Takaru

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Sapphire Inn: Royal Suite Main Room | Sunday, July 5 2015

As everyone started engaging their targets, things were immediately looking somewhat shaky. None of the shadows, neither the three knights or the primary shogun, were pushovers and were putting up quite a fight. Whilst Akane and Rui could at least hold their own against a single foe, covering for each other and using openings from Sato's spells, having to take on a knight alone was proving to be no meagre task for Kaminari's team. Luckily though, they managed to avoid taking any direct hits but it seemed that working in real hits of their own rather than just glancing blows would take some time.

However, considering that they still had to hold out for their support to get a hold on these shadows' weaknesses, it wasn't all bad. Using Ryan's Gale Slash as an opening, Kaminari brought down a heavy lightning bolt upon one of the knights - which didn't get more than a moment to recover before a duplicate strike followed, courtesy of Ayano. Kotori meanwhile kept her eyes closely following everyone all around her - but with no one having suffered critical damage, she opted to instead recover the little cuts and scrapes that could easily accumulate from close calls and last-second parries.

"Media," she called and just a moment later, Kikuri-Hime obliged. A gentle golden glow momentarily enveloped the flowery shrine maiden that was Kotori's Persona - and then the same glow surrounded all of the fighters; lending them warmth and respite as their strength recovered. The by now familiar fatigue that accompanied any spell settled in her mind, albeit slightly stronger than usual - but though it was a bit more taxing to heal such a large group, Kotori had little time for such concerns and kept her thoughts focused on the present. For the moment though, it was still manageable - and she'd been in such situations a few times now; albeit this time around even more people were relying on her - a fact that brought both worries about their safety but also a redoubled effort to ensure it to the fore.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Sapphire Inn: Royal Suite Main Room | Sunday, July 5 2015

As everyone finished their preparations in their own ways - some speaking to each others, others impatient to get going already whilst Kotori herself just took the opportunity to catch her breath - Rui and Kami called upon everyone to get ready to proceed onwards. Though they didn't know what awaited them at the end of the hallway, Megumi had already picked up a formidable presence ahead - and having delved into enough of these placed before, most everyone knew what that meant. As such, Kotori was on edge all the way through; glancing about for any signs of shadows suddenly pouring out of previously unseen crevices - but to no avail as the now merged group continued unaccosted on the long walk. The tension did at least save Kotori from focusing too much on the particular choice of decoration that accompanied the climb - and before the halfway point, she was instead worrying far more over the rather excessive length of the stairs.

As they drew closer to the doors at the top, muffled voices could be made out - which sounded similar but just slightly ajar of one another; a dissonance that undoubtedly rang a few alarm bells for all those present. Pushing onwards with varying degrees of fatigue at the stairs they'd just climbed, Rui pushed open the doors to finally reveal exactly what they were dealing with: Standing in the centre were two girls - or rather, the same girl twice, save for a scant few details being just slightly off. One of the two was talking down to the others in a tone which would have betrayed her nature even if it weren't for the unnatural colour of her eyes - it was a shadow; the secrets locked away inside oneself somehow made manifest through this strange mirror realm.

Even as she caught her breath, Kotori couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed at hearing someone else's inner thoughts, worries and hidden feelings being laid bare - but before she or anyone else could interfere, the real girl instead yelled at her mirror self; decrying her shadow as not herself. Kotori winced as laughter erupted from the shadow's throat at those words - a mocking tone which began echoing all around and becoming more sinister as darkness surrounded the girl's shadow; coalescing into a far more monstrous form. Much in keeping with the place's traditional Japanese feeling, so too did the shadow take on such a shape as it emerged from its shroud of blackness as a armour-clad demon; an evil caricature of a shogun of days long past, albeit one which had somehow become intermixed with a medieval European knight's features and at the same time still retaining an air of femininity about itself - which was unsettling in its own way to see in a shadow, even as if was gripping both a sword and a figure clad in a pretty dress.

The girl, however, did not seem to grasp the gravity of the whole situation as she picked up a sword laying upon the ground and raised it in defiance - but without the protection of a persona, doing could only spell danger for herself. Kotori feared what might happen if the shadow turned upon the girl; reflexively reaching out with one hand even though they were too far away to do much of anything - remembering a moment later that she had something on her side that would be far more capable of stopping such a thing from coming to pass. However, even as she called upon her Persona, "Kikuri-Hime," the shadow raised its sword to strike at what it seemed to perceive as an insolent if insubstantial attack by the girl - which left Kotori to fear that she would not make it in time.

Luckily, however, Rui was ever vigilant and Askr's blade intercepted the Shadow's just in time to deflect the blow away from the girl. Several group members had rushed to her side in order to get her out of harm's way - no matter how much she could or wanted to fight, this was one foe she was helpless against. With the girl in safety for now, the group quickly got into position to take on the warrior-like Shadow - but just as Kotori began to hope that for once they might an advantage with the numbers on their side, the shadows off to the sides began to move as three more enemies stepped from them. Knights, similar to the ones they'd already struggled against before, strode forth in their armour; ready to join the fight - and making Kotori's confidence take a dive, seeing how even one had already been a struggle even without backup or an even stronger shadow behind them all.

However, before her worries could overtake her, Kotori took a deep breath as she felt Kikuri-Hime's presence calm her thoughts. Though the enemies were numerous and strong, they too had strong fighters on their side. Kaminari sprang into action, ordering his half to engage the knights whilst leaving Ayano to figure out the Shadow's weakness and Rui to occupy it for the moment. A brief acknowledgemenet followed before Rui in turn addressed his team - much like before, Akane and himself would take point and go about striking and defending whilst Sato would be lending fire support from afar. Unto Kotori fell the role of making sure that everyone stayed alive and fighting with her healing spells - including Kaminari's group.

Though she felt her heart sink at the responsibility, given the odds they were facing, Kotori still nodded - a quiet "right" thereafter spoken more to herself than anyone in particular. However, these doubts only lingered for a moment before she quickly shook her head as if to rid herself of any stray thoughts - pushing her glasses back in place after doing so - before focusing at the task at hand. Even if she wasn't exactly the model of confidence, she knew that the others were counting on her at this moment - and wallowing in worries would only lead to them coming true.

Her confidence somewhat regained, Kotori took a quick note of who was engaging what and where everyone stood. They found themselves encircled by the three knights and the shadow, even as each knight in turn was engaged by one of Kaminari's group whilst Akane and Rui faced the Shadow itself; a loose formation being established which left Kotori with the other spell-casters on the inside together with the probably slightly confused girl. Before moving in to take on the Shadow, Rui told her to think upon the Shadow's words - after all, those were essentially her own and realising this would likely prove crucial further down the road.

For the moment, however, Kotori could pay little heed to the girl as she focused all her attention on the group - ready at a moment's notice to cast a group-wide healing spell should multiple people get struck or a more powerful singular heal if someone took a heavy hit instead, leaving the offensive magic entirely to the others.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Sapphire Inn: Floor 2 | Sunday, July 5 2015

The lightning bolt struck home and the monkey was sent to the ground - which proved to be just enough time for the others to finish things up. Already weakened by the previous bombardement and Sato's spell-slinging, Akane and Rui rushed in for a final assault which that left the large shadow monkey roaring - before dissolving into black dust that was swept away into nothingness by an unfelt wind. However, there were still several smaller shadowy monkeys scattered throughout the hot springs - survivors or newly arrived reinforcements after Zeke's area-clearing attack - but they seemed more than a little hesitant after seeing their leader fall and beat a shrieking retreat - a fact that Kotori was only to happy about, seeing as it gave everyone a moment of respite after that fight.

Kotori Shirohane - Sapphire Inn: Royal Suite | Sunday, July 5 2015

As soon as Megumi confirmed that the area was now clear of any foes - and oddly silent due to this - Rui pressed onward, leading the group to the next area. Following the hot springs, they arrived at a courtyard of sorts that preceeded a rather large entrance which was immediately obvious the moment they set foor in the place, given the sheer amount of decorations and colours surrounding it. Whilst it seemed that the general theme of this place was staying consistent, it was getting ever odder the further they got - though Kotori was a little more preoccupied with worrying about any new threats which might be creeping around any shadows or hiding just out of sight.

Rui meanwhile seemed far less tense and instead joked about how this whole thing would be if it were a game of sorts - which might have eased some tension if it wasn't for the fact that as Kotori's eyes followed his extended finger from behind her glasses, a sudden sound echoed across the courtyard as a wall began to slide aside. The unexpectedness of it caused Kotori to almost jump in surprise as she turned to face this unknown threat - at least until she realised that said threat was simply the second group which found its path converging with that of hers. Breathing a sigh in relief as the two group leaders exchanged some words, Kotori was glad to see that all of them were still standing and didn't seem hurt in any serious manner.

However, relief was only short-lived as Megumi spoke up once again to inform of what was coming up - as Ayano confirmed, there were several knights ahead, or at least something similar to them, which meant that they would have a serious fight on their hands when just one such an enemy required a whole team to efficiently take down. Even with her worries returning at the prospect of what they had to face, Kotori was nonetheless grateful for a moment of rest before they would head out; taking the opportunity to catch her breath - both from the previous fight and the sudden fright that had been the hidden door.

As she did so, Kotori glanced over to the second group - though seeing as they had linked up, it was rather more a singular if larger group now - only to notice that by the looks of things Matthew had tagged along to take Shizuka's place; though any worries Kotori might have had were quickly quelled when it turned out that this wasn't due to any harm coming her way. Similarly, none of the others - Kaminari, who was discussing matters with Rui, Ryan, who still looked a little nervous, and Mako, for whom this was the first time willingly entering the Mirror Realm - were injured even on closer inspection, putting her somewhat at ease - both because she didn't need to cure any ills that had come their way and because it meant that they had not been met resistance that was too much to handle and instead made it through safely.

Still, given that everyone was gathering up before they made their way onwards as a full group of eight Kotori took a deep breath as she prepared herself for the upcoming fight that Megumi had already announced - though she did feel some confidence with their own increased numbers, it also increased her worries as that meant there were now twice as many people who might get hurt in the fight as well.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Sapphire Inn: Floor 2 | Sunday, July 5 2015

Megumi's warnings about the protective veil surrounding the shadow monkey leader were only reconfirmed whenever a gap in the shadowy attackers allowed for a brief attack on it - but to no avail; the attack glancing off the nigh-invisible shroud and the superficial damage being healed just moments later. As such, there was little more for the group to do than holding on until a chance to strike back appeared - not exactly a situation that Kotori was fond of finding herself in. Still, grouped up close together, Rui and Akane were able to hold off any shadow monkeys trying to get too close whilst Sato and she could thin out the incoming numbers with arrows and spells - and if any attack did manage to get through, Kotori was ready to cast a healing spell at a moment's notice.

Fortunately though, this turned out to be unnecessary - though with a seeming endless number of foes, the monkey were getting a little closer every time, the other team managed to disrupt whatever was powering the protective veil in time; a faint shimmer around the larger shadow monkey intensifying before fading into nothingness. Still, even with that gone they still had to deal with the large horde between them - unless they called for aid. And call they did - a call that was answered with a hawk's cry moments later as explosions ripped through the hot springs, sending up fountainous sprays of water and blasting dozens of shadow monkeys away, all the while leaving both the shadowy leader weakened and a path to it clear.

The group had fought through enough of these dungeons to know an opportunity when it presented itself, even before Rui ordered a full-on assault. As such, Kotori was quick to nod in acknowledgement as she called upon her persona's powers once more. "Kikuri-Hime," she said as she aimed for the large shadow monkey, "Zionga." Her words were immediately followed by a thunderous roar; the lightning crashing down and striking the shadow leader - and hopefully keeping it in place long enough for the others to deliver the final blow.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Sapphire Inn: Floor 2 | Sunday, July 5 2015

Stuck on the defensive, the group quickly took to warding off any would-be attackers with spells, arrows and sword attacks; a faintly glowing layer surrounding everyone as Akane cast a defensive spell to aid them in holding out for now. As the shadow monkeys attacked, the distinct lack of spells or other attacks that affected an area as opposed to a single target made itself clear as Rui was the only one who could sweep away multiple attackers whilst Sato, Akane and Kotori were left with taking out anything that got around his slashes and, in the occasional lull in the swarms, to make strikes of opportunity at the larger leader shadow.

Unfortunately, neither of these things seemed to be doing all too much - whilst they were able to at least hold off any monkey from actually reaching them, their numbers didn't seem to be decreasing noticeably whilst the shadows' leader seemed to just shrug off any spells being fired at it. If things didn't take a turn for the better, Kotori feared that they would succumb to sheer number sooner or later - but just as that fear began to creep up, Megumi's telepathic voice spoke up; confirming what they'd seen - the larger shadow was indeed nigh-on impervious. However, just a moment later she also revealed that this was not necessarily a permanent thing but rather that it was being powered by a shrine near the second group; similar to how the incense pot had been blocking the others' progress.

Rui came to much the same conclusion as he quickly ordered a completely defensive approach for the time being - rather than waste any effort on the larger shadow, they could just focus on keeping any would-be attackers off them. Between the long-ranged attacks from both Sato's bow, Chronos' wind spells as well as Kikuri-Hime's lightning strikes and the slashing and stabbing at closer range from Rui and Akane, they should be able to hold on for the moment - and even if anything got through, Akane's Matarukaja should prevent the worst of it whilst Kotori, even as she readied another Zionga to be fired at an approaching shadow monkey, keep a close eye on the others and herself in order to immediately cast a healing spell should anyone have need thereof.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Sapphire Inn: Floor 2 | Sunday, July 5 2015

Responses to the lingering shadows were mixed - and not only in terms of what exactly they were doing. However, with no over signs of hostility and no warning from Megumi, Rui cautioned them to proceed without attacking. Kotori wasn't averse to avoiding conflict where possible, seeing as it would mean they'd not have to exhaust themselves unnecessarily and as such was quick to agree with a nod - all the while still trying to fix her gaze on something that wasn't the shadows in the water or the other party members. This did turn out to be a little more difficult as they continued on however, as she found her glasses to be ever less transparent due to the rising steam until she finally had to concede to it and had to wipe them on her uniform just to be able to see clearly once more.

Unfortunately, she picked a rather inopportune moment for it as the very second she removed her glasses, a screech resounded through the hot springs. Making a rather rushed job of cleaning them, Kotori had clear sight just in time to see the shadowy women in the water scatter in a panic - and the veritable horde of shadowy monkey now surrounding them; seemingly only waiting for a signal from a noticeably larger monkey which seemed to be their leader. Not knowing exactly what they were up against, Rui asked for Megumi to scan their opponents as everyone got combat ready - including Kotori, who once more summoned Kikuri-Hime to her side in preparation to cast her lightning spell if any of the shadows got too close.

She couldn't help but worry that someone might get knocked into the water though - which might not exactly be the best of things considering the relationship between water and electricity; even if she wasn't sure if such a thing still held true in this strange Mirror Realm.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Sapphire Inn: Floor 1 | Sunday, July 5 2015

Distracted by Akane's constant dodging and weaving between its strikes, the shadowy knight put up little resistance as the spells of both Sato and Kotori struck home; leaving it open for a decisive blow by Akane and Rui. Caught in the crossfire, its chestplate began to crack - and then shattered completely, the rest of its armour quickly following as it too crumbled into shadowy dust that disintegrated before it even touched the ground. However, unlike most shadows, this one did not disappear fully - instead, in being destroyed the knight's armour revealed that a living person was actually hidden within.

Megumi was quick to establish that the person was merely unconscious - to the relief of Kotori, who was worried that their attacks may have unwittingly harmed them - and sent Kazuki to their location in order to bring them to safety. This too was quite welcome news to Kotori, seeing as it gave her a moment to catch her breath and, though unnecessary at that time, check on everyone else's condition while they waited for Kazuki to arrive. He did so only shortly after and, after just a brief few words, carried the recovered victim back to safety - which meant it was time to press on for the team, Rui announced and heading towards the stairs ahead.

Kotori Shirohane - Sapphire Inn: Floor 2 | Sunday, July 5 2015

Heading up from the previous floor, Kotori looked about carefully as no one knew quite what to expect; even with Megumi's watchful eye on them and their surroundings. For the moment, however, things were quiet as neither Megumi nor their own eyes detected any shadows in their immediate vicinity - leaving them to inspect the dungeon itself a little more closely. From the look of things, the theme from the previous floor seemed to be continuing - if the first floor was a dining area, then this one was a bathing one it appeared; the look and feel of a traditional Japanese inn undeniable - even if the strange disparity between being in the mirror realm and yet on seemingly mundane ground at the same time was a little unnerving.

Nonetheless, they carefully pressed on through a changing room and reached a rather large outdoor hotspring - which Kotori most definitely was not looking forward to. But whilst she wasn't exactly keen on public bathing, considering she didn't like having her scars on display, it wasn't like they'd be getting into the hot springs themselves - instead, the reason was far more prosaic in that steamy places simply did not mix well with glasses. Of course, that was before they actually arrived at the hot springs and saw the shadows mingling there - and by the looks of things, it seemed that they had ventured into the women's bath.

Similar to the dining ones a floor below, these shadows did not initially seem all to interested in the group and were instead more focused enjoying on the water - or, at a second glance, the presence of each other. Whilst she hadn't really known what to expect, it certainly hadn't been this for Kotori who tried - and failed - to somehow avert her eyes from the shadows whilst still keeping an eye on them in case they turned hostile; a slight blush undeniable even whilst wondering - and not for the first time - if it was alright to be seeing into other people's private matters, seeing as these places seemed to somehow reflect their thoughts and personalities.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Sapphire Inn: Floor 1 | Sunday, July 5 2015

For a moment, Kotori was worried if the hit had been strong enough when Rui's Garudyne seemed to only crack the pot - only for the cracks to suddenly expand all along the outside before the entire thing burst apart. This seemed to disrupt the enclosing shadows in some way as a great many of them fled away further into the dungeon and the few remaining were weak enough to not be any significant threat anymore. Megumi briefly informed them of how the situation had changed before everyone's attention focused on the knight which was still preoccupied by Akane darting in and out of its attack range and taking attacks of opportunity wherever she could - and luckily not having taken much in return.

Still, even if she managed to avoid all its strikes, it would take quite a while to take down such a foe all by herself - and after having felt the power behind its slashes before already, she didn't seem too keen on experiencing that again and instead used Setanta to empower everyone with Matarukaja before once more diving into the fray and getting the knight's attention. This left it open for attacks by Rui, Sato and Kotori - an opportunity that didn't go unused as a roaring wind blast struck the knight before thunder crashed as Kotori too added to the spell barrage with a "Zionga"; a little surprised at just how much increased the attacks were due to Akane's help.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Sapphire Inn: Floor 1 | Sunday, July 5 2015

Thankfully, the healing spell took effect before any further harm could come to Akane - not that she let any do so, seeing as she seemed more intent on taking a cautious feinting approach in order to lure the large knight away at Rui's behest. Sato too followed through on Rui's order and started to strike at the shadows guarding the incense pot with Chronos' assistance, blasting them with crashing wind that tore them asunder or left them dazed enough to be easily finished off by others. Rui himself meanwhile made use of both these facts, pressing on past the distracted knight and into the fray of the gathering shadows as he reconfirmed his previous intentions - only this time asking for Sato and Kotori to focus on clearing a path for him.

With any immediate danger of anyone taking a particularly dangerous blow cleared, Kotori was a lot more willing to go along with the plan in an offensive manner. Without any wide-arced attacks, neither Sato nor she could stem the tide of shadows - but if they only had to focus on those which were an immediate threat or in the way of Rui as he charged forward to deliver a heavy blow directly to the incense pot, they just might be able to do so. As such, Kotori gave a quick nod at Rui's words as she shifted her focus from the group - though not quite without the occasional glance to make sure everyone was safe - before calling upon Kikuri-Hime once more.

A thunderous crack followed whenever she directed a "Zionga" at one of the shadows that barred Rui's way or was about to swing around him and strike from behind. Together with Sato's spells, a rift was forming in the shadows - though Kotori worried what might happen if the rate at which they appeared increased as Rui drew closer. Still, it seemed like the lesser shadows were now almost entirely focused on him, leaving Sato and Kotori mostly free to aid in clearing a path and Akane to continue her exchange of blows with the knight as she dodged another of his attacks; only to land one of her own with Setanta's assistance.

With Akane avoiding any incoming strikes and the shadows being cleared for Rui, Kotori was left to tentatively hope that his and Askr's strike would be true, even as a shadow in his way, dazed by her own lightning strike, was blown apart by Sato's Garula.

Persona - The True Self

Kotori Shirohane - Sapphire Inn: Floor 1 | Sunday, July 5 2015

Between Sato's arrows and Kikuri-Hime's lightning bolts, the two at the back managed to keep most of the shadows attempting to strike Akane and Rui from behind off them, allowing the two frontline attackers to make good headway and even reach the black knight. In doing so, Akane wasted no time to go on the offense and struck a persona-assisted blow, even as Megumi finished her scanning and let them know exactly what the incense pot was doing - by her words, it didn't seem to be affecting this fight, but rather the one that the other group had on their hands. With Akane's initial strike making a dent, Rui took the opportunity to go for the incense - but it seemed that their initiative and luck ran out as a bustle of shadows swarmed out from behind the pot and forced Rui to retaliate whilst the knight managed to take a swing at Akane.

Immediately, Kotori's worries crept back up as she flinched at the sight - but luckily, Rui managed to get enough distance between him and the shadows to avoid any rebuttal whilst Akane managed to avoid taking a direct hit. Still, seeing how even a glancing blow could do significant damage, Kotori was rather quick to mend what had been wrought. "Kikuri-Hime, Diarama," she called, in turn enveloping Akane in a soft golden glow - though it only lasted for a moment, it seemed to seep into any wounds and restored her to full; letting Kotori breathe a little easier - she hoped that this way, even if the worst came to pass and either of the two at the front took a direct hit, they might be able to hold on for long enough for her to intervene.

However, just undoing damage was no way to win a battle - which was something Rui had already realised and thus called for a new approach; ordering both Sato and Kotori to go for a surrounding maneuver. "Right," Kotori quickly said, adding a nod, before complying - with their continued attack on the shadows, they'd managed to cut down on the number of shadows so that both the older archer and she didn't need to worry too much about being attacked by any stray shadows. Still, she didn't like the prospect of being surprised by any particularly sneaky mirror world dweller and thus still occasionally gave a wary glance about when she wasn't looking between the other three group members to make sure none of them might be getting snuck up on or taking any hits which would require her immediate aid.