Kingdom Hearts: Apocalypse ~Part 1 Rebirth " Machinecken Town"~

[Key Wielder]

So much for Renn’s insistence that her goal was as simple as merely not summoning her Keyblade. Would he have asked—no, ordered—her to battle the Heartless if she couldn’t wield one? Would he have expected her help, knowing how unwillingly she would give it, if at all?


No. He wouldn’t have. They weren’t friends—they weren’t even allies. Even so, he ran out to meet the Heartless under the impression that she’d be just like everyone else and have his back.

“You mean, you’re not going to?”


Ugh, not you again, Yoake inwardly groaned. That voice was by no means a constant presence, but it definitely chose the worst possible times to chew her ear off, in a manner of speaking.


Seeming to sense the direction of her thoughts as always, her bodiless companion retorted, “You know I’m never far.”


Yeah, see, that’s the problem.


A low chuckle was its only response, although that may have had to do with the fact that Yoake’s Keyblade appeared in her hand with a flash of light, much to her mingled annoyance and resignation. These mental intrusions were getting out of hand. Yoake was an adult, and as such, she hardly needed an extra conscience. The one she already had was in perfect order, not to mention that it constantly gnawed at her as it was. Adding another, especially one as obnoxiously vocal as what had been following her since before she’d left home? It was more than her patience could take some days. The sole bright side in this instance was that it hadn’t shown up sooner, which was surprising given that it apparently hadn’t minded one bit that she’d been incarcerated and then escaped with a fellow fugitive.


We definitely need to have a chat about your priorities, she muttered to herself as she charged straight into the lion’s den.


“Don’t worry. I appreciate you too, Yoake.”


Smart alec.


Fortunately, she didn’t have to listen to the subtle taunts for long. The instinctive rhythm of battle she certainly hadn’t learned as a child soon drew her into its embrace, blocking out everything that wasn’t swing and dodge and parry—lather, rinse, repeat until she gave it no thought whatsoever. Yoake was a slave to the beat, watching Heartless after Heartless evaporate into dark clouds while the hearts they consumed disappeared into the ether.


No matter how many she felled, however, there were still more flooding onto the docks with reinforcements appearing in the distance. Two Keyblades made no difference against their numbers: there were simply too many to hope for victory here.


The world was going to collapse at this rate, and they’d be lucky not to vanish along with it.


“We can’t wait much longer!” Yoake called to Renn through gritted teeth when one of the Fat Bandits sent a well-aimed fireball careering towards her. Her Keyblade made short work of it, bouncing the projectile back towards its origin, but the heat singed her arms nevertheless.

 

[Shinra]

Renn gritted his teeth as Yoake spoke. "For once I agree..." He said as blue flames rotated around him. He forced a lot of heartless from overwhelming him. Then blew a good group of heartless back as soon as Yoake reached his side and he closed the landing strip. He saw that the engine was primed and took the wheel. "Let's see how good these blasters are on regular heartless." He instead of zooming out turned the wheel around and facing the wave of heartless he pulled both triggers. No heartless could attack him back because he focused his fire on the fat bandits who he knew would be able to hit him at this range.

He literally tore through the growing wave of heartless with the guns he had but he still saw no sign of Andrew or Topsy or anyone else. "I'm giving them 5 minutes." He kept firing but within a minute he had cleared out the docks of all the heartless that had came to back up that first wave.

 

[Hazen Gregory]

Topsy wasn't all that surprised when he felt Andrew nuzzle loser to him, the young man buried his face in Topsy's neck. He held onto him tightly, it was as if being so close to this new person to him made him feel like the terror in the worlds met nothing, that this new heartless threat didn't matter as long as Topsy had Andrew around. His heart fluttered with delight as he felt the sorrow and angst pour out of Andy onto him while they were connected, and while that happened more guards had started to show up. For the time being they were held at bay by the drakelet heartless whom were having a small feeding frenzy but eventually more would have to be done if the group were to make it to safety.

Andrew told Topsy that he was fine; maybe that was the way he felt or he actually believed it, so Topsy would le the scar go while it wasn't a life threatening issue but in the future when their was more time or reason to talk about it, Topsy planned on getting it out of Andrew if he was able. The stairs right above them had a familiar sound of fast paced footfalls on them, which meant that more guards, or people were coming. Topsy swiveled his right eye to look behind him and that was when Sevastian and another young man came into view. Topsy wasn't sure if he remembered the shorter one but he didn't have a bad vibe or energy signature.

"Ah, hello dears," Topsy said this with the smallest hint of passion in his voice when the pair arrived,quickly being of help as the two started to attack guards. Adding them to the ranks would make things easier but as for efficiency, it wasn't that much help. They were all in such a narrow corridor that attack would soon become more difficult with both the frenzied hybrid guards appearing next to non-stop and all thirty of the small dragon heartless that he'd already summoned. "Shit, I really shouldn't do this again so soon, but it might be an easier route for all of us." Topsy grunted in pain as dark magic welled up around hi m again as he tapped into Hazen's power that lay within his soul and caused the same dark tear as he'd done before, making it happen a lot faster than it had before. It was less difficult this time around because the throne room was actually almost directly above the group. Topsy could hear the sounds of Syn battling above them and sense the numerous stronger heartless that were there. A new horde of heartless appeared then, so Topsy left his own small horde of drakelets behind .

As the entire group materialized out from darkness in the throne room above, Topsy put Andrew down, wincing as a sharp pain went through his head and he heard the buzzing laughter of Hazen running through his head. "Sorry about that everyone, I shouldn't have done that but we are all connected in some way which made it easier for me to do. I can only move people with the dark tear if we're physically or emotionally connected." He scowled, "I'll explain later if it means anything." The throne room looked a lot darker than it had before, it pulsed with magic and darkness, there were various types of heartless in the room and Syn was present along with the King, Sononea whom Topsy saw even in the darkness. His enhanced senses were nothing to frown upon.

"Andy-chan...you literally have drained me a bit. Maybe you didn't do it intentionally, maybe it was because I care about you, but either way I believe your reserves should have refilled a decent amount." Topsy nodded to Jacen and reached out to him, arm radiating with an intense light in the darkened throne room. "Here kid, take this energy, you might as well take a boost too." He could sense that Sevastian and the other young man weren't as tired out as they could've been but without speaking or directly targeting them, he allowed his draw ability to pull ambient magic near him and let it wash over Henry, Sevastian and Syn whom was present.

Topsy laughed, looking to Syn who'd been fighting all by himself. "To answer you from before Syn...YES I'm here to fight justice. Now let's kick things up a notch and show this tyrant a thing or two." Topsy growled as he looked at Sononea, his body straightening out as Progonoskes formed behind his back. Topsy hugged Andrew whom was next to him and whispered in his ear, "I love to hold you close...tonight and always. I'd love to wake up next to you." He then kissed him softly on the cheek and took the smallest step forward, vanishing in a rush of magical force that exploded into a Large Body when Topsy appeared above it.

It was as if Topsy had turned into a monster for several seconds as he began rampaging around the throne room, quickly disposing of many Large Bodies and defenders. He was using his speed and physical prowess to knock the Large Bodies around back and forth like they were ping pong balls and then performed a spinning kick that slammed them together in a comet like fashion to take out three advancing defenders. In that display, Topsy still hadn't used his keyblade which was spinning rapidly behind his back which was gathering momentum for a specific purpose. Progonoskes spun off and tore into the right wall of the throne room, dragging itself and ripping open the wall creating a 40 foot gash that had exposed pipes and electrical wires. "Sevastian you with me?? Clean up some of this trash will ya??" On its second spin out the keyblade burst many of the pipes open, causing water to start gushing out into the throne room.

"Sononea, as a king, you really should have more balls and take a direct challenge," Topsy calmly walked toward him, his outfit reverting back to his original near-naked one, Progonoskes in hand. "What are your true motives?? Stop this madness before this entire world is consumed like you already have been. Don't you care about thhe inhabitants of this world, your people??" Topsy shrugged, the king looked madder than earlier. Not the angry mad...the crazy kind. He'd end up having to do a ton of explaing upon return to The Garden. He was NOT looking forward to that at all but maybe Andrew wanted to come along with him??

He rolled his eyes and sidestepped a blow from a large body, jumped up, kicked it in the face and looped his keyblade around to cut it into four pieces that dissipated. "Ugh, this is like dealing with Edea all over again. Come on and fight me if you think all of us is unbalanced." He paused, "Or you can challenge us all if you believe your might is that high, oh king in the dark. Either way, you won't make it out of here unscathed. Call off the heartless and surrender." Topsy didn't want to have to expend any more large quantities of magic but he would if it was his only choice. "Please don't make me summon Dark Bahamut or Bahamut in fury form. One Exa-Flare will lay waste to this place" Topsy called back to Andrew, "Do you want to see a dragon sweetheart?? Maybe then we can get out of here and have some pillow talk," he blushed.

 

[Story Keeper]

~- Hiding within the Night -~

Henry stiffened only a fraction when he was embraced by darkness, when he could see something that wasn’t pitch blackness, they were in the throne room. Looking over his shoulder at the only person that could be responsible, the dark swirl of energy in his soul seemed to cause him pain. The slender blonde looked horrified at the idea of his friend being in distress. He didn’t call out for them to focus, especially the blond since he couldn’t determine the boy’s fate.

He did notice the flicker of disappointment on the younger man’s face when he got put down, only for the disappointment to switch to embarrassment due to a whispered conversation. Biting his tongue lightly, Henry almost called out for them to knock it off when he got distracted by a defender heartless attacking him. Parrying the fireball that was sent his way, Henry danced out of the way of the lunge it tried to perform. Swinging out with his scythe, the blade tore through the Heartless’s side and caused it to puff into smoke.

Looking to Sevastian, he spoke, “You help the flamboyant one, I’ll focus on keeping these things away from blonde.” A thought coming to him because of the familiarity between Sevastian’s and the blond’s soul, he added in a gentler tone, “Don’t worry, we’ll save him.”

Henry shoved the warrior-monk away before jumping in the opposite direction. Three fireballs shot past where the two had been standing, the fat bandit that was responsible lumbered toward them. Warmth wrapped around him, replenishing his energy levels. It took him a moment, but then Henry found the one responsible. Nodding his head, he said, “Thank you!”

Swinging his scythe again, he took out two neo-shadows and sent a fireball racing back to the fat bandit that had sent it towards him. Falling into the rhythm of combat, Henry went through the motions, attack, parry, defend, counter. Repeat. As each one fell, Henry felt the souls and hearts disappear into the darkness. Water exploded into the room, soaking it and just begging Sevastian to manipulate it as he saw fit. Henry was distracted though, he could sense a powerful source of darkness approaching them, moving through the shadows and it seemed like the guy that had been holding the blond dancer decided to call the source out.

”Come on and fight me if you think all of us is unbalanced. Or you can challenge us all if you believe your might is that high, oh king in the dark. Either way, you won't make it out of here unscathed. Call off the heartless and surrender."

Henry knew he shouldn’t say something, but even so he added, “Tell you truth, it doesn’t matter what you do. You will perish, the only choice you have is sparing your subjects. So what’ll it be?”

Silence greeted their words for several minutes, and then there was a rush of shadows. Henry braced himself for the strike, only for the blond to get in the way and parry the strike with his lance. Henry couldn’t make out the physical form of the attacker due to the heavy cloud of shadows, before they rushed off again and seemed to clear out some of the Heartless. Only those surrounding Syn and Topsy, those two were encased in dark flames, separating them from the others.

The blond dancer seemed to panic, trying to lunge forward toward the flames but Henry halted it. “Calm yourself, your friend will be fine. It’s not his time.” Henry said gently.

The blond sent him a look, terror making his blue eyes widen as he shouted, “Like that’s supposed to comfort me! All you’re doing is stressing me out!”

Henry could sense the power of something strong clinging to this boy, and he could tell that the boy was trying not to show his fear. A pitying look wanted to enter Henry’s eyes, but he couldn’t quite manage it. “So? Do you want to?” He prompted, trying to distract the boy.

“Huh? Want what?”

“The dragon your friend asked you about,” Henry reminded gently.

A sad look briefly flickered across the blond’s face before he answered both Henry and the original asker, “Yeah, as long as he doesn’t get hurt anymore.”

Henry could tell that the blond didn’t know the other man for long, but he could already see that there was a deep bond between them. He had a suspicion on why, given the brokenness that clung to the two souls. Nodding his head, Henry moved to stand in front of the blond and instructed, “Just cover me, okay? Because I think if you got hurt it’d destroy him more than anything that could be inflicted on him.”

A rush of wind answered Henry, giving him a nice and secure barrier between him and the guards. Jumping back into the fray, Henry continued with the slaughter, something that he knew any normal person would be horrified by, but for Henry he felt nothing. He was totally devoid of feeling for these deaths. It was just his job after all, he had to reap souls.

~- Fate is the Game -~

Sononea manifested from the dark flames, the air around him alight. Looking at the two men, he called forth his claymore and said, “This world is precious to me, but not in the same way you fools would consider it. I will destroy this world, and I won’t surrender to you men.” He paused, looking to Topsy even though he seemed like a monster. A smile uncurled across his mouth, making it seem like it had been split from ear to ear. “Do you honestly think you can save these people? Do you truly think you can save him? Let me tell you, you can’t.”

Sononea rushed forward, swinging his claymore at Topsy in a diagonal fashion before using the momentum to lunge at Syn. A sword swing sent a rush of dark water in the brave one’s direction. Sononea performed a roundhouse kick on the boy when he got closer. Moving back to a safe distance, Sononea watched the two men that were trapped within the flames. He hated these two fools, they just wouldn’t listen to him. Everything about them annoyed him.

They reminded him of what he wasn’t permitted to have.

White-hot rage unfurled through him, making Sononea’s red eyes glow brighter and the flames grew hotter in answer. He’d destroy these two, and then he’d destroy the others. Another claymore appeared in his hand, and Sononea prepared for the battle that was to come. Even so he smirked, knowing what was going on outside.

 

[TruestSyn]

Syn breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, someone to help him take these heartless down. He felt the surge of energy coming from the half-naked man and felt something awaken within him.

"Thanks, you know my name from earlier but I don't think I ever caught yours. My name is Syn, I'm going to be a hero that fights for true justice. Light and Dark don't matter, only what is right. We're going to take down this ass clown and we have to have a serious talk about your wardrobe. I think we can be good friends."

He looked over at the newly revealed king. He looked just as pathetic as Syn expected. A downtrodden hybrid that wanted to get revenge on the world. He reflected the water wave thrown from Sononea with a swing of his keyblade and blocked the claymore the best he could with his dark sword to protect the half-naked man. Unfortunately, the kick made contact but it wasn't in any vital spots and didn't do much damage. He landed on his feet and stood straight.

"Pity this one, friend. Sononea as you called him is no more. This is a hybrid, I know them well. It seems to be angry with it's position in the world. I don't know how that keyblade of yours works, but if you'll distract those claymores of his, I'll go in and release the hybrid. This world is doomed, the least we can do is take pity on the residents left behind."

Syn cracked his neck and stood in a power position. He concentrated this energy he received from the half-naked man and leapt forward at Sononoea. He threw down a double swing to knock back the two claymores and began a wild swing, waiting for his backup to jump back in.

 

[Story Keeper]

~- What did you just say? -~

Sononea could tell he was being looked down on, and that amused him. This boy thought him just a bitter shell? Ha! Don't make him... Sononea blinked, temporarily halting in his assault on the two men. An ass clown? Really? Sononea started laughing at the remark, it was not something he expected at all. Gaining control of himself, Sononea looked at Syn and countered, "Is that what you think? If so you're no better than the other humans. You know nothing boy. You won't understand the truth until you have suffered greatly."

Sononea clung to the bitterness that had allowed him to take control in the first place. Parrying the strikes from Syn, he saw the kick coming for him. Using the blade lock to his advantage, Sononea pushed off from the ground and used the momentum to his advantage. Flipping over Syn's head, landing on his feet he lashed out with his right foot. Quickly he followed it up with another kick before going in for an x-cross slash. He was keeping an eye on the near-naked man, knowing that the two were likely to try a combination attack when he wasn't looking.

~- Paralysis -~

Andrew was flinging spells at the heartless, his mind replaying Topsy’s whisper to him. It pained him knowing that Topsy was hurting. Dancing out of the way, Andrew retaliated with an ice spell. Glancing towards the roaring flames, his heart tightened as his mind started racing in a million different directions. He was sure Topsy was safe, but…

What if he was wrong? What if…

Andrew mentally shook himself, shedding his doubt in the process. A curse escaped him, rolling out of the way of a fireball, Andrew winced as the heat scorched his back. Rubbing at his shoulders, Andrew scrambled to his feet. Looking around, he saw that he’d gotten separated from Henry, who’d somehow gotten closer to Sevastian. Taking a step backwards, Andrew bumped into something. Feeling arms snake around his stomach, Andrew was acutely aware of just how close the hands were to both his waist and his throat.

“Long time no see, Andrew.” A voice purred in his ear.

Spoiler Show

Andrew froze, his mind shutting down in answer to the words. He wanted to scream, he wanted to fight, or even to run away. He couldn’t though, his body wouldn’t obey. Harley drew him closer, a cruel mockery of the hug that he’d gotten out of with Topsy. He was dizzy and he couldn’t think, but he didn’t dare lean backwards.

“Come on Andy, there’s no need to be so cold. Don’t you remember the exchange we had in your room? I do.” Harley chuckled, his eyes glittering with a cold light. Harley leaned forward, sniffing at Andrew’s neck, even as his right hand crept closer to Andrew’s mouth.

Andrew screamed internally, his heart racing and drowned out any sound. He couldn’t breathe, and his eyes started to prickle with tears. Harley moved in front of him, using his left arm to keep Andrew close even as his right hand stroked his cheek. His stomach churned with nausea, he wanted to puke. He tried to will his body to move, but it was rooted to the spot. Closing his eyes, Andrew tried to keep his mouth shut but didn’t succeed as he felt two of Harley’s fingers slip into his mouth.

Choking a little, Andrew was relieved when Harley took a step away from him. The contact wasn’t completely broken though, Harley still had his hand on Andrew’s hip. It was rough, no where near as gentle as Topsy. Harley also started tracing the scar on Andrew’s stomach as he said, “How about we continue what we started? Hmm, what do you say?”

He didn’t notice that his hand had started to grow warm, or that he’d sent out a pulse of magic. Nor did he notice that the faintest of whimpers escaped him. Andrew was only aware of the fact that he wanted to run but he couldn’t get his body to move. A look of steel came to Harley's eyes, and he moved closer, digging his fingers in Andy's skin as he snarled, "What were you saying about 'washing my neck and waiting?' Seems like it was just talk little Outsider, but we can finish things if you want..."

Could this just be over with?

 

[Key Wielder]

[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]This is insanity. If we don’t get out of here, we’ll be lost.[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]“If you [/FONT][FONT=&quot]do[/FONT][FONT=&quot] get out of here, then all the others will be lost.”[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]And whose fault is that? [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]The voice had no answer for that, and Yoake couldn’t help feeling slightly satisfied. Sure, it was simple to speak that way when your own existence wasn’t on the line, but in reality it was a much more complicated matter. Renn was allegedly working to help his father, not to mention the rest of his community; Yoake was just trying to get her answers and go home. Ultimately, their missions were relatively harmless. She didn’t trust Renn in the slightest, of course, nor did she expect him to do the same. Still, just as she wasn’t here to pick a fight, he didn’t seem to be purposely causing trouble either. (Whether it happened anyway was an entirely different matter.)[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]The others, though? Yoake wasn’t quite sure she could say the same about them. In the brief minutes she’d spent in their presence, a few things had become clear: they were [/FONT][FONT=&quot]awful[/FONT][FONT=&quot]. Immature, overbearing, arrogant, even salacious in one instance. It was obvious now that there was more wrong in this world than she had suspected, but that didn’t give their behavior a free pass. Rather, she thought perhaps it wasn’t too far off base to believe that their actions were what had triggered this reaction in the first place. It may not have been their fault per se, but it certainly didn’t absolve them of blame. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]And they were the people who would potentially be lost if Renn just hit the accelerator and got out of here. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Was[/FONT][FONT=&quot] it really a loss, in that case? [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]“They may not be the most trustworthy bunch,” [/FONT][FONT=&quot]that voice in her head reasoned, [/FONT][FONT=&quot]“but if you leave them behind...”[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Yoake sighed, closing her eyes and hanging her head. [/FONT][FONT=&quot]Then it’ll be my fault.[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]“You got it.”[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Anyone ever tell you that you’re a real pain sometimes? [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]“More often than you could possibly know. Sort of.” [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]...What’s that supposed to mean? [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]“Never mind. Don’t you have a suggestion to make?”[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Yeah, yeah...[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]“Renn, listen to me,” Yoake began, grabbing the back of his seat to remain steady when a particularly rough blast decimated most of the Heartless on the docks. The way was clear, but how long it would remain that way, she couldn’t begin to guess. “The others aren’t going to get here in time. There are too many of them.” [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Indeed, even as she spoke, more Heartless were welling up along the edges of the landing strip. They were at a reasonable distance for now, yet she had no confidence it would stay that way, especially when she noticed for the first time that the sky was beginning to darken in something very different from an incoming storm. There were no clouds or obstructions; the sun was merely [/FONT][FONT=&quot]gone[/FONT][FONT=&quot]. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]It’s over. The world is ending.[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]“This one is. The others need protection.”[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Yoake wouldn’t say she was confident that [/FONT][FONT=&quot]protection[/FONT][FONT=&quot] was the other wielders’ strong suit, but the mental kick she got for thinking it spurred her to continue regardless of the fact that it left a bitter taste on her tongue. [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]“We can’t wait here if they’re going to have any chance of beating the darkness. Our best bet is to take the ship to [/FONT][FONT=&quot]them[/FONT][FONT=&quot].”[/FONT][/FONT]

 

[Shinra]

Renn was struck with a streak of confusion as she spoke to take the ship to them. Why didn't I think of that?

"Actually you've been making great suggestions so far Yoake." He turned away from the strip and left the docks but as soon as he passed the roof he turned around toward the castle... Heartless were running rampant through the streets but none were paying the ship any mind. Renn scanned the area for a place to land then he realized that the courtyard in front of the castle was a perfect spot. He zoomed toward it and landed but Heartless still swarmed around. After clearing the vicinity of rogue heartless He landed. "It's your call Yoake...you want me to stay and protect the ship while you go and find them? or do you want to stay so I can go find them?"

 

[Key Wielder]

[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Now that was a tough decision—deceptively so. Yoake didn’t have the first clue how to fly this contraption; she’d seen them before, but piloting one was different. Her usual method of transportation was the portal her Keyblade somehow decided she should be able to open, although she admittedly had little control over where it led her. She’d gotten lucky showing up in Machinecken Town to begin with; in a pinch, she didn’t think she’d be able to get anywhere else that wasn’t home. Yeah, Renn wasn’t in danger of her spooking and leaving them to fend for themselves, that was for sure.[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]The reciprocal, however, wasn’t completely guaranteed. Renn didn’t seem the type to leave her behind, not when he had waited this long for a bunch of strangers as it was, but... Well, desperate times. Plus, who was to say the others wouldn’t convince him to leave even without her or commandeer the ship themselves? [/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]It wasn’t an option. She wasn’t going to give in to the darkness here. Not today.[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]“Go,” she told him, peering at the panel and memorizing which ones controlled the cannons. “I’ll hold them off until you get back. Just make it as fast as you can.”[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]“Smart move.”[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]Wow, no sarcasm?[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]“No need. This time.”[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot][/FONT]
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[FONT=&quot][FONT=&quot]You’re too kind.[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]
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[Shinra]

"hmmm okay. But it's kinda nice to know you actually are willing to help me save the others... Regardless of them being keybladers and your opinion of them." with those words Renn bolted inside. Shadows and Neoshadows were spawning at an alarming rate with in but Renn was playing hit and run with them as he felt the concentration of darkness intensify...It was... coming from the throne room where they all met the king. Oddly though Renn felt a concentration of heat in his body. As soon as the Throne room was in sight he saw Large bodies, Defenders, and fat bandits concentrated in the throne room but He soon saw Topsy, Jacen, Andrew, and one he could not recognize but the mystery man was clashing with the king. And Renn could tell... He was the source of the darkness consumin g this world he screamed as he dispatched a pair of neoshadows just before he reached the first defender in sight. "if you guys are gonna finish this fight! I'm here to help! The ship is in the courtyard!" He was blocked by a pair of defenders and a fat bandit but he soon stopped just before engaging the three heartless blocking the entrance. He then remembered the incantation that Merlin taught him that released the spell tier to the third level as he knew in his heart that the heat would not settle in this circumstance. "Flames of the phoenix... Release the third seal... Torrent of flame! FIRAGA!" He thrust his keyblade forward and a raging stream of blue flame erupted from it, He placed both hands on the grip of the blade as a blazing pillar reduced all heartless ahead of him all the way to the back of the throne room to ashes. He soon fell to one knee. "Damn.... that was crazy compared to when I released the second seal."

 

[Hazen Gregory]

Topsy showed no outward reaction to the king’s flashy entrance. He looked around the dark flames, analyzing them even as he drew strength from the magic in the area. These kinds of situations worked well for Topsy because there was always magical particles he was able to absorb. By increasing his physical resistance to magic and increasing the durability of his skin, the dark flames wouldn't be an issue. After all he had to make sure he didn’t betray the young heart-throb’s trust. If he allowed Hazen to affect him too greatly and became enveloped in darkness, Andy more than likely wouldn't trust him. He heard Syn’s commentary on hybrids, and a weary smile came to his face. Was it possible that Syn didn't realize he was talking to a Hybrid? Even if he was different from other ones, Topsy still qualified as one.

The buzzing in the back of his head grew louder, closing his eyes for the briefest of moments Topsy pushed down the source of the buzzing. He wasn't about to lose control and hurt the innocents that were in the room, especially Andrew. He KNEW that Sononea was toying with them, because over the years he'd done the same thing in fights where he knew his abilities were superior. Syn had jumped back into the fray, fighting against Sononea even as Topsy held back and refueled his pool of magic by using the Draw Junction. He also alloted more magic to his thinking and eyes to hyper-analyse the king’s fighting style. His opinion of the king being mad was reinforced when Sononea started laughing manically after being insulted. He could see that an opening was about to happen, all he had to do was hold off just a hair longer as Sononea flipped over Syn’s head.

Here we go. Topsy thought, rushing forward he grabbed his keyblade from the air and parried the strike that was aimed for Syn’s back. The strike actually blowing Sononea backwards, he quickly followed in pursuit with a flurry of keyblade strikes, forcing the hybrid king to go on the defensive. He didn’t spare a glance in Syn’s direction as he said, “We need to finish this.” His face started itching again, alerting him to the fact that Andrew was in trouble.

Rage unfolded through his chest like a black flame, burning hot since this was the second time Andrew had unknowningly called out to him for help. The pulse of magic that hit him allowed Topsy to get a better feel for the situation. His eyes went black as his rage intensified, he’d end the fool that had caused Andy-chan to feel such distress. A howling gale of wind exploded outwards from Topsy, clearing away the barricade that had sealed him and Syn off from the others. Topsy grimaced, he must have damaged the seal he'd placed on his own magic use after Daaku died. He locked eyes with Sononea, challenging the king to a duel with a look.

Focusing back on Syn, he said, “I’ll be right back Syn. I can't leave Daak...I mean Andrew alone to suffer I'll be back though, hold tight and don't back down.” Topsy moved away so fast it was like he’d teleported. A burst of speed and magic had him over by Andrew and the guard who’d been restraining him. One look at them and Topsy could tell that Andrew was uncomfortable, sending Topsy into even more of a rage. He dropped between the two, a pulse of dark energy forcing the guard away from Andrew. He turned his back on the guard, ignoring him for the time being as he carefully looked the young man over.

Topsy easily found the new injuries, and it was easy to see that Andrew didn’t want to look at him. Taking a deep breath, Topsy started to shake where he stood from unquenchable fury. He barely had the sense of mind to scoop Andrew up and move him away, setting him down back against the wall of the throne room. Topsy hesitantly touched Andrew’s cheek and rested his forehead against the blond’s head. “I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to protect you, but I promise I’ll make this scum pay for what he’s done.” Topsy said softly, tenderness lacing every syllable even as his eyes were dark as a starless night sky. Rising to his feet, Topsy focused on the guard behind him, plotting the best way to murder the guard and stop Sononea as well.

He was only vaguely aware of Renn having entered the fray, and that the others were still fighting. There were only two things he could clearly focus on. One was Andrew, and the other was the evil that he’d destroy. Topsy started to switch off, and the darkness within fought him to switch on.

 

[TruestSyn]

Syn watched the half naked man flip in the air and save him another hit. He saw the darkness in his eyes and rolled his own. It was clear that he was over exerting himself but he wasn't going to say anything. It wasn't his business. He saw the boy with the blue flames enter the room and cast his fire spell. What's with these people pushing themselves so hard?

"Guess it's my turn. I didn't want to have to push myself harder but I guess I have no choice."

A dark pulse surrounded Syn and he burst forward at Sononea, his strikes increasing in speed and force. The claymores may have been heavier to strike with, but they were also heavier to defend with. He increased his speed more and a pulse of light and darkness surged with each strike of the keyblade and dark sword. Just one slip, one opening and he can save the others in distress. He saw the half-naked man unleash his hybrid and bit his own lip.

"I owe these guys a great deal, so if you don't mind I'm going to release you now and end this."

He parried and riposted. He felt his keyblade hit something, but a surge of darkness blocked the view of his target. What did he hit? He had to know soon, or he'd have another stronger hybrid to fight.

 

[Eternal Dream]

~- Calm Before the Storm -~

The stairwell was too cramped for this many combatants, making it difficult for the combatants to strike their intended targets and not their own allies. It was quite the relief when Topsy teleported the lot of them away from the stairs. That it was straight into the throne room, and an even larger fight, was another story entirely. A story that Sevastion didn't care about in the slightest.

“Don’t worry, we’ll save him.”

"Andrew," Sevastion said softly. At the brief look of confusion that Henry sent him, Sevastion repeated, "His name is Andrew." He didn't wait for Henry's response or to see what he did with the information; spinning away, he called his glaive into his hand before burying it in the closest Defender's spine.

"Sevastian you with me?? Clean up some of this trash will ya??"

Water poured out of several broken pipes courtesy of Topsy, and Sevastion didn't need a further invitation. The water coiled around him, becoming twin, draconic pillars as he intoned softly, "O great water god, relentless as the great wave, release thy fury!"

The dragons roared, lunging forward, they ripped through the Heartless, water given form as unyielding as steel and eyes glinting as ice. Sevastion moved, his actions not even thought out as he fought his way across the throne room, his glaive spinning and slashing with years of deadly practice and skill. He barely had to think about the water dragons, because they responded to his will; they sensed his desires, and attacked Heartless or defended allies as he willed them to, leaving a fine mist of water on those that they protected.

He was Arashi no Ryu. He was The Storm Dragon.

A ripple of distress through the water. A cry so soft that he shouldn't have heard it, yet he did. Sevastion stopped dead in his tracks, finding his eyes drawn to Andrew. Topsy was there in a flash, pulling the boy to safety, but Sevastion had seen the fear in his eyes, and his utter inability to move, to pull himself away from the other guard as the man whispered in Andrew's ear, holding him prisoner with words and physical restraint both. The hawkish guard from before.

The Dead Man.

One moment, Sevastion was half way across the throne room from the other three men. The next, one of the dragons had risen beneath his feet, carrying him there nearly as fast as Topsy had brought himself there moments before. The dragon bore down on the guard, dissolving from underneath Sevastion, leaving him to drop to the ground with his glaive pointed toward the guard's head.

The man had quick reflexes. He rolled away instead of trying to block the strike from the heavier weapon. Coming out of the roll at the same time that Sevastion straightened, the guard sneered, "Honestly, two Outsiders come to the rescue of the little traitor? Never would have thought he was that popular. But then, he's so weak and scrawny he's not much good for anything else except being the little fu..."

He wasn't able to finish his sentence. The guard scrabbled at his throat, his hands clawing furrows into his skin as he started choking. It was only for a moment, but Sevastion knew what exactly the guard had just experienced. He had been drowning, his lungs and throat filling with water, leaving no room for the air that his body so desperately needed.

Sevastion let the guard take two deep breaths, the man wheezing as he took air down into his abused lungs, before drawing the man's attention back. The guard's eyes widened, and Sevastion knew that it was because of the swirling blue god-markings that had appeared on his hands, neck and face, the same that extended across every inch of his skin. His voice even, Sevastion said softly, "Do you know how much of the human body is made up of water? Let me tell you, it's a lot. Now, you have a choice to make. How will you die? Do you want every last drop of water sucked from your body? Do you want to drown? Be boiled alive? Explode? It's your choice.

"Choose."

 

[Story Keeper]

~- It’s Over? -~

Henry fought back the enemies around him, being careful not to hit his allies. The enemies kept coming, and he kept reaping souls. Exhaustion was starting to set in, and Henry really wanted to get out of there. Seeing Sevastian close by, he caught the other god host’s gaze and nodded his head. A silent agreement between the two boys. Pressing his back against Sevastian, he focused on the guards around them.

Closing his eyes, Henry channeled his magic to seize their souls. He felt the paralysis hit the targets, and Sevastian cut the guards down. Henry would take out the weaker enemies by hitting them with his scythe, forcing their hearts to stop and when it was needed called up a corpse to serve as a shield.

The pattern continued, and Henry wasn’t sure how much he’d done it. Sevastian pushed him out of the way of a torrent of blue flames, looking in the direction of it, Henry found the spell caster and sent him a look that clearly read “Watch it next time please,” before Henry hopped back into the fray. A pulse of magic distracted Henry, and the sheer panic of the soul had him stumbling forward. It was only because his arm had been grabbed by Sevastian on why Henry didn’t fall. Looking back at the warrior-monk, Henry whispered, “You need to go to him. He’s in trouble.”

Henry witnessed the tightness of Sevastian’s eyes, even if the other boy didn’t realize it before the warrior-monk slipped away. Sighing, Henry looked around him to see the remaining guards and that Sononea was taking on Syn again. A curse slipping free, Henry almost moved over to help only for an explosion of darkness to erupt from that direction. Squinting his eyes, Henry reached out with his abilities and felt for the king’s soul.

Nothing.

After the burst of darkness from Sononea settled, Henry saw that the king was there no more. Henry stood there in shock, was the fight with the king honestly over? Just like that? It seemed a little anticlimactic to him. A roar behind Henry had the scythe-wielder spinning on his heel and slashing at the Neoshadow behind him. It burst into smoke, leaving nothing behind it as a heart floated into the air. They really need to hightail it the hell out. The world was lost without anything to control the darkness. A quick glance in Sevastian's direction and Henry knew that they couldn't leave yet though. Sevastian wasn't going to ditch until the guard that was responsible for tormenting Andrew was dead.

~- Brave Enough -~

Paralyzing fear had Andy’s lungs burning from a lack of oxygen. The jolt of a pulse of power made him start breathing again. He met Topsy’s gaze for a moment, before turning his gaze to the floor. His cheeks burned from humiliation and pain, he couldn’t believe he’d allowed himself to need rescuing again in a matter of minutes. He fought back the impulse to go with his desire to lean towards Topsy for comfort. Clinging to Topsy as he was moved, Andrew sat down on the floor, he almost turned his gaze to the floor when Topsy reached out to him.

“I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to protect you, but I promise I’ll make this scum pay for what he’s done.”

The soft words made his heart ache, closing his eyes, he turned his head toward Topsy's hand. Placing his hand on Topsy's, he said softly, "It's fine, just stay alive. It's all I need."

He heard another warrior drop down, and upon opening his eyes he saw that it was Sevastian. A smile spreading across his face at the sight of his brother. Andrew started to feel better when Harley decided to speak again, once more casting a slur against Andrew. Wincing visibly, Andrew covered his ears with his hands as his eyes squeezed shut. He knew it was childish, that wasn't how to handle it, but....

The gurgle of water coaxed Andy into opening his eyes, he saw Harley struggling for breath. A cold look coming to his eyes, Andrew lowered his hands and started to get to his feet. He wanted to fight with Topsy and Sevastian but he couldn't, he knew he'd just freeze again. Frustration welling up in his chest, Andrew sent some defensive magic towards Sevastian and Topsy. It was the least he could do for them. Harley seemed to be thinking it over, but Andrew noticed the slightest bit of tensing in the man's shoulders. Bracing himself, Andrew watched as Harley dashed forward, faking an attack higher up before he went down lower. It was during that point that he also sent a ball of ice aimed at Topsy. Panic gripping him, Andrew retaliated with a fire spell, making the two balls of magic cancel out due to the opposing elements.

Looking to Topsy, Andrew forced a smile and said, "I'll cover you two as much as I can, okay?" He took a step back, pressing his back against the wall even as his body started shaking. It wasn't just because of Harley, even though it was mostly him, but it was also because of the sudden increased pressure of darkness. A look in the direction that Topsy had come told Andrew a possible cause of it. The king was dead, and his residue darkness was spreading through the castle. This wasn't a good thing, it sent the heartless into a frenzy.

 

[Hazen Gregory]

For a few seconds, Topsy teetered back and forth with the idea of what he was going to do about the guard that had tormented Andy and the situation that seemed to be worsening with the darkness that was slowly consuming the world but he changed his mind after hearing Andy promise to help him and seeing that Sevastian had nearly brought the guard to his knees. There were heartless popping up everywhere and the expanding darkness had made it so that things were going to get worse for them all....not if Topsy could help it though. "Shit, I really didn't want to do this. I should have never made the seal in the first place, but now I'm going to break it." Topsy started to walk towards Harley, knocking back and destroying various heartless with single punches until he was only several inches away from him. Topsy sighed and looked sourly at the guard whom seemed to be in quite a bit of distress.

There was a sickening ripping sound as Topsy flashed past Harley and reappeared next to Andrew. That was when Harley started screaming, clutching at the nub that was left of his arm that Topsy had ripped off, causing blood to spray all over the area. Progonoskes had appeared in between the center of the throne room, it had turned a dark red color, apparently sucking up all the blood that had originally spurted from Harley's torn off arm. The guard was still screaming, but however Topsy had taken off the arm, it seemed that he'd also sealed it so that the guard wouldn't bleed out.

"Andy, I want you to meet a friend of mine." Topsy cradled the young man's hand in his own and knelt down. "I call upon the force of justice, the wrath of the elements," As Topsy spoke, a glyph started to spread out from where his keyblade pierced the floor. Violent winds and energy rushed out from around Topsy and Andrew, the force was strong enough that heartless were blown back and some of them even killed. "Bridge the gap between this world of darkness and the darkness I hold within," blood dripped from Topsy's nose as he raised a few feet into the air, Andy floating up with him. "Erebos Bahamut!!! Come to me!!!" The entire castle shook when Topsy said these words, then a ferocious roar sounded from outside. An odd noise could be heard from beyond the castle walls and as Topsy lowered back to the ground with Andrew in tow, Topsy sighed, wiping blood that was running down his face and side.

"Jihad-Flare??" A deep booming voice that only sounded half human seemed to have said the two words as a question. When they did, a monumental explosion happened, collapsing a large portion of the throne room and the high ceiling which was burst apart by a huge blast of energy following by smaller blasts of darkness and debris from the blast....Topsy looked up as a dragon swooped down through the hole in the roof, standing at least 30 feet tall. It roared again and leaned down to look at Topsy with an annoyed expression, then turned to Andrew. "Friend or kill??"

Topsy slapped himself in the head and pointed at Harley, "No. Kill him." Topsy hugged Andy close, "This is our ride out of here. I can use Bahamut just like a dark corridor."

Harley immediately lashed out as Bahamut moved a little closer to it, "Is this a joke!?!? The king is dead, you'll never make it out of here alive. I'm not scared of a puny dra..." Bahamut impaled him through the chest with its left arm, still looking annoyed, maybe aggravated even. The guard tried to yell out, but his scream of agony got cut off when Bahamut swung his wing down and sheared off Harley's face. It splatted onto the floor. Blood gushed from Harley's mouth and removed facial area before Bahamut snatched him up and tossed the guard directly into his mouth, closing it with a loud and grotesque crunch with muffled screams as he ate the guard in a few bites.

Blood ran from the sides of the dragon's mouth, "Puny?? Rude human. Puny human."

"Geez Ba, were you really that hungry after your nap?? I mean was that necessary??" Bahamut roared and swatted at Topsy whom flipped out of the way, only to land next to Andrew again in an odd pattern of moment. "Say hi to my friend Bahamut, he's one of my favorite guardian forces. I like Shiva too though."

Bahamut looked even more annoyed as he swiveled his eye toward Andrew, his tongue snaking out to lick his face. "Mmmm, human tasty, you sure I can't eat him??" The majestic dragon grinned...or as close to a grin as a giant dragon can accomplish.

"Nooo, oh my God, this is why I never summon you. You try to eat everything, you got me arrested from trying to eat Edea last time. Can't you just get us out of here??" Topsy fell backwards on his butt, a little shaken. His clothing had changed again. No he only wore a black and red loincloth but his chest was adorned with a ritualistic draconic marking and he had a half helmet covering the top half of his face that was very similar to Bahamut's head structure. "If anybody is going to be tasting or eating this beauty here I hope it gets to be me."

 

[TruestSyn]

Syn's attack was successful. As the darkness began to spread from the king's body, a small chain ordained with the Machinecken Town crest floated in front of Syn. With a puzzled expression he reached out and grabbed the floating keychain, however the castle shook as the darkness spread and the ceiling collapsed as a dragon burst through. He saw the excessive death of the guard and suddenly more rubble fell, effectively blocking Syn from the others. He looked around to make sure none of them snuck behind him and shrugged. He was sure they'd meet again, but he didn't have time to waste. With the flick of his wrist he opened another dark portal.

"If any of you can hear or reach me, I'm opening a path to another world. It's a dark corridor so protect yourselves. I can't say where it will lead but if you can't make it, do try to stay safe
"

He nodded to himself, hopeful the others would survive and leapt through.

In the dark corridor, Syn examined the keychain that fell from the king. There wasn't anything about it that seemed dangerous, but he'd never seen a keychain designed like this before. He tried to place it on the end of Dragon's Tear but to no avail. Then he decided reluctantly to attach it to the end of Hero's Despair and there burst forth a wave of dark energy. The blade turned red, similar to the guard's weapons, and the energy from their attacks pulsaed around the blade. The traditional X pattern at the tip of the blade turned into a heartless symbol and he could feel the increased strength of his new weapon. With this he knew he would become a better fighter then even the half-naked man. Thoughts raced around his mind as he approached the end of the dark corridor and one name escaped his lips.

"Hybrid's Wail"

 

[Shinra]

After the initial burst of releasing the third seal. Renn saw that he actually almost hit Henry... He caught the look but was forced back as a Fat bandit bounced his belly toward Renn forcing Renn to block with Undying resolve. but in the confusion Renn saw serpentine streams of water, dancing about taking out heartless left and right. He fought as hard as he could up until the blast of darkness from the king's defeat.

Renn reached up to block the darkness with the keyblade and his free hand propped against the shaft, poured what magic he commanded to shield himself with swirling flames. but as soon as the darkness released he felt another shock. "What in kingdom hearts is that?!" he said as he saw a giant dragon pretty much level half of the throne room. But he was soon satisfied as he heard Topsy explain but the darkness was still expanding.

"If any of you can hear or reach me, I'm opening a path to another world. It's a dark corridor so protect yourselves. I can't say where it will lead but if you can't make it, do try to stay safe."

"But if you don't want to take the risk of being swallowed by darkness I parked my Gummi ship in the courtyard." Renn soon started running back the way he came. He knew Topsy and Andrew would be okay but he needed to make it back to Yoake and the ship. He turned back and said: "If anyone wants to I have room for 4 more people at most."

 

[Deimos]

It was bleak to be sure. The drums chimed along to a haunting little number, Loche, Shock, and Barrel played at an event according to town gossip. Trace was festering with an intimate "woo" sensation, this place was crawling with heartless that lay hidden from the main square and christmas town, but they were in the graveyards, the hills, even the forest. Licking his lips, he sat on a post just outside of the town, his amber eyes darted from side to side.

There was a small hut, it looked like a dog house, just outside the square. A tiny spirit seemed to linger in and out of it, it's red nose and all, was this an actual ghost? Trace began to wonder if this was a soul that possessed a heart? A ghost without a heart, sustained?? You can see where his feeling of "woo" was coming from pondering such a beautiful specimen. Some of these residents looks far from human, deformed, but surely were cages for their hearts and detestable wretches none the wiser.

"Hmm...besides that phantom puppy, these people...if I can even call them that, may as well be like everyone else. Lying to themselves and denying their true nature...pfft. Anti, lets build a hybrid guild...and start filling these worlds with truth instead of these capital offending liars."

Patting his shoulder, Trace jumped off the pole to interact with the only object of his fascination. The ghost dog. With a cautious growl, he looked on Trace in fear. Trace smiled, before half of his face, bulged with a crazy yellow eye of a heartless before partially transforming into Anti to scare the living shit out of the dog. Trace roared briefly before that sound broke out into a laugh of a demented mad man.

"hahaha, sorry, I don't know what came over me...wait, No i do actually. Anti's curious about you, what do ya say. Wanna be apart of my guild little ghost dog?" Trace looked up at the house, "Zero huh?"

It didn't take long before the growling ghost, fled into the town likely to it's rightful master.

"Some folks just don't take yes for answer." Trace said rubbing his neck and smirking.

 

[Rhapsody]

--you're lying.

Well, not exactly.

Magdelaine is her middle name. Also the name of her mother. She thinks. Strongly believes.

It’s around the time guards rushed in, guns pointing and bartender shouting and heartless and monsters and overall just being too damn Extra, Cal makes a decision about this town:

It’s too freaking noisy.

This is the opposite of lay low, don’t draw attention to yourself.

This is her stupid mutt’s fault.

Everything’s going to hell and Cal only vaguely keeps her attention on the chaos developing in front of her, just barely following the thread of conversation where the woman tries to placate while Cal’s graciously given the title of ‘scum.’ Rude.

Okay. Time to leave, all Cal needs to do was throw up a portal and--

Woah. Woah woah woah woah. This woman is too close. Way, waywaywaaaaay too close, edging Cal towards the end of roof and towards a thirty-foot fall.

The hybrid tenses, suddenly thinks her playful teasings earlier had unintentionally invited the other to initiate even more contact, and suddenly they weren’t on the rooftop, but ground level in a flash of light and what the hell just happened?

Whatever, Cal doesn’t question it. She flips the spearmint in her hands given to her by the keyblader with an exhuasted huff. Measly payment for all the trouble.

“Nope,” she drawls, rebuffing the offer for companionship. Fighting against every urge to actually consider it. ”But I’ll take you to Halloween Town. As your chauffeur and all.”

The final toss and she snatches the mint in the air. Cal eyes her dog, who seems all the more excited by the possibility of keeping this kind human around. After all, she’s spoiled him with so much attention in their ten minutes of meeting each other. As if Cal wouldn’t give the world for Sparky. Cheeky mutt.

"Sparky," Cal whistles, "sink."

The heartless barks, nudges the other woman’s leg, and melts into the snow. He doesn’t resurface again. The nudge wasn’t so much a final farewell as it was a 'see you later.' Keep thinkin’ that.

"Whatever you need to grab, grab it now,” Cal orders, meeting eyes with the keyblader. “Gonna bounce. Hold on tight and don't you puke."

Same could be said to you. Cal snatches the young woman’s wrist, ignoring the liquid purr.

Dante can just drop dead. (Wishful thinking.)

The portal whirls into existence, and Cal drags her companion in. They're spit out and Cal almost spits up. Two portals in one day, on top of maintaining Sparky. And, to add to her unease--

We’re not the only ones. There’s another hybrid nearby and, shit, time to cross Halloween Town off her ever shorter list of possible hideout paradises.

Other hybrids bring trouble. Trouble isn’t something Cal is looking for, period. So it’s all the more reason to leave or at least get far away before this place ends up like Machinecken Town 2.0.

Christ. Cal just wants some peace.

The hybrid and keyblader were currently in the outskirts of town, the woods. A gloomy hush blankets the forest, and all in all it should have been the perfect place for Cal to stay. The hybrid shrugs, balance still kind of wavering as she struggles to her feet.“Well. This sure's been fun, kid.”

She feels winded, like she's just run from one world to the next, and Sparky saps even more from her to pull himself from a murky, purple pool at their feet. He only ever summons himself when he's feeling particularly stubborn. Or, when he just wants more attention. Scowling at the heartless dog that's resumed nudging the keyblader's leg, Cal tosses her head towards a break in the forest.

“Halloween Town. Straight ahead. Can’t miss it. Watch out for three little shits and a walking bag of bugs. Adios.”

 

[purgatory]

I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but I'd be sure to ask Maggie about it later. With a nod, there was nothing I'd forgotten that i didn't mark already even if I did forget, it'd join me if I so wished it. I'll say this much, Maggie had a strong grip for someone teetering on the edge of madness every passing second, the physical strength showed. Upon pulling me through, you guessed it, I lost it.

Dropping over to the ash colored ground, I vomitted as hard I could without even really trying to. The dark portal really turns your stomach against you...especially when intoxicated.

I think my last three shots just came out of me.

My head seemed to spin for several seconds, I clutched it hard. A little bit of breathing, before I was able to gain my proper footing and finally looked around. This was the forrest alright, there were doors connected to trees here. They seemed to reflect...holidays? What. I stopped asking questions after I saw a christmas tree door, talk about overkill.

"It's about as bleak as I was expecting...hey, no more *hiccups* scratch that...more *hiccups* Ugh.."

I guess I drank a little too much, but slightly felt relieved after vomiting. There was a very blatant audio cue, and I saw Maggie's face curl for a second, apparently her heartless companion felt a little cavalier today. As I stood I could feel him tugging at my leg, I kneeled down to pet him, a bit wobbly at first, but I managed. I won't lie, it takes an exponential amount of magic to move instantly like we did, if the same was true for hybrids that were this human, maggie had to be somewhat fatigued. I was horrible at assuming sometimes, but she seemed impatient, uncomfortable, on edge.

“Halloween Town. Straight ahead. Can’t miss it. Watch out for three little shits and a walking bag of bugs. Adios.”

I took her by the wrist.

"One second. You look a little tired, please reconsider, at least rest before you go?"

No hiccups. It's a start.

Of course as I spoke, I could see two lights in the distance of where Maggie nodded me towards. Two heartless filled those light orbs with darkness, looking rather droopy in appearance. They weren't anywhere near the two lingering heartless, but they were definitely behaving weirdly, almost as if they were...terrified? Heartless? The two quickly vanished into two separate dark portals. I had to ask myself, why did I want to come here exactly and in a moment it's because I was working off of a rumor about a siting of someone I was looking for.

I got this chilly feeling, and yet I just started talking out loud.

"You know Maggie, I knew this girl from my island that turned the same day as the original attack twelve months ago. Call me crazy, but I don't what happened to her. There was this guy she was always with as well, I wasn't sure at first but I think that was him that was in machinecken town. And here people are freaking out over hybrids...when to tell you the truth, theres people involved that didn't choose the predicament that just...landed in their lap. Coming from Ground Zero...yeah...I've seen everything when it comes to ghastly and depravity, to a point of being desensitized almost."

I stood up holding sparky.

"It must be terrifying, i've known the fear of swarms and the destructive power of some pureblood heartless hitting against me, but it must be a different conversation, a different level, a different world in the head of a hybrid that's still on some level mostly human."

I sat and thought about a bit more, before delivering her pet heartless to her and started to walk towards town. A slight wobble in my steps, but I was sobering up between the time passed and puking, so theres that.

"This way yeah? Well, i'll see ya. Just relax for now, you look tired..."