[center][h3]Museum of Vanity[/h3]
[b]Location:[/b] Al Mamoon
Primrose’s [@Yankee], Jesse’s [@Zoey Boey], the Phantom Thieves
[b]Word Count:[/b] 3338 (+4 EXP)[/center]

    Jesse was on the back foot when the Phantom Thieves managed to come to her aid. She was fast and some well-timed projectiles kept it away, but it wasn’t hurting it at all. She figured it had some kind of weakness, but it was hard to think or puzzle solve with a giant monster bearing down on her. Primrose was doing some magic that made Jesse a little more confident that this thing wouldn’t just splatter her with one hit.

    When even their impressive maneuver bounced off, Jesse knew the name of the game was slowing it down until her allies could find the weakness. That divination ability would come in clutch. While they did their coordinated attack, Jesse drew forth the Tool Gun.

    “I’ll buy time.” Jesse announced. 

 There were a few things she could try, but a lot of them were probably out done by its sheer brute strength and odd anatomy. Nonetheless, she switched it to Deflate and fired off a few beams at its lower appendages, focusing on the same ankles and knees the brave Mona was pelting. It’s left leg would become Jesse’s target.

In the moment she adjusted her settings the Shambler nearly got her, but in desperation Mona called upon Zorro to whip up an even stronger whirlwind than usual. “Magaru!” His Persona’s rapier cut a gleaming rune into the air, then sent forth his magic with a flourish. A horizontal cyclone that raked across the gallery blew the Shambler up and away, but not nearly as far as it should have, and when the creature fell it descended slower than gravity would typically allow. “Grr!” Mona grit his teeth. “This thing isn’t reacting normally!” He watched Jesse zap its leg, but the monster brushed off the bolt of electricity just as it did the fire before, and its effect didn’t take.

“Yup.” Jesse dead panned. [i](Time to come up with Plan C.)[/i]

While Jesse and Mona dealt the [i]thing[/i] and the remaining thieves scattered, Primrose considered her options. Since she didn't wield any wind or ice, she wasn't confident that her magic would be useful at holding the creature back. For her, directly confronting the monster was obviously a no-go. She would leave that to the pair already engaged. 

So, Primrose did what she did best in battle: support her teammates. She focused on Mona this time, performing the [i]Peacock Strut[/i] to boost his elemental attack. With a stronger wind, hopefully they'd have an easier time pushing the shambler into a corner while the others searched for the weapon that was apparently it's weakness. Midway through the steps she seamlessly reached into her clothes and drew something out, not her fan but her own dagger. The blade in her hand flashed as she danced, reflecting the flames around them. 

Once her empowering twirl was completed she took a steadying breath. Mentally Primrose called the Makami out, could feel it's giddiness at being deployed so soon, and she wasted no time giving it it's first mission. She showed it the dagger in her hand, and with a finger she quickly drew a spiral down the length of it. [color=D34C25]"A bone dagger in a helix shape,"[/color] she repeated to the wolf spirit, [color=D34C25]"fly up and help them find it."[/color]

The dancer was aware this wasn't the usual kind of job one might give a hunting wolf, but the spirit accepted it nonetheless and floated upwards towards the gallery's ceiling, trying to catch any hint of the mentioned weapon.

While the Thieves pored over the displays in the less damaged half of the gallery, Primrose’s Makami pointed its snout in the direction of the struggle with the Shambler. Like a kite caught in Mona’s wind it fluttered into the heat of battle, skirting just out of the horror’s range to come to a stop over the remains of a shattered display case, one that Jesse had thrown. It turned back to its new master as its body dangled downward and gave her a hollow howl to signal its find. Then it disappeared, its time spent for the moment. Primrose's eyes flickered over at the noise. So the Makami had succeeded in finding something - she could only hope it was the dagger. [color=D34C25]"There - try there,"[/color] she said, calling attention to the wolf's fading form.

A voice reached the Phantom Thieves through their masks, that of the flying saucer Necronomicon. “Hey, are you guys alright? I’m getting some strange readings from in there.”

“We’re fighting this weird monster that doesn’t get hit like it should, and it’s not a normal immunity!” Mona yowled. “Need you to scan it, fast!”

“Oh! O-okay!” Necronomicon stammered, suddenly energized. “Well, uh, it’s...it’s pretty darn weird. Almost like a liquid? Whatever it’s made of can’t be from this world, and it doesn’t follow our laws. It’s immune to energy, but I bet it reacts to matter. Like...the opposite of a non-Newtonian fluid. So slower stuff with more surface area will have more effect.”

Though his stamina was beginning to run dry, Mona sent forth another twister to keep the monster at bay. He kept it slow and watched it carry the Shambler with it rather than move it as it passed through. “No wonder it touches the floor and furniture just fine.” He snuck a glance at Jesse. “Maybe you can pin it down with something?”

Jesse’s reserves of Energy were recharging, and she was managing it as best she could. It always came back, but if she ran empty at a crucial time, it would be bad news. Mona posed an idea. “Maybe.” She responded. 

“I need something that won’t break.” Jesse scanned the room. Just keep throwing things at the wall, see what sticks. She ripped the concrete base of one of the statues right out of the floor and hovered it infront of her. She hipfired her Tool Gun, firing several Thrusters at it. She Launched the concrete object at the Shambler, the Thrusters still facing her. Then she activated the Thrusters on the concrete base, looking to push the monster backwards.

Though hackneyed and rushed given the circumstances, Jesse’s scheme paid dividends. Her well-placed thrusters sent the stone slab sliding forward across the ground without tipping forward and smacking into the ground. The Shambler lashed out with its cruel talons when the barrier drew near, but to no avail, and like the plow of a bulldozer the wall swept the monster before it. In only a moment the jet-propelled wall pinned the scrabbling horror against the door. “Nice going!” Mona cheered, but the Shambler’s claws sought purchase around the edges of the slab to make its escape, so he did not sit on his laurels. As he called forth another burst of wind to keep the slab tamped down, his big eyes locked on where the Makami vanished. “Did it find something? We need to act fast!”

“Then leave it to me!” Skull declared with a grin, crouching down into a runner’s stance. Energy welled around him, charging up, and after a brief moment he burst into a headlong sprint across the gallery. He zoomed to where Primrose’s striker signaled its find and slid to a stop amid splinters and shattered glass. Without fear he scooped up the [url=https://cdna.artstation.com/p/assets/images/images/026/780/464/large/hakim-tekki-gameplay03.jpg?1589718707]helix dagger[/url] from the debris, then barreled back the way he came.

As if sensing something, the Shambler locked its claws around the edges of the slab. It pulled itself free and leaped, grabbing hold of the ceiling. Like a spider it crawled at terrifying speed in pursuit of Skull, who for all his training was only human.

[color=D34C25]"No you don't,"[/color] Primrose hissed. Pulling her arm in to conjure her dark magic, she then flung it outward towards the Shambler. Using her BP to empower the spell, she willed it to knock the demonic thing off course, if only for a moment to allow Skull the chance to get the dagger to where it needed to go and end this. Primrose was already in the midst of preparing another spell to back up the first, face determined. 

“What’s the dagger for?” Jesse asked, noticing the Shambler’s reaction. The Shambler didn’t have time to destroy the slab completely, so Jesse was free to grab it and throw it at the monster as it was hit by Primrose’s magic. 

[color=D34C25]"With luck, killing it,"[/color] the dancer replied, getting as close as she dared. 
“No shit.” Jesse said wryly. “Skull, what are you doing with that thing?” Jesse shouted across the room to him, jogging forward and chucking another piece of concrete at the Shambler.

    Skull screeched to a halt, suddenly second-guessing where his adrenaline and instincts were taking him. “What? I was- that thing’s- they’ve gotta be…?” He’d been headed back toward the painting where Joker’s Third Eye revealed the knife to him, assuming that he needed to bring it back there. But Jesse’s commanding yell made it seem an awful lot like it should be expressly delivered to the Shambler itself instead. Both made sense, paralyzing him with choice, and if not for Primrose and Jesse’s efforts the Shambler would already be upon him. Even as he idled, however, a shimmering darkness spread out from the FBC director’s wounds. Skull looked around with frantic, panicked eyes, his fingers raking through his dyed hair. “J-Joker?! What do I do!?”

The leader of the Phantom Thieves stood by the horrific painting, brows furrowed, the difficulty of the situation plain to him. He couldn’t say what the answer to this puzzle was. He could only trust in his comrade. “Ryuji,” he called, using his best friend’s real name. “It’s up to you. Whatever you feel is the right move, do it now.”

Skull exhaled sharply. “Ri-hi-hight. Well…I’ll…” He clenched his teeth as he looked around, the dagger clutched in his vice grip. Maybe this weird looking knife was the only thing that could hurt it. But maybe the fact that Joker’s Third Eye got the hint from the painting meant something. It couldn’t be a coincidence.

Skull tensed his muscles and sprang forward, gunning it for the back of the gallery. Behind him the Shambler shrieked and sprang forward. It twisted unnaturally, as if it had no bones, to avoid incoming projectiles. Mona’s eyes went wide as the monster closed the distance. “Zorro!” he yelled, but his Persona did not appear. He was out of stamina. A vile mitt swatted the cat like a fly, sending him smashing into the broken remnants of a statue, out like a light. It swung at Jesse as it flew by her in pursuit of its fleeing quarry.

Mona was down. Jesse swore and dove out of the way as best she could. The Shambler wasn’t exactly obscuring its intentions on where it meant to go. If the Shambler wanted the dagger so bad, chances were it needed to be kept away from it. The dagger needed to go somewhere else. “Don’t let it grab the dagger!” She shouted. 

    Jesse extended a hand out, past the Shambler, and ripped a chunk of concrete right out of the wall. She pulled it toward herself, and thus, into the beast. It toppled over, rolled one, and regained its footing to continue its mas dash. Once every five seconds she could smack into the creature. Not exactly the most effective but it was the best she could manage at the moment.

Primrose's spells were much too slow to hit the monster now that it was contorting itself in desperation to avoid anything that would stop it's movement. She let the magic die in her hand. The Shambler was fast, so they needed to be faster. Primrose backed up a step and then spun in place, throwing herself into a dance. She went through the movements as fast as her body would let her, nearly stumbling despite her years of practice. It was fortunate that the [i]Panther Dance[/i] ended with a low sweep, as after the speed boosting magic took effect on Skull, Primrose let herself lie for a moment to catch her breath. 

    The much-needed speed boost snatched Skull from the jaws of defeat as the Shambler leaped for him. Like the wind the thief closed the distance between himself and the painting, but his abominable pursuer would not relent. With Jesse’s power and Primrose both recuperating, Joker and Panther breathed deep and stepped in to buy their friend the moment he needed. “Arsene!” Joker cried, his desperation more clear in his voice than he would have liked, and the apparition appeared. His Persona kicked through the legs of a display table with a roundhouse, then on the backstroke delivered a side kick that sent the furniture flying at the Shambler. Panther used her whip to grab hold of the wing of a draconic, squid-faced statue, and after Carmen appeared to crack the stone with a stomp, the carving flew like an axe blade to strike the horror as it smashed through Joker’s case. And still it kept going. With one blow apiece it struck aside Joker, then Panther, then turned to sink its teeth into the last thief standing.

But Skull had already reached the painting. “Get…” The dagger held in both hands and pointed downward, he leaped into the air. “WRECKED!” he half-bellowed and half-screamed as he plunged its bizarre blade into the painting. To his surprise the weapon carved through a material much thicker than paper, one that quivered like jelly -or flesh- as dark magic eked from the wound. Behind him he heard the Shambler howl, and the monster turned as if to flee, yet it could gain no distance. As the wind seemed to rise, something pulled it toward the painting. It clawed at the ground, scrabbling for purchase but as though someone was dragging it by its legs it slid down the floor. Finally it could hold on no longer and flew, with bone-chilling shrieks, into the painting. Its body disappeared into the semisolid surface, but before its head could sink in its claws latched onto the picture-frame. For a brief moment it fought back, pulling itself out.

    [i](That works.)[/i] Jesse reached for the Tool Gun, and adjusted it to No Collide. “Go on. Get.” She lined up a shot and fired it at the picture frame. It’s brute strength shouldn’t be able to save it, now. Sure enough, the frame lost its ability to be touched, and with a final shriek the Shambler was gone. 

With it faded the green haze that permeated the shadow gallery, restoring its ordinary light and atmosphere. So did the wounds the nightmare inflicted, allowing the injured interlopers to pick themselves up. Skull’s shoulders sagged in relief as he let out his breath. “Ho-ly crap...” The lead pipe he’d had at the ready to whack the Shambler into the next dimension if not for Jesse’s quick shot descended, and he after wiping his brow Skull moved to the center of the devastated gallery to meet up with everyone. Though bruised and exhausted Mona seemed to be okay, and Panther and Joker fared well, all things considered. Still, Panther did not hesitate to summon Carmen to help patch everyone up.

“Good job, everyone,” Mona told the group. “All things considered, we did about as well as we could have.”

With a groan, Panther rubbed her shoulder. “Agh. Sure hope we don’t run into any more where that came from.

“Yeah, all these changes are total bull,” Skull grouched.

Primrose let out a deep sigh of relief. She stood on somewhat shaky legs and picked her way through the ruined gallery to where the thieves and Jesse gathered. [color=D34C25]"Damnable thing,"[/color] she muttered after glancing at the painting the Shambler had disappeared into. Sure that it wouldn't be worming it's way out anytime soon, she looked over the others. Glad that they'd taken no major injuries she offered them the only thing she could while Panther healed them - an encouraging smile.

Uninjured, she leaned against one of the few displays still standing and finally cast her gaze towards the door the monster had been guarding when they first arrived. [color=D34C25]"How many floors do you think we have left to go?"[/color] she wondered.

“It’s hard to say, unfortunately,” Joker told her. “Our objective today is different from last time, and we don’t have a lot of hints. This place’s bigger on the inside, too.” Despite the ordeal the team just went through, and the uncertain road ahead, there was no frustration to be seen on Joker’s face or heard in his voice. He nodded his head at Skull. “Good job back there. You made the right call.”

His friend rubbed the back of his head, smiling. “Aw, it was nothin’. I mean, it was pretty crazy back there, but I thought  the picture and that monster had to be connected. That said, I thought that, uh, cuttin’ the painting would cut the real thing, or somethin’. Wasn’t expectin’ the whole [i]whoosh[/i]-[i]reeee[/i] deal.”

    “Yeah. Well done. We straight up banished that thing.” Jesse said, kicking the loose stones of a statue she had shattered. “I think you guys could work on your callouts. If I knew that was your plan I could have moved the painting towards you, or you could have tossed the knife over to me and I could have launched it at the painting. But, hey, we survived, and it was pretty fun.” The Director commented off-handedly. Jesse glanced over at the door, vanishing the Service Weapon. She got out her tool gun and prepared to No-Collide. “We can catch our breath for a bit, if you want. Before we move on to find that friend of yours.”

    “Fun?” Panther seemed incredulous. “I mean, normal fights are pretty fun. That, though…?” She let the thought trail off. Primrose echoed the girl's thoughts, raising a single brow behind her mask at the Director. 

    Joker nodded to Jesse. “You’re right about the callouts. We’re not used to working with others I’m afraid. Normally we would take a moment to talk, but it was a little hectic in there.” The casual manner with which Jesse treated the whole thing made her seem a lot more experienced than he thought. “Let’s take another minute to rest, but our Persona magic doesn’t replenish itself, so there’s no use sticking around any longer than that.”

    “Fox’s gotta be here somewhere,” Skull murmured. “If only we had a clue.”

Though her mask obscured them, Panther’s eyebrows went up. “Wait, what about our navigator? Maybe she can tell us!”

“Oh, good idea! I’ll call her.” Skull put two fingers to his temple, although he didn’t actually know if that did anything or not. Joker watched, but he didn’t exactly look hopeful. “Uh, Necro? Can you scan the place for Fox? Necronomnom? You there?”

“It’s Necronomicon, you moron!” Panther hissed.

“Yes!” The modulated voice responded. “I’ve already run a scan. Unfortunately the place is really big, and there are too many lifesigns to narrow it down. I’ve been going one by one trying to recognize him, but no luck so far. But he’s not in the treasure chamber, and there doesn’t appear to be a basement.”

Mona considered what he remembered of the palace. “So, where would captive artists be held…? Although there are a bunch of places with security lasers, I don’t remember any holding area.”

“Maybe the distorted Escher area,” Joker suggested. “It’s basically made to prevent escape. If we’re about halfway up, past the area with the walk-through paintings, it must be nearby.” The Thieves nodded their collective agreement, and a few moments more were ready to follow Jesse as she no-collided the Shadow Gallery door.

“Okay. Sounds like a plan.” Jesse said. Deeper and deeper, into a labyrinthine complex that defied spatial sense, and was full of horrible monsters? All in search of a missing person? [i](Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.)[/i] The Director No-Collided the door, and this time she was the one who stuck her red-haired head through.