Arc 2: Learn, Adapt, Kill - Chapter 22
Disclaimer: I own nothing, this is purely a fanfic for enjoyment.
Cross-over from various games, books, anime, manga, and movies.
The familiar characters you see here belong to their respected authors and owners.
"Speech"
Arc 2: Learn, Adapt, Kill - Chapter 22
I slapped a shadowy figure resembling boulders with hands, but it didn't die right away. Therefore, I switch it up with a Soul Menace to kill it. Making it explode into a black mist, leaving no evidence of its existence behind.
"It's still foggy!" Ruby shouted as she killed a shadowy figure that looked like a disembodied hand using its fingers as legs/arms and the wrist part as its head with a powerful jump kick.
"Unless Jin here makes the fog disappear. We just have to be extra careful not to get ambushed by those things. Honestly, it's like facing the grimm all over again." Weiss attacked to their left with an open palm strike, creating invisible shockwaves that shattered the many shadowy figures in the fog and a few nearby buildings. "I could clear the fog, but those things keep attacking me before I have enough time."
"Have you figured out what world we are in, Jin?" Makima asks me as she looks at a shadowy figure, causing it to explode to death.
"Yeah, I've found out what world we're in; well, we are in a universe rather than a world." I find myself speechless. It took me nearly an hour after we got here to figure out that we're in the TV World of the Persona 4 series. More specifically, we're in the Megami Tensei universe.
"Bang...!" Shouko said softly as she made a finger gun and actually shot a laser beam from the end of her index finger, killing numerous shadowy figures.
The fact that Shouko is able to fire laser beams every time she says the word "bang" is both cute and scary at the same time to me.
"So why are we out here fighting these things?" Weiss cut another shadowy figure in half vertically with a front kick. She followed up with a roundhouse kick from behind to split a shadowy figure that was about to pounce on her from behind in half, this time horizontally.
"Because why not?" Makima smiles. "Besides, they sometimes drop random stuff when we kill them. This is rare in many universes, as few would randomly generate something upon death. Instead, if you want something, you have to loot from the corpses themselves.
In other words, it is a world based on a video game, and it retains some of the core systems of the game world, aka the drop loots.
"I mean, we can get random stuff through Ruby's summoning." Weiss points out, causing Makima to roll her eyes.
"You are too spoiled by Ruby's summoning to remember that Ruby is a very special case and the fact that she is part of the Eldritch pantheon makes everyone envious and jealous, especially since Ruby has yet to make a network of contracts." Makima shakes her head. "Well, if Ruby didn't have her summoning ability, then sooner or later, you'd be the same as everyone else who's excited about this universe having a set of species alone that generate random things after death."
I wonder if I should mention my Infinite Treasure Chest, which randomly spawns items that are considered treasures in many people's eyes. Not mine, but others. I also have the Survival Kit, which generates everything related to survival through Ghost. Much more than what Ruby could get from her summoning. The fact that I don't have to sacrifice anything makes it even better.
I push the Lust Detection Glasses back up as I take the time to get a glimpse of everyone's horny level.
Makima is at zero.
Shouko is also at zero.
Ruby is at 70%, which is normal.
Weiss is at 10%, which is also typical for her.
The latter two belong to a hentai world theme, so I'm not surprised that they're never at zero percent, only when they're asleep or somehow unconscious.
"Divine Dogs." I summon a set of eight shikigami. Releasing them onto the shadows hidden in the fog. "Anyway, after we finish here. We can head outside the TV World."
"Great, because I hate not being able to see clearly around me." Weiss said with relief.
"Yes! As much as I'd like to sacrifice these things if I could take them down alive, I don't like being in this fog!" Ruby agreed with Weiss as she delivered two quick stabs to the same spot, instantly killing a large shadowy figure.
"You girls just need to learn some skills to see through anything that weakens or blocks your vision." Makima takes a step forward, dodging a shadowy figure that looks like a wheel from nearly crashing into her.
"Well, I'm just increasing my sense of sight right now, but it would give me a headache after a while." Ruby killed another shadowy figure with a single powerful blow. "So, should I just hope for the best and get something that will allow me to see through everything through my summoning?"
"Pretty much, or you could just keep working on whatever it is you're using to increase your sense of sight until you can use it non-stop without giving you a headache." Makima replied as she flicked a shadowy figure, causing it to explode.
"Which means you should keep working on your PSI, Ruby. After all, I'm already doing my best to train my sense of hearing, and that's just because these things make so much noise when they attack me. It gives me a head start in preparing for a counterattack." Weiss followed up with a comment of her own.
"Or you could make something to increase your sense of hearing, along with sight and instinct, by customizing a random object to make it happen, Weiss." I pull out the Newtonian Apple, take a bite, and then crush several shadowy figures to death by gravity. "If I were you, Weiss. I would customize some rings. That way, you won't have to deal with the problems that come with enhanced senses."
The expression on Weiss's face showed that she had not thought of it until I had mentioned it to her.
"That goes for you too, Ruby. Just have Weiss adjust everything on you to get the same effects." Makima said to Ruby. "Better yet, she could also customize something for you to increase the rate of what you can get from your summoning."
Judging by how pale Weiss' face had become. I can guess that she could feel Ruby's hard gaze on her through the fog.
"Right, time for us to leave the TV World." I create multiple gaps and drag everyone to Inaba.
A rural town in Japan and the central area in which the game takes place. Most of the town's younger population consider the town to be "boring" and in the "middle of nowhere", which is a theme of the game. Some, however, are proud of this aspect and find it relaxing and peaceful. Inaba is surrounded by rolling hills, crops, and riverbanks, and it tends to rain quite often.
Right now, we're somewhere on the street where most of the Inaba family businesses are located, but most of the shops are closed due to the overwhelming success of Junes. From what I remember from the game, it looks like that. There are some shops that are still open, which means we're a little bit behind the canon storyline of the game.
Using the Delayed Effect together with En. I made it so that our sudden, unexpected arrival wouldn't cause a stir, nor would any horny bastards jump on the girls. Especially Ruby and Weiss because of their sexy figures.
"At least it's not foggy here." Weiss looks around with interest. "By the way, what can we expect during our stay here?"
"For one thing, 99% of the people in this world are ordinary. Nothing special except that they are skilled in certain fields." I gave Ruby and Weiss a summary of what we might encounter in this world. "Of course, the TV World is connected to the town we're in right now and as for our main residence when it's nighttime. It's better that we live in the empty buildings in TV World than in Inaba; that's the name of the city, by the way." I answered Weiss' question.
"I wonder if there is anything here that I could sacrifice." Ruby frowns as she searches for something worth sacrificing.
"Just random, ordinary, mundane things. You won't get much out of sacrificing them. Well, except maybe some kind of mundane currency." Makima replied, then looked to her right. "Oh, look. A shop sells takoyaki."
Shouko was already standing there, waiting to order some takoyaki. But judging by the way she was shivering and staring blankly at the cashier without saying a word.
I quickly go over to order for Shouko before she has a breakdown from not being able to talk to a stranger.
Even though she is a goddess, Shouko still cannot communicate with strangers. But I think this is her cute side. However, I wonder how she manages to get things done when she meets someone new. On the other hand, our first meeting didn't go the way many would expect. Not to mention speaking a word or two.
I hand each of them a container of takoyaki.
"It's been a long time since I had this. It could be better, but it's decent." Makima blows on the hot takoyaki before taking a bite.
Shouko also blows on it gently before taking a bite.
Both Ruby and Weiss see this and follow suit.
"You know I can cook just about anything, right?" I remind Makima of all the meals I've cooked while taking care of her and everyone else, even before and after I was forced to leave Nyarla behind to take on these bizarre trials. I haven't figured out what I'm supposed to do yet except slowly build a new group of girls to take care of as a caretaker.
"It slipped my mind." Makima shrugs. "Do you really think I would remember everything I ate in the past?"
"Point taken." I ate one takoyaki before giving everyone an extra from my container, seeing how quickly they had finished their portion. I didn't like it much, but the girls seemed to like it, so I might as well give them an extra. "So, should we keep walking around?"
"I wouldn't mind checking out the local restaurants." Makima already had a list of places she wanted to go.
I didn't even see how she got the list in her hands, it just appeared out of nowhere. So she could have a pocket dimension somewhere on her body, or she could just create things by unknown means. Could be both. I can't judge her by the canon version of herself when she's traveled the multiverse longer than I have.
"I want to check out all the local electronics stores." Ruby tossed the empty container into a nearby trash can. "I want to see if I can make something and sacrifice it to see if I can get something better. Maybe have Jin teach me to cook, to see if my homemade meals would be worth something."
"I would skip on cooking unless you have the same set of abilities as Jin's or close to the amount he has. You're better off not cooking, Ruby." Weiss avoids the sharp look she gets from Ruby. "There's a good chance you'll get something worse than money for your cooking services."
"She's right." Makima chimed in before Ruby could argue. "Many entities in the multiverse have already tasted all kinds of food throughout their lives. If you want to get something good by cooking, then you should wait until Jin here trains you to be amazingly good among all the top chefs in the multiverse."
That put a thoughtful look on Ruby's face.
Great, bad enough I had to deal with Yor's cooking in the past. Now I have to deal with Ruby learning how to cook so she can make sacrificial food out of mundane ingredients. But after she makes me taste it, no doubt.
I am so damn glad I have Supernatural Trainer. Remind me to use it on Yor in the future. Crazy voices, remind me somehow, if possible. My stomach will thank you in the future.