[Game Opening, Part 4 : Mission 3 - Scale the Building to the Top]

[stringmods]

Who: Naoya, Ahri, Mahiro, Sig, Elizabeth (Persona), Nanami, Yukimura, Yoshino, Torahime, Johnny, Eiji & Kanaya
Where: Sector G5 in Libra; Coin Office Tower
Summary: Libra Bank Heist
Warnings: None (yet)


Aside from the police vehicles outside, and there are fewer than there should be, it doesn't look like much is happening in the tower from the outside. However, that is little comfort to the officers waiting outside for backup. Everyone is spread too thin, so the more help they can get with this, the better.

When you arrive, they look relieved.

"We're sorry interrupting your arrival but there's just too many of them everywhere."

Men and women in high-class clothing talk in hushed tones. You can hear a few of them.

"...large group..."

"...think I saw some demons..."

"...I'm glad I got out cause my wife's not supposed to know I'm here!.."

"...I hope this gets reported in the news! I've always wanted to be on TV...."

The teams are gathered below, awaiting the man's orders. He looks at all of you first.

"Here's what's going to happen. Unfortunately, the building's protective barrier makes it impossible to just attack from the top floor. We have to climb all of them, elevator's out. That's..."

"Fifty seven floors, sir."

"Right. There's a large group of Anoli and their Persona on the way there. They're already expecting us, but they won't be expecting you. As soon as everyone's ready, we're shutting down the main power and casting spells to stop them from communicating with each other. Problem is you won't be able to hear us either until the middle floor where there's a beacon. So make sure you're all armed and ready."

Comments

[deathbylipstick]

That human looked... disoriented. So Kanaya decided to swoop in and intervene, in the most unintentionally tactless manner possible.

"Are you alright? Do you know what we're doing?"

[robinsegg]

Sig turned to look at someone with weird horns. He gave a long stare at the other before scratching his head again.

"No."

[guidemethroughit]

My, she's never had to climb stairs before - nor did she ever have to traverse a tower. Her journey's already feeling more and more like her old guest's.

A shame he isn't in their group. She would've liked to have fought beside him, instead of against him, for once.

No matter.

Although this is a bank heist, she honestly seems in no rush to get to the top of the tower. Her steps are even, at a normal climbing pace, and she seems far more intrigued by the fact the steps never end, rather than they're supposed to be finding hostages or their final destination. She isn't worried if they'll finish or find everyone - she can already feel they'll turn out just fine - and so she continues on her own pace, as she always has.

[guidemethroughit]

"I have never experienced anything like this!"

She's way too cheerful about this. But it's really quite exciting

"However, I have experience with fighting and the use of Personas. As these Anoli people have them, I believe we shall be using ours as well."

If there's one thing she's an expert on, truly, it is Persona summoning. She's eager to see what sort these Anoli have, however.

[deathbylipstick]

Well, better fix that.

"I will put it briefly, since time is of the essence. There are members of a group called the Anoli in that tower, and they are planning to steal all of the currency inside. It is our job to stop them."

[therooms]

"Where do you think you're going, hm~?"

A man in black, wearing a hood and only half a face mask stood in the stairway in the middle of her path.

[therooms]

[Sorry Naoya, there seemed to be a guy in a black suit with some blue trim standing in your way. He had a sword in one hand, waving it in a taunting fashion.]

Nice shoes you got there, dork. Get a lot of traction with those?

[therooms]

Freeze.

[Ironically, there was another woman in a black Anoli uniform, crouching at the top of the stairs with a bow of her own, this one mongolian. She was mostly distinguishable from the rest thanks to her large, bat-like wings and cyan-tipped horns.

Even with her arrow trained on Torahime, she still gave a sigh.]

...oh damnit, I really am picking up his stupid ice puns.

[therooms]

And then out of nowhere, a spray of hot lead pressed down on the trio, raining down from a giant, ten-foot tall robot painted like the Anoli design, only with green accents.

Flanking behind it were two, seven-foot tall robots were shooting some sort of beam at the massive 'bot, coating it in blue light.

[meaningdies]

More than you'd expect.

[And he pops open his COMP, summoning Behemoth and Garuda. The former attacks simply with sheer mass and the latter goes for a Deathbound.]

[You don't insult the geta.]

[isnottheworst]

Yoshino's eyes widened, and she ran out of the way as fast as she could, lest she be riddled with bullet holes. She narrowly dodged it, only to end up tripping and falling on her knees.

"What... what are those things?!" she exclaimed.

[therooms]

[He recoiled slightly from the Deathbound, holding his sword horizontally in front of him to block the Behemoth.

Woah there, cleats, why don't you just--

[He dropped the sword to his side and extended his other arm out, waving his fingers in a "come at me" gesture. A surge of energy surrounded him, and from above his head rose a phantasmic looking blue T-90 army tank.]

Chill out!

[The gun of the Persona spun and shot a blank into the air, a blizzard of ice rushing down the confined space, attacking all three of them and coating the floors and walls in a thin layer of ice.]

[kagami_arrow]

[She didn't hear that last part, but the translator rendered it as an ice-related "freeze" rather than the colloquialism. Newfangled idioms, what do.]

You demand the impossible.

[And thus began a sniper duel. She didn't move, she simply took aim. Even compared to the helmet with a giant flame on it, that armor looked silly. This enemy had to be human; demons weren't particularly inclined towards archery.]

[meaningdies]

[Behemoth seems to shrug off the attack relatively easily, while Naoya and Garuda just take the brunt of it. None of them look particularly impressed.]

Really? You're going with horribly cheesy lines that sound like they're from some stupid 80's movie? You're pathetic. Try intimidating someone else. Perhaps a five year old would be more your speed.

[Both of the demons fly at the man, while Naoya casts a Shield All just in case, barriers shimmering in front of him and his demons.]

[therooms]

[The Anoli's wings curled in tight behind their back, flexed as close together as possible to avoid giving too obvious of a weak point. She held the position for quite some time, before letting the arrow go with the smallest plink.

Whoever the Anoli was had pretty good aim, but she had also anticipated her target to move somewhat, so if it struck or not wasn't as important for that first shot. She was already pulling another arrow out of a hip-mounted sling and arming it up.]

[tenbraves]

Someone who is similarly taking things in stride is a man dressed in a traditional Japanese kimono, wielding a similarly traditional looking fan rather than any other sort of weaponry. He followed Elizabeth simply because she seemed the most unperturbed by this entire situation, which was always a good sign.

Yukimura was a man who enjoyed taking things as they come so while everyone was rushing ahead of them, he's just going to marvel as well at how the stairs never end. He hoped she didn't mind the company.

[robinsegg]

"Job." Sig gave a blank look in response. Talk about being spaced out...

"I don't have a job." He was still a student studying about magic, after all. But oh boy, this was probably heading towards nowhere very quickly with how he was responding off-topic.

[deathbylipstick]

"Well, you have just been assigned one," she explained patiently. Granted, she wasn't the best at identifying personality traits, but it was clear that this human boy seemed a little... flighty. "Come along. We can go up together, if you like."

[robinsegg]

Sig looked over at the flight of stairs, then remembered at how tall the building was. He looked over at Kanaya before looking over at the stairs again.

"I want to catch bugs." And he turned around to move the other direction.

[deathbylipstick]

Quickly, Kanaya sets a hand on his shoulder; her grip is firm, because she wants to stop him from wandering off. "You may catch bugs later."

[robinsegg]

Drat. He wanted to get out of this troublesome situation as quick as possible, but he had a feeling that this lady wasn't going to let him leave.

"Eeeehh...."

[deathbylipstick]

With one grey hand still clasped firmly on his shoulder, Kanaya promptly steered him towards the staircase. Her other hand went into a pocket of her skirt; contained within was a small kit of cosmetic supplies, most of which had very deadly alternate uses. These would be her weapons.

[robinsegg]

And Sig was led towards the staircase as he flailed around.

"Let goooo..." For someone who desperately wanted out of the situation, his voice sure didn't sound desperate.

[kagami_arrow]

[The shot goes a bit high, slamming directly into the flame emblem attached to her helm. The impact briefly causes Torahime's vision to blur, and she releases the arrow before she can't tell where she's aiming anymore.

In order to redraw, she pulls another arrow from the quiver on her back.]

[guidemethroughit]

Oh, a challenger. She slowed to a stop, debating on whether she should say or not. He'd be defeated shortly anyway -- it wouldn't hurt.

"To the top, of course. Now, if you'll excuse me, I believe I do have a time limit of sorts. Unless..." Her lips curled into a smile. "You plan to stop me?"