novelzi Ch 2.86: Pickup
Ch 2.86: Pickup
Ch 2.86: Pickup
“Holy shit,” Tira said as she watched Shein collapse. “Carline, was that you?”
“No,” Carline replied. Tira was pretty sure she could see a proud smile growing on the girl.
“Grab them!” the bouncer who’d taken over hosting screamed, right into the microphone. Some of the crowd was already gasping at the sudden fall, but at that command they went into a full frenzy, screaming and running for the door with no idea what was even going on.
“That’s probably our cue,” she said, watching as the four guards that had supposedly been there to protect Prisma’s modesty turned towards them.
“On it!” Flora was already in motion, performing some sort of spinning kick to take out three while Tira herself was busy unhooking the bracelet around her wrist. Once she did had it undone though she was able to join in herself, pushing the fourth bouncer away and using [Momentum] on his clothes to carry the force farther, knocking him down. “I’m up on you, Tira, three to one!”
“You probably want to stay with us, Princess,” Tira said as she ignored Flora’s comment and darted off towards the stage. Elaina had her wristband off too, was pulling that bouncer Mille off that stage with a chain and heading for the other Temmie as more casino employees flooded the stage. Just as she reached the subcore though, reached out to grab it, her face filled with confusion. Tira could only watch as Elaina tried to grab it multiple times, her hands phasing through the object each time, like it were nothing but a mirage.
“It’s not real,” Carline said as Tira slowed, progress impeded by the stampeding crowd.
“Fuck,” Tira said, trying to push through the crowd. It was no use though; they’d have to go the long way around. “Were we played? Has it been gone the whole time?”
“No,” Carline said, eyes darting around the room. “They wouldn’t get rid of it, not when they don’t even know what it is. It’ll be here, somewhere.”
“What are you people talking about?” Prisma said, hands clutching at the back of Tira’s outfit. “We need to get out of here!”
“If you want to run out into the street, be my guest,” Tira said, pushing Prisma’s arm away, “but I wouldn’t go outside in that outfit.”
“Actually,” Flora added, “you already promised—”
“The office!” Carline shouted, pointing to the back of the room. “Elaina’s trying to get to the office!”
Tira turned to look. Carline was right, that’s definitely wear Elaina was heading, wading through a sea of both regular patrons and employees alike, whipping them aside with dual chains and plowing ahead, making a beeline for the back door, disappearing into the crowd. “We’ll meet her there; Flora, take point!”
“How did you even do it on the middle of the stage?” Tira asked, grunting as she pushed the bookshelf off the wall and looked behind it. “Damnit, nothing here either!”
“Have none of you checked behind that painting?” Tira looked around, confused, seeing Prisma pointing at an empty area on the wall.
“Are you daft, Princess? Nothing’s there.”
“Wait,” Elaina said. “Prisma, can you move that?”
“Sure— I mean, but don’t look at me!” Despite the condition given, Prisma didn’t really hesitate to do as Elaina asked even as the four of them stared, moving towards the wall and standing on her toes, giving them a unique view of her naked body that even Tira had to reluctantly admit to herself was quite nice.
“Elaina, do you see something?” Flora asked.
“No, but I feel something.”
Once Prisma reached all the way up, the girl grabbed something. It looked like she ripped off a square panel from the wall, but behind it was just more wood, the same wall that had been ripped off in the first place. “This is it, right?” Prisma asked.
“What’s it?” the other four all said together.
“The thing,” Prisma said as she threw the wooden panel to the ground, a panel that broke apart at the edges suspiciously like a picture frame might. The girl reached into the wall, the same way Elaina had been reaching through illusory the subcore before. She started to pull her hands back out, and something with them besides, hanging on to a strap just like the one the fake Temmie on stage had around it, dragging the dull crystal sphere through the wall.
“Wait,” Elaina said, “Prisma, stop!”
But it was too late. Prisma turned at the sudden shouting, losing the footing on her tip-toes and stumbling backwards. She pulled hard on the strap surrounding the Temmie, ripping off that aspect—and apparently crystal—suppressing device and leaving the orb to fall through the air, suddenly growing bright blue.
Prisma’s ass hit the ground first, and the subcore fell into her lap.
“System User confirmed as Star Blessed. Status: Aspected, classless. Age: twenty-one years, zero months, two weeks, five days. Party compatibility for System Administrator Elaina Weaver: One hundred percent. Initiating protocol: Class Assignment.”