Sophie and Goro slipped through a rust-infested series of pipes and iron bars seemingly haunted by the skeletal remains of those down in the dungeons. When approaching it through a realistic outlook, Sophie could not stop overthinking about the conditions that led her to this moment. A crazed and deranged maniac who kidnapped her friends, forcing them into seeking a new vessel for his deceased daughter in the form of mannequin dolls? There was nothing worse than the idea that Sophie had inside her mind that this was happening to her without reason. But she knew her goal. She had to save Starrosa, no matter what the cost was.
She was too precious to be left behind, just like Ash.
The dungeon's pipes released hot fumes of steam and ash, crumbling on the bone-infested watery floors below. Each minuscule baby step she took not only made her worried about getting caught but also the unspeakable horrors that she heard the further she moved through the underground. Haunted bloodcurdling screams cursed the dungeon, giving Sophie nothing but the thought of death rising through her fingertips. The dungeon was split apart into a hidden factory, no doubt unraveling multiple mannequins for the perfect fit, Sophie thought. She couldn't let the screams and the doubt get to her head; otherwise, she would fail.
"You're down two ahead," A masked Seething Viper's filtered voice came rushing through a distant passageway through multiple pipes. Sophie and Goro were hidden from sight. "The Baron's not going to like that."
"The Baron's high over heels for the girl," Another viper responded with a rebellious attitude. "He's not going to notice something as trivial. We make our usual rounds and then we move on. That's it. Lion masked freak isn't going to tell us what to do. We follow our queen."
"And if our queen has orders for us to follow the Baron? Don't get too cocky. This was our mission, and our duty is to fulfill it."
Sophie exhaled a sigh before slipping through a narrow crevice into an empty cell further away from the two vipers. Goro soon followed suit. She lowered her hands onto her knees, panting in extreme anxiety to catch and regain her composure from being in the dark. "Okay, okay, just calm down, Sophie," She monologued to herself. "You can do this."
"Interesting," Goro mentioned. "The vipers seem to have a queen, much like bees of a hive do. There must be a higher power on the move that's causing this."
"Who cares," Sophie disregarded. "As long as we get Star back, I couldn't care less. I just want to know where she is."
"And if those answers lead to this queen they spoke of?" Goro asked. "You couldn't possibly know the deeper implications and damages that this group has. Understanding their origins is the key to destroying them from the inside out."
Sophie shook her head. "Let's just focus on getting out of this place and saving Shibusawa," She said. Yet she instantly regretted her decision and her own words, gritting her teeth and inhaling through her mouth. "I... can't believe I just said that."
"It was your brilliant idea, not mine," Goro replied, scanning their surroundings. "It looks as if the only way out is through that cage door," Goro whispered. "Opening something as rusty as this is sure to attract attention. If the vipers do come..."
Sophie clenched her left fist, revving the time singularity embedded in her omega gauntlet. "Then I'll deal with them in some way. But I don't know what this thing can do other than what you did earlier."
"Whatever you do, don't make a-"
Goro's voice was interrupted by clear orders being hounded from the vipers. "I'm going to check on the Baron's guests. The other viper's taking a long ass time to get back. That shouldn't be the case unless they're trying to start trouble."
"Well, whatever you do, make your rounds after. We've got work to do and the Baron won't be pleased." The other viper replied.
"Shit," Sophie hissed, blinking rapidly. "If they find out we left, they're going to call everyone over!"
"Stop talking," Goro whispered. He rushed toward the cage door and placed his fingers on the rust-covered cage door. He pulled it open, and just as he had expected, a howling creak of metal scrapping the floors came through. "There."
"What are you doing?!" Sophie hissed once more.
"Hey, is there anyone in that cell over there?" The viper who was about to make his rounds took notice of the moving door in the darkness of the dungeon. "Could have sworn we emptied that earlier last week."
"Stop talking and go check," The other viper replied. "Must have been so unfocused because of the Baron's demands."
Goro leaped back and began slipping through the crevice that they came from. "I'll be right back. Stay here." He ordered.
"W-what...!?" Sophie hastily whispered. "What are you-" But before she could reply, Goro disappeared without a plan detailed in time. "That damn kid..."
Sophie held her breath as the footsteps of the viper followed suit through the passageway of the cage door. She pressed her back against the dungeon, letting the darkness envelop her body as she peeked her head out. The viper could not detect her. She clenched her left hand, hoping that they would not notice her in the few coming seconds.
Just before Sophie wanted to make a move, Goro snuck out of the shadows, stole one of the viper's daggers in their back pockets, and swiftly assassinated one of them with a jab in the side. The kill was swift and silent, leaving enough room for Sophie to retaliate on the moving viper. But she could not use the gauntlet, no matter how much force or pressure she applied. The viper was coming closer and closer, until...
Goro was too late to save Sophie. The viper came through the cage door and noticed her standing on the side in the dark. Sophie reared up her right fist and blasted the viper with all the strength that she had. But it was not nearly enough to faze the viper. The viper retaliated by shouting through their mask, dragging Sophie across the cell with their palms creased between her neck to suffocate her. She gave up on using the gauntlet herself, desperately trying to break free by slamming her fists against the viper's arms. But to no avail, she seemed to be getting weaker and weaker.
"Sophie!" Goro cried as he charged into the room.
Sophie clawed at the viper's arm. She pointed the gauntlet down on the floor, about to lose consciousness. A dimensional singularity fired right underneath the viper, opening a rift for them to fall through the void. But just as they fell through, Sophie clenched her left fist to close the rift, separating the viper's entire body in half to leave nothing but their upper body visible in the cell. Blood and guts came spilling out as the viper's lower half fell through the unknown void. Now they were half a man, whose undying breaths were nothing because of its dissected body.
Sophie regained her breath and consciousness before covering her face in utter disgust. She sprinted to the opposite side of the cell as the viper's scarlet blood filled the room in a lake of metallic scents. She covered her mouth with her right palm, losing control of the situation. "Oh my god..." She nearly vomited. "What the hell did I just do?"
As the viper's body began to crawl through the cell with its last breaths, Goro peeked his head inside the cell after witnessing the dimensional rift. "Justice." He said.
"Why did you leave me?" Sophie asked. "You left without even a plan!"
"Did you really think we had time for a plan?" Goro hissed back. "Sure, why don't I just explain to you in a personal presentation about how to survive? You need to stop being pathetic, or else that attitude is going to get you killed. Most of our actions have no plan, just like your excuse to save that miserable boy's life."
"That miserable boy is my friend," Sophie said. "Or... was, my friend."
"That miserable boy got you in this mess and started everything, didn't he?" Goro mentioned. "Betrayed you without a single doubt in his mind. What makes you think that after you save him, you'll survive with him? Surely he'll-"
"I don't know!" Sophie cried. "People... people can change." She said, thinking of Ryo and her missing brother.
"People don't change," Goro replied. "Only certain circumstances pit them in situations where they'd rather sacrifice others than take the responsibility for their own. You, out of all people, should know that, considering how this boy decided to torture you to this point, making you a fool."
Sophie pushed herself off and exited the cell, pushing Goro aside. "What stick went up your ass?" She criticized. "Why the hell do you have such little faith in people? He was my friend, and that's why I want to save him-"
"It doesn't matter what they were before! It matters who they are now! That attitude is certain to get you killed, Sophie."
"Then why the hell are you helping me?!" Sophie cried.
"Because...!" Goro began, but slowly began retracting his aggressive behavior. His face suddenly went from fully blossomed and unbridled rage into pure embarrassment, calming down as most children do after they sulk or pout for hours; being forgetful. He placed his hands in his pockets and turned away, letting the dungeon's darkness shroud his eyes. Sophie had also realized how aggressive she was, calming down her temper before she ruptured her omega gauntlet on accident to get both of them killed.
"Because you remind me... of my mother," Goro muttered.
Sophie blinked once in awe and realization. "Your... mother?"
"I..."
"Wait," Sophie said, putting both of her palms on Goro's shoulders. She kneeled down and looked into his eyes with compassion. Goro turned his head and looked into her eyes, slowly sensing the flushed nature of his adolescence coming afoot. "Don't say it. At least, not now, in a place like this. Things like that should be saved for later for a better time and a better place, don't you think? After all, our mothers truly define us, right? It's better to honor them in a way much more appropriately than now."
Goro sniffed and released the inner child inside him as he was forced to suppress the unknown memories of his mother. "Right." He said.
"Good," Sophie said, giving him reassurance. "Come on, let's go save Shibusawa before we end up dead, or worse. Stay behind me."
"I'm the one in the lead," Goro swiftly shifted back into his intellectual persona, slapping Sophie's hands off of his shoulders. He wiped his nose with his finger, then turned away to approach the exit of the dungeon-like corridor. "Don't think you're in control. I am your superior officer, after all."
As Goro began to scout the area, Sophie stood back up, regaining her composure. Although there were several uncertainties hiding within a mysterious child such as Goro and her new power, there was one thing that was certain that Sophie could not stop thinking about, believing that it could change her relationship with him.
She realized that deep down, under all that intelligent facade, he was nothing more than a child.