Okage Hearts
Chapter 10
I still don't own Okage or Kingdom Hearts. Still, I've gotten three chapters up this month, so I'd say this is a pretty good month.
Ari and company hurried to a nearby boat. Despite how determined his three companions were, none of them had access to a boat. As such, they had to find someone who would be willing to give them a lift and wait for them to come back. As they continued down the dock, they noticed there was only one boat currently there, with its owner seated inside.
"Excuse me," Ari said in his loudest whisper, "We need a boat to rescue the Princess Marlene. She's been taken by the Bubble Evil King, and we're the ones her caretaker has sent to get her back."
"Oh, sure, kid," the man replied, much to Ari's surprise, "just hop in."
With that, they were off. As Kisling took water samples as they sped toward the castle, Stan and Rosalyn were arguing once again, about things Ari could not care less about. After the first twenty minutes, he decided that enough was enough and closed his eyes. If they weren't going to be quiet, he would go to sleep and ignore them as they did the whole 'old married couple' routine they seemed to be obsessed with continuing for the rest of their lives.
Unfortunately for Ari's plan, the ship made it to a solitary castle in the middle of the sea. Finding it safe to say that this was the lair of the Bubble Evil King.
Once they got off, Stan said, "Slave, when we return to rest in your pitiful home, remind me to teach you how to use the Freeze spell."
"He's not your slave!" Rosalyn shouted, "He's his own person!"
"Actually, I was sold to him in a very strange series of events," Ari muttered as a new argument began, before turning to the boatman, "Would you please wait here? If we aren't back in.. let's say twenty minutes, leave and tell a well dressed man with a big nose that he needs to find some more people to help him. Also, please go to Tenel, if it's not too much trouble and tell a girl in a white dress named Julia that Ari said he was sorry he couldn't keep his promise."
"Sure, kid," the boatman nodded, pulling his oars into the boat. Once all the preparations were made, the group continued, Stan having returned to Ari's shadow at some point.
As they continued through the bowels of the castle, Ari began to wander, trying to find anything that could be of use. As they continued along the path Ari had chosen, they came across a chest right on top of some sort of podium. Deciding to test whether it was of value, Ari summoned his Keyblade. As soon as it was in his hand, he pointed it at a chest and mumbled, "Open."
As per the norm when dealing with the magical key, Ari got the chest opened. Once he got it opened, he found a Swirly Piece of Metal. Not sure of what use it would be, he still took it. Better to have it and not know what it was for than to not have it and find out when he needed it the most.
"Ari, that's theft!" Rosalyn protested. Ari was going to protest exactly why it wasn't, but Kisling had beaten him to the chase.
"Actually, Hero Rosalyn," he said, "It's not actually stealing, as the treasure chest is in a castle that had been abandoned for centuries, and his Keyblade is clearly authorized to open these chests. As such, the Keyblade Wielder has full reign over any locked item that is not claimed."
Ari, wanting to get this done with so he could go home, backtracked, deciding to continue the search for Princess Marlene. As the quartet continued, Stan still not rising from Ari's shadow, they were repeatedly attacked by ghosts. Even though Ari was annoyed, Stan, Rosalyn, and Kisling seemed to be having the time of their lives. Kisling, Ari could understand for his enthusiasm. The man was a scientist who studied these things, so finding them must be something he would be thrilled by. Rosalyn made some sense as well, since she was a Hero, she would want to fight evil. Stan, on the other hand, made no sense. Why would he care about the ghosts if he didn't gain power from killing them? What fun could he have while randomly destroying...? And with that though, Ari deduced what would make Stan enjoy doing this.
Eventually, the team of completely different people with entirely different motives came across the Bubble Evil King in the bottom of the castle. beside him were several green Heartless with spears and fish for helmets.
"So," the ichthyoid abomination said, "You managed to find me. That's not going to be a problem. Once I get rid of you all, I can wait here for the ransom money to come."
"Wait," Rosalyn said, "So you're not going to try to use the powers of Princess Marlene to strengthen your own power and attempt to take over the world? I thought that was your evil scheme."
"Well, that wasn't the original plan," the Bubble Evil King admitted, "But now that you mention it, I think that's a brilliant plan."
Smacking his forehead at Rosalyn both thinking like Stan and giving the Bubble Evil King a better, if a bit convoluted, plan, Ari began the charge against the Heartless, slicing his way to the Bubble Evil King. As his companions joined in the onslaught, he made his way to his target and began to use Fire against him.
Unfortunately, such an attack had no effect on the giant fish, so Ari had to leap away from his swiping arms and his attempts to crush him with sheer weight. After Ari barely escaped another swipe, Stan shouted, "Alright Slave, here's a quick lesson: if you want to use Freeze, in your case, you think Freeze and point the Keyblade at the target. Now use it!"
With that,Ari began to send burst after burst of freezing air at the Bubble Evil King, seeming to weaken him bit by bit.
"Now slash at him with your Keyblade!" Stan demanded. Ari, glad for the help, willingly complied and struck the Bubble Evil King, who then proceeded to shrink to the size of a child.
"Where am I?" he asked, "I don't remember anything. I should probably get back home to the sea. Whoever you all are, I think there's a Princess upstairs in the attic."
AT that, the group rushed upstairs, making their haste to reach the Princess as quickly as possible. When they made it upstairs, Ari thought he saw a familiar face and so asked, "Julia?"
He then noticed that it wasn't the right girl. Julia had short blond hair, and wore a white dress. The Princess was the same girl he had seen on the docks, so he amended his statement, saying, "Forgive me, Your Highness. I must be more tired than I thought."
"You are forgiven," the Princess said in a calm tone as she neared him, "I had earlier thought that we had met from somewhere, but clearly we have not."
"Don't worry, lad," Kisling said, making Ari wonder if the scientist even knew his name, "Mistakes like that happen to all of us!"
Right after he said this, he gave Ari a pat on the back, knocking the boy into the Princess, who went from calm to angry as she raised her hand to strike him. As Ari bid farewell to consciousness, he heard Stan mutter something about the Princess having no heart.