Damn. I almost managed to update once a week for an entire month. Oh well.
As always, I would very much like to thank everyone who reviewed. You guys are awesome! And I would very much like to express my thanks to Atem's Sister Atea. After a discussion I had with her a week or so ago, she got me thinking about the timeline I had set up as to when the Keyblade War happened which led me to add a whole new element to the future of the LD plot. Long story short, I made a few minor changes in the following chapters, Two, Eleven, Sixteen, Seventeen and Eighteen. It's nothing major and to save you all the trouble of going back and looking for the changes, I only changed when the Keyblade War took place (About four and a half thousand years before Kingdom Hearts BBS) which of course meant I also had to change Xanthos' age. Like I said, nothing too major.
I hope everyone's having a good week so far!
Disclaimer: You know the drill.
Chapter Nineteen: Dive
Thursday, June 10th 4794 P.C.
Dawn's First Light Mk. II
Riku let out a barely audible sigh. Any other time and he probably would have enjoyed the absolutely gorgeous view of the pinkish hue of the space near Radiant Garden. Of course, fate didn't seem to want him to enjoy the sights on his trip. The Mk. II twisted and rolled through the field of purplish asteroids while dozens of small Heartless ships pursued them. The edges of the viewport flashed bright blue as Dawn fired the Mk. II's brand new Thundaga-class weapons.
"You've gotta give these guys credit," Dawn said over a speaker as her shots took out the engines of one of their pursuers, causing it to spin wildly out of control and into a pair of its allies that were flying to close together in an attempt to pass through the field.
"For what?" Riku asked as he frantically worked the controls to keep them from dying in a ball of fire.
"They're persistent," Dawn replied. "And dumb. Who taught them how to fly? They keep crashing into the asteroids. I've barely had to hit any of them."
"You're complaining because the ships trying to kill us are blowing up?" Riku asked incredulously as he sent the Mk. II into a barrel roll to avoid a pair of missiles fired from one of the larger Heartless ships. "Whose side are you on, anyway?"
"Our side, obviously," Dawn said. "But I really wanted to test out more of our new weapons on them."
"Shouldn't we just be happy that they're the ones biting it and not us?" Riku said, breathing a sigh of relief as he finally navigated them out of the asteroid field.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean we can't have fun with our new 'toys'. Right?" Her avatar image on one of the monitors grinned at him.
"It's your lucky day then," Riku said as he stared out of the viewport at the open space in front of him. "We've got a lot of company. I just hope we have enough refreshments for them." Lying in wait for them was a small fleet of Heartless ships. At least three hundred small fighters headed their way with a pair of Assault Carriers hanging in the space behind them. A small light on Riku's console flashed green, informing him that the Mk. II's missiles had been armed.
"I'm sure we've got plenty to entertain with," Dawn said eagerly. "I hope none of them are allergic to sudden, fiery doom." Riku grinned at Dawn's comment as two missile pods (each containing more than a hundred miniaturized, auto-targeting missiles) launched from the Mk. II's underside. Halfway between the Mk. II and her enemies, the pods broke apart and the missiles scattered into space, leaving behind trails of bright blue smoke as each one found a target and zeroed in on it. Riku grinned as he stared out at the massive flashes of fire as the Heartless fleet was decimated by the missiles.
LD
Mt. Kathleines Gummi Station, Hangar 87
Radiant Garden
"So, you're telling me that King Mickey is sending you with me to help set up the fall-back headquarters, and that you know next to nothing about computers, but despite that, he's sending you anyway?" Xanthos asked Axel incredulously. The red-haired former Nobody nodded, casually brushing dust off of his suit jacket. All around them, technicians rushed past as they wheeled heavy electronic equipment towards the power-lift that led into the Equus' cargo bay.
"In a nutshell, that sounds about right," Axel said with an apologetic grin. "And I may have neglected to mention to him that I don't know anything about computers." Xanthos sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose with a gloved hand as he stepped out of the way of a pair of technicians transporting a crate labeled Medical Supplies towards the lift.
"How in the hell are we supposed to set up all of this equipment?" Xanthos groaned. "I have to train Olette and it doesn't help that she has virtually no combat experience. When the King asked me to set up the fall-back and told me you'd be tagging along, I assumed you would know how half of this crap works!"
"So that just means we have to find someone who understands computers, right?" Axel suggested. Xanthos nodded.
"I guess I'll go put a want-ad in the local paper," he sighed sarcastically, turning to leave the hangar and immediately having to leap aside as several pallets laden with large missiles was wheeled past.
"And I'll go ask around. There's gotta be someone we can trust who can help us out," Axel suggested. Xanthos gave him a look that said yeah-you-go-do-that.
LD
Dawn's First Light Mk. II
Riku let out a whooping laugh as the Mk. II swerved though a debris field of freshly destroyed Heartless ships. The Mk. II's Thundaga cannons fired off a steady burst of laser fire as Dawn began targeting the final wave of Heartless ships. Dawn chuckled. Not only we're the Heartless terrible pilots, they were terrible shots as well. She mercilessly cut down ship after ship with the Mk. II's superior firepower until there was nothing left of them but scattered Gummi blocks floating in the multi-colored void of space.
"That was awesome, Dawn," Riku said with a grin. "I can't remember the last time I had so much fun." Dawn's avatar grinned.
"Thanks," she said. "This ship flies like a dream and it shoots like a war vet. I'll be damned if I let the Heartless so much as scratch the paintjob. And those small fry were pathetic! We didn't even have to bring out our big guns on them." Riku chuckled and turned his gaze out of the viewport in time to see a massive Heartless Gummi ship several hundred times the size of the Mk. II emerge from behind a series of asteroids. "Uh, Dawn? You might want to think about bringing them out now."
"That won't help us much," Dawn noted as the Mk. II's external cameras fixated themselves on the Heartless ship. "This thing doesn't come equipped with enough explosives to effectively damage that thing. It can easily overpower us. I'm getting us out of here." Several lights flared red on the console and a repetitive alarm began blaring loudly. The Heartless ship had spotted them and was targeting them with its weapons. "I'm going to activate our jump drive and get us as far away from here as possible. You might want to fasten your seatbelt." Riku immediately obliged as the monitors around him began displaying the message Jump Drive Activated. If there's one thing Riku had learned in the short time he had known the AI, it was that he should follow any suggestion she made like his life depended on it. For all he knew, it very well could.
"How safe is the jump drive exactly?" Riku asked.
"Well, once calculations have been made, it's usually safe. There's only a fraction of a percent of a possibility of jumping into a fleet of enemy ships, or an asteroid, or directly into a world," Dawn quickly explained. Outside of the Mk. II, the Heartless ship's weapons all rotated to aim at them. "But make a blind jump like we are, that small fraction becomes a thirty percent probability."
"I don't like the sound of that," Riku said nervously. "Can't we just try to out maneuver them? I'm pretty sure we're more aerodynamic than they are." As if on cue, hundreds of smaller Heartless ships emerged from within the bowels of the larger one and began zooming towards the Mk. II. "Never mind. Can we please jump now?"
"Of course," Dawn said. A bright, purplish light enveloped the Mk. II for a split second before it vanished, creating an electromagnetic wave in its wake that disabled a few of the Heartless ships within range.
Riku kept his eyes squeezed shut as the Mk. II hurtled through space at speeds that nothing should be allowed to travel at, in his opinion. He heard the alarms go silent for a brief moment only to blare back to life again. Dawn let out a muttered curse and Riku felt the Mk. II attempt to come to a stop but to no avail. He allowed his eyes to open and immediately spotted and ocean blue world rushing up to greet them.
"I can't stop us in time," Dawn announced. "Radar didn't even pick up the world until it was too late. I'd keep your seatbelt buckled if I was you and you might want to brace for impact."
"You mean we're going to crash land?" Riku asked in desperation. The viewport flared orange as the Mk .II broke through the atmosphere.
"Not exactly," Dawn said as they passed through several nimbus clouds before breaking free into a full view of a beautiful, sparkling ocean.
"Can this thing work underwater?" Riku asked, his fingers digging into his armrests as they rapidly approached the water's surface.
"We're about to find out," Dawn said nervously. The Mk. II slammed nose-first into the waves and vanished beneath the surf. A lone fisherman stared at the spot where the sea had claimed it in total shock, his boat rocked gently by the waves created by the Gummi.
For several minutes, the Mk. II slowly sank into the murky depths of the ocean, darkness swallowing the ship as the rays of light from the sun failed to penetrate the water further. The exterior lights flared to life on the ship and a pair of massive propellers emerged from in between the engines and began moving the Mk. II through the murky depths. Riku stared out of the viewport in an awed silence.
Years of living above the waves, always wondering what it was like below, and here he was, living out one of his life's dreams. Sora would never hear the end of this. As far as he could tell, they were near the bottom of the ocean. Massive pillars of rock rose on all sides, scattered at first but growing closer and closer together as they neared a massive trench in the ocean's floor. Riku swallowed hard as he spotted the wreckages of countless ships, each one differing greatly in design. He could spot small fishing boats made of wood, powerful war galleons, luxurious cruise liners and metallic husks of naval battle ships, all lined up in a massive graveyard on the ocean floor and piled high on the tops of the pillars.
"Hauntingly beautiful, isn't it?" Dawn said, watching from the Mk. II's external cameras. Riku nodded in agreement. Not too far below them, Riku spotted what appeared to be a long cylindrical submarine, covered in brown plating with a golden tinted, orb shaped window at the bow slowly descending towards the trench, its floodlights waving back and forth across the wreckage. Something shifted and moved within the darkness between the rock pillars, catching Riku's attention.
He leaned closer to the viewport. Something moved quickly in front of the Mk. II, staying in sight for a fraction of a second. The Mk. II shook as the water around it was displaced. Riku leapt back further into his seat in shock as a loud metallic screech filled his ears.
"What the hell is that?" He shouted over the screech.
"Analyzing," Dawn said. She paused for one second before continuing. "The sound is coming from whatever that thing is. Scans show both are non-biological in origin."
"Meaning what?" Riku said as the Mk. II stopped shaking.
"Meaning that whatever that thing is, it isn't alive," Dawn said. "Most likely it is an automaton although I can't identify its energy source. I've never seen anything like it."
"That thing is a robot?" Riku asked incredulously. The automaton swam back into view. Oddly, it was shaped like a giant, mechanical lobster. It had a single tail, two massive claws that could easily slice their way through the Mk. II and then some, as well as a pair of smaller claws by what Riku assumed was its mouth. It had several glowing red eyes and the armor plating along its body was lined with intricately swirling patterns.
The automaton swam over the submarine below the Mk. II, giving Riku a full scope for its size. The submarine, easily a dozen times the size of the Mk. II, was barely larger than the automatons head.
"I'm intercepting transmissions from the submarine," Dawn said. "They're calling it a Leviathan. Apparently it's a guardian to something."
"I suppose that would explain all of the wrecked ships," Riku said grimly. "Somebody obviously doesn't like company." Another metallic screech filled the bridge as the Leviathan swam back into view and slammed into the submarine, sending it spinning in tight circles dangerously close to the rock pillars. The Leviathan grabbed hold of one of the other pillars and spun itself around, ready another attack.
Riku stared, open mouthed as the tip of the Leviathan's claw dug into side of the submarine, allowing water to pour into it. The submarine spun around again, steadying itself in time to face the Leviathan head on as the automaton charged. Riku noticed a second pair of claws perched on the Leviathan's head like a pair of massive pincers.
"We've got to do something!" Riku shouted.
"Already ahead of you," Dawn said coolly as a pod of missiles fired from the Mk. II's underbelly, leaving trails of bubbles in their wake. Unfortunately, the missiles missed their mark, blasting a rock pillar into pieces and sending stone and ship debris scattered into the water. Riku heard Dawn let out a barely audible curse as she attempted to lock on to the Leviathan again with another missile pod. The Leviathan's pincers gripped the submarine and turned it so the bow was facing its glowing red eyes. A multitude of smaller pods emerged from the bottom of the submarine, each one with a domed, amber tinted viewport and armed with eight missiles.
"Fire!" A strong, male voice ordered over the radio. It took Riku a moment to realize that Dawn was still intercepting the submarines' transmissions. Riku slammed his thumbs against the red triggers built into the steering wheel as each sub pod began firing their missiles at the Leviathan, now accompanied by the bright blue streaks of energy flaring from the Mk. II's cannons. The Leviathan gave a start as the weaponry exploded violently against its head, releasing the submarine from its pincers.
"We're free," the male voice said again. "All ahead full. And could someone tell me what those blue things were?" The submarine began moving underneath the Leviathan as the automaton shook off the attacks.
"That would be me," Riku said. "This is Riku of the Dawn's First Light. I can provide you with cover while you make your escape."
"Glad to hear it, son," the male voice said instantly. "Give our pods some covering fire. The fewer we lose the better off we are."
"Roger that," Riku said. The Mk. II spun around for another pass at the Leviathan. Bright streaks of blue strafed the creature's side, leaving black burn marks in their wake. The Leviathan let out another metallic screech.
"Our cannons can't even scratch that thing," Dawn muttered. "What material is that armor made of?" The Mk. II barely swerved out of the way as the Leviathan's claw slammed into a pillar, piercing straight through one of the sub pods that had come to provide them with back up.
"Worry about it later!" Riku shouted as he jammed his fingers on the triggers again, giving the Leviathan a face-full of blue energy. The Leviathan roared and slashed at the Mk. II with its massive claws, narrowly missing the ships' propellers and instead crushing a rock pillar.
"Fire torpedoes!" A voice said over the radio. Four amber tinted domes armed with torpedo tubes swerved and fired a volley of the explosives directly into the Leviathan's mouth, allowing Riku and the sub pods to escape. The Leviathan burst from the smoke, a steady stream of blue and white energy surging from its mouth and through the side of the submarine. A few seconds later, a young woman's accented voice broke over the radio.
"Rourke! We took a big hit down here and we're taking on water fast." The voice said hurriedly over the steady whine of an alarm in the background. "I don't want to be around when it hits the boilers."
"How much time do we have?" The strong male voice Riku had heard earlier inquired.
"Twenty minutes if the bulkhead holds," the woman replied. Riku jerked the wheel in time to dodge one of the Leviathan's energy blasts as he heard a loud clang echo over the radio. "You better make that five." Riku's eyes widened. The submarine was going down.
"Don't we have anything more powerful onboard?" Riku asked aloud, dodging a swipe from the Leviathan's claw.
"Not if we don't want to sacrifice our shields for the next twenty-three point four seconds," Dawn said calmly as the Mk. II shook violently as it was slammed into a rock pillar by the Leviathan's tail. "Speaking of which, we are now down to forty-one point two seven percent shield capacity."
"Great," Riku muttered sarcastically. In front of him, a trio of sub pods exploded, temporarily lighting the gloom.
"All hands, abandon ship," a bored-sounding, female voice said over the radio. The Leviathan diverted its attention from the pods as they fired the last of their missiles at it and instead focused on the listing submarine. The automaton dived after it, another bolt of blue-white energy charging up as it dove.
"Try this on for size you overgrown seafood-platter!" Riku cried out as he flicked a hidden switch on his console. A pair of large cannons folded out from inside the Mk. II's underbelly and fired a pair of bright green circles that passed by the Leviathan, causing it to jerk and twitch as bolts of green electricity covered its body. "Ha ha!" Riku cheered. "EMP for the win! Take that you stupid crustacean!" The Leviathan shook its head and fired a bolt of energy directly into the Mk. II, sending it spinning through the water. As the ship righted itself seconds before it would've slammed into the ocean floor. Dawn let out a curse.
"I don't understand it," she muttered as Riku steered them back towards the battle where the Leviathan was gaining on the submarine. "It's a machine. An EMP burst should've taken it out but it only stunned it. Why?" The Leviathan charged up another bolt of energy and zeroed in on the submarine as it dove towards the ocean floor. "Okay, new strategy." The EMP cannons folded back into the Mk. II and a single, large missile lowered from its underbelly. The missile flared to life and shot towards the Leviathan with surprising speed. The Leviathan turned and fired its energy blast at the missile instead. Dawn, remotely controlling the missile's path, easily managed to dodge the blast and keep the missile on target. The Leviathan fired several more blasts, each one easily evaded through Dawn's efforts. The missile collided with the Leviathan's side and quickly transformed into a giant ball of flame. For a brief moment, the ocean was quiet again as only smoke and dust floated in the water.
"Did we get it?" Riku asked. In response, the Leviathan burst from the smoke and slammed into the Mk. II,effectively sending it spinning through the water once again. Riku let out a grunt of pain as he was thrown left and right against his restraint. The Leviathan turned back towards the submarine and fired another round of energy straight through the submarine's center. The lights visible on the submarine flickered once then died. A group of four transport ships, each rectangular in shape burst from the submarine's stern hatch and immediately went into a dive. At that moment, the flooding waters entering the submarine from the damaged hull must've hit the boilers.
There was a massive explosion, followed less than a heartbeat later by a pair of secondary explosions that blew the submarine to kingdom come. The fourth craft to exit the submarine wasn't able to put enough distance between it and the explosion and was blasted into pieces. A split second later, the Leviathan emerged from the smoke and debris in pursuit of the survivors. The Mk. II followed the survivors closely, its cannons rotating to unleash a flurry of energy bursts to cover their escape. The survivors emerged into a clearing in the rock pillars that housed a massive crevice in the ocean floor.
"All craft make your mark twenty degrees down angle," A woman's voice said over the radio.
"Roger! Twenty degrees down angle."
"Right behind you!"
"I've got your six," Riku shouted, weapons still blazing. He glanced at the targeting computer on his console. The Leviathan's ghostly image was drawing nearer, unfazed by the energy bursts. The surviving craft dove and the Leviathan slammed into the ocean floor in its attempt to keep up. One of its claws struck one of the larger craft, turning it into an orange ball of fire and debris.
"We're getting killed out here!" One of the sub pod pilots shouted. The six surviving craft dove into the crevice entrance, which proved to be too narrow for the Leviathan to follow. It let out a roar of rage and fired a burst of blue energy, instantly vaporizing one of the sub pods and narrowly missing another. A second burst struck the side of one of the larger craft, sending it spiraling into one of the sub pods, both vanishing in a ball of flame. The remaining sub pod and larger craft moved dangerously close together as the passageway became barely large enough for them to fit through. Riku winced as he saw the back end of the larger craft crack the viewport of the sub pod.
The three craft surfaced from the water into an underground lake. A blonde woman emerged from the top of the larger craft and shone a floodlight around the cavern they were now in, revealing the numerous stalagmites emerging from the water around them and the ancient looking road lined with crumbling architecture leading into the open mouth of a several story tall, intricately designed carving of a fish.
"How much shield power is left?" Riku asked Dawn as he undid his seatbelt, gently rubbing his flesh where it had dug into his skin.
"You'll sleep better if I don't tell you," Dawn said simply. Riku swallowed hard. That did nothing to ease his confidence.
"Let me guess," he said thoughtfully. "Less than ten percent?"
"Try no shields," Dawn said. "If we had slammed into anything we would've exploded. That's how bad we had it." Riku chuckled in nervous relief, praying to whatever god or gods may be listening that Dawn was just messing with him.
At least we're still alive.
Over the course of the next ten minutes, the two surviving craft had been unloaded of their crew, supplies and a handful of vehicles. Dawn guided Riku through the process of transferring her to her transport unit, a small, square shaped device that clipped to his belt and constantly glowed a faint orange color before revealing to him one of her favorite features of the Mk. II, the Shrink Gummi. Riku had gaped as the powerful ship had transformed into a miniaturized version of itself, totaling less than half the size of his palm when all was said and done. Riku carefully placed the Mk. II into a case specifically designed to hold it before slipping it into the backpack he now wore that he had stuffed full of food, water and emergency blankets.
"That was pretty awesome," Riku commented in a hushed tone as he approached the group of thirty or so survivors that now had gathered at the shoreline.
"And now you see why it's one of my favorite features," Dawn's voice said into the flesh colored earpiece Riku had clipped to his left ear. "It makes it easier to keep track of our ship and it helps make a quick getaway if necessary." The survivors had placed an overturned helmet in the water, allowing it to float away, bearing a single candle as its passenger in remembrance of those who had perished in the battle against the Leviathan. Closest to the shore stood a man with graying hair, a well built physique and the same strong voice Riku recognized from the radio. He was garbed in an olive green explorer's outfit and held his hat in his hands.
"Seven hours ago," he said sadly," we started this expedition with two hundred of the finest men and women I've ever known. We're all that's left." Everyone, including Riku, bowed their heads in respect for the dead. "I won't sugar-coat it, gentlemen. We have a crisis on our hands. But we've been up this particular creek before and we've always come through, paddle or no paddle. I see no reason to change that policy now. From here on in, everyone pulls double duty. Everyone drives, everyone works." He turned to face a young man with large glasses, messy hair and a pointed chin. "Looks like all our chances of survival rest on you, Mr. Thatch. You and that little book." Riku's eyes darted down to the brown leather tome in the man's hands. The survivors began moving towards the vehicles.
"We're all gonna die," an older woman, dressed in an off tan outfit and matching helmet over a radio headset said, as she flicked her cigarette away.
"Okay people. Saddle up," the strong-voiced man said. "Lieutenant, I want this convoy moving five minutes ago." He turned finally to face Riku and quickly gave him a once over glance. "And you must be Riku." He held out a strong hand towards the silver-haired teen who took it with a nod. "I'm Commander Rourke. My Lieutenant, Helga Sinclair," he gestured towards the blonde woman, who was busy barking out orders to the other survivors. "Thanks for having our back. I can honestly say I didn't expect help from just one person. And someone so young at that. No offense."
"None taken," Riku replied with a nonchalant grin. "Since our only exit is blocked by a giant mechanized lobster that wants to kill anything that passes by, I hope you don't mind if I tag along with you guys, do you?"
"Welcome to the party, son," Rourke said gratefully. "By any chance, are you checked out on this class of vehicle?" He jerked his thumb towards one of the empty trucks. Riku stared around him and let out an 'um' sound. "Can you drive a truck?" Riku shook his head and Rourke sighed. "That's alright, we'll just-"
"I can drive one." Riku and Rourke both turned, Riku turning slightly faster as he recognized the voice. Striding towards them through the convoy, dressed in black combat boots that were laced high up on her shins, dark forest green pants and a low cut, black sleeveless shirt decorated with soaring birds up the left side, her cerulean eyes piercing as they met Riku's aquamarine ones, was none other than Keila.
"You can drive one of these?" Rourke asked the Dark Wielder as she approached. Keila nodded, her ponytail bobbing slightly.
"Keila, at your service, Commander," she held out her hand towards Rourke, who shook it gratefully.
"Alright, it's settled," he said, "You two load up and take that truck over there." He gestured towards the one remaining empty truck and left, making his way towards a large green machine with a large drill attached to the front. The second Rourke was out of earshot, Riku rounded on Keila, pushing her up against a fuel canister. Keila's eyes widened in surprise at Riku's sudden aggressiveness. Somewhere in the background, someone was honking a horn with annoying frequency.
"What the hell are you doing here?" He demanded in a low whisper. "Are you following me?" Keila raised an eyebrow at him, as if she was asking him why he would ask such an obvious question.
"Didn't I already tell you that I was going to kill you?" She retorted. She attempted to remove Riku's hand from her shoulder but Riku tightened his grip on her painfully.
"If that's the case, then why didn't you try to kill me already?" Riku growled.
"Because you're the only way I have off of this world," Keila snapped, taking Riku by surprise. "Something in this world is interfering with my ability to open portals of Darkness. So basically, if I follow through on my plan to kill you, I get trapped here because Maleficent doesn't know I'm here." She glanced around at the cavern. "And quite frankly, the idea of getting stuck here doesn't exactly appeal to me. So what do you say to a temporary truce? While we're on this world, neither of us tries to kill the other and we act somewhat civilized, okay?" She held out her hand to Riku, who eyed it cautiously.
"How do I know you aren't lying about making a portal?" He asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.
"Do you really think I would've announced the fact that I was here if I could?" Keila asked. She had a point. Riku took her hand and shook it once before releasing her.
"Truce," he said as Keila began to massage her shoulder. "But if you try to kill me in my sleep or stab me in the back, or poison my food, I will not hesitate to beat you senseless and drop you in a hole."
"I'll keep that in mind," Keila growled.
"Flirt on your own time, kids," Commander Rourke shouted as he climbed into one of the trucks. "We've gotta get this convoy rolling."
"We're not flirting!" Keila and Riku shouted in unison, their faces turning identical shades of red. They immediately stepped away from each other and climbed into the empty truck as Keila got it to rev to life.
"What're you guys doing down here anyways?" Keila asked a bald-headed, kind looking man with darker skin as he walked past towards a truck painted with a bright red cross.
"You mean you don't know?" He said, looking around at the two teens in confusion. Riku and Keila shared a quick glance with one another before shaking their heads. The bald-headed man chuckled. "We came here to find the lost continent of Atlantis." Riku's mouth dropped open and his eyes widened eagerly.
I can't wait to tell Sora about this one. Riku gloated to himself as the convoy began to move. The only way he could possibly match this adventure is by finding the city of gold or something.
LD
It had barely been two minutes since the convoy had started moving and already, Keila was tempted to slam her forehead into the steering wheel repeatedly. They had been moving at a stop and go pace the entire time courtesy of the truck taking up point, driven by none other than Milo Thatch, a person Keila could only classify as a Grade-A nerd. Not only was she not impressed by his physique, but his driving was terrible, and no amount of smarts he possessed was enough to make up for his being a horrendous driver. He was constantly trying to shift into the wrong gear, causing his truck to lurch forward at a painstakingly slow pace as they inched towards the carving of the fish head.
"Come on!" She shouted loudly from her place in the middle of the convoy, her palm slamming against her horn.
"So- sorry about that!" Milo called back as he truck gave another lurch forward.
"Come on, civilian!" Another driver shouted. A stout man, dressed in a grey overcoat that was covered with dirt and a helmet that covered his eyes with a pair of magnifying lenses and a built in lamp, slammed his hand down on the digger's horn. Keila's forehead hit the steering wheel out of frustration. Riku grinned smugly and she glared up at him.
"Not a word," she growled. Riku whistled innocently. Up ahead, the stout man, named Moliere ('Mole' for short), drove the digger past Milo's truck and got out to lash a rope to tow him. Keila turned to Riku while they waited for Mole to finish up. "So what's got you all excited about this Atlantis place?" Riku looked around at her.
"Haven't you ever heard of Atlantis?" Riku asked her. Keila shook her head. Riku let out a gasp of feigned shock, which earned him a slug in the shoulder from the Dark Wielder. Truthfully though, he was a little surprised. "Back on the Islands where I grew up, everyone had heard the story of Atlantis. The legend goes that Atlantis was once the most advanced of all civilizations. They had technology others couldn't even begin to comprehend."
"I bet you four hundred munny that they weren't smart enough to make an AI," Dawn grumbled in Riku's ear. Riku ignored her and continued on.
"Anyways, the Atlanteans did something to tick off the gods and in their anger, sent a flood to cleanse the continent. 'In a single day and night of misfortune, Atlantis sank into the sea.'" Keila was silent for a few moments.
"And that's the story?" She asked, glancing at Riku out of the corner of her eyes. Riku nodded. "Well, I guess I'll believe it when I see it."
The next few hours flew by uneventfully. At times, it was a dreadfully slow process as they slowly drove along winding paths over ravines that had no visible bottom which led to both Keila and Riku deciding they led to the planet core. They joked about that for a long while, saying that all a Heartless would have to do to reach the heart of the world would be to throw itself off of a cliff and that only led to a thirty minute conversation about suicidal Heartless and how hilarious that would be in battle.
Keila felt a twinge of sadness in her heart as they finally stopped to make camp for the night after a revolting meal of beans, bacon, whiskey and lard, all thrown together in a pot and all of which were the four main food groups according to the expedition's chef, Cookie, a man with a heavy southern accent and the stereotypical appearance of a person who travelled the country side by wagon.
Even though they were enemies, she and Riku had begun to warm up to each other after being stuck in the same vehicle for hours on end. They hadn't really gotten to know each other much better, but their joking around had certainly made it easier to be so close to one another without wanting to tear each other's throats out. She couldn't help but let out a heavey sigh as she realized that it might have been a mistake for her to reveal herself earlier.
Despite the fun she was having (a concept she had been deprived of her whole life by her Master and mother, Cynthia), she knew that when the time came, she was going to have no choice but to kill Riku. Both Maleficent and her Master had ordered it and while Maleficent had no real power over her, her Master still did. For the first time in her life, she didn't know what to do. And as if that wasn't bad enough, now she had to do this. Keila let out a groan as she approached Riku as he set up the only spare tent the convoy had with them.
"Shouldn't you be setting up your tent or something?" Riku asked as he staked his tent to the ground. Keila mumbled something inaudible. Riku finished hammering in the last stake and stood to face her; he couldn't help but notice that she was now dressed in a pair of sweatpants decorated with stars and a loose hanging pink t-shirt that read It's not pink. It's lightish red. "Come again?"
"There aren't any more tents and I don't have any blankets to make one," Keila muttered, barely audible. Riku raised an eyebrow at her.
"And what do you want me to do about it?" He asked. Keila mumbled something incoherent again, her cheeks flushing red. Riku stared at her, waiting for her to speak more clearly. Keila sighed.
"Can I share with you?" The redness in her face became more pronounced, rivaling Kairi's hair in color. Riku was taken aback.
"I know we have a truce and all, but don't you still want to kill me?" He asked. His eyes narrowed suspiciously. Keila's cerulean eyes were locked on Riku's feet.
"Yes," she mumbled. "No. I don't know, okay?" Riku took a step back as her voice began to rise. "I was told to kill you but I don't have any real reason to. It's Maleficent who wants you dead. Not me. If things were different, I honestly think you and I could be friends." Riku stared at her for a moment before shrugging and climbing into the tent.
"Fine," he said as he crawled under his blanket. Keila gave him a gracious smile and followed him into the tent. Riku tossed her a blanket and she laid herself down with her back facing him. "But no funny business. I'd rather not wake up with a knife in my back." Keila fought back a snort of laughter.
"I wouldn't worry too much about that," she said with a yawn. "I left all of my knives at home." Riku rolled his eyes and stared at the fabric of the tent wall. Judging from the light snores coming from behind him, Keila was one of those people who closed their eyes and immediately fell asleep. Riku closed his eyes as well, waiting for sleep to overtake him as Keila's words replayed in his mind.
"If things were different, I honestly think you and I could be friends."
"I think we could be too," Riku whispered softly.
Underneath her blanket and fake snores, Keila couldn't help but smile a real smile for the first time in years.
LD
Friday, June 11th 4794 P.C.
Mount Kathleines Gummi Station, Hangar 87,
Radiant Garden
Olette hugged her father tightly as she said her goodbyes. Both were teary eyed as they held each other. Xanthos and Axel kept themselves deliberately busy with making last minute preparations so as to avoid interrupting the father-daughter moment.
"You take good care of yourself, okay?" Eric Fairchild whispered to his daughter. "And don't wear yourself down to the bone training either. Remember to find time to have some fun." He hugged Olette tightly as she nodded in understanding and straightened up.
"Ready?" Xanthos asked as he strode over to the pair. Olette smiled up at him and grabbed hold of her suitcase.
"Yes, Master," she said. Xanthos grinned and held out his hand to Eric.
"Please, keep my daughter safe," Eric asked the Chaser as the two of them clasped hands. "She's all I have left. I don't know what I'd do if something happened to her."
"Don't worry. She will be well protected," Xanthos said comfortingly. "And in a few short weeks, she'll be able to properly protect herself without any outside help." Eric smiled faintly at him.
"Thank you, Master Xanthos," Xanthos nodded and turned back towards the ship. Olette hugged her father one last time.
"I'll write to you every week to tell you how things are going," she said cheerily. Eric chuckled softly and hugged his daughter tightly to him.
"I look forward to it," Olette released him with a grin and glanced around at the massive hangar, her smile slipping slightly. Hayner and Pence had both said that their parents weren't letting them come, something about how they needed to help move stuff around. She sighed, silently wishing she could've at least seen her two best friends could've at least been able to see her off. She felt pressure applied gently to her shoulder and looked around to see Xanthos smiling warmly down at her.
"I'm sure they'll miss you just as much as you'll miss them," he said comfortingly. "Just remember, in no time at all you'll be able to see them." Olette gave her Master a half smile and the Chaser glanced over at the Equus. A man, dressed in a pristine black suit with a purple shirt underneath that was unbuttoned enough to reveal a small amount of his upper chest. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of sunglasses and his perfectly styled brown hair shifted slightly in the breeze. Xanthos couldn't help but sigh as he spotted the numeral VII tattooed onto the right side of his chest.
"To what do I owe the pleasure, Jenos?" The Chaser asked with a smug smile. Jenos Hazard grinned back and bowed slightly to Xanthos.
"I came at Sephiria's request," he explained. "She and King Mickey decided to send a Number along with you and Axel to the fall-back headquarters and I got chosen." Xanthos stared at the slightly shorter Number for a moment before shrugging.
"Fine by me," he said, turning back towards the ship. "I hope you brought some cold weather gear. The blizzards where we're going are something awful and they happen frequently all year round." Jenos' mouth dropped slightly in shock as Xanthos strode off.
"Did you just say 'all year'?" He asked nervously, quickly running after the now chuckling Chaser. "All year? That's not cool!"
"Oh, it's very 'cool'," Xanthos said, trying hard to hold in his laughter. "That's why you need cold weather gear."
"And that's not funny," Jenos said as Xanthos broke into a fit of laughter.
"It's a little funny," Xanthos said in between laughs.
Olette watched their exchange from afar with a bemused smirk. It was good to know that her Master wasn't all hard expressions and seriousness. She moved out of the way of a fork lift as it transported a pair of large, man-sized barrels labeled Flour towards the power lift that led into the Equus' cargo bay and proceeded to follow Xanthos and Jenos towards the ship, pausing long enough to wave back one last time at her father before ducking into the entryway.
It took her a couple of minutes to reach the bridge, where she found Axel and Jenos already sitting at a pair of workstations, each checking a different system onboard the Equus as they prepared for launch.
Xanthos himself was speaking to a small, holographic projection of a young woman, whose silver image seemed to glow faintly while countless zeroes and ones scrolled across her skin. Xanthos looked around as Olette entered.
"Ah, perfect," he said with a grin before glancing back at the holographic image. "Dusk, take us out of here."
"Yes sir," the image said before vanishing into thin air. The Equus' engines roared to life and the entire ship lurched as it lifted off of the ground, hovering in place. "Please take a seat and properly secure yourselves in." They all obliged. Olette secured her seatbelt around her waist and spun her seat to face Xanthos.
"Who was that?" She asked. Xanthos glanced at his Apprentice.
"That was the Artificial Intelligence, Dusk," Xanthos explained. "She was created to operate the computer systems Axel and Jenos here will be setting up when we land." Axel and Jenos both looked around incredulously.
"Why do we have to do all of the work?" Jenos asked.
"What about you? Why can't you help us set up?" Axel demanded. Xanthos turned his stare onto both of them.
"I'm going to be busy training Olette," he said simply as the Equus began to move towards the hangar exit. "So you two get to; plain and simple as that." The Equus engines kicked in full, and it rocketed out of the hangar and into the sky. In no time at all, they had burst through Radiant Garden's atmosphere and were barreling through space. Olette stared out at the multi-colored space surrounding them. Olette couldn't find words to describe the majesty of it all.
"Conditions stable," Dusk announced. "Feel free to move around now. I shall warn you if I detect any enemy contacts within scanning range."
"Thanks Dusk," Xanthos said as he undid his seatbelt and got to his feet. "Olette, follow me." Olette did as she was told and quickly released herself from her seat to follow her Master out of the bridge. Xanthos silently led her down a series of hallways until they reached a pair of double doors labeled Medical. The proximity activated sensors responded to their approach and swung the doors open towards them. The lights inside automatically flickered to life, revealing half a dozen hospital beds, dozens of pieces of hi-tech equipment and even an observation window to an operating room. Xanthos guided her towards one of the beds and instructed her to lie down. Olette obliged, feeling her heart pound against her chest nervously as she laid herself down.
"What are you doing, Master?" Olette asked, her voice shaking slightly from her nerves as Xanthos removed his gloves, revealing his heavily scarred hands. Her eyes were drawn to the sapphire ring on his right ring finger, with a pair of Keyblades crossed into an 'x' shape over the gem. And to her surprise, a plain, golden wedding band on his left hand.
"I am going to use a spell on you to initiate Destati," Xanthos explained, taking great care to pop each knuckle one by one. Olette winced. Even after years of hearing both Hayner and Pence crack their knuckles, she had yet to get used to it.
"Um, what's 'Destati'?" Olette asked.
"Destati is derived from an ancient, dead language from the original home world of all Keyblade Wielders," Xanthos explained. "Literally, it means 'Awakening'. Most Keyblade Wielders will at some point experience Destati, although it's more common in those who have little or no combat experience and have yet to summon their Keyblade." He tilted his head from side to side, causing Olette to wince as she heard more of his bones popping.
"Now then," he continued, "during Destati, you will learn to summon your Keyblade and you will find a way to tap into the above-mundane skills all Wielders inherit along with the Keyblade; enhanced strength, speed and stamina that no normal human being can possibly hope to match. Lightning fast reflexes, you could catch a bullet with your bare hands and throw it back. Heightened senses, except for smell and touch, which to this day I still have no idea why only those two senses aren't. And of course, an increased mental processing rate during combat, which will allow you to make life saving decisions faster than a single beat of a hummingbirds wings." Xanthos placed the tips of his index fingers on the sides of Olette's temples.
"Close your eyes and take a deep breath," he instructed. Olette did as she was told. She closed her eyes, allowing the cool shadows beneath her eyelids to help relieve her from a sleepless night. "When I count to three, you'll be plunged into Destati. Understand?" Olette nodded her head. "Okay then. One. Two. Three. Ineo." Olette's mouth opened in a silent scream as pain coursed through her skull for a fraction of a second before her world went dark.
LD
Darkness surrounded Olette's body, stretching endlessly in all directions. Slowly she sank down, deep into the darkness as if she were sinking below the ocean waves on the beaches back home. Olette's emerald-green eyes darted all around her nervously. There was just no end to the darkness. After several minutes of sinking, she felt her feet make contact with something solid. She glanced down, unable to see what exactly she was standing on.
Suddenly, a bright yellow light appeared beneath her feet. The sheer intensity of the light as it spread out around her feet forced Olette to cover her eyes with her arm. When she lowered it, she found herself standing on the center of a mostly orange, circular stained glass platform. The light dimmed and Olette glanced down at her feet. She immediately realized that she was standing on top of a large image of her sleeping body as it rested against the stone work at the top of the Central Station in Twilight Town. Arranged in a half circle above her image's head were six circles. Displayed in the circles were images of Hayner, Pence, her father, a cracked image of her mother, Sora and Kairi standing back to back, and Xanthos. Numerous diamond shapes lined the edge of the platform, each displaying an ice cream bar.
Olette looked up from the images, staring out at the endless darkness. Her heart thudded in her throat, fear slowly taking hold of her.
"Don't be afraid."
Olette spun around. She had heard a voice speak into her mind. But it was like the words were just there, like nobody had actually spoken them.
"Come to the center of the platform."
Unsure of why, Olette did as the voice asked and stood in the center of the platform. The light shining from the platform dimmed, and three narrow bands of white light appeared around her in a perfect triangle.
"Power sleeps within you."
In the pillar in front of her floated a shield that was pentagonal in shape, mostly black except for the red outlining and trio of red concentric circles emblazoned in the center.
"If you give it form…"
To her right floated a rod with a bright green handle, topped with three bright blue orbs in the same shape as the concentric circles on the swords pommel.
"It will give you strength."
A generically styled short sword, with a mirror finished blade, golden pommel accented with a trio of concentric circles and a dark blue handle floated in the pillar of light to her left. Olette glanced around at the three tools and focused her attention on the sword. The voiceless words floated into her mind again.
"The power of the warrior. A sword whose strength is invincible courage; the will to stand against anything. A sword of terrible destruction."
Olette's eyes wandered away, her nervousness rising at the thought of what that sword might be capable. Her gaze settled on the oddly shaped rod.
"The power of the mystic. Inner strength. A staff whose strength is spirit; power the eye cannot see. A staff of wonder and ruin."
Olette winced. Just what she wanted to hear. More destruction and chaos. Her eyes focused on the shield, the last of the three.
"The power of the guardian. Kindness to aid friends. A shield to protect loved ones; a shield to repel all."
Out of all three, the shield appealed to Olette the most. It was the only one that didn't involve destruction and ruin.
"Choose wisely."
"I'm supposed to choose?" Olette said, glancing around at the darkness in confusion.
"Yes. You must make the same choice all Wielders make at one point in their lives."
Olette glanced around at the three tools before moving forward, her mind already set on the shield. She reached out hesitantly as she approached the shield, her fingertips gently brushing the smooth, metal surface of it.
"The power of the guardian. Is this the power you seek?"
"Yes," Olette whispered breathlessly. The shield vanished in flash of white light. The pillar of light that it had been resting in slowly faded, taking away its somewhat comforting presence. Olette turned around and gazed at the other two weapons.
"Your path is set. What will you give up in exchange?"
Olette immediately stared at the staff.
"The power of the mystic. You give up this power?"
Olette nodded slowly. The staff and sword both vanished in flashes of light as their pillars faded, leaving only the dim light from the platform to illuminate the overwhelming darkness.
"You have chosen the power of the guardian. You have given up the power of the mystic. Your Destati is begun."
A loud crack echoed through the darkness, startling Olette. The center of the platform had dozens of cracks forming. Pieces of the stained glass seemed to be falling into the platform's center. Olette ran from the center and nearly fell over the edge. Below her, she could see the dark gray walls of the platform descending into the darkness. The platform beneath her feet gave way and she found herself plunged into the abyss.
As she fell, the shards of shattered glass vanished, dissolving like a sugar cube being dragged underwater. She felt her feet gently touch down onto a platform nearly identical to the first one, the only difference was, instead of being mostly yellow; the platform was red in color and her larger-than life portrait was wearing the red and black shield on her right arm. A flash of golden light lit up the platform to her left. A stunningly white double-door towered at least thirty feet into the air on the edge of the platform. The frame decorated in intricate patterns that ended in a three points. The stained glass at the tops of both doors shone faintly for a brief moment.
Olette waited for the voiceless words to enter her mind and was greeted only by silence. She glanced around, waiting for something to happen for several long minutes before she gave up and strode over to the door, cautiously examining it as she approached. She pushed on the center of the two doors to see if it had to be pushed open, but to no avail. She grabbed hold of the handles and pulled as hard as she was able. The door remained impassible. Olette grunted in frustration and collapsed in front of the door, panting from the lack of energy she had used to attempt opening the door.
"I would think most doors require a Key. Wouldn't you agree, Wielder?"
The center of the door glowed with a bright, white light for a brief moment, revealing a Keyhole set perfectly in the center. Olette slowly stood to her feet and raised her left hand, guided by instinct. There was a bright flash of light, and Olette found herself thrown off balance by the sudden weight in her hand as a Keyblade took form.
The 'teeth' were shaped from five long, golden spikes attached to a half circle. A small circle of turquoise shone brightly on the edge of the half circle where a spike connected the 'teeth' to the blade, which was shaped like a single sided, straight-edged katana. The handle was jet black with a golden pommel, barely visible beneath the upper half of the bi-sectioned guard. The Keychain that dangled off of the end of the Keyblade's rain guard was shaped like a diamond comprised of several small gold and turquoise spikes with an 'x' shaped gap in the middle. The Aubade.
Olette cried out and fell back to her knees as pain racked her body. A faint, yellow glow emanated from her skin. Despite her pain, her grip on the Aubade only grew tighter.
"You've gained the power to fight. Your inheritance is complete. Now, open the door and remember to keep your Light burning strong."
Olette rose to her feet again, all of the pain suddenly gone. She felt stronger, more confident, than she ever had as she leveled the Aubade with the Keyhole. A bright beam of blue light shot from the Keyblade's tip and pierced the Keyhole straight through the center. There was a loud click, and the door swung open as the Keyhole vanished, revealing a blinding white light.
"Step forward."
Olette hesitated. As warm and friendly as the light seemed, her nervousness got the better of her, freezing her in place.
"Don't be afraid."
The voiceless words seemed to calm her. She began to move towards the light.
"And don't forget…"
The light surrounded her; comforting, warm and mysterious all at once. Behind her, the door shut.
"You wield the mightiest weapon of all."
Olette slowly closed her eyes, shielding them temporarily from the light. When the insides of her eyelids finally darkened, she opened them and found herself gazing upon a mostly red, stained glass platform. Aside from the coloring, the main difference Olette noticed in the image on the platform was that she was dressed in the same black cloak Xanthos was most frequently seen in and she clutched the Aubade tightly in her left hand. Half a dozen inky black shadows appeared on the platforms edges and quickly surrounded her.
"With every passing minute, the forces of Darkness grow stronger."
Six Neoshadows formed a circle around Olette, who spun around nervously.
"There will be times when you have to fight."
The Neoshadows leapt towards her, black claws outstretched.
"But don't be afraid."
From Olette's point of view, time seemed to slow down so that everything was moving in slow motion. She quickly registered where each Heartless' claws were and quickly found a way to weave in and out of the attacks without taking damage. The Aubade gleamed in her hand as she swung it up into the chest of the nearest Neoshadow, black mist trailing on the air in its wake as the Heartless was defeated. The other Neoshadows claws seemed to miss her by inches as she ducked and weaved her way through the assault. Olette grinned as she emerged from the tangled mess of Heartless.
She shifted her stance, allowing instinct to guide her, and pounced at the Heartless. The Aubade gleamed as it shredded through the first Neoshadow that had been to slow to react. A second Neoshadow fell victim to Olette's Keyblade as it attempted to charge her head on. Olette laughed wildly at the thrill of combat. She finally understood why Hayner always got worked up over the Struggle matches back home; she had never felt anything like the thrill of combat before. It was new and exciting to her.
The remaining three Neoshadows quickly formed a triangle around Olette, determinedly keeping her encircled. One of them leapt towards her, claws outstretched. Olette smirked and easily ducked underneath the Heartless' outstretched arms, sliding underneath its legs and coming back up on her feet behind it. The Neoshadow seemed confused for a second before it spun around to face Olette, only to receive a face-full of her foot as she kicked the Heartless as hard as she could, sending it tumbling over into another of its companion.
Olette leapt into the air, raising the Aubade high above her head. She felt a rush of excitement as she stared down at the platform surface seven feet below her. She had never heard of anyone being able to jump that high before. She slammed back onto the platform gracefully, her legs spread apart and her right arm thrown out to keep her balance as her left arm swung down in an arc and severed the Neoshadows' heads from their bodies.
Olette straightened up and turned to face the remaining Neoshadow, which seemed to sink quickly into the ground. A black shadow remained in its place, quickly moving towards her. Olette's brow furrowed in confusion as the shadow came to a stop directly below her. Olette stared at the shadow for a full two seconds in confusion before the Neoshadow burst out without warning, knocking Olette off of her feet and sending the Aubade clattering across the platform. Olette rolled away from the Neoshadow as it landed on its feet and grabbed her Keyblade. She looked up and saw the Neoshadow's claws less than half a foot away from her jugular. Her eyes widened in fear.
Then the Neoshadow vanished in an explosion of black mist. In its place stood a figure in a suit of unusual, mostly orange armor. The armor didn't completely cover the body. It was segmented, covering mostly the shoulders, chest and back, forearms, knees, lower legs, hands and feet. Underneath the armor segments was what appeared to be a full-body, black flex suit made out of some material Olette couldn't come up with a name for. Intricate veins of silver covered the flex suit. The figures face was hidden by an angular orange helmet with a black visor that completely covered its face. A pair of prongs lined with silver patterning jutted from either side of the helmet and were angled back from the head and at a slightly upwards angle. A dark, red and gold cape fluttered softly in the non-existent wind. Judging by the shape of the chest-piece, Olette figured the person in armor was a well endowed woman. Olette readied her Keyblade as she spotted an obsidian colored Keyblade gripped in the left hand of the armored woman.
"Let's see if you can live up to your inheritance the Master gave you," the armored woman said as she turned to face Olette full on. The unarmored teen immediately began sizing up the armored woman. Aside from lacking in certain "assets" the armored figure had, Olette realized that both of them shared a similar stance when they held their Keyblades at the ready, and they both would be about the same height if the other woman would remove her armor. Both of them rushed forward in perfect unison, like oddly-mirrored images of one another and clashed their Keyblades together in the dead center of the platform, sparks of bright yellow light flying from their blades.
LD
The Castle That Never Was
Maleficent strode proudly into the laboratory currently occupied by the Apostle who was aptly named the Doctor. The Doctor turned around to glance away from the dark shape in the glowing green tube labeled Seraph, Version One. He was dressed in a startling white lab coat and horned rim glasses. His jet black hair was messy and un-kempt as he liked it and his permanently smug smile he wore only widened as Maleficent approached.
"How much longer, Doctor?" The Queen of Darkness asked as she drew nearer to the man. "Shiki has located the Keyblade wielding Princesses and the Chosen One. I would very much like for them to meet our new friend." She smiled up at the tube.
"Not much longer," the Doctor said proudly. "A few more days at most, but no more than a week. Fortunately, that oaf, Pete, managed to be of some use for once when he located Xehanort's notes on how to make an Emblem Heartless. The Seraph will be more powerful than anything those wielders have ever seen. They won't stand a chance against it." He spread his arms wide as he faced the tube again. "By combining both nano-technology and the power of Tao with the Darkness that makes a Heartless, I've created a virtually unstoppable creature of war!" He let out a cackle of maniacal laughter. Maleficent smiled as she exited the room. This had been a good day.
One of her Heartless fleets moved towards the home world of the Keyblade's Chosen One, and the Apostles had secured Princess Jasmine from Agrabah. All she needed now was the Princess Belle and of course, the seventh Princess, the one with a Keyblade. A few more days, and she'd have them all. She stared out of a massive window at the nearly recompleted moon of Kingdom Hearts.
"My Nobody forces are ready, your Highness."
Maleficent turned at the sound of the whisper quiet male voice. A hulking figure stood in the hallway, his body covered by a silver-white cloak. A massive broadsword was strapped to his back.
"Good, Jevenan," Maleficent grinned. "Join up with Maro and Shiki on Destiny Islands. The Princess' birthday is coming up soon and I'd hate for something to go wrong with her celebration." Jevenan bowed low.
"Yes, my Queen." He vanished as portal of Darkness surrounded him. Maleficent watched him go with distain. As much as she hated working with Nobodies, she had to admit, they did do certain jobs better than the Heartless could. She stared back out of the window towards her Kingdom Hearts.
"Yes, not long now," Maleficent cackled softly to herself.
LD
And that's it for this week. As per usual, reviews are welcome and greatly appreciated.
See you guys in about a week!
Aspicio, diluculo Infinitas Noctis.
-Shadow Horizons