Author's Note: Sorry for the uber-late update!! Blame school!!!
Sephiroth: We'll, since we know diddly-squat about the game, we'll try to keep this as familiar as we can. And thx for the reviews!
Virginia: Let's move on, then!
Disclaimer: Same as the first chappie.
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"DID YOU NOT JUST HEAR ME, YOUNG MAN?!?! I SAID ANSWER THE QUESTION!!!!" A teacher screamed at a bewildered Serph.
"Umm...kittens?" he said stupidly, not able to keep his eyes from the black-haired girl. She was too irresistable not to look at.
The classroom chuckled as Serph had a case of major sweatdrop. The teacher sighed, rubbing his forehead lightly.
"The answer to the meaning of life is NOT kittens!" he snarled, shaking his almighty weapon, the ruler, towards Serph.
"What kind of question is that, mon?" Cielo whispered to an amused David. "Mr. Lee must be loco to ask dat."
"It is rather interesting that Serph thinks so highly of felines." he replied, a low chuckle escaping his lips.
"And you!" Mr. Lee snarled dramatically. The class went silent, and both unfortunate boys faced his wrath. "Care to share what you talked about just now?"
"Uhh..." David began to look for words until Cielo interrupted him.
"We were jus' talking about baby moo-cows! Silly baby moo-cows dat jump over da moon!" Cielo stammered, forcing his hand over David's mouth.
"First kittens, now baby moo-cows." Mr. Lee groaned. "The school does NOT pay me enough for this..."
The class giggled, especially Sera.
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"It couldn't have been worse, could it?" mutterd Serph as he left school. One day of hell over with...
"Yeah, if you do not include three hours' worth of detention." said David.
"I had a great day." Heat said smugly. "I answered everything!"
"Damn nerd." Cielo joked, poking Heat's forehead. Everyone laughed.
Serph stretched his arms a bit, breathing deeply. "I'm gonna play some games, what about you guys?"
Heat shrugged. "I'm gonna go back to DDS. My people need me!" He finished heroically.
"The online game?" David asked. "I think I'll join in. School is easy."
"Maybe I will too." Cielo agreed, shifting the weight of his lofty backpack.
Serph pursed his lips. "I'll go for it."
Cielo laughed wildly."Hahaha! Serph, purse those lips of yours further and you look like a woman, mon!"
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"Mom, Argilla's staying over!" Sera shouted, leading her friend to her room.
"Okay, honey!" Jenna replied back. Both girls rushed to the designated room, big smiles on their faces.
"Wow, I never knew that the meaning of the universe was kittens." Sera giggled. Argilla turned to her friend.
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"Remember the guys that tried to hit on us? One of them answered a question like that."
Argilla laughed. "Knew those flirts were stupid!"
"Well, I'm bored. I'm done with all my homework!" Sera exclaimed, yawning slightly.
Argilla snorted, dumping her backpack on Sera's bed. "Same here, this stuff's rubbish."
"So, what can we do?" Sera asked, throwing herself on her bed. She lay there, letting the bed's warmth wash over her body.
"Hrmmm...I GOT IT!" Argilla shouted, making Sera jump.
"Huh?!?!" Sera squeaked, sitting rigidly on her bed.
"Wanna try the new online game?!?! Argilla said feverishly. Sera tilted her head.
"I...guess I could give it a try." Sera said.
Argilla darted towards the computed that stood near the corner of the room. The computer was a large tube-like device that sprung from the bottom of Sera's bedroom to the top of the ceiling. Five leather chairs circled around the computer, and the helmets that accompanied the chairs were attached to a large screen on the tube-like device. Argilla seated herself to the frontmost chair and began to type away at a small computer that was on the armhold.
"I think this is gonna be great!" Argilla squealed, typing away her request for this online sensation. Sera shrugged and seated herself next to Argilla, fingering the helmet that lay by her side.
"I never really used this virtual-reality gadget." Sera murmured. "I mean, all I use it for is to look up words or something."
"First off all, you need to get into life girl. Second of all, this is the easiest little computer ever invented! You need to take advantage of things." Argilla said, still typing away her request.
"...I'm afraid to ask, but why do you use this machine for?" Sera said, looking at her blonde friend. She was a little freaked to see her friend having a sly smile in her features.
"Let's just say that you'd never tire off seeing new people every day, sweetie." Argilla purred, clicking the enter button for the download of the game.
"Gross!" Sera squealed, and both shared a hearty laugh.
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"Las' time I came here, de house was spick-n-span. Now it is a pigsty! What de hell happened, Heat?!?!" Cielo cried, seeing the sorry excuse of a room that Heat lived in.
"My parents have been away for a few days for work. I was told to stay behind and take care of my little sister." Heat replied, hastily dumping any trash outside his window.
"And..?" Cielo prompted. "Dat doesn't answer anything."
Heat rolled his eyes. "You mean you were my buddy for many years and couldn't tell that I'm a slob?"
"If we are gonna play the game, I suggest you do it now." David said. He made his way to the tube-like computer and sat on the chair, already typing the game request for DDS. Heat nodded and sat down too. Cielo shrugged.
"You're a nerd and yet you don't have de capacity to clean..." Cielo's sentence trailed off, and he sat himself next to Heat.
"Serph, you coming along?" Heat asked, looking at his brown-haired friend daydreaming.
"Probly thinking about dat girl." Cielo snickered. David just smiled.
"He's probably pondering the way felines fit into this universe." he concluded, pressing the Enter button on the computer.
"Am not!" Serph snapped, breaking out of his reverie. He walked toward a chair and sat there, muttering to himself.
"Code red, code red, we got ourselves a senile buddy." Heat laughed, slapping Serph on his back. "Don't worry, the game will take your mind off things."
Serph nodded. "Anyways...is the game loaded already, David?"
A small beep confirmed his answer. David smiled. "It's done."
The group made their way to a chair and began to place their helmets on their heads.
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"This feels a little uncomfortable..." Sera said as she placed the helmet on her head. The clunky unit felt a little feavy on her.
"Come on, this game's worth it!" Argilla said. She also placed her helmet on her head. "I'll be there to help you out, okay?"
"Is the game hard?" Sera asked, a little nervous. She remembered how the demons looked like on the billboard promoting the game.
"Nah, all you have to do is choose how you look like and your name and the game will go from there." Argilla assured her friend. She frowned. "I still didn't get my power, though. I saw other people in the game transform but I didn't get to do that. I guess I need to earn it or something."
"Well, if you're here, then...I won't be afraid." Sera said. "Let's just enjoy the game."
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Serph's vision, along with his friends, blacked out. A computer screen seemed to enlarge before their eyes. The game logo appeared, showing demons and humans in a wasteland.
"Welcome, new players. This is the game DIGITAL DEVIL SAGA. You may choose your character models and your team. Select wisely."
The screen showed six different tribes: Vanguards, Embryon, Wolves, Brutes, Solids, and Maribel.
"Well, this is interesting. The most successful tribe is the Brutes. The smallest is the Embryon. Everyone else is just stuck in the middle." Serph said. "Heat, didn't you say you were part of the game? Which tribe did you choose?"
"I chose the Embryon. I thought the underdogs might've needed my help." he replied. "Cool. I didn't know members can still change their appearances. Hmm..."
"I already chose my appearance." David said.
"Same here." Cielo said.
"I'm ready." Serph said.
"Okay then, I'm ready too." Heat murmured. "Already chose your tribe?"
"We're all going wid you, dummy!" Cielo cried. "Come on, we aren't about to abandon you."
"Okay then..." David murmured. He pressed the Enter button.
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"I already finished my appearance." Sera told her friend.
"Okay, when you choose your tribe, choose the Embryon. I selected them." Argilla said.
"It says here the Embryon is the weakest tribe." Sera said. "Why'd you choose them?"
Argilla grinned. "I thought the tribe might need my mad skills!"
The blonde pressed enter. Sera panicked. "Wait a minute!! I didn't choose my tri-!"
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Adrian was stuck in combat witht the Vanguards. He groaned aloud as he tethered the wounded Eva in his arms. "I knew I shouldn't have dated Harley's girl..."
Eva glared at her friend. "Is that why the Embryon were stuck in combat with the Vanguards?"
Adrian sweatdropped. "Hey, don't blame me!! His girl's fine!! I just didn't know he'd find out!"
An explosion near him reminded them of their danger. "Aw man!! They really mean to kill me! And take you!!"
"Duh, that's the whole point in the game!! I'm the Cyber Shaman, remember?" Eva growled, holding her bleeding arm. "Mind casting Diorama on me? I'm hurt badly."
"I don't have enough MP." Adrian groaned again. He checked his status in his tag ring.
HP: 197/ 681
MP: 2/ 521
"Not enough for a Dio either." He said to Eva. "Sorry."
"Don't worry. Let's just get out of here..." Eva murmured.
A large light began to materialize in the rainy sky, right behind the two. The purple haired man smiled. "New recruits."
Right before the beam of light struck the ground, Harley stepped in front of the two.
"Hey there!" he grinned, grabbing a grenade from his pack.
"What the hell!! Are you gonna kill us both!?!? That's not part of the game!!" Adrian shouted at the smug Harley.
"Come on!! You date my girl, you pay for it!" Harler said, holding the grenade gingerly.
Eva gasped. "So you're just gonna kill us? Come on, the rules say you need to keep me alive at all costs!! Then you have to take me to Nirvana to pass the game!"
"Then get the hell out of my sight!" Harley snapped. "Sheesh, you take the game seriously..."
Eva looked at Adrian. Then she looked at Harley. "I'm not gonna leave him."
Adrian grinned. "So you up for the date?"
Eva smiled. "Killing me off just means an early retire from the game."
The column of light hit the ground at last. The force of the landing was very strong, shaking the very ground violently. Harley saw a piece of rubble about to fall on him. He squealed, throwing the grenade towards the two, not knowing what he did. He ran away from them.
The grenade landed just right in front of them. Eva sighed. "Oh well..."
Adrian sighed. "10:00 sound nice?"
Eva nodded. "Okay."
The grenade detonated, killing them both instantly. The rain intensified.
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Everyone saw the blast in front of them. Argilla's eyes widened. "Oh no..."
She saw the gang that she had seen on the first day of high school. Her eyes narrowed at Heat. She shrugged it off. "Something's wrong..."
Cielo saw the rainy clouds and another intense light appearing far away from them yet still in the area. "I don't like dis."
David stared at Argilla. "You're here too?"
Argilla frowned. "What's it to you?"
Heat looked around. "Where's Sera? Isn't she your friend?"
Argilla's eyes widened. "Sera!! Oh no!!" She began to look for her. "Sera, where are you!?!?"
Serph's keen eyes noticed something. "This ring..." He motioned everyone to come to him. "This ring says that the Cyber Shaman is dead."
"WHAT?!?!" Heat yelped. "But we need her to pass the game!!"
"Cyber Shaman death confirmed. New Cyber Shaman shall be chosen."
"I sure hope she's easy to find..." Heat muttered.
"I still can't find Sera!!" Argilla groaned.
"Cyber Shaman chosen. Individual did not select a tribe. Rule must be obeyed. Everyone shall receive the power."
"De power?!?! What rule?!?" Cielo squeaked. "I want to get outta here, dis is scary, mon!"
"Th-the light!! Look at the light!!!" David shouted, pointing at the light far away from them.
The large light began to wax in power, growing steadily larger. Everyone on the wastefield trembled. This didn't look good...
Another column of light struck the ground. This time, the light spread everywhere. Everyone screamed as individual lights began to go through their bodies.
"Wha-what is this?" David asked, seeing his body turn black. Everyone else began to turn the same way. The screen began to black out. Roars and death wails filled the battlefield. Blood was spilled on the ground, the victors chewed through flesh and bone. The game has started.
The screen went black.
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Author's Note: Please review!!