Chapter 12: Sendai's Jail of Vanity, part 1
"Thank you all very much for coming today!" Natsume greets the crowd before him. Tables dotted about with refreshments and drink. "This is just a small token of my appreciation. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy yourselves." The crow clap in applaud as Natsume bows, his eyes missing the Thieves as they hang around near the shadows. He walks through the crowd, greeting his fans and supports before coming to a stop at a table. Nearby the Thieves who listen in.
"Congratulations, Mr. Natsume. Truly." His editor applauds with a grin.
"It's all thanks to everyone working so hard to push up sales. All I did was write." Natsume deflects with a grin.
"It really is impressive how well you've done, considering the amount of competition these days. I know we tried earlier on to promote you as the grandson of the renowned writer, Sogo Natsume, but… I never would have expected you to perform this well." Another editor praises, yet he misses the anger that flared in Natsume's eyes. An anger that the Thieves managed to spot for the few seconds it appeared.
"The praise you've received is due entirely to your talent, Mr. Natsume. You're a shining star to readers and authors both."
"My talent, you say? Haha, well now, I wouldn't go as far as to say that… The words on the page matter little. If there's something worth talking about, the people will always flock to it. From there, all one needs to do is craft a little story into it, and voila." Ohya bristles silently, feeling herself coming under attack as a journalist. "For example, take that origin story about how I started writing because of some poor girl in the hospital."
"Pardon my asking, but is that story true, Mr. Natsume?" Natsume looks away, not meeting the eyes of anyone as he folds his arms.
"I'm afraid that my little secret." He replies quietly, before putting on his smile once again. "Truth, fiction… Does anyone really care at the end of the day anyway? You might recall Ichiryusai Madarame's confession on TV the other year. Surely you remember it?" Yusuke stiffens as the Thieves tilts their heads slightly to get a better view of him. Why was he brining him up? "His signature piece… What was the name of it again?"
"Oh, do you mean the 'Sayuri'?" The other editor asks, earning a nod from Natsume.
"Yes. That piece was certainly labelled as a pinnacle of beauty at the time. Until we all found out that Madarame had not only stolen it, but defaced it as well to sell as his own. Now if you ask me, the only place his piece belongs now is in the trash." The Thieves silently gasped in shock and horror as Yusuke narrowed his eyes in not only sheer anger but rage. Even as he took a long breath of air to calm himself down, he couldn't stop himself from turning to look at Natsume. Even if he was insulting Madarame's work and not his mother's.
"Yusuke…" Haru says quietly, seeing the storm in his eyes.
"I'm all right." Yusuke replies, eerily calm. "I have a favour to ask. Would you mind if I handle this one?" Ren silently nods at him, earning a small smile from the artist as he turns to face Natsume. Taking another breath to calm his raging emotions, Yusuke steps forward. "Pardon me from interrupting. I happen to be a big fan of yours, Natsume-san."
"Hm? How are you?" The stout editor asks.
"My name is Yusuke Kitagawa. Forgive me, but I was hoping I might trouble you for an autograph?" The other editor moves to but in, but Natsume raises a hand to stop him.
"I do not see the harm. It is only one single autograph after all." Natsume replies with a smile, with Yusuke bowing to him in thanks.
"My thanks, Natsume-san. You are far to kind." Yusuke replies standing up and holding out his book. One that was different to the one Hifumi was given as Natsume signs it with elegance. "To receive an autograph from the great Ango Natsume himself… This honour is truly more than I deserve."
"Man… Yusuke's acting is amazing…" Mishima whispers quietly and Ohya nods her head.
"For real…" Sumire agrees quietly, while Ryuji grips his cup a bit tighter.
"Nonsense. Don't sell yourself short." Natsume tells Yusuke as he pockets the book. "It's readers like you who allow authors like me to keep writing."
"I see. That is a wonderful way to look at it." Yusuke comments. "Oh, right. Do you by any chance use EMMA, Natsume-san?"
"Of course! With how convenient it is, how could I not?" Natsume replies with a wide grin.
"If you do not mind, could you please add me to your friend's list? It would be a privilege to be closer to one I respect greatly." Yusuke asks with smooth confidence. Even as a raging fire roared inside him. Natsume chuckle at him with a wide grin.
"Not at all! My fans and readers mean the world to me. The Keyword is, 'Prince of Nightmares'." Yusuke nods to him, both thankful and proud he managed to get it from him. And without rising any suspicions as well. But… he couldn't forget what he said about the Sayuri. And while he wanted to lash out, he knew there were others ways to get his point across.
"Thank you very much. Expect a request from me sometimes soon. But, there is one more thing I need to address before I go." He sets himself, reeling in the fires inside him with an icy wind. "I overheard you and your entourage discussing the 'Sayuri' earlier. If I'm mistake, you said Madarame's version is to be thrown out with the trash, as though it were some cheap attempt. But what would you do if you knew what it looked like before he disfigured it? And who its original owner was?"
"Well, I would give them their proper due diligence." Natsume replies. "I would see they were praised for their true version, and Madarame's thrown to the waste bins of history. Due you perhaps know who painted it originaly?"
"Yes. She was my mother." Yusuke replies, and Natsume's visage dropped instantly. Along with his entourage who had looks of shocks at the young man. "A woman who knew death was coming for her, painted what would become her last self-portrait. And beneath that cloud, cradled in her arms, was a baby. Me."
"I… I had no idea…" Natsume stutters, feeling some anger coming from the man.
"You and a great many others do not. For I have decided that the original, true, undamaged 'Sayuri' will not appear in the public after my 'former mentor' had ruined it so greatly."
"Y—You were a pupil of Madarame?" Natsume asks, eyes wide as Yusuke nods his head.
"And I have seen the horrors he unleashed on his 'students'. The plagiarism that he vaunted as though it was his own brush." Yusuke turns around and walks away, already seeing that the others had already left. "I pray you learn from his mistakes, and never walk down that corruptive path, Natsume-san." Natsume stands, silent as he watches Yusuke walk away, shaking his head with a frown.
"Corruptive path? I fear no dark path. And what does a student of Madarame know anyway? No matter. He will come around like all the rest. They always do."
"That was amazing Yusuke. You managed to keep it in." Haru tells him as they leave the building. A small smile was on Yusuke's face as he turns to face her.
"I admit, I wanted to lash out at him, professionalism be damned. But I remember how you acted back in Shido's ship. And it would be poor form of me to forget such an effort of non-violence." Haru smiles gently at him, pecking him on the cheek with a quick kiss.
"We also got the Keyword as well. Everything worked out." Ohya remarks, letting out a yawn. "And with that, I'm off to the hotel. Give us a text when we're ready to move tomorrow, okay?"
"We will." Ren calls back as Ohya heads out, with the team heading back to the Motorhome. "Now all we need is a point of entry…"
"Sendai Station is a good place." Sophia chimes in from Ren's phone.
"Hm? How come?" Ann asks, tilting her head.
"The smell isn't strong there. The security is probably more lax. The station should be a safe point of entry, like Shibuya Square."
"Alright. Then we have everything we need. We'll order a few things from Sophia's shop to stock up on, then head into the Jail tomorrow. It's time to bring down another Monarch." Makoto tells the group as they move out. Only to suddenly get contemplative. "So, who is taking Hifumi and Futaba's spot on the couches?"
"It should be clockwise, starting from the left side to the right." Kawakami tells them with a grin. "It'll be fair that way, right?"
"True. Which means that it's Ryuji and Ann's turn to sleep on the couch." Haru says with a grin to the blonds.
"Why does that sound less appealing than sleeping in a tent?" Ryuji asks Ann who shrugs her shoulders. Either way, sleep plans were settled as the Thieves readied themselves for yesterday. Who knew what they would expect in Sendai.
"Ren, Makoto, there's something I want to ask real quickly." Sophia whispers to the two as they got ready to sleep.
"What's wrong?" Makoto asks, turning her head to look at the phone.
"Yusuke might've been acting calm just now but… he seemed sad and furious. Why was that?"
"It's because of the 'Sayuri'. It is the last thing he has of his mother. So hearing someone insult it was like them insulting his dead mother." Ren tells gently.
"Oh, I see… So when someone disrespects something important to you, it makes you more sad than angry? And being furious is a potential side effect?"
"It's possible. But it also depends on the person as well." Makoto replies. "Not everyone reacts visibly. Some take it internally and show no emotion at all."
"At the very least, Yusuke seemed to feel that way… I think I'm starting to understand people a little better now. Thank you for explaining that, Dad. Mom. Goon night."
"Good night, Sophia." The two respond as they fall asleep, Sophia going into sleep mode not long after. They had a long day ahead of them tomorrow.
July 27th, 2017.
"…So tired…" Shiho comments, yawing loudly as the team hang around Sendai Station. Yoshida and Ohya had just met up with them, as the team hang around a quiet place of the station.
"C'mon, Shiho. You're an early riser." Ann says, playfully bashing her in the arm.
"Sorry. Couldn't really sleep last night." Shiho replies, shaking her head and taking a drink of coffee.
"I wonder how big the Jail is. Can you tell Sophia?" Mishima asks, with Sophia appearing the Ren's phone seconds later.
"From the smell, I'd say it covers the entirety of Sendai."
"Considering how Alice's Jail covered the whole of Shibuya, that tracks out." Akechi remarks, nodding his head. "But that ends now."
"Right. Ready when you are Yusuke." Ren tells him, who nods in response before brining his phone up. The EMMA app ready to go.
"Prince of Nightmares."
Keyword successfully entered. Beginning Navigation.
Before their eyes, the world twists and turns in rays of black and red. Caning the environment around them as deep red and purple clouds hang over their heads. The team suddenly found themselves on a rooftop car park, seeing statues of gargoyles and European churches around them alongside gnarly trees that would not seem out of place in dead or ancient forests. A deep white moon hung above them on a blood-red sky, while before them, in the distance, sitting at where Sendai Castle would be, was Ango's Castle. Complete with a chained-up Birdcage at its top.
"Once again, the domain reflects who's within." Fox quotes eloquently, his eyes wandering to a giant statue of Natsume before them. Opposite it was a wall and gate leading towards the castle.
"Huh. So this is a Jail, huh?" Devil remarks, looking over the place. "Certainly is different to the Kingdoms." She glances over her, remembering that she was dressed in a spy suit with a cat mask before pulling out her shotel. "It's all coming back to me now."
"What's coming back?" Sophie asks, walking up to Devil.
"Just how to fight is all. And you absolutely cute Sophie." Devil remarks, rubbing her on the head and electing a giggle from Sophie.
"Indeed." Sensei remarks, slowly removing the odachi from his back. "Like riding a bike. So then, what is our target?"
"First off, we should check out the Castle. If its anything like Alice's Castle, we'll need to deactivate its defences from the surrounding Prison Keeps." Joker informs, stretching the glove over his hand. "And Oracle can get a good lock on them from the Castle."
"Does he not feel any remorse for doing this? His fans are only his fans because he forced them too." Noir asks, shaking her head sadly.
"We may never know." Fox replies, patting her shoulder. "But for now, let us begin our search."
"Mt. Aoba is over that way! Just need to follow the road!" Oracle announces with a grin, her map already filled out.
"Then let's go!" Joker shouts, leaping from the building and landing on the raised sidewalk below. Glancing around the area, he could see some shadow cops patrolling the area, but not as many as one would think. Although it did give him a strange feeling. "Why do I suddenly want to speak like a hero from an old RPG?"
"Don't blame you. This place feels like it came right out of Castlevania." Oracle quips, landing next to him as the others follow. "Anyone got a chained flail I can borrow?"
"Sorry. Only got this." Panther replies, holding up her weapon and earning a groan from Oracle.
"Eyes up. Big shadow at the statue's feet." Shadow quips, pointing at the axe-wielding cop nearby. Panther, seeing how close it was to the statue, whips her whip around it and swings herself onto the shadow's shoulders. Ripping its mask off and revealing its true form. Which turned out to be a horde of slimes accompanied by a large one.
"Slimes? Really?" She asks, landing on her feet as the others join her.
"Brain Jack!" Devil suddenly shouts, her persona Diane forming behind her and letting out a mind-washing aura that turns several of the Slimes on each other. Some even leapt onto the giant Slime despite its shield. "Well, that worked out."
"Slimes block physical and gun! Focus on magic, but not ice or curse!" Oracle shouts from above as Outlaw lets out an annoyed groan alongside Fox.
"Seriously!? I'm back to being useless in a fight!?"
"I feel the pain." Fox comments, shaking his head. Sensei pats them both on the shoulders as he steps forward. Abraham forming behind him.
"There is always another fight, Outlaw. But for now, let us move past this hurdle. Magarudyne!" With a swipe oh his hand holding a decree, Abraham blows away a large portion of the Slimes and severally dents the barrier around the giant slime as Panther and Teach let loose with their flames. The fires burned around and incinerated the smaller slimes before finally breaking through the shield around the giant Slime. The Thieves waste no time in launching an All-Out Attack.
"Hah! That was easy!" Devil remarks as the Slimes vanish. "And much more fun than standing around and shooting everywhere like in the Kingdoms."
"Coming from the gal with a mini-gun?" Teach remarks, hand on hip.
"Says the one with the rocket launcher." Devil snarks back, with Teach shaking her head in return.
"Touché." She replies as the team heads towards the large imposing castle wall. Seeing the wooden gates closed before them while an innocuous ice crystal lay in front of it.
"Those look pretty sturdy." Oracle remarks, before tuning to Edelweiss with a grin. "But can they stand up to you?"
"Why don't we find out?" Edelweiss snarks back as Oracle lets out her iconic chuckle. But before they could do anything, they were cut off by a voice from behind.
"Hehehe… I have been waiting for you. Oh, chosen heroes." A dark voice echoes behind them, prompting them to all turnaround. But all they saw was a man in a suit walking up to them.
"Um… who is he supposed to be?" Violet asks Crow, who shrugs his shoulders.
"I am Doma! One of the Fearsome Four and servant to the Prince of Nightmares!" The man shuts back, pointing a hand right at the team who step back in shock. But not because they were scared or intimidated.
"He did not just say that… did he Oracle?" Outlaw asks with a stupefied expression on his face.
"He did… Not only is his name one word away from Duma of all people, but he's ripping off the Elite Four!" Oracle remarks, shaking her head. "How are we starting off with something so cliché?!"
"He just looks like some guy in an old suit…" Panther remarks.
"For real…" Edelweiss chimes as Skull bristles for a moment. "That's like… more than basic."
"I am the guardian of this gate! If you wish to pass, you will have to beat me in combat! But be warned, I will not fall so easily… For in the name of the Fearsome Four, I will slay you where you stand! Come, chosen Heroes!" The dark fog swells around the man, changing his form from that of a guy into a suit into…
…a giant Jack-o-Lantern…
…with the deafening silence from the Thieves echoing around the area at the underwhelming form he had taken.
"Oooooookay…." Oracle says, doing a quick scan. "He's…weak to ice and wind…go ahead?"
"Very well… Bufudyne!" Fox and Sensei call out, freezing the Jack-o-Lantern in place as it charged up an Agidyne. It seemed to do more damage than they expected as a couple of Beriths arrived to aid Doma, distracting the Thieves with their charging strikes as Doma broke free of the ice. Only to be blown away by Sensei and Mona, crashing into the overhead walkway as the Thieves deal with the Beriths.
Doma, after falling to the ground and shaking his head, raises his lantern and fires off an Agidyne towards the Thieves, only for Panther to block and absorb the attack while Noir fires a grenade at the small ice cluster near him. Shattering it and sending pieces of ice flying into the Jack-o-Lantern. Sending Doma to the ground as the Beriths were cleaned up by the Thieves.
"He's supposed to be a mini-boss? He's a pushover." Spring remarks as the Thieves surround the downed Doma. Who glances at the Thieves with fear in his eyes.
"Ngh… I'd expect nothing less from chosen heroes. Very well… you may pass." He glances around, straining to bring himself up. "To best us and overcome the Overlord's most perilous trial. But will you be able to defeat all the others? I pray you lose your way, chosen heroes!" All of a sudden, he blinds the Thieves with a flash of bright light, stunning them. Before the light quickly vanishes, leaving them in a plaza before Natsume's castle. With a golden stature of him before the front gate, with the moon above them hiding behind the spires of the castle.
"Okay, now we REALLY are in Castlevania." Outlaw comments, glancing around at the Victorian esque style of the place. Even the streetlamps.
"Did we really get dropped right in front of the Castle?" Skull asks, shaking his head. "Are they that confidant?"
"I think this is the first time this has ever happened…" Noir comments, glancing around the area. There wasn't even a shadow cop nearby to stop them!
"Still, what was up with that dialogue?" Spring asks hands grasped behind her back. "Chosen Heroes? Trials? Fearsome Four? This is like out of an old Fire Emblem game."
"Or manga." Violet adds, nodding her head.
"I believe this world is the physical manifestation of the novel, 'Prince of Nightmares'." Fox submits, folding his arms.
"You mean, we are walking around in the actual novel? Dose that make us the protagonist or antagonist?" Queen asks, resting her chin on a closed hand.
"The antagonist." Fox replies dryly. "It follows the story of a man living a normal life in our world who is reborn into this one as a demon overlord. Making the most of his villainous new role, he then attempts to repel the heroes who have come to slay him."
"So, an Isekai? And I bet it follows the same premise as Overlord, huh?" Oracle comments, shaking her head in disgust. "There is so much he could to with that, but it sounds like his just copying and pasting."
"I have not read Overlord, but from what I have read in his book, the heroes must navigate his castle full of traps while contending with a group known as the Fearsome Four." Fox continues, dropping his arms to the side.
"And that's why we were called Heroes, huh? We're the antagonists of this story." Joker surmises before putting on a bit of a Joker grin. "In that case, why don't we ham it up."
"Ham it up?" Sophie asks, tilting her head while Skull gets a glint in his eyes.
"You saying we should lean into it and have fun?" He asks with a growing grin, with Joker nodding his head along.
"You guys do know that we are in a Jail, right?" Shadow asks, shaking her head.
"Yeah…but it does sound fun." Panther remarks, a grin on her own face. "I mean, we are always going into these with serious mindsets. I think we can allow ourselves to let loose around here."
"So our goal is to defeat the demon king, huh? That's a nice change of pace." Mona quips, leaping onto Joker's shoulders.
"And if it is following the book, then we already know what we need to do." Queen remarks, brushing some hair back. "When you frame it like that, I suppose we could have fun while were here."
"And if Natsume is hiding in his Castle, then we also know where all the Desires he has stolen are located." Crow points out, jabbing a thumb at the Birdcage tower. "Of course, it's hard to miss it with the Birdcage above us. Let's see if we can find a way inside."
"Waitwaitwaitwait!" Oracle suddenly shouts, stopping everyone in their tracks. "If we are going to through here and ham it up, shouldn't we assign class roles as well?"
"Class roles? Like from video games?" Outlaw asks while Sensei, Teach and Devil glance at each other.
"Yeah!" Oracle remarks, pointing at Joker. "Joker would be the Hero, Queen would be a Monk, Spring would be a Templar—"
"I don't think we'll be changing our codenames for this one place, sis." Joker remarks, shaking his head as she lets out a pout. "But you can write up what you think they would be later."
"Fine…" Oracle replies, checking her screens before blinking in surprise. "Huh? There's a checkpoint nearby, but… it's warp function is not working. We can't get back to Sendai Station."
"So, we're stuck until we can fix it?" Noir asks, earning a slow nod from Oracle as Edelweiss lets out a large sigh.
"Things are never easy for us…" She remarks before glancing up at the castle. "Still, this place looks cool. Can't wait to bust on through it."
"Yeah, and looks like there are searchlights on the stairs as well." Mona points out the large glowing circle on the stairs. "Not that we were going through the front door anyway."
"And there is a convenient way round to the side." Devil points out, japing a thumb towards a side entrance.
"There's no way it will be that easy, but let's check it out anyway." Joker resigns as he walks towards the small entrance. On the other side, they find a small town inside the walls of the Castle, alongside the Checkpoint. But another obstacle lay in they way. A dark demonic door engraved with twin dragons on either end. Their eyes were adorned with red rubies that seemed to blaze with anger at the Thieves. Standing between them was the engraving of a man, pointing to the sky in a very familiar pose.
"Check out the size of that gate! It's huge!" Oracle points out while Sensei frowns at the engraving.
"That pose… he even copied the iconic pose of Hamilton… not even that famous musical is safe…" He shakes his head in annoyance.
"Well, it ain't opening for us. Think we should blast it down?" Devil remarks while Oracle scans it. Only to shake her head.
"No can do. It's protected by a force field that I can hack. And it will reflect anything we throw at it back at us." Edelweiss lets out an annoyed groan as Fox whips out the novel in his hand. Flicking through the pages.
"I believe there was something about this gate in the book… Ah, here it is. It is supposedly the 'Gate of Trials', designed to deny the heroes entry. It's a test to see if they are even worthy of facing the Overlord. For if they even fail to defeat one of them, then they are deemed unfit to face him. To open it, we must obtain three 'proofs' of victory from three trials."
"So basically, it's the 'I will only face the strongest among you' sort of gate? How dumb." Violet remarks, shaking her head.
"I'm betting these three trials are the Prison Keeps." Shadow suggests, flicking her hair back.
"This really is a video game…" Devil remarks, shaking her head. "And why would he even design a gate like this? He wants to keep them out, right? Seems rather pointless if he has a gate like this."
"And where would be the fun in a novel if all villains had a brain cell?" Sensei remarks. "So, does the book tell us where these 'proofs' are located?" Fox looks back at the novel, flicking through the pages before nodding to himself.
"They are located in three different locations atop three separate towers. Most likely, the Prison Keeps. No doubt we will have to face the Fearsome Four at each of these locations as well."
"Wait, hold up." Panther interjects, scratching her head. "There are only three trials, yet he's got four goons looking after them? Is one of them supposed to be a test like, 'If you can't defeat me, you stand no chance against the others' sort of deal?"
"I think you hit the nail right on the head." Spring agrees, nodding her head up and down.
"This all sounds…confusing to me." Noir admits. "I have read my own fair of novels like this. And our current lives are like such a novel. But this… all of these points make no sense at all…"
"Yeah… the writing is all over the place." Oracle agrees, shaking her head. "I mean, he's got good lot points, its just that they are so spread out that they don't fit with major rewrites."
"So, where is the first proof located?" At Teach's question, Fox opens the book once more, giving its contents a quick glance before nodding to himself and closing the book.
"The first trial is located near something called the 'Great River'."
"Great River? The only river that runs through Sendai would be the Hirose River. It is the largest river located in Sendai." Sophie supplies, earning proud looks from Queen and Joker, with Queen giving Sophie a rub on the head.
"Nice work, Sophie." She tells her with a smile. "Let's make that our first stop." Without anywhere else to go, the Thieves retrace their steps to the plaza they arrived in and leave through the exit. Walking down the medieval path, they arrive at what would be the Sendai World Center in real life. But instead, it was a stone fort, its design eerily similar to that of the Prison Keeps from Alice's jail. Only without the wonderland additions, but instead with the aesthetics of the Sendai Jail.
"So that's a Prison Keep, huh? Certainly looks the part." Devil remarks as they gaze at it, spotting a way in from their side. "And something tells me we can't just walk in."
"It would never be that easy." Skull comments with a groan.
"So the 'proofs' that they are talking about have to be the cores of the Prison Keeps. That means the Jails all run on the same logic." Oracle points out with a smile. "That should make things easier in future jails."
"Let's check out the entrance first. We might learn something about what to expect." Shadow advises, with the team heading over to the entrance. Soon, they found that it was indeed blocked, but not by a normal steel gate. Instead, it was a remarkably detailed door compared to the blade-stone décor of the keep.
"Well, it's blocked. Like we expected." Outlaw remarks as Spring notices a stone tablet next to them.
"What's this? 'One must offer sun and rain.'? Is this telling us how to open the door?"
"A fetch quest? Great." Mona groans, glancing over to Fox as he looks through the book.
"Indeed, it would seem so. According to the novel, 'Mine hallowed orbs sleep in a shrine of sun and a land of rain.' It would seem we need them to enter the keep."
"It makes sense that a demon lord would not make it easy to access the trials in the first place." Crow remarks. "I only wish it wasn't so mundane as fetching an item or two."
"The sign should have said that from the beginning…" Sophie complains as Joker pats her shoulder.
"That's just how things go, Sophie. The bad guys always make it hard for the heroes to win." Joker replies gently.
"We must not forget this is Natsume's world. There will be most likely traps to deter us." Noir points out, glancing outside. "We have not been ambushed by cops yet… I feel we are approaching an ambush."
"Well, we don't have any other way in. Might as well go start looking for those orbs." Joker points out as they return to the path, but they have another problem on their hands.
"How do we even more forward? The draw bridge is up." Devil remarks, pointing down the path to the raised drawbridge. And with no visible means of lowering it from this side.
"We're Thieves. We always take the paths they least expect." Mona reminds, pointing at the manor opposite them. "And I see a way we can use. Follow me!" With cat like grace, Mona grapples up onto the roof of the manor and rushes long, hoping onto the stones in the river and leaping his way to the other side.
Seeing this, the Thieves follow after Mona, leaping over the rushing water below and arriving on the other side. Still encountering zero resistance as they move forward. It was starting to unnerve them at how quiet the Jail was. After double backing to the draw bridge and lowering it by using a level in the shape of a dragon's head and activating a nearby Checkpoint, the team turned their attention back to the church that sits next to the river where they had arrived.
The interior a gleaming white, decorated with a golden decal. A chandelier hung from above, and yellow stained glass windows, the light falling upon a single glowing red orb atop a marble stand.
"Is this one of the items we need?" Sensei asks as Joker grabs it.
"Yes… it's description matches what was written in the novel." Fox confirms before the light around them suddenly goes out, and a new cop shadow spawns behind them. Taking on the form of a robotic dog.
"An ambush!?" Oracle shouts as the Thieves ready themselves, with Fox slapping himself in irritation.
"I forgot to mention… taking the orbs summons their guardians…"
"And you forgot to tell us?!" Spring shouts as the dog cop breaks apart, transforming into a Berith, a guard of High Pixie's and a small army of cop shadows.
"Never mind that! Focus on the shadows! Agnes, Mafreidyne!" Queen shouts, leaping onto Agnes and blasting away at the lines before them, signalling the rest of the Thieves to charge in. Sensei cleaves large swathes with his odachi while Devil snakes her way through and slashes at the backs of their foes with her blade.
More High Pixies join the fray as Violet detonates one of the ice clusters scattered around the room, covering them with ice while Fox cuts down the chandelier on top of the Berith. Crushing it under him. At that point, Slimes join the fray as a second Berith appears, ready to run the Thieves down.
"Argh! These things don't know when to quit!" Devil shots, going back to back with Teach. "Shall we teach them a lesson?"
"I'll follow your lead!" Teach replies, neither of them noticing the star in Joker's coat glowing.
"It's Showtime!"
Leaping into the sky, the red curtain once again makes its presence known. Draping itself over the field and changing the scenery to that of a ruined town. The cops and free persona look around in confusion, wondering how they got there before a loud megaphone echoes over them. In Natsume's voice
"Attention! The Thieves have been spotted in the west! Get them now!"
The cops and free persona rush over to the spot without delay, only to find nothing but an empty plaza with a lot of barrels. Before they could even question what was going on, Devil appears on top of a ruined house and opens fire with her minigun. Spraying bullets infused with curse energy rain down on the foes as Teach appears on another roof. Firing a fire-infused rocket at the barrels around the area. Detonating them in one giant explosion and wiping out a vast portion of the cops and free personas.
As the area changes to normal, the Berith and the remaining cops attempt to regroup and charge, only to hear a childish giggle from their side. Turning around, they see Joker standing by himself with the ruler of the Death Arcana, Alice, floating behind him. All the while smirking at them darkly.
"Alice. Megidolaon."
And with a simple point of her finger, Alice wipes out the remaining weakened foes with a Megidolaon. Clearing the area of foes, with the Thieves leaving the church in quick succession.
"That was a close one. Next time, tell us if there is an ambush if we take the orbs." Oracle tells Fox with a less-than-pleased expression. For his part, Fox was looking away with an embarrassed look on his face.
"My apologies… I'll remember in the future…"
"Still, that was impressive, Teach! Didn't know you and Devil had a Showtime attack." Skull praises as Teach lets out a smile.
"We didn't. We just came up with that on the fly."
"Hey, it worked, didn't it?" Devil asks back with a grin. Before anyone could reply, Doma made his appearance once more. In his human form, standing in the middle of the street. With no fanfare. And it was the lack of fanfare that made the Thieves jump back. Not Doma himself.
"Heheheh… We meet again, chosen heroes." Doma tells them with an evil grin. Initially, the Thieves wanted to brush him off. But remembering how they were going to 'play this up' to the extreme, they decided to roll with it.
"Doma!" They shout in exaggeration, earning a chuckle from the bit character.
"Ah… so you remembered me! I feel honoured." He replies, bowing to them and not losing his smile.
"Did we not defeat you!? How do you yet live!?" Fox asks dramatically, falling easily into the role.
"Did you really think I would fall so easily? I am a member of the Fearsome Four for a reason!"
"Were you the one who brought us here?!" Shadow asks, fighting to keep the smile off her face. She was, honestly, enjoying this role-play a bit too much.
"That is my duty. I am tasked with bestowing our master trials upon the chosen heroes. In addition, I've been entrusted with protecting this sacred land... If the orb of rain is what you seek, then you'll have to defeat me!"
"Us heroes will bring you down!" Joker shouts in a dramatic voice, spinning his knife in his hands. "Prepare to fall, Doma!"
"We will slay you and bring your Overload down to his knees!" Queen shouts with equal drama in her voice. It was surprising how they were falling into this. Almost on cue, Doma changes into his Jack-O-Lantern form, a shield forming around him as cop shadows appear from the sides.
"Come! End me if you can!" Doma shouts, blasting forward with a Maragidyne that Teach and Panther block. While half of them break off to fight the shadow cops, Joker, Shadow, Queen, Mona, Sensei, and Fox engage Doma as he fights back with fire. If they were being honest, he was just as easy to fight as last time. But for dramatic sake, they allowed the fight to continue for far longer than it should have, with Fox even taking a blow that he should have dodged if only to add to the illusion.
And if he was being honest, it didn't hurt as much as he made it seem.
"Ice Age!" Joker shouts, blasting forward with the powerful magic from Mother Heartlet, the spell cracking Doma's shield wide open. "It has been a long fight, but the end of her Doma! All-Out Attack!" Leaping into the air, Joker, Queen, Mona, Fox, and Sensei slash into Doma from all angles, Not giving the Jack-o-Lantern a chance to breathe before Sensei and Fox finish it off with a twin slash from both sides. The timing gives them both an idea for later, even as Doma reverts back to his other form. The shadow cops around them vanish into the wind.
"Urrgh!" Doma cries, staggering back as he clutches his chest. "Ngh… So, you have come this far…chosen heroes… Well done. But I was but the weakest of the Fearsome Four… "
"Isn't it supposed to be the next guy who says that?" Edelweiss whispers to Oracle, who nods grumpily.
"My fellow Fearsome Four will surely make you suffer… Blergh!" With that, he evaporates into black mist, taking the wind out of the Thieves, who shake their heads at his death.
"Blergh? That's what he says when he dies?" Violet asks with disappointment. "Couldn't he have used something else that was cooler?"
"If he really was that weak, then I wonder how much stronger the other members are." Crow asks with a questioning mind. "I'd wager not that strong at all."
"If that's the case, then this place should be easy!" Panther cries as the team presses on.
"Murphy's Law, Panther… Murphy's Law…" Queen reminds her as the Thieves press on. Neither of them realised that they were being followed by a man on horseback. A man with six katanas strapped to his hips and a large hat with an upward crescent. And an eyepatch covering his face as he grins with excitement at the Thieves.
Before turning around and galloping off, severing the head of a cop shadow along the way.
