CREWSADERS - THE NOVELIZATION OF A GAME THAT DOESN'T EXIST

The Capital City

DJ could barely recognize her.

"You're alive!" he gasped, "I thought I'd accidentally-"
"Shut up," she grumbled. She was having a hard time even standing, swaying as she got up.
"I-I didn't mean to do that, it all just kind of happened and.. I'm really sorry-" He struggled to remember her name. "Uh?"
"It's Sun Stone," she clarified, her face anything but friendly.
"Sun Stone!" DJ continued, "And I don't know what you want, but I PROMISE you that I have no idea who Moon Talon is, or what an Akuma is or-"

Sun Stone cut him short, "I know."

"Huh?" he rested his finger on his chin to think for a moment, "Then why did you ask all of that?"
"I thought-'' she had to stop as an uncontrollable coughing fit began, it was rough and gravelly as if the debris itself was caught in her lungs. Her necklace was using her own life force to keep her powers running and she could very well die if that went on for enough time. Ignoring the thought that her cough sounded like a middle-aged smoker, she continued, "I thought you knew when I was interrogating you but then here I was, pretty much fuckin' dead and you didn't even try to take my Lusitious. That's why I know you're not an actual villain. At least, not from where I come from."
"What's a Lusit- Lusilio- Lu-" DJ kept tripping over his own tongue, much to his frustration.
"Lusitious," she explained, showing him her necklace without taking it off. "They're some of the many magical jewels that give people superpowers. Mine's the Rooster Lusitious with the power of Order, Moon Talon's is the Crow with the power of Chaos. We have two of the four core Lusitious. If anyone wears all four at the same time, they have the power to rewrite the universe."
His eyes widened in terror, "And they give that to teenagers!?"
Sun Stone waved his fears off, limping as she rested against a wall. "It's, uh, complicated.. But you're judging me to be younger than I am."
DJ's body suddenly jolted as he pointed at her, "Wait, what would happen if someone were to wear just two of them?"
"From my understanding," she recalled, "they'd be able to travel across worlds."
The flashy fitted hero raised his arms up in triumph with a beaming smile as though he had just solved a great mystery, "So we can go home!"
Sun Stone was quick to shut him down, "If we had two core Lusitious here, sure. But even then, only one person can go at a time. Plus I still need to find Moon Talon.
DJ's hopes were crushed, his lanky body drooping awkwardly as his posture sank, "Oh.."

Stone didn't have the energy to even stand anymore. She sat on the floor, resting her back against one of the many steel walls. The remains of her transformed outfit vanished in a weak light, leaving her in just a white tank top, cargo shorts and army combat boots. The outfit she was wearing during her untransformed before finding herself in this strange world. DJ noticed the sea of scars on her body, both new and old.

"But yeah," Érica sighed, "my bad for hitting you like that."
"It's fine," DJ was quick to forgive, she noticed. "You were only doing your duty, right?"
Érica grumbled, "I guess so.."
"Say," DJ sounded like he was desperately trying to change the subject, "You never really told me your name, did you?"
"I literally just did."
"No, I mean.. uh.." he took a moment to sort out his thoughts. "You're kind of a superheroine, yeah? It must mean you have a secret identity of sorts, right?"
"Oh. Yeah, uh it's Ma-" She paused, not having the energy to lie. "Érica. Call me Érica."

DJ offered his hand, smiling widely.

"Well, hi! I'm Blue, but all my friends call me DJ! Nice to meet you!" His tone was much friendlier, "For real this time. I mean- not when were fighting each other."

Even if DJ didn't really look like Moon Talon from up close, the girl realized they were very similar in personalities and had no idea how to handle that information. She shook his hand but avoided looking him in the eyes.

"Hey," DJs voice grew concerned quickly, "Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm just tired, I guess," Érica lied.

A roar rang out through a hole in the ceiling, echoing along the sewer system. The two of them groaned in response.

"I guess that means neither of us has the energy to fight that thing now, huh?" DJ said, looking up at the chaos. "In this state, I'm no match for that guy."
"My powers recharge in the sun, but there's no way in hell I can get out of these sewers like this." Érica groaned as she tried to stand up again.
"I can carry you!" he beamed.
She hated that idea. "Eh, you seem pretty tired. I can just wait a bit and gain enough strength to-"
DJ was quick to reassure her "My jet boots don't use much of my energy at all, getting us out of here won't be a problem!"
"Oh," Érica quickly tried to find another excuse, "Either way, I'd rather no- AGH!"

Before she could finish her sentence, DJ had already brought her to the surface, laying her on a sunny bench, far from the chaos of the giant stone beast.

"You have healing powers, right? If that's the case, just recharge for as long as you need, and then we'll kick some monster butt!"

DJ began to kick and punch the air excitedly while making various sound effects through his mouth. Even though she was in a different world, Érica somehow felt right at home, for better or for worse.