Three Day Storm

#12: Sight and Sound

X X X

Any other fighter may have thought they had been returned to Lower Town.

Simulated children ran down the alley in packs, pretending to bump into the solitary fighter who strode forwards in his stoic fashion. They were chastised by milling adults with that same false reality behind them, trying to catch the attention of the man as their programming instructed them to.

But Juubei couldn't see these fine details and therefore the scenario was lost on him. With no desire to figure it out, he walked forwards with that steady fearlessness that was so characteristic of the man. There was a just one goal at the front of his mind. If he got through this obstacle, he could rejoin Kazuki and the others, and continue the recovery. To fail was unthinkable - so forwards he would walk, until he could walk no more.

X X X

Kazuki had to admire the craftsmanship of what lay beyond his door. He had just stepped out of the very same Bakery that served as a gateway to the Beltline - or at least, a building that looked like it.

As the door swung shut behind him, the young man finished tying the little piece of string he had pulled from the door around one delicate wrist. Kazuki wanted it to sit there as there as a quiet reminder that this world was not real.

It whispered against his skin as he moved off and down the street, the pace slow but hardly a stroll. He was not particularly thrilled by having to go through this obstacle - he shared the others' dislike for it, particularly after past experiences. But he was here now, with no choice but to search for the challenge he had to overcome.

He paused to watch as a small group of children ran past, giggling and shrieking at each other along the way. As they rounded the corner, soft brown eyes caught something they had not expected to see.

"Ren?" Kazuki took a step or two forwards, trying to remind himself that it was most likely a simple illusion from the Brain Trust. The figure of the young woman stood at the far end of the alley, waving and smiling at him - encouraging him to come forwards even though his instincts warned that he shouldn't.

It took a great deal of effort for Kazuki to take a step backwards, but he managed to do it with a shake of his head. This Ren wasn't real - he didn't want to walk into the obvious trap.

The illusion's smile vanished, the hand dropping to its side. Ren's face turned into an expression of sorrow, the woman's shoulders slumping as she turned to go around the corner.

"- Wait -" Kazuki was following before he really understood why, compelled by the need to help the real Ren, wherever she was. He broke into a light jog, keeping an eye on his surroundings as he approached the corner. Swift steps carried him around it, instincts protesting against the motion and warning him of the dangers in front. Kazuki knew there was a trap here, knew he would be attacked - knew that if he didn't follow, he stood a chance at losing any opportunity to help Ren. What if it wasn't false? He'd never know if he didn't look.

The danger struck him the moment he'd turned the corner, Ren no longer in sight and a colossal black panther in the way. Crouched low to the ground, it watched him with large yellow eyes, the lethal claws flexing against the ground as it stared him down.

Kazuki had stopped the moment he caught sight of the black shape and the bell between his fingers tinkled slightly as he shifted to a fighting stance. His expression was grim as he pushed his concerns about Ren to the corners of his mind, instead focusing on the battle at hand. The string around his wrist maintained its purpose as he watched the panther, waiting for its attack.

Attack it did, springing forward with surprising agility for something its size. Kazuki slid to the side, calling upon his craft to strike where he expected the panther to land. It was a blow that missed, the creature already rebounding to try again. Kazuki was forced to dodge once more, ducking his head to avoid the sharp claws that extended just for him.

When he straightened there was no more of that soft gentleness that the Threadmaster was so known for. He remained utterly graceful as he escaped a third and forth attack. but now his doe eyes had taken on a decidedly harder attribute, delicate mouth in a firm line and a small frown creasing his brow. There was something peculiar about this animal's attacks, that he just… couldn't quite figure out. After being around Shido for so many years, Kazuki had learnt some of the finer details about the animals that his friend connected with. This panther was aggressive - it launched for him, he moved, it tried again. There were no greater tactics than that…

With a shake of his head, Kazuki reminded himself that this panther wasn't real. This was just programming from the Brain Trust, trying to deceive him and distract him -

Oh, no.

X X X

Little pebbles and larger cobbles slid away from his feet, clattering down the mountainside with every step. Ban paused to watch them slide over the edge and into the abyss far below. Despite himself, he had to grumble a mark of respect to the designer of this Reality. It was harder than he thought, to maintain that it was completely false - he'd just been walking down endless steel hallways, of course it was going to be false.

As long as he maintained that belief, he would win his fights. All it would take would be a split-second of hesitation; a momentary belief that maybe there was a long way to fall, that if he lost his footing he'd be gone for good. Doing that would just make a big mess of everything, wouldn't it.

Maybe he could ask Shido to experiment for him, wherever the monkey-boy had gotten to.

With a foot resting idly atop a small boulder, a small noise of disgust escaped him - his damn glasses were dirty. Pulling them off, he idly cleaned the lenses with a corner of his shirt, watching the landscape in front and below as he did so.

As such, he didn't see the oversized silhouette behind him, as it lurked on the edge of an overhanging cliff face.

Well, not until it was a whole damn lot closer

With the spread of wide wings, it lifted into the sky and circled down towards him, cutting through the air with an effortless grace that somehow didn't seem to suit its enormous size. Feathers gleamed black under the mountain sun, ten deadly talons and a cruel beak flashing silver. The Roc shrieked at Ban as it made a descent, keen to wipe him out as swiftly as possible.

The lithe man had turned well in advance, jagan glasses held lazily in one hand as he watched the incoming enemy. It was hard to say whether or not he was aware of the grin he wore, posture straightening as he boldly watched the oncoming attack. "You're late," he told the bird lazily, lifting a hand to slide the glasses back on. "A bit annoying, don't you think?"

X X X

By now, Juubei wasn't really sure how long he had been walking for. He had completely lost track of his steps, too preoccupied with the search for something familiar.

Then, he was granted one small boon. It was a faint sound, one that only lasted a millisecond - but he knew he had heard Kazuki's bells. He stopped walking altogether and quietened his breathing, listening intently. It came again, this time much closer. Juubei frowned - it was a particular noise that Kazuki's bells gave when preparing for a fight… that meant his friend was in trouble, didn't it.

Fists flexing in anxiety, he moved forwards at a jog, heading for the sounds as his instincts told him to. He didn't realise how close he was to Kazuki until he heard the male dodge a foe - it sounded like it had been just an arm's length away. Juubei twisted towards the noise, this time picking a slower pace so he could triangulate where Kazuki was.

As he moved his instincts tweaked - trusting them, he threw himself to the side in time to dodge the lethal end of an attack. He swore under his breath as he found his footing - could Kazuki not see him? Was the Virtual Reality playing tricks on his friend?

Listening acutely Juubei tried again, but it continued this way for some minutes. Kazuki seemed to slip away each time he got closer, retaliating with such an intensity of blows that Juubei could only think he was somehow in the way. He didn't understand it, though - Kazuki would have warned him if that was true, or done something to draw the fight away. Or… or he'd be able to sense the enemy, which he couldn't.

Frustrated by his lack of success, Juubei was considering that this was some sort of advanced Virtual Reality trick, when at last he heard Kazuki stop moving. He could tell that it was close and took the chance, moving forwards swiftly with a hand out. His fingers touched the fabric of a shirt he was familiar with, gripping it and the shoulder underneath. "Kazuki!"

The warmth of his friend's skin and the tension of muscles told Juubei that this wasn't fake - why, then, did Kazuki pull away from him? Juubei reached out again, this time taking a firmer hold on his friend. "Kazuki - are you there?"

In a motion he wasn't completely prepared for, Kazuki pulled himself away sharply - in hanging on, Juubei caused a brief tug-o-war. As he pulled back to stop his friend from escaping anywhere, the Threadmaster pulled just as hard. It cost Juubei his balance. A stumble, a twist and a dash of gravity caused him to lurch forwards unsteadily. He was vaguely aware that Kazuki hadn't expected the change in balance either, keen ears hearing a soft exclamation from the fighter as they both hit the ground.

Later, Juubei would find the time to be angry at himself for such a rudimentary mistake.

For now, he wavered precariously on his knees, one hand on Kazuki's shoulder. From what he could tell his friend was sprawled on his back, still tense and seconds away from lashing out with his deadly threads. He reached out, fingers closing around the hand which held the bells.

"Kazuki - Kazuki? It's alright," he said, "I -" he trailed off, little finger rubbing across a texture that he didn't recognise.

It was string, that was certain; a little loop tied around his wrist - but it couldn't be Kazuki's. It was full of negative energy. He was sure he knew where it had come from - he remembered Kazuki telling them that there was string tied around the handle of his door. Juubei hadn't realised that Kazuki took it with him… was that why he wasn't speaking, wasn't responding to him? Had the others taken theirs, also?

Juubei chose to question the full details later, unsheathing a thin needle with his free hand. "You are poisoned, my friend," he murmured quietly. "I will heal you."

X X X

To be continued.