"...what the hell is this."
Rhiannon was the one who spoke, yet her voice felt like it was speaking for all of them. Their bewilderment was a shared thing, their disbelief palpable in the way they each took a step back to look at themselves, then at each other.
Never mind the fact that they got transported through space and time to the lobby of what looked like some conglomerate's building.
Their weapons were gone.
Malic's Kampilan was no longer at his hip, Rhiannon's mallet had disappeared from her back entirely, and even the bonus items with skill buffs like Renato's butterfly earring had disappeared.
And it wasn't just the weapons.
Their clothes had changed completely. From their clothes that they'd picked up and changed into through the course of the apocalypse, they'd been thrown into a salaryman's dress—varying only in the absence or presence of a suit jacket, and the use of a tie.
It was as if the teleportation not only transferred them location-wise, but did a complete wardrobe change on them along the way.
"Ah, these bring back terrible memories," Nikolai said, smile wry on his lips as he tucked a hand into his suit jacket to check the dress shirt underneath. He'd looked surprised at first, though he adapted quickly enough once he recognized what he was wearing. "I always had mixed feelings about wearing these."
"You look very cool, Nikolai-san."
Kira's smile was bright on her face as she said so, and the way she patted at her small version of a pencil skirt made her look all the cuter. Her appearance made her look like she was playing dress-up in child-sized adult clothes, if he had to describe it.
Nikolai hummed. His eyes were a little dazed as if staring out into the world, and yet, seeing nothing at all at the same time. "That's the problem about it, I think."
"Eh?"
"Haha, it's nothing."
It wasn't nothing.
Though they'd only been together for a few weeks, it wasn't that difficult to get a read on Nikolai the more they talked. There were moments he felt unreadable, moments when he felt too distant when Malic looked at him from afar—as if he weren't a part of the world.
And then there were moments when he felt like Nikolai saw him as more than what he was, even when he was just one man. When that small bit of distance would disappear just from his presence, when that emptiness in Nikolai's eyes would fade once he knew Malic was in the vicinity.
He wanted to ask,
'How was I your hero that you'd see me in this way?'
But Nikolai never wanted to offer any answers, despite all of his attempts to ask, over and over.
He would just keep saying that he'd been saved, even without explaining when, where, or how. "You saved me just by being you, that's all. You're still saving me now too," he'd say, sheepish smile and all.
It was frustrating, but it wasn't like he could force answers out of the man given his stubbornness. Not without a breach of ethics or breaking the law, both of which were essentially useless in the apocalypse, though he still did his best to stand by what he could.
He knew when to bend the rules, but he also preferred to not do so when he had the power to.
Call him a hypocrite, but he didn't give a damn.
In the present, he gave Nikolai a slap on the curve of his back, making him yelp as he stumbled forward. The move seemed to be enough, at least, to snap him out of his dark thoughts to allow for irritation to surface on that expressive face. "Oi, what—"
"Snap out of it," he said, frowning at the squinty-eyed look he got in return from the man. "We're here for a mission, so stay on the alert."
"I already knew that."
"Your face said otherwise."
"Aren't you looking at my face too much? You need to stop or it'll wear out."
"There's nothing to wear out."
"You bastard—?"
Clap.
Ji-yeong's smile was wide on her face as she lowered the hands she'd used to clap for their attention. "Malic-ssi, aren't you going a little too far? Same with you, Niko-oppa."
"Why am I oppa and that guy is—"
"Focus, oppa."
Nikolai frowned, yet quieted at those words.
"There's no mission window yet," Rhiannon said. Her eyes were narrowed as she looked around, taking in the cold white walls of the office lobby. It was empty of people save for their team, which made the whole setting even more suspicious.
What was waiting for them on the other floors, when they'd lost all their weapons?
"Um, guys?"
Malic looked over at the sound of Renato's voice, and found him staring at his hand with barely hidden horror. "What?"
"Can you still activate your skills, or is it just me..?"
What?
He activated his Character Profile skill promptly and frowned, wide-eyed, at what he found.
[ Name: Malic Agcaoili
Personal Attribute: Dancer [Level redacted]
Specialty: [Deactivated]
Skills: [Deactivated]
General Stats: [Deactivated]
Overall Evaluation: A dancer at his core, but a master of many more. The world's protagonist who was chosen to save the world. ]
Deactivated? What the hell was that supposed to mean? Then the others—
He looked back to Renato, and found his Character Profile in a similar state. It read:
[ Name: Renato Alonzo
Personal Attribute: Doctor [Level redacted]
Specialty: [Deactivated]
Skills: [Deactivated]
General Stats: [Deactivated]
Overall Evaluation: A man so full of love for the world, he decided to be a doctor to save its people. Though he has a large physique, he's got a soft heart, so it's recommended to treat him gently. ]
"Shit."
Rhiannon's swearing took his attention away from Renato's profile. He found her looking down at her clenching and unclenching fists, her furrowed brows and deep frown screaming with frustration. "I was wondering why I felt weaker all of a sudden, but I figured it was because of the teleportation. What the hell..."
Again, he looked at her Character Profile.
[ Name: Rhiannon Sayer
Personal Attribute: Iron Chef [Level redacted]
Specialty: [Deactivated]
Skills: [Deactivated]
General Stats: [Deactivated]
Overall Evaluation: A person who loves to cook. Though she can be brusque with friends, she's willing to sacrifice everything for her loved ones. It is recommended not to get on her bad side. ]
It was the same for her. Giving a glance to the others, it was easy to see that everyone else was in the same state of confusion at the sudden loss of not just their weapons, but their skills as well.
Except Nikolai.
The man had his jaw clenched, one hand rubbing at his forehead with seeming stress. He looked even smaller now, as if all strength had left him entirely.
Activating Character Profile again, he read:
[ Name: Nikolai Canlas
Personal Attribute: Office Worker
Specialty: [Deactivated]
Skills: [Deactivated]
General Stats: [Deactivated]
Overall Evaluation: An office worker with his office as his personal hell; even the apocalypse is a breath of fresh air in comparison. It is advised to take great caution when dealing with him, as danger could arise at any moment.]
Malic's gaze narrowed in on the overall evaluation and personal attribute.
They changed.
His personal attribute and evaluation before had talked of him being an artist, but now, it was about him as an office worker. And the description was...concerning, to say the least.
The overall evaluation spoke of danger, but even he could not decide what kind of danger it was. Was it a danger to Nikolai himself, or was Nikolai the dangerous one? The man still had so many things of himself hidden that it wouldn't be surprising if it was either, or both.
And...
What kind of personal hell was this place, that it would change one man this much?
"I'm sorry."
Malic looked up at the sound of Nikolai's weary voice, and found him still standing, yet slowly beginning to curl in on himself.
"I'm sorry," Nikolai said again, rubbing at his face with both hands, his clenched fists covering up his eyes. He was shaking, knuckles pale from how tightly he was squeezing his hands. "It's my fault. I got too cocky, I didn't think it could end up like this. I..."
"Shut up."
Nikolai tensed up at the sound of his voice, then slowly, gradually, relaxed. Those taut shoulders loosened up as though released from a heavy weight, and he let out a heavy breath as he lowered his fists from his face.
There were tears in his eyes, but Malic didn't mention it.
"Right," Nikolai huffed. His hands were still shaking, though he seemed to have noticed them enough to clasp them together and press them tightly to his stomach. "Right. Nothing will happen if I get too freaked out."
"So you knew."
"Shut up."
Malic exhaled on a laugh, making Nikolai snicker in turn.
"...the two of you are actually insane, aren't you," Rhiannon said, expression deadpan when he looked over to her. She looked marginally less stressed than before, at least. "It's like you're perfect for each other."
"Say things that are less nonsensical."
"I'm surprised you just found out?"
Malic's eyes narrowed in on Nikolai at his teasing words. "Don't lump me in with you."
"Aha, right. Because a hero can't be insane? That's the biggest lie that I've ever heard. You'd have to be at least to thirty percent unhinged to manage getting this far."
"You—"
[ Ding! ]
"Oh thank fuck," Rhiannon sighed. At her side was Ji-yeong, who looked just as eager with the way she was cracking her knuckles. "Let's get this shit over with already!"
[ The main mission will now begin! ]
Zap.