Okage Hearts
Chapter 27
I still don't own either Okage or Kingdom Hearts. If you have heard otherwise, you have been deceived.
It was the middle of the night when Ari was woken from a peaceful dream of being rid of all of his problems.
"Ari,"Rosalyn said as she shook him awake, a lit candle on the nightstand by Ari's head, "Get up. I think we should go around at night to see if we can find the Evil King. The villagers said that it was dangerous at night, so it seems as good an idea as any."
"I admit, you actually have a valid point for once, woman," Stan said as he rose out from Ari's shadow and began shaking the boy. "Slave, get up! We need to get a move on before the sun rises!"
"Fine," Ari murmured, getting out of bed, "Let's go."
"I still can't believe you go to bed fully dressed," Rosalyn commented.
"Are we going or not?" Ari mumbled, wanting to get the matter out of the way as soon as possible.
"Yeah!" Big Bull cheered, "Let's get to the fighting already!"
"I think it would be best if you curbed your enthusiasm, my horned colleague," Kisling stated.
"Silence is golden, that's a fact, indeed," Epros stated, "In our chosen mission, stealth is what we need."
"Well, let's get going, then," Ari responded, drawing his Keyblade.
As they wandered through the town, it quickly became apparent that every last building was sealed shut, as if no one dared to venture out their doors.
"Was that stairway always there?" Linda inquired, pointing at a dark stairwell that went downward into the dark.
"I don't think so," Stan commented, his presence being sustained by the moonlight and some torches nearby, "It must have shown up when the sun went down. I think we should go down there."
"I don't like this," Rosalyn said, grabbing a torch as they began their descent, "It feels like a trap."
In response to Rosalyn's statement, a voice from the end of the stairs said, "Indeed. Night provides the means for a clever ambush, but as I am an evil king of honor, I would not surprise you as such."
"A revelation," Epros mused, "Your appellation?"
"I am the Vampire Evil King," the voice said as they entered an area that glowed green, revealing a man who seemed to either have no lips or had his lips eternally forced, "A title I self-contemptuously place upon myself. I suspect that no other title would fit one who gains power in the manner that I gain mine."
"Blood in sleep," Epros murmured, "Flows so sweet."
"What do you mean?" Rosalyn inquired.
"This village is his feeding ground," Kisling said, piecing the situation together, "The fatigue of the villagers, the title he gave himself. The facts add together to form a cohesive explanation."
"You are correct," the Vampire Evil King acknowledged as black-coated, ghost-like Heartless began to materialize around him, one eye hanging out as they moved to attack, "The townspeople are classified as little more than cattle for me to feed upon, continuing my disgusting existence. Such is how I gain my power. And now, 'party that threatens the classified world while headed by a fearful boy,' it is time for me to defeat you, so that I may drink your blood and become the ultimate Evil King."
"You cannot defeat me!" Stan shouted proudly, "I, Evil King Stan, will take your power for my own and become the ultimate Evil King! Slave! Crush this weakling!"
Before the fight could commence, Epros stated, "Be warned, be warned! He has strong magic. A clever means to devise, as defeat would be tragic. The penalty's fatal for direct hits received. Alas, we'd be goners without time to grieve."
With that, the battle commenced. As Ari's companions began fighting off the Heartless, Ari dodged a blast of ice from the Vampire Evil King, causing a nearby Heartless to be frozen solid before falling to the ground and shattering.
"Perhaps you should use the defense spell I gave you," Stan said as Ari leapt out of the way of a powerful blast of flame.
Ari, silently agreeing with Stan, quickly put up the shield spell after he had once again leapt out of the path of the Vampire Evil King's blast of ice.
Quickly moving, Ari sent a blast of fire, which seemed to hurt his opponent. Another blast of fire from the Vampire Evil King was countered by one blast of Ice to neutralize the attack and one to strike again, causing the Vampire Evil King to waver yet again. The battle continued in this manner until the Vampire Evil King finally collapsed, the remainder of the Heartless under his command vanishing as Stan regained more power. Instead of transforming into his true form, however, Stan remained in Ari's shadow, clearly irritated.
"What is this?" he demanded, "Is there another fake Evil King to fight?"
"This is disappointing," Rosalyn remarked, "How can I kill you if you're still just a shadow?"
"I should be in my true form, not still this flimsy shadow!" Stan roared.
"Hm. . ." Kisling contemplated, "I sense that there are two possibilities: First, it could be that there are more Evil Kings, but I doubt that, as, while the power of an Evil King is apparently transferable to an extent, it is unlikely that there could possibly be that much dispersed. The second hypothesis to go by is. . ."
"I took some of the power from the Vampire Evil King before he fell," Beiloune said, seeming to be faded as he appeared before the group.
"Exactly that," Kisling concluded.
"The only way that you will regain your full power and your body is if you defeat me!" Beiloune continued, "Only then will you become the true Evil King. And you, Hero Rosalyn, the only way for you to become the Great Hero is to defeat me, as well. If you do not, I will continue to create Evil Kings until one of them finally destroys you. As for you, boy. . . You seem determined to be there for the battle against me as well, so you, too, shall have a chance, soon enough. If you wish to defeat me, you must find me in the World Library. I look forward to your defeat."
With that said, the madman once more vanished without a trace, leaving the group to seek the path to their final battle.