Bay 12 Games Forum

---

Fiacha. A quaint town in southern Cichol, this time of year. Home to the biggest trading market on the Shard, selling anything from vendor trash to custom-crafted guns smuggled all the way from the back alleys of the darkest corners of Morrigan. My partner and I are here to investigate a simple case; an open-and-shut weapon trading scam. Crafting weapons, made from low-grade materials, polishing the turd, and selling them to unsuspecting newbies like they were endgame weapons. The stats are being spoofed somehow, but we don't know how. Here in Fiacha, you got eff-en-gees digging through mounds of garbage peddled by wannabe merchants like anteaters scrabble through dirt to find the tiniest morsel of insect. But if you know where to look, in the deepest, darkest alleys, like the shadows that play at the corners of your gaze, like the darkness that lurks within the dirty souls of-

Joker. We're here. I've done some scouting ahead. The population is is mostly harmless. Only two merchants made their way into town recently. A Firbolg from Cethleann and a Diver, username Melthorion. He must be the target. How should we approach this?

Maya! I was....almost done with that monologue. Did it sound cool? I thought it sounded cool. I felt really hardboiled there, don't you think?

Joker. On task.

Alright, alright. Well, we can't just storm in there guns blazing. You said you scouted ahead? We know his usual clientele look like new accounts, right? Well, that'll be hard.

Melthorion, according to my sources, also deals in boss loot. Whatever he is using to fake the stats also fakes the descriptions. It wears off quickly, but he's usually gone by that point. If we pose as buyers, we might have an in.

Then that's our point of entry. I knew I could count on you, partner.

Don't thank me yet.

---

The simulated air of Cichol's countryside smells fresh and grassy, as the shouts of people hawking goods can be heard over the local comms.

Fiacha. Population 5,000 Firbolgs, one of the largest towns and south of Credne, hub city and capital of Cichol Shard. The town is home to several repeating quests; the local area is full of Sluaghs that need clearing to stop them from besieging the townspeople, and of course the Six Houses have their own quests in the area. The market is an open area, with vendors both Firbolg and Diver sitting in a dirt square, with anything from lavish, fully-built permanent stalls to tatty mats with rusty, low-quality objects. Along the south side, food vendors sell various delicacies; the technology of Rebel Impulse is such that, although you don't actually eat, you can definitely taste the difference between auto-cooked and manually-cooked food.

It's a sunny day, and the local newbies are surging in with their drops from repeatable quests.

What are you doing?
//Everyone may post.

For, uh, reasons....everyone who applied got in.

Sheets will be updated and the thread will be up by the end of this coming week.

-snip-

It doesn't take very long for those who follow Keiko to reach her; she turns into a side room, containing only a small desk and chair. However, unlike the mostly pristine, if old, rest of the house, the walls here are slightly cracked, and the paint peeling. Paper talismans are mounted all over the walls; those versed in Mahou realise that they are wards designed for protection from various things, from being eavesdropped upon to being seen. Keiko is in the chair, tinkering with another talisman.

"Protective wards to make sure nobody can hear us. What do you want to know?"

Pixie rushes in to try to save Rise, but more tendrils arise, swatting her away. Her bursts of wind go wide. The Akuma now occupying Daiya's form just laughs at her, before bringing Rise closer with a gesture of his fingers.

"That all you got? In that case, we'll take care of you first, Prez. You'll-"

[Now Playing: Tadano's Theme ~POLARIS~]

"Sprout forth, Momotaro!"

A greenish blur smashes into the tentacle, the distinct sound of metal being crushed by metal. In the blink of an eye, Rise finds herself not in the clutches of a deranged Akuma, but in the arms of a short person, clad in green armor overlaid over peach-pink armor, a zunari kabuto helmet and mask obscuring their face and a green visor obscuring their eyes. Across their back, a simple kanabo is slung, made of black steel and golden studs arrayed around it. However, the voice is unmistakable.

"You little-"
"I'll protect you, Koga-senpai!"

That voice belongs to Tadano Riku.

"Tada...no? Are you..."
"I don't know what this is but....I won't let him lay a finger on you!"

Riku, still holding Rise tightly, bounds off the ground, avoiding Spartoi's metal appendages. With one swift kick towards one, the young man rends it with a strike, managing to push himself towards the group. The Akuma drops Akihiko, his attention turned towards him. Riku lets Rise down gently, placing the young woman on the metal floor, before positioning himself between her and Daiya.

"I won't....let someone else fight my battles for me anymore! Kasuga, Akitsuki, Koga-senpai, I'll fight with you!"
"Goody-two-shoes little runt! You're not some kinda superhero, you know, even in that getup! Quit spouting shit like some wannabe shonen protagonist! I still got options!"

His eyes dart towards Saya, still incapacitated. If Akihiko's eyes were still visible, they'd widen. He immediately tries to pull himself to his feet, only for Daiya to stomp down hard on him, pushing him back down. The pinned Kaijin smashes his fists into Spartoi's leg, but to no avail; he's far tougher than even Saya was.

"Don't you dare touch Saya! You bastard! I'll-!"
"What, make speeches at me? Please. You don't have the balls. And I'll-"

Saya's voice suddenly pierces through the din, clearly anguished and scared.
"Get away from Akihiko! Don't you DARE hurt him! Shine down, Tsukuyomi!"

[Now Playing: Saya Battle Theme ~Lone Prayer~]
Suddenly, a burst of light knocks Daiya off his feet, sending him tumbling away, almost blinding everyone else in the room.

"What?! Two of you?! No!"

Floating an inch off the ground, in the place of Saya is her Akuma form.

No, not quite right. It resembles her Akuma form; however, her robes are blue, rather than white, the ribbons surrounding her form a soft white rather than a fierce red. The ever-shifting galaxy reflected in her visor is colored in blues and yellows, rather than harsh crimson, and a lock of blonde hair emerges from the back of her helmet. The bottom of Saya's now-spindly legs fades into a translucent field of stars. In her hand, another blast of light is readied as she floats over, helping Akihiko up.

All of you sense something; as Saya approaches, you feel more aware of the enemy's weaknesses, of the layout of the room. Something about her power seems to grant you increased insight into everything.

"Are you okay, Akkun?"
"I'm more worried about you, Saya. Are you sure you can-"
"If it's for you, Akkun, I can do anything. Please, don't worry about me."
"Saya..."

Saya -or Tsukuyomi- turns then to face Daiya.
"I'm done letting Akihiko fight his battles alone! I'll protect him too!"
"Quit the lovey-dovey shit! Shut up! Shut UP!"

Masked Onibi begin to pour into the room as Daiya pulls himself to his feet.

"You stupid people....losers while I've had to struggle here with everyone hating me, I'll make it all mine!
"The only loser here is you, ya whiny bastard. Come on, give me a fight already!"

---

The Akuma occupying -or rather, enveloping- Otoya moves towards Mori slowly.
"Get out of the way."
Shinigami raises its hand, a blast of blacker than black forming within its palm. Gawain yells.
"Sawatari! Out of the way!"

Before he can react, Mori is shoved aside, Gawain falling backwards, as the blast smashes into the wall behind them, disintegrating it entirely. Behind it, you can see Akihiko's group in the middle of fighting a different Akuma and a different group of Onibi. Tsukasa pulls himself to his feet.

"This must be the center of the Domain then. Damn."
"Well, this is all very interesting. But....I will bid you adieu."

The mysterious Kaijin waves, his cheeks clearly raising into a grin under his mask, before fading into the shadows. Tsukasa clenches his hands, tightly gripping his sword.
"I'll get that bastard later. Sakurajima, behind me!"
"Y-yes."

Robed Onibi begin to pour into the room, as Akuma and Onibi alike begin hemming the Kaijin in, back to back, with Rise and Kanna safely ensconced between the two groups of Kaijin.

As the fight begins, however, Kanna seems to lose consciousness, slumping to the floor. Rise catches her, staring at the others. Despite the desperate situation, she seems to have it relatively together.
"Handle the fight! I have Sakurajima!"

"Don't hurt Kanna. Let me save her, please."

Keiko's gaze immediately flies to Miyako.
"You've spoken to Honda? ....you must've found the Resistance, then."
She glares back at Tomoe.
"What did you do to them, huh? Did you rat them out? Sell 'em to the Empress?"
"I assure you, I did no such thing. I want out of the Curse as much as you."

She stares at Setsurou's Gnosis for a second, then back at him.
"Tsubouchi....so it's true. The prodigal son...."
"We promise, we're not here to fight you. We're trying to run away from the Empress. Promise."
"I assure you, I did no such thing. I want out of the Curse as much as you."

Keiko processes her words, her eyes still fixed on Tomoe.

After a few moments, electricity stops sparking between her fingers, and Keiko softens. She still glances at Tomoe suspiciously, but Tomoe, at least, seems to judge it safe to put her lance down.

Keiko glances back at Miyako.
"....coincidence? No."
"Don't you feel it, Tanigawa? We're bound to each other. Coincidence has nothing to do with it. It's an artificial connection. I would know. I've been hunting information down. Come with me. I found somewhere we can talk in private. I'll explain there."

Without waiting for them to acknowledge her, Keiko returns down the corridor whence she came.

Rin simply quietly nods. Kiyomaru waves, a few servants you hadn't seen before rushing into another room.
"Excellent. Dinner will be in an hour. Please, wait here. When your meal is ready, we will invite you in. I have some business I need to attend to for the moment, so I'm afraid I won't be able to attend you for now. Please, make yourselves at home."
Kiyomaru walks out of the room, as Tomoe looks around, concerned.

"Something isn't right. Tanjiro and Yukiko were here with us, but....hm. Perhaps they went off to-"

Her eyebrow props up, before she suddenly whips her lance out, parrying a spark of lightning clean out of the air. Rin jumps.
"T-Todayama!"
"Even here, you'd chase me?"

Emerging from an adjacent corridor, a young woman, pale skin against a black, flowing robe and silky, black hair, emerges, lightning sparking around her fingers. At her waist, a violet Gnosis pulses, sparking with electricity, the symbol of the god Rau faintly revolving within.

Keiko Kuroda, the Cursed Horse of the Zodiac, was standing before them.

"You should've left me alone, Boar."
"Kuroda! We aren't enemies in this!"
"You, not my enemy? As the Empress' lapdog? You're joking."

She glances around at the other Cursed.

"Yamada, Tenjuu....Mitsui, what the hell are you doing here with this Empress' pet?! Don't tell me the Empress got to you too!"
"K-Kuroda! We're here as friends! Trust us!"
"Why the hell should I believe you?"