destinystrings | Free Battle: Capricorn

Entry tags:

Free Battle: Capricorn

Who: Atsuro Kihara, Open
Where: Leo -> Capricorn District, night
Summary: Skill cracking, magnetite-farming, and leveling up. Atsuro's no stranger to training...
Warnings: None

[private, voice to Ludwig Beilschmidt]
Hey, ah... Ludwig. ...Do you mind if I call you that?

We're getting close to another full moon. ...That's when they said the demons came out in full force, right? I think we should try and get a handle on summoning our Personas before we have to face something else like last time. I've tried to call Enki a few more times; I don't think it's possible just to do it for fun - it might not work unless we're really in danger.

Can we meet tonight by the town hall in Leo? Let's say... about 11:30. I saw you were asking about Personas; I can fill you in on what Enki can do then before we head out.

[public text]
Hey! I'm heading out to do some training tonight. Free Battles are a free action, right? Don't wait up; I won't be getting back until after that 13th Hour.

Feel free to join me if you want. I'll be outside Capricorn.

[action, town hall]
Half an hour to go.

Atsuro shuffles nervously in front of the hall, his fingers toying with the adjustable strap on his bag. The text had essentially been spam; he wasn't sure why he'd felt the urge to announce his plans to the whole city. He'd met maybe ten people here. Probably three or four of them actually cared. Naoya, of course, would want to keep tabs on him, but Naoya kept tabs on everything without anyone needing to check in, anyway.

The real reason, of course, was so that someone would come looking if he ended up dead or unconscious somewhere. He wasn't afraid of the demons... Not really. A pack of Waira were nothing in comparison to Belberith or Babel. But he'd been shaken; the idea of being plucked from the verge of defeat by what was essentially a happy coincidence didn't sit well with him. What if it'd been a one-time deal? What if his Persona just... never came out again?

Thou art I and I am thou. He'd never thought of himself as a great fighter. All he'd ever wanted to do was survive. No one had asked him to join a team or become a part of something greater - He, along with the rest of Tokyo, had simply been thrust into a situation where they had to pull out all stops if they wanted to live to see the next sunrise. Of course, he'd given it his all. But after living through those seven days of terror and panic, these three weeks of leisure had reminded him... This was what he'd been fighting for. So that the world would go back to normal and he could resume his normal life. Did he really want to stay here and keep on fighting? For some purpose he didn't even fully understand? Yeah, it was neat and exciting and novel. But so was the thought of playing an MMO with his forum buddies again, cramming for placement exams, and hanging out with Yuzu and Kazuya at the mall.

...He sighs slightly and shakes himself out of his thoughts. The important thing at the moment was to gain control of this power he didn't understand. Making a decision when he still felt lost and confused... Probably wasn't the best idea.

Atsuro finally stops fidgeting and seats himself on the steps of the building, watching the nightlife die down as the 13th Hour rapidly approaches. Ludwig ought to show up soon. ...Maybe some others would too. He finds himself scanning the faces of those passing by, hoping to find someone familiar.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

((It's not a problem; don't worry about it! Sorry for being a jerk about pointing it out. =( ))

"I was thinking there was more room to retreat without all the trees in the way." Atsuro shrugs slightly. He wasn't exactly an expert on strategizing, but then again, it was hard to strategize against an enemy as difficult to pin down as a demon, anyway.

"Ah, I didn't do much besides take a few walks now and then and meet up with some friends. The city's surprisingly expansive. ...There's still time now to take a quick look around if you want. I can get Badb Catha to teleport us."

((No, no, it's fine. 'w'))

"Your demon can do that?" More news for Ludwig. He couldn't help but be impressed by the talents of these demons each time a new one came up. "Hmm. Where would we go? Perhaps, if you feel like it, we could go to Virgo to get more weapons, but I already bought more ammunition."

"Badb Catha belongs to the 'Avian' family of demons." Atsuro inwardly wonders if there's a point going through the convoluted and largely unintelligible explanation. "In my world, all Avians have the Racial Skill of 'Flight', which... well, yeah, it means they can fly, but it also means they can teleport their allies around. I'm guessing since these guys came along with the ride, they've still got these special attributes on them."

He pauses to consider Ludwig's suggestion. "I think I'm good for the moment. I wouldn't be any good with a gun, anyway, and I'm a lot more used to using my fists. ...Besides." He cracks a small smile. "If I'm in more immediate danger... maybe Enki will be summoned more easily."

"I see," Ludwig replied, getting the gist of the overall situation. "Let's just hope we don't get into too much immediate danger, shall we?" he added with a chuckle. "That's right. You need to tell me what Enki does, so I can see if I cover for any of your weaknesses or not."

"Right. Enki... Apparently, he was a Sumerian god of water, among other things." Personas lacked an easily accessible interface like his COMP, but somehow, he was intuitively aware of the abilities lying dormant within him. ...That, and he'd taken a quick peek in Igor's Big Book of Personas.

"He has a dual focus on physical and water skills, which is pretty neat since I had no aptitude for magic before." Finally, he'd get his turn to be a black mage. Maybe he could even pick up a runic staff somewhere. "And... for some reason, all of his physical skills cause Confusion. ...Not sure what any of this is supposed to say about me."

Atsuro shrugs again. "And he's resistant to water and weak to earth. Nothing too special. ...Did I miss anything?"

Ludwig nodded and listened as Atsuro explained his Persona. "I see... I cover for none of your weaknesses, and we both have a focus on physical skills. We may not make the best duo strategically." He was hoping that there would be some overlap and they would cover for each others' weaknesses. "However, if we look at offense being the best defense... perhaps your water skills will eliminate some fire-based enemies, which my Persona is weak to."

"Ah, it'll be alright. What're the odds of us finding anything that even knows those kinds of spells, anyway?" Earth spells didn't even exist back where he'd come from; no doubt they were atrociously rare. ...Hopefully. Ideally. The Agi magic branch was a different matter, but Atsuro wisely choose to refrain from saying so.

"What about yours? Siegfried? Does he know any magic?"

"Knowing how common fire is, I imagine I might be in a little trouble. But maybe, if we're lucky, we won't encounter any magic-using enemies." If Atsuro wasn't going to bring it up, Ludwig certainly was going to. It was all part of strategic considerations, after all. To Atsuro's question, he replied, "That he does. He uses lightning-element magic and also a few ability-enhancing skills." He hadn't gotten to test those out yet, but they'd surely come in handy.

Fine, be a realist. Atsuro takes in a small nervous breath at Ludwig's words. "...We'd better not rely on that. I feel like every demon knows at least one branch of magic entirely out of spite, even if their magic stat is in the negatives. They just like getting in that one extra attack." He shrugs slightly. "Anyway, you're right - the important thing is to get our attacks in first. Nothing's usually weak to physical attacks, but at the same time, we can keep them too busy to take the time to cast a spell."

"That's right. And if they have something that might be even minimally strategically viable, they'll use it. That one extra turn where we're distracted could be dangerous, even if the previous attack wasn't very strong." Ludwig frowned; this little training expedition could be more dangerous than he'd expected. "That's what we'll do, then. If we can ambush them and get the initiative, we'll have a great advantage on our side."

"...Badb Catha is good for that. She's got a skill called Might Call - it gives your physical attacks some extra punch to daze the enemy for a few moments." He nods to himself as he brings out his COMP. "I think I'll bring her out again tonight... And - just in case we get into any real trouble, I'll summon Seiten Taisei so we can escape quickly, too."

He makes a few adjustments to his team before glancing towards Ludwig.

"You think we're ready?"

"It sounds quite useful. What does Seiten Taisei do?" Ludwig figured that he ought to get familiar with Atsuro's demons as well so he could form strategies around them. He paused for a moment before replying. "I think we are. I don't think we're missing anything."

"Seiten Taisei's Racial Skill is Phantasma. He teleports, too, but over a shorter distance. The difference from Flight is that he can do it a lot of times in a row, successively, before the enemy even has a chance to react. Genma family demons are useful if you think you'll be in a bind."

Hopefully, this explanation was adequate. Atsuro will nod to Germany.

"OK. Five minutes left. ...We should pick a spot to stake out, then."

"I see... so we have a quick getaway plan available, then." Ludwig began to look around. "Shall we head to Capricorn, then? We can stay close to the edge so that there are still buildings for us to flee into."

"Yeah." Atsuro nods slightly. "...I don't think they'll just vanish when we cross the border back into Leo or anything, but it can't hurt to have a solid door between us." He quickens his pace towards the edge of the forested area.

"...Looks like we're down to just a few minutes. I'd better get my demons out." A few taps on the COMP and the raven and the simian appear in a flash of light.

Ludwig checked his gun to make sure it was loaded, and it was. Good thing he'd remembered to load it beforehand. "Now all there is to do is wait." Ludwig was anticipating getting to see the transition to the Dark Hour itself. Would it be gradual, or sudden? All he could do was wait and see...

((Sorry for the lateness; I attended a wedding this weekend. Feel free to drop if you'd prefer!))

Atsuro watches the moments tick by with more trepidation than anticipation. Though the entire outing had been his idea, it was still a bit unnerving to be awaiting an unpredictable enemy. Analyzing power levels and relative chances of success had been too easy with the COMP; the inclusion of the rather important variable of 'this world works by entirely different rules sorry' wasn't especially to his liking.

...
...
...

"Time."

As Atsuro murmurs the word, a sudden sense of stillness falls about them. ...They were the only two people left in the area. While it was an obvious observation that he hadn't given much thought to before, he suddenly feels acutely aware of the fact that they were entirely and completely alone.

He shudders slightly and shifts from one foot to another. "...C'mon. Let's not wait to be attacked."

((Nope, not dropping just yet. Gonna try and unlock Luddy's 5th attack/second passive. =w=))

Ludwig watched the water fade to a blood red and the sky turn a sickly green. This was the Dark Hour, alright. "Good idea. Let's get hunting." With that, he headed off ahead of Atsuro, taking the lead in case any Shadows tried to get the jump on them. He could swear he saw some moving shadows up ahead, but in these conditions it was difficult to be sure...

((Haha, yeah, I think that's what I'm aiming for, too. Just as a note, I talked to the mods right after I threw this post up and there aren't any Shadows in the city yet, just demons.))

He briefly considers the appropriate horror cliche to apply to the situation. Keeping silent meant that they would eventually stumble across some horrific creature that took them out individually, never even noticing the other was gone. Conversing fearlessly meant that he would die in the middle of a bout of laughter, his severed head still grinning as it bounced away from his body.

He decides on making conversation with a mental note to refrain from laughter or merriment or any sign of cheer whatsoever.

"So... how're we supposed to find 'em?" Atsuro pauses. "...Here, demon, demon, demon... I've got some nice juicy flesh for you."

((Oh, got it. Sorry if this is too much, but could you bring up the demons on your turn this time? I can't think of any right now and I don't think we want another round of the Superpowered Waira Trio. X_X))

"Don't say that!" Ludwig was quick to correct Atsuro. "That sounds like a great way to get that flesh ripped off of you. Something like that isn't something you should mention, even in passing." He gave a vigilant look around. No, nothing significant still... "It's likely that they may come to us. Humans aren't exactly common in their territory, I'd imagine."

Atsuro laughs nervously at the reprimand. "Hah, I was just kidding. It's only been a few moments since the hour began; I don't think they just sort of... appear out of thin a -- "

He is cut off by a humongous thump and a earth-shaking rattle that knocks him off his feet. Luckily, despite his laugh, his head is still intact.

"What the -- Look out!"

All light is blocked out as they suddenly become plunged in shadow; Atsuro frantically rolls out of the way. Something very large and white is plummeting from the skies...

"Eruuuuuuuuuunn!!"

Ludwig did a combat roll of his own to escape the encroaching shadow. "You have got to be kidding me," he mumbled under his breath, then added a bit more loudly, "Looks like this place is always full of surprises." He raised his gun and assumed a combat stance. It was go time.

"Airavata!" Atsuro provides the intel in disbelief. "It... it's supposed to be a flying elephant, but I've never seen one fly before!" This is not terribly helpful commentary; the creature once more levitates into the air, this time keeping only five feet or so above the ground.

Airavata Lvl 53. HP: 623/623

"Looks like there's just the one... Alright, let's take it down!" A pause. "...Or maybe we can just poke at it and run away."

The elephant trumpets once more in anger. For a holy beast, it was unusually temperamental. Perhaps something had provoked it. In any case, it seemed quite ready for battle as it charged straight towards Ludwig with the speed and force of, well. A flying elephant.

Ludwig had no time to speak. The demon was charging him, and he had to act fast. How did he summon his Persona the first time? Would its awakening be any different from natural summoning? He decided to try focusing on the idea of summoning his Persona. That seemed to do the trick, as he felt the characteristic rush of energy he'd felt before. The blue aura surrounded Ludwig, and following a shout of "Siegfried!" the armored warrior appeared once more. Siegfried raised his sword, and a Zio lightning bolt crashed down on the Airavata, stopping it in its tracks for the time being. Ludwig couldn't help but feel a bit satisfied at successfully summoning his Persona- it meant he was getting a better grip on it.

The zap is enough to cause the Airavata to jolt, though its sheer bulk means it shrugs off the damage quickly enough. Its anger, far from being placated by the attack, has intensified all the more and it lands heavily on the ground, simultaneously throwing its head up towards the sky.

"Hrruuuuuuuuuuun!"

The trumpeting cry is all the warning Ludwig will get before the clouds open up and a twister smashes into the ground where he stands. Though Atsuro was accustomed to Zandyne, the feel of the spell he was familiar with wasn't exactly the same. The element here was Wind rather than Force.

Behind Airavata, Atsuro has staggered to his feet and input the commands on his device. "Seiten Taisei! Badb Catha!" A jolt of light and his demons stand by his side. "Keep that thing at bay!"

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