The Shadow Nexus seemed to slowly disappear from Drake. Since Mai slapped his head, Cheese trying to get Drake back into control. And the threat of it being removed seemed to disappear. It started to retract back inside of Drake. Drake’s eyes finally stopped shifting between Blood red and hazel brown. They stayed their normal color as Drake sighed and fell back into his chair. It took all his energy not to just fall asleep. The Shadow Nexus took a toll on his body. Usually it never took over this much unless he was knocked out or his body was in danger. However, something about these people made it overactive. Almost like it wanted to rip out of his body and lurch at everyone around him.

Drake nodded and said, “If you want me to scrub toilets. That’s fine. I’ll own up to my mistakes. However, I’m going to warn you right now.” Drake shifted his body so he was sitting up straight and said, “I’m not some teacher who’ll be buddy, buddy with these people. I’ll teach them what it takes to survive, which means they’re going to be learning some sick shit. They’ll learn about death and what could happen if they make the wrong decision. I’m not going easy on them.” Drake then looked at everyone, even Mai. He knew she wouldn’t be training with him, but he felt Tocsax was cradling her. So he took this opportunity and stated, “You all will learn what it means to take a life. You might be ok with killing heartless, but you’ll eventually have to fight other people. I will prepare you for what will come. By the time you’re done. You’ll not bat an eyelash as you watch the life of another human being drain from their face.”

“As for the Genetic therapy. I’m sure the robot’s world would have something to help,” Drake said as he pointed to V2 before he added, “Hell, I’m sure my world would have something. However, I highly doubt it’ll come cheap.” Drake then sighed and rubbed his eyes before he said, “God I could use a drink.”

As she observed how Drake took her action, she felt a familiar presence suddenly appear behind her. "Oh, welcome back Seth," turning around as she flashed him a smile. The Nobody took a seat, however he chose the one she was sitting on earlier. "Ah- He took my seat... Not that it really matters, but that chair was comfortable." A soft sigh escapes her lips before it formed into a disappointed pout.

Cheese had grabbed her and gently moved her to the side away from Drake, but it was clear to her that Cheese wanted to speak with Drake. "I'll let you handle this then." She took a step back and let her fairy friend do her thing. It seemed to have worked out fine. The girl raised an eyebrow when Cheese suddenly mentioned ripping Tocsax's throat out, but it took her a moment to realize it was a joke and giggled to herself because she felt that Cheese could actually do it if she wanted to, and maybe a little worried. "I should make a note to not get on her bad side. Ever."

Tocsax continued to discuss about Drake's punishment, and was a little relieved that he lowered it to simply joining Seth in the scrubbing of toilets of their Gummi Ship. "Which reminds me-", as she turns back to Seth, "Seth-," he had already escaped from the meeting, citing his punishment as his reasoning for his sudden leave. "Dang it- I'll bring it up some other time then. He doesn't seem to be in the mood to talk about it though." The Nobody left as fast as he had arrived.

From the corner of her eye, she spots Ryteb leaving the room, presumably to... chill out? "What's his deal?", asking no one in particular.

Shifting her attention back to their mercenary companion, he was suddenly bringing up about how they might have to fight humans someday, and how they might have to watch as a person die in front of them. "Human death, huh..." It was something that she had seen often back in her world. Having countless people she knew and were close with fall to the Heartless over the years was something she wishes she could move on from. Especially the ones that were caused because of her reckless actions in the battlefield early in her fighting years.

Before her thoughts and mood begin to turn sour, she shakes her head for a few seconds before taking a seat in the chair she originally propped up for Seth. "So... now what?" A question directed mainly towards Tocsax.

"Gene-Therapy nanobots." v2 said instantly. Perk of being a machine was that he didn't take a lot of time to think about things. "Experimental, and relegated to non-priority development in light of the Heartless incursion, but theoretically capable of weaving together or patching broken strands of DNA. It is unfortunate that the Ministry of Science is not as advanced in the field of genetics as the scientific body in your world appears to be. We were not even under the impression the Heartless possessed DNA. If we were able to acquire the documentation of your Shadow Nexus procedure I believe the risk to you would be lowered significantly, if not negated. The more data gathered the less likely there are to be complications."

"This is not the immediate concern, however. It would take time and resources would need to be acquired." he said, addressing the the room. Two of them had left. That was unfortunate. Why was it that people could not simply put their feelings aside to do their duty? Nevertheless, he went on. "The Princess is still in danger. With their abilities the Seekers of Darkness could return for her at any time. In particular I suggest treating any form of currency with wariness. Do not pick up any you see lying on the street and do not accept it from anyone. Even change is suspect."

((Collab between Letter Bee and ShadowVentus))

Taka, wherever he was, would recieve a letter from a Moogle, telling him to go to Alexios Apokaukos' tower; there was a magical script at the button that, when pressed, would bring Taka to a paved pathway with grass on either side that led to a square stone tower, behind which was a shallow sea. There, he would find an old man with greying hair and beard, clad in blue, wearing a headdress showing a silver-haired eighteen-year old in rich regalia, waiting by the doors.

"And so...we have the seventh candidate for the 'Guardians of Light'," he would say as Taka, if he had followed the note, went within earshot...

"Candidate...for the 'Guardians of Light'..." The Nobody echoes, taking a moment to fully process what has just been said. That title is easily one of the last thing he would have expected to have been labeled with, if it was even directed to him in the first place. "Just what have I been called here for, exactly...and why me?" He inquires, wishing to know more past just those first few words that have been said.

"You were called here, because the end of the Multiverse draws close, and we need the help of anyone who can wield a Keyblade - or even just skilled fighters - in order to save it," said the old man, clearly Alexios Apokaukos. "But...that is not the only reason, Taka; rather, the reason comes from something you don't remember."

An image would then come to Taka, an image of a young woman wielding a Keyblade...

"She seems so familiar...I need to find her...are you saying that if I were to comply, then I'd be given that opportunity...? That almost sounds too easy..." Taka states, feeling tense after seeing that image. Could joining in on the fight to save the Multiverse really be the key to regaining what he lost?

"Yes, you will find her. But be warned, while getting what you want would be easy, what comes after...will be a fight that would test everything you have. Would you still join?" Apokaukos asked.

"If it means getting to see her, then....yes, I would still join." He replies. He proceeds to stretch out his right hand, his keyblade materializing before him. "I have a feeling she's the reason I'm still around...she saved me from disappearing into the darkness...the least I can do is defend her, whomever she may be...." He remarks. His hood conceals the almost pained look he has adopted since she was mentioned, as he tries in vain to at least remember her name.

"Very well, young man," Apokaukos said. "Teleporting you in 3...2...1...go!"

Relevant to Everyone

Tocsax opened up a Corridor of Darkness at Seth's direction, before shouting at the portal:

"And to think I was actually pondering whether I've been too harsh!" at the portal. "Light, the fact that I actually felt sorry for you for a moment there..." Then, he would close the portal and face Drake, saying:

"Of course we're supposed to know how to take human lives. Our next world is going to involve two sides stuck in a war for several years now. Also, you might want to snatch Ryteb; I know he has issues, but I do not want open defiance of my actions...at least not yet." Then, he turned to Mai and sighed.

"Mai, after this, I think we need to train." Tocsax looked sad, his head down and lips pinched. His brow was also furrowed in stress. "Also...there are some things we need to discuss." He would turn back towards v2:

"We have almost unlimited resources, thanks to the backers of this operation, Emperor Michael and Empress Maria. But, yes, the main problem right now would be someone who controls Munny, and can probably control and eavesdrop through all forms of currency. This, in turn, is bad, because currency is almost omnipresent in a civilized society..."

Then, Taka would teleport in the middle of the meeting room, causing Tocsax to say:

"Apokaukos again?!"

@Double@Arty Fox@SMS@Rex@Ryteb Pymeroce@Gentlemanvaultboy@ShadowVentus

Ruler of the Sea - A Bathroom

A hooded Seth whistled to himself as he scrubbed the toilet, albeit at a slow and leisurely pace. Only someone like Seth could find a way to leisurely do chores, especially when said chores were supposed to be a punishment. While he worked, Seth was interrupted when a Corridor opened up right over the toilet seat. Impeccable aim, either that or an insane coincidence. Either way, he heard Tocsax's voice trying to scold him further. At this, Seth shrugged despite nobody being there to see him do it.

On the other side of the Corridor, while it was closing, the others could hear Seth's trademark chuckle, "If you wanna coddle her, do it yourself and not through me..." was that remark referring to Mai? Most certainly. Honestly, Tocsax was doing a pretty poor job of hiding the fact that he was almost blatantly playing favorites. In fact Seth was almost certain that if they had switched places, Mai would have gotten little more than a slap on the wrist, if that.

Seth sighed, quickly letting that brief frustration wash away and he was once again grinning and whistling cheerfully. That was one interesting advantage to having no Heart: thicker skin.

v2's blade was in his hand literally the moment the stranger began to appear, his eyes flicking wildly around the room as his electronic brain absorbed and pieced together all available data. The world moved in slow motion for him as he took everything in. Of particular note was Tocsax's reaction. No outright hostility or panic showed on his face. He seemed more annoyed than anything by the appearance of the intruder. Something unexpected, but not dire. He was not taking an aggressive posture.

v2 had only barely begun to swing when his arm stopped suddenly, like a video being paused. There were most likely not a Seeker of Darkness. The blade vanished from his palm. "Apologies." he said to the newcomer as his perception slowed down and time resumed its normal flow.

The girl giggled to herself when Tocsax started shouting towards Seth through a Corridor, and Seth back to him. "Oh, so you can talk through the portals?" She kept a mental note of this to maybe use later on if the team gets separated. Although, it seems the user should still need to know where the other is to open a portal. So it may not be as practical if they get separated in areas they don't know.

"Hm... Is he really spoiling me that much? I don't really see that." Although... his attention does seem to be on her a lot. But she only sees it as his way of being her mentor, even though she hasn't really started seeing him as that yet. "Uh, sure I'm up for it. Train in what?", as a thumbs up notion formed on her left hand. Mai started wondering about what type of training they will have. In terms of swordsmanship, she doesn't see much that Tocsax can teach her that she doesn't know already. Perhaps in magic? "I wonder what magic I could lear-"

Her thoughts were interrupted when another person had suddenly appeared in the middle of the room. The girl had noticed V2's hostility when the stranger showed up, but then immediately disappear shortly after when it seems that the new person isn't here to fight at least. "Another one?" Although she does appreciate the company, they've gotten a lot of new people on board today. "This is the... fourth person already?" The individual had their hood up and was facing in the opposite direction as her, so she couldn't see their face at all. She wondered what kind of person the new guy was as she waited for them to introduce themselves.

“Sod this.” Mac threw his arms in the air and stood up.

Making his way towards the door Mac then added. “I’ll go get the brat, you guys just give me the short version of whatever is happening here when I get back.

And with that he stepped outside into the warm sunshine. For a while he simply wandered the streets nodding back at those who waved or smiled at him. There was still a bit of work to be done around the town but now that the Heartless seemed to have retreated for now the towns-folk were taking advantage of it to make repairs, or even just simply relax with some good food and company.

Mac had half a mind to go and find the local pub again rather than waste his time trying to find Ryteb, of whom Mac was considering having a very long conversation with Tocsax about, when he overheard part of a conversation.

“ce foutu gosse ne sera pas descendre mon toit!” The older man with a grey moustache, surrounded by other older men, shook his fist up at the Town Halls roof.

The town hall itself was small and old, matching the town it resided in. As the older men continued to bicker amongst themselves as to what to do Mac shielded his face and looked up at what was causing such a commotion. Spotting a foot hanging out leisurely over the roof Mac had a sinking feeling that he had found Ryteb.

“Have you got a ladder?” He asked, summoning his own Keyblade. Being able to understanding French was very useful thing Mac found. “I think that kid up there might be with me.”

One ladder climb later Mac popped his head up over the edge of the roof into an alcove where Ryteb sat.

“So this is where you ran off to. How did you even get up here?” Mac had looked side to side as he reconsidered his question. “Actually I don’t want to know, and frankly I don’t care. Come on, our courageous leader want everyone back so we can head to the next world. Wonder if this next place has phone chargers.”

He didn’t wait for Rytebs response before he set off back down the ladder.


“No prob, bob.” Cheese patted Drakes arm “I’ll get you that drink.”

The next minuite or so didn’t seem to faze Cheese much, drawing nothing more than a raised eyebrow or roll of the eyes.

“Not very polite this Apokaukos, is he?” She stood by an old wooden cabinet and sniffed at the contents of a bottle. “Sends people in without so much as a ‘Hello this is so and so and they can do a thing’. Nice to meet ya whoever you are.”

Two glasses were set heavily on the table and Cheese poured into each the golden liquid that smelled almost fruity with hint of spice. Cheese thought for a moment and poured a bit more into each as it had been a long day.

“Anyone else want some? You’re all over 18 right?” She put a glass into Drakes hand and then took a swig of her own, and made a slight face. “That is very sweet and a bit stronger than I thought it was, what is the percentage of this?”

Reclaiming the bottle Cheese looked it over to find the alcohol content. She made a very small ‘oh’ noise.

Ryteb fought his way through the memory, using the opportunity to test out magic that he either was not entirely proficient with, or had just come up with. The area around the young mage was malformed by the powerful magics he was using. Although these spells were taking their toll on him, Ryteb continued to persevere, trying to break through a limit of his strength. As the next wave came towards him, he decided to try a spell that he had only seen Odin preform once. He began to draw the element of fire into his body, like he had done for fire, fira, and even firaga, but continued to draw it in to the point where his body could barely contain the element within. He began to laugh, and yelled out to the Heartless: "Take this, the ultimate Fire magic; [color=red]Fir-[/colour]"

There was a bright light, and Ryteb lost consciousness. He awoke back in the door room, feeling a searing pain throughout his entire body. In frustration, he banged his hands against the ground. "Dammit!" he yelled, "I can't even do this much!"
At the edge of the room, darkness started to form into humanoid shapes. Soon Ryteb found himself surrounded by dark versions of himself. He tried to fight them off, but they overwhelmed him, and drew him into darkness.

Awakening from his slumber, he heard a voice say something to him. Looking around, he saw it was the box headed guy. He guessed that the pompous guy from that meeting wanted him to return, probably to try and discipline him. Well, if that was the case, he'd give him a reason to. Trusting in the wind, he backflipped off of the roof, and used Aerora to glide down to the ground. For aesthetics, he used Blizzard to create himself some angelic looking wings. When he landed, he motioned, and the wings turned into a multitude of tiny sparrows and flew in the box-man's face.. Giving a grin to the local people, he took off at a pelt, yelling back to the guy: "Tell your boss that I do what I want!"

“We do have nanobots in my world. However, they’re expensive. My Rapture pills took almost three of my bounties just to buy a crate of them. The bots are so easy to make, however, for so odd reason they cost out the ass to buy. Damn medical field greedy as fuck,” Drake explained before he sighed and rubbed his eyes and said, “Why the hell am I explaining myself to a robot?”

When the new arrival appeared, Cheese had given him a glass filled with what he assumed was alcohol. He downed the drink and sighed,” Damn it. Another person the old man thought would be fun to send to us. Geez you're right cheese, the old man could at least give us forewarning before sending us more people.” Drake seemed more relaxed after downing the drink. He lifted his watch and the hologram appeared from the clock face. He pushed a few images before a gold pill case appeared in front of him. He opened it and took out a green pill from the case. The case phased back into his watch just as he swallowed the pill.

“Hey cheese, where’d you get this drink and is there more?” Drake asked before he added, “It’s no Atom Bomb or Photon Cellar X but it’ll due for now.”

@Letter Bee@Rex@SMS@Arty Fox@Gentlemanvaultboy

While Taka had expected to be sent to the others' location via teleportation, he didn't expect to arrive in the midst of a meeting room. One person in the room already had a weapon held in his general direction, but lowered it after quickly gauging the mood of the room, apologizing. There were a few others that simply greeted him. Upon hearing a faintly familiar voice, the hooded Nobody swiftly turns to face the source of it, his attention completely grabbed by the girl before him. For a brief moment, he stands there speechless, unsure of where to even begin. Rubbing the back of his head out of embarrassment, he regains his composure. "I don't see my name being of any importance right now...but I'd be much more willing to tell you it after I see your strength for myself..." He breaks off midway to summon his keyblade, pointing it straight at Mai. The length of the blade is a fair size, appearing rather sharp, and looking much more like a sword than a key. The design is rather intricate despite its greyscale coloring, a white blade being overlapped by black, thorn-like points.

"Consider this a challenge. Of course, I'm willing to oblige on taking this matter to a more spacious location. After all, I doubt anyone would be fond of this meeting room receiving a fair amount of collateral damage..." He states, now awaiting a response from his chosen opponent. However, this doesn't mean his guard is down, for he's very well prepared to block or dodge anything that may come his way.

Tocsax looked shocked...especially as Seth was right; he was coddling Mai. It seemed as though his teenage hormones were still hard to regulate. Nevertheless, he would say to Mai:

"I'll be teaching you how to manipulate the winds," the young Nobody said. "Fair warning, though, this is my first time being a mentor or tutor, and according to Seth, I flubbed up already." On the subject of Baron Carlstein and such:

"I'll try to cast a magical ward on the Munny we already carry, so as to allow us to use the currency when we really need it. However, we'll have to refuse any payment from anyone, including change, and I think that we should use our own resources as much as we're able."

Then, Tocsax's mood darkened the moment Taka challenged Mai. His own Keyblade manifested unconciously, gripped with a hand that shook in anger.

"If you wanna coddle her, do it yourself and not through me..."

Damn you, Seth, Tocsax thought as he dispelled his Keyblade. He then glared at the newcomer, and said:

"All right, as the leader of this group, I'll allow you your duel." His smoldering gaze outright said, though, that he was going to take Taka apart should Mai get hurt.

@Double@Arty Fox@SMS@Rex@Ryteb Pymeroce@Gentlemanvaultboy@ShadowVentus

Mac wasn’t entirely sure what had happened but considering he was now being pulled out from the thorny entangles of a decorative bush by his armpits, he was certain it involved pain and unfortunately he was correct.

“This is why I hate kids.” Mac mumbled as he was sat down very gently.

The towns people gathered around him with both with concerned word to his well-being and various bad words towards Rytebs actions whilst those who had managed to grab something batted away at the remaining icy constructed. Mac was very much starting to regret his decision to come on this mission.

After what seemed like an age Mac was finally able to escape the town people though not before a few had tried to prise his head off, and Mac inexplicably lost the ability to speak French, or offer him a bag of smelly cheese and a bottle of wine for his help earlier.

“Brie de Meux and some Red Bordeaux.” A very satisfactory pairing if Mac knew anything about such things. “Nice.”

Walking along with the bag of loot in his hands Mac simply strolled nonchalant through the towns cobbled streets but in fact he was feeling a bit on edge. As the saying goes ‘once bitten, twice shy”.

“There you are.” He said after finally catching sight of the person in question. He sighed almost tiredly. “Please don’t pull another trick or something, I still have a killer headache from the last one.”

“Playing tricks isn’t a good way to make friends either.”


“Bon-ney-zee-you-x or something.” Cheese squinted at the bottle. “Honestly I have no idea. It’s French, butt-ton of alcohol in it and it smelled nice that’s all I can tell you I’m afraid.” She poured him another glass.

Cheese was thoroughly enjoying the show before her, almost as much as she enjoyed things like Hollyoaks or Deadpool, and very much wanted to see how things turned out. It was obvious to her that their dear courageous leader Tocsax had feelings for Mai but whether Mai reciprocated such feelings was yet to be revealed.

“Atom Bomb?” Cheese sipped and thought for a moment, looking over the rim of her glass to the developing love triangle. “Isn’t that just a Jäger bomb with absinthe? Stuff tastes gross if you ask me but you humans are willing to pay through the nose for it so.” She shrugged. “I prefer Schnapps or something equally sweet.”

Cheese had pulled up a chair beside Drake when they had started drinking, simply because it was easier than standing up the whole time, so when Tocsax had mentioned a duel Cheese couldn’t help but perk up slightly.

“If we’re doing combat training I want in, need to improve my single combat skills a bit anyway.” For a moment Cheese seemed to zone out and look far off into the distance at something that wasn’t there. “Been a while since I’ve been a battle like the one we just had.”

Ryteb had run a fair ways, at least he thought he had, but this bloody city was like a maze. Honestly, how was a forest more straightforward than a civilized city? He swore he had passed that same statue three times already. Then again, there seemed to be hundreds of the damn things, all about saints or some kind of religious shit.

Turning around another corner, he came across the box guy again. Hearing what the dude actually said this time, he rubbed his head sheepishly.

"Sorry dude," He said, giving a small grin, "I just didn't want to go back to that stuffy room. In case you couldn't tell, me and rules don't really agree. Heh... Odin used to call me his Wild Fox... anyway, wanna ditch that lot and have a bit of fun?"

Drake laughed when Chees questioned the Atomic Bomb. He swirled the liquid she had poured for him in his glass before he said, “Atomic Bomb is a brand of beer where I come from. Every time you twist the top off. A small white mushroom cloud erupts from the top. That’s why it’s called Atomic Bomb. Also, there are chemicals in it that might cause your skin to glow if you’re not immune to the ingredients in it. It’s best to drink it in small sips rather than chugging it all at once. Now that’s the type of drink that will put hair on your chest.” Drake watched Taka and Tocsax exchange words before he allowed Taka to fight Mai. He drank a little of his drink before set it on the table.

“Here’s a thought Tocsax. Make it a triple threat. Mai Vs Taka Vs me. You said it yourself I’ll be training them. Why not give them a little taste of what they’re in for. However, if you wish to baby your princess, I’ll not push the issue. After all, who am I to cut the cord,” Drake said before he lifted his glass and a sly smile formed on his face before he took another sip. Drake seemed to be a different person when he drank. He wasn’t the uptight bounty hunter, but a more down to earth person. A mush more calmer version of himself.

Three-on-three? Thought Tocsax before he said:

"All right, agreed with that, Drake." He then remembered something.

Assigning Seth to clean the toilets, I should have said that that was only for one week! I am such a forgetful asshole.

Suddenly, Tocsax's communicator rang.

"Tocsax, I'm sorry to say this," Emperor Michael XIII Sideros' voice sounded out from said communicator, "but we're moving onto the next world, Alternate World War II, tomorrow. Finish your business, offer Adelle a job, and move on. That's an order. Actually..."

Seth

Seth would recieve a call.

"Hey, it's me, Emperor Michael XIII Sideros. I'm countermanding any punishment Tocsax gave you; knowing him, he intended to make it only last a week or so, but he forgot to actually say that. Bad social skills, you know."

Back in the Meeting Room

"Finish your duels," said the Emperor, "but after this, all of you get back to the Gummi ship."

@Double@Arty Fox@SMS@Rex@Ryteb Pymeroce@Gentlemanvaultboy@ShadowVentus

((Posting Early))

The girl crossed her arms over her chest as she watched the newcomer's actions. Him pointing his weapon at her earned him her undivided attention for the moment. "A duel?" She kept her eyes locked onto his hooded figure, waiting for anything that might provoke a reaction from her. But it seemed like he was merely challenging her. He wasn't hostile, not yet at least.

"Very well." A slight groan from her as she forced herself to stand up straight. "I accept your challenge." She couldn't see the new guy's face very well, his hood covering whatever details were behind it. A small confident smile was forming onto her lips, feeling thrilled at the prospect of a one-on-one duel with a fighting style she wasn't familiar with.

Drake seemed to have something else in mind, however. "A three-way battle sounds interesting." She hasn't exactly been in a fight where her attention was divided between two combatants that were just as willing to hit the other as they would to her. Usually it was just one opponent, or a group of Heartless / Nobodies that were out for her blood. As much as she was itching for a duel, a three-way bout fascinated her.

"However..." A pause.

Mai shifted her standing pose to something more comfortable for her right leg. "Can we hold it off until tomorrow?" After everything that had happened today, the girl was already quite tired from it all. "I wouldn't like it if our match wasn't on even ground." A shrug from her. Taking a note from Mac's nicknaming earlier, "And besides, Mr. Edgelord over there looks like he's about to pass out from all the drinking too," as she shifts her view towards the mercenary. It looked like his Shadow Nexus side had really taken a toll onto his stamina. If he were to join in their fight, she'd like it for him to be prepared as well.

Mac cast a searching look up and down Ryteb just looking for any movement that bring another round of flying ice his way. He didn’t have to mull over Rytebs offer for a second before Mac knew his answer.

“Yeah, no, not really.” Playing babysitter was not on Macs list of fun things to do. “We have a job to do kid; saving the multiverse and all that stuff. Best we get back to the others quick as possible so we can move on.”

“Anyway I doubt yours and my ideas of ‘fun’ match up kiddo, I’d much rather spend some time messing about with all the new tech around the place than anything.” He gestured Vaguely around the place to where the giant airship somewhere nearby couldn’t be seen. “Like Drakes wrist-watch thingy and the robot kid we’ve managed to find.”

He had already started heading back the way he had come as he started to explain the situation as he knew it. This included the princess of Heart they were hunting for, the different worlds all stemming from one timeline –

“Doubt even that Hawkins guy with the funny face knows how that all works.”

– and, of course, a quick rundown of who was who back at the meeting place including himself.

“And I think we also had some other guy pop in there as well after you ran out for some reason or another.” A familiar tree they walked past told Mac they were about a minute away now from the others. “May I ask why? Something about darkness wasn’t it?”


Cheese liked the sound of an Atom Bomb and was about to speak when the communicator delivered the message telling them to, although in more polite terms, get their arses in gear.

“Nah, he’ll be fine.” Cheese patted Drake on the shoulder. “Glass of water and a good rest, he’ll be right as rain.”
Cheese stretched as she said this, throwing her hands out behind her with a satisfying groan when her shoulders popped.

“Actually I could do with some water and a snack too. These are not wine glasses by any stretch of the imagination.” A small chuckle as she picked up the glass to finish it. “Think I’ll take this with us actually. Maybe have a party or something at some point.”

A smile that wasn’t entirely kind split her face.

“I can play pretty much any instrument, so music’s on me.”

Ryteb looked up to the sky, and stuck out his hand. Flames erupted in the shape of a fox, which began running about the young mage's body. It helped the boy to have something to focus on, to take himself out from the complexities of the world. Honestly, the thing about the multiple worlds made sense, but then he was a student of Thaumaturgy, the study of wonders. It was the human things, the people he was supposed to work with, that confused him.

"I... can't accept darkness." the youth said, as the fox began to race through the air, "And I despise anyone who would let the darkness permeate their being. So I hate Drake, I hate Retsam..." 'and I hate myself' he added under his breath. Underneath his robe, his arm rippled. It was a slight increase, but the darkness had increased again.

"But enough about that... what's this tek-no-loggy you speak of?" he quipped, "And why is your magic so backwards? Honestly, I never thought that the other worlds would be so ancient that they had to rely on these... toys."

Drake Laughed a little when Mai called him edgelord. It wasn’t an insult to him since he’d been called worse in the past. To be frank: he wasn’t up for the whole duel at the moment. He was too tired to even think about fighting. Also, he really didn’t want to get into a fight and have his Shadow Nexus decide to interfere. He sighed in relief when Mai decided to postpone the duel. When cheese offered musical entertainment. He just shook his head and stood up. He looked over at Tocsax and said, “Well since the duel is off and we’re heading to a new world. Mind showing me were the training facility is. I need to get use to everything there before I train these kids.” Drake seemed to snap out of his playful self and back into his harsh, cold self.

“I also want to get some target practice out of the way. Need to keep my sniper rifle in top shape. Don’t want it to fail at a crucial moment,” Drake mentioned. All this happy buddy, buddy stuff around him made him feel uncomfortable.