Ail

We had reached the open road once again, the old area where I once lived already far behind us. Despite the previous events I witnessed there still weighing on my mind, I knew that I had more important things to worry about at the moment.

"It's a pretty quiet morning..." Raena uttered randomly.

"I suppose so. It feels pretty peaceful, what with the nice breeze, the birds singing, and not a car in sight..."

... wait a second.

I looked around once more, and realized...

"Wait, why aren't there any cars anywhere?! It's not that early in the morning..."

"A-Ail, look up there!"

Raena pointed up above us, at something making it dark all of a sudden. It wasn't the clouds or anything like that though, but it was something we've seen before. Something we never expected or wanted to see again...

"RRRREEEEOOOOAAAAAARRRR!!!" The cry echoed across the highway.

"That monster again?! And it's so much bigger this time...!"

"W-what's it doing here? Didn't Tech defeat it before? Or w-was he..."

"Hm..."

"Stronger and stronger monsters like this one will keep on being created, unless they're stopped at the source."

"No, I think it's actually a different monster." I told her, after realizing.

"R-really?"

"RRAAHHAAHHAAHHAA!!!" Although it was rather slow, it kept coming closer to us at a steady pace.

"A-Ail, what do we do? It's too big for us to go around..."

I skidded to a stop.

"A-are we going to run away?" She asked again.

"Raena, I need you to do something." I told her, looking at her with a serious expression. "It might seem really crazy, but I need you to trust me."

"O-of course! What is it?"

"... I need you to take the wheel, Raena." I stated bluntly. "Keep driving the moped forward without hesitation!"

"W-Wha!?" She exclaimed in surprise. "S-straight at... T-the moped... M-me? Why...?"

"You have to do this... We have to do this, not just for our sake, but everyone else's sake, too!"

"... A-alright." Raena excepted the task, although I was sure she still didn't understand why she was asked to do so. "But what about you?"

"Don't worry, I'll take care of everything else." I took out my sword. "You just focus on keeping us on the road, okay?"

She nodded. Raena climbed on the front seat of the moped, me at the back.

"RRAAHHAAHHAAHHAA!!!" The monster laughed, lessening the distance between us.

"Hurry, Raena!"

"I-I have no idea what I'm doing, but..." She floored the gas pedal. "H-here goes!"

Raena sent us straight ahead, the monster looming over us more and more with each passing second.

Good job, Raena... I've just got to focus on charging my sword...

Like the other monster, its eyes started to glow red, while it opened its mouth wide. "DE... VOUR!!!"

"I-I'm scared, Ail!" Raena cried out.

"Don't worry, everything'll be over soon!"

As soon as we reached right where the monster was, my sword had fully charged up, and I unleashed my attack.

I pointed my sword out in front of us. "SOUL SOUND SWORD!!!" I shouted, lunging at the innards of the enormous creature.

"RRRREE-... EEOOOOAAAAAAAARRRR!!!!!" It cried out, as it exploded after we went through the beast. It released a couple unconscious people and cars from its body.

That explains where all the cars went...

Raena stopped the moped in a huff, flooring the brakes this time.

"You okay, Raena?" I asked her, noticing her laying in her seat after I had gotten off the moped.

I helped her get off, her feet a bit wobbly. As soon as I let her go, she fell into my arms.

"You doing alright?" I asked again, feeling her heart beat strong and fast.

"T-that was terrifying..." Raena looked up at me, a small smile on her face. "B-but I did it, right?"

"Yep, you sure did! Sorry about saying you would crash into everything before." I said, chuckling. "But you didn't need to press so hard on the pedals. You trying to break it or something?"

"W-well, I thought I was supposed to go as fast as possible, so..."

"It's okay. I guess I'll have to teach you someday. But for now... let's get going to the lake. Before anymore of those monsters shows up."

"R-right!"

We got on the moped again and drove off (me at the wheel, of course), until we arrived at the final destination we needed to reach before all of this was over...

--

After a few minutes more of driving on the highway, and after going through the same annoying path through the forest, we had arrived there once again... at the Lake of Death.

"T-this place still terrifies me..." Raena uttered, shaking in fear. "A-are you sure this is where we need to be now...?"

"Why? Do you want to turn back?" I asked her.

"N-no. I've already decided." She answered, calming herself again. "I-I won't hesitate now."

"... Good. Then let's go..."

"But to where? Is the manipulator somewhere inside the lake or something?"

"When that strange monster we encountered last time we were here brought me down to the bottom of the lake, I saw something strange." I explained. "I'm going to swim down there and take another look."

"Okay. B-be careful, Ail..."

"Of course."

I dived down, swimming towards the bottom.

"Diving into the water to see what's at the bottom... So I'm doing something like this again, huh..."

I continued to submerge myself further, eventually being blocked by something blue and metallic.

"What's this? It seems kind of familiar..." But why?

I moved some dirt and rocks away from it, finding something that looked like a door.

"There we go! I figured as much." Let's see if I can open it...

I placed my hands on both sides of the entrance, trying to pry it open, but it wouldn't budge.

"Darn it! I won't give up!"

I took out my sword and shoved it in between the door. I only managed to get it part of the way in.

"Hm... How about this?! Soul Sound!"

I released sound waves from my sword, forcing the door open.

"Yes, I did i-..."

Before I could finish, the door started to suck in some of the water, creating a small current. I swam away quickly before I was dragged in, though.

"Ail, what did you see down there?" Raena asked me, after I had jumped back out of the lake.

"I found a door that leads someplace down there, and I managed to open it." I told her. "I'm guessing that's where the manipulator is."

"So... that's where we need to go. The person that caused all the bad things that have happened... is down there."

"Yes, that's right."

"I-I'm so afraid..." She uttered, wrapping her arms around herself. "My heart won't stop pounding..."

"Raena, I promise that nothing bad will happen to you. I won't let it!"

"Ail..."

I offered her my hand. "Let's go?"

She said nothing and just stared at my hand for a while, but then...

"O-okay!" She took my hand, putting on the most serious face she could muster.

We both dived down back to the bottom of the lake, me bringing Raena to the entrance of the blue, metallic place.

--

As soon as we entered the unfamiliar area, the door immediatelly shut on us.

What?! Do they know we're here?

Soon after, the water in the small room we were in was drained.

Oh, so that's why the door closed. Good, now we won't have any breathing problems. Well, Raena won't anyway...

"So, how do we go furth-..."

All of a sudden, the door in front of us automatically opened, and we were launched by something into the next room. The second door slammed shut as well, and we fell to the ground with a thud.

I got up, and turned to around to face Raena. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yeah..." I helped her up off the ground. "Thank you, Ail."

"I wonder just where we are exactly? It's looking more and more familiar for some reason..."

"U-uh, Ail...?"

"Hm?"

She pointed in front of her. "L-look..."

I turned around to the direction she was facing.

"W-what the?!"

They were a whole bunch of green tanks scattered around, with people's bodies inside of them.

"What's all this about!?" How could I have possibly missed this when we were launched in here?!

"TAFFY!!!" Raena cried suddenly, running toward one of the tanks.

"Raena, wait a second!" I ran after her.

She pressed her hands against the glass of the tank, looking up at the girl inside.

"That's her! That's Taffy in there!" She started to sob.

"She's wearing a breathing mask. So she's probably still alive..."

"But how will we open this tank?"

"Hm..." I examined it more thoroughly and noticed something odd around the bottom part of it. "I wonder what this thing is?"

"Maybe it's what opens it...?"

I leaned down and poked it. It beeped suddenly, and slightly opened the tank.

"W-wha?!"

It closed immediately afterword, so only a little bit of the water leaked out (which looked perfectly normal, so it was green from the glass).

"INSUFFICIENT AMOUNT OF VIBRATION DETECTED." Came a sound from the tank.

"What? What does that mean, Ail?"

"I'm guessing it means it opens from loud noises."

"But why? Why does it open from that, of all things?"

"I don't know..." Loud noises? What do we know that makes loud noises...?

"RROOAAARR!!!"

"The monsters!" I exclaimed, after realizing. "It must open from their roaring!"

"E-eh? T-the monsters...!?"

"Monsters only attain physical form by taking control of a person's power."

"They're... power sources. For the monsters." I uttered, partly disgusted just for saying those words. "The people thought to have drowned at the Lake of Death must be being kept here to make the monsters stronger!"

Raena covered her mouth in shock, trying to keep herself composed.

"It would explain why the monster we fought at the lake had no one taken over, at least."

"We have to do something! If they're left here any longer, something terrible might happen to them!"

"Yeah, you're right." But it's strange... If the manipulator has been keeping all these people here, then why have the monsters take over people from the outside?

"B-but... what should we do...?"

"I have an idea. It's actually something I did earlier to this place's entrance."

I placed my sword near the strange mechanism and began to charge my sword.

I have to be careful not to use too much power... I don't know how fragile the tank is...

My sword began flashing.

Now! "Soul Sound!"

I sent sound waves through it and it opened the tank completely.

"Argh!" The water spilled out without hesitation, dropping both of us to the floor...

"Oh no!" ... and without the water supporting her weight, Taffy began to fall as well.

"Got you!" Fortunately, I caught her just in time. I laid her on the floor next to Raena.

"Taffy..." Raena said to her, starting to sob. "P-please tell me you're okay..."

Raena...

"Nngh...?" Taffy slowly began to open her eyes. "R-Raena, is that you...?"

"Taffy!" She brought Taffy's head up and embraced her. "I-I'm so glad you're okay! Taffy..."

"Huh? What's up? You act like you haven't seen me in a long time..." Taffy said, a look of confusion on her face.

"What are you talking about? You've been gone for four years, Taffy! I-I thought..." Raena began to cry. "I thought I'd never see you again!"

"Four years?! Really? No wonder you look so much older, Raena! And why my dream was so long..."

"She's not the brightest, is she?" I uttered. "Figures, since she's chef boy's sister..."

"Eh? Who's that guy?"

"O-oh, that's my..."

"Boyfriend~!?" Taffy shouted, cutting her off.

"W-what?! NO!!!" Raena exclaimed, her face turning beet red. "H-he's not my boyfriend!"

"Heehee, don't lie to me! I'm sure you've done a lot of naughty stuff with him, right?"

"N-no, that isn't true at all, honest!"

"Um, nice to meet you. I'm Ail Diluvi." I cut in, saving poor Raena from any further embarrassment. "I'm a good friend of Raena's."

"I'm Taffy Fesch! Nice to meet you, Raena's cute boyfriend!"

"Hey, I told you my name; why don't you use it instead of giving me a stupid nickname? And I already told you, we're just friends!"

"Heehee, whatever you say~!"

I sighed.

"Um, so, what are we doing here anyway?" Taffy asked. "What even is this place?"

"Huh? You don't remember?"

"Mngh, not really." She scratched her head. "My memory's really fuzzy..."

I guess I can't really blame her. She's been sleeping here for so long, after all...

"Alright, I'll explain everything, Taffy." Raena told her. "Everything from four years ago, to now..."

--

A couple minutes later...

"... and that's what brought us here." Raena finished.

"Whoa, all of that really happened to you?"

"Y-yeah..."

"I can't believe so many people were being mean to you, Raena!" Taffy said angrily. "Even my stupid brother, grr!"

"It's true that I've been through a lot ever since you disappeared, Taffy. But I've managed to come this far, thanks to Ail's help."

"Yeah, he's amazing! Like your knight in shining armor~!" Taffy's eyes lit up. "Right, Raena?"

"U-uh, well..." Raena started to blush.

"I wouldn't really consider myself to be that great, really." I cut in again. "Not until I stop the manipulator, at least."

"So who is this 'manipulator' person, anyway?"

"You don't know who brought you here, Taffy?"

"No... Like I said, I don't really remember."

"Oh... We were hoping you would know..."

I know who it is... But for her sake, it might be better not to tell Raena right now...

I gazed at all of the other tanks.

Now, what should I do to save all of these people...

"... Ah!" I exclaimed, running up to one of the tanks.

"Ail, what's the matter?" Raena asked me, getting up with Taffy.

"The girl in this tank is..." Yeah, there's no doubt about it! It's definitely her!

"Wow, that girl is pretty." Taffy commented. "Raena, I think he's cheating on you!"

I ignored her, and used my sword to free the girl the same way I did for Taffy.

"You okay?" I asked, after setting her down.

"Ugh..." She held her head dizzily. "I feel like I've been sleepin' for like... a bunch o' months!"

"Your name is Leia, right?" I inquired again.

"Yeah, that's right! How'd ya know that?"

"W-what?!" Raena said in surprise. "That's Leia?"

"So, you know that girl too, Raena?"

"I'm a friend of Tech's. He asked me to save you if possible, and I intend to keep my promise."

"A friend o' Tech's, huh? I'm surprised he even managed ta make any!" She chuckled. "But 'save me'? From what, exactly?"

"Well, do you remember being attacked by a monster by any chance? A monster that came out of the lake?"

"Monsta...? Dude, ya feeling alright?"

I'm guessing that's a no...

"For the longest time, Tech's thought that you drowned in the lake, Leia." Raena continued for me. "He thought you... died."

"Died?! Me? Pfft, as if! It'll take a lot more than that ta get rid o' me!" She chuckled again. "Besides, I'm sure he's fine, attached ta that co'puter o' his and thinkin' up more o' those i'ventions!"

Inventions? Never heard anything about that before...

"I'm sure... he's forgot all 'bout me..."

"Actually, he spends most of his time doing programming jobs to stay in school because his parents stopped paying for his tuition." I told her. "He also buys stuff for you and visits your grave often. He barely gets any sleep because of it."

"W-wha!?" Leia said in shock, losing the smile on her face.

"I don't really know much about your relationship with him, but I'm sure he really cares about you a lot. More than anything else in the world, I bet."

"T-Tech..." She started to cry. "H-he's such a dork... He doesn't need ta worry so much 'bout me..."

And Tech's probably not around anymore, after what happened before... Poor Leia...

"Let me guess... Tech got himself inta some trouble, didn't he?"

"W-what?! How did you..."

"Well, I figured if he didn't, he'd be here, right? I alsa know that he's the type ta carry all the big loads on his shoulders..."

"Leia..."

"Now don't go givin' me tha' sappy look!" She wiped her face and returned the bright smile to her face. "I'm sure he's doin' fine! He's like me; he wouldn't go down so easy!"

"Yeah..." I hope you're right about that...

"I don't really get what's goin' on, but I'm sure Tech's tryin' his best to remedy this sit'ation." Leia sprung up on her feet without any trouble. "So I don't wanna be dead weight, either! Since you're Tech's pal, I'll help ya in any way I can!"

"Um, thanks. I guess..."

"I'll jus' get my gunpowda ready an-... AGH!!!" Leia began to search her pockets frantically. "My explosives! They've been jacked! You're right; only a monsta would do such a thing!"

I... don't even know how to respond to that...

"... T-that doesn't matter. We need to figure out a way to open all of these tanks first."

"Can't you just open them all the way you opened ours, Raena's cute boyfriend?" Taffy asked.

"I told you not to call me that! And opening them one at a time would take too long..."

"I'm sure you would get pretty tired, too..." Raena added.

"Yeah. There's got to be a better way. If only we had something louder than my sword..."

"Explosions are loud!" Leia suggested.

"An explosion that big would obliterate everyone!"

"Jus' sayin'..."

"Maybe someone still in one of the tanks might know something." Raena said. "They might have better memories about being captured than Taffy and Leia."

"Good idea. I'll ope-..."

"Hm? What's Sete boy doin' here?"

"Huh?" I walked up to the tank that caught Leia's attention. "You wouldn't happen to mean the Sete from GRIS, would you?"

"Yeah, that's right. I've got a cousin in tha' band, so I know 'em pretty well." She explained.

I never would've imagined that one of GRIS's members was a family member of Leia's. But I bet I can guess which one is her relative...

"I wonder what's he's doin' here, though?"

"Ian told me he fell in the lake, but he must've been brought here the same way you were." Same goes for Taffy, now that I think about it...

I placed my sword in front of his tank.

I hope you'll be able to help us...

I opened up the tank the same way as the others. However, unlike the other two, he didn't wake up immediately.

"Um, is he alright?" Raena asked, obviously worried.

"He doesn't look so good..." Taffy added.

"Don't ya worry!" Leia reassured them. "Just splash some water on 'em, and tha' should do the trick! I used ta do tha' with Tech all the time!"

Not a bad idea, except he's already soaking wet! ... And also, poor Tech.

"Hey, you doing okay, bud?" I asked him, trying to shake him awake.

"HEY!!!" He shouted suddenly, making me jump back in surprise.

"W-what?!"

"Can't a dead guy get some shut-eye around here?!" He shouted, not looking completely awake.

"..." None of us had anything to say to that.

"Now that I'm dead, I'd at least thought everyone would leave me alone!"

"Uh, dude, you're not dead..." Part of your brain might be, though...

"Um, aren't you cold, sir?" Raena said to him. "We should get you out of that wet tank..."

"Pah, some stupid water isn't gonna kill me! I don't mean to brag or anything, but I, Sete, was the best swimmer in all of Neturus before I died!"

So he really is Sete after all... But I never thought he'd be this weird...

"... or at least I was." He continued, apparently not done talking yet. "That was until... Lopez showed up! Curse you! Curse you, Lopez! Why'd you have to steal my glory before I kicked the bucket?!"

"So, anyway..." I started, choosing to ignore his tirade. "You said your name is Sete, right? As in, the guitar player from GRIS?"

"WRONG!!!"

"J-Jeez, sorry! No need to shout..."

"I don't play guitar, I play the bass! The bass, got it? And I don't mean the fish, by the way!"

Wait, seriously? Then why did his bandmates have me play the guitar, then...?

"Base? You mean like the ones in baseball?" Taffy decided to ask.

"No! It's a musical instrument!" Sete explained. "It's like a guitar, but waaay better!"

Hey hey, don't go dissing the guitar, man...

"In fact, I don't mean to brag or anything, but I, Sete, was the best bass player in all of Neturus before I died!"

Oh, here we go again...

"... or at least I was." He continued, talking like a broken record. "That was until... Lopez showed up! Curse you! Curse you, Lopez! Why'd you have to one up me before I started pushing up daisies?!"

"I prefer tulips, myself." Taffy stated.

No one cares...

"I prefer the explodin' ones, myself." Leia added.

There's no such thing!

"Anyway, it doesn't look like he's going to be of much help..."

"What should we do now, Ail? Should we try opening another tank?"

"I feel like this is all turning into a wild-goose chase. The manipulator probably didn't bother guarding this room because they figured that, even if someone made it here, no one would be able to do anything."

"B-but we can't just leave all these people here!"

"I know that! But..." Dang it, and we came so far, too... What now?

"Y'know what I think?" Sete said suddenly, standing up slowly.

"... What is it?"

"This 'manipulator' person... Is he the one that took my life?"

"Um, yes...?"

"Well, what's stopping him from taking the lives of others? We should prioritize going after him, right?"

"But we can't abandon all these people! We're the only ones that can save them right now!"

And I know how it feels to want someone to save you...

"Don't worry about it so much, Raena's cute boyfriend!" Taffy chimed in. "These people probably haven't been here longer than me, right? I'm sure they can wait a while~!"

"Until then, let's go kick tha' no-gooda's behind! We'll force all the answas outta 'em!" Leia added. "We'll make 'em free these folks 'imself!"

Well, it is true that they'll be in a lot less danger if we take care of the manipulator first...

"... Alright. I guess it's our only choice right now, anyway."

"Just where is the manipulator, though?" Raena asked.

"I was looking around, and I saw a weird door back there!" Taffy pointed to the opposite side of the room from where we entered this room from.

"Is that the only other door you saw?"

"Yep! That must be where he is then, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose so..."

"Then let's go!" Taffy exclaimed, running toward the door.

"W-wait, Taffy!" Raena yelled, chasing after her.

"What a brave youngin' she is, runnin' toward danger like nothin' at all!"

Or she's just not very smart...

"Oh well, I guess it probably wouldn't be good to leave you guys here, anyway." Since they're probably power sources for the monsters, there might be some lurking around here... "Come with us; we'll keep you safe."

We started walking toward the door.

"Sorry to tell ya I'm about as useful as a dud when I haven't got'ny explosives on me." Leia apologized. "I've got no choice but to count on ya... Um... What'd ya say your name was again?"

"I didn't. It's Ail."

"Ah, Ail! That's a pretty hearty name! But I feel like I've heard it somewhere before..."

"But how can that be? I'm sure Tech met me after you disappeared..."

"Hm... I guess you're right. My memory's still a mess, so my head must not be workin' right still."

"Huh? That other guy's not with you?" Taffy said to us after we had made it to the door.

We looked behind us, and noticed we had left Sete behind.

"Hey! Get your butt over here! We've got to get goin'!"

"That's okay. I'll stay here." He told us calmly. "Besides, I'm sure there isn't much a dead guy like me could do, anyway..."

"... Hey Ail, want me to go drag 'em back 'ere for ya?"

"Yo, Sete!" Taffy called out suddenly. "You'd better hurry; Lopez has already made it over here~!"

"L-Lopez...? Lopez!? ... LOPEEEZ!!!" He sprinted over to us while shouting at the top of his lungs (so loud, that I could've swore I saw some of the tanks open slightly).

"Good job, Taffy... Now, how do we get this door to open?"

"No idea." Taffy answered bluntly. "There's no buttons or anything..."

I tried to wedge my sword into the door. "No, my sword's too thick..." So I tried to use my hands. "Nrgh! It won't budge!"

"Drat, if I still had my dynamite, it would've been turned ta pieces flyin' all ova the place by now!"

I banged on the door. "C'mon, open already!"

"Ail, I don't think that'll wo-..."

All of a sudden, the door promptly opened up, like my yelling had made it open.

"Ah, you did it! Good job, Raena's cute boyfriend!"

"Wait, isn't this..." Raena looked into the beyonds of the door in confusion. "... an elevator?"

"What's an elevator doing here of all places? And how come there aren't any buttons next to it?"

"Hey, there aren't any in here, either!" Taffy told us, already inside.

"Don't just go inside without warning like that!" I said to her. "So, how are we goi-..."

As soon as the last one of us stepped inside, the door closed on us.

"W-wha!? We're trapped!" Raena cried out in shock.

Without warning, the elevator started to move upward by itself.

Is this the manipulator's doing?! Are they purposefully guiding us somewhere?

When the elevator finally stopped, a button appeared on the side opposite the door.

Upon pressing the button, we were brought into a much smaller room. A room with but a door inside and nothing else. What was interesting about it is that it wasn't automatic, but a regular door, with a doorknob and everything.

I placed my hand on the doorknob, but...

"I feel... some really dark presences beyond this door." I stated. "Both familiar and unfamiliar."

"M-me too..." Raena uttered.

"Beyond this door is probably... the manipulator. And some monsters too, I bet."

"I'm so scared..." Raena said, tears forming in her eyes. "O-of what might happen to us..."

I held one of her hands comfortingly. "I already told you, didn't I?" I gave her a gentle smile. "I've got your back, no matter what. So there's no need to worry, alright?"

"T-thank you... Ail!" She said, returning a smile back.

"Let's stop the manipulator once and for all, and do some fun things together, just us two!"

"... No."

"Huh?"

"Not just us two. Let's have fun with all of our friends!"

I looked back at the other three, also smiling at us.

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Raena."

Still holding her hand, I gripped the doorknob once again.

"Alright, let's go. It's time... for our final battle!"

To be concluded... in the Final Chapter!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Writer's Comments:

So this is Chapter 17, the second last chapter of Paint & Treble. And boy, did it end up being a lot longer that I thought! ... Wow, doesn't that sound familiar...

Seriously though, the part where the captives are freed was much shorter in the original. I wanted to make it a lot less simple and expand on the characters'... character, so I figured it would be longer, but jeez.

Well, I guess since there's more characters talking and interacting than usual, it's not that surprising. Also, I only had those three captured in the original, so I had to come up with a reason for Ail not to save the other captives. The result was... a bit weirder than I had hoped for. But oh well, this chapter still turned out a lot better than the previous one, so... yay?

Of course, if this chapter ended being this long, you can bet that the last one will as well. You bet it will, since I'm going to try and fit as much detail and stuff as I possibly can, even more than usual. I mean, it is the final chapter after all.

And if you think you've already guessed how it'll end, you've thought wrong! You'll be shocked about how unexpected it's going to be! Hahaha! ... Um, probably.

- CS-Masyet

P.S. It's almost Paint & Treble's 6th anniversary (in two days)! Know what that means? It means it's been almost a year since I wrote chapter 7. Back then, I was worried it would take me fourteen months to write the next chapter. I ended up writing 10 more chapters in only twelve months! (Okay, I had chap 14 done already, but still.) I sure have got a lot done this year (and part of last year), huh? :D