thenearshore | 011 | Black Parade

Entry tags:

011 | Black Parade

Who: Everyone!
What: Parade of the dead
When: All day May 26
Where: Shinjuku
Summary: The Near Shore needs a little protecting from the dead

The last few days have been filled with festival food, high energy, and lots and lots of parades. Near Shore residents really know how to enjoy their holidays, stopping up traffic for hours on end as floats and palanquins go by and filling the streets and courtyards in the area with food stands and festival treats. Many Far Shore residents may have found themselves drawn to this particular festival, as it is being held in honor of a shrine.

When an unexpected parade starts up, the people gather round to watch the impromptu spectacle. It's a little strange, yes, but nothing too terribly off-putting. That is until the parade reaches the shrine itself, at which point all hell breaks loose as the members of the parade start attacking anything and anyone in their way.

The Heavens will then call upon all the gods and shinki who are available to help, because these attackers are not normal at all - they are, in fact, the undead.

Let the Festivities Continue

The festival is a large, booming one. There are dozens upon dozens of food stalls set up all over the place with so many different kinds of foods that it could make your eyes go buggy, most of them fried in some way. On top of that, there is live entertainment walking around, stalls with souvenirs, and lots of excellent company nearby. Surely you'll be able to enjoy the festival to its fullest.

The Walking Dead

It is not immediately evident that the parade is being manned by corpses, but keen observers would be able to pick out the noticeable rotting elements of the dead. Anyone with a soul-sensing ability might even realize that they're not soulless, just lifeless. When the parade reaches the shrine, every god and shinki will be needed in order to protect the Near Shore from this menace. Corpses must either be exorcised or completely mutilated to the point where they can no longer move in order to release the soul.

Not Rootbeer Floats

On top of the mass of dead bodies being possessed by stray souls, some of the floats on wheels in the parade seem to have been taken over as well. They are moving slowly and with purpose towards anyone that crosses their path. At first, it may seem like the float is just veering a little off course, but it will soon become evident that it's headed towards you. They may be slow, but they're very large as well, meaning there's a lot more than needs to be destroyed to release the soul.

Souls, Souls, and More Souls

In Summary:

Enjoy the festival
Help save Near Shore residents
Take down the dead bodies
Try not to cry
Cry lots
Have fun~

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I shall be back as soon as I secure their safety. I wish you best of luck.

[Keeping it brief, Hibiki swiftly moves away to the group's side. Maria definitely has everything it takes to win this fight, but it'll never hurt to have luck on her side. Leaving the area turns out to be quite problematic, just as he expected—maneuvering in the middle of a gathering of the undead is an exacting task, but it doesn't change anything. If he said he would do it, he would. Due to some really hostile zombies they had to slow down, but once they were far enough from the parade, Hibiki could leave people on their own and rush back to Maria's side.

When he arrives at the spot when they were fighting together some time ago, he immediately scans the area looking for her.]

[In the time he's gone, Maria manages to cut down the rest of the veritable horde of zombies polluting that area, but her song has ended, and when he catches sight of her, it's likely she'll be coughing a little into one hand, her back turned to him.

After a few moments, the armour disappears, and Maria turns to check the area, flicking something off her fingers that looks very much like blood. It's not much, but it's enough that she's not risking further use of her Symphogear right now.

When she spots Hibiki, she raises a hand and runs over, looking the way he came for a moment.]

This area's clear, but that can't be all of them. Did those people get out okay?

We'll better watch out in that case.

[What surprises him that Maria is no longer in the armor from before. If there are still some zombies roaming around, wouldn't it be wiser to wield it? Pondering about that for no longer than a few seconds—actually, he's about to ask about that, but firstly, Hibiki nods and starts explaining that they're in a safe area, rather far from this place.]

There's no need to worry about them, I assure you. However...should we continue further or should we fall back?

[Nodding in agreement with that observation, a touch of relief lights Maria's face at the assurance the civilians are in a safe place. One less thing to worry about, even if this situation is still full of them.

At his question, Maria looks at her hand for a moment, flexing her fingers - there's still a faint hint of rusty red to the tips, though she thins it more by rubbing her fingers together - before raising her gaze back to him in all seriousness.]

Continue. If there are other civilians trapped as well, our falling back could cost them the chance to escape.

[No matter how they would look at it, Maria's absolutely right. That was simply just one group of people and who knows how many of them were watching the parade.]

In that case, let us proceed. Just...

[He'd tell her that she shouldn't push herself too hard, but Hibiki's quick to realize that he wouldn't even listen to his own advice.]

It's nothing, don't mind me.

[Maria does seem prepared to listen even as he trails off, but when he rescinds whatever comment he had prepared, she simply nods.]

If you're sure. Then let's go.

[Looking around for a moment to get her bearings again, Maria turns in the direction of the main shrine, beckoning for him to follow.]

How far away were you from where this all broke out? I wish I'd seen it coming sooner, but I didn't catch it until the fight had already broken out.

Quite far, unfortunately. Although I wouldn't be able to do much apart from slowing them down.

[Not being able to get rid of them completely made things quite difficult in terms of arriving here as some undeads followed him here.]

I doubt that anyone could have seen it coming. I just hope someone was somewhere nearby...maybe we'll be able to provide them some support at the very least.

[That's a good point - even with her Symphogear, Maria had noticed that the times she'd tried holding back a bit, if it left the body in any reasonable shape, they didn't stop. Trying to replicate that effect with a conventional weapon would probably be about as much use as conventional weapons tended to be in her world.

With that in mind, her expression lapses into something more thoughtful.]

We might need to see what we have to work with here. Nothing so reckless that it would endanger anyone who still hasn't escaped, but if there's anything we could use to get rid of them more effectively among the stalls, it'll really help us.

With the amount of us who seemed to be here, though, I'm sure there were some nearer where it started. We just have to hope they handled the situation as best they could.

Hopefully, we can find out what the method is soon enough, I'll keep my eyes open.

[A few ideas how could it be possible to bring an end to the zombies come to his mind and keeping them to himself under such circumstances would be only foolish. Even if his not even close to the truth.]

I thought...maybe they can sustain a limited amount of damage? Maybe only then they would return to their...original state.

[And the state he'd rather have them in forever—dead, that is.]

I shall see if that works.

I will as well. One of us should be able to spot something in all of this that we can use.

[At least, that's Maria's hope, because the almost vibrating, discordant ache in her bones says that using her Symphogear again this evening isn't a risk to take lightly. Subconsciously, she wraps her arms around herself, and though it seems to make the pain subside a little, it also makes her feel oddly lightheaded, so she drops her arms as soon as she really notices.]

Maybe. It's harder to hold back with my weapon than it is to go at full force, but when I did try holding back, it didn't seem to stop them. Whatever damage it is they can take, it's enough to make things difficult for us.

[By this point, her tone has slipped into something almost professional, as if she's used to weighing these kinds of situations.]

[Hibiki doesn't fail to notice that, actually, and it sure does make his lips quirk up in a smile. That's not the only thing he noticed, though. There's something going on with Maria, he's absolutely sure of it, but he can't imagine making her go back.

But he certainly can keep an eye on her.]

I see...your weapon seems to be really powerful, indeed. That gives us an idea how much it's going to take to defeat them, at least.

[Just as he finishes speaking a single scream tears through the air.]

We have to hurry.

[Being a bit more cautious about where she places her hands this time, Maria ultimately ends up holding them together at the front of her skirt, the pose almost delicate-looking if it weren't for the serious look still on her face. As for the power of her weapon, he's right on that one, and it's not a reassuring thought that it's going to take the kind of hits that would be immediately fatal to a human to dispose of these bodies quickly.]

It's a high bar. They feel... [It's disgusting to say, but it's the only way Maria can really think to describe it, so she goes on.] ...like they break more easily than bones normally do, but those kinds of hits are still ones most wouldn't throw around lightly.

[Please don't ask her how she knows how bones feel breaking under her foot, though that scream definitely serves as something for both of them to direct their attentions to instead. Maria's head turns sharply towards the source of the noise, and even as Hibiki speaks, she's already speeding up to follow the sound.]

Let's go.

[Keeping the comment about breaking bones in mind, Hibiki follows immediately as there's no time to lose. That said, if they had any doubts that someone may be in danger, they get dispelled once they get even closer and see two girls surrounded by a horde of zombies with their own eyes.]

Would you agree if I engaged the undead in combat this time while you take care of them?

[Here's to hoping that Maria will agree to this way of resolving things.]

[As soon as Maria sees the scene for herself, she grits her teeth, expression utterly serious and focused on the situation at hand. Though she could argue Hibiki's suggestion, she's fully aware that right now, he's the better bet when it comes to keeping the horde back, and any protest would just be wasting time they don't have to save these people.]

That's fine. I just need a break in the crowd so I can get to them.

[It's hard not to think she should've picked up another weapon after finishing up with her Symphogear, but then, she hadn't really had the time, and it's too late to worry about it now.]

Consider it done.

[And off he goes, pulling his swords as he runs straight ahead to the group of the zombie attackers. Thankfully, he arrives just in time, it seems—none of them has done any harm to the people trapped, but he can't assume that it's going to stay that way for long. Slicing their body parts efficiently one after another, he clears the way for Maria as fast as he only could. Later, he'll simply focus on the rest of the undead.]

[Hibiki certainly isn't the first skilled swordsperson Maria has met, but she still has to admire the efficiency of the attacks. It does remind her a lot of Tsubasa and her Symphogear from back home, which only brings her to how frustrating being unable to use her own is - but she can still help in other ways.

As Hibiki clears the path, Maria darts through, kicking and punching one or two of the bodies aside into somewhere more in line with Hibiki's blades. When she reaches the trapped group, she rounds them up and starts directing them out through the gap, making sure to time it so none of the bodies are close enough to be a problem.]

Stay calm, and leave the area as quickly as you can! If you have family or friends with you, watch each other!

Please hurry!

[There are quite a few zombies around, and even though he's been slashing some of them over and over again, they always rise up after a while. As he doesn't mind fighting them off, they probably should proceed and check if there aren't any trapped people out there.]

It's no use...what should we do...

[At Hibiki's urging, Maria redoubles her efforts, managing to clear the group out of the middle of the throng within a few more seconds. Watching the last few flee to ensure they don't get confronted by another body, Maria turns back at Hibiki's words, punching aside another body with gritted teeth.]

I'm sorry, I can't risk using Airgetlam again. If only I wasn't so--

[The word "weak" dies on her tongue only at her own mental urging, attempting to remind herself that she's beyond that now. Still, she has no good answer to his question, and the words that do come taste bitter and reluctant.]

Retreat, for now. Regroup. We're no use to these people defeated.

Please, don't be. There's nothing to be sorry about.

[It's nobody's fault that there are so many of the zombies wandering around the festival grounds and pose a threat to the people. Hopefully, most of them have evacuated by now.]

Understood. I'll hold them back for a while, so please run as fast as you can, miss Maria.

[He's not fond of the decision either, but she's absolutely right.]

[If they weren't literally in the middle of a battle, Maria would argue that point, but as it is, she simply grits her teeth and lets it pass. It's impossible to help the feeling that she should be able to do more, to save more people from this menace as the god she's supposed to be. And yet, she doesn't even know what she can do as a god yet.

Even as Hibiki speaks, she's taking a few steps back and looking out for where might be the best place to make their retreat to, but at that remark she has to pause and look back for a moment.]

As long as you can keep up while holding them off. I don't want to leave you behind to deal with that. [Even if they split up in the end, she'd like to know he's safe first.]

Rest assured, I'll be right behind you.

[He may be underestimating the zombies and their persistence a bit. Well, maybe not just a bit actually. While the strategy to slow them down by cutting off their parts turns out to be effective, it's still not enough with so many of them regenerating so fast.

It's just a matter of time for him to lose the sight of Maria, really.]

Alright. [Maria nods firmly, even if she still sounds a little reluctant, but his request works - she turns to the clustered market stalls and heads off at speed, aiming to find good shelter in advance so she can call Hibiki to somewhere safe.

It's not until she does find that shelter that she realises he's somewhere out of her sight, and with more of the undead filtering out this way, it's too late to double back to find him.]

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011 | Black Parade

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