IZOU'S PALACE

[goei]

KYOTO BAKUMATSU PALACE
You find yourself in historical Kyoto at night. The city is shadowy and beautiful, elegant but hostile. It's a sophisticated city, but you don't belong there and it knows it. Everyone knows it. You are being watched.

Worst of all, a terrible demon haunts the streets of this powerful capital city.

Eli Walsh, Kirumi Tojo, Still Sunrise, Argenti, Yi Sang, Celeste, Mafuyu Asahina, and McGillis Fareed, do you dare journey into hell?

 

♪♪♪

Comments

[cirquedesang]

[Un(?)fortunately, he doesn't actually feel like he's intruding at all. In fact, he waits a biiiiit longer (for maximum jumpscare potential) before actually speaking up and interrupting them.]

So daring! Especially with rumors of demons about.

[goei]

[Celeste you got one of them problems disorder. Also I'm imagining him in that pose waiting to jumpscare the couple.

Which he does!!! They are very startled and embarrassed at being interrupted!!! They are going to try and rush past Celeste to avoid him. Does he let them or try to stop them?

Either way, startling the couple has now inflicted Celeste with the sensation of being watched!!]

[cirquedesang]

[...I mean kind of. Just as chinhands, not as pretzel.

And it's 0% better that he was watching for the spook moment and not to be a creep about the canoodling, I know this as well.

Regardless, he will try to stop one of them, because he figures stopping one will stop them both!! And tbh being watched is fine and normal, he'll barely notice that sensation.]

[goei]

[He happens to grab the woman, who shrieks!!

And then turns into a TERRIBLE MONSTER

CONGRATULATIONS CELESTE YOU'VE TRIGGERED THE FIRST ENEMY ENCOUNTER.

She swings her naginata at his head but just barely misses (10).]

[cirquedesang]

[!!!!!]

[Well, he was certainly not expecting that, and it's only by some sheer stroke of luck that he hits the deck in time for her to miss.

He does realize doing that is kind of a compromising position, so he fires off an Eiga (8) while jumping back to his feet. Partly as a distraction, but hey, if it manages to hit at least a little bit that'd be a bonus.]

[goei]

[The monster lady similarly dodges his attack!!

She then moves back, away from Celeste to try and fire at him with her bow but.... misses again (2). Great fight so far, guys.]

[cirquedesang]

[Honestly, he'd rather be in bow-range than naginata-range, especially considering she'd aimed! At his head! The first time! Unfortunately, he doesn't have a ranged weapon of his own, so he'll just be trying another Eiga (13), because at least spells can be fired off from a distance.

Will he regret this energy spend later? Maybe. That's a problem for later-Celeste.]

[beathollow]

--Celeste!

( where did she come from...?

regardless, she's casting tarunda on the monster to lower her attack! )

[goei]

[Teamwork!!! This eiga hits and because I personally think it's funny, one of her arms falls off, but it's the one holding a pipe so it doesn't change much attackwise.

That said she is now weaker thanks to Mafuyu and also she rolled a 1 so instead of even trying to attack she is distracted by the arm that fell off. Whoops.]

[cirquedesang]

Mafuyu?? Stay back.

[Where did she come from??

Anyway, with her involved now, he's not especially willing to let there be arrows flying willy nilly anymore, so considering we're now very aware that the monster's arms can just, you know, fall off, he's going to run back in and try to tangle up her bow arm in his whip - and hope that a good yank (15) will get that one off, too.]

[beathollow]

Mm. Are you hurt...?

( regardless, up next is marakakuja to boost their defenses! )

[goei]

[It does come off with a satisfying pop, like ripping a doll arm out of it's socket (because that's what she basically is.

In retaliation, she tries to hit Celeste with her naginata, but even without the defense boost, the angle is bad and she's not able to hit him (8).]

[cirquedesang]

[At least doll arms don't make fountains of blood in front of tiny nieces.

But the mid-range weapon lyfe is hard, because he really can't get a good angle on her, either (2), and ends up having to retreat a bit instead of getting another solid hit in.]

I'm not hurt. [...Yet.] So make sure you don't get hurt, either.

[beathollow]

I will.

( mafuyu aims her arrow and fires- 19. )

[goei]

[Celeste does miss!!! But in the process of avoiding him the monstruous doll woman doesn't see Mafuyu's attack coming, and is hit directly by the arrow!!!

She shrieks again as her other two arms fall off, before the rest of her comes to pieces and falls to the ground.

And then turns into void dust. Victory!!!]

[cirquedesang]

[Victory!! After making sure she's really final-dead (aka has dissipated entirely into dust), he'll go to Mafuyu and! Give her a little twirl!]

Look at you, you did it~

[beathollow]

Oh-

( t. twirl? she hasn't...she's not sure anyone's ever done that to her before. she doesn't dislike it, though...

notably, she is holding his hand. )

Mm. I did.

[cirquedesang]

[Look, she deserves a minute to decompress after showing up and getting in a little tussle! And she did get the final shot in, so! Praise!

And holding her hand, of course.]

What are you doing here, though?

[It's? Dangerous??]

[beathollow]

( mafuyu just shrugs. )

I showed up here with all the others. Something like this happened yesterday, too- it's like a part of the Nekiya took one of us and morphed itself to reflect them and their own hearts. With Audrey yesterday we had to navigate through the core of her... um. Trauma, and then defeat her shadow.

With the evidence found so far, I think this place is from Okada Izou.