After dinner, we gathered together. Everyone spilling out the tea. All the information we know.
"What about the Puppets?"
Nine asked and Anna ponder for a while.
"I don't know how to explain it exactly since there's a lot, so I'll try to make a resume about them."
I remember I draw some Puppets to put in the game. But knowing their design it's different than knowing how to kill them.
I have a vague memory because I had played the game before, but that was a long time ago. I don't know for sure if I'm right.
The Robot Puppet it's the one who has more variations on their design even though he's the weakest. They all have different faces, some has digital horror drawings and some makes use of weird masks, sometimes it represents an animal.
"The Robot Puppet can easily be kill by letting the golden fluid run wild, like a human losing blood. So make a lot of cuts, destroy it the most you can."
"What about the Smoke Puppet?"
The Smoke Puppet had the simplest design of all Puppets. But he's stronger than the Robot.
It doesn't have a solid body, it's something like a smoke shape body, and because of that, they can be created in different shapes. Sometimes an animal, a human or a beast.
"The Smoke Puppet can only be killed if you destroy the nucleo inside them.Their nucleo can be found in their feets, head or heart."
'We have to try our luck then... That's Great.'
"There's another one called Samurai, what's his powers?"
I asked and Anna seems lost in her own thoughts.
From what I remember, the Samurai Puppet has a black chinese hat, dark robe and a sharp katana. He's a fighter, but not only that. He can control dead bodies.
"About the Samurai.. hum, he's a necromancer. I believe his weak point is the heart. You have to destroy their hearts. But you don't need to worry to much, he'll not show up anytime soon."
The others stared at each other, looking relief.
"What about the Clown?"
Zero asked and Anna shakes her head.
"He can't be kill. So don't try it out. He's different from others, he has a Soul, so he can keep his memories."
"So if I kill him on a mission, he'll comeback to kill me on the next one?"
"Exactly."
He has a soul and can reborn from ashes.
We also have souls, but it takes one tiny mistake to kill us all, and differently from the Clown... we can't comeback.
Being careful doesn't hurt.
"There's more Puppets, right? I remember there's one called the Doll Puppet."
Nine said.
'The Doll Puppet...'
I remember that name. That Puppet appeared in the end of the first game. I designed.
His skin was white like clay. His hair, eyebrows and eyelashes was not different, white like the snow. He looked wounded, his skin was falling.
Between the cracks, his skin was red as blood. His eyes was golden, like his crown, which had a chain that went to the middle of his nose and then split in two going to his ears.
"Never heard of it."
Zero pronounced and Anna smiles.
"It's normal. The Doll Puppet got introduced once and was never seen again. And like the Clown, he can't be killed. In fact, he's way stronger, but I don't know his powers though."
It makes sense. Fire and Guns was popular when it was released. Everyone played it and discussed about The Puppets on social media. But over time, people stopped playing and the game lost popularity, soon the investors gave up on the project.
The second game was never released. But the script and some new characters were already made, but they didn't have the chance to be added to the game since the project was cancelled.
In the end, The Doll Puppet did not receive the power intended for him.
So no one knows the dimension of his power.
"He probably won't show up in this world."
'May the heavens listen to you.'
"So... About the Soul's Power, what's it exactly?"
Anna clap her hands.
"Ok, let's start from the basics. Calling it 'Soul's Power' it's quite wrong, but I get what you mean. Hum... Do you guys know about the Celestials, right?"
"Celestials?"
"Yes, the creators behind all those Missions"
"You're the creator..."
Nine said it and Anna rolled her eyes.
"I mean IN the game. There's strong beings who watch us all the time, they're something like the constellations in novels."
"Got it."
"It's said that they live in different worlds, but sometimes they connect with each other to have fun. Their fun equal our destruction."
'Celestials, I don't remember drawing any of them.'
Omniscient beings who suck our lives for pleasure. What a nightmare.
"After you sign a contract with the Soul you got, they'll naturally contact the highest beings. If a Celestial thinks of you highly, he'll gift you a fraction of his power."
"So... these Celestials are the ones responsable for the Soul's Power?"
"Yes, directly. But don't worry... You just have to rob the attention from one of the Clan. Easy pie!"
'How do you bake a pie without an oven?'
I'm not talent enough to catch their attention. Yet, somehow one of them it's watching me.
The shadow in the Arena... I'm sure it's a Celestial's power.
"What's a Clan?"
She stares at me with half closed eyes.
"Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm the designer."
"Programer"
Nine spoke fast and Azura lift her hand.
"Character Maker"
Everyone look at each other and then gives Zero at side Eye. He smiled and lift his shoulders.
'He's the one giving the orders.'
"A group of Celestials forms a Clan. Beyond their contract with us, they also have contract alliance between them. I guess without this measure they would probably kill each other."
Azura lay down and took a deep breath.
"Weird beings..."
"They can listen to you."
Anna answer it, as an advice.
"Do you guys know how to use the Soul's Power?"
Anna asked and at the same time Lucia tap my shoulder.
"Uncle, I guess I know how to use it."
She close her eyes and inhale. When she opened it again, they're shinning a golden light.
Soon, the room we were started to spin as we get suck beyond the floor. When we reached the ground, there was a gray infinite deep mud everywhere.
We looked at each other with wide eyes.
"Guys, I think there's something wrong in the mud. Something is grabbing my feet, I can't move!"
Anna warned and I feel something pulling my back to the ground. Mud beings started to come from under the dirty water and dragged themselves towards us.
"What the hell is that?!"
Zero shouted as the beings climb him up, covering all his body.
Anna, was looking hella scared while pushing the mud bodies away from her. But the more she tried, more would appear.
She got covered.
Azura tried to run, but one of them grabbed her foot and pulled her inside the water, drowning her.
I stayed quiet while the beings stares at me, with their hands over my body.
Next second, Lucia shows up using a yellow raincoat. Her bangs, now yet, was almost covering her eyes. Golden like fire.
She wasn't using those clothes before. This is not real. It's an elusion.
She takes the lollipop out of her mouth and smirks.
"It's time to wake up."
Lucia snaps her fingers, then we fall again, soon, we return to the room we were earlier.
We truly didn't leave it, was all in our heads.
Her eyes turns honey again while she bites the lollipop.
"That was her power?"
Anna asked with scared eyes.
I nodded and she stares at the others. She's curious about their powers too.
"Damn girl..."
Azura murmured with a smile.
"So, Lucia has an elusive power. What about you Anna?"
She pondered and stayed quiet. Two seconds later, her eyes were shinning red, like Kayden's eyes.
A red aura showed up around her, but nothing happened.
"That's all I can do now... nothing"
"Don't say that, maybe you didn't awake the power yet..."
"Sure."
She murmured, looking frustrated.
"Nine."
He took a deep breath and summoned the Silver Fox. She sits at his side and his eyes turned purple, but nothing happened.
Anna and Nine's Souls already signed their contracts with a Celestial but no power manifested yet.
'Something like that can happen?'
His eyes turned brown again.
"Maybe. I don't know what's wrong either.'
"What if some powers can only be manifested in appropriate conditions? For example, inside the missions."
Anna lifted her eyebrows and shakes her head.
"I never heard about a power only working inside a mission. But about the conditions, I guess your right. If someone controls water, but there's no water around, I believe it wouldn't make sense if their power worked."
Nine nodded and looked at me.
"Kael, you're next."
'How does that work? Should I asked how they did it?'
"Stop thinking about useless things and call me directly next time."
The Raven shows up and rest his claws over my shouder. His eyes shinning a golden light.
A dark smoke spreads across the ground and some shadowy beasts appear behind them. One has their hand putting pressure against Azura's throat.
'Control over Shadow. Which Celestial has this power?'
"Hazel."
Hazel...
'Never heard of him.'
Azura looked around and press her hand in her neck, scratching an area with her fingers. She can feel it?
She can feel it, but not see it. Neither the others, their eyes are only staring at the fog.
She gasp for air, getting everyone's attention.
'Vanish!'
The shadowy beasts spread into the thin air and desapeares.
She lower her hand and glances at me.
"What was that?!"
"Whatever you say, never, ever, mention his name. A Celestial name must never be said out loud."
'Why?'
"You already know."
The Raven flies toward the open window and fade.
Beyond their contract with us, they also have contract alliance between them. I guess without this measure they would probably kill each other.
They are enemies.
We're a group and everyone has different powers. They have different Celestials supporting their back and one of them may be Hazel's enemy.
"There's something more beyond the fog, right? I couldn't see it, but I could feel it. Whatever it is I'm sure it's trying to kill me."
She noticed.
"It's a beast. You couldn't see it because it's made of Shadow."
Anna lifted up from the ground in a jump and turn the lights on.
I don't believe this can prevent them from getting closer, there's shadow everywhere. But I understand her fear. It's a cool power.
Something dangerous that cannot be see with the naked eye would scares the hell out of me too.
Zero raised his hand.
"My turn now, right?"
Anna nodded and his eyes turned green at the same moment.
Behind him, firearms appeared. Some high-caliber and some smaller, all pointed at me.
He's provoking me.
"That's so cool."
Lucia said it if after a while. I almost forgot the sound of her voice.
Nine stared mad at him and then glance at me, without looking away he tells Azura to show off and Zero sighed before his power vanish.
Her eyes turned blue and a portal opened beside her. We could clearly see the other side, that portal would lead us directly to the Arena.
"That's amazing!!!"
Anna shouted and everyone around agreed. She's useful.
'I guess I got another golden coin.'
"Should we tried out?"
Nine asked and I nodded. We have to know if it really works.
We got up from the floor and formed a messy line. Nine went first and we followed him, one after another.
The square was empty and quite dark, only the screen's light was reflecting from above. A new message was writted.
----------------------------------------
Hell's Paradise.
∆ Annihilation [Survival]
Objective: Kill at least 2 Puppets.
Dangerous Rate: 60%
✓ Conclusion
Prize: Your Life, A Weapon and 8.000,00 Coins.
Time Before The Beginning: 23:32
[Failure results in death]
----------------------------------------
"I guess we couldn't escape either way..."
The Second Mission just showed up like this. It just switched places with the third mission.
I probably die a dozen times before I could properly passed it in the game. What a bad joke, we're not inside the game. This is real life.
Somehow it feels like a Celestial has dropped a bait into a calm river, just waiting for the fool fish to get hooked.
I'm not a fish, but I'll gladly bite.
I don't have another choice either way.
"Two days.. we have two days. What should we do?"
Anna asked and Azura lifted both hands straight.
"No idea. I guess we should just train in the meantime, we already know what await us."
We have to kill two Puppets when more than a dozen of them hunt us down and weird beings watch our suffering while eating popcorn.
Celestials needs therapy.
"Let's go back and make a plan."
I went through the portal and sat down on the wood floor again as soon as we came back.
'I miss my fluffy chair.'
Azura throw gently her own body into the floor, loosen her head back and takes a deep breath. Slowly, the blue light faded and her eyes returned to a dark grey.
"I'm so tired."
She left the gate open while we were in the square. I don't know how it works for her, but I can imagine. For me looks like something it's trying to steal my energy.
"So, what's the plan?"
Nine asked and I glance each one of them.
"Let's go home."
Azura lifted her eyebrows.
"Do we still have one?"
"The world didn't changed, we are still in Seoul. The catastrophy came to our world, not the other way around. All buildings it's on the right place, so our house probably will be too, right?"
Zero looked at Nine and then to me.
"Alright, let's all go home. We need proper rest for what is coming, even though I have no idea about what it's truly coming. But I'm sure we will have dark days ahead."
"Grab anything that can be use as Weapon, we'll need it."
I got up from the ground and Lucia held my jacket.
'Right, I almost forgot."
"You can come with me, Lucy."
Her eyebrows lifted and her eyes got wider, and then... she smiles.
A child living her life on the edge of a knife because of selfish gods. We're definitely in a Hell's Paradise.
Anna scratch her nose.
"I only have butcher knives I don't know if will hel..."
"It's useful."
I answered and Nine lifted his hand.
"I think I must have some baseball bats."
"I have guns."
Everyone looked at Zero.
"What? You can buy anything as long as you have the money for it."
Right, we live in a capitalist world. Everything cost money, since birth to death.
Azura tap his shoulders and smiles clingy.
"Sunbaenim, we're in the end of the world but your skin looks so smooth... Uwa, what's your secret?"
Zero rolls his eyes.
"I'll bring you one."
Her smile got bigger as she puts her palms together.
"Thank you, Sunbaenim!"