Power of the Heart

by Ruairi J.L

Before ruin could be brought upon the world, a Trickster was chosen to prove humanity's worth. However, unknown to even the God of Control, an Outsider will also have a part to play. Harry had always wanted to help people in need and protect the innocent. As a Phantom Thief, he will have that chance, but unimaginable challenges lay ahead of them all.

4. Storming the Castle

Chapter Four – Storming the Castle

Harry had grown rather fond of Ann. After all, she'd shown concern about him when he was suffering from those ghastly headaches, and the rumours spreading about her turned his stomach. Plus, she'd shown a real determination to fight, and wasn't afraid of standing up to Kamoshida. It was almost eerie how well she slotted in with their group of misfits. Harry didn't believe in fate, so he chalked this up to the nature of their school and the impact of Kamoshida on the student body as a whole.

In fact, he wondered just how many of them would be able to call for a Persona in the heat of the moment, but it really didn't matter. He wasn't close with anybody else in the school apart from Makoto, and she wasn't involved in their group. How would she even react to knowledge of the Metaverse? Moreover, how would their loved ones react to the news of their pending expulsions? There was a silver lining there, as he explained.

"Kamoshida won't just announce to the world that we're being expelled," he said to the others. "The whole incident could be embarrassing to him if it falls through, but even better is how I threatened to report him for what he's done. He'll want to make sure the ball is firmly in his court before he makes a move, to ensure that we're kicked out. Once that happens, there'll be no way to reverse the decision."

"What about the rumours, though?" Ryuji asked. "Didn't he spread those?"

"Rumours to help trash our reputations are one thing, but an official announcement is an entirely different matter," Harry explained. "First of all, we have a side to this, and he knows that. If he gives us an opportunity to argue it, there's a chance we'll succeed, although it doesn't exactly fill me with confidence. The senior faculty has shown a rather disturbing proclivity to defend Kamoshida from any type of complaint, and that's why the physical abuse hasn't been stopped. Secondly, he doesn't know how our families will react. Mum would raise hell about it, because she'd absolutely take my side, and he doesn't want to run the risk of an official investigation. Someone could spill the beans if prodded enough."

The Phantom Thieves, as Morgana had named them, were in Shibuya, loitering around a seating area in the station. Ryuji had kindly offered to buy them all some soft drinks, and the energy boost was very welcome indeed. Morgana had helped Ann to catch up on the situation, even if she had found it "bizarre" to be talking to a cat. Her shock had given way to anger when he explained why the castle existed in the first place, and what Kamoshida had revealed about Suzui stoked that anger dramatically. She was determined to be a part of the team that was forming.

Harry and Ren were all too happy to have her onboard. She could fight just as they could, and as to his earlier thought, would stop at nothing to bury Kamoshida. Ryuji had been more hesitant, probably because he felt protective of an old friend, but Morgana was having none of it. He'd pointed out, rightly so, that Ann would try to take Kamoshida down by herself if they didn't let her in, and she'd confirmed it herself. It turned out she had the Meta-Nav too, after all. Harry wondered if Igor was who'd decided each of them should have it, or if their spirit of rebellion had convinced the strange man in turn. Did it really matter?

"What sort of deadline do you think we have?" Ren asked.

"Board meetings are held at the start of every month," Harry said. "The student council is kept appraised of any developments in case we need to help with something. The next one will be on May 2nd, which gives us seventeen days to pull this off. You said we need to steal some type of 'Treasure', right?"

"Right," Morgana nodded. "But we can't just rush in there. I think we've all seen just how dangerous it is, so we need to prepare accordingly."

"How d'you mean?" Ryuji asked. "What else can we do besides that Persona stuff?"

"Remember the gun?" Harry pointed out.

"G-gun?" Ann asked, suddenly looking nervous.

"A model," Morgana clarified. "It looks real to Shadows because of the cognitive world; if they think it's real, it will be, just like how Kamoshida's desires have turned the school into a castle in the first place. The eye of the beholder means everything in that world."

"Oh," she said, looking unsure. "I think I get it."

"It's okay if it takes you time to understand everything," Morgana told her. "This must be a lot to take in, Lady Ann."

"Lady Ann?" she asked, and her brow furrowed in confusion.

"Oh, err… don't mind me!"

"So, we need more weapons?" Ren asked.

"I know this kick-ass place we can go," Ryuji grinned triumphantly. "It's where I got that model from! There'll be all kinds of stuff there!"

"That's a start. In any case, weapons are one thing. Another is medicine. I can't keep healing you all forever; it's just as exhausting as fighting," Morgana said. "If we get our hands on something strong, it'll have an effect because of cognition, just like the model guns."

"Medicine, huh?" Ryuji asked, before shooting Harry a pointed look.

"I don't know about this," Harry sighed in response. The idea of asking his mother for something like this didn't sit right with him. He'd have to lie to her, or explain what they were doing. The former would make him feel like an arse, and the latter was obviously out of the question. She'd probably ground him for the rest of his life or try to have him committed. Even if he showed her proof using the nav, she'd be too afraid of the danger to let him continue, and he didn't want it to be a point of contention between them.

"Hold up," Morgana said. "It doesn't have to be you. Ren and I can approach her later; she doesn't know you two are friends, right?"

"That doesn't exactly make me feel better about it," Harry frowned. "Can't we go to another doctor instead?"

"No offence, but I don't think we'll find another doctor who's so willing to hand medicine over to teenagers unless they're really sick," Morgana said. "This guy's guardian said there are some shady rumours regarding the clinic."

"I may have taken some offence."

"Well, sorry," the cat winced. "But put it this way: if we don't figure out how to heal up in there, we could get hurt, or worse. You're not going to tell her what we're doing, are you?"

Harry grimaced. "No."

"Then it's misdirection no matter how you look at it."

Harry thought about it, but only briefly. His pride wouldn't let him hide from the fact that Morgana was correct. They needed as much help as they could get, and he wasn't stupid enough to think he could tell her about what he was up to. He was well aware of the rumours surrounding the clinic, but what people didn't know was that his mother was trying to develop her own medicine to save a girl's life. She'd told him all about it, and he wanted her to succeed. In fact… maybe he could help her, and ease his guilty conscience too. She had adamantly refused to run clinical trials on him when he offered once before, but there was another option.

"Fine," he said, shooting Ren a pointed look. "But you're doing it, and you're going to help her with something in turn if she asks. I have a feeling you'll get to show how gutsy you really are."

If sweat-dropping was possible in real life, Ren looked as though he would have been afflicted by it.

"I don't like the sound of that," he muttered.

"She won't do anything dangerous."

"Now I'm really concerned."

Harry snorted with mirth. "Well, you can decide for yourself, of course. But if it doesn't work, we'll have to figure something else out. To be honest, I'd like to take care of those two things as soon as possible, so we can go and search for the Treasure. I don't like the idea of Kamoshida's threat hanging over our heads any longer than necessary. If he feels desperate, he might do something even nastier, like have his old buddies jump us on the way home."

"Wait, what?" Ann exclaimed with wide eyes. "He couldn't do that… could he?"

"Let's not wait around and find out," Ren said. "Ryuji can take us to this model gun store he mentioned, and then Morgana and I can visit the clinic this evening. If all goes well, we can meet tomorrow and then go into the castle after school."

Ryuji snapped his fingers. "We should have a hideout too! It'll be a pain in the ass to meet up without one. How about the school roof?"

"That works," Harry nodded. "We've been up there often enough anyway."

"I didn't realise we were allowed up there," Ann admitted.

"I won't tell if you don't," Harry said cheekily, which earned a laugh from all of them.

"It sounds like you guys are determined," Morgana said, with a look of… was that pride? It was hard to tell, given he had the face of a cat, but he sure sounded proud of them right then. "Let's get this done."

"I need to head home, but you guys pick me out something good," Ann said. She took out a purse and handed them some money. "Let me know if this isn't enough and I'll give you more. Get me something easy to handle, okay? I don't have any experience using a gun… and that's a statement I never thought I'd utter in my life…"

Harry accepted the bills and pocketed them. "Got it. We use a group chat, so give us your number and we'll add you to it."

With that, they exchanged contact info, and Ann headed off. She was likely still overwhelmed by everything that'd happened and needed time to process it. Harry didn't hold that against her. He followed Ryuji out of the station and onto Shibuya's Central Street, and noted with amusement that Ren's eyes darted to and fro as he took in the spectacle of the city. There were shops and advertisements scattered everywhere, and pushy salesmen stood in the streets, flaunting their wares and trying to coerce unwilling customers into their stores. The buildings and even the lampposts were adorned with fliers, banners and flashing signs that caught the eye, some in worse condition than others. The place had nothing on Shinjuku, but it was still a sight to behold for any newcomer to Tokyo. Tourists could get lost for hours wandering the streets, sometimes even on purpose.

Harry felt his fingers twitch as they passed a local bookstore, but he couldn't afford to get distracted by spending an age in the place. His appetite for reading was immense, but he could satiate it later. He wondered where Ryuji was taking them and blanched when the blonde turned into an alleyway somewhat off the beaten track. Shibuya wasn't a particularly dangerous place, but it still had its dodgy areas, and this looked like one of them. They walked past a number of garbage bins and bicycles, and a handful of smaller, emptier shops selling trinkets and exotic foodstuffs.

At the end of the alleyway was a store called 'Untouchable', the word framed in bright green letters above the entrance. There was an array of military-themed gear in the windows, including boots and camouflaged clothes.

"Pretty legit, huh?" Ryuji grinned.

"It looks sketchy," Ren said, and Morgana nodded in agreement from atop his shoulder.

"Come on! You gotta be more open-minded!" Ryuji declared, as he opened the door and led them inside.

Harry had to admit, it was an incredible store. There were shelves full of airsoft guns and boxes of pellets, mannequins wearing protective gear such as gasmasks and helmets, and racks of attachments such as bandoliers and grips behind the counter. Hell, he even saw a model grenade launcher, although the price tag put him off the idea.

At the counter was the store manager, with his feet up on the glass. He wore a grey trench coat over a black sweater and simple blue jeans, with black boots and a grey cap. A pair of yellow ear protectors were clasped around the top of his cap, and there was a tattoo of a gecko on the side of his neck. A lollipop stick dangled from his mouth, and he peered over the top of a firearm magazine at the three of them speculatively, not blinking.

"Know what you want yet?" he asked in a gruff tone. It was rather intimidating.

"How about a recommendation?" Ren asked carefully.

"A recommendation?" he blinked, before scoffing. "I dunno, just buy whatever looks interesting to you."

"Some customer service," Ryuji muttered, garnering the man's attention.

He let loose a long-suffering sigh. "Fine. What d'you want, an automatic? A revolver?"

"An automatic? Why are you talking about cars now?" Ryuji asked with confusion. The man stared at him, unimpressed.

Harry groaned and buried his face in the palm of a hand. "He means an automatic weapon, not transmission!"

"Oh!" Ryuji blinked in realisation. "Uh, I dunno. Do you have anything good for beginners? Model guns that look real?"

"Why, are you planning to rob a bank or something, kid?"

"N-no!" Ryuji protested, taking a half-step back. "We're enthusiasts! I bought stuff from here like last week, remember?"

The man glared at them for several seconds, making all of them incredibly nervous. He had one hell of an intimidating air about him. Finally, when it looked like they were going to make a run for it, he barked out a laugh and dropped his magazine on the table.

"Ha, you should've just said you're enthusiasts! I always love helping fresh faces out," he said.

The three of them almost sagged in relief.

"Some precautions first," the manager said, looking at them more seriously now. "These obviously aren't real guns or even airsoft guns like the ones on display there, but if you pull one in public, you'll scare the shit out of everybody and probably get the cops on you anyhow. They look like the real deal, after all. If that happens, you didn't buy 'em here. I don't need the fuzz coming around and sticking their nose into my business."

"Don't worry, we hate the cops," Ren said, which wasn't even wholly untrue. Thankfully, the man just laughed at his brazenness.

"Well, how about that? So do I. Secondly, make sure you do maintenance on whatever you buy or they'll rust up and go to shit. I won't sell these to people who can't take care of 'em. I'll give you some brochures to help with the basics. Finally, you get the beginner's selection only. Other stuff needs store cred, and you'll only get that by becoming a regular. Got it?"

"Got it," Harry nodded.

"Good. Then wait here, and I'll bring 'em out. Got plenty to choose from, though. Should be just fine for enthusiasts like you, huh?" he asked in a tone laden with sarcasm, but for some reason, it didn't feel malicious. He knew they were full of shit, but didn't seem to care. That was convenient.

"I assume you don't actually know anything about guns," Harry smirked, when the man disappeared into the backroom.

"Urgh, not really," Ryuji admitted. His shoulders drooped. "Do you?"

"A bit. I want something accurate, in case I get behind a group of Shadows using my ravens," he added with a whisper. "Some sort of semi-automatic rifle would be good. Ann wants something easier to handle, but I think we should get her a small automatic. That way, she'll probably hit something even if she can't aim very well at first."

That logic was undoubtedly sacrilege to gun fanatics around the world, but he didn't care. They couldn't exactly practice with their model guns at a real firing range, after all. Or with any gun. Japanese law was very strict about owning any type of firearm, and they'd need to wait to become adults before being granted licences.

"Dude, you know a shit ton about this!" Ryuji said.

"I'm a gamer," Harry shrugged. "I guess that helps. How about you?"

"The pistol will be fine for now," Ren shook his head, after Harry indicated him. "If we upgrade them later, I might buy something then."

The manager returned then, carrying a huge crate that was literally full to the brim with an assortment of model guns. However, they hadn't just been thrown in haphazardly; all of them were individually packaged and looked to be in mint condition. He obviously took good care of his stock. Idly, he finished off the lollipop with a crunch and tossed the stick into a bin over his shoulder.

"Right, what are you looking for?"

"Well, uh…"

"Iwai."

"Iwai," Harry nodded. "What sort of lightweight rifles do you have?"

"None," the man scoffed in response immediately, which threw Harry for a loop and caused Ryuji to grin at him triumphantly. "Listen, kid: no rifle is considered 'lightweight' to the extent that it's comfortable to lug around for a long period of time, which I assume is what you're asking about. You want something compact and accurate, try a pistol. Extended magazines are good for capacity if that's an issue."

"Okay," Harry nodded uncertainly, now more grateful than ever for the man's advice. "Got a model of anything compact, accurate and relatively quiet too?"

"Heh, I have just the thing," Iwai grinned.

Some time later, they left the shop and found that evening had fallen in Shibuya. Their wallets were considerably lighter, but Harry felt like it had been damned good business, all things considered. Iwai was an absolute font of knowledge and had given them advice on what sort of guns seemed to fit them best, even though they were only models. Not only that, but because they'd spent over twenty thousand yen, the man had thrown in some complimentary, cheap nylon chest protectors, after Ren had cleverly slipped some hints about them going paintballing at the weekend.

Harry found himself the proud owner of a model Makarov PB, a suppressed Soviet-era pistol that weighed less than a kilogram and was a mere twelve inches in length when the suppressor was attached to the barrel. It sported eight rounds, and Iwai assured him the real pistol was one of the quietest guns he'd ever heard. Harry didn't ask where he'd heard such a thing, for the man's tattoo was a dead giveaway as to his past experiences, although the others didn't seem to notice. The pistol was a thing of beauty too; it had been coloured a sleek black all over, and was cleaned and polished to perfection. It had been well worth the money.

Now, he just had to get it home without his mother seeing it…

---

Ren collapsed onto his futon heavily. It had been a productive day, more so than he'd anticipated. Not only had Ryuji come through for them in a big way, but he'd gone with Morgana to meet Tae Takemi, Harry's mother and a rather intimidating doctor in the clinic across the street from Leblanc. He'd made sure to go without Harry, so that she wouldn't cotton on to their connection, and was relieved she didn't seem to remember him from when he first encountered her in the café.

He'd made a deal with the woman, and he felt like smacking Harry about the head for not telling him in advance about what she wanted. Becoming the guinea pig of a shady clinician wasn't exactly his idea of a fun time, although he wouldn't call her shady in front of Harry. He couldn't spot much of a family resemblance between them, in truth, but Harry had already told them he was half-foreign, so that explained why.

But he was damned if his head wasn't spinning like a top after downing the medicine she'd given him.

"Are you still alive?" Morgana teased, as he jumped onto the bed near Ren's legs.

"Urgh," was his detailed response.

"Come on, I want to show you one more thing before you go to sleep. It'll only take a few minutes."

Ren's limbs protested, but he dutifully sat upright a few minutes later and then cleaned the desk in the corner at Morgana's urging. The whole room needed a serious sprucing up, but that would have to wait. For now, Morgana took him through the basics of crafting so-called 'infiltration tools', and had him construct a lockpick from some raw materials he'd scrounged up earlier. Ren's fingers clumsily pieced the tool together, and although he felt like a bumbling buffoon, Morgana seemed pleased by the end result, saying that it was a successful first attempt.

"What do we even need this for?" Ren asked.

"We might just find some hidden secrets in the castle," Morgana told him, his blue eyes shining brightly in anticipation. "Locked doors or chests; that sort of thing. In any case, it's better to be prepared than not. I'll put together a list of other infiltration tools for you, and show you how to make them if you gather the materials. I can't do it with my paws, so I'm counting on you!"

"Sounds like a plan," Ren nodded. Anything to help them would be a much welcome addition to their gear. He gave a huge yawn and almost threw himself onto the bed. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to crash. Why does being in the Metaverse make me feel so tired?"

"Like I said, you expend energy when you fight," Morgana said, "but even running around is no different to exercise in reality. You should start working out to build up your strength, and the others should too. The fitter we all are, the better."

Ren nodded, but couldn't respond before his eyelids shut. A bare moment later, he opened them, and heard the sounds of birdsong drifting through the window, accompanied by the rays of a rising sun. That was without doubt the fastest eight hours of sleep he'd ever gotten, but he felt somewhat refreshed. After carrying out his normal morning tasks, he made for school.

Kamoshida was waiting at the gate, under the guise of greeting students, but Ren knew his game. He smirked ever-so slightly when he caught sight of Ren.

"Good morning," he said simply.

"And to you," Ren returned, before walking past the man.

"That admirable attitude won't do you any good when you're expelled," the man taunted him quietly. "You should just drop out now and save me the trouble. You've already been thrown out of one school, so it should be easy for you by now."

Ren ignored him and continued on. The man would get what was coming to him soon enough. Still, after such an unwelcome surprise of encountering him at the gate, he received a rather more welcome one when he rounded the corner and almost walked headfirst into Kasumi Yoshizawa. She stumbled, but managed to catch herself before falling, and he did likewise.

"Oh, pardon me, senpai!" she exclaimed, after catching sight of him.

"It was my fault," he shook his head after straightening his glasses. "I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"Yes, thank you," she smiled. "I appreciate your concern."

"How are you finding this place so far?" he asked, indicating the school at large.

"It seems no different to any other high school that I've heard of," she replied neutrally. "However, I must admit I'm thankful for the allowances they've made on my behalf."

"Allowances?"

"Ah, I forgot to tell you," she blinked. "I received a scholarship from the school because of my interest in gymnastics. To be honest, it can be quite overwhelming at times, trying to attend class with that sort of pressure."

She looked somewhat down as she said this, and his heart lurched at the sight. Something in him wanted to cheer her up, but before he could utter a word, the bell for homeroom rang, and her face broke out into a wide smile again.

"Still, I'm grateful I could bump into you again, Ren-senpai!" she quipped, and actually giggled when he groaned in response to the pun. "Let's both do our best today!"

"Okay," he nodded, before his lips twitched. He'd pay her back for that pun. "I might be your senpai, but I want you to be proud of me. I'll do my best, just so I can catch your eye."

She looked confused for a moment, then blushed to the roots of her hair after digesting what he'd said. It was hardly a confession of undying love, but apparently it was still enough to catch her off-balance. She stammered out a response, but it was lost in translation, and he merely grinned at her.

"I'll see you later," he said, and they parted ways. He never saw the look back at him she gave, nor the blush deepening on her face.

---

"Good, we're all here," Morgana said, when Ann joined them on the rooftop.

This was becoming a place of habit for them, so it had indeed been a great spot to mark as a hideout. She looked around with interest at the plants and flowers growing in pots.

"Who takes care of all these if we're not allowed up here?" she asked.

"A third-year student, I believe," Harry said, hoping the others wouldn't see him blush as he thought of her. He knew very well who she was. After all, she was the reason he knew about the roof being unlocked in the first place; he'd wanted to come up here and chat to her, but had yet to actually encounter her.

"Are we just jumping in?" Ryuji asked with excitement.

"Where's your bravado coming from?" Harry asked with a frown. "Weren't you worried yesterday about how dangerous it is?"

"Yeah, but I'm pumped now! We have a plan to stick it to Kamoshida, and we have a new team member! I wanna get this shit done!" he replied.

Ryuji's enthusiasm aside, Harry was eager to get it done too, as he'd said. Kamoshida's threat was not an empty one, and he'd seen the man that morning, watching him like a hawk when he arrived. It was unnerving.

"Basically, we just have to steal the Treasure, right?" Ann asked Morgana.

"Right," he confirmed. "Even I don't know what the Treasure will be, unfortunately, but I imagine Kamoshida will have hidden it somewhere in the depths of the castle. We have a lot of hard work ahead of us, and it'll be very dangerous. The deeper we go, the more enemies we're sure to find. However, since the Treasure is the core of the Palace, the whole place will crumble when we steal it, I think. Our number one priority is finding out where it's hidden. Other than that, there's a lot we won't know until we actually get in there."

"What happens if we activate the app from here instead of the alleyway?" Harry asked.

"Don't do that," Morgana cautioned. "We know the alleyway is beside the castle's main entrance, but this rooftop could be anywhere because of the distortion. If we go in from here, we could wind up in the middle of a hundred Shadows, or right in front of Kamoshida."

"Noted," Harry swallowed. "Let's get down there, then."

Minutes later, he had his phone out, and clicked on the Meta-Nav. When he activated it, there was a typical swirling of black and red distortion, and then the school was gone, replaced by a castle created from a horrible man's lust. It was almost disturbing how routine the whole process was starting to feel to Harry. All of a sudden, they stood beside the entrance, and no one batted an eye.

"Daaaaamn," Skull said, as he caught sight of Ann again.

"Hmm? What's up?" she asked, apparently oblivious to his line of thought.

"Oh, uh, I was just thinking we need to give you a codename. All of us have one too. Skull, Mona, Joker and Warlock," he said, indicating each of them in turn.

"Ooh, how about something memorable?" she thought out loud with glee.

"Not 'Sexy Cat'?" Joker asked.

"No!" she protested immediately. "What the hell are you even thinking?! I want to be called Panther!"

"Huh? Why?" Skull asked.

"Because they're big, they're ferocious and I'll tear our enemies apart!"

"Damn," Ryuji repeated, this time more down to earth. "She's terrifying."

"She's a cougar," Mona simpered.

"Don't call me that!" Panther snapped, and he held his paws up in defeat. She huffed. "Morons. Let's get a move on."

Warlock was walking towards the entrance when a snapping sound and a flash of blue caught his eye. He blinked and turned around, only to see that a peculiar door had appeared, one which didn't seem to be there at all, as though it flickered between realities. Justine stood beside it, but to his surprise, she pointed her notepad at Joker.

"Our master would like a word with you."

Joker nodded and walked into the doorway, then vanished from sight. After the blink of an eye, he was back again, and the door had returned, along with Justine. Warlock stared at him, not understanding what had happened. Could all of them speak with Igor? He didn't know why he hadn't thought of that before. How had Joker done so in such a short period of time?

"Hey, come on, you two!" Skull called back.

Warlock looked again and saw that Justine was still there, but Skull couldn't appear to see her. None of the others could either, for they looked back and didn't say a word. What did this mean? Joker caught his eye and started in surprise when Warlock nodded towards the door.

"You can see it?" he asked.

"Yeah," Warlock nodded. Something in his mind urged him not to talk about this in the open. "We'll discuss it later. For now, let's catch up with the others."

They did so, but there was one final piece of business to attend before starting their latest foray into Kamoshida's twisted heart.

"This is for you," Joker said, as he handed a replica SMG to Panther. Skull had already taken his model shotgun from the shop and slung it across his back, so all of them were now appropriately armed.

"This seems dangerous," Panther intoned, as she inspected the weapon gingerly from all angles.

"Please don't point it at me," Warlock said urgently, and she pointed it at the ground with a stammered apology. He let out a breath. "Bloody hell. Yes, it's dangerous. Keep the safety on and your finger off the trigger until you're ready to fire. It'll shoot twenty rounds before the clip runs dry, but our guns reload between battles because Shadows don't expect us to start fighting without bullets. Right?"

He'd directed the question at Mona, who nodded in confirmation.

"Right."

"Okay," Panther said, and she tucked the gun into her belt and out of sight. "I'll need to get in a lot of practice on Shadows."

"Killing Shadows is likely the order of the day," Warlock murmured, and his voice distortion gave the statement a truly sinister vibe that made Skull shudder.

"Man, why the hell do you sound like that in here?"

"Don't ask me," he shrugged in response.

"Everybody take one of these too," Joker added, handing out a miniature bottle with a dropper to each of them. "Medicine from the clinic. It's supposed to relieve pain in reality, so in here… Mona?"

"It should help to heal our wounds," Mona responded. "I'm not really sure, but we'll find out."

Joker's last gift was a protector each, courtesy of Iwai. It wasn't the strongest material, nylon, but the layers had been threaded together in a way that would help prevent minor injuries. Each of them equipped theirs beneath their outfits, Mona's having shrank accordingly in the Palace, and blending in with his fur. Panther threatened them with dire retribution if they tried to peek at her. Thankfully, none of them were stupid enough to try, although this time all four would have sweat-dropped simultaneously, had it been possible to do so.

The protector felt tight, but comfortable underneath Warlock's tunic. It would add a much-needed layer of protection, and he was grateful to Iwai for adding them as a package deal.

Joker signalled for them to follow his lead. Given that he was probably the stealthiest of the group and had a good head for thinking tactically, he'd fallen into an impromptu leadership role, one that they were happy to give him. Under other circumstances, Warlock could have led the team, but he knew that his abilities would be better served in a position of support where and when required. He preferred to be on the periphery of events and survey them with a clear eye, then react accordingly. Either that, or in the heat of battle.

More importantly, he trusted Joker.

Now that they had a route to the nearest safe room thoroughly memorised, it was a piece of cake to make it there undetected. Even with five in the group, they were able to move stealthily, none of them foolish enough to speak aloud. The atmosphere in the castle was as oppressive as ever, with thick, cloying air and a dreadful silence punctured only occasionally by a bloodcurdling scream from the dungeons. Passing a Shadow added another element to things, and the clanking of metal boots on the floor was alarming too.

However, they reached the safe room, but this time there was no doubt they'd progress further than before, and it was a sobering prospect.

"What is this place?" Panther asked in surprise, as the room flickered between an empty classroom and the castle.

"A gap in the cognition," Mona explained. "Kamoshida's hold here is weak, so Shadows won't find us. We can rest, plan our next move and talk if we need to."

"Got it. I'm glad something like this exists," she admitted.

"As am I. Make sure you're all prepared for this," Mona said firmly, looking each of them in the face. "We're in uncharted territory from this point onwards. Follow Joker, keep an eye out for Shadows, and don't wander off alone. The place could be filled to the brim with boobytraps and who knows what else. Joker, take this. It might come in handy."

Mona handed their leader a grappling gun, and he attached it to his wrist, nodding in satisfaction at the fit. There was no other business to attend to in that moment, so they set off.

"Okay, the coast is clear," Skull whispered, as he opened the door and peered out slowly. He quietly slipped out of the room, and waited for Joker to take point.

---

Joker took up position ahead of Skull and silently ran towards the door at the end of the hallway, the one they hadn't explored beyond yet. His footsteps were muffled by the ornate rugs that lined each room in the castle, but they still weren't entirely silent. Something to be mindful of. After his talk with Igor, he felt as though his mind's eye was able to see things he could not identify before, although it was a strange sensation that would take some getting used to. Because of cognition, it seemed like he was able to hone in on items of interest to what they were attempting to do, or other objects hidden around the Palace.

The door at the end was unlocked, and he pushed it open as quietly as possible. Inside was a galley of sorts, apparently full of food and wine. There were platters of fruit atop several long banquet tables, and an assortment of chairs for each one. The place was dimly lit by sconces on the walls and candles on each table. Dozens of crates, boxes and barrels filled the room. A Shadow patrolled menacingly, and Joker knew the time had come to throw himself into the deep end. He turned back to the others with a serious expression.

"One inside," he whispered. "We'll sneak around the crates and boxes on the floor, and take it from behind. Warlock, get your pistol ready."

He received nods in response, and their teammate unholstered the gun. It was a tiny thing, and Joker hoped it was up to task. Not brooding on the thought, he turned back and saw the Shadow looking in the opposite direction. He stuck to the typical shadows as he crept forward, pressing himself up against the wall of a cold pillar nearby. The others followed in his footsteps. The clinking of armour grew louder as the Shadow resumed its patrol route. It paused and made a sound of confusion as it saw the door ajar, and made its way over towards it, walking past Joker's hiding place without noticing him.

Joker signalled the others and got a thumbs-up from Warlock. With one deep breath, he immediately darted forwards and jumped atop the Shadow, reaching for its mask and tearing it off. The Shadow flailed about in confusion, before toppling over backwards with a slight clang. When it unveiled its true form, he saw that it was a Pixie, which was a relief; this kind had already demonstrated a vulnerability to gunfire.

On that note, Joker ducked out of the way. There were four or five muffled pops, and the Shadow vanished. Beside him, Warlock's gun was pointed at where the Shadow had been, the tip of the suppressor letting off a tuft of smoke. He holstered it and made a dismissive noise, then nodded to Joker.

Perfect. The more of those encounters they had, the more energy they could conserve for later.

Joker's 'third eye', for want of a better term, saw something flash suddenly. It was a barrel sitting next to the table in the corner of the room. Curious, he walked over and opened it, mindful of traps. Instead, there was a small chunk of gold inside, and he picked it up between his forefinger and thumb.

"This looks real," he murmured, still cautious of being silent.

"Give it to me," Mona whispered excitedly, and he placed it into the small pouch around his waist. "Maybe we can sell it in the real world."

Skull's expression grew very happy indeed, but Panther poked him before he could make any sort of loud noise, and he calmed down. From there, Joker took them into the next room, another connecting hallway, where a Shadow stood in the centre, its back turned. To his amusement, he heard gentle snores emanating from behind its helm. He didn't even bother to stun this one, but simply nodded to Warlock, who felled it with eight silent rounds to the back. Incredibly, the sounds of the subsonic bullets pinging against metal were louder than the gun itself firing. The Shadow toppled over and disappeared just as its fellow had.

After that, they came across a spiral staircase, which was in poor nick. The top of the thing was inaccessible, so they got off halfway up, only to come face-to-face with a Shadow that suddenly rounded the corner. Joker swore as the thing charged at them, holding its sword up high. He ducked the swing and hit it in the face with his palm, which caused it to transform into three separate parts all at once: a Jack-o-Lantern, a Pixie and a Bicorn, the demonic horse with large curved horns.

But then the others were beside him, and together they were more than a match for three Shadows whose weaknesses they'd already identified. Mona smote the Jack-o-Lantern immediately with help from Zorro, and Warlock brought the Pixie to the ground with a single shot through its chest. Panther used her whip to stop the Bicorn in its tracks, and Skull finished it off with a blast of lightning. All in all, it was flawless teamwork, pleasing Joker to no end.

That done, he approached the Pixie and drew his gun on it.

"W-wait!" it begged in a high-pitched voice. "Don't kill me, mister! I won't tell King Kamoshida anything, I swear!"

"The hell? It's begging for its life?" Skull muttered.

"Well, Shadows have personalities and feelings too," Mona shrugged, "even though they're not technically real."

"Give me your power and I'll consider it," Joker said. "Otherwise, you're done for."

"Oh, I see! I can help you if you spare me!" the Pixie declared, and then it rose into the air. "I am thou, thou art I…"

And Joker found that he had a new mask, to go with the others. This one seemed rather gentle in comparison, with a touch of spice. He felt it could have an affinity for healing spells, as well as some more unique abilities. Time would tell.

"Your power is incredible, Joker," Mona gushed, looking delighted.

"I feel like there's probably a limit to how many I can carry," he murmured, as it felt like his mask was 'filling up' rapidly. There was still room for more, but it wasn't infinite.

The next point of interest came when they found a large chamber with a shut iron portcullis surrounding the centre. On the table in the middle was a piece of parchment, and Joker found himself drawn to it. A number of chains with demonic, minotaur-like heads surrounded the portcullis, each attached to identical pillars. His 'third eye' warned of danger if he chose the wrong one, and showed him which was correct by identifying a trail of footprints that led around the back. With a smirk, he yanked that chain and then a second one nearby, a sort of combination lock. The spikes rose into the air, granting them access.

Joker strode forward and snatched the parchment, noting that it was a map of the castle.

"That's lucky," Warlock commented. "Why the hell has he just left it lying here, of all places?"

"It probably wasn't Kamoshida," Mona clarified. "This looks like a planning room or something. A Shadow likely left it there by accident."

"This will be useful," Joker murmured, as he inspected the map carefully. It was incomplete, but using it he was able to backtrack to the castle entrance along the route they'd come. There was a larger, unexplored section ahead of them, encompassing several floors and quite a few rooms and halls. He figured out where they should go next, and folded the map before pocketing it. "Let's go."

In a similar style to before, they quickly dispatched of two Shadows in an L-shaped hallway after exiting the war-room, and Joker got to try his new mask.

"Pixie!" he called, and the faery unleashed a wisp of flame that smouldered some type of flying plant creature, a description that must have been a first in human history.

The second was killed by Skull when he decided to try his shotgun for the first time, and Joker almost flinched when he saw how much kickback the blonde got from firing a shell. It was also much louder than Warlock's gun, but the whole place seemed reasonably soundproofed, so with luck, they wouldn't be set upon by an army of monsters. Thankfully, the shotgun packed one hell of a punch, and the Jack Frost that Skull targeted all-but melted into a puddle before them.

"Man, that felt amazin'," Skull grinned triumphantly.

"Got a feel for yours yet?" Warlock asked Panther quietly when they realised no backup was coming, and she blinked.

"Um, not exactly. I haven't fired it yet…"

"Next time, you should give it a try, unless we're trying to be quiet," he suggested. She nodded in agreement.

There were several locked doors on either side of the hallway, but Joker was surprised to see that none of them had a keyhole, so his lockpick wouldn't work. They were probably gaps in Kamoshida's cognition that hadn't become safe rooms, as Mona explained. Ignoring them, the group pressed on. The next room of any note was massive, and Joker realised they had returned to the entrance hall, only now they were up on one of the side balconies. The number of guards had increased, and several were marching around below them, so they stayed low behind the railings to avoid being seen.

"We can't go down there," Joker whispered. He looked up and grinned as an idea came to him. "Follow my lead."

With that, he acrobatically scaled the balcony when the Shadows weren't looking, and leapt atop a chandelier dangling overhead. The others hesitated, but he made an encouraging motion, and they followed him, clearly surprised by their ability to jump so highly.

"Whoa, I didn't realise we could do that!" Skull intoned quietly.

"I guess we shouldn't be too surprised," Panther said hesitantly. "I mean, you can shoot lightning at will, can't you? It's just a jump."

"Peak performance," Warlock muttered, and Skull suppressed a snicker.

Joker got down on his haunches and crept across the chandelier, casting furtive glances below every other moment. None of the guards had deigned to spot them, which was a relief. He nimbly jumped across a gap onto another ceiling fixture, this one in the shape of a metallic cross, and waited for the team to join him. Once they did so, he pointed to a nearby pillar, which was enormous and rose all the way from ground level to the rooftop high above them. There was a narrow walkway circling the thing, and he leapt across to it, before circling around to the other side carefully, holding onto the pillar for support.

This drew some nerves from his teammates, but they still managed it admirably. Following him, they dropped onto the far balcony, and Joker was surprised to see a chest sitting on a pedestal next to him, this one secured by an enormous lock. Using his third eye to determine it was safe, he opened it with the lockpick surprisingly easily, and was greeted by a shiny, silver candlestick that practically gleamed in the darkness.

"That must be worth a bunch," Skull said with excitement.

"Or at least a pretty penny," Warlock nodded. "Um, Mona…"

He trailed off as the bipedal cat grabbed the candlestick and, to their shock, stuffed it inside his pouch, despite the fact its size didn't change.

"How the hell…" Skull breathed.

"Another trick of cognition," Mona grinned, showing his razor-sharp canines. "Some people think that cats can consume stuff endlessly, so I guess that manifests in this way here. I keep my sword and slingshot in there too, you know."

"Man, I'm not even gonna question this shit anymore," Skull said with a shake of his head, this time making Warlock chortle.

Nearby was an open door, and they followed it through to two others, one of which seemed to glimmer. A safe room.

Panther pushed it open hesitantly, and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw nothing untoward inside. The team clambered in, and Warlock shut the door. All of them seemed to relax a tad.

"My nerves are on edge," Warlock admitted. "Did any of you see that guard on the lower floor covered in a red haze? What was up with him?"

"Some Shadows are more powerful than others," Mona explained. "It can be difficult for them to contain that power beneath a mask, so that haze is a telling sign. We'll want to avoid those ones if at all possible."

Joker had taken out the map and grabbed a red felt marker off the table nearby; it was a classroom, after all. He methodically traced the path they'd taken to this point, pleased to see that the map was accurate, if his memory was likewise. He added a large 'S' to this room in particular, and to the other safe room they'd encountered earlier.

"What's our progress like?" Warlock asked him.

"Slow, but steady," Joker replied. "We still have a long way to go, but at least we're able to move about unnoticed, for the most part. I'm glad this place doesn't have a modern alarm system or we'd be cooked."

"We could handle it," Mona protested. "You guys just need more experience, is all. This is a perfect time to heal up if you need to, by the way. How's everyone feeling?"

"I'm good to keep going," Panther said. "I feel like the way we've worked together has helped everyone stay safer."

"True," Mona agreed. "I was going to suggest that we should move around with a main group of four, but the five of us have done well to this point."

"That would be a bad idea," Warlock said flatly. "Sure, the lead team might be less noticeable, but whoever's stuck lagging behind would be incredibly vulnerable, especially if they get lost. It's best if all of us stick together and just stay quiet."

Mona conceded the point with a nod.

"Still no idea where the Treasure's gonna be?" Skull asked.

"No," Joker shook his head. "I doubt Kamoshida would mark it on a map for thieves to find, at any rate. How are we on time?"

"We've been here for just under an hour," Warlock said, as he removed a watch from his pocket and checked it. "My watch still works, even if our phones don't. Do you have somewhere to be?"

"My guardian made it very clear he doesn't want me wandering the streets at night," Joker winced. It sounded childish, given what they were attempting to do, but they understood, to his relief.

"Ah, because of your record," Skull nodded. "Gotcha. Well, I reckon we can keep at it for a couple of hours still, if we're in agreement?"

"That should be fine," Joker said, after putting the map away again. "I'll tell him I went for food after studying for an hour or two in the library. He can't complain about that."

"Don't mention that word here!" Skull protested, looking horrified. "I'd rather fight Shadows than have to study!"

Joker snorted and shook his head, then asked if they were ready to go. After receiving affirmation, he opened the door and looked out carefully.

Nothing.

The door on the far side of the room led to a staircase ambling downwards, and they had to press against the wall as they passed a balcony hanging overhead, where two Shadows were having a conversation about "where the intruders could be", ironically. After clearing their line of sight, they came upon a third patrolling by itself, and Joker ambushed it from behind a corner.

This time it was a new one; a purple cat on its hind legs, with a thin sword and some type of cowboy apparel, including a hat. As it was stumbling about, Mona knocked it down with a windy blast, and it looked stunned.

"Urgh," it groaned. "Help me, King Kamoshida!"

"Your king has deserted you," Joker said, his gun pointing straight between its eyes. "Join us instead."

"Whoa, hold on, sonny! Don't you have any courtesy? It's rude to speak to your elders like that, you know."

Joker blinked in surprise, and the others exchanged confused glances. He didn't know what the hell it was going on about, but clearly not all Shadows would come to his side as easily as the Pixie had. He decided to play along, but would kill it if required. They couldn't exactly stand in the open forever, having a bizarre conversation with a dazed Shadow.

"I apologise," he said primly. "Would you do me the courtesy of helping out?"

"Hmph. What's in it for me, kid?"

"How about a warm bed, all the food you could ever eat, and the opportunity to change this world?"

"This world? That sounds mighty fine! Oh, wait, I've just remembered! I shouldn't be a guard here at all! I'm Cait Sith, from the sea of human imagination, and I'll help you out, pal!"

And like that, Joker found himself with a fourth Persona. He holstered his gun when it vanished into his mask.

"Is it just me, or did that one remind anybody else of Mona?" Skull asked, looking genuinely confused.

Still, his confusion didn't save him from the glare he got in response.

---

Warlock followed as Joker led them into a large dining room area, much like the first new room they'd entered that afternoon. Unlike there, this one was wider, and there were spiked bars separating it from what lay beyond. To his amusement, Joker merely scoffed and pulled at a chain, then at another around the corner after following an invisible set of footprints, and the bars receded. He didn't know what sort of ability Igor had gifted Joker, or if it had come from somewhere else, but he was clearly able to spot things that were out of place.

"You have a real eye for quality, huh?" he whispered, and Joker merely smirked in response.

None of them felt the need to fight every single Shadow they happened upon, so it was with care that they snuck around behind several in the dining area, even as the creatures aimlessly searched for whoever had opened the spiked barricades. Warlock could only surmise that their vision was shit because of their helmets, and he took full advantage of this by moving around like a ghost.

Ghost would have been an interesting codename too, he thought idly, but Joker's suggestion had felt right, for some reason.

Free of the dining area, Joker paused to snatch another hidden treasure from a crate, and then they entered a small tower with a spiral staircase, only this time the thing was half-missing, and it was the bottom half too. Warlock was starting to suspect that Kamoshida or his soldiers had done this on purpose to try and stop them from going any further. In any case, this wasn't a jumpable height, even in the Metaverse.

"That's just great," Skull growled. "Are we gonna have to find a way around?"

"Look up there!" Mona said, as he pointed at what appeared to be a protruding ornament just above where the damage begun. "Joker, think you can reach that with your grappling hook?"

Joker grinned and nodded, then aimed his wrist at the object carefully. After a second or two, he activated a button on the device with his other hand and a wire shot out at incredible speed, before snagging a hold of the ornament when Joker deftly flicked his wrist.

"How are we supposed to follow you?" Skull frowned.

"One of you, grab his arm," Warlock advised Skull and Panther. "Mona, climb onto his back. I have an idea about how to get up there with the other person."

Skull and Mona did so, and Joker pressed the button again, which caused him to surge upwards with the two of them, garnering a startled reaction from Skull. Mona clung to Joker's back for dear life. Warlock was impressed by how smoothly it worked, as Joker ensured the trio landed on the stairwell safely. They looked back down.

"What are you planning?" Panther asked uncertainly.

"Do you trust me?" he teased.

"Well, yeah, but-"

He didn't give her a chance to change her mind and gently grabbed her hand, then thought Ravens! With a flash of green eyes, the pair of them vanished and a flock of squawking birds soared through the air in their place, landing beside the rest of the team. Warlock let go of his power, and he and Panther reappeared, but he didn't let go of her hand, as she almost toppled over.

"Oh, my god!" she exclaimed, clutching at her chest with one hand. She snatched the other one back from him and looked like she wanted to throttle him, but he merely chuckled. "Don't ever do that again without warning me!"

"You got it," he said, noting the stunned expressions of the other three. "What?"

"I don't even know how to explain that!" Mona spluttered. "You doing it is weird enough, but you can take other people with you too?!"

"I guess so," he said with amusement. "Probably not all of you at once, though. That was rather difficult just now."

"But how-"

"Not to rain on your parade, but we have company," Joker said quietly, and they immediately jumped into the darkness next to the doorway, as silent as the grave. A Shadow came marching down the hallway towards them, looking around in confusion as it saw nobody. It peered over the top of the bannisters, shook its head, and then turned back again, only to gasp aloud when it saw them standing there.

Before it could shout for help, Skull bashed it in the chest with his pipe, and it sailed over the top of the railing with a panicked shriek, before landing on the ground in an undignified heap and exploding to dust in a flash.

"Heh, piece o' cake," he grinned, with the pipe resting on his shoulder.

"What were you saying?" Mona groaned several minutes later, as they peered around a corner anxiously. They had come into another area, only to find their direct path blocked by a Shadow covered with a red haze. Unlike its fellows, it didn't patrol, but was clearly guarding whatever lay ahead. They'd had to pull a chain to unlock the hallway too, but still it didn't move. Warlock almost imagined it to be a statue.

"What are we gonna do?" Skull asked anxiously.

"Let's wait for now," Joker suggested. "We should check out these rooms first, in case there's a hidden passage or something we can use."

They accepted his decision and ended up ransacking several small libraries nearby. Joker's eyes were drawn to a particular book in each room, and he trusted his gut again by taking each of them with him. Shadows guarded these, but they put up little opposition to Warlock's silenced pistol, or to their combined efforts, respectively. In total, after searching each room, Joker had taken three books: The Queen Book, The Slave Book and The Beefcake Book.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," Skull groused, as he opened the third of them and saw countless pictures of a shirtless Kamoshida with grossly-exaggerated abs. "Steroids, much? Who the hell does this guy think he is?"

"The king of a castle?" Joker quipped, taking them back to day one.

Skull harrumphed. "Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up. I was right, wasn't I?"

"Unfortunately."

As it transpired, Joker found a small bookcase in the antechamber with a hundred books dedicated to the "art of bodybuilding", as some of the titles proclaimed. There was a gap there, and Skull slid the book inside with disgust, dislodging some type of ruby as he did so. That made his eyes light up, and Mona stored it in his pouch.

There was one final door in the area, but it was locked. This one also sported a demonic minotaur statue beside it, but unlike those they'd encountered before, there was no chain. Instead, there was a circular groove, clearly meant for some type of unlocking mechanism. Anxiously, they looked over their shoulders at where the Shadow still stood in waiting.

"Guess we got no choice now," Skull muttered.

"Yeah, the key for this door will probably be down there," Mona said.

"Why wouldn't Kamoshida just keep it with him?" Warlock asked with confusion. "Is he a complete arsehead or something?"

"It's probably so his guards can get around," Mona shrugged. "Hey, count your lucky stars when they come. I'm not complaining."

"True, it sorta feels like we've earned a lucky break for once," Skull said.

"I feel like you've just cursed us or something," Panther sighed.

Indeed, when they decided to engage the Shadow, it turned out to be no run-of-the-mill battle. The creature it took the form of was an enormous, purple-skinned demon with horns, and it… it was…

"Why is that Shadow sitting on a toilet?" Warlock spluttered.

No one had an answer for him, nor could anyone explain why the Shadow launched its attacks by screwing its face up, clenching and apparently trying to fight off a bout of constipation. As it did so, an ominous red glow came over it, and Warlock felt something warn him that its attacks would cause considerable damage if they hit now. However, before he could relay a warning, the Shadow's eyes glinted, and it fired a shard of ice each at the five of them, and no one was fast enough to dodge. Four of them were hurt to varying degrees, but Panther was flung to the ground with a cry of pain, and the Shadow's eyes lit up again. It moved for a follow-up attack, and Warlock quickly cast a blue shield around her, which nulled the Shadow's offering.

"Now, I'm pissed off," Panther declared, as she clambered to her feet shakily. She withdrew the submachine gun they'd bought for her and flicked the safety off, then squeezed the trigger. A veritable wave of bullets flew at the Shadow, and her aim was remarkable; not a single one strayed off course. The Shadow grunted as the bullets tore into it, and the last one brought it to the ground. From there, they rushed forwards, and Panther led the following beat-down with her whip. All of them got in a few strikes, but hers were the heaviest, and the demon creature disintegrated with a pathetic groan after she struck it a final time.

With that, Panther held a hand to her heaving chest, trying to regain control of her breathing.

"I didn't realise those things could be so tough," Skull winced.

"Yeah, we need to be more careful," Mona warned. "Are you okay, Panther?"

"That really hurt," she whimpered. She withdrew the bottle Joker had given her, popped the lid off and swallowed the concoction inside. Whatever made up the medicine seemed to work a treat, for she breathed a sigh of relief and shut her eyes in satisfaction. "Much better," she nodded, and her voice was free of its pained catch. "This stuff is amazing!"

"I'm just glad we have it," Joker admitted quietly. "Warlock's- well, you know. She's amazing."

Warlock smirked and inclined his head, knowing it already.

---

Their path from that point on was a series of gruelling battles, and they made good use of Joker's grappling gun to zip out of trouble on more than one occasion. In a large, cathedral-like room, they caught a glimpse of the gymnasium, which was a point of reverence for Kamoshida. There, they fought an angelic Shadow that liked to spam out attacks with its sword, and it even claimed to have been laying in wait for them, which was ominous.

Kamoshida was not a trusting person – that much was the understatement of the century. However, when they killed the Shadow and a dozen others suddenly appeared in its place, Joker felt that the king was perhaps the most paranoid son of a bitch he'd ever met. In fairness, he had good reason; he knew they were gunning for him. Without a word or even attempting to fight this crowd off, he grabbed Mona and zipped to the upper floor, whilst Warlock immediately took Skull and Panther in his own peculiar way.

"Holy crap, that was nasty!" Skull choked, as he and Panther returned to human form.

"I told you," Panther said primly, shooting Warlock a glare. "What happened to warning me next time?"

"I felt you'd be happier just to get out of that mess alive," he scoffed, which made her look embarrassed. He also took a second to regain his breath, likely the effort of taking two people at a time.

"Oh. Fair enough," she said sheepishly. "Thanks. And thanks for the shield earlier, by the way."

"Don't mention it."

Joker led the team through the bowels of the castle for some time after that, and they came across a number of treasures to take with them for profit, along with a second map that he folded inside the first. There were more battles too, which he felt were growing repetitive in nature, but none of them were stupid enough to think this would be easy. All of them were knocked down at least once, and he felt like their nerves were becoming frayed by the injuries they bore, but still they soldiered on. Joker had a painful ache in his shoulder from where he'd been struck by an armoured knight with a spear, a Berith, but he tried to walk it off. The real highlight of the next hour or so was uncovering a bizarre double door covered in vines; from the room inside emanated a creepy sort of whispering, as though a cognitive version of Kamoshida was speaking to himself. Joker dared to slash the vines off the door and pushed it open.

Inside was a pedestal, upon which sat an elongated skull. Not the kind that liked to talk shit to his enemies, either; no, this looked like a real skull, with a plant growing out of the top and a mysterious red light emanating from within the eye sockets.

"A Will Seed," Mona said, his eyes lighting up. "This is a very rare find!"

"What is it?" Warlock asked curiously.

"Palaces are born from desire," Mona reminded them, as he switched into 'lecture mode' once again. "Just as safe rooms are born from gaps in the cognition, so too are there areas where the ruler's desire has coalesced into something stronger instead – namely, a Will Seed. This isn't as valuable as a Treasure, but we should still take it with us. It might have some use. I think there are two more; something in them is calling to me, so I should be able to sense their presence if we get close enough. Keep your eyes peeled!"

And so, Mona stored it in the pouch around his waist. They found another soon afterwards, this one hidden at the top of a tower. Joker had grappled up to retrieve it, while the rest of them waited below. He had grabbed another skull on opening the door and then returned to them as quiet as a spectre. After that, they braved the tower itself.

On entering the tower, things took a dramatic turn, and the floors were moving about in what Mona called a physical form of distortion.

"This is evidence of Kamoshida's desperation," he declared, on witnessing the spectacle for the first time. "He wants to snuff us out very badly indeed, so he's trying to turn the very nature of the castle itself against us. Don't fall into one of those holes, or you might be lost forever."

All of them were nervous after hearing that, but Joker's thief sense allowed him to guide them through the rooms safely. This tower was enormous in scale, stretching high above the entrance of the castle itself, and their way inside had been difficult, but things were no easier now in terms of Shadow presence. If anything, they were even worse than before, for groups of the creatures patrolled about menacingly, almost none of them ever alone. From here, they made a group decision to avoid combat wherever possible, and carefully snuck around their foes instead.

"We need to find a way up to that door," Joker murmured, as he peered out from behind the corner of a mass of black ooze, which had solidified on the ground. There were no stairs, but watching the patrol routes had shown them that one had merely to approach the area, and they would flitter into being. The problem was, there were three guards in the room, and they would undoubtedly notice this happening. Even Warlock's silenced pistol wouldn't be enough here.

"A distraction would be useful," Warlock said quietly, as he looked between the door, a nearby window and the Shadows. "I can draw them away and you guys run for the stairs."

"Dude, that's crazy!" Skull exclaimed as quietly as he could. "You can't take on three of 'em by yourself!"

"I don't plan to," Warlock shook his head. "I'm going to take the scenic route instead."

"The hell's that supposed to mean?"

Warlock grinned beneath his mask and told them of his plan. Personally, Joker thought he was off his rocker, but none of them had a better solution, other than to fight with all of the Shadows at once in order to progress. With hesitation, he acquiesced.

"Do it," he nodded. "But be careful, okay?"

"Always," Warlock nodded, and then he vanished behind a nearby pillar.

The others got ready to run, with Joker in the lead. Silently, he waited for the signal. Then, after he'd taken a deep breath, Warlock emerged from behind the pillar and fired a bolt of curse-powered energy at one of the guards, causing it to topple over with a cry. The two that remained did not stand on ceremony; they charged him immediately, and he jumped over a nearby banister onto the lower floor, which also drew the attention of the guards down there. There was the sound of a scuffle, and those patrolling the upper floor quickly bolted down the stairs to help out.

"Let's go!" Joker hissed. He led the others towards the door, and the stairs materialised from thin air like building blocks. They darted up them immediately and then through the door, and there was a sound of smashing glass just as Joker slammed the door shut and locked it with a deadbolt.

Moments later, the window behind them was shattered inwards, and everyone flinched. Warlock flew inside and landed next to them with a roll that made him wince.

"That was an adventure," he groused, before standing up shakily and brushing shards of glass off his cloak.

"How'd you smash the window when you were all bird-like?" Skull questioned.

"I didn't. I retook human form in midair and crashed through the thing. And yes, it hurt like hell," he added, as Skull opened his mouth to ask another question. The blonde shut it again without a word.

Their next obstacle came moments later, when Joker tried to walk through an opening and was almost skewered by an enormous axe that swung towards him, hidden from the side. There were half-a-dozen of them in a row, and they swung back and forth like pendulums with seemingly perpetual motion. Their movements were erratic, so it would be impossible to dart through without being harmed, or worse.

"We need to disable this to get through," Mona said after trying and failing to find a way around.

"No, we don't," Warlock shook his head. "The path to the right is blocked, but if you look closely, there are small gaps between those distorted pillars, near the roof. A human can't get through, but I can take everybody two at a time."

Panther gulped. "Do we have to?"

"An enemy probably has the key for this," Joker mused, as he tugged on the 'jaw' of the statuesque lock that was shaped like Kamoshida's face, with missing eyes. Nothing happened. "Either we follow Warlock's plan, or we go back downstairs and fight every Shadow until we find the eyes. It feels like a no-brainer."

"Joker is right," Mona nodded. "We shouldn't be taking risks and using up our energy when we don't have to. Let's just get through this. Are you sure you can get us through those gaps? I mean, I'm not even sure I could fit."

"I doubt that," Warlock snorted. "Cats are basically liquid, as the joke goes. In any case, you can't fly, so there's no choice. And yes, I'm confident I can do this. Observe."

With that, he grabbed Mona and Joker, and directed his flock – or murder – towards the gap he had indicated. They could fit through one at a time, and it took some careful direction of his power, but he was finally able to get them through, where he promptly redistributed Mona and Joker on the ground, after seeing there were no enemies nearby.

"Bleh!" Mona exclaimed, his eyes almost white as he spun around in place. "That was awful!"

Joker, to his credit, merely winced and stood upright, his hands tucked into his pockets. "Thanks for the lift."

"You're welcome," Warlock said. "Now that we know there are no Shadows, I think I'll take the same approach as last time."

As Joker watched, he pulled out his pistol and shattered the window with a few place rounds, then dived through it and took raven form in the air. It was almost surreal how casual Warlock was about the whole thing, and Joker felt he was enjoying the experience of flight. Warlock reappeared moments later with Panther and Skull in tow and deposited them on the floor.

"That wasn't quite as bad as last time," Panther winced, as Skull tried not to retch. "Maybe it gets easier with practice."

"Hey, it doesn't affect me," Warlock shrugged, which earned him three identical glares and a pointed look from Joker. He coughed lightly.

They pressed on.

"I'm getting a strange feeling," Mona whispered excitedly after a moment. "One of those doors must be nearby! Follow me!"

Joker let the feline take point, and he led them down a hidden elevator nearby and then through a secret compartment that brought them back to the entrance hall, which made him wonder at the topography of this place. From there, Mona unveiled a lever they hadn't seen on their initial pass of the room and scurried forward to hit it when no one was looking. He quickly jumped back behind the portrait of Kamoshida, where the others waited.

"I think that's done it!" Mona exclaimed. "Look over there!"

He pointed at a wooden lift that seemed to pop into existence, leading to the bowels of the castle. Joker felt that Mona was uncharacteristically worked-up by this discovery, as he again bounded ahead and beckoned for them to follow, which they did with some confusion. Before someone could ask why he was so interested in this – probably Skull, in a rather insulting way – the elevator lurched and shot downwards with an incredible speed, almost causing them to lose their balance. When it stopped, they found themselves in a cavernous area, almost like something one would find below the castle dungeons, etched into the belly of the earth. The waterfall Joker had seen on his first visit to the castle seemed to end here too, where it pooled into a lake beneath them.

There was another door covered in vines nearby, but this one was different; a Shadow stood menacingly outside, and Joker knew it would not be a simple battle from its posture alone. It exuded confidence and determination, and was garbed in golden plate mail armour.

"Are these Will Seeds worth this shit?" Skull whispered, as he peered around the corner from behind a crate. "That guy looks tough…"

"I don't know what'll happen when we have all three, but they must be valuable if Kamoshida has conscripted such a powerful Shadow to guard the final one," Mona said. "Besides, you're a Phantom Thief! Can you really let an opportunity like this pass you by? Aren't you curious to see what'll happen?"

"Course I am!" Skull protested. "Fine, let's do it!"

Joker ensured they were all ready, then darted forwards to engage the Shadow. This was a risk, but he couldn't deny the surge of adrenaline coursing through his veins. He was curious to see what would happen with the final Will Seed in their possession, and he was starting to enjoy combat. Was this an alter ego of sorts? Surely Ren in reality would never like to be in mortal danger, but here… Joker was in his element. Maybe the presence of Arsène was affecting his heart in this way too.

"Hmm, so you are the trash sneaking around King Kamoshida's castle!" the Shadow declared. "You are fools if you think I will let you pass."

"Who are you calling "trash"?" Panther demanded.

The Shadow leered at her. "Heh. C'mere, girlie!"

With that, it warped and transformed into the most disturbing sight Joker had ever seen. The monster was green, short and unmistakeably… phallic. It had the texture of sludge brought to life and given a gaping hole for a mouth, but with that shape… he tried not to shudder, even as Panther shrieked beside him.

"Bloody hell, that's fitting for this place," Warlock muttered.

Panther didn't stand on ceremony; she immediately unleashed Agi, the flame spell she had become proficient with, but the Shadow barely even registered the impact. It seemed to cackle and then launched itself at her, catching her in the chest before any of the others could respond. She staggered back and cried out in pain, or was that disgust? Joker wasn't sure. Probably both.

He called for Arsène and used the Persona's physical attack, but this too went almost unnoticed. Damn, the thing was tough.

"Payback time, kid," it laughed, before using the same attack as before, this time on him. Joker was prepared, and although he couldn't dodge in time, he brought his arms up to shield his head, which helped lessen the impact. It still hurt, and he grunted.

"Okay, this dickhead is obviously going to keep using that same attack," Warlock said, when it tried to hit him next, but missed.

"Please don't call it that," Panther pleaded.

Warlock ignored her. "Mudo!" he intoned, this curse skill different to the one he had used twice on Kamoshida, although Joker didn't see how. Either way, it had no effect, and the Shadow laughed again.

"That all you got?" it demanded.

"Gah, this guy's pissing me off," Skull snarled. "Captain Kidd!"

This time, the Shadow was knocked to the ground by a bolt of lightning, which seemed to surprise it. It let out a pained cry and sat there, dazed. Skull's attack had obviously gotten through its robust defences, and Joker felt they were lucky. The thing had distracted itself by gloating.

"Give me your strength," Joker demanded, as they ran up on the Shadow with weapons drawn.

"I don't think so, dumbass," it growled.

Joker shrugged. If it was going to be uncooperative, then so be it. He nodded to Skull, who led a literal beatdown of the Shadow until it disintegrated into a puddle of slime beneath their feet, causing Panther to tut with disgust.

"I am so done with this place," she declared. "Can we please go?"

"Not yet!" Mona reminded her. "Look!"

He pointed at the door with glee, and Joker approached it cautiously. He unbuckled his knife and slashed away the vines surrounding it, then pushed it open with a creak. A third Will Seed sat upon a pedestal within; besides the blue hue of its eyes, it was identical to the others they'd collected. Joker picked it up and nodded, then chucked it to Mona. All of a sudden, a blue aura flickered over each of the team, and Warlock sucked in a breath.

"I don't know about anybody else, but I feel slightly rejuvenated after that," he said, flexing his arms. "Those things must have some type of healing property."

"For real? Sweet!" Skull grinned. "How come we didn't notice it before?"

"It must be barely noticeable," Mona frowned. "Not something we can rely on, but a small boost. Still, that can't be it… I was sure something would- whoa!"

The three Will Seeds suddenly shot out of his pouch and began circling one another in the air. All of them took a step back, and Joker's hand tightened around the knife he still carried. And yet, he needn't have worried. The skulls seemed to come together into one, and there was a flash of light. When it cleared, the three had been replaced by one solid chunk of crystal. It was a bluish-grey colour, and the three 'faces' of the Will Seeds jutted out prominently on different sides, giving it a bizarre appearance.

"Now what?" Panther asked. "Is it… safe?"

"I think so," Joker murmured, as he grabbed the floating crystal. It felt heavier than before, as expected, but ultimately no different to the separate Will Seeds. "I don't know if that changed anything, Mona."

"Hmm… maybe there's more to it," Mona said. "At the very least, we should take it with us and investigate later. It must have some use!"

"Here," Joker said, as he handed it to the 'cat'. "How are we on time?"

"Coming up on three hours," Warlock said, after checking his watch. "We may be pushing it."

"The Treasure is near," Mona said. "I can almost smell it. Can you keep going?"

"Okay," Joker nodded. "I'll take the risk."

Sorry, Sojiro.

Thankfully, they were indeed near the end of their infiltration. On re-entering the tower, they took the last remaining path, snuck past the Shadow guarding the entrance to the throne room, and wound up before a final safe room. Joker noted it on the map and then looked up at the balcony above his shoulder. It was easy enough to scale one of Kamoshida's perverse statues, and then they dropped into an alcove.

They were inside the throne room.

"How have you still not found them?!"

"Kamoshida…" Panther muttered. They got on their hands and knees and crept along the walkway towards the centre of the room, where they could peer over the balcony.

"Holy crap," Skull breathed.

Kamoshida was right below them, perched on an ornate throne in the heart of the room. There were dozens of Shadows postulating themselves before him, a veritable army.

"We are searching, my liege. They are cunning," one of the Shadows replied.

"They're nothing but worthless rats! Find them!" Kamoshida commanded.

The Shadow bowed, and then indicated to those behind him. As one, they turned and began to file out through the double doors.

"That was a close one," Warlock murmured.

"Quick, follow me!" Mona hissed, indicating to the others from just up ahead. They quickly and quietly crawled after him, ignoring the deranged mutterings of Kamoshida below them. Mona led them through another door, and then closed it behind them as silently as he could.

"This is amazing!" Panther exclaimed, as they caught sight of the piles of gold, precious stones and trinkets littering the floor. It was unimaginable wealth.

"What's that wavy thing floating in the air?" Skull asked, pointing at a hazy mass nearby. It was peculiar; not solid, but not liquid or gas. It almost looked like some sort of plasma, but there appeared to be a solid object in the centre, obscured from view.

"That's the Treasure," Mona beamed.

"Huh? That thing's the Treasure?" Skull asked, turning to look at him with confusion. "It don't look like nothing valuable."

"See the shape in the middle? That's the Treasure's true form," Mona said. "We need to make it materialise next, and we can only do that in the real world by sending a calling card. Our work here is done for today - we've secured a route to the Treasure."

"Wait, hold up!" Skull said. "What d'you mean, "calling card"? Doesn't he already know we're after him?"

"Huh, that's a good question from you, of all people," Mona said. "I'll explain it when we get back. We can't hang around here or we'll get caught. Come on!"

After some careful backtracking past Kamoshida, Warlock had the idea to fly everyone straight from the tower window to their infiltration point, which made the others sag in relief. Joker hadn't thought of the possibility himself, and was grateful for his friend's quick thinking; that likely saved them a lot of time and effort, especially if those Shadows in the throne room had replaced the ones they'd defeated on the way there. Being in Warlock's 'spell' wasn't a pleasant experience; Joker felt like his insides were being spun around as he flew without any control, and it wasn't at all comfortable being so… 'non-human'. He spared a thought for Mona, point in fact.

However, for the sake of a few seconds of discomfort, they were able to eliminate a great deal of danger, and that was a cause for celebration, not complaint. Before long, they were at the entrance. Warlock took some deep breaths and wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead, clearly feeling the effects of transforming so often. Thankfully, they were done for the day.

Joker was amused to see the Meta-Nav thank them for their hard work, ensuring the etiquette of Japan existed even in this other world. He pressed the return button, and suddenly the group reappeared outside of Shujin Academy, where night had fallen and the entrance was devoid of people.

"That was a great success," Morgana said happily. "We got in, found a bunch of stuff, and even secured our infiltration route to the Treasure."

"And no one got hurt," Ann nodded. "Well, permanently, I mean..."

"Oh, yeah! What happened to all of those treasures we found?" Ryuji exclaimed.

"They're right here," Morgana said, as he picked up a small satchel with his mouth. Ren took it and opened it, only to find several small stacks of Japanese yen inside, rather than the items they'd found.

"The hell? They turned into money?" Ryuji asked.

"Like with our outfits, weapons and even the way I look, those items looked different in the Metaverse because of cognition," Morgana exclaimed. "They were the sort of loot one might expect to find in a castle, but in the real world, they have an intrinsic monetary value, so…"

"Yeah, yeah! How much did we get?"

Ren counted the notes. "About two hundred thousand yen," he said.

"That's… less than what I was expected," Harry admitted with a wince. "Didn't we have some rubies and other stuff as well?"

"Maybe they were fake," Ann suggested. "I mean, Kamoshida isn't exactly the type of guy who'd be able to spot a real diamond, is he?"

"I suppose not," Harry sighed.

"You're getting too worked up over this," Morgana said. "Look at it this way – after we divide this up, you'll have forty thousand yen you didn't have this afternoon. That's not bad for three hours."

"Well, when you put it that way," Harry grinned, and Ren chuckled at the excitement all of them had when he split the money and handed it out. It was hardly what any of them had gone into the castle for, but getting paid to take down Kamoshida felt almost as good as the karmic justice of the situation. He'd come to Tokyo without a yen to his name, so this was a very pleasant change of fortune.

"Let's all go home for the day," Morgana suggested. "We have to send a calling card next, but I'll explain all of that tomorrow."

"Got it. I'm pooped," Ryuji said with a yawn.

Ren was too, and he was glad to go back 'home'. He only hoped there wouldn't be any trouble with Sojiro for being out so late. In fact, maybe it was time he started thinking of a way to bridge the gap that obviously existed between them. If he was able to do that, things would become a lot easier, both in his personal life, and in what they were attempting to do.

---

Author's Notes

Sorry for the delay with this one. I recently moved to New Zealand for a year on a working holiday, so all of my time and effort have focused on that. Also, this was difficult to write in places. It isn't as fast-paced as I thought it would be, and the intro is longer than I expected. I blame myself for telling you all earlier that "Kamoshida will be dealt with in chapter five". I won't be giving a timeframe like that again before writing the bloody thing, I can tell you.

Anyway, moving around in groups of four might work from a gameplay perspective, but it won't fly in this story because of common sense. Once the team grows larger, I'll have to think of how to handle it. Speaking of flying, Harry has always been a natural.

Joker didn't actually add an 'S' to the map, since they're technically speaking Japanese, but you get the point.

As for the loot they found, I've made the decision to have that change into money because of cognition, rather than have Ren fence it at Untouchable. I know that Iwai is morally grey and used to be in the Yakuza, but I can't imagine he would just accept bundles of stolen goods to try and sell, not when you consider what the MC actually brings him. It's hilarious if you think about it, because you can actually sell him diamonds, other weapons and random items you find, and he never questions where you find any of it. Again, it's good for gameplay purposes, but not so much for this story.