Persona 5 - The Jester's Point Of View

Scene 80

"Ole!? What are you—"

"You keep running!"

"Huh!? But–"

"RUN!"

There had been a clear hesitation in this decision. Leaving Ole alone with that massive thing which could crush him like a bug beneath its feet. They could only pray that he was going to make it out of this alive. Then again, he had managed to survive in this part of the world all by himself for longer than them so they maybe shouldn't worry too much. They will meet him again once out of this Palace and everything will be ok. They will be able to pick him up after this mission and cuddle him right after, even if he will meow a little too loudly for his own good. Ole will be ok. They had to put that much trust into him. He'll be fine. Yeah. So for now they should focus on what they had to—

Yet in their thoughts they nearly tripped, then finally coming to realize something after a few more near trips. They took a quick glance down, seeing the ground suddenly moving. It became harder to run due to that fact alone and made them close to fall over several times. Not just that but the dust falling on top of their head, then looking up and seeing the ceiling being about to crumble. And then they heard it, the sound of stone crashing down right behind them, only making them run faster.

"What the— What's going on!?" They screamed, not sure what to make of this. What the actual—

"Ah, I forgot to tell you this but once the treasure has been taken we might have to hurry up or you'll get crushed alongside those ruins~" Pipistrello said, or rather chirped. It had no regard for this whatsoever, making them only more panicked.

"You forgot or didn't choose to tell!?" They asked, not being surprised by then if that had been done on purpose to be honest.

"Haha, ok you got me. Not even I know if I actually forgot."

"That's hardly the time for jokes!"

"I'm not joking. Am I?"

"You—" Yet when hearing the sounds of the collapse echoed in their ear again they jumped and made their legs move as fast as they possibly could. Though it was starting to get a little exhausting... Damn it! They can run for shit, even when it matters! "Nevermind that! What about Ole!?"

"He'll be fine, don't worry. If everything went smoothly he probably fled by now from another exit."

"A... Are you sure? I just left him there!"

"You can trust my words that much." Could they though? Could they really? Pipistrello was pulling such a stunt after all. But... They had to admit one thing... For as much as this figure kept messing around there was... Something here. They had been in this pinch yet instead of just leaving them in said pinch, or pinches rather, it always showed up when it's the most needed. This time too. And it had not been wrong.

Trustworthy? Probably not, they wouldn't go that far. At least not yet. But it kept its word to some extent. At the very least when it came to 'You will get out alive' deal. Whatever the reason, they had to put their trust in its words for now. At least when it came to this it didn't seem to lie all that much.

So... Needing them alive perhaps wasn't a lie? Pipistrello was serious about this?

In any case, they had to brush that thought aside for now. Their eyes had been peeled to what was ahead, trying to flee as soon as possible. And the longer they ran as well as the more stairs they took the closer they got to the exit. They had noticed, just a little more! Just keep at it... A bit more. A few more steps. A bit and then they—

However, before knowing it they were stopped dead in their tracks, the massive spike ball flying right over their head. They dodged it just in time, making it crush against a wall of the hall, said hall being so close to the entrance. And then they heard a loud 'Tch' coming from out of nowhere. This got their attention and one quick turn around revealed who it was. And the person standing right on the second floor to observe everything from the floor below was none other than the ruler of this Palace, the shadow of the person they had been trying to stop... Miyuki.

And she was not looking delighted in any way. Usually they were used to seeing her smile in some shape or form, even if it was a rather twisted one. But this time? She looked rather furious, so much so that it was written all over her face. Her golden eyes especially were glowing, and she was growing more and more agitated.

All she did was lift her arm in some directions and objects came flying – From mere knives and daggers from the side to arrows from above, making them run out of the line of fire quickly, though just barely. Their heart was racing as a result, unable to think straight in this situation. And they kept on moving as more objects which could pierce through them were fired right at them. And with each dodge the shadow got more and more pissed.

"Why won't you just die already!?" Shadow Miyuki screamed furiously, from the top of her lungs in fact. "Stay still!"

"Looks like someone is done playing nice." Pipistrello just had to say that and yet... It was true. "You got her angry now, didn't you, Lukie?"

"How did that even— Uwah!" And they just barely stepped away before being crushed by a boulder out of nowhere. Though that move only made one of Miyuki's eyelids twitch over and over.

"I said stay still!" She screamed, it all feeling so utterly desperate at that point. She was out for blood, that much had become obvious by now. "If you won't give it back, I'll force it out of you!"

"S... Sorry but no can—"

"Shut up!" She interrupted, the yelling only becoming more and more aggressive. "If you won't stay still, I will make you with my bare hands!" And then she suddenly jumped down from the second floor, right onto the first, right in front of them, so very close once more.

Needless to say they panicked, not sure what to expect from this. Did they... Have to... They weren't prepared to face her directly! Wasn't this an escape plan!? Because they knew that even if they ran for the door now they would be followed right outside. Not just that but they were too scared to move, the aura surrounding this Miyuki being awfully sinister. So charged in fact that it had become visible, dark with a red outline. It made them freeze in place, knowing that one wrong move could result in instant death. And they weren't going to risk that but... What to do now!? When being cornered like that!

"Brat! Just because you got it all nice! Every single one of you! I need to crush you..." She even said, her voice becoming a shell of the calm and collected tone she had displayed not too long ago, at least during her last visit. Not to mention how deep it had gotten, echoing through the halls without making any efforts in any way. And it became even more terrifying when she started to scream, as if she was a desperate child throwing a tantrum yet also making it obvious that she would not hesitate to kill in any way. " I HAVE TO CRUSH YOU! SHOW MORE DESPERATION! BE IN PAIN! I TAKE WHAT EVERYONE HAS TAKEN FROM ME! "