Dawn of the Bright Sole.

The inevitable arrival at the notorious Ido Front left a pang of anxiety in the air for the young whistle Riko; the Sea of Corpses' final obstacle was before her- a threat unlike any other they'd stood against until this point. Nowhere to go but forward, the entrance halls were met with the soft thumbing of her boots, the clank of Reg's metal legs, and the gentle patter of Nanachi's bare feet. Initially, they were met by a young, amiable face inquiring if they were guests, though from the dark halls, several glowing masks made their approach. Described by one source as "some creature wearing a mask and pretending to be human," the enigmatic Sovereign of Dawn was initially hospitable to his guests in a seemingly uncanny display of humility. With an indifference to her plight, he informed Riko that she required her own White Whistle to proceed; Lyza's heirloom to her would be useless here. Riko hid the crushing disappointment she felt as she learned this information. Was this whole journey for nothing? Bondrewd gave little consolation, opting to offer her and her companions respite for the night, showing the trio to their rooms. Everyone was led deeper into the metal labyrinth of Ido Front. That night, while getting lost on the way to the bathroom, the effects of the curse caused Riko to stumble down a stairwell, injuring her cheek and ending up being tended to by Prushka, the girl from the entrance. After patching up her guest, Prushka understood Riko's goal to descend to the 6th layer, sympathetically wishing to provide aid. Thinking for a moment, the Flower of Dawn proposed she could try and persuade "Papa" to let them pass using his white whistle on the door, a sound plan in her eyes. While unsure if it would work, Riko's desperation to see her mother clouded her thoughts, and she begged her new friend to do so, declaring she would 'Do Anything.' Prushka happily informed Riko that she could volunteer to assist "Papa" with a simple experiment regarding the endurance levels of cave raiders. The thought of volunteering for one of Bondrewd's notorious experiments made Riko's blood run cold. However, balling her hands into fists, she declared her agreement to the terms- unaware her host was closer than anticipated. Frigid steel entrapping her body and the removal of her footwear was all that Riko could make out while in a daze, looking over to see Prushka in the same predicament- some kind of metallic box encasing her body, with her smaller bare feet wiggling in their bindings. Riko sternly demanded to know what Prushka was also doing here as the masked scientists shambled about performing their menial tasks. Her answer came from one of the various Umbra Hands that Riko was to be the experiment and Prushka, the control group for comparison. Pruska expressed joy in being able to help "Papa," making Riko's stomach churn. Before she could ask why they also took off her boots and socks, a sensation shot through her body, stifling a giggle and clenching her teeth. The realization hit- did someone tickle her?? The brief test of the waters was immediately met with three brushes, targeting her arches and one of her index toes. Her soles were firm due to not tending to them. Still, the brush tore through her defenses as she screamed and thrashed her head in ticklish agony- Prushka watched her precarious situation, timidly smiling before a fuzzy string was placed between her big toe and began assaulting her weak spot, adding her own frantic laughter to the symphony. Riko's howls and pleads echoed through the room- she prayed that Reg and Nanachi would burst through the door to her rescue, to no avail. After roughly ten minutes, they were informed that their experiment would also involve testing a newly discovered Grade-2 relic called Slithering Maw. Neither had the lung capacity to protest; two suction-like bulbs were placed on both of their middle toes- purple tendrils extending and dragging all over their tender soles, seemingly exciting every nerve cluster it touched. Both their desperate pleas doubled in decibel. Pruska, always happy to help her father, pleaded with "Papa" that she couldn't handle much more, a pitiful sight only Riko seemed to sympathize with. How could someone do this to their own daughter? As the night slowly passed, both participants' stamina gradually weakened, tears soaking their cheeks and clothes. Riko's eyes stung with salt; her head was dizzy from all her laughter as things grew blurry around her. No matter what she did or said, she couldn't give the slightest respite to herself or her friend suffering the same fate mere inches away. After almost an hour, she could have found nearly losing her arm to be a more enjoyable experience than this- She couldn't think of a more horrid experience, even compared to being tortured for disobedience in Belchero orphanage. She clung to her determination to find Lyza; nothing done to her could break her will to keep going. She had come too far to give up here. On the other side of a one-way observation glass, Nanachi watched her friend suffer with a heavy heart, having been privately given an offer that she couldn't in good conscience deny. "N- Naa.. so you'll let both Riko and Reg safely go to the sixth layer if I.. rejoin you?" she asked anxiously to the tall, armored figure next to her. "That is what we agreed upon." an apathetic voice replied. "However, this experiment may take upwards of a few weeks to get proper results," the Sovereign of Dawn looked at the same sight indifferently, turning and slowly striding out of the observation room. Nanachi's ears drooped as she turned to see Riko again, her small soles and round face red, as red as the head of an orb piercer even; Pruska looked no better in comparison. Her paws tingled at the thought of being in her place, hoping the Sovereign of Dawn didn't plan on testing Narehate endurance as well. "Naa.. I'm sorry, Riko-" the Narehate spoke solemnly before turning to catch up with Bondrewd, leaving Riko and Prushka's screams and pleas to fall upon naught but the cold walls of the testing chamber.