Sell you a Bridge chapter 354

July 13th 2016 Mysterious Tower, 10:00 AM EDT

It  was time. Over a week had passed and I'd been training and studying  constantly. Between the implant and the Outer Body training method,  combined with my little haste trick that let me stretch time inside the  trance, I'd managed to completely decode the entirety of the grimoire in  the time I'd spent researching, as well as learn quite a bit about  applying those skills. The nearly hundred thousand points had all been  sucked away by the energy requirements of keeping up the time dilation,  and I'd had to strain myself more than a bit on top of that, but it had  all been worth it.

I'd even managed to integrate some of  the void principles into my shadow portals. I'd regained my old mobility  through the darkness of the void, without ever needing to step through  dark corridors. The speed and flexibility of my shadow movement was  incomparable to what it had been in the past, and was about a thousand  times more useful in combat. I'd taken to calling the new movement  technique "Void Step", because it sounded really cool and I wanted an  awesome name for my new form of teleportation.

The void  was much more complicated than most people thought, and my new trick was  going to be a big surprise in more than a few ways. Of course, I wasn't  the only one who had been training. The assembled team had been working  hard for the whole time we'd been here, and their auras were all  overflowing with power and surety. They'd integrated their keyblades  into their fighting styles much more thoroughly, and even I would  probably have had trouble taking them on before my recent upgrade.

"So."  I said to Master Yen Sid. "We're here to talk over our entry plan.  Somehow I feel like 'kill them all and let the gods sort them out' won't  work as well as usual. Considering how powerful Darkfather was, I have  no illusions that B-guy can't field someone dangerous enough to cause us  problems. Even if I could probably take him much more easily the second  time, I somehow doubt he's the type to send one when a hundred will do.  Scala ad Caelum is their territory. Chances are good their lines will  be stacked."

The wide eyed wizard with the stupid pointy  hate nodded grimly. "Indeed. But this problem is one Merlin has  foreseen. The cube he gave you does not lead to Scala ad Caelum itself.  It will take you somewhere you may be familiar with. The Rock of  Eternity."

That actually did sound vaguely familiar.  "Wait. Isn't that the place that connects to the Magiclands? The one we  used to get back to earth without the motherbox when we ended up in the  Sphere?"

Mickey chuckled. "Haha. It is. The rock is a  central focal point for the entire multiverse. It has a deep  relationship with Scala ad Calem, and there's an entrance hidden within  the Limitless Library. That can take us past any defenses the bat god  may have waiting and into the heart of the the kingdom, which will allow  us to access the world forge before they even know we're there."

I  raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you honestly see that happening? Because  if you do, I have a bridge to sell you. B-guy isn't an endless, Dark or  otherwise, but he's no pushover. He'll know when we show up, and he'll  send someone to intercept, even if they may not be waiting for us at the  door."

He nodded in acknowledgement. "Probably. But we  still need to to do it. This is our best chance. He had a nearly  inescapable trap waiting at Castle Bat, and we still got away. With the  initiative on our side, this CAN work. Once you complete the keyworld  your powers will manifest, you'll become the first Dark Endless. Can you  do it?"

That...was a tough question. I'd mastered the  grimoire, but that didn't make me a world forger. I made me a master of  void. The void world would be the shape, the world forge the anvil, the  X-blade the hammer, and my Deception power the flame. It sounded like  all the ingredients, but even Merlin had said it wasn't. I needed to  study Scala ad Calem, I needed to see what a keyworld WAS. My current  void image wasn't complete.

"Yes." I said hesitantly. "I  have a plan for how to manage it, but I'll need to see Scala ad Caelum  and study the world forge itself. That means you all might be stuck  holding the line as I work. My idea will cut that margin down quite a  bit, but there's only so much I can plan for. This is going to be the  most complex thing I've ever done. I'd say I'm fooling myself even  considering it, but that's kind of the point isn't it?"

Artemis  scowled. "I wish this was less wishy washy mumbo jumbo and more actual  smithing. I could help. Hell Teague could help. Actually, what are the  chances he would be able to pitch in?"

I shook my head  with a sigh. "No. The Endless can't interfere. Not at the forge. Not  while I have it connected to the dark multiverse. I'd say that meant  B-guy couldn't either but...who knows. He's a squirrely cheating fuck.  Even if he can't come in person I'm sure he has some plan to interfere  as directly as possible. Our only counter to that is for me to complete  the keyworld and become an Endless."

Once I did...well,  I'd settle things with Barbatos once and for all. I wasn't stupid enough  to think the universe eating dragon would magically become a pushover  when I was an Endless. Sure I'd be taking some of his territory at the  very least, but he was operating as a counterpoint to the Endless  already. There would still be a fight in the end, and it would be a  fucking doozy. I just had to get there first.

"Anyway." I  said, focusing back on the present. "What is the Rock of Eternity. You  said it's the center of the multiverse, but I thought Scala ad Caelum  was the center? How are they related?"

Master Yen Sid  paused for a minute, mulling over an answer. "To create a stairway, one  must build it on a firm foundation. The Rock came first, Scala ad Caelum  was built atop it. The Circle of Eternity holds court from within it.  Most have forgotten that the Rock was ever anything but their citadel,  but it remains the anchor point, and can still be used to access the  stairway. Some of the Circle were gods from the kingdom that Scala ad  Caelum once hosted, some simply invited there."

"Are they  going to cause trouble for us?" I asked cautiously. Fighting a large  number of gods BEFORE fighting our way to the world forge  sounded...unwise.

Luckily, Mickey shook his head. "I've  met plenty of people in my travels. The thunder god Mamaragan was one of  them. He has a high position in the Circle despite being invited later,  and I already contacted him to get permission for our passage. The  Circle will leave us alone as we go through for the sake of a favor he  owes me. The Limitless Library connects to many places though. And he can't guarantee our safety once we enter."

That  wasn't a surprise. If this entrance wasn't dangerous I was sure  everyone would use it. Zee looked positively rabid at the thought of  entering a place called the Limitless Library, but calmed down as she  forced herself to remember exactly why we were going. This wasn't a  leisure trip. I promised myself I'd bring her back in once I was an  Endless. Or help her build her own library that was just as good.

Once  she got her instinctive glee under control though (I felt the whole  process through the bond) she raised a good point. "How are we going to  find the way to Scala ad Caelum? You said this library is limitless and  has exits everywhere, wouldn't we need some kind of map to find out way  through there?"

"No."  Said Master Yen Sid. "But you won't need one. Don't forget who you're  bringing with you. Mr. Taylor can find anything after all, and young  Morgan should be able to keep you safe enough from any traps or  obstacles as you make your way along the path.

He  was right. "My aura sight will do the job." I assured Zee. "Not to  mention I should be able to use the underlying structure of the place in  the void to get a decent heading to start from. Any place called the Limitless Library that exists in that many spaces has to have a void connection."

"Well  then let's quit suckin' our thumbs and light this candle." Said Artemis  firmly. "The longer we wait the more terrified we're all going to be.  Not like we can get more training in before we go. I spent all of last  night dislocating my boyfriend's hips, and I'm about as relaxed as it's  possible to be before we take on one of the most powerful evils in all  of existence."

Wally,  who had come a long way in his time with us, didn't even blush, he just  shot her a smug smile. "One of us couldn't use our legs this morning,  and it wasn't me."

I  was shocked to see Artemis actually BLUSH at that. "Being able to  vibrate is cheating." She mumbled. And I had to reach over and offer the  redhead a fist bump which he accepted graciously.

Jim  cleared his throat. "Perhaps we can talk about something OTHER than  your sex lives, children. We're about to risk our lives after all."

I  just snickered. "You're just jealous because Claire and Paula are back  on the island and everyone is getting laid but you." I froze. "Well, not  everyone." My eyes pinned my daughter. "It BETTER not be everyone.  Regardless, you're both right. We should head out if all of us are  ready." I looked around the room, meeting the eyes of everyone present.

John,  Taylor, Sindella, Tommy, and Suzie were sitting together, all having  gotten pretty close in the time we were gone. Jim, Artemis, and Wally  were with Drea and Zee, as were Rana,Roxas, Namine, Kairi, Sora, and  Riku. Kit and Eddie was sitting together off to one side, oddly quiet,  but auras firm as they both waited for things to get started, while  Mickey sat with Master Yen Sid. This was our whole team. Seven light  keyblade masters and thirteen dark including me.

We  all stood, heading for the hangar, and we were oddly silent as we  walked. This was going to be monumental for all of us. It would be scary  and dangerous and there was no other choice at all. Barbatos was  getting hungry, and sooner or later the dark multiverse wouldn't be  enough to sustain him. It might not be tomorrow or the next day, but he  would come for the worlds of light eventually, and by then the dark  multiverse would probably be too far gone for me to take my rightful  place. We had to strike while the iron was hot.

It  was almost ironic really. How his own impatience had pushed us to get  our act together. If he'd have ignored me I probably wouldn't have been  nearly as motivated. Del and the others couldn't have interfered quite  as much either. Tyrants create the people who destroy them after all.

When  we arrived at the hangar we all mounted the Excalibur and Chip and Dale  loaded up the cube again. Jumping up on it and loading the coordinates  into the main system of the ship, surprised to see the destination  appear on the screen. "Alright." Said the squeaky voice of the  navigator, his speech almost jarring in the formerly silent ship. "Next  stop, the Rock of Eternity."