Potemking

Planet Mobius - A Sonic Universe Open World

Been a little backlogged on posts, but this is next in line. Hoping to update within the next 24 hours.

World of Light

LOCATION:The Maw
WORD COUNT:584(+1 EXP)
MENTIONS: Link, Geralt

---

They were both right. Mirage lowered his guard somewhat, setting his kitchen tool-turned weapon onto the ground as it'd be a pain to haul in a sneaking situation. He'd been letting his anger cloud his judgement on an approach, and upon closer observation of the kitchen it became very obvious that being too rash wouldn't help them. Observing the workers outside of their hiding spot, he slowly nodded. "Right. Just have to find a path through where we won't get detected." Sneaking was necessary sometimes, back in the games. But there it was really difficult, considering the wide range of skills and abilities combatants tended to have. These guys just seemed like average chefs, so maybe giving them the slip would be possible. Though, with the sheer forces around, and their frantic movements, it still looked plenty difficult.

However, Link seemed to have a plan. Those circling carts? Mirage glanced between them and Link as the plan was explained to him, his brain as a marksman thinking about the shot. "I might, but not from this angle." The area beside them had some pipes dangling down, seeming to be a sink of sorts. The carts turned from their table and went down towards that direction, so if he wanted a good shot at the wheels he'd need to relocate that way. Adding onto their plan, he realized this commotion could get the attention of their guest upstairs, too. "We might not be able to use the actual stairs, in case baldy decides to come down." He pointed out, gesturing towards the hooks and honestly sorta-gross looking sausages. "With all the commotion though, we can climb up those? Shorter distance than the stairs, and it ain't like these guys are gonna be sliding down them." Crash and dash, the plan was pretty much set in his mind.

Giving an O.K hand gesture to the duo of Link and Geralt, Mirage startled to scamper off towards the sink. They didn't want the commotion right next to them, after all. "Keep ready to run; I'll crash that thing and get rid of the evidence, then book it after you guys."

He took a few test shots towards the wall beneath the sink, refamiliarizing with the speed of his projectiles. The carts weren't the fastest, but risking a miss didn't seem ideal. All that was left after that was to study the carts, and wait for an opportune time to shoot. Link thought he should wait until the lumpy guy ended up grabbing something off the cart, to frame the crash as his fault, Mirage figured. Devious, and the type of trickery he could get behind. He kept low, dart gun in both hands. His tongue slightly stuck out the side of his mouth, trying to keep focused as there was no telling when the chef would give them an opportunity. And if he missed it, then who knew how long it'd be until there was another one?

His part was clear. Fire a dart, hit the wheel, tip it over, then pop off enough darts out of view to make sure that the chefs couldn't identify foul play. Then all he had to do was catch up to the other guys, and they'd possibly be golden. He'd done quite a bit of running today, and he definitely wasn't fond of having to go through it again... But this time felt less dangerous than balancing on those poles, or jumping the catwalks. At least, as long as he didn't get caught.

Persona - Soldiers of Fortune

Dakota Rhett

_{November 29th? - Entertainment Hall}

---

Though Dakota had felt like a clever weasel, it was more than obvious to the tall and menacing man that came along that the boy hadn't exactly had to go through something like this before. He'd maybe seen such a technique on T.V at some point in the past, though he wasn't about to respond with such a thing as the words he'd already received from Vincent were enough to set him into uncertainty. The deep-voiced man had been shady to begin with, given his talk of police before they all even ended up here. So with that in mind, maybe he knew what he was talking about. Not that he offered much that was constructive, rather just telling Dakota what he did wrong, but... Sometimes that was more than enough for a person.

Simply keeping slunk into the shadows for a moment, he looked down towards the ground with a small frown. "Felt like they might catch up to me," He admitted, eyeing the Entertainment Hall close by while taking a breath. "Guess if they would've done as much as decide to run this way they would've just snatched us though, you're right." There wasn't time to be wasting though, right? He noticed the group had gotten a bit more split than he thought, though the only real familiar face missing was Jin. All he could hope was that dude, along with the others missing, were safe somewhere.

That was enough thinking, though. They had to get somewhere safe, and that music must've been pretty loud for him to have been hearing it from where he'd been. Whatever was going on in there, they could hopefully lose whatever was left of Pondwater's grunts in there. He repeated as such to Vincent, but added a simple "Let's keep going." As standing around out here for much longer didn't sound like a good idea. His small form shuffled between pens and kept low, but was met with little resistance after his previous stunt. That didn't stop the whole prison from being loud about their escape, though. It was very clear someone would be coming their way eventually: So those on Dakota's route would need to make the quick decision to get to shelter.

---

As he made his approach, the venue definitely got louder. Though he wasn't aware of it, he definitely wasn't the only one hearing it anymore. The boy took a moment to squat down and relax once he found a dark enclosed spot, sighing as he noted "At least we don't have to worry about those spotlights now."

Taking in the location, it was pretty modernized. The floors were light-gray marble tiles, a slightly lighter gray marking the walls' color with an assortment of framed posters and instruments lining the walls. A few of the posters Dakota could identify having, though his eyes fell more with the ticket booths leading into gates. "Hell, I don't got ticket money. What if they just call security?" He questioned aloud, skeptical of the situation. Though a quick observation marked the booths as empty, and the gates had three glowing green lights each expressing a letter: V, I, and P.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he decided to take the opportunity and stroll through. He hesitated ever so slightly as he passed, but it stayed green and seemed like it wouldn't give the others any issue. "I guess in all this crap we had to luck out somewhere," He remarked, managing a small smile. They could get lost in whatever event was going on, and maybe find a way to shuffle out the back later if things got too hectic. For now, Dakota simply decided to keep a somewhat brisk pace, following the sound. Colorful lights flashed down a hall, marking a few outlier seats as he walked in to see what kind of party was going on. The voice brought a smile to Dakota's face, making him comment "This guy must really be jammin' out, I gotta see this!"

The stage was surprisingly dark, aside from two green spotlights pointing directly down onto the stage, as a few others spun and flashed around the crowd. Which, if anyone observed, would provide the sight of black, formless blobs shifting, side to side, none of them in sync or perhaps even having the ability to synchronize, but the man on stage seemed to be getting a kick out of it if his enthusiasm was anything to go by. His clothes stood out immensely amongst the dark room, glowing in a way that even the spotlights seemed dim in comparison. His attire and those glasses were a bit too flashy for Dakota's taste, but he could still dig it.

_{When the stars kiss the skies, I’d love to see them in your eyes~}

"Oh hey, I know this song!" He exclaimed, seeming to take to the performance as a form of escapism. "This was a big hit back in 2009, especially overseas." Now was far from the time for music trivia, but really, it didn't seem like a fitting song to be singing in a prison-surrounded building like this. It was oddly convenient, too, as it'd been one of the first songs he'd ever done a cover for. There was some nostalgia there, but also a bit of pain. Thoughts of better days, ones he wasn't getting back. It left an odd conflict of emotions flowing through his mind, but it was still better than what he'd been going through outside or with Pondwater.

At least, that's how he felt before the lyrics suddenly stopped, the backing track still playing but now feeling incredibly empty without the voice going along with it. All that came through the mic was the shifting of chains as the figure seemingly scanned the crowd, the lights changing direction and shifting towards one general location. There wasn't time for Dakota to run before he was blinded by the multi-colored lights now revealing him, along with those close by, for the shadowy crowd and stage singer to see.

"A moment, before we return to our performance!" The singer called to the crowds, an audible booing being received, though if one listened close enough it was clear that the sound came not from the crowd itself, but rather speakers around the seating. Lifting the mic and the stand holding it off the stage, the singer did a mildly dramatic spin, the sound of moving chains being clearly audible again as he stopped facing in the group's direction to extent a hand out to point at the exposed individuals above. "Our esteemed V.I.P has arrived, and it seems he even used the guest passes! Why don't you bring your little friends down here, huh? It's a party!"

Dakota, stunned enough from the light, was taken aback by this sudden treatment. While enjoying the music was one thing, he didn't feel right with this development, and quickly began wanting an escape. "Uh..." He tried to think of something, quickly beginning to shake his head in refusal. "We're, uh, good! Really just enjoying the performance, so you, uh, keep doing your thing, dude!" Dakota tried to begin moving towards a row of seats, but the sound of a snap came through the singer's mic and brought the shadowy figures from the seating areas flowing towards the group's general location rapidly. They seemed to cobble together, streaking up both sides of the stairs, going behind them and sealing off the exit in a black, almost wet-looking wall of black. They left nothing but a hallway, straight down, for traversal.

"Please," The singer spoke up, gesturing with one hand for them to come down. "I insist."

Not left with much choice, Dakota began to step down towards the stage. The wall formed behind them slowly pushing forward as if to shove them down the steps if they didn't decide to move themselves. The lights followed them, not that it was difficult with a lack of places to flee, until they reached the bottom of the stairs. The barrier blocking off the seats from the stage lowered into the ground, allowing easy access to the steps that'd allow them to make a short ascent to the location of their 'generous' singer.

"Yes!" He seemed ecstatic, the audible chains now easily visible as being ones that kept the singer's arms somewhat bound. Didn't stop him from pumping his fist due to joy, however. "I knew you were close! I wasn't going to stop performing until you got here, even if it killed me!" One look at the figure now that they were close, it was easy to pick out some similar features to Dakota. The height, the hair, though those yellow piercing eyes were nothing close to the same. They made Dakota more uneasy, though, given Pondwater had the same look.

"You're a prisoner, too?" Dakota questioned, regarding his chains. While this situation was uneasy, that could perhaps be used to their advantage.

The singer nodded, brushing a hand through his hair. "Right. I'm more a prisoner of passion, you could say. Stuck in a entertainment hall and singing? Not the most painful existence. If you don't mind being enclosed and unable to appeal to an audience, that is." The enthusiasm began to disappear, the singer somewhat somberly looking towards the ground. "I'm used to being locked away, though. Restrained from being the best I can be."

Dakota felt an all-too real relation to this individual, frowning at such saddening words. "Why were you locked away, though? It seems to me you have plenty of talent." He pointed out factually, assuming he was judged in a somewhat similar manner to them.

"Some people can't appreciate talent," The singer stated in a more irritated tone. "I've been repressed, set aside and ignored because people are afraid of how much I'd overshadow them." He jabbed a finger Dakota's way, the boy backing away as a natural reaction. "Or because someone is too afraid to push forward, and would rather sulk and fade away into obscurity."

Dakota glared towards the singer, offended and feeling personally attacked. "What the hell are you going on about? Who even are you?"

"Someone who's been put on the backburner, deserted by those he thought he could trust. Damned by fate and left behind by others because they were afraid of how much they'd be outshined. One who deserves everything, but got robbed and left with nothing but sniveling cowardice." The singer's hand shifted, no longer pointing at Dakota, but rather holding a hand out towards him. "I'm everything you wish you could be, but refuse to become."

Dakota's glare shifted to a look of confusion, and perhaps even fear. "Excuse me?"

"A singer with a voice that'd win over fans worldwide. A face deserving to be in magazines, and beloved by all." The mic stand hit the stage with audible force. "Brave enough to push past his burdens to become the best he could be, and live life to the fullest! That's the Dakota Rhett the world should remember, don't you think? Rather than what we are like now? A worthless college student who's more known for sleeping through his classes than the actual talents he possesses."

Although the singer waited for a response, Dakota seemed to be incapable of giving one. He took another step back, silently staring at the figure in front of him. He could feel himself shaking, thrown off guard by this situation, especially by being struck with such sensitive topics. He wasn't sure how to respond, having tried to put things behind him with an acceptance it was just the hand he was dealt. But now he was being harassed by a flashy, arrogant individual using his own name against him.

Just what the hell was this place, and why, of all things, did this have to be happening?

World of Light

LOCATION:Al Mamoon Northeast - Rocket Inc.
WORD COUNT: 1,036 (+2 EXP)
MENTIONS: Morgana, Shadow

---

Mao, in his injured state, originally assumed a prepping of attack may have been needed in case of an approach from a rather big and threatening Braum. However, as he laid atop metal and uneven amounts of sand, an attack never came. A part of him was on edge, slowly lifting his head to look back and see if a shield was just waiting to crash down on his head, but instead he found Midna coming his way, looking like an absolute wreck. However, she still had the energy to come over and relocate him to a better position, which he wasn't about to object considering his own predicament. Before her arrival, he dispelled his magic before rolling over to grab his sword with his good arm, then allowing the princess to scoop him up for a rescue. Weren't princesses usually the ones needing to be rescued? That's at least what his hero studies taught him, though he could think of a Terrifying Princess who had always been more than capable of taking care of herself. Especially with an axe within reach...

There wasn't much time to talk, with Mao finding himself dumped into a more central area gathered with the rest of the injured. Plus, being quite injured, he just wanted to complain for the most part. Thankfully, that weird cat-thing that disappeared from the upper floors had came back, and with it came a rather potent healing ability via whatever summon it wielded. Mao was surprised just how fast his wounds disappeared, quick to pull himself up and stretch his fully functional limbs. He felt reborn, like an all new Overlord! Except, unlike some heroes he read about, being beaten to near death did in fact NOT give him any sort of power boost.

"Finally," he scoffed, not intended to be a insult towards Mona, as he had actually got to healing him pretty quick. Instead, his reasoning was much more clear as he brushed a hand across his torso. "All that burning and itching is gone." He seemed less annoyed by the bleeding, as really, what was a day where you didn't bleed, right? But the damage he'd sustained upstairs had still been pestering him until now, and the relief was a huge blessing. Enough that he'd even grace Mona with a slight amount of appreciation, unknowing of his name but the closest thing he could relate him to was a Grimalkin, so he rolled with it. "Thanks, cat-thing." The remark was plain, but considering most of what came out of Mao involved either dissecting or butchering people, it wasn't too bad.

To business, it wasn't hard to take note of Ciella and Shadow's battle. It was quite brutal, and though Ciella's last attack left Mao sure that Nastasia was dead, Necronomicon was quick to make it clear she was still kicking. Even if her neck was broken. If it was up to Mao, though considering their healed ranks it obviously wasn't, he'd insist on just letting them finish one-another off since things were so close to being over. Considering Ciella's attack had nearly killed him, Shadow executing her on the spot didn't seem so bad. That being said, with the spirits around, it was clear there had already been a few casualties, even with the Friend Hearts that Mao had been throwing around. But there was definitely a colorful bunch left to save. Nastasia was obvious, and Shadow had caused quite a lot of the pain Mao had been feeling from upstairs, even if his part was only making sure everyone would be easy targets. Then with Ciella...

The brainwashing was one thing, but Ciella's treachery was another. As Mao saw it, she decided to attack them out of nowhere. Her wide-scale assault bringing her to the situation she was in now, one of which Mao was not feeling inclined to save her from. Though, without Midna's help, it was quite possible he could've been washed into one of those pits and dropped into that seemingly endless abyss he tested. And her goal was to get as many people out as possible. Which, he wasn't sure how she felt on that in Ciella's case, considering she was proving to be on quite a violence streak. But they didn't have time for Q&A, so it seemed he'd have to take action after all.

Mao, reinvigorated and with Necronomicon's speed boost, took off towards the floating hedgehog. Mao was quite gimped in the ranged department, but knew there were those behind him that could attack from a distance. He'd stay out of their way, allow them to do their thing, and then capitalize on the result of the ranged fighters once he managed to get close. Noting that despite the fact Shadow was still up, he was probably pretty weakened, and mixed with whatever ranged attacks he was potentially going to be hit with, a sword attack could be a bit too much. So he sheathed his blade mid-run, deciding he'd just take the classic approach to dealing with any stuffed animal: Beating the stuffing out of it.

Mao planned his exact attack during his approach. A leap, get up to Shadow's height, and considering his bare hands... That red stripe atop his head made a good target. He'd wind up and drive a fist down there to crack down on Shadow's skull, and hopefully put an end to his fighting, especially now that Nastasia was down. He'd deal with Ciella after, but for the moment she seemed way worse off than Shadow, and he felt it unnecessary to prioritize her. Maybe smacking the hedgehog down would be enough for the crazed and extremely injured Agito to realize not everyone was trying to kill her.

Not that Mao thought putting faith in her was a good idea, he was mostly hoping she wouldn't try to capitalize as well by striking him in the side. Even in her state, with the power she unleashed so far, he felt like she could possibly damage him severely. Keeping her from lashing out somehow seemed optimal, especially if they were still going to try and keep her alive, but he'd have to worry about that after Shadow was taken out of the picture.

Persona - Soldiers of Fortune

Dakota Rhett

_{November 29th? - ???}

---

Dakota suddenly felt like the light little feather he was, eyes widening as Vincent pushed off of him and charged forward. Now, he could note all the bravery people had going forward, especially compared to him, but either from the simple fact they had been trying to run together or because he was a literal giant, Vincent's actions to help the group rooted in his mind at that moment. If Dakota had any doubts about helping him before, they were long gone as the boy felt like his judgement was correct. There was a hint of guilt he felt, from lacking in aggression himself in regards to pushing through, but in reality he knew he'd probably just get in the way.

So he took Vincent's words and bolted. Not that even such a thing as running was easy, Dakota's injures causing him to grit his teeth, but note he didn't get it as bad as Vincent had despite him still moving. The fear of what was behind him mixed with the anxiety of what the hell could possibly be ahead, and sheer panic fueled him to keep going despite his pain. He'd be paying for it later, if he even had time to later, but with death all around them he wasn't exactly sure how the hell they were supposed to escape.

<sub>I see it clearly~

You and me, eternity~</sub>

It was like a broadcast in his head. Dakota tried to ignore it, but it began to deafen his surroundings. The only thing repressing it being words from Barney that pierced through, causing him to look up and notice the open door. Not freedom, per se, but the first step towards it. Without hesitation he scrambled through, although he fell once on the other side and took a moment to pick himself up, dirtying his clothes in the process though such a thing was far beyond his concern at this point. He joined Barney's effort in holding the door open soon after, not wanting to leave him to it, considering his heroic action. "You're a lifesaver." He remarked between breaths, although there wasn't time to really converse.

As everyone went through, Dakota had appreciated the second to catch his breath, but quickly removed himself from the door to allow it to close. His eyes peered through as it did, noting that mysterious girl and her situation inside. Gritting his teeth, he wondered if what he just witnessed was a sacrifice on her behalf for their sake. Turning away with clenched fists, he had to try and make it all worth something. Not waste it. He felt an odd familiarity with her, but couldn't quite place it. But it had something to do with falling? Not the 'in love' kind of sense, something more literal.

While he momentarily pondered, Barney's words caught his attention again. With a confused "Eh?" He peered over at the spotlight, noting it was indeed freaking out. It seemed that girl was buying them more time than he originally thought, and he realized he needed to double down on his escape efforts. "Def' no point in standing around here. Might as well make use of the dark as best we can." As if he knew the first thing about escaping prisons, but it seemed obvious enough.

<sub>So open up and let me know~

Just how you feel~</sub>

At this rate, Dakota couldn't blame someone for thinking he was crazy as he went quiet and just peered off towards the left. It was farther up towards the walls of the prison, but the visage was clear: It looked like some sort of entertainment center, which wasn't particularly strange on it's own, but when paired with the prison around it made a lack of sense, especially compared to the cathedral distanced to the left. However, it brought him a realization that what he was hearing was, in fact, not actually in his head. But trailed off from there. Though it feel deafly silent on everyone else's ears, he thought a noise-filled place like that would be the last place the guards might look... Something kept feeding him reasons for why it was such a good idea to go. It was almost a compelled action, really, but he couldn't explain that well enough to the others.

All of this was cut off from the sound of the guards. "Man!" He just wanted a break, but that was clearly over. Barney didn't need to tell him to get running in the opposite direction, the boy's sore feet only being more notable after standing around for a minute. He didn't have the leisure to sit around and complain, though. Those prods looked dangerous and Dakota had zero intent in being on the receiving end of them.

Unfortunately, through intervention or otherwise, Dakota and Barney had darted to the left side of the prison, but their routes differed. Between his panic and the compelled feeling in his mind, the boy rushed towards the entertainment center. Thankfully, being a small individual had its advantages in this large terrain, where he felt even someone like Vincent could probably lose those guards despite his size. He never approved of his own wardrobe more than today, his dark colors on light clothing making it easy enough to stick in any shadowy corner he could find at the pens.

Unfortunately, the slower he went, the more the chasing guards could catch up. He thought for a moment, needing a plan of sorts. Not a survivalist by any means, he simply thought 'What kind of stupid mistake could an escapee make?' before being struck by a realization. Within seconds, his waistcoat was off. He snagged it on a corner of one of the pens, marking a corner he obviously tried to cut fast but got snagged on, revealing his direction. Quickly he hid on the other side as he heard the stomps approaching, his eyes not catching the sight but he could hear them stomping away towards the direction he laid out for them.

"Whew." He knew it wasn't over, but hell, that felt pretty good! There wasn't time to lose though, he had to go somewhere and that song was still reeling him in. As he slinked away into the dark towards the entertainment center, he complimented himself with a very quiet "Nice work, brain." before continuing his progress.

World of Light

LOCATION:Al Mamoon Northeast - Rocket Inc.
WORD COUNT: 813 (+2 EXP)
MENTIONS: Braum

---

Mao felt like he must've needed a new prescription for his glasses, the clang against Braum's greaves brought a moment of frustration, hands shaking from the impact, making him take a momentary focus of gripping his sword as to not drop it. A drop of sweat slowly slid down his forehead as he looked at his opponent, Braum having took notice of his presence, the hulking man even making the cocky ruler feel the willingness to retreat. And not a second too soon, either, as the force of the shield bearer's swing shifted his hair from the wind left behind.

"A simple miscalculation!" He audibly defended himself, more confidently holding his blade now that the shaking was subsiding. "And one I'll more than easily rectify!"

With Jesse's distraction, Mao lunged right back at Braum. He brought down his sword down upon the man, but as his strike connected, his pupils shrunk in response to the fact it had seemingly gotten stuck. It hadn't gone too deep, considering Braum's mass, making Mao realize the cause: Was he such a muscle-bound fool that it stopped his blade? Mao hadn't expected such bodily resilience, and a second miscalculation lead to more frustration, especially at Braum's irritating semi-friendliness. "Well it's a good thing I'm just getting started, then!" He boasted back, but this time was humbled by not being able to back it up. Braum's shield slam sent Mao to the ground, the only saving grace of the fall being that his sword tore at the man's flesh as it was yanked out during the descent.

Realizing the error of his ways, he tactically retreated. Mao rolled backwards, the building mist being something he attempted to use as cover. He'd get Braum for this, but for that moment, he had to compose himself before this brute actually smashed him to pieces. "Must just be getting weaker," Mao convinced himself, perhaps an attempt at maintaining a somewhat fragile ego.

On the bright side, this gave Mao a front row seat to seeing Sven's demise. Absolute obliteration, which would probably anger Midna, but after being condensed into animal form before, Mao had no issue with seeing him turn into nothing but a small, familiar glowing ball on the ground. Recalling his own experience with Ara Mitama, he noted that there were quite a few potential values to ending a life in this world. If but for only a moment, Mao eyed Gunnar, wondering if he could've gained some of his abilities if he'd just skewered the man. But even though the potential sounded great, he wasn't about to go through with it. Both because he was already on their side and it'd be hard to justify, and there was just... Something about the old guy. He was pretty good.

Shifting from the idea of killing people, Mao was brought to alert not by Braum, but rather by Ciella. The shift from another one of her wide-scale attacks made him think he might need to run, but there wasn't any time for that. As Mao attempted to move, he soon found the arrows from the sky being effective from their surprise factor alone. Multiple arrows pierced through Mao's body, one going through his leg which instantly sent him crashing to the ground with his movement attempt. The second tore into his shoulder, weapon instantly dropping from his hand as both impacts caused enough anguish to be audible.

In a series of unfortunate events, Mao had gone from confident and vengeful to a rather pathetic mess on the ground. Having one usable arm and leg meant he could barely move, but at least nothing had torn through something like his head. Soaked and battered, he wasn't able to do much about Nastasia and Shadow, let alone Ciella, without healing aid. So in a mess of wet sand, cold wet clothes, and his own blood, Mao remained on the ground.

But, being down wasn't entirely out. Mao shifted his off-hand under his coat, charging his Star magic in preparation for what retaliation he could manage if someone decided to bring themselves upon him. The metal made a rather difficult terrain for his mechanical limbs to travel on, but between them and his good leg, Mao felt he could potentially move himself somewhat if needed. But in his condition, he'd rather just stay put. He looked mostly dead, though most people in the arena could probably tell he was still alive just by the fact he hadn't ended up as a Spirit.

If someone approached, his heavy breathing would also be a clear sign of life. Trying to repress the pain in his leg and shoulder, not being weak enough to make a ruckus about his injuries a second time. He just hoped what defensive measures he had were enough to keep himself from being the victim of anyone deciding to make their way over.

World of Light

LOCATION:The Maw
WORD COUNT:1,243(+3 EXP)
MENTIONS: Link, Geralt

---

Wearing shorts, Mirage was feeling the cold floor of the vent against his legs, as well as his palms, as he crawled. One could easily see from observation that the sections of skin going against the vent were slowly turning red, but despite the stinging sort of pain and itch from his scars, the pain in his stomach was still worse. Out of three possible outcomes, Mirage outstandingly managed to get the wrong one twice, before halting as he realized a particular scent was gifting itself to his nostrils. "Cheese," Mirage mulled, maybe he would've drooled if his mouth wasn't so dry. With a burst of confidence, he scuttled his way through the vent to find the source, and with it, a hatch that they could actually get through.

"Bingo," The legend vocalized his success, tilting his head to look back at the others and offer a quick nod before he poked his head out to look at the situation. He eyed the mousetraps, a bundle of them being placed around their exit. Quickly, he raised a hand to halt his fellow rescuers. "They were ready for something to come through here. Gimmie a sec." Now, Mirage might not have been an action spy, or much of an action hero now that he was a pipsqueak, but navigating something like this? Not much different from the 'Floor is Lava' they played before! Except there wasn't any ground for him, which was even more unfair with the still realistic possibility of, you know, dying.

Thankfully, humans were more capable than rodents. The traps were of simplistic engineering: Avoid the trip, and you wouldn't get snapped. The side facing the small heroes was obviously not intended to be picked up by large human hands, and Mirage wasn't sure if he wanted to risk lifting it. But there was a pretty easy, if not somewhat anti-climatic solution. Leaning down, Mirage's fingers graced as far as his little hands could along the ends of the most center trap, getting between it and the wall below the hatch. It took a minute, but he managed to push it far enough to give him a slight amount of leg room, to which he lowered down to finish the job. Unfortunately, while he slowly scooted the center trap forward, he got nothing but big whiffs of that wonderous cheese.

No possible people-meat. And he'd been to enough parties to know good cheese-- This stuff, despite being used for rodents, was effective clearly. Maybe that was just him starving and seeing it as more glorified than it actually was, but he didn't particularly care as he stomach growled at him like an agitated dog. He managed to turn back long enough to give the others the okay to come out, but with a warned 'Watch your step' considering he'd just made a straight path through the center.

However, perhaps to the complete concern of his fellow vent-pals, Mirage was feeling desperate and conflicted. While Sakura had tried to reinforce his decision, Kamek had made things feel a bit more... Vague. If this 'Organization' was bad, and this was supposedly the 'best route' of all their options according to them, then Mirage felt like there was something fishy. How could this hellhole be the best solution, at all? Mirage had been against the idea in the first place, his gut gave him nothing but terrible feelings about the place and it had been nothing if not proven right.

Even pushing that trap was... Pushing his capabilities, though. Mirage looked beyond, into the rest of the area ahead. Sakura, Rika, and Bella were all in danger. He said he'd buy time for the others, but how he was now, could he really do much? Nadia's words from before were starting to hit home with him, noting if he had just eaten, maybe he could have sprung out fast enough to stop the chefs from locking that door. To that extent, a more anxious part of Mirage's personality began to chew at him for not thinking of things beyond his own potential safety.

Without a word, Mirage pulled out the dart gun. He shot two darts, one to the side of the bar of the mousetrap, then one above it. The gun dropped to the ground as Mirage took his chance at the cheese, grabbing it and cramming it into his mouth. The trap activated, but the bar got caught on his platforms, allowing him to momentarily fester in his spoils. He almost melted as if he was the cheese, audible delight coming from him, though a ping of guilt too, as he turned and looked at the others. "Sowwy," He said, the cheese a comical lump as he swallowed it down. "Curse or no curse, I'm not taking risks with this rescue effort." He added to his apology, trying to explain himself. Justify the fact he betrayed the groups' no-eating idea, maybe? But the mixture of hunger and guilt he anxiously brought upon himself made it too much to resist. Like it or not, he'd partaken in food here now, too.

His eyes focused back on the area ahead. Multiple chefs, more forms than before. It seemed that his idea of coming this way would've been a terrible one, with how many people were here. But that didn't matter; They had a rescue to do, and who knows how much time there actually was to do it? With something in his stomach, Mirage was feeling a little scared of what potentially could happen, but also confident enough that he was ready to strike back against their large cooking oppressors.

"The girls need our help," He reminded, unnecessarily perhaps, but making his struggle with the food obvious. "Whatever way you want to run this, I've got this to still help out." He picked up the Dart Gun after wiping his hands on his shirt, but tucked it away as he spotted something seeming to hang from above them. He poked out for a moment, noticing a ladle hanging down. Nervously he gripped it, pushing up lightly which freed it from it's place before he quickly shifted it forward to make it fit back under to their momentary trap haven.

It was a bit heavier than something like Geralt's cool nail, but something blunt probably suited a guy who's extent of melee combat knowledge was right hooks and poking someone in the eyes. He figured if worse came to worse, he could give someone a decent smack at the ankle. Or, as he spotted what almost seemed to be sentient cups, they'd smash with one good swing.

Rather than make any sort of progressive move at the moment, he'd stay put until the three-man team had a more specific goal. There were a lot of options, and if they coordinated, they'd probably find a lot more success. "If we make a scene, it could buy some time. Dangerous, but that hasn't stopped us so far, right?" He decided to make his own input, that obvious anger from what he heard of Geralt earlier and how Link attempted to ram through the vent like a bull straight off a Gaea farm making him recognize that they'd known those girls longer than he did, but that didn't matter too much. Just meant they were very motivated, which he could get behind. He had a feeling things were about to get messy, and tried to mentally prepare himself for the potential chaos to follow.

Current Mood in One Gif

World of Light

@Lugubrious

It'd probably extend to most human-level sentient beings he can identify as female, I suppose. Feral creatures and such would probably not count, as well as things like undead. As far as Blazermate is concerned, it's an odd situation, but I'd say that counts because she comes off as a person. If it came to an enraged machine of some sort that just looked female, things could get more sketchy but I think regardless there could be some hesitance depending on the design of the machine, too. Something like an enraged Assaultron from Fallout he'd probably fight.

Hopefully that help clears it up a bit. Generally, he'd avoid any violence against them. The worst thing I can think of is simply trying to bodyblock or grab them by the arm as a containment or self-defensive measure to keep them from hitting him. But he's not going to be throwing punches, tossing them, or doing anything actually damaging. Most encounters that could call for either of these probably won't work well, since most vidya girls do be dangerous.

World of Light

LOCATION:The Maw
WORD COUNT:815(+2 EXP)
MENTIONS: Pretty much everybody

---

"Ah, right! You could knock them off." Mirage replied to Rika with some enthusiasm, glad to have some sort of plan forming. Kamek urging caution was reasonable, Mirage himself not wanting a direct fight with this fleshy butcher if he could help it, but as individuals jumped into their positions it became clear that, unfortunately for everyone, the jar shattering did indeed send the doughman into alert. Mirage thinned himself as much as he could behind the leg of a table, peeking out to see what the butcher exactly did. He seemed agitated, maybe a bit concerned with how such a thing happened, but Sakura didn't seem exposed.

As his search failed, another man came in however. He was loud, startling Mirage but he didn't intend to budge, if these two were going to fight. Nothing was more toxic than two cooks in a kitchen, so if they had some luck, these two would start brawling and they'd be able to just watch them weaken eachother down. Escalations showed that this could've been the case, this new man threatening to turn the other into the next meal. Bowls flying in the air in retaliation, but unfortunately from Sakura's hiding spot, causing her to be revealed. "Shit," A mutter in his childish voice, cursing all the same as a reaction to one of their own being in danger.

Despite their plan going into action, the doughy chef didn't take as much damage as Mirage had hoped as the meat slab conked him on the head. And Larry's addition to the chaos meant they were at a larger disadvantage than before. Rika and Bella both being snatched up, and referred to as meat, was an instant message to do whatever he could. These sickos were going to eat their friends, and after all they'd been through on this stupid ship, nobody was becoming a meal today!

Scuttling out under the cover of Nadia's assault, Mirage didn't want to allow the butchers to escape so easily. Desperately he popped off multiple darts, trying to land them in such a way as to block the door, but he failed miserably as the door slammed and the darts stuck to the side of it, the projectiles simply being too slow. This was soon followed by Mirage's little fists slamming against it in irritation, as Larry taunted them from the inside, locking the door.

"Hey! HEY!" Angered by the outcome, Mirage slowly came to a stop as he realized he needed to conserve what he had left. He slowly slid into a slump in front of the door, momentarily staring at the floor at a loss for what to do. Seeing all that meat now was worse than before; Knowing these freaks were willing to cut up living people, children even, and turn them into a paste or a sausage. They tried so hard to keep everyone alive, they got through giant fists and acid rain! And now they were about to lose some of the group to a couple of fat cannibals?

Nadia finding a vent caused him to pull up to his feet, coming over to investigate. With her struggle to fit, or escape, Mirage grabbed hold and gave her a yank for the sake of getting her out. And it was only after that it came to light that... She was taller than him, suddenly. Or maybe he'd been too distracted by the struggle to notice before? Blinking away his confusion, he quickly snapped to the task at hand with the new disagreement.

"Look!" Mirage said between Peach and Nadia's uncertainty, tone being a bit more snappy, as he didn't have the time to snark at the moment. "Some of us are too big, and some of us can fit! If we don't find a solution fast, they're dead for sure!" Taking a long look at the area, he noted three potential options. "Maybe we can bash through the door with the hammer and some of the sharp stuff laying around, or maybe that key we were targeting could be a solution, yeah? We'll need an exit for if we get them out anyways, right? So some of us can try that or bashing the door if they can't get through!"

Tucking the Dart Gun away, Mirage approached the vent. A simple test told him he could fit, even if it hurt a little. It'd be a struggle to pull himself through, but he wasn't about to leave those three with no hope while fumbling around out here. "I'm goin'. I don't know what I can do in there, but maybe I can at least mess up their plans a little and stall for time." With a nod towards the group, he didn't hesitate to cram himself into the vent to start crawling. He wasn't sure if anyone else was actually coming with, but whatever the case was, he was pushing on.