Shuugetsu Heika
Starlight Academy - Lone Rooftop
Monday - Morning
With that attitude, it is hard to believe anyone would like to team up with you. Hell, if the chest had to pick a partner between the two, Agnethe would be its first choice. To emphasize this point, what you find inside the chest is not a legendary item, nor a juicy amount of points, but rather a strange, yet simple device seemingly taken out of the BDSM section of a questionable and obscure shop. You aren't even granted an instant to examine it, at best, you only manage to raise your hand to cover your face in an instinctive act of self-preservation. Yes, for what comes out of the chest at blinding speeds that no spell formula would be able to match at this distance... Is a projectile, a clear attack against your person.
"..."
There is a brief moment of silence before you hear Grieser's response, which turns out to be a sudden burst of laughter. It's only when you take a look at your wrist, that you take notice of what exactly has happened: You've been hand-cuffed-! At that instant, you are reminded of the exact mechanics of the First Trial, about chests, clues but more importantly about traps.
---'If a participant falls for a trap, they'll be sent to 'jail'. To escape, someone else must set them free. If all team members are sent to 'jail', then they'll be disqualified.'
"Hahahaha-! Serves you right, idiooooot~!"
How strong you are hardly matters, a part of you is already wondering if this is indeed the end. To have fallen before the 'true' start of the event is an act that puts the name Shuugetsu Heika to shame. You can already feel your fame plummeting all the way down to the ground and below, together with its chances to ever soar again. Huh? But isn't it strange? Though your right wrist has indeed been caught, you don't seem to be bound to the chest. In fact, you can effortlessly raise your hand and lift the device together with it. Perhaps it didn't trigger properly...? There is actually a free handcuff on the other side...
---Ziing.
"Ack?! Hey!"
As if the situation couldn't get any worse, toying a bit with the device has caused it to fire the remaining projectile, which precisely captures Agnethe's left hand. Although it is quite satisfying to cut her laugher short, the realization that the two of you are bound together does not bring as much joy. Fortunately, the steel wire's extension seems to be long enough to force you to invade each other's personal space, but you need to get rid of this thing fast, before despair begins to set in!
"What are you, some kind of sadomasochist freak?! Let me go, you perv!"
Actually, that description suits her better...
In the middle of your struggle, an holographic display appears on top of the opened chest, revealing information that was not available before. Wait... What is this-?! Is it hacking into your Miracle?!
'Chest Rarity: SR.
Points Worth: 80 Points
Type: Co-Op Challenge.
Disabling users' Robotic;Notes... Disabled.
Disabling users' SF slots 1-6... Disabled.
Imaginary Stage... Set.
Initiating... Town C.
Difficulty: Hard.'
-------
You've been transported somewhere else. Or rather, your surrounding have just changed.
This is likely the work of A.I. Space, the generic Robotic;Notes all schools are equipped with to prevent collateral damage from Miracle Combat. The chest most likely contained a program that forced it to adopt a specific configuration. None of what you saw on the display appears to have been a lie. A lot of your Miracle Function's have been disabled. Most notably, most of your spell slots. It appears you'll have to make do with just one. A beep sounds informs you that this quest's info has been updated:
'Victory Condition: Either Participant reaches the Goal Point, located at the top of the hill.
Fail if: * Either Participant is Eliminated.
* Time runs out.'
Oh darn, the timer has already started to count down. Less than five minutes remain.
"You can't be serious. What a bore..."
You are still bound to your precious partner. You probably don't need to work together to reach the goal, but the rules already give you a bad feeling. 'If either participant is eliminated'... That means that your own survival won't suffice, but also it means there is something out there that can 'eliminate' you.
And there is something about this map...
Something that puts your body on high alert.