The minecart ride back to Ice Mountain was a bit tense and awkward. Donald was still pretty mad that all their work in Keldagrim amounted to nothing. If the higherups of the kingdom didn't know where the Keyhole was, no other Dwarf was bound to have any information. The mage kept muttering to himself the whole walk to the minecart ride, and even the whole trip despite barely being audible.
"Aw, gawrsh Donald, we'll find it!" Goofy exclaimed as the quartet climbed the ladder up to the Dwarven settlement at Ice Mountain's base. "Don't be so glum!"
"I'm not glum, I'm mad!" The duck corrected, crossing his arms and grumbling some more. "If the Dwarves don't know where the Keyhole is, where do we look?" He asked Zamansis, ignoring how some of the Dwarven workers in the area glanced over at the conversation.
"It's like I said, we could go to the Oracle on top of Ice Mountain." The armored man said. "Problem is she speaks in riddled…so deciphering what she means could be trouble. Especially since we're looking for a very specific thing. If we misinterpreted her words, we could go searching in the totally wrong place."
Sora sighed, also pretty disgruntled about the situation. He just wasn't as angry as Donald was. "Well, do you know anyone else we can ask? There's gotta be someone…" With all the adventures Zamansis talked about, there had to be some person he met that could help them out! Maybe someone less cryptic than that Oracle…
For a few moments, Zamansis pondered, letting out a hesitant noise before reply. "Well…there is one group I know. Problem is, they're pretty secretive. My contact won't like me introducing you to him or their group. They have a lot of knowledge so maybe they know about the Keyhole."
That didn't sound too promising, especially about this contact Zamansis mentioned. "Well, we don't want to get you in trouble…" Sora said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Especially with some sort of secret organization." Sounded pretty serious!
"Well what else are we gonna do?!" Donald demanded, shaking his head vigorously. "I don't want to comb every inch of this world for the Keyhole! We don't have time! Zamansis, you have to just introduce us!"
"Donald, you can't just make him do that! He'll get in trouble!" Sora argued, wishing that the mage had a bit of tact for once. Sure, the brunette wasn't the most polite guy, but Donald was really just a jerk so often! Why was he so angry all the time…?
Zamansis sighed, shaking his head as well. "No, it's fine. I mean I'll get chewed out, but it's not like they'd kill me or something. Besides, I've proven to be pretty valuable, so I doubt they'd cut me off or anything."
"Gawrsh, are ya sure Zamansis?" Goofy asked, hoping Donald and Sora could start getting along soon. "Who is this group anyway?" IT seemed the adventurer was pretty set on helping, so the knight was pretty curious…
Looking about, Zamansis took the group away from the prying ears of any nearby Dwarves. Once he was sure they were far enough away, the warrior took off his helmet and started to whisper. "They're called the Temple Knights, a sort of militia that serves the Kingdom of Asgarnia. That's where we are now, and Falador, the capital, is where we need to go."
Sora had to admit, the talk of secret organizations was kind of cool. He had a sort of interest in that sort of thing, to be honest. Not as much as his adoration for pirates or adventurers, but still! "Where's Falador?" The teen asked. "It's not far away, is it…?"
"It's not too far, but either way, I can teleport us." Zamansis replied, stopping his whispering, and put his helmet back on. "It'll only take a moment."
"Wait, you can teleport so easily?!" Donald exclaimed, glaring up at Zamansis. "Why didn't you do that before?!"
Zamansis started to root around in his bag, taking out several odd circular stones. There were three different patterns on them. One was a blue drop of water, one was a blue set of scales, and the last was a lighter blue set of what seemed to be wings. "It's not that simple. For most magic users, such as myself, we can only teleport to very specific locations around the world. I can't just warp us wherever I want, sadly. Even then, I need to use runes. It's how magic is used in our world."
Those were runes? Sora always imagined runes looking like tablets or something. That's how they appeared in movies or books. "So we'll all end up in Falador, thanks to those runes?" Thinking of it, he did feel a sort of…hum when the runes were taken out. Was that the magic energy coming off of them?
"Sort of. I'll teleport the three of you ahead of me. I can't teleport an entire group, but I can teleport others one at a time. Then I'll bring myself over." Zamansis explained, looking between the three. "You ready?"
"This sounds excitin'! Never got teleported like this before!" Goofy exclaimed, standing perfectly upright as if that'd somehow help the teleporting process.
"How do you think we got here?" Donald asked, rolling his eyes.
"That was different. This is with magic!" The knight corrected. Very different from the technological teleportation from the Gummi Ship to be sure!
Zamansis paused at that. "Teleporting without magic…? How odd…" He murmured, but shrugged it off. "Anyway. Let's get to it!"
It didn't seem like Zamansis did anything, but suddenly some of the runes in his hands vanished. A the same time, a cylinder of energy surrounded Goofy and he floated up into the air, quickly fading away. Sora and Donald couldn't help but feel nervous, the mage about to say something before he too was teleported off. The brunette took a deep breath before he suddenly felt weightless! He floated up in the air, and then the next thing he knew, he was back on the ground again! Donald and Goofy were right next to him, looking a bit out of it from the odd experience.
"Man, my head feels funny…" Sora murmured, but quickly shook it off as he looked around more to see where they were.
The three were at a Y-shaped crossroad, with them facing down South where a massive walled city was standing. They couldn't see much into the city, but there were some buildings that went up above the walls. This included a grand looking castle with numerous towers and spires!
After just a moment, Zamansis faded into existence right next to them. "There! Not so bad, was it? Just a minute walk from Falador!" He exclaimed, seeming rather proud of himself.
As the quartet made their way into the city, they passed by a few guards in armor, looking around as if expecting danger at any moment. The interior of the city was bustling with citizens going to and fro, in and out of fancy looing buildings. At the very least, things seemed safe, with no signs of Heartless about. In the center of the city was the rest of the castle the group saw earlier, only accessible by a small bridge as the structure was otherwise surrounded by a moat.
"Have the Heartless attacked here a lot?" Goofy asked, noticing the jumpy nature of the city's protection.
"They have…and we've lost some good guards that way. Usually, they die because psychopaths just attack them out of nowhere." Zamansis explained, almost sounding casual like it was no big deal.
"Wait, what?! Why?!" Sora was baffled both by what he heard and how dull Zamansis made it sound. The idea of people just…killing each other really disturbed him. Back on Destiny Islands, crime was just about nonexistent…
"Who can say? I mean, no place is perfect. There was the Falador Massacre that happened back in Year 169 of this Age. After a house party, the host and a bunch of his guests just…went out and started killing people. No one knows how many actually died, but the perpetrators were put down, and security was tightened."
That was just such a morbid story! Donald and Goofy exchanged worried glances at such nasty talk. "Uh…so…this contact of yours. He's close, right?" The mage asked, wanting to change subjects.
Zamansis looked back the three, clearing his throat as he seemed to realize how nasty that story was. "Er, yes. Sorry. He's usually in the park…"
The rest of the walk was spent in somewhat awkward silence. Sora, Donald, and Goofy trying to ignore the grim stories and focus on the lovely scenery. The park itself was only a few minutes away and a pleasant sight after the talk of killings. There were numerous trees, flowerbeds, and even rabbits and squirrels milling about. Numerous other people were there too, enjoying the scenery. Zamansis took the four to a bench near the park's entrance. There, an elderly man, most of his hair from his head gone and what remained being stark white along with a long beard. He wore a monocle and a set of white armor with golden trimmings.
This gentleman quickly glanced at Sora, Donald, and Goofy, then over to Zamansis. Lifting a cup of tea he was sipping in greeting, the old man smiled. "Greetings, old boy! Pray tell, you've never brought company before? Just who are these three?"
"I'm Sora, and this is Donald and Goofy!" The brunette greeted, gesturing to each of his companions as they waved to the old man.
"Sir Tiffy, I'm here for something important." Zamansis said bluntly, cutting right to the chase. We need your help. The help of the Temple Knights…"
At that, Sir Tiffy nearly spilled his tea, giving Zamansis a stern look. "Old bean, I'm sure I have no idea what you're talking about. I don't like little tricks like this, so please get serious!"
"I already told these three about the Temple Knights, Sir Tiffy." The adventurer explained. "Look, I'm sorry, but these three aren't actually from this world. But they helped me save Keldagrim from tyranny, and I really trust them! They just need the Temple Knights' unique resources…"
This caused Sir Tiffy to look between the four before him, clearly contemplating his next words. With a sigh, he shook his head. "This would be cause for expulsion if you weren't so handy, Zamansis. Fine. Word travels fast with us, so I did hear of Keldagrim's close call. I suppose the secret's out anyway, so what do these three need?" He still sounded rather unhappy, but less so than before.
Sora let out a sigh of relief that this Tiffy guy was willing to help! He still felt a bit bad that Zamansis was getting in trouble, but still! "We're after something called the Keyhole. We don't know much about it, but it gives off an odd energy, and is literally a giant keyhole in the ground. Zamansis things it's what the Heartless are after. Those creatures that have been appearing recently…"
Sir Tiffy hummed to himself, once more looking between the group in front of him. "A Keyhole, you say? That…does ring a bell…I don't know the information myself, but I could have someone look into it. This could take a while, and in the meantime, I could use your help, old boys."
Donald instantly shook his head. "What?! Last time we did that, we came out empty handed! This is important to stopping the Heartless. Can't you just help?!"
This didn't amuse the old man at all, who gave the mage a harsh look. "Considering Zamansis here spilled the beans, I say he owes me! And the three of you can help out!"
"Jeez, don't pull all the blame on me…" The adventurer grumbled. "I was desperate!"
Sir Tiffy shook his head. "It doesn't matter. This is important anyway. As it happens, a number of human settlements have been under attack, and not by those Heartless creatures either!" He paused for a moment. "You three outsiders will have to fill me in one those more later…"
"I'm sure they can, but what's the problem? What's attacking humans?" Zamansis pressed, sounding a bit impatient.
"Oh! Yes, well, one of our top operatives is on Mos Le'Harmless, gathering information about these attacks. Go to The Other Inn when you arrive at the island and speak to Sir Tendeth. He's undercover, so will probably be dressed as a pirate."
At that last word, Sora's eyes lit up. "Pirates?! That's where the pirates are?!" He remembered Zamansis mentioning them before, but the teen didn't think he'd actually get to meet them!
"Oh brother…" Donald murmured, rolling his eyes. "You and those pirates!"
The monocled man raised a brow at Sora's excitement. "Hardly the thing to be exited over, but yes. There will be pirates all over. Now, you four go and investigate, and I'll send word to look into this 'Keyhole' thing."
"We really appreciate that! We'll be glad to help in exchange!" Goofy remarked, sort of speaking for his companions. "So, where is this island, Zamansis?"
The armored man lead his three new friends a bit away from Sir Tiffy, digging into his bag. After a few moments, he dug out an odd container filled with what seemed to be an odd green slime. "With this. It's called the Ectophial, and it will take us to a place called Port Phasmatys. There, my friend Bill Teach can take us to Mos Le'Harmless. Pretty easy, right? Should only take an our or two by boat."
"Is Bill a pirate?" Sora asked, having ignored Donald's earlier comment entirely. He was actually going to meet some real pirates! Riku and Kairi…well…he just wished they were here. The boy felt a painful twinge in his heart, missing his two friends dearly…
"He is, but maybe tone the enthusiasm down a bit. Boy, he got so mad when I started talking like a pirate! No idea why…" Zamansis mused, then shook the thought away. "Anyway, the three of you grab on!" Sora, Donald, and Goofy placed a hand each on the armored man, who poured the Ectophial ono the grass in a slimy puddle. Somehow, someway, this activated some sort of magic and the four of them found themselves lifted up into the air and teleported!
The scene the quartet arrived on was…odd. They were in an ancient looking brick building, with a most unusual structure in its center. It was like a sort of fountain, but instead of water pouring out, it was…glowing green slime. The three outsiders watched as Zamansis casually refilled the Ectophial with this odd substance. "What is that thing? And why couldn't you teleport us all at ones with the runes?" Donald asked.
"This is the Ectofuntus. It's…sort of a long story. And this method of teleportation is simply different since the Ectophial can only take me to this spot. Nowhere else. Less technical, magical details to worry about."
Donald wasn't sure that even made sense, but different worlds, different laws. "Is there really a port here we can use?"
Without warning, an unusual man approached. He was green in color…as in, all of him was green! His skin, his eyes and irises, his hair, his clothes…everything! On top of that, he was partially see through! "Wooo! Wooo?" The man sputtered out.
"What the?! What's with that guy?!" Donald asked, pointing out the odd man, who kept making odd noises in response.
"Oh, yeah, I never told you!" Zamansis said with a chuckle. "Port Phasmatys is just about entirely comprised of ghosts! Don't worry, they won't hurt you. You just won't be able to understand them without a ghostspeak amulet. They can understand you though, so…watch what you say."
Sora watched as the ghost sighed, making more wooing sounds before walking off. Didn't need to understand him to know what that meant. "Bill Teach isn't a ghost, right?" It'd be a real shame if the first pirate he met just spoke in weird noises.
"No, no. He's one of the few humans at the port, don't worry. Come on, just hold onto me and we can all pass this barrier." The armored man instructed, leading the other three to the other end of the odd building. They passed by some ghosts, most ignoring the quarter while a few stopped to watch. Like Zamansis said, there was a barrier outside the building, one with an eerie green glow. Doing as the man said, the trio of outsiders held onto him, and they all walked through the barrier together!
Port Phasmatys looked like one expected of a place of the unliving. The buildings were in disrepair, some looking oddly like they were never completely built to begin with! And, as Zamansis said, all the three could see were ghosts wandering about, no living people! The green specters still milled about like people, though. Some stood by each other, wooing some sort of conversation that the living couldn't understand. Some walked around, apparently on some sort of errand. Other still simply stood off on their own, silently observing the world around them, most of this third group staring intently on the quartet. None of these ghosts went up to the four living outsiders though, letting them go on with their business. Despite the lack of danger, Sora, Donald, and Goofy still felt unnerved as they went, each one expecting something terrifying to happen at any moment.
Thankfully, nothing of that sort happened, and before too long, the group made it to the docks. As Zamansis said, there was a pirate's ship docked there, a flesh-and-blood human standing by the plank on the dock, looking rather bored. When Sora spotted this man, his eyes widened again, and he rushed to be the first to approach. The man had a sheathed sword on his hip, and wore a pirate's garb with boots and a coat. Surprisingly, his hair and beard were very neatly trimmed!
Still, Sora didn't care about the unusual tidiness! As he got close, he called out. "Hey, you're Bill Teach, right?!" He called out, stopping a few yards away as the startled man stared at the teenager.
The pirate looked at Sora, then over at Donald and Goofy…then finally on Zamansis. "It be him again…" He murmured before looking back to Sora. "Aye, I be Bill Teach. Since when did Zamansis travel with wee lads like yerself?"
He even talked like a pirate! Sora felt an overwhelming excitement fill him, looking Bill over and drinking in every last detail! "I'm Sora, and that's Donald and Goofy!" The teen introduced, only vaguely pointing out the pair. "I've never gotten to see a pirate before!"
Clearly, Sora's enthusiasm was wasted on Bill, who wasn't too happy at being gawked at in such a manner. "Just tell me what ye be wanting! Zamansis, tell me what be going on!"
"It's not much Bill, really." The armored man said as he, Donald, and Goofy caught up to Sora. "We just need a ride to Mos Le'Harmless, that's all. We need to talk to someone there, that's all."
"That be all? Really?" Bill seemed a bit skeptical for a moment before sighing with a shrug. "Well, alright. I be heading there soon anyway, so ye four can travel along. It'll take a few hours, though."
Sora barely heard the confirmation before he dashed onto the ship, looking around the vessel with a beaming grin. He was on an actual pirate ship now! It was cooler than the Gummi Ship, at least to him. The sails, the deck, the mast…! It was all like he thought it'd be like. "I can't wait until Riku and Kairi hear about this…!" He murmured to himself.
"Aye! What ye be doing, going on a captain's ship before the captain?!" Bill demanded, sneering at Sora as he, Zamansis, Donald, and Goofy boarded the ship. "Well, whatever. While yer here, help me prepare to sail!"
Feeling a bit embarrassed at being scolded, Sora agreed eagerly to help prepare the ship. As it happened, despite not ever being on an actual ship before, he was an expert! He had read every book he could get his hands on about sailing, so he knew everything from how to get the sails ready to the difference between port and starboard. Before too long, the group set off to Mos Le'Harmless. Bill wasn't much in a conversational mood, opting to steer the ship. So, Zamansis told Sora, Donald, and Goofy about some of his pirate-related adventures.
They were tales of oddities the outsider trio wasn't expecting. Undead pirates on Braindeath Island, which produced odd 'rum' in its distillery were picketing the place and stopping the production, an issue that Zamansis had to help. He did mention he got a few headaches during this quest, and he really had no idea why, but they always happened when a man named Pirate Pete pointed off at something behind the adventurer's back…
It was after this that Zamansis ran into Bill Teach for the first time, the pirate captain's men abandoning him before he could make a trip to Mos Le'Harmless. The adventurer volunteered for the voyage, and ended up having to help Bill take down an attacking pirate ship. Only once the enemy vessel sank did the two make it to Mos Le'Harmless. For some reason, Bill really hated it when Zamansis tried talking like a pirate…
After that, zombie pirates returned, but this time to a small island with peaceful monks. Despite their pacifist ways, the pirates had little mercy, and were even stealing the brains of the monks to create zombie monk slaves! Thankfully, Zamansis was able to confront Mi-Gor, the zombie scientist responsible for the experiments, and even his giant zombie-pirate-robot Barrelchest. Sadly, Mi-Gor managed to slip away, but the monks were all saved!
Things got more serious after that, as rumors of a horrid, infamous pirate named Rabid Jack swirled. He was thought to be dead for years, but it really started to seem like he was coming back to inflict terror upon the seas. In fact, it was apparently him that was behind all of the unusual zombie pirates! Zamansis had to learn more about this information by purposefully going into a prison on a remote, small island. It was there that the adventurer managed to find a pirate willing to shed more details about the infamous pirate.
The latest run-in with zombie pirates occurred id Zamansis' own home! A mysterious, large great was delivered and contained Barrelchest Mk II, which the adventurer struggled to defeat. Thankfully, the head of the zombie-pirate-robot remained. Now harmless, Zamansis managed to get information out of him, thanks to Bill's later assistance. In a nutshell, the zombies on Braindeath Island were using the 'rum' on a separate island to create more Barrelchest Mk IIs! Of course, Zamansis managed to stop this plot and destroy the operation.
Yet, still, Rabid Jack was out there…
The stories helped pass the time greatly, and by the time Zamansis was finished, the small crew had arrived at Mos Le'Harmless! The island itself was moderately sized and tropical in nature, but a small port town was carved out, so the pirates had a place to stay. It was a sight Sora could hardly imagine! Pirates were just milling about, unafraid of their status as scourges of the sea. It really was a secret paradise for their kind! As Sora, Donald, Goofy, and Zamansis got off the ship, Bill mentioned having to stay behind to check on something, leaving the four alone.
"So, we're supposed to find this Sir Tendeth feller at an inn, right?" Goofy piped up as the quartet got into the port town proper. The buildings were small, wooden, and had straw roofs to keep the elements out. "You know this place better, Zamansis, where were we supposed to go again?"
"I remember Sir Tiffy said he was at The Other Inn. That's actually what the inn is called since, well, this place only has two." Zamansis explained, leading the others into a pretty nondescript building. The inside looked to be more of a bar than an inn, but that was expected of pirates, really. In fact if it wasn't for the stairs going to a second floor, it could've easily passed as just a pub.
Pretty quickly, the four spotted someone who was a bit out of place. He had pirate's garb like everyone else at the inn…but he was just far too clean to be a real pirate. "That's gotta be Sir Tendeth, no doubt about it…" Donald murmured as the for approached.
Zamansis leaned towards the obvious informant, whispering so as not to be overheard. "You are Sir Tendeth, right? Sir Tiffy sent us…" The man in the pirate garb glanced around and subtly nodded. "Good, so…you're worried about pirates attacking Falador, right? That's what I assume the problem is…"
At that, Sir Tendeth whipped his head around in confusion. "What? No! The pirates aren't the problem at all! This is a much bigger threat, and not just to Falador!"
"Well, what do you mean? Who could be doing this then?" Sora asked, remembering Sir Tiffy explicitly mentioned it wasn't the Heartless.
Before Sir Tendeth could answer, a horrific, deafening screech filled the air, causing all the pirates to stop and look around in confusion and fear. "What was that?!" Zamansis blurted out, readying his sword and shield. "Never heard a cry like that before…"
Sir Tendeth took things worse than everyone else, starting to cower as what sounded like massive flapping wings filled the air. At this point, several pirates outside exclaimed in horror as another screech rang out. This time, though, it was quieter than before, whatever causing it slowly moving away. "You…uh, should go see what that was!" The undercover man suggested.
"Not even going to help? Phooey on you, then!" Donald exclaimed, his wand out. Along with him, Sora and Goofy had their own weapons ready. The four went out to see several pirates gaping and pointing at the jungle. Whatever was out there was gone at this point…
"What happened?! What was out here?!" Sora asked the nearest pirate, keeping his Keyblade ready in case whatever it was came back.
Not even questioning the presence of a kid, the pirate looked at Sora. "I-I don't know! Some sort of…dragon-like thing spitting fireballs! It went into the jungle!"
The quartet quickly rushed out to the jungle outside the wooden wall, but they all quickly jumped back as a massive fireball rushed passed them! "What was that?!" Goofy exclaimed, carefully peering around the corner. All he could see was trees and a far off beach…
"I don't know, but that pirate mentioned a dragon of some kind! It's gotta be what just attacked us." Zamansis answered. "If it can make fire that big so easily, it must be what Sir Tendeth was talking about…"
Preparing themselves, the four leapt out into the jungle, narrowly dodging as another ball of crackling flames rushed past them! At the same time, no less than a dozen Shadows sprang out of the ground. "Heartless? I thought Sir Tiffy said they weren't involved!" Sora pointed out, slamming his Keyblade into a Shadow as it pounced at him.
"I guess his information was wrong! Come on, we'll rush passed the small fry and find out what's making that fire!" Zamansis suggested, rushing off towards whatever was attacking them.
Sora, Donald, and Goofy followed after Zamansis, only attacking Shadows when they drew too close, the Heartless appearing in seemingly endless numbers! All the while, more fireballs came at the group, all of them managing to dodge out of the way each time. It almost seemed like the Heartless' appearance was being triggered by the attack, Mos Le'Harmless being rather peaceful before then! Trees and bushes were destroyed along the way, the fireballs causing some drastic destruction to the jungle, but there was little the quartet could do about it.
Before too long, the quartet arrived at a beach, where an usual sight met them. There, in the sand, were three of what the pirate earlier must have described. Dragon-like was certainly right, but they were actually humanoid dragons of some sort. They had wings upon their backs, and stood on two feet, even wearing clothes! What was even more startling about these things was the darkness that practically bled off of them. Even from a distance, the quartet was able to feel it. No wonder Heartless just popped in out of nowhere!
Surprising still was when one of the three creatures opened its jaws and began to speak. "Gah…The rage subsides now…destruction always eases the pain…" It said in a distinctively male voice. The tone, despite the talk of rage subsiding, still sounded absolutely furious at who even knew what.
A second of the creatures snorted, practically growling, as it sneered. "Yet the rage continues to build. Someone must still be using it." It said, also in a male voice.
The third, also a male, spoke up as well. "Then we should attack an area of greater population. Mass destruction will ease the pain further. This darkness that chases us can only be ebbed for so long."
The first creature nodded. "Yes! But we must also find the False User. Can't let the worm get away with this…" With those words, the creature and his two companions readied their wings and flew away, never seeming aware of the quartet's presence. At the same time, the Shadows that lurked in the jungle also vanished, apparently following along with whatever those draconic things were.
"That's…awful!" Sora exclaimed once the creatures were out of earshot. "What were those things, Zamansis?!"
"I have no idea…they look like dragons, but none that I've eve seen. All the ones I've come across are quadrupedal. Not to mention the whole clothes and talking thing…" The adventurer replied as he rooted through his bag. "We have to report this to Sir Tiffy immediately! Sir Tendeth can make his own way back!" Not like he had been much help anyway!
Quickly, the group was teleported to Falador one at a time once more and they rushed towards Sir Tiffy. When they drew near, the elderly man was still sipping tea on the park bench, likely not having moved in the hours they were gone. "Ah, back already? How are things on Mos Le'Harmless?" He asked, rather casual despite the importance of the mission.
"It was attacked by these strange dragon fellers!" Goofy explained. "They shot fire and they talked about attackin' bigger settlements!"
"Eh?! Talking dragons is certainly new!" Sir Tiffy responded, a brow raised. "This is something beyond me and needs further research!" At that, he paused and looked to Sora, Donald, and Goofy. "I know Zamansis trusts you, but you'll have to wait here as he and I go to our library to look into this."
Donald, as always, was the first to speak up in anger. "But we've been helping you! Why do we have to stay behind?!"
"Like I said, I know Zamansis trusts you, but I don't. Not fully. I'm not going to make you Temple Knights, and only members of our group could come with us." Sir Tiffy responded, not intimidated by Donald's outburst.
Zamansis sighed, shaking his head apologetically. "Sorry guys. Just wait here, okay? We shouldn't be too long. Just relax in the park while we're gone!" With that decided, the adventurer and Sir Tiffy walked off out of the park and soon vanished amongst the crowd.
Sighing as well, Sora sat on the park bench in a bit of a huff, Donald and Goofy sitting on either side of him. "Well, at least we don't have to do research and stuff. Sounds boring." The teen pointed out, finding a silver lining in staying behind.
"And they'll be back! It'll just be a bit!" Goofy commented, also looking to the brighter side. "We get to relax and rest, which is nice, right?"
"Yeah, but being left behind is a pain!" Donald argued, crossing his arms. "And we did what that Tiffy guy asked, so he should tell us about the Keyhole!"
For the first time in a while, GLaDOS' voice chimed from Donald's pocket. "I could use my sensors to read all their research in moments if I were there. They're just wasting their time." At that, the group fell silent, watching the day go by as they sat on the bench.
With all the quiet, Sora started to think. Getting to see some real life pirates was a real treat, it was just a shame they had to leave so quickly. It was still something he could tell Riku and Kairi if he was ever able to find them. It had only been a few worlds, sure, but he had this feeling in his gut that it was hopeless, and he'd never reunite with them! Sighing, the teen wallowed in his pessimism as time ticked by.
After about an hour, Zamansis and Sir Tiffy returned to the group. "Well, the research was a success." The adventurer relayed. "In a nutshell, those creatures may be Dragonkin, but not much is known about them. What we do know is they may be tied to a powerful relic I came in contact with before called the Stone of Jas. Anyway, we need to talk to the reincarnation of a man named Robert the Strong. He's Bob the Cat, and we have to find him."
Stone of Jas. Dragonkin. Bob the Cat. A lot of odd information all at once! Sora blinked a few times. "So…we need to talk to a cat?"
"I know it sounds odd, but I have an amulet that can help with this." Zamansis replied, taking the object out of his pocket. The pendant, to little shock, was shaped like a cat's head.
"So…we're really trying to find a cat? Why?" Sora asked, starting to wonder if this is a joke of some kind.
"There was a note left behind by Robert the Strong." Sir Tiffy explained, shooing the trio off the bench so he could sit down once more. "It was about the Dragonkin, and we need more information on what we're dealing with. It also pointed us to somewhere called Kethsi."
Donald glared up at Sir Tiffy. "What about the Keyhole? Are you looking into it?" The mage asked expectantly.
"Oh, yes. That." The old man said, taking out a cup of tea from seemingly nowhere. "We'll start on it as soon as you four head off. By the time this is over, you'll have all our information on it. Of that, you have my word."
During this time, Zamansis opened up the catspeak amulet, a compass of sorts hidden inside. Looking at it, he nodded. "Looks like it's pointing northwest. Bob hangs around Burthorpe a lot, so that's a good place to start." The situation still odd, the trio watched as Zamansis made a circle of salt, which he told them to step into. Once they did so, he got out a book of sorts and read out of it under his breath. In an instant, the four were teleported once more!
They arrived at a settlement of sorts. Not a place full of citizens like Falador, but some kind of military outpost. There were soldiers going about, and the buildings were clearly more for sturdiness rather than comfort. In any case, the outsider trio followed Zamansis as he used his compass to steer them in the right direction. It didn't take long before they found a black cat with a red collar snoozing in a particularly soft looking patch of grass.
"So, you can talk to him with that amulet, right?" Donald asked as the cat slowly woke up at the quartet's presence. After all, it was the catspeak amulet…
"Yeah, just hold on. This should only take a minute." Zamansis replied, putting the amulet on properly. What followed was a conversation between him and Bob the Cat…which the other three couldn't understand. Zamansis and Bob, from the perspective of the others, just kept talking in meows. They went back and forth, and sometimes the adventurer would make a gesture of sorts, but aside from that, the other three were stumped. After a few moments, Zamansis checked Bob's collar and nodded before taking the collar off.
"Did that help? Do we go to that there Kethsi place now?" Goofy asked as Zamansis put the catspeak amulet away properly.
The adventurer nodded. "That's right. Bob's collar had a code we can use to get there. We'll have to go to Zanaris. If you're with me, you should be able to come along."
Sora sighed, looking to Zamansis with an exhausted expression. "I'm just getting confused now. We're going all over the place and have to go to a bunch of other places to find out about these Dragonkin, right?"
"Sometimes adventuring is like that, running around all over the place." Zamansis confessed, hardly seeming happy about it himself. "But if we don't know more about the Dragonkin, we can't stop them. We don't even know where they reside or how many there are!"
The teen nodded, feeling a little silly about his outburst. "I know. I guess I just wasn't expecting this." They kept jumping to different areas so fast since leaving Keldagrim that they barely had a chance to really take these locations in. Except the waiting in Falador Park, that is.
"Don't worry Sora, I'm sure we'll help out with those Dragonkin fellers and find that Keyhole!" Goofy exclaimed, ever the optimist.
"Exactly what Goofy said." Zamansis echoed, once more drawing a circle with salt. "Now, we'll have to go to a fairy ring, and there's one by Edgeville." He explained, getting that spell book out again. "That's how we get to Zanaris."
Once more, the four used the circle of salt and the spell to teleport. This time, they arrived at a decently sized village. It was no Falador, that was for sure. A couple dozen buildings that included residential homes, a blacksmith, and even a bank among other things. To the East was a river not too far off, with some sort of massive walled structure beyond it. To the North was what had to be that stretch of barren, destroyed land the outsider trio saw earlier, the Wilderness. In front of it was a pretty small wall that could easily be leapt over.
"Is it really safe for everyone to live so close to the Wilderness like that?" Donald asked, looking to the wall as Zamansis started to lead the group again.
"It's magically fortified." The adventurer explained casually. "We can go in if we want, but things that call the Wilderness home can't get out."
Why anyone would want to go to such a horrid looking place was beyond Sora. Even with his desire to explore, he felt it a terrible idea to even step foot in the Wilderness. Zamansis hadn't gone into too much detail about its horrors, but the way he sounded as he spoke of it was enough to convince the teen it was to be avoided at all costs.
"Doesn't seem practical…" Donald replied, but nevertheless accepted the answer. The mage looked off into the Wilderness and swore he saw something skulking not far from the wall. At a glance, it looked like a walking skeleton…but that couldn't be, could it?
The walk to the fairy ring was pretty short, the citizens of Edgeville hardly giving the quartet a second glance. When living so close to a place like the Wilderness, most things would surely just not register with them. After crossing a bridge over a river, the four came to some grass where several circles of mushrooms were present, sort of in the shape of a bullseye. "This is the fairy ring? It doesn't look magic or anything…" Sora pointed out.
"Oh, trust me, it is. Most people can't use it at all, but I helped the fairies out of a few jams, so I have special privileges." Zamansis explained. "All I have to do is step inside…so just hold onto me, and hopefully you'll come too."
It worked for the other teleportation and that barrier from earlier, so the three had confidence this would work too. They did as Zamansis said and placed their hands on him, and the four walked into the middle of the fairy ring. In an instant, they all felt light as a feather as the world around them faded before a brand new one appeared before their eyes.
Zanaris opened up before the quartet as they appeared in a different fairy ring in the middle of the separate world. It was gorgeous to be sure, dense trees off the way, with sparser trees decorating the grassy ground. Some of these trees small houses in them, fit only for someone the size of a child, or even smaller. There were large glowing mushrooms on the ground, and a few sheep were walking around, grazing on the bountiful grass.
Near one of these sheep was what was unmistakably a fairy, a female one! She wore a simple, one-piece garment and had gorgeous, bug-like wings. Out of her head were two antennae, and she had rather wide eyes. What Sora found odd was her size, as it happened. In the books and stories he grew up with, fairies were tiny, enough to easily fit in the palm of even a child's hand. The fairy he saw was the size of a human, albeit a rather short one. Roughly the size of a Dwarf if he had to be more specific. This fairy didn't seem bothered by the presence of the outsiders, probably because they were with Zamansis. The adventurer did mention he helped the fairies out, so being seen with him surely put her mind at ease.
"It's really somethin'!" Goofy exclaimed, looking around. "A perfect place to take a nap…" He commented, letting out a small yawn.
"No time for a nap, I'm afraid. We'll be using this same fairy ring to leave." Zamansis explained, taking out a small box from his bag. The box had three circles on it, each with a letter. "I couldn't do this from the other fairy ring, that's just how things work. If I put the code in from Bob's collar, it should take us to Kethsi…" At that, Zamansis put the code in and the group was whisked away once more, barely able to appreciate Zanaris' beauty!
When they reappeared, things were far less appealing.
The world they emerged into, Kethsi…was clearly a dead world. Above them, the sky was green and grey, and the landscape itself shared that same shade of ugly, dead coloring. There was soil, but it seemed to be lacking any nutrients, not even weeds growing about. One or two trees were visible, but were long dead and it was a wonder how they hadn't simply crumbled by this point. There was water too, but just from a glance, it was clearly dirty, and it seemed that nothing could actually survive in it. Yet, despite all this, there was clearly a civilization here at some point as the quartet stood before the barely-present ruins of some sort. There were barely any walls standing, let alone any actual complete structure, so little could be gleaned from the ruins.
"This place is a real dump…" Donald commented, feeling uneasy just being in Kethsi. "Is this really the right place?"
"It has to be. I put the coordinated in right." Zamansis said, frowning as he looked about the area. "It's such a shame…I bet this world was beautiful once."
Sora had a nasty realization and turned to the others. "What if the Dragonkin attacked here? Maybe this is something they can do to your world, Zamansis!" It made sense to him, they reached this place by trying to find out more about the Dragonkin. That meant those creatures and what happened to Kethsi could be linked, right?
That was a nasty thought, but there was no reason to doubt it. "Well, whatever happened here, maybe we can find clues among the rubble." The adventurer noted.
"At least there shouldn't be Heartless here." Goofy said, once more finding a silver lining. "No people means no hearts. And them Heartless go after hearts. So, I bet they won't be here at all!" A small comfort, but a comfort to be sure.
On that mildly uplifting note, the four started to poke about the ruins. At first, there didn't seem to be too much. Destroyed statues, scraps from old books far too faded to read, and miscellaneous objects hard to identify. There weren't even skeletons of whoever lived in this world left behind…
At one point, however, Zamansis spoke up after the group split up a bit. "Hey! I found a box!" He yelled out, causing the others to converge on him. They watched as he opened it up to reveal two intact pieces of paper and a necklace along with an odd stone piece and the arm of a statue. "These are the first bits of legible writing I've seen. I'll read them out…"
Dear Robert,
I know none of this makes sense to you now, but I have seen the alternative, and this information is very important and should not be forgotten, nor idly revealed.
The code to what you seek is DIRAKS.
You must preserve the secret at all costs and make sure only the right people learn it. This will not be the only time the enemy will rise. The stonetoucher must also know what to do. The Temple Knights will be the start of the stonetoucher's trial.
The animal is a cat.
The time is plus 2139.
Put the key to the secrets on your collar.
Good luck.
-Robert the Strong
"A letter…to himself? I guess he knew he'd be a cat one day…" Donald mused, tapping his foot in thought. "What's 2139?"
"That I don't know. And the stonetoucher may be me. Like I said, I touched a relic called the Stone of Jas in a previous adventure." Zamansis answered. "This necklace must be Robert's too. I should hang onto it. But first, the other letter…"
Dear Zamansis,
Welcome to Kethsi. I'm sorry that I have no means of knowing your name. I don't have much time before the magic takes hold and my reincarnation takes place.
I also enclose a note to myself, which you must give me when you see me, but NOT as a cat.
I enclose a necklace crafted by my sweetheart, Ilsinor. There is no other like it. You will need this to convince me that the note I've sent myself is worth remembering.
There is information on this island that will be needed if the enemy is not to overtake us all. It's protected by an ancient Kethsian puzzle. I enclose vital items to help you complete that puzzle. I hid them here many years ago to keep them from getting into the wrong hands.
Good luck.
-Robert the Strong
P.S. DKQ is a code which could become useful to you at some point.
"Wow, this Robert guy sure knew what he was doin'!" Goofy praised, scratching the side of his head. "But he wants to meet ya as a human? And I wonder if the 'enemy' are them Dragonkin fellers…"
"I just want to know how these objects will help us. Where do we use them?" Sora asked, glancing at the odd stone piece, the arm, and the necklace.
Zamansis put all the contents of the box in his bag and shrugged. "Not a clue. We'll have to keep looking around for something that'd hold information. A library, maybe…"
With a bit of help from Robert the Strong, the four started to search around again. Fanning out more, they soon came across a staircase that went under the dead earth. Going down, they entered a small, gloomy stone chamber with four indents in the walls that looked like the odd stone piece from the box along with a locked door ahead. "This must be the puzzle. But hey, you can just open it with your Keyblade, right Sora?" Donald suggested.
Summoning the useful weapon, the teen nodded. "Almost feel bad for Robert, he didn't know Zamansis would have help like this." Sora murmured, but raised the Keyblade so it was pointing at the door. It was almost a bit guilt-inducing since the now-feline man had even tried to help them out too! Either way, Sora once more used the Keyblade's power and a beam of light hit the door ahead and an audible unlocking sound rang out in the chamber.
Zamansis opened the door, and the four ended up in a library! Unlike the books and parchments from up above, the ones down in the secret chamber were in far better condition. They were, at the very least, able to be read. What caught the quartet's eye was a journal that seemed newer than anything else on a table in the center of the room next to a scroll. It was as though whoever placed it there wanted it to be seen. Once more, it was the adventurer that did the reading, opening up the book and spoke aloud for the others.
My name is Dathana. I may now be the last member of the Mage Conclave of Kethsi. I tell this story in the hope that it may help others who come under threat from the terrible force that is the Dragonkin.
In the late summer of the Year of Babbootang, Elder Mage Etheron returned to Kethsi from a six-year expedition to the outer planes.
As Etheron passed through the worldgate, we beheld a beautiful sight. Behind him floated a great stone, patterned as if it were a great terratoise shell. 'Good tidings, my friends,' said Etheron. 'I bring with me an artefact so powerful, it shall bring great prosperity to our people.'
The stone was taken to the Mage Conclave at Mount Firewake. The first few months were a wondrous time for all Kethsians. We managed to use the great stone to work many spells. Spells to make our crops more bountiful; spells to restore our cities to the height of their splendor; spells to drive back our enemies.
Our people were happy for a time, but trouble was not far behind. A strange and vicious race appeared from the east and began to attack our settlements there. Survivors of the attacks reported a race of reptilian creatures that called themselves the Dragonkin.
So, we set in motion a plan to use the power of the great stone to vanquish this new enemy. The fifty-two Grand High Mages of the Conclave stood surrounding the fortress of the enemy and began the casting of a spell that would show the many worlds the might of Kethsi.
Things did not go as desired. Enraged Dragonkin flew from their fortress as the great spell was cast, but they did not crumble and die as expected, and instead grew in anger and strength. We found ourselves under attack and running for our lives. Only nine of the Conclave survived.
More attempts were made to combat the Dragonkin, but it became apparent that every time we used the great stone, the Dragonkin grew more powerful, more enraged, more violent. Our foremost philosophers noted that the Dragonkin only appeared on Kethsi after Etheron had brought the great stone here, and we had made use of it. They posited that, perhaps, they were some sort of defense mechanism, to bar the unworthy from using the stone's power.
We have now stopped using the stone, but I fear it is too late; the Dragonkin are now incredibly powerful, and they continue to decimate our cities.
The Conclave headquarters were destroyed two months ago, and I have retreated here to the Isle of Sann. I fear it is only a matter of time before all life on this world is eradicated.
We have one final hope - a weapon crafted from a material from the outer planes. Banite ore can be used to smith a unique metal, which can be magically 'tuned' to especially harmful to certain creatures. We then use a tempered anvil located here on the Isle of Sann to turn it into arrows and bolts.
We turned these arrows against the Dragonkin, and, for the first time, managed to kill some, but the ore is rare and our supplies run low. Hedrick and Felli left Kethsi in search of more, but they may not return soon enough.
If so, our fate is sealed; but, if by some miracle someone finds this book, perhaps there is hope for other worlds to learn from our folly and survive the rage of the Dragonkin. There should be a Tune Banite Ore scroll in this room to teach the necessary spell. Cast it on parts of certain deceased creatures to tune the Banite ore against those creatures. Whether you can find a source of Banite ore or one of the special anvils used to create bane bolts and arrows is another matter. May the spirits of Kethsi guide you.
When Zamansis finished, the four looked at each other, Zamansis taking the scroll and glancing over its contents silently before putting it in his bag. "That stone they mentioned, it sounds just like the Stone of Jas. Like I said, I touched it once, and when I did, I gained more power than I ever had or have had since." The man explained, also pocketing the journal. "And you were right Sora, the Dragonkin had a hand in the destruction of this world…"
Sora was really wishing he was wrong. Things were so…grim out in other worlds. At least, they had the potential to be. This wasn't the sort of stuff he looked for in an adventure! He wanted to see new places, talk to new people, experience new things…not learn about the death of entire worlds…
"It looks like them Dragonkin fellers are always pretty mad too." Goofy pointed out. "Remember when the Heartless appeared back on the island? Those Dragonkin seemed overflowin' with anger and darkness. They must make Heartless pop up wherever they go!" It probably wasn't the source of all the Heartless on Gielinor, but it sure was a problem!
"I think you're right. And the use of the Stone of Jas just makes them stronger." Zamansis pointed out. "And this raises a nasty problem…the relic is being used by a horrid being, a Mahjarrat named Lucien has it and has probably been absorbing its power over and over again. If he keeps doing that…"
Donald nodded glumly as Zamansis trailed off. "This all might happen to Gielinor too…" He didn't expect to be saving any of these worlds from anything but Heartless. How could they stop the Dragonkin? Some weapons made of that Banite stuff?
"Sir Tiffy will want to know this, right?" Sora piped up. "We should go back to him!" Though the old man didn't quite trust him, Donald, and Goofy, the teen knew he had to be of some help.
Zamansis nodded, once more taking some runes from his bag. "You're right, Sora. Thankfully, teleporting works between worlds, so we can go straight back to Falador. We have to hurry!" Without a moment's hesitation, the four were soon teleported out of the basement and towards Falador.
Once more, the dead world of Kethsi fell completely silent…
A/N: Yeah, so...this isn't the end of the RuneScape world. Looking the wordcount, I think I made the right choice. Even asked a friend of mine and he agreed. For those unaware, the quest this part is based off of isn't even really halfway done and the chapter was already over 9k words. I really don't want to release a chapter potentially 15, 16, maybe 18k words. It's just way too long for what I like to put out. Another reason is I want to get into the habit of releasing one chapter from each of the stories I'm working on out a month since I really fell off on that recently. If I made this chapter extra long, I wasn't sure that'd be possible. Keep in mind I actually trimmed down a bunch of stuff, for those unfamiliar with how the quest goes. Oh, and for RuneScape fans, you may have noticed I put in mentions of A Clockwork Syringe, a quest released between King of the Dwarves and Ritual of the Mahjarrat. Yeah, I just plain goofed on that. We'll just say Zamansis did one or two quests outside of release order. I mean he is jumping from King of the Dwarves to Ritual of the Mahjarrat, after all...
I am aware there's a ton of jumping about, but that's just how quests are in RuneScape. Not a lot of time for Sora, Donald, and Goofy to take a breath and see the new areas...but if I did that, this chapter would easily be several thousand words longer. Thankfully, very few of the worlds I have planned out for the series will be like this. I also realize that Heartless didn't appear too much. I know in the games that they're nearly constant, but I don't really want to do that. I don't want Sora and company unable to walk ten feet without Heartless spawning and making them constantly fight. Words great for an action RPG, but not so much for a story unless I make the encounters super short and vague. Also don't worry, I didn't forget about Cloud. I already know exactly where he'll show up, that part just hasn't come yet.
At any rate, I promise the next chapter will be the last one for this world. That being said, I should note that I don't have any explicit rule for myself on how many chapters a world can take. It might be two, it might be four, it might even be five or six. It just depends on the content I want to cover.