thenearshore | 009 | Where Your Demons Hide

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~

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[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.]

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. ]

[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.]

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.

[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.]

[ 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. ]

[Dio was never the sort to try to run from his battles, either, but he really didn't feel like dying if he could help it. Not that he thought these things had any kind of strength to them, but if what he heard was right, then just touching them could potentially prove deadly. If Masaki was here, he'd have no problem killing them, though.]

We can return for investigation with our partners, perhaps. [It was spoken with some amount of disappointment. He didn't want to have to rely on keeping Masaki around. It felt... limiting. Limiting in that he shouldn't HAVE to keep her at his side at all times, and that she should be able to fight for herself as well.

When the borderline went up, Dio didn't hesitate, turning away from the borderline and running off. It wasn't at top speed or anything, but he didn't want to stick around to see how long that barrier held up.

For now, he supposes he'd just head for his temple, because he no longer wanted to be around here, where his energy was drained and he was face with enemies that he couldn't beat on his own.]

[ Sephiroth does not immediately turn. Instead, he watches the ayakashi slam into the barrier with an inscrutable look on his face. So, it's true. As loathe as he is to admit, denial seems pointless. Finally, he turns, letting his long strides carry him away as the creatures continue to shriek. ]

How... annoying.

[ Though he doesn't know why, Sephiroth has a sense that he's never been so limited. Looking down at the sword in his hand, he huffs, and a moment later the Masamune vanishes. ]

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009 | Where Your Demons Hide

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

It could be, if these two ever teamed up! XD

If they do, just never ask him to admit it.