It looks like my cat's going to be okay. Close call, though. Here' s your chapter, complete with... Drive! Whoo!
CHAPTER 11
“I was joking! I was joking!” said Ciel defensively.
Spekkio glared at him. “Well, I was going to give you a gift, but I can see you don’t want it.”
“Aww, be fair! It’s just my bad sense of humor! I’m sorry, alright?”
“I was gonna give it to you anyway, kid!” laughed the creature. “Just giving you a hard time.”
“So... you’re the Master of War?” asked Ciel skeptically. “I mean, all jokes aside... you don’t look the part.”
“You don’t really look like much either, kid. That’s the point. If you’re weak, I look weak.” Spekkio spun around in a circle. “Appearances can be deceiving. Long before you were born... there was a kingdom where magic flourished. Everyone there could use it! But in time, people began to abuse their powers. It got so bad that no one was allowed to use magic except wizards. Wizards...” he added, “and Keyblade Wielders.”
“Hey, I’m a Keyblade Wielder!” exclaimed Ciel. Spekkio gave him a “no duh” roll of his eyes, which he ignored. “See?” he said, holding out his hands. His keyblades manifested in them.
“Kingdom Keys? You’re still using those? You need an upgrade, kid! Tell you what, I’ll upgrade your threads while I’m at it! Ipso, facto, meeny, moe... MAGICO!” shouted Spekkio. Ciel was lifted off the ground, and felt the magic rush around him, reshaping his clothes. He was now wearing a suit of black leather with white lining, with black metal armor across his wrists, shoulders, stomach, and around his waist.
“Whoa! Check it out!” marveled Ciel. He called his keyblades, and noticed that the right keyblade had changed. It was now a jagged, curvy blade made out of bone, with a cloth wrapped handle, and a pocketwatch on the end of the keychain.
“It’s called ‘Time’s Scar’. Any time you want to swap out your keyblades, just take off the keychain, and put on a different one. And the keychain has to have some powerful memories in it- you can’t just hang any old piece of junk on it. Got it?”
“Yes, Mr. Spekkio!”
*********
After he had taught him to cast Fire, Spekkio sent Ciel through a portal to Radiant Garden. Ciel had heard about it from his father, who had become obsessed with surpassing them. One look around, and Ciel could see why. The place was beautiful- a dazzling mix of nature at its finest, intermingled with advanced technology. It was enough to make a technician drool, but Ciel was no technician, so he mostly just wondered what he was supposed to be doing here.. Ciel thought back to what Spekkio had said to him before he left.
“Also, those clothes I gave you aren’t just for show. They have power. They’ll shape themselves, and you, to fit whatever world you venture into. Also, if you know that you can’t win a fight, focus on the strength of your heart, and the clothes will respond. It’s called ‘Drive’.” The creature had been awfully generous, but it wasn’t inconceivable that it was just glad to see someone for a change. Leaving at the End of Time must be pretty boring.
“Are you... new here?” asked a girl’s voice from behind. Ciel turned around to see a raven-haired girl clad in a black sleeveless shirt and short shorts. “And did you just mentally call me ‘raven-haired’? Well, thank you! Incidentally, it’s a tank top, not a sleeveless shirt.”
“Umm... hi. I’m Ciel. I’m just passing through,” said Ciel noncommitally. “So I better just keep moving....”
“Hey, what’s the rush?” the girl asked. “Am I bothering you?” The girl looked unhappy.
“It’s not that...” mumbled Ciel. “It’s just that every time you wave your arm, well....” He pointed at the girl’s hand, which was closed tightly around a large shuriken.
“Have I been waving that around this whole time? Sorry,” she apologized, slinging it onto her back. “It’s nice to meet you, Ciel. I’m the great ninja Yuffie.”
Ciel was momentarily tempted toward sarcasm, but as he looked at the way the girl moved, and held herself, it seemed entirely possible that she was in fact a ninja. “A ninja? Walking the streets? This place scares me already...” he whispered.
“Don’t be like that! Hollow Bas- I mean, Radiant Garden’s great! I’d like to leave soon, just so I can do a little adventuring, but I’ll certainly miss it here. I’m one of the people who made it what it is today, you know.”
“It may sound like a load of crap,” said another voice, “but it’s actually true.” A brown-haired man in a black leather coat stepped out of the shadows. He had a long scar diagonally across his face. “Leon,” said the man. Ciel figured that it was his name.
“Nice to meet you.” Ciel was trying to be polite, but he was really just wondering who these people were, and why they were bothering him.
“So how ‘bout it, Leon? I found one, so can I go now?” pleaded Yuffie.
The man scoffed. “He’s hardly strong enough. Besides, you haven’t even asked him yet.”
Ciel glared at Leon. “I don’t know who you think you are, but I’ve had enough of this.” He held out his hands, and manifested his keyblades. “You wanna see how strong I am firsthand before you judge?” Ciel was tired, confused, and irritated. He wasn’t in any mood to take crap from a brown-haired stranger.
Leon drew a gunblade from a holster behind his waist. “Fine with me.” Ciel leapt at the man, and slashed away, ducking and jumping around furiously. The man blocked a few of Ciel’s strikes, jumped back, and fired his gunblade, forcing Ciel into a retreat. Leon dashed toward Ciel, and swung once. Ciel held up his keyblades to block the blow, but the force of the swing sent him tumbling backwards, with his keyblades flying away from him. “You’re fast, kid, but you’re not putting any force into those swings.”
“I don’t need any help from you!” snapped Ciel. He stuck out his hands, calling his keyblades back, and resumed his attack. Leon smiled as he stopped each blow, unshaking under the force of Ciel’s strikes. Ciel sent another flurry of blows at the man, and then pulled back the Time’s Scar, and swung it forward full force. The strength of the slash pushed Leon backward, but the man didn’t stumble or fall.
“Good. You may not want my help, but at least you’re smart enough to accept it when it’s given.” Leon leaned back casually. “Lesson two- magic.”
“One step ahead of ya!” shouted Ciel, raising the Time’s Scar. The weapon glowed with magic, shimmering. “Fire!” A small fireball burst from the end, flying toward Leon.
“Reflect,” say Leon casually. A sphere of transparent interlocking hexagons appeared around him, and the Fire spell deflected off of it, barely missing Ciel’s face. He could feel the heat as the spell raced past his face. Ciel jumped forward, and smashed his keyblade down on the barrier. The weapon rebounded, and Ciel stumbled backward again. The barrier disappeared, and Leon swung his sword down to Ciel’s feet, and pulled the trigger. The resulting explosion knocked Ciel down yet again. “You’ve got lots of potential, but you’ve got no experience. It takes a lot of power to make up for inexperience.
Ciel’s heart was beating fast. He couldn’t lose to this guy, not this easily. If he couldn’t beat some arrogant street swordman, what was he going to do against Organization XIII? He needed more strength! He pulled himself up to a kneel, and concentrated. (I need more power!) he thought desperately. He could feel his adrenaline pumping, and his body surge with power. “Drive Form Guardian! Give me strength!”
The magic of the clothing Spekkio had given him surged up. He could feel himself being lifted off the ground, the clothes being reshaped around him, and power surging through him. The magic lowered Ciel to the ground, and he took a look at himself.
His clothes were now green, in the form of a flowing, long trenchcoat. Under the coat, he was wearing a suit of full-plate black steel armor. Across his eyes were a pair of circular sunglasses. He stood slowly, lifting his keyblades carefully.
“Well...” said Leon, taken aback, “I see you have a trump card.”
“Are you going to tell me what you even want with me yet?”
“Sit tight, kid. The fight’s almost over.”
END CHAPTER 11
CHAPTER 11
“I was joking! I was joking!” said Ciel defensively.
Spekkio glared at him. “Well, I was going to give you a gift, but I can see you don’t want it.”
“Aww, be fair! It’s just my bad sense of humor! I’m sorry, alright?”
“I was gonna give it to you anyway, kid!” laughed the creature. “Just giving you a hard time.”
“So... you’re the Master of War?” asked Ciel skeptically. “I mean, all jokes aside... you don’t look the part.”
“You don’t really look like much either, kid. That’s the point. If you’re weak, I look weak.” Spekkio spun around in a circle. “Appearances can be deceiving. Long before you were born... there was a kingdom where magic flourished. Everyone there could use it! But in time, people began to abuse their powers. It got so bad that no one was allowed to use magic except wizards. Wizards...” he added, “and Keyblade Wielders.”
“Hey, I’m a Keyblade Wielder!” exclaimed Ciel. Spekkio gave him a “no duh” roll of his eyes, which he ignored. “See?” he said, holding out his hands. His keyblades manifested in them.
“Kingdom Keys? You’re still using those? You need an upgrade, kid! Tell you what, I’ll upgrade your threads while I’m at it! Ipso, facto, meeny, moe... MAGICO!” shouted Spekkio. Ciel was lifted off the ground, and felt the magic rush around him, reshaping his clothes. He was now wearing a suit of black leather with white lining, with black metal armor across his wrists, shoulders, stomach, and around his waist.
“Whoa! Check it out!” marveled Ciel. He called his keyblades, and noticed that the right keyblade had changed. It was now a jagged, curvy blade made out of bone, with a cloth wrapped handle, and a pocketwatch on the end of the keychain.
“It’s called ‘Time’s Scar’. Any time you want to swap out your keyblades, just take off the keychain, and put on a different one. And the keychain has to have some powerful memories in it- you can’t just hang any old piece of junk on it. Got it?”
“Yes, Mr. Spekkio!”
*********
After he had taught him to cast Fire, Spekkio sent Ciel through a portal to Radiant Garden. Ciel had heard about it from his father, who had become obsessed with surpassing them. One look around, and Ciel could see why. The place was beautiful- a dazzling mix of nature at its finest, intermingled with advanced technology. It was enough to make a technician drool, but Ciel was no technician, so he mostly just wondered what he was supposed to be doing here.. Ciel thought back to what Spekkio had said to him before he left.
“Also, those clothes I gave you aren’t just for show. They have power. They’ll shape themselves, and you, to fit whatever world you venture into. Also, if you know that you can’t win a fight, focus on the strength of your heart, and the clothes will respond. It’s called ‘Drive’.” The creature had been awfully generous, but it wasn’t inconceivable that it was just glad to see someone for a change. Leaving at the End of Time must be pretty boring.
“Are you... new here?” asked a girl’s voice from behind. Ciel turned around to see a raven-haired girl clad in a black sleeveless shirt and short shorts. “And did you just mentally call me ‘raven-haired’? Well, thank you! Incidentally, it’s a tank top, not a sleeveless shirt.”
“Umm... hi. I’m Ciel. I’m just passing through,” said Ciel noncommitally. “So I better just keep moving....”
“Hey, what’s the rush?” the girl asked. “Am I bothering you?” The girl looked unhappy.
“It’s not that...” mumbled Ciel. “It’s just that every time you wave your arm, well....” He pointed at the girl’s hand, which was closed tightly around a large shuriken.
“Have I been waving that around this whole time? Sorry,” she apologized, slinging it onto her back. “It’s nice to meet you, Ciel. I’m the great ninja Yuffie.”
Ciel was momentarily tempted toward sarcasm, but as he looked at the way the girl moved, and held herself, it seemed entirely possible that she was in fact a ninja. “A ninja? Walking the streets? This place scares me already...” he whispered.
“Don’t be like that! Hollow Bas- I mean, Radiant Garden’s great! I’d like to leave soon, just so I can do a little adventuring, but I’ll certainly miss it here. I’m one of the people who made it what it is today, you know.”
“It may sound like a load of crap,” said another voice, “but it’s actually true.” A brown-haired man in a black leather coat stepped out of the shadows. He had a long scar diagonally across his face. “Leon,” said the man. Ciel figured that it was his name.
“Nice to meet you.” Ciel was trying to be polite, but he was really just wondering who these people were, and why they were bothering him.
“So how ‘bout it, Leon? I found one, so can I go now?” pleaded Yuffie.
The man scoffed. “He’s hardly strong enough. Besides, you haven’t even asked him yet.”
Ciel glared at Leon. “I don’t know who you think you are, but I’ve had enough of this.” He held out his hands, and manifested his keyblades. “You wanna see how strong I am firsthand before you judge?” Ciel was tired, confused, and irritated. He wasn’t in any mood to take crap from a brown-haired stranger.
Leon drew a gunblade from a holster behind his waist. “Fine with me.” Ciel leapt at the man, and slashed away, ducking and jumping around furiously. The man blocked a few of Ciel’s strikes, jumped back, and fired his gunblade, forcing Ciel into a retreat. Leon dashed toward Ciel, and swung once. Ciel held up his keyblades to block the blow, but the force of the swing sent him tumbling backwards, with his keyblades flying away from him. “You’re fast, kid, but you’re not putting any force into those swings.”
“I don’t need any help from you!” snapped Ciel. He stuck out his hands, calling his keyblades back, and resumed his attack. Leon smiled as he stopped each blow, unshaking under the force of Ciel’s strikes. Ciel sent another flurry of blows at the man, and then pulled back the Time’s Scar, and swung it forward full force. The strength of the slash pushed Leon backward, but the man didn’t stumble or fall.
“Good. You may not want my help, but at least you’re smart enough to accept it when it’s given.” Leon leaned back casually. “Lesson two- magic.”
“One step ahead of ya!” shouted Ciel, raising the Time’s Scar. The weapon glowed with magic, shimmering. “Fire!” A small fireball burst from the end, flying toward Leon.
“Reflect,” say Leon casually. A sphere of transparent interlocking hexagons appeared around him, and the Fire spell deflected off of it, barely missing Ciel’s face. He could feel the heat as the spell raced past his face. Ciel jumped forward, and smashed his keyblade down on the barrier. The weapon rebounded, and Ciel stumbled backward again. The barrier disappeared, and Leon swung his sword down to Ciel’s feet, and pulled the trigger. The resulting explosion knocked Ciel down yet again. “You’ve got lots of potential, but you’ve got no experience. It takes a lot of power to make up for inexperience.
Ciel’s heart was beating fast. He couldn’t lose to this guy, not this easily. If he couldn’t beat some arrogant street swordman, what was he going to do against Organization XIII? He needed more strength! He pulled himself up to a kneel, and concentrated. (I need more power!) he thought desperately. He could feel his adrenaline pumping, and his body surge with power. “Drive Form Guardian! Give me strength!”
The magic of the clothing Spekkio had given him surged up. He could feel himself being lifted off the ground, the clothes being reshaped around him, and power surging through him. The magic lowered Ciel to the ground, and he took a look at himself.
His clothes were now green, in the form of a flowing, long trenchcoat. Under the coat, he was wearing a suit of full-plate black steel armor. Across his eyes were a pair of circular sunglasses. He stood slowly, lifting his keyblades carefully.
“Well...” said Leon, taken aback, “I see you have a trump card.”
“Are you going to tell me what you even want with me yet?”
“Sit tight, kid. The fight’s almost over.”
END CHAPTER 11