After a little prepartion and some rest, the Phantom Thieves returned to Futaba's Palace.
One of the most notable things in the new area they had uncovered before was the Anubis statue in its center. Previous experience made them look at it closer and they immediately found that one of its gems was gone. Reasoning that they would need to find the other one of the pair to help them proceed, they stop and search around the area.
Panther looked a little unnerved as she glanced at the coffins ''I knew those things were rattling...'' Her eyes widened as a croak reached her ears. ''...what was that?!''
''Mona did say this place was full of shadows. Be careful, this would make a rather good way for them to strike us.'' Fox pointed out.
''I hear you...yeesh, talk about creepy...''
''Aw come on, you face the other monsters we took on and a little shaky coffin is too much for you? Ya gotta toughen up, Panther.'' Skull teased.
''Shut it, you jerk!''
''That wasn't necessary, Skull.'' Fox chided.
''You really don't have any delicacy.'' Mona deadpanned.
Sighing, Queen looked at Joker ''Honestly, the way they're acting you'd think we weren't in the Palace...''
Joker didn't see any harm in it however. ''Well, guess they can't help themselves. It's not doing any harm though so let them be. I'd take that over them being tense and worked up all the time anyway.''
''I suppose you do have a point...'' The brunette took another look around the hall and frowned, seeing no other way out besides the one they used to enter. ''...maybe we're better off looking somewhere else.''
''Sure looks like it.'' Mona agreed. In seconds, as they passed the path near the coffins, a dark figure leapt out of two and blocked their way. ''What?!''
It was a pair of Anubis shadows, one of who snarled and attacked Skull, who knew he would have no time to dodge and so put his guard up. The other Anubis casted Makouga, leaving the others to either dodge or get out of the way. The first one then goes on to use Mudoon on Queen, who is confused when nothing happens. She dismissed the oddity and avoided the oncoming attack before punching the Shadow. Seeing an opening, Mona ran to slash the shadow next. When both Shadows made to cast magic, Joker had Anzu dive on one while Panther blasts the other with Carmen's help before a combined attack from Skull and Fox took it down. The second Anubis casted Makouga, with its targets this time able to dodge. Panther whipped it before Joker struck its side and Queen finished it off with Johanna.
Skull let out a breath ''That's that...Man, never thought these things could actually pop out like this-we better really watch out step.''
''No kidding...'' Panther eyed another coffin warily. This made her notice a gleam to her far right, where one of the Shadows' spells had wrecked a part of the wall. Her eyes lit up when it turned out that the gleam was from the gem they were looking for. ''...on the plus side, look what I found!''
Mona perked up ''Good eye, Panther!'' The girl smiled and went to put it on the pedestal. A second later, a part of the wall shifted and slid out of sight, revealing a new path. ''Let's go!''
The new path took them to a hall with an odd mural which appeared to be in pieces. It looked to be depicting two people, a woman and a little girl. It was difficult to tell with the puzzle broken up but if one looked would look closely they would see that the girl looked like a younger Futaba.
Skull cocked his head ''Looks like a puzzle. Think we should put it together?''
Queen thought that over ''Yes, this is Futaba's cognition after all. It may just help us learn more about her.''
With that decided, they set about to put the pieces together. Once they were done, the mural was revealed to be of a younger Futaba and a woman with dark hair and glasses. Futaba appeared to be pulling at her skirt with a pleading look while the woman seemed upset.
''Huh, looks like it's her representation of a memory.'' Mona mused.
''I sense great sadness from this piece.''
Before anyone could question Fox's words, they heard a couple of voices...
'Mom, come on...' The speaker had the voice of a young girl, likely Futaba herself.
The new voice left everyone bewildered but Zorro then spoke 'This is similar to the other voices, a part of Futaba's memory.'
'I said wait, Futaba.' An older female voice spoke coldly.
'But I'm tired of eating alone!'
'Don't be selfish! Just wait and let me finish my research, I have to do it no matter what.'
''Research? That Cognitive Psience you told us about?'' Fox clarified.
Mona nodded ''She was actually working on it before...we weren't sure but maybe it relates to the Metaverse.''
''You know, if Futaba trusts Joker she's doing a lousy job of showing it. Getting info from her is like pulling teeth.'' Skull remarked.
''Don't be so hard on her. I think talking about her mom's just really hard. Asking her to trust anyone right away is just too much.'' Their leader countered.
Mona nodded ''Don't forget, Joker's gentle approach is the entire reason she was able to even begin to get through to Futaba in the first place.''
''True,'' Queen concurred. ''This is the best way to handle such a delicate situation. Let's be thankful for small mercies.'' She glanced at the mural with distaste. ''...That was a little too much.''
Panther frowned ''I'll say. What's wrong with a kid wanting a little attention?''
Joker bit her lip, remembering what Futaba told her about their similar situations regarding certain family members. The conditions were different but the end result was the same, both her parents and Wakaba appeared completely indifferent to how the two of them felt. She was really hoping things weren't as bad as the girl made it sound but those hopes were dashed with what they saw here.
What she couldn't understand though was Wakaba. Sojiro made her sound like such a good and caring mother, he was clearly very fond of her. This wasn't adding up.
Why would the woman treat her like that? Were they still missing something or was her mother pushed over the limit like what they heard?
After ending a battle with four Shadows, one of the enemies stumbled as it faded away, inadvertently pressing a tile on the ground. This seemed to make something shift nearby and the next thing everyone knew, a part of the walls on their left and right was raised, revealing a number of spears that were immediately launched at them.
''What the-!?''
Fox thought fast and summoned Goemon, having him create a shield of thick ice that repelled the projectiles. Though more appeared in moments and were clearly about to be fired.
''Arsene, Midnight Salvo!''
The gentleman thief flew up at the command, unleashing a barrage of black and red blasts that struck both traps, wrecking them in moments to everyone's relief. Mona held back a groan ''I should have known there'd be more traps about...sorry. Nice work, guys!''
''Don't feel bad, we didn't see that coming either. Talk about bad luck...'' Joker trailed off.
''Indeed, at least it turned out well.'' Fox added. ''That was quite the skill though, Joker. I don't recall seeing it before.''
''Ah, that's because we learned it recently. It's like I told you guys before, my being a Wild Card and all kinda makes Arsene's growth complicated.''
''Oh yeah...'' Panther recalled her mentioning that. ''...guess even a power convenient as that one has to have a setback. Well, at least you're pulling it off.''
Joker nodded back, noticing something odd from the corner of her eye. She followed it back to a blue coffin, raising an eye when it turned out to be a green stream flowing out of it. ''What's all that?''
'It seems as if they're numbers.'
''What?'' Skull blinked at his Persona's statement before squinting, realizing Seiten Taisei was right. ''Hey yeah...what's up with that?''
''I think it's binary code.'' The two looked at Queen. ''It's the common basic code used in computers. That's fitting considering who Futaba is.'' She walked closer to the source of the stream, finding a number of blue coffins lined up before her, all had a similar stream pouring out.
Mona eyed them curiously, glancing at the magic wall that blocking their path ''Think we can use them somehow? Otherwise it looks like we'll have to backtrack and find another way.''
The girl glanced at the streams for a moment before she took a closer look at a coffin. It seemed different from the ones they'd seen before, clearly enemy free. When her hand brushed against it, the coffin started to glow. The same happened when she touched another coffin. ''Hmm...I have an idea.''
Deciding to make use of the binary code, Queen made it so that one coffin was glowing and the other didn't. This quickly proved to be the right choice as the magic wall dissipated in seconds, leaving Queen pleased as her friends praised her.
Just as they were about to keep going, three Whadows appeared in their way. Two Lamia and a Sandman. Mona called upon Zoro to use Magarula on both Lamia and throws one down. The Sandman almost managed to get Panther to sleep with Dormina but Skull and Carmen snapped her out it. The blonde's eyes narrowed and she flanked the shadow with her whip before summoning her Persona to burn it. One of the Lamias appear as if they were using the same move that summons more of their kind while the second casts Agilao on Queen, who dodged it and then summoned Johanna to ram the first Lamia before it could go any further.
''Mabufu!'' Said shadow was then defeated by Goemon's ice magic.
Skull bashed the Lamia on the head but then it retaliated with a slash that left him wincing before it proceeded to move on Joker, who was standing the closest. The girl defended herself quickly before summoning Arsene.
''Mistral Soul!'' She called. Arsene raised his head a little. His eye glowed, releasing a number of pale spheres that spun around the Lamia, generating a vortex that destroyed it. This gave Skull ample opportunity to strike at the Sandman, having Seiten Taisei blast it with lightning. With it thrown down and left very weakened, Joker was able to have it become one of her masks.
It wasn't long before the thieves discovered another hall with a mural and they proceeded to put it back together. Though this one made them feel a lot worse than the first one.
Why, one may ask? Well...
Skull froze when the realization sank in ''Wait, so this is when...''
''Yes...'' Fox grimaced. ''...we already know Futaba was there when her mother committed suicide.''
Mona's ears drooped ''I remember what the Chief said but actually seeing this is horrible now...''
Joker knew just how he felt. Knowing the truth was one thing but seeing evidence like this...after all they had come to learn brought Futaba's situation into a whole new perspective. No wonder she wanted them to change her heart, she likely couldn't see any other way to deal with all her pain...
The image before them depicted Futaba kneeling on the street while her mother was falling before a car with her trying to reach out. Perhaps it may be because they were in her Palace but the image just seemed to exude a terrible sense of sadness and pain, guilt as well.
As if that weren't bad enough, the representation of the voices resounded again.
'Freak!'
'Murderer!'
'It's all your fault!'
Mona frowned ''Not again...''
Next came Wakaba's voice 'Futaba never should've been born, she was nothing but a burden. I've had enough. No more.'
Then, oddly enough, a sharp shriek sounded out in the distance, leaving the group understandably bewildered. Just what in the...?
'It's all my fault.' Futaba's voice said, though her shadow was nowhere in sight. 'I killed Mom so I'll die here.'
Panther couldn't take this anymore ''Don't talk like that!''
'I'll let it all end.'
''No!'' The red clad girl cried but silence fell. She started when someone placed a hand on her shoulder and turned to see it was Queen. ''...I just...''
''I know...'' She assured, knowing why this would be upsetting for her most of all.
Mona had a good guess as well. He woudln't be surprised if the blonde was thinking of Shiho. The feline thief could see one poignant similarity in the girls' respective situations. Both Shiho and Futaba were pushed to such extremes that they came to think of death as their only release.
''This is all wrong.'' Panther muttered, looking away from the mural.
It was at that moment that Shadow Futaba appeared before them, taking them by surprise.
''What're you...?'' Panther began.
Her expression remained unreadable as she surveyed the group, her eyes falling on one person.
The Shadow raised an arm, a second later, the wall behind Joker disappeared, leaving the surprised girl to fall. It closed up immediately then, as if nothing happened.
''What?!'' Everyone stared in alarm.
''Joker!'' Skull cried.
''What've you done to her?'' Fox demanded.
But the girl didn't even spare them a look, fading away a moment later. Skull ground his teeth ''Dammit...''
''Forget that. We've got to find her!'' Panther exclaimed.
''Right, let's go!'' Queen called.
Joker hadn't quite registered when she had blacked out but she found herself waking up to find that she was in a wide, empty room.
''? What...?'' She cringed as she stood, suddenly remembering her fall.
Shadow Futaba appeared before her, giving a speculative look before speaking ''...You were the one who came to see my other self. The one who still kept at it when she would hardly speak to you and she would never let you in.
Joker blinked, not expecting this at all. Where was she going with this?
She didn't have to wait to long to find out ''I want to know...why?''
''...Does it seem that strange that someone would want to help you?''
Startled, the Shadow scowled ''Just answer! Were you telling the truth before? Do you believe what you said? And most importantly why did you do that?''
''I wanted to. And yes to the other two questions.'' Joker stated ''Look, we heard about you from Boss. He wants to help you, he just doesn't know how. He knows enabling what your real self is doing right now is wrong but he can't stop it. All his attempts to help to didn't work and he's at a loss. He really does want to do what's right by you. That's why we're here.''
She tried to sit up, cringing when pain shot through her ''You know what they said was wrong. Your mom made that choice, I can't imagine how horrible it was to watch that but the bottom line is, you didn't kill her. Those people had no right to treat you so badly.''
''I...'' Shadow Futaba looked away.
Joker went on ''You're still in doubt, aren't you? That's why you've been giving us those mixed messages. You know this is wrong. That's just the first step to fixing things. It's hard, I get that, but that's why it'll be worth it. Please try to undertand.''
''I...'' The Shadow faltered. ''...I can't...I...I...want to...''
The words died in her mouth as Joker's hand flared with that strange silver light for a moment. Remembering how it helped before, the girl tried to conjure it but to no avail.
'Creep!'
Both started at the cry but the voices continued before either could react.
'You're nothing but a murderer!'
'Why don't you say anything?!'
'This is all your fault!'
''No...'' Joker turned to Shadow Futaba as she cried out as if in pain ''...wait, this...'' But the girl was gone once again.
Joker would've tried to go after her but she felt so dizzy, she couldn't move at all. She tried to shake it off or even stay awake but her strength was fading fast and soon she knew no more...
''...r? Joker?''
The girl stirred at the voice, opening her eyes to find some blurry figures beside her. She blinked twice, her vision clearing up to see her friends, all looking relieved to see her.
''You're awake!'' Panther smiled.
Joker held the side of her head, shaking it before she sat up ''...Where is this?''
''A Safe Room.'' Fox informed. ''We've had some trouble but Queen suggested looking for you here-it's a relief to see she was on to something.''
''How do you feel?'' The girl in question inquired.
Joker made to respond, blinking as she realized all signs of her injuries were gone ''A lot better...''
Mona smiled, glad that his healing magic worked perfectly once again ''Good to know. Joker, do you remember what happened?''
Their leader's expression darkened ''The truth is...''
They listened as she explained about the talk with Shadow Futaba, silent until she finished.
''So that's why?'' Skull stared.
''Judging by her first attempt, she is likely wary of us but to think it was so bad...'' Fox shook his head. ''...I suppose it makes sense that she wants to understand Joker's motives after all what happened.''
Queen looked troubled, thinking along similar lines ''Yeah, but to think she's so guarded...even with anyone even trying to help...''
''...Can't say I'm too surprised. Look at the crap she's been through.'' Skull pointed out.
Panther nodded and Joker closed her eyes for a moment ''...This is all the more reason-I want her to understand that she shouldn't give up on life. There has to be a way to reach out to her...I promised her, I won't leave things like this.''
''As well you shouldn't.'' Mona nodded. ''It's high time others stepped in to help Futaba and it'll have to be us.''
Coming across more treasure chests, the thieves put their findings away and pressed on, finding a room with a number of red coffins. Closer examination revealed that this was a little similar to the room with the blue coffins but with no apparent code.
Panther tilted her head a bit ''Hey, this is just a guess but if it's kind of like that place can't we try what we did there in reverse?''
''You think we should...?'' Mona was unsure about the idea.
''It's a good way to start.'' Fox stated.
''Mmhm, sounds fine. So if we reverse the order...'' Joker skipped the first coffin and touched the second one, making it glow. Panther followed suit and went to the fourth one. Following that order, they soon finished with them.
The sound of rumbling made them look to the far right just as a part of the wall moved, revealing a new entrance.
''All right!''
As they made their way over, Mona happened to notice a particularly fragile looking part of the wall nearby. Calling for the others to take a look, he hurried over and with some help, managed to break it.
This showed a pair of Isis shadows standing before a treasure chest, leaving the group to prepare for battle. Queen hit the two shadows with a Flash Bomb before Joker cut one deeply on the arm and Skull shot the other. At Mona's prompt, he and Fox combined their magics to create a snow storm that caused a lot of damage. This left both shadows vulnerable and they fell to a few more attacks.
''That was easy.'' Panther noted with satisfaction. ''Good call back there, Mona.''
''Why thank you, Panther. Glad to see someone appreciates my skills!''
''Ah, we appreciate that plenty, cat. We know you're good. No one wants you getting an even bigger head.'' Skull stated.
''What was that?! It sounds rich coming from you of all people!''
''What?!''
The rest sighed in exasperation as another fight started. Joker held back a groan and Queen pinched the bridge of her nose ''How do they not get tired of this?''
''From what Panther tells me, they've been at each other's throats right from the beginning. I wonder if they'll ever get tired of it...'' Fox trailed off while Panther looked annoyed.
''Okay, enough.'' Joker droned. ''Mona, you were the one who warned us about there being a lot of Shadows around here, remember? The last thing we need is more trouble on top of everything else. Skull was actually complimenting you, even if the phrasing was uncalled for.''
''Sorry...'' The two returned. The girl decided to leave it at that and went to unlock the treasure chest, finding that it held another more jewels, among them an Abyss Gem.
Queen looked curious ''That's another of the Anubis statues' gems but I haven't seen any in a while.''
''I saw one just before we came in here.'' Fox offered as he helped Mona gather up the rest of the treasure. ''We're not too far off, I'll show you.''
The location he had in mind turned out to be the far end of the hall they had entered earlier with it being located close to a corner, leaving Panther surprised.
''Wow, he actually saw it all the way from here? That's an artist's observation skill for you...''
''I'll say. Good eye, Fox.'' Joker praised the teen, who smiled in return.
''Now let's be on our way.''
The gem showed a new way that lead them into the Great Corridor and they were more than half way up the stairs now.
''The treasure's beyond that giant door, right?'' Queen asked Mona, with both glancing at the structure in that distance.
''Yup, it won't be long now!''
''Nice!'' Skull enthused. ''Well then, let's...''
He stopped in his tracks as a familiar black pool formed before it gathered into three shadows, a Mot, a Lamia and a Naga.
The latter two Shadows attacked with a Rising Slash and Giant Slice respectively, striking Panther and Fox, with the second cutting the Naga back.
Queen's eyes narrowed ''That Shadow in the middle is just like the one we first start going through this place. It's weak to wind magic, so is that Naga shadow. The Lamia is weak to ice.''
''Then I'll start us off. Come, Zorro!'' Mona exclaimed. ''Garula!''
Seeing the Naga trying to get away prompted Joker into action, she quickly summoned Sandman and had it use the same spell. While it almost got off, both the spells merged, causing a strong gale that pushed the shadows back. The Mot also moved then, attacking the party with a Megido spell which they shook off and just in time as it proceeded to try ramming every member it could reach, with Mona able to dodge in time and Joker forced to guard as a result.
''Johanna, Mafrei!'' Queen cast.
''Let's go, Seiten Taisei!'' Skull exclaimed. ''Swift Strike!''
As the name implied, the Persona attacked with great speed, striking all the enemies repeatedly. Using the opening the blond gave him, Fox had Goemon attack the Lamia with a Bufula, leaving it dizzy and vulnerable as Mona finished it off with a few pellets from his slingshot.
''Now, Carmen, Maragion!'' The femme fatale persona struck both enemies with a torrent of flames. The Mot tried using what they quickly realized was the spell that changed the target into a rat, leaving Joker, it intended target, to get out of the way and strike back. Queen tackled the shadow with Johanna just as the Naga finished a Marakukaja spell on itself and Mot. This helped it endure the oncoming attacks much more easily just ast Mot cast another Megido.
Skull frowned as the shadow was able to fly up after Seiten Taisei's lightning hit the mark ''Looks like it got some buff...''
Panther smirked ''Let's fix that. Dekaja!'' Carmen waved her hand, creating a force field that floored both shadows. Skull had his Persona attack one enemy with Bad Beat while he faced the other. The Mot was sent reeling but then it seemed to regain balance as an aura surrounded it...
Deciding it couldn't hurt to try, Joker proceeded to hit the Shadow with a few bullets. While it didn't seem to be a very effective move, it served to distract the enemy and the girl made sure to use as she attacked then. She switched Personas to Arsene and nailed both enemies with a Midnight Salvo. Panther whipped the Naga when it tried to attack her, allowing Queen to finish it off with a couple of punches. Mona took a moment to heal everyone while the rest kept the shadows away from him.
Mot attacked with another Megido but then was sent down by Goemon's Giant Slice, only to be barely able to dodge Arsene's claws. This also left it open to Fox and Skull's oncoming attacks. Zorro weakened it further with a Garula, giving the party a chance to finish it off with an All Out Attack.
''Now that's what I'm talkin' about!'' Skull grinned. ''We're this close, how about we keep going?''
''Remember, it'll be like with Kaneshiro. Let's not jump into things, we don't know what awaits us.'' Queen pointed out.
''Gotcha!'' The teen paused as he spotted something where one of the shadows was and picked it up, revealing a skill card. Deciding to deal with it later, he put the item away and followed the others up the stairs.
It wasn't long before they discovered a problem, the door was locked.
Panther frowned. ''Why can't we get it to open?''
''Think there's a way to open it somewhere else?'' Skull asked.
''This is like the door to Futaba's room.'' Joker mused.
Skull cocked his head. ''So why ain't it openin'?''
Mona thought about it ''It must be her cognition that no one can enter.''
Futaba's shadow appeared ''I'm surprised that you made it this far. Beyond lies the Pharaoh's chamber.''
''So the treasure's through here?'' Panther clarified.
''Indeed, however you need my permission to open the door.''
''Then open it for us.''
''I cannot. You must have her invite you in.''
Skull blinked ''What the eff. Ain't this your Palace?''
''Wait...are you talking about your real self?'' Queen guessed.
''Precisely.''
''So we need to have Futaba-chan open her door and let us in?'' Panther clarified.
The Shadow looked at the group in turn before pausing on a single member ''Considering it's you, this might be possible...'' She disappeared.
''How do we do it though? Boss said she won't let anyone in.'' Fox recalled.
''...Actually, I think we might have a good shot at this.'' Queen mused.
''My thoughts exactly, Queen.'' Mona stated as they both looked at the person who they suspected might be able to help make it happen.
Joker looked at them curiously but Fox understood ''You mean...''
''You saw how the Shadow acted after what Joker did and what she just said. I think she really did impact Futaba in some ways.'' Mona stated.
''Yeah, Joker was practically the reason the Palace re-opened.'' Skull recalled.
''You think Futaba-chan would believe in you to make this work?'' Panther asked their leader.
''I don't know but we'll have to find out. For now, let's go back.''
Okay, let's stop here.
So how was it? Since I got a little free time, I managed to put this together. I wanted something to help me draw the Palace exploration to a close before going any further. Anymore than this and it felt like I'd really be dragging it on. Anyway, I honestly didn't know where to end the chapter otherwise.
I've been trying to decide on what skills to give Arsene for a while so I wound up creating those and there are a few more on the way. I've been meaning to but I had to deal with a lot of the stuff in the story, like the Wild Card thing. It took me a while to get used to working with that. It doesn't help that I tend to be really indecisive sometimes. I know it sure took long but better late than never, right?
He'll be able to use other elements with the exception of Bless. To clarify, Midnight Salvo is a physical type attack while Mistral Soul is an ice element spell. I'm really looking forward to having Futaba interact with everyone, she's one of my favorites and I've had a few ideas to her interactions with Namine and it all looks good. I wasn't sure about putting that last part with her shadow and Namine but I have to say it fits nicely.
Well then, thanks for reading so far and I hope you keep it up. Let me know if you like the chapter. Till next time!
Confidants:
Sakamoto Ryuji (Chariot Rank Max)
Morgana (Magician Rank 4)
Takamaki Ann (Lovers Rank 8)
Takemi Tae (Death Rank 5)
Okumura Haru (Empress Rank 4)
Igor (Aeon Rank 4)
Sakura Sojiro (Hierophant Rank 4)
Mishima Yuuki (Moon Rank 5)
Suzui Shiho (Temperance Rank 7)
Yoshida Toranosuke (Sun Rank 5)
Caroline and Justine (Strength Rank 3)
The Phantom Thieves (Fool Rank 3)
Kitagawa Yusuke (Emperor Rank 5)
Akechi Goro (Justice Rank 3)
Ohya Ichiko (Devil Rank 3)
Nijima Makoto (Priestess Rank 2)
Mifune Chihaya (Wheel of Fortune Rank 2)