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.

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She sighs. This boy has such a frustratingly bizarre way of looking at life sometimes. "Perhaps. Honestly, though, you don't strike me as the type to die. You have... too much force of character, perhaps." Which is, in Atsuro speak, that he's the comic relief character nobody has the guts to actually bump off.

She nods, looking pleased. "Well, it's a start. I'm certain I'll be able to connect descriptions to images relatively quickly." She looks around. "So how much longer before the clock strikes?"

Excuse you, that's 'frighteningly intelligent character without which the plot could not progress because the bad guy's plans would never be unraveled'. In any case, Hinoto-ri was much more like a game than the situation back home.

"We've got about... five minutes left. Should we start heading towards Capricorn?"

"Might as well. Don't want to be late to the party, do we? Oh ho ho ho!" She sits on her cane, flying in mid-air. "I've been DYING to try out this second Persona I've adopted anyway. I think this one will be far less of a bother." The elemental attacks were a bit redundant, but Misery felt like she could cover plenty on that end without the Persona anyway.

"Second Persona?" Atsuro glances towards her with an expression of mild dismay. "You mean he wasn't talking about switching?! Aw, no, I didn't go for it 'cause I thought I'd be giving up Enki!"

He gives a slight sigh as he stands, adjusting his bag to rest more comfortably against his side. "Great. Now I'll be a whole month behind everyone who got two until the room shows up again." And now that he had finished complaining, Atsuro finally takes the time to actually process what Misery had said.

"...Wait, what was wrong with your first Persona?"

She grows quiet at his question, and oddly pensive. "He is... represented by someone I had not expected to associate with again ever. Why this place thought he represents me in any way, shape or form is beyond me." Then, almost to herself, "As if fate never truly wishes for me to escape entirely..."

Atsuro isn't completely insensitive to emotional subtleties. His tone becomes more subdued as he responds to her carefully guarded answer.

"...I guess the people you meet always change you in some way. For better or for worse, it doesn't matter. I don't think your Persona is supposed to be a representation of all of you - maybe just... a representation of the way this guy has changed your life."

He's not sure how he came up with that on the spur of the moment, but it seems like the right thing to say.

"And, hey. If he was a total jerk, think how nice it'll be to make him obey your every command."

She snorts. "Perhaps." She doesn't add that trying to make him obey her commands -- or, at least, his power -- is what got her into her terrible state of affairs in the first place. Nobody needs to know. "Either way, I would rather not use him unless I have to. Me or not, the person he is based on was... rather unstable, to say the least."

Apocalyptically so, even.

Atsuro refrains from mentioning anything about how everyone knew you needed to level your first Persona (keep your first weapon or demon, master the first skill you learned, etc.) if you wanted to unlock a super secret weapon later on in the story.

It would probably kill the mood.

"Well. The nice part about being here is that they're not telling us what to do. Just... giving us some guidelines. So what's your second Persona, then?"

"Quite an interesting one, I should think! A bit odd looking, but what isn't really? I believe the name was 'Omoikane,' or something along those lines." She eyes him. "Ring any bells?"

Atsuro shakes his head. "Not demon-wise. ...But I'm thinking you're talking about the Shinto god. O-mo-i-ka-ne, right? Kami of wisdom. ...He's kinda obscure, but I think he was the god who got the sun goddess to come out of hiding."

As she didn't appreciate her origianl Persona, she had assumedly chosen the secondary Persona she believed to suit her best. Perhaps Igor had explained the Persona's mythological origins; he didn't see much reason to go for Omoikane unless she was a bit vain about her IQ.

"Oh my, how perfectly appropriate! It seems I have instinctively good taste. Oh ho ho ho."

She certainly thought she was smart, no mistake about that. But there were other reasons -- like how something like that surely had to have a surfeit of sanity.

She looks around. "Must be nearly time now! I do hope you're prepared for this."

Atsuro refrains from any further commentary on Misery's choice of Persona. No need to enlighten her on how incomprehensible and insane the traditional Shinto myths tended to be.

"As ready as I'm going to get." The clock on the COMP read 11:59. One minute until the 13th Hour. Exhaling slightly, Atsuro taps a few buttons; a bright flash of light shines as an obviously angelic being and a brightly ornamented lion-esque creature of some sort appear by his side.

"Power. Fly up and scout for enemies. Shiisaa, stay on backup with Mazio. Switch in if you see an opportunity - or if we run into anything weak to Zio."

"Interesting companions you have there, boy. Oh well. Better they fight with us than against us, right?" She floats, holding her staff at the ready and showing she doesn't actually NEED to sit on it to fly. "Now you'd best be as good a fighter as you say! A poor, defenseless girl like me could get hurt in these situations!"

"..."

A skeptical expression comes to his face as he watches her hovering calmly in mid-air. "Couldn't you just... fly away if we got into any trouble?" Leaving him stranded, of course. No one ever paid much thought to the poor, defenseless boys stuck fighting monsters with a morally ambiguous witch.

"Anyway, they're too low-level to do much fighting. I'd like to train my Persona. ....Hopefully, I'm not getting in over my head or anything, but I can always switch 'em out.'

"Or teleport, yes." She chortles.

She shrugs. "I shall simply have to hope for the same! I'm not much in the mood to lug back a corpse from this little expedition, after all!" The seconds count down. "Prepare yourself!"

"You could teleport my corpse straight into the ground. Save on the cost of the funeral." Atsuro resists the urge to make a face at her as he watches the time tick down on his COMP.

"...................Now."

A sudden stillness falls around them the moment he speaks the word. There didn't seem to be much noticeably different in the world around them, but the 13th Hour felt perceptible, nonetheless. ...Or perhaps it was just nerves. Atsuro feels a chill running up his spine as he replaces the COMP in his pocket and begins to stride forward.

"So. ...Time to start demon-hunting."

"Indeed. Shall we be off?"

A part of Misery dislikes the idea of getting her own hands dirty for this. On the other hand, the fact she's FREE to make decisions like this almost makes the upcoming work enjoyable. She can definitely sense the difference in the air, though. Magic types tend to be sensitive to this sort of thing.

She keeps her eyes peeled. Sharp. She doesn't doubt she can handle most of the small fry, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't be cautious.

She thinks she sees something move out of the corner of her eye. "Hmm?"

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

Atsuro whirls immediately. If he hadn't been noticeably on edge before, it's fairly apparent from the way he jerks into a defensive stance. Fists balled and body tight, he sharply calls out an order.

"Zap it."

His demon complies with a burst of electricity spreading out in every direction. As it lashes out in the direction Misery had pointed to...

"Ga - !" Something large, red and fleshy darts out of the way of the jolt, flitting into view. "...Hey, what's the big idea?! Can't a guy look at a... pretty gal without gettin' the third degree?!"

"What."

Edited 2012-10-02 03:14 (UTC)

She doesn't look pleased. "What is this... disgusting little gremlin?" she asks, looking at the incubus with unmasked distaste. She kind of wants to zap it herself.

"Aw, babe, don't be like that! I haven't even gotten the chance to introduce myself ye -- "

"Zap it again."

Shiisaa snorts before releasing another burst of sparks in the Incubus's direction. Atsuro considers that the demon was probably weak to Bufu skills, but he was sadly lacking in the frigidity department. He also considers that this thing wasn't inducing his Persona to stir more than it did his bile.

"Fu -- Oh, you kids are asking for it. Whaddaya think you're doing out at this hour, hunting? You're not the only ones!"

With a snarl, the demon leaps back and begins to pound at the ground with a foot, a cruel smile spreading across its face.

"Tch! Unpleasant little..." She aims her staff at the creature, a few dark spheres shooting out and aiming to smack him point blank. Useless when alive, but maybe of help when dead.

"You haven't seen nothing unpleasant yet." There's no better word for what the Incubus does next but cackle. The discordant laughter is almost tangibly painful as it echoes through the still night, interrupted only briefly as the creature thrusts out a hand to draw in the darkness. [XXX-BLOCK-XXX] Its laughter in rhythm now with the tapping of its foot, the demon strikes the ground one last time as the earth erupts around it.

"Oh geez...!"

Enemy Party:
Incubus Lvl 34 HP: 341/341
Yurlungur Lvl 45 HP: 423/423
Yurlungur Lvl 44 HP: 409/409
Yurlungur Lvl 47 HP: 445/445

"Those things're everywhere!" The humongous worms writhe and squirm, intertwining back and forth as they burrow through the earth. It was hard to tell where one ended and another began; certainly, there seemed to be much more than merely the three.

"Whaddaya say we take care of those introductions now?" The Incubus hisses before springing Misery with claws outstretched.

Edited 2012-10-03 04:40 (UTC)

"How about we don't?" Before the incubus has a chance to connect, Misery disappears, reappearing several feet away. She raises her hand up and, almost as if instinctively knowing what to do, seems to summon a tarot card into her presence.

The Hierophant.

With a casual swipe, she shatters it like glass, and the vaguely eldritch, brainy Omoikane appears to represent her. "Right, let's see what you can do, hmm Omoikane? Let's start by taking the point out of those nasty little claws."

Omoikane waves his tentacles, and casually casts Tarunda on the incubus as Misery cackles.

"Tch!" The demon smoothly recovers from its missed swipe, flitting higher into the air. "Think you can douse my passions with a single spell? You're gonna need a lot more than that to dull my blade!"

Two could play at the cackling game. The Incubus backflips in the air and swipes at nothing in particular with its claws - immediately, a pillar of flame springs up where Misery hovers.

"Blech." Atsuro makes a face as the rainbow serpents finally stop writhing, making a concerted effort to rapidly whip in his direction. "I always heard worms could keep on living if you cut 'em in half. Here's hoping that's one of those lies the older kids tell ya." The Power descends from the sky as Shiisaa takes its place beside its master's side. Three on three.

She scowls, darting out of the way of the flame column, but it still manages to slightly scorch her arm. "Little pest!" she growls. She flits around, summoning large stone blocks to plummet around the area of the incubus before remembering the Persona. "Well come on, help me out with this!" The Persona (maybe a bit reluctantly) casts Sukunda; let's see how well it dodges blocks with THAT on.

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