Karaoke Backstage
"I saw her dive into that chest." Tronta said, pointing to a large costume chest.
Miko went to crack the chest open. She saw the sweater of the mint-skinned girl wearing a dragon mask. "Sayu, are you okay?" Miko bent down to pull the mask off. "I'm really sorry that man did that to you."
"W-Wait!" The girl sat up. "You changed me back into Sayu, didn't you? Can you do it again?"
"Uh, sure." Miko aimed her glove and flashed her. The girl swelled on the verge of morphing, but then she popped back into her nerdy form. "Error: this avatar is admin-blocked." Boly said.
"Admin what?! You mean I can't change her back?"
"I can't be Sayu, anymore? Sigh…good night then." The girl took her mask back and lied in the chest.
"Uh…okay?" The starlit singer, "ShootingStar" replied awkwardly. "Anyway… heya, guys! It's nice to see other operatives here!"
"You two are operatives?" Quill cocked a brow up at the very tall woman.
"We're from Sector GF." The gnome with a pine-tree hat answered. "I'm Dipper, and this is Mabel."
"Dipper and Mabel?" Carmine repeated. "Wow, I didn't recognize you at all!"
"I mean, it's not like we ever talked to you guys~" Mabel chortled.
"I happened to run into them while I was playing." Tron replied. "I went exploring to find other operatives and luckily found Vanellope, too."
"Okay, Miko, can you change Tron into his alien form?" Jenny asked. "He just feels weird this way."
"Fair enough." Tron shrugged. Miko flashed Tronta and shrunk him to his green-skinned alien form, though his eyes were uncovered by his magenta bangs and he still wore his Tron suit. "So, have you guys run into anyone else?"
Sector Q recapped finding Raleigh, then explained their main quest. "And it seems like a Pure Heart is right at the top of this tower." Miko recapped. "Now that it's tall like this, we should be able to climb up now!"
"Yeah!" Dipper nodded. "We were trying to make the tower rise because we thought it could lead us to the boss."
"Then let's just start climbing." Quill decided. "This might be our easiest heart, yet!"
"Miko, I have important information surrounding this topic." Boly said. "While my data on the boss is scrambled, I can confirm that we will require the aid of the singer who finished the erection of the tower."
"Ugh, there's just no good way to use that word." Miko cringed. "But, are you saying that we need Sayu?"
"Sayu produced a tremendous amount of Music Chi to give the tower its current form."
"In that case…" Miko went over and calmly opened the chest. "Sayu? Did you hear that?"
Her spectacled eyes peeped up. "Go away."
"Why are you so shy? You're famous."
She rose up a little more. "I'm not famous, Sayu is. I'm just Tila."
"But you can still sing, can't you?"
"No!" Her eyes curved in frustration. "I…" She glanced down and away. "I'm not good in front of crowds. Even in school, I freeze up when the teacher calls on me."
"Tragic backstory of the millennium." Quill retorted.
Tila shot him a glare and pulled her chest closed. "Ugh!" Miko tried to tug it open. "Stop. Trying. To hide. Sayu!"
"Let me try." King Kazma stepped over. The large rabbit lifted the chest and turned it upside-down. The contents dumped out, Tila with them. She tried to scramble and crawl away, but Kazma lifted her by the hood. Her head shrank into the hood as he turned her to face him. "Look, I get what you're going through. Really. You feel more comfortable in your avatar. You feel more special than you do in real life. Just look at me."
"…?" The girl cutely rose out enough to stare at the rabbit. Miko proceeded to shrink Kazma back into his human form, dropping Tila on her hands. She stared up at the skinny, tan-skinned punk curiously. "See? Not nearly as cool, huh? But even when I'm like this, I'm still tough. I'm not afraid to show people what I can do. Why did you even make Sayu so famous if you were this shy?"
Tila glared and pushed herself to her feet. "I didn't even make Sayu. She's from the game Doki Doki Mermaid Club."
"I have never heard of that."
"It was a free indie game, but it wasn't that popular. One day, I wrote a song and decided to sing and post it online. I used artwork of Sayu for the cover because she was the main inspiration. I didn't think it would be that popular… but before I knew it, I was contacted by her creators. And they…" she smiled and formed a blush, "they really liked it. They liked my singing. They liked… me."
"And that's how you met the animators?" Miko asked.
"Yeah. Heh, I was really nervous because I thought they were mature professionals who would be pros at public speaking… but it turns out, they were dorks."
"Dorks?" Eddy cocked a brow.
"Yep. Just ordinary dorks… like me. And by the time we made Sayu famous, very few knew her true identities."
"You had a really lovely voice." Carmine smiled, approaching the taller girl. "You sounded so passionate and joyful!"
"The lyrics were kinda weird." Eddy shrugged. "It felt like a bunch of aquatic one-liners about love."
"It was a cute song!" Carmine yelled. "Still, I can understand wanting to keep your identities secret. It would be annoying to have fans always hassling you."
"It's not just that." Tila replied. "I mean, Sayu is cute, iconic, confident, and always positive. If everyone knew what we were really like, they would just be disgusted."
"You think your friends are disgusting?"
"What?! N-No, no! N-Not most of the time, but, they're awesome! But we're not superstars or anything."
"Alright, alright." Quill spoke up. "Look, I'm not gonna try to tell you that you should believe in yourself or whatever, but we got a job to do. We have to beat the boss to get-"
"Yeah yeah, the Pure Heart thingy, I… heard that." Tila meekly turned away, mumbling.
"Then you know how important it is!" Mabel expressed, the bluish-white, starlit girl approaching her. "And he's right, you should believe in yourself! You're just as cute as Sayu is!"
"And what about you?" Tila glared. "I highly doubt that's your real look."
"This is a rare avatar! I'm a… what am I again?"
"You are a Startouch Elf." Boly replied. "A very rare race from Planet Xadia. While each player is given a vast collection of options for many races, some NerveGear copies come with rare races. It seems ShootingStar was such a lucky player."
"That's what you get for trading me, Dipper!" Mabel teased, much to the chagrin of the impish gnome.
"By the way, what race are you, Tila?" Vanellope asked. "Is that green just from, like, no sunlight?"
"I'm a Zeenuian, you jerk!"
"She's just kidding." Miko assured. "But we really do need you, Tila. Surely, you could sing around us?"
Tila bit her lip and looked down. All these strangers depending on her weren't helping her anxiety. She never should have sang at all and relied on someone else to fight the boss. She wanted to escape this game as much as anyone, but why did she have to get involved? "…Fine. If you want me to fight the boss, we have to do something else first."
"Like what?"
"Find my friends. They're the only ones I feel comfortable singing around."
"Where are they?"
"We split up to explore this floor. They each like different forms of music, so they're probably checking out those areas. Though if they saw that show, they might actually come here…"
"I guess we'll have to split up and search for them, too."
"This task can progress more quickly through use of Quill's kart." Boly said.
"My kart?" Quill questioned.
"For defeating the boss of Level 51, Quill has earned the right to summon his kart on any other floor."
"I CAN?!"
Miko shone her glove on Quill, allowing him to access his screen. He saw and selected his kart, materializing it into being. "YES! More kart levels, baby!" He excitedly hopped in the seat. "Tila, get in the buddy seat. I'll need you to help find them."
"Um, is that thing really safe?"
"Yeah, don't worry!" Miko cheered. "Cool thing about videogame karts is you barely feel the wind tearing off your flesh."
"We're gonna need more rides if we're gonna bring those people back." Tronta said, materializing a Light Cycle.
"You guys owe me a trip to the racing floor later!" Vanellope cheered, forming a candy kart. (Play "Vs. DJ Subatomic" from NSR!)
Stage 5: Danceopolis, Act 2
The kids drove across a black-tiled road that flashed neon colors under their wheels. The road curved down and sloped back up, afterwards twisting to the left past some booping stereo towers. As the road became straight, stereos rose out and would blow them back with their beats. They drove around the stereos, but Vanellope noticed a stairway of them led to an upper platform. She glitched up those stereos and seized a ?-Block that gifted her three Red Shells. "What're these for? Not like we're trying to beat each other."
"Uh, hey, there are robots following us!" Tila alerted, seeing three Magnum Loaders in pursuit. They were robots with large wheels and red circuits.
Quill and Tron seized their own items, a banana and Green Shell. The racers drifted left up a curved piano road, then right down another one as Tron shot his shell backward. The shell bounced off the corners and destroyed one of the robots. Another Magnum launched a Bob-omb, exploding and stunning Quill and Tron. Vanellope glitched backward and got behind the robots, shooting two shells to destroy them. The group drove into the opening of a giant trumpet, zooming up the interior before the horn launched them across the city. Their gliders helped to carry them as they flew into the window of a piano hall.
Gravity shifted as they began driving along the wall of the vast chamber. There were rows of piano keys along the path, and they would flip up into ramps, prompting them to jump. They drove into a balcony opening and shifted upright, driving on the velvet carpet in a gallery of various pianos. "I'm pretty sure this wouldn't be on a driving test!" Tila panicked as Quill drove up a fallen seat, onto a piano, and used it to spring up into an upper window. He drove through a secret corridor that rewarded him a key. Curious about what this would open, Quill launched off a Flight Ramp and was soaring toward the steaming pipes of a large organ.
Down below, he saw Tron and Vanel entering from a door to drive across the organ's keys. Two Magnums were in pursuit, one shooting a shell that was blocked by Tron's banana, while Vanellope released a Blooper to blot their vision and cause them to drive off. The two crossed the keys and traveled up a gravity path, looping them directly over the pipes. They drove through the steam as the path swerved around and right-side-up, catching up with Quill. He and Tila had parked beside a locked door. "I found this key just now, so I'm curious what's in here."
"Sure, we have time for detours." Vanel shrugged.
Quill unlocked the door, and inside was a small, dusty chamber. The notes of a harpsicord were resounding: there was a Lunarian dressed in black ninja's attire, but with white puffy balls, and a katana. "Dodo!" Tila exclaimed.
"Huh? Tila!" The Lunarian greeted in surprise. "Check it out! I found the secret harpsicord room! I don't know why these things went out of style. …Hey, who are these guys?"
"We'll answer after we find the others." Tron said. "Get behind me."
Dodo climbed onto his cycle as they resumed driving. They drove down a swerving stairway and onto the stage of the concert hall. If they had missed the key, they would have to repeat this section and drive up the gravity wall, but now they could drive out the exit door and onto a giant drum! The drum bounced them to another, followed by the cymbals, as a giant drumstick bashed the other end and flung them across the town. They landed on a diagonal ring that circled around a giant disco ball, grabbing some ?-Blocks: Quill got a Mushroom, Tronta three Red Shells, and Vanel a banana. More Magnums materialized and drove ahead of them. The kids performed a tight drift around the disco before launching off a ramp and onto a colorful tile path.
The Magnums dropped bananas and shot shells backward, the kids evading as Tron fired three Red Shells to destroy two robots, while the third one shielded with a banana. Giant music notes were bouncing on the tiled floor and rippling it like waves. The racers could jump off these waves like ramps, but Quill was quick to notice a secret upper path to the left, which the waves could help him jump to. He grabbed a ?-Block that had a Gold Mushroom, relying on Tila to hold onto it. The racers swerved a left turn as Vanel glitched ahead to drop a banana against a Magnum, while Quill returned to the road. The Magnum ahead of him shot a Green Shell, but Quill used his normal Mushroom to boost and force the shell back, destroying the robot.
The racers drove off a ledge and onto a giant record, spinning rapidly and endlessly. They timed it to jump and launch in the direction of another record, and from there launch to a "disco cylinder," in which gravity shifted so they could drive up and around the vertical device. They drove onto a twisting path at the top and looped onto an upright path. A gigantic stereo was blasting a strong beat to push them back. It was then Quill decided to use the Gold Shroom, boosting against the force and ramming a generator to disable the stereo. Their friends could catch up; if Quill didn't have that mushroom, they would have to replay this lap.
The racers were driving toward a giant disco prism, an arrow signaling them to drive left and drift around it clockwise. The bright prism made Quill's kart glow red, Tron's blue, and Vanel's green. All three left streaks of light at their back, solid and unfading. When they made the full loop around, a ramp was available to launch them up and onto their own light trails. They made yet another loop, but instead of a ramp, they reached a point where gravity could shift and let them drive up and around the wall. "Duuuuuude, this is so SIIIIIIICK!" Tronta screamed, growing more blind than he was in the real world.
"I think I AM gonna be siiiiiiick!" Dodo screamed.
The colors were incredibly hypnotic as they ascended ever higher, their own colors wrapping up the wall. Finally at the peak, the racers drove down a pillar that led directly into the blinding prism. Their vision split, stretched, and bent into the great prism, but with relief, they landed inside a dim room with a small projector shining a light. "Whoa! How did you guys land in here?" asked a skinny, orange-skinned boy with glasses and a red-and-black patterned shirt.
"Remi!" Tila beamed.
"Guys? What's going on?"
"Pretty sure we're being kidnapped." Dodo answered.
"Now, get on my kart if you know what's good for ya!" Vanel demanded.
With confusion, Remi boarded her candy kart. The group drove through a passage and off a Flight Ramp. They soared through three giant, silver triangles for small boosts, later landing in an open forest of giant bell trees. A duo of Megatanks gave chase around the bells, trying to expand barriers toward the kids. Tron jumped a ramp to hit a bell, spawning a note wall that caused the Megatanks to crash. Other note walls blocked the way, so they had to ram through green bells to open them, but hitting the red bells would block the path.
At the forest's end, they would drive up the side of a giant triangle. They collected item blocks, with Tron earning a Peter Gatling, Vanellope a Mushroom, and Quill a Super Horn. They went over the triangle's peak and down the other side, maneuvering around some electrical barriers. Gravity shifted as they drove on the underside of the triangle. At the end of this side, the path would branch off onto another triangle, the slope going up in their vision, but was actually leading down into the chasm. They went off the edge of that path at a tight angle, driving straight up from the pit. They could return upright at the top of the Right Triangle, seeing the path they had just come from passing underneath as they launched off a ramp to a new path.
They drifted left through a garden of jingle bells, and the jingling rang in their ears as the road became straight. …The jingles nearly masked the siren of a Blue Shell, possibly launched by a robot far behind them. Quill took the lead and tricked the shell into targeting him, only to destroy it with the Super Horn. The group drove onto an icy ground that was encased in a triangle shape, an arrow pointing left. They instinctively tried to drift their karts in that direction, but the ice prevented them from changing direction as they rammed the side of the triangle. They bounced in the intended direction, hit another side, and ricocheted around the triangle several times as it made a cheery, one-note tune.
The ground eventually opened and gravity shifted as they drove into a triangle hole. Three Megatanks pursued them along the sides of the triangle, but Tron used the Peter Gatling to shoot them down. The group shifted to specific sides of the tunnel to avoid electrical beams. The tunnel suddenly shifted horizontally as they zoomed into a small room.
"Zzzzzztt!" A large, chubby human with an umbrella hat, swirly glasses, and yellow shirt was electrified as he tried to play a triangle attached to a cord. "Man, playing the electric triangle is tough. Oh, hey, guys! Cool rides!"
"Hey, Sofa." Tila greeted. "I won't begin to question how you found this place."
"Wait, how're we gonna carry this guy?" Quill asked.
"Tila, ride on my Light Cycle with Dodo." Tron instructed. "He can ride on your buddy seat."
"Ooo, hot dog!" Sofa jumped with joy. After Tila climbed off Quill's kart, the chubby boy plopped himself on, bouncing Quill up from the force. "Hey, where's the seatbelt?"
"Game physics are the seatbelt!" Quill abruptly boosted his kart to exit the area, Sofa flinging back briefly before readjusting himself. The kids began to make the drive back to Karaoke Tower. (End song.)
"So, uh, long story short," Tila began, "we're going to fight a boss."
"A boss?!" Remi flinched. "I thought we agreed not to challenge them?"
Tila recapped the events that led to that outcome. "Er, c-can't we just let the tower sink so someone else can handle it?" Sofa asked, biting his nails in fear.
"I-I know, but this boss has something important. These guys said if they can get it, they'll be able to fix the game faster. I didn't mean to make the tower rise, but… now that it is, I have to do something."
"And she says she only feels comfortable singing around you guys." Quill explained. "Listen, my teammates will be there to help defend you guys. I'm not sure how this battle's gonna work, but we need her to sing for us."
"I dunno, man…" Dodo sighed. "This is way too sudden…"
"Come on, you have a sword!" Vanel noticed.
"For self-defense! Doesn't mean I'm good at fighting."
"If it starts to feel too dangerous, you can bail out." Quill reasoned. "But we really need to beat this boss, so… we have to try."
"It's up to you, Tila." Remi said. "You're the singer. Are you up for this?"
Tila looked down in mild doubt. The whooshing road wasn't helping her mind to settle. "…If it'll really help us leave the game faster, I'll do it. I mean, the longer we stay in here, the more our bodies will stink after we wake up."
Sofa gulped. "In that case, I'd rather risk dying to a boss. We'll stick by you, Tila."
"Yeah… we're with you all the way." Dodo smiled.
"Heh heh…"
"I recognized some of those robots." Vanellope said. "Those were definitely XANA's!"
"That evil Program from the Great Clock?" Quill remembered. "I thought we destroyed him along with that Kaiba guy?"
"I guess Eggman snagged a copy of him somehow." Vanel figured, her bulbous eyes glaring. "Explains how he made a copy of me. Stupid XANA…"
"Kaiba…" Tron repeated the name. "Almost sounds like Kayaba."
"Ah, go figure." Quill said. "Either way, I don't mind destroying him a second time~"
Forest of Wandering
Level 35 was a forest that rested under eternal night. A purple hue covered the quiet woods, with orbs of light decorating the ground. The grass lightly crunched under Kalluto's steps, keeping a vigilante eye out for the creatures in the darkness. "Nuh! Nyuh!" But behind him, Lexi was stumbling embarrassingly on her own feet. "Okay… focus, and, nyuh, whoa!" She tripped on a light orb.
"Can you be quiet for five minutes?"
"Fine, I'll take a break from it. I'll just stick to good old karate!" She smirked, thrusted fists, then a kick forward. "Not to mention I still have my lightningbending to perfect."
"Yeah, you do that. The boss should be close, so try not to be spooked by any more ghosts."
"Please, you jumped behind me that one time."
"Because I was plotting a sneak attack and you were easy bait." Kalluto walked ahead on that note.
"Pbbbllth!" Lexi raspberried. "Hmm…" Still, she felt like trying the Shave technique a few more times. She closed her eyes and visualized the chi in her body, trying to picture a small burst of it shooting down her leg. "Wait… my lightning." She opened her hand and willed electricity to spark. "I could just move fast with lightning, like how I did before! Heh, who needs to Shave when I've got…" however, she panicked as she realized she was alone in a dark forest. "H-Hey, wait!" (Play "Mirror Magic Mix" from Celeste!)
Stage 6: Forest of Wandering
Mission: Defeat the spooky boss!
Lexi saw Kalluto jump some tree stumps to reach a short ledge, following his example. They crossed the ruins of a roofless house with several broken mattresses. The sheets on those beds sprung to life as ghosts, waving their arms spookily! Kalluto diced two of them up with petals while Lexi punched one in the face, leapt behind, and ripped its sheet, freeing the spirit. Past the house was a dark chasm, where more mattresses were mounted on spiked pillars. They had to bounce these beds to cross, but just one bounce would force the bed through the spike and hurt them should they linger too long. The beds would reset their selves in a moment, so Lexi waited before having her turn.
They landed on a platform as a Rope Ghost spawned in and out above them. They quickly climbed the tangible ghost and leapt to a tree branch platform. Other such ghosts were swinging from branches, so the kids swung them like vines before they disappeared. The duo landed at the edge of a graveyard of tall tombstones. "WHOA!" Lexi leapt when one of the stones tried to fall on her. They were mindful of the other stones, but this graveyard seemed closed off except for an upper passage. They had to stand on a fallen stone and let it fling them up to that path. It merely led to a platform set over a misty abyss. As they contemplated where to go for a moment, a flock of pinkish, smiling, cloudlike ghosts flowed by.
The Gusty Ghosts could be ridden across the abyss, but when Ecto Bubbles flew out of the mist, they quickly jumped to nearby ghosts. They could eventually jump to a platform with a long plank connected to another platform. A tall, sleeping ghost with a scythe guarded the opposite side. Kalluto used quick, quiet Shaves to cross the bridge and pass the ghost. Lexi decided to cross with tiptoes—she nearly slipped and let out a scream. The Sleepy Reapey screamed and lashed its scythe at Lexi, the girl dodging back in a fright. She jumped its downward slash and kicked its face, and when the Reaper stabbed down, it chopped just between her legs, piercing the bridge. Lexi got up and bounced off the hilt, leaping over the Reaper to catch up with Kalluto.
Lexi jumped some pillars that threatened to sink into the mist. She caught up with Kalluto at the edge of a rather foggy, breezy field. "Don't trust your eyes to lead you." He cautioned. "Stay with the path or you'll be whisked away."
Lexi cocked a brow as he seemed to cross the fog with his eyes closed. She tried to tail after him, but he was soon shrouded behind the mist. "K-Kalluto?" As she wandered through the mist, the eerie breeze picked up, pulling her as though it were a pair of cold hands. "…!" In fact, a windy ghost had taken form behind her, pulling her in its hands. "FFFHH!" In a forceful huff of breath, she tried to shake away, shutting her eyes impulsively. "…" In her closed vision, she could make out the auras of weary ghosts pointing at each other. Lexi fought her way to the "main" path and ran toward each of the ghosts. The breeze couldn't push her and she was able to- "Oof!" bump into Kalluto.
"Hey, I'm trying to focus." he stated. They would now have to jump up some platforms, where it seemed Ghost Cannons with melted smiles were popping in and out. They threatened to shoot the kids off into nothing.
"You really shouldn't run ahead! It's dangerous to be alone out here."
"I'm not afraid." Kalluto proceeded to jump the platforms.
"Well… I am." With a gulp, Lexi judged the timing of the cannons and jumped up the platforms. She barely landed on the edge of one and poured all the weight to her toes to stable herself. The cannon formed on that platform, but she was just far enough away to avoid being sucked in. She stabilized herself and jumped the rest of the way, soon able to rest on a safe ground. She overlooked a field of Sleepy Reapeys, and the only way across was to jump the tops of tall gravestones. If the thin footholds weren't bad enough, more Ghost Cannons were spawning in the space between, requiring Lexi to time her jumps. She took her time to get balanced on each gravestone and reached the other side.
Lexi viewed a wall on the other side of the chasm. Atop that wall was a ghost portal, where twin spirits that looked like screaming, elongated faces were stretched out. They spat out copies of their own faces, which Kalluto was already jumping to reach that ledge. Lexi didn't feel brave enough to bounce those monsters, but she noticed another brick wall to the left. She decided to grip and climb across the bricks. It was a slow and steady process that eventually brought her to her destination. She bypassed the portal, but began crossing a garden with several other portals.
The elongated faces stretched out at her with distant-sounding cries, Lexi ducking and running in total fear. She could just feel them breezing over her ponytail; the very idea of them having substance made her skin crawl. "WHOA!" An air slash flew over her and sliced the heads above: Kalluto's Tempest Kick. He bent up flower petals to slice other heads and slashed Tempest Kicks to chop the portals, but it could only be done once the heads were whittled through. Lexi donned a half-fearless expression and dealt lightning-powered karate chops to the ghosts. One tried to snake behind Kalluto, but she chopped it, then she jumped to run along its "neck" and reach the top of the portal. She focused her chi and chopped the portal five times before the top portion split open, disabling it. (End song.)
Before she had time to catch her breath, Kalluto was already rushing ahead. She rushed to catch up, but another heavy wind began pushing at her, carrying a storm of autumn leaves. "Kalluto! KALLUTO!" She had to shut her eyes against the bombardment of leaves. The wind howled loudly as she felt herself becoming trapped in its grasp. "Stop it! Let me go! Let me go…" She fell and grasped the ground to prevent herself from blowing away.
She squinted her eyes open and could make out a pair of Japanese sandals walking toward her, accompanied by a black robe that flapped heavily in the breeze. She craned her head up to see Kalluto's narrowed gaze. "It's just wind. Don't they have this on your planet?"
Lexi scrambled up and hugged onto his arm. "Come on, Kalluto, I don't wanna be left alone."
"This level is hardly more terrifying than the flower field. If this game is too dangerous for you, you should just stay in a town. I can take care of myself."
"I…I still don't think you should be alone either. You might not admit it, but you're scared, too."
"The only thing I'm 'scared' of is my real body lying helpless in my room. My older brothers can be real dick bags."
"Yeesh, and I thought Miko had a potty-mouth. But hey, I'm scared of that, too! That's why we gotta stick together."
Kalluto didn't understand this girl. Not only was she clingy, she was too trusting and naïve. She was obviously raised under starkly different customs and didn't know a day of suffering. Even her karate was something she seemed to only do for fun. No one was pressuring her to master it. In a way, she reminded him of his older sister, except Alluka acted even more clueless. At least Lexi had the potential and desire to improve herself. He wouldn't admit that he was curious how far she could go… though as she continued to hug his arm like this, he felt some kind of nervous reaction in his chest. Whatever it was, it was probably from discomfort.
"You can let go of my arm now." Lexi did so. "But fine… I'll try not to run ahead too much. You'd better have enough allowance to pay me."
"Yeah, yeah…"
The duo began to cross a graveyard, seeing a tall hill with a lone, dead tree. That tree had a single noose hanging from it. There was nothing to disturb them but the howling wind as they trekked to the top of the hill. There was nothing beyond the hill, so this noose was no doubt the end. It was twice the height of the kids. "Hmm…Lexi, let me stand on you."
"W-Wait, you're not about to…"
"This must have to do with the clue we found earlier. 'Let your body hang to be with the great Nooseus.' Just help me up and I'll use my Iron Body."
"Okay…" With concern, Lexi allowed Kalluto onto her shoulders. He put the noose around his neck and activated Iron Body. Feeling strained by the weight, Lexi backed out, and Kalluto's weight was able to tear the noose from the branch.
A humongous noose descended from the clouds as the "Here Comes Trouble" music broke the silence. The noose had cyan spiritual flames around it and a big pair of cartoony, tired eyes. The noose stared down at its tiny visitors and spoke in a deep echo. "Why, hello there. That's a mighty strong neck on your shoulders, little girl."
"I'm a boy! And you must be the 'great Nooseus.'"
"Indeed. I haven't seen a good, solid neck in ages. Tell me, approximately how often do you twist your head in a single day?"
"Why would we keep track of THAT, you weirdo?!" Lexi shouted.
"With every turn of the cheek, the muscles of your neck grow slightly stronger. I can see that your necks are still budding, but they'll still make fine additions to my collection."
"Well, you don't get to have them! We're proud of our necks and we want them to grow nice and long!"
"And hopefully, the rest of our bodies grow, too." Kalluto said.
"But I can make them nice and long, too. Necks are as elastic as rubber once you stretch them right. Step a little closer and experience my strong, but gentle touch."
"I'll show you a gentle touch!" (Play "Toilet of Doom" from Hat in Time!)
Boss fight: Nooseus
The noose rose to the sky and dropped down around the graveyard, springing mattresses out of the graves. Sheet Spooks woke up and charged at them spookily. The kids zipped around and ripped the sheets apart, and the freed spirits would become Rope Ghosts leading up above the Hanging Tree. Nooseus attempted to smash down against them, so Lexi ran up to the tree while dodging his noose. Once under the tree, she tricked him into dropping, but upon trying to rise, his loop was stuck against the tree! Kalluto swung the Rope Ghosts to reach a weak point on his rope, easily slicing it with a Tempest Kick. The noose cried out a tired, "Ahhhh," but he ordered the Rope Ghosts to link up and reattach him to the rest of the rope.
Nooseus grabbed the Hanging Tree and tore it off the ground, tossing it away so it couldn't be used again. He began trying to drop against the kids again, generating ghostly shockwaves each time. Kalluto allowed himself to be roped, using Iron Body just as the noose snagged his neck. The elongated loop struggled to lift the iron boy off the ground, so Lexi hurriedly climbed his rope. She had to step on one of his sleepy eyes, which were following her direction. She climbed past the ghostly part of rope and found another weak point in the main rope. Using electric-powered karate chops, she whittled through the weak knitting and severed that portion. His grip on Kalluto waned as the boy escaped. "I would rank your neck a B+." Nooseus said as more ghosts filled in his gap.
He went to hang on the other side of the field as a bunch of smaller, ghostly nooses lowered from the sky. Ghost Cannons began to flicker in and out around the field, all aimed at a noose. Kalluto lifted Lexi and Shaved his way through the field, dodging all the cannons until they were close to Nooseus. A cannon was swapping between one of the ghost nooses and Nooseus himself, so Kalluto timed it to shoot himself toward the boss. He couldn't manifest an Iron Body quick enough during his flight, and his neck was seized and strangled. Lexi hurriedly timed the cannon to be fired onto the boss herself. While he was busy with Kalluto, Lexi climbed the rope and reached the third weak point. She zapped and chopped another portion of rope, finally making Nooseus drop to the ground.
Kalluto escaped and jumped to catch Lexi as she fell. The fallen noose helped himself up and started to whirl his detached rope against them. Kalluto caught the rope and hoisted Nooseus into the air, looking for something to rope him onto. There was a particularly tall gravestone that was perfect for the task, as it was designed like a long neck with a small head. Kalluto tossed him around the stone like a lasso. He tugged forcefully to bind Nooseus tightly against the stone, leaving Lexi to run up to him. She began dealing quick Zap Chops around Nooseus' loop, steadily causing his knitting to peel off. Kalluto began turning to further tug against the thick rope, and his forceful pull ripped the noose's knitting even further.
As the noose finally split, Nooseus spoke his last words: "That was a euphoric experience. I only regret to never feel a squeeze like that again…" His soul ascended to the heavens and popped into a fantastic firework. The Boss Key burst from the explosion and bounced on the ground. (End song.)
Lexi picked the key up with pride and stashed it in her inventory. "Way to go, partner!" she raised a hand.
"A job well done indeed."
"Heeeey." She glared and emphasized the hand.
Kalluto reached up and shook the hand, Lexi rolling her eyes. "It's time to make the journey back."
However, a Gusty Ghost drifted by them. It seemed that a flock of the peaceful spirits had come to congratulate them. "It looks like we have a way back." Lexi smiled. "Let's hitch a ride!" She eagerly jumped on a passing Gusty.
Kalluto jogged after and jumped on the ghost. It levitated in the air and peacefully soared over the ghostly valley. The very level they had just endured passed beneath their vision, giving them a sense of accomplishment. "You know, that was pretty fun." Lexi lied down on the ghost to enjoy the breeze. "I feel like we're really making progress. We're getting just a little bit closer to saving everyone."
"I can only hope other bosses have already fallen. I will admit that you have been a bit more useful than I anticipated."
"Aww, you're more useful than I anticipated, too." Lexi said snidely. "Now that I think about it, are you in the KND?"
"No."
"I feel like you would be pretty good at it. You're so strong!"
"The KND just isn't for me."
"Yeah… my sister goes on some pretty dangerous missions." Lexi looked away. "But we're kind of on a dangerous mission ourself. It's scary, but it doesn't feel as scary as I thought it'd be."
"When you learn to cast fear aside, you find that things are much less troublesome than you make them out to be."
"I guess so… Wanna get something to eat? We could use an HP boost."
"I suppose. This virtual money has to be good for something."
Bank in Tokyo, six years ago
It was an ordinary autumn day. Young Shino accompanied her mother to the local bank. The 10-year-old wore a cute, light-yellow buttoned sweater, red shorts, and pink shoes with tall stockings. She wasn't a girl who liked to socialize and was quiet and patient most of the time.
Standing in line with her mom, she boredly glanced around at other customers. One particular man looked rather scary and thuggish. "…?!" But, to her utmost horror, the man slowly withdrew something from his pocket: a gun. And in only a second later,
"ALRIGHT, LISTEN UP!" The customers were stunned silent with fear. "Gimme all the money you have or else!"
As the robber aimed his gun at the desk lady, she stuttered, "P-Please don't! I'm pregnant!"
"Shino, get behind me…" her mother whispered.
"HEY!" He turned the gun on her. "Don't think of trying anything!"
"I-I just…"
Shino's eyes creased as the robber threatened her. She heard about bank robberies on TV, but never expected it to happen in real life. She was terrified, feeling her mother could die at any moment. "AAAAH!" On pure impulse, Shino jumped and tugged his arm down.
"SHINO!"
"Let GO, you little brat!" The man forcefully swung Shino off and against the underside of the desk. However, he lost his grip on the gun, the weapon landing to Shino's left. Her head throbbing, she focused on the weapon for a second, before looking fearfully at the looming criminal.
"Come on, kid, give it back." he said as his trembling hand closed in.
Shino scrambled to grab the weapon, but just as the hand flew at her, she let out a cry, thrusted her clenched hands up, shut her eyes, and pulled the trigger.
"ACK-…" The man was shot clear in the chest. Some of the blood splashed on Shino as he fell back and died. The customers stared speechless at the child, dumbfounded by the result, but none more than Shino herself. A man was dead before her… He was dead from the gun in her hands… This gun with the black star, its trigger pulled by her finger… Shino killed a person…
"Murderer…Murderer…Murderer…" The rumors were quick to spread around school. The children either feared her or mocked her. Regardless of the context or reason, Shino was a cold-blooded person who killed a fellow human.
Gun Gale, currently
Sinon lay curled on the inn bed, her human legs chilly. But being under the covers would make her too hot. She didn't want to pay to fall asleep, because were she to end up in a nightmare, she couldn't wake herself up. She thought she was strong in this world… that she could escape her fear, master it… but it was only a game.
She gasped, hearing a knock at her door, sitting upright. "Hey. It's Nagisa. Are you in there?"
She hugged her knees and clenched her mouth shut in anger. The door cracked open as Nagisa peeped in. "Uh, hey." He awkwardly walked in. "I… wanted to apologize for Killua. That was pretty rude of him. …Fie wanted to lend you these." He carried in a pair of green boots and set them by the wall. "She said she doesn't mind."
"You can keep them." She said defeatedly, bowing her head. "I'm just gonna stay in here."
"Well, I thought I would ask if you'd like to come with us. We're about to go hunt the boss."
"I don't want to come."
"Okay. It is pretty dangerous, so I won't pressure you."
She grit her teeth and faced him. "Why are you acting so calm? Someone died. You could die!"
"But if we don't destroy that thing, more people could die."
Sinon looked down again and hugged her knees tighter. "Then you shouldn't bring someone like me."
Nagisa looked at her with sympathy. He really wanted to comfort her, but he couldn't without understanding the problem. And it felt wrong to just ask her. "…Why did you play this game?"
"I…I…I don't know. Maybe I was trying to accept what happened. Trying to accept that… people die."
"Were they important to you?"
"N-No… it was a robber. He… threatened my mom and…"
Nagisa raised a brow lightly. "…Is your mom okay?"
"She…she wasn't hurt…"
"That's good. My mom was hurt recently. She's in a coma."
Sinon's eyes lit as she looked at him. "I'm sorry…"
"I don't even know who did it. I wasn't able to help her." Nagisa bowed his head in shame.
"…" Was he trying to imply something? Was he…
"Eh, sorry." Nagisa blushed. "This is getting too personal. I'll see you later, Sinon." He left the room.
Sinon glared at the space in front of her. Assuming that was true… was Nagisa saying that he would kill whoever attacked his mom? But why? Killing people was wrong. Even if someone were threatening you, they would've been arrested by the police. …But what if the police didn't come before an innocent person died? What if he killed more people? What if he already killed more people? What if he didn't care if others lived? Even so, no one deserves to die… what if, deep down, he cherished his life? What if he had others to care about? What if he was killing for the sake of someone else… the same way that Sinon…
"…I wonder… what's so important to Infinite… that he lets all these people die."
As she pondered this, Sinon looked out the inn window. Nagisa had rejoined his friends, and Killua had to give Fie a piggyback ride. "Why did you lend her your shoes if you had sensitive feet?!" he yelled.
"I'll feel more comfortable once we get to the desert. For now, I don't wanna step on any shrapnel."
"So, I guess Sinon doesn't wanna come?" Millium asked.
"At the moment, no." Nagisa answered. "I think she needs time to think."
"How about I stay here in case she changes her mind?" Goombella asked. "I still know the way, so I'll help her catch up with you guys."
"Okay! But call us if something happens. For now, let's go get that Reaper!"
Sinon watched as the team began their journey to the desert, while the Goomba stayed behind. "They're KND operatives… how often do they see death? Are they used to it? Do they… have to resort to killing their selves sometimes?" Was their everyday life no different from this game?