Death game of Venice Part 2

A few minutes just after the game began...

Tetsuka woke up hovering in the air. Her wrists and ankles were shackled to chains while she was gagged with a cloth rag.

“Think you can split me into pieces? Think again!” Tetsuka thought as her body turned into metal and she slammed to the floor. She then forcefully snapped the chain binding her right arm and ripped her gag off. She then freed her other arm before sitting up and eating through the chains binding her legs.

“Not bad, though could taste better,” Tetsuka shrugged as she munched on her shackles.

“Congratulations! You’re the 2nd person to escape!” Piazzo’s voice rang out.

“Wait? You’re keeping track? And who’s the first? Doka?”

“No, a woman trapped beneath the canal that smoldered her prison in a flash. She is a solo player like you. Why don’t you roam around outside. There might be strong foes to fight.”

"Especially since I'm putting a bounty on you! That's what you get for kicking me earlier you pointy-tooth steroid bitch!" Jester shouted as he grabbed the mic from Piazzo.

“Well Doka’s gonna be pissed she’s not first, but fighting? That’s my type of party.”

Tetsuka ran up the stairs and arrived outside. She then spotted some rough looking guys running towards her.

“You looking to fight?” she smiled as she cracked her knuckles.

…

Serika awoke to the sound of pouring water. She quickly realized she was restrained in a water tank much like the one she had been trapped in 9 days ago on March 15th.

“It’s even in a hotel bathroom-esque room? Well, couldn't ask for a better opponent,” Serika thought as she reached for her tools concealed in her jacket’s wrists. “I’m not losing again dammit!”

Serika freed one of her arms and quickly freed the other as the water level reached her ankles.

“Easy, the restraints aren’t even fully submerged yet,” she happily thought as she quickly freed her legs and began climbing out of the chamber.

Once she was free, she ripped the tape off her mouth, crumpled it up, and threw it at the tank.

“Take that!” she smiled as she exited the door.

Serika was surprised to find herself back in the plaza, and that she had been held in a tiny standalone structure.

“Congratulations! You’ve escaped!” Piazzo’s voice rang out.

One of the men in the golden ball gazed at Serika on the camera feed and scowled. "Wah, I wanna talk with her, wah."

Serika scowled in confusion as the mysterious man began speaking.

"Uh, testing, testing, wah. Imma Warco, wah. ILU councilor, wah."

Those words were all Serika needed to hear to go pale as a sheet.

"Wahahaha. Now you're scared. Listen, ole Warco loves a the money. So why don't you sell yourself off to me, wah?"

"THE F*** WOULD I DO THAT!?"

"Uh... We'd call off the game and save everyone?"

"Like I'd believe you! And even if you're telling the truth, I'm done sacrificing myself. I'm kicking your ass!"

The man scoffed and turned off the mike. Despite cosplaying as video game character Warco 24/7, he truly was one of Illumous' 12 governing members, and was known as Stromboli Cannoli. With his naturally large muscly body and jagged black beard, he certainly had no trouble pulling off the cosplay, though many of his colleagues criticized him for it, fearing he might risk exposing Illumous to the world.

Piazzo sighed and picked up the mic to give Serika her clue. "Now, O' kuma killer, if you wish to save your lover, go to a place with ties to those from the land that brought her despair.”

Serika stormed off, unsure of how to perceive Piazzo’s words. As she was repeating the riddle to herself, she ran into Tetsuka.

“Osu Erika! Whatcha muttering?” Tetsuka asked.

“Oh it’s you Tetsuka. Piaza or whatever his name is gave me a riddle on where to find Emeri.”

“You got a riddle? He just told me to go bash some heads, now he says you gotta kill to save your lover? Well Ka-san really knows where to find the good performers. I’m not smart so I probably can’t help, but I guess it couldn’t hurt to tell me the riddle.”

Serika told Tetsuka the riddle.

“Land that brought her despair? Might be a country then.”

“A Country?"

“Yeah, can you think of a country that brought her despair?”

Serika could think of just one. “Greece.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. As for the first bit, maybe a church,” Tetsuka theorized.

“You’re so knowledgeable on this,” Serika said as she pulled out her phone.

“Heh, well I do pick up on things throughout my globetrotting. Anyway, if I'm remembering correctly, San Giorgio dei Greci was a churche here founded by Greeks.”

“San Giorgio dei Greci? Thanks Tetsuka!” Serika yelled as she ran off.

“No problem! Now let’s find someone strong,” Tetsuka smiled as she leapt into the air.

As Serika headed for her destination, she was stopped by a desperate looking man.

“Heh, I’ll kill you! Then I'll be rich!” He yelled as he charged at Serika.

Serika kicked him in the gut, sending him flying towards the ground unconscious.

"Hoh? Why no killing, wah?" Stromboli's voice rang out.

“Shut up! I ain’t killing anyone!”

“But you killed Zerin Nakayama and Mochika Myouchi with ease, wah.”

Serika glared as her face went pale. While she didn't care much about Zerin's death, Mochi's had began to haunt her a bit. She clenched her fist tightly and tearfully glared up towards the gold ball.

"I only eased her pain. You bastards were the ones that messed her up."

“But you got the kill, so we gotta credit you, wah. Ah, I forgot to mention poison gas will spread throughout the place that red-head is held in... er, how many... 9 minutes, wah.”

Serika immediately bolted off as she struggled to process Stromboli’s ramblings. She managed to arrive

at San Giorgio dei Greci 5 minutes later and slammed open the doors. Emeri was crucified and gagged inside. As Serika ran in, the doors slammed shut, and a gas slowly began to fill the room.

“SHIT SHIT SHIT! This is bad!” Serika thought as she covered her face with her at and ran up to Emeri. “Nailed to the cross!? That sick bastard’s gonna get it,” she thought as she frantically ripped the nails out of Emeri’s arms and legs and slapped her face.

Emeri slowly opened her eyes as Serika frantically looked for a way out.

“Cover your face with your hat, and hold mine on my face while I carry you,” Serika ordered as she princess-carried Emeri.

Emeri had no idea what was going on, but nonetheless complied. Serika then ran at top speed towards a window and jumped out.

The two fell to the ground and coughed as they gasped for air.

“You alright?” Serika asked.

“More or less,” Emeri replied.

“BRAVISSIMO! You saved your lover, but you still haven’t left the city boundary yet with your entire party,” Piazzo’s voice rang out.

“What is he talking about!?” Emeri shouted.

“I’ll explain all I know, but we should try and reunite with everyone first, especially Tetsuka,” Serika stated.

“Why Tetsuka-chan?”

“Because I saw her just a little while ago. Now you try calling her, I'll try Madoka and Yuni.”