"Everyone, shut up for a second!" I yelled out, "We came here to tell you something important."

"Where's Sheep?" Elegy inquired.

"And... those Two." Sab squinted.

"That's exactly what we wanted to explain." Energy added, "He's buying us time with Them, and we've come to use that time wisely by warning you."

Really, we got lucky in finding them so quickly. The district is a lot larger than this, I assure you, we just lucked out immensely. Then again, with a huge explosion like that coming from Energy's imposing abode, it really wouldn't have taken anything else but to just follow the crowd.

"Okay, but first help us with this." Hats pointed up at the base.

"Guys, this is more important-"

"Regardless a' wot ye' got ta' sae, werr' gunna need tha' equipment inside that therr' 'ouse." Nerys reasoned.

That's... not wrong. I planned to just tell them to try and hide away from the Gods so they can't recruit Elegy, but it wouldn't hurt to get them some tools to make that easier. It should be a piece of cake with the house's owner on our side.

"They're right, Migu." Sab chimed in, "You can tell us while we're making our way inside."

"Okay, but let's make it quick." I glanced back, "Poor Sheep can't take much more flying in circles."

Turning to the imposing cube atop which sat Energy's home, we steeled ourselves for what was to come before I took the brain out of my tote bag. Energy was a bit pouty, but overall still cooperative.

"I never gave you permission to steal all my stuff..." He grunted.

"Not like you can even use them anymore, anyways." I rolled my Eyes, "Come on, guide us inside safely. I don't wanna get my brand new clothes blown apart like these guys."

"Even our torn-to-shreds threads look better than whatever the Hell you've got on." Sab smirked.

"Hey now." Elegy interrupted, "Bullying girls isn't nice."

"I come from an era of true gender equality!" He shot back, "Where men and women duke it out with all they've got if there's a disagreement!"

"Oho?" I cracked my fingers menacingly at him, "Good to hear! That means I don't have to stop even if you cry and beg me for mercy."

"...Ahem, that being said, I'm an old-fashioned gentleman." Sab chickened out, "I wouldn't hit a lady, so I mostly stick to verbal abuse."

That line only succeeded in making him look worse... Sigh, are people from the future really this insufferable? If that's the case, I'm kind of glad I died before they all became, well... like him.

"Laddie!" Nerys smacked his back suddenly, making him yelp like a girl, "Oll ye' had ta' sae wos that yer' rarin' fer a tomble! C'mon, Oi'll be ya' partna'!"

"A-Ack! Damned seadog!" He shot back angrily, "Ask me after we get some proper weapons, then it's on sight!"

"I don't think you understand what 'on sight' means..." Elegy chuckled.

After enough messing around on the street, we walked up to the giant cube together, discussing how to even reach the first step. The obstacle before us was a six sided wall made completely of smooth concrete. A cube, as it were. Barely any traction, and an absolutely hellish height to scale. Climbing this was necessary, however, because at the top of it was Energy's home, and subsequently, the weapon locker where we'll be getting our weapons and armor.

"Energy, your time to shine." I nudged his bag.

"Hm? There's no easy shortcut to scaling it." He revealed, "Try to keep your hands as dry as possible and hope your fingers have good grip."

"Eh?" The others' hearts dropped.

"Oh right, you said before how you needed wings to get up there." I recalled, "Well then, how'd you guys do it?"

"With dry hands and grippy fingers..." They exhaled.

Ah, so elbow grease really was the only way to go about it. I'm surprised, especially since it seemed like they were already up there before we arrived. Now their previous anger feels a lot more justified, as each failed attempt meant they had to re-climb it all over again.

"Of course, there is another option." Energy thought about it.

"What is it!?" Elegy asked.

"This cube is 10 meters tall and 10 meters wide." He explained, "The men here are 2 meters tall, and the women 1.5 meters. It'll take a bit of luck, but if you were to form a stack..."

"A stack." Nerys had a dark smile over her face, "S'that it? Ye' want thees scallywags ta' crush me undah they' weight, aye?"

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"Obviously you'd be on top of us!" Hats calmed her down, "Ah, but maybe Migu should be the top-most one of the stack, since she has Energy with her."

"I dunno..." I stammered, "I'm not good with wobbly surfaces, especially not when I got nothing to hold onto."

A conundrum. It's regrettable, but I think there's no other choice if we wanna pass through to the weapons locker inside without setting off any traps. We need Energy to show me the way like he did last time, otherwise it's a lost 'cause.

"Then what do we do?" Elegy worried, "We can't have the men be above the girls on the stack, because you won't be able to hold our weight."

"Hmph." Nerys let out a smug chuckle, "Simple 'nuff solution, innit? Lass, euwe gimme the sack!"

"Nerys?" We all turned to look at her, when suddenly...

"Migu, hand me over to her." Even Energy agreed with this, "The two of us will enter the house alone and get you the weapons."

"But-!"

"In the meantime, you get them caught up with the situation." He sternly interrupted, "Warn Elegy of what the Gods plan to do."

"Me?" Elegy pointed at himself.

Hand him over to her... Yeah, with this arrangement it could definitely work—but is it really okay to have him leave my side? I suppose Nerys doesn't know about how he tried to kill everyone, so it's not like she'd try to exact revenge on him or anything, but I still feel uncomfortable having him leave my side...

"...Okay." I nodded, "Be safe."

"Euwe kno' we will." Nerys answered for him.

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***

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"W-Woah..." I wobbled atop the huge tower we created, leaning up against the wall as our only form of stability, "Nerys, you doing alright up there?"

"Nevah' betta'!" She grinned, the tote bag hung over her shoulder as she reached for the cube's edge, "Eep!"

We went about creating the tower in a rather backward manner. Namely, Nerys was the first to climb atop my shoulders, carrying Energy in the bag. Then Sab lifted us up from underneath, then Elegy did the same to him, and finally—Hats at the bottom. After everyone was seated atop one another's shoulders, we took turns standing up, wobbling with each consecutive centimeter of height gained.

"Keep her steady!" Sab yelled from under me.

"G-Guys, hurry it up already..." Hats begged from the bottom.

"Ugh, screw this." Elegy announced, throwing Sab up with a springy maneuver, "My arms are getting tired, so let's end this already!"

S-Seriously!? He lifted all four of us just like that! Elegy, he's... He's not human! W-Well, he's actually an angel, but this strength is way too crazy even for our standards! A-Ah, there's no way we'll stick a landing like this, everyone's gonna fall...!

"Bah!" Sab hit the ground first, "Y-You...!"

"Ack, dammit Elegy!" I rushed to yell at him as well, "Nerys was this close to reaching the ledge, why did you-!?"

"Ahem." He smirked, pointing straight up, "I gave her the necessary boost, didn't I?"

Warily, we looked up to see Nerys... barely hanging onto the ledge of the cube. Before, we were a few meters short of her reaching the necessary height, but with Elegy's stunt just now, it gave her enough of a jump to cling onto it. After a hasty salute to Elegy, she lifted herself and Energy up in a jiff.

"Many thanks, matey!" She guffawed from atop the structure, "Oight, time fer' us ta' make arr' leaves!"

"S-She actually made it..." I gulped in disbelief.

"Lucky she did, too." Sab still glared back at Elegy, "I would have killed you if she didn't."

"Like you'd kill Migu in that duel you were boasting about?" He cracked his knuckles just like I did, "I'd like to see you try."

"Now..." I looked up at the two as they left our sights, "It's up to them."

Nerys and Energy made their way to knock on the front door. Energy informed her ahead of time of the specific rhythm required to not set off any traps, to which she confusedly agreed to follow.

"Howzat werk?" She tilted her head as the doors barely craned open.

"Even I don't know the answer to that." He replied, "But it was always my dream to live in a home with such a defense, regardless of the nitty-gritty behind the scenes. Heaven 2.0 allowed just that."

"Ehhh~?" She stepped inside, "Shoulda' wish'd fer' a propah ship. S'wot Oi' did."

"Did you now." He humored her, "By the way, from here on, only step on the marked tiles. The rest are instakills."

"Ack." She barely stopped herself from stepping on one, "Tell meh dat soonah. Anycase, me 'ouse's a ship motif. She's a beute, Oi' tells ya'."

"A lady like yourself is just chock full of surprises." Energy continued to speak in a casual tone, "The life of a pirate is thrilling indeed."

A touchy subject. She really didn't enjoy being called that again.

"Oi, jus' s'euwe kno', Oi' dun' prefer dat term..." She glared at him sitting inside the tote, "Oi'm a seafarer, nu'n mo."

"Mn, I think 'pirate' suits you way more." He reasoned.

"Ye' tryna' taek tha' piss outta me, man?"

This was when the air around them had grown dark. Nerys sensed something was amiss, but nothing exact came to mind. Once more, she took a look inside the bag to find the brain resting calmly within. A brain shouldn't be capable of showing external emotions, yet somehow an immense sense of guilt and dread reached her the moment she gazed at him.

"Nerys Edris, you really think I'd forget a name like that?" He asked plainly, "Not to mention a girl with such a horribly unintelligible accent?"

"E-Ey nau..." She let out a nervous chuckle, "Shoulda' told me we met befoh, man."

"Sorry, I must have forgotten." He explained, "It happened a relatively long time ago, so I don't expect you to remember. We met in an alley, back when I was still an angel—nay, a seraphim."

Her heart was racing, and her mind in shambles. Desperately, she tried to recall the last time she had met a person sharing his personality or name, yet nothing came to mind. His tone indicated hostility and malice, and she was now well within his trap. The only thing keeping her from dying in this house is his advice, in other words—one purposeful miscommunication and she's a goner.

"Nerys, you were the girl who took my wings all those cycles ago." He revealed, "In that alleyway, before I could even meet that blasted Throne who made me lose my foot."

"H-Huh, Throne?"

"The man who stuffed me in that accursed Shrine, the reason I met Vastoria and got entagled in this whole story to begin with. It all dates back to you, Nerys."

"Aye, Oi' dunno anythin' 'bout that, man..." She sweated profusely, "B-Bot Oi'm sorry, we can talk dis out, y'kno'...?"

"I know." He snickered, "By the way, you should duck right about now."

Her heart sank. Does she trust him or not? There didn't seem to be any sort of trap activating, but that's the point of keeping them hidden in the first place. In the end, she opted to trust his words, ducking in place before barely squinting her Eyes open.

"N-Nothin' 'appen'd...?" She looked around.

"My bad, I must have misremembered." His snickers only grew louder with each word uttered, "Accidents happen, hope you don't mind."