Welcome to Kingdom of Fate: Dearly Beloved Chapter 3!
I don't have much to say for this, other than keep listening to the KH OST, preferably the HD Remix soundtrack.
[We'll be giving each original world a proper music recommendation when we get to them.]
Let's begin!
Kingdom Hearts and Final Fantasy are creations of and owned by both Disney and Square Enix.
The Fate series is a creation of Kinoko Nasu and is owned by TYPE-MOON.
This story is written for entertainment purposes. Please support the official release.
Rin and Ruby stepped out of the doors that were the entrance to Traverse Town. They were in the First District, an area that comprised of a large open area with two lampposts. To the left was a small two story cafe that with candle lit tables. Next to the cafe was a weapon shop that sported a neon sign that said "Item." ... Okay then. To the right was a large double door that led to the town's Third District, next to it was a goofy looking mailbox. Between the weapon shop and the mailbox was a wide set of stairs that had a black chain in the center that split it into two sections. The upper portion of the First District had another entrance to the weapon shop immediately to the left. The center had a large, two story-looking shop that sold magic equipment along with regular jewelery, two neon signs on top of it saying "Accessories" and "Jewelery." (The owners must not have much of a naming sense) The right had houses for the residents to live in. The back had another door that led to the Second District. The sky above seemed to be cast in a perpetual night.
Rin was now sporting a new set of clothes. The sides of her hair now had twin-tails tied with black ribbons. She wore a white turtle neck sweater which was under a long, red trench coat-like jacket that reached past her knees. The jacket had a strap on the back to place Ruby in, Rin knowing that in some worlds, having a floating, talking staff was not normal (heck, it was barely normal back home). Black gloves covered her hands. She wanted to wear a skirt, but she realized that with all the jumping around she may have to do, a pair of black dress pants seemed more logical (she really didn't want to accidentally flash anyone). Brown leather boots adorned her feet.
Something caught Ruby's attention and she looked upward and gasped.
"Rin, look! A star's going out!" Rin turned her head up and her eyes widened at the sudden blinking out of what she knew was another world.
She looked back at Ruby. "We need to hurry and find Leon." The wand "nodded" and followed Rin as she climbed the stairs.
Traverse Town
3. Traversing a New World
"We'll have to look carefully. The King didn't even bother including what Leon or this "Key" even looked like." Rin muttered, a bit annoyed that her ruler forgot to mention even a vague description.
Ruby halted and looked at an alleyway between the weapon and accessory shops.
"Hey, Rin, I-"
"Oh, what do you know, you cheap piece of cosplay?" The mage ignored the wand as she went to her right.
"Wha-! I am not cheap! Do you know what went into making me!" The two bickered as they walked off, Ruby completely forgetting to tell Rin about the three powerful sources of magic in the alley.
Rider felt her senses come back to her as she woke up.
Despite having her eyes covered by her Breaker Gorgon, she could still "see" through utilizing her other senses. If she had to describe it, Rider would say that it was like only being able to see everything's outline. This did not make her useless in combat, far from it. Thanks to her magic sensing abilities combined with her extraordinary senses, she was able to "see" her opponent better than if she just used her eyes.
She could sense that she was in a tight space between two buildings, 'An alleyway.' she quickly thought. Rider could also sense that her Master and Saber were nearby, behind her actually.
Turning around she "saw" that the Servant of the Sword was lying face down on the ground, no longer in her armor.
"Saber," she knelled to her and spoke, "are you alright?" Rider decided to be at least somewhat courteous, seeing as how they were summoned to serve under the same master.
The knight groaned as she began to get up. "Rider? Wha... we're still alive?" She looked around in confusion. Saber's eyes widened and she shot up. "Our Master! Where is he!?"
"Calm yourself, Saber." She spoke in a cool tone. "He's still alive, right behind that pile of crates." The blond haired girl looked at her cautiously before carefully going to see for herself. Rider expected as much. While they had the same master and fought alongside one another, that didn't automatically make them comrades. For all she knew, this could be some sort of trap.
Saber looked and found the boy sleeping soundly while leaning against the wall. She let out a breath of relief as she turned back to Rider.
"How is it that we survived? The last thing I remember was being swallowed up by that black... thing." She asked the purple haired woman.
"I'm... not sure." She answered honestly. "I just woke up not even a minute ago, and now we're in an environment that doesn't match up with where we were before." They both began to glance around. There wasn't much that they could see being stuck in the alleyway. One thing was for sure though, like the island, the area was rich with Mana.
Both Servants heard their Master begin to groan, it seemed that he was waking up.
Saber knelled down to the boy. "Master, are you alright?" He lazily opened his eyes and saw the knight knelling next to him, Rider standing not too far away.
"What a dream..." He muttered as he closed his eyes. Saber raised a brow at this.
She was going to shake him slightly to wake him up again, only for his eyes to pop back open and for him to jump right up.
"Aah! This isn't a dream!" He looked around the unfamiliar area. "Where am I?" His eyes went to the two other people there. "Hey, you're both from the island!"
They nodded. "Master," Rider began, "do you know what's going on?"
"Master?" He repeated in confusion before shaking his head. "I'm just as lost as you are." He looked around again. "Oh, boy..."
"Master," this time Saber spoke, "might I suggest that we go out and see where we are?"
"Okay, seriously, why do you two keep calling me master?"
"We were summoned as your Servants in your time of need and are bound to you, therefore, you are our Master." The knight responded bluntly, but she could practically see the question marks pop up around him.
"Basically, we showed up when you need help and our power is connected to yours, so you're our "leader." Rider simplified, which the boy understood.
"Oh. Well, I really appreciate you both helping me out, but can you not call me master? It makes me uncomfortable." He pointed to himself with his thumb, a smile on his face. "My name's Sora! And you're... Saber and Rider, right?" He pointed to them and they nodded. "Okay, let's go do your idea, Saber." He walked to the alley's exit, the two following behind.
Rider noted how friendly he was acting with them, and could tell that it wasn't an act. Considering who she was, she wasn't expecting such an honest Master.
They walked into the open town and Sora's eyes widened. "Whoa, the islands never had signs like these!" He turned around to the girls and asked, "Hey, does this place look familiar to either of you?" They both shook their heads in denial and Sora's eyes went to the purple haired woman. "Um, hey, Rider? Aren't you gonna take that mask off and look around?"
"Oh, no. I do not need to take off the mask. My other senses can compensate." She quickly replied.
"Okay..." He still wanted to question why, but figured it was something personal. "Hey, maybe we should ask around?" Sora said while going to the door on the building that said "Accessories."
Opening the door, they saw the inside of the shop. To their right was a fire place, the back having a black couch with a matching color leg rest. The center had a display case showing off various bits of jewelery, the entire back wall doing the same. The left had the counter to make purchases, and had what looked like a shining crystal in a display case. Both Saber and Rider could feel the strong presence of Mana in the air.
At the head of the counter was a middle aged man. He had short, blonde hair with a few locks sticking up and brown goggles. He had blue eyes and a very light tan, a trace of a stubble on his chin. The man was chewing on a long toothpick, clearly trying to kick a smoking habit. Around his neck was a brown charm attached to a rope-like string. He wore a white T-shirt with two buttons down from the collar. A very wide, orange waistband with thin, vertical stripes was around his waist and stomach. He wore baggy blue pants that were up high, and long gray socks with black shoes.
He heard the door open and turned to face them with a smile, "Hey there, how can I..." only for it to fall as he saw who had come in. "Aw, it's only a coupla kids and a girl. Well, you can browse around if anything catches your fancy." His words were directed at Rider. Sora and Saber frowned, the boy walked up to the counter.
"I'm not a kid! And the name's Sora!"
"Okay, okay, simmer down." The man nonchalantly said to the boy. "So why the long face, Sora? You and your friends lost or somethin'?"
"No! Well, maybe... Where are we anyway?"
"Huh? Oh, you must all be new around here."
The man began to explain everything to the three.
"So, this place is called Traverse Town..." Saber said while her hand rested on her chin.
"So, gramps, is this really another world?" The boy asked.
"Don't call me gramps!" He snapped slightly. "The name's Cid!" He took a small breath to calm down. "Anyway...Not sure what you're talking about, but this sure ain't your island."
"Hmm... Guess I'd better start looking for Riku and Kairi." He, Saber, and Rider had made it here, so it would make sense for them to show up too.
"Well, good luck with whatever it is you're doin'." He began to mess around with some stuff behind the counter. "If you all ever run into trouble, you come find me."
"Thanks." Sora nodded with a smile and took the others out of the shop. Once they left, Cid couldn't help but sigh.
"Poor kid. To lose your world at a young age. Reminds me of the others." His mind went back to the girls that were with him. "Still, didn't think I'd be meetin' more beings like her."
"A whole different world from the one we were on before..." Rider mumbled.
Both she and Saber were still unaware of how this reality worked. Their reality had a type of magic that could let someone travel to other worlds as well, Kaleidoscope. But Kaleidoscope was limited to only parallel worlds. While it was certainly possible to travel to places that bore absolutely no semblance to each other, the multiverse was bigger than a vast ocean, so trying to find a world like that could be very difficult.
Unless you were Zelretch. But he was a completely different can of worms entirely.
"Um, hey." Their thoughts were halted as their master called out to them. "I know you don't owe me anything, but can you help me look for my friends?" He was asking? Hadn't they said that they were bound to serve him, or had he already forgotten?
'Or perhaps he truly doesn't see us as just Servants.' Rider and Saber thought, their respect for the boy slightly increasing.
"A knight is one who helps those in need. Even if I wasn't your Servant, I would assist you anyway." Saber agreed.
Rider nodded. "Seeing that you asked so nicely, how could I refuse." Of course, she couldn't refuse, but he was giving her the choice, something she wasn't expecting to happen.
"Thanks, Saber, Rider."
"Now, what do your friends look like?" Sora gave them a description on Riku and Kairi and they began their search. They asked the various citizens of Traverse Town if they had seen anyone like Sora's friends, only to no success.
"You find anything?" Sora asked as they met up at the doors at the end of the First District.
"I'm sorry, but no one saw anyone that matched your friends' descriptions." Saber said clinically. Sora looked at Rider, only for her to shake her head.
"Man. Well, we haven't looked everywhere, you girls ready to keep going?" He asked and they nodded. With that, Sora opened the door to The Second District.
The area was longer that the First District, having a wide variety of shops on the right side and a set of downward stairs that lead to a lower section of the district. The left side had a large hotel that reached all the way to the white building in the far back. The building resembled a religious establishment and had a bell under a clock tower on the roof.
The oddest part, was that there was absolutely no people there.
They walked forward a bit and heard the sound of someone running. A nondescript man fell a few feet in front of them and tried to protect himself from an unseen threat. Saber and Rider felt a dark presence, the same that they felt on the island, and summoned their weapons and armor.
Something jumped onto the man, making loud metal clanking sounds, and delved its hand straight into his chest. To the surprise of the three it ripped out a glowing heart, not the actual organ, but a thing that resembled drawings of a heart.
The creature was large, almost as big as Sora. It had a toned figure and a bluish-black body. Its feet had black, silver trimmed shoes that ended in spiraled toes. Silver wristbands were near wicked four fingered hands that had red claws. The head had a silver knight's helm decorated with two angular, eye-like spirals on the front and a yellow stripe at the base of the curled silver plume. Its monster-like qualities became more apparent as its shadowed face only exposed its bright yellow eyes, a toothy maw was the only other thing that showed. A large emblem was on its chest, it was black, outlined in red, and looked like a heart. The bottom seemed to split off and slightly curl with a spike down the middle. The upper portion had a red X. To Saber, this thing's existence was a monstrous mockery of what it was to be knight.
The monster crushed the heart, absorbing it into its being. The man became shrouded in darkness, and cleared up to reveal an exact duplicate of the creature. Both jumped up and disappeared into orbs of darkness.
The three ran up to where the man had fallen, only to be surrounded by the shadow-like monsters.
"It's those creatures from the island!" Sora shouted in shock, the Keyblade appearing in his hand. The monsters leaped at the three. The warriors easily struck them down before they had a real chance to attack. More kept appearing, and the three jumped to the lower section of the district. They kept fighting but the swarm wasn't dying down.
"We gotta get out of here!" Sora exclaimed after performing a Sliding Dash on a cluster of them.
Saber looked around for a way out, "The white building!" They ran to it and jumped up to the left side once realizing there was no way to get in on the front.
Getting inside, they saw that the white building had many gears and contraptions, most likely to operate the clock tower. They were all inert, frozen as no power flowed through the place.
Going a few steps in, more of the creatures started showing up.
"Their persistence is beginning to get annoying." Rider growled out as she launched a dagger at the enemies.
Going to the building was a mistake. The tighter area made it harder to move around in the increasing swarm. While Saber and Rider could manage, the same could not be said for Sora.
While his skill at swordplay was good, the creatures showed their strength in numbers as they kept landing occasional hits on the boy.
The swarm eventually did die down. As Saber struck down the last foe, they were allowed a moment's rest. Both Servants heard the sound of something hitting the floor and turned to the source, their eyes widening.
"Sora!" They both shouted as they ran to their Master. His clothing had several cuts and he had numerous wounds that, while shallow, were still bleeding. He was breathing heavily as he sat on the floor.
"S...sorry." He apologized. "Too... many..." He was grasping at his right arm, the worst of the bleeding stemming from there.
"Don't apologize!" Saber chastised. "This wasn't your fault! If I had been paying more attention I could have-"
"Hey," Sora interrupted, gaining control of his breathing, "if I can't apologize, then you can't blame yourself for anything." He grinned at her.
"Making jokes in your condition." Rider shook her head. "How's your arm?"
He flinched when trying to move it. "Not good, I can't swing the Keyblade like this, I'm not left handed."
"Don't worry about that right now." Saber replied, trying to make her tone soft. "Rider, I need you to carry Sora as I clear a path. We need to get back to Cid's shop."
The Servant of the Mount nodded as she picked up the boy while making sure not to hurt anything.
They made their way out and back into the swarm.
The First District was barren of life, only those dark creatures littered the area. Thankfully, there were less of them than there were in the Second District. They made it to Cid's shop and slammed the door behind them.
"Hey, watch the-Whoa!" Cid gawked as he looked at them, especially the wounded Sora. "What happened to 'im?!"
"We can explain later! Do you have any medicine and bandages?" Saber spoke, her tone authoritative.
"I got something even better, set him down on the couch." Rider complied, and laid the boy down. "I don't sell this stuff, but I usually keep a few bottles on hand for things like this." Cid pulled out a bottle that made Saber and Rider do a double take. The content of the bottle was a light green liquid that faintly glowed. The Servants could feel concentrated Mana within.
"What is that?" The knight couldn't help but ask.
"It's a Potion. They're used to heal all sorts of wounds. Here." The shopkeeper handed Sora the bottle, but he just stared at it.
"Um, what do I do with it?"
"Well, Potions can be used in two ways. The first is breaking it over your head. The magic in the thing will go to the wounds and heal you instantaneously. But with your case, I'd go with drinking it. While it's slower, it's much more thorough with the healing."
Sora looked at the bottle again before taking a swig. His eyes widened and his face scrunched up, but he finished drinking. "BLEH! That stuff was gross!" Sora complained.
Cid chuckled. "Well what 'cha expect kid? The stuff's technically medicine." A green glow began to surround Sora's wounds. It lasted for a few seconds before fading, leaving no traces of any previous injury.
"The stuff doesn't restore stamina, so you'd better rest for a bit." Sora nodded as Cid looked to the rooms other occupants. "You ladies want some? I don't see any injuries on ya but it never hurts." The two thought it over and agreed to taking the concoctions. While they hadn't used up much Prana fighting and getting here, it never hurt to keep their reserves up.
Though Sora had been right. Potions tasted awful.
"Now, tell me what happened."
"So, you encountered a Heartless swarm, huh?" Cid began chewing on his toothpick in thought.
"Heartless?" Rider questioned.
"Those monsters you've been fightin'." He got up and gazed out the door's window. "This' probably the worst it's ever been." Cid looked back at the three. "You three sure you wanna go back out there? It's probably calmed down, but not by much."
Sora nodded. "Yeah, if those Heartless really are causing trouble, then that means Riku and Kairi could be in trouble." He would never be able to live with himself if those monsters got to his friends.
"Sora," Saber looked at the boy in concern. "You can stay here, Rider and I can search for your friends."
"Thanks, Saber, but I want to go out myself." The boy smiled. "You and Rider can watch each others backs, but it would be easier for you both if you had a third to help."
While she and Rider were well capable of taking care of themselves, the concern was very touching. She sighed and looked at her master with her lips upturned slightly. "There's no way we can convince you to stay, is there?"
Sora smiled as he rubbed his nose. "Not unless you knock me out!"
"Hmm, now there's a thought." Rider smiled as she "saw" her master turn with a joking glare.
"Alright, but here." Cid handed the boy another Potion. "Insurance. Hopefully you won't need it."
"Thanks, Cid." With a smile, Sora and the two Servants left the accessory shop.
They walked a few steps forward when Saber and Rider sensed a very strong source of Prana to their left..
"They'll come at you three from out of nowhere." A masculine voice spoke.
"Who are you?" Sora asked as the man suddenly spoke to them.
"And they'll keep on coming at you all," He revealed himself from the corner he was standing in, "as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade." The man pointed at him and their eyes widened at this man's knowledge of Sora's weapon.
He looked to be almost three heads taller than Sora. He had long, brown hair that reached past his shoulders. Light blue eyes complimented his lightly tanned skin, a diagonal scar in between his eyes marred his face. A silver, chained necklace that held a pendant around his neck. The pendant depicted a side view of a roaring lion with a stylized cross under it, the bottom point had an arrow-like tip. He wore a white shirt under a black, short sleeved jacket that reached his ribs. Each sleeve had the same image as his pendant, only red, on the sides. They would later see small, red wings designed on its back. His left forearm had three brown belts evenly spaced apart starting from his wrist. Black gloves covered each hand. Black pants that had zippers on the sides and had three belts on the left thigh were held up by a black belt with silver buckle. Two more pairs of belts lied under that, brown, and were connected by a single silver buckle. A forth, black belt, was under all of that, slung sideways. His feet were covered with black zipper lined shoes.
"But why?" His expression didn't change much, but showed signs of confusion as he rubbed his forehead. "Why would it choose for a kid like you and summon a pair of Heroic Spirits?" Saber and Rider's eyes widened at this. He knew what they were.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? And what do you mean by Heroic Spirits?"
"Never mind." He reached out a hand as he began to walk forward. "Now, let's see that Keyblade."
"What?" As if by instinct, the Keyblade appeared right in Sora's hand as he, Saber, and Rider took offensive stances. "There's no way you're getting this!" This man was too suspicious. Not only did he know of the Keyblade's existence, but he knew of Heroic Spirits as well.
He paused looking at the three who were prepared to fight. "... All right." Suddenly, he pulled out a sword almost as long as he was tall, and placed it on his shoulder. It was a single edged blade that had a hilt that looked like the revolver chamber of a gun, hammer and trigger included. The black handle was as long as a small forearm and, halfway down, resembled the butt of a rifle, The bottom had a keychain that looked like his necklace pendant, only without the cross bottom. "Then have it your way." He swung the blade and got into his own stance, sword out in front of him with both hands holding the handle.
He jumped up high and prepared to swing down. Saber jumped as well to intercept. Visible and invisible blades met with equal force, but the man had a trick up his sleeve. He pulled the trigger near the handle, causing a small explosion that launched Saber to the ground in a heap.
"Saber!" Sora had no time to worry as he dodged a downward strike from the man. Rider launched her daggers at him but he managed to block. The man was open where Sora was facing him, so he performed his Sliding Dash and hit him, following with three hits.
He staggered back, not expecting such force. He stabilized and fire began to gather around his left hand. He launched a fireball at a speed that Sora couldn't dodge, sending him back.
He sent another fireball his way but it was intercepted by Rider. It landed on her chest and dissipated, not even harming her.
"Tch, so this is a Servants Magic Resistance. Okay, you can shrug off Fire," flames started to circle around him, beginning to scorching the ground, "but how about Firaga!" He launched another, larger, faster fireball at Rider. She dodge in the nick of time, but the explosion had reached her, burning her body and clothes.
This was bad. That was the equivalent to a B Ranked spell, and her Magic Resistance as it was now was only a C. The worst part was that the man didn't even looked winded from casting it.
"So, it was enough for me to break through." He looked on as Saber jumped in front of the injured Rider. "Back up, should've figured." He dashed at the knight with a downward swing. Saber blocked again and he pulled the trigger once more, creating another small explosion. She felt her feet dig into the ground beneath her from the tremendous force. He would have swung again had Sora not hit him in the back. The man jumped back as Saber swung her invisible blade and followed.
"Rider!" The boy ran to the purple haired woman. "Are you okay?!"
"Ghh, I'll be fine." The flames hadn't burned anything vital, but she couldn't move like this.
Reaching into his pocket, Sora grabbed the Potion Cid had given him. She expected that he would treat his own burns that he'd received.
Instead, he broke the bottle under Rider.
"Sora..." She felt her wounds vanish as the boy looked at her, determination in his eyes
"Rider, I got a plan, but it's risky. It'll have to be a last resort. Are you with me?" Rider said nothing, but nodded, and Sora began to tell her his strategy.
Saber was having a difficult time fighting this man. Her lowered stats made it so that they were evenly matched, and luckily her Magic Resistance had stayed the same so his fireballs were mere distractions.
But this blade of his, this... Gunblade, was giving her a challenge. He kept pressing the trigger with every swing, causing Saber to stagger back. She was still quick enough to block, but that was all she could do.
She was given a moment's reprieve when he jumped back to dodge a pair of daggers. She was surprised to see Rider was up and healed.
She and Sora were attacking the man, Rider's attacks serving as a distraction while Sora landed the hits.
"Saber!" Rider called out. "Prepare to unleash your sword's 'Sheath.'" Her eyes widened, of course! The attack was a guaranteed C Rank, he couldn't be able to block. She jumped back down the stairs and in between the two lampposts, and waited for the signal.
The man had had enough and gathered flames around his hand, unleashing a Firaga at Rider, who dodged completely this time. He set his sights on Sora, and swung down. The boy tried to block, but the force combined with the explosion launched him into a wall.
Rider suddenly appeared, grabbed Sora, and threw one of her daggers at the man, without even holding onto the chain.
"Saber! Now!" Rider yelled as she leaped behind her.
After easily dodging the weapon, the man turned to face the knight and his eyes widened. Saber was standing a good few feet away from him, her invisible sword causing the wind around it to go crazy. It was an attack, and a strong one. He'd have to use that to block it.
Holding his Gunblade in front of himself, he began to channel Mana into his sword. The blade started glowing blue, and grew. Holding it up in the air, the energy blade was twice the size of the man. Saber's eyes widened, but then narrowed. This was their only chance. She poured as much Mana as she safely could, managing to raise her attack's Rank up to a C+.
"Strike," She stepped forward, preparing to swing.
"Lion," The man finished charging his blade, prepared to counter.
"Air!" / "Heart!"
The hurricane force slash met the shining blue blade, causing a large explosion.
Dust and smoked were kicked up, shielding the turn out. But Saber and Rider knew, and it was what made them gasp.
Invisible Air, in that state, was a C+ Rank Noble Phantasm.
Lion Heart, however, was a solid B Rank.
The man walked out of the dust cloud down the stairs with his blade against his shoulder, not completely unharmed. The nature of Strike Air made the attack go around him as well as in front. He had several tears in his clothes as well as a few visible cuts. He was breathing a little heavily, but was otherwise still good to continue.
"Okay... Rider, Plan B!" Sora whispered.
'Wait, Plan B? What is Plan B!?' The knight couldn't help but yell in her head.
"Now, seeing as that's over, maybe now we could-!" His eyes widened. Rider picked up Sora and spun him around once before throwing him. The man had no time to block and Sora hit him right in the gut with the Keyblade.
That... That, was Plan B...
'I'm starting to believe that my master may be an idiot...'
The man took a knee and grasped at his stomach, his energy blade dissipated while Sora stepped back, wobbling a little.
"Ha... ha... now you're... gonna..." the boy's vision became blurry, "you're... gon...na..." Sora fell flat on his back, fatigue and his injuries knocking him unconscious.
"Sora!"
"Wow, they really let you have it, Leon. I think you're slipping." A new voice, female, said behind the now identified Leon.
The girl was half a head taller than Sora, and had short, black hair. A silver, metal headband with two green tassels on the back. She had a fair complexion with violet eyes. Covering her neck was a long, yellow scarf. She wore a green tube top with two blue belts holding it up. Mesh sleeves on her arms that disappear into orange, fingerless gloves, with black bands constricting the ends, covered her arms. Tan short-shorts with another loose, blue belt around her waist, white socks that reach about mid-thigh, and orange shoes finished the outfit. Her hands were on her hips, a smirk on her face.
"Hey, you try fighting two Heroic Spirits." Leon stood up, wincing slightly. "I tried going easy on the kid, but they made me go for an in between of that and fighting seriously."
What.
He hadn't even used his full strength in that battle?!
"Looks like things are worse than we thought. A lot worse." Leon stepped forward, making Saber and Rider stand in front of Sora, their weapons drawn.
"Hey, relax." The girl held her arms up in a nonthreatening manner. "We just wanna talk, preferably somewhere not out in the open."
"Why should we trust you?" Saber glared at the man they had fought against.
"Other than the fact that I had no intention of fighting any of you and that you were the ones who technically started it?" He raised a brow as the Servants didn't reply. "It's the fact that the Heartless should be coming back soon, and they're after him specifically."
They looked at their unconscious master. How long could they hold those creatures back before they eventually run out of Mana and are overwhelmed? They couldn't fight as well while protecting Sora, either.
"... We'll go with you, but do anything to make us question your actions and you won't have time to feel sorry." Rider ground out, causing the girl to flinch back a bit, her smile slightly askew while Leon just shrugged.
"We'll explain everything when we reach the hotel and the kid wakes up."
-Elsewhere
Riku opened his eyes, his body felt like it went through a massive beating. Opening them wider, he got a look of his surroundings
The place looked nothing like the islands. He was laying on a large, floating rock that was in between what looked like two waterfalls going... up. There were several more floating rocks that looked like they could be used to get up what looked like a gate. Far off in the distance, he could make out what looked like a castle.
Riku got up slowly, but even then he felt like the world was spinning as he stood all the way up.
"Where.. am I?" He tried looking around again, and noticed that his friends weren't there.
"Sora!" He screamed out. "Kairi!" He waited to hear their voices, but nothing replied back.
Far away from him, standing near the gate, was a man.
-Traverse Town
Rin and Ruby walked in a large alleyway that was to the left of the hotel in the Second District.
"Geez, how hard could it be to find one person!?" Rin grumbled out. Suddenly, both of them halted as they sensed a powerful burst of Prana coming from the First District.
"Rin, did you feel that?"
"How could I not? Someone's fighting. Against what I don't want to imagine."
"Maybe that was Leon?" The magic wand brought up.
"It's certainly possible-"
"Excuse me." The mage felt a hand tap her shoulder. She shrieked in fright. Turning around, she pulled out a red gemstone from her coat, but calmed down when she saw that it was just a woman.
She was a head and a half taller than Rin. Her hair was long and brown, styled into a braid and held down with a red bow and hairband down her back. She had curls on the side of her head, bangs framing her face. She had fair skin and green eyes, looking at her in worry. A black string was tied into a bow knot around her neck. She wore a pink dress with magenta lining and buttons going down the front, all of which are buttoned except for the last two. A loose, lilac belt around her waist was held with a black string tied in the same way as the one around her neck. Her left wrist had a silver coiled wire bracelet. She had large, brown boots on her feet.
"Did the king send you?" She spoke again.
"You know the king?" Ruby asked.
The woman nodded, a calming smile on her face. "Yes, my name is Aerith."
"Come on, lazy bum. Wake up." Sora heard Kairi's voice calling out to him.
Opening his eyes, he found himself laying on a bed inside a large green colored hotel room.
Sora looked to his side and saw Kairi standing there.
"You okay?" She asked.
"I guess..." Looking at himself, Sora found that he was completely healed and his clothes were no longer cut or burnt.
"Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade." She explained. "But it's your heart they really want, because you wield the Keyblade."
"I'm so glad that you're okay, Kairi."
"Kairi?" Her voiced changed. "Who are you talking about? I'm the Great Ninja Yuffie!"
"Huh?" Everything flashed white and standing in front of him was a black haired girl.
She turned around to face the door, Saber and Rider nearby it. "I think you over did it, Squall."
The man they had fought before stepped into the room. "That's Leon." Leaning on the doorway was the weapon Sora was using.
"The Keyblade..."
"Yeah, we had to get it away from you to get those creatures to stop chasing you three." Yuffie walked to Leon, Saber and Rider decided to go to Sora. "It turns out that's how they were tracking you all."
"It was the only way to conceal your heart from them." Leon crossed his arms. "But it won't work for long, especially with those Heroic Spirits you got."
He went over to the Keyblade and picked it up. "Still hard to believe that you of all people are the chosen one." Flicking it back, the weapon disappeared in a flash of light, and immediately reappeared in Sora's hand, making him flinch back in surprise.
"Well, I suppose beggars can't be choosers."
"I believe you have kept us in the dark for long enough." Saber stepped in., glaring at the man. "What is going on?"
"Okay, you know there are many other worlds out there besides your kingdom and this town, right?" Aerith asked Rin and Ruby, who were all inside a red hotel room.
"Of course." Rin answered back with a raised eyebrow.
"But that's supposed to be a secret." Ruby said, confused on how Aerith knew.
"They've been secret because they've never been connected. Until now." The dressed woman continued. "When the Heartless came, everything changed."
"The Heartless." Rider put her fingers to her chin. "Just what are they?"
"Those without hearts." Leon answered.
Yuffie continued the explanation. "The darkness in people's hearts. That's what attracts them."
"And there is darkness within every heart."
That... really put things into perspective for Saber and Rider. If what they said was true, then anyone was capable of turning into a Heartless like that man in the Second District. Then, a terrifying thought occurred to them. Could a Heroic Spirit lose their heart as well?
"Hey, have any of you heard of someone named Ansem?" Yuffie asked the three.
"Ansem? No, it doesn't really sound familiar." Ruby said while doing her, "thinking" pose, which was just her looking like she was taking a seat in midair.
"He was studying the Heartless." Aerith answered. "He recorded all of his findings in a very detailed report."
"If that's the case then may we see it?" Rin asked, only for the brown haired girl to shake her head.
"Its pages are scattered everywhere."
"Scattered?"
"To many worlds."
"Oh," Ruby tapped her fist into her palm (if she had hands, that is), "that's probably why the king left, to search for those reports."
"Yes, those were my thoughts exactly."
"Then we've gotta find him, and quick!"
"Hold on just a second." Rin interjected. "Remember the king's orders? First, we need to find that 'Key!'"
"That's right." Aerith added, "the Keyblade."
"So... this is the key?" Sora held up the "sword" in wonder.
"The Heartless have a great fear of the Keyblade." Leon informed. "They may be instinct based creatures, but they're smart enough to come after and try to destroy its wielder, no matter what." He walked over to the doorway.
"Well, I didn't ask for this."
"The Keyblade chooses its master. And it chose you." Yuffie told the boy. A sentient weapon? Saber was briefly reminded of Caliburn and Excalibur.
"So, tough luck." The man said bluntly as he leaned on the doorway.
"How did all this happen?" Sora grasped his forehead, trying to comprehend everything. "I remember being in my room..." He gasped as a terrible thought occurred to him. "Wait a minute! There were Heartless all over my island!" Sora looked grief stricken. The Servants seemed to have come to the same conclusion as their eyes widened. "What happened to my home?! My parents?! Riku! Kairi!"
"You know what? I really don't know." All Leon could do was give the boy who had potentially lost everything a sad glance.
Sora felt like crying right now, but tried hard to hold back his tears. 'I-I was able to show up in Traverse Town! E-everyone could have ended somewhere else too! They could all be okay!" He kept repeating that thought within his head, desperately trying to believe it.
The silence that spread across the room was palpable. Saber and Rider couldn't think of any words to comfort the boy with. How could they? While they had experienced great tragedies within their lives, neither of them had a shoulder to cry on during these events, nor have they ever done the same.
'As to be expected from The King with No Heart!' A voice rang out in Saber's head. She tried to ignore the reminder at her failures, but the situation didn't really allow her.
Here was a boy, whose friends and family were most likely dead and needed comfort. And here she was, a King who was unable to do what was expected of one, make her people happy and safe.
"Hey," Sora broke the silence and thankfully had brought Saber out her line of thinking, "you said something about Heroic Spirits. I still don't know what they are."
"Right, you were just thrown into this." Leon stood straight. "Heroic Spirits, in essence, are like ghosts of heroes from legends given physical form. There's a lot more to it, but that's the basic explanation."
"Whoa!" Sora turned to the two and he practically had stars in his eyes. "Saber! Rider! You two are heroes?"
"Um, Leon, how is it that you know of Heroic Spirits?" Rider asked, quickly wanting to change the subject.
"This town actually has one protecting it." Yuffie was the one who answered.
"Wait, your saying that there's one in the area right now?" Saber asked.
Leon nodded. "From what she told us, worlds have a small amount of sentience, some have enough to summon a Heroic Spirit to protect its inhabitants. Naturally, with the Heartless running around, some need it more than others."
"I see." Saber pondered with her fingers on her chin. "This Spirit Traverse Town summoned, do you know her name?"
"Oh, no, Traverse Town didn't summon her." Yuffie shook her head. "This place is made up of the remnants of other worlds. Tamamo said that a place like this would never gain any "real" sentience."
"Rider?"
"Hmm... The name does not sound familiar, perhaps a lesser known hero?"
"Well, anyway, she's not from any world I know of. Tamamo said that she was traveling around a bit before settling in the world me and Leon are from."
"I checked earlier and she's mainly focusing on protecting the Fourth and Fifth Districts. You may not get to see her today if that's what you were expecting." Leon informed the two. He turned to the Keyblade's chosen one. "Sora, right?" The boy nodded. "It's best that you know what the Keyblade can do."
"The Keyblade can open and seal any lock. We left something in the chest on the table, go ahead and take it." Yuffie continued on.
Getting up, Sora went to the table that had the blue chest. Not really knowing what to do, the boy tapped the weapon on the chest twice. It opened to reveal a yellow spherical glass bottle. It had small yellowish-brown designs of crescent moons and stars near the spiky "cork." Saber and Rider could feel an incredible amount of concentrated Mana within it.
"What is it?" Sora asked.
"It's an Elixir. They're capable of restoring a persons health and magical energy back up to maximum. It should be useful, especially with how much a Heroic Spirit's bound to use." Leon told the boy.
"Those things are ridiculously expensive so don't waste it!" The ninja girl pointed out.
"It's best to prepare yourselves now. The Heartless will come find you all sooner or later."
"Prepare ourselves?" The Keyblade's wielder asked.
"For the fight of your lives." He responded seriously. "Are you ready?"
Sora looked at Saber and Rider, then back to the Keyblade. Tightening his grip, he looked back to Leon and nodded.
"Alright, there's some more people you need to meet. Yuffie, let's go join Aerith. She should be there by now with the other visitors." The Servants walked to Sora, but halted when they felt a familiar dark presence. Right in the room!
"Leon!" Yuffie yelled as an orb of darkness appeared near the window. It released a knight Heartless like the ones before.
"Yuffie, go!" Leon yelled as he pulled out his Gunblade.
"Okay, I think it's time to meet up with the other visitors." Aerith finished her explanations to Rin and Ruby.
"Yeah, I was wondering who those powerful sources of Prana belonged to." Ruby said, looking to the door behind them.
Rin walked up to the red door. "Well, we better-" She was interrupted when the door slammed open, making her hit the wall behind hard.
Yuffie ran out the door. "Aerith! Heartless are here! We need to get out of here!"
Leon ran to the Heartless and swung his Gunblade, launching the creature out of the window.
"Sora, Saber, Rider, let's go!" He jumped out the window, the three following shortly after.
Ruby pried the door off of Rin, who was laying prone against the wall, leg twitching.
The four landed in the alleyway, several of the knight Heartless appearing.
"Don't bother with the small fry! Find the leader!" Leon launched a fireball at a few, clearing a path for them.
"I can take care of the ones here! Go to the Third District! The entrance is in the Second!" He ordered.
The three ran and came to a door that led back into the Second District. More of the Heartless appeared and they were force to fight.
Saber went for a slash, destroying the creature instantly. She went for another, and was surprised that the Heartless actually deflected her attack. It retaliated with a kick that she was able to block, killing it right away.
Two of them performed a spinning kick, going towards Rider. She jumped into the air and launched her daggers at them, making them dissipate into darkness.
Sora blocked a hit from one and landed his hits, destroying the monster. As it dissipated, a glowing heart floated up into the air and disappeared.
They ran forward and more appeared, this time with the shadow-like Heartless. Sora performed his Sliding Dash, quickly getting to the foes. The knight went for a kick towards Saber, making her block. She staggered back as she felt one of the knights kick her back. The Heartless leaped to her but Rider killed it before it got near. Saber nodded to her as she slashed another. She should have known that these new Heartless had new, underhanded tactics.
They made a dash for a thin alley and saw a door at the end that had a sign that said "Third District."
They entered to the new District and ran to the center. Ahead to their left was a vacant house, to the right was a ramp that led down to the square shaped main plaza. To the left of the plaza was a large pair of doors that went to the First District. Neon signs hung everywhere with a star shaped one near the door, an electrical power box to the left of that. The front had a gold fountain that depicted a man and a woman embracing each other. The area was smaller than either the First and Second District.
Up above in a balcony, Rin was following Ruby.
"Okay, those sources of Prana should be here. They're really close!" She was about to look over the edge when she and Rin heard the sound of something teleport behind them. They turned around and saw the dark creatures. "So these are the Heartless." The wand said as she flew into Rin's hand.
"Okay, let's do this, Ruby!"
In her defense, Rin did not expect the Heartless to spin kick her in the face.
"AAAAAAHHHH!" She and Ruby screamed as they fell off the balcony
The three heard the screaming and saw the falling girl. Rider jumped and easily caught her.
"Hey, are you okay?" Sora ran to the girl as she began to calm herself down.
"Y-yeah, I'm fi-" Her eyes widened as Ruby floated near her, probably mimicking her as they stared at the Keyblade. "The key!" They shouted, surprising the three.
"Whoa! That wand just talked!" Sora exclaimed. Saber and Rider couldn't help but raise their eyebrows at this. A talking magic wand? This was pushing the concept of a sentient weapon to the absurd limits.
Ruby turned to the two Servants and started shaking in excitement. "Two Heroic Spirits! This day keeps getting better!" The two's eyes widened. Were the forces of magic common knowledge to everyone?
Before they could say anymore, the earth started to shake. Pillars raised up near the exits, blocking any means of escape. The knight Heartless appeared, surrounding them. The all got into battle stances, Rin holding Ruby with one hand, her left hand near her jackets inner pockets.
A Heartless jumped to Rin and she grabbed a red gemstone. She the threw the jewel at the creature and it exploded in a large fireball that ended up destroying it and a few others nearby.
"Whoa! Nice one!" Sora shouted as he began striking another Heartless. He started with a downward strike and followed up with a new move. It was an upward diagonal swing to the left. It was very fast, allowing him to chain into his final strike much more quickly.
Slapshot, a move he had come up with while fighting on droves of Heartless.
The wave of the dark creatures had gone down quickly. There was a pause, no more of them appeared.
"Stay on your guards. I can sense a dark power approaching us." The knight informed the others. 'Where is it? This one isn't like the others, it's not just teleporting here. It's...' Her eyes widened when she figured out where the Heartless was.
"Above us!" She and Rider yelled as the monster made itself known.
Six giant pieces of armor fell from the sky, a body, a head, two arms, and two legs. The Armored Torso had a vaguely hour glass-shaped, violet with a lilac, diamond pattern around its waist, light black additives on it, and was large enough to fit all of them inside. The Heartless emblem was emblazoned on the center of the armor. Its helmet was violet, spherical, and sported three silver spikes and a silver faceplate with several holes in it. Both of the Gauntlets were violet with wide wrists and three lilac, segmented fingers, and were as tall as the torso. The Hammerlegs were short, violet, and ends in large, hammer-like, black feet. On the tops of both Gauntlets and Hammerlegs were black half spheres with a single spike and two red outlines on each one. Each piece was hollow.
The armor crashed to the ground, clanging loudly as it bounced up and assembled itself, body parts floating in midair. The head slammed down on the torso, completing the Heartless.
It began to walk forward and everyone dashed towards it. Saber and Sora went to strike with their respective blades, only for them to bounce off the torso, scratching the surface. The Gauntlets began to spin around the body, trying to slice up the four. Rider threw her daggers at the arms, knocking them back.
Rin held her left hand like a gun, index finger pointed and thumb up. She delved into Ruby's power, gathering the Mana she needed. "Spread!" She shouted and fired a large, hazy, dark purple orb that shot off like a bullet at the thing's feet. Once it made impact, the orb broke apart into four smaller projectiles. Only two of them hit while the others just struck the walls. The feet halted for a bit, before hopping up and down to shake off the blast's effects, creating small shockwaves that the others had to jump away from.
"Tch, leave it to the suit of armor to be resistant to Gandr Spread." She was about to reach into her jacket when the giant armor jumped to her, the pieces flailing about. Her eyes widened as the armor got closer to squishing her.
"Look out!" Sora shoved her out of the way, leaving the body parts to crash on the ground. Sora got up from on top of the mage. "Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine!" Her face was red for some reason. "J-just get off!" He shoved the boy off her and tried to calm down.
"Having boy trouble, Rin?" She could practically feel the grin Ruby was trying to give her.
"Shut up, Ruby..." Rin growled at the wand as she took out another red jewel, waiting for an opening.
An arm was heavily damaged from the attacks of Saber, but it still wasn't going down. Rider wrapped the appendage with her chains and anchored it with the daggers. With a good amount of effort, she swung the arm in an arc and slammed it into the ground, making it explode into nothingness.
Rin saw her chance and threw the gem at the Heartless' feet. The jewel detonated and took out its Hammerlegs. It's remaining arm shot out like a rocket right at Sora, but Saber deflected the projectile, making it land on the ground. They both took the opportunity to slash at the appendage while it was down, causing enough damage to destroy it.
Only the torso and head were left. The Armored Torso began to spin, faster and faster, until it was practically a blur. It sped to Rider, who tried to dodge, but did so in the direction of its rapid rotation, making it catch up and land a blow on her back.
It stopped, which gave Sora and Saber ample time to strike back.
Rin put Ruby on her back as she pointed both hands at the Armored Torso. Not even needing an incantation, she only shouted a warning to the boy and knight. They got out of the way as Rin unleashed a rapid fire Dual Gandr on the thing. It hit, and the damage built up, making for a massive attack.
Once Rin was done, chains went around the body and Rider's daggers dug a firm grip on the Heartless. With much more effort than with the arm, she began to swing around the torso, building momentum.
"Sora! Saber! Get ready!" Not needing to be told twice, the two prepared. Rider let go of her weapon, sending the Armored Torso careening towards them. When it got close enough, they both swung their swords as hard as they could, sending the armor crashing into a wall.
It tried to get up, but it was shaky. The helmet was clanking as it shook faster and faster, until it fell on the corner of the torso's top and hit the ground with a loud clang.
A giant glowing heart flew out of the Armored Torso, the remnants of the armor itself began to be surrounded in a light blue aura, gradually fading until the Heartless disappeared.
"So, you two were looking for me?" Sora pointed to himself in surprise after Rin's explanation.
"They, too, have been seeking the wielder of the Keyblade." Leon spoke while Yuffie nodded, having shown up not too long ago.
"Hey, you wanna come with us?" Ruby asked while twirling a bit in the air. "We can travel to other worlds in our vessel!"
Sora looked to the ground, his tone becoming melancholic. "I wonder if I could find Riku and Kairi..."
"Of course." Rin replied smoothly. Sora's head shot up.
"Are you sure?" The magic wand whispered to her wielder.
"Who knows?" She whispered back, "But we need this kid to come with us in order to find the king."
Leon walked to the boy. "Sora, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends."
Sora's voice became depressed again. "Yeah, I guess..."
"Alright, but you can't come with us looking like that." Rin told him. "I don't want to get depressed over this adventure. No frowning. No sad faces. Okay?"
"Yup, our ship runs on happy faces!" Ruby agreed with a cheery voice, getting annoyingly close to Rin's face.
"... Happy?" A few seconds passed before Sora did something unexpected.
He gave Rin and Ruby the absolute goofiest smile they had ever seen. Everyone paused, not really expecting this. Eventually Sora stopped and looked at the two in confusion.
"Pfft!-GAHahahaha!" Ruby broke out into a laughing fit and fell to the ground. Rin looked to her side and just scratched her cheek. Saber and Rider just shook their heads at how silly their master was.
A normal smile appeared on Sora's face. "Okay, why not? I'll go with you two." He turned back to the two that had been with him since the Destiny Islands disappeared. "Saber, Rider, you wanna come too?" He was giving them a choice again, an appreciated gesture.
"Seeing as how you are getting into something this serious, as your Servant, I will not let you go into danger alone." The knight spoke, as if declaring the statement to her ruler.
"Yes, as our Master, we couldn't go far without you anyway." Rider informed.
"Aw, come on. Quit it with that, 'Master and Servant' stuff." He put his hands behind his head and smiled widely. "I mean, we're all friends, right?"
He considered them... Friends?
That was something both Servants hadn't expected. But... they found that they didn't really mind.
With a rare smile from Saber and one from Rider, they both nodded to the boy's friendship and joining him on the journey across worlds.
"Okay, time for introductions!" The wand announced dramatically, causing Rin to facepalm. "I am the great wand of Love and Justice! Darkness will cower before my Master and I's Might!" She began to spin around, spreading shining glitter that glowed all the colors of the rainbow. "I am the almighty Kaleidostick! The one and only:" She stopped spinning, shining lights coming from behind her and... what looked like her logo.
"Magical Ruby!"
Sora was clapping in genuine applause from the display, Saber and Rider... didn't know how to react, and just decided to forget that this happened.
Probably for the best.
Rin just had her fingers pinching her brow.
"Ha Ha! Finally, someone who appreciates my introduction!" The wand was practically beaming. "I think he'll be a good influence on you, Rin!"
"Please don't feed her ego." The mage told him, ignoring the "look" Ruby was giving her. "My name is Rin Tohsaka." She held out her hand.
"Sora." He shook it, a smile on his face.
-Elsewhere
"Tch, look at this!" A harsh voice called out while looking at the projection of Sora and his group. "A mere child managed to take down that Heartless!"
"Such is the power of the Keyblade. And don't give the boy too much credit. He had a lot of help from those Servants of his." A woman replied, bemusement in her voice.
"We could just turn him into a Heartless. That should take care of things." Stated a third, a voice befitting an emperor.
"The brat's friends are the king's subordinates." A slightly raspier voice spoke. "Look at the girl and the wand. They're pathetic."
"You're not very threatening yourself, Jr." Another spoke, referring to the fourth's short stature.
"What!? You dare say that I am a weakling!? The great-!?"
"Enough." The final voice and leader broke up the squabble. "The Keyblade has chosen him. Will he be the one who conquers the darkness?"
He was a man that had mat-black hair cut short. The man wore a pair of black sunglasses. Pale skin had two scars running diagonally down, under his eyes. More scars could be seen on his hands, the left was fiddling with a pair of Baoding Balls. He was wearing a business suit, every article black. An interested smirk was across his face.
"Or will it devour him?" The smirk grew. "Either way, the kid could prove himself useful to us..."
-Traverse Town
Everyone was back in the First District. Leon giving Sora some advice.
"Make sure you're prepared for the journey ahead of you." He stated, arms crossed. "While we have somewhat of an Idea, we still don't know how far the Heartless have spread."
"Check out the shops here!" Yuffie suggested. "They have plenty of neat stuff that could be useful."
"This is from all of us."Aerith said, and gave Sora 500 Munny. "Munny is universal capital. It changes into the currency of the world you go to. Spend it as you see fit." She took out something else as Leon turned his head away. "And this is from Leon" She handed Sora an Elixir.
"Good luck you guys!" Yuffie cheered.
"I hope you find your friends."
"Look out for each other. Keep your spirits up." Sora nodded at Leon's words.
"Okay, the Gummi Ship is just outside the gate." Rin informed her three new passengers.
"The what?" Rider asked, not sure if she heard that right.
"Gummi Ship. Yeah, I know, it's a bit of a silly name."
"Just wait 'till you all see it!" Ruby said with a flourish.
"Hold on. We still need to shop for Potions and the like. Also, we need to have Sora properly equipped." In a flash of light, a rhombus shaped crystal appeared in Rin's hand, a flame dancing in the center. Saber and Rider could sense Prana from within the gem.
"What is that?" Saber asked.
"It's a Fire Ability Crystal." She took on a pose where she had a hand on her hip while a finger was pointed up. "Ability Crystals are able to have a person instantaneously learn something, be it techniques or magic spells. Although spells traditionally learned are more powerful, these are useful for when you don't have the time to teach." She handed the Crystal to Sora, and it was absorbed into his being. Information ran through his mind as he instantly remembered the formula for creating a Fire spell. "The Keyblade is a magical weapon, so it makes sense that you can use magic now."
"Whoa." He stared at his hand in wonderment of his new power.
Another flash of light and a smaller crystal appeared in Rin's hand. "This Ability Crystal's different in that it gives you a physical technique." He absorbed the crystal and he felt himself instantly knowing how to... roll?
"A Dodge Roll? I could do that before." He looked at the mage with a raised eyebrow.
"Not quite. There will always be a slight bit of magic in a technique you learn when it comes from a crystal. Like the Dodge Roll for example, it has the ability to deflect small projectiles. Just make sure not to do it to much, or you may get dizzy."
"Oh, well that's cool."
"Just keep this in mind." Her tone and expression suddenly became serious. "Unlike the Magic Crystals, which only put information into your mind, Technique Crystals actively insert Magical Energy into your body. If you put too many inside yourself and don't have a body that can handle it, pretty things will not happen to you."
Sora's face paled, not wanting to imagine what occured. "G-gotcha!" He gave a nervous smile and thumbs up.
"Good. Also, you can take out Technique Crystals if you concentrate for long enough, so it'll be useful if you wanna reorganize your skills. We're bound to find more on this journey so keep an eye out." She took a breath after the huge lecture. "Now, other than going out to shop for items, is there anything else you want to do?
Suddenly, a loud growl could be heard coming from Sora's stomach. He chuckled a bit. "Well, I haven't eaten anything in a while, so we should probably get something to eat."
After their meal (Saber and Rider putting away more food than their frames would suggest. Rin internally thanked her queen for giving them so much Munny), the group went and bought various items that would be useful on their adventure.
Ether's were one of the things they bought in bulk, a special type of concoction that only restored a persons Prana reserves. They were stored inside cube shaped bottles that were intended to be broken open, as drinking something like this really would make you sick as it was essentially liquefied Mana.
They had to settle for the basic stuff as the synthesis shop wasn't open yet.
"Hey, Rin, I was wondering, where are we storing all this stuff?" Sora asked while holding a bag full of Potions.
"Ruby has access to a pocket dimension that I use to store all sorts of stuff, mainly things like Potions. They way it works is-"
"Actually,"Sora cut her off before she could go into another lecture, "you don't have explain it to me, I probably wouldn't get it anyway." He chuckled.
Rin half glared at the boy before deciding to bring up something that was bothering her while they walked to the Gummi Ship. "Hey, Saber?"
"Yes, Rin?" The knight responded, holding a bag of various types of food (she insisted that they have emergency rations).
"I just wanted to say that you look very familiar." This caused the Servant to raise a brow. "I felt like I've met someone like you before, but I can't put my finger on it."
"Maybe Saber merely has that type of face." Rider half suggested and half joked while holding the bag of Ethers.
"What is that supposed to mean, Rider?" The blond asked the blindfolded woman, a bit of annoyance in her tone.
"I think she meant that you just have a common face that a lot of people have." It was Sora who replied with the answer.
'Oh, please.' Saber had to roll her eyes at this. 'What are the odds of that many people having the same face as me?'
After finishing up everything, the group went to the Gummi and launched off to what Ruby referred to as the "Sea of the Skies."
"Wow!" Sora was practically up against the window looking out at the amazing view of the thousands upon thousands of stars, even Saber was mesmerized by the incredible sight.
"Yeah, I never get tired of it either." Rin said as she sat down on one of the chairs inside the cockpit. She raised a brow when Rider went to the Pilot's Seat. "Rider, what are you doing?"
"I'm going to pilot the ship." She stated it as if it were a fact, an almost child-like smile on her face.
"You're wearing a blindfold."
"Don't be so naive, Rin." She waved off the mage pointing out the obvious. Rin didn't really like that all knowing tone the Heroic Spirit had. "While I cannot "see" in the traditional sense, my enhanced senses and exceptional magic detection makes my true sight comparatively sub par. That, and I am named Rider. I wouldn't be confident in my skills otherwise."
"She has a point, Rin." Ruby added from her back. "I can sense that her Riding Skill is an A+ Rank. Even Saber's a solid B. It be better for them to handle the driving instead of me 'cause while I can drive the Gummi Ship, it's only barely passable."
The mage sighed. "Fine, I don't care, just as long as I don't do it." A shiver went down her spine. Even when it's magical in nature, Rin was still technologically inept. "Ruby, what's our next destination going to be?"
The wand flew over to a screen and read the text. "Hmm... Say's here the next closest world isn't too far away. A good area to land in would be a place called La Maison Lumières. It translates to 'The House of Enlightenment.'"
"Seems like a good place to start. Rider?"
"Already going there."
Sora stared out at the vast ocean of stars. Somewhere, his friends were out there.
'Riku. Kairi. I'll see you soon, okay?'
Final Note:
So, what did you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Make sure to leave any constructive criticisms and/or questions you have in the in the review section.
I only now realize that I've essentially given Sora a harem...
[Don't worry guys, he's going the Kairi Route.]
Even if they do end up falling for Sora (the guy has a lot of the same qualities as Shirou, let's be honest here), they won't pursue a relationship with him 'cause he clearly has his eyes set on just Kairi.
[Don't you mean Riku?]
They're just like really close brothers dammit!... Though that one cutscene in 3D doesn't help my case.
[Okay, that's about it!]
Make sure to join us next time, almost exclusively written by Tannin!
[Expect innuendos, only don't actually.]
Until next time, I'm The Aeon Offspring.
[And I'm Tannin, the nerd of card games.]
Signing Off.