Sorry for the delay, I just finished the TAKS test, and there's a bunch of stuff going on. Good news is that I have spring break next week! WOOT!
Sora: "Good for you. But do you mind if we get to the story? DarthKingdom doesn't own Kingdom Hearts, Disney, Square Enix, Oogie's Revenge, or anything else. But he does own a PS3 and a copy of Call of Duty."
And if you guys have the time, I have a poll on my profile that I'd like you to check out. Please?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 48: Evil's Upgrade
"You know, you don't seem that jolly..." Axel said.
"Under the circumstances, I can't see how that's very surprising." Santa responded.
Axel, Donald, Goofy, and now Santa Claus were sitting in the magic cage somewhere below the toy factory. The room was stacked sky high with crates filled with toy parts. They'd been dumped down there by the Heartless after Lock, Shock, and Barrel had trapped them. Axel didn't know why they were here, they had just gone through a door in a tree, and were brought here.
Santa had been dragged down by a handful of Cauldron Born minutes after their arrival, and thrown inside. They had been left alone since then.
Donald had already taken the liberty of transforming their appearance. Axel looked mostly normal again, though he was now garbed in a coat faintly reminiscent of Santa's. His buttons looked like chakrams.
"Why have they left us here?" Santa wondered. "Why not simply eliminate us, I wonder?"
"For revenge, Santa baby!"
The door to the room burst open, slamming against the wall, and in walked a strange figure.
He had a metal, barrel-shaped torso with lots of buttons and dials, and several hidden compartments that held who knew what. His large feet were bird-like, and scratched the floor when they touched the ground. His wide arms were clawed. The head was sort of familiar. It looked like a metal sack with large eye and mouth holes.
Oogie Boogie had gotten an upgrade.
"Ah, Oogie Boogie." Santa stood up in the cage, which wasn't hard given his height. "Now I know who to add to the naughty list."
Oogie laughed. "Oh, Sandy, Sandy, Sandy. Don't you get it? You're not gonna live long enough to do that! In fact, none of you will!"
"Why keep us in this cage if you're just going to kill us?" Axel asked.
"Because, it'd be much more fun to wipe you all out at the same time." Oogie's eyes glinted, and he laughed.
********************************************************
"Hurry!" Jack said. "Time is of the essence!"
The party sprinted through the Hinterlands, down the well-beaten path that led to the holiday doors. Sora was almost afraid to ask if Jack had tried any of them apart from the Christmas door.
They arrived in a clearing. Six of the trees surrounding the clearing had painted doors on them. There were ones for Easter, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Thanksgiving, Independence Day, and of course, Christmas. And it was this last one that Jack ran toward. He pulled it open by the golden doorknob that looked like a tree ornament.
"Ladies first." He said, bowing.
Kairi, Yuffie, and Bariss jumped in, and seemed surprised when they fell.
"After you."
Sora didn't hesitate, and jumped in. As he fell, he could here Riku, Nehrut, Mickey, and Jack jump in after him. He felt like he fell for several minutes, and closed his eyes.
He landed on something soft, fluffy, and slightly wet. He opened his eyes and saw snow everywhere. He smiled when he saw the familiar sign that read, 'Christmas Town'. He straightened up, and shook some snow loose from his hair.
He had no sooner stepped away from the snow mound he had landed in, than Riku, Nehrut, and Mickey fell out. They got tangled up, and he could hear Riku complaining about Nehrut's claws in his back.
"Well I'm sorry! They aren't retractable!"
The King's hands glowed, and he snapped his fingers. They all reverted from their scary forms, and into more appropriate winter clothing. Their clothing resembled Santa suits of varying colors and buttons. They wore mittens, and some of them had matching hats.
Black with crown buttons for Sora, pink with Oathkeeper buttons for Kairi, grey with Dawn buttons for Riku, blue with the crests of his family for Nehrut, green with heart buttons for Bariss, black with shuriken buttons for Yuffie, red with his seal for Mickey.
Sora thanked him for the new clothing (it was chilly) and walked over to Kairi. "How do you like the snow?"
Kairi was gazing at the white landscape in awe. It very rarely snowed on Destiny Islands. 'When it snows' had generally had the same meaning as 'when pigs fly.' The last time it had snowed there was about a half inch the year after Kairi arrived.
"Wow." Was all that she could say.
"So you guys have never seen snow?" Nehrut asked, admiring his fur-trimmed hat.
"Just a little bit."
He winked at Bariss, and the two scooped up two giant snowballs. They took careful aim, and threw them as hard as possible at Sora and Kairi. They were hit on the back of the head, and fell into the snow in a heap.
As Nehrut and Bariss laughed, Riku and Yuffie pegged them in the same place, and they fell into the snow. Bariss was awkwardly positioned over Nehrut, causing them both to blush.
While Riku and Yuffie were still laughing, Jack landed gracefully in the snow from the door. He was clothed in his old Santa suit, minus the false beard. He took one look at Sora, Kairi, Nehrut, and Bariss in the snow, and Riku and Yuffie laughing, and scratched his head.
"I'm getting the feeling that I've missed something, but you can tell me later." He walked past the sign. "Let's get going."
Everyone followed after Jack, following him down the hill to the shining little village that was Christmas Town. As they approached, they began to notice something strange.
"It's quiet." Kairi observed.
"Too quiet." Riku added. "This place reeks of Darkness; there are dark beings around here somewhere."
"We'll be ready when they show themselves, then." Sora said. He called Oblivion to his hand.
Christmas Town appeared deserted. There wasn't a movement anywhere. The festive merry-go-round in the center of the town square was vacant, but spinning just barely. It was as if the riders had suddenly abandoned it not long ago. There were a few tiny footprints that probably belonged to elves, followed by the thin, bony ones of their skeletal pursuers.
But Riku was right, it was too quiet. There was normal, background noise, and then there was forced silence.
"We're being watched." Nehrut said quietly. "But you don't need a psychic to tell you that. They're everywhere."
It was exactly ten seconds after this statement that they were attacked. The twenty remaining Cauldron Born that had fled after Lock, Shock, and Barrel's defeat now charged out from over hills and behind buildings. They rushed toward their prey, accompanied by Heartless. There were mostly Shadows, but with a few more unique ones thrown in.
They came from all sides, but Sora was right. They were ready. Weapons appeared, magic was used.
Sora lifted his Keyblade into the air and cried, "Thundaga!" Bolts of lightning came down, and struck the incoming enemies. Several Heartless were incinerated by the bolts, but that left plenty more. A Cauldron Born shoved a spear at Sora's face.
He ducked under it, and stabbed his Keyblade into its chest. His foot shot out, kicking it backwards. It didn't move again. Three Ghouls fired at him at once.
Nehrut jumped in the way and put a shield up around them. The fireballs collided with the barrier harmlessly, and he lunged forward, taking them out with one strike. Sora quickly thanked him, and destroyed a White Knight to his right.
Bariss smashed in the hollow head of a soldier with the blunt end of her whip, and then used the practical end to catch the legs of another. She gave it a firm tug, sending it onto its back. She dove onto it and plunged her sai into its face. Then she got to her feet and destroyed a Shadow with it.
Riku dove away from the shot of a Trick Ghost, and the Guardian dealt with it with one smashing fist. He brought his blade up under the jaw of a Cauldron Born, and it poked up through the top of its skull. He tore it free, making a gaping hole out of its face. He shot a burst of Dawn at a Toy Soldier Heartless, destroying it in seconds.
Yuffie threw her shuriken at a Cauldron Born. It got lodged in its chest. Kairi came up behind it, and beheaded it. She pulled out the shuriken, and tossed it to Yuffie, who caught it easily and jumped over to her side. Kairi cut a leaping Shadow in two, and then struck a Trick Ghost through it's stomach. Yuffie backflipped over her and destroyed a Ghoul as it flew by.
Jack picked Mickey up by the collar, and threw him at a Toy Soldier still in it's box. Mickey extended his blade, and it punctured the box. He went in after it, and the force of Jack's throw sent him all the way out its other side. The Heartless faded away, just as Mickey leapt into the air and took the head off of a Cauldron Born, then backflipped over a White Knight to destroy it.
Jack sent a burst of icy cold air at two Cauldron Born and five Heartless. They were frozen in place. He then sent jets of fire at them, they burned surprisingly easily. He then spun around, and kicked a White Knight in the face.
The battle was fought all over the square. Sora leapt onto the top of the merry-go-round and took out the three soldiers that climbed up from there. Riku flew into the air, and landed on the roof of Santa's workshop, Ghouls and Trick Ghosts followed him, and he destroyed them. Bariss climbed up a lamp post, and took out enemies even from there.
The fighting was intense, but eventually, the Heartless were destroyed, and the Cauldron Born (which had been reduced to a mere three in number), were beaten back. They retreated into the snow mounds, and the heroes didn't follow, yet.
"Everybody alright?" Jack asked.
"I've got snow in a few uncomfortable places," Nehrut said, emptying snow from his hat, "But other than that, I'm fine."
"I'm going to get frostbite in this place, I know it." Kairi muttered.
The rest of the group walked toward Santa's workshop. Sora went first, and cracked the door open, he peeked his head in, and was glad when nothing attacked him. The others came up behind him, one by one.
Santa's living room was empty, but it hadn't been that way for long. The fire was still crackling merrily under the mantle, and the naughty-nice list was spread out on the table. The place still smelled like cookies.
"Empty." Riku stated the obvious.
"Let's check the workshop." Sora suggested. He pushed open the other door in the room...
And dove away from a hail of projectiles that ripped through the air. Nehrut reacted instantly, and put a shield up over the door. Pushing it in front of him, he ran into the factory. The bullet-like projectiles bounced off the shield, and clattered to the floor. They looked more like tiny arrowheads than anything else.
Down in the factory was the doctor's experiment, fully active, and firing at them from hidden compartments in it's right arm. The rest of them rushed inside after Nehrut, behind the shield. When they were all in, it ceased fire.
Sora and Jack recognized it's new face.
"Oogie." Jack said. "Up to no good?"
"Jack, Jack, Jack..." Oogie said, shaking his head. You could hear the gears and servos in his new body working whenever he moved. "What else would I do? What else is worth the time?"
"Where are Donald, Goofy, and Axel?" Sora asked.
"And Sandy!" Jack added.
"They're under the factory in the storage plant. Not that you'll be conscious long enough to ever see 'em again!" He pointed his arm at them again, the weapon compartments opening up. "So here's the deal, I capture you party crashers, put you with your buddies, and then blow this place sky high!"
"Keep dreaming Oogie. You're going down!"
Oogie opened fire.
He was dancing as he attacked. The mood hit, and he started singing.
"Well, well, well. What pests you are! Still around huh? Oooh... Can't say I like that!"
"Oogie it's time we finished this! Once and for all!" Jack shouted.
"You're joking! You're joking!
I can't believe my ears!
You're kidden' me, you gotta be!
Best laugh I've had in years!"
Jack lept toward him first, hands on fire. He danced around the bullets, and struck at Oogie's face. Oogie brought his left arm up, and a rectangular metal plate the size of one of Goofy's shields emerged. Jack's hand collided with it, with no effect. The shield then crackled with electricity, and he jerked his hand away.
Sora jumped in, and struck the underside of the shield. It flew off in a burst of sparks, and clattered to the ground. Jack then engulfed his hand in fire and delivered a punch to Oogie's face. He stumbled backwards, and Sora and Jack sang again (Sora first).
"I hope you did amuse yourself,
With this, your little fling,"
"You better pay attention now,
"Cause I'm the Pumpkin King!"
Riku came down with his Guardian. It grabbed Oogie by his shoulders, and threw him into the air. Riku flew up, and smashed his fist (covered in Dawn) into his chest. Oogie flew backwards, and dented the toy-making machinery when his back hit it. This didn't seem to have much of an effect on him, and he got up a second later, to be faced with Kairi's blade.
She swung at his legs. But the hydrolics inside allowed him to leap to an impressive hieght. He lept into the air, over her blade. He was just taking aim at the girl, when a shuriken smacked him in the face.
"You think you are 'a winning,
But that's a lot of noise!
Just to be a sport, dear friends,
I'll share my Oogie toys!"
The panels in his chest opened up. And out flew large red dice. The dots on the sides were shown as skulls with different amounts of eyes. Dozens flew out, and it seemed impossible that all of them could fit in his chassis. They exploded almost immediately after hitting the ground.
Riku, Kairi, and Yuffie echoed his next words.
"Wo-oh.....
Wo-oh!
Wo-oh.....
Wo-oh!
Wo-oh.....
Wo-oh!"
"I'm the Oogie Boogie man!"
Bright explosions were all over the floor. Sora, Jack, Riku, Kairi, and Yuffie, who were down on the floor did their best to get away from them. But they were all tossed around a bit. The light was nearly blinding, and some of the explosives punched holes in the floor. Riku, Kairi, and Yuffie fell down one of these into a dark room.
Sora and Jack were knocked onto their backs. They were just getting up, when they saw Oogie standing over them with his arm cannons ready to fire.
They were saved at the last second when Mickey jumped down from above, and whacked his arm with Kingdom Crown. A large gash opened up, and sparks flew out. Oogie used his other arm, and threw the mouse away. Nehrut and Bariss leapt down. Nehrut swung Presul, and the entire arm fell away from the shoulder. Bariss plunged Rose Blade in the empty socket, twisting it around and messing with the wiring. Those two sang,
"It's over! It's over!
Man, you have gone too far!"
"It's over now, you're finished here!
Just who do you think you are?"
Oogie howled in pain, and clutched at the shoulder that should have been attached to a limb. He backed away from his opponents, and then came his last resort. His other arm grew three blades from around the elbow, which extended past his hand. Electricity crackled in between the blades, and coursed to the tip, where it gathered together in a single ball of electricity.
"If you think that you will beat me,
Then you couldn't be more wrong!
And this will be the last time,
You hear the Oogie Song!"
He stomped toward them, pointing the blades at them (more specifically, Jack). The energy kept gathering together. During the last verse, he launched the entire sizzling mass out as a beam of electricity. Nehrut put up a shield, and pushed it forward with all his might.
"Wo-oh.....
Wo-oh!
Wo-oh.....
Wo-oh!
Wo-oh.....
Wo-oh!"
"I'm the Oogie Boogie man!"
"It's over Oogie!" Nehrut said. He pushed the shield one final time, and Oogie's attack rebounded back upon its source. Oogie let out a long, extended, very loud shout. The blast ripped through his metal chest, and out the other side.
He fell to the ground with a crash, twitched a few times, and then was still.
Jack walked over to the body, and prodded its side with his foot. No reaction.
"We did it!" He exclaimed.
"Hey guys!" Yuffie's voice floated out from one of the holes in the ground. "Guess what we found!"
From out of the wide hole popped four heads: Goofy, Donald, Axel, and Santa.
"Sora, Jack, hello my boys." Santa said as those two helped him out. As he dusted off his coat with his hands he said, "Ah, Nehrut as well! Glad to see you again, lad."
"Salus Pax Pacis, Mr. Claus."
"Safety and Peace." He responded, patting him on the shoulder.
At Sora and Kairi's looks, the psychic said, "What? I get around."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Yes, Nehrut does get around. Sorry if this boss fight wasn't quite up to your standards, there's a better one very soon!
Please review!