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AWAKENING
Who: Everyone
When: Midnight, July 7th
Where: Green Valley School
What: It is time
Earlier that day, the Navigators' message echo in the minds of Awakened and soon-to-be-Awakened alike.They are being hunted and they need to come together if they are to survive. They must get to the school at all costs...
Perhaps some might think back to horror movies, but for those who chose not to follow the warnings, a feeling of dread will begin to overtake them as the sun goes down until finally they hear an echoing annoyed sigh inside their head.
Seriously, this is not the time to kid around! You want others around you to die? Get going!
If they still chose not to go, they'll quickly find that their muscles are forced to act on their own and they make their way to the school as well with only an hour to spare. The target, a corridor in a wing of the school, is one of many and mostly empty at this time of year. Only a few people move between groups, casting a few confused whispers but ignoring them for the most part.
The phone's countdown continues to tick until the next day. It appears that Luci is still working on getting the network free of whatever is causing this problem for them in the first place, so all they have is the ability to speak to each other telepathically with the help of the Navigators...but perhaps they won't realize that the Navigators can hear everything that they think...and sometimes some thoughts might just leak out...
Whatever's causing this, they'll quickly realize once night falls that we're here. You guys better be prepared...this is it, lambs. Live free or die hard."
It's going to be a long hour inside the corridor.
At exactly 24 hours left to spare on their phone's countdown, all of the lights in the school go out. Anyone who is not Awakened becomes stone statues, unmoving, while the area around them begins to shift and change. The windows shrink to sizes impossible for a human to pass through, cracking as dark mist fills the area around them.
If they walk into the mist, they'll quickly find that they reappear at the end of the corridor, essentially stuck in a loop in a particular area of the school.
They move fast. Looks like they've already trapped you in here...
There’s a terrifying sound of scuttling feet, of a thousand legs moving in the corridors, in the pipes, in the walls and in the ground, as the tiles part like water before they rise above it. In this state, the world doesn't seem to play by the rules, and without the application to give them data, it's impossible to see what's going on...at least until the Shadows reveal themselves.
They look like giant rats, nearly half the size of a full grown human, they are unlike anything they fought before.
As their eyes glow in the dark, mist pours from their bodies constantly, causing the area around them to shift and move . The wallpaper begins to move, the portraits on the walls become corpses, and the lockers begin to grow metal teeth, attempting to pull them inside. The ceiling rises until it's impossible to see. If they are pulled in, they will find themselves thrown out in another part of the corridor, from the ceiling to the ground, or out of a portrait into the other wall - anything to give them significant damage. The school is like a giant, living entity that wants them to die...
Awakened will find themselves in their changed clothes, their magical skills and Persona at their fingertips once more.
However, the Shadows’ targets seem to be the Navigators first...Awakened or not, it does not seem to matter. The Shadows will not ignore Combatants should they chose to fight them, but the rats move towards the Navigators and school's lockers will try to grab them to keep them inside. It seems whatever is after them wishes to destroy the only advantage the group has in battle.
When the Shadows speak, they echo together.
And the Combatants will soon learn how difficult it is to fight these pests.
[OOC: For this prompt, the Awakened will have access to their skills, and the Unawakened will need to be helped out. Additional notes can be found in the OOC part below]
Even the Awakened can't continue this fight alone. They've already had many of their numbers disappear lately...they need reinforcements. With the Shadows giving them so much trouble, help is needed.
And so, a voice echoes inside the Combatants. Their hearts begin to glow, and the rats hiss backwards from the light. A voice will echo inside of their head...
The Navigators, on the other hand...their inner voice is softer. There is knowledge, and they'll need to stay calm if they are to control this chaotic battlefield.
The shadow rats scream together in anger.
The beasts' forms become more chaotic - additional legs on some rats, larger heads and tails on others, gigantic teeth on some, and they begin to match the pattern of the corridor - there's no guessing at what they can do.
Good thing you've got a few of you who can help out with that…
You've only got one shot at this! If you get it angry enough, it will show us its true form instead of this vermin bullshit!
Luci doesn't sound happy.
When: Midnight, July 7th
Where: Green Valley School
What: It is time
THE CURTAIN FALLS
Earlier that day, the Navigators' message echo in the minds of Awakened and soon-to-be-Awakened alike.They are being hunted and they need to come together if they are to survive. They must get to the school at all costs...
Perhaps some might think back to horror movies, but for those who chose not to follow the warnings, a feeling of dread will begin to overtake them as the sun goes down until finally they hear an echoing annoyed sigh inside their head.
Seriously, this is not the time to kid around! You want others around you to die? Get going!
If they still chose not to go, they'll quickly find that their muscles are forced to act on their own and they make their way to the school as well with only an hour to spare. The target, a corridor in a wing of the school, is one of many and mostly empty at this time of year. Only a few people move between groups, casting a few confused whispers but ignoring them for the most part.
The phone's countdown continues to tick until the next day. It appears that Luci is still working on getting the network free of whatever is causing this problem for them in the first place, so all they have is the ability to speak to each other telepathically with the help of the Navigators...but perhaps they won't realize that the Navigators can hear everything that they think...and sometimes some thoughts might just leak out...
Whatever's causing this, they'll quickly realize once night falls that we're here. You guys better be prepared...this is it, lambs. Live free or die hard."
It's going to be a long hour inside the corridor.
THE SHADOWS RISE
At exactly 24 hours left to spare on their phone's countdown, all of the lights in the school go out. Anyone who is not Awakened becomes stone statues, unmoving, while the area around them begins to shift and change. The windows shrink to sizes impossible for a human to pass through, cracking as dark mist fills the area around them.
If they walk into the mist, they'll quickly find that they reappear at the end of the corridor, essentially stuck in a loop in a particular area of the school.
They move fast. Looks like they've already trapped you in here...
There’s a terrifying sound of scuttling feet, of a thousand legs moving in the corridors, in the pipes, in the walls and in the ground, as the tiles part like water before they rise above it. In this state, the world doesn't seem to play by the rules, and without the application to give them data, it's impossible to see what's going on...at least until the Shadows reveal themselves.
They look like giant rats, nearly half the size of a full grown human, they are unlike anything they fought before.
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I ̧s͢ee ͡you. ̡Í ͢see ̢y͞ơu̕ a̧l̛l̷...̢h̡eh ̵he͞h͠ H͘AHA҉H̨AHA̵HAHA!̨
As their eyes glow in the dark, mist pours from their bodies constantly, causing the area around them to shift and move . The wallpaper begins to move, the portraits on the walls become corpses, and the lockers begin to grow metal teeth, attempting to pull them inside. The ceiling rises until it's impossible to see. If they are pulled in, they will find themselves thrown out in another part of the corridor, from the ceiling to the ground, or out of a portrait into the other wall - anything to give them significant damage. The school is like a giant, living entity that wants them to die...
Awakened will find themselves in their changed clothes, their magical skills and Persona at their fingertips once more.
However, the Shadows’ targets seem to be the Navigators first...Awakened or not, it does not seem to matter. The Shadows will not ignore Combatants should they chose to fight them, but the rats move towards the Navigators and school's lockers will try to grab them to keep them inside. It seems whatever is after them wishes to destroy the only advantage the group has in battle.
When the Shadows speak, they echo together.
W͏h̸y fi̶gh̵t̸?̴ ͡I͢gno͟r̵ąnce͏ i͠s͢ b̷lis̨s.̷.͞.͝so͏o̶n ̶de̢at͝h w͘ill͝ e̶n͏ve͞l͏ope̕ ̶you͘.̸ Do̡ņ'̕t ͘str̵u̢ģg̨l҉e̡.
And the Combatants will soon learn how difficult it is to fight these pests.
[OOC: For this prompt, the Awakened will have access to their skills, and the Unawakened will need to be helped out. Additional notes can be found in the OOC part below]
AWAKENING
Even the Awakened can't continue this fight alone. They've already had many of their numbers disappear lately...they need reinforcements. With the Shadows giving them so much trouble, help is needed.
And so, a voice echoes inside the Combatants. Their hearts begin to glow, and the rats hiss backwards from the light. A voice will echo inside of their head...
The time is now. I am thou, thou art I! Your mind is trapped, but I can set your soul free! My other self, will you die, or fight back?
Accept me for who I am! Forge this contract by letting go of your fears! Revolt against this world, and TEAR OUT YOUR HEART!
Accept me for who I am! Forge this contract by letting go of your fears! Revolt against this world, and TEAR OUT YOUR HEART!
The Navigators, on the other hand...their inner voice is softer. There is knowledge, and they'll need to stay calm if they are to control this chaotic battlefield.
The time is now. I am thou, thou art I! Your mind is trapped, but I can set your soul free! My other self, your soul already knows part the truth.
My other self, shall we show them what it means to cross us? Let us finish forging this contract by letting go of your fears! Revolt against this world, and TEAR OUT YOUR HEART!
My other self, shall we show them what it means to cross us? Let us finish forging this contract by letting go of your fears! Revolt against this world, and TEAR OUT YOUR HEART!
The shadow rats scream together in anger.
No! NO NO NO NO ! You're not supposed to Awaken! Stay asleep! You aren't
supposed to awaken! STOP IT! STOP THEM! K̢I͏L͡L!͜ CR̨US̡H҉! ͘D͘ESTR̛OY͘!
supposed to awaken! STOP IT! STOP THEM! K̢I͏L͡L!͜ CR̨US̡H҉! ͘D͘ESTR̛OY͘!
The beasts' forms become more chaotic - additional legs on some rats, larger heads and tails on others, gigantic teeth on some, and they begin to match the pattern of the corridor - there's no guessing at what they can do.
Good thing you've got a few of you who can help out with that…
You've only got one shot at this! If you get it angry enough, it will show us its true form instead of this vermin bullshit!
Luci doesn't sound happy.
OOC
Everyone is able to speak to each together thanks to the Navigator's telepathic abilities (but always keep in mind that any Navigator can hear you even if you try to speak to just someone else).
For now, characters can only use single spells. The boss battle will unlock the teaming up skills.
The lockers that grab a character will throw them out as mentioned in the prompts and will additionally deal DARK damage and may confuse users, causing them to see other users as the enemy. They will need to be healed by any of the dispell spells to cure them.
The Rat Shadows only have 1 HP and attack with physical spells which can poison about 1/4 times (or more if you want to poison your character), HOWEVER they will be constantly going from Fire, Ice, Wind, Electrical, Nuclear, Psy, Dark, Light, Physical and Gun in that order, and switch constantly as to not be hit.
Only Navigators will know when the time to hit them is correct for your character, so make sure to aid them as much as possible! Navigators have also been given additional data regarding how the Shadow rats move and what spells can cause one hit-Kos or what spells can be used against them, so when it doubt, tag it out and see if it hits! There are over a thousand of them, and, as mentioned in the prompts, the school itself is also alive, so feel free to make this as terrifying for your characters as you wish.
An OOC PLANNING POST can be used to ask questions or to form teams.
For now, characters can only use single spells. The boss battle will unlock the teaming up skills.
The lockers that grab a character will throw them out as mentioned in the prompts and will additionally deal DARK damage and may confuse users, causing them to see other users as the enemy. They will need to be healed by any of the dispell spells to cure them.
The Rat Shadows only have 1 HP and attack with physical spells which can poison about 1/4 times (or more if you want to poison your character), HOWEVER they will be constantly going from Fire, Ice, Wind, Electrical, Nuclear, Psy, Dark, Light, Physical and Gun in that order, and switch constantly as to not be hit.
Only Navigators will know when the time to hit them is correct for your character, so make sure to aid them as much as possible! Navigators have also been given additional data regarding how the Shadow rats move and what spells can cause one hit-Kos or what spells can be used against them, so when it doubt, tag it out and see if it hits! There are over a thousand of them, and, as mentioned in the prompts, the school itself is also alive, so feel free to make this as terrifying for your characters as you wish.
An OOC PLANNING POST can be used to ask questions or to form teams.
A -- though we can move to other prompts if you want
It was Kei. Jaune had never gotten around to following up on his suspicions, at least as far as confronting Kei about it. But this pretty much confirmed it, right? Jaune looked around for any signs of anyone else on the street and then started making his way over towards Kei's stumbling path. The guy was clearly out of it, but Jaune could hardly blame him. He was more or less running on adrenaline again as well. There wasn't going to be an easy way to do this and either way he was probably about to startle the guy.
"Kei," he hissed when he was closer, not wanting to shout for fear of alerting others.
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"... Um. Hi." He's still Kei, right? ... Right? He's pretty sure, at least.
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He couldn't exactly heal him yet and it would be a REALLY bad thing to be caught with an injury before the fighting even started...assuming there would be fighting tonight.
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He glanced at the other, sighing. Was he... "Why are you out so late? ... You're not... headed to the school, are you?" ... Smooth, Kei. Taro? Whatever.
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It also gave him some time to think, he glanced sideways but knew there was no point lying now. They were at the eleventh hour and it was clear where Kei was going. "Yeah. I am. I'm involved in all of this too...actually, I have been for about a month now," he looked back to Kei, "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you. I wanted to...but it only would have made your headaches worse."
cw: vomit
"... A month, huh." He couldn't help but feel faintly wounded at that, and didn't bother hiding it in his tone. "A... a month of getting stupid headaches, remembering things that weren't - that didn't... I saw myself die, John. I saw something try to attach itself to me calling me someone who ate souls. Of fucking children." He was trembling, trying to keep his voice down, but it was hard. "And you couldn't tell me anything because of headaches. Jesus fucking Christ, John. I know we're not super close, but..."
He put his head in his hands, trying to breathe. It took a minute for him to calm down, though he was still shaking. "... Sorry. Okay. Okay. Fuck. You're not the kind of guy who would hold something like that back if you didn't have a damn good reason for it. But... but why are we going to the school? What's there? And... and why do I feel like everything's in a stupid funhouse mirror?"
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But, no, those are all excuses. Hadn't he gone straight to Mako and Haruka when he'd just had an inkling and then he'd just let Kei hang like that. He could have dropped more hints or...or something! He shakes his head, "Don't apologize...I deserve that. But look, they told us that those who weren't Awakened yet...if you rushed into it you'd be overwhelmed, that it was dangerous. I couldn't...I didn't want to take that risk."
He turns to look in the direction of the school, not that he can see it from here, but he knows the destination. He's not sure they have time for this conversation, but he feels that he owes it to Kei. He wants the truth? Fine. "Bad things...Kidou said they were being hunted, so I am going to assume he means by the Shadows. This town...there are creatures here that are going to try to kill you because of your status as nearly Awakened."
He glances back at Kei, "As for the funhouse mirror thing...I don't know. I didn't experience that when I went through this the first time." He thinks about that one night when he'd seen the weird form out of the corner of his eye and the tail. "Although...it might have something to do with your Awakened form...if I were to guess."
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"So you're saying... it might just be me. That's... great. How long is this going to take? But as for things trying to kill me..." He presses his free hand against his head, wincing. "Feels like I've already had things do that. But that didn't happen... but it feels like it did. What am I supposed to do, though? I can't fight." He's not sure if he would if he could. Sure, he can fire stuff off in CT, but that's not really going to hurt anyone.
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"The middle of the night is when it happened last time," Jaune says as they start making their way down the road. "Those are...well they might have happened. The visions you've been getting, the name your wrote on the app, the fact that stuff here has started to feel not real...Awakening means remembering. It's another life you have and are just now unlocking," Jaune admits. Of course, it could be that the memories or the other life are fake -- as Chikusa had pointed out in one of their talks -- but Jaune didn't want to think that way. He didn't like to think that THIS life was fake either, as that made him sad as well. Honestly, Jaune just tried not to think of that aspect of all of this very much. He had two sets of memories now, two sets of feelings for the people Jaune knew and the people John knew, and those were things he was starting to learn to live with.
"You'll know what to do when the time comes," he winces, because that sounds like a cop out again. But how do you tell someone that by the end of the night they're going to rip out their heart in order to gain access to a hidden power? Everything was already crazy without adding THAT little detail. Jaune sighs, "I know that sounds lame, but honestly if I try to tell you what's about to go down I'll probably only put you in more danger." Kei might hesitate at the wrong moment and it wasn't like he could do it before the right time anyway. He'd learn soon enough. "But...it'll work out. The other Awakened will be at the school too and you'll see how we can fight then. It's easier to see it I think than try to explain it."
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He does give Jaune a glance when he adds that little detail. "I'll... try. I don't want to hurt anyone. I don't... like people hurting. You remember that time we had that dog in town that went crazy? ... I cried over it when they - ... never mind. You probably don't remember. You're... if you're telling me all this, you... are you even really John? Did John even exist?" Does he?
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Jaune shakes his head, "That's the thing...I do remember. That store was closed for awhile after that and that was all anyone talked about for weeks." He remembers being pretty torn up about it as well, probably because he remembers sneaking it scraps one time when they'd been at the store--before it had gotten rabbies and was just a stray mutt. "I'm still John...at least I think that's how this works. If John didn't exist then I'd have to say his friends didn't either and that doesn't seem right to me. His memories and life are just as real as anything I remember from before...especially if all I have to go on are memories and feelings."
It's something he still struggles with, because everyone seems to think it has to be an either/or scenario and Jaune wants to know why it can't be both. Why can't John and Jaune still exist somehow? "But...it's also Jaune now," he says, emphasizing the pronunciation so that you can hear the difference, "Jaune Arc."
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What was that name it gave him... "So I guess that means... is my name actually Taro? Or sort of Taro? I don't... really know... I feel like I remember being called that, but... it doesn't feel right."
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"It'll make a little more sense later. You aren't fully Awakened yet, but you get kind of used to switching names after awhile," Jaune says. He considers the name Taro, recalling some of their conversations, "Yeah...we did talk a few times."
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"Can I... are you going to be okay? Whatever's... going to happen once we get there. Are you going to be okay? Because you made it sound dangerous..."
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He nods, trying to offer a reassuring smile, "Well, it IS dangerous. Anything can happen...but we'll have numbers on our side and...well let's just say that the other life I led had a few monster fights that have given me some experience at this."
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"Hey. If you think I'm turning around now...it's not happening. I already lost someone because I was too weak to do anything, because I couldn't be there for her. I'm not repeating that."
He turns his gaze ahead, "Another block...we should be there soon. Maybe you can have a seat and recover a little then."
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"You don't seem dead...and who said anything about sacrifice. If I remember right, we said we'd have each other's backs," Jaune says, trying to keep the conversation light. They have a higher chance of survival if they work together, Jaune's first Awakening had shown him that...not to mention all those memories of being on a team. He didn't know if Kei's other self was dead or not, but even so Kei was here and alive now. That's what mattered to Jaune. And how could someone who was dead be here anyway?
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"... I remember dying. But it wasn't... it was me, but it feels like it isn't. I... sorry. I guess that's kind of dark." He's not normally like this, but the tension keeps getting to him. "Does... does it hurt? Whatever's going to happen?"
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It wasn't really fine, but Jaune wasn't sure how else to put it.
He bites his lower lip. Again, he's tempted to lie or at least sugar coat it. That would be wrong now though. Jaune wasn't going to lie to Kei any more. "It does...nothing I say is going to prepare you for it though. Everyone made it out okay last time though," he hopes that is reassuring at least.
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"Of course. You think after all this I'm just going to stop being your friend?" He shakes his head, although there is the concern about how Kei might be different from Taro, so far personality changes hand't negatively impacted Jaune too much. He adds, "And stop worrying so much about my happiness...yours is important too you know."
Jaune stops walking then. They were now outside of one of the side entrances to the school. "Well...looks like we're here."
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He takes a deep breath as he grabs the handle of the door. He's surprised it's not locked, but maybe there are other people who got here first. "Let's get going. At least we'll be inside..." And maybe away from whatever keeps killing people.
He's shaking. He didn't notice it at first, but the door is wavering as he tries to hold it open. He pushes his way inside and pulls his arms in as they continue walking. He's not sure where they're going, but he wants to fall over, to rest, to just curl up in a little ball. "God... what am I even doing?" It's said quietly, but it's definitely audible, considering how close together they are.
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Jaune scans the area as they enter the school properly. The school is big enough that there are wings that he doesn't visit as frequently and this is one of them. He feels out of place, but takes the lead anyway. Not that he can move far ahead since he's still trying to support Kei. At any case, perhaps part of that feeling just stems from being in a school after hours. It's just inherently wrong somehow. He tries to keep calm, but the abandoned school feeling is also making him remember another school and another attack.
"We're here now...so if you want to sit for a bit we probably could," Jaune suggests. He glances at a nearby wall clock. They'd made it to the school with some time to spare it seems. He hesitates at Kei's outburst, "I...asked that same thing when this happened to me the first time. It's weird because I think the bigger part of me wanted to hide in bed and just pretend nothing was happening. But there was just something I couldn't shake--for good or bad it was a moth to the flame scenario and I couldn't NOT come. It's...you don't have to be on the front lines. You don't have to do this...but I feel like you've come this far it's going to be hard to just turn around and ignore it? At least it was for me."
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