There was no vision or sight to speak of, only the darkness encapsulating the mind. No sound to be made or found, as Kyki had no real body anymore. Kyki opened their not-eyes to not-see the surroundings. In this endless mindspace, little clear cubes containing colorful collections manifested into place, floating aimlessly through the “air” to surround Kyki in magical little lights.
With a single phantasmal hand, they reached out to one such cube, fingers penetrating its ghostly surface with no resistance. The transparent arm began to glow softly, absorbing the contents, and Kyki felt the touch of indifference. And they were gray, and the mindspace was too. Where was this place? There were no walls or ceilings, and not even a floor to stand on. Just an infinite emptiness, stretching as far as the eye could see.
Kyki withdrew, and the gray withered, returning to its cubic home. All around the white clear boxes bounced around, forming a cloud of light in this darkness. Walking forward through the mist of prisms caused many to bump off Kyki’s semi-solid form, pushed backwards like a wave in the ocean. Grasping another cube filled the veins with a tingly, lightheaded feeling. The quick beating of the “heart” and a rippling sense of warmth and safety. With a flick, the touch of love was flung away into the sea of other cubes.
But the consequences were permanent. The black emptiness and the gray apathy shrunk to make room for the rosy pink and red hues of intimacy. Soon they were joined by melancholic blues and joyful yellow, hues of brown and green in beautiful sheens. The colors exploded outwards, permeating all things, wiping away the extraneous cuboids. Trees sprouted from earth, and buildings assembled themselves like legos on a child’s playmat.
Bricks slid into place, topped by sheet metal roofing. Strings criss crossed over each other to create a creaking mesh cover over the door. Little dim orange lanterns lit up the front yard in soft yellow splendor. A light breeze rustled leaves on oaks lined up neatly across the pavement, backlit by the evening moon and the many stars in the night sky, in an idealistic portrayal of the world. Everything was just a little too exact in design…
The crickets chirped in perfectly uneven intervals. Lights from other houses along the suburbs shined through windows, painting lawns in gentle tangerine. Even the individual stones in the pavement were cracked just right, just like how it used to be on Kyki’s night walks. Everything here was so nostalgic, so familiar, as if nothing had ever happened and life was normal.
The warm fuzzy feeling came and went again, fleeting in nature. A phone buzzed in a right pocket, and Kyki pulled it out and answered reflexively.
“Yellow?”
“Everything okay? You’re staying out a little late again. Mom won’t be happy about it.”
“I’m fine. I’ll be home soon.”
Kyki turned to where home was, then swiveled around and began to walk away. The night was still young, and Kyki did not want to go home…
Dave had no knowledge of these events. He was merely suiting up for the upcoming mission, slipping his helmet on and his leggings and greaves. Within his makeshift power armor, outfitted with airtight joints and inbuilt oxygen tank, he felt much more confident leaving the hotel. Behind him stood Wisp, who needed no such protection, and Vola, sure he could tackle whatever came his way. Acid declined to go, as the turbulent winds and constant rainstorm were sure to blow away her lethal smog.
Unze waved them goodbye, blowing them a kiss before their departure.
“Good luck kiss!!!”
Rico continued to call any other nearby Airbnb’s or other rentals to ask about any recent new tenants. He was becoming increasingly frustrated as each and every phone call ended up as a blank.
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“None of the fucking rentals in the area have seen Kyki. Looks like you will have to go find them yourselves. Sorry for the trouble, Wisp.”
“It’s alright. It’s my job, after all. I trust you and the others can hold down the fort here?”
“We’ve learned our lesson. No way we’re letting the dogs catch us off guard again.”
Mei pushed her way to the forefront, indignant about not being granted permission to leave the building.
“What the hell! Why can’t I go? I literally saved your asses from the dogs. I’m absolutely strong enough to handle myself out there.”
Snake tapped the readout on her device, processing data from the physical she performed on Mei post-incident. After some number crunching and obnoxious moments spent in Microsoft Excel…
“Actually, a lot of that strength was a product of the power surge from unlocking your ability for the first time. It was like a release, a burst of will from a reservoir you never knew you had. Your ability signatures have leveled out now to be much more reasonable for a newbie.”
“How would you know? You don’t even have an ability.”
“Of course I do! How do you think I make my potions? Like science could ever explain half the stuff I do.”
Strands of blue energy curled around her arm like a silken scarf, thin but with substance and floating around like a jellyfish tentacle.
“Never underestimate a genius who is also a magician.”
Mei leapt at Snake with a quick swipe, forcing her onto the defense with targeted strikes. Reflexively, Snake reached into a back pocket for a jar of billowing lavender fumes, tossing it gently into the air. Eddies of her blue mana carried it through the air, causing it to shatter and saturate the area with a familiar vapor. Mei coughed, trying to wave away the haze.
“Shit. You bottled Acid’s gas?”
“Not quite. It’s a derivative I’ve been saving for a special occasion. The outside is very dangerous, so I think it’s best I give you a taste of what is to come.”
And to say that was so unlike Snake that Mei hesitated, only for a moment. But that was enough. As everyone else backed away to stay out of range of the sudden brawl, a slew of bottles arced through the smog, crashing all around her and evoking a variety of effects. One released a blinding blast, another exploded to scatter shrapnel everywhere, and another shattered against Mei’s apparition to engulf her lower half with a quick-solidifying goo.
Mei is entangled in Hardened Gel. Speed down.
She tore at the substance with ghostly claws, slicing through the material with ease. The mound began to crack, and a leg was freed.
Snake casts [Burning Hands].
The fumes were suddenly blown out of the way by a thin wall of fire, scorching the ground beneath its destructive advance. Confronted with real bodily harm, Mei concentrated…
[Feline Fine] initiates power surge.
With an instantaneous bang, Mei leapt from her entrapment, scattering shards of the goo across the ground as she tore through the flames with spiritual claws. With that most recent attack it was obvious where Snake was, a faint silhouette from that direction. In mere moments Mei was upon her, taking the advantage and nearly tearing apart the poor woman, who was saved only by quick thinking and the noble sacrifice of her potion belt, shorn in half. The whole ensemble dropped to the floor between the two, reminding everyone why it was a terrible idea to let different elixirs mix together.
The result was so violent everyone had to cover their eyes to avoid being blinded by light and expelled glass shards. When the dust cleared, both were lying on the ground in different states of wholly stunned from the chaotic blast. Snake pushed herself off the ground, finding her glasses broken, and threw the trashed frame at Mei, bouncing harmlessly off her head.
“Goddamnit. I can’t see clearly anymore. Now how am I supposed to work with spreadsheets?”
“Doesn’t matter, I won. Got you at the end.”
“But I’m still standing and you’re lying on the floor. Technically that means I win.”
“I could get up, I just don’t want to. I clapped ya cheeks noob. EZ not even close, keep malding and coping and seething. I’m staying winning, and you’re losing.”
Wisp squatted next to Mei’s prone form in moderate concern and slight contempt.
“If it’s any consolation, that was pretty impressive. I guess I could make an exception for you. You still lost, though.”
“Nope. Impossible. Mad cuz bad. Skill issue. Straight up banged your mom last night, that’s how awesome I am. Legitimately have over 300 confirmed kills. Cry about it.”
Mei coped, Wisp added a new member to his party, and metalheads in the industrial districts continued to slave over their work. Automotive Industries churned out robot after robot, in different variants, as well as modding the ones already on hand. Flush with money, all they needed was more combat capability. And with this next batch of offensive drones, all would be remedied.
Dime was a literal gold mine, the not-so-proverbial golden goose, inconveniently protected by a gaggle of unknowing friends. They would leave eventually, though. Everyone caught on to just how dangerous protecting him was, in time. Soon he would be in the grasp of someone who could really use the power of the coin.
They could barely wait.