Plundering the Booty (Alisa/Mission)

[Akira Nakajima]

Missions were fun things. And "fun", in this case, simply meant "valuable means of killing time". Getting fisted by Shadows, saving suicidal girls, and watching girls get felt up by tentacles could all be passed on if it meant a quick, easy, and safe job. While the boy in drag was honestly hoping this raid on the floating castle would, at worst, deal with a few nasty Shadows, probably knights, he figured that something needlessly complicated and annoying would rear its head. It was just how missions worked, it seemed. With a slight sigh and a nod to himself, the crossdresser leaned against the outer edge of the entrance to the structure.

The mission was supposed to offer a partner, so he just headed on out, as though he was going to explore again, before finally taking a break and waiting at the entrance. His scissors clinked against the wall as he yawned and looked around. He figured his partner would be Luka again. It seemed to typically be the case when it came to missions. He didn't necessarily hate it- she did her job well- but she really needed to talk with others a bit more. She needed to spread her wings and broaden her horizons. So, on some level, the boy did hope for a surprise whenever his partner approached.

[Ayakura Alisa]

I was looking for some more missions to take up, especially after how successful my last venture was. It was then I realized there was a potential mission to be taken at the floating castle. I had to take that one up, considering I had discussed prospects with Layla regarding entering the area. So perhaps, if I could go there now, then it would be advantageous for my information gathering. Plus, I might get something neat for my troubles. Nevertheless, I ended up making my way towards the entrance of the giant structure. I also recalled being told I would be the backup of another person who took the mission before this one. Scratching my head as I made my approach I realized that it was none other than Ran.

Spotting her looking around as she clinked what appeared to be her giant scissors? Garden shears? I couldn't tell from where I was. She clinked them against the wall. As I went closer to Ran, I called her out. "Yo, it looks like I'll be accompanying you on this mission. I hope you don't mind."

[ChromaticTruthsayer]

As the two of you enter the castle, you head down the corridor indicated by the map you were given. The hallway seems to go down for quite a while, with your path being down the end of the hall. From there, the supposed Throne Room should be only a few quick turns away.

As you both walk down the hall, you take note of many doors along both sides. About halfway down the hall, you notice a few doors on both sides open up, revealing a slew of shadows!

Cupid Archer x 3

• Rainy Death
• Agidyne
• Power Charge

Absorb: Repel: Pierce Null: Rs: Wk: Elec

Maya Squire x 3

• Brave Blade
• Power Charge
• Garudyne

Absorb: Repel: Slash Null: Rs: Wk: Fire

[Akira Nakajima]

A voice eventually reached the crossdresser's ears. He looked over to the side and saw Alisa. Well, he certainly did get a chance for a new partner. So there was at least that. Come to think of it, he had never had the chance to personally observe the woman's combat abilities in a smaller scale battle. If nothing else, it'd be an interesting experience. Of course, he didn't harbor any ill will towards the woman at that point. She had gotten to the point that she could take care of herself, he felt. Raising a hand at first in greeting, then pushing himself from the wall, he shook his head. No need to let silly worries persist.

”Nah. If anything, I'm pleased to have a different partner. A little variety is the spice of life, you know. We could talk, but this isn't exactly a safe place. Let's try to get this little raid done, find some pretty, shiny things, and make off before a princess pops out with her royal guard. Leave support and healing to me. I'm also no pushover for offense, either.” A bit of a mouthful, but, really, missions did have a tendency to somehow develop into a pain in the ass, even in a place where he had grown comfortable. It was a fair warning for the women and a simple expression of his own caution. With a slight smile and a gesture, the boy began to stroll inward, keeping his oversized shears in hand. Along the way, he summoned Alma Elma, producing his evoker and eventually hiding it inside his jacket again.

”That said, I'd prefer to get some groundwork in before something nasty occurs. Heat Riser is like the grand-daddy of all support spells, so you'll appreciate it when the going gets rough, I assure you.” With that, the boy willed for the succubus to emit a hot, empowering aura. That was the first time he used the skill. When they finally reached the hall with the emerging Shadows, he clicked his tongue and willed for a second. One more, and they'd be good to go.

”I'll support and cover you. If you have no complaints, I'll get the archers!” Though he said that, he was already in motion by the time the message had escaped his lips. Of course, it was a dangerous situation, and it was the first seconds of a battle that determined the outcome, in some cases. That was when the will for a third Heat Riser came, topping off the two's buffs and maximizing their potential combat capabilities. With that, the boy figured that both ends of the fight should have gone well. He hadn't quite realized just how well his part of the fight would go until a torrent of flames- the combination of three powerful fire spells- flowed into him. Naturally, the boy was immune to fire, so he did not slow down in the least as he dashed at the first floating archer of love.

With a diagonal slash up and to the left, the boy cut across its chest. The damage was pretty bad on its own, but not enough to completely put the thing down. Meanwhile, it tried to charge up for another attack. The other two? They released arrows of slightly ridiculous proportions at him. Now, with decent armor and maxed buffs on him, he didn't expect too much from them. Then, on top of that, he resisted the Pierce attribute. In other words, the two nasty arrows did close to nil on him. It was cause for the crossdresser to pause and blink, staring at the archers for just a moment. Then, opening his shears all the way, he forcefully snapped them shut on the first archer's neck, severing the connection of head to body in one go. Two attacks, one enemy. Good pace, he figured.

The other two enemies tried to charge their attacks at that point. Alma Elma gripped the boy's hand as he offered it. Then, pulling him, she twirled and built momentum before lobbing the boy, scissors first, at the second of his trio. He slashed the archer and effectively tackled it to the ground, pinning it underneath his form. Admittedly, that was kind of kinky. He hadn't really expected to be excited by something like that. The third archer attempted to shoot him, but, with his increased speed, he leaned back just enough, and just in time, to avoid getting an arrow through the cheeks. Then, he smiled down at his victim before sawing through the Shadow's head with the sharp outer ends of the scissors. It dissolved beneath him, almost dirtying his clothes. Fortunately, his reflexes were just quick enough. Two down, one left.

The third Shadow was panicking. Rightfully so, considering that its apparent means of defense were all but useless in the grander scale of things. Leveling his scissors as he marched towards it, the boy shifted to the right and left as needed to avoid the archer's arrows. Upon getting close enough, he tightened his grip on his scissors' handles, using both hands, before a three-pronged assault on the Cupid. With a diagonal slash up and to the left, then straight from right to left, and, finally, diagonally down and the left, the boy unleashed a chain of slashes while twirling, using the building momentum for the finality of the third slash. The Shadow splattered and dissolved, leaving nothing. Then he turned to watch his current partner.

”Everything good?” He checked before slowly approaching to get a better look.

[Ayakura Alisa]

Ran had expressed some form of relief about something, mentioning she was pleased to have 'a different partner.' In any case, judging from our previous battle together, she and Luka were on fairly close terms as battle comrades, so she was probably getting a little bored of the company. She mentioned saying that we should finish our business here quickly in case bigger danger arrived. I silently agreed with her as Ran went inside, keeping his giant shears with him. I was surprised a little that they didn't seem to be unwieldy for her, but I wasn't complaining. She was more experienced than I was on this front. As Ran explained how she used the ability 'Heat Riser' to keep everyone in improved fighting condition. Along the way, se had used the spell three times, and I could feel my body welling up with power once more.

Shadows had emerged simultaneously, I counted six. Three archers and three knightly masks. Okay, sure. I didn't want to deal with the archers - their arrows could do a lot of damage to me, while my new threads would at least offer lots more protection from these Maya... things. Was 'squire' the best way to describe it? Whatever, no time for that. Ran explained she would go and offer support and cover me, and soon went off to get the Archers. I definitely had no complaints with that decision. "Alright, then I'll go get these little shmucks." I flexed myself and rushed into the fray. These three masks looked dangerous alright. A hardy bunch.

It would be pointless to engage on melee terms with them. They would probably be immune to my knife. That made the next logical decision to try and shock them with lightning and shoot arrows of my own at them. With the boost from Ran's spells, I should have less trouble than I would normally coming in without any buffs. One of the masks opened with a fierce wind-blade spell that cut into me, causing me to wince, but for the most part, I had not felt too much pain. I countered by letting my arm charge up with electricity and releasing a steady bolt of lightning at the Maya that struck me, it collided hard into it and made it stumble. The other two Mayas began to meditate in place, and I squinted as I realized they were charging up for a powerful strike.

Ignoring those two for the meanwhile, I focused my offense at the Maya I had just shot down with electricity. It got up again and dashed at me with an immaterial sword that showed up in front of it. As it charged, I raised my bow and started furiously shooting arrows at it. Arrows managed to latch themselves painfully on the Shadow, and before it could bring down the blade on my form, it collapsed as I had just made a literal pincushion out of it. The other two masks were enraged by this display of violence, and they soon both charged at me at once, also calling down immaterial swords with which to slice me up with. One of them was incredibly easy for me to dodge, the heightened sense and reflexes offered from 'Heat Riser' causing me to easily roll out of the way as one 'Blade' attack missed me. However, the other one came from another direction, and it struck me from the side, causing me to stumble and collapse into a pillar.

Shaking it off and panting, I charged another bolt of electricity at the Maya which managed to hit me - again, I had the 'Heat Riser' to thank for improving my durability immensely. I was also somewhat weaker than my ally, so I had to be careful. They're strong. Yeah, well, no shit? I sighed and watched as my electrical strike knocked down that particular Shadow, yet the other one casted a wind spell at me, I watched as the winds tore into me and also into the pillar I was leaning against, almost causing it to break, yet it still stood, thankfully. Dashing into the side, I noticed how effortlessly Ran was dealing with her particular targets. I sighed and went back to charging thunder energy into my arm again, and shooting it at the same Maya, focusing my attacks one at a time on each enemy. It hits it mark but still, it stood. It rushed at me to try and slash at me again. I had rolled to the side and shot two arrows at it from behind. The arrows latched behind it and it seemed to scream. The other one which, for the most part, I left alone, charged at me as well similarly.

I reacted by leaping backwards, curling my back inwards so I could shoot at it with my arrows as it lunged into me, and as it got close I did a barrel roll on the ground to the side, quickly picking myself up and looking for those two Shadows. They were not exactly in top condition but they were still alive. Panting, I shot another stream of electricity on the weaker Shadow of the two, and heaved a sigh of relief as it seemed to get fried and it dissipated into the air. That left the last one, which did not particularly panic, but it certainly seemed to get really angry by that display of aggression. With arrows still stuck to it, it breathed out a fierce squall of wind blades, I braced myself and winced as I let myself get hit by it.

I soon retaliated by shooting more electricity back at it, watching as my arm began to smoke. Heaving and panting, I saw my electrical charges crackle and surround the Shadow, and I turned my energies back to plucking my bow and launching arrows at it as it approached with a mad fury, immaterial sword in the air, it was raised, and I managed to put a well-placed arrow to the forehead, which caused the immaterial sword to fade away and with it, the third Shadow. I squat a bit and placed my hands on my knees as I began to pant and look around.

"You're very strong." I simply said.

[ChromaticTruthsayer]

With those enemies taken care of, you are now able to continue down the hall without any issues. After doing so, you traverse a few rooms until you enter a large circular room with a large pair of doors directly ahead. Those doors supposedly lead you to the throne room, according to your map, however, there seems to be guards in front of the door. This seems to be the only way in, too. Luckily, they haven't spotted you allowing you time to prepare!


Heavenly Knight

• Heaven's Purge
• Brave Blade
• Tarukaja

Absorb: Repel: Null: Rs: Phys Wk: Dark

Dark Knight

• Death's Chill
• Gigantic Fist
• Rakukaja

Absorb: Repel: Null: Rs: Phys Wk: Light

Heavenly Knight

• Heaven's Purge
• Brave Blade
• Tarukaja

Absorb: Repel: Null: Rs: Phys Wk: Dark

Dark Knight

• Death's Chill
• Gigantic Fist
• Rakukaja

Absorb: Repel: Null: Rs: Phys Wk: Light

[Akira Nakajima]

The boy willed for a Mediarahan upon seeing Alisa's shape. It wasn't just for her, though. Even with the damage being negligible, he still had taken damage. With him being a fond believer of Murphy's precedents, it was best to keep himself in tip-top shape in case of the next major battle. And then the woman said something that struck a chord. Truthfully? No, he wasn't strong. Maybe compared to other Users, yes. Maybe even to some Shadows, yes. But until he could effectively fit into any situation and fight, one-on-one, against any opponent successfully, he couldn't get conceited. At the same time, simply dismissing the compliment ran the risk of injuring the woman's pride. Denying that he was strong, saying that he was weak, was no different from saying she was weaker, wasn't it?

”Says the one here, at my side, in the middle of this. You're no pushover yourself.” It would have been correct to tag-on “Now” at the end of that, to reference how she started. It ran the risk of causing trouble, though. He was, honestly, both pleased and impressed by her growth. He could safely say, right now, that he didn't mind having her, specifically, as a partner. ”That said, I'm not strong enough. I still have much to improve on. Some of our enemies are just too powerful.” Saying that much would have been fine, he believed. ”But, hey. We're humans. We can get stronger with a little effort. So let's do our best, both in this war and on this mission, hm?”

With that, the boy proceeded onward. He knew better than to linger too long when a decently-sized battle had occurred. Once they'd reached the next bit of resistance, the boy sighed slightly. Of course there'd be knights. They probably resisted Slash, too, of all things. Two shiny white knights, two black knights. Oh goodie. Maybe they could just fight over the two “girls” to save them the effort? Nah, that was too simple. The boy leveled his scissors and ran through a list of options. If Slash wasn't too effective, then he could potentially fall back on his new skill with Alma Elma. That'd be nice. With a slight click of his tongue, he looked to Alisa.

”I'm not much for coffee, but half and half is okay, I guess. One for both?” He half-asked, half-declared, before charging in on the bunch to the left. Fortunately, Heat Riser was still in effect. It likely would be for the remainder of the mission, unless something unpleasant occurred. A flash of day and a flash of night rushed the boy in response. Light and darkness collided for a spectacular display of fireworks. It had almost hit the boy, but he dove forward. Swinging his sword at the white knight, he clicked his tongue. Damage was negligible at best, even with the weapon quality and buffs.

”They resist Slash!” The boy announced before willing for Alma to surge forward. ”Rainy Death, Alma!” He ordered as he evaded the black knight's fist. He would never allow himself to be punched by a mindless asshole like that. And, just as he thought that, the sword of the white knight struck true, pushing him back a bit. Immediately following that, the succubus' tail seemed to morph before elongating, the three-pronged tip opening and pushing out a wicked-looking spire. Then, still lengthening, the tail shot upwards before spiraling downward and piercing the Shadow's armor. That was his new Pierce skill- Rainy Death. Despite the show, though, it seemed that the Shadow also resisted Pierce. ”And Pierce!” He half-announced, half-complained.

Another wave approached. Darkness and light shot from opposite sides. The boy jumped back, tossed his scissors to Alma, then prepped his fists. Might as well verify the last one with his own hands, right?Charging inward, he again struck at the white knight. His hands didn't hurt thanks to the buffs and all, but he could tell from the Shadow's reaction that physical, as a whole, was no good. A fist and blade reached for him. With a sigh and a click of the tongue, he hopped out of the way. He tried to adopt new tactics, but it really did seem that the best stuff was the tried and true. If one was white and using light, and the other black and using darkness, then there was one thing that would have had to work. Unless the Shadows were bastards, and they typically were.

Weaving between the two Shadows, he didn't even bother to attack. As they prepped their spells, he shifted out of the way at the last second, letting them blast themselves for what seemed to be an extremely effective attack. With a laugh, the boy prepped to repeat the tactic a second time. Tried and true truly was the best method. Not to mention it didn't waste as much energy as spewing fireballs- which was going to be his next major effort. After a second successful attempt, the white knight perished, leaving the boy with just his black knight to deal with.

”If you wanna save energy, get 'em to kill each other with their spells!” He called to Alisa before gripping his scissors. No need to waste energy spewing fire everywhere. Twirling next to the enemy, he slashed up and to the left before following up with a down and to the right. The cross-slash put the enemy out. His half was done.

[Ayakura Alisa]

I silently thanked Ran for her kind gesture of using the healing spell by saluting her. Standing up and dusting myself off, I looked around and realized that this place seemed unusually regal for a house of Shadows. Was there something more sinister at work here? Catching my breath for a moment, Ran had mentioned that I was at the least able to keep up somewhat. She then went on to mention that she wasn't strong enough, and that we should focus on doing our best and continuing to grow. Which I pretty much had to agree with. "You're right. Things aren't going to get any easier from here on out. Let's try to get stronger too. So we can finish this..." I heaved and followed Ran forward. Eventually, Ran sighed to the sight of more resistance in the form of four knights. Two were shining white, radiant like the Heavens, and the other two were matte black, with the murky sheen of the Darkness. The Heavens and the Darkness coexist together to form the wall we must break?

Way to be poetic about it! I sighed too as Ran cracked a joke and went ahead to take on a pair of white and dark knights, rushing with shears in hand and attempting to see if her attacks would be strong enough. I in turn went off to handle , my right arm charging up once more with electricity, and soon Ran had mentioned from the other side that they resisted slashing and piercing attacks. It made sense; they were knights, they would be resistant to the physical attacks we wielded. Which was fine, I had alternatives. Though I could tell what they were weak against, I didn't have any of those elements. So I had to resort to the good ol' "fry them with electricity" strategy. Running forward I launched a bolt of electricity at one of the white knight's helmeted face, causing it to stumble back.

The black knight I was set to handle started running towards me as well with an unexpected agility, and raised its fist at me as if powering through with a melee attack of its own. Whirling around and watching the other knight regain its composure, I quickly spun around and behind a white knight and saw as it got punched in the face by its ally, thinking I was in that location. Thankfully, 'Heat Riser' gave me the speed to be able to pull that off. Both white and black knight turned their attentions to me and raised their arms as if preparing to cast a spell. Ran had suggested turning their spells against each other, which was probably a wise idea given I had caught her doing just that, and it seemed to work very well, so I figured with this added agility I'd give it a shot.

As they were aiming their spells at me I started charging at both of them, there was a fair distance between the two of them. As they were launching their spells, I dove and slid in between the knights and simply watched as they ended up losing control of where their spells went and saw a clash of white and black, dark and holy energies, colliding into each of the knights, which caused them to both fall back. They stood up after a quick break; I whirled around and regained my bearings. Yes, they were quite strong indeed. I charged up my left arm with electricity and shot a bolt at the white knight; and soon it stumbled and attempted to raise its blade for a slashing attack.

I charged forward and slid as I lured its attack to the black knight, and as it brought its blade down with white, unnaturally chaotic energy, I watched as it aimed its blade at the black knight seeing as I was behind it, and in response the white knight had smashed up the black knight and I smirked watching it expire. That just left the white knight itself. Charging my right arm up with electricity once more I released a furious bolt of thunder at the white knight's head again. And soon, it fell to the ground and, exhausted and beaten, it also shortly expired.

Panting and stretching, I looked about. "Got them on this side too."

[ChromaticTruthsayer]

With the shadows guarding the door defeated, you have nothing standing between you and the throne room. Of course, you sense a few powerful shadows beyond the door so you remain cautious as you open the door. When you do open it, you find the large throne, as well as a couple of very powerful looking shadows. It looks like you'll need to take care of them if you want to grab the jewel off of it.

King Gigas

• God's Hand
• Heaven's Blade
• Power Charge

Absorb: Repel: Null: Rs: Wk: Pierce

Queen Magus

• Niflheim
• Ragnarok
• Mind Charge

Absorb: Repel: Null: Rs: Wk: Fire, Ice

[Akira Nakajima]

A second battle deserved a second healing. If the scales continued to get more and more annoying, then, chances were, the next bunch they'd fight (he accepted there'd be more until they finally left) would just be worse. Mediarahan spread from the succubus, to the boy, then to the woman. All was well, for the time being, it seemed. Of course, that was a very short-lived consideration at any location when it came to the Shadowlands. He stretched out for just a moment, then retrieved his scissors from Alma Elma. Giving the massive shears a swing or two to get his arm prepared, he smiled.

”Just a little further. Get ready. The worst is almost definitely to come.” And, just as he said that, he sighed. He wasn't really tired, but it was annoying to keep going through waves of opposition like that. It was annoying, bothersome, and just, on a small scale, draining. Fortunately, none of the assholes used that skill the Shadow at the museum had. That was the one time that boy honestly questioned his capabilities of winning in solo combat. Had the enemy not left, there was chance he could have lost. And then there was the turtle. Plenty of things to check about with the informant after their little gig was through.

”Well, ain't this grand?” The crossdresser finally asked as they made it to the throne room. A king and a queen. How very wonderful. Tasteful to the highest de- fuck no. They were probably going to be a pain in the ass. For some reason or another, his “bad things” radar went off with the queen. Namely because it was a mage. He hadn't had the best of luck with mage-type Shadows. Namely because they, most of the time, used ice. With that in mind, the boy looked to his partner. ”I'll take the gym reject if you handle the bookworm.” He offered before prepping his scissors and charging in.

The giant tried to punch the boy in drag as he drew close. Well, it certainly was a specialized punch, he'd give the guy that, but it was still, ultimately, a punch. And Akira? Akira did not like getting punched. Especially not by Shadows. He had Luka to thank for plenty of that shit. Twirling, he gave the kingly bruiser a slash across the chest. It'd make for a good scar if the boy didn't kill him that day. Spoilers: He would. The slash seemed pretty good, so he'd likely drop back on it if his other powerhouse attack didn't produce something better. Ready for another punch, the boy blinked when the giant's hand morphed into a sharp edge. Well, that was new. The “blade” came down, and the boy did “dodge”, but it seemed to have been longer than just the extent of the hand. Despite the fact that the hand didn't contact with the boy, he took some nasty slash damage. Clicking his tongue, he willed for his second use of Rainy Death.

Alma Elma's tail morphed. The prongs opened, producing the dreadful spire, while the length of the tail extended. It really was like a snake out of hell. It reached high, then spiraled down, literally raining death on the Shadow. The blow pierced the Shadow's shoulder, and the girth effectively ripped one arm from the torso. It was uncertain whether or not the king had good hands to assist him. Either way, he just lost his right. The titan stumbled back as the tail-spear cycled around in the air. The succubus was ready to use it a second time. Just needed the order. Meanwhile, the king charged forward and attempted to punch with his remaining hand. It missed.

And then the boy willed for the encore! The tail dropped from above, spire driving directly into the top of the Shadow's head, and pierced deeply enough that it was probably somewhere inside the Shadow's chest cavity. As it tried to pull free, the tail effectively raised the limp corpse along with it. Disgusting squelching could be heard as the spike gradually slid free of the slowly dissolving mass. Like a common Shadow, the king turned to mush. Like every other of his kind, the king dissolved, leaving not a trace that was noteworthy. He could've done without the slash, but it seemed that all was well on his end.

[Ayakura Alisa]

I made a sigh of relief as I felt the healing spell re-energize me again. Indeed, this was starting to get tiresome. The first fight were with grunts and squires. This fight was up against the cavalry. What next? The royalty itself? I sighed and stretched as I followed Ran, she said that 'the worst is almost definitely to come.' Well, yes I silently agreed to that comment as well. Eventually, Ran and I had come across to the sights of a majestic, majestic in an evil, twisted sort of way that was, throne room. Right. A king and a queen. You were right. Royalty, huh. Pain in the ass. "Do these things know what happens to unpopular monarchs?" I made a joking quip as Ran said she would take the 'gym reject' if I took the 'bookworm.' Nodding, I charged to the side and made my way towards the queenly Shadow, that looked suspiciously like a sorceress.

"Unpopular monarchs get overthrown! It's what ya call a revolution!" I slid ahead and flipped up to a standing position again, my right arm electrifying itself again as I shot a bolt of lightning at the magician Shadow, and it flinched slightly as the bolt struck its arms. In response it did some sort of weird hand movements while reciting some strange mantra I was not familiar with, and soon a freezing mist rushed through the area, I placed my arms around my face to try and brace the impact, yet the chilling cold seared into my skin, it almost felt like frostbite had been plaguing me, but once the cold dissipated, I was only merely shivering and chattering. The defensive boost from 'Heat Riser' again saved my hide.

I figured that if it was slightly more hardy against the magic attacks I would dive in and strike the queen with my knife. I drove my knife deep into the Shadow, wrenching it around like I was really trying to kill her, but she pushed me back and made me flip back to standing, and then she began to charge up for another spell. I too, began to charge up my own spell, and eventually, there was a clash of magic as the queen released an incredible blaze that seemingly overwhelmed my own stream of lightning, yet I watched as the bolt pierced through the flames. Though it didn't stop the flames from burning deep into me, I covered myself as both the Queen and myself were hit by spells. Kneeling as the flames subsided, my body was smoking and my face was slightly charred.

I raised my bow and soon started to shoot arrows at the Queen, deciding that taking the assassin's approach was the wisest way to get through this tough opponent. As I shot from my bow, the magician decided to concentrate its energies into doing some sort of spell-amplifying ability, which meant that its next spell, whether it be one of fire or one of ice, would be doubly painful, so I had to make sure it couldn't release its next spell. As it began chanting to release its spell, Shax's energy welled up inside me and in an inhuman display of agility I seemingly charged up and sliced off the Queen's arm with technique 'Arm Chopper,' an unholy red aura visible from my knife-bearing arm, which caused the Shadow to flail and disrupt its chanting, soon it fell and dissolved into nothingness.

I stood over where the Queen had fallen, which was right by its throne.

"Well, that's that, isn't it?"

[ChromaticTruthsayer]

With the king and queen defeated, all that you need to do is bring the gem back to the blonde woman. Ascending the throne, you remove the gem from the top of the main chair. It seems to glisten a very odd color. Just what could the woman need this for? If someone had omniscient knowledge over her or something, they might suggest that it might be another present for some questionably aged girl. Though, someone like that probably doesn't exist. Certainly not.

After removing the gem, you hear a strange rumbling noise as you feel the ground begin to shake. Before you can react, you notice the wall behind the throne break down, revealing some sort of ogre-like shadow! Its enormous and doesn't look like something you can fight. You better start running away!

Lardass Ogre

• Trample

Absorb: Damage Repel: Null: Rs: Wk:

[Akira Nakajima]

Come to think of it, didn't he and Luka, at some point in the past, get another piece of valuable nonsense for the blonde woman? And wasn't it for that Shrine Maiden? Really, that woman had no degree of decency. If one was to woo another, they had to put their own efforts into it. Regardless, the boy stretched and smiled when the battle was finally over, willing for a Mediarahan to heal both himself and his partner. Skipping right up to the throne, without a single bit of consideration for the fact that they had essentially begun and finished an uprising, the boy in drag snagged the gem in question, hefting it overhead like a certain blonde boy in adventure games. Then, smiling to his partner in an almost teasing manner, he winked.

”Hey, hey. Wanna take a break here? Be my king for a few minutes~?” His giggling began and ended almost in the same breath. That was about the same time as the lardass appearing. ”On second thought, leaving sounds like a pretty good idea. We should probably, you know, leave. He can die another day.” With a nod of finality, the boy skipped off the throne and snagged Alma Elma's hand. He was then pulled up by the succubus, whose tail was still in the process of reverting from its murder-deathbringer form, and cradled while being flown away. It wasn't much faster than a run, if he were to push himself, but this did give him a chance to focus on the scenery. That is, the ugly thing chasing them.

[Ayakura Alisa]

I heaved as another healing spell kept us energized for what I would hope was the last time. The gem... The gem was the whole point of this mission, right? This had better be worth it. What was it even for? As I saw Ran get the gem, she raised it up in the air in a discerning and almost familiar fashion. I guess it was during these situations that kids could still find the heart to infuse a little passion into even these kinds of things. It was an admirable trait to some degree. She asked if I had wanted to take a break here, but as she giggled this was also about the time the wall broke and out appeared a grotesque ogre of seeming lard. It almost seemed like it would absorb anything that came into contact with it. Ran had stated that leaving sounded a pretty good idea.

"This is just like in the movies." I sighed as Ran skipped off the throne and literally used her Persona to fly away from the lardass ogre. "How dainty, young lady!" I joked as I broke into a fast run, even though I was wearing these kimono threads, it would seem evident to Ran that I had been athletically trained, I could easily keep up with Ran if she sped if it came to that. I didn't even bother to turn back to see the ogre that was probably chasing us. I just kept running. "Scenery up there holding up good for you?" I called out to Ran as I continued running.

[ChromaticTruthsayer]

Mission accomplished!

You received your reward: Level 4 Armor