Fan Fiction ❯ Black Orchid ❯ Sequence to the Clockwork Grape ( Chapter 32 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Arrr...: Finally got this chapter done. Man, free of the evil grip of summer school. Well, so far, Zanisha and Hislight have a pretty good idea of the name pattern. The fact that there's twelve hours on a clock and twelve clockwork shadowless is completely accidental. Also, I do not know twelve languages, so don't expect a different language for each name. Anyways, due to misinterpretations, the prize has been changed to one Riku plushy or one Rikku plushy, the first by popular demand, and the second for the purposes of driving the Arc plushy insane. Therefore, the second really has no appeal to Demon Surfer and Zanisha, who have Montblanc plushies, though the twins have an Arc plushy. Now I have a Sephy plushy, thanks to DS. Although, I didn't really mind having my Ansem plushy stolen. She IS my girlfriend, kind of, so it's not that bad if she seduces away my various plushies. Besides, she was making sad pouty faces at me for it.
Last of all, Hislight has won a Jenine plushy, complete with monkey wrench for bashing Arc. This is because she happened to be reveiwer 1-0-0. Yay... I'm in the triple digits! Anyways, R&R.


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"They took her."
"Arcanis, you've got to stop blaming yourself for this," Jenine said tiredly, having repeated it too many times for her to count.
"No!" shouted Arc, sitting up from his bed. "It's my fault. They only took her because I came back."
"Hey, I'm surprised you survived the encoutner, much less managed to destroy his clockworks," said Ricksen, trying to calm him down.
"Yeah, Cloud was right," supported Orchid. "The Shadowless are a lot tougher than the Heartless, even if those weren't even full Shadowless."
There was an awkward silence as no one knew what to say without possibly upsetting Arc further. Finally, he swung his legs out of bed and got up.
"I'm going after her," he said simply, pulling on his shirt and grabbing his coat.
"Hey, wait," exclaimed Jenine as he brushed past her.
"Don't try and stop me, Jenine. I'm going and that's final."
"No," she started. "I wasn't trying to stop you. It's just..."
"What?" he asked impatiently.
"Just come to my room, okay? I got something for you."
Before he could answer, she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him down the corridor.
"What was that about, kupo?" asked Montblanc.
"Ah, Jenine was up last night working on something. She's a grade-A mechanic, y'know," explained Ricksen. "No clue what it is though."
"Maybe another fist thingy," supplied Orchid. "I mean, the pipe worked okay last night against two of them with us there, but if he gets caught by more..."
"You weren't going to let him go out alone, surely?" asked Ricksen increduously.
"No, no, of course not!" she sputtered nervously, waving her hands in front of her. "I mean, if there were lots of those clockwork things and we got separated, well..."
"Well, I hope that doesn't happen,"said Ricksen. "There's twelve clockworks in Vins's personal command, but with those two out, that makes ten."
"Well, let's go see what Arc and Jenine are up to, kupo," said Montblanc.
"Yeah, she never said we couldn't come too, right?" reasoned Orchid.
"I don't know..." said Ricksen dubiously. "She kind of gets touchy about not having an audience while she works."
But the other two had already left Arc's room and headed down the hall. The big man shrugged, then followed after, being just as curious as them as to what Jenine had cooked up this time.

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"I'm not going to lie to you, Arcanis," started Jenine. "This is going to hurt. A lot."
"Just do it already," said Arc impatiently, gritting his teeth as he waited for her to start.
"Okay, fine," said Jenine, adjusting her goggles, which she now had over her eyes. She pressed the machinery to the metal interface, then quickly twisted it into place.
Orchid and Montblanc had just reached the door and the girl was just about to open it when she heard a horrible scream, filled with sharp pain. She quickly barged in, moogle close behind.
"What was that!?" she demanded. She looked at the scene. Arc was lying on the work desk, which had mostly been cleared off and Jenine was sitting on her stool to his right. Orchid couldn't help but stare at Arc as he sat up, still gritting his teeth. He was gripping his right arm.
"That really hurt, you know," grumbled Arc to the mechanic as he sat up.
"I told you," sighed Jenine, pushing up her goggles off her eyes. "You should learn to trust me on these things."
"It's.. he's...uh... arm..." stuttered Orchid, pointing at it. Arc looked down and tested it out. His new arm was the size and shape of a normal arm. Smooth metal framwork covered parts of it, though most of the machinery was exposed, including the elbow. The back of his new right hand was covered in metal plating, and so was each finger, but the other sides of them were open with the exception of a few grips on the finger tips and palms, leaving the complex machinery in full veiw. Orchid stared in wonder as she watched the tiny gears and hydraulics move as Arc waved each finger individually, then all at once.
"Beautiful, ne?" smirked Jenine proudly.
"Very smooth," replied Arc, turning his hand this way and that. "Now I can scratch my head with my right without knocking myself out."
"What was that screaming about?" asked Orchid, her sense of wonder wearing off.
"Oh, that?" asked Jenine. "That's just from when all the nerves connected. It's quite a shock to recieve all the new senses."
"Kupopo... so it's like how when you feel hot and cold at the same time?" asked Montblanc, flicking an ear.
"Exactly. Your brain gets confused and registers it as pain," said Jenine, "and Arcanis here just felt every opposite a nerve can send."
"That really hurt," complained Arc again.
"Oh, quit whining, ya ninny," chuckled Ricksen as he came in. "What's a little pain to getting a new arm?"
"Yeah, jeez, Arc," teased Orchid.
"Whatever," he grouched. "Anyways, this is nice and all, but I won't be able to pound things with something this light, you know."
"That's why we have these, too," said Jenine, getting up and walking over to a pile of scrap metal that had accumulated in one corner of her room next to her bed. She started rummaging through, then, giving a rather indelicate noise, she started just throwing and kicking things out of the way. Orchid and Ricksen had to move back as half finished machines and pieces of metal flew across the room. "Here they are..."
She came back bearing sword and sheild. The sword was beautifully made. The polished steel blade was as long as Arc's arm and had a smooth blood channel down the center. The double edges and point were all extremely sharp and gleamed brightly, even in the dull electric lights of the fugitive hideout. The cross guard was golden colored and formed a daimond around a similarly shaped emerald set in it, then below the diamond fanned out in a V shape, the arms pointing down. The hilt was wrapped in a tough black leather grip, and the end had round emerald set in the pommel. It was masterful workmanship, and Orchid could only wonder where they got it from.
"We repaired Sequence after you left, Arcanis," explained Jenine. "Or, at least, we gathered up all the pieces and left 'em alone together. You know how it is."
Arc merely nodded as he took the sword from her in his left. He turned it in his hand, examining the blade for faults, and finding none, swung it through the air a few times. "Ah, yes. Sequence, the living sword."
"And we have your shield too," added Jenine, handing it to him. He took this in his right. It was small, about a foot across, and seemed to be more for deflecting single blows than shielding all of him. The round shield was engraved with a griffon design on the front, and the steel shone brightly.
"Heh. Starting to feel like Arcanis again..." trailed off Arc. He threw a few punches with the shield in his hand and gave a satisfied grin. He stood up and paced about the room, getting back the feel for walking around armed.
"Wow... Arc looks cool," breathed Orchid. Montblanc nodded.
Arc then walked over to Jenine. "Thanks."
"Uh, no problem," replied the girl, flushing slightly and turning away.
"Well, time to go rescue Melina," said Arc, ignorant of her reaction and walking out of the room.
"About time!" shouted Orchid enthusiastically, about to run after him before being stopped by Jenine.
"Wait a second," she said, pulling Orchid back into the room.
"What is it?" asked the younger girl.
"You're the keybearer, right?" asked Jenine. Orchid nodded. "Well, I have something for you then."
She walked over to her workdesk and pulled open a drawer. From there, she brought out a ornately carved wooden box. Blowing off the dust, she set it on the desk as Orchid walked over.
"What's that, kupo?" asked Montblanc, flittering up and onto the desk so he could see. Jenine opened the box and carefully picked up what looked to be a seed from the velvety cushion inside.
"This," she said, holding it delicately in her palm, "is the seed of the Clockwork Grape."
"Clockwork Grape?" asked Orchid curiously, peering at the oddly shiny seed.
"Oh, yes," replied Jenine. "The Clockwork Grapes are the only reason this city can exist. Their fruits contain pwer that can be used to fuel machines or Vins's time projects."
"So what's it have to do with me?" Orchid asked bluntly, not sure where she was going.
" 'Amidst the pages of magic, the clockwork seed shall grow timely miracles of the key'," recited the older girl. "Or at least, that's what old man Barlep said. He was the one who gave me the seed before he passed away. I don't know what the first part means, but after seeing and hearing about your keyblade, I was sure this was meant for you."
She handed the seed to Orchid, who took it reverantly in both hands.
"But what am I supposed to do with it?" asked the girl plaintively. Jenine blinked at her, just as lost.
"Kupopo... I think I know..." started Montblanc. "It's because of the first part. Could you give me the seed and the keychain for Spellweaver?"
"Uh, sure," said Orchid. She handed the seed to the moogle, then started searching her pockets for the little book. Finally finding it, she handed the blue book to Montblanc.
"I think... if it must grow 'amidst pages of magic', then we'll have to plant it there first, kupo," reasoned the moogle as he undid the latch of the tiny volume. He turned to the middle, then put the seed between the pages there. Then, he closed the little book and redid the latch. "And now we wait."
They didn't have to wait long. As they watched, miniature tome began to shake, and they saw several green vines crawl out from amidst the pages and put forth vibrant leaves. The vines crawled across the covers, then back into the pages, leaving them with a blue book ribboned with miniature vines. Wordlessly, Orchid picked up the book by the thin chain coming off it as she brought forth her keyblade and hooked it to the empty ring at the end of Nearbloom.
"It's..." started Jenine as she stared.
"...changing," finished Ricksen, who had been half forgotten in all of it.
The keyblade became engulfed in light, and when it faded, it was no longer Nearbloom. The leaves along the twisting vine handguards had been replaces with small, purple spheres, each with a little clock-like timer on the outward facing side. The bud at the end of the blade had transformed into a large bunch of oversized grapes, though these were each perfectly round, and each had a circular timer like the grapes on the handguards.
"Behold, the Clockwork Grape," grinned Ricksen as Orchid marveled at the new blade. She could feel the magical power pulsing from it, and a strange ticking sensation too.
"I can do Demi again... but I feel a new power too..." she said distantly. She pointed her hand at a one of the many whirring tidbits of machinery around the room. "Slow."
A clock with roman numerals made of energy appeared before the targetted gizmo and they watched as the hands of the clock slowed down to almost a crawl. As they did, so too did the inner workings of the machinery, until each click of cogs was minutes apart.
"That'll come in handy," commented Ricksen.
"Especially against Vins's clockworks," added Jenine.
"How so, kupo?" asked Montblanc.
"Yeah, why?" added Orchid, back to being herself.
"It'll even the odds against his more powerful ones," said Jenine. "They can slice time, just like how me and Arcanis can."
"Huh? Whadday mean, 'slice time'?" asked Orchid.
"Some Adonians have the ability to slice time," she explained. "The power to cut the seconds into pieces and exist in each of those pieces. To move and think within those fractions of time. The better you are at it, the smaller you can slice time, and in effect, the faster you can move.When you do, everything around you seems to slow down, except for others who are slicing time. The power is said to originate from the orginal creator of this world, but over the years, it's become diluted to varying degrees. It still runs the most powerful in the royal family. In fact, it's rumored that Vins can even create his own time, and can slice it until everything else comes to a standstill if he really tries."
"And some of his clockworks have this ability too, kupo?" asked Montblanc.
"That's right," confirmed Ricksen. "From what you told us, Arcanis's just lucky he encountered two of his that can't, down there in the tunnels. But for the others, that 'Slow' spell is gonna come in real handy, since you two can't slice time."
"Since Arc can, how come he never did before he came here?" wondered Orchid.
"Probably because he can only do it here in Adonis," said Jenine. "In most worlds, time is probably just a dimension, like up-down, side to side, or back and forth. But here, it's an actual force, and can be even harnessed for energy, like in Vins's time cannon."
"Hey, come on!" yelled Arc, running back into the room. "Are you guys coming or what?"
"Oh, sorry!" apologized Orchid. She nodded her thanks to Jenine and Ricksen, then ran out after Arc with Montblanc.
"Come back safe, Arcanis," sighed Jenine softly.

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"He's coming, Lord Mousseux," reported the winged man.
"Very well," replied Vins. "I don't expect Tresian will make it back before he catches him. Send Shisan and Fivare out to back him."
"Yes, my master," said the man as he bowed, then left.
"Hmm..." pondered the white haired lord. "I don't expect Tresian shall survive."
"Awww... that's too bad," pouted Elf.
"Do we get to play with the girl?" asked Zwolf hopefully.
"I doubt it," replied Vins. "In fact, I imagine Shisan and Fivare will just barely make it back alive."
"Then what was the point of sending them?" asked one of the twin girls.
"Because. The girls was merely bait to draw out Arcanis. I needed a threat delivered to him, but first I had to grab his attention."
"Ooh, what's the threat?" asked the other twin eagerly.
"Tell us, tell us!" demanded the first.
"All in due time," answered Vins. "All in due time."