[It is heading towards them, but fun fact: it's not missiles. As everyone will find out by listening to the news report as they run for cover.]
-the casualties reaching over six thousand, this stands to be the worst attack in the crisis to date. With the factories coming back online all over the globe, civilians are advised to stay inside and let the militaries and government organizations handle these invaders-
[Speaking of which, that underpass seems to be a good place to hide. Duck under there?
But regardless, several of the flying objects will crash into the ground not far from the trio. They're not bombs, so there are no explosions, but concrete and dirt and metal get thrown everywhere.
Then, from the craters, come several four-legged robots the size of tanks.
[okay, well. at least this is better than bombs!!! Akira skids to a halt from the run he had broken into, whirling on his heel as he presses a hand against his mask. he knows their Persona powers have been nerfed to almost useless levels. single-target, low level magical spells only. but at the very least? they still have their physical attacks]
[he shouts out, voice booming, authoritative in nature]
Use your AoE physical attacks, if you've got them! Queen, focus your assault on the right. Minato, to your left. I'll take the center!
Only hit them enough to distract them so we can escape!
[and with that? his masks bursts into flame as 16-bit Satanael appears at his back, shooting a Riot Gun assault across the field. seems like he's choosing the "shoot out an assault to distract them and then bolt" strategy]
[Well. Robots are better than bombs, but... Minato's not sure he feels all too confident about facing them with their Personas nerfed as they are. At least if he had Messiah to rely on, things would be different, but even Messiah is down to practically useless spells--
Ah well.
He's seen Akira summon enough times by now to know how this works. Not the Evoker, but rather the mask, right? Focus on the Persona, grasp at the mask, and--]
Got it!
[He summons Thanatos, who probably looks utterly ridiculous in his sad 16-bit form, but the sword attack the Persona unleashes is wide ranged enough to take on the enemies to the left.
[As luck would have it, there is a path you can escape by! It seems like some of the teenagers from the park are using it too, taking a stairwell down to an underground area of the city.
One of the teenage boys, a black boy who looks to be about 17, stops long enough to look up at the robots that are advancing towards the group. He also looks at the group themselves for a moment, his gaze focusing on Akira, then Minato, then finally on Makoto.
[uh, yeah, so much for plan "attack and run." now it's just plan "run and hope they don't get shot." hm!!]
[he catches sight of the kids and the teenager around their age bolting down the stairwell to the underground area as he pulls back. his gaze narrows at the fleeing teen's back, before he shouts out]
All right, let's head towards that stairwell! Queen, follow us when you're done with the barricade!
[TIME TO PULL BACK]
[Akira's bolting towards that stairwell as fast as he phantom thief feet will carry him, but he does look over his shoulder as he goes to make sure Makoto falls in line behind him when she is done fucking up some cars]
[Yeah... it'd be hard not to feel those eyes on them. Minato's eyes slide from the teen's back to Makoto, frowning as he follows Akira properly--he's the same as Akira, though, really, poised and ready to turn on his heel and run to Makoto's aid if she needs any.
It's not easy for them to leave anyone behind even for a moment, after all; that's their role as leaders.]
[it's not like she's going to make this complicated, though, because she has zero desire to get stuck there long term.
She casts a quick mafreidyne, aimed between two cars, knocking them towards the robots.
And she bolts once she confirms they're landing in the right direction. there's absolutely no way she's staying there long. She's reckless, not suicidal.]
[Congrats on being smart and running away. You guys stood no chance against that group.
But as you descend the stairs, it changes from an underground stairwell to...a normal concrete staircase in a building? How did that happen?
But regardless, you're now inside what appears to be a military base of sorts. With wandering soldiers in the same uniform who will attack randomly because #Persona. But let's fast-forward the mook fights because you guys can wipe them out easily and they're nbd. Just extra fights to grind.
But anyway at the end of one of the hallways is a big board room that is currently empty, except for two young men. Young men who are built like fukken brick walls, but they still look like they're in their 20s. One of them appears to be the teenager from before, just older and a lot beefier. He even grew facial hair, look at that!]
"So we, what, just take all the best soldiers from each military?"
"Sure, why not? We need to make a strike team, we might as well get the best."
"It's not a bad idea, but that's going to be expensive."
"I already know like five people who are eager to sign up. We just need to get the U.S. Military to sign off on it, and we can do it."
"Yeah, the numbers do look good. I just hope it's enough to end the war."
"It will be."
[It looks like the two of them are planning something. Do you want to interrupt them? Or move on?]
[HECK YES MOOK FIGHTS. taking down those soldiers is, at least for Akira, some good warm up. and he's in high spirits by the time they reach the board room. he lifts a finger to his lips (shush shush) and tries to duck behind the door frame, to hide himself while he eavesdrops on the conversation a little further]
[The mook fights are honestly incredibly energizing; it feels good to be able to do something, instead of just sitting back and waiting for their fates to come to them.
But.
Minato knows he's no actual Phantom Thief! Even if he's got the outfit, he's not near as confident in his stealth stat. He'll hang back a bit while Akira (and possibly Makoto?) edge closer to eavesdrop on that conversation.]
[The sneaking works for now, at least, so you can listen in!
...admittedly it's mostly boring talk about recruiting people and making 'a strike team', but it's clear from the interactions here that these two are close. Very close. Best friends at the absolute least. They trust each other fully, and have each other's backs.
And when the scene shifts abruptly, to a time when both men are a bit older and dressed in different uniforms (different from what they wore before, and different from each other now), the change in them is quite striking. Because they are no longer standing close to each other, working on a project together. No, now they're fighting.]
"I already told you, your group can't operate in that country. We don't have permission to be there."
People are dying. People are already dead! How many of my men do I have to bury before we can take this guy down?
"It's out of my hands. We have to wait for the local government to arrest him and send him to us."
He's lining their pockets! They'll never arrest him! We need to go in with a strike team, take him out, and bring him back here.
"We can't do that, we have to operate diplomatically. If we don't, the whole world will be ripping us apart for being untrustworthy!"
[with a small shake of his head and a deep exhale, Akira motions towards the rest of the hallway and begins to swiftly but silently make his way down it. there isn't too much else to see in that board room, as far as he's concerned]
[Time to go...! Minato's got plenty to think about too, even though he couldn't hear all of what Akira heard; he glances over at Makoto, and then drags in a slow breath and follows.
Really, he has no idea what to expect from all of this, but he trusts Akira and Makoto implicitly; he can follow Akira's lead and trust that this will all come together.
He sounds a little like someone she'd admire, honestly. And the other man reminds her too much of the adults she'd grown tired of back home. Which makes his actions with Ichigo even more bewildering?
She nods at Minato. Go. And then she follows, bringing up the rear.]
But hey, there's more mook fights to come! These men and women are in a different uniform, more reminiscent of what the 'we have to follow rules' guy was wearing. Blue, with some silver on it.
Oh, but there's something else in here too. Surprise!]
[That something else is what looks almost like a powerful shadow - human shaped, with a single long, sharp horn, and bone-white skin with black markings running down his face. His long, reddish-blonde hair attracts the light, and his yellow eyes - one with a black sclera - falls on the group before he turns and starts approaching.
Makoto always seemed like the more level-headed of the Phantom Thieves he's met, but now he's starting to think that she's probably the far more brutal of the two, at least. Note to self: do not cross Makoto.
But also, maybe it's because Minato's not used to Shadows like theirs, but this doesn't seem like--
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Go, I'm following!
[she will, but yeah. this is a dangerous heart? Is there any immediately obvious places to run]
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-the casualties reaching over six thousand, this stands to be the worst attack in the crisis to date. With the factories coming back online all over the globe, civilians are advised to stay inside and let the militaries and government organizations handle these invaders-
[Speaking of which, that underpass seems to be a good place to hide. Duck under there?
But regardless, several of the flying objects will crash into the ground not far from the trio. They're not bombs, so there are no explosions, but concrete and dirt and metal get thrown everywhere.
Then, from the craters, come several four-legged robots the size of tanks.
Fight? Or run?]
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[he shouts out, voice booming, authoritative in nature]
Use your AoE physical attacks, if you've got them! Queen, focus your assault on the right. Minato, to your left. I'll take the center!
Only hit them enough to distract them so we can escape!
[and with that? his masks bursts into flame as 16-bit Satanael appears at his back, shooting a Riot Gun assault across the field. seems like he's choosing the "shoot out an assault to distract them and then bolt" strategy]
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Ah well.
He's seen Akira summon enough times by now to know how this works. Not the Evoker, but rather the mask, right? Focus on the Persona, grasp at the mask, and--]
Got it!
[He summons Thanatos, who probably looks utterly ridiculous in his sad 16-bit form, but the sword attack the Persona unleashes is wide ranged enough to take on the enemies to the left.
... Not that it seems to do much to them.]
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She's going to say the obvious, as the strategist..]
Akira, we should run.
Go ahead of me, I'll knock some of the cars in their way!
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One of the teenage boys, a black boy who looks to be about 17, stops long enough to look up at the robots that are advancing towards the group. He also looks at the group themselves for a moment, his gaze focusing on Akira, then Minato, then finally on Makoto.
Then he turns and runs down the stairs.
Hm.]
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[he catches sight of the kids and the teenager around their age bolting down the stairwell to the underground area as he pulls back. his gaze narrows at the fleeing teen's back, before he shouts out]
All right, let's head towards that stairwell! Queen, follow us when you're done with the barricade!
[TIME TO PULL BACK]
[Akira's bolting towards that stairwell as fast as he phantom thief feet will carry him, but he does look over his shoulder as he goes to make sure Makoto falls in line behind him when she is done fucking up some cars]
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It's not easy for them to leave anyone behind even for a moment, after all; that's their role as leaders.]
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She casts a quick mafreidyne, aimed between two cars, knocking them towards the robots.
And she bolts once she confirms they're landing in the right direction. there's absolutely no way she's staying there long. She's reckless, not suicidal.]
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But as you descend the stairs, it changes from an underground stairwell to...a normal concrete staircase in a building? How did that happen?
But regardless, you're now inside what appears to be a military base of sorts. With wandering soldiers in the same uniform who will attack randomly because #Persona. But let's fast-forward the mook fights because you guys can wipe them out easily and they're nbd. Just extra fights to grind.
But anyway at the end of one of the hallways is a big board room that is currently empty, except for two young men. Young men who are built like fukken brick walls, but they still look like they're in their 20s. One of them appears to be the teenager from before, just older and a lot beefier. He even grew facial hair, look at that!]
"So we, what, just take all the best soldiers from each military?"
"Sure, why not? We need to make a strike team, we might as well get the best."
"It's not a bad idea, but that's going to be expensive."
"I already know like five people who are eager to sign up. We just need to get the U.S. Military to sign off on it, and we can do it."
"Yeah, the numbers do look good. I just hope it's enough to end the war."
"It will be."
[It looks like the two of them are planning something. Do you want to interrupt them? Or move on?]
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But.
Minato knows he's no actual Phantom Thief! Even if he's got the outfit, he's not near as confident in his stealth stat. He'll hang back a bit while Akira (and possibly Makoto?) edge closer to eavesdrop on that conversation.]
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...admittedly it's mostly boring talk about recruiting people and making 'a strike team', but it's clear from the interactions here that these two are close. Very close. Best friends at the absolute least. They trust each other fully, and have each other's backs.
And when the scene shifts abruptly, to a time when both men are a bit older and dressed in different uniforms (different from what they wore before, and different from each other now), the change in them is quite striking. Because they are no longer standing close to each other, working on a project together. No, now they're fighting.]
"I already told you, your group can't operate in that country. We don't have permission to be there."
People are dying. People are already dead! How many of my men do I have to bury before we can take this guy down?
"It's out of my hands. We have to wait for the local government to arrest him and send him to us."
He's lining their pockets! They'll never arrest him! We need to go in with a strike team, take him out, and bring him back here.
"We can't do that, we have to operate diplomatically. If we don't, the whole world will be ripping us apart for being untrustworthy!"
What good is trust if we all die earning it?!
[Hmm. Trouble in paradise.]
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[. . .]
[with a small shake of his head and a deep exhale, Akira motions towards the rest of the hallway and begins to swiftly but silently make his way down it. there isn't too much else to see in that board room, as far as he's concerned]
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Really, he has no idea what to expect from all of this, but he trusts Akira and Makoto implicitly; he can follow Akira's lead and trust that this will all come together.
Onward...!]
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He sounds a little like someone she'd admire, honestly. And the other man reminds her too much of the adults she'd grown tired of back home. Which makes his actions with Ichigo even more bewildering?
She nods at Minato. Go. And then she follows, bringing up the rear.]
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But hey, there's more mook fights to come! These men and women are in a different uniform, more reminiscent of what the 'we have to follow rules' guy was wearing. Blue, with some silver on it.
Oh, but there's something else in here too. Surprise!]
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What do?]
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OUT OF OUR WAY!
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GO QUEEN, GO!
[v-vicious]
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Makoto always seemed like the more level-headed of the Phantom Thieves he's met, but now he's starting to think that she's probably the far more brutal of the two, at least. Note to self: do not cross Makoto.
But also, maybe it's because Minato's not used to Shadows like theirs, but this doesn't seem like--
Ah.
Too late.
He winces, fiddling with his mask.]
... Ouch.
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Thankfully, Ichigo is an end of series shonen, or else you'd all be looking at a ghost murder right about now.
He wheezes, holding out his hands (which are still holding both parts of Zangetsu) and yelling out-]
HOLD ON, IT'S ME! Ichigo?! The Apprentice?! Ah...god, I think you broke my nose...
[He doesn't blame them, but -]
The hell was that for? Agh...
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Ichi-- shit, uh. . . hang on!
[brb summoning 16-bit Cybele for a dia]
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[Minato's commentary has been #helpful here.
Either way, he joins in the effort, summoning Attis to add another dia on top.
Since.
It's dia.]
Are...you okay?
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