The Best Intentions

[angryyoungvamp]

Who: Maugris, open
Where: Sagittarius District (the industrial district), nighttime
What: Vampires have very unique ways to screw up helping someone. Like, say, sudden berserker rages when attempting to stop a mugging.
Warnings: TRIHARDO infection, violence (though I try not to get too graphic).


Sagittarius District, like a lot of industrial districts, offered a lot of warehouses and seldom-watched stockyards and suchlike that offered a wonderful habitat for punks and gangs and suchlike. Muggings were not unknown as a hazard, especially if someone was so foolish as to wander in isolated areas at night. If you happen to be in or near the district tonight in particular, you might come across someone who seems to have just escaped such an incident. But even for someone who's just been mugged, he seems awfully panicked. It takes him a moment to calm down enough to relate what happened.

As it turns out, a handful of thugs had jumped him on his way home from work, and suddenly another guy - some Visitor, probably American - had turned up with a Persona that looked like a knight and declared his intention to stop the mugging right there. The thugs decided they could take a crazy Visitor swinging a sword around, Persona or not, but soon after the fight had started something seemed to snap in the man's head. He'd dropped the sword and lunged at one of the thugs barehanded, punching his arm hard enough to send him spinning halfway across the street, and then he'd turned on his own Persona! That had been about the point where the worker had turned and run for it; he thought he'd heard the thugs doing the same.

Anybody who teases out the location of the incident and thought to follow it - or, alternatively, has the misfortune to wander into the area by accident - will find Maugris and his Persona Malagi in the middle of a heated fight. Malagi's shield is dented in a way that really shouldn't be possible using it against someone fighting with his bare hands, and Maugris's clothes are ripped. In a couple of places he's actually got some nasty cuts, but they aren't bleeding.

It turns out that Maugris, with his slightly off-kilter sense of justice and a sudden burning desire to be helpful, had been patrolling the area with the express intent of stopping any muggings. Unfortunately, a quirk of vampiric nature that Maugris usually keeps well under control decided to force its way to the top, and now the Beast is in control. Malagi probably notices you long before Maugris does and shakes his head frantically, trying to warn you away.

((OOC: So, yeah. Maugris's kind of vampire is subject to something called frenzy, which is essentially an animalistic rage that can trigger when they're angry that forces them to attack the closest target, with preference for living ones. If you try to deal with Maugris, you've got two options - beat him into unconsciousness, or try and talk him down. The latter requires pretty good social skills to pull off; the former can be accomplished the hard way (i.e. bludgeoning him), with something that causes sleep, or with a stake through the heart. Either way, he'll be back in control when he wakes up. He'll calm down after a long enough time, but that will require evading him or standing up to a beating from a superstrong vampire for that long.

... I guess you could use something that cures Berserk, too.))

Comments

[phantom_envoy]

"Um."

Well the report of the fight had certainly been graphic enough; as the only veteran superhero in town, Phantom Girl had thought this was something she had better try and deal with before anyone else got any broken bones. She had recognized that this would probably be the toughest situation she would face thus far in her time in Hinoto-Ri. Destroying monsters? Easy peasy. Actually dealing with another (no doubt superpowered) Visitor with the intent to disable rather than kill took finesse and skill.

"Sooo. Really intense training session or some sort of weird mind control? I can totally get popcorn ready if you wait, like, five minutes if it's the first."

[angryyoungvamp]

The Persona shook its head, deflecting one of Maugris's blows with its shield (and earning another dent in the process). Thankfully the attacks weren't too accurate - Maugris was much better with a sword than his fists.

"A side effect of his condition. Which chose the worst time to manifest itself," it called over Maugris's head. "He will attack any who come close -"

And a particularly nasty strike sent Malagi skidding away, armored heels dragging on the concrete.

[phantom_envoy]

"Personas talk?"

Not that she was complaining. ...Not that she would know, either, since she had managed to somehow still never have unlocked hers even after three months in this place.

Regardless, Phantom Girl had absolutely no fears about being hurt while she was under the effects of her own 'condition'; she darts much closer to Malagi and Maugris in an attempt to refocus Maugris's attacks on her.

"By condition, you mean being undead and surviving off the lifeblood of others, right? What happened? Did he not feed recently?"

[angryyoungvamp]

"Aye, when we've something to - look out!"

Apparently her attempt to distract Maugris works, since he turns and leaps at her - and indeed through her. Well, that was unhelpful. He pounds a fist into the ground in frustration as he lands, leaving a slight but visible crack in the pavement.

Malagi, meanwhile, decides to make use of its breathing space by filling Phantom Girl in. Not like it can bolster her any way that will be more useful than her intangibility. "It's not that. It happens sometimes when he is angry, but it takes something grave indeed to break his control over this. I know not what caused this fit. Perhaps when he returns to his senses he may explain better." Malagi's speech is a bit stilted and formal, not quite archaic - story-book fantasy speech.

[phantom_envoy]

"...If you're a part of him, shouldn't you be totally out of your mind, too?"

Weird. ...And obviously the part about this situation that she should be focusing on. Phantom Girl gives a small shrug now and returns her attention to Maugris, whom she had casually been circling while remaining in her dimensionally phased state.

"Well. I'm sure he'll thank me for this later. Probably. ...Before I bash his head in or anything, he has super vampiric healing or something, right?"

[angryyoungvamp]

"It is... complicated. He is not entirely gone, but the Beast is in control - a sort of inner predator. He does not think of the Beast as part of himself, even now, so I am not subject to it as he is. So I think, at any rate."

Malagi, itself, has only the haziest idea of whether or not this is true, but doesn't regard it as important. Especially right now. It stays out of range for the moment, looking wary as Maugris strikes through her again and growls in frustration. "Of a sort. But he will find it easier to recover from bludgeoning than from my blade, and rendering him unconscious should reduce the Beast's influence."

[phantom_envoy]

Phantom Girl will accept the words of this projection of her friend's soul as gospel truth because heck if she knows what's going on. She continues to hover and heaves a sigh.

"You know, the whole Little Mauler That Could thing would be kind of amusing if it were anyone else, but it's just really kind of sad when it's a friend of yours. Let's just get this over with."

Phantom Girl waits for the next swipe before she becomes solid and attempts to drive a foot into Maugris's chest. The attack isn't terribly forceful, though - it's clear she's holding back.

[angryyoungvamp]

Sadly, while Maugris isn't actually that much tougher than a human, he's actually in very good shape indeed, so the restrained shove doesn't faze him much. He makes a grab for her leg, since it's in easy reach, but still manages to miss.

Malagi actually winces a little. Being the manifestation of the soul of someone screwing up so much is a bit embarrassing. "He would likely be more effective if he'd held on to the sword. I suppose it's all to the good that he isn't, really."

Still, if she's going to bother being solid, he'll cast Rakukaja on her, which should bolster her defenses against the next attack.

[phantom_envoy]

"Can we talk about ways we can make him less effective instead?"

Phantom Girl shakes her foot a little bit. She was out of practice - being caught after a single blow would have been embarrassing. She continues to circle him now, a little bit more wary after seeing how he had stood strong against her strike. No doubt the Beast or whatever offered some improved force resistance as well.

"What if I bought a UV lamp and shone it at him? Would he melt?"

With this quip, she dives forward straight for Maugris - the intent was to go straight through him, grab an arm on the way out his back, and pull him into the floor. Her favorite move, more or less.

[angryyoungvamp]

"Burn, more like. And risk dying entirely, on top of-"

Malagi trails off as she dives, and Maugris lashes out at her... and looks awfully confused when she goes through him again. If he was thinking more clearly, he'd have ways around this, but if that was the case, this whole fight wouldn't be happening. He tries to jerk his arm out of her grasp, but doesn't quite manage it before she succeeds in pulling him down and his head cracks against the pavement.

He's looking hazy after that, and even if she gives him the opportunity he's slow to get up. It probably won't take much more to knock him out completely. The impact was also enough to knock his glasses off and send them skittering away - Malagi snatches them up and sets them carefully on the curb. Hopefully no one will step on them.

((OOC: Whoops, misunderstanding there. Edited!))

[phantom_envoy]

((Sorry about that again!))

[Phantom Girl remains somewhere underneath the earth for a few moments as Maugris struggles to recover. Whether for dramatic effect or simply because the timing works out that way, she bursts upwards through his chest just as he's about to rise once more.]

This'll hurt me just as much as it hurts you.

[A spin in the air, and she falls, ready to dropkick him straight in the head.]

[bakegarasu]

Well, Maugris isn't the only one with a sense of justice and a penchant for wandering around the industrial district. Otoha's been patrolling as well, and when he hears the commotion he heads towards it.

He doesn't expect what he walks in on. He recognizes Maugris, but why's he flipping out? ... It doesn't really matter. It's his duty to keep order in the city. He jumps down, drawing his sword.

"We can do this the easy way or the hard way."

[angryyoungvamp]

Maugris's reply is to whirl around and snarl. No apparent recognition of Otoha there, just acknowledgement of new prey. More attractive prey than an armored Persona, in fact - someone with actual blood.

He lashes out inexpertly at Otoha - there's a lot of stopping power behind that hand, but connecting with it isn't something Maugris has a lot of experience with, and the Beast currently in control is having to rely on his muscle memory. So if Otoha tries, it shouldn't be too hard to dodge.

His Persona, reprieved of Maugris's attentions, raises its sword to cast Rakukaja, bolstering Otoha's defenses against the next strike. "You will have to try harder than that to get through to him," it calls. "He is far away, deep in his mind."

[bakegarasu]

"Figured."

Fortunately, Otoha is fast for a human - years of training will do that for you. He sidesteps the attack neatly and flips his sword so he can strike with the hilt instead of the blade. It's not the most comfortable for him, but he can make do - and indeed it's with considerable strength that he brings down the hard metal hilt on the next attack.

... Of course this causes him to bleed a bit, but he doesn't exactly care. He doesn't even notice, really.

[angryyoungvamp]

Well, that's not enough to take Maugris down all on its own, but he certainly feels it. However, that blood gets his attention, enough for him to make another lunge at Otoha. This time it's obviously an attempt to get hold of the man rather than just a wild strike, though it's still a rather inexpert attack. His lack of experience brawling means he's relying on brute strength, and while he has a lot of that, it doesn't do much good if he can't connect.

And considering Otoha knows Maugris's nature, he can probably guess what the vampire will attempt to do if he manages to get him pinned.

[bakegarasu]

The attempt makes him laugh a bit. Otoha has plenty of experience fighting hand to hand - though less with a sword - and he tosses the sword a short distance away before letting Maugris rush again, and then making an attempt to grab onto his front and punch him directly in the side of the head.

"This'd work much better if you could think, idiot."

[angryyoungvamp]

In a grapple, Otoha definitely has the advantage, though he still has to contend with the fact that Maugris is far stronger than he has any right to be. Otoha manages to grab him - but in turn, Maugris tries to catch Otoha's arm and stop the punch before it can connect, grunting with the effort of bringing his supernatural strength to bear against Otoha's.

And in any case, the grapple is close enough that Maugris can attempt to bite. He isn't actually any better at this than any other aspect of hand-to-hand fighting, it's just an instinctive maneuver - but if he connects, though the pain is quickly numbed, Otoha will find that vampire teeth are very nasty weapons if they can be brought to bear properly.

Otoha might get some help from the Garu spell that just sent a blast of wind right into Maugris's back, though. Malagi is reluctant to attack into the grapple too much, but he can at least try to assist.

[bakegarasu]

Fortunately Otoha has other limbs - most notably the knee coming up in an attempt to catch Maugris in the balls. He doesn't even flinch at the bite - he can't feel the pain at all. Any tearing or other attempts won't even get a reaction from him.

As things are though, Otoha attempts to get control of the grapple, in an attempt to turn Maugris against a wall and slam his head into it.

[angryyoungvamp]

If Maugris was in control right now, he might question just why certain equipment is still sensitive when vampires don't really have much use for it (unless they really want to). At the moment, all he can really do is curl up a little and whine at the pain; he'd been too distracted by catching and biting at Otoha's arm to guard anywhere else.

And now he's too distracted by that attack to carry on much further with the bite or to push back as Otoha slams him into the wall. Otoha may have to deal with some blind flailing as Maugris recovers and attempts to fight back; the only reason it's an issue at all is because it's hard to dodge someone you're actively hanging on to, though.

[bakegarasu]

Any attempts at kicking, punching, or clawing at him don't seem to affect him at all. He just pulls back and attempts to slam him a second time. Either the pain will bring him back to his senses, or he'll knock him out. Either works.

"None of that's going to work. So just go to sleep." He summons Yatagarasu behind him, the great crow shape extending from his shadow and hovering behind him, just in case its needed. It doesn't seem to acknowledge Maugris' Persona at all, looming menacingly instead.

[angryyoungvamp]

Maugris seems to take no notice at all of Yatagarasu - it's a vague shape behind Otoha, who is both more attractive prey and, more importantly, closer. Otoha's words get little to no acknowledgment, not that he's probably expecting any.

Still hazy from the first slam, Maugris just barely fails to avoid being subjected to the second. After the injuries Malagi managed to inflict on him before Otoha arrived, and the amount of punishment Otoha himself has put him through, it's too much - Maugris's eyes roll back in his head and he goes limp. Malagi vanishes as Maugris loses consciousness, so it appears Otoha has won.

((OOC: We can wrap things up, or skip to Maugris regaining consciousness. Your call!))

[not_heavens_adam]

The report is what sends him down this way, but it's the sounds and the smells that finally get him to where Maugris is. He hangs back a moment, taking stock of the situation before deciding to do anything; though his heartbeat was probably audible from this distance, something he couldn't do anything about.

Any warnings from the persona only receive a small smile as he approaches, for the moment, unarmed. This looked like when a vampire was either too hungry or too enraged to think straight. He'd only experienced the latter once and the former twice, but he was fairly certain he knew what to do. "My friend, you don't seem yourself. Perhaps you ought to leave your poor persona alone a moment and chat with me instead."

[angryyoungvamp]

Maugris isn't actually in any state to be boosting his senses enough to hear a heartbeat. Johnny does do a good job of distracting him, though - someone with blood, unarmored and unarmed, looks like a much more attractive target than an armored Persona.

Sadly, attempting to talk Maugris down at the moment will involve having to deal with him attacking. And while Maugris isn't supernaturally fast, he manages to turn and jump at Johnny before his Persona can get a protective spell off.

[not_heavens_adam]

Lucky for Johnny, he does have supernatural speed so he side-steps the attempted attack. "Maugris, you need to calm down, handsome; you're just going to hurt someone, if not yourself." If he knew whether it was anger or hunger based, he'd know better where to start rather than talking at the other vampire. He really didn't want to turn blade or whip on him if Johnny didn't have to.

He glanced at the still summoned persona. Well...he and Ramiel had conversations all the time, so maybe. "Hey, are you able to tell me what happened to make him like this?"

[angryyoungvamp]

One thing Maugris is good at, though only on a "lots of practice fighting" level, is controlling his own motion, so he stops and turns quickly when Johnny steps out of the way, snarling in frustration. Still, it's enough of a gap that Malagi can cast Rakukaja, meaning that if Johnny doesn't manage to dodge the next strike, he'll at least be hardened against it.

Malagi sighs when Johnny actually consults it. "Would that I could. I do not know what could have made him so angry so quickly. He was just trying to defend that man." Johnny might get a bit distracted, though, because somewhere in the middle of Malagi's explanation Maugris lashes out at him again. It is a bit more hesitant this time, though - even without much to go on, Johnny's words make it a little easier for Maugris to start fighting to control himself again.