"We're trapped!" Kath exclaimed. "Nothing's in here!"
They gathered in the center of the spacious lobby inside the big door they tried their hardest to push it open. The area was so spacious that was on par with a big sports complex holding 4 basketball courts with a high ceiling shaped like a dome. It also has a black marble floor, shiny enough to make a fly slip its footing. An expensive chandelier hangs on the vast ceiling covered with holographic mist dimming the room and giving creepy feels and cold air. Two stairs welcome them when they've entered the lobby. The one on the left extended to the second floor of the building with railings flickering with rainbow-colored led lights guided by an arrow pointed upward as if inviting them to someplace dangerous. The one on the right circled upward meeting the endpoint of the stairway on the left, in other words, it was also inviting them into somewhere dangerous. It also has led lights on its thorny railings but this shines horridly with red and black lights.
"This is bad.." Michiyo murmured. She raised her gun feeling heavy in her grip. She bit her lip, trying to shake off her fear.
"It's gonna be alright.." Drake muttered, his hands shaking. "..I think.."
The group took a step forward.
"So, what stairway should we choose? The one on the left or that creepy one on the right?" Drake asked.
"Both mean death so, I guess we don't really have a choice," Michiyo said. "Let's just hurry up and choose whichever death awaits.."
"Then, maybe we should use the less dangerous one... I say we go to the left." Kath muttered.
"Left, huh? I guess we should choose right. That might be the 'right' way.." Drake said.
"You kidding, Drake?" Kath glared at him.
"I'm sorry... I'm just.. quite nervous, you know...ha"
"We all do," Kath replied.
They entered the unknown field filled with danger everywhere they look. Something was dropped on them that they halted in the center, holding their breaths.
"What was that?!" Kath exclaimed and stopped her pace.
"I dunno.." Drake replied, hiding on Kath's back, holding the hem of her shirt.
Michiyo took a step forward to the thing that fell in front of them. She leaned forward and reached the thing and realized it was a golden egg with a weird design on its shell.
"Nanda.." She muttered. "It was just a golden egg, though it creeps me out by the looks of it.." she added "Seems it's dangerous". And, to her surprise, the egg bursts with smoke engulfing their surroundings and fogging their sight. "It's a trap!" she yelled and ran to the stairs.
The group scattered and took the liberty to take the stairway going up to another unknown place, the second floor. Not minding which stairway they took.
"Oh c'mon! they have just brought us here..." Kath exclaimed, finding herself on the second floor along with their group. "Whoever they may be.." she whispered.
Michiyo heard what she said and leveled her gaze while she strived to breathe.
"Yare yare... we've just fallen on their trap, indeed." She whispered. "Looks like we kept them waiting."
...
The man rained bullets at the wolf charging at him head-on. Shichiro sprinted very fast towards the man who was flying 10 feet above the rooftop they were in. He dodged it side to side just to gain enough speed before he jumped and reached the man's gear.
"That's the way, Shi-chan!" Hachiro exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air. He readied his cannon once again and aimed it at the man who rampaged their pre-celebration.
The man lost his balance with Shichiro clinging to his jet bag. He tried to shake the wolf but he cannot remove him from his back.
"Just hold him that way, Shi-chan!" Hachiro exclaimed. "I'll manage to do something."
"Please do!" Shichiro shouted. "...and make it fast somehow, Ha-chan!" he exclaimed.
"Okay!!"
The cannon glowed and was ready to be fired.
"You're not planning to hurt him, right?" the wolf cried.
"I hope I won't. Just trust fate about it." Hachiro replied with a frowned face. "I guess.."
"What?!"
Hachiro locked the target on and fired his Phantom cannon.
...
Blank eyes stared at them but the feeling of their intent to kill overflowed in the mist engulfing them. Chills reached the group of immature fighters making them shiver in the situation they were in. Even though, the Bugs took their ground surrounded by Androids who were wearing black tight suits wielding different weapons all pointed at them. They haven't moved an inch since they stepped their foot on the second floor; they tried to read the situation, tried to find a way out.
"This is hopeless.." Drake exclaimed. "We have nowhere to go!" He took a step back and found himself cornered by the railings of the stairway. He looked back and found the fog beneath them, swamping the first floor, and the glimmering eyes hiding with it.
"Don't lose hope, everyone!" Kath exclaimed to get Drake back to himself. She slapped his face which made her hand throb. "It's true that we're in a pinch now. With that glass wall at our back, that might be our only way out. But, that might be too thick to break from the inside. We need to do a hard thrust to break through." She added.
"On top of that, we are surrounded by a bunch of Androids.." Michiyo lowered her voice.
"That might be true.." Kath muttered. "But, look!" she pointed to the big door behind the thick lines of Androids. "Haro did send us in front of the Treasure room..." her eyes glimmer with composure and hope. "I think..."
Drake tried to see what she meant and he saw the big golden door behind the Androids. He didn't notice it the moment he stepped foot on the second floor. He was so focused on the enemies surrounding them and the mist dimmed the area. He read the words hanging on the doorknob written in big caps lock letters,
KEEP OUT! AUTHORIZED PERSONS ONLY ARE ALLOWED IN THE TREASURE ROOM.
"Hmp.." he laughed under his breath. "The GM's surely mocking us. Who will hang that obvious thing on the treasure room's door? And who will believe that that is the Treasure Room? I bet it's a trap."
"The GM would," Kath said. "He's luring us here and is trying to get us killed." She added.
"Just as you said.." Michiyo agreed. She tightened her grip on her gun. "But, we're not gonna waver. Not now that we are almost at it. We can't just turn our backs now." She added.
"She's right.." everyone agreed as if their candle of hope was lighted again. They stood on their feet back with confidence and locked on an enemy.
"Ready?" Kath exclaimed.
And they shouted their battle cry.
...
The cannon was fired and lighted the sky above them, clearing the dark clouds. Shichiro jumped away before the blast reached the flying man who shouted in pain and fell to the rooftop.
"Did you just.." Shichiro said in surprise.
"Hit the Nanochip that was implanted on his wrist through the watch. That place glowed to send commands to his brain. I pinpointed its location the moment you charged at him. We manage to save the guy all thanks to you, Shi-chan.." Hachiro said.
"Then why is he in so much pain?!" Shichiro exclaimed.
"He's in that condition because the chip was suddenly removed from his system causing his brain to forcibly reboot..."
"To get itself back..."
"Yeah, and besides, he fell from that height..." Hachiro looked blankly at the man crawling on the ground. "Who wouldn't wail in pain?"
"I expected no less from the Phantom.." Shichiro grinned at his master.
"I told you to spare me the credits... This Phantom is not that of a good soul.." His eyes turned evil-looking. He stared at their enemy who was still wailing in pain due to the setback of having 'that' program in their brains, without feeling even a slight emotion.
"Ha-chan.." Shichiro muttered as he saw his master in that condition.
"Let's get too out mates, Shi-chan..." Hachiro took a deep sigh as his eyes turned back to normal. "I bet they're in a pinch now.."
Shichiro stared at him anxiously. He knew his master was back to normal, he can read his brain waves, but the wolf just can't shake the thought off.
"Ahh, let's get to them" he replied indifferently.
They dashed to the edge of the rooftop and jumped like a ninja towards the palace's glass wall – breaking it.
...
"They keep on coming!" Drake complained, panting.
He stood again after his fifth fall against 20 Androids who are still energetic in fighting them to their limits.
"How do we defeat these guys?!" Kath exclaimed. "They keep standing no matter how hard we hit them. Ne Michiyo, do you have any info about these guys? Like how to defeat them or something,, I mean anything? They're starting to get to my nerves.." she added.
"I have a little intel about them but..." Michiyo said after brushing an Android clinging to her leg.
"But what?" Kath replied.
"The previous versions wore ORION glasses that send waves making them a puppet of the hacker," Michiyo said. "The First Generation just take off the glasses and the Androids are down."
"But those guys don't wear glasses?!" Kath exclaimed again, now with an irritated voice. "How to deal with them now?!"
"I know right!" Michiyo said. "They don't have one. I don't know how to deal with them unless we knock them unconscious."
"Don't we have any other way? I mean, it's quite taxing on our part.." Drake complained. "I'm losing my strength."
"They're programs, right? Then, we just don't have to hold back..." Kath said.
"But...I have a bad feeling about it.." Michiyo mumbled and continued firing at her enemies.
"What do you mean by that now, Michiyo?" Kath asked.
"The first version of the Androids were real humans having their brains controlled by a host server using the glasses..."
"So, you're saying that these guys are.."
"That's impossible!"
"That is not impossible! Knowing the hacker and the resources he had..." Michiyo paused firing her gun. "We're in the AR, remember? All things you can imagine can happen here, especially when our enemy has the Scorpio on his back.."
"That can't be..." Kath said under her breath. "Then the ones we're fighting are.."
An Android grabbed her hand and dragged her into the middle of the horde. Drake lost his footing making him fall for the 7th time and he crawled on the floor, stumped by rampaging Androids. Michiyo was dragged and held into a corner, losing her gun. Everyone else on the Bugs fell on the floor getting out cold.
"Help me..." Kath exclaimed, losing her will to fight.
As if to answer her prayers, the glass wall fronting the treasure room above them rained with shattered glass, sending a man and a wolf above the heads of the grouping of Androids that seemed confused about what happened. She met his eyes in the midair, asking for help, and as a response, he shot the Android that was dragging her that wailed in pain.
"What took you so long?!" Kath screamed in complaint. She stood from her ground, rubbing her arm, and walked towards Hachiro.
"I'm sorry.. I was cooped up with something..." Hachiro replied, rubbing his head.
"Anyway.." Kath throws her arms around him. "I'm glad you came..."
"Glad to see you fine.." Hachiro blushed and looked away.
"Anyway.." Kath said.
"I know... I basically ran a scan while we're in midair." Hachiro hit keys on his holographic keyboard and a Katana materialized in his hand. "Just shoot or hit if you're holding a weapon aside from a gun, their watches. Destroy it and they won't be able to fight anymore.." he added.
"The watches?" Michiyo asked.
"Yeah, it serves the same purpose as the ones we have. If that was destroyed, they'll be rendered useless..." Hachiro replied.
"But, they're humans right?" How can we do something that cruel if we know what will happen when we do it?!" Kath exclaimed.
"If we won't do that, they'll get us killed." Hachiro swings his sword as if testing its sharpness. "Or, the GM will directly pull the trigger."
"But.." Kath stood in the middle, totally opposing the idea.
"It's come to KILL or be KILLED time, Kath.." Hachiro said in a cold voice. "We don't have other choices.."
"You'll find a way to revive them, right?" Michiyo butted in, loading her magazine.
"I told you I have a way but.." Hachiro replied.
"That's fine for now.." Michiyo said. "Let's just get this done.."
They rushed towards the Androids now aiming at their watches and a rumble started.
....
He pushed the door and a blinding light caught their eyes. When the light had faded, they saw a big nest like the size of a boxing ring, sitting in the middle of the big wooden room.
"How can a nest be inside this room?" Hachiro complained. "It might be a big trouble transferring it here inside."
"This was a barn, Ha-chan.." Shichiro replied.
Hachiro took a step towards the nest and climbed to reach its center. There in the middle of the hay sacks, he found a golden egg.
"This is the treasure?!" he exclaimed, leaning towards it.
The others followed him and they saw the golden egg on Hachiro's hand.
"Is that the Treasure, Haro?" Kath asked, walking towards him.
"I was asking the same question..." Hachiro said and he got a hard poked on his head. "What was that for?" he faced Kath and complained.
"Nothing.. I was just.." Kath answered.
"Anyway.."
They gathered around the egg and stared at it. A few seconds later, they heard the sound of the clock that stopped ticking, and as if on a queue, fireworks burst around the nest and confetti rained on their heads.
The egg glowed and flew feet high from Hachiro's hand and when it reached its apex, it slowly turned into a golden key falling down.
"Number 8, huh?" Hachiro whispered.
The key was 5 inches long with a meticulous design on the handle bearing a number 8 in the middle and an unusual pattern on its tip.
"What was that number for, Haro?" Drake asked.
"I dunno yet.." Hachiro replied. "We won't know unless we get the other treasures from all of the palaces.."