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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 24, 2022 7:16:25 GMT -5
In response to the teen’s Firaga spell, the cat-like Spirit was quick to lunge backwards —the faint sight of its Emblem exposed on its lower belly. Of course, due to this movement, it was clearly exposed, receiving the brunt force of Henoke’s uppercut and being tossed away. The Coeurl Minion shattered in mist, leaving only small fry to take care of —not that either Keyblade Wielder would struggle against such feeble resistance.
Tori readied herself to face both Colorless Wolves in one fell swoop, readying her Keyblade on one hand and the other hovering over the handle of her own broadsword. As soon as the wolf-like Spirits charged onwards, Tori was more than ready to confront the assault. Slashing at one with her Keyblade and tossing it away after striking its Emblem, Tori focused on the remaining one —who was just jumping in for the attack. It took the use of the girl’s Ruinga spell in a pinch to finally defeat it.
“Where’s the last one…?”
Tori knew there was 1 remaining —but after it slid away from her Flood spell, she hadn’t picked up where it had gone. Had it fled? There was no way it did that… Suddenly, Tori’s ears picked up a whimper. The girl —of course they’d target her. Remembering where she’d hid, the furry teen rushed over to help her.
The last Spirit had found the girl’s hiding spot, much for her dismay, hissing and glaring at her —but it hadn’t gone for the attack. Instead, it was somewhat keeping its distance, yet threatening her. Sensing Tori rushing forward, the snake-like Spirit avoided the furry girl’s strike, sliding away and disappearing in mist.
“The hell was its deal…?” Tori glared at where the Spirit left, but didn’t chase after it. Instead, she turned to the girl, “Are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you?”
As if to respond to her questions, the girl quickly rushed over to Tori, hugging the furry girl’s leg to obtain reassurance. It was clear she was shaken up, startled by the Spirit who’d decided to attack and threaten her. A bit awkwardly, Tori froze in place for a bit, but tried to calm the girl down by petting her head and kneeling to her size, but it hardly did anything.
“We really gotta find your caretakers, huh…?” she mumbled, “It won’t get any easier for any of us until we do so…”
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 24, 2022 12:16:51 GMT -5
Smirking as the large cat-like Spirit was thrown upwards from his attack and dissolved, Henoke shouted out in victory. Of course, the battle wasn’t over yet…
While Tori tackled the remaining wolf spirits, the muscular teen paused and glanced around the battlefield. Wasn’t there one more…?[/b] Though he was bad with numbers, Henoke was a soldier. He always felt out and understood the battlefield, as well as the enemies within. ”Huh?!” Maybe it was the extra eyes, as the rowdy teen was hardly that perceptive—but they’d picked up on a faint motion in the corner of their eyes.
In sync with Tori, the boy rushed forward with his Keyblade. His friend was closer, able to reach the little girl who’d been cornered by the remaining serpent. “Are you alright?” Sheltering the toddler with an embrace, Henoke glared at the space where the snake spirit had been. “We really gotta find your caretakers, huh?” Dismissing his Keyblade in a ray of light, the horned warrior crossed his arms and furrowed their brow.
”Why’re Spirits and Heartless here, though?” Heartless were one thing, but Spirits weren’t something the teen bar run into on too many worlds. ”You don’t gotta worry! We’ll take care o’ ya and find yer folks.” Seeing the toddler’s state, Henoke had knelt down and gave the girl a thumbs up. He wasn’t sure how reassuring it’d be giving his appearance, but the boy gave her a wink from two of four eyes.
Straightening up, the spiky haired warrior looked around before scratching at the back of their head and looking to Tori. ”She hasn’t recognized any other doors though…”
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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 24, 2022 13:49:33 GMT -5
The girl looked at Henoke, still holding onto Tori, somewhat hiding, but reassured by the teen’s words and silly wink. As he straightened up, looking around at the doors surrounding them, Tori stood up as well, troubled by what they’d seen so far. Sure, Heartless were one thing —but they were a constant thread in many other worlds. Spirits were not the case, cautiously deciding when and where to show up. So why were they showing up now?
“There’s no telling what’s going on —that’s a given now…” Tori hummed, glancing over at Henoke, “Heartless make sense, but Spirits…? …There’s gotta be something we’re missing still…”
That, and the fact that the Illusion they had walked into was still in place. Whoever had placed it wanted no one out, or interfiering —but who? And why? Ushering both Henoke and the small girl forward, Tori continued on through the tidy Door Vault’s basement, glancing every now and then trying to spot any remaining Spirits —but it seemed they were gone for now. The last one she’d been unable to defeat had still piqued her curiosity, since it had just threatened and scared the girl they were chaperoning, but it hadn’t attacked. Did it not consider her a threat, or was there something else behind it? Eventually, Tori gave up on that line of thought, having no basis to draw a conclusion.
“Nuki… Hand…”
The small girl had remained by Henoke’s side, extending one of her hands towards the teen with a somewhat sad look —probably still frightened. She probably had seen Tori’s thoughtful expression, and mistaking it for a bad sign, chose to seek reassurance with Henoke as they went along the way. “Fwoof mad…?” the girl voiced aloud, still looking at Henoke, and unwilling to disturb Tori’s line of thought.
As for the furry teen, she’d continued walking forward, looking around for any sights of remaining Spirits, and ready to react to a possible ambush. Unable to find a weak point within the Illusion to break out of it, it seemed Tori was clearly conflicted by their current situation.
With nowhere else to go but wander around in search for the small girl’s custodians, things were starting to get complicated in the worst way possible.
After all, if they were inside of the Illusion, no Heartless would reveal themselves —kept away by an invisible threshold, outside of the fake reality the teens and girl were now in. If that was the case, whoever remained outside of the Illusion was at their full mercy —with neither Tori or Henoke capable of doing much to help them.
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 24, 2022 14:43:40 GMT -5
“There’s no telling what’s going on—“ Despite being a Spirit herself, Tori didn’t seem to have any clue as to why the rogue spirits were messing around on this world. Both teens seemed at a loss for the moment, though Henoke hardly seemed too concerned.
”Whatever! Whether it’s Spirits or Heartless—we’ll send ‘em packin’!” For emphasis, the spiky haired warrior flexed one of their muscles in bravado.
“Nuki…hand.” Jolting a bit as he realized the toddler had reached out to him, Henoke couldn’t help but stagger at the pet name. With a look of mild discomfort and uncertainty, the teen reached out with a calloused hand to the small girl. She’s so…tiny. He minded his grip with the reptilian hand he now had. “Fwoof mad?” The spiky haired warrior snickered a little. At least he wasn’t the only one given a ridiculous name.
”Nah—‘Fwoof’ is just always serious.” Still chuckling a little, Henoke smiled down at the young girl. ”Don’t worry ‘bout it. She’s serious but nice!” Wanting to reassure the toddler, the boy gave a sincere smile—forgetting his mouth was littered with fangs. Hopefully the message still got across… ”Well? Any chance we can bust outta here?” Henoke still didn’t fully understand how illusions worked, but he’d been around Tori and other Spirits enough to learn that it wasn’t easy getting out of them.
Maybe he could use the power of the Keyblade…?
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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 24, 2022 15:38:15 GMT -5
The girl seemed properly reassured, both by the grip on Henoke’s hands being adequate to grab hers, as well as the reassuring words. Probably she didn’t understand most of it, but if Henoke said she wasn’t mad, and that she was “nice”, then any child would be comforted and feel safe with them around. The demonic-looking teen’s smile was far from scary —instead bringing the girl to a giggle. The noise was loud enough for Tori to pick it up, realizing she’d wandered off without the two of them too close, stopping in her tracks with a look that showed the worry that came with her own disappointing attitude.
”Well? Any chance we can bust outta here?” Henoke’s following question brought Tori to shake her head, clearly upset about that being a fact. She crossed her arms, glancing past her shoulder to the opening further ahead —at the end of the Vault were a few screens and consoles, further emphasizing that they were inside a factory full of professionalism —though the question of what sort of factory they were in still remained unanswered. Tori glanced once again to the screens, before walking towards them and trying to use what few tricks she had to discover anything of importance.
“There’s no way we can break out of the Illusion as it is now…” Tori explained, “I would be able to break it, if I knew what this reality’s trying to do —otherwise, it’ll be tricky.”
Her tapping soon began to echo in the open room, bringing the girl’s curiosity towards her. Eventually, with what little she knew about technology, Tori managed to find a few useful details about the place —such as a map layout of the facilities. It didn’t clear where they were exactly, but knowing what areas were further ahead helped a little bit. Looking at it after a while, Tori hummed in thought.
“Well… There’s only one way forward, so…” she turned towards Henoke, “My only issue is gonna be her —I’m not sure if you noticed, but… The Spirits didn’t outright attack her. I find it odd, but… Nevertheless, it’s gonna be dangerous if we don’t keep a close eye on her.” “Fwoof nice!” “Uhh… Where’d that nickname come from?” Tori smiled with unease, looking at the girl.
The small girl began to laugh a little, jumping up and down almost too eagerly, but enough to lower the tension Tori felt at the moment. Her ears twitched a little, alerted by someone’s movement from behind them —and it seemed the girl noticed too. But instead of being frightened by the sight, she was ecstatic. Shrieking in happiness, she ran over the pair that had just showed themselves in the area, while Tori remained in place, keeping the girl in sight.
It was a pair of monsters —one was a huge, hairy blue monsters with purple spots, horns protruding from its forehead and sharp claws in their hands and feet, as well as a pair of fangs showing from their mouth. While not visible at first glance, Tori spotted spikes on their back, as well as a tail just as furry as their body. The other monster was much smaller, in the shape of a green ball with branch thin arms and legs, a huge eye taking almost half of their face and a somewhat uneasy look.
“Kitty!” the girl shouted with glee. “Boo?! What are you doing here?!” the large hairy monster seemed shocked, but quickly grabbed the girl with its huge arms and raised her up, “When did you get here?!” “…And who’re you two?” the smaller monster asked, confused, “Were you keeping an eye on her? …Heh —get it? An eye?” they joked, elbowing the large monster with a jester look. “Mike Wazowski! Kitty!” the girl continued to shout. “So… These are the two you were talking about?” Tori sighed, a faint smile rising in her lips, “Well… Guess this is one problem solved…” “What do you mean?” the hairy monster asked, confused. “We’ve been looking for whoever was taking care of her —we sort of just… Met her out of nowhere. We figured someone was looking for her, so… We took care of her in the meantime” Tori explained, “She did mention ‘Kitty’ and ‘Mike’, but… You can probably guess that there wasn’t much I could get from those words alone.” “Ah, I see” the small monster nodded, “Makes sense —she doesn’t talk much, or well. But hey —thanks for looking after her!” “Name’s Sullivan, but just call me Sulley” the large hairy monster introduced himself, “He’s—” “Mike, I take it?” Tori snickered, “I’m Tori, and he’s Henoke.”
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 25, 2022 11:32:10 GMT -5
“There’s no way we can break out of the illusion as it is now.” Henoke kicked at the ground in mild agitation. Spirits were such a pain. While Tori began examining a few consoles and screens that were in the room, the horned teenager roamed around the limited space with the toddler. Despite there not being an active way of dispelling the illusion, he wasn’t about to just quit! “Well…there’s only one way forward, so…”
Hearing Tori’s concerns about the little girl, Henoke had paused and glanced down at the tiny person holding his hand. Hearing about how the Spirit hadn’t directly attacked the young girl caused him to pause. He hadn’t noticed that, appearing just as the snake-like monster had disappeared. Weird… Spirits weren’t familiar enemies to Henoke yet, leaving the boy at a loss when it came to understanding them. If they’re like Heartless, maybe they didn’t attack ‘cause someone told ‘em not to? He’d dealt with summoned Spirits before, under the command of someone stronger.
In that sense, the two types of enemies weren’t that different.
The little girls shriek of joy jolted the horned warrior from his thoughts. “Kitty!” Spinning on his heels, Henoke visibly staggered in surprise before jumping back and preparing a battle stance.
“Boo?! What are you doing here?!” What stopped the rash youth from summoning their Keyblades was the shout of familiarity. Two monsters had emerged, one far more menacing than the other. While one was a short one-eyed green ball with horns, the other was a massive furry beast that reminded Henoke of a bear (one of the few animals the teen knew by name). Seeing the massive monster embrace the little girl, the teen straightened from his battle stance, though his face showed his uncertainty. She knows them?!
Given the girls appearance, he’d been worrying about running into humans. He hadn’t expected monsters to know the girl. ”F’real? That explains why she wasn’t scared…” Scratching at the back of his head, Henoke gave a sigh.
“And who’re you two?” The green monster addressed them first, though their following joke caused the spiky haired teen to groan and shake their head before covering their face in an open palm.
“So…these are the two you were talking about?” It seemed indeed these monsters were who the little girl referred to as ‘Kitty’ and ‘Mike’. Weird names, fer monsters. Then again, the girl had dubbed him ‘Nuki’ and Tori ‘Fwuffy’, so it sort of made sense. While Tori explained the situation to the caretaking monsters, Henoke rested his hands behind his head while watching in mild amusement. He’d seen a lot of weird things during his adventures, but never monsters taking care of a kid.
“I’m Tori, and he’s Henoke.” Handling the introductions, the horned warrior gave a friendly smile (well, a fang littered smile—but surely other monsters wouldn’t be phased by that) and wave of the hand. ”Sulley, Mike—good ta meet’cha!” Glancing between the two monsters, Henoke raised a brow before crossing his arms, looking at the little girl. ”But what’s a little girl doin’ with monsters?” It didn’t seem like she’d be related or anything, looking like that…
It was clear the teen was confused still, wanting to get whatever answers he could from the only locals they’d met on this bizarre world.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 25, 2022 14:52:44 GMT -5
Tori had noticed Henoke’s groan at Mike’s joke, but chose to ignore it to mention it afterwards, wanting to obtain as much information as she could from the pair of monsters. With the girl —Boo— now finally safer after finding someone who knew her, it was time the pair of Keyblade Wielders got straight into the job they were tasked to do.
Some may consider it a form of babysitting, but it went far further than just chaperoning a 2-year-old kid.
”But what’s a little girl doin’ with monsters?” After hearing Henoke’s question, both Sulley and Mike looked at the teen with mild confusion, though a quick glance between the two showed that it wasn’t such a normal occurrence. Still, their confusion probably came from the knowledge they had of their own world, as opposing to the not-knowing of both Tori and Henoke, being outsiders. “You’re not wrong… This isn’t exactly common…” Sulley began with an apologetic look, “This isn’t the first time we’ve taken care of Boo, but…” “It’s not?” Tori asked, a quizzical glance in her eyes, “Then… How come she’s here?” “She probably escaped from her bedroom to here” Mike shrugged, “Ya know —the doors are connected to the human world. It’s what they do.” “It doesn’t explain why her door was active—” “W-Wait, hold on. Did I hear that right?”
Tori’s incredulous words caught both monsters by surprise. As for the furry girl, she was beyond confused —her eyes wide open in shock after hearing what she did. The detail about the doors might’ve been small, but it was beyond reasonable. How come doors, of all things, connect something as 2 worlds together? She could guess which worlds —though probably they were one and the same, similar to 2 sides of one coin— but it was still incredibly far-fetched.
Not that the pair of native monsters would understand where her shock came from.
“What are kids learning in school these days? It’s common knowledge” Mike replied, “The doors we make at Monsters, Inc. all connect to a human kid’s bedroom —it’s how we get your electricity.” “Though… There’s been a bit of a problem, really” Sulley confessed, “It’s partially the reason why Boo’s here.” “Huh? …Why is that?” “Well… To make long story short, we used to harvest energy via children screams” Mike explained, “A lotta problems later, we found out that laughter’s much stronger, and easier to harvest —so, we swapped from ‘Scarers’ to ‘Jesters’. Yet… Someway, somehow… That ain’t working anymore, so we got pressured into returning to screams.” “Not only that, but… There’s been a bunch of doors being left in the factory unattended and activated every now and then —though thankfully, it’s only Boo who’s crossed from her world to this one” Sulley sighed, looking at the girl with some disappointment, “Not like it’s a good thing, either…”
Tori crossed her arms, humming in thought after listening to the current situation. Now it made a little more sense as to why the Spirit from earlier hadn’t attacked the girl —but then, wouldn’t that mean that Spirits were cooperating with monsters for them to harvest energy? She dismissed the idea, noticing how both Sulley and Mike seemed disapproving of their current predicament.
Then, if not them, who was the real perpetrator behind the scenes?
“Something up?” Mike asked, noticing Tori thoughtful. “It’s just… It’s quite a lot to take in, to say the least…” the furry girl admitted, “Though… This may sound unrelated, but… By any chance, have you two come across with… grey or silver-ish creatures recently?” “Ah —those?” Sulley seemed to recognize what Tori was talking about, “We did, a bunch of times while trying to figure out what’s going on. I can fight them off, but… They’re somewhat annoying to deal with.” “They’ve been inside the Illusion for quite some time, then…” Tori thought, before nodding to herself, “And have you come across anyone else?” “Aside you two? Nope. Doesn’t surprise me —the factory’s closed right now. Doesn’t open until early in the morning tomorrow” Mike shrugged.
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 25, 2022 16:00:44 GMT -5
“You’re not wrong…this isn’t exactly common.” Despite agreeing with him about the oddity, Sulley confirmed it rather quickly. He even admitted that it wasn’t the first time they’d looked after the toddler. Monster babysitters…?[/b] It was a weird concept. Hearing how she had most likely escaped from her bedroom, Henoke staggered in surprise at hearing about the countless doors they’d seen being attached to another world.
It can work like that?! He hadn’t expected that. Nothing his master or Chirithy had ever taught him about worlds and world travel had mentioned such a convenient loophole. Tori seemed surprised, too—though both Sulley and Mike looked between each other in confusion at their shock. “What are kids learning in schools these days?” It seemed that the fact that the doors connected to other worlds was common knowledge, on this world. What about the World Order?[/b] How had these monsters traversed other worlds without issue? Did the doors transform them, like the power of his Keyblade did for him?
It was even weirder to hear that the monsters seemed to voyage into other worlds to harvest resources—though Henoke didn’t really have a full concept of ‘electricity’. Explaining how they harvested energy from scaring humans or making them laugh, the horned teen staggered once again—this time baffled. “There’s been a bunch of doors being left in the factory unattended and activated every now and then—“ Sulley got to the crux of the issue with the world they visited.
“By any chance, have you two come across with…grey or silver-ish creatures recently?” Tori surprised Henoke by mentioning the Spirits, though he kept his mouth shut. It seemed Sulley and Mike had indeed run into the odd enemies, able to fend for themselves (albeit, with some difficulty). It still didn’t explain why both Spirits and Heartless were around…. “Have you come across anyone else?” Tori was on point with the questions today—something Henoke was thankful for, as one with a lower capacity for critical thinking.
Mike admitted to not seeing a soul—though it sounded like the factory they were in was closed. ”What about these weird dark monsters? They got bright yellow eyes! You seen any o’ them?” The boy was both curious due to his own duty as a Key-Bearer, but also as someone still trying to figure out the situation around Spirits and Illusions. Could Heartless infiltrate the illusion…? He couldn’t remember. ”Either way, it sounds like we should help get ‘Boo’ back to their door…” The teen furrowed their brow for a moment while tapping their pointed and horned chin.
”Is that really her name, though…?” It was just…weird.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 26, 2022 5:19:07 GMT -5
Henoke seemed to pick up on why Tori had asked the things she did, regarding both Spirits and whether they’d seen someone aside themselves —though quick to shift his focus to the Heartless. Tori herself wasn’t too worried, if the pair of monsters had wandered inside of an Illusion for a while, but it still begged the question of how long had the Heartless been in that world. At the teen’s questions, both Sulley and Mike looked at each other in a weird way, but quickly shook their heads as a reply.
“Those don’t ring a bell… At least, I haven’t seen ‘em” Mike replied, “Though I think Celia mentioned something about ‘shadowy looking monsters’…” “I’ve been busy trying to handle the whole change and demands, so…” “They’ve been here for how long, then…?”
Tori crossed her arms, a faint frown as she did so, thinking on the possible problems the Illusion now presented. Depending on how long those two had been inside an Illusion, it would either ease the Keyblade Wielder’s mission, or pressure it. But still… If someone they knew had seen the Heartless, how come they hadn’t? Something wasn’t adding up.
”Is that really her name, though…?” Henoke quickly broke through her line of thought with a completely irrelevant question, pointing out the girl’s “name” after mentioning that they should help the girl return to her door. Sulley quickly shook his head, though there was an awkward smile written in his expression, but he didn’t elaborate further. Mike, on the other hand, seemed more than willing to answer.
“Nah —it’s a nickname Sulley gave her” he explained, “Would you believe this guy, being startled by a human kid?” “Mike, that’s not what happened!” “Say all ya want, pal —I know the truth!” “I guess Boo’s a troublemaker, huh…” Tori chimed in, “What with coming here and scaring someone…” “You could say that —she’s put us through countless trials, alright. Not like we’re used to taking care of a kid, but… Ain’t hard so long as we keep an eye on her.” “Back in track, though… The whole issue with her door —are you two looking for it?” “Preferably, yes” Sulley nodded, “It’s not like it’ll cause too much trouble if she stays here, but… The human world is another issue, ya know?” “Problem is, we can’t locate it” Mike shrugged, “Since we couldn’t retrieve it to the Laugh Floor, we came to the Door Vault to see if we could find it here—” “Only to not find it…” Tori finished, “Hmm…”
Tori once again crossed her arms in thought —it was starting to become a habit of hers by now. The pair of monsters looked at her with some confusion, while the girl seemed curious. As for the furry girl, she was tracing a small line of thought to figure out what to do next. Knowing there was an Illusion posed some explanations —such as how the monsters couldn’t find the girl’s door— but also left more questions unanswered.
The silence took a bit too long for the girl to tolerate. Struggling against Sulley’s hold, she dropped down to the ground, raising both hands towards Tori in a wanting gesture —startling her out of thought. Seeing Tori stop thinking for a moment brought the girl to smile, before grasping with her hands against the furry girl’s leg, pointing forward.
Did she… Want to go on?
“Uhh… What are you doing?” Tori asked, looking somewhat uneasy at Boo. “Fwoof, go!” the girl babbled, jumping up and down with eagerness, “Nuki, go! Kitty, go!” “Huh?” “I guess she doesn’t want us to stay here…” Mike sighed, “But there was nothing that way…” “…” Tori glanced over at Henoke, before looking back at the monsters, “Do you mind if you leave it to us? While you take care of Boo.” “Huh? Why’s that?” “I think I have an idea on what’s going on… But I don’t think that taking her along is gonna help. So, since you guys seem more familiar with her than us… You can probably take better care of her.” “…” Mike glared with his one eye, “Fancy way of saying you want us outta here…” “But she’s probably right, no?” Sulley pointed out, “This isn’t our first time with Boo.” “Yeah, yeah… I’m not ecstatic about babysitting duty, but I gotta make do, I guess…” “Ball!” the girl cheered. “I ain’t doing that trick again!”
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 26, 2022 8:47:48 GMT -5
Henoke frowned a bit and crossed their arms as Mike admitted to not running into any Heartless. We ran into ‘em earlier, though… So, could the Heartless not enter the illusion? If that was the case, when had they found themselves in it? “It’s a nickname Sulley gave her. Would you believe this guy, being startled by a human kid?” While the larger monster denied the accusations, Henoke couldn’t help but chuckle in mild embarrassment while scratching at their cheek and looking away.
”Y-Yea…crazy, man.” He’d be the last to admit that ‘Boo’ had indeed also gotten the jump on him, too. She was just so sneaky!
“Back on track, though…” Tori was quick to reign them all in, a skill the girl had a knack for. Hearing how Mike and Sulley were struggling to locate the door that led back to Boo’s home, Henoke nodded along with a faint frown. It was a tricky situation. If a girl that young went missing from their original world, who knew what would happen? How would the parents feel? The teen felt a pang in his heart at the thought of ‘parents’, but was quick to shake it off.
“Nuki, go!” Boo was pushing against Tori’s legs, yelling for all of them to press on. To be honest, it was a heartening sight, causing the horned warrior to grin a bit as he saw the determination in the toddler’s eyes. She’s right! Standing around thinking never accomplished anything, anywhere! Henoke was a dude of action!
”Heh—don’t worry, Boo. We’ll find yer door, fer sure!” Somehow, the little girls push was all he’d needed. How could he have forgotten himself so easily? While Tori negotiated with Mike and Sulley about finding the door while the monsters guarded the toddler, Henoke began to stretch and prepare himself. He’d fight Spirits, Heartless and more to get Boo home safely!
Not that he had any stakes in it…he was just that kind of guy.
While the little girl began to chase after Mike, demanding a trick known as ‘Ball’ (something Henoke himself was curious to see, but didn’t join Boo in pressing the monster about it), the warrior walked over beside Tori and gave Sulley a reassuring ‘thumbs up’. ”Don’t sweat it! Believe it’r’not, but Tori’n I’ve always been good with stuff like this~ Just leave those monsters and doors to us! Y’all can focus on keeping Boo safe.” He was fired up, now!
He had no idea why Spirits were here as well as Heartless, but none of that mattered. He had the strength of his Keyblade and his friend. He’d destroy anything in their path, with those two powers!
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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 26, 2022 10:00:39 GMT -5
With things now slighty decided, Tori was grateful for Henoke’s approach, feeling as if it was what they needed to make a breakthrough. Sometimes, his impulsive attitude did do wonders —though it was rare to spot it. Sulley seemed somewhat relieved by the teen’s approach, willing to do his part in keeping Boo safe while leaving the issue with the other monsters to the pair. All the while, Boo was following after Mike, trying to find some fun in the green, one-eyed monster, much for his dismay.
“Well… You already heard Mike —we didn’t find anything past that way” Sulley mentioned, “But I’m not gonna stop you if you wanna have a look. Mike and I’ll take Boo back to the Main Entrance, ‘cause it seems safer over there. Letting you two know in case you got something to tell us.” “Works for us” Tori nodded, “Take care, anyways —they won’t hesitate to jump you.” “Hey —it might’ve been tough to fend them off, but I’m no pushover, either!” Sulley replied with confidence, “I was once the top ‘Scarer’ here, so I’ve gotta back that title up one way or another.” “Good to know.”
With those words said, Sulley went to pick up Boo, and telling the plan to Mike. It seemed the green monster was in some agreement, though the reasons behind it were probably better not known. Of course, Boo was quick to object, throwing a small tantrum as she shouted for Tori and Henoke to go along with them, but Tori was quick to dismiss that away —instead choosing to promise the girl to meet again.
“We won’t be gone for long —so don’t worry” Tori waved. “Nuki, Fwoof, too!” the girl continued to shout. “Sheesh… I guess ‘troublemaker’ cuts it short…”
Tori stepped forward to meet with the girl, now in the arms of Sulley, at first bringing the girl to a smile —until the furry girl stopped a few steps away from the pair, placing one of her hands over her hip with a slightly cocky expression. Before the girl could continue on with her shenanigans, Tori had done her own tricks justice —a faint mist conjured at the palm of her hand, calm and soothing to the eye, yet blurry to see vividly. Almost in a playful manner, the mist created small wisps, which were quick to travel to the girl in the arms of a monster. Almost as if they were bubbles, Boo was distracted enough to attempt and grab the glittering wisps, though without much success —yet the sight was enough to bring Tori to a chuckle.
As for Mike and Sulley, they were justifiably confused, having never seen something like that before.
“Just to keep her distracted” Tori winked, “It won’t be any easier otherwise, will it?” “…Whatever you just did sure did a number on her —she’s all about it” Mike noticed, before drawing a shrewd smile, “Guess that’s what you call mist-ifying, eh? …Eh?” “C’mon, Mike —we gotta get moving” Sulley rushed the other monster, “You can practice your jokes once it’s safe for Boo.” “Yeah, yeah —right behind ya, Sulley.”
While Boo was distracted by the small wisps that were now her new playmates, the pair of monsters waved in goodbye at the pair of disguised monsters, receiving a wave from Tori back, before turning to Henoke and heading up where Sulley and Mike had shown from. With everything they knew now, she had the inkling of a feeling that, maybe, things wouldn’t be so confusing from here onwards.
“We’ll have to try and break the Illusion before we try anything else” she explained, “Something tells me that the reason why they didn’t find Boo’s door is because it’s outside of it —so, if we break through it, we’ll most likely find it.”
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 26, 2022 10:35:18 GMT -5
Henoke couldn’t help but grin broadly as he heard Sulley pump themselves up. Apparently the monster was the ‘Top Scarer’ in this weird organization—a fact that was surprisingly comforting. Boo’ll definitely be safe with him! Though, he wasn’t sure how much help Mike would be in a fight…but the toddler would need someone to guard them while the larger monster fought.
It wasn’t a bad team, by any means.
“Nuki, Fwoof, too!” Boo shouted out in protest at being separated, causing the muscular teen to chuckle as they scratched the back of their head somewhat nervously. He hadn’t expected that kind of reaction from her. Sheesh…she really is just a kid, huh? For a moment, Henoke had considered Boo’s true nature to be something slightly different, considering their friendship with monsters and the Spirits halting their attacks—but seeing the toddler act as a brat was a refreshing reminder that things weren’t always more complex than they seemed.
“Just to keep her distracted…” Tori was quick to conjure bubbles for the little girl to play with, using the mystic powers of her illusions to allow the child’s play.
“Guess that’s what you call mist-ifying, eh? Eh…?” Mike’s joke caused Henoke to roll his eyes and groan once more.
”Don’t quit yer day-job, pal…” Still, the teen wore a humored smile alongside his exasperation. Waving goodbye to Boo, Mike and Sulley, Henoke couldn’t help but feel he was waking from a dream back into reality. It had been sorta fun, just playing around with Boo and exploring the factory. Now they had to focus.
“We’ll have to try and break the illusion before we try anything else.” Hearing Tori’s theory about the door lurking just outside of the illusion they found themselves stuck in, the teen nodded and pumped a fist confidentially.
”Hell yea! Let’s smash through this thing and find Boo’s door!” Energetic as usual, the rowdy warrior was quick to charge ahead in the direction his friend had mentioned. There was a fire blazing in his heart, urging him forward.
It was time to get to business!
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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 26, 2022 11:05:53 GMT -5
Tori shook her head, a smirk written in her expression as Henoke pushed forward, charging ahead with little warning. Of course, it was clear that he wasn’t going to let anything stop him then and there —though Tori had to admit she could use some of that enthusiasm herself. Being too serious at times was exhausting or even depressing, to having someone like Henoke around was a small blessing in disguise.
More often than not, opposites tended to stick closer than equivalents.
Deeper into the Door Vault, the pair wandered into the actual Factory Grounds —though the machinery and such was down for the time being, not moving an inch and doing their thing. It was a huge space —yet not as big as the Door Vault. Still, the amount of empty space once again made their footsteps echo against the walls, without anything for seemingly miles, other than machinery, yellow canisters and other items scattered haphazardly around.
Tori continued to look around, unsure on what exactly she had to find. Maybe a weak point? But not knowing where the Illusion started or ended hardly played in her favor, since it didn’t matter for how long they walked, they wouldn’t find something like that by chance. Suddenly, her ears twitched a little, reacting to an exceedingly silent noise coming from somewhere. It sounded like a clink of metal against metal, but it had lasted only a second. Frowning, the girl groaned, already slightly annoyed by her disguise in that world and its abilities.
For all she knew, it was probably a drop of water echoing against a pipe, somewhere in the facilities.
“That’s annoying…” she lamented, placing one hand on her forehead, “If I’m gonna be alerted by even the smallest sound, I swear —we’re not gonna get anywhere…”
But it wasn’t —after just mere seconds, the same sound echoed around the walls, bringing Tori to try and spot where it came from. It didn’t matter how far she tried to look, as Spirits were quick to ambush the pair yet again. Without needing to worry about Boo being near them during a fight, this time the two Keyblade Wielders were free to let loose —Tori herself ensuring that no enemies managed to escape.
“Out of the way!”
Quickly, Tori dashed forward, her Keyblade at the ready as she attacked. Just like before, the Spirits had taken the shape of either wolves or snakes —though the large cat-like Spirit was nowhere to be seen. In its stead was a pair of massive bear-like Spirits, with noticeably sharp claws ready to slash at anything that dared step in their way. The main problem seemed to be a lion-like Spirit, standing ready to attack as it glared at the two.
Maybe they were getting somewhere, if Spirits decided to jump in to attack them.
[BATTLE! 5 Colorless Wolves, 4 Misaguji Snakes, 2 Herculean Bears, 1 Heraldic Mane]
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 26, 2022 15:47:16 GMT -5
Entering the Factory Grounds, Henoke openly gaped at the large pipe structures and vast space. Though smaller than the Door Vault, it was filled with powerful looking machinery the teen had never seen before. “That’s annoying…” Jolted out of his awestruck state, Henoke couldn’t help but snicker a bit as he smirked at his friend. It was kind of funny, seeing Tori in such an alert state. In that sense, the Replica truly acted the age of their Original—their humor still immature.
Interrupting the fun was a loud echo of metal clanging on metal, causing the muscular teen to pause and raise a brow. ”F’real?! Can they sense us ‘cause o’ the Keyblades, too, or somethin’?!” Though annoyed at the sudden presence of Spirits that emerged, Henoke was otherwise unfazed—summoning their hefty Keyblade in a burst of light as he readied a battle stance.
“Out of the way!” While Tori charged into the fray, the spiky haired warrior couldn’t help but pause as he noticed the large lion-like Spirit. Unlike the cat-like one from before, this one looked far more cunning and vicious. On top of that, the massive bear-like Spirits seemed like powerful opponents, too. Grinning deviously, Henoke felt the rush of adrenaline as his body set into the motion of battle.
”I’ll take the big ones!” He’d never seen a Lion before—not knowing nearly enough about animals to recognize even a similar type of beast. The bears were the only resemblance he knew—only adding to the fiery boy’s fervor. ”Let’s see what ya got!” Running forward, Henoke aimed his weapon at the lion-like Spirit first. SkoooooOOOM! Bursting red with heat, the boy’s Firaga spell erupted forth, lancing through the air and covering the distance as it honed in on its enemy!
While the feline was busy with his spell, Henoke continued running full speed towards both bear-like Spirits. These ones had an easier emblem to find, filling the hot-headed teen with confidence as he closed the gap. ”Eat this!” Glowing with a burst of light energy, Henoke’s Keyblade slashed out horizontally in a powerful strike as he unleashed his Blitz!
He hoped to hit both Spirits at once!
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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 29, 2022 2:19:37 GMT -5
As Tori focused on the small fry, Henoke seemed to aim for the big guns —shooting a preemptive Firaga spell as a warning shot before rushing in with his Blitz. The Heraldic Mane took the spell head-on without flinching, glaring at the reckless teen before roaring with powerful might —the loud almost too obnoxious to listen throughout long periods of time. Tori in particular had to struggle a little with the sound, pushing one of her ears against her head just to muffle out the sound, though the other hand still held her Keyblade.
The Spirits noticed this sudden weakness, quick to pounce in attack thanks to the lion-Spirit’s opening, but something like that was hardly going to stop Tori. Though still struggling, the girl pushed herself forward, a red hue quick to envelop her form as she unleashed her Red Moon form, swiftly cutting through the enemies that thought had made an opening to defeat her.
On Henoke’s side, the bear-like Spirits hardly stood there to simply receive the attack. They were not the fastest —even Henoke would be able to out speed them, really— but they seemed resilient in their own right. Both Spirits covered their Emblem, clearly etched on their chest, with their massive arms, receiving the attack but not the fatal damage. Instead, they were ready to counter the reckless teen with an attack of their own —their sharp claws aiming to slice at whatever crossed their path.
The echoes of metal against metal continued to resonate from somewhere, though with the fight taking place, it wasn’t possible for Tori to move forward and investigate what was happening, locked as she was weaving her attacks in between her dodging. Thankful for the increased agility her Red Moon granted her, the furry girl continued to seek out an opening, hopeful to ending the battle quickly. [BATTLE! 5 Colorless Wolves, 4 Misaguji Snakes, 2 Herculean Bears, 1 Heraldic Mane]
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 29, 2022 8:42:07 GMT -5
Having leapt directly for the massive bear-like Spirits, Henoke couldn’t help but flash a devilish grin as the enemies held their own. Covering their emblems with their thick, clawed arms, the beasts were quick to lash out with a counter attack of their own! Clang! Smash! Sparks flew as powerful claws swiped against the teen’s hefty metal—though with four pairs and only one weapon, it was impossible for them to block every attack. ”Heh, good…y’all ain’t pushovers!”
Rather than being concerned about the might of the Spirits, Henoke appeared excited. Never one to back down from strong opponents, the horned warrior bristled with anticipation. ”Let’s shake things up a little!” Stabbing his Keyblade into the factory floor, Henoke unleashed his quake spell, causing fissures and shakes to rupture through the battlefield around him!
So—fire don’t work on ya, huh? The lion-like Spirit had hardly seemed phased at his fire spell—a fact the rash teen had noticed. Despite his reckless tactics and eagerness to battle, the boy was a trained soldier. Using the moment he created with his spell, the teen yanked his weapon from the earth as he quickly began to yank with his teeth on the bandage binding it. Shink!
Suddenly, the paladin held two weapons, having yanked his Keyblade into two with its simple yet unique transformation. ”Sit!” As one of the weapons began to shimmer and crackle with a faint light, Henoke hurled it directly towards the lion-like Spirit! Using his Reflect Raid, the teen would target one enemy while tackling the rest! Gripping his remaining weapon in a two-handed grasp while the other caused havoc for the enemy behind him, Henoke grinned wickedly at the bear-like Spirits as he assumed his lunging position.
”Let’s see what ya got!!” Shouting out, a faint orange lightning-like energy began to snap! and spark! to life around him as he blasted forth. Using his Zantetsuken, Henoke aimed directly for both large Spirits emblem’s with one massive and swift horizontal slash! Knowing the Spirits he faced had powerful defenses, the key-bearer hoped his ultimate attack would be quick enough to strike as he vanished from view from the naked eye!
Shwoosh! The boy swung with all his might, hoping his hasty plan worked.
(Zantetsuken the bears)
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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 29, 2022 12:49:20 GMT -5
The bear-like Spirits slowly began to move forward, trying to pursuit Henoke as he blocked most of the attacks. Swiping with their claws, they had no means to block or avoid the Quake spell, stunned in place yet still not defeated. With the window opened, it was easy to outspeed the Spirits and land the Zantetsuken, the Emblems in their chest laid bare and shattered in mist.
The Heraldic Mane weaved through the Keyblade Wielder’s Reflect Raid, though did not avoid the damage completely. Stepping backwards, it seemed to growl as it glared at the teen after he defeated the bear-like Spirits. Its muscles tensed, before it pounced towards the teen with a mighty roar —making its attack known. Though due to how loud and deep the roar was, the pipes around them trembled as if the ground was shaking.
Tori continued to manage the small fry, having defeated 2 wolf-like Spirits and 1 snake-like Spirit. Of course, it wasn’t going to be enough, given that they were offering a strong resistance. In particular, the Misaguji Snakes that remained were slipping right under her nose, almost matching her current speed —perhaps choosing a more strategic approach while the wolf-like Spirits were heading first into battle. Mist began to swirl once again, and with it more Spirits appeared to oppose them. A few of them were bird-like Spirits, with lightning enveloping their wings as they took distance from the fight, ready to dive in with speed. Groaning, Tori used her Crescent Echo to try and get rid of the Spirits that had just appeared, knowing they were going to become a problem if given the opportunity.
On Henoke’s side, more powerful Spirits had also joined the fray —more bear-like Spirits decided to replace those who’d been defeated, a few more wolf-like Spirits surrounding him to offer support for the more powerful ones.
[BATTLE! Targeting Henoke: 3 Colorless Wolves, 2 Herculean Bears, 1 Heraldic Mane] [Targeting Tori: 3 Colorless Wolves, 3 Misaguji Snakes, 2 Thunder Falcons]
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 30, 2022 10:35:33 GMT -5
Smirking confidently as both large bear-like Spirits shattered from his attack, Henoke was quick to spin on his heels and pluck his second ricocheting Keyblade from the air. GrrrrrRRROOOAAAWWWWR! Within the same span, the lion-like Spirit gave a roar that nearly shook the entire factory, lunging directly for him! ”Bring it on!” Hardly cowed by the challenge, the spiky haired teen roared out with a battle cry of his own as he readied to strike.
With the Spirits lunge being so straight forward, it was a fairly easy charge to dodge, considering the teen’s speed and High Jump ability. Leaping over the Lion, Henoke’s blood continued to boil as more mist swirled along the battlefield, more powerful Spirits quickly emerging. F’real?! Having just used some of his more powerful abilities, the rowdy teen was quick to plan before a devilish grin began to spread across his horned face.
”Fine…” A swelling rage and confidence had swept through him, suspending him in the air from his jump as his body began to shimmer and sparkle. It was the boys newer Glide ability, kicking in once more despite him having yet mastered its use. ”I’ll take ya all on at once!!” Roaring out as he hovered above the emerging enemies, Henoke aimed both Keyblades towards the mob of Spirits that targeted him, including the Lion below.
Bzzzzt! Snap! Fwoosh! A large orb of light began to form and concentrate between each weapons point, forming in front of the devilish teen and above the enemies. Unleashing his Raging Heart shotlock, the orb seemed to explode into a raging torrent of flaming and crackling hearts. Pummeling the battlefield in a wide cone-effect, Henoke’s elevated position had allowed him to aim for all the enemies targeting him at once!
He was slowly lowering in the air, not that he was worried about once he landed on the ground. He’d beat down every Spirit without rest!
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Post by therunawaygirl on Apr 30, 2022 11:20:34 GMT -5
Missing its attack enraged the lion-like Spirit even further, its growl growing louder as the teen began to hover above it. The other Spirits that had joined in the frame also seemed furious Henoke’s advantage as he unleashed his Raging Heart. The weaker Spirits were hurt noticeably by the attack, while the other more resilient ones managed to stand their ground. The lion-like Spirit seemed to notice the teen’s fall reaching the floor, and readied itself to pounce at him once he was close to the ground. As for the other Spirits, while some were trying to recover from the attack, others were swiping once more at the teen in hopes for their attacks to land.
Some of the Spirits targeting Tori, particularly those who were already airborne, had noticed the teen hovering on the air, and determined to change their approach and attack him. While one continued to target Tori, the other swiftly flew to meet the teen with a powerful Thundara, the lightning bolts covering a rather wide area in hopes to landing a hit.
Tori continued to strike at the Spirit’s weakpoints, using her agility to dodge attacks and gain the advantage —but in doing so, she had slowly split from Henoke. Using her Flash skill, she closed the distance with the group of wolf-like Spirits, defeating two out of the group, and narrowly dodging out of the snake-like Spirit’s poisonous spit. Focused as she was in the battle, she hadn’t noticed how much further ahead she’d gone, leaving Henoke behind.
The sound of metal against metal grew closer on Henoke’s side —though hearing it on closer inspection, it was as if someone was jumping up and down from metal platforms. The Spirits hadn’t noticed the sound, apparently already knowing what it was, but their efforts were keen on Henoke.
Suddenly, there was a whirlwind of water condensing around the Spirits targeting the reckless Keyblade Wielder, a bubble soon forming before exploding with violence, defeating the weaker Spirits while also opening an opportunity for Henoke. Still, instead of lowering their numbers, they continued to grow, as other Spirits came running in the room as opposed to appearing in misty shapes —as if they were chasing after someone.
The battle continued to brew —yet apparently someone was on their side supporting them from the shadows?
[BATTLE! Targeting Henoke: 2 Herculean Bears, 1 Heraldic Mane, 1 Thunder Falcon] [Targeting Tori: 1 Colorless Wolf, 3 Misaguji Snakes, 1 Thunder Falcon] [Other: 2 Colorless Wolves, 3 Thunder Falcons]
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Post by hoodwink on Apr 30, 2022 14:37:20 GMT -5
Henoke pumped a fist victoriously as his steady floating slowed to an end. Seeing the weaker Spirits demolished by his assault pumped the boy up, only adding fervor to his adrenaline and battle-lust. ”Tch—yer a loud mutt!” Henoke jeered and mocked the lion-like Spirit that roared out in protest—not knowing they were getting their animals completely confused. Noticing how the large bear-like Spirits had also withstood his attack, the rowdy teen decided to press on with the aim of finishing the more powerful Spirits.
”Like I’d fall for that!” He scoffed as the large lion pounced. Using his Sliding Dash as he began to bandage his two weapons back into one, Henoke managed to evade the simple attack while closing the distance towards the other enemies! Bzzzzt! Snap![/b] Bolts of lightning began to lance the ground sporadically from the sky as he slid across the battlefield, causing the teen to shout out in surprise.
”Ya won’t stop me that easy!” Roaring out through the pain as multiple strikes grazed and seared him, Henoke wasn’t disrupted as he finally closed the gap to the other large opponents. It don’t matter how many there are…![/b] He wouldn’t let sheer numbers overwhelm him! As immersed as he was in the battle, the devilish boy hardly noticed the clanging of metal echoing faintly from somewhere above…
SSHHHHHWwwwoooom! Water had begun to form, condensing around the battlefield and forming into a massive bubble before bursting. It had all happened within the span of a second! ”Urgh—!! The hell?!” Using his Keyblade as a shield, Henoke was thrown backwards by the sheer force of the small flood. It was a powerful attack, shredding through the remaining weaker Spirits as though paper.
What was that?! Whipping his head around, the warrior couldn’t tell where the attack had come from. It had been a water spell, but different from Tori’s… Whoever it was seemed to be picking a fight with the Spirits, too. ”Heh, now’s my chance!” The mysterious attack had at least created an opening for him!
Though Henoke had to gather more strength before unleashing his more powerful abilities again, the boy was a trained Wielder. Rushing across the battlefield, the teen charged and used the opportunity to directly rush both bear-like Spirits. Already knowing where their emblems were, Henoke had figured they’d be the best to strike with the chance!
Delivering a swift and powerful combo with his weapon, the spiky haired devil was a whirlwind of motion as he slashed and uppercut and stabbed at the prone targets!
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