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We are entering the endgame; chapter 042 out now

This is one of the coolest things ever. I can't believe that 15 years later I'm still discovering new ways my antics lived on. The fact that this is the Final Mix version makes it even crazier. Thanks for sharing :D

042​

Mish watched the bodies of Blaine and Calxiyn disappear into the ceiling. It was evident what would have happened if they’d gone through with Cin’s plan to find Roxas - he had no interest in rekindling old friendships. Since the game had begun, Mish wondered whether she could get through to him if given the chance. Not only had that chance not come, the probability of him changing his mind was non-existent. It almost felt like he was a different person now. As if I’ll have a chance to speak with him, anyway.
“Let us go over challenge number three,” Roxas announced. “The final challenge.”
Final…? Mish looked around at her friends. If this was the final challenge, then there would only be one of them left come the end of it. There’s still so many of us. The first night of the game came back to her. Roxas had noted an important rule, then; there could be more than one winner. Did that mean this challenge, too, would have more than one winner?
“Yeah, we’re at the finish line,” Roxas said. She heard a hint of sadness in his voice. “I just wanna say to everyone here… damn, guys. You really put on a great show. The numbers are in and almost 8% of the world’s population are watching the game at any given time. I was speechless when they told me. But, my theory was correct. We’re so desensitized to violence - so used to it - that we were only a stone’s throw away from broadcasting something like this. And now the tipping point has come, and we have thrown ourselves as society over the edge into whatever lies beyond. Death is now officially a spectator sport, and all sports must have a winner.”
The outside world seemed so far away now, and Mish couldn’t begin to imagine a reality where millions were tuning into something like this. Maybe it was all a lie to rile them up into playing harder and killing each other faster, but Roxas’s point struck a chord with her. Nothing she’d seen out here was new, in the sense that any movie or even news broadcast of war contained much of what she’d seen with her own eyes. Perhaps this really was what the people wanted; what they’d been programmed to consume.
“The third challenge is a deathmatch,” Roxas said. From the corner of her eye, she saw a few heads turn. “With a twist, of course. There will be three rounds, with three players each. For those of you not doing the math yet, that means three people will emerge from this challenge - or, the Final Three, as I’m calling them. Branding stuff; don’t worry about it.”
Mish noticed how many people were looking at the cash. All that split between three people was still more than anyone in the world needed. She knew how close she was now, but it was never about the money for her, anyway. I guess it’ll help wash this all off. Speaking of washing, when was the last time she'd showered?
“The twist? Well… you know all the random weapons you got before? They’re gone now. I don’t care how useful you thought your uzi or shotgun was, because you can forget about ‘em.”
Mish sighed - her Glock had kept her feeling confident.
“You'll be provided new weapons during the challenge, so don’t worry; it won’t just be a fist fight.”
Roxas held up his arm and a group of Organization members walked forward. “You,” they said, pointing at Lauriam. “Up here.” Lauriam looked around for help before she walked onto the platform. Two of the grunts grabbed her shoulders and led her toward the back of the stage.
“You!” Mish looked up. Another set of Organization members were pointing at her now. “Player number two, come forward.”
“What’s happening?” she asked. Roxas looked her way.
“No worries, Mish. They’re leading you to the arena.”
“The arena…?”
Before she had time to think about it more, the members came off the platform and grabbed her. “Stop!” she screamed. “I was coming!”
Behind her, she saw Misty getting retrieved as well. “Where are you taking me?” she screamed.
“They’re taking you to the next challenge, everyone,” Roxas explained, pushing his hands to the ground in an attempt to diffuse the tension. “Relax and enjoy the ride.”
Mish was swept into the tunnel and rushed forward. She saw Lauriam’s pink hair shining up ahead.
“Keep moving!” the Org member holding her left arm shouted. Jesus, man, it’s not like I can power walk any faster than I am.
It wasn’t long before the tunnel opened. There, a yellow school bus waited. She’d seen them on television but had never ridden one herself. The goons shoved her inside and she saw gray, plastic seats waiting. Lauriam sat at the back.
“Take a seat, player two!”
Behind her, Misty was waiting to get on the bus. Mish walked up a few rows and sat down. Misty followed, and one-by-one, the rest of the players joined the bus. When Cin entered, he sat down next to her.
“Hey, Mish,” he said. “You okay?”
She turned from the window. “Yeah… wish I had my gun, though.”
“And I wish I had my tracker. Our plan's ****ed.”
“We failed,” Mish said. “We couldn’t get people to cooperate. And now look at where we are. We're doomed.”
Everyone had sat down on the bus, and an armed driver and a pair of bodyguards joined them. The bus pulled away, heading west past the abandoned shops. Mish, having gone to both the volcano and ruins, had never been to this part of the island before.
“Maybe there’s another way,” Cin thought aloud. “If we can corner him during this deathmatch, we can have our chance.”
“Cin, I don’t think it’s going to happen,” Mish told him. “This is the final challenge. There won’t be many of us left after this. When will we have the numbers to make a real stand?”
He seemed dejected. “I’m sorry. But let’s be reasonable, dude. Let’s make this 'Final Three.' We need to survive this so we can see him after.”
“If we make it, Mish…”
“I know how badly you wanted to find him and end this before too many of us died. But here we are, only nine of us left, marching hastily into the final challenge to die again… We were never supposed to stop it. Whatever’s happening is beyond our control.”
They sat in silence as the bus followed the road along the island’s coast. Mish heard someone crying behind her and decided not to look out of respect. She looked out the window instead. The sky was orange, the sun just above the horizon. It was early in the morning and a small fog had yet to lift. As the minutes passed, the mist parted and Mish saw the humps of the sand dunes in the distance. There, a giant structure rose into the air.
“Cin,” she said, patting his shoulder. He turned. “I see something.”
She pointed out the window and he followed her gaze. The gargantuan structure seemed to have an oval shape. Its white walls gleamed in the sunrise and giant metal bars held up its roof.
“That is an arena,” Cin gasped. “When Roxas said that, I didn’t think he meant an actual stadium.”
A low buzzing sound began to carry through the window. Mish ignored it at first, but it began to grow in volume to the point where everyone on the bus was looking about. “You hear that?” she asked.
“I do,” said Cin. “Is it waves building? Music at the arena?”
“Not music,” Mish said, realizing what it might be. She’d heard it before when the local football team played at the grounds only a quarter kilometer from her. It was the rising sound of a crowd. “It’s people.”
The bus turned off the road and onto the sand. Several cactuses were squashed as it barreled toward the stadium, a cloud of dust in its wake. The dunes grew shorter as the sand flattened into a desert and they reached the entrance to the arena. Mish felt Cin grab her hand as two giant doors slowly opened. The driver waited as the chains groaned and pulled, then put the bus back into gear and drove inside.
“God help us,” Cin whispered.
YEEAAAH!!!
Mish flinched at the roar of the crowd. The risers seemed to touch the sky, each seat filled with faces jubilant for the sight of blood. The stadium had all the fixings; LED scoreboards, a complex light system that illuminated the battlefield, and a central television that broadcast the action. They had stopped at the edge of the arena, an oval full of sand. Steam hissed from the bus as the door opened. A splash of vomit hit the floor behind them.
“Players!” the driver shouted over the crowd. “Exit the bus and walk to the center of the arena. Roxas will announce the game’s rules once you are there.”
“This is so messed up,” Cin said. "How could these people be here? Won't they save us?"
“They’ve been watching us all along from home,” Mish replied, putting her hand on his shoulder. “Now they’re here. What's the difference?” It felt surreal. Disturbing. She could barely walk as they were ushered off the bus one by one.
The sun was so bright now, she had to cover her eyes as it gleamed off the dazzling walls of the arena. Her eyes adjusted and she felt the full depth of the sound as the ground rumbled beneath her. She stumbled along next to Cin until they reached a circle pit at the center.
A happy trumpet melody began to play and the audience slowly grew quiet. The song swelled until it reached its apex, and then Mish heard the familiar sound that had followed them across the island: doo-doo-dah!
On the giant screens, she watched Roxas walk out on a balcony. He had a headset on, its little microphone covering a gleaming smile. The ******* must love this, she shook her head. All this attention. Ugh.
Cin whispered her name and she looked at him. “It’ll be okay.”
“Friends!” Roxas smiled into the camera. “It is such an honor to be with you here today, for our final challenge. Now presenting… the one… the only… KH-Vids Deathmatch!”
The noise that followed was immense, a roar of a crowd so hungry for action it might be ready to rip itself to shreds if the players didn’t get to it first, mixed with Jock Jam’s Are You Ready For This? played at an obscenely loud volume.
“It’s time for the rules,” Roxas grinned. “So pay attention, players.”

9 players remaining

That actually is even more mind-blowing. Can I see?

• The Grid is probably my least favorite world. I still like it in general, but its color scheme gets bland. At least one of the maps (Bridge or Throughput maybe) could have gone for something else.
• EXP Walker has made me too OP. I'm nearly done with Musketeers and nothing's been a challenge yet.
• Symphony is an amazing penultimate world. I love how it's basically two different worlds at this point. PP & TWTNW are the same way now that I think about it.
• Holy ****, I actually got wrecked by Young Xehanort at the end there. Took about 5 tries.
• Dammit, I said the wrong answer for Riku by accident during the Destiny Islands scene LOL... I need to reset.
• ****. I skipped scenes to reach the question (YX took me like 10 tries this time) and the scene scip button also SKIPS the question part. Why!?
• Ok, I beat YX on my 2nd try. I've got him figured out now. But god dammit, these stupid questions lmfao.
• I finally did it. I answered the questions correctly. That was 45 minutes well wasted.
• Secret ending reveals Kairi to be a potential Keyblade master. So exciting when it originally happened, but such a letdown when you see how she was handled in KH3.
• I'm gonna bum rush the Secret Portals and Julius now before hitting level 99. I've heard they're easy so let's try to make it a challenge.
• The TT boss was tough with Riku - that small map is not friendly. I found Spellican to be a nightmare with Sora as well but only because of the railgrind bit lol.
• I'm not sure what do do now so I'm gonna wait until my next play sesh to start knocking off all the random miscellaneous trophies I have left.

Oh my god... My mind is literally blown right now.

041 has been delivered to The Spam Zone

041​

Side by side, step by step, forty Organization members marched down the tunnel toward the dormitory. At their head was Roxas, looking more threatening than ever with a machine gun bouncing against his chest. He wasn’t usually armed. But the game had changed. His beloved players had tried to escape and murder him. He couldn’t blame them. Not after what he’d put them through. But he knew now that all bets were off. Most of the game’s twists were by his own machination, but this latest one he did not see coming. It troubled him. And the proof was all around. Why else did he need a troop to accompany him to meet his players? Did they scare him that much?
The black, metal walls seemed so uninviting now, a void he’d rather not stare into. It all seemed plastic, fake - the fun of the game was ruined. He saw the island as it really was: an old movie set, repurposed for the game. The veneer had rubbed away and the knotted reality beneath appeared. Soon, the game will end. An end that’s been long in sight. And when that finally happens-
“Halt!”
Behind him, an Org goon shouted. The members fell in line. Roxas snapped out of thought and looked ahead. They’d reached the dormitory.
Someone walked ahead and used their fingerprint to unlock a keypad. A code was entered and the door opened. Roxas had turned off the fog machines. The mood was bleaker than usual as the giant metal panel groaned with no accompanying theatrics. When it opened, he saw the disheveled, horrified members of KH-Vids who still lived.
He walked forward, no fantastic speech prepared this time, and looked out at the nine who yet played; the unlucky ones, in his mind. He pitied them the most.
Lauriam… the poor girl had made such an effort during the game. She was smart, no doubt, but was it enough? Roxas wondered whether the next challenge would simply be too much for her. But there was a certain cunning he couldn’t quite calculate. Regardless, he was excited to see how she’d fare.
Player number two was Mish. He still remembered writing her invitation; it was the first he’d written. She was also the first to respond. A pang of guilt always tore through him when he saw her, but he’d compartmentalized that betrayal long ago. What he’d done to her was unfair and it would fuel her more in the game to come. She has a chance. But, so does anyone…
Misty had survived, too. Roxas couldn’t even look her way. Their messages were the ones he treasured most when he logged back into the website, and her face when she looked at him seemed to reflect the same emotions. The seething hatred that came with it, though, was what broke him. He briefly caught her eye, and for one second he wanted to freeze time so he could talk to her - but he was the Composer. He had to move on.
Next to her stood Cia. Her arms were wrapped around herself while she shivered. Once, she was special to him. But what had he done to her now? To all of them? The next challenge would break them - would she be ready, looking so scared and so helpless?
He turned his gaze to Cin. His old friend stared back, his eyes fierce. There was a bloodthirstiness there. Surely he could handle whatever was thrown at him. But even then, he’d gotten lucky. Roxas had laughed when he found out that Cin got the souped up tracker as his random weapon. And now here he was. It all made sense.
Aelin had transformed over the course of the game - at first, helpless, but after losing Arch something had changed. She had many fans in the outer world who were rooting for her to make a comeback. One of chat’s favorites. Let’s hope you don’t let them all down.
A few beds over, Risk was the only one still sitting. His movements during capture the flag had provided excellent coverage of the island. Internet statisticians had his distance traveled and steps taken in the top percentile among the game’s participants. Tired legs, eh? You better give them a stretch.
C seemed completely unbothered by the abrupt entrance of forty armed men. He had wit and athleticism in spades, and both had kept him in the game so far. His duel with Evil was one of the most replayed clips from the first challenge. Fan-girls were praying he’d make it to the end of the game - there would be no end to the suitors who’d line up for him if he was to make it to the other side.
Finally, Roxas turned to Tamale. The kid had managed to skirt death a few times and even learned how to take someone out along the way. Of all the people here, his experience in the game so far would prepare him for the next challenge more than any.
There were the final pieces of his puzzle. It was time to see who would make it to the very end.
“My friends,” Roxas said, emotionless. “It’s been a long game. We’ve all seen a lot… and some of us have done things we’d never thought we’d do. Crazy what you’ll do when you have no other choice, isn’t it?”
The remaining players stirred uncomfortably.
“Yet here you are - survivors. Through everything that’s transpired, you managed to make it here today. You are the final nine. Thus, I am here to explain to you the third challenge.”
His words echoed around the room. Misty raised her hand.
“Roxas?”
He nodded.
“You said we were the final nine. What about the others? Calxiyn, and Blaine?”
“Your little escape plot was a failure,” Roxas sighed, shaking his head. “We kinda got in the way of that, so… sorry.” A smile flickered across his thin lips. “Yozora become Yozero at the docks. He tried to take me out on the way. Don’t blame him, honestly. I am that kinda guy you just wanna kill. Anyway, we shredded him. As for Blaine and Calxiyn, well…”
Roxas looked at the ceiling, and everyone’s gaze followed.
“...Drop them.”
Two panels in the ceiling opened and Blaine and Calxiyn fell through. Their bodies twirled as they plummeted until the ropes around their necks snagged and stopped them. Calxiyn’s neck broke immediately, her body limp. Blaine, his arms tied behind him, wasn’t as lucky; he kicked about for a minute as blood ran down his body, the bone in his neck exposed.
“This is the punishment for trying to take the Composer’s life! For trying to escape the island!”
The remaining players had to close their eyes and look away as Blaine gargled on his own blood.
“I hope I’ve made my message clear. Take them up.”
Blaine, his body finally still, was lifted through the ceiling. He and Calxiyn disappeared into the void and the panels closed back up.
Shock filled the room. Roxas waited for it to dissipate before he carried on.
“Now,” he cleared his throat. “Let us go over challenge number three.”

9 players remaining

What do you mean by retaining the audio? A MIDI contains no audio. Do you mean that after editing the notes and trying to export as a new MIDI, it exports an empty file, or it exports the same MIDI you imported in the first place?

• **** the haters, the map design in this game is top notch. Cloches is an amazing, underrated world. Just go to the top of the tower in the Town map and tell me that isn't beautiful.
• I think this game really shines as an HD version, not 3DS. The worlds are so vast and epic, it makes no sense to put it on that tiny system. This should have been a console game from the start.
  
• EXP Walker on a NG+ is busted. I'm nearing level 20 and I just finished Cloches.
• The Special Portals apparently net you something awesome, and you need them for multiple trophies, so I think I'm going to try to finish them world by world as I go through the game. I still somehow only have 30% trophies after beating the whole game on Proud.
• There's something off in this game in that Prankster's Paradise comes first in the Journal and story but has a higher battle level than The Grid.
  
• The Keyblade is weaker, too. You're definitely supposed to come to PP first... let's just call this a weird typo that somehow never got fixed...
• I had the craziest glitch happen with Sora fighting Lord Kyroo. One of the frogs he spawned got stuck under the map, so I left and came back. When I challenged Lord Kyroo again, I was able to kill him. Last playthru I beat him much later in the game. He also gave me his recipe this time which I didn't have. Glitch aside, I wonder if this is a Crit thing.
• PP is done for both characters... well, I still have to do the Special Portals. Gonna do them next since they have such good rewards.

I just posted chapter 040... prepare yourself

040​

Deep beneath the island, Blaine, Calxiyn and Yozora hastily made their way to the docks Blaine had outlined in his escape plan. They’d been due north on the moving platform for a good twenty minutes, constantly pivoting backward to make sure no one was creeping up on them. The nature of the long, thin hall meant they could only be accosted from two sides. Blaine knew it wouldn’t be long before they reached the end. There, he’d find a control center - if they could make it through that and reach the docks, they’d have access to the lifeboats. If we make it, his inner voice repeated, fully aware that the alarm going off would make things more difficult.
I shouldn’t have been so careless, he thought, rubbing his neck where the microchip had been injected. I knew about the alarm. I knew it would go off after we passed a certain point. But I was so eager. Not that they wouldn’t figure out what I was up to eventually. A longer head start would have been nice...
“I see something up ahead,” Yozora said, his voice manipulated by the mask. “A change in scenery.”
“Then we’re nearly there,” Blaine told him. “Prepare to shoot, Yozora. I don’t think it’s going to be a warm welcome.”
They reached the end of the long hall and Blaine noticed a strange lack of Organization presence.
“No one,” Calxiyn gasped, as relieved as she was surprised. Her head turned back and forth as she took in the room at the end of the hall. There were a couple sprawling hallways that branched off in other directions, but the massive door in front of them led to the control center.
Blaine ran up to the door and then moved to its side, checking it for something. There, a keypad opened at the touch of his fingerprint. Orange buttons rose from the mist.
“You know the code?” asked Yozora.
“Unless they changed it.”
His fingers tapped the buttons he prayed would open the door; 4, 6, 1. Beep, boop, bap.
A mechanical groan rumbled from the wall as gears turned and metal churned. The door began to open from the bottom up and more mist poured out. Fifteen thousand on fog machines alone. What a joke, Blaine sighed.
The door opened an a metal clang echoed down the long hall. The fog cleared up and Yozora held his machine gun at the entrance.
“Blaine,” he called. “I don’t think there’s anyone here.”
“No?” He poked his head around the corner. The control room was deserted - chairs left on the floor, personal items scattered everywhere, random computers still running. Blaine stepped into the the room. “Come on, Calxiyn.” He reached back for her.
The trio walked carefully through the quiet room. Screens flickered, showing various parts of the island. Blaine saw the top of the volcano and the old town at the end of the tunnel. It was different when he had his Org mask on; when he wasn’t a victim of this plot. He’d taken pride in his work then, even gloated as the first KH-Vids members fell. But now he felt hollow, and those beautiful landscapes only filled him with the fear of what it would be like to be out there, fighting at those places himself. How could I put Calxiyn through this? Or any of us?
There was no time for regret now, though. He’d made his choice - for money, and for love.
“Quickly, both of you,” Blaine said, skipping forward. They reached the back of the room. Blaine unlocked another door and they entered a dark passage that led to a spiral staircase. Tap, tap, tap. Their footsteps sounded like clinking glass as they hurried down the stairs.
“This should take us right there!” Blaine called, excited. Their escape was imminent.
Blaine reached the bottom of the stairs and felt cold air hit his face. “Through this door!” He pressed down his fingerprint as Calxiyn and Yozora caught up to him, and the three of them stood there as it opened. The fresh smell of sea salt wafted into the room.
“My god,” Calxiyn said. “I smell it; the ocean.”
“This is actually happening,” Blaine smiled, hugging her. “We’re getting out of here.”
The door opened and the mist cleared. They looked out to freedom, but all they saw was an army of Organization members with their guns pointed at them. The first one pulled off its mask - it was Roxas.
“Fancy meeting you here,” he grinned. "Hands up. All of you."

---​

“The restroom? You expect us to believe that?” shouted the first Org goon, his weapon drawn at Lauriam’s face.
“Escaped players, I repeat - escaped players. This is a code six-three, code six-three, over.”
“Where at? Over.”
“Tunnel F. Over.”
“On our way. Over and out.”
“We were just on our way back,” Lauriam explained. "We - uh - ate dinner at the same time, and I think our digestive cycles are starting to line up after being together for so long."
“Sure. Explain this, then,” the Org member responded. They dragged one of their co-worker's bodies out from against a wall - the one Blaine and gang had killed on their way to the docks. “He’s dead. Who was this? One of you?”
“No,” Lauriam said, trying to bide time while she thought of a suitable response. "Not me, not Cia, not C-"
“None of us,” Risk shouted. “I swear! We just needed the toilet!”
The second Org member raised his weapon and walked up to Risk.
“This one looks guilty.” He pushed him, and Risk fell to the ground. “Ah!” he screamed, holding his shoulder where the gun had hit him. The Org members surrounded him, prodding him with their barrels.
“Shall we kill him? I’ve been itching to pull this trigger. No one would know a thing.”
“I say we skin him alive and have a feast.”
“Bloody hell, we’re not orcs. Put a revenge bullet in his brain so we can move on.”
“Wait!” screamed Risk. “B-but - the game! You can’t remove me from the game!”
The man cocked his machine gun and placed it on Risk’s forehead.
“Until the big man gives the word, we can do as we please.”
Lauriam watched his finger flex as if to pull the trigger, but the vengeful member was interrupted by a hiss. Gas began to float down from the ceiling and both members pulled back their guns.
“Lucky,” he groveled, looking at Risk. “You get to live another day.”
“I do?” Risk asked, wholly confused. He looked both relieved and exasperated.
“It's Roxas’s will.”
More gas spilled from the ceiling, and by the time Lauriam realized she was passing out, the rest of her friends had already collapsed.

---​

“Oh, Blaine,” Roxas smiled. “My old partner in crime. You thought I’d let you get away?” Behind him, a row of speedboats teased escape. “You and your lovebird - ugh… what a cute little story-line you’ve woven into my game.”
Blaine put his arm in front of Calxiyn. “Shut up, you deranged freak. At least one of us had the guts to go against the game. How insane are you? How many more people need to die before you call this thing off?”
“Well, there’s at least one more challenge, so… a few?”
Blaine spat. He was utterly disgusted. “How many more friends need to die before this is over?”
“This train isn’t stopping,” said Roxas, eyes closed. “We’re all on it now. You, me, Calxiyn… you know it, too, Blaine. The forces behind this game are so much bigger than you or I. We’re pawns in a greater scheme.”
Hands clenched, Blaine felt sweat run down his forehead. The boats were so close, but it was over. He didn’t have a magic backup plan. They would never make it now.
“Arghh!!!”
Behind Blaine, Yozora opened fire. Blaine grabbed Calxiyn’s hand and dove to the side before bullets rained down where Yozora stood, tearing holes through his thin body. The machine gun, dented and broken, fell to the floor in front of Blaine’s feet. The shreds of Yozora that were still left unraveled on the floor amidst a pile of bullets.
Roxas lay on the ground, uninjured. He was helped up and brushed off. Next to him were the dead bodies of several Org members who had dived in his way to take the bullets for him. One of their machine guns was handed to him and he checked the chamber. “Thanks.”
Doo-doo-dah! “Player number thirteen - Yozora - has left the game.”
“Ah, Yozora,” Roxas nodded. “So that’s who that was.”
Blaine looked at Yozora’s machine gun, but it was useless. Roxas marched over alone.
“Shame you couldn’t run away together,” he said. “Now go on, Blaine. Say it before I kill you.”
“Say what?”
“Just tell her you love her. We’ll make it look good in post.”
Blaine turned to Calxiyn. She looked at him, panic in her eyes, and he knew now was the worst time to say it. But Roxas was right; he was about to die. There wouldn’t be another chance.
“Calxiyn,” he whispered. “I’ll just say it. I love you.”
She stared back at him. Her mouth opened, and he wondered what she would possibly say. He could have let this game play out and walked away a multi-millionaire. He was set for life. But no… he knew deep down why he really joined as an investor when Roxas asked him to. It was because he had one condition. And that was that Roxas must invite Calxiyn.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “I know we’re going to die… and I know I supported you that one time years ago when everyone else hated you… but… I don’t even know you.”
Blaine froze. What more could he do? What could be more romantic than this?
“Ha ha ha ha haaaaa!”
Roxas cracked up. He had to keep himself from falling over as he cackled like Tidus on the balcony in Luca. Blaine wished he was dead. He rolled over, turning away from Calxiyn.
“O-oh,” Roxas wheezed. “Oh, that’s too funny. I mean, damn Blaine, I’ve been turned down before, but that-” He shook his head and exhaled. “That is quality content. Anyway, guards! Cuff them.”
Blaine felt arms wrap around him, but he was powerless.
I could have just been rich, he thought. I could have been ****ing rich.
“What’s going to happen to us?” Calxiyn asked. “Are we back in the game?”
Roxas looked away. “Hmm… nah. I’m gonna make an example of you two. Lock them up, boys. We’ll get to them in the morning.”
Calxiyn screamed and cried as they led her from the docks, but all Blaine could do was look at the speedboats as they dragged him away.
We were so. Damn. Close.
The last thing he saw before he was pulled into the depths of the island was Roxas crack a beer as a boat left for sea.

11 players remaining

• Ok, I finished the game! It's time for my Crit run to begin and my "official" notes for this plat run to start. I know, I know, I've gotten a lot of trophies out of the way... but we all know hearing about the pain of Crit is more entertaining anyway.
• I used a bit of farming + 10 Water Barrels and now I have EXP Walker before dropping to Riku in Traverse Town. It's gonna feel like playing a different game.
• Second Chance, Once More and Superglide are mine as well. I haven't even gotten to the first boss yet.
• ****, I'm gonna have to actually focus on Flick Rush now. These endgame Eaters should make it a lot more tolerable.
• I wish they put a chest up on the balcony where Sora starts in TT, for Riku. A lot of chests are placed exactly the same.
• The map design in this game is pretty top notch. It really paves the way for the beautiful worlds in KH3.
• A TWEWY crossover lol... god I was obsessed with TWEWY when it first came out. I have crazy vivid memories of listening to The Postal Service while grinding out pins in that game in high school. Seriously takes me back even thinking about it (and the sequel that came out in 2021 was dece too).
  
• I've nearly got all the red abilities filled out. This is going well.
• Well holy ****, the first boss wrecked me. I think I've just been humbled. Tbh the mobs have been a cinch up til now - I have no idea what just happened but yeah, I need to try this again.
• Buffed up my Ryu Dragon and Skelterwild with a dozen Water Barrels and went back. The boss went down like nothing.
  
• Good start to Crit imo - in the same amount of time it took me to beat TT as Sora on Proud, it took me again now, except this time I have all but a couple ability nodes unlocked and two stacked Spirits. Let's gooooo.

Wow... with the Prologue included, the newly released 039 means KHVR3 has reached a whopping FORTY CHAPTERS OF CONTENT

039​

“We need to hurry, Roxas. It isn’t safe here.”
The Control Room was in a frenzy; alarms blaring, machine guns cocking, voices shouting at each other to get moving.
“Keep checking the cameras!” Roxas shouted over the chaos. “We need to find them!”
Someone stayed at their desk, furiously smashing a button to jump from camera to camera. The giant LED screen switched views of the island's dim halls. Roxas had installed that alarm for one reason; to go off if anyone with a microchip installed in them passed a certain point. Unless this was a fluke, his players had escaped.
“Please, Roxas! You wrote the protocols yourself - we must move to the hidden chamber!”
Shut up, please, Roxas thought, his eyes pinned to the enormous screen. The camera panned to the center of the island, at the crossroads where four tunnels met. Two figures caught his eye.
“Stop!” he shouted, raising his hand. There you are, you devils.
Blaine and Calxiyn were being led at gunpoint by one of his own Organization team members. Where are you taking them? Roxas wondered. Something wasn’t right.
“Members, mobilize!” called someone from the back of the room. “Try not to die and keep your eyes on the prize!” They began to march as a unit.
“Wait,” Roxas snapped, turning. They stopped on his command. “Take me with you. I need to make sure we capture them alive.”
“B-But, Roxas!” It was the one who’d been asking him to come along with him this whole time. “Your protocols!”
“Oh, **** off already,” Roxas sighed. “Stay here, and keep the cameras rolling - all of you! This could be the best part of the game yet.”
His workers stared at him for a moment. Then, like a switch had been flicked, they returned to what they were doing before. The bewilderment ceased, and Roxas headed for the door.
Imagine the reaction when Composer and Player meet outside the walls of the game. Ah… the potential alone sates me. One of the members handed him their machine gun. Roxas checked the safety and threw it over his back.
He finally had a role to play, and he couldn’t wait to join the show.

---​

Misty, dizzied by the flashing lights, ran as fast as she could to keep up with Cin. She knew they didn’t have much time before the dormitory was checked and their escape discovered. Voices echoed down the hall. Cin stopped right in front of Misty and she smacked into him.
“Get back!” he squealed, pushing her against the wall.
“This way!”
She heard metallic shouting. A group of Org members closed in, their footsteps approaching. Cin pulled her into an alcove behind a stack of metal pipes. There was a crescendo and decrescendo of footsteps as a group of goons ran by and disappeared into the pulsing lights.
“Close one,” Misty said when she was sure they were gone.
“This is insane,” Cin said. “Completely insane.”
They hurried on and passed an empty break room, warm food left on the table. As they passed entrances, Misty noticed the doors were wide open as if a mechanism was in place to keep them that way once the alarm sounded. One had a set of bunk beds and a little toilet. Another had cleaning supplies lining the walls. It all seemed so arbitrary. Finally, Cin began to slow down as if he knew where they were.
“It should be here,” he said, entering a room. Misty followed him in to see a row tables with their duffel bags on top.
“Good find," she smiled.
“Indeed,” Cin said. “There were guys in here stocking these up before capture the flag; our maps, food and weapons.” He immediately went to a nearby locker and opened it, looking through the inside.
“Cin?” Misty asked. “You don’t want your bag?”
“Nah, there’s something else I’m looking for.”
Misty shrugged and walked up to the first table. The blaring from the alarm system had yet to subside, and the lack of light made it hard to see the zipper. She fumbled with the first bag until it tore open. What’s this?
The bag was empty. She dropped it to the floor and grabbed the next one. Zip! Also empty. Misty pulled one after the next open in a panic - there wasn’t a single item to be found.
“Cin!” she called. “They’re empty! All of them!”
He ignored her, his head deep in a third locker. “It’s in here somewhere…”
Misty walked up behind him. “Didn't you hear me?” His arm in the depths of a bag, he pulled out a paintbrush.
“This,” he said. “This is it. I brought this with me to LA. Thought I’d never see it again.”
“You risked coming here for that?”
“Yeah,” Cin shrugged. “It’s my favorite brush.”
“What’s in these lockers?” Misty asked. “Our stuff?”
“Sure is."
Misty pushed him out of the way. “Are you serious, Cin? We could call our way out of here!”
“I highly doubt a phone is gonna work on this island, Misty. Let alone underground." Her hands dug into a bag. There was lipstick, a Kroger receipt, a random wallet - none of them were hers! Where was her phone?
Hissssssss.
“You hear that, Misty?”
She was tearing through the lockers, looking for the blue case that would give it away. **** Blaine’s plan, we need real help. Come on, phone, where are you!?
“Misty…”
She heard a body hit the ground behind her. She whipped around to see Cin collapsed on the floor.
Hisssssssss.
The gas coming from the ceiling finally caught Misty’s eye, but before she could groan about being gassed yet again, she fell to the floor and collapsed next to Cin.

---​

At the dorm, Lauriam had convinced the others to march up the tunnel with her and out to the beach to wait for Blaine. Cia had argued about the dangers of exposing themselves to Org members, but Aelin managed to convince the group it was worth it.
“This is our chance!” she said. “Let’s use this bedlam as a means to freedom!”
Now the seven of them charged down the hallway, the exit their goal. They broke through layers of mist and fog and passed the dead body of an Organization member.
“I see the exit!” screamed C. There was a light ahead. “But it’s closing!”
He was right. Lauriam cursed as a giant metal door began to close. "Run!" she screamed, hoping to slide underneath it. But it was too late, and even if she was able to get through, everyone else would have been stuck in the tunnel.
“They must know we’re here,” fretted Tamale. “Why else would it close? We should head back to the dorm before they show up.”
****, he’s right, agreed Lauriam. But surely we can do better than the dorm. “Come on, everyone, let’s head back! There was that hallway that opened up by the dead body!”
The clang of metal as they ran back down the tunnel was almost as loud as the incessant blaring of the alarm that, for some reason, had yet to be turned off.
They were almost to the door that led down to the break room and bathrooms when four Organization members ran out of it, heading for the dorm. The last one turned as they came out of the doorway and spotted Lauriam and the others.
“They're here!”
He pulled up his machine gun and pointed it at them. The other members turned and raised their weapons, too.
“What are you doing out here?”
“Hands up! NOW!”
“Uh oh,” Lauriam gulped, looking at the rest of the KH-Vids kids, then back to the Org. “I think we might have made a wrong turn on the way to the restroom…”

12 players remaining

• I've almost finished the game on Proud. I didn't feel the need to post much yet because I want to play on Critical, and that's where I'll be leaving most notes.
• Oh, you need to beat the game once to unlock Crit, thought I should mention that.
• I need Ryu Dragon and Skelterwild before I can finish this play through. Their abilities will be insane on the Crit run.
• Ryu took ages. Brilliant Fantasies are way too hard to obtain...
• Skelter wasn't bad. Two portals in TWTNW got me those Wild Fantasies.
• Ok, I have my Eaters for NG+ Crit. It's time to take on these bosses.
• Holy ****, Xemnas got me a couple times. I do remember this fight always feeling hard.
• It's Riku time, but I'm gonna take a short break. I know there's like an hour of straight cutscenes after the final boss so now's a good time.

038 is here, and the Dormitory Adventures Arc continues

038​

Blaine was blindfolded, aware that Calxiyn and Yozora were somewhere behind him while the Organization member led them outside the dormitory and into the hall. He heard their footsteps tap the floor as they meandered forward. This was the tunnel Roxas and himself had sent the kids from KH-Vids down on the way to their inevitable dooms, and now here he was; one of them, walking it himself.
Cin had said one last thing before they’d walked off to use the restroom:
“Blaine. There’s a passage that takes a passcode - wait until they open that door before you go for the gun.”
He wasn’t a walking atlas, but Blaine knew the island’s underground system decently well. That tunnel would give them access to much more - a whole web of halls that spanned the island.
“Stop.”
They staggered to a stop, and Blaine felt Calxiyn bump into him. She grabbed his arm - they both knew the time was coming.
Beep, beep - beep.
A mechanical door slid open. “Turn left,” the man said. The voice's position gave Blaine an idea of where the Organization member was standing, but one more phrase would confirm it.
“This way?” he asked, turning right.
“No,” the Organization member said. Right behind me, Blaine realized. Now… or never.
He turned around, and lifted one leg as if to walk toward the door.
One step.
Blaine dropped to the ground and swung his leg out. His shin swept the Organization member off his feet as it crushed into his legs.
“Gah!” Something clattered to the ground.
“Grab it!” Blaine screamed. Bodies jumped over him and he felt a struggle begin. He pried the blindfold from his face and saw Yozora and the Organization member struggling. Calxiyn had retrieved the gun and was pointing it at them.
“Yozora, stop!” she said. He rolled off the mystery person and smacked into the wall. The heavy gun made Calxiyn’s arms shake. The Org member jumped to his feet and turned to her.
“Like you have the guts to use that, little girl,” the member’s robotic voice rattled. He jumped at Calxiyn.
“Calxiyn - nooooo!” screamed Blaine.
But Yozora’s arms wrapped around the member’s head and pulled him backward. The two fell to the ground in another struggle. Blaine watched the member’s legs kick out in panic as the air slowly left his body. After a minute of thrashing, the lifeless body rolled onto the metal floor.
“I got him,” Yozora gasped. “I actually got him. You okay?”
“I should be asking you that,” Blaine sighed, relieved.
They looked at the ground where the staff member lay. Yozora crawled over to him. “I’m gonna take it off,” he said. Gently, he wrapped his fingers around the mask with the Keyblade symbol on its face. As he pulled it off, he noticed it was only held on by two bands that went around the back of the head. He pulled them up and the mask slipped off. Beneath was the plain face of a bald man.
“I… I don’t know what I was expecting, but I don’t know him,” Calxiyn said.
“You won’t know any of them,” Blaine informed. “They were vetted to be people with no relation to anyone in the game. To keep things fair.”
The three stood in silence, looking at the dead body.
“Hand me that,” Blaine said, pointing at Calxiyn. She gave him the gun. “Yozora. Put that on.” He pointed to the Organization member’s clothes.
“These?” Yozora asked.
Blaine nodded.
Five minutes later, a 'new' Organization member stood with them.
“This is pretty comfy,” Yozora said, his voice distorted by the vocoder inside the mask. “Nice and warm, especially compared to those nasty tracksuits.”
“Take this,” Blaine said, handing him the machine gun. “Now point it at us.”
Yozora raised it at Blaine and Calxiyn.
“Put your hands up.” She did, and Blaine followed.
“Walk behind us, Yozora," Blaine said. "We're your captives, right?”
Blaine led them down the hall with Yozora following. They passed two Org members heading in the other direction. Yozora gave them a head nod and they walked on, undisturbed.
“Almost there,” Blaine whispered.
They passed some vending machines and water fountains before they turned right. A vast hallway led into the distance. LED lights lined the walls and a moving platform allowed one to stand while being carried into the island’s depths.
“This will lead us to the center of the island. There, we head for the ruins, where the lifeboats are.”
“You know the way, right, Blaine?” Calxiyn asked nervously.
“I know exactly where we’re going,” he replied. “Follow me.”
He stepped out onto the moving platform, and before his toe touched the first rubber of the belt, an alarm started blaring in the underground tunnels.
Bwah! Bwah! Bwah!
Red lights began to flash and the cheery voice that announced player’s deaths returned with a new message: “Warning, warning, - player loose in after hours. Warning, warning - player loose in after hours.”
“What’s happening!?” screamed Calxiyn. “I thought we hid the body!”
“They have cameras everywhere.”
“Then did we ever stand a chance!?”
“Yes,” Blaine answered. “But we have to move fast.”
****, he thought, realizing the **** show he’d just activated. We’ll need more than speed to get out of this one.

---
​

Back in the dorm, the players had been left momentarily unattended.
Bwah! Bwah! Bwah!
Lights began to spin on the walls, casting a scarlet glow on the room between pulses.
“It’s happening,” Misty said to Cin. “They must have found them.”
“I’m not waiting,” Cin said, standing. “I know where they’re keeping our stuff - our food, our bags, and our random weapons, too. I’m getting it back.”
Misty got up.
“Not without me,” she said.
Cin ran toward the door, and she followed.

12 players remaining

Yes, I finally just watched Unchained and this blew my mind. I'm playing DDD right now and it's a different experience.

Just dropped 037, wow that's so many chapters already