Kingdom Hearts: A New Beginning, Part Two IC

[holothewisewolf]

Jessica stood in the ship welding away at the arms frame before stretching. "Hopefully itll work this time. If not..." her speech trailed off as She looked around. The arm wasn't taking her Phoenix powers very well. The whole work area smelled of ash, smoke, and... was that... cinnamon? She's shook her head trying to get rid of the distractions. She looked at the door and lightly bit her lip. "Maybe a little fresh air would help?" Her arm ached but she grabbed nothing when she went to check it. She stopped as cold terror flushed her system. "M-maybe not. I lost my arm. If something caught me out there." She shuddered at the thought before an image flashed through her head. Her blood started warming and her heart started to slow. "No i can't hide from this fight forever. I need to focus. They won't scare me. If Ryan can fight so can i." She set back into her work work a steely determination in her eyes.

"You move any slower and i may just kill you and get another." Thomas was being pulled to his feet. When he got up he saw his last master in front of him. "You have one week Thomas to get faster and by a lot. You've plenty of power but if you can't land a hit then what good is it. I can't teach you my ultimate technique until you earn it." Thomas had flashes now his training had progressed not at all for three days. Finally the fourth morning his master gave him a new outfit. It weighed a ton amid he could hear the metal in the fabric clink as he moved. "How will this help me get faster?" He'd asked. His master shrugged and walked away leaving him to train. By the end of the week Thomas was nervous but determined. "Remove the jacket. Only remove more in extreme conditions or the speed will tear you apart." His master had stated it like it made sense to everybody. He did as he was told and assumed his stance. The two fought for a long time Thomas using the clink of the weights in his shorts to keep a tempo. When both of them were too exhausted to keep fighting his master grinned. "Your last test for today. Survive." He threw a punch that stopped just short of making contact. "Survive.what?" Thomas asked still catching his breath. The wind suddenly felt different and before he knew it he was on his back coughing up blood. "Hmmmmmm still too strong. Well my pupil i will tell you my technique's name before you pass." His master had leaned over Thomas to whisper the name of it. That was when Thomas struck his master in the sternum. "I'm not dead yet. I still feel the strings of my destiny pulling me along old fool." Thomas muttered as his master fell back. They'd laid there painfully laughing for hours. His memory flared again and he found himself standing in the rain. The creature he saw standing over his master's corpse laughed. "You'll never find the girl. Your destiny is flawed and so are you." It practically howled with laughter. The laughter turned to a gurgle as Thomas stood in front of it. His hand was buried in its chest. Thomas closed his fist. "I will tell you the name of the style that killed you. I call it demon style absorption fist. Your strength will become mine as my master's was yours." He ripped the hand out and conclusions overcame him as he sprouted fur and claws. The transformation was only for a second as Thomas recoiled in disgust at what he'd just took In. Everything went black around him and the demon he'd killed spoke to him again. " wonder how the little princess would feel about that? My guess would be disgusted. I'm a part of you that you'll need eventually. Your master never thought to teach you his angel fist technique. You're a failure. My failure." Thomas recoiled as its face appeared around him. His sleep would be anything but bliss.

[Xeynar]

"Diplomacy and politics...?" Rayn muttered in a low voice, "And walking - lots, and lots, of walking. Yahoo." his whispered tone was flat and utterly unexcited. This trip was going to be very boring most of the way, plus a return trip just to get back to China.

"Shame we can't just fly..." that one he did say at a more audible volume, "...well feet, sorry in advance I guess, but it looks like you're going to be doing a lot of walking and aching for a while." He let out a small sigh, something about this development was almost... disappointing. A long trek to another country, followed by an equally long return trip didn't sound pleasant in the slightest. Of course, nobody ever signed up for this sort of thing because was it was pleasant, now did they?

"You sure this a good idea?" he asked Jason in a lowered whisper, "Protecting a world from Heartless is one thing, but this political mission of theirs has nothing to do with us. I know the old rules about meddling were pretty much abandoned a long time ago but... you sure this isn't stretching it a bit?" he would of course follow the leader's plan regardless, but surely there had to be a less tedious way of getting to the Keyhole, "More to the point, how much time are we going to sink into this trip? The more time we spend here, the more time our enemies have to make their movements elsewhere and increase their own power. Just trying to think of the bigger picture here, is all."

[True_Grave]

Jason listened as Rayn whispered to him, having to admit that a long trek to Mongolia didn't exactly sound exciting to him either. With the Guild and the Harbingers still running amok, as well, time was not exactly on their side.
"Hmm, you have a point."
He weighed the pros and cons, deciding that it would be to their advantage to cut the trip time as best they could.
"Actually, there is a way we could get to Mongolia much faster and more safely. We can take the Eliminator X and be there much faster."

It was kind of an ostentatious way to get there, but as long as they could travel and land safely, it should be doable.
"I'll show you to the ship."
Jason led the royal procession and his own party to the Eliminator X, dropping the cargo bay door.
"I'm afraid the passenger compartment isn't the most comfortable, but at least the trip will be short."
The Emperor's daughters seemed really excited about the trip in a space ship, but Mulan and Shang seemed a bit unsure.
"This will cause quite a stir within Mongolia, so it would be best to land it outside of the city walls."

"You got it," Jason said, having already planned to do so.
Once everyone was comfortably seated, the Eliminator X lifted off and moved quickly toward their destination. It was the first time that Jason had flown the ship within a planet's atmosphere, though it handled quite well. Given its former purpose during the war, that was understandable. The Eliminator landed about a quarter mile from the capitol city of Mongolia, and everyone exited the ship.
"Not much further now," Jason said with a smile, giving a nod to Rayn in thanks for his wise counsel.

They walked for a bit and were in sight of the gate when suddenly Heartless started to appear.
"It never fails," Jason muttered as he drew his Keyblades.
Shang and Mulan drew their swords, keeping close to defend the terrified royal princesses. Shien began launching Thundaga spells at the Heartless, seeking to destroy them quickly. These Heartless were surprisingly forceful, however, appearing in large numbers to keep them away from the gate. It was as if they were following someone's will and trying to keep them out of the Mongolian capitol.

[True_Grave]

The battle continued as the six Keyblade wielders fended off the Heartless that continued to surge forward. Jason was using both Oblivion and the Kingdom Key with a Light Aura, which boosted the power of his flowing strikes. Rayn used his Chaos power and mow through enemies without a problem, moving at great speed. Shien was unleashing powerful Firaga, Blizzaga, and Thundaga spells in order to clear out large swaths of Heartless. Odie was throwing Ain't No Mountain High and Ain't No Valley Low like a fiend, nailing her targets like a pro. Jessica and Thomas helped clear out enemies, as well, supporting their teammates.

The party finally cleared out the last of the Heartless, but the battle wasn't over yet. Dark Hearts suddenly appeared, attacking them in large numbers.
"The Guild is definitely here," Jason said with narrowed eyes.
The party pressed forward and used teamwork to eliminate their foes.
"Let's hurry up and get the royal party inside before more enemies show up."
Jason and Rayn pushed the large gate to Mongolia's capital open, and then quickly shut it after the rest of the party were in.

Jason looked around and was shocked to see that there were no people anywhere. All that he could feel was an intense darkness radiating from the palace.
"Something bad has happened here. We need to get to the palace and find out what's going on."
Jason and the rest began racing for the palace, cleaving Dark Hearts as they went. Given the intensity of the darkness he was feeling, he knew that they would soon be facing one of the Guild members.

[True_Grave]

When the party reached the palace gates, Mulan and Shang pushed the door open while Jason and company fended off Dark Hearts. When the door was open wide enough for people to squeeze through, the three princesses went in first, followed by Jason and friends, and lastly by Mulan and Shang. The door was slammed shut behind them, and Jason looked around at the ornate entrance hall.
"This is bad. I can't sense any hearts of light here."
"Well of course not, Keyblade wielder."

The party looked across the hall and saw a man suddenly materialize from a dark portal. He had medium length black hair, dark green eyes, and his entire body with the exception of his head was covered in black light armor well-suited for combat. On his back he carried a large nodachi called Shadow Blade.
"Who are you?" Jason demanded.
"My name is Mobius Zeltos, a member of the Guild of Darkness. I've been sent to harvest the hearts of this place."

"Where is the ruler of Mongolia?!"
"Ah, him. He resisted my efforts to turn him, so I removed him from the palace. If you survive my little test, come find me. I look forward to fighting you for real."
Mobius snapped his fingers and the princesses were suddenly trapped in a dark cage and lifted up to the ceiling.

As Mobius disappeared, a giant crimson Dark Heart with four legs and glowing yellow eyes appeared. It charged at the party and Jason summoned his Keyblades.
"Look out, guys!"
Shien reacted quickly, hitting the creature with a Stopga spell in order to make him more vulnerable to attack. Jason and Rayn struck the head from both sides. Jessica and Thomas struck the creature from both sides on its upper body, and Odie's thrown Keyblades struck its lower body from both sides.

The coordinated attack did big damage, but it wasn't enough to kill it. The Stopga spell wore off and Jason got butted with the side of his head. Flipping his body over as he flew through the air, he planted his feet to the wall and launched himself back at the Dark Heart. His Keyblades glowed with Light energy and he struck in a double attack that formed the pattern of an 'X'. Rayn followed this up with a charged Chaos strike, and Shien hit it with a Thundaga spell. The Dark Heart reared back and its eyes flashed red, signaling that it was getting serious.

Dark tentacles erupted from its back, six of them attacking each Keyblade wielder all at once. Jason dodged it using his Light Speed, and Rayn used Haste to move above it. Shien used Stopga again to freeze it an inch from his face. While the veterans successfully avoided the attack, the less experienced members weren't so lucky. Thomas took a direct hit to the chest and went skidding backwards into the wall, while Jessica managed to avoid it somewhat but got clipped in the shoulder and spun around. Odie blocked the tentacle coming for her by crossing her Keyblades, but the force of the blow pushed her hard into the wall and knocked the breath out of her.

Shien used a Cure spell on Thomas and the young man got to his feet. The tentacles began whipping around the Dark Heart in a helicopter motion, their speed making them as deadly as swords and significantly increasing its attack range. It was covered in a darkness aura which resisted Shien's attempt to use Stopga a third time. This battle had become extremely dangerous, so Jason had Mulan, Shang, and the less experienced members pull back. The helicopter tentacles and darkness aura were working with its thick hide to protect it from attack. In order to put it down for good, they would need to pull off one last coordinated attack.

"Rayn, do you think you can stop those tentacles?"
"Yeah, no problem."
"After you do that, I'll dissipate the darkness aura. From there, the rest of you will have to hit it all at once with everything you have. If this works, we can free this creature from its suffering."
Everyone nodded that they understood.

As the Dark Heart approached, Rayn shot forward using Haste and locked his Keyblades with two of the tentacles, stopping the rotation with brute strength and Chaos power. Immediately after he had, Jason moved in and used his Light power like a spotlight, dissipating the aura.
"NOW!"
Shien, Odie, Thomas, and Jessica all jumped through the air and hit the Dark Heart with all of their strength. The Dark Heart let out a groan of pain and collapsed to the ground, sending out a shockwave as it did. A moment later, it faded into darkness and a heart shining with white light rose freely into the sky.

Jason was relieved and everyone celebrated. However, there was no time to get caught up in that. After the cage returned to the floor and the princesses were safe, Jason turned his mind to finding Mobius and Mongolia's ruler. Using his ability to sense Darkness, he closed his eyes and searched for any sign of his foe. Jason finally found him in a mountain fortress and sighed.
"Why is it always the mountains?"

[True_Grave]

Jason and his friends left the palace, with Mulan and Shang agreeing to stay behind and watch over the princesses. The mountains were miles away, so the team decided to take the Eliminator X over the flat ground. When they reached the mountains, they disembarked and began heading upwards. There were no paths and the ground was rough and uneven, so it was slow going. Adding to the challenge was the fact that it was cold and it became harder to breathe as their altitude increased. Using their Keyblades, they knocked aside stones and flattened out the earth to make the ascent easier.

Night was falling by the time that Jason and company reached the top. Shien studied the area around the stronghold from a distance and sighed.
"Unless we go over the walls, I only see one way in and out. It would be very easy for Mobius to trap us if we all go through the front gate at once."
"Even if we don't, he can still trap us whenever we get inside. We might as well not make it easy for him."

The party split up into groups of two, with one veteran that could scale the walls and one rookie that could not. Naturally, Jessica wanted to go with Rayn, and Shien wanted to go with Odie. This left Thomas for Jason, but he didn't mind. Rayn picked Jessica up bridal-style and used Haste to run up and over the wall. Shien used Aero to push them up and over the wall, where they floated gently back to the ground. Jason channeled Light energy into his legs and jumped over the wall while having Thomas in a fireman's carry.

Rayn set Jessica down, even though she would have gladly stayed in his arms a while longer. Jason set Thomas down, and Shien simply looked around with Odie. The pairs had landed in different spots around the stronghold, and so they entered three different doors in front of them. Once they had all left the courtyard, a barrier went up that ran the length of the walls. Mobius did not plan to let his enemies escape. Having sensed their splitting up, he drew Shadow Blade and waited for his first prey to walk by.

[True_Grave]

Following the path before them, the first to encounter Mobius was Odie and Shien. The Dark Heart flew at Odie and swung his weapon in a powerful overhead strike, which she blocked but was knocked down by the sheer force of it. Shien sprang into action and fired multiple fireballs at him, though rather than draw back, Mobius laughed.
"Ah, thank you."
Mobius could control darkness and fire, so he simply absorbed the fireballs and began sending out a flamethrower type attack toward Shien. As the mage used Aero to shield himself, the Dark Heart used his weapon to hammer away at Odie's Keyblades, since she needed both to fend off his powerful attacks.

Jason and Rayn both sensed the battle beginning from where they were, and so began rushing toward it from different points. Within moments, all six Keyblade wielders were in the same large room with Mobius. Jason and Rayn rushed him from two different sides, and Mobius jumped back to fend off their attacks. Thomas helped Odie to her feet and Jessica stayed back with Shien. All four knew better than to get in the way of Jason and Rayn, who had distinguished themselves as the strongest members of the party back on Olympus Coliseum. Mobius, whose power had once earned him the spot of second in command of the Guild before he was toppled by Destro, found himself pushed back by this combined power.

Jason and Rayn seemed to be working in unison almost on instinct. Jason hit high with Oblivion and the Kingdom Key while Rayn hit low with the Chaos Blade. The two would alternate and strike from different angles. Mobius was too busy defending himself to even strike a blow, and when his right heel touched the wall, he knew that he had to do something. Using his Dark powers, he phased forward and flooded the room with darkness. If his opponents could not see him, they would lose their advantages.

Jason used his Light aura and Rayn used his Chaos aura to light the room, and Shien covered himself and the other three in Aeroga to protect them from Mobius. This was fortunate timing, as Mobius struck at Shien and had his weapon deflected. The mage reacted immediately, casting Stopga on him.
"Jason, Rayn, hurry! I can't hold him for long!"
Jason and Rayn looked at each other before nodding.

Jason willed away Oblivion and aimed the Kingdom Key at Mobius while Rayn also took aim with the Chaos Blade. Light energy charged at the tips of both Keyblades and then reached their pinnacle. Two beams of light were then fired from them, piercing Mobius's chest in an 'X' pattern. Mobius screamed in pain and writhed in agony.
"You...may have beaten me...but you'll never...beat Lord Zen!"
He then disappeared in a dissipating darkness.

Jason and Rayn put away their Keyblades. Shien glared at the spot where Mobius had been.
"You're wrong, Mobius. We will defeat Zen."
Jason led his party outside and they were able to leave the stronghold now that the barrier was down.
"You know," Odie began, "We never did find the Mongolian ruler."

Jason smiled.
"Actually, he was in the throne room when we arrived. Mobius just had him hidden from sight and our senses using his darkness. Now that he's defeated, I can sense him again."
The party returned to the palace and the ruler was indeed sitting there talking to Mulan, Shang, and the princesses. All of them were relieved to see Jason and friends, and now there was just the matter of resolving the political differences of this world.

The Mongolian ruler turned to Shang and Mulan.
"You have kept your promise and delivered the three daughters of the Chinese Emperor safely to me. After they wed my three sons, there will be peace between our two countries forever more."
Everyone was pleased and there were good feelings all around. Jason now only had to seal the Keyhole and they would be ready to leave. As much as he would have loved to stay for the grand wedding, too many worlds needed their help for that.

[korr.a]

Serving as one of the emperors many attendants, Ava had helped with various preparations for the arrival of the princesses. She hadn’t been called on to welcome them however but had gotten curious when others had whispered about the strange “soldiers” the young women had seen off after the whole ordeal. That in mind, she’d gone to look for herself.

She was surprised to find the group younger than expected and not at all what she imagined soldiers from a strange land to be. They seemed to split just outside the throne room, with a couple from China saying their farewells. Where were the rest of them from then..? She was only more surprised to hear them discussing keyblades and a supposed keyhole. She had to know more.

Emerging from her hiding spot, Ava held hands up to show she meant no trouble. “I’m sorry for eavesdropping but a lot of us have been curious about the soldier friends of the famed Mulan... Do all of you really have keyblades? I haven’t met anyone else with one in a long time.” Holding out one arm, she willed Hidden Dragon into her grasp.

[True_Grave]

Jason and his party were in the middle of a discussion on where to find the Keyhole when a young woman appeared. She had dark, wavy hair and a tan complexion which stood out against the teal/black top and white pants that she was wearing. The name Ava came to his mind, and she seemed to have something important to discuss with them.
"Yes, we do," Jason replied.
Her next words intrigued him, and his eyebrows were raised when Ava summoned a Keyblade into her hand. Jason identified it as the Hidden Dragon, an appropriate weapon to wield in this world.

How strange...I never sensed that Keyblade even during my search for Mobius.
That indicated one of two things; either Hidden Dragon hadn't wanted to be found or Ava was a Harbinger. Deciding to give her the benefit of the doubt, he regarded her Keyblade.
"I see you are indeed one of us."
Something was strange about her story, though.
"Have you wielded Hidden Dragon long?"

Rayn felt like scoffing, but held back his scorn. If Mongolia had a bonafide resident Keyblade wielder, why did she not act in defense of her world? Her appearance at this convenient time was suspicious to him. Highsmith had never turned down anyone looking to join their ranks, but she bore watching. If she turned out to be okay, that was a relief to him. Until she satisfied him of her purity, however, Rayn would not trust her.

[korr.a]

Almost as quickly as it had appeared, Hidden Dragon was gone once more as Ava looked off for a moment, not really seeing anything as memory of the keyblade's first appearance left a bitter taste in her mouth, even now. "Not long, I guess. Not actively anyway..." Ava tried to explain, with something of an apologetic smile as she looked at him. "It just appeared a while back but haven't used it much since."

The long and short of it was, she'd been afraid of it. Hearing about this group however had sparked something for her. "You're going somewhere, right? Please let me come with you. I want to know more about the keyblades."

[True_Grave]

Jason watched curiously as Ava willed away Hidden Dragon and seemed lost in thought. Judging by the look on her face, she was not thinking happy thoughts. When she spoke again, she told him that she had been carrying it for a while but had not using it. It was almost as if she was afraid of it. Or, perhaps the circumstances in which it had appeared still filled her with fear. Ava wanted to come with them, but Jason had his doubts.

"You seem afraid of your own weapon. If you fear to use it, how will you defend yourself? I'm not saying that as a team we don't help and protect one another, but you have to be willing to stand on your own. Our enemies love to divide and conquer, so how will you deal with that?"
Jason's face softened.
"Ava, I'm not sure you're ready for this life."

Jason looked around the palace.
"You have a routine here, and safety. You know your environment. Out there, you are walking into the unknown constantly. We have enemies everywhere that want us dead at all costs. Even knowing that you could die at any moment, do you still choose this life over your world?"

[korr.a]

The girl bristled, looking as if she was gearing up to argue. But she deflated just as quickly. He had a point - no - several points and she couldn't say a word. Ava definitely hadn't thought about the risks. They'd fought alongside two famous warriors, there was no telling how much more fighting they intended to do. In fact, she barely knew a thing about them. And yet...

"Yes," the answer came easily. "I can't imagine how much fighting all of you went through to accomplish what you have in Mongolia or even what might've come before that.The idea of that scares me, you're right... but I can't do nothing anymore. I never wanted this keyblade but I have it and I want to do something with it!"

Ava was more earnest now, talking through things she should have at the start. "A long time ago I saw someone with a keyblade. He tore through my entire village like it was nothing. That's when Hidden Dragon appeared. I thought keyblades must be evil... But now all of you are here. If there's good I can do with mine, I have to try."

[Xeynar]

"I say give her a chance." the suddenness of the suggestion was matched only by the unexpectedness of the person whom gave it. It was Rayn, having listened to the chat and now appeared willing to give the girl a chance. He was still suspicious, there was no mistaking that. But bringing her along seemed a more sensible idea than just leaving her here to her own devices. At least if she came along, they could keep an eye on her and prevent any plots should the need arise.

He stood there, half-turned away and with his arms crossed in front of him. He uncrossed his arms, a gesture of lowering his guard, if only slightly. He took a step or two closer to the pair so that he could look them both in the eyes, "If it's her safety you're worried about, then I'd have to ask you why you recruited any of us in the first place." he offered a... smile? Maybe it was more of a smirk. Sometimes it was hard to tell with Rayn. Then his remaining good eye shifted its focus from Jason and onto Ava.

"Why not let her prove herself... if she's actually the real deal, that is." he could tell her confidence had shaken ever so slightly a moment ago. If nothing else, Rayn could very well be saying the exact words she needed to hear to gather her confidence. Helping out the new face, perhaps, but apparently doing so in very Rayn sort of way.

[True_Grave]

Jason was impressed by her determination. She seemed sincere in her desire to do something good with her Keyblade. Before he could answer, however, she told him a story that hooked his interest. The man who had destroyed her village with a Keyblade sounded like a Harbinger, or perhaps he was simply an evil rogue. Regardless, Ava's fear was completely justified and understandable. However, if she truly wished to fight by their sides, she would have to overcome that fear.

Surprisingly, Rayn was the first to welcome her. When he approached, Jason listened, having learned to trust his counsel. He smirked back, good-natured humor seeming to rise between them.
"Well, we had all proven ourselves by then."
The invasion of Darmell had been a crazy time, and even Jason almost died more than once. Even so, he got the message Rayn was sending, and agreed with him.

"Well, Ava, if you're looking to do good with your Keyblade, you came to the right group. Welcome aboard."
He placed a hand on her shoulder and nodded to her.
"Now, then, I'm calling a meeting. We have plans to discuss."
Jason herded everybody into the cargo hold of the Eliminator X, turned on the light, and closed the door.

"So, here's the plan. We need to strike harder at the darkness, so we're going to tackle two planets instead of one. Rayn, I want you to take Odie, Thomas, and Jessica on a mission. Shien and Ava will stay with me."
Jason knew that Rayn had longed for the chance to be a leader, and his time was now. The group would launch a two-pronged attack on the darkness and then meet up again.

[True_Grave]

With the plan set, Jason opened the cargo hold to let Rayn, Odie, Jessica, and Thomas out. They would take Goldie to their destination. Moving to the cockpit, Jason made sure that Shien and Ava were buckled in before starting the ship. After they ascended into space, Jason hit the thrusters and they surged forward. Along the way, they did battle with Heartless, Nobody, and Dark Heart ships, giving Ava a taste of space combat. After successfully breaking through, they approached a planet with several tall buildings visible through the clouds.

After they landed, Jason and friends began walking toward the city. A green sign with white lettering welcomed them to Metroville. As they passed the sign, several Dark Hearts appeared.
Jason and Shien stayed protectively close to Ava as their Keyblades appeared. However, they were all surprised when a burly man with short blonde hair and a red suit bowled them over as he came through. He turned around and took a stance as if to protect them.

"Don't worry, citizens! Mr. Incredible is here and I will protect you!"
A Dark Heart jumped forward only to get blasted with a ball of Light. A second one tried the same thing and caught a Firaga ball that destroyed him. Mr. Incredible was dumbfounded as Jason and Shien stepped forward.
"We can fight, too," Jason said, "so don't worry about us."

[Xeynar]

Space, or perhaps otherwise known to some as The Lanes Between, in another quadrant away from the Eliminator X floated a triangular Gummi Ship. It was mostly golden in color, and she was about the size of a starfighter at best. Thankfully, she had four seats available in her cockpit and that was just enough room for her current occupants. Rayn at the controls, with Jessica, Thomas, and Odie in the back seats that flanked his. They floated above the world they'd been tasked with visiting. According to Goldie's logs, Scrooge had noted this world's location in the star charts but never actually got around to going there himself. The logs referred to the world as The Caribbean.

"Hmm... Scrooge apparently never came here himself, but his logs say that Sora did come here on two separate occasions. It's possible the people here already know of Keyblades and other worlds." Rayn said out loud. He was considering his options, "But then again, Scrooge never opened any official trade with this world, and Sora's visits were a long time ago... probably better to assume they know nothing and go in quietly."

He flipped some controls and activated Goldie's cloaking device to render the ship invisible to the naked eye and most conventional radar detection. Of course, Rayn had no idea that the world in question had no such radar or anything even remotely close to it, but better to be safe than sorry. As the world's surface came into view, the trio in the Gummi Ship could see ocean, and a whole lot of it. Whole world seemed to covered in it save for various islands and island chains that dotted it like a leopard's spots.

Rayn looked for one of the populated ports and then took Goldie around to the uninhabited side of the island. Them popping out of thin air at the docks in full view of everyone was likely a terrible idea, so instead they'd disembark somewhere remote and walk into town from there. Once the four disembarked, Goldie entered her usual autopilot status and took back off into the sky, "Don't worry," Rayn reassured his three companions, "she's staying out of site on autopilot. We can call her back to spots that look like that." he gestured to the ground behind them, where they would note a glowing greenish circle on the ground marking the area as a safe zone for calling the ship to, "Anyway, this particular port is called Port Royal, it looked like the most populated port in this world so I figured it was as good a place as any to start. Shall we?" he asked before leading them in the direction of town, unaware of the trouble that awaited them there.

---

Several hours before the arrival of Rayn's group, someone else had arrived in the Caribbean first. A fierce battle raged at sea. A stranger had somehow appeared aboard the Royal Navy's newest flagship, the HMS Ironside. The Ironside was an intimidating vessel, a Man of War class of ship with dozens of cannons on both her broadsides, and even a handful pointing toward the bow and stern as well. This coupled with a strong, reinforced hull made her seem like a floating fortress with sails.

"Abandon ship!" many of the sailors cried and made for the rowboats, their only means of escape, "He's a monster!"

"Stand and fight you cowards!" barked a single man, dressed in an officer's uniform and clearly was the commanding officer of this ship, "He's just one bloody man!" he and a handful of others had charged the attacker but were knocked back easily in one fell swoop by the stranger's crimson Keyblade, "We are the Pride of the King's Navy, damn it! I will not lose the Ironside to this... this pirate!" But even the bravest souls that had stayed with him were now also falling back, leaving the Commodore to face the mysterious pirate alone. At last, the Commodore finally seemed defeated as he swore under his breath, "You will not, get away with this, Pirate. Mark my words!" but like the others he was now also retreating to the row boats.

"Over already? How disappointing." the stranger muttered to himself. He wore an entirely black coat and hood that shrouded his identity almost completely. He held an eerily familiar Keyblade, it's blade a silvery white the handguard crimson red and shaped like flames. He then spun around giving the Keyblade a final spinning slash that seemed to create razor sharp winds that sliced all the ropes holding up the rowboats, dropping them and all the retreating soldiers aboard them down to the water where they were at least able to escape.

The stranger dismissed the Keyblade and slowly walked to the helm of his new ship. With a gloved hand he reached out and touched the wheel gently before firmly grasping in both hands. By this point he had begun to slowly hum a tune. He turned the wheel in order to steer the ship out to sea. The wind blew back on his hood and so he reached up to remove it, revealing a familiar face with blond hair and an eyepatch covering his right eye. By now, the person's humming and become words and he sung with Rayn's voice, "...a pirate's life for me...."

[Revenant Sorrow]

Aria’s patrol was returning from a month-long deployment. It was not the longest she had ever been out there, but it was rating up there, given the logistical difficulties of such outings in the current day and age, Aria being relatively young, and how valued healing abilities were in general, despite the rather lacklustre strength of her heals. Then again, her power seemed to be pretty versatile to begin with, it including her physical mutation, healing and ability to summon a blade, oddly shaped as it may be.

Jack of All Trades, Master of None, and all that.

As the city came into view, Aria signalled the others. It was a bit of a split-second decision, but she had decided to exercise her cramped up limbs a little and travel the last two or three miles or so on her own power.

With an eyeroll from the driver the pickup truck slowed down a little, allowing her to jump off, before it sped up again. She could have started while still in midjump or even the back of the car, but her muscles were aching something fierce after they were folded in the same position for this long. She did some quick stretches, making sure not to take too long, as staying in one location made her more of a target to the enemy than she already seemed to be for some reason.

Before long she started to make her way to town. From her elevated position she soon picked up some oddities though. The first thing that caught her eye was a strange vehicle, but judging by the size of the red and black blob down there, Mister Incredible already seemed to be on the case.

Her curiosity got the better over her though, and the winged heroine decided to land nearby, making sure to approach from where they could see her. God knows this endless conflict had twisted enough people into trigger happy fools.

“It’s good to see you again Mister Incredible, I see we have guests?”

[korr.a]

Being taken into the fold and traveling through space was more than Ava had been prepared for. Each and every new thing was met with relative silence but the wide-eyed kind. Until they'd landed, anyway. She hadn't been able to help a gasp at the foreign skyline that'd filled her view, more strange than she'd dared to imagine.

But her curiosity was quickly buried when monsters showed up, something about them striking a so familiar chord, she'd backed up a step. The man that suddenly showed up was strange too and the winged girl, stranger still. The two seemed to know each other at least? Ava rolled her shoulders as if to shake everything off. She was gonna have to get used to the unexpected and fast.

[True_Grave]

Jason was surprised when a winged girl landed nearby. Even in all of his travels that was something he had never seen before. As Mister Incredible talked briefly with her, Jason and Shien drew their primary Keyblades.
"Come on, Shien!"
"Right behind you, Jason!"
The two charged into battle, their fearlessness surprising Mister Incredible.

"Well, I can't just stand around. Ready yourselves, evildoers!"
As he rushed into battle, Jason swung Oblivion with two hands, obliterating five Dark Hearts in a single arc. Shien cut down and blasted enemies with Firaga and Blizzaga, his experience showing in how he made it all look so effortless. Jason and Shien almost seemed to be fighting back-to-back, their skills a wonder to behold. Even Mister Incredible, no stranger to amazing feats, found his eyes drawn to them.

Shaking off the distraction, he punched a few, his super strength knocking them into buildings across the street. Aria and Ava also got to take down some Dark Hearts. When the battle was over, Mister Incredible chuckled.
"I guess I really underestimated you young heroes. You all seem to have great control over your powers."
"We have a lot of fighting experience," Jason explained.

Mister Incredible smiled proudly.
"I can see that. What are your names, young heroes?"
"Jason Highsmith."
"Shien, no last name."
Ava introduced herself, as well.

"What are your handles?" Mister Incredible asked after shaking their hands.
"Handles?" Jason replied, genuinely puzzled.
"You know, your superhero names. You can't be a bonafide superhero without a handle."
"Uh, well...We don't actually have handles..."
Mister Incredible laughed good-naturedly.

"That's okay, rookies. Let me help you out there."
Shien didn't like being called a rookie, but he let it pass for the sake of camaraderie.
"Now, that ball of light, that was you, right Jason?" Mister Incredible asked while pointing at Jason.
"Yes."
"You'll be Light Man, then."

Jason thought that sounded incredibly corny, but mustered up a fake smile.
"Sounds...great."
"And Shien, what was that fire and stuff you were using?"
"Magic."
"You'll be Magic Man, then."
Shien followed Jason's lead and gave him a fake smile.

Mister Incredible turned to Ava.
"I didn't see too much of your fighting, but I'd love to help you, too."
Jason approached Aria, since something about her seemed familiar.
"In all my travels, I have never seen a woman with wings before."
Given that this seemed to be a world of superheroes, there was no telling what new and exciting things he might see. It was a shame that even this exotic world was being targeted by the Guild.

[Revenant Sorrow]

Aria plastered on a somewhat fake smile when one of the strangers approached her. While the group seemed amiable enough, she couldn't help but feel suspicious. Not because of their faked reactions to Mr. Incredible's naming sense, which was quite horrible indeed -he still tended to call her Miss Pidgeon, despite that not being her official handle-, and not even fully because of their ease in dispatching the enemy creatures, instead it was because their arrival was too well-timed to be realistic.

To have a few of the enemy creatures slip through the parameter was not unheard of, but to have it happen twice within ten minutes of their arrival, only for them to easily dispatch them?

In all of my travels, I have never seen a woman with wings before.

Her eyebrows rose slightly in surprise. Was that a pickup line? It sounded an awful lot like a pickup line, considering that wings weren't exactly uncommon amongst their populace. That, or he had been living under a rock. At least he didn't follow up with something corny about how she must be an angel. Because Gods Above, she would have strangled him then and there, benefit of the doubt be damned. She didn't plan to word any of those doubts though, even if they'd probably be evident on her face.

She didn't plan to, and mostly managed, but before her brain-mouth filter caught up she couldn't help but quip:

"And in all of mine I never saw a man that fast to draw and sheathe his blade, and what a blade it is. It is a good thing you're skilled enough to back up that speed, because any potential partner would be quite disappointed with you otherwise."

Aria winced at her own words once she registered what came out of her mouth, "Sorry about that. I had been doing better for a while, but the words slipped out before I knew it." Smiling self-deprecatingly, she continued, "My handle's Mocking Bird. I highly doubt you'll need any explanation for that one."