Before we get to the story, I need to apologize for not being clearer in the last chapter. I've actually already chosen worlds for all the RWBY characters whose POV we've seen so far (along with a few that I can't name without spoiling). The decision was based on the directions I could take those characters in with those worlds. If anyone can think of a good story- or character-driven reason for someone else to show up, then I might be open to it. Again, I'm really sorry for giving some of you the wrong idea. But at least one of you has sparked some potential ideas, so thanks. I'll see what I can do.
With that said, let's get back to Sora and Ruby's exploration of Traverse Town.
"That… sucked," panted Sora as he walked out of the Gizmo Shop, Ruby following him. The two young warriors came out onto an elevated alleyway. A ladder was leaned up to one corner, but it seemed too wobbly to use.
"Ugh, seriously," complained Ruby, shaking her head in frustration, "how many Shadows did we fight in there? And how is this place a shop?" Sora took a moment to count on his fingers before shaking his head.
"I don't know," he admitted before turning to her with a half-hearted smirk. "But I'm glad you were with me. I'd probably be a lot more tired by now if I'd gone it alone."
"Sure thing," Ruby replied with a thumbs up.
The two of them had spent a bit of time exploring the Second District. At first, they'd tried to check out some of the shops, only to find that they were all closed and run into more Shadows. Then they went to the hotel and fought even more Shadows, just for a receptionist to tell them that there were no vacancies. Then they fought Shadows again outside and checked the so-called Gizmo Shop. Then, they ended up fighting so many Shadows that Ruby worried that another dark storm had come. Thankfully, that didn't turn out to be the case.
"Still," Ruby wondered aloud, "why do we keep running into those things everywhere we go?" Seriously. She was getting flashbacks to her team's time clearing out Grimm at Mountain Glenn.
"I don't know," said Sora, shrugging before placing his hands behind his head. "But I guess it explains why there aren't a lot of people out here. I wonder why we didn't see any of those things in the First District."
"Who knows?" replied Ruby with her own shrug. "What about the Munny that you've been collecting?" She was referring to the yellow and silver spheres that were often left behind by the Shadows they'd slain. According to the younger boy, it was a form of currency that he recognized from his own world. "And how are your pockets not bulging after collecting so many?"
"Oh, yeah," gasped Sora. "I never explained that part to you, did I?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a single orb, pointing out a number on it. "See, you can actually merge Munny and combine their value. Comes in handy when you see the prices in stores. Stuff usually costs over a hundred."
"Wow," responded Ruby in awe. The orb that Sora held up to her had '100 M' printed on it. "How does that even work?" There was a slight pause.
"I… have no idea," he finally admitted. "I've always just kind of ran with it."
"Maybe we can ask Cid about it when we see him again," suggested Ruby, starting to recover from the long fight they'd just had. "So where should we—"
"Roger, look out!" shrieked a feminine voice from below. The two teens rushed to the edge of their alley and spotted a couple backing away from some Shadows as they spawned from the ground. The man was a somewhat thin blond in a collared shirt, a red sweater vest, a green pair of khakis, and loafers. The other was a strawberry-blonde woman in a light-blue blouse and a dark blue skirt with heels. The man moved to shield the woman as they both cautiously stepped away from the monsters.
"Let's help them!" urged Sora, summoning the Keyblade again.
"Right!" agreed Ruby. The Keyblade wielder leaped first, landing against a window ledge on the opposite side of the lower alley and kicking off of it. He then landed in front of the couple, wildly slashing a couple of Shadows into dark mists. Ruby leaped down next, pulling out Crescent Rose and transforming it into its scythe form mid-fall. She slammed the giant blade into a Shadow right underneath her, reducing it to the same black mist. She quickly followed up with an upper swing at a Shadow as it leaped at her, carefully twirling the blade so as not to hit any walls or people. When a third stared her down from ahead, she took aim and quickly pulled the trigger, only to get a click.
"Wha—?" yelped Ruby. Oh no! She'd completely forgotten to reload her weapon after the fight with Cinder. Her attention was brought back to the Shadow as it turned into its namesake and moved towards her before reforming. She reached for Array's Fragment, only to unsuccessfully tug it against her belt. Ruby was about to kick at the little monster when Sora came in and smacked it away with his Keyblade. He followed up with a slash that finished the bug off.
"Thanks, Sora," said Ruby as she swapped the empty Dust clip for her last loaded one.
"No problem," replied Sora, holding the Keyblade across his shoulder with a smirk. Ruby had noticed throughout the night that the Keyblade seemed to only cut its targets when Sora actually wanted it to. Yet another sign that it was a magical weapon. Sora then turned his attention to the couple that they'd saved. "You two okay?"
"I believe so," sighed the woman in relief as she held onto the man. "Thank you."
"Yes, thanks," added the man. Ruby couldn't help but notice that their accents were similar to her friend Velvet's. "That was very impressive how you two jumped in like that. I suppose that'll teach us to be out so late. We may as well use this thing more, since we can't tell by looking outside anymore." He pointed at the watch on his arm as he spoke.
"What do you mean?" asked Sora. Both adults looked at the two teens in surprise before their faces shifted into concern.
"Oh dear," said the woman. "Are the two of you new in town?"
"Is it that obvious?" asked Ruby as she shrugged and smirked. The couple chuckled at the rhetorical question.
"Well, in any case," said the woman, gesturing to herself. "My name is Anita Radcliffe, and this is my husband, Roger."
"Hi, Roger and Anita. My name's Ruby Rose," greeted the silver-eyed huntress.
"I'm Sora," added the younger boy. It suddenly occurred to Ruby that she'd never heard Sora's last name. Did he even have one? Before she could ask, the younger boy went on. "So why is it hard to tell when it's late around here?"
"I think we should head inside before continuing this discussion," warned Roger as he pointed to the white door at the end of the alley. "The Shadows never appear in our house. So we won't have to worry."
"Sounds good to me," said Sora as he turned to Ruby. "How about you?"
"I could use a break from fighting," she agreed.
"Alright then, right this way," said Roger as he and Anita led the teens towards their door.
As they went, Ruby noted that she'd need a better way to carry around Array's Fragment if she wanted to use it as a backup. Her knot had just been a quick way to secure it in the heat of the moment. But she'd need a proper way to draw it in the future.
Then there was her last Dust clip. Until she could find some more ammo, Ruby would have to conserve her shots. That is, if her Dust hadn't gone inert from leaving Remnant. The reason her home world had never gotten into space was because their only fuel source lost its power after breaking the atmosphere. 'I wonder if I can find an alternative in one of the shops around here. Will they accept Lien as payment?'
…
"Hhhha…" sighed Donald as he looked down from the upper alleyway outside the Gizmo Shop. "Not here either."
"This could take a while…" noted Goofy as he surveyed everything in sight. After checking a restaurant in the First District, the two of them had spent some time searching the Second District for any sign of this Leon guy or the 'Key.' But so far, they'd had no luck.
"Hey," said Goofy, pointing to the back corner. "Ya think we might get a better look from the roof?" Donald followed his gaze to a wobbly-looking ladder. "I'll betcha that ladder'll get us up to that there roof."
"Uh-uh," replied Donald, making an X with his arms. "Remember the last time you tried setting up a ladder?" Goofy blushed and rubbed his head sheepishly.
"I didn't mean ta fall on Horace," replied the royal captain in embarrassment.
"Let's just head back and check someplace else," said Donald. With that, the two of them headed back into the Gizmo Shop.
…
"Awwwww!" cooed Ruby as she approached the two Dalmatians that had been lying by the door. "You didn't mention that you had dogs." The room that they'd entered was a homey study with a single couch on a large rug, a desk, a piano, and a double bass. There were some books lying around, while some framed pictures of Dalmatian puppies hung from the walls.
"The one with the red collar is Pongo," explained Roger as he sat on a nearby couch, "and the other is Perdita."
"They arrived in this town with us," said Anita as she closed the door behind them. Sora was about to join Ruby when he noticed how sad both dogs seemed.
"Hey," asked the Keyblade wielder in concern, "are they okay?"
Roger sighed before replying, "They're still grieving. In fact, so are we. The rest of our family was lost when our world…" He trailed off, a sullen expression forming on his face, while Anita sat next to him and held his hand reassuringly.
"So, has everyone in this town lost their world?" asked Ruby, looking at the couple anxiously.
"Well, from what I've heard," explained Anita, placing a finger on her chin, "this town was created from fragments of other worlds that were swallowed by the darkness, forming a new whole. So, I suppose that some of them technically still have a piece of home."
"It's not the same," sighed Roger. "This town may be a sanctuary for survivors, but it doesn't change that almost everyone who lives here has lost something precious."
Sora couldn't help but sympathize. Part of him still didn't want to accept it, but his islands were probably gone. One look at Ruby told him that she felt the same way. Not wanting to make her feel worse, he turned to the Radcliffes and decided to change the subject.
"Hey, you said outside that it's hard to tell when it's late," said Sora. "What did that mean?"
"Oh, that's right," said Anita. "Well, you see, this town is locked in an eternal night."
"Huh!?" shouted Ruby, bolting to her feet in shock.
"What!?" exclaimed Sora. Both teens looked out the window in disbelief. "You mean there's no sun here?"
"I'm afraid not," answered Roger. "The closest thing we have is the sun lamp that they're developing in the Outer Docks. But it uses so much power that they can only afford to run it for a few hours every two weeks. The last lighting was just two ago."
"I can still remember," muttered Anita. "When we saw it for the first time, a little girl asked me, 'Is that what a real sun looks like?'"
"That's so sad," commented a dejected Ruby.
"Yes, especially for newcomers," agreed Anita, "but we're getting used to it. The group counseling sessions help… somewhat." Her tone of voice didn't do much to back up her claim. Sora felt a pang in his chest at the thought of how every person in this town had lost so much. Their friends, family, pets, and homes. All gone. He didn't even want to think about his parents just being gone like that. But at the very least, something inside was telling him that he wasn't the only survivor. Deep down, he just knew that Riku and Kairi were still out there.
"Hey, speaking of newcomers," said Sora, "have you seen any more around lately? We were hoping to find some friends from our worlds."
"Hmm," mused Roger. "Well, we did spot a duck and dog that we didn't recognize—the kind that walk on two legs and speak that is. Does that sound familiar?" Both teens shook their heads. "Sorry then."
"It's okay," replied a dejected Sora. "I guess we'll just have to keep looking."
"I do hope you find your friends," said Roger as he gently took his wife's hand. "Anita and I were lucky to find each other and our dogs."
"Well, even if you don't find them in Traverse Town," reasoned Anita, "there's still hope."
"What do you mean?" asked Ruby, both her and Sora's expressions becoming more encouraged by her words.
"While this town is a haven for those who have lost their worlds, there's still a chance that some survivors were sent to other worlds entirely."
"So we'd just need a way to get to other worlds?" asked a hopeful Sora, to which the couple nodded.
"Any idea how we can do that?" asked Ruby.
"Sometimes, a vessel will arrive in the Outer Docks," answered Anita. "There's a man at the Accessory Shop who'd know more about world-traveling than either of us. His name is Cid." That name got both teens' eyes to light up as they gave knowing looks to each other.
"If you do find a vessel for off-world travel," warned Roger, "you'd better be prepared for a long trip. There are many worlds to search."
"How many are we talking here?" asked Ruby, looking at everyone else anxiously.
"Well, back home," explained Sora, folding his arms in thought, "they'd say that every star in the night sky is another world."
"Wha—!" stammered Ruby as she suddenly hunched forward and her arms hanged limply from her shoulders. Both adults sympathetically nodded in agreement with Sora. "But that—how in the—!? SERIOUSLY!? THAT MANY!?"
…
After discussing a few more things with the Radcliffes and leaving, Sora and Ruby were at a loss. They had left the Dalmatian house's back door and entered an alleyway with drainage pools that led to a closed-off tunnel. From there, it was back into the Second District, through a tunnel market (where they found an entrance to the underground post office), the Third District, and backtracking to the Second District for a third time. There had still been no sign of either of their friends. The only place left to check was the Outer Docks, but they decided to talk with Cid before then.
"I'm getting worried about our friends," admitted Ruby, stopping in her tracks as they'd approached the door to the First District. "What if… What if you and I really are the only ones from our worlds to...?" She trailed off, unable to finish that horrific thought. Sora hesitated to answer, feeling a little downcast as he placed a hand on the double doors.
"If we have to, maybe we can get Cid or someone else to help us check other worlds," he finally suggested, slowly pushing the doors open and stepping through. "Besides, after what the Radcliffes said, searching the Outer Docks should be a lot more peaceful—Oh, give me a break!"
As soon as the two of them had set foot into the First District, they were greeted by a bunch of Shadows, rising from the ground.
"AAAAAH!" screamed a portly man as he ran away. "THEY'RE HERE! SHADOWS!" The teens could hear people screaming and doors slamming from below.
Sora quickly summoned the Keyblade and charged in, slashing away any Shadows in his path. He could hear Crescent Rose's parts shifting as Ruby joined the fight.
The red reaper would zip around at amazing speed, taking out monsters with ease that continued to impress Sora. The two of them made their way downstairs, where they had spotted the Moogle earlier. He was flying around frantically as Shadows leaped after him from all sides.
"Hang on!" shouted Sora. He leaped down the stairs, swinging the Keyblade down and into a Shadow just as it leaped at the little guy. As soon as he hit the ground, the other Shadows turned their attention to him, twitching anxiously.
"Heads up!" called out Ruby. Sora looked up in time to see the silver-eyed girl burst down the stairs with Crescent Rose in hand, slicing the Shadows in her path but avoiding both Sora and the Moogle. The Keyblade wielder wondered how she was able to move so quickly and why she kept leaving a trail of rose petals every time she did it.
'Guess her name isn't Rose for nothing,' he thought while taking out another Shadow with a swipe from the Keyblade.
"Ohhhh! Whoooaah!" cried the Moogle in a high-pitched voice. "Why are Shadows here, Kupo!? I thought this district was safe!"
"Don't ask us," yelled Ruby as she twirled her scythe around, slashing a few more Shadows. "We don't know what these things even are!"
"Get to safety," Sora ordered the fuzzy, toy-like creature.
"You don't have to tell me twice, Kupo!" shouted the Moogle as he fluttered towards the Accessory Shop. "GWAAAH!" Sora turned around to see a lot more Shadows spawning in front of the shop's doors. One of them was even clinging to the door with its claws, like the bug it resembled.
"I got em," yelled Ruby as she zipped to the Moogle's side, snatching him in one arm and rushing to Sora's side as they faced the Shadows.
"Careful!" yelled the Moogle. "You almost touched my pom, Kupo!"
The Keyblade wielder followed up Ruby's maneuver by attacking the clustered monsters with a sliding dash. After the bug-like monsters in his path were turned into a dark mist, Sora quickly smacked away the one that'd been hanging on the door and cracked the entrance open for the Moogle.
"Hurry!" yelled Sora as Ruby rushed over. She released the little guy, allowing him to fly in. Sora closed the entrance once more as another wave of Shadows emerged. "Oh boy…" This group was easily twice the size of the one that had appeared before it. There were so many that they were even coming from down the stairs. Sora held the Keyblade ready as Ruby stood by his side.
"Not the gizmo shop all over again," groaned Ruby. Sora was about to respond when the doors behind them burst wide open!
"What's going on out here!?" shouted a familiar, gruff voice. The two teens turned to the surprising sight of Cid walking out with some kind of rectangular cannon in his hands. Each of his hands held a handle with a trigger on it.
"Whoa!" shouted a surprised Sora. Did he have that thing in the shop the whole time? Ruby gasped in delight at the sight.
"How'd they get here?" growled the shop owner at the Shadows. "Eh, either way…" Just as the Shadows charged for him, Cid pulled the triggers on his weapon and fired a huge beam of energy that instantly took out every Shadow in its path! "QUIT OBSTRUCTIN' MY BUSINESS, YOU BUG-EYED FREAKS!"
When the energy fizzled out, Sora was amazed to see that every Shadow in sight had been completely obliterated. Not only that, Cid had left very little collateral damage in the wake of his attack.
"Whoa," uttered Sora in amazement as he dismissed the Keyblade.
"That. Was. AMAZING!" squeed Ruby, immediately rushing over to the weapon in Cid's hand. Were her eyes sparkling? "Did you make this cannon? How'd you compensate for the recoil? What kind of ammunition does it—?"
"Geez. Settle down there, little lady," said Cid, slowly pushing Ruby back as she continued gazing at the cannon, panting with excitement.
"Thinking of replacing Crescent Rose?" Sora teased with a cheeky grin.
"Bite your tongue!" retorted Ruby, hugging her scythe close while glaring at Sora as if he'd just tried to steal her firstborn child. Her reaction got the boy to burst out laughing.
"Kids," sighed Cid, shaking his head. "Come on, you two. We can catch up in the shop."
"Oh, right," said Ruby, snapping out of her excitement. She then transformed Crescent Rose and stored it on her belt.
"Hmph!" grunted Cid with a smirk. "Nice piece ya got there." With that, the two partners followed Cid back into the Accessory Shop.
…
"Oh, thank goodness you're both okay, Kupo," sighed the Moogle as soon as he saw everyone enter. He soon turned his attention to Cid. "What happened to your defenses? I thought the First District was secure."
"Yeah, it was supposed to be," replied Cid as he put his cannon back on the counter. Ruby found herself glancing at the beautifully crafted weapon in awe before she could focus back on the topic at hand. Cid turned his attention back to everyone else, scratching his head in confusion. "Maybe the repellent transmitter needs some adjustments." He then looked at both Sora and Ruby, cupping his chin in thought. "Either that, or those little freaks have some found some extra temptin' prey." That remark got both teens to look at each other uneasily. The red reaper's eyes suddenly widened as she recalled how most of the Shadows that they'd encountered seemed more interested in Sora than her.
"Well, whatever it is," said the Moogle, interrupting the teens' thoughts as it fluttered over. "I owe both of you for saving me back there. How can I repay you, Kupo?"
"It's fine," assured Sora, putting his hands behind his head. "Happy to help."
"Actually, maybe you can help me with something," Ruby interjected, pointing to Array's Fragment on her belt. "I have this backup weapon on me, but I can't use it without untying or ripping the knot that it's in. Do you know where I can find a holster or something?"
"Oh yeah," said Sora as he looked at the black and green weapon on her belt. "I forgot to ask about that earlier. Did you make it too?"
"N-no," Ruby hesitantly answered as the uncomfortable memory of Penny's fate came back to her. "It belonged to a friend."
"Let me see that, Kupo," said the Moogle as it approached. Ruby undid the knot around Array's Fragment and held up her new weapon. Clicking the hidden trigger, she unfolded it into its sword mode.
"Do all the weapons in your world change like that?" asked a bewildered Sora.
"Most of them," answered Ruby with a shrug.
"Heh," chuckled Cid, rubbing his chin. "Maybe I should make something like that sometime."
"Hmm…" pondered the Moogle. "Our workshop isn't up and running yet, but I may have a few materials lying around to make something custom."
"Really?" asked a surprised Ruby. "That'd be great! Oh. But, um, do you accept Lien as payment?" She pulled out her wallet to reveal the cards that were Remnant's currency.
"That won't do ya any good around here," said Cid, shaking his head. "You're gonna want to make some Munny somehow."
"Perfect!" exclaimed Sora, pulling out the yellow and silver orbs that the Shadows had been dropping. "I've got—Oh! I think some Shadows dropped more out—."
"That won't be needed for this, Kupo," interrupted the Moogle, waving off the currency with his tiny little hand. "I'll make it free of charge for saving me back there."
"Gee, thanks, little guy," said Sora, pocketing the Munny before turning to Ruby. "I bet that'll come in handy." Ruby smiled at her new partner and nodded in agreement.
"There's just one catch, Kupo," warned the Moogle as he approached the weapon in Ruby's hand. "Normally, I'd be able to make something in a couple of minutes. But with the workshop still unfinished, it'll take me a couple of hours. I'll also need to hold onto the weapon for measurements."
"Oh," said Ruby. "Guess I should've seen that coming." She briefly tightened her grip on Array's Fragment, gazing at the weapon of her fallen friend. After taking a moment, she converted it back into carrying mode and held it close. She then spoke in a serious tone, "Before I give you this, you need to promise me that you'll take good care of it and won't do any modifications. Array's Fragment is all I have left of my friend. Please."
"You have my word, Kupo," said the Moogle in a solemn tone, placing a tiny hand on his chest. With that said, Ruby took a deep breath and handed Array's Fragment to the tiny creature. He took it in his little arms and flew towards a folded ladder on the ceiling that Ruby hadn't noticed before. Once he was close enough, the Moogle made a loud whistling noise, and someone opened the entrance from the other side.
Once he'd gone inside, the entrance was sealed again, and Ruby already felt sad to see her sword go. While Crescent Rose was still her favorite, Ruby wanted to take good care of that blade. She briefly wondered if she should've insisted on going with the Moogle and overseeing his work.
"Don't worry," said Sora, placing a hand on her shoulder and giving a reassuring smile. "You'll get it back soon. And I'll bet whatever they make for it will be awesome."
"Thanks, Sora," said Ruby. The boy nodded before his eyes lit up, and he looked to Cid.
"Oh yeah! Cid, we heard that if our friends aren't in town, you might know how we can get a ride to other worlds."
"Huh?" asked the shop owner. "Oh, right. Well, I do have a ship. But it ain't goin' anywhere without me, and I've got my hands full around here. If you want a ride to other worlds soon, then I'm 'fraid that you'll have to look elsewhere."
"Aw…" groaned Sora, slumping his shoulders.
"Is there anyone else who could give us a ride?" asked Ruby.
"Maybe," said Cid as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Some world travelers come by every now and then. Heck. The kids runnin' the Item Shop next door arrived that way."
"Huey, Dewey, and Louie?" asked Sora. "Then that's where we'll go next."
"Yeah," said Ruby. Suddenly, she got another glimpse of Cid's cannon and remembered what she'd been wanting to ask about since coming back here. "But first…" She immediately rushed over to the weapon. "You gotta tell me how this works!"
…
Ruby and Cid spent some time discussing weapons with each other. A lot of the technical jargon went over Sora's head, but he was able to understand a few parts. It was too bad that Traverse Town didn't have any of that Dust stuff that his new partner mentioned. Especially since she only had one clip of ammo left, and she wasn't sure if it would still work. Cid himself seemed pretty interested in how Ruby's weapons were able to transform. Then there was more techno-mumbo-jumbo that nearly gave the spiky-haired boy a headache. But soon enough, Cid had to end the conversation so that he could get ready and go fix the defenses that were supposed to keep the Shadows out of the First District.
"Alright," said Sora as he exited with the silver-eyed huntress right behind him. "Next stop, the Item Shop."
"Let's hope we have better luck getting a ride there," replied Ruby. Sora nodded and was about to head for the shop when something interrupted.
"They'll come at you out of nowhere," came an unexpected voice.
"Who are you?" demanded Sora as he instinctively summoned the Keyblade and turned around. Ruby unhooked Crescent Rose from her belt and gave a warning glare to their surprise acquaintance.
"And they'll keep on coming at you," warned a man who looked to be in his early twenties with long, brown hair as he came into view. He wore a white shirt under a short-sleeved leather jacket, along with some black pants and four belts around his waist. Three smaller belts were wrapped around his left forearm, while both hands wore black gloves. A necklace with a lion-head charm hung around his neck. He pointed to Sora with a deadly serious look on his face as he finished, "as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade."
"What do you know about the Keyblade?" demanded Ruby.
"If I were to guess, more than you," answered the stranger, earning a growl from the silver-eyed girl. He then turned his attention back to Sora and frowned, placing a hand against his head in disappointment. "But why? Why would it choose a kid like you?"
"Hey," shouted an offended Sora, "what's that supposed to mean?"
"Choose him?" questioned Ruby.
"Never mind," replied the stranger before approaching the two teens with an outstretched hand. "Now, let's see that Keyblade."
"What?" shouted Sora. Immediately, he heard the sound of metal shifting and clanking as Ruby brought Crescent Rose out in its scythe-form.
"Or maybe you could back off," warned Ruby as she cocked her weapon.
"Yeah," added Sora. "There's no way you're getting this!"
"Believe him," snorted Ruby. "There really isn't"
The stranger gave a "hmph" and flicked his wrist. With the sound of a gunshot, a large sword flashed into existence in his hand, similar to summoning the Keyblade. The sword's hilt looked like the handle of a revolver, complete with the revolving thing that Sora couldn't name. A keychain with the same charm as his necklace hung from the weapon's hilt as he casually lifted the sword to his shoulder.
"I'll take my chances," said the stranger. "But have it your way." He held the sword in a ready position, and Sora could hear the weapon actually cocking as the stranger stared the both of them down.
"Is that an SVB?" asked Ruby, squinting her eyes at the weapon.
"Huh?" asked Sora. Before she could answer, the stranger suddenly held out his hand and surprised the both of them by gathering flames in his palm. The man yelled as a ball of fire shot right for the two of them. The teens leaped in opposite directions, both of them evading the resulting explosion.
Ruby followed up by rushing the stranger with Crescent Rose in hand. Surprisingly, the man actually blocked multiple strikes from the blunt side of her scythe with ease. After leaping to dodge a sweeping attack, he kicked off a nearby wall and swung his sword at Ruby. She tried to block it with Crescent Rose, but he pulled the trigger on his weapon with perfect timing. An explosion of force ran through his blade just as it made contact and sent the silver-eyed girl flying!
"Ruby!" shouted Sora as he saw her fall past the stairs. The stranger leaped towards him, raising his weapon for an overhead slash. Sora jumped aside to dodge and tried to follow up with a horizontal swing, but the stranger evaded and swung to counter. Sora barely managed to block in time, surprisingly causing the stranger's blade and his own to bounce off of each other and send the both of them reeling. The stoic man's expression briefly showed a hint of surprise, but he quickly steeled himself as he prepared to advance again. Suddenly, they were interrupted by a loud BANG from below, followed by a very feminine war cry.
"YES!" shouted Ruby. "It works!" Both Sora and the stranger looked up in time to see the silver-eyed girl launch high into the air. She spun Crescent Rose around so that it was pointed away from them and pulled the trigger again. With another BANG, the weapon sent her flying foreward. The red reaper spun in the air with her scythe, heading right for the stranger. But he raised his sword just in time to block her. Using his deflection as a springboard, Ruby backflipped into the air and landed beside Sora.
"I knew I recognized that design," said Ruby as she glared at the stranger. "Gotta say: It takes a lot of skill to wield a shockwave vibration blade."
"A what?" asked a confused Sora.
"It's called a gunblade," corrected the stranger, clearly not impressed by her knowledge.
"I'm so lost," complained Sora as the stranger charged back in.
"Grab on!" shouted Ruby, quickly angling Crescent Rose's barrel towards the ground. Sora grabbed onto the girl's back and held tight as she pulled the trigger, sending the both of them flying just in time to dodge another swipe from the so-called gunblade.
"Whoa!" shouted Sora as he tumbled through the air with Ruby. She managed to land on her feet, sliding backwards into the central plaza with Sora on her back.
"Be careful, Sora," warned Ruby as the Keyblade wielder got off her back. "When that guy pulls the trigger, his sword hits harder."
"Got it," replied Sora as he got ready with his own weapon. The stranger leaped high into the air and landed ten feet away from both teens, resting the blade of his weapon on his shoulder.
"Guess I underestimated you," he said.
"Good to know," retorted Sora.
"Not you," corrected the stranger, nodding in Ruby's direction, "her."
"Aw, come on," groaned the Keyblade wielder.
"Does that mean you'll back off?" asked a hopeful Ruby.
"No," he answered flatly, holding out his hand and gathering flames in the palm again.
"I'll show you," growled Sora as he got the Keyblade ready. This time, when the stranger shot the ball of fire, Sora didn't try to dodge. Just as he'd done while fighting the giant shadow monster, he swung the Keyblade at the incoming projectile. Unfortunately, the fireball was much faster than the dark missiles.
"Gyah!" cried out Sora as he was nearly blinded by the bright explosion of flames. He felt the intense heat as he was sent flying back, landing on his back in a slide.
"Sora!" he heard Ruby shout. Her voice was quickly followed by the sounds of metal rapidly clashing against metal.
As the 14-year-old groaned on the ground, regretting his hasty decision, something occurred to him. 'Shouldn't I be in more pain after that?' As he pushed himself back up, Sora noted that there were only very faint burn marks on his body. Even his clothes looked like they'd be okay after patting away the dust. Also, shouldn't he have cracked his skull when his head hit the cobblestone ground? Those thoughts were interrupted when he caught sight of Ruby still locked in combat with the stranger. She repeatedly tried to nail him with the blunt side of her scythe, but he was keeping up with each of her strikes. Deciding to leave those questions for later, Sora got back on his feet and charged back in.
Once he was close enough, the spiky-haired boy planted the Keyblade on the ground, lifted his body in the air, and swung himself around into a sliding dash, aiming right for the stranger. With his back turned, the man wasn't able to hear Sora's approach in time. The Keyblade struck him in the lower legs, knocking him off balance. Sora was thankful at the moment that his weapon only seemed to cut things when he wanted it to. It wasn't like he wanted to kill this guy. Ruby followed up by slamming the blunt end of her scythe into the guy's chest, sending him flying into a nearby streetlamp.
"Let's take him together!" shouted Sora as he charged in from the left.
"Yeah!" agreed Ruby as she joined him from the right. The stranger recovered in time to see them both coming and leaped really higher into the air than Sora had ever seen anyone do. He raised his gunblade high, its blade glowing, and came back down with a mighty yell.
Sora and Ruby jumped in opposite directions as the stranger came crashing down, creating an explosive force around himself. While Ruby evaded the blast, Sora got knocked off his feet for a second. But he rolled on the ground and managed to quickly get back up, charging in as Ruby did the same from the opposing side.
The stranger proceeded to block and dodge multiple attacks from either teen as they tried to overtake him. This guy was good, but it was clear that he was having a hard time fighting both combatants at the same time. Sora finally landed a hit on the guy's back and sent him falling onto his knee. Ruby was about to follow up when the stranger pulled a new move.
"That's enough!" he growled as his gunblade lit up. Just as Crescent Rose was about to hit him, the stranger swung his weapon in a full circle, creating orbs of fire around himself that all exploded, sending both teens flying. Ruby was sent crashing into a nearby cafe/bar, knocking over a couple of tables. Sora himself went rolling sideways across the plaza. As he struggled to get back up, the Keyblade wielder saw the stranger charging in with his gunblade. Sora quickly got back up and clashed blades with the man again and again, each fighter trying to overcome the other.
The stranger swung his gunblade vertically, creating more explosive orbs. Sora jumped back to evade them, barely feeling the heat of the flames as they went off. Just as the stranger was about to rush him, Ruby came speeding in with her scythe and a loud war cry. But the stranger blocked her attack and sent her sliding back. Sora noticed her body… flicker? A strange red glow briefly emanated from the girl's body as she recovered and stood her ground.
"What was—WHOA!" Sora raised the Keyblade just in time to block another attack from the stranger. There was an explosion of force, and then both Sora and the gunblade wielder were sent reeling from the fierce clashing of blades.
The stranger held out his hand to shoot another fireball when Ruby forced him to abort with an overhead attack. The stranger dodge rolled out of the way and swung for Ruby just as Sora charged in to aid his partner. Ruby blocked the attack with Crescent Rose's staff, but a perfectly-timed pull of the gunblade's trigger created an explosion of force. Ruby yelped as she was sent flying, and Sora reacted too late. The silver-eyed girl crashed into her new partner, knocking both of them to the ground. As they recovered, Sora noticed that red flicker around Ruby's body again.
"Are you okay?" he asked in concern.
"Guess I don't have as much aura left as I thought," grunted Ruby. "This guy packs a punch."
"What's—" began Sora, pausing for a split second as he saw the stranger coming in for another attack. "—LOOK OUT!" On instinct, he pushed the girl aside and raised his Keyblade to block another strike from the gunblade. Both weapons were locked against each other as the two fighters tried to overpower each other. If it weren't for the Keyblade giving him a boost, Sora was pretty sure that this guy would've easily beaten him in this test of strength.
"Last chance," warned the stranger. "Drop the Keyblade."
"Not… happening!" grunted Sora. Their clash was interrupted as Ruby came for another attack, forcing the stranger to leap back and dodge.
"Hands off my new partner!" shouted the huntress-in-training. "What do you even want with the Keyblade?"
"You have no idea how important that key is," warned the stranger. "So long as you stay with him, your heart will be in constant danger too."
"I'm a huntress," retorted Ruby, twirling Crescent Rose into a ready position. "Danger comes with the job."
Before the battle could go any further, something came flying out of nowhere, planting itself in front of the two teens with a loud CRACK! The object was a huge, four-bladed shuriken with three glowing orbs embedded within a single handle.
"Sleep!" shouted a new female voice. Instantly, one of the orbs glowed brighter, and a thin wave of energy exploded from the weapon, washing over both teens. Sora struggled to stay on his feet as he was assaulted by a sudden sense of tiredness.
"Wh-what…" moaned Ruby as she stumbled. "So… tired…" She fell onto her butt, her arms struggling to keep her upper body up. Sora's knees nearly gave in as he tried to stand his ground.
"N-no," he weakly protested. "We gotta… gotta…" The rest of his sentence went unsaid as he fell to the ground, his consciousness fading. He could only hear Ruby finish collapsing as he struggled to keep his eyes open.
"Geez, Leon. You really needed help?" came that feminine voice again. Sora wanted to see who was talking. But he couldn't find the energy to turn his head. "You're slipping."
"I went easy on them," replied the stranger. "Looks like things are worse than we thought. A lot worse."
That was the last thing Sora heard before sleep finally took him.
The first thing that Riku could hear was the rushing water. The air felt foreign to him. He finally managed to open his eyes, immediately learning that his surroundings weren't any more familiar. The silver-haired boy found himself surrounded by waterfalls that continuously defied gravity by flowing up instead of down. As he pushed himself back onto his feet, there was only one question that came to his mind.
"Where… am I?" he asked aloud, regaining his faculties. There were platforms of stone that somehow floated in the air ahead of him. Riku strained to think back. He remembered when that stranger came to the island again. How he'd finally talked the silver-haired boy into opening that door. Then that storm came, and... his friends!
"Sora!" Riku called as loud as he could. His voice echoed throughout the area. "Kairi!"
Where were they? His friends? This wasn't what was supposed to happen. When he opened that door, Riku gathered his courage and faced the darkness head-on. His memory was hazy after that, but he could remember feeling some kind of power coursing through him. He could also remember Kairi and then Sora showing up.
Did they not make it here with him? What was the point of finally going to other worlds if he couldn't protect his friends along the way? Suddenly, fragments of memories came back to him. Something happened on the islands. Something bad.
'No,' Riku tried to tell himself. 'I knew this would be a one-way trip. But I couldn't have done that. Could I?"
His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a roar. Not like an animal's roar. It sounded almost like the pilot flame in a furnace, but much stronger. With the echo of the rising waterfalls, he almost couldn't tell where it was coming from. Riku was shocked to find his answer when he looked up. A woman in red came flying from just past the falls. Intense flames burned from her hands and feet, propelling her body through the air. Even her eyes seemed to be on fire as she stopped to gaze upon the silver-haired boy.
The flames on her limbs weakened as she slowly descended. Riku instinctively stepped back as she got closer, finally landing opposite him on the same brick floor with a Clink.
"Who are you?" demanded Riku as he stood back, keeping his guard up. "And where am I!?"
The flames in the woman's eyes died out, giving him a better look at her amber iris as she seemed to size him up. Doing the same, Riku noted that she seemed to be in her early to mid-twenties. Her ashen hair draped over her left shoulder and onto an off-the-shoulder v-neck mini dress with yellow designs. A black choker was wrapped around her neck, while a blue, feathered accessory of some kind hung from her right hip. She regarded Riku's question with a smirk.
"Funny," replied the woman. "I was going to ask you the same thing."
There we have it: Sora and Ruby vs. Leon. I didn't think Leon's moves from the actual boss fight were exciting enough, so I looked up clips from Dissidia and FF VIII for inspiration. I hope I did all the characters justice. Also, given what the weapons on Remnant are like, I thought it'd make sense for them to have something similar to the gunblade. So you don't need to speculate too much about that line. I figured that Ruby would help Sora last long enough for Yuffie to have to intervene. And yes, those orbs in her shuriken are exactly what you think they are.
I'm also happy to demonstrate with this chapter that more Disney characters will appear here than in the game. The Radcliffes' role in particular was largely inspired by how FF7 Remake treated both disaster events. I wanted to reinforce how the Heartless have devastated the worlds, and even those who've escaped are still suffering. It gives our heroes even more motivation to fight for what worlds are left.
For anyone who's curious, the sun lamp is also inspired by Remake. Since a lack of sunlight hurts your health, I figured it'd make sense to have one in Traverse Town. We never see the Outer Docks (AKA: the gummi ship's location) or hear about Heartless spawning there, making it the perfect spot for any engineers to be developing one without contradicting the game.
Review Responses:
Erick: Wow, there's a lot here, so I'll try to be quick. I'm only including elements that make sense outside of a video game. Thanks for the Sora part. I'm trying to let him shine while actually addressing the fact that most of the RWBY cast are ahead of him at this point. Ruby is not giving up her baby, but I do have a workaround planned, and Yuffie just demonstrated a key component.
Triscythe59: I've always loved that Sora has no special bloodlines, showing that a great hero can come from anywhere. If Summer's his mom, then that's out the window. I've actually left some hints in previous chapters as to how Sora and Ruby are connected in this, if you still want to figure it out.
VSX-2018: Funny enough, I originally went straight to writing Chain of Memories + because of that fanfic. My initial draft had a recap to list all the differences in my continuity so that I wouldn't be making an early, unauthorized sequel. But when I kept adding new ideas to the recap, I realized that I could actually start here without ripping off spiralpaladin.
Some characters will show up in the same worlds, but the execution will be different. Ex: Ruby still got to Traverse Town, but she's with Sora from the start, giving her more time to bond with him.
By the way, the "+" in that title refers to a side-story that'll explore the aftermath of Volume I outside of Castle Oblivion. Aside from being a good bookend, there's a reason that I'm planning to call this volume's final chapter "Nothing's Like Before."