Delve Deeper to a new Hell
The minute Maine and Dorio left, David warped straight to the Velvet Room and zoomed directly to his room, only to fall back onto his bed. Dealing with Maine left him beat and exhausted.
It was a good kind of tired though. He finally paid back Maine, and came to an… understanding with the big man. One gig with him, and he's clear. He didn't know if the big man intended to pay him for his part in it but it didn't matter in the end. "The debt will be paid, and I'll be free to…" He wasn't sure.
David wanted to settle things with Maine, and he did. His goal was complete, and as a bonus he dealt a blow to Katsuo that he'll never forget… Sort of. 'Okay, he wouldn't even know it happened, because of metaverse logic, but semantics.'
Looking up to the ceiling, he thought back to the night everything changed. He didn't really think much about the supernatural elements in play, between how he teleported in and out of the Velvet room and Avernus, to Igor and Regalla themselves. They looked human but were clearly something else, something more… something beyond human nature. 'Inhuman or not, Igor's helped me and kept his word. So what now?'
His thoughts were interrupted when the door to his room opened. seconds later, Igor entered. "I must congratulate you on your victories. One in your first Palace, and another in achieving the goal we set."
David didn't feel as pleased. "Yeah… I did." it was what it was.
Igor hummed in thought. "Are you displeased by that?"
David decided to ask about something else that's been on his mind. "What's next?" Igor merely tilted his head in response, so David sighed and went on. "What's the next job? I wager you got something in mind."
Igor seemed to pick up on that. "I know for certain that there are… supernatural forces that have taken root in this world. Ones that you may, eventually, encounter. But that's a discussion for later. For now, I think I can give you a new objective."
With a snap of his finger, Igor sent another bit of data to David, who read it aloud: "Inferno: Dis Clearance.' Next level then? Sounds simple enough."
Igor chuckled. "From what I know of the floor, it won't be. I recommend you meet with your comrades before venturing there."
"And after that? After I waltz around the 2nd, 3rd and so on Level? What then?" David guessed there was some end game to Igor's goals.
Igor raised an eyebrow at that. "I'm not sure I follow."
David sighed and rose up. Still seated on the bed but looking right at Igor from his spot. "You chose me, but to what end? Out of all the Why Did I have to lose her for this to happen? WHY did she have to DIE!?"
David was ranting at that point, but took a deep breath and calmed down. "...Don't get me wrong, I… I'm grateful for all you've done for me. But I still think you're up to something."
"Ah, I see now… You think I tricked you, or will trick you." Igor shook his head, feeling nostolgic at saying the word 'trickster.' "I made my intentions clear before: You're gonna make something of yourself in this city, something that will change this city for the better. And if you happen to defeat a world ending Threat in the process, the better."
"Excuse me?" David thought he misheard the old man, but the look in his eyes made it clear he did not mispeak, especially about a world ending threat.
"Never mind that." Igor dismissed it with a smile. "Contact your allies and go to the second floor. The five of you should be able to at least see what the next level has in store for you." With that said, Igor left.
'Five? There's four of us.' Groaning in defeat, David laid back in the bed. If Igor wouldn't say more, he'd have to find out later. He just opened his calls, and contacted Lubbock.
Lubbock: [ Dude! Are you dead or what? ]
David: [ I'm alive, dumbass. I sent you a text didn't I? ]
Lubbock: [ A text… a stinking TEXT? You think I'm gonna trust a text to know if you're alive? Get out of here Martinez. ]
David sighed. The guy had a point, even if David won't say it to him.
Lubbock: [ What happened anyways? ]
David: [ Got things settled with the big guy. He shot his gun, I caught the bullet, its fine- ]
Lubbock: [ What do you mean you caught a fuckin' bullet?! ]
David: [ After I caught it, and gave him the refund, I made it clear he's not getting the Sandy. He agreed to let it go in exchange for me helping him and his crew with an upcoming gig of theirs. ]
Lubbock: [ Huh. I'm surprised you agreed to help him out. Guy seemed like a dick. ]
David: [ My mama worked with him, so they had history. I'll help him this time to honor her. ]
Lubbock: [ That's… honestly sweet. I'll back you when the time comes. But I kinda ran into a… complication. ]
The Latino just raised an eyebrow at that before a new voice entered the call.
Saeko: [ Hello Again, David. ]
David: [ Saeko? How'd you get into this call? ]
Saeko: [ I got your number after I threa- I mean convinced Lubbock to share. ]
Lubbock: [ Oh, is that what you're calling the near impalement you gave me? ]
Saeko chose to ignore the greenette's complaint and continued.
Saeko: [ I am glad to hear you're still alive. Will you fight me now? I'd very much like to finish our fight, preferably in the metaverse. ]
David: [ I need a lot more context before I agree to anything. How'd she find out? ]
From there, Lubbock summarized how Saeko ambushed them, both IRL and in Avernus.
Saeko: [ I look forward to working with you and the others. ]
David: [ Yeah? And why should I let you on the crew? ]
Saeko: [ Because you know I can fight, and Also, it means I can fight you once more. ]
David just groaned at that. 'That would make five. Damn it Igor.' Saeko seemed like a nice person, though he felt it was in part an act. The vicious fighter he saw glimpses of during their fight… that seemed more real to him. 'Still, having another fighter on the team could never hurt.'
David: [ Alright, I'll give your a shot… and finish our duel. ]
Saeko: [ I await your call with bated breathe. ]
David got up and grabbed his jacket. 'Rest time's over. Back to the grind.' A new level awaited them.
_Avernus_
Saeko spun around, gazing at the hellscape of Avernus. She could only imagine the kinds of demons- no, Shadows David called them- that she could fight. monsters that manifested as creatures, characters and figures from all across human history, all foes she could fight. The possibilities were without end. She could hardly wait to get to use her Persona.
She stood in her own metaverse outfit. She walked like a samurai but her outfit made her fit the archetype of a kunoichi, a female ninja. Black gauntlets and greaves with light green undertones; baggy Hakama pants of similar black patterned like scales; a dark green scarf around her neck. Her waist was covered in mesh net, while her top was a black bra in the same scale pattern as her pants.
Her mask was bone white with an angular shape, like a hawk's skull. At her side was her katana, along with a shotgun strapped to her back. With her sword, she'd tear into the creatures of this dimension with her shotgun, she'd blow them to bits! She couldn't wait-
"So how do we go down?" Her fantasies of battle and bloodshed were cut short when Ryuko asked her question. The five of them met up again at her family's inn before departing to the first layer of hell.
Each of them reacted differently to her inclusion. David seemed hesitant to fully trust her, but willing to give her a chance. Lubbock was naturally weary of her. Ryuko flat out disliked her for some reason. Kirishima seemed cool with her, being the friendliest towards her.
At Ryuko's question, David coffed. "I, ah… I'm not sure." At Ryuko's blank look, David continued. "Look, the old man didn't give me a handbook for how this place works. He just gave me a data shard that said I could go down to the next level. He called it Dis."
"Maybe it's just thought activated." Lubbock said. "You think about going there, and a portal opens up or something."
"Yeah, that could be it!" Kiri added. "It could be like the wormholes in space, bringing things from one place to another."
Lubbock just grinned. "I was thinking more like Transformer Space-bridges but that works too."
"Alright then." David spoke aloud, getting their attention and ending their speculation. "Gather up. I'll try to focus on Dis, then we-"
"Hold on." Saeko interrupted. David turned to her. "I know this next step is important, but can we finish our match first?"
David mulled it over. "...We should explore Dis first. Once we're done, I'll fight you. Sound good?" Saeko beamed at him, satisfied.
"We really taking the battle hime with us?" Ryuko asked loud enough so they all heard it. Saeko wasn't at all bothered at being called out, and just smiled at the shorter girl.
David sighed, expecting this. He pulled Ryuko aside and whispered. "Yeah, it's a risk. Girl's motives are unknown, other than that she likes to fight. We'll give her a chance."
Ryuko frowned at that, but nodded. "Fine." She didn't like it but would go with David's call. If the new girl proved a problem, she'd put her down if needed.
It didn't help that the hime girl was giving off the same vibes as her… 'no that bitch was NOT family.'
When the two rejoined Ryuko went with her usual threats… until Saeko cut her off with a smile. "Threats of violence only work against people who fear violence. Do you think I fear fighting you? I want to fight you."
Ryuko bristtled at that. "And I'll kick your ass if we do, so don't try crossing us!"
Saeko shook her head. "I'm here for a battle against monsters I could only dream of. Working with you guarantees I get to fight them all."
With those words said, the five of them gathered up. Saeko moved in between David and Kirishima. Ryuko joined on David's right, with Lubbock beside her. David closed his eyes and focused on Dis. When he did, he felt something rise up, trying to reach them. But it felt like it was blocked. He focused and got a message in reply:
[ Too far from Styx. attempt again once in range ]
David blinked at that. "Anyone know what Styx means?"
Ryuko looked around, saw a stick, grabbed it and showed it to David. The Lancer just shook his head. "Pretty sure it's not that simple."
O'Brian started mumbling to himself. "Styx, Styx… it's gotta be a name for something. Sounds vaguely familiar…"
"Wait, I think I know this!" Kiri cut him off. "It's a river in the underworld. I remember that from some Greek Epic a friend of mine showed me once."
Lubbock groaned at that. "Where are we supposed to find that?"
"I've seen it." Saeko said. The others turned to her, and she explained further. "When I first arrived, it was near the very river. It tried to swallow me… but I escaped, and gained a Persona."
Saeko started walking, with David and the others following after her. A few minutes of walking later, they came to a cliffside overlooking a massive river. David could make out a few…
"Are those faces in the water?" The Latino asked, dreading the answer.
Kirishima and O'Brian squirmed back at the sight, neither wanting to get close to it. Saeko didn't even flinch at the soul disturbing river.
"How did we miss this?" Ryuko asked, unbothered by the hellish river.
David shrugged. "Maybe we couldn't find it until we could use it. Hellverse logic is weird like that."
Ryuko nodded. "Yeah, that makes sense." she looked back to the two cowering guys. "Oy! You two get over here. David's gonna try again." The two guys did so, refusing to look at the river. Saeko just nodded and joined them in the circle with David.
"Hang on a minute." Kirishima said. "Before we go, shouldn't we give Saeko a code name? Like the rest of us?"
"Yes." Lubbock grinned. "Now for starters, I think Manic would-"
"Already covered." Saeko said. Lubbock wanted to argue about choosing as a team, but Ryuko shut that down with a stomp on his foot. Saeko continued. "While in battle, You may address me as… Karai."
David closed his eyes and focused on the code once more. This time, he got a reaction.
[ River Styx located. Commencing transfer to Dis ]
The world around them started to fade, and all five of them felt as if they were falling. The odd descent lasted for a few seconds before they stood in a new location.
Darkness was all that greeted them in Dis. They could barely make out the forms of each other, let alone their surroundings. From then on, code names were in use once more.
"Riot, can you use Agi to create a light?" Crosshairs asked. Riot tried to use the spell… but it didn't work.
"Hang on, I got something." Oni pulled out one of her mantis blades, and focused a Frei spell at the tip. The result was a small sparking orb of purple-blue light right at the edge of her Mantis Blade. "Everyone good?"
The five of them were still together, but without the light, they couldn't even tell. Dis was totally covered in Darkness, the stifling kind that felt heavy in the air. All of them equipped a
"We're we just need to-" He stopped as he noticed something. 'Danger sense is-'
Rex was struck by something fast, hard in the gut. It was faster than Danger sense could detect. He went flying, but recovered mid air and got a good view of the shadow that struck him.
Taller than he was by a few feet, with grey skin like metal, it was most likely some form of giant or oni. It had horns on its head, but no arms, as if they were ripped off long ago. 'Defeated Avenger' was its name.
"Ambush!" The lancer shouted, brandishing his spear. He slashed at the demon nearby, but to little effect. The Avenger struck back with its legs, kicking David hard enough to send him spiralling into the ground. Despite its lack of arms, it could still fight, and fight it did.
While he dualed his opponent, two more avengers attack the group. Karai already engaged a third one, keeping it away from the others. Riot held back the other, while Oni and Crosshairs took what shots they could at the Avenger.
Oni and Crosshairs let loose their spells… but they didn't seem to affect the creature. O'Brian tried again, but noticed that the darkness was… weakening their spells. "The darkness… it's protecting them!"
Ryuko tried slashing at it with her blades. She got in close enough to scratch its chest and face. As it flipped to kick her, She narrowly dodged another. "Physical attacks aren't working too well either!"
David managed a slash at the , and noted that it did more damage. 'What's going on here?' he thought as he evaded. His attacks were making headway, but the others weren't. 'But I've been using my spear, and Ryuko is roughly as strong as I am. So why-' he instinctively ducked out of the way of another flying kick, courtesy of his danger sense.
He shot a glance at Karai, who replied in kind. He rushed towards her and towards the turned back of the Avenger she faced. He stabbed his spear right into the avenger's heel, stopping it dead in its tracks. Karai then dealt the finishing blow. One quick jab through the heart, and the armless demon faded away into nothingness.
From there, it was easy for the two of them to overwhelm and defeat the first avenger he faced. The two went towards the other three, only to find that they had already dealt with theirs; Crosshairs and Riot bound the warrior while Oni decapitated it.
Before they could celebrate their win, they noticed them
"Rex, get us out of here!" Crosshairs shouted.
"Gather round!" Rex was glad someone else thought the same. They could take on a few of those demons but dozens coming in a hoard? 'Yeah, better to quit while they were ahead. Especially when hindered by the dark.'
Rex grabbed the others and, using the same method that sent them there, brought them back. This time, it felt like they were ascending, going back up to the first layer. Seconds later, the five of them fell down in the familiar ruined streets of Avernus. All of them collapsed, tired.
"The Light…" Lubbock said between breaths. "Dis was total darkness, so the demons who dwelled there had to be adjusted to the darkness. But when we came in with torches lit…"
"Like moths to a fuckin flame." Ryuko groaned. "They swarmed us. Those armless Avenger thugs just got to us first."
"Did anyone else feel… weaker?" Eijiro asked. "Like the darkness didn't just make it harder to see. It made it harder to move." Lubbock and Ryuko both nodded to that.
"I didn't feel it though." Saeko said. Ryuko just scowled at that.
"So next time, we go without bright lights." David made it clear.
"Oh yeah, It's That simple is it?" Matoi countered with a scowl. "How the hell - I don't care if that phrase is getting old - are we supposed to make our way through that place if we can't see-"
"Night vision goggles." Saeko suggested, cutting her off mid rant. "If we had enough for at least three of us, we could navigate the hell zone without attracting attention."
"Yeah, I'm with her on this." O'Brian admitted, much to the surprise of the others. "...don't give me those looks. I'm a great team player when I want to be!"
"We need to be better prepared. Saeko, call this techie of yours and see what you can get. O'Brian, if you have any friends with similar tech, call them. We'll try again once we have anything that lets us see in the dark." David wasn't going to let them get the drop on them again.
"Agreed. But for now…" Saeko drew her katana out and got into a stance facing David. "We finish what we started. I'm not stopping until we've had a proper battle!"
She wasn't surprised at all that David had already held his spear. The others backed away, moving to the sides to watch. Eijiro and Ryuko both recognized it was poor etiquette to interrupt a duel. Lubbock just knew well enough to stay away from the would-be samuri when she was feeling especially bloodthirsty.
David thrust with his spear, before spinning it around to force Saeko back.
Saeko willingly backed down, but only so she could charge in with her newly found power. "Run them down, Rhiannon!" Saeko didn't bother with a persona against the Avengers, apparently saving it for her fight with David.
Behind her, a pale skinned woman, skin nearly white, came forth riding a blue horse. With her at her back, Saeko rushed David.
David used his own Persona, Odysseus, and countered the cold with his winds. They exchanged blows dozens of times, David forcing her back while Saeko tried again and again to close the distance. David got a few piercing shots along Saeko's arm, and leg. Saeko in turn got a few shallow cuts on his hand and one that grazed his cheek. None of them were lethal, just stinging. For her, it was the best kind.
However something was amiss to her. She herself could lose herself in the lust of blood… but not David
Saeko frowned as they both disengaged. "You're not fighting to kill me, are you?"
David just gave her a raised eyebrow in response. "I agreed to a spar, not a death match."
Saeko 'tsked at those words. "You shouldn't hesitate against your enemies. Show me how you'll end those who'd seek to destroy you!"
David bristled at that but stood his ground, countering with his spear and forcing Saeko back once more. "I'm willing to spar with you anytime, anywhere. But death fights are out. I'm starting to like you, so I'd rather you stick around."
She'd heard words like that before, mostly from boys - she refused to see any of those corpo wannabe teens as anything but boys - who tried to seduce her. From them, it was pointless drivel. But hearing it from David made her back down with a slight blush.
David didn't notice it, but some of his teammates did. Ryuko and Lubbock just shared a glance; neither of them liked the idea of Saeko getting too close to David. They just sighed and got their attention.
With the impromptu duel settled - at least for now - the group headed back to the real world.
After their excursion, they got some food. They went to a bazaar in Kabuki where they could get some grub from the stands. Saeko knew a few of them who worked with or competed against her own family.
David decided to look around for a new apartment. He asked Lubbock to help him out but he refused to say anything or go with him, and was very adamant about it. David just dismissed it as him being a lazy dick about it.
But house searching could wait. He sat down against a wall and closed his eyes, drifting to sleep.
_The Next day_
He must've dozed off, cause he slept through the night. To his surprise, he wasn't mugged or robbed. He got up and stretched till he was fully Awake. Eventually, he got a call he was expecting.
Maine: [ Kid, you're up. ]
The message was short, but David understood. He got up and started walking. 'Time for my first real gig.'
Nice to be back to the writing board.
I can't really leave things unfinished. This is the 3rd work I posted, yet I can't really focus on my prior works until this one is… reasonably finished.
I think it's an internalized choice of mine after reading so many other good and great fics without proper endings. I know other fic writers who write dozens of stories without finishing one. I want them to focus on one or two I like, but know that's their choice, separate from my preferences.
I also get how it's hard to finish a story. Not just for fic writers but writers in general. It's a pain to put together, but when it's done right, you feel it in your bones and boy is it satisfying.
Also, for the STATS:
Rhiannon [High Priestess Arcana] Lvl: 13
Summary: She was the wife of Pwysh Prince of Dyved, and rode a steed of unmatched speed. The legend goes that Pwysh pursued her on horseback, but his mount could never catch up with her pale steed. She only slowed down when the prince asked her to do so. She promised to another man, but she hoped Pwysh . He agreed. After the two dealt with the trickery of Rhiannon's former fiance, the two were married. They had a son, who was taken and later returned to them, one named Pryderi, for 'Forgiveness.'
Strength-13 Agility-14 Endurance-8 Magic-8 Luck-10
Melee(- -) Fire(Wk) Electric(- -) Wind(- -) Frost(Nul)
Ranged(- -) Nuclear(- -) Psychic(- -) Radiant(- -) Curse(Res)
Skills
Bufu(Fr) = Light Frost attack agianst one target. 20 % chance of leaving the frozen.
Dream Needle(Sle) = R Poison Slash(Mel / Pos)* = melee attack
Imrpove Speed(En) = Increase Speed of one target by 50 %.
Lifesteal(Pa)* = when you deal damage to an enemy, regain 3 % of lost health.