Free Battle: Capricorn

[otakuro]

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.

Comments

[otakuro]

Atsuro watches expectantly for whatever was off in the distance to explode in a beautiful shower of sparks. This was the kind of thing one expected to happen with a sword that shot energy beams. Holy energy beams, from the look of it.

"...............Um."

He coughs slightly and holds up his COMP. With any luck, this would be one of the ones that had been present back h --

"Oh crap no."

The screen displays a petulant looking lizard of some sort. Atsuro hisses sharply.

"Alright, don't look it in the eyes! And don't breathe in any fumes it spits out, either! ...Let's get through this guy as soon as... as............." Atsuro's voice trails off as the enemy skitters closer into the light of Link's sword. His expression drops even further.

Enemy Group: Basilisk x5
Basilisk Level 39: 382/382 HP
Basilisk Level 37: 364/364 HP
Basilisk Level 40: 394/394 HP
Basilisk Level 34: 322/322 HP
Basilisk Level 35: 359/359 HP

[sky_child]

[ ooc: arg sorry, linkmuse is being slow and stuff ]

"What is it?"

[otakuro]

((No problem. Sorry for the lateness myself; I attended a wedding this weekend. Feel free to drop if you'd prefer!))

Atsuro has already taken his own advice, squinting through the gaps between his fingers as he holds his hand over his face. "It's a basilisk. ...Don't know any Greek mythology, huh? You'll turn to stone if they make eye contact with you. ...I've got a skill that can fix it, but that won't be much help if I turn to stone."

The monsters approach more quickly as they see they outnumber their targets. Three break off into one group heading towards Atsuro, seeing him as the easiest target while two make a beeline for Link.

"Looks like it's time to fight...!"

[sky_child]

Link wastes no time. A large red bird emerges from him, swooping towards the monsters headed his way, blowing them back with a gust of wind. With the monsters thus distracted, he makes his way over to Atsuro, sending another wind spell towards the monsters crowding around him.

[otakuro]

Atsuro, it seems, is not terribly proficient in fighting with his eyes covered. Link may wish to keep a distance as he strikes and kicks almost at random, his accuracy quite low.

"Stupid little..."

Trying to cast his mind back to how he'd fought Basilisks only a few days ago, he takes the few moments' reprieve offered by Link's Garu spells to prep himself. Before they can fully recover, he's launched himself forward with a Deathbound, fists and feet flying - seemingly at random once more, but this time, scoring hits with remarkable luck. The group of basilisks briefly retreats and Atsuro peeks out in between his fingers again.

"They're gonna regroup! Wind won't keep them back long - they're resistant! Do you have any other spells?"

[sky_child]

"No," he says, reaching into the Nebulous Space of Wherever the Fuck He Keeps His Stuff. And extracts a bomb.

"But I do have this."

[otakuro]

Atsuro blinks. ...He was 99% sure real bombs weren't supposed to look like cartoon bombs, but the fuse was hissing and he wasn't about to argue with a man holding any kind of bomb.

"...Right. How fast should we run after you toss that?"

[sky_child]

Link doesn't answer. He doesn't have to. He throws the bombs at the monsters, then grabs Atsuro's arm, pulling him away from the blast radius as fast as he can.

[otakuro]

Atsuro's Agility comes nowhere near to matching Keisuke's, but he can be pretty light on his feet when he needs to be. Champion sprinting is a-go. He makes a quick mental calculation in his head - bombs were probably... what, some sort of combination Fire and Force? How strong was a bomb in comparison to an Agidyne? Who even had the mental processing power for these kinds of mechanics, anyway?

"Where did you get that?!"

[sky_child]

He has to think about that.

"...the desert. I need to get more, actually..."

[otakuro]

"...What deser -- "

FWOOOMPH

...Alright, actually, the blast wasn't as large as he'd been expecting it to be, but Atsuro whirls around to gape, anyway. Demons weren't completely brainless; the basilisks had recognized the device for what it was after a few moments' observation, but their stubby little legs made it more difficult for them to escape. Two had caught the brunt of the blast while three had been lightly singed.

[sky_child]

"How resistant are they to arrows?" he asks, nonplussed about the explosion he just caused.

[otakuro]

"Uh."

...Atsuro shrugs slightly. "Probably about as much as they are to getting kicked in the face. I mean, it's not gonna kill them, but physical attacks usually do some damage."

[sky_child]

And there he goes wasting no time again, extracting a...rather large bow from...somewhere, aiming it at the monsters from a distance, and firing.

One has the impression that he's got an entire arsenal hidden somewhere within that uniform.

[otakuro]

Unfortunately, it appears that the demons have decided they were perfectly fine with long-range attacks. As Link pulls out his bow, Atsuro squints from a distance and recognizes the tell-tale signs of --

"Oh geez."

The arrow isn't much of a match for a bellyful of explosive gas. The collective Fire Dance incinerates it as the flames begin to surge towards them.

[sky_child]

...this is getting comical, the number of things he stashes away and pulls out of nowhere. This time he whips out some...kind...of device, and points it towards the fire.

Thar it blows!

[otakuro]

Don't feed the fire with more oxygen! ...Is what Atsuro would say if he had any time to give advice at all. As the flames meet the wind, the rush of air creates an almighty explosion, just as expansive as the one released by the bomb if not even greater. All he can do is cover his face with his hands and hope his good looks can be saved.

...

...When he dares to open his eyes again, he sees... five Basilisks advancing from a far greater distance than he had expected. And one lion-esque creature lying prone on the ground, down for the count.

"Shiisaa!" Atsuro exclaims in surprise. ...It took only a moment to understand what had happened. His demon had Switched places with them at the last second, before they could be hit by the flames.

"Dammit...! ...Right, stone or no stone, these things're going down." Gritting his teeth, he glances towards Link and grits his teeth. "...I can handle two. You take the others and we'll toss the last one between us!" Without he dashes forward, thrusting out a hand as he does so. A beam of light flies forward and conveniently separates the enemy into two groups.

[sky_child]

Link nods, pulling out his sword and his shield.

His sword might not do a lot of damage to them, but they'll do some damage, and steadily, that will take them down. All he needs is patience. Fighting his fair share of tenacious enemies has given him plenty.

He hacks away at the basilisks, deftly dodging as they attack, and sometimes summoning his persona to knock them back with wind spells and a few physical. They go down one by one, until that final enemy remains standing.

[otakuro]

The final enemy. The Basilisks had been unable to make the necessary eye contact necessary for their strongest power, settling for hissing and swiping and blowing flames instead. But as the two combatants pause for breath...

"Look out!"

Atsuro's warning comes as the final Basilisk leaps forward, having taken careful note of Link's line of sight to interject itself directly in between. Its eyes flash as it unleashes its baleful, transformative magic.

"...Petra Eyes..."

[sky_child]

Link's pretty agile, but nobody's that agile--agile enough to dart their eyes away fast enough to avoid the basilisk's gaze.

Oh, well. All heroes need their statue, right...?

[otakuro]

"Aw, geez..." The sight of the Stone status, sadly, was so familiar by now that Atsuro hardly blinks. He quickly darts in front of his petrified fighting companion to prevent any further blows from shattering the statue, taking great care to keep his eyes firmly directed at the ground.

"Just you and me, then... Actually, scratch that. Sorry to say, I've still got some help."

He doesn't need to concentrate to feel the power arising. In such a dire situation, it rushed forth of its own accord. There is a sound of shattering glass as Atsuro thrusts out a hand.

"Enki! Help us survive!" The figure of a man wreathed in rushing streams of water appears; it smashes into the final Basilisk with enough force to send it down for the count. Atsuro turns back around quickly towards Link.

"U-Uh... You OK? It's, um, gonna wear off in a few minutes. Give it some time."