The Phantom Justice (Persona 5 Royal & Strikers / Young Justice: Outsiders)
Chapter 6: Blood Red Fining Agent
Hotel Markov, Markovburg, Markovia
July 28th, 2018 8:59 AM EEST
The Thieves got up early in the morning to eat breakfast. After finding a way of not only navigating the maze, but also an entry way into the castle, they had much to discuss. They took some up as per agreement to smuggle food for Naomi, they went into the boy's room to discuss their plans. The TV was turned on to the Galaxy Broadcasting System where a blonde woman was giving a report.
"This is Cat Grant reporting live for GBS from the Markovian Royal Palace. Markovia's King Victor Markov and Queen Ilona Delamb-Markov are about to hold a press conference on this, the second anniversary of the abduction of their daughter, Princess Tara."
They cut to the image of a smiling young girl dressed in the attire fit for a princess. A light blue dress with a dark blue sash, a brooch with the Markovia Royal Family crest, and a tiara that held her hair in a bun leaving only a hanging strand. Her eyes are bright with innocence. Above all, she looked to be the splitting image of her mother.
"Dang. She looks just like her mother," Ryuji said out loud.
"She'll be too young for you, Ryuji," Ann said. "She must've been at least thirteen years old when she was kidnapped."
"Hey! I'm not going to crush on a girl younger than me!" Ryuji yelled. "What do you think I am? A mini-Kamoshida?"
"I never said that, but I'm glad that you aren't thinking like him."
"No ransom demand was ever made. She simply vanished without a trace. With me now is the princess's older brother, Prince Brion Markov."
The camera zoomed out to show Cat Grant sitting on a chair facing a man seated next to her. He had brown hair with sideburns.
"Prince Brion, you've just returned to Markovia after studying abroad for the last two years."
"Yes, Cat," Brion said. "After my sister was taken…I felt the need to get away…to expand my knowledge of the world and bring that knowledge back to serve Markovia."
"To serve but not to rule," Cat surmised. "You have a twin brother?"
"Fraternal twin, yes."
"Right, and Crown Prince Gregor is heir to the throne because he was born sixteen minutes before you. How does it feel to be just sixteen minutes away from the crown?"
Prince Brion looked uncomfortable with Cat Grants question. Before he could answer, a man's voice spoke off screen.
"Excuse me, we are ready to begin."
"Oh, Prince Brion, the press conference…" Cat gestured.
"Yes, of course."
The screen cut to a camera view of reporters sitting down on chairs. Cameraman snapped photos at a man standing behind a wooden podium. The Thieves eyes narrowed as they recognized the man.
"You're looking at the queen's brother, head of Markovia Security Forces."
"No shit," Ryuji growled.
"Quiet Ryuji, we're trying to listen," Makoto scolded.
"Ladies and Gentlemen," Baron DeLamb spoke as he steps to the side and gestures behind him. "The King and Queen of Markovia."
Musical fanfare played as the King and Queen approach the podium hand in hand. They held their heads high as the cameras flash photos of them. When King Victor raised his hand, the photography and music ceased.
"Thank you everyone. We'll try to keep this brief. There has been much debate, both internationally and both here in Markovia about what to do with Quraci refugees following the invasion of Qurac by the rogue state of Bialya."
"So, we will make our position perfectly clear," Queen Ilona said. "Markovia will not turn its back on desperate people fleeing tyranny."
"Quraci's are welcome in Markovia," King Victor said.
"But that is not what we came to discuss today," Queen Ilona said.
"All over the world, children and teens are being abducted," King Victor said.
"The way our daughter was abducted," Queen Ilona said as she looked down sadly.
"Metahuman Trafficking is an international scourge," King Victor declared firmly. "Today we pledge all of Markovia's resources to see that scourge ended."
At this declaration, reporters begin to throw questions at the royals, followed by the flash of cameras. The Phantom Thieves watching this smiled. Motivated by the loss of their daughter, her parents are combatting the metahuman trafficking to ensure nobody suffered the loss of a loved one.
"Such words of love and devotion," Yusuke praised. "Markovia couldn't have asked for a better King and Queen."
"They also saved our lives," Ren said. "If it weren't for them, we would've been more guinea pigs for Baron DeLamb and Doctor X."
"Yeah. We owe them big time," Ryuji said in agreement before frowning. "But they have no idea the shit that bastard DeLamb is pulling behind their backs."
"Which is why we need to bring him down," Haru said. "So that nobody else will be kidnapped or killed."
"Then let's get back to our plans," Makoto said. They refocused on the bed where they are laying out the groundwork of their heist. They laid out a paper map of Markovburg. Yusuke had procured his stash of markers to highlight the areas of DeLambs winery. A red line traced from the processing plant, through the walled vineyard, and to the castle to symbolize the passageway leading to it.
"Thanks to our recent discovery in the hospital, we have a way into the castle," Makoto said, tracing the red line.
"Thank god that we found that" Ann said with relief. "Can you imagine what it would be like to navigate through that maze?"
"I doubt that the hospital will let us use it. They'll probably raise security to ensure no more break ins."
"But we defeated the cognitive version of Doctor X, right?" Ryuji asked. "Plus, that Count Vertigo guy. Wouldn't the place be free to use?"
"Remember Kamoshida's cognitive version of me?" Ann asked with a shudder. "The first thing I did when I break out was slash her with a sword. Then the day we came to steal his treasure? She still showed up in that skimpy outfit."
"As long as the ruler is there so will the cognitive versions of people," Morgana said.
"Which means we'll have to fight them again," Ren said. He turned to Futaba who is fiddling away at her laptop. "Futaba?"
"Managed to find his Interpol file," Futaba said. From her smirk, Ren could tell that she was pleased to have cracked another security system. "His full name is Count Werner Vertigo. Yes, Vertigo is his actual part of his name. He's part of the royal family of Vlatava. He wears a headgear that can induce a vertigo effect."
"So, he has a power named after himself? Good grief," Ryuji sneered, referring to the prideful nature of the man. "What's it do?"
"What's it do? Don't you remember what he did to us back in the hospital?" Ann asked. "He can make people dizzy just with the press of a button. I can still feel a migraine from that battle."
"That sounds kinda lame to be honest," Ryuji said. He felt his friends giving him looks. "Hey, don't get me wrong, getting dizzy is a bitch. But if that's all he does, then taking him down shouldn't be a problem, right?"
"I wouldn't underestimate him," Futaba said as she read Count Vertigo's file further. "On October 1st, 2010, he was leader of the Injustice League who led an attack on five cities with plant monsters."
"The Injustice League?" Makoto asked. "You mean like a supervillain version of the Justice League?"
"Justice and Injustice are two sides of the same coin," Yusuke said.
"I agree with Inari on this one. Count Vertigo and the Injustice League launched their attacks on Metropolis, Gotham City, Star City, Paris and Taipei. They demanded 10 billion US Dollars. As far as anyone is concerned, that was the only time they were active."
"Back up. They attacked five cities over 10 billion dollars?" Ryuji asked incredulously. "Couldn't they have just robbed a bank?"
"While it's supervillain thing to do, that routine has gotten old," Morgana said. "For once I agree with Ryuji."
"Yeah, that's totally…wait, are you serious?" Ryuji asked.
"Compared to us, they have no sense of style. Why demand money when you can just steal it?"
"I don't know, probably for kicks," Futaba said. "I found a video of the ransom demand. Want to watch?"
The Thieves nodded and Futaba brought up the video. It started with a clown-like man with green hair, Joker they assumed, tapping the camera. Just form the way he talks make them shudder in terror. He introduced the Injustice League where a younger Count Vertigo claims responsibility for the attacks and makes the ransom demand.
"Man, what a psycho," Ryuji muttered, eyes still on the Joker. "What happened to them?"
"Ultimately, the Justice League arrived and arrest them. Every member of the Injustice League went to prison except for Vertigo. Apparently, diplomatic immunity allows that."
"Wait, so he gets off attacking FIVE major cities and he gets away scot-free?" Ryuji asked. "What the hell!? That's nothing but bullshit!"
"I agree. Diplomatic immunity does not work like that," Makoto said with a scowl. "He should've been sent to prison like the scum he is. Just what is up with the world today?"
"One wonders Makoto," Ren said, thinking back to Shido and his connections. At that moment, they heard a knock on the door. The thieves fell quiet at once. Ren got up and walked to the door to peer through the spyhole. Naomi was standing there, feeling awkward.
"Naomi?" Ren asked when he opens the door.
"I finished my food," Naomi answered. "Also, I was getting lonely…"
"I'm sorry. Please, come on in," Ren said, opening the door wide so Naomi can enter. Already the thieves put away their map and hid it. Naomi glanced around the room.
"Am I interrupting something?" She asked. "I heard a lot of arguing."
"Oh, we were just discussing an issue," Makoto said. Then, Naomi peered over Futaba's laptop and saw the paused video of the Injustice League. In their haste to hide their handmade map of the winery, Futaba forgot to close her laptop.
"Is that Count Vertigo?" Naomi asked.
"You know him?" Futaba asked.
"Who doesn't?" Naomi asked with a frown. "A massive attack by plant monsters is something that is hardly forgotten. Why the big interest in him?"
"We're doing research into supervillains," Makoto explained with a half-truth. "When we stumbled onto Vertigo, we were discussing the issue of diplomatic immunity. You see, it shouldn't allow you to evade prison after leading a massive terrorist attack worldwide. That video alone is enough evidence to send him to jail. He flat out declared his involvement."
"Oh, I wouldn't worry too much about that," Naomi said. "You see, there was this time after that, during the same year, where he tried to take the throne of his home country Vlatava. He saw the opportunity to do it when his ten-year old niece, Queen Perdita, had to undergo a heart transplant."
"Wait…that bastard…" Ryuji growled when he realizes what Count Vertigo's plan was.
"You guessed it. During some freak weather by some ice-based villains, he put his dastardly plan into action. Kid Flash was delivering the heart meant for his transplant and a couple of his henchmen intercepted him. By the time Kid Flash realizes he was conned, it was too late. The Queen died…or at least that's what he thought."
"What do you mean?"
"Turns out, Queen Perdita and Kid Flash worked out a plan to expose his coup d'état. They announced in public that she died on the operating table and he came to his hospital bed to gloat. Everything he said was recorded by Queen Perdita herself, who was secretly in the bed next to him, and his diplomatic immunity is revoked. Got shipped off to prison afterward."
"Oh yeah! That's karma bitch!" Ryuji yelled with a fist pump. Ann promptly slapped him in the back of the head for being loud. Everyone laughed as Ryuji rubbed the rising bump. But everyone was glad that the count was labeled a criminal.
"How the heck do you know so much?" Yusuke asked. Naomi gave him a smug smile.
"I pay attention to anything superhuman related," Naomi answered. "My place I came from, Port Oswego, a small resort city on the Central Coast of Oregon, rarely gets any national coverage. I think it's because stuff like superheroes never really happens there… until that day several months ago, when Superman came to town."
"Superman visited your hometown?" Futaba asked excitedly. Everyone was listening in now. It's not often that one of the most powerful superheroes in the world would visit you. Japan is like Naomi's hometown. They rarely get superhuman activity in their nation. Unless you count their activities as the Phantom Thieves.
"The fight only lasted seventeen whole seconds," Naomi said. "Then he came back to see if he could help clean up. Eventually, I started to research the last time we experienced any superhuman activity. Which lead me to studying about superheroes and villain."
"In fact, why don't I prove it?" Naomi asked. Futaba opened up her laptop to let Naomi take a look at the video. "Going from the left, we've got immortal Viking sorcerer Wotan, the Atomic Skull, the Ultra-Humanite, Count Vertigo, Black Adam, Poison Ivy, and the guy messing with the camera is the Joker. Believe me… From what I've heard, you better steer clear of him. Especially after what he tried to poll back in January." That little bit of info grabbed the attention of the others.
"Back in January?" Makoto asked, before remembering something. "Hold on, I remember reading an online news article back then, saying something about someone taking the UN general assembly hostage at the United Nations itself! That was the Joker?"
Naomi nodded. "You guessed it. He tried gassing them with his Joker Venom, but from what I've heard, he took way too long with his monologuing, thus giving Batman and his team, AKA the Bat Family, to defuse the bombs that the Joker Venom were in."
Ryuji broke out a big grin. "Oh, hell yeah! Looks like the joke was on the Joker!"
Ann glared at him. "Are you asking to be slapped upside the head again for being too noisy, Ryuji?" She said, causing Ryuji to shrink back down as everyone else giggles slightly.
Naomi then frowned a little. "Well, despite his plan being a bust, the Joker did get a bit of a laugh in the end." Their attention was once again grabbed by a startling statement. "The Joker tried making a run for it and the Bat Family gave chase, but... You're all familiar with Batgirl, right?" They all nodded. "I heard a rumor that while giving chase, she some sustained a serious injury, thus forcing her to take an early retirement from hero duties." They were all shocked by that.
"W-Wait! For realsies!?" Ryuji muttered out.
"I think I recall hearing something about that online too, but I didn't believe it at the time. To think that actually happened..." Futaba said, downcasted.
Naomi nodded with a frown. "Yeah. It just goes to show that even in defeat, the Joker can still do what he can to get at least a little bit of a laugh. He is really one of the worst sort of foes out there. Not to mention the fact that none of his jokes are the least bit funny."
"No kidding," Futaba said with a shudder. "He's like a twisted version of Clownternum!"
"You mean the guy who tried to take over the world by making everything around him a joke in episode twenty-five?" Naomi asked with a cringe. "Yeah, I'd be freaking out right now."
"Totally! I'd take the good old banana peel prank over laughing gas any day!"
"If you ask me, the Chinese finger trap gag was better."
The two girls descended into a conversation about Featherman. The Thieves were smiling at this interaction, seeing that the dark part of the conversation being turned away from. If it's one thing that Naomi and Futaba found common ground on it is superheroes. Naomi was interested on the Japanese take and gave information on the American heroes and villains. Some of them happen to have parodies in Phoenix Featherman, and Naomi poked fun at their funny costumes.
"Hey, here's an idea," Ann said suddenly, causing Naomi and Futaba to stop talking. "Why don't we go out for lunch? Naomi, you can come as well."
"What?" Naomi looks surprised at this suggestion.
"You've been cooped up in the hotel room for two days straight," Ann said. "You haven't seen much of Markovburg have you?"
"Ann, what are you thinking?" Ryuji asked with heat. "We can't take her out in public! What if those bastards are still after her?"
"And we're supposed to just keep her locked up in the hotel like a prisoner?" Ann argued. "That's not going to do her any favors!"
"But what if they do come for her?" Ryuji argued. "She could end up being shipped into slavery or worse…she could die!"
"If I may cut in," Yusuke said sharply. Ann and Ryuji quieted down at his calm but firm voice, but they were still glaring at each other. "But I believe that decision isn't up to us. That should go to Naomi who decided to stay with us until we can get her home. What do you say?"
Everyone looked at Naomi for her answer. Naomi fidgeted being the center of attention. She thought for a moment and made her decision.
"I don't want to be shipped into slavery," Naomi said. "But I'm getting antsy about being cooped up in here. It's like the more I stay here for another minute, and I'll go crazy. So yeah…I want to leave the hotel if only a bit."
"Then it's settled," Makoto said. "Why don't we wait until eleven forty-five to head out to lunch? Each of us will keep look out for anyone who tries to make a move on you. Is that satisfactory for everyone?"
"I'm cool," Ryuji said with a shrug. "But what are we going to do if we confront those guys? We don't have our—"
"Just leave all that to me," Morgana interrupts before Ryuji could give out incriminating information. Morgana gave him a pointed glare before saying, "I'll keep a look out give a shout. You remember our target Kazuya Makigami?"
"Oh yeah, you were pretty reckless at the time, Ren," Ryuji grinned at his leader. Ren was thankful at the time the boss didn't catch him using his café as bait.
"Am I missing something here?" Naomi asked.
"Back in Japan, there was a burglary ring running around," Ren explained vaguely. "We set up a fake alarm system to scare them off. I'm thinking of something similar in case something similar would happen during lunch. Futaba, could you check?"
"I'm on it," Futaba said as she typed away at her laptop. "Hey Naomi, you want to wait until I'm done to play more Featherman Seeker? We're going to scout the place to make our plan."
"Sure," Naomi smiled. "Last I checked, I was about to kick Calculaternum's butt!"
"You've got to the fifth boss already?!"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Of course, they weren't scouting out the restaurant. They had already done that for fifteen minutes after leaving Naomi by herself in the room. Instead, they are in the Metaverse planning out their heist.
"Clear!" Haru called out as she hacked away the last of the vines covering a hidden passage. When they went back to the hospital, security had been tightened up. None of them are willing to fight their way back in and face the supervillains just to access the secret passage. It was too time consuming and would waste their energy in confronting DeLamb.
Fortunately, Futaba picked up another entrance to the underground via Necronomicon. They found the entrance in an abandoned storage hut. Problem is that overgrown grapevines have taken over the place. Luckily, Noir's axe was handy for the job and got to work hacking away at the vines.
"Let's clear it up," Joker comments. He and the other thieves were standing by in case the noise drew any unwanted Shadows. They cleared the hut of vines to access a wooden cellar door. Briefly, the distortion shifted to a café before returning to the hut.
"Looks like this is also a safehouse," Mona said before turning to Noir. "Good, that means we can fast travel. Excellent job, Noir."
"Thank you, Mona," Noir said with a small smile. Earlier, they discovered the fast travel when they were looking at their maps. That couldn't have been handier as it would allow them to jump from one saferoom to another.
"Why don't we take a brief rest?" Joker suggested as he notes Noir's body language. She looks winded from chopping all those vines.
"I'll be fine," Noir insisted with a wave of her hand. "Besides, we still have a lot of ground to cover on our way to the castle."
"I think the passageway was wide enough," Queen said. "If we can ride Mona inside, it will make the trip easier."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Skull asked. "Hey Mona, hurry up and transform into a car!"
"What am I, your taxi service?" Mona grumbled. But he opens up the cellar door and hopped down. With a puff of smoke, he transformed into his vehicle form. When the thieves fell down after him, he morphed his top into cushions and absorbed them. By the time that the Thieves have taken their seats, Joker had begun driving through the tunnel. In a short while, they reached the ladder leading up to the wine cellar. Once they all climbed up, they were about to go over their strategy until...
"Well, look who I caught sneaking in!" A voice rang out.
Startled, they all looked behind them, revealing a large shadow stepping out from the shadows.
"Shoot! Someone was lying and waiting!" Mona yelped.
"Oh, yes! His Majesty will reward me for sure catching you flies in my web!" The shadow then transformed into a Tsuchigumo.
"Looks like it's fightin' time!" Yelled Skull as he brought out his Persona. "Captain Kidd!" His Persona appeared, as it then unleashed an electrical attack on the Tsuchigumo, only for the shadow to shrug it off. "What the-!?" He cried.
"Looks like electrical attacks won't work." Replied Joker. He then looked up towards Necronomicon. "Give us an update, Oracle."
She was typing away furiously at her display. "Just a sec... Got it! Electrical attacks have no effects, but Ice attacks will." She cried out for everyone to hear.
Joker smirked. "Got it. Fox!" He called.
"Understood." Said thief replied, before summoning out his Persona. "Goemon!" He brought out Goemon, as it then unleashed an Ice attack, severely weakening the Tsuchigumo, as it cried out in pain.
Joker grasped his mask. "Alright. One last Ice attack should do it. Jack Frost!" He tore off his mask as Jack Frost was summoned, and unleashed its own chilling Ice attack, thus finishing off the Tsuchigumo, causing it to disintegrate into darkness.
Oracle pumped her fists into the air as Necronomicon disappeared. "And bam! We all rule!" She cheered.
Skull nodded. "I know, right!? Although, it's too bad I wasn't much help in finishing that big spider off." He finished, a little downcast.
Noir places her hand on his back. "Oh, don't let it get to you, Skull. You can't expect everything to work out."
"Alright. Now that that's done and over with," Joker said as he closed the hatch. "To plan out our infiltration route, I think we should split up. Queen?"
"Of course," Queen nodded. "We'll split up into teams of two and scout the castle. Remember to stay out of sight as much as you can. This is a reconnaissance mission only."
"What if Joker needs to add more Personas?" Skull asked. "It'd be really handy to have a lot of them if we're going to confront Baron Bedlam."
"While I would agree with that, it would be handy if we avoid getting him killed," Queen scolded. "The last thing we need is for the Shadows to gang up on him."
"Yeah, are you trying to get him killed?" Panther asked heatedly, a hand on her whip. Skull gulped and held up his hands defensively.
"I was just suggesting…" Skull said.
"I'll try to refrain from engaging too much," Joker said to satisfy both of them. "Keep in mind that this is just a reconnaissance mission. Once we have a complete map of the place, we meet back her so we can go to lunch. After that, we can begin searching for the treasure. Are we clear on what to do?"
The Thieves nodded and got to work. They exited the cellar and split off in four different directions. Taking care to avoid the shadows, Joker and Oracle made it to the courthouse. The latter had retreated into the safety of her Persona.
"You know Joker, now would be a good time to try out your Third Eye ability," Oracle spoke through the comms. "Assuming that you still have it of course."
"I guess that's what we are about to find out," Joker said with a grin. Third Eye is an ability that is exclusive to them. He used it to look for clues and items in the Metaverse. It has helped the Phantom Thieves in conducting their heists. Plus, they found a few useful items that they could either use or sell.
Joker focuses, recalling how to activate Third Eye. In his perception, the world dimmed out. Looking up, he saw a faint yellow glow at the top of a tower. Taking out his grapple hook, he pulled himself onto a nearby rooftop. He ran towards the tower and entered through an open window. He ascended the tower at a steady pace. Just when he thought he got to the treasure, there was a dead end waiting for him.
Despite this set back, he found another way to the top. He exited through the nearby window and let himself hang from the ledge.
"Alright, who puts a treasure chest on top of a tower with no entrance?" Joker asked as he pulls out his lock picks.
"Probably someone who wants it to be in a safe place," Oracle said.
"She said, a little to knowingly," Joker said with a wry grin, giving a glance at the hovering UFO from the corner of his eye.
"Don't judge. I'm happy up here in my dark little hidey hole."
"I'll be happy if I can get my hands on some aluminum and liquid mercury," Joker said as he tosses away the spent pick and opens the treasure chest. He reached out and took out an onyx black stone. "You know where we can find a jewelry store?"
"Keep finding more of those and we might get rich quick," Oracle said with a hint of smugness. "The more money we have, the more equipment we can buy in from the Marketplace."
"I'll be sure to get right on that as we go along," Joker said as he climbed back down to the window. He had just retraced his steps back to the roof when his comm blared to life.
"Heads up! I'm detecting a Shadow in the courtyard!"
Joker stopped moving at Oracle's alert. He pressed himself against the roof as he spied the aforementioned Shadow. Unlike the ranch hands in the wall vineyard, this one is dressed in the military fatigues and a beret. In its hands, it carried an assault rifle.
"That must be Bedlams view of a security guard," Oracle said. "Want to try taking it down?"
"That may not be advisable this time," Joker said tensely. His Third Eye is active, and the outline of the Shadow is glowing red. Another feature of this ability is that it allows him to gauge an enemy's strength. Blue for Shadows that can be dealt with easily, yellow that can put up an equal fight with him, and red for extremely dangerous. He's going to need the rest of his friends to take it down.
"Oracle, this one is too dangerous to engage," Joker whispered. Then he noticed how the Shadow walked. "It also appears to be walking in a pattern. I'm going to note this one's path on the map. Can you alert the others?"
"Wilco, Joker."
As Oracle hung up, Joker then noticed something out of the corner of his eye. It was the same massive bunch of vines and leaves that they saw in the vineyard and children's hospital, on the section of the wall. This could only mean one thing. He quickly ran over to it before using his knife to clear it all away, revealing a large door. He pushed open the door, revealing the Blue Greed Seed in the middle of the room, giving off a blue glow. Joker went in and grabbed it. A few moments after doing so, it started to float up, as the other two Will Seeds he had on hand started doing the same thing, before each of them began spinning around and were consumed by a bright light. Once the light had subsided, the three Greed Will Seeds had merged into the Crystal of Greed. Joker then took hold of it.
"Alright, that's all three Will Seeds down and one Crystal of Greed as a reward. Time to go from here." He then took off.
Meanwhile, Fox and Panther are in a massive room. A long table stretched out over a red plush carpet. On the table are plates, utensils, and goblets meant for wine. Against the wall is a tall wine rack with various bottles of wine. On two sides of the room are portraits of Baron Bedlam himself.
"This must be the tasting room," Panther said as she picked up a goblet that looks like it had been recently drunk. "But wouldn't it make sense to set it up back in the hospital?"
"Bedlam must think very highly of himself if he wants to taste the lives he has stolen," Fox said darkly as he scanned portraits of the man. Each of them deepened his scowl. "Not to mention these atrocious paintings. They portray glory being bestowed upon a vile man."
"Speaking as an artist?" Panther asks as she takes a bottle off the rack and examines it. The label is the name of a person, possibly another kid who had a bright future stolen. Just like her leader when Shido set him up years ago.
At that moment, the door handle jiggled. The door opened to admit a security guard Shadow. The shadow looked around the empty room.
"Hmm…I could've sworn I heard people talking in here," The Shadow said. "Either that, or my eyes are playing tricks on me."
Unbeknownst to the Shadow, the two thieves are right above him. Earlier, they had leaped onto the crystal chandelier. Thankfully, it seemed to be supporting their weight at least for now. As the Shadow continued to search for the room, Oracle spoke on the comms.
"Guys, heads up. Joker saw a Shadow that looked too dangerous. If you see one, do not engage. I repeat do not engage!"
"Would the Shadow happen to be wearing military fatigues?" Fox whispered.
"Yes, how did you know?"
"Thanks for the warning," Panther muttered as the Shadow finally left the room. "That couldn't have come at a better time."
"Sorry. Could you please note the guards walk pattern? If we get them all, we can formulate our Infiltration Route better. And before I forget, Joker got the last Will Seed and all three merged into a Crystal."
"Really? That's great news. Also, Oracle? We're on it," Panther whispered as the Shadow finally left the room. At that moment, the chandelier creaked which made them nervous.
"We should wait until we get off the chandelier," Fox said.
"Are you saying that I'm fat?"
"I would never…"
Deep in the dungeons, Skull and Queen are mapping it out. Thanks to Oracle's warning, they avoided the new security shadows and carefully mapping out their routes. They weren't sure if they were going to use the dungeon for the heist, but better to be prepared otherwise.
"So, this is where you ended up?" Queen asked as they look into a cell.
"Yep," Skull nodded. "The bastards threw us in here like trash and we had to log out. That was where we ended up in the real-life dungeon and nearly became Bedlam's latest guinea pigs."
"Thank the King and Queen for that," Queen said.
"The prince was there too. That guys probably as smart as you," Skull said with a smirk. Queen nods in agreement and goes back to her map. They were silent for a moment before Skull spoke again, slowly this time. "Say, Queen…you studied up a lot in the university, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Well…do you know anything about Bialya?" That question took Queen by surprise. She looked away from her map to look at him. Behind his mask, she could tell that he was serious about the question. No doubt it had something to do with the news report this morning.
"As far as I know, their ruler claims it to be a constitutional monarchy," Queen said, frowning behind her mask. "Of course, after the invasion of Qurac, I wouldn't be surprised if it's actually a military dictatorship."
"No kidding," Skull growled, recalling King Victors announcement about Quraci refugees fleeing tyranny. "So, who's the bastard in charge of Bialya?"
"From what I hear, the ruler's name is Queen Bee," Queen said with distaste. Skull scoffed at the name.
"Queen Bee?" Skull groaned. "Oh, please don't tell me that doesn't scream alpha bitch. Is that her actual name?"
"Apparently," Queen muttered as she finished marking the guard's path. "Nobody knows her real name and I doubt she'll give it up. Anyway, I've finished marking everything down, let's move on to the next area."
As Skull and Queen moved on to more undiscovered areas of the castle, Noir and Mona had just taken down a swarm of Agathion shadows, with a large Belphegor shadow as their leader. They were marking out what appeared to be the grand hall when they ran into the shadows. Fortunately, it was a sommelier instead of the security Shadow or they would've had a problem.
"That was refreshing," Noir said as she rested her axe against her shoulder as the shadows dispersed. "I was getting antsy about not fighting any Shadows. Those ones helped me vent it."
"Of course, it would," Mona said as they exited into a hallway. "Oracle, what's the time?"
"About five minutes before we have to get to lunch. After that, we can begin searching for the treasure. Oh and before I forget, Joker found the Last Will Seed and all three of them formed a Crystal."
"Given that crystal has formed, then it just goes to show you how twisted DeLamb's heart is. In any case, let's head on back," Noir said as they exited into what appeared to be the throne room. Behind the Throne is a big portrait of the domain ruler. It depicted him lounging whilst dressed in a rich red toga and holding a bunch of grapes to his mouth. The very image made Noir look away. Except for Mona, who kept staring at it and became absolutely still.
"Mona let's go, we've already mapped out this area," Noir said, turning around. When she didn't hear a reply, she turned back around. "Mona?"
"It was faint…but I think I know where the treasure is."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
July 28th, 2018 12:45 PM EEST
"So, your family, like, owns this entire fast-food restaurant chain?" Naomi asks Haru. She and the Japanese tourists sat at a table in Big Bang Burger. After exchanging map data, they exited the Metaverse and got ready to go to lunch with Naomi. The restaurant happened to be only a few blocks away from their hotel. As usual, Morgana is hiding inside Ren's duffel bag, regularly popping his head up to keep look out. Due to the size of their group, they occupied two tables.
"Yes, Okumura Foods runs Big Bang Burger," Haru answered. "My father was the third president succeeding from my grandfather. He's the one who founded Big Bang Burger."
"Then guess I'll have to thank him for this Supernova Burger," Naomi said as she eagerly digs into her gigantic burger. She didn't seem to notice the looks on the Thieves faces when she mentioned Kunikazu Okumura
"If she only knew…" Ryuji muttered, but didn't say anything else. He knew how much Haru loved her father despite what he did.
"Actually, my father died before the Supernova Burger became a menu item," Haru said. Naomi stopped eating and looked back at Haru with wide eyes. She swallowed the bite food and became apologetic.
"Oh god, I'm so sorry! I didn't know…"
"It's alright," Haru said. "It happened a long time ago. I'm glad that you're enjoying the Supernova Burger."
"Well, depressing stuff aside, this is basically my first time at a Big Bang Burger restaurant. One of the several fast-food restaurants back home in Port Oswego is the Panda Express where my brother works at." Naomi said while munching on her burger.
"Oh, Panda Express! I've heard about that. It's a very popular Chinese-food restaurant chain in the states. If I recall correctly, there are even a fair number back ho-" Haru suddenly stops herself as she picks up on another thing that Naomi had just said. "Wait, did you just say that you have a brother?" She asked as everyone else got curious.
Naomi swallows her bite before talking. "W-well, adoptive brother really. His name is Marcus Shugel. Mark for short. He's Chinese in origin, but was adopted by his American parents back when he was only a baby." She said.
"Oh, cool!" Said Futaba. "It actually sounds pretty interesting to have someone of foreign origin as a sibling." She then frowns a little. "But wait. From the way you putted it, you mean to say that he was already adopted before your parents did?"
Naomi grows sheepish. "Err, yeah. See, my parents adopted him when he and I were still in our Elementary School years. The reason being is because, well... I don't really wanna talk about it, and I don't think he'd want to either." She then tries changing the subject a little. "Anyways, he works part-time there as both a delivery guy with a scooter, as well as occasionally helping out in the restaurant's kitchen."
"Oh, uh... We see." Yusuke says slowly.
Naomi sighs. "Here I am saying to put depressing stuff aside, and I only end up including some more. Well, I'm gonna get back to my burger before it gets cold." She then goes back to eating her burger.
"If you like burgers so much, why don't you try the Big Bang Burger Challenge?" Ryuji asked.
"The Big Bang Burger challenge?"
"Yeah, it's a thing with Big Bang Burger," Ryuji said excitedly. "You have to eat a huge burger withing a time limit. You beat it, you get a prize. Ask Ren, he's the one who beat it back in Japan!"
"Really?" Naomi turned her attention to Ren, who she didn't think as the type to partake in food challenges. He puts his burger down and wipes his mouth with a napkin. His glasses reflected the light as he puts a finger to them.
"Listen Naomi," Ren spoke with utmost seriousness. "This is your choice. The Big Burger Challenge is the ultimate embodiment of the limitless nature of space. It is a test of guts, determination, and courage. If you choose to take it, this is what will be expected of you."
"Okay…" Naomi said slowly. "Sounds like fun. Where do I start?"
"You don't have to take the challenge, Naomi," Ann said. "But if you do, there are three choices. I recommend the Comet Burger because it's your first time. The Gravity Burger is pretty much the advance challenge. After that is…"
"Oh, look," Yusuke points out. "It seems that a brave soul has decided to take on the Cosmo Tower Burger challenge."
They turned to see a waitress carrying a tray. The burger is the same width as the Supernova Burger, but it is stacked with meat patty after meat patty. Tomatoes, lettuce and pickles in between them. The waitress sets the burger down before an eager customer as his friends began cheering him. Taking out a stopwatch, the waitress began counting down.
"Wow," Naomi said with wide eyes. "That is one big burger."
"Yeah, it takes a lot of guts to stomach it down," Makoto said. "Are you sure that you want to take that challenge?"
"I'll take that bet," Naomi said as she finished her burger. "But I'd prefer if my stomach is expanded to take that kind of weight. And I don't mean fat."
"Believe me, we know what you mean," Ann said, giving Yusuke a sideways glare. He gave her an apologetic look.
"I need to go," Naomi said, turning to Ann who is sitting next to her. "Can you?"
"Of course," Ann got up an allowed Naomi to exit the table. Before she could go, Futaba grasped her hand.
"Before you go," Futaba held out her phone. "Do you think you could give me your fingerprint really quick?"
"Sure…" Naomi said slowly. "Why?"
"Just a personal project. Pretty please?"
Naomi was skeptical, but she obliged. She pressed her index finger against the screen of Futaba's smartphone, and a green line scanned it up and down. Futaba pulled it back and gave her a thumbs up. She was still confused on why she wanted her fingerprint. But she just shrugged it off and walked to the restroom.
As soon as she's gone, Futaba pulled out her phone and checked her screen. What she saw made her pump a fist in triumph.
"Yes!"
"What are you working on Futaba?" Ann asked.
"After reading Doctor X's notes, I became curious about us possessing the metagene," Futaba said. "So based on his notes, I made a computer algorithm, or an app, to see if we have it."
"All through a fingerprint?" Makoto asked in shock. She saw the hacker put bugs in smartphones and hack the national broadcast system twice. But this?
"That's just how good I am," Futaba said as she pressed her thumb on her phones screen. The program scanned her thumbprint before flashing red. The result made her pout in disappointment. "Dang. Looks like I don't have it. At least it's working."
"Okay, I'm curious," Ann held out a hand. "Alright if I give it a try?"
While they were trying out Futaba's app, the boys table is looking at the loot Ren stole from Bedlam's palace. Ren pulled out a sack and emptied it on the table. Shining in the light are various gemstones. One of them is a sparkling diamond, two are rubies, an emerald, and several Onyx. When Ryuji saw this, he was about to exclaim. Luckily, Ann had been watching as well and grabbed him by the ear.
"Dang, Renren! This is some serious loot!" Ryuji gushed. "How much do you think they're worth?"
"23,100 in yen," Ren said as he puts them back into the sack. "We might make a stop to the jewelers to cash it in."
"The earth's treasure is indeed picturesque," Yusuke asked as he hands back the diamond he was looking at. "I feel relieved to liberate these from the palace."
"At this rate, we're going to be rich off of Baron Bedlam," Morgana said with glee.
"Speaking of Bedlam," Futaba said writes on Yusuke's sketchbook. Earlier, Yusuke had been drawing a picture of a bird perched on a tree when Futaba snatched it. She said that it is payback for moving her Featherman figures without her permission. Yusuke reluctantly allowed her to write on it.
"Guess how he chose his name," Futaba said as she showed what she wrote. On the paper is.
DELAMB
123456
BEDLAM
621345
"An anagram," Makoto said in disbelief. "Baron Bedlam is an anagram. How did we miss that?"
"Even Ryuji can tell that he's behind the bad guy," Morgana said with an unimpressed look.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Ryuji glared at the feline thief.
"There's more," Futaba said, her voice dropping into a whisper. She looked around and signals the Thieves to lean in to hear her. "Bedlam also happens to be the name of the world's most notorious metahuman trafficking ring in the world. Whose leader happens to be who we're targeting."
"For real?" Ryuji half-hissed and half-shouted. "How did you find this out?"
"Did a little research on the Dark Web," Futaba said. "By now, we can all guess that Markovburg is their base of operations. His men could be anywhere."
"Like right now," Morgana whispered. Those words made the Thieves freeze. Slowly, they sat back in their seats. Ren glanced at Morgana's, whose head is out, and ears perked. Morgana read the silent message that Ren was giving and glanced into a direction.
Ren followed his gaze to see two men sitting at a corner table. Unlike the rest of the customers, they weren't eating anything. They were staring at the restroom doors. When Naomi came out, their eyes followed her as she made her way to their table.
"I think it's time we made our leave," Ren said.
"Agreed," Morgana said. "Oracle, time to make our escape."
"On it," Futaba was working away at her laptop. Naomi had reached the girls table, and Ann scooted to let her in. She was about to say something when Ann gave her the quiet signal with a finger to her lips. She looked confused before she realized what was happening. Her breath became a bit ragged as she hugs her shoulders. The Thieves were silent for several minutes, feeling the eyes of the men on them.
Then, after a few suffocating minutes, two men in Markovia Security Force uniforms entered Big Bang Burger. The restaurant became quiet when they saw them enter. One of them raised their hand to placate them.
"Everyone just stay calm and don't move," He said. "We got a report that a couple of potential terrorists have been sighted in this building. So please cooperate and…"
"Sir, there they are!" His partner pointed towards the two men. The men jumped at being identified. Before they could do anything, he pulled out his gun and yelled, "Don't move!"
There were screams as the restaurant occupants moved away from the men. The Security Force agents moved towards the men, who kept their hands up. As the men protest their innocence, the Thieves and Naomi had made a silent exit out of the restaurant.
"That was quite the narrow escape we had," Yusuke said as they began walking back to the hotel.
"You said it." Naomi said, still hugging her shoulders. "What just happened?"
"Oh nothing," Futaba said, giving a mischievous smile. "I just sent the Markovian Security Forces an anonymous tip that there are a couple crazy perverted terrorists in the restaurant. All I had to do was send them the pictures and they did the rest. If those guys don't have any Markovian citizenship or any valid reason to be here, they are going to be detained for a long time."
"Let's hope we have plenty of that left," Ren said, thinking about how the men were watching them and how much time they have left before they find their hotel.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Around here you said?" Skull asked Mona. The Phantom Thieves of Hearts are back in the Metaverse. Thanks to the map data they all shared, they were able to get to the throne room. It was here that Mona was able to pick up the presence of the treasure.
"Yep," Mona said. "I don't know where exactly, but the treasure is here. I can sense it."
"But where is the question," Panther said rubbing her head. "Could it be hiding in plain sight?"
"There's no Shadows here at the moment," Queen said. "Let's use this opportunity to search the area."
Everyone nodded in agreement. But before they could so much as even begin searching, a voice shouted out.
"Looking for something?"
A majority of them flinched before whipping around to see the same military-fatigued security guard shadow standing right behind them.
"Aw, hell!" Cried Skull. "It's that crazy strong shadow from earlier!"
Joker growled. "Tch, and I was really hoping that we wouldn't have to face it, too."
The military-fatigued shadow chuckled darkly. "I don't exactly know what you lot may be looking for here, be it does not matter now. You know why? It is because you will all die here!" The shadow burst into ooze before forming a large Oberon shadow.
"It's an Oberon! You know what to do, Queen!" Joker called out.
The said thief nodded as she reached for her mask. "Right! Johanna!" She pulled off her mask, summoning her persona as she is seen riding it. She unleashed a pretty good nuclear attack on the Oberon, greatly damaging it.
"Let's whip it!" Yelled Panther, as she used her whip to hit the shadow on the side, knocking it back a little.
"My go!" Noir said, as she fired some grenades at it, exploding on impact.
"Oh yeah!" Shouted Skull. However, the shadow unleashed a powerful wind attack, blowing the smoke away, as well as pushing the thieves back. "Whoa, that's some heavy wind! Too bad Kidd's weak against strong wind attacks like that, or else I would go all out!"
Mona rushed foward. "Let's see how it likes getting a taste of it's own medicine? Show your might, Zorro!" He summoned his own persona, as Zorro unleashed it's own wind attack on Oberon, blasting it back some. he smirked "Hah! Figured you wouldn't like that!"
Joker stepped forward. "We need to finish this and fast. Oracle!" He called out.
Said thief nodded from inside of Necronomicon. "Already on it. Support is on the way!" She typed in a few commands as Necronomicon restored their health.
"Brilliant! Persona!" Fox ripped off his mask, summoning Goemon, whom unleashes an ice attack, damaging Oberon.
"It's my turn! Persona!" Noir then rips off her mask, summoning Milady, whom reveals all the firearms under her cloak, unleashing a fury of gun attacks, further weakening Oberon.
"Let's go, Arsène!" Joker is next to rip off his mask, calling forth Arsène, and has him deal curse damage to the Oberon. "Up for another go at it, Queen?" He calls out to said thief.
She nods in confirmation. "Absolutely! Persona!" Once again, Johanna is called forth, as she once again unleashes the strongest nuclear attack she currently has, thus greatly pushing the shadow to the point of defeat.
"Now let's finish this. All-Out Attack!" Joker declares. Together, the Phantom Thieves unleashed their all-out attack. They assaulted the Oberon at all sides faster than it could react, delivering multiple strikes. At last, they stopped. The Baron hadn't moved an inch from his spot, not even breathing. Queen, to live up to their style, struck out a pose.
"Justice has prevailed!"
At that declaration, the huge Oberon shadow cried out in pain as it burst into nothingness.
"Man, big boss shadows like that are always tough." Mona says.
"You sure said it, cat." Skull replied, which resulted in getting a glare from the feline thief.
"I am not a cat!" Yelled Mona. "And while I'm at it, I don't recall seeing you bring out your persona in that fight!"
"Oh, shut up! In case you haven't noticed, Panther didn't bring hers out either." He yelled back.
"Don't you dare drag Lady Ann into this, Skull!" Mona shouted, clearly losing his temper.
Panther sighed at their bickering. "Come on, you guys. We don't have time for fighting." She said to them both.
Joker then steps in. "She's right. Right now, we have to focus on finding out where the treasure is located." He says as they all agreed.
At once, they began to turn everything in the room over. Joker was examining the floor for any clues when he heard Skull cry out in surprise. The Thieves looked to where they heard him, only to find him missing.
"Skull? Where did you go?" Panther asked. "I swear if you are playing a joke on us…"
Joker stared at where Skull was standing and activated his Third Eye. The portrait of Baron Bedlam was giving a faint outline. Most of the glow came from the grapes the Baron is holding. He walked over to the portrait and pressed on it. Seconds later, Joker vanished. In his place stood Skull.
"What? I'm back here? How?" Skull was confused. He then realized that his fellow thieves are staring at him. "Is something wrong?"
"Something wrong?" Panther asked as she stomps over to him and getting in his face. "You vanish into thin air, had us worried, and now you ask what's wrong?! Now thanks to you, Joker's gone!"
"What?" Skull looked around. "Where did he go?"
"I believe the answer lies in the portrait," Fox said as he approaches the paining of the Baron. Remembering what Joker did, he pressed the bunch of grapes. Seconds later, he, Panther and Skull disappeared.
"There must be a hidden passage here," Queen said as she and the remaining thieves approached the painting. Her hand hovered over the grapes before she turned her head to look at the other thieves. "Ready?"
"There's only one way to confirm it, isn't there?" Noir said.
"Time to take a leap of faith," Mona said.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Oracle asked as she pressed Queen's hand against the grapes. They felt the floor beneath them move as the wall spun around. Darkness was all they could see, yet they could feel the presence of the rest of their fellow Thieves.
"We're all in one place now," Joker said dryly. "But it's going to be difficult to move if we can't see.
"Hang on, I see a light switch," Mona said. The tiny thief, with his night vision, jumped up and hit the switch. Above them, the lights flickered on so suddenly it briefly blinded them. They are standing before a spiraling set of stone stairs.
"That's better," Joker said, he looked down to see Queen clutching his leg again. She was mumbling about her sister saving her. "Queen, it's alright. There are no ghosts."
Queen calmed down after a few breaths. Then, she realized what she was doing and stood up quickly and looked away. Her cheeks are dyed red.
"Do you think the treasure is down here?" Queen asked a little too quickly.
"Why else would Baron Bedlam have a secret passage behind his own portrait?" Mona asked as he took the lead. "This might lead us to the treasure! I can feel it!"
"Easy there Mona," Oracle warned. "There could be booby traps."
Cautiously, the Thieves descended the stairs. After a few flights of stairs, they reached the floor that looked to be a private room. A round mahogany table sat in the center of the room, wine glasses on top, surrounded by chairs with wine red cushions. The walls, like the rest of the palace, are decorated with portraits of Baron Bedlam and priceless vases. At the far end is a gunmetal gray vault door.
"Seriously, does this guy's ego have limits?" Panther groans, noting the portraits of Bedlam in various poses. The very sight made her want to vomit.
"Just ignore it Lady Ann. The treasure is up ahead," Mona pointed towards the vault door. "We just need to open the vault."
"Looks easy enough," Skull says as he walks over to the vault and tries to open it. It didn't budge. "Damn! It's locked."
"It would appear that Bedlam isn't careless as we thought," Fox said. "Is there anything that can open it?"
"Over there," Joker pointed towards a keypad left of the vault.
"Great, we need a code," Queen said as she turns to Oracle. "Think you can hack it?"
"Safecracking? Oh, this will be fun!" Oracle said with a grin as she flexes her fingers. Before she could go near it, Mona's tail perked up and his ears are twitching.
"Someone's coming!" Mona hissed. "Hide!"
Considering where they are, there was only one person who would be coming down here and they didn't want to fight him until they secured their infiltration route. Everyone got to hiding, using anything in the room to conceal them.
"Odd. I thought I heard someone," Baron Bedlam said as he enters the room with two familiar men following him. "My mind must've been playing tricks on me."
"The light was turned on when you entered Baron," Count Vertigo said as he scanned the room with suspicion. "Perhaps some rats snuck in."
"Nonsense. Not even my brainless sister could find my private wine cellar," Baron Bedlam said dismissively. "I must have left the light on the last time I was here."
"It doesn't hurt to be cautious," Count Vertigo said, giving Doctor X a glare. "Especially after the fiasco at the hospital."
"Are you pinning that disaster on me?" Doctor X asked in disbelief.
"Those peasants managed to infiltrate our plant right to the bottling room," Count Vertigo pointed out curtly. "By using one of your clones I might add."
"How was I supposed to know that they can act as a skeleton key?"
"You clearly must not live up to your reputation if you failed to recognize such a security risk."
"Gentlemen," Baron Bedlam puts himself between the men. "We came here today to celebrate, not to fight over a petty issue. Vertigo, I trust that your men will be used to…what's the word…tighten, security?"
"Of course, Baron," Count Vertigo nodded. "You have my word."
"Then why don't we put this business aside and have some dubonnet?" Baron Bedlam asked as he walks to the vault. He inputs a code and it beeped in confirmation. The sound of machinery can be heard as the door swung open. Baron Bedlam stepped inside for a moment. When he came back out, he held a wine bottle in his hand.
"From your private wine cellar?" Count Vertigo asked as he and Doctor X took their seats. "To what do we owe this pleasure?"
"Only that the day that I waited for has finally arrived," Baron Bedlam said as he pours wine into the glasses and served it to them. "One that I've been craving for ever since Ilona married my foolish brother-in-law."
"What might that be?" Count Vertigo asked, intrigue on his face.
"Oh, just something that will further benefit us and our business partners," Baron Bedlam said cryptically. He turned to Doctor X and said, "Doctor, expect more test subjects when they arrive from Bialya…I'm sorry, I believe Queen Bee declared it Greater Bialya now."
"My lab will be ready and waiting, Baron," Doctor X said as he smiled sinisterly.
"You won't have to wait long, Doctor" Baron Bedlam said as he raised his glass. "A toast! To a thriving business and the future of Markovia!"
"Cheers!" The villains clinked their glasses and drank. The villains got into casual talk such as bits of their personal lives and different wines that they acquired. But none of them mentioned anything else about what Baron Bedlam is planning. One topic they were discussing made them stiffen.
"So, what happened to your niece?" Count Vertigo asked. "Curious on how she's doing?"
"What about her?" Baron Bedlam asked as he poured himself more wine. "As far as I'm concerned, she's served her purpose. Thanks to her disappearance, I earned my position as one of Markovia's most trusted royals."
"You mean selling her off to the Metahuman trafficking ring?" Count Vertigo asked knowingly.
"Wouldn't you have done the same with yours?" Baron Bedlam asked callously.
"True, but I would prefer if she suffers," Count Vertigo said. "After the humiliation he and Kid Flash put me through, she deserved that much. If she dies, that's a bonus."
The villains reared their heads as they laughed. In their hiding places, the Thieves were listening with horror. That horror turned into seething rage.
"That bastard…" Fox growled but kept himself controlled behind a statue. Even Queen was having a difficult time to control her anger. Finally, after what seemed to be fifteen minutes, the villains set aside their glasses and exited the room. It was quiet for a moment before the Phantom Thieves emerged from their hiding places.
"I thought they never leave," Panther said as she exits a treasure chest that she was hiding with Mona. "Did everyone here that?
"No kidding," Mona growled out. "That bastard didn't have something to do with Princess Tara's kidnapping…he WAS the kidnapper!"
"SON OF A BITCH!" Queen roared as she grabbed a vase and threw it against the wall. The vase shattered and Skull fell to the ground, rubbing his head. Earlier, he dove headfirst into the vase with his feet sticking out. It was a miracle that nobody had noticed them.
"Ugh…my head…" Skull complained as he sat upright on his butt and rubbed his forehead. "What happened?"
"What happened was that Baron Bedlam is the one who kidnapped Princess Tara!" Panther yelled to Skull's shock. "He outright admitted it!"
"What?!" Skull yelped. He stared at the rest of the thieves, seeing their faces dead serious confirming the truth. His teeth ground out. "That asshole! No, he's even worse…I knew that guy was shitty from the start…but this?!"
"All the more reason to take him down," Joker said in a calm but angered tone. He exited from behind a painting he was hiding. "
"I'm furious as well, but Is anyone else worried about what Baron Bedlam had just said?" Noir asks as she got out from underneath an ornate table. "He said that something was going down today. Something that would affect the future of Markovia. What did he mean?"
"Nothing good," Queen said, calming down somewhat. "But we don't have much to go on from their conversation. It can't be anything good…"
"You think we should warn someone?" Skull asked. "They're probably planning to kidnap someone else!
"We don't know what they are going to do," Queen said. "Besides that, the only evidence we have is our word. And don't forget, Baron Bedlam controls the Markovia Security forces. It'll be his word against ours."
"Damn!" Skull punched a vase and shattering it. Everyone took a few minutes to regain control of their emotions. Getting angry right now isn't going to make what they hear go away, but they need to focus. Now is not the time to get angry.
"Did we at least get the code?"
"I did!" Oracle popped her head up from a vase a few feet away from the keypad. "The idiot didn't realize he was being watched!"
"Well don't keep us hanging, Oracle," Mona said eagerly. "What's the code?"
"It's one, six, one, and nine," Oracle replies as she rushes over to the keypad and punches in the code. The door swung open again and the Phantom Thieves entered the wine cellar. It was quite chilly when they entered. Various wines are stacked onto wooden racks, but what caught their attention was the rippling shape of…something at the center of the room.
"There it is," Queen said, looking at the hazy ball of light.
"Now all we have to do is send the calling card," Mona said with a grin.
By nature, desires don't have a physical form. The first thing they have to do is make their target realize that their desires are a Treasure. If Bedlam's cognition recognizes their desires as a treasure and is about to be stolen, it will appear where the ball of light is. It will also put the palace on high alert for intruders, which is exactly what they want.
"Alright, we got our infiltration route secure and the location of the treasure," Oracle said. "Time to head on back."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Skull yelled, drawing everyone's attention. "Aren't we forgetting something?"
"What?"
"Did you guys forget what happens every time we steal a treasure?" Skull asked. Everyone was staring at him blankly until realization dawned on them.
"Oh yeah…" Noir gasped. "And we're stuck underground…"
"If the palace collapses, we'll die of a cave-in," Queen whispered in horror. "We wouldn't even reach the surface."
"There's the log out button," Panther pointed out. "We could use it to escape and…"
"But where would we end up?" Fox asked. "The last time three of us logged out, they were nearly arrested. We have to be careful where we log out."
"Which means we better plan out an escape route," Mona said. "Oracle, can you go over the map data we collected?"
"I'm on it," Oracle said as she opens up a menu. "The only exit out of here is right where we entered. We're still going to die when the stairs collapse."
"For real?! Why the hell did this bastard have to put his treasure underground?" Skull yelled. Joker had kept calm and quiet as they discussed this. His eyes trailed back to the portrait that he was hiding behind.
"Oracle," Joker spoke in a way that stopped the conversation. "The passage that I was hiding in…where does it lead?"
"I don't know," Oracle said. "I wasn't aware that it existed until you pointed it out."
"Hmm…" Joker rubbed his chin in contemplation. "What time is dinner?"
"About forty-five minutes."
"Then we better make this thirty," Joker said. "Let's see where that passage goes and do another rundown of the castle. I have a feeling that there might be more. If so…they can help us more than Baron Bedlam."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Welcome to the Velvet Room," Igor greeted as Ren woke up in his cell. After searching the castle one last time, he and his friends went to get dinner. Then they called it a night to become well rested for the heist, Ren found himself in the Velvet Room.
"Welcome back Trickster," Lavenza greeted with a smile. "I can feel the power of the Persona's you have collected on your journey. As expected of the power of the Wildcard."
"Their power will be necessary to avert the oncoming disaster," Igor said, his bloodshot eyes staring into him. "Be warned trickster, you are reaching the first of many challenges to come on this journey. Should you fail…your future as well as everyone else's shall be forever doomed."
"A time will come when you will need to call upon the true power of the Wild Card," Lavenza said. "For that, you will need our help. Do not hesitate to seek it out."
Once again, the alarm blared, signaling that it was time to return to the waking world.
"Our time is up. I wish you sweet dreams my trickster," Lavenza said. Then her face became sad. "But be warned… I sense that a dark turn awaits you in the not too distant future."
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Hotel Markov, Markovburg, Markovia
July 29th, 2018 8:00 AM EEST
Ren woke up in the boy's hotel room. Morgana snoozed on his pillow, still fast asleep. His thoughts were drifting back to his visit to the Velvet Room.
A dark turn… What did Lavenza mean…?
At that moment, his phone buzzed. Reaching for his glasses and putting them on, Ren picked it up. He saw a message from Ann. He opened the SMS app and read it.
Ann: Are you up?
Ren: Yes.
Ann: You guys need to see the news, NOW!
Ren wondered what's up with Ann, but he got a gut feeling that something bad happened. He fumbled for the remote that Ryuji tossed into a pile of laundry they collected before they fell asleep. When he found it, he turned on the TV and shifted channels until he found the Galaxy Broadcasting System. There were no words to describe what Cat Grant said to the camera with a depressed look on her face.
"The nation is in mourning as the King and Queen of Markovia are dead."
Ren lost hold of the remote as it dropped onto the bed as he was both stunned and horrified at what Cat Grant had just said. The picture of the scene of the crime that was then shown on the tv did not help in making it any better. It showed both the King and queen, lying face down on their bed, holding hands, with blood everywhere.
Aaaaaand... That's another chapter down. Here's a list of the different shadows that have appeared in the Winery of Greed.
Higher Shadows:
- Belphegor of the Tower Arcana
- Bicorn of the Hermit Arcana
- Mithra of the Temperance Arcana
- Oberon of the Emperor Arcana
- Tsuchigumo of the Strength Arcana
Lower Shadows:
- Agathion of the Chariot Arcana
- Jack O'Lantern of the Magician Arcana
- Preta of the Devil Arcana
Now then, as you can see, I've given out a major spoiler to later on in my version of the story. Which just so happens to be my version of Marcus Shugel-Shen, otherwise known as Monkey Prince, whom was introduced around 2 years ago in 2021, as a new character to the DC comics. I hope you like this. Also, just like him, I do not own the Panda Express restaurant chain. Both Marcus Shugel-Shen/Monkey Prince and Panda Express belong to their respective owners. Before I forget, I changed the title of this chapter from "Blood Mixed in Wine" to "Blood Red Fining Agent" in reference to... well... I'm not so sure I should say it on here. Do some research yourselves. Just type in the keywords from the previous title of this chapter.