Chapter 7:
(Tenth Floor! Whoo-whoo! Let's get this party started! I don't have anything to say right now, so let's just get into it. Enjoy!)
Eight shut his eyes and got ready for the next challenge. He noticed when he walked out, the name of this floor was called the "Layered-Rotator.Floor." He figured that had something to do with its coming enemy. Eight could see it from here, it was some sort of Jelleton that looked like some sort of reversed pyramid. He could hear strange—extremely off-putting noises coming from it. "I'm getting the heebie-jeebies, Eight. Let's hurry and check it out?" Pearl asked, almost a bit nervous. "R-Right. Let's advance." Eight walked to the cage and let it take them to the next platform. "What's up with this funnel looking thing?" Pearl asked. Eight landed on his feet, and he could see a search light lit up in this darkness.
"I'm not sure, but let's be careful around that search light. Eight, you're gonna need to attack the weak points around each layer." Marina advised.
"Understood!" Eight shot a path of ink to swim through and shrank into Octo-Form. He shot one of the first weak points and the layer to this rotator Jelletons was destroyed.
"Enemies inkoming, Eight! Jelletons, 9'o clock!" Acht shouted, the Octoling now dodging for cover, the searchlight was coming for him.
"Running and take cover!" Eight shouted to Pearl, while they quickly ran for cover from the searchlight. "Here we go!" Eight had to fight a few Jelletons off while keeping off the searchlights radar. He could still hear the noises of the Jelletons from that strange device. "C-Come on, let's hurry and destroy that thing! It's giving me the willies!" Pearl said.
"I thought…you received the h-h-heebie jeeb—" Eight tried to speak, but was interrupted. "Never mind that! Come on, let's book it!" Pearl shouted.
Eight tried to find a clear opening to take down the next few layers of the rotator, and shot each weak point he could. It didn't help that each time he tried to shoot one, the rotator would spin faster than it did before, and now all sides were spinning incredibly fast.
The noises were getting more distorted and more scary-sounding, Eight ran for cover, because he didn't know what that thing was going to do next!
"That can't be good! Watch yourself, Eight!" Pearl said, ducking behind the same cover Eight had. The rotator then launched a bunch of splat bombs! They blasted and covered the floor in black ink. "It's looking pretty wobbly. Now's the time to go in for the finisher!" Pearl said, "Good thinking, let's go!" Eight activated another Reefslider and rode closer to the rotator. The purple ink getting recovering its path. "It's starting to smoke, now's our chance!" Acht said, Eight looking more determined.
"Do NOT underestimate me!" Eight said, confidently and aggressively. He shot the last two rotators since their weak points were lined up at the same time. The Octoling managed to destroy at least one of them and tried to make a quick path to swim through.
"One more, Eight! Let's get this fish!" Pearl said, "Indeed!" Eight said, using a Reefslider to get him across to where the final weak point was. Those scary noises were suddenly silenced when Eight managed to destroy the final rotator.
The last and biggest piece of this enemy blew up in a huge explosion of teal-ish purple ink.
"We did it? Eight! Pearl! We did it!" Marina said, excitedly! Eight took a deep breath and was ready to head back. "All right, then, let's—" Eight and Pearl saw that a yellow light emerged from where the Jelleton once stood.
In that yellow light manifested a key of some sort. "Isn't this…a locking—ah…locking—no…locker key?" Eight asked, mixing up his words. "Yeah, looks like it. Come on, let's take it with us!" Pearl said, doing a front flip in midair.
(Back at the elevator)
Eight shut his eyes for a moment in the elevator. "Everyone still in one piece?" Pearl asked the group, but she mostly asking Eight. "I'm…finely…err…fine." Eight said, correcting himself. "Sweet! What even was that?" Pearl asked about the strange looking Jelleton monster. "Definitely stronger than any Jelleton we've seen. What did you pick up at the end? A locker key?" Acht was more curious about the locker key. "Yes, and it looks like we shouldn't be able to use it at the lockers outside the Spire." Eight said. "Eight, did you mean to say we "SHOULD" be able to use it?" Acht asked.
"Is that…not what I said?" Eight asked, a little confused. He sighed in mild irritation. "It's ok, Eight. Every other word was correct this time." Marina consoled her friend. "But still, this is interesting. Based on this, I think you'll get a key every time you clear certain floors for the first time with each Palette." Marina explained, showing her computer with a tab on the floor's layout. On the 20th floor showed another key could be unlocked. Pearl put her hand up to her "chin", "So…if we clear 10F again with another Palette, we get another key?" Pearl asked. "Exactly, Pearl! That said…I don't think we've wrung this Palette dry of keys yet." Marina said, pointing back to 20F. Eight brushed the side of his hair, Acht folded her arms, "Yeah, I expect we'll find more as we take this one further along." She said.
"Well, I'm sure if we fall here, we can return and look for anything else in the locker." Eight suggested. "But for now, we need to focus on eliminating Order." Eight said, "Slow your roll there, Eight! No need to be in a hurry." Pearl said. "S-Sorry." Eight apologized, returning to his stoic demeanor, he took a deep breath and looked at the floor options.
A vending machine corner was on top. In the middle was a Normal Difficulty level that involved chasing after Panicking Alla Mambo Jelletons and then there was something new on the Hard Difficulty floor at the bottom. "Huh? Yo, 'Rina, we get something extra on this floor?" She asked her friend, "Ah! You found a bonus floor! On floors like this, you get either a Color-Chip Saturation or a Bonus Challenge." Marina said, with Acht explaining that the Color-Chip Saturation fills the Palette with a lot of Color-Chips, but only for that floor, and that they all are randomly pick within the same tone as the chip picked. "All right, and the Bonus Challenge? I take that it gives more reward if you complete the challenge with an extra stake?" Eight asked, "Pretty much. You don't have to do it, but if you do, it'll earn you some bonus Membux." Marina suggested.
Eight thought about it, he looked at their current balance of Membux, and it seems to be at a great amount. And while the Color-Chip Saturation is good, it'll only last for that fight. "Well, let's focus on the long term. I'll pick this floor." Eight pressed the top floor. Which meant the next one was a Vending-Machine Corner. "Guess we DO need a breather." Acht said, "Be sure to look at some of the abilities available." Eight nodded, with Pearl following him outside.
(At the Vending Machine Corner)
Eight could see outside this room. It manifested itself as just a small hall with the vending machine right in front of him. "All right, we just need to check the vending machine for anything good." Eight looked on at the selection. He could see a Color Chip for the ink recovery at 500 Membux, an orange chip that boost the Main Weapon's piercing ability. And he found one that could change his Special to Ink Missiles. "All right, let's focused on our recovery rate…Taking down the Jelletons takes its toll on the tankers." Eight said, messing up his words. "Aww, if we could use an actual tank, that'd be BOSS!" Pearl said, "Also, Eight, you messed up a few of your words." Pearl said. Eight sighed, he seemed tired. "Y'alright, dude? Wanna catch some zzz's before we head up?" Pearl asked her friend.
"I-I'm okay, just…thinking…" Eight said, sitting at the edge of the bridge, watching the school of fish and everything swim by. When he got close to the edge, an orange digital shield came up. "Marina thought of this, too?"Eight asked himself, mostly.
Pearl was tempted to perch herself on Eight's head, but she decided she'd figure out what's bugging Eight. "Hey, you okay?" Pearl asked. "I'll be fine. Like I saying—s-said…just thinking." Eight said, "About?" Pearl asked, moving closer to him. "A lot of thang…th-things…" Eight said, more quietly. "My choosing in the Splatocalypse, if Palettes of other people we know are here, and…how much this…" Eight looked to his side. "I-I don't feel the need to disclose that last one." Pearl decided to start out slow on how to approach her friend. "Well, I'm sure 'Rina told you this, but this wasn't on you, Eight. That Order ain't the one you and Marina woulda been fighting for." Pearl said, "I know. But…I can't but feel ashamed of this. Almost like I had something to do with it." Eight was beginning to worry if he DID wish for everything to stand still. For color to fade, to be left unchanged. "Nah, you always wanted progress, to move on. That's what you always wanted, Eight. To keep going. To find new waves to move." Pearl explained, "'Sides, this ain't your fault, either. It's all that Snorder's fault." Pearl said, bluntly.
Eight smiled a little. Yeah, he always valued the progress of the world. Ever since he broke free, he had been experiencing freedom. He chose Order to keep moving forward. Eight smiled, seeing it was mostly thanks to Pearl that he loved the idea of a world of Chaos, too. "Seems I needed your Chaos after all, Pearl." Eight thought to himself.
"You're right. The best thing I do is keep moving…" Eight said, Pearl was smiling, although it couldn't be seen. "Noice! Yeah, let's get krakin', Eight!" Pearl said, walking back with him.
"Oh, and Pearl…" Eight looked up, with Pearl looking back at her friend. "'Sup?" Pearl asked.
Eight smiled, "Thanks for…listening and…taking the time to give a pep talk." Eight said. Pearl did a front flip. "No prob! I can't be lettin' my homie getting depressed on me, you know?" Pearl said, Eight chuckles a bit. "Yeah. Come on, let's go onward." He says. The Octoling realized he may have been putting too much pressure on himself, so he knew he needed a moment to relax. There are still more battles to come, but he's gonna make sure he's gonna keep on keeping on.
(Okay, that's all for now. Dude, I was like working on a few things at once and I still have stuff I'm working on, haha! I fell ASLEEP while trying to work on this last night! Anyways, I figured the Vending Machine Corner was a good way to end the chapter, and with a little bonding from Pearl & Eight. Anyways, I'll be back to post another one, soon! Stay strong & awesome!)
Matthew 5:11 KJV
Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.