Three Paths

"So Sector 1 is currently infested.. with Sector 3 and 4 level monsters. Creatures even I would have difficulty defeating."

"Wonderful. So in other words, we're fucked." Stated Noda.

"Of course not." Responded Kiryu. "Near the middle section of Sector 1, lies a town where all of the smiles live. It is also where their queen currently is. We must make our way there, and eliminate the queen. If we can do that, then the goop will be victorious, and all of the creatures from Sector 3 and 4 will return to their own islands, since they'll no longer be needed."

"How do you intend on avoiding these higher tier creatures until we have arrived at this town?" Asked Esten.

Kiryu turned toward her and answered. "Nearly the entire island is now crawling with monsters from Sector 3 and 4, however I was able to discover that there are three different nearby pathways which all lead to the smiles's town, that I don't believe have been discovered quite yet by anyone other than the smiles themselves. These pathways are fairly hidden, and each take you through one of the illusionary doorways created by one of the smiles. So, it would not be somewhere you'd see creatures from Sector 3 or 4 roaming around anyway. If you are able to make it through to the end of whatever kind of environment or location lies behind the doorway, then you will arrive at the town. That is what I was able to discover through listening in on a variety of conversations among the smiles. So, we will begin by splitting into three separate groups. That way, if one of these pathways happens to be too difficult or even lethal, not all of us will be completely doomed."

"Yeah? Then what's the plan? Do you seriously think we're capable of fightin' against this queen alone if you don't make it? We couldn't even beat her underlings." Said Noda.

Slightly narrowing his eyes, Kiryu responded. "Well that is just unfortunate. Maybe you should have prepared more before deciding to make your way over to a place as dangerous as the Blackened Archipelago. You'll just have to find a way to fight on and survive until you're finally able to mutate yourselves. Otherwise, I suppose you'll die and prove that the Legion of Elite have been nothing more than an incapable, false symbol of hope for the people of Obliviana."

"You little dickhead... we're not going to have any issues at all!" Shouted Resk. "Noda's just being a downer. Getting through these doorway paths will be cake on a platter, and taking down the queen of the smiles herself won't be a problem. The Legion of Elite are strong as hell you bastard, and we'll all be perfectly fine with or without a mutation!"

Kiryu let out a brief chuckle. "Well then. It seems at least some of you believe in yourselves. So, Noda. While it is true that the Legion of Elite are incredibly weak in comparison to a handful of other groups and individuals, it does not mean you are incapable of doing anything upon this island at all. I stated earlier that you are a tier above worthless since you were actually able to make it here, but it is also because while you did lose to them in the end, you held your own against the smiles and were able to kill dozens of them. You need to stop losing complete confidence in yourself and your group simply due to a single loss. Having a pathetic mindset like that is what will get you killed."

Noda did not respond, but deeply thought about Kiryu's words.

"Now then, enough of these discussions. We're here to take care of the gigantic mouth of mutation, before heading back to once and for all battle against the Colossal Soarers." Kiryu continued. "So how about we get moving and decide upon the three groups? Does anyone here have a person they'd prefer to be grouped with?"

Resk nodded, and made his way over to Kore. "Our buddy Kore here, he's a seasoned veteran when it comes to knowing everything about this place. So even if he's one of those bastard bugs, I'm definitely tagging alongside him."

"Resk. I have not been to the Blackened Archipelago in a great number of years. Though our species may originate from here, I am no longer an expert. My outdated knowledge of the smiles should be evidence of that enough." Kore pointed out.

"Whatever you say, buddy." Resk patted Kore on the back. "And you know what, having Tahara along would be pretty sweet too in case I get hungry for some kind of snack."

Tahara shook his head. "Not gonna be makin' any snacks in this situation. But if ya still want me along I'm not gonna decline."

"Damn... well, yeah you can still join up with me. You're a pretty cool guy either way so I guess I don't mind if you don't make us any snacks." Resk placed a hand on his chin, pondering for a moment before saying. "And then lastly, I was thinking my man Dusk could come along with us. We could definitely make use of his crazy power once it's available again."

"Heh. Well, you certainly seem to have your favorites." Said Kiryu.

Resk glared at him. "You really are just a little bastard. I'm obviously making these picks strategically. I don't have favorites when it comes to my friends."

"Whatever. I really don't care. The point is we've established one of the three groups. So, does anyone else have any preferences?"

"I will team up with the filthy berserker." Suggested Esten. "Otherwise, it is likely his lack of intelligence will end up getting him killed. To put it simply, I will be babysitting."

Noda just accepted her comments and nodded.

"I will go ahead and join them." Stated Setsuna, adjusting his glasses. "The three of us make up the founding members of the Legion of Elite. Therefore, we have an incredible amount of chemistry. It will give our group's chances of survival a substantial boost."

"Then I suppose that leaves me with the Fox woman and the bandaged girl." Kiryu looked over at them.

Valah happily grinned. "Yep yep! I greatly anticipate working alongside such a strong companion. Hmm.. I wonder what our pathway will be like??"

"It shouldn't be long until we find out. If we're using these to avoid the Sector 3 and 4 level monsters, then I'm guessing these pathways are extremely close by?" Asada asked.

"You would be correct... in a sense. While it is true we won't need to move too far in order to reach the pathways, it is mainly because I developed an accessway that leads directly to them." Pressing in another button on his jacket, Kiryu opened up a portal that led directly to the smiles's three pathways. "As I mentioned, the pathways themselves are not a crazy distance away from here, which is why I was able to develop this portal in a short period of time. Unlike some of my other gadgets, portals are not the easiest to work with. Since the pathways were already somewhat close to here, however, I decided spending time on a portal in order to completely avoid the possibility of running into a higher tier monster, was worth it."

Before entering the portal, Noda glanced over at Kiryu and said. "Once this shit is done and over with, you're gonna have some explaining to do. We're gonna need to know what in the fuck all of this futuristic shit is, and how you developed a portal and those towers from earlier after only being here for a couple of days."

"Hm. Those feats are really not all that impressive. It's as I said, all of you have simply been naive to what the real world is like. But sure, I can explain if you manage to survive." Stepping through the portal, Kiryu approached the entrance to one of the three pathways. There were three lone doors created by the smiles, sitting in the middle of a room created entirely of flakey, crusty looking walls. The walls dripped with the mucus like substance that seemed to be so commonplace upon the Blackened Archipelago. "Anyway, I don't have a single clue as to what truly lies behind each of these doors. All I am aware of is that they somehow lead to the smiles's town. So, I suggest you all prepare for the worst. Who knows what lies ahead. Now, fox women and bandage girl. It's time to get moving. Come with me."

Asada stepped through the portal. "Do you not know our names? You've shown that you know of the Legion of Elite, and are familiar with Noda's name. Learn some damn respect if you're asking for our help."

"I am indeed aware of each and every one of your names. I didn't use them when referring to you because I simply didn't feel like it. Now stop wasting time with these unneeded questions, and let's go ahead and see just what is behind this middle door."

Clenching a fist and gritting her teeth, Asada followed Kiryu into the center door.

"Alrighty. Well, I shall see you all at the smile town! You had better not die like Rune did, or else you won't get to have any candy fries later!!" Upon saying this, Valah entered the center door as well, leaving the other seven still outside the portal.

"Hey uhh, guys." Resk turned around. "I just realized.. what are we gonna do with all of our Soar-.. I mean, Winged Warriors?"

Kore responded. "They may join us during our journey. We will be in desperate need of their strength, regardless of what is on the other side of these doors. We may divide their numbers in half between our two groups. Then, once we have done so, I believe we will be ready to traverse through these mysterious illusionary locations. Would you agree, brethren..?"

Tahara nodded. "Yep. Hangin' around here any longer is just a waste of time. We came to the Archipelago so we could skyrocket our strength, and we've come across a guy who seems like he's gonna lead us right to that goal. Now that he's entered the center pathway and I can't ask him anymore questions, I say we get moving and get over to that town he's been talkin' about."

"Agreed." Stated Esten. "There is currently nothing logical to do other than move forward. I do not believe it is smart to blindly place our trust in this random individual, however there is no other option but to do so."

Setsuna added. "He was aware of Noda's name, and interfered before the smiles's signature move could kill us. At the very least, I doubt he's lying about being from Obliviana. If he has any form of malicious intent, then it doesn't seem as if he plans to act on it here. Additionally, I don't see why he wouldn't have let us die while battling against the smiles if he did have some form of a life threatening, negative ulterior motive."

"Couldn't agree more with all of that. At the least I don't think he wants to hurt us either. Wouldn't be following his plan if I wasn't sure of that. There's plenty I wanna ask the guy, but if I can trust him for the time being, then it can wait until we're all powered up and outta this place." Tahara said.

"Sweet. Let's quit pissing around then." With a confident smirk, Resk clenched a fist in front of his chest. "We're finally here... we've made it to the Blackened Archipelago, and are only a short while away from acquiring the upgrade we came here for. Only some doors and weird smiley monsters stand between us and the mutation. So c'mon already guys, let's see what's behind these doors!"

They proceeded to evenly divide the Winged Warriors between their two groups, and move to the other side of Kiryu's portal, which closed behind them once everyone had entered through.

"Well, like Valah said, I'll see you guys in the Smiles's little town! Don't get yourselves killed!" Resk widely smiled at the group of Setsuna, Noda, and Esten.

"You can rest assured that our team compiled of the three founding Legion of Elite members, will not fall." Voiced Setsuna.

"Heheh. Perfect. You'd better not." Responded Resk. "And even if we aren't founding members or anything like that, there's no damn way we'll get killed before seeing you again either. I promise."

Tahara stepped forward, and placed a hand onto Resk's shoulder. "I'll do what I can to keep this guy from messin' things up. Won't make any promises that we'll all live, but I can promise at least one of us will meet ya on the other end of these things."

"I plead for you to do what you can to ensure that Resk is not that someone, if the situation presents itself." Esten closed her eyes as she said this.

"Heh. Yeah, I'll just have to see if that's possible once we figure out what we'll be up against." Tahara answered.

"C'mon Tahara. How many times do I have to say it. I never mess anything up! And seriously Esten, if only one of us could come out alive, I'd be the best possible option for way too many reasons than I want to list right now. Whatever though. You guys can think whatever you want. Right now, I'm too pumped up to bother with arguing!" Resk's eyes sparkled.

"Let's get fuckin' moving then." Said Noda. "Kiryu... he was right. Sometimes when I'm in the moment, and think we're completely fucked, I say some things I shouldn't. From now on, I'll try to watch my words, and not act so hopeless. And that'll start now." He tightly clenched his fists, and looked toward the doorway in front of him. "At least one of us is gonna survive. It doesn't fuckin' matter if we lost to the smiles or not. We made it to this point for a reason. And once we make our way through these pathways, whether Kiryu's there or not, we'll find a way to take down this smile queen. And after that, mutate ourselves, gaining the power to head back to Obliviana and wipe out the Colossal Soarers. So let's go. I'm tired of waiting."

Noda proceeded to walk forward, kicking the door on the right open, entering it.

"He really needs to calm himself down. Kicking doors open in such a disgraceful, barbaric manner is not inspiring." Stated Esten, following after Noda.

Then, pushing up his glasses, Setsuna entered through the doorway as well, saying. "I suppose it's time to find out what sort of barrier awaits our team."

Their winged warriors entered afterward.

Resk began doing arm circles in preparation. "Alright guys, it's our turn. Got anything else to say before we jump in?"

The footsteps of Kore caught everyone's attention as he assertively stomped in front of them. He had an intense look and had been overtaken by inner adrenaline. "Brethren! Everyone! We have come to a point where moving forward will require a great deal of our own courage and potentially even sacrifice! But make no mistake.. each and every warrior standing here possesses the qualities needed to successfully propel us through this ordeal, so that we may inevitably return to defeat Nare and his Colossal Soarers! Whatever awaits us beyond this gateway, and whatever may await us within the town of the smiles, or at any other point in the future for that matter, I know everyone here will face it head on!! They will continue fighting onward to their last dying breath, because every warrior here is dedicated to accomplishing the same goal! Saving not only Obliviana, but the world from Nare's corrupted goals!" He screamed with a fiery passion.

"That was one hell of a speech. And it's a speech I can get behind. Gotta say, bein' part of a big group all passionate toward accomplishing the same goal is a life changin' experience. It's a feeling I'll never get used to, and in a good way. I guess you could say that's one good thing that came from the invasion of these damn bugs." Tahara smiled, biting his toothpick. "But that's all I've gotta say. So let's get goin'. I'm ready."

On that note, everyone began walking toward the doorway on the left. Resk was in front, and opened it. Before he fully entered, however, Dusk suddenly said. "Based on what I'm feeling within right now, my ability should be recharged..."

They all paused for a moment.

Breaking the silence, Resk looked back at him. "Well... heh, I'll be damned. And that's exactly why I chose you to join our squad. We were already going to be just fine, but now if we find ourselves in a seriously crappy situation... you'll be able to raise some major hell. Hah. Well, thanks for the heads up my man. I look forward to seeing you annihilate whoever it is we run into on our pathway, or if we can save your ability up, maybe even the smile queen herself." As he finished that last sentence, he jumped backward through the doorway.

Soon afterward, everyone else followed. Officially kicking off everyone's journey through these mysterious pathways.