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"Sniff, sniff… uh uh uh!" Lisa was smiling widely, as she turned behind. "One of the heart parts shouldn't be too far away from us…" She began walking, while jumping a bit. "Aaaah, I can feel its energy…!"
Mirii's eyes blinked, as she walked forward.
No, I can't waste my time chasing after such a childish wish…
Her head was perfectly still, as her irises were pointed towards Lisa.
"… wh… what I am doing…?" Her head tilted slightly to her left. "Wh-why I was about to risk my life, in order to prove… … wh-what is happening to me?!" Her hands went on the top of her head. "How could I let my envy get the best of me?! I-I wasn't in me at all!"
"Now, that's surprising…"
Mirii's head shook, as her eyes squeezed. Lisa's head turned to her left, while raising. Her right hand swung her opened fan near her neck.
"I was expecting one hundred questions about the Master… not that silence." Lisa's eyebrows went up. "You… you are not trusting me, don't you?"
"… shouldn't you be careful about the incoming monsters?" Mirii's head rose. "I still haven't found a way to"
Lisa laughed, as her eyes closed and her head returned forward.
"The smart ones are scared of me! They can sense my big curse-breaking career, if they see me… and when they do, they hide in fear." She grinned a bit. "But I wouldn't mind meeting some of them… blowing them up is one of the many reasons why I love this job! It reminds me how far I got, ever since I started my career!"
"Grumpf…" Mirii frowned, as her head returned in the middle and her eyes squeezed a bit. "… I wouldn't find pride when I tackle weaker opponents."
"Envious?" Lisa's opened fan went in front of her mouth, as she chuckled briefly.
"Hmpf!" A vein popped out from Mirii's forehead, as her teeth gritted a bit. "You! You… … you still haven't said how you would get into trouble. You said it accidentally, so"
"Do you need explanations for everything?! Give me a break!" Lisa snorted, as her right arm went immediately near her right side. "Literally! I might have exaggerated with my headache problems, but I can feel the pain growing more and more…"
"I have a hard time to believe that… I wouldn't be surprised, if she's lying to me about her defects." Mirii's eyes closed. "Although, I can't force her to go against me… … for as much as I hate to admit it, I have no chance against this curse without her help." Her mouth downturned. "I-I must muster all my patience… for now, I have to pretend being supportive of her quest… … and find a way to learn the truth, without asking directly at her."
The woman turned towards the hallway's right corner.
"Sigh… cover your ears, Mirii." Her voice was coming from behind the right corner.
Mirii's mouth opened, as her eyes grew: her hands went each on one of her ears, as they pressed on them with delicacy. She turned to her right, as her eyes saw the small Inkling boy standing in between the closed window and an Inkling woman with her left knee touching the ground and her mouth smiling, while looking back at the little kid.
"… I don't understand…" Mirii's mouth downturned and her eyebrows went up. "Shouldn't we help this kid instead of defeating his curse?"
The Inkling woman's right hand went on the boy's left side of his head, caressing him delicately. The kid's right hand went on the woman's left tentacle, grabbing it. He smiled, as his eyes closed. The woman's mouth was opening and closing while forming various shapes.
Mirii's head turned forward, as her eyebrows went down.
"Shouldn't we help this kid instead of defeating his curse?" Her head rose.
Lisa's voice came up lowly, as other sounds covered most of it. Mirii's head shook, as her eyes were squeezing a bit.
"Wait, answer me when my ears aren't covered." She nodded.
Lisa passed the two Inklings, followed by Mirii. Another voice came near her ears, covered for the most part by other unknown sounds.
"Grumpf… I can't keep on being this weak…" The girl frowned. "Th-the reason feels so childish too… gah! I had enough!" Her hands went away from her ears. "I have no need to cover my ears, for now…"
"Hmm?" Lisa's shoulders turned to her left, as her face pointed at the girl: her eyelids lowered to the middle. "There was no need to be that curious for a simple"
"I haven't done that for sheer curiosity!" Mirii's head lowered, as her face frowned a bit. "I know to not possess the necessary defensive skills or the required knowledge for dealing with curses, but I would never believe to be so weak, I would need a greater distance away from those voices!"
"You could also shout like you are doing right now, instead of covering your ears… but I always found it tiring." Lisa chuckled briefly. "And to be honest, I haven't heard anyone"
"Enough." The girl's shoulders turned to her right, seeing the hallway stretching until the left turn. "… I still want that answer, Lisa."
"The answer is simple: the kid in question can't hold a discussion, thus he will attack us in any possible case!" The woman's shoulders returned forward, as her eyes closed and her left forefinger pointed at the ceiling. "At first, I didn't believe in that… I called my mentors big liars, since"
"OOF!" Mirii tilted forward, as her arms stretched forward.
PUMF!
Mirii's eyes closed, as she yelped.
"Agh…" She snorted, as her eyelids went on the middle. "… s-something grabbed my leg!"
"Oh, sure…" Lisa smiled, as her head shook slowly and her wrists were each on one of her sides. "And I can see through walls…"
Mirii's eyelids fully rose, as her arms stretched upwards while her hands were pressing the floor.
"… and lies." Lisa grins, as she chuckled a bit and closing her eyes. "I knew you weren't perfect, but I wouldn't imagine that"
Suddenly, a large dark-purple hand rose from the floor, followed by a screeching scream. Mirii's legs jumped forward, as her feet landed on the floor and her knees stretched upwards. Lisa's right hand opened her fan, as she jumped above the girl and landed in front of the hand.
SWISH!
A yelp came from the hand, as it retreated inside the floor. Mirii's face went paler, as she turned around while her head was lowered and her irises pointing at the floor tiles.
"WH-WHERE IS IT?!" Mirii jumped backwards, while keeping turning around.
"Let's go, let's go!" Lisa rushed, passing Mirii. "I can't keep the hand at bay!"
"Curses!" Mirii frowned, as she began running in the same direction. "Wh-what kind of monster we are facing?!"
The hand rose back from the floor, as it began sliding towards the two Inklings while standing on a small wrist.
"It's better I don't tell you anything about it!" Lisa's teeth gritted, as her irises shrunk and some tears formed below her eyes. "I saw it once… I keep seeing it in my nightmares!"
Mirii snorted.
"Didn't you said that an amateur made this curse?!" She panted once. "Why you lied to me?!"
"Hey, I'm not immune from mistakes!" Lisa's eyes closed, as a stream of tears came from them. "If I knew about it, I would had warned you"
Suddenly, her eyes and mouth opened wide. Mirii's shoulders turned to her right, as her right iris pointed at the hand moving closer and closer to her…
"Bah!" Puffs of smoke came from Mirii's head, as she returned her shoulders forward, while frowning. "If I had a weapon, I would had defeated this pathetic monster chasing"
"Mirii! Catch!" Lisa jumped, as she spun 180°, while her right hand threw her fan towards the girl.
Mirii's irises tracked down the fan, as her right arm stretched…
Pif!
Mirii's right hand went in front of her face, while grasping Lisa's fan: the images on it began changing into a variety of flowers, each colored either red, white or yellow.
"I wanted to give it before we would reach the room… but use it! Use it against that thing!" Lisa's eyes squeezed, as sweat jumped out from her head, while still running.
Mirii's eyebrows went down, as she slid forward while turning behind. Her right arm bended on her stomach, as her fan opened wide. The hand's arm stretched, while screaming: Mirii groaned, with her face grimacing.
The hand began falling at high speed towards the girl, as she jumped to her right.
THUMP!
Mirii jumped, as both her hands grabbed her fan: magenta ink came from her hands, covering the fan as a whole.
SWISH!
The hand explodes into a giant puff of smoke, as it rose from the ground and dissolved gradually in thin air… Mirii sighed, while lowering her head and closing her eyes. Her left knee was standing on the floor. Step noises came from her left.
"Yo-you did it! For real!" Lisa smiled widely, as her right hand was holding her own fan.
The woman stopped in front of the girl, as she grinned a bit.
"I didn't thought you would already use your fan at its full potentials…" Her eyes closed. "… that means I have less explanations to do!"
"… I do need explanations…" Mirii stands up, turning her head towards the woman and stretching her left arm and forefinger in the same direction. "Why you gave me this fan right now?! We wouldn't have the need of running, if I was armed right from the start!"
"I-I wanted to give it to you, once you trusted me fully…!" Sweat jumped out from Lisa's head, as her hands went back and forth. "I-I thought you would attack me by surprise, if I hadn't showed myself as a friendly ally, first!"
Mirii's head lowered, as she fully turned towards the woman, with her left arm returning on her left side.
"… as long as I can keep this fan, I will make sure to eliminate any ambushes… even from yours." Her arms folded.
"Aaaah…" Sweat covered Lisa's forehead, as her teeth gritted. "I-I should had known that things weren't as easy as they looked… th-this curse tricked me like a buffoon!"
"Enough with your excuses." Mirii's head rose. "We have to reach the room and stop this madness, before I will be the one suffering from a headache."
"The room is right there!" Lisa turned behind, as her right forefinger pointed at the third door on the right. "Let's make it quick, since I'm not sure what to expect from this curse." She sprinted towards the door.
Mirii's mouth opened a bit, before frowning and running forward. Lisa stopped in front of the door, as her left hand went on its handle: her head turned to her right, seeing the girl slowing down gradually. She began walking, as her head nodded.
"Once we are inside, we can't get out of the room until the core part is finished." Lisa nodded. "Are you ready?"
"Core?" Mirii's right hand opened her fan. "You mean the curse's heart?"
"Core, heart… call it like you want." Lisa shrugged. "I change names from time to time…"
"Open the door, Lisa." Mirii's eyes closed. "Assuming we don't need the key for"
Her left hand pushed the door, releasing a small noise. Her eyes saw an Inkling boy-shaped figure standing in front of the wall. His eyes were slim, oval-shaped and white.
"Eh eh… at least we don't have to find it." She grinned, as her feet walked inside the room.
"Uhm?" Mirii walked inside, as her eyes pointed at the shadowy individual. "How come he's not attacking us?"
"Like any beginners, they first observe us before deciding what to do… but generally, they become hostile if we get too close to them." Lisa walked near the left corner, turning behind and facing the girl again. "Go ahead, Mirii: splat it for good!"
"What?!" Mirii frowned, turning to her left. "And you dare leaving me alone in front of a foe?!"
"A mortal who wields the fan and knows how to use it, is actually the best combination you could ever wish in fan combat." Lisa's arms rose a bit. "I have to admit it, despite being an expert myself… besides, I think you will learn a lot about the fan fight. Your experience will sure come in handy, later on…"
Mirii's eyes squeezed a bit… then, she snorted while turning forward.
"I'm fine with this decision… proving my excellent performance isn't a loss for my case." The girl took some steps forward, while bending slightly forward and lowering her knees a bit. "… uhm… there is something…"
The shadow screamed in a high-pitch voice, as it rushed towards the girl. Mirii jumped, as her face went a bit paler.
"Hey, hey!" Mirii swung her fan towards him.
The shadow jumped backwards, screaming some more.
"Don't fight me! I know you are suffering…!" Mirii's eyebrows lowered.
The shadow jumped towards Mirii, as the girl swung her fan again: the shadow yelped, flying near the wall on the left.
… hhheeeeeeeeeeeelllllpppp…
… aaaaaaaahhh…
Mirii's head turned around, as her eyes expanded a bit.
"Those are the mortals' voices, Mirii!" Lisa frowned. "Ignore them and fight!"
"I can't fight this kid!" Mirii's fan went in front of her chest. "I'm feeling his pain… we have to communicate with"
"That's just a core!" Lisa shook her head, as she sighed. "Get him!"
The shadow rose from the ground, flying towards Mirii. The girl's teeth gritted.
"Nnnnggh!" Mirii rolled to her right, standing up on her feet in a second. "I want to help you! Listen to me, please…!"
The shadow hissed, jumping on Mirii's left tentacle and biting it. The girl yelled loudly, as her fan smacked right on the creature's left side: it went flying towards the door's right side, landing and sliding on the back until the head almost touched the wall.
Her left hand grabbed her left tentacle, seeing two small holes on the middle. Mirii gasped, as she frowned a lot.
"My patience ended!" The girl dashed towards the kid, as her arms stretched backwards. "I will make you regret your choice to pose as my enemy!"
Her fan filled up with magenta ink, as her right hand rotated 180° in a counter-clockwise motion: the shadow was slowly standing up…
PAF!
The shadow yelped, falling inside the wall. The girl snorted, as her right arm bended and moved her fan on the wall. The ink impacted on the wall, slowly sliding downwards. Lisa folded her arms, as her head shook.
"Wait for his arrival, before giving him the last hit!"
Mirii walked backwards, as her head turned left and right… from the ceiling, above the girl, the shadow kid appeared with the arms open: it fell from it, landing on Mirii's back. The girl shook around, as her fan kept hitting the creature.
Mirii's eyes squeezed, as she tilted backwards and fell on the ground, above the shadow: he yelped, going through the floor. Mirii's legs whipped in the air, pulling herself on her feet, which landed on the floor. The girl turned around, while growling.
"Come on, Mirii…!" Lisa frowned. "I'm growing tired watching you fight him…"
"Be quiet!" Mirii's head rose, as her teeth gritted and her irises moved left and right. "I'm the one accomplishing the job…!"
The shadow appeared on the wall, behind Mirii: it screamed, jumping out of the wall and opening the arms wide. He was gradually reaching Mirii's bac
SWISH!
Mirii's right arm was stretching to the right, as her knees were bended and her right foot was standing ahead. The ink from the fan was dripping… and the shadow went flying towards the wall.
BUMF!
The shadow hit the wall, falling with the face down. Small explosion of darkness appeared near the creature…
BOOM!
A large puff of smoke erupted in place, disappearing into thin air. Mirii panted twice… as her knees lifted and her head rose.
"… obviously I would succeed." She turned behind, with her eyes closed. "With my excellence, no monster could possibly"
"Great job, Mirii!" Lisa smiled, as she stopped in the middle of the room. "Even though I was about to fall asleep…"
A vein popped out from Mirii's forehead, as her eyes opened.
"Your comments have no effect on me…" Her head lowered. "I'm still responsible for this victory… probably the only one of the two who succeeded at it."
"Gra!" Lisa frowned, as her hands went each on a hip. "I can't even joke a bit? I want to laugh a bit, from time to time…"
The woman turned around… suddenly, her irises shrunk.
"Wait a second… I'm feeling a huge presence vanishing into thin air…" Her mouth opened.
"Who?" Mirii bended forward. "I have just perfected my combat skills!"
"No, it's not about an incoming creature… rather… … I think you haven't destroyed a part of the core…" Lisa's head returned to the middle.
"Nonsense!" The girl lifted her posture. "I distinctly remember how you"
"That was the whole core!" Lisa's face went paler. "Yes! I have no more doubt! A beginner couldn't possibly create parts capable of using walls at their own advantage! In fact, before acquiring such skill… they would be able to talk and even understanding!"
"What if the creature refused to talk to me…?" Mirii's arms folded.
"No, they do talk frequently… it's a skill they use a lot." Lisa nodded. "It's because it symbolizes their higher power, according to my own experience."
"It can't be!" Mirii's right forefinger pointed at the woman. "If it's true I defeated the core… then, it would mean that this curse would disappear!"
"… true…" Lisa's head lowered, as her left hand went on the top of her head. "But that has to be a beginner! I know it's possible for them to have one part for their curse, although it's a rare tactic… … if the curse didn't showed any signs of break… that means…"
Suddenly, the ground shook: Mirii and Lisa stumbled, as their arms opened wide.
"… sorry for this, but…" Lisa's eyes expanded. "… this is the first time, something this crazy is happening!"