HoloJourneys

by vanderblast

A fateful encounter with a fluffy sheep inside a castle dungeon, begins a journey that will change the world. In a world of magic, swords, magical spirits and endless possibilities, Anon, sets forth on a journey with his friend Watame to see everything this world has to offer and to find their origins. The journey won't always be easy, but together, they can always make it through.

11. An Unwelcome Examination

It's hard to tell just how far Chloe has dragged you from Bjornholm, but after a while you can smell the salt air of the ocean. Sand slides under you, but this is more soft like you are used to. Could this really be the same shore you landed on? As you try to make a better note of your surroundings, the ground suddenly grows cold and damp. The light of the sun begins to disappear as the stony ceiling of a cave comes into view, at least it was still daytime out, so you thankfully weren't out for that long, unless it's the next day, or the day after, best not to think like that for now.

"I think he's waking up." Iroha tells her partner as she notices you stirring.

"I can shock him back to sleep if you want." Chloe responds, perhaps a little too eagerly.

"No need. There is not much he can do at this point. Besides, Miss Koyori will be angry if we damage him accidentally. You know how she gets when it comes to these things."

"Yeah, you're right. We got enough of a railing this morning because of this jerk. Hopefully this puts her in a good mood for a while."

Koyori? Wasn't that the name they mentioned last night? The person with the strange sounding voice? Crap, there is actually another one of these nutjobs here. From what you remember she was really laying it into Iroha about how long it was taking them to secure Uisce. She must be above these two in some way, you really don't want to find out in how many ways that might be true.

If you can just reach your spell book, you might be able to tear a way out of this net. You begin to try and shift yourself around to get your arm in a better position to move.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Iroha declares. "We WILL shock you again if you keep trying to escape."

Not wanting to go through that again, you comply. You still feel a faint tingle in your nerves from the first one. They would have to let you out of this net eventually right? There will be more opportunities to get out of this, you hope.

From your low viewpoint, you can mostly make out what looks to be your average cave by the sea. Lots of smooth rocks and not much else. Why are they bringing you here?

Deeper into the cave you are dragged along, it starts to get even colder, but before the light of the sun cannot reach any further, other lights begin to take its place to illuminate your surroundings.

The legs of tables and lamps come into view, but what actually catches your eye is the nearby pool of water that rests peacefully at the end of the cave. Suddenly it makes sense that this might be where they planned to take Uisce. They would need some water deep enough to keep her in, and this wasn't connected to any other bodies of water, so there wouldn't be a good chance that she could escape.

The next thing you feel is your body being lifted from the ground, as you are tossed forward. You hit the opposite wall hard and fall to the ground with a thud. You are met with the metal floor of an apparent building. It was silly to think your enemies would be gentle with you, but even Hector had the decency to make sure his prisoners would stay intact.

From the ground you can see Chole's boots as she makes her way towards you. She kneels down and opens the net from over your head. Before you can try anything she grabs you by your hair and yanks you up with her. You feel the cold edge of a dagger against your neck next.

"Don't move." she commands as she relieves you of the sword and spell book at your hips.

She shoves you back into the wall behind you as she backs away slowly. You can only stare back at those masked eyes as you are left practically defenseless.

"What? No gloating? No grand explanation of what I'm here for?" you snap. "I thought big villain types like yourselves would be all about that."

"Shut up." Chloe replies. "My orders were to bring you here. And that's what I did."

After Chloe places your things on a nearby table. She approaches you again with a thick rope in her hands.. Both of your wrists are pulled in front of you and Chloe wraps them together in a tight binding.

"And why exactly am I here anyway?" you ask, "If you wanted revenge you could have gotten it already."

"Trust me, I thought about it…but Koyori wants to see you. You might be wishing I killed you instead though." Chloe says with a hint of malice.

Satisfied that you won't be able to use your arms any time soon, Chloe spins you around again and leads you by the shoulder to a nearby chair at a small table. She practically shoves you down onto it.

You take the opportunity to finally scope out where you have been taken. This cave was certainly big from what you were able to see from the ground, easily wide enough to make a nice home out of, if a damp cave on the beach would be your idea of home. Metal walls now obstruct your vision of the cave however. How did they even build something like this so soon? Was it short notice though? For all you know this plan could have been in the works for months.

Various objects that flicker with different color lights take up the side of the room to your left. Glass vials, beakers, and other tools that might be used to break down and mix ingredients sit on a white table not far from your seat. All this stuff looks…advanced, even by elven standards.

"And why does this Koyori want to see me?" you ask.

"I wouldn't want to spoil the surprise." Chloe scoffs. "Especially after all the surprises you gave us last night."

Having answered your question, Chloe seems content to lean against the wall by the door to the building and not have to look at you anymore. You are not used to someone actually guarding you after you've been put in what is effectively your jail cell. It looks like Iroha has taken guard outside as well.

"Chloe?" a familiar voice comes from outside the building. "Is that you with my newest subject?"

With a quick twist of the doorknob, in steps a girl wearing an open white lab coat. If this is the girl that was on the other end of that conversation last night, it is certainly not what you would have expected.

Full, pink hair cascades all the way just past the base of what looks to be a pink fox tail. Atop her head are fluffy pointed ears as well, and two separate strands of braided hair travel down the sides of her head and stop to create braided buns at the spot where human ears might be. A white collared shirt that looks to have been cut to expose her midriff, covers her chest along with a loose pink tie. A belt holding multiple vials that contain who knows what, hangs in front of her coal colored skirt that just reaches past her thighs. Another bottle containing something is strapped to her right leg, high enough so that it might be easy to grab for whatever it might be useful for. Thin pantyhose run all the way up both her legs and end at a pair of black high heel shoes that are decorated with a single pink bow at their backs. Probably isn't hard to guess this girl's favorite color.

Her light violet eyes look at you with an intense curiosity, before tightening as her expression grows sour.

"What did you do to him!?" she snaps, directing her gaze at Chloe now.

"I brought him here just like you wanted." your masked abductor shrugs.

"And look at him! He's a mess! Dirt, cuts, bruises, all over him!"

Okay you are probably a little dirty, and the way Chloe dragged you here definitely gave you a few marks, but you can't look that awful can you? Why does this fox girl care anyway? Aren't you supposed to be a prisoner?

"You know I like my research subjects to be in pristine condition." the girl in the white lab coat barks.

"He's fine." Chloe scoffs. "Trust me Koyori, it'll take more than that to put a real dent in him."

"So I've heard!" Koyori puffs. "Honestly, I still can't believe you lost that spirit because of a human. But then again…"

Koyori's eyes gaze upon you again as she begins to slowly walk toward you. The sound of her heels clicking against the metal floor along with how she crosses one leg in front of the other, is…entrancing to say the least. Why are you paying so much attention to that? This is not the time for this.

"A human who can form some sort of magical connection with an elemental spirit, AND has a spell book that is powered by something other than mana. Is much more interesting than some old water hag that will dry up the second she's not wet." she finishes as she eyes you up and down from the door of the cell. "Show me this book."

"It's right on the table there." Chloe points.

"Excellent!" Koyori chirps as she goes to where Chloe directed her and immediately begins to inspect and handle your book. "It's so nice when you manage to do what I ask. I'll even forgive you for not cleaning my newest subject first."

Seeing someone else manhandle your book is annoying to say the least. You may be bound, but that doesn't mean you have to just sit here and take this.

"Excuse me!" you call. "That's kinda my personal property you're fondling over there. I'd really appreciate it if you didn't, it's kinda important and meant only for me."

"Is it now?" Koyori says without letting her eyes leave your book. "That makes it much more interesting. I can't wait to find out how it works. And the same goes for you, my newest project."

"I'm not really sure what you hope to do. What you see is what you get after all." you say back.

"I think there is much more to you than meets the eye, Anon, but I almost got ahead of myself there. As my newest research subject, you deserve a proper introduction."

"I am in charge of research and development here at HoloX" she chirps as she twirls her fingers in the air that seems to make various blue squares that contain text appear all around her. "I'm the brains of our entire operation. There is no knowledge that is out of my grasp. I am Koyori Hakui."

"So are you a kitsune too?" you ask, not too impressed by someone who claims to be the brains behind a group of idiots who leave trails of their kidnappings.

"No! I'm not a fox! I'm a coyote!" she snaps.

"A coyote? Really? Your tail and ears just look a lot similar to my friend's, who is a fox."

"They are clearly different!" Koyori whines as she turns sideways to give you a better look at her tail. "See!?"

The full pink fluffy tail wags slightly, you suppose it is a little more unkempt than Polka's, but you wouldn't have guessed that was an indicator of what the tail belonged to, rather than who. She is awfully worked up about being mistaken for a fox though, you guess you can sympathize with her on that. You know how rough it can be to be assumed that you are something you just aren't.

"Ohhh I see now." you say, feigning enthusiasm. "Yup! That is definitely a coyote tail. My bad."

"Normally I would punish you for such a mistake." Koyori says smugly. "But since you are going to help me with my research, I'll let you off the hook just this once."

"That's nice of you. How about you let me out? I can always write you a letter when I figure out everything about myself, sound like a deal?" you ask, half expecting this to work, but also knowing there is no way someone can be that dumb.

"You'd like that wouldn't you?"

"Very much so."

"Too bad. You're in my world now, Anon. Together we are going to unlock all the mysteries that surround you, one way, or another." Koyori says to you, as a twisted glint forms in her eye.

It was worth a try, for once it would have been nice to get out of a situation like this by just talking. While you also would like to solve the questions you've had about yourself, you are not sure this pink coyote is the one who should be helping you with that. Hopefully by now your friends know you're missing, or at the very least Undine knows. It might be best to keep playing along for time.

"And why would I want to help you do that?" you ask. Just keep the girl talking in circles Anon, it's about the only thing you CAN do at that moment.

"It doesn't matter if you want to or not." Koyori counters. "I have ways of finding out whatever I want to know. In case you forgot, I have you as my prisoner."

"I don't have to tell you anything you know." you say as you pretend to be interested in literally anything else in the room.

"Don't be that way." Koyori coos. "Let's go over what I know so far thanks to the report I got from Chloe and Iroha."

Koyori swipes her hand across one of the blue squares that float around her and begins to read off of it.

"As a human, you somehow have made what is known as a pact with the elemental spirit of water, Undine. You have a magic spell book that lets you cast spells from a source that isn't mana, one of which is devastating enough to knock Chloe out cold. Your control of mana itself is not very impressive, but you are able to combine yourself with an elemental spirit to create a force that is the sum of both yours and Undine's. And you are also apparently a big, dumb jerk."

"Really?" you say looking at Chloe with disappointment. "Name calling in your official reports?"

"You made me eat dirt…" Chloe grumbles.

"That's enough Chloe. I'm trying to work here. Now where was I? Oh yes, Anon, let's get to know you better. What would you say your pain threshold is?"

"My what?" you ask in disbelief, thinking that it was a joke, but now this pink coyote sits in the chair opposite you, completely focused on whatever you might tell her. "I have no idea. I try to avoid pain most of the time."

"Interesting. Well after today, you will surely have an answer for that!" Koyori chirps while wearing an unsettling smile. "Next question-"

"Don't I get a question next?" you interrupt. "If we really are getting to know each other, I should get to ask you questions right?"

"Oh this isn't a date Anon." Koyori giggles. "But if having your hands tied together is your idea of one, I think we can make each other very happy~"

The fact you can't tell where the truth begins and ends with that last one sends shivers down your spine. Okay, she wins that round.

"I'll take your silence as a sign to continue? Now, I want to know everything about how you discovered your powers. Both the spell book and the water spirit's. Spare no detail, we have all the time in the world."

Getting right to the point huh? Well it's better than asking about weird things like pain thresholds.

"They both just kinda came to me." you say half truthfully. "Your guess is almost as good as mine when it comes to it. Sorry if that's not what you were hoping to hear, but that's the best I got."

"I was hoping you would cooperate willingly with me." Koyori sighs as she walks over to the table that holds your spell book. "But I was also half hoping you wouldn't."

Your body tenses from the way she says that last part. Did you already make things worse for yourself? Koyori picks up your book and walks over to the door. With a gentle bend of her finger, she beckons you to follow.

Before you can decide how you should deny the request, you are lifted up to your feet by your shoulder thanks to Chloe.

Urged along by the masked girl's firm palm, you follow Koyori outside of the metal building. The tranquility and air of the cave is a welcome change, the situation might be getting worse, but at least your surroundings are more comfortable.

You pass Iroha who stands guard outside who gives you an almost sympathetic look, just what are you in for?

Koyori stops in the middle of a wide open area of the cave. She makes a slow turn, as if looking everything over. Seemingly satisfied, she smiles and struts over to you and Chloe.

"This will do. Chloe, untie him."

You stare in confusion as the binding around your wrist is undone. What is this girl up to?

"Since you don't want to tell me how your spells work. You're going to show me." Koyori states.

Is she for real? If you're supposed to be their prisoner, why would she let you use your best weapon? Maybe she is as dumb as the others after all.

"This experiment will be simple. You try to use your spells on me, and I'll just observe and learn. Sounds easy right?"

Not wanting to argue and possibly ruin your best chance to escape, you simply nod and take your spell book as she hands it to you. You think about letting loose a stellar spell right then and there, but Chloe grips one your shoulders hard to prevent you from acting.

"Goodie! If you wouldn't mind taking your position over there, we can begin."

Again you are escorted by Chloe to the spot Koyori directed her to. You rub your shoulder to get some of the feeling back into it after you were finally let go. Well maybe the coyote is smarter than you are giving her credit for. Your back is to one of the cave walls and Koyori stands between you and the path to leave. Oh well, you'll just have to go through her then.

"Whenever you're ready!" Koyori calls, her echoing voice fueling your anger even more.

You hate being baited like this, but if she wants to see the power of the spell book so badly, you'll show her. How dare they come after you like this, all to sate some twisted curiosities. You'll show her that this is one mystery she isn't ready for.

Fueling your book with power, it begins to brighten the entire cave around you, your shadow looms over you along the wall of the cave behind.

"Stellar!" you shout, causing a radiant blast if starlight to fire from your open palm towards Koyori.

What will happen next? Will she dodge it somehow? Will she make Chloe block the attack for her? She's just standing there, not doing anything.

From one of the pockets of her coat, Koyori pulls out a small capsule that she tosses into the air. The cylindrical container pops and what looks to be a circular mirror floats in the air in front of her.

Your stellar spell hits it dead on, light flashes in the cave for an instant before dissipating entirely. You open your eyes and see Koyori perfectly unharmed. There is not even dust or smoke from the impact. It was like your attack was completely snuffed out.

It has to be a fluke, try the spell again.

"Stellar!" you yell once more.

This time the mirror floats to meet your spell at the halfway point. There, you see all the light from your spell being sucked into the mirror. The glass shimmers and shines with the same light that your spells do, what the hell is going on?

Koyori snaps her fingers and the floating disc directs itself toward you, and with a bright flash, energy shoots forth, you need to defend yourself..

"Stellashield!"

A shield of starlight appears just in time to take the blast that was meant for you. It buckled under the energy that pressures it, but holds fast. You are not going to let this girl get the best of you.

If long range attacks won't work, let's get right in her face.

"You're gonna regret letting me fuel myself for this one! Charge! Stellaruku!"

With a body strengthened by starlight, you sprint forward. With the extra power from your shield's charge, you can knock this girl out and go toe to toe with Chloe if you have to. You're getting out of here, nothing will stop you.

The distance between you and Koyori is closed in an instant, not even her weird floating glass could come back to protect her in time. As you cocked your fist to take a swing at the girl, she simply smiles sadistically at you. She flicks something from your thumb toward you, and something pink and long begins to wrap itself around your body.

Before you can finish your motion, your arm is completely locked in place as the strange rubber material constricts your entire body and begins to tighten.

You fall backwards and bounce off to the side before rolling a few feet along the cave floor. Try as you might, you cannot make a rip or tear in the material that is holding you in place.

Koyori laughs as she watches your struggle.

"Naughty boy!" she taunts. "That's what you get for trying to punch a pretty girl like me. I bet you're starting to realize that nothing you do is going to help you escape. You can try, and try, and try, but there isn't one spell or technique you have that I'm not prepared for."

No wonder she was so casual about letting you cast your spells, she had these weird counter attacks ready to go. Dammit, and you fell for it, hook, line, and sinker.

"So let's see." Koyori starts as she looks at one of the floating blue screens around her. "That covers three of the five spells at your disposal so far. I'm glad, but not surprised that my inventions for negating the powers of your first two offensive ones work like a charm."

"Just because you think you have a countermeasure, doesn't mean you'll stop me!" you grunt.

"That's the spirit!" Koyori says, seemingly starting to grow more exciting by your struggling. "I want to see everything you can do!"

With another snap of her fingers, the force around your loosens and you are set free. The pink, formless mass retreats back to its master and recedes into a small vial.

Now she's purposely letting you take another shot at her. You hate this so much. Your pride is getting more broken by the second, but pride be damned. You want to get back to your friends. The idea that you might never get to see Watame or Undine again is worse than having no pride at all.

If she wants to be cocky that's fine, you can find a way to beat this. You always do.

"Let's see the fourth one." Koyori says with a clap of her hands.

"And what if you don't have a counter measure for that one?" you spit back. "You have no idea what that one does."

"But it more than likely is made of starlight." Koyori answers confidently. "All the spells from your book seem to be based on that. That's why my reflector screen is the perfect weapon against you. It can absorb intense levels of light magic, store it, and fire it right back at you. Any attack your book can conjure will be stopped by it."

"There's more to me than that." you scoff. "If spells from my book won't work, I'll just hit you with something else."

"Also easily managed. My constrictor rubber can stop you right in your tracks. You couldn't make a single move on me while it was around you. All your methods are rendered useless next to my genius."

You are seething, seething because you know she is right. Even if you could try to hit her with some water spell from farther away, Chloe could step it and neutralize that as well. Is this fight actually impossible for you to win?

No! You can't start thinking like that. There has to be a limit to how much those weird discs can take. If you can blast through it, you can take control and finish this battle.

"Where's that next spell?" Koyori asks, growing impatient. "If you can't make any more spells for now, just let me know. There are plenty of other experiments I have planned for you."

She wants a spell she hasn't seen? How about one no one has seen yet. I'm talking to you, book! You haven't let me down so far, so I'm asking, begging you! We need a spell to break through her defenses! I'll give you whatever you need! I'm ready for the next spell!

The light from your book seems to respond as it grows higher and brighter. You can do this Anon! You've been growing after every battle. Every new thing you see and experience is making you stronger. You have to get stronger, to stop people like HoloX from having their way with the world you're growing to love more and more. You have to make the world a safe place for Watame to realize her dream! Now blow this smug coyote's toys to bits!

"Here it comes, Koyori!" you say as you turn the pages to where your heart is guiding you. "The sixth spell! Stellaruga!"

The spell forcing its way out of your free hand almost knocks you right off your feet, as an immense blast of starlight rockets towards your foe. Through strained eyes you can see it looks a lot like the stellar spell, but this is more concentrated, faster, rings of energy swirl around the entire length of the blast.

As you expected, Koyori's disc moves to take the spell that is meant for her. Your spell of starlight collides with it, you can feel it pushing harder and harder against the floating contraption. It seems to be having trouble taking a full concentrated stream of starlight all at once, your spell is taking a lot longer to disappear than your earlier attempts. One more, fire one more Anon.

"Stellaruga!" you shout again, with even more feeling.

Another blast of starlight leaves your hand and barrels toward the floating disc that just finished absorbing your last attack. Again your spell meets it head on and begins to pressure and push against it. Giving power to the book for one last big push, you concentrate on giving the spell what it needs to finally break through.

Like a drill carving its way through rock, the disc shatters in the air, unable to take the concentrated energy of your newest spell in quick succession. You beam with confidence at what your will has created. The Stellaruga spell is still on its way to its final target, Koyori.

Your hopes of gaining some control over this battle are then dashed away. Before your spell can hit its mark, another disc appears from Koyori's coat just in time to eat what power your spell had left.

The light of your books fizzles like a doused match. She had another one of those things just ready to go?! What else can you do? Before you can contemplate your losing situation further, something sharp makes contact with your right knee.

You look down and the ball of your knee is exposed through torn clothing, the skin a hot red to match the searing pain you now feel. As you drop to hold it, you notice a small metal ball with a bright red light emitting from its center floating above you. Now what?

"Naughty naughty." Koyori tuts. "I asked for the fourth spell, and you clearly said that one was the sixth, so I had to punish you. I did love getting to see a brand new spell that was even unknown to you come to life though. That's why I only hit one of your knees."

"Whatever happened to that stuff about wanting me in good condition?" you grunt through the pain.

"I can't get any useful data if you're hurt BEFORE I have a chance to be the one inflicting the pain of course." Koyori answers, her expression growing more dark. "Pain is such a powerful tool. It can reveal so many things about a person. How much pain you have to endure until I get what I want, is entirely up to you."

"You bitch!" you hiss. "What the hell is any of this good for anyway? Why even bother with all this?"

"For a pretend hero, you sure don't know the score huh? HoloX is meant to take over the world. Everything will be by the design of my darkness. This world is weak, inefficient, stupid. HoloX will change all that, and you'll prove invaluable in making it happen."

"World domination? Are you serious?" you ask, your frustration building further.

"Oh Anon~ I have not told a single lie to you since we met. Why would I start now? HoloX is the perfect organization to utilize my immense genius. With them, I am free to pursue knowledge however I see fit. As long as I deliver results, which as you can see, I am very good at."

"No knowledge can be worth what you were going to do to Uisce! Splitting her and Harold up is just plain wrong! What you're doing to me is wrong too!"

"I would have to disagree. Knowledge of how to use beings that can harness the very force of nature itself is worth any cost. It's true, I was looking forward to seeing how an elemental spirit lives, but you, you Anon, are a much, much bigger prize. I can barely contain myself when I think about what things I can learn from you, and that special water spirit of yours."

That's right, she wants to drag Undine into her mad experiments. That is something you can never allow. There is still one option left, the fifth spell. You should be able to cast it again. You don't think even she could make a shield strong enough to keep her from its wrath. It may shut you down, but you're not going to let this coyote have her way with Undine.

The building anger and conviction powers your spell book further. Shining brighter and brighter to answer your call.

"Your little games over Koyori!" you shout as you push yourself up to your feet. "Here's one more spell to try your little machines on! Urou Stel-"

As you begin to utter the spell, suddenly all sound vanishes. A dull ringing in your ears is all you can hear. Nothing that leaves your lips reaches your ears. You look down at the book, you can definitely still feel that you spent the power needed to fuel the spells, but still nothing happens.

Sharp pains then come from your back, chest, arms, and legs. You scream but nothing can be heard. The same burning sensation that was on your knee now can be felt in multiple parts of your body. One last sharp bite hits your wrist that holds your spell book, forcing you to finally drop it.

The pain is intense, between the deafening ringing in your ears, and your body about to give from spending the energy to use the fifth spell, you fall face forward onto the ground. You writhe in pain, it feels like parts of your skin were being held over an open flame.

Soon, the tranquility of the cave enters your eardrums again and you breathe a sigh of relief, you can finally hear again. A pointed shoe wedges itself under your heaving stomach and flips you onto your back. You are met with Koyori's smug gaze staring back at you.

"That was extra uncalled for." she teases. "You made me have to test my noise dampening field early. As always, my theory was correct. If you cannot hear the spell you cast, it won't happen. Very interesting indeed."

You really stood no chance against this girl on her terms. She was even prepared for a spell that was brand new, just how dangerous are these HoloX people?

"Chloe." Koyori calls. "Bring Anon to the operating table please. It's time to begin a physical examination."

There was nothing you could do but let Chloe pick you up and carry you over her shoulder, like some fresh kill. You haven't felt helpless like this since Hector had put you in your place during your first encounter. This is just like then wasn't it?

Wait! Not exactly. You have friends now, strong friends, friends who actually care about you. You can't give up hope, hope that they will find you somehow and get you out of here. Koyori had just the right answers to you specifically, but she would be no match for Watame and Flare, she has no idea what they can do.

Even Polka would be a wildcard, even though she might have some data on her, Polka herself is about as unpredictable a fighter as you can get. Koyori might have you dead to rights, but that doesn't mean she can't be beat by someone else.

Just keep hanging on, is what you tell yourself as you are placed onto a table that feels to be just a bit longer than you. You feel something close around your wrists and ankles as well. Concerning, but try not to let the coyote see you sweat, she might like that or something.

"Comfortable?" Koyori asks you.

"I've been locked up in more comfortable ways." you say back with some snark. There may not be anything you can do to escape, but the fact that you trust your friends to come find you, puts some fire back in your belly. You won't roll over and die for this mad woman just yet.

"This is the best table I could put together on such short notice. I have much nicer accommodations back at my real lab. I'm sure you'll get quite familiar with that later, but for now! It's time to continue!"

"Continue with what exactly? You already had your kicks with my spell book."

"I'm going to open you up a little of course!" Koyori chirps. "There's no telling what kind of biological changes have taken place on your body because of your spell book. Not to mention the fact that you can apparently fuse with an elemental spirit. I'm shaking with excitement just thinking about what I might find!"

Did she really just say "cut open"? Okay you might be sweating a little now.

"Hold on a sec!" you spatter out. "There's really no need to slice me open is there? Chloe did that last night after all! She can tell you my blood's just like anyone else's. Tell her Chloe!"

Chloe's expression hidden behind her mask, just stares back at you. Why should she try to help you anyway? Koyori and her are on the same team after all. You almost wish Harold didn't do such a good job patching you up, maybe an open wound would have appeased this coyote.

"Oh don't be such a baby." Koyori teases. "It's just gonna be a few tiny, itsy bitsy cuts. I think I'll start with a nice little incision along your stomach. How does that sound?"

"I've heard better ideas…" you try to joke to keep yourself from having a panic attack.

The bottom of your tunic and shirt are lifted up by one of Koyori's hands. Her soft skin grazes your now exposed stomach, sending an involuntary shiver through your body. The worryingly pleasant sensation of her touch is quickly replaced with the sharp edge of cold metal pressing against your flesh.

As you try to jerk your body away from the cutting instrument, Koyori grabs your exposed skin firmly with her free hand, her nails start to sink deeper and deeper as they begin to draw blood.

"Nuh uh uh~" she coos. "My subjects need to stay absolutely still while I work, you wouldn't want me to make a mistake would you?"

"You can't just cut a person open like this!" you plead. "This seriously won't tell you anything about me. Can we please try something else instead?"

"Listen, I could give you some anesthesia, but it has some unpleasant side effects..." Koyori trails off, her face contorting into a horrible rictus of pain and suffering, before returning back into her mad smile. "I'm sure you wouldn't want to look like that for the rest of your life, right~"

This girl is truly horrifying. You're beginning to think most of what she does is done more for some sick pleasure instead of finding the keys to world conquest. Can such a person even be reasoned with? Maybe you should have just taken your chances with fist fighting Chloe with no sword, spell book, or friends to back you up. At least then you wouldn't have to be conscious for this.

Satisfied that your struggles had died down, Koyori picks up where she left off. The cold knife quickly becomes hot as it slices through your skin. You hold back a scream, unsure if it would somehow make things worse for you. The pain is excruciating, not as bad as when Chloe stabbed you, but it is still the only thing you can focus on now. Your wrists and ankles pull at the cuffs that hold you to the table, unable to make them budge in the slightest.

Koyori's face is simply enamored by what she has done. Her eyes dart back and forth between your bleeding and one of the screens to her side.

"On the surface, it looks like you were correct, Anon." she chirps. "Your blood looks just like anyone else's. A pity. I was hoping there would be some noticeable changes due to either your spell book or your bond with the water spirit. Don't worry though! I'm going to take an extra big sample to run some deeper tests on."

You take a deep breath through your nose as you finally start to cope with the pain.

"What the hell are you talking about?" you say through a panting breath.

Koyori places her cutting instrument down on the nearby table and reaches for something else. In her hands is a frighteningly large syringe. She inspects the needle carefully, a twisted glee spreads across her cheeks.

Before you can protest and beg for some alternative method, Koyori jabs the needle a good few inches just below where she made her incision. The sudden prick of your skin isn't that awful, all things considered, but the feeling of having your blood drained from your body is its own variety of unpleasantness.

As your blood reaches line after line marked on the barrel of the syringe, you think it will finally be over. Surely she has enough now right? Right!? Slower and slower, Koyori's fingers pull back the plunger, as if she's savoring every last drop of your blood that now belongs to her.

Between the pulsing pain from your cut, the "punishment" blasts, the exhaustion of using your spell book like you did, and losing more blood than you probably should at once, you are ready to go home now. What you wouldn't give to just be sitting alongside Watame, you could be sitting anywhere, even in the pouring rain, it wouldn't matter to you. You just want to see that fluffy smile that always makes you feel like everything is going to be just fine.

The thoughts of your favorite sheep seem to do well in distracting you enough where you don't even notice the needle leaving your insides. A bright light then pierces through your closed eyelids just before you feel Koyori's fingers force one of them open.

"Now now. No napping.." she says. "I'm nowhere near done with you yet~"

"You've blasted me, cut me open, and took a jar full of my blood. What else are you possibly thinking of doing?!" you growl.

"I'm so glad you asked!" Koyori squeals as she brings her face down mere inches in front of yours. Her eyes look into yours with a terrifying hunger. This girl is fully unhinged and you are nothing more than her plaything now.

You watch as she reaches back over to the side table that holds her tools, her other hand cups your cheeks between her thumb and fingers as she continues to press and dig her nails into you.

"I'm going to ask you some questions again that will help illuminate me on the mystery that is you. But this time…" she begins as her smile grows even wider and her eyes look down at you half hooded. "There is going to be a little twist. Every time you are either uncooperative or I am unsatisfied with your answer…well…sometimes experience is the best teacher!"

Something small but sharp tears through the fabric of your tunic around your shoulder, before you can even turn your head to look at what it is, an intense pulse of electricity surges through your body. You can feel your body twitch as your nerves are pushed to their limits. Breathing is becoming harder, you're almost afraid to breathe too deeply so as to not break some arbitrary rule Koyori has set that would earn you even more punishment.

"By the look on your face, I'd say you're just about ready to begin." Koyori says as she waves a small black baton back and forth. "Since you were unwilling to show me the fourth spell earlier, why don't you just tell me what it does?"

What can you honestly do? Whatever she zapped you with was even more painful than the net. Take enough of those and you might actually die. At least this question is kinda easy, it's not like you could surprise her with it anyway, you can't even cast it properly on your own.

"It…it makes a bow and arrow for me…" you say slowly, you can feel your heart pound in your chest as you begin to realize that this simple of an answer might make her angry with you. "It shoots an arrow of starlight, a lot like the stellar spell."

"That sounds very hard to do with just one hand." Koyori muses. "How do you manage to cast it? It sounds impractical."

"It is." you agree. "That's why I don't really use it."

"Strange how you would be provided with such a hard to handle spell. It doesn't quite align with my theories so far."

"I told you, I don't really get how it works. It just kinda does what it wants." you lie.

Koyori eyes you up and down, as if scanning your body for some possible tell that you are not being entirely truthful with her. You watch as one of the corners of her mouth curves into a maddening grin. She jabs the head of the baton down on your exposed knee as you are shocked again.

"That was a bad lie." she scolds you as she twists her instrument atop your tender flesh. "You know enough to create a new spell right in the moment. I saw you! I saw how your face was filled with focus as the light began to shine brighter and brighter. Tell me how you did it!"

Koyori gives you a chance to catch your breath as she lifts her baton from your skin. You cough violently, the faint taste of blood reaches your tongue. This is just too cruel, you just want the pain to stop.

"I think…I think the book can make spells as I realize my own potential…" you manage to say through haggard breaths. "That was my first time willingly making one appear. You gotta believe me please!"

This answer seems to please Koyori, her maddening smile grows even larger as her eyes light up. This is apparently very good news to her.

"That sounds just perfect." she purrs. "That means I can solely focus on how you work, and not so much the book. To control you, is to control the power of this book. Think about it Anon. A power that isn't restricted by mana and the weaknesses that come with it, would be very helpful for my darkness to take the world as she is meant to. You would be our most powerful weapon~"

You want to tell her to take a hike. You want to tell her that you would never help a group of psychopaths like HoloX. You want to say you would rather die than ever help them with their messed up ambitions, but you hold your tongue. This pink coyote holds all the power and makes all the rules for you now, if you want to survive the night, you have to keep that pride of yours in check.

You don't even respond, you just look up at the cave ceiling and slowly breathe.

"No need to accept the offer right away." Koyori says. "You will have plenty of time to think it over later. Let's change topics for now. I want to know more about this elemental spirit of yours."

This is bad, this is very bad. You pray to whatever gods that might be listening that she does not ask you to call for Undine. The fact that you have not been able to feel her presence close to yours so far, leads you to believe she is still in her physical state and possibly at Uisce's shrine still. The last thing you want to do is lead her into a trap like this. She's family to you at this point. You can't risk giving this deranged scientist any information on her that she could use for whatever twisted ideas she has.

"What is the nature of your relationship with the spirit?" Koyori asks as she positions her shocking instrument above another exposed part of your body.

"She's my friend." you say proudly.

"A friend huh? I suppose that makes more sense than the other one who is apparently someone's wife. Can you go into a little more detail about how the magic of a spirit works alongside your own?"

Can you? You're not even sure if you can properly put it into words. You're going to have to though, if you don't, that means another world of pain for yourself.

"It's like the ocean…" you finally say. "When Undine and I are together, it's just like that. Ever flowing, alive."

A stinging pain comes from your cheek as Koyori slaps you hard.

"I don't care about your ridiculous metaphors." she spits. "I want clear, concise, answers. Magic can be solved and controlled. You WILL tell me how I can control this spirit of yours. How do you command her? What do you offer her in exchange for such power?"

"I don't control her!" you bark, you hate that someone would treat Undine as just some tool, some weapon that doesn't have feelings of her own. "I already told you she's my friend. We help each other because we WANT to. Maybe that's a foreign concept to you HoloX people, but that's how most people treat their friends."

"You really want to get shocked again?" Koyori growls back. "I'm starting to lose my patience with you Anon."

"Shock me all you want." you declare. "I'll never help you guys hurt Undine. Go ahead, do whatever twisted and cruel things you want to me. I will not tell you one more thing about Undine."

That felt good. You are beaten, tired, and helpless, but you can still protect someone important to you.

"Looks like that's all you'll get out of him today Koyori." Chloe remarks from her seat on one of the cave rocks. "He had the same eyes last night too. No matter how many times I slapped him down, he wouldn't give up. That's all pointed at you now. Maybe call it a day for now?"

"We'll just see how long that bravado lasts." Koyori hisses to her companion as she jams her baton onto you again, sending an agonizing shock through your body.

She allows you to be electrocuted a few seconds longer before giving you a reprieve. You cough up even more blood than earlier as you try to get more air into your lungs.

"Let's try this again. How do you get the water spirit to do what you want?!" Koyori asks, raising her voice.

"I ask." you reply, knowing such a simple answer would incur the coyote's wrath, but you don't care.

Something snaps in Koyori's eyes as she brings the baton down hard into your fresh wound. The electricity is hotter than ever as it courses through your body. You convulse and pull at your bindings with all your might as you scream. Her grip does not loosen as she watches you writhe in pain. Her lips curl at your suffering.

The influx of intense energy suddenly subsides. You honestly expected it to go on until you were out cold or even dead. Your head turns weakly over to where Koyori is and you see Chloe with a hand over her arm. She actually stopped you from getting fried? Today is all about surprises isn't it?

"Chloe!" Koyori barks. "What do you think you're doing!?"

"Stopping you from doing something you'll regret." Chloe coolely says. "You were going to kill him at this rate. Then what would you have?"

From blurry eyes you can see Koyori twitch as she takes in the logic of her comrade.

"Let him recover a little." Chloe starts again. "You can always get the info you need out of him later."

"But I don't want to wait!" Koyori argues. "Anon is a prime specimen! I have to know everything!"

As Koyori struggles with her own dilemma, she seems to recall something. A particular fact or detail she had not considered until now, you shudder to think what it is due to the look she has in her eyes now.

"Keep an eye on him Chloe!" she demands as she races from her chair and back toward the small metal building.

What the hell are you in for now? Guess it doesn't really matter. Whatever she has planned for you next, you aren't going to give her what she wants. You look over at Chloe who just keeps watch on you, what are you even going to do? Even if you could move your arms and legs, you are so exhausted that you probably can't even walk.

"Thanks I guess…" you mutter.

"Don't thank me." Chloe returns. "I just didn't want her to break her newest plaything and then take it out on us later. I couldn't care less if you actually die or not."

Before you can try to continue the conversation any further, Koyori comes running back with a small vial of bright orange liquid from what you can tell.

"Chloe! Get Anon upright for me please!" she calls.

Obeying her orders, Chloe undoes the shackles that bind you to the table and raises you to a sitting position on the edge. If she wasn't keeping you upright, you would have fallen over by now.

"Okay Anon~" Koyori chirps. "Since you wanna be a big strong man who protects his friend's secrets. I'll just have to force you to tell me, from the inside!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" you cough.

"This little beauty." she says bringing your attention to the small vial in between her thumb and index finger. "Is a special serum that will help me get exactly the answers I want. I wouldn't normally use it since it is so rare and is extremely hard to make, but for you Anon, I'll spare no expense."

Before you can even register what nonsense she was spouting now, Koyori grabs the back of your head by the hair and pulls it back so you are met with the familiar cave ceiling again. She then pops the cork of the vial and forces its opening into your mouth. You try to fight back, but you are far too weak to do much of anything. The strange liquid slides and slithers down your throat, nothing you do stops it from reaching its destination. Once what looks to be half the contents have been safely emptied into you, Koyori lets you go and takes a step back.

She looks back at you with anticipation, as if expecting something. You don't feel any different right now though. Could she have been bluffing?

"So what the hell was supposed to happen?" you ask annoyed, but also a little confused as to how you got more of your voice back. "If that was your idea of offering me something to drink, you're more twisted than I thought."

"What's your name?" Koyori asks with a confident smile.

"Anon." you answer instantly, without even a thought. Why did you answer that so quickly? Why did she even ask that? She already knows who you are.

"And how old are you?"

"Nineteen." The answer forces it way out of your mouth again. Starting to feel that something is very wrong, you hold a hand over your mouth. Was whatever you drank some form of mind control? No, you still can control yourself for the most part.

"Where is your water spirit?" Koyori asks next.

You feel the words trying to force their way from the pits of your stomach, you have to hold them back. An uncontrollable urge is pushing you to answer this coyote's question. You cannot deny her the answer. Just say something else, say anything else. Tell her Undine is right outside, across the sea, literally anywhere but-

"She's at the shrine of Uisce!" you shout as you feel like you've run out of breath.

"Interesting." Koyori says to herself as she jots something down on one of the floating screens. "Now that the trial is complete, we can get down to the real questions. Not that I didn't enjoy watching you try to resist. The look on your face is adorable."

"What the hell did you do to me?" you growl.

"It's like I said, it will force whoever drinks it to answer my questions one hundred percent truthfully. I also added a quick mix of just enough rejuvenative properties to keep you from passing out before you can answer all my questions." Koyori says with pride. "There is no way for you to dodge my questions or give me misinformation now. Resisting will also only make things worse for you, as you can probably already tell."

That is really messed up. She wasn't bluffing though. When you tried to resist the urges to answer that last question, it was like your entire insides were being rattled. Even if she somehow healed you a little, you will have to pick your words very carefully from now on.

"How are you and the water spirit bound to one another?" Koyori asks.

"From our connection to water we were able to form a pact." you say, surprised how the first answer that popped into your head was both the truth, and not terribly useful information.

"How did you do that?"

"She took my hand in a place I might have imagined and that was it."

"Did your truth serum expire or something?" Chloe chimes in.

"Impossible. Nothing I make expires. He is telling me the truth as he knows it, even as unhelpful as it might be. No problem. We'll change topics."

So there might be a way to beat this after all, if you are forced to tell the truth, just make it as simple as it can be.

"How do you fuse with your spirit?"

"When we both want the same thing, we grasp hands and we become one." you say flatly.

"How do you feel when that happens?"

"Wet."

Koyori's expression shows that her patience is growing thin, you can also tell she is trying to find ways around the defense you have come up with.

"Was that girl from earlier really your wife?" Chloe asks suddenly.

"What does that have to do with anything Chloe?" Koyori scolds.

"Nope, not even actually engaged yet." you begin, and suddenly a rushing surge of information wants to find its way past your lips.

"Only reason I was with her alone is because her dad thinks we are both blessed by their bear gods, which I cannot find any proof of even existing or blessing me at all. Honestly it was all just a big misunderstanding because of the shape one of my spells takes. I was scared shitless of it at first, still am a little, but then everyone told me I should get to know her more, so I did, and it turns out we have a little more in common than I thought, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad, but I still can't stay here and get married, I got a lot of things to do, but now that I think about it, the real reason I'm actually scared shitless of getting married to her is because I feel like I'm truly meant for someone else. I think-"

"Shut up!" Koyori demands before you can keep going. "I don't care. I'm just going to have to change my approach."

The pink coyote takes a deep calming breath to collect herself, she opens her eyes and looks back at you with confidence. A sinister grin stretches across her face.

"I just came up with a scientific trifecta~!" she beams. "I'm going to make three breakthroughs, all with one single examination."

"What kind of exam is going to give you that?" you ask, almost regretting it immediately.

"A full body exam~" she says sultry as she gives her lips a once over with her tongue.

It is as if a rock somehow found its way into your throat as you try to swallow all the conflicting feelings that look just gave you. She can't mean that in the way you think she does, it's definitely just to play head games with you. She's probably going to try cutting you open again. Honestly, that might be preferred to you being forced to spill your emotional guts and thoughts.

"Whatever…:" you groan. "Do I need to lie back down?"

"Only if you're into being cuffed." she teases.

"I'm good here then thanks." you fire back immediately, that's a relief to know you DON'T like being restrained. At least that's one good thing to come from this truth serum stuff.

"In a damp dank cave? Oh don't be silly~ That's no place for my next experiment."

"It was good enough to cut me open and give me shock treatment…"

"Yes, but what I have in store for you next requires a different environment. Something a little more…comfortable. Chloe, bring him into the lab."

Well, if you have to go somewhere else, getting carried is probably the best way to do it. You got a little feeling back in your legs, but you are not exactly itching to move yourself toward your own torture.

Not opposed to demeaning you a little more, Chloe carries you over her shoulder and brings you back to the metal building which is apparently Koyori's lab. Once inside, Chloe gently lets you down and makes sure you can stand upright on your own, what a curious act of consideration from her, this is getting way too weird. Even though you can't put up much of a fight in this state, you're still confused at the sudden better treatment you are receiving.

"Alright!" Koyori chirps. "Let's see those clothes hit the floor so we can get started!"

You can only stare at her in disbelief. You look at Chloe who just looks back at you, you don't know why you keep trying to find answers from behind that mask. You slightly wish Iroha took a turn at being your guard, at least you could try to get a better feel for what might actually happen to you from her face.

Koyori is still looking at you expectantly, she is actually serious about this.

"Like…all of them?" you finally ask, still convinced this is part of her head games.

"Every last article." she answers with a smile that looks…hungry.

"Why? How on earth does me getting naked help you make any sort of scientific discovery at all? If you just want to embarrass me, you've done pretty well so far without going there."

"How else am I going to give you a full body examination? I want to make sure you are absolutely human, and possibly find out if anything about you is…super human."

"I assure you, I work just like anyone else." you say. "See? I can't even lie about that right now. So we really don't need to make things awkward or uncomfortable."

"Don't worry Anon~" Koyori says, taking a slow step closer. "I'll make sure you're very comfortable.

Fear courses through you, giving your legs the strength to move a couple steps backward. Everything about this girl has been deranged and sick on a level you could never imagine. Being naked and even more vulnerable around her is not a pleasant thought at all.

"H-Hold on a sec!" you begin to stutter. "I-I can just go to the bathroom and you can hear for yourself that everything works as it should. Is that a good compromise?"

"That is needed information, but not what I want." Koyori says as she takes another step closer to you, something dangerous flashes across her eyes. "You've resisted my questions so far Anon, but the landscape of the body can't tell lies. It can't hold anything back. I will find out more about you, even if I have to cover, every, last, inch."

Why do you suddenly feel a little warmer? Is this place getting heat from somewhere? You refocus your eyes from trying to find some source of external heat back onto the approaching coyote. Her smile and eyes scream of something, predatory. You continue your desperate retreat until you are met with the wall behind you. No spell book, no sword, no strength to even conjure a worthwhile spell, you feel even more trapped now than when you were shackled to the operating table.

"I think someone's a little shy." Koyori coos. "Chloe, go wait outside. I think you are keeping Anon from being comfortable for his exam."

Please don't do that Chloe, please let this be the one time you don't follow orders to the letter. Don't leave me alone with her, do something, anything to change this situation, I promise I won't make you eat dirt ever again.

"Not like I wanted to see him naked anyway." Chloe scoffs as she leaves you alone with your predator.

There goes your only witness. Whatever might happen next, will only be known by you, and Koyori.

"Now that no one will be watching, why don't you get rid of those clothes, and I can begin to study you." Koyori says as she takes one long strut after the other toward you. "Another question first. Are you possibly still a virgin?"

"Yes." you say as you clap your hands over your mouth. This damn drug. Something this personal is something you sure as hell don't want to be sharing with her.

Koyori's smile grows larger and even more sinister in reaction to this information. The echo of her heels clicking against the ground as she takes another slow, elongated step towards you fills your eardrums and you start to feel sweat bead down your forehead. You need to stop looking at those commanding, slender legs. Why are you looking there? What is wrong with you?

"Hold on now!" you gasp with your arms stretched forward to hopefully keep her from advancing further. "You don't really want to get involved in that kind of way with me. A coyote who is so smart and clever is not a good fit for a big dumb jerk like me."

"You'd be surprised how often things with opposite properties mix so well togetherrrrr" she purrs, as she loosens the tie around her neck, and a gentle flick of her thumb undoes one of her buttons, revealing a really inviting view of her cleavage.

Unable to tear your gaze away from her slightly exposed chest, you fail to notice that Koyori is now a mere few inches away from you. You are brought back to the reality of your situation as she turns and you feel that big pink fluffy tail begin to wrap its way around one of your legs. Her tail tugs her closer to you, as she brings her arms up to lock her hands behind your neck. Your senses start to get bombarded with new signals. The smell from her cascading pink hair just below your chin is intoxicating, and the feel of her slowly swaying her hips, edging closer and closer to full contact arises something within you. If it weren't for the cotton of the lab coat separating you from the undoubtedly soft skirt that covers her rump, you might have lost all sense of yourself right there.

"You are the scientist after all." you squeak as you duck your head out of her cradle and slide along the wall to break the contact between you both. "But even so, we're enemies aren't we? Isn't this against your rules or something? Would your boss be happy if they found you kissing the guy responsible for messing up the last mission?"

"They won't mind as long as it's for science!" Koroyi says as she begins to advance upon you quicker again, allowing her lab coat to slowly drop along her arms, revealing her bare shoulders.

"If they're all as unhinged as you, you're probably right…" you mutter, almost out of ways to talk yourself out of this, you have one desperate card you can still play while telling the truth. "There's this girl I might be getting engaged to, so we probably shouldn't do any of the stuff you're thinking of. She might have first dibs after all!"

"And let someone else learn your secrets before me?! I don't think so!" Koyori yells as she tosses her white coat to the side and pounces at you while you are cornered.

This coyote is much more feisty than you had anticipated. You can't even manage to push her off before she can fully straddle you on the floor.

There is one more angle you can try, it may be a blow to your pride, but that was better than possibly having to explain what might happen next to anyone. You just hope you can spin the meaning enough in your head so the drug you have coursing through your system will deem it an actual truth, here goes nothing.

"Look, you're very pretty and all, and your tail and ears are cute, but I just don't think I can get in the mood like this!"

"You know, I might believe you, if…" Koyori trails off as she gives her hips a firm thrust against you, causing an involuntary wave of pleasure to surge through you. "I was not feeling a certain something that tells me otherwise."

Unfortunately, she is right. Be it from your building stress over the past day, the close physical contact with another girl you had to admit is attractive in her own ways, or the fact that it has simply been a long time since you've had the type of release that is associated with these types of things, your body is starting to react in a way that betrays you. You really don't want to want this, no matter how exciting it may be in a way. Why is this exciting!? You need to calm yourself down somehow, or do something, anything to repel her.

"See?~" she whispers as she brings herself down so you can feel her breath against your ear. "I can feel that you are starting to show me the truth I've been looking for~"

Koroyri begins to grind herself against you, the thin fabric of the pantyhose under her skirt rustles against the thicker material of your pants. You don't want to say it feels good, but on two fronts you physically cannot lie about it. You need to stay in control of yourself, figure a way to escape from her.

Her hot breath suddenly leaves your side as she brings herself upward to better take in the scene she has created. Her eyes look down at you with an intensity that you have never seen before in anyone, you've seen people look at each with fond attractiveness before, but this, this was something more basic, more primal, this had to be lust.

As you continue to try and shake Koyori off of you, she pins both your wrists above your head with one her hands, her nails just barely beginning to pressure your skin into breaking. You have to stop this before you lose control of yourself, you begin to channel your mana as quickly as you can into your hands. Koyori seems to notice the effort and begins to giggle.

"You are a cute one." she says, the hungry look in her eyes growing wider. "Any scientist worth their salt only grows more excited as the answers try to become more elusive or buried. So go ahead and keep struggling. I love it!"

The spell in your hands is ready, you just hope it works like you want it to. With a push of your will and prayer, you create a splash of water from your hands that washes over you from head to toe. It's chilling embrace stops your body's involuntary reaction cold. You breathe a sigh of relief as your thoughts become more controlled again, you are less commanded by the urges from below. A shrill scream brings you to attention to the secondary effect your little cold shower has. The cold liquid touching Koyori's inner thighs and the more concealed region that was firmly pressed against your own, causes her to jump off you immediately.

You frantically scramble to your feet and position yourself behind one of the chairs in the room. At least you now have something to try and defend yourself with, even if it is just a chair.

"You think you're so clever don't you?!" she hisses.

"Look, I got a lot of things to sort out after today. I might have learned more about myself than I was expecting, but also wished I learned less. You helped with that too! See!? You're starting to solve my secrets just like you wanted!"

This seems to make Koyori pause for a moment, as if she was truly evaluating the praise you had just given her.

"You are an interesting one!" she squeals. "Most people can't seem to focus and control their mana enough when they're about to get physical like we are, but you managed to conjure a pure element right from your hands. That opens up a lot of…unique, possibilities~"

"That's me! Mr. Interesting!" you nervously laugh from behind your meager shield. "So since I can kinda shut off the pipes in a sense, why don't we do something else instead? I could answer more questions if you want. I'll even use complete sentences."

"After you've gotten me so riled up!? Oh no no no." Koyori says playfully. "You may have cooled down, but I'm still burning to give your body a full, thorough, and complete examination!"

Now what Anon? While you were able to make that water spell work, you just barely pulled it off. You don't think you can create anything with enough force to actually knock this girl in heat out. Maybe with more time you could though. How do you stall a girl who wants nothing but to get into your pants? No seems to mean yes to her as well, another very concerning part of this equation. If only you could just turn the floor to ice or something, make it harder for her to chase you….you really need to start expanding your elemental knowledge.

As you begin to desperately try and think of a way out of this that keeps your purity, Koyori closes in and makes another jump at you. You manage to use the chair to quickly shift yourself out of her way and pick it up so that its legs can act as a minor deterrent against her.

What on earth can you possibly give or tell this girl to get her to just stop? You can only run for so long after all, eventually she might just get frustrated that she will either threaten you with another torture device, or just make Chloe hold you down. That is a terrifying thought, let's try to store that for burning along with everything else from this awful experience…maybe not the part where she wrapped her tail around you though…that was kinda nice…

"W-Wait!" you stammer as Koyori steps toward you with her hands raised to imitate the claws of an actual hunter. "You want to get the most out of this experiment right? You want all the truths about me from head to toe?"

"I'm most interested in the truths just below the waist right now." she says with a lick of her lips. "But yes, I want it all."

"I think I got a nice solution that will help us both then." you say with your most charming smile. "A lot of my powers come from emotions as you've observed right?"

"Correct. Your spell book seems to be entirely powered by emotions, and from what I have been able to gather from you so far, your bond with the spirit is also fueled by them, at least partially." Koyori answers, seemingly changing back to the curious scientist you first met, but those eyes, those eyes are still hungry, you need to keep going.

"Wouldn't an experiment like this be best done when the emotions are just right?" you propose. "We could uhh…get to know each other a little more? It might make me more comfortable. You do want me to be comfortable during this particular experiment right?"

"I assure you, you'll be the most comfortable you've ever been when you let me get my hands on you. Besides, there will be plenty of time for us to get to know each other later. You're not going anywhere without me now."

That was a major miss, if only you could actually lie to this girl, you could hopefully spin something up to stop this mess. Maybe there is still a way you can? You didn't feel the similar strain on your insides during the last couple exchanges that you did when you tried to straight up lie when given a specific question to answer. She knows nothing so far about your pact works, she wants to use you and Undine to help HoloX. Maybe that is the answer. It's a longshot, but it's the only shot you have left.

"Hold on!" you suddenly say. "If we actually go through with this Koyori, I…I won't be me anymore!"

That stops her in tracks. You can see her head searching for the meaning behind what you just told her, unable to fully believe what she has heard.

"What do you mean?" she asks.

"It's just as I said. If we move forward like this…I won't be who I am right now." you say, making sure to stay focused on making this "truth" sound as vague as possible, just enough to give her some doubts.

"I don't believe you."

"You should though! It would be a major violation. I would never be the same again. Nothing I do would work the same. The book could also change as well." you say, actually being fully truthful on that last bit, you have no idea what kind of effect doing this type of thing with someone might have.

"I'm growing tired of your stalling Anon!" Koyori barks. "But I also can't be certain that you're not telling the truth either. I'm just going to have to up the dose of truth serum. With any luck, that will make you more honest with your other feelings too! Chloe!"

As Chloe hesitantly opens the door and walks back into the room, Koyori takes what looks to be an empty syringe off of the table of instruments and fills its barrel with the rest of the truth serum that she had strapped to her leg.

"Grab him." Koyori orders as she readies your next injection.

"You really don't have to do that, you know." you plead as Chloe holds one of your arms forward with her strong grip.

"I think I do." Koyori says, almost excited. "I've never had to administer my truth serum like this before, I can't wait to see what effects it will have!"

"Come on! I'm telling you the truth aren't I!? What if that kills me or something? You'll get nothing then."

"I have more than enough at my disposal to keep you from dying due to any unsavory side effects." Koyori says matter of factly, as if that was supposed to ease all your worries.

Unable to break free of Chloe's hold on you, Koyori swiftly jabs the needle into your arm and begins to push the flange down with her thumb. The orange liquid slowly leaves its barrel and into your bloodstream. The hold on you loosens and you stumble forward. You don't feel like your body is in any danger of blowing up or anything, but you feel…strange. Thoughts and images start to get cloudy, it's becoming harder to pay attention to the things surrounding you. You cannot even focus on anything in particular, something was going on, but what was it? Everything feels blank…but also fluffy. Fluffy like a sheep.

"I think that's enough time for it to start working through his system." Koyori states as she walks to be in front of you. "I'll ask you to clarify, what do you mean you will not be you anymore?"

You are being asked a question, you need to answer her. What is the answer anyway? Who are you anyway? Truly? You honestly don't know.

"Who will I be?" you mumble as you work to get your voice back. "I don't know, I only want to be someone who gets to feel fluffy all the time."

"Fluffy?" Koyori repeats, unsure what it could mean, if it means anything at all. "Tell me why you think your spell book will change."

"My spell book?" you repeat, trying to get a clear picture about what you are being asked about. Again, your mind is filled with clouds, nice fluffy clouds. The answer must have to do with something fluffy then. "It's very important to me…it brings me closer to fluff."

"What…." Koyori says dumbfounded. "Okay, what is this fluff you're talking about?"

"It's the most important thing to me. I'm going to take it to every city in the world. I love the fluff."

"I think you broke him, Koyori." Chloe says. "You always go overboard with your mixtures."

"He's fine!" Koyori snaps. "An increased dose would not break him in any way. It will only focus his mind on the absolute truth as he knows it."

"Did you know if you scratch the ears of a fluff they smile and blush?"

"I didn't fucking ask anything about that!" Koyori screeches as she throws the emptied syringe from earlier onto the ground in rage.

"There are times I just want to ask the fluff if I can fall asleep with them in my arms. That sounds great."

What can only be interpreted as exasperated noises from the coyote scientist, are heard as she stomps the ground and kicks over one of the tables in front of you.

"How is he resisting!?" Koyori screeches. "Every last secret down to his underwear size should be mine for the asking! Yet all he gives me is utter nonsense! And worst of all, now he's completely incapable of what I want to use him for like this!"

The fluffy tailed pink coyote is yelling about a lot of stuff. You wonder what has her so mad. Why are you so tired? Everything kind of hurts too. What are you doing here? You think you would like to lay down now and go to sleep.

'I've got to reverse the effect the truth serum is having on his body." Koyori hisses. "Chloe, bring him back out to the operating table. I'm getting my trifecta today one way or another!"

The girl in the mask is looking at you, how does she see when her eyes have no pupils? Now she's grabbing your arm and leading you out of the room you are in. How did a cave get inside this house? You want a house with a cave in it someday. Wait, is this your house? Do you live here? You suppose you could if you wanted to, but where is the fluff you keep thinking of? There is a distinct absence of something fluffy in this cave.

You feel yourself being placed down onto something flat and hard. If this is a bed, it's not a very comfy one. Something feels familiar about it though, you don't think you like it. This foggy fluffy feeling makes it hard to think.

"Can't you just wait for the effects of all the stuff you loaded him with to wear off?" Chloe asks as she places your arms at your sides.

"That could take hours!" Koyori snaps. "I had no idea that this type of side effect could even occur. His brain is practically mush. It's like he's focusing on just one particular truth, one he may not even be able to understand. It might even be the key to some of the questions I have about him."

Iroha suddenly approaches from the other end of the cave with a serious look on her face.

"Miss Koyori, we've been found." she says to the pair that stand on the other side of you.

"What!?" Koyori screeches. "By who? How?!"

"The boy's comrades, I don't know how, but they are definitely heading for our location. I saw them coming this way along the shoreline."

"Dammit dammit dammit!" Koyori stomps. "They're going to waste so much of my time. Fine! We'll just get rid of them if they actually show up."

"I counted six among them, including the water spirit that apparently belongs to the boy."

"Those are pretty sucky odds, even you have to admit that Koyori." Chloe states. "If the old man came with them, him and the water spirit will be no problem for me, but that still leaves four of them. The fox was able to give Iroha trouble too just on her own. We don't even know what the other three are capable of yet."

"I'm not giving up my research subject without a fight." Koyori growls. "They were only able to force you two to surrender because of Anon's book and spells. You leave the fox to me. I have just the thing for her."

"Should we meet them outside then?" Iroha asks.

"No." Koyori says with a hint of malice. "Let them come to us. I'll be sure they get a warm welcome."

Nothing the three voices seem to be talking about makes any sense to you. You're so tired, but why can't you sleep? When you close your eyes your senses are flooded with feelings that don't quite belong to you. Something familiar is getting closer…but what is it? You turn your head to your side and see a book on the table within reach, you know this book, it's yours isn't it?

As you reach toward the first familiar thing you can be sure of, a sharp unexpected pain erupts from the top of your hand. The fog in your mind begins to lift as you are forced to register the pain from the scalpel that Koyori has stabbed your hand with. You reel your hand back to you and cover up your newest wound with the other.

"What the hell Koyori!?" you yell, as you realize you're not where you thought you were. "When did I get back on this table? And now Iroha's here too. My day just keeps getting better."

"Pain…" Koyori says to herself. "Pain seems to dull the effects of the truth serum. Hey! Tell me your name!"

"What? You already know my name." you say confused. What the hell is going on? The last thing you remember is Koyori injecting you with something, then everything went all hazy. As you try to remember you also feel compelled to answer the girl's question, a building desire to answer reaches the surface. "And my name is Anon."

"I still have time!" Koyori gasps. "Quickly! Tell me! What is this fluff you keep mentioning? Why is it so important to you?"

"Fluff?" you repeat back. "What the heck are going on about now? Did you mess with my ears or something?"

"Just answer the question." she demands. "The fluff is the key to everything, I know it. Think hard, do not fight the answer."

What the heck is this crazy coyote trying to play at? Did you say something while you lost time? Fluff? It feels familiar when you repeat it to yourself, but it's just a word isn't it? Why wouldn't it be familiar?

As you try your best to reach the answer that Koyori is convinced exists, you feel yourself slipping away somewhere. Thoughts are becoming less clear, clouds are starting to obscure everything. They're not unsettling or foreboding clouds either, they are comforting.

"The fluff…" you say aloud. "I think…I think it's the reason."

"The reason? The reason for what?!" Koyori says, as she takes your shoulders in her hands and shakes you.

You're being asked a question again, you need to answer. This one is easy though. You know exactly what to say.

"The reason for everything. Why I'm here. Why I have my friends. Why I love this world. Why I love life." you say with a drug induced goofy smile. "It's why I fight too! With the fluff I'm unstoppable!"

"How do I find this fluff!?" Koyori asks, her voice becoming strained with desperation. "Why didn't you use it earlier?!"

"Fluff is not something you use silly." you start to giggle, except it kinda hurts when you do. After a small coughing fit, you feel ready to answer like you're supposed to. "It's what I treasure most in this world. The fluff always has my back, so with them believing in me, I can overcome anything."

"Don't fuck with me!" Koyori yells as she grabs the electro baton from earlier and jams it into the exposed patch of skin on one of your arms.

As electricity surges through your body, the clouds in your mind begin to burn up. You become more aware again, but that also comes with pain, and a lot of it. It's hard to tell what parts of your body are actually doing what while you are convulsing, but you at least know you're still on the table as the cave ceiling meets your view. You can feel yourself going under however, as if consciousness will slip away with the next volt that runs through your body. The pulses of pure energy finally slow down as you twitch from the lingering overload. A weak cough escapes your breath as you feel thick, smokey air escape your lungs. You're really down for the count now, maybe now you can finally sleep, if you pass out from the pain that is.

"I don't have time for this!" Koyori screeches as she throws her instrument away. "I'll just have to bring him back to my real lab. I'll get the answers I want there for sure, but for now. Iroha! Chloe! We have guests to prepare for!"