[IC] Kingdom Hearts: The Lights of the Multiverse Redux [No Longer Full]

[Double]

(collab between myself and Letter Bee)

Renovation - Throne Room

The answer Seth got about his question was... not as interesting as he hoped. He still questioned a few things about the traveling-through-time logistics, but it wasn't worth bringing any of that up, all it would do was delay the mission. So for now, Seth just smiled and nodded, still appearing relatively clueless for the most part.

Soon after this, everyone was led to individual guest rooms where they were told they could rest until the departure time. Honestly, Seth had nothing particularly interesting or funny to say to that, so he went along with it until he was alone in his room.

Renovation - Guest Rooms, Seth

As soon as he saw it, Seth gave a low whistle of amazement, "Wow... pretty ritzy." he commented to himself as he looked around, occasionally lifting up a vase or other object to look at it more closely... or perhaps to sweep for bugs or other such nefarious forms of surveillance. Once he was satisfied that the room really was private, Seth just let himself collapse on the bed.

He lay on his back for a moment, going over the details of everything that just happened in his head. It all sounded... kind of far-fetched. Especially the part about the Hearts that were supposedly pure and incorruptible. Seth just couldn't wrap his head around that fact, it just seemed impossible. After a moment he gave up thinking about it and rolled over to one side, facing the rest of the room as opposed to the wall.

It was right around then that he noticed the back door, appearing to lead outside. Was it a balcony of some kind? Some sort of garden or quad, perhaps? Looking at flora didn't exactly interest Seth, and to be honest he was in more of a mood to take a nap instead. With that thought in mind, he slowly closed his eyes.

His dreams would be filled with...fire; endless orange flames that stretched to the horizon, accompanied by screams and wails. A natural disaster? A wildfire?

Nevertheless, Seth would not have time to wonder in his sleep when he heard the sound of knocking.

"Seth?" implored Tocsax in his still-boyish voice, albeit a voice loud enough to go through the door, "Can I talk to you in the common garden?" He must mean the garden at the backs of each other apartments. "I have something to talk about."

Fire...? That was a new one. He half expected the usual dream, the one with all the rain and the armed soldiers... and corpses. But fire, this time? Oh well, no time to dwell on it, the voice on the other side of the door sounded like his Nobody compatriot. He asked to speak in the garden.

"Now what could he want?" Seth asked himself under his breath, pushing himself up off the bed and onto his feet. By the time he was out the door, he was just the lazy guy everyone met when he first arrived again.

"Now what could my future employer need with little old me?" asked Seth innocently.

Just behind Tocsax was a young man, 19 years old, with light skin, short-cropped red hair with soft curls, and green eyes. He was wearing a white silk turban and sand-colored special forces armor, and he carried a Keyblade like Tocsax did, a sand-and-blue weapon that evoked water and desert.

"Well," spoke Tocsax, "first things first, let me introduce you to Sultan Shahrukh Mirza the Fifth, ruler of the Basilea's southern neighbor, the Timurid Sultanate of Egypt - he's a Keyblader as well, although currently, he should be guarding Mai's world...if I hadn't asked him to come here."

"As for why he needed my services?" it was Shahrukh the Fifth's turn to speak, "well, let's just say that Toxy told me that he was going to mentor someone despite his lack of practice. So, I'd like your help in giving him said practice in teaching. You may not be a Keyblade wielder, but if you can wield a weapon, well, we'd like to impart some techniques to you; Tocsax offers the Ars Solum technique, I offer Sonic Blade. Both can be approximated with swords."

Well, this was certainly flattering. Tocsax called a Sultan all the way from off-world duties to teach Seth a technique. But Seth could really only just stand there, hands stuffed in his pockets as the only response he could offer them was an awkward grin.

"I appreciate the offer, really, but as you can plainly see, I am unarmed. Never was a fan of weapons. They always had a tendency to slow me down, so I simply stopped bothering with them."

That was certainly going to be a disappointment for them, for Shahrukh in particular, since he apparently came from such a long way for this, "So terribly sorry." Seth said, having only an apology to offer.

Shahrukh looked at Tocsax...then laughed lightly.

"Toxy, guess you acted before thinking again," he then looked back at Seth.

"Hmm, I reserved some time for this, and I don't want that to go to waste, so I think we should still teach you a technique anyway." Lifting up his left hand and conjuring up a ball of sand, the Timurid Egyptian Sultan then spoke:

"How would you like the ability to conjure sand up from almost nothing, and permeate it with darkness for added effectiveness?"

Tocsax, meanwhile, frowned at how foolish he had been.

Seth cocked his eyebrow, but only slightly. He couldn't help wondering the motivation behind this, but didn't let himself dwell on it. Part of him felt like he could hold his own just fine as he was now, but it was only a small part of him. The other part of him, a much more... pragmatic side of himself, saw this as a useful opportunity.

Well, who was he to rudely reject such a generous offer?

"My thanks, Your Excellency." Seth responded, offering a short bow to the Sultan. Tocsax might note that this was first bow or any kind of fealty Seth had shown since arriving, and that included their earlier audience with the Emperor and Empress.

"Good," spoke the Sultan, "now, let's move onto the common garden, shall we" And with that, he went inside Seth's room as if he knew its plan - which he probably did - and opened the back door to the garden.

Once he, Seth, and Tocsax were there, the latter would wave his hand at Mai, who was at the fountain, saying:

"Hey, my friend Shahrukh Mirza the Fifth is teaching Seth something! Wanna watch?" In the meantime, Shahrukh would go off to a wide open space with red brick tiles, and face Seth, before once again repeating his sand-conjuration technique, then saying:

"First up, gather your magical energies. Then, think of sand, think of how it feels, how fine the grains are, and how you can move it like a third limb if you have the power." The orb of sand above Shahrukh's right hand was spinning now, before halting, only to turn into a spiked ball, before becoming smooth again. Then, the Sultan - a Keyblader - then tossed the ball of sand at Seth, shouting:

"Catch!"

Seth followed along, and soon found himself watching a more thorough demonstration of the technique he was soon to learn. From what the Sultan described, the technique appeared to hinge on one's confidence, their ability to assert their will on the sand so that it moved according to their desire. He then quickly tossed the ball of sand in Seth's direction.

Seth, who'd been standing there with an unchanging posture, hands still stuffed in his pockets, didn't appear as though he planned to react at first. It wasn't until the ball of sand was within mere centimeters of colliding with his face that it finally stopped, Seth having reached up and caught it, but did so with such a speed that the naked, untrained eye would be unable to have even seen the movement.

"Think of the sand... and then will it to move..." he said, repeating some of the instructions. He held the ball, which was likely still held together by Shahrukh at the moment and imagined as best as he could an image of the ball floating up from his hand and then protruding spikes just had Sharukh had demonstrated a moment ago. But nothing seemed to happen.

"Come on now, ball... you know you have to obey my will eventually." Seth said, as if vocally egging the sand on would somehow make it work. But he started to concentrate harder, enough so that, even if for just the briefest of moments, his left eye glowed with a bright light blue instead of it's usual color. It was only a moment though, gone just as suddenly as it appeared.

The ball slowly turned dark, grew spikes...then exploded in Seth's face; thankfully, the man's eyebrows and eyelashes managed to catch most of the sand. Nevertheless, it was a step in controlling things.

Seth winced at the sudden explosion of sand. Quickly, he wiped a gloved hand over his eyes instinctively to wipe away the grains, "Well... that just happened. Is that normal?"

"For trainees, yes," spoke Shahrukh."The fact that the sand exploded is a sign that you'll be able to control it eventually." He then conjured up another ball, then tossed it at Seth, slightly faster this time.

Seth caught the ball in the exact manner he did the first time around. Like before he concentrated on it, his eye briefly lighting up as before. The ball grew spikes, then exploded again. Lather, rinse, repeat. Although with each ball, though it didn't look it at first, they gradually took longer to explode each time the exercise was repeated. His eye also flashed blue less and less with each attempt as well.

That is, until Seth finally found himself looking at a spiked ball of sand that didn't explode, furthermore, his left eye remained its natural color this time, "Looks like I'm getting the hang of it." he decided to try letting go of the ball and attempted to keep it in midair. It stayed, though it appeared to shiver a bit. Eventually though, it simply shot back toward the Sultan. Was that Seth's doing? Or the Sultan's?

"Good job!" Shahrukh said as he drew the ball of darkened sand back to himself, slowly purifying it, turning it back into glowing brown sand, when it was in his hand. "You did well." He then looked at where Tocsax was still looking at Mai, his expression annoyed at first, then relaxing with a sigh.

"You know, against religious prohibitions, I had a one-night-stand with Tocsax. Why am I telling you this?" the Sultan continued, "because the way he looks at that Mai girl, who comes from a time period where she'd consider what we did lewd, it's quite clear that Toxy isn't willing to let things between us be something more." He was jealous.

A sigh.

"Well, I'll let my best friend be happy, but tell me should Mai end up hurting Tocsax's heart." Shahrukh pursed his lips. "If that ever winds up being the case..." the threat was clear in his voice.

Seth just grinned. That honestly seemed to be his reaction to everything. Well, that and chuckling to himself, which he also did just then as well, "Hmm... perhaps 'Toxy' just needs some time? Or maybe he just needs to hear this from you?" Seth offered with a shrug.

"Unfortunately, I'm not exactly the right kind of guy to ask when it comes to stuff like that." he then let out a yawn that may have been a little too exaggerated.

"Well, that kind of wore me out. Think I'll go finish that nap now." he turned toward the door to his room, but before he entered, he turned back around and offered one last small bow, "My humble thanks for the technique, Your Excellency. I'll try to see to it that it serves my mission well." after that, he finally went back inside and eventually crashed back on the bed. He was tired, but satisfied overall.

[Nightknight]

Fredrick Arwell

After a long while of grandiose talk from people he knew nothing about, it was finally time to unwind. Rick was introduced to his room. "Nice digs." He comented shortly before he closed the door, took off his Tuxedo and shoes, and chilled with a bottle of wine. Ricky felt like a king, lounging around on his spacious king sized bed in this spacious room. Man, he thought, this was the perfect room to end a day in. Ricky landed a new high paying job, even if it was dangerous, but that was the norm for Ricky. Now all that was left to do was sprawl out on the most comfortable bed he has felt in ages and drink himself to sleep. He knew he would need every precious minute of sleep before his next mission.

His last thoughts before passing to dreamland was spent wondering who the other three new arrivals were. However, he figured he would have that all sorted out tommarrow, cross that bridge when he gets to it.

[Arty Fox]

((Collab between Arty Fox and Letter Bee))

“And here’s me without a toothbrush.” Mac sighed and fell onto the bed.

It was soft and smelled faintly of lavender as did the rest of the elegantly furnished room. It made Mac want to vomit, every place even remotely like a hotel seemed to want to drown a person’s nostrils in some sickly sweet smell.

“You don’t even have a mouth.” Cheese dismissed his joke from the doorway, stood examining it and the room with arms crossed. “At least it smells better than London. Just as much metal though.” She sauntered in, keeping her hands securely in her jacket pocket.
“Well you didn’t have to come along. You could’ve stayed home and looked after the club.” Mac twisted on the bed to face her. They both knew he was wrong. “After all it is Key-bladers like me they’re after.”

Mac then stretched out his hand and focused. The air under his fingertips shimmered and shone with light, Cheese felt the air bristle with magic, bringing forth Macs Key-blade. It reminded Cheese of a drawing someone had half started one way but then changed their mind about mid way resulting in the weapons tip curved a different way than the shaft and handle had hinted at.

A knock at the door; it was two 18 or 19-year olds, the first one being a young man with blond hair and blue eyes, wearing blue silk robes and carrying a staff. The second was a tall, well-built male wearing black special forces armor, but carrying only a shield emblazoned with a double-headed eagle in his left hand, and a basket filled with apples, grapes, oranges, bananas, and other fruits in his right.

"Gift basket!" said the Blond. "Oh, and my name is Damianos Sardis, Wizard, and my friend is Giorgios Kyros, Warrior. We've come here to see how you were liking the surroundings, and also to answer your questions."

Had Mac had eyebrows he would've had them raised in mild surprise. Luckily enough Cheese did so for him.

"Oh, urm, thanks" Cheese accepted the basket, keeping her eye on the shield trying to determine what it was made off.

"oh nice, purple grapes." Mac plucked one such grape, having come over to investigate, and held it to the screen of his face where it then simply vanished. "Better than the green ones."

Cheese merely shrugged, she didn't really care. "I'm a fairy." Mac stiffened in shock beside her. "Metal burns me and there's a lot in my room. Could you remove it all?" She could sense all the magic in the air, so assumed that with so much magic about a magical creature wouldn't be all that surprising.

"All right," spoke Damianos, as if not relishing the prospect of hard work. Pointing his staff at the room, he said: "Transmute!"

And with that, all the metal in the room became plastic polymers. Of course, Giorgios' shield, which was made up of Mythril, was unaffected, but the young warrior kindly strapped it behind his back once Mac took the basket, thus ensuring that it won't be facing Cheese.

Mac simply stared as Cheese moved cautiously to her room across the hall to investigate. She rolled up the sleeve of her jacket and applied her elbow to the door handle, grinning happily when it didn't burn her skin.

"Thank you." The relief almost visible as she spoke. "I really appreciate it."

"How did you?" Mac pointed a finger at Damianos and then towards Cheeses room. "What spell was that?" Not for the first time that day Mac had wondered if he taken something he shouldn't have last night night and forgotten about. "No chanting or anything? Not even like, tears of the puppy or something?"

"Could teach me that spell?" Cheese drew up also.

"Multiversal Magic System," Damianos quipped, "it relies on your willpower, Mana, and your ability to visualize things. And, sure, I can teach ya," he faced Cheese. "Warning, though, I'm a harsh taskmaster."

"So," said Giorgios, "how do you feel about our Basileus and Bassilisa's task? I'm sorry if he's given you something too dangerous." Mac and Cheese had been in the throne room all along when the Emperor and Empress had made their exposition, but had been invisible thanks to Cheese's fairy magic.

Cheese and Mac shared a glance for a moment, an unspoken conversation taking place.

"Seems simple enough to me." Cheese shrugged. "Just go around and find these Princesses and fight the Heartless while doing it."

"Still makes my head hurt a little bit though." Mac rubbed the top his head for emphasis. "God I was stunned when I figured out that just the Fae Realm existed, but that there are actually loads of other worlds out there? And we're dragging a few thousand people with us too"

"At least they chose to go to other worlds." Cheese spoke with no small amount of venom in her words."They're soldiers and fighters and such. They know what they're getting themselves in for." She looked over at Damianos and Giorgios for confirmation. "Right?"

"They do," spoke Damianos, "but if you're implying that we sought you and Mac's services because we wanted to hurt you for nothing in return..." his eyes were furrowed in barely concealed anger.

"Now, now, Damnianos, I don't think our guests meant that!" Giorgios then looked at Mac and Cheese. "Right?"

Cheese blinked, almost flinching, with confusion. She hadn't meant that at all, but now that Damianos had spoken it her guard had snapped up into position. "And what if you wanted to hurt us?" Her own magic was already pooling angrily at the back of her mind, just itching to escape through her fingertips.

Mac quickly stepped in. "It ain't about you lot she was talking about." As much as he wouldn't have minded seeing who would win in a fight Mac felt it best that neither he or cheese caused too much trouble. "So just cool it alright? Like honestly, you lot jumping around like that almost as bad as the bleeding Tories."

Cheese simply glared between Mac and Damnianos.

"Damianos, apologize," Giorgios said, causing the Wizard to say:

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, okay then." Cheese let her magic go, no harm done. "I'm sorry as well." The apology was more direct at Mac this time, who simply shrugged in response.

"Well, this has been a fun evening and all but I think that, if your don't mind, I'm gonna head to bed." Mac clapped his hands together, once the basket of fruit was safely on the dressing table.

Cheese sighed, looking somewhat tired herself. "I might do that too. Mind teaching that spell at some point though...Damianous? It would be a big help."

"You dare turn the frying pan at home into plastic I will not be impressed." Mac jokingly warned her, earning him a very unimpressed look.

After a quick farewell and thank you Cheese and mawent into their own rooms to sleep and rest after a surprisingly exhausting day of events.

[SMS]

((Collab between SMS and Letter Bee))

While Shahrukh and Seth were resting, Tocsax began walking towards Mai, before saying to the silver-ish haired Japanese girl:

"So, how are you holding up?"

Mai took a moment before responding. "I'm not sure myself." A pause. "Everything still feels so sudden," she says as her left hand grips harder onto the blanket that was covering her. The girl looks up to her new companion and meets with his black eyes.

"What about you? Are you alright with all of this?" Another pause from her. "If we somehow fail, we might end up having to kill you." Her voice shaking a bit as she finished her sentence. "I know that I just met you and all, but something about this just feels... wrong."

Tocsax smiled at that.

"To be honest, I'm afraid of death, to know that I've regrown a Heart and must sacrifice it for the sake of someone whom I haven't met, well...let's just say that if I had not grown to love the Multiverse, I would have just...ran away." The eighteen-year old boy would then stare at Mai's very light green eyes.

"But it's funny, looking at you, I realize; people don't deserve to die just so I can cling on to life a few years longer."

Mai was speechless. "Of course he would be scared. Anyone would be," were resonating in her mind. At the same time however, she unconsciously says, "Is it really worth it?", outloud.

She never liked using a life for the sake of a goal. Even if it is this Multiverse that everyone talks about. Even if the life that's to be used is someone that she doesn't know. She'd rather have herself in that position. She knows that it's hypocritical of her, but that is how she felt.

The girl then stands up from the side of the fountain and onto the garden floor. "I won't let you die, Tocsax." Her eyes and words full of determination. "Somehow. Some way. We'll do this without us needing to get to that point."

Mai then smiles towards the boy. Perhaps the most genuine one she's had in a long while.

Tocsax beamed back, his heart feeling lightened by Mai's words.

"Thank you," he said, "and in exchange, I won't let you die as well." Because I like you, and you're beautiful.

"Very well. Let's get to finding those Princesses of Heart then," the girl starts walking towards her room. Unsure of what to do next, perhaps sleeping in for the day would help reset her negativity from the seriousness of everything that just transpired.

After passing by Tocsax, the atmosphere was interrupted by Mai's stomach suddenly grumbling. She felt the blood rush up to her face in her embarassment. The girl proceeds to try and cover her very red face with the blanket she was holding. "I- Uh... haven't had anything since this morning." With one eye peeking out from under the covers as she turns towards the boy, she continues, "I-is there any food available?"

"You can call for Room Service," spoke Tocsax. "I'll instruct you on how to do so, if you'll permit me."

And with that, he walked to where Mai's room was, ready to teach her how to use the intercom...

[Letter Bee]

The Next Week

The group would stay at the Palace of the Blachrenae for a few days more, talking over logistics, learning more about the history of both Renovation and the 'Original Timeline', and finally, being taken to a trip to the Sea of Marmara to the south of Constantinople to be shown their Gummi Ship, a sleek-looking - as far as anything that looked like candy can be sleek-looking - vessel that was shaped like a gigantic dolphin, only with a more even bottom side. It floated above the saltwater, its Gummi Railguns and Torpedo launchers evident.

"This is the Ruler of the Sea, and, despite the guns, it is a diplomatic vessel," Maria di Italia would have said during the ship's introduction. "The fleet will accompany it to protect you, including our ship, the Manisa League." She would then make a wide gesture, and suddenly, the space just above the Sea of Marmara would be filled with more than two dozen other Gummi Ships, the centremost being a gigantic, whale-shaped dreadnaught that blocked out the sky.

"Now," spoke Maria, "the details of the first world you'll be going to. I presume you've studied the books about the Original Timeline, and know what the French Revolution was, right?" After a response, the Empress will continue.

"In this first world, the French Revolution did not become bloody and dystopic due to various factors, like the Marquis de Lafayette being more intelligent, and the country became a Constitutional Monarchy first, then a Republic. Now, in 2016, the French Republic and its overseas territories - no longer colonies; they're now parts of a wider Federation - are the prime superpower of the world. Then, the Nobodies and Heartless arrive to ruin things, but the French Republic is dealing with them well...for now."

"My husband, Emperor Michael, has just cemented an alliance with the French Republic, but the latter have made it difficult by insisting that they should be the leaders of any Multiversal Alliance, because they are supposedly better at 'Reason'." A sigh at that. "So, the main fleet will join up with theirs in order to further discuss things and cooperate against the main threats, distracting them from your main quest, finding the Princess of Heart, who in turn lives in the French - Swiss border."

"Any questions?"

@Double@Arty Fox@Nightknight@SMS

[Double]

The Next Week

The past week wasn't nearly as serious for Seth as it was for everyone else. He didn't spend as much time reading or learning as they did, feeling like he already knew enough about the worlds that it wouldn't e necessary. Well, that and he was far more interested in mastering the... "technique" that Shahrukh graciously taught to him. Of course, Seth didn't spend all of his time doing nothing but that. He did join in on the conversations from time to time, even did a little bit of reading once in a great while. Although, whenever Seth did interact with the group he seemed to prefer to having a little fun with them more than the actual work.

A loosened salt shaker at the dinner table here, a whoopee cushion on a chair there. He even managed to get one of them with a joy buzzer on one occasion. To say nothing about where exactly Seth managed to obtain those kinds of toys. To put it simply... he had his ways, and it was probably best to just leave it at that. Unbelievably, there was something of a method to Seth's apparent madness. He learned a little about each of his compatriots, based very much on how they took to his little bit of "fun". If they smiled, laughed, or whatever, that meant they were more cheerful than most, or at the very least retained their sense of humor. If they raged, started hating Seth's guts then... well, at least he knew who would be the most fun to tease.

In all seriousness, Seth did manage to learn a bit about each of his fellows. He learned Mai was an extroverted type, and apparently had a soft spot for kids. Rick was a slightly tougher nut to crack, but Seth picked up on the man's chill attitude and his certain love for nicotine products. Mac and Cheese, the pair who hid during the first council, were even tougher nuts to crack, what with Mac's pride and Cheese's irritability and the short temper that both possessed. But Seth did find a surprising common ground with Cheese. Each of his little pranks seemed to garner something of a smile or even chuckle from the fairy, and Seth ventured to guess that perhaps she also had a thing for fun and games underneath that stubborn exterior.

But as much as he learned about each of them, Seth still surprisingly remained the enigma of the group. When talking with any of the others, he always managed to keep the conversation about them, subtly changing the subject when it came his turn to talk about himself. Or, if they just wouldn't let him change the subject, he'd just outright make something up about himself. He didn't exactly go out of his way to keep his stories straight, so after enough time a clever enough person might come to conclusion that Seth may well be keeping personal information to himself not out of choice - as one would expect - but perhaps because he didn't know the answers himself?

Well, regardless of all that, today he found himself summoned to the sea. The others were there, and it looked like the Empress herself was to be acting as their guide at the moment. She showed the group a ship that floated just above the waters... a Gummi Ship. The Ruler of the Sea - or so it was called - was to be their main transport for the mission. It was considered a diplomatic vessel, but Seth had never personally heard of an armed diplomatic vessel. Maybe it was a repurposed battleship of some sort? In any case, the Empress explained the first world they would be visiting.

Seth shrugged, his usual reaction to things, "A world ruled by the French, huh?" he thought a moment then chuckled to himself, "I'm sure that won't turn out to be annoying in any way."

[Arty Fox]

Mac and Cheese

“Well, I’m certain we’re all going to have a ‘whale’ of a time on this adventure, as long as everyone likes eating frog’s legs and snails.” Mac stared up at the vast ships having cooed up at them, obviously impressed.

“Sooo, where exactly is it we’re going?” He rolled his hand in the air trying to pull forth more information. “Like, I know we’re going to France but where? Paris or…somewhere other than Paris?” Mac had never been to France.

“Paris isn’t near the border Mac.” Cheese stood a closer to Seth and Mai, with her arms crossed. “Which is probably where we’re going.”

Cheese had taken more to Seth and Mai than Mac over the past week, especially after Seth had made Mac jump out of his skin with the hand buzzer. While She did find the pair of them somewhat irritable at times, Seth spoiling her food with salt and Mai being almost too cheery and well-spoken at times, their company and games were quite welcome either when she wasn’t half-heartedly glancing through the books they’d been given or testing out the ‘transmute’ spell she was trying to learn. It had turned out to be a lot harder than just pointing and shouting a word.

Mac tiled his heads towards her and spoke in a voice dripping with sarcasm. “Really? The border? I would never have guessed. Thank you so much for your input.”

Mac meanwhile hadn’t spent as much time studying the books on history of France and instead chose to hound a few now weary guards around the castle grounds for information about the strange blade he was now able to magically summon. When it got to the point of a poor guard reaching the end of their tether Mac would then sulk off somewhere for a while, normally to see what Fredrick was doing.

There was a very tense moment between the pair where Cheese stiffened with controlled annoyance and Mac seemed to stare almost goadingly at her.

“I’m sorry.” Mac finally said like a well-rehearsed line from a script. “I shouldn’t have said that.”

Cheese simply made a noise at the back of her throat.

“How long will it take to get to where-ever it is we’re going?” She asked with a huff.

[SMS]

A good night's rest was enough to reset Mai, so to speak. The following day, Mai was all smiles and greeted everybody she ran into. She spent most of that day talking to her new companions, particularly Mac. His appearance had gotten her attention, and she had fun poking at his face here and there whenever he allowed. Seth earned her wrath when he pulled the whoopee cushion on her when they met in the library that one time though. Her beet red face seemed to have been the talk amongst the staff that were assigned to her that night.

For the rest of the week, Mai found herself in Rick and Cheese's company whenever they weren't discussing history. Cheese mostly because she was another female on the team, which helped ease Mai's worries about being with no one but guys on the mission. Rick, for being the first person to have her back when they were first brought here. She invited him for a drink once, and to her surprise, she couldn't hold her liquor very well. She didn't pass out or hurl her insides, but she certainly was wobbling back and forth a lot.

Right now though, they were brought before their Gummi Ship. Mai found the name intimidating, as well as the weapons that decorated it. A soft, "Woah...", escaped her lips and her eyes seemed to sparkle a little as the dozens of other Gummi Ships were called forth. It was the first time she was seeing flying vehicles, and it was quite the sight for her.

The tension between Mac and Cheese brought her back to the present. "Hey, you two. Let's avoid getting blood shed before we even leave OK?" Although Cheese seemed to have calmed down for the moment, she couldn't help but feel that Cheese still might have wanted to strangle Mac for his comment.

The girl wanted to redirect the conversation towards something else to ease the tension, but Cheese was already on that track. "So uh... do we know who the Princess of Heart is?" She wasn't sure if it was brought up before already, but now would have been a good time to confirm the identity of the Princess of Heart of that world so that it would be easier to locate her.

[Letter Bee]

A smile from Maria, before she replied to Mac and Cheese:

"Oh, we can get from Renovation to the Glory of France in...three days." Then she turned towards Mai:

"The Princess of Heart of that world is named Adelle, Adelle le' Agathe." Their smartphones would then, if they picked those up, show a picture of a redheaded, blue-eyed girl in a traditional Swiss dress carrying a basket of flowers. "An ordinary sheperd girl and an orphan, raised by her village, but dreams of going to the bigger cities in order to support said village. That would be our opportunity; we save her village from the inevitable attack by Heartless or the Thirteen Seekers, and recruit her that way."

"Either way, departure is tomorrow, good luck to you all."

((Sorry for short post, just disheartened. Also, trying to recruit new players.))

@Double@Arty Fox@SMS

[Double]

((Collab between Double and Letter Bee))

Timeskip - Relevant to Everyone

As one of his last acts before going back to protect Mai's world, Shahrukh Mirza asked that Fredrick be transferred to said universe, considering the former Mafiosi's probable PTSD potentially interfering. This reduced the group of fighters for the expedition to four, but they can manage. Either way, they went off to the Ruler of the Sea, then went off to the world known as The Glory of France!

Three Days Later - Relevant to Double and Me

Tocsax would call Seth to the hangar in private, as the Gummi Ship and Main Fleet met with the blue, white, and red ships of the French Armada. He would then say to the other Nobody:

"There is someone I want you to meet - another someone. He will be in French Egypt, near the Pyramids of Giza. We can slip in and out using Corridors of Darkness."

Should Seth agree, he would depart with Tocsax to a small patch of deserted sandy ground at the foot of the Pyramids, where a medium-height, brown-skinned, tall and slightly fat man in arabian costume, with a full white and straight beard, waited.

"Hakim the Wise, former vizier of the Caliph in Baghdad in the world of Shining Field, and the one whom Leo, posing as a student eager to learn from him, turned into his pawn, starting the fall of many worlds. He is here to test the two of us."

As he walked toward the hanger, it wasn't lost on Seth that this was the second time he was called for a private meeting. More training? It didn't seem all that logical to do that when the mission was now officially underway. So maybe this was some kind of secondary assignment? Well, there was only way to find out.

"Egypt, eh?" Seth reached a gloved hand up to scratch the back of his head, "You seem to know a lot of people from there... well, worlds notwithstanding." he chuckled a bit, obviously he was just making a little joke, Seth did appreciate humor after all.

Finding himself standing in the desert alongside Tocsax, they were greeted by a large fellow with a white beard. Tocsax introduced him as Hakim the Wise, a vizier to some royal from another world, "Another noble? Talk about having friends in high places." Seth sounded pretty nonchalant about the meeting, but that didn't mean he wasn't paying attention. Hakim's employer had apparently been manipulated into serving Leo.

And then a test was mentioned, "Test? I'm not great with tests. Don't suppose its multiple choice?" Seth asked with his usual innocent grin.

A chuckle from Hakim.

"No, my dear Nobody, rather, it is a secondary objective, one that is almost as necessary as finding the Princess of Heart. Tell me," he continued, "do you know of the world's Keyhole?"

"They're doors," Seth responded. Indeed, he had heard of these, though he never went out of his way to actually locate any of them, "to the Realm of Darkness. It's how the Heartless find their way in every world." he almost sounded serious. Almost. After a moment, he shrugged, "Maybe. I think. My memory's not the greatest in the world." there was that grin of his, now he sounded like his usual self again.

"Well," spoke Hakim the Wise, "Tocsax is going to seal one, but he needs bodyguards, as Leo has stationed Non-Heartless minions of his' near the Keyhole, which in turn is inside the Pyramids, where the French had abandoned one of their secret projects. Want to accompany us?" He then, with a flash-step, leaned closer:

"This will also be a test of whether you have regrown your Heart sufficiently to earn the right to be, young Seth. Do not fail this." He would then walk back a few paces, saying:

"So, I am ready to open the Corridor to the interior of the Pyramid. Does anyone object to me beginning?"

"I don't," spoke Tocsax, who, at Hakim's words, was now glaring angrily at the former Vizier. "And I thought we talked about this long ago."

"We did, Tocsax, but that was about your right, not his'."

Even in the face of Hakim's obvious prejudice, Seth never lost his grin. Even his lazy, laid-back composure didn't change an inch. This wasn't the first racist Seth had ever encountered, and it probably wouldn't be the last.

"So um... just out of curiosity, what exactly do you think you're gonna do to me if I fail?" Seth asked, seeing right through Hakim's "subtlety" and picking up the implied threat, "Because, last time I checked, people who try to kill me usually end up having a bad time. Tell me," Seth's left eye lit up its bright blue, "are you looking to have a bad time?"

"Oh, I've endured being thrown into the Realm of Darkness, twice," spoke Hakim the Wise. "I'm sure anything you can do will just be as pinpricks."

He would then open a Corridor of Darkness to the centre of the Pyramid, where, once Tocsax and Seth went inside, they would find...

They would find metal-plated walls and scaffolding, moving cranes that carried boxes, and small prefabricated rooms where unknown experiments were being done. And, at the centre of it all was a woman in bulky-seeming Power Armor, accompanied by a dozen people similarly-clad, but with helmets, along with throngs of people in normal-looking infantry armor who seemed to be carrying laser and plasma guns. This woman was looking at an ancient egyptian statue...one that looked not to be made of sandstone, but from a Gummi Block.

"Leo's servitors from the realm of Apocalypse Averted," Hakim would say, as suddenly, two more soldiers, in black, more form-fitting power suits, appeared before them, bringing out two laser miniguns and pointing it at the three!

"Halt -" said one of the soldiers, before Tocsax and Hakim hurled a Dark Firaga and a Fission Firaga at them simultaneously!

In response to the attack, Seth did... nothing. There was no point. Both Tocsax and the bearded man jumped on their attackers immediately. Any action Seth took would be a wasted effort at that point, "I'm guessing that armor isn't exactly heat proof? Seems like a pretty obvious design flaw if ya ask me. So... we should probably get out of here before someone comes to investigate."

At that Seth vanished. Like, he literally seemed to vanish into thin air. Well, he actually moved away to find a better hiding spot, he just happened to moved so fast it only looked like he vanished. One of the reasons Seth survived for as long as he had wasn't because of strength, speed, or his level of power. He didn't look it, or act like it for that matter, but Seth was smart. At the very least, he knew how to be pragmatic.

Okay... now where's that Keyhole...?

As sounds of battle began to echo from Tocsax and Hakim's position, Seth's mind might - might - wander to the Egyptian Statue made of Gummi Materials, a statue of Isis, perhaps? That's a probable place to have a Keyhole; such suspicions would be furthered by the fact that the woman in Power Armor and her battalion had formed a defensive circle around it while sending forth patrols of mooks to systemically search for threats...

Way to be subtle, Leo. Finding the location of the Keyhole was surprisingly easy. It certainly helped that the apparent bad guys weren't very subtle about what they were guarding. Really, all it was missing was a neon sign that read 'Insert Keyblade Here' or something. Of course, Seth himself had no Keyblade, so locking this thing was impossible for him. But maybe he could do something else.

It was a good thing Seth dedicated a good chunk of his downtime to practcing that little skill he learned from Shahrukh. At Seth's mental command, the one armored soldier not wearing a helmet would find herself in a bit of a coughing fit. A gust of sand seemed to be trying to force its way in her mouth and nose. Didn't matter how tough the armor was, or how much you trained your body, inner bodily functions were always vulnerable to attack, assuming one knew how to fight using their brain.

As the woman coughed, half of the men in Power Armor would look at her, saying:

"Lieutenant Autumn! Is there an -" but the Lieutenant, still coughing, would accurately point in Seth's direction with her index finger, and the men would fire lasers at the Nobody, even without knowing for sure he was there!

Unfortunately for them, the lasers didn't actually hit anyone. A small wall of sand compressed into a tough shield jutted up upward, absorbing the laser fire. Even if bits of was destroyed, more sand would just take its place, and so the shield wall honestly looked liked it was regenerating. The soldiers needed to reload sooner or later, and when they tried to do that, the wall of sand seemed to break apart into tendrils that shot forth. They targeted the guns, stuffing as much as sand down the barrels as possible.

Lasers were fast, and could also be powerful. But if the focus lenses became dirty enough, firing them would either prove useless, or they would overheat and explode. With a little luck, Seth's little maneuver would, at the very least, disarm them of their guns. When the sand tendrils attacked, Seth had stopped hiding and was now standing in view, his hood pulled up so that they wouldn't see his face. He was still grinning, however.

"Sorry, but... I'm gonna have to ask you guys to clear out of here. I'm not really in any mood to fight but, anyone who feels like having a bad time can feel free to step forward and try and stop me." there were those words again. Bad time. Seemed like every time Seth said those words his tone subtly changed. Not as laid-back, not as chill. It was serious. It was threatening, and accompanying that threat his left eye glowed its bright, eerie blue.

Lieutenant Autumn looked hatefully at Seth, then waved to her men to stand down for now, before saying:

"Seth...Kixham and the other Hakim have heard of you..." Seth would remember reading a dossier back at Blachrenae explaining that Kixham and Hakim, Seeker of Darkness, were actually the Nobody and Heartless of Leo the Second Mathematician, which were destroyed by Tocsax in his rebellion, only for Leo to reconstitute himself and summon the two from another time, rendering the Nobody's efforts meaningless. Nevertheless, Autumn would smirk, and say:

"You know, Leo can promise you so much. Power, Riches, Land, and even Knowledge. What will it take to top the price The Emperor," she spat in contempt, "gave you? Once the 'Tyranny of Light' is broken, you may yet achieve a high place in the New Order that Leo will bring."

Seth looked like he was genuinely considering the offer, "Hmm, well, there is one thing he could do to convince me to stand down." his grin never left his face. Was he joking? This time it was legitimately hard to tell.

"I won't whore myself out to you," spoke Lieutenant Autumn, "but Leo can give you a harem of any woman of any ethnic group or even species you want -"

Seth laughed, like, legit laughed, a pretty rare thing for a Nobody of his status, "Don't flatter yourself. I wouldn't want you if you were the last woman in the multiverse. No, what I want..." Seth seemed to vanish. In actuality, he simply moved with the same kind of flash-step speed that Hakim demonstrated earlier. When they could see him again he was suddenly behind the Lieutenant Autumn and spoke softly in her ear, "...is for Leo to surrender." of course, he was gone again and back in his original position before anyone in their bulky power armor could move to stop him.

"Do me a favor and pass that along to him, won't you? Hey, it's a worth a try right? I mean, at least think about it, wouldn't you rather forget about all this war stuff and do something more relaxing? Y'know like... go for a drink? Grab a bite? Go on a nice picnic? Literally anything else?"

"Die!" shouted Lieutenant Autumn, taking out a Plasma Pistol that spat out green projectiles that can melt even sand!

Seth just.. chuckled? The attack was plenty telegraphed, and Seth knew exactly how he wanted to counter it. He reached out a hand and... opened a Corridor of Darkness? Sure, the plasma could burn through sand, but could it burn through a dark portal? Doubtful. And, as if adding salt to the wound, the Corridor led to... a Corridor that opened right behind Autumn. It's not every day one can say they shot themselves in the back.

"Argh!" Lieutenant Autumn screamed as the back part of her Power Armor began melting, just as Tocsax and Hakim were racing towards the Keyhole, having killed the normal guardsmen!

Now, however, the rest of the Power Armored men began to throw grenades filled with sticky foam, hoping to catch the fast Nobody!

The armored soldiers tried using grenades now. They were persistent, Seth had to givve them that. Like the Plasma Pistol, however, the attacks were all pretty well telegraphed. Seemed to be a flaw in wearing such bulky armor in general. Then again, these guys weren't exactly doing a great job in considering the environment.

Seth never actually closed the Corridor from earlier. Dodging the grenades was a matter of simply ducking into the Corridor, and making sure he closed it behind him so that none of the projectiles could follow. That, of course, put him right behind the Lieutenant, practically in the center of the armored soldiers.

"You should have stood down." chuckled Seth, who then proceeded to command as much sand as he could to start spreading out around him. In particular, he tried to get it in as many of the nooks and crannies of the Power Armor as he could find. He primarily aimed for joints, and other places where the armor plates were broken up to allow movement. Just how much of this invasive sand could the armors take before they broke down or locked up? Seth wasn't sure, but he was pretty certain he was about to find out.

The Power Armor had filters, and redundant systems, so they would withstand the sand long enough to set off their self-destruct systems, which would - hopefully for them - blow up the pyramid with a fusion explosion!

"Wow... now that's what I call dedication..." chuckled Seth, but even this tactic could be countered. Opening up portals like Corridors of Darkness was a very handy ability. Seth had to wonder, though, why no one ever seemed to think of the potential battle applications of such a power. Thinking fast, Seth opened up a final Corridor. This one led to just one place: The Moon.

Naturally, the moon had no atmosphere, and as such, the Corridor became a vacuum of sorts trying to suck in everything immediately around it. This would include Seth as well, but thankfully he had a trick up his sleeve. He used sand to hold himself down. It wasn't easy, in fact it took just about all his concentration to do it. Thankfully, this concentration only needed to last for a split moment. Just long enough for the self-destructing armors to get vacuumed through the Corridor. Seth only targeted the soldiers trying to blow themselves up, by the way, once they were all gone he closed the Corridor, sparing anyone who didn't try such an extreme tactic. That likely included Autumn, who seemed to have been put out of commission by Seth's earlier tactic.

"Are you all right?!" he can hear Tocsax saying, while Hakim was imprisoning Lieutenant Autumn in what looked like a crystaline hardlight hologram, aka a giant crystal made up of light. Once the Arabian Vizier was done, however, he would say:

"Good, Tocsax, close the Keyhole. I'll tell the young man here how he did in his test." Hakim the Wise would then walk towards Seth, who would be drained by his' opening a portal to the flipping' moon.

"Face me, young man," the sorcerer would say. "It seems that your laugh at the woman's offer was the only legitimate emotion you showed." A wave of his hand, and triangular panes of rainbow light would gather around Seth, forming into a giant gun, much like an Ultima Cannon, pointed towards Seth.

"You failed the test."

"You're forgetting one very important thing, mate..." Seth said, still grinning but just about ready to collapse. No, he had no chance of fending off Hakim in his current state. But then, he wasn't really alone, was he?

From the shadows all around, energy bolts fired, all converging on Hakim. They were lesser Nobodies, Snipers to be exact. They were showing up to defend the Nobody who commanded them, just like they were instructed to long ago. Snipers had an interesting ability to shift their bodies into the form of large crossbows that fired quick, precise energy bolts at their victims. Seth had long ago "trained" his Snipers to only appear when their bodies were shifted into crossbow form and ready to fire. This allowed them to open fire instantly and, more often than not, overwhelm whoever they were targeting. Let it never be said that Seth wasn't smart.

Relevant to Everyone

Hakim prepared a warding gesture to create a shield against the Nobodies' assault -

"Stop!" Tocsax said, having finished sealing the Keyhole...and he had brought, through a Corridor of Darkness, Mai, Mac, and Cheese!

@Arty Fox@SMS

[Arty Fox]

Mac and Cheese

“God dammit.” Mac grunted and swore when a bolt had sliced across his left shoulder. “Cheese!?”

Without missing a beat Mac had summoned his own mangled keyblade even as the wound burned an angry red.

Just behind him stood Cheese grinned excitedly, having winced also when Mac had been hit, with a murderous violet shine to her green eyes. For a brief second her entire being shimmered and wobbled like the reflection on a pond before she vanished completely.

At the same instant as Cheese had shimmered multiple ‘Seths’ twisted into being between the shield and the snipers, all of them wearing the same malicious grin and eyes shining violet. They were simply images though with so little substance that if you were to stare at them for long enough you could see everything going on behind them.

A tiny shadow played along the walls, somehow without any clear source, up towards the snipers.

“Knew I should’ve grabbed that cat’s whiskers.” Came Cheeses voice from somewhere to the left. “Would’ve sharpened my blade something wonderful.”

“So how’s your evening babe?” Mac asked Toscax jokingly. “Anything interesting happening?”

[SMS]

Hearing Rick being reassigned to safeguard her own world, Mai was a little disappointed at the decision. At the same time however, she was at least reassured that her friends and family would be safe under both his and Shahrukh Mirza's protection.

Some time after departing in the Gummi Ship, Mai spent a lot of time just trying to understand how the vehicle worked. Often asking crew members or Tocsax questions that popped into her head regarding the details and internal workings of their vessel. Some of their answers were helpful, some were not to her. However, the machinery fascinated her more than anything she had learned back in her world.

While she was lounging around for the day, she heard someone call for her that sounded like they were in a hurry. When she tried to find where the voice came from, all she found was a Corridor of Darkness in the middle of the room, with Mac and Cheese having just passed through it.

Being the last to pass through the Corridor, she was confused as to what was happening. The number of Nobodies alarmed her as soon as they came into view. Drawing her Keyblade, she immediately took her fighting stance while trying to assess the situation. "Why are there Nobodies here?" She couldn't tell if the Nobodies were friendlies or not given their current forms aiming in the general direction of the stranger and Seth. "And who's that guy facing Seth?" The girl could feel the hostility between her Nobody companion and the other person.

For the moment, Mai kept her silence and just watched how the other people in the area would act and react to what was happening. She wanted to make sure she didn't end up misunderstanding the situation. For all she knew, this could just be a joke or a training session. At the very least, her priority was to make sure her companions would be safe. Should the stranger or Nobodies try and do something harmful to them, Mai would react accordingly.

[Letter Bee]

"Just one of my old mentors trying to kill Seth," Tocsax replied to Mac. "I'm going to need you guys to argue against it."

"As if you can sway me," spoke Hakim the Wise, as the lights in the room grew brighter, and the earth shook a little, which was strange as they were in the middle of a pyramid, with insulating layers of limestone all around.

"You see," spoke Tocsax, "Seth, well...he's a Nobody. And Hakim has a grudge against Nobodies, although he's grown enough to realize that those whoe have regrown their Hearts have the right to exist. It's just that, well, Seth hasn't regrown his heart yet, and so Hakim considers him to have failed a test that dictates whether he should live or not."

"It's not just that," spoke Hakim the Wise, "but there is something that prevents the young man from regrowing his Heart. One of my hopes is that in trying to kill him, I might break that mental block..."

((Sorry for short post))

@Double@Arty Fox@SMS

[Double]

Glory of France - Pyramids of Giza

"Help me..." Seth began, still keeping his grin but his fatigue was obvious to anyone looking at him, "...by trying to kill me?" Seth rasped out a chuckle, that actually managed to evolve into a genuine laugh, "Do you even... hear yourself? That's some... seriously messed up logic you're using... y'know?" Seth found himself pausing in his speech more and more. Fatigue? Well, yes, but as usual there was a method to his madness.

"You're a real piece of work... old man." he said, the right sleeve of his coat falling down some, enough that his gloved hand was covered by it, "By the way... you're still forgetting one very important thing-" the Corridor that opened up on top of him cut Seth off before he finished what he was saying. As drained as he was, the Corridor closed instantly, taking Seth with it. Seth's Snipers all vanished in that instant as well, following their commander obviously. Seth didn't have any strength to travel long distance, but there was one destination he could still reach without actually going anywhere...

The Realm of Darkness

Seth instantly lost his footing and nearly collapsed, "...that." Seth finished, despite no one being around to hear it. Even so, he now found himself in the dreaded Realm of Darkness. Dreaded, that is, to everyone except a Nobody like Seth. Those who dive too deeply into Darkness always risked losing their Hearts to it. That was an indisputable fact that wasn't going to change any time soon. Then again, Seth didn't have a Heart to lose. So, even if it was a technicality of sorts, Seth had all the freedom he desired to roam in and wield the Darkness at no actual risk to himself. Seth saw a nearby rock formation - looking rather warped due to the influence of the Darkness - and hobbled over to it. Once there, he finally let himself collapse, leaning back against the rock and oddly laughing to himself.

"Ha...!" Seth rasped aloud, "Let's see the old man come over here and try to kill me." he muttered victoriously. As self-righteous as the man was, there was surely no way in Hell he'd risk his own Heart just to follow Seth. A "lowly Nobody" like Seth was surely not worth the effort. And even if he tried to, Tocsax and probably others would stop him. It may not have been a victory in battle, but at least Hakim's ludicrous idea could never happen now. By this point, Seth's Snipers were beginning to gather around him. It wasn't long before Every. Single. Sniper. he commanded was milling about in his location, ready and able to shoot anything that moved. By this point, Seth's eyes became heavy, and he found himself drifting off to sleep.

He dreamed of rain. Lots of it. In fact in his dream it was practically storming. The field seemed only lit by flashes of lightning. A combination of thunder and gunfire roared all around. Then there was Seth - or at least, a young boy that looked like him - standing in an ankle-deep puddle of water wearing a blue hoodie and black shorts, armed with nothing but a shoddily-made 10mm Submachine gun that was too soaked to fire anymore. Not that that would have mattered, the gun hadn't spent a single bullet of a single magazine yet. The boy shivered, cold in the rain. Or was he perhaps scared? There were several corpses on the ground around his feet, all shot dead by superior firearms. There was a loud click, followed by a dozen more of them. The boy looked around himself, soldiers in special-forces armor bearing some kind of crucifix insignia all trained their weapons on him. Suddenly it got dark, well, darker than it already was. Even lightning wasn't enough to light the sky. The boy opened his mouth to scream. The soldiers opened fire.

Seth awoke with a jerk. How long had he been asleep? No idea, his face and forehead were drenched in a cold sweat. Seth wiped it all away with his hands. He looked up toward the non-existent sky... and he chuckled.

[SMS]

"He doesn't have a heart, so Seth needs to die?" Hakim's train of thought baffled Mai. Over the past week, she has seen Seth interact with the rest of the people with them on this mission. She has seen him laugh, and even now, she could faintly tell his frustration and perhaps anger before he disappeared on them. "Those weren't traits or emotions that one wouldn't have if they didn't have a heart," she thought to herself, as she found herself getting a little angry at Hakim's thought process. Her face slowly twisting in annoyance.

Mai didn't exactly understand the concept of not having a heart even though they already talked about that before they even departed for the mission. If what they meant is being able to emote and such, then Seth should have had that part cleared. Her naivete in the subject was showing.

"If you think someone needs to die just because they don't have a heart, then why does it feel like you don't have one yourself?" The girl's grip on her Keyblade getting a tighter as she spoke out. "Aren't you getting a little full of yourself?", the irritation in her voice becoming more apparent.

The Nobodies weren't around anymore, so Mai found herself in a good position should they engage in battle. Fighting large groups, especially those with long reach, weren't her forte. Although he was wielding a long-range weapon, she could always close the gap and take control of the fight since he's alone. She could tell Hakim held himself with confidence though, perhaps years of battle experience? This wouldn't be an easy battle should it come to it, she knew that much.

[Letter Bee]

((Collab between Rex and Letter Bee))

In the world of Chronos, a Moogle would approach Drake Sydell; the latter would remember that despite their non-human apperance, the Moogles were expert traders and generally friendly to humanity. Both would be in the middle of one of the planet's deserts, with Drake crossing it on the way to the next town. The Moogle would then say:

"Drake Sydell, I presume. Well, I have a message for you." The Moogle would then hand out a letter, saying:

You are invited to the Mysterious Tower, where Apokaukos of Renovation resides. If you accept this invitation, just press the Greek script below. And below the text of the letter was some faintly glowing Greek Script, evidently carrying a spell.

Drake carried a large sake over his shoulder. With each step a green liquid dripped from the bottom. He sighed as he continued to look over his shoulder. At any moment he felt he’d hear buzzing wings he didn’t like his job, but the bounty was high. High enough were he would risk his life for. He looked forward and saw a small white creature in front of him.

Drake stood in the hot sun of the desert and looked down at the small creature. He marveled at is bravery to come out this far into the desert. These Moogles were very common, in fact he saw many of them in Black Falcon City. The Moogle gave him a letter and he expected it to be another bounty. Normally he would simply head off to the board to find new bounties, but many of his clients had used Moogles to give him and the other bounty hunters the papers.

“Another bounty? Hell I just finished this one,” Drake said as he placed the small burlap sack on the ground. It let out a goosy sound as green liquid started to stain the sand. He looked down at the sack before looking at the Moogle and said, “Scorpion Bee eggs. Some people see this as a delegacy. I see it as risk to my health.”

Drake opened the letter expecting another bounty. Instead there was a letter that said he was invited to some tower. He looked at the Moogle before he looked back at the letter. He examined it before he looked back at the Moogle and asked, “Did they say anything about money when they gave this to you?”

"Well," spoke the Moogle, "the inhabitant of Mysterious Tower is reputed to be very, very rich; he once, in the Medieval Era of his world, refurbished his own nation's navy out of his personal pocket..."

“Huh,” Drake said before he heard buzzing in the distance. He was about to push the Greek letters but stopped before he looked back at the Moogle and said, “You might want to run. Scorpion Bees are nasty. Especially if you steel their eggs from their hive.” With that he pushed the letters and hoped for the best.

And as the Moogle flew away, Drake would find himself transported into a grassy lawn in front of a white square tower that overlooked a small sea. On the small, winding paved path that led to the tower were five podiums that held a bag of gold coins, with notes attached to them that said: 'Downpayment for Drake Sydell's services.' This would hopefully lead the bounty hunter to walk up to the foot of the Mysterious Tower*, where he would find a man with a white beard and grey-black hair, wearing a richly decorated robe of blue and gold and a ceremonial headdress decipting an 18-year old boy with silver hair.

This man would look at Drake, then say:

"Greetings. My name is Alexious Apokaukos, and I have a job for you."

[Letter Bee]

((Part 2 of collab between Rex and Letter Bee))

Drake looked around at the grassy lawn. Since Chrono was mostly desolate wasteland. He’d rarely see this much grass in one place. He looked from the lawn to the tower, but what caught his eye was a bag sitting on the paved path. He walked up to it and found a note with his name on it.

“Down payment huh,” Drake said before he smiled and took the bag. He loved these types of jobs. Were the client paid half up front and half when the job was done. Usually both halves equaled a great deal of money. He placed the bag into his pocket before he headed towards the tower. There he found an old man with a white beard and grey-hair. When the man introduced himself and indicated he had a job, Drake chuckled.

“Yeah, I got the memo,” Drake said before he said, “However; I’ll tell you what I tell all my clients. I don’t kill kids. If that’s what you want me to do, then I’ll give you back the money and you can send me home. Otherwise, what’s the job?”

"Oh, I plan the opposite of you killing kids, Mr. Sydell," spoke Alexios. "Rather, I want you to save them."

"Save them? So am I on a rescue mission of some kidnapped kids?" Drake said before he added, "I'm guessing you want me to kill the person who' kidnapped them or am I just helping these kids?"

A sigh.

"That's not what I meant. What I meant was, I am hiring you to save the people of your world, as well as those of other worlds. That includes children. So basically a general 'save the world' quest, only there are multiple universes to be saved." Alexios then looked at him.

"Tell me, how much do you know of the Multiverse?"

“Saving the world of Chrono?” Drake said before he gave it some thought. He sighed and said, “Trying to save Chrono is like trying to touch the sun. We can save them from one disaster, but in the end they just end up making another. That’s what happens when you live your life around science and technology. However, with the money you’ve given me. I’m willing to accept your job.” When Alexious mention the Multiverse his right eyebrow raised.

"The Multiverse? I’m guessing you’re talking about The Multiverse Theory. I just thought it was just that, a theory. Different versions of me in different time lines with different occupations. Many of the scientists feel it’s a possibility, but many think it’s just a theory. Besides, all our resources are pooled into battling the creatures attacking the Arks. There’s also the fact that the Shadows and Nexus are constantly attacking as well. So many of the scientists haven’t been able to test the theory.” Drake said before he added, “Unless you already know of a way to prove its existence?”

"Oh," spoke Alexios, "the Multiverse is very much real, although there aren't different versions of you or most individuals, but rather different versions of one planet, Earth, and one race, Humanity, along with different versions of various nations and geopolitical situations. I myself come from another universe; Mysterious Tower itself is another universe, albeit smaller than most." A sigh.

"It seems that I will have to give a long lecture, then." He then opened the door, allowing Drake inside what seemed to be a cozy, lavishly furnished tower with furniture of silk and exotic woods, and where several living broomsticks were serving tea and cookies on a small round table with silk chairs all around.

"Have a seat," said Apokaukos, and should Drake do so, he would then conjure up a globe of clear fluid from his cupped right hand, and within the globe, Rex can see the image of a boy, a young boy with messy black hair and focused black eyes. Alexios then spoke:

"Long ago, there was only One Original Earth, and One Original Timeline and Universe. Science and Reason were paramount - though not to the destructive extent that they are in your world - with Magic almost nonexistent. It wasn't a bad world, not entirely, but it had more Darkness than Light. Then came a child, Ascot, who thought the world was doomed, and so sought ways to save it, and in his research, he somehow mananged to find out about the small spark of Magic in the Original World, which in turn was a flicker of The Light. Delving into the secrets of the Light, he discovered that the Light came from an unseen land by the name of Kingdom Hearts..."

[Rex]

@Letter Bee
((Part 3 of collab between Rex and Letter Bee))

Timeskip to when Alexios had finished his Story

“Lecture?” Drake said before he sighed and followed Alexious into the tower. He saw the brooms serving tea and cookies. He sat down and took a cup of tea and asked, “How did you get the robots to look so much like brooms. I can’t even see the metal.” Drake was impressed at the craftsmanship and attention to detail to hide the metal. If there was even metal underneath.

He sat down with the tea and watched Alexious summon a globe. Drake watched as the events unfolded in the globe as Alexious explained. When he was finished, Drake had finished his tea and ate three cookies. He sat back and sighed. It was all so much to take in he looked at Alexious.

“So you’re saying there was originally one earth, but because Ascot broke this X-blade. This caused the different timelines of earth? So the Multiverse theory is basically different earths. That would explain a lot and would be a reason why so many people think there’s more them one of them in the Multiverse. However, this war over Kingdom hearts and the X-blade doesn’t surprise me. There can be different earths, but humanity will always be the greedy creature it is. Whether it’s my earth or another,” Drake said before he sighed and added, “This Keyblade that manifests from a person’s heart. You said it would come to them if their hearts are strong? So it selects its wielder. I’m guessing you’re recruiting these Keyblade wielders to save the different earths. However, I don’t have this Keyblade, nor have I seen these heartless you’ve spoken of.”

“Will this be a problem in my employment?” Drake asked.

Alexios Apokaukos laughed a little.

"Ah, but you have seen the Heartless, and for that matter, the Nobodies. Those things you call Shadows? Those are Heartless, and while you can get a Keyblade eventually, that would require sacrificing the power of your Shadow self, a Shadow side that is dangerous anyway. As for the Nobodies, those are what you call the Nexuses." Another wave of his hand, and two more globes of fluid showed up, showing images of Tocsax and Seth in their centre.

"In fact, two Sapient Nobodies/Nexuses are part of the party you'll be joining." He then gave a short explanation on the nature of Nobodies, and how the sapient ones can regrow their Hearts and become Keybladers.

“So that’s what they’re called. So these heartless and nobodies can travel to the different earths and cause all kinds of chaos?” Drake said. This alone caused the image of the burning and destroyed laboratory to flash in his mind. Everything happened because of those creatures Drake thought as he remembered the insane pain that came with being infused with the Shadow Nexus. He snapped out of his thoughts when Apokaukos mentioned his shadow side.

“How do you know about that?” Drake asked. He would have been worried, but somehow Apokaukos seemed like the type to do his research before conducting any type of action. He sighed and said, “this shadow side or as we call it the Shadow Nexus isn’t so easy to get rid of. It’s hard wired into my DNA. Many of our soldiers have genetically enhanced abilities. When your earth is so focused on science and technology, it becomes less of a curiosity and more like playing god. This is why I partly want to help. If we do travel to other earths, I can warn about the mistakes mine have caused.” Drake took a deep breath and sighed.

When Apokaukos showed him the two he called Sapient Nobodies he took a quick look at them through the globe before he looked back at Sapient Nobodies and said, “Can they be trusted. I mean, if they’re Nobodies. Who’s to say they won’t revert back into those creatures?”

"Oh," spoke Alexios, "that is something you don't have to fear; it takes artificial means to revert a Sapient Nobody to a lower form. As for DNA, I've heard of something called 'gene therapy', but I'm assuming you wish to drop the subject. Either way, let me tell you about the Princesses of Heart and the Thirteen Seekers of Darkness, next..."

Another Timeskip

Drake listened to the next part of the lecture and when Apokaukos finished Drake stated, “So these princesses are basically the fragments of the X-blade or rather the light part. So did the light half morph into these princesses or did said fragments infuse into the princesses when they were children?” Drake said before he added, “as for the seekers of darkness. If they artificially create the dark parts of the X-blade. Would it really be that bad? If this X-blade is as powerful as you say it is. Artificial parts shouldn’t work. Unless they have something we don’t know about. I highly doubt they have an original dark part to the X-blade to clone or try to create others like it.”

"However, an artificial weapon might be a problem. It’s unstable and can cause more harm than the original product. Say they create an artificial X-blade, do we have a backup plain?” Drake asked.

"Yes," spoke Alexios, "basically, we use the Princesses of Heart, or a sufficiently strong source of Light Magic, to turn Ascot's Heartless back into a Human."

“Alright, so basically the mission is to stop this organization from creating the dark fragments and create the X-bale,” Drake said before he stood up. He moved his sleeve up and looked at his watch. He pressed a button on the side and a hologram appeared from the clock face. He looked at Apokaukos and said, “Sorry, just got to check my inventory before we head out. I’m sure you want to go as quickly as possible to stop them. I just got to check my ammunition.”

Drake scrolled through a list and nodded before the hologram disappeared back into the watch face he then said, “If we need something to carry anything in this mission we can use my T-watch. It basically digitizes what we need into it and can reform it when we need it. However, we I does has a storage limit and also a weight limit. So humans can’t be digitized nor can anything bigger than a car. I know where we can get more T-watches if need be, but for right now until I take out the weapons. It’s full.”

Drake nodded before he looked at his watch again. The hologram came back and he pushed a few images on the hologram. The clock face glowed green before his Blaze Blue sword and its sheath appeared from the clock. He grabbed both and placed the sword in its sheath before he strapped it to his back. Seconds later his two Blue rose revolvers appeared from his watch and he placed them in their holders hidden on the back of his pants. Finally his AR Precisor P50 sniper rifle appeared from his watch he placed it on his back thanks to the magnet in the swords sheath.

“Alright, I’m ready. Had to prepare. You never know when shit’s about to hit the fan,” Drake said.

A nod from Apokaukos, before he said:

"Once you are done with that, let me send you to your destination; The Glory of France." And with that, he teleported Drake to the chamber in the middle of the Pyramid of Giza, in French Egypt!

Relevant to Everyone

"You know nothing of what I have experienced," spoke Hakim, "of the betrayals and privations I had to endure -"

Then he was interrupted by a sudden teleport, as Drake suddenly appeared in the room, surprising everyone!

"Who are you?!" spoke the eighteen-year old (in body) Sapient Nobody. "And, is that Apokaukos' magic?"

[Arty Fox]

Mac

Mac titled his head to the side, very much confused and a bit disorientated. On the plus side the giant floating crossbows weren’t around anymore, on the down side he wasn’t sure where they were now which could very well be a bad thing.

Overall Mac felt that he had only the barest grasp on the current situation, considering he had only entered it a few seconds ago it was understandable, but even so he tried to stay somewhat alert. He kept a grip on the Key-blade trying to remember how he had been taught to wield such a weapon. The end result wasn’t anything close to what he was aiming for but never the less Mac could probably have hit hard enough to cause some harm anyway.

“Wait, hold on, are you saying that because that guy, Seth or whatever doesn’t have a heart he deserves to die? Because you say so?” He threw out his arms in a very displeased manner. “Get over yourse-”

Suddenly another person appeared without warning making Mac nearly leap out of his skin.

“Oh my god don’t be a jack-ass! At least give us a warning or something!” He shouted at the new comer.

Mac was very annoyed.

[SMS]

"Know nothing? As if you even know about our own stories and hardships."

Mai was getting tense. Annoyance? Anger? She wasn't sure. But one thing was sure. She didn't like Hakim, not one bit.

Before she could take a step towards him, another person suddenly appears about a few steps away from the girl. In her surprise, her reflexes cause her to swing her Keyblade at the general area the person appeared in, just stopping about an inch or two away from him when she realizes the non-hostility in his being.

"Another one? Is he here as Hakim's ally?"

While she didn't sense hostility from him, he certainly wasn't harmless. The new guy had a few weapons latched onto his back that looked foreign to her. "Dangerous," was the one word that came to her mind.