10/6 Tues, Ruined Mikage-cho, The tower, Afternoon
We were right outside the tower with nothing more than the utmost confidants we can muster, however, I know that won't be enough to last in this tower. I felt the air get heavier as if the tower was emitting that on purpose...
"Are you kids sightseeing?" I turned to my left to find someone with a camera, looking at us through his viewfinder. I didn't even sense him coming, or the fact that he was here at all.
"I asked if you're sightseeing? If you are, then you chose the wrong the wrong place." "We didn't come for any sightseeing," I firmly stated. "Ouch, ya know, too much seriousness hurts, kid." "Dude, same," Iori added.
"So why come to a boring and dull place, like this tower," The cameraman asked. "Easy: we're gonna go into the tower and kick all kinds of serious ass," Iori exclaimed "Hopefully our asses won't get kicked," Takeba laminated.
"I see, then you might be a bit too late due to the fact that the infiltration team has already been sent in there." "Infiltration...team?" "You don't know? "Sorry, we, um... Sort of like cave people." Takeba hit Iori in his sides after his dumb excuse.
"Well, we sent in a small team, and four out of five is the best that each territory has to offer." "...And by any chance, was there a boy with a black and red hoodie, his hair is unkempt, so it makes it look messy," Takeba described Kazuki. "Ah, that does sound like that Kazuki kid." "Yep, that's our dude," Iori snickered. "But can you tell us how he was able to get in the tower," I asked. "I guess I can spare you a moment of my time..."
The cameraman who soon introduced himself as Arata told us about the small team inside of the Tower and the whole operation centering around that one team...
"Okay, I get the idea - however, I want to know how do you know you even need an army to raid the place," Yuki questioned. "...Through leaks about the place. They came out about two years ago, and ever since then, we used the information to get through the dungeon. However, that alone wasn't enough since the tower wasn't cleared yet, so that leaves me to have some doubts about those leaks. But, we at least made things that would be needed for the last floor - the top of the tower..."
"Okay, but why do you allow randoms fighters to go in there? I mean, maybe they would compromise your whole plan," I asked. I knew how the whole clearing the tower thing works. The ones who clear the tower earns a reward, so it can also mean that one of the members in that team could betray Kazuki - if not, all of them! In that case, I... No, even if they tried, I know Kazuki would come out on top; especially with an important task at hand.
"There is the reward for the one who clears it, so maybe one of them, or maybe all of them are thinking of pulling something while they are in there." "Then why..." "Where there could be bad there are good intentions. There are some that just want to find something in there; like loved ones, for example..." That's a great risk to take, considering that their loved ones might be dead...
"I know it sounds insane, but wouldn't you do something as insane for the people you care for?" "..." I can't really say, nor would I ever... "Do we have to answer that question," Iori asked as he adjusted his hat and pointed his broadsword towards the tower. "No matter how insane the task is, the hero always answers the call to save the day, and to save the damsel in distress!" "Wouldn't that be Kazuki since he is the first one out of all of us to get here?" "Um, I meant me." "Oh, no, I know, but I felt like I should correct you..." And the banter started up again. And we aren't exactly heroes, and that definitely goes for me...
"So anyway, what's going to happen now?" "We're going inside the tower." "I already that, but do you have a key for the door?" "It just so happens that I have one." I presented it to him... "That's excellent." Arata clapped his hands...
"Wait, before you guys enter the tower, can I get a picture," Arata requested, wear a friendly smile on his face. "Maybe one picture would be okay, Shizuka," Yuki asked me as if my decision matter on this one. "Let's just hurry up." "Great, then I'll try to take it as fast as I can."
We all clumped together for the photographer. Takeba shifted away from me when she realized she was standing next to me. Iori was posing like he was a baseball player; we back away from him where his sword because he was holding his sword like it was a bat...
"Shizuka, right? I actually want you to be in the front, and as for the cap wearing kid: can you not wave your sword like a child - you can hurt someone." "Oh, um, sorry..." I went in the front and Iori went in the back with his sword lowered. After Arata took the photo after a while of adjusting his camera... "There we are. I guess you guys better be on your way into the dungeon," Arata said.
"Mr. Arata, why do you take pictures in a world like this when everything is a mess," Takeba asked. "True, there is nothing beautiful to take a picture of, heck, I'd say the that's the greatest downside about this world. However, you don't only need landscapes to take good pictures," Arata fiddled with his camera... "What is it," Takeba tilted her head. "...To find something beautiful within this world that, something that makes all my senses tingle with excitement."
"Guys, I think it's time we get a move on." Iori waved to us. He's right, we wasted enough time here, we need to get in there.
"We're going now," I told Arata. "I see. Well, I hope you all have a safe travel in the tower..." "Thank you," I bowed as he waved his hand at me...
"Excuse me, but can I ask you something," Yuki asked Arata. "I just remembered, somebody told me to find someone who was wearing a camera around their neck... That would be you." "Alright, what is it," Arata asked as he leaned on the tower. "There was this man that helped me while I was in the tower..." "You were in there!?" Arata jumped from his position on the wall. "That's impossible! Then that would mean you got through the tower!" "Not exactly. I only barely made it up two floors in there." "Really... Well then, I think our luck has finally turned around, with this operation after all this time," Arata chuckled.
"Also, who was this guy and why did you mention him to me?" "Well... This man would talk about his son and his best friend, and the friend would wear a camera around their neck all the time.
I saw Arata's eyebrows raise up as if he knew who Yuki was talking about. "Hold on a moment, did this guy have a scar on his left cheek," Arata inquired. "Yes..." "*Chuckle* I knew it, that man was still alive, I just knew it!"
Arata seemed excited upon his new discovery. He came over to us with a more serious presence than before.
"I need a favor from the both of you." "What is it?" "Can you guys find him in there and get him out of there?" He bowed to us with a with his fedora in his hands. "...I don-" "Of course we'll help him," Yuki interrupted me. "I want to help him for saving me and I'm praying that he's okay... I know how challenging it can be," Yuki said with a melodically tone. "Thank you, and don't think I won't reward you; I'll give you anything I can get my hands on." "That's not necessary, but I guess it wouldn't hurt to gain a reward."
Why are we still here? We need to get going. "...Listen, we need to get going, now," I said with lack of patience. I began to walk towards the tower entrance. Yuki bowed at Arata one last time before catching up to me.
"We wasted enough time here as it is." "I know and I'm sorry, but I just needed to see if he knew that man." "And speaking of that, why did you say we would bring him back alive? For all we know, he might not even be alive..." I raised the possibility. "I know, and you're probably right for the most part, but I couldn't deny his request," Yuki said with a bothersome expression on his face. "So you took the request because you can't say no?" "That, and because I was going to look for this person anyway... Plus, he might be able to help us." "How so," I asked... "Let ne tell you why
?, The tower. FL:?
I was fighting in a desert-like area against a skeleton demon that was riding a red horse that was floating in the air. I was lucky enough to have Personas that were able to block most of its attacks...
"Come out and face me!"
Hiding was the only thing I could do since none of my attacks seemed to have worked. At first, it was hard to fight the monsters inside the place without risking my own self and most of the Personas I had were weak due to me not being able to fuse; only by grasping Persona after a battle, but after a while, my Personas had gotten strong enough to keep me alive; but this demon, it was stronger than any of the demons I had faced.
I had summoned Orpheus to hit the Red rider with its lyre on fire. *Clang* The demon blocked with its sword. After a moment of interlocking weapons, Red rider pushed my Persona away and sliced it in half. "ARGHH!" I felt a hot sensation spread across my chest as I grasped my chest. The rider had it horse gallop towards me, it had found me
because I grunted in pain. It had thrust its sword forward, I had put my Evoker to my head.
"Jikokuten!" *bang* The Guardian deity had stopped the Riders attack with its sword. "Blade of fury!" But the demon had destroyed my Persona in mere seconds, but since Jikokuten had a slash resistance, the damage was cut in half. I tried to gain some distance...
"Wind cutter!" Its attack sent out a wind attack that might have been as sharp as his own blade. I then again put my Evoker to my head to summon another Persona.
"Kusi Mitama!" My Persona was able to block the whole attack entirely, but the impact still hitting me even when I was behind Mitama, I was sent flying a few feet. *Thud* "Ugh!" I had landed on my back with nothing more than a few bruises...
"Your quick thinking has allowed you to live this far, however, all things do come to a close; and that time is now..."
The demon raised its sword to the air to where it had aligned with the sun. "Fatal End."
I had pointed and pulled the trigger of my Evoker faster than I had ever done before. Then, as he swung his sword down to my body, in those split seconds, I was able to switch to another Persona, and that Persona would be my only hope for that situation. A shield covered my back.
"What is this?" Its question was followed up by the Red rider being hit with an invisible force, that force was half of its own attack...
"That power... It wasn't as much, but you reflected my own attack on me!" "Yeah, and I'm glad that it came through for me. It's a skill called counterstrike: it allows me to counter a physical attack, however, it won't always happen since this skill relies on a bit of luck..."
I quickly summoned the Persona that saved me: Nata Taishi. I had him do Swift strike on the rider. He had landed multiple hits on the rider and his horse and as a result, was knocked down. "Good show, now let me return the favor."
He reeled back his arm, not wanting to wait to see what he was gonna do next, I switched Nata Taishi for Orthrus. "Orthrus: stop his attack," I commanded. With fire coming from its mouth, Orthrus bit down on Red Rider's arm. "Release my arm, you feral beast!" Orthrus wasn't letting up even when Rider was hitting it with its hand. After a while, Orthrus ripped the demon's arm off. I had dismissed Orthrus... "...That was good, really good... This is it! I feel it; a war brewing! " "Is that so...?"
It had grabbed its sword with its other hand, holding it upwards in a symbolic way of declaring war upon me...
"Myriad arrows!" Arrows began to come from out of nowhere. I had switched to the next Persona. "Okuninushi: Maragion!" *Bang*
When he shot the fire spell, it had hit most of the arrows. However, some of them were still heading my way. I was able to dodge the rest. "Go now!" I had Okuninushi spear right at the rider, just for him to change directions - heading off for the sun. And as that was happening, I ran towards and then past the rider. "What is this foolishness?"
The rider had taken the bait by just following me... It wasn't much longer until my Persona and I was at the Perfect position...
"Done." "Done doing what?" "Done with this fight. NOW!"
I snapped my fingers to give my next order. Okuninushi radiated as much fire as it can produce, luckily, it was able to radiate enough to be as bright as the sun... It was bright enough to make the light coming from it blinding to the Rider. "Now, finish this Okuninushi!" It began to descend at an alarming rate. And before Rider could react, my Persona had already stuck its sword in it. "*Gasping*" The rider was gasping as he was feeling. "Set it ablaze..." Okuninushi had done just that. The Rider made no sound as it was being burned alive. I began to walk away from it...
"This fight has not been concluded yet!" I was too shocked to turn around. It was still alive after all the damage I'd served it. "Now, allow me to return the favor, ten-fold. It lifted its sword, the fire was going into its sword. It was going to shoot with its sword... It would've been bad if he hit me with that attack. Okuninushi had a resistance to fire but it might have not been strong enough to survive his attack. I tried to run but something pressed down on my back: it was the horse... It was a terrible situation no matter how you look at it...
Thump* "ARGGHH! Magic mirror!" I wasn't able to register what was going on, the riders attack was reflected back at it by a newcomer. *Boom* After the explosion and when the dust cleared, the demon burned into dust that began to sink into the sand...
"So, it's finally dead. Good!" The had grunted in pain from his burns but tried not to show it...
"Are you okay," I asked. "Yeah, I'll be good. it's you I'm worried about a child such as yourself. Going up against a monster such as that thing is no easy feat and your injuries show that. You are a true warrior!" He bumped his fist. "Well, I can heal the small wounds, but I do think the bigger ones are an issue." I had a Persona that was focused on healing but it wasn't strong enough to heal bigger wounds than cuts or burns. And after all that fighting, my legs began to buckle under me.
"Not feeling so hot, huh," the man uttered. "Not a problem! Would you like to come back with me? I have food that'll heal our wounds and our fighting spirit!" "That sounds great..." I accepted his offer as he gave me his shoulder. "Are okay to walk yourself," I remarked, feeling his legs shaking. "I'll be fine, I'm used to furious battle like this, so my body is like an iron cage." "That's the wrong metaphor, but okay."
He dragged us through the desert...
"Boy, what is your name? I want to know who defeated the Red Rider." "Makoto Yuki, you?" "Yoshinori. And I think we should celebrate your victory with a feast." I was truly happy to hear those word. (For the fact that I was tired of eating these nasty rations I had with me...)
10/6 Tues, The tower, FL:?
I was reading through the journal I "borrowed" from Nyar, and oh, did it have many interesting things in it.
"I read many things, but this must be in the top 10..."
The contents of this talked about many things; a great amount of detail on Mikage-cho when the DEVA machine went haywire... "The event was a bizarre event indeed, nobody was able to make a coherent story about the incident other than monsters killing people and there being an invisible wall blocking off one half of the city. But, with nothing else to go on, SEBEC tried to sweep the incident under the rug but meet with failure, so after, the company was charged with illegal experimentation... Rumors soon started circulating about demons still being present. Apparently, the mayor hired an exorcist to see if there were any more of them; the Exorcist was in town during the incident, seen disposing of the demons like it was second nature; a wave of his hand is all it took to kill off hoards... (Might need to look into him myself later on.) In no time at all, the exorcist found a monstrous presence, it came from a 3-year-old child..."
"Hmm, I would dare say that child could be Kazuki." I flipped the page to continue. "...The boy's mother was found dead, in their house, the father was nowhere to be found, it was like he dropped off the face of the Earth. Not much was known about the exorcist either, as he disappeared before an interview was conducted. However, some can say he was a male, probably in his late twenties. After that, the child was ridiculed by the people of Mikage-cho, all because of an exorcist told them the child had an evil presence; although the man wasn't a fraud, he was one of them. He could've been a problem but he helped me instead..."
Hmm, I feel like I know what he's talking about but I just drew blanks... After a while of flipping through the book, I found something else that piqued me my interest. "Rin Shizuka, what can we learn about you today...?"
"Well, I'll be damned." I closed the book and hid it in my drawer. I was thinking about walking around before anything worth a thought happened... As I was walking, I saw a familiar face. "Minako, why the long face," I joked. "..." "Okay, tough crowd... Anyway, have you seen your old buddy, Kazuki-chan," I asked her. No response... "Man, you're pretty boring." I saw her move her mouth but she was muttering. "What was that? I couldn't hear you, speak louder." "I said I don't care," she clenched her fist. "Is that a fact, then what do you care about then, huh," I probed to find something interesting about this person... I mean, I know about her and- Wait, I got it.
"...That Makoto Yuki kid is something extraordinary," I stated and Mino-chan definitely heard me. "Personas are pretty cool, but controlling more than one is just cooler! Too bad it's wasted on him." She began to face me when I said that. "Yep, I just don't see the poor guy cutting it, he's been through a lot, so god knows if he can handle using different ones, unlike you; You can even use them without Evokers, right? And what, he still needs a puny plastic gun to make his come out?" Mino-chan clenched her fist even tighter, the color in her eye was beginning to come back. "Well, I guess I can write him off as wasted potential, huh? ...I might as well kill him myself, wouldn't be too hard..."
I'd wouldn't bother with something as simple as that and besides, Nyar told the other members that Yuki wasn't fair game the moment he was thrown in the tower. It does strike me as curious why Nyar let him go.
"Well, this was eventful. I gotta run, bye bye..."
As I walked past her, she grabbed my arm. "What is it, I'm..." She had a card floating in the palm of her hand... "Is that a-" "Orpheus!" *Crush*
The tower, FL:?, Fuuka's prison cell, afternoon
My second day being here was just as isolating as yesterday, if not, even more. I know that Kazuki is here, but that's a problem... I been trying to strengthen my abilities past only this floor. I'm able to look past this door now and throughout the whole complex. (Minus some places.) Although due to the mental strain, I was left mentally drained... I was left to think about many things during that period of time, like how everyone else was doing; I hoped that they all weren't worried about me. I wonder how Natsuki is doing? Hopefully, she's not worried that I'm not at school, she can really overreact to small stuff. Small, insignificant stuff...
I wondered how my parents were doing? I haven't seen them ever since I moved into the dorm. I guess it was obvious from the start that I didn't really have a great relationship with them and to be honest: I wish I did, but I know now that'll be impossible...
"I'm sure everyone in SEES will be fine without me, I just hope they're able to fight the last shadow without me. And Natsuki-chan is more sociable than I am, so she shouldn't have a problem replacing me. ...My parents." I don't know how they'll react, but maybe they won't even notice. "Shizuka-san is probably already coming to get Kazuki out of here as we speak, so that's a relief. Plus, I'm sure she'll take care of him when I'm gone..."
Drip* "*Sniff*" I felt tears rolling off my cheek as I was laying on the cold floor. The isolation alone was enough to make anyone cry. I wanted to act- no, be strong, but I just can't do it. Because in just two days I'll be dead, and he'll be...
"Calm down, just calm down!" I began to rub my eyes as I got up from the floor.
"I need to stay calm. I know why I'm doing this, why I'm here, so I just need to relax my nerves and stay calm..."
Kazuki is strong, Shizuka-san is strong; all I ever wanted was to be just as strong as those two. I wanted to be as strong as those two... I felt this spark up many times, the most notable time was when Kazuki got possed for the first time. It was pretty scary, but when he was fighting it off and the aftermath of it, I was genuinely felt pathetic with. And whenever he fights, I get scared, scared of losing him... But he always presents himself with an unflinching aura. But he would always get hurt because of me; to protect me... So, when I realized that, I knew I need to get stronger to protect everyone better with my abilities, and when I learned my defensive skill I was actually proud because then, I knew if I could learn that then I could learn more. But most importantly: to be strong, like the two of them... But, I don't think I'll ever be like those two, no matter how hard I try.
"I never knew how hard it was, trying to be strong. Guess that shows how weak I am..."
*Boom* I saw dust falling from the ceiling. I heard an explosion coming above as well. "What was that," I had asked myself. I heard noise coming from outside...
*Boom* "Ahh!" The wall in front of me was blown open by something... When I the dust cleared up a bit I looked out the hole in the wall. "*Gasp*" I realized, with the wall destroyed, I can sense beyond this cell and complex. "This could be my only chance! Lucia!" I quickly scanned for the outside, there was a sort of courtyard directly outside of the hole. (I could most likely see it if I looked out the hole myself.) In the courtyard, I sense the presence of two individuals; one was Minako, the other seemed to be that hooded man from Yakushima...
"What's happening?"
"Wow, that was pretty cool, but too bad I don't want to fight and see more out of you," I stated with my hand extended out, using my gravity magic to keep her from moving, it wasn't easy because I had to stop two targets at once: Minako and her Persona. I wanted to get a rise out of her, but I didn't plan on fighting...
"Change." Before she could crush the card in her hand, I made her hand heavier, she won't be able to crush it now. "*Grunting*" She was struggling to lift her fingers from the floor, and I was struggling to even handle weighting down her hand, her feet, and her Persona. If this keeps up I'll have a problem on my hands...
Suddenly, my arms were dragged down to the ground. *Thud* "...Was wondering what took so long." I looked over to the execution stage, to find someone walking over to us. I couldn't make out a lot from this newcomer because he was wearing a gray cloak with its hood up, it was covering most of his body. Although, he did have a rather large build from what I can tell. It wasn't Nyar, that's for certain...
"Where's the boss-man? Too busy for us," I joked. "What is going on here," he asked me. "Glad you asked, me and this young lady her just suddenly decided to attack me. Rude, right?" "I do not care for who started a fight, comrades should not fight, especially on these grounds..." "I'm guessing sorry won't cut it, huh," I asked, he didn't even nod.
I feel as though he could rip me apart if I stay here any longer. Better do what I do. "Well, I got the message: peace on earth, make love, not war, gotcha, seeya."
As I tried to scurry away, I heard footstep following from behind me. "What is it now, I..." *Thump* "UGGH!" A fist connected with my face, it Minako'. "That was for Makoto," she said "What," I muttered in confusion. "It was for Makoto, jackass," she roared at me...
Long ago, before the Dark Hour, a couple who had recently gotten married had discovered they were having a child. Months had passed since then, and on the day the child was birthed into the world, nobody knew it then, but this was the beginning of a cruel fate for that child.
5 years after the child's birth, the child felt was growing up as any child would. The child loved her family and thought her family was a perfect one, she was painful wrong.
Her mother and father weren't on the greatest of terms; the mother would confront her grievances towards her husband, who wasn't making enough money for her to feel satisfied with her life, feeling as though people she considered friends mocked her for her low income. And the father would confront his complaints towards his wife for using up their money for materialistic possessions, thus making him have to spend countless nights of fatigue and exhaustion to support his family. Eventually, the husband died due to over exhaustion.
The mother and child were left to grieve. The mother was kind and loving to her child. But now, cold, distant, and very much negative towards her child. It would be a year later, but during that time, because of her self-destructive nature, the mother would lash out at the child. Most of the time, this lead to emotional abuse more than physical. But through all this, the child thought to herself, "Why is mommy yelling at me," "Why doesn't mommy smile at me anymore?" These thoughts and many more would lead her to question if her own mother even cared for her anymore...
One year would pass, it was the year 1999. And in that year, the mother too passed away. Her body was found on the Moonlight bridge, along with other bodies as well. The cause of death was a stab wound, however, it had a bigger opening than a normal sized knife would make; It was believed she was apart of the murder case, but since progress on the case was not made in the least, it was later closed due to the lack of progress...
The little girl would later go on to become an orphan. And for a while, she completely closed herself off from anyone, not because of her mom's death. No, the mental abuse she went through went through brought her to a point where she never wanted to form a bond with anyone ever again, bonds would only bring pain to her... That was until a certain boy came along in her life. That boy would later be Makoto Yuki...
"That was for Makoto, you jackass!" "You god damn bitch!" Succumbed to rage, I drove my fist towards her. I added a sort of gravity effect to it - it'll be strong enough to turn her inside out. "Enough!" The cloaked man stopped my fist with only two fingers. "Heh heh, big mistake. With this skill: it's a sort of technique that combines pierce and gravity. The attack would make a stab wound, then after that, the gravity magic will pull in the area of your body that I hit - your arm in this case. After some painful twisting of your skin towards the new pull in your body, my gravity magic will explode..."
"You're strong indeed, however..." "Arggh!" I felt a sudden stinging sensation all over my arm. I rolled back my sleeve, my whole arm had cut wounds all over it! How in the hell did he do that? "I suggest you both leave, now." I sucked my teeth from his suggestion. This guy, he's no ordinary loser; my skill should've blown his arm off with no trouble...
"Wait a moment..." As I began to calm down, I saw the bigger picture of this whole thing. "Maybe I was wrong about her, maybe she does have something I need from her." I might've been a bit rash here but that doesn't mean I can't try again later, right. "Nyar, you have all the fun toys, I just can't help but feel a bit jealous. So, that means I'll have to play with them behind your back..."
A man reached his hand out towards a little boy, he backed behind his aunt. "It's okay, I don't bite." The man smiled at the child. "You'll be living with him for now on, so introduce yourself..." The little boy quivered a bit, the child wasn't trusting toward strangers. "Well, I'll introduce myself then. I'm Naoya Toudou, nice to meet you. Now, your turn..."
The boy looked the man in the eye and saw no ill will in them; he felt a slight bit comfortable... "I'm, K-Kazuki Kei." "Nice to meet you for the first time, I hope we get along..." This was the beginning of a relationship between two cousins that would be become a strong and tight bond...
The tower, FL: 1, afternoon
"Ow, this hurts so much," I hissed at the pain. "I said you should get some rest, hee." "Yeah, guess you were right." I didn't have time to sit around, I needed to catch up with everyone else.
I woke up being healed by this Jack Frost hanging from my neck. (I was surprised that it wasn't sticking an ice block through me while I was knocked out.) I still thought my bones were still shaking from the inside of my legs. I have no idea how long I was knocked out and that could be a problem.
I seemed to be up a lot higher up than I was before, I was able to see other platforms from below me, now... "Why were you healing me," I asked. "At first, he ho wanted to rip you and that other guys to parts, but then he melted my friends away, hoo. I was scared." He was quivering with a sad expression on his face. Burned away? I then remembered the blonde haired guy that killed Juro. "Did this guy have blond hair!?" "Um, ho." "What does that mean?" "No."
Guess I should've expected that and I mean, why the hell would enemies help each other?
"Hm?" "He ho?" My hand was feeling like crap a minute ago but now, it was like it never even got damaged. I flexed my hand a bit and when I was doing so, I saw something glowing orange. It was my badge!? Shizuka gave me this badge the morning after Gekkoukan was frozen over. I thought Shizuka just gave me this as a throwaway gift.
Actually, its been a while since I seen the others. I know its only been a day but I miss them, all of them, and most definitely Fu-chan... When got here, I told myself that I wouldn't doubt that I can't save her, but now, that's all been put into question; I fought that hooded guy from Yakushima and with Shadow-mog activated, but I still wasn't even a match, not even close. What if there are stronger enemies up ahead?
"Stronger? Aren't you that already?" When I blinked my eyes, I was somewhere else, somewhere dark, cold and isolated. I was sitting on a chair all of a sudden. "You must really be dense. We already are strong, the problem is you." "What does that mean?" "The answer is simple: Shadow-mog." "Of course, but it's not that simple. Shadow-mog is a lot more complicated than I thought." "Because of these so-called 'side effects'? You shouldn't trust everything you hear." " How do I trust you then," I questioned, leaning back into my seat. "Who knows, maybe you could, maybe you can't. But you should know that I am doing this for survival, and Shadow-mog is the key to that and so is relying on our own power..." "Our?" "Hm, whatever you say. We'll continue this talk later. *Snap*
With the snap of what sound like fingers, my dark surroundings turned back to the dungeon. I was standing in front of a door. "What's going on? What is this door doing here," I leaned back in surprise. "Hmm... Whatever."
I opened the door and slide right in.
The tower, FL: 1, safe room. afternoon
When I got in I saw a bunch of other people onside here, they had a sort of gloom to them, brooding around with weapons in their hands. The room had a circular structure to it, big enough to fit many people all at once
"You're still alive? that's a surprise." Said a voice from behind me. I turned around to see that it was Hisoka. He came over to me and began to pat my pockets, my arms, and pants. "What are you doing," I yelped. "Did you find anything valuable while you were out there," Hisoka asked. "Um, no, but I do have this Jack Frost. " He ho." Hisoka grabbed it by its hat and threw it outside. "*Distant* He ho...!" "What the hell is wrong with you," I cursed. "I hate those Frost demons for more reasons than one..." "...Because he's like a cat, cats hate water."
Another voice came onto the scene. It was Ryota. "Kazuki!" He came towards me and gave me a bear hug. "I thought you were a dead man!" "You're killing me! Stop, I wanna live!" "Oops, sorry..."
He let me go, I think he almost destroyed my spine. "So, what about kitty cats," I asked in disarray. "Well, Hisoka is like a cat that doesn't like water, although, he reminds me of one of those stuck up looking cats." "At least I don't have the brains or looks of a gorilla," Hisoka insulted Ryota. "Ya know, at least I ain't afraid of Ice or water attacks, like a cat!" "Cats have claws unless you forgot that after our last fight..."
The two began to bicker on about cats and gorillas. This brought a chuckle up from me. It reminded me of Junpei and Yukari.
"...Hey, where's Hana and Ko? I wanna get going." "She's been talking to the randos in here. Ko is in your bag."
My bag... Crap, I forgot about and the thing inside it!
After a few seconds of searching, I found my bag and Hana. She was talking to some vendor that had a mat laid on the floor, and some weapons behind him...
"...Have you seen him," Hana inquired. "Yeah, but he left the safe room to go pass this floor. Sorry, kid." "I see, well, thank you anyway." Hana bowed...
She spotted me when she turned her head. "You're still alive..." "Of course I am. Thought I was done for?" "Yes." I didn't expect her to be so straightforward. The front part of my bag flew open and came out Ko with his Navy blue hair. "Big bro has appeared and so has Ko!" "Whoa, you really can fit inside." It looks kind of comfy if I'm being honest.
"Yeah, but this thing is stabbing me in the back, so I was about to throw it out..." Ko propped up a metallic box that had a blue little glow to it because of a gem. You can see it when you look from the top of the box. It was also protected with a metal cover. (Cylinder sized.) "No!" "Wahh!" I snatched it out of his hands. "Safe." "What is that," Hana asked. "This is the heart to the raid." "What do you mean by that?" I searched the whole room for Hisoka and Ryota, who were facing opposite sides from one another. I whistled to the two of them...
"All right, this box is the heart of this because-" "That box will allow the rest from outside of the tower, to enter," Hisoka explained. "Um, yeah... How do you know that?" I asked with a figurative question mark. "I do my research before jumping head first into something like this, and when I heard Arata had a hand in this plan, I knew something was going on." "Hey, what do you mean by that!?" Ryota yelled at Hisoka.
"...Nothing at all... Anyway, it works like this: There are two boxes - one is the sender and the other is the receiver. The sender and the receiver are linked, no matter where we're at; that could be applied to what dimension we're in." "Dimension? Um, I don't get it." "A dimension is like different worlds from ours," Ryota explained. "The Tower operates differently than the outside world, that much is certain. However, not only are the floors different from one another, it's theorized among these people that the floors themselves enact as different dimensions; so this might go for when we entered the Tower...
Dimension action... That sounds like the sort of thing Fuuka would've taken interest in. "Basically: the floors are most likely in a sort of pocket dimension of their own, but they are connected to one another. That is if it's not just a theory." Hisoka stated.
"Now, can we go." Hisoka pocketed his hands and relaxed his posture. "Yeah, there's no time to waste. Alright then, let's all move out then," Hana commanded. I put the box back into my bag and I slug it onto my back...
"Miss, I do remember something else." The old man Hana was talking to earlier came over to speak to her. "...He left with someone, the young man had a blond hair with some brown in the mix. He was also wearing a suit he called it? Well, that's all I know, I wish you luck." The old man bowed then walked away... "What was that about?" Ryota asked. "Nothing, we can go now guys..." Hana tried to get us away from what the old man said.
"The woman is hiding something," Hisoka told me. It was something important, but if she wants to keep it to herself, guess I can't do anything. All we can do is let it keep it to herself...
"...Kazuki..." "*Gasp*" That voice; Fuuka! There was something to it, something in there. Her voice felt sad, scared, and isolated. Oh, damn it! What in the heck am I doing!? I've been screwing around down here!
"Ko, hang on to something." "What, big BROOO!," Ko yelled out the bro part as I started running like my life depended on it. I opened the door out of this room, leaving everyone else behind. I'm done screwing around, I'm coming to save you Fuuka, I mean it!
Ya know, I shouldn't strike above 4k for every chap (fatigue is more apparent.) So really, I have no excuse, it was an on again off again thing with this chap due to me get down a significant amount of stuff down, then, being the idiot I am, I wouldn't save after those long periods of works. Then, the site would log me out, leaving me back at square one; basically: I would lose motivation for a bit due to those screw-ups, but I just pumped through it anyway, so everything is A-okay! So please, if you like the fic please follow so you know when I upload, don't forget reviewing, those help. Also, gonna tone it down the amount of words I have per chapter. (Minus the major chaps.) Thank you for reading, and until the next chapter; see ya...