was know what your favorite color was."
Sora laughed. That was Alex. Always thinking outside the box.
At the very end of the hallway was a counter. Alex smiled and ran over to it. The counter was small and had a bell on it. Alex pressed the bell repeatedly.
"Yo! Hotel person! You there?" No response.
"Alex," Sora began. "People are probably hiding from those creatures. That's why no one is outside."
"But the creatures can come indoors," Alex said. "So why haven't they?"
Alex looked behind Sora and found his answer. Shadows started to appear.
"I know I have a heart of gold, but this is just ridiculous!" Alex said.
They drew their weapons and began to mow through the small hordes of Shadows. They were gone in ten seconds. The boys decided to get out of the hotel and take their chances outside. Shadows would appear in front of them and they would get run over by Sora's gigantic sneakers. The boys ran up the stairs and headed into the white building. As soon as they entered, they shut the door and peered out the door window.
Donald and Goofy opened the doors of the inn after just searching it.
"Where is this Leon?" Donald said.
"Leeeeeooooon!" Goofy yelled at the top of his lungs.
Alex and Sora looked at each other.
"Are they gone?"
"I think so."
They turned around with a sigh of relief. It looked like they had just walked into Candyland. The room before them was a direct contrast to the whole of Traverse Town. The floor was painted in pink and white triangles. The wall was different shades of yellow. In the room were three stone segments that held gears which were moving. This place had some mechanical importance.
"Looks like the fun house at a carnival," Alex said.
Suddenly, four of the soldier creatures appeared in the room. They saw the boys and raked their claws on the ground to show how sharp they were.
"I take that back," Alex groaned. "This is more like a death house."
The Soldiers leaped at them. Alex ducked to dodge the red claws. He elbowed the Soldier in the gut. The Keyblade flashed into Sora's hand and he began to swing at the Soldiers. A Soldier swung its claws at Sora. Sora swung upward to cut the claws off, but the Keyblade just banged against them. He parried another set of claws. Alex ran forward and hit a Soldier with his shoulder. He swiped the sword at its head, but the metal helmet was too strong. The Soldier raked its claws on Alex's chest. Alex leaped back to see that he was cut. Another Soldier swiped at his head. Alex brought the blade to block and it clanged against the claw. The Soldier maneuvered its claw to lock the sword. Alex pulled, but couldn't get it out. The Soldier tugged the sword out of Alex's grip and threw it out of the way. Alex front kicked the Soldier in the chest and it fell back. Alex threw his hand out and the sword flew back. He stabbed the sword into the stomach of the Soldier and it disappeared in black mist.
Sora sliced at the Soldiers, but they just blocked with their claws. He ducked one of the claws and punched its owner. Sora punched it in the head, but also in the helmet. Sora gritted his teeth in pain. He felt like he broke all of his fingers. One of the Soldiers grabbed the Keyblade and spun it to one side, taking Sora with it. Sora crashed into the wall and fell to the floor. He looked up to see the Soldier coming for him. He stuck the Keyblade in the ground, leaned against the wall, and leaped into the air, hitting the Soldier in the gut with two kicks. He leaped forward and sliced the Soldier in half. There were only two left. One for each of them.
Alex swung to the Soldier's side. It blocked with the metal claws. Alex swung to the other side. This time, it grabbed the sword and swung it in a circle, trying to get Alex off. Alex just twisted his body around so he wouldn't get his arms pulled off. He used the momentum of the spin so when he was facing the Soldier again he swung with everything he had. The sword was pulled from the Soldier's grip and cut its leg completely off. The Soldier still hopped on one leg, swinging its claws wildly. Alex backed away and waited for it to stop. Alex kicked at the Soldier. It brought both its hands down to block, but it was a fake and Alex sliced its head clean off. The body and the head dissolved.
Sora took the last Soldier. He thrust the Keyblade at its head. The Soldier twisted its head to the side to dodge. Sora immediately struck horizontally. The Soldier brought its head to its shoulder, dodging the strike. It went on the offensive and punched. Sora went on complete instinct and did a complete flip over the creature. He turned around to be kicked in the face by the Soldier and flew back. He dug his feet into the ground for traction. He didn't want to hit the wall again. He used the traction to charge and tackle the Soldier. The Soldier crashed into the wall, along with Sora. Sora swung the Keyblade. The Soldier parried with its claws. It grabbed the Keyblade again and wrenched it from Sora's grasp. Sora dodged more claw strikes and rolled to get some room. He saw the Keyblade behind the Soldier. The Soldier began to walk toward Sora, thinking it had won. It hadn't. Sora willed the Keyblade to come and it flew back to him, disintegrating the Soldier along the way.
The two boys looked at each other, breathing heavily. Up until now, they had thought that the only types of creatures were the really small ones and the really big ones.
"There's even more of them," Alex said it like he couldn't believe it.
"If we have to fight more of those things, we're dead meat," Sora explained.
"Let's go back to Cid's."
"Agreed. We can rest there."
The boys ran all the way back to the First District and entered Cid's shop all out of breath.
"Wow!" Cid exclaimed. "Did you guys just fight in a war?"
"Almost," Alex replied. "Do you have any sorts of bandages?"
"I have something even better," Cid smiled. He ducked behind his counter and pulled out a small bottle. It had green fluid in it.
"Ugh," Sora said in disgust. "What is that?"
"This my friend is one of the most useful items in the world," Cid explained. "It's a potion."
"What kind of potion?" Alex asked.
"A healing potion," Cid said. "Just drink this sucker and you'll feel better almost instantly. It heals almost any wound and gives you your energy back. Want some?"
Alex and Sora nearly stampeded Cid over to get the bottle. They both took sips from it so both of them could have some. Alex waited and realized that Cid was right. He was feeling a lot better. He felt like he could take on an army. He checked his cuts. They were gone. There weren't even any scars.
"That's quite a cocktail you got there Cid," Alex smiled. "Thanks."
"Don't mention it," Cid said. "I don't know what you guys are up to, but you seem nice enough."
"We didn't find our friends though," Sora frowned.
"You haven't checked in the Third District yet, have you?" Cid asked.
"I didn't even know there was a Third District," Alex said.
"Well what are you standing around here for?" Cid grinned. "Go, find your friends. The entrance is to the left of the stairs when you come out of this store. You can't miss it."
The boys said thanks again and exited the store.
"They will come at you out of nowhere."
Alex and Sora turned to see who spoke. "Who are you?"
The man was tall and well-built. He had long, brown hair that came down to his shoulders and spiked out a little. He was wearing a white muscle shirt and over that, a small, black jacket. He had a necklace which had the insignia of a lion and a cross molded together. He wore black pants that had three different kinds of belts around the waist and black gloves. He had a scar, diagonally cut above his nose.
Alex and Sora weren't looking at his clothes. They were looking at the sword he was carrying. It was like no sword they had ever seen before. The blade of it was straight and then curved a little at the top. It was a pretty big blade too, but the handle was the strangest part. The blade was attached to a giant version of a six shooter. The handle, the chamber, and the trigger were all there, but where the barrel of the gun would be, there was the blade. It was a gunblade.
"That's a big-ass sword!" Alex exclaimed.
The man continued like he didn't hear him,"And the creatures will keep coming at you, as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade."
Sora summoned it in his hands and looked at it. He had picked the right name.
"But why, why would it choose a kid like you?" He shook his head. He almost looked ashamed.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Sora asked, annoyed.
"Never mind." The man began to walk forward and held out his hand. "Now let's see that Keyblade."
"Are you kidding me?" Alex intervened. "This can kill those things. There's no way we're letting you get this."
"All right," the man swung his sword in front of him. "Then have it your way."
Alex didn't know what this guy wanted with the Keyblade and he didn't care. Sora had to have something to defend himself. He drew his sword and charged the man.
Alex ran forward with a vertical strike. The man stepped off to the side and dodged it completely. Alex twisted his body around and struck horizontally. The man jumped completely over that. Alex lunged forward. The man just sucked his stomach in so it wouldn't cut him.
Alex was amazed at how fast this guy was. He was also annoyed. He started to strike quicker. The man ducked, weaved, and stepped away from the blows, but he knew he was going to have to block sooner or later. That moment came when Alex got him with a fake and swung to his side. The man blocked with the gunblade.
"Now!" Alex yelled.
The man turned quickly to see Sora leaping at him. He brought the blade from his side to the air and parried Sora's blow. Sora spun around and lunged. The man swiped the Keyblade away and went on the offensive. He swung at Sora. Sora blocked the blow, but had to use both his hands to hold the Keyblade in place. This guy was strong! He swiped at Sora's head. Sora blocked the blow and kicked with his left foot. The man saw the kick coming and blocked it. He countered with his own kick and this one hit home. Sora rolled down the stairs into the main part of the First District.
The man walked toward Sora and was ready to deliver the finishing blow when he was tackled by Alex. He had forgotten about the other boy! The two of them quickly got up. The man jabbed at Alex twice. Alex blocked twice and grabbed the sword with his other hand to block a vertical strike. Alex faked a kick and did a spin cut. He was surprised to feel his sword being blocked. The man pushed down on Alex's sword so it hit the ground. The man was surprised to feel Alex's fist hit his face. He countered with a round-house kick, but Alex caught it. He pulled the man forward and he fell on the ground. Alex took this opportunity to get his sword.The man kicked Alex in the back and he crashed into the cafe tables. Alex tasted blood in his mouth.
The man turned around in time to see Sora attacking. Their swords locked and the man pushed his blade and the Keyblade forward. Sora ducked to dodge his blade and the gunblade. He spun around and swung upward. The man blocked horizontally and thrust his fist out. The jab caught Sora on the mouth and he stepped back. Sora brought his hand down to block a kick and flicked the Keyblade at the man's face. The man did a quick parry, spun around, and sliced straight down. Sora dodged narrowly and the blade hit the brick ground. Sora tried to back fist the man in the face, but he blocked it and was about to hit Sora with a crescent kick.
Alex blocked the kick and punched the man in the gut. He looked at Sora and nodded. Sora did too. Until now, they had been attacking him individually, now they would do it together. They wasted no time in striking. Alex struck at the man's side and Sora at his head. The man quickly blocked both strikes and another at his legs. Sora parried a strike from the man and Alex blocked the sword from his chest. Even with the combined strengths of the two of them, he was still blocking their attacks.
The man felt the Keyblade swing past his face and he backed up to the stairs. The boys took this moment to catch their breath. The man began to hold his gunblade straight out. Alex knew what he was going to do and that is what saved Sora.
"Move!" Alex yelled, just as the man pulled the trigger to his weapon. A fireball shot from the chamber, aimed at Sora. Alex pushed him out of the way and got hit instead. Alex hit the ground, only slightly burned because he threw his sword up to block at the last second.
"Alex!" Sora yelled.
"You never stood a chance against me," the man said, calmly.
Sora gritted his teeth and charged the man. He got his gunblade ready and shot another fireball. This time Sora kept running. He readied his Keyblade and whacked the fireball.
"Right back at ya!"
The man was taken completely by surprise and was struck by the fireball. He was thown back into a brick wall and cracked it.
"Oooof." The wind was knocked out of him.
He looked to see Sora running towards him, Keyblade raised high. The man simply smiled and shot another fireball. It struck Sora head on and he fell on the stairs.
The man got up to survey the situation. Both of the boys were knocked out. He smiled to himself.
"Aw you're slipping Leon."
The man known as Leon turned around around to see one of his friends. Her name was Yuffie.
"I went easy on them," Leon said. "I gotta admit though. Both those kids aren't too bad."
"If they can survive a round with you, I'm sure," Yuffie said.
"Even so," Leon said. "It looks like things are worse then we thought. A lot worse."
Donald and Goofy had searched every inch of the town and they couldn't find anyone with a big key. They were traveling down a dark alleyway. It had neon lights that shined through the darkness. The sound of the waterways were almost comforting.
"Gawrsh, there's nobody here," Goofy trembled. "Sure is spooky."
Donald shook his head. "Aw phooey I'm not scared." He believed it too, until someone tapped him on the shoulder.
"Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!" Donald leaped thirty feet in the air and landed on Goofy.
"Excuse me, but did the King send you?"
Donald and Goofy looked to see who had scared them. It was a woman. She was in a pink and red dress with brown boots. She had long brown hair that was curled and in a ponytail. She had many bracelets on one wrist, but none on the other. She had green eyes that could show no evil. Donald and Goofy stared at her with interest.
"You know the King?" Goofy asked.
"Yes, my name is Aerith and you must come with me," Aerith beckoned.
"Why should we do that?" Donald asked, suspicious.
Aerith's eyes sparkled. "Because I know what happened to your King."