Deep within the river of static, across the glades of steel beams, and concrete rubbles of a red green blue. A certain shape moves across the valley of trains and dead end. A spire of hanging light, robotic voice announcing the arrival of another lost soul echoes through the non-euclidean platform of the Old Metro.
"This is Anby Demara reporting in. I have been separated from my friend and entered the Hollow that have swallowed the Old Metro," the shape spoke to herself, walking along the forgotten track to oblivion. "As things stands, I have 76% chance of being lost in the Hollow and 45% chance of being corrupted in 30 hours."
Crystals sang of her demise as the girl stepped through a cargo filled with polymers made out of daydream. "Current mission, retrieve the stronghold and exit the Hollow immediately," ads for heaven and hell plays on the broken billboard hanging on the sky, the hallowed music drowned out by the BGM running on the girl's headphone. "I have detected presence of Ethereals lurking in the distance. I shall proceed with preemptive strike,"
Anby eyed a man who sat idly on one of the metro's waiting bench. His black pulsating orb, gazed at the smart board that says 'Error 404'. He lazily scratch his crystalized arm, stretching another one of his appendage, before reclining on to the debris.
There was a thunderous arc of lightning as Anby swiped her electric blade. The man didn't have a chance to scream, his blackened torso shattered into motes of multicolored light. His pulsating orb dimmed as he was erased from existence.
Anby quickly holstered her blade. "Target eliminated, proceeding with navigating through the Hollow."
"Anby!" A voice called out, a construct of steel and delusion stepped up towards her. "You're here! Gosh, I thought I'm going to be stuck here alone forever!"
Anby's hand inched on towards her blade. "I have been found by what seems to be my friend Billy, proceeding with caution,"
"Anby, come on! It's me, Billy!"
"There have been sightings of Ethereals mimicking loved one voice and appearance," she began. "Proceeding with Caution."
"You think I'm an ethereal!? Okay, okay, ask me something only I could know!" Billy said confidently.
Anby nodded. "If you can date anyone, who would you rather date with?" she asked.
"Oh that's easy, the answer would be Miss Monica~ Oh, she's the sweetest and loveliest!"
Anby nodded. "I have confirmed that the subject before me is the real Billy. An ethereal would answer with 'Starlight Knight' or something similar as it's the only thing he ever said," she explained. "By meeting Billy, the chances of us surviving this until retrieval has increased up to 84%,"
"84%? Make that, 100%!!" Billy brandished his guns. "Don't worry Anby, with me out here, nothing can defeat us!!!" he made a pose. "Starlight Knights! Assemble!!!"
"Billy, we must look for a place to rest," Anby reminded him as the three of them continues walking down the platform. Some shopkeepers and crowds waved at them behind the walls of rippling concrete, offering their wares of deconstruction and virtualization.
"Come on Anby, we've been here hundreds of times before," Billy spoke confidently. "I know my way around, just you wait! We'll be out of the Hollow before boss can get Belle to rescue us!" he marched on towards an empty train nearby. "In the Hollow, you can never believe your eyes, the exit are not always what you think!"
There was a thud, the train melded together with the tracks, and a 2D image of Billy waved at Anby through an old billboard "Anby! I think I just found a shortcut!!!"
"Billy, you just went further into the Hollow," Anby said, continue walking on the platform while Billy followed her through the static. "Let's see..." she stopped in front of a track that leads to a VIP waiting room. She gazed down at the shifting carpet that slowly formed into a well. "Billy, are you there,"
Billy burst out of the carpet with a heroic pose. "Ha! Not even an interdimensional shift can stop the Starlight Knight!!" he exclaimed before sitting right beside Anby.
"Let's wait here for Nicole and Belle," Anby said. "I have Ether Resistance, but I prefer not to be too exhausted in the Hollow,"
[LINE BREAK]
"Belle, we need to talk," Nicole slammed the staff room of Random Play open.
Belle nodded. "Right, we have to go and get the safe, I mean, rescue Billy and Anby from the Hollow," she replied, walking towards a Bangboo charging on the wall. "Don't worry, I'll get Eous up and running, see you in the Old Metro Hollow,"
Nicole stepped inside. "Those two can take care of themselves," she pulled Belle from the Bangboo and forced her to face her. "It's about your method Belle," she clenched her fist. "I'm not above killing, but I'm above being needlessly cruel,"
The girl narrowed her eyes before nodding. "Oh right," she giggled a little. "Sorry, but I swear, this one's not on me," she waved her hand. "I didn't control that Helicopter, I just tipped Pubsec about you guys," she returned back to Eous. "The Red Fang Gang massacre wasn't part of my plan, you can blame Pubsec for being trigger happy,"
It took everything in Nicole not to bitch slap the girl in front of her. But there's other pressing matters she needs to think about. "You know what, I'll let you off the hook this time Belle, but goddamn it, we will have this talk once we got your precious key... Understood?"
"Yeah, sure," Eous stepped down and walked up towards her. "Now go, we have to hurry before Anby and Billy got corrupted into ethereal."
[LINE BREAK]
"Rawr~ I've turned into a monster, rawr~" Anby said monotonously, out of boredom.
"Don't bite my hand Anby, you'll hurt your teeth," Billy replied flatly.
It was at that moment, a certain voice echoes through the VIP purgatory room. "Yohoo~ Mama's here, did ya miss me you rascals!?" a anime-style picture appeared on a graffiti on the wall. Pink hair, smug grin, carrying suitcase filled with bullets for days. The picture shifted, changing her pose and angle, until slowly it becomes more and more realistic and the said girl seemingly stepped out of the wall.
Nicole's shadow twisted and churn like small puddle. With a splash of static, Eous jumped out of it, flopping right on to is belly on the floor. The Bangboo stood up and quickly ran towards the group.
"Hey guys, how are you holding up?" Belle's voice came from Eous.
Anby lazily gnaw on Billy's shoulder.
"Oh no, Anby is corrupted," Billy said monotonously. "Come quick, we must disengage her meta data," he added, playing along.
Anby let go of Billy. "That was far too monotone Billy, you must act quicker should it actually happen," she wiped her mouth. "Also, you taste too much like cheap cologne,"
"Why would you know the taste of cheap cologne?" Belle asked through Eous.
"It smells nice and I get curious," Anby replied calmly.
Nicole stepped between them. "Alright ya'll, enough playing around, we're still on a mission to find that safe," she turned to Eous. "Alright Belle, show us the way!"
"Follow me everyone!"
Eous led the group towards a door that says toilet, the moment Nicole open it, they found themselves gazing at a blue sky above a skyscraper. The wind howled around them, picking up dust and glitter. Undeterred, Eous stepped forward climbing atop the railing and simply walked off the skyscraper.
Anby followed Eous from behind, trusting Belle more than her senses when inside the Hollow. The world itself seems to rotate around her as she began walking down the Skyscraper. Nicole and Billy followed closely behind her, defying gravity in their wake.
When the ground became a wall before them, Eous simply passes through it. Making way back into the old metro platform. It stopped in its track once everyone's grouped up and turned to Anby. "Okay, I need a moment to recalculate the route to find Nekomiya and the safe," Belle began. "In the meantime, I need you guys to protect me."
Everyone tensed up as announcement came from the intercom. "Train To [REDACTED] has arrived, please disembark and accept your fate," the platform below them began to move and Nicole took hold of the nearest pillar to held on. The platform stopped abruptly in front of an old abandoned train and a group of people came trudging out of it.
Blackened orb pulsated in certain rhythm, as crystals grow into humanoids. Howling, crying, singing, laughter all meld together into a dissonant symphony of the static everlasting. Then, they all start charged, an avalanche of deadlines and minimum wage.
"Eliminating Target!" Anby rushed forward, a trail of lightning shred through crystals and hollowed dreams. She jumped away just in time for Nicole to came barreling in with her suitcase gun, blasting the crystals with bullets and explosions.
"Starlight! Shines Bright!" Billy jumped into the scene, shooting wildly at all the former people around him. He spun around, shooting everything in sight, and blasting away crystals into shards of red green blue.
The onslaught continues until only the Cunning Hares remain, the platform moved once again and the broken carriage disappeared from view. The floor kept on moving through the hollow, the world around them becoming but a blur.
"This is always so trippy..." Nicole said. "Belle are we moving?"
"We're actually falling..." Belle replied. "Don't worry, fall damage don't apply after six,"
The platform came to a stand still and the group found themselves launched into a large garage. Anby stabbed the ground below her and caught Nicole in her grasp while Billy backflipped and made a super hero landing on a non-euclidean corner.
"I'm detecting two people; one is almost fully corrupted. Proceed with caution," Belle said.
Anby stepped forward, followed by everyone else. Right there, in the middle of the garage, is Nekomiya crouching down in front of Silver Tears. However, strange crystal-like growth covered the latter's body, a look of pain and agony plastered on his face.
The cat girl noticed the group. "Y-you!!!" she exclaimed before looking back at Silver Tear. "Y-you, you did..." she tapped her foot. "I'll pay you! Just, safe him! Please!" she said finally, desperate.
Anby stepped towards the man. "Belle, can we save him?" she asked.
"Depends, do you have a high-grade corruption sedative with you?" Belle asked.
Anby turned to everyone else who simply shook her head. She then turned to Nekomiya who looked like she want to cry. "We cannot save him, but we can save you Nekomiya," she crouched down to her level. "Let's get out of here, you have Ether Resistance just like us, but it won't last for long."
Nekomiya glared at her and slapped her hand away. "If I were to kill them, will you willingly go with me like nothing happened!?" she clenched her fist. "You... Cunning Hares... You will never win you hear me!?" she nimbly jumped away from Anby and head straight to the safe near Silver Tear's body. "I don't know what's in here, but you are NOT getting this safe!!"
Billy and Nicole was about to pursue the cat when Silver Tears started howling. The voice that crackles through the air like static, interfering with reality and existence.
"Gods, that Kitty is annoying!" Nicole exclaimed.
Behind them, Anby brandished her sword. "Tun dun, rum dum, tun dum dum," she muttered to herself while charging her sword.
"Anby, stop humming a BGM, this is not a boss fight,"
"I feel like this count as a Boss Fight," Anby said. "The Silver Tear is a boss of Red Fang Gang, so if he turns into an Ethereal, that means he becomes a final boss for us to beat. We need to have a proper boss music to complete the scene."
"THIS ISN'T A MOVIE!!!" Nicole yelled.
With that fourth wall breaking war cry, the Cunning Hares charged against the monster.