Heart of Darkness (Mod)

[Akira Nakajima]

Akira had made great strides in improving his strength. While there was still the actual growth in terms of skills, he felt that he had reached the fullest extent of his raw potential. What happened from there on out would be the result of his own training, his own resolve, and the form it took. Anyway, because of his raw power growing further, the boy had decided to become a little more adventurous. That meant, rather than all the safe places- well, safe to Users- that were on the ground and being regularly invaded and cleaned of Shadows, he decided to tackle the stairs to the skies. The structure up there was impressive in its own way, like a citadel just for Shadows.

There was no way that the place existed prior to the lockdown. Perhaps this place. . . perhaps it was their headquarters? No, the majority were too stupid for it to be called that. Rather, perhaps this structure was their. . . nest? The possibility was there. And if it were true, then he needed to make each visit count.

[ChromaticTruthsayer]

A pack of Shadows appeared!

Imperial Knight

• Power Charge
• Brave Blade

Absorb: Repel: Null: Fire, Ice Rs: Wk: Pierce
Regal Mother

• Bufudyne
• Diarama
• Delibate

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

[Akira Nakajima]

As the boy proceeded through the citadel, he used his evoker to call out Alma Elma. He could sense Shadows everywhere. It was just a matter of time before a confrontation. If he saved the second or two or drawing the succubus out, then he increased his chances of survival when the crap actually hit the fan. Nodding to himself, he had Alma Elma utilize Rakukaja. Eventually, his buffs were maxed. And just in time, too, as a duo of destruction approached, wishing for a rondo of ruin. The one in the front was something like a medieval knight. No doubt, going by where they were, it was pretty powerful. Definitely a tank. In the back, he recognized the structure of a certain Shadow type that almost universally seemed to have access to ice and a weakness to fire. Judging by past experiences, it was the support, and also the larger threat.

”Agilao on our friend in the back!” He declared before engaging the knight. The knight swung its blade down with surprising power. The boy only narrowly avoided the slash. On the other side of the battle, the succubus unleashed an Agilao on the mage in a manner not unlikely an attack bomber making fly-bys. That Shadow tried to fire off a blast of ice at the boy, but he used the knight as a shield- very appropriate- and noticed that the attack did nothing. Was it aligned with ice, as well, or did it have elemental resistances? Magical knight, perhaps? Either way, he made note of that before willing for a repeat of the last move. The knight charged itself up. The boy kept it between himself and the other Shadow. Alma Elma dropped another Agilao right on the Shadow, making it flail and squirm in its seat- or, really, the seat was a part of itself, so wasn't it squirming in itself? Finally, the mage tried to fire off another blast of ice, this time at the succubus. The winged vixen spiraled out of the way, though. With gravity no longer acting as an anchor in this situation, the succubus was exceedingly hard to touch.

”Again!” He demanded, keeping his eyes on the knight. When the sword finally fell, he spread his scissors and caught it between the blades. The impact caused pain to shoot up his arms. His grip almost failed on contact. Another like that, and he'd likely develop numbness. Fortunately, though, he kept the blade of locked, keeping both it and him in a standstill. Meanwhile, Alma Elma finished off the floating chair-woman with a third Agilao. Then, spiraling in the air, she shot towards the back of the knight as per the will of her other side.

See, with knights in plate mail, there were two major vulnerabilities one could think of. Lightning, obviously, as the metal would make for an amazing microwave, made for one. The second? Piercing strikes. This was because a plate-styled mail would be strong against slashes and impact, but the plates overlaid to protect the wearer while ensuring mobility. This meant that there were numerous openings if one just had a small enough weapon. As Alma Elma's tail split open and produced a needle-like tentacle, she utilized that very weakness, Skewering some of the Shadow's vulnerable insides. The blow was weak in and of itself, but it hit the right note. The knight tried to pull away from the both of them. The boy released its blade, not wanting to risk losing his own weapon, and then took to the Shadow's left while his Persona took to its right. They were about to repeat their favorite dance.

A dance of blades and a whirlwind of slashes was accompanied by a rain of stabs and needles. While the knight was strong- resilient and capable- it was cornered by two opponents that frequently resorted to tactics like these. The boy and his succubus did take the occasional blow, but Rakukaja and armor served as sufficient mitigation for the damage. Eventually, the knight's mount sank to the ground, fading as the knight itself began to dissolve, still swinging in its last moments.

[ChromaticTruthsayer]

Success!

You defeated the enemy!
You also found: Nothing

[Akira Nakajima]

Akira was pleased with the result of the battle. It was, in fact, over, but the battle had served as a sort of baseline experience for what to expect in the structure. Powerful enemies, ones with skill and experience, roamed. If he let his guard down or put forth anything less than his best, he could and likely would die. Still, he did well, he believed. When he first started exploring the terminal seriously, he had problems there. Now, here he was, in the heart of the enemy- or something that could at least pass as it- doing his best and taking down Shadows. The thought made him smile slightly. He had come so far. He had so far to go. He'd reached the limits of his raw power, it was time to refine everything else. The best way to do that was fighting. He nodded to himself and pressed on, further into the structure.