In the small town of Sobrio four well dressed figures waltzed into the town hall, wearing extravagant clothes and elegant masks. A woman in a low cut, high slit red dress, and fox mask turned to look over her shoulder to gaze at a high ledge outside of the town and barely noticed the flashing light coming from the ledge. Turning back to her companions she gave a slight nod of her head and as a team they waltzed into the building, both nervous and very excited for the night to come.
"Check one two, check one two, can you guys hear me alright?" They four heard from a small earpiece they each had.
"We hear you Malaclypse." A man in a fine gray suit and gray turtle like mask says under his breath as a few random party goers walk past.
"Alright cool, everyone remember the plan?" Malaclypse ask through the earpiece.
"Find Quantavius, get inside his palace and steal his heart." A man in a falcon mask and black suit says before the woman in the fox masks pipes in.
"And then we kill him." She says with look somewhere between a grimace and a smile.
"Isla what the hell?" The man in the falcon mask says surprised.
"Hey you two knock it off, and remember no real names." The man in the turtle mask says with a slight glare.
"Right codenames sorry Shell."
"Ok, Vixen you are with me we will look for Quantavius, Maizen you and Artemis mingle and see if you can pick anything up got it?" Shell says as he locks arms with Vixen. The other duo nodd, and Artemis, a woman in a green dress with a Swan mask and a white silk scarf hanging from her arms and hips, takes Maizen's hand leading him to the open bar where a bartender was making drinks.
"Well Vixen, may I have this dance." Shell asks as he extends his hand to her. The red haired woman gave a flirty smile and took the offered hand leading her 'date' to the dance floor and slowly they begin to dance around the others, glancing around the room to find their Shell and Vixen where dancing and trying to find their target, Artemis and Maizen were busy at the bar talking with and entertaining the people there.
"Another round of shots on me." Maizen said causing everyone to cheer his name as they downed their drinks. After finishing their drinks a guest in a green dragon mask laughed happily before raising a glass high into the air.
"To Maizen, the best man here, as long as he keeps buying." He said causing the others at the bar to cheer in agreement.
"Now now friends we can't forget the man who threw this party." Masen says with a awkward smile.
"Where is our gracious host anyway?" Artemis asks as she looks around the opulent room.
"Oh he hasn't come down yet but he will shortly, I guess he is resting somewhere upstairs." A woman in a raven like mask says as she points to a duel staircase leading to a second floor and a set of double doors. Artemis looks intently at the double doors before standing up and stepping back from the bar counter.
"Excuse me I have to go freshen up." She says as she walks away, and as soon as she is out of earshot she quietly whispers to her earpiece.
"Malaclypse did you get that?" She asks in a hushed whisper.
"Yeah I got it, I'm scanning the second floor now." Malaclypse says before looking down hi high powered scope trying to find the target. Scanning the second floor he sees two shadowy figures on the second floor talking.
"Alright I think I have him he is on the second floor four windows from the left, looks like if you all were to go out and walk to the back you could possibly climb up and get to him." Malaclypse says as he adjusts his sights, trying to get a clear look at who was who.
Do you know who the other is?" Shell asks, being slightly drowned out be the other dancing party guests around him.
"Not sure but I could knock them both out, I have enough tranquilizer to do it." Jenna says as he checks his rifle.
"No, we should wait till we are in place, Maizen do you think you could a distraction ready?" Shell asks as he looks over to Maizen, who has just tossed another shot over his shoulder.
"Yeah give me a second." He says as he turns back to the people he had been with.
"Maizen can I just say you are…. The… best person ever." A very drunk man in a blue dragon mask says clamping his hand on his shoulder.
"Thank you, this has been fun but I must go." He says as he goes to stand up but the hand on his shoulder stops him.
"Maizen if you need anything at all you tell me got it my friend." The man says causing Maizen to get a very wide smile.
"Actually I do need a favor. I want to… sneak out with the misses but it seems she has made something of a name for herself." He says pointing to the small group that had formed around Artemis.
"Say no more friend we will take care of it." He says before tapping on the shoulder of the man in the blue dragon mask. They whisper quietly for a minute, stealing looks at Maizen before they both nod and simultaneously get up and head to the center of the room.
"You son of a bitch I know it was you!" One of the men yells, getting the rooms attention.
"What are you going on about?!" The other exclames.
"I know you slept with her!" The first says.
"Well maybe if you were more of a man she would have fucked half the town!" The second exclaims, and with that final statement punches were thrown evolving into a large brawl.
"Nice distraction Maizen." Shell says as he grabs the back of Maizen's jacket and pulls him outside, Vixen and Artemis close behind them.
"Malaclypse knock 'em out and get over here quick." Vixen says as the four stealthily make there way to the side of the building. Climbing up a patch of Ivy the team make it in time to hear two heavy thuds as the bodies hit the floor and quickly they force open the window and climb inside.
"Yep thats dad." Vixen says as she kicks the older redhead in the side making him grunt.
"Of course it's you Jack." Artemis says as she looks at the second body.
"How do you want to deal with him, it's up to you?" Shell says as he looks to Artemis.
"I'm not sure… let's tie him up for now and deal with Quantavius first." She says with a sour face. Vixen nods and binds Jacks hands and feet, then does the same for her dad.
"Ok everyone lets get his heart." Shell says as he hold his hand out to Quantavius.
Vixen, Artemis, and Maizen do the same and as each does so glowing marks appear on each of the. Bright red marks glow on Shell's back, Vixen's chest, and Maizen's ankle. A softer glow also covers Artemis, and a pink strand of light flies out the window to Malaclypse before all five of them are pulled into the palace. Looking around the five of them take in the scenery. The Palace in front of them was a massive building made of white marble and golden inlay.
"Has a bit of a god complex huh?" Shell says as he scratches the back of his head.
"Yeah that's Dad for you." Maizen says as Vixen growls in annoyance.
"Let's go, the more time we spend here the more I just want to put a bullet in his head." Vixen says as she strides forward, the others following quietly behind her. As they walked through the large Parthenon like structure, they could all see the different statues of Quantavius and Quistis placed on either side of the walk way.
"This is bull why is Mom in here? He killed her." Vixen says as she looks at an elegant painted marble statue of her and Maizen's mother.
"He may have seen here as important, being his wife and all." Artemis says in disgust at some of the poses Quistis had been carved in.
"That or he wanted a reminder of what he had done, some sort of sick trophy." Shell adds on.
"It doesn't matter, let's get this over with." Maizen says darkly. Vixen gives the others a look and Malaclypse shrugs back they all follow Maizen. It isn't long before they run across a patch of shadows.
"You guys ready for this?" Shell asks as the near liquid darkness coalesced into monstrous forms.
"I've been waiting for a good fight, Ishtar let's do this!" Vixen yells summoning a woman with long blond hair and a silvery skirt and tube top. Ishtar observed the field before her, and with a wave of her hand called down bolts of lightning on the five shadow before her.
"Alright then Melchizedek, give em hell!" Maizen growls out summoning a large being with purple skin, black metal wings, and golden gloves boots and a faceless round golden helm.
"As you command." Melchizedek bellows slamming his hand down causing an invisible force to smash into the, shadows killing them.
Moving on the team forced their way through the palace, clearing the floors easily. When they reach the sixth and final floor they are shocked to see what is in the room. Instead of the normal white marble and gold that made up the rest of the palace, this floor is made of a deep black obsidian and silver streaks coursed through the floor leading deeper in the floor.
"Well this is… very different." Artemis says with a low whistle as she looks around the opening room.
"We must be getting close to his treasure." Malaclypse says as he scans the area, the dark form of Ongyo-Ki floating behind him.
"Good, let's steal it and be done with it." Vixen says. The others nod and as a team the rush deeper into the floor.
"Wait something is wrong." Shell says as he stops the group as he looks curiously around the different open hallways and other rooms.
"What's up Shell?" Maizen asks as he also scans the room.
"Where are all the shadows?" He asks simply as the scaly red form of Belial hisses behind him.
"He's right we are almost at Dad's heat." Vixen adds as she suddenly becomes very cautious and pulls out her Gearblade. Maizen and Shell do the same with Peacmaker and Black Razer before a deep calm voice makes them all jump.
"Please, as if I would allow shadows to run freely in my own heart." The voice says the clacking of shoes reverberates through the hall. From a shadowy hall Quantavius calmly strode forward, without a care in the world as he studied the five intruders.
"Oh shit… Hey Dad." Maizen says as he nervously raises his hand in a wave. Looking to his companions he notices they each have their weapons raised at the older man and he quickly does the same.
"Hello Ian, Isla, how have you two been?" The eldest McCraken asks, flippantly ignoring the weapons pointed in his direction.
"Oh you know we've been good, trying to find you figure out why you killed mom, nearly dying!" VIxen yells angrily as she rips off her mask.
"Now, Isla that isn't the proper way for a young woman to talk." Her dad chastises.
"Oi, fuck you mate." Shell adds.
"Mr. Durn, nice to finally meet you as well." He says, ignoring the raised middle finger directed at him.
"Listen children, I understand that it is your quote unquote job to steal the hearts of those who are evil as you say, but it may disappoint you that I must say, you job here will go unfinished." He says as he snaps his fingers, summoning a massive shadow from himself. The liquid like darkness shifted and moved in on itself, forming into a very large humanoid shape. When the darkness gave way to color and life, Ian and Isla stair on in horror at the figure. Floating in the air was Quistis McCraken, or a false version of the woman, however she was different. She had wings and a shell like shield, and most different form the woman who had raised the twins, her eyes were absent of the caring love of a mother, instead they held nothing but disgusted hate.
"Guys, Titania is giving me some bad readouts we need to go!" Artemis says as the pockets her mask and lets her hair down.
"Daine's has a good point we need to go." David says Belial rushes the shadow, distracting it for a second.
"No David, if we leave he will get away we can't let hi-" Isla begins to yell before Ian grabs her shoulder.
"Listen Isla I know you want to get dad's heart, I do too but we need to go, that… thing will kill us if we don't." Ian says, calming his sister down, even if only marginally. Sighing she nods and uses Ishtar to shock the shadow allowing them to escape. As they run the halls around them crumble and dissipate while Quantavius' shadow is right behind them screaming incoherently.
"Titania could you do something about our friend?" Diane asks as she points the the shadow still hot on her tail.
The Fairy Queen nods and stops following her master to face the shadow. Taking a deep breath the Queen of Fairies summons her power and hits shadow Quistis with a mass of nuclear energy, burning, shocking, and freezing her in place. With the time Titania bought the team, the five Persona Users manage to escape the palace, and when the return to the real world they are not surprised to see Jack and Quantavius have already woken up and are long gone.
"Damn it we were so close!" Isla yells as she kicks the leg of a nearby table breaking the leg in the process. Papers and other nicknacks go flying as the table falls to the ground. David goes to comfort his friend but something on the ground catches his eye. Picking up the paper he reads over it for a few minutes before a massive smile splits his face.
"Looks like tonight wasn't a total waste, check this out." He says as he passes the paper around. Looking over the paper the twins get very giddy as they read the names of different strongholds and the people running them.
"This is Dad's playbook." Ian says with a grin similar to David's
"We're gonna hit him where it hurts, then we get to take his heart." Isla says cackling madly. Taking the paper, and a few other important documents, David puts them safely into his jacket and turns to leave with his friends behind him.
AN
Yo so this is the a one shot based on the fact that the new art for the latest Nat19 session. Isla Does What She Wants will be back next week followed by Love and Joy next week. Thank you and ta-ra.
-Dantai.