Dren Yol Lok, Jul.
No, you're not dreaming. It didn't take me a month and half to publish a new chapter! I know, shocking.
News time: A new world has been confirmed for Dream Drop Distance: Prankster's Paradise. Apparently, its supposed to be based off of Pinocchio. So we'll see.
Skyrim, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary have been raping my social and writing lives and are part of the reason why this chapter is so late.
My bad.
Disclaimer: I own everything that's mine. Which is basically everything in this chapter except for the characters I didn't create.
Enjoy!
Chapter Twenty Seven: Darkness Within
Sunday, June 27th, 4794 P.C.
Yen Sid's Study
Mysterious Tower
Yen Sid let out a low sigh as he stared up at the stars that were always visible in the sky. It had been almost thirty years since he had abandoned his title as Keyblade Master to become the Watcher. For almost thirty years, he had watched the stars in the sky, listening to them as they told him what was happening in the universe. And today was no different.
A pair of stars in particular held his attention above the others this night, however. The two stars were among his favorites to look at, because they had been among the most interesting ones of their time in the sky since they had appeared fifteen years before. One of the two shone as bright as the brightest stars, while the other, though slightly dimmer, still shone brighter than the other stars. For a long time, Yen Sid had watched these two stars drift slow closely to each other that they may as well have been one. But now, the brighter of the two was beginning to fade.
Yen Sid bowed his head sadly. "Sora. Kairi. I pray the two of you are safe."
LD
RGLAC Hang 'Em High Bridge
Lynfael
Sora could only watch in dull shock as Kairi fell to the ground, her violet-blue eyes unfocused even as she stared right at him. Her head hit the blood-splattered ground and her eyes slowly closed. "Kairi?" Sora asked quietly. The auburn-haired teen didn't respond. She didn't even twitch to acknowledge if she could hear him. "Kairi!" Sora tried to run over to Kairi but found that his legs wouldn't obey his mind. Instead, all he managed to do was fall to he's knees.
"Our client isn't going to be happy about this," Recovery Two said to Seven in an uncaring tone as Sora fell down next to Kairi. "He's definitely going to cut our pay. Did you have to shoot her?" Seven shrugged in response.
Sora's panic faded away as he stared at Kairi's unmoving form, replaced by a pure rage he had never felt before. "You bastard," he growled in a voice that shook as he fought to control his anger. Seven turned his helmeted head towards him. Hatred spiked within Sora as he looked at his reflection in the large golden visor. "You shot her."
"So?" Seven growled as he readied his pistol. It was obvious to him where this conversation was going to lead.
"I've lost her too many times," Sora growled as he slowly rose to his feet. "I'm not going to let that happen again. Not like this."
"You think you can stop us?" Two asked. "We're the best of the best. We're Recovery Agents, little boy. The best of the best. We're on a different level than you."
"I don't care who you are," Sora said. "Or how strong you are, for that matter. If you hurt Kairi, you'll answer to me."
"Fine then," Seven growled. He raised his pistol and fired a single shot at Sora's head. Sora's arm became a blur a split instant before the bullet could leave the chamber. There was a sharp crack that reverberated around the room as the bullet struck against Sora's palm, which he used to shield his head. Silence fell over the bridge as Seven and Two waited for Sora to fall. Instead, the teen smirked coldly.
He lowered his hand and held it out towards Seven. The Recovery Agent took a step back in surprise. The bullet was crumpled against Sora's palm, which had turned as black as night from the Darkness that now covered it. As the two Agents watched, the Darkness seemed to come alive and began to spread across Sora's body. It snaked around the rest of Sora's hand and formed long, jagged claws over his fingers. It rose up his arm and spread visibly across his chest, changing the color of his clothes to the deepest black imaginable. It covered his other arm, and gave him another set of claws before spreading to his face. Darkness began to float off of Sora's body in faint wisps of black smoke. Sora's eyes snapped open, now entirely yellow and glowing faintly.
Seven wasted no time in reacting. He raised his pistol and emptied the clip as quickly as he could. Six shots rang out against Sora's Darkness covered skin, and not a single round broke through. At same time, Two dashed towards Sora with lightning-fast speed and swung one of her two blades into the back of his neck. The tip of the blade shattered, much to Two's surprise, and the pieces scattered all around Sora's feet. Two let out a small gasp of surprise and cast the broken blade aside.
Sora didn't seem fazed by either one of their attacks. His glowing yellow eyes were fixated on Seven, never once straying from the Agent's reflective visor even as Two had tried to attack him from behind. The Darkness covered teen stepped towards Seven, the shards of Two's sword cracking and breaking under his feet. Seven let out a growl of frustration and charged at Sora.
Sora let out a growl far more sinister than Seven's and leapt over the armored man as he attempted to punch the teen. Sora spun around as he landed behind the brute and grabbed hold of the back of his armor. With a grunt of effort Sora tore Seven off of his feet and hurled him headfirst into one of the dozens of workstations. The weight of Seven's armor combined with the force created by Sora's throw caused the station to crumple.
Seven rose from the wrecked station like it was nothing and charged at Sora again. Sora sidestepped the next punch Seven threw at him and retaliated with one of his own. Seven was lifted off of his feet and knocked back. The armored man flipped in midair, landing on his feet and immediately rushing back towards Sora. Sora ducked under a kick from Seven only to be blindsided as his head was stomped into the floor by Two.
Seven grabbed Sora by his ankle as the teen bounced back off of the floor and threw him across the room into the sliding doors that led out of the bridge. Sora flipped himself a split-second before impact and landed feet first against the doors, which caved under the impact and were sent crashing into the hall beyond. Seven straightened up and reloaded his pistol with a full clip. Sora stood back up and gripped one of the broken doors with a clawed hand. With a grunt, Sora hurled the door at the two Recovery Agents. Two leapt above the door, tapping it lightly with an armored foot as she did so while Seven kicked it aside.
Sora charged at Seven again, only to be intercepted by Two. She kicked him as hard as she could in the side of his head, knocking Sora off of his feet and over a workstation. Sora landed on the other side and kicked the workstation into Two's legs, throwing her off of her feet. Her head slammed into the top of it, cracking the surface slightly. She looked up in time to see Sora's claws racing towards her.
She rolled to the side as Sora's claws grazed the side of her armor, barely scratching the paint. Seven leapt over her body before she could get back up and fired four rounds from his pistol in Sora's direction. The bullets struck against the Darkness covering Sora and clattered uselessly to the ground. Sora let out a chuckle that sounded inhuman. Seven growled and lunged at Sora.
Sora deflected the punch Seven threw at him, redirecting the man's momentum and slammed his fist into the back of his helmet. Seven crashed visor-first to the floor and slid several feet behind Sora. He shook his head as he pushed himself up onto his knees. He had been careless. Angrily, he slammed his fist against the floor, denting it, before turning back towards Sora and charging once again.
Two leapt at Sora's back with a ferocious cry, a long curved dagger gleaming sinisterly in her left hand. Sora spun around and grabbed the dagger by its blade with one hand before snapping it clean off of its hilt. His other clawed hand shot out and grabbed Two by her other arm. He spun around swiftly and hurled the purple-armored woman into Seven, knocking both of them to the ground. Sora growled and tossed the broken blade of Two's dagger aside before advancing on the two Agents.
Seven shoved Two off of his chest and aimed his pistol high above Sora's head. He fired a single shot, which shattered the support for an overhead display screen. The screen's weight broke it free from the rest of its support, and it fell directly on top of Sora. Bits of shattered glass, metal and plastic flew across the room. Seven stood up, with Two struggling to her feet behind him. Sora stood exactly where he had been when the screen crashed into him. The boy shook his head back and forth quickly and growled menacingly at Seven.
Sora reached out next to him and plunged his sharp claws deep into a workstation before tearing it out of its permanent attachment to the floor. Seven winced slightly as the metal shrieked and groaned. Sora swung the workstation back and hurled it with surprising strength at Seven. Seven ducked under the flying workstation, causing it to slam into Two's back. Two let out a cry of shock and pain as she was nearly knocked over.
She turned back around as Sora charged at them again. He stopped right between the two Agents and grabbed them both by the tops of their chest pieces and pulled them towards him, forcing both Agents to hit their helmets together. Sora released them and punched Two directly under her ribs. Two felt her breath knocked from her lungs as she stumbled back, grateful for the armor covering her body. That blow would've seriously damaged some vital organs without it. Two bullets fired from Seven's pistol as the large man regained his balance. Sora dodged them effortlessly and slashed Seven across his chest with his claws, leaving four long gouges in the armor. Sora spun and kicked Two in the side of her head and sent her sprawling across the floor before she could completely recover from his first punch. Three more shots glanced off of Sora's shoulders as Seven emptied the rest of the clip in his pistol. Sora spun back around to face Seven before he could react and elbowed him hard in the gut. Seven's body curled forward, bringing his head into range of Sora's fists. Two blows snapped Seven's head from side to side before a third snapped his head back. Sora spun and swung the bottom of his fist into the back of the man's head, sending him stumbling forward where he was greeted by a knee to the gut.
The force of that blow lifted Seven off of his feet, where Sora grabbed him and slammed his back into the ground with enough force to take Seven's breath away. Seven grunted in pain. This kid hadn't been this powerful when he had captured the two teenage girls. What had changed? His thoughts came to an abrupt end when Sora's foot connected with the fork in Seven's leg, powerful enough to be felt despite the armor, as well as sending Seven flying across the room.
A chair flew at Sora's blind spot, but the teen seemed to know it was coming. He jumped into the air and flipped over it, landing on the other side where his yellow eyes locked onto Two. The woman hefted an assault rifle in one hand and her pistol in the other as she took aim. Sora stood there as she unloaded both weapons of their ammunition. Bullets clattered off of the Darkness reinforcing his skin. Two groaned in frustration as the last bullet bounced off of Sora's forehead and fell to the floor. She cast both weapons aside and drew a pair of short daggers from the back of her belt.
She lunged at Sora, slashing at his throat with her knives. Sora made no move to stop her, seemingly secure in the knowledge that the Darkness would protect him. Beneath her helmet, Two smirked. She pressed her thumbs against the hidden switches on her blades, charging the steel with a temporary burst of magical energy. Bright green light formed along the blades a split second before they reached Sora. Sora seemed to sense the change in the weapons and attempted to leap out of the way, but wasn't fast enough. The two daggers penetrated the darkness and plunged deep into the teen's shoulders. Two leapt away from Sora in satisfaction as the boy roared in pain. He gripped both daggers tightly and tore them angrily from his body. Blood laced with Darkness streamed down his arms as he glared up at Two with his yellow eyes. The daggers clattered to the ground and were promptly crushed under Sora's foot. The Darkness flowing from Sora's wounds quickly sewed them shut. Leaving the boy seemingly unharmed. Sora looked up from the blood at his feet and growled at Two.
Before he had time to advance on her, he was intercepted by Seven, who had leapt back into the fray. Sora twisted to the side as Seven's fist passed dangerously close to the side of his head. Seven growled and kicked at Sora's midriff with enough force to send him stumbling backwards. Off to the side, Two grabbed hold of her rifle and ejected the clip to slide in a new one.
Sora ducked under Seven's next punch and deflected a blow from the opposite elbow. He knocked the man's arm aside and slammed the flat of his palm against the larger man's chin with tremendous force, knocking his head back. Sora swept Seven's legs out from underneath him. His black-clawed left hand shot out and grabbed hold of Seven's ankle as he fell. The larger man fell heavily to the ground with a grunt and aimed his pistol at Sora's chest. The pistol went off with a loud bang, but the bullet missed its mark as Sora casually leaned to the side. Seven growled in frustration and pulled the trigger again, only to be met with a click. Sora grinned at Seven with rows of spiked teeth that appeared to have been made of Darkness before yanking on his leg as hard as he could. Seven was lifted off the ground and thrown heavily into the ceiling. He remained there for a moment, suspended by his momentum before he fell back down head first. A large crack appeared in the side of his visor as he crashed back down to the ground.
Bullets flew in rapid succession from Two's rifle, striking uselessly off of Sora's back and drawing his attention back towards her. As the last bullet shot from the chamber, the purple-armored woman cast her weapon aside and drew her remaining sword from its place on her back. Sora let out a growl and dropped to all fours as Two took up a defensive stance. Sora's muscles tensed for the briefest of seconds before he launched himself at Two with surprising agility, becoming a black streak that shot across the room and struck Two.
Two smirked beneath her helmet, despite the pain she felt from Sora slamming head first into her stomach. The force of the blow threw her back several feet, but not before she slipped a small object into the hood of the teen's jacket. Her helmet was knocked off as she slammed against the glass viewport that ran the length of the room, revealing her cropped, jet-black hair and dark gray eyes. The Darkness covered teen growled at her and began to move towards her. Two slumped to the floor and grinned up at him. Sora was blasted forward as the grenade Two had slipped into his hood went off.
He slammed face-first into the floor and remained still. The back of his jacket had been ruined and smoke rose off of his newly exposed, Darkness-covered flesh. Two got to her feet and sneered down at Sora's form for a moment before looking up at Seven as he forced himself to get back up. "I tried to tell him he was no match for us," Two said. Seven started to nod, but stopped as Sora began to move again. Two gave Seven a perplexed look and glanced down at Sora as the teen. "Shit."
A low growl emanated from Sora's throat as he got back to his feet. He turned his head slowly towards Two. He raised his arm so that his clawed hand was pointed at her as an orb of pure Darkness began to form in his palm. Two swore loudly as she realized what was about to happen and dove for her helmet. Sora let out a roar and threw the orb at Two's exposed back. Two's armored hands gripped her helmet tightly and jammed it on over her head a split-second before the orb struck the metal floor next to her. There was a deafening screech as the orb exploded, shredding through the metal and tossing Two through the reinforced glass viewport, shattering a large section of it.
Two let out a cry of pain as she slammed into the hull of the Hang 'Em High below. The metal buckled and caved slightly beneath the weight of her armor, leaving a large, human shaped dent. She forced herself back up, ignoring the intense pain coursing through her body and glanced up at the broken viewport of the bridge more than a hundred feet above her. Groaning in frustration, she began looking around for a maintenance access hatch to let her back inside.
Back on the bridge, Seven glared at Sora from across the gaping hole the Darkness had left in the floor. This kid was more trouble than he was worth. Sora's glowing yellow eyes fell on Kairi's still form as he turned towards away from the viewport. The boy let out a sorrowful whine that turned into a growl as he turned his gaze away to look over at Seven. Twin orbs of Darkness formed in each of his clawed hands as he began to slowly advance on the remaining Agent. Seven tossed his freshly reloaded pistol aside, finally accepting the fact that bullets wouldn't be enough to stop this kid. Red lightning began to spark around his fingertips as he raised his fists. This was going to be one interesting fight.
LD
Hang 'Em High Engineering Bay
Namine and the guards all stared as the smoke cleared from the summoning. The man Naminé had just summoned was dressed in a sinister appearing robe. The upper section of the robe was dark blue on the sides with a large stripe of black that ran down the middle and ended in a point just below his waist. The pauldrons rested on his shoulders in three layers, each black in color and with their sharp edges facing away from the rest of his body. The sleeves of his robe were short, barely covering his thin biceps. On his forearms he wore a pair of large, bracers. Jet-black, fingerless gloves covered his hands, allowing his long, sharpened nails to be seen. The bottom of the robe was gray with a black accent and reached all the way to the ground, concealing his feet. His hood concealed most of his head, but the lower half of his face was hidden by a black cloth, leaving only his solid yellow eyes visible. The skin that was visible was deathly white, the only bit of color coming from the green tattoos around his left eye. Two were a pair of checkmarks that were inked above his eye while a jagged lightning bolt was marked underneath it.
The man glared around the room with narrowed yellow eyes, sending a collective shiver through everyone present. There was something wrong about him, something unnatural. He stretched his long, thin arms high above his head with several loud cracks. "Alright then, which one of you released me?" The man asked. His voice was deep; though not quite as intimidating as it had been when he first appeared out of the smoke. In response, every soldier present pointed at Naminé, who blanched as the man turned to look down at her. Naminé swallowed hard. He was at least two feet taller than her, which only added to his terrifying appearance.
"Are you absolutely sure?" The man asked again, glancing around at the soldiers, all of whom nodded vigorously. The man shrugged. "If you say so." He turned back towards Naminé and leaned in closer to her. Naminé winced slightly. This man reeked of Darkness. She could smell it on him. "Let me guess, these guys in the gray armor are your enemies?"
Naminé nodded. The man in the robe let out a low sigh as he turned towards the guards. "Then, as thanks for your assistance, I shall take care of them for you." Several of the guards couldn't help but laugh.
"In case you haven't noticed, the two of you are outnumbered," one of them sneered. And there are several hundred more of us on this ship. Even if you managed to somehow make it past us, you wouldn't make it out of here alive." Naminé's spirits sank instantly. She had hoped that with the help of her summon, she could have made it off of the ship with Kairi, but now she almost regretted leaving her cell instead of waiting for Sora and Roxas to come to the rescue like they were bound to.
"That does seem to be a bit of an issue," Naminé's summon said, gently stroking his chin through the cloth that covered the lower half of his face. "How about we even those odds a little bit?" He raised both of his pale hands, now glowing with a sickly-green light. A split second later, the guards closest to Naminé and the robed man began howling with pain as they began to glow as well. They dropped their weapons and clutched tightly at their clothes and skin, begging for the pain to stop. Then the affected men fell silent, no longer screaming in pain as the sound of flesh being torn from bone filled the air as each of the affected men tore the flesh and muscles from their bones, casting them aside like bloodied piles of used clothes. Their skeletons reached inside their bones and pulled their organs out, tossing them among the piles of their flesh. Dark red blood dripped slowly off of their arms, pooling at their feet. An evil red light filled the now empty eye sockets of the skeletons as they picked up their discarded weapons and turned to face the other guards, who stared back with looks of pure horror on their faces. Naminé felt a wave of nausea pass over her as the stench of blood filled her nostrils.
Clearly satisfied, the robed man turned towards her. "If you weren't sure, the skeletons are on our team," he said as Naminé looked at him with a terrified expression. He turned to face the remaining guards that hadn't run screaming out of the room. Fire blazed to life around his right hand while ice magic swirled around his left. "Right then, who's first?"
One of the still living guards panicked and shot the robed man three times in his chest. The man looked down at the holes the bullets had left in his chest, shrugged, and engulfed his attacker in a column of flame. Naminé could only watch in a state of near shock as the man she had summoned and his skeleton warriors brutally slaughtered every guard in the room until the walls, floor, and ceiling were plastered with blood and gore. Several men were frozen in large blocks of ice. Some had been decapitated while others had had their faces literally melted off. When the last of the guards fell, half of his body burnt beyond recognition, the other half encased in ice, the energies sustaining the skeleton warriors dissipated and the bones clattered to the floor.
"That was fun," Naminé's summon said cheerfully. "I can't remember the last time I enjoyed myself that much." He hummed happily to himself as he wound his way back towards Naminé through the bodies. The blood covering the front of his robes slowly slid off, leaving them perfectly clean. "I certainly hope there are more of them around." He glanced down at Naminé and let out a snort of laughter.
"The look on your face is a memory I will treasure forever," he said casually. "You've clearly never seen someone kill someone before, have you?" Naminé shook her head in response. "No need to thank me. It's all in a day's work. But is it really work if you enjoy what you do?"
"Y-you killed them," Naminé muttered weakly. The robed man laughed, a sinister, cold sound that sent shivers running up and down Naminé's spine.
"Of course I killed them," the man said. "What did you expect me to do? Sing them to sleep?"
"I didn't expect you to kill them," Naminé said. "I was expecting you to rough them up a bit. I thought that was how most summons worked." The robed man examined his abnormally sharp nails with a slightly bored expression. At least, Naminé thought it was a bored expression. It was hard to tell with most of his face covered by a mask. "Who are you anyway?"
"Who am I?" The man feigned surprise and pretended to be offended. "You mean you don't know?" Naminé shook her head nervously. The man cleared his throat and raised his hands above his head as thunder echoed around them. "I am Richard! Chief Warlock of the Brothers of Darkness, Lord of the Thirteen Hells, Master of the Bones, Emperor of the Black, Lord of the Undead," his voice returned to normal as the lightning faded, "and Mayor of a little village up the coast. It's very scenic during springtime. You should stop by for a visit." He handed Naminé a pamphlet, which he had produced from nowhere.
Despite the fact that she still felt horrified by the carnage she had just witnessed, Naminé fought back a sudden, unexpected urge to laugh. "Wait a second, wait a second. Your name is Richard?"
Richard sighed. "You were supposed to pay attention to everything after that part," he grumbled as he turned to walk away.
Naminé couldn't help but grin. "Sure thing, Dick." Richard stopped walking.
"Heh," he said, as he formed an orb of fire between his palms. "That's pretty funny." He spun around and sent the fireball streaking towards Naminé. The blonde's instincts kicked in at the last second and she jumped up into the air, barely feeling the heat of the flames as they flew past.
"What was that for?" Naminé shouted. "You could've killed me!"
Richard shrugged. "I slipped. Honest." Naminé let out a sigh.
Why me? She asked herself as she bent down to pick up the currently empty summon charm. Sora gets a genie, an alien that plays an instrument, a fairy, and a chicken that throws baseballs. What do I get? A pathological, bloodthirsty, homicidal maniac. Great. Just great.
Richard watched her as she raised the small silver medallion towards him. His yellow eyes narrowed suspiciously the charm began to glow with energy. "Let me guess; now you're going to put me back?"
"That's the plan," Naminé said as the charm began to glow.
"I'm going to have to disagree," Richard said. He snapped his fingers once and an arrow crafted from a bright green energy flew towards Naminé from somewhere behind him. Before Naminé could react, the arrow had impaled the charm, shattering it. Naminé stared down at the broken pieces of the charm in shock while Richard whistled happily.
"What was that for?" Naminé asked as she tossed the broken chain still clutched in her hand aside. "I don't exactly need you running around slaughtering everyone we come across. Then all of the guards will figure out where I am before I find my sister and get out of here."
"I am the epitome of subtleness," Richard said, feigning offense. "I once slaughtered three whole villages without them being aware of me whatsoever." He paused for a moment as Naminé stared in horror at him. "Does them running from a rain of fire, screaming in terror count as being unaware?"
Naminé sighed and squeezed the bridge of her nose tightly between her thumb and forefinger. "Are you always like this?"
"Only when I haven't eaten," Richard replied. "You don't suppose there's a nursery around here, do you?"
"What does a nursery have to do with anything?" Naminé asked in exasperation.
"Well what else am I supposed to eat?" Richard placed his hands on his hips and leaned in closer to Naminé. "I doubt there are any dwarves or gnomes around to sate my appetite."
Naminé let out a groan. She wasn't sure how much more of him she could take. "I'm going to go find my sister, so she and I can get off this ship. Since I can't put you back in the charm, you might as well come with me." She was already starting to regret her words.
"And why should I help you?" Richard asked as he took an ornate dagger from one of the guards and tucked it away inside his robes. "Sure you released me from that prison of a charm, but as far as I'm concerned, our debt is square. What's to stop me from killing you and taking all your stuff?"
"I'll probably need the help," Naminé admitted. "It's a big ship and there are a lot of hallways. If you help me out, I'm willing to bet there'll be plenty of opportunities for you to-" she let out another sigh before continuing, "-kill people."
Richard stopped his looting and seemed to consider her offer for a moment. "A big ship you say?"
"Yes."
"Full of guards that you might have to fight and potentially kill?"
"I'd rather not do any kill-"
"I look forward to our future partnership," Richard said proudly as he began striding towards the exit. "Come, then. We need to save your sister."
"Why do I get the feeling I'm going to end up regretting this one day?" Naminé muttered as she half-heartedly followed Richard out of the room.
"You know," Richard added casually, "you are the seventh person to say that about me."
LD
Ansem the Wise's Study
Radiant Garden
Leon tuned away from Ansem's computer as he heard the secret door in the main part of the study begin to open. His eyes narrowed nervously and he slowly reached for his gunblade. He let out a sigh of relief as King Mickey entered the room. Even though he had been expecting the King, he was slightly on edge.
Nine stars had vanished from the night sky over the course of the past four days, a fact that deeply troubled Leon. Ever since Traverse Town had been lost to Darkness, people who somehow survive the loss of their world seemed to be appearing in Radiant Garden with increasing frequency. And to top it all off, it had been three days since an assassin had attempted to take Leon's life. It had happened during a conclave of the leaders of the various political parties to discuss how to handle the rapidly increasing population of Radiant Garden. The assassin had set off a smoke bomb that had shrouded the council chambers with a heavy black smoke. Unfortunately for the assassin, Leon had kept his gunblade concealed by his side. Now the man was being kept on board the medical station Angel on My Shoulder with two guards stationed outside of his room at all times while the wounds Leon had given him healed. Leon shook his head to clear his thoughts and smiled warmly at the mouse king.
"I'm glad you could make it," he said as the King sat down in one of the two chairs Leon had placed in the room.
"Of course," Mickey said. "How're things going for you, Leon?" He stared up at the current leader of Radiant Garden in slight concern. Leon sighed. Mickey knew. Not that Leon was surprised that he knew. The attempt on his life was the biggest news story, just a little above the debates about how the government was going to handle the rapidly increasing population.
"As well as they can be," Leon replied as he sat down in the other chair. "People are on edge after the assassin's attack the other day. Not to mention we can't expand the city walls much further to make sure there's room for all of these people. I've sent messengers to the northern cities, asking if they'd be willing to help give homes to the refugees, but I don't know if they'll agree or not. They're all very loyal to the crown and without royal approval, I can't be sure if they'll help us or not."
"Things are worse than I expected," Mickey said thoughtfully. "We'll need them on our side sooner or later, especially if it comes down to a war against both Maleficent and Xehanort. Speaking of which, what happened when you proposed that Radiant Garden joined the Alliance?" Leon grimaced. He had known this was going to come up.
"They all were pretty much unanimous against it," Leon said grimly. "They're more than willing to take in refugees as long as we don't run into any food or overpopulation issues. But they don't want to join for a war that may or may not happen."
Mickey sighed in disappointment. Having Radiant Garden in the Alliance would've been greatly beneficial. They needed all the allies they could get. As it stood, the Alliance was made up of the combined forces of Disney Castle, Twilight Town, Chronos, and Xanthos. Mickey decided it would be best to count Xanthos as his own force since he was the only surviving warrior of the Keyblade War.
"As disappointing as that is, I'm sure you didn't ask me to come here to discuss politics," Mickey said with a small smile. "What is it you wanted to show me?" Leon turned towards Ansem's computer with a nod.
"Tron, are you there?" He asked.
"Yes, User Leon," Tron's voice said over the speakers in the room. The computer monitor turned completely blue as the security AI spoke. "I am present. Would you like me to play the audio file for you and User Mickey?"
"Yes," Leon replied. Mickey gave Leon a confused look.
"Audio file?"
"We intercepted highly encrypted transmission coming into a place several miles northeast of here this afternoon," Leon explained as the computer screen changed color from blue to a dull purple.
"Beginning playback," a metallic, monotone female voice said.
"-jective completed. Engines damaged duri-. Assaulted by unidentified-.. We have been forced to crash-land on nearby world for repairs. Keyblade Princ-. -eat, Keyblade Princess is secure. We will set this message to repeat. This is the RGLAC-"
Mickey's eyes went wide as Tron shut off the file. "Leon, you don't think they mean-"
"I do."
"Kairi."
LD
Hang 'Em High Engine Room
Lynfael
The Oblivion Keyblade in Roxas' hand glistened with an eerie light as it slammed against the back of yet another guard's helmet. The man fell off of the catwalk with a scream, landing on several other guards below and providing Nanaki with an escape from a small group of three battlemages, who were attempting to surround her. The purple-haired Wielder shouted a quick thanks to him before casting a Reflega spell between her and the battlemages. Several Blizzara spells glanced off her shield, striking the other guards instead.
Roxas turned his attention back on the guards attempting to surround him on the catwalk. Fortunately for him and Nanaki, one of the commanding officers had ordered them to avoid using firearms and grenades while they were so close to the Hang 'Em High's engines. So now, he was faced with the sharp points and edges of several dozen swords. One guard lunged at Roxas only to have his blade deflected by the Oathkeeper. The guard stumbled past Roxas as he tried to maintain his balance on the narrow catwalk. Roxas deflected a blow from another guard before spinning around to kick another off of the catwalk. Two more guards rushed at Roxas, one swinging his blade at the blond's ankles, while the other slashed diagonally at his chest. Roxas leapt above the blade aimed for his legs and kicked both men square in the chest, causing them to stumble backwards a few feet. Grinning with satisfaction, Roxas charged
Down below, Nanaki slammed the heel of her boot into one of the guard's faces. She grinned with satisfaction as she felt the man's nose break before she spun around in a tight circle to face more of the guards rushing towards her. She swung her Keyblade in a wide arc, relieving the men closest to her of their weapons. The men halted their charge and stared dumbly at their now empty hands. Nanaki shook her head at them and raised her hand.
"Pulse!" A wave of bright purple energy burst forth from her palm and sent the soldiers flying across the large room. Her heightened senses picked up on the sound of a blade cutting through the air as it headed for her. She rolled to her left and quickly got back to her feet. The guard who had attempted a strike at her blind spot stumbled past her. Nanaki ducked under another blade as it slashed at her throat and struck the guard in the back of his knee with one of the spikes on her Keyblade's 'teeth'. The guard let out a cry of pain and fell backwards; driving his blade through the man's left side.
Roxas twisted to the side as a sword attempted to impale him. The sharp steel barely missed him and instead sliced a small hole in the side of his shirt. He brought the Oathkeeper down and disarmed the guard holding the blade. The man leapt away from Roxas as the blond followed up with slash from the Oblivion, the obsidian tip narrowly missing the man's armor. Another guard stepped forward and hacked at Roxas with a large broadsword. The blond teen stopped the attack by crossing his Keyblades above his head. Roxas clenched his jaw as the blow shook through his arms, threatening to disarm him.
"Wind!" Roxas shouted as the guard applied more pressure to his sword, forcing Roxas down onto one knee. A powerful gust of wind formed into a tornado around him, tossing the closest guards into the air and over the railing of the catwalk. The guard trying to break through Roxas' guard was thrown high into the air while his broadsword was sent spinning into one of the main support columns for one of the catwalks above the one Roxas and the other guards were on. The guard must have taken extra care to make sure the blade was as sharp as possible, because it sliced straight through the beam and embedded itself in the wall beyond. Roxas and the other guards on the walk all stared up at the beam.
There was the sound of grinding metal, like nails on a chalkboard that sent a shiver up Roxas' spine as the catwalk above him began to collapse. "Uh oh," Roxas said. He leapt backwards as the catwalk fell, crushing nearly fifteen guards that had been gathered on the catwalk Roxas was on in the process. The blond winced, silently grateful to whatever gods may be listening that he had moved when he did.
Nanaki grinned grimly as she glanced at the blood on her blade. She spun and deflected another guard's attempted slash at her exposed back. His blade went clattering across the metal floor. The man glanced down at his now empty hands with a look of mild surprise on his face before looking back up at Nanaki, who shot him a sweet smile and spun, her booted foot making contact with the side of his face. The man cried out in pain as he nearly lost his balance. Nanaki's boot slammed down on another guard's foot. Both injured men collided with each other and fell to the ground. Grinning in satisfaction, the pur Nanaki jumped high into the air over the two guards and tackled another pair.
On the catwalks above her, Roxas disarmed the last of the guards surrounding him with a quick strike from the Oathkeeper. The blond grinned smugly at the man who turned tail without a second thought and ran away; tripping over a small pile of unconscious bodies that Roxas had left in his wake after the upper catwalk had collapsed. The teen shook his head and peered over the edge of the railing in time to see Nanaki leap nearly ten feet in the air to tackle a pair of guards. She stood up from the men and looked up at Roxas with a grin. Roxas returned the grin and glanced around. All of the guards that had surrounded them in the engine room were unconscious, unable to fight, or dead (in the case of a few Nanaki had fought). The only exception was the guard Roxas had just disarmed, who ran from the room, shouting some nonsense about demons.
"Twenty-four for me!" Nanaki shouted gleefully. "How many did you get, Roxas?"
Roxas glanced around himself. "Twenty-five," Roxas called back. He jumped down from the damaged catwalk and landed slightly less than gracefully on top of a cart laden with several small Gummi blocks. Nanaki's mouth dropped.
"What?" She groaned and opened her palm, dispelling her Keyblade in a thousand twinkling stars. "You beat me? Damn, I was certain I outdid you." Roxas let out a laugh.
"Didn't we guess there were fifty of them?" He reminded her with a smug smirk. "If you only got twenty-four, then that would mean I took care of the other twenty-six. Last time I checked, twenty-four was less than twenty-six."
"Wait a sec," Nanaki said suddenly, holding her hand out towards Roxas to get him to stop talking. "Didn't you just say you only got twenty-five?"
Roxas quickly replayed their conversation through his head. "Yeah…" He muttered. "Why?"
"If there were fifty of them, then where's the last guy?" Nanaki asked. In response, a large, heavy battleaxe came spinning through the air towards her from her blind spot, but still within Roxas' point of view.
"Duck!" Roxas shouted pointing to the battle axe. Nanaki spun around to see what Roxas was pointing at, her eyes widening in shock as she saw the silver glint of the battleaxe fill her vision. The force of the axe digging into her right shoulder sent Nanaki flying across the room. A pained cry escaped her lips as her blood trailed behind her. She struck the floor hard and bounced three times before sliding to a stop against the bottom of the still damaged starboard engine. Her head was throbbing and parts of her vision had gone blurry. Her fingers clutched numbly at axe, slippery from her blood as she attempted to grab hold of it. It took several tries, but she finally managed to gain a decent grip on the weapon. She took several deep breaths to calm her nerves before gripping the dull edge of the axe and tearing it from her shoulder. She let out a piercing scream of pain and collapsed forward, panting heavily.
She glanced up as a large shadow fell over her. A thickly-muscled man towered over her. He was dressed in a mostly black suit of armor, accented with red. His torso was protected by an 'H' shaped plate with a pair of smaller red, articulated plates on both sides and the bottom. The pauldrons protecting his shoulders were angular, attached just above his elbows, providing them with enough protection while not compromising his range of motion. His helmet was mostly black, with a blood red stripe running across the top. The front of the helmet featured cap-like protrusion, along its rim and a beak-like protrusion under the chin. The man's face was covered by a black armor deeper in the helmet than the protrusions with a narrow, gold polarized visor that allowed him to see. The words 'Recovery Nine' were painted in white over the place where his mouth would be with a pair of red crossbones behind it.
Recovery Nine sneered down at Nanaki from behind his helmet and bent down to pick his axe back up. A sudden blow to his back sent him stumbling forward, towards Nanaki. Roxas had leapt across the room and thrown himself heavily into Nine's back, coming to Nanaki's rescue. Despite the pain it caused her, Nanaki raised her hand and concentrated her remaining pools of energy into one attack. "Burst!" She shouted. A bright flash of purple light lit up the room for a moment as a bolt of pure energy shot from Nanaki's palm and blasted Recovery Nine off of his feet and all the way across the room. Nine hit the ground with a pained grunt, rolling for several feet before coming to a stop several feet away from the door. His axe went spinning through the air after him and clattered to the ground next to his legs.
"You okay?" Roxas asked Nanaki as he knelt by her side. He glanced wearily over at Nanaki shook her head in response.
"I'm out of energy," she panted. "I can't heal myself like this." She let out a loud, shuddering gasp as she attempted to move, only to cause herself further pain. Across the room, Nine was starting to get back to his feet. Roxas quickly looked up at the man and then back down at the blood staining the majority of Nanaki's right side. He plunged his hand deep into one of his pockets and fished out a Hi Potion. "Drink this," he said quickly, pressing the bottle into Nanaki's left hand. "It should help stop the bleeding."
"Thanks," Nanaki said, flicking the stopper out of the bottle with her thumb. Before downing the entire bottle in three gulps. Her entire body shuddered violently and she started make gagging sounds. "I take that back, that crap is disgusting. Couldn't you just use a Cure spell?"
"On a wound like that?" Roxas pointed out. "I might make it worse. I'm not so good with magic." Nanaki opened her mouth to reply but was cut off as Nine let out a bellowing roar. He charged towards the two teens with his battle axe raised high above his head. Roxas glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before turning back to Nanaki. "Let me take care of this guy. You just sit tight."
"Like I have any other choice?" Nanaki called after him as Roxas strode towards Nine. The blond smirked.
"Insolent brat!" Nine roared as he closed the distance between him and Roxas with powerful strides. "Learn your place!"
"My place?" Roxas repeated as Nine swung at him. The blade passed through thin air as Roxas twisted out of the way, moving fluidly so he was standing directly behind Nine. "That's the best line you've got?" Nine spun around and brought his axe down at Roxas. The blond quickly deflected the attack with the Oblivion and slashed at Nine's head. Nine leaned back and the obsidian blade completely missed its mark. Roxas grunted in frustration and leapt to the side to put some room between him and Nine. Nine recovered quicker than Roxas had expected and slashed with his axe.
The sharp tip of the blade dug into the blonds' forehead and trailed down past the edge of his right eye and halfway down his cheek, leaving a deep gash behind. Roxas let out a cry of pain and leapt further away from Nine. Roxas stumbled back to his feet, blinking blood out of his eye. From the amount of blood flowing from the gash, he was practically half-blind. Nine let out a cold chuckle and flourished his axe effortlessly in one hand.
"Had enough, boy?" He asked.
"Have you?"
Nine turned and was almost blindsided by Nanaki as she leapt back into the fray. He easily sidestepped her attack and elbowed her hard in-between her shoulder blades. Nanaki cried out and nearly fell forward onto her front. Nine raised his axe and swung at the purple-haired teen's back. The axe struck against the Oblivion as Roxas dashed to stand between Nanaki and the Recovery Agent. Nine let out a growl of frustration and kicked Roxas in the fork of his legs. The unexpected blow brought the teen to his knees as pain shot through him.
"Cheap shot," Roxas groaned. Nine ignored him and focused on Nanaki as the girl threw herself at him again. Her Keyblade struck heavily against his armored shoulder and bounced back, surprising Nanaki to the point where she almost missed the next swing Nine threw her way.
"Careful with that thing!" She growled as the blade narrowly avoided her throat. Her knuckles turned white as she tightened her grip on the Keeper's Crest. She rushed at Nine, knocking his axe aside with a blow that nearly tore her Keyblade away from her. Pain flared in her shoulder, causing her to nearly collapse to the ground as she attempted another attack. The man grunted in satisfaction, and deflected Nanaki's attack with a simple flick of his wrist. Nanaki leapt away before the man could swing at her again. Roxas shot past her, completely blocking Nine's vision as he unleashed a fury of rapid attacks at the larger man's chest. Nine attempted to use his axe as a shield but was still forced to backpedal until he was forced against a set of large power generators.
"Pity," Nine said with a grunt as Roxas managed to circumvent his defense and land a blow against his chest. "I figured this would be simple. Take out a couple of trouble-making kids. Instead, I find a pair of more than capable fighters that took down several squads of guards." He spun his axe around as Roxas swung with both Keyblades at once. To the blonds' surprise, both of his Keyblades were forced apart, leaving his front wide open. Nine's free hand quickly curled into a fist and slammed into Roxas' sternum. Roxas let out a gasp as his ribs cracked and his breath was knocked away. "Nothing's ever easy."
"Dying is."
Nine turned at the sound of a deep, sinister male voice filed the room. Before he could find the source, there was a loud crack, followed by the fwoosh of flames leaping to life, engulfing Nine's head in a ball of flame that melted off his helmet and reduced his head to ash in mere seconds. Nine's axe clattered to the ground. Before the body could fall, a man with pure white skin, glowing yellow eyes and dressed in a dark robe appeared and grabbed Nine's body by the chest piece, ignoring the fact that the stump of the neck was still spewing blood and it was splattering across the man's robes.
"Where are you keeping the princess? And don't you dare try to tell me she's in another castle!" Richard demanded of the headless corpse. Several seconds of silence filled the room as Roxas and Nanaki stared at the man in confusion and slight shock. Realization suddenly dawned on Richard. "Wait. I did that wrong." He dropped the body, looking slightly dejected.
"I told you to take him by surprise!" Naminé groaned as she walked up alongside the warlock. "I didn't say 'Go vaporize his head, Richard. That'll get us the answers we need.'"
"Interrogations are hard," Richard mumbled. Naminé glanced around the engine room.
"What happened here?" She asked aloud. "Did Kairi break herself out?"
"Actually, we did this," Roxas said from where he had fallen after Nine had punched him. He let out a gasp of pain as he attempted to stand back up. "Ow. Hey, Naminé." Naminé's hands flew to her mouth as she stared at Roxas.
"Roxas?" She said, her eyes wide with shock. "What happened to you?" Roxas grinned at her.
"Nothing much," Roxas replied as he pulled Naminé into a tight hug. "Just kicking some bad guy butt, saving a damsel in distress. Not that you seem to be in much distress." Naminé smiled up at him and hugged him tighter.
"Try spending ten minutes with Richard," Naminé said as she hugged Roxas tightly. Roxas gave her a slightly confused look.
"Who's Richard?" He asked. Naminé pointed at the undead warlock.
"I'm Richard," Richard said, rubbing his chin through the piece of cloth that covered most of his face. "Your sister is rather… man-ish, Naminé." The corner of Roxas' eye twitched. Nanaki snickered in the background. "But I suppose she has her feminine qualities." Nanaki burst out laughing, interspersed with the occasional 'Ow' as her laughter caused her muscles to pull at her wound.
"I'm not her sister, moron," Roxas said in a surprisingly even tone, despite the fact that his face clearly showed his irritation with the warlock. "I'm her boyfriend."
"I didn't think I'd find you here," Naminé said as she and Roxas released each other. "But where's Sora?"
"I have no idea," Roxas said as he watched Richard place the unconscious forms of several guards into provocative and creative positions. "Nanaki and I got separated from him when we ran into a bunch of guards after we got on the ship."
"Who's Nanaki?" Naminé raised an eyebrow at Roxas.
"I'm Nanaki," the purple-haired Wielder said proudly, shakily standing on her feet and looking slightly pale from blood loss. "You must be one of the girls we're here to rescue." She looked over at Roxas. "Good, that was easy. Now let's go save the other one and get the hell out of here." Naminé shot Roxas an inquisitorial look as Nanaki turned towards the exit and began walking away.
"What's with her?"
Roxas shrugged. "No clue. But she promised to help me and Sora rescue you and Kairi as long as we took her with us when we leave this world."
"That's all?"
"That's all."
Naminé stared after Nanaki as the purple-haired wielder spoke with Richard. Why does she want to leave so badly? What could make her not want to stay?
"You're looking for the other prisoner?" A voice asked weakly from nearby. Several flashes of light filled the room as Roxas, Naminé and Nanaki all summoned their Keyblades and turned to face the source of the voice. A wounded guard was leaning against the side of a fuel tank, panting heavily and holding his hands out in front of him.
"Do you know where she is?" Roxas asked. The guard nodded.
"One of the Recovery Agents had some of my men bring her up to the bridge," he replied, his voice shaking as his eyes darted from one Keyblade to another. "Just before you all broke in."
"How do we get to the bridge from here?" Nanaki asked, clearly struggling to hold her Keyblade up. Roxas shot her a nervous glance. The Hi Potion he had given her didn't seem to have worked its magic just yet and the blood loss was clearly getting to her.
"Down the way you two came in," the guard pointed to Roxas and Nanaki. "Follow the hall to the end and take the lift there up to the bridge. There's only going to be one hall, so follow that there." The guard collapsed to his knees, now gasping for breath.
"Thank you," Naminé said. "Alright, guys, let's-" There was a loud fwoosh sound as the guard burst into flames. The three teens all cried out in surprise.
"Richard!" Naminé groaned exasperatedly. "He answered our question!"
Richard shrugged in an attempt to act innocent. "What can I say? Interrogations are hard."
LD
Suramahn's Maw
Western Edge of the Vierri Territory
Lynfael
Derrick carefully observed the canyon below him through a pair of binoculars. The Recovery grunt forces had managed to throw together a hastily coordinated, yet effective defense against the horde of Samurai Nobodies that had appeared around all edges of the canyon. It had been just over an hour since he had watched three teens break into the downed Hang 'Em High and, though he didn't want to admit it, he was getting worried. For one, his charge was being held prisoner somewhere within the ship. For two, he couldn't perform a rescue without running the risk of revealing himself to the Keyblade Wielders. It was the second one that ended up causing him the most grief. If it were up to him, he would've already broken in and retrieved his charge. Less than three minutes in and out.
"Hey."
Derrick lowered his binoculars and turned his head to look at the young man who had spoken. Atticus Brightheart stood next to him, gazing down at the ongoing battle. He was a young man in his mid-twenties who possessed a regal air about him, despite being the leader of a small yet powerful group of mercenaries, the Seven Point Sun. He had long, blond hair that was tied into a ponytail at the base of his neck. His much shorter bangs framed his face perfectly. His eyes were a bit odd. The left one was a violet-blue in color, while the right was startlingly orange. A small, crescent shaped scar marred his flesh on the corner of his mouth.
The rest of his outfit was mostly the standard battle dress uniform issued to all SPS soldiers. Designed for maximum stealth and protection, the armor only covered areas of importance and was decorated in black and gray camouflage. Atticus' shins and knees were protected by a single piece of armor as were the outsides of his thighs. His chest and stomach were protected with two separate plates, allowing maximum movement without sacrificing protection. The chest piece wrapped his torso and covered his upper back. Only his left upper arm had the standard pauldron on it. A short combat knife was magnetically kept in a sheath attached to the pauldron. His right one was missing to prevent limiting his range of motion in combat and he had also ditched the standard helmet. Underneath the main armor was a layer of black, bullet-proof material designed to protect against small-arms fire. A katana was attached to the back of his armor and a pair of automatic-pistols rested in their holsters on either side of his waist.
"When did you get here?" Derrick asked, turning back towards the canyon and placing the binoculars over his eyes again.
"Not that long ago," the blonde said. "I was interested in seeing how well these guys would fare against the Samurai. When I saw that you were here too, I couldn't pass on the opportunity to catch up."
"You still could've said hello," Derrick pointed out. He watched as yet another Samurai fell to the gunfire of the Recovery force, vanishing in a puff of white mist.
Atticus chuckled. "Hello," he said. Derrick rolled his eyes and ignored him. Atticus laughed and sat down next to the older man. "So what brings you, a Templar, all the way out here to our little, wasteland of a world? I don't think it was just to visit, seeing as you didn't even stop by our hideout to catch up. And last time I checked, all seven Princesses were on other worlds."
"One of the Recovery Agents kidnapped the sixth princess," Derrick explained. "You need to get your intel guys to start cracking down on little details like that. In any case, I'm here to make sure she's properly rescued."
"Is that so?" Atticus said thoughtfully. The two of them were quiet for a few minutes as they watched the fight in the canyon start to wind down as both sides rapidly lost their numbers. "Well, you're doing a fine good job at it," he added sarcastically. "Tell me, Derrick. If your duty as a Templar is to protect the Princesses of Heart, then why aren't you in that ship actively trying to rescue her instead of sitting up here, watching the fireworks and eating canned vegetables?" He gestured at the two open tin cans filled with peas and corn resting on the ground next to Derrick.
"The Templar Law forbids me from direct contact with the Princess unless absolutely necessary," Derrick explained. "So I can't go breaking in there in an attempt to break her out."
"You should be nominated for Templar Employee of the Month," Atticus said. "I'm pretty sure having her captured by a group of dangerous soldiers is cause for a little concern. You know, making it 'absolutely necessary'?"
"Normally, it would be," Derrick said calmly. Atticus tilted his head to the side slightly. This was the one thing he hated about conversations with this man. He kept bouncing back and forth from being upfront and professional to being cryptic or choosing his words in a way that made Atticus want to tear his own hair out.
"Would you care to explain?" The blond asked, finally sitting down next to Derrick.
"It would seem that the sixth is in a romantic relationship with the Keyblade's Chosen One."
Atticus' mouth dropped open slightly. "The Keyblade's Chosen One?" Derrick nodded. "You're being serious?"
"Of course I'm serious," the older man said, watching as a guard was felled by a Samurai. "I wouldn't joke about something like that."
"How do you know he's the Chosen One?" Atticus asked, taking a drink from a small silver flask he had produced. "From what you've told me, there've been hundreds of 'Chosen Ones' before. Hell, one of them even started the Keyblade War! What makes him any different?"
"I just know," Derrick said, accepting the flask from Atticus as the blond passed it to him.
"Well, I'm convinced," Atticus said with a groan as he laid down on his back. "But then again, you've never steered me wrong before. So, if you say he's the Chosen One, then he's the Chosen One. But that doesn't explain where your confidence comes from. Just because the Chosen One is destined to stop the Infinite Night, doesn't mean he can do more than that."
"I have the utmost confidence in him," Derrick said. "He's just like his father. He'll go to any lengths to rescue the person closest to his heart."
"Hold up a sec," Atticus sat up and stared at Derrick, who still stared down at the dwindling battle below. "You know the kid's father?"
Derrick smiled slyly and turned to look at Atticus, shaking the bangs of his spiky, gravity-defying, caramel-colored hair out of his eyes. "Something like that."
LD
Hallway Outside Bridge
Hang 'Em High
"When you wish upon a star…"
"How much longer do we have to listen to this?" Nanaki grumbled.
"I will kill you, near or far."
"Please, for the last time, stop singing," Roxas pleaded to Richard as the three teens, closely followed by the undead warlock, who looked slightly put out, rounded yet another corner on their way to the bridge.
"Oh fine," he grumbled. "Some people just have no appreciation for my immense musical talent. I have composed many successful operas all on my own, you know."
"I doubt it," Naminé said.
"Now you're just being mean," Richard muttered, poking the side of her head with one long finger before looking up at the scene in front of them. The doors to the bridge had been torn completely out of the frame. One lay, crumpled off to the side while the other was lying amongst a pile of wreckage inside the bridge. The entirety of the bridge looked like a tornado had blown threw it.
Workstations that were supposed to be anchored to the floor had been torn up and thrown around. Sparks flared up from the wreckage of several pieces of equipment. Glass shards from overhead displays lay around the floor. Shell casings from bullets were scattered among the glass. Bullet holes were torn into several of the walls. Deep black burn marks dotted the floor and walls in some places. A low whistle came from a breeze outside as it entered through the shattered sections of the viewport, causing several loose papers to dance around the room.
Naminé fought back the urge to gag. The stench of Darkness flooded every corner of the room. It was almost unbearable. Her eyes strayed to the numerous claw marks across the walls and work benches and her thoughts immediately jumped to the possibility of Heartless. But they weren't like the claw marks she had seen any Heartless leave behind. These claws seemed thicker, which wasn't a comforting thought. All of that, combined with the large hole in the middle of the floor that led to a lower level filled Naminé with a feeling that was a cross between nausea and dread.
"I like the ambience here," Richard said, striding into the bridge. "Chaotic, battle-worn. My kind of interior decorating." He placed his hands on his hips and glanced around cheerfully. "Look! It even comes with a blood-covered body!" Nanaki let out a grunt of disinterest and slumped down against the closest wall, looking paler than before. Richard's words however had piqued Roxas' and Naminé's curiosity. They looked around to where Richard was standing pondering the body he had mentioned.
"Kairi!" Naminé and Roxas cried out in unison as they caught sight of a mess of auburn-hair. They rushed over to her, shoving Richard aside. She was lying face down in a pool of what appeared to be her own blood. A bullet hole was clearly visible in her right shoulder. She wasn't moving.
"Kairi, speak to me!" Naminé whispered frantically as Roxas checked for a pulse. There was so much blood. Tears were burning behind her eyes already, threatening to spill down her cheeks. "Come on, Kairi. Wake up!"
"I've got a pulse," Roxas said in relief. "It's faint but it's there." He kneeled next to Naminé and turned Kairi slightly in the blonde's arms. "The bullet went straight through her." Roxas said. "I don't know how long she's been like this, but if we don't hurry, she could die." Naminé's face blanched. The thought of losing Kairi, her Somebody. No, her sister, was unbearable.
"Would you like me to say a few words?" Richard asked. Naminé and Roxas both glared at him.
"No!" They snapped.
"Where the hell is Sora?" Roxas grumbled as he fished two Hi Potions out of his pants. "He's the only one who knows Cura-"
A loud explosion from nearby cut off the rest of his words as a black object came sailing into the bridge from the hall, closely followed by Recovery Seven. Attached to Seven's right arm was large, circular device that sparked occasionally with a bolt of red electricity. Seven pointed his arm at the object and activated the firing mechanism. With a dull thud, an orb of compressed, red lightning shot towards the object and exploded the instant it made impact, throwing up a thick cloud of dust.
Roxas quickly stood up and summoned his Keyblades to his hands. Seven seemed unaware that there were others on the bridge. His cracked visor was directed towards the settling cloud of dust. To Roxas and Naminé's astonishment, Sora stepped out of the dust, unharmed, but completely covered in Darkness. Sora growled at Seven.
"Sora?" Roxas said in slight shock. Sora turned his head to look at Roxas, fixating his unblinking yellow eyes on him and growled menacingly. Naminé stared up at the spiky-haired teen, her mouth agape.
"What happened to him?" She asked. "Sora! Kairi's hurt! Snap out of it!" Sora turned his gaze on her and she fell quiet. He snorted and looked back up at Seven as the Recovery Agent threw a punch at his head. Sora sidestepped the blow and slashed Seven in the side with his claws, tearing through the armor and into flesh. Seven let out a growl of frustration and kicked Sora in the stomach. Sora rolled with the blow and came up on his feet. He lunged past Seven and struck the man hard between the shoulder blades. Seven spun around and punched at Sora's head again.
Sora grabbed Seven's wrist with his right hand while his left shot up to Seven's throat, clutching a gleaming medal object. Seven's eyes widened in shock as Sora pressed the item to his throat. He hadn't even seen the kid grab hold of his gun. Sora grinned nastily at him for the fraction of a second before he pulled the trigger.
Roxas, Naminé and Nanaki watched in horror as the bullet tore through Seven's throat and blood splattered across Sora's face. Seven couldn't even cry out in pain. That one bullet had shredded his vocal chords. Sora released Seven's wrist and grabbed him by the front of his armor to slam him into the ground. Seven tried to sit back up only to have Sora's foot slam down on his chest holding him down as he aimed the pistol again. Seven more shots rang out as Sora emptied the clip into Seven's throat. Seven's body fell limp and Sora tossed the gun aside.
"Bravo!" Richard cheered. "Simply splendid! Encore!" Sora ignored him and picked up Seven with both hands. He lifted him high enough so that the Agent's toes barely touched the ground before he turned and hurled his body out of the viewport. Everyone watched as Seven's body vanished into the darkness of the night outside before they looked nervously at Sora.
"Sora?" Naminé called out. Sora's head whipped around and focused his gaze on Naminé. "It's okay, Sora. The fight's over. Kairi's safe." Sora stared at her silently. Roxas swallowed hard as he waited for Sora to react in some way. His heart was pounding anxiously in his chest. Sora turned the rest of his body so he was facing them. For the briefest of moments his eyes turned blue and he opened his mouth.
"Run!" He rasped. "Take Kairi and go befo-" His eyes turned yellow once again and his sentence ended abruptly. His yellow eyes looked from Kairi's bloodstained form to Roxas with his weapons drawn. Roxas silently cursed himself as he realized that Sora now saw him as a threat.
"Oh no."
Sora let out a roar and lunged at Roxas, razor sharp, blood covered claws outstretched towards the former Nobody's throat.
LD
There you have it. Another cliffhanger. What can I say? I love cliffhangers.
A new poll is up on my profile page, for those of you who haven't seen it. The cake is...
If you'll recall, I had a little contest going on with the last chapter to see who could figure out who Naminé's summon was. Johan Oresso, hydra , and Shire Folk all correctly guessed it. Naminé's new summon is... Richard from Looking For Group! Congrats to the winners. I still haven't decided on a prize yet, but when I do, I will let you know.
By the way, if you haven't read Looking For Group, go do it. It's worth your time.
New chapter should be out before Christmas. Hopefully I'll have time to squeeze in a Christmas-themed one-shot while I'm at it. No promises though.
As always, reviews are welcome.
Aspicio, diluculo Infinitas Noctis.
Shadow Horizons