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Ch.22 Genie
After a few hours the stream of Heartless that seemed intent on keeping us from the guy in the quicksand didn't seem to be stopping. It was a good thing that guy had managed to keep himself from going under, or we would be in serious trouble. Sora slashed the chest of a Bandit in a wide uppercut, causing it to burst into shadows as it fell back. But as soon as it was gone, a fresh wave of them appeared. "Gawrsh, not again!" Goofy said. I grimaced, and was contemplating using the dark power I had last used against the cards in Wonderland. But I was hesitant, because from what I had remembered I had come very close to destroying the Queen of Hearts. I didn't want to think what would happen if I let myself become further enveloped by that power.
But the Heartless weren't helping me restrain myself, and I cautiously reached into myself and began to draw that power forth. Then, suddenly, the guy who had been in the quicksand climbed out, having freed himself. He pulled what appeared to be a lamp from his pocket and rubbed the side of it, saying "Genie! Get rid of these guys!" I was about to laugh, saying that there was no such thing as genies, when suddenly blue smoke burst out of the end in the lamp, and a large blue-skinned genie indeed rose out of it. He yelled as he stretched, apparently having been cooped in the lamp for a long time. When he was done he said "Wish Number One, coming right up!" and snapped his fingers.
All of the Heartless vanished in puffs of smoke, and for a second I was as still as a statue, stunned. I guess I was wrong; genie's do exist. Later, we had made the formal introductions between ourselves, and Aladdin said "I see. Thanks, Sora, Dexal." "You're welcome, but what exactly are you doing here?" I asked. "Same old stuff- hunting legendary treasure. Just paid a visit to the Cave of Wonders. That's where I found that magic carpet, and this lamp. Legend has it that whoever holds the lamp summons the-" he began, before Genie interrupted. "Please, kid, leave the intros to a professional. The one and only GENIE OF THE LAMP! Rub-a-dub-dub the lamp and have your dearest wishes granted. Today's winner is...Aladdin! Congratulations!" he said, waving his hand at Aladdin. "Any wish?" Donald asked in disbelief.
Genie waved a finger at him. "Patience, my fine feathered friend! Any three wish wishes!" he said, two copies of him appearing. They vanished as he said "A one, a two wish, a three wish. Then I make like a banana and split! Our lucky winner has made his first wish-" Genie said, leaning next to Sora. "-And let me tell you, what a doozie that one was- So he has two left! So master, what will you have for Wish Number... Two!" he said, and suddenly the rest of the desert darkened while a spotlight appeared on Aladdin. He thought about for a second before smiling, and saying "How about making me a fabulously wealthy prince?" "Oooh! Money! Royalty! Fame! Why didn't I think of that?
"Okay, you asked for it! A hundred servants and a hundred camels loaded with gold! Just say the word and I'll deliver it in 30 minutes or less, or your meal's free!" Genies said, throwing an arm over Aladdin's shoulder. "Hey, I'll even throw in a cappuccino!" he added. "No thanks," Aladdin said, to which Genie replied "Okay." Aladdin stepped back and said "I think I'll put that on hold until we reach Agrabah." "Uh, why a prince?" Goofy asked. "You see, there's this girl in Agrabah named Jasmine. But she's a princess, and I'm... Aw, she could never fall for a guy like me," Aladdin said, hanging his head. At the name Jasmine my head snapped up, and so did the others'. "Oh? Princess?" Goofy repeated. "Jasmine?" Donald added.
"Oh, that's right! She's in trouble, Aladdin!" Sora said. His eyes widened, and he said "What? Well, come one, let's get going!" There wasn't a moment to spare, and we loaded onto the Magic Carpet, which flew off towards the city. Along the way Genie flew beside us, and sighed in happiness. "Ah, fresh air! The great outdoors!" I smiled and asked "I guess you don't get out much, huh?" "Come with the job. Phenomenal cosmic powers, itty-bitty living space. It's always three wishes, then back to my portable prison. I'm lucky to see that light of day every century or two..." Genie explained. "Gawrsh, that's harsh," Goofy said, Donald nodding in agreement. "Say Genie, what of I use my last wish to free you from the lamp? What do you think?" Aladdin suggested.
Genie looked back at him in shock, and asked "You'd do that?" "Genie, it's a promise. After we help Jasmine," Aladdin declared. I smiled at them, and at Genie's enjoyment of being outdoors. I enjoyed its myself, but my tastes rather tended towards modern cities and mountain ranges. They reminded me of Radiant Garden... and the Land of Departure. Of home.
Instantly I felt myself sliding back through time, entering the realm of my memories.
It was another day in the Land of Departure; Terra, Aqua, Ventus and I had just finished out training session for the day not too long ago. But both Terra and Ven were still restless, and insisted that we go exploring the mountains around the castle. Aqua and I agreed, and we traversed and made our way through the mountains, until finally we found a small lake on one of mountains to the north. Beside the lake were bushes full of various berries, and the water was cool and refreshing to the taste. We all spent hours swimming through the lake and enjoying ourselves, Terra finding the highest points on the rocky ledges above to dive from. Ven and I ended up in a contest to see who could hold their breath underwater the longest. I lost; Ven won.
Aqua spent the whole time laughing at our antics and enjoying the water, just floating peacefully on the surface or taking the occasional dive beneath the surface. Eventually the sun was nearing the horizon, and we got out of the lake. Our clothes were dried in a matter of minutes, courtesy of Aqua and I casting Fire and Aero without burning our clothes. We didn't return though, and instead spent a few more hours sitting by the lake, snacking on berries from the bushes around us. At one point Terra accidentally ate a belladonna, thinking that it was a blueberry. It took both Ven and I pounding on his stomach to get him to cough it up, and Aqua casting Esuna to get rid of the poison.
Despite the fact that Terra had almost been poisoned he began laughing, and we joined in as well. Not the humored type of laugh, but the kind that you get after just narrowly escaping peril and still feeling the adrenaline in you. The sun began to set, and we made our way back to the castle. Aqua began writing a book in the next few days, listing the types of berries in the mountains around us that were safe, and which ones were poisonous. But that didn't stop Ven from repeating that mistake and making them in his pancakes, and thus remaining in bed for days while he recovered.
It had been one of the best days that had ever spent together. And I would never forget it.
I opened my eyes and saw that we were in Aladdin's house, my body having followed with the others without my mind even giving it commands. "So, Jafar is after Jasmine and this 'Keyhole'," Aladdin repeated, getting the picture. "Keyhole, eh? I could swear I've heard about that somewhere before..." Genies said, thinking. "Really? Where?" Donald asked. "Now where was it? It's only been two-hundred years..." Genie said, and I gave up hope on that front. "Well anyway, we have to stop Jafar before it's too late," Sora said firmly. Everyone was on the same page, and so we left the house and made our way through Agrabah. The Heartless tried to stop us, but with one snap of his fingers genie was able to get rid of them like clockwork.
We find Jafar and Jasmine standing in front of the palace doors, and upon our approach Jafar turned to us. "Setting you sights a little high, aren't you, boy? Back yo your hole, street rats. I will not allow you to trouble the princess any further," he said. "Jasmine!" Aladdin called. "I'm so sorry, Aladdin," Jasmine said from where she was tied up. Aladdin held the lamp behind his back, rubbing it and saying "Genie, help Jasmine, please!" Jafar smirked, until he turned around and his eyes nearly bugged out of his skull. "One wish left! You're making this really easy, you know!" Genie said, holding Jasmine in his arms. "So sorry, boy, but I'm afraid your second wish has been denied!" Jafar said triumphantly.
Suddenly a bright red parrot shot down from above, and before I could react he snatched the lamp from Aladdin;s hands and flew over to Jafar. Aladdin shouted in surprise as the lamp was stolen, and Genie said "I'm sorry, Al." He disappeared a I puff of smoke, and Jasmine shouted as she fell through the air and landed inside a ceramic pot. The pot suddenly sprouted legs, and I realized that it wasn't a pot at all. It was a Heartless. "And now, I bid you all farewell. Attack!" Jafar commanded, and he vanished into thin air as more of the pots around us revealed themselves to be Heartless. Two shapes appeared out of the darkness, and I realized exactly what we were facing. A Pot Centipede.
The Heartless assembled itself and the pots shuffled around, moving as such quick speed that we swiftly lost track of which one held Jasmine. Then it charged forward, but rather than at us it moved for the exit to the city. "It's trying to escape! Get it!" I called. The others did as I said, and while Aladdin, Goofy and Sora kept the head distracted and Donald cast spells on the tail, I attacked the pot that made of the length of its body. I used Sonic Blade and charged with blurring speed, stabbing the point of my Keyblade into a pot and shattering it. The move caused me to slide past the Heartless, and I turned and charged again. Pot Spiders appeared out of the shadows to replace the ones I was destroying, but a Thundaga spell caused them to burst apart from the energy.
"Fire!" Donald called, and sent a quartet of fireballs at the tail. It whipped round and lashed at him, and he fell back with scratches along his arms. "Donald!" I said, and cast Cure on him. The scratched faded and he nodded his thanks, returning to casting magic. Goofy banged the head with his shield and dazed it, while Sora and Aladdin slashed away with their respective weapons. Then they were tackled from behind by another pair of Pot Spiders, and the Centipede used the distraction to barrel past them, breaking through a stack of crates and continue running for the city exit. I cast another Cure on each of them, and they stood. "Help!" we heard Jasmine cry, although her voice was somewhat muffled by being inside one of the pots. "Come on! We have to save her!" Aladdin urged. We did, and so we chased after the Pot Centipede.
The chase in on to save Jasmine, but will the group be able to save her in time? Or will Jafar and Maleficent get to her first?
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