[Akira is really cool, and he isn't even showing off]
[but he is going to wait until the conductor Shadow moseys past him, until he can see their enemy's back and a clear path to its mask. his mouth curves into a confident smile, and suddenly. . .]
[he rockets out of his hiding place like a bullet shot from a gun, uses the leverage of the seat to launch himself into the air and wrap his legs tightly around the Shadow's neck. the creature lets out a surprised yell as Akira's fingers dig into its mask to rip away its outer shell. the mask tears away from the creature's face easily, drops of black goop spattering onto the ground]
[and then Joker is gone, landing in a crouch a few feet away from Souji and Minato]
Come on! Now!
[the Shadow is twisting and distorting until it takes the new form of three different angels, all of them spread out in a line in front of the other wild cards. they look dazed and completely taken off guard]
[ Excellent, that's always a good sign. Of course, Souji once again has no idea what these guys are weak to and has a Certain Feeling he probably doesn't have it, so he'll have to go for something else. A Megidolaon can wait; for now, he lets the tarot card materialize over his palm and crushes it in his fist.
Once Izanagi-no-Okami appears, so too does the Ziodyne, plummeting down to slam into the angel closest to him. ]
[a pretty excellent and smooth double assault by Souji and Minato, and Akira lets out an impressed whistle]
Keep it up!
[Souji and Minato may not have any attacks that can hit these Shadows' weaknesses, but. . . in a whirl of blue fire, Satanael rises up at Akira's back again, wings spreading wide as he levels the barrel of his shotgun at the two remaining Dominions. Akira mirrors this motion, only with his forefinger instead of an actual gun, and cries out--]
Take them down, Satanael!
[and, with a sharp rapport, the Riot Gun assault kicks back the Persona's gun and rains down on the field, tearing through their enemies and knocking them both to their knees with a pained cry. WEAKNESS, GET]
[they're down, but they aren't out yet, which means there's only one thing left for this trio of wild cards to do. right??]
[ One of these days they'll get to hit the weaknesses too. But Minato's already helped take down one, and when Akira downs the other two, Souji glances at them only briefly. ]
[FOR NOW. . . they're on top of the world. and as Souji and Minato dart in, Akira is right behind them, his dagger glinting in the light as the blade slices through one of the Shadows, reducing it to a dissipating cloud of black smoke]
Shadows that powerful can create their own dungeons. Palaces, we call them. You've heard me use that term before.
If we steal a Palace's Treasure-- the item that forms the core of that world-- then the Palace is destroyed, and the Shadow returns to its true self. That is. . . the distorted desires of the person who owned the Shadow disappear.
And in real life? That person feels immeasurable guilt for the crimes they've committed.
[...Ah.... he kind of gets it--possibly even more than Souji, because Minato's seen what happens when someone's Shadow returns to them properly, in the sense of having known what sort of person they can be without it.]
... They must return to their proper selves, without having a distorted Shadow... so they'd be aware of everything they did, right?
[Minato frowns, poking at one of the overturned dining carts. Weird...]
In a way, you'd just be restoring their Shadow to them properly, I think.
[It looks like there's a midboss casually waiting for them at the end of the next car, though.]
[ Souji pauses right before they pass through the exit, eyebrows furrowed. He can't really explain it, but there's some sense of power past this point. ]
[Akira comes to a stop when Souji talks, because despite being the "leader" for this mission, he isn't the first one to sense that powerful presence. but now that it's been pointed out to him, his expression shifts into something more business-like and determined. already he's running through several different strategies in his head, and he bets Minato and Souji are doing the same. instinct, you know?]
Minato-- keep your healing spell at the ready, just in case. Okay?
[he adjusts his gloves over his fingers, hands flexing into fists]
Souji and I will take front line offense, but protecting Minato comes first. Okay?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
messianic) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
realpolitik2018-09-25 10:30 pm
no subject
[but he is going to wait until the conductor Shadow moseys past him, until he can see their enemy's back and a clear path to its mask. his mouth curves into a confident smile, and suddenly. . .]
[he rockets out of his hiding place like a bullet shot from a gun, uses the leverage of the seat to launch himself into the air and wrap his legs tightly around the Shadow's neck. the creature lets out a surprised yell as Akira's fingers dig into its mask to rip away its outer shell. the mask tears away from the creature's face easily, drops of black goop spattering onto the ground]
[and then Joker is gone, landing in a crouch a few feet away from Souji and Minato]
Come on! Now!
[the Shadow is twisting and distorting until it takes the new form of three different angels, all of them spread out in a line in front of the other wild cards. they look dazed and completely taken off guard]
no subject
Once Izanagi-no-Okami appears, so too does the Ziodyne, plummeting down to slam into the angel closest to him. ]
no subject
Instead, he follows up Souji's Ziodyne to lunge forward, slamming his sword down on the already listing Shadow, dissolving it into nothing but goop.
Two more...!!]
no subject
Keep it up!
[Souji and Minato may not have any attacks that can hit these Shadows' weaknesses, but. . . in a whirl of blue fire, Satanael rises up at Akira's back again, wings spreading wide as he levels the barrel of his shotgun at the two remaining Dominions. Akira mirrors this motion, only with his forefinger instead of an actual gun, and cries out--]
Take them down, Satanael!
[and, with a sharp rapport, the Riot Gun assault kicks back the Persona's gun and rains down on the field, tearing through their enemies and knocking them both to their knees with a pained cry. WEAKNESS, GET]
[they're down, but they aren't out yet, which means there's only one thing left for this trio of wild cards to do. right??]
no subject
Now's our chance! Let's end this in one go!
[ CHAAAAARGE. ]
no subject
Time to take out those nasty Shadows.]
no subject
[EASY]
Whew. . .
no subject
[ Souji's so quietly proud. ]
no subject
[!!]
I think we'll be fine if we keep going like this.
no subject
[adjusts his gloves, fingers wagging, before he deposits his dagger back into its sheathe]
. . . anyway.
[FORWARD, HO!!!]
You wanted to know what I was rebelling against outside the Metaverse, right?
no subject
[ But he does think it'll help them understand Akira a little more. ]
no subject
Whatever you're comfortable sharing.
[Peacefully, as they begin to walk through the train cars...!!]
no subject
[. . .]
[that isn't everything. it probably won't be everything; at least, not for a long time. but he can share something]
You all know that Shadows are created by the distorted desires and negative emotions of society, right?
no subject
In a sense. I also know that they can be the reflection of a person's most innermost thoughts and desires, just-- distorted, like you said.
no subject
[?? Where is this going, exactly...?]
no subject
Shadows that powerful can create their own dungeons. Palaces, we call them. You've heard me use that term before.
If we steal a Palace's Treasure-- the item that forms the core of that world-- then the Palace is destroyed, and the Shadow returns to its true self. That is. . . the distorted desires of the person who owned the Shadow disappear.
And in real life? That person feels immeasurable guilt for the crimes they've committed.
no subject
They take responsibility? [ Somehow? ]
no subject
So forgive him for looking...mildly perplexed.
In theory, he understands a little.
In practice, he has no idea what this all looks like.]
no subject
[he echoes Souji as they move from one train car to the next. the one ahead is empty, but in the same state of disrepair as the one before them]
They confess their crimes to the public, and see retribution for the people they've harme.d We call it a "change of heart"
no subject
[ Or do they suddenly just feel... bad?? ]
no subject
... They must return to their proper selves, without having a distorted Shadow... so they'd be aware of everything they did, right?
[Minato frowns, poking at one of the overturned dining carts. Weird...]
In a way, you'd just be restoring their Shadow to them properly, I think.
[It looks like there's a midboss casually waiting for them at the end of the next car, though.]
no subject
Yeah. That's right.
[good on you for getting it, senpai]
They aren't aware that we've done anything, but their overwhelming guilt for their own crimes supersedes everything. That's why they confess.
[the exit to the next car is just up ahead!! are ya'll prepared to step into midboss territory, boys]
no subject
[ Souji pauses right before they pass through the exit, eyebrows furrowed. He can't really explain it, but there's some sense of power past this point. ]
... Are we all ready?
no subject
Yeah.
He feels it too, frowning a little at the exit.]
... Yeah, I think so. Let's be prepared for the worst, though; we don't have as many options as we're used to.
no subject
Minato-- keep your healing spell at the ready, just in case. Okay?
[he adjusts his gloves over his fingers, hands flexing into fists]
Souji and I will take front line offense, but protecting Minato comes first. Okay?
[because without Minato they would be screwed]
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)