<For over a decade, the worlds have been rocked by Dark attacks. Orchestrated by the Dark Keyblade Master Xehanort, these attacks were designed to bring about another Keyblade War, but that isn't the only result. Other beings, craving power and control, have begun moving to take advantage of the chaos to exert their own wills. The witch Maleficent is but the tip of the spear of these threats, leaving the hero Sora and the other 7 Lights frantically trying to fight on multiple fronts.

You can change that. Recently, you were either given or found a note, challenging you to make a difference. To protect what you care about and drive back the Dark. If you have the heart, you are invited to meet in Traverse Town's First District, where you will meet others like you. Are you ready, Vanguard?>

 

Sign-ups: http://kh13.com/forum/topic/102451-kingdom-hearts-vanguard-rebirth/

 

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Across the worlds, an air of tension seemed to permeate. Aware or not of the encroaching darkness, people feel uneasy.

The crab Sabation tells his musicians to take a break from rehearsal, since they were all hitting sour notes. He'd normally be more angry, but even he can feel something is off.

On the main island of Destiny Islands, a young man in a beanie and dark sunglasses moves through a market uneasily, and not just from his discomfort with the setting.

In the headquarters of the Radiant Garden Restoration Committee, Merlin and Cid bicker as they try to work together to upgrade the CLAYMORE system for magical integration. Aerith can tell this is more than their differing views fueling this arguement.

With the worlds so on edge, it wouldn't take much to push them off. And many shapes in the shadows prepare to give that push...

 

{Traverse Town; First District}

Vaner added a little milk to his tea and stirred. He was seated at the little cafe in the main square of District One, with a good view of the square and the doors to the arrival area of the world. He too could feel the tension, but he was use to it. He sometimes wondered if he had ever truly been at peace, but usually dismissed these thoughts as fear and anger talking. Though it had been getting worse of late, but he was doing something about it now. He just had to wait to see what resources he had to work with.

As Vaner took a sip of his tea, Stella exited an old item shop and joined him at his table.

"Are stores of curatives should last as awhile, even if the worst comes to the worst." She said, adjusting her position in her chair. "I thought I'd double check."

"Sounds good." Vaner said, not sure if he should mention the three times he checked.

Setting down his tea, the Vanguard Master watched Stella for a moment. He was generally good at reading people, and the young lady was radiating worry.

"Relax." He told her in a gentle tone. "Deep breaths. This isn't that different from what you told my of your adventures on your world."

"Except there is more on the line." Stella answered, in a tone that was more factual than emotional. "I might not have known it in my head, but my heart knew there was more to the universe than just Eos. Now, I'm trying to protect them all."

There was a moment of silence before Vaner spoke.

"You could go back." He said in a soft tone. "Make a new place on Eos. No blame would be on you if you tried."

"No." Stella said firmly. "Too much is at stake to back out now."

She looked up at what seemed to be just another star, then back to Vaner with a penetrating look.

"And it wouldn't truly ease the ache to return to your own world you feel." She added simply.

Vaner's jaw tightened, then he took another sip of tea to cover it up. Sometimes he wished she wasn't as good as reading him as he was of her. Before Vaner had to come up with a reply, the entrance doors of Traverse Town cracked open, and a young man walked in, eyes wide.

"Whoa!" Nilas said, his eyes full of wonder at this new world.

He was still marveling at the skyline when a clearing of a throat dragged his attention to ground level and to the two people sitting at a small table. One, an older man, gave Nilas a pilots smile, while the other, a blonde woman, gave a smile and a wave.

"Hey!" Nilas called out, running over to the duo. "This where the secret meeting for enemies of darkness is being held?"

"Sort of." Vaner replied. "But more complicated."

"I'm Stella." Stella introduced herself. "And this is Vaner. Nice to meet you, Nilas."

Nilas eyes grew wide.

"You know my name?" He asked, agog.

"Yes." Vaner said with a slight chuckle. "We invited you."

Edited January 4, 20178 yr by rikunobodyxiii

Seracus walked over to Stella's group, folding his arms, looking on at Vaner and the others. Tyler put his Keyblade away, and folded his arms. He could tell that the situation was urgent. He was thinking of which group to choose. "I think I'll join in the group heading to Destiny Islands." Said Tyler, talking to Vaner. Seracus looked on at the sky, and then back at the others.

Shirou Emiya, 1st District

He looked down at the note he had been gripping the whole time. "Ah, you'll have to bring me up to speed what am I deciding. If it's to help I agree." He said confidently enough. "I'll go where the most help is needed." He said essentially deciding without a care the more help needed, meant the more people to save and while he wishes he could in multiple places at once it wasn't possible.

 

Still whatever the case someone apart of the gathering could just give him a small rundown of any recent events so he'd worry about that later. Giving an overview of the people none of them appeared to be from his world which was fine and dandy he had already gotten used to the fact that there were multiple worlds. Still, this was his best option it followed his ideals and it could possibly get him back home.

"When do we start?"

​

"A pleasure, Mister Scarp," Hotaru said, "I'm Hotaru. These are my friends Aranea and Ardyn."
The Dragoon raised her hand while the Chancellor nodded.
"It sounds like a strange event indeed," Ardyn said calmly, "Why such a large number of those creatures would move in the same direction if not for something they want."
"Or someone calling them," Aranea said to Ardyn, "Heartless are simple minded creatures, but sometimes they can surprise you."
The Chancellor looked at Aranea and his smile widened.
"As we are all, don't you think?" he said, "But enough chit chat, we should take our leave, before these "Heartless" get out of our sight."

Deseo took a glance over at Reggie Scarp, the cargo hauler. Even as a grown man the way he looked ever so nervously, sweating, eyes wide and full of questions, he looked like he could snap in panic at any given moment. He couldn't help but to smirk ever so slightly at the sight. He was barely containing himself from trying to scare the man and see if he would faint. But they needed him awake for this...so that could wait. "I see." Deseo said, stepping a bit closer to Reggie to take a better look at him. "Well Reggie. We're counting on you to guide us. So don't faint on us just yet, alright?" Deseo asked, trying to sound genuinely nice, though the smirk he couldn't stop producing gave any sense of sympathy away. However he was surprised at the mention of so many Heartless following the same direction. After traveling for so long, watching these creatures that fed off his own negative emotions like bees off pollen, that was certainly something that he had never seen them do before. As much as they would be attracted to negative emotions, they were usually more spread out. To all focus on a single direction...well, either something was calling upon them, or there was something that only they could sense that was too intoxicating to ignore, drawing them out into a mob. He listened to Aranea speak about the Heartless, and for once since meeting her, he agreed for once of something that came out of her mouth. "They follow what they feel. Their instincts. Their senses. Whether it be negative emotions or the promise of Hearts to feed upon, which makes them creatures that spread out without much organization. I would not be concerned of the Heartless, but of whatever it is that they are after." Deseo said, adding his own thoughts of the situation. "But like you said. We should get going to the location before we lose track."

{Traverse Town; 1st District}

"Splendid." Vaner said to Tyler.

He pulled a small sphere from his coat and started moving dials that made up it's circumference in a purposeful manner.

"One team is heading to investigate a large build up of monsters in the Lanes between." He told Shirou as he worked on his device. "The other, which I'm about to send out, is going to the world Destiny Islands to look into a report of an impending attack."

With a final click from the orb, the symbols on it began to glow white. Vaner tossed it up a few times like he was testing the weight, then threw it to the ground a few yards from anyone. Once it hit, light poured out of the glowing symbols, creating a portal of light.

"I'll have to congratulate the Professor." Vaner said watching the portal with satisfaction for a moment before turning his head to Bert. "Tell him to start work on mass producing them for agents."

"No problems, it'll be a nice distraction for him." Bert said brightly as he put the damaged phone into his pocket for a more forensic study of it later. "Plus, the boys should be able to help."

"Alright, this portal is your way to Destiny islands." Vaner said, turning to the recruits again. "I will not be joining you, so I expect you to work as a team. Once through, keep a low profile and watch for anything suspicious."

"So, we can go now?" Nilas asked, sounding anxious to go.

"Yes." The Director answered. "Keep close to the portal till you're all through, unless you have to act quickly."

"Let's do this!" Nilas declared before running through the portal.

"I'm sorry for not giving you much time to digest." Vaner said to Shirou. "But time is of the essence on these missions. If you are still uncertain, you can stay here and I can give you a better pitch. Plus, a name would be nice."

Across the square, Reggie gave Hotaru a slightly hoarse "Good day". The old sailor gave Deseo a worried look. Something about the boy's smirk put him on edge.

"I can get ya there, no problems." He swallowed.

"No need to worry, Reggie." Stella soothed. "We will protect you."

She gave Deseo a small nod, a sign of approval for his contribution. If he felt there was a bargain between him and her, Stella would hold him to his end.

"Our ride should be here momentarily." She told the team.

She was proved right a few seconds later as what looked like a flying sail boat made of gummi blocks came over the walls of the town. It halted above the square, dropping a form of anchor that clattered harmlessly on the bricked road, but still seemed to hold the ship in place. A few rope ladders were pushed off the side of the ship, hanging down for the team to board the vessel. On one of the ladders, a boy with green hair slid down, immediately turning and saluting to Stella when he made it to the ground.

"Ready to to set sail, me mateys." He said in a crisp English accent, making "me mateys" sound odd.

"Thanks, Ferb." Stella told him. "We'll give you and your brother a call when we need some custom work."

Ferb gain a thumbs up before darting away towards a mail box, which be disappeared behind.

"It's based on your ship." Stella told Reggie. "It should fly like it does."

Reggie, who was starring at the oddly colored vessel with a somewhat flabbergasted look, nodded and made for the boarding ladders.

"All aboard." Stella told the team. "There are a few defensive weapons on board, but some of you may need to lend your magic if we have to fight."

 

{Destiny Islands: Beach}

Nilas came out of the light portal behind an out cropping of palm trees. He immediately summoned his Keyblade, ready for action. After a few moments of nothing attacking him and no sounds except the surf, he relaxed.

Tyler walked into the portal of Light leading to Destiny Islands, and stood next to Nilas, summoning his Keyblade, looking around as well. "Hmm, it would seem that we'll need to look for the source of what's going on, but, we can't go rushing ahead, it would be disastrous, and we all must stay alert at all times." Said Tyler, talking out loud to Nilas. Seracus looked at Stella, and smiled, and waved. "I'm quite fine with what I have, but thank you very much for the gesture, but I will lend my aid to you all." Said Seracus, talking to Stella. He was wondering what exactly was going on in the Lanes Between, and took in the information. He closed his eyes to not only think of the situation, but for some mysterious reason. But whatever that reason was, he opened his eyes up again, looking around at everyone, and at Stella, as he got onto the ship. "So then, when do we start?" Asked Seracus, asking Stella a question.

Edited February 23, 20178 yr by KHLegendIII

Deseo watched as this colorful Gummi Block Ship was brought over to them, parked above the square, and proceeded to even drop an anchor to keep it in place. It seemed something out of a cartoon that one would watch in the mornings before school. Loud and comical. Deseo chuckled softly. "Well, this is a first." Deseo hummed. He had seen ships before...but nothing so...oddly colorful. The day just seemed to be getting better and better. He felt he had gotten the best part of the two deals, honestly. A ship? He didn't get to see that every day. "I'll help with what I can then if the time comes to it." Deseo said as he climbed up on the ladder and onto the ship. Though he relied on both physical fighting and magic, he trusted that he would be able to form up some magic to fight back against if they were attacked...that is if he didn't ended up attracting trouble to them before they reached their target. After all, the darkness almost emanated from him like an aura. Heartless have showed up for less. He found himself the nearest seat once he entered the ship, and made himself comfortable. He had to sharpen his blades while he had the chance. Every time, sharp wasn't sharp enough. He took one of them out of its sheath, and a portable grit from one of its pockets before proceeding to sharpen it up.

The light Keyblade wielder watched as Nilas enthusiastically charged through the portal to Destiny Islands.  As adventurous and brave as Clarice was, she was slightly more apprehensive about charging straight through a portal when she didn't know what was waiting for her on the other side.  Vaner had mentioned that they're going to investigate a threat; what if the treat was waiting for her on the other side?  She couldn't be wholly sure.

 

Reluctance didn't win her out, however.  After Nilas' form had disappeared through the portal she followed closely thereafter, closing her eyes as she felt her body absorbed by the portal's pulsation.  She continued through the portal to find herself on the opposite end within Destiny Islands.  All traces of Traverse Town had disappeared, replaced by palm trees, a deep blue sky, and a penetrating sun.  A short distance away she saw Nilas withdraw his Keyblade, but quickly had de-materialized it as soon as he'd discovered no present threat surrounded them.  Clarice took a step forward, the sun glistening off her armor.  "So this is Destiny Island," she said softly, placing her hand on her hip.  "So far it looks pretty serene to me."

 

Meanwhile Skylar was bedazzled by the ship he would embark upon to bring him to the Lanes Between.  He followed Deseo up the ladder and into the brightly-colored ship, taking in his surroundings with a grin.  It was quite the interesting vessel, and while he'd seen a number of interesting things in his life this was the first that he'd be riding on such a ship.  He explored the interior of the ship while the rest of his comrades boarded.  It seemed to him that more people were interested in visiting the islands, but that was fine with him.  He didn't do so well among crowds, anyway.

Shirou, Traverse Town 1st district
"Shirou Emiya." He shook his head. "Sorry, I'm already sold if people are at risk and there's a possibility someone could end up getting hurt or worse than just one person can a make difference even if in the end they have to die to do so." He said neutrally. "It's stupid really being so selfless yet at the same time selfish." He walked calmly towards the portal. "You can sell me your pitch afterward if you get the chance, for now, I rather help."

He walked through the portal leaving behind the world and showing up in a new one.

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Shirou, Destiny Islands.

The redhead felt the fresh breeze go by as the sound of water and the smell of the tropics entered his nose opening his eyes he saw a rather peaceful place the blue sky above having only some clouds in it ocean from what he could imagine surrounded from all sides... If only he had the befitting clothes, after all, he was dressed in black jeans, boots a black sweatshirt and trenchcoat along with a red scarf wrapped around his neck and fingerless gloves.

It's all he had on his back, of course, he had his other clothes back in traverse town but there wasn't exactly anytime to change. Ah, right others were here he turned his attention to them. "...Beautiful place huh?" He asked them stretching as he looked out toward the ocean. "I could probably fall asleep on this beach." The Bronze eyed teen joked.

 

 

​

Ardyn watched as Aranea and Hotaru made their way into the ship. Once inside Hotaru was looking around the ship, it was interesting, not something he saw every day.
"This is awesome," he said with excitement, "Maybe we should get one of our own. What do you think, Aranea?"
The Dragoon was both impressed and amused, such a colourful ship was something else, but if it could allow them to travel between worlds, who was she to judge.
"Perhaps, a little colourful for my tastes," she answered, "Besides, once the worlds go back to normal, I still have my own airship waiting for me."
Somehow Ardyn was already behind the two of them, and with the sudden sound of his voice Hotaru and Aranea turned around quickly.
"Given enough time we could make something like this, Miss Highwind. Dreadnought size, perhaps?" Ardyn said with a smile, "But alas, we have to wait until we are back. Perhaps our dear friend Hotaru would like a tour of Eos? Something easily granted if he so desired."
Hotaru nodded while looking at Ardyn, Aranea on the other hand was still tryign to understand the man.
"We will see, Chancellor," she answered, "Let us focus on our current mission for now. We can make plans for the future at a later time."

Seracus looked at Aranea, Hotaru, and Ardyn, and smiled as he walked over to them. He folded his arms behind his back, gazing upon them with a curious look on his face. He found the ship interesting, although, he had something else on his mind. He figured to pass time, he could talk to people, and these people could be interesting. "Oh, hello, I hope I'm not interrupting, I couldn't help but eavesdrop." Said Seracus, talking to Ardyn, Aranea, and Hotaru.

"Not at all," Hotaru answered, "You are welcome to join us."
Aranea looked at Seracus for a few seconds before shrugging.
"Not a good habit to eavesdrop," she said with a smile, "but who am I to judge, right?"
The Chancellor was the one who looked at Seracus the most. There was something familiar within this man, something he knew and felt many times, something hidden deep beneath layers and layers of deceit, but something that would entertain him for the time being.
"I must agree with Miss Highwind here," Ardyn said, "The more the merrier. Besides, it would be of the utmost importance to get to know each other, correct? We are going to be comrades while we are part of the vanguard, after all."

Seracus simply smiled as he bowed. He looked at Ardyn as he still smiled, as he leaned on a wall, nodding at Aranea. He was thinking of many things in his head, but right now, he was thinking about something, but he decided to keep it in his mind. He came to to the passengers to talk to pass time until they arrived. "I agree with that sentiment, Mr. Izunia, it is a pleasure to be speaking to all of you here. I've heard you talking about the world known as Eos, right?" Asked Seracus, asking Ardyn a curious question.

"Indeed my friend," Ardyn answered, "And just Ardyn if you so wish."
Aranea then covered her mouth to try and hide a smile.
"Don't tell me, Chancellor," She said calmly, "that calling you "Mister" makes you feel old."
The Chancellor simply smiled at the Dragoon, if only she knew.
"Not really, Miss Highwind," he answered, "but I do not like to stand on ceremony, so Ardyn is just fine with me. Or in your case, chancellor."
Hotaru then looked between Seracus and Ardyn.
"Can you tell us something about your home world, Ardyn?" he said, "anything at all."
Aranea looked at Ardyn, wandering what the strange man would tell.
"It is such a nice place, if I do say so myself," Ardyn answered, "The sea, the towns, the big cities, the people. You would love it there I'm sure. Perhaps a visit to Altissia, the capital city of Accordo when this is over? Altissia is such a beautiful city."
And there he was, Aranea thought, hopefully he would avoid talking about the Crown City and its current status.
"We can plan a roadtrip after we are done with this," Aranea said with a slight hint of sarcasm, "We could take your car, Chancellor."
Ardyn just laughed at the Dragoon, his face not showing a hint of emotion.
"She is a dear old thing, but I'm sure she can handle it," He answered before looking at Seracus, "And what about you my friend? Care to tell us a little about your own world."

Seracus looked at Ardyn, still smiling as he folded his arms. He was thinking of something in his mind, and how to proceed with the conversation. He was also thinking about the current matters at hand. He unfolded his arms, and put them behind his head. "I am just a wanderer, travelling from world to world, witnessing the sights and seen some skirmishes between the old organization led by that old man's Nobody, and the likes of that boy, so I know of many things regarding the current threat the worlds currently face... Although, I happen to know some things, thanks to the ancient records, dating back to the age of fairytales three thousand years ago, in which the ancient Keyblade War took place, especially this one, regarding an old royal family who ruled over for generations up until the Keyblade War's end, and watched over the balance of Light and Darkness, and came before the legendary Solheim of Eos... This kingdom was called the Dominion of Crystallis... After the Keyblade War, many records of this kingdom and it's royal family were lost due to passage of time, just like the records of the War itself... But from ones known, they harnessed the powers of Light and Darkness in harmony... This unification of these two powers gave rise to the power of Twilight..." Said Seracus, talking to Ardyn.

 

 

(This theme plays as Seracus speaks.: 

)

Edited February 28, 20178 yr by KHLegendIII

Deseo listened to the group talk. They found themselves talking about home. Where they had come from, where they belonged, the details, how it was, and all of the sort. One of them even spoke of how they could even take a road trip after this was over. Such clear, carefree minds. Their confidence that they would get out alive, that nothing would bring them down, and that they would return with mere scratches. He had to admit, he wished he could have that kind of confidence. Confidence that had long been shipped away and replaced with constant paranoia of...well, everything. The people he didn't trust, the Heartless that could attack at any given moment, to say he got little sleep seeing that he forced himself to wake up to make sure that he was still alive and breathing was an understatement. He didn't even notice that he had stopped sharpening his blades in order to listen to the conversation, his head lifted up and his gaze unfocused on the nearest window. The older man ended up talking about history, something about an ancient kingdom lost to history who held a balance of light and darkness alike to create what would be known as the power of Twilight. Well, didn't that sound nice. He almost found himself scoffing, but he managed to choke it back. What about his own world? The only place he had ever known before it all fell to pieces? Of course he remembered it, dearly every time before going to sleep in hopes of having dreams instead of nightmares. But it also brought bad memories. Seeing such a beautiful place slowly turn into...what it currently has become. For that, it was better to look in the past than in the present. Deseo decided to speak up, to Seracus specifically. "Does that mean you don't remember where you're from originally? You didn't really answer the question...I know traveling is quite the feat, but everyone should remember their routes, their world."

Nikolai moved through the portal, throwing his hands up in the air, stretching them as he walked through the sand, scanning the world before him. Nothing. Which was good probably, considering he didn't have his sword or gun out. Hiroki followed, staff carefully gripped in his hand. Nikolai smiled at Nilas and Clarice and Shirou. "We're just checking things out right? So... We could just go check out the water, maybe check out an oceanside bar, or check out some suntan lotion and a towel? That all follows the orders right?" Nikolai said, moving further away from the portal, pretty much ignoring Vaner's command to stay near it until all were ready.

"Business first, then pleasure. Does anyone sense any... malevolence?" Hiroki barked, then asked, his eyes moving from person to person, lingering on Clarice for a few moments before moving on. Being with her... It made him uneasy. She was light yes, he could feel it, but it was painful in its brightness. Like when one stared at the sun for too long.

~~~~

Selvera climbed into the gummi ship. She was familiar with the kind of ship from her travels, one of the more favorable methods of interworld traveling. She rarely was on one herself, only on occasional jobs that required it. She moved through the cockpit, towards the front, leaning over the dashboard. Some of the others were talking about homes. She had no desire to do so. She didn't have one. Hadn't for a very long time. Homes were crippling anyway. They held you down. Restrained. She glanced towards Skylar, who she noted as also not speaking, and thought about sharing an expression with him, then remembered he was the jerk from earlier, and so scowled and looked towards the pilot. Scarp. "When are we gonna get there? Soon I hope. Wanna knock these out, quick as possible."

(Sorry for the lateness of this one)

 

{Destiny Islands; Beach}

Nilas gave Tyler an odd look.

"I know." He said. "You guys were right behind me. No rushing involved."

While Nilas still felt gung-ho to combat the Darkness, he had to agree with the others that this place was calm and peaceful. Looking at the idyllic beaches made him a little homesick for his world. It didn't look like this, but it was peaceful to him.

"Well, this area looks secure." He said, trying to sound professional. "We should check out the rest of the island."

He started marching off, but stopped, thought a moment, then turned back to the rest of the team.

"Um, should we split up for this?"

 

{Traverse Town; 1st District}

Vaner smiled slightly at Shirou's response and how readily he joined the Destiny Islands team. He was an unexpected addition, but seemed like a good addition. Overall, the volunteers looked good, with only a few that would need to be watched. With the teams heading out, Vaner gave Stella a two fingered salute before walking over to the mail box. He moved it aside and dropped down in the hole uncovered. The mail box slide back into place a few moments later.

"Just as soon as everyone is on board." Stella answered Seracus as she watched Reggie get on board and head for the helm.

She joined the others as they climbed up onto the ship. She paused to check out four Turret mounted blasters set up at strategically on the main deck of the ship. She hoped they wouldn't have to be used, but figured that it would be unlikely that this mission would end without a fight. With the weapons inspected, Stella walked over to Reggie to check on him.

"Ready to get underway?" She asked.

"Aye." The sailor answered, mopping some sweat from his brow. "This ship may be a tab on the odd side, but she looks easy enough to fly."

"Good." Stella replied before heading for the hatch to the interior of the ship.

She paused at the hatch for a moment to listen to the team below decks. Their conversation was encouraging. They would need to be able to rely on each other if these Vanguard Teams were going to work.

"We are about to head out." She called down to the team. "Their are atmospheric generators, so you can come up when you like."

"Wait!" Reggie called over, looking a little more perturbed. "Does this ship have a name?"

"No, we didn't really have time to name it." Stella answered.

"It's bad luck to sail on an unnamed ship." Reggie warned, his tone brimming with believe of such superstitions.

"Very well. We shall name it.."

Stella paused a moment as she considered what to name the solar powered sail ship.

"Etro's Light." She finally said.

Reggie mulled over it for a moment, but it seemed to satisfy him.

"Alright, up anchor then." He ordered.

Stella nodded and went for a control panel near the mast. With a few button pushes, she pulled up the anchor and the boarding ladders.

"Um, release sails?" Reggie added, bewildered at the ease with which Stella was doing these jobs.

Another few button pushes cause the solar sails to unfurl. The ship lifted off and gently soared up into the starry sky. As the ship rose, Reggie tested the controls with a few easy banks. At least the controls were normal enough.

Deseo turned to the nearest window, looking out as they began to take off. Deseo paused, all attention diverting now to the outside, and the beautiful sight of the starry sky. He'd never seen them, not like this. Not this close. He had been used to traveling through the dark corridors, and those only provide a mental view of where do you wish to head to. This time though, being by ship, the stars looked so...clear. So many. "Every star is a world isn't it?" Deseo asked, to no one in particular, his eyes glued to the window. He pressed one palm against it. The realization of why didn't kick in until he remembered the topic of home. He pursed his lips, lowering his hand down as he allowed himself to rest back against the seat. "Right." He huffed to himself, returning to sharpening up his blades. "(There weren't any left.)" Deseo thought. After his world went down, one of many, the stars in the sky began to slowly go out, until eventually, when night came, there was nothing to look up to. No stars. Sometimes, not even the moon. It was as if the darkness had covered the sky along with the worlds. Hell, Deseo wouldn't be surprised if he were to go back and realize that the darkness had simply covered the entire solar system. No reason to return to, however. There was nothing left to return to. Just the remnant shells of what they once were. Deseo looked up, pushing his seat back as to rest a bit. "Well then, what would be the plan once we get there, Captain?" Deseo hissed at Stella. "Unless you have suits for us, all we have is this this ship and those capable of magic from fighting back any hoard that we might attract. If the numbers are as big as he said they are, they might not be very welcoming of someone trying to stop their field trip."

--Clarice, Destiny Island--

Being on the well-lit beach gave Clarice a greater opportunity to consider her affiliates.   Many looked like worthy companions, though none held her interest the way that the young woman that landed on their table had.  There was something curiously charming about Zion; perhaps it was her smile and cheerful demeanor that was contagious, or the same light that emanated from within herself.  These individuals were alright, though she felt slightly uneasy around Hiroki.  This wasn't the first time that she'd noticed him glancing at her, and there was something . . . dark about him.  She couldn't be absolutely certain by just being around him, but she would've been surprised if his affiliation was purely with the light, as a true Keyblade wielder should be.

 

I don't know about this Vaner guy, the blonde thought to herself, raising a hand and squinting along the shoreline.  Why would he choose Keyblade wielders that aren't pure of heart and devout to the light?  Doesn't he realize that he's inviting contamination, the corruption of souls and destruction of worlds in entertaining such individuals?

 

She kept her doubts to herself, nonetheless, and smoothed down her blonde hair with her free hand.  "Let's keep an eye out and scout the area.  You can never be too certain, even if serenity meets the eye," she said in response to all, including her own inquisition.  Clarice considered Nilas's proposal, tilting her head slightly and shifting her weight to the left.  It did make sense to split up, indeed, and they likely would encounter more trouble if not in larger numbers.

 

"That sounds like a good idea," she agreed.  "Let's scout around and meet back here.  Anyone want to head over there with me?"

 

The blonde pointed further in to shore, where she could see some kind of wooden structure up ahead.  It looked like some kind of treehouse or beach fort, but it was difficult for her to tell from as far as they stood.

 

--Skylar, en route to the Lanes Between--

 

It took a lot of willpower for Skylar to bite back a chuckle at Selvera's determination to make it to the Lanes Between.  "Oh, what's the hurry, Sweet Cakes?  Am I really that revolting, or is it the motion that's starting to get to you?"  He still hadn't forgiven her for shooting him down at the coffee shop, and still it was his ambition to make himself unforgettable in the eyes of the lovely redhead.  He was probably managing, albeit perhaps not in the way that he so desired.

 

He snatched himself a seat and let out a groan, leaning back and throwing his head against the headrest.  This was such a long day, and after the fight and leaping from rooftop-to-rooftop the blue-haired man realized he wasn't quite in shape as he'd used to be.  Others filtered in around him, conveying words and sentences that blurred together as he allowed himself to slip in and out of consciousness.  He could've sworn that he heard a conversation about flying pizza and potato shacks, but he was probably confusing multiple things, he rationalized.  Eventually he stopped trying to make sense of every conversation around him, succumbing to the darkness that surrounded him from every angle as he drifted off to sleep.  This time really envisioning flying pizza landing on plates in his potato shack, and a very angry lady screaming at him because he was eating on a table.  Funny that he actually met the lady on a table only hours earlier . . . .

Ardyn looked at Deseo before nodding and looking at Stella. Curious name for the ship Stella gave. Etro's Light was something not many knew about, and so another connection was made.
"I wish to ask the same, Miss Stella," Ardyn said calmly, "What is our plan for this mission, and our backup in case that plan fails for that matter. It is not wise to jump into the battlefield without several backups. I am sure you know that, don't you?"
Ardyn's eyes were solely focused on Stella and whatever answer she would give, watching her was interesting, watching her act would be even more. Hotaru looked at Ardyn before moving closer to Aranea.
"Question," he said in a whisper, "Should I need to be scared of Ardyn? He seems nice, but I guess he really is an important figure in the war in your world, right?"
The Dragoon stared at the Chancellor, that strange man and his strange ways.
"I'm afraid that I do not know the true extent of the Chancellor's combat prowess," Aranea answered quietly, "I can only say this. Watch your back around him. He offered to help you and that's good and all, but never lower your guard around him."
The young wielder slowly nodded before looking at Ardyn once again.
"I guess we'll see," he thought, "only time will tell."

Tyler looked at Clarice, and just looked towards the main island with a stern look on his face. "I could go for some scouting, if you don't mind." Said Tyler, talking to Clarice. Seracus looked at Stella, and smiled as he clapped for some reason. For a brief moment, a glint of interest and mystery was seen in his eyes before it went away quickly. "That's quite the name, Stella, quite fitting if I say so myself." Said Seracus, talking to Stella. Seracus glanced back at Ardyn and smirked briefly and turned his head back at Stella. 

Shirou, Destiny Islands

"If we're scouting we should split up" The redhead spoke up, he was the odd man out here he wasn't a keyblade wielder which most likely meant they thought he wasn't as qualified as them.

Adding context to his plan "That and we need an inconspicuous away to the other Island using magic to do it is only going to draw unwanted attention." He said his boots crunching in the sand as he approached them. "Well...Less the heartless are here in which case." He opened his mouth if one had to skill to read someone's lips they would be able to tell he had mouthed the words 'Trace' and 'On' "We'll take them out and find everyone else."

He let the swords disappear into a blue mist of mana "Ah, my bad I should at least give my name I'm Shirou Emiya." He said plainly.

 

Edited March 8, 20178 yr by TheKeyofRose

{The Etro's Light: Pulling away from Traverse Town}

"There should be a chest down there with you that has space suits in it." Stella answered Deseo, from up on deck. "Derived from the armor Keyblade wielders once used, it should look like a glove."

She took in a deep breath. This was probably going to be the hard part to swallow.

"Our plan is to sail on the edge of a nebula to keep our presence concealed as we look for the reason of the Heartless build up. Depending on what we find, we'll try to disperse them. The ships turrets and our magic should allow us to survive fighting the Heartless, though we are better off not fighting the main hoard. Our back up plan is to, well, run like hell if things become to much for us to handle."

Stella treated those looking up at her a slightly sheepish grin.

"Not the most in-depth plan, but Vaner says that plans don't usually survive meeting the enemy, so keep them simple and versatile. We'll be dealing with a lot of unknowns in this job, so making plans on the fly will be a skill we'll all need to prefect."

Glancing back at Reggie, Stella saw that the old sailor had calmed down a little now that he was concentrating on piloting the vessel. It was still questionable how he'd react to a combat situation, but his job was to lead them to the gathering. After that, she might portal him out before harm came to him.

"Thank you, Seracus." She answered the old master. "It may just be very appropriate."

Above, the solar sails bellowed and the space around the Etro's Light shifted color.

"We're in the lane, right enough." Reggie called out, some of the nervousness flowing back into his voice. "It shouldn't be more then a few minutes more, miss."

Stella nodded.

"Best get ready." She called down to the team.

 

{Destiny Island: Beach}

Nilas marched up to Clarice and saluted.

"I'll go with you." He said, excitement bursting from him. "And once we find those dark monsters, we'll show 'me what Light can do!"

The Neophyte summoned his Keyblade again and looked like he was ready to charge off again, but paused when Shirou introduced himself.

"Nice to meet ya, Shirou." He greeted cheerfully. "My name's Nilas."

With that out of the way, he started running down the beach. A few yards away, he tripped on something and fell face first into the sand. Sputtering, Nilas rolled over to see what he tripped on to see a Shadow Heartless finish emerging from the ground.

"Whoa!" Nilas yelled as he brought his Keyblade around and cut through the Heartless.

The Shadow disappeared in a puff of dark smoke, but as it settled, more shadows formed on the ground around Nilas. About a dozen rose from the ground as others faded away to haunt other areas.

Deseo raised an eyebrow a bit. He had heard of the Keyblade Wielders, who hasn't? Their stories are told like fairy tales to children of all ages, and to adults as tales of adventure. Their armor only made them look more knightly than anyone wants to admit. So they had some in store based on that? Now that was more understandable for this mission. Deseo jumped off from his chair, getting his blade back on its sheath as he looked for the chest she spoke of. He found it, heavy and with iron hinges, but luckily unlocked. He pushed it open, revealing the sight of the armor glove pieces, well, the gloves that would provide them the armor. He pushed his way into the chest, moving gloves here and there until he found one small enough to fit him. He pulled it out, the glove made out of a darkened metal on the forearm, with a purple circle, or gem, over the back of the hand. "Pretty." Deseo hummed, sliding the glove on. It felt odd, but it was strangely more flexible than it looked. "So...how you activate it?" Deseo asked as he waved his hand. He paused, looking at the gem. "Here?" Deseo pressed the gem, a light suddenly engulfing him, much to his surprise. He closed his eyes, feeling as something covered him. Once the light faded, he was suited up in full armor. It was colored of black metal, with light purple matching the gem. His helmet had two spikes, one on either side, pointing up as its back curved sharply. He also had spikes on the shoulders, and on the knees, pointing upwards along his limbs. "Whoa." Deseo gasped, looking at his hands, and then at his reflection on the nearest window. He had to admit; he looked good. It could possibly be, the most awesome thing he had ever worn, not even Halloween costumes could compare to this one. "Can I keep it?" He asked, a smile hidden behind the helmet as he spun around chuckling, looking at himself and any details. He stretched his hands, watching as the darkness emitted from him through the armor. "Think we'll make it out of the cluster alive? Big numbers of Heartless also mean the chances of joining together and forming one very big Heartless too." Deseo said as he looked at his hands again. They had just entered the lane, and Deseo could already feel a feeling tingling on the back of his head. It was scratching at his paranoia.