I remember. [He remembers that creepy ride that he never, ever wants to go on ever again.]
And well, what I have is part of what's hard to explain. We sorta had to keep it a secret from everyone.
[He trots farther down, and it seems to end at another pair of large wooden doors.]
Why I brought it up is because this is supposed to be a video game, right? I didn't want to freak you out too much just in case I have to do something drastic in here. You know how those end bosses are, right? [He winks at her, like he knows that she understands exactly what he's talking about.]
But I guess if you have powers too, then it wasn't really necessary for me to bring it up, huh.
[Rei's smile sharpens, now curious. She steps closer and looks around them, at the walls and the possible ambush points. No sense in being caught out, but she thinks she heard something.]
Well, I have a general idea. What sort of power do you have? I'm curious, truly. And it could be useful, if we plan out our strategy together.
[Because while she doesn't play video games aside from Sailor V, she understands the idea, and has watched her friends play more than a few. Granted they are a little dated...]
I promise, I won't freak out or think you're strange. How could I? I have supernatural talents of my own.
Well, I've got a Persona. That's what we call them, from where I'm from. It's... [He thinks for a second.]
It's this thing inside me. I mean, it's me, but it's not. This is totally weird to explain... [He rubs the back of his head.] But anyway, I can do a bunch of wind spells, I guess. Sorry, I've never had to really explain it to someone else before.
Then...[She says grimly, looking over her shoulder. There's something around the corner, chittering and laughing. All of this isn't so odd, and wind she can work with. Makoto and Haruka both used wind.] Show me. I feel enemies coming. Believe me when I say I don't doubt you, but I think this is going to be beyond you and I as normal people.
[His attention seems to pick up to the laughing around the corner, still a ways off, but she was right. He didn't know what was coming and it would be better to be prepared.]
Alright- [He says as his kunai is flipped in his hand, now resting with the blade facing backwards-] here goes nothing.
[The familiar tarot card of The Magician floats down, materializing out of no where in the air above Yosuke's head as blue light seeps up from the ground from a sigil that appears underneath his feet. He smiles as he takes aim at the card spinning as it comes closer to him, and he jumps and yells-]
Persona!
[-and miraculously manages to do a flip in midair to break the card, landing without biffing it as the shattering of the card reveals a monster of sorts behind him, hair wild with sunglasses and a blue jumpsuit.]
[Rei takes that in, and her supernatural senses scream when she sees the tarot card appear. There's something weird, oddly magical about it, and that's just...huh.
[It's quite a surprise, seeing whatever that creature behind him is. Mystically, she can easily tell it's not an enemy, and there's some sort of link to it with Yosuke, so that's to accept. It isn't the strangest ally she'd ever worked with, and it confirms that he's someone who can probably keep a secret.
And by the sounds of what's coming up behind the two of them...it may require more work on her part than simply being an archer. The ground shakes all around them, dust falling from the ceiling. Clearly the game is trying to tell her something.
And so...she reaches into her clothes and pulls out a small crystal attached to a rod.]
[What follows is like something out of a comic book, honestly. Fire, intense, bright, and almost white-hot, blazes all around Rei as her outfit seems to melt inward, shifting and changing. There's a sudden whirlwind of heat through the corridor, and it's best to stand back, but when the shift is finished, Rei is replaced by someone else. Yosuke's mind may not entirely want to believe that it is Rei, but the way she looks at him should give a hint that it's the same person.
Sailor Mars is several inches taller, her back adorned with gossamer wings, and her outfit is quite a change. It glows just a bit, the whole of it pulsing with heat and light, positively radiating a holy aura. The wings just add to the angelic appearance, but the bow in her hands is anything but. It's crafted wholly of fire, seeming to float in the air around her fingertips without being touched.]
If you're entrusting me with your secret, I suppose it's only fair I share you part of mine. So I don't freak you out.
[He has to step back and shield himself from the flames, closing his eyes for a second and gritting his teeth. But when it's all said and done, he stares back at this new woman in disbelief.]
Dude, no way, she's beautiful...!
[His jaw drops, and he's pretty sure it's a completely different person standing there.]
No way, you're Rei? That's so freaking cool! Okay, yeah! I can keep a secret.
[Mars voice rings out like a bell, her presence commanding attention. She's not called the Goddess of Flame and War for nothing. There's not much time for pleasantries or introductions, because whatever's coming around that corner is coming fast. The scrabble of monster-pigmy feet and cries of Rakanishu mean that ViViD means business this time.]
Sailor Mars. Or just Mars, if you prefer. It's a long story. We should trade those after we've dealt with these creatures, yes?
Uh, sure. [He's kind of confused, but she's got a point. They have monsters to deal with and they don't sound happy. Their power might of tipped them off that the two of them were hiding around the corner.]
Okay. Let's wait for them to come to us, then hit them with all we've got! [That sounds like a solid plan, yep.]
[Except that they don't know what could be coming ahead of them. They had turned back around after all.
The hallway they'd come from practically boils with the little animated creatures, only this time? They have blue tinted skin and are wielding an assortment of weapons. Clubs, sticks, blowguns, spears, crude hatchets...]
Can you make a wall to block their projectiles?
[It's her first thought as she draws back the Mars Arrow, a fiery shaft forming as she mimes drawing the bow...]
Uhhhh... [He trails off. He doesn't know if he can do that or not.] I've never tried to. I don't even know how I would do something like that.
[He looks to his persona, confused. Could Susano-o do that? Could he do that?]
You know what I can do though. Susano-o! [He yells as he raises his hand. Magic swirls around them, granting them the ability to be far more nimble than normal.]
[The arrow nocked into her bow fires, streaking down the hallway like a comet. It wasn't idea, since Haruka or Ami would often make some sort of shield of wind or ice but she could dodge.]
Then we'll just have to, won't we?
[She gestures, casually calling up spheres of flame all around her, each one zipping and wizzing forward towards the horde of critters, exploding on impact.]
But there are a lot of these little pests!
[She's on the move too, the magic of her transformation making her superhumanly agile as well, but she's more ducking and weaving in place, rather than going forward.]
Is sure is. Let's get 'em, Susano-o! [Gone is the bumbling, clumsy boy who runs himself into trash cans and almost drops his weapons trying to look cool. The ability boost wouldn't last long, but he's taking advantage of it as both he and his persona charge into the fray, being careful not to get in the way of Rei's own attacks.
He's actually managing to fight effectively, dodging attacks and taking minimal amounts of damage from their enemies as Susano-o stomps on a few and retaliates with wind attacks.]
What are these things anyway, they're totally creepy-!
[It's something, alright. Mars does note the shifts, the way he acts, and the way the air moves around him. It's rather magical, honestly, almost like how Mamoru or Kou as they worked. It's different, because Yosuke obviously wasn't a Starlight Senshi like Kou, or the Prince of Earth, but that power made him more fluid. It was impressive, probably like how she guessed her own strengths were to humans.]
I'm not sure. Miniature demons?
[Fire flies from her fingertips as she steps forward, snapping her gloved hands and sending out miniature comets of fire in rapid succession. This felt good, honestly. Really good.]
Looks like we're whittling them down!
[And then the roar happens. A deep, basso rumble from behind them.
[He turns around in complete horror when he hears the slow, steady approach of something big headed their way. The roar itself almost makes him piss himself, frozen in place. His persona is the only reason Yosuke doesn't get tackled- Susano-o continues to fight despite the teenager's fear locking him into place.]
W-What the hell?! Crap! [And then he remembers he's in the middle of a fight. He clears a few more out, but is trying to head in the opposite direction of whatever is headed their way.]
Rei, we gotta move! There's too many of 'em to fight whatever that thing is at the same time!
[It's a quick correction. But she looks down the hallway at the pygmy swarm...]
You hold them off me, and I'll deal with the little guys!
[She holds back the bow string, gathering more and more power, her mouth now working in a series of Buddhist prayers, single syllables said in monotone like a chant. Fiery orbs form around the bow...growing and growing...]
Yeah whatever! [He's not concerned with a name right now, continuing to fight. He's doing his best to do as she asked him, to hold them off her so she can take them all out in what appears to be one large attack. He keeps an eye on the orbs that she's summoning, and when he thinks she's ready to launch them at their foes, he'll get the hell out of the way.
He jumps up and Susano-o grabs him and flies upward so Rei can take her shot at all of them without having to worry about him as a liability.]
[It's a sharp cry, and the air is filled with a roar of flames as the orbs and that arrow streak down the hallway. The attack impacts dead center of an oncoming enemy, slamming it backwards and incinerating it instantly. The large arrow spirals backwards through the victim, burrowing deep into the ranks, and then it and all the orbs explode at once. Dust, stone chips, and pixels go flying everywhere...
And from somewhere overhead an announcer goes: M-M-M-MONSTER KILLLLLL]
There. Now...for the big thing.
[She turns around, ignoring the carnage entirely. This attack wasn't new to her, after all.]
[He watches from his persona's arms as the flames engulf anything and everything in its path, incinerating the entire force of creatures. His eyes widen, looking impressed.]
That was so...awesome...
[Susano-o drops Yosuke back onto the ground, and it's now that he takes the time to renew the spell that gave him his extra agility. The ground starts to shake with the mass of whatever was coming, until parts of the wall give way with a monster that emerges from through the hallway and the wall itself. It crumbles away into pixelated nothingness, the gaping maw of a four legged creature with horns long enough to spear the both of them stares the duo down.]
That's what kidnapped the king of this place?! [There's a cage hanging from one of the horns. It has the king in it.]
[Mars leaps away from the giant boss monster, an almost superhuman jump carrying her at to the other end of the hallway. Leveling her bow she grits her teeth as she stares at the thing. It worms it's way further into the corridor, more stone crumbling away as it does. The sheer size of the thing reminds her of something out of a storybook, but it's definitely a lot more horrible than the pygmy monsters. There's an eldritch quality to it, and when she's surveying it for weak points, an acidic ichor dribbles from it's maw onto the floor, burning away more stone.
Ugh.]
That...sure is ugly. But you know what they say about big things?
[A determined look crosses his features, doing his best to look at this just like he would have any other Shadow that was more than just drones or something.]
The bigger they are, the harder they fall!
[And as if on cue, Susano-o flies forward, the blade floating around it removed and thrown at the horn that held the "king" of the castle. It severs the horn easily, and the monster bellows as the persona flies in to catch the cage before it slams violently into the ground.]
no subject
And well, what I have is part of what's hard to explain. We sorta had to keep it a secret from everyone.
[He trots farther down, and it seems to end at another pair of large wooden doors.]
Why I brought it up is because this is supposed to be a video game, right? I didn't want to freak you out too much just in case I have to do something drastic in here. You know how those end bosses are, right? [He winks at her, like he knows that she understands exactly what he's talking about.]
But I guess if you have powers too, then it wasn't really necessary for me to bring it up, huh.
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Well, I have a general idea. What sort of power do you have? I'm curious, truly. And it could be useful, if we plan out our strategy together.
[Because while she doesn't play video games aside from Sailor V, she understands the idea, and has watched her friends play more than a few. Granted they are a little dated...]
I promise, I won't freak out or think you're strange. How could I? I have supernatural talents of my own.
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It's this thing inside me. I mean, it's me, but it's not. This is totally weird to explain... [He rubs the back of his head.] But anyway, I can do a bunch of wind spells, I guess. Sorry, I've never had to really explain it to someone else before.
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1/2
Alright- [He says as his kunai is flipped in his hand, now resting with the blade facing backwards-] here goes nothing.
2/2
Persona!
[-and miraculously manages to do a flip in midair to break the card, landing without biffing it as the shattering of the card reveals a monster of sorts behind him, hair wild with sunglasses and a blue jumpsuit.]
I'm ready. Let's take out those guys.
1/2? maybe 3
What...on earth...]
2/3...
And by the sounds of what's coming up behind the two of them...it may require more work on her part than simply being an archer. The ground shakes all around them, dust falling from the ceiling. Clearly the game is trying to tell her something.
And so...she reaches into her clothes and pulls out a small crystal attached to a rod.]
Then let me get ready too.
[The rod comes up and she yells out:]
MARS CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!
3/3
Sailor Mars is several inches taller, her back adorned with gossamer wings, and her outfit is quite a change. It glows just a bit, the whole of it pulsing with heat and light, positively radiating a holy aura. The wings just add to the angelic appearance, but the bow in her hands is anything but. It's crafted wholly of fire, seeming to float in the air around her fingertips without being touched.]
If you're entrusting me with your secret, I suppose it's only fair I share you part of mine. So I don't freak you out.
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Dude, no way, she's beautiful...!
[His jaw drops, and he's pretty sure it's a completely different person standing there.]
No way, you're Rei? That's so freaking cool! Okay, yeah! I can keep a secret.
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[Mars voice rings out like a bell, her presence commanding attention. She's not called the Goddess of Flame and War for nothing. There's not much time for pleasantries or introductions, because whatever's coming around that corner is coming fast. The scrabble of monster-pigmy feet and cries of Rakanishu mean that ViViD means business this time.]
Sailor Mars. Or just Mars, if you prefer. It's a long story. We should trade those after we've dealt with these creatures, yes?
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Okay. Let's wait for them to come to us, then hit them with all we've got! [That sounds like a solid plan, yep.]
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[Except that they don't know what could be coming ahead of them. They had turned back around after all.
The hallway they'd come from practically boils with the little animated creatures, only this time? They have blue tinted skin and are wielding an assortment of weapons. Clubs, sticks, blowguns, spears, crude hatchets...]
Can you make a wall to block their projectiles?
[It's her first thought as she draws back the Mars Arrow, a fiery shaft forming as she mimes drawing the bow...]
no subject
[He looks to his persona, confused. Could Susano-o do that? Could he do that?]
You know what I can do though. Susano-o! [He yells as he raises his hand. Magic swirls around them, granting them the ability to be far more nimble than normal.]
If we can't stop 'em, we can dodge them!
no subject
[The arrow nocked into her bow fires, streaking down the hallway like a comet. It wasn't idea, since Haruka or Ami would often make some sort of shield of wind or ice but she could dodge.]
Then we'll just have to, won't we?
[She gestures, casually calling up spheres of flame all around her, each one zipping and wizzing forward towards the horde of critters, exploding on impact.]
But there are a lot of these little pests!
[She's on the move too, the magic of her transformation making her superhumanly agile as well, but she's more ducking and weaving in place, rather than going forward.]
no subject
He's actually managing to fight effectively, dodging attacks and taking minimal amounts of damage from their enemies as Susano-o stomps on a few and retaliates with wind attacks.]
What are these things anyway, they're totally creepy-!
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I'm not sure. Miniature demons?
[Fire flies from her fingertips as she steps forward, snapping her gloved hands and sending out miniature comets of fire in rapid succession. This felt good, honestly. Really good.]
Looks like we're whittling them down!
[And then the roar happens. A deep, basso rumble from behind them.
Looks like the boss has awakened...]
no subject
W-What the hell?! Crap! [And then he remembers he's in the middle of a fight. He clears a few more out, but is trying to head in the opposite direction of whatever is headed their way.]
Rei, we gotta move! There's too many of 'em to fight whatever that thing is at the same time!
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[It's a quick correction. But she looks down the hallway at the pygmy swarm...]
You hold them off me, and I'll deal with the little guys!
[She holds back the bow string, gathering more and more power, her mouth now working in a series of Buddhist prayers, single syllables said in monotone like a chant. Fiery orbs form around the bow...growing and growing...]
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He jumps up and Susano-o grabs him and flies upward so Rei can take her shot at all of them without having to worry about him as a liability.]
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[It's a sharp cry, and the air is filled with a roar of flames as the orbs and that arrow streak down the hallway. The attack impacts dead center of an oncoming enemy, slamming it backwards and incinerating it instantly. The large arrow spirals backwards through the victim, burrowing deep into the ranks, and then it and all the orbs explode at once. Dust, stone chips, and pixels go flying everywhere...
And from somewhere overhead an announcer goes: M-M-M-MONSTER KILLLLLL]
There. Now...for the big thing.
[She turns around, ignoring the carnage entirely. This attack wasn't new to her, after all.]
no subject
That was so...awesome...
[Susano-o drops Yosuke back onto the ground, and it's now that he takes the time to renew the spell that gave him his extra agility. The ground starts to shake with the mass of whatever was coming, until parts of the wall give way with a monster that emerges from through the hallway and the wall itself. It crumbles away into pixelated nothingness, the gaping maw of a four legged creature with horns long enough to spear the both of them stares the duo down.]
That's what kidnapped the king of this place?! [There's a cage hanging from one of the horns. It has the king in it.]
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Ugh.]
That...sure is ugly. But you know what they say about big things?
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The bigger they are, the harder they fall!
[And as if on cue, Susano-o flies forward, the blade floating around it removed and thrown at the horn that held the "king" of the castle. It severs the horn easily, and the monster bellows as the persona flies in to catch the cage before it slams violently into the ground.]
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Let's just end this. When I fire, you use some of your magic. We'll hit it with a combination and get this over with.
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