May I get 4 points on Intelligence please?
Maybe another time would be good, a time where the Master wouldn't be so busy. He nodded with understanding of course, he didn't want to bother Master Yen Sid if he could help it, he overstayed his welcome at this point and there was no point in staying longer. As he walked behind Yen Sid, he began to notice the various titles of his ample collection of books. The Main Three caught his attention but he didn't linger, he could come back at a later time. They began to walk down a hall of nothing but mirrors, mirrors of different worlds. He still worried for Clay, would he be all right? Would he come back? "Thank you for your kindness, Master. I don't want to disturb you anymore so I'll be heading back home.."He said, stopping infront of a mirror that reflected his home, and his allies too. He visibly cringed seeing Karina, knowing she would be angry with him abandoning the last mission. He looked at Yen Sid and gave a nod before stepping through, the mirror becoming liquid as it drew him in, the mirror flashing a moment. A portal opened up in the sky, and the person who flew through it on his hover cycle was none other than Kross. He circled the courtyard before hopping, his haori around his waist flapping around before he landed, holding his hand out to his glider and it vanished, storing his keyblade for whenever he needed it. He stood straight, looking at all the faces, new and old. Most seemed friendly, a couple or three seemed to be broody. "Hi everyone!"He greeted jovially, as if the fear just moments before he departed here were just memories. No use in dwelling on the negative."I see some old friends and new faces!"
Nice to see ya'll again :)
Kross frowned with concern over his friend, Yen Sid's chiding didn't help much with it either, but it wasn't relevant right now, he had questions and as far as he knew, the Master had answers. He took the seat opposite of Yen sid, obviously nervous as to what the aged master had to say. While his words held wisdom, they always left a sense of uncertainty to listeners. "The Keyblade War..Master Eraqus did not even let me in on the knowledge of that subject, he said the higher ups barred it from even Masters like him."He said, eyebrows furrowed with worry, It seemed that the Master did not know the intentions of the three, other than the smallest, now known as Vanitas. He was startled by what he said next."Master Xehanort? I haven't seen him since a long time ago, when I first arrived here to train with you."He said, This Vanitas walked the path of darkness, did Xehanort walk that same unhealthy path? Vanitas betrayed Xehanort, so this new threat was not the Master's doing, but there was something more sinister behind the scenes, if what Yen Sid said was true.. It was when Master Yen Sid mentioned the three that it drew his attention, it was a let down, he thought of something."So those mirrors are your portals to other worlds? That was how me and Clay got sucked in..!"He said, mulling over his words carefully. He furrowed his brows and sat up straight."I'm sorry Master..I do have one more question, I want to strengthen my magic a bit so I can help my friends when they need me. I couldn't help a group lock one world, and I don't want it to happen again. Do you think you can tell me where I can train?" He knew it was asking a little much, but protecting his friends were first priority,
Kross fought his hardest, whacking and slashing every heartless his keyblade could reach, doing some magic for the ones he wasn't able to reach. Eventually they fell, or gave up, either or it was a victory for him. "That was a nice warmup."He said, his faithful weapon disappearing as he rolled his right shoulder with a bright grin on his face, no problem at all."THat went better than I hoped, right Clay? Clay?"He turned, seeing him frozen and staring into space, worried, he reached out slowly, only for the sounds of a door opening and a voice to make him pause and turn. THe blue robe, the wizard's hard, the grey hair and the somber look was more than enough to hint at who was speaking. "Master Yen Sid.."He said and quickly straightened himself and bowed, hearing about the security system drew his attention and he stood up."Your magic created the illusionary heartless? That's amazing Master" He said. Master Yen Sid was always amazing, his magic was second to none, even Merlin couldn't top him. He stood straight and looked over at Clay worriedly as the Master explained the wielder's condition."Will he be okay..?"He said in a hushed voice. He looked up as Yen Sid walked ahead and quickly followed."I do have a few.."He said and stood infront of him."Master, Why have these Heartless started appearing? Who are these three dark beings, and how did Terra, Aqua and Ventus go missing? Was it these three?"
Kross was very much checking out, with interest into what composed this durable desk that Yen Sid had the honor of sitting behind. It had to have been oak..he was almost sure of it. It was then something swam along the floor in his peripheral vision. He turned in time to see the doors seal themselves with a magical barrier seal. He saw dark spheres go around the room, out stepping Heartless, the garden variety, nothing more. Twitterpated appeared in his hand, faithful as ever and he took his stance."Desk argument comes later, I suppose"He mused with a light grin. Maybe now he can get in some practice, but enough of the formalities, time for the fight. He let the charge, seeding towards the heartless like a raging bull, poising his keyblade in and lashed out, aiming to take out one of the heartless before moving to the next.
It was like a race, and Kross enjoyed races very much. The two were tied, and the flights were vast, seemingly endless. He was about as perplexed as Clay was, but that was Kross, he wasn't scared of much, just curious. It was how he tended to know more than some people, when people are afraid of something, they do not understand it, and knowledge trumps that fear. As they ascended higher, Clay voiced his thoughts exactly. He looked at him and grinned."I don't think it does, but it would be fun to see what's on the end, don't you think?" He was antsy, and he couldn't wait to get to the end of the steps. Finally, they had reached a floating door at the end of the endless spiraling staircase. Clay made a teasing gesture and Kross chuckled, choosing to go along with it."My, what a gentleman"He teased back with a bright grin. He saw Clay open the door to what revealed to be a rather spacious office with a desk in the middle of the room. He stepped in, the room had shelves of books and a grandfather clock in the corner, the giant desk itself seemed aged, with good quality wood built into it, whoever ran this place got good materials, there was an almost mystic feel in the room, Kross, being a mage could sense that distinctly. He approached the table and gently knocked on it, cocking his head."So what do you think? Oak? Mahogany? Maybe even Birch?"He asked Clay.
Kross, felt the heat of the light fade and deemed it safe to open his eyes and removed his arm from his face, staring straight into a mirror. He stepped back, startled at this and glanced around. He saw a staircase to his left, eyes wide with curiosity. He could spot the fetish on the base of the stairs, one held a design of a wizard's hat and the other held a crescent moon design, something he recognized. He then looked at Clay, then regarded the door that had a shining lavender glaze over it. He went over and tapped it with his finger, his expression grimace before a stepped back."It's a barrier, and a very strong one too."He looked at the staircase."Whoever takes residence here wants us to go up."His serious expression faded to a bright grin."Come on!"He said to Clay and hurried, briskly running up the stairs, same ole energetic Kross
Kross took his mage stance with a purpose, smiling with a set glare as the battle ensued. He watched as Clay rushed at him, the adrenaline pumping through him. He reflexivel brought his keyblade up as the man uppercutted, clashing with a metallic 'clink!' and sparks came out for their clash, his muscles straining to hold back the strong man. He enjoyed this kind of thing, battling an opponent to defeat him, sparring with a friend to gauge his skills, it didn't matter, he enjoyed it, it brought him a sense of peace knowing his friend could hold his own. He was good for a beginner, he was really good. He swung when Clay was distracted, but it looked like the clash was over. His brown eyes caught the sight of white light coming from his right. He turned and faced the light, eyes wide with curiousity."It looks like a portal of light..to a different world but this one feels different."He told Clay, it felt pure. He walked towards it and reached out, the warmth rising, and it looked like the light reacted when he touched it, warping and spreading through the area. He covered his eyes with an arm, it was bright!. The loud sound ememnating from the aura blocked out his screaming of Clay's name.
Kross was excited too, traditionally to gauge a person's skills, there would be a friendly spar. He couldn't wait to be able to spar with Clay, he had a feeling the man would be a great challenge, like Karina. Kross nodded, he did want to introduce his new friend to his fellow wielders but it would have to wait. He listened to Clay as the man explained his situation, a keyblade glider was how he got here, though it was something automatic, something he couldn't control. Kross could control his glider so maybe he could teach Clay to control his. He grinned and scratched his chin."I'd be more than happy to give you some pointers while we spar."He offered. He stood as Clay returned to him and smiled."We spar in the throne room, it's got a lot of space and less likely to damage anything."He said, turning and leading. The throne room was huge, with three thrones at the end of the spacious room and the ceiling reaching quite high into the air. Once he crossed a few yards in, he turned towards clay and held his hand out, palm spread and his keyblade flashed in a flash of light. He brandished it behind him and held an arm out, palm out and fingers together, grinning at him."Let's do this"
Kross was glad that the two had much in common, they just wanted to help others, to help their friends and allies, even if they had different methods and ways. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly at the compliment."ha, thanks, but Warrior is a good choice too. You must be quite strong."He complimented back. He scratched the side of his nose, OH!"Maybe we can do a friendly spar, on my island, we used to hold tournaments with physical sparring known as Struggling, perhaps we can do something similar? After you eat I mean."He said. Maybe a little sparring could gauge his skills and at the same time have fun. His question made him think, all of the others were on various missions, and access to the worlds were tightly restricted when the party was full."Hmm, I'm not too sure, they're in various worlds, I was just coming back from a mission myself, The worlds are vast, but somehow Master Eraqus can track all of us at once. I believe he uses some sort of Crystal in the throne room We can check that out in a little bit, I'm glad you got something to eat, you looked like you were going to starve to death. How did you get here?"
Choosing paths was tricky, particularly when you had to sacrifice a path, it felt like sacrificing a bit of yourself for something more, this was why Kross chose the Mystic path, To be there when his friends needed him, to be able to help them even when he is too far for close combat, that was the life he wanted to lead. He admired Clay's resolve, to be strong in heart and body, to help his allies and other people, it was an admirable trait. He had to sacrifice mystic though, which made Kross wince a little inside, should he have asked? Of course! He didn't want Clay thinking that he was offended by that. He nodded, understanding his words. Clay valued strength, and who was Kross to tell him other wise? He understood, even if it stung a little. Now the question was reciprocated, he remembered his own dive, he remembered the rush of emotions he had felt and how in a trance he was, it had almost gotten him killed, but he managed to face the heartless and dispatch them. He breathed in."I..."He trailed off, looking towards his new friend."I sacrificed the path of the warrior. To be able to help my friends even when I am unable to be near them, that is the life I chose to lead."
They crossed the entrance hall which led straight into the dining hall, the place adorned with blue and gold curtains, not unless the color scheme of the castle's exterior. The contrast of the blue against the pure white walls were stunning, however odd. But the dining room had a warmth to it, despite that. Kross liked the dining hall, it was always cheery looking, adorned with bright colors and light-related fetishes, it just seemed right. He turned, full front to Clay and invited him to take a seat, curiously going to the silver platter with the same dome on it."Usually there's a sort of magic that changes out food under here, it's how we get some fresh food."He said and opened it, revealing it to be a rather large breaded chicken salad. He smiled brightly and slid the platter to him. He sat at the man's side, catching his first question, and many to come..but he would focus on this one first. His face contorted thoughtfully, then brightened a bit."It's a weapon, I don't knoe much about it, but from what Master Yen Sid had me study, it's an ancient man-made weapon that was engineered out of some kind of moon. But it's a legend, I don't know much else about the keyblade, other than it can channel my magic."He said, then fgured it out."Oh! Yes, what path did you choose when you dived? I chose Mystic" He asked, smiling at him.
Kross could understand that the man felt that this was foreign, when he was pulled from his home on Pepper Island, he knew this too well, he felt lost as well, but over time under Master Yen Sid's teaching, he had grown to get used to the wear of the Keyblade bearer. Over time, the title 'Keyblade Wielder' turned from confusion to..a sense of pride and honor. He felt butterflies the first time and that was still present when the light in his hand summoned his keyblade to his side, his trusty weapon, his defense against the darkness. Some wielders had a pure heart while others had darkness in their hearts, the keyblade was choosy with both sides. It was a man-made weapon of pure light, or a man's machination of pure darkness, either way, it chose the purest of both sides. Clay's question drew his attention and he stroked his chin again, smiling big. Poor guy was hungry as anything, looking like he hadn't eaten in a while. He stood straight and nodded."Sure, we can eat something, I really don't mind answering any question you need answering."He said. He turned and began the trek up the stairs of the castle, pausing to glance back to him."Come on! The dinner hall is this way!"He called out to him and sprinted his way to the twin doors, putting his hands on the doors and used his upper body strength to push them open. A light shone out for a moment before the huge entrance hall became apparent, going inside.
The male introduced himself, even went so far as to stick his hand out to shake it. Kross smiled bright and took the man's hand, shaking it a couple of times, he wouldn't refuse an extension of friendship, no way no how. He let go and carefully assisted The man, now dubbed 'Clavis' to his feet."Nice to meet you, Clay. If you like, I can give you a few pointers on how to guide your rider. For now though, I guess now that introductions are out of the way, what are you doing here?" He asked, cocking his head to the side curiously. His question was answered when Clay said he was summoned here, by Yen Sid no doubt! This was shocking to him, but he also felt relief that they were finally gaining new allies against the growing darkness."Oh!"He exclaimed and put his hand to his chin, stroking it for a moment, he believed the man, he looked like he could be trustworthy."Master Yen Sid sent you here! In that case, I'm very glad you came." He stood straight, it was a good thing he was so light on his feet, otherwise he would have ended up like Clay, bless the guy's heart, he looked lost."Hmm, The Master sent you here, to the Land of Departure, I do find that interesting.."He trailed off, seeing the spear of light before the keyblade appeared. He raised both brows."You heard right."He said and stepped back, holding his right hand out and a spear of light appeared in his hand, Twitterpad appeared in his hand, he brightly grinned."I have the same abilities as you, there are more of us but most of us are out on missions. I wish you could meet them, and you will! I promise."He assured as he willed his keyblade away with ease."You aren't alone in this. Master Yen Sid summoned you here, that means he has a special destiny for you. I wish you could meet him, he is extremely wise."
Kross didn't mean to botch up this mission, things were simply out of his control. He didn't mean to compromise his team, but it seemed that retreat was inevitable. He saw the familiar blue/black portal open before him when he focused his keyblade. He hopped on his motorcycle-like rider and made a hasty beeline for it, all the way back home. He leaned forward and put some nitro into his rider, making it burst with a blue-white light. When he made the journey to the Lanes in between, he made his way home, to the Land of Departure. His journey was a blur, quick and erratic until he skidded through the familiar dark portal to the stars above and circled the lands like a hawk, until of course he came across a figure on the ground, looking like he had a rougher time than he did. Oh no, he's hurt.. His maternal instincts kicked in and he zoomed towards the poor soul, his rider dematerializing as he landed elegantly to the ground, the haori on his waist swaying as he landed nimbly he went over immediately to the man's side and kneeled down next to him. Easy, you look like you've had a rough landing, can you stand?" He asked. His eyes widened a bit, that warmth..this light, was this male another keyblade user? He gasped gently and put a hand on his shoulder."You're a wielder! I should have known..well, welcome."He said with a bright smile."My name is Kross Connery, nice to meet you."He said, though he did wonder if the guy could stand up."It's all right, I'm a friend. What's your name sir?"He asked in a bright voice, it was hard to believe that he was an accomplished mage under Yen Sid's teaching. He did wonder though, what was this guy doing here? What was his purpose?
Kross took his keyblade up and gripped it at his side. Seemed they were a little bit further away from Mcleach but he would not underestimate the man. It wasn't that he didn't want to remain with his allies, having a bad sense of timing was all it took for him to get separated from his group." Fang! If you can bring me back around the corner, I can go and help my friends, we can't let Mcleach or the Heartless near the boy or the eggs, okay?"
This was a very tense situation, it was a standoff. Sure, Fang was very tough emotionally and physically but she was being held at gunpoint. Kross couldn't get off of her shoulder, so he stayed behind. He clung on as Fang started jumping along the rocks at a nimble pace, seeing Mcleach not too far behind. He winced a little bit, it looked like the situation was escalating quite a bit. With the heartless attacking his allies, and he wasn't able to help, all he could do was pray that Mcleach wouldn't catch up."Fang, we need a plan"He suggested, summoning his keyblade and held onto Her shoulder with one hand, aiming behind him with the other and blasted a Blizzard spell aiming at Mcleach.
Things were looking bleak, it was do or die from this point on and Kross was more than prepared to take action for the sake of protecting the nest. He tensed up when he spotted the momma bird looming over her brood, no time to act like the present. He breathed out nervously and looked at his allies, grinning."You guys ready to end this?"He asked, looking up."Fang, if we're protecting the mother bird and the eggs, our priority is to get up to the nest, you'll need to show Mcleach a thing or two about chivalry."
Kross held on, arching his back forward to get more grounded on Fang's shoulder. He lightly laughed as Jake introduced him as 'Klaus'."Close enough."He said with a bright grin. He lightly gasped as Fang took off, holding on as tight as his little hands could. He heard Fang's plan and he nodded twice."Okay, we'll protect the eggs, you gonna be okay though Fang? I know you're tough, but this man is evil.."He trailed off when she stopped, nodding to her words."All right, the eggs are our priority and so is the mama bird, we'll leave the boy and mcleach to you Fang."
