The Magic Knights' Greatest Crisis!
The sound of metal meeting metal rang out as the two blades clashed. Stepping, dodging, thrusting. It was all second nature to Umi at this point. She had trained vigorously for this day. Her fencing tournament had arrived, and she was one of two finalists. Her score was nine out of ten. Just one more strike to win it all. Her heart raced as she finally broke through her anonymous opponent's guard, and struck them square in the chest.
'I did it!' She cheered mentally, her training having paid off... Or so it seemed.
Instead of the thunderous applause, there was silence. Her scoreboard still read nine out of ten despite the obvious winning blow. 'Why?' She wondered, staring at the unchanging score. 'Why didn't I get a point for that?'
Her musing were cut short as her opponent rushed in, trying to catch her off guard. However, she managed to block the strike and then adapt, beginning their dance again. "That was a cheap coup de grâce." She remarked aloud, dodging a stab from her opponent. Yet despite the missed strike, her opponent's score still increased its first tick. Umi's fencing mask shattered as if it had been thrown against the ground with immense force. "No way!"
Another point to the opponent. "This can't be true! This can't be true!" More points, even as Umi struck her opponent again and again. Her score was now going down until her board was completely dark. As if every strike she landed was transferring her points against her. She continued her barrage, eventually striking her opponent down, sending them to the ground, unable to move.
Her score remained dark, and her opponent's started shooting upwards again. One, two, three. Until eventually, it lit up fully, signaling her defeat from the jaws of victory. Her heart sank. All this effort, just to lose through no fault of her own.
"No!" She shouted, sitting upright in bed, sweating profusely. It had all been a dream. A horrible nightmare. She never made it to the fencing tournament. She was still in Cephiro with Hikaru, Fuu, and Logan (the latter of which she was surprised she hadn't woken up. She knew very well by now that he was an extremely light sleeper). "Just a dream..." She muttered, having collected herself.
She clambered out of bed, straightening her nightclothes and getting out of bed. She walked towards the door of the shelter, pulling it open, yet not stepping outside, merely sitting in the doorway and admiring the landscape of Cephiro. "I only wish that this could be the dream... I wanna be in the tournament..." She muttered, trying to push her dream out of her mind. Bpth so she could focus on the day ahead, and so that her doubts wouldn't persist to the actual tournament.
Alcyone was not having a good time.
This had been the default feeling since she was imprisoned after failing at the Spring of Eterna. High Priest Zagato had cast her into a prison very similar to that of Princess Emeraude's. However, hers was much less ornate. Merely a sphere of light not even big enough to stand in. The sorceress remained in a fetal position, no sign of her usual bravado.
"If I had the chance..." She sighed. "I would pummel those four into the ground for sure... That way, Lord Zagato..."
The sound of approaching footsteps alerted Alcyone of an approaching visitor. Knowing how Lord Zagato cared little for her pleas, she remained silent. She turned to the best of her ability to see who her visitor was, finding it to be Inouva.
"Alcyone." The elf coldly remarked.
"You're here early." Alcyone noted. "Am I in trouble again?"
"Quite the opposite, actually." Inouva revealed. "I come to you with an offer from Lord Zagato."
"An offer, you say?"
"I am unsure if you are aware of the fact that Ascot has taken over your former duties of defeating the Magic Knights."
"Hmm... No wonder he's seemed so sullen as he's passed by." Alcyone hummed. "But please, do tell why this involves me."
Inouva sighed before speaking again. "Ascot has been captured by the Magic Knights."
Alcyone raised an eyebrow. Ascot? Captured? Despite his small size, his summons were formidable. Granted, she knew how powerful the Magic Knights were, but Ascot's summons should have been more than enough to cover the boy's escape from any situation. "Really?"
"Yes. And so Lord Zagato has turned to you." Inouva declared. "He is offering a deal. If you can retrieve Ascot from the clutches of those four children, then Lord Zagato has agreed to release you from your imprisonment. However, should you fail, Lord Zagato will surely see no further use in having you around. And thus, he is sure to eliminate you."
"I... I see."
"Lord Zagato will understand if you do not wish to take that risk. In case you refuse, he shall simply send Caldina to retrieve the boy instead."
"No. I accept. I shall retrieve Ascot from the clutches of those pesky Magic Knights. And as a bonus, I shall destroy them for Lord Zagato."
"Do not fail, Alcyone." Inouva commanded, using his magic to destroy the sphere of light around Alcyone. While the gem she usually worn had been lost in the Spring of Eterna, she had a backup. Sure, it didn't have her magic staff, but it would have to do. Sliding the headpiece on, Alcyone chuckled darkly, already having a plan for ending the lives of our protagonists...
The four Magic Knights (plus Ascot) continued on the path to the Rune God, traversing a wide open field that was a nice break from the forests. Mokona happily bounced along, humming pleasantly as the group of four+one followed behind. However, they were interrupted when a short earthquake erupted, startling Mokona.
"These earthquakes just seem to be getting worse and worse, don't they?" Fuu remarked.
"Yeah." Hikaru agreed.
"I wonder if we'll ever be able to get back to Tokyo..." Umi muttered, walking next to Ascot as he floated along behind the rest.
"I swear to god Umi, you'd better just be talking about how fucking unreliable Mokona can be as a guide sometimes." Logan stated, scooping up Mokona as he bounced in circles around them. "'Cause if you're starting to doubt us, then I'm going to get Hikaru to beat the negativity out of you."
"Why me!?" Hikaru demanded.
"You're the positive one." Logan shrugged, heading up next to Hikaru to show Mokona the crossroads they had come to. "Anyway, fluffball. Which way do we go?"
Mokona hummed for a bit, looking down both paths before looking at the grass straight ahead. His ears perked up, and everyone looked at the guiding familiar with curiosity, only for him to pick a flower and start sniffing it.
"Come on Mokona!" Umi groaned. "Which path are we supposed to take?! This way?! That way?! We don't have time to- Uah!" The Magic Knight's rambling was cut off as Mokona bounced up and smacked her right in the face, sending her sprawling across the grass. When she got up, she once again looked angry, especially since she was holding up a yellow mallet that she seemingly pulled out of nowhere. "Mokona!" She shouted, charging towards the fluffball as it dug into the ground.
"Uh, Umi..." Hikaru trailed.
"I believe it might be best for you to calm down a bit..." Fuu sighed.
"When the fuck did she get a mallet!?" Logan demanded.
"Is... Is this normal...?" Ascot asked, completely dumbfounded.
"Unfortunately..." Fuu said. "Please allow Miss Umi a moment to calm herself..."
Moments passed, and eventually Umi collapsed to her knees, her brief tantrum over. "I just wish we knew when we'd finally be able to get back to Tokyo... At this rate, I'll never be able to enter that fencing tournament..."
"Hey, Umi. Come on now, cheer up! I just know you'll be able to enter that fencing tournament!" Hikaru stated, walking up behind her friend. "Cephiro is a land of the will! If you wish for it hard enough, it's sure to come true!"
"I agree." Was all Fuu had to say in response.
"I'll wish for it, too!" Hikaru revealed, ever the optimist. "I'll wish with all my might that you'll be able to enter that fencing tournament!"
"Yes. I'll wish for it as well, Miss Umi!" Fuu added.
"Oh, what the hell? Sure, I'll wish for it, too!" Logan chuckled, a trademark grin on his face.
Alcyone stood about a mile away from the Magic Knights and Ascot. Her plan was simple, she would use one of Ascot's beasts to freeze the Magic Knights solid, and then execute them with ease. Obtaining said beast had been quite easy, Inouva was willing to turn a blind eye once she disclosed her plan to him, and so 'borrowing' one from around the castle was almost laughable.
"Hmm, Deucy, I believe your name was. Are you ready?" Alcyone questioned. The slug-like monster growled, either willing to destroy the Magic Knights, or just unhappy that Alcyone was bossing it around instead of Ascot. "I assure you, when we are done here, Ascot will be safe and sound. But in order for that to happen, you must take this." The wicked sorceress commanded, summoning a small purple orb.
Deucy leaned down towards the sorceress, examining the orb. It hesitated briefly, then consumed it. Alcyone chuckled slightly, seeing her plan was going swimmingly. Deucy let out a roar of agony, beginning to thrash about.
"Oh, I suppose I neglected to mention that the medicine you just took will use your life as the source of its power!" She cackled as Deucy's form darkened to nothing but a shadow, then cracking like glass before exploding in a large shockwave of pure ice magic. The land inside said shockwave froze solid, temperatures plummeting. Alcyone kept laughing, knowing that the Magic Knights would likely just be frozen solid. Ascot would be too, but he could be thawed easily.
Meanwhile, our protagonists saw no sign of danger. Which should have alerted them to incoming bad times. Ascot was the first to hear the magic humming, turning around to see the giant glowing ball that was the incoming ice wave.
"Deucy...?" He guessed, knowing his monsters far too well.
"Oh you've gotta be FU-" Logan started as the wave hit them, engulfing them in blinding white light.
Umi in particular floated in the void, a look of shock on her face. 'To be defeated in a place like this... I really... Need to get back to Tokyo...!'
And then the light faded. Umi's vision was blurry, but she could definitely make something out. What looked like stairs. The ground was cold beneath her. "Oh, what is it now...?" She muttered, instinctually grabbing a nearby railing to pull herself up. "Where am I...?" She wondered, rubbing the blurriness out of her eyes. And that was when she made a horrifying realization.
She was back in Tokyo Tower.
"Umi! Mokona!" Hikaru called into the icy wasteland, both people having completely vanished in the blast.
"Miss Umi! Sir Mokona!" Fuu shouted.
"Brr..." Logan shivered, hugging himself in a vain attempt for warmth. "Has Cephiro already gone to shit this much?"
"I doubt it is that." Fuu stated. "This seemed far too sudden. While there is always a chance it is simply bizzare weather, I feel it is much more likely that this is a magic attack."
"I'll say." Ascot agreed. "But then, who would be attacking us? There's only two things I can think of, and neither of them are very likely."
"It's Alcyone and one of your monsters, isn't it?" Logan fired.
"How'd you guess?"
"You're a summoner. Alcyone has powerful ice magic."
"Oh. Right. But, if that's the case, how did Alcyone get out? You all know for a fact I couldn't have summoned Deucy."
"That doesn't matter right now." Fuu stated. "If this is indeed an attack from Alcyone, wouldn't our magic be able to counter it?"
"That's right!" Hikaru agreed, holding her hands in front of her chest. "Ruby Lightning!"
The fiery blast lit the skies crimson, briefly warming everyone up. However, it lasted less than five seconds before fading back into the deadly cold.
"Maybe this is just weird weather..." Ascot mumbled.
"In any case, we can't just leave Umi and Mokona behind." Logan said. "Come on, let's go fi- SHIT!" He cursed, his foot catching on something as he fell face-first onto the ice, sliding slightly.
"Are you okay!?" Hikaru asked, kneeling down next to him and helping him up."
"Just peachy... What the hell did I even-" He started, looking back to what he might have tripped over. "Mokona!?"
Sure enough, the fluffball familiar was sitting there, looking perfectly content despite being frozen solid.
"Sir Mokona!" Fuu gasped.
"Mokona!" Hikaru cried, staring at the frozen creature. "What should we do? If we use our magic to melt the ice, we'll definitely burn Mokona, too!"
"Let's head to a nearby town. We can borrow tools there and dig Sir Mokona out!" Fuu suggested.
"That's... Actually a pretty good idea." Ascot agreed.
"Let's go!" Logan commanded, carefully walking off as to not slip.
Alcyone watched the Magic Knights' plight through a magic reflection in Deucy's frozen form.
"What's wrong?" She cooed. "Why are you acting like you're so cold? It's such lovely weather out today." She said with a grin, before breaking out into a full-blown evil cackle.
Umi stared around Tokyo Tower, feeling a bit creeped out by everyone being frozen in time. No movement, no stares to her in her armor, nothing.
"What in the world's going on...?" She asked to nobody in particular. However, she quickly came to a solid guess. She quickly drew her sword, and prepared for battle against whoever or whatever made this recreation. "Not bad for a recreation of Tokyo Tower! I guess Zagato's pretty good at this stuff!"
But then she humored another thought. "Could this... Somehow be real?" Her mind flashed back to the blast that sent her here. "Because I wished hard enough for it, was I able to come back... To Tokyo?"
The frozen and unmoving people were starting to give her the creeps. If this was real, then that meant that everyone was truly frozen in time. Unable to move. Umi started to sprint through the observation deck, hoping to at least catch a whisper of someone wondering why the hell there was this random girl with a sword.
'Somebody...'
"Somebody move! Somebody here speak to me!" She cried out, her voice echoing through the silence. But then she stopped as she saw an unhealthy amount of blue off to her side. She'd found her class, also frozen in time. And who better than the former captain of her school's fencing team to be the one she saw first.
"Captain..."
"Lower your chin! Elbows in, like this! That's the way!" The captain instructed. "You're looking good!"
"Thank you very much, Captain!" Umi said with a smile.
"Stop calling me Captain. You're the captain of the team now."
"Hehe, but to me, you'll always be the captain, Captain."
"Oh, such a stubborn kid. Well, good luck in the next tournament! I expect you to win this year, and bring the championship flag back to our school!"
"You got it!"
Umi's flashback ended just as quickly as it began, and she was left staring at the frozen captain.
"Why...? I'm finally able to go back to Tokyo... I can finally enter the fencing tournament... But why...?" She muttered, resting her head against the frozen captain's chest. Although she may as well have been leaning against a wall. "Ugh... Captain..."
"I'll wish with all my might that you'll be able to enter that fencing tournament!" Hikaru's voice echoed, although the girl was nowhere in sight.
"Yes. I'll wish for it as well, Miss Umi!" Fuu reassured her, though she remained out of sight.
"Oh, what the hell? Sure, I'll wish for it, too!" Logan's voice laughed. But like the others, he was nowhere to be found.
"Hikaru! Fuu! Logan!" Umi called out, hoping they would hear her and find her. But they never came...
The reason for their lack of a presence was simple: They were still in Cephiro. They had been walking for maybe five minutes, hoping to escape the blizzard when Hikaru tripped on something, falling forward.
"Hikaru..." Ascot sighed, refusing to acknowledge the fact that he would've tripped instead if he hadn't had his floating platform.
"What did you even-" Logan started. "No fucking way..."
"Logan? Is something the matter?"
"Look!"
Hikaru turned to face the object she had tripped on. Finding... The frozen Mokona. Despite walking in a dead straight line for minutes on end, they ended up right back where they came. "But how? We just walked so far..."
"My only guess is that we have somehow wandered into an enclosed space..." Fuu theorized.
"So it is magic?" Logan asked.
"It would appear that way." Fuu sighed, drawing her sword, prompting Hikaru and Logan to do the same. The three of them and Ascot stood/floated back to back, ready to move at the slightest sign of an attacker.
They stood there like that for what seemed like hours, getting colder and colder by the minute. By now, it was starting to seem hopeless. Umi was gone, Mokona was frozen, and they couldn't escape.
A thud alerted them of Fuu collapsing, finally done in by the frigid temperatures.
"Fuu... You can't... Give up..." Logan muttered, only to faceplant in the snow himself. Hikaru followed shortly after, leaving Ascot, who, while still freezing, had the most protection from the elements due to the enchantments Zagato had placed upon his robes. He hadn't expected to need the elemental resistances, but he was grateful for them now.
The snow finally let up after the three Magic Knights collapsed, and Alcyone revealed herself.
"Alcyone!" Ascot shouted. "I knew it was you! How did you even get out!?"
"To think you let such children get the best of you..." Alcyone sighed, staring down at the fallen heroes. "As for how I am here? Well, you can thank Lord Zagato for that. He offered to release me in return for retrieving you from these little eggs' clutches. While all I need to do is bring you back before Lord Zagato, I'm sure I would earn more of his respect back if I also took along their frozen corpses."
"L- Leave them alone!" Ascot demanded. "It's me you want!"
"Are you really defending these pathetic children? What would Lord Zagato think?"
"They're only doing what they're doing because they want to go home! They each have things to be looking forward to! T- Take Umi, for example! She's got a fencing tournament she's so desperate to enter!"
"My, you even know their names." Alcyone said coldly. "And which one is this 'Umi?'"
"Well, she's... She's not here right now..."
"What!?" Alcyone roared. "That's impossible! How could one of them have gotten away!?"
"I- I don't know! S- She just vanished in that bright light!"
"Silence!" Alcyone demanded, turning and knocking Ascot out with the butt of her sword. Although before she could continue her blind rage, she at the very least teleported Ascot back to Zagato's fortress, ensuring her safety. "Now..." She lifted Hikaru's unconscious form off the ground by the collar of her uniform, glaring daggers at the small girl. "What did you do with the other one!?" The sorceress shouted. "Where!" She continued, slapping Hikaru across the face. "Did she!" Another slap. "Go!?"
"Let her go..." A low voice growled weakly.
"Who said that!?"
"I said... Let her go..." The voice continued as Logan's body began to move. Using the Master Sword to support himself as he stood up.
"You..." Alcyone trailed, dropping Hikaru's limp form into the snow. "How are you even standing!?"
"If you think I'm just gonna let you hit her like that..."
"I see... Your will to protect her gives you the strength to face me."
"And it's also gonna give me the strength to kick your ass." Logan growled, the Master Sword glowing with energy for what was hopefully the final encounter with Alcyone.
"I see. Well, I suppose it would be even better to humiliate you before you die." Alcyone threatened, pointing her sword at Logan.
"You're on."
The two parties ran forth, their blades colliding in a shower of sparks. And the fight was on.
The two combatants glared at each other, each both adamant to win their clash. But Logan was only running on his willpower, his body weak from the cold. Alcyone was able to push him back and make him stumble, taking the opportunity to attack. She was stopped only by his shield, which he'd raised on instinct to block the blow. Now it was Alcyone's turn to recoil, giving Logan time to return the favor. But then he was blocked expertly by Alcyone, the sorceress pushing him back with ease.
"You're weak." Alcyone remarked. "While your will allows you to continue, your body isn't accustomed to this kind of strain." She pointed out. "And thus, you have no hope of defeating me!" She concluded, locking her sword between the guard of the Master Sword and Logan's hand. Alcyone then twisted her blade, and disarmed her opponent with ease.
Alarmed, Logan raised his shield in an attempt to withstand the incoming barrage. The sound echoed across the icy wasteland with each impact. Yet Logan still stood, wincing with each strike.
Alcyone seemed to tire slightly, and Logan used that as his opportunity to disorient her and pick his sword back up. As soon as she stopped swinging for a second, he threw his fist out and tried to punch her. Yet Alcyone wasn't as worn out as she thought.
"Silly little Magic Knight." She said with a grin, catching the attack. "Did you really think that would work?"
Alcyone's hand then started glowing with a black and purple aura. Logan immediately pulled his hand away, feeling as if she'd burned him.
"Gah! What the hell did you just do!?"
"Nothing you need to worry your little head about." Alcyone told him, kicking him in the stomach to finally take him down.
"I wonder what could've happened to Hikaru and the others..." Umi wondered, still within the frozen Tokyo Tower. "Were they hit by that blinding light from before and... No, that can't be! They can all use totally amazing magic! They must be alive somewhere in Cephiro!
"Umi!" Hikaru's voice cried out.
"Hikaru!?" Umi shouted, whipping around as she tried to find her friend. However, all she saw was a young boy and his mother glow white, and then transform into masses of darkness that took over the fabric of reality itself. "This place..." Umi trailed as the world around her began to darken. "I see. This isn't Tokyo. This is just a world that my heart created! A world of indecision!"
Umi stepped forward, finding her determination once again. "I'm going back. Back to find my friends, Hikaru, Logan and Fuu. I'm going back! I'm going back!" She repeated, breaking into a sprint. "I'm going back to the place I'm supposed to be!"
A light appeared in front of her, engulfing her once again. And she soon felt the air growing colder. "Hikaru! Fuu! Logan!"
The light faded, and she was back in the sunlight. Ice and snow as far as the eye could see. And an all-too familiar face standing above her friends.
"There you are!" Alcyone cackled.
"You've got a face I don't think I'll ever be able to forget." Umi replied with a smug smile. "If it isn't the old witch who failed in the Forest of Silence and in the Spring of Eterna. Alcyone, right? You shouldn't be so persistent. It gets really annoying."
"What did you say!?" Alcyone demanded, charging forward, sword at the ready. Umi was able to block the attack in the same way Logan did, locking the two in a clash. "That was a nice maneuver. I commend you on your skill! But let's get this over with!"
With that, Alcyone easily overpowered Umi, making her fall into a small ice ledge. She then stabbed the ice next to Umi's head, and attempted to bring her blade across to decapitate her. Umi was barely able to bring her blade up in time to block it.
"You were so confident a moment ago. Now look at you. It's time to say goodbye! I bid you farewell, novice Magic Knight."
'I must not give up...' Umi reminded herself, staring at the (hopefully) unconscious bodies of her friends. 'I cannot... I cannot...!'
"I can't lose!" Umi bellowed, and then the gem on her sword began to glow and crack, shattering in a blinding blue light as the sword evolved at last, receiving similar upgrades to the other two. Sharper, stronger, and even more ornate. The handle was longer and now was really able to reach over her fingers. The gem was now bigger and shinier, and a bit more gold complimented the blue.
"It evolved!" Umi realized, not wasting another moment raising her sword high and bringing it down on Alcyone, who attempted to block, only for her sword to shatter like glass. Realizing she was defenseless, she instantly fled in a panic. Deucy, the monster that caused the blizzard, then cracked apart and exploded, thawing the land and returning it to normal.
"Hikaru Hikaru!" Umi called, and the redhead began to stir, eventually sitting up and noticing her.
"Umi!" Hikaru cried, closing the distance and hugging Umi. "Where did you go!?"
"Ain't that the question..." Logan muttered, still laying on the ground. "Coulda used your help back there."
"We were all extremely worried about you." Fuu explained, while Mokona just sat on her shoulder, puuing happily.
"Fuu! Logan! Mokona! You're alright!" Hikaru cheered. "But... Where's Ascot?"
"Taken." Logan sighed. "Alcyone took him back while you were out. But I'm sure he'll be okay. Hopefully he won't come after us again."
"I'm sorry." Umi apologized. "I was dreaming."
"Dreaming?" Hikaru wondered.
"Hikaru. Fuu. Logan. We can't go back to Tokyo just yet. Not until we finally save Cephiro."
"Yeah!" Everyone agreed.
'Until that day... Please wait for my return... Captain.' Umi mused, staring off into the distance.
"Uah! How could she do that to my friend Deucy!?" Ascot demanded. He'd woken up in Zagato's fortress, and Inouva had filled him in on what happened.
"I will take full responsibility for it." Inouva reassured him. "It was I who allowed her to take your monster on her mission to retrieve you. I did not expect she would use it in such a way, and we will confront her next. However, she has also informed us of your attempt to befriend the Magic Knights."
Ascot remained silent. He didn't have much to say about that. He hadn't been with them long, but he had eventually grown to at least understand their motivations.
"Hm. Perhaps their influence is more powerful than we expected." Zagato mused. "I'll let his actions go this time."
"Next time, you will not be forgiven." Inouva warned. "You are dismissed."
Ascot still remained silent, walking out of the room. And moments later, Alcyone entered.
"Yes, my lord?"
"So... You failed once again to defeat the Magic Knights."
"...Yes. I did. But I almost had them! If that girl's sword hadn't evolved-"
"That does not change the fact you still failed." Inouva said, silencing the sorceress. "However, you were successful in your primary task. You did manage to bring Ascot back. And so we have come to a decision."
"While you will be free of your imprisonment, you will not be allowed to leave this castle unless ordered." Zagato revealed. "Aside from that, you may do as you please."
"Yes, Lord."
"That is all."
Night had fallen over Cephiro once again. Logan stood in his room, back to the door. He knew the girls were asleep, and so knew there wouldn't be any disturbances when he tried to do the same. Piece by piece, he removed bits of his armor so he could change into his nightclothes. The shoulder pads, the chestplate, the boots, and then... The gauntlets.
Normally, this sequence would be less than a footnote compared to the rest of a typical day in Cephiro. But it was as he slid off his right gauntlet that he was met with an alarming sight.
A black mass with a purple, vein-like design roughly the size of his gauntlet's storage gem was there. Under normal circumstances, he would've just assumed it was a bruise and probably had Fuu heal it in the morning. But not only was this strange mass completely flat, as if it was a pattern on his skin, but it also had almost tendril-like extensions coming off of it. While it was hard to see with only the dim light of the moon, Logan almost could've sworn the mass was slowly growing.
He thought back to any point throughout the day that this could've appeared. Monsters never struck him in the right hand, considering the fact they'd likely be diced up by the Master Sword. It couldn't have been from the cold, because then he would likely be covered in these strange things. But then he remembered.
He'd tried to punch Alcyone in the face. While he'd initially thought that was a good idea, he remembered the dark aura and the burning sensation. Had she given him this? Was it really growing? What would it do?
These questions (and more) added up to a long, sleepless night.
Word Count: 5,118
yeah sorry for the wait. i was gonna get this out last weekend but i was absolutely hyperfixated on tears of the kingdom (great game btw, you should play it) and almost didn't do it this week because i was distracted by batman arkham city (also great game) but hey, it's here now