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

[cleansewithfire]

[ So this feeling is not a typical experience for Sunrise, but every time she's felt watched before, it was usually not in pleasant circumstances, to say the leasy.

It's probably because of this that Sunrise is going on ahead to try heading towards the other shadowy figure without saying a word. If she's already being watched, it's already a little too late anyway, right?

(She's almost definitely going to bump into someone since she's carrying an instrument case that's longer than she is tall on her back.)

[goei]

[Yeah... Yeah she bumps into someone almost immediately. The person she bumps into shouts in alarm!!!

But this time, the person doesn't turn into a monster! Rather, this other ghoul shows up.]

HALT, IMPERIALIST SCUM!

[I think he wants to fight! On the plus side, the crowd is clearing away from the fight?]

[cleansewithfire]

[ Rip Sunrise.

She's reaching a hand up for the strap on the case she's carrying, but also, because Sunrise has to say this on account of not being 100% sure what imperialist even means: ]

But I am not?

[goei]

[He doesn't seem interested in discussing the matter!!!

He is only interested in swinging his sword at Sunrise! However he does a bad job of it and misses her completely (4).]

1/2

[cleansewithfire]

[ Oh. This is one of those times where conflict is inevitable and the only option is fighting, huh. Briefly, she wonders whether it matters if she pulls out her firewand out here where there's a crowd watching, even if it's one made up of imaginary people. She isn't sure if it'll make things worse or better at this point.

Maybe she'll save it for when there's bigger fish to fry, she supposes, especially since this one didn't even manage to land a hit on her. ]

[cleansewithfire]

[ The other thing about Sunrise is someone she respects and admires once emphasized to her, "If somebody tries to kill you, you are allowed to kill them back." She still holds to the spirit of that even when she is not using a real weapon, more so when it involves the undead.

After the ghoul misses, Sunrise slides the strap of the instrument case off her shoulder so she can use it to swing the case right into this poor bastard (16). It's a nice case, for what it's worth; made of teak wood, with the edges reinforced with metal...which also means it's pretty hefty and probably hurts like hell. ]

[beautifulknight]

[ Well, something is going on, so...

He will leap immediately into the battle and swing at this shinsengumi guy from the side. All is fair in war. (13) ]

[goei]

[The Shinsenghoulmi (trademark me because no one else would come up with a name that bad) is hit by Sunrise!!! Yeouch!!! And as he stumbles from the blow he's unable to fend off Argenti's attack either.

There's a crack as the blow connects, and his kimono sags a bit above his hakama as if some of his skeleton ribs are just sitting in there loose, detached from Argenti's blow.

He is undeterred though, if a little less steady on his feet. No, he will take another swing at Sunrise, this time much more accurate (15).]

[cleansewithfire]

[ Oh, she thinks, so this is why people usually dodge as though their lives depend on it. Which, well, she knew the logical reason for that, it's just that the gravitas of it never quite sink in when you have a nasty habit of being incapable of staying down except in very specific circumstances.

Also, it turns out that getting cut by a sword hurts a lot? She's trying to reach for where she got cut since she feels blood flowing but instead, she winces, which is an alien experience to her.

She is too distracted by the pain to make a move this turn, please help- ]

[beautifulknight]

[ Argenti immediately tries to swing at this bastard, lance coming up, but who'd have thought that for the third time in this whole game, his weapon does not make its mark (7)

It doesn't actually happen very often but when it does...it certainly does.

Though, he recognizes that isn't exactly the greatest position for Sunrise to be in, so don't mind him as he just steps in front of Sunrise to shield her at the least from a follow-up blow. ]

[fullmoonmutt]

Hey! Leave her the fuck alone!

[ Eli's been wavering about at the edges of the crowd, but once the people began clearing to give the fight some room, he made a beeline for that. Arriving just in time to see Sunrise just... stand there? And get cut? Wow. Understandably, that pisses him off.

So he dives right into the fight, striking out at the ghoul which, apparently, another mega punch (20). ]

[goei]

[He sure got punched hard! His whole entire skeleton head falls off. Gross!

Unfortunately he is still standing, though barely. With Argenti and Yi Sang shielding/healing Sunrise, the Shinsenghoulmi is going to take a swing at Eli as revenge for that big bad hit!!!

He doesn't do a good job though, and misses (7).]

[fullmoonmutt]

[ Eli's quick, easily evading the swing, and he follows up with ice-like claws forming over his fists courtesy of the hellhound flickering in and out around him as he fights (13). He'll tear at the Shinsenghoulmi with them. ]

[goei]

[Oh the shinsenghoulmi hates that!!!

So much so that he up and falls over and turns into void dust. Quick someone pick it up so we can ascend Eli.

On the other hand, everyone now feels like they are being watched even more keenly.]

catherding/dogherding/swordguardherding

[idealitas]

[ Everywhere, somewhere, and nowhere: 👀

With the Shinsenghoulmi dead, Sunrise healed, and a reward of Void Dust to power up Eli and his fantastic hit rate (or make him sneeze)... it's time to gather up. ]

Did we find more pieces of that sword guard, perchance?

[ Time to see how it all fits together! We pray it leads to further progress! ]

[beautifulknight]

I managed to find one myself, yes.

[ Argenti piping up immediately, to display his own. Time to add to the pile, fam. ]

[goei]

[When Argenti and Offscreen McGillis add the two pieces they got, the guard, now almost completed, again seems to Activate its Magnetism Powers, tugging further down the street, towards an adjoining smaller avenue.

Conveniently the shinsenghoulmi fight made most of the crowd disperse, so walking over there shouldn't be hard. Once at the next street, someone will have to scope the scene for further leads, though.]

[vogelfrei]

[ Now freed from talking to the disagreeable shadow, it is McGillis' turn to hurry back to the rest of the group. ]

Fenrir!

[ Unfortunately, his Garula is coming in from still quite far away (7 so it's not particularly good a hit.... ]

[goei]

[Lets say it just didn't hit because the shinsenghoulmi was already dust by the time the far away Garula got there!!! For his pride.]

[idealitas]

[ The other two can handle the enemy while Yi Sang tries to get to Sunshine's side to help with her injury. One Diarama should help?

There's the brief flash of a Persona resembling a large, curled-up fox before it vanishes and Sunrise feels a medium-strength heal. That might also be new to her, alongside the former pain. ]

[cleansewithfire]

[ For some reason, she finds herself wishing she could pet the fox...

Wait, she's getting further distracted, time to actually focus on the matters on hand. ]

...Thank you.

[idealitas]

[ Surprise, we had a fox-coded guy hidden among all the other canine-coded people in the city!

"what about the actual crow motif" yip yip, can't hear you.

If only Yeoubi was pettable... but for now, she should be feeling better? ]

Can you move?

[ If she wants to get back to fighting, he won't stop her. But before that. ]

Please be more mindful of attacks your way.

[cleansewithfire]

Yes. [ She tests moving her arm to make sure. ]

And I will be more mindful. ...Getting hurt is much more painful than I imagined.

[ Suddenly she understands certain people's distress for her better. ]

[fullmoonmutt]

Sunrise! You alright over there?

[ Eli has to check, even as he shakes the void dust of vanquished ghoul off of himself. ]

[cleansewithfire]

I am alright, thanks to Mr. Yi Sang. ...Thank you for helping, Mr. Eli.

[ She does feel a little embarrassed that she ended up causing quite a fuss, though. ]