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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He really wishes he could think of a cool counter to that title, but before he even gets started Atsuro's already moved on, leaving him to do nothing but pout at his elder.

Still, they're on the move, right?

"I'm coming too." He really doesn't need to confirm this, all things considered, but he suddenly feels so uncertain! ... And it looks like he's trying to come off as assertive here; which would work better if not for his stature.

Atsuro resists the urge to pat him patronizingly on the head. "...Sure you and your shark can take it?" He was teasing, of course, though for what reason, he didn't know. Perhaps light-hearted banter was just something that calmed him down before he headed out into a real battle. "I mean, I've got a creator god here. What's your shark a god of, anyway?"

"I don't think he's a god, per se...?" Oh man, even saying it makes it feel like his Persona is less cool than Atsuro's. "I mean, he was a demigod who was turned into a shark by a goddess!" That's as cool as a full-blown water god, right? ~~No it seriously isn't.~~

"Wellll..."

Atsuro shakes his head slightly as he continues to walk forward, albeit at a slightly slower pace. "I guess that's pretty good. ...But remember - you've gotta follow everything I -- "

A single chime goes off in the distance as something dark and indistinct rushes overhead. ...Or perhaps he had imagined it. Did the town even have a bell? In an instant, a stillness has fallen over them. Less a feeling of calm or peace than it was... lifelessness. The feeling was of a stagnant world... no. Not precisely. It was filled with things - not alive, but present. Things that very much didn't want them there.

Atsuro's last words ring out in this sudden oppressive atmosphere as he stops in his tracks.

"...Looks like it came sooner than I thought it would."

Aoba stiffens completely as he hears the sudden toll, a quick shiver running through his body as the world around him seems to... not change, per se; it's more like an extra layer had been overlaid onto his surroundings. Internally, he does his best to suppress any feelings of unease in this oppressive environment, stepping closer to Atsuro in what he hopes will come off as innocent.

"So... this is it, huh." He should probably be keeping his eyes out for anything hostile in this scenario.

"...Yeah." Atsuro nods solemnly, hardly even taking note of Aoba's step, given that he, too, had shuffled backwards slightly towards the other boy. There was safety in numbers, but given that there were only the two of them, safety in pairs would have to do.

"I don't really know what's gonna happen - if we'll see them swarming all over the place or if they just sort of... appear. Anyway... let's head towards Capricorn."

Before speaking, Aoba takes a moment to calm himself. He can't afford to take any unnecessary risks here, and he'll need to take Atsuro's safety into account if he wants to preserve his own.

"Then... let's keep an eye out?" After stating the obvious again, Aoba starts walking.

Atsuro responds only with a slight nod as he resumes his normal pace as well. The atmosphere of this place was difficult to ignore...

After what seems to be only a few moments of silent walking, he recognizes a dark copse of trees in the distance. "Here. We're entering Capricorn now. I don't know if they've got some sort of ward to protect the main city area, but we're definitely gonna attract attention out there."

He felt a bit as if he were about to enter tall grass. Anything could pop out...

"Ready?"

"Yeah."

The answer is more or less immediate; considering Atsuro's clearly been supporting him all this time, now's the time to put on a brave face to stop the other boy from worrying about him.

He's already spent the short walk here preparing himself, so he doesn't particularly waver as he keeps on walking into the unknown. He has his Persona, right? There's nothing to be afraid of.

That's the impression he's trying to give, anyway.

"Let's do this, Kihara-kun."

Atsuro nods in response and takes a step for --

"Um."

The ground shakes before he can plant his foot. The step is quickly retracted as Atsuro dumbly stares downwards. "...That. Wasn't me." A step back is quickly followed by another dull rumbling; Atsuro quickly begins to turn, searching for the source of the tremors.

He doesn't have far to search.

Behind them, like a great insect emerging from its cocoon, an object that Atsuro had formerly taken to be an unidentifiable statue of some sort in the distance unfolds itself to its true height. It stands amongst the buildings of the city, and in the darkness, seems to loom twenty -- no. Thirty meters tall. For a few seconds, all that ensues from Atsuro's throat are dry rasping noises.

"Khh... -- !"

For those first few moments, Aoba does nothing. His mouth simply hangs open vacantly as he gazes up at the... thing in front of him.

When Atsuro had spoken, he'd been ready to chastise him, thinking the other boy was simply joking with him. The fact that there was no way Atsuro could have possibly made that noise meant nothing; the only other possibility was just plain nonsensiscal.

And even now, with the statue standing right in front of him, he honestly doesn't want to believe it. Every sense in his body is screaming that there is no way something like this can exist, that this is just plain impossible--

He wants to run, really. It's not bravery that keeps him standing there so much as his utter inability to move.

"K... Ki..."

Luckily, as it takes another step towards them, Atsuro realizes that his temporarily addled brain isn't making the right calculations at all. Still, thirty feet was nothing to sneeze at, either. He stands frozen for another second before he grabs for Aoba's arm.

"C'mon! We're fighting this one from a distance!"

He was pretty sure, Persona or not, being stepped on would spell the end of this game. Atsuro wills his frozen feet to move as he quickly stumbles back away from the statue. This kind of thing always had a terrible Agility stat, right?

"They... don't usually get this big. But that doesn't mean we can't put up a fight!"

It takes Atsuro grabbing his arm to make him snap back to reality, and even then he nearly stumbles in his rush to get away from this thing as fast as possible.

It takes another moment before he regains control of his voice to reply.

"R... Right! The bigger they are, the harder they fall!"

Despite this attempt at bravado, he still has little-to-no idea as to what he's actually doing. He needs to summon his Persona, but first he needs to put enough distance between him and the statue to have a safe chance of getting a shot in.

((Sorry to keep you waiting! I've been out of town on hiatus for the last week. Feel free to drop if you'd rather not go on.))

Atsuro grits his teeth and continues to move as quickly as he can, thrusting one hand down into his pockets. Unfortunately, the giant's height meant its footsteps covered slightly more ground than either his or Aoba's possibly could. Dragging Aoba didn't seem like the most effective position to maximize his speed, either, but for some reason, he keeps a hold on the sleeve of the younger boy's shirt.

After a few moments that pass much too slowly, he finally grasps ahold of what he was looking for, pulling out his COMP.

"Badb Catha! Get us away!"

In a flash of light, the raven avatar of the war goddess appears; a second flash of light heralds their teleportation. When Atsuro looks back, the giant suddenly looks much smaller.

"...I think we should be good from here."

((s'okay!))

How can it move that fast? Even as he runs, he finds his thoughts wandering, if only because of how surreal this whole set-up is. If it wasn't for Atsuro's helpful grip on him, he'd probably be out of his mind by now.

Still, suddenly being warped away doesn't do wonders for his concentration either. He takes another, vital moment to calm himself.

"R... Right! From here, let's start our counterattack!"

"Yes! Counterattack!"

...
...
...
Atsuro stares at the rapidly approaching (and enlarging) giant and wonders if the churning sensation he feels in his mind is his brain slowly melting.

"Rock is weak to water! ...W-We'll be good!"

Pokymon: Playing Elemental Rock Paper Scissors for you when you can't do it yourself.

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Free Battle: Capricorn

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