Okay, who is excited to get to fight this thing in Kingdom Hearts III?
I am still calling out for suggestions on world plots for later in the story. I'm accepting all suggestions, even if the world might not be used in the story. I will be accepting ideas relating to Disney movies (live-action and animated) and related properties (I'll even accept TV shows, though be warned that references to Disney Afternoon cartoons might only be limited to shout-outs and in-jokes; don't let that discourage your imagination), as well as Square Enix properties (not limited to solely Final Fantasy games). Of course, I would like at least some of you to keep in mind the list of villains sorted into the main antagonistic faction and consider what I might do when I get to the worlds that they are from. Other than that, I won't spoil what will come along, so please leave some suggestions.
Read and review, but flames will get you dragged to Davy Jones' locker.
Chapter 66
The Kraken
Aboard the Black Pearl, the party explained what had occurred on Isla Cruces to the rest of the crew, and everyone began to set sail. Elizabeth, Kairi and Donald knelt by Will, waiting for him to regain consciousness. Sora leaned against the railing on the back of the ship, staring regretfully at the fated island. Riku joined him, as did Mickey, who pulled himself up so that he was also leaning over the railing. They could tell what Sora was thinking.
"Gosh, I really wish we coulda done something about Mr. Norrington," Mickey lamented.
Riku nodded. "But there wasn't anything we could have done," he said shamefully. "We couldn't have lasted out there against all of those mutant unkillable fish people."
Sora sighed. "I know. It's just, I don't want to see people die on my watch. In the last few days, I was helpless as I watched two friends die right in front of me. Now, even though I never really got to know Norrington, and I didn't really like him much, I just couldn't bear to watch him go off to die for our sake."
"But Eugene and Adam came back," Riku reminded him.
"By a miracle that none of us could control," Sora shot back. "What happens when we run out of miracles? What happens when there aren't any lucky breaks?" He sighed. "How can I be called a hero if I can't keep the people close to me from dying?"
Mickey's face fell. "And it all turned out to be for nothing, anyway," he lamented.
"Huh?" Sora wondered what he meant.
"We went to all that trouble to get Jones' heart, and we failed," the mouse elaborated. "Now what's going to happen?"
Sora raised his eyebrow as he realized that there was still a glimmer of hope. "Mickey, we didn't fail." Mickey turned to look at him in confusion. "We got the heart out of the chest. Jack put it in a jar of dirt for safekeeping."
Mickey chuckled as he realized that they might just win this fight yet. Sora laughed along, but Riku was deep in thought. "Hold on, guys," he interrupted. "Norrington wasn't with us when we opened the chest, or when we gave the heart to Jack. Does anyone else find it weird how quickly he decided to abandon the chest?"
In the meantime, Will woke up. Elizabeth helped him into a sitting position. Seeing him hold the back of his head, which still hurt from when he was knocked out, Donald cast Cure, easing the pain. Will looked around to find that he was back on the Black Pearl.
"Where's the chest?" Will asked.
"Norrington took it to draw them off," Elizabeth explained.
"At least we got away safely," Donald said, looking on the bright side.
They heard an enormous splash. Everyone got up and looked over the side to find the Flying Dutchman right beside the Pearl.
"Really, Donald?" Kairi asked in exasperation. Donald shrugged in embarrassment.
Davy Jones, flanked by the majority of his monstrous crew, glared at Jack. Jack seemed unperturbed. "I'll handle this, mate," he said confidently to Gibbs. "Hey! Fishface! Lose something?" he taunted, flaunting the jar of dirt. He marched across the deck, his eyes locked on Jones, a mischievous smile on his face. "Come to negotiate, eh, have you, you slimy git?"
Riku sniffed the air, realizing that while he smelled something fishy (figuratively and literally) from across the water, he smelled nothing out of the ordinary from Jack's direction. He gave Sora a worried look, letting him know that something was not right.
Jack continued his taunt. "Look what I got! I got a jar of dirt! I got a jar of dirt! And guess what's inside it!" he yelled, to the utter confusion of everyone on board, even those who were aware that he was in possession of a jar of dirt for more than a few hours. The Dutchman's crew was similarly perplexed. A few of them silently wondered if Jack was taking a jab at how Davy Jones could only set foot on land for one day every ten years, but others saw it only as mindless teasing.
"Enough!" Jones barked back at his crew. As if acting on their own, the cannon covers on the Dutchman, which resembled sullen faces, slid down and cannons stuck out.
Realizing that he probably should have gotten to the point rather than dawdle on silly buildup, Jack muttered an order. "Hard to starboard!"
"Hard to starboard!" Sora relayed the message. He, Riku and Mickey summoned their Keyblades. Things were about to heat up.
"Brace up the foreyard!" Will added. Gibbs took the wheel from Cotton and spun it hard to the left. The Pearl banked right setting to sail away from the Dutchman.
"Hard to starboard! Send his beloved Pearl back to the depths!" Jones ordered. "Fire!"
The cannons fired, blasting holes into the Black Pearl's hull. One cannonball carved through the captain's cabin. The Flying Dutchman turned and gave chase to the Pearl. The majority of the Pearl's crew dedicated their efforts to steering the ship away from the Flying Dutchman. However, they found their efforts impeded by the appearance of Heartless. Pirate, Air Pirate, and Cannon Gun enemies did everything in their power to disrupt the crew's escape attempt. Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Donald turned their attention to clearing the deck of the creatures of darkness. Mickey ran down below deck and used his magic to try to destroy the cannonballs in midair before they hit the ship.
"Let them taste the triple guns," Jones commanded. At his word, a triple-barrel cannon stuck out of the front of the cursed ship and started firing at the Pearl, doing quite a bit of damage. Mickey jumped into the air and cast Reflega, blocking and blasting a few shots away.
By the time the deck had been cleared of the Heartless, the Black Pearl had gotten out of range of the Flying Dutchman's cannons. The cannonballs now fell harmlessly into the water.
"Ay! We've got her!" Gibbs cried triumphantly.
"We're faster?" Goofy asked, surprised.
"Against the wind, the Dutchman beats us. That's how she takes her prey," Gibbs explained. "But with the wind…"
"We take away its advantage," Donald finished, impressed.
"Ay," Gibbs confirmed. Elizabeth smiled, realizing the victory. Will, however, continued to stare back at the ship on which his father had been enslaved.
One of the Dutchman's crew members saw that the cannonballs were falling far behind their quarry. "We're out of range!" he announced.
"Break our pursuit!" Davy Jones ordered.
"We're giving up?" Maccus asked. Jones simply shot him a knowing smirk. Maccus grinned, knowing full well what his captain intended.
Encouraged by a strong lashing, the cursed crew began turning the wheel and raising the hammer once again.
The crew of the Black Pearl watched as the Flying Dutchman fell behind. They noticed that the cannons ceased firing and the evil vessel had stopped moving.
"They're giving up!" Marty cheered. The rest of the crew burst out in victorious celebration. Will walked up beside Jack, not satisfied with the outcome.
"My father is on that ship. If we can outrun her, we can take her. We should turn and fight!" he insisted.
Jack shot him a confident smile. "Why fight when you can negotiate? All one needs is the proper leverage," he said, setting the jar of dirt onto the railing in front of the wheel.
Sora and Riku ran up beside Jack. "Captain, I think we need a change of plan," Riku said in a concerned tone.
"How so?" Jack asked.
Before Riku could answer, the ship suddenly lurched roughly. Jack stumbled and dropped the jar over the railing. It hit the deck and shattered, spilling sand and glass shards everywhere. Jack looked down at it in shock, worried that the contents had been damaged. But after a second of staring, he noticed that something was wrong. He ran down the stairs and ran his hands through the spilled dirt, searching frantically for the heart. But it was nowhere to be found.
"Where is it? Where's the thump-thump?" he asked worriedly.
"The thump-thump?" Will parroted in confusion.
"Jack put the heart in the jar," Sora explained.
"Then where is it?" Jack asked, still terrified that he had lost his leverage against Jones.
"James…" Elizabeth whispered, having come upon the scene and realizing what was happening.
"What happened?" Goofy asked, picking himself and Donald up after the jarring lurch caused them to fall on their faces.
"We must've hit a reef," one of the sailors from Tortuga guessed, peering over the railing.
Will's eyes widened as he heard the sailor's assumption. Riku tensed up while Donald's jaw dropped, as they as well as Goofy understood what was going to happen. Those near the railing heard a low rumbling from beneath the waves.
"No. It's not a reef. Get away from the rails!" Will warned, pulling Elizabeth away from the side.
"What is it?" Elizabeth asked.
"The Kraken. To arms!" Will called.
It quickly hit everyone just what sort of danger they were all in. Gibbs relayed orders. "All guns, defend the masts!"
"It'll attack the starboard! We've seen it before! Run out the cannons and hold for my signal!" Will continued, drawing a sword.
The dozens of sailors complied, running around the ship and finding some way to assist. Donald, Goofy, Pintel, and Ragetti ran below deck and opened up the cannon covers, then pushed the cannons so that the barrels stuck out of the windows.
As they worked, enormous tentacles crawled up the hull of the ship, slowly wrapping their way up the side. Pintel and Ragetti gulped when they saw the suckers on one tentacle push their way around their cannon. Donald groaned fearfully.
Will dropped down from above to give orders. "Easy boys," he advised.
The rest of the crew leveled spears at the tentacles, which proceeded to rise above the deck. Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Mickey held their Keyblades. Elizabeth looked down at Will, waiting for him to give the word as each second seemed to draw itself out.
"Steady! Steady. Hold… Hold…"
"I think we've held fire long enough," Pintel complained. Donald nodded in agreement.
Finally, when the suspense seemed to reach its boiling point, Will gave the order. "Fire!"
Everyone below decks lit the fuses on the cannons, which promptly launched their projectiles at the tentacles directly in front of them. The tentacles were blasted back, recoiling in pain. A bloodcurdling shriek was audible each time a limb was struck. The tentacles, burning at the points of impact, curled up and retracted into the water. The crew cheered at the successful attack, for a moment thinking that it was over already.
However, Will, who watched the tentacles recede from over the railing, was less confident. "It'll be back," he warned. "We have to get off the ship."
"There are no boats," Elizabeth told him. She pointed to the remains of the longboats that had been wrecked by the cannon attack.
Sora approached them, followed by Riku, Donald and Goofy. "No need for that. We can go under and bring that thing down head-on," he said confidently.
"No, we can't!" Riku, Donald and Goofy argued, pretty clear about their perception of the odds of victory.
Will's gaze fell on a barrel rolling across the deck. An idea came to his mind. "Pull the grates! Get all the gunpowder onto the net in the cargo hold!" he ordered. The crew immediately set to work. He grabbed a rifle and held it out to Elizabeth. "Whatever you do, don't miss."
Elizabeth nodded, understanding his plan. "As soon as you're clear," she replied. She took the rifle and marched off.
Will patted Sora and Riku on the shoulders. "You men, keep the crew safe. Don't let us all go down to Davy Jones' Locker."
Sora nodded. "Aye-aye." His Keyblade rematerialized in his hand. Donald and Goofy dropped back down into the cargo hold to help gather the gunpowder. A large grate in the middle of the deck was pulled away, offering a large opening into the hold.
The crew threw barrels into a large net which Will and Mickey set to work securing. However, they soon approached a conundrum.
"There's only half a dozen kegs of powder!" Gibbs announced, realizing that there was not enough for what Will had planned.
"Then load the rum!" Will responded.
The pirates in the hold looked at them in surprise and confusion. Load the rum? Was he crazy?
Riku rolled his eyes. "Come on, men! You can drink when we're safe! And you won't need it when you're dead!" he shouted down to them.
Hearing the advice, Gibbs turned back to the others. "Ay! The rum too!"
Groaning in annoyance, the crew did as they were told. Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Elizabeth kept an eye out in case the Kraken came back.
"Wait a minute. Something's not right," Sora observed. He looked around a bit before he figured out what was wrong. "Where's Jack?"
Elizabeth ran to the railing and peered across the water. She squinted her eyes when she saw something on the surface in the distance. Her stare turned into an angry glare as she realized that Jack was rowing away in a small boat.
"Oh, that coward!" she spat.
Sora's face fell when he heard this. He glared out across the water in disappointment. "You old pirate," he muttered.
"It's coming back!" Kairi shouted. They all looked down and saw that the tentacles were rising back up around the ship. They stepped away from the railing. Sora regarded his Keyblade, thinking of something that he could do to fight this threat.
The tentacles stopped ascending and curled themselves so that they pointed at the ship. One-by-one, they crashed through the cannon windows, taking huge chunks out of the hull and destroying the cannons. Some tentacles wrapped themselves around crew members and pulled them out, while others crushed pillars.
Fortunately, the net had been loaded and secured by then. "Haul away!" Will shouted.
Gibbs turned to relay the message. "Heave! Heave like you're being paid for it!" he ordered.
"Put your backs into it!" Marty added, standing on top of a horizontal wheel that other crew members turned, causing a winch to raise the net up through the layers of the ship and out through the deck. As this happened, the tentacles lashed around inside the ship, grabbing numerous crewmen and dragging them to their doom. Donald and Goofy did everything they could to save them, but their endeavors were fruitless. Only a few made it back up to the deck. All they could do was make sure the net and payload was not compromised while Will held onto it.
As this took place, Jack rowed away. He was heartbroken as he watched the beastie attack his beloved Pearl. He turned around and saw an endless ocean. Uncertainly, he pulled his compass out and popped it open. He raised an eyebrow as the tool which he used as a guide for heading finally settled on a direction.
He made his decision, and as he set about rowing, something appeared in the boat in front of him, piquing his fancy.
Chaos raged on the deck as the Kraken's tentacles lashed around. Sora, Riku, Kairi, and Mickey fought the appendages off as best they could. Sora tripped and fell down. As he started to pick himself up, he regarded the deck of the ship, then looked at his Keyblade curiously. An idea coming to mind, he grabbed the handle and picked himself up.
Holding the Keyblade up, he concentrated on a shape. As he concentrated, his hand began to glow with a blue-white light. The Keyblade's handle guard expanded and wrapped around and under Sora, forming the hull of a boat. The handle expanded into a mast, complete with sails. The shaft exploded and reshaped itself into four cannons, which dropped onto the sides of the deck. A helicopter rotor appeared at the top of the mast and a steering wheel appeared in front of Sora. A battle-ready grin plastered on his face, Sora flew his mini-ship up and around the Black Pearl.
As he flew beside the full-size ship, Sora pointed to his left, causing the two cannons on the port side of his Keyblade-Pirate-Ship to fire explosive energy orbs at the tentacles. The limbs shook from the pain and dropped the crew members they had latched onto, including Goofy and Cotton. He sailed around to do the same to the other tentacles.
Just then, a large tentacle wrapped around the mast to which the large wheel mechanism was attached. Realizing what was about to happen, everyone ran clear just as the tentacle dropped down, smashing the wheel. The destruction of the mechanism caused the net to drop down a few feet. Despite the unexpected jolt, Will held on tight.
Will swung his sword around, shouting taunts and trying to get the Kraken's attention. Riku watched this and wondered if the monster could actually hear him.
It apparently did, as a new tentacle launched up over the side and grabbed the net. Will lost his grip, but his foot became stuck. He pulled his dagger out and began sawing at the rope, working to cut himself free.
The tentacles continued to lash. Sora blasted them with his Ion Cannons, but for as many people as he was able to save, just as many were dragged away. He gritted his teeth and hoped Will's plan worked. He could not wait to go down and finish the monster off while it was incapacitated.
Elizabeth raised her rifle and pointed it at the net. However, she hesitated, unwilling to let Will get caught in the blast.
"Shoot! Elizabeth, shoot!" Will yelled.
Elizabeth still hesitated, following the net's movements as she aimed the gun. While she waited for him to get free, a small tentacle wrapped itself around her ankle and dragged her away, causing her to drop the rifle. She screamed as the tentacle dragged her into the cabin, until Ragetti chopped the tentacle off with an ax, saving her.
Kairi watched this transpire and turned to Mickey. "We need to cover Elizabeth," she told him. He nodded in agreement.
Elizabeth ran to the gun, but another crew member picked it up, seeking to do the job quickly. However, a tentacle grabbed him and pulled him around, causing him to drop the gun onto the upper part of the deck. Sora blasted the tentacle with his cannon, causing it to drop the sailor, who avoided falling into the water by having his leg snared in the railing.
As Elizabeth made to run up the stairs, she stumbled as the ship lurched again and fell. A tentacle moved to grab her, but Kairi blasted it away with Aerora while Mickey shot it with Pearl. Elizabeth crawled up the stairs and grabbed the handle of the rifle, but someone stepped on it. She pulled violently and tried to push the foot off, but stopped when she saw whom the foot belonged to.
Elizabeth, as well as Kairi and Mickey, stared in awe as they realized that Captain Jack Sparrow had returned. He raised his weapon, eliciting a quick gasp from Elizabeth, and pointed it at the gunpowder barrels.
Will cut the rope until it snapped. His foot free, he dropped from the net and landed on the deck. More tentacles wrapped around the payload as a few barrels started to fall out.
Jack took aim and fired his weapon. It was a direct hit. One of the falling barrels exploded, igniting the other barrels right under the tentacles. Will braced himself as pieces of burning wood hit the deck, but none of them hit him. He looked up and saw that the tentacles were badly burnt, with sections around the center frame having been blasted off. They sank weakly back into the water.
After a moment of stunned silence, Marty raised an important question. "Did we kill it?"
Gibbs shook his head. "No. We just made it angry," he answered. "We're not out of this yet."
Sora landed on the deck, his Keyblade taking its normal shape again. "Nice going, Captain!" he congratulated. He turned to his main companions. "Okay. Donald, Goofy, let's go under and hit this thing head-on," he insisted. "We can put an end to this fight!"
Gibbs and Marty groaned. Mickey shook his head sadly. Riku, Donald and Goofy took the direct approach. "No. We. CAN'T!" they shouted. "Trust us on this. We're not going to be able to kill this thing on our own," Riku added.
Sora sighed. "Fine," he caved in. He turned to Jack. "Captain. Orders?"
"Abandon ship. Into the longboat," Jack answered.
"Jack! The Pearl!" Gibbs cried, aghast that his friend was proposing to abandon his cherished vessel.
"She's only a ship, mate," Jack consoled.
"He's right," Elizabeth agreed. "We have to head for land."
"That's a lot o' open water," Pintel complained worriedly. Ragetti nodded in agreement.
Sora's eyes widened as he realized that there was a better option. He remembered that there was a Safe Point in the captain's quarters. If they could get everyone into the Gummi Ship, they could all get to safety.
"I have an idea," he said. "Everyone into the cabin!" As he took the first step, he heard a creaking noise and the arch over the opening to the cabin collapsed. They would not be able to move the debris in time. He sighed, abandoning the idea. "Longboats it is."
"That's a lot o' water," Ragetti reiterated.
"We have to try," Will said. "We can get away as it takes down the Pearl."
Gibbs nodded. "Abandon ship," he ordered. "Abandon ship or abandon hope."
The remaining crew solemnly set about loading the barest essentials into the last longboat. In order to make room for as many people as possible, Sora, Donald and Goofy opted to enter their Atlantica forms and swim alongside the boat. While everyone else climbed into and started lowering the boat, Elizabeth approached Jack, who was walking around the deck, taking one last look at his beloved ship.
"Thank you, Jack," she said.
Jack turned to Elizabeth, not bothering to conceal his sorrow. "We're not free yet, love."
"You came back." She took a step toward him. "I always knew you were a good man." She leaned in and kissed him.
Gibbs handed the rifle to Will, who passed it to Marty, as they were climbing down into the longboat. Will caught a glimpse of Elizabeth kissing Jack and stopped in bewilderment. Sora, hanging onto the railing next to him, saw his shock and followed his gaze. He raised an eyebrow in confusion at how Elizabeth, who only an hour ago had been overjoyed to be reunited with Will, her fiancée, and took time to kiss him passionately, was now kissing Jack.
Both were interrupted from their thoughts by Gibbs. "Prepare to cast off! There's no time to lose!" he barked, not noticing the display by the mast. "Come on, Will, Sora, step to!" Conceding the point, they continued climbing down. Will and Gibbs dropped into the boat while Sora sank into the water, popping back up with a dolphin tail and treading beside the transformed Donald and Goofy.
Elizabeth continued to kiss Jack and walked him back against the central mast. Jack enjoyed the gratitude, seemingly not taken aback by it. He stopped reciprocating when he heard a metal sound. Elizabeth pulled back and, with an expression that made it quite clear what she was really doing, closed a shackle around Jack's wrist. He smiled with amusement, realizing that he had been played. He tugged on the chain, confirming that he had been bound to the mast.
"It's after you, not the ship. It's not us," Elizabeth explained. "This is the only way, don't you see? I'm not sorry."
Jack grinned, proud of her pragmatism and trickery. "Pirate," he spat back.
Elizabeth turned and marched away, leaving Jack alone to his fate. She climbed down into the boat. Marty set to untying the rope holding the boat to the ship.
"Where's Jack?" Will asked, a neutral expression concealing his jealousy.
"He elected to stay behind to give us a chance," Elizabeth lied.
Sora, Gibbs, and Mickey frowned, understanding that there were no good options. They had lost the fight. Now, all they could do was survive the day.
Elizabeth turned to the rest of the crew, who looked up as if still waiting for Jack, and in particular Marty, who still held the rope. "Go!" she ordered. Marty let go of the rope. Pintel and Ragetti started rowing.
Jack struggled with his manacle, trying to at the very least get free. He attempted to push himself away with his foot to see if he could break the chain off of the mast, but stopped as he remembered something. He picked his weapon up with his left hand and batted it against the manacle. After a few good tries, the shackle popped open. He smiled at his small victory, but soon noticed something rising up behind him. He turned around and saw the enormous pink, fleshy maw of the Kraken, its mouth filled with rows of long, sharp teeth encircling its maw.
The Kraken roared at him, spraying huge amounts of monstrous, disgusting saliva all over Jack. At the end of its roar, a tricorn hat fell out of its mouth. Jack recognized his prized hat, from which he had been separated both prior to the attack of his cursed former crew and the Heartless and shortly after he had first gained the Black Spot and learned that the Kraken was coming for him, when it had been accidentally lost at sea. He wiped the saliva off of his face and leaned down to pick his hat off. He shook off as much goo as he could before putting it on his head where it belonged.
He stared into the ferocious maw of the monster that had been pursuing him for days and smiled mischievously. "Hello, beastie," he greeted. He raised his weapon and charged in, swinging his weapon in an effort to make the meal as painful for the wretched beast as possible.
The crew watched the Kraken entangle the Black Pearl and drag it below the depths of the ocean. Sora and his friends gaped in horror as they took in the sheer enormity of the monstrous cephalopod. Sora now understood that his friends were right to warn him that they would not stand a chance in fighting it. All the while, they could do nothing else but lament how everything had gone wrong.