At the port of Neptune's Bounty, a Bathysphere rose out of the water, the Fatebreakers, Johnny and their new, unexpected company, Mr. B the Bouncer Big Daddy, and Sally the Ex-Little Sister, all exited the pod, most of them groaning.
"Man, we gotta find another way to get around this city…" DJ groaned as he stretched. "We get any more party members, and we'll never fit into those things."
"Yeah, we should be careful about stringing anybody else along." Ethox said.
"Why did Mr. B have to squeeze in with us though? Isn't he supposed to be able to swim down here?" Kazuma asked.
"You kidding, Kazuma?" Ultra asked. "He'd sink like a rock!"
"Nuh-uh! Mr. B is a great swimmer!" Sally piped in.
"Never thought I'd say this, but the Little one's right." Atlas said. "Big Daddies like the one strung along with ya, despite their size, can swim 'round in the ocean. It's a feature in case they get caught in a tunnel collapse."
"Oh." Ultra said.
"You could've just swam around and met us here then." Aqua said to Mr. B. "Don't tell me you dont know your way around all of the city? Did you just stick to roaming with Sally around the Welcome Center and Medical Pavillion?"
Mr. B moaned in response.
"Well, there's no use in staying on the subject now." Mirror Match said as he finished stretching. "We have to find Atlas' family. Do you know where in Neptune's Bounty they are, Atlas?"
"I told 'em to get in a submarine hidden below Fontaine Fisheries. They should be there." Atlas said. "I'm takin' a different way inta the place, but you're gonna hafta cut through the lower wharf to get to the front door."
"Then we better get ready to fight." Legolia noted. "We'll meet you there, Atlas."
After scrounging around for some money and ammo for Johnny's guns, and purchasing some items from a nearby Circus of Value, the group then climbed over the debris and headed to a door.
"Hey, quick head up. Be on the lookout for a Vending Machine called 'Power to the People"." Johnny said.
"Why, what does it offer?" Ethox asked.
"Well, it scans any kind of weapon you're carrying, and it comes up with a sort of upgrade for it." Johnny explained. "One of the many scientific achievements of Rapture. Course, they made it so that it only works once, otherwise this place would be falling apart much faster."
"So you're saying that we can upgrade our weapons." Tanya said.
"Not sure if your Machine Gun and Rifle will register for it. But I know that my weapons will." Johnny said. "It's only gonna get tougher from here, especially since we have more than Splicers to deal with."
They went through a flooded corridor and soon caught sight of a shadow of a familiar Splicer dead ahead.
"Speaking of those freaks…" Koenig said.
"A Spider Splicer…" Johnny said. "Those things are crazy as hell. Some of the first to get corrupted by the ADAM, so you can guess how far they are now."
"What crawls in my garden…?" the shadow whispered as it jumped up and vanished.
"It knows we're here…" Nemo said.
"Keep your eyes on the ceilings… those crafty bastards can attack you from anywhere." Johnny said.
The group trailed onward, not paying any heed to the rose petals falling down from above.
"But the days go by like wind…" a faint shadow croaked as it fled.
"Hey, Sally? How good is your vision?" Ethox asked.
"Lizzie said it was very good." Sally said. "She said I had her eyes."
"How'd you like to be our eyes? You can help us spot tough enemies, that kinda stuff. Heck, if your throwing arm is good, you can toss Johnny ammo!" Ethox joked.
"...I'd like to be like Lizzie." Sally said honestly.
"It's great you wanna help." Johnny said. "Just remember to stay behind us, okay?"
"Okay." Sally smiled as the group walked into the lower wharf. Sally immediately got into her job by spotting a new enemy. "Look! It's a Mr. Bubbles that shoots rainbows!"
"Shoot…rainbows?" Grantz said in confusion as they saw a Big Daddy that was taller than the Bouncer model, and had traded its drill arm for a giant rivet gun.
"That there's a Rosie model." Atlas said. "They ain't as strong as Bouncers, but they can sling lead just as good as any 'uman."
"Yeah, I can see why, because of the giant gun it's carrying." DJ said.
"Looks like it's got a Little Sister with it. Shall we go for it?" Matheus asked.
"Hmm…I say we continue on for now." Tanya said. "I have a feeling we'll get a chance to explore this place in much greater detail very soon. Then, we can scope out and locate all the Big Daddies' locations, and deal with them all in one go."
"Yes ma'am." Viktoriya said.
"Besides, there's a benefit to keeping that one alive for now." Tanya said as they followed the Rosie from a distance until a Nitro Splicer ambushed them from a balcony.
"You fat whale! Give 'er to me!" it yelled before tossing grenades at the Rosie.
The Rosie roared as it fired its rivet gun, dentonating all the bombs in the air, then put several holes in the Splicer's chest, killing it. More attacked from the left side, supported by a Sentry Turret, but all were quickly dealt with by the Big Daddy.
"This way, we'll have less enemies to deal with." Tanya noted. "Let the Big Daddies clean up the majority of the Splicers while we go about our business, then we deal with them right before we move on to a new area."
"Y'sure have a good mind. Lettin' the big fellas deal with Splicers whenever they're around." Atlas said.
"I'm a Military Commander. It's in our profession to be smart." Tanya replied. "Now come, we passed Fontaine Fisheries back at the entrance."
The group went back to the entrance of the Fisheries, walking in and navigating their way around a maze of corridors (taking out a Sentry along the way), before they jumped down in front of a door under a blue sign. Walking through the door, they were met with the sight of a large, metal door with a slide opening visible on it. It was closed, and so DJ banged on it.
"Hello? Anyone there?" DJ asked as the slide popping open. It revealed a man in a welder's mask.
"Atlas radioed on ahead, said some people were looking for an invite to the fisheries. That would be you people, wouldn't it?" the man asked.
"Yup, that's us. Could you let us through?" Kazuma asked.
"Nuts!" the man shouted. "That means no, in case you didn't take my meaning."
"C'mon, we gotta go meet Atlas and save his family!" Ristarte pleaded. "Isn't there something we can work out?"
"Hmm… I might have something you can do for me." the man said. "There's been some strange characters attacking Neptune's Bounty lately. Every half-hour or so, they show up and try to get in. They haven't gotten through, but it's only a matter of time before they do. I need you bums to get me something that'll give me an ace against 'em."
"And what would that be?" Ultra asked.
"Up in the wharf master's office, there's a special camera. It lets ya take pictures of people, and it scans 'em and identifies any weaknesses they have." the man explained. "If'n you go up there and get ol' Peach that camera, maybe I could manage an invite…"
Just then, the group heard a banging noise behind them, the Spider Splicer from before dropping down from above.
"Damn it, not again with this one!" the man named Peach said as he closed the viewing hatch.
"I'm getting tired of this lady." Seiya said, drawing his sword. "Let's deal with this pest right now."
"Amen to that, brother!" Neumann said as he shot at the Spider Splicer coming at them.
The Splicer screamed as she cartwheeled out of the way of the bullets, only to find Ethox waiting for her where her roll ended, getting slashed for her troubles.
"We're not scared of you, and you are not getting away!" Ethox declared as he pressed the offensive, Eternal Blade letting him land multiple hits on her.
Mr. B charged at the splicer with great speed, hoping to run her over.
The Splicer screamed once more, this time in fear, as it hastily jumped up to the hole in the ceiling, almost comically scrambling across the inner tunnel away from them.
"Damn it, she got away again!" Kazuma groaned. "Now we're gonna have to deal with her as we try to get that camera!"
"You kooks sent that Spider packing pretty easily." the voice of Peach said as he slid the view port back open. "You just might be able to pull this off. But if you wanna make the next tussle with her the last, I think I got just the thing."
A conveyor belt next to the door started up, rolling out a DIY Grenade Launcher.
"Oh my god! Is that a grenade launcher?!" Aqua asked.
"Oh, yes!" Megumin said, grabbing it. "I'm definitely using this!"
"Is… is it really a good idea for her to be using that?" Johnny asked.
"Hey, she loves blowing stuff up, and she can't use her Explosion spell in here, so she has to use something more non destructive-y." Ethox said.
"Don't worry, I'll only use it on the Splicers." Megumin said, before she posed with the launcher. "These corrupted denizens of this underwater hell shall soon learn to fear my power!" she boasted, encumbered a little by the launcher's weight.
"Now go get that camera, and then snap shots of those that crawls on the ceiling. Then I'll let you all into the fisheries." Peach said.
"Once we get the camera, how many shots of the Spider Splicers you want?" Ethox asked.
"About three should do it." Peach said. "And if you catch sight of any of those weird thieves, get a picture of anyone who looks important among 'em. But just remember! I smell an ounce of Fontaine on any of you, and I'll have you all in a box! Atlas gives you the vouch, but I aint turnin' my eye just on his say so!" the view port closed.
"Who's Fontaine?" Koieng asked as they moved out.
"Probably the only man in Rapture who's a bigger bastard than Andrew Ryan." Johnny said. "Most people saw him as an unsung hero, the face of Rapture's ideology, whose life was cut tragically short by Andrew Ryan."
"But?" Goblin Slayer asked.
"But… you know how Tenenbaum made the Little Sisters?" Johnny reminded the group. "Well, Fontaine was the one who funded the project, and gathered up little girls around Rapture to put the slugs into. Some of them were orphans… but not all of them."
"Yikes…." Nemo said.
"That is most horrid thing." Molotok said.
"Sally, you know anything about what Johnny said?" DJ asked.
"...He's a bad man." Sally said, sounding scared. "His eyes are scary."
"Bah, everyone's jumpin' at ghosts. Don't let Peach get to ya." Atlas said. "Fontaine's dead, has been for months, and everybody knows it. But half the place is still jumpin' at his shadow….Christ, even Ryan. But never mind that. You've got work to do."
"Right, we gotta get that camera. Peach said it was in the Wharf master's office. It should be nearby." Grantz said.
The group backtracked and soon found the Rosie from earlier nearby a Gatherer's Garden machine.
"Well, no sense in helping that one out right now." Legolia said, drawing her bow with a Bomb Arrow, and aiming at the Rosie. "Hey, dome head!"
The Rosie turned to Legolia and got the exploding arrow right in the face, going into attack mode right after, shooting back.
"Get her, Mr. Bubbles!" The Little Sister with the Rosie cheered on, as its Rivet Gun fired away, Leglia dancing around the bullets.
"Sorry, but you're way too slow!" the elf said as she fired another Bomb Arrow at the Rosie's gun, blowing it up and destorying it, leaving the Big Daddy without a weapon.
"Hold up, we got another…one?" Kazuma said, his tone turning confused at what he was seeing:
A normal-sized person, smaller than the Big Daddies seen so far, encased in a normal diving suit, walking slowly, their heavy footsteps echoing across the wharf. What was most intriguing was that they paid the Fatebreakers no heed, instead walking towards the Rosie.'
"Oh no… it's DSD!" DJ realized. "He's a member of Dark Ocean!"
"It doesn't look like he's interested in us, though. He wants the Big Daddy." Koenig said.
"Mr. Bubbles! It's the fake Mr. Bubbles! Kill him!" the Little Sister cried as the Rosie roared and charged at the diver, who didn't react… until they grabbed the Big Daddy's arm and forced it to its knees. With nothing but a grunt, they then punched the Rosie, their fist shattering the glass in its helmet. After the fist was removed, the Rosie fell over as DSD then started walking towards the Little Sister.
"Oh gods, now he's going for the Little Sister!" Gimilor realized. "Stop him!"
DSD turned his head to see the Fatebreakers moving to cut him off. With another grunt, he turned around and slowly walked away, his metal boots growing silent with each step.
"...For someone who took down a Big Daddy with his bare hands, he sure knows when to cut his losses." Grantz said. "Still, I can see why he's one of Dark Ocean's top guys."
"Yeah, he's one of their four commanders, under Admiral Whirlpool of course." DJ said. "He's freakishly strong on land, even stronger in the water. And he never seems to talk, but the other members of Dark Ocean seem to understand him just fine."
"If he's that strong, why didn't he attack us?" Johnny asked.
"Well, a little while ago, we had a run in with Dark Dungeon, another branch of Dark Garden. After we dismantled their operation in Goblin Slayer's world, they put a do not engage order on us, which was further solidified when the entire division was destroyed in a battle with a village that works with the Mythos Hearts guild." Ethox explained. "I guess they're trying to avoid fighting us."
"Once we get the Researcher's Camera, if we spot him again, let's take a photo of him like Peach requested. That ought to earn his trust." Koenig said. "But for right now, let's save this Little Sister. Johnny?"
"Right." Johnny nodded as he quickly cured the Little Sister, watching her go through one of the Little Sister entrances.
"You have shown kindness to my little ones…but are you really friends to us? Regardless, a Little One brings you all a gift to demonstrate our appreciation." Tenenbaum radioed in.
Next to one of the Gatherer's garden machines was a teddy bear that a cured little sister laid. Inside it was 200 ADAM, 12 Rounds of AP Pistol Ammo… and a new Plasmid.
"Whoa… Tenebaum gave us the Hypnotise Big Daddy Plasmid!" Johnny said. "We can use this to keep Big Daddies from attacking us while I cure Little Sisters!"
"Yeah, good idea. Who wants this one?" Ethox asked.
Before anyone could answer, a moan from Mr. B stopped them.
"Mr. B doesnt want you to use that." Sally said. "He says it's a slaver's tool."
"...Yeah, I can see that." Ethox said. "Forget it, we're not using it. We'll just keep it in the ammo bag so no Splicers can inject themselves with it."
"I guess she wanted us to keep this safe so no one would use it." Vicktoriya said, stashing it away.
"Hey, while we're here, let's use the ADAM we've got to buy some Plasmids off this Gatherer's Garden." ultra recommended.
"Good idea! You never know when any of 'em might come in handy." Ethox said as they took a look. Well, mainly Johnny because he had the ADAM stocked up. "What's in stock, Johnny?"
"Let's see… we've got Enrage, Winter Blast, and Target Dummy." Johnny said. "We've got about 360 ADAM, so… we could buy all 3 of 'em, and I'd still have enough to up how much I can use my Electro Bolt Plasmid. Even then, we'd have 100 ADAM left."
"Eh, we shouldn't overdo it." Ultra said. "Let's just get one for now. Johnny, you decide."
"In that case… I'll get the Target Dummy." Johnny said, buying the Plasmid. The Garden did its work, creating the Plasmid. As soon as it was dispensed, a advertisement tag was strung on it. Ultra grabbed it and read.
"Enemies on your back? Distract their attention with a helpful decoy. They take the heat… so you don't have to!" Ultra read. "Hey, I think I could use this… unless anyone else wants it?"
"No, it's okay." Lily assured. "You can have it, Ultra."
"Well, alright then!" Ultra said, injecting himself. "Huh, it's not so…OOOWWW! OKAY, THERE IT IS!" he yelled, grabbing his chest. "Hoo, my organs are splitting in two…!"
After Ultra stopped shaking, a copy of Ultra appeared right next to him, looking identical, if translucent.
"You okay, Ultra?" Ethox asked.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine." Ultra said shakily. "Phew, that hurt like hell."
"Well, you're alright now." Weiss said. "Now, let's move on and locate that camera."
Soon, the group managed to locate the way to the Upper Wharf, passing by another Rosie as they searched around for the Wharf Master's office.
"Where could the office be?" Ethox wondered.
"Maybe it's past the door that has the "Wharf Master's Office" sign over it?" Kazuma suggested.
Everyone looked up at the sign nearby and was slapped with a hand of obviousness.
"Oh, right. How did we miss that?" Ristarte asked.
"Hey Atlas, what are we looking for in terms of the Researchers Camera?" Aqua asked.
"It's gonna look like any sorta camera you see topside. And accordin' to this magazine article I found, it comes with more than a few five dollar features." Atlas said. "It can "analyze genetic information and parse biological structures". Long and short of it, it's all the stuff Peach said it does."
"It's gonna really come in handy. The more times we take pictures of all the enemies down here, the more of an advantage we have against them." DJ said.
"Not to mention the advantage if it works on the Dark Ocean members." Ultra added as the group broke a lock and stepped into another room. "Hold on, turrets. I got this."
Ultra then used his new Plasmid to create a double standing in front of the turrets, having them ignore the group as they quickly destroyed them.
While they were around the office, Megumin scrounged around for ammo for her new grenade launcher. She found some Proximity Mines lying around. And then she got really lucky when she squeezed her way through a vent and into a blacked room, where she found another grenade launcher, giving her 12 frags, and 2 Heat-Seeking missiles.
They also found lots of regular Machine Gun Ammo around. Johnny couldn't carry it all, so they stashed it in the ammo bag.
Soon enough, they finally found the Researcher's Camera in an interrogation room, and quickly grabbed it. At that exact time, Peach radioed in.
"Good, you got the camera." Peach noted. "Now, get me some snappy snappies of those Spider Splicers and crazy raiders, and don't come back down here until you do!"
"Y'know, it would be helpful if you told us where we could find them." Kazuma said.
"Don't sweat it, Kazuma. I see one on the other side of this window right now." Aqua said.
Aqua was right, as a Spider Splicer male was on the other end of the glass.
"Jesus loves me, this I know…for the Bible tells me so…" the Splicer sang as it struck the wall with its hooks. "Little ones to him belong…they are weak, but he is strong…"
"He doesn't notice us. Let's snap a picture of him." Darkness said.
Ethox picked up the camera and pointed it at the Splicer. "Smile!" he said as he snapped a picture, the noise surprising the Splicer as he jumped up and out of sight.
Upon snapping the picture, the research camera did its work and compiled new info on the Spider Splicers just from one photo alone.
"Wow, look at this! It's already analyzing the Spider-type splicer and developing its weaknesses!" Ethox said. "Increased damage, and check this out. It says they're vulnerable to Anti-Personnel rounds."
"Wow, that camera is amazing!" Nemo marveled.
"Oui, it does work wonders." Le Kraken agreed. "Let us be off, we must locate the next two Splicers and DSD."
As the group walked out of the officer, something on a nearby roof caught Lily's eye.
"Hey, is that a Plasmid?" Lily pointed to the object, which was in fact a Plasmid.
"It is! Guess it must've gotten knocked out of a Gatherer's Garden." Ethox said.
"I heard an explosion while we were admiring the Camera, that must've what caused it." Legolia siad.
"Good job with those elf ears, Legolia. Now, let's see what we got." DJ said, picking it up and reading the label. "Security Bullseye. "Are those pesky Security Cameras getting you down? Simply tag your enemies with our photoelectric insects and those cameras and Turrets become your best friend. Splice Security Bullseye today!""
"Hmm…I have a feeling we should save this one for later." Ethox said. "I mean, the closest technology person we have on hand is Johnny, and he already has a Plasmid."
"Scarface is right." Seiya said as he placed the Plasmid into the ammo bag. "We'll find a use for it later."
Neptune's Bounty was a pretty big place, so as elusive as the Spider Splicers were, it wouldn't be easy to miss one. Before they went off to snap photos of the other two Splicers they needed, they took a detour and took down the Rosie roaming around the entrance to the Wharf Master's office, and saved its Little Sister. Afterwards, the group decided to make their way to Jet Postal, one of the main places that handled packages in Rapture.
"Hey Atlas, is there a chance we'll find a Spider in here?" DJ asked.
"I ain't sure, boyo." Atlas admitted. "Spiders are crafty bastards, hidin' in shadows and waitin' to strike. You could be standin' right under one and not even know 'til the hooks go in."
"...I thank you in advance for my future paranoia." Grantz said.
"Guess we just need to keep our eyes peeled then." DJ said.
The group entered Jet Postal, the room dark as they looked around.
"Looks like there's a back room. Me and Match'll go take a look around there." Ethox said.
"Okay, we'll check out this front half." Megumin said.
The two friends entered the back room, sneaking around and looking for any sign of a Spider Slicer.
"Do you think we will find one here?" Mirror Match asked.
"Well, it's dark." Ethox said. "Maybe it likes to hang out here?"
"That reasoning seems rather flimsy…" Match noted, before moans were heard above them, the two looking up to see a Spider Splicer coming down on them. "...yet accurate!"
The two jumped out of the way of the Splicer, the mutated woman screaming at them.
"Hey, you're the same one that's been hounding us!" Ethox realized.
"We have you cornered now, Splicer." Mirror Match said, creating a sword. "It's time you found some actual peace."
"But first, smile for the camera!" Ethox said, snapping her photo with the Research Camera. "That's two!"
"Give me that photo! I won't have my face be seen…" the Splicer hissed.
"Can't do that, sorry." Ethox apologized, summoning Way to the East. "Let's finish this!"
The two friends then double teamed the Splicer. Despite her agileness, she was already wounded from the two previous times she was encountered personally, and with a well timed maneuver, the Splicer was defeated at last.
"Hope you find peace away from this city…" Ethox said to the dead Splicer before the two walked out of the room to reunite with the others.
"We found the Spider that was stalking us, and we defeated it." Mirror Match said. "What did you all find in the area you saw?"
"Oh nothing except this tape talking about Ryan implementing the death penalty in Rapture." Ultra said. "It was in response to smugglers working under this Fontaine guy."
"Geeze, so much for the sweat of your brow and all that…" Kazuma said. "I mean, you made a city without ethics Andy, what did you think would happen, am I right?"
"He always was a few screws loose." Atlas asid. "Anyway, since y'got Jet Postal all done and searched, go check out The Fighting McDonagh's Tavern next. Even Splicers gotta wet their whistles once in a while."
"Wait… Splicers like to get drunk?" Kazuma asked. "What does that even look like?"
"About as horrific as you can imagine." Atlas answered plainly. "Now, would you kindly get a move on? We ain't got all day."
"Right. Come on guys, let's find that last Spider." Johnny said, the group leaving Jet Postal behind.
Once they had arrived at the tavern, the group bore witness to a glass bottle shattering on the wall next to them.
"I told ya, I'll stop when I - *hic* - feel like it!" a Splicer behind a counter slurred, firing a gun at several other Splicers in the building.
"You're hoggin' all the booze, Darrel! I need my goddamn escape from this place!" one of the other Splicers roared as he hurled a chair at the Splicer behind the counter.
"Yeah! At least let me have some!" Aqua called out, as always not able to resist getting some firewater herself.
At that, all the Splicers in the bar looked at her.
"...Would any of you know where we can find a Spider Splicer around here?" Aqua asked meekly.
(Cue fight music: I'm Shipping up to Boston (instrumental))
"Get outta here! This is my - *hic* - my tavern!" the drunk Splicer said, shooting at the group.
"BAR FIGHT!" Nemo cheered as the group engaged in a classic Tavern Brawl, attacking the Splicers inside. It raged on for a bit as the group fought all the crazed Rapturites in the room. Mr. B even joined in on the fun, charging through the counter and taking down the drunk gunman with a quick application of his drill.
Soon enough, the bar was littered with dead and wounded Splicers, groans of pain coming from them.
(end song)
"Aqua, from now on, let us handle negotiations okay?" Ethox asked.
"Alright, I'm sorry. It's just… I can't help it if I wanna have a drink, I haven't been able to have them nearly as often since I joined up with you guys!" Aqua said.
"Well, moderation is good." Mirror Match said. "I'm sure you're aware of what happens when you overdo it on alcohol."
"Yeah, yeah, I know." the water goddess grumbled.
"Uh, anyone else wondering if there's a Spider here?" Koieng asked. "You'd think it would've gotten involved in that brawl."
"It's probably still hiding." Sally said. "They love to do that. Sometimes Spiders attacked me and Mr. B and we have to be fast so they don't surprise us with their candy canes."
"With their… nope, not going down that rabbit hole." DJ said.
"It must have heard the sounds of the battle." Goblin Slayer said. "If they aren't attacking us outright, they're setting up a trap for us."
"Let's search the rooms. It could be waiting for us in one of them." Ethox said.
With that, the group split up to locate the Splicer's trap, also being resourceful and picking up any sort of ammo they could find and stashing it.
The 20 Tentacles of the Locker entered the room labeled #5, the three searching around the room for supplies.
"Ah, Nemo, while we have a moment to talk…" Le Kraken coughed. "...we should talk about Tida."
"...Now? You wanna talk about this now?" Nemo asked, annoyed.
"It must be discussed." Molotok said. "This prostitutka wants you for gain, not love. We no allow this."
"Well, of course not, but we can't exactly tell her to shove off outright." Nemo said. "She ain't gonna let me go so easily."
"Bah! As if one mermaid could be a match for us!" Le Kraken scoffed. "There's no reason to be afraid of-"
"It's not her I'm scared of." Nemo interrupted before he sighed. "Look, captain, we're not invincible, we all know that. It was mostly dumb luck and quick thinking that the three of us survived our first little sewer dive in Water Town, but that ain't gonna be enough one day. There's a good chance that one of these days, one of these jobs is gonna be my last."
"I don't understand what you're saying." Le Kraken admitted. "What does this have to do with Tida?"
"Because, I'm fine with the risks, you guys are fine with the risks. We accept that's part of the pirate's life. If I get killed out there, I can live with the fact that you guys can press on. But… if I get hitched to Tida, if I die then… she's all alone." Nemo said. "She'll never find a way to support herself, and she'll waste away. And… and that hurts to think about; the fact that she won't be able to move on if I'm removed from the picture."
"You wish to teach her to love you as if she means it, da?" Mototok asked.
"No, frankly, I don't give a hoot in hell if she's really into me or not." Nemo said. "All I wanna do is make sure she can take care of herself if and when I'm gone. Cause, I ain't planning on stopping my voyages with you guys, and at the same time, I can't just leave her in the shallows. I gotta take responsibility for this choice I made, even if it was influenced."
"You don't have to do that." Le Kraken said.
"Maybe… but I feel like I should." Nemo replied.
The trio then exited the room and saw the Spider Splicer they were looking for coming towards them on the ceiling.
"Here to visit the scum of the earth?!" he asked maniacally, moving into attack them.
"Found it! Good thing we got the camera!" Nemo said snapping a picture of it before knocking it off the roof with a few well placed knives, Molotok moving in and smashing it to paste with his hammer.
"That should about do it. Get on back to Fontaine Fisheries when yer all ready." Atlas said.
"Da." Molotok said before they heard gunshots.
"Kraken, Nemo, Molotok! Get over here, we found DSD, and he's fighting a Rosie in the bar!" Tanya ordered, the three racing back to see the Rosie sailing across the room before crashing on top of a table.
DSD stood there, his stance focused with his back to the entrance, as several men in sailor uniforms were dragging the Little Sister away.
"You just destroy that thing, boss, we'll get the tyke back to base!" one of them assured as they dragged the struggling child out the door.
"No! They can't take her! Stop those men!" the voice of Tennenbaum pleaded over the radio.
"B! Save the Little Sister!" Kazuma said in alarm, the Bouncer roaring and charging towards and through a nearby wall, forgoing the door.
DSD continued to fight the Rosie as the two fiercely fought all over the bar.
"This is as good a chance as any to snap a picture of that Big Daddy knockoff! It'll probably better your chances with Peach!" Atlas advised.
"Good idea!" Nemo said, snapping a few pictures of DSD as he finished fighting the Rosie, ramming its rivet gun straight into its torso and pulling the trigger. That quickly brought an end to the Big Daddy.
DSD then turned his attention to the others. With the do not engage rule in play, it was apparent that he didn't want to look for a fight with the Fatebreakers. And that was solidified when Mr. B came back, Drill all bloody and Little Sister in hand.
"Sorry man. But no Little Sister is gonna be harvested on our watch." Ethox said.
DSD then shook his head to signify a 'no', then started walking away. Mr. B, however, roared at him as he past, but was shoved aside, the Dark Ocean sub-leader walking out the door.
Mr. B recovered and tried to go after him, But Kazuma and Sally stopped him.
"Whoa, down there, big guy! He's not worth it!" Kazuma said.
"Please don't go after him, Mr. B. I don't want you to go to sleep." Sally pleaded. "Not like Lizzie."
The red lights in Mr. B's mask slowly turned yellow, indicating a return to a calm state.
"Geeze, that man is a monster." Johnny noted as he cured the Little Sister. "Glad he's not spoiling for a fight."
"Yeah, we should count our blessings." Ethox said. "Well, we got all the pictures we need. Let's get them back to Peach so we can get into the fisheries."
After a short trek back to Fontaine Fisheries, the group was once again at Peach's door, Ethox knocking on the cold metal.
"Hey, Mr. Peach! We have your camera and pictures, sir!" Ethox said.
After a moment, Peach opened up the viewing port. "So, the wharf didn't get you rats et. Well, a deal's a deal. Wait here for a spell, I needs to set on some coffee, maybe puts on silverware and the like." Peach said.
"Oh, that's not necessary, we'll just give you the camera and get out of your way." Viktoriya said.
"Come on, don't be such spoilsports! You just wait one minute." Peach said, closing the view port.
"Oh, I got me a bad feeling about this…" Atlas said. "Ol' Peachy seems about as straight as a dogs hind leg. He's plannin' somethin'."
"Well, he doesn't seem as far gone as Stienman, so maybe there's something I can do for him." Ethox mentioned.
"Don't overestimate yourself, boyo, the man's almost as paranoid as Ryan." Atlas said as the door to the Fisheries opened.
"Do you think that he might've gotten spooked when he saw Mr. B with us?" Megumin asked.
"Yeah, that might be it." Kazuma said. "We're going around the city with a walking weapon and a Little Sister he doesn't even know is cured. No offense to the both of you." He said to Mr. B and Sally.
"He's setting up an ambush." Seiya stated. "He thinks we're here to kill him for Fontaine."
The group headed to another door as Peach radioed in.
"Nobody walks into my swamp carrying the heat. Put all your weapons in the Penumo, and then i'll let you in." Peach said. "And leave that little Demon girl and her pet outside."
"Demon girl!?" Johnny said, clearly offended. "Listen here, you sonova-!"
"Right, weapons in the Penumo, and let's not antagonize the paranoid man, okay? Okay!" Rista said.
However, Mr. B figuratively said "Screw that!" and smashed down he door.
"...Well, nevermind then." Rista deadpanned.
"Ah-ha! I knew it!" Peach shouted as the group quickly entered the room, the man holding a box of explosives. "I knew it the moment I saw you walking freakshows! I bet your boss weggled out of Hell, told the Devil he'd be right back, and the Devil said. "Sure thing, Mr. Fontaine, I'll hold you a spot"!"
"Look, Peach, we're not working with Fontaine." Ethox tried to calm the man down. "Let's put down the explosives and try to relax, okay?"
"And let you bums do his dirty work? Ryan promised Fontaine was dust, and yet here you are!" Peach said, pulling out one of his explosives. "Well, I guess that makes Ryan a bum, then. You guys are dirt! If Ryan can't kill Fontaine, then I will! Once. You're. Dead!"
The paranoid man hurled the explosive at the group, everyone dodging them.
"Dammit, is everybody in this city certifiably nuts?!" Kazuma asked as a few Splicers came in and turrets deployed on some walls.
"Well at least he's not a Splicer!" Ethox said. "I'm gonna see if I can use my Keyblade to bring him back to his senses! Johnny, hack the turrets! Mr. B, deal with the Splicers and keep Sally safe! Everyone else, cover me as I go for Peach!"
"Right!" the group affirmed as they split up to deal with the threats. Johnny shocked the turrets so he could get close and hack them, Mr. B mowed down the many Splicers in the room, and the Fatebreakers all charged Peach as he continued to lob grenades.
"I'll put you all in the box!" Peach said.
"Bro, we hardly fit in a Bathysphere, you can't put us in a box." DJ said.
"Shining Arrow!" Seiya called as he fired Light Arrows at the grenades, destroying them.
Before Peach could pull out more Ethox charged him, Keyblade ready, as he without hesitation stabbed him right in the chest.
"Inspiration!" Ethox called as a light fell over Peach, causing him to stumble back and fall down in a sitting position.
"Ah! I…I…I feel better." Peach said, rubbing his head. "Wait, why was I wearing this welder's mask again?"
"Haha! It worked!" Ethox cheered. "His paranoia's been abated!"
"Well, that's gotta be the most effective therapy I've seen down here." Atlas said.
"Thanks, boy. I dunno what came over me. Maybe I've just been down here for too long." Peach said.
"If you'd like, you can come with us. Once we're done here, we're trashing this city. And you'll get to see the surface again." Ristarte said.
"A free ticket outta here? Well, sign me up!" Peach said, getting up. "Here, lemme take the Camera so you can focus on fighting."
"Sure. here you go." Aqua said, giving the man the camera.
"Oh! Also, there's a Power to the People station here!" Johnny said. "Let's use it!"
The group, with Peach now with them, headed down to see the Power to the People station, which Jonny used right away. He used it to upgrade his Machine Guns damage.
"Alrighty. Should be smooth sailin' from here. I'll meet you lot just ahead." Atlas said.
"Alright. Let's get going to the Submarine bay. Atlas and his family are waiting!" Ethox said.