The Elder Scrolls: The Quest for Kingdom Hearts
…
Chapter 2: Traverse Town
High above a bustling city that shone with bright neon lights, three stars blinked out of existence in the night sky. Wandering the streets was an orange furred dog with black ears and tail. The dog walked down an alleyway and found Sora propped against the cracked wall of a building. Licking Sora's face, the dog waited for a response. Sora opened his eyes blearily and saw the dog in front of him.
"What a dream," he mumbled sleepily and his eyes fell closed again. The dog then shoved its front paws onto Sora's chest, startling him awake. "This isn't a dream!" he squawked. Squinting at the dog who was wagging its tail back and forth happily, Sora stood to his feet and looked at his surroundings. Nothing seemed familiar which caused Sora to say, "Where am I?"
Looking at the dog, Sora asked, "Hey, do you know where we are?"
The dog perked its head up as if it heard something before turning and dashing out of the alleyway. "Hey! Wait up!" Sora called out to the dog, running after it. As Sora exited out of the alleyway, the dog was nowhere to be seen, but that wasn't what Sora was thinking right at this moment.
"This is totally weird! I'm on another world!" he exclaimed. Deciding to look around and see if he could find Riku or Kairi, or someone who knew where they were, Sora set off.
…
In another district, Dragonborn, Serana and Aela were lying on the hard stone tiled ground of an alleyway. With barely a grunt, Dragonborn woke first, slowly sitting up and looking as to where he and his companions were. Not seeing anything familiar, Dragonborn saw to his friends.
"Serana? Aela?" he said to the brunette and redhead in turn. Serana's eyes red eyes flickered open and she gave a groan of pain.
"Eurgh! What happened? Where are we?" she asked as she slowly sat up. Looking at Dragonborn she said, "You're still alive, so that counts for something."
"Yeah," Dragonborn grunted as he tended to Aela. The redheaded lycanthrope awoke with a grunt of pain.
"Gods! What happened?" the Huntress asked as she rubbed her head with one hand.
"We're in another land I think," Dragonborn told her. "The buildings here don't match anything from Skyrim," he said. Aela looked at the buildings and nodded in agreement.
"And I'll wager we're not in the Imperial City of Cyrodiil," she remarked as she got to her feet and dusted herself off.
"I imagine not," Dragonborn said stoically. He and Serana then stood to their feet. Serana then asked, "What do we do now?"
"Find some answers as to where we are," Dragonborn said as though it were obvious.
"And what then?" Aela asked.
"We find someone who can explain to us what in the name of the Nine Divines is going on," Dragonborn said.
"Very well, Harbinger. I will follow your lead," Aela said respectfully.
Nodding at each other, the three Tamriel natives then headed out of the alleyway.
…
In another part of town, Courier, Veronica and ED-E were partially unconscious on a rooftop. ED-E's system rebooted, and the eye-bot's gravitational systems restarted and he floated back to hovering position and beeped and chirped. Seeing his master and her friend unconscious, ED-E prepared to wake them up. A small servo popped out and with a short quick zap of electricity, ED-E woke Courier up.
Courier swore profusely as the mild zap woke her up. ED-E buzzed happily, bobbing up and down excitedly.
"Good to see you too, ED-E," Courier muttered. Looking at Veronica, she sighed as she dug out a bottle of purified water from her bag, unscrewed the cap and dribbled the liquid onto the former Scribe's face.
Veronica coughed and spluttered as the H2O hit her face and she sat up groggily. "Ah, what the heck?" she complained. "I was having a nice dream where I was in a designer dress store," she said.
"In case you haven't noticed, we're not in Kansas anymore, Toto," Courier said sarcastically. Veronica looked around and her eyes went wide as she took everything in.
"Where are we?" the scribe asked in awe.
"Don't know," Courier replied. "I don't think we're in the NCR, though," she said thoughtfully. Looking at ED-E, Courier asked, "Hey, ED-E? Do you know where we are?"
ED-E beeped and chirped in response. "You don't know where we are?" Courier said and the eye-bot chirped in confirmation. Courier pursed her lips under her helmet and said, "ED-E, listen for local radio traffic; NCR, Brotherhood, Followers, anything."
ED-E's sensors lengthened and for a moment there was nothing but static until sound broke through.
"Goooooooooooood evening, Traverse Town! This is your host with the most, the Man About Town, Mr U.R Luckieday! Some breaking news: three stars have been spotted blinking out of existence and we've seen an influx of new arrivals in our little slice of home," said an almost annoyingly cheerful excited man's voice. "All new arrivals, welcome to Traverse Town! Think of this as your home away from home. Now, I know this is all very scary and exciting to be on another world, but don't you worry, the Man About Town is here to welcome you all and give you awesome music and latest news updates as they come in."
"Another world?" Veronica parroted. "Is that even possible?" she asked and Courier shrugged in response as they continued to listen to the radio broadcast.
"Now, some of y'all may have some questions as to how you all ended up, am I right? Well, it'll be a common story among you all that strange little monsters made of darkness itself showed up on your world and destroyed it, then you woke up here!" said the radio jockey. "Why did these monsters destroy my world, you ask? Well, can't say I know what reason they had myself, but one of our local residents by the name of Squall, sorry, Leon has all the inside info." he added.
"Leon, huh?" Courier muttered. "We find this guy, maybe we can't get some answers," she said.
"But if you're looking for Leon, can't pinpoint his exact location. He moves around town frequently, but last update was he was somewhere in the third district. But be warned! Reported sightings of those little shadow monsters have cropped, so be prepared and be ready to run if you see any!"
"That's all the news I have for now! And now, here is one of the newest songs brought in from some survivors: Take Me Home, Country Roads, by John Denver!" Then music began to play. ED-E then switched off his radio and chirped at Courier.
"Right, now we gotta find this Leon guy and get some answers outta him," Courier said as she checked her guns, making sure they were loaded with fresh ammo.
"Do you think it's gonna be that easy? The radio did say there were those shadows monsters around," Veronica reminded.
"I know it's not gonna be easy, but better than sitting here doing nothing, right?" Courier replied.
"I guess so," Veronica said nodding her head in understanding.
"C'mon, let's go see where this Leon guy is, and with any luck, maybe we can find a bar around here?" Courier said as they made their way down off the rooftop.
…
Sora soon came across one of the stores that lined the street. This shop in particular was an accessory shop. The bell jingled as Sora entered the premises, and a middle-aged man with yellow-blonde hair and a toothpick stuck in-between his teeth looked up from the counter.
"Hey, how can I…" the man began before he realised who he was talking. "Aww, it's only a kid!" he complained.
"I'm not a kid!" Sora bristled angrily. "And the name's Sora!" he added.
"Alright, simmer down," replied the shop owner before he asked, "So why the long face, Sora? You lost or something?"
"No!" Sora blurted out as his cheeks went red with embarrassment. "Well… maybe," he then admitted looking a little unsure. "Where are we anyway?" he asked.
The shop owner looked a little surprised by the question. "Eh? Where did you come from?" he enquired.
"A small world called Destiny Islands," Sora replied truthfully.
"Well, I hate to break it to ya, kid, but you're in Traverse Town now," said the shop owner.
"Traverse Town," Sora repeated, letting the name roll off his tongue. "So, gramps, is this really another world?" he then asked.
The shop owner's teeth clenched down hard and he fumed. "Don't call me 'gramps'! The name's Cid!" he said grouchily before composing himself and saying, "Anyway, not sure what you're talking about, but this ain't your island."
Sora hummed and said, "I better start looking for Riku and Kairi."
Cid then said to him, "Well, good luck with whatever you're doing. If you run into trouble, come see me."
"Thanks!" Sora replied as he prepared to leave the shop, resting his Keyblade against his shoulder. Cid's jaw nearly dropped as he saw it.
"No freaking way!"
Picking up the nearby telephone, Cid hit the speed dial. As Sora left the shop, Cid spoke in a hushed whisper into the phone receiver.
"Leon! It's Cid! I've found him!"
"I'm on my way," came the reply.
…
Sora left the accessory shop and headed into the second district. Entering the Second District, Sora was met by a man who was frantically running before he tripped and fell over. Sora ran up to the man and asked him, "Hey, are you okay Mister?" The man didn't replied as suddenly a glowing heart burst out of his chest and floated over to an orb of darkness. The darkness consumed the heart and then from the darkness a strange creature dropped to the ground wearing some kind of helmet and a strange emblem was on its chest. It made herky-jerky clattering and clanking movements before somersaulting and disappeared in a whirl of darkness. Sora gaped in shock before looking to see the man had disappeared, leaving only an empty space.
Then rising up from the ground were the same creatures that had destroyed Destiny Islands. Sora readied his Keyblade as the creatures surrounded him before moving to attack him. Sora slashed them with his weapon, feeling a sense of deep satisfaction as he destroyed them, as if he were avenging what happened to his home. Once the group of creatures were destroyed, Sora then began his search for Riku and Kairi. But sadly, he only ran into more groups of the monsters. They seemed to appear out of nowhere and attacked Sora relentlessly.
After fighting a couple of groups of the monsters, Sora found a nearby apartment to take shelter in. Closing the door behind and panting in relief, Sora was soon met with the apartment owners; a pair of Dalmatian dogs, one male with black ears and the other was female with white ears.
"Oh! Sorry! Didn't mean to barge in," Sora said to the dogs apologetically. "Is it okay if I stay here for a moment?" he asked respectfully.
The male dog looked at the female before nodding at Sora. Sora then noticed the sad looks they had on their faces. "What's wrong?" he asked them kindly. The Dalmatians whimpered sadly. Sora didn't know why he possessed this, but he always had the ability to sense the emotions and feelings of others, animals included and he could sense the feeling of pain, sadness and loss from the two dogs.
"Oh, I see. You lost your puppies when you came here, didn't you?" The Dalmatians nodded in response. "I'm searching for my friends and family," Sora said to them. "Hey, if I find any of your puppies, I can bring them back here. How does that sound?" he offered.
The dogs perked and smiles seemed to appear on their faces. With a wave of goodbye, Sora left the apartment and thought to himself. "Hmmm… maybe Cid knows where to start looking?" he asked himself as he headed back towards the firs district.
…
Entering the accessory shop, Sora found Cid. "Still haven't found 'em" Cid asked him. "Keep your chin up. Maybe have another look around town?" he suggested.
"Any idea where I can start looking?" Sora asked him.
Cid scratched his chin in thought before replying, "Maybe the third district? They could be there," he offered.
"Okay, thanks," said Sora. "By the way, you haven't seen any Dalmatian puppies anywhere, have you? Their parents can't seem to find them," he explained.
"Can't say that I have," Cid replied.
"Oh, well. Thanks anyway," Sora said as he left the shop. As Sora left, Cid whispered quietly, "Go easy on him, Leon…"
Leaving the store, Sora began to walk through the town square when a voice called out to him. "They'll come at you out of nowhere," said the voice and Sora turned around to see who it was speaking to him. Then a tall man with long brown spikey hair with a scar across his nose and wearing a black leather jacket, trousers and boots with a white shirt and a pendant in the shape of a lion's head walked towards him.
"Who are you?" Sora asked. The man raised a gloved hand pointing towards Sora and said, "And they'll keep coming at you, as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade."
Touching his forehead as if in thought, the man said, "But why? Why would it choose a kid like you?" he asked in disbelief.
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean!?" Sora demanded in an annoyed tone of voice.
"Doesn't matter. Now, let's see that Keyblade," replied the man as he stretched out his hand and walked toward Sora.
"What?! There's no way you're getting this!" Sora retorted as he went into a ready stance.
"Fine. Have it your way," said the stranger as he pulled a strange kind of weapon that appeared to be a fusion of a sword and revolver pistol, holding it firmly in both hands. Sora then charged at the man and swung his Keyblade at him. The stranger sidestepped the attack and swung his weapon at Sora. A whistle of air was heard as Sora barely managed to avoid the strike. This guy was good. Better than Tidus, Wakka and Selphie back home. Maybe even better than Riku.
Sora moved back and kept his distance from the stranger who aimed his sword at Sora and fired a ball of fire at him. Sora managed to duck and he felt the searing heat from the fireball and the stench of burning hair hit his nostrils. The stranger launched another fireball at Sora who managed to avoid it in time. Suddenly, Sora remembered a tactic he used when fighting against Wakka.
As the stranger prepared to fire another fireball, Sora readied his Keyblade. The fireball was cast and soared towards Sora who swung his weapon like a baseball bat. The fireball was knocked back towards the stranger who grunted in pain and surprise. Taking this opportunity, Sora dashed in and scored some hits on his opponent. The stranger grunted in pain each time Sora struck him but he quickly recovered and swung his own weapon at Sora and this time he did not miss. Sora was sent skidding backwards and fell on his back, grunting in pain.
The stranger loomed over Sora, reaching out with an empty hand. Sora screwed his eyes shut and thrust out his hand on reflex and the stranger was suddenly knocked back by an invisible force. Sora looked at his hand in surprise. Did he do that on purpose?
But sensing this may be the only chance to win this fight, Sora got up and ran to his opponent and slapped the man's weapon out of his hands with his Keyblade. The stranger looked up at Sora bleakly. Sora was panting hard in elation and exhaustion.
"Now, you're gonna… gonna," he tried to say before he collapsed onto the ground, unconscious. The stranger got to his feet and picked up his weapon and looked at Sora.
"Aww… you're slipping, Leon," said a playful voice and the stranger turned his head to see a young woman with short dark hair and cheeky grin on her lips. The stranger harrumphed in embarrassment.
"I went easy on him," he said as he looked at the now unconscious Sora. "Still… it looks like things are worse than we thought. A lot worse," he added grimly.
…
Meanwhile in a back alley, Courier, Veronica and ED-E traversed along the pathway. Courier suddenly slowed her pace as she glanced around. Veronica noticed this and asked, "What is it?"
Courier replied, "Trouble." Placing a hand on Lucky, she prepared to draw it at a moment's notice. Veronica readied her Paladin Toaster, shaking her arms slightly to limber up and ED-E buzzed and whirred in anticipation.
Turning around to look behind her, Courier spoke loudly, "Alright, come out! We know you're there!"
Then walking out from the darkness were three individuals that looked like something out of a Grognak or Taeles of Chivalrie comic book. One looked to be a black knight armed with a pair of swords, the other two were female with one wearing black robes and a hood over her head and the other was a fiery redhead wearing leather and metal and armed with a bow.
"Who the hell are you three? And why do you look like Grognak cosplayers?" Courier asked a little rudely.
"We'll pretend that you said that more politely," said the redhead with a sneer on her lips. "What manner of being are you?" she then asked.
"I'm asking the questions here, ginger," Courier retorted. "Who are you three and what are you doing here" she demanded.
"You first," said the black knight.
"Uhhh… Courier?" Veronica said to Courier nervously as she suddenly saw the black robed woman's glowing red eyes. The Courier also noticed this feature and said, "What's up with her eyes?" she asked looking at the black robed woman.
"None of your concern," said the knight firmly.
"Well, I'm making it my concern, In Shining Armour," Courier said tauntingly.
The knight hummed in response before speaking. "It appears you wish to fight us," he observed.
"Congratulations, you want a medal for that observation, Sherlock?" Courier taunted.
The redhead growled in anger, an almost bestial sound. Courier gave a bark of laughter. "Did you just growl at me? What are you, a dog?" she asked mockingly.
"I must ask you to refrain from making rude comments about my companion, milady. Lest I be forced to make you apologise," the knight said firmly.
"Ooh, be forced to make me apologise? How are you gonna do that? Cast a spell on me?" Courier asked.
"With my sword, actually," the knight replied as he drew the sword from his back. The sword had a dark smoky blade that seemed to drink in the light and looked to be sharp.
"heh, big sword you got there," Courier remarked. "Are you compensating for something?" she said.
The knight simply said, "Are you going to stand there and keep hurling insults all night? Or are we going to fight?" he asked in response.
Courier then quickly drew her revolver and fired a shot at the knight. The knight deflected the .357 magnum bullet with his sword in a show of uncanny reflexes. Courier fired two more shots at him, fanning the hammer with her offhand. The knight deflected them too with almost superhumanly fast swings of his sword. The redhead drew, nocked and fired an arrow from her bow at Courier who dodged the projectile. Veronica was already moving forward toward the black robed woman whose hands somehow crackled with electricity. Veronica swung her power fist at the woman who moved back and flung a bolt of electricity at her.
ED-E fired laser blasts at the redhead who nimbly dodged the energy blasts and fire an arrow at the eye-bot. The arrow bounced off ED-E's body but the robot still chirped in annoyance. The knight had closed the distance between him and Courier who drew her bowie knife, Blood Nap and held it in a reverse grip. The knight made a series of rapid thrusts with his sword at Courier who sidestepped each attack before getting in close and tried to stab her knife into the knight's chest. A scream of metal and sparks flew as the sharp steel blade dragged across the knight's armour. The knight snorted as he shoulder-charged Courier and sent her stumbling backwards.
Veronica punched rapidly at the black robed woman who easily dodged each strike before stretching out her hand which glowed with a glowing red nimbus of energy. Veronica gasped as she felt her lifeforce being drained from her. Looking up at the robed woman, Veronica nearly fainted in shock as she saw two sharp canine teeth in the woman's mouth, stretched out and glistening sharply.
"Surrender! Don't make me feed on you!" the woman said with a flash of glowing red eyes. Veronica grunted as she desperately swung her power fist and hit her opponent in the jaw, the woman grunted, her spell interrupted and seizing the opportunity, Veronica took a more direct strike at her opponent.
ED-E was avoiding each arrow sent at him, beeping and chirping in annoyance. The redhead growled before holstering her bow and drew a steel dagger from her hip and stalked towards the eye-bot who beeped in worry. The redhead swung her dagger at ED-E who zipped away from the angry redhead who gave chase, growling angrily.
Courier was trading strikes at her opponent who parried each stab and thrust Courier threw at him. Then with a hefty kick, the knight knocked Courier onto her back and slapped aside her knife with his sword and rested the tip near her throat.
"Submit," the knight ordered her. "Submit now, and I shall show you mercy," he then said.
"No!"
The knight glanced to see Veronica holding her 10mm pistol to her opponent's head. "Let my friend go, or I'll blast your friend's brains out!" she said threateningly.
The knight did not look back at Veronica but said, "Let my friend go, or I'll skewer your rude companion right here and now."
"You're not in a position to make demands!" Veronica spat.
"Neither are you," said the knight.
"Excuse me? What's going on here?" a different voice suddenly asked. Everyone looked to see a young woman with braided brown hair and a pink dress emerge, a concerned expression on her face.
"None of your business!" Courier said rudely.
The knight then chose to speak, "My companions and I heard talk that a man named Leon had information as to how we found ourselves on this world," he said.
Courier looked at the knight in surprise. "You're looking for this Leon, too?" she asked in confusion.
"You are as well, I take it," the knight said dryly as he sheathed his sword and let Courier stand to her feet.
"So, you're all looking for Leon?" asked the young woman.
"It appears that way," said the knight formally. Looking at Veronica, he asked, "Would you mind?"
Veronica glanced at Courier who nodded her head slightly. The former Scribe lowered her gun and released the dark robed woman who glared at her. ED-E and the redhead relaxed slowly and moved back to their respective companions.
"So, you know this Leon guy?" Courier asked the woman. "Can you take us to him?" she further asked.
"He's a little busy right now, but I can take you to a safehouse where we're staying and answer any questions you have," she said. "But where are my manners? I'm Aerith," she introduced herself.
"Call me Dragonborn," the knight said formally. "These are my companions Aela the Huntress and Serana," he added, pointing to the redhead and brunette in turn.
"Folk call me the Courier. Just Courier," Courier said as she got to her feet. "These are Veronica and ED-E," she added gesturing to her companions.
"So, are we best buddies, now?" Veronica asked uncertainly. "Because we were trying to kill each other a moment ago," she pointed out.
Dragonborn and Courier looked at each other, and Courier said, "We'll kill each other. Let's just get some answers first."
"Of course," Aerith said nodding her head. "Please, follow me," she added as she led them into a nearby hotel.
…
"C'mon, lazy-bum! Wake up!" said a familiar voice and Sora opened his eyes to see Kairi standing in front of him. He realised he was lying on a bed in a room. "You okay?" Kairi asked him.
"I think so," Sora said, shrugging his shoulders in response.
"Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade. But it was your heart they wanted, because you wield the Keyblade," Kairi told him. Sora had no idea what she was talking about, but he was just happy to see her.
"I'm just glad you're okay, Kairi."
"Kairi?" Kairi's voice changed to someone else's. "I am the Great Ninja Yuffie!" And in a brief flash of light, Kairi was replaced by a different slightly older girl who was looking at Sora in concern. She then looked over at the wall and said, "I think you overdid it, Squall."
Then the stranger from before stepped forward and gruffly said, "That's Leon."
Sora looked around and saw the Keyblade resting against the wall. "The Keyblade," Sora uttered softly.
"Yeah, we had to get it away from you to shake off those creatures," Yuffie informed him. "Turns out that's how they were tracking you," she said.
"It was the only way to conceal your heart from them," Leon said folding his arms over his chest. "But it won't work for long," he added grimly. Sora sat up on the bed and looked at the floor.
"Still… hard to believe that you of all people are the chosen one," Leon muttered as he picked up the Keyblade and gave it an experimental swing. In a flash of light, the Keyblade disappeared and reappeared in Sora's hands.
"Well, beggars can't be choosers," Leon commented dryly.
"Why don't you start making sense? What's going on here?!" Sora demanded.
…
In an adjacent room, Dragonborn, Serana, Aela, Courier, Veronica and ED-E stood in front of Aerith who had sat down on the edge of the bed.
"You must have a lot of questions," Aerith said knowingly.
"Indeed. Answers would be appreciated," Serana said in response.
"But how do we know you're telling the truth?" Veronica asked, playing the Devil's Advocate.
"Is there a way you can trust me?" Aerith offered.
"I can have ED-E monitor your heartbeat and tell me if you're lying or not," Courier replied and Aerith nodded in acceptance. ED-E chirped in confirmation and set his sensors to monitor Aerith's heartbeat.
"Well, first off; you know there are other worlds out there besides your own, right?" Aerith said to them.
"Well, I knew there were other planets out there," Veronica said thoughtfully. "But I never thought there'd be intelligent life," she added.
"What does that have to do with this?" Dragonborn asked Aerith, getting to the heart of the matter.
"Because, nearly every world was kept secret from each other and they've never been connected," Aerith replied. "When the Heartless came, everything changed," she said sorrowfully.
…
"The Heartless?" Sora repeated.
"The creatures who attacked you, remember?" Yuffie said to him helpfully.
"Those without hearts," Leon said grimly.
"The darkness in people's hearts. That's what attracts them," Yuffie put in.
"And there is darkness in every heart," Leon said darkly.
"Hey, ever of anyone named Ansem?" Yuffie then asked Sora.
…
"Ansem?" Aela parroted.
"He was studying the Heartless," Aerith said. "And he recorded all his findings in a detailed report," she added.
"Why would this Ansem guy wanna study the Heartless in the first place?" Courier asked, thinking out loud.
"I don't know," Aerith admitted regretfully. "I like to think he was trying to find a way to get rid of them," she said.
"Do you think this Ansem fellow was trying to find weaknesses the Heartless possess?" Dragonborn asked and Aerith nodded. "Where is this report? Do you have it here?" he then asked.
"It's pages have been scattered," Aerith said sadly.
"Scattered?" Veronica and Serana said at the same time.
"Too many worlds," Aerith said.
"How do you know all this?" Courier asked her.
"Our world was the first to be attacked by the Heartless and we ended up here," said Aerith. "A king named by the name of Mickey came by not long ago, trying to find answers of his own. We met him and exchanged what we knew with each other," she explained.
"And this King Mickey went off to search for these pages of Ansem's report?" Dragonborn asked and Aerith nodded in reply.
"You said you exchanged information with this Mickey," Courier observed. "Did he say anything on how the Heartless could be stopped?" she asked.
Aerith nodded and replied, "The King went on to say he was going off on his own to investigate a way to stop all this, while a specific individual would help ensure this chaos was resolved. It was the King's belief that this person with a 'Key' would be the one to ensure our survival and that of all worlds."
"Did the King say who he could be?" Aela asked.
"Or she?" Veronica put in.
"The King said he didn't know, but he did know that this person would wield a weapon called the Keyblade," replied Aerith.
…
"So, this is the Key?" Sora said in realisation as he looked at the Keyblade in his hand and Yuffie nodded.
"Exactly!"
"The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade," Leon said as he leaned against the wall of the room. "It's the only thing that can destroy them. And they'll keep coming after you, no matter what," he added.
"Well, I didn't ask for this!" Sora argued.
"The Keyblade chooses its master," Yuffie replied. "And it chose you," she said firmly.
"So, tough luck," Leon said almost callously.
Sora stared at the floor in front of him and he spoke. "How did this all happen? I remember being in my room." Suddenly remembering what had happened, he leapt to his feet and cried, "Wait a minute! What happened to my home?! My island?! My Mom?! Riku?! Kairi?!"
"You know what? I really don't know," Leon said sombrely and Sora hung his head sadly.
…
"Keyblade? I think I read something about that once in my family's library," Serana said thoughtfully.
"Truly?" Dragonborn asked. "What do you know?" he further asked.
"Not much. There were many once, but they died out eons ago," Serana replied. "Something about a great war," she said as she frowned trying to remember.
"That's partly true, but a handful still remain," Aerith said. "The only ones we know of are King Mickey and the person who is our only hope," she added. "The King was going to send his two best men to search for this person, but something went wrong," she then said.
"What happened?" Courier asked.
"Apparently the King's dog got on board the ship they were meant to use and accidentally activated the ship's engines and the autopilot took him and the royal chronicler here," Aerith replied.
"Royal chronicler?" Veronica echoed.
"Down here!" cried out a tiny voice from the floor. Everyone looked at the floor to see a tiny cricket wearing a neat little suit and top hat bouncing up and down.
"What the fuck?!" Courier swore. "A talking cricket?!" she said.
"Cricket's the name. Jiminy Cricket, at your service," said the little cricket with a bow and tipping its hat.
"What were the duties of the King's men when they were with you?" Dragonborn seemingly unperturbed at seeing a talking cricket.
"Once the King's men found the Key, they would then try to find the King on behalf of the Queen and end this crisis," Jiminy replied right away.
Dragonborn grunted and said, "Then it appears it falls to us to take their place."
"Okay, so we find this Key and find whoever's controlling these Heartless and put everything back the way it was, right?" Courier asked.
"It seems that way," Veronica said to her.
Courier sighed before saying "Well, not like I had anything better to do," she said sarcastically.
"Where do we start?" Serana then asked Aerith.
"Leon and Yuffie have already found the Key. They're explaining the situation to him right now," Aerith said.
"Are you all sure about this?" Jiminy asked them. "It's not going to be easy!" he warned.
"Hey, I've beaten the Legion, survived the Sierra Madre, travelled to Big MT and been through hell in the Divide," Courier said. "This'll be a cakewalk," she added.
…
In the other room, Yuffie said to Sora, "Hey, cheer up! I've heard the Keyblade can open all sorts of locks. Why not try it on any door or chest you come across?" she suggested. Sora nodded and stood to his feet.
"Sooner or later the Heartless will find you," Leon told him. "You'd best prepare yourself," he advised.
"For what?" Sora asked nervously.
"For the fight of your life, and the lives of countless others," Leon said. Looking at Sora, he asked him, "Are you ready?"
Sora nodded. "I'm ready!" he said bravely.
Leon nodded before looking at Yuffie. "Yuffie, let's go join Aerith and the others. They should be briefed by now," he said.
Yuffie suddenly gasped and shouted in warning, "Leon!" Appearing in the room was a soldier Heartless that clattered and clanked noisily. Leon had his Gunblade drawn. "Yuffie, go!" he ordered. Sora summoned his Keyblade as Yuffie ran into the other room.
"Yuffie?!" Aerith exclaimed in surprise.
"The Heartless found us!" Yuffie explained hurried as more Heartless filled the room.
"Sora! Let's go!" Leon said. Swinging his Gunblade, Leon smashed the Heartless out of the window, down into the side alley below. Leon leapt down after it and Sora followed behind him.
Back in the hotel room, Dragonborn drew his sword and spoke to Aerith. "Get the girl out of here! We'll find the Key!" he said loudly.
Veronica picked up Jiminy and placed him on her shoulder. "Hold on tight, little dude!" she advised him. Courier pulled the pin of a grenade in her hand and tossed it against the nearby wall. With an explosion, the wall was blasted outwards.
"This way!" Courier shouted as she drew Medicine Stick and climbed onto the rooftops.
…
In the side alley, more Heartless appeared around Sora and Leon. Leon looked at Sora and said to him, "Don't bother with the small fry! Find the leader! Let's go!" With that, Leon ran towards the first district while Sora ran in the opposite direction towards the third district. Remembering Cid telling him that Riku and Kairi could be in the third district, Sora ran as fast as he could, avoiding the Heartless as they tried to attack him. Reaching the third district, Sora ran down the steps and into the big open courtyard.
Looking around, but seeing no sign of Riku and Kairi, Sora kept his guard up. Up on the rooftops, Dragonborn spotted the spiky haired boy armed with the Keyblade.
"There! The boy with spiky hair!" he pointed out.
Courier gave a snort. "Tch! Figures it'd be someone with no experience!" she scoffed.
"Do not judge him by appearance," Dragonborn said to Courier. "The Keyblade chose him for a reason," he added.
"He's right, y'know?" Veronica said to Courier. "The kid could surprise us," she added.
"Yeah, well, so long as I don't end up babysitting him!" Courier groused but then she saw large cinder blocks drop down around the courtyard, blocking the exits. "Oh, goody! The kid walked into a trap!" she said in faux happiness.
"Then let's give him a hand!" Aela announced as she readied her bow.
Heartless appeared around Sora and one snuck up behind him when suddenly it was slashed into two halves by Dragonborn's sword. Sora looked up at the armoured warrior and asked, "Who are you?!"
"Call me Dragonborn. We're here to help," Dragonborn replied as he and the others stood with Sora. "You ready?" he asked the young boy.
"I was born ready!" Sora boasted.
"Then shut up and draw your iron!" Courier said.
The seven warriors then fought the Heartless. Dragonborn slashed and hewed apart the creatures with his sword. Courier's gun fired .45-70 calibre slugs, obliterating Heartless. Veronica used Oh, Baby to crushed any that came close to her. Serana fired bolts of lightning at the Heartless. Aela fired countless arrows at the Heartless and even used her bow like a quarterstaff to knock them if they got too close. ED-E used his laser to blast any Heartless to smithereens and zipped about the battlefield. Soon all the Heartless were defeated, and Courier looked around and said, "Is that it? I was hoping for more."
As if in answer to her words, large pieces of silver, blue and yellow armour consisting of gauntlets, boots, cuirass and helmet fell from the sky and hit the ground with a loud clatter, bouncing up and spinning in the air wildly. The gauntlets then settled around the torso which had a strange symbol on it and the boots settled their soles on the ground and the helmet attached itself to the cuirass.
"I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that's the Heartless commander here," Serana said dryly.
"No shit, Sherlock!" Courier muttered as she reloaded Medicine Stick.
Dragonborn charged at the Heartless commander, One of the gauntlets swung at Dragonborn who managed to block the attack but was sent skidding back. Veronica circled around the large Heartless and tried to take a swing at it with Oh Baby, but the Heartless stomped its boots, sending out a shockwave which knocked Veronica into the air briefly before she fell and hit the ground with a thud.
Sora tried his luck, swinging his Keyblade at the Heartless while Courier fired her gun at it. Aela fired some arrows at the Heartless too. Sora's attacks did very little to the commander, and neither Courier's bullets or Aela's arrows did anything to it. The Heartless swung a fist at Courier who dodged the attack, rolling back to get some distance. Looking at ED-E, she said, "ED-E! Gimme a scan of that thing! Find a weak spot! Anything!" ED-E chirped in response and began scanning the Heartless intently as everyone fought it.
Dragonborn was trading blows with the Heartless commander, his sword parrying each strike it made with its fists.
ED-E soon finished scanning the Heartless and beeped excitedly at Courier who understood what the eye-bot was saying to her. She then shouted to everyone, "Take out the commander's limbs! It'll grow weaker if we destroy its limbs!"
Dragonborn heard and he then focussed on destroying the Heartless's hands. Veronica smashed Oh Baby into the Heartless's feet and knocked it towards Sora who slashed it in half with the Keyblade. Aela and Serana worked together to destroy the other foot. Dragonborn destroyed the right gauntlet and Courier, using her VATS, fired precise shots at the left gauntlet, destroying it.
"Now! Hit it with everything!" Dragonborn roared and everyone focussed their attacks on the Heartless commander's body. The Heartless withered under the assault before a series of explosions rocked its body and it fell to the ground defeated. A large glowing heart burst out of the commander's body and floated off and the body faded into nothingness.
"We did it! That was so cool!" Sora cheered in triumph.
"Who's for a drink?" Courier suggested.
"You know, the seven of us worked pretty well together," Veronica pointed out. Dragonborn glanced at her before walking over to Sora.
"We've been looking for you," the Dovahkiin said to the boy who looked up at him and said, "You have?" he asked.
"They too have been seeking the wielder of the Keyblade," Leon said as he, Aerith and Yuffie walked into the courtyard.
"Yes. We believe you may be the only one who can stop the Heartless and restore the worlds we've lost," Dragonborn said to him.
"Okay, but why?" Sora asked.
"The Heartless attacked our worlds too," Courier said to Sora. "And as hard as it is for me to say or believe this, you may be the only chance we have at getting back at those things," she added.
"A king even believed you were the one to do it," Veronica chimed in. "We even have a ship that can allow us to travel to other worlds," she said.
"I wonder if we can find my Mom, and my friends Riku and Kairi?" Sora said softly.
"If your mother and friends are out there, then we'll find them," Aela said kindly to Sora.
"Sora, go with them, especially if you want to find your friends," Leon said.
"Yeah, I guess," Sora mumbled quietly.
Veronica smiled at him and said, "Hey, now. You can't come along looking like that!" she chided him. "No frowning! No sad faces! This ship runs on happy faces!" she told him.
"Seriously? You're doing this?" Courier asked the ex-Scribe who glared at her.
"Happy?" Sora asked as he looked down at the ground and Veronica had a slightly disheartened look. Then Sora raised his head with the biggest and silliest smile on his face and said, "CHEESE!"
Veronica burst out laughing and it also got a chuckle out of Serana, Aela and Dragonborn. "That's one funny face!" Veronica said through her laughter and ED-E chirped in agreement. Courier slumped her shoulders and muttered something under her breath.
"Eh, six out of seven ain't bad," Sora said shrugging his shoulders. "I'll go with you guys!" he declared.
"My name's Veronica Santangelo, former Scribe of the Brotherhood of Steel," Veronica said holding out her hand, palm facing down.
"I am Aela the Huntress of the Companions," Aela said placing her hand on top of Veronica's.
"I'm Serana," Serana said putting her hand in.
"I don't actually have a name. I was never given one, but in Skyrim I am called the Dragonborn," Dragonborn said placing his hand on top. Everyone looked at Courier who reluctantly put her hand on top.
"Call me Courier, everyone does," she said.
"I'm Sora!" Sora said as he placed his hand on top of the pile.
"And that's ED-E, in case everyone forgot," Veronica said as ED-E chirped feeling left out.
"Sorry about that," Sora said to the eye-bot who chirped in acceptance.
"And so begins another adventure," Dragonborn said as they left the Third District.
…
In a far off world in a dark chapel, a group of figures shrouded in darkness watched the events in Traverse Town unfold in a magical mirror.
"So, the little squirt took down that Heartless! Who'd have though it?" scoffed one of the individuals, this one had blue grey and had flickering blue flames for hair.
A regal looking individual with a turban on his head and holding a snake's head staff in his hand spoke. "Such is the power of the Keyblade! The child's strength is not his own!" he said derisively.
"Why not just turn the brat into a Heartless?" asked another of the individuals, an obese woman surrounded by wet tentacles. "That'll settle things quick enough!" she laughed.
"And the brat's friends are a problem as well!" added a man with a hook for a left hand. "Swoggle me eyes! They're all bilge rats by the look of them!" he stated.
"You're no prize yourself!" laughed what could only be described as a living burlap sack.
"Shut up!" spat the hook handed man angrily.
Then a man in black robes with a full face helmet spoke. "We cannot underestimate them," he said. "Each of them threatens our plans in their own right!" he declared.
"Enough," commanded a woman's voice, regal and filled with dark malice. Walking into the light was the woman who spoke. She green tinted skin and horns on her head and wore dark robes and held a staff with a green gem set into it. "The Keyblade has chosen him for a reason. Will it be he who conquers the darkness? Or will the darkness swallow him?" she postulated. A thin sinister smile spread across her lips as she said, "Either way, he could be quite useful."
Then two more individuals stepped into the light, one was an elderly man wearing purple robes and had grey hair and beard and the other was a woman with gold tinted skin, pointed ears and pale blonde hair. The elderly man spoke.
"I would be very much interested in studying this Keyblade, but if anything, I want to exact my revenge on the Courier!" he spat with malice and barely restrained fury in his aging voice.
"Indeed," said the gold skinned woman. "The Dragonborn has been a thorn in the Thalmor's side for far too long. Removing him will be of benefit to our operations," she added.
"Patience, my friends. All in good time," said the green skinned woman. "Soon, all the Princesses of Heart and the worlds shall be ours," she declared with a smile.
TO BE CONTINUED…
A/N: There! Second chapter done and dusted! I hope it was enough to make the grade and has set things up nicely. I hope you were all satisfied with this chapter and the characterisations of the characters in this. If some of you are asking why the Courier is acting like a bit of a bitch, well you could say that she suffers from PTSD from all that she's been through in the Mojave, from the war against Caesar's Legion, the events of Zion, the horrors of the Sierra Madre, the experiments of Big MT to facing the fallout of her past decisions in the Divide, it would make sense why she is the way she is, and also why she has something of a drinking habit, plus some other issues which I will reveal in time.
So, other than that, I haven't got much more to say, so I'll just leave this here. Feedback is appreciated and I'll see you all in the next one.
Be kind to one another,
Angry lil' elf.