This is a Beta Test?! - A Literally Broken System

Stepping inside the manor, the very air of the atmosphere seemingly changed from the usual dark and dreary to an even more darker and downright creepy vibe. Everywhere I looked, the very walls seemed like they were about to fall off and leak dark goop all over the floor, just to drive home the fact that we were walking into an utterly alien environment.

"Keep calm," I drawled out, more to myself than for the rest as I gripped my pistols tighter. "We still don't know what's lurking behind these walls and floors."

A silent nod of approval went throughout the party. Cautiously, Maruki led the charge, his metal boots stepping across the creaky wooden floor as we went inside the main lobby of the manor. From there, we were presented with two options.

"Up or down, huh..."

I clicked my tongue as I found myself looking around. The main foyer of the manor looked as opulent as it was the outside of it. It was clear that the entire place was once a vibrant and colorful home, one complete with family pictures and life as far as the eye could see. Unfortunately, the only things that were left were empty vases and wilted plants. Pictures and portraits that once looked more like art were left to rot, most of them having faded away leaving a stained picture of a family of five...

Somehow, I had a feeling that there was more to that.

"Where to, Moriya?" Shade asked, more to Maruki's benefit as the tank was clearly waiting for my command.

"Up first, I suppose," I decided. "There's only so high this building can go, and we can go down after the fact."

"Wise choice."

I blinked at Guidance's words, but I ignored them in favor of the task at hand.

Maruki taking the lead, the wooden stairs creaked ever so dangerously as we made our way up the main stairwell. I was honestly hoping that we'd find Shizu on our way up, but that was kind of wishful thinking on-

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A scream?! "Get down!"

A horrifying screech echoed throughout the manor, the very foundations screaming in pain as it threatened to bring the whole building down right on top of us. It was too encompassing that we couldn't tell where it came from, but the volume of the scream itself told us that we were probably getting closer to the source.

"T-that... We really shouldn't be fighting this thing," Shade nervously mumbled aloud. "It's... it's utterly alien..."

"T-that's what the Eldritch are, unfortunately," Guidance shakily replied, her fingers trembling even as she tightened her hands into a fist. "We have no choice. We have to get Shizu out of here still."

"B-But... Is she even alive?"

"Don't say that," I harshly reprimanded Shen. "She's still out there, I'm sure."

The girl shrank even further into herself, her grip on her wrench practically making her palms bleed as we slowly got back up. With Maruki giving me a questioning look, I nodded back to him as a signal for us to keep going.

The higher up we went, the less the air seemed to try and suffocate us, apparently. The eerie feeling of being watched eased somewhat, and for some reason, it felt like we were going in the wrong direction.

"Moriya."

"I know," I quickly responded to Guidance's call. "We're looking in the wrong place."

Shade audibly clicked his tongue at the news. As did Maruki, but the tank didn't show his displeasure as he simply repositioned himself to go back. Looking at me for direction, I simply returned the gesture as we made our way back to the main foyer.

"And here I thought we were getting closer," Shade sighed.

"We would've if we felt even more unnerved than we first went into this manor," I pointed out. "So far, we haven't met any resistance, which means that we're going in the wrong direction."

"But wouldn't facing enemies now be a bad thing?" Shen quietly asked.

"It would be either way, but we're currently trying to find the source of all this madness," I sighed. "It would be counterproductive of this thing if it didn't try defending itself with whatever minions it might have."

It was simple video game logic. Enemies meant that there was something noteworthy in a given room. While there might also be some important stuff in the empty corridors of this place, we just couldn't waste our time trying to empty out the house while we were in a potential hostage situation. Shizu might be losing more health as we speak. Or maybe her brains were already being converted into swiss cheese and it might be too late for Shen or Guidance to fix it.

"Back here again..."

With us back in the main stairwell, there was only one option left for us as Maruki took the only viable route for us to take. Making his shield shine brighter, he braved the dark and dank depths below as we followed suit.

"Okay, that's a marked difference..."

As soon as I took the first step down the staircase, the distinct chill of what felt like the underworld seemingly warped itself all around me. I shivered like hell, my teeth clattering as I fought the urge to wrap my arms around my chest. There was no way that I'd holster my weapons for this, not when it was obvious that there was something sinister down here.

"C-Cold..." Shen clattered out, her wrench glowing a dull green as she shivered with every step.

"I-I should h-have... Something...." Guidance stuttered, the cold being too much for her to bear as her fingers struggled to even press buttons. "D-Damn... I-I can't.... even..."

"Y-You can do it..." I encouraged, certainly not hoping that she'd somehow conjure up a small fire for our hands to not fall off our arms.

In front of us, Maruki had visibly stalled, the extreme cold making the joints of his armor lock up with every extension. He still pushed forward, of course, his shield shining brightly despite the ever-growing cold and dark hanging around us.

This was... Despite the cold, surely, Shizu was still out here somewhere.

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