"Hmmngh..."
Standing outside the hotel and just on the entrance of an alley in order to not be spotted by patrolling IPC units, Acheron was rubbing her forhead with some mild discomfort and ache. She wasn't expecting that the very little sleep she had this night would end up affecting her.
"Many nights in blank and only this time I feel tired for lack of sleep." Acheron grunted as she rubbed her own eyes. "How is this possible?"
"Hey, hey, Acheroni!" Morte appeared from behind, walking torwards her. "How was your night?"
"Like any other." Acheron replied in some bad mood, trying to hide the dark circles unde her eyebags from Morte. "What took you so long anyways? I've been waiting almost an hour for you to get out of the hotel." She questioned him, having been out of the hotel way earlier than Morte.
"I was just shaving my face, Acheroni. Can't rush a man's business." Morte answered, gaining a puzzled from the Self-Annihilator.
"You? Face shaving?" Acheron doubted. "Apart from those sideburns, I don't see any facial hair in you." She put the hands on her own hips. "Did you seriously took an hour to just refine the sideburns?"
"That's where you got it wrong! I do have facial hair." Morte smirked, passing a finger on his own face. "It's just that I make sure to shave it to a point its nigh imperceptible, Acheroni."
"Hm? Really?" Acheron raised an eyebrow.
"Truthfully real." Morte replied. "You can go and touch my face to check it yourself."
A bit curious to see if Morte was being honest, Acheron gave in and brought her fingers to the man's face, sliding them in the area where he would supposedly have a beard. And surprisingly enough, Morte was saying the truth. "Oh." Acheron's fingers felt the smooth and yet a bit coarse texture of Morte's face skin, sensing all the individually, nicely cropped facial hair in her touch. Morte seemed to treat seriously his own skin care, which was a funny detail for someone who smoke, drunk and wore clothes like a homeless addict.
"See? I told you so." Morte said as Acheron continued to pass her fingers on his face.
"I see..." The soft and yet prickly texture of his shaved face mesmerized Acheron a bit like a cat who was obsessed with passing its claw on scratchy surfaces. It felt new to her. And so, the Emmanator of Nihility continued, and continued, and continued, and conti-
"Alright. I think that was enough." Morte grabbed Acheron's wrists and took her hands away from his face, getting a bit bothered already from Acheron's almost obsessive finger touching.
Composing herself, Acheron snapped out of it an coughed. "Hmngh! Y-Yeah. Good for you to at least have some hygiene." She then looked forward to the town's main square. "We should be going now. Seele and Luka will be waiting us at...what was the name of that place?"
"Rivet Town?" Morte replied, remembering it to the forgotten Acheron.
"Yes. That place." Acheron speaked, about to step out of the alley once she saw that the cost was clear from any IPC soldiers. Yet, before that, she still had something hovering on her mind that she would like to ask to Morte. The topic that left her inredibly awake during almost the entire night. Morte knowing her true name, Raiden Bosenmori Mei. That whispering moment never having left her mind for a second during the entire night. Not even now. The whole thing with the fly and the dead man that came before it too, it all felt bizarre and tense to Acheron. How could he just outright say her actual name and leave with no explanation? No elaboration. There definetly had to be something more about Morte for he to know her true name. Perhaps a type of connection to her?
Whatever it was, Acheron's mind was too focused on it to let it pass the opportunity to Morte. And if there was a better moment to make that question, it would be now. "However, I want to make you a ques-"
"Yeah yeah. I can carry you to our destination, no problem." Morte interrupted Acheron as he suddenly picked her up.
"?! H-Hey! What are you doing?" Acheron asked in surprise as Morte gave her a piggyback.
"Economizing our sweet time from useless strolling!" Morte replied, putting his hands on Acheron's knees. "Right! Now, the way to Rivet Town should be..."
Acheron tried to object. What do you mean 'economize' our time? Just put me back on the grou-"
"Ha! This way!" Morte proceeded to jump torwards the village's rooftops, much to Acheron's slight annoyance while on his back, heading to Rivet Town faster than expected.
"And right here we are!" Morte landed on the ground after having runned from a location to another, he and Acheron having arrived to their destination in no less than under thirty seconds.
Getting off Morte's back and putting her feet on the ground, Acheron felt a bit dizzy to how fast Morte travel was. "Next time...make sure to warn me at least." She told him, stabilizing her balance.
"Noted on the list." Morte made an 'okay' sign to Acheron with his hand before noticing Seele and Luka more far up-ahead, waiting for the duo. "And look! Spunky-girl and boxer-boy are right there!"
"Let's go reunite with them then." Acheron replied, both she and Morte heading to the other duo who didn't took too long to notice the other two arriving.
"Glad you came!" Seele greeted them with a smile.
"And right on time!" Luka added. "I was already thinking we'd have to do this alone."
"The hotel just couldn't help but have comfy beds." Morte stretched his arms sideways. "Truly five stars!"
"Thank you for the recommendation of that place." Acheron told to both Seele and Luka. "But now, let's begin searching for Sampo. Or did you already found him?"
"Not yet." Seele responded, looking ahead to Rivet Town's entrance. "We've been waiting for you to arrive so that we could start looking for that idiot together."
"Ooh, how generous." Morte said with a fake appreacting tone, putting a hand on his chest. "Anyhow, we better start the hunt for that poor fool."
"You bet it!" Seele said, wanting to go in already. "The quicker we find him, the better!"
"And today must be our lucky day even." Luka told them. "From the gossip me and Seele listened, it appears the IPC today decided to relocate the units that were patrolling this town to the mines. Meaning we're gonna have all of the town to ourselves to explore!...Apart from some of the Stellaron creatures that is."
"That's wonderful news. It can facilitate our search." Acheron replied and seeing that there was nothing more to point or discuss, she proceeded to look to the town's entrance. "Let's go!"
Entering in the almost ghostly area of Boulder Town, where there was no inhabitants aside from the monsters, the group of four begun looking out for Sampo.
"Since you know this Sampo person better than us, where do you think he usualy hangs out?" Acheron asked for possible guesses from Seele and Luka.
"There is an arena not so far from here. It was always abandoned most of the times, being a place that used to be of testing ground to the machines our ancestors here in Belobog used to create and test in order to fight the enemy. But now, with Jarilo-VI's borders open to the outer space, some guy from another planet ended up bying the the area and remodeling it into an arena from what I recall." Seele answered to Acheron, sharing with her a piece of lore from Belobog and the planet tied with the place she mentioned.
"Sampo has been going there frequently. Probably to do his 'business'." Luka continued. "So if anything, he will most definetly be there or on his way there. All we have to do, is walk on the right path to there that we will find him!"
"And what if he knows we're searching for him?" Acheron questioned, finding suspicious how so far, Rivet Town was completly deserted of monsters too as they walked on the streets. It was too good to be true. "What if he's trying to ambush us?"
"C'mon now, Acheron. You seriously think a guy like him would be able to take four of us at the same time?" Morte speaked, softly knocking on top of the Self-Annihilator's head. "Use your head a little!"
"I was just pondering the risks." Acheron said in an emotionless and bothered face.
"Pff! It's Sampo we're dealing with!" Seele responded, not taking Sampo as that serious of a threat. "He might have a silver tongue and be cunning, but one good punch and he's out!"
"The problem is that we most likely won't be dealing only with him but with Sparkle as well." Acheron brought up the one she suspected to be the main culprit of making Bronya suffer with nightmares of her deceased mother. "We have to be on alert for her too."
"Oh right, that girl you mentioned yesterday!" Luka said, scratching the back of his head. "Buuuut, how dangerous is she anyways?"
"Just a clown girl living in her clowny world." Morte responded.
"More unpredictable and dangerous than, Sampo. Trust me." Acheron gave a more serious response. "She won't think twice before causing actual harm to people as pranks."
"Oh, so one of those psycho-type girls." Seele said, grumbling. "Egh! I can already imagine the annoying smile she must have."
"Not only her smile but psyche as well. We have to be extremely careful with her." Acheron advised to Seele and Luka. "If she's really the one behind this, then no doubt she has done it with the fact someone will try to look for her in mind."
"I see. So she's definetly more dangerous." Seele took note of that. "Tsk! I know you two are of help and I don't wanna sound ungrateful but...I wish the Trailblazer was also here to help."
"No offense taken." Morte knocked on his own chest. "Heart as rough as stone here!"
"You know the Trailblazer too?" Acheron asked.
"Personally? Yes, I do. Friends with him/her and even have his/her number on my phone!" Seele smirked to Acheron. "I sure know that if the Trailblazer was here, maybe this whole situation would've been resolved some time ago."
"And he/she would surely resolved it in the most wild possible you'd ever seen!" Luka chuckled and smiled. "That guy/gal is a crazy unpredictable one! Happy to have him/her on my contacts as well!"
Acheron expressed a little smile. "Funny. I too have the Trailblazer's contact."
"So what I'm getting here is that the Trailblazer is a swell person who lets everyone and everybody have his/her phone number?" Morte shook his head in lament. "Ah, I'm feeling so left out now..."
"It's very easy to get the Trailblazer's number once you meet him/her." Seele told him. "Altough, I sometimes think his/her phone is hacked. Like, how can he/she have that many people's numbers?"
"Beats me. Certainly one of the universe's most greatest mysteries." Luka crossed his arms.
"I've messaged the Trailblazer recently but he/she said that the Astral Express crew would be currently occupied as they would go to a new planet called...Amphoreus or something?" Seele poked her forehead. "I guess it was something like that!"
"That at least explains the lack of messages as now I surely know he/she is occupied for good." Acheron now knew what exactly the Trailblazer was up to. "Amphoreus uh? Curious. Never heard about that planet before. Wonder what is like."
And as the four of them walked, it didn't took them very much to-
"I see him!" Luka exclaimed, pointing to someone that was walking more ahead, passing in the middle of two houses. That someone being Sampo. "Alrigt guys, let's do this with-"
"SAMPO!" Seele shouted highly, alerting the petty thief. "YOU ASSHOLE HAVE SOME EXPLANATION TO DO!" Having no calm, she begun to furiously run torwards Sampo.
"Oh crap!" Sampo said in fright as he begun to try and run away from the raging Seele.
"And there goes the element of surprise." Morte shrugged his shoulder and shook his head in 'dissapointment'.
"Still, it ain't like we're going to let him get away!" Acheron put a hand on her sheated sword, wanting the rest of them to keep up with Seele.
"Yeah! Let's catch him!" Luka responded as they all begun to chase Sampo down.
And needless to say, the thief was rather scared as hell, being chased down by a furious Seele being one of the worst things. "Why does this always happens to me only?! And I just wished for a normal day today!" As he was fleeing with all the energy his legs could muster, Sampo ended up accidentaly stumbling and falling. "Woah!?"
"Ups! My bad." Morte snickered as he had made Sampo stumble by simply putting his leg in front of him, having appeared in front of the thief out of nowhere.
And not very much after, Seele quickly approached nearby, with Acheron and Luka coming right after.
"Huh? How is he already here?" Luka questioned in surprise, thinking Morte was running alongside them.
"Think that for later!" Acheron replied, seeing Seele jumping torwards Sampo.
"You son of a bitch!" She cursed, brigning up her scythe and descendings its blade on the ground near Sampo's face.
"Eep!" Sampo gulped, feeling entire chills running down his nerves as he was surrounded by all four of them. "W-W-Wait Seele! I don't know what I did wrong but I can explain!"
"Then start explaining. Or else I'll break your right leg." Morte said as if it was a normal thing to do.
"Eeh!"
"And I'll break the other one!" Seele added, impatient.
"Eeeeh?!"
"No one will be breaking any legs here!" Acheron said, slightly scolding both Morte and Seele. "We just want to ask you one thing: where is Sparkle?"
"Sparkle? Why do you wanna see her?" Sampo was puzzled, not quite understanding it.
"We've heard you've been hanging around with a girl of that name recently." Luka explained. "Being the guy that you are, I bet you've been up to the recent news about Bronya."
"Huh? Bronya? What is there about Bronya?" Sampo said, being actually clueless to what was happening to the Supreme Guardian, resulting in Seele to menacingly put the scythe closer to him.
"I'll give you the news then idiot!" Seele looked down at the scared thief. "You, like everyone else, knows that Bronya has been very absent from the public. What you and the rest may not know, is that she's been having terrible nightmares, 'dreaming' of Cocolia, being tormented and wounded by her."
"W-What?! Bronya's having nightmares with Cocolia?" Sampo reacted in huge surprise, being the first time he was hearing such thing. "That sounds awful and i certainly feel bad for Bronya and all but...what does that exactly have to do with me?!"
"We have a suspect of who could behind Cocolia's impersonation and Bronya's nightmares." Luka revealed to Sampo. "And while the suspect we have isn't you, it is someone related to you."
"Sparkle." Acheron cut to the chase and immediatly said the name of the suspect. "Due to her abilities of copying other people's appearence, we think she might be the one behind that case. So, since you were accompanying her yesterday, we believre you might think where she is."
"So you better give us a straight answer right now if you don't want to piss me off further!" Seele threatened Sampo, making it clear she wanted an answer about Sparkle's whereabouts from his mouth right now.
In response, Sampo gave a nervous smile. "Hum...Well, funny you say that because...I don't know where Sparkle is right now?"
"I warned you!" Seele grabbed Sampo's neck, not being on the mood for his mannerisms.
"B-But I'm telling the truth!" He insisted to Seele. "It has been some few hours since I last saw her! Why people have such hard time believing me? What wrong have I done to them?"
"..."
"..."
A question that was met with both judgemental and deadpan faces from Seele and Luka.
"I was hoping for this to be just a normal day like many other! And now I'm being interrogated and pinned down against my own will!" Sampo complianed, trying to make the group feel pity for him. A very hard thing to do. "Also, why are you two here?" Sampo questioned Acheron and Morte. "I thought you guys were just tourists so why are you with them?"
"We just wanted an excuse to ruin your day." Morte told blandly with a smile, at least being what he wanted to do.
Acheron just gave a slight bothered look to Morte before focusing on Sampo again. "They asked us for help, so we offered them. When was the last time you've saw Sparkle today?"
If it meant they could let him free, Sampo responded. "If I recall correctly, I think she talked about going to-"
"Hush there, Shampoo!" Morte immediatly speaked, gesturing with his fist in the air as he turned his face to look to the other way.
"Huh? Why the sudden hush? What's the deal?" Luka asked Morte, confused.
"He's right." Acheron put a hand in her sword, having sensed the same as Morte as the silence and quietude of the abandoned town dawned on them. "Something's nearby."
Looking to the path from where they came, the group soon saw a wave of stellaron monsters appearing. Not only that, but the monsters also appeared from the path ahead, leaving them with nowhere to run.
"It's a trap!" Seele exclaimed, letting go off Sampo and drawing out her scythe.
"Now I see why things were so quiet!" Luka closed his mechanical hand into a fist. "Guess it's time for a good punching bag session! Let's wipe the floor with these guys!"
"Oh gosh!" Seeing the situation get an unexpected bad turn, Sampo tried to sneek his way out without them noticed, only to be stopped by Seele as he took his very first step.
"You ain't going nowhere!" She said, making sure Sampo would stay in place. "At least make sure to help us!"
"Hmm, how many enemies ahead do you see, Acheroni?" Morte asked to the Self-Annihilator standing next to him, Seele and Luka taking care of one side while he and Acheron would take care of the other on.
"Twenty." Acheron took out her sheathed sword.
"Oh, I'm impressed on that fast answer!" Morte smirked, scratching his chin. "Thought it would take you more time."
"I know how to count." Acheron slightly narrowed her eyes. Her mind could be mostly forgetful and oblivious, but not to that point.
"You sure do. Anyways!" Swinging and twirling his scythe a bit, Morte pointed his weapon at the enemies ahead. "Let us reduce that number to zero!"
And so, the battle broke out, the party fighting off the stellaron monsters in order to clear the way. On Acheron and Morte's end, things were going smoothly, the dup having minimum to no trouble at all fighting the wave, every stroke and hit of their weapons equalling to one or more enemy down. It was absurd how they fought in complete synchrony, Acheron being the quickest of the two while Morte would deal the most harsh damage. All in all, the challenge for the duo felt like nothing more but mere child's play.
But the same could not be said to Seele and Luka that were having some 'help' of Sampo.
"These things really don't seem to give up, do they?" Luka said, trying to back them off.
"We at least got some down! We got to dispatch off the rest quickly!" Seele replied, parrying some attacks with her scythe. "Also, hell Sampo! Can you try and help us here?"
"Hey! I'm doing the best I can!" Sampo replied in a hurry, taking out some bombs and throwing them at the enemies, hoping that it would kill some of them.
Despit their best efforts and experience of being in battles, it was clear that the trio weren't as much of seasoned fighters like Acheron and Morte were, having way more trouble in dealing with the opponents. So much so, that Seele was already getting tired first than the other two.
"Tsk! Damn these monsters! Can't they just die?" Seele clashed with a stellaron monster, surprisingly losing the duel, ending up falling to the ground "Kgh!"
"Seele!" Shouting, Luka came to her aid, punching and knocking out the enemy away. "What's happening with you today? You're usually not sloopy when fighting! Don't tell me you haven't actually slept tonight!"
A bit embaressed, Seele adverted the gaze of her friend. "Well...I might have slept three hours."
"Seele!" Luka shouted in indignation. "What did I told you about getting some rest?!"
"I tried alright!" Seele shouted back, getting up from the ground. "It isn't easy when a person that I care about is being harmed and tormented through her nights!" She justified her lack of sleep and rest with the concerns about Bronya once again. "But I can still hold on my own just fine! Watch it now!" She then sprinted torwards the stellaron hunters, taking two down with the swift movements of her scythe. However, the girl was very reckless for her own good, ending up being surprised and hit by an attack on the back, wounding her on the shoulder, resulting in Seele to fall defenseless on the ground "Ghgh!"
Luka tried and went to help her again, ending up being stopped by some enemies. "Tsk! Out of my way!"
"That girl never had the brightest mind, did she?" Sampo also tried his best in trying to reach Seele, but to no avail so far.
Down, Seele tried to pick up her scythe again, unaware of an enemy appearing behind her, ready to land a fatal blow.
"SEELE, WATCH OUT!" Luka yelled, warning his friend of the enemy behind her.
"!" Yet, the only thing the girl could do was to just turn around and yelp as she wouldn't have enough of reaction time to grab the scythe and block the incoming attack. It was much likely over for her.
Acheron however, was about to step in.
"Be blessed."
"Huh?" However, the Emmanator of Nihility gave up on it when she heard Morte's voice, the large imagery of him appearing behind the injured Seele while doing a heart sign with his fingers. Sharp skeleton hands sprouted from the ground in that moment and surrounded Seele, emanating a pale green light within them.
"Eh? What's this?" The girl asked with an addled reaction as she felt all her pain and fatigue expelled from her body, the wound in her shoulder being miracously healed. "My body...it doesn't feel that tired anymore!"
"Oi, spunky girl." Morte speaked, appearing right in front of Seele, his back turned to her as the enemy in front of them felt confused and weakened, dazzed, before being brought down with a simple slash of Morte's scythe. "If you'll spend the time lamenting and moaning about your girlfriend, then perhaps you should've stayed with her instead of coming." He called Seele out for her haphazard performance so far before looking back to her. "What's gonna be? Be deadweight or give these freaks a lesson?"
"..." Taking insult to Morte's words, Seele decided to make it fuel out of them, immediatly getting up from the ground, her own scythe in hand, wanting to prove Morte wrong. "I'll show you what I can do in no time, jerk!"
Morte smirkes slyly to that. "Keh! Go and show how it's done then!"
And so, Seele went once again dashing torwards the enemies. This time, her body and mind weren't bearing any exhaustion, with Seele now executing her attacks more perfectly and swiftly, slashing down the enemies left and right.
"Wow Seele! You really got all fired up, haven't you?" Luka said with a cheerful smile while Sampo stared impressed by his side.
Acheron also observed Seele dispatching all of the stellaron monsters in quick time. It was as if the girl's overall abilities and performance had been enchanced, having no longer the lack of sleep and rest affecting her. Shortly, Acheron gave a side-glance to Morte, noticing how he was showing a small contented smile at Seele's display. "You did more than heal her, haven't you?" She said to herself, knowing that Morte had a direct hand on how Seele was fighting now.
"Dissapear among the sea of butterflies!
Illusions of the past!"
Slashing down all of the remaining enemies, Seele ended with them in a flash with her scythe, having cleared all of the way. A prideful smirk on her face as she proceeded to stare at Morte. "So? How's this 'deadweight' for you?"
Morte chuckled, clapping. "Not bad, not bad. With that said, I think you're deserving of an eight as the final score."
"Just an eight?!" Seele protested.
"Too generous. I'd give her a seven for that fumble at the beggining." Luka added.
"Maybe a six if we take her rude behaviour into account." Sampo also played in.
Seele poutted in anger, her head fumming. "Grrr, you people-"
"Pay them no mind." Acheron put a hand on the other girl's shoulder, having walked torwards her. "You've done greatly." She told to Seele with a warm smile.
"Eh. Thanks." Seele smiled back to Acheron.
However, things weren't over yet.
"Looks like we got more company!" Luka turned around alomgside everyone else, expecting to fight more stellaron hunters.
"Hm?" Acheron however got a bit surprise when she and everyone else saw that the enemies that appeared in order to fight them now weren't random monsters. "So that's how it's going to be." She got herself prepared for the fight, watching the clones of Black Swan and Adventurine appearing in front of the party, planning to opppse them.
"Huh? Who are these two?" Seele asked, never having seen neither of them before in Belobog here.
"Oh! I've seen those two before!" Sampo said, having previously met with Black Swan and heard about Adventurine while on his short trip to Penacony. "One thing is certain! They most likely aren't here for tourism!"
"Sparkle's machinactions most likely." Acheron tool a step forward. "The two individuals that you're seeing aren't actually here. These are just fake impersonations she created of them."
"Hehehe, I see that my dear Galaxy Ranger is with an intuition as keen as ever." The clone of Black Swan giggled, imitating perfectly the Memokeeper's voice while speaking to Acheron, trying to unsettle her.
"How about we make a gamble out of this fight?" The clone of Adventurine also speaked, showing off some chips on his fingers.
Acheron didn't respond to the comments, remaining as ready as ever to slash her enemies down even if it were copies of peple she was in good terms with.
"I suppose you want the seer purple lady over there." Morte said, also taking a step forward, standing next to Acheron. "If so, then l guess that leaves me with the cocky blond."
"Careful. Despite being copies, they can still be dangerous." Acheron warned Morte, altough deep down she felt he was more than capable to deal with the impersonation of the IPC young man.
"Mentaly noted." Morte responded.
"And what about us?" Seele asked to the two, also wanting to step in and fight.
"Stand on the sidelines and enjoy your breaktime." Morte told her, finding no necessity for her, Luka and Sampo to aid them. "Watch true seasoned fighters now."
Thus, the duo of Acheron and Morte fought against the clones of Black Swan and adventurine respectivelly.
Acheron moved as nimble as ever, easily dodging and cutting through the fake Black Swan's memetic attacks. The Self-Annihilathor knew that the true one was never that much of a fighter but still, this copycat of hers paled in comparison to the true memokeeper's skills. It didn't take long for Acheron to quickly approach her and slice through the card the fake Black Swan had put as defense, easily finishing her off. "This is the best you can imitate of Black Swan's abilities, Sparkle? What a bad joke."
At the same time, Morte was also having the upper hand on his fight against the fake Adventurine. No matter what the gambler tried to do, his attacks couldn't even hit his opponent as Morte would parry them with ease. In a question of seconds, Morte had landed a great blow on the copy's chest. "What an hassle..." Morte said in slight dissapointment, having expected more of a challenge. "Time to end this." Closing his very own eyes, it seemed Morte was waiting for something. For a typr of sound...
*Thump Thump!*
Hearing it from a certain distance, Morte grinned. "There you are." It was all that he needed to put a closure to the battle. With scythe in hand, he unpredictably decided to throw it forward, ending up defeating Adventurine's copy as it slashed through him, going all the qay torwards the wall of some nearby stairs.
"Kgh!"
Behind the stairs, a female grunt was heard as a girl fell from her hidden place, being revealed to the group.
Sampo and Acheron immediatly recognized her.
"That's..!"
"So you were hidding there all this time."
"Uugh! You're no fun in a hide n' seek, are you?" Sparkle whinned as she got up from the ground with a hand on her head, slightly annoyed that Morte managed to discover her so easily. "But congratulations I suppose. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to run away from here before the comequences of my actions catch me, hihi!" Gigglimg cutely and clumsly, the masked fool immediatly tried to flee from them.
"Oh no you won't!" Acting fast, Seele tackled Sparkle with thunderous speed, bringing her to the ground.
"Ow! Get off of me you idiot! Is this your way of approaching people on the street?" Sparke struggled against Seele, trying to get away from her.
"Nice one, Seele! Keep her down!" Luka said as he and the others approached.
In no time, Sparkle was contained, having both her hands and feet tied up, being confronted by the party with a pouty displeased face. "Did you seriously needed to have me tied? It isn't like I alone could win against all of you."
"Security measures and you know it." Acheron told her, keeping an eye close on Sparkle. Even if she was restrained, they had to watch out for her in case she pulled a trick out of nowhere. "If you at least want to go free, ask to some of our questions first."
"Great. A quizz..." Sparkle grumbled, bored.
Wanting the masked fool to take this seriously, Seele stomped her foot near Sparkle's face. "Listen here you irritating asshole! You will answer the questions no matter what! And you better pray that I don't demolish you if I discover what you've done to Bronya in these past few weeks!"
"Eh? Bronya? Who's that?" Sparkle frowned, not feeling intimidated at all. "Sorry. I don't generally care about disposable people at best-?!"
Getting enraged by Sparkle's backhanded comment, Seele acted out of impulse and tightly grabbed Sparkle's neck, chocking her. "You dirty sneaky-"
Thankfully, Luka, and even Sampo, tried to hold her back.
"Pay her no mind, Seele! It's obvious she's only saying that to provoke you!" Luka tried to calm down her friend.
"Yeah! Don't you think killing is at least going too far? We aren't in Vanitas!" Sampo told her.
" 'Vanitas'? What is that?" Luka asked to Sampo.
"The planet rumored where the dead can come back to live. Or something amongst those lines." Sampo explained to Luka as both managed to cool down Seele, backing her away from Sparkle.
"A planet where people come back from the dead?" Acheron thought, fiding such place to be peculiar while watching Luka and Sampo calming Seele. Meanwhile, Morte was just occupied smoking his cig, not paying that much attention to the conversation so far.
Sparkle laughed at Seele's anger. "Hehehehe! What's the problem? Did I touched a nerve of the poor grumpy girl?" Letting out a sigh and a face of 'sorrow' Sparkle begun to lament. "And you still decided to attack poor, innocent me who was all defenseless and restrained? How barbaric!" She said pitifully, squirming in her ropes. "Sparkle is just a whimsy funny girl wanting to spread laughter to everyone and everywhere. Yet you brutes are now treating me like a disgusting monster. I even fear what you might do to me if I don't comply now that I'm soooo defenseless." She said, not exactly trying to garner any sympathy from them, just wanting to annoy the party.
"We're gonna make your body spin a thousand times in the cold snow." Morte said without a care, smoking his cig.
"What kind of stupid torture is that?!" Sparkle exclaimed, incredulous, thinking someone like Morte had far worse in mind.
"You can drop with that act already. Nobody's falling for it." Acheron crossed her arms while looking down at the masked fool. "First, tells us what you were doing today."
"Nothing of suspicious, officer." Sparkle said with mockery. "I just decided to go and try out that stupid Aetherium something Wars." She then gave a look to Sampo. "Which by the way, it sucks! Thanks for wasting my time recommeding me to try it out, Sampo! Now you won't even help your companion to get free? Talk about a dissapointing friend!"
Sampo meekly smiled, scratching the back of his head while staring to the other masked fool. "H-Hey now, I thought you would love doing something funny for once. As in, no harmful fun or anything!"
"Still, it is very clear you tried to ambush us with those stellaron monsters. Why did you do that?" Luka questioned Sparkle about that.
"Oh, that? Well, it was actually a trap I had setted for Sampo." Sparkle admitte, giggling.
"Say what?!" Sampo almost shouted in shock.
"Eeeh, why exactly?" Acheron asked her. "Isn't he your travelling companion?"
"Just did for the funsies, y'know?" Sparkle giggled. "Like a prank! I mean, can you imagine Sampo just walking all hapilly and joylly on the streets and then BAM! Enemies surround to attack him! The scare he would get would be priceless!"
"And you still want me to feel bad for you now?" Sampo said, apalled by how shameless Sparkle could be.
"As long as we can have fun and laughs, there is no bad in it, is there?" Sparkle sticked her tongue out in a silly way and blinked.
"I subscribe that." Morte shortly commented.
"So today you weren't doing anything so far. But what about yesterday? And the day before? And the week before?" Seele pressured Sparkle to answer.
"Excuse me. Those are a lot of questions. I can only take one question per time." Sparkle said with a snobbish face. "By the way, why were you even looking for me in the first place?"
"Because lately, for the past two weeks, the Supreme Guardian of Belobog, Bronya, has been having nightmares with hallucintions and injuries from the figure of her deceased mother and previous Supreme Guardian, Cocolia." Luka explained to the mask fool. "Because of it, she hasn't appear to the public in the meantime yet, being locked in her own room. And we're trying to do the very best we can to find a cure to it."
"And once we heard about you, that you have abilities to make near perfect replicas of other people, we decided to take a shot and presume you could be the possible culprit who was hurting Bronya behind all of this!" Seele concluded, her voice getting agressive at just remembering of the complications Bronya was going through.
"Ah, I see now." Sparkle said, now having the context. "Well, as much as I would've loved coming with such plan like that one..." She smugged with a side-eye, resulting in Seele to slightly raise her scythe. "...'fortunately' I promised to scaredy-cat Sampo here, that I would behave nicely in his home planet and do 'bad' things. As well as that I've arrived to this freezing hell of a planet only yesterday."
"She's speaking the truth I'm afraid." Sampo corroborated Sparkle. "Me and her have only arrived to Jarilo-VI yesterday. So Sparkle couldn't be the one tormenting Bronya for two weeks straight with the appearence of Cocolia. This is also her first time in Belobog!"
With that explanation, Acheron realized the mistake. "So that means we..."
"You've been on a wild goose chase. Bravo and very smart detective skills from you." Sparkle said, rolling her eyes with dullness. "Now that is done, can you idiots free me?"
"Don't judge me. It was her assumption." Morte pointed to Acheron with his thumb, having been the one who suggested that Sparkle could've been the culprit in the first place.
"Well, it made some sense at the first glance, didn't it?" Acheron justified. "But if it ain't Sparkle, who could it be?"
"So we're back to zero? Just like that?" Upset, Seele punched a wall nearby. "Dammit!"
"Of course that it couldn't have been that simple!" Luka also expressed his frustration. "Perhaps we're making this situation more complex than it is."
"Are you implying that all of Cocolia's appearences so far have been a product of Bronya's mind? That she's going insane?" Seele looked at Luka as if he had said something egregious. "That we should just give up?"
Luka tried to defend himself. "I-It ain't like that See-"
"Well, I am!" Morte said all of a sudden, shocking the rest.
"What?" Seele stared to Morte.
"I mean, don't get me wrong, spunky-girl, but me and Acheroni here had only agreed with helping you and boxer-boy for the time being. Meaning that anything past of this point ain't of our business." Morte explained the reason why he was deciding to stop. "We thought we had the culprit. It wasn't her. It was enough of a try. Also, we did this for free and everything!"
"..." Acheron wanted to complain and refute Morte's decision, but she understood from where his points were coming from. Morte was a person that would hardly do anything for others out of good-will, having been insisted upon him by Acheron herself to aid Seele and Luka. But now that they hadn't found the actual culprit, it was obvious Morte wouldn't be compassionate enough to continue helping them.
"So that's it? Are you that heartless when other people are going through a rough time?" Seele said, trying to punch Morte, only for her fists to barely even reach his chin as the man himself simply hold her back by putting a hand on her head while Seele uselessly attempted to hit him.
"Aren't we all?" Morte took another breath from his cig, proceeding to then expell out the smoke from his mouth. "Why would I care about the O So Mighty Supreme Guardian if I never met her in the first place nor she means anything to me? You like abusing of others people's generosity, don't you?" He said, pushing Seele away.
Stumbling a bit, Seele managed to hold her balance. "But I care! What do you know about me and Bronya?"
"That maybe, you aren't being as great of a lover as you think you are." Morte said without any caution, bluntly.
"!" Seele cleenched her teeth in irritation.
"I mean, take a step back and think about it." Morte gestured with his hands. "You yourself stated that your girl is passing through very though times these past few weeks. That she's suffering so but SO much! And yet, instead of comforting her right now, you're here throwing tantrums at the slightest inconvenience." He then begun to act. "She's all like 'Oh, Seele! I'm in such pain! Please, come and hug me! I need you!' and you can't stop but instead go into a paranoia about the corpse of her mother walking around."
"..." As much as Seele wanted to scream and hit him, Morte's words were really making an effect on her to just stay in place. No one else commented or tried to step in to shut Morte as well.
"Maybe, your dear Bronya is really just feeling the symptoms of overwork, stress and exhaustion." Morte walked torwards her, his figure towering Seele. "But have you ever asked her about that? Have you for once took her health in consideration?"
Seele tried to reply, having clearly thought about Bronya's well-being many times before. "I-"
"If you done so then you aren't naking that great of a job." Morte immediatly shut her down, a sense of guilt growing on Seele's chest. "How about you put a stop to this vain hunt for once? Then you can spent more time with your girlfriend in doing actual stuff that will make her feel better. Like: building a snowman, doing snow angels, eating ice cream, ski- Hell, whatever the shit you guys do in this place!"
"..." Lowering her head, the hair covered Seele's eyes, as she felt the harsh words being blown against her. That maybe Morte was indeed right. That she was failing Bronya. "I...I just wanted...I just wanted Bronya's pain to go away..." Bitting her own lower lip, Seele couldn't help herself but to start sobbing, tears running down from her face. "I want her to get better..!"
In no time, Luka tried to console her. "Seele. Seele! Look at me. Don't waste those tears now alright?" He put both his hands on her shoulder, trying to talk with her. "Save them from when Bronya gets cured. I know you care about her more than anything else in the world."
Even Sampo felt distraught watching Seele crying. "That was...a bit harsh."
"I find it funny." Sparkle replied with a smirk on her face, enjoying the verbal humiliation Morte gave to Seele.
Meanwile, Acheron stared to Morte with a glare of dissaproval, with Morte trying to ignore it, making Acheron stare at him more intensily. "Really? Did you had to tell her all that?" She reprimanded him.
"Hey. Sometimes we just gotta hear what we don't want to." Morte replied to Acheron. "And you know that well, don't you, Acheron?"
Acheron let out a frustrated breath, knowing that Morte was most likely right. "Still, you don't need to reprehend her like that."
"The naked truth is always more effective." Morte said coldly, not feeling ashred of empathy from Seele's tears. "Given how her life must have been down here so far, she'll soon realize that, if she already hasn't."
"Whatever then..." Acheron closed her eyes briefly, accepting that there was no way to make Morte think differently about that. With the situation seemingly peaceful and controlled, the Self-Annihilator went back to think about the question she wanted to do to Morte earlier today. With things maybe 'resolved', Acheron's curiosity and hunger to know made her deem this as an appropriate time to make the question. "Listen, Morte. I have a thing to-"
"Gyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
From afar, the entire group listened a loud scream. Someone was in danger.
"A scream?" Luka looked around, puzzled, after having conforted Seele.
"it seems to have come more to the north section of the town." Sampo deduced its source.
Immediatly giving up on her tears and sadness, Seele quickly rubbed them away from her face, her mind now focused on the scream. "Someone needs our help! Let's go!"
"Well, Acheroni, don't forget what you were about to tell me, got it?" Morte smiled to her, having presumably been saved by the 'scream'.
Understanding the unexpected situation, Acheron decided that her question would have to wait for later, the entire group now heading to the origin of that scream and help whoever could be in danger...Almost everyone.
"Hey! What about me? Helloooo? I'm still restrained!" Sparkle exclaimed and complained, struggling against the ropes, not believing that they indeed let her behind like that.
That was until Acheron came by and swiftly cut the ropes tying Sparkle, freeing the masked fool. Before Sparkle could even get up or do anything, Acheron grabbed her by the arm and pushed her up. "You're free but you better follow us and help us. Don't do anything tricky or suspicious while at it, got it?" She left the warning clear to Sparkle.
The masked fool giggled in response, shrugging her shoulders. "Oh well, dementia woman. If it means I can laugh more with your bunch then count me in!"