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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Atsuro laughs slightly at the idea of a healthy sleep routine. ...Joking aside, he laughs mostly to calm his nerves as he watches the seconds tick by relentlessly.

"Yeah, I've been a good citizen and stayed inside after curfew. We probably shouldn't make a habit of this... It's a little inconvenient that we can only fight at this hour, huh?"

11:59. One more minute of calm. Atsuro adjusts his bag and gets quickly to his feet.

"Yeah. I'm used to this kind of thing, though." Asem stands up, as well. "Enemies don't always attack when it's convenient."

"At least it's predictabl -- "

His voice dies as the world suddenly falls still around them. There wasn't much perceptibly different in the atmosphere - perhaps the sky was tinted a different shade, perhaps the shadows seemed somehow deeper. But what he notices more than any visible difference is the sudden sense of isolation, the sense that they were the only two living creatures left in the city.

...No, that wasn't right. It was... the opposite. They were alone. But in a land brimming with whispers and shadows of creatures that very much wanted them gone.

"...........Probably should've calibrated my phone."

Well. That was a weird feeling. Asem's hair stood on end and his muscles tensed. He looked around for any sign of movement.

"Where are they? I know they're close."

Atsuro feels a chill run up his spine as he takes a few steps away from the town hall, his footsteps echoing out through the darkness.

"...Looks like we're gonna have to go find them. They've probably got some wards up around the populated areas - Capricorn's out that way."

He nods as his feet begin to slowly tread that direction.

Asem nods in return and follows. "Okay. You've got more experience, so you're in charge."

He decides against abusing his power to command Asem to give him a ride on the giant robot.

"Seriously, experience just means you know when you need to run away. You've just gotta follow some basic rules when you're fighting - strike their weaknesses if you can and never let them get the jump on y -- "

Atsuro stops in his tracks as he drops his voice to a whisper. They were at the border now, on a patch of grass between city and forest.

"...Do you hear something? ...Something like... laughter?"

Asem focused on his sense of hearing. Try as he might, however...

"No...not yet." He says nothing after that so as to continue listening.

After a long pause, Atsuro slowly begins to move forward again. "It was... high-pitched. Kind of squeaky. ...Maybe it was just the wind whistling." Spooky laughter was such a cliche that he hoped he had imagined it just so they wouldn't have to act out a scene from a horror movie.

"Here's hoping nothing's seen us coming y -- " With a sharp exclamation, Atsuro cuts himself off, clapping a hand to his chest. "Tch... There it is again. That sound...!"

His face is pale as he casts about for the source of the laughter - Off in the distance, two softly glowing lights appear...

Okay, that was something Asem could detect. He immediately pulled out his gun and cocked it.

"Doesn't sound like it. Let's get ready."

His heart is racing. For some reason, Atsuro feels as if he can hardly draw breath as the eerie laughter continues to intensify. Breathing shallowly, he retrieves his COMP and begins to slowly thumb through the option.

One more shriek of laughter before the source of the laughter and the light emerges from the darkness, holding its position from a just barely visible distance.

...A skull. Nothing more, nothing less than one of the most basic creatures to be found in horror fiction.

Asem immediately pointed his gun at it. He looked surprise when he saw what it was, however.

"A...skull? That's what that was?"

"I-I've... never seen anything like it. Be careful - we don't know what it's capable of."

Another shriek of laughter as the two glints of light intensify. Atsuro can't help but glance into the glowing eye sockets as he feels his heartbeat intensify.

"I think -- "

His statement goes unfinished as the skull's eyes suddenly release an intense flash. Atsuro doesn't even get out a cry before he topples sideways to the ground, his body and face frozen in what must be a most uncomfortable position.

Should Asem know anything about demons, he might be able to deduce that his companion had just suffered a full paralysis effect due to a Stun Gaze, catalyzed by listening too intently to the shrieking laughter. Hopefully, the remaining combatant won't make the mistake of eye contact as well.

"What the hell?!" Asem leaped back. He knew better than to turn to help without neutralizing the thread, so he raised his gun and fired a pair of shots at the demon.

In the uneasy darkness, against a creature made of bone and assumedly lacking nerve endings, it isn't terribly surprising that Asem's shots don't appear to inflict much damage. Its grin only seems to widen (was that possible?) as it bobs back and forth in place.

But it seems the creature's ire is aroused. With another heart-chilling cackle, the Chatterskull rushes forward with unnerving speed in what was obviously meant to be a head butt.

Fortunately, between naturally-fast reflexes and his martial arts training, Asem was able to dodge the attack. He spun to the side, then used his momentum to throw a backwards heel kick at the back of the skull.

Even as it flies past its intended target, the Chatterskull continues to, well. Chatter. The sound is more than a bit grating...

Asem's kick connects solidly, but even as it meets its target, the bone on the back of the skull seems to shift, reforming into spikes. The skull spins through the air, propelled by the kick as it seeks to pierce Asem's leg with the spiky protrusions - a Hell Thrust.

"WHOA!" Asem spun away again, but wasn't fast enough this time. The spikes didn't pierce, but they did leave a few cuts. Asem put his foot back on the ground, wincing a bit.

If it was going to do that whenever he attacked, then unarmed combat wasn't an option. Asem drew his gun again -- but this time, he aimed for the eye sockets. Perhaps there was something he could hit in there. Two more shots rang out.

At such a range, the shots are far more effective. Though the hollow eye sockets aren't any more susceptible than the rest of the skull, the concussive blast induced by an object traveling at such a high velocity is enough to send it staggering back. The laughter transforms into a shriek as the glowing lights intensify and darken.

Asem may feel his body becoming hot before an Agirama incites a wreath of flames to pop up out of thin air.

Asem tried to dodge again, but couldn't fully dodge. He screamed in pain as he felt the skin on his left arm and leg get burned. Not able to come up with anything else, he fired at the skull again.

The skull can't exactly nullify Pierce attacks, but it seems to believe that in a battle of fleshy human versus grotesque supernatural entity, it can hold the upper hand as long as it keeps the heat on. ...Literally. Even as the skull continues to cackle, the flames continue to lash forth mercilessly.

Asem's shot strikes true; this one pierces the skull entirely rather than being deflected by the density of the material. But it seems the magic continues to be powered with the same efficacy regardless of how damaged the creature truly is.

Behind Asem, a slight moaning noise is evidence that Atsuro is beginning to shake off the incurred paralysis. He twitches slightly as he weakly pats at his pockets.

Asem manages to dodge some of it, but those burns are causing him pain. He's grateful when he hears Atsuro, especially since he knows he's used over half his clip on this thing already. He pumps one more shot into the enemy.

"Hey, you all right now?"

"Nnh..." Atsuro shakes his head once, though it's apparent he means 'yes'. "Status effect. Wears off without lasting effects after a few rounds." He shifts himself onto one shoulder and reaches for his COMP before another burst of flame sets his arm on fire. He frantically waves it away quickly.

"Geez! So this thing specializes in Agi, huh...? How've you been holding up?"

Status effect...what was this, a video game? Asem didn't comment on it, but he did take note of it.

"Well enough to survive and do a little damage, but not much better outside of that! But it'd be a waste to call the Gundam over here for a single demon..."

"I'd be screaming for the Gundam in a heartbeat depending on what demon we're talking about."

Atsuro rolls out of the way as he feels a sudden flare of heat again, barely avoiding the next Agirama. ...Strange. He didn't doubt it was in the Agi class, but it's spread pattern wasn't anything he had seen before. It certainly didn't have the range of a Maragi.

"Laksmi! Give us a Mediarahan!"

A flash of light and the goddess of the dance appears gracefully, casting a surreptitious expression of disgust towards the enemy. She dips low to the ground and a second flash of light shines upon the two boys. Atsuro feels his strength recovering.

"How many shots do you think you have left?"

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