Author's Notes:

I'll be cutting the length of my chapters, going back to how I started this fic. The longer form chapters really take a lot out of me. That said, I still intend on keeping up with this little story. As always, your input is very much appreciated!

"Really, I'm fine…"

She was not fine.

The blood covering her uniform - which was now hung up near the door - and the swollen jaw said it all. Yusuke let out a low, growling breath. "Who did this, Togo?" His voice was icy, still and filled with restrained anger. Hifumi struggled to keep eye contact with him, instead looking at Lynn.

"You were stabbed, Hifumi. Why haven't you filed a police report?" She said that, but somehow, Lynn knew the answer. Her expression softened, now probably wasn't the time to grill Hifumi so intensely. She was terrified and it showed. "Sorry, you don't have to answer that. What did the doctor say about the wound?" Changing subjects, Hifumi looked quite perplexed, concerned and somewhat sheepish.

"He said the knife didn't hit anything vital and it didn't go as deep as it could have." She winced and patted her side carefully. Under the hospital gown, her torso was wrapped in bandages and the stab wound sewn up with surgical sutures.

Even if it wasn't technically serious or life threatening, Hifumi was still being held for a few days to make sure everything was ok.

"As for who did it…" her brow tightened and she bit the knuckle of her thumb, "I don't know. I was walking home from a tournament qualifying Shogi match when I bumped into someone. I didn't think much of it, but then I was hit with this searing pain. That's when I saw the blood. I passed out and must have hit my jaw on the pavement. That's… all I remember."

That was incredibly worrying.

Lynn spared a glance at Yusuke. From his eyes, she could tell he was having similar thoughts.

This wasn't a random attack. It was too clean. Too intentional.

"I hate to ask this… but you're not in any money troubles are you?" Lynn asked, receiving a confused glance in response.

Hifumi let out a hum. Her furrowed brow only tightened with each second. Lynn was actually starting to worry that Hifumi's face would fold in on itself. "Not especially. At least… not that I know of. Mother hasn't said anything to me." That said, Hifumi thought on it a little more. "However… she has been acting somewhat off recently. At first, she wasn't all that interested in my Shogi career, now it's… like she's more passionate about it than I am. No… passionate isn't the right word…"

"Obsessed?" Yusuke offered.

She nodded.

"She's very inconsistent, too. It's quite confusing."

Lynn's brow quirked. "Inconsistent how?"

"Sometimes, if I lose a match, she's still happy about it. Sometimes when I win, she gets really quiet. Like… she's both angry with me but scared of something else at the same time."

With that piece of information, both Lynn and Yusuke had come to the same conclusion. In an uncharacteristic way, Yusuke allowed his rage to drive him. He slammed a hand against the hospital room wall. "Rin…" he breathed. His blue eyes pierced through Lynn with an icy lance. In response, she gazed back at him with that signature demonic glint of hers.

"I know."

Hifumi blinked. "Know… what?"

"Who's responsible for this." Yusuke spoke before composing himself once again. "Forgive me. I allowed my emotions to escape me for a moment." He took a few deep breaths and slowed his heartbeat. "You needn't worry, Togo. Rest now. After all, a Queen Commander should convey strength even in adversity."

Lynn snorted when she saw Hifumi's cheeks turn bright red. "Queen Commander, huh? Sounds about right."

"Stop!" Hifumi hid her face. Though the appreciative smile poked out from under her palms.

"I'll swing by again, alright? We can play Shogi and I can tell you about the time I shot a poor sod in the ass."

Tuesday - June 21st

"You were right, kiddo…" Judy had uttered that morning, frowning at the computer screen. "Your choom's mom got involved with the Inoshishi." Lynn shared Judy's frown at that. She had hoped it wasn't true, but sure enough, the evidence was there.

The story was a sad one.

Hifumi's grandfather was sick and died as a result. Medical bills piled up and unbeknownst to Hifumi, her mother turned to the Inoshishi for a loan to cover the bills. She paid them back after a while, but Kaneshiro deemed Hifumi's talents worth exploiting. Keeping the mother under his grasp, he pulled strings to keep the woman in debt from one source or another. Desperate, she turned - once again - to the gang.

Thus, a fixing scheme was born. Hifumi's mother was to fix certain Shogi matches one way or another.

Supposedly, Hifumi's last few matches were meant to end in her defeat. However, Hifumi prevailed all the same, which landed her mother in hot water. Unknowingly, she had provoked Kaneshiro's anger.

Which led to the stabbing.

A form of punishment meant to scare. Much like the break-in at Ishida's shop. The wound was intentionally superficial, but significant enough to get the message across.

Lynn was utterly amazed. Judy and River were able to dig all this information up in just a single night. They were certainly professionals. After that was discovered, Lynn gave V the order to watch the hospital, then keep an eye on Hifumi when she got discharged. As for the other two members of V Team, they were on standby. Lynn didn't really know them all that well, she would have to talk to them about what they could actually do and how best she could use their skills. Honestly, it felt strange being in command of a force this large. Back in her Airsoft days, the role of Commander usually fell to her dad. She'd sometimes give orders to her other teammates on his behalf, but actually taking the role herself was a new experience.

So, after all her orders were given, the Phantom Thieves jumped straight into their infiltration. Ryuji, Ann and Morgana remained on standby while Yusuke, Makoto, Shiho and Lynn pushed forward.

Gaining entrance through the front door was out of the question, this time.

So, Yusuke was ordered to keep a look out for other means of entry. Lynn and Shiho took point, skulking through the streets surrounding the Inoshishi Bank. The Palace structure was truly massive. The main tower was - at an estimate - fifty stories tall. That wasn't counting for the other buildings in the bank's compound.

Shadow presence outside the compound was thin. It offered some breathing room, but they still needed to be careful. The few Shadows they encountered had to be taken down as quickly and as quietly as they could.

Shiho's spear was invaluable.

Eventually, Yusuke took a sharp intake of breath. Beneath his kitsune mask, his eyes narrowed. "That small annex, I believe we could slip inside the staff entrance unnoticed. I have not seen many Shadows in that area, either."

"Awesome, but how do we get past the fence?"

Yusuke stepped forward and gripped his sword's hilt. "Allow Goemon and I."

The black iron of the fence bars began to slowly encase in frost. The air turned frigid and Yusuke let a steaming breath free. His mask dispersed into pure snow and with a mighty, lightspeed slash, the sword was already back in its sheath.

The sinister click of it slotting in place was all the fence needed to dislodge.

Iron bars fell to the ground with an oddly muted thunk. It left behind an opening in the fence large enough to fit everyone through in single file. "Nice!" Lynn grinned, watching Fox's mask reform over his features. Still, she cautiously looked around and listened closely for any alerted Shadows.

"I think we're clear…" Makoto whispered.

"That was amazing, Fox." Shiho quietly exclaimed with sparkles in her eyes. The wonderstruck expression didn't match the beastly nature of her attire. "Freezing the bars to make them brittle." Yusuke nodded with a subtle grin.

"Alright forward team, move out. We need to secure an infiltration route to start with."

Quietly, the four of them slid into the compound and dashed across the small open space. They planted their backs against the wall of the annex Yusuke pointed out and inched across. From here, they could see the main courtyard in front of the bank. It was still damaged from their previous fight and was now swarming with Shadow patrols.

Getting into the annex wasn't all that difficult. At first glance, it looked like a processing area. If Lynn were to guess; for gold and paper money. Sadly, any of that stuff had been removed. Even the lock boxes lining two walls were all open and empty.

"He must be hoarding all his wealth." Makoto whispered, checking a few of the open lock boxes. Not a single thing had been left behind.

"We definitely spooked him…" Lynn grunted. She pressed a finger to her comms and hailed the standby team. "Report. Any changes at the main entrance?"

Static crackled before clearing up. Ann spoke up, her voice low and measured. "So far, nothing's changed. All those cognitions are still heading into and out of the chambers like normal. I can see Shadows all over the courtyard, though."

"We found a way into the compound. Or… rather we made a way. We're on the lookout for a safe room now."

So far, so good.

That said, even this annex was huge. Like a warehouse of sorts. There was a catwalk higher up that led to what Lynn assumed were offices. Corrugated metal walls cordoned off the mezzanine floor and a small window revealed a dim light coming from within. That aside, there didn't look to be any movement.

Creeping along the darkened areas of the main floor, the group made their way through, ending up inside one of the mezzanine floor's offices. It was very different from the main bank. Instead of grandiose marble decor, indoor fountains and foliage, there was basic metal furniture. Bland walls and sad looking potted plants. Clearly, this area was strictly staff only.

Out of curiosity, Lynn approached one of the desks. She peered at the computer screen and quickly scrolled through it.

"Hmm…" she tapped a finger against the computer mouse, "financial records in the process of being… 'fixed'. Look at that, the sums don't add up properly on this one, but on the next, they're squeaky clean." Her three comrades read over her shoulder and each came to the same conclusion. "Wait… there's a few transfers to and from Shujin in here. The last one was… three days before…"

"He confessed." Shiho spat.

"Yeah…" an instinctual hand rested on the girl's shoulder as Lynn tried to comfort her.

"What does Shujin have to do with Kaneshiro?" Yusuke asked. It was just another mystery to add to the growing pile. As if they didn't have enough to worry about.

"No clue… but I guess it'd kind of explain why most of the students falling victim to the drug scams are from Shujin." Lynn's face darkened at her own words. It might have just been a small suspicion for now, but the thought that Kobayakawa was supplying victims to the Inoshishi haunted her. "That said… all transfers stopped after May 2nd."

"This… can't be true… can it?" Makoto struggled to speak. "How could I be so stupid?"

"Rider, you weren't exactly in a place to question anything back then." Lynn tried to offer some small comfort, but it was unclear if it worked or not.

"Joker's right. What's important is what you do going forward." Shiho added.

"R-right… yes. You're correct." Determination set back into place. Her leather gloves creaked as she clenched her fists. "I promised myself I wouldn't lose conviction again. Ok, what's next? This data only really tells us what we already knew."

"Right," Lynn nodded, "sweep the rest of these offices and then we'll see about finding a way into the main bank."

With that, the four gave agreeing nods and went about their search.

"I feel sick…" Shiho gagged upon reading the files she had dug from a cabinet. "I found a shipping manifest. Of people. These files treat them as if they were just meat products…"

Kaneshiro was just getting worse and worse with each bit of information they found. The darker part of Lynn wouldn't have been surprised if some of the victims in those manifests were sold as actual meat. The organ black market was alive and well, after all. It was sickening to even think about. And that could end up being their fate if they didn't succeed.

"I really don't get it…" Makoto muttered, studying other bits of financial information. "How has this guy gotten away with this for so long? What could have possibly led him to all this…?" That last question hung in the air. Yusuke was the one to break the silence. His expression darkened and his grip tightened on the hilt of his sword.

"For Sen- … my father… it was a cycle of familial abuse. I very nearly could have ended up continuing it. Were it not for the Phantom Thieves." He grunted and turned away from others. "I don't claim to know what is driving Kaneshiro, but I would have to assume it has some rancid source. Perhaps we could find it if we push on."

It was more than likely.

"Fox…" Makoto whispered under her breath. "I'm sorry…" for what, she didn't say, only giving Yusuke a concerned glance.

That aside, Makoto did bring up a good question. How had this monster been getting away with all this for so long? Then again, Kaneshiro's greed had only recently begun to expose his influence. His own desires were beginning to chip away at the empire he had built over the last two decades. At least that made the Phantom Thieves' jobs easier.

Not much else could be found in the offices. What they had found was more than Lynn had expected for an annex. No doubt more personal information was kept in the main bank.

Eventually, the Thieves moved on from the annex and creeped across the compound. They avoided patrols as they searched. After a few minutes of skulking, they found their entry point. A lower roof of a connecting building had an open skylight they could use to sneak into a lavish customer service lounge. This included a safe room just off to the side.

Calling Ann, Ryuji and Morgana to regroup, the entire team took refuge in the safe room.

So far, things were going well.

Minimal confrontation, no alarms had been raised and they had established a safe route inside the main bank.

Now, they just needed to find the Treasure and work out a plan to steal it.

Easier said than done.

"Do you sense our target, Mona?" Lynn asked, carefully giving her pistol - Virtue - a quick examination. The cat pawed at his chin and focused with a hum.

He struggled for a moment, and eventually groaned. "We're too far away for me to sense anything solid." That was expected, but Lynn still felt a slight sinking in her chest. Still, now that they were inside the bank itself, it was time to switch their formation up. Lynn holstered the gun and ran her gaze over her comrades.

"Rider, Skull, you're with me. We need to figure out the level of security we're going to have to deal with." Despite Ryuji's less than ideal sneaking abilities, he was the team's heaviest hitter. Along with his keen control of electricity, he wasn't afraid to get rough when push came to shove. "We'll work our way up the building in stages. Panther and Fox, you keep an eye on our entry point. Hunter and Mona, I want you to scout out and map the immediate area."

Ryuji cracked his knuckles and grinned maniacally. "You can count on me, leader!" He boasted and loaded shells into his trusty Remmington. An action that caught Makoto's attention.

"I've been meaning to ask…" she pointed at the shotgun as well as Lynn's Virtue. "Those… aren't real, are they?"

"I can safely say, no, Skull, Hunter and I don't carry real guns. They're airsoft weapons given power thanks to the Metaverse. Our enemies think they're real, so they become real." Lynn explained. That said, even if Virtue wasn't a real firearm, it still fired like one and damn did it have a kick to it. Not only that, Lynn had a few explosives stashed in her coat. Courtesy of V. "But… well…" she turned to Ann and Yusuke, more specifically to the firearms in their possession. "Those are real."

Not that she would ever admit it, a part of Lynn was still jealous of that fact. Granted, she would never actually straight up ask V to provide a real firearm.

"I… see." Makoto's brow furrowed, obviously disapproving. "Am I expected to carry a gun, too?"

"Only if you want to. I already have something in the works in case you do." Lynn smiled as she spoke. Shiho wasn't all too enthusiastic about firearms at first either.

Whatever Makoto decided, for now, it was time to go about their tasks.

For their first proper infiltration, today was about gathering information and mapping out the first few major areas. With Shiho and Morgana on that, Ryuji, Makoto and Lynn went about stalking the areas behind the main lobby. As expected, the place was filled with security systems and surveillance cameras.

Laser grids. Metal shutters. Bulletproof glass. Motion detectors. It was all there. Each system barred passage to certain areas. If they wanted to get past, they would need to find a way to shut the systems down.

As for Shadow presence, the hallways were pretty well patrolled.

If it wasn't for air vents and crawlspaces strewn about, it would have been impossible to get through undetected. Eventually, the three found their way into a series of hallways and cross sections. None of the security measures could be seen and as far as Lynn could tell, there weren't any Shadows around either.

Which wasn't concerning at all.

Still, they advanced through the corridors, making note of each turn and intersection.

Unfortunately, this place was an actual maze. Within moments, they were turned around and stumbled upon a familiar corridor. Lynn grunted and looked down at a potted plant sitting next to a leather couch. The same one she had almost tripped over on their first pass through. "I get the feeling this passage has more to it than meets the eye." Lynn muttered. "If my mental map is right… the path we took shouldn't have led us back here."

"You sayin' we're lost?"

"No, but we're definitely in some kind of puzzle." Lynn rubbed her forehead in thought.

They had come across several intersections during their trek. Lynn had pretty much chosen her path at random, but like she had said, that shouldn't have brought them back to the start. Palace's were strange. This was like that weird staircase area they encountered in Madarame's Museum. There was likely a trick they were missing.

Just to make sure she wasn't going insane, Lynn unloaded a single one of Virtue's bullets and placed it in the potted plant's soil. That way, if they were being looped back, they would know for definite. "For now, let's keep walking."

This time, they didn't choose a random path.

Instead, Lynn carefully plotted out a route that definitely would not cause them to loop around. Tension grew with each step. Ryuji's grip on his shotgun tightened and his jaw clenched. Makoto was in much the same state, tightly wound. Lynn would be lying if she said she didn't feel it. More than once, she caught herself unconsciously fidgeting with Virtue.

Rounding the next corner, their suspicions were confirmed.

It was the same plant with the bullet poking out from the soil. Makoto gasped and knelt down next to the plant. "This doesn't make any sense…"

"Palaces usually don't…" Lynn sighed. She turned her attention toward her radio. "This is Joker. Rider, Skull and I have fallen into a trap. Some sort of looping maze of corridors. It's… really messing with my head," she picked up her discarded bullet and groaned, "don't go near the section directly behind the main lobby. We can't afford getting anyone else wrapped up here."

The radio was silent for a few moments. Briefly, Lynn dreaded that their comms had been cut off too.

Thankfully, Morgana's voice sent a wave of relief over her spine. "This is Mona, we read you." He was whispering and judging from his tone, he and Shiho weren't alone. "We managed to find part of a map in a security office. I think I know what you're talking about. Are you sure you don't need help?"

"We haven't been attacked yet."

'Yet' being the key word.

It was Yusuke to respond next. "Are you able to exit?" Which was a good question. They had managed to slip in through an air duct hanging from the ceiling. So, she looked up.

The vent was still there, which was a relief. Lynn just hoped it hadn't become part of the trap. "We'll keep exploring a little longer. If we don't make any progress, we'll retreat and regroup." If it was possible, was left unsaid.

After what felt like hours - though was likely merely minutes - they trailed through the endless maze. They looped back around numerous times, trying different paths and ideas.

Eventually, they crossed into a more open area. Walls and partitions spread across the place. It was unsettling at how empty everything had suddenly become. It was now completely void of furniture. They had somehow broken through into the next section of this frustrating maze.

At least that's what Lynn wanted to believe.

What was really unsettling, however, was everything was now coloured a sickly yellow. Even the lights above added to it.

"What the hell is this place…" Ryuji muttered.

"Joker… can we please go? This place is giving me the creeps." Makoto added, holding herself. Lynn nodded and turned to go back the way they had come. Only to discover one horrible truth.

The entrance had vanished.

Now they really were in a trap. Quickly, she tried the comms. Her only response was static. They were cut off from the others. "Shit…" she muttered, "alright, there's probably some way of getting back to the bank. But… let's not split up." Obvious, but Lynn still felt the need to suggest it. Emphatically, Makoto nodded. "We should make some kind of marker. Something obvious and identifiable so we have a place to return to."

"Oh! I got it!" Ryuji rested his shotgun over his shoulder and pulled out a marker pen from one of his belt pouches. Rushing over to the nearest wall, he began scrawling a message. Black ink stained the yellow walls with remarkable clarity

"PT WOZ H3R3!"

"Skull… how can you not speak English… but can still write cringe 'leet' speech?" Lynn had the look of a very disappointed mother.

"Samurai taught me!"

Of course she did.

Lynn pinched the bridge of her nose. Despite the immature nature of the signal, it still served its purpose. Big, loud and obviously identifiable from a distance. Whatever, Lynn took a look around at the countless paths. Just from a single look, the layout made little to no sense. Walls often started and ended in nonsensical ways. Some openings were thin, others wide.

She gritted her teeth and led her friends forward.

It took little more than a few turns to learn that this new area was even more mind bending than the last. Corridors that should have looped back on each other led to completely different areas with new pathways. Passages that should have led to dead ends carried on into yet more twisting paths.

The silence and stillness really didn't help with the rising tension. Frustration began to brew before they crested into a room that was decidedly different from the others. Black scrawlings - like what Ryuji had done - were spread across the walls. Only, it wasn't Ryuji's handiwork. Most of it looked little more than scribbles and scrawls. In and amongst them, however, were small drawings. Stick figures running.

Three stick figures. Each wearing a mask.

Lynn gulped down a thick lump in her throat. They were stick figures wearing Joker, Rider and Skull's masks.

"Please tell me you drew this, Skull…" Makoto muttered, though she already knew the answer. No. He didn't. Someone - or something - else had. That thought alone struck a primal sense of dread into Lynn's chest. That aside, there was something about the scribbles that caught Lynn's eye. At first glance, they were random and nonsensical. However, after a closer inspection, there was definitely a pattern to them. Some of the curves and corners resembled jumbled letters. As if whatever had made the scrawling was trying to imitate language.

It brought the image of a child learning to write.

Somehow, that just made Lynn feel even worse.

From a distance, echoing down the hallways and corridors was a very distinct rumbling growl. Makoto screeched in terror and clinged to Ryuji's arm.

Something was definitely in here with them. Stalking them. Perhaps studying them.

"A Shadow…" said Lynn, trying to rationalise everything. She felt she needed to keep her cool seeing as Makoto was quickly spiralling out of control. The fear in her chest slowly calmed down. If it was a Shadow, then it was something Lynn knew how to deal with. "Let's track it down. If nothing else, it might give us a way to get out of here."

"Are you crazy, Joker!?" Shocked, Makoto tightened her grip, causing Ryuji to yelp under her vice-like hold. "I can't handle this!"

"I'm not about to wander through this place forever…" Lynn had to smirk at the display. She connected the dots quite a while ago. Makoto really couldn't handle horror-like situations. Being stuck in a creepy maze with ominous scrawling on the walls, and evidence pointing towards a stalking monster, checked quite a few horror boxes. That aside, Makoto was still missing one vital understanding. "Besides, we have our Personas. We're not helpless slasher movie victims." At least that seemed to calm her down a little.

Ryuji was grinning like an idiot, for some reason.

Then Makoto finally took notice of what she was doing. She was hugging the boy's arm against herself, forcing him a little too close for her - and likely his - comfort. She gasped and immediately let go.

Following up with a punch to his shoulder.

"What was that for!?" He whimpered, rubbing the shoulder. Makoto huffed and pouted, turning away from him. "I was just standing there when you grabbed me!"

Try as she might, Makoto couldn't hold her irritated pout. Her body relaxed, "sorry, Skull… you're right. You didn't have to look so pleased with yourself, though…" The pout became more embarrassed than annoyed. Honestly, Lynn didn't quite know how to feel. Deep down, she was jealous of Makoto, but at the same time, she felt oddly protective of the boy. In the end, she settled for a disarming giggle. It brought Makoto's focus back to her. "You're also right, Joker. But… how can you be so calm? You have nerves of steel!"

"Well…" Lynn thought back on her multiple exploits, "I guess you sort of get used to it. Facing off against a dragon has a way of toughening you up."

"A… dragon?"

"Long story." Lynn replied.

"We blew up its throat with a rocket launcher." Ryuji added, laughing.

"Like I said… long story." Lynn couldn't help the grin. Makoto had gotten so confused, her fear had been completely forgotten.

That was until a hulking form crashed through the wall with the scrawling on it. Debris showered over the three and an ear splitting howl shook the place to its core. It was a huge figure with bulking muscles, pitch black, ink-like skin and a bone white mask fixed to its face. It was also wearing a fully tailored suit. Tailored, but still barely containing the Shadow's figure.

In response, Makoto let her own ear splitting screech match the monster's.

"I'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRY!" She shrieked and began punching and punching with inhuman speed. Blow after blow slammed against the Shadow's hide. Each one forcing a grunt from the creature and another "I'M SORRY!" from Makoto.

After several seconds, the Shadow howled again and pushed Makoto away. It breathed heavily before it was caught in another onslaught. Only this time it was bullets and shells. Lynn and Ryuji opened fire without mercy. Once both of their guns ran dry, they lunged in with their melee weapons. A heavy cudgel for Ryuji and Eclipse for Lynn. Electricity sparked around Ryuji's club, causing a small blast on impact. Eclipse slashed through its hide with ease.

It didn't even give the Shadow a chance to react. With one final attack, Makoto gathered violent blue energy around her fist and threw a mighty punch, completely shattering the Shadow's mask.

It screamed and fell back into the hole it created.

It didn't move again until it slowly started to dissolve into black vapour. The fight - if Lynn could even call it that - lasted around thirty seconds. "Well that was… sudden." Lynn scratched the back of her head in confusion. The surprise attack really didn't fit in with the whole vibe of this weird area. It was too straight forward.

Granted, it did bring up the comparison to a Minotaur in a Labyrinth. It shattered the image of a stalking hunter Lynn had slowly built in her mind.

What was the point of all that build up? A cheap scare?

Honestly, Lynn felt cheated deep down.

"Is it over…" Makoto groaned and fell to her knees. However, they were still trapped. Ryuji took the initiative and poked his head through the huge hole the Shadow had made. He looked left, hummed, then right, then hummed again.

"Yep, just as I thought!" He said, turning with a big smile on his face.

"What?"

"We're still lost!"

If only Lynn had a rolled up newspaper handy. She studied the area beyond the hole for herself. The rooms and passages were somewhat different, but it was more of the same. Still, it was new, therefore, she could only assume it was progress.

The group stepped through the hole and a sudden wave of nausea overtook each of them.

Lynn staggered and braced herself against the nearest wall. Her vision blurred and as she attempted to compose herself, the halls and passages began to melt away, replaced by more conventional, reality-compliant architecture. They were back in the bank, it seemed.

Behind them, there was a door that wasn't there before. Vein-like markings stretched out and splayed across the walls from the door frame. The door was solid metal and now sealed shut. Above, a faint glowing sign read "Containment" in red letters. "Wait… was that where we came from?" Ryuji asked, knocking on the metal. Its loud clanking echoed through the corridor, earning him baleful glares from both Makoto and Lynn. "Sorry…" He muttered, pocketing his hands.

"Maybe," Lynn replied, trying not to pay too much attention to the black ichor. She then tapped her radio, "anyone, come in."

"Joker! Thank god! We've been trying to get in contact for ages!" Shiho's panicked voice replied, startling Lynn. "You three suddenly disappeared from the comms line so we got worried."

"We… uh… got lost…" Quite the understatement, but for now, they needed to get moving to a safe room. Shiho and Morgana had apparently found a map. With it, they could figure out a plan going forward.

Soon, they found their way back into the main lobby of the bank. Its grandiose nature was still staggering to behold. A few Shadows lingered around the area, but none seemed particularly interested in actually patrolling. Their apathy was good cover for the three thieves to sneak through the lobby toward their next safe room.

Within, they finally regrouped with the other thieves.

Perhaps now was a good place to back off for the day. Everyone agreed. They made some real progress for now. They had a safe infiltration route, found a few safe rooms, obtained part of a map and scouted out some of the more mundane security measures.

All in all, a good day's work.