AZUL: Riddle, I’ve already requested that you refrain from taking off alone!
RIDDLE: I’m the leader of this team, so what’s the problem with my deciding which way we go?
AZUL: That’s not the issue here. What I’m asking is for you to be more careful when you do.
AZUL: There may be Phantoms thawed out and waiting in the shadows.
AZUL: Although Tartarus’ path is a straight single route, we have no idea if and when Phantoms may leap out at us.
RIDDLE: Do you really think I could be defeated by such a pitiful surprise attack?
AZUL: It’s great that you’re confident, but remember, we haven’t had any formal training to fight Phantoms.
AZUL: Caution is the best method when dealing with unknown enemies.
RIDDLE: You’re not wrong. But it’s a bit late for that- we’re already too far down the rabbit hole.
RIDDLE: There’s no turning back now. In that case we’re better off confidently charging ahead than plodding along, jumping at every shadow.
AZUL: Bravery and recklessness are a hair’s breadth apart.
RIDDLE: And caution and cowardice are also a hair’s breadth apart.
RIDDLE: On that note, nowhere in the “How to Handle Any Emergency Situation” manual does it say “Fear the enemy.”
RIDDLE: I’m simply obeying what it does say.
AZUL: Will you follow anything at all, so long as it’s written in a how-to manual or rule book?
AZUL: How about if it said, “Start by letting the enemy attack and strike you first to measure their strength?”
RIDDLE: I’d follow the stated rules, of course.
AZUL: There’s no convincing anyone so stuck on following a manual to a T, is there?
AZUL: This is beyond inflexibility- he’s not simply hard-headed, his head is a rock itself.
AZUL: Hahhh…
AZUL: If I’d known things would be like this I might as well have gone with Leona, even though he’s the one who turned my contracts to sand…
RIDDLE: !! Azul, something’s coming our way!
???: Gyagyah!
RIDDLE: Stay behind me, I’ll finish this!
AZUL: Say what? What’s that supposed to- tch, I’ll save it for after this fight.
AZUL: Riddle, you were injured when you covered for me, weren’t you?
RIDDLE: It’s only a scratch. Nothing to worry about.
AZUL: I let myself get distracted and attacked; it was my responsibility to handle with the consequences.
RIDDLE: If we’re going to start on about responsibility, then in that case I was simply fulfilling my responsibilities as the leader of this team.
RIDDLE: More importantly, I can’t allow you to sustain any serious injuries.
AZUL: This again!? As I told you before, I’m not so weak that I need you to protect me!
RIDDLE: What are you getting all uncharacteristically worked up for?
AZUL: Will you stop treating me like useless baggage!?
AZUL: It’s true that you are the top in our class, a truly talented mage who became a housewarden within a week of our first year.
AZUL: But please bear in mind, that applies solely to the enclosed little world that is our school, Nightraven College.
RIDDLE: … Say what?
AZUL: Take one step off of campus…
AZUL: … And you’ll find that titles like “housewarden” and “top in class” are nothing more than pretty little accessories to clip to your collar.
AZUL: That goes double for a risky situation like now.
AZUL: Right now you and I are of equal status, so stop bossing me around!
RIDDLE: Azul! Hold up! There’s another Phantom asylum right up ahead- I said WAIT!!
ORTHO: Says the one looking all smug after I had to lower the level for him. Well, your score’s pretty good.
ORTHO: Okay, I’ll let you through!
RIDDLE: … Ortho’s extremely irritating manner of speaking is also irritatingly reminiscent of someone else.
AZUL: Brothers indeed. Only someone related to him would be this good at ticking another person off.
ORTHO: No more games after this. You’ll be diving into a real live dungeon with real live monsters to fight.
ORTHO: I can’t wait to see how you two will handle them.
RIDDLE: Hmph, just sit there and wait for us to take your heads. We’ll be make it to the bottom level in no time flat.
ORTHO: Hehe, are you sure it’ll be that easy?
ORTHO: … I’ll wait for you at the bottom with my brother.
S.T.Y.X. Tartarus- Emergency Exit
RIDDLE: Let them enjoy sitting high and mighty while they can.
RIDDLE: Let’s make haste.
AZUL: From here on we can’t know when or where we’ll be attacked from. We should proceed with caution-
AZUL: - Riddle! Will you please stop charging on ahead alone!?
JAMIL: It’s ridiculously strong! Could this be the “Phantom Titan Crystal?”
TITAN: JUUUUPITEEEEERRR! WHEEEERE ARE YOUUUU!? LET ME FREEEEEZE YOUUUU!!
LEONA: Tch, this is going nowhere. We’re backing off and regrouping!
LEONA: King’s Roar!
JAMIL: A- amazing… the ice is all turning to sand!
LEONA: Yeah, yeah, I’m amazing, but now’s not the time to stop and stare!
LEONA: This way!
JAMIL: R- right!
S.T.Y.X. Tartarus- Storeroom
LEONA: We made it to the storeroom, at least.
LEONA: This facility’s so fancy I’d like to think they built all the doors sturdy enough to handle that thing, but…
TITAN: COOOOME OUUUUT!!
JAMIL: Ice is forming over the door, massive as it is! At this rate it’s only a matter of time before the Titan breaks it down and forces its way in here!
LEONA: We’ve got no chance facing a monster like that head on without any help.
LEONA: I’ll hold it off for the moment- you better hurry and find that Thunder Spear!
JAMIL: All right!
JAMIL: Shelf B-16… there it is!
JAMIL: Wait, this is supposed to be a spear!? It’s longer than I am tall!
JAMIL: How are we even supposed to use something this big?
JAMIL: No, hold on, we should be able to if we activate the control system. Insert the start-up key here, like the staff members said…
SYSTEM: Code: Titanomachy. Authorizing Level A Emergency Plan.
SYSTEM: Magic battery charging complete. Power level 100%.
SYSTEM: Activating Thunder Spear.
SYSTEM: To activate, touch the panel to register the user.
JAMIL: Touch… the panel-
JAMIL: … No, wait. If I register myself as the user…
JAMIL: There’s no way I’d be able to control this spear’s crazy amount of power.
SYSTEM: To activate, touch the panel to register the user.
SYSTEM: To activate, touch the panel to register the user.
JAMIL: … Darn it all! I’d better call over Leona!
TITAN: FREEZE… FREEZE IT ALLLLL…!! GRAAAHHHH!!
LEONA: Quit whining, you damn bedhead!
JAMIL: I found the Thunder Spear!
LEONA: Took you long enough to get back here.
LEONA: Lead the way. I’ll cover your back, so head for that Thunder Spear and don’t turn around!
JAMIL: R- right!
JAMIL: Over there, that glowing thing’s the Thunder Spear!
SYSTEM: To activate, touch the panel to register the user. To activate, touch the panel to register the user.
LEONA: Heh, looks like you waited like a good boy this time.
JAMIL: … Well, all you told me to do was “find that Thunder Spear.”
LEONA: Good.
SYSTEM: To activate, touch the panel to register the user. To activate, touch the panel to register the user.
LEONA: I got it, I got it, quit kicking up a ruckus like a rhinoceros.
LEONA: So all I gotta do is touch this panel…
SYSTEM: User registration complete. Safety lock released. Activating support mode.
LEONA: This thing’s so heavy and crammed with magic I can barely levitate it!
LEONA: Why’d they have to make this thing such a handful?
LEONA: Are you telling me those S.T.Y.X. lot can lift this thing like a feather?
JAMIL: (Even Leona’s having a tough time with it! If I had registered myself instead of leading him to it…)
TITAN: GRAAHHHHHH!! WHEEEEERE AAAARE YOUUUUUU!!!
LEONA: … It’s almost here.
LEONA: Listen up. We’re gonna break that thing’s nonexistant nose right off its face.
LEONA: Problem is, this loose cannon’s gonna take a minute to aim. I need you to smack that Titan with magic and buy me some time.
JAMIL: There’s a good chance that any Phantoms that escaped are hiding up ahead like the those we came across earlier.
JAMIL: On top of that we have no idea what else Ortho left in wait for us. Please proceed with care.
LEONA: Phantoms aside, I doubt we’ve gotta worry about that Radish Sprout and his little brother for the time being.
LEONA: As fixated as those two are on calling this whole deal a “game,”
LEONA: There’s only so much they can do to mess with us all the way from that bottom floor.
LEONA: My guess is the most we can expect while on these stairs is a Phantom or five getting in our way.
LEONA: Though now that I think about it, they’re going about this in a real roundabout way. Hmmm…
JAMIL: You’re right.
JAMIL: I did notice something regarding Ortho, to be honest.
JAMIL: If you may recall, when you were fascinated by the game screen while we were passing time earlier today-
LEONA: You looking to become sand?
JAMIL: I’m not the one who described it that way.
JAMIL: As I was saying, when you were “batting at the screen,” as Vil and Idia put it…
LEONA: ……
JAMIL: None of us felt the slightest hint of malice from Ortho.
LEONA: Of course not. He’s a robot. They don’t feel emotions in the first place.
LEONA: The most they can do is display reactions according to their programming.
LEONA: They’re neither good nor evil.
JAMIL: I’m aware.
JAMIL: However, when you mocked him for being a robot earlier, Ortho was visibly annoyed.
JAMIL: And when he fired back that he would have a “surprise” waiting for us, there was clear malice in his words.
JAMIL: Almost as if he were a real human.
LEONA: A human, huh.
LEONA: I’d buy it if Idia programmed him to act like an annoying little brat.
LEONA: I’m gonna wager a guess that all these tough-looking crates are cages.
JAMIL: The entire wall is made up of them. Are there Phantoms in every one of these?
ORTHO: That’s right!
JAMIL+LEONA: !!
ORTHO: You get to enjoy popping them open to find out what kind of surprise Phantom’s inside!
ORTHO: It’s like opening a birthday present! Exciting, right?
LEONA: Ortho… how about showing yourself already? I missed you.
ORTHO: Oops! Hi there!
ORTHO: It’s great to see the both of you are in tip top shape.
JAMIL: No thanks to you.
ORTHO: I thought loooong and hard after Leona Kingscholar said “We can’t possibly fathom the depths of a robot’s mind.”
ORTHO: We’re finally all playing a game together, so it’s got to be an extra fun one!
ORTHO: If “being human” means doing things that no person or machine expected… then I’ll pull it off too!
ORTHO: Take a look at the top of the cage to your right.
LEONA: To the right… A paper? The hell?
LEONA: D, O, U, R- “dour?” What’s this supposed to be, an introductory letter from your home?
ORTHO: Wroooong! That’s a password you’re going to need to get through here.
JAMIL: A password?
JAMIL: Does that mean to “pass through here” the ID card we’ve used until now will be-?
ORTHO: You got it! I’ve already deleted the ID card you have on hand from the security system. It won’t work anymore.
ORTHO: If you want to open this asylum’s door and move to the next stage you’ll need either a matching ID card or the correct password.
ORTHO: What Leona Kingscholar has is only half of the password you need to open that door.
ORTHO: The other half iiiis… hidden in one of these cages!
ORTHO: Your next trial is to find the right password, open the door and continue on your quest!
ORTHO: Best of luck to you!
LEONA: Damn, can’t punch a hologram.
JAMIL: By “hidden in one of the cages,” does he mean we have to open them ourselves?
???: Grahhh!!
LEONA: Looks like our jack-in-the-box is all ready to pop out on its own.
JAMIL: The caged Phantoms are starting to wake up. The longer we take, the worse our situation gets.
LEONA: Yeah, little though I wanna trust that midget’s words, it doesn’t look like we’re getting that door open or leaving from where we came anytime soon otherwise.
LEONA: This is a total headache, but we’d better get started cracking open those cages and checking out the contents.
JAMIL: Hold on a moment!!
JAMIL: What was that!? The difficulty level was much higher than when Leona played!!
ORTHO: Of course it was! There’s no fun in playing a game the same way twice!
LEONA: Pretty lame show from someone who talked so big.
JAMIL: Who’s side are you on!?
JAMIL: Still, I’ll take responsibility for my own loss. If it comes to it, I’ll sacrifice myself to-
ORTHO: Don’t take it so seriously! Games are for having fun, after all.
ORTHO: All right, I’ll lower the difficulty for you!
ORTHO: Grab that controller and get ready to try again!
