7/30
Ace stared pensively up at the massive barrier that had formed on the stairs, blocking any possible progress further into the Metaverse pyramid. It seemed even with a few days having gone by, Futaba's anxiety in her subconscious had not lessened in the slightest.
"How're we supposed to get past this, now?" Skull asked, approaching and knocking on the stone structure.
"Pyramids often limit their entrances to keep thieves who'd plunder them out, but they do need to ventilate themselves to prevent the air from getting stagnant that intruders also rely on," Ace replied. "There has to be another way in we haven't found yet..."
"...Means we gotta deal with that heat again?" Skull sighed.
"Are you planning to leave?"
The group turned at the sound of a familiar young voice. The ghostly image of Futaba's Shadow, clad in the robes and regalia of an ancient Egyptian queen as before, stood there before them.
"The eff?! When'd you get here?!" Skull yelped.
"Were you listening in this whole time?" Ace questioned. "If you're going to continue to keep us out, there's nothing we can do for you."
"Don't go. Not yet. Let's talk a moment," the Shadow replied, her tone and stare eerily empty of emotion despite her pleas.
"What do you want?" Ace asked, folding her arms as she stared at the facsimile of the petite girl in suspicion after what they'd experienced last time they were here.
"...First, I would like to welcome you back, I had thought I'd never see you again," the Shadow replied, though despite her now more friendly words her expression remained as neutral and unreadable as Ace's often was.
"Uh, well, wonder why?!" Skull asked with a hint of irate sarcasm. "...Maybe it had somethin' to do with you tryin' to crush us with a giant effin' boulder?! You want us to steal your goddamn Treasure or not?!"
"He has a point," Ace said sternly, taking a step forward. "...We've become familiar with the you in the real world, we know you're dealing with a trauma and it's why you sought us out in the first place. As I said, there's nothing we can do for you if there's no way into the tomb anymore."
Futaba's Shadow let out a strained sigh, as if trying to make up her mind on the issue and staring down at the floor a moment, before looking back up at the group before her. "...Why don't we make a deal? You wish to proceed further, go to the bandit village near this tomb... there is one who has stolen from me. Reclaim what he has taken and bring it back here..."
"Hm, I do remember seeing what looked like a village down a path nearby," Panther mused.
"You're certain the bandit is there?" Ace asked.
The Shadow nodded. "Yes. If go there, find the bandit and get back what he stole, you will be rewarded and I will even tell you how to proceed."
"Is there anything else we should know? What does this bandit look like and what does he have?"
Futaba stared back at her, her expression unreadable if not for a slight sternness. "...You'll have all the information you need when you get there. Now please go and do not return until you have found it."
"Jeez, bossy!" Skull grumbled, though the Shadow did not respond, instead turning away to stare at the doorlike structure behind her.
"We have no choice. Let's go," Ace replied, leading the way up the stairs they'd come and back outside. No sooner had the group returned to the sunbathed path of the structure's exterior did Panther suddenly call everyone's attention and rush over to the left.
"There! Out in the distance! I see buildings out that way!" she shouted.
"That must be the village she was talking about," Queen said, coming up beside her followed by the others.
"It's so far away, though," Fox remarked.
"Makes sense when you think about it," Ace replied. "Futaba normally isolates herself, so any other civilization would seem far away if she even acknowledges it."
"Not to mention, if it's a town where bandits are, that'd mean Futaba doesn't trust people in the outside world either," said Queen.
"That'd be the gist of it, Mona said. "Futaba is already very anxious and afraid of meeting others. Thanks to the problems she's been dealing with, she probably thinks everyone outside wants to hurt her."
"That's not true, though! We're trying to help her like she asked, and Sojiro cares so much about her, too!" Panther protested.
"That may be, but the distortions in her causing this Palace to exist hinder her ability to fully accept that," Mona explained.
Ace folded her arms, staring off at the village ahead and sighed, only to pause as she heard a sound nearby.
"Ace, what's up?"
The young detective ignored Mona's words as she walked around the path to the side of the pyramid. A sarcophagus, broken open and propped against the side of the pyramid lay. Intrigued, Ace approached it. Vultures with glowing red eyes were slouched around it tapping their beaks on it, before turning and flying away as she drew closer. Crouching, she studied it.
"What's that doing here?" Panther asked, coming up behind her.
"This mask on the front, it looks like..." Ace brushed away some sand off its surface.
"It's Boss's face!" Queen gasped.
Ace nodded, the sarcophagus bore the image of Sojiro Sakura, left broken and discarded in the sand by the tomb. Looking closer, Ace noted the hieroglyphs on its side appeared to describe him as a deceased grave-keeper to the Pharaoh.
"This must be Futaba's cognition of him, then... but why would she see him this way?" Queen asked.
"...And what do you suppose he's doing out here?" Fox asked.
Ace stared down at the ruined casket, peering inside where it'd been slid open. "...It's empty," she said. "If I had to guess, it was removed and looted by the bandits she spoke of. I suspect it has to do with what I saw the other day."
"Where that lady from the courthouse was tryin' to blackmail him?" Skull asked.
Ace nodded. "Yes. I believe Futaba is fully aware of the harassment and blackmailing. As she sees it, these bandits are taking him from her and he's in no position to be able to do anything about it."
"And she didn't stop them?" Panther asked. "I get a cognition of him would exist since she lives with him, and he calls him sometimes, but..."
"...She knows she can't do anything, either," Queen said softly, sighing as she looked down at the damaged sarcophagus as well. "...Not to mention, given how she feels about herself..."
"Whatever happened to her, this pyramid will explain everything going on in that situation," Ace said. "...But first, we need to find the bandit she was talking about."
"C'mon! I'll drive us down to the village!" Mona declared, leaping into the air and transforming into a van. "The sooner we get what her Shadow-Self asked for the sooner we can continue our infiltration!"
Disembarking after another drive in the desert heat, Ace led her fellow Thieves into the village entrance, her sharp gaze taking in every detail as she advanced.
The air was less on the sweltering side, due to the shade from the tall buildings made of mud and wood frame and the occasional palm tree which, along with a few ponds and wells suggested the place had been built around an oasis. Sanscrit signs hung from the walls and overhangs of the otherwise seemingly empty buildings as she cautiously walked down the sandy streets.
"It's awfully desolate," Queen remarked softly.
"It has a very middle-eastern aesthetic to its buildings, and she said only bandits reside here... but I see no one," Fox observed as he looked about.
"Hm," Ace took notice of some stone steps that served as part of an elevated, artificial plateau, presumably the town square. "She said the bandit who stole from her is here. He couldn't have gone far..."
"...Hey, you guys lookin' for somethin?" a low, gravelly male voice with a slight echoing reverb to it asked.
"Who said that?" Panther asked, looking around, Ace meanwhile staring straight ahead as a figure in robes came up the stairs on the opposite side of the plateau and walked towards them. As the figure drew closer, the Thieves could tell he didn't look human. His features were pitch-black, with glowing red eyes peering through the shawl and robes wrapped around his gaunt, slouched form as he came to a stop in front of them, his bandaged hand reaching for a scimitar at his waist.
"Are you a Shadow?" the young detective asked, stepping forward, earning a chuckle from the entity.
"I thought I heard some people rustlin' around here," the Shadow said ominously, "...Welcome to the desert, fellow traders!"
"We don't care about your "welcomes"!" Skull snapped. "You're the bandit she said took somethin'a hers, right? Just cough up what you stole already!"
The robed being did not appear threatened or angered, but rather just even more amused as it let out a deep laugh. "Well, ain't this interestin'! A group of criminals comin' after a fellow trader!" He looked around at the group before him, drawing out his blade. "Well... you're gonna have to catch me, first!"
The robed figure turned to flee. Thinking quickly, Ace rushed forward and fired her grappling hook at it, mimicking a stunt she'd remembered from her time training with Kasumi and causing the line to wrap around her target like a snare and send it toppling to the ground.
"Get over here, we're not done yet!" she said sternly as she made the grapple shot's line retract, dragging the Shadow back towards her and the rest of the group before it could reach for its fallen sword.
"Hey! Who'ya think you are?!" the Shadow protested, struggling to free itself and looking back at her in shock as she approached, glaring back at it as she gave the line a firm tug with her other hand.
"...I'm not in the mood for games, so hand over what you stole and you're free to go," warned Ace.
"Don't be ridiculous!" the Shadow laughed. "Tellya what, if you want it so bad that means you obviously wanna raid the tomb, too, correct? We can just work together and share the plunder!"
"Don't you dare compare us to you!" Panther snarled. "We're only trying to get in so we can save Futaba-chan!"
"I'll give you one last chance," Ace threatened. "Return what you stole and we'll leave you alone, or else we'll take it by force."
The Shadow, however, simply laughed again in response as a tremor began to shake the ground of the town square. "Fine, I guess if I got no other choice..."
Its form darkened, exploding in a burst of smoke that drifted out of the grapple line and reshaped itself in the air, taking on the form of a large, griffon-like creature. Its upper half resembled a golden-brown eagle wearing a gold crown and pauldrons, with a red tabardm and its hind legs and tail were akin to that of a lion wearing gold bangles. It immediately let out a threatening screech as it flapped its vast wings at the group, causing a powerful cyclone that sent them flying.
"...THEN HOW 'BOUT WE FIGHT FOR IT?" the winged Shadow taunted as the Thieves slowly got back up, the creature rising further up to the sky and preparing another fierce gust of wind to send their way.
"Everyone! Fall back!" Ace ordered, the group scattering behind the walls just in time as the Shadow's attack struck the ground, kicking up sand and debris everywhere.
"WHERE YA HIDING, KIDS? NOT SO BRAVE, NOW, ARE YA?" it bellowed in cruel mirth as it glided about above seeking them out.
"This guy's tough! What's the plan, Ace?" Mona asked from beside the young detective.
Ace could still feel her head spinning a little from being flung by the wind blast from earlier. Brushing her hair back as she ducked down behind the wall again to avoid another devastating burst of wind and kicked up sand she tried to come up with a plan. It being up in the air it was out of range from their weapons and it'd be hard to summon their Personas without getting spotted, though there was perhaps a way this could be to their benefit as well...
"Our guns. It's an airborne opponent so it should be vulnerable to gunfire that we can shoot it down," she said. "Get to the others, tell them to get their guns out and on my word we fire at it."
"Understood!" Mona replied.
"Wait, we can't let him see you," Ace said, eyeing the griffon's shadow as it crept around the surface of the village square as its owner sought its prey. "...I'll distract him so you can run."
"You sure?" Mona asked, Ace responded with a nod. "Alright! Be careful!"
Ace leaped out from around the corner of her hiding place. "SHIISA!" the dog-lion Persona materialized above her as she gripped her white mask and getting the birdlike Shadow's full attention before firing a blast of blue energy at it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mona dash in the opposite direction to the next wall and around the corner, finding Panther and Skull, then she saw his tiny form dash across seeking out Fox and Queen as the Shadow made its counterattack on her.
"You're brave, little lady, but not for long!" it taunted, fanning out its wings as a cloud of thick, pitch-black smoke erupted around the girl.
Ace's knees suddenly buckled beneath her as a horrible, mercilessly cold feeling overcame her entire being. Not like being frozen, but like the chills of death itself, not unlike what she'd felt that day when she'd lost Yui because of her foolishness. Instinctively, she threw her arms around herself, shivering. No, this wasn't fear she felt, her faintest lucid thoughts told her, no it was pain... failure... she felt them eating away at her like the frigid air itself and she wasn't even sure why now of all times...
"Ace!" Mona's voice was so faint and distant.
Ace felt like her heart had skipped a beat in a horrible and painful way.
"ACE!" Mona cried out again. She saw a small black blur leap over her, its paws stretching the slingshot in its grip...
"KYAAAAA!" the birdlike Shadow shrieked, faltering in the air.
Ace's felt her heart skip a beat again, yet worse then the last time, now as if it'd been because something had suddenly squeezed it like a firm hand with sharp talons. Her eyes went wide, she felt sick, her breath shortening and growing rapid. All she could think of, now, was laying in the snow, her hands badly burned from the fiery rubble she'd touched when she'd pulled it off of Yui...
She doubled over, her long hair falling around her face and brushing the ground as a sense of grief that seemed outright forced upon her despite her recent efforts to move forward from it now oppressed her mind.
No... no... she wouldn't think... I saw... She struggled to remember her discussing it with her friends, with Dr. Maruki, what they'd said, but it all seemed to be sucked into a cruel, howling void like the tunnels of Mementos as though the memory were now being freshly forced upon her in their place, in a way she was powerless against.
"Stop it! Stop it!" the Palace's distortions of suicidal desires and guilt, sated by Futaba's own self-loathing, digging into a mind once thought to be recovering from the grief that now dug in like the claws of a bird of prey into its meal.
Yui, now reaching for her in a futile attempt under burning debris as it seemed to sink deeper into the ground as though it were Hell itself a younger Kyoko sought to pull her from. Yet even when she succeeded, it made no difference. It was...
"...My fault..." her lips whispered the words, yet it felt as thought she'd not voluntarily spoke them.
Mona's voice shouted something.
Distant gunshots.
A loud, pained screech.
PLOMP!
Sand sprayed from something hitting the ground next to her, a pained screech of the blurred form of the Shadow on its back as things began to go dark for her.
"JOHANNA!"
Like she'd been resuscitated, Ace felt air enter her lungs, her mind clearing and the darkness around her vanishing. The Shadow was collapsed on the ground in front of her and the other Thieves had emerged from their hiding places.
"You okay, Ace?" Skull asked, rushing over with Panther.
"Here," Panther said, offering her hand as she and Skull quickly helped her up while Fox, Mona, and Queen already had their guns trained on their downed foe. "Ready for some payback?" she asked.
"Gladly," Ace scowled venomously, taking out her dagger. "...Let's end this!"
As one, the Thieves leaped into the air, striking their foe from all directions in a blur of motion, Ace herself delivering the finishing blow as she swept her dagger across its neck, severing its head from its body and both dissolving into smoke and ash that billowed away in the desert wind as she performed a ten-point landing and let out a deep breath, letting the last of the anger she'd felt evaporate with the deceased enemy.
"Badass!" Skull cheered.
"Hm, seems it dropped something," Fox observed, noting the object that'd been left behind when their foe disappeared.
"Looks like some kind of scroll," Queen said, picking it up and handing it to Ace.
"Looks like there's something written on it! Let's take a look!" Mona said eagerly.
"Hey, no peeking at a girl's things without her permission!" Panther interjected.
"Panther, it may be a clue," Ace stated dismissively.
"...Silly as it may sound, I have to agree with Panther on this, actually," Queen said. "This is part of Futaba's Palace, right? So if her Shadow rules it, she might know and if it's something she doesn't want us reading she may drive us out again."
Ace sighed, rolling the scroll up tightly and folding it in half before sliding it into her coat pocket. "...As much as it pains me to admit, you're right. This is unfortunate but we'll need to return it to her before we can learn what's on it if there's a chance doing otherwise will impede us, given Futaba's habit of keeping others out."
"Still, bandits and those voices, whatever's goin' on in her heart, it's a freakin' mess!" said Skull.
"Hmm, maybe... you think this means despite being the Palace Ruler she really can't control all of what happens here?" Panther asked.
"I dunno," said Mona. "...I've never seen a case like this."
"At any rate, now that we have what we came for, we should return to the pyramid immediately," said Ace, turning to lead the way.
"Hey, Ace?" the young detective paused, glancing back at Panther, who, along with the others, looked concerned.
Ace briefly closed her eyes as she sighed. "...Is this about what happened when we fought that bandit?" she asked. "I'm fine, now. He seemed to have some kind of spell we've not dealt with before."
"Kyoko," Panther uttered her real name and walked over to her, placing her hand on her shoulder and looking at her with worry. "I saw your face, you had this... thousand-yard stare... it reminded me of the one Shiho had when she..."
The blonde shook her head. "...Kyoko, what happened back there? You said it was some kind of spell?"
Ace looked down at the street silently.
"C'mon, you know you can tell us!" Skull prodded.
"Skull, if she doesn't-" Fox began.
"He's right," Ace said softly. "What I told you about the other day, with my friend... whatever that spell was, it forced me to relive everything, as well as what I was feeling when I experienced it as if it were the first time all over again."
"Considering what sort of emotions Futaba must be feeling that this Palace came from and what we've gathered, it'd make sense those feelings would be really strong here," Queen said.
"Then they probably strengthened the effects of whatever that spell was. Are you okay, Ace?" Mona asked. "...If you're not we can come again tomorrow."
"I'm fine," Ace replied with a hint of sharpness and shaking her head. "...We made Futaba a promise, and that means infiltrating this Palace and reaching her Treasure. We can't let this place beat us."
"...If you're sure," Panther said, still concerned.
"I am. I'm fine," Ace repeated with a hint of urgency before turning her attention to the small catlike thief. "Mona, let's return to the pyramid, we've kept Futaba's Shadow waiting long enough..."
Re-entering the pyramid, Ace leading the way, she found that the metaverse manifestation of Futaba was still calmly waiting where they'd left her, staring upward in silence.
"Futaba?" Queen asked cautiously, Futaba blinking her gold eyes and turning towards the group but not moving from her spot.
"Have you found it?" the Shadow asked softly.
"We did," Ace said, taking out the scroll and holding it out to her, but Futaba made no move to reclaim it, instead giving an approving nod.
"Well done. It's yours, now," she replied.
"Wait, but didn't you want us to get it back for you because it was important?" Panther asked, confused.
"You may open it," Futaba replied. "Go on."
The young detective complied, unrolling it and discovering it to be some kind of ancient Egyptian map. Hieroglyphs decorated its side along with a depiction of Medjed on the left, with a mummy sarcophagus and a bird-headed man next to it. On the right, curiously, was a gigantic illustration of a sphynx but with a hole torn into the papyrus where its head would have been.
"It's a map of the tomb," Futaba explained, approaching Ace and staring up at her as she studied it. "...The bandit stole it to aid in his ransacking of this place."
"But why let them do this?" Queen asked. "This is your Palace, isn't it?"
"That is unimportant," the Shadow replied. "All that matters is you have it, now. Just come in further and...!"
The young Pharoah paused as a sudden and sharp tremor struck the tomb, followed by a horrible shriek, causing her to briefly look around anxiously as another cacophany of angry voices like before echoed through the halls. Futaba cowered, letting out a low whimper before stepping away from Ace and vanishing.
"Futaba, wait!" Ace frowned, rolling up the map and sliding it back in her coat as it was evident she would not be returning.
"Where'd she go?!" Skull asked.
"The gate still hasn't opened, either," Ace sighed as she looked up the stairs ahead.
"So now what do we do? We gonna have to leave and come back agai-!" Skull's words were cut off by the floor suddenly splitting in two and dropping open like a trapdoor, sending the entire group plummeting into the darkness below.
"GODDAMNIIIIIIIT!" Skull's cries echoed as they fell.
PLOOMF!
Fortunately, Ace noticed right away, their landing was surprisingly soft.
Unfortunately, it wasn't stable, she noticed as it was rising up around her and the others quickly.
"QUICKSAND! EVERYONE SWIM!" Mona cried out as he flailed about in the flowing pool of sand that seemed to be draining down into a sinkhole in the middle while more flowed in like a river.
"Everyone! Grab on to me!" Ace shouted, struggling for her grapple hook and firing it at a ledge, pulling herself and everyone else out to safety as the sand pit rapidly sunk down further.
"Ugh! First a giant boulder, now this?!" Panther protested as she caught her breath on the stone platform Ace's grapple hook had brought them to that wrapped around the entire basement chamber and overlooking the sand pit they'd just escaped from.
"Jeez, the hell'd WE do to her? I thought she wanted us to do this!" Skull grumbled, dusting sand off himself.
"I don't think it's our doing," Ace explained.
"I don't think so, either," Mona replied. "It seems to have an instinct of pushing everyone away she can't control..."
Ace nodded, folding her arms and bringing her hand to her chin in thought. "Whatever happened after her mother's death which she witnessed firsthand, it's only worsened her survivor guilt," she said. "She believes she doesn't deserve help even if she wants it, but she's also fearful and mistrusting of others. I believe it's connected to those voices we heard."
"They seem to often accompany the tremors this place suffers as well," said Fox.
"Likely reflecting whoever the voices belong to coming in and hurting her," Ace replied. "Which means it's likely... they must be actual people she already knows."
"But who?" asked Panther, stunned. "She would have been two years younger when this happened, right?"
"Yes. If those things were really said to her then, and not just warped thoughts caused by her feelings of guilt, they'd likely be... very traumatic for someone her age, especially after what she'd witnessed," Ace said, frowning.
"I can't blame her for that, it'd make anyone have a hard time trusting others," Queen said.
Ace closed her eyes, taking a deep breath as she thought of what that bandit Shadow had subjected her to, a further insight of what Futaba was likely feeling. "...Opening the door to her heart will no doubt involve learning the entire story of what happened then. It may make her feel we understand her better and become more trusting of us," she said, brushing back her hair as she looked around the chamber they'd ended up in. There were stone stairs much higher up, and several ledges above coffins expanding the massive chamber further outward serving as a path further up, patrolled by mummy-like Shadows.
"There seems to be a way back, past the barricade in the main area, if we can make it back up to the top," she said, reading over the map once more. "We should be able to resume our infiltration, then."
Mona smiled in agreement. "Sounds like a plan, then! Let's go!"
Ace's gaze furrowed as she kept her gun trained on a winged lion Shadow that she'd just bested approached with a desperate look.
"Please! I don't want to die!" it begged. "We can trade! Please!"
"Then join me," the young detective ordered as the others kept their weapons trained as well.
"Huh? Kid, what's this gotta..." the blue lionlike creature's eyes went wide. "...I remember now!"
The Shadow flapped its wings, hovering in the air though far more benign, now. "I accept! I am Anzu! My power is now yours to wield!" it declared as it vanished in a ball of light that flew into Ace's mask, the teen focusing a moment as she allowed him to replace one of the Personas she knew to already be carrying. The third she'd recruited on the team's way back up from the basement area, now.
"New Personas! Nice work, Ace!" Mona praised with an excited cheer. "We gotta be near the top, now, so there should be a way out of here!"
"Heeey! Look up there!" Skull shouted, pointing to a path of stairs leading to a doorway ahead. "That light's gotta mean it's the exit, right?"
"It better be after this whole experience," Mona said, sighing in relief as they ascended the steps. Upon opening the door, however, the group was met with more stairs, but now sunlight poured in, and the temperature noticeably warmer, indicating it was an exit that lead outside.
"This... doesn't seem like a way further into the pyramid," Panther remarked as she looked around the desert landscape. The exit had indeed taken them outside from a ground-level stairway leading down from the pyramid's right side, a path of stone and several wood planks propped on them as bridges leading back to the main entrance.
Brow furrowing slightly, Ace took out the map. "There was another door we passed on the way up I imagine would have done so," she said. "...Still, this will serve as a temporary means of getting past the barricade until we find a way to open it."
Kyoko's gaze slowly rose above the map to see the blue-tinted prison door of the Velvet Room appear before her, and to her dismay, it was Caroline who was stationed next to it, flashing a mischievous smirk when their eyes met.
"Nice to see you again, inmate!" she said as time seemed to come to a halt around Ace. "You probably noticed this Palace is different from the ones you've been in already, it's practically out to get you thanks to its Ruler!"
"...I've noticed," Ace replied dryly.
"Nice to see you're still observant, inmate! I would temper that sass, though!" the childlike guard tapped her chin in mocking thought. "Does that mean you don't need our services right now? There's a difference between self-imposed challenge and brash stupidity, you know!"
The young detective frowned ever-so-slightly, not wishing to dignify Caroline with offense to her attitude.
"Fine, fine! I won't do it this time!" Caroline said with a smirk as she snapped her fingers, the door swinging open to a glowing blue portal. "...Well?"
Putting away the map again, Ace marched forward, giving the young girl a cautious look as she approached the doorway.
Kyoko struggled to pull herself back up from the prison floor, glaring at Caroline who was now stationed outside the cell door opposite of where Justine was.
"What's wrong? You look perturbed," Justine asked softly, appearing confused as she looked at the girl in the cell.
"It's nothing," Kyoko fumed, taking a breath and regaining her neutral demeanor as she recalled what the twins were asking of her this time. "...Show me the compendium."
Justine turned and passed the registry through the bars as Kyoko despite the weights of her shackles held it, the names of Personas listed and the combinations she'd require appearing upon it. She already had her Phoenix, but it seemed to need a different ability to meet their expectations.
Within moments, Phoenix was once again restored to her, Justine approached it in awe.
"It as as we asked, a Phoenix which now wields the passive skill "Counter"," she explained. "It may save you from an attack that could be your defeat. Use it well."
"Heh, well looks like you completed your assignment, inmate!" Caroline said, looking back with an approving nod.
The birdlike Persona vanished in a flash of light, Kyoko's Phantom Thief mask briefly appearing in its place before vanishing as well. "Well done, inmate," Justine said, returning to the cell door and reclaiming the registry. "...Sister, it seems she's grown much since we first met her."
"True, I guess we gotta admit THAT much!" Caroline agreed. "After all, her Personas are getting pretty damn strong, too!"
Justine paused, looking away and rubbing her temple with her free hand. "Yet... is fostering Personas truly rehabilitation?"
"What're you saying that for?" Caroline asked.
"It is merely a thought I had," Justine replied, though she was frowning now, the thought having not left her mind entirely. "Will our inmate truly be rehabilitated if we help cultivate power in her?"
"Keep it together, Justine! This is the job our master ordered us to do! You gonna disobey his orders to us?" Caroline said sharply as she glanced back at Igor, who was still seated at his desk watching them. Kyoko, who'd silently let the twins speak for the time being, looked past her as well at the strange, uncanny old man as well.
Igor said nothing, his gaunt fingers rhythmically drumming the surface of his desk and that unnatural grimace unchanging. For an instant, Kyoko felt a gut feeling the warden was once more daring her to say something. She didn't like this feeling, it was like when her grandfather would say something and expect her to agree without question unless he were testing her deductive skills.
"For whatever it's worth," she said, addressing the twins, "...Isn't this what my "rehabilitation" is supposed to entail? Opening up to others instead of being closed off to them?"
Justine nodded. "It is. Don't let it go to your head, but you've done well in that, especially for one once so closed-off as you once were." She offered a faint, but gentle smile. "...In light of what you've experienced even before we met, it pleases us to see you become able to do so."
Kyoko looked down at the cold floor pensively. While she was relieved Justine didn't mention it, it was evident what she referred to.
"Sentimental, much, Justine? Don't get too worried over one measly prisoner," Caroline urged. "All we gotta do is make sure she makes the most out of this "wild card" thing and make sure she works hard for these tasks!"
Justine's eye suddenly went wide. "Th-The wild card!" she uttered.
"What is it now?" her twin sister asked.
"The more I consider this list, the stranger it all seems," Justine explained. "...It's as though the author must have known that the one who was meant to carry out these tasks would possess the power of the wild card!"
"You're kidding, right?!" Caroline recoiled, wide-eyed. "How would someone be able to predict that?! Even our master didn't know the inmate had that wild card thing before we met her!"
Justine, however, simply looked away, downcast and unable to think of a response. Kyoko glanced from her to Igor, however, when she noticed he seemed to, ever briefly, turn his attention towards her, his spidery fingers pausing their drumming as well spreading themselves across the desk as his protruding stare suddenly locked with hers again, but again, he was silent, the young detective unable to read through the unnatural grin that seemed permanently affixed to his face she felt was mocking her though she was unsure if it was the case or not.
"Justine, is there something you want to say?" Kyoko asked, though her voice was not threatening, or even neutral, but rather curiosity as her gaze wavered away from Igor and towards her.
"Hey! Did we ask for your opinion, inmate?" Caroline snapped, smacking her baton on the bars. "This'll all get resolved anyway if you'd just hurry up and finish your rehabilitation already! Which reminds me..." She turned her eye towards her sister. "Justine, what's the next task for our inmate to accomplish?"
"Very well," Justine answered softly, looking at her clipboard. "Let's get back down to business and forget the earlier distractions..."
Kyoko could hear a chain link shatter within the recesses of her mind as the less temperamental twin read over the list for what she was looking for.
"Accomplish this next task, and we will reward you with further ritual privileges in this Velvet Room, inmate," Justine explained, glancing over at her and regaining her professional demeanor. "...A Setanta with the skill "Rakukaja". Acquire it and show us."
Kyoko gave a silent stare for a moment, thoughts of the twins' brief lapse and Igor's curious interest still on her mind. The warden's fingers drummed again, with more sharp and precise movement as she looked at him. Was this a game to him? she wondered. Was he seeing what she'd do next if she'd try meeting the next request here and now and if so, why? His cryptic words in their past engagements suggested he'd not answer that even if she asked.
Game or not, perhaps it was time for a bold move. If this Palace was going to bring potential perils that'd cause the twins to summon her so suddenly, then she'd ensure she was all the more ready yet.
Kyoko rose to her full height, and gave a faint smile to the guards. "Justine, I'd like to see the registry again..."
The small guard blinked her eye in surprise, as did her sister, before she held it out to her. Even Igor's drumming fingers, Kyoko noted, had once again experienced a brief pause of what she suspected as intrigue.
Kyoko summoned her Lamia, and the other necessary Persona listed, and the fusion was done as a boyish-looking warrior with a spear and thick white leather armor and green scarf appeared in their place.
"Me Setanta," the warrior stated. "If anyone dares to bring you trouble, I will gladly choke them to death!"
"Hm, it seems you have solved the sequence to complete this task," Justine said as she watched the Persona vanish in a flash of light.
"I didn't expect it so fast, but it goes to show what you can do when you put your mind to it!" Caroline stated.
"I am a detective, Caroline," Kyoko replied dryly.
The childlike guard huffed angrily, slamming her baton on the bars once more. "Hey! That's not what I meant! Learn to take a compliment when it's generously given!" she snapped indignantly.
"Regardless, she uses her talents intended for the path in life she was raised for to her advantage to accomplish much in her rehabilitation, as a Phantom Thief and in her own life," Justine replied gently, nodding at the list approvingly as she checked off the task. "...Very commendable."
Caroline glanced over at her sister, curious. "Something on your mind again?"
"Yes, what you'd said before, how well-thought this list appears to be," Justine answered before returning her attention to the shackled teen in the cell before her. "...Tasks that not only help push you forward, but also test your own skills with the resources available to you, and measure your true strength."
"You seem awfully brave today, inmate!" said Caroline, her attention on Kyoko once more. "...So why not answer this: What are your thoughts on these tasks?"
"They're a piece of this case I intend to solve," the young detective answered.
"Hm, you see it as something to search for and memorize clues as you investigate and ultimately solve?" Caroline asked, cocking her head in confusion. "What a shallow, and absurd notion!"
Kyoko sighed, closing her eyes. "...Not exactly," she muttered, reopening her eyes. "...Every potential clue may be "the one", so they should not be taken for granted or dismissed. Sometimes, it takes further investigation to see if a possible lead rewards a more defined answer that brings one closer to solving the case itself."
The twins exchanged a glance before looking back at Igor, who let out a low chuckle.
"You're very astute, Trickster," he said. "...Far more so then ever, if I may say so. From a past with a closed heart, you have grown much. Your bonds have continued to strengthen with those you have opened your heart to, and empower your Personas, your allies, and in turn, yourself because you have permitted yourself to empathize with them in a way beyond temporary use."
Kyoko's gaze hardened a moment, only to soften after as she let out another, light sigh.
"Even the connection you lost long ago now lends you strength in your new mission when you do not allow the sorrow to overtake it, yet when that pain was forced upon you once more by the Metaverse's distortions, your allies fought to save you, and it is clear they would again, be it within the oppressive confines of a Palace, or in reality," Igor explained. "Remember this, as you seek to free this Ruler's heart from the grip of those distortions as well."
Kyoko nodded, looking away a moment in thought.
"Hey! Inmate! Thank our master, already!" Caroline demanded.
"...Thank you," Kyoko said, her tone neutral. Despite the advice and encouragement, there was plenty she wanted straight answers to but she knew already Igor would not share them so readily.
"Though you've progressed remarkably, ruin is still very much possible," Igor continued, making Kyoko wince a little as it seemed as though he read her thoughts. "Have patience, but do not lose that empathy you've allowed yourself to feel with those you connect to."
"Speaking of which," Caroline began, "Justine, what's the next task? Our inmate seems rather eager, after all!"
"Let's see," Justine answered, checking the list as Caroline walked over to look at it as well. No sooner had she did Caroline suddenly pause in surprise.
"No... something's..." Caroline shook her head. "Justine, I feel like I've seen the writing on this list before..."
"You mean the penmanship?" Justine asked, her eye going wide in curiosity as she looked at her sister.
"Yeah, but... I dunno, it's weird but I can't remember why, though!" Caroline muttered in frustration. "Do you recognize it, Justine?"
The other twin turned the page to see the list again. "...Compliment her after she has finished the next task," she read from the page. "...Do not spoil her, though. Remember a piercing glare and angled hips."
Caroline fumed. "Not that, Justine! Those're my notes!" Her remaining eye went wide as she glanced back at the teen in the cell before her stare became an angry glare. "Not a word, inmate!"
Justine chuckled softly. "It seems you do look forward to our inmate's visits."
...So she can drop-kick me through the door again before I can even stop her? Kyoko thought bitterly.
Caroline growled in frustration. "I'm talking about the list! the tasks themselves, Justine! The penmanship on those!" she snapped.
"Hm, now that you mention it," Justine remarked, looking at the list, "...I do feel as though I've seen this handwriting somewhere before... to be honest, this sense of deja vu it gives me is very concerning to me. Who could have made this list, and why?"
"Whaddya mean? The goal seems obvious enough: It's to help train our inmate," Caroline replied.
"Yes, but I mean beyond that... what is the purpose in training her?" Justine pondered.
"Uh, rehabilitation?" Caroline asked rhetorically.
"That is merely our master's order, though," Justine explained. "Someone other then him wrote this list, correct?"
Kyoko watched as Caroline opened her mouth to speak, but said nothing, as though she were only responding on instinct rather then having any answer to her sister's question and only realized it then. The young detective looked past them as they continued to talk amongst themselves once more to the strange, long-nosed warden at the desk, whose unsettling grimace was as it always was, no sign of any acknowledgement to the twins' conversation and questions.
This unsettled her. Did HE know? she wondered. If so, why was he not saying anything?
"Hey, inmate! Don't space out!" Caroline's sharp tone interrupted, forcibly seizing her attention again. "You're wondering about the list, too, right? Well, Justine and I have determined its purpose will be made clear once it's finished! A piece of a case you intend to solve, right?" she asked her with a smirk as she repeated her words.
Justine looked at her sister inquisitively. "...I conceded to no such thing, but perhaps you are correct that may very well be the case. I must admit, though, that it may be because hearing such a logical conclusion from you is like a cool breeze amidst the sweltering heat of summer."
"You don't need to put it like that!" Caroline protested with a stomp of her foot, though Justine had since lost interest and had turned her attention back to Kyoko.
"On to more relevant matters, your sharp observation allowed you to solve the formula to complete this recent task, so... well done, inmate" she said. "Accept this Persona into your heart as a reward. You've already established a bond with its arcana and we believe it will be of benefit to you in what tests your mettle now..."
Justine and Caroline exchanged a glance before turning, extending their hands as a ball of light appeared, taking the shape of a tall, slender woman in white Egyptian robes, golden feathers covered her sleeves down to her hands and wearing a golden headdress with an ornamental falcon bust on the front. The Persona placed a hand at her hip as she brought her other to her chin and smiled at Kyoko.
"I am Isis, you are the one who rests on the throne of this world... my mask is proof of that fact," she said as she shimmered into light once more and vanished, Kyoko feeling new power joining her own.
"Continue your progress at your utmost dedication," said Justine. "By doing so, your rehabilitation will come to fruition."
She glanced down at the list in her hand, then at Kyoko once more. "...And perhaps," the young guard said softly, "...More shall become clear..."
Kyoko heard the sound of another chain link shattering within the recesses of her mind.
"Heh!" Caroline scoffed as she regained her composure. "We'll see about that, won't we? Inmate, we'll hold off giving you your next task until after you've accomplished your current assignment! Can't just hand out freebies, can we?"
Justine nodded in agreement. "I consider that a fair assessment," she said, looking back at the girl in the cell. "Topple the ruler of this Palace, and we shall assign you your next task, understand?"
Kyoko glanced down at the floor, tests or not, the entire situation of the Metaverse and the "ruin" that she'd been warned of that posed a looming threat as well as her significance as a Phantom Thief beyond being a supernatural vigilante still clawed at her mind. If they saved Futaba and destroyed her Palace, would it open the way further into Mementos? The way the twins reacted to the list, Igor's tendency to become vague about things, whether to grant her more freedom of choice or keep her where he wanted her for some future purpose, and how public cognition and Palaces seemed connected to the otherworldly dungeon itself descending ever deeper and more surreal and nightmarish in design the further they went...
ALL of them like pieces of individual puzzles forming images which when completed and combined together, would reveal the hidden clue and the answers with it, but she did not have every piece for any of them.
Not yet...
"Very well," she said as the Velvet Room began to once more fade around her. Even then, Kyoko already had her own reasons for wanting to solve this Palace regardless...
Ace paused as she spotted what stood between her and the way forward. Having backtracked down into the basement area of Futaba's pyramid, the second passage had lead deeper into the tomb to a gated area where several treasure urns and sarcophagi lined the walls. Stairs stood on either side of the chamber ahead, but a tall, mummified Shadow waited at its center, guarding them.
"This Shadow's real strong, I can tell," Mona warned, eyeing it cautiously from around the corner with the others.
"How tranquil it is, though," Fox observed. "It seems different from Shadows we've faced before..."
"It stands to reason, due to Futaba's mental state. She's not an aggressive person at all from what we've seen," Queen said.
Ace's brow furrowed as she watched it, the being staring right back at them though making no move to attack.
"That would be an accurate assertion. Futaba secludes herself and instinctively prevents others from reaching her due to her fear of them. This Shadow is acting as a guard to this passage. it won't attack unless we challenge it for the right to proceed further," she said. "...Meaning this way must lead back into the pyramid past the barrier in the main area."
"Well then that's what's blockin' our way in, let's go beat it's ass, already!" Skull declared.
"Still, we should be ready for anything," Ace warned. "Let's go."
As Ace lead the way in, the Shadow's birdlike masked head titled with intrigue at her. "You choose to challenge me, intruders?" it boomed as red smoke gathered around it. "Beware! You have enraged the guardian of this place! There shall be no path for any of you, for you shall ALL PERISH!"
The mummy dissolved into red and black ooze that quickly reshaped itself into an upright 7-foot-tall, solid gold sarcophagus with an engraving of a humanoid figure on wings, holding a crook and flail below a large eye on its surface. A hideous laughter erupted from within the large casket as it trembled about as though something lurked within it.
"GYAHAHAHA! I, THE UNDYING GOD SHALL SEND YOU TO THE AFTERLIFE!" it bellowed as the casket suddenly swung open, a horned, rotted form with glowing red eyes thrusted its talons out, swirling dark blue and white energies forming over its open palm
"An Almighty spell! Look out!" Mona warned, prompting the group to take cover behind the columns before it suddenly exploded in a burst of devastating hot light, scorching the ground and cracking the walls around it.
Ace kneeled and shielded herself, feeling the heat and wind from the explosion's burst as it billowed her hair and coat. She glared at the Shadow, its casket looked rather heavy and durable, its occupant shutting it after having cast its spell to protect itself from incoming attacks by Queen and Panther that fizzled harmlessly off its surface with only smoke and light scorch marks left to show for it. Perhaps that could be used against it, somehow...
The bigger and heavier they are...
"Let's try and tip him over," she ordered. "Mona! Back me up. Skull, Fox, attack when I do and hit it hard!"
The casket began to creak open...
"ANZU!" Ace summoned the blue, winged lion Persona as it formed a powerful gale with its wings.
"ZORRO!" Mona cried out, the swordsman Persona swishing its blade as it added force to the whirlwind that immediately tore at their opponent.
"GOEMON!"
"CAPTAIN KIDD!"
The two Personas made their move, Captain Kidd ramming the casket at the same time as Goemon's own weapon struck, making it stagger as the mighty gust hit, sending it toppling on its back with a loud crash.
"GRAAAAAAHHH!" the Shadow bellowed as its large stone coffin shook and trembled on the ground, attempting to right itself.
"ALL-OUT ATTACK!" Ace shouted, she and her teammates leaping into the air and striking their foe in a flurry of blows leaving it far worse for wear, though not yet beat.
"This guy's tough!" Skull grumbled.
"Well, so are we!" Mona replied, his slingshot drawn.
"AHAHAHAHA! I DON'T THINK SO, YOU VERMIN!" the coffin's occupant taunted as it sprung out, aiming its hand at Mona, who was promptly engulfed in a puff of blue smoke.
"Mona?!" Panther cried out, looking for the catlike thief as it dissipated.
"Squeak! Squeak!" a tiny voice lamented.
The remaining thieves stared agape at the tiny mouse donning Mona's mask that stood in his place.
"The eff?! Dude that's so messed up!" Skull protested as the mouse darted away in a panic.
"WATCH OUT!" Queen shouted, pushing Panther away as the Shadow's hand turned and getting engulfed in another poof of smoke.
"Makoto?!" Panther gasped, looking at the adorable little mouse on her chest wearing Queen's metallic visor mask as it let out a defeated squeak.
"This adversary is truly leaving us rattled! We need a plan!" Fox observed with urgency.
"Not the time for jokes, Fox!" Skull shouted with a groan as he turned his shotgun on their foe, only for his eyes to suddenly go wide. "Oh no! NO! NOT ME, TOO!" he immediately turned to flee for cover, only for a puff of smoke to burst around him as well before he could make one step, a small gray mouse with a skull mask was left in his place squeaking indignantly as it fled clumsily on its hind legs into a column, falling flat on its furry back.
Ace grit her teeth, grasping her mask once more. Hopefully this would work. "SANDMAN!"
The moon-headed humanoid Persona rose above her, thrusting out its own hand as it cast its spell on their enemy, its form suddenly slumping over as snoring emitted from within its casket.
Perfect.
Only she, Fox, and Panther were left at the moment, enough to hopefully finish it off.
"SETANTA!" She cried out, the spear-wielding huntsman Persona rising up behind her and striking the slumbering enemy, sending it spinning backward.
"Allll-RIGHT! We got him!" Panther cheered.
"Let's finish him off, then!" Ace ordered. "PANTHER! FOX! NOW!"
The three leaped into the air as one once more, striking their foe with all they had. This time, the Shadow crumbled away into ash and smoke that billowed away into nothingness.
Ace stood, readjusting her gloves and brushing her hair back as she took in a deep sigh of relief, before flinching in surprise at a series of soft "pop!" sounds around her.
"Oh, thank God!" Queen said anxiously, patting herself over as she stood back up, human once more.
"How do you think I felt?!" Mona protested, shaking his head angerly.
"Why, 'cuz you're a cat?" Skull asked with a chuckle as he rolled himself over and picked himself back up.
"Yes! ...I mean, no! It was just embarrassing is all!" Mona snapped indignantly.
"He nearly got us all, too!" Panther said.
"At any rate, the path is now clear for us to proceed," Fox observed.
"Indeed," Ace said, bringing her hand to her chin pensively as she looked at the ledge ahead and spotting a closed door on the left wall with a lever next to it before taking out the map once more. "From what I can discern, this path will lead us deeper in and closer to our destination. I trust you're all well?" she asked, looking at her friends who'd reverted from having been transmogrified in the previous fight.
"Yeah, I'm fine. We should proceed cautiously, though. We don't know if there may be traps ahead with Futaba's troubled thoughts," Queen said.
"I'm ready to go! I can sense this path IS getting us a little closer to the Treasure!" Mona assured.
"No problems here! Let's get it done!" Skull cheered, brandishing his mace.
Ace prepared to lead, only to stop as she prepared to scale the coffins lining the side of the ledge.
"You alright, Kyoko?" Panther asked.
"I am," Ace said with a nod, before looking back at her teammates with a faint smile. "...Also... thank you. All of you, for saving me earlier."
Turning to the ledge once more, Kyoko felt her smile linger as she pulled herself up and approached the waiting door, prepared to face whatever else was sure to await her and her fellow Thieves in their mission to save Futaba.
A/N: Hello, hello! I know it's been quite a while but with IRL being busy and my days off constantly being moved and kept apart I've lacked energy and muse till now and worked to get it made in time for Christmas. Hopefully this chapter has been worth it, a bit shorter but I felt the bulk of the Palace(mainly uncovering Futaba's past) really deserves its own chapter so that will come next time. I intend to be back in the swing of things at last, and I'm definitely excited for P3 Reload coming this February!
0 - The Fool: Rank 6
I - The Magician: Rank 6
II - The Priestess: Rank 3
IV - The Emperor: Rank 3
V - The Hierophant: Rank 4
VI - The Lovers: Rank 7
VII - The Chariot: Rank 9
VIII - Justice: Rank 3
X - Fortune: Rank 1
XI - The Strength: Rank 5
XII - The Hanged Man: Rank 3
XIII - Death: Rank 6
XIV - Temperance: Rank 7
XV - The Devil: Rank 2
XVII - The Star: Rank 2
XVIII - The Moon: Rank 4
XIX - The Sun: Rank 4
XX - Judgement: Rank 2
1 - The Councillor: Rank 5
? - Faith: Rank 3
Kyoko's Personas: Anzu, Nigi Mitama, Flauros, Naga, Neko Shogun, Sandman, Phoenix, Setanta, Clotho, Isis