Home to the Ol' Ball and Chain

Inside the Kawaguchi manor the furniture was quite non-descript. It was a decorated in a very masculine way, dark modern furniture with chrome finishes. A few dark colored rugs, some new light fixtures. There was minimal art, but there was a nice vase in the entrance way. A rack to put your shoes, but rudely we would be keeping ours on.

The most notable feature in the room was a man in his thirties, arms over his head while crouched in the kitchen. Shivering from the impact of the fight outside. The serious looking man had dark blue hair and a medium build, he wore sweatpants and a loose shirt. His most notable accessory, a large golden ball and chain shackled to his ankles. Even from here I could tell that it was a relic from an elite monster, maybe several.

“Yo sick chain Bro!”

Hyottoko wore sunglasses, tattoos, and was flipping hand signs at the man.

“Hyottoko stop it. Are you Daichi?”

The man shirked away as more pots and cutlery fell around him.

“What is going on out there, aren’t you people supposed to protect me!”

He looked up at us with a hateful glare, but it softened when he met my eyes.

“Rei? Is that you?”

“Yes, I’m Kawashima Rei, your Daichi right? I can’t believe we haven’t met before, I’m sorry it has to be like this.”

“Oh my gosh you’re tall, I haven’t seen you since you were like six. Yes I’m Kawaguchi Daichi.”

“We don’t have time to catch up, we’re here to get you out.”

I gathered essence and began to chant.

“Oh thank goodness, I was beginning to think Kei forgot about me.”

Hyottoko smirked as I continued chanting.

“He didn’t forget about you, he’s just a homebody.”

“Aww so I see he’s still stuck inside. That makes two of us huh.”

They both chuckled, Daichi much more half-heartedly.

“PERSONIFY!”

The ball and chain wriggled with life.

“Oh man finally some company besides that boring Doctor.”

The chains rattled, as a mouth and eyes appeared on the heavy metal ball. I motioned to the other two to be quiet. Hyottoko literally zipped his shut.

“Hi there, we’re from the MaMA. Due to your dutiful years of service, we’re here to relieve you of your current duty and we’d also like to get your opinion of who you’d like to lock up next.”

The ball and chain looked at me skeptical, but then nodded like the compliment was appropriate. Most inanimate objects are full of themselves and very susceptible to compliments.

“It’s about time my service was recognized, you know this guy really isn’t worth locking up. His magic is pretty pathetic, it ‘s so easy to suppress. It take him forever to move me from the kitchen, and about an hour to go upstairs. And that’s after two years of doing it everyday.”

I nodded along to every word, man this ball and chain could talk. I couldn’t rush him but we were really short on time.

“You should’ve seen him when I first got here, huffing and puffing. He slept on the couch for months.”

The ball and chain laughed at Daichi’s demise.

“Well I can assure you that your next occupant will be much stronger, we have him scheduled for tomorrow.”

“Oh great, that can’t come soon enough. No offense buddy, it’s been real but it ain’t been fun, you know what I’m saying.”

He turned to Daichi with a sympathetic gaze, as the shackles loosened and crept away from Daichi’s ankles. The ball and chain stretched them over his head like he was taking a big yawn.

“Oh boy does that feel good, I’m so glad they sent you lady, this is much better than that key they shove in my mouth.”

“It’s all part of your reward for doing a good job sir, the MaMA can’t thank you enough for your hard work.”

“It’s my duty.”

The ball and chain gave me a salute. I awkwardly returned it. Daichi did a few sidesteps away from the ball and chain as calmly as he could, then reached down and massaged his ankles.

“Oh finally, I can feel my essence reserves again too! Quick we have to get my sister out of the basement.”

“Your sister is here? She’s supposed to be in the office.”

The picture frame had mentioned a girl at home. I thought it might be another security guard or a researcher.

“Daichi I’m fine, let get out of here!”

Lady Dr. Kawaguchi emerged from the stairs. She looked frazzled, but she was in a building that was on the verge of collapsing. I checked my phone, nothing from Ms. Hiyori.

“Come on we need to run, it’s all coming down.”

Dr. Kawaguchi walked towards us, but Daichi put his hands keeping us back.

“That’s not her, it’s a monster. It’s been copying my sister.”

The lady dr. Kawaguchi’s face twisted from concern to a twisted smile, and it’s eyes changed from a normal to a glassy mirrored sheen.

“I wasn’t expecting you to get your essence back so quickly."

“Hyottoko buy me time. Daichi get out of here, we’ll get your sister.”

“On it!”

I shoved Daichi towards the door. Hyottoko leapt at the creature becoming long, and sinewy wrapping around it like a snake. Dr. Kawaguchi turned mirrored, becoming a metallic manakin that began clumping with essence, it then also began growing and elongating until the two snakes were entangled within each other.

“Aggh hey that’s just mean.”

The mirrored snake had bit Hyottoko and he was bleeding essence.”

“PETRIFY!”

The mirror snake grew rigid, and froze. This thing had to be elite or above. It was expending a lot of essence to keep it petrified. Hyottoko wriggled out of it’s grasp, taking his original shape.

“Mr Ball and chain, we’ve moved up your next assignment. This Arch monster needs your attention.”

“Oh an arch monster, that is certainly an upgrade.”

It rolled itself over to the manakin and shackled what would become its ankles. The relic began suppressing its essence until it was just a shiny human shaped doll.

“Undo these shackles, the President will have your heads.”

The ball and chain didn’t respond though, as the shackles tightened both of my spells were undid. It was all I could do to keep them going on a relic and a high level monster at the same time, but I had held out. I could feel the sweat pool on my brow.

“Rei get out here!”

Hyottoko and I burst out of the house.

Daichi was surrounding himself with a square like barrier.

There were two assailants firing at him with quick coordinated precision. It helped that they looked alike.

President Sukimoto had arrived.

“Rei, I should’ve known.”

He grimaced and kept harassing Daichi in his self-inflicted zoo-exhibit.

“I was expecting a showdown with your brother but I should’ve known that loser wouldn't have gotten better so quickly.”

“He’s not a loser. You are, you’re too late.”

He twisted-up his face again while he let his mirror image attack the box.

“I’ll admit I didn’t expect you all to try a rescue so quickly. But I’m not the loser who’s friend turned on them.”

What was he running his mouth about now.

“The reason I got here so quickly, is a little birdie told me about you suspicions on Dr. Kawaguchi. She was afraid we had a traitor in the MaMA working with an Arch monster.”

What was he talking about, I began to get red. I could feel Hyottoko clumping his essence next to me.

“Family has to stick by each other, you know that.”

“What are you talking about old man!”

He smiled.

“My niece told me about your investigation. She agreed to patrol your brother for me after I locked up Daichi, but she has no clue what’s going on.”

He let out a little laugh.

“Meika’s a good friend isn’t she.”