Happy Sunday everyone, and welcome to chapter 9 of Before KH: Shadows!
Creativity: Can we keep these notes short? It's been a long week.
Author: Yes, yes, we'll keep them short. No new reviews for chapter 8, so that'll make it quicker.
Anyway, now we're getting into an interesting stretch. This is where things have really started to change from my original story. Well, to a point. You'll see what I mean as we get further in. But before we begin proper, here's the password for the Discord server: 5RRcGwh
Creativity: And now, I get to do the announcements!
Without further ado, allow us to proudly present chapter 9 of Before Kingdom Hearts: Shadows!
The sun was just beginning to rise when the group within the cave awakened. Leiptr looked pretty well-rested, given she'd had the previous shift. Ryo was a bit sleepy, but not as much as the group seemed to think. Well, sans Leiptr. She went along with the group's concern, but Ryo knew that she knew better.
After have a quick breakfast, the group began preparing for the journey ahead. The first to depart was Leiptr, just as she'd said she would, but not before giving Veris a notebook loaded with general knowledge about the early days of developing magic. Afterwards, she'd strode off into the woods, heading westwards. Not long after, the group also continued on their way, following the mountain range as they continued along their way.
They'd been on the road for a few hours and had been considering stopping for a rest. Veris wanted to go over a few notes she'd gotten from Leiptr regarding basic magic and everyone's legs were getting tired besides. Unfortunately, they wouldn't be able to afford horses on their current funds, and none of them had any knowledge of how to care for any animal, let alone a horse. Travelling on foot would have to do.
That was cold comfort to their suffering feet however and they were in desperate need of a break, so they found a good spot off the road and took a seat to rest their weary soles. Some dried meat was passed around and everyone occupied themselves in some manner, trying to stay productive even at rest. Veris was busy studying the notes that Leiptr had thrown together for her, occasionally mumbling and curling her finger. Barkos was busy rechecking his bow and counting his arrows, then rechecking the map to make sure they were on the right path. Garren was checking his axe, and he looked none too pleased with it. As Ryo peered closer, he noticed that the axe looked way more worn down than it should have been.
"Is your axe okay?" Ryo inquired, getting an irritated huff from his friend.
"This axe was already on the way out before we left home, and it isn't going to last more than a few fights at this rate. Besides, it wasn't meant for fighting. It's too heavy to be agile on the battlefield and too top-heavy besides." Garren grumbled as he began working the blade with a whetstone. Ryo frowned.
"It'll be a while before we reach to the next town…" Ryo noted as Garren mirrored his frown.
"I know. I was hoping to replace it before all that insanity sent us running to the hills yesterday." He muttered before he paused, his gaze turning to Barkos' pack, which was starting to glow with a pulsing white light.
"Is that…?" Garren wondered as Ryo's eyes widened.
"Everybody brace!" He shouted before light exploded from the pack! Ryo could feel and hear wind roaring past him and felt all his weight drop away for what simultaneously like a moment and an eternity before it returned and he collapsed to the ground. He could see Veris, Garren and Barkos all similarly sprawled on the ground. Ryo growled to himself as he recalled that the Breach Stone had been in Barkos' pack.
If Ryo wasn't worried about the potentially disastrous consequences, he'd have seized Garren's axe and taken it straight to the gem after this incident. It had been quiet ever since it had whisked them away from Woodfell, and Ryo had hoped it would remain so for the duration of their aimless journey. Were he not concerned about it falling into the wrong hands, he would have tossed the stone into the nearest river the first chance he had.
Ryo pulled himself to his feet and started taking in the new surroundings. They had landed in the back alley of a large town, or possibly a city. The differences were immediately apparent. For one, the roads, including the back alley they'd landed in were all composed of cobblestone; Incredibly smooth and well-maintained to boot. Additionally, while they did have wooden framing, the walls were all composed of what appeared to be a single block of stone contained within said wooden frames, each house being painted a different color, which struck Ryo as an unusual design choice.
As everyone began getting to their feet, Ryo began rechecking his equipment to ensure nothing was damaged. Fortunately, everything was still in working order and there was no rips or tears in his pack, nor his cloak. As he looked around, everyone else seemed to be in good shape as well, also checking their equipment.
"Everyone's alright? Nothing injured?" Garren asked as he rolled his shoulder and made sure his axe was safely stowed. He got some annoyed grunts and grumbles in response, but that was at least an affirmation of some kind. Ryo glanced out of the alley. So far, they hadn't been discovered by any townsfolk and Ryo was hoping it would stay that way. If this really was a city, then hopefully they would be able to just blend into the crowd and wouldn't suffer any hassle.
"Yeah, as if we could be that lucky…" Ryo thought to himself. Pessimistic as it was, he knew a pattern when he saw one.
"Well, I guess this is a bit of good fortune, all things considered. Let's find the market and see if we can find anything." Barkos suggested. Ryo glanced over at Garren, who glanced down at his worn-out axe. Perhaps this was a turn of good fortune after all, assuming they could find an affordable weapon to replace the axe. With a goal in mind, they took a right out of the alley and continued out towards a busier road, soon encountering the local townsfolk. More than a few strange looks were thrown their way, likely due to their different attire, but the townsfolk were still courteous and greeted them with respect. Unfortunately, they couldn't actually ask
"You know, this place is actually really nice! It looks like the cities that the traders would describe when they visited town, but it feels smaller than I imagined." Veris commented as they passed a few more people in the street. Ryo had to agree that the city was quite nice, though he felt much more claustrophobic behind the massive walls and the buildings reaching up high enough to cast shadows across even the wider streets. He was used to buildings only being one floor tall and spaced out more. Before that, his home had been constructed to provide as unrestricted a view of the sky and horizon as possible.
Another consequence of the larger buildings was that the mazelike layout of the city made it difficult to get where they wanted to go, and they got lost in short order. They wandered the town aimlessly for a while before they eventually stumbled into a massive square, bustling with people. The square was divided into two levels, connected by stone steps down into another, smaller square that featured four large flower gardens, which were currently being tended to by several gardeners in uniforms, all marked with the same crest. As they stepped down into the square, one of the gardeners took notice as the group passed them by and turned to bid them welcome.
"Welcome to Radiant Garden, young masters." The gardener greeted. She was an elderly woman that Ryo estimated to be in her mid-to-late sixties. She was on the shorter side and a bit portly, with more than a few wrinkles framing a pleasant smile.
"Good day and good fortune." Ryo replied neutrally. "Perhaps you can help us. We're looking for the marketplace and we've gotten a bit turned around."
"Oh, just head west from here, down that street and don't take any turns. You'll be at the market in no time." She replied while gesturing in the direction of the street in question. The group collectively offered their thanks and resumed their trek to the market.
"Radiant Garden! I can't believe that rock brought us to Radiant Garden of all places!" Garren whispered in awe and glee as his head swiveled back and forth, taking in their surroundings with new vigor.
"Just so long as we don't land ourselves in trouble. Willingly or not, we didn't pass through the gates to get in, and that could land us in hot water." Ryo muttered as his purple eyes flicked to a pair of patrolling guards, though they took no notice of the group.
"Oh, lighten up. Worst case scenario, we just have to explain how we ended up here and that's the end of that." Veris assured him. Barkos however, seemed to be having the same thoughts as Ryo.
"I'm not sure "sorry, we were dropped here by a magic rock" is going to be as exonerating as you might think." Barkos pointed out, wisely keeping his voice down. Veris paled a bit and swallowed, suddenly looking like she was trying to shrink down by a foot.
There wasn't much more chatter between them until finally reached the market, and what a market it was. It was nothing like any of them had ever seen. So many different shops, stalls, vendors and more. Some were general purpose, and others were absurdly specialized. One whole section of the market, close to the heart of the market, was devoted entirely to toys of such unimaginable variety and color. Another was dedicated to wardrobe, and that was subdivided into even smaller sections based on clothing type, purpose, material and more.
Everyone was filled with the urge to rush into the market to explore every inch they could, but Ryo and Barkos managed to reign themselves in enough to remind the others that they had business to take care of first.
"First off, we replenish our essential supplies. Then, we get Garren a new weapon." Barkos reminded everyone before they began making their way through the market in search of supplies, though they did take their time to marvel at their fair share of wares on display. Unfortunately, much of what they saw was not on the table for purchase, either due to its expense or that the item in question was ill-suited to travel; something they had to extensively remind Barkos of when they happened across a supposed 'extremely rare' copy of a history book written by a famous Oxos alumnus. Setting aside that they couldn't confirm the merchant's claim, the book was far too large to be carried around on foot all day, every day.
Still, they did see more than their fair share of temptations. Ryo happened upon an absolutely beautiful sword, polished and gleaming like the sun itself and with old runes engraved into the cross guard. The handle was wrapped in fine black leather and the pommel had a perfectly cut amethyst set into it, wrapped in silver. Still, not only was the sword far to ornate to be used on the battlefield, it was also significantly heavier than the slim blade he used now, and would completely throw off his fighting style.
Luckily, they were able to find what they were looking for at the sword merchant, as the wiry, enthusiastic man was quick to present an assortment of weapons suitable for Garren, and much more practical to boot. Among the selection were several clubs, maces, staffs, battleaxes and spears, as well as a few more exotic choices that Garren was quick to disregard, though not without quashing a great deal of wishful thinking. The large boy carefully examined each of the weapons as he stroked his chin, his face torn with indecision.
"What do you guys think?" He asked the group. Ryo frowned as he looked at the selection.
"A spear would be a solid choice. It's easier to maintain, replace and fight with, though it might be a bit harder to carry. A club would beat it on all those fronts, so that might be a better pick." He suggested. Veris cocked her head in confusion.
"Wouldn't another axe be a better pick? He's been using that one for a while." She pointed out, motioning to the woodcutter's axe in Garren's possession, though she got a negative headshake from Barkos.
"Not necessarily. My knowledge is admittedly limited in the field, but I believe I read somewhere that axes can require as much training as one might need for a sword." Barkos explained. Ryo shrugged.
"More or less. You could probably teach yourself how to use it on the road, but that would still take time, and likely more than a few injuries." Ryo added. Garren frowned, clearly not happy with what he was hearing, but not dismissing it either. This was an important choice after all, and advice couldn't be dismissed out of hand, no matter how limited it was.
Unfortunately, his thinking was interrupted by a distant, but vividly clear scream echoing from within the city. The hustle and bustle of the market came to a dead stop and all fell silent, until more screams filled the void.
"That's coming from the center square!" The merchant exclaimed as the group turned to follow the merchant's gaze. Ryo could see a patrol of soldiers quickly changing direction and hurrying towards the square.
"What do you think it is?" Garren murmured as his hands instinctively went for his axe.
"I don't know, but it can't be good if it's causing screaming in Radiant Garden's center square and nowhere else." Veris guessed grimly, her hand settling on her knife.
"You don't think…" Barkos began before he stopped. No one wanted to say it, but it was a distinct possibility. The group all started hurrying after the soldiers, doing their best to avoid the tide of citizens who were all fleeing in the opposite direction. Luckily, they were able to duck into a back-alley to avoid a fair amount of opposing traffic, though they eventually were forced back onto the main roads.
It was good fortune then, that most of the citizenry had already fled, allowing them to continue towards the square without much issue. By now, things had undoubtedly escalated as they could just barely see plumes of smoke rising into the air. Ryo was desperately hoping they were just going to arrive at a house fire out of control. Still undoubtedly tragic, but far better than what they were expecting, at least in his opinion.
Unfortunately, as they rounded one last corner, it became clear that it was not a fire out of control. A raiding party of monsters was rampaging through the square, opposed by Radiant Garden's soldiers. However, they clearly weren't going to be enough unless many more of them showed up.
"How did they even get in?!" Veris exclaimed as she drew her knife.
"We can figure that out after they're all dead!" Garren growled as he hefted his axe. Ryo and Barkos silently readied their weapons as they turned their gaze towards the monstrous horde, preparing themselves for battle.
Author: So, this was a short one, but I still enjoyed it! I've wondered while I was posting this if I should have cut some of the chapters up into smaller ones and posted that way. Maybe someone has thoughts on that? Let me know your thoughts, if you wish!
Creativity: Coming back to the story, we're still doing Radiant Garden, but making it the first "classic" world we're visiting. Any reason?
Author: Actually, yeah. The only reason I started with Jungle Book last time was because I thought "Why not?"
Honestly though, bad decision on my part. All it did was facilitate Veris discovering magic, and that happened way too quickly and had nothing really to do with the setting; Consequences of writing by the seat of your pants. Honestly, most of my work is first-draft, fast as I can go, and I kind of like it that way, but it's definitely a style with more compromises than not.
Well, not much else to say, so I think I'll call it here!
Thank you for reading, please review, hope to see you on Discord and I'll see you next time!