Like usual, the city was a hive of activity.
The sun was out and its heat bore down with merciless intensity. Even within the shaded confines of the movie theatre's attic, it was still nearly unbearable. Yesterday, they were contracted for an interesting gig. There were rumours of an ex-mercenary turned contract killer lurking about Shibuya. Using the cover of a homeless bum, the guy went completely off the radar.
After some brief investigating earlier that morning, the team had managed to dig up the name Youhei Kiritani.
In his youth, he was a sniper for the JSDF. After his partner - one Shusuke Hanasaki - was murdered shortly after receiving a promotion, Kiritani was labelled as the prime suspect, but it was never proven. He never faced the guilty verdict and shortly afterward, he went AWOL. No one knew what happened to him after that. Until a string of murders began to pop up across Tokyo. Much like with Shusuke, the MO was a single high calibre shot to the back of the head. Clean and precise.
The same type of round was used in each case.
What drove the last nail in the coffin was the discovery of a Seedling Palace belonging to Youhei Kiritani.
Before the V Team began their expedition into Mementos, however, they had begun preparations. Morgana sat atop one of the counters and watched V and River disassemble, clean and reassemble firearms of all kinds.
Meanwhile, Judy was busy typing away and tinkering with her latest contraption.
"When you said you told Pam everythin', I expected her to join us, honestly." Judy said idly. A bright spark cracked off from some exposed wiring as she worked.
"Who?" River quirked a brow. He finished off loading rounds into the magazine he held and turned to his friend. "You told someone about the Metaverse?" He seemed a little annoyed, but at the same time, he couldn't exactly argue. They had already told Takemi everything, anyway.
"Panam Palmer. She's the Nomad choom I mentioned. I keep forgetting that not all my chooms know each other…" V sheepishly chuckled. "Anyway, she's still got the Night City branch of the Aldecaldo's to manage. She's also keeping eyes on the streets for weird shit. MaxTac deployments specifically." Now that they knew MaxTac was involved with Night Corp's schemes, it only seemed natural they kept some kind of surveillance on their movements. It seemed both River and Judy agreed.
"Shame. Haven't seen her in a few months." Judy shrugged and put down her tools.
"Are you talking about the angry woman we got those radios from?" Morgana interjected into the conversation. His little observation-turned-grooming session had ended and was now looking incredibly concerned. "Are you sure it's a good idea to have someone like that know about everything?"
V laughed. "Angry lady, huh? Yeah… that's Panam." She smirked and the thought of Mona saying that to the Nomad's face crossed her mind. It painted a rather gruesome outcome for the cat. "Don't worry about that. She's solid. A real choom."
And that seemed to be that.
"If you say so…" Morgana mumbled. He then puffed out his chest and quickly returned to his haughty self. "Anyway! Seeing as the three of you are still rookies, I'll take on the role of leader for this mission. You should count yourself lucky!"
"Oh mighty Morgana, how would we ever manage without your wisdom?" V mockingly made a bowing worship gesture before giving a wry grin. "I'm kidding. You're the boss, boss."
Despite his tendency to think way too highly of himself, V had to admit; the cat was talented. Almost on an instinctual level, he could control the flow of combat as he saw fit. That took strength and prowess. Granted, Lynn was no slouch at handing out orders, either. Once the teen got out of her own head, she was decisive, effective and downright scary at times. V then turned her mind to the other Phantom Thieves. Each one had their own strengths and weaknesses and they worked together quite well.
For some reason, V felt a sense of pride. As if she was watching her kids grow up before her eyes. Who would have thought someone like her could have maternal instincts.
"We're stocked up and ready to go on this end." River broke V from her train of thought with the heavy click of a round loading into the chamber of a Copperhead. "What are you working on, anyway?" He asked Judy.
"Some upgrades to a pet project of mine. The field test V did last month gave some preem ass data."
"Oh, that miniature cyberdeck? Yeah, it worked fuckin' wonders when I raided that Raffen hideout." V recalled the fancy piece of kit in action. So too did Morgana. Only, the cat was quite less pleased with the memory. "Don't give me that look, Mona. I wouldn't have taken you with me if I didn't think you could handle it." She smirked, earning a scowl from the cat.
Once Judy had come to a stopping point in her tinkering, it was time to enter Mementos and perform Phantom Thievery.
V still wasn't fully on board with the whole change of heart thing, but it was certainly effective.
Within minutes, the crew were cruising through the tunnels of Mementos. Morgana had taken his bus form and V kept her eyes trained on the path ahead as she drove. "Any Shadows around?" She asked no one in particular.
"I can sense some lingering deeper down, but we're clear on this floor." Mona responded between the purrs of his engine.
As V drove, the back seats of Morgana's bus form were occupied by River keeping an eye on the rear and Judy who was tapping away at a terminal like usual. An enhanced version of the Mona-Dar in a way. At least, that's what she had said it was. It left V alone in the front seat for the time being.
That was until a brief shift in the air drew her attention to the passenger seat next to her. In a poof of blue flame, a certain rockerboy materialised. He planted a foot on the dashboard and let out a low grunt. [Fuck… it's hotter than an orgy in a sauna in here. This ride ain't got any AC?]
V could only sigh. Judging by the fact both Judy and River were looking directly at him with confusion, it was safe to assume they could also see him.
"I was wondering if you'd ever show your smug fucking face again," replied V, earning her a fake scoff of offense. "I don't think Mona would appreciate being called a ride, neither." That statement didn't seem to phase him as much as V would have thought. He shrugged and brought a cigarette to his lips. Silver fingers snapped and a small fire burst to life, dancing on the tip of the chromed thumb.
[This Persona shit's fuckin' weird. Pretty preem, though.]
"It figures you'd turned out to be my Persona. How the fuck do you know about it anyway?"
[Had a long chat with your Shadow choombas. I'd say Mithras has a stick up his ass… but I don't think the fucker even has an ass. The blonde chick's hot, though.] His response answered a few questions V had lingering in the back of her mind. The Shadows she contracted with could speak to one another. She didn't quite know how to feel about that now that Johnny was in the picture.
"Could you take your feet off my dashboard? And no smoking!" Mona hissed between the purrs of his engine. Dismissively, Johnny carried on taking long drags of his smoke.
"Yeah… good luck getting him to show you basic decency, Mona."
[Make it sound like I'm some raging asshole.]
V's only response was a deathly irritated glare. From the backseat, she could hear both River and Judy chuckling quietly to themselves.
Though Judy suddenly gasped. "I'm gettin' a weird readin' comin' from up ahead. Ain't a Shadow…" confused, the techy tapped away and tried doing her best to make sense of what she was seeing. V slowed their pace to a rolling crawl and placed a hand on Seraph's grip. "Huh… human. Multiple humans. I'm also gettin' sigs from a subnet."
"Meaning they're from our side of the Metaverse."
"Seems like it."
"Badges, keep Mox covered. Mona, on me. Things might get hot." V gave out the orders and the others followed without hesitation. All except Morgana. His engine hummed with irritation.
"I thought I was the boss." He hissed. Though the baelful, authoritative glare V shot him was enough to reign his ego in.
Mona turned back to his regular form and Johnny - seemingly disinterested with the current development - vanished in a curling flame. Even still, V could feel him in her chest, ready to fight should the need arise. "Eyes up. You see a MaxTac insignia, you fuckin' run."
Closer, the group crept along the tunnel. Rounding an intersection, their suspects came into view.
Only one looked visibly armed. However, that one happened to be MaxTac. The rest seemed to be a group of field researchers. Silently, V ordered the group to take cover and keep watch. Engaging even with a single MaxTac operative was little more than a fool's errand. Whenever possible, a merc would do well to avoid direct conflict.
The researchers were carrying bulky equipment which gave off clicking sounds much like a geiger counter. They moved methodically and mumbled between themselves. Too quiet to hear from this distance. The bodyguard, however, looked bored out of their mind. Even if the helmet covered most of the face, their body language was as plain as day. They kicked at debris on the ground, looked around with irritated, jerky movements and their finger was itching to pull the trigger on their iron at least once.
"Got a strong signal." One of the researchers spoke up loud enough for V to hear. "Offshoot, Cat C. Almost Cat B."
"Picking it up too. Hmm… Shadewalker activity's pretty high. Looks like you'll be getting your excitement after all, Agent Jerrod." An older looking gentleman responded, turning to the MaxTac operative.
"'Bout fuckin' time. Was about to fill one of you assholes with a mag or two just to pass the time."
Honestly, it was a 50/50 shot if that was a joke or not. Most MaxTac operatives were borderline Cyberpsychos. The joke - if it was one at all - earned a round of terrified laughs from the researchers. Forced in an attempt to placate any rage they might provoke. Either way, the operative took off with murderous intent. Their direction prompted Mona to quietly whisper a curse under his breath.
"They're heading for our target…" the cat whispered.
That was the last thing they needed. V thought for a second. If it was Youhei's Seedling they were heading to, a confrontation would be all but inevitable. The only thing going V's way was that it was a single operative. That said, there was no telling what said operative was capable of.
Especially with the synthetic Personas Night Corp had created.
It wouldn't be a stretch to guess what they were going to do with the Seedling. Subdue Kiritani's Shadow and wire the guy to a soul sucking Mikoshi server.
That was definitely something V wanted to stop.
"We're going to have to zero them." V muttered.
"Agreed." River replied.
"No objections here." Judy added.
"Wait… all of them?" Gasped Mona. "Even the unarmed ones?"
"If we don't, they're just going to report back and restock." V explained. It was never easy killing those that couldn't fight back, but in some cases, it was simply unavoidable. "They'll just try again with a bigger security detail. So, we zero them, prune the Seedling and cover our tracks."
"I don't like it. We can't just kill people!"
"Mona, remember what I said about the Raffen?" V glared and watched the cat hesitantly nod. "Corpo fuckers are arguably worse."
"Can we talk about this later? They're gettin' away!" Judy tried to keep her voice as quiet as possible as she urged the group to keep moving. Sure enough, the Night Corp group were getting further and further away. No more time to argue about moral hangups. They had a job to do and if they let Night Corp get there first, it was no better than failing a client.
So, they followed.
Keeping their distance, each of them were ready to open fire at a moment's notice.
They watched as the MaxTac operative carved through Shadows with ease. Mantis blades slashed Lesser Shadows clean in two. High calibre rounds shattered the heads of Greater Shadows before they had a chance to transform. As they grew closer to the Seedling, the Shadow presence also grew. That said, the operative sounded like they were having the time of their life. Howling with laughter, they expertly dismantled each and every threat.
Notably, they were doing an excellent job of protecting the researchers. Despite the bloodlust, they still managed to keep their primary objective in mind.
"Now's as good a time as any… Mox, got any toys we can use on the fucker?"
[Allow me, Master.] From the darkness, the pristine features of Leanan Sidhe faded into existence. She coiled herself around V like a snake and affectionately ran a finger along the merc's cheek. [I have sway over the desires of men, after all.]
Honestly, V kept forgetting she had these powers. Relying so heavily on herself for so long did that. She could personally vouch for Leanan Sidhe's ability to take hold of a person's mind.
"Alright. Just pick your moment."
[Always!]
The darkness was a comforting embrace. Familiar. Warm. Moving through it felt natural for Leanan Sidhe. Completely undetected by the strange intruders, the woman observed with interest.
Among the weaker looking humans were several candidates. A young man quaking in his boots at every sound of gunfire and screeching. An older gentleman with heavy set features and the bearing of authority. A woman confidently keeping the strange equipment running. Another older gentleman giving out orders to his subordinates. And of course, the strong, ruthless soldier slicing through Shadows with little effort.
Leanan Sidhe was spoilt for choice.
However, like any ambush predator, she couldn't afford to be as reckless as a frontal assault. She watched and waited.
A larger group of Shadows emerged from the bowles of Mementos. The soldier charged forward and bellowed with joy. It left the weaker humans alone. The youngest specifically lagged behind. The grin of a demon crawled across Leanan Sidhe's lips. Sharp teeth gleamed in the depths of shadow.
She lurched forward and rose from the ground like a dark spectre. She coiled herself around the young man and giggled with a sweet, poisonous inflection.
The man stiffened and whimpered at the sight. He had been caught in Leanan Sidhe's snare. She took a long sniff and licked her lips. [My, what a precious thing you are. Allow me in, would you?] A purple mist licked around the man's jaw. He tried not to breathe, but the Shadow was stubborn. Like inhaling the scent of a flower, the man gave in and the mist began to run through his system. [Good boy. Now, won't you do something for me, my sweet darling?]
A second later, the fear in the man's eyes vanished. Replaced by an emotionless stare into the distance. A euphoric smile lazily drifted across his expression. "Anything… mistress."
She had him.
She could feel his soul become hers. His energy slowly syphoned off into her own.
The malicious grin widened. [I see you're armed,] her eyes glanced down at the small pistol holstered to the inside of his jacket, [shoot your colleagues for me.]
Without a word, the young man pulled the pistol from its holster and walked forward. Back into the darkness Leanan Sidhe melted and watched her plan unfold. The other researchers finally took notice that one of their own had fallen behind and amid the chaos of the soldier's conflict, they all but failed to notice the gun levelling at them.
The man opened fire on his fellow researchers. They screamed and his delicate face was splashed with crimson.
"The fuck!?" The soldier ripped a shadow in two with blades jutting from his arms just in time to bear witness to the slaughter. "The fuck you doin' you fuckin' psycho!? Ah! Motherfucker!" The soldier jolted as the researcher fired the last round in his magazine. The bullet barely grazed the soldier's shoulder. Yet the researcher didn't stop pulling the trigger. The gun clicked with each pull and the researcher's expression seemed stuck in a twisted pleasure.
Each researcher had been shot dead. Satisfied, Leanan Sidhe dropped her influence over him. The young boy stumbled slightly and looked on in horror. Each of his colleagues were dead and from the looks of it, it was from his own hand.
He dropped the pistol and let out a delightfully chilling scream.
A thunderous crack blasted through the tunnel of Mementos. A hole was shot straight through the young researcher's forehead. The last thing he saw was the soldier pulling the trigger.
"Fucking fuck! Ugh… command ain't gonna let this go. Fuck… pay's gonna get slashed, too…"
[You sure messed this one up, Jerrod! Perhaps they'll dismantle you for spare parts. Hehehehe, did you even notice the presence watching us right now?] A sinister voice hissed through the air. Dark crimson smoke danced and plumed from under the soldier's helmet. The soldier growled and retracted the blades into his arms.
"I don't need some lab experiment lecturin' me. You're a fucking tool, Azazeal, act like one."
The head of a twisted, demonic goat formed from the crimson smoke. It floated around the soldier and laughed mockingly. [A tool? I thought we were… friends.]
"Don't make me laugh. The fuck you say about being followed, anyway?"
From the darkness, Leanan Sidhe suddenly felt a piercing glare. She was hidden completely from all view, yet the goat creature was looking directly at her. Blood red flame burst to life in its eyes as a reptilian tongue slithered out from its maw. [What do you call them? Shadewalkers? Novel. One is right… oh! It fled. Pitty. I wanted a taste.]
Leanan Sidhe shuddered as she rushed back through the darkness. The sinister cackle like a hissing smoke filled her mind with some strange primordial fear.
V growled a low, guttural sound of annoyance.
She had watched Leanan Sidhe work, and honestly, the Shadow's pleasure was quite concerning. Tugging on the metaphorical leash, V brought the Shadow to eye level. "I thought you were going to fucking target the MaxTac." Her nostrils flared. V took no pleasure in having to kill, yet Leanan Sidhe almost seemed to thrive on it. "Now you've pissed him off and tipped him off."
[That… creature was… something disturbing. It could look directly at me even when I was hiding in the darkness.]
The merc sighed and loosened her metaphorical hold on the Shadow.
At least the researchers were out of the picture. "Did you at least get some intel?"
[The creature's name is Azazeal. It held control over accursed power.]
"So… they actually managed to make synthetic Personas, huh? Fuck me…" V's words sparked a sudden, hushed gasp from Morgana. His eyes shot wide in both shock and confusion. Had the three of them not told the Phantom Thieves about that?
"Synthetic Personas!?" The cat tried keeping his voice to a minimal whisper, but he was failing quite miserably. "That's not possible! Then… again… Johnny's existence shouldn't have been possible either." He pawed at his chin, mulling the information over. His brow furrowed beneath his mask and he began to mumble under his breath. Was it really so hard to fathom? Granted, V, Judy and River came from a world where nearly everything was synthetic. A recreation of something else.
Even the water was fake.
[I say we put as much lead in the fucker as we can. Fuck all this pussy footin', V. You took on Smasher, didn't you? This punk ain't nothin' on that.] Of course, the silver armed rockerboy burst into existence just to espouse some idiotic nonsense.
That said, he did have a point.
V had definitely faced much worse than a single MaxTac operative. Full 'borged behemoths as well as S Tier Netrunners.
"Fuck it. Let's ride." V grunted. With a click of her iron, she grinned and made the gesture for her comrades to follow. Johnny was all but happy to oblige.
"Wait! Merc! Ah shit… Mox, keep the fucker off his comms. He might have back up!" River ordered, to which Judy gave an understanding - yet agitated - nod. River then turned to Morgana. "Keep us covered."
"On it."
With V in the lead, the group rushed forward. A distinct click pierced the air as V tore the pin out of a grenade. The metal ring hung from her teeth and with a grunt, she threw the explosive toward the MaxTac soldier. It looked like the soldier was caught by surprise. He stumbled back and shouted an expletive. With a rapturous boom, the grenade detonated and caused a rumble to quake through the tunnel.
Following through, V fired several shots into the explosion before charging through, shoulder first.
She made contact and slammed against the soldier at full force.
"Fuck! Who the fuck are you!?" He grunted and fell to the ground. "A merc? You a Probe or some shit?" The three green lights on his helmet flickered and flashed. His jaw twitched in an irritated frown. "Azazeal, flatline this asshole!"
[If you were to ask a little nicer, I might be more motivated to follow orders.] The hissing voice drifted through the stagnant air like a poison. Even V felt a slight pang of primordial fear. As if it was a matter of instinct to be pants-shittingly scared. Gritting her teeth, she steeled herself once again. The smoke from the grenade curled and swirled in the air, coalescing in a single point just above the soldier.
Four gnarled horns grew from a solid black goat's head. Crimson, slitted eyes opened and burst to life with blood red flames. Jagged spines ran the length of a malformed spine. Long, spindly limbs slammed against the ground and claws the size of V's head dug deep into the stone and steel.
Its body looked emaciated, almost like a corpse. Red energy swelled from within a hollow chest cavity like a morbid heartbeat. Yet, there was enormous strength behind its movements.
It laughed.
A sickening, hissing laugh.
[No matter. I was beginning to grow hungry, anyway.] The beast sniffed the air and sharp, yellowing teeth made up a sinister grin. [I can smell that delightful Shadewalker on you. Ah… you're like Jerrod and I, aren't you?] The burning eyes turned to Judy, River and Morgana. The grin widened and a long serpentine tongue snaked from its maw. [You all are! How… intriguing.]
At this point, V had backed off and rejoined her comrades. The advantage she had was gone now that a Persona was in play.
Or rather, a synthetic Persona.
"I don't like this. That Persona feels… wrong. It shouldn't exist!" Mona stepped back in what could only be described as pure terror.
V wanted to do the same, but she held firm. Despite the unnatural fear trying to claw its way into her heart, she held firm. As did Judy and River. "You're right, there, choom. I think we ought'a fix that." The merc growled. She tried flashing a grin, but all her focus was put into keeping herself calm.
[Oh? You want to do Jerrod and I harm?] A huge claw tapped against the goat's chin. [Say, Jerrod, wouldn't they find this rather interesting? I might just be a lab experiment… but what these delightful individuals have is… well… it's the real thing. They're in control of real Shadewalkers.]
"Do I look like I give a shit? Just help me zero the fuckers already!"
[So impatient, like always.] The beast shrugged as if it were some refined gentleman. [Very well. Don't say I didn't warn you!]
In a burst of speed, the goat beast lunged and lashed out with razor sharp claws of jet black. Morgana was able to conjure a gust of wind to blow himself and the others out of its arc. The claws dug deep into the tunnel walls and tore huge fissures into the stone.
"Johnny, get out here and fuckin' help!" V called and lashed out with her Monowires.
Orange flames licked out from the shard slotted into V's neck. From it, the figure of Johnny Silverhand came into being. He grunted and levelled his personal pistol toward the goat. A force of explosive flame erupted from the firearm's underbarrel which was followed by two quick shots.
Only for the beast to slap the bullets from the air as though they were merely flies.
"Badges, use Mithras to cover me!"
Although River sounded his acknowledgement, V caught the glimpse of his hesitance. He had only practised summoning the Shadows under their command. He had never actually fought with them.
He darted to the side and called out Mithras' name. His body was briefly engulfed in a bright blue light.
The alabaster Mithras was summoned and immediately charged into the frey.
With a swing of his celestial sword, he tried to cleave at the goat-like beast. It cackled and swerved, twisting its body so that the spines running down its back caught the blade between them.
Volatile energy crackled in the air.
Both River and V engaged alongside their Persona companions. Clashing steel, thunderous firearms and bursts of elemental discharge shook the tunnel.
Meanwhile, Judy was busy fighting her own fight. She had managed to infiltrate Jerrod's systems, but his ICE was stubborn. It fought her at every turn despite Jerrod himself paying no attention at all to her. Judy thought that would have at least been some kind of advantage, but superior chrome and insanely high levels of training begged to differ. At least she was able to lock down any signals Jerrod tried sending out.
Another of Judy's tasks was to keep track of any other systems that might have been present in the area.
So far, she couldn't find anything else.
The corpses of the Night Corp researchers held unique signatures, but that wasn't of concern right now. Another assault on Judy's intrusion came in a wave of oppressive force. Her mind focused only on keeping her connection strong.
Beside her, Mona kept his eyes glued to the fight as well as keeping watch over Judy.
The huge bursts of energy and the sheer tension in the air was bound to attract even more Shadows than the ones Jerrod had already slaughtered. If that happened, then this whole fight would get too chaotic too quickly. In the feline's mind, he couldn't help but regret not bringing the others along.
Then again, the idea of the teens facing other humans in a life or death conflict didn't sit well with Morgana. In fact, he purged the regret clean from his mind. It was better they weren't involved at all.
Putting his mind back to the current issue, he continued his observation.
Even if Jerrod was outnumbered already, he still held the advantage and was beginning to push V and River back.
Morgana gasped as the soldier deflected a blow from Mithras' sword. A blade of his own jutted out from his forearm and with expert skill, Jerrod landed a strong left hook square on Mithras' jaw.
Much like V, Jerrod was going toe to toe with powerful Shadows and coming out on top.
"Zorro!" Morgana called. The barrel chested Persona lunged forward and cut the air with slicing wind. Just in time to halt an attack from Azazeal's claws.
"Nice cover." V nodded her appreciation. The attack was clearly meant for her and it had managed to sneak past her awareness. Without the cat's intervention, the merc would have had a nasty wound to worry about. "Johnny, got any special shit up your chrome, now's the time to take it out!"
[As it happens…] Johnny grinned and jumped back, [I do.]
As if from the fires of hell, a guitar burned to life in a blaze of pure, concentrated heat. Licks of flame filtered through his chromed fingers and with a powerful strum of the glowing strings, a low, guttural roar boomed across the battlefield.
The rockerboy then began to play the intro to Archangel. Spectral spotlights beamed down on him and each note resonated with raw energy.
At first, V wanted to yell at him to be serious. This was no time for jamming out. However, then she felt it. A swell of strength. Any fatigue she was beginning to feel had suddenly been replaced with a vigorous passion. Her muscles tensed, her senses heightened and most of all, she felt powerful. As did River, judging by his expression.
A red, violent mist emanated from both of them. Each note of the guitar strengthened their resolve more and more.
As if following the beat, V felt her foot instinctively tap along like the drums of the song. The urge to fight pulsed through her body and each bar of sound built on that urge. She grinned, she laughed.
River joined in.
Their fight began anew. Only this time, they were faster and more aggressive.
[That's my fuckin' Samurai! Burn this fuckin' shithole to the ground!] Johnny cackled as he continued his playing.
Mid solo, he planted a boot into the face of a Lesser Shadow. Following that, he shot at two more in between beats. It was as Morgana had feared. The fight had drawn in more Shadows. Faster than he had expected too. Zorro twisted and thrusted his rapier into an approaching Lesser. He then sent a rush of cutting wind to slice up another.
This was where Morgana had to pull his weight.
He joined his Persona and engaged the oncoming Shadows. From a cursory glance, he couldn't see any Greater Shadows. He couldn't sense any either. That, for now, was a good thing. Yet it worried him that there may have been more to come.
His attention snapped back to Judy. She dashed backward to avoid a small blast of frozen energy. Her own attention was split between maintaining her connection as well as not getting hit. "Zorro, cover Mox!" Morgana ordered as he ran his curved blade across the amorphous body of a Lesser Shadow. With a confidant, hearty laugh, the Persona lunged forward with sickle-like wind kicking up in his stead.
A gust slashed across the shadow attempting to attack Judy. The creature screamed and was bisected completely in two.
Meanwhile, V fell in sync with River as they continued their offensive. Jerrod and Azazeal were slowly getting backed into a corner now that Johnny's playing was in effect. V felt the adrenaline surge and the strength swell in her spirit. She lashed out with her Monowire and coiled it around Jerrod's forearm. It locked his Mantis blades in place and the two struggled to overpower each other.
"Badges, take the fuckin' shot!"
"Mithras!"
[As you command, Warrior.] Even if it wasn't V giving the order, Mithras still obeyed River without question. A pulse of violent blue energy built up around the stoic Persona. [The Sun will burn your foes and purge the evil from their souls.] River dashed forward and leapt into the air. Together with Mithras, he tilted his body into a falling punch. The same blue energy twisted and coalesced around River's chromed hand.
He was on course for a direct hit on Jerrod.
Only Azazeal had other plans. A strange shift in the air gave V the feeling of being drunk for a few brief moments. The sudden impact and following explosive force quickly sobered her up. She yelled and was knocked flying through the air, into the stone wall and onto the rails. "The… fuck… was…" she stammered and tried regaining her sense of direction. Her jaw ached and a strange tingle sent jolts of spiking pain across her face and neck.
Blood dripped from her mouth and the sickeningly metallic taste almost caused her to throw up.
"Merc! Shit, are you alive?"
"You just slugged my fiance in the face, you asshole!"
"I was aiming for him! Gah, shit, Mithras, zero those fucking Shadows!"
Although V could hear her comrades argue, their words registered in slow motion. Her head felt heavy and the shock numbed her limbs. Still, she spat a large globule of blood onto the steel rails below and gritted her teeth. "Stop… fuckin' bitching, you two." She slammed a fist into the ground and used it to hoist herself up. "I'm not out yet."
"Hah! You lot are surprisingly entertainin'. Been a while since I've had to work for the kill." Just below the glowing green lights of Jerrod's helmet, his grin was beginning to warp into a sadistic expression of pure euphoric mania.
[Careful, now Jerrod. A stiff wind might freeze your face like that!] The goat creature sniggered with a hiss.
The soldier groaned and tugged away the last few strands of V's Monowire. The Mantis blade freed itself and he flexed his wrist. Once he was satisfied, he hooked his arm around and impaled a leaping Shadow that had tried attacking him from behind. "Azazeal, kindly tell these Shadewalkers to fuck the fuck off."
The flames of the Persona's eyes flashed with a brief intensity. The creature took in a deep, long inhale. Longer than any human could. Yet the creature's chest remained the same gaunt, skeletal self. Finally, the beast let out a strange, unnatural howl. Black smoke billowed outward and completely consumed the tunnel. V braced herself against an unseen force that threatened to blow her away. She backed off and reunited with River, Judy and Mona.
"The fuck is it doing!?"
"I don't… know," Morgana replied, his tail stiffening straight, "but I can sense the Shadow presence getting thinner!"
As if on cue, the amorphous form of a Lesser Shadow sailed through the billowing smoke. It screeched and within seconds, it disappeared into nothing. Leaving nothing. Not even a single drop of ichor.
As quick as it came, the smoke disappeared.
There were no more Shadows in sight. And judging by the sheer amazement Morgana was displaying, it was likely there weren't anymore. Period.
"Well, that's kind of him… still gonna fuckin' end him, though." V sniggered.
Having said that, their last attempt ended in her getting a face full of nuclear fury. The tingling still numbed parts of her body. How the hell did it happen? River was on a direct course to make contact with Jerrod. It was as if she and the soldier had suddenly switched places. Was that the strange sense of inebriation? Then, the name of their opponent crossed her mind. Azazeal. Why did that sound so familiar? She had heard it somewhere. Perhaps in her childhood.
She noted the general appearance of the creature. A goat. Usually, that symbolised Lucifer, lord of Hell. Going by that logic, there were no demons by the name of Azazeal in christian lore.
Then it snapped into place.
Although Padre was Christian, he was exceptionally knowledgeable about many religions. That included Judaism. Azazeal was, indeed, mentioned in that mythology.
The Scapegoat.
Or the sacrificial goat.
So, how did that help them?
Simply knowing the Persona's origins didn't do anything.
They had now entered into a standoff. Jerrod looked quite relaxed in his stance. As if he was just waiting for something to happen. All while the goat demon prowled around its master with a constant, hissing growl. Despite it being a synthetic Persona, it was definitely powerful.
The clash of steel against claw shook the air once again.
The powerful claws of Azazeal arched downward and raked at the stone ground.
Dodging, River twisted himself and returned fire with a volley of automatic fire. Its thumping rhythm pulsed like a beat. Johnny showed himself once again and strummed his flaming guitar. The invigorating energy enveloped V and River once more. Mantis blades slashed the air, narrowly missing V's throat. The merc's Sandevistan buzzed to life and she launched forward with merciless intent.
Even with the burst of inhuman speed, the soldier kept up and altered his body so V's knife bounced harmlessly off of his armour.
As quick as a flash, V reversed her grip on the knife and slashed up across a strap holding the armour in place.
The chest piece came loose on one side. Jerrod growled and tore the armour off. It would just get in the way. Below, the ballistic fibre woven jumpsuit barely had any mark on it at all. Still, he was less protected, now. Not only that, his short range radio was gone, too. If he had backup, he wouldn't be able to call them anymore.
Despite all that, he launched a fist into V's gut and forced the merc to back away.
"I have no idea who you people are or how you got into the Shade… but frankly, I couldn't give two shits! You're fun!" Jerrod flashed a smile and tore off his helmet. Cybernetic plates lined his young face. RealSkinn of the highest quality. His eyes were solid yellow with no pupil or sclera. Aside from aesthetics, Jerrod was clearly equipped with next gen chrome. Even a model of Mantis Blade V hadn't seen before.
True to MaxTac, their operatives were decked out to the teeth.
But now wasn't the time to get caught up in analysing Jerrod's chrome. His Mantis blade lanced forward and clashed against V's knife. Sparks burst from the contact, casting flashes of light across the crazed expression Jerrod wore. V used her gun hand to fire up at him. Despite the near point blank range, the low calibre bullets only grazed the surface of his skin. Subdermal protection did the rest.
V jumped back. Jerrod copied and granted her some distance.
He was playing with her.
As was Azazeal with River and Morgana.
Her comrade's conflict clashed behind her with bursts of explosive forces and blasts of elemental energies. Wind sored, crackling nuclear force surged and accursed flame roared. All accompanied by the shredding music played by V's favourite Rockerboy.
The speed his playing seemed to impart added onto V's already inhuman agility. Along with the feeling of strength behind her attacks.
The Mantis blades were proving easier to deflect and block as a result.
A particular chord buzzed through the air and a flame burst to life around V's hand. Her grip tightened on Seraph and she allowed the fire to crawl up along her arm. At first, the flames gave off an orange hue. However, as the riff of the guitar progressed, the fire changed its hue until V's arm was a blaze with silver fury.
She took a few shots and the same silver fire empowered the bullets. Like shooting stars, they soared through the air with a streak of silver. Explosive and devastating, but also mesmerising and beautiful.
They hit their mark and this time, they did the damage she was hoping for.
Jerrod staggered and grunted under the impact. He growled and refused to show his pain. In fact, the sudden development only seemed to boost his elation.
Even still, drawing the conflict out longer than necessary would just get in the way of why they were actually here to begin with. Youhei Kiritani's heart wasn't going to change on its own. However, if the V Team didn't intercept the Night Corp team, Kiritani would have suffered the same fate as Andrew Carson; becoming naught but a husk while having his very existence converted into energy.
A piercing beep thrummed through the air followed by loud, boisterous techno music that did not pair well with Johnny's guitar. Judy had finally broken through Jerrod's ICE and had uploaded a Quickhack.
The soldier stumbled as if being slammed in the head by an invisible sledge hammer. His eyes flickered with strobing lights and colours. His face twitched erratically as the chrome malfunctioned. It was just the opening V was looking for. Even Azazeal had broken from its engagement with Mona and River, quite unsure what to do. It seemed the synthetic Persona couldn't affect what it couldn't see coming.
"Badges, grab the fucker!" V callout out.
The ex-cop followed the order, though a small glimpse of his expression told V he was dubious about it.
The next attack needed to end the scuffle. As such, when River locked himself into a grapple with the soldier, V began to charge. She wound up her fist - still burning with silver flame - and threw herself into an all out strike. Much like before, a strong sense of intoxication took over right before she made contact with the blow.
The impact of the punch was followed by a sickening crunch and a shriek of agony. The force behind her attack was meant to kill.
What she felt was a jaw caving into itself and faceplates shattering to pieces.
She grinned.
Unlike last time, the attack didn't hit the wrong person. It hit true and sent Jerrod streaking through the air in a flailing mess.
He hit the ground and immediately fell limp as his head slammed against steel rails. His life signs hadn't flatlined just yet, but a brief scan with V's Kiroshi's painted a morbid picture. Shattered jaw, several cranium fractures, bleeding, trauma and other hideously painful inflictions.
The silver fire faded and dispersed into the stagnant air. Azazeal - however - remained, looking at the crumpled mess that should have been his master. The burning eyes flickered and for a brief moment, the goat looked genuinely shocked.
[How… did you do that?]
V shrugged. "I wasn't aiming for your gonk of a partner." She pointed a thumb toward River. "That punch was meant for him."
A second of silence passed.
"Wait… what!?" River exclaimed, dropping his iron and glaring at V with both shock and rage. "You were trying to hit me!?"
"Yeah," V shrugged again, "Goat-fucker here can switch the target of someone's attack. It was pretty obvious after you punched me. Sorry, Badges." She was sure not to let him know it was just a gamble and if she was wrong, River could very well have been the one on the ground with a destroyed jaw. "I figured, if I went for a shot that looked like it was meant for Mr. Cyberpsycho, Azazeal would do his bullshit and switch around the target."
"That…" Morgana stammered, "was actually pretty smart." Despite the risk, the cat looked genuinely impressed.
"Pretty smart!? You're only saying that because it worked!" River huffed. It was understandable why he was upset, but right now, they still needed to deal with Jerrod permanently.
"Like I said; sorry, Badges. Next time we're out drinkin' your tab's on me." That, at least somewhat, calmed River. He grumbled and let himself relax. He eyed the synthetic Persona and growled at it.
"Whatever," he grunted, "you're not gonna stop us putting a round in your partner's head?"
The beast made a few odd movements and a low, barely perceptible hiss leaked as if from his entire being. [Jerrod is - for all intents and purposes - my partner. I would be lying if I said I didn't harbour any… unsavoury feelings toward you. However, as the man is out of commission and you have proven victorious… there is nothing I can do to stop you.]
Judy rejoined V's side and snaked an arm around her fiance's waist. "What'll happen to you when he flatlines?"
The hiss continued for a moment.
[I suppose I'll return to a state of Limbo.]
Mona hummed to himself. "You mean you won't go back to the Sea of Souls? That's what normally happens when a Persona's user dies. I think." At that, the hissing fluctuated as if it was laughter. A solemn feeling weighed over the still air, Azazeal almost looked wistful.
[I was created in a lab.] Azazeal stated it as if it was all the explanation it needed. It just served to confuse the cat even more. However, Azazeal didn't offer anything else.
Instead, the creature returned to its master and sat down beside him, waiting.
Before that, V took the opportunity to at least try to gather some more intel. "Why exactly is Night Corp creating synthetic Personas?" She asked. Azazeal allowed the hissing sound to laugh a second time.
[Why else? Power.] An elongated limb swayed in front of Azazeal, cursed fire danced in the air as it trailed the movements. [They see the Shade as a font of infinite power. Its control over people is especially alluring for my creators.] The creature referenced the Shadows of real people, it didn't need to go into more detail than that. The V Team had already seen what Night Corp did to Seedling Palaces. [However, they're playing god. They create my kind without asking if they should. With each of us created, the Radiant Blue One gains strength.]
That name again.
V, Judy and River looked at each other with concern.
"Radiant Blue One - the fuck is it?"
The hissing fell into a steady, constant buzz. [The end.] Sharp teeth poked out from a crooked grin. Azazeal placed a claw gently against Jerrod's throat. The hiss grew louder, almost deafening. [Bye bye!] Without another word, Azazeal plunged the claw deep into Jerrod's throat and allowed the blood to gush free onto the cold stone below.
There was no time to react. The soldier was dead within seconds. Along with him, Azazeal ceased to exist.
The hissing continued for a few brief moments until it, too, faded out of existence.
The sudden silence seemed louder than the fight itself. It left the corpses of all the Night Corp researchers lining the floor. Gruesome and macabre, it looked like a massacre.
In some regards, it was a massacre.
Morgana looked down at the body of the young researcher Leanan Sidhe had influenced. The bullet hole oozed red all over a twisted, manic expression. No life remained in the man's eyes, yet Leanan Sidhe's influence still lurked in his blank gaze. V could tell Morgana was absolutely horrified. She couldn't blame him. This was a disturbing scene even for her. Yet, like she always told herself, it wasn't the worst she had seen.
Granted, the inherent guilt of being the cause of the massacre still prickled at V's mind.
"Fucking shit…" V sighed and holstered her iron, "alright, I'll pull their shards. Mox, Mona, you go on ahead. Make sure Kiritani's Seedling is still around. Badges, give me a hand?"
"Right." River huffed. He still looked pissed off, but he sensed the weight on V's mind.
"Let's go, Mona." Judy whispered, patting the cat on his exaggerated head.
Once the group had finished wrapping things up with the Night Corp team, they quickly found themselves delving into Youhei Kiritani's Seedling Palace.
By now, the tight, suffocating sensation that came from entering one was pretty familiar. V's foot pressed against a dirt floor and the very recognisable scent of spent gunpowder immediately filled her nose. Kiritani's Seedling had begun to take the form of a long distance shooting range. Far off in the endless void, small clusters of land drifted lazily like balloons. Jutting up from each one were figures made of straw and sticks.
The first gunshot cracked through the air with a deafening echo. Immediately, one of the straw figures exploded into a cloud of hay and splintered wood.
Seconds later, another took its place.
At one of the booths was a man. Laying prone, and eyeing the scope of a large rifle.
A rugged, dirty long coat covered his back and a threadbare woollen hat barely contained a tangled mess of wild grey hair.
The man took another shot. Another target burst to pieces and was quickly replaced.
He growled and marked something down on a slate of stone. The cycle repeated for a few more times before he finally took notice that he was no longer alone.
[What do you want? I'm working.] His voice was like gravel running through a pipe. He coughed and spat out a thick mucus into the dirt beside him. [Piss off.]
"Youhei Kiritani, I take it?"
[I said piss off.] He fired another shot, only this time it merely grazed the intended target. He let out a frustrated sigh and wiped the slate clean of the chalk marks.
"You've got quite the reputation. Some shady shit hidden in your past," V was undeterred by the standoffish man. She had dealt with worse. Still, she kept the palm of her hand close to her iron just in case. "The name Shusuke Hanasaki ring a bell?" The Shadow's finger twitched just above the trigger guard. His grip tightened around the handle and his shoulders visibly tensed up.
[So what if it does? Who's asking?]
"Not important. You dropped him, didn't you? Looked like a fine kill from the incident reports. Clean. Professional."
That got more of a reaction.
Kiritani rolled onto his side and glowered up at V. His grime covered features twisted into a disgusted sort of rage. The wild, ungroomed beard shook as his jaw clenched. [You don't know shit, kid.]
V shrugged dismissively. A cocky smirk tugged at her lips. "Sure I do! He got a promotion you were gunnin' for, so you zeroed him! I'm not a gonk. Anyone could figure that lame bullshit out." She then took to returning the glare with a mocking sense of smugness. "Only it blew the fuck up. Now look at you. Just some old fuck killing for the highest bidder."
Kiritani pulled himself up and strode toward V. Dark energy coiled from his form and fierce fury flared in his eyes. Both Judy and River instantly drew their weapons on him, yet he wasn't put off.
He stopped just in front of V. Close enough that their toes were touching.
He loomed a good foot taller than her. Even if he was covered by ragged, filthy clothes, V could tell he was physically built like a true soldier. Not that she was in any way intimidated.
[Yeah. I'm just a killer now. I get paid to take out the trash. What makes me different from you? I can tell you're just a gun-arm, too. A dog fetching her kibble.]
The moment he was stood up and close, V switched from her smug facade to a stoic, steely gaze. She had baited him away from the rifle without him even realising it.
"Never said I was different from you. I kill for money, too." V shrugged and held eye contact with the Shadow. "Can't fault you for that. I'm just here on biz, nothin' personal. As a fellow dog, you ought to know that better than most." Her words at least got a slight grin out of the man. His shoulders eased up a fraction and the murderous intent behind his posture faded into something less - yet still notably hostile. "Client wants you gone. One way or another. Preferably the way where you give up and lie down like a good dog."
[I'm not about to give myself up just because you asked.]
"I know."
Kiritani grinned. [I'm going to kill you and your friends.]
"You're going to try."
[I like you.] The statement was quickly followed by a blur of motion. Several things happened in quick succession.
First, Youhei Kiritani plunged a hand into his heavy coat and gripped an old looking revolver. Next, V's Sandevistan surged with power and the NC merc drew her own iron. There was a thunderous crack as V fired two quick shots. The first perforated the worn fabric of Kiritani's coat, forcing it to billow out and reveal the revolver properly. The second struck the firearm itself and blasted it from its makeshift holster. The iron skipped across the ground and bounced against a hay bale before crumbling into two smouldering pieces.
Shock flashed across Kiritani's eyes as he tried processing just how fast he had been disarmed.
For a moment, he was frozen. The only movement was a very slight twitch in the fingers that were supposed to be holding a pistol.
Then, his grin returned. He glanced toward River and Judy who still had their guns trained on him. Morgana had opted to stay back and keep a vigilant eye on the situation. Meanwhile, V's pistol was casually down at her hip. Still, it was pointing up at Kiritani in an open threat.
[I suppose that's that.]
"Giving up?"
[I'm not an idiot.] He sighed and lifted both of his hands into the air. The universal sign of surrender. [I'm out gunned and out skilled. However, you are wrong about one thing.]
"Oh? And what's that?"
[I never killed Shusuke.] His brow furrowed for a moment. Resentment swelled in his eyes, yet V couldn't see any urge to kill. [Sure, I was pissed he got promoted instead of me… for about five minutes. He deserved it. I was happy for him. Someone had other plans though. Framed me for his damn murder.] He growled and looked into the endless void surrounding the Seedling. [I went AWOL to try and figure out what happened. Only found a single name. Inoshishi. Fat lot of good it did me. Couldn't go back to the JSDF, so I became a dog. A murderer for hire. Honestly… I'm getting too old for this shit.]
The smirk V instinctively gave River was not lost on the ex-cop.
V felt for Kiritani if she were being honest. The weight of those kinds of accusations stuck with a person.
The guilt, too. V knew that part all too well.
Still, she remained stone faced and alert. Despite his apparent surrender, there was no telling if he would try something else. "I… can't believe I have to say this bullshit. Eh." V cleared her throat and put on a mockingly refined accent. "Return to your real self and we won't put you down." She dropped the fancy speech and gave Kiritani a genuine look of solidarity. "As for your partner, sounds like he got caught up in some shady shit. The Inoshishi don't seem to fuck around. Fuck, you could just be lying through your teeth, but either way, I'm trying to follow my client's wishes by not putting a bullet through your face plate."
[I'll go quietly. You've already proven your capability to end me.] He could have gone for his rifle. He would have been turned into swiss cheese. Maybe he had some Shadows under his control. No, Morgana would have said something. The homeless assassin was well and truly out of options.
And he clearly knew it. Without a fight, V had shown complete dominance over him.
Kiritani let out a long, tired exhale. White light danced to life across his form. It pulsed and the physical body of Kiritani disappeared. The light thrummed and pulsed before coalescing into a single point.
"It's his Treasure! Grab it, Merc!" Morgana called out.
V reached out and grasped the light. At first, she could only feel a slight radiant heat. Then, a solid object appeared in her closed fist. Small, cylindrical and cold.
The light faded and V opened her hand. In her palm rested a bullet casing. The faint scent of gunpowder tickled her nose. The casing looked like any other one could find discarded and forgotten on a battlefield. However, the simple act of holding it filled V with a sense of guilt, regret and pure hatred.
Putting that aside, she pocketed the casing and braced herself against the sudden rumbling. With the Treasure stolen, the Seedling would soon collapse.
"Let's delta the fuck out."
Author's Notes
Of course Johnny would be a bard. The rockerboy gotta rock! Thank you for the continued support as we make our way into the next major arc. Never fade away, chooms!
Also, I haven't done a Viktor's Patient Notes in a while. I don't know if there is any interest in those little side things, but if there is, I'd be happy to provide in the next chapter.