My first instinct, hide. Golden trees surrounded the courtyard, so I took to the nearest one and crouched behind it. Surveying a bit of the area none of the creatures noticed me yet. Still holding my phone I tried calling the police then Mary. During both times the phone wouldn’t even start the call.
Where the hell am I anyways? Didn’t my phone just tell me I arrived at ‘Nathon's Mansion’? So this is his… world of some sort?? I’m going insane. Did Sarah lace the card with some hallucinatory drug or something? Oh yeah I still have it.
I pulled out the card to inspect it, but found nothing out of the ordinary with the card.
I kind of wish it was laced so I can chop this off as a very hallucinogenic experience but everything around me is way too vivid and clear to be me just tripping out… It feels exactly like that time I walked into the Student Center. Did something happen then that caused something to put me here now?
“WARNING INTRUDER ALERT!! WARNING INTRUDER ALERT!!”
“Crap.”
I dropped down to the ground hugging the tree as close as I could. Still able to see the mansion, I see waves of new flying creatures burst out the balcony doors with searchlights. Not too far away, a group of the blacksuits were making their way towards the tree I hid behind.
“Find the intruder! Eliminate onsight! We must protect the Mayor!”
“Damn, they are getting close.. Is there a spot I can run to?”
To my left was a large roadway and gate, already heavily populated by the creatures searching the cars driving in and out of the wall. To my right was more of the open fields with the trees lined at the edge with a part of the building at the very end. There were considerably less of them in that direction so I prepared myself to run down the line of trees. It was still a far distance to the building itself, but a safer option than trying to sit and hide.
I can’t die here. I won’t leave Mary alone again!
In the first few minutes, I managed to cover one thirds of the way, but a flyer caught wind of my movement and shone it’s searchlight on me raising the alarms.
“INTRUDER FOUND!! INTRUDER FOUND!! ALL UNITS TO THE OUTER COURTYARD!!”
“SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT!”
Two thirds of the way and still darting through the trees, the flyer kept it’s light on me. Breathing hard and feeling the aching of my calves, I clench my fist and push on. As I got close more and more of the flying creatures shone their lights on me as the closest group of blacksuits were hot on my tail. There weren’t any of them coming out from where I headed, which gave me a bit of hope. Only a few feet away, the warbled shouts of the blacksuits sent chills up my spine. Already running more than I’ve runned in a lifetime, the adrenaline was the only thing keeping me from falling over. Although, the way into this building was my only hope and if I entered only to find myself surrounded, what difference would this plan make?
NO! I already said I can’t die! I promised to live! Please god or even the devil grant me some strength to survive this!
Smack!
Having no time to slow down, I slammed into the giant door. The force of my crash only pushed it open a little. So I pushed as hard as I could to open it just enough for myself to slide in then closing it behind me with the last of my strength. Strangely enough, there wasn’t a single sound of anything outside the door. No banging or shouting from the flyers or blacksuits or even the alarms from the loudspeakers. I slumped against the door unable to get up.
“Haah.. hoo.. I really... need to exercise more.. haah.. This damn harsh reality of being so unfit hurts.”
Catching my breath, I surveyed the hallway I entered, it’s interior looked similar to the time I first saw the hallway walking into the Student Center. After a few minutes of rest I got up to check the nearest door on my right. It opened into a room full of pictures of a naked woman.
“What the?!”
“I must comply with the mayor or he’ll punish me… I must comply with the mayor or he’ll..”
“H-hey! What are you doing in here?”
A woman sat at a desk in the middle of the room. Piles of paper stacked on both ends of the desk. I slowly approached her as she repeated the same lines over and over. Keeping a safe distance from her, I walk to the front of her to get her attention.
“Hey, excuse me can you help me?”
“I must comply with the mayor or..”
“Yeah I guess not.” She vigorously wrote, wasting no time to finish each paper, but the pile only seemed to grow. Her hands were already bruised and bloody staining some of the papers she wrote on, but none of it stopped her. Taking a closer look at her I saw that she’s the same woman in the naked pictures surrounding her. She looked very malnourished and wore some sort of collar.
“H-hey! Why are you doing this??” I reach out to grab her hand to stop her immediately freaking her out. She threw the pencil at me, balling up on the chair to hide her face as she weeps.
“Please leave me alone, I must comply with the mayor or.. he’ll punish me again… I don’t want to lose my job. I don’t want to lose my friends. I don’t want to lose my family.”
“I’m trying to help, your hands are torn apart you should rest at least.”
“P-please leave me alone.. I can’t be helped.. Save yourself before he comes for you too.”
“Are you talking about Principal Nathon? Is this… the college?”
“Mayor Nathon is the ruler of this Mansion.. If you wanna escape… no.. you can’t escape.. I can’t help you.”
“Mayor Nathon…? hey are you-”
“GET BACK TO WORK I DIDN’T TELL YOU TO STOP!”
“AHHH!”
Bzzzt!
The woman shook violently before getting up to grab the pencil she threw at me and returning to writing, repeating the same lines again.
She has a shock collar on.. Even if I were to help I wouldn’t be able to get that off. It’s… frustrating but maybe I can find help and come back for her..
I exit the room closing the door behind me. I continued and checked the other rooms only to find similar situations where a person sat at a desk slaving away at the pile of papers, surrounded by private pictures or documents of them.
This place is a madhouse… Mayor Nathon is literally working everyone like slaves.. No even less than that. It seems like he’s blackmailing them considering the stuff they're surrounded by is holding them hostage.
I made my way into another hallway that stretched even further than the last with the same doors and rooms. Turning the corner at the end of the hall I come across a large golden door similar to the door I came in from the courtyard. Pushing it took a lot more strength this time. I decided to leave it open incase I needed to escape back into the hallway. This larger hallway is lined with marble pillars leading to stairs going up.
“If it weren’t for the obnoxious portraits of the ‘Mayor’ staring down at me from everywhere this place would have been nice.”
“INTRUDER ALERT!! INTRUDER ALERT!! ALL UNITS TO FIRST FLOOR, SOUTH STAIRS”
“They found me?!”
The large portraits hanging above behind me warbled and warped as blacksuits spewed out. Coming out in groups blocking my escape route.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
“Dammit!”
I make a mad dash towards the stairs. There weren’t any flying creatures this time, but the blacksuits now seem faster and bigger. They were already close enough to take swings at me with their batons. I zig-zag and weave my way trying to dodge their attacks. I wasn’t agile enough to dodge it all so I took a few good hits to my back and shoulders.
“Gah! Fu- gh!”
Finally reaching the stairs, at the foot of it stood a man in a dark ripped-up coat with his hood pulled over to hide his face and carrying an oversized sword on his back.
“So this is the dumbass pulling all the attention. Persona.”
Bursting into a furnace of black flames something forms behind the man. A being materialized from the fire towering over him. One step would easily crush anything in front of it. It had two large horns protruding from it’s head and a red orb hovered between them. The giant brown humanoid-beast had hooves and a tail eerily representing a raging bull. Flexing its bulging muscles it stepped forward and roared.
GRUUOOOOAAWWWW!!
I get flung to the ground from the force of the roar while the group behind me stop in their tracks.
“Scorch them, Taur! Blazing Hell!!”
The red orb above it’s head lights up as lava bursts from the ground behind me. Heat of the burning magma instantly incinerates the mob of blacksuits and blasts me forward onto my face. The ground left charred and melted with no trace of the distorted creatures.
“You had to go and trip up all the alarms. Not that I care, I’d rather destroy every last one of these shadows. But I was told not to, and you ruined that. How unlucky that a dumbass like you has to run into me huh?!”
Luckily my backpack protected me from the blast, but my back still got badly burned from the intense heat of his attack. Shocked from the power of that blast, I struggle to get up.
“Wha- Gh!”
Coming close, he kicks me over forcing me onto my back planting his foot on my chest slowly crushing my ribs.
“Gk! Agh! Akh! Get off!”
“Still got some fight in ya even after seeing what happened? Huh?! Get up and fight then, dumbass!”
Kicking me with more force to throw me a feets away, I roll over to try and get up again.
“That’s it, make yourself useful as my punching bag for the trouble you’ve caused me! Taur! Agi!”
A blast of fire explodes besides me sending me into the pillar on the left, then another sending me back a few more feet, then another. Despite his vicious attacks he never aimed to finish me right away.
“Hahahahaha! A weak pathetic trash doesn't deserve to even be here! Let alone in my presence. You’ve pissed me off, and I’ll make you feel every bit of my anger! Inferno!!”
Coughing blood and feeling the burns and bruises all over my body. I couldn’t move as I watched the man approach, commanding the monster under his control to mercilessly attack me. I felt a pit in my stomach, even clenched my teeth looking at him, unable to do anything but lay here and die. I’d break my promise to Mary, and the worst part is she wouldn’t even know what happened to me. It’ll be like I just got up and left her.
H-how can I even.. Survive this? The blacksuits were one thing and now this psycho freak? It hurts.. Mary.. I… I…
Is this all?
Huh?
Is this the extent of your willpower? The path that you.. No, that the path itself has chosen for you? Isn’t there a promise you swore to keep? Will you let yourself be snuffed out and never be able to protect the one you vowed to always protect?
Mary.. I- I promised to not leave her alone! I promised to make sure she gets better! I promised a life where we can be free to do what we want!
Such honest and passionate wishes. Very well I shall grant you power, the very power used to protect, the very power used to encourage, the very power that will lead everyone to a better world.
I felt a heavy object in my hand, a silver helmet.
I am thou, thou art I…
It called for me to wear itself.
This world has been plunged into darkness once more...
Putting it on, a surge of pain shoots throughout my entire body. “Ack!!”
thou shall rise and fight for thine own dreams!
Eating at the very fiber of my being, like being burned alive by the sun. “Ahhh!!”
Don thy armor & shield, and purge thy evil with my light!
Blood flowing from my neck, I gripped my helmet to hold onto my fading consciousness.
For thine blood spilled, none shall stop the will of the King!
“Per!.. Sonaaa!!” A giant ray of light beams down from the ceiling, engulfing me and reflecting oncoming massive flame blast back at the man. From the ray of light emerges a giant shield guarding me and the being holding it from behind me. It stood tall in full silver armor with a crest of a dragon in it’s chest, it’s face hidden beneath the helmet. It wielded a shield on it’s right arm, nearly half its size and worn out with the symbol in front scratched beyond recognition from years of combat.
“I am but one man with a vast dream… Arthur! I am the power to change the world, residing within you. If you so desire, I shall grant the strength and courage to change this unjust and unforgiving reality.”
Matching Arthur’s gear, I’m also fully armored and holding a shield on my right arm. The pain resided and came along a new surge of strength supplementing like blood in my veins. Getting up from the ground, I stood firm and faced the hooded man.
“Hahaha… HAHAHAHA! A PERSONA USER HUH?! This makes it even better, I’ll gain even more power by killing you and absorbing your power!”
“Shut up you crazy meat-headed psycho! I bet you got as much brain power as your own dumb persona! Arthur! Kouha!”
“You filthy shit-stain! Taur! INFERNO!”
Rejuvenated from awakening Arthur, I commanded an attack that I strangely knew the name of. With our attacks colliding it became a stalemate of explosions going back and forth. Attempting to one up me the man pulls two shotguns from under his coat, laying down heavy gunfire and fire attacks towards me. Instincts kicked in and I pulled up my shield crouching a little to cover all of myself. Angling the shield slightly up, the bullets slide and reflect upwards. Under the continuous gunfire, I slowly push closer to him.
“Arthur! Shield of Retribution!”
Arthur plants his shield in front of me and all the attacks thrown in the next few seconds suddenly disappear giving me a moment to breath. Arthur extends his arm, palm facing the man, beaming a ray of burning light towards him.
Zzrrrrrr!
“Taur!”
Bwooosh!
Once the dust settled, the man hadn't moved an inch. Around him laid destroyed bits of the floor and stairsteps. Putting away his shotguns he brandishes the large broadsword, almost bigger than himself.
“I wanted to hear you scream and beg first, but now you’re pissing me off. I’ll take your worthless life with my own hands.”
“How much piss can a meathead like you even hold? Astonishing, really.”
“You FUCK!!”
Leaping from the ground he covers the distance between us in seconds. With my shield still up, he slams his heavy blade down with a force of a truck. Within that split second, I angle my shield to redirect the most of the force of the attack away from me.
Clang!
A sound-wave rings out and my bones in the arm holding the shield cracks to the pressure. Even though I was able to mitigate the entirety of the swing it still broke through my guard.
“Ack! Ngh!”
“HAHAHAHA! Think just because you’ve awakened your Persona that you’re suddenly strong enough to fight me? You’re living in a fantasy, except you die in this fantasy.”
“Least I have some power to fight back! Bash!”
During his retort, I found a small opening. Using Arthur to attack from behind, I let the sword slide forward having him follow through with his initial swing. Taking advantage of his momentum I step forward to the left to shield bash his exposed head.
“Taur! Bash!”
With my left side exposed he counters me by using his persona to bash me instead of blocking mine, sending me flying. Tanking Arthur’s direct shield bash to his back, he sprints after me aiming to uppercut me with his sword. Quickly recovering from being sent flying, I take guard and fire light attacks at him. With ease he swatted the attacks, then stomped his foot, stopping right in front of me and swung his sword at my side like a bat. Preventing myself from being cleaved in half, I took guard with my shield and called “Shield of Retribution” to counter him. His sword still followed through.
Clang!
Like ringing a gong, I get sent barreling away from him, my arm now fully broken.
“Ahhhh! Ngh! Guh!”
“You trash-amateur, you thought you knew your persona’s skills?! Pathetic. You don’t deserve such power, only I can use it properly and now I’m gonna take it from your ashes.”
“Taur! Blazing He-”
With his hand raised he stops. And after a moment he puts his arm down and growls in anger.
“DAMMIT! GRRAHH! Damn piece of shit. Don’t think for a second I’m sparing you, I know how you look and I’ll find you and kill you myself!”
In the next few seconds he disappears into thin air along with the murderous intent he carried. Feeling all the energy sapped away I lay sprawled out on the ground and Arthur disappears.
“Hah.. Haah.. Woo.. Mary.. Mom.. Dad.. I did it haha! Hahaha! I survived!”
Laying on my back I look up to the ceiling gathering myself together from the intense battle.
“INTRUDER ALERT!! INTRUDER ALERT!! ALL UNITS TO FIRST FLOOR SOUTH STAIRS”
“Shit! I forgot about them!” Struggling to get up I keel over. A new bigger group of blacksuits were running towards me from the same set of portraits. Already halfway close, all I could do was struggle on the ground.
Swoosh!
Something swoops me up from the ground flying into the air.