epidemiology | EVENT ★ CRUMBLING WORLD

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EVENT ★ CRUMBLING WORLD

Are you prepared for the fight of your life? You better be.

The Oska staff and the others who are staying behind gather in the courtyard to wish the recruits luck. It's a much more formal affair than rifting out to missions usually is, with recruits casting spells on each other for luck and for strength, and still others passing around potions and elixirs for healing and stamina.

In addition to Audentes and the guests' teams, there are also a number of ex-convicts from the Asterion Prison ready to rift out as well, and familiar teams like Mariposa, Squirrel Fucker, and Unicorn. The undead catlike humanoid Pomarr stands near a brother and sister recruited from Q-65. A handful of former Zymandis agents look uncomfortable in their new purple uniforms but grimly ready for action, with Mavahari at the head of their team.

And Team Kittypaw, Audentes's big sister team, is of course ready to get their hands (and paws) dirty right alongside everyone else.

A green-skinned alien who works in the Medical Center steps forward and gives a brief statement of hope and a wish for luck. Then the recruits flagged for the rift begin to glow, the world flickers white, and it's time for the crumbling world.

THE LAND AND SKY

When the contingent of ALASTAIR teams rifts in, it's onto a series of unsteady, crumbling stretches of land. Why the land is so unsteady is quickly apparent: they are floating platforms, unused to the sudden weight of so many bodies. The platforms are so wobbly that some unlucky ones may lose their footing and actually go sliding toward the edge. This is not a soft landing by any means.

Once you get your bearings, you'll want to start toward a castle rising in the distance: the Ophiel AI still active inside the ex-Zymandis agents' jewelcomms pinpoints it as the location of the TIMELINE.exe's signal. But don't expect an easy stroll to reach it. The entire landscape is separated into floating, drifting chunks of crumbling earth, with no way to travel between them but to jump.

Making things even more difficult is the steam rolling over the platforms, obscuring the edges and reducing visibility all around. As the planet cracks apart, its surface peels back to let lava heat up the atmosphere, causing the steam and filling the air with oppressive heat and humidity. The lava occasionally burbles up into geysers, so be careful when jumping from platform to platform, and make sure you time it right.

Patrolling some of the larger platforms are Zymandis robot guards. If you avoid the large platforms and take advantage of the camouflage provided by the steam, you might be able to avoid the robots . . . but if the steam clears, look out: they're equipped with laser weapons and can rocket boost short distances to whatever platform you may be hiding on. And not only is their close proximity bad for you, but their extra weight is bad for the already-fragile platforms.

Make it past all these obstacles -- the platforms, the steam, the lava, the robots -- and you'll find the biggest platform where the castle sits, itself a crumbling mass of stone.

THE CASTLE

The castle is made of dark and brittle stone, and is palpably thrumming with magic and electricity, like a dark twin to Oska's own castle. It's situated on a platform floating high above the others, fortuitously far enough from the lava below that there's a respite from the humidity and heat. But this far up in the sky, the opposite appears to be the problem: the wind is cold and biting, threatening to push anyone right off the ledge. Best push on into the castle itself.

Just beyond the massive gated door is the grand hall of the castle, though in its crumbling state, it's objectively not very grand at all. Elaborate stained glass windows once filled the walls and ceiling, most of the panes now on the ground in jagged piles of glass alongside stone rubble. It's probably best not to stand in one place for too long -- you never know when some other structure in the castle will collapse.

Some time may be spent exploring the grand hall before moving on, though there's not much to find. A rusted halberd here, a pile of useless debris there. The Ophiel AI urges everyone to move on to find the TIMELINE.exe, but there's suddenly a noticeable chill in the air and from the staircase descends a trio of white-robed figures.

The figures are spirit wizards, Ophiel quickly explains; they have no physical body but are instead formed by pure spiritual energy. As long as one lives, they will keep reforming as three, so all of them will need to be taken out all at once. Physical attacks won't be very effective against beings without a physical form, Ophiel continues; burn them away with magic and the elements and you might stand a chance.

The spirit wizards can fling people about with wind magic, electrocute with lightning magic, and engulf anything in flames. Lacking a physical form, they can also teleport, so protecting one another is an important strategy to survive the battle.

The other teams are all practiced warriors in one way or another, but with so many people in one place, all fighting the same enemy, some organization is called for before it becomes an all-out catastrophe. The castle, after all, can only withstand so much accidental fire before it's game over.

OOC NOTES

Welcome to the last mission of the season! This log will ICly last three hours, with the next log picking up immediately afterward. If you have any questions about this log, please direct them to the dossier.

Because this log is going up near the end of the month, you may use threads started in October for November AC, provided you don't use the same thread for October AC as well.

NOTE: November is the last month for AC Bonus Bank! The Bonus Bank will close on December 5th, 23:59 UTC. To celebrate the finale, we are removing the coin cap, meaning you can submit more than 100 coins with no upper limit. Coin balances will not transfer to Season 2.

If you have questions about the game in general, please use the game FAQ.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[A shame, he actually does enjoy Joker's wit. What he enjoys more, though, is the sound of an enemy collapsing to the ground. He can almost hear Oracle's comments, praising each of them on their contributions...not that he misses it, of course. It's just hard not to think about it while fighting alongside Joker again.]

Not for long. Now, Loki!

[One thing about summoning Personas: it requires a certain amount of focus, and leaves just that short second while your attention isn't on your defense. Shadows can't react quickly enough to capitalize on this, but robots? They can. It's in that brief moment of the actual summoning that the last drone launches an attack, one that Akechi certainly won't be able to react to in time.]

Edited 2017-11-06 17:33 (UTC)

[shit]

[it's instinct at this point. it comes from months upon months of cultivating his fighting prowess in Mementos and other Palaces. Joker always has his eyes on the entire battlefield, not just parts of it, because as leader? he had to. so when that robot trains its laser gun on Akechi, blue energy gathering at the end to signal another attack, Joker reacts]

Get down!

[he's there in an instant, slamming his shoulder against Akehchi's-- against Crow's-- to knock him out of the way of the assault. but when the sentry releases that explosion of energy, he can't help but think, a bit dimply, that perhaps he should have tackled him to the ground instead of just shoved him out of the way]

[the laser hits him square in the chest, the force of the blow sending him flying. it feels like being punched with a sledgehammer, honestly. he lands on the ground a few feet away, skidding across dirt and rock]

[he doesn't get up]

[He stumbles to the side as Joker crashes into him, mask re-forming from bits of flame before it could even properly manifest into Loki. The next thing he knows, the other Wildcard is sliding across the platform. And going limp.

Joker saved him, and now his reward is to lie unconscious in an environment that could well kill him just for being non-responsive. Why? It makes no sense, and his inability to understand infuriates him...or, at least, that's what he tells himself is the source of his rage as another Brave Blade tears through the last drone.

Immediately, he turns to scan the area. That was all of them that were close enough to spot them, good. Switching Personas is almost effortless, almost like switching trains of thought. Casting Samarecarm takes a bit more effort, but it's a skill worth the mental fatigue as it erases every last wound, every trace of physical exhaustion, from the unconscious Persona user.

When Joker wakes up, he'll see a swirl of blue flame as Robin Hood transforms into the familiar tengu mask of Crow's, that complements the red cape of his current outfit perfectly. And Akechi does not look pleased with him.]

I knew you were an idiot, but what were you thinking doing something like that?

[he awakes with a gasp, a sharp inhale of breath as consciousness snaps suddenly back into focus. thankfully, the effects of Samarecarm tend to bypass the usual disorientation that might affect someone who was knocked out for any period of time. . . so as soon as he feels mobility in his muscles again, Joker pushes himself to his feet, hand darting to his mask. after all, the last thing he remembers is taking a hit for an enemy, and--]

[and. . ]

[instead of a robot? he's met with blue fire and a sharp, red mask. one that he hasn't seen for quite some time]

Ah. . .

[he blinks, and his arm falls limply to his side]

Does the nose ever get in the way? Like. . . it is pretty long.

[SAID. LIGHTLY. JOKINGLY. that's not an answer??]

[Really? Is this really what we're going with? First Noir's comment about poking, now this...why must people pick on his mask?

Congratulations, Joker, you've gotten him to facepalm.]

I would ask if your thick skull ever got in the way, but I think the evidence is obvious. You do realize how hard it would have been to get you out of here alive if Robin Hood didn't have Samarecarm, right? And how it would have looked to your friend if I'd come back and said you'd gotten yourself knocked out in a dangerous area while trying to protect me?

[LOOK THIS IS THE PERFECT TIME FOR A TERRIBLE JOKE AND A NON-SEQUITUR!! he takes Akechi's tongue-lashing without a change in his expression, and when it's over? he totally ignores the actual point of this scolding and decides to focus on something else instead]

-- Robin Hood knows Samarecarm?

[HUH. . . that's interesting. up until now, Robin Hood wasn't exactly known for having healing abilities. . .]

He learned it after our fight with Sae-san's Shadow.

[The twitch of his lips shows he understands the irony of getting an ability he can't even use on himself just as he was about to betray the only team he'd ever fought with.]

But thank you for pointing out just how stupid it was to get yourself knocked out protecting me by bringing up the fact that there was no chance for you to find out I had that spell.

[. . .]

[yeah, that is pretty ironic. both of Joker's brows shoot up, and the look he's giving Akechi right now? it's pretty knowing]

Look on the bright side, Crow.

[brushes past him, one hand slipping into his pocket, while the other travels up to his mask. the use of that name is very, very purposeful]

Now I know you have it.

[he isn't denying that action being stupid and reckless, nor is he denying that he took a big risk without knowing what could've happened to him. but. . . you know. protags don't need reasons to protect people]

[don't mind him as he quickly summons Ishtar to cast a Mediarahan on them both, either. just in case]

[Hearing that codename, he immediately tenses. Even when the Mediarahan washes over him (and he feels better than he had even when he came here, thanks to Dia helping with the fatigue of overusing physical attacks what still feels like it was only a couple days ago), he doesn't relax.]

I'm not Crow anymore. That was just my code name when I was pretending to be one of you, remember? And since you know all of that was a lie, you should also realize that I wouldn't have any reason to help if you get yourself knocked out for reasons that aren't related to me.

[It's a lie, and he knows it. He can feel their rank 10 bond as well as Joker can, the one person he would gladly take a bullet for to keep alive...despite the earlier murder attempts. But he has to tell himself he doesn't care, or else that burned bridge will keep torturing him.]

[glances over his shoulder to stare at him, expression neutral. there's something about that stare. . . something sharp, something that seems to see right through Akechi's stubborn bravado]

[another shrug]

Akechi, then.

[and turns away to face another floating platform]

Shall we get moving before they call for more backup?

[He stubbornly ignores the part of himself that appreciated being called Crow. Crow stopped existing when he turned the Thieves over to the police and let Joker get captured.

At the question, he turns to face the same platform and nods.]

They're more perceptive than Shadows. They noticed my movement through partial cover.

[Hope you weren't expecting him to wait for you to take the lead, Joker, since he's already bounding to the next platform. ...He has to admit to himself, he kind of missed the feel of his Robin Hood outfit's cape swishing behind him as he leaps.]

[he has a reply prepared for that-- well, we don't have the power of cognition on our side this time around-- but Akechi's gone before he can say it. he hesitates for a moment, mumbling something quietly to himself. . .]

Sometimes I wonder if your greatest enemy right now is actually yourself. . .

[before he gets a running start, and follows him across the platforms]

[ It's damn frustrating being separated from the one ally he's most used to fighting alongside -- not that there's not that mutual trust? They can both fight, after all! Of course... right now??

There's a much bigger series of emotions swarming him as he's finally breaking away from his own fighting and rushing over: "HOLY SHIT??" about sums it up, to be honest, but there's also the more prominent sinking, cold sensation that's lingering.

In spite of his best friend having been immediately... healed(????????) by... Crow... there's still the fact that Joker had been KOed and...

God... damn... is he so many layers of relieved and frustrated and RELIEVED... and... ] Holy shit...???

[ That's the first thing out of his mouth as he finally manages to catch up. ] I thought-!! You, uh...

[ He's just... a little out of breath for reasons listed above?? But... hi. He's going to be following along, eyes darting between Joker and Crow. ] You're-... I'm really glad you're... okay...

[ ... ] ... but... how did he-...?

[ STARING AFTER CROW... ]

[Joker stands up swiftly after his landing, watching Crow move further and further ahead, before he gives his head a small shake and turns to face Skull. the holy shit that tumbles from his teammate's mouth almost immediately is a good tone-setter for the conversation, and sheepishly? the leader of the Phantom Thieves rubs the back of his neck as his mouth twitches into an apologetic smile]

[yyyyeah, sorry about scaring you there for a moment, buddy]

Samarecarm.

[a one word answer is all he needs, before he walks over and drops his gloved hand on Skull's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze]

I'm okay. It was no different than when you get knocked out during fights.

[except it has literally never happened to Joker before today]

[ Ah.

Of course.

That answers... everything... about this situation. (Well, it does answer the more important question for now; he'll question why and how Akechi has that later?)

He stares. YEAH. HE... DOESN'T RECALL JOKER EVER HAVING BEEN KNOCKED OUT?? It was always one of the team members taking that deadly blow for him, so! ] You say that like you've been knocked out before, man...

[ A groan... ] Well... as long as one of us can bring you back, that's all that matters to me...

[ Pride doesn't honestly matter when it comes to Joker's safety, so he shakes his head and glances in the direction Crow headed off in. ] Guess that guy's just gonna do his own thing, in the end...

[ A bit of a sour face is made, but he looks back to Joker with a faintly exasperated smile for a moment... and then it quickly shift into a grin. ] Anyway...

[ He's glancing back towards the lone Persona user. ] ... we just gonna let him get away like that?

[ Hey... he's down for showing the guy ~~the power of friendship???? or something~~ that they're no pushovers that'll stand back and let him... steal the show? Look, all that matters is that it's known it has totally... completely... nothing to do with wanting to keep an eye on him at all!!!

... Yeah, okay, so he wants to keep an eye on this guy. At the very least, can't let the idiot go off and get himself killed, sheesh. ]

[. . . his gaze flickers from Ryuji, towards Crow in the distance, and a small sigh escapes his lips]

Yeah. I think he is.

[which isn't bad, he doesn't think. it'll be good for Akechi to get out there, meet new people, make actual friends. but it does bring back small pangs of guilt, small pangs of frustration. the bridge between Akira and Akechi certainly can't be crossed that easily. as much as he wants them to be able to work together seamlessly, now that they really are on the same side]

Well, anyway. . .!

[he links his hands together, stretching his arms above his head]

Let's catch up. Can't let the guy one-up us, can we?

[aka: yeah, they need to go after him. at the very least to keep an eye on him. at the very most to prove to him that their offering of an olive branch was sincere]

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EVENT ★ CRUMBLING WORLD

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