Chapter 19
The Hangman's Body Count…
Revland let out a low grown as he stretched. He looked up to Futaba's window before coming to the decision to check on her. He went upstairs, knocked once, then opened her door.
"Hey, you asleep?" he asked in a low whisper.
Futaba had her head down on her desk with her arms crossed under her. He could hear low snores coming from her as he approached.
She's asleep… hopes she's alright, Liana?
"I'm here!" She answered with enthusiasm.
How is she?
"She's doing okay… I think? She's been like this ever she saw her momma."
He let out a sigh of relief he didn't know he was holding.
That's good… how'd she react to seeing you… and… well, everything else?
Liana thought for a moment before giving Revland the equivalent of what he figured was a shrug.
He pinched the bridge of his nose; he knew it might have been asking too much of the little pixie when it came to the finer details, but he still wished to know how she was fairing.
That'll have to do for now… I wonder what she thought of it all?
He softly placed a hand on Futaba's head as she stirred a little form his touch.
One eye cracked open to look up at him. She stretched while letting out a quick, high-pitched moan before readjusting her glasses. Stopped, looked back at Revland standing over her before nearly jumping out of her chair.
"Wha-wha-what were you doing?" she asked franticly.
"I haven't seen you in a while, so I came to check on you." Revland said, trying to placate her.
She's as nervous as a long-tailed cat in a room full of rocking chairs…
"Can you blame the young woman? With everything that we've put her through today, being a tad nervous is the least we could ask for." Arséne offered.
Futaba looked at him, then down at herself. She was wearing a stained t-shirt and a pair of light neon green shorts. She crossed her arms in a way that hid most of the stains before staring at him over her glasses wearing a slight pout.
"It isn't very nice to barge into a girl's room while she's sleeping you know…" she muttered, "You may give off the wrong impression…"
It wasn't that she wasn't happy to see him, quite the opposite. The strange dream about her mom and the fact that she suspected he had something to do with fending off…
What did he call it… a banshee?
"It was more a monster than a banshee." Came Liana reply.
A banshee is a type of monster… if memory serves, it's a being of Celtic folklore that can foretell the death of a family member to anyone unfortunate enough to hear its wail... Revland corrected.
"Wouldn't it be El Naddaha… the Egyptian beauty?" Arséne asked.
Sensing their confusion, he explained the legend of a woman who would lure men into the Nile, presumably to drown.
Not quite the same creature we encountered… she was more out of a horror movie.
Futaba rubbed at her temples as the sudden bombardment caused a headache to form. While Revland was used to the banter between himself and the varying voices, Futaba was having similar issues to when he and Arséne first met.
Wait, can she hear us… He thought to himself, the link could go both ways… What all can has she heard?
"I did knock…" Revland said sheepishly.
"You could've… you know… done things…"
Futaba blushed at the number of fantasies that came to mind the last time he was here.
A few of those "things" came to the forefront of Revland mind. He could hear Arséne chucking in the background, causing his own cheeks to flush.
"You should know… I'd never take advantage of you like that…"
You would if I were Yumi… Futaba thought begrudgingly.
"Jealously is unbecoming of you… you should know better…" a voice whispered in heat, striking a quick pain as if being cuffed just behind her ear.
She'd heard many of the voices chastise her for smaller details but never like this. She rubbed the back of her head before glancing up at him apologetically.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
"I'm fine…" she said softly. "Just… half asleep is all…"
He wanted to do something to comfort her. He could feel her anxiety and thought that he might be able to ask her about something… he just didn't know exactly how to put it.
"Hey… how bout we… I don't know… Christ, I'm bad at this…"
It was the first time she's seen Revland flustered. She found it kinda cute to watch him flounder around for the right words.
And here I thought I was the only one who had a hard time trying to find words…
Sensing that she was enjoying this, he tried to continue. "Would you … want to go out… some time…?"
Her arms fell to her sides as she stared at him.
Finding his courage, he continued. "I mean, it doesn't have to be anything special. We could sit in and watch a movie… play a game… or something…?"
She was stunned. He's asked to hang out in the past, but this felt… different. She wasn't sure how to describe it but she could've sworn she could feel his intentions.
That would be silly… could he really be…? She thought quietly, trying to make sense of what he was trying to do.
Is… he trying to… she thought.
Ask me out… realization slowly dawned on her.
On… a d-d-d-d-date?!
"Uh… Futaba?" he asked cautiously. "You there?"
" has stopped functioning… forced restart…"
Her eyes roll up into her head as her face flushed red.
Revland slid to catch her falling form, "Hey-hey-hey, are you alright?"
"I don't know if I can handle this right now-I mean I want to say yes-should I start picking out clothes-I haven't a clue what to wear-I've never been on a date before-does that mean I have to leave the house-" she muttered in a nearly incoherent barrage of words.
"Perhaps you should've waited to spring that on her." Arséne counseled.
Revland glared upward in Arséne's direction, "Little late for the warning don't ya think?"
"I must ask, what brought this on?"
"With everything that's about to happen with Kamoshida, I figured it'd be better to have something to look forward to… there's also her shadow's behavior, she was… a bit more forward than usual."
He helped her lay down in her bed as he sat on the floor next to her. He tried to get comfortable but needed to pull a stack of papers out from under him in order to do so. He decided to read the packet due to the title referring to something called "Cognitive Psience and its effects on the human psyche". He saw that it was almost word for word on how the Meta-verse reacted to individual interference.
"Shouldn't be surprised… how else would you know so much about it…?"
He continued reading out of sheer curiosity.
"Should you really be snooping right now?" Morgana asked, poking his head out of his bag.
"It's not snooping…" he said in a distracted tone, "If I wanted to snoop, I'd be going through all the files on that computer over there…"
Morgana looked around the room, "Good God… this place is filthy…"
Revland looked up, "Think I haven't notice… I've cleaned up in here a few times… but I think it'll take a few hours to make any real progress… plus, I wouldn't want to throw away anything important."
"What's so important about a trash heap?"
Revland gestured to the packet he was holding, "This for example, is an explanation of the meta-verse in written form… Futaba knows just as much as her counterpart. I'm only realizing it just now…"
"Does she know what you've been up to?"
He thought for a moment before shaking his head, "She's smart… If she doesn't suspect something already, then she will eventually."
Morgana looked to Futaba as his eye's went wide, "Uh… Revland…"
He looked up from his reading and followed Morgana's gaze to find a wide eyed and pale Futaba staring down at his feline companion.
"…Please tell me… that I'm still dreaming…" she whispered.
Placing the packet on the ground he got to one knee as he started to rise, "Take it easy… I can explain…"
"Explain?" Morgana asked before realization dawned on him, "Oh shit, you can understand me?!"
"Kitty… kitty is talking…" she whispered, on the verge of break down.
Morgana went to protest the assumption but, noticing the glare from Revland, he remained silent.
Revland tried to think of a way to explain it but found that he couldn't without letting slip that he knows about meta-verse. Then idea formed in the back of his mind, "What's the kitty saying, dear?" he asked while retrieving his bag.
"I… I think it said my name…"
"I've heard some cats can mimic certain speech patterns, it's why some of the sounds they make sound like they speaking to us." He said with as much certainty as he could muster.
I'm so sorry… but please believe it for now…
Morgana had gone completely stone faced. He knew that only an idiot would buy such a story.
"Play along…" Revland whispered into his ear as he removed him from his bag and placed him in his lap.
"You haven't met him yet, this is Morgana. I just rescued him yesterday." Revland said with a small smile.
Morgana glared at him in a very feline manner before turning his attention towards Futaba. With a sigh, he stretched and hopped up on her bed before sitting down next to her.
"Morgana… Sojiro did say something about you getting a cat… but…" Futaba tried to continue.
As if on que, Morgana rubbed against her shoulder and even managed a purr.
Nice one Morgana.
"He seems to like you." Revland added.
Futaba reached up to scratch around his chin and ears, "Wooooow, his fur is soooo fluffy!" she brought up her other hand as she began to play with Morgana's face, "I didn't think fur could get so soft."
Morgana somehow managed to endure without uttering a word. After having enough, he batted at her hands in an effort to stop her.
"Aww, maybe… one more hug." She said with an evil grin and a glint in her eye as she swooped him up in the equivalent of a bear hug.
Morgana, unable to escape, let out a squeak as she squeezed him against her chest.
"Could you… possibly be a little gentler with him…?" Revland placated, trying to hide a grin of his own.
"Huh, what makes you say that?" She asked, genuinely confused.
"I don't think he likes it…" He said, trying and failing not to laugh.
Morgana, with murder in his eyes, wiggled free of Futaba's prison and dove for the sanctuary of Revland's bag.
"Think he's had enough for the day." Revland managed to say trough a laugh.
Oh… I'm going to pay for this later… I'm not sure how, bit I know I will.
Getting the rest of their laughter out of their systems, a bit of Futaba's self-doubt returned as she hugged her legs to her stomach.
She cleared her throat before she began, "You… wanted to ask me something before… could you… could you do it again?"
Confused, Revland scratched the back of his head as he started to blush.
"Right about that…" he began. "First, I wanted to ask… about your message?"
It was Futaba's turn to blush as she looked down at her feet while her toes curled. "What about it…?"
Revland hesitated. He could challenge monsters, face down literal demons and even terrify shadows. This, trying to talk to a girl, scared the crap out of him.
Feeling his anxiety, she attempted to sooth it by lifting up her hand and waved, "Hi…"
Revland, for his part, stared at her as she began to feel awkward. He remembered the message said something about having trouble say hi to the guy she liked. He lifted his own hand and mimicked her, "Hi yourself…"
Her blush deepened, "There… I said it…"
Revland cleared his throat, "Would you like to hang out sometime… I mean, it wouldn't be any different from how we normally would but… I'd much rather it'd be with you…"
She thought about how to respond. She was sure this was different from the other times he's asked to hang out.
He plays video games and watches movies… I wonder if he's interested in any anime. Maybe… this wouldn't be so bad…
She looked up into his grey eyes, seeing how gentle they were. She let out a breath before smiling up at him with an expression of pure joy, "I think… I would like that…"
After school the following day, Revland convinced Ryuji to take him to the airsoft shop he found the fake gun at, though in all honesty, it didn't take much.
As soon as they made it out of ear shot, he was a barrage of questions about the captain and about the castle. Most of Revland's answers were either purposely vague or ended with "I don't know".
"I won't know anything till we make it back to the castle; I'd rather talk to both of you at the same time to avoid repeating myself." Revland said in a mildly annoyed tone.
"But come on, you've had superpowers longer than I have. You should at least know something."
Rolling his eyes upward, Revland repeated an answer he'd already given, "Every persona is different and is heavily dependent on the person using it. Arséne for example is fast and can be particularly vicious while Liana is quick and nimble but lacks power to fend off attackers."
"Ooh, what about magic? How does that work and what about the gun you used, you know that thing is a fake right, how'd you get it to fire." Ryuji continued undeterred.
Like the little brother I never wanted…
"I'll go over everything when we are all back at the castle… Ann included…"
"Right-right. Hey, how often does your persona talk to you, do they ever not talk back?" he continued, hearing nothing.
"A persona is often a reflection of yourself. So, in your case… I doubt it." Revland said with a smile.
"Ha! He's got-chu there mate!" Kidd laughed in response to Revland's quip.
"Whose side are you on?" Ryuji asked, glaring inward.
Revland turned to look at his friend with a knowing look, "It's also a good idea to keep your conversations to yourself."
"Do you two have to be so loud?" Morgana said, deciding to chime in.
"Enjoy your nap?" Revland asked.
"Do you live in there or something?" Ryuji asked.
"Yes, regardless of your professor's best efforts, I was able to get a nice nap in. And no, I just find his bag comfy. Why are you jealous of the attention?"
"No… I'm more curious about how you deal with all the cat hair?" he directed his remark to Revland, knowing full well it would irritate Morgana.
"Easier than you think." He answered quickly to defuse Morgana's coming rampage. "Are we close?"
"Yeah, it's just up here."
The pair had traveled back to Shibuya but instead of hopping on the train to Yongen-Jaya, they exited the terminal and went down the main throughfare. Shops littered the street in a variety of different locations, one of the first to catch Revland's eye was a bookstore across the street from a DVD rental shop.
"There's all sorts of shops here, even has a Big Bang Burger down the road a bit." Ryuji explained.
"But there's a diner right here." Revland offered.
"Different food for different occasions my friend." Ryuji said excitedly. "When this is over, there's this ramen shop we should hit up. I hear it some of the best that Tokyo can offer."
"Really… ramen?" Morgana asked incredulously.
"What's wrong with ramen?"
"You think that's a fitting celebration for our first outing?"
"Okay, then what would you want then?"
"Something that's befitting my more… refined palate…" Morgana said with as much snob as he could muster.
Revland stared up into the heavens and asked for patients. "Like canned tuna over dry cat food…" he countered. "We still have to survive this; can we save the celebration talk till afterward?"
Morgana and Ryuji glared at one another before nodding. "Sorry about that…"
Revland waved his hand as he walked, "Back to business, the place is called 'Untouchable' right?"
Ryuji nodded before pointing towards an alleyway, "Yep, just down there and to the right. Shop should be on the left.
Following his directions, the boys passed a pair of men in a heated discussion about something that Revland could just barely make out. He did hear something about Untouchable and its owner, Munehisa Iwai.
Something about an illegal weapons cache…
Ignoring them for the time being, they continued down the alley. The shop wasn't hard to miss, the word "Untouchable" was lit up with a bright green neon light hanging over a darker green awning. The interior of the shop was, as Revland would put it, controlled chaos. Shelves stocked with all manner of military paraphernalia including camouflaged gear and paper targets. The man behind the counter appeared to be in his mid-thirties, grey hair and with stubble covering most of his chin as his grey eyes bore into the two boys.
Revland continued to look around while taking furtive glances at the man.
Gray hat, yellow headphones… black turtleneck and a long gray coat hanging on the hook.
The clerk stared at him from under the brim of his hat and Revland could tell that he was sizing him up. Watching his hands and the placement of his feet before turning his attention back to his magazine.
Ryuji felt a shiver run down his spine as the shop owner's eyes glanced in his directions.
"This place isn't for newbies… now scram." He said with a low voice.
"Newbie? I was in here last week." Ryuji defended.
"Must not have made that much of an impression then." Was his only response.
Revland decided to step in as he saw Ryuji's neck flush. "We're not newbies… at least I'm not."
That seemed to get his attentions, at least enough for him to lower his magazine a little. Deciding to give the kid a chance, he posed a question: "What's your preference?"
"Preference?" Ryuji asked.
Knowing the blonde was a lost cause, he turned back to Revland. "I mean your preference, what do you prefer to use? Simi-automatic pistol? Pump action Shotgun? Revolver?"
"Lever-action .22 caliber Remington… if you have the .45 colt variant, then I'd prefer that."
The clerk folded his magazine closed and placed it on the counter, "O-ho, you have an attachment to the classics. A hunter I take it."
Revland nodded, "I'd also like to ask you about this." He continued as he pulled the Black star 9mm out of his bag. "I was told this was the store this came from… I was curious because it looks awfully real."
The clerk leaned back in his chair as he laced his hands together. "A concerned citizen then?"
Revland shock his head, "No, but those cops out there seem to think so." He said while hooking a thumb in their general direction. "Think they said something about a hidden weapon cache somewhere in the store."
The clerk let out a sigh of annoyance and stared in the officer's general direction. "Take it there's something you want for this information."
"Oh, nothing major, just want to be able to shop here is all… hate to see this place get shut down just as I'm starting to take an interest."
"Uh-huh uh-huh, what else?" the clerk said, twirling his hand in a 'get on with it' motion.
Revland opened his pack and produced a small bag of nic-naks ranging from Volley-ball idols to small stone slabs etched with hieroglyphics. "May need a place to sell some stuff off… with little to no questions asked."
The Clerk looked over the little bag and nodded, "I think that can be arrange… is there anything else I can help you with?"
"As a matter of fact…" Revland said in a thoughtful tone while eyeing Ryuji up and down. "Something that's easy to use in a pinch and designed for beginners…"
The clerk thought for a minute, "Shotguns are easy in terms of usability, just aim in the targets general direction and shoot. I'd even recommend SMGs as well for the 'spray and pray' mantra."
"You have a catalog?" Revland asked.
With a smile worthy of a demon, the clerk spun the magazine he was reading towards him. "Have a look, let me know if something catches your eye…"
After viewing the catalog and verifying he had the items in stock, Revland purchased a convincing replica of a Vz. 61 Skorpion for Ann and a Rimington pump action Shotgun for Ryuji.
"You would happen to sell body armor, would you?"
"What kind of trouble are you planning on getting into?" the clerk asked, suspicion evident in his eyes.
"The unexpected kind." Revland retorted.
The clerk scratched the stubble on his chin, giving Revland a clear view of a gecko tattoo on the left side of his neck.
"I may have something in the back… but they're for the special menu…"
"I'm willing to work for it."
"Are you now…?"
The clerk thought for a moment, looked in the officer's general direction before nodding. "I'll let you see the special menu. After your 'unexpected business' is done, come find me and we'll discuss the conditions of your employment."
"Sounds like we have a deal then…" Revland said with a grin as he held out his hand.
The clerk stared at it then back up to the youth's eyes.
There's fire in those eyes… and plenty of defiance… this should be interesting.
"The name's Munehisa Iwai, I think you're exactly what I've been looking for." Iwai said wearing a sinister smile to match Revland's.
Hanged Man…
Power pulsed within Revland's heart has the pair shook, "I seem to be hearing that a lot lately."
After purchasing his buddle of items as well as a few extras on the off chance one gets damaged, the boys returned to the warehouse after sending Ann a message to meet them there. Revland sat in the empty warehouse as Ryuji went outside to check in with Shiho.
"Is everything alright?" Arséne asked.
"You can tell huh?" Revland answered, believing he was alone.
"You know full well that it's hard to hide anything from each other."
"Stressed if anything… worried at worst. I'm planning something dangerous and dragging three others along for the ride… then there's the added bonus of killing the fucker if we screw this up."
"What of yourself… no fear for your own fate?"
He thought of the last few weeks and all that he's been through. "I'll be alright…"
He felt the presence of his persona as they all seemed to agree with his next statement, "I'm not alone anymore."
"It isn't just yourself either, there's the young Futaba as well."
"Yeah…" the mere mention of her name brought a smile to his face. "Even more of a reason to live through this."
"You're not planning to die on me, are you?" Morgana asked, poking his head out of Revland's school bag.
He stared at his companion, "You still have to help me in mementos… so you can't go dying on me just yet."
"Mementos…?"
Morgana paused as it dawned on him that he hadn't gotten that part of their deal.
"Morgana…" Revland questioned, "What aren't you telling me…?"
"Well…" Morgana started.
"She's alright, the doc went over her with a fine-tooth comb. Shiho's gonna be alright." Ryuji said with excitement in his voice as Ann trailed a pace or two behind.
Revland held Morgana's gaze for a few moments before turning to Ryuji, "That's great, any idea when she'll be released?"
"Either today or tomorrow."
"That's great news, means we'll need to get a lot done today so you can be with her tomorrow."
"So, what's the plan?" Ann asked.
"Today, we learn about magic. But, in order to do that we need to go to the castle. That way we can see whether or not what I'm teaching you is making sense."
"How will that work exactly?" Ryuji asked, confused.
"That's easy." He said with a smirk, "We'll know just by observing."
Revland stood, picked up his bag and started towards the door. "It's time to see how much training you two need before we take our school back from this pedophile."
The group made their way to the ally across from the school and waited for the coast to be clear.
"Ready?" Revland asked, phone in hand.
Both nodded as he pressed the button to take them just outside the castle.
"From what I've been able to gather, this area is relatively safe from the local shadows. Kinda like a large saferoom, we'll be able to use this area to stage our assault and regroup if we ever get separated."
Ann stared at Revland's sudden change in demeaner as well as his clothing.
He seems… more mature now that he's here…
"He has an air of Erou al legendei…" Carmin purred, "I like him."
He placed the bag he was carrying on the ground and turned towards the pair. His face flushed as his eye's suddenly went skyward.
"Morgana… our attire is based on what we think a rebel looks like… right?" Revland asked with a hand over his eyes.
"Uhhhh- huh? Oh yeah, that's right…" he muttered, completely distracted.
Revland glared at his feline companion, "Ann… um… I'm not entirely sure how to ask this…"
Ryuji had no such issue, "I'm mean daaaaamn, you look great."
Ann looked down at herself for what seemed to be the first time since her awakening. Her face flushed dark red as she immediately crossed her arms across her chest and crouched down in shame.
"Right… now that she's been mortified, I have to asked… what's with the boob window?" he asked, working up the nerve to look at her.
"It's not like I asked for this!" she screamed at him.
His hands came up to placate her barrage, "I know, we didn't either… I just was wondering why you think a dominatrix is your version of a rebel?"
"I don't know, why does yours look like a court jester?" she retorted.
"Point taken…"
If anything, it's good distraction…
"I think you should behave yourself…" Arséne chastised.
I… am doing the best I can… given the circumstances…
"Just remember that your mind is no longer your own."
That brought him back to himself as Futaba came to the forefront of his mind.
You're right, I good now…
Ryuji, on the other hand, was having no such luck. Kidd not only wasn't stopping it but encouraged it.
"She is a fine lass, isn't she mate…"
"Uh-huh…"
"Wouldn't she make a fine addition to your crew?"
"Uh-huh…"
Having enough of his seemingly lecherous stare, Ann stood and slapped him hard enough to cause Revland to flinch in sympathy.
"Don't you have Shiho you adulterous pig?!" Ann scolded.
Ryuji shook himself, his trance broken. "Yeah, sorry Ann. But can you really blame me?"
"To be fair… that suit doesn't leave much to the imagination…" Revland added as he scratched his cheek.
Ann sighed, "I'm surrounded by perverts…"
Revland cleared his throat, "Alright, let's get on with this. We have two weeks till the board meeting to get in, get the core and get out."
"Call it "The Treasure", it'll sound better." Morgana added.
"Yeah, it makes it sound like we're actual thieves." Ryuji said, catching his fist in an open palm.
"Either way," he continued, "We don't have a lot of time to do it in. A lot of this will have to he learned on the fly, but I can at least get you two started."
"Before that, we should pick our codenames!" Morgana said with excitement.
Revland nodded, "You mentioned this at the temple, better to not risk our names becoming familiar to the palace ruler."
Morgana nodded, "That's right, let's start with lady Ann!"
"'Lady' Ann?" She asked.
Like she hasn't been the center of attention since we got here. Revland mused.
"Alright… what do you think Ann?" He asked.
"Me?"
"It's what you'll be going by, so you should have a say."
"Tails?" Ryuji offered.
"Absolutely not."
"How about Princess?" Morgana suggested.
"Nope, I don't want to sound like a damsel."
"OO, how about Damsel then?" Ryuji corrected.
"I told you I don't want to sound helpless!"
Revland remained silent, trying to think of a good name. "How about… Panther…?"
Ann paused in her tirade, "Panther, where'd you come up with that?"
Revland pointed up at her mask, "You're wearing a cat mask, have a tail… lean body that seems ready to pounce… felt right is all."
He didn't mean for it to sound provocative but after going over it in his head, he immediately tried to back track.
"You know what, it sucked, we can move on."
"No… I like it… from now on, I'll be known as Panther."
"A wonderful name for a meow-velous girl." Morgana added.
"Did he really just say that?" Ryuji asked.
"I think he did." Revland confirmed with a nod.
"Anyway, me next." Ryuji said with barely contain his excitement.
"Ape?" Morgana stated.
"Thug?" Ann hissed; arms crossed.
"Really?" he asked depressively.
"You happen to have one in mind?" Revland asked.
After some thought, it seemed like a light bulb went off in his mind. "I think it should be this mask."
"But I already said Ape…" Morgana pointed out.
"No…" he said irritably, "I think it should be skull."
Revland looked at his friend's mask. While he could see why Morgana suggested Ape due to the enlarged canines, but he could also see the outline of a skull.
"I think it suits you." He said finally.
"See, he gets it." He grinned while giving Revland a thumbs up. "How 'bout Morgana?"
Everyone stared at Morgana but couldn't think of anything.
"How about… Tigga?" Revland suggested.
"Why… cause I look like a cat?" he asked, irritation emphasized by the twitching of his tail.
In fairness, it wasn't due to his appearance but his personality and the tone of his voice that led to the name. The fact that it was close to the name of an animal was merely a coincidence.
"Well, no…" Revland began.
"How bout Mona?" Ryuji offered.
Morgana paused, then turned to Ryuji.
"Where did you come up with that?" he asked.
"It just kinda came out."
"If that's what you want to call me then fine, Mona it is."
Revland felt a small tickle within his mind, a part of him really liked the name. He posed and unspoken question towards Arséne to which he felt him nod in affirmation, they had a peeper. Pretending not to notice, he continued.
"So, we have Panther, Skull and Mona." He said, pointing at each individual. "Guess it's my turn."
"That's easy." Morgana said. "The wild card in this unfair game… Joker."
"You sure it's not because of the clown shoes?" Ryuji chided.
"Hey, I'm not dissing your look so lay off mine." Revland complained with a half-hearted smile.
"Right, we refer to our code names from this point forward." Joker continued. "Next, you need to learn how to defend yourselves."
Mona sauntered over to Joker's side and observed the pair as he continued his lecture.
"You both need weapons. Talk to your personas and summon your weapon of choice. When your done with that we'll move on to firearms."
"Really?" Panther asked, skeptically.
"Oh, this is going to be so cool!" Skull said with barely contained excitement.
Energy engulfed the pairs hands, Panther's in blazing flames as Skull's was wrapped in crackling lighting.
A six-foot red leather whip formed in Panther's hand as a heavy metal pipe formed in Skulls.
Joker stared at the pairs weapons while scratching his chin, "Reeeeeally leaning into your costume themes ain't cha?" Earning a glare from the pair.
Shrugging his shoulders, he reached into the bag at his feet. "Alright… think fast!"
He threw an empty can at Skull as he caught the can in an upward swing, crushing the can in the process.
"That…" Skull said in wonder. "Was awesome…"
Joker nodded before turning to Panther, "Right, now it's your turn."
He placed the can on the ground and took a step back, "Just hit the can… then try to hit it as many times in the air before it hits the ground."
With minor adjustments, she managed to hit it at least once.
After a few minutes, he pulled the Skorpion and the shotgun from the bag. "Panther, Skull… these are for you."
"Holy shit, you weren't kidding!"
In his excitement, he aimed the gun towards Joker. His hand shot up to grab the barrel, guiding it away from the group.
"Treat every gun as if it was loaded… even if you believe they're fake…" Joker said in a low, stern voice.
"But aren't these fake though?"
Stepping aside, he held up an arm in invitation. "Rack a round and find out…"
Skull pulled the action back on the shotgun with a familiar click-clack, aimed away and pulled the trigger. The shock and the recoil cause the spread to go up and to the right, making his message very clear.
Skull had gone pale, nodded and pointed the weapon towards the ground.
Joker patted his friend on the shoulder before handing the Skorpion to Panther. Just as he instructed Skull, she aimed down towards one of the towers to let off three rounds before releasing the trigger.
"Well done. So long as you believe it will fire, they will. Understand?"
The pair nodded as Joker handed Panther two additional magazines. He pulled out a second handgun along with extra set of magazines before storing them in his newly adjusted shoulder rig.
"Right… now for the hard part. Do either of you know how magic works or either of your personas?"
Skull and Panther thought for a moment, looked at each other before shaking their heads in unison.
"Okay… let's start with the basics then." Joker began.
He explained that in order to cast a spell, you first need a target, intent and finally the emotion to power the spell in question.
While Panther seemed to understand, Skull was having issues. He remembered the discussion they had at school on the dangers of healing magic and figured it was along the same line of thinking.
"So… if we try to use a spell and it doesn't work… what happens to us?" Skull asked, concerned.
"A number of things could happen, but if a spell fails then chances are that nothing happens."
"And if something Does happen?" he pressed.
Joker thought for a moment, "The spell rebounds onto the caster… in your case, the lightning you cast with likely discharge on to you instead of your intended target."
"Or blow up in his face…" Arséne added.
He doesn't need to know that…
"First, you need to know how to summon your power. You need to have enough control over it and be able to maintain it while you prepare any type of spell."
The pair lifted one hand as instructed and focused on the palms of their hands. For Panther, it was simple as a small flame about the size of a dime appeared. Skull on the other hand was having difficulties. Joker had an idea why but decided to couch Panther first before tutoring Skull.
"Well done. How did it feel?"
Panther looked from the flame towards Joker and smiled. "Warm… and maybe a little exciting."
"Excellent, hold on to that feeling. You think you're ready to cast a real spell?"
Panther hesitated before nodding.
"Alright, aim down range towards the wall and focus on the feelings you just described." He took a step to the side, "Whenever you're ready."
Panther closed her eyes as she raised her right hand. As if she was being guided, she relaxed her fingers to point towards the wall and thought of a memory of her and Shiho hanging out.
"Agi…" She whispered, releasing her will as a small ball of flame shot from her hand to leave a scorch mark on the wall.
"I did it!" she shouted while jumping with excitement.
"Yes you did, nice job. A word of caution however, fire is tricky and should be handled with care. If you ever lose control, you may end up hurt yourself or those around you."
Panther nodded as she went back to practicing.
Joker turned back to find that Skull was about ready to burst a blood vessel with the amount of effort he was putting in trying to force something to happen.
"Alright-alright, take a break. If you force it then you'll end up hurting yourself."
"Easy for you to say, you the magic caster here." He said through strained breath.
He placed a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Thus makes me qualified enough to teach you, right?"
Skull nodded as he sighed inwardly, "What's the issue then leader?"
Joker looked over his aura to verify what he already suspected, "Your elemental affinity is lightning… let's see, how to explain this…"
After a moment, he nodded to himself before continuing. "For Panther, she has to focus on emotions that make her happy. It can also be summoned just as easily if she was upset, with me so far?"
"I think so… you're talking about her emotions, right?"
Joker nodded, "Unfortunately, your element is so straight forward. What does Kidd say about it?"
After a moment to ponder, Skull got the equivalent of what he figured to be a shrug.
"I don't even think he knows himself."
"Well, that's helpful… okay, here's what I need you to do." He held up two fingers to have Skull mirror his hand.
"I need you to think back to when Kidd awakened, what were you feeling at the time, your thoughts…" Joker paused, "Who were you thinking about?"
Skull thought back to when he let his rage get the better of him, his face darkened at the memory of Kamoshida cowering below him as energy crackled around him.
"I wanted to kill him…No… I Want to kill him…" Skull admitted.
Joker stayed silent to see if he would elaborate before continuing, "Tell me why."
Skull glared at him, "You know exactly why…" he growled.
"You're right." He admitted, "I do, but I need you to admitted it… answer the question, why do you want to kill Kamoshida?"
Skull clenched his fists as the memories came to the forefront of his mind. The track team, his leg, the school and even Shiho spiraled around in his mind. He ground his teeth, trying to keep his anger in check.
"Everything…"
Joker nodded, "Alright… focus on that feeling…" He paused for moment so Skull could prepare. "Now… think about Shiho and nothing but her."
The memory of their first kiss as well as their lunch date on the roof made his heart pound as a sudden bolt of electricity struck Skull's extend fingers, causing the pair to jump. Energy crackled around his arm while his eyes remained fixed on the point of contact.
"Seems my hunch was right…" Joker mused, uncovering his eyes.
"And that would be?"
"Lightning magic requires a set of emotions to be present simultaneously, making it far more complicated than any other element to use."
Skull looked from him to his hand then back to Joker with confusion in his eyes.
"To simplify, it requires balance. Needing both a positive and a negative emotion, something that makes you happy while the other to upset you for example, in order to be used properly." He continued, "Try thinking of Shiho first this time before dwelling on any negative emotions. If my theory is correct, then you should be able to control it better …"
Doing as instructed, Skull thought about Shiho before anything else. He figured that he should try focusing on something smaller like Joker suggested for a more controlled reaction.
"Zio!" he yelled, aiming for the spot panther his moments ago.
Lightning crackled around his arm before striking the brick and mortar of the wall, causing it to crack.
"Holy shit…"
"Nicely done Skull. Just remember not to overexert yourselves, our bodies still have limits."
Joker continued to tutor them for what felt like hours till all four of them were on the brink of exhaustion.
"Think it's time to call it a day." Joker said, regaining some of his stamina.
Skull was resting his hands on his knees, looking up at his friend with a newfound respect that bordered on horror. "Are… are you sure your human…?"
Looking around, even Mona seemed ready to collapse while trying to keep up.
Scratching the back of his head, he was ready to form an apology, but Panther waved it off.
"It makes sense, doesn't it? He's been at this longer… or seems to know a bit more than we do… the magic, the skills… you're testing our limits, right?"
"In a way, yes." He agreed. "While this is still new, we're unfortunately still under a time crunch."
"How long do we have again?" Skull asked.
"According to Ms. Kawakami, the board meets on May 2nd… so, about two weeks."
"We have to explore an entire castle in two weeks?!"
"Not the entire castle." Mona interjected, "We just have to find his treasure and take it from him."
"But the deeper we go, the stronger the distortion will be, right?"
"Those lessons are paying off. I think so, yes. Means we'll just have to get stronger as we go."
"We'll have to fight…?" Panther asked.
Joker, Mona and Skull nodded solemnly where Panther seemed to hesitate for but a moment before coming to a decision.
"Alright, I'm in. When do we start?"
"Day after tomorrow… after school and every day till we locate this treasure." Joker said.
"What about schoolwork?" Panther asked.
Joker smiled as he answered, "You'll notice it when we leave today, but that there's a bit of a time distortion. One hour in the castle is about a minute or two in the real world."
Panther looked at him, awestruck. "How is that possible."
He thought for a moment before continuing, "I honestly don't know. I think it has to do with the ruler's perception of time or maybe we ourselves wish it so. Your guess is as good as mine."
"Talk about trippy…" Skull mused.
"For now, we should head back to recuperate before we start in full tomorrow. Meet up at the warehouse like we did today so we can talk strategy before going in."
"Kinda like a hideout." Panther added with excitement.
Mona nodded, "Wouldn't be a bad idea to call it that… what do you think?"
Joker thought for a moment, then nodded. "How about the 'Thieves' Den'?"
Skull snapped his fingers, "Oo that sound's awesome!"
Joker liked the idea of taking that place that Kamoshida used to hurt so many people and turning it into an instrument that will aid his downfall. "That settles it then, meet at the Den after school in a couple days."
Revland sat in his room finishing up his homework as his phone rang. He looked up from his book to see that it was from Ryuji.
He picked up the phone and answered, "Hello?"
"Hey man, sorry to bug you." Ryuji said with a hint of worry.
"It's no trouble, what's up?"
Ryuji went quiet.
"Ryuji?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry… just spacing…"
"What's wrong?" he asked, "Is Shiho alright?"
"Yeah, she's doing alright. As I said before, the doc couldn't find anything wrong with her, so they discharged her earlier tonight…"
"That's good at least… what about the police?"
Ryuji hesitated before continuing, "That's part of the problem… you were right… with no physical evidence… it's hard to prove that he did anything to her… right now, they say it's her word against his…"
"I'm sorry…"
"Don't be, you got her out of that damn castle with hardly a scratch on her while I was fumbling around trying to get my ass in gear… I owe ya…"
"Ryuji, you don't-"
"No, seriously… if you hadn't been there… Shiho… she would have…" his voice cracked.
Revland gave his friend time to gather himself.
"I'm sorry, I… I don't have many friends left and… you've only been around for about a month and you've done more than anyone has… so, thank you…"
Revland smiled, "You're welcome, Ryuji. Think nothing of it… go spend time with Shiho… I'm sure she's missing you right about now."
"Right-right… thanks for listening… let's get this bastard yeah…?"
"Of course, see you tomorrow."
Revland hung up and leaned back in his chair, he could hear Morgana sleeping on his bed. He turned to check on him as his phone rang again. This time it was from Ann.
My, ain't I the popular one…
"Hello?"
"Sorry, did I wake you?"
"Not at all. Was working on some homework and was about to take a break, what's up?"
"I just wanted to call and talk for a bit; a lot has happened and this the first time we've had a moment to breathe."
"It has been a little hectic, hasn't it?" He agreed.
"I also wanted to thank you, you know, for saving me."
"How exactly did I do that?" he asked, confused.
"You got those guards off me and even reminded me of what was more important…"
Revland stretched as he remembered that it was Ann alone that stood up to Kamoshida and his guards while he was protecting Shiho.
"I don't remember doing much, you did most of the heavy lifting if I remember right."
"But if you hadn't done something, things would have gotten worse… For me and for Shiho…"
"Think nothing of it, Ryuji helped a bit too."
She chuckled, "Yeah, I guess you're right. Should give him a call too. I'll talk to you later, have a good night."
"You do the same."
He placed his phone on his desk while scratching the back of his head. He felt weird about everyone thanking him, but it still made him smile.
Think we'll be alright?
"In what regard?" Arséne asked.
Infiltrating the castle…
He thought for a moment before responding. "I think you'll be just fine. If things become dangerous, I believe you'll make the right call. You have my utmost faith."
He thought back to how this all started, meeting Ryuji and discovering the castle. Then there was the temple with Futaba and everything that happened with her uncle.
As if summoned by his thoughts, his phone dinged with a message.
Futaba: [You okay?]
Need to remember to guard my thoughts better…
Revland: [Doing aright I guess, why do you ask?]
F: [Just a feeling I got is all…]
R: [How bout you, trouble sleeping?]
Text bubble appear, disappeared, then reappeared.
F: [Haven't had any nightmares lately, weird dreams though.]
Revland hesitated.
R: [How weird?]
She tried to explain how she saw him in weird suit and that she saw him fighting. When she came to the one about her mother, she hesitated, unable to put the dream to words. Images flashed across Revland's mind with many of them being of his fight with the mutated Wakaba.
Still doesn't like talking about her mother…
R: [You don't have to tell me if you don't want to.]
F: […]
F: [I want to… I just don't know how…]
R: [Take your time. I'm not going anywhere anytime soon.]
After a moment's hesitation, she replied.
F: [Promise?]
"Think she senses something might be off?" Arséne offered.
"Wouldn't put it past her…"
R: [Of course.]
F: [Can I see you…?]
R: [It's a little late, isn't it?]
F: [It would only be for a second.]
F: [Please…?]
Revland sighed with a smile.
R: [I'll be over in five.]
F: [Yay!]
F: [See you soon!]
Revland stood, gabbed his phone and his keys before giving Morgana's sleeping form a quick scratch. He turned at the stairs to view the room as he originally found it. The room had come a long way from how it use to be. The desk was uncluttered as well as the bookshelf, even managed to find a few books on cognitive pscience that he thought Futaba would like.
He smiled as his revelry, "We'll survive this… think I'm beginning to like it here…"
Romanian Translation
Erou al legendei (A-row al Le-gen-day)
-Hero of legend/ Hero of the legend
