Steel Messiah (SMT/Maken X)

[GilliamYaeger]

It is the middle of the night in New York.
In a darkened room deep inside an underground high-security laboratory, three scientists are working very late in order to make the final preparations for their big moment tomorrow. The head scientist and real brains behind the project, a tall man with cold eyes, stares intently at a tablet while his subordinates wait for his final approval. After what feels like a very long minute with the only noises in the large room being the occasional tap of a finger on a touchscreen and the omnipresent hum of the lab instruments, the tall man finally nods.

"Yes, this should all be fine," he says, the primary light source illuminating his face vanishing as he shuts off the tablet's screen. He nods at his subordinates as he crosses his arms behind his back, who stop staring at him somewhat nervously from their seats in front of their terminals in order to breathe a sigh of relief. It was finally over. "Is there anything else that needs to be done?"

"Well, we haven't given it any sort of identification yet," the female scientist says with a smile. "Any ideas for a name?"

The male scientist waves a dismissive hand in response. "Eh, a string of random numbers will be fine. It's just an artificial intelligence."

"Don't say it like that! Its mind is a perfect emulation of a human brain. We designed it to have sapience just like a humans! It's a thinking, feeling entity!"

"Fine, then," the lead scientist says coolly, cutting off their inevitable argument before it could even start. "Why don't we let it decide for itself?"

As one, both of the man's subordinates turn to look at what the older man was staring at. The room their small lab station overlooked was very large and very round, with an almost equally large and round pool of water in the center. Suspended over that pool by a slender metal bridge was a brightly-lit tube, the coloured glass causing the light within to stain the entire room a dull green. And, inside that tube, lies...

"Why don't we let the Maken decide?"

NAME THE BLADE
[ ] Machina
[ ] Shao
[ ] Stormbringer
[ ] Write-in

---

Time passes. You fall asleep. Awareness of the world fades. You close your eyes.

You open your eyes.

You...don't know where you are. You're standing up, until something suddenly h̕ur̡t̶s̢ and you collapse to your knees. Holding one hand to your forehead in a vain attempt to ease the͘ ̕pain̵ somehow, you try to get your bearings. You're in an unfamiliar corridor, the walls dyed a faint crimson. Everything seems...hazy, unreal even for a dream. Your eyes have trouble focusing, and y͝our ͠hea̛d͏ ̕hu͡rts. You lean against a wall for support as you try to scramble to your feet.

Ugh. It's this place, it's making y̡ou̧r ̷he̡a̡d͢ hųr̨t.

It takes a few tries, but eventually you get to your feet. You struggle to remember something, anything. You remember brief flashes of...something. Pain. Monsters. A man, screaming at you to run away. Someone you admired dying. A friend, collapsed lifelessly on the ground. It's all so confusing, a̶nd it̴ ͟hu͟r̶t͘s.

Eventually, out of the madness, something floats to the forefront of your mind. A name. Yours.

WHO ARE YOU?
[ ] Kei Sagami
[ ] Write-in

No no, that's not it...your name was...something else, wasn't it? Act̷u͏a̧lly,̶ ͜òn̴ ͞secon̸d ̨th̴ought̵, y̷o̴u'rȩ pr̸etty ́s̶u̵re͞ th́a͘t̢ ͏i̵t ͢is͝ y͝our nam̀e̴..͠.Ẁhy wou͝ld̸ ̛you̕ ev͠er̢ ̢t͟h̷i͘n͟k̛ ot͢her̛wise?͟

You grasp your head and keel over. I̡t̵͝ ͢͠Ḩ͘Ư̷̵͢͡R̕͟͟͜T̵̵̀͞S̛͘͟

Eventually, the pain subsides to a slow throb, and you find yourself able to stand again. You look around, trying to figure out what to do. Ahead of you the red corridor fades out into white, like the area is filled with fog, or the whole thing was an unfinished painting. You turn around to look behind you, and see that the corridor continues backwards as well...but there's only an ominous, unwelcoming darkness that way. The silence is deafening.

I͏͟t͜ ̸͟ḩ̀u͞͏͟ŕ͜t́͝s̛.̨͘͢

You decide that it would be a bad idea to walk into that darkness and instead walk into the white emptiness. As you proceed, more sections of the seemingly endless corridor fades into sight, and behind you the places you've been are swallowed up into darkness. You keep walking.

It̶ ̛h͡u̡r͟t̴s͠.



Eventually, you find something.

There is a noble beast here. It is leaning against a wall, fur matted with a copious amount of blood and in obvious pain. Cuts, puncture marks, and what appear to be bullet wounds cover its body. You know that its loyalty to its pack has caused these wounds, even though its instincts had screamed to abandon them, yet despite the grievous injuries it bears it still remains standing. It seems that its pride refuses to let it fall.

As you walk closer to it, you notice that it's wearing a collar, which connects it to a ring mounted on the wall via a silver chain. You crouch in front of it, the beast making no hostile moves towards you as you reach out and take the dog tag dangling off the collar in one hand. You angle it towards you, so you can see what is written on it. You strain your eyes, trying to focus on it despite how hazy and unreal everything is in this place, and after a few seconds of staring what's written on the tag finally comes into focus.

It is a familiar name, that of a friend.

WHO IS THE CHAINED BEAST?
[ ] Write-in, specify male or female

The beast suddenly bites you. You recoil instinctively, your hand pulling the collar loose. The beast takes the opportunity to slip out of it and, now free of the chain, runs off into the darkness behind you. But just before it vanishes completely it stops, and turns back to you. Its brilliant eyes beckon you, almost begging you to follow it into the unknown.

You stay where you are, silently staring at it. The beast closes its eyes and turns away, trotting off until the shadows obscure its form completely. You can't help but notice that, in those final moments, its fur was clean and unmarred, free of the wounds it once had.

You turn around, and resume walking. Idly, you wonder where the beast thought it was going.

It h͜urts̶.̨



Eventually, you find something.

There is a large display case here, sitting right in the middle of the corridor. Made from the finest mahogany and inlaid with gold, it's a masterpiece. Surely it must have been expensive to make. Inside the glass lies a tiny bed, upon which sits a lone porcelain doll. You know that the doll has been in this case for almost its entire existence, unable to leave. You can sympathize, somewhat. As you move closer, you notice that there's a small piece of paper propped up on the bed. There's something written on it - a name? It takes you a few moments to focus well enough to make it out.

It is an unfamiliar name, that of a stranger.

WHO IS THE CAGED DOLL?
[ ] Write-in, specify male or female

You can't help yourself. You reach forward to touch the case, but before your fingers even touch it the whole thing suddenly topples over backwards, soundlessly smashing to pieces against the faded red floor. What a shame. You look over the wreckage in front of you, before noticing that the doll is somehow, miraculously, intact. You reach over to pick it up, to examine it more closely. It's...beautiful, honestly. The clothes are immaculate, the craftsmanship impeccable. The porcelain flesh feels like it could break with even the slightest misstep in handling it...Yet, despite that fragility, you sense there's a strength hidden insid-

Ow!

A sudden pain shoots through the hand holding the doll, sharp and completely unlike the pain in your head. It feels like something's burrowing through it. You try to let go of the doll, but its stuck to your hand. The pain intensifies as whatever's digging through your hand burrows through to your arm. You grab the doll with your other hand and pull and shake and frantically do anything you can to rip it loose. Eventually something gives, and with a sickening tearing sensation you manage to fling the doll away from you, into one of the walls where you hear it shatter.

You examine your hand. There's...holes in it, and they're bleeding profusely. That could have ended badly. You look at the broken remnants of the doll...and are surprised. There was, it seems, another doll inside the one that you just broke. A bigger one, somehow. It looks almost identical, but it exudes a sense of strength that the first doll didn't.

Not wanting anything more to do with it, you continue on...until you hear something shatter. Turning back, you see the larger doll has moved while you weren't looking, seemingly chasing after you. But it seems to have fallen and broken one of its legs. The doll stares at you with its soulless eyes, one of its arms reaching out towards you.

You ignore it, turn away, and keep walking. The doll disappears into the darkness behind you, and you think no more of it.

Ít͜ h͡u̢rt͜s͞.̕



Eventually, you find something.

There is a discarded mask, lying on the floor. You almost missed it entirely - you would have stepped right over it if you hadn't been looking down at the right moment. You pick it up with your uninjured hand, and examine it. Strange...once you pick it up, it starts to shift form depending on what angle you look at it with. From one angle it looks like a snarling demon, then some sort of dog, then a crying woman, then a stern-faced warrior. How curious. It certainly wasn't doing this when it was lying on the floor.

Still, holding it seems to fill you with a sense of security, so you decide to keep it with you. You hold onto it, and continue walking down the corridor.

I͏͟t͜ ̸͟ḩ̀u͞͏͟ŕ͜t́͝s̛.̨͘͢



Eventually, you find something.

There is a cross of silver here, mounted on the wall to your right. An unfamiliar man with long, dark hair is crucified on it. As you stare at him, he calmly stares back at you. He doesn't appear to be in pain, despite the burning nails driven through his hands and feet...that, or he's just gotten to used to the pain that he's stopped caring. Or, maybe he doesn't even know about them?

Regardless, you know that any attempt to help the man will be pointless so you simply keep walking. The man just watches you go, the only action his restraints allow him to take. His gaze lingers on you until he finally disappears into the darkness behind you.

It̀ h̷urt͘s.̛



Eventually, you find something.

There is a woman here, waiting for you. She looks sort of like an older version of yourself, though there are notable differences. I̛s̷ i͟t͞...y̧oùr̴ ͡mo̷t́h͢èr?̨. She smiles and walks up to you, gently cradling your face in her hands.

"You are more precious than you can know, my child," she says to you, softly, lovingly. "If you are ever lost or confused, come and find me. I will always be here for you. I will put you on the right path. Even when all others fail or betray you, you can still trust me. We are of the same blood, after all." She leans forwards to kiss you on the forehead, then abruptly turns to dust.

You blankly stare at the pile of ash at your feet, feeling sa̕d͜?. You decide to move on.

It́ hu̧rts͜.



Eventually, you find something.

There is a corpse here. Or half of one, at least. The top half of a good-looking man in a foreign outfit lies in front of you, bleeding profusely from where he has evidently been torn in half at the waist. Quite messily, too. You look at them closer, waiting for your eyes to resolve their face into something more than a blur. Eventually, you see who they are, and...Oh ̧g͞o̸d, ͏it's ͟t̀h̷e͏m. No̶͟.͟ ͏N͟o ́͘͏ǹo, ͠ṕl̡̀eą͟͏s̡͏e̢ớ̷̡̛h̷̀̀ ̴̛g̵̢̢̕ò̶̀͠͠d̴̡̡ ̀ņ̴̛ó̕ ̷̢̛͝a̷̶͢ǹ̸y̡͘͜͏ó̴n̶̢é́̕ ̷͢͢͏̴b͏̵̛͠u͘͝͝t̵̶͢ ̶̡͜t̡͏̶́͠h̸̨͜͝͠e̷̷͜͟m̴̨-͏̴͜͡Its nobody you know, nobody important. You don't care.

S͏͘͝ú̸d̀d̶̛e̸n͟l̵̡y̢ ͏̢tḩ̛͜ę̷́ ̧͟͜p̀͡a̸̧i͞n̢̧ ͝a̴͢͜s͏͡s̷a͏̶̀ì͠l̢̕s͠ ̕͡ỳ̢͠o̴̧͡ư ͜͞aga̸̡͞in,̵̢ ́ẁ̧or̛sè ̀t̕h̢͝͠a̷n̸͠ ̢͝e̶͏v̧͟e̛͘͢r͏̨̀ ͏̀͠b̀͘͢ef͟͏o͜ŗ͝e̸̵̶.͟ ̵̸͠Y̷o̸̡u ̡͘͘f̶͡a̡͡l͞l̴͞ ̴̢ò͢v̶̵͝er͜͞ ̢̢́sc̵̷͠re̡̧̡a̸̕m̴͟i̸ņ̶͢g͝,́ ͟͠w̴̶r̛͟͟ì̛̛t̢͡h̢͠i͘͝n͝g̵̶ in̢ ͟p͟a̵͠in̴̕ ͏̧a̵̢s̨̛ ̢͏t̛h̶̛́e̡ ͢w̶̶͘o͜͟r̨͟l͡d͟ ́g̛ơes̴ ͟͢w̸͝hi͟t̷e͠.̡ E͜v̶̧̢e͜ry̧͟͝t͘hi͠͡ņ̡g̷͡ į̀ś̶͢ ̡͞͞ag̷͢͜o̷͢ņ̸y͡,̸͡ ͘ąn̷d̡̀͘ ͢a̕ s̵̨o̢̕u̧̢nd li̸̧͜ke̸͝͠ ͏a̡ ̛̕t̀h͜o̵̢͜ù̧̀śàn̸̛͠d̛ s̨h͢͏ŗ̡i̴͞e͝ķi͠͠ńg͞ ̡n̷̸a̡i̵͝l̶̡s ͢b̢͢e̷͘͟i̢͡ń̡͡g͟ ̶d̸r͝͏͝a͏̷g͞ǵ̀ȩ͘d̛͜ d̡͟o͘w̸n̨ ͡a͏͘ ̨͢c͘͜͜ha̴̕lk͞b͏o̢̡͠ą̨ŕ͞d̀͝ ̢͞t̶̀e͜͡a͟͢r̢s͟ ̡t̷͏h̶̛̀r̶o͠ug̕h̵͞ ̸yơ͡u̷̢͢r̨̨ ͏͢mì̴ńḑ.́ ̴T̢h̀e͠͞ ͘͞p̴̡͝ai̴̡n ̨c͟on͠t̀in͢͡ú̷̶es͏̀ ̴̸f̴̧͡o͏r͠ w̴̷͝ha̧̨͟t̛͜ f̧̀e̕e͘͘l̶̕͏s̡͏ ͠l͞͝i̢̕͝k͘e͞͝ ͜h̷͘͡o̸͏u͟͟r̨͟͢s̕͜,͘͢͜ ͘͜or͞͠ ̶͟͟d́a̡̛͟ys͞.͡ ̴͡E̕͝v̨͠è͜n̨̨͜t̢͜u͝a̡͡͡l̡ĺ́y̵͟ ̕͞a̴͜͡ĺ͟l̸̀͢ se̶͞n͘͞s͠e͏̕ ̧͟͞o̡͟f ͢t̨̧í̵̀me v̸̨an̵͢͡ì̶͝s̡hè̡́s̛͢,̨ ̵͏r̀è̸̡p͜l͢͞a̶̕c̸̡͘e̢d͘͢ ̛̀ẃ̡ì̕͡ţ́h͟͞ ̵̨͜pu̵͞r̴e̶ ̡ago̶n̡̡y͡͏̛.

And then its over. The pain is suddenly gone, like someone flicked a switch and it all went away. You open your eyes and try to look for the corpse, but its gone. You're alone again, in an empty red corridor. Consuming darkness behind you, and the white unknown ahead. How strange this place is. You get to your feet and, after one more look around in case the corpse is somehow hiding somewhere, you continue down the corridor.

It h́ur̡t̷s̸.


Finally, you come to the end of the corridor. There is nowhere else to go. This is your final destination, a simple red wall with a somehow familiar bladed weapon mounted on it at eye height. It's honestly beautiful, in an alien way. The entire blade is made of some pure white material, flawless except for the glowing, circular red patterns that cover it. The handle is made of what appears to be stainless steel, and is riddled with machine-drilled holes.

How very strange.

WHAT FORM HAS THE BLADE ON THE WALL TAKEN?
[ ] A combat knife. (++speed enhancement, +combat skill, -weapon quality)
[ ] A beautiful katana. (++combat skill, +speed enhancement, -strength enhancement)
[ ] A broad sword with a flat tip. (+combat skill, +strength enhancement, +speed enhancement)
[ ] A huge blade, longer than you are tall. (++strength enhancement, +weapon quality, -speed enhancement)

You look at the beautiful blade, entranced by it...and feel it look back at y͜o̸u̸.

You feel blood trickle down over your lip. No̶, ͜w͞ait̢, t͟h̀͟e͞r͞e͟'͢͢s̷͠ ̡̢͡s̷̨͝o̢̡m̸̶̷et̡h̵in̕g̵͡ w̨̰̘̝̬ͨ̓̐̃́͊ͩ̓͝͡r̹͙͍̠͓̯̞͔͕͇̅̿͌͌͑͌̒͗͑ͤͭ̊̀͘̕ö̴̸̞̘̫͆͑̽͋ͭ̍ͩ̊̊͑ͤ̏͐-ͨ̆ͪͤ̎̅̆ͫ̆

You stare at the blade.

The blade stares back at you.

You stare at the blade. The blade stares back at you.

You stare at the blade the blade stares back at you. You stare at the blade the blade stares back at you stare at the blade stares back at you back at the blade back at you back at the blade back at you back at you back at you at you at you at you you y̢͟o̢͠͝ų̨ you y͞͏o͡ų̶͠͞ you y̷̨̡oų̧̛͠

You stare at you-

-̴̛͟ý͡ơ̶ư̶ ̸̸̸͜s͏͞ć̶̢̡r̛͠è̴̸̢͢àm̵̛-̢́͜͝

-your eyes snap open as you wake up. Urgh, you must have passed out. Somewhat embarassing, but you suppose that's the price you have to pay for not getting any sleep last night. You knew you really should have slept, but you were quite simply too excited. Today's the big day, after all! For the last ten years your father has been working on the Maken, an incredible tool capable of interfacing flawlessly with the human mind to directly correct mental disorders, and today they're going turn it on for the first time.

And your father has invited you to be there when it happens, when they revolutionize the field of psychology forever...It'll be the first time you've seen him in months.

Your head throbs. You massage your forehead with one hand as you try to remember what were you doing before you fell asleep.

[ ] You were in the lab, sitting at the spare computer as you studied your fathers notes on the so-called 'image world'. Oof, and sleeping on it too if the keyboard imprint you can feel on the side of your face is any indication.
[ ] You were at home, finishing that essay for your college history class while you're waiting for your best friend to come pick you up.
[ ] You were in the middle of class, and...your teacher is currently glaring at you. Uh oh.
[ ] Write-in?

 

[GilliamYaeger]

Name: Maken Morpheus
Current host: Kei Sagami


WEAPON SKILLS
Combat Skill Level 3 (0/400)
Your skills in combat are equal to those of the greatest unenhanced human fighters, though they pale in comparison to what powerful demonic beings are capable of. You can face multiple humans or lesser demons in battle without being overwhelmed, and challenge average demons to duels of pure skill with an even shot at victory.

Weapon Quality Level 4 (0/800)
The Maken is a formidable weapon, quite possibly the greatest ever forged by mortal hands. The seemingly-infinite hexagonal segments that form it render it nearly impervious to damage and grant it a monomolecular edge that cuts through steel like paper. Any damage done to the weapon is regenerated within the hour, so long as the core is intact. The blade will change form when given to a new host, adapting to the desires of their soul, and you can switch between the new form and your default - that of a gigantic blade - at your leisure.

ENHANCEMENT SKILLS
Strength Enhancement Level 5 (0/1600)
The strength and toughness of your host is enhanced beyond what should be physically possible. You can match all but the strongest demons in physical might, and your hosts are extremely hard to kill. The quality of the body also has a effect on its capabilities.

Speed Enhancement Level 2 (0/200)
The agility of your host is enhanced to a degree, improving their speed and reflexes somewhat beyond what they are normally capable of. The quality of the body also has a significant effect on its capabilities.


MAKEN SKILLS
Image Level 1 (0/100)
The strength of your will is about as strong as that of a normal human. Using demonic abilities is draining, and you can only cast a few weaker spells at most before needing rest. You will grow stronger by killing humans and devouring their souls, and develop new skills by synchronizing with the darkness hidden in the souls of your hosts. The synchronization process is unimaginably slow, requiring situations where your desires match those of your host (ie the desire to live in the face of mortal danger) to progress with any real speed.

Brainjacking Level 1 (0/100)
Taking over a person is a lengthy and obvious process that cannot be interrupted, which requires the person being jacked to be either subdued or willing. You must remain in contact with your host at all times to retain control. While controlling someone you are incapable of passing yourself off as a normal person, your inhumanity made obvious by the glowing, golden eyes of your host, your uncanny lack of visible emotion and unnatural body language. When given sufficient cause, intact minds that reside in your soul, such as that of a willing host, may interfere with your actions.

Operating System Level 1 (0/100)
Your experiences of the world are limited to your hosts five mundane senses. You have an instinctive yet vague sense for how powerful a foe may be. You are capable of communication with any being. You can interface wirelessly with any compatible device. You can store a surprising number of small items inside your blade, and extract them whenever you wish.

Spoiler: Host database

0: THE FOOL
Name: Kei Sagami
Weapon: Zankantou
Synchronization level: 0 (0%)
Daughter of Doctor Sagami, your creator, and the first to act as your host. She has wound up sharing a mind with you, for some reason.

Spoiler: Abilities

None.

 

[Cornix Argentus]

[X] Morpheus
[X] Kei Sagami
[X] Roland (male)
[X] Beatrice (female)
[X] A huge blade, longer than you are tall. (++strength enhancement, +weapon quality, -speed enhancement)
[X] You were in the lab, sitting at the spare computer as you studied your fathers notes on the so-called 'image world'. Oof, and sleeping on it too if the keyboard imprint you can feel on the side of your face is any indication.

 

[Timaeus]

[X] Morpheus
[X] Kei Sagami
[X] Roland Henderson (male)
[X] Mary Grove (female)
[X] A huge blade, longer than you are tall. (++strength enhancement, +weapon quality, -speed enhancement)
[X] You were in the lab, sitting at the spare computer as you studied your fathers notes on the so-called 'image world'. Oof, and sleeping on it too if the keyboard imprint you can feel on the side of your face is any indication.

 

[Hyacinthium]

[X] Morpheus
[X] Kei Sagami
[X] Roland (male)
[X] Beatrice (female)
[X] A huge blade, longer than you are tall. (++strength enhancement, +weapon quality, -speed enhancement)
[X] You were in the lab, sitting at the spare computer as you studied your fathers notes on the so-called 'image world'. Oof, and sleeping on it too if the keyboard imprint you can feel on the side of your face is any indication.

I have no idea what Maken X is, but I love Atlus games. Also, holy shit am I intrigued.

Was that Fenris btw? So delightfully creepy, and the repetition...

 

[GilliamYaeger]

I have no idea what Maken X is, but I love Atlus games. Also, holy shit am I intrigued.

Click to shrink...

Well count yourself lucky because Maken X is also an Atlus game. With incredible character designs by Kaneko at his crazy-best. And a lot of themes in common with Shin Megami Tensei, in fact.

Really, the only thing stopping it from outright being a Shin Megami Tensei game is the fact that there aren't any demons - something I aim to correct with this Quest.

Also it has an incredibly clunky translation (for the PS2 remake at least, the Dreamcast original is just standard corny dub-tier clunky), to the point where its almost impossible to get some of the endings because several of the questions posed to you are garbled into nonsense. Which is a real shame, because its got an awesome concept and setting, and multiple distinct story paths through the game.

Finally, Maken X has the most awesome mook in any game ever.

 

[Hyacinthium]

Well count yourself lucky because Maken X is also an Atlus game. With incredible character designs by Kaneko at his crazy-best. And a lot of themes in common with Shin Megami Tensei, in fact.

Really, the only thing stopping it from outright being a Shin Megami Tensei game is the fact that there aren't any demons - something I aim to correct with this Quest.

Also it has an incredibly clunky translation (for the PS2 remake at least, the Dreamcast original is just standard corny dub-tier clunky), to the point where its almost impossible to get some of the endings because several of the questions posed to you are garbled into nonsense. Which is a real shame, because its got an awesome concept and setting, and multiple distinct story paths through the game.

Finally, Maken X has the most awesome mook in any game ever.

Click to shrink...

FFFFF, man old games should get re-translations or fan-translations to correct that kind of bullshit! Makes me so mad when I hear about that kind of thing. Did the translators just not give a shit? >=c

 

[Mister Bad Guy]

[X] Morpheus
[X] Kei Sagami
[X] Roland (male)
[X] Beatrice (female)
[X] A huge blade, longer than you are tall. (++strength enhancement, +weapon quality, -speed enhancement)
[X] You were in the lab, sitting at the spare computer as you studied your fathers notes on the so-called 'image world'. Oof, and sleeping on it too if the keyboard imprint you can feel on the side of your face is any indication.

 

[GilliamYaeger]

[X] You were in the lab, sitting at the spare computer as you studied your fathers notes on the so-called 'image world'. Oof, and sleeping on it too if the keyboard imprint you can feel on the side of your face is any indication.
That's right, you were doing some last minute studying on your father's field of expertise on a computer the lab technicians had graciously allowed you to use when you'd come in this afternoon. He'd given you some of his old notes to study after he had invited you to be here today, so you could at least understand the significance of what he was trying to accomplish. It was a little hard to wrap your head around at first, since the core concepts were buried beneath layers of scientific jargon, but once you understood what it all really meant your mind had been blown.

Turns out your father had uncovered actual, physical evidence of the human soul - though, of course, it'd be unscientific to call it that. In the old notes you'd been given they referred to the phenomenon as 'psi', though your father had made sure to inform you that the term has since been updated to 'image.' But regardless of they're calling it, the implications are huge.

The general gist of the notes, beyond the existence of the human soul, was that emotions, thoughts and senses were all functions of a person's image, not their brain. Furthermore there existed some sort of parallel dimension beyond our own, a world of images, where reflections of the human consciousness physically existed and interacted to some degree. According to the notes, subconcious interaction between human images was almost as important as body language.

There were even references to experiments where they had successfully enabled almost-concious communication between people in two different rooms via their 'image worlds' - essentially, telepathy - as well as somehow physically manifesting images as a substance they've dubbed magnetite, which turned out to make for a phenomenally efficient energy source. And this was just what they'd been doing years ago.

From what you'd gathered about his current project, he's long since moved on to more ambitious feats. The Maken, the thing they're going to be testing today, is a psychotherapeutic tool with an artificial image, or soul, of its own...but in that case, wouldn't that make it an artificial life form rather than a tool? Supposedly capable of a significantly more advanced version of the telepathy experiment, it's meant to bond with the mentally impaired and detach and modify pieces of their image, with the end goal being a univeral treatment for almost all mental disorders.

...but, to be honest, the whole thing is more than a bit frightening. Sure, it's going to help an awful lot of people...but, if it's really capable of altering the human soul like that...what if someone managed to turn the Maken into a weapon? The thought of something rooting around in your soul, changing whatever it pleased about you, is certainly an unpleasant one-

"That's certainly a new look for you, Kei," someone says from behind you, causing you to jump a little in surprise.

You whirl around on your swivel chair to face the man behind you, and can't help but smile when you recognise him. "Fei!"



This man is Fei Chao Lee, an assistant to your father as well as your private tutor and sometimes caretaker, looking after you while your father was too busy with his research. He's also one of the nicest, coolest people you've ever met, and you'll readily admit to having a crush on him. He's basically the perfect guy, after all.

And then the good-natured smirk on his face reminds you of his comment. You blush a little, bringing your hand up to the side of your face, where an imprint of the keyboard you'd slept on had been marked on your skin. "Well, I didn't get much sleep last night, eheh...I'm sure it'll fade by the time the Maken's activation begins..."

"You mean in ten minutes?"

"Yea-wait, what?" You whirl around to look at the computer you'd been sleeping on.

Sunday 6/23/2017 5:51 PM

"Master Sagami was starting to wonder where you were, and sent me to collect you," Fei says.

"...oh. Wow. I...certainly slept, didn't I?" For almost six hours, to be exact. Nuts. You'd been planning on getting something to eat before the Maken's activation...

"It's better than almost falling asleep on your feet, isn't it?" Fei says with a smile. "Now come. You don't want to miss the big event, do you?"

You shake your head as you stand and accompany him through the halls of the St. Aquinas Research Insitute to the elevator. Its kind of a funny concept, a hardcore religious organisation like the guys running the building funding cutting-edge science like this, but you're pretty grateful that they are.

They were basically the only people who took your father's initial theories on the soul seriously. If it wasn't for them, your father wouldn't be able to do the work that he loves. And they've been quite generous about their support too, you think as you step into the elevator with Fei. They even gave your father an entire basement level, all to himself.

Ah, what were they called again? It was the order of something or other, wasn't it?

Fei presses a finger to the biometric scanner and the elevator rumbles downwards. Your father's laboratory is the second basement floor, so its only a short time before the elevators open into an elegant corridor that'd fit in a Victorian mansion more than a lab.

Shame. It would have been nice to spend more time in a confined space with Fei.

As you follow Fei out of the elevator and through the corridor, you can't help but notice that there's something different about the place compared to the last time you came through here. Namely, there's piles of books stacked on the floor.

"This corridor is certainly full of books, isn't it?" you can't help commenting.

"Yes," Fei says. "Your father bought and read them one by one. All of them were quite important for his work."

You glimpse at the cover of the top book on one of the piles. It's the Ars Goetia. Well, there's a copy of the Lesser Key of Solomon in a research facility dedicated to studying the human soul. That's not ominous at all.

Fei suddenly stops, and gestures to one of the walls. "And he hasn't bought only books."

You stop as well and look at what Fei was gesturing at. Mounted on the wall is a gigantic painting of a human brain, colored in bloody red, contrasted by a blank white background. Something about it seems...ominous. Malevolent, even.

"My father bought this...?"

"Yes," Fei replies. "The red area shows the human mind. Both good and evil exist there. It doesn't show the organs, only the truth. You can't rely on science, but only on your heart."

...you don't get it. Does it have something to do with your father's work?

At your silence, Fei looks away from the painting to regard you. "Do you dislike it?"

You look back at the painting, and try to think. There's definitely something more to it, but you can't understand what it is, exactly. Just looking at it makes you feel...

"It's strange..." you finally say. "This picture has a terrible aura...but I don't think it's repulsive. I..." You chuckle self-derisively. "I'm being weird, aren't I?"

You feel a hand on your head. "No, absolutely not," Fei says as he ruffles your hair.

You can't help but blush at the small smile he gives you.

Now's the time! something inside you says. Do it, Kei! Confess!

"Fei, I-"

"HEEEEEEEEY!"

Oh god fucking damn it!

You glare at the boy running down the corridor at you, doing your best to smother the urge to strangle him.



"Hey there Kei!" the interfering little bastard says with a smile as he stops in front of you, though the smile fades as he looks at the man next to you. "And...Fei."

"Roland, what the hell are you doing here?!"

"Your dad invited me here, of course," he says, adjusting the bag which you know holds that wooden sword he uses for the martial arts club he's part of. He must have come here straight from weekend practice. "You really think he'd just leave me out of this, after all we've been through together?"

You scowl a little, but he's got a point. Roland Henderson is almost family. He's practically your younger brother in all but blood. No, wait, older brother. Its always so easy to forget that he's a year older than you are when he's half a head shorter than you.

And then the midget turns his attention to Fei. Oh god, here we go. Time for Roland to do what he does any time he's in the same room as Fei - try to pick a fight.

"Hmph, so how long are you planning on hanging out here, flirting with Kei?" the midget asks Fei, trying to sneer (an expression which doesn't really work on him due to how short and adorable he is). "You're really not suited to being a tutor in America y'know. You should just go back to Hong Ko-OW!"

You rub the hand you just used to smack Roland over the back of his head hard enough that it stung. "Jesus, Roland, what the hell is wrong with you?!"

His only response is to pout at you.

"Oh, grow up," you say, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him down the corridor to your father's lab. Behind you, Fei just shakes his head at your antics and smiles. "What exactly is your problem with Fei, anyway?" you ask him.

"I don't like him," Roland grumbles. "He's up to something, I know it."

"Oh really. You sure you aren't just jealous?"

Roland just mumbles something under his breath. You ignore it.

-----

It's a surprisingly long walk to the lab where your father is keeping the Maken. On your way, you can't help but notice that the facility is surprisingly complex, with several branching paths. Does your father really need this much space for his work? There's even a restroom and a kitchen down here...

Eventually, though, you walk through one final set of doors, and into the lab where your father's greatest work was made.



That machine in the center, the giant green globe on the ceiling that reaches down with a thin green cylinder...that must be it.

"The Maken...so they've really completed it," you mutter.

"Maken?" Roland asks. "What's that?"

Jeez, he doesn't even know they're doing today?



"It's the reason you're all here today," says your father, a tall man with an eyepatch, as he walks up to you. "If you look down into the center of the room, you can see it for yourself. It's currently sleeping inside that tube."

Both of you lean over the railing to peer at the tube in the center of the room...and indeed, there's something held inside it. Small enough to enclose in a single hand, you have to concentrate to make it out. When you do, it's...



It's...certainly not what you were expecting. It's significantly more grotesque than you'd expect a medical instrument to be...

"That's the Maken? Wait, sleeping...Is that thing alive!?" Roland asks, looking vaguely disturbed at the twisted form being held in the tube.

"Yes, and no," your father says, looking between you and Roland. "It's alive in most senses of the term, certainly, but we haven't implanted its Image yet. Its form is there, but its mind is empty."

You can't help but smile. The first time you've seen him in months, and the first thing he says to you is a lecture on his work. Yeah, that's your dad alright. "That's what we're doing today, isn't it? Giving it an Image?" you ask.

Your father nods.

Roland scratches his head. "What's this about an image?"

"'Image' is basically a fancy science term for a soul," you tell him.

"Well, it's a bit more complicated than that," your father says, "but I suppose that's close enough for now."

"So wait, we're giving that weird lump down there a soul?! How's that even possible?"

While you didn't quite anticipate the Maken looking like it does, Fei had already informed you about what they were doing today a while back. "As father said, Maken already has everything it already needs. All we need to do is let its artifical brain make contact with a complete Image. With this stimulus, it'll develop it's own Image World, sort of like jumpstarting a car, and eventually become a fully cognizant entity with it's own self-awareness and ego."

Your father smiles at you. "You've been studying, haven't you?" he says. You can hear the pride in his voice.

"Well, I may have had some help from Fei," you say with a grin. "But, I'd really like to work with you one day..."

"So hang on, why's it called 'Maken'?" Roland says, once again ruining the mood. You scowl at him, but he ignores you and keeps talking. "Isn't that the Japanese word for magic sword? That thing down there doesn't look anything like a sword..."

Your father answers him. "Right now it doesn't, true, but once it's awakened it will form a blade around itself from the hexagonal cells in the containment tube with it."

"Wait, you mean it's going to be an actual sword? What are you planning on killing with that thing?!"

You feel Fei's reassuring hand on your shoulder as he speaks up for the first time since the brain painting. "This sword will destroy the images that cause mental disorders, granting people peace. It's a medical instrument."

"You're going to use it to strike down patients, then? Atrocious..."

"Well of course it's not going to be literally used as a weapon!" you snap at him. "It's metaphorical! It's supposed to bond with a patient over time and act as a companion!"

"Then why does it need to be a weapon, then?" he snaps back. "It's a sword! What else is it good for but cutting things!"

"That's enough, you two," your father says sternly, giving Roland a pointed glare. The boy wilts under it. He's always looked up to your father as his hero. Thinking about it it's kind of strange that he's being so outspoken against your father's work like this. Guess this is just another attempt at riling Fei up.

"I think we've spent enough time talking. It's time to show you two what you came here to see. Anna! Jones!" Father turns around to face his two assistants. "Let's begin! Fei, would you mind taking your place downstairs?"

Fei nods, and walks down into the main chamber and onto the bridge, waiting next to the tube containing the Maken, while your father returns to his place behind his subordinates. Roland walks over with him, but you remain where you are so you can watch from the railing, unwilling to miss even a moment of whatever awesome thing Fei's going to do with the Maken.

"All responses are positive."

"Checking the psi...all green. Rise and shine, Morpheus."

"Initiating contact in 3...2...1...contact!"

Inside the glowing green tube, the grotesque creation of Doctor Sagami slowly opens its eyes. It blinks rapidly, like a person just waking up and adjusting to the light, before suddenly opening its mouth in what could be a yawn, a roar, or even a scream. It's hard to tell, since if it's making a noise it's not getting through the glass. Countless transparent tendrils sprout from the openings at the top of it's 'head', reaching down onto the platform just below and picking up tiny white metallic hexagons before pulling them up and sticking them on itself. Slowly, but surely, forming the shape of a swor-

And then Roland's phone goes off.

Everyone turns to stare at him, even Fei on the ground floor. He gives a nervous smile in response as he turns beet red. "I'll...I'll just check my phone outside," he says quickly, before rushing out the door, phone making noises all the while.

God damn it, Ro. What's wrong with you today?

"...how'd he even get reception down here?" Jones wonders out loud.

Distraction over, everyone returns their attention to the Maken. It's completely covered itself in those metal cells, but its progress isn't slowing down. In fact, it's speeding up, adding more and more cells to the half-formed sword, which is now wide enough that it barely fits in the tube. Eventually the blade tapers off into a point, and the whole thing glows as the cells fuse together into a singular, white surface. For some reason, glowing circular patterns appear on the blade.

The end result is a towering monster of a sword, a single-edged weapon remniscent of the Buster Sword that's as wide and tall as a person. How the hell is anyone supposed to even carry that thing? Jeez, maybe Roland had a point. Looking like this, there's no way you can think of this thing as anything other than a weapon...though you'll admit that there's something about it that appeals to you, on some level.

"The Maken is complete, sir," you hear Miss Anna say to your father.

He closes his uncovered eye, and takes a deep breath. "...Very good. Open the container."

"Opening the container."

The green tube slides up, exposing the gigantic form of the Maken to the outside world for the very first time. In its shadow Fei steels himself, and reaches out to take hold of the grip...

...but before he can even touch it, you hear a scream of terror echo through the open door behind you. You whirl, all thoughts of the Maken thrown out of your mind because you recognize that voice.

"Roland!" you yell, adrenaline coursing through your veins as you start running through the door without even thinking about it. Behind you Fei abandons the Maken to leap straight up over the railing from the ground floor, and joins you in running out to find Roland. You barely even notice how cool he was, or your father shouting at you to stop.

The two of you don't have far to run before you find something. A familiar bag, lying abandoned on the floor at a t-junction. Fei picks it up, frowning. "This is Roland's shinai...and it's covered in blood. He's-"

"Fei!" you scream, pointing behind him.



There's a woman in what looks to be a heavily armored chinese dress walking down the corridor towards you. She's wearing a strange mask with an unfamiliar sigil on the forehead, a circle with a tower made of broken horizontal lines in the center. And in one hand she carries a bo staff...the ends of which are freshly stained a slick red.

"Fei Chao Lee, I presume," she says in heavily accented English. A chill runs up your spine as you realize she means to kill the both of you.

Fei's expression turns ice cold. "The Ring of Gaea...so it's you." He turns his head to you. "Kei, step back."

"Fei, no!" you cry. "Your opponent has a real weapon!"

Fei just smirks. "That's alright..." he says, undoing Roland's bag and pulling out the wooden sword inside. "So do I."

The woman hesitates.

"Come," Fei says.

In response the woman charges him, "What can you do with a mere shinai anyw-"

Fei's movements are faster than you can process. One moment he's standing calmly, the next he's driven Roland's imitation sword straight through the woman's mask and out the back of her head with enough force to flip her head over heels.

So cool!

"Im...poss-" the dead woman manages to gurgle before she lifelessly hits the floor.

"It all depends on your breathing!" Fei states decisively, uncaring of the gore flecked on his face. "If you focus your spirit, even humble wood can match the strongest of steel!"

Your eyes widen as you see a blur coming at his back. "Fei, behind you!" you shriek desperately...

...you're not fast enough.

Fei's expression is almost comical as a second masked assailant suddenly appears behind him and drives a sword through his spine. He looks down at the sword tip poking out of his gut, eyes wide. You clap your hands to your mouth, horrified and feeling the urge to vomit rise up through your chest. The assassin grins in triumph...

...but then Fei smirks, grabbing hold of the sword tip sticking out his front with both hands. In one smooth movement, he calmly pulls it all the way through his torso, his would-be killer too shocked by this to keep hold of the sword. Fei flourishes his new blade like an expert as he turns to face the assassin, smiling confidently despite the gaping hole in his torso.

But...despite the sword having gone all the way through, he's not bleeding. What the hell is going on...?! Who...or what, is Fei? you can't help thinking.

The assassin takes a few steps back, whimpering in fear.

"Fei...?" you ask, hesitantly. Suddenly, you realize you don't know nearly as much as you thought you did about your tutor.

The assassin seems to use that as a signal to start running, screaming all the way. He quickly runs down a corridor - not the one leading to the lab, thankfully - and around a corner, out of sight.

The confident smile vanishes from Fei's face as soon as the assassin does. "Kei, we need to get back to the others and get out of here now, we're all in grave dange-"

You hear a loud sound from where the assassin ran to, a scream and then...something else, something gruesome. The assassin is suddenly flung back into view, slamming into a wall with a wet thud before landing on the floor in a pile of severed limbs and blood. There's a red imprint left on the wall.

A vision of death walks around the corner.
[ ] A tall, lanky man in a fur-covered Russian military uniform, carrying what looks to be a giant scalpel. There's something wrong with his face. Melee and buff skills, top quality body with special ability
[ ] A boy around your age with piercing red eyes, clad in layers of japanese robes and covered in various trinkets. Ghostly forms of monsters form and fade from the smoke that seeps from the slender pipe in his hand. Elemental magic skills, carries a variety of expendable items
[ ] A masked woman with white hair and red eyes, wearing a hooded poncho. She's carrying a wide variety of guns, including a very large rifle that's smoking ominously. Gun and stealth skills, has excellent body armor and weapons

 

[veekie]

[X] A boy around your age with piercing red eyes, clad in layers of japanese robes and covered in various trinkets. Ghostly forms of monsters form and fade from the smoke that seeps from the slender pipe in his hand. Elemental magic skills, carries a variety of expendable items

 

[Timaeus]

[X] A boy around your age with piercing red eyes, clad in layers of japanese robes and covered in various trinkets. Ghostly forms of monsters form and fade from the smoke that seeps from the slender pipe in his hand. Elemental magic skills, carries a variety of expendable items

 

[Plasmid]

[X] A boy around your age with piercing red eyes, clad in layers of japanese robes and covered in various trinkets. Ghostly forms of monsters form and fade from the smoke that seeps from the slender pipe in his hand. Elemental magic skills, carries a variety of expendable items

 

[Hyacinthium]

Oh shit we have a crush on sensei and a cute boy might have a crush on us! That's cu-

/maken and suddenly fei gets stabbed after roland goes missing/

FUCK

[X] A masked woman with white hair and red eyes, wearing a hooded poncho. She's carrying a wide variety of guns, including a very large rifle that's smoking ominously. Gun and stealth skills, has excellent body armor and weapons

Guns and stealth sound great!

 

[Vikram]

[X] A masked woman with white hair and red eyes, wearing a hooded poncho. She's carrying a wide variety of guns, including a very large rifle that's smoking ominously. Gun and stealth skills, has excellent body armor and weapons

 

[GilliamYaeger]

[X] A boy around your age with piercing red eyes, clad in layers of japanese robes and covered in various trinkets. Ghostly forms of monsters form and fade from the smoke that seeps from the slender pipe in his hand.

The boy smirks cruelly, pointing the pipe at you.

"Agilao."

"Get back!"

You get a brief glimpse of fire coming from the boy before Fei puts his body between you and the boy. There's a single, terrible moment that seems to last forever, and then heat blasts over you. Fei grunts in pain as flame wash over him and around you, and then it's over.

The smell of cooked meat fills your nostrils.

"F-Fei?" you whisper, risking a glance at him to see if he's okay. It's not pretty. Even from here you can see that his clothes are scorched and his skin is burned black, but...even as you stare in horror, the burn scars are receding. He's...healing?

"Kei, you need to run, NOW!" Fei says, readying his sword and showing absolutely no sign of pain. "Get back to the main lab and don't look back!"

You freeze. You know that Fei wants to keep you safe, but something in your head is screaming that, if you leave him here, he will die. You hesistate, then grab his arm. "No! Not without you!" You forcibly pull him back with you...and to your great relief he doesn't resist. Together, you both run back down the corridor, towards your father.

Towards the Maken.

Towards ỳ̶̶̨͈̬̩͘ơ̷̢̛̫̝͇̘͕̳̱̣̘͟ͅu͠͏͉͍̝͎̯̕͟ͅ

The boy just watches you go.

"...well, I think we can afford to have some fun with this, just this once," he chuckles before glancing behind him. "Wouldn't you agree, Orthrus?"

A low, bestial growl answers him.

---

You and Fei burst back into the lab...only to find that things have gotten bad. On the opposite side of the ring that makes up the second floor...you see two people.

Your father, wrapped up in some kind of duct tape, which also covers his eyes and mouth. Next to him is, impossibly, the woman in the armored chinese dress. As she looks at you, you see that she still has the hole straight through her head from the shinai Fei thrust through it.

And then she grabs your father by the scruff of his collar, and starts dragging him through the doors on the other side of the room.

You start to run. You don't know what you're going to do, but you have to save your father! As you rush down the stairs to the lower level, you barely take notice that Jones and Anna - your fathers assistants - are nowhere to be seen, and that there's a large puddle of blood spreading from the control station. You ignore it, though. All that matters is your father. You have to help your father. You run onto the bridge where y̡͞͞o͟͝͠͏̢u̴ still sits, exposed on its pedestal. You'll just step around y̷̨͢ò̸͡ù̶͢͞ and-

You hear a thumping noise behind you, from the lab entrance. Before you can really register it, something hits your back and pushes you down. You land hard on your front, banging your nose on the floor. You turn around, to see what knocked you over.



You see Fei being held in the double jaws of an immense orange-furred lion with twin heads as it whips him around like a rag doll. He must have pushed you out of the way. The monster's jaws suddenly tense. You see Fei smile at you one last time, and then the great beast rips him in half. His legs are flung into the pool beneath the bridge, slowly staining it red, while you hear his upper body land somewhere behind you.

Your mind goes blank.

The red-eyed boy, standing in the door to the lab, starts laughing. You can understand why. This...this is all just a practical joke they're playing on you, right? Right?! Fei...Fei's just...just...

"Oh my, Fei Chao Lee," you hear the woman holding your father say in that harsh, heavily accented voice. "Kiriya, it's time for us to go. They won't be kept away long."

"Very well, I'll see you at the helipad. I've got some...unfinished business to take care of," the red-eyed boy says with what is surprisingly an incredibly British accent. You'd laugh at how unfitting it is considering his attire, but you're currently in shock. "Orthrus, I'll leave cleaning up here to you." With that, he turns around with a swoosh of his robes and walks out of sight, and behind you you can hear your father struggling as the woman drags him out the other door. You think he screams your name, from underneath the gag.

You're snapped back to reality by the growling of the great big lion in front of you, as it takes a single step towards you. You desperately scramble back, too scared to clamber to your feet. The lion - the boy called it Orthrus didn't he - leisurely walks after you, taking it's time. Playing with its food. You shuffle back for what feels like an eternity, until...

"Kei..."

You turn your head. You've come up next to Fei's upper torso, and he's looking into your eyes. He's somehow still alive, and there's no blood. He must be doing whatever let him shrug off that stab wound from before.

"Kei...you have...to use...the Maken...!" he wheezes. You stare at him uncomprehending, until everything suddenly clicks and adrenaline forces you to surge to your feet. You begin racing towards the giant sword.

Orthrus growls and starts moving faster but Fei, using only his arms, throws himself at it. He grabs it on its blue-green mane, but it just grabs him in its jaw. The monster bites down hard - you hear Fei crying out in pain before you hear a very distinct CRUNCH - before flinging him away.

Fei's torso thuds into the wall and bounces off, landing between the stairs to the upper floor and the pool.

You reach out to Ỳ̕͢Ǫ̢͘Ư̡͟͢͠

Orthrus roars and leaps at you.

You don't want to die.

Your f̨in̶gers ̡wrap ́aro͟u̕n͢d t̿̈̌ͅhͅė̤̱̝̞̪͔̩̉ͯ̇͐̇͟ ̣͔̥͙ͨM̛̩ͯ͊ͯa͗̑̋͋ͦͬ̃k̜̜̱̹̪͓̥ͬͧ͝e͛͏̖n̖̦̭̉ͩͯ̑ͥ͐ͥͅ'̙͉̪͎̲͑͝s̴̼̗̫͖̗̈͒̆̆̚ ̩̪̠̜̙̺̆̒̕g͍̞̓ͫ͌ͪͭrͫ̇ͦͯ̆i̖̖̤͊͆́̒̔͂̚p̧͎̤͍͇̝̘̆͋͋ a͎͖̞̳̻̱̒ͭ̀̓̈̕n̄̈̓̽̄̌͗ͦd̵̵̢̬̣͍̪̖̩͖͎̉ͩ ͚̺͎͎̙̝͓̫̬̈́e͔ͮͤ̃̕ͅv̐̋̋̌͏̢̡̱̻͎̝̩e̱̬̲ͥ͌ͩ̀r̹͔̻͔̩̠̦̃̋ͤ̀͘y̸̛̮͍͆͛t̴̖͉̖̯͙̤̰̤̠̿̀̈ͫ̀h̷̹͇̦̝̗ͪ͐ͧͩͪ͗ì̗̭̇̇̅̏ͨ̚̚ń̼̪̰̮ͣ͌̽̓͌̇̒g̶̯̗ͣ ̢͖͔͕̏͂̒̒͋ͥ̒͐ͥg̨̲͖͖̘͔͎ͥ̈́͛̇ͅo͑̔̆ͨ̓́͏̰͚̳̥͇͇e̴̸̯͓̭̘̭̞͊̓̐s͖̦̄̍̏̂͑̀ P̷̴͈̖͓̤͓̺̘̭̭̻͉̣͔̫͔̗̔ͭͣ͆͛͑̎̆ͮ͒͑̍̓͑ͅÄ̶͓͇̝̱̙̭̗̟̞̟͉̩͚͎̪̳̝͈ͬ̌͋͊ͪ̀̔́ͪ́ͬ̎̚̕͢I̷̸͉̺̹̣̫̯̰̗̹͕̺͔̗̫̱̠̮̒̊͂̉ͮ̿̒̉̄ͮͥͥͩ̔̾̚͢͝Ņ̶̳̩͉̰̻̽͑ͥ̍̔̓ͤͯͭ͒̈́ͣͧ̇̋̍ͣ̎͑͜͜͝

---

[New host registered in database.]

[Kei Sagami: The Fool]

[Synchronization level: 0 (0%)]

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[New weapon form: N/A (already obtained)]

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[Character sheet unlocked]

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[Warning: Mental contamination detected]

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Your name is Morpheus, and you have just finished reliving the last few minutes of your new hosts life. Despite the...unusual experience that was your very first Brainjacking, one that you dearly hope that you will not have to repeat every time you acquire a new body, you find yourself fitting into Kei Sagami's body and mind like it was tailor made for your use. If you had to describe it in a word, that word would be comfortable. Like home. Not that you've ever had a home.

Unfortunately, you don't really have the time to appreciate your newfound freedom, or ruminate on the nature of home. There's a monster right behind you, in mid-air as it pounces at you to rip you to shreds. And you can't have that, can you? You tighten Kei's hand - your hand, now - around the grip of your true body, and whirl.

With a single swing of the colossal blade that is you, you instantly reduce both of the lunging demons heads to little more than gore. The force of the impact knocks its leap off-course, causing what's left of it to crash down into the pool of magnetite below. Flecks of the glowing substance land on your face, but you ignore them in favour of staring at the Orthrus's body. The headless corpse floats for a brief moment, before it starts sinking into the emerald depths as it rapidly disintegrates into what appears to be darkly glowing ash. How strange.

You rest your blade on your shoulder and look up at the dismembered torso lying on the edge of the magnetite pool. You recognize the man in foreign clothes, Fei, from that bizarre dream you had when Kei first touched you. He's staring into space with lifeless eyes, blood leaking from where his body suddenly ends, the gaping wounds on his chest including several new ones inflicted by Orthrus's fangs, and there's a little trickle drooling from his mouth, too. It seems that whatever trick he used to hold those wounds shut stopped working with his death.

Fei...oh god, Fei...

You hesistate. That...what was that? It was like...you don't quite know how to describe it. It was like you were thinking something, but you also weren't at the same time. That voice...was that Kei? She's still concious, despite your possession of her body? How strange. How very strange indeed. You were given to understand that your hosts were rendered incapable of even thought while you had control of them.

...though, thinking about it, you're not sure when or how you came to that understanding, considering that you only woke up today. Curious.

Y-you...You're the Maken, aren't you?

You are Morpheus, yes.

Please...my father...you have to save him! Please! And Roland, and...oh god, Fei...

You feel the girl's mind curl up within your own, shutting itself off from the world and going into something you'd liken to shock. It seems she's not taking the death of her tutor/crush, the possible death of her friend and the kidnapping of her father very well. You suppose that humans must be weak like that, since you just finished living through that same experience yourself and you're perfectly calm.

Regardless, you find yourself at a crossroads. Literally, considering the woman who kidnapped Kei's father (you suppose she survived that shinai through the head the same way Fei survived getting torn in half?) and the boy whose demon killed Fei went in different directions. Evidently either direction works just fine for getting to that helipad they said they were meeting at.

What to do?
[ ] Go after the woman. Kei wants you to save her father, your creator (does that make him your father as well?). You think you should probably go do that. Because it is the...right thing to do? How strange. Morality is still such an alien concept to you. Besides, she's going to be meeting the boy at the helipad on the research facility roof, isn't she?
[ ] Go after the boy. He tried to kill your new host, you should give him your regards for that. Besides, you're sure he has quite the powerful soul. You would sincerely like to DEVOUR IT and sate your hunger.

 

[Timaeus]

[x] Go after the woman. Kei wants you to save her father, your creator (does that make him your father as well?). You think you should probably go do that. Because it is the...right thing to do? How strange. Morality is still such an alien concept to you. Besides, she's going to be meeting the boy at the helipad on the research facility roof, isn't she?

 

[Vikram]

[X] Go after the woman. Kei wants you to save her father, your creator (does that make him your father as well?). You think you should probably go do that. Because it is the...right thing to do? How strange. Morality is still such an alien concept to you. Besides, she's going to be meeting the boy at the helipad on the research facility roof, isn't she?

I mean, we've kind of got the kidnapped father thing going on, and ignoring that is pretty much taking a sledgehammer to the coherence of Kei's image.

Also, it is pretty much take Staircase A Fight A or Staircase B Fight B except one option is clearly superior. There's no incentive for being a huge asshole.

And well, frankly, playing a power hungry parasite is fun precisely never.

 

[Cornix Argentus]

[X] Go after the woman. Kei wants you to save her father, your creator (does that make him your father as well?). You think you should probably go do that. Because it is the...right thing to do? How strange. Morality is still such an alien concept to you. Besides, she's going to be meeting the boy at the helipad on the research facility roof, isn't she?

As much as I'd love to play a soul eating parasite, I'm thinking going with this.

Also, not like we can't eat a soul and go with their idea. We scratch their back, they let us eat someone's soul. Pretty sure that's how the saying goes.

 

[veekie]

[X] Go after the woman. Kei wants you to save her father, your creator (does that make him your father as well?). You think you should probably go do that. Because it is the...right thing to do? How strange. Morality is still such an alien concept to you. Besides, she's going to be meeting the boy at the helipad on the research facility roof, isn't she?

 

[Plasmid]

[X] Go after the woman. Kei wants you to save her father, your creator (does that make him your father as well?). You think you should probably go do that. Because it is the...right thing to do? How strange. Morality is still such an alien concept to you. Besides, she's going to be meeting the boy at the helipad on the research facility roof, isn't she?

if we want a soul we can always eat a soul of someone less important, right?

 

[Cornix Argentus]

if we want a soul we can always eat a soul of someone less important, right?

Click to shrink...

Probably not nearly as satisfying. Like the difference between a well-cooked steak and a stale cracker. Both are edible, but one of them's not going to do much for you. We can probably find them later, anyway. Haven't got this whole 'body' thing down quite yet.

 

[Alectai]

[X] Go after the woman. Kei wants you to save her father, your creator (does that make him your father as well?). You think you should probably go do that. Because it is the...right thing to do? How strange. Morality is still such an alien concept to you. Besides, she's going to be meeting the boy at the helipad on the research facility roof, isn't she?

Reading the character sheet, this is the best way to raise our Sync, which is the best way to develop new Skills.

More importantly, we're not going to have a lack of dinner no matter what we do, the Amala Cosmos is full of things to kill no matter what your personal blend of morality is!

And I always find it amusing when the horrible secret weapon actually turns out to be a better person then normal people actually are, ETHICS BITCH CAN YOU INTO THEM?

 

[GilliamYaeger]

[x] Go after the woman. Kei wants you to save her father, your creator (does that make him your father as well?). You think you should probably go do that. Because it is the...right thing to do? How strange. Morality is still such an alien concept to you. Besides, she's going to be meeting the boy at the helipad on the research facility roof, isn't she?

After taking one last look at the door the mystic boy left through you turn around and follow the woman that took Kei's father. You don't even bother taking the stairs, instead just leaping straight up and over the railing. You land on the top floor then run after the woman in the Chinese dress. Somewhere behind you the upper half of Fei's corpse slides into the magnetite pool, joining his legs in the depths.

As you run down the hall you can see security doors slamming shut around you, cutting off access to various side corridors and rooms you pass by. You ignore it, focusing on your task. Then you turn a corner and there they are. Several dozen meters down the corridor you see the woman in the chinese dress, dragging the bound Professor Sagami along. She turns and locks eyes with you. You stare back silently. You can't help but notice that you can see all the way through her head through the hole Fei made.

Kei would probably feel uncomfortable about that were she paying attention. You don't really care.

With your quarry so close you heft your blade and charge her. Your passive enhancements lend Kei's slender body speed matching a professional sprinter, something she'd otherwise be years of dedicated practice away from achieving, but it's not enough. The woman smirks, and a thick security door starts to close between you and her. You kick the ground, using your brute strength to propel you forwards faster than you can run, but it's not fast enough. You reach the door just as it slams shut and audiably locks itself down. Another closes somewhere behind you, cutting off the way back to the lab and seemingly trapping you. How irritating, but ultimately it's little more than a speed bump.

You simply swing your sword-self into the door as hard as you can, cutting a good ways into the thick door and embedding the blade into the metal. Focusing your strength you drag the blade down with an awful shriek. It takes a few seconds but soon you've cut a long gash through the door, another two cuts and you'll be through. You look through the opening you made at the woman running down the corridor...and then she's cut off by yet another door slamming shut just behind the one you've cut through. You hear several more close behind it.

This is genuinely irritating. What kind of security measure helps the intruders rather than hinders them? The invaders must have taken control of the security systems somehow. Regardless cutting through these doors will take a good few minutes and you don't think you can push Kei's body hard enough afterwards to catch up to the kidnapper with her having that much of a head start. You can charge faster than she can run, yes, but it's a technique that's bad at cornering and this place is like a maze. You rip the Maken out of the door and look around for an alternate path. There. A sign pointing the way to the freight elevator, through a sealed door just to the right of the security door you just cut through. That might be the ticket. If you can't catch up to her, maybe you can beat her to the helipad and cut off her escape.

It takes exactly thirteen seconds to rip your way through the security door standing in your way. It takes you ten to run through the corridor into the freight lift, a large shaft with the sides lined by walkways that both allow foot traffic between basement floors and freight to be moved on and off the large central elevator. It takes you an instant to realize you are not alone in here, and you raise your massive weapon in front of you just in time to use it as a shield against the fireball flung your way. The flame washes over the Maken's exotic metal form like it was water, leaving no marks behind.

Looking around your weapon you count three masked assassins standing between you and the large freight elevator, accompanied by five demons including the one that just attacked you - a dark skinned goddess in crimson robes. The assassins order their demons to attack, four charging you as two of the assassins break away in different directions. The goddess and what you presume is her summoner hang back, likely to provide support.

You counter-charge and tear through their ranks with little effort. A one-eyed ox with a rat's tail practically explodes into meat with a single mighty blow. A red-skinned giant with a horn is beheaded then quickly used as a stepping stone to leap above a sword-wielding monkey in armor before you come down with sword extended and impale it on the ground. The final demon, a golden bird with a fancy hat, shrieks as it dives at you with talons extended. In response you grab the bird by its leg and spin, violently whipping the demon around to throw it at an assassin trying to sneak around and flank you from behind. The impact carries them both into the wall next to the door with force enough to leave a rather deep dent.

You kick off the floor hard, causing the metal to warp from the sheer power of your charge, and launch yourself at the demon and assassin before they even start to fall. Raising your sword like a lance you drive it through both of them, pinning them to the reinforced steel behind them like a butterfly in a collection. The bird turns black and disintegrates into ash while the assassin screams in pain and terror as his life ends and he feels you feeding on his soul.

It is delicious, more delicious than anything you can find in Kei's memories and satisfying on a level that's indescribable. You take a moment to shudder in pleasure before you get back to work.

Pulling your sword out of the wall you immediately swing it at another assassin that's leaping towards you. You swing too early, missing the man entirely...but the corpse still impaled on the blade is flung straight at him. The corpse slams into him and erases any forward momentum he had, leaving him open. You take a step forward, lifting your sword above your head, and bring it down in a flawless vertical slash, bisecting the assassins both living and dead in a single blow and consuming yet another soul.

Flourishing your colossal blade to flick the blood off, you regard the final assassin and his demon with hungry eyes. He takes a step back. You charge. He frantically gestures the dark-skinned goddess next to him to protect him. You raise your sword to shield yourself from her magic once more, this time a bolt of lightning, before twisting it around to remove her head in a lightning-quick flash. You let the momentum of your sword spin you as you barge through the disintegrating corpse of the goddess without slowing down, scattering her ashes everywhere, and bring your blade back around and straight through the torso of the final assassin. His soul, like the others, is now yours.

[150 XP obtained: total 150]

You don't tarry any longer and continue onwards and upwards. You check the freight elevator, but it seems to have been locked down. Up the catwalks, then. You quickly clamber upwards and you manage to reach the entrance to B1 before something explodes into your side hard enough to kill Kei instantly, if she was unenhanced by you. As things stand it simply hurts.

You turn and see that on the other side of the shaft there's another series of catwalks, and level with you is a cybernetically altered man with a rather large cannon instead of a right arm. The gunman takes aim and you narrowly dodge a second shot, which explodes behind you and takes out a segment of the catwalk you're standing on. He probably thinks you have no way of striking back. He's wrong.

With one hand you rip off a section of railing, straighten it and squeeze one end to a point with your teeth, then throw it full-force right before a third shot can come your way. It goes through his right shoulder, causing him to cry out in agony. A second railing-javelin goes through his gut, sending him to his knees from the pain, while the third is a headshot that kills the cyborg assassin instantly. Hrm. He's dead by your hand, yet you remain unfed. You must need to deliver the killing blow with the Maken before you get to eat. How irritating.

You quickly finish your climb and burst out into the ground floor of the research facility. The smell of blood is thick in the air. As you rush through the building in search of a way up, it quickly becomes apparent that the building has been turned into a charnel house, the building's staff slaughtered wholesale by the invaders and their demons. Several corpses in the attire of the assassins show that at least someone amongst the staff didn't go down without a fight, but on the whole it seems that the defenders have rather firmly and violently lost the day. You don't really care one way or another.

It doesn't take long to find a flight of stairs leading up, and you reach the second floor. Unfortunately the stairs going further up from here have been destroyed and blocked by rubble, so you are forced into the research facility to find another way up. Multiple times during your ascent you encounter packs of demons, and dispatch them just as quickly as you did the ones in the freight elevator. Often, they're unaccompanied by their assassin masters. But sometimes they are, and you get to feed five more times on your way to the roof.

[250 XP obtained: total 400]

Eventually you climb one last set of stairs, and you've made it. Just in time, as well. While you didn't manage to beat them here, you've caught the woman and the sorceror boy - Kiriya - just as they were getting on their helicopter. They both look at you as you step onto the roof proper, the woman just finishing throwing Professor Sagami into the copter like he was cargo. After a moment you see their gazes move away from you, and onto you. You ignore their stares, and simply walk towards them.

Kiriya smirks at the sight of a small slip of a girl dragging a giant sword behind her. The woman isn't as amused.

The wizard looks to the woman. "You get going, I shall take care of this."

"Kiriya, you can't-"

"Darling, please. I am more than capable of taking on a single girl, no matter how silly her weapon."

"But when they return-"

"I will be long gone. I am more than capable of slipping out and covering my tracks darling, they will not catch me."

"...fine. If you are caught, I expect you to destroy yourself rather than talk."

"But of course."

The woman gets onto the helicopter, and its rotors start speeding up.

Kiriya looks at you, getting a better look now that you've closed the distance. "Oh? That's a rather interesting look in your eyes, girl. Do you hate me for killing that weakling Fei?"

...yes.

Ah, Kei's awake again. Good sign. Probably.

"No answer? Fine. In that case, let us have our actions do the talking." The sorcerer raises his pipe to his lips, and blows. Smoke billows out in improbable amounts, and he sweeps the small magical implement around himself in a large arc. Smoke billows around him, and two shapes take form inside it before emerging as solid entites - demons. "Now, come. Let us see what you can do with the Messian's so-called Blade of Revelation, little girl."

He's clearly not taking this as seriously as he should be. How strange. You would have thought that the blood on you-oh wait, you're wearing red.

Maken, KILL HIM!

Your name is Morpheus, and you don't much appreciate being ordered around like that. Regardless, as you were planning on killing him anyway, you raise your sword and ready yourself.

VS GAIAN KIRIYA




You assess the situation.

You currently stand on the roof of the research building, near the helipad. There are large cargo crates scattered around here and there. They are unlikely to serve as worthwhile cover, since you are sure that a single blow from any one of the combatants will break through the wood planks like cardboard. You are unsure what they contain, though it is unlikely to be anything useful. Through a door some distance behind you are the stairs back down into the building, and you are quite certain that you can survive a fall from here to the ground with little to no injury, making leaping over the railings lining the roof's edge a viable if counterproductive option.

Some distance ahead of you, the sorceror Kiriya stands flanked by his demonic servants - a large, bulky tiger-bear thing with a pitch black face and a large floating skull. You predict that they will vanish with Kiriya's death, but cannot be sure. You are too unfamiliar with the art of summoning demons to make an accurate guess. The sorcerer himself is smirking, seemingly confident about his chances in the coming battle. Behind him the VTOL with Kei's father inside is starting to take off. It will quickly be out of your reach if you do not get to it within the next dozen or so seconds.

Your left side still pulses with pain from that cheap shot in the freight elevator shaft, and you have several minor cuts and bruises courtesy of battles fought on the way up here. None of these wounds affect your combat performance in any way, or are significant enough to meaningfully alter the course of the fight. You are armed only with the Maken, which is in the form of a humongous single-edged blade.

How do you want to handle this?

[ ] Charge him, take him out as soon as you can. You're certain that, like his compatriots, one solid hit will let you feed.
[ ] Kill his minions before attacking him. The big beast looks like it could survive a solid hit, and you have no idea what the skull can do.
-[ ] Focus on the beast first.
-[ ] Focus on the skull first.
[ ] Keep your distance. You don't have any real ranged options, but you can at least repeat the railing javelin trick.
[ ] Feint, then leap over him and go for the copter. Forget the damn wizard, your real goal is about to fly away!
[ ] Write-in.

 

[Alectai]

Hmm.

We're basically a brute right now, anything fancy will probably fail. We lack the agility to really catch up to the VTOL unless everything goes right, and we expose ourselves to attack in doing so for no likely gain--especially since his captor can still attack us to force us away.

No, they've won this round. We need to brainjack the guy holding us off so we can catch up later, they'll have protocols for a rendezvous after all.

Going straight for him will probably fail, that's the logical choice and these guys are professionals, they'll have countermeasures for the obvious choices. So I'd say hit the skull first because we don't know what it does--the beast is a brute like us, but we're top class in terms of bruting it up, our greatest weakness then is bullshit. The skull is most likely to dish that out.

[X] Kill his minions before attacking him. The big beast looks like it could survive a solid hit, and you have no idea what the skull can do.
-[X] Focus on the skull first.

 

[veekie]

[X] Kill his minions before attacking him. The big beast looks like it could survive a solid hit, and you have no idea what the skull can do.
-[X] Focus on the skull first.