Chapter 12 - Is Everyone In Another World Just A Huge Pervert?!

The illusion faded, as did the [Azure Mirage].

Akira had found herself in the Azure Temple before the Oracle once more; as she remained kneeling on the ground in a crumpled, traumatized state.

"Wh...why?" was all she could utter.

"I know why it is you're here," the Oracle said to Akira as she rose from her throne; then proceeded, at an elegant stride, toward her. While passing the still-frozen Vash-sicle along the way, without looking she flicked her hand to free him from his icy prison—falling flat on his face, into a puddle of melted water.

She stopped directly in front of Akira, kneeling so that her face was hovering above theirs.

"Your Memento...is an artifact of great power," she stated as Akira looked up at her, bewildered. "As such, I prepared this small test for you: in order to judge your worthiness."

Akira glared. "You set me up?"

"Yes," she replied quickly. "I have lied to you, as well—there is no such thing as the 'Squell's Curse.'"

"Also, I have acted with certain ulterior motives in mind..."

Akira watched, with mounting disdain, as the light blue pallour of the Oracle's cheeks became tinged with a darker shade of cerulean. *Blushing.*

"Honestly, I just really wanted you to fuck me."

There was a moment of silence, of jaws dropping, as neither Akira nor Vash could believe what they were hearing; the near-transcendental entity before them now awkwardly twiddling her hair, biting her lip—a ditzy schoolgirl trying to play it casually, after confessing to their crush.

"Umm...so yeah," she said, breaking into giggles. "I had a blast, so I hope you did too."

Akira was incredulous. "You were...there?"

She nodded. "I experienced everything, using the Mirage as a medium."

Akira squinted. "Everything...?"

She nodded again, more slowly this time.

"And you actually...liked it?"

She averted her eyes and covered her face, trying to hide her true feelings.

"You crazy maso bitch," Akira spat, furious from the realization that she'd just been reduced to nothing more than an angry [Vibrator].

However, there was still business to be taken care of.

"Here—" the Oracle calmly reached out and touched Akira on the forehead, briefly shocking her with a jolt of electricity, then just as quickly drawing away.

Akira noticed a change, right away.

"Is this...?" she glanced down, curiously eyeing a money-green tie that was now inexplicably dangling from her neck.

"Is that...?" Vash whispered, excited. 

Rushing in to touch it, and—

ZAP! He fell back, yelping in agony.

"My Memento." Akira gasped, her expression quickly fading from one of wonder to disappointment as she looked up at the Oracle. "It's just a stupid regular tie like Vash's!"

"Only in appearance," the Oracle said. "Yours, is the [Big Business Tie]: it guides the wearer toward invisible [Fortune Veins], found scattered all across the land of Nirvana. These areas can be considered as hotspots of 'good luck,' or what a CEO such as you might call 'opportunity.' Although," she added, with a serious look, "a fortuitous outcome is by no means guaranteed. It still depends on the bearer's own capabilities."

Akira nodded, a bright smile returned to her lips. "A perfect fit for me, in other words." She held it up in her hand, watching in awe as a shimmering gold laser shot out from its tip—firing off in a straight line into a wall.

'This was it,' she thought with triumph. 

'A "foot in the door," of this weird new world!'

She was eager to get started on her adventure, but first she still had a few pressing concerns to bring up with the Oracle:

"You said you first needed to test me, to find out if I'm worthy of my Memento..."

"Uh-huh."

"And I passed? By beating the shit out of you?!"

Vash bristled. "What?! You beat up the—"

The Oracle nonchalantly froze him again, saying to Akira, "yes, I judged you worthy of receiving your Memento, despite still having some reservations…"

"But why? Isn't it hugely risky?"

"Because you didn't jump in front of that truck."

Akira gaped. It's only fate.

"I...don't get it. What is that supposed to prove?"

The Azure Oracle giggled. "It's fine if you don't 'get it,' Maximilian. I'm the Oracle—my thought processes are unfathomable to you mere mortals."

Akira sneered. "'Unfathomable' is right. Crazy bitch."

She gave a tickled laugh.

"Oh, stop it...we only just got through..."

This just left one final matter Akira wanted answers to, which she'd been contemplating ever since first hearing of the existence of someone like the Oracle...

"If you're so all-powerful..." she said, gritting her teeth.

"Why don't you rescue Lazuli?"

[SCENE IN PROGRESS]

The Oracle stared for a moment, with an unreadable face, as Akira watched her features become gradually more twisted into open malice: sharply narrowed eyes, an upturned grin with a full set of teeth showing. "What was that?" she asked in a rude, sarcastic tone, pointing her ear, before abruptly straightening with a knife-edged smile. "Sorry, but I can't hear you over this loud squall that's going."

She suddenly extended an arm, in a gesture like a raised salute, as her outer robe flew open in a howling gust of hurricane-force winds issuing forth.

Vash was quickly flung, spiraling, through the thrust-open doors of the temple.

But Akira managed to hold on, with her claws dug into the smooth rock of the temple floor, feeling the Oracle's burning malevolent gaze upon her.

"Helping out you mortals is always a slippery slope!" the Oracle seethed. "I've allowed you the privilege of pleasuring yourself with me. I gave you your Memento. I've answered every single one of your stupid fucking questions..."

All the while, Akira was grimacing through the storm force winds continually pushing her back, leaving long claw marks etched into the floor in her wake.

"I...wouldn't call...having a mental breakdown...'pleasurable.'"

Against the wind, she struggled to her feet.

Shielding her face with her arms, she proceeded in slow drawn-out steps.

"You've gone...insane with power..."

Watching her struggle, the Oracle gave a cold laugh. "Deep Karma has shown me glimpses of your potential futures: How the paths you may venture, whether Good or Evil, both foretell greatness."

Her eyes narrowed, imparting a sinister vibe.

"It would be a huge risk to not destroy you right now."

She then lowered her arm, prompting the wind to cease; result in Akira falling face-forward, coincidentally landing at her feet—only further amplifying their frustration.

"You...bitch!"

Whereas the Oracle, conversely, gave a grin of slight amusement, upon observing this particular fated outcome.

"If I were to command you, right now, to kiss my toes and beg for me to spare your life, you would have no choice," she said, now showing only cold apathy towards her plaything. "However, true power is the ability to take what you want..."

"Without needing to ask."

With the utterance of these words, the Oracle then nonchalantly lifted her leg. Forcefully nudged it against Akira's face, to topple them as they were trying to rise. Then, crushed them against the floor beneath her sole; doibg so whilst lightly tossing back her head and brushing out a wave of her long, ocean blue hair against her hand. Only revealing a slight, miniscule grin to show for her wicked amusement.

Akira was spasming...with shameful pleasure.

Being a former CEO, she was just as vulnerable to the same cruel "hot and cold" treatment, which the Oracle so craved: to give power, and in turn seize it back.

Only, there was no way for her to seize it back in this scenario.

She was completely and utterly powerless.

Akira's crushing torment only ended once the Oracle had had their fill—releasing Akira from her entombment, then promptly sweeping her away out the door with another powerful gust of wind.

Following this forced ejection, just as Akira was righting herself the doors to the Azure Temple slammed shut.

Akira tried pounding on it, but to no avail.

"Dammit!" she yelled, only giving up once her knuckles were scraped and bloody.

She sank to the floor, her head hung in defeat. 

And like this she remained, until Vash gingerly approached with a [Bandage] in hand.

"No way to move but forward!" he exclaimed.

Akira gazed up at him, her initial instinct being to scream for him to go away; but instead, she found solace in his stupid, grinning face, and strangely a will to stand again.

"That's...right," she replied, still shaken as she regained her feet. Broken, but alive.

She remembered the [Big Business Tie] she'd just recieved, trailing her fingers along its soft satin fabric; thinking now, there was only the way forward. 'If this thing even works the way that Azure Bitch said it does.'

Regardless, and with no way to be certain but to try, she angrily followed its guiding light with Vash through the streets of Acquama.

"Everyone in this world is a goddamn pervert," she grumbled under her breath. Just as the two were passing by a cute, blonde low-level Human girl, dressed in a frilly pink swimsuit, prostituting herself on a street corner.

Greeting passersby with a cheery smile, she was holding up a digital sign which described her rates:

Blowjob 500 Gold

Anal 1000 Gold

Frontal 2500 Gold

+ In a Dungeon 800 Gold

+ Group 300 per extra person

Akira cringed at the sight.

However, Vash merely shrugged. "It makes sense that the players have become like this, if you think about it," he mused. "I've heard horror-stories from some high-levels, about how the risks of adventuring far outweigh the rewards. How monsters become much stronger and smarter, working in organized groups. Even groups of players actively hunting down their fellow players."

Akira listened to Vash's dire words, but still didn't care about the risk. She had a new goal driving her footsteps, that she would stop at nothing to achieve:

"I'm going to do it," she said with determination. "I'll become strong enough—"

"To rescue Lazuli?" Vash chimed in.

At which, Akira turned to him without saying anything; only giving a small nod, even though saving Lazuli was now only part of the bigger picture she had in mind. Because secretly, after all of what had just transpired, Akira had settled upon a second, much more ambitious goal, to achieve once she'd become stronger...

That goal being: to rape the Azure Oracle.