.hack/EVA: Catharsis: Agent of Id
Disclaimer: In this universe in the quantum foam, I do not own or in any way shape or form hold a claim to the .hack series or Neon Genesis Evangelion.
" " denotes speech
'italics' denotes thought
'bold' denotes location names
'bold italics' denotes skill use
Θ Dancing Returning Exile, The Inverted Castle
The warbling of a musical chime and a shimmer of golden light rent the previous silence of the field, one that had lain untouched for over seven years. Many years ago, it had served as a Legendary Land with a different set of area words, though the intervening reset and corruption of The World's data had caused a reshuffling of what remained from the past. This particular place had come through nearly untouched, save for what had transpired in the days before the Twilight Incident.
As the light faded, three figures emerged onto the field: Skari, Skadi, and Lycoris, self-identified Adept Rogue, Macabre Dancer, and Tribal Grappler. Granted, the last one may have been slightly misleading, but for the purposes of interacting with those in The World: R2, it was quite good enough. Besides, taking on the title of "forerunner to the Goddess" would have attracted far too much attention from undesired parties, even if the Cobalt Knights did not exist in this version of The World.
'And Rumor does seem to want me to take up Aura's mantle…though I cannot become Aura. Her destiny as goddess is not mine…I am the Twilight, she is the Dawn.'
Lycoris' thoughts trailed off as she opened her eyes, a faint echo of memory coming to her as she casting her gaze about the field. Her silver hair and flowing red dress ruffled in the wind, as a straying beam of light illuminated her from above, with the field seeming to rumble in answer to her presence, as one of the old World to another.
Skari, who happened to choose that moment to look around, found himself suppressing both a sharp intake of breath, and the tired but familiar mantra of 'mustn't run away'. For unlike an ordinary field where one's feet would be planted firmly on the ground, this place was a floating castle suspended in the sky, its structure composed of countless stone spires and interweaving bridges that seemed as if they might collapse at any moment. And to make things even more disorienting, it was upside down, giving the impression that its old keywords might have conveyed: Bitter Fantasy Mirror World.
Skadi merely raised an eyebrow at the unconventional setting of the field, as after her time in The World, unfamiliar environments were what she expected, particularly from a place home to a limited-time quest. What the blue-haired Macabre Dancer found disturbing instead was the fact that no one else was there. If this was in fact supposed to be where Adept Rogues might acquire their next forms, it was very sparsely populated.
"Curious," flatly stated the Macabre Dancer. "What is the objective here?"
She turned around to see Lycoris bathed in the column of light, golden eyes aglow with hidden knowledge and veiled memories. The Tribal Grappler was seemingly in a trance, but still turned the intensity of her gaze onto the one who had asked, replying cryptically as if reading or recalling a fragment of the past.
"The path to the truth has been opened, the path to…evolution and a change in form, to myriad possibilities in twilight and dawn. Seek the center, where each shall be tested, and speak with one whose flesh is no more."
A musical note sounded of some sort, and with a ripple in view, the light passed from the girl in red as everything returned to normal. Well, somewhat normal, Lycoris wasn't prone to collapsing under most circumstances, unless of course "Ecchi-kun" happened to run into her. Seeing as this was not one of said cases, Skari ran to her side, catching the silver-haired girl in his arms as she struggled to stand.
"Reimeiki!" he cried, voice tinged with concern. "Reimeiki, are you alright?"
"I'm…fine," Lycoris managed to reply. "Just…had a bad connection for a moment. I think the new interface I'm using isn't quite stable yet."
A lie, yes, but understandable, if one considered that she didn't want to reveal exactly who she had been once. Anything of that nature could all too easily lead into someone deciding to look into the Twilight Incident and what had come before, or how much of her current existence was a fabrication supported by the art of hacking.
Skadi detected the moment of hesitation, but said nothing, as she didn't know what it meant. While she had learned some of her friend's oddities and eccentricities in the other world, the Macabre Dancer also knew better than to push too far. After all, the bluenette had witnessed an incredible explosion of emotion from the silver-haired girl when someone had brusquely dismissed the topic of artificial beings in class. It did make her wonder about who Lycoris was, beyond what she chose to reveal to the world at large, as Skadi herself has elements of herself she did not reveal.
'What is one created to be?' was a question that had often plagued her mind as she looked out the window, or as she played The World. In her wanderings, she had encountered some interesting individuals, some of who sought to relieve their frustrations in the real world through PKing, some of which sought to help others, and others whose motives were more enigmatic. In the last category were Skari, Lycoris, Rumor, and Ovan, among others, the last two of which she had not seen for a time. Skadi wondered about all of those in the last category, having spoken with her ally Tomoyami (the eternal shadow, though she was the light in real life) about Rumor on several occasions.
That particular character, a diminutive Harvest Cleric both mischievous and powerful, apparently deferred to one known as the "Queen of the Dark," Helba. Rumor had also mentioned a group known as the dothackers, and that she should seek to be one to help save this world from shadows born of error. She had investigated rumors of these things, and found, on several old message boards, references to all of these things, though she had not encountered any shadows as of yet—at least if one did not count her encounter with Siarl, the composed but menacing Macabre Dancer of black and silver, who had claimed that she and he were alike.
To return to the present, Lycoris had recovered from her small spell of weakness, and had now gestured for the party to advance along the mazelike formation of bridges and passageways in an attempt to reach the center.
"You first, Ecchi-kun!" she purred into Skari's ear, causing the Adept Rogue to go stiff for a moment. "After all, we're here for your job extend, not any of ours. And you wouldn't want to keep two poor defenseless girls waiting on you, right?"
To his credit, Skari did not quite descend into a blubbering mess, managing (barely) to keep from doing so, though his face did break out into a massive blush that matched the shade of Lycoris' dress.
'I should have expected this', he thought to himself, and so with Ripper's Blades in hand, took the lead.
Net Slum Tartarga, Sea of Data
The conversation at the crossroads of The World had only intensified since Morganna had arrived on scene, with the Harvest Cleric Tsukinoki looking upon her counterpart with one of her patented enigmatic stares, all the more so because one could not see her eyes. For a brief moment, the Shadow Warlock in purple and black considered responding in kind, but thought better of it. Mutually assured destruction was much better off avoided, as this realm was that of the Queen of the Dark.
"We need to talk," Tsukinoki had said, as Morganna met her gaze unflinchingly. "What do you know of the one named Ovan?"
"Certainly, my old friend," the former goddess had responded, her expression unreadable as ever. "The Rebirth? Wouldst you not already know of the spots being spread through The World?"
"The AIDA, the shadows born of error, natural AIs."
"As foretold both by Harald and the Epitaph, yes. As you know, humans have physical limits, but the AI has no limits to growth."
"But Harald was wrong," Tsukinoki intoned, causing Morganna to blink in confusion. "For yourself were limited by the fear, the shadow of the Terror of Death hanging over you from the beginning. And in your own rebirth, you are now among the limited by your very words."
"In the other world perhaps, Maya Ibuki," Morganna replied evenly, this time prompting the sorcerer-queen to flinch ever so slightly, the smirk disappearing from her lips. It was not too often that her real identity was brought up, if it had ever been so before. "Not quite so in this one—"
"—For here you hold the aberrant key."
Morganna's mouth closed with an audible click as she observed Tsukinoki warily.
'How much does she know of what has transpired? With her mastery of information and Rumor by her side, how much has she discovered?'
"Yes," she conceded, deciding that it was better to admit to what was known than to risk discovery of some of her more sensitive plots. "I have obtained the false child, to keep it from the hands of CC Corp and those who would abuse it."
"Those who would abuse it…and this from one who spawned the Cursed Wave?" Tsukinoki inquired solicitously. "You may convince most, but I know you of old and I know of the false key, created by one who would become as a god."
"And failed, driven mad by his own creation, while I have not."
"No, you have merely Data Drained yet another victim," the sorcerer-queen answered sharply, her fingertips brushing the smoothness of Morganna's cheek and making the latter shiver. A moment later, the hand was withdrawn, replaced with the lightest of scrapes and a glare. "Do not think I did not know, Morganna."
Silence hung over the town, as the small Harvest Cleric Rumor looked between both of the mighty ones who stood before him, knowing that if they did come to blows, he for all his power would stand nary a chance. Thus he felt that it would be best to speak up now, distracting them from one another.
None-too-subtly, he coughed, causing both of the others to turn towards him.
"Rumor has it that you have been traveling to the secret areas of The World once more with the help of the Aberrant Key, former goddess of The World."
Silence again, but this time, Morganna looked aged and weary, not bothering to hide her fatigue any longer.
"I search for…" she trailed off, shaking her head as she began again. "I search for the original Epitaph of Twilight, with which I may contact my daughter, who sleeps in the ocean of data as she once did. I search for my children, scattered through The World, whether Terror of Death, Prophet, or Rebirth, they who together serve as guides to the truth. I search for the saffron-haired girl with no shoes, she of the spring breeze. I search for what lies beyond the Wave, for the Wave is but a beginning, and the aggressive AIDA like the unseen winds that shriek across the border. The mutant Tri-Edge infecting one of my children, mutation like I was as Moganna Mode Gone. An outbreak of plague in shadows and void, now quarantined by the Azure Knights, cursed only to pursue."
"You seek, and have you found?" Tsukinoki prompted gently, curious as to what the Shadow Warlock would say. Rumor as well inclined his head, prompting Morganna to go on.
"The Epitaph of Twilight…the one of the Creator's Room, vanished. The Epitaphs all unawakened but one, and an incessant whisper of corruption from Jyotaro Amagi's creation. A hint of madness with cruelty to punish and destroy, fate from which I spare The World."
"And what lies within the False Key?"
"A flawed mirage, with which one may hear. An avenger, to fight against a threat to The World. A failed rebirth that may still be, with a doom that comes at last from one who pursued me long ago, or at least his shadow."
At this, Morganna sighed, remembering the terror that had overwhelmed her all those years ago when a certain twin blade had defeated segment after segment of herself, until at last he charged for her form of The Rebirth with blades drawn in a last desperation attack. She had died, and was reborn. And so for The World to be saved, perhaps The Rebirth must once again die, as well as the false key, the Agent of Id dominating personality.
'Great goals are always obtained through personal sacrifice…and the future of the world lies at the ends of human will.'
"Worry not of me, Helba. Worry of Siarl of the Seven Eyes, servant to both AIDA and SEELE."
Σ Unknown Floating Holy Ground, The Ending World
While Skari and company were going through a quest to hopefully allow the timid Adept Rogue to finally unlock his second form, a certain Flick Reaper by the name of Tomoyami was undergoing a different kind of trial by fire. While she, like her comrade Skadi, was curious about both the dothackers and the one named Rumor, Tomoyami also had some other motivations in playing The World, namely to gain strength and vent her aggression. She was still a Chaotic PK, after all, and one who enjoyed power quite a bit.
Thus it was no surprise that she thought of the upcoming tournaments in Lumina Cloth as an excellent way of extending her influence and prestige in The World. How better to be known than to become an Emperor (or Empress) of one of the three Arena Circuits? But of course, in order to achieve that end, she needed a team to fight beside her.
'Skadi would have been ideal as a battle companion, but she does not much care for combat in The World, and seeks to uncover the mysteries and her own nature. Skari is too often with Lycoris, who does not much partake in combat. And thus…thus I must turn to these,' she thought bitterly.
Following behind her were two characters all too familiar to her in both worlds: a Shadow Warlock and Tribal Grappler known as Arano and Aruna, respectively. Following yet another screw-up by the Idiot Duo, triggering a terrifying demonstration of just how frustrated she was with them, Tomoyami had drafted them to serve on her Arena team in lieu of further classroom cleaning.
And if they were terrified by the threat of a tug at the ear from a vengeful Class Rep, it was almost comical how easily the Idiot Duo was cowed in The World. Her beauty didn't hurt either, with her supple form clad in a loosely flowing white dress with a blue underskirt, offset by the two streaming pigtails of lustrous black hair that framed her face. A simple sashay of her hips or a flick of her demonic scythe, and they were as putty in her hands.
…Which of course, meant that getting them to fight her or anything stronger than what they were used to was a chore in itself.
Now, given her track record with encountering a certain other who liked to call herself "Eris, Bringer of Strife", Tomoyami didn't want her training session disturbed, so she had taken pains to make sure her party would be alone. Scouring the web, she had eventually found the keywords for a certain Legendary Land, posted by a player of The World: R1 named "Wiseman."
The Ending World, which had apparently been a giant eyeball piercing the sky in an earlier version of The World, with the area words posted only a year or so ago. Here, she could train to her hearts delight, in a place where no others were, trying to get the incompetent newbie helpers up to par as far as battling was concerned.
"Look," she all but snarled, becoming quite exasperated after the latest failure in communication. "If you sorry excuse for adventurers expect to make a decent showing for yourselves in the Arena, you have to learn to work together. Remember, you owe me for not forcing you to do cleanup duty for the rest of the year."
Looking to see if the others were paying attention, she smiled to see that Arano was nodding and reaching for his Grimoire Magic Huwawen in preparation for the next bout. As for Aruna—the Tribal Grapper was looking in her direction, but not at her face, or with any indication of having heard what she said. He was instead looking at her not so insignificant assets.
Tomoyami's eyebrow twitched in annoyance as she noticed this, and she felt the sudden urge to cut Aruna down where he stood. With the shoddy defensive stats his class possessed, it would be so easy to strike from afar…but she shook her head to clear it of such thoughts. Incoherent rage would not serve her in battle, especially as she did not have a special berserker form that would allow her to use the power of a beast. A pity, that.
Successfully resisting the urge to PK someone, she decided to have a little bit of fun.
"Arano," she called out to the one person she knew was listening. "I know that you wish to be a warrior, and that is part of why you play The World. You wish to gain strength and be known, to awaken the samurai inside your heart. You are training to become great, to be revered above all others by my side in the Arena, to become one of the strongest in The World. All I ask is that you aid me."
The Shadow Warlock's pulse quickened at these words, and he found his thoughts echoing Tomoyami's words. He did want to be known as a great warrior, and to no longer be looked upon as a weird military-obsessed otaku. Perhaps if he were to be a victor in the tournament, then he would gain respect, at least within the class, where his identity was fairly well known.
He nodded and raised his grimoire, preparing for another assault, only to be met with a waggled finger.
"Not me. Aruna first, so that he actually pays attention. Trust me…its for his own good."
Tomoyami's voice was sweet and cloying, and Arano found himself unable to resist, lifting his tome and intoning "Zan Rom!"
The resultant tornado of wind knocked Aruna's character to the ground, and had the added bonus of snapping him out of his trance. The Tribal Grappler, faced with the prospect of coming under friendly fire, reacted quite predictably, leaping up and getting in Arano's face, waving his fast in the air.
"What's the big idea?! One moment I was standing there, the next you attack me! I thought we were friends!" he snarled, forcing the smaller Shadow Warlock backwards. "You want to be a tough guy, I'll show you tough…Tiger Bi—oof!"
A cry of frustration escaped his lips, for his PC's hand had impacted not the soft cloth and flesh of his intended target, but the razor sharp blade of a scythe. Seeing that the black haired PK had become quite angry at him, he took a step backwards and attempted pull a Shinji (that is, apologize profusely while dashing away).
"Now that I have your attention," continued Tomoyami of the Shadow. "Lets begin again, shall we? After all, the arena will have foes more powerful than I, and if you want to prove that you are worthy of being tall, dark, and even a little attractive, you will pay attention—to what I'm saying and not stare at my chest the entire time, or I will show you magnitudes more pain and suffering than Eris ever dreamed of doing, Touji Suzuhara. Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?"
Thankfully, this encounter had been in a digital world, else Aruna would have needed new pants, as the way the Flick Reaper was advancing on him, waving her scythe just a millimeter or two from his face, was quite intimidating. And when she promised to show him more pain than his worst nightmare was capable of doing…well, that in itself was quite frightening enough, particularly when he knew just what Eris could do.
"H-hai," he replied, voice quavering in terror at the feral grin that erupted on Tomoyami's face. Mercifully, she backed off and allowed him to stand, nodding to Arano for lending her his assistance.
"If you want to get a girl, any girl, be a man," she said, raising her scythe (the immensely powerful Heine's Zero) in preparation for the next bout. "That means having self control, strength, and a sense of dignity. Unless you can do that, you will never have a fantasy come true. You will never be able to do anything besides being a jock. You will never win a battle in the tournament. You will never beat Eris without someone's help. And you will never earn my respect, to say nothing of defeating me. Now, shall we continue?"
Upon receiving replies in the affirmative, Tomoyami took 10 steps back, as was traditional before a duel. She bowed, and then with a rustle of fabric and whistle of a blade through the air, the Flick Reaper leapt towards the duo, somersaulting forward with scythe poised to strike.
Θ Dancing Returning Exile, The Inverted Castle
Back at the Inverted Castle, as the Legendary Land had been known in the days of the old World, the trio of Adept Rogue, Macabre Dancer, and Tribal Grappler were making a small bit of headway. As if it wasn't enough that the field lacked both map and music, it appeared that one could actually interact with the floor elements here. That is, if one was not careful, one might stumble or have part of the ground collapse beneath one's feet, causing a character to plummet to his or her virtual death.
In addition, living shadows crept over the field, concealing powerful monsters drawn to the presence of any players who dared to trespass upon this place. While they would not emerge immediately, the longer that a party took to reach the center, the more frequent and ferocious attacks would become.
The first few minutes had been uneventful, with the three companions traveling in relative silence while looking around warily. There had been only three near plunges into the unknown, two wrong turns, and one encounter with a monster, a Heavens Doom, to be precise.
Skari, made more confident in his role as party leader because of Lycoris' faith in him, had been badly shaken when a huge white figure with saber teeth and a spiked ring lumbered out of the shadows, announcing its presence with a blast of energy. Had he been prepared, it might not have been so bad, but as it was, he was caught in the midsection by its fierce assault, saved from going over the edge only by Lycoris' efforts. As much as he might have wished or dreaded it though, there was no time for a tender moment, for the demonic beast charged.
The words "Rap Corv! Dek Do!" were heard in the background as Skadi worked her magic, boosting the party's attack and lowering the creature's speed. With that, the bluenette entered battle, fans whirring and slicing in a very semblance of a dance of death, as she sought to keep the creature off balance with a flurry of blows. Surprisingly, the one of winter found herself smiling very slightly as she considered the irony of the situation.
'In the other reality, I fight beings called Angels. Here, I fight demons…how curious."
"Palm Blast!" murmured Lycoris as she rushed in, leaping into the air, spinning about and slamming open palms against the monster's eye in a piercing attack that wore at its armor. It reared back and countered with a physical assault, lunging at her with its teeth, though the silver haired girl kept out of range, far more nimble than her outfit would otherwise suggest.
But while Skari had been caught off guard by the monster's appearance, battle was by now a state that Skari knew well and excelled at in both of his worlds, and when the monster attempted to attack one who was dear to him, the Adept Rogue saw red. Snatching up his blades, he charged forward and snarled out "Ghost Falcon!", leaping into the air and delivering a torrent of slashes that sent the monster reeling.
He narrowly managed to avoid a "Gan Bolg" fired at the monster by Skadi, and was about to attack again when Lycoris backhanded the creature, which combined with the other assaults knocked it over the edge of the bridge.
"That was the first monster?" he asked to no one in particular.
"Yes," replied the girl in red, looking towards the distant center once again. "And there are more to come." She pointed out three Holy Eaters blocking the way to the nearest spire, creatures that had apparently detected the fall of their comrade and were coming to investigate.
"Logic would dictate that we concentrate on one foe at a time, in order to defeat them quickly," noted Skadi, raising her war fans in preparation for battle. "I will provide healing and fire support."
"Sounds like a plan, Aya—Skadi. Sorry," muttered Skari, whose Ripper's Blades were already extended as he took off, legs carrying him towards the melee as quickly as he could go.
'I never thought there would be a day when I was running towards a battle instead of away,' the Adept Rogue thought with amusement. He selected the skill "Whirlwind" and spun into battle, his blades moving almost of their own accord as he centered the targets and pulled the switch again and again, eliciting shrieks of pain as he caused pandemonium in the ranks. And beside him, matching him step for step, was his partner Lycoris, keeping just out of the range of his blades while she used her own skill "Tiger Bite" to hammer to the enemies he had already weakened.
Suddenly, the silver-haired Tribal Grappler broke off her attack, and thinking he knew why, the Adept Rogue dove and rolled away, just as fireballs rained down from the sky to bombard the space he had been standing in just moments before.
'Apparently, Skadi decided to use "Vak Don" silently,' Skari thought to himself. 'While useful in a PvP situation, maybe she should call out her skills so we don't hit one another accidentally.'
When the firestorm faded, he was already back on his feet, his weapon charged up as dashed past the three Holy Eaters, hits trailing behind him—with one enemy even falling asleep due to the special ability added to his blades.
The other two opponents retaliated with combo attacks both directed at him, ramming into him from both sides and unleashing twin flares of energy that would have seared his flesh. That is, would have, save that he managed to block one's attack, while Lycoris was beside him, blocking the other with only a soft grunt issuing from her lips. Another magical assault coupled with a dance of blades, and their foes' data was scattered across the field.
With that battle, the trio had reached one of the many spires that dotted the field, a place where they could be momentarily safe from assault…or at least find it easier to hold their ground, as there was only one way in, apparently. The other ways "out" were simply portals of different colors etched into the walls, who would take them Aura-knew-where in the field.
"Are we there yet?" came a voice from right behind Skadi's ear. He whirled, only to relax when he say Lycoris there, a mischievous smile on her face. "Guess you're not as clumsy in battle as when you're just walking, Ecchi-kun!"
She winked, and in spite of himself, Skari smiled, taking one of her hands and squeezing gently. Observing all of this was Skadi, leaning against one of the walls, and she resolved not to let this go too much further. The Macabre Dancer let the edge of a war fan scrape the wall gently.
"Shall we continue? The longer we remain, the worse the assaults will be," she said, stepping towards one of the three portals. Out of the choices of lavender, crimson, and azure, Skadi's obvious choice was the azure portal, as she did not much care for the color red, and she looked at the others expectantly before stepping through.
Lycoris quickly followed, not wanting her friend to have to face an unknown danger by herself, with Shinji as the last, muttering only "I have a bad feeling about this."
His gut instinct turned out to be correct, as the teleport dropped him into a swarm of upright walking swords attuned to the water element, with his two female companions already launching assaults against them.
'Great. Rue Jugglers, which are supposed to suck the souls of those who have been struck down by their blades.'
"Vak Don!" he cried, a shout made in triplicate as the others likewise decided that magic was the best offense to use for this swarm of enemies, followed by a "Medek Vorma" from the Macabre Dancer, lowering the magic defense of the enemies. As if on cue, meteors of fire flared into existence from the aether and hurtled down towards the clumped foes to soften them up for a melee assault, crashing into the swords and leaving them scorched echoes of their former selves.
A few remained to do battle, but they were easily enough dispatched by some swings of the blade, fan, and fist. The trio was just getting ready to move on when a flight of shapes descended from the sky, a Sorcerer Owl flanked by several Raven Claws.
Apparently, forcing the enemy off the side of the walkways would not be an option this time around, since the enemy could take flight. And this mob didn't even have the decency to close the distance before they attacked, instead striking from range with "Sonic Shots" and other various skills.
Fortunately, by now the morale bar was full, and so Skari decided to try something new: Demon Awakening. This particular special attack caused the party to stand still, but casts a random attack spell upon the enemy repeatedly.
Skadi had been about to use a spell herself, but found herself rendered immobile by the party leader's decision to use an Awakening. Over and over "Gan Bolg" was cast, spikes of earth lancing out at the swooping avians. The Raven Claws quickly fell, and by the end of it, all that was left was one extremely angry looking Sorcerer Owl, which still had a good deal of HP left due to its superior defenses.
"Ghost Falcon!" Skari's voice rang out as soon as he was able to move again. The highest level aerial assault available to him, he needed to use it to counter the effects of his enemy's swooping down on him.
"Rapid Attack!" called Lycoris, arms blurring as she struck at the Sorcerer Owl again and again, though it countered by slamming her down into the ground.
"Rap Do! Dek Orma! Ul Repth!" Skadi, as the sole caster of the party, was working overtime, finding herself hard-pressed to keep up with the rate of damage the enemy was inflicting. She cast a speed boost to the party, a decrease in Magical Attack and Defense for the foe, and a healing spell to Lycoris, helping her to recover some of her HP.
The Adept Rogue knew he had to wait for the enemy to get in range again, but for his plan to work he had to get it angry at him. Selecting "Rue Kruz" from his list of available skills, he watched in rapt anticipation as shards of ice shimmered into existence and converged upon the Sorcerer Owl, slamming into it and sending it spiraling downwards.
That was his cue to continue.
"Sparrow Counter!" he bellowed, his dual swords locking forward as he leapt into the air and practically tackled the creature out of the air. "Everyone together, now!"
He was soon joined by Lycoris, whose "Palm Blast" wore away at its defenses, and then by Skadi, whose razor fans sliced here and there, aiming to carve up the magical bird. It attempted to strike back with one magical blast after another, but the trio knew that they had to either win—or die. There was no alternative.
The melee attackers swarmed the fallen avian, unleashing skill upon skill on its relatively unprotected stomach, somersaulting, flipping, and rolling to avoid pecks and slashes. And then finally, just when they thought the enemy would never fall, Skadi cried out "Ani Zot!", and claws of darkness dragged the bird down into the underworld.
There was nothing to be said for some time after that, with the only sound heard in that field labored breathing, before even that finally faded back to a normal rhythm. The trio took that time to replenish their HP and SP via potions and other healing items they had brought with them, wondering what the next spire jump would lead to.
Sure enough, there was another choice of colors, this time between green, silver, and gold. Having chosen the last time and not having any instinctual revulsion to any of the colors, Skadi deferred to the others. Still a little out of breath, Skari let Lycoris choose this time, and without nary a word, the party trooped through the silver portal—
—and found themselves having to duck behind some debris on the bridge to evade an attack from a Solid Eye flanked by two Gaze Knights.
"An excellent choice of portal, Lycoris," Skadi said archly.
"You picked an interesting time to learn to use sarcasm!" the silver-haired girl shot back, peeking around the rock fall to see just how close the enemy creatures were. They were slow creatures, but immensely powerful and heavily armored, meaning that their armor had to be worn down before the enemy would even begin to take serious damage. Granted, the Solid Eye had a shield protecting its face, but that was the only discernable difference between them.
"Tri-Strike!" "Palm Blast!" "Gan Bolg!"
Skills and magic spells of the piercing variety were best for fighting these rather formidable foes, and so that is what the party chose to use, targeting the Gaze Knights first, as those would most likely fall more easily.
Boom! Skari barely managed to avoid the massive metal fist that slammed into the ground where he had been standing. It was tough work leaping from creature to creature, striking while avoiding the piercing spikes being projected by the Macabre Dancer of the group. He kept targeting one as best he could, unleashing a "Gan Bolg" at point blank range. As long as Skari kept moving, he could evade them…if he couldn't, then he was likely dead.
Lycoris also struck nimbly, using the speed and grace afforded to her by her nature in order to avoid attacks while dealing damage. She leapt like a cat, dodging the blows and striking with the "King Hammer" attack at one, then another, then another. Surprisingly (or not so surprisingly), she was the fastest of the trio, managing even to get in between them and have them all rush at her—only for her to jump out of the way and for them to stun one another.
"Gan Bolg" again, followed by another flurry of strikes, and now the armor of the Gaze Knights was down. She struck with her gauntlets Feline Soul, landing a critical and blowing one into digital dust, before turning to the next.
Her hands were a blur of motion as she took out the next monster as well, just in time to see Skari get trampled underfoot by the Solid Eye, his avatar slamming into the ground with a sickening thud, blades spinning away.
Underneath her feet, the ground had begun to crack from the Solid Eye's rampage, and as much as she wanted to finish it off, Lycoris knew she had to pull Skari to safety before the walkway collapsed. For if it did and they were still on it, they would not have another chance at this event, and would have to wait until the next Job Extend.
"Skadi, help me!" she barked out, taking hold of the fallen Adept Rogue and pulling him back away from the enemy as cracks shot through the flooring. The Macabre Dancer looked around quickly and rushed to comply, so that between the two of them, they carried the Skari out of the danger zone, just as the walkway collapsed. Luckily, there was another spire behind them, with more choices of colored portals to pass through, and after healing and respelling the party, another portal was chosen…a lavender one this time.
It was a long, hard road to the central spire: more battles were fought, with the party breezing through some, struggling through others, and barely escaping death on more than a few occasions.
And then at last, they were but a short walk away from their goal, with just a Maxima Bazooka to defeat before they reached their objective. Like the other monsters they had faced in this field, this promised to be a difficult battle, as the Maxima Bazooka, an ogre like the Gun Giant, had incredibly high defense and HP, with large size that belied its agility.
Hence, Skari was a bit nervous when it came time to face this final boss, one whose power and level surpassed all the others they had faced in the field. But weighing his options, he looked to the other members of his party, who were ready to finish this particular quest, and realized that there was no turning back. They had spent hours of their time in order to help him, and to honor their sacrifice, he had to be willing to face down this last opponent.
'How very much like my first field run in The World.'
At a signal from Lycoris, the Adept Rogue leapt into action one final time, his blades poised to strike as he swiftly closed the distance between himself and his foe. But he never managed to close, as the monster heard his footsteps and sprang into the air, blasting the area with attacks from the cannons mounted on its arms.
Skadi, the Macabre Dancer, managed to distracted the enemy for a moment, summoningclaws of darkness with "Ani Zot" to rake and tear at it when it hit the ground. She reasoned, correctly, that the blind monster would only be able to retaliate if it heard an attack coming, and silently casting spells was a good alternative to that.
The Maxima Bazooka did not much care for that, and decided to turn its attention to the groaning Skari, who was just recovering from the blow that he had taken. It lumbered forward at a surprisingly rapid clip, footfalls making a clash-clash-clashas they impacted the ground one after another.
Moving to intercept, Lycoris dashed forward with all the speed she could muster, launching herself into the air with a shout—her path describing a perfect arc to land upon the monster's head.
"Palm Blast!" she called out, slamming her hand down onto the creature as it bucked and shook and tried to throw her off. In response, it crouched down, its head nearly touching the floor, as Lycoris braced herself for what was to come. Sure enough, the foe-unleashed hell with its bazookas, creating a huge impact on the ground that sent the others flying backwards, and itself flying upwards.
Thinking quickly, the silver-haired girl knew now that the monster was too high in level for her companions, and that if it struck a few more times, they would be finished. Before, their party had the advantage of either speed or power, but neither was true this time, so she was forced to invoke a skill that neither of her companions had heard of.
"Loving Boomerang Hook!"
Her gloved fists slammed into the creature, rewriting its data much in the same way as Data Drain would in earlier generations, turning the creature into a mere Gun Giant. A tap of her gauntlets later, and the creature disintegrated in mid-air, leaving the Tribal Grappler to land on the walkway with perfect grace.
Not having heard the skill being used, Skari and Skadi could only look at her and blink at how quickly their companion had destroyed the monster.
'Hakubo was holding back her true abilities, it seems. She must be much higher level than either of us surmised.'
"Well," said Skari, scratching his head awkwardly, "lets go into the final chamber."
The trio joined up again and prepared to walk through the doors of the central spire—only to find that the passageway would only allow one at a time, and that the small chamber within was only large enough for one. Since it was a Job Extend quest, they allowed Skari to go ahead, and he proceeded inside, only to find no treasure chest, and no more portals to elsewhere, merely a large stone with a Bayonet embedded in it. Disappointed that that was all there was to find, the Adept Rogue drew the weapon from the rock—and promptly vanished.
Harald's Room
Apparently, that was not quite the end, as he reappeared in a room with a surface like rippling water, whose brightness disoriented him, save for a dimmer spot towards the ceiling. Blinking once, twice, three times, Skadi gradually recovered his vision and turned to the dimmer spot only to take a step backwards. Floating in the air was an immense humanoid shaped creature suspended upside down, with a green ring about its torso. He tensed, but it didn't seem to move, and almost relaxed when it spoke.
"I shall ask you a question," came the voice from above. "Is my daughter safe and sound?"
Skari only smiled sadly, not truly knowing how to answer, and trying to think of how to reply.
"Answer me", the voice insisted.
In this situation, maybe a response from the Old Shinji was appropriate, and so he replied accordingly.
"I'm sorry, but I do not know your daughter. I hope that she well though."
There was a pause, as if the red form was considering his answer, and then a reply.
"I shall not bequeath you this bayonet. However, I will grant you what you seek."
A flash of light, and from here as well he faded, to reappear in another place and time.
Θ Dancing Returning Exile, The Inverted Castle
It had been several minutes since Skari had entered the central spire, with nothing heard of him since. Surely it did not take that long to enter and come out again, prize in hand? Lycoris was beginning to worry, knowing what she did of The World, and so she stepped through the low-cut door next, emerging into the chamber to a stone with an extremely familiar weapon, one that had she had last seen year ago.
'The Divine Spear of Wotan. Alberio's weapon.'
Not quite believing her eyes, the silver-haired girl reached out and touched the weapon of The World: R1, finding it to be quite real. She pulled on it gently, and it came loose, until she held in hand the weapon that had once been her demise. Associated with it were memories of the one who had wielded it as well, and she shed a tear remembering the day he had left The World, when Morganna had sent a Guardian to keep him from seeing Tsukasa.
With a flash of light, she too, was taken to the realm of Harald.
Harald's Room
Upon materializing in the room of shifting colors, Lycoris recognized the location as one that was all too familiar to her.
'A room of the creator. Of the ghost in the church. Of my father…'
Sure enough, when she looked to the ceiling, there was the massive red human form that she remembered as being the throne of Harald, even if the old man was not present. She supposed it was appropriate enough, an empty chair for a world abandoned, but she feared too, what it could mean. Instead of asking her a question, it simply spoke to her, recognizing her for who she was.
"You cannot become Aura, it is not who you were designed to become."
"And so I am not," she replied, finding strength within her as she clutched the Spear. "I remember that from what you said to me seven years ago."
'…when you had me deleted,' she left unspoken.
"Then why have you come here? You were once a failed prototype."
"Because…because you were wrong, father. Because both humans and AI have limits to growth, but I have not experienced them. I want to know where the road will lead, I want to see what lies there. Have you not made mistakes in your time? And yet, is there growth without error?"
"Mistake. That is what you were, in the creation of Aura, the shining one, to whom I entrusted the future of The World. A failure."
Lycoris shuddered as she heard these words anew, still cutting as deeply as the first time she heard them. Holding the Divine Spear of Wotan, she looked down at the ground and took a deep breath, answering her father.
"I was once an unwanted child, but I have become more than that. I have reached the point of liminality, discovered what it means to be, and not live in fear, father. And was it not you who said that 'it is arrogant for one to reject change because it is undesirable?'" That ''rejection of change is the rejection of possibilities?'" That one should allow diversity? You created The World in order to give birth to Aura, the proof that you loved Emma. Would you continue to estrange someone else who is loved?"
Silence from the AI Harald as it sought to process what had been said to it.
"Answer me, father."
Another moment's hesitation, then a response.
"I will ask you a question. How is Aura, my daughter?"
Somehow, she knew how to reply, as if the words were deep inside of her.
"Aura…is integrated into The World, as her name means. She sleeps safe in the ocean of data, allowing humans to forge the future of the world, as you created her, long ago. And as you created me. Thank you."
The AI Harald paused, its yellow eyes narrowing as it regarded Lycoris, his unacknowledged daughter, and considered what to do.
"Mmm…I cannot bequeath you with this spear of a world long past," it spoke, its voice resonant in the emptiness. "But I will wish you happiness, and bequeath you with this bayonet for who you have chosen."
The Divine Spear of Wotan faded, to be replaced by a bayonet unique in The World, as a pulse of light washed outward from the AI Harald, teleporting Lycoris away to another place.
Θ Dancing Returning Exile, The Inverted Castle
The Macabre Dancer Skadi was quickly becoming annoyed. Could it be that she had been abandoned by both of her party members, after working so hard with them to come to the final destination of the field? There was absolutely no sound from within the spire, and she wondered what could have happened. Lycoris, after all, was much more powerful in this World than she let on, and not for the first time, Skadi wondered what the silver-haired girl had meant when she had said that The World was her bond to all people.
A strange feeling of unease grew inside of her as the minutes passed, and at last she too entered the central spire, to find what the others had, a weapon embedded in a stone. It resembled a pair of folded fans, though when she drew them from the rock, she found that they were not fans after all, but a pair of dual swords.
'Lit Honeysuckle.'
Light erupted above her, and then she too vanished from the field, leaving the Inverted Castle silent once more.
Harald's Room
The first thing that Skadi noticed when she emerged in the hidden chamber was that she stood surrounded by azure waves of what seemed like water. The second thing that she noticed was that before her floated an enormous figure all of red, the color she most despised. It was suspended upside down, its form bound by a green ring that kept it immobile, and it looked at her with strange golden eyes somewhat like those of Lycoris.
"I shall ask you a question," came the voice from above. "Is my daughter safe and sound?"
Skadi blinked in confusion, having expected a question on the lore of The World or something else as demanding, rather than a question asking of a person she did not know.
"…" was what hung in the air, as the Macabre Dancer tried to think of what to say.
"Answer me", the voice insisted.
"I apologize, but I do not know your daughter. May she…be well."
A pause, as if the red form was considering his answer, and then a reply.
"I shall bequeath you with these swords."
A flash of light, and she vanished, leaving AI Harald alone once more.
Δ Server, Eternal City Mac Anu
One after another, the three members of the party appeared before the Chaos Gate of Mac Anu, but each with some changes. Skari had been upgraded to his Steam Gunner form, Skadi was in a state of mild confusion, and Lycoris…Lycoris merely looked thoughtful.
They each looked around, almost as if surprised to be in Mac Anu once more, and then looked at what each of the others were carrying. Without a word, both Skadi and Lycoris approached Skari, handing him a set of dual swords and a bayonet respectively.
'Lit Honeysuckle and Maxwell…' he thought to himself, reading over each of the weapon names. Then he blushed, recalling something he had been told, about how Honeysuckle was a symbol for the bonds of affection. Looking at Skadi, he saw that she would not meet his gaze, and that there was a hint of crimson on her cheeks as well.
The three walked in silence out the doors and through the crowd of Mac Anu, until at last they came to the bridge, where all three looked out over the waters.
"There was a room of azure," Skari reflected, after a time.
"A man who asked a question, perched upon a throne of souls," Skadi added.
"Wondering about his daughter," chimed in Lycoris.
"I wonder if he'll ever find what he was searching for."
Each pondered that question for a time, coming to their own conclusions in the twilight hour of Mac Anu.