Nightshift 41: Entry Room

[bitpartgod]

[From here]

Kibitoshin stepped into the room, hope renewed. It looked like some kind of reception area if the two desks on either side of him were anything to go on, both absolutely pristine as though everything had been tidied away only seconds before he'd stepped into the room. On top of that there were enough doors here to keep him busy for hours

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[oftemptation]

Endrance had half-expected the block itself, but hadn't expected the recoil from it to be as hard as it was. It was enough to aggravate the injuries he'd taken the previous two nights, and he couldn't help staggering backwards, half-dizzy from pain. The familiar spell name jolted him back to his senses, and he looked up to see both the lightning spell and the other spell hit their target.

With that, he took a deep breath, drawing himself back up to his full height and watching Haseo and Azure Kite's movements just long enough to get the gist of the pattern. It was something he had gotten very good at doing in the Arena, and it was - to mild surprise - just as easy as it had been before. Endrance nodded at Haseo's words. Even though he didn't particularly like the idea of the Adept Rogue taking most of the aggression, if that was the plan, this was no time to argue it.

He then moved back to striking distance with steps that were almost like a dance. If you're going right, then I'll take the opposite side... That was what he proceeded to do then, first mimicking a move to the left, then moving fast towards the right side, aiming the pipe at the back of Kite's head. It felt almost like a cheap shot, but if their opponent was this formidable, that could be forgiven.

[ofazureflame]

Any spellcaster worth their level almost never missed a spell. Even here, stunted as their power was, Tsukasa and Leon's abilities didn't fail them. However, one was more effective than the other.

There was no point to having pain sensors in his program. Pain detracted from his running processes. Pain was something for players, not for him. It was what separated him from everything else that populated the servers of R2. Therefore, while Leon's attack was accurate and probably well-chosen for an entity that could feel pain, he shook off the black cloud with a few swipes of his fangs.

It had served its purpose, though. The Wavemaster's spell curled around him, causing his limbs to lock in place. Electricity coursed through his mainframe and control center, preventing movement. For a moment, though, he made a sound that almost sounded as though he were in pain instead of ready to kill something.

In that moment, both Haseo's and Endrance's attacks struck him. Unable to move due to the electric current, he took both of them--Haseo's sword running him through and Endrance's strike breaking a hole in the back of his head and hat. Black and green code was left where the back of his skull should have been.

For a moment he was silent, one of his arms crackling with residual energy from Tsukasa's spell. Suddenly, his head snapped up, eyes flashing blue. Weak as his arms looked, he was still able to leave his fangs in mid-air and shove Haseo back violently, removing the sword from his midsection and throwing the Adept Rogue back nearly to the back of the room. Next was the one who'd damaged his code.

The circles weren't even appearing and the command to attack wasn't even being given--that was all that was left that he could read. Head snapping around, both blue eyes fixated on Endrance, he moved.

Faster than could be followed by the human eye, his hand was around Endrance's throat and the pair of them had hit the wall opposite Haseo with enough force to run a crack up the wall. Transparent polygons began shifting around his wrist as he held Endrance in place with a grip equivalent to a steel cable. More cracks slowly formed along his face and eyes, which were locked with Endrance's.

He needed data to repair his program. He NEEDED IT.

[cannotlogout]

He hardly dared to open his eyes and look at what had happened. It was the most basic, the weakest of lightning spells, and yet it had taken so much energy. His legs felt wobbly and there was a throb growing in the back of his head like he'd been hit. But a second later he looked, seeing the electricity coil around Ki- the AI, freezing it in place and crackling around its limbs.

It ended too soon, the AI managing to throw Haseo across the room and reaching for Endrance, grabbing him around the throat too fast to be seen. It was like he'd just teleported there and his strength couldn't be denied. Then those polygons... like a bracelet... "Electricity!" he said, glancing over at Leon. If he could use it, then maybe the had a chance before Endrance could be data drained.

Tsukasa pulled himself up straighter, mustering his strength, calling it to him so that he could perform another spell.

[heraldric]

It took a few precious moments for Leon to catch his breath after the last spell. Darkness spells took the air out of him. He knew when what he'd cast hadn't been effective, though, and he couldn't help but feel a bit jealous when Tsukasa's spell did a good deal more. When the other caster then addressed him in regards to their opponent's weaknesses, he could only shake his head. "...Can't..."

Out of his repertoire of skills, he had only three or four different types, mostly darkness, void, and water. Nothing electric. Celine was the one with the thunder spells.

If this person(?) was mechanical, his darkness spells might not work at all. He didn't have the energy to try Black Saber, which was more direct damage and might actually connect, but he could always try his weakest spell. Ice might not be electricity, but it could still slow things up.

He took as deep a breath as he could and readied the short incantation. "Ice needle!" If it could strike him where he was already vulnerable...

[feartehreaper]

Haseo had a flash of wary triumph, even going as far as being slightly alarmed at the damage they'd done- he briefly wondered if it was possible to drive the being into exploding like the time beyond the Sign at Morrigu Barrow Wall. And then, everything spun out of control.

Other than a sort of cut-off, surprised exclamation, there was no chance to respond before Haseo was flying backward, screaming and just barely managing to keep hold of his weapons. However, landing was another matter. He must have rolled at least once before he was on his hands and knees again, but aside from suddenly feeling battered and burning where he'd slid on the carpeting, the details were unclear. At least he hadn't managed to impale himself on the sword- he snatched it up from where it had fallen nearby, bracing and trying desperately to keep going against the attack he was sure was about to commence.

Except it didn't. Their opponent, for whatever reason, had gone after Endrance instead. Whatever confusion Haseo had felt was gone just like that, and he was once more on his feet, bolting across the room with every intention of destroying the AI and not much regard for anything else, this time preparing to initially strike with the bar.

[oftemptation]

There wasn't time for Endrance to react before he was pinned against the wall, the false-Kite's hand pressed against his throat. The pipe in his hand fell from his grasp and rolled a few feet away, but he hardly noticed that through the haze of pain and surprise.

He felt the incoming ice spell before he heard the words that announced it, and the chill in the air was enough to snap him out of the moment's daze. Endrance wasn't sure if it would freeze the AI or not, but the spell gave him enough time to bring his hands up to the arm holding him in place. He tried pulling away, but there wasn't any give at all. When he looked to the side, he gasped in shock.

That wasn't possible, was it? Not now, not without an Avatar. It had been, for the real... no. This wasn't the time to get sentimental, not with what he was sure would be a Data Drain imminent. "You're pathetic," he said in a low whisper. "Taking on someone else's appearance, yet acting so different...you're nothing but a shoddy imitation at best." With that, he kicked hard at the false-Kite's legs, hoping that would surprise him enough to do something.

[ofazureflame]

Data... he needed data to repair himself. Any source would do, really, he just needed that little bit to patch his head...

The polygons kept shifting and changing, adjusting to the target. Then the ice spell hit and caused him to jerk a little. Next, Haseo came at him with the rod, striking him across the shoulders, and Endrance kicked at his legs. All of the attacks caused minimal damage, but they didn't stop the drain. In fact, they caused it.

With a roar, the multicolored beams shot out of the bracelet, striking around Endrance's body. The rest of the beams raced out in all sorts of directions, hitting the walls, floors, furniture, sucking up the data and repairing him slowly.

There was a flash of light as all of the walls were covered in static snow, like there was a broken television projecting its screen everywhere--except there were no shadows where the people stood.

The room went black again, then reset. The hand came off Endrance and he lept back. When the room lit up again, it was as though the patients were in a completely different room. The ceiling rose several stories higher and sunlight streamed through the windows, casting a yellow glow across the the pews. The room was almost completely made of stone, save for the stained glass windows behind the altar.

It was a place that at least three of the people in the room were familiar with: the Hulle Granz Cathedral.

It didn't seem possible, but that was what the room looked like now. Meanwhile, he stood facing the pedestal that used to hold the statue of his goddess, seemingly repaired from the data he rewrote.

He turned his head again, looking back at the group, waiting to see what they would do now.

[cannotlogout]

Tsukasa braced himself for the vicious drag of energy that he now knew the spell would take. He could see the ice needles strike the AI, see it shudder and then Endrance and Haseo struck. Tsukasa opened his mouth to speak the spell, but before he could, there was a roar, like static or something, loud in Tsukasa's ears, and light flashed around the room. Tsukasa stared in shock as static crept over everything, making him feel dizzy and slightly sick, and this made it so easy to believe that this was The World, that they were trapped inside it and that outside, parents and friends were waiting anxiously for them to wake up.

The room shifted, making Tsukasa's stomach lurch and then suddenly there was light and a familiar setting came into view. More ornate than Tsukasa remembered, but it was definitely the cathedral where he'd met Mimiru and where they'd fought Morganna's Guardians. Where Macha had...

[heraldric]

Leon was on his knees, the last spell having taken more out of him than he liked. He wouldn't be able to manage a third any time in the immediate future. His mouth was dry, and breathing came hard. If he had a bit of a break, got a chance to rest for a few moments, he might be able to try again...

He had no idea what was going on. Had they been relocated? Everything looked different, but it didn't feel like he'd been moved (unless he'd blacked out for a minute and not realized it). "W-what's going on?"

[feartehreaper]

Needless to say, Haseo was not prepared to suddenly weather the effects of this particular type of Data Drain. He'd already smashed the bar against the AI before he realized the full extent of what was happening, just then seeing the beginning of the bracelet quickly growing and-- mental query "HOW TO STOP A DATA DRAIN" came up short and he merely stared in horror as the skill began in earnest.

The beams flew everywhere and there was nothing for Haseo to do but stand frozen in place, arms crossed in front of his face. But then he took a step back, and then another, away from the source. Although it only took a few seconds, it was just enough time for Haseo to realize that the damage they'd done was being repaired, and he kicked himself for not thinking of that when remembering the last time. He should have known! But this time events definitely didn't play out in the same way. Whether that was fortunate or not remained to be seen.

When the lighting changed, from static to darkness and finally something that should have made telling what was going on easier, it was so different from what Haseo might have expected that at first he just wasn't capable of accepting it. Δ Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground, the Hulle Granz Cathedral. For the first several seconds afterward he was completely rigid in shock... had there been a goal for creating something that was the most psychologically jarring at the moment, it had been met for sure.

"This is...!" Impossible. How the hell did you just go and change a room like that? It had to be a trick of some sort... he was still "real," dressed in those damned pajamas, and it still wasn't like it was possible to just log out. If they went out the doors, what would happen then? It made Haseo's head hurt.

But after several beats, he managed somehow to shake off the worst of it- at least so that he could move again. Despite most of his attention being locked on the now-whole figure, he couldn't stop glancing at the others, and at the altar unmarred by the Sign branding the place where Shino had become a Lost One. He cautiously moved to a space between the AI and Endrance, not yet sure how much damage the Blade Brandier might have sustained.

"What the hell did you just do?!" he finally managed, voice filled with anger and alarm. He kept a grip on his weapons... the attack may have paused, but that didn't mean it couldn't resume at any moment.

[oftemptation]

The moment the pieces of the bracelet came together, Endrance had frozen in place, not wanting to see what he knew was going to come next, yet unable to look away. Then the beams began shooting every which way, and he'd braced for the impact and the inevitable loss of consciousness that would follow. There was no way to avoid it, not at this distance - and definitely not with the beams already surrounding him. It was a foregone conclusion.

When the walls changed into pure static before the room went black, he was sure that was it, that he wouldn't feel anything else after that. It came as a shock to feel that hand that had been pinning him in place leaving, and even though he'd had breathing room, Endrance still gasped loudly before sliding down the stone wall onto the floor, his head spinning and heart pounding. He braced one hand against the cool floor, then realized that it shouldn't have felt the way it did.

Wait. This isn't...where are we, exactly? Am I even conscious...or is this a dream I'm having while I'm comatose? No. I shouldn't be able to feel anything if I'm in a coma. But that means...

With that thought, Endrance snapped his head up, looking around. They were in Hulle Granz? That didn't make sense, but it was the only place he knew that looked like this. For a moment, he felt his Avatar's presence resonating, but couldn't explain why. He couldn't remember Mia ever mentioning this place. He shook his head, the feeling leaving him when he did. Strange...it must just be the effect of having been at ground zero just now...

"Is this...but it shouldn't be possible to be here, not outside The World...", he said, in a tone that clearly indicated the shock of the situation. At the same time, the ability to use Data Drain shouldn't have been possible either, but that had definitely happened.

He looked around for a moment, finding the pipe he'd been using, then used it to steady himself as he shakily got to his feet. Endrance was sure that in the morning he'd find himself covered head-to-toe in bandages, or a cast, or some strange combination of both, but that would be then. Right now, it was more important to be ready for anything, and as long as there was still some life left in him, nothing would keep him from stepping in when Haseo needed him. The situation now definitely counted in that regard.

[ofazureflame]

The lines of data formed an outline of what was missing, and an ache in his readouts made the program long for its creator--for its birthplace. The walls, as real as they looked, were only a rewriting. Further proof that patient-entities existed based solely on what their environment told them. They couldn't see the data, running through the walls, changing, surrounding them, pulsating--living.

At Haseo's shout, he turned away from the pedestal, letting another grating, heavy breath escape him. There were the red circles again, though the command to attack wasn't as strong or compelling. He bared his teeth in a strange grin and lolled his head back.

I'm not telling~

[cannotlogout]

Tsukasa edged closer to Leon, not taking his eyes off the AI the entire time. The others weren't attacking yet, Haseo seemed to want to demand answers, so Tsukasa held off on casting another spell for now. He didn't want to begin a fight before they were ready, and he wasn't exactly convinced that they could win. All of the damage which had been done to the AI seemed to have healed after the Data Drain and they hadn't had much luck before that.

"It's a place from... from our world," Tsukasa said softly. "It's like he rewrote the code for the field, but this place is supposed to be real. I don't know what's happened." It felt real though. The light and the feel of stone beneath his feet, but he was still wearing the grey uniform rather than his robes.

[heraldric]

Rewrote the code for the field? What was that supposed to mean? Leon didn't like being in the dark about techniques like this. Well, he didn't like being in the dark about most things, but heraldry was his specialty, and if this was a form of magic...

He didn't trust his legs to keep him up yet, so he stayed kneeling where he was, looking to each of the other members in the room individually. If they knew what was going on then perhaps they'd be able to do something about it. Tsukasa couldn't have many more spells at his disposal than he did, though, and Endrance was dazed as well.

The situation didn't look good at all. There was a moment when Leon had the urge to try and hide behind the boy next to him, but no... he was stronger than that.

[feartehreaper]

What could possibly be the reason for that? To prove a point? Show them something? "Bastard," Haseo snarled, "Are you our enemy or what?!"

Maybe he just wanted his arm torn off again. Haseo wasn't in the mood to try. With the aggression halted and a very small chance there would be any sort of actual answers provided here, he was left to make a choice- one that was fairly obvious in the end. Once, he might have ridden the wave of recklessness, but if nothing else he could recognize that they had impossible odds stacked against them. Endrance seemed to be on his feet, but it was no great achievement to notice that he was seriously injured- undoubtedly even more than previously... the heat of the moment hadn't allowed Haseo to take that into consideration before. Plus, Tsukasa and Leon seemed... burned out. They weren't in any condition to continue fighting a potentially invincible opponent.

"This isn't going to go anywhere," he announced to the others, eyes still locked on the strange entity. Deliberately he stepped backward towards the doors. "Come on."

However, suddenly he froze in place, an odd expression spreading across his features. Inadvertently, he silently repeated the words he had just said, and for a moment, a glowing red pattern flashed in the air around his body. If "powers" were weakened, then apparently so was the control that he'd carefully maintained following that near-fatal mistake in the Arena; for whatever reason, his Avatar had decided to react and the desire to attempt summoning it was almost unbearable. Even so, hadn't Endrance said something about his Avatar not working? If he tried summoning Skeith and was unsuccessful, it would probably only serve to anger the being... if it hadn't already, considering their history. Of course, Haseo's alarm only made it worse, and again the pattern appeared, growing brighter.

[oftemptation]

Endrance looked back at the two spellcasters for a moment. The younger of the two looked to be in particularly bad shape, having not been able to stand after that last spell, but to be entirely honest, Tsukasa didn't look much better. He started to tell both of them to leave when he caught a flash of red out of the corner of one eye.

He turned to see a familiar pattern on Haseo's body, one he recognized and understood immediately. The bright red Avatar pattern was impossible to mistake for anything else, and he gasped loudly. Skeith... The question now was whether to stop the summon or not. There were pros and cons to both of those options. It might be the only way to stop that being, yes, but the chances that it would succeed were minuscule. The amount of energy it would take to summon was also high enough that if it didn't work...

"Haseo! You can't...it's too dangerous to try summoning it now..." The moment the words were out of his mouth, though, he felt his own Epitaph stir, and a faint pink pattern appeared on his body. "No..." The word came out as an almost inaudible whisper, and was accompanied by another, brighter flash of pink. Endrance thought back to that morning's conversation. So it's true, our Avatars are connected, almost intimately so...that leaves me no choice. I can't let this go on...

The Blade Brandier stepped backwards and put his hand on Haseo's shoulder, intending to say something. Before he could, though, his Avatar pattern blazed pink again. "We can't. If one of us loses control, or if something goes wrong...it could be disastrous."