BRIAN
"Soooo… where are we going to stay the night?"
That's… a good fucking question. I hadn't really thought that far ahead, which I deemed weird, considering that I was always prepared…
I slapped my forehead. I was prepared, yes… but I was so used to my "lone wolf" status that I completely forgot about taking Kiriko into consideration. My plan was to come to Hanamura, deal with as many Hashimoto as I could, maybe sleep outside If I had to and then finish up business the next day and go back to Kanezaka. But with her there… everything was slower, from our pace in dealing with targets to literally everything else.
I was stumped. And I honestly didn't want to admit it.
"We find a cheap hotel. There must be one around…"
She looked at me weirdly.
"With what money Brian? We didn't really take much on our way he…"
She stopped herself halfway through her sentence, sending me a dirty glare.
"You weren't planning on roughing it out on the streets, did you?!"
"Ahhh…"
That was my, modestly, extremely intelligent response. But not even it was enough to smolder the flames of Miko's rising temper. It seemed that I somehow always managed to gain her ire, in one way or another…
"You totally were! I…! You…!"
She sighed explosively, facepalming.
"You're impossible… why am I sticking with you again?"
I shrugged.
"Beats me. You just kind of went 'we're in this together!' and inserted yourself without much thought".
"... in my defense, I had the best interest of my people in mind".
Her selflessness ended up causing her trouble. Shocking, who would have thunked.
"I'll think of something. Let's hurry up and go back, before something ambushes us…"
She followed me as I headed back to the alley to switch back to the real world.
"You'll 'think of something'? Forgive me for being skeptical, but it doesn't look like thinking is your strong suit!"
"Ohi, I don't want to hear that from you, miss 'I throw myself headfirst into shit because I have superpowers!'"
She gasped.
"You take that back!"
I couldn't help the small snort that escaped my lips, which was quickly followed by one of her own. Strolling past the clinic once more, I threw a look inside, just to check… and my face paled.
Kobayashi Ritsuko was apparently done threatening… and decided to switch to brute force. She was pointing a gun towards the man in the white coat. Things were about to escalate.
"Kiriko!"
"On it!"
Quick as lightning, my partner teleported inside the shop, kicking away the gun from Kobayashi's hand, giving me the chance to tackle her down and restrain her.
I could barely hear Kiriko checking on the doctor, while my prisoner tried to wiggle out for a bit, before suddenly giving up and becoming docile. The change of heart was starting to take effect.
"Sir, please call the police! She's not resisting anymore".
"Ah… right. Just a moment".
The forces of order only took a couple of minutes to swing by, after which, the medic confronted us.
"Thanks you two… I have no idea what would have happened without your intervention…"
Kiriko waved away the older man gratitude.
"It was nothing! We only did what any decent person would have done!"
I tapped her left shoulder.
"We should wrap this up. We still gotta find a place to stay the night…"
"Ah… right. Well sir, we are glad that you're okay. If you'll excuse us now…"
The man stopped us.
"Are you looking for a place? You could stay here, for tonight".
My partner's eyes widened.
"T-There's no need! We wouldn't want to intrude…!"
The doctor shook his head.
"Nonsense! You two saved my behind tonight, this is the bare minimum that I can do. Feel free to stay, really, it's no bother".
Kiriko was still hesitant to accept. I was not.
"We will gladly take you up on your offer then, Mr…?"
Kiriko elbow checked me, but it was too late.
"Miyamoto. Doctor Miyamoto Souma. And you two are?"
"My name is Brian. No last name".
A sigh followed, but she answered as well.
"Kamori Kiriko. Nice to meet you properly, doctor Miyamoto".
Finished with the pleasantries, the doctor welcomed us properly inside, allowed us to get settled in and even brought us some take out for dinner, as an extra "thank you", before locking the two of us inside, promising to be back by eight in the morning the day after.
Kiriko quickly devoured her share of food and a bit of mine, it was way too much for me, then we freshened up as much as we could, we hadn't brought a change of clothes, inside the diminutive bathroom of the clinic and prepared to head to the bed, only for a problem to arise. Or, something that Kiriko considered a problem.
The clinic was extremely small, and while there was an apartment upstairs, it was clearly not designed for more than one person. As a result, there was only one bed available, with the sofa in the waiting room being way too cramped to sleep on comfortably.
Mount Kiriko was about to erupt again, but at that point, I was done with it, so I intercepted her.
"You can take the bed. I'll sleep on the floor".
The way she looked at me was akin to how she would be staring at an alien.
"In here? On this floor? Do you want to break your back Brian?! Are you insane?!"
"I slept in much worse conditions, I assure you".
She glared at me.
"Not an excuse. I am not letting you sleep on the floor, and that's final!"
"... then what?"
Her eyes swept around the room, looking for an alternative that she couldn't find. At the end of it, she took a deep breath and faced me.
KIRIKO
"We're gonna have to share the bed then".
I could scarcely believe the words that came out of my mouth. Brian and I? Share a bed?! For a brief, terrifying moment, I genuinely considered having gone insane for real this time.
"Not even in a million years".
Brian was quick to shoot down the idea. But there was truly no other option, and there was no way in hell I was going to allow my friend to sleep on the fucking floor. I couldn't give a shit whatever he "went through worse" or not, that was simply unacceptable to me.
"Don't be stubborn Brian! We have no alternatives here!"
"We do. I just told you what it was".
My eyebrow twitched. This man was an expert in irritating me, he always found a way to get under my skin. And I was starting to get tired of it.
"And I believe I already stated that I am not going to let you pass the night on the cold, hard floor of a goddamn clinic!"
He breathed through his nose.
"Who's the one being stubborn now…"
This son of a…
"Listen, I get that I make you uncomfortable. Not having much in terms of proper human interactions can do that to a person, I understand. But…"
I racked my brain for a couple of seconds, trying to find a valid argument. Leveraging feelings wasn't gonna do much, so I needed an actual, logical reason to try and convince him. The idea struck me soon enough.
"Tomorrow we're gonna have to face our strongest enemy yet, right?! We need to be at 100% of our strength if we want to defeat him, which means that we both need a proper, decent night of sleep. Think about it, can you guarantee that you're going to be able to give it your all tomorrow if you sleep on the floor?"
My question gave him pause. I could practically see the cogs turning on his brain. Finally, he sighed.
"No. Guess… guess not. Are you sure that there are no alternatives…?"
I shrugged helplessly. I idly noted in my head the irony of the girl having to convince the guy to share a bed. These last few days have been one surprise after the other…
"If there are, I can't think of any. I'm sorry…"
He shook his head.
"No. This is my fault. I shouldn't have accepted doctor Miyamoto's offer…"
"And then we would still be in the streets, looking for a hole to spend the night in. We both should have thought this trip through…"
We really should have. But we were still new to the situation. I was still getting used to the whole concept of Metaverse and all, while he was getting used to having to take me into consideration when making plans. It's been a bit of an uphill battle for both of us, especially for him.
Eventually, we settled down in the, frankly, ridiculously small bed, our backs turned against the other. We were even touching a little bit, something that was making Brian tense up like a cat. I felt bad for him, I really did. But all that I could do was try to distract him.
"Hey… still awake?"
He grunted. Good enough of an answer.
There were a lot of things that I could have asked him. More details about his past, something about his deceased brother, if he really had the intention of shooting Kobayashi in the head, had she decided to not answer his questions…
But I settled for something easier. For both of us.
"What happened to Mordred during the last fight?"
"You're gonna have to be more specific…"
I rolled my eyes. His tone was obviously teasing… likely trying to not think about our situation.
"I mean when you… switched Persona? Can you even do that?"
"It is possible. But only one selected individual each generation can take hold of such an ability. It is simply known as the power of the Wildcard. I have no idea how one can obtain something like that… one of the things that I wasn't allowed to know".
"What happened to Mordred then?"
He shifted under the covers a bit.
"That's his special ability. For the most part, Personas all share the same pool of skills, obviously depending on their element… but the most powerful ones possess a unique one, only available to them. It's what sets them apart from the rest. Mordred's ability, for example, is called 'Rally of the Traitors'. For a brief period of time, he can change his elemental affinity and appearance, gaining new skills as a result. Lancelot is one of them, and I believe he's supposed to have two more… but I still haven't discovered them".
Mordred… Lancelot… exactly like King Arthur and the Knights of the Roundtable. What a scary ability…
"Does that mean that Tamamo also has one of those?"
He shrugged.
"Not the exact same one, obviously, but she's definitely powerful enough. You just have to discover what it is".
"And when you were planning to tell me…?"
"... sorry, it slipped my mind. We had more important things to worry about, after all".
Fair enough. I decided to let him off the hook, just that one time.
"Have you checked Joichiro Yoichi's position on the Nav?"
"Yup. He's here in Hanamura. And if my suspicions are correct, the Palace is also somewhere around the area".
"Are you going to explain what a Palace is, exactly? The only thing you told me was 'big desires bad', basically"
He chuckled.
"Patience, young one. All will be explained once we make contact with it".
Mh-mh. He even expected me to believe him, that's probably the funniest part. As if he hadn't made it into a habit to give me half baked explanations and to keep shit to himself.
I was about to snark at him with all my irritation, when soft breathing started coming from his direction. He fell asleep… and I couldn't wake him up, I wasn't that cruel…
I cursed my bleeding heart for a moment, but eventually decided to let it go. I closed my eyes as well and allowed sleep to take me away as well. The day after was going to be a struggle like never before.
BRIAN
What a fucking night. I managed to get some sleep, thanks to Kiriko distracting me with her questions, but even in my dreams I was aware of how close she was. And it's not nearly as romantic as it sounds, considering I was constantly on pins and needles for almost the entire time.
Fortunately I had managed to rest enough to be conscious. She was right, much better than sleeping on the damn floor. When I woke up, it was around seven in the morning. Doctor Miyamoto was going to come open up the clinic in around an hour, so that was the timeframe we had to get ready and look at least somewhat presentable.
I shook Kiriko awake, the girl snoring away without a single care in the world. It took a couple of minutes, but eventually she…
Snored a bit louder and woke herself up. I had to bite back the chuckles threatening to escape my lips.
"Uh?! Wha… in what year am I…?"
"In the year where you need to wake up and go take a shower before doctor Miyamoto comes back. You stink".
She rose up into a sitting position, glaring at me with her hair shooting in all directions. It honestly looked like a bird nest up there…
I couldn't hold myself back anymore. She was too funny.
Her glare somehow intensified. Man, the day had just started and I already managed to tick her off. Must have been a new personal record.
"Veeeeery funny. I advise you to brush your teeth after I'm done, your breath could kill flowers with just a single whiff".
She got up heading to the adjacent bathroom to shower, while I checked my own breath and cringed. It smelled like I had nuclear waste for dinner. Gross…
By the time the hour had passed, both Kiriko and I were in the main lobby, waiting for the doctor to come back and open shop for us.
"Where is our mutual friend then? You didn't tell me yesterday…"
Ah, right. Communication, I almost forgot. Again.
Opening the MetaNav I checked once more, just to be safe.
"He's close to the temple grounds, just a couple of meters away from the Shimada Castle. Or… the former Shimada Castle, I should say. Right outside the main gates as well… like he's…"
"Waiting for us…"
Kiriko finished my sentence. Interesting… he knew that we were going to come catch him no matter where he hid, so he decided to stand his ground instead of running away.
Credits where credits are due, the guy was no coward, no doubts about that.
"What does he do?"
"That's… a difficult question. Officially, he handles the Hashimoto's affairs beyond the borders of Japan… but my sources tell me that's not it. He's not checking or monitoring anything… except for one thing. Or more like, one person".
She gripped the arms of the chair she was sitting on.
"Hanzo. They're keeping tags on Hanzo… they're planning to eventually kill him as soon as he slips up…"
She sounded distraught.
"Hanzo? You mean Hanzo Shimada? The former scion of the family?"
Kiriko nodded.
"Yeah. Him. Brian…"
She looked at me in the eyes. She was dead serious.
"We can't allow these bastards to harm him. No matter the cost… the Hashimoto MUST go down!"
That was the plan right from the start. There seemed to be some history between her and Hanzo Shimada… or the Shimada in general. I resolved on making some research after the mission was over, just to sate my own curiosity.
"As for who our target is as a person… I'm afraid that is a mystery".
"Huh? Mystery? Your sources know nothing?"
I shook my head.
"Absolutely nothing. This person is an actual enigma on par with the boss of the Hashimoto himself. We're going to have to be cautious when approaching this next battle. One mistake could prove to be fatal".
Our conversation was interrupted when, at precisely eight o'clock, Miyamoto Souma opened the door to the clinic, with a small smile and a couple of paper bags at hand. The pleasant smell of baked goods filled my nostrils.
"Good morning you two. Breakfast? My treat".
My companion almost jumped up from her seat.
"Doctor Miyamoto! You shouldn't have! First dinner, then you offer us a bed, now breakfast too?!"
The good doctor shrugged his shoulders.
"And you two saved my life yesterday. I'd say I'm still in your debt, to be perfectly honest".
Her expression underwent multiple transformations, before her eyes crossed mine.
"Let it go".
She sighed and accepted it, however reluctantly.
"Fine. But no more, okay? You've already done too much for us".
He chuckled.
"Fine, fine. But still, I bought these crepes, so might as well eat them, what do you guys say?"
In the end, the call for food prevailed over her stubbornness. We ate and finally departed from the clinic, bowing down to the older man, and started heading to our next destination.
"So… our last obstacle before the end, huh?"
I shook my head.
"Not even close. I'm afraid to say that the most difficult part still has to come…"
Kiriko swiveled her head towards me, looking alarmed.
"Seriously?!"
"Yup. A Palace is no joke… there is nothing more dangerous than that, in the Metaverse. Except maybe for Jails".
She huffed.
"Palace this, Palace that, when the hell are you going to let me know what are you talking about?!"
I replied in a grave tone of voice.
"If I understand correctly… you will see for yourself soon enough".
With those words we arrived within range of Joichiro. Quickly we retreated inside an alley, switching over to the Metaverse once again. Another day, another fight…
And another conflict ready to brew.
KIRIKO
Like usual, Knight took point, leading the two of us towards our target. The tall gates of the Shimada Castle were upon us, in all of their glory. I couldn't see what was behind them… but I remember the temple garden and the big dojo like it was yesterday. Now it was under the control of this… blasted organization.
Right in front of it, Joichiro Yoichi was waiting for us, with the bored look of someone who was done with our bullshit.
"Finally, there you are. Made me wait quite a while as well. Are you having fun, attacking us like mad dogs? How crude…"
Aaaaaand he was tearing away at my patience right off the bat. Him? Criticizing us? Was everyone in that stupid group a self-serving asshole?!
Dumb question, I know. But at that point I was actually serious.
"Let's cut to the chase then…"
Knight stepped up.
"Tell us the name of your leader and surrender, if you really don't feel like fighting".
Joichiro chuckled.
"I never said that I was unwilling to fight. I gotta earn my paycheck after all. But before I do, may I ask you a question? Why? Why are you so hell bent on being such a huge thorn on our side?"
I glared at him.
"Because the people of Kanezaka and Hanamura are both sick of you and your tyranny. The Hashimoto are parasites, and as the shrine maiden it is my duty to exterminate you all".
Joichiro scowled at me.
"Dumb kids with their stupid hero complexes… what about you?"
My friend shrugged.
"Nothing personal. Your leader has a bounty on his head and I came here to collect. Nothing more, nothing less".
"Aaahhh, I see… you are one of them. I understand… well, that just makes me even more determined to not let you through. Time to say goodnight brats… this will be the last time you get in our way!"
Dark waves enveloped him, transforming him in his alternative form.
He was a… knight. Again. There's been way too many of them lately, I must admit.
The difference was that he was on a dark red horse, with a trident as a weapon.
"That's a Berith. They have no element affinity, all of his attacks are physical. He's sturdy and hits like a truck, so you better hope that your dodges are on point today".
Better than having to worry about freezing to death. Silkies suck, you can't change my mind.
Berith sure as hell tried to anyway, considering how he immediately charged ahead at me. Knight intervened, blocking our opponent's weapon with his own, sliding backwards for quite a bit and keeping them in a stalemate. I had to be quick, he was obviously struggling. Swiftly I seized the opportunity and jumped on my partner's shoulders, launching myself at the horsed knight, forcing him to disengage, but not before eating a couple of shots from Knight's gun. Which merely pinged harmlessly on his armor. Fuck.
He massaged his right shoulder. One of my Ofudas came to fix him up.
"That hit was a lot heavier than it looked… we might be in for quite a ride…"
I grimanced, but kept my focus anyway. Couldn't afford to get distracted.
This time, I decided to go into the offensive, teleporting right in Berith's face and slashing with my wakizashi, before ripping my mask off.
"Hunt them down, Tamamo!"
My Persona launched a series of wind projectiles… that Berith effortlessly slashed through, forcing me to teleport away, lest I get cut in half.
Well shit. I was starting to get the feeling that we tried to bite off more than we could chew. But we were there at that point, so we had no choice but to continue.
"Miko! Go high!"
Knight passed by me, charging at Berith with a scowl.
I quickly obeyed his command, once more teleporting to our opponent's face… only that this time, he was ready.
I barely had time to reappear that I was face to face with the staff part of his trident. No time to either teleport again or use my Suzu, as such I ended up being thrown sideways like a ragdoll and right into a wall.
My midriff hurt. I could barely breathe. I was fairly sure that a couple of my ribs were crushed. I couldn't use my Ofudas on myself, their only true limitations, not counting that fact that I can run out of them.
I managed to open my eyes to see Knight struggling against Berith. He was full of cuts and bruises, but he was shouting… I think at least, I couldn't hear very well.
"... ko! Per… a! Use… sona!"
Sona…? What's a… sona?
Sona… Persona?! Weakly I brought my hand up, taking the mask off my face.
"Ta… mamo!"
The kitsune spawned into existence, looking at me with compassion. She got close to me and touched the center of my stomach. Green Energy surged from the contact, and when it was over, I felt fine once more.
I heaved a small sigh. Close. Way too close.
Knight's cry of pain snapped me back into reality. My Ofudas were back into my hand and I threw them, healing him just in time before he got killed. I even chucked a Suzu, just to be on the safe side.
He landed close to me, panting.
"We can't continue like this…"
He shot me an unimpressed look.
"I know! I'm open to suggestions!"
"Maybe you can change element? What is he vulnerable to?!"
"Ice, I believe. But Mordred is Curse, while Lancelot is electricity!"
"You said that you have two more right?!"
He nodded slowly.
"Here's the plan then. I'll distract him, while you sort yourself out and find what we need!"
We were forced to separate when Berith thrusted his trident between us, pointing Knight once again.
No you don't! I started throwing some kunai, catching the Shadow's attention.
My friend noticed.
"What are you doing?! Are you crazy!'
I shot him a grin.
"I trust you! Do your thing, leader!'
BRIAN
My thing? Do my thing?! Was she actually mad?! What does it mean to "do my thing"!
Sparks flew between Miko and Berith, their weapons clashing repeatedly. Bruises starting forming on her body quickly.
Shit! It was such a bad situation! Even saying that I could access Mordred's other forms, nothing guaranteed that they would be of the right element! That had to be one the most reckless plans in history!
I picked up my sword with two hands, holding the flat of the blade in front of my face.
I had no idea what I was doing. The smart plan would have been to make use of the distraction offered by Miko and run, prepare myself better for another occasion. But I couldn't abandon her… for whatever reason, I just couldn't. Was that what it felt…
To have a friend?
I gritted my teeth, summoning Mordred and activating Rally of the Traitors. Come on… something to deal with Berith.
It wasn't about work anymore. I didn't want something that allowed me to continue my objective. I wanted… no, I needed something to protect Miko. To save her!
And in response to my heartfelt request, the solution answered the rally.
Mordred disappeared and in his place, a woman appeared. She had light blue skin and dark blue hair, her clothes were a white witch robe with a big, white pointy hat. She held a staff in her hand, with a blue crystal at the point.
"Freeze their souls, Guinevere!"
Guinevere seemed to almost giggle maliciously, pointing her staff towards Berith and unleashing a freezing blizzard. The enemy had no way to dodge, taking the attack head on and falling off his horse.
"Finish him off!"
"Already ahead of you!"
Together, Miko and I wailed on Berith, not giving him the chance to get up, until finally he was defeated, turning back into Joichiro.
"It seemed… your resolve… was stronger than mine…"
I snarled. I had no time for this bullshit.
I kicked the Shadow into the ground, pointing my greatsword towards his chest, right above his heart.
"Knight! What are you doing?!"
I ignored my companion, focusing entirely on the older man.
"Tell me the name of your leader. Unless you feel like dying, of course".
Joichiro looked at me for a second, before starting to laugh. The sound that emanated from my throat could only be called animalistic.
"What's so funny?!"
He sobered up after a while.
"Ahhh, nothing, young one. Just… realizing that maybe your reasons are not really what you believe them to be".
He stared at me, serious once more.
"His name is Hashimoto Katsuki. But don't worry… soon you will realize the futility of your crusade".
He disappeared in a circle of light right after, going back to the main body and triggering the change of heart.
I panted in extortion, while Miko approached me from behind.
"Knight, what the hell was that?! Did you become a psychopath all of sudden?! I should…!"
I raised my hand to shut her up, while staring at the massive gates of the Shimada Castle.
"It's here…"
She looked at me, confused.
"What? What's here?"
I didn't answer, preferring to turn towards the building right across the gates and climbing them.
"Wha…! Hey! Get back here!"
Miko started following me. When I made it up, my eyes widened. That… that was it alright. And it did not look good.
""Knight! Why did you run… off…"
She saw what I was looking at.
"What… what is that…?"
She sounded intimidated. She should be.
"That… is Hashimoto Katsuki's Palace. Right in the Shimada Castle".
Hello?! Is this thing on?! It is?! Noice.
Welcome back, dudes and gentleladies, to another episode of UTFW, the show where Palaces are double more intimidating than usual.
Yup, there is another new mechanic! To compensate for the lower number of teammates, each of their Personas will have a special and unique skill, to make them more varied.
Mordred's special ability, as such, is called "Rally of the Traitors", for it is formed with those at the Roundtable that betrayed King Arthur, in one way or another. Lancelot and Guinevere are two, we are missing the third. Who is it? Feel free to guess!
Guinevere's design is heavily inspired by the Witch Ranni, from Elden Ring. More Soulsborne, who would have guessed.
That's all folks! Ta-ta for now!