Click! PANG!
The two sounds followed each other like a game of tag, and the elevator's escape hatch opened up. Then, using the disintegrating body of the Suspect to get much higher, he leaped up to the edge of the hatch.
His muscles swelled as he pulled himself upwards, pushing onto the ceiling of the elevator's exterior. Sliding his revolver back into his pocket with a bemused look, Vere tutted to himself.
'Great…in a place full of hostiles without any bullets. I hope Othello is okay, and I hope my fists will be okay after this….'
Although he was saying this with an exasperated tone, there was a slight exuberance. Something within him longed for the classic feeling of putting his body against another's—beating them into a pulp with raw, physical power.
Speaking of raw power, he looked up at the elevator doors of the third floor. He could step up there with little effort, but he'd have to pry the doors open to access that floor. The elevator took up all the available space in the shaft, so it wasn't like he could crawl underneath it.
His black eyes subtly glowed in the darkness of the elevator shaft, the faint light emitted from lines of illumination lining the corners of the walls. Rubbing his hands together, taking care to unwind his taut muscles by rotating his shoulders.
"Here goes nothing…." With that, Vere used his edged hands and slid them in between the small gap in the elevator doors. His digits slid along the rectangular surface as his arms pried at the center, slowly yet surely gaining distance from each other.
Loud, mechanical wailing resounded behind and in front of the door. The detective's arms surged and rebelled against the structure's resistance, rendering the doors increasingly pliable with every push and tug. His feet also dug into the ground, keeping his stance firm as he continued his efforts.
Yet the doors didn't want to give, trying their best to shut back in place. Vere was a patient man. However, he soon saw that this would require less of this patience and more…violent measures.
Gritting his teeth, Authority thought power took the lead as it glimmered and seeped out of his flesh in black, wavy strands. Veins bulged as the doors couldn't maintain their resistance, and they began to part.
Vere's eye was the first thing revealed to the interior of the third floor, the deep black mysterious pools casting an inquisitive glare. Then, from the center, the rest of his body appeared.
By the time he was fully revealed, the outline of his hands was deeply ingrained upon the doors. Then, with a confident smile, he advanced, slamming the doors against the insides of the walls and officially stepping into the third floor.
Particles of electricity fizzled out of the broken doors, barring him from going back into the shaft. At least, that was if he didn't want to risk getting shocked by the dangerous specks of discharge.
The lights flickered and cut off before he could make a cursory sweep of the area. It seems someone had cut off the power.
From the range he could see, thought power moving towards his eyes, he visited various cubicles and desks. Some still had their panels of light, at least exposing that someone had recently been at the Virtual Interfaces.
Which meant there were indeed Suspects on this floor. If he was lucky, he'd meet the one he was searching for…the Inciter, as it were.
'Too bad I still don't have a working weapon. I'll have to see what I can scavenge on this floor—ah. I still have The Brick, yet the other forms of evidence I've gained would definitely be flammable. These Useless Badges might be usable for something as well….'
>A particular trait has been gained due to the owner's constant desires. Artillerize MKI has coagulated within you.
>Description: Creates a weapon out of available materials. Evidence is included.
>…There are plenty of limits, and you have to have an idea of what you want. Please, look for something at your earliest convenience. For now, ammo cannot be created at any time other than initial Artillerization.
'Nice! These special traits really come in handy…I'll have to see how I can improve them in the future. Now…let's get to work.'
Vere suppressed the urge to look for something right at this moment, keeping himself on his toes. Progressing through the open floor, he investigated each cubicle for any other Details to pick up on.
A lot of them were smudged, burnt, or already destroyed. The various desks and chairs were ruined, and soot lined the ground as if the whole area had turned into a fireplace.
Various posters and promotions were simply reduced to charred scraps, and the stylistic clothing depicted them suffering the most. There was a connection to be made from this…
>Gained Detail: (Obsession with fashion).
Crouching beneath a cubicle desk, Vere recounted the facts. The obsession with fashion was either a given because of passionate staff…or a given because of an ardent patron of JJ&R. So how did fire tie in with this?
…
Vere didn't have any clue yet. However, as he was about to leave the hiding space, his ears picked up on the sound of a plethora of unsteady footsteps.
Patter, patter, patter.
The Virtual Interface on the desk above his head attracted the attention of the group of Suspects heading towards the central area of the third floor. Vere tutted himself, knowing he would have to engage in combat.
[Magpie].
Pearlescent feathers fell as the same translucent Magpie left from Vere's thought nexus. Then, carrying The Brick in its talons, it emerged out of Vere's forehead and hovered around him, dropping The Brick in his outstretched hand. It seemed to want to caw, but as it took stock of the situation, it simply re-entered Vere's thought nexus, leaving a couple of feathers slowly floating down.
The Mystic Rami expressed its thought power as a blue haze covered The Brick. Whatever Vere could imagine it doing next, coupled with the latent abilities of the Evidence Armament…would happen. It wouldn't have any debilitating effect on the current Suspects—they weren't linked to the Evidence—but any creative thoughts he had could bring about a magical product.
For example…
Vere rolled out from beneath the desk, his digits grasping on a cubicle wall as he started to parkour about the room. Then, perched on one of the thin walls, as he balanced his weight just enough to maintain balance…he shouted.
"Hey there? You burnt-faced fucks…wanna talk about shirttails or some shit?!" Heads swiveled towards him, about 11 all in all. 3 of the Suspects were noticeably different, however.
>Identified Incited Suspects: Flarechestra Tier III (x3).
They maintained the look of their human forms, for the most part. Yet their eyes lacked irises and pupils, being a blank incandescent shade of reddish orange. Their veins were alight with fiendish glamour, showing through their flesh with bright orange hues. Musical note patterns dotted their exposed skin, and their lips were parted as flames spewed out and surrounded them in cloudy lines. The heat seemed to escape from them and cover them in a discomforting aura, and their employee outfits seemed to be dazzled out with more of the JJ&R brand items—most notably, pins and badges.
His not so politely put greeting was met by several mouths spewing a combined mix of flames.
'Right, right. Eleven, huh? I can do a serial tango…' Thought Vere as Mystic thought power swirled to life.