2026-05-31: Trains, Treasure, and a Smattering of Shadows
- Log: Trains, Treasure, and a Smattering of Shadows
- Cast: Hyousuke Suzuki, Haruka Konno
- Where: Mementos
- OOC Date: 2026-05-31
- IC Date: Sat Nov 17
- Summary: Itching to go on another hunt, but not feeling quite well enough to do so on his own, Hyousuke calls upon Haruka to plumb the depths of Mementos. They accept, and the two descend into the dark, but something sinister awaits the pair...
(|=========================== Mementos - Entrance ============================|)
-====================================================== Tokyo/Shibuya Ward ====-
Once you enter Mementos, however you manage it, the world will transform around
you. It's subtle at first. Initially, while you remain just before the entrance
of what should be Shibuya Station's Underground Mall entrance, there's just a
soft, fractal blueness at the edge of your vision. The city itself seems normal,
but all the people are gone, and it feels like you're walking on air.
Head down the stairs and no subtlety remains. Disturbingly vein-y lines,
dark-ish and reddish, dig through the floor, walls, columns, and ceiling. A set
of turnstiles mark the bottom of the stairs at your back, and in front, there's
a set of escalators leading deeper within. Snow plays on TV screens to either
side, and past them, would-be electric maps display cracked and broken.
Those Persona Users whose outfits transform will, while they were in their
normal clothes above, find them transformed here. No Shadows lurk in the
entrance, but they can still sense your presence at this point--so this is your
last chance to turn back.
BGM: Mementos - https:''www.youtube.comwatch?v=l_Jkz_ZC9Yc
(|============================================================================|)
(|================ Monad - Mementos - Enter the Metaverse! =================|)
-==== Round 1: Crush Hour - Challenge Level 1 ===============================-
| Approach Options: Guts or Proficiency |
| Conditions: Clumsy - Proficiency Down L1 and Scary - Guts Down L1 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
How did you get here? Was it through a mysterious app on your smartphone?
Was it testing the Mementos Rumor in a bathroom mirror? Or perhaps you
simply had the daring to pull a trigger in a train station.
Whatever the case may be, you're here now.
A sickening nausea in the pit of your stomach, as you see sinew and ichor
festooning signs that make no sense, turnstiles that mark the way down
escalators to the station below.
There's a train pulled in right now, and as several listless looking human
shadows step inside, the door slams shut, before pulling away at blinding
speed, vanishing into the devouring darkness ahead.
Persona Users who have been here may have been forewarned as to what will
happen next, as the moment the train pulls away
... the escalators are flooded with Shadows descending down to the platform,
a whole mob of them. You only have seconds to expertly navigate the throng-
before you are trampled underfoot, or crushed against the platform walls by
them.
Of course, you could always do something more daring to let them know to
give you a wide berth. They're Shadows of people
Do you field the risk of harming them?
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
On any other day, Hyousuke might have plumbed the depths of Mementos himself. He knew it was terrible decision that he would no doubt have been yelled at for by no small amount of people, but they weren't there to stop him. However, Hyousuke found himself in no state to challenge that yawning chasm of a dungeon. Even days after the fight at the park - long after the effects of any conditions he'd suffered during the fray should have worn off - he found a twitching in his fingers, a tension in his muscles, and the occasional lapse of attention. It didn't happen often, and it wasn't severe enough that he thought he needed to alert anyone of it, but perhaps just that once he could call on an ally for help.
Most of them were too far away to be a practical choice for the mission, and the rest he recalled being busy with one thing or another. Whether it was true or not was another matter, but whatever the case was, it led to the first person he could contact for help turning out to be one Haruka Konno. The text had been short and simple, as his usually were:
> going treasure hunting in mementos
> you in
But they got the point across, he hoped. With them sent, he wandered off to the nearest entrance, and began his trek into the depths.
He'd been there before. He knew the signs that greeted them as they descended, and in a manner that seemed almost instinctive, Hyousuke snatched his shotgun from his back and readied it as the frenzied hordes of Shadows began to pour forth like a tide of bodies.
"Get ready to move." He murmured to Haruka, just loud enough that he was sure they could hear, just quiet enough that he was certain no others would. His was a terrible plan, and more likely to cause a panic than make any headway - he was far from the brains of the group, after all. But he was hardly fast enough to dart through, and not quite strong enough to muscle through that many bodies.
Before he had a chance to lament that he was a terrible shield and battering ram, he held his gun aloft, and fired upwards into the air. The shot rang out like thunder, and Hyousuke bellowed out a warning.
"OUT OF THE WAY!" He called, before striding forth. "TOUCH THEM OR ME, AND I'M KICKING YOU ONTO THE TRACKS!"
MONAD Hyousuke Suzuki has acted with Bravado toward Crush Hour! Bravery and Focus!
<Pose Tracker> Haruka Konno has posed.
Haruka was surprised to receive a text from Hyousuke. Not too surprised but there was a meekness to Haruka in their day to day that made them not expect such things.
They didn't really know a lot about the paranormal space yet so when Mementos was mentioned...
> ??
> Yeah of course.
Where as Hyousuke was cautious due to experience, Haruka was having fun in their witch form, cackling hideously as the Shadows began to gather. "My, my...So many of you. Fellas there's more than enough of me for all of you." Haruka's mouth curled into a sadistic smile, eyes covered by the shadows of their bangs. There hair shifted, revealing two dots that caught the light and appeared to glow momentarily.
As the Shadows gathers, one gets a little too close and is seized by Haruka's open hand. The martial artist witch lets the Shadow move until Haruka's grip tightens and locks the being's joint in a painful lock. From there, Haruka uses this shadow as a weapon, swinging the Shadow as a sort of blunt object to beat the other Shadows back. "EHAHEHEHEHE YOU REALLY DID IT NOW!"
MONAD Haruka Konno has acted with Joint Lock toward Crush Hour! Bravery and Smarts!
(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== Crush Hour - Round 1 ==================================================- Hyousuke Suzuki Guts Success Bravado Bravery and Focus Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Haruka Konno Proficiency Success Joint Lock Bravery and Smarts Fatigue: 0 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Clumsy-2 and Scary-2 Final Conditions: Clumsy-1 and Scary-1 -====================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====- -==== Reach: 16 |= | ===================================================- (|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
The blast had been enough to cause some Shadows to freeze in place, or give the purple-clad figure toting a shotgun wide berth. Busy or not, they were still people, and did not seem to be keen on the idea of tangling with someone maddened enough to wield a firearm near public transit. Their murmurs and worried whispers grew louder and more frenzied with Haruka moved to grab an unfortunate Shadow that had been too slow to move away from the invaders, and quickly found itself being used as an impromptu weapon. Needless to say, the Shadows that had not moved as a result of Hyousuke's brazen display scattered like the wind at the sight of a cackling witch swinging one of their own around like a baseball bat.
"Hey, put that guy down." Hyousuke said, pointing at her with the hand not holding the stock of his gun. He spoke with the same tone one might have used with a dog biting at something it shouldn't have. "You don't know where it's been. 'Sides, we've got places to be. They're just gonna slow us down." With that, he started forwards through the crowd again, making sure to move quickly before they came back to their senses and the rushing and crushing began once more. The depths were deep, and he would have been markedly annoyed to fail at the first hurdle.
MONAD Haruka Konno has drawn a new Challenge!
(|================ Monad - Mementos - Enter the Metaverse! =================|)
-==== Round 2: Manic Pixie Dream Horde!? - Challenge Level 1 ================-
| Approach Options: Charm or Guts |
| Conditions: Annoying - Charm Down L2, Clumsy - Proficiency Down L1, and |
| Scary - Guts Down L1 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
A plodding bulbous behemoth bursts out of the dark, the eyeholes of various
masks glittering. And upon striking you-!
It unravels, as if so many shadows were stitched together, the masks each
forming several distinct Shadows, they're-! They're!
A horde of pixies. As the violence begins, it's not too long before-
"Hey whoa! We surrender!"
"Do you feel big, bullying poor helpless little girls?"
Poor helpless little girls with access to Zio, that is.
"Why don't you just let us go, 'kay? We pretend this didn't even happen."
Hey wait a second, they attacked you! Should you really let them off that
easy? Maybe you want information, or a reward-
But you're gonna have to negotiate for that.
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Haruka Konno has posed.
Haruka pouts as they simply snap the joint and finish off the Shadow. "Fiiiiiiiiine" The whispering and creepy ambience doesn't seem to upset the witch as they begin to move after Hyousuke, taking a drag from their kiseru. The Smoke surrounds them, giving them a mysterious feeling as they move further move into Mementos.
The pair move deeper in...encountering the horde of Pixies. Their pleas make Haruka smirk. These creatures ought to know better than to beg mercy from the likes of them. Sure some of these Shadows could be beign but Haruka had a feeling that this was a set up.
After a moment, Haruka takes a drag from her pipe, leaning over and fluttering their eyes ever so slightly. "My, my...girls do you really think so lowly of me. I must seem like some sort of beautiful monster to you." Haruka talks in a seductive voice, smiling at the Faeries as they ready a spell just in case.
MONAD Haruka Konno has acted with Beautiful Moment toward Manic Pixie Dream Horde!?! Amrita!
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Masks sprang out of the dark. A teeming mass of them, each clinging to the other in a distended mish-mash of facsimile faces, each one gazing off in a different direction. Hyousuke peered quizzically at the thing through his own, blinking a little as he observed the creature, his face scrunched up as he wracked his brains.
"A bunch of masks? That's a new one. I've been down here a few times, and I've never- Whoa! Watch it!" Hyousuke barely had time to throw up a guard before he was struck. He certainly hadn't enough time to stow his gun, instead clutching to it as if to brace upon it.
"Pixies? Son of a... Why'd it have to be Pixies?" Hyousuke said, almost groaning as he readied himself for combat. he didn't seem fearful or apprehensive. In fact, he made no attempt to hide the fact that he was simply annoyed by the entire spectacle. With a quick shake of his head - partly to clear it, partly to show disapproval for the choice of opponent fate had deigned to throw their way - he charged into the fray with all the enthusiasm of a man trying to sway a fly that had been buzzing around his head.
When the violence finally came to a close, he lowered his gun, but did not stow it. It was an ever-present threat - a reminder that he could defend himself, and make himself far more trouble than he was worth. He let Haruka speak first, eyeing them curiously to see how they would handle it, and had to fight back a smirk. Having seen firsthand what they did to their supernatural opponents, part of him was inclined to let them do as they wanted. But the other part of him wanted to be home in time for his shows.
"And if you don't want to see what that monster can do, you'd better make it worth our while. Cash, info, gear - we'll take whatever you've got."
Despite the threat, Hyousuke got the feeling that he was somehow the less scary one. It was a strange day when he was the *good* cop, he thought.
MONAD Hyousuke Suzuki has acted with Brush it Off toward Manic Pixie Dream Horde!?! Friendliness and Focus!
(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== Manic Pixie Dream Horde!? - Round 2 ===================================- Hyousuke Suzuki Charm Success Brush it Off Friendliness and Focus Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Haruka Konno Charm Success Beautiful Moment Amrita Fatigue: 0 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Annoying-2, Clumsy-1, and Scary-1 Final Conditions: Annoying-1 -====================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====- -==== Reach: 26 |== | ===================================================- (|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Haruka Konno has posed.
Between Haruka and Hyousuke's charm and sway, the Faeries think twice about attacking again. One of them is just staring at Haruka's hand, which cracks it's knuckles single handedly.
"..OK! The exit is that way. Please stop and we'll go." The leader of the pixies offers while the others try to come up with something to offer the scary people. After a few moments, there is about 5,000 yen and a potion offered. The horde begins to back off slowly and hesistantly, keeping their eyes on the crazy look in Haruka's eyes.
Suddenly, Haruka's foot stomps down on the hard ground, letting out a loud thud which sends the Pixies flying panicked in any direction they can get away to.
Haruka cackles before taking a puff from their kiseru, letting the smoke tendril out before they look back to Hyousuke. "These things are so fun, aren't they? Hehahehihehe!"
MONAD Hyousuke Suzuki has drawn a new Challenge!
(|================ Monad - Mementos - Enter the Metaverse! =================|)
-==== Round 3: Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark - Challenge Level 2 ========-
| Approach Options: Academics or Guts |
| Conditions: Annoying - Charm Down L2, Curse - -1 to Group Roll (Per |
| Character), Stupor - Academics Down L1, and Terrifying - Guts Down L2 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
It's very dark on this floor.
Too dark.
Before long, one hears the heart pounding sound of chains rattling in the
dark.
RUN!
You must run, your resonance tells you that if you don't, something awful
will happen.
Find your way down, or back up - or else.
Do you try to figure out where to go quickly based on where you've already
been, or do you charge blindly ahead into the dark, in the hopes of making
it out of here alive.
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke breathed a short sigh of relief at having the pests removed, and with them gone, he holstered the gun back onto his back. His enthusiasm, while not perhaps as 'noticeable' as Haruka's, was no less evident when he nodded and offered a satisfied chuckle of his own.
"Right?" He said, canting his head towards her while he looked towards the exit, making sure it wasn't a trap before starting towards it. "This place is great. It's open any time, the upper levels are easy enough to take on your own, and you get a good payday out of it too." A payday he hoped they'd split, once they were in less dangerous environs.
The journey continued for a short while, and Hyousuke descended another floor. He wasn't sure what to expect when the darkness encroached, however. The previous floors hard hardly been the most well-lit of areas, but it wasn't just dim on that floor. The encroaching black was outright oppressive. He couldn't see his hand in front of his face for the lack of light, and that alone was enough to set him on edge. He could feel the hairs on his arms raising as his instincts pricked up, and he raised his head to the air like a hound catching a scent.
"...Do you feel that?" Hyousuke asked, holding his arm out in front of where he though Haruka probably was. It was too dark to know for certain. All he knew was that he didn't want either of them splitting up now. He couldn't see an inch past his face, but he could hear and feel with frightening, foreboding, clarity. He could her the clank and rattle of chains in the deep, growing ever closer with every second they waited. He could feel something in that darkness, stalking towards them, hunting them like they were prey. He did not know the Reaper, but he knew danger.
Hyousuke thought himself able to handle fear well. Better than most, at the very least. He had stared into horrors and Shadows and more besides, and he had roared bloody murder at the faces before raining blows upon them. He had stood firm against murderers and braved supernatural spaces for the sake of nothing more than a scrap of information. But when that *thing* charged, there was but one word on his lips.
"RUN!"
He didn't think when he grabbed Haruka's wrist. There was simply an instinct - a burning *need* - to not leave them behind to face that force of nature bearing down upon them. Heart pounding faster than his feet could against the ground, Hyousuke fled with every fibre of strength he could summon.
MONAD Hyousuke Suzuki has acted with Bravado toward Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark! Bravery and Focus!
<Pose Tracker> Haruka Konno has posed.
Haruka blinks when they arrive in the darkness. This area felt different...unsettling as very little could be seen. The witch smiles uneasily, taking a puff from their kiseru as they side eye Hyousuke. "What---"
That feeling. Overwhelming power. Something dangerous. The witch is frozen as if the beast was staring at them, locked on their prey.
The thing that shakes them out of it is Hyousuke tugging their arm, yanking them along. At first the Witch stumbles some before catching their footing and running with the delinquent. "Damnit. What is that?!" The bravado isn't as strong right now as this was something very out of Haruka's comfort zone. Their mind races as they scan the area, trying to find an exit or something to get them AWAY from here. "We need to get away!"
MONAD Haruka Konno has acted with Academics toward Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark! Base!
(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark - Round 3 ===========================- Hyousuke Suzuki Guts Success Bravado Bravery and Focus Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Haruka Konno Academics Failure Academics Base Fatigue: 1 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Annoying-1, Curse-0, Stupor-2, and Terrifying-2 Final Conditions: Stupor-1 and Terrifying-1 -================================================= Party Result: Failure ====- -==== Reach: 26 |== | ===================================================- (|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
"I don't know!" Hyousuke shouted. It was hard to pin down exactly what his voice was in that moment. Panicked? Desperate? Angered? Strained? It could have been any of them, none of them, or all at once. He did not stop to think on it. He moved purely on instinct, the hound in him showing as he dragged his hunting partner out with no more thoughts in his mind than were necessary to find the exit. But where was it? Where in the hells was that damn door, amidst the veritable ocean of black?
Whatever trance his instincts had trapped him in was broken when he felt something carve into his back. He'd felt the resonance draw near, and he'd summoned Achilles to the fore to try and block the scythe heaved towards them like a great guillotine. But it wasn't enough. It wasn't even close. The Reaper shattered Achilles with nary a thought, cleaving through the invincible general as easily as it would have through long grass, and the edge of its blade dug into Hyousuke's flesh. The cry that rang out was equal parts shock and pain - it was agony, compounded by the backlash to his mind from his Persona breaking apart in a single swing. But he had to press on - he could not fight this, and though the thought stung his mind, escape was the only option.
Hyousuke didn't know when he'd found the exit, only that he had, and had stumbled through it with his hand still latched onto Haruka's in a death grip.
"Shit..." Hyousuke breathed out, his lungs heaving. Blood seeped from the wound carved into his arm with every strained breath, but he counted himself fortunate that he was alive at all. The wound could be fixed - the flash of a skill card activating saw to that. The worst of the pain dissipated, and slowly, the wound began to knit shut, though a great gash could still be seen in the costume. He did not stop as he healed, however, choosing to move closer as a green glow enveloped his arm. "...You alright? You need healing? I can't do much, but I can keep us going. You got that potion too, don't you?"
MONAD Haruka Konno has drawn a new Challenge!
(|================ Monad - Mementos - Enter the Metaverse! =================|)
-==== Round 4: Scaredy Cat... - Challenge Level 1 ===========================-
| Approach Options: Charm or Guts |
| Conditions: Annoying - Charm Down L2, Box - Add 1 ItemMoneyGear., Scary |
| - Guts Down L1, Shuffle - Draw 1 Minor Arcana., Stupor - Academics Down |
| L1, and Terrifying - Guts Down L2 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
These Nekomata gave you some trouble, but they're on the ropes now. That's
when-
"Wait! W-Wait let's talk! You want some treasure right? Well, I know where
to find proper lockpicks."
She's standing up straighter now, "Just agree to let me go, and I'll tell
you where to find them."
The way her eyes are darting around, it's clear she's looking for an opening
to escape, or catch you off guard and redouble her assault
But maybe there's a way to play this. Maybe you can get the lockpicks and
the treasure.
Maybe.
You're either gonna have to Charm or Intimidate them into cooperating
though.
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Haruka Konno has posed.
Haruka breaths heavily as they stop finally. That was...a lot.
The witch checkes themselves for any wounds. A few scratches bleed but nothing that would prevent them from continuing on. This place was a lot more intense than the Dark Hour. More enemies and whatever THAT was.
The witch breaths heavily as they work to regain their composure. While some of it goes back to normal, Haruka can't help but feel a little freaked out. "I'm...fine...heh...Whatever that was, I'm glad it's gone." The witch winces again, nodding as they down the potion. The liquid makes the wounds feel better but does nothing about physically mending them. That might require some first aid later.
The pair go onward and to the next obstacle.
The Nekomata's pleas don't move Haruka but they do remember what they did with the Faeries before. The witch smiles seductively as they move toward the cat girl shadow. "My...my...my...You should be able to give us what we want and then you'll go on your way..Yes?" Haruka licks their lips, wetting them.
The Cat girl stares with wide eyes, noticing the fist that is forming with Haruka's free hand.
MONAD Haruka Konno has acted with Beautiful Moment toward Scaredy Cat...! Amrita!
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke noted the wounds still present on Haruka, and though the visor hid the exact direction of his eyes, the way his head tilted towards them was enough to show where he looked regardless. He paused, then looked back at them, nodding.
"We'd better get moving too. Whatever the hell that thing is, we can't fight it right now." He wanted to fight it. Every bone in his body was suffused with the desire to get into a scrap with that thing and take his revenge, ripping it apart with his bare hands. Hands which clenched tight enough to turn the knuckles white at the mere thought of it. But he wasn't a match for it - not yet, at least.
He made a mental note to redouble his training efforts... and to administer some first aid when they were out. Haruka seemed like they might need it.
The battle with the Nekomata wasn't a particularly long or gruelling one. Whether that was owed to her weakness, or Hyousuke simply not caring enough to hold back from being especially brutal after the last encounter, was unclear. Even so, he managed to stop himself from simply crushing her on the spot, and listened intently to what she had to say. He looked to Haruka when they spoke before he had a chance to, observing quietly, yet intently, letting his visor linger on them for a second or two before it turned slowly back to the Nekomata.
"You'd better listen to 'em." He said flatly, moving in to block another route of escape. he didn't doubt someone as nimble as her would be able to dart out easily, but it was more for intimidation than any practical purpose. "I watched 'em swing one of your friends around like a baseball bat. It'd be a lot less painful for you if you just coughed up the goods and got out of here."
He really wasn't sure he liked playing good cop. Punching people and threatening to punch them felt far more natural than... this.
MONAD Hyousuke Suzuki has acted with Brush it Off toward Scaredy Cat...! Friendliness and Focus!
(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== Scaredy Cat... - Round 4 ==============================================- Hyousuke Suzuki Charm Success Brush it Off Friendliness and Focus Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Haruka Konno Charm Success Beautiful Moment Amrita Fatigue: 1 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Annoying-2, Box-0, Scary-2, Shuffle: Wand-0, Stupor-1, and Terrifying-1 Final Conditions: Annoying-1 and Scary-1 -====================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====- -==== Reach: 36 |=== | ===================================================- -==== Loot So Far: ==========================================================- Items: 0, Money: 1, Gear: 1 (|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Haruka Konno has posed.
Between the charm and casual threats, the Nekomata hands over both the lockpicks and the treasure. As it is about to leave, Haruka sends a spell to finish it off, grinning at Hyousuke. "Call it pay back to whatever that thing from before was."
Haruka moves over to the treasure, noting the money and the gear. "Well, well. Looks like kitty left all its shiniest toys for us to take. EHAUEHEHEHA!!" The witch's cackle echos through Mementos as they hold a hand in front of their mouth.
MONAD Hyousuke Suzuki has drawn a new Challenge!
(|================ Monad - Mementos - Enter the Metaverse! =================|)
-==== Round 5: Eight! Eight Shiki-Ouji! - Challenge Level 2 =================-
| Approach Options: Guts or Proficiency |
| Conditions: Annoying - Charm Down L2, Boss - Add 1 Fatigue on failure., |
| Ineptitude - Proficiency Down L2, Scary - Guts Down L1, Shuffle - Draw 1 |
| Minor Arcana., and Terrifying - Guts Down L2 |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
What were twisted tunnels, are now suddenly one long, straight section of
track. You can see the station ahead already.
One problem is the numerous swarm of Shadows, each radiating power ahead.
The first one you encounter collapses into a towering Shikigami made of
animated paper.
https:''static.wikia.nocookie.netmegamitenseiimages550Shiki-Ouji_Dx2.pn
g
As does the second. Each one is a difficult fight on their own, fully
repelling physical attacks!
There's at least six more on the way! Do you go through the slog of fighting
them all one by one
or do you charge on ahead to the end in the hopes of making it before all
of them catch up to you.
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke couldn't help but eye Haruka as they let out a laugh. He'd not so much as blinked at the spell cast to dispose of the demon, only glancing sideways to make sure that the attack had hit its intended target, but that odd laughter had been enough to have him blink and tilt his head. He even canted it a little, the hound in him once more emerging - though in a far less direct or protective manner. He seemed to have shrugged it off by the time he looked towards the exit, however.
"Man, I would've just taken her out myself if I knew that was what you were gonna do." Hyousuke said, seeming more tired than anything else. The demon being disposed of didn't even register on his radar past the time they might've saved. "Could've saved us both time and just taken what we wanted."
A powerful presence awaited them on the next floor - multiple of them, he realised, as they got closer to the sources. Nowhere near that which had descended upon them in the pitch black, but imposing nonetheless. Having learnt his lesson from the Nekomata before, Hyousuke levelled his shotgun at one of the monsters standing before them. A thundercrack boomed off of the tunnel walls, a flash of orange split the dark, projectiles surged towards the target, and... nothing. Not even a scratch.
"...Shit." Was all he could say, before looking between them all. He wasn't the sharpest knife in the pack, but even he could tell that his repertoire - something that had a distinct lack of magical attacks - left him at a disadvantage.
"Damn it, this is gonna take too long." Hyousuke spat, before glancing at the tunnel's far end. Eager as he was for a fight, teeth bared in a snarl and hands clenched around the firearm, he wasn't so lost to bloodlust or rage that he'd lost *all* coherent thought. "We gotta move, or we'll be here all day."
MONAD Hyousuke Suzuki has acted with Warmup toward Eight! Eight Shiki-Ouji!! Diligence and Focus!
<Pose Tracker> Haruka Konno has posed.
Haruka simply shrugs to Hyousuke's words about finishing off the Nekomata. "True but where is the fun in that? HEHAHEHEHE"
The next floor is full of unbeatable monsters, prompting a frown from the witch. "Well..."
Haruka immediately snags one of the Shikigami. Rather than joint lock the animated paper bent, Haruka holds the arm of the paper doll straight making the creature unnaturally straight and rigid. The martial artist again uses the monster as a weapon, using it to push back the others by using the initial Shadow as a weapon. "Right...we'll keep moving and I'll rip our friend here when we're done." There was some part of Haruka that hoped these things could understand their threats.
MONAD Haruka Konno has acted with Joint Lock toward Eight! Eight Shiki-Ouji!! Bravery and Smarts!
(|============================ Monad - Results =============================|) -==== Eight! Eight Shiki-Ouji! - Round 5 ====================================- Hyousuke Suzuki Proficiency Success Warmup Diligence and Focus Fatigue: 0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Haruka Konno Proficiency Success Joint Lock Bravery and Smarts Fatigue: 1 -============================ Party Conditions: =============================- Starting Conditions: Annoying-1, Boss-0, Ineptitude-2, Scary-1, Shuffle: Sword-0, and Terrifying-2 Final Conditions: Ineptitude-1 and Terrifying-1 -====================================== Party Result: Success: Reach Up! ====- -==== Reach: 56 |=====| ===================================================- -==== Loot So Far: ==========================================================- Items: 0, Money: 1, Gear: 1 (|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
(|================ Monad - Mementos - Enter the Metaverse! =================|)
-==== Round 6: Cruel and Unusual Punishment? - Challenge Level 1 ============-
| Approach Options: None |
| Conditions: Revelation - The best result. |
-==== Challenge =============================================================-
You passed by that wall before, now you check it again.
Knock Knock.
Knock knock.
As the hollow echo greets you, it only takes a miniscule application of
force before the wall comes down.
The room is full of chests, and no Shadows, jackpot!
>You gain 20000 yen!
>You gain a Black Kogatana!
Wait what's that? Curious Well, you'd best hold onto it.
The next time one visits the Velvet Room or the Time Castle, they indicate
with enough Tarot Cards, they can place the essence of a Persona within it.
OOC Note: You have learned of an option of what to do with Tarot Cards for
non-Wild Cards. Keep track of the Tarot Cards all of you earn throughout
Monads!
Final Loot: 1 boxes of Money and 1 Pieces of Gear!
(|=========================================================== Monad 1.1 ====|)
<Pose Tracker> Hyousuke Suzuki has posed.
Hyousuke wondered if he should have been scared or relieved to find someone that seemed to have the same instincts as him. Perhaps they vocalised it in a different way, but he could not help but give a nod of respect to someone whose first instinct was to use one monster as a battering ram against another. He grinned beneath the mask as well - something Haruka might have noticed, were they to peer at the muscles shifting around his mask.
"Just leave some of 'em for me when you're done. I'm still pissed about getting chased out."
With a crack of his knuckles and a crick of his neck, Hyousuke steadied himself. he looked to the exit, sharp eyes darting between the Shadows in order to find a route through. He watched them move, still as a beast waiting for its prey. Then, when a path made itself clear and the chance arose, he started forward.
"NOW!" He shouted, before bolting into the fray. The Shikigami swung at him, using their titanic strength to try and crush him into no more than a red smear upon the ground, but none managed so much as a glancing swipe against the edge of his costume.
It had been a dangerous manoeuvrer. It had been reckless, with a thousand different ways it could have gone wrong, and vanishingly few that it could have gone right. But it had gone right, and that was all that mattered. The Shikigami were too far away to be a bother, and all that was left was to keep moving... unless, of course, a piece of the scenery grabbed his attention.
"Wait a minute, we were just here, weren't we?" He asked, peering quizzically at the wall. He tilted his head this way and that, hoping a different angle would yield an answer. Then, he knocked it.
He heard a hollow sound. He knocked harder. There was no hollow sound after that, unless one counted the crumbling of the wall echoing into the otherwise-empty air as one. Hyousuke drew his fists up into a guard, but what awaited him was about the furthest thing from a fight that one could possibly hope to see. A veritable mountain of chests and treasure awaited them - coin, gear, and everything else that Mementos offered as a bounty towards its explorers, all sitting there for the taking. Hyousuke, of course, strode in and began filling his pouches with whatever he could stuff in there.
"Don't worry, you'll get your half when we're out of here. I don't want to get another one of these because we spent too long counting out change." Hyousuke said offhandedly, as though worried his integrity was in doubt. "Now, let's see what else we've got. More money, a knife, and... cards?" He held the thing up to the light - or, at least, the closest thing to a light he could find in that dingy caricature of a subway - and turned it over in his hands. "Looks like one of those, what do you call 'em... Tarot cards? But what's it doing here?"
He looked it over once more for good measure, then slipped it into a pouch.
"I'm gonna swing by the Velvet Room later and ask 'em about it. I think I saw one of 'em playing with these things while I was there." With that, he handed over Haruka's. Another thought came to mind when he did so, however. "By the way, what was in that chest with the Nekomata back there? You get anything good?"