Chapter 1: Prison Break of Fire and Thunder.
"Welcome to the hideout of the resistance!" Erina proudly declares as the group steps out of an alleyway. Only to be shocked at what they were seeing. Sojiro especially.
"What the hell!? Why is my café here!?" He asks in shock, grabbing Erina's attention.
"Hm? You know this restaurant?"
"Know it? It's practically my life at this point!" Sojiro replies in pure disbelief at what he is seeing. "How did it end up here?" Erina tilts her head at him, arms dropping to her side.
"I don't know. As far as I know, it's always been here." She replies, leaving Sojiro even more gobsmacked. "We've always used it as our hideout."
"But…how is that possible?" Athena asks, puzzled at the reveal. "They are way too similar to be a coincidence." Crow hums in response, racking his brain over possible explanations yet shooting each one down. Before Tae suddenly snaps her fingers.
"Wait… If Sojiro's café is here, then maybe everyone else is as well." She suggests, much to Erina's initial confusion.
"Well, they were in the Café when I came to find you all, so that is a possibility." Mona agrees before glancing at the café. "Let's go inside and check!" Mona rushes over, pushing the door open as it gives out its iconic jingle.
Only to find a very empty café.
"It's empty…" He says dejectedly, walking deeper into the café as the others follow.
"I can't believe it. It's the exact same layout as my own." Sojiro remarks in astonishment.
"Well, I certainly like this place." Erina says with a giant grin. "And if your café is exactly the same as this, then I would love that too. Let me get you some drinks and…wait, what!?" Erina suddenly shouts, seeing Akechi and Sae walk into the café. "Whe-When did you two change!? And your masks are gone too…"
"Huh? So we have." Akechi remarks, finding himself back in his detective coat and heavy winter jacket before quickly taking said jacket off. "But we won't need the winter gear here."
"Agreed." Sae replies as she, Tae and Sojiro do the same. "But, Mona didn't change form when he entered…"
"Yeah. I'm still like this." Mona says, looking himself over. "But if you guys reverted back to normal, then that must mean this really is a safe place for us."
"Um…what are you talking about?" Erina asks, completely confused.
"Simply put, our previous forms are what we wear when we are in dangerous areas to protect us. When we enter areas deemed safe, we revert back to this." Akechi says, heavily sliming the information down. "And since we are someplace safe, we can use our real names."
"Huh? Real names?" Erina asks with some shock in her voice.
"When we are in those outfits, which we call our Rebel Garb or Thief Attire, we go by codenames to protect our identity. My name is actually Morgana."
"Sae Nijima, Defence Attorney."
"Goro Akechi, Detective." The three reintroduced themselves to Erina, who, despite the sudden change, took it on the chin.
"Well, pleased to meet you again." She tells them. "Anyway, now that we are here, we can start talking about where we are. Judging by all of your reactions, it's safe to say you aren't from around here."
"That's right." Tae remarks before noticing Sojiro moving behind the counter. "What are you doing, Sojiro?"
"Isn't it obvious?" He asks, putting on an apron. "This is going to be a long explanation. I am cooking us coffee and curry to keep our strength up." The four remain silent as Sojiro gets to work, with Sae giving an awkward cough to grab attention.
"Well…while Sojiro does his thing, we can start talking about what is going on and how we arrived here in the first place."
"So, you all came from another world?" Erina asks with some scepticism in her voice. "I have to admit, that's rather hard to grasp. This world's the only one I've ever known." She leans forward, looking at her empty cup as Sojiro gives her another, to which she gives him a polite nod of thanks. "On top of that, you are telling me you are part of a team of thieves who steal hearts, and you just stumbled into this world…?" Erina looks at them with a stern look before bursting out into a fit of laughter. "I have no idea what's going on!"
"Believe me, we're in the same boat here." Mona replies with a drooping head. "All of a sudden, we were in an alleyway being shot at by Marie's forces, and then you rescued us. All the while, we're unsure if the rest of the team is even here. We really have no idea what's going on." A chorus of sighs escapes the five while Erina looks at them with concerned eyes.
"Well, I suppose it's my turn to answer questions. So go ahead. Feel free to ask away." She says with a smile.
"In that case, who is the 'Marie'? We have yet to see her, but judging by the tone of your voice and the fact that these troops seem to be her own personal army, I can already imagine she is some form of authority in this world." Akechi asks, seeing the storm of emotions on her face.
"Oh, you have NO idea…" Erina says with a lot of bitterness in her voice. "She's a ruthless tyrant who fancies herself the ruler of these parts. This used to be a peaceful place, free of any sort of conflict. Then, Marie appeared…and changed everything." She takes a sip of the coffee, savouring its taste before looking back at the group. "She declared that the entire city and all its citizens were now her property. With her invincible soldiers leading the way, she quickly seized full control."
"Invincible soldiers? Are you talking about those soldiers we encountered? The ones who attacked us?" Sae asks, placing a hand over her mouth.
"Yes. The Legionnaires. As I'm sure you all saw, not only are they incredibly strong, but all we can do is knock them out. They're always back on their feet all too soon. No matter what tactics we try, they're seemingly invincible."
"Maybe they are shadows of some kind?" Mona asks Sae and Akechi.
"It's possible… We had no trouble taking them down, even if it was temporarily. Perhaps only those with a Persona are able to permanently kill them." Sae replies.
"It is possible, were we at full strength, but I'm not sure if they are really shadows. They remind me of the punks from The Streets. Perhaps this is the work of Jerri's master…" Akechi replies with a frown.
"Shadows? Persona? Jerri?" Erina asks, confused. "I don't know what those are, but after Marie showed up and declared that this was her Kingdom, she brainwashed anyone she could find. Then uses them up until they're nothing."
"Brainwashing?" Tae asks with a shocked look. "That must have been what those Legionnaires planned to do to us."
"It is possible. They are always snatching up anyone they see."
"You said this was the Rebel Crop's hideout, correct?" Sae asks. "So I take it there are plenty of people who object to her rule?"
"Marie is strong enough that it'll take everyone in the city to stop her. That's why I founded the Rebel Crops. I've served as a leader ever since." Erina says with a proud smile. "As the one who inspires the citizens here to fight, it's my job to see that Marie no longer enslaves them."
"Standing up to a corrupt regime no matter the odds. You sound a lot like us." Mona quips with a grin.
"Well, I'm not sure our win record is as impressive as yours…" She replies with a few sweat drops. "There are so few of us left now. We're basically an army in name only."
"Fighting against a foe who won't stay down will do that to you." Sojiro remarks from behind the counter.
"Right. The best we can do right now is lay low here and look for gaps in their defence." Erina gives a sigh, leaning back on the couch.
"I have one more question. Why did you save us?" Mona asks suddenly, much to Erina's confusion.
"Why? You were in trouble, so I had to help." She replies, not missing a beat.
"Even though Marie has it out for you? Those guys were probably looking for you." Tae remarks.
"True. But I admit, I was already considering recruiting you too the cause." Erina reveals with a grin. "I've never seen anyone go toe-to-toe with Marie's forces before. Not that well anyway."
"We'll certainly take the compliment. Even if we are not as strong as we usually are." Mona admits with a sheepish look.
"Really? You look plenty strong to me." Erina replies, earning a nod of appreciation from Mona.
"So, if I'm understanding this right, this Marie is doing whatever she pleases in this world." Sae sums-up. "But, does she have a goal? To go through all this trouble means that she has some sort of end goal."
"It's nothing grand or even imposing." Erina replies, giving out a long, drawn-out sigh. "The perfect wedding." The cool music in Leblanc suddenly comes to a screeching halt as all eyes turn to Erina with either dumbfoundment or shock.
"The perfect wedding!?" Mona shouts.
"She's doing all of this so she can get married!?" Sojiro asks in equal shock.
"That is perhaps the weakest excuse I have ever heard…" Tae says with a shake of her head.
"I concur…" Akechi agrees with his own disappointment.
"Compared to who we went up against before…I am also inclined to agree." Sae admits. "So…she's doing all this so she can get married?"
"Yes." Erina replies with an equal disgust in her eyes. "Marie is in a perpetual state of preparing for her wedding. It's become her single obsession by this point. It always needs more, no matter the pain it may cost. Her own Legionnaires and the citizens she's captured are all forced to prepare for her wedding. She was even able to command them to build a huge tank with a premature message on the grill."
"A tank? Wonder if it could go up against our own." Mona says with a cheeky grin.
"You have a tank!?" Erina asks in shock.
"We do. However, only Futaba, our navigator, is able to summon it. And without her, we can't bring the Edelweiss to the field." Akechi replies, draining Erina's mood.
"Dang it…we could have used that."
"Either way, it sounds as though she is a real threat. More than enough to warrant our stay." Sae remarks, drawing nods from Akechi and Mona.
"Ren and Makoto may not be here, but if they were, they would absolutely agree." Mona says with a head nod.
"Ren and Makoto? Who are they?" Erina asks.
"They are the Leader and Co-Leader of the Phantom Thieves." Sojiro tells her with a proud grin. "Ren is my adoptive son, alongside Hifumi and Futaba, his adopted sisters. And Makoto, his girlfriend, is Sae-san's younger sister. At this point, the Thieves are more of a family than anything else."
"They are also the strongest out of all of us." Mona says with a shiver. "I won't forget that day when they had to put us through a training exercise when we began to lose cohesion. You never want to end up on the bad side of Ren and Makoto." He still remembers the beating he and Ryuji got when they started arguing again before having to go against both Ren and Makoto at the same time. Even if it turned into a great way for them to train and relieve stress.
"I see. I hope to meet them one day." Erina replies with a smile. "So, are we going to join forces?" The three Thieves look at each other before nodding in unison.
"Yes. We are." Akechi replies, holding his hand out.
"Then welcome to the Rebel Crops, Comrades." Erina replies with a beaming smile. "Now that that is settled, it's time to take down Marie!"
"But what should we do?" Tae asks suddenly. "Isn't there a way to build up your forces, Erina? Not to doubt anyone's strengths, but I think we will need more than just us."
"Don't worry. We're not completely in the dark." Erina tells her, just as the Café door opens.
"I've returned—I've returned with my report!" A squeak voice echoes as all eyes turn to a miniature hat person. Dressed in a red gentleman's coat.
"Hm? What's with that guy? And who is he?" Mona asks, grabbing the person's attention.
"Egad! Who's this unfamiliar furball!?" He shouts, shocking Mona in place before seeing the other four people around the café. "Who are all of you!?"
"Stand down there… these are new comrades of ours!" Erina quickly says, moving to the front of the group. While Tae pokes a non-responding Mona.
"You okay?" She asks as Mona suddenly droops.
"Furball? Why not a cat? I'm always called that…" He mumbles as Tae pats his back.
"You were on recon, right? What did you find?" Erina asks the scout, who bobs his hat up and down.
"C-Correct, Captain! And your intel was right on the mark!" The scout replies enthusiastically. "Multiple unknown individuals are being held in the Wall Prison!" The scout's words caught the ears of everyone in the café.
"Unknown individuals? I had assumed it would have been more of us who were being held there." Erina replies, rubbing her chin. "But then again, it is possible that she has captured your compatriots and has imprisoned them."
"As much as I want to say that's not possible, we are currently not a full strength." Akechi admits. "Even if all eleven of them were together, if Marie is as strong as you say, then in our weakened state, it is possible they could have been captured."
"Ren…Futaba…Hifumi…" Sojiro says in worry, looking at the bunker.
"How do we get to the Prison? Where is it located?" Sae asks Erina as she glances at her scout.
"I'll have to double-check the map and pinpoint which dungeon it is. Marie has multiple around the castle and in the walls. I'll also come up with a strategy as well." Erina replies before heading for the stairs. "Best get some rest. This will take a while." She tells them before vanishing upstairs.
"Man… What is going on here?" Mona asks the others. "Why are we suddenly depowered even though we still have our true Personae? Shouldn't they have reverted to what they were when we first summoned them if we lost out powers?"
"That is a good question. But I doubt we'll find the answer anytime soon." Akechi replies with a huff. Before glancing out the window. "I hope Sumire is alright…"
"I'm worried about Makoto and Ren-kun as well… Even with how strong they are…" Sae tapers off, glancing at the floor.
"Would help if we had some sort of assurance that they are here or not." Tae remarks. Before, a blue butterfly appears in the centre of them, flapping happily. "Um…when did that get here?"
"A butterfly?" Sojiro asks, eyes narrow, while Morgana gasps in shock.
"It's Lady Lavenza!" He cries, watching as the butterfly heads for the restroom. Before turning it into a door to the Velvet Room. "She's calling us!"
"Perhaps she can give us some insight on what is happening here." Akechi replies as he stands up. "Sojiro, Tae, it would be wise to join us."
"If you think we can enter it." Sojiro remarks as the group approaches the door. Mona hops onto the doorknob, opening the door as the five soon find themselves transported to the Velvet Room.
At least…that's what they thought they were going. But instead of appearing in a train carriage that Ren had described the room taking on after being freed from Yaldabaoth, they found themselves facing a giant forge. Complete with turning gears while a sign hung above it. Calling this place the 'Velvet Armoury'.
"This is…not what Ren-kun described." Sae remarks.
"It's been a while…well, a very short while, I suppose…" A gentle voice echoes through the room, drawing all eyes to the speaker. A young girl with silver hair wearing a blacksmith apron. While sitting in a chair next to a desk was a man with a long nose, wide eyes and a giant grin.
"Welcome to the Velvet Room." The man greets them with a warm, grandfatherly voice. "This realm exists between dream and reality, between mind and matter. And it appears you have suffered quite the ordeal."
"Lady Lavenza! Master Igor!" Mona shouts, rushing up to the two with Lavenza reaching down to pat him.
"Hello Morgana. It is wonderful to see you again." Lavenza replies before glancing up. Giving a sad sigh. "So… The Trickster is not among you…"
"Trickster? Do you mean Ren?" Sojiro asks. "Do you know where he is?"
"For a moment, we felt his presence here, along with the others. However, I am afraid that we cannot sense his presence anymore. It is being suppressed." Igor reveals with a tired voice. "The same force that has altered the Velvet Room into what it currently is."
"However, we do not know who is responsible. Or their intentions." Lavenza replies with a worried frown. "All the more worrying that we cannot connect to either of the Trickster's allies. All we can say for certain is that our current situation deviates greatly from the natural course of events."
"Please tell me we don't have another Maruki situation?" Tae says with a pleading look.
"From what we have gathered so far, no, it is not." Igor replies. "However, we admit that we had become lax after our victory over Nyarlathotep's scheme. Leading to us being caught in this aberration as well."
"Whoever they may they, they are also responsible for the current chaotic state of this room." Lavenza remarks, gesturing to the Velvet Room. "It's as if…some force of negation has infected this place."
"Just like what Yaldabaoth did before." Mona says with annoyance.
"Indeed. And this force of negation is also responsible for you and the other's drop in power." Igor reveals. "It is very troubling. Even if your Personas remain untouched, their powers are being shackled in this place."
"That explains our current situation." Sae remarks. "But what about this place? A tyrant called Marie refers to this place as a Kingdom."
"Then we shall refer to that realm as such." Lavenza replies. "As for this Kingdom, it is different to Mementos and other Palaces. Unfortunately, returning from here is no easy feat. We will be stuck here for eternity if we try to wait."
"Eternity!?" Sojiro shouts with wide eyes.
"Well, consider that plan scrapped then. Not that we were considering it anyway." Akechi replies.
"Right. We've never given up before, and we're not starting now." Mona readily agrees. "We're finding the others and getting the hell out of this place!" Lavenza smiles softly at the group as Igor slowly claps his hands.
"Excellent. I had expected much." He says gently. "So long as we are able, we will do all in our power to aid you. However, without Ren, we will be unable to fuse new personae. That is if the power of the Wild Card has not been negated itself."
"And until then, we will continue to bring this room under control. So we can be ready to assist you once you have found Ren." Lavenza adds.
"We shall do our best." Sae replies, giving them a small bow.
"By the way… Lavenza was it? Is that outfit also part of the changes to this place?" Tae asks, drawing attention to the blacksmith's apron. Igor gives a soft chuckle while Lavenza shakes her head.
"No. I merely thought, under the circumstances, I could perhaps dress more fittingly to the theme." She says, turning around, grabbing a welding mask, and putting it on. "What do you think? Does it suit me?" The group stayed quiet, unsure what to say at the… new look Lavenza was trying on. They wanted to say something, but seeing a little girl with a mask that hid their emotions did nothing but send a cold sweat down their spine.
"Does it suit me?" She asks again with a sweet voice while taking a step forward, but it still manages to send a child down the backs of their spines. How do they say something when being intimidated like this!?
"Y-Yeah! Looking cool!" Mona says eventually, with the rest quickly agreeing. Lavenza took the mask off with a beaming smile.
"It pleases me to hear that." She tells them. "Please, visit anytime you need to visit me through the door in the hideout. We will contact you when we are ready to create Personae when you find the Trickster."
With one last bow, the group of five exits the Velvet Room while Lavenza grabs a hammer and welding torch. She glares at the Velvet Room's current look while Igor gives off a tired sigh.
"So…about these people in the Rebel Corps…" Mona suddenly says to the group as they wait for Erina.
"I think I know what you're thinking, Mona." Akechi replies, taking a sip of coffee. "'What are these people, really?' Correct?"
"Yeah! That's right!" Mona says, hopping onto the table. "Normally, we would be able to infer that based on their appearance and behaviour, but it's not working like that here for some reason."
"Perhaps it is related to the mysterious effect that Lavenza has told us about." Sae put forward. "But what we do know is that they are not the same as us. Perhaps everyone around here looks like them."
"But in that case, why does Erina look like us?" Akechi counters while Sojiro and Tae look between them, silent as they let the Metaverse experts think it out. As the three racked their brains, Erina came down the stairs with a map under her arms.
"All right, let's go over the current plan. Take a look at this." She tells them, folding out a map of the city. Showing that it was completely surrounded by walls. With a certain spot circled in blue. "This blue circle in the eastern part is the hideout. As you can see, it is quite far from the castle." She then points to several other red circles around the map. "This one here in the west is an armoury, holding a lot of weapons. It's also a fort all by itself. This red circle due north of that is where Marie gets her tank serviced inside a chapel. And this circle on the wall to our south is the Prison where our 'unknown individuals' are being kept."
"That's quite a lot of ground to cover." Tae remarks. "I don't think Sojiro and I will be able to help much."
"Right. We're not fighters. I'm just a chef." Sojiro remarks.
"That's fine. I won't force you to come. Besides, it helps to have people waiting here who have other skills that aren't related to fighting. I know we could use a medic…" Erina remarks, with Tae perking up.
"Medic? Well, I suppose I could fill that role." She says. "Normally, I would pay for treatments, but since my clinic is not here, I'll make an exception here."
"Thank you so much, Tae." Erina replies with a tired smile. "We keep all the medical supplies that we managed to acquire upstairs, alongside our resting area and armoury. It might not be much, but I hope it helps."
"Getting back to the mission, how do you propose we reach the walls? I highly doubt we would pass through the streets." Akechi asks, gesturing to the map.
"Easy. We will make our way there along the top of the castle's outer wall." Erina draws a line, running to the wall and then following it around to the Prison.
"That's a good move. It will help us not get surrounded as well." Mona replies with a nod. "If that is everything, let's get going! We have Thieves to find and unknown people to rescue!" With a nod, the three Thieves and Erina head out of the café, leaving Tae and Sojiro behind to lock down the fort.
Hoping that they return with their missing friends and family.
Getting to the top of the ramparts proved to be the easy part. Proceeding along the top without being spotted, not so much.
"It would seem as though we have lookouts…" Crow comments, looking at a group of Legionnaires.
"And they are in our way…" Erina comments with a frown. "What do you guys want to do?"
"It'll take too long to sneak around them. We may even be spotted while trying." Athena remarks. "My suggestion is that we take them out before they have a chance to call for backup."
"Sounds like we're on the same page." Mona chimes. "I'll go grab their attention. You guys get ready." He tells them before rushing forward. "Hey! Cone heads! Over here!" He shouts, grabbing the attention of the four Legionnaires.
"Huh? What is that? A walking furball?"
"It's one of the ones that escaped before! Get it!" The four Legionnaires charge forward towards Mona, leaving the cover they were hanging around. Right into Athena's trap.
"Themis! Megido!" Summoning her other self to the field, Athena manages to hit all four Legionnaires with the spell, sending them tumbling over each other. It was then that she saw a line of fire going from her to both Crow and Mona, with another line connecting Crow and Mona. Crow immediately runs in to encase the four Legionnaires inside the fiery triangle, with Athena realising what this means.
"Triple Threat!" She calls as the trio unleashes a barrage of fire on the four downed troops. The onslaught of rounds proved to be too much as they dissolved in black shadows, much to Erina's joy.
"You took them out in one attack! Amazing!" She says before seeing a new foe approach. "Careful! We have a powerful one approaching!"
"A hulk type." Crow hisses, seeing the towering brute holding two giant grenades in his hands. Certainly more intimidating than the ones with paint cans. "Listen! The moment we shoot it, it will jump towards us! Keep your distance at all times!"
"Partisan!" Erina shouts, summoning a spear out of thin air as it slams into the brute. In jumps into the air in a fury, slamming down over a marble wall. However, it was nowhere near the team as it looked around in puzzlement before being shot in the head by Mona and head-planting into the ground as Crow and Athena opened fire on it.
"For such a powerful foe, they don't really think when they leap." Athena remarks, watching as the Legionnaire vanishes into darkness.
"Well, it was by itself. If supported, it would be a much more dangerous foe." Crow remarks as Erina walks up to them.
"Even though you guys are being held back, you are certainly holding your own." She comments. "But…what was that figure you summoned Athena? I saw Crow and Mona do the same before I rescued you."
"That was our Persona. Our other half, as it were." Athena replies.
"They are the power of the heart made manifest. You could summon one as well if you have it." Mona adds. Erina looks between them, closing her lone eye, before suddenly placing her hand on her face and shouting out loud.
"Personaaa!" Her voice echoes around as the trio stares in shock.
"Do you want us to get caught?" Crow hisses as Erina becomes sheepish.
"Eh heh…Sorry." She apologises as the team hurriedly presses on. Not wanting to find out if her call grabbed the attention of unwanted individuals. Eventually, after getting through another fight, the team arrive at the Prison, easily slipping inside.
"That went…surprisingly well…" Erina comments, glancing around the room. Barrels and crates lined everywhere, filled with rations and cannon balls.
"Even so, stay on your toes. We could be ambushed at a moment's notice." Crow tells her as the team slinks into the shadows. Just as a brute lumbers pass, ignorant of their presence.
"It would seem security is much higher here. But that is to be expected." Athena remarks.
"You Thieves are in a whole different league." Erina comments. "I could learn a lot from you."
"We try to find every advantage we can. Never take your opponents on in a head-on fight." Mona tells her as the team presses on through the Prison. Ambushing a wandering patrol, the team move into an area free of guards and lined with cages.
"Things are going too smoothly for my liking." Crow comments, glancing into the cages.
"I know. Why haven't we heard any alarms?" Mona asks, equally concerned.
"This is screaming all the makings of a trap." Athena comments, glancing at the walkways above them. For a moment, she thought she spotted a pink aura of something, but dismissed it.
"Even if it is, we have no choice but to push forward, right?" Erina asks, sharing her concern. The three nod as they press on, unaware they are being watched by three individuals. "There can't be much further to go on…"
"It's so quiet here…it's creepy." Mona comments, earning nods from the others.
"That voice…" A very familiar voice echoes through the darkness from a cell next to them. The group turned to look, only to be shocked to find Iwai and Yoshida locked in the cell. "As I live and breathe!"
"Yoshida-san! Iwai!" Athena comments as the trio rush to the cell door while Erina grabs a set of keys nearby. "What are you doing here?"
"That's what we want to know." Iwai comments, pulling on his hat. "One minute, I was in Untouchable, then a sudden quake hit my shop. Next, I found myself in here with Yoshida-san."
"It is the same with me," Yoshida replies. "One minute, I was in my office. The next I'm here. And…" He turns around to the back of the cell. "We are not the only ones." As Erina opens the cell door, a figure at the back stands up and enters the light.
Dressed in a similar suit like Yoshida but with a glove on his right hand, he looks nervous as Iwai and Yoshida exit the cell, and the group looks at him in confusion. Before Athena recognises him in surprise.
"Wait… Toshiro Kasukabe? What are you doing here?" She asks, earning shocked gasps from Crow and Mona.
"Wait…THIS is Toshiro Kasukabe? The one who's been missing?" Mona asks in surprise as Toshiro grimaces.
"Um, yes, I am Toshiro Kasukabe…" He says nervously as Yoshida sighs.
"I am afraid Toshiro-kun has lost his memories." He says with a grim expression. "But we can't talk here. We are in danger the longer we stay here."
"That's right!" Toshiro suddenly says with nervousness. "Those three terrible people could be back any moment!" Yoshida and Iwai wince at the remark while the group tilt their heads.
"Terrible people?" Erina asks, puzzled.
"They were only appointed to guard the Prison just recently, but we have to avoid them at all costs! Especially that girl with the whip, and the boy with the skull mask…."
"A boy with a skull mask and a girl with a whip?" Crow asks before his eye widens in shock. "No…It can't be!"
"Oh my…Just where do you think you are all going?" A VERY familiar voice, mixed with that of another person, echoes behind them. Turning around, Athena, Crow and Mona stare in shock as, to their disbelieving eyes, Panther, Skull and Oracle approach them. Each glowing with a pink aura, a silver collar around their necks and dull, void eyes. But it was their masks that concerned them.
Each one had been turned into pure silver, with a kiss mark printed on top.
"What the!? What happened to them!?" Mona shouts in shock as Erina growls
"The way she is talking…Marie…she's brainwashed them." She says in a low growl. One that angered the trio.
"How many times do we have to remind you? You belong here." M-Skull asks, shouldering an iron pipe.
"I-It's them!" Toshiro shouts, hiding behind Iwai who growls.
"Can't believe this happened to them." He says in a low voice, even as Toshiro begins to ramble on.
"Listen! You must NOT provoke them! They are too dangerous to get into a fight! They won't hold back if you do!"
"Oh, quit your blabbering, you pathetic coward." M-Panther says in a bored tone. "Did you really not get the whining whipped out of you last time?"
"So, this is Marie's 'brainwashing'? How repulsive." Crow comments with a frown.
"'Brainwashing'? How dare you equate my handiwork to something so common as cleaning!?" M-Oracle says with a frown before smiling like a maniac. "This is 'Domination'! From every corner of their minds to every sense in their bodies, I am the one in control!"
"Relishing in something as terrible as that… You are perhaps the most despicable person I have ever met." Yoshida replies with a growing anger. One that Iwai matched in vigour.
"Amusing words, coming from some low-life thieves who snuck into my secure facility." M-Skull comments. "But I'm glad you did. I always felt like these masked people were missing something."
"Masked people? No…" Athena says quietly at the sinking realisation.
"A collection of eleven doesn't feel right. But a collection of fourteen? Now that's much better." M-Panther remarks, putting her leather whip away and bringing out an SMG as M-Skull whips out a shotgun. "Time to join the others as my playthings!"
"Like hell, we will! Diego! Garu!" Mona calls, sending a blast of wind towards the three brainwashed Thieves. Knocking them back, or rather, they let the wind push them back.
"What's going on? You know these people?" Toshiro asks in confusion before being pushed into cover by Iwai.
"Stay quiet and stay down." He tells him before pulling out a pistol. "Never thought I'd have to use this again. The Yakuza life can never leave me." If Toshiro could shake anymore, he would fall apart at that remark.
"Just make sure not to do lasting harm, Iwai. We both know those three are not in control." Yoshida remarks, with Iwai nodding back before joining the four.
"Need a hand?" He asks the four, ducking into cover.
"Thanks! We're going to do whatever it takes to get them to come back to their senses!" Erina shouts, popping around the corner a letting off a burst of automatic fire. The bullets zip past M-Oracle, who sits on a crate as pink screens appear around her "What is she doing?!"
"That's Oracle! She's the one who can summon the Edelweiss!" Mona warns, letting off a stone from his slingshot towards M-Skull, who ducks behind cover before firing buckshot at him. "Mrow! I hate this!"
"We are the servants of Lady Marie!" M-Panther shouts, sending a ball of fire at them, missing by just inches.
"Her will is ours!" M-Skull adds, sending lightning at them but, again, just missing them.
"We shall fulfil Lady Marie's every last wish!" M-Oracle ends, casting an aura on M-Panther and M-Skull, healing them up and replenishing their strength.
"To have Oracle's support turned against us… Not good." Crow comments, letting off a few blasts. As Mona reloads, he notices a gaudy flag flying above where M-Panther and M-Skull are. Glowing the same aura as them.
"That flag…" He whispers before a cloud of buckshot flies past him.
"Hey, where do you think you're looking!? Keep your eyes over here!" M-Skull shouts, cocking the shotgun before firing again.
"Come, let's have some fun and start the show." M-Panther adds, letting loose a storm of bullets at Iwai and Athena.
"Never imagined I'd be on the other end of them." Athena remarks, firing her dual pistols.
"I understand how you feel, but if we don't fight back, then we will be taken out. No doubt dragged before this 'Marie' and get brainwashed as well." Iwai remarks, firing several shots.
"If we can knock them out, maybe they will snap out of it." Erina suggests before six Legionnaires join the fight. "After we take those guys out as well." Crow grimaces, before noticing one of them was standing right next to a barrel.
Getting an idea in his head, he channels Hereward to his side and blasts the barrel with a Megido. While he managed to damage the Legionnaire, the barrel exploded violently, consuming the trooper and leaving nothing but dust.
"Kouha!" Athena shouts, sending light towards two Legionnaires. Landing solid hits, one of them became dizzy and attacked the other, leading the two to start brawling with each other in the middle of the fight.
Not that the Thieves were complaining as they slowly made their way forward. Picking off Legionnaires as M-Panther and M-Skull continued to fire back at them. Until Iwai managed to get a hit on M-Panther's leg, scraping by her thigh.
"OW! You little brats! Scamper around all you like!" M-Panther shouts, blasting the team with an Agi spell. "But your attacks are pathetic. Can't you do anything else than that?" She taunts as the injury on her leg rapidly heals.
"So, she can rapidly heal any injury we inflict on them?" Crow comments with a growl. "This is more difficult than expected."
"That's right! You'll be the ones who will be knocked out! Bow down in front of Marie's flag!" M-Oracle gloats, sitting right under it.
"Flag?" Erina asks before noticing the flag above them. "Wait… That flag is giving off the same aura as your friends! They must be absorbing power from it!"
"Then let's get rid of it!" Iwai shouts, firing several rounds at the flag. His round rip through the pole as it falls to the ground. Only for a new one to sprout a few seconds later.
"Nice try! The flag is a symbol of Domination! It'll keep coming back!" M-Skull shouts, sending lightning at the group.
"But, if we could find a way to get rid of it…" Mona says quietly as more rounds zip past his head, retaliating with a Magaru spell. But the only thing it did was clean off some dirt from them.
"These attacks of yours would barely hurt a fly! Was all that bravado just for show?" M-Panther asks with a smug grin.
"Or maybe you're pulling your punches from hurting your friends?" M-Skull gloats.
"Look! I'm wide open! Why not strike me down!?" M-Oracle dares before the three mind-controlled thieves burst out into a snobby laugh.
"You damn bitch! Let them go!" Mona shouts in anger, his rage barely held in.
"Oh yes…call out to your friends… Sorry, but that cliché is not happening here." M-Panther says with a cocky grin. "Now…get on the floor and grovel before me… It is time for you to join your friends…" More Legionnaires, troopers and brutes appear around them, with Toshiro and Yoshida forced out of their cover to join the others.
"Hey, are you sure you can go on? There must be some way to escape..." Toshiro asks, feeling more nervous than ever.
"Sorry to say, but I don't think that's on the table." Erina replies, glancing around as she holds her spear. Toshiro glances around, seeing no exit, and he gives out a resigned sigh.
"We have no other choice. Lay down your arms and surrender." He tells them, receiving shocked glances in response. "We may be confined here, but at least we'll have our lives…"
"You can't be serious." Iwai says with disappointment.
"If they take us to Marie, she WILL put us under her control." Erina says, looking at the three controlled Thieves. "Just like them."
"B-But even if that's true, how do you expect this skirmish to play out!?" Toshiro asks in reply. "I don't care if it's brainwashing or Domination. It's better than dying!"
"Not really…" Athena and Crow comment together quietly. Erina closes her lone eye, taking a deep breath as she calms her nerves before turning her head to Toshiro.
"Hey. Toshiro. I definitely agree that things are looking bad… but it's not over for us." She tightens the grip on her spear. "As long as we have hope, we can fight. Even if we have to crawl our way to the end, we fight!" She slams her spear but first on the ground. Letting it echo through the Prison. "When you refuse to stand up to injustice, you become complicit." Toshiro gasped, turning to look at the floor with a pained look as he suddenly had a headache rack his brain.
For a moment, Erina appeared as someone else before quickly fading away. But he had no time to ask as Erina's spear began to glow with a bright light. All the Legionnaires look away, the light singeing their eyes while the three mind-controlled Thieves look in shock. As Erina's spear suddenly became a flag.
Glancing between it and Marie's flag of Domination, Erina suddenly bursts forward, leaping off a brute to get to the higher level as the troopers fire at her. Only for Iwai and the others to fire back at them, sending their shots wide.
Using the spear point of her flag, Erina slashes the pole in two, and as it fades away to reform, she slams her own flag into the empty holder. The moment she did, a bright light flew from the flag, illuminating the room as the Legionnaires dissolved under the intense light.
As for the mind-controlled Thieves, they screamed in pain as the pink lipstick was dissolved by the light, disintegrating the collars around their necks and returning their masks back to normal.
Before all three of them collapse from exhaustion.
"What…on earth…is happening?" Toshiro asks in stunned silence as Erina stands before the flag. The glow was gone, showing it to be a red flag with a silver compass-like star with four long points pointing in the cardinal directions and five smaller points dotted between them. The centre of the shape was a black circle, while a black and silver banner ran underneath.
With the words 'Si Vis Pacem, Te Ipsum Vince'. (If you want peace, win it yourself)
"Bear witness! This banner will drive our rebellion! It's time for action! The revolution is here!" While Toshiro watched on, completely mesmerized, Mona and the others had different matters to worry about.
"Panther! Skull! Oracle!" Mona shouts as the trio rushes to their friends. "You with us!?"
"Ugh… my head…" Skull groans with eyes shut tight while Panther moans in pain.
"My head is pounding…" Oracle comments, her hands grasping her head. Hearing their voices free of Marie's brought smiles to their faces as Iwai and Yoshida join them.
"It would seem they are returned to us." Crow comments, rubbing Oracle's head.
"Thank Kami… They're free." Athena remarks, picking up Oracle. "Let's get them back to Leblanc. They need to recover after whatever Marie put them through."
"No complaints here." Iwai replies, picking Panther up.
"Leave the heavy load to us." Yoshida remarks, picking Skull up.
"Right, we have to focus on escaping!" Mona shouts as Erina joins them. Her spear is in her right hand while the flag remains in its post. Seems like it can duplicate itself.
"R-Right. I have no idea what's going on here, but I have to agree with the catfishy thing." Toshiro remarks, only to freeze solid as Mona turns to look at him with a discounted Nijima-Amamiya Stare. While everyone in the know, apart from Erina, shook their heads at what was to come.
"Listen really well…okay?" Mona says slowly, walking up to him. Before jumping into the air and screaming at the top of his lungs. "I AM NOT A CATFISH!"
Needless to say, Toshiro remained silent as the team left the Prison.
