Sᴏʟ Rᴀᴠᴇʜ TᴇSᴛ DƦɪᴠᴇ #2: Beyond the Idol Doors

[solravehmods]

As before, new arrivals begin to show up in the Altar Room, disoriented and confused after their conversation with the strange spirit known as Ozuma.

Unlike before, though, there are further places to go, to explore than there were at the beginning of all of this. The Storage Room beyond the Altar Room, the Tower of Winds with it's broken cage and spiraling walk way up to a balcony over looking the sea. And even more than that, through the opened idol doors and past another set of raised walls, there is a door way out to a bridge stretching high, high over the churning ocean below.

Unfortunately not even our new arrivals can go much further than that right now. Certainly there is more to see, but beyond that bridge the next area is as dark as those places before have been.

Of course, you could try defeating the darkness within... if you're really that brave.

Comments

[8_bit_gamer]

I can assure you I do not have a fluffy tail... even though it would be cute.

... Ibuki, how did you know that?

[scary_music]

Huh? Know what?

...

Oh... um... Ibuki uh... well, that is...

... she... kiiiiiiiind of ... got her crappy wiped memories back??

[8_bit_gamer]

[Chiaki blinks a few times.]

... oh.

[scary_music]

... um...

...

[Now that she thought about it... everything that happened in there... at least, everybody else had expected what was going to happen in there before their memory wipe. But on the other hand, Chiaki...]

[... Chiaki was probably the one that was most victimized by what had occurred, alongside Usami. In some way, perhaps Ibuki and the others deserved it... but definitely not Chiaki and her sister]

I... Chiaki-chan, um... Ibuki... may not have ... been the one that put in the virus but I...

...

I'm... really sorry about... everything that happened... in the simulation...

[8_bit_gamer]

[Chiaki had a feeling their memories could come back. There were some fail safes in case it did happen. Chiaki and Usami were never told exactly what the others did before arriving in the simulation. This Ibuki was the only Ibuki she ever knew.]

... You don't need to be sorry Ibuki-chan. What happened was none of your faults.I don't blame any of you, and Usami didn't either.

[She smiled brightly]

I am just happy you still are willing to talk to me despite being a traitor.

[scary_music]

Ehehe...

[She couldn't help a few tears from escaping, but her own smile just about matched Chiaki's own. That Chiaki was just so willing to forgive her...]

[... in the Bastion, it was because of people like Ippo and Colin that she didn't fall back into despair when her memories had come back... and...]

[... the possibility that she might never see them and Ikuri again was real, now that Ibuki was here but...]

[... but Chiaki was also here, and... Ibuki knew she could count on her to keep away the loneliness. The despair]

It's like you said, right? Traitor makes you sound like the bad guy! If anything, Ibuki was more badguy than you, right?

But... but that stuff doesn't matter now, because... even though Ibuki has her crappy memories back, I... I'm not that person anymore. Ibuki's still the Ibuki you know.

... Chiaki-chan, you'll stay with Ibuki, right? [... this is almost sounding like it's leading up to a confession or something]

[8_bit_gamer]

... Ibuki, I've known only this Ibuki, and I'm happy that you want to stay that way. That was the point of the simulation.

... Is this confession flag?

1/2

[scary_music]

... huh?

[scary_music]

... W-whoa, is it?! Chiaki-chan?!

Ibuki tripped over a confession pole?!

[8_bit_gamer]

It sounded like something from a dating sim. One of those lily sims... I think.

[scary_music]

R... really?

Ibuki's never played a dating sim before?!

What happens next, Chiaki-chan?!

[... even though she has (had?) a boyfriend and a girlfriend, she's asking something like that...]

[8_bit_gamer]

... I'm very bad at dating sims, so I don't know. But I don't think you have captured the flag yet. Flags take more time then that... maybe.

[scary_music]

... Then... then where's the flag?

[8_bit_gamer]

[Chiaki starts to look around, as if actually looking for a flag.]

[scary_music]

... well, if it's capture the flag, we need to work together, right? Ibuki doesn't know much about first person shooters but those are team games, right?

[... has this become a multiplayer first person with dating sim elements now??]

[8_bit_gamer]

... Capture the flag in a game of Halo is the same as if you do it in a dating sim?

[scary_music]

Is it?

Maybe there's a dating sim that's all about capturing the flag in Halo! A heart breaking story of star crossed lovers, on opposing teams...

And the big question finally comes up... is capturing the flag... truly so important for the sake of your girlfriend's feelings...?

[... what is this even about anymore?]

[8_bit_gamer]

.. That sounds like a very overly complicated game. It wouldn't have too many fans... maybe.

[scary_music]

[Ibuki laughs a bit at that]

That's probably true. Even in music, if you care about sales and stuff you have to be careful about the genre divide...

...

Say, Chiaki-chan, did... ... did we ever escape?

[8_bit_gamer]

[Chiaki looked at Ibuki for a little while. She was worried this may happen. What should she do. Would she handle the truth?]

... Hajime and the others were able to defeat Monokuma, who was being controlled by the SHSL Despair.

[Her eyes darted away from Ibuki]

However, there were more...

[She turned back to Ibuki, bringing her clenched hands out]

But Hajime, Akane, Fuyuhiko, Sonia, and Kazuichi are finding a way to rescue everyone else.

[scary_music]

Right... right, Monokuma and SHSL Despair... Junko-chan, that was all the virus... AI... thing, whatever it was...

[She fidgeted a bit... only five of them made it out? She'd have thought after the first two murders that, maybe, it would have stopped. They were actually all getting along, right? (Though, something in the back of her mind was started prodding her... Hiyoko still picking on Mikan...) And ... somehow, Chiaki knew they made it but...]

Wait... do you mean... we didn't make it? No way, that's totally lame! Ibuki's way too genre savvy to be a victim or a killer!

... but then... it was in a simulation... anything could've happened with the stupid virus in control, I guess...

[She remembers that weird feeling coming over her that night before she'd woken up on the skyway... like she felt herself... slipping away somehow...?]

Hey, did... Nekomaru-chan ever come back from the bazooka shot, or was that the last anybody ever saw him?

[8_bit_gamer]

[Chiaki looks at Ibuki, deciding not to tell her how she died. No one would take that news well]

... None of it were your faults. Junko manipulated all of you, and forced you to do the things you did. I know in my heart none of you would have hurt your friends.

... Nekomaru became Mechamaru

[scary_music]

[She wasn't asking how she died anyway so that's a good call, Chiaki]

W-what?!

Mechamaru?!

Did he have laser eyes! Rocket punch?! Poop missiles?!?!

[Since Nekomaru likes to talk about shitting so much....]

[8_bit_gamer]

He didn't have laser eyes... but he could dispence cola and tea from his eyes.

... he also was upset he couldn't poop anymore.

[scary_music]

W-what?! Seriously?!

Ibuki missed out on drinking Mechamaru-chan's delicious tears of tea and cola?!?!