Mosaic City, located along China's coast, is quite large city sometimes called the Crossroads Between Nations due to its diverse population. While it was once a large tourist spot, the city was placed under a blockade as the military appeared claiming there was a radiation leak. The true hazard, however, is much more sinister.
Post by Akira Nakajima on Mar 1, 2014 15:33:00 GMT -5
While Akira was really more interested in the cathedral of Shadows than the giant hole in the ground, he had to admit that the presence he felt radiating from the crater was probably a bit an issue he needed to check out. The boy in drag had gone down the pathway into the hole. Heading through the chambers of the descent, he readied his scissors and “shot” himself in the head to summon Alma Elma. His support capabilities were pretty much top-notch at that point. High-quality healing skills, buffs, status removal. He was ready for the worst. While he could maybe possibly dance with a “mama bear” for a bit, he didn't know if he had the firepower to put one down himself.
He just hoped he'd have a few good allies at his side to fight with. Area bosses were pretty nasty customers. First the train, then the golem-wannabe. He could only imagine what the next thing would be.
Post by Luka Kurokawa on Mar 1, 2014 15:51:30 GMT -5
Luka made her way down into the large chasm that she had only stopped visiting recently. She sensed something that seemed off from within. Of course, she had a very good idea of what was likely happening. Much like the fight with the train and the rock golem, something big was going to appear. But again, she had come a long way since then. Her offensive spells were unmatched. And if the enemy was immune? She had the necessary skills to nullify that. Of course, all these offensive attacks left her vulnerable. She would need back up.
And just as luck would have it, backup member number one was already here. She looked at him with a sigh. I'm not even surprised you're here. Luka had teamed up with Akira on many occasions, whether it be missions or boss shadows. And the boy's skill-set complimented hers rather well. While she was fully offensive, he was a support. But they likely wouldn't be able to do this alone. They would need others as well.
Check list for today: Go explore the sink hole in the outskirts? Check. Equip self with new skills that could possibly help in the taking down of the enemy? Check. Equipment that's still in good condition though doubtful in their overall use for in coming fight? Check. Aside from feeling great about himself, the only thing that could really dampen the mood now was the oppressive feeling that Vice had learned to connect with the presence of the Stratum Shadow.
Which probably meant that there was going to be a big fight, and like most of the time he'd been into one, he'd be meeting the other users either during or before he found the thing. Shrugging his shoulders, and wiping the happy smile on his face into something more stoic, the biker descended further into the territory to find the boss and hopefully few more friendly faces.
Post by Ayakura Alisa on Mar 1, 2014 20:12:43 GMT -5
An itching curiosity to continue exploring the large chasm overtook me as I decided I would go back there once again in the hopes that I would find answers. The floating castle I talked about with Layla seemed out of my reach right now, but perhaps this would be a worthy substitute. Unfortunately I still had the problem where I lacked offensive spell power, but I hoped to make that up with my hardiness. Being able to withstand sickness laid down upon me by Shadows would probably serve to be a boon once in a while. Soon, as I made my way down, I saw two familiar figures, it was Ran, and Luka... They seemed to be together fairly often. Interesting, I guess they made a reliable duo. But I wonder, with what they were attempting to do here, would they be needing help?
I hailed them as I caught my sights on them. "Looking for an area guardian to slaughter again, you two?" I asked jokingly.
Post by Seraphina Celosia on Mar 1, 2014 21:17:07 GMT -5
Wandering the outer circle wasn't an uncommon past time; after having her fill amongst the emotional storm cloud of humans in the 'safe' circle, it was nice to retreat to the Shadowlands and let her feet take her wherever. It was calm, for her, as a Shadow; the purple sky was a welcome sight rather than perturbing. She even had a home out here, though she rarely stopped by it unless she was needing to stay away from the inner circle; most of her time was spent walking like this.
Lesser shadows would not bother her, either, which left only the traces of humans and stronger beings to worry about. In fact, she was following the trail of a few users currently, who were all heading to a place she knew as Devil's Descent - the giant hole in the ground where numerous strong Shadows dwelt. Even as a Shadow herself, Hineia could sense the stronger Stratum shadow lying in wait; approaching cautiously, the silver-haired girl stalked the group from a distance, vaguely interested in how the events would unfold.
It was just a coincidence that Holly happened to pass by here today. She wanted to explore the castle that appeared, but on a whim she decided to stop by the places she had explored in the past to see if there was anything unusual going on. It turns out, that there was. Even from the top of the sinkhole she could feel the presence of a powerful shadow. She cautiously made her way down towards where she could feel the presence, not because she was afraid of the creature, but because running in this kind of place was just suicidal.
There were others here too unsurprisingly. These kind of shadows always drew in a crowd, but this one was larger than she was used to.
"Looks like this one was unfortunate enough to attract some of the strongest among the users in the city. Let's murder this thing," she punched her fist into her open palm.
Even if she probably wasn't going to be hurting it much herself she had her own unique way of causing shadows a lot of pain.
Post by Boss-sama Desu on Mar 2, 2014 0:13:45 GMT -5
What was good? What was evil? Did it even matter? Neither logic nor philosophy mattered when one indulged in their baser desires. For some, it was lust. For others, it was riches. For it? It was food. Speeding through the caverns of the Descent with little difficulty, the Shadow created gusts of wind and crafted a beating not entirely unlike drums. Wrapping itself tight, the Shadow spiraled through a smaller tunnel before reaching the large chamber where the users were. The beast spread its wings before twirling and gripping onto the cavern ceiling with its feet.
The dragonic bat hung from its perch and “stared” down at the humans. Who would taste the best? That was the true question for the evening. It spread out its leathery wings, head twisting at ridiculous and inhuman angles as it let out quiet screeches every few seconds. If it were to stand straight, and on the ground, it would have easily been a good two feet taller than any of the humans there.
Post by Akira Nakajima on Mar 2, 2014 13:09:23 GMT -5
As time passed, a few others came. First was Luka, who he just smiled mischievously at in response to her comment and sigh. Then Alisa showed. While he had been greatly annoyed by her in the past, she at least had a Persona now. He figured he didn't need to worry about her anymore. With a slight wave, he dismissed the question, sticking his tongue out at her. The the “Queen” appeared. Sure enough, some powerful players were there at the time. He really wasn't too worried yet. Three solid allies, and there was probably one or two more still wandering the caverns and trying to locate the source. And then something ripped through the stillness of the cavern. A bat.
It was a damn bat.
Okay, not Zeus, granted. But it was close enough to a dragon, he supposed.
”Well, this is somewhat disappointing. I wanted something interesting-looking. But if it's here, I'm sure it's got some power. I'll buff, like usual! Alma Elma, Heat Riser!” He concluded before giving a slight wave to Alma Elma. The succubus then stretched her arms out and released a pulse of energy over all users within the vicinity. It wasn't just Rakukaja any more. It was the full package- strength, resilience, speed. Everyone would be just a bit more powerful. If he recalled, Holly had the reverse. Batman over there was about to get mauled in a number of ways. How fun.
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If 1, first attack is dodged.
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If 1, second attack is dodged.1-5�1-5
Last Edit: Mar 2, 2014 21:17:13 GMT -5 by Akira Nakajima
Post by Holly Mason on Mar 2, 2014 17:05:33 GMT -5
Shortly after she arrived, the big shadow showed itself. She wasn't quite sure what to expect from the guardian of a sinkhole, but 'lizard bat' was not high on her list of guesses. Holly didn't spend any time at all appreciating the spectacle and jumped right into beating it up. Or rather making it so everyone else would be good at beating it up because her own attack power was pretty embarrassing.
"Leave the opposite to me! The rest of you can just hit it!"
She called her card to the air in front of her and gently tossed a knife through it. The card shattered and the form of her improved persona appeared in front of her. Anaisa Pye didn't look that different, really she just had a minor wardrobe change that didn't even change the color of her outfit, but Holly was pleased with herself all the same. Colored rings appeared around the enemy, slowly converging on it until they disappeared. That was the first of three Debilitates, but with the buff on them as well they should be quite strong already.
Post by Ayakura Alisa on Mar 2, 2014 17:27:00 GMT -5
I stretched as I eyed the upper echelons of the caverns. A giant draconic bat had suddenly flown in from one of the chutes, flapping its wings for a little bit before perching itself onto the ceiling... Like bats usually did. I sighed as I saw it stare down at us, head writhing and twisting at typically impossible (for humans anyway) angles, screeching quietly for a while. It was quite big too... Probably bigger than any of us, it seemed. Even as I saw the tall blonde, who by now I had finally figured out was named Holly from a story Vice had recounted the other day, it still seemed as if the bat was bigger than her... Sighing, I tensed myself up preparing for another fight.
Ran had called out her Persona to grant all of us a powerful buff - it not only increased our strength, but also our defenses and agility. Indeed it was a powerful spell. Meanwhile, Holly had done the exact opposite, aimed at the bat, of course. She used her debilitating hex which I immediately recalled she used on our fight against the shadow schoolgirl. It was bound to be of great use here. Right, well, it's flying, right? Maybe it might be weak to something like electricity. Let's find out.
Stepping forward in closer range to the bat, my right arm began to crackle with electricity as Shax materialized from out of the right part of my torso. "Okay... I've become hardier from training. So I can keep up a consistent offensive if need be." I said simply as I raised my charged arm, pointing it at the bat, before letting loose a steady bolt of thunder at the draconic bat. "Zionga!"
Well now, wasn't this just new? For being a person who had a thing for being punctual, Vice wasn't quite used to seeing himself being the last for any thing. Usually, he'd have been the first to the fray or second at most. Either way this was a pleasant surprise for him.
Except maybe for that bat dragon hybrid shadow thing that was acting as the Stratum shadow or some other thing. That was a problem. Upon its appearance though, Vice had half a mind to scope out its weakness with his revolver and seeing as it sported wings, could have probably been susceptible to attacks that could intercept it's flying ability.
Like a bullet to the wings for example. Taking his chances, and knowing that even if the thing could reflect his bullets, Vice was hardy enough to be able withstand any potential reflect from it. And so, with a hefty heave of his arm, the biker loaded up and fired a salvo of bullets towards the bat.
Since Ran was here, Vice was slightly sure he'd get the reference from the party.
Post by Luka Kurokawa on Mar 2, 2014 20:50:42 GMT -5
Immediately after her initial greeting with Akira, Luka turned to a familiar voice. Ah, Alisa. She would have smiled at her, had the situation been a lighter one. Instead, she nodded, glad to have her along side her against whatever what was to show up. Not a second after that, Holly showed up as well noting the general ability of the users that had shown up thus far. Truly, some of the most powerful users were all gathered here. She nodded to Holly as well. We should our guard up, nonetheless. And just as she said that, Luka heard a strange noise in the distance. A flapping noise.
A strong gust of wind blew her hair back, making her instinctively shield her eyes from the gusts. Then looking upward in the direction of the presence that she felt, she saw a rather large bat-like creature perched on the ceiling. It was considerably large. About as large as the usual fights these places contained. It looked around almost passively, occasionally screeching. This was their target.
Looking over at everyone for a moment, they all seemed to know just what they needed to do already. Akira and Holly did their usual openings, which Luka was all too familiar with. Meanwhile, Alisa went for an offensive attack. A moment later, Luka noticed that someone else had joined in on the fight. She recognized him from the fights in the past, though she did not know his name. Rather than using a persona though, he decided to use a gun. The most probable reason was to figure out the creature's weakness before wasting energy. As for Luka herself, she already knew what she needed to do. I'm gonna see how darkness works on it. Hel! Out from the ground, the girl's cloaked persona rose up, creating a large mass of dark energy that was subsequently tossed at the bat. Hopefully this attack would work. If not, it was only a slight delay for her.
Action: Hell's Judgement (+25%)
Dodge Roll zQhFSYrS1-5 1-51-5�1-5
Last Edit: Mar 2, 2014 21:15:36 GMT -5 by Luka Kurokawa
Post by Boss-sama Desu on Mar 2, 2014 21:11:32 GMT -5
The bat out of hell just watched. Four girls, one boy. One boosted their party's combat abilities. Another then slammed it with a crippling blast. When the lightning crackled, the bat dropped from the ceiling, crumpling on the ground. It seemed to be weak to lightning! Slowly, it stood straight on the ground, extending its wings as the man's bullets lodged into its body. Pierce attacks seemed to be resisted, if its nonchalance was anything to go by. And then, when the last girl fired a blast of darkness, the bat just twisted its head around, staring blankly at the attacker. It didn't seemed bothered at all. In fact, after the blast of darkness, it seemed as though the earlier wounds were completely healed!
They were an interesting bunch. Their attacks were varied. It was interested. It was hungry. It wanted them so badly. Minus the dark-user, that is. Similar powers meant similar tastes, and it didn't like the taste of darkness, even if it was a nutritious part of any balanced breakfast. With a flap of its wings, it pushed itself of the ground.
Then, opening its mouth, it sprayed an inky cloud of blackness at the group, for major Dark damage! If they dodged, that was one thing, but it sure as hell didn't miss!
Then, flapping its wings harder, it sent a harsh gale of blade-like wind at the party for major Wind damage! Again, if they dodged, that was their deal, but it certainly did not miss.
Finally, spiraling in the air, it shot towards Alisa, intending to slash her with its claws for major Slash damage! All things considered, its accuracy was spot on. If only she didn't dodge.
Following the attack, it cycled around in the air behind the group before clinging to the wall, more like a lizard than a bat.
Post by Luka Kurokawa on Mar 2, 2014 21:33:26 GMT -5
The first attack that Alisa used seemed to be extremely effective against the enemy, knocking it onto the ground immediately. As for the bullets that the other guy was firing, they didn't really seem all that effective. When she saw her attack go through, she noticed it get completely absorbed. It didn't just get nullified. It was eaten. Used for nourishment. It had healed all of the damage it had taken from the last two attacks. No. . . Her attack was not only ineffective, but detrimental to their efforts. She was making the situation worse; the one thing she had originally feared at the start of her journey as a user.
Then, the attacks came in at her. With quick feet, the girl managed to dodge not only the first attack, but the second one as well. Though, she was pretty sure that the first one would have had no effect on her whatsoever.
Looking at the shadow once more, the girl's persona took center stage once more. A purple static-like flash came from Hel's hands, with a second flash appearing over the shadow. The girl had just nullified the shadow's resilience against dark attacks! I'm going to go for another dark attack in a bit. It's going to work this time. I just need to charge up a bit. She gave her battle plan to everyone else, so that they could plan accordingly. This enemy didn't seem like something that they all would be able to easily take down.
Action: Dark Break
Dodge Rolls 5hQFW5qU1-51-5
Last Edit: Mar 2, 2014 21:34:52 GMT -5 by Luka Kurokawa
Post by Holly Mason on Mar 2, 2014 21:43:39 GMT -5
As always, Holly watched the attacks carefully. Unfortunately, very few of them worked. Fortunately, the one that did worked very well.
"Looks like lightning's effective and the other two weren't!"
Then the shadow itself attacked. Holly bit her lower lip, it was attacking like the debuff didn't work at all again. That was always so irritating. Even more irritating was that the attack was still fast and accurate enough that she couldn't get out of the way even with her increased agility. The attack hurt, but not as much as she expected, probably due to the combination of the defense buff on her and the attack debuff on the shadow. The shadow sent out another attack and she got ready to move again, but once she saw what it was she stopped. Holly quickly realized that it was wind-based, which meant it wasn't even capable of hurting her at all. Rather than put the effort into moving out of the way, it was easier to just stand still and save her energy. Plus, taking an attack like that directly and having it do little more than whip her hair around just looked cool. She was pretty sure she could handle a few more attacks like that, so there was no need to stop and heal now. If she remembered correctly, Ran was better at healing than she was anyway.
Flipping her hair back into place, she summoned her persona to debuff the enemy again. She just needed to cast once more and then she could do...something. Maybe if she was lucky. If it used wind then it probably wasn't going to be very effective, or worse it'd be absorbed like Luka's spell, and it would probably resist the damage her knives did as well. Well, she'd deal with that when the time came. For now, she'd continue weakening the enemy.