KZD: I own neither Dark Souls nor Kingdom Hearts.
Aqua let out a ragged sigh. She had to physically pull back Sif when the play fight with the cat turned into a real one. Now the loyal wolf sat with her tail tucked between her legs beside the mystic knight while Alvina hid behind Ciaran's legs, still hissing at the bigger animal.
"That's enough you two!" The hornet scolded, "You dishonor Artorias memory with these petty arguments. Behave." The ash white cat ceased her words and lowers her body submissively as an apology. "I'll never know how he kept the both of thee under control."
The keybearer couldn't help but smile from the outcome of the fight. After the fight with Manus everything seemed to become lighter hearted, even the air itself seemed less dense with dread. The darkness in Oolacile seemed to be at a stalemate with the abyss no longer claiming anymore of the lands territory. But with every silver lining there is a black smudge. What has been taken cannot be reclaimed and the majority of the damage done and still weighty felt. This land was no longer nor could be inhabitable by living intelligent beings.
That only left the woman one last thing to do.
"Gough is still missing?"
"Yes, I have scavenged around this place but have seen no sight of him. Truly a strange thing."
A long silence came between the two knights as they tried to figure out where the giant had gone. Alvina's ears perked suddenly as the heard a strange noise causing her smile.
"What pitiful hearing the both of you must have. Must be all that armor. Sir Gough is up above us." Both looked down at the cat wondering what she meant. The two focused their hearing and sure enough they heard a scratching sound the quietly echoed inside the arena and easily miscible. Alvina padded off to the corridor near the bonfire
"Come, come fool knights. Leave it to a cat to find a bird." The feline said before dashing away.
The knights followed the smaller animal after Aqua gave a quick command to Sif to stay by the grave in case of intruders. There actually was a splintering path within the corridor that held a stair case leading to the top of the coliseum. The twosome ascended the stairs that led to a separate tower not normally seen. As they got closer the sound of the scratching noise became more frequent and louder. There, Alvian sat outside a steel door, padding at its front.
"I can smell him. Sir Gough is behind this door." Ciaran moved to open the door but it refused the budge. She clicked her tongue annoyed.
"Locked." The one time she didn't have any lock picks with her. What kind of an assassin was she without the most simplistic of tools?
"Not a problem." Aqua steeped forward and produced her keyblade. Pointed at the lock, a beam of light shot from the tip of the blade and into the keyhole of the door. A sharp click came from the door and the light faded from existence. With a simple turn of the knob, the steel door opened.
"Oh my, what a wondrous tool." Alvina marveled at the blade, attracted to its strong magic properties. Ciaran herself eyed the weapon with mild wariness thinking of what else it could do other then opening a simple lock.
The doors itself lead only to a ladder going up to the roof of the tower and the source of the scratching noise. The Lord Blade went first up the structure followed by the mystic knight leaving the cat behind to return to the gravesite, her job done. When they reached the summit, The Master couldn't believe her eyes. And she thought Artorias was tall.
Sitting bow legged, a humanoid giant creature in dwarven like bronze armor crafting artifacts from ancient tree bark. Just behind him, a proportionate sized great bow made from dragon bones lied behind him. He hummed in a self-absorbed trance as he worked on his art work paying no heed to his visitors. The deceased Abyss Walker was right to be confused. How indeed does one miss a giant? He was easily the size of a darkside heartless in Aqua's opinion, maybe even bigger of he decided to stand up.
"Gough, there you are! What in the Lords name are you doing up here." Hawkeye Gough's head perked at the sound of his much smaller friend's voice though he still casually continued on with his art.
"Hmm, Ciaran, is that you? It's been quite some time since we last spoke. How thou have been, friend?" The Hornet crossed her arms as she looked up at the knighted giant. There was a certain uneasiness coming from her and it didn't take long for Aqua to pick it up. Gough wasn't directly looking at them, more like straight pass them with a twenty yard stare. The Master was pretty sure that he didn't know that she was there either despite standing right next to the Lords Blade.
"I'm doing well, Gough. But what of you? Thou left Anor Londo to find Artorias first but never returned to report."
"Yes, I found no sight of our comrade but I did hear of his end from here. As to why I sit here, I don't quite know myself. I remember taking a nap then I awoke in this cage completely blind." There was a long silence of disbelief on the smaller party of the giant's words. Both of the knights looked at each other making sure they heard the same thing.
"Art thou still there?" They waited so long to respond the hawk had to ask, unable to hear his visitors.
"One does not become blind after a nap, Gough." There was mild agitation in her voice, something was definitely up.
"I'm sorry, but I speak the truth. Now I sit here, retired and blind. For what's the good of a dog without any hares to hunt. I guess I'm lucky to be alive I suppose." The hawk swayed his head, disappointed at what his life has become. As he did, something came loose from the eye sockets of his helm. With her sharp eyes, Aqua watched as the strange substance dropped to the ground before bending down to examine it. It looked like the gum of tree resin.
"If I may say. Sir Gough-"
"What is this? Many pardons, I did not know that someone was accompanying Ciaran." The hawk paused his craftsmanship to address his second visitor. "From thy aura, I suspect thee to be a human. How surprising, Ciaran, you're being quiet tolerant." The large knight chuckled knowing his comrades passive aggressive nature.
"I can assure you this one has proven useful." The hornet retorted quickly. Though her response a shrewd one, it held a lightness as she hid a small smile under her porcelain mask. Aqua herself, was starting become tired of the human prejudice that this world seem to have.
"Then thou must be the one who freed Artorias. Thanks to thee, he left this world honor intact."
"It wasn't just me, sir. A friend of mine helped as well in finishing his task."
"Is that so? Well then, I would like to meet this chap one day to thank him also. It's not every day that thy self can meet such capable humans. What is thy name, human?"
"I'm Master Aqua, Sir Gough, and I'm sure my friend is still around here somewhere. You might still get to meet him, but he isn't one for chatting."
"Is that so? Tis a shame." Aqua had to smirk under her helm as she imagines a conversation between her friend and the giant or lack thereof. Without sound, the blind hawk would never know of the knight's presence.
"Sir Gough, you said that you just woke up blind, correct?"
"Completely."
"Then I have to agree with Ciaran that it's an impossibility to lose your sight overnight. I don't mean to be rude but, have you ever thought to just taking off your helmet." A stale silence loomed after the group. The keybearer couldn't help feel a miner shudder of dread shiver down her spine as her entire body was shadowed by the giants looming head.
"No." Strong and defiant the singular answer came. "To take off my helmet would dishonor thy Lord Gwyn. He personally gave me this helm when I first became one of his fateful knights. A great honor. I vowed never to take it off." Adamantly, the hawk went back to his crafting. There would be no changing this giants vows.
Despite being intimidate by the large humanoid, the mystic knight wanted to argue but was stopped by a hand on her shoulder and a shake of a head from Ciaran. Though Gough was wise, he lacked commonsense and was possibly the most stubborn besides their captain. If he truly believed he was blind, then blind he would stay.
"That's all and fine Gough, but that does not explain why thou hides thy self away here. You could easily climb right out of this cage." Gough listened to Ciaran's words carefully as he slowed down on his art project. His etching seemed off and the grip on his tool tightened. This didn't go unnoticed by the hornet. Aqua herself could sense the anxiety that radiated of the large man.
"Gough, are you afraid?" The giant knight sighed as he tilted his head towards his friend.
"I'm ashamed of it, but yes. Thy sight was everything to me, the very reason I was able to join thy ranks. Without it, I just don't know what to do with myself, or even if I would be welcome back home."
"Do not say such silly things, Gough." Ciaran chastised her friend, "Of course you would be welcome back into the city. Neither Ornstein nor I would think any different of you because of your blindness. Artorias would think no different either"
"She is right, Sir Gough." Aqua continued for the hornet, "There is no reason for you to stay here. You should go where your heart is, where your friends are." A deep sigh came from the hawk as he contemplated deep inside him. He did desire to return back home to Anor Londo and reunite with his friends. He did miss his conversations with the blacksmith there as well. He was probably still hammering away he imagined.
"You are right Master Aqua. I shall return home. Ciaran will you assist me?"
"Do you really need to ask? Of course I'll help you." She chuckled under her mask.
"I imagine that you would like to do the same and return to your home."
"More than anything." The keybearer answered simply. This lands darkness has put a great mental strain on her and she greatly craved the light that her friends seem to radiate to soother her aching ailing mind from returning to old thoughts. "But there are a few things that I need to do." She still needed to study the land before reporting back to Yen Sid. The trip into the abyss to stop Manus didn't go over well for this world in her notes. Gough nodded at her.
"Very well, but a warning. If thou wishes to explore this domain, be wary of a black dragon. Though you honor Artorias by doing his duty, I fear thee no match for this terrible beast."
"A dragon?" Was that all there was to worry about? Surly the Giant had to jest about fearing such a creature. Yes, the keybearer knew of dragons and had even slain one, granted it was a witch who turned into a dragon. After her encounter with Manus, Aqua was sure that she was prepared for whatever this world can still throw at her.
"He is called Kalameet, Last of the Ancient Dragons. A ferocious beast indeed, even might Anor Londo dare not provoke his ire. Wherever that bat soars, calamity lies just below his wings." Ok, maybe she didn't want to run into this dragon. If a city of knights couldn't take it down,and fear it, then there must be a good reason.
"Kalameet! That lizard made its roost here?"
"Ai, Ciaran. I'm surprised you did not hear any of his shrieks. When I first came her I saw him circling the town. Sure enough, disaster stroke like a prediction. Though I'm sure that he was not the main cause of the outbreak and just made a home for himself at the right time. No one to bother him." The giant knight nodded his head to the smaller before addressing the human among them.
"Seduced by a Dark serpent or no, they woke that thing up themselves, and drove it mad. The people of Oolacile had made their choice. One's demise is always one's own making. Proud Human, despite your efforts I fear that this lands fate is unavoidable. The Abyss has touched too much and is impossible to reclaim when tainted. Best for nature to take its course. That is all thy can give you for information of this land. If you are in need of anything, I would be honored to help. We are indebted to you for helping our friend."
"Yes, do come visit Anor Londo sometime. I promise it's much more present then here. I'm sure that Ornstein would allow a human in once he learns of your heroics." The hornet added. It was rare for a human o visit the city of the Gods. Only if they had special credentials. One such being Havel the Rock. "Until then, we will be here for sometime still before we move ourselves."
"Thank you for the offer. In all honestly, I was doing my job. I'm just happy that I was able to help out friend even after he's gone." She hid a smile under her helm. This world so far has taught her much despite its horrific nature from what she's seen. The Master wanted to explore more of this world and its concepts as they seemed ancient, but she knew that she will have to return home soon. Ven was probably board and Terra, being the nervous wreck that he was now, he couldn't be alone for long periods of time.
"All the same. If you need anything at all, just let us know."
"And before you leave, please take these. A gift." Gough reached behind him and searched by taping the ground with his palm. When he found the objects he was looking for, he grabbed them all at once before presenting them to the armored keybearer. In his huge hands looked to be three wood carvings the he's been working all etched with their own unique artwork. "Go on give one a toss."
Aqua grabbed one of the wood carvings and tossed it in the air, letting it break as it crashed to the ground.
"Hello." The voice of the Hawk emerged from the broken shell that magically reassembled itself for continuous use. The women couldn't help but start to laugh. Yes it was just a simple trinket but it definitely held a strange charm to it that made it quite entertaining. The hawk himself chuckled at the humans own amusement.
"Glade to hear you enjoy it. I've thought to make these simple message during thy retirement and sell them later on. These however are first and on the house. It's a shame that two go stolen some time back." The giant sighed, "But I can always make more."
Aqua grabbed the others and put a simple spell on them to make them smaller and easier to carry around. With a final wave and a goodbye, The Master left the hornet and the hawk to discuss their future moves and how to return home.
Back at the grave, the women was disappointed at not seeing her companion. It seemed that h had just up and vanished. Sif on the other hand had taken notice unlike a napping Alvina and happily trotted over to her side. The Great Grey Wolf escorted Aqua around the forest as she examined to the geography of the land and the dark clumps of the abyss that has sprouted like a weed in various places. They weren't growing any more nor were they receding. They were just completely ideal. Gough is right to say that to let nature take its course at this point.
The animal and the human explored the land. They fought back a few golems that patrolled the Oolacilian boarder but they prove very susceptible to fire magic. They had met up with Marvelous Chester once more and despite his chilling nature to Aqua, he did provide with some interesting information in confirming Gough's own words on how the town fell to the Abyss. Seem's that they dig up someone's grave and tortured them to the brink of madness creating the being Manus. Again this sadistic man had taunted her but this time, a quick snarl from Sif quieted his sharp tongue.
When the two got back to the grave, Avlina was wide awake after her cat nap but no Ciaran or Gough to be had and no sign of the chosen undead either.
"So this one assumes thou shall be leaving soon, human?"
"Yes, I gathered everything I need. This land has left a big impression and a couple of new concepts on me."
"How wonderful to hear." Sif let out a whine and nudged Aqua's leg with her nose. The women left out a sigh before patting the large animals head.
"Sorry, Sif. But you can't come with me." The large anima flattened her ears sadly. With her master gone, Sif didn't exactly know what to do with herself. Aqua had a sad smile hidden as she bent sown to be at the animal's eye level.
"Come on now, no reason to pout." The women patted the wolf's head who wagged her tail from the affection. "You have a very important job to do and protect Artorias grave. Besides, the others would be pretty sad if you just left. Besides we're friends so I'll never truly be gone just like how Artorias never really left. He still lives on in our memories like all friends do."
Accepting the answer, Sif let out a happy bark. Aqua stood back up and summonered her glider. It was going to be a long flight back to Yen Sids place.
"Stranger and stranger you are human. Thou should come back sometime soon so thy self can study this magic of yours." Alvina purred her farewell glancing over at the floating contraption with a lazy eye.
"I'll try, Alvina. But only if you teach me your worlds magic."
"One would best go north to Vinheim for teachings on powerful sorcery."
"Hmm, maybe I'll go there next then." With that, the women jumped on her glider and hovered out of the coliseum while a listening to a long howl of goodbye from Sif. She circled the arena once and spotted Gough and Ciaran still in his tower prison. They still looked to be in a heated discussion. The hornet noticed the flying human and didn't know to wave or be very confused at the glider she was using to ride on. The giant seemed confused on why his small friend had suddenly stopped talking and was wondering if she was still there.
A portal of light ripped open in the sky, and The Master made a b-line for it. Finally she would be able to return home and rest. In her own daydreaming of returning, the maiden didn't notice the large shadow that cast itself over her. A booming screeched ripped through her skull and caused her to jolt, the portal back home closed up from the power of the blast.
"What in the worlds!" Her eyes widen as she looked up and he blood ran cold as there wasn't much she could do while in the sky. A scaled bat like creature soared right above her, flapping its mighty wings to stay afloat. The beast dived down suddenly and knocked Aqua off course nearly avoiding its tail.
"Where did it go?" Was this the fabled dragon that Gough had warned her about? Just as quickly as the winged death had showed itself, it disappeared. She looked around her the area of her glider after recovering but saw nothing. Another screech came from behind and she had little time to react to see the single eyed dragon coming straight at her from her blind spot. The dragon swung its neck to the side and knocked Aqua right out of the air with its head like a battering ram, her glider dissembling right back into its normal blade form. The women cursed, not sure to be more worried of the dragon trying to kill her for being in its domain of the sky or the fast approaching ground.
"Aero!" A small tornado caught its caster just before she hit the ground and lessen the velocity of the impact. Without the magic the fall was potentially fatal even with her armor on. But it didn't stop it from hurting considerably. The women groaned from the impact trying to get her baring's. She looked to be in a canyon much like the Great Maw in Radiant Garden only much lusher with green and waterfalls that created large pools. It would be the perfect habitat for any large creature to make home out of it. Then it donned on her, the keybearer was smack dab in the middle of the dragons lair.
The sound of powerful wings beat above her. As she looked up, the great black dragon looked down at her with scorn in its signaler amber eye. This beast was easily twice the side of Maleficent in her own dragon form and raw power seem to just seep from its ebony stone scales.
"So this is what a real dragon is like." A bead of sweat ran down her forehead. Her body was still aching from the Manus fight and this overgrown bat had a presence that suggest that it was beyond the father abyss in terms of strength just by its chilling intimidating stare.
Kalameet let out a mighty roar with black flames escaping at the edge of his beak like mouth. This wasn't going to be easy.
Sitting atop Gough's shoulder, Ciaran saw the whole event of the dragon taking the human off her machine. Unless the dragon was grounded it would be impossible to slay the beast. Even so there is little hope. There was only one chance for the human, and he couldn't see a darn thing.
"Gough!"
"Ai, I hear the beast. I see no good coming of this but, we do owe a debt to that human for what she has done."
Gough felt around behind him until his hand bumped what it was searching for. The bling hawk grabbed hold of his prized bow and slowly stood. Lairs of saw dust rolled off his gargantuan body and his bones cracked from being idle for so long. Ciaran jumped off his shoulder to give the giant better use of his bow without any extra weight holding him back.
Taking his stance, Gough listened for Kalameet as he drew his specialized dragon's slayers bow back. He stood completely still, listening out for the dragon and getting back the feeling of his bow. He focused on the sound of the beating wings of the scaled black bat, matching the rhythm with his own breathing. With the sound of the beast roar, the hawk locked onto his prey and loosed its arrow to find its mark.
Black flames threaten to come out of Kalameet's maw. Aqua had read in an old tomb once back in her studies that a dragons breathe grew powerful the longer it lived and sustain the flames longer as well. If Kalameet was truly an ancient being, then this was potential hazard. Whether her magic would have an effect either was also questionable as dragons are classed as magical beings themselves. She still strongly remember Maleficent taking significantly less damage from magic base attacks when she entered her dragon form.
Just before the bringer of calamity could breathe its foul breath down upon its domains intruder, the arrow the size of a full grown human man struck the beast dead in its wing. Kalameet roared horribly in agony as it tried desperately to stay afloat only to come crashing down to earth, narrowly missing the keyblade master with his body. Taking a step back from the now crippled dragon she couldn't help but laugh.
"Blind he says." Kalameet snarled as he stirred and gazed upon his laughing opponent. Gaining his bearings, the dragon was quick to get back up on all fours. He reached his long neck back and grabbed the offending piercing weapon with his mouth and ripped it out of his injured wing before tossing it at the human who dodge the thrown projectile.
Kalameet flexed his injured wing and hissed at the damage. How dare these pest injure him! They were the ones who entered his domain and disturbed him from his rest. With this gapping whole in his wing, it would be an impossibility to stay in the air for more than a few seconds without crashing down. A wound like this would never heal properly. The black Cyclops dragon burned with pure rage as he pointed his terrifying gaze at the human and let out a roar.
"Here he comes." Aqua couldn't help but be rather excited at being able to fight a true dragon and not a witch transformed into one. The dragon of calamity took intimating steps towards the smaller being, showing off his pride. The women in question stayed her ground and studied the scaled animal's movements.
Taking a leap forward, Kalameet swung his neck and head at Aqua, using it like a wrecking ball to hit the chaser. The maiden cartwheeled away in time to end up under the dragons belly and fired a quick blizzard spell at the beast. She heard the beast snort like it was laughing, the magic attack did little but tickle him.
The dragon slammed his clawed limbs again and again, driving the women away from his underbelly with her dodges to escape the beast flattening strength. She ended up by his tail, a quickly learnt mistake. The dragon swiped his tail back along with the rest of his massive body in a 180 degree strike to reface the keybearer. Out of breathe from all the earlier dodging, the tail swipe hit her at full force taking out what ever wind that was left in right out. She was sure she heard something cracked. That tail was going to be a nuisance.
Aqua groaned from the hit letting out a hiss as she picked herself up from the ground. The dragon quite literally hit like a truck. I fire breathing living truck. Easily with twice the force than Manus had. She had tried to use blizzard magic because she assumed a lizard like this would be weak to it, but the dragon's body completely soaked up the spell like it was nothing, and who was to say that any other magic type would work? The basted thing breathed fire so that was completely out the window. The only thing that could work is physical attacks if they can pierce his stone scales and she wasn't one for brute strength.
While the women contemplated the dragon lifted up on his back haunches and rained his terrible black flames down at her. Unable to get away in time, Aqua set up a barrier to shield herself from the flames. The fire washed over the honeycomb shield, lighting it up as it repelled the weighted flames. Kalameet's singular eye glared as the women didn't burn and stopped. Flames subsided he slammed his front have back to the earth. He broke the barrier with his claws making the women fallback quick and crouch down low from the shockwave he created.
She panted hard trying to catch some form of a second wind. This so called majestic beast wanted her dead and nothing less. The worst part was, the dragon wasn't even trying. He knew that she wasn't performing to the best of her ability, weaken by her previous encounter. If she didn't find a weak point in this beast, it wouldn't be long before he'd barbeque her. Knowing this beast, it was unlikely that it wouldn't give her the time of day to try and even heal without trying to capitalize one her brief vulnerability. The keybearer has to build up some sort of momentum before it was too late.
The black dragon dashed at her, moving its body like the straight arrow that crippled him, beak poised to pierce it. Aqua jumped out of the way in time. Kalameet spun his body back around, his tail just above hitting her head clear off her head. As he moved, the beast spewed his flames blackened flames once more.
Unable to calculate the distance of the flames properly by the dragon's comboing actions, the powerful fire hit her hard and toppled the women over. The way fire burned wasn't normal. It clung to her armor like a harsh weight meant to keep the opponent down. Aqua cursed under her breath. With this fire, her own armor was quiet literally holding her down and proving to be of little help in being a defense against the dragon. If anything it was hindering in being able to avoid the dragon's attacks efficiently.
"Please come off." She was sure that the reason her armor stayed on in the first place because of the abundance of darkness caused by Manus. With him gone, there was no need for the extra protection. The Master jumped back up and pressed the switch of her outer shell, and in a flash, the azure knights armor faded away along with the blacken flames that attached itself to the magic metal.
It was the first taste of this world's air and it reeked of sulfur and blood mixed with the foul trash sent of darkness from the dragon's breath. She wrinkled her nose in disgust with her tired cerulean eyes glaring at the dragon's singular amber one. Even with Manus gone from this world, it still had a strong tie to the darkness of the abyss. Something unlikely to change.
Kalameet growled lowly to imitate a chuckle. Was this feeble human giving up? To shed her own scales in front of him and left vulnerable to his breath, truly a mistake. He's would cook her very flesh till charred and devour this human whole as his revenge for his wing! He flashed his teeth with a snarl and licked the innards of his mouth, smoke pouring from his maw in ebony clouds.
The stone scaled animal slowly prowled, circling his target prey. Aqua stood her ground unflinching of the crippled beast action, keeping a steady hand and eye on the dragon's movements. Kalameet lashed out with his claws in a double swipe, just missing the human as she jumped just out of his range. She was faster without her armor but only enough to be able to better keep pace with the dragon.
Like his claws, the dragon threw his head at the women twice. The dragon's beak clipped her damaged side. Aqua cringed but managed to stay steady despite the scratch. Seeing an opening, the maiden impaled the teeth of her blade into the dragon's stone skin. It did little but get his aggravated attention. The overgrown bat jumped and slammed his tail at the keybearer. The initial hit missed but the shockwave created was enough to knock her offer her feet and blow her back.
Aqua hiss as her exposed back hit the hard charred ground. She really was in no shape to be fighting a vengeful dragon. As she struggled to stand, Kalameet took in a deep breath, flames threaten to spew from his mouth. They erupted from the dragon's mouth in fury straight at the downed magic user. The women cursed and held out a hand to make another barrier, but only sparks came out of her palm. Her eyes widen in horror. Was she this out of energy?
With closed eyes, Aqua waited for the deadly flames to wash over her. Though she could feel the heat of the flames, her skin refused to singe. The women looked up to see a metal body standing in front of her holding a large shield, blocking the fire. It was her silent friend using the Artorias Great Shield against the fire like he had before to withstand Manus's punches.
There seemed to be something different about him. The undead no longer need both hands to wield the massive shield. His weapon outlet ad also change drastically. On his back was a great sword similar to the one The Abyss Walker had once used only it wasn't corrupted by the darkness that once possessed its master and held a divine aura around it.
As soon as the dragon stopped breathing it terrible breath, the knight pulled back his free hand that held a talisman. Light crackled at the end of his fist as a large lightning spear infused with sunlight formed in his hand. He threw the crackling sunlight spear at the imposing animal. Kalameet let out a horrid screech as the bolt hit his side as he tried to move away. The power from the miracle striped away his stone scales exposing a streak of raw flesh underneath. A weak point.
The Elite Knight took a chance as the dragon flailed in its discomfort to look back at the other human. From his inventory, he pulled out a flask like object, similar in structure to one of his estus only longer and tossed it to the women.
Aqua caught it simply and looked down at the container. There was certainly a certain power coercing within the flask that seemed oddly familiar. She undid the quark at the top on the bottle and downed the contents. The bitter contents didn't go down easily but she knew exactly what the equivalent of what this drink was the moment its substance hit her system and renewed her body. The power of a divine blessing for quick rejunivation.
"Must be some kind of elixir." She mumbled under her breath as the flask turned into ash, its contents spent. She jumped up and stood next to her companion and gave him a smile. "Better late than never." A ghost of a chuckle escaped from the knight's helmet as he switched his gear around, replacing his talisman with his new holy blade and shield on his back as he two handed the sword. She looked over to Kalameet with a harden stare. "So you don't like lightning, huh?"
Lips curled back in a full sneer, the dragon snarled at the new arrival. Not once in all of his years has the beast seen a human wield the power of the sun like that infernal Gwyn and his Lion Knight that wiped his species to near extinction. Smoke fumed from his nostrils. He would not tolerate this, this human must pay like the other, for his wing and for his scales.
The dragon bellowed it anger and flapped his wings dashing at the knights. The twosome dodged on opposite sides of the beast. Stopping his dash, Kalameet looked back to aim and slammed his tail to the ground just a split second to late and missed the humans. A sever miscalculation of the dragons part.
Aqua used a strong blizzard spell to freeze the base of the dragon's tail while it was still in place. Seeing the magic put in place, the undead warrior leaped with his large blade and smashed open the ice and split apart something else. The tail of the dragon flailed helplessly as it was severed from its master as he screeched in agony. When the tail stopped it did not disappeared like all other things in this world, but from its ashes a large black jagged blade laid idle and ignored by the knights still weary of the beast it originated from.
Pure spite radiated off of Kalameet. Without his tail, he's lost easily a third of his body length and a valuable weapon. He snapped his jaws at the humans. The broken reptile knew he's have to separate the two. The dragon flapped his wings as he jumped into the air. Using all of his strength, flapping twice as hard to stay afloat, he spewed his fire like a great waterfall to the ground.
The heavy black fire hit the earth and started to spread quickly taking up portion of the area. Both warriors were forced to doge backwards, unknown of their distance to each other and forced far apart to one another to avoid the fire. Targeting the women first, Kalameet came down from the sky with a hard slam taking a few steps closer to make sure he was within range for what he had plan.
The beast reared back on his haunches once more, and Aqua anticipated another fire storm come raging out of his mouth for sure. His central eye started to glow bright as he reared his arms and wings to the front of his body. The keybearer knew something was different right away as the dragon was about to reveal his true power before the human.
The women felt something start to overcome her. He bones felt frail and body light as her body started to lift into the air. Metal finger tips pushed her out of the way of the dragon's telekinetic gaze, the knight companion taking her place having rushed over to recover their distance. His body glowed red as the beast eye as he was lifted into the air. Kalameet outspread his arms and wings letting out an ear-piercing screech that mixed with the undead's pained moans, as the dragon manipulated him with his psychic powers.
The keybearer cursed under her breath as she saw her friend being tortured by the scaled bat, her body's normal state returned after being released from the dragons gaze thanks to him. Whatever the beast of destruction was doing, it was definitely deadly from what she originally felt. Aqua took the dragons fixed opportunity to lock onto Kalameet with a thunderstorm shotlock.
The lightning shot from her blade hit the dragon hard, crackling along his obsidian stone scales and ripping them from his skin. It pained the dragon horribly but he kept his focus through the experience. This lighting was powerful, it want infused with the power of the sun. If it had he would dropped the knight a long while ago. When the light faded from his eye and the male's body, the undead plummeted to the ground, hitting it with a groan.
"Heal." Green vines covered the silent knight as the cure spell quickly covered up wound made by the dragon's psychic abilities. He gave a nod to Aqua in appreciation, but she still continued to look upon him with concern causing the undead warrior to raise a brow from underneath his helm. Something was horribly wrong and the female new it while her friend was completely clueless as to what the beast had done. For above his head was the mark of calamity, the eye of Kalameet, stripping the knight of any physical defense and making his body weak to all things.
"Get out of the way!" Aqua yelled. Just in time, the Elite Knight held up his great shield in time to block Kalameet's first slash. The claws racked heavily against his shields and forced the knight to become staggered immediately his body too weak to fully with stand the dragons might. An in instant, Kalameet made a second slash and ripped clean through the undead's torso.
The undead's cursed blood dripped off of the talons of the black dragon. A ragged gasped came from the armored man attempting to breath but was unable to as the claps scrapped right threw his lungs. Kalameet carried a cruel smile as he fell to his knees and weapons drop to his side.
The keybearer watched with wide eyes and a held breath. Her silent companion had fell right before her, fading away into nothingness leaving only a bloodstain as a reminder of his death. There was no pink flying organ that she would be normally see from this, or a soul to float helplessly on the ground that she had become acquainted with. Nothing but a read splatter.
Kalameet turned his head to the female that had struck him with the slavo of lightning spells earlier. His jaw was slacked but there was no immediate threat of flames. He was heavily damaged and suffered bloodless from his missing tail. The giant lizard is being forced to breath out of his mouth. Somehow though he still had the strength to still snarl at the women who cost him his wing.
The dragon lunged with his mouth wide open at the women only to miss. His movements were completely sluggish and readable compared to before and their roles reversed drastically. He had used the majority of his remaining energy to use his special abilities to rid of the knight. Now his body shoot from the damaged he took from the lightning spells and miracle, losing his tail, and possibly even paralyzed.
Funny, if this beast hadn't just killed her friend, she would have felt sorry for the dragon. After all, it was the last of its kind known for this world at the very least fighting only for self-preservation. Now all that was left is a burning rage firing in her own heart and her own inner darkness flared. Something that she had developed in her long isolation. Her own features curled back in a snarl herself casing the dragon to cock it head, both confused and intimidated by the aura that came of the women. This human was truly different from the other besides not having the foul stench of the undead. But he still wished not to die.
Kalameet bellowed out a final roar to show off his strength as a testament to his will and forced his body to move to attack the remaining human in his domain. Aqua gripped her keyblade hard and mumbled a spell under her breath. An in instant, the blade lit up with sparks buzzing all around it making it appear as living lightning bolt. The dragon eyed it carefully, feeling fear from the raw power that radiated of the blade.
Aqua took a strong steep towards the dragon, who moved backwards one step for every two of her own. Backed against the cold stone wall, Kalameet finally retaliated against the advancing women throwing the weight of his body at her. As The Master dodged the dragon's attacks, she slashed at his exposed limbs, cracking open his scales and searing his sensitive flesh below.
The overgrown bat screeched but continued his desperate assault on the woman who moved constantly out of his range in a dance like manner. At one of his swipes, her blade phased right threw his claws, chopping them right of like if he was mere cat. As he reared, Aqua cut through the Kalameet's ligaments, causing the beaten beast to topple over on his side no longer able to stand on his own just as the lightning buff on her weapon faded.
"You really are amazing, I'll tell you that much." The broken beast reared his long neck to stare directly at the women. He no longer had the strength to fight, his devastating wounds taken their toll. All he could do was look her dead in eye and bare his fangs as she spoke. "You lost all of your strength and yet, you still have all of your power. No wonder the others fear you."
Wait was this human complementing him? Admiring even. His snarl faded but his terrifying gaze stayed, to prideful to simply dissipate. This feeble being confused him so. He could tell by her aura that she was still upset of what he had done to her companion but somehow she still found a way to respect his presence despite its weakened state at her hands. And that blade of hers was truly an oddity. He could sense a strong magic from it that was as ancient as his stone scales. Familiar but foreign at the same time.
She outstretched her hand and placed it upon the dragon's beak. Kalameet did not attempt to shake off or bite the limb, fully intrigued by the women and her actions. This human had won his respect. Whether she struck the final blow or left, he would still die from some sort of infection if anemia didn't get him first. After all, what good was a dragon if it could no longer take flight. His fate was certain, and she refused to let this magnificent beast suffer despite the grief it caused her. In the end it was only defending itself and territory.
Aqua trailed her stray hand down the dragon's armored neck and estimated to where the beast sternum was. A final breath a some came out of the mighty Kalameet as he relaxed his body for what was to come. Soon he would join his long lost kin and the burden of being the last of his kind gone.
With a single pointed strike, the dragon's pain washed away as he let out a final breath. Like all things on this world by its order, his body turned into ash that became scattered in stale wind. From the ashes, a heart rose to the sky and disappeared in an instant. For maybe one day to be reincarnated as something or someone else. Kalameet, Last of the Ancient Dragons was no more.
Aqua let out a ragged sigh as she looked down at her blade. It was coated in a thick layer of the dragons blood slid down the shaft of her keyblade and soon coated the handle and her hand. He features turned into a disgusted grimace. Not by the red substance that covered her hand but the action she had to take against the dragon. Originally she wanted to tire the beast out and leave peaceful after only for it to go too far leaving with little choice. Kalameet was dead and so was her friend.
Her stomach twisted in a knot as hit bile bubbled at the back of her throat. That painful feeling of loss made its way into her system once more, something she hadn't felt in sometime. Whenever it did though, it was cling on for quite some time. The women sucked in the breath to keep the feeling down, dismissing the keyblade as she walked over to the waterfall to lean off her dirtied hands.
By chance she noticed something gleam on the charred ground after she finished cleaning. It was a small object that lied alongside the obsidian great sword formed by the dragon's severed tail. Upon further expecting, it was a black ring with an ember eye embedded into center acting like a jewel. Specifically, Kalameet's eye of calamity.
Mild curiosity over took The Master as she slid the ring on her finger and immediately she felt the harmful effects. Just like her deceased friend her body felt completely weak and almost unable to support itself. And just like the knight before her, they eye of the ancient dragon floated right above her head. Ripping the ring off, she had half a mind to toss the damnable thing when a fun if not devious plan came into mind for later.
"Ven did say he wanted a present." She pocketed the small circle before picking up the sword that the dragon left behind. It was definitely heavy, but nothing she couldn't handle. It was a good kind of weight, though blunt, it seem that it could be quiet an efficient weapon. It was definably something Terra could use as it was more geared towards his style. It wasn't uncommon or unheard of a keybearer to use a secondary weapon.
There did seem to be some sort of presence living within the blade as she could feel its powerful ability dancing at her fingertips. Grabbing the weapon with both hands, she instinctually plunged the weapon into the ground. Black fire erupted from the blade and surrounded its user in a defensive ring that expanded greatly before dissipating back into the blade.
"Even when gone, you still hold a presence. You just don't know how to give up, do you?" She said with the slightest smile. Though the known dragons were now gone, their lingering power would forever have a hold on this world and possibly others. Casting a levitate spell, Aqua made it possible for the weapon float behind her back and be carried without any straps to actual hold it up and leaving her body free of any extra weight.
"How to get out of here. There must have been away for him to get down, oh." Looking around the women found a rather convenient ladder leading out of the former dragon's grotto along with some narrow cliffs that stuck out offering a haphazard us way down. Unsurprisingly enough, she spotted one of those crystal lizards sitting on one of the edges as she climbed up. Something told her that he was actual chasing the little reptile when he fell off one of the edges and he so happen to spot her in need of help.
The climb was long but not intolerable. The real hard part was getting back to the arena. She ran into a couple of savage dog that attempted to attack but were quickly burned into ash. They were far from the problem. No, it was unwillingly running into Chester once more that was the issue, and the masked man striding up to her.
"Well hello there young miss." He said with a sly voice, "I haven't see you around these parts. What's a fair maiden such as yourself doing out in the woods all alone."
"Back off Chester."
"Wait, you're that outsider from earlier. Still alive and all human I see. Impressive."
"You sound disappointed." Chester smirked wickedly from underneath his mask. This women was certainly a sharp one unlike the poor whores back in Carim.
"Disappointed, no not at all my dear, just a little surprised is all. This land just notaries for making absolute soul starved monsters of the people who've arrived."
"Look who's talking. You absolutely reek of blood and dark." Aqua scoffed and it wasn't a lie. A small breeze downwind of him quickly reviled the man's true disposition. The moment his hand twitched to reach his sniper crossbow, the keyblade appeared at the edge of his throat. "Don't even think about it. I'm not in the mood to deal with the likes of you today. Choose your next move carefully."
"Cheeky bitch." The grinning masked man scoffed. Soft padding and claws scratching the earth sounded behind the women followed by a furious snarl. Sif walked up to the keybearer having hearing the commotion from outside the coliseum. Her lips curled back revealing her canines that bit down on the hilt of her sword, all directed at the foolish man. Chester clicked his tongue.
"Call your mutt off." The Great Grey Wolf snapped her jaws causing the man to flinch.
"I'd treat my friend with a little more respect if I were you."
"What in Lord Gwyn's name is going on out here?" The Lords Blade steeped in with a familiar armored figure behind her. Aqua could just see him from the edge of her vision and nearly dropped her weapon.
"Ah if it isn't the pesky bee and my good friend. How are you, come for more green blossoms maybe? I saw you head to the dragons lair but never come back up with the women here. You died, didn't you? If it wasn't for that foul curse you'd be gone for good."
The Chosen Undead was not amused by the devious merchant and crossed his arms. The others weren't the only ones that had a bone to pick with him. Ciaran herself was already itching to toss a dagger at the man.
"What? If you have something to say, then say it. Just don't say the wrong thing."
"You are in no place to make any threats,Chester." Aqua said her voice lowering.
"She's right. I've seen thee stalking the area for some time now. I know of people of your particular nature human. This is a sacred ground and you have overstayed thy welcome. Leave this place at once."
A laughter came from the masked man. A laughter found in those who find joy in pure malice. "Oh, come now. You think this is all my fault?" He said in a false hurt voice. Chester surveyed the fours features. The knights and wolf are tense and ready to strike him down at a moment's notice, including his best customer since he arrived in this cured town. Then again it may have been his own provoking that got the undead rattled. It was all in good sport really since the man would just revive again. He clicked his tongue, aggravated.
"You all have quite the nerve don't you. I've had enough of you anyways." He steered his last comment at the Elite Knight mainly. He still hadn't forgotten how he somehow managed to back stab him during their little game. Granted he didn't care much for the other two either. One who can come and go freely from worlds and the other now lacking a purpose.
He packed up his merchandise all with eight careful eyes watching him, making sure he didn't try anything funny. Once he finished he turned to look at them one last time and cursed their pettiness under his breath. He looked the undead dead in the eye.
"We will meet again. And let it be the most marvelous one." He left right after his chilling statement. The undead slowly shook his head. He had met a man like him once, dressed in golden armor and from Carim just like Chester. Just like the masked man both only brought the knight nothing but grief.
Aqua let out a breath and relaxed her body. Sif let out a whine as she went back into a fixed sit position, looking up to her master's savior with happy eyes and a wagging tail. She gave the animal a happy smile patted the small loyal beast on the head, finally being able to feel the soft fur without her fingertips being coated in metal.
"I swear that man was waiting for everyone leave so he could pillage Artorias's grave." The hornet let an agitated breath of her own. That human is the very definition of why she was against them mainly despite the kindness the other two have shown her. Not all humans are pure dark, but the ones that were are very open about it. A fair silence seem to overcome them until the plaguing question finally came out of Aqua's mouth.
"How are you alive? Kalameet tore you in half right in front of me." The knight let out a chuckle as he rubbed the back of his neck. So she really wasn't from around here. To not now of his infliction and that of others was truly strange.
"I told thee about your friend here showing off the power of the Dark Sign better than I. He is cursed with The Mark of The Undead. He is bound by the will of the bonfires. Thou the immortality may seem appealing there is a steep price for it. Every time he dies, he'll lose a piece of his own humanity until at last, there is nothing less than a soul starved mindless hallow. Nothing but an empty shell. I there is a cure for it then I do not know. All that is known of the curse is that it appeared at the time the first flame started to fade." Cruel but true words. In time his mind will fade and what makes the ill man would be no more and his soul, nonexistent.
The blue haired maiden bit the inside of her check at the description, tasting her blood on her tongue. It was more or less the same description to that of a Nobody, those who lack a heart. Compared to derange hallows that lack a soul in search for one like how the empty shells she know of search for hearts. The knight's head hung low. To die over and over again was his fate and his journey to find a way to put an end to it. Even now some of his memories are slipping from his grasp. He jolted when he felt pressure on his shoulder pad and looked up to see his outer world friend looking at him with a grin.
"Don't worry. If there's a reason for the curse to start then there must be a way to end it. Besides, if you hang on to what's most important there's no way for you to turn hallow right?"
What was most important to him? He has lost a plentiful amount throughout his journey, not including the souls he used as currency. Then he thought of someone he met on his travels. A strange fellow that kind of remind him of his new acquaintance. They both shared a similar friendly spirit and offered the same glow of friendship. He was just happy she didn't ramble randomly about the sun. Maybe he should find Solair, it has been awhile since he last seen the sun knight. Whether the silent knight liked it or not, that crazy cultist had somehow become his best friend. He nodded his head at her, smiling brightly from under his helm. He knew what was important and never let the curse take that away from him.
Aqua steeped back from the undead and reapplied her armor free of the dragon's fire, and summoned back her glider.
"Leaving so soon? And here I thought you may tell the tale of how of you defeated Kalameet. Knowing Gough he would try to knight you as one of us on the spot for the feat after such good tidings."
"Tell Gough I'm sorry about that." She said with a laugh. "Next time I visit, I'll be more than happy tell him. But I have people waiting for me too."
"I understand, just remember my offer about Anor Londo. I'm sure Ornstein will be understandable of letting a human into the city after reports are handed to him." The undead held himself from flinching at the name of the lion knight as bad memories started to surface. Funny how some faded but others eternally scarred and etched in his memories when it came to his deaths. He did respect the old dragonslayer, but if he for sure would have went hallow a long time ago if Solair wasn't there to back him up.
Sif let out a sorrowful whine as she looked up to the armored chaser as she mounted her glider.
"Don't worry, Sif. I'll try and visit as soon as I can. Just promise to stay out of trouble with Alvina." The wolf let out a small snort while holding a smirk. There was guarantee on that but the canine would try at the very least. Sif perked up her ears and let out a bark of approval.
The silent undead bowed, Ciaran waved, and Sif let out a farewell howl as they watched the mystic knight float into the air and leave their world. This time uninterrupted by a giant flying scaled bat.
"The thought of the heart is truly a marvel. Wouldn't you agree?" The hornet said absently into the air. The undead looked over to her and nodded though he was sure she was not directing the question at him but to a friend long past.
The sound of a motor in the air caused Ven to rush outside the Yen Sids tower. Aqua had been gone for some time and he was starting to become worried for his friends safety. She landed safely on the ground and removed her armor only to be tackled by the whirlwind blond in a crushing hug. She would have returned it but something poked at her insides and hit horribly.
"Ow Ven, please off!" The young male let go after hearing her cry of pain. He finally got a better look at her and she wasn't in the best of shape. Her body was pretty banged you with what looked like welts and bruised on the surface of her skin. Dried blood crusted on where closed gasses had once formed. Thanks to heal spells they only left a bright red mark as a reminder. Her bright blue eyes held a tired gazed as she favored on side of her body more. Who knows what other injures she had just underneath the surface. It was amazing how she was still even standing.
"Aqua, what the hell happened? You look like you just fought a dragon!" If her rib didn't feel like it was going to pierce her lung, the women would have laughed.
"You have no idea. Mind helping me get of the tower? I don't think I can make it on my own." All the adrenalin she got from fighting on that world must have worn off, revealing the full extent of her injuries. Cure spells only did so much when it came to masking the pain. She was define going to need some time to recover.
"Right, hang on." The wayward blond was quick to help his friend out. Not wanting to irritate her side further, Ven decided best to piggyback Aqua up to Yen Sid's office. Thankfully, the Master of the tower redesigned his living quarters to make it that he only had to climb one flight of stairs instead of many.
On the way to the top, the curious boy inquired of where she had gone and most importantly the sword on her back. She had let out a tired breath and told him to be patient till they got to the retired Masters office so she can explain properly. She did, however, tie him over by telling his statement about the dragon was closer to the truth then he realized. Something she soon regretted, causing the male to suddenly increase his pace to the top and irritate her injuries.
Once at the top of the tower, Ven swiftly opened up the door to Yen Sid's office. The old wizard was reading an old tome of ancient spells to keep himself sharp. When the boy burst through the door without knocking, he was about to scold the lad about his manners when he saw who he was carrying.
"By the stars! Ven, go ahead and place her on a seat and get the fairies in here to treat her."
"Right." Gently he placed her on a seat next to one of the tables that Yen Sid had. Aqua gave her thanks to Ven as he went over to get three women in the other room.
"Well it seems that you had quite the time on this new world." He eye the weapon behind her. "And what prize did you bring back from it." Leave it to Yen Sid to be more curious about the world's properties then how she achieved her injuries.
"It formed strait of the tail of a dragon." She smiled, "I think it would be a suitable gift for Terra. It's something that would definitely suit his style." She rested the weapon on the side if the wall.
"A dragon? Not many of those left."
"And I might have killed the last one."
"Excuse me?" She looked at the old Master dead in the eye as she admit to slaying the last of the ancient dragons. In mild disbelief, Yen Sid closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Not a second later Ventus came back with the three good fairies Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather.
The winged old women fussed over her condition and somehow dragged her into the other room to clean her up and look at her further. It took a couple hours to properly mend and scrutinize her wounds but they were able to clean her up regardless. Luckily there was nothing life threatening. The only major bad news was that she was going to out of commission for the next six to eight weeks. Kalameet's true parting gift to her was neither his accused ring nor his tail turned sword. The bratty beast had really cracked a couple of her ribs when he first hit her with his tail swipe. To think he did that much damage with her armor on.
When she finally came back out, Aqua's mid-section was completely wrapped up but she was able to walk albeit very slowly. Ven quickly returned to her side and helped her go back to her original seat by Yen Sid's desk.
"So how bad is bad?"
"I won't be able to do much for a while. But I should still be able to supervise you training Ven."
"Alright!"
"And speaking of your training," Aqua pulled out the ring that formed after the dragons demise and tossed it over to the blond who got the small circle with both hands.
"What's this?"
"You did say you wanted a souvenir from the world I was going to."
"Seriously? Awesome! Hey is it going to give me some sort some sort of super strength or turn me invisible?" The hyperactive boy ranted. The young Master bit her tongue to hold back a laugh. First he was on top of things and now he couldn't be farther from the truth.
"Why don't you try it on and find out for yourself."
Ventus wasted in no time and slid the ring onto his finger. The eye of calamity appeared above his head and it effects immediately felt as the male took a knee. The lord of the Mysterious Tower watched the evil eye warily, wondering where something so ancient would originate from.
"What the-why do I feel so weak?" His bones felt like glass.
"From now on you'll being wearing that ring when training."
"But why?" he looked up at her with puppy eyes. Normal this trick would work but this time Aqua was going to be adamant about this stipulation.
"Well next time you'll think twice about trying to prank and scare me half to death with it." She said with a plastic grin, something that sent an unpleasant shiver down Ven's spine. It was rare for Aqua's sadistic side to shoe but when it did it shined.
"It was Vanitas I swear!"
"You two share the same body so you're both at fault for this punishment as far as I'm concerned."
"Damnit." His eyes flashed gold for a second when he cursed lowly and removed the ring from his finger. He was going to have to do a lot of sucking up to make her revoke this.
"So besides these," Yen Sid hesitated in is words after being slightly disturbed by seeing the eye of calamity, "presents that your brought back, what information did you find on this world. After you left I continued to do research on any information on the world but nothing has turn up."
"It's called Lordran by the people there. To say the least it was very different." Aqua explained. "You were right about the world being shrouded by darkness. But the flow of it seems natural, all of it coming straight and pure from The Abyss."
"Is that so? How strange, a world that thrives of the purest form of dark." The older man patted his bearded in though. "What of light."
"That's harder to say. Light takes a much more physical form on that world as fire, and there are those who fight try to fend off the dark. Who fend off and fear humans because of their beliefs." The wizard raised a brow at the younger Master. Ventus himself becoming intrigued by the story and waited patiently for more.
"The main residents of Lordran, from what I can tell, see humans as inherently dark themselves. And honestly, I believe them." Both males looked at her with shocked expressions, not believing the claim that she made.
"How unlike you to believe such things."
"Yeah, Aqua. What's up with that?"
Honestly I didn't want to believe it, but there was something's that did validate their point of view." She turned her head to look directly at the older Master. "We have so much information about the heart, but what do we know of the soul."
Yen Sid opened his mouth to answer only to be caught in a dead silence for an answer. He one of the most knowledgeable intellects the worlds have known and he could not formulate a single trace of what the soul was or is other than the known will to live and to be.
Ven tilted his head to the side as he crossed his arms in thought. He couldn't remember any of time if Master Eraqus had any lectures about the soul but only those of the heart only popped up in his memory. Huh?
"Just as I thought." The women said letting a breath escape as she shook her head. "Master Yen Sid, if I may, I would like to propose a new concept that I believe that this world could uncover and help us have a better understanding of light and dark."
"Go right ahead."
"What if it's the soul that is truly dark and the heart that is light?"
KZD: Longer chapter is long _ . Honest;y I nearly broke this into two separate chapters. But yes this is final chapter of Dark is the Souls, Light is the Heart. I may or may not put up an epilogue, I haven't full decided on that matter just yet. So now I would like to issue a challenge to those who enjoy the though of crossovers between KH and DS. I would like to see others delve into ideas between the two and create interesting crossovers such as the knights being reincarnated in keyblade wielders or possibly them defending their world originally from the dark with one. Possibly even a KH antagonist finding away to harness the power of the Abyss from Dark Souls. Because if I said it once I said it a thousand times, Dark Souls is just a rated M Kingdom Hearts game. As proof, you can all go to my profile page where I will have a link to a video that surprisingly has the same title to this story XD.
Thank you all for reading!