Episode 1, Chapter 3
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Outside the Undersea RELICS site.
"... Well now. That's a pretty obscure and advanced security protocol being used here..," Lapis Unit One observed as she quickly scanned the lines of code on her tablet. "Still, it's nothing that I can't handle, even if it will take a bit longer than I'd like to crack..."
"Really? You mean you can really get it open!?" Kraz said with a bit more impatience and worry slipping into his tone more than he'd meant to.
"Mmhm," Lapis Unit One nodded. "It's a bit more heavily modified than I'm used to seeing in other RELICS sites we've surveyed, but still nothing I can't handle. Just be quiet and let me work and it'll be done before you know it. Besides, you aren't the only one worried and anxious to see if their friends are okay."
"...Right. Sorry."
"It's fine." Unit one then turned to her two 'sisters'. "Alright, I'm going to need both of your help for this."
"Got it," said the other two Lapis units as they granted her access to borrow some of their processing power.
...
'... Dammit you brat. You better be alright...!'
- RELICS site, final room of Sector 3 -
"...Hm?"
"Lyner? What's up?" Emilia asked, noticing Lyner staring ahead at the only (dimly) lit part of the room... before spotting just what, or who, it was that got his attention. "...No way! Is, is that another person? You mean there was someone else here besides us!?"
"Wait, didn't you say that, aside from you and Lyner, nobody else even entered the RELICS site?" Yakumo asked.
The two mercenaries nodded.
"Yeah, I mean, I asked Lyner about it after my head stopped hurting and stumbling my way inside."
"Right. Everyone else scrambled for the exit when everything went crazy," Lyner confirmed.
...
"Then, do you think that she's like me? Someone who came from 'somewhere else', I mean?"
"That'd be the only thing that would make any real sense at this point, huh?" Emilia said, not seeing any other explanation. "I mean, all things considered, that is."
"Well for now, let's go take a closer look and see if they're okay first, then worry about everything else, yeah?" Lyner suggested.
Both girls nodded and as the three made their way over to the new mystery girl.
"Is she alright?" Emilia asked from over Lyner's shoulder as he checked the petite, red ahired mystery girl over for any injuries.
"Looks like she's a little scuffed up but otherwise okay," Lyner noted. "Still, I wonder what happened..."
"Oh, there's a staff over there, to her left," Emilia pointed out as she went over to pick up said item. However, just as she was making her way back...
"Emilia!"
"..Hu, huh? Yakumo? What's up?"
"Behind you!"
"Behind me...?"
...the figure of a very large, vaguely humanoid mechanical monster suddenly dropped down behind her.
"Emilia!"
Without thinking, Lyner quickly pulled out his two-handed photon sword just in time to step in and barely block the monster's downward fist strike.
"...Tch!" ' Damn that thing's strong! Crap...! I can barely hold it back!' "Hey! Emilia! Hurry up and help me out here already! And Yakumo, keep an eye on the mystery girl!"
"Right, be careful you two!" Yakumo said with a nod before getting the unconscious, red haired girl over her shoulder and retreating as far back as possible.
"Wait, wait! You want to fight that huge monster!? Just the two of us!?" squeaked out a very obviously scared and slightly shaking Emilia.
Calling up all his strength, Lyner finally managed to push back the hulking mechanical giant away before glancing back at his very scared partner, doing his best to give her as confident and reassuring a smile as he could while looking straight into her ruby red eyes. "Yup, just the two of us. C'mon, we can handle this, Emilia!"
*Ba-dump!*
'... !' "Ri, right! Okay, f, fine! Let's do this!" ' Crap! why is my heart pounding now of all times!? Ugh! I don't get it, but this is totally your fault!'
"...Er, Emilia? You alright?" Lyner asked, hoping she was okay.
"...What? No, I mean! Yes! Yes, I'm fine! Just leave the backup to me!" Emilia stuttered out as she raised her rod, Clarita Visas, up in the air and silently cast 'shifta' and 'deband' in rapid succession. "Just focus on taking that thing down!"
"Heh, got it! And thanks for the buffs," Lyner said, flashing the still slightly flustered blonde vanguard an appreciative smile before turning back to face the now fully recovered mechanical golem. "Alright you bastard! Her I come!"
Meanwhile, Yakumo couldn't help but shake her head at how silly her new friend was acting.
' Jeez Emilia...! Still, it's kinda cute to see her acting so out of sorts though. Anyway, I should focus on applying that 'resta' technic she taught me...'
While Yakumo was busy keeping one eye on the battle and the other on healing the red haired girl, it didn't take long for the sounds of battle and Lyner and Emilia shouting as they carefully guided the mechanical monster away.
'... Good luck you two!'
- Undersea RELICS site, Sector 2 -
* BANG! BANG!*
"... Tch!" Kraz irritably clicked his tongue as he took down one Evil Shark after another with his twin handguns before turning to see how the three CAST triplets were doing and couldn't help but whistle in admiration at the brutal efficiency and and excellent teamwork the three Lapis Units were displaying as they drew in and took out wave after wave of the enemies that had surrounded them. ' Hm, well I'll be damned. A pretty solid strategy they've got going there. Two of them bait and draw the enemy in while the last one finishes them off. Not just that, but they're keeping in mind that Vasque and I are here too. Heh. I bet Ursula would love to have them join up. I should talk to them about that after I get that idiot back home safe and sound. ... Yeah, the last I need is for Ursula and Chelsea to be on my ass about it any more than I know they will be...'
"Mr Kraz? Is everything alright?" asked the long haired ebony CAST.
"Nah, I'm fine. Just scoutin' the some talent. Ah, and speaking of which, you lookin' to join up with bigger outfit?"
"Haha! Well, we can talk about that after we rescue your young ward and their friend! Thanks for the offer though."
"Heh. I'll hold ya to that!"
- Back with Lyner and the others -
"...Kuh!" ' Shit Too close! Hm? Oh, nice!'
Wiping a little blood from his lip, Lyner suddenly felt the cool, familiar and soothing light of Emilia's 'resta' technic enveloping and healing his body.
' This might be tough, but that thing doesn't have a reliable partner on his side!'
"Hey, Lyner!"
"...Hm? What's up?"
"Is it me, or is that thing moving a bit slower now? Like, it's taking way more hits than it did earlier even though it was able to dodge us so much a few minutes ago," Emilia pointed out after catching her breath.
"...Oh! She's right!" Yakumo added, now joining in the battle by handling the support and healing from the rear and letting Emilia focus on attacking with offensive technics.
"Alright then! C'mon girls! Just a little more and we'll bring this thing down for good in no time at all!"
"Mm!"
"Right!"
With renewed vigor, the trio moved to make one final push starting with a downward slash of Lyner's photon sword, followed by a blast of Emilia's fireballs and finished up with a lightning strike from Yakumo. The three repeated this pattern while weaving in and out the larger enemy's increasingly flailing and slower to hit attacks.
"Come on! Almost there!"
"...Ugh! Just, just go down already you big, stupid wlaking pile of scrap...! HAAH!"
"Take this!"
And then, amidst the third or fourth round of their life and death struggle, the trio finally struck the final blow when Lyner succeeded in running his photon sword through its chest and sending it crashing to the ground.
"...* Huff! Huff*...! Finally!" Emilia gasped out before dropping to her knees, sweaty and completely spent.
"...Ye, yeah...!" was all Yakumo could say as she plopped back down next to the red haired girl... who was now staring at her before looking around at a tired Lyner and Emilia laying near the felled mechanical golem, totally catching her off guard and making her take a second to fully register what was happening.
"...Wh, whoa! You're awake now!?" Yakumo exclaimed/asked, only to be met with said girl's curious tilting of the head and near total blank stare.
"...?"
"Whoa! Finally up now, huh!?" Emilia asked without looking and from her spot on the ground, mentally appreciating how nice and cool it felt against her sore and overheated body as she continued to bask in the afterglow of victory.
"I mean, I'd be surprised if she didn't by now, what with all the noise we were making," Lyner said with a chuckle. "Anyway, you rest up and I'll go see how she's doing."
"...Yup."
As Lyner slowly got up to make his way over to Yakumo and the red haired girl, no one noticed the very slight twitching movements coming the mechanical monster's right arm... well, no one but the red haired girl that is.
"...!"
"What's wrong, what are you looki-" Yakumo called out as she watched as the red haired girl get up and dashed off to where Emilia was, and getting Lyner's attention in the process. "Hey, where are you going!?"
"...?"
Not sure what was going on, Lyner stopped and turned to look where the red haired girl was going... only to see the larger mechanical monster they thought they'd beaten shakily get up and preparing its fist to turn a now wide eyed and stunned Emilia laying on the ground into paste.
"... No, no way! You mean that thing was still alive!?" Emilia shouted as she tried, but failed, to get up only to quickly shut her eyes and brace herself for the quick but very painful end to come... only to get shoved out of the way by the red haired girl just as the mechanical menace's fist struck the ground where she was.
"...Huh?"
"...!"
However, the girls had only moved just far enough away to avoid the monster's 'first' attack as it quickly turned around and prepared to launch another.
"...Shit!"
"Emilia!"
As Emilia and the red haired girls looked on and waited helplessly for what was likely their impending doom, they could only stare in muted horror as the world around them came to a complete stop... only for Lyner to come out of nowhere and take the hit in their place at the same time as he shoved his photon sword into its already wounded and exposed chest, this time striking it dead center at its core.
"...Ffuu- AAAAGGGHHHH!" ' Damn that fucking hurts!'
Unable to bear the pain, or the weight of the now falling mechanical monster, Lyner let go of his his photon sword and crumpled to the ground, his chest caved in and far too damaged for any resta technics or 'mate' type healing items to be of any use now. Still, even through his haze of pain and fading vision the older mercenary couldn't help but wonder if Emilia, Yakumo, and that other red haired girl were okay... not noticing that they were by his side and calling out his name.
"...y, ner...? H, hey, Lyner...?" Emilia called out in quiet and breaking voice while unable to take her eyes off the sight of the bleeding wreck of a man lying on the ground in front of her.
"...No way. Why isn't it working!? Is resta not enough? Emilia, hey Emilia! Is there not a higher grade healing technic we can use?" Yakumo desperately asked after seeing her resta barely doing anything.
Emilia, however, just shook her head. "It's, it's too late... even if there were a higher grade technic, it wouldn't... it wouldn't matter..."
"What? Why!?" Yakumo all but shouted, now standing up and looking the crying, ruby eyed girl.
"...Be, because resta only reinforces and accelerates the body's natural healing ability... which, which means..."
"...Which means if a person is too heavily wounded then... resta won't, work... Lyner's, Lyner's going to die, isn't he?"
...
"...!" ' Lyner's going to die...? He's going to die!? No! No, no, no, no, NNNOOOO!'
With the reality of their situation quickly sinking in, something deep inside Emilia just... snapped.
"...No! Nonononononono! You can't die! You can't leave me alone Lyner! ...Hey! We, we beat that monster! We, we saved Yakumo, saved that other girl...! You, saved me...! So, so don't leave me alone! DON'T GO! DON'T LEAVE ME ALONE!"
...
"It's alright. Everything will be alright, Emilia. I, we won't let him die."
"...? ... What?" 'Who, who is that? Who are you?'
"Don't worry. Just leave everything to me now, Emilia."
"...Eh? ...Ah!"
"Em, Emilia...? Wait, what's happening!?"
"...? ...!"
But, before she could puzzle out the source of the mysterious voice in her head, a gentle warmth quickly bubbled up from the depths of her heart before just as quickly flowing out of her in a blinding burst of golden light radiating outward in every direction and enveloping everything and everyone in the room.
- At the same time, at the first room in Sector 3 -
"Ugh! Finally!" Kraz grumbled out as he and the others finished clearing out the room before checking up on Vasque and the three CAST girls. "Anyway, how are you all holding up? Need a little break?"
Vasque chuckled and shook his head. "I'm alright Mr. Kraz."
"We're fine too. If anything, with so much monster activity around I think we should kee-!? Wait, what!?" Lapis Unit Two began before she and the other Lapis Units suddenly froze up as their eyes widened from sensing the sudden burst of an ancient but familiar energy. "...No way...!"
The three CAST(?) triplets looked at each other, a silent conversation playing out before nodding and dashing off without another word towards the source of the strange energy surge.
"O, oi! What's going on here? Why are you all... Ah, dammit! Vasque, come on!"
"Right behind you Mir. Kraz!"
'... No clue what's going on, but whatever it is seemed to spook those three something fierce... Shit! Emilia! Hold on tight and don't do anything stupid'
- RELICS site, final room of Sector 3 -
"...!?"
Ever since she woke up in this strange world, the red haired girl found herself in one odd situation after another in rapid succession, from getting attacked by some strange monster to getting saved by some strange man and now... witnessing the sight some strange blonde girl radiating light from a strange power along with sensing the mysterious presence of some being she couldn't put her finger on that seemed to be directing that odd, golden energy as it healed the fatally mounded man who saved her, prompting her to voice her very first thought out loud.
"...What, is going here...?"
"You can talk too?" asked the brunette girl next to her. "Oh, sorry if that came off as rude but yeah. I'd like to know that myself. Anyway, are you alright?"
"...Um, yes... Apparently, so..? And... um... I'm, sorry... I, don't know your name..," replied the girl. ' or mine, for that matter...'
Yakumo shook her head. "It's fine. I'm Yakumo. And, um... the two over there are Lyner and Emilia."
"...Ya, kumo. Ly, ner... and, Em, ilia..," the red haired girl repeated a bit awkwardly, while nodding. "... Under, stood."
"Yup! Oh, um... what about you? Can you recall your own name?"
"...Um... Let, me see..," the girl began, closing her eyes and searching her mind as much as far back as she could go... until the part of a word, or a name, popped up. "...Oh! Um, Cl, Clar... Um, Claris...? ...That's right, Claris' name is... Claris? Yes! Claris is Claris!" said the now named Claris, more to herself than anything else.
Yakumo just giggled a bit. "Well, nice to meet you Claris!"
"Mm! Now then, Miss Yakumo? Can, can you tell Claris what's going on? Or, Anything at all, really."
Yakumo sighed before looking over at the Emilia still wrapped up in strange golden light doing, something, to Lyner's body. "Honestly? I don't really know much more than you do. But, I'm guessing my general circumstances are probably not too different from yours. As for them, well..."
"Hm?"
"Oh, it's a long story and, to be honest, there's way too much that I don't really understand either. But, I promise to try and explain everything I know, just let me-Huh? Oh! The light's faded! Ah, Emilia!?"
Just as Yakumo was getting ready to fill the red haired girl on what she knew, the light that had filled the room and seemed to radiate from Emilia, as if whatever was possessed her had finally left her body, causing her to lose consciousness and fall to the ground right next to the now fully healed and equally unconscious Lyner.
"...Okay, well that happened. Great..."
"Um, Miss, Yakumo...?"
"Hm? What's up?" Yakumo asked without turning away from checking up on her two new friends/dungeon crawling companions.
"...People are coming. And quite a few of them, too," Claris replied, pointing over to the door the trio entered from.
...
"...What!?" Yakumo all but shrieked as she quickly stood up facing the door, photon and tech-mag drawn in a defensive stance in front of the unconscious Lyner and Emilia. "How do you know and can you tell how many?"
"...Um, Claris... isn't really sure how but, it feels like five of them... all strong too."
"...Really?" ' Oh you have got to be kidding me!'
Claris nodded. "Yes, but...they don't feel like enemies though... If anything, they feel a bit like you, um... worried? Yes, worried."
"...I see. Then, maybe they're Lyner or Emilia's friends then?" ' I really hope they are, but even so. I shouldn't let down my guard, just in case.' "Well, until we know for sure, be sure to stay close to me, alright?"
Claris silently nodded, tightly gripping her own staff. "Um, Claris, Claris will help if things, get dangerous... Claris, also wants to protect and help the people who helped her...!"
Yakumo smiled, grateful for the thought.
"Thanks a lot, Claris."
- A little earlier, with Kraz and the others -
"...Hm?"
"Oh?"
"...It just, stopped?"
"What's wrong?" Kraz asked when he noticed the three CAST triplets suddenly stop.
"Oh, well, whatever that strange energy spike was just, suddenly stopped..," Lapis Unit One replied.
"Wait, what? Doesn't that mean that something could have happened?" Kraz said with a bit of alarm in his usually apathetic, indifferent voice. "Shouldn't we hurry then?"
"... I don't know, maybe? But yeah, either way, we should get moving," Lapis Unit Two agreed. "Sorry. It just caught us off guard with how sudden it happened."
Vasque shook his head. "It's fine. If anything, it's thanks to you three that we even have any clue about whatever is happening."
"Right. Thanks," Lapis Unit Three said, grateful for the fellow CAST's understanding.
"Oi! Come on!" Kraz called out, a bit impatiently when he noticed the others lagging a bit behind.
"Heh. He tries not to let it show, but he must really be worried about that girl," Vasque commented with a chuckle as the four followed after a now fully sprinting Kraz.
"And there's Lyner too. I hope he's alright..," Lapis Unit One quietly said as she and the others hurried to catch up with Kraz.
"I'm sure he's fine," Lapis Unit Two reassured. "I mean, it's him we're talking about after all, right?"
"...I think that's why Unit One's worried," Lapis Unit Three countered.
"Sounds like your friend is quite the handful too," Vasque said, a bit amused despite the circumstances.
"...He really is," all three CAST girls said at the same time and in the same exact, slightly exasperated tone, causing Vasque to chuckle again and Kraz to shake his head.
"Heads up! That looks the place!" the older Beast man called out, gesturing to the large, and only, door just ahead of them. "Alright, remember. Brace yourselves for anything, got it?"
"Yes!" replied the CAST triplets in unison, their photon weapons at the ready.
"Understood," Vasque said with a firm nod.
"Good, then here we go!"
Without wasting any more time, Kraz pulled out his twin guns and led the charge... only to stop dead in his tracks after barely stepping inside, confusing the rest of his party in the process... at least until they stepped inside too.
"...Uh, what the..."
"Oh? Well now. This is, unexpected," Vasque commented when he spotted what it was that caught Kraz's attention.
"What's going on? What did you guys fin-wait, who are they?" Lapis Unit Three asked, pointing over at the brunette and redhead standing defensively in front of two unconscious figures lying on the ground next to each other.
"Never mind that! Look!" Lapis Unit Two said, pointing at the figures behind them. "It's Lyner! And that girl too, she must be Emilia!"
"...!"
The instant she heard Lapis Unit Two call out those names, a look of genuine surprise flashed across the brunette's face as she lowered her weapons and took a closer look at them. The redhead, on the other hand, kept her guard up and silently observed them.
"Oi! You two! Look, before things get all crazy, you mind tellin' us what happened here?" Kraz cautiously asked, not wanting to make the situation any worse, especially not with Emilia right there. "Look, we're just here to look for our missin' friends, and judgin' by the way you reacted, then we're probably talkin' about the same people here. That girl, she's Emilia, right?"
The brunette nodded. "Ye, yeah, she is. And you are? ... Wait, are you Kraz? The mean boss she talked about?"
"...Eh? Mean boss? Did that brat seriously...Tch, nevermind! Anyway, yeah. I'm Kraz! And you are?"
"... Yakumo. And this is Claris." She then turned her attention to the CAST triplets. "And I take it you three know Lyner?"
The three Lapis Units nodded.
"And you?" Yakumo asked, looking at Vasque.
"I'm just here to help, name's Vasque. I don't really know either one of them myself, but I did speak with Lyner for a bit before this whole mess happened.
Seeing that they really were the ones she'd Lyner and Emilia talk about, Yakumo let out a sigh of relief, hand to her chest. Seeing her reaction, Claris finally relaxed her guard as well, but only by a tiny bit. After all, Lyner, Emilia and Yakumo were the ones who saved her while the five in front of her were still just strangers to her. Besides, it never hurt to be careful, just in case.
"Right, let's save gettin' to know each other better for later, yeah?" Kraz said as he put his guns away and made his way over. "Mind fillin' us in on what happened here? Why are Emilia and your friend there unconscious? Also, who are you two anyway and how did you get here?"
"...Uh, um..."
"Mr. Kraz. I know you don't mean to, but I think you're coming off a little too strong," Vasque pointed out, gesturing to the slightly uncomfortable look on Yakumo's face while Claris glared warily his way. "Just give them a moment and maybe not bombard them with questions quicker than they can answer them?"
Kraz sighed heavily while scratching the back of his head. "... Yeah. Yeah, you're right." He then turned back to Yakumo and Claris. "Sorry about that. Just, a little on edge is all..."
Yakumo shook her head. "No, it's fine. A lot's happened on our end too... I can't answer everything but, I'll try."
"That's fine, but I think we should get out of here first," Lapis Unit Three suggested. "I mean, there's checking up on Lyner and your friend to consider too."
Kraz nodded. 'Right." Then, as gently as he could, Kraz picked up the unconscious Emilia while muttering to no one in particular. "...I know it's not exactly her fault, but the paperwork for this mess is going to be really annoying... * sigh*"
"Comes with the territory," Vasque said with a shrug before putting Lyner onto his back. "I'll take care of your friend."
Yakumo nodded. "Thanks."
"It's no problem."
"After we get outta here and deal with the red tape, we're heading to Clad 6. Don't worry, the colony's med facilities are top notch. That alright with you guys?"
Lapis Unit One shook her head. "No objections from us."
"Same here," Yakumo agreed. "Besides, Claris and I have nowhere else to go anyway."
"...Oh yeah? Well, whatever. I'm sure Emilia and your friend would want you there anyway, so no worries."
"Thanks again."
"Mm."
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A/N:
And with that, the 'prologue' arc is over!
Wrapped up a lot nicer than I thought too!
Anyway, I hadn't really expected to do another chapter so soon, but... hey, when inspiration strikes, you take it, yeah?
Oh, and my plnas for the second character introduced here changed a bit and I decided to add a character from PSO2 into the story, making Yakumo the only non-Phantasy Star related character in the whole story! I wonder if anyone will correctly guess who it is. I bet some people will get close but still miss the mark though.
Well, I hope you enjoyed and see you next chapter!