BRIAN
"We need to talk. Now."
Now, I'm not an expert on women. Never been, likely never will be. But not even I, in all of my sheltered cluelessness glory, could mistake Miko's current tone of voice. She was angry. Again.
I will admit, I did start to fear for my life a little bit. Angry woman with superpowers is a combo that could make any living being quake in their boots.
Her snarling face was not making things any easier.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
I blinked, confused.
"About what?"
The way her face darkened even further, informed me that I had given the wrong answer.
"You knew things about Norumi, didn't you?! Why have you kept me in the dark?! Damn it Knight, we're a team! These are the kind of things that you should share as soon as you discover them!"
I took a couple of steps back while she barked in my direction. She was making some valid complaints, after I thought about it more in the future, but at that moment, her words confused me to no end.
"Why? It's not like you knowing would have made a difference. If anything, there would have been the risk of our target knowing our tactics ahead of time. It would have been an unnecessary risk".
Just like when we were in Tora no Sumika, the Hashimoto bar back in Kanezaka, I could almost hear Kiriko's blood pressure rising. And I had absolutely no idea why.
"What did you take me for?! A spy of some sorts?!"
"No, of course not. But the less people know, the better".
She stomped her right foot, cracking the asphalt in the process.
"That line of thinking shouldn't apply to me as well! Do you even know the meaning of 'working together'?!"
I shook my head sideways at that.
"No… not really. For the most part, I was always alone. And the few times I worked with other people, they were brief jobs where everyone was already debriefed ahead of time…"
She gave an odd look at that. I have no idea on how to even describe it, like a cross between disbelief and… pity?
"You're not pulling my leg, are you?"
I wasn't lying. Not that time, at least. Teamwork outside of combat was a foreign concept to me, undoubtedly.
"Rule number one then: communication is key. If I discover something related to the mission, you'll be the first to know and viceversa. Holding back information like that is just going to eventually get one of us killed. Understood?"
I didn't see the logic. How were the two events connected? The minimum, baseline intel was usually enough for a soldier to get the job done. Why should there be more? I genuinely didn't understand… but in the interest of keeping my skin intact, I decided to go along with it anyway.
"Rule number two: the other important thing is trust. I trust you to guide me through everything related to the Metaverse and knowing what to do while we are in a pinch… but I need you to do the same for me. We can't continue on this… crusade of ours if you can't even trust me with some basic info about our enemies. Can you do that for me?"
That made a lot more sense than her first rule. Faith and trust we're instrumental in any kind of operation, no matter how small. If the people following you don't trust you, they won't be nearly as efficient as they should. And on the flip side, if you don't trust anyone then you're just going to end up doing everything on your own, which would eventually lead you to your demise.
"Very well then. If that is what you wish…"
Miko glared at me for a couple more seconds, before smiling and nodding.
"Perfect! We're good then. Where to now?"
Oh yeah, our next target. I was just about to type in the coordinates and go, but remembered at the last second our recent conversation.
"How are you feeling? Can you keep up or are you tired?"
Her smile stretched, like I just passed some kind of test. Which, in her eyes, I probably did.
"I feel fine. But I would like to go back to the real world for a moment. I need to see Maya, make sure that she's not injured and all".
More delays… but, we were going well, so I decided that there would be no harm in making her happy. I was particularly glad to see that she now could handle multiple trips on the same day, which opened a whole lot more tactical possibilities.
"Let's go back then. After that, we can decide on what to do".
"Thanks Knight. It won't take too long, I promise!"
As we walked back into the alley, I still typed in the MetaNav Kobayashi Ritsuko's name and checked her position. She wasn't terribly far, it was still going to be a bit of a trek. A trek which would have been both safer and less exhausting to walk in the real world.
I wondered, in my head, if Kiriko knew… probably not. It was still much too soon for her to strategize about those sort of things. I still would have preferred to avoid wasting time checking up on her friend, but I had resigned myself to having to do it anyway. This "Maya" fellow better be thankful…
KIRIKO
I was feeling a hell of a lot better, after my… "friendly" chat with Brian. I was being a lot more aggressive than necessary, I knew that much, but I needed to cut that bad habit of his as soon as I could. There could be no secrets of that magnitude between us, not smack in the middle of an operation at least.
I felt like a bit of a babysitter, to be honest. I met people who were close to socially inept, but he… he was something else. Jumping from being unable to string a sentence together without me prying it off his lips, to knowing just what to tell me to keep me in check. The more I got to know him, the more of an enigma he was shaping up to be. I knew bits and pieces about his past and him as a person, but it always felt like there was something else. Another layer that I hadn't explored, another side that I had yet to see, another page of his book that I was still missing.
It vexed me to no end, and the answers were slow to come. Much too slow for my liking, when they didn't just end up causing even more questions. In the end, I decided to give it some time and pushed the issue out of my head, in favor of, finally, getting the chance to speak with Maya. She still wasn't being released, the graffiti that she left behind were still very much there after all, but as long as she wasn't being tortured, she could handle a couple of days behind bars.
The reason for wanting to speak with her? I genuinely did want to check up on her and make sure that she was okay, but I also wanted to know if there was anything that she discovered in the meantime. It wasn't strictly necessary, we had the full name of our next target after all, but it was a worthy detour, in my eyes.
"I'm not sure Kiriko… one moment she was grinning at me like a madwoman, the next she started bawling her eyes out, asking to be locked up and lamenting the loss of her 'beloved'. It was so damn weird…"
From what she told me up until then, she hadn't been hurt, Norumi Mikoto was in the middle of her interrogation when the change of heart happened and that a couple of high ranking Hashimoto members were seen in the area, one of which undoubtedly being Kobayashi Ritsuko. Nothing that we didn't know already, but, from her descriptions of the guy, there was a very high chance that the other one was the last man that we had seen back in Kanezaka. Joichiro, was his name… or at least, half of it.
"I'm worried… the Hashimoto are preparing something. I have no idea what, but it's something big…"
I smiled, showing all of my confidence.
"Worry not Maya! We got this!"
She quirked her eyebrow.
"We? We who? You're not alone?"
"Nope! I'm currently working with a guy named Brian. Bit quiet and secretive, but ever since we started pooling our forces together, we've been making some good progress. If all goes well, we might even end it all soon…"
Wouldn't that have been a dream…
"Brian, you say? Is he a friend of yours?"
Well, that was the million yen question, wasn't it? Could I really consider someone that I basically just met a friend?
Tamamo seemed to think so. That's how she referred to him during my Awakening… and if it is true that Personas are simply our Shadows given different form, then that also means that's how I feel as well. Simple logic, but one that makes sense.
"Yeah. He's a friend, even if I met him not that long ago…"
Maya's smirk could only be labeled as a hazard to society itself.
"Oooohhh…? Is he cute…? Should I start looking for a good date spot for you two?"
"Aaaaaand with that, I think we're done here! Get some rest Maya, you obviously need it!"
I hastily got up from my chair and rushed out, followed by my friend's laughter. I love her like a sister, I really do… but damn, she always gets so obnoxious whenever I mention spending any amount of time with a member of the opposite sex!
My face was likely burning out of sheer embarrassment, but I quickly got it out of my system by slapping my head. I needed to get my head back in game, there was still way too much stuff to do.
Exiting out of the police station, Brian was still there, leaning against a wall and fiddling with his phone, probably keeping an eye for Kobayashi's position. He looked up when he heard me approach.
"How did it go?"
"Fairly smoothly. She's fine, we stopped Norumi just in the nick of time before things could turn violent, she confirmed that Kobayashi Ritsuko is in Hanamura and hinted that maybe, Joichiro is also around here somewhere. Apart from that, nothing much in terms of news. Sorry Brian, I made us waste time…"
He turned off his phone and shoved it back in his pocket.
"Maybe a little bit. But now we know that our last target before the big boss is also in the vicinity, which could prove beneficial. Besides, it was a detour that we were going to have to make anyway. It's much safer to travel here rather than 'you-know-where'. We should hurry up though, our target is probably on high alert, now that another of her colleagues had a change of heart. As far as we know, she might decide to just go hide inside the Palace, at which point she would be unreachable".
I nodded, once more following his lead. I stared at the back of his head while we fast walked towards the commercial district of Hanamura, Maya's teasing ringing around my head like a drunk bee. Our dynamic changed drastically ever since we met, only a couple of days before. From complete strangers to partners in battle and friends in the real world. I wasn't sure what the future was going to hold for us…
But at that moment, I was content with what we had.
BRIAN
With that distraction finally out of the way, our focus went back to the mission. I looked up at the sky, noting how the sun had passed the midway point and was starting its journey towards twilight. We maybe had a couple more hours of daylight left, before darkness took over the world. Just to be on the safe side, I decided to run some checks on my companion. She did basically requested it after it all.
"Are you sure that you can go on? There's no shame in stopping if you're tired…"
She shook her head, grinning.
"I'm still ready to go, don't worry about me! We have to make up for the loss of time, after all".
I hummed, accepting her answer for what it was. Still going along with her wishes, I decided to get her up to speed.
"By the way, I made some research while you were busy with your friend".
"I had no doubts about that. What did you find?"
"Kobayashi Ritsuko is a known enforcer among the Hashimoto and the third highest ranking member, behind this Joichiro person and their leader. Her duty in the family is to run the protection brackets, extorting money from local shops in both Hanamura and Kanezaka, to allegedly keep them safe from criminal assaults…"
Kiriko made a disgusted face.
"That, of course, they cause themselves in case they're denied…"
"Got that in one. As for our target herself, she's described as a cold, merciless individual. She gets orders, she executes orders, no questions asked. Brutally efficient, completely immune to feelings, emotions and general weaknesses, she acts more like an android than an actual person. She does have something though… a sadistic streak, particularly when she breaks the will of other people, something she's apparently very good at doing. It's an ability that she is very proud of".
She frowned at me.
"And how are we supposed to use something like that?"
I smiled at her, a couple of ideas popping into my head.
"We abuse her pride. Make her think that she managed to bend on of us and then catch her by surprise".
"It sounds kind of risky…"
I blinked, weighting everything in my head. She was right, it wouldn't be something easy to do…
"You have a better idea? I'm open to suggestions".
Kiriko wrecked her brain for a bit. There isn't really much that you can do against people so out of touch with the simple concepts of emotions. I had first hand experience with those kinds of people. In a way, that new target was the complete opposite of our previous one.
But then, her eyes lit up.
"I think I've got something. You said that she's kind of like an android, right? She does things because someone else told her to do it, but she doesn't actually… believe in anything that she's doing, wouldn't you say so?"
I hummed, seeing the merit in her supposition.
"That would be a logical conclusion to reach, yes. What do you have in mind?"
"What if we somehow managed to prove to her that it would be in her best interest to not fight? She's likely to just go along with whatever is most convenient to her, since the Hashimoto's cause is of no consequence to her".
"I see… that could be a strategy, yes. But a smart supposition is still only a supposition. She still obeys any order that she's given, even if she, supposedly, couldn't care less. There must be a reason for that, right? Maybe it's not faith that pushes her, but something else that we don't know…"
She deflated faster than I could blink.
"Y-Yeah… yeah, you're right. Forget about it, dumb idea…"
I shrugged.
"I'll still keep it in mind. You may be right, after all. Having multiple options is better than been forced on a singular path".
That seemed to cheer her up, even if only a little bit.
"How do we decide what to do then?"
"It will have to be a spur of the moment thing, depending on how she decides to act. Or even IF she decides to give us any kind of opening at all, in which case it will just be a simple, straight fight. We'll have to see and adapt, I'm afraid".
She crossed her arms behind her head.
"I almost hope that's what happens. More of my style, you know?"
"Why am I not surprised…?"
She guffawed, pointing at herself with her thumb.
"Ohi, if you were able to teleport around, throw kunai faster than you can blink and heal any injuries in an instant, you wouldn't see much appeal in subtlety either!"
Well now, that's just cheating. But even if I could, I simply didn't like to just throw myself onto something without at least the guidelines of a plan, even if you wouldn't guess at first glance from the way that I fight. Against Ōkusa, that was the approach I had to take out of necessity, but I definitely didn't enjoy it. Too many unnecessary risks, too many variables unaccounted.
Which bothered me considerably, since I was currently working alongside the biggest variable of all. Another calculated risk on my part, which, fortunately, was paying off.
When we reached the commercial district, things were apparently quiet and unassuming. The buzz of people was starting to die down, a good number of shops were closing for the day, but there was tension in the air. I didn't even need to look at Kiriko to know that she was feeling it too.
"Let's start looking then. Try to blend in as much as you can, we don't have much time before sundown".
She nodded, any sign of playfulness gone from her stance.
"Should we split up? Cover more ground quicker?"
Normally, yes. But the district wasn't so big as to warrant it. On top of the fact that splitting up would also mean having to wait for the other to catch up once our target revealed herself, so, in the end, the ratio of lost and bought time wasn't going to be much different.
"No need. Let's just be quick…"
"Right behind you then".
I was once again thrusted back into the leading position. Shouldn't the one with actual powers take point, at least in the real world…? I wanted to protest, but let it go, not feeling like complaining and wasting even more time. Time that we would surely need down to the very last second.
We spent close to 45 minutes methodically checking every open and available shop, my MetaNav only being good enough to give me the area where our target was located, due to not being used in the Metaverse itself. And we couldn't just enter it and search from there, to conserve energy for the inevitable fight ahead. Eventually, the two of us stopped in front of a small clinic, where I could just barely make out Kobayashi Ritsuko herself, discussing with a tired looking man in a white doctor coat.
I motioned with my head to Kiriko towards the alley close by. It was time to switch.
She silently nodded and together we inputted the proper coordinates on our phones. Our clothes changed right away the second we entered the Metaverse, due to the closeness to our target.
I brandished my greatsword, resting it over my shoulders, while Miko gave a couple of warm up slashes to the air. Just one last fight, then we could rest.
KIRIKO
Our approach towards the Metaverse equivalent of the clinic didn't go unnoticed by the woman we were about to fight.
Kobayashi Ritsuko's Shadow locked eyes with us as soon as we were in range, letting out an aggravated sigh. Like our presence was the cause of all of her problems.
"So, you two are the reason why Norumi and Ōkusa are currently behind bars, aren't you? Damn it, couldn't you have at least waited until I was done with this stubborn doctor…? What a headache…"
She didn't sound particularly… motivated, which gave my theory a bit more weight. But still not enough to be considered actual evidence.
"No matter. I'll just have to kill you both quickly then. As much as I'm sure it would be fun to break you two, today I simply do not have the time. I'm already a lot behind schedule as it is, thanks to Norumi's untimely demise. Stupid girl, leaving all of her dirty work on me…"
I looked towards Knight, seeing the opening for what it was. He caught up immediately.
"Why bother then? Save yourself the hassle, give up and go rest. I'm sure that the police will be more than happy to accommodate you".
Kobayashi's cold eyes narrowed at us after my partner was done speaking.
"As much as all of this is straining my patience, I have no desire to face the consequences of not obeying His wishes. Nothing personal, but now I'm gonna have to stop talking and kill you, once and for all".
Dark waves enveloped her, transforming her into her monster state. Well, there went both of our plans...
Straight fight it is then.
Our opponent's true form revealed itself to be female humanoid, with green skin and a long flowing red dress.
"A Silky. She has Ice affinity, so be careful to not get frozen solid. Not particularly strong, but they can be tricky to fight".
Ice… I was never a fan of ice, or cold in general. It was going to be an annoying fight, for sure.
The Shadow instantly focused on me, faster than any of our other enemies, and thrusted her arm forward. A small blizzard of ice barrelled towards, giving me just enough time to teleport away.
Knight acted as a distraction while I got my bearings, slashing away and occasionally adding a gunshot to the mix. As he had said, his opponent could barely keep up, due to not being very strong in a physical sense. But, during a small lull in his attacks, she managed to join her hands together, like a prayer. My friend barely managed to jump backwards to evade most of the AoE of the attack, but a couple of ice shard almost skewered him, if not for the Suzu that I threw at his feet.
He landed close to, nodding his thanks.
"She's more resilient than I thought… any other Silky would have already gone down from that…"
Knight glared at the Shadow, before looking back at me.
"Just like against that Bicorn, let's attack on two different sides. Can you still summon your Persona?"
"Yeah. Just once though… the switch to the Metaverse drained me more than I thought…"
"It will be enough. Wait for my signal, okay?"
I didn't have time to answer him, for our enemy was done waiting.
She attacked like at the start with a small blizzard. She had no way to deal damage with anything other than her element, it seemed, but that didn't mean that she was predictable.
Her move headed towards Knight this time around, who stood his ground and used his greatsword to mitigate the impact. I threw some kunai, to keep her focus on me, while my companion recovered and went on the offensive.
"Come, Persona!"
Mordred appeared, standing still, apparently not moving, but the blue flames around my friend were still dancing around him. Suddenly, a clap of thunder was heard, and the massive knight changed appearance. Still armored, but this time the protective metal was painted golden, the helmet resembled a lion's head and he changed weapon, holding a spear, the point crackling with electricity.
"Leave them starstruck, Lancelot!"
The newly named Lancelot violently raised his spear up in the air. The smell of ozone filled the air, culminating with a powerful bolt of lightning hitting the Silky, stunning and paralyzing her, leaving her exposed.
Knight jumped to me and slapped my hand, giving me the signal.
"Finish her off!"
"Hunt them down, Tamamo!"
For the last time that day, my Persona came back, raising her fans and swinging them down, similarly to the very first attack she unleashed, releasing a powerful gust of wind, whose strenght was amplified by the sparks of electricity running down her body, that proved to be too much for our enemy.
The Silky turned back in Kobayashi Ritsuko.
"What… a damn bother… I got defeated too…"
She fell down onto her knees, staring at us dispassionately.
"Well? What are you waiting for? Finish me off already".
Knight stalked up to her, and for just a fleeting moment, I feared that he was about to take her up on her offer. But he simply held his pistol against her forehead.
"The name of the last officer. Tell me and I won't blow your brain out".
Ohi, he was joking right?!
"Why would I tell you? If I do, the boss will simply have me killed. He can. And he will…"
"Your boss won't be around for much longer. His empire is going to fall soon. Think about it… you help us, and then once you're free, you won't have to worry about him ever again. Whatever it is that he's using to keep you in line won't matter anymore".
She smiled bitterly.
"I wish that you were right… but I can't keep my niece safe forever…"
Her niece…? I walked up to Kobayashi, kneeling down in front of her.
"Is that what he's threatening? If you don't obey, he's going to hurt your niece…?"
She nodded.
"Yes. He has my darling Akari in his sights… and my work is the only thing keeping him from hurting her…"
Blackmail... of course! Just how low could that man stoop?!
Wait… Akari?
"Is your niece that deaf girl in Kanezaka, living with her grandfather in that flat close to the plaza?"
"Yes… that's her alright…"
"You failed already then".
Knight's voice cut through our conversation. For the first time since seeing her, an emotion filtered through our former adversary's eyes.
Fear.
"A former colleague of yours, Ōkusa Shindo, already threatened to hurt her, alongside her grandfather. I'm surprised that you didn't know already".
What was he saying…? Why was he saying it?!
The effect was instantaneous.
"No… I… I knew that Ōkusa had taken control of a flat to flush you two out… but I had no idea it was that one…"
Knight was merciless in his words, intent on breaking her like she had done multiple times before to so many other people. I barely even recognized him...
"Take a wild guess who gave the order to seize that place. I'll give you a hint… you know his name. It's his fault that your niece was in danger. Don't you want to make him pay?"
A new emotion flashed. Anger.
"I know that you're manipulating me… but if what you say is true, I can't let it slide. Joichiro Yoichi. That's his full name. I ask that you make him pay… he's as much of a monster as our boss is. He doesn't deserve any mercy".
Knight nodded.
"He won't escape us. I promise. You know what to do now, don't you?"
Kobayashi made a disgruntled sound.
"Don't patronize me. I know. I suppose that… it's time for me to redeem myself as well…"
She disappeared right after saying that, on her way to cause the change of heart.
Both of us stood there for a couple more seconds. There are a lot of things that I want to tell him, but the most urgent one took precedence.
"Soooo… where are we going to stay the night?"
Hello?! Is this thing on?! It is?! Noice.
Welcome back, dudes and gentleladies, to another episode of UTFW, the show where angry women are 100% scarier than usual.
This might just be the longest chapter in the story thus far, or at least it gets pretty damn close. It really takes a lot of effort to write a chapter of this story, huh.
And now here it is, Mordred's special ability! He can briefly switch to another of the former Knights of Roundtable, changing his affinity and attacks. This chapter showed Lancelot and his electricity based spear. His appearance is based on Ornstein, once again from Dark Souls. Why yes, I do like that series, how could you tell? There are two other forms that we still haven't seen, but they will come later on.
Sounds strong? It is, but all of this is done with a clear plan in mind, on top of being out of necessity, if Brian and Kiriko want to survive the first Palace. Yup, it will be only them going through an entire Palace on their own, which means that we won't be seeing new teammates for a while. But they will come, I promise. But for now, let me give you a couple of hints:
The full team will be made of five people with two DPS, two healers and one tank, just like in Overwatch 2. We already have a DPS and a healer, so feel free to guess who the other three will be. They will also be added to the character filters of the story after they'll join.
That's all folks! Ta-ta for now!