Chapter Text
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BANG!
It isn't looking good for the LCB, after the Pinframing staff showed up to take Meursault away, Dante attempted to get him back, which ended up in the Sinners engaging in battle against the Pinframing staff. The sinners, unfortunately, just so happened to be losing. badly. They would've been winning if it weren't for the fact that after the previous fight against the Docugrapher that they had barely gotten a break before the ambush. Don Quixote, Sinclair, and Outis lay on the ground in heaps, their broken limbs proving rather difficult to navigate for the surviving Sinners needing to dodge attacks. Dante was panicking, trying to find a way for the sinners to get out of the situation and to get back Meursault. They quickly ran to Mephistopheles and boarded it to ask Vergilius for any ideas since they themself have no idea. Vergilius noticed a very panicked Dante and asked:
"..what is it now Dante."
To which Dante replied:
<..Well, the sinners are getting their asses beat and the Pinframing staff are trying to take away meursault, I really don't know what to do and I can't get in contact any of the other branches for backup.>
Vergilius nodded along, listening to Dante's panicked rambling.
"Have you tried resonating with your golden bough?"
<..Actually, I don't think I have. Good idea>
Dante stopped paying attention to their surroundings, trying to focus so they can resonate better. They envisioned their star. the same thing that helped them oh-so-many times to find the other boughs. Maybe they could use it to find a solution? Then, their answer came to them. a door. a very oddly colored one at that, with it mainly being composed of the colors black and green. That must be their answer. Dante snapped back to their senses, returning to the chaotic situation around them. They ran to the door of Mephistopheles and yelled to get in and bring everybody with them. The remaining sinners ran back onto the bus, dragging their companion's crumpled bodies (And a handcuffed Meursault) behind them, and back onto the bus.
Dante hurriedly motioned for Faust to tell Charon to start driving, not wanting to risk the Pinframing staff possibly getting on board Mephistopheles. Charon, however, did not need that to be translated, having been paying close attention to how Dante was acting and piecing everything together. She slammed her foot on the gas pedal, speeding up to a unsafe amount and speeding down the roads of District 14. whilst Charon was speeding, Dante focused on reviving the downed sinners. After Dante had revived them, they sat down to think. Why was there a odd door? All the other times they had resonated with any golden bough, nothing like that had ever shown up. Was there a golden bough wherever that odd door led?
They were snapped out of their thoughts when Faust shook their shoulder.
"Dante. why did you pull us out of battle? you never do that."
I looked up at her and replied:
<well, when i resonated with the bough, i had seen a strange door, so i had rounded everybody up so we could escape the Pinframing staff and go investigate the door…>
"Hm. Faust will consult the gesellshaft for any information on it."
And with that, Faust walked off to sit down elsewhere, leaving me alone. Quite a bit of time passed by before we stopped rather suddenly, almost throwing everybody out of their seats.
"Is this it?" Charon asked.
I walked up to the front of the bus to see the very same door that I had seen when resonating with the bough. Don Quixote came up behind me, evidently curious about the door.
"Pray tell, what is that strange door?"
I was just about to answer when the door creaked open a bit, causing me to jump a bit. Suddenly, I wasn't so sure about investigating the mysterious door. Don however, still wanted to explore it. She yelled to everybody else on the bus, very loudly:
"My fellow companions! Dante hath brought forth a new opportunity for us all! there is a peculiar door that opened by itself, It has to have a exhilarating adventure waiting for us all!"
Uh oh. that got everybody's attention. It looks like there's no going back now. I get off the bus, making sure everybody follows. Everybody seems to be a bit curious about the strange door, I wouldn't be lying if I weren't too. I walk up to the door and slowly push it open, peeking inside. There's nothing but pitch-black darkness. Heathcliff cautiously approaches the door, most definitely confused about how abnormally dark the inside is.
"Oi, why's it so dark in there? Lemme go in."
I stepped aside, letting Heathcliff go in the room, only to feel immediate surprise and horror as Heathcliff plummets into the dark.
<..well, I guess we have no choice but to go down. Even if we didn't we'd still have to get Heathcliff back.>
I let everybody pass me and jump down into the pitch-black abyss before jumping down myself. When I reach the ground with everybody else, I am particularly surprised when I see thousands upon thousands of doors lining the walls, stretching on for what seems like forever.
"What Is this place?
Sinclair questioned. Everybody else seemed to be wondering the same thing about this wierd gravity-defying mess of a place. Ishmael took the lead and started investigating the doors.
"Maybe one of these doors has the exit?"
Maybe Ishmael was right. Maybe one of these doors did hold the exit. I tell everybody to start looking for anything that looks like it leads somewhere, with I myself keeping an eye out for any doors that look different from the rest.
“Everybody! I hath found a door that looks quite odd! Maybe it holds the true adventure?"
It just so happens that the door Don was yelling about did, in fact, look different to the rest. Heathcliff rushes to the door, obviously trying to be the first to investigate what lays on the other side, but Don quixote pushes him aside.
"I hath discovered the door first! I shall be the one to investigate it's contents." "That's fair." Heathcliff grunted.
Don quixote opened the door to reveal... An Alleyway? it didn't look like one that the city had, the sky looked more vibrant, unlike the cloudy skies of the city. Don stepped through, peeking around, before sticking her head back in to gesture for everybody to follow. Everybody stepped into the Alleyway, with Faust closing the door once everybody came through.
"An alleyway? this one looks quite different to the ones in the city." Rodion mused.
Rodion cocked her head a bit. "You're right Dante. maybe we should scout out the area to make sure it's safe? Just because it's not the city doesn't mean that it's safe."
<..Yeah. everybody, let's get into groups of four and look around. I'll take Don, Ishmael, and Heathcliff. Rodion, you take Meursault, Sinclair, Faust, and Ryoshu. That leaves Yi sang, Hong lu, Outis, and Gregor. once we're all done, we meet up here. got it?>
murmurs of agreement and acknowledgement ripple throughout the crowd. everybody splits into their groups and goes their separate ways. My group is walking around, weapons out, warily inspecting the area. After a bit I pull aside Heathcliff and Ishmael for a talk.
<..Are the both of you okay? You both seem more on edge then usual.>
"yeah, it's just that this place seems a bit too calm. a bit too..empty. It hasn't felt like this since, well, the docks in u corp when i set out on that dreaded voyage." Ishmael said a bit anxiously. Heathcliff chimed in: "Yeah, it seems too calm. maybe it's just that this place doesn't feel as nearly asmiserable as the city does, but i- well we, feel off-putted about it all."
I look around a bit before realising something bad.
<..Where'd Don go.>
The three of us started looking around for the now-missing Don Quixote, occasionally calling out her name. Eventually, we began to hear her. it appeared she was.. Talking to somebody? Nobody else had split in this direction so naturally, it had sparked my curiosity. We had turned the corner to see Don talking to a strange induvidual only a bit taller then Don, seeming to have donned a feathered helmet with two red horns jutting out the front. Don spotted us and shouted:
"Hello my friends! i hath met a fellow knight, just as noble as i!!"
The knight Don Quixote was talking about turns to face us and said:
"Oh, you have friends? I mean- I'm sorry how that came out, I'm just a bit confused as Inphernals don't spawn without horns."
The strange individual looks me up and down.
"Or have clocks for heads- SHIT YOUR HEAD IS ON FIRE!"
The knight then desperate;y tries to put out the fire on my head. I ask Ishmael to translate for the knight, since I doubt he'll be able to understand me.
"Dante is saying that their head is fine, they're also asking who you even are." Ishmael kept it short and to the point. The induvidual then realises he hasn't introduced himself and states:
"Well, I'm Sword, a knight in training! I hope to someday grow strong enough to be able to help anybody in need."
Don is still marvelling about meeting a fellow knight but then stops for a second and asks:
"Pray tell my new compatriot Sword, do you happen to know where we are? this area is... quite unfamiliar to me and my fellow travelers."
"Oh, you don't come from here? Where Do you come from? Lost temple?"
"No!"
"Thieves den?"
"No! Me and my compatriots are not thieves!"
"Playground??"
"i hath never heard of such a place! It sounds very fun!"
"Blackrock???"
"black-what??"
"Then where???"
Before Don quixote can open her mouth again Heathcliff speaks up.
"We aren't from ANYWHERE HERE."
Sword ponders for a bit before saying:
"Well if you aren't from anywhere here, i honestly don't-wait. did you happen to see a strange green and black door before coming here??"
Don nods her head, confirming Swords suspicions.
"I have a feeling i know who's behind this, but i can't get in contact with him. My dad however, probably can. Follow me."
With that, our strange new friend leads us off to talk to his dad, who seemingly can help. What have i gotten myself into??