AWAKENING

[cordibus]

Who: Everyone
When: Midnight, June 6th
Where: Green Valley Orchids
What: It is time.

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN

The subway stop near the orchards was not the type of place that most people liked to be when darkness fell. The orchards near the school were set up almost like a public park, which wasn’t so bad in and of itself, but it’s also the area where over half of the murders happened before the curfew was first put in place. It was a place people didn't go unless absolutely necessary and most had started taking alternate routes to avoid the stop. As one of the first subway stations built in the city, its architecture didn't really mesh with those that came after it. It had jagged corners where the smell of wet earth lingered, making it unpleasant even for those brave enough to continue to use it, and there had even been talk of closing it permanently once routes and nearby stations had been revamped to be better able to take care of the traffic.

Due to this, it only has the bare-bones of a shelter, fallen into disrepair as the curfew was enforced city-wide, and a couple of night guards, (probably already asleep due to the lack of activity they’re expecting), so characters arriving there will be mostly unnoticed. For a place that had such a bad history, most people rightfully avoid it.

For most of them it will be their first meeting with each other. There will be a bit of time to talk before their phones display a zero. Plenty of time to talk about what they suspect and what might just happen...and that horrible vision they had shared. Then there’s that countdown on their phones...ticking away the last few minutes.

ZERO UNTIL MIDNIGHT

The lights go out when the countdown ends. The lack of sound is, for lack of better word, worrying. Very soon, only the light of the phones serves as makeshift flashlights for the small group. But soon, even as words get displayed, a deep male voice echoes, which could be much more worrying.

FINALLY! Ahahahahah! Ahhh, damn does it feel nice to be able to speak and not
just write. Hey lambs, are you all ready?

Considering the choice of words, that might be Luci.

It's time. Can you feel your heartbeats increasing? Your mind about to explode? Questions swirling in your mind? Just make sure you don't go alone. Groups are
best, go all together and you'll never find the answers.

The voice laughs again.

Not that you have much of a choice at this point! Have fun, give them hell, and tell
them I sent you! I'll be taking care of that pesky guard problem for you.
...Let's go for a night stroll."

Communication ends just as abruptly as it started. No time to back down now, as the door where the guards are staying is quickly locked on its own before the subway system itself appears to be taken over by a virus that flashes on every available screen. With a click, the locked doors to the outside are swung open.

A voice in your mind warns you this might be the biggest mistake you'll be making in your entire life...and yet your heart feels like it's going to burst from your body from the joy you feel...

AWAKENING

It begins with a scream nearby. The same noise that they heard during the vision. The trees begin to turn grey as the sounds of hundred of creatures moving can be heard from all sides. The application opens, displaying them all in real time.

The group is surrounded.

By all logic, they should be running, but their legs feel bolted to the ground. They can't move.

The creatures begin to get closer. The trees start to rot nearby.

Breathing begins to increase. The sound of voices and memories quickly flashing before their eyes that might cause some to clutch at their head...exactly the same thing that the man had been doing back in the vision. If they look down at their hands, they will see them fading, see-through.

Yet for them, something is different. Just as the creatures are about to attack, they stop. A vision of the Velvet Room flashes before the eyes of those gathered as the two attendants silently nod. Then a return to reality as a light of color pierces the night from their hearts. A single voice can be heard, drowning out anything they might be hearing.

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!

It laughs and fades, as time quickly returns to this world. There's only a few seconds to react before it all goes to hell. A faded hand to reach into your chest.

The choice is yours. Death...or Awakening.

THE BATTLE IN APPLE GROVE

It’s a feeling unlike they have ever felt. Never have their bodies been so alive. Their minds fill with lost memories, their bodies adapting into tools to defeat the creatures before them.

Defeat...destroy...unlock the skills of your heart and show them what it means
to cross you."

The voice is encouraging, almost. To those with navigator skills, the voice speaks up once more as well.

Lead them into battle. Hone their skills into true annihilation!"

It’s time to reclaim the night.

[OOC: For the purpose of this battle, the shadows all have 1HP and are strong against nothing. That means any attack will be able to kill them, weapons and guns included. For this log only, CHARACTERS WILL NOT BE ABLE TO COMBINE SPELLS, as knowledge of this will be unlocked later on. There are about a HUNDRED shadows to be defeated, so there are as many needed for your characters to enjoy killing off. You are free to NPC them and to create situations and close calls.

An OOC PLANNING POST can be used to ask questions or to form teams.]

Comments

[probablynoteren]

[There's a penetrating calm -- unnatural, perhaps, he just ripped his heart and a great deal more besides from his chest, but it feels right -- settled at Lenka's center now that he has a blade (two blades and a personal monster) in his hands again. It's the type of calm fashioned from fury, the knowledge that he can and will rip directly through anything in his way to reach his goal. What is his goal?

To destroy them all.

He has no interest in talking, either, in thinking about anything beyond his next move, the next Shadow, the whirl and clash of his swords. Somewhere, far away and unreachable, is the part of him that will bother to remember what this is for. Later. Everything later, preferably never.

For now, he takes off towards the flash of light Jaune's produced, which has managed to illuminate the area and a good amount of the Shadows ahead. Lenka is already moving faster than he (not him, Haruka) has ever moved in his life, but his shadow is still faster: Eligor outpaces him, reaches with muddy, skeletal wooden fingers and flings a good number of the Shadows straight into the air with a blast of Garu that takes out the ground from under them. It's a little harder for them to attack without a surface.

Lenka hasn't slowed, meanwhile -- as a matter of fact, he pretty much dives headfirst into the flying mass, swords flashing, ignoring the minor scratches and nicks in favor of the opportunity.]

[sociallyarcward]

[Jaune blinks in surprise as Haruka moves forward without him. He's...kind of scary ripping through the Shadows like that. Jaune doesn't waste time though, running after him. He's not going to be left behind. His own Eligor riding ahead and taking out a few more with the light spell. It's strange seeing something that looks so dark producing light like that, but Jaune doesn't have time to analyze the field like he wishes he could. He still has so many questions and so much still doesn't make sense. At least back home he'd had an understanding of Grimm so it was easier to plan, to coordinate because he knew his team and what they could do.

All he can go on now is that despite both having Eligor as a persona there are differences in appearance between the knights riding on either side of them. Also, apparently in another life Haruka was quite the fighter and he fights with a ferocity that Jaune wasn't sure he'd seen before. No, that wasn't true, he'd seen it in dire circumstances. Jaune skewers any of the Shadows that get past Haurka or that are out of the range of his blade.

It's only as he's running that he realizes that while they may be cutting a path through--they are leaving their backs terribly exposed. He's not sure if its a memory or something Pyrrha had once told him, but he stops and turns, seeing a number of Shadows starting to slip up behind them.]

Crap!

[Jaune brings the shield around, blocking as one Shadow lunges at him and he bashes it aside, following up with a thrust of his sword. He can't run and defend their rear--though he isn't sure Haruka will even stop at this point.]

[kouteipenguin]

[He does his best, trying to ignore the whispering as his persona draws close. The two litterbearers keep pace with him, seamlessly drifting back as he runs, the penguin-headed cape atop it swirling in circles as Kidou steadfastly refuses to listen to its advice.

Get up.

He sidesteps one shadow, whirling in a flash of cape and color around and through the black mob. It's not enough. He can't see a thing through them, and any means past them is rapidly closing before he can get there. Again, the penguin head swirls down low, leaning over until its beak almost touches his ear. The Shadows race forward, and this time, Kidou finally obeys, sweeping his leg around his ball to kick it backwards and up, then leaping high into the air to claim it against his chest... and landing solidly on the litter's platform that maneuvered beneath him. The wings extend from its side, and his strange Eligor takes to the sky.

It's just in time, too - the whole battlefield extends before him just as the mob he'd attracted closes in on itself. The narrow circle of his vision sweeps across the field, stopping when it centers on a familiar-looking figure currently making a mad dash towards that same center knot of shadows trying to reach up to claw at the dangling legs of his Eligor. Haruka. No... considering everyone else, would he really be Lenka? Kidou shoves the question aside as irrelevant for the moment.

Behind him - someone he doesn't recognize, but with a warhorse and a knight on it, he can guess. But it doesn't matter, either. Not yet. What does is that they're at risk of the same trap he fell into. If they keep moving forward, the shadows behind them are already moving into a pincer formation. Those monsters are going to move that center knot right around them!

Sweeping his sniper rifle into position, Kidou takes aim. Don't think of them as living things. Think of them as targets, something urges at the back of his mind, but he can't tell if the thought came from him or the penguin beak arced over his shoulder. All he can tell is it's enough to make him pull the trigger, and one of the nearest shadows to Jaune dissipates into black smoke.]

Don't go towards the center! [He's not sure if he can reach two people at once, but he's damn well going to try.] They'll surround you! Turn to your 3'oclock!

[There's no more prompting needed. Kidou'll work on sniping what he can from his airborne position, though he has to pause a short while between each shot to center it properly. If he can just get them out of the thickest part...]

[probablynoteren]

[Lenka's used to being the vanguard (Old-Types should stick to what they're used to, and New-Types should take the lead, someone says, long ago and far away): making snap decisions about where to turn, when to fall back, how to stay in range of his gunner support -- these are things he should be doing, and yet between the wind whistling in his ears and the old, dried-blood crackle of the creature behind him it's so hard to remember. Remembering is the trade-off for muscle memory and instinct.

However.

Some things are burned deeper, branded into his bones and marrow, and his charge is already slowing when he hears the telltale sound of combat behind him: too much to be mopping up stragglers, and by the time Jaune lets out his cry of dismay Lenka has already slid into a half-crouch facing the right and thinnest flank of the teeming mass they've suddenly wandered into. There's a movement in the sky that makes him duck instinctively towards the cover of the treetops, but the report of the rifle calms him again, a familiar background rhythm. His back line is okay, for now. He needs to find an opening. He needs to get them all out of this in one piece.]

Roger. [instinctively, he's tapped a finger to the comm device that isn't in his ear, not even registering the telepathic component of the message beyond the somehow familiar voice -- he can't quite place it, but he'll listen for now] John! This way.

[The new well of power whispering behind and through him is limited, something cautions, but Lenka digs down anyway and flings out another Garu to help break through. The new twin swords he's been given don't have quite the same reach, power or heft of the weapons he's used to, but they do have a certain versatility: instead of parrying with them, he slams them together -- the hilts lock, becoming the holster for the newly formed lance.

It makes a much better battering ram.]

[sociallyarcward]

[Jaune flinches when a bullet takes out a Shadow just inches from him. It catches him off guard mostly, having not realized there might be support or a sniper nearby.

He looks up and over, wondering where it came from when he hears a voice. Right, there are some of them that are hovering around the combat zone--he'd seen a few and had briefly encountered a boy who had given orders in a similar manner, urging him to use his persona instead of just swinging the sword around.

He...isn't too sure what he's looking at, but he supposes he can just add one more thing to the endless list of weird that is becoming tonight. He needs to focus.]

Yeah, I picked up on that.

[It was why he'd turned to the rear at the last minute...but this guy clearly had a better vantage point and so Jaune turned to the 3 o'clock position, readjusting his grip and following Haruka's lead. Running towards their new targets and swiping at them with his sword.]

Got it!

[kouteipenguin]

[They listened. Kidou doesn't even allow himself the time for a sigh of relief at that; they listened, so now he's taken responsibility for them. He focuses on removing the shadows that close in behind the two, trusting that the sides and front are under control. Whatever is closest to them, he'll aim at and not think about.]

Good. They're densest to your left, so watch your side and don't stop moving!

[That was always the key. Never, ever stop moving. Keep running no matter what. And fortunately, they've moved to a convenient formation for this instinctively; one to rush ahead, the other to cover both of their sides. One ahead, and one following. That means-]

Haruka - focus forward, cut a path through! No matter what, stay together!

[He's learned a long time ago that even orders that might seem obvious should still be relayed if they hadn't been discussed beforehand, or they aren't all able to watch each other. It might not be obvious to the one in the middle of it.

Was that 1001, beside him? He wished he was certain; it's easier if he's got names he can use. But with the weird array of things that everyone had, he's not going to want to make assumptions. Even if he's got a hunch.

The shadow ball is spreading out, but they're not showing any sign of intelligence about it. They're simply rushing forward towards the two, anywhere they are. Kidou's banking that getting them to a lower-density area first would give them a better chance at taking down more of them without risking getting hurt; that center cluster is going to come to them anyway.]

[probablynoteren]

[It's reassuring, to have a voice in his ear again (but how long has it really been, when he hasn't been himself for what feels like the last fifteen years?), even if Lenka is only half-listening through his own razor-focus. A name -- Haruka, it takes at least four steps to realize he's the one who should be listening -- and a status update. It's enough.

One smooth movement switches his sword-lance to his left arm to guard against the bulk of the Shadows, which are pressing their attack and trying to herd them back into the jaws of the pincer. As the mass thins out, he lashes out periodically to smash back the rest and widen their escape route. The strange, hovering shadow is still ahead of him, illuminated by flashes of gunfire; he directs his steps towards it, and then slightly to the left. He can lead the teammate behind him out of here, and lead the Shadows to the slaughter at the same time. He doesn't look back; the heavy sounds of Jaune's sword meeting what Shadows he's left standing are enough.

He and John have never fought together in something like this (he and John have never fought together at all), but the brief moments before they dove in here have been enough to get a good glimpse at his skills. Lenka will trust him with his back; Haruka would trust him with his life; the two might yet converge.

For now, they've just about cleared the pack -- or made their way to the head of it, depending on how you look. Lenka glances between the gloom of the night sky washing down with the rain, the thinning trees of the orchard, and what must be the third Eligor in front of them. Makes a snap decision.]

John. [he only glances back for a moment, but the tone of his voice is the key, deadly serious with a wild edge; the same tone he used to say there are two of us and one of them at a time once upon a time] Jump.

[There's a pause only long enough for Jaune to begin to react, before Lenka reaches out -- Eligor reaches out with roots like grasping claws, and slams a Frei directly downward with enough force to open a small crater. The effort of the spell staggers Lenka almost long enough to get caught in the blast, but he manages the leap in time. They're going directly up into the treetops from the force of the impact (and possibly overshooting a little, because force is hard to judge when you're blowing yourself up a little).

The Shadows have been scattered a little by the flying dirt and leaves (and other Shadows caught by the blast radius), but the majority of them rejoin the pack, carried by their own momentum beyond the trees where Lenka and Jaune have landed. It's a rather hasty and messy move, but at the end of the day what's left of the Shadow pack has lost their prey in the smokescreen (dirtscreen?) and are out in the open, easy pickings for Kidou's rifle; Jaune and Lenka are now behind them, once they come down.

Time to do a little Shadow herding.]

[sociallyarcward]

[Jaune glances to his left to confirm, taking a swing at one. He wasn't sure how much more moving he could do though. This was WAY more running than what either he or John were used to doing. But it's run or die, right? That's a pretty good motivator.

A shadow falls to his blade and he goes to try using another light attack, but he's distracted by his name and the command.]

Huh?

[Haruka gives him a look and Jaune immediately feels worried. What is he about to---okay, yeah, he should probably be jumping. Jaune jumps just as Frei is unleashed and OH SHIT was that a good call. He gets a lot more air than he would have thought possible in his jump. However, he's more fascinated by the attack Haruka just executed. Seriously, how are they doing all of this? Why were they given these personas to fight these Shadows?

Jaune manages to land in the trees behind the pack, though it's hardly a pretty landing. He catches a branch, scrambling not to fall, and then pulls himself up. Phew! He has to practically hug the tree to keep from falling at first, but at least no one had to chuck a spear at him to catch his fall.

Perhaps he HAS come a long way from his first days at Beacon, at least he's worked on his landing strategy somewhat. Still, he shifts his weight and glances over at Haruka. Even from here he can tell he's pushing himself way too much. Surely there's something Jaune can do to support him. Eligor appears below his tree, tilting her head back, yet somehow her voice is in his ear, giving more guidance. Jaune reaches a hand out towards Haruka, using his other hand for balance.]

Dia.

[Jaune took a breath. He was pushing himself too, wasn't he? He relaxes a bit as he lowers his hand...and then realizes that in going to catch himself in the tree his sword and shield had fallen. The sword had impaled itself in the grass and his shield, thankfully, was at least caught in some of the branches below his feet.]

Oh come on!

[So much for Jaune's luck...although maybe someone should remind him he still had a rifle at his back or his other abilities...]

[kouteipenguin]

[What are they doing down there? Kidou can't tell -

And then Haruka - Lenka, his brain insists - leaps upwards and slams down an attack hard enough to deal with quite a few shadows... and to Kidou's dismay, deal with both of them at once. With the rain, he's not sure for a moment they'll have handholds. And there's really nothing he can do about that from where he is. He couldn't get there in time. Even if he could, what could he do?

He finally realizes he's been holding his breath when he lets it out in relief when they both land at least safely enough. Kidou immediately turns his attention back to killing the -

Uh.

Shooting at the stragglers still trying to follow them. Kidou sticks to shooting any of the ones that stray out of the center pack, trying to keep them still in a ball for easier removal. When he feels there's a cry from one of them somewhere in the back of his mind, Kidou risks looking away from where he's aiming for a second, checking up on the two.]

Switch weapons! Long range

[That's all the attention he can afford to spare them if he wants to make a dent in the shadows here. He recenters his goggles into the sniper scope, letting himself fall back onto his training on the range. He can hear the instructor's voice still, snapping orders, lecturing in that sharp, precise way. Brace against the shoulder. Keep your eye low. Kidou's never rated for a sniper rifle before, but rifles he knows.

The scope limits his field of vision, leaving him blind to everything else around him. But that's nothing new, and nothing Kidou can't compensate for. He strains to catch every last sound, listening intently to the rhythm of the field - any patterns he can discern, any location of screams, the map in his head telling him where friends are. The narrower his vision gets, the more it's clear to Kidou that he can do some things completely blind if he absolutely had to. And in exchange he can see even deeper than before.

That's all he lets himself focus on now. How he's doing what he's doing, instead of what he's doing. His scope centers on something - it vanishes with the pull of a trigger. He pulls along the barrel until his scope finds another. It, too, vanishes. He pulls back on the scope to get a broader view just enough to locate his next target. It's a good strategy; clear out everyone, get off the ground if possible, and take down from a distance. It's a lot easier on Kidou to accept himself doing that if everyone he's working with right now is.]

[probablynoteren]

[Lenka manages to land lightly enough, catching himself with the blade of his lance against the bark of the tree rather than scrabbling for handholds in the dark and masses of wet leaves. The tree doesn't stab back, either, which is a nice bonus. Eligor remains beside him for a moment, a knight in a tree in a tree -- a sight that would be comical if anyone had the attention or the vision to spare for the spectacle.

As it is, everything has happened so quickly that even if he was the one who instigated it, Lenka finds himself disoriented by the change in height and visibility; it's suddenly very hard to tell which way is up or down when the sky and ground are both obscured. The dizziness from overusing his magic doesn't help, either. Physical fatigue he can ram right through -- this is a new and unpleasant kind of limitation that he still hasn't fully grasped.

So he's still catching his breath when he both hears and feels the soothing notes of Jaune's spell settle over him. Jaune gets a startled, grateful look that melts into sheepishness when Lenka realizes the predicament his friend is now in. A little more clearheaded now thanks to the Dia, he moves a little ways downward and closer in to at least try and retrieve the shield.]

We're in... the tree a little to your right. At the edge of the treeline. [he's remembered by now that he doesn't have an earpiece, so he really has no idea how they're communicating with their third member; hopefully speaking aloud will do it] As long as they don't get past you...

[That's as far as Lenka gets before his focus shifts: the Shadows that haven't gotten past the treeline are starting to gather below them, and although he's managed to pick up Jaune's shield and the stragglers are few in number, it's still a better bet to keep their current position clear.

It's almost impossible to see in the treetops under the night, but there's a ripple in the light and air over Lenka's shoulder and down his back that extends as he concentrates -- one ripple becomes many, and several of the Shadows below them are blown back and away by a nigh-unseen force. His aim is a little erratic, given it's hard to see his own bullets, but he's taken heed of their need for range weaponry.]

[sociallyarcward]

Long range! Right.

[Jaune wasn't used to having a ranged weapon, despite most of his fellow Huntsman having both most of the time. He pulls it around and takes aim. It shouldn't be this easy--but perhaps this is part of the power offered by the Persona. He can use the knowledge and while he won't be the best shot since he is inexperienced, even Jaune is able to shoot down a few.

He especially wants to keep them off of Lenka who is apparently fetching his shield for him. Jaune appreciates it and so will return the favor by keeping the shadows back. He should probably try for his sword as well but for that he would need--well whatever Lenka just does. He blinks in surprise.]

What was that?

[Was that Lenka's ranged weapon? Jaune can't see anything that looks like a gun--but, no time for that. Jaune clutches his rifle, eyeing the ground. He'd done worse heights.]

Cover me!

[He doesn't wait to see if Lenka replies, instead jumping down from the branch and landing on the ground with a roll before popping back up. He fires off the gun to keep some of the shadows back, but he is NOT losing his sword which is more his style. Eligor appears once more to help Jaune, giving him some cover so he can retrieve the sword from the grass.]