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Forest of the Wicked
Rumors and legends spread, as they tend to, until they are heard from the very ends of the earth. One recent source of mystery is a nearby forest. Well within winter's grasp, the forest itself seems to be dying for the year, a few trees reaching near a state of decay. Most animals seem to have left this forest, yet there are still relentless rumors of vague, shadowy forms, trees reaching out to any passerby, and a series of missing persons cases in the area. As with many unusual occurences, it seems to attract people as well, people wishing to investigate the cause
Those who find themselves interested in the forest would find little of note on its outskirts, the withered, brown grasses and leafeless trees give off an impression of emptiness. Nearby is a small, self-sufficient farm, one can see a quaint patch that would ordinarily have vegetables, and a light on in the nearby small, unassuming house. As for the forest itself, two different paths, quite a ways away from each other, wind into the woods. Rumors have kept most travelers away from the area, and as such these footpaths are in poor condition, more fit for deer than humans.
OOC: Anyone can join this at any point, this is intended to be a one-shot, though I cannot really guess the length of it, I aim to please as best as I can.
A strange white cat with deep yellow eyes can be observed waiting a little outside the forest.
It seems to be keeping its eyes wide open as a wide smile seems to be fixed on its face. It's almost as if the cat is waiting for someone to approach the forest. It purrs in a low tone as if trying to comfort itself.
"My, how such curiosities come to be is quite the mystery. Perhaps some brave fellows will come to look into such matters. I believe I shall accompany them. My curiosity is quite peaked at this event."
(edited by The_Judge)
(Slithers in looking like a snake centipede hybrid) this place gives metue creeps...
*Sam walks into the area.*
So, What's going on in this realm today I wonder?
(He looks over to Sam) ay, blonde person
The Judge waits outside the forest, he's close enough to hear some faint noise coming from within, but nothing intelligible can be made out.
Anyone entering the area would notice a few more things that can be noted about the farm. There is a completely empty pigpen by the side of the house, and a plain, red truck. The lights are on inside, so its likely someone is there. As for the forest, it remains looming and ominous as ever, two paths seem to part ways almost as soon as they form, one to the left, and another towards the right.
*Sam looks over to Reperzel*
Ay, Snake person.
(He quickly notices the 2 paths) the hell?....
A blonde and black haired young man walks over to Sam and that weird snake thing
"What's up with the forest?"
I have no idea....but ha guys wanna go in?
The Judge simply remains silent as he watches all who are involved decide on a path. He would move between the two paths and sit there watching as they make their decision. It seemed he was waiting for an opportune moment to begin following. Fitting for a cat to try to determine who would be the most interesting to follow rather than taking the lead themselves.
"Whatever you all decide to choose, be sure to make it worthwhile."
Huh? The hell did that voice come from?
Anyways, what path to choose...the right is always "the right way"
Jiyu notices the two paths and heads down the left one
(edited by Jiyu-Hatanaka)
(Slithers to the right) ONWARDS
*Sam follows Jiyu down the left path*
The Judge's eyes narrow as his smile widens. He travels down the right path. Certainly he would find something interesting in tailing the strange creature on its quest. Beyond that the creature reminded him of something from his own world in a way though certainly not something one would find too friendly normally. This factor interested him as well and thus he would follow onward.
A solo adventure it is then
(Doesn't notice the cat)
The left path winds on for sometime, it is in very poor condition, with brambles and tree roots blocking the path. At one point Sam and Jiyu even have to climb over a fallen tree, annoying, but eventless so far. Inside the forest one can hear faint whispering, though its far too quiet to make anything out of it. Sam and Jiyu would soon find the path slowly beginning to fade, becoming harder and harder to make out, until they lose it completely. Straight ahead one can see a small clearing in the forest, while a thicket of ancient trees can be seen to their left.
They see a brief flash of shadow somewhere near the far end of the clearing, but it is gone as soon as it is found
The right path is in similarly poor condition, but doesn't seem to worsen. In fact, one can make out something like footsteps if they look close enough. As Reperzell and the Judge move onward, suddenly, a branch seems to reach out from behind Rep, outside of his view
OOC: And of course, you can talk freely as normal, I'll only update whenever a decision has been made regarding the area itself, and only for those involved of course.
(edited by FemNexus)
I'm starting to get some major deja vu here.
At the sight of the shadow, Jiyu stops, pulls out his flintlock revolver and aims it at the clearing just before the figure vanishes
"Ugh, I must be seeing things."
[i]He then lowers his gun and continues walking ahead/i]
Wonder if there's some treasure at the end
The Judge would simply observe what the branch does from behind. He was curious to see how the creature would react to such an abnormality as well. His verdict was to not interfere unless assistance truly was needed so he would remain silent and follow Reperzel from behind.
(edited by The_Judge)
Jiyu turns around to look at Sam upon hearing his voice
"Oh, I didn't realize that you were following me. By the way, my name's Jiyu."
(Slithers farther into the trail) yo ho, yo ho, a travelers life me
Sam. Pleasure.
Sam feels like he's seen this somewhere before as Jiyu enters the clearing. The shadow is long gone, but he can't help but feel like he's being watched. Now that he's closer, he notices the clearing is oddly empty, no decaying grass or leaves can be seen, simply pure, hard dirt. The forest continues on the other side of the clearing, looking perhaps even more barren than before. Jiyu can't help but feel like he's being watched
The Judge watches as the branch catches the end of Reperzell's tail. He ends up being forcefully jerked upwards by the "branch" and hanging, tail caught between two of the twigs.... Taking a closer look at the "tree" that grabbed him, those on the right path can see it only possesses two branches, and what seems to be a split trunk, each thinner leading to the creature's woody torso. Finally, it seems to have two, dull red eyes that glare at Rep.
so h- WHAT THE HELL IS GOINGING ON
"Sam eh, I'll try to remember that name."
As he continues to follow the path down, he tightly grips his revolver with both hands
"Hey, are you getting that feeling that you're being watched too?"
The Judge watches as the strange wooden creature catches Reperzel. Curious to the creature's intent he walks up to where Reperzel is hanging. The creature reminded him heavily of a specter but he knew better then to rely on such knowledge of his own world. He would begin speaking in a somewhat condescending tone but not one that lacked any sense of joy.
"How curious, it seems you've fallen for quite a peculiar creature's ploy. I do wonder what it intends for you now though?"
WHAT THE?!?, NOW A TALKING CAT?!?, fucking great...
Yeah. I do. I wonder...
*Sam shakes his head*
Let's keep on moving.
What the creature intends is to toss Reperzell roughly fifteen feet into the air, leaving him to hit the ground hard. The creature itself doesn't seem to be aware of the Judge's presence, and instead swings its right arm down towards Reperzell, aiming to strike him while he is dazed from the fall
Meanwhile, Sam and Jiyu proceed further into the forest. Soon, they come across a little girl, she doesn't look to be much older than ten or so, walking alone, heedless of the world around her. She wears a frilly purple dress, much more fit for tea parties than wandering through the woods. The child carries a small, mouse-like stuffed animal that is dressed similarly. She seems to be speaking to herself
G: The woods are always an adventure, aren't they? *nods* Its ok, I know I'll be safe, especially while you're with me....
So, what do you think we'll find this time? Someone to play with?
"I suppose now would be the proper time for me to intervene!"
With that said the Judge would prepare for action. He would lunge forward towards the creature's arm as it comes down.
[Conniving Aneurysm!]
The Judge's paw would extend forward to reveal a set of razor sharp claws. They would use their claws to strike down on the branch while also pushing off of it to back away again. While the overall impact of the strike was low it was at least enough to give Reperzel time to get away from its arm.
(edited by The_Judge)
A certain masked girl finds herself at the edge of the woods. The building nearby holds no interest to her. She'd rather avoid its inhabitants.
So two paths...
Her rough voice comes out from behind her stitched-up mask. Nodding to herself, she shuffles down the right path.
Jiyu puts away his revolver at the sight of the little girl
"What's that girl doing out in these woods? Isn't it dangerous for her to be out here?"
*Hands in his lab coat pocket, Sam approaches the girl*
Hey kid. You lost?
(He falls down, and slithers away) guess The cat thing is a good guy..?
After following the twisting, overgrown path, Painwheel finds something..... Interesting, to say the least. She runs into The Judge, Reperzel, and an evil tree?
The treelike creature's arm is knocked off its mark by the Judge, though he feels a little of its impact. Its ambush failed, the creature stumbles away from the Judge and the others, it awkwardly stumbles into an actual tree nearby, before getting an idea. The creature rips off a tree limb, and brandishes it like a club. It warily eyes the three around it
On the left path, Sam approaches the small, child, she turns around upon hearing him, and smiles widely while she responds. Her voice is high-pitched, much as one would expect to hear from a kid
G: I'm not lost, I just live around here. Mother and Father will help me remember my way home, so I usually go off on an adventure. Would you like to join me mister?
Jiyu walks over to Sam and the girl without saying a word
"..."
"Hmmm, it appears you're a little more wise than a spector to say the least. Very well, I shall be your opponent as well, monser!"
[Purulent Sclerosis!]
The Judge's paws would suddenly begin to change in both color and texture. As if the very nature of them shifted they would become purplish and much slicker as the fur began to change into a flat gooey surface.
The Judge would then attempt to quickly dash beneath the monster's range of attack and try to claw at its main body. If it successfully hit then the strange purple coloration would spread onto the monster. The purple coloration had a chance to spread across the creature's body to poison it if this occurred.
The Judge whether successful or not would attempt to move behind the creature from there before his paws would return to their normal form.
"Meow...have a taste of my toxins, fiend."
Huh?
The masked person stares at the unusual scene for a moment. A cat, a scaly centipede, and a living tree... That's probably the strangest thing she's seen today. She drops down to all fours, narrowing her glowing red eyes. The pinwheel-like blades on her back position themselves above her like a shield.
(He helps the fight by coiling around the tree, squeezing it)
Take walks into the forest, a pair of red snowboarding goggles on her forehead, her boots making loud and heavy footsteps as she trudged through any of the fallen branches on the floor. She had a large, chunky pistol at her hip, twirling what looked like a shiny thread, mumbling to herself the whole way.
"I swear, I can't find a place to walk that isn't ominous as hell. It's like the second I get a Persona suddenly the world just decided 'screw it, I'm not getting paid enough for this' and started going crazy..."
*Hibki walks up to the forest, not even bothering to hide his paws, ears, and tail.* I don’t like this, forests should be alive, this doesn’t seem right. *He approaches Takeno*
Do you have any idea what might have happened here?
Clumsy as the creature is, it swings its branch far too slowly to actually hit the Judge. His poison begins to spread across the creature's barklike skin, but does not seem to cause too much harm.
The creature tries to stumble away only for reperzel to attach himself to it. This proves to be an incredibly poor decision, allowing the creature to grab him with its left arm, the one not holding a tree branch, and peel the snakipede off.
It doesn't seem to have noticed Painwheel yet, preoccupied as the creature is.
The first thing Takeno and Hibki notice about the forest, aside from how dead it seems, are the two branching paths, one leading towards the left and one towards the right.
OOC: I'll wait on Sam before updating for him and Jiyu, for now, everyone else enjoy
"Something happened here? I knew I was stepping into some shit when I walked in here..."
The foul mouthed girl took a few steps forward, the wire she'd been twirling making a slash on the floor before she wrapped it around her wrist.
"Well no fear, I'm sure if something pops up we'll be fine. I have yet to find an opponent who can withstand enough bullets. Or arrows, for that matter."
Well, if your not lost, that's fine. Bit busy for an adeventure at the minute, but enjoy yourself.
*Sam starts moving on.*
You can play with her if you want, Jiyu.
Painwheel, instead of helping, decides to let these beasts do their thing. She's not exactly looking for a fight. While the sentient tree is distracted, she slinks off to the side, aiming to sneak around the fight. However, her blades are still readied in case she's noticed.
The Judge sees Reperzel get lifted once again. He decides that purification may be direly necessary for this monster and thus decides to use the 2nd level of his competence.
"It seems a bit more force will be required to break through that tough exterior but worry not, I have just the thing for you!"
[Malicious Aneurysm!]
Now behind the creature the Judge would lunge towards its back. He redies his right claw like last time but for anyone who would view the claw a strange effect would seem to surround it. The claw would begin to distort strangely as the judge slashes it forward.
The sharp claws would raise up like daggers as the paw itself would seem to become much longer and agile. The effect almost made the claw look blurry and out of focus.
The amount of impact this attack would deal would be mediocre at best but much more fierce than the Judge's previous slash. After the slash was finished the Judge would back up slightly as its paws came back into focus and returned to their usual form.
I’ve met a few who are impervious to bullets. There are quite a few in this universe. *He looks at both paths*
I’m thinking left myself.
Take holds her arms out, looking at the two paths and moving her fingers in each direction a few times.
"Eenie, meenie, miney, that one!"
She walks leftward with a proud trot, lowering her goggles down as she looks around her observant eyes filled more with pride and dauntlessness than actual attention, unable to process most of what's going on.
Ok then, let’s do that then.
*Sighing Hibki decides to follow Takeno on the left path.*
I’m surprised you aren’t more shocked by my less than human features. *He gestures to his ears, paws, and tail*
Jiyu continues to follow Sam but gestures for the girl to come along with him before moving ahead
"Let me tell you something kid, when you learn that there's an alternate reality where a demonic subway tunnel exists, you start to become numb to these things. Especially when a giant shark man pops out whenever you focus real hard."
To any normal person, Take'd probably sound completely psychotic, but to another Persona user, she'd probably sound only mildly psychotic. She finally slowed down her pacing as she took more time to look around.
"Do you see an end to this...?"
An inky black portal opens at the fork in the road, a young man with spiked blond hair stepping out from it and glancing around curiously.
"Man it's been a while... But I think it's high time to get out there and start adventuring again! So on that note, no time to waste!"
With that Roxas begins darting down the left path, not even taking the time to think before he sets out with a grin on his face.
(He squeezes the tree tighter)
I get you. Don’t worry though, I’m no demon, I think? This is the result of a demon fusing accident. I somehow fused together with my partner Byakko. *He seems to hear something in his head*
Yeah I know I did it but you forced me to! Sorry about that, I can still hear her thoughts.
"Sounds like a pain in the ass. Don't get me wrong, I bet you she's a nice person but I could never deal with another person's thoughts. I wonder if I can use a Persona here... I feel like this place is weird enough."
She places both hands behind her head, resting herself in her hands, her fingers knotting with her purple hair.
"See anything special? Or maybe we're just walking without purpose."
Hibki, Roxas, and Takeno walk along the left path, its in very poor condition, covered in brambles and tree roots, at one point they even have to climb over a fallen tree. Annoying, but nothing much of note. The path slowly begins to fade, until eventually it can no longer be seen at all. To their left,
the pair would notice an ancient grove of trees, they seem to be in better condition than the rest of the forest. Straight ahead is a small clearing that can be seen through the trees.
Sam and Jiyu try to walk by the girl, but she immediately runs in their way
G: Hey, don't just leave like that. I so rarely get to see anyone these days. Surely you can come on MY adventure.
Jiyu waves for the girl to follow, but she only shakes her head
G: I just came from there, its boring, there are just these lame shadow things.
The Judge slashes the creature's back, his claws sinking a little way into its bark-like skin. It stumbles forward, and drops Reperzell, only for him to coil around the creature's arm instead.
The creature shakes its arm for a moment. while Painwheel makes her way past the conflict.
Then, a faint pulsing can be felt across the forest, as though a giant heart had just beat.
For Sam and Jiyu, it seems to come from off to their right, though there's no path in that direction.
Takeno, Hibki, and Roxas can hardly feel it, instead they merely get a shiver down their spine, as though something was off
Back by Judge and Reperzell, the creature pauses for a moment as the pulse passes by. Its once dull eyes begin to flash a bright, vicious red as it smashes its left arm against the ground repeatedly in an attempt to crush the insectoid attached to it. It seems like grabbing the creature is a really bad idea, might want to think of something else.
Finally, Painwheel proceeds onward through the forest for some time, encountering nothing of particular note.... Until eventually, she sees a shadow cross the path ahead of her
It’s, tough. The problem is I kept control of my body so if she really need to speak it has to be done through me. My sense of dread is getting stronger the further we walk though. It’s a powerful entity, make sure you’re prepared for a fight at any moment.
*A golden light appears around his paws where his hands would normally be, after the light dissipates he’s left with golden claws each the size of a small dagger*
Take stops right in her tracks and shivers, her hands raising and clutching her chest.
"T-The hell?! Did you feel that?"
She turns to Hibki before her eyes wander to the grove, slowly walking towards it with a sense of wonder glowing in her eyes.
"Look, it's totally fine... There's gotta be something over here."
Because of circumstances beyond the narrator's control, Painwheel wisely decides to leave for now. She uses her blades as a makeshift helicopter to fly out. Best to get out of this cold forest, especially with no shoes...
(He is to tight on, so, he must take the pain) OWWWW, FUCK
*He follows, constantly looking back to see if he’s being followed. As he feels the tremor his tail straightens upright*
Something really is wrong here, I don’t like it.
The judge steps away from the monster in order to avoid its thrashing about. With such violence the Judge can't really get in close to strike once more. Instead he prepares something else.
"Such reckless movements. They make my task much harder to complete. I'll have to slow you down if I wish to close any distance."
[Immediate Sclerosis!]
The Judge's left paw would begin to harden and drip with a hard plastic like substance. The paw itself seems to have changed in both color and texture as it now becomes transparent.
The Judge would jump into the air before winging the paw towards the creature. If the substance makes contact it would have a chance to begin converting the creature's skin into a hardened substance while also immobilizing it.
The Judge would land back on the ground away from the creature to see if his attack had any effect.
Jiyu, who's surprised about what the girl said, turns around to face her
"Did you just say shadows?"
After finishing his sentence, Jiyu turns his left to face the strange pulsing coming from deep in the forest
"Uhh, what the hell is that?"
Must be the heart of the forest. Heh heh. Anywho, Jiyu, I'll let you deal with her. I don't do kids.
Roxas looks over at the other two as a pair of blades forms in his hands, one with an almost snowflake shaped end and white color with a bit of blue. The other all black and with a sharp pointed end to it. The boy raises them up and glances around for the source of the feeling.
"Yeah... Something weird is going on here that much is sure, man this is the first time I've come around in months and something is already happening..."
Roxas smirks at them and spins his Keyblades around in his hands.
"Pretty exciting wouldn't you say?"
(He finally uncoils, and jumps off, before he would be affected by the attack) oh...god my back, that hurt
I’m more freaked out than excited, but I have to admit, it is nice to be somewhere something is actually happening.
*He looks around* What’s with this clearing?
Jiyu turns to Sam once again
"Why do I have to take care of her? I've never had any experience with kids in my life."
OOC: Sorry, I really have to go, it’s later than I expected. Really, I’m sorry. I feel bad leaving part way through like this.
Reperzell is struck a few more times before he is able to get off the creature, he's definitely going to be feeling that in the morning.
With the immediate annoyance off of it, the treelike creature moves to swing its club. As it rears its arm back, the Judge's... Substance strikes it along its back and towards the right arm. Its joints begin to harden, and the creature finds itself having a hard time moving its branch arm. The creature turns around, to find the source of this new disturbance, and swings the branch in a wide circle as it does so, a few of the branches towards the end of its weapon seem to lash out at him.
When the creature turns around, Judge can see his original posionous creep has spread across most of its front, and is approaching the creature's face
Jiyu does manage to keep the child busy, leaving Sam to walk by without further notice. He continues onward along the path, it seems to slowly be bending to the left, away from the source of the pulse. Meanwhile the girl sighs and continues talking
G: Yeah, these really lame things. I tried to play with them, but they just vanished. They were really mean too.... Anyways, can we play now?
Roxas and Takeno enter the grove to their left, it seems far more lively than the rest of the forest. Every now and then a faint light seems to shine across the trees. Soon, they come across a large pool of water, tucked away in the middle of the grove. A beautiful young woman with blonde hair and a plain brown dress seems to be kneeling by the pool, she scoops up some of its waters, and takes a drink
OOC: Its fine Hibki, this was meant to be totally open anyways, was nice seeing you again
*Sam waves with the back of his hand as he continues down the path*
Good luck with the kid, Jiyu. Catch up when you can, yeah?
The Judge backs away as the branches strike at him. He manages get away enough for the branches to only scratch his fur up a bit but the pain is there nonetheless.
"It seems I underestimated your assault slightly but now you've left me with a dire opening!"
[Conniving Aneurysm!]
The judge would attempt to jump onto the monster's branch like arm while striking down on it to propel himself into the air if successful.
Take raises a brow as she glances around the grove, slowly walking up to the woman. She uncoiled her thread and went into a combat readied position.
"Hello? You okay there, Miss?"
"Alright, whatever."
Jiyu turns back to the child
"Well, what do you want to play?"
(He lays down) fuck, me back
The woman turns around, her eyes are a light blue, and she smiles back at Takeno
W: I'm doing wonderfully, thank you for asking. Though, you're quite a ways into the forest, are you thirsty perhaps? This spring is wonderful, really glad I found it.
The woman cups some more of the water in her hands and offers it to Takeno, smiling
Sam continues down the forest path for some time, though he finds no "shadow creatures" to speak of, he does manage to find an old, worn-out mansion. Its clearly seen much better days, many of its windows are broken and dusty, but the building seems stable
The child's eyes light up when Jiyu offers to play, she smiles and steps closer
G: We should play adventure. Its really simple and fun. I'll be the heroine...
The child dramatically gestures towards herself, a big smile across her face
G: And you can be the monster that dies.
Suddenly, a pair of skeletal figures seem to form in the air around the child, they reach out in an attempt to grab Jiyu
The judge agilely strikes the creature's stiff arm to launch himself into the air. His initial creep begins to spread up the creature's neck, while it dumbly looks up at the Judge, the creature slowly begins to bring its other arm up
The Judge would prepare its own claw as it bore down upon the monster preparing to strike.
"It seems you've encountered a streak of bad luck, dear fiend. But worry not, for now you shall feel the full weight of your sins. This victory is mine now prepare for absolution!"
[Malicious Aneurysm!!!]
The Judge would strike down allowing gravity to aid in his assault as he tried to strike down upon the monster's head with his shifting claw. Believing his speed to be superior and that the monster would be felled with this strike he would temporarily throw caution to the wind.
His claw would once again shift and turn as it goes out of focus and becomes much more narrow and agile than before while also increasing in length and ferocity.
"What the.."
Jiyu rolls backwards away from the child and the skeletal hands and pulls out his flintlock revolver
"I knew I never should've trusted this damn kid."
He tries to fire a musket ball at the girl's head with his revolver
Whooooooo....go cat....that talks
*Sam looks up at the mansion*
Is this that kid's house?
*Sam tries to push the mansion door open*
The Judge's claw pierces the creature's head before it is able to swipe at him. The light begins to fade from its eyes as it topples backwards, Judge still on it, the creature strikes the ground with a resounding CRASH. With the creature dealt with, him and Reperzell can choose to either move forward on their path, or turn back
Jiyu's bullet is blocked by one of the skeletal figures' hands, the girl seems annoyed
G: Hey, that's no fair. You're not supposed to fight back. Mother, Father, he's not playing nice.
The two skeletal figures fully emerge from the air behind the girl. They're fairly nondescript skeletons, but they seem to glow with a faint, blue light. One of them has long, flowing white hair,
presumably the mother. The trio step closer to Jiyu, father standing in front of the other two protectively while a faint blue light begins to glow in the mother's hand
The mansion door opens readily, showing how large the building truly is. The floor is several hundreds of square feet large, and a grand marble staircase leads to the second floor. It would be quite beautiful if it weren't so decrepit. Regardless, Sam still feels a sense of unease, as though asking if he was sure he wished to move forward
(He jumps up) ay, cat, thank ya for that
*Sam shakes the unease from head and continues inside.*
What an old place. Wonder if it's haunted. What could I do in a place like this? Heh heh heh.
That Judge still has a smile plastered on its face as it sits atop the former creatures head. He looks down at Reperzel with gleaming yellow eyes as a low purr can be heard.
"I was simply punishing this creature for its misdeeds. Helping you out was a byproduct which I am not unhappy about though. You may also refer to me as the Judge rather than as cat. I am the former guardian of zone 0 as it would seem that zone 0 no longer exists with me at present."
Take warily steps back, narrowing her eyes at the woman.
"Slow down. Who are you and what are you doing here?" The thread at the end of her arm glistened in the light, its blade like properties reflecting the light in a very particular way.
Hm...interesting, call me rep, and I'm the only snake centipede hybrid you'll ever see
"Aw come on, you're saying that I'm playing unfair when it's three against one?"
Jiyu puts a hand on the bottom of his face just as a brown leather face mask appears on his face, covering his mouth
"Talk about a complete bother."
He then rips off the mask making a figure of a man in a continental general outfit, holding a sword in his right hand, while riding a white horse manifest in front of Jiyu
"Now we're even, stay on guard Washington!"
Washington obeys his user's order and guards
OOC: I think I'll be going off for now if that's alright. I need a break from RP for now.
Ooc: ok, byyy
OOC: That's perfectly fine m8, take your time. I'll begin updating in the meantime
WELP, ONWARDS (he slithers forward)
Sam steps further inside the abandoned house, all seems quiet for now as he looks around the first floor. There are three doors along the back wall, and two on each side. In addition, the grand staircase leads upwards to another floor, presumably with more rooms in it. Sam sees a brief flash of light coming from the furthest right door along the back wall
The woman looks a little disappointed and drinks the water herself. She shrugs and stands up
W: You can call me Ariana, I was simply travelling through the woods from the other side. Its a long trip so I got thirsty and decided to drink from this pool. Sorry if I freaked you out.
She smiles and keeps her distance from Takeno, stepping off to the side as if to let Takeno check the water herself
The girl tilts her head and stares at Washington for a few moments
G: He's in pretty good condition, how'd you do that mister? Does he talk?
While the child continues talking playfully, the mother tosses the blue energy at Washington and Jiyu, it strikes the persona's weapon and bursts into curse energy, peppering Washington and Jiyu with energy. Meanwhile the father steps forward and swings an arm at the persona's weapon, trying to grab it.
Reperzell proceeds deeper into the forest, with his injured back still aching, he gets the feeling it may be best to call it for a day, especially as the sun gets lower.
I'll go back when its just bout night time
What the..?
*Sam goes to investigates the flash of light*
Jiyu tries to roll out of the way of the attack, but he's hit by the energy along with Washington, but you forgot to hit his horse
"Ugh, you fool, now assault dive!"
Washington's horse rams into the father before he could get any close to the sword, knocking him back if it connects
Take lowers her hand and shrugs.
"Yoshiko Takenomi. I guess you can call me whatever you want. You sure this place is safe? Everywhere else other than this grove is dead and I swear I can hear fighting or something."
Sigh, its soooooo boring, adventuring alone...
Sam steps further into the mansion, he opens the right door to find a fine dining room. The room is enormous, large enough to house a massive table with seats for at least twelve people, and one door along the room's left side, its a revolving door, presumably meant to be easily opened. On the right side is a series of windows that look westwards towards the setting sun. A small figure can be seen standing motionless by the window
Reperzell throws caution to the wind and steps further and further into the forest, he sees a few shadows move across his vision in the distance, as though in final warning.
Washington's horse scatter's the father's form into the wind, only for it to reform seconds later,
the father hits the horse, but its disappointingly weak. The child seems annoyed
G: Oh come on, don't be mean to father like that, I just want to kill you. Its part of the game.
The mother prepares another orb of shadowy energy, and a faint rumbling can be felt from the ground
Ariana raises one eyebrow, looking around the grove
A: I can't hear much of anything dear Yoshiko. Though I've heard tale of a guardian spirit here, perhaps that's why the grove is in such good condition? Or maybe its the water. I know I'm feeling quite a bit better now. Are you sure you're not thirsty? I won't look if you think its embarrassing
Ariana steps further away from the pond and giggles before turning her back to Takeno, to allow her some measure of privacy
(He notices the shadows) N.O.P.E. (he slithers the other way, going back) That's enough for this day, but, I'll be back
Take shakes her head. She stares Ariana over, her suspicion of the situation pretty evident.
"Right. How do I know I'm not going to die from drinking this?"
So it ain't just me exploring this place. Still better be careful.
*Sam approaches figure catiously.*
Heya. Thought it would just be me wandering around a musty old place like this? You seen a bright light close by?
(He slithers to the end of The and lays down on the split part of the trail god....what a....day
"Heh, well when it comes to games, I never play by the rules."
While the others were distracted by the horse, Jiyu, who's now wearing a continental general outfit that looks like Washington's, swoops in and does a roundhouse kick to the mother
Meanwhile, Washington's horse makes a confused neigh when the father punches him right before Washington himself recovers from the previous attack. Washington then tries to slice the father's head off with his sword
(He slithers to the end of The and lays down on the split part of the trail god....what a....day
Reperzell decides to GTFO, in his current condition, probably a good idea
Ariana turns back around to Takeno, her eyes full of concern
A: Are you alright miss Yoshino? You.... You saw me drink from it..... Per... I didn't want to assume, but are you not human? I've heard water can be poisonous for some weird creatures, so I could understand that.
Sam approaches the figure, allowing more of it to come to light. They look oddly like the little girl from earlier, staring out the window, but... He left her behind, right? The figure doesn't say anything, instead they slowly turn around, he can see a faint blue glow behind her eyes.
the mother disintegrates, much like the father did, only to reform seconds later behind the girl.
Similarly, Washington slices through the father with no resistance, only for them to come back seconds later.
G: You're mean..... Not very good at playing
Suddenly, a few arms reach out from the ground, trying to grab the legs of Washington's horse,
they're in various conditions, most of them rotting and poor.
Meanwhile, the mother reaches out to grab Jiyu, who is by now quite close to the girl.
The father takes a few steps back from Washington as the arms reach for the persona, to step closer to and protect the girl
(He hears the noise from the left road) I should go....but I ain't
Washington throws his sword at the father with the tip of the sword pointing at him just before he gets grabbed then nods at Jiyu
"Heh.."
Jiyu's right hand gets grabbed by the mother, but that doesn't stop him from taking out his Flintlock Revolver with his left hand, pressing a button on it making a bayonet come out of a secret hole in it, and slitting the girl's throat with the bayonet
Heh. It's you, Kid. You caught up qu-
*Sam stops talking when he sees the light in the girl's eyes. He thinks back to when he last saw something like this. The Nexus event with the clone of Aincrad. He then remembers being watched in the forest and the sense of Deja Vu it made him feel*
Oh Bugger.
And ya know why cu-ZZZZZ
"Well, I mean as far as I know I'm human. I just... didn't expect to see a normal lake in the middle of a super suspicious set of woods, but I'll play along."
She cups her hands in the water and takes a brief sip, opposed to every other instinct she had, but it must be done eventually.
The girl stumbles away from Jiyu, a small cut on her throat, she seems almost offended as her parents are scattered into dust again.
G: I... I'm leaving. Hmph.
The girl begins to pout and walk away, deeper into the forest, her parents still eyeing Jiyu warily as they go along
G:Mother, Father, Come on.
Once the girl is a safe distance away, her parents would vanish into thin air again, or perhaps they're still there, only invisible
A faint blue aura flares up around the girl as they slowly walk towards Sam
G: Gone forever, I'm all alone....
He feels a sinister presence in the air near the child, but nothing tangible can be seen.... Not until a bolt of purple energy is launched through the air at him. He briefly catches sight of a feminine, skeletal figure over the girl's right shoulder as its fired, but the figure soon fades away
The water is fresh and cool, though Takeno starts to feel a little drowsy drinking it, Ariana smiles with delight
A: See, I told you it wasn't so bad, go ahead, have more. There's supposed to be a guardian you know.
When the girl speaks, Takeno notices something about her teeth. They're oddly sharp come to think of it.
(Is now asleep) ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
"Hmph, well that's one weird family. I wouldn't want to be neighbors with them."
After he finishes his shitty one-liner, his metaverse costume flames, with the flames' colors being red white and blue, into the air and Washington disappears with the same flame effect
"Now I have to regroup with Sam, he must be wondering where I am by now."
Jiyu walks further down the path again
(edited by Jiyu-Hatanaka)
*Sam manages to dodge out of the way of the energy bolt, returning fire with a lightning bolt from his cane*
Is this what I left Jiyu alone with? Hope he's alright.
After walking down the path for some time, Jiyu comes across an enormous mansion, it looks like its seen much better days, and the front door is wide open
The lightning bolt is fired at the child, only for another brief skeletal figure, this one more masculine and bald, to appear in order to block the shot, the girl steps closer faster, while the feminine figure appears behind them again
G: Never see them again, they're gone....
The feminine spirit charges up another bolt of the dark energy, not hard to imagine how that'll be used
If I remember correctly...
*Sam rushes forward, activating the claws on his metal arm, and thrusts it forward, towards the girl's chest.*
Jiyu quietly walks through the door without making a sound
"I'm guessing that he went in here."
ZZZZ
As Sam rushes forwards, the masculine spirit appears once more in an attempt to block his path, however its form crumbles easily beneath Sam's claw, which strikes straight through the girl's chest
G: Gone forever....
A large quantity of misty, black substance begins coming out of the chest wound, but the shade is still able to maintain its form. With Sam having come in so close, he is unable to dodge as the feminine spirit launches a bolt of dark energy. After striking Sam's arm, it bursts into a spray, further peppering him with the curse energy
Jiyu enters the grand mansion to find a large, dusty marble staircase in the middle of a giant room hundreds of square feet large. He hears noise coming from an open door on the back wall and to the right
Grr. Impertenant little...
*Sam's metal arm starts charging.*
Heavenly Thunder: Level 5. NSTC.
*Electricity surges from Sam's body in a violent storm across half the room, singing anything it touches and coursing through the girl's form. Sam, immune to electrical damage as he is, watches the spectacle with a smirk.*
Take leans over, her hands on her hips as she widens her eyes.
"Your teeth look like my Persona's... very shark-like... Wait a second!"
She slashes her razor-thread at the ground, getting back into a combat position.
"I'm gonna need an explanation!"
Jiyu walks over to the door with his revolver still in his hand
ZZZZ-HUH?!!, WHAT HAPPEND
Jiyu peeks in the door to see Sam electrocuting everything in the area, particularly that little girl Jiyu fought earlier. The child begins to fade away into a black mist... Moments before they go, her form twists into that of a black, wispy humanoid with glowing blue eyes.
Sam would notice burn marks on its chest, where there used to be stars, but he cannot spend much time looking at it before the shade completely dissolves
Ariana closes her mouth, careful not to let her teeth show again, she steps away from the water and closer to the grove's entrance
A: I'm sorry, are you quite alright? I don't know what you're talking about. Maybe you're dehydrated, I've heard of travelers seeing things after long journeys. Drinking can't hurt, can it? You know its not poisonous now after all.
By now Ariana is completely blocking the grove's opening, though she keeps a calm, steady gaze on Takeno, as though trying not to upset her
Welp.....my backs feels better so, this time, let's gk to the left one (slithers into the left trail)
Tch. Those bastards are getting tougher.
*Sam's mechanical arm goes completely limp, having been short-circuited from the massive electrical attack. Sam shakes his head, grabbing his cane and walking for the exit to the room only to see Jiyu in the doorway.*
I see you finally caught up, Jiyu.
*a pair of creepy, blood red eyes stares at everyone, then dissapears.*
"Yeah, that girl was giving me a rough time with her "game", an-"
He notices that the same girl is fighting Sam
"...and she's still alive, great."
That was a fake. Don't worry about it.
*Sam flicks his metal arm, letting it swing freely.*
Welp, this thing is completely dead. That sucks.
"You're blocking my way. I don't exactly endorse violence but I'll beat the shit out of you if you keep this up, what's going on here?"
Take had a very serious look on her face, her reddish eyes narrowed and her pupils focused.
"I don't know if I have my Persona or not, but you really don't wanna get on my bad side."
"A fake? What do you mean by fake?"
Jiyu looks confused
(He slithers into deeper into the left trail and see a group of poepl) AY, PERSONS
To put it simply, a clone made to look like that young girl from earlier, but weaker in strength. Anyway, I don't think there's much here for us. Want to head out of here and try again later? I need to perform maintenance on the paperweight hanging in place of an arm.
(He slithers to the people) ayyy
The girl's form has disappated by this point, so Sam and Jiyu are left with nothing but an empty house. Looking out the windows to the right, they see the sun has started to set, might not want to be in a cursed forest at night.
Ariana almost seems scared as she steps back, further into the grove's opening
A: I.... I'm afraid I have no idea what you're talking about. Please calm down miss Yoshino. S... So much anger isn't good for you.
They don't seem willing to put up much of a fight, instead they just keep talking
A: Are you sure you're quite alright? I... I've heard all these terrible things about the forest, are you the reason people've gone missing? Please don't hurt me... J... Just calm down... Take a drink... Think things through
That second to last sentence is slipped among their other pleas, almost unnoticable, Takeno can feel the nice, cool pond breeze from behind her, inviting her to stay
"No wonder she didn't land that many hits on me."
Ello?
I believe the one I left you with was real. Perhaps she was just that weak.
*Sam notices the setting sun*
Well, looks like it's time to go. Hate to be in a place like this during the night time. Aso hates to be here when the kid returns home to see her dining room scorched to hell. You heading off as well, Jiyu?
(edited by Sam)
"I'd might as well, because I don't want my mom to flip out on me again for not sleeping at home."
Jiyu chuckles a bit
I have no home
Take turns around, her expression softening, suddenly all malice that would've been in her voice completely dissipates.
"Yeah... I should have a drink..."
It takes her a moment to snap out of it as her gaze returns to Ariana.
"What's going on here...? What are you?"
(He slithers back to the split part of the trail, and just stands there)
*Sam nods and calls on Mayu to open up a portal back to his lab, now that the control device on his metal arm is fried.*
I'd walk back with you, but I need to repair this thing as soon as possible. Sorry to ditch you again. Don't die on the way back, by the way. I've grown fond of you. Catch you later, Jiyu.
*Sam waves with the back of his hand as he passes through his portal, leaving Jiyu alone in Luna's Mansion.*
Ariana steps closer to Takeno, her gaze is calm and reassuring, much like that of a parent dealing with a frightened child
A: I'm just an ordinary traveler, like you. I don't know whatever could have scared you. Please calm down miss Yoshino, I'm sure everything will be all right. Just take a deep breath, a long drink, and we can talk about whatever's ailing you.
The pond remains to Takeno's back as Ariana tries to put a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Its clear that she's not going to say much different, she seems to simply be trying to reassure Takeno.
"You know this is something straight out of a movie... you drink from the pond, and it just feels all comforting and pleasant, and then it comes out to bite you is that it?"
Take turns right around, lifting her hand to try and slap Ariana, going for the violent approach one more time, or so it seems as she doesn't actually swing, more just try to see her reaction.
Ariana recoils from the feint, hissing and baring her razor-sharp teeth. Realizing what just happened, she lunges forward and tries to tackle Takeno for the pair to fall into the pond
A: Ungrateful brat, after all the kindness I showed you, this is how I'm repaid?
Take struggles for a bit, trying to shake Ariana off of her, slashing her bladed wire around recklessly.
"Son of a-! Why do I always have to be right?!"
Eventually she starts kicking and flailing, anything to cause enough pain to get the sharp-toothed harpy off of her.
Anyone?....
Ariana turns out to be rather fragile, probably why she was relying on the pond trick so much. Takeno is able to kick her off and to the side with relative ease... Ariana takes a deep breath and struggles to her feet
A: I... I'm so very sorry for tricking you... Y... You can go... Please don't hurt me.....
Ariana is out of the way, and slowly tries to walk back towards the pond Takeno was knocked in....
Take narrows her eyes, pulling out her pistol and aiming it at Ariana.
"Now I'm gonna need some answers or else you're getting a hole in your forehead."
Ariana raises her hands, stopping in her tracks
A: I really don't know what you're talking about, I lure travelers to drink the water, they fall asleep an......
At that moment, a faint pulsing can be felt throughout the forest. Takeno can feel it this time, it almost feels like a heartbeat. Ariana clutches her head and stops talking... In a moment, her eyes narrow and she lunges at Takeno again, aiming to tackle her and submerge her in the pond
Take fires a warning shot at Ariana's feet, hoping not to actually kill the woman, but at the very least incapacitate her.
"W-What the hell is going on here?!"
Ariana ignores the warning shot, and seems to have completely stopped talking. Her hands seem to elongate into claws of sorts with which she slashes at Takeno's face. The creature hisses, and seems to rush forth with complete reckless abandon at this point
Take reels back, holding her left cheek as the creature slashes her face, letting out a shriek of pain before turning around and slashing her bladed thread, this time ignoring any attempt at reasoning and going straight for the kill, her reckless swinging leaving her decently open however.
Ariana smiles upon hearing Takeno's shriek, she lashes out again, only to be caught in the face by the bladed wire, it slices through a decent portion, revealing an unusual interior. Rather than bleed, Ariana seems to begin fading, before crumbling like brittle, dead leaves into the pond she had used so much. Looking back around the grove, Takeno realizes that it is starting to get dark, might be best to leave for now, though there are still unanswered questions
Nothing ta do...