-3rd POV-
"Thunder Spear set to energy-saving mode. Reactivate with user's fingerprints, voice recognition, or a charge of magical energy."
"Oh, thank goodness. I should be able to handle it now on my own." Riddle said, smiling as the spear was now lighter.
"Then allow me to carry it. Hauling giant weapons is a job for the rank and file. After all, the leader should be out in front of protecting me." Azul used his magic to lift the spear, "...Hup!"
He deadpanned, "There's definitely been a misunderstanding. I'm not protecting you. I'm protecting the rules."
"What?"
"You're an octo-merman, and you take a transformation potion to maintain your human form, correct?"
He nodded and pushed his glasses up, "Yes, that's right. But what does that have to do with any rules?"
"Transformation potions are special. They require government authorization and specialist supervision. Only medical mages can issue prescriptions for them. And licensed potion pharmacists are the only ones who can formulate them. I presume you already know all this, of course."
"Those who take them undergo major physiological changed. So treating injuries of such individuals requires more care. It's actually illegal to practice medicine on them without a specialist license. Which means that if you got injured here, I would risk running afoul of the law. And that must be avoided at all costs! Hence, I cannot let any injury befall you. It's that simple."
The gray haired male was silent before letting out a small noise, then it raised to a laugh.
The red haired male deadpanned again, "Why are you laughing? I didn't say anything remotely funny."
"Unbelievable. Is that what you've been worried about this entire time?!" He laughed again, "You really are eccentric!"
He sputtered, "I am not! It's every citizen's duty to follow the law!"
"You could have just said so! I was so convinced you thought I was a weakling." He said, his shoulders shaking.
"What?! I explicitly said I knew you could fight! Why wouldn't you take me at my word?!"
"Given how you were acting, I think it was reasonable to assume you were patronizing me. Your absurd adherence to the rules isn't intuitive to most other people."
"It's not absurd! It's literally the law!"
"Grrr...Someone's having fun...must be nice..." A voice said, startling the two mages.
"Something's coming..." He looked at the other, "Now look what you've done. Your loud guffaws drew the enemy right to us!"
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry. I'll take extra care to avoid getting hurt..." Azul said, snickering.
-----
"I want...to be friends...too..." The Phantom said, before it melted.
"The Phantoms are considerably stronger down here." Azul said, putting his pen away.
Riddle nodded, "Definitely. We made the right call resting while the spear was charging. Fatigue can affect your concentration, which is just asking for trouble as a mage. Speaking of trouble—I'd like to double-check something. Your transformation potion won't suddenly wear off, will it?"
"Not as long as I take it as prescribed. It used to be that one dose would maintain a transformation for three days max...But with recent advancements in the field, transformations can last anywhere from a week to 10 days. The potions aren't exactly tasty, so I appreciate having to take fewer doses overall."
"But even then, Floyd sometimes forgets to take his. And then I hear things like, "Hey, my ears are fins again!" or "My fingers grew some webbin'!"" He said, imitating Floyd.
"I've never taken one myself. I guess living your whole life transformed has its drawbacks." The red haired male deadpanned, imagining if he was in his shoes.
"I was prepared for some hardship when I decided to come on land. And I wouldn't say it's a huge drawback. Not to mention, we get ample support from an organization that helps merfolk who move onto land. They provide training for us, so we can lead a pleasant terrestrial life. The org's highly generous and accept merfolk from all walks of life, so long as they want to live on land."
"They do more than training, too. If you ask, they'll provide you with transformation potions that are normally quite hard to come by...And all for free!" He grinned, "Well, they only give those out to "promising youth"...But even so, they're extraordinarily generous. I admit I was skeptical when I first heard about them. I insisted it was too good to be true. There had to be a catch. But I couldn't find one, no matter how deep I dug."
"Apparently someone set up the whole thing just out of the goodness of her heart. I imagine that land-aspiring merfolk are few and far between, so even with a high cost per person, they can afford it without going bankrupt. I put in an application there as soon as I got accepted into Night Raven College."
The red haired listened to his story, "So you even did your due diligence for that. You really are calculating, aren't you?"
"Why, thank you. I take that as a compliment. The organization was quite delighted, by the way. From what I understand, they want more merfolk to use their services, so they can spread the goodwill of their founder." He smirked, "They're extremely eager about it. They go on about how kindness gives rise to more kindness, and how that concept is the pride of the Sunshine Lands." He chuckled, "Hilarious. You can't make this stuff up."
"...Wait, the organization is in the Sunshine Lands? I figured it would've been based in the Coral Sea since it's for merfolk."
"No, it was founded by a mermaid princess who migrated to the Sunshine Lands a long time ago."
"Ahh, I see. I do recall reading about that in a history book. Back when there weren't any formal relations between the land and sea folk...A prince of the Sunshine Lands wedded a princess from the Coral Sea. And the Sunshine Lands have maintained friendly relations with merfolk ever since."
"Yes, that's right. It's probably safe to say that the Sunshine Landers' friendliness towards merfolk can be traced back to that mermaid princess. Would you believe that the entire organization is run by volunteers? Historic or no, it's full of complete saps. I mean, I am grateful for it since I'm availing myself of their services. That, and it's quite a warm, welcoming place."
"Perhaps one day you could..." He trailed off seeing the door, "Ah, look. We're coming up to the next containment facility."
"There's no question Ortho will have some twisted game ready for us. Keep your wits about you." Riddle said.
-----
"Let's see what Ortho has in store for us this time." Rook said.
"Oh, I hear people! Are you some kind of special forces? Have you come to rescue me?!" A voice called out, startling the rest.
"Who's there?!" Vil said, pen in hand.
"Eek! Hold your fire! I'm just a researcher! A very unarmed researcher! What's going on at HQ? Is the Cerberus System back online?" He questioned.
The hunter's eyes widen, "My goodness! He's been tied up and blindfolded!" He walked up to the male, "Here, allow us to release you." He kneeled down to untie the male.
(Y/n) had came up to take off the blindfold off the male.
The researcher's eyes widen, seeing who was in front of him, "Wait..." He looked at Vil, "You're one of the subjects from Night Raven College." Then looked at the other three, "And you three attacked the island."
"That's right. I'm Subject E, a.k.a. Vil Schoenheit. And this is Rook, whose name will go down in Island of Woe history as the instigator of a most singular event." He said.
"What are you doing here?"
"To make a rather long story short, we're heading to the Underworld to get this situation under control. And what are you doing here?"
"When the emergency alarm went off, I started making my way to an escape terminal with the rest of my team..." He trailed off, "But then the Charons captured me! They brought me here before I could make sense of what was happening, and took my ID card. They said they put the card in one of these cages, then just took off."
"I see. So this is what Ortho meant when he said he'd leave an NPC guide for us." Rook said.
"He put a helpless person in danger just for that? That ain't right!" Epel said.
"This is very wrong." The girl said, nodding.
"The cages have been thawing, and I could hear the Phantoms waking up. I thought I was a goner for sure!" The researcher said.
"I wouldn't relax just yet. If we don't find the ID card fast, the Phatoms will surround us, and then it'll be game over for us all." The Pomefiore housewarden said.
"Do you know which cage the card is in, sir?" The lilac haired male said.
The researcher shook his head, "I'm afraid not. I was blindfolded the whole time. But I heard a Phantom's voice for a brief moment when the Charons opened the cage. I think it's some kind of beast, or perhaps a crustacean?" He looked at the cages along with the rest, "That narrows it down considerably. It's likely in one of the cages with a number in the 800s."
Vil nodded, "All right. You stay hidden until we find the ID card."
"Okay, I will." He said, before running.
"We've fought a variety Phantoms on our way here, but..." Rook trailed off, "I didn't realize they had different classifications, like beast and crustacean. Absolutely fascinating."
"Ugh. Could you please wipe that eager look off your face?" Epel said, as (Y/n) nodded.
"Remember, Rook, curiosity killed the cat. Now let's focus and find that ID card." Vil said.
-----
"I know Phantoms come in all different kinds...But I wonder what I would've looked like had I gone full Phantom." Vil said.
"Don't talk like that, Vil-senpai." (Y/n) said, looking at him with a frown.
"Some are like jewels, and some are like beasts...I suspect they embody the essence and ambitions of the mages who've overblotted. And when I overblotted...The manifestation that appeared behind me took the form of an old woman clad in long robes. Her hair was white and disheveled, and her fingers were gnarled like branches. Perhaps deep down, I associate youth with beauty and dread the idea of getting older. If that's true...it's rather awful, isn't it?"
"We have yet to experience growing old. It's natural for people to fear what they haven't been through. You're hardly the first. And we must now avert our eyes from the forms these Phantoms take, no matter how much they frighten us." Rook said.
"Quite right. If nothing else, they're a healthy reminder of what we don't want to become."
Then they walked off to the cages, looking around for some in the 800s. Soon, they found one and stopped in front of it.
"Hey, I see a cage with the number 854 on it." Epel said.
"That fits the researcher's description. Let's open it." Vil said.
The hunter walked up, "I'll open the door. Get back everyone." He said, getting out his pen, before opening the cage with magic, "...Hrah!"
The Phantom jumped at them, "I'm...hungry...feed me...flesh!" They said, making the rest jump back, the males having their pens out as the girl activated her quirk.
-----
"So hungry...sooo...hungry..." The Phantom said and melted, dropping something.
"It dropped an ID card!" The girl said, as Epel went to grab it.
"We must thank our researcher friend. This would've taken far longer if not for his help." Rook said.
"Certainly. Now let's grab him and get out of here." Vil said, as they all ran to the door, using the card and walking out the facility with the researcher following.
"Thank you all so much. You saved my life!" The researcher said, bowing at them, "Are you sure you don't want to come with me? All the Phantoms past this point are the really dangerous ones. A-rank or higher. There's no guarantee you'll make it through unharmed."
"Thank you for the warning, but we'll be continuing on." The hunter said.
"We can't let them reset the world. Plus, I wanna freeze Idia-senpai" The girl said.
"I simply must reach Idia and Ortho first so I can give them a good slap on the face. Which means we can't let the other teams get ahead of us. We need to hurry on." Vil said.
"Well...all right. Just be careful, okay?" The researcher said.
"You as well. Quite a few Phantoms are thawing in the upper containment facilities." Rook said.
"Hey, I've been researching Phantoms for 20 years. I'm an old hand. I know all about their habits. I'll figure out a way through."
"All right. I trust we'll all give this our best efforts then." The Pomefiore housewarden said.
-----
"What's the squirt goy in store for us this time?" Leona said, as he looked around the containment facility.
"...Nothing's happening. Why?" Jamil said.
"At last! Are you the rescue team?" A researcher called out, making the three look.
"Hm? Someone's on top of that cage." Shoto said.
"Wait! You're...Subject B and D?!" He took note of the two mages.
"Wrong." The black haired male said.
The lion male glared at him, "Who you callin' a subject?"
"Some Charons captured us when we were trying to escape and brought us here. Then all I was told was, "Enjoy your game of tag"..." The researcher said.
"Tag?"
Suddenly, a shadow ran past them.
"Hey! That little shadow just now..." The dual haired male said.
"That's it! That's the thing that swiped my ID card! The password's been changed too, so there's no way for me to get out..." The researcher said
"That shape looked familiar...Could it have been Grim?" Jamil questioned.
"You mean the furball from (Y/n)'s dorm? I guess he's about the same size..." Leona said, as the shadow ran past again, "But the thing zipped by so quick I couldn't make it out. I didn't think the little herbivore was that fast."
"Grim might be in an altered state. We can't rule out the possibility it's him."
"Tag, huh? How much you wanna bet Ortho set this whole thing up?" He said, as his ears twitched, "I'm hearing some muffled noises further back. It must've fled into a cage."
"Grim's a student from our school. We can't go shooting off magic wildly if there's a chance it's him." The black haired male said.
"Yeah. We'll have to sniff out the cages makin' noise and open 'em one by one." The lion male nodded.
The three then walked off, looking for the shadow that ran past him. Though, soon they came across on cage.
"Something's making a real ruckus inside this cage." Shoto said.
"I'll open it." Leona said, walking up and opening it, but what was inside made them shocked, "Wait...The Phantom in there is already melting and evaporating. And I bet I know who's responsible..."
There was a giggle and the shadow ran past.
"There it is..." Jamil trailed off.
"YoU aRE aLL MInE! AnY wHO OppOsE mE wiLL peRiSH!" The Phantom said, as the three got ready for the battle.
-----
"NoOo! It'S nOT fAiR..." The Phantom said, before melting and dropping the item.
"After all that, the black shadow wasn't even Grim." Jamil said.
Leona's brow furrowed, "Stupid furball, makin' me do extra work...He's gonna pay the next time I see him."
Shoto glared at him, "Don't, or else my sister will freeze you. She cares about Grim." He said.
The researcher ran up to them, "Are you three okay?!" He said.
"We're fine. We managed to retrieve the ID card." The Scarabia male said, showing him the card.
"Let's clear out before the rest of the Phantoms wake up." The lion male said, already walking off to the door, which made the rest nod and follow after him.
Once at the door, they opened it and walked through.
The researcher sighed in relief, "I don't know what I would've done if those Phantoms had cornered me..." He bowed at them, "Thank you so much, Subject B and D! And uh...Hero!"
"Oh, for cryin'...I don't care if you call us X or Z. Just scram already. We're headin' down." Leona said.
"What?! No, it's too dangerous! Come with me, and we'll get out of here!"
He glared at him, "You expect me to run just 'cause you all are fleein' with your tails between your legs? Yeah, right. I'm way stronger than you, remember? Just get as far away as you can. It'll lessen the chance of you gettin' dragged into one of our fights."
"...You know what, you're right. Warning a mage as exceptional as you is like telling a merman how to swim. I apologize. The Phantoms sleeping down below are even more dangerous. I'll cross my fingers for you the."
He smirked, "Hmph. Don't matter what you cross. Just use that energy to worry about yourself."
-----
"Ortho, I know you're in here. Come on out and let's get this over with!" Riddle said, looking around for the said kid, but nothing.
"...He's not answering." Azul said.
This angered the male, "Oh, so now he's ignoring us? Does his mockery know no bounds?!"
Then a noise could be heard near with them.
"Hey, there's someone hiding that cage. Show yourself, or it's off with your head!"
They revealed themselves, seeing that it was just a researcher, "Eep! I'm just a researcher. I mean you no harm! Please don't take my head!"
"Ah, pardon us. Let me guess: Ortho captured you and brought you here?" The gray haired male questioned.
He nodded, "Yeah. I was trying to escape, but some small beast Phantom swiped my ID card."
The res haired male's eyes widen, "A small beast? Was it grey and furry with blue flames coming out of its ears?"
"I'm not sure, it was moving too fast. All I know is that it had sharp teeth. Check out my clothes." He said, looking down at his clothes that was ripped, "It bit into my jacket and tried to drag me down. Tore it to bits!"
"Gracious. It looks like a great white shark went to town on it. You're lucky it only got your jacket."
"Eep...!" He jumped in fright at the thought.
"Don't scare the man, Azul." Riddle's brows furrowed, "So, it was a tiny beast with sharp teeth. That could've been Grim."
"It's possible. Sir, where is the Phantom now?" Azul questioned.
"I don't know. If I had to guess, it's probably hiding in one of the cages..." The researcher said.
"Well, we can't move forward without that card. We'll have to search the cages one by one."
"And if it's Grim, we'll have to capture him and bring him with us. Let's move, Azul." The red haired male said as the said male nodded.
As they walked, they could hear scratching from one of the cages.
"There's a noise coming from this cage..." He said, looking at the cage, "It sounds like a cat sharpening its claws. Grim could be in there. Let's open it."
"Does Grim actually sharpen his claws?" Azul questioned.
"Oh, yes. I had his head one day when I caught him scratching up the sofa in our lounge."
"He always insists he's not a cat, but maybe he really is one..."
"Cat or no, sharpening one's claw's on the couch is a major infraction!" He let out a soft sigh, "...Though, it hardly matters at the moment." He brought out his pen, "All right, I'm opening it! Hrah!" He opened it and the door opened.
The Phantom laughed, "HeRe, kiTty kItTy! It'S TiMe fOR yOuR WaLk!"
Another Phantom let out a screech as the two mages had their pens in hand.
-----
"I thOught I coULd go oUtside..." The Phantom said as the other let out a small screech, then they both melted, dropping the card.
"There's the ID card! That Phantom must've attacked the researcher." Riddle said, grabbing the card, "So it wasn't Grim after all..."
"That humanoid Phantom appeared to have some authority over the smaller one. Maybe it made the little one steal the ID because it wanted to get out..." Azul trailed off.
"Can Phantoms actually cooperate with each other?"
"Remember, Riddle-san—the Phantoms used to be exceptional mages, just like us."
He nodded, "...Yes, of course. Regardless, we have the ID card. Let's help the researcher escape, and then be on our way."
"Right."
-----
"Now that we've handled that...Time to pick up where you left off!" Epel smiled, as the four of them walked down the steps.
"Yeah. I totally agree." (Y/n) said, nodding.
"Where I left off? What were we talking about again?" Rook titled his head.
"You can't just casually mention you were in Savanaclaw and not elaborate!" She said.
He smiled, remembering, "Oh yes, that! The Dark Mirror chose Savanaclaw for me at my orientation. I've often identified with the King of Beasts' spirit of persistence, myself. So I saw no issue with the assignment. In fact, I found my time in Savanaclaw to be quite fun and rewarding."
"Huh..." The lilac haired male tilted his head, "Then why'd you transfer to Pomefiore? Seems like kind of a waste..." He muttered the last sentence, "Er, I mean, if it suited you, you didn't really have to transfer, did you?"
"I did so because I wished to gain a deeper understanding of beauty. Granted, I could've continued my pursuit independently in Savanaclaw. But...transferring to Pomefiore, a dorm honoring the spirit of the Fairest Queen, would help me reach the true depths of beauty all the sooner. That was what my hunter instincts told me, anyway." He smiled.
"Bwhaaa?! You made a decision that important based on a gut feeling?!"
He let out a small laugh, "It was more than a mere gut feeling, I assure you. Another reason was my desire to watch Vil hone his own beauty up close. After all, those tow swordsmiths hammering a blade can give it an even keener edge. I volunteered to swing the second hammer upon Vil's blade of beauty."
"Sheesh...This boy ain't right..."
"I tried to dissuade him when he fist brought up transferring to me. But Rook cares not for the opinions of others once he decides something. Though you two already know that, right?" Vil said.
"All too well, believe me." (Y/n) said, remembering the time he just straight up kidnapped her just to know more about her quirk.
"Before I knew it, the complicated paperwork and ceremonies were complete, and there he was, wearing a Pomefiore uniform. He stood out like a sore thumb, of course. He looked quite different back then."
"What'd he look like?" She tilted her head.
"Well, his hair was long, thick, and completely unkempt. Scraggly like you wouldn't believe. Also he never bothered with sunscreen or skin care, though he's prone to sunburns...So his cheeks and nose were always freckled and bright red. And as for his attire, he only cared if it was easy to move around in. He'd just waltz all over the place in sweatpants with frayed hems or jeans with torn knees, without even bothering to mend them."
"Say whaaat?! I can't imagine that at all." Epel said.
The girl on the other hand walked up to the hunter, who smiled at her but his eyes widen when her hands were on either side of his face and pulled him close to her face. She was just trying to see the freckles, but he was blushing on the other hand. If she looked hard enough, she could see his freckles. She then let go, "You're freckles are cute, Rook-senpai..." She muttered, so only he could hear.
Rook couldn't help but avert his eyes, 'Ah, I was so close to her...' He thought.
"He would at least put in a modicum of effort with his grooming when going to an opera or concert that had a dress code." Vil said, slightly glaring at him, seeing the scene that happened.
"Ahh, this takes me back! It's a bit embarrassing having all these old stories dredged up in front of freshman, I admit." The hunter said, smiling, a blush still present on his face.
"With that grin on my face, you don't look embarrassed at all..." The lilac haired male said, "What gets me is that you changed dorms to pursue beauty, but didn't put any care into your appearance. That, and aren't you like, rich? Why were you going around in tattered sweatpants?"
"I suppose back then, the "beauty" Rook sought didn't encompass his own appearance. But one time, we had an intense discussion about how the audience plays just as large a role as the performers in plays and concerts. A play isn't a play without an audience to watch it. In that sense, the audience itself is a member of the cast." Vil said.
"I'm not saying it's wrong to dress casually for a play when there's no dress code. But personally, I prefer to dress in a way that befits the beautiful stage. Of course, there's a chance you'll make your fellow audience members feel underdressed, which would be a bit of a faux pas. But when I coordinate my attire and makeup to fit in as a theoretical part of the show...Well, that's part of the fun of seeing a play, to me."
"Getting ready to see a show makes me feel excited..."Pumped," even. At one point after that discussion, Rook told me with much delight that he won a front-row ticket to a play featuring his favorite actor. So I said that since it was a special occasion, he should get dressed up for it. The dress code for the play was smart casual and up, anyway."
"I had zero interest in dressing up before then. But Vil gave me such wonderful advice. He even coordinated my entire ensemble. I don't think I'll ever forget the exaltation I felt when I set out for that play! I always delight in watching shows. But if I were to qualify my enjoyment and rate my prior experiences at 100...Then that day was easily 120! Perhaps even 200! Ever since then, I've developed an appreciation for personal care." Rook said.
"I now know the actor Rook mentioned was Neige." The Pomefiore male frowned, "And Neige wouldn't mind a bit if his fans saw him in tattered sweats or patchwork pants. So my advice was entirely unwarranted."
Epel chuckled, "But if it helped Rook-san enjoy the play more, then it all worked out for the best...right?"
The hunter smiled, "Exactly, Epel. Encounters with the unknown are always sublime to me!"
Suddenly, a shadow ran past them and the girl's eyes widen seeing the silhouette.
"Grim?!" She called out.
"Quick, after it!" Rook said, as they all ran after it.
The lilac haired male huffed, "Grim!" He called out.
"Tartarus has been one way forward. It makes no sense that we lost sight of..." He trailed off.
"Shaaagh!" The Phantom yelled, making them look up.
"Above us! Everyone, ready yourselves!"
-----
"Growrrr..." The Phantom said, before it melted.
"I thought that was Grim, but it was just a Phantom with a passing resemblance." Vil said.
"I was so sure it was him!" Epel sadly said.
"Likewise. I normally never mistake one animal for another. I suppose it just goes to show how fatigued we are." Rook said.
(Y/n) took out a water, handing it to him, "Here, have some water. It should settle your nerves."
He smiled, taking it, "That's very considerate of you, (Y/n). Thank you."
"We can't let ourselves get psyched out." The lilac haired male said, smiling.
"Our focus is waning now that we're tired. We must stay calm and remain cautious. Even if we don't find Grim on our way down...Once we smack some sense into Idia and Ortho and make them turn the Cerberus System back on, we should locate him in no time." The Pomefiore housewarden looked at the girl, "You of all people should know how brazen and stubborn Grim is, (Y/n). Those entrusted with running a dorm must have faith in their fellow students. So let's have a little faith in him."
The girl nodded with a smile as they walked.
"Ah, look! We're coming up on the next containment facility." Epel said.
"According to the map, the Underworld is just on the other side of this one." Vil furrowed his brows.
"Which means it holds the most dangerous Phantoms of all." The hunter said, as he frowned, "Make sure you stay on your toes."