009 | Where Your Demons Hide

[godsoffortune]

Who: Everyone!
What: Emergency demon fighting
When: Late May 5-Early May 6
Where: Just outside of Tokyo
Summary: The demon from the school has reared its ugly head again and needs to be taken down.



On the evening of May 5, the Heavens suddenly receive an influx of prayers from people in and around a certain town just outside of Tokyo. There seem to be a lot of people in the area that have suddenly stopped responding normally (or at all). The situation continues to spread as the night goes on until not only is the whole town suffering from this malady, but the neighboring towns are starting to become affected as well.

With so many gods and shinki on hand - including new ones that have just appeared - the Heavens have issued a request for any available gods and shinki to go investigate what might be happening down on the Near Shore. New gods and shinki will be given the low-down on what's happening, but not much more than that.

The situation will continue to expand until just a little before dawn, when the demon finally has enough power to revive.



Drained Humans

Many humans in the affected areas are walking around despondently. Oftentimes, they are just walking into things or getting hit by things. There have been a few car-related incidents as well. Anyone who was present for the high school incident will recognize these symptoms as something that was happening to people in the school. The glazed looks, the spiritless responses and reactions. So this should be fairly familiar to some.

No One's Safe

Unfortunately, being in the town will start to wear on anyone who is there. Gods and shinki alike will find themselves growing more despondent the longer they spend in the town. All of their energy will be slowly sapped from their bodies, and shinki in particular will feel almost like their existence is draining away.

Hellish Circle

There is a large park in the center of the town. Drawn all around this park is a magic circle, large enough to encompass the whole park. There are candles around the edges of the circle, and in the center there is a cup filled with blood covered by a mask with a swirling eye pattern on it. Stepping into this circle will not only make you extremely tired and suddenly drained, but it will also bring bat-like ayakashi bearing down on you.

The Demon

The Demon itself rears its ugly head just a little before dawn, springing out from the center of the magic circle and looking right pleased with itself. It stands about 5'8" tall, so it is largely unimposing, but there is an aura about it that makes it undeniable that it is powerful. The demon will gladly fight anyone who comes at it, though most he will just shove out of the way without a second thought.



In Summary:

• Help the drained people
• Try not to get drained yourself
• Be careful about being corrupted
• Fight the demon
• Have fun~

Comments

Sephiroth

[prideinthefall]

[ Sephiroth ignores this insidious feeling of a loss of self. Surely, it is a temporary thing and caused by the source of this problem. He ignores the humans wandering around; they do not matter to him in the least. Holding out one hand he summons the Masamune to his left hand as a large, black wing unfurls from behind his right shoulder.

Though that crippling sensation continues to slink down his spine, Sephiroth doesn't stop until he reaches the park. He pauses because of the markings. They are unfamiliar to him both in pattern and script. ]

Hnnn. A cheap trick?

[ Then he decides that it doesn't matter. Sliding his right hand through the air, over the boundary of the circle, Sephiroth's lips press into a thin line when he suddenly feels weak. He takes a single step back, refusing to relinquish more ground.

His eyes narrow when the bat like creatures come streaming down. His right hand shoots forward, creating a barrier in front him. The bodies pelt against it, cracking the magic as they veer off and up. ]

((ooc: because he's stubborn Sephiroth feels the need to test out whether or not ayakashi can't be killed without gods. Come join the fun. For once he won't be as inclined to mock those around him.))

[hontobakabaka]

[Ruri watches the silver haired man as he moves up to the park. Such dedication, such stubbornness, such a single minded drive to get to the bottom of things. Really she can't fault it as she had come late to the party but wanted to find the center, but promised not to do anything dangerous to her own Shinki. Still, this was a good chance to analize data and try to figure things out.

With that she steps behind the protective plexiglass of a bus kiosk and calls out in a deadpan manner.]

"Excuse me, Silver Hair-san, if you need assistance just ask, but it looks like you are trying to prove something. Still, either way I'm going to collect data on your ordeal."

[prideinthefall]

[ Holding the barrier in place against the barrage of bodies, Sephiroth spares a backwards glance for the girl. One pale brow arches as if he were not fending off creatures intent on ripping him apart. With a quiet huff, Sephiroth turns back to the fight at hand.

He did not need assistance. Or so he tells himself.

Turning to the side as the barrier slowly breaks down, Sephiroth cuts a wide slash with the Masamune. The creatures scream, they scatter but not a single dead body hits the ground. ]

[hontobakabaka]

[Hrm, so this one did want the fight. Still he doesn't seem like a god so he may be outclassed. This is interesting information. The demons not dying also may confirm this hypothesis, still perhaps he is just toying with them.

With that thought she scribbles some things down on her note pad and looks over, tilting her head in a curious way.]

"I do not think that simply by toying with them you will get much done. Perhaps if you let loose a kiya, or some sort of attack with an incredibly stupid name. I see that as popular with many fighters."

[There is a pause]

"Or if you think this is a matter of only being able to weaken them and needing a god for the finishing blow let me know. I've had base military training."

[prideinthefall]

[ Having no idea what a 'kiya' is, Sephiroth doesn't bother to respond. At least not to her. Fire dances around his right hand and rapidly grows into a rather large ball. With a flick of his right hand, Sephiroth sends the ball of fire speeding at the ayakashi. The spell is powerful enough to blow holes into the sides of buildings.

And is does burn the ayakashi in an impressive explosion. They aren't flying so fast now. One isn't flying at all from the damage to its wing. But they're all still alive. He frowns sharply and finally looks at the girl. ]

Do you have your shinki with you?

[hontobakabaka]

"No. I wasn't expecting combat, or at least I was expecting those who liked combat to do so. I came purely to offer support, caffeine, and gather data. Still, it could be a good chance to test my own abilities. If not, I have a car I hotwired not far away and can hit them with that till they stop."

[With that she points to a nearby car which is almost perfectly parked, save for the bush it looks like she hit to help with deceleration. Land vehicles operate completely different than space ones and no one bothered to go help her get her learner's permit.]

"But I believe even on my own I can probably do something to an extremely tired out one. That way you can claim the kill. Right?"

[prideinthefall]

[ Hit them with a car. Crude, but possibly effective. Still he can't imagine that a vehicle will have more luck than the Masamune. The sword could cut through a foot of steel like it was butter. However, she does bring up a possibility: could a god finish what a shinki had started?

Sephiroth makes a sweeping gesture towards the ayakashi flailing on the ground. ]

If we've been truly told then only a god wielding their shinki can kill an ayakashi, but it would not hurt to test it.

[ Because on some level that is what this entire fight is about for him -- a test to see if he's been lied to. ]

[dioception]

[Dio had been nearby, drawn by the scent of blood in that cup, but wary enough of stepping into magic circles. He watched as someone else drew near, not approaching at first and simply observing as the man breached the boundary of the circle, then getting bombarded by the bat-like creatures.

How exciting! Dio perked up as he watched, enthralled by the bright barrier.]

Oh, what was that?! [Now he'd approach, curiosity getting the better of him.]

You're one of those 'weapons' right? What're you up to? [He was going to just watch for now. He didn't know that much about the world around him yet, and his shinki was currently elsewhere, so he supposed he couldn't really kill those things, right? He'd fight them if he had to, but until Sephiroth was not able to catch something, he wouldn't be of any assistance.]

[prideinthefall]

I'd think that'd be apparent.

[ Wow, someone sounds grouchy.

The creatures dive back and with a smirk Sephiroth lets the barrier down and waits. They'd taken him by surprise; he'll rectify that problem now. The sword, over six feet in length, cuts a wide swath through the air just as the ayakashi get within it's range. The noises they make are not pleasant at all. Sephiroth finds that satisfying until he realizes that none of them are dead.

Wounded, yes, but not dead. That's not possible. He didn't miss and the sword strike had been more than hard enough to rend things like metal and concrete in two. ]

[dioception]

[Dio had become the target of one of the batlike creatures while watching, but without a weapon or gloves, he couldn't very well touch it to keep it at bay, so he just turned to shoot at it with what would appear to be eye lasers. It did what he'd wanted it to, the thing giving a shriek and falling to the ground temporarily.]

If it were apparent, I wouldn't be asking.

[Two could grump.]

I don't think you can kill them on your own. [Though it wasn't like Dio was going to help much. Without Masaki, he couldn't exactly do much.]

[prideinthefall]

Which the point -- to test that theory.

[ Because it seemed preposterous that shinki and gods were unable, on their own, to kill these creatures. (Because Sephiroth's pride would not allow him to believe that he needed help).

The Masamune did not kill them, eye lasers apparently did not kill them. His options for an outcome that he could accept start to dwindle. In tandem his anger rises. He should not be limited in such a manner. His rage reflects in the fire swirling around his right hand that he launches at the damned things. The damage the fireball inflicts on the surrounding area indicates its power and yet, the creatures still live. His lips curl into a silent snarl. ]

Ridiculous.

[dioception]

[At the least, Dio could agree with him that it was preposterous that shinki and gods could not kill the creatures on their own. Why, it meant that he had to be practically attached to his shinki, and... boy, that was a tall order.

Not because he didn't like Masaki, quite the opposite! He liked her far too much.

It was more that he could definitely believe that some bullshit like this would exist. It reeked of something he'd had to deal with before. Some sort of ploy at making people 'get along' more.

The magic gives him some pause as he is reminded of another person he'd met before, stepping back from the flames. He had used a much more powerful version of what he'd seen before, but the effect was similar.]

Guess we should retreat. They're not going to stop getting up. [Though Dio was still going to look around to see if he could find something to tear up from the ground and use as a makeshift weapon.]

Oh crap, someone who even remotely agrees with Sephiroth. Tis the end times!

[prideinthefall]

[ If Sephiroth were a kinder person, he'd put some thought into how his anger likely affects his God at this very moment. But he is a selfish creature. So it remains unchecked and dangerous. Besides, if Zack could not deal with Sephiroth's anger, then Zack was not worthy to be Sephiroth's god.

Still, for all of his ego and the cases in which Sephiroth is blinded by it, he is not a total idiot. When the ayakashi stir, badly damaged but still coming, he understands perfectly what this stranger means. Sephiroth doesn't like it. Not at all. He does not retreat and he does not stop until anything that opposes him lies dead in his path. The notion sticks in this throat and for a moment his temper flares with the kind of intensity that once upon a time burned a tiny mountain town to the ground.

But it's fleeting only because these ayakashi have not 'earned' his ire quite the way that town had. A terse nod follows. Sephiroth holds up his hand as Yukine had taught him and, putting the strength of both will and rage behind it, speaks a single word with a sweeping gesture through the air. ]

Borderline.

[ It sounds like a curse instead of a protection but the blue line cuts across the ground between them and the ayakashi, forming a glowy sort of wall that they cannot seem to cross at the moment. ]

[skyleopardess]

[Yoruichi had been content to simply skirt the edges of the circle; whatever it is, she doesn't want to face it without backup. But then she catches sight of a group of ayakashi swarming a lone figure, and she can't let whoever that is face those creatures alone.

A few of the ayakashi catch her scent, veering off to run down the new prey, or so they think. Gritting her teeth against the draining effects of the circle, she nevertheless meets the attack without flinching.]

Way of destruction 32; Oukasen.

[A wide arc of kidou blasts from her outstretched palm, slicing through the approaching ayakashi with seemingly no resistance. Her soulless shinki is in her gauntlet and boots form, allowing Yoruichi to kill ayakashi with hand to hand or ranged attacks alike.

The corrupted spirits mill around from a safe distance, but she knows there's only seconds before the shock wears off and they attack again. She calls out to the other person--he's still in shadow, so she doesn't recognize him just yet.]

If you're trying to leave, I can cover you.

[prideinthefall]

[ Though he is aware of her presence, her attack on the ayakashi puts her in the category of 'not an immediate threat'. The first thing that he does is make sure he's no longer in the perimeter of the circle. The sensation of something pulling at him, trying to pull him apart, was damned unnerving.

Sephiroth refuses to let it slow him down. The Masamune cuts a wide, wicked arc through the air and hits those flying bodies. It damages them, one of them badly, but they don't die. Anger and frustration both cross his expression and he follows the forms with a hot blast of fire.

That still doesn't kill them. ]

Damn. [ Then he looks at her. Though the hostility in those green eyes is not directed at her, it burns noticeably hot. ] My intention is to kill them all.

1/2

[skyleopardess]

[Oh, it's this asshole]

also sorry for the delay!

[skyleopardess]

[Okay, it doesn't really matter right now, not in the middle of an infestation like this, but inner thoughts are inner thoughts. Not that she allows them to show in her expression.]

You can't do it by yourself.

[It's matter of fact, but there's no heat in her words. As if to punctuate her statement, she casts Haien, tossing a ball of violet flame towards the nearest cluster of ayakashi, incinerating them instantly.]

np!

[prideinthefall]

[ Sephiroth lips press into a thin line when she vanquishes the ayakashi. He still cannot stomach the notion that he must rely on someone else for something so damned basic. These creatures should be nothing to him. A mere annoyance.

Fire dances at his fingertips and then launches in a wall at the ayakashi still remaining. One darts up out of the blaze, but the other isn't so lucky. The fire engulfs it, burning its wings into uselessness.

He can't take satisfaction in it. ]

So they've said, and so I've seen.

[skyleopardess]

[To be honest, she agrees with him. The idea that her considerable strength alone isn't enough to kill even the weakest ayakashi is annoying, and strikes her as inefficient. Still, she's been here long enough to resign herself to the fact.

One thing about having a soulless shinki--their plans never interfere with your own. Nami's always ready even when her other shinki aren't available.]

So what are you trying to accomplish?

[Because sitting here maiming ayakashi might be a decent workout, but it's not all that productive. Especially when he knows as much.]

[prideinthefall]

[ Somewhere beneath his frustrations Sephiroth has an actual answer that isn't full of venom. He watches the last of the ayakashi twitch on ground with the remains of its useless wings. ]

To find out why, or some idea of it.

[ Sephiroth holds up the Masamune, but not in threat. The blade is ridiculously long, but even the dim light around them, it's easy to see that the edge is perfectly honed. ]

I don't except 'because' as a reasonable answer. This sword can cut through multiple feet of steel and concrete without so much as a scratch on the blade or a dulling of the edge. I can, with a spell, incinerate most materials to ash. I know the power of the sword I become for my god. [ Perhaps not completely; they've only tried once, but Sephiroth has always been a quick study when it comes to combat. ] So, what is the difference in that weapon and my own? What is the factor that makes that weapon effective but only in the hands of my god?

[ He'd gotten enough speeches about teamwork and 'better together' upon arriving to nearly make him physically ill. Those are fluff concepts. Simply cramming people together did not make them inherently stronger or better. In fact, ineptness in one could weaken the other. ]

[bustered]

[Why, just why does the world have to go to hell when Zack's barely gotten used to being here? Seriously?!? He's not sure if the sensation of prayers is more one of hearing or one of feeling but it's there nonetheless, and he's apparently not the only god to whom such cries have gone. What bothers him is that he cannot find Sephiroth in the temple at all, and that is vexing. It's not like the man to not be ready for such a situation.

It is like him to have rushed to the scene already though, full of fire and anger and some sort of need to prove to himself that he does not need Zack. And that worries Zack because as much as his Shinki's attitude has been wearing at him, he cannot deny that Sephiroth is strong willed and stubborn. What Zack doesn't want is for it to lead to acting out irrationally or too quickly, and getting hurt — or even corrupted — in the recoil. While Zack believes that he could heal or cleanse his Shinki, he's not sure Sephiroth would even accept it from him, and that is painful indeed.

But he cannot dwell on those thoughts, that negativity. There will be time for it later; now his concern is to find his Shinki and fight. As such Zack arrives in the town and sets off immediately in a run, in the direction that his connection to Sephiroth tells him to go. It's hard to see the townspeople so stricken and even harder not to stop — he does once or twice, intervening to save lives — but he knows too that getting to the heart of the disturbance and banishing it will serve more people, faster.

The sight that greets him in the park is breathtaking: Sephiroth, winged and armed, fighting off ayakashi. He is a sight to behold and even that brings back memories that sting; nothing about being brought here has sapped the man's fighting prowess or strategical skill. It inspires both awe and dread within Zack, a painful burst of memories and an ache in his gut when Sephiroth attempts to impale one of the flying creatures. It is that last that propels him into motion once more, vaulting over a bench and calling for the transformation with hand outstretched. He'll use the momentum of his own motion to turn it into a swing at the first creature.

Sorry Sephiroth, he's feeling too much heartache to start with conversation.]

[prideinthefall]

[ Zack's analysis certainly isn't wrong. In fact, it is spot on. No matter how well their training session had gone or how genuine it had felt to transform into a sword that Zack wielded, a part of him rebelled. Sephiroth's sense of self has always been so crucial -- the thing around which he'd centered himself. He'd also always been an island unto himself in many regards; never needing to rely on any power outside of his own and often hesitant to entertain the idea. After Nibelheim, the concept was anathema to him on every level.

While he cannot remember those things, that sense of self and its importance remains.

Now, in a position where that belief is rendered less - especially in combat where Sephiroth excels - eats away at him almost as much as whatever magic plucks at the fiber of his being in an attempt to unravel it.

By the time Zack arrives, Sephiroth has experienced several failures already. Each one increased his anger and frustration a little more. While it's hard to call him reckless, he isn't fighting as cleanly as he should be. Sephiroth isn't unaware of Zack's arrival, but he does not expect the call for his transformation. He snarls at the interruption and the sound travels through whatever allows them to communicate when he's in sword form.

And yet, oddly enough, the sound isn't as virulent as it could be. Beneath his anger at not being asked is a small thread of relief. Sephiroth doesn't look at it too closely as the hilt of the sword he now is slides seamlessly into Zack's hand.

But he can't be entirely silent either. ]

That was unnecessary.

[bustered]

Not now.

[Zack's not in the best mood, awash in his own memories and the heartbreak of seeing the humans of this world so direly affected by whatever is going on here. To feel Sephiroth's annoyance on top of it is really not what he needs right now. He whirls, sword in hand to skewer the creature Sephiroth had tried to kill earlier — and this time it works. So it's into the fight that he throws himself, feeding off the anger from Sephiroth along with his own feelings and turning all of that energy into aggression against these ayakashi. All that matters to him is cutting down the next one, and the next one after that. Finally an outlet for some of this frustration that fights back more than a tree! It's a relief truly, though he tries not to look too closely at exactly why he feels that way.

He doesn't seem overly inclined to conversation either, something that's definitely out of character for Zack.]

[prideinthefall]

[ At least for now they are of the exact same mind. It is time to eradicate these pitiful creatures. Sephiroth feels a vicious, satisfying glee when he, through Zack's use, rips through the bodies of the ayakashi. The creatures swirl into a tight formation, trying to use their numbers against a singular opponent.

They'll fail, he thinks and though he doesn't think those words at Zack, the emotion behind them is powerful as well as the precise order of moves to deal with this kind of attack.

They cannot hope to match the length of the sword and the reach that it gives. ]

[bustered]

[The ayakashi are fierce, it is true. But they are not as fierce as the God-Shinki team, and Zack is relentless in the way he wields Sephiroth's blade form. The long reach of the sword means that the creatures don't get near him while he cuts them down, and Zack finds himself pressing through his own revulsion at being so close to that magical circle inscribed on the ground to ensure that every last creature falls. They are merely a scapegoat for the anger he cannot explain but right now he cares not for that fact.

He's aware of Sephiroth's mind on the periphery of his own, but he's hardly going to stop for conversation. He's not going to stop at all until there are no more creatures coming at them.]