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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 19, 2022 15:43:55 GMT -5
It was pitch black midnight —yet barely any stars welcomed the two travelers. The lights that greeted them were instead dim streetlights etched at the sidewalks, as well as the soft lights of buildings and industries scattered about, making it hard to miss anything further up ahead with how bright it was, yet the sky above lacked any ornament. It seemed to be a modern setting, all things considered —one the two Keyblade Wielders were most likely hardly familiar with, given that one’s home world was an island, and the other was a rural forest area.
Concepts such as “skyscrapers”, or “companies” would surely escape the two —even if one was more accustomed to the knowledge of the worlds outside than the other.
Silence was evident the moment they stepped forward, not a single living soul visible nearby. It made some sense, given that it was in the dead of night —but surely something crept nearby as well. In front of them stood a large building, bright lights lighting it from below, making it seem perhaps larger than what it was, a simple yet clear logo plastered at the center of the main façade —an M, with an eye in the middle. Tori looked up, calm and collected as usual, trying to ascertain where they had arrived.
It was certainly not a world she’d been to before.
She perked up a bit, feeling something different. There was something at her lower back —she could feel something brushing side to side against her. Turning around, the last thing the girl was expecting was a tail, of all things, comprised of nine extremities covered in white fluffy fur, entwined into one, waving softly back and forth. Startled, Tori only then realized that her whole appearance had changed —most likely according to how people looked in that world.
Instead of skin, she now had white fur, covering her from head to toe —same thing with her hair, although it had kept its usual style. She noticed long fox-like ears drooping from her side, instead of normal ears, and long black nails at the end of her fingertips from both hands and feet. Why was she not wearing shoes all of the sudden, when the rest of her attire, sword included, was still there? Probably the answer would escape her forever, a question never to obtain its answer.
“Really…?” Tori thought with unease, “I’m… There’s no freaking way I’m gonna look like this for the rest of this place… Right…?”
The resemblance to a certain fox was almost uncanny —a thought Tori couldn’t help but keep vivid in her mind. Turning towards her partner in travel, it seemed the same thing had applied to him —changing his usual look for one more monster like. Yet without seeing anyone nearby, there was no way to ascertain whether they’d blend in, or catch any local’s attention. So how long would it take to ascertain whether this “disguise” was accurate or not?
Not to mention that the place they were at was a company building —one most likely closed due to the late hours they had apparently arrived in. Still, did it hurt to check?
“…Better not think about this and check where we are…” the girl gave up trying to figure out her new look, instead looking straight towards the large corporate door, “Let’s see…”
She walked forward until reaching the door, placing a hand on it, only to be surprised after it opened with ease. Inside the open door was a circular hub, a gigantic map covered on the upper curved walls, seemingly made of mosaics or similar, some pieces glistening while others remained dim —yet constantly changing. Maybe it was a screen, rather than plaster? Other than that, multiple hallways opened deeper inside, at the center of it all a reception’s desk.
And sure enough, not a soul to be found. Was there anyone in that large building, or where the two on their own for the time being?
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 19, 2022 22:28:28 GMT -5
Stepping through the blinding portal of light that Tori had created for them to travel worlds, Henoke shielded his eyes as he stepped into a new setting. As the teen emerged from the Rift, they were welcomed by lights suspended in the sky illuminating a sightless night. ”Woah…” His own home world had used lanterns as ‘street lights’. Most worlds Henoke had traveled to hadn’t been as sophisticated as this. Towering buildings loomed as though mountains all around them, though there were no trees or animals in sight.
Just concrete and metal.
”Huh?! A t-tiger?!” Despite growing up in the mountains, Henoke’s lack of animal knowledge shown brightly as he took in Tori’s appearance. For a moment, the muscular teen staggered and jumped back, throwing up their arms in surprise. It was then they noticed the clothes the white bipedal creature wore—the sword hanging from their side. ”T-Tori?!” Covered in fur and claws while also sporting nine tails on her backside, Tori was hardly recognizable at first glance. They even had the ears of an animal!
”F’real?! What the hell?!” Why did she look like that?! Was it a world like Atlantica?! Tch—if I lose my legs again… He’d hated that world. Forced to be surrounded by water with a weird tail… It was then that Henoke looked over himself, not that he had any reflective surface to use as a mirror. ”Ack—!! Huh?!” His clothes hadn’t changed, just like Tori’s—but the teen’s main reaction was to the rest of him. Instead of his usual peach-toned skin, he had rough leathery skin that was more orange and red than anything.
Protruding from several areas on his legs were what looked like small red horns. ”C’mon!” With a groan, the teen tilted his head back and put his face in his hands. ”AH!!! WHAT THE HELL?!” Henoke shouted out, nearly falling over in surprise as he felt something. Not only had his face sprouted several of the horn-like spikes he had over his legs, but he had four eyes. He hadn’t even noticed that! Everything looked like it did when he had the two! ”Why am I some sort of demon!?”
Scowling and clearly unhappy, Henoke stomped a foot before glaring at Tori and crossing his arms. He’d even felt larger horns protruding from his head! ”Just what kinda place did you—HEY!” The girl had already began to walk forward. It was then that Henoke noticed the massive building directly in front of them. How had he not seen that? The building had a bizarre logo on it with an eyeball—something that rubbed the orange-haired teen the wrong way considering his new look.
Why do we look like this?[/b] If anything, they looked like enemies he’d usually fight. Following Tori, the teen jolted as he remembered why they transformed in certain worlds. Tch—hold up…! There was no way…right? Shooooom. The massive glass doors that had formed the entrance to the large structure opened to Tori’s touch, causing Henoke to shout out in surprise.
Had she been here before?
Stepping foot into the odd place, both travelers steps would echo into the vacant space. It seemed there was no one inside, at least at first glance. There was a circular hub hosting an empty desk and a changing map behind it, but other than that the two were greeted by nothing but artificially lit hallways.
”What kinda weird place’d’you bring us to?” He wasn’t talking too loud, considering how loud he could be, but his voice echoed. ”Ow!” Henoke jolted once more, a clawed hand raising to his cheek. He’d bit his tongue while talking to Tori—only then noticing the sharp fangs that had replaced his teeth. C’mon…
So far, this world sucked.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 20, 2022 0:04:26 GMT -5
Tori sighed, not surprised by Henoke’s reaction in the slightest. Well, that was saying in comparison to her own reaction —which had been much tamer. It had been a shock, knowing how they looked now to, apparently, blend in —but what was a world full of monsters like? She couldn’t help but frown a little as she looked at the map etched closely at the ceiling, the many questions broiling in her mind, eventually bringing her to crossing her arms in thought.
”What kinda weird place’d’you bring us to?” The girl blinked in surprise, turning towards Henoke as he voiced his questions. While it was true that she was able to better control their travels with a Rift, as opposed to the teen’s luck-based Power of Waking, it wasn’t like they had an objective for now. Though that in itself was a lie —Tori knew where she wanted to go, but going there was a different matter.
Right now, she didn’t consider it optimal to go there, knowing what she did now.
“Like hell if I know” the girl shrugged, “Sure, there is a world I wanna go to, but going there now after what’s been happening… I can’t shake the feeling that’s the last place we wanna go to…”
Tori hummed a little, before looking around a bit more. The place was completely empty, devoid of people. Maybe it was due to the fact it was night-time, but it didn’t explain why the doors had opened for them. If anything, shouldn’t the building be closed? Wasn’t it the norm for places to close for the night, for the employees to get some deserved rest, before returning the next morning? It didn’t click for Tori, who began to wander around a little, her head moving back and forth attempting to spot anything of significance.
It was… Surprisingly eerie —hearing only her footsteps against the floor, and nothing else.
Her ears suddenly twitched —a sensation that startled her more than it should’ve. The girl jumped from her spot as she looked around, trying to spot what it had caught her so off-guard —only to notice it had been her own body’s doing. She groaned, somewhat annoyed, but the better question for her was the why behind it. Why had her ears twitched like that? Had she responded to something? She stood straight, attentive, waiting to see if her body would react the same way once more.
Tori glanced about, waiting for the same thing to happen again. As her ears twitched once more, she heard a shuffle, coming from somewhere —was there people there? Her head looked around, trying to see where the sound came from. The noise was faint, but surely in the silence it’d be easy to spot. As the shuffling echoed once again through the hallways, Tori finally pinpointed the direction —heading directly towards it.
“I heard something…” she mentioned, glancing over at Henoke, “Maybe someone’s here, after all? … Let’s go check —maybe we’ll get more context with them.”
Waiting for Henoke’s response, Tori would move after the teen made his decision, heading down one of the hallways to the back of the reception desk —where the sound came from. It was fainter than before, but it was still there. Thankfully, the hallway was not as complicated as it seemed, going in a straight direction somewhere… Though eventually, the girl stopped, no longer hearing the sound.
Where had it gone?
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 20, 2022 17:30:52 GMT -5
“Like hell if I know.” Tori’s lackadaisical response only caused Henoke to frown and cross his arms over his chest. Hearing how the girls main goal was a place they were better of not going to yet made him curious, though he hardly had the time to inquire about it. Seeing Tori’s odd animal ears twitch as though reacting to something, as well as her spinning around and surprising herself, the muscular teen couldn’t help but laugh.
It wasn’t often he saw Tori spooked.
Especially by her own doing.
“I heard something…” Okay, maybe she hadn’t simply startled herself after all. Though Henoke’s initial reaction was to prepare for potential Heartless, Tori was quick to remind him that it could be a local. ”Do we even wanna run into anyone? Looking like this?” It was clear the boy was skeptical. He still had no idea if their appearance would help or hinder them on this world. ”Whatever—if it ends up bein’ an enemy, I’ll take care o’em.”
Puffing himself up, Henoke decided to lean into his new look. Rolling his sword-arm in a mild stretch, the spiky haired teen grinned at his companion before giving a thumbs up (er…claw up). ”Lead the way!” With a fire in his four eyes, the ‘demon’ was ready to summon their Keyblade at a moments notice, just in case.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 21, 2022 4:56:17 GMT -5
Tori led the way, alright —all the way down the hallway, until they could go no further in. Desks of all heights and types were orderly scattered about in a row, with thousand papers and files on them as well as around them, either on the floor or pinned against make-shift walls. The only light that lighted the path came from the windows up above, to the side where a conveyor belt hung, casting long shadows. What was most shocking of the scene were the few doors properly standing up, yet no wall being a part of it —simply doors that led nowhere, by the looks of things. The thing brought Tori to raise her brow in suspicion, wondering what sort of place they had wandered into.
Was it a timber shop? A… Door factory? Whatever it was, it was certainly odd. It still didn’t explain anything about their whereabouts, or the world itself.
So far, it was definitely bizarre.
Since the shuffling Tori had heard had come to a stop, the girl figured she’d chased after nothing —a fact that mildly annoyed her. Having sharper hearing certainly came with its disadvantages, such as being startled by even a pin dropping. The girl crossed her arms, glancing around the area to try and spot anything of interest…
“BOO!”
Suddenly, a girl’s voice. Immediately, Tori turned around, attempting to locate where the voice came from. Behind her and Henoke stood a little girl, with black hair tied in pigtails, and a long pink pajama dress, finishing with socks. The kid had a goofy grin, as if proud of her scare, but in a sense it was suspicious that she wasn’t scared of two monsters.
She looked like any regular, 4-year old kid. Nowhere near answering why their disguise had been one of monsters…
“…A kid?” Tori mumbled, turning fully towards the girl, “What are you doing here? Are you lost?” “…” The girl tilted her head, curious, “Boo?” “Uhh… Are you… Trying to scare us?” Tori smiled a bit awkwardly, relaxing a little, “How come you’re not scared…?”
The girl stayed there, looking at the two with more curiosity than fright —both a good and a bad thing. Still, she didn’t seem to get much of what was going on, evidenced by her look at Tori’s questions. Maybe she was still young to the point where more complex things didn’t make sense? Thinking about it, Tori walked forward, thankful that the girl stayed in place, before crouching down to her level, her blue eyes meeting the girl’s gaze.
It wouldn’t help to try and engage in conversation, right? After all, most likely someone was looking for her. If that was the case, then maybe establishing a good relationship between them would help.
“What’s your name?” Tori asked, a faint smile in her expression, “I’m Tori. To-ri. Can you say it?” “To…wi… Towi!” the girl repeated. “That’s good enough” Tori then glanced at Henoke, before pointing at him as she looked back at the girl, “He’s Henoke. He’s my friend.” “Henuki… Henuki?” the girl glanced over at the teen, before blurting out, “Spiky!” “Well… You’re not wrong…” “Henuki spiky! Towi fwuffy!”
The small girl continued to chant, loudly and proudly, a huge smile in her face as she did so —bringing Tori to a chuckle. The one saving grace so far was that, despite looking extremely different to her, the girl showed no fear with them, instead laughing aloud with childish innocence. While not according to plan —so far, so good.
Still, would the girl know where they were to begin with?
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 21, 2022 9:55:27 GMT -5
Leading him down the largest hallway that led out of the massive lobby, Tori’s new ears had perked up as they followed the mysterious sound. As they walked, Henoke couldn’t help but fantasize about what or who they could be running into. With their appearance the way it was, the rowdy teen started to get excited. There’s gotta be some tough people here! A devilish grin began to creep along his face, settling his new look a little too well.
Rather than coming to an end, the hallway led to a large open arch—one so massive that Henoke could imagine even a Darkside walking through. ”Woah…!” Beyond was a room that was so tall and wide it almost reminded the teen of the odd castle he’d woken up in… There were countless conveyer belts (a modern contraption the Replica had never seen) and desks and doors, but no people. Odd yellow tank canisters stacked on occasional wheeled carts, with odd podiums housing arrays of buttons.
The weird part was really the doors, though. They were…just doors. They didn’t have walls or seem to lead anywhere, but be on their own. What was the point of that?
“BOO!”
”Wha—?!” Startled by the sudden noise, Henoke shouted out and spun around, preparing a battle stance as he was about to summon his Keyblade. Huh?! That was when the teen’s four eyes landed on the perpetrator. A little girl. Like really little. She looked like she was barely a toddler, with childish pigtails and simple pajamas, wearing a foolishly proud smile on their face.
It stung his pride a little, having let a kid get the jump on him.
“…A kid?” Tori seemed confused but otherwise unfazed. The little girl had tried to scare them, which had made Henoke forget how they looked for a moment. She was tryin’ ‘ta scare us?[/b] Shouldn’t she have been scared of them? Tori tried talking to the odd kid, but they seemed more confused by the ‘monsters’ words than anything. She just stared between the two of them with a look mixed between curiosity and ignorance.
“What’s your name?” Introducing herself to the girl, Tori had taken the initiative. Hearing the young kid mispronounce his friends name caused Henoke to snicker a bit. It sounded stupid but was also kind of…sweet? As Tori introduced him, he was soon on the other end as his name was butchered even worse. Staggering a bit, ‘Henuki’ sighed before giving a mild chuckle and shaking their head.
“Henuki spiky! Towi fwuffy!” She looked way too proud at herself for stating the obvious, something that caused ‘Spiky’ to roll their eyes in good humor.
”Yeah, yeah…” Glancing around the room, the teen raised a brow before scratching at the back of his spiky head. ”F’real, though…why’s this place empty, except fer some kid?” Glancing at ‘Fwuffy’, it was clear they had turned into ‘monsters’…so why was some normal kid here? ”Tch—this don’t make sense…are you lost, too?” With a mild frown, ‘Henuki’ tilted their head as they looked at the tiny scarer. Where’s her folks?
Being so young, he was certain she had to have guardians somewhere. ”Tori…we should help her find her folks.” Turning to his friend, the demonic looking teen had gotten more serious. ”I don’t get this place, but she’s gotta have someone lookin’ for her…” It was easier said then done, though. If the girl had parents around, they were bound to be normal people like her.
With their appearance the way it was, how were they going to chaperone a little kid?!
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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 21, 2022 10:33:11 GMT -5
While the girl continued her play, Tori glanced over at Henoke as he voiced his concerns. Truthfully, while rare to see him showcase such a side, Tori couldn’t help but agree with what he was proposing. For being a lost kid, the small toddler hardly seemed scared, instead more than happy to fool around and explore to her heart’s content —yet the Spirit was worried. If the small girl was lost, then someone had to be looking around for them, right?
So, where were they? Where they inside the place, as well? But no one was at the main entrance…
“I think so, too…” Tori voiced her piece, “It’s strange, though… Aside from her, we haven’t seen anyone —or anything… The place might as well be closed down, but here she is…” she glanced over at the girl back, “I wonder where she came from…?”
Whoosh! A gust of stale wind seemed to pick up from somewhere, bringing Tori to look past the girl and further ahead. Darkness began to rise quickly, taking the shape of many Soldiers and Flutterings. The girl also noticed their arrival, quick to turn to fear and run back to Tori, who, startled a little bit, only managed to instinctively cradle her in her arms, keeping her close to her.
“Heartless…” Tori mumbled, “Why are they…?” she shook her head, before looking at Henoke, “I don’t need to spell it out for you, surely —but think you can take of them on your own? I’ll keep watch on her while you do it —I don’t think I can fight if she’s this scared.”
Sure enough, unlike her goofing off beforehand, the girl was beyond frightened —though it made sense for a toddler to be scared of monsters of the dark. All of the Heartless seemed drawn to the trio, and it wasn’t long before Tori summoned her own Keyblade just to stay on the defensive, ready to jump in and protect the little girl she was now trying to comfort.
She was certain Henoke could pull it off, fighting on his own while Tori kept the girl safe, but one could never be too certain. It was still unknown territory —knowing little about the world they were currently in. Not only that, but Tori couldn’t exactly use her Illusions to keep the girl away from a fight, knowing it’d be the same as if she was there. She was a toddler, at the end of the day —that, plus Tori didn’t see it very nice to keep her inside an Illusion where she was on her own, away from Heartless’ reach, but also away from Tori and Henoke.
Whether she liked it or not, this time she was playing babysitter —keeping the girl safe at all cost, yet still ready to pounce into attack at a moment’s notice.
[BATTLE! 5 Soldiers, 3 Flutterings]
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 21, 2022 10:55:16 GMT -5
“I wonder where she came from…?” Henoke nodded in agreement, thankful that he and Tori were thinking similarly. Even the Lost Boys hadn’t been so young and unsupervised. It was weird to both of them. Whoosh! The teen’s instincts kicked in as a familiar wave of darkness washed over the large room. “Heartless…” He and Tori had the enemy in their sights at the same time as the creatures of darkness began to form. To be honest, Henoke wasn’t surprised.
Most worlds they went to had this trouble.
That’s why they were there, half of the time.
Hearing Tori’s direction of tackling the threat while she babysat, the spiky haired teen grinned and puffed himself up cockily. ”Hell yea! These small fry’re nothin’!” Summoning his hefty bandaged weapon in a burst of light, Henoke readied a two-handed grip as the little girl sought safety with Tori. Despite not being great with kids, the rowdy young Paladin could hardly stand by as they were clearly scared out of their mind.
It stirred a righteous fury within his heart.
”Tch—y’all shoulda just stayed in the shadows!” Roaring out, Henoke pounced into action before giving the arising Heartless the chance. Rushing forward with their Sliding Dash, the hot-headed teen flung themselves into the mob right away. Lancing his Keyblade into the tiled floor, Henoke unleashed his Quake spell. Crunch! Snap! Boom! Fissures snaked out from the point of impact, immediately rupturing the finished floor as the ground around the Soldiers and him shook.
Hopefully getting the ground enemies off their feet, Henoke was quick to yank his weapon from the ground, using his High Jump to address the Flutterings above. ”Take this!” His Keyblade began to glow with light energy as he prepared his Blitz, spinning in the air to make the finishing move a full 360 sweep!
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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 21, 2022 12:40:15 GMT -5
Henoke charged forward almost immediately, with Tori’s words being almost unnecessary as he headed forward with his Keyblade in hand. Tori stood back as Henoke decimated the front line, her Keyblade at the ready to support or be wary in case anything decided to rush forward. The girl hidden in an awkward embrace to protect her shivered, something Tori had noticed at the beginning, but hardly could do anything about it for now.
Words were the only thing she could offer.
“Don’t worry” she mentioned, looking at the girl with a smile, “We’ll keep you safe!”
As she said those words, the ground quaked in response to Henoke’s spell, interrupting the Soldiers’ movements almost immediately. Seeing them trip but not defeated, Tori decided to tag from afar —conjuring a powerful Blizzaja to freeze the enemies in place, while Henoke’s Blitz effectively defeated 2 Flutterings. Hearing the sound of battle, the small girl glanced over her shoulder, her fear slowly disappearing as she saw Henoke fight the Heartless with no apparent panic. With Tori being still close to her, crouched near her and embracing her to protect her firmly, the girl slowly began to relax, evident by her look.
It wasn’t long before she rose both arms to the airs in a childish attempt to cheer them on —a sight that shocked Tori more than it should’ve. Not used to handling children that age, the spectacle was a little… Too out of her comfort zone.
Not like she could tell her to stop, anyways…
The Soldiers trapped in Tori’s Blizzaja were still stuck in the spot, yet the ice was quick to melt and disappear —since Tori hadn’t used the magic to last, instead meant to keep them in place to land a definite blow. Noticing this, while also spotting the last Fluttering remaining, she made her decision. Her Keyblade lit aflame, before tossing her Fire Toss towards the frozen enemies before the ice disappeared for good. The ice shattered, 2 Soldiers disappeared after the release of a heart-shaped light, while the remaining ones stood stunned in place, open for an attack.
The quicker they finished the fight, the better!
[BATTLE! 3 Soldiers, 1 Fluttering]
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 21, 2022 15:53:25 GMT -5
”Yea!” Pumping a fist in the air as his attack finished two of the flying enemies, Henoke roared out victoriously as Tori’s Blizzaja spell froze the enemies below. While his friend assaulted the Soldiers from a distance, the teen felt a confidence that was unshakable. Heh—stupid Heartless. We could never lose![/b] That confidence in his heart caused Henoke to shimmer and sparkle with a twinkling light—almost like glitter. Huh!? Suspended in the air, the rowdy warrior was surprised as his Glide ability kicked in. It was just like when he could fly in Neverland!
”WooooooHOOOO!” Shouting out somewhat childishly, Henoke used his airborne power to pummel the remaining Flutter with powerful sweeping attacks. ”I didn’t think this’d work in other places!” Shouting out as he attacked, the transformed teen wore a devilish grin as he slashed with his Keyblade to pummel the Fluttering down towards the remaining Soldiers. ”Get fried!” Raising the bandaged weapon into the air, Henoke summoned forth bolts of lightning that lanced through the room around him with his Thundara spell.
”Yaaaaaaahoo!” The rowdy Paladin was hardly finished, finally having fun with the fight thanks to realizing a new ability. Careening down in lunging swoops, Henoke spun as though a bladed tornado as he slashed out with his Keyblade at the remaining enemies!
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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 21, 2022 16:28:37 GMT -5
”WooooooHOOOO!”
Tori blinked in shock as Henoke began to soar in the air, striking with zealous at the remaining Heartless while enjoying to the fullest. Attacking the Fluttering against the Soldiers ensured that the teen’s Thundara finished the battle for good —no more Heartless showing up. In the meantime, the small girl who had been cheering Henoke on began to laugh loudly, clapping her hands eagerly as the teen continued to glide around carefree. Eventually, Tori gave up with a sigh, finally standing up as she crossed her arms with a smirk.
Somethings would never change, by the looks of it —though this time, she was willing to let it slide. After all, the small girl seemed much happier now, with the Heartless gone and Henoke giving one hell of a show.
“Me too, me too!” the girl began to shout, “Nuki fwy!” “How come you can still do that…?” Tori asked, amused, “I thought it was a world thing…” “…Fwuffy fwy?” the girl turned around towards Tori, looking confused before raising her arms, “Me, fwy!” “Ah —sorry… I don’t think I can…”
Though the girl seemed disappointed at first, eager to fly as she was, she was still happy —probably thinking that later she could enjoy a free flight if only for a moment. Such a childish expectation brought Tori to a chuckle, while the girl began to stretch her arms outwards, quick to chase after Henoke as she dashed around.
Still, now with the Heartless gone, maybe the pair could go on and try finding the girl’s caretakers —be it parents or custodians. But where could they be? The pair had seen most of what the place had to offer, right? Yet no one had been in the lobby, and they didn’t spot anyone on the way to where the doors remained in place. Glancing about, Tori’s eyes lingered on the conveyor belt, wondering where it led. Bringing a hand to her chin in thought, the girl considered the thought for a bit. Where would it lead?
“Say…” Tori began to think aloud, “There wasn’t any other way we could go aside this way, right?” she asked Henoke, “…Think there’s anything that way?”
She finished by pointing at the conveyor belt on the ceiling. By the two ends were holes big enough for a person to fit through —surprisingly, the height was similar to the doors that were left alone in the place. The thing to try the theory was how to make use of it. Since the small girl wouldn’t exactly know well due to her age, Tori didn’t consider asking her.
There was something she could ask, though.
“Right…” Tori nodded, looking at the toddler, “Where are your friends? Or… Mom and dad? Do you remember?” “…” the girl stopped, thinking as much as a 2-year-old could, “Kitty!” “Hmm… No good…” Tori crossed her arms, “Was worth the shot…” “Bed! Pwushie!” “…Huh? Umm… Forget I asked…”
The girl tilted her head, confused, as Tori dismissed her question with a slightly awkward smile. Somethings were easy, sure, but others were bound to be difficult. At least the girl seemed to recognize what Tori had asked…
But things like “Kitty” and “Pwushie” would hardly help in figuring out what was going on.
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 21, 2022 18:15:41 GMT -5
Finishing off the remaining Heartless, Henoke smirked proudly as he hovered in the air. “Nuki fwy!” Hearing the little girls shout, the teen staggered midair, lowering visibly as he realized she was addressing him. Tch—what kinda name is that?! Landing on his feet back on the ruined floor, ‘Nuki’ simmered a little as he dismissed his Keyblade.
It sounded like a pet’s name.
“How come you can still do that…?” Tori seemed confused as well by the ability, though the orange haired teen could only shrug in response. He had no idea why he’d been able to somewhat fly off of that world. He had just felt really good during the battle and it happened.
”Ack! Hold up!” Eager to fly herself, the little girl began to chase after him with outstretched arms. Flinching before he began to back up, the demonic looking teen was soon running away from a harmless toddler. ”I ain’t some sorta ride, y’know?!” It was hardly any use, the little girl couldn’t understand reason like that.
“Think there’s anything that way?” Tori’s voice pulled him from the chase, causing Henoke to pause before his four eyes followed to where his furry friend was pointing. The conveyer belt in the room snaked along the ceiling and lower to where single doors rested on a rack. Where it met the room at the ceiling was a large vent-like entrance, most likely where the doors emerged from. “Where are your friends? Or…mom and dad?” Tori tried to ask the little girl questions, to little avail.
“Kitty!” Henoke couldn’t help but sigh a bit, shaking his head and crossing his arms with a mild frown. What good would some pet do? Looking around the room, the spiky haired warrior finally shrugged before gesturing towards the large belt.
”Whatever, it’s the only real plan we got fer now…” Walking over towards the conveyer belt that lowered closer towards the floor of the room, Henoke tilted his head a bit at the odd contraption. Though he’d been able to Glide, it was still a new power the teen was hardly used to—that and he hadn’t been able to go up with it. In that sense, it was different than flying. ”We can just run up!” With a haughty grin, he held his hands on his hips and acted as though he’d come up with the most brilliant plan in the world.
”Think you can take her fer a lift?” Grinning at Tori and the little girl over his shoulder, the boys devilish fangs would show before he leapt up using his High Jump. Sure enough, the conveyer belt was thin but sturdy, easily allowing the muscular teen to land and balance on it. ”Let’s check it out!” Leaving Tori to carry the toddler, Henoke began to run up the conveyer belt, the steady incline nothing compared to the rowdy boy’s trained and energetic body.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 22, 2022 7:35:08 GMT -5
Tori hummed a little, looking around for any sort of contraption that would showcase how the conveyor belt worked —though Henoke seemed to have a different approach. Caught off-guard by his statement, the furry girl glanced at the demonic-looking teen jump to the conveyor belt with little care —a sight the small girl laughed eagerly, wanting to jump up, too. Of course, Tori was wholly against it —keeping balance while carrying a child was beyond irresponsible. With that knowledge, the girl sighed.
“You’re giving the wrong example here…” Tori sighed, “’Sides, carrying her along while needing to balance…? That’s gonna spell more trouble than anything…”
Still, if that was not an option, what could they do? As Tori glanced over, trying to find a way to safely use the conveyor belt in the ceiling, the small girl continued to waddle around and play to her heart’s content. It was during this small play session of hers that she came across a console —one a bit too tall for her to reach all the buttons and levers. Craftily, the girl began to find a way to reach what she wanted with the help of a few cardboard boxes and stacks of paper. The shuffling noise was faint, but Tori’s new ears twitched again in response, startling the girl enough to turn around and stop the girl before she got injured —while also noticing the console.
While keeping the girl away from the machinery, Tori glanced at the many buttons and contraptions, wondering what each did. It was close to the conveyor belt holding onto a few loose doors, close to the floor —maybe there was a way to start the belt and move? The girl seemed eager to try it out, but was it a good idea? Debating a little, Tori gave it a try, and pressed one of the more noticeable buttons.
Thankfully, not a red one.
The cranking of gears suddenly echoed in the factory, as the place was brought to life. The conveyor belt began to move, the doors hanging idle suddenly moving in a rhythmic pace. The small girl cheered loudly, chasing after one of the doors with eager steps. The doors hanging by the floor were, one by one, swiftly pulled upwards to the belt running close to the ceiling, quickly moving into the vent-like opening by the wall, disappearing into somewhere. A small idea popped into Tori’s head as she noticed the shift happening.
Maybe they could use it to swiftly travel around? It certainly changed somethings —such as needing to hold onto the frame while carrying the girl firmly— but it would make something easier to handle.
“Hey!” Tori looked at Henoke, a playful smirk rising into her lips, “Let’s grab the door and see where it takes us. Far better than balancing over a thin conveyor belt!”
Once said, Tori walked towards the girl, picking her up before grabbing onto one of the doors close to the floor, quickly being pulled upwards and into the belt close to the ceiling, moving into the vent-like opening and into complete pitch darkness.
Whatever came after that moment of dark would be revealed after a short ride…
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 22, 2022 9:48:43 GMT -5
Heh, piece o’ cake! Running up the conveyer belt’s steady incline, Henoke had already almost made it halfway there! Confident and proud of his plan, the boy hardly noticed as Tori and the little girl below neared the console. Vrrrrrrrrroooom… That was, until the belt beneath his feet began to move and jolt to life! ”Ack—! What the—?!” Thrown off his balance mid-stride by the sudden movements of the mechanism, Henoke shouted out as he lost his balance and fell.
Thankfully having been trained and naturally athletic, the teen managed to flip and land on their feet. ”What’s the big idea?!” Seeing Tori standing before a small podium with a console of buttons on top, Henoke glowered before noticing the doors being pulled along the belt he’d fallen off of. Whirring and wheeling the racked doors into the air, the conveyer belt was pulling them into the hole through the ceiling!
“Let’s grab a door and see where it takes us.” Having grabbed the excited little girl, Tori was already jumping onto one that passed by her, lifted up into the air by the belt as she hung from the swinging wooden door with a metal border. Staggering a bit at the sight, Henoke couldn’t help but wonder what made Tori feel it had been a safer alternative.
”Tch—alright!” Running beneath the belt, Henoke used his High Jump to propel himself to a door only a few behind Tori’s. Grabbing onto the metal border, the teen gave a holler of excitement as he was pulled and careened through the air. ”Woah!” The room still looked so massive from above. As the two were pulled by the machinery towards the mysterious vent in the ceiling, Henoke started to change his mind.
This was a way more fun idea!
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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 22, 2022 12:25:30 GMT -5
It took a little bit for the light to finally be visible again. After a small distance, the conveyor belt led into a huge warehouse, full of many doors leading nowhere, each of them held with a metal frame to be kept safe. But the sight alone was almost shocking. How many doors were there? And what were they for? It made no sense so far, without anyone to explain them what was going on.
The girl in Tori’s arms was calm enough to ensure she wouldn’t fall, holding onto dear life against the furry girl’s vest, but she was clearly enjoying the ride, giggling and glancing every now and then. Eventually, the belt leading the doors to somewhere went across a platform —two towers and a platform connecting them, probably to keep check on the many doors that were being kept in that vault.
“Let’s drop here!” Tori shouted to Henoke, before doing just that.
Holding the girl tight, Tori dropped from the door —the distance less than she’d thought. Further down was a solid floor, though from where Tori had dropped was a bit higher than she’d expected. Still, it gave a good enough view of the place they were at now.
It was a massive vault, full of purely doors leading nowhere. Still, no one in sight for what could potentially be the girl’s caretaker. Speaking of her… She became a bit restless, eventually managing to drop from Tori’s care, running on her own —much for Tori’s shock. The furry girl chased after the toddler, only to find a yellow door she was pointing at.
“Kitty!” the girl said with a smile. “Uhh… Is there… Something about this door?” “Kitty! Mike Wazowski!” “That’s a name!” Tori blinked, before chasing after the lead the girl had given them, “So… If we go through this door, are we donna find your friends?”
The girl giggled and nodded, cheering along. Waiting for Henoke, Tori walked to the door the toddler was pointing at. It was a yellow door, leaning against the wall will almost no care. Just like the other doors from before, it was surrounded by a metal frame, but unlike the others, there was a permanent red light over it that was lit up. Did it mean something important? The girl seemed to emphasize that door in particular, so maybe there was something worth checking?
Convincing herself, Tori gave it a try. She grabbed the pummel of the door, and opened it. What shocked her the most was the fact that the door did indeed lead somewhere —the space inside looking very similar to the door vault they were inside, with doors safely kept in racks with a tidy order, some odd yellow cannisters kept in groups and stashed away. Immediately, the girl ran inside, forcing Tori to follow after her —and only then did she realize that she had moved from the Upper Levels to the Lower Levels of the door vault.
“Kitty!” the girll shouted, pointing into a random direction. “So… The doors… Lead somewhere, after all?” Tori hummed in thought, “…But is it all of them?” she shook her head, “There’s no point asking her about it —she probably doesn’t even realize it…” “Mike Wazowski!” “Alright… Let’s keep going. We’ll find your friends, surely —you seem confident yourself.”
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 22, 2022 14:56:25 GMT -5
For a moment, everything went dark. As the teens entered the vent-like tunnel that led out of the room. Feeling the stale wind on his face, Henoke squinted their four eyes as eventually faint light began to meet them. ”What the hell?!” If the room before had seemed large, what they entered was beyond insane. A massive factory sprawled out before them, with doors flying through the air suspended on countless belts like the one they rode on.
Other than the ceiling above them and the occasional platform protruding the vastness, Henoke could see no end to the factory. Why do they need all these doors?! It didn’t make any sense to him. “Let’s drop here!” Hearing Tori from ahead, the horned teen saw her leap from the door onto a nearby platform with the small girl. Following suit, Henoke landed on the platform behind them, turning to glance at the doors they’d previously been on speed past and disappear into the distance.
Sounds of rushing footsteps caused the distracted teen to snap back to attention. Tori was chasing the little girl, who’d managed to get lose after the landing. “Kitty!” Seeing a bright yellow door, the little girl stopped and pointed out with clear excitement. Her pet again? She’d mentioned a cat before, too… “Kitty! Mike Wazowski!”[/b] The warrior raised a brow and tilted his head in confusion.
“That’s a name!” Realizing something Henoke hadn’t, Tori tried to latch onto the one lead the toddler had given them. While his friend asked about the door in question, the horned teen scrutinized it. What good’s a door ta nowhere…? He wasn’t even sure why all these things were gathered. That was when he noticed something different. Within the metal frame around the door was a bright red light above. It shone brightly, in contrast to all the other doors lying around.
Is this one special’r somethin’? As he took a step toward it, Tori had already made her way there. Reaching out and opening it, the two were surprised to find another room beyond it! Rushing forward, the little girl disappeared through it, leaving both teens chasing after her. “The doors…lead somewhere after all?” They stood in a room similar to the large factory before them, only the doors in this room were neatly organized and stacked up in lines on suspended racks.
“Alright…let’s keep going.” Understanding that some of the doors led to other areas in the world, it seemed his friend felt it the best way to find the little girls friends or family. Crossing his arms for a moment, Henoke furrowed his brow. Still…why’s she alone in a factory? If that was what this building was, it didn’t explain why some kid was here and they were stuck looking like monsters.
”Guess there’s no other choice.” Giving up rather quickly on anything close to strenuous thought, the teen threw up his hands and shook his head as Tori led the way. He kept his eyes on the lookout for Heartless, remembering that they were inside this factory…
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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 22, 2022 16:37:51 GMT -5
”Guess there’s no other choice.”
Tori nodded in agreement, looking back at Henoke as he followed. Making sure the small girl was within eyesight, it seemed Tori was worried about multiple things. So far, nothing had indicated where the girl’s custodians were, or what this world was all about —it had just been a short voyage through a closed factory. The doors were certainly more interesting now, but not knowing how they worked gave her some reason to remain skeptical.
All in all, they had yet to exactly know why they looked the way they did.
“It’s super strange…” Tori muttered aloud, “Sure, Heartless are here, but… The place’s been empty despite it being open for anyone to enter… That, and the fact that we look the way we do —it’s not made a single shred of sense since we arrived…”
Tori finished with a sigh, looking at the girl as she began to run around with curiosity, but keeping close to the pair of teens more often than not. It certainly helped, though maybe the reason the girl was cautious was because of the Heartless —having come across them before, and certainly frightened by the sight. But if Heartless decided to show up, then it’d be an easy matter to defeat them —with Henoke taking the front and Tori ensuring the girl’s safety while supporting from the back.
Suddenly, Tori came to a stop, her expression becoming firm. Her ears hadn’t twitched, nor had she physically picked up any cues to notice if something had changed. It was something only she could sense —something that sent a shiver down her spine.
“…There’s an Illusion somewhere nearby…” she said, before looking at Henoke as she summoned her Keyblade, “Stay sharp —there’s Spirits here.”
After warning the demonic-looking teen, Tori chased after the girl. Now knowing there was an Illusion somewhere, it could explain why they hadn’t seen people before —there was a chanced they were trapped inside. That, and since the girl was still young and naïve, it would be easy for her to accidentally wander into the Illusion without knowing, and that alone was a reason for concern. Catching up to the girl, and placing a clawed furry hand over her shoulder to stop her from running away any further, Tori glanced up ahead.
There was a strange shift —as if the surroundings suddenly blurred, but remained the same. It seemed the girl picked on the strange occurrences as well, quick to whine and stay close to Tori, hugging the furry leg she now had. They were now inside of the Illusion, entrapping all of them with no means of contact with the real world.
Immediately, Spirits stepped forward, taking shape with the help of swirling mist. While none looked like a Familiar, Tori was still wary of the sight. Overall, it wasn’t a big group —but Spirits were considerably tougher than Heartless for more than one reason.
A few were wolf-like, with thick grey-ish fur and fangs showing their aggression, the Emblem they carried clear in the front of their chest; there was also a couple of snake-like Spirits, with their Emblems hidden at first sight. Lastly, a large cat-like Spirit, with long whiskers and tail, apparently leading the group. Tori readied herself for a fight, ensuring that the girl was safe through it all.
“Get ready!” she warned Henoke, looking straight to the fight.
[BATTLE! 3 Colorless Wolves, 2 Misaguji Snakes, 1 Coeurl Minion]
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 23, 2022 9:48:16 GMT -5
“It’s super strange…” At least they were in agreement on that. It seemed Tori had some similar (though far more in depth) thoughts and skepticism around the task at hand. Just like he did. “It’s not made a single shred of sense since we’ve arrived.” Nodding in agreement with his friend, Henoke glanced around them, looking at all the doors.
“There’s an illusion somewhere nearby.” The warning caused the muscular teen to jolt in surprise, whipping their head around to try and pinpoint the potential threat. Unlike the Heartless, Henoke had no sixth sense around Spirits. Instead, he’d have to rely and trust in Tori. Following suit, the rowdy boy summoned his own Keyblade in a ray of light, the hefty bandaged weapon glinting sinisterly in the dimmer lighting.
Keeping his four eyes peeled, Henoke slowly followed Tori as she collected the toddler, a battle stance ready. He’d had to fight Spirits a few times, both with and without his furry friend. Recalling the events that had transpired in Prankster’s Paradise, Henoke wondered if they were trapped in the illusion, or stuck outside. Emblem, emblem… It had been he and Tori’s mutual friend Kosuke that had first shown him how to fight Spirits. Similar to Heartless, they had odd emblems on their bodies.
Unlike the Heartless, a Spirit’s emblem was its weak spot.
“Get ready!” Tori shouted out as the area around them seemed to wobble for a moment. A familiar mist began to form in front of the three, molding into animalistic and monstrous Spirits! Readying the Keyblade in his two-handed grip, Henoke immediately took to the front of the group, standing between the toddler and Tori and the Spirits.
”No sweat! You know I ain’t new ta this!” Grinning confidentially, the rowdy teen had already pinpointed the emblems on some of the opponents. ”Let’s go!” Running forward, Henoke was quick to throw his weapon at the mob. Spinning and arcing through the air, the boy’s Reflect Raid aimed primarily towards the wolf-like Spirits who had the most obvious emblem. Ricocheting between and hopefully hitting each wolf, Henoke ran directly towards the largest cat-like Spirit.
Once he closed the distance, he’d recall his Keyblade in a ray of light just as he met with the massive enemy. ”Take this!” Jumping forward, the boy began to work on a powerful combo, hoping to expose and find the beasts emblem soon! There was still the snake-like Spirit to worry about…but Henoke had decided to attack the most obvious and largest enemies first.
It was time to fight!
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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 23, 2022 13:02:07 GMT -5
The Spirits met Henoke’s attack head-on, some keeping their distance while others would meet the reckless teen with open fangs and sharp claws. Meanwhile, Tori ensured the small girl’s safety, leaving her hidden to take care of the Spirits that had showed up. Henoke’s Reflect Raid was enough to stave off the wolf Spirits charging towards him. Tori, on her end, chanted a powerful Thundaja to stave off the cat-like Spirit, catching its attention. It was better for them to be targeted, than someone who couldn’t fight at all.
Dodging out of the demonic teen’s Keyblade’s way, the wolf Spirits had narrowly avoided the damage, quick to show their fangs at the attacker, but he quickly shifted targets to the Coeurl Minion. Thanks to Tori’s Thundaja, the Spirit had been stunned in place, receiving the powerful hits from Henoke with minor resistance —yet its Emblem was not yet exposed. It wasn’t on its upper chest area, nor in its back —could it possibly be underneath it? The snake-like Spirits were quick to spit and hiss, tossing their venom towards the teen without remorse.
“Flood!”
Tori conjured a powerful wave, washing away both wolf and snake Spirits further away, the powerful spell crashing against the walls of the Door Vault with the enemies with them. A couple shattered into mist, but the ones remained were too sluggish to immediately counterattack. The 2 remaining Colorless Wolves stood their ground, glaring and growling with impatience, whereas the remaining snake Spirit was quick to slither away. Continuing her pressure, Tori readied her Keyblade for an up-front fight with the remaining Spirits, ensuring that they were spread enough as to avoid bigger trouble.
As for the large cat-like Spirit Henoke was fighting, eventually it dodged out of the Keyblade’s way, enraged and ready to strike. Akin whips, the Spirit’s whiskers thrashed about with brute force, keeping its distance from the teen with utmost aggression.
The battle was still ongoing, but the pair had gotten a proper start!
[BATTLE! 2 Colorless Wolves, 1 Misaguji Snake, 1 Coeurl Minion]
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 23, 2022 16:25:57 GMT -5
After retrieving his Keyblade from his ranged attack, Henoke smirked as Tori tossed a spell that would aid in striking the cat-like Spirit. Able to strike the feline with powerful combos, the spiky haired warrior grit his teeth in annoyance as the emblem stayed hidden. Shit! Without locating the emblem, there was no way to destroy the Spirit! ”Woah!” Narrowly dodging Tori’s Flood spell with his High Jump, Henoke was about to shout out in frustration before seeing the powerful spell wash away tons of the enemies!
The boy hardly had time to revel as the large Spirit lunged forward, recovering itself from his melee attacks. ”Urgh!!” Throwing up a hasty guard, Henoke was lash from all sides by the cat’s whiskers acting as whips. Though it protected him from the worst of the damage, the muscular teen soon had shallow wounds littering his arms and sides. The pain only fueled his inner fire as he charged ahead.
”Don’t get scared now!” Keeping it’s distance, the cat-like Spirit was ready for him to lunge. Skoooom! Instead of lashing out with a melee attack, Henoke blasted out a powerful Firaga spell to throw the creature off. Following the flaming orb that honed in, the teen slid in its shadow using his Sliding Dash, lashing out with a powerful uppercut just as his spell would hit!
Hopefully he’d be able to overpower the largest enemy in time to tackle the small fry!
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