Creation began on 05-01-17
Creation ended on 01-31-18
Neon Genesis Evangelion
Eva Art Online: Inescapable Conflict, Inevitable Relationships
A/N: Chapter four in the making.
The weather functions of the Survival Times game were an interesting feature that happened as randomly as the weather patterns were in the real world. Just as quickly as the day was sunny, it could suddenly become cloudy or snowy, and cloudbursts were currently occurring in at least five different realms in several levels.
"I hate cloudbursts," said Kensuke to Shinji and the older girl as they were forced to take shelter on the large and thick branches of the trees due to the heavy downpour.
"Rain washes away all sin," the girl expressed. "Just wait it out."
Shinji didn't complain about the rain. If anything, he was more focused on who or what was below them on the ground. While he didn't exactly take charge of the current trio, he did have to keep them updated on the situation. His experience within the game had helped to keep him vigilant, to be mindful of all things.
"Shinji?" He turned to face Kensuke on the large branch on his right.
"The rain should mask our presence," he told him, pointing down to the ground, "and keep them from finding us."
Kensuke looked down…and saw a small band of women, clad in red cloaks that protected them from the downpour, walking the path they got off of to hide from them.
One of them pointed further down and they left.
"Who do you think they were?" He asked Shinji.
"Don't know," he answered. "I've never seen women in red around here. Probably from another of the realms of the game."
"I think I know who they were," the older girl said to them. "It's just a possibility, but they might be members of the Scarlet Sirens from the Warrior Goddess Realm."
"The realm where it's the women that reign supreme?" Kensuke questioned. "I went there once. Only once…and I didn't see any women in red."
"Yeah, they're a recent bunch, but I recognize the details of their armor anywhere."
"How can you be so sure?" Shinji asked her.
"Where you're one of the beta testers of the game, lonely ronin… I was one of the designers of the game," she revealed to them. "My task was creating the articles of clothing and armor for four of the realms. I got the game as soon as it was completed. One of the benefits of working on it, I'm afraid."
"You were a designer? And you got stuck in here with everyone else?" Kensuke asked her. "Who, exactly, are you?"
"My avatar name…is Shiori-1999," she told them, "but my real name…is Mari Makinami. Part of my reasons for playing an online game of this sort where your mind can travel beyond the body…is that I can escape from the limitations of my own body."
"What do you mean by that?" Shinji asked her.
"Second Impact…and the resulting aftermath…took the use of my legs. Out there, in the real world, I haven't been able to walk for fifteen years. But here, in the game…even if it's only an illusion, I'm able to stand, to walk. Entertaining young minds wasn't the only route of the game. It had applications for the physically disabled, people that can't use their arms or legs."
"That's rough, ma'am," said Kensuke to Mari, sympathetic to her real world problems. "I'd probably play the game for hours, too, if it meant being able to do the things I enjoy unaided."
"If we win the game," went Shinji to them, "we could go back to playing for hours instead of indefinitely…and without the fear of getting killed for real. Until then, take joy in what is possessed."
-x-
"Looks like we finally hit pay dirt," said Ritsuko to Gendo, informing him of the results of the MAGI's attempts to locate the Second and Third Children within the game. "We've found the Second and Third Children within the game. They're both inhabiting a realm called the Feudal Myths Realm, based off of the ancient mythology of Japanese culture."
"And how are they progressing?" He asked her.
"At present, both are on the fifty-second level of that realm…but have yet to clear it."
"Are they…working together?"
"I'm afraid both children are on opposite sides. The Second Child is with a group of women while the Third Child is with only two people, another boy and a woman."
-x-
The rain soon ceased and the sun came out, but the danger was still present.
"We can't stay up here forever," said Kensuke to Shinji and Mari, wanting to get out of the trees.
Shinji looked down at the ground and sighed.
"Be careful on the way down," he told them, and then jumped off the branch.
Mari followed suit, but Kensuke repelled down with a rope, since his avatar lacked the evasive skills their avatars possessed.
"No offense, but you need a talisman from this realm if you ever want to move as we do," Mari told him. "Fortunately, the cave we need to get to will have such items."
"Such is the way of realms to have talismans to permit one's avatar to perform feats not natural to them," he responded. "One of the only exceptions to that rule is the usage of high-speed vehicles in the Drift Realm."
"You got that right," added Shinji.
-x-
Asuka and her group had reached a cave system, but found no signs of individuals having come by before they did.
"One of you stand guard out here in case someone shows up," she ordered one of the Scarlet Sirens. "If any do, clean them out."
While one stayed behind, the rest of the group entered the cave to gather items and exert their dominance over any that stood in their way.
Where are you? Asuka wondered.
-x-
"You!" Shinji called out to a woman in red. "Are you a Scarlet Siren?"
"What's it to you?" The woman responded, brandishing her spear at him and his companions. "Surrender your items or face your doom!"
"What if we have no items?" Mari asked her.
"Then turn around and walk away."
"And what if we can't do that, either?" Kensuke asked her. "What if we want to enter that cave and move on to the next level of this realm?"
"Then you're going to die."
The three companions looked at one another before turning back to face the woman in red.
"Ma'am, we can't turn back…and we're not going to hand you over our items," Shinji told her, "but we are going to get inside that cave. Please, step aside."
"I'm a Scarlet Siren, boy! I don't have to listen to any man!"
"Then I suggest you listen to me!" Mari intervened. "I'm not a man, but I'm with them! Stand aside!"
"Make me."
Shinji nodded in the positive and Mari brandished a naginata with a serrated blade.
"I shall fight you for the right to enter the cave," she told the Scarlet Siren. "Do you accept…or are you a coward?"
"I'm no coward! I accept!" The Scarlet Siren responded and charged with her spear aimed at Mari's chest. "Die, traitor to women!"
Slash! Mari swung her polearm sideways at the woman's waist…and dropped her instantly.
"Urgh!" The Scarlet Siren groaned, discovering that her HP was down to almost zero, but still high enough to know that she wasn't dead. "How?"
"Vitality Disable Strike," she explained, "based on the art of chakra torture. I struck you in your Fire Chakra, located in the stomach, the source of your willpower…and burdened by your shame."
Shinji and Kensuke walked around the fallen woman and joined Mari as she entered the cave; she wouldn't die, but she was going to be down for a while, a time period they could take advantage of.
"Say, is it possible to learn such a move for my avatar?" Kensuke asked Mari.
"Not without a polearm," she explained to him, "and not without talismans from this realm."
Entering the dark place, Shinji checked his inventory and took out a torch, illuminating the darkness.
"Everyone, watch your step," he told them.
"I'd rather have this handy," went Kensuke to them as he pulled out his assault rifle, "in case of any close encounters."
"Yeah, you might as well, since your enemies won't play fair," Mari accepted.
"Up ahead," Shinji revealed, pointing towards the large number of Scarlet Sirens further down the tunnel. "There they are."
The trio hid behind a corner and were out of sight.
"I counted at least fifteen of them," whispered Mari.
"Fifteen Scarlet Sirens," said Kensuke, "so, that's five apiece for each of us."
"That's assuming there aren't others here," stated Shinji. "Always be cautious. Wait here."
He then ran out and hid behind a large rock formation on the other side of the tunnel, poking his head out to get a view of the all-female group further down. He couldn't be sure unless he got closer, but he suspected they had more than fifteen members present; he excluded the one they dealt with outside.
-x-
"They're currently inside a tunnel network," Ritsuko informed Misato as the MAGI displayed a rather-old variation of the layout the Second and Third Children were present within the game. Using the outdated Nintendo graphics is an embarrassment to the functionality of the MAGI.
On the holographic screens, they saw a minute version of the Third Child's game avatar run across the tunnel and hide behind a rock, probably to get a further evaluation of the situation his group was in. Then, on the left side of the tunnel they had entered from, the three were, apparently, made known to the larger group of twenty-three female players belonging to the Second Child by one of their own. Seconds afterward, the trio was surrounded by the larger group.
"I don't like this," expressed Misato; she knew Asuka exhibited a violent streak when it came to using the Eva, but if being stuck in the game took it up a notch and it progressed to being willing to actually murder for real, NERV would be short another, and that was assuming they would even get out of the game alive.
-x-
They had lost the element of surprise because of the weakened guard. And now, seeing exactly how many Scarlet Sirens there were, the trio were left with very options at their disposal.
"You, boy," Shinji looked at the young girl that probably led the Scarlet Sirens, seeing she was a beautiful redhead herself. "Are you the one called Shinji Ikari?"
"And if I answered that I was?" He countered.
"We want your secrets. We want the cheats to the game."
"I'm afraid any cheats possessed by any beta testers will be insufficient for any group that treats others like expendable tools."
The girl then brandished her rapier at his neck.
"Maybe I wasn't clear," she uttered. "You will surrender your secrets, boy. Don't think I won't kill you if you defy the Scarlet Sirens."
But Shinji refused to be intimidated by this girl.
"Hey, if we work together, we can escape the game," Mari suggested to her. "That's why we're here."
"Yeah," added Kensuke. "There's no way to get out by taking advantage of the other players."
"So says a boy," said a random Scarlet Siren to him. "You can't be trusted with secrets."
"Men don't deserve to possess such knowledge," added another member.
After hearing this (and seeing the remaining women brandish their blades), Mari got the feeling that the Scarlet Sirens weren't called the name they had for the proper reasons.
"You girls aren't like the Amazons of old tales," she uttered her assumption towards. "I think you're just a bunch of misandrists."
The redhead turned to face her and hurled her rapier at her chest.
Thunk! The blade was deflected…by Shinji, who grabbed the end of it with his left hand before it could make contact with Mari.
"That…was cold," he grunted, feeling like his hand had been run through a meat grinder. "Do you really want to kill us?"
"If I have to, I will," she answered.
"And I'll protect my friends in any way I can."
FLASH-BANG! Several small explosions came from around Shinji, Mari and Kensuke, creating a smokescreen that surrounded them, obscuring them from the Scarlet Sirens.
When the smoke cleared, three were gone, leaving only the redhead's rapier on the ground.
"Shiest!" She frowned as she picked up her sword. "I will not be outdone by a boy!"
-x-
"…The art of misdirection?" Kensuke asked Shinji as they ran down the tunnel.
"Yeah," he answered him as he wrapped a small bandage around his hand to remedy his injury. "I dropped small pouches that were set to explode when I needed them to."
"I owe you, Shinji," Mari told him. "It seems like the redhead is the one in charge and is very misandrist towards men."
"Either that or she just hates everyone, including herself. All you said was your assumption…and she tried to execute you. I have some doubts that we'll be able to work together with the Scarlet Sirens if she's the head honcho."
"If she's the head honcho, I must share my assumption that it's unlikely we'll be able to get along with them, even if on a rare basis," Kensuke expressed his opinion.
"Let's not give up on the Scarlet Sirens just yet. Focus on the ancient proverb of three enemies. If we're one side and they're another side, the chances of a third side raises a chance of two sides working together against the third side."
"The enemy of my enemy," Mari stated. "It's a double-edged sword, however, since it can go both ways. It's in fate's hands on who will side with who. Hopefully, we have covered enough ground between us and them. Feels like I just ran a mile."
"Three miles, actually," said Kensuke. "I have a feature in my avatar that records the miles achieved after escaping from someone."
"Wow. That's impressive."
Stomp! Something loud came and shook the tunnel.
"We must under the phantom castle by now," Mari realized. "Either that or we're at least nearing it."
Stomp! Something big was approaching their location.
"How strong are the demon ninja?" Kensuke questioned.
"Their strength lies within their versatility and horde of beasts," Mari explained. "Mostly demonic golems and oxen."
"But level-wise?"
"Anywhere between thirty-forty-two."
"The ninja will always be half as strong or as weak as the total sum of the opposing party's combined levels," Shinji added. "If our combined level was thirty, depending on our luck, they'd be either level fifteen or sixty."
"Right now, you're the strongest, Shinji," Mari stated. "You're level fifty-seven. I'm level fifty-four and Kensuke's level fifty-two. That means our party's level is one-hundred-sixty-three. They can't reduce themselves to a weaker lever, meaning they'll be twice as strong as we are."
"Not if one of us raises or lowers the level of a teammate."
"We can do that?"
"Mari and I can, since our avatars are associated to this realm. You'll still require a talisman to do what we do. Here's an Herb of Teamwork, Mari."
Shinji gave her a small plant that looked like a fern with red edges. It disappeared when she pressed it against herself, and her body briefly glowed purple. Soon afterward, her level raised up from fifty-four to fifty-five.
"Hopefully, we'll be dealing with a weak bunch," she told them, brandishing her polearm. "Here goes."
Stomp! The creature was close by now.
"Show yourself!" Shinji shouted.
From around the corner in front of them, the beast emerged. It was a massive, scarred and demonic jaguar with a reddish hue to its fur and its fangs were all serrated.
"Whoa!" Kensuke gasped, bringing up his rifle.
Behind the jaguar were a band of dark humanoids with red eyes, dressed like ninjas.
"I don't think it's going to be a good time right now," Mari stated; the ninja wouldn't fight them until after they had defeated their beasts, only then would they know their level.
"To advance forward, give it your all!" Shinji declared, pulling back his sword. "Never relent!"
-x-
As she recovered in the trauma ward after three consecutive surgeries, Rei Ayanami awoke from her medically-induced coma and looked up at the ceiling.
"I'm alive?" She spoke, confused about how she was still among the living.
To be continued…
A/N: This was rushed to completion.