Bad Luck Kit-Kats (Mission/Alisa)

[Sayu Nakano]

Sayu wasn't one to care for animals. They were typically messy. However, despite that, she knew she needed to get over her germ issue. More than that, she needed funds for better gear and getting money plus special items was always good. So, while she honestly didn't care if the cat became a hairball down a Shadow's throat, she still would do what she could to get this "Chen" home to the strange (or crazy) blonde lady. Crazy, sane. Whatever. She had money, and that was enough for the mute for the time being.

Given that she was prepared to get dirty, her arms were bare. She wore her high quality armor underneath her black vest. The vest? Had numerous perches for paintball clips and flashbangs. Screw being unprepared. She was ready to burn the whole crater up if it meant getting what she needed. There was even a handy little holster for her paintball gun, just in case she did have to resort to bangs or grab something. No skirt today, though. Just straight up black pants, of which the bottom of the leggings were tucked into combat boots. In her left hand, naturally, was her phone. It was her voice and it was her ally.

Of course, she was supposed to have some partner on this. That was why she waited at the bottom of the descent's entrance. Otherwise, she'd have gone in, gun freezing.

[Ayakura Alisa]

The Devil's Descent, is that what they called it? I took this opportunity to get dressed into something different, something more suitable for this endeavour. Stuff I could probably afford to get dirty so I could just wash it or something. I don't know. Anyway, jeans and plain shirt, I looked far more casual and more... Uh, combat-ready, I suppose? Since my arms were somewhat exposed and I fancied myself as having the athletic toned kind of bod, I hoped I wouldn't be too intimidating or anything for the person I was supposed to accompany. That said, I had my bow and my knife with me, and I hoped I didn't look too much like Rambo or something. So the mission here was to check for this cat's location, her name was Chen? Okay, gotta get her back to the blonde lady. First a gem, now a lost cat. Okay, okay, we totally got this. More money was always a good thing.

I soon made my way to the descent's entrance, where I encountered a girl with long black hair, wearing her vest which looked military in nature, I could not tell if she wore armor beneath it. Also she had a gun. Was that a paintball gun? Yeah, geez, we got a Little Miss Airsoft here or something. "Hello, I'll be accompanying you on this mission, I believe we are not acquainted... I'm Ayakura Alisa... Let's do our best to rescue the damn cat and get out without incident. Though I doubt we'll get out with a scratch." I simply greeted my partner for this mission.

[ChromaticTruthsayer]

You enter the cave. Boom. Enemies.

Deathly Hand x2

• Death's Chill
• Gigantic Fist
• Brave Blade

Absorb: Repel: Null: Dark Rs: Wk: Light
Shadow Bat x2

• Agidyne
• Death's Chill
• Rainy Death

Absorb: Repel: Null: Fire Rs: Wk: Ice

[Sayu Nakano]

”Nakano Sayu. A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I'll be in your care.” The mute typed it in with her phone, wording each syllable the phone uttered perfectly. The girl looked her partner over. The woman looked. . . a little outdoorsy, she'd have to say? Sayu wasn't good with weirder descriptions. Regardless, on her end, her pale arms were free to be seen, but she wasn't embarrassed at all. She then half-turned. No need to waste time on further pleasantries. ”We'll be fine. I doubt there's much here that will bother us. We should hurry, though. We'll be fine. A cat probably won't.” With that, the mute pressed onward, and, for a time, they were fine. Then the hands and birds appeared.

”Do you have a prefer-” The mute had started to ask a question before a double-fire blast came from the bats. The mute just remained still for a moment. Then she nodded to herself, stepping forward. ”Please deal with the hands. I'll get the bats.” She noted with a degree of finality as she summoned Tamamo-no-Mae. The kitsune spread her tails out and followed after the mute. Their plan was simple. If the bats used fire, then there was a good chance they nullified it. So, instead, it was time for the other group-hitter. ”Smother them with darkness, Tamamo.” The order was clear and to the point. And the fox-woman obeyed. Darkness sprouted and spewed at the bats, a cloud of pure murderous intent blotting out the light and strangling its victims. It didn't kill them, sadly, but the girl had already readied her gun by the time the darkness cleared, capping one with a few of the frigid paintballs. With one wing frozen, the Shadow fluttered to the ground, wing shattering and leaving it unable to fly.

The still-airborne Shadow fired darkness at the girl. Good job. Really. It was equally ineffective as the first fire wave. The girl willed for a second Die for Me!, which utterly smothered the crippled Shadow, consuming it. The second, still in the air, was just a prime target for Sayu. The girl popped it a few times, grounding it, before shooting it until it froze over entirely. Then, walking to it, she stomped it to pieces. Purification complete.

[Ayakura Alisa]

I nodded as I realized, that the girl who introduced herself as Nakano Sayu was typing what she wanted to say in her phone, and I was astute enough to realize the voice was not from her but from her phone. And so, I learned she was mute too, just like Chidori. Feeling a little pang of guilt in my heart, I nodded as she said we would be fine. Eventually as we pressed on, Shadows appeared to get in our way; two hands and two bats. Sigh. Business as usual. I was going to get the hands then. Jumping into the fray the hands immediately clenched their fists and both punched me at the same time with their fists, yet I easily nullified the attack. I countered the Shadow hands with a slashing attack that struck both of them at once, as Sayu was dealing with the bats. One of the hands seemed to take offense to getting struck with a sword, and it materialized an immaterial blade of its own and slashed at me.

I gasped as the other one cast a spell of darkness at me, and I weathered the attacks, all I really did was stumble back. Charging my left arm with electricity, I shot the bolt of Ziodyne at one of the hands, and it replied by spasming in the air and dissipating in the air. It was surprisingly weak and soon I realized that the other one would share the same fate as it attempted to lunge at me with a magic blade, waving it around in a panic as I tried to dodge the attacks but I didn't really feel too much from it. Charging my arm with electricity I casted the magic spell again once more - Ziodyne, and the bolt collided smack-dab into the hand. It fell over but it wasn't down yet. I had to shoot an arrow at it in order to seal the deal.

It too, faded away into nothingness.

"Okay, let's keep going and looking for that cat."

[ChromaticTruthsayer]

After an "Oh Yeaaaah" moment, the two of you continued deeper into the cave in search of the missing Chen. You have a good idea of where the Chen should be thanks to the blonde woman's directions, however, she mentioned that getting there would prove more difficult than it normally would. Could it have had something to do with your target? Unlikely. It was just a cat. Whatever she really meant was yet to be seen though. After all, the enemies here didn't seem all that menacing. . .

Reaper

• Hell's Judgement
• Ragnarok
• Charming Bolt
• Mind Charge
• Enduring Soul

Absorb: Repel: Null: Rs: Wk: none

Reaper

• Heaven's Judgement
• Panta Rhei
• Nifilheim
• Mind Charge
• Enduring Soul

Absorb: Repel: Null: Rs: Wk: none


Hey guuuys. It meeeeee. The reeeeeaper.

. . .Nevermind.

[Sayu Nakano]

"Yeah. Seems like that was it." Sayu was. . . surprisingly pleased with her partner. No unnecessary banter or comments. Completely business-oriented, or so she seemed. Even without the mute trying to improve herself, she believed, on a few levels, that she would have been open to working alongside this woman. So there were people like this inside the affected zone. That was. . . reassuring. She didn't feel like it was just her and her guard against an army of darkness anymore. Sure, she knew there were other users, but she didn't know a damn thing about them.

Either way, she moved onward. After a time, they reached another bunch of Shadows. For a moment, the girl paused. Cloaks. Scythes. Magical power oozing like the girls she sang about. Oh boy. This would be wonderfully "fun". The girl let out a silent sigh. She then looked to her partner. She didn't doubt the woman, but the fight, and the mission as a whole, would likely be dangerous without a healer.

"Keep your guard up. I can't heal, nor am I a support specialist. May fortune smile upon us." It was a brief warning and a bit of well-wishing. She lacked anything else to say. After all, she could respect a woman like Alisa in these circumstances. More importantly, the girl focused on the reaper on her side. Tamamo trailed behind her, tails spreading out. If this thing was truly a scion of the dead, a being that carried wayward souls to the afterlife, then there was one thing that should have worked!

"Raze it to the ground, Tamamo!" The girl ordered, willing for a Maragidyne. Flames sprouted on the fox-woman's tails, cycled, and then spiraled at the enemy, before colliding with a massive explosion. The girl didn't even wait for a chance to do something else. She readied her gun and waited for a clear shot. She then pelted it with frigid paintballs. Both the fire and ice seemed effective, but nothing. . . extraordinarily so. Clicking her tongue as the enemy fired a torrent of magical energy, the mute only blinked when she realized the gentle warmth was fire. It didn't hurt her in the least, but she could tell it far outclassed her own flames. Could she burn things like that in the future? Perhaps. Either way, it seemed fire was a neutral thing. Perhaps this thing would defy logic and be weak to darkness?

"Doubtful, but let's verify. Drown it in darkness." The darkness swirled as the girl willed for a Die for Me!. Tendrils of blackness wrapped around the cloaked figure, pulling it into the cloud. The darkness bubbled and twisted before the figure broke free. Damage was a definite, but it was neutral. The girl clicked her tongue before tossing one of her weaponized flashbangs. Fortunately, it was altered for damage, so even if Alisa happened to be staring that way, she wouldn't be bothered. With a burst like a bomb, the bang went off, spreading violent light, intent on burning away the darkness, right on the reaper. Still, neutral damage. And, again, as if taunting her, the Shadow used a spell that matched the attribute of her own. The darkness twitched and slithered around her, but it did absolutely nothing. It was, however, something more fierce than her Die for Me!, so. . . she felt both annoyed and inspired. She clicked her tongue again.

"Fire now. Stick to it until it's dust." The girl ordered, pelting it with bullets just before the wave of fire. And, just like that, it seemed over. That is, until the twitching, cloaked figure rose from the ground again. Another self-reviving enemy? That wasn't the first time she'd fought one. How annoying that she fought another, this powerful, under these circumstances. The girl let out a silent sigh, but she didn't hold back. She willed for another wave of fire, pelting her target with balls once more immediately afterward. The enemy responded with a massive cannon of lightning. The girl clicked her tongue and shifted to the side to avoid it. Tamamo supported the girl, preventing her from losing her footing.

"Replenish what we've used. Spirit Drain!" The fox began to smile in a manner fitting of a devil. She then took a drag on her pipe, the other end effectively becoming a funnel that siphoned the energy from the reaper. The cloaked being was then pelted with ice again before it fired off a blast of fire once more. After seeing that it did not work, it seemed to have come to a conclusion about something. That meant the girl needed to take it out soon. It likely had some sort of plan in mind. The mute wasn't going to die here. She still had someone she needed to kill. She still had to find things in her life that would "complete" her as a person. Like hell was a cloaked emo Shadow going to be the end of her.

"Back to fire. We end this now." The fox spewed another torrent of flames which the Reaper then bathed in. The girl just followed up with another volley of balls. She deposited an empty clip at her feet, sliding another into her gun. The Shadow? It was building itself up for a powerful attack. Her theory was about to be proven. Her mind screamed out to Tamamo. Rather, Tamamo resonated with her thoughts. Either way, the girl willed for another attack, and the kitsune complied, letting another Maragidyne surge forth. Meanwhile, the girl pelted the Shadow with her paintballs. She unloaded the full clip on the Shadow.

And then it slowly crumpled and landed on the ground, phasing down into the ground. Whether it was dead or not was beyond the girl, but she no longer felt the instinctive threat that she had before.

[Ayakura Alisa]

We kept moving along without incident, until eventually we encountered another pair of Shadows. This time, they looked really cliche - they seemed to take on the guise of a pair of Grim Reapers, cloak and scythe and all that jazz. I didn't look at Sayu. I knew what we needed to do. Unfortunately, Sayu mentioned that she could not heal and was not a support specialist. Well, neither was I. I didn't want to mention it. I sighed to myself and rushed over to the other reaper while Sayu was off to fight the other one. Looking at it I realized it probably didn't have any major weaknesses to take advantage of. But on the other hand, it looked like it probably didn't resist anything either. Regardless, I initiated a clash with the reaper by calling forth Hell Biker's power and slashing at it with the Blade of Fury; but as I cut swaths through its cloak, it didn't seem to hurt it too much at first. It was very resilient. Making ominous sounds, it began to release icy chills that I was all well too familiar with. I took a glance over at Sayu and made a sound of dismay as I realized that the Reaper she was fighting was using attacks that were mostly ineffectual against the mute.

Weathering the icy assault, I felt the chill brush past my skin, my teeth began to chatter, and all I could do was shiver as the piercing ice penetrated deep into my skin. Growling, I stood my ground and charged my right arm up with electricity. It took longer to do so, my inner circuitry having frozen up a little, but I was able to shoot out a bolt of lightning into the cloak which caused it to fizzle a little. Whirling around me it suddenly dispersed itself and released a searing light straight at me, which forcibly caused me to brace myself as the intense brightness began to almost burn into me; I was far from resistant from these deadly magicks but I still stood strong, though a little exhausted. Shooting another bolt into the grim reaper figure once more, I watched the lightning strike fizzle into the Shadow and cause the cloak to blow up a little.

Though, it still stood. It began to charge up something in place, creating an ominous aura I knew I had to stop. Charging into it I sliced forth with my knife, cleaving into the cloak, but when I thought I had it, I realized that when the torn cloak fell to the ground, Shadow essence began to seep from the sides and back into the cloak again. Soon, it rose up once more and I realized that it had actually returned to life. It was time for round two. Ignoring how cliche and how appropriate that entrance was, I quickly charged up my arm again for a spell, but the reaper interrupted my cast by slapping me with the butt of its scythe handle, causing me to fall over - I responded by rolling back and resuming my spell cast, but it was quickly able to conjure fierce winds that sliced into me and caused my arms to bear deadly cuts. I would need to treat those.

Gritting my teeth, I finally got my Ziodyne spell off and shot it at the Shadow, and it spun around in place, as if mocking me at my weakness. Confident with its chances, it began to charge up for its spell once more. Panting and kneeling, I raised my bow and began to shoot arrows through it. The arrows flew and pierced into its cloak, coming out from the other side, but it didn't seem to do too much damage, though it was unresisted. Eventually, it began to release that same cold, icy chill which froze me, and I could feel the effects even harder; the deadly winter freeze began to make me, in my lack of warm clothing, stand in place and shiver a little. However, I was able to resist and raise my arm for another bolt of lightning. Throwing forth another Ziodyne at the Reaper, and soon, from shock, it whirled again.

It approached me in order to slice into me with its scythe, but I clashed against it with my knife before flipping backwards and shooting more arrows into it. As it made its approach to attempt to take my life even with arrows flying through it, I stood and threw yet another fierce thunder strike at it from my left arm, which was less overclocked than my right arm. That was enough to seal the fate of this tenacious reaper, whose Shadowy essence dissipated into the area, leaving nothing but its ruined, tattered cloak. In the aftermath, I coughed and sighed, looking around.

I noticed that Sayu seemed reasonably better off than I was; with cuts and bruises on my arms. And black spots on my hands which could easily be mistaken for frostbite. "It sure must be nice to nullify the elements," I lamented. "Ugh. Annoying. Hopefully we don't encounter more things like that. Let's keep going." I coughed and pointed ahead.

[ChromaticTruthsayer]

And just like that, you spot the cat. That is all.

Chen

• Armageddon
• Enduring Soul
• Dragon Eye

Absorb: ? Repel: ? Null: ? Rs: ? Wk: ?

Only, that isn't really all. This "cat" is clearly giving off dangerous energy even though it doesn't appear to be hostile. In fact, it appears to be playing with some worn out plush toy over in the corner. Going by the description you were given by the woman, being: black, tiny, glowing eyes, and two tails; this is definitely Chen. The cat stops playing for a moment to look at the two of you. A-haaaan~ It. . . seems pleased to see you. In fact, it seems to want you to pick it up. Guess you just need to escort it back?

[ ] Obtain Chen

[Sayu Nakano]

”It's nice, yes. It's a problem when the opposing ones come, though. But, yeah. Let's carry on.” The mute nodded in agreement before pressing onward. The rest of the way seemed to be relatively clear of adversity. And, with time, their mark came within view. Really and truly, the girl felt a bit off staring at it. The blonde woman? Definitely odd. A bit off. That was obvious, since she traded money for junk. However, this cat? It really was evidence that there was something a bit more disturbing lurking underneath that woman's skin. The mute wanted to sigh. This city just had one thing after another. First Shadows, now demonic cats. What was next? Aliens? Still, she didn't want fur all over herself. And she didn't want to be near that cat.

”My hands are full. You should grab it. I'll cover you.” The girl nodded to herself with a bit of resolve as she waggled her phone and gun. That was all the justification she needed to push the responsibility to the woman. She respected her, sure, but the mute was still a kid. She could get away with selfishness like that.

[Ayakura Alisa]

I wordlessly continued onward. Nothing very dangerous was getting in our way anymore, until at some point we actually saw the cat, Chen. Two tails, black, pretty damn small, glowing eyes, yep, this was the cat. Kitty cat. Strange nekomata kitty cat. For some reason, I felt like she was very dangerous. Though, it was playing with some plush toy and looking very innocent. It looked at us and seemed pretty pleased to see us, so fortunately if it was literally a small ball of energy it wouldn't unleash it on us. Just who was that blonde lady? Why did she have such a cat for a pet? So strange. Sayu said that her hands were full, gesturing to the fact she held her phone in one hand and her paintball gun in the other. Though she could easily just as well holster the damn gun. Methinks Sayu just didn't want to be near that thing. Well, she's just a kid. Whatever.

"OK, I'll take her then." I shrugged and soon went to approach the cat. Smiling, I softly called out to it as I extended my arms out to see if it would respond appropriately. "Cheeeeen~" I coaxed out softly as I went closer and soon realized I would just have to pick her up, which I did end up picking up Chen and moving back to Sayu. So soft! I couldn't help but want to pet her and stuff. "I'm gonna hold onto the cutey Chen for the rest of this trip then."

[ChromaticTruthsayer]

As you pick up Chen, you notice something snatch her out of your hands. You hear the cat's mewing suddenly fade out of earshot as you watch the small creature's figure fly away. Looking over towards where Chen flew, you notice a giant bat shadow holding onto her in between its claws. The bat itself is quite large. Much bigger than the ones you fought previously. Ma maaa~

Though you may have been imagining it, you think you just heard Chen call the bat Mama. In fact, Chen doesn't seem to be fighting the bat at all. Conversely, the bat seems to be taking care of her. Such an odd scenario. All you know is that you better get that cat back! And just as you speak, another bat comes in to help with the fight. And naturally, make sure Chen doesn't get hurt.

. . . not that you likely can.

Abyssal Flier + a Chen

• Heaven's Blade
• Ragnarok
• Fire Amp
• Tetrakarn

Absorb: Repel: Null: Rs: Wk: Pierce

Chasm Flier

• Nifilheim
• God Hand
• Ice Amp
• Makarakarn

Absorb: Repel: Null: Rs: Wk: Fire

[Sayu Nakano]

Now, if she were to be entirely honest, it did amuse her that Alisa reacted in such a way, and spoke in such a way, to simply carrying a cat. Well, the mute found herself determining that Alisa would likely end up a crazy old cat lady one day. That'd be fine, though. She was getting song inspiration from this. Either way, the two began on their way, Sayu giving their surroundings a bit more of a scan due to her promise of covering the woman. And then something flapped by. Another bird. A bigger bird than the last bats. Sayu didn't really like birds of any kind. She'd been pooped on them before, and the following rage had been enough to firmly imprint within herself a decisive distaste for the winged creatures. So, when it seemed that their mission was going to be prolonged by these beasts, she sighed.

”If you have no preference, I'll take the one holding the cat.” The mute offered after being nailed with an impressively strong fire spell. ”I'll have to be careful, but it's not too difficult to avoid hitting a small target like that. Don't worry about Chen.” She gave an awkward thumbs up, still holding her gun, before turning her attention to the flying hell-devil-beast. If it opened with fire, then there was a good chance it had some resistance to it. Plus, fire was inherently harder to use in a “controlled” fashion because, the more powerful it was, it usually had bigger and hotter explosions. Then again, that cat probably would take the heat like someone living on the equator. Anyway, the girl willed for a Die for Me! and tendrils of blackness spiraled and shot upwards, nailing the bat's torso. The blackness spread over the bat's wings, trying to crush the framework. No luck there. The damage was solid enough, though.

The bat responded by raising a barrier. Well, going by the way it felt, that was clearly a “physical” barrier. In other words, the mute did not give even a tiny rabbit shit's worth of care. Willing for a second attack of blackness, the girl watched as Tamamo's darkness surged and clouded up above the enemy. This time, it rained down like spears, aiming mostly for the wings. If the bat could just be grounded, the most of the work of the fight would be done, she figured. A bat that couldn't fly was just. . . a weird looking rat, after all. And rats were the lowest level junk in RPGs. The girl thought that, at least. Which was why, as the bat dive bombed at her, she hadn't expected anything too dangerous, even if she was preparing to dodge.

Instead, the bat proved to be dangerous, even in close quarters. The girl avoided the “attack”, but it proved to be a feint. The bat twirled and slashed at her with one of its wings. The blow didn't connect fully, and the girl was wearing good armor, but it still hurt like a bitch. Not only that, but the bat just flapped on back away. What a pain in the ass. Another surge of blackness rushed for one wing. If crippling both didn't work, then focusing on one would do the job! So she hoped, at least, and, as time passed, it showed that her hopes had some substance to them. With the darkness eroding at the base of the wing, the bat began to spiral downwards, revealing its vulnerable torso as it tried to defend Chen from the fall. How generous of an enemy! The girl didn't wast that generosity. She began firing her gun with carefully-aimed shots at the body, pelting it with ice. By the time it finally hit the ground, it was barely moving. Another will surged and produced darkness, ripping the other wing off before the girl finished the bat off. The cat looked fine. Just dirty.

. . . really dirty.

[Ayakura Alisa]

Something snatched Chen out of my hands. I looked up. Bat! Another goddamn bat! Looks like Chen seemed to enjoy being flown around like a maniac, but we were here to take Chen back to her owner, not to play "flying trapeze in dark circus land." The bat was really big, bigger than any bat I had seen before. And before I could do anything, another flying creature, yet another bat, arrived into the fray. Gotta make sure Chen is alright... Sayu told me that she would take on the bat holding the cat. As she seemed to shrug off the flame spell that hit her coming from the bat holding Chen, I relented and nodded, trusting she would avoid hurting Chen as she took on the bat. That left me with the other one.

The large bat swooped and lunged at me, claws forth, claws clenched, almost as if trying to charge and strike at me. Yet, all that happened was I was shoved backwards like someone had pushed me back in a schoolyard fight. Pathetic excuse for an attack! I raised my bow to shoot some arrows into the flying bat, as it raised up a blue barrier that looked clearly like an attempt to ward away magic attacks. Which I really didn't care too much about; I had physical options. It just involved getting close enough to be able to attack with them. So, I stuck to plinking away at it with arrows.

It already seemed to be aware of how I was immune to its own physical attacks, so instead it opted for the now-starting-to-get-annoying icy chill that it was flapping from its wings. Winter chill once more, goddamn, was this Fimbulvetr or something?! Feeling my arms go cold, I shivered and chattered again as frost materialized on parts of my arms and I could feel hail strike at me. It was considerably stronger than others who had cast the same spell before; what sorcery was amplifying it? Kneeling, I raised my bow again and shot an arrow into its eye, which caused it to shrilly scream and dive bomb me in blind anger.

This was my chance. I swapped to my knife and clashed against its divebomb attack. As it was blindly angry, I ripped through its face and body with my Blade of Fury, already the bat was littered with arrows like a flying pincushion, so my attack empowered by Hell Biker with my knife did a good amount of damage. Shadow essence was spilling from wounds on the bats face and body. It flew at an incredibly low altitude, and let out a winter, icy, deathly chill once more. I braced myself and let the hail and icicles strike at me, my arms blackening further. Yet with renewed and forced vigor, I leaped at it and jammed my knife straight into its stomach, tackling it down into the ground and driving the knife deeper.

It expired as I tore into it and let it disappear into nothingness. I eyed Sayu after the deed was done and noticed she was able to get Chen safe and sound, though the kitty was pretty dirty. My arms meanwhile were almost completely black from how cold they were. "I need some heat after this."

[ChromaticTruthsayer]

With the bats defeated, Chen continues to be as playful as before. She seems to squirm a lot in your hands, but other than that, she isn't too much of an issue. Though, that powerful aura is still emanating from her. As you leave the cave, nothing seems to attack you at all. It is possible that this aura is what stopped other shadows from trying to come near you. Lucky for you.

Mission accomplished!

You received your reward: Null Mod of Choice, 2,000 FP