i will burn my dread

[miseris_socios]

Who: Everyone!
What: Welcome to the Dark Hour!
Where: In the Strega warehouse.
Warnings: Possible blood and gore, Persona 3/general SMT-level disturbing topics, possible violence (knowing this group). Will edit if needed.


[When he first wakes up, Ken finds himself lying on a bed. That in itself isn't so unfamiliar, but this one has dents where it should, the shape of a small body pressed into it over weeks and months, and the sheets are soft and scratchy in just the right places and -]

[Oh no. He sits up and pulls himself out of bed, reaching almost automatically for Koromaru but... he's not there. Of course not. He'd been expecting the Tower, but this is worse, because they're not here because this is his Heart, not theirs, and because -]

[No. He has to think of what to do. He grabs the dangpa that Shinjiro made him and the copy of Gae Buidhe that Diarmuid gave him, strapping them onto his back. He needs to stay defended in this place, no matter what - the last Heart taught him that much.]

[The familiar pressure of the Dark Hour doesn't bother him, but it's worrying. It should be gone now. They won. It's over. Even in his Heart, it shouldn't be around. But it is, and there's a brief flare of panic before -]

[No. He needs to get going. The puzzles aren't going to find themselves.]

Comments

[800isenough]

[...wow indeed. But Liao's expression does not even flicker, maintaining a stoic, distrustful air about him.]

...and what do you have to gain from helping us? Is it not your aim to see us suffer for your entertainment?

[patchworkcat]

I like you. Don't say I don't do things for people I like. Mweehee!

[800isenough]

...then answer me this then.

[He takes a step forward. Not threateningly, but to establish that he isn't afraid of the cat at all.]

What did you take from me?

[patchworkcat]

A memory. Somethin' important, obviously. I won't go into details--you'll just have to find it!

[ He'll shrug broadly. He doesn't mind saying what he stole, not really. Details are what's off limits. Still, he'll snicker. ]

...I will say that whatever I steal, it's always gonna hurt when ya get it back.

[800isenough]

A memory--?

[He's about to search his mind, trying to find gaps in between that could pinpoint him to what's missing...but it strikes him then that he wouldn't even realise it was a gap in the first place.

He scowls at the Cat, but grudgingly, he knows that the Cat's at least given him a warning on what to expect. At the least, he needs to acknowledge that. So he takes a step back, restraining his anger. But it simmers underneath the calm and cool.]

Whatever your diabolical plans are, I won't be a victim to them. I will find this key and I will return home with my memory.

[patchworkcat]

I just do what I'm told, really. Those "plans" are all God's plans.

[ The cat will shrug, closing the red eye with a wide grin. Like it doesn't matter. Maybe it doesn't. ]

[800isenough]

[And before Liao can say anything to that, there's a faint clink of chains echoing down the staircase, accompanied with a strong blast of malevolence. Liao immediately stops and turns to face the dark entrance towards the upper floors. He's not afraid, but his body is already warning him that he either needs to grab a weapon from one of those chests he'd found along the way up and make a strong but risky stand...or he needs to run, because this presence is far stronger than anything he's faced before.

Another clank of chains, and Liao immediately pumps his legs into action. He had been reluctant to take up a weapon, unsure what it would do to Ken's heart if he did...but it seems he doesn't have a choice now. Sprinting back into the labyrinth, twisting corridors and passageways spilling out and dragging him deeper into Tartarus.]

[worldkeys]

[ This was what The Reaper had been looking for. Completely incapable of reading the atmosphere of a conversation, the monster spills into the halls, it's gigantic barreled-gun shooting at Liao the moment it locks eyes on him. For something without legs, simply floating with an odd bloody mask (that would remind one of those who ended up hung), it sure does move quickly.

It has intent. Whether that intent is to kill him or do something else is hard to say. Oddly, it doesn't seem to even notice the Cheshire Cat's presence. ]

[800isenough]

[Rood much Reaper.

Liao doesn't really get a good look at him, nor does he really have the time to. He rounds a corner and literally feels chips and chunks of the wall sent flying from the impact of the creature's weapon. Having never seen a gun, the closest equivalent he can think off is that the Reaper's carrying a mini-catapult with it; not good.

But that being said, Liao's not exactly a slow-poke either. And if there's any tactic he excels in...it's surprise raids. Quick and short attacks, hitting the enemy the least where they expect it and getting out before they have the time to regroup. That experience is definitely going to help him out tremendously here.

He spies an open chest and grabs the handle of a short sword while still running on his feet. The next chest he picks up a dagger on the go, and the last one he strikes gold: a hand axe, similar enough to one of his twin axes at home. Turning a sharp corner, Liao feels his heart beat pick up; even more twists and turns, but there were far more junctions here then before, far more corners for him to duck and weave his way through.

This, he can work with. He immediately throws himself inside the convoluted passageways, taking careful note to notch each corner he passes with a sharp slash of the dagger against stone. Perhaps he's marking a way back, but at the same time he's also giving the Reaper hints on where he's going. Still, he needs to outrun or at least cause the Reaper to lose sight of him for three turns. Can he do it?]

[worldkeys]

[ Laio gambit is successful. The Reaper loses sight of him briefly for the period he wants exactly; you can probably still hear the rattling scraping chains and the sound of a firing gun.

The creature seems to still be attempting to find him, however, once it loses sight of him, it will instead park itself at an intersection, looking in each direction for him. ]

[800isenough]

[There's a loud chink sounding down a nearby intersection! Similar enough to the sounds of Liao striking the walls during the mad chase earlier to leave a notch there.]

[worldkeys]

[ The beast will hear this and lurch in that direction after him. It seems hellbent to try to get him. ]

[800isenough]

[Well SURPRISE MOTHERFUCKER!! There's no Liao down that corridor! Instead, there's that dagger he grabbed earlier, still quivering from the force of being flung at the wall so hard that it's embedded in the stone.

And thanks for exposing your back! Because SURPRISE RAID MOTHERFUCKER!! Or rather, it's a potshot with Liao hurling that short sword he grabbed earlier at the back of the creature's head, sharp end aimed to split the skull, if it had one. He was hiding behind a different intersection, just two turns down, and was waiting for the creature to announce its presence!

But his intention, although the blow is by right a killing one if the Reaper were a normal human. Hoping that the short sword would serve as a distraction at the very least, he's already sprinting backwards and retracing his previous footsteps, following the notches back to the entrance of the labyrinth!]

[worldkeys]

[ The attack lands. Unfortunately, given The Reaper is a force of Death itself, and therefore undead, it does little more than slow it down. The Reaper has to spend some time picking the weapon out of its... er... bleeding head-sack (you don't want to know what's in there, trust us), and it has decided it has had quite enough of this.

It figures he must be headed one of two ways--down or up. It has realized by now you made some nicks in the lovely Thebel walls, by the by, Liao, and is going to follow them try to follow you at a much accelerated pace, this time. Large beams of light and strange spell circles coupled with slips of paper will begin to appear just behind him on the floor. If this hits, it's going to knock him out instantly. ... Let's hope he finds the stairs soon. ]

[800isenough]

[Oh come on, give him a break here! What use is a warrior of the Three Kingdoms if he can't hack and slash his way through his enemies?

But fine, whatever. The distraction worked long enough for Liao to reach the foot of the stairs, just narrowly avoiding the column of light behind him. Although it's irritating that he can't take down his opponent, this threat has got his blood pumping and the adrenaline flowing. Relishing the thrill of a dangerous situation, he feels the most alive he's been since he's entered the Alice Worlds, and that's good enough fuel to have him tearing up at the staircase.]

[worldkeys]

[ Now there's the ever-important question of which way they're going, isn't there? Once he makes it fully down the stairs, if he's heading up them, to the Infirmary, the Reaper's pursuit of him will cease.

But if he ends up on another Tartarus floor, no such thing will happen. It will not follow him down the stairs in that event, instead choosing to manifest inside the next Floor somewhere, as if placed there by magic. Which, well, it was. ]

[800isenough]

[Good lord no more of Tartarus please. He can bear that heavy oppressive atmosphere? But he'd rather not. Up to the infirmary it is to bring back the Cat's clue to the group.]

[worldkeys]

[ The Reaper will continue to prowl the lower floors looking for any remaining stragglers.

Liao has chosen wisely. ]