Stepping out of the Gummi Ship, the strange looking blocky vessel that Quill questioned already, they found themselves in a dark autumn forest. Quill hadn't seen a living forest in so long, his world's plant life dead and infected. Squatting down, Quill felt the texture of easily crumbling leaves and the smooth oak roots on the ground. It was...tranquil. In it's own way. "So this is...what other worlds are like..." The faintest of smiles showed on his face before returning to the group. Walking close the trees, his claw like fingers lightly grinded against some of the oak of each tree. Faint scratch marks appeared, except for on the pictures of the various symbols. The paint that clearly made these holiday icons didn't smudge or chip no matter the force. Very strange. Approaching the door with the large pumpkin on it, echoes of the conversation Quill had with Beuce the night before rung in his head...Was Quill really ready for this? Though the long conversation they had that night gave Quill hope for improving his skills and tapping into his aura...Quill had his doubts. "This door...the doorknob seems jammed." Taking a knee and getting closer, Quill attempted to jimmy the lock too. Something about the door called to him.
Quill was utterly flabbergasted seeing the strange transformation AJ went through. His different personalities melding and assimilating into one, it really did seem like AJ went through quite the trial for his mastery of his aura. But it also reminded Quill that he felt off. He hoped to prove he could be a strong member of the group, to be worthwhile investment. But as he tried to strengthen their bonds and improve his skill, it was clear to Quill that he wasn't getting much progress. What he saw in his dream, the hold his trauma still had on him...it was a barrier too impossible to break... Quill spent most of the meeting silent and nodding. He knew he needed all the intel he could get, these were strange and unfamiliar enemies. But those doubts about himself only weighed him down. Several hours later, the cursed man was sweating a storm as he practiced his blade forms. Quill was never much skilled in his blade techniques, often just overpowering his enemies in desperation. But his aura training gave him doubts about that strategy. Running blindly into his enemies would only result in him endangering himself and his allies. And Quill did feel different after his training. He felt quicker, less rough and reckless. Perhaps the training did help some? What made it worse was trying to swing his insanely heavy keyblade. Quill struggled to hold the massive stone blade straight, his single strikes were sloppy and untrained. A rustle in the grass got Quill's attention it was the glass armed man, Beuce. "Ah, uh hey..." The training ground was damaged with cuts and divots from Quill's attempt to increase his skill ceiling "Sorry about the mess...if you wanted to use the grounds...."
Hey I'm also gonna spend for Fist Bump (1000 munny), Vorpal Blitz (900 munny) and Fire Strike (600 munny). I should have 300 munny now. I'm at 71 achievement points, so I also qualify for a +1 AP.
Here is my stats distribution and how my crowns are spent (started at level 60 and I had 1387 crowns to spend) HP: 100 -> 115 (300 crowns spent) MP: 8 MP -> 10 (100 crowns spent) STR: 19 -> 53 (310 crowns spent) SPD: 23 -> 47 (180 crowns spent) DEF: 17 -> 20 (30 crowns spent) MAG: 24 -> 25 (10 crowns spent) RES: 17 -> 49 (320 crowns spent) AP: 57 -> 59 (40 crowns spent) I have 7 crowns left and 2800 munny.
Seeing Kaida walk out of the room, Quill suddenly felt very awkward. It's not everyday that you're carrying two of the same guy...who is also standing next you...yeah Quill had to consider if he was also going crazy. "Well...it's not exactly something we understand either...but it's not a life threatening attack or risk of imprisonment, so not the craziest thing this week..." Quill felt both AJs squirm in his grasp. Studious tried desperately to turn over to see Kaida, overly jumpy in the mans grasp. While Lazy started snoring, starting to drool all along Quill's shoulder. "So the training was bad for you too huh?" Quill had been desperately trying to not remember his trial, it only brought him to a darker state of mind. What he did remember was strange, Yen Sid having little to no answers for him. "The spiritual training is...perhaps not the best experience for either of us. At least for me...it brought up a lot of horrible memories...and some confusing imagery. I mean I didn't even know that boy..." Quill trailed off, still remembering the strange quiet blue haired man. Seemingly guiding him out his the dream. "But yeah, unless this is mass hallucination, there are a pack of AJs running around the castle. Some more of a...handful than others." The drool from Lazy's mouth had dripped into Quill's boot and Studious hadn't stopped kicking his ribs the whole time he struggled in Quill's grasp. Though he joked, Kaida's face didn't change she really did go through something awful in her dreams. Something she wasn't able to repress like Quill. Looking to Beuce, he hoped the two of them could comfort her some. "Hey uh, if you want to...talk about anything that happened in the training. We're here you know?"
It was clear the Quill that this was a tad strange for a person to act like. Supporting AJ's limp body, Quill thought something must've happened between the training and now. But what could possibly make AJ act like this? Things got only stranger when rounding the corner was Beuce, along with...another AJ? "Uh...um....what?" Quill was insanely confused. He had to check if his sleep deprivation was getting to him but seemingly Beuce was seeing the same thing. His facial feature scrunched up looking at Quill's AJ. "I'm honestly not sure. We were both sitting here, waiting for Kaida's trial to be over but...AJ had to have completed his training before me?" To make things even more confusing, around the corner ran another AJ! This one was rather manic and moved wildly, hiding behind us instantly. Then rounding the corner was an AJ that looked extremely winded "OK! What is going on now!?" This was insanely confusing to Quill and only got more perplexing with every new AJ. The exhausted one jogged up to us and started trying to summarize what was happening but it really didn't make much sense. "How do other 'AJs' appear out of nowhere? And weren't you just doing your training?" Before any questions could be answered the manic AJ that recently appeared made his way out of the room. "Uh crap, Beuce you're faster so help with the chase. I'll meet you guys with these two." Taking Studious from Beuce, he threw him and Lazy over his shoulders.
As he stood against the wall, it wasn't long before Quill's lack of sleep caught up with him. He let his eyes close and returned back to the visions he'd seen so many times. His former life, a life of battle and struggle. But there was happiness there. Now, it was nothing but a memory and it was gone. He felt...out of place now. Like he was a piece of the puzzle that didn't fit. Suddenly though, as he felt adrift in nothing, Quill woken up by the sound of footsteps. "Huh w-what?" Quill looked around and saw that the hallway was empty except- "Wait when did AJ get here?" Quill was keeping his ears keenly focused on any noises but AJ made none as he walked up to him. Strange... "You freaked me out AJ I didn't even...AJ?" The sleeping man hardly responded to noise. Or even seemed to move. His chest didn't move when he breathed, he didn't make a sound. Reaching out, Quill nudged him awake. It took some time, but AJ finally opened his eyes. "Don't freak me out man, you looked dead what's-" the man's half lidded eyes looked around with a strange disconnect. Quill thought, this seemed a bit odd. Looking back at the chamber where Kaida still took her test, Quill thought it best to leave Kaida to Yen Sid and bring AJ to someone. Perhaps someone that knew him well but...who did AJ know well? "Hey man, wanna go get some fresh air and stretch our-" AJ laid on his side across the bench. Ok, this was gonna be harder than he thought. Pulling his arm up, he tried getting the strangely tired guy to walk with him.
"I lay there, trapped in the haze that I created. A monster, this is how I see myself. It's what I was, what I am. Right? But yet, how was I seeing this?" Quill's vision was split like a cracked mirror. One side looking on the ground, seeing dying forest around him. Yet the other floated above him, looking down at himself like a separate part of Quill. Yet something caught both their attentions, the rustling in the empty forest. Barely seen was someone in the distance, someone walking among the decay and death Quill brought. He pleading for forgiveness, to spare him the judgement he knew he deserved. Yet the person didn't look angry or shocked, he simply smiled. "And then he approached me, still smiling without a care. No, there was compassion there. The expression he gave was vague but...he saw past my horrors. Then I felt his hand on my shoulder." Quill felt the hand of this strange almost luminescent man touch his shoulder and it seemed to all melt away. As if he was telling Quill...to let go. Tears streamed down his face and the etheral man joined me in crying. Yet this wasn't in sadness, but in joy to feel this pressure let go. His ideations of his hate and despair simply to go free, the corruption of his body began to reverse. The mutation returned to it's original state, as the man lifted him to his feet. "So he took me by my hand and guided me out of the forest, into a bright light. The last thing I saw was him letting out a jubilant chuckle, ruffling his sky blue hair. Then you woke me Master Yen Sid." Quill dropped out of the pod some minutes ago, leaning on the old wizard for help. He was simply drained of energy but felt somehow a little lighter. After explaining the gist of what he could remember from his training, the old master seemed to stroke his beard and ruminate on the information. Sitting outside the room now, Quill waited for Kaida to be done. He couldn't imagine what she was going through but if he was half as bad as what Quill went through, a helping hand wouldn't be too bad.
Quill broke through another wall of trees, the ground under him turning to decrepit dying soil as he walked across it. "Hahaha I'm so close! Yes I'm almost there!" As he ran his body only morphed and warped. He ripped apart the vines that would entangle him, claws of jagged bone growing from his hands. His legs stomped flowers and weeds growing, killing the plants with massive arched legs. Stones and boulders in his way cracked and were gouged with spikes growing from his body. No matter the destruction though, Quill only ran forward and never looked back. He finally reached the cavern and began inside but...he couldn't fit! What it was a normal cavern why couldn't he squeeze inside, and no matter how much he carved at the rock it wouldn't break. He saw the crystal made of light and...in it's reflection was a heartless. "No...no....NO GOD NO!" Finally looking at himself he saw the grotesque he turned into...no what he had turned himself into. Looking back at the jungle, thinking of going back for help, he only found a wall of burnt charred forest. The ground was covered in bodies, it wasn't even soil he had been stomping on but corpses. "NO! PLEASE SOMEONE WAKE ME UP!" The forest echoed with dark laughs that brought him to his knees in sorrow.
Quill's breathing increased, his heart was beating he ran so hard he felt his lungs could pop. Every step seemed harder than the last, it felt like he was running through quicksand. Quill heard echos behind him, it was AJ's voice. 'Wait Quill' Quill didn't look back "AJ don't follow me, this path is too rough for you just stay back." He ran ahead and broke through another wall of vines and brush. He nearly tripped on loose branches, loose bark leaving cuts on his body. He kept running, trying to avoid as much as he could. His breathing kept increasing, why was the air so murky and heavy. He had to fight for every breath. Another echo from behind 'Wait Quill' Quill angrily screamed back "I told you I'm fine! Just let me take this path!" More vines wrapped around him, only making him heavier. Mud caked his legs and almost seemed to harden on his feet. He kept angrily trudging through, his face and body covered in sweat that burned his cuts. Another voice this time 'Where are you running Quill' He didn't look back "The light, I'm so close to it. It could only be a couple minutes away, i'm so close..." But even as he ran as hard as he could, Quill wasn't moving forward. No matter how much he ran, the light never got closer, it never got brighter. The voice came again 'You're not getting any closer, why don't you stay here with us?' The voice seemed to echo in his head repeatedly. The brush and vines and mud entangling him seemed to lose shape. They became shadowy murk then morphed into hands, they had long nails that dug into his skin. They dragged at Quill's feet and made him slow "No I'm so close, I just have to keep going....keep running!" Quill ripped at the vines in front of him, broke the tree roots on the ground, rended the brush with long claws. A large tree stood in his way and instead of moving, Quill clawed and cut at it repeatedly. He sundered the tree till it broke in half, Quill ran along the shattered trunk. "I have to be close..."
As we laid down, Quill was simply restless. The others seemed to sleep so easily but...closing his eyes too long only brought back terrible memories. He finally had to ask the old wizard to simply put him to sleep, his mind simply was too clouded for rest. Quill drifted off instantly upon his enchantment and came to somewhere else, some island. IHe had never felt the sand of a beach before, though he'd read of it in fantasy books. It was so new to Quill, it felt almost endless. Every grain called out to him, he could feel connected to every single mineral. This was the beginnings to the aura he once has control over. Yet he had to admit sand was rather coarse and rough and irritating, and it gets everywhere. Quill laid back in the sand, content to simply stay and sleep for once. Yet looking up he saw the shadow of something falling at his head. He freaked out and rolled sideways in time for his stone keyblade to not impale his head. "You couldn't leave me alone, even in a dream could you?" Grumbling to himself, Quill stood up and nodded to his allies. He wished them luck on their trip and journeyed into the forest. Stalking through the dark jungle, Quill found himself thinking of his past. First the most immediate past, his last couple days of discussion. Then his time in prison, sitting alone in his cell. Then, blackness. He didn't know how much time went by floating in darkness, a broken shattered heart that had nothing but the endless void as company. The crushing pressure of shadow trying to constantly assimilate his being into the crushing infinite corruption. All in all, it was rather tiring. But why was all this coming back to him now? Walking through the jungle, a tiny sparkle of light can be seen in the distance. I start running through the extensive brush.
Quill still felt some trepidation and shame around the man, it seemed as if Quill was a reminder of shame that hurt the old master. Wasn't this something Quill should expect, he had done just as Eraqus feared and let darkness taint him. His mutated ruined body was proof of just that. Yet why did it hurt so much still? Quill nodded to the wizard, this Master Yen Sid had a powerful presence about him. "I can...understand why he fears it." Turning back Quill gave an appreciative smile to the blonde man behind him "That's kind of you to say...AJ...yes AJ. Thank you, but I suppose I should expect this treatment. I'm rather...unsightly." Quill's face returned to a dark moodiness.
Quill saw the group split and he was left with the strange fellow AJ and the distant Kaida. They both seemed rather unsure about this training themselves, Quill couldn't get much of an idea of what to expect from them. Following the white robed man man, Quill felt some uneasiness around him. This Master Eraqus kept looking back at him strangely, more intensely that others. Quill knew that his appearance was rather tainted like a Heartless but he seemed to have some personal hatred toward it. Venturing a guess "Is there some problem Sir? You look at me like I threatened you somehow?" His hand couldn't help but rest on his stone keyblade, Eraqus put Quill at unease. The Master didn't seem to say anything at first until he murmured "You don't seem fit for the EARTH aura, I'm rather unsure I'll be the one to train you." Rather strange, Quill couldn't imagine many who he would be like him. Yet Eraqus' stare, the way it projected this fear and anger, it was crushing. "I see, and who would then?" Eraqus looked back, zeroing in on my mutations "If it were my choice you'd leave immediately, but we need all the fighters we can." Unsure how to proceed, Quill looked away as they walked to the chamber. This man had a particular detest for darkness.
Quill has little idea what to make of this new man or his previous associations with the group, but there was no doubt he made people uneasy. That was easy enough to follow. Quill skulked in the background of the action to watch how things were progressing. He received some communicator device, fair enough being in touch was important for the coming battles. But the training, that racked Quill's brain. Could he really learn to control the corruption inside him? Quill didn't sleep much at all that night, only nodding off for 1-2 hours every now and then. He rested outside, watching the stars mostly and being on guard. Unfortunately this meant he arrived late, he made his way following Faust. "I'll try my best to learn..." Quill went to pick up an orb, and it seemed change color and texture. He could feel the world around him in his hand, the essence of life in the planet. This was EARTH yet something began to break, shatters of rock as a black sludge oozed from the earth. "No, stop it. Please stop!" Quill through the orb to the ground and shattered it, getting strange looks from the group for sure. Quill sweat nervously "Erm it um, it was a bit intense for me." Quill went to go sit down, his orb still emitting both DARK aura and EARTH aura.
Quill stewed a bit in his seat, as much he hated being rebuked their points were clear. He didn’t want to see anymore worlds end like his but if this was being done intentionally to agitate them into a trap, their attempt would be without any chance of victory. And how Beuce specifically spoke of No Heart, however this group’s last encounter with this man went it shook with fear. Quill considered like the others in a long silence till Beuce cleared his throat for the room “if I may propose, should be getting the SOS stronger…..A greater form for our Auras?” This interested Quill greatly. He had struggled so intensely with accessing his own connection to his Aura. It had been difficult to even manage what he did against Sho but in the end he was controlled by his taint of darkness. Quill wasn’t supposed to have this connection to a dark aura, without proper training he might end up losing control again. “I...would support this plan. If there were any chance to grow stronger and be able to face our enemy quickly, we need to be at our peak strength.” And if anyone could help me control the corruption I have, it would be then.
As the others began to split up, Quill decided to attend the meeting, He could only benefit from knowing more about this situation and of what they were facing. He sat in seats on the outer rim of the meeting hall, 12 chairs aligned for the representatives of each group. Others like himself filed in the room but Quill didn’t recognize a single one, and that wasn’t even accounting for talking animals and strange cartoony creatures. As they spoke about the identity of the strange man they referred to as No Heart, 3 others appeared on screen. Quill couldn’t help but take notice of the center large figure, in his own experience and knowledge, he could tell that wasn’t just a simple form of armor. It was a transformation brought on by Darkness, under the same principle of Darkling Creation. Quill kept these thoughts to himself but wondered if there was some connection he could make? He mumbled to himself some “Darkling..needs..but..some catalyst..this isn’t a full Darkling…?” However it was done this man was more...taken over rather than transformed..rather strange. The group spoke of the current goings on and how this ‘clash’ between light and darkness would be incredibly dangerous. This group had really done an insane amount, and now knowing that time travel was somehow involved only made it all the more head scratching. Though they spoke of the need to secure other worlds, Quill knew well that his world was already gone, regardless of what could be done. “I hope to not disturb things, but as one of many who have lost their worlds to their encroaching darkness, time spent securing worlds risks only giving No Heart more time to plan his next stratagem. We are at war here and quick decisive action is the essence of war, for as debate over precautions, more worlds are swallowed.” Quill could imagine others like himself wishing not to see other worlds fall as theirs did.
As we make our trip to this new location, seemingly a home base that this group once used, Quill still felt strange from his dream. He knew that this group had taken him in, he wasn't alone. Quill could hear chatter and see everyone's determinatio. Yet inside he still felt this deep pit, was all this not enough? In some time we began to depart the ship and while a good chunk seemed eager to head off, some others seemed to drag their feets. Aux was one, he seemed like he was a mixed mood since him and Beuce talked. Karina and Luna seemed to chat about something in private with some strange fervor. Still Quill exited and found a large motley crew, many were in races and forms he had never even heard of, a duck talking and wearing no pants walked by him. Very strange. But still he felt something that carried over from Sanctuary, the stares. Many of these people were Keyblade wielders or traveled closely with them, but the Keyblade Quill carried on his back was...wrong. It signaled to anyone walking by that he was an outsider, that he tarnished his mastery of the Keyblade. As we walked in and saw my group, Quill made a note that there were still people he wanted to get to know or have matters to finish. The green haired girl and the blue haired boy he had only met briefly, and now there was a very young kid who was sitting in the cells with Quill now traveling with us. They treated him important but Quill still hardly knew him. Then there was Aux, it was important to Quill to talk to him about what happened in that fight with that crazy chain lady. Luna and Beuce as well, they seemed busy at the time but talking to them seemed prudent. And Faust, well he just made Quill smile when we talked and that was no easy feat. He observed the others too in the party, AJ, Kaida, Karina all seemed to do their own thing but Quill thought it best to know them better now that he wasn't behind bars. To be honest the prospect of talking this much with this many people made Quill nervous, for a moment he missed the quiet boredom of being locked up.
I'm floating a massive black sea, the water washing me up on a beach. The sky is dark and a pale blue moon can seen very far in the distance. I can't seem open my right eye, and much of my body feels numb. You Remember This Place No it's not familiar, but why do I come back here so many times? Too Much Distracting You The screams, they echo in my head...please stop their screaming! You Already Did, They're Already Gone Then why is it so loud, I can't hear anything else. Stop it! Stop it! ... ...... ......... Death .. ne .. t .. th .. end .. pe .. I try to listen to this distant voice, it's muffled by the screaming in my head. I try to call out to it but my mouth grows numb. I can see in the reflection my body, most of it a black ooze that drips away into the water. My eye opens and inside is a yellow piercing moon, I start falling through the water and...Fire? "We fell on a fire" I wake up in my chair with a start, my eyes bloodshot and manic as I look around the room. The ship seems as it was, I check a digital clock. 2 hours, I couldn't seem to sleep for more than that. I see Aux walk by with a strange burning smell on him, and Beuce with a black eye. Rather strange these fellows I joined up with, but I wasn't perfect either. I resolved to stay awake again, just staring out the window of the ship.
“Yeah for the best, let's hope that Mr.Xares never crosses our path again. If you don’t mind I’d like a couple minutes for a couple gut punches, course after your turn.” Quill still felt tense, this woman was projecting an air that was unpleasantly dejected, perhaps much of this was simply a defense mechanism. Quill had a bad habit of overanalyzing people’s actions, and inner monologues now that he thought of it. “Well, I do hope that we can work well together. But let me make something clear once. And only once.” Quill uncrossed his legs and looked her straight in her eyes. “I mean what I say. I plan to stay and I plan to do all I can while I still draw breath. And what what I notice is your habit to keep people distant, people care about you Karina Xares, so don’t make excuses for their actions. And we’ll fight with you until our ends, me included. Your father's opinion or any council’s opinion on this group, it is meaningless. The only take on this group we need is what we ascribe to it. And furthermore, as long as I’m here, my ear is always open for anything you tell me in confidence. I am a straightforward man, but a kind one, so let's not mince words.” Quill stood up and bowed his head “It’s been a pleasure, talk later.”
The woman across from him, Karina Xares, she seemed to have an air of frustration about her as she spoke. Quill wondered internally whether this was a common trend for her, to give off this heat. But of course these observations were kept in Quill’s head, otherwise she was rather interesting to speak to. “Misfits? I like that. A group that’s wild and free is more comfortable than any restrictive structure, especially when you’re going through something hard.” Quill looked away for a moment and observed the others. He spoke while still looking away. “You should know your friends were quite passionate about freeing you, I’d never seen any group so dedicated to one person. That’s a big reason your group gave me hope, that’s why you gave me hope. If anyone with such a *kupo* up past can find people who’d risk life and limb for them, well that’s rather appealing isn’t it?” Quill considered his next words carefully, turning to her “If it means anything, I don’t hold anything against you. And your dad locked me in prison and shocked me when I didn’t answer questions. He was really curious about some weird stuff. My condition, my Keyblade, my time before waking up on the ship...not exactly the most gentle guy.” Quill lightly chuckled. “Who your father is? His motives and actions? It wouldn’t affect how I think of the woman in front of me, so no worries about that. Though that dress was not what I was expecting…” A slight smile came to Quill’s face.
