AN: I finally uploaded Chapter 61, or at least the parts that me and MoldyJelyBean completed. From now on, the story will progress as normal, so please read, review, follow, favourite, etc. Like I said in Chapter 61, I honestly couldn't say when - or if - Persona: The Nameless will be updated. However, I fully intend to work on this story.
Chapter 62: What I Know
|September 15th|Secret Base|4:56 pm|
Amara and the others had arrived at the base, the first time since they returned from Glasswater. To their concern, they hadn't been able to get in touch with Zao. Nevertheless, they continued to the other world. There, everyone else was out on other errands, except for Aimee. Roger, Karen, Tara and Matthew were in Saragel. Dan, Priscilla, Kyle and Seraphina were in Farawell. Everyone else was exploring the city, searching far and wind for anyone else with potential signs of having a Persona. Aimee had been bored out of her mind, but her face lit up when she heard the footsteps coming out of the NDD. As they regaled her with stories of Glasswater, she soon relaxed.
"...Okay, Blaine, you can stop now." Aimee said. "Ever after hearing one verse of it spoken out loud, I've still never heard such smut in all my life."
"Really? Yet you live in the same basement as Dan?" Blaine chided.
"Anyway, here's some of the pictures." Amara said, handing her camera over to Aimee. "I will need that back, though. So maybe Kyle could download some of them to the computer, and all of you can take a look."
"Thanks!" Aimee said, cheerfully taking the camera. "It's such a shame everyone else is out and about."
"Glasswater's beautiful, isn't it?" Serena said. "Especially that school. Some really nice people go there, too. Like Robin, Matthew, and Lucia. Oh, not our Matthew, obviously."
"And I met one of their friends on the beach. Noah, his name was." Amara said. "I couldn't believe it when they said one of their friends had died from drug abuse..."
"I know what you mean." Blaine said. "I've seen plenty of potheads back home. Scared me out of taking anything other than good old beer."
"Noah was in turmoil. I think I cheered him up a bit. But when we were talking, I felt something inside. It was like when I'm around people with Personas. Yet he wasn't from our city." Amara said. "I was probably imagining things. Still, I wonder how they're doing now."
"They're coming back next month, you know." Serena said. "So you'll get to meet him again then!"
"Sounds like we all had fun." Blaine said. "Even if she was working, spending time with Lucy was worth it. Especially when we were in that park, holding hands...it was perfect."
As the group continued talking, Amara heard Aimee's phone ring. Aimee apologised, and answered it.
"Hello, Seraphina. The otherworld guys are here - what? Zao's in Legarte?" Aimee said, confused. Everyone else listened in. "Sure, I'll let them know. Thanks." She hung up, concerned.
"What was that about Zao?" Amara asked. "He's alright, isn't he?"
"I'm not sure. Seraphina said that Zao was by himself...but a strong Shadow was nearby." Aimee said. "I never saw Zao come through the portal, though. Why's he going solo today?"
"I don't know..." Amara said. "But we're gonna get to the bottom of this. Come on, guys. We're off to Legarte."
"You really don't think Zao can handle himself?" Blaine asked.
"Even if he can, it wouldn't be right to risk his safety." Nathan said. "There's no time. Come on, move!"
"Good luck. I'll be waiting for you here!" Aimee said.
The four of them went back to the NDD, and as soon as Amara punched in the code, they were off.
|Legarte Harbour - Deo's House|5:13 pm|
It had not been long since Amara had witnessed a delusion old man's painful death here. It disgusted her that they had to leave his corpse there, but Nathan was right - getting blood on their clothes would have aroused suspicions, and may even had ended up with them in prison.
"Hey! Zao's there!" Serena said, pointing to Deo's front door. Zao was standing there, sulking. The door was firmly shut, and would probably never be opened again.
"You guys!" Zao said, slowly turning around. Amara gulped. This was the darkest mood she had ever seen Zao in. "I should have known. Seraphina can tell where I am. Without her, we're scrambling in the dark."
"Knowing you, buddy, you'd be fishing in the dark!" Blaine chided. However, Zao was in no mood to laugh.
"Zao, we were concerned about you." Nathan said. "Why didn't you tell us you wanted to go back here?"
"...I wanted somewhere I could think." Zao said. "Ever since I learned about the other self thing, I've been wondering about mine. Then we find out he's in the Ornatu Legion."
"Yeah, we haven't forgotten that bit." Amara said. "Don't forget, though. We went through the same thing with Blaine." Blaine nodded, with a bitter expression. "So maybe we can get your other self on our side -"
"No." Zao said. "The thing is, my other self IS in this world. I finally put it all together. Back during the Nova Albion Divine Spark, Aimee's group fought a man who was like a Shadow. His Persona kept changing form, and when my group found it...I touched it, and for a second, I saw what he really looked like. Blue hair, blue eyes...and a uniform."
"What the -" Serena gasped. Amara stared at Zao - he was shaking all over.
"That's the other me. Those Aeternus bastards did something weird to him - me - you know what I mean! You guys told me about what happened when you fought Alastair, and there was a strange body wrapped in bandages! Then it goes missing! That was me, too!" Zao wailed. "I...they turned me into a monster!"
"Hold on." Blaine said. "You still don't know it was the real deal. If Seraphina didn't figure it out, then -"
"Don't you guys get it?! They must have done such fucked up things to him that he's not even me anymore! He's...just a Shadow, in a human body!" Zao turned back to the door, and held his face in his hands.
Amara stepped forward, but suddenly, she stopped. Something wasn't right. She could sense that someone else was here, other than the five of them. Serena, Blaine and Nathan seemed ill at ease too.
"Zao, calm down. We still don't know for sure - argh!"
Amara's body was hit with such force, she fell to the ground. She looked up, as Serena rushed over to her side, and gulped. There was a male human figure in front of her…but the body was completely black. Not the skin, but everything - it was indeed like a Shadow.
"It's here!" Zao shouted. "Get away from her, freak!"
Zao dashed up, and grabbed the figure's arm. There was a disgustingly dissonant sound, akin to a scream echoing for miles. The body's true colours flickered on and off, until finally, with a flash of light, he appeared in all his glory.
His hair and eyes had the hue of the sea, and his face had a youthful innocence to it, without a facial hair in sight. However, the twinkling eyes she had grown accustomed to were not there. Instead, they were cold, almost dead eyes. Not once did they blink, or did he open his mouth. He wasn't even breathing.
"...No!" Nathan cried. "I was sure it wouldn't be true..."
Zao recoiled in horror, and was shoved to the floor by his other self. The Other Zao, without making any sound, conjured up his Persona - the almost completely blank Doppelganger.
"Hold on! Mediarama!" Serena's healing magic rejuvenated Amara, and she stood up, sword at the ready. The others took out their weapons, but Zao didn't move. His weapon was on the ground, still, whilst his other self had a pole-arm just like his.
"Agidyne!" Amara shouted. Burning flames seared the Other Zao, but he seemed to take it in his stride. What happened to you? Did they do to you what they did to Adrian? What the hell am I supposed to do?
Amara watched in shock as Doppelganger transformed, into a negative colour form of Hathor. Without any word from him, she cast Maragion on everyone. Amara was relieved that her own Hathor resisted the flames, and that no one had a strong ice attack in her team for Doppelganger to copy. Nathan used Sukukaja on himself, and Serena struck the Other Zao with her whip. Yet, he didn't budge an inch.
"Hey, kid! Let me show you some real strength!" Blaine proudly said. Tlaloc gallantly smashed Other Zao with his hammer, knocking him backwards. "Zao! You gonna do anything?"
"I..." Zao muttered.
"Zao! I know this is a difficult fight, but you have to pull yourself together! Fight!" Nathan said. Despite this admonishment, Zao could do nothing but look at his counterpart in fear. Tears fell from his eyes.
"Zao, let me do this. " Amara said. "Sundial!" Hathor's sword attack hit Other Zao, and despite connecting with his body, didn't seem to illicit even a gasp of pain. Even Shadows screamed when injured. He was so far from human…was he even alive?
Other Zao pointed to Nathan, who was still giving Zao daggers. Doppelganger thus switched from Hathor to Setanta, maintaining the negative colours.
"Now it's copying me." Nathan said. "Then we can assume his elemental affinities have changed now?"
Before anyone could answer, Doppelganger as Setanta released a Magarula spell on the party. It was pretty strong - exactly what she'd expect from Nathan.
"I shouldn't use my own Garu spells, then. How about this instead? Lugh's Warpath!" Lugh, the Celtic god and father of the hero Setanta. Serena had helpfully looked him up a few days ago, before they left for Glasswater, and wasted no time in telling Nathan. At the time, Nathan laughed it off. But he did like the idea of his Persona being the son of a god - it didn't seem too different from his life. Setanta grasped his spear tightly, and after gathering great strength, rammed it into Other Zao's body.
"Alright, Nathan! I knew I could count on you to be a man!" Blaine said, glaring at Zao. "C'mon, Zao. Even Serena's fighting your weirdo other self. Even your fucking girlfriend's having to swing a weapon at her own boyfriend. Are you just gonna let them do it all alone?"
Zao shuddered, and crawled backwards. Blaine, frustrated, shot at the other Zao. "Goddamit. Shoulda known he wouldn't listen."
"Blaine, stop it. His other self's even worse than we thought yours was." Serena said. "This thing is barely even human anymore. We can't really expect ask him to ignore that and fight him."
"So he's fine with letting his friends do it?!" Blaine shouted. "You think I'm having a blast firing at him?"
Serena didn't answer. Amara, blocking one of Other Zao's swings, knew Blaine meant well. But Zao was the one in pain here. She had to stop this corrupted alternate version of him, and fast. Serena swung her whip at him, and Zao gulped as Doppelganger changed forms yet again - to Artemis.
"Zao. We're not going to lose. Believe in me."
|Saragel - Town Hall Museum|5:26 pm|
In the distant past, Saragel was run by an elected official. This was unlike any of the other five settlements on the island, until Clairdol Village was built. The Town Hall was where the affairs of Saragel were dealt with, until the unification of the city. From that point on, the Town Hall became far less relevant, yet held a special place in the hearts of the people.
However, at some point the Town Hall was converted into a museum, dedicated to the history of Saragel's seaside culture. Details of the last mayor were lost, yet rumours still persist to this day. It was said that the mayor's family life was rather turbulent, but there is no way to determine that now.
Keisha stood outside the dusty stone walls of the Town Hall Museum, admiring it's construction. The windows remained intact, and the front door remained locked. Smiling, she pulled out a shiny metal key from her purse, and inserted it into the keyhole. As the old, creaking door opened, she stepped inside.
Unbeknownst to her, she had been spotted.
"Huh." Matthew said. "How did Keisha get a key for the Museum?"
"Don't ask me." Tara said. "But I remember she said she was part of a gang of thieves. Perhaps a former watchman was one of her victims?"
"Hmm. Looks like she's still got sticky fingers." Roger said. "Should we follow her? She did leave the door open."
"We probably should - wait, hide! Ornatu Legion!" Karen grabbed Roger and hid behind a tree, and Matthew and Tara ducked behind a stone fence. Four Ornatu Legion soldiers had entered the area, busy scanning the area.
"No good. We've not found a single trace of suspicious activity." An Indian teenage girl wearing a white uniform said. "Vince, what do you think?"
"Don't ask me, Sanjana." 'Vince', a teenage boy with reddish brown hair and a black uniform said. "I don't even know what this is all about."
"It's possibly related to the incidents in the Farawell Cathedral, Tachibana University, and that old mansion in Nova Albion." A teenager girl in a white uniform with long flowing brown hair said.
"Exactly, Esther." A man with ginger hair said. He looked older than the others, and he shared a black uniform with 'Sanjana'. "And it's up to us to prevent any more accidents. This city's already in a tizzy over what's been happening lately."
"Look, Raymond." Vince said, pointing towards the Museum. "The door's been left open. I researched the area before we left, and no one's been able to get inside the Museum since the last set of keys were stolen seven years ago."
"Interesting." Raymond said. "In that case, we can at least bring some lowly thieves to justice. Esther, Sanjana, Vincent, we're going in."
The four of them made their way into the Museum. Roger and Karen motioned for Matthew and Tara, and all of them looked worried.
"Did you hear all of that?" Tara asked. "Keisha's inside!"
"I know!" Roger said. "She must have a reason for going in there. If they catch her by surprise, she could get in serious trouble."
"Alright, I get what happens now. We mount a rescue mission!" Matthew said. "It's quite a big museum, so we better split up. Hopefully Keisha will hear them and avoid them."
"Keisha should know how to tread quietly, if she's an expert thief. But if she's caught, I don't think she'll run for her life. Rather, she'll be playing them a little ditty." Tara said. "She's annoying, but her Persona is pretty different. We're all using similar magic, but she's developed her own brand of spells. I think she'll be fine."
"All the same, we'd better do as Matthew says and commence our rescue mission. Let's go!" Roger called out. The four of them made their own way to the Museum, and slipped inside.
|Farawell - The Mole Wreckage|5:33 pm|
Kaman had arrived here by himself. It had been several days since his livelihood was destroyed by that explosion, but he had avoided looking at images on the television broadcasts by Aeternus. Now, he could see the ashes before him. No one had bothered to cordon the area - there wasn't anyone foolish enough to rummage through the wreckage for loot.
"Heh..." Kaman said, looking at the ring on his finger. "Maria, you must hate me. I tried to keep the bar running, but without you to come home to, I..."
This was pathetic. Every waking hour, his mind wandered to the memory of his wife. Maria sounded so happy when she introduced herself as "Mrs Barrs." Kaman had never forgotten how overjoyed she was on their wedding day, despite the misgivings from her family. They didn't care. They had a future together. One that was cut short by this madness.
"Dammit!" Kaman cried, and he kicked the crumbling stones by his feet.
"What's the matter, darling?"
Kaman looked up, and in the distance, there was a woman. A smiling woman, dressed in a green Chinese dress. No. It couldn't be her. The image of her body torn in half still haunted him every time he woke up in the morning.
"Maria?"
She smiled at him, without saying a word. Kaman froze. He watched her smiling face for what seemed like forever, and realised he hadn't forgotten a single detail of her face. His beautiful wife, in the flesh. Eventually, she stopped smiling and turned around. She started to walk, then broke into a sprint.
"Wait!" Kaman screamed. "Come back!"
His legs went as fast as he could force them, but she didn't stop even once. An endless stream of buildings, trees and cars passed by as he tried his hardest to reach up to her.
Meanwhile
Seraphina had sensed Zao's presence earlier, and she wasted no time in contacting Aimee. Despite her panic, she had managed to get back into fighting Shadows in Farawell. Her powers over Almighty magic were growing stronger and stronger, and witnessing the destruction her comrades wrought gave her great pleasure.
"Yo, Seraphina, how are we doing?" Dan asked. "We killed enough for today?"
"I believe so. Unfortunately, the current condition of Lucy and Shirley..." Seraphina said, trailing off.
"Don't say it. We're gonna get them back." Dan said. "Kyle, you remember that report on TV about the Last Soldiers?"
"Yup. Everyone else thinks it's still Roger and Karen." Kyle said. "We can't exactly waltz in and get them out now, can we?"
"Not for the time being. We're just left playing the waiting game." Priscilla said.
The four of them stood there for a while, whilst Kyle checked his phone for any messages. All Aimee said was that the visitors from the other dimension had arrived, and were heading to Legarte.
"We're done. Let's go home -"
A woman suddenly ran straight past them. She was a nimble figure, but Kyle could make out that she had a green dress and black hair. Almost immediately afterwards, Kaman rushed past them.
"Kaman?" Priscilla called out. He didn't hear her, and continued speeding towards the woman.
"C'mon. We gotta check this out. Think your wheelchair can keep up?" Dan said.
"No worries. I've modified it extensively. With a little help from Roger, I might add." Kyle said, smiling.
The four of them hurried towards Kaman and the woman. She finally came to a stop outside an apartment block, but she didn't turn to face her pursuer.
"Maria! You're finally here again!" Kaman said.
"Maria?" Kyle said. "No, that can't be her! Madam, I'm so sorry about this."
"Shut up, you fucking cripple!" Kaman snapped. "I know that dress! It's...the one she wore when she...it's the last thing she ever wore!"
Without hesitation, Dan lunged at Kaman, landing a punch squarely in Kaman's face.
"Dan! What are you doing?!" Priscilla screamed.
"Kaman, you moron! That's not your wife. You told me what happened years ago. Trust me, I remember every detail of it. Oh, and if you talk shit about Kyle again, you won't be able to get up." Dan said. Kaman got himself up, and glared at Dan.
"Shut up, Dan! You've seen how much power Personas and Shadows have! What's to say they can't bring people back from the dead? Finally, they must have gotten around to it!" Kaman said.
"...They?" Priscilla asked.
"Sir Kaman! Dan is correct. That woman is not the late Maria. Whilst she may be garbed in your wife's last attire, and her physical parameters may match those of your beloved, that is only a illusion! For that is not even a human that is standing in front of you. That is none other than -"
"Kaman, we can still get out of this. Just follow me, okay?" 'Maria' said. She turned around, her body eerily convulsing. Her beautiful facial features started to rotate, with black 'blood' pouring from her eyes onto the ground.
"A Shadow!" Seraphina finished.
"...No..." Kaman fell to his knees. "...Why do you have to be right about these things?!"
The abomination in front of them wasn't through with transforming. The green dress was burnt away by unholy dark fire, and the flames transformed into a bloody fabric that covered the Shadow's black skin. Maria's face melted away, leaving behind a Lovers mask, and her hair was replaced by an impressive red mane, streaked with black.
"Holy crap!" Kyle cried. "Seraphina! We need the low down on this thing, and fast!"
"As you wish, Sir Kyle." Seraphina said. Concentrating, she beckoned Hecate to come forth. "This is the Malevolent Temptress. It has been infused with a deplorable method of dragging men to their doom. It seeks out men who have lost lovers, and by reaching into their memories, it assumes their figure. They then lead that man into danger, and in his moment of bliss, he's powerless to stop the Shadow from destroying him."
"Seriously? We got here just in time!" Priscilla said. "Okay, then we need the important details. It's not gonna stand there forever."
"Now that you mention it...yeah. Why is it doing that?" Dan asked.
"Please be patient! The Shadow has been surprised that we discovered it was a fake, and is deciding it's next course of action. The Malevolent Temptress knows various foul ailment casting abilities, such as Marin Karin and Sexy Dance. Unfortunately, it resists every element, including physical attacks, except Wind. Alas, we lack a wind user in our team." Seraphina said.
"What are you talking about?" Dan said. "Kaman here's got Chandra! You've got a wind move, right? Hurry up!"
"Uh...right." Kaman said. "Man. I really let you guys down. But I'm still in the game. Chandra! Kaleidoblast!"
A multicoloured wind emanated from Chandra, and the Malevolent Temptress was struck down. Dan and Kyle followed up with some fast scythe and sword attacks from Tezcatlipoca and Hephaestus, but these weren't half as effective as Kaleidoblast. Priscilla cast Bufudyne, but this too paled in comparison. Even Seraphina's Megido wasn't cutting it.
The Malevolent Temptress forced itself back up, and started performing outrageously raunchy dance moves. Seraphina's eyes widened in horror.
"No! Sexy Dance!" Seraphina cried.
"...Huh?" Dan said. "Wow...she's...so hot..."
"Yeah..." Kyle said. "She's nice...older women have...such an appeal..."
"Oh for the love of - FOCUS!" Priscilla said. She stomped over to Kyle, and slapped him silly.
"Huh?" Kyle said. "What just happened?"
Suddenly, Dan shot at Priscilla with his rifle. Kaman rushed at her, knocking her to the ground, and the bullet narrowly missed her.
"Priscilla! Please try to stay calm! I will contact Aimee at once!" Seraphina said.
"Dan! Kaman!" Priscilla rolled away from the men, and Kyle shuddered. This hadn't happened before. Confusion was a scary ailment to be under, but to fall under the charms of this monstrosity...he had gotten off lightly. Dan and Kaman must have been easier to seduce, and he hadn't a clue what to do."
The Malevolent Temptress swung her long hair at all her enemies, slashing them many times. Kaman and Dan finally broke out of their daze, but they were looking worse for wear.
"Damn. This thing's gonna keep trying to turn us into it's lovers." Dan said. "Priscilla, I'm really sorry about that -"
"Never mind that! At this rate, only Kaman can damage this thing!" Seraphina said. "It's no good. We'll have to request backup. Nathan and Matthew can help, but -"
Without warning, a terrifyingly fast wind storm collided with the Male Temptress. She shrieked, trying to keep the wind away from her, but to no avail. She was immediately sent down, writhing in pain.
"Will that suffice for backup?"
The group turned to the man who had entered the fray. It was neither Nathan or Matthew, as the man's voice had been too deep for that. Rather…
"Carlos?!" everyone said simultaneously.
"Save any questions you have until we're done. I'm sure you can wait less than a minute, right?" Carlos said, cracking his knuckles.
|Saragel - Town Hall Museum|5:36 pm|
The team made quiet footsteps around the Museum. Despite the ordinary appearance, many objects of value had been pilfered - most likely by Keisha and her former friends.
Tara crept quietly around the corner of a room devoted to seashells, which were amongst the items that had been taken. Sanjana was in this room, scanning everything carefully. Tara had hidden herself well - she had played hide and seek with her friends as a child, and even now, she still knew how to conceal herself.
Suddenly, Sanjana's cell phone rang. Tara gasped, but thankfully the ring tone (a rather generic rock melody) was loud enough to cover her.
"Hello, this is Sanjana speaking. Who is calling?"
Tara listened carefully, but she couldn't hear the other person. And she couldn't come closer to hear without being caught. Oh come on. What is going on?
"Really? And it's upstairs?" Sanjana said. "Honestly, you can't knock a door down by yourself? What a wimp!"
Tara could definitely hear the other person this time, from his loud protest. From what it sounded like, it was Raymond. A locked door upstairs he couldn't open? Perhaps Keisha was in there.
"Stop that. I'll come up shortly. I'll contact Vince, you try Esther? - what? What's going on?" Sanjana asked, concerned. "…You heard someone nearby? But you can't see anything? You probably just heard something! Call Esther already, okay? Bye."
Tara watched quietly as Sanjana made her way out of the room. Knowing she had to avoid being detected right away, Tara slipped out of the room - and bumped into someone.
"Shit!" Tara yelped, but she breathed a sigh of relief. It was just Matthew.
"Tara!" he whispered. "We're trying to avoid being caught! You're not cut out to be a detective, are you?"
"Sorry..." Tara replied. "Sanjana - that Indian girl - is heading upstairs to help Raymond with a locked door. That's probably where Keisha is. And Vince and Esther are going that way too."
"Yeah, I was trying to tail Vince, but I lost him. Looks like we're going upstairs. Better find Roger and Karen." Matthew said. "You seen them yet?"
"Not since we went in here, no. But Sanjana said something about Raymond hearing someone…so one of them must be nearby. Come on, we have to hurry. Keisha might be in trouble." Tara said.
Matthew nodded, and the two of them slowly made their way up to the third floor of the museum. Empty display stands were everywhere, but Tara noticed dirty footprints on the ground - large ones, at that. Roger clearly didn't put much thought into cleaning his shoes.
"Psst! Over here!"
Tara and Matthew looked over, and saw Karen hiding behind an empty case that was used to store trophies. They crept up to her, making sure their steps were as quiet as possible.
"Where's Roger?" Tara asked.
"He's spying on Raymond. He told me to wait for you two to get up here." Karen said. "The other three are here too - but they didn't see me. They were too busy complaining about how much of a certain 'c' word Raymond is."
"Karen, why is that important?" Tara said.
"Um, well...I just wanted to get all the information I could." Karen said, shaking her head.
Suddenly, Tara and Matthew heard shouting. Roger was screaming obscenities, as was Raymond. Without a moment's hesitation, Karen darted over to the scene. Tara grabbed Matthew's wrist and followed, ignoring his whimpers.
"Dammit." Roger said. "Guys, I swear I was trying to sneak up on them! It's the shoes!"
"Roger! You clumsy fool, we were supposed to be watching them from the shadows!" Matthew said. "Whatever, no point getting upset now. What are you jokers doing in this museum?"
Raymond sneered, whilst the others kept quiet. "I presume you four are all Persona users with some issues with our employers. It must be so nice, spreading fear amongst the populace."
"I'd have thought your employers would have more experience with that." Tara said, coldly. "After all, they're the ones creating Shadows."
"What have you been smoking, you retard?" Vince said.
"Shut up, Vince." Esther said. "You listen up. We saw a girl sneak inside here, even though this place has been closed for years. So we figured she was a thief, and she's probably locked herself in that room!"
"Yeah." Sanjana said. "Let me guess. She's part of your group as well?"
Suddenly, the door broke down, and out flew Lorelei. Tara gasped. Lorelei played a tune, and a massive block of ice hit Sanjana from above.
"You got that right, baby!"
Keisha stepped out of the room, with a jovial smile.
"Keisha! Are you okay?" Matthew asked.
"Just fine and dandy, Kingsley Junior!" Keisha said. "But I think it's a little unfair I hit that girl. How about we give all of them a smack?"
"You obnoxious little bitch!" Raymond yelled. "Vince! Sanjana! Esther! Allow me to lead this fight! Come forth, Botis!" Vince called upon Kresnik. Esther summoned Jeanne d'Arc. Lastly, Sanjana called forth Sarasvati.
"Like this is gonna take long." Roger said. "Come on, let's hurry up so I can get you all some dinner." Keisha grumbled, but readied her weapons. These Ornatu Legion soldiers had a different aura to them, Tara thought. She had a feeling they may not go down so easily.
"Magarula!" Matthew commanded. Acolnahuacatl, ever the agile Persona, struck all four enemies with wind. Sanjana, worse for wear after two attacks, glared at him, whilst Raymond threw his chakrams - bladed ring throwing weapons - at Roger.
"Mediarama!" Sanjana cried. To her relief, Sarasvati played the strings on her sitar, and the four soldiers were healed. Raymond chuckled, and had an evil smile. Vince fired his rifle at Karen, whilst Esther fired hers at Tara. They attempted to attack back, but Raymond's next move halted their steps.
"Botis. Megido!" Raymond said. Tara grimaced. The almighty blast of power unleashed hurt them worse than she could have imagined. Despite the pain, Roger shrugged it off, much to Raymond's chagrin.
"What? You aren't incapacitated?" Raymond said.
"It'll take a lot more than that to put me down, pretty boy." Roger said. "C'mon! Malaques!"
A rush of water from Kanaloa struck all four of the Ornatu Legion members, and Tara and Karen finally managed to slash Esther and Vince with their weapons. Sanjana threw her chakrams at them, but they missed. Raymond grumbled.
"Esther! Hurry up and use that move!" He demanded.
"Don't bark orders at me! Okay, Matarukaja." Esther said flatly. Tara shivered. That spell would make their attacks sting even more. She had to act, and fast. Maká had healing spells just as good as Sarasvati's, and now was the time to use them.
"Vorpal Blade!" Vince shouted. Shit! The swings from Kresnik's sword were just as painful as Botis's Megido. Karen, struggling to stay on her feet, managed to invoke Aeshma's power.
"Mabufula!"
The ice struck all their enemies. Tara gave Karen a thumbs up, but she knew they couldn't go on without some aid. Quickly, she managed to use Maká's Mediarama. Karen gave her thanks, and the battle continued. The Ornatu Legion were stronger this time around - but so were their enemies.
|Farawell - Howarth Place|5:38 pm|
The Malevolent Temptress had lasted longer than the group had expected. Yet, Carlos's fists and Venti's storms kept it at bay. After one last gale of destruction, it collapsed, and with a rather macabre disintegration, it was done for.
"Okay, it's dead. Can we ask questions now?" Kyle said.
"If you insist." Carlos said.
"Then I'll start with the obvious. Why are you helping us?" Priscilla asked.
"A fair question. The Malevolent Temptress has lurked in Farawell for some time, created by Josephine to target men who have lost their beloved." Carlos said. "Many times, I have protested against such a vile Shadow being allowed to play havoc with vulnerable men. Josephine isn't one for reasoning, however. Tonight, I saw who it was targeting next - Kaman Barrs."
"So when it changed itself to look like Maria, it did that for other guys like me?" Kaman said. "Holy shit…"
"I'm thinking you understand how grave the situation could have been." Carlos said. "Tonight, I'd had enough. My methods of achieving the Eternal Road don't exactly align with my comrades. And...I knew I couldn't let Kaman die. So I left."
"Huh." Dan said. "You're not like your buddies at all. They're all psychos. But you're all about honour, and crap. Kinda sucks that we're gonna have to fight you again, sometime."
"There's no other way. Our goals are in such direct conflict, reaching a compromise isn't possible." Carlos said. "Me and my allies have grown tired of the troubles this world has given us. You, on the other hand, don't want to give up on this world. We'll never see eye to eye. That is why, when the time comes, one of us will die at the hand of the other." Carlos, without further word, started to leave.
"Wait one minute, mister!" Kaman said. "I gotta say something to ya. Thanks for saving our hides."
"Gratitude won't be necessary. Next time we meet, it will be in the heat of battle. Farewell until then."
With Carlos gone, Kaman smiled, and clenched his fist.
"You heard him. I gotta get more practice. Then, you guys can thank me when I mop the floor with him!" Kaman said. "So here's what we're gonna do. We go find someplace to eat, then we come back here and beat up some Shadows!"
"Sounds like a plan!" Dan said. "Man, I'm hungry..."
The team enjoyed a hearty dinner, then returned to training. Kaman was more determined than ever before - perhaps now, he could spend his days without his mind wandering to the past.
|Legarte Harbour - Deo's House|5:42 pm|
Other Zao had spent the entire battle cycling between Personas. He had changed Doppelganger into Tlaloc this time, and Blaine shuddered at the sight of it.
"This guy's freaking me out like crazy." Blaine said. "Come on, Serena, just get an Aquadyne going and we can wrap this up!"
Serena nodded, and unleashed the power of water upon Other Tlaloc. Despite falling to his knees, Other Zao's face did not even twitch. He was like a doll...there was no life in him. A Persona was the part of a person's consciousness they kept hidden. Yet, there was no consciousness in this form of Zao at all. His Persona didn't have the warmth Amara could feel from Rashnu. This Doppelganger had no identity of it's own. All it could do was try to mimic other Personas.
Amara raised her sword, and slashed Other Zao with her blade. However, Other Zao dodged her final swing, and hit her repeatedly with his own weapon. "Argh! This...thing..."
Before she could strike again, Other Zao dropped to the ground. Standing over him was a panting Zao, clutching his weapon.
"Bastard!" Zao screamed. "You're supposed to me, aren't you? But you don't say anything! All you do is hurt my girlfriend and our friends! I wasted all this time trying to figure out what my other self was doing, but apart from our bodies, that's all we've got in common! You don't even smile!"
Amara and the others watched in silence, as Zao stared at his other self's motionless body. "...This thing isn't even human anymore. Even you called it that, Amara. This thing looks like me, but you couldn't feel anything of me in him, right?"
"Yes." Amara said. "Even when we fought Blaine, and we thought he was our enemy...I could feel humanity in him. He wasn't a monster. But this isn't you anymore. Whatever Aeternus did to him, I don't wanna know."
Other Zao stood up, and looked towards his counterpart. The others moved to watch what he was about to do. Doppelganger, who had been afloat during the conversation, reverted to his blank state, and vanished. Other Zao started to turn into his initial shadowy form, and sunk into the shadows cast by Deo's house.
"Um..." Blaine said. "We really need to tell Aimee about this."
"No." Zao said. "Please, for the moment, don't tell her."
"What?!" Amara said. "Why not?! She'd be worried if you were hiding something from her!"
"I know, dammit! But hasn't she been through enough? Aimee and I knew each other way back. Heck, when Karl told me she was dead, I...well, you know. I didn't want to believe it. But this Aimee's not got a family anymore. Why should she have to imagine fighting me, as that freak? I can't tell her, not now. Not ever." Zao said. "So we deal with him ourselves if we ever see him again."
"Zao..." Blaine said.
"What?" Zao said. "Call me a coward if you want. I probably am if I let you guys do the fighting. I...it sounds pathetic, but I just didn't want him to copy me. So…yeah, this time I let you guys down. But let's stick to what we've got to do next, right? We've got to help Tomas."
"Whatever you say, my man." Blaine said. He put his hand on Zao's shoulder, and sighed. "Y'know, I guess I was getting in your face a bit. Can't have been easy dealing with that thing. So tell ya what. The five of us are gonna get pizza, then us guys can go grab a beer."
"Really?" Zao asked. "Even Nathan?"
"As if I'd miss out on a pub crawl with you two." Nathan said. "Someone has to get you home safely. Besides, it's the weekend."
The three men wandered off, whilst Amara didn't even look up at them. However, she felt a tap on the back.
"Amara, you don't look so good." Serena said.
"They're really not scared, are they?" Amara said, looking straight into Serena's eyes. "After all of that, they're just going to eat pizza and have a night out on the town! Am I the only one petrified over what happens if we see him again?"
"No." Serena said. "We're all scared. They're just trying to do whatever it takes to put that fear aside. And...it's not easy...I never want to see that thing again, either."
"So what are we going to do?" Amara asked. "Please, don't say nothing…"
"It's not nothing. It's keeping Zao happy." Serena said, nervously. "If it had just been a normal Shadow, then…I'd be happy to munch on a pizza. But sooner or later, we'll have to deal with this again…"
"Fine..." Amara said. "Let's go after them. They're probably wondering why we aren't following them."
Serena walked on ahead. Amara held her hand, to Serena's surprise. Amara put on a brave smile, and Serena nodded. She didn't let go, not until they reached the secret base.
|Saragel- Town Hall Museum|5:56 pm|
"God! I don't get this!" Tara despaired, dodging the chakrams. "Why are these guys tougher than the usual weaklings?!"
"They gave stronger Personas to the ones who had the best potential! And us four were lucky enough to be chosen, obviously." Esther said. Vince, smiling wickedly, cast Soul Break on Roger.
"Damn...I feel like crap." Roger said, sluggishly trying to avoid Raymond's Zionga. Yet it was to no avail - he was knocked down, clutching his leg in pain.
Keisha shook her head, disgusted. "If you were so lucky, baby, you wouldn't be fighting us right now! Lorelei! Cabaletta!"
Lorelei played an upbeat tune, and a peculiar rush of power entered Roger's body. His fatigue had left him, and he looked more confident.
"What was that?" Matthew asked.
"Nice song, isn't it?" Keisha replied. "Cabaletta cures any icky status effects! And it makes you tougher for a little while, too!"
"You conniving little wretch!" Raymond screamed. Keisha, rolling her eyes, ducked under his chakrams, and slashed him with both her sword and dagger.
Roger wasted no time in assaulting his rival. He laid into Raymond, slashing again and again, whilst Matthew quickly used Gale Claw. The barrage of attacks was too much. Raymond fell to the ground, and Botis became nothing more than a red aura, dissipating into nothingness.
"Darn." Vince said. "Should we keep fighting?"
Esther and Sanjana, both frustrated beyond measure, returned to casting their spells. Jeanne d'Arc, better known as Joan of Arc, slashed Matthew with a powerful swing. Sarasvati hit Tara with Garula, and threw more chakrams at her enemies. Vince, looking tired of the battle, called to Kresnik.
"Mahama!"
Karen's eyes widened as the attack too effect. Within moments, she fell unconscious, but Matthew quickly grabbed her.
"Crap!" Roger said. "You little shithead! That's my woman you just knocked out."
"Your woman?" Vince said, raising his eyebrow. "You two were fighting not so long ago! Do you remember all the soldiers who died during that fight in the Power Tunnels? The only people that understood me were taken from me, and for what? You two to just drop everything, leave our group, and live happily ever after?!"
"You really don't realise how many lies Aeternus have told you, do you?" Tara shouted.
"This world brought out the worst in me. All I could think about was getting stronger and being free. Karen, she was so vulnerable…and I wasn't there to help. Your friends didn't die because of us. They died because Aeternus wanted to exploit us all, just so they could destroy this planet." Roger said. "You don't believe a word I just said, do you?"
"Not a single one!" Vince said.
"Then I'm sorry, but you're going down!" Tara said. "Mamagnara!"
"Monodrama!" Keisha had Lorelei use another tune. This one did considerable damage on Vince, yet without any elemental affinity whatsoever. Also, Tara could feel a strange power within her.
Roger cast Ziodyne, and Vince finally collapsed. Kresnik was no more. Esther and Sanjana, petrified, dismissed their Personas and made for the doorway - but two men blocked their path.
"Leaving so soon?" It was Tomas, with Rudo by his side. Tara glanced at Tomas's eyes, and shuddered. He had that creepy manic stare of his today…
"You're that old guy!" Esther said.
"That's not Archibald, you idiot!" Sanjana snapped.
"The OTHER old guy!" Esther said.
"Well, I can see you two are good pals." Tomas said, smirking.
"Shut it!" Esther. She raised her shotgun at Tomas, who laughed. Rudo seemed worried, but Tomas didn't even break a sweat.
"So, you two think you can just shoot us and run out of here and report everything to your boss, do you?" Tomas asked. "Isn't that presumptuous?"
"What are you talking about, you old geezer?" Sanjana said. "Esther! Hurry up and shoot him already!"
Tara watched as Esther's fingers rested on the trigger. As she was about to pull it, a burst of red energy emitted from Tomas's body.
"What the - how?!" Keisha shrieked. Tara looked at her, confused. Hasn't she seen Belial before? Belial himself quickly swung his scythe, effortlessly defeating Esther. Her Persona was gone.
"Esther! Please, let me go!" Sanjana said, tearfully.
"Do you really think I'd let that happen, after what you've just seen?" Tomas said. "Rudo!"
"...Nebiros, come forth." Keisha stepped backwards as she watched Nebiros rise from Rudo's body. Tara looked at Matthew, but he only shrugged at her. Roger, on the other hand, seemed to be in deep thought. What was going on with him and Keisha?
Nebiros unleashed a Garudyne on Sanjana, and she was powerless before the wind. She collapsed, and Sarasvati lost its form completely.
"Wonderful, Rudo." Tomas said. "You should use your newfound power more often. It's coming in useful, don't you see?
"What the hell is going on?!" Keisha suddenly screeched. "How come your Personas look like - look like them!?"
"Keisha?" Tara said, bemused. "This isn't like you..."
"I..." Keisha trailed off. "I used to be with thieves, and we used this place as a base. In that room there, we kept our treasure. Me, Brad and Nick! But then…we were attacked, and I was the only one who made it out alive!"
"Calm down, Ms Vivaldi." Tomas said, still smirking. "The fact that mine and Rudo's Personas resemble your fallen friends is...a complete co-incidence. Nothing more. I merely constructed them from the Shadows, so easy to come by in this sorry excuse for a city. Perhaps the bitter feelings of Bradley and Nicholas -"
"Don't you dare call them that!" Keisha said. "It's Brad and Nick, goddamit! That's who they are! And...you used their dark feelings, or whatever, to give you super powers? That's - that's just messed up!"
Rudo looked to the floor, and left the room.
"Hmmph. Perhaps we're not all fortunate enough to have a natural gift such as yours. You're free to have your dear Lorelei play songs all day and eliminate everything that gets in the way with melodies of doom. But for me and Rudo to stand a chance...we must do the unthinkable. Fight evil with evil, if you will. It could have been anyone else. But the Shadows of Brad and Nick's consciousnesses are now Belial and Nebiros." Tomas said.
"...Go to hell!" Keisha shoved Tomas violently aside, and ran down the stairs.
"She's an troublesome woman." Tomas said, chuckling. "Heroes and villains have always done questionable things to get what they want. Why should I remain a feeble elderly man and leave the job to a group of young ones like you?"
No one responded. "Hey. Tara. Karen could use some help." Roger said. Matthew nodded. Tara, glaring at Tomas, cast Recarm. Karen opened her eyes, and sat up.
"Oh...did we win?" Karen asked. "What's he doing here?"
"I suppose I'll be going. Rudo's probably not happy with me." Tomas said. "Do try and calm Keisha down. I'd prefer her not to throw a tantrum every time we have to meet."
Rudo left. With nothing else to do here, the group left the museum. Keisha was sitting on the steps, whilst Rudo and Tomas were walking away to the nearest NDD.
"Hey." Matthew said. "Keisha. This thing with Nick and Brad. Do you want to talk about it?"
"For a wannabe detective, you're an idiot." Keisha said. "Why in hell would I talk about them with you? You wouldn't understand. Come on, you're supposed to solve crimes and put people like me behind bars. We did what we had to do!"
"Relax. I never said I wanted to arrest you." Matthew said.
"Let's just forget about it." Tara said. Whilst Keisha's regular demeanour was rather aggravating, it was far preferable to her being morose and vengeful.
Keisha stood up, and shook her fists with rage. "How in hell can I do that? Those old guys have Nick and Brad inside them! That freak of a scientist is supposed to help us end this crap?! No! He's just as messed up as the Ater Vox!"
"Calm down." Karen said. "Once we've done what we have to do, there won't be any need for them to keep Nebiros and Belial. Then they can finally rest in peace. And I agree, Tomas does seem a little unhinged. I think Rudo, however, is more reliable. If he had objections, he would have raised them by now."
"You..." Keisha, flustered, turned her back on the team. "You better be right. Cause if Brad and Nick don't get to rest in peace, neither will them."
"Hey, Keisha. Why don't we go back to Clairdol together?" Matthew asked.
"Wait, what?" Keisha asked, surprised. "Me and you? In that little village?"
"Yeah." Matthew said. "It's a bit of a long journey, but you'll love it. It'll do you good to get away from here for a little bit. Tara, are you coming as well?"
"Sure, why not." Tara said. "Although I'm surprised you're inviting me along to your date..."
"Date?" Matthew said. Then, he blushed. "Oh. Well, we can play that by ear later. Hehe."
Keisha smiled, as the others laughed. Saying their goodbyes to Roger and Karen, Keisha, Tara and Matthew left for Clairdol Village. With any luck, Keisha would never have to see Nebiros and Belial again - or so Tara hoped.