"Are you guys prepared to go?"
"Yeah…"
Reaper stood up but eyed Ryuji. They had stayed in the safe room for maybe a maximum of five more minutes before Morgana decided it was time to start moving. They all stood up and gather by the exit, but something seemed off to Reaper. She looked at Ryuji, seeing his unsure stance, looking like he wanted to say something. Being the curious being she was, she decided to ask.
"Ryuji, something on your mind?" She had asked.
"Huh, what?" Ryuji looked at her sharply and blinked owlishly. "Uh, yeah, kinda…"
She crossed her arms and shifted her weight onto her left leg on habit. "Well? Start speaking."
"Uh, well," Ryuji began to rummage into his pocket. "I know that I can't fight and all, but I was wondering if somehow this might be able to help you guys."
The blond took out a silver object from his pants. Reaper's eyes widened as she recognized the weapon. It was a gun. 'Did he have that the entire time at school?! That dumbass!'
"I brought this just in case!" Ryuji said smiling. "It's a model gun though, so it only makes sounds. It looks totally real, right? Maybe you can use it to fake 'em out, ya know?"
"But it's a toy!" Morgana exclaimed with a deadpanned expression.
'Actually…' Reaper snatched the object from his hand and she began to look at it. "I'll take it."
"Huh?!" Morgana looked at her in bewilderment. "Why would you want that?"
"This might just come in handy." Reaper said and smirked, not like they could see. "The metaverse is a strange place, you know…"
"Hnn…" Morgana gave her a look before sighing. "Whatever. I can never tell what's going on inside of your head…"
'If I remember correctly, this might be able to work…' Reaper thought to herself as she slipped it on her belt. She lifted her head up and locked eyes with Akira.
"Oh. Right." Reaper muttered and opened her pouch. "You'll be fighting along with us, so it's best if you have some medicine on you." She handed him a small container. "Use it wisely. It'll heal any wounds that you take in this world."
"Really?" Ryuji asked with wide eyes. "So, any type of medicine can help in this world?"
"Well…" Reaper thought carefully. "Yes and no. Specific types of medicine can help in many different ways. Painkillers are a major keeper. Anything that dulls pain, especially headaches and stuff, are a huge benefactor that you'll want to bring here. The medicine works instantly here and you'll feel a hell of a lot better. Trust me."
"Noted," Ryuji said.
"Here," Reaper repeated to Akira, urging him to take the medicine.
He nodded to her in thanks and took it, shoving the container into his pocket. Reaper turned to the door and asked if everybody was ready. Once they all nodded she told them to be on high guard. She peeked through the small crack between the doors, only to catch sight of the Shadows outside.
She held her hand up, signalling to the boys to hold still and not progress forwards. She caught wind of something about the slaves being in the training hall. She watched for three minutes after she heard the sounds of clinking quiet down. Once she didn't hear anything else she stepped out of the door. Cautiously she looked left and right and saw the area was clear. She gestured for the others to step out and follow.
"Looks like our new destination is to the training hall." Reaper said softly. "It's only just a little ways ahead. Want me to lead, Morgana?"
"Nah, I got this," Morgana reassured. "Let's go."
Reaper nodded and allowed the small creature to take lead. They didn't even make it down the stairs before they spotted a Shadow on guard. Reaper growled softly under her breath, annoyed that a Shadow was right where they needed to go. She sighed and faced the group.
"We need to be careful," She informed. "There's a guard right where we need to go. We don't want him noticing us, so we need to ambush him. If he spots us first, the security level in this place will go up. If it gets too high, we're done for. If that happens then there's no way that we can stay in the Palace anymore until the security level dies down, and we'll probably have to abandon for the day."
"Is there a way to take it down if we get caught?" Ryuji asked.
"The more guards you take out, the less security there is," Morgana said. He then turned at looked to Reaper. "You want to take the lead on this again?"
"Actually," Reaper looked to Akira, "I want you to try. Just sneak up behind the shadow and rip off it's mask. Think you can do it?"
Akira glanced towards the shadow. He looked back at Reaper and nodded. She glanced at the Shadow and gestured for Akira to come closer to her. He did as so and Reaper pointed at the area the Shadow was in.
"If you want to ambush, you got to keep your eyes open and aware," She instructed. "Look at every entryway and exit. There's plenty of corners and boxes to hide behind. Figure out your route in and out, but continued to keep an eye out. Calculate your steps. Make sure to be quiet and swift. As soon as you rip it's mask off, Morgana and I will jump right in to assist."
"Got it…" He said softly.
Akira crept past them and hid behind a box. As soon as the guard went past him he quickly acted. He jumped up and landed right on the shadow's Shoulders. Reaper would be lying if she said she wasn't impressed with his ability.
Akira grabbed the mask and forcefully ripped it right off while yelling, "Show me your true form!"
As soon as he got it off he flipped off of it's shoulders and got back. Reaper and Morgana rushed forwards, joining Akira's side as the battle begun. Two incubus' and another Jack O'Lanter. Akira summoned his Persona and allowed it to use a physical attack, that being known as Cleave. He only caused a bit of damage, but not much. Reaper jumped right in, pulling her scythe out, and slashing the same shadow and officially killed it. Morgana went next and used Garu and killed them quick. Reaper put her scythe onto her back again and looked to Akira, giving him a curt nod.
"Not bad," Reaper said, "...for a rookie."
"At this rate we'll be defeating this Palace in no time," Morgana said cheerfully.
"We're not done yet," Reaper said and gestured for Ryuji to come and follow. "Let's get to the training hall and get out. It's not safe being here for so long."
"Agreed," Morgana said and took the lead. "Just follow me."
Akira went ahead and pulled the lever on the gate they needed to go through. Once the bars were up they headed on through. Morgana and Reaper lead the way as they began to make their way through. As soon as they turned a corner they stopped everybody and hid behind the wall.
"Damnit," Reaper cursed softly.
"Shoot…" Morgana grumbled. "I knew there'd be a lot of enemies. It'd be impossible to dodge all of them."
"Then what should we do?" Ryuji asked. "Should we try to take 'em out like before?"
"It's not that simple." Morgana stated. "We still have a long way to go, so we should be conserving energy."
"I-I see… Sorry…" Ryuji muttered. "Damnit. I wish I could fight… I'd at least would be able to help out a little bit… All I've got is that stupid toy from earlier..."
"Actually…" Reaper looked to Ryuji with a gleam in her eyes. "I think there is a way that gun could help…" She took it out from her belt. "Just watch and learn." She looked to Akira. "Wanna make the first move again?"
"Leave it to me," He said with confidence.
"Wait, dude! That thing doesn't even have any pellets inside!" Ryuji exclaimed. "Is this such a good idea?"
"Nah," Reaper shrugged her shoulders before looking at Akira. "Go at 'em."
Before Ryuji could argue more, Akira jumped out from behind the corner and strike the shadow. Reaper and Morgana rushed in and helped him to attack. Akira held his hand out to Reaper and she slapped it, knowing he was passing the baton. There was two enemies and Reaper didn't hesitate to fire at them. She knocked them both down, since she knew it was their weaknesses, and put the gun away. Taking her next chance she whipped her scythe out and strike at both of them at the same time, killing them instantly.
"...And that's how you do it," Reaper said and put her weapon back.
"Now I see what you did," Morgana said in realization. "Did you knew that it would work?"
"Of course I did." Reaper said while placing her hands on her hips. "I wouldn't go head on into something without knowing what it did. Especially when fighting shadows."
"Whoa! Did that toy gun shoot real freakin' bullets?!" Ryuji asked loudly in surprise.
"I guess I should explain," Reaper muttered as she pulled out the gun. "This is a cognitive world. Anything that can look real becomes real. Say that a doctor gave you a pill, saying that it can cure your headache. In reality, it's nothing more than a sugar pill. But your headaches are gone after taking them. Why? Because you believed it would work."
"I… don't get it," Ryuji shook his head.
"I wasn't expecting someone with your brains to understand," Morgana said in a snarky tone. He then looked to Akira. "What about you, Frizzy hair? Did you get what Reaper said?"
"It's simple logic," Akira said with a nod.
"Heh, just as I was expecting." Smirked Morgana.
Reaper leaned over Morgana, her hands on her hips, as her eyes narrowed at him. "Are you stroking his ego?"
"W-What's that suppose to mean?!" Morgana growled at her.
"Don't think I don't know what you're doing, Morg," Reaper said and pointed at him. She stood up straight and looked to the others. "I'll try to explain this world a little better another time. For now," Reaper pointed the handle of the gun to Akira, "you take the gun. I want you to try and think strategically about your options when fighting."
The black haired boy gave a nod and took the gun without question. Morgana decided to speak up before they tried leaving.
"By the way," said Morgana, "we should decide how we divvy up our roles from here on out. As you can see, there are quite a lot of enemies. It'll be important to coordinate our moves well. I'll try to provide as much intel for us, but Reaper or Frizzy hair should decide how we fight."
"What? Why?" Reaper asked Morgana as she had a very disapproved look on her face.
"You've got the experience while he's got the strategy," Morgana said. "You both make good candidates for fighting."
Reaper huffed out short sigh and looked at Akira. She crossed her arms and gave him a look. "...You lead."
"Huh?" He looked at her with a surprised expression.
"I've been showing you the ropes of things," Reaper said and held her hands up, as if she was being arrested. "Like Morgana said, you're pretty strategic. We can tell just by the stuff that you have done. I'll just be the backup for now."
"Guess it's settled then," Morgana said with a smirk. "Come on. Let's get to that training hall."
Reaper nodded in agreement as he ran forwards. She followed behind him along with the other two as they made their way to the training hall. They advanced down the hallway, only to once again find an enemy in their way. Reaper realized this might be a good learning experience.
"You thinking what I'm thinking, Morgana?" She asked the creature.
"Time to teach them that attack, huh?" Morgana smirked as Reaper nodded.
"We're going to teach you guys a new move," Reaper said to Akira and Ryuji. "It's more or less a special way to fight, since we're all in a group now."
"I'll pass," Akira said.
"Too bad," Reaper punched his arm harshly. He held his arm in pain, but she ignored it. "You'll be grateful that I taught this one to you. And just because you pissed me off, I'll be taking the first move."
Reaper got to her feet and slipped her scythe out. She instantly ran out from her hiding spot and rushed towards the wall. She kicked off of it, flying towards the guard. As soon as she got close she swiped at it with her scythe, slicing off its mask. She kicked off of it as it began to show its true form, Morgana and Akira joining in.
"There's a distinct flow to each battle," Reaper stated to Akira. "First, knock down all the enemies. Quickest way to do it is to hit their weak points."
"The technique starts with that crucial step!" Morgana added.
"The baton goes to you," Reaper said and put her hand up.
Akira slapped her hand harshly as he stepped forwards. She let out a 'hmph' as she waved her hand in slight pain. 'I guess that was his form of revenge for earlier…' Akira took the gun out from before and fired at the enemy, which was a Pixie, and knocked her down.
"Alright!" Morgana exclaimed. "Now rush on in for an All-Out Attack!"
The three of them rushed in, surrounding the Shadow as they held out their weapons. Akira pointed his gun, Morgana had a rather large sling-shot, while Reaper held her scythe right at the Shadow. They jumped back, only to run straight towards the enemy, and began to attack from all sides. Once they finished them off, Reaper noticed Akira smirk smugly as he pulled on one of his red gloves. She huffed out and looked away from him, not wanting to admit that he did a good job.
"Mm, that went really well!" Morgana exclaimed. "You're definitely fit for this!"
"W-what was that super-move thing you guys just did?!" Ryuji asked in amazement.
"An All-Out Attack." Reaper stated. "Once you manage to knock an enemy down, there's a high chance you might be able to defeat them all in one go. It's great for defeating groups of enemies."
"Yeah…" Ryuji muttered. "That was over pretty quick…"
"It's a concentrated attack on defenseless enemies, after all," Morgana said casually. He then looked to Akira. "Now as I mentioned before, I want you to be the head of our command. You can decide when we use it."
"Hit the enemy's weakness, knock them all down, then commence the All-Out Attack," Reaper stated as she placed her scythe on her back. "Remember the order well. Now, let's get through here."
Reaper and Morgana pushed open the doors, finding no shadows inside. Right across from them was a door with a banner hanging above it. Reaper couldn't help but raise a brow at it. She growled at it as her blood began to boil.
"Sick bastard…" She growled. "I hate traveling through this castle and seeing this type of bullshit hanging up everywhere."
A sudden cry could be heard. Reaper said and made her way towards the door. "The slaves should be in here. Let's get in and make it quick."
She shoved the door open, holding it open with her foot as she gestured for the others to follow. They went on it as Reaper was at the tail of the group while Morgana lead. As soon as they crossed the drawbridge, they were faced with a terrible sight. Right at the first cell showed a bunch of kids wearing the Shujin sports uniform getting abused by the Shadows.
"Damnit! This is bullshit!" Ryuji screamed in anger.
"How many times do I have to tell you to keep your voice down?!" Morgana exclaimed softly.
"But this is beyond messed up!" Ryuji exclaimed. He grabbed the cell door and yanked on it. "How do I open this…?!"
"You dumbass!" Reaper hissed at him and yanked his hands off of the door. She looked him dead in the eyes with a stern look. "You trying to get us fuckin' killed?!"
"We can't just leave 'em here!" Ryuji argued as he ripped his hands away from her hold.
"For the last fucking time, they aren't real!" Reaper exclaimed softly as she tried to hold back her irritation. "They're fucking illusions, okay?! They are representations of how Kamoshida sees them in his head. They aren't real."
"You can say that they are extremely-similar looking dolls," Morgana said calmly, eyeing Reaper in concern.
"The hell?! Why's it gotta be so complicated?!" Ryuji exclaimed in frustration. "So the school's a castle while the students are slaves. It's so on point that it makes me want to laugh!" He threw his hand in the air to express his anger. "This really is the inside of that asshole's head…!"
"Still, this is horrible." Morgana muttered as he looked at the jailed students. "It must mean that he treats them like slaves in the real world too."
" 'In the real world too'...?" Ryuji quoted and came to a realization. "Wait, I know these guys…! They're members of the volleyball team-the one Kamoshida coaches for!"
"This is literally a representation of what happens to them everyday…" Reaper grumbled as her hands were balled into fist. "They're all physically abused every single fucking day. Because they're in gym or apart of a sport, he can blame the wounds on practice… Kamoshida's a piece of shit…"
"You're kiddin' me!" Ryuji exclaimed to her.
"Wish I was…" Reaper growled.
"So this might be for real…" Ryuji realized. "I heard rumors that Kamoshida might be usin' physical punishment, but… If this is true, wouldn't this be somethin' to report to the police."
"Hell yeah it is," Reaper said. "Believe me, I've tried multiple times in getting him arrested. Sadly, I've failed every time…"
"Well, I'll use these guys as evidence." Ryuji took out his phone. "If it all goes well, we can take that asshole Kamoshida down…!"
"That's not gonna work…" Reaper said softly.
"...Huh?! It's not workin'?!" Ryuji exclaimed in surprise. "We can use the navigation app, but the camera's a no go?!"
"A navigation app?" Morgana questioned and looked to Reaper.
"It's what we all used to get here with…" Reaper said softly, noticing Akira trying to use his phone as well. "Nothing you do is going to work. This is the Metaverse, not a five star hotel. The only thing that remains to work is the Navigation app."
"You guys mind hurrying it up?" Morgana asked and began to look anxious. "Whatever you do is fine, but we're going to get caught if we continue to stand around like this. We have to go back!"
"Hang on a sec!" Ryuji said and looked through the jail cell bars. "There's no other way… I'll just memorize their faces before goin' home!"
"Ugh, fine," Reaper grumbled as she slowly began to feel anxious herself. "Just make it quick…!"
Ryuji ran to each cell, staring carefully at each volleyball player's faces carefully. He continued to commentate on how each torment method was worse than the last. Reaper couldn't help but agree, but she really wanted to get out of there. The sounds of their pained cries wasn't something that she enjoyed to listen to. As soon as Ryuji was done they made a break for the exit.
Reaper and Morgana ran in front while the other two followed. They all ran through the lower level to get back to the main entrance. But as they were running, Reaper couldn't help but feel like something was amiss. Her gut was telling her something was wrong, and she began to believe it. As they made it to the Main Entrance hall, Reaper couldn't help but curse at herself as they all got ambushed by Kamoshida and a bunch of Shadows.
'Just my fuckin' break…!'
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