Having confirmed the locked basement gate, Akira and Kana ventured deeper into the clubroom building in search of the key. Akira gripped his wooden sword and true kendo blade, while Kana slung her bow and quiver over her shoulder.
The dim corridor was lined with clubroom doors, thick with dusty air. Kana checked her quiver, murmuring, "Where's that key hiding? I just want to find it and end this."
Akira's sensors hummed as he replied, "It's likely within the clubroom building. We'll search systematically. I can respond instantly to any threats."
Approaching the art clubroom, Akira halted. "Hostiles detected. Multiple entities inside. We'll neutralize them while searching for the key. Stay behind me."
He pushed open the door, and they dove in.
The room was a chaos of scattered canvases, paint tubes, and lumps of sculpting clay rolling across the floor. From the center, two creatures emerged.
One resembled a massive flower, its thick stem supporting a head of fleshy petals. Countless thin vines sprouted from the gaps, their sharp tips writhing through the air.
The other was a shimmering blob of liquid mercury, shapeless, splitting and merging as it slithered. Its mirror-like surface sparked with electricity on contact.
Akira charged the flower creature, wooden sword raised. "Neutralizing threats. Kana, provide support."
He swung, but the petals deflected the blow, jarring his arm. Vines lashed out, their tips slicing the air. Switching to the true sword, Akira cleaved through them in a single stroke. Green fluid sprayed, and the creature wailed.
Kana loosed an arrow. "No way I'm letting this creepy thing win!"
The arrow struck the stem, making the creature writhe. She fired again and again, punching holes through the petals. "Akira, it's weakening! Finish it!"
"Understood. Focusing attack."
Akira slashed the stem's base, and the flower collapsed in a heap.
The liquid creature split into smaller blobs, surging toward Kana. Her arrows sank uselessly into its mass. "No good, Akira! What do we do?!"
"Physical attacks ineffective. Trying an alternative."
Akira grabbed a can of red paint from a corner and hurled it. The paint splattered into the liquid, slowing its movements. He struck his sword against the floor, sparking. The creature, electrified, froze rigid.
"Now, Kana!"
Kana unleashed a volley of arrows. "Disappear already!"
The arrows pierced the hardened liquid, shattering it into fragments.
The fight ended, and Kana exhaled shakily. "That was terrifying…"
"You're unharmed. Excellent. Resuming search."
Akira checked a desk drawer, but no key. "Not here. We move to the next room."
They left the art clubroom, heading for the science clubroom next door. Inside, lab equipment and chemicals lined the shelves, and at the back, an old iron box sat on a rack.
Kana approached and lifted the lid. "Akira, look! Is this it?"
Akira examined the rusty key inside. "Matches the basement gate's lock. Key acquired. We're closer to the mastermind."
Kana clenched her fist, eyes fierce. "Finally! Let's use this to end it all. We've got this, Akira!"
"Affirmative. Your resolve is noted. To the basement. Prepare."
With the key in hand, they left the clubroom building, retracing their steps to the basement gate.