Emotional Turbulence 6.5
"...If you don't see me again, now you'll know the reason why."
Xiao's lips are pursed, Miris deep in thought. It takes awhile before either of them speaks.
"The thought that all of your augments could fail simultaneously…千载难逢," Xiao says. "No. It reeks of a conceptual attack. It is not as if you purchased them all from the same source, correct?"
"No," you confirm. "One from one of the new K Corp contenders… what was her name? Stephan? More from independent Workshops and Companies. At least half a dozen independent Singularities."
Xiao glances towards Miris, who shrugs, saying, "You know more about augments than I do, Xiao."
"Then… then I stand by what I said. A conceptual effect. Not targeting any given method of healing, but your ability to heal in general. I'm at a loss as to what it could be. It would have to be a Singularity, or perhaps even some Outskirts magic? It can't be an effect unique to the Library. Miris and I have been experiencing no issues."
You snort. "I've seen that so-called magic. Don't think it could do anything like this."
A thought occurs to you. During your 'trial' in the Library, you'd faced off against that dark-cloaked woman… shit, she probably actually was
an Arbiter, wasn't she? She had the signature cloak, or at least clothes patterned after them. And you know those fucks have multiple
Singularities at their disposal. And not the old and outdated ones either. The good shit. Weapons and powers in use by the Wings themselves.
She'd hit you with those strange stars, circles, flashes of light and chains and locks. And pillars, fucking those pillars. At the time, you'd dismissed them as, well, painful, but none truly debilitating, given they were blunted by your E.G.O.. And then you'd killed her, figuring that was that. Now, though, you've been forced to reconsider.
"...Could the Library's pet Arbiter do something like this?" You wonder aloud, to the shock of both of the Liu Fixers.
"The Library had an Arbiter—even a simulation of an Arbiter at their disposal?" Miris nearly shouts, voice as emotional as you've ever heard it. Xiao's response is slightly more muted, eyes simply widening.
You may have misspoke. "Not sure. She wore the black and gold of A Corp and threw multiple Singularities at me. Killed her, but… fuck, she might've left her mark. You didn't face her? Black hair? Golden slashes of light, chains, and pillars?"
Two shakes of the head. Xiao sighs. "An Arbiter… We truly didn't stand a chance, did we? I don't regret my choices, but it is disheartening—"
"Hold on," you interrupt. "Wait one second. You say you didn't stand a chance? I disagree."
You mean it. You remember fighting Xiao back in the forest. She may not have had the raw strength to beat yours. But the fact that she could even rival
it says it all. Says that even if she had faced that Arbiter in her rampage throughout the Star of the City, she could've taken her. You did, after all.
"I think you could've beaten her. Genuinely. She wasn't all that. Sure, she had locks and chains. Sure, she was hard to kill. But in all honesty, you gave me a harder fight than she did. And that was with you pissed off out of your mind. Use your brain and your E.G.O. effectively? You could've put her in the ground, easy."
"I… appreciate the advice, but back to your plight," Xiao responds, refocusing her gaze. "If it is that Arbiter's… Lock that has sealed your ability to heal, you may need to return to the City, solely to slay her and release the Singularity's hold. If that doesn't work, could be that you have to throw the whole Singularity into a Concept Incinerator. Or otherwise find a corresponding Key?"
"Damn." You were hoping for a different answer.
Frankly, you're kind of hoping that the Arbiter isn't at fault here at all. Sure, it would give you a target, kind of. But all it really does is change two problems (1. stuck on Remnant 2. dying) into one bigger problem (dying on Remnant). Cause you have to find a way back to the City regardless. And right now, you don't have a fucking clue on that front. You're placing your faith in magic and miracles.
Still. You appreciate the help. And as far as gambles went, you think you came out on top here. The pair of Liu Fixers don't seem to think any less of you. And you got to put your brains together and come up with, uh, squat. Could've been worse, you guess.
Before you leave, Xiao does have one more tidbit to share.
"Kali. If you don't mind… what are you expecting to find, here on Remnant?"
A pretty good question. You don't have an answer immediately.
"Not much," you eventually reply. "If I'm lucky, I'll figure something out to keep myself alive. Really lucky? I'll get back to the City, figure out which of my friends are even still alive after ten fucking years. Catch up. See what I can do about the whole White Nights mess.
"But probably, I'll eventually just… die pitifully on this massive rock," you admit. "Tech-wise, they're so far behind the City, I don't think anything outside of what they call 'magic' can help me. And if what Qrow said is right, that's right rare."
Xiao frowns. "Not especially hopeful."
"Should I be?" you ask.
The Maiden of Iron closes her eyes, thinking her words over carefully. "Logically, you are correct. The evidence suggests that you are, ah. 无可救药. Perhaps I should have the same attitude regarding Lowell. This world is vast, after all.
"And yet… Maybe it's foolish of me. But I believe my existence here has meaning. That it isn't a cosmic fluke. And that, if I burn brightly enough, place my destiny into my own hands, I can find a happy ending for myself and mine. If you don't believe the same, there's nothing to be done. Ignore everything I've said.
"But, well. Perhaps you could raise your expectations? I believe your existence has meaning also. Maybe you won't reach your goal. But I refuse to believe the Red Mist will die having accomplished nothing, that such a legend would blaze so dimly as to not even scorch the surface she started on."
"Put it simply: I don't know what you witnessed atop Beacon Tower. I can't help you."
You blink. Gape. "What?"
"Well," Glynda says, "I can think of three reasons you'd suddenly hear the voice of one of your dearest, dead friends after a battle.
"One. You hallucinated it. Made it up."
"No," You reply instantly. "I know what I heard."
You weren't certain at the time, but you've had time to think back on it. The voice was unmistakable. That of the deceased Pyrrha's, as well as Carmen's. You could not have imagined both of them.
Glynda raises her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Noted. I didn't believe so either. Second, could be the result of a Semblance. As recently as a few months ago, the Fall of Beacon was brought about in part due to a perception-manipulating Semblance. However, I find this unlikely. That particular culprit is in the wind, and besides, from what Miris described to me, that "pocket dimension… as created by whatever remained of my student. I don't think there was anyone else. I don't think it was even possible. Is that correct?"
Glynda's voice barely cracks at the mention of Pyrrha Nikos. You decide to let it be.
"Don't think so, yeah," you say. "Too open a space for anyone to hide. And I'm good at noticing that kind of thing."
"Then the third. Much as the 'Distortion Phenomenon' is something from your City, so is this ghost, voice. And again. If this is the case, I cannot help you."
As well-reasoned as Glynda's logic is, you can't help but be disappointed. Once again, you were really hoping for a different answer.
You thank the headmistress for her time. And as you start to walk out the door…
"One more thing."
You turn to face Glynda, her face somehow more solemn than usual.
"Miris and Xiao were confused when I explained this to them. And if I recall, you are from the same Backstreets as they are. Yes?"
You're surprised Xiao is from the Backstreets; you'd pegged her as a Nestdweller. Then again, she had told you that both Lowell and her were planning to move in. If that's the case, you're probably from different Districts. Regardless, you get the sense that's not what Glynda is asking, so you instead respond with a curt nod.
"Okay. Here is my advice. The one law you ought to follow above all others.
"Don't kill people."
What? That's… Hey! Not like you go around massacring people for no reason. Only when they get in your way (most don't). Or when they're targets, in which case they usually deserve it.
Unless she's saying you shouldn't even do that?
Jeez, this place is full of softies.
"So, you're the 'trials' this place has to present to me?"
It's a motley assortment of individuals that confronts you, after Angela teleports you. A trio of fuckers in Index Proxy robes. A Section Director of the Liu—South Section 2, if you had to guess? You've never seen the woman in person, don't even know her name, honestly. No idea what the fuck she's doing here.
In the center of their formation is a man in a well-tailored suit. He holds a cane in one hand, an unusual Workshop weapon. You can't get a good read on him. But given he's among this group of Grade 1 Fixers and Grade 1-adjacents, he's at least on par with 'em. If he's their leader, and given how each and every one of your opponents has shot him a glance in the seconds you've been here, he probably is, good chance he's a cut above them too.
They're all nervous. This, you can tell. Looks like Angela made a silly mistake. She told her 'trials' who they were up against. They've had time to stew, to overthink. When it comes to fighting you, it's better to be thrown into the deep end, you've found. You're no shrink. But in the face of your overwhelming strength, your, uh, reputation, fight-or-flight gut instinct always fares better than meticulous plans doomed to fail. Equations unbalanceable by the unfair weight of your power and your E.G.O..
Boss-man says something you don't quite make out, ending in "...feels unreal." You decide he has to go first. Break their formation. Still can't tell if they're a Fixer Office or some kind of Syndicate, but it doesn't really matter at the end of the day.
You probably ought to figure out how strong the enemies are first. Eh, you'll do it live.
And with a mighty onrush, you're upon him.
It's kinda weird, now that you're thinking about it. They wear the uniforms. Their weapons are chained. And yet, the only person that actually seems comfortable, that fits their role, is the black-suited boss man. You're not seeing the single-minded dedication, not feeling the sheer force of will the Index puts into every single attack.
And yet, they keep managing to block, parry, evade. You're not putting in much effort, true, but even this much should be able to paste them into the ground, no sweat. You've landed a couple of hits, but your foes keep pushing back, keeping you on your toes with unexpected attacks and methods. The Index member dual-wielding swords, in particular, has been a thorn in your side, continuously throwing out powerful that you know
he shouldn't be able to handle. The boss-man, as well, has been annoyingly evasive, preventing you from landing a clean kill.
Something is up with this trial. Something you're not seeing. The Index shouldn't have these techniques, shouldn't be this uncertain. The Liu shouldn't have this level of power, not this early into a fight before their blazing passion and augments warm up. And the boss-man shouldn't be able to shoot lasers from his face—
It clicks.
You're being played for a fool.
The shape of Angela's devious game is becoming clearer. Lure you into a false sense of security with plausibly familiar faces. Then slowly up the ante, the gimmicks, the bullshit. Boil you alive like the blubbering toad in that old folk tale.
You won't have it.
"Looks like she's done warming up… Keep on your toes."
What do you want?
The Book of Cogito. Carmen's dream. Your salvation.
Why?
The lab. Benjamin. Daniel. Ayin. Lisa. Michelle. All of them. More.
"...Let's try and protect what we cherish, here," you mutter. The shell of your E.G.O. coalesces around you.
Shouts of alarm. Orders to stay calm. None of them matter.
Mimicry pulls back. You swing.
Red-tinted reality turns redder. Your enemies fall like mere chaff.
Now that you've started trying, if this is the best they can do?
You've got a good feeling about this.
First real dream you've had since you got here. First one you can remember, anyways. Shame it's such a shit memory. Thinking back on that moment, you feel like such an idiot.
Nothing to be done for it anymore. And if you're reading this clock right, you've got a boat to catch. You shove Mimicry into a shitty cardboard 'sheath' you made last night (it protests, but you kinda need to do this to have even a chance of being inconspicuous) and head out.
The boat in question isn't exactly bustling with people. One of the more notable occupants includes…
[ ] …a strange silent girl of slight height with short black hair in monochrome clothing, shades of darks and whites. Her skirt doesn't quite fit her frame.
[ ] …a young woman with blonde hair, sunglasses, and an obviously prosthetic hand. She seems faintly familiar, though you can't quite pin down how.
[ ] …a pair of sisters with bright green eyes, twins if you had to guess. They're wearing casual clothing, but seem uncomfortable in it.
A/N: This boat does not have all of these characters on it, lol. Just one.
That aside, uh, been awhile, huh? Been spending my time writing Fate/Project Moon (and also Worm I guess) Servant sheets, reading (and writing(?) DDLC fic, and playing Limbus Company.
For the record, there… shouldn't be any major Limbus-related content in this Quest, unless the votes go in a really odd direction. I will be incorporating the lore/backstory learned in LCB, mostly in Kali's inner monologue, but there shouldn't be any characters from that appearing in this. I'll admit that I was tempted, but figured I should avoid it to avoid, howsit, 'jumping the shark'.
Though that probably happened all the way back in Ruina, back when dealing with Greta. Ah well.
At least I managed to update
Sword of Volition… that's gotta count for something, right?
If you guys have got any questions, feel free to ask.
