A spotlight shone on a small, wood chair against a gray brick wall. A camera faced directly at the chair. A wrinkly old man with grey hair, a headband, and a military uniform walked slowly from stage right and sat on the chair. He took out a cigarette and spoke to the camera. "Smoking looks cool, right kids? You see adults do it all the time. But did you know smoking can lead to premature aging, lung cancer, a weakened immune system, and all kinds of other nasty things? I remember when I first started smoking. I went from 42 to 84 in a heartbeat. So, if you ever think about smoking, just look at me: Solid Snake." He pretended to inhale the unlit cigarette. "Cough, cough!"
Snake watched the video on an old TV with a hint of regret in his eyes. "Sigh, what a way to spend my last days on Earth."
"At least you gave a Grade 'A' performance." Nolan replied. "But did you really get that old just from smoking?"
"Probably, but there was a bit more at play. That would take a while to explain. But since I'm dead, there's nothing to stop me now." With that, Snake proceeded to light a cigarette and blew smoke out the window.
"No! Bad Snake-san!" Maria flicked her scepter and turned the cigar into a candycane. The young mage was driving the rocking-horse carriage along a cliffside at night, the horizon covered by clouds. "The smoke grows big when it leaves the dollhouse! It's wrong to smoke around children, uu-uu!"
"Yeah, Snake. Maria was kind enough to let us play in her dollhouse, the least we can do is be polite." Nolan said.
"This is not what I signed up for…"
"York-san, Gohda-san showed Maria a book from the Ushiromiya Library. It talks about the Lost Voices and the ancient cultures they once belonged to. I didn't read much, but I learned where the sanctuaries are located. There's a sanctuary built in each of the four 'realms' of the Spirit World: there's one in the main Spirit World, one in the Underworld, one in the Ghost Zone, and one in the Dream Realm."
"The Dream Realm is a part of the Spirit World?" Nolan asked.
"It's connected, but spirits aren't allowed to enter the Dream World without special permission. The Dream World is designed for mortals' subconscious, a place where they can let their mind wander and feel happy, uu-uu. And the Spirit KND don't need to go there because the Bubble Dreamers defend that world. …Look, York-san. I think we're there."
Miles away, they saw a small fleet of Divine Angels battling Hollows above a fortress built on the cliffside. Maria climbed off the carriage and walked to the edge, seeing a path going along the cliffside. Maria returned and shrank to enter the dollhouse. "There's a narrow path that seems to lead under the fortress, uu-uu. Maria can teleport you to the start of it. She'll drive the carriage somewhere far away so no one gets suspicious, uuu."
"Yeah, nothing suspicious about a kid steering rocking-horses." Snake remarked.
"Actually, children drive these things all the time here." Nolan corrected. "Surely, you must've noticed."
"I'm not a babysitter."
"Be careful, York-san and Snake-san. Maria hopes you find the Lost Voice and come back safely, uuu!" (Play "Cavern" from Metal Gear Solid.)
Stage 1: Fortress of Lingering Regrets
Mission: Recover the Lost Voice.
With a wave of her scepter, Sandman and Snake were teleported onto the narrow path; even though they were still far from the Angels, it didn't hurt to be safe. The narrow path was broken up by several wide gaps, but these were no problem to leap over with the Flash Step. "So, Snake, what's your Zanpakutō?"
"I don't use one. All I have are these Infinite-Space Satchels that I purchased to carry my weapons. Among other items. Harnessing my inner chi was just never my style."
"Well, you are an expert. As for me, I have one, but I can't use its full power, yet. I think I'm strong enough to suffice, at least."
"Just be sure to keep your chi concealed for the most part. Otherwise, the Hollows will smell us a mile away." They saw a sewer pipe pouring liquid energy into the Abyss of Lingering Regrets. The adults crept into the pipe as Hollow rats crept through the filth, but were mercilessly stomped on. They found a smaller pipe on the side that they were able to crawl through. There was an upcoming vent, and when Snake glanced up, he saw an Arrancar guard entering the bathroom. He swiftly pounced out and choked the Arrancar in a sleeper hold. "So, Skull Face has a few Arrancar henchmen. A lot more easy to organize, so it makes sense."
"I'm impressed that you don't kill them the same as the Hollows." Nolan commented.
"I always saw the Arrancar as more 'human.'"
They set the unconscious spirit in one of the stalls. They peeked outside the restroom and sensed a Seer coming from around a corner. Snake went out first, going further down as he hid inside his cardboard box. When the Seer came around, it studied the box with confusion, but it was distracted long enough for Sandman to sneak up and SMASH it between his hands, the orb-shaped Hollow shattering. The adults backtracked where the Seer came from, finding stairs to an upper corridor. Guards patrolled that corridor, with one approaching the stairs, and another guarding a door further up. The closer one turned around, so Nolan crept up to Silent KO him, while Snake shot a Pacifier Bullet at the further guard's head before he noticed.
The next section was filled with red lasers placed in random, diagonal positions. Snake took note of the inactive blue lasers on the walls as well. "I've seen these before. If the lasers detect anyone leaving the ground, they'll change. Whatever you do, don't jump or Flash Step. One step at a time." Nolan complied as they carefully stepped over or ducked under the lasers. They reached an area with gaps in the floor: each gap had a blue laser wall on their side, and red lasers on the other side. "Sandman, we're gonna have to work together to pass these. Listen closely…"
They jumped to keep the blue, close lasers active. Nolan going first, he would take a running jump, deactivating the blues as he flew forward, but once he was past those lasers, Snake would quickly jump to deactivate the red lasers before Nolan touched them. Afterwards, they repeated the process for Snake to cross, and did so a few more times to bypass the other lasers. The hall would turn left, where two guards were stationed at a door. They looked further back and noticed a ceiling vent. Nolan pulled the vent open with an energy rope, then leapt in. He was able to crawl to a vent above the guards, quickly dropping down to KO them both. Afterwards, he and Snake quietly entered the door.
This next room was slightly wide and empty, but upon taking a few steps forward, both doors sealed with a dark barrier. "Unbelievable…" a voice echoed as Arrancar emerged from the darkness. "With all the Angels trying to distract us outside, I had a feeling a couple of worms would sneak into my fortress…"
A man stepped around one of the Arrancar, twirling two small guns on his fingers. He had white hair with a mustache and ponytail hanging over his right shoulder, and a light-brown trenchcoat. "But I never expected it to be you, Solid Snake. Or should I say… Old Snake?"
"What?! What in the world are you doing here?!"
"Snake, is he an old friend of yours?" Sandman asked.
"Indeed, we were." the man replied. "Guardian Units of Nations, FOXHOUND Division. Revolver…" Before continuing, he moved his hands to several positions, his guns still spinning. One hand above, one hand below, then he quickly whipped his arms to front and back, seeming to swap guns while keeping their rotation.
Sandman and Snake exchanged a weird glance. The man was now back-flipping and rolling while keeping them spinning. He then began juggling the revolvers. Afterwards, he went to a closet and came out on a unicycle, still juggling and maintaining a good balance. Snake sighed in annoyance at his antics, while Nolan was just confused. The man jumped off the unicycle and spun around on one foot, coming to a complete halt and grasping his guns firmly. "Ocelot!"
"You two were in GUN together?" Nolan asked.
"He betrayed GUN!" Snake hissed. "He ran off and joined some Anti-Government terrorist faction!"
"And then you betrayed GUN because you didn't like their metahuman treatment. Really, dear Snake, have you any right to judge? As for what I'm doing here, I was personally approached by President Valentine himself, to help in this little project he's working on. After all, destroying the corrupt governments of this universe is easy when the dominant languages are destroyed, so why not?"
"You were against the Earth World Government." Sandman figured. "You should know that that organization has fallen. The Earth's countries operate separately again, but they're still united by GUN and not to mention the KND."
"So, what? The governments are still corrupt, no matter where you look. I was all set to move the Lost Voice to another location, but now I'm interested, Snake. It could only be Fate that allowed me to meet you again. So, now I want to see if the legend persists even in death."
Snake drew a Heaven Gun. "I'm ready when you are."
"Not, yet. This room is a little too cramped for me. For now, I'll let these children play with you. These Arrancar had their masks removed directly by Skull Face, but because they couldn't fight the Hollow transformations on their own, they're not on par with proper Arrancar. They should at least be a decent warm-up for you. Don't keep me waiting, Snake." The ceiling opened up, and Ocelot twirled his guns with such speed that they lifted him up like propellers. Once high enough, the ceiling sealed up again.
The Arrancar drew swords and attacked—Snake punched one's gut and swiped the blade. He threw it aside and dealt an uppercut, then flipped behind another Arrancar to kick him into the former. Nolan swiftly punched in every direction to attack the spirits, then lashed an energy rope at one to take his sword. Two Arrancar threw Spirit Flames, Sandman blocking them with his sword. He linked his hands to shoot Pale Lightning and electrocute them, followed by Snake grabbing their heads and smashing them together.
Snake Flash Stepped behind an Arrancar, then dealt rapid-punches to his back before jumping and smashing him to the ground. He then swiftly picked up and threw his body to Sandman, who grabbed the legs and whirled around to take down the surrounding ones. They were still awake, so Nolan threw strong punches to KO them, then used a Thrust to blow one into Snake, who was waiting with a forceful punch. Only one Arrancar remained standing, so Nolan flew forth and kicked him into submission.
The dark barriers disappeared, allowing them to continue. The hall was covered by a pool of Dark Chi, a platform against the corner wall. Sandman had a Line Launcher that could shoot energy ropes to link points in front of and behind him in order to zipline across the darkness, Snake holding onto him. After landing on the platform, they would have to zipline across a hall of laser walls positioned either high or low. They climbed atop the Line Launcher to go over the low ones, ziplined under the high ones, and had to alternate between. They landed on a safe floor, but the passage was barred up, so they had to enter a door to the left.
They were inside a room with multiple, wide floor panels, a switch on the other side, trapped in a barrier. "Can you keep up with the beat, Snake and Friend? Show me how good your Flash Steps are." Ocelot spoke through the speaker. Two panels lit up, so the adults picked one and Flash Stepped to it. More panels lit up, randomly around the floor, Sandman and Snake thinking fast and zipping to each one; if they touched any of the wrong panels, they would be electrocuted. After stepping on enough panels, the barrier disabled. Sandman could safely step up and pull the switch, opening the barred gate outside.
After passing it, they approached an electrified portion of the hall, with thick lasers skimming the wall up and down. "There must be a switch somewhere across. I'll use the missile launcher." Snake casually pulled a launcher out of one of his pouches.
"You just have a thing like that?!" Sandman exclaimed.
"Well, it's pretty noisy, so I only use it when there's no guards around." Snake launched the missile and was able to steer it, evading the lasers as necessary. He saw an electric outlet and crashed into it, disabling the electric floor and lasers. The men arrived at a staircase and saw a Pols Voice sleeping at the top, a Hollow with big ears that would sound the alarms if it heard anyone come up the stairs. They noticed these stairs were designed to press down and make music, but the monster was sleeping for now. Snake dropped a Sound Grenade, and when it exploded, the Hollow yelped and bent its ears shut as it shuddered. The men could run up the musical stairs as Sandman slashed the spirit.
They could feel several presences in the next large room. They snuck in quietly, finding a cylindrical room with a central tower, guards patrolling on walkways with guns. Their helmets would prevent the use of Pacifier Bullets. Ocelot was inside an office atop the tower, the Lost Voice rested on a pedestal. "So, Snake… who is that new friend of yours? Another war veteran? Another legend? Is he worthy to work alongside 'Solid Snake'? Or is he one of those Spirit KND? Don't tell me YOU'RE working for them, Snake! I thought you were better than that!"
There were two guards coming around the tower. Snake went to hide in a floor vent while Sandman grappled up to a platform along the wall. When the closer guard walked under Sandman, he dropped down, pulled him up, and Silent KO'ed him before setting him on the floor. The other guard was too far to notice this, and Snake was able to climb out and KO him. Snake hid again when a Seer was coming around; it would see him under the grates, so he crawled away quickly. However, when the Seer spotted the unconscious bodies, an alert was set off. (Play "Encounter" from Metal Gear Solid!)
"Men, we have intruders!" Ocelot yelled. "They're in this room! Search everywhere, the grates, the walls! Of course, I hope, for my sake, you fail…"
"I'll check around the bodies!" one of the Arrancar said, rushing to the two fallen. The walkway guards were viewing the platforms, so Sandman quickly swung to other ones before they noticed. Snake had crawled in the vent under the tower, but the guards were preparing to pump Dark Chi into the vents. Snake found a vertical vent and grappled up it, coming out of a vent on a walkway.
He sensed an upper guard using a flashlight to search the walls, and felt that Sandman would be discovered. Snake launched a missile to his left and exploded that wall, attracting the guard's attention. "What was that?! I heard an explosion!" In their distraction, Snake stood on the railing and grappled to the higher walkway, grabbing the guard from below and dealing the KO. A Seer was coming around, so Snake dropped back down, and the sentry sent an alert upon discovering the body. Two of the Arrancar on the floor grew wings to fly up there, but Snake had hid in his box to avoid detection.
The two Arrancar that went to check the explosion walked away when they didn't find anything. Sandman was able to grapple to the nearby platform and drop on one of them. After safely KOing him, he snuck up to defeat the next one. The Seer was coming back, so Sandman escaped. An alert was sent, so one of the Arrancar who just flew up returned down to investigate. Now, both Arrancar were standing next to a Seer to stay safe. Sandman molded his chi into a Smoke Bomb, throwing it toward the floor guards as the misty energy blinded them. Sandman was able to glide down, Stealth KO the Arrancar, then smash the Seer before the smoke cleared.
Both Sandman and Snake grappled up to opposite sides of the high walkway. Snake hid in his box and crawled around close enough for the Seer to see. The spirit curiously approached, the Arrancar following, but Sandman was able to sneak up and Stealth KO the guard while the Seer was focused. Afterwards, Nolan quickly smashed the orbed Hollow. With all the guards defeated, the men proceeded up to the office.
With a smirk, Ocelot caught the Lost Voice in a briefcase and rode an elevator platform downward. Since the barrier into the office disabled, the men entered, having to wait for the elevator to return. Once it did, they boarded and flew down the shaft. They landed inside a wide room with three rows of five pillars, where Ocelot awaited them, twirling his revolvers.
"Apologies, Snake, but I don't want your new friend to spoil our reunion. If you want this Voice, then come fight mano a mano."
"We don't have to play your games!" Sandman stated.
"Oh, DON'T you?" The pillars opened to reveal guns loaded within. "My Zanpakutō, Guns of the Patriots, lets me control any gun or projectile device. I want a fair fight, so only Snake is allowed in here. Just wait on the elevator like a good boy~"
"Hmph…I got this one, Sandman. Just keep watch in case he tries something." Snake requested, his Heaven Gun ready.
"If you say so…" Sandman replied with concern.
"Now then," Ocelot began to juggle his guns once more, "we," he threw on roller-blades and flew around the room, performing various poses and keeping his guns spinning, "prepare to," he kicked the rollers off and planted his guns to the floor, spinning his own body while the guns remained stationary. With that, he landed back on his feet and declared, "DRAW!" (Play "Duel" from Metal Gear!)
Boss fight: Revolver Ocelot
Using Flash Steps, Ocelot zipped behind a pillar, so Snake zipped behind an opposite pillar. With matching speed, they jumped between multiple pillars, before Snake remained hidden behind one. Ocelot saw him stop, so he slipped out to shoot a gun, the bullet bouncing off the wall and toward Snake, but the soldier had escaped and was able to land a shot on Ocelot. The villain retreated behind the pillars, Flashing his way to Snake in attempt of a direct attack, but the soldier maneuvered away from him. Ocelot evaded Snake's gunshots as he kept pursuit, soon making contact with Snake directly.
The two exchanged fists laden with Haki (along with black arms, Spirit Haki produced white flames). Ocelot got Snake's jaw, but the former was hit in the stomach. Ocelot grabbed Snake's arm and tried to twist it, but Snake lifted and slammed Ocelot into a pillar. Ocelot pulled Snake down with him, swiping a couple guns from Snake's pouch and taking them apart, afterwards Flashing behind the pillars again. Snake collected the pieces and dodged Ocelot's shots as he repaired a gun. Whenever Snake tried to shoot, Ocelot reacted quicker in evading. Snake took note of the pillar Ocelot hid behind and was able to shoot a bullet against the wall, bouncing into Ocelot.
"It's time I cover all corners." Ocelot remarked as he willed his other gun to fly to Snake's side. Snake dodged the floating gun, but Ocelot still tried to shoot him from the other side. Nolan would've called this cheating, but then again, Ocelot could've controlled Snake's guns just the same. Snake waited for the floating gun to come around the corner before jumping to grab it, taking it apart. Ocelot got behind Snake and shot, but he dodged and returned fire, Ocelot retreating behind the pillars. By the looks of things, Ocelot's power didn't work on broken weapons. Snake stayed near the revolver, but watched as four more flew into the air.
Using his reserve guns, Ocelot covered all corners and shot at Snake wherever he tried to hide. Snake decided to chase him, but Ocelot Flashed away from him. Snake saw him making his way to the broken gun, so he shot a bullet that ricocheted and struck him. Snake approached from the left and suspected Ocelot would go right, so he shot a missile that direction, prompting Ocelot to dodge back. Snake was able to get behind and swipe Ocelot's other gun, taking it apart just the same. This caused the floating guns to drop to the floor. With his Zanpakutō disabled, Ocelot engaged Snake in another fist fight, Flashing behind pillars in attempt to ambush the other. However, when Ocelot flew up to him, Snake pulled his gun and landed a shot to Ocelot's stomach. (End song.)
"UAHH!" Ocelot hacked energy and fell on his back. "Augh…so, you've still got it, Snake. Impressive…"
"Is your little game finished?" Sandman asked, marching up and taking the briefcase. "Because if so, we'll be taking the Voice."
"Go ahead… Skull Face will get it back eventually. And if the dominant languages continue to exist, the Mortal World will be plagued by his parasites. You'll have to open the Tower of Babel eventually!"
Snake stomped Ocelot's face and KO'ed him. "Should we take him with us and lock him up?"
"I'm not sure that's a good idea. He might learn about Maria if he wakes up, and if the Divine Angels find out one of Skull Face's lackeys is in their prison…"
"Didn't we already give ourselves away by fighting him?"
"You're probably right… regardless, the Angels could find their way down here any second. We need to start making our escape. Let's signal Maria."
Maria had rode her carriage far from the battle site. A black butterfly landed on her ear and made a ringing sound. Maria gasped and looked knowingly. The witch opened the garage of her dollhouse and cast a spell, warping the tiny Soulmobile onto the ground. The Soulmobile grew wings and took off, following Sandman's remote control.
The vehicle drove off the edge of the Abyss of Lingering Regrets and grew wings. Sandman and Snake had snuck back to the sewer pipe and dropped out, diving into the abyss. The Soulmobile was there to catch them, and they stayed under the foggy chasm as they flew away from the base.
They found Maria's carriage parked in the woods. At the speed the Soulmobile was driving, it could've easily rammed and destroyed the carriage, but in a flash, the car shrank to return to the garage. Maria met the adults inside the dollhouse. "Did you find the Voice, uu-uu?"
Sandman opened Ocelot's briefcase. Inside was an orange orb with a note inside and song sheet wrapped around it. The orb was singing a quiet chorus in a language neither of them recognized. "I feel a strong power from it… It must be the Lost Voice, uuu."
"So, we're just going to keep it here?" Snake asked.
"For the time being. This is the best place we can keep watch on it."
"Yaaaaawn… Maria is sleepy from such a long day." The child rubbed her weary eyes. "Let's find a safe place where we can rest." She returned outside.
"So, as far as we know, the other Voices are safe in their sanctuaries, correct?" Snake asked. "Then is our priority now to find Skull Face?"
"Before long, Skull Face will have found the other Voices." Sandman suspected. "I think we should attempt to secure them all, before he has a chance to steal them."
"So, you wanna try and steal them first?" Snake asked. "Hmmm…Sandman, what's your motive, anyway?"
"I want to keep the Voices safe from Skull Face and I don't trust the Divine Angels to handle it. They already lost this one."
"But having all the Voices together isn't really keeping them safe. It just makes them easier to find."
"Skull Face will get desperate and show himself. When that happens, we'll have him captured. I'll force him to disable his parasites."
"Hmmm…" Snake glared at him with suspicion.
"You should probably go to sleep too, Snake."
"You go ahead. I can stay awake for a long time."
"Really? So can I."
"In that case, let's have a slumber party."
"We'll set a bad example for the kid."
"She's a grown-up, she knows better."
"Hmhm…" Sandman sported a smile. "Well, might as well get the drinks."
Nolan entered the kitchen and put his hand to the refrigerator, about to open it… "Hmm…" He became lost in thought in the process. "Could the Tower of Babel really stop the parasites…?" He shook his head. "Why am I thinking about this?"
…
Back in Ocelot's base, after waking up, the gunslinger calmly made his way to the outside. "That must have been the man Skull Face called me about. It seems his parasites really have taken effect."
"FREEZE!" A squad of Angels were raising golden cannons and guns to him. "Put your hands in the air! You're under arrest for suspicion of conspiring with Skull Face!"
"And what are YOU going to do about it?!" Ocelot raised both hands, which were in gun shapes.
The guns and cannons redirected against the Angels and began blasting them, causing mayhem and confusion amongst them. Another swarm of Hollows flew in to feast on the confused army. "I'll be taking my leave now." Ocelot twirled both repaired revolvers, using them as propellers to fly to the sky. "Well then, Snake… you'd best keep an eye on that one."
Planet Mira; Gormott
The northern hemisphere of Mira was covered entirely by a sea of clouds. From these clouds were born the Alrest Titans, tremendous creatures that reached continental size and developed life. The Titans, like benders, were blessed by the gods with elements, so Titans were born with different topographical features. These Titans would produce blue gems called Core Crystals, which were designed to bond with worthy mortals and conjure a being known as a Xenoblade. A Blade would fight alongside their master and lend them power; for this reason, very few on this planet were given element bending, as they could awaken a Blade for such power.
"Those are the basics for this part of the planet." Dimentia said to Leic after they had landed in a forest. "This particular Titan we're on is Gormott. By the looks of things, it was given Plant Chi, so it's abundant with forests and grasslands."
"So, if people aren't born with bending, they can just get one of these Blade thingies?" Leic asked, enjoying the feel of the grass on his soles.
"No, the catch is that only natives to this planet can use Blades. And even then, not everyone is worthy of having one. It's basically 'random chance element bending.' Honestly, it sounds kind of annoying. It's like those card games where people buy a bunch of packs, hoping for a rare card."
"Does that mean there are super rare Blades?!" Leic exclaimed, fists balled and eyes bright. "I bet it would be super fun to finally find one! I sure wish I could use Blades!"
"He's one to look at the bright side, isn't he?" Plex commented, the chibi man looking away. "?! Dimentia, look!"
Dimentia turned with a gasp, and when Leic looked as well, they were being approached by a horde of Skelo-Bunnits. Bunnits were rabbit-like creatures native to the planet, with large tails to hold weapons, but these walking corpses possessed a deathly white aura and glowing eyes. "This chi… There's something otherworldly about their chi."
"I would say they fall into our legal boundaries." Plex said.
"Leic, get ready to battle!"
"Aye-aye, Captain! Whoops, hehe, keep thinking we're still fighting pirates!" Leic blushed. (Play "Gormott Day" from Xenoblade 2!)
Stage D-1: Gormott
Mission: Find the source of these strange creatures!
The Bunnits extended their skeletal tails to whip the duo from afar. Dimentia grabbed one's tail, whirled, and smashed it into another, and when two Bunnits charged her directly, she shot them with Space Arrows. One Bunnit dodged and leapt to bite her fist, but she slammed it to the ground and kicked it away. Leic released a swarm of butterflies from his sword to confuse the creatures, and enough stabs were able to change the spirits into butterflies as well. With the Bunnits dealt with, they hurried into the forest. Dimentia could sense the giant, skeletal toads lurking under the marshes, so she shot arrows to scare them out of hiding.
One of the Skelo-Brogs caught Leic on its tongue and pulled him into the corpse. The Brog began giggling with all the butterflies in its tummy, and was doomed to become one itself. Meanwhile, Dimentia defended from the second one's ramming jumps and dispersed it after enough shots. Reaching the larger swamp, Dimentia sensed one more Brog behind the large tree in the center, so she launched an arrow straight through the tree to destroy the living corpse. "Leic, let's go up there." Dimentia focused gravity onto the tree and pulled them onto it.
"Woooow! Walking up a tree is much more refreshing than flying!" Leic laughed, racing up ahead of Dimentia and winding around the trunk. Skelo-Gogols (gorillas) bellowed and blew down boulders made of their chi. Leic protected Dimentia by turning the boulders into butterflies (butter-fying), leaving the woman to shoot the apes in the heads. They made it onto the upper branches as Leic skipped upside-down along the underside of a branch. Dimentia took the right-side-up path, and skeletal eagles were swooping up or down from either direction, meaning the two were in charge of defending their side of the branch.
The end of the branch aimed at a ledge on the canyon wall, but a huge gap separated them from it. Dimentia pulled Leic up and carried him as she gave a running start, building up terrific speed to make the grand leap to the cliff. Leic cheered for joy as they flew and landed, but they happened upon a nest of three Skelo-Pippito. The Pippito were small and resembled ferrets, but their speed was insane as neither Dimentia nor Leic were able to hit them.
Instead, Dimentia launched some arrows around to form a circle, sealing them all inside a barrier. She ordered Leic to get down and curl up, and afterwards, she willed Space Lightning to completely fill up that barrier. The lightning touched everywhere except where Leic was; two of the Pippito were destroyed, but one tried to stay safe in Leic's zone. With an innocent smile, Leic kicked the creature into the shock zone. Dimentia disabled the Nega-Zone as they followed a path between a canyon.
There were bone-made watchtowers and fences being manned by Skelo-Tirkin (birdlike creatures). The tower Tirkin launched Bone Arrows, and land Tirkin were charging directly. Leic used Thief Style to nimbly evade their shots and slash the Tirkin until they butter-fied, while Dimentia shot the tower Tirkin from afar. Once all the birds were fallen, they continued through the canyon. They reached a slightly open area with some trees and bushes… and saw an impish figure in a black hood with bone designs on it.
"What… is that?!" Her bow ready, Dimentia marched up to the creature. "YOU! Are you the one creating all these-" When the creature turned, it was revealed to be Roger the Alien, his garb gray and black. "…things?"
"WHOA, settle down there, Katniss!" Roger remarked. "My name is Vyander Stringeater, a mysterious drifter who sells Halloween costumes made from demon fur."
"We almost thought you were one of the monsters!"
"Actually, I modeled this costume after this lady I ran into in the woods."
"A lady?! Where is she now?!"
"Beats me." Roger shrugged. "But I would stay away from her, she looks like some kind of addict. Heh, she tried to suck on me like some vampire, and I…heh, let's just say my body didn't agree to that."
Sharing a worried glance with Leic, Dimentia bypassed Roger, crossing another canyon that ended at a ledge overlooking the Cloud Sea. To their left, beyond the cliffside, was the vast grassland of Gormott Plains.
The two had already seen this while Descending onto the planet, but Gormott resembled a gargantuan giraffe with long horns on its head. As they Grav-Walked along the cliffside, Dimentia and Leic were attacked by Skelo-Quadwings, which resembled four-winged owls. Once they were in range of the corner of the field, Dimentia held onto Leic and made the running leap, falling the great distance, the wind brushing them powerfully, until the rush of adrenaline abruptly stopped once they hit the ground.
There was a pack of skeletal lions pursuing a group of Gormotti children (the Gormotti were humanoid with cat ears, light clothing, and long nails). Dimentia stuck an arrow into the ground and quickly shot arrows at the kids to warp them beside her. Once safe out of the lions' grasp, the kids looked with surprise as the strange woman ran to battle the monsters. Dimentia pulled her bow apart into twin swords to clash with the lions' boney claws, slashing one's head off, then kicking another near Leic as he butter-fied it. Dimentia flipped above the third lion and stabbed its spine, but Leic soothed its pain with a butter-fy.
"Dimentia, I feel a strong presence at the top of Gormott's head." Plex pointed. "Let's head that way quickly!"
"You heard him, Leic! Er, I guess you didn't." The duo raced across the Gormott Plains, slashing down any Skelo-Bunnits that tried to ambush from the grass. A gigantic Skelo-Gogol shook the earth as it charged at them, whirling its bulbous fist to smash down on Dimentia. The woman raised both arms to keep the fist uplifted, while the Gogol tried to smash Leic with its other fist. Leic was swift in dodging it, racing up the beast's arm to shoot butterflies into its face. The beast sneezed from the tickly butterflies, but had accidentally released Dimentia from its fist, the woman slashing its foot off. She leapt above and impaled its back with arrows, and enough damage allowed Leic to butter-fy it.
The two raced down the hill to an oasis, slashing down Skelo-Brogs. "YOW!" Leic's foot was bit by a Skelo-Piranhax under the shallow water, and Dimentia quickly shot the beast off. She sensed more of the piranhas underwater and formed another arrow circle, and when the piranhas swam inside, she willed them to be crushed inside their own gravity. Once past the oasis, they Grav-Walked up another cliff to get onto the middle-back of Gormott, from which they could make the journey up the giraffe's neck.
Gormott's neck was segmented into layers of cliffs, each of which had its own grass field. One field was absolutely frolicking with Bunnits, but they were running from the monstrous Skelo-Bunnits. Dimentia made another Nega-Zone, wherein the skeletons would become detached from gravity, slicing half of them while Leic got the other half. Another field had Skelo-Arachnos (four-legged spiders) that shot solid bone-webs that could puncture their skin. Dimentia slashed down the webs as she ran to the giant spiders. Leic was able to distract them with butterflies, but their cravings would go unfulfilled by the time his partner was finished with them.
When they were near the head, the duo came face-to-face with a Skelo-Sauros, a spike-backed dinosaur. The dinosaur endured Dimentia's arrows as it charged forward, gnashing fast enough to catch the Inviere in its teeth. It bit and swung her viciously, but she escaped by throwing an arrow to the ground, then sticking herself with another to warp to the first arrow. She ran away to recollect herself, while Leic was making a giant butterfly. The creature sprayed a yellow powder to soften the spirit's being, letting Dimentia land some strong, rapid slashes with the twin blades. The beast spun and whacked her away with its tail, but Leic would stab its tail and turn it into butterflies. Leic jumped off and ran from the dino, giving Dimentia a view of its rear as she shot an arrow into the empty tail hole. Her arrow burst and destroyed the corpse from the inside.
The duo Grav-Walked up one more cliff and made it onto the Titan's head. They raced up the slope, seeing the source of the dark energy. (End song.)
The culprit was a gray-skinned woman with black and gray clothes with bone designs, a slick black cape with tears, and she had white hair with black stripes. She held Core Crystals in her skeletal hands as she bit and crunched them like bulky cookies. Lain on the ground before her was a Blade, with white mechanical armor and leggings, long pastel-blue hair, but otherwise peach skin.
"STOP what you're doing!" The woman slowly turned toward Dimentia and Leic, her dark eyes showing no emotion. Dimentia's bow was pulled, and Leic bore an adorably fearless expression with his sword raised. "You're the Daemonis, aren't you?!"
"I've never seen this one before." Plex said. "In fact, it doesn't really feel like a proper Daemonis… its body feels fabricated, but its soul…"
"This is a bother." the woman spoke solemnly. The unconscious Blade cracked open her magenta eyes, silently listening. "I thought I could finish this meal before you arrived. Seems that most of the Styles I sent out to distract you were already destroyed by those bothersome kids."
"You mean KND operatives?" Leic asked.
"At least these Blades made a decent snack. Still, I don't really like fighting all of you."
It was then Dimentia realized a small group was journeying up the Titan's head from the left. "…Just what are you, anyway?!"
"I'm Sylistys. That's all I could tell you, really. You look like the one my masters warned me about."
"Your masters? …So, you ARE with the Daemonis!"
"They built me as a way to 'counteract' you. I wonder… just what it is we share, 'Dimentia'? I hope you find me again, so I might learn more."
"Find you…?" Before Dimentia could question her, Sylistys seemed to pull a small marble from her pocket, dropping it on the ground as she poofed in an instant. "HEY! Where did she go?!"
"Her presence on this planet has disappeared…" Plex replied.
"Haha, I've seen that magic trick before!" Leic laughed. "There must be a trapdoor!"
"HEY! YOU THERE!"
The group that Dimentia just sensed had just arrived. One of them was a boy named Rex, with golden eyes and blue salvager's outfit; he wielded an energy sword connected to his Blade, Pyra, who had red hair and armor; there was Nia, a Gormotti girl with silver hair and a yellow suit, and her Blade was Ursula, a little girl with an icy-blue dress that matched her fluffy hair, faded feet, and riding her pet polar bear, Beary.
"So, you're the one that kidnapped KOS-MOS and took all those Core Crystals!" Rex yelled.
"You better not have hurt her!" Nia yelled in a Welsh accent. "Do you know how long it took us to find a Blade that rare?!"
"Is that why you care about her?" Ursula asked.
"Er, and she is a very dear friend to us!"
"Rex, I can sense God Chi inside that woman!" Pyra cautioned.
"Should we just go all out then?"
"Yeah, good idea." Pyra glowed a bright green and began to transform. (Play "Battle Theme" from Xenoblade 2!)
"Wait, this is a misunderstanding!" Dimentia tried to reason. "The one who attacked her was-"
"Dimentia, you might wanna run." Plex said in worry.
Pyra had transformed into Pneuma, her hair turning green and growing into a ponytail, complete with white and green sci-fi armor. Rex had donned similar armor as well. With a panicked expression, Dimentia whipped her blades to defend from a swarm of green energy swords conjured by the powerful Blade. Rex and Pneuma both grasped their extended sword and clashed with Dimentia, their speed frightening and strength deadly.
"Oh, neat, a god-fighting weapon! I'll go now." Dimentia grabbed Leic and zipped away like a Road Runner.
Dimentia leapt down the first cliff of Gormott's neck, crossed the field, then leapt down the second one—Rex and Pneuma caught up to them with surprising speed, but Dimentia dodged their mighty slash by making gravity pull her toward the cliff. The couple flew to stab the cliff, so Dimentia ran to the side of Gormott's neck. Suddenly, Beary dropped and grasped onto Dimentia, while Ursula swung around her companion and blew a Song Beam into Dimentia's face. She endured the musicbending attack and used the Arrow Warp to get the Blade off, but barely had time to dodge Pneuma's Starburst (not to be mistaken for the spacebending move, as Pneuma's Starburst is a green laser).
Dimentia dashed down the neck with full speed, but Pneuma kept up with lightspeed. Dimentia suffered cuts from her Radiant Flare, but was able to block some attacks. Dimentia launched an arrow across Gormott's back, jabbed Leic with another arrow to warp him, then warped herself. "Leic, hurry up and Ascend us!"
"Haha, got ya!" Leic climbed on her shoulders, quickly but calmly focused his chi, and uplifted them both in a ray of light.
Rex and Pneuma searched around the area, but having lost sight of the stranger, Rex cursed, "Dang it! She got away!"
"Was that woman some kind of alien?" Pyra asked after reverting back to normal.
"Rex, we were able to heal KOS-MOS!" Nia called, she and Ursula catching up, along with the armored Blade that had been KO'ed. KOS-MOS had magenta eyes that showed little emotion.
"Where did that scary lady go?" Ursula asked. "And who was the small boy that was with her?"
"You are mistaken. That woman was not the culprit." KOS-MOS said in a soft, robotic voice.
"She wasn't the culprit?" Rex asked.
"I had woken up while they were talking. The person who kidnapped me, and that woman were two different individuals."
"Oh, no… Did we attack an innocent person?" Ursula asked guiltily.
"Then, I wonder who they were?…" Rex thought aloud. (End song.)
Dimentia and Leic had returned to the Spirit World to catch their breath. "Huff…well, then… wasn't prepared for that…" Dimentia panted.
"Hee hee, that was as exciting as some of our team's getaways!" Leic laughed, his hair ruffled.
"Well, misunderstanding aside, it seems 'Sylistys' has escaped." Plex said. "Let's resume tracing her whereabouts immediately. She may choose to attack another planet."
"Yeah, we can't rest for a minute." Dimentia agreed, closing her eyes and searching for the strange being's signature.