Re: Kingdom Hearts: To The Bitter End [Part One]

[SeanHiruki]

Oda Nobunaga and Nohime
Nohime reacted in a moment, her hand gripped the arrow while still holding onto her pistol. Damn. If only they were outside. She would gladly make this bastard taste her bombs. But for now she had to make due with pistol and claw. Three separate strategies came to mind. But each one had flaws. That weapon of his was too unpredictable. Why couldn't he just use a musket? At least then she could counter him. But a combining crossbow spear? Don't see that everyday.

Nobunaga sighed in utter boredom. Aiming for the hip? REALLY? Sure, this man could hit anything he aimed. But Nobunaga had armor on. No matter what weapon you used, it would still be hard to pierce his unique Japanese/ European mixed armor. Especially in an area as well defended as the hip.
"Are you quiet done?" He ask with a voice that some might refer to as High Class British. "If you really wanted to kill us, we might already be dead. If we were as weak as you think we are, I mean. But I suppose that would be too boring. Fine. I will play with you, boy. Do not blame fate. It was you who rolled your way to this path."
He drew his sword with one hand, letting the other stay free.
"How too start....Ah. I know. Here, have a taste of darkness" with that last word, he waved his free hand at his enemy and a dark purple orb flew at Xigbar with intent to devour.

Bridget, Lei Wulong and Ayane
The three said goodbye to Cid in their own ways and then turned to the block.
"Should we choose where to go first or just wait for Cid to explain them?" Bridget asked
"I say the latter. Best for Cid to explain what is what. Don't want to choose a world were there are monsters or something" Lei offered
Ayane gave Lei a small nod, "Hm. I have no problem with monsters, but I agree. Rather not deal with them."

The three decided to separate and regroup in the morning.

Zhuge Liang and Huang Yue Ying
The couple shut their eyes in the flash. In the moment after they opened their eyes, Zhuge noticed Ike. What in the heavens was wrong with that boy?
The couple found themselves next to a red creature and a boy with blue hair.
"Greetings." Zhuge said in between a heavy breath. "It sounds like you fought this kind of beast before."
"Is he a friend of yours?" Yue Ying asked as she nodded to Ike

Son Son
"Aw man! Guess you aren't a fan of puns, eh? Well I guess it's time to go big or get crushed by giant rocks!.....I don't get it. AH WELL!"
With that shout, Son Son pulled hr energy and burst into a gigantic ape. She roared at the mole heartless as she stood up....Well TRIED to stand up, anyway. She was so tall that she hit her head on the cave ceiling. She had to bend her knees just to fit. She sucked in a long breath. As she blew out, a large stream of flame burst towards the heartless mole.

[Cracklord]

Oda Nobunaga and Nohime
"Now you don't see that every day, do you?" Xigbar says, still sounding bored, but he does move enough so that it doesn't hit him in the face. Instead, the fireball hits his shoulder, flashes and it begins smoldering. There is a smell like burning pork as his skin, flesh and muscle sizzles, leaving it black and charred, but Xigbar ignores it. The building is already on fire, and a little more isn’t going to deal with him.
“And let me say, it suits you. But as nice as your armor is, I see a single design fault. No helmet.” With that he fires, and the world goes dark.
Xigbar shoulders the weapon, and turns, showing Nohime his back as though she was of absolutely no concequence. He pauses a moment, considering. “I seem to be forgetting something.” He says loudly, so that Nohime can hear him. Then he shrugs. “Ah well. Can’t be important.” Then he waves his hand, and a dark shape materializes, like a rip, as though the world was a tapestry or page and a gash was torn in it, leading out from the limited place. He steps through, and closes it behind him, leaving the world to burn behind him.

* * * * *

Your lying in a dark void. The ground beneath you feels like water, and yet you float atop it, weightless and formless. Are you dead? Is that how Nobunaga, Demon King of Owari dies? No final battle, no last moments, but in the depths of a burning castle, betrayed by one he trusted? Ended by treachery? His dream unfinished?
Then you feel a bright, soothing light shining down on you. “I am Eraqus.” You hear. “We are in your soul, and you are not dead.”

Bridget, Lei Wulong and Ayane
Traverse Town is a city that covers an entire world, made of fragments of worlds destroyed by the heartless. Nearly everything imaginable can be found here. They do have several houses available for newcomers (there is always exactly as much space as there is people, as the world is in fact enlarged by having new people in it). However, it would be easier to just get rooms in the hotel, you suppose.
Assuming none of you get an urge to go exploring then the night, or at least the equivalent time passes, given the lack of suns to measure time. You all feel refreshed and relaxed, and find yourself to the acsesory shop. The door is not locked but nobody is behind the counter. You eventually find your way to the back.
Cid is to be found in his workshop, his back to you, at a work table making tiny adjustments to one of the ships panels. Sparks are flying up as he lathes it, but you can't see anything wrong with it yourself.
Behind him is the assembled ship he promised you. The entire ship does not look like the most advanced interstellar craft currently existing, capable of overcoming the barriers between universes. In fact it looks like a soft and over-sized toy. Like the ship had been made safe for children.
It has two weapon turrets, and a big engine behind the cockpit. Cid looks up and lifts off his goggles, then waves you over. He's chewing on a toothpick, but a full ashtray within reach tells you he's been chewing many other things over the job.
"Right. This will do you." He says, waving you over. "It's mostly responsive to mental commands, and reads intent. You've got a drive-stick, and an accelerator, and a pair of triggers of course, but if you want to do anything more complicated just do what comes natural and think it really hard. It's powered by the curvature of space, so it’s perpetual motion, but it follows intent, so unless you put a lot of willpower into it you're not going anywhere fast."
He pats it affectionately. He only discovered this technology a few years ago, but has really taken to it. He’s built more of these by now then any civilization. “So anyway, she’s yours. Got a name for her?”

Son Son
The Shadow Stalker realizes it no longer has the advantage, and it's chains snap away from the walls, releasing the cave. The tremors slowly subside, as it no longer uses the environment a sa weapon against you.
Then it changes, it's body becoming more bidepal, a massive creature with black skin. Its entire body is wrapped in teal thorns, and both of its wrists and ankles still have manacles on them. The chains on its arms are broken, but the chain connecting its feet is not. Like many other Purebloods, the Dark Thorn has a heart-shaped hole in its chest. The Heartless has a large, red, toothy maw and beady, glowing yellow eyes. While it is muscular and has large hands and feet, it also has rather thin limbs. Each of its limbs sports three digits with long, red claws. It has two enormous, orange horns and a massive, orange mane.
It's nearly as big as you are, and in this enclosed area, your greater size will only make it harder for you to move. You just hope it’s not fast.

[Dark Cloud]

Cloud Strife
Walking to the head of the line, he puts his name down. He has decided to fight alone, this time. Seeing old friends just brought up pain. Aerith. She should be dead, and yet she walked, spoke and remembered. Tifa, who was the friend he remembered, but that had never really happened. Just false memories. He loved them both, in very different ways, but he wasn't what either needed, what either expected him to be.
Then there was Vincent. He thought he finally understood his dour old friend.
"I'm putting my name down. Cloud Strife." He says at the staging area, then waits for their response. He'd fought here once before, under Hades' urging, and had lost a fight with Sora and his friends when he had held back when he shouldn't have. But that was irrelevant. This time he'd fight to win. Sephiroth would have to wait. He had a score to settle with the god of the dead.

Zelda
She stands behind Nameless. Reaching into her mind, to the ball of white fire that dwelled within, the form her magic and the triforce took in her subconcious, she acsessed them both, and tried to read the runes on his back. Here was someone she could use, and she thought she knew how to find leaverage.

[SeanHiruki]

Oda Nobunaga and Nohime
Nohime knew what he was trying to do. Baiting her to attack. Let him have his fun. She had a husband to look after.
******
What evil place might this be? Why are the heavens so black? Eternity threatens, darkness crashes down upon him. Like a big black bat of death, it smothers his senses. Makes him lose his sense of time. This cannot be a dream! He need to be wide awake, wide awake!

A voice in the void of oblivion. A light returns the Demon King's hope. This voice, Eraqus, assured him he was alive.
"Than why am I here? what is it you want of me?" Nobunaga asked

Bridget, Lei Wulong and Ayane
The three walked into the workshop. The first to comment on the gummi ship was Lei
"Holy crap."
"Wow cool!" Bridget cried happily
"Impressive." Ayane purred.
They took in the ship. It was, in one word, amazing.
Several names were suggested including
"Shenlong Han Lao"
"Roger Mark 2!"
"Oni-Ken"
By the gods, they were so different.

After about twenty minutes of debate, they decided on "The Black Lagoon."
"Well now that that is settled. Shall we pack our things and get going?" Lei said

Son Son
Ah Crap.
Two giant beasts fighting inside a confined cave that could collapse at any moment. Not a good formula.
Please don't be fast.
Wait. That's it!
Son-Kong quickly grabbed Mole-kong by the chains and pulled.Hard.

[Cracklord]

Cloud Strife
You are given a spot in the opening rounds, and are to fight tomorrow. You don't find out with who until the actual fight begins. As you turn to leave, you nearly run into a man. He is exceptionally tall, and extremely muscular, which you can tell as he is not wearing anything beyond a leather loincloth and armlets,. He appears to have chains fused to his forearms, then reapped around his limbs, tipped with jagged, cruel blades, intentionally crude.
He has a scar on his right eye and a black goatee, and his skin is grossly white, like some subteranean fungi. He scowls, then pushes past you, swaggering. And you have the strangest feeling of Deja-vu.
"Yeah, all sorts are showing up this time." Phil says from somewhere bellow your belt. You hadn't even realized he was there. "But don't worry about him. Let's keep it honest this time, arright? No going easy or throwing matches. The Hero way."

Bridget, Lei Wulong and Ayane
Cid attatches the last pannel, and steps back, proud of another completed master-piece. "Well, good luck with it. You need to buy a magic ring, or a new gun, or whatever, look me up. And keep away from Hollow Bastion, that's where this all began." He offers as a last piece of advice.
With that, you step in. There is a couch big enough for four, and minibar, and a bathroom, but the interior will get cramped very quickly, particularly when flying for days.
So where are you going?

Son Son
The thing staggers, losing ballence and slamming against the wall, and seems unable to move. Then suddenly it vanishes. It's not truly gone, you can still feel it writhing in your grip, but you cannot see it.

Nohime
Your husband's skull is fractured, but not broken. He's unconcious, and bleeding heavily. It's a mark of his almost superhuman toughness that he is even alive now. Perhaps he won't recover, and live his life with his wits scrambled, a child. Or never even awaken, live his life in a deep sleep. You've seen it happen to soldiers before, who take head wounds.
... No. You can't believe that. He's strong, his will absolute. That could never happen to Nobunaga Oda.
The bolts haven't hit anything vital. You're bleeding, but not enough to be really threatening. No, the greatest threat at the moment is the burning building, the flames reaching you and the walls buckling, burrying you beneath rubble and fire. You have to get out of here.

Oda Nobunaga
"Would that I could tell you everything. Alas, I have not the time. So listen. You are dying, Nobunaga. But it does not have to be so. I will give you my life, for though they call you the demon king, and though darkness lies heavily on your heart, you have a stregnth and quiet dignaty to you. You have made your dark side your stregnth, and never let it rule you. You are worthy. Perhaps more so then I ever was." The light intensifies.
"I will be no more, less then a memory. You shall not change, though you may remember things that never happened to you. You may see things from a different perspective. Live. Live for both of us. Will you take my life?"

[SeanHiruki]

Oda Nobunaga
Life.
He was offering Nobunaga the greatest gift one could give. Owari's Demon King would be a fool not to accept it.
"I accept your great gift, noble Eraqus. I shall use it with honor" He spoke these words as truth. He would still conquer and unite the land, only now the voice of the great Eraqus would forever be in the back of his mind.

Nohime
The heat of the burning castle was only matched by the fury of Oda Kicho Nohime. The mixture of fury and her own strength was enough to lift her husband, plate mail and all, and run out of the path towards Traverse Town.

Bridget, Lei Wulong and Ayane
"Thank you, Cid!" Bridget said happily. "I guess you gotta buy what we need at a store, right? I'll go get one!" Before anyone could tell him otherwise, he ran out.
Lei sighed through a smile before turning to Cid. "Thanks again, Cid. You've been a great help."

Nohime
She had to be in the market. There were dozens of people shopping, though none paid her any mind. It seemed as if the townsfolk did not want to deal with a woman and her wounded husband. Guess they think the two were trouble.
"IS HE ALRIGHT?!"
But there always has to be an exception.

Bridget
Bridget ran to the beautiful woman who was holding onto a wounded man.
"Quick, follow me!" He said. "Maybe Cid knows a doctor!"

Son Son
Uh oh. Now she can't see it. This. Is. Bullcrap. May as well just punch it until it dies.

[AnimeKid]

Dawning Light

Fayt nods to the couple as he says, "Yeah, he is our friend but right now that heartless has him under a doom spell. If we don't defeat it before the number reaches zero he will die." Ventus rushes in this time summoning his odd reverse wield keyblade he rapidly starts wailing on the heartless with terrifiying speed. He also makes sure to hit most of the exact same spot to maximize pain and damage, Fayt taught him that trick. Xianghua joins in as the sibling-like pair flow into each others attacks seamlessly showing how well they work together. Knuckles is another story, you see Knuckles does not like being blown off and this guy just turned his freaking back on him. Well he would come to regret that. Knuckles starts charging up energy as a red aura gathers around him. When he finishes charging he grins as he shouts, "MAXIMUM HEAT KNUCKLES ATTACK!" He is then of like a shot as he homes in both fist outstretched toward the Hun. This move is a lot like Sonic's Light Speed Dash. Only instead of targeting rings it targets enemies.

[SeanHiruki]

Zhuge Liang and Huang Yue Ying
"I see! No time for chat then!" Zhuge swung his fan at the creature, the Heartless, throwing blades of air at it.
"So this beast is called a Heartless, eh? Fitting name! Let's see how it likes my new invention!" Yue Ying said, planting her dagger-axe into the ground and took out a red and white stripped gauntlet. As she put it on, a short bow popped out. She clicked the green orb that was on the back of the hand and a blade sprung forth with a loud SHINK!
She aimed her Sapphire Crescent at the Heartless and fired several shots of mousu energy, ran and darting in a zig zag pattern so the beast could not aim at her

[Cracklord]

Nobunaga
"Then use it well." The light fades, and the darkness flows over you, as you drift off to restful sleep, and the two hearts merge.
Though those carrying you don't realize it, the head wound has healed, only the crusted blood giving the appearance of injury. Your breathing steadies, and your body changes slightly.

Nohime
You don't know how you got here, or where you are. The tunnel should have led to the outskirts of Kyoto. This place resembles nothing so much as the european style buildings that occasionally get built by missionaries and merchants from Europe. So is this Europe? No. Can't be. It's night, and some of the things that walk around do not seem or appear to be human.
So where are you?

Bridget, Nohime, Nobunaga
Cid is in the front room, talking to a grim looking young man, who black gloves with belts on them, black, zipper-lined shoes, a silver necklace, and a white undershirt beneath a short, black jacket with fur collar and red wings on the back. The strangest weapon you have ever seen is holstered on his hip. It is a heavy, single-edged sword with a revolver chamber which serves as the hilt for the blade.
"I still don't like it." Cid says. "We know Hades is up to something."
"That's why I'm going." He retorts. "Cloud's already there. And Hades has tried before."
"I'm not gonna talk you out of this?"
"Not unless you get some better arguments. See you round." With that he picks up a box lying on the bench, shakes it thoughtfully and deposits it in his back pocket, then walks out of the building.
Cid looks up, and sighs. "Damnit, you haven't even left the town yet... wait, who is that?" He says, noting he doesn't actually recognize Nobunaga. Then he shrugs, and waves vaguely to his left. "Well, pull him up on the table, I'll get Aerith." With that he walks out, leaving you alone in his shop.

Son Son
After nearly an hour, you emerge from the cave. Your giant form was strong enough to move the tonnes blockage, though it wasn't easy. The massive Heartless put up quite the fight, and your body is covered with livid red lines, torn away patches of fur, and other injuries that make every movement torture.
It went for your midsection and kidneys, and nearly got them as well.
But, in the end, you won, it died, and you got to emerge into the light of day.

Knuckles
You slam into the Hun and feel something break, knocking him head over heels, and momentum sending you both rolling down the slope of the hill. Somehow, he manages to turn, and, discarding his sword as it is no use in such close quarters, attempts to close his hands around your throat. When he realizes that your spines make that a dubious proposition at best, he instead tries to force his thumbs into your eyes.

Zhuge Liang and Huang Yue Ying
The bolt works perfectly, outright destroying every Heartless it hits. Zhuge's blades of wind work equally well, and between the two of you, you create sufficient ranged support to force the Heartless back the rest of the way.

Ventus, Fayt
Thanks to the two stranger supporting you with ranged attacks, you are both free to concentrate on fighting, and the remaining two score of Heartless (Giga-shadows, according to Fayt's scanner) are being forced to retreat. The only significant threat left is the Phantom.

Xianghua
The Phantom glides down at you, slashing at you with it's claws in an attempt to bisect you.

[AnimeKid]

Knuckles

He closes his eyes he feels the barbarians fingers dig into them. He lets his rage peak as his fists start flying in a flurry of catastrophic punches, punches that sometimes Sonic had trouble avoiding. All Knuckles know is that this guy was seriously pissing him off.

[b]Xianghu, Fayt, and Ven[b]

Xianghua backflips away from the attack. This allows Ventus to slid under her with surprising agility as he starts hacking at the heartless with fast yet fluid strikes. He makes sure to try to hit the same spots he hit before for maximum pain and damage. While he does this Fayt concentrates as dark matter similar to that of a black hole surrounds him. He then says, "Dimension Door!" and disappears from sight. Only to reappear behind the Phantom and slash at its back with his blade.

[SeanHiruki]

Oda Nobunaga, Nohime and Bridget
Nohime nodded and placed her husband into the nearest table. As she did, she saw his wound heal itself. She was speechless as she saw this. What could have happened? Had the gods healed him? Impossible, the gods never did such things in the past.

After awhile, Nobunaga awoke. His head hurt, but it was less a damaged skull and more a hangover. The first person he saw was his wife.
"Nohime...where am I?"

"Cid's workshop!" Bridget answered. "In Traverse Town"

"And you are?"

"Bridget! Hi!"

Lei Wulong and Ayane
The Super Cop and the Kunoichi watched as Bridget brought in a woman holding a wounded man. They looked in awe as the man's wound healed itself and he awoke
"And who are you two?" Lei asked first.

When the couple introduced themselves, Ayane let out a laugh
"HA! Yeah right! They died centuries ago!"

Oda Nobunaga and Nohime
Nobunaga grinned at the kunoichi. "That may be so in your time. But we are in another world now. Time and Space hold little meaning here."

Zhuge Liang and Huang Yue Ying
The couple continued their range assault on the hordes of Heartless. They hoped that their newfound allies could deal with the big baddie before the boy dies.

Son Son
As soon as she was out of the cave she reverted back to her normal form with a huge sigh. She used up a lot of energy in that fight, not to mention the fact that her Ozaru Giant Ape form takes a huge amount of chi to use. She quickly grabbed a few clouds and made a floating bed.
She slept on the cloud, not caring where it drifted to.

[Cracklord]

Nobunaga, Nohime, Lei Wulong, Ayane and Bridget
(Needs a Team Name)

At this point, Cid returns, girl in tow. She has all the grace and composure one would expect of a lady, and is pretty in a classical sense. She wears a pink dress with magenta lining and buttons going down the front. She has a black string tied in the same fashion as the one on her belt around her neck like a necklace.
Her eyes are green and her hair is brown, long and styled into a braid down her back, with curls on either side of her face.
She looks at Nobunaga a moment, then says, with just a little sarcasm, "Well, in my opinion there is absolutely nothing wrong with him."
It's at this point that a blade slams down an inch from Nobunaga's face. It's a curious weapon, a guard with a handle, a hilt and a head at the end of the shaft. The blade, if you call it that, resembles nothing so much as a giant, intricate key, in shape at least. The neck of the Keyblade appears to be that of a skeletal dragon, of which still has life in some of it given by it's occasional twitches. It's spine segments features a curved neck, and along their back have a surprising edge to them, sharper then anything you've ever seen before, although there is no cutting edge visible.

Zhuge Liang and Huang Yue Ying
You deal with the last of them, tearing them apart one at a time while giving them no weakness to exploit. Before long, none remain.

Xianghu, Fayt, and Ven
The phantom finally dies, and the numbers above Ike vanish. Aside from Knuckles, there is nothing here left to fight.

Knuckles
He breathes something very much like black smoke into your face, and you feel your muscles slacken and weaken. You're in quite a bit of pain. You can't see anything but vague shapes and the color red out of your left eye. You can't see anything at all out of your right eye. And your face is a mess of cuts thanks to his sharpened nails.
However, your direct attacks are having considerably more effect. You have pounded his body, and it slowly loosing its consistency, well on it's way to becoming nothing more then a soft sack of mush and wet chunks of bone. The left side of his chest has collapsed, and his stomach is all but gone as well. He's already dead by any reasonable measuring standard. He just hasn't realized it yet.

[AnimeKid]

Dawning Light

The three combatants breath a sigh of relief as the Phantom finally goes down. They turn to see that Ike now has some color returning to his eyes. Ven leans down as he says, "Hey Ike you alright." Ike groans as he responds, "Well I'm not in danger of dying anymore, so yeah, I'm ok."

Knuckles

Feeling his body getting weaker and slowing down Knuckles knows it's time to finish this. With all of his strength he lunges forward with a headbutt to the Hun's face to give him some breathing room. Once the barbarian backs up Knuckles reaches behind his back with his right arm and pulls out one of his Shovel Claws. Slipping it onto his fist in one smooth motion he lashes out with the Shovel Claw at the mans throat.

[SeanHiruki]

((I know, but I can't think of anything! For now, Tuatha Dé Danann is their name))

Tuatha Dé Danann
Nobunaga looked at the keyblade in a rare moment of shock. Sure, a lot of weird things have been happening. But a giant key sword falling out of nowhere? That takes the cake. Nobunaga had a feeling it was an addition to the gift of life he had just received. On a whim, the Demon King of Owari took the keyblade into his hand.

"By the Kami..."
"Cool trick, mister! You aren't a Gear by any chance, are you?"
"Don't see that every day!"
"I've seen weirder."

Nobunaga looked at the man and woman who just came in. "You there. Do you know what this is?"

Zhuge Liang and Huang Yue Ying
Upon defeating the last Heartless, the couple turned to face the group.
"Well glad to see you safe, lad. Now that the threat has been neutralized I think it is time for introductions. I am Zhuge Liang, humble strategist for Lord Lui Bei of Shu Han."
"Huang Yue Ying, his wife." the red head said with a smile as she put her gauntlet away.

[Cracklord]

Tuatha Dé Danann
Cid looks at you a moment, assessing you, then nods. "Yeah. Yeah, I know a thing or two. Met a few with those things in my time. The others will fill you in on the Heartless, but I can tell you about that. It's a keyblade. Not many people can use them, there normally isn't more then ten in the whole universe. It means your chosen to decide the fate of worlds, to lock them and keep them safe, or open them to the darkness."
Aerith chips in. "It means, we need your help."

Knuckles
He collapses, dead. You get unsteadily to your feet, feeling woozy, and throw out your hand for balance, at which point you grip his wavy sword, stabbed point down in the ground. And with that, you've won the fight.

*Attained Item, Sword of the Steppe*

Dawning Light
Other then Knuckles, you're mostly alright. However, this man was not the leader of the Heartless in this world, merely the man who called them. You still have to get to the Forbidden City.

[AnimeKid]

Dawning Light

Ven nods at the strategist. "Nice to meet you. My name is Ventus and I'm a keblade wielder, not to mention the de facto leader of this rag tag group." Xianghua steps up, "My name is Xianghua. I'm one of the frontline fighters and I also help keep the team together. Having four boys onboard can be trying sometimes." Ike gets up off the floor a little unsteadily. He then stands straight as he says, "I am Ike. I function as a frontline fighter, secondary strategist, and second in command for the group. I am glad we were able to provide assistance." Fayt then looks up from where he was fiddling with his scanner and put it away a small blush on his cheeks from embarressment. "Um I'm Fayt, Fayt Liengod. I function as the teams strategist and as a sort of mid-range fighter. I provide the team with battle strategies, access to high tier technology, diplomatic superiority, and not to mention detection and demolition. I'm also the team medic Our last member is Knuckles. he's the muscle of the group."

Knuckles

As Fayt introduces him Knuckles stumbles up to the party a little worse for wear and using the Hun's Sword as a walking stick. Fayt seeing Knuckles in the condition that he is runs over to him and starts using the symboligical spell "Healing" starts to patch up the Echidna.

[draxx]

Team: Nameless
Unlike the Gummi ships, The Halberd was massive, almost as large as the entirety of Traverse Town, and crewed by hundreds of Meta-knights, all of whom bore their weapons, said nothing to anyone or each other, and wore face concealing masks at all times. They stoked engines, patrolled, turned dials and pulled leavers, made adjustments, and otherwise kept the city size ship running efficiently.

Magnificent, high and long with elegant lines, plated with white ceramic, it was a wonder to behold. But a fearsome one, it's every port bristled with weapons, and it's hull was thick enough to ward off anything that could be thrown at it. There was no doubt in anyone's mind, looking at it, that this was a dangerous vessel indeed.

Metaknight sat in the bridge, in front of the bright computer screen, silently watching the streaming raw data that flickered across it in strands of code. Slowly typing in data of the co-ordinations with one gloved hand, making sure everything was in place, he continued his vigil. He was in a large dark room, more of a laboratory. No lights were on except for his screen, and the blinking of servers, and super computers surrounding him. He sat on a massive, leather swivel chair, that his armored bulk sand deeply into. His body was cloaked by his cape, leaving only his eyes and horns revealed.

Terra stood behind him, reading Ansem's report and thinking about what it said. Perhaps he had been wrong, putting such effort into hiding his darkness, repressing it and pretending it was not there. Perhaps to truly defeat it, he had to accept it, understand it. Food for thought, at the very least. He'd have to find Aqua and discuss it with her. Or maybe Ventus.

Vincent is trying to get directions to the rooms so he can put down his coffin and get some sleep. This is proving hard, as they will not speak to him, simply bow, make deferring motions, then walk past him, unable or choosing to ignore his words. In fact, it's so annoying his usually motionless facade is beginning to show a crack.

And Zhou Yu sitting on the upper deck, looking up at the stars. So many of them. He is awed and humbled by the splendor of heaven, but he is undefeated. "Soon." He says softly, a promise he has every intention of keeping. "I'll find you both soon, brother. And you, my love. I promise."

Nameless
"You can read them?" He has already tried. Nobody has even heard of the language, much less recognize it. It was a hard, vicious language, bold strokes, spikes and no spaces. He couldn't read it himself, but it was the best clue he had of where he came from.

Zelda herself is having trouble, but it seems to be instructions leading somewhere. Very precise instructions.

[SeanHiruki]

Tuatha Dé Danann
"I see" Nobunaga said as he stood up, still looking at the keyblade. "So the Kami are still on my side after all. Very well!" Nobunaga cut into the air in front of him with the keyblade before finishing, "I, Oda Kazusanousuke Nobunaga,shall help you!"
Owari's Demon King is back! Xigbar shall soon pay!
Speaking of whom... "By any chance do you know of a man who goes by the name Xigbar?"

Nohime smiled, a mix of joy and delight. He truly HAS been chosen by the Kami! Only her husband would act so confident after being given an item of fate such as that. From the sound of it, he is meant to save the worlds! Such a task, only her beloved Nobunaga could do! Of course with a little help from her...and those people who tried to help. Something about them reminded her of Mitsuhide and the other Generals.


Zhuge Liang and Huang Yue Ying
"Keyblade, hm? Interesting" Zhuge said with a warm smile as he used his fan to cool himself off as he thought.
"Quiet a team you have assembled. You seem to know more than we do about this land. Would it be alright if we asked you a few questions?" Yue Ying asked
"Indeed. The first question would be if we could travel with you until we find whom we are fated to serve."

[AnimeKid]

Dawning Light

Ven smiles at the couple as he says, "I don't see why not. After all the more the merrier. Not to mention you have proven yourselves to be admirable fighters."

[Cracklord]

Tuatha Dé Danann
"Whoa! Easy there, some of this is irreplaceable!" Cid says, stepping back to give you room. Then he hears your words, and sighs.

"Him? When you make enemies, you really don't mess around, do you? He's Zexion's number two. Helps run the organization that control the organization." Cid says.

"His job is to find people with strong hearts and harvest them. The stronger the heart, the stronger the heartless." Aerith adds helpfully. "He obviously saw your potential, and decided to use you."

Team: Nameless
Your ship is ready. You can leave any time you want. And given that Metaknight spends his life cruising around the multiverse in that ship, you can go anywhere.

Dawning Light
Zhuge Liang and Huang Yue Ying
It's late. You set up tents and a campfire while you talk.

[SeanHiruki]

Zhuge Liang and Huang Yue Ying
Zhuge bowed his head to them, "Thank you. I don't suppose you could explain where we are and why we are here would you? We were in a similar situation once, but this seems a little different. Those beings we fought...They were not Orochi's doing. Something else must be at work."
Yue Ying nodded, "And also, what is a keyblade?"

Tuatha Dé Danann
"Really now? No wonder he was so strong." Nobunaga could not help but grin in excitement, "I am sure he thinks I am either dead or comatose." His mouth suddenly curled into a snarl, "That bastard shall pay for what he has done. That man killed most of my army including Mitsuhide, who was irreplaceable. And yet..." His grin returned, "If not for him, I would not have received this wonderful gift."

His vision turned to the gummi ship for the first time. "And what sort of machine is this?"

"Gummi Ship." Bridget said with a straight face. "We use it for traveling to other worlds. We call it the Tuatha Dé Danann!"
"I though we decided on..."
"Tuatha Dé Danann!!"
"Right..." Lei really DID NOT want to argue with the lad.

"I see" Nobunaga and Nohime said together.
"Wasting time! We need to leave!" Ayane snapped.

Lei looked at Cid and Aerith, "She's right. Can you guys give us like a manual or one of come with us? It's would makes things so much easier"

[Cracklord]

Tuatha Dé Danann
"Aerith has to stay and keep the committee running. And I maintain all the towns defenses. So we'll have to pass that one up." Cid replies. "But I have some advice. Once you find those navigational Gummi's, get someone to teach you how to use that Keyblade. Trust me, it's in your own best interest."
Aerith nods. "Look for Master Yen Sid. He can teach you."

[AnimeKid]

Dawning Light

Ven speaks in response to the couples question. "This place is a world called the Land of Dragons. It is a world that has a chinese origin. As for those creatures they are called. Heartless. They are born from the darkness in peoples hearts. You see there is darkness is almost every heart with very few having pure hearts of light. When the darkness in a persons heart overwelms and consumes them they become a heartless, a mindless beast that only wishes to create more heartless and destroy. They tend to target people with strong hearts, the stronger the heart the stronger the heartless. Your world was most likely consumed by darkness and you had strong enough hearts to survive. Therefore you were transported and wound up here. That is strange however as most people wind up in traverse town. I don't know why of all the thousands of worlds out there you ended up on this one. As for the keyblade," Ventus holds his hand out and his strange reverse wield keyblade, the Wayward Wind flashes into his hand, "The keyblade of a weapon of the heart. Only those with extremely strong hearts can wield the keyblade. The keyblade can never be destroyed or stolen for it is linked to your heart, so by wishing it you could repair or recall your keyblade. It is a weapon of great power as the heartless fear it as it is the only thing that can permenatly destroy them. Also each world has something called a keyhole. A keyblade can lock or unlock any lock, so a keyblade wielder can choose to lock a worlds keyhole, protecting it from the heartless or unlock it damning it to the heartless corruption."

[SeanHiruki]

Tuatha Dé Danann
"Your help is most appreciated. I shall repay it one day!" Nobunaga said as he entered the gummi ship with the rest.
Lei paused for a moment and looked back at Cid, "Which world is this Master Yen Sid on? One with good food, I hope?"

Bridget sat in what looked like the pilot's chair. "I'll drive! Ninja girl, set phasers to stun! Beard-man get ready for hyper drive! Pretty lady, do something cool!" It was obvious he had seen too many Space Trek reruns.

"Are we really going to let a kid drive?" Ayane growled.
"Cid said that we can pilot with our mind! Age has nothing to do with it!" Bridget argued before Nohime picked him up by the shirt and set him down next to the chair.
"If that is how you control this thing, than I will take the helm"
"Ohhh Fiiine" Bridget sighed

The Double Dragon ((Zhuge and Yue Ying's temporary team name. And YES, it is a game reference))
Waving his fan back and forth in thought as the group explained the situation. "I see. So Our world is in danger. Than these heartless must be stopped at all costs!"
"What is your plan of action for dealing with the heartless? It is obvious that someone is controlling them"

[AnimeKid]

Dawning Light

Fayt is the one who speaks up this time. "Well we know who is controlling them, a man named Zexion. Unfortunatly he lies in a world that is deep within the darkness, The World That Never Was. We do have a plan however, we've heard wispers that Zexion has lutenients and generals. Kind of like an army. So if we defeat his generals and lock the keyholes along the way we can push back the tide of darkness. Eventually we can reach The World That Never Was and defeat Zexion."

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