3821/P:WTWM - Cat People

P:WTWM - Cat People
Date of Scene:	17 February 2016
Location:	Alberichstadt <P:WTWM>
Synopsis:	A tank-wearing, cannon-wielding, swordfighting Shadow challenges the party to a battle, and proves to be much more than expected.
Cast of Characters:	August Kohler, Damita Stark, 915, 920, 908, 936, Kotone Yamakawa, 604
Tinyplot:	Persona: Were the World Mine-1

---

August Kohler has posed:
In Alberichstadt, it's a normal, quiet evening. People are getting off work, students are either heading for dinner or their dorms, and the sun is setting. However, for those in the know, those who have completed the Woodsman's Gauntlet and seen the truth of the world, things are not quiet. The mirrors are restless. They are tinted red, and reflecting shadows that are anguished and bloody, throbbing against the glass. This is not like when Alexis, a student at Drachenblatt Academy, was kidnapped, but more like when they met the Apprentice, who turned out to be a student at Drachenblatt who failed the Gauntlet. The mirror is identical here as it was then, and that begs the question of exactly what is happening to cause this.

Inside the Mirror Forest itself, it is incredibly easy to figure out where the commotion is coming from. Noises echo down into the glassy woods, and the shadows that usually hide in the trees avoid this path at all costs. The exact nature of these noises can't be divined yet, but it should be easier to figure out once you're closer to the source.

Deeper in the woods, another clearing forms. Several fallen 'logs' of solid glass, sharpened painfully, litter the area, and trees surround it on all sides. Near the back is two paths leading into other parts of the forest, but that doesn't seem to quite be important. What is, is the fact that it seems there are two Shadows facing each other, glaring at one another almost angrily. One stands near the left path, a large duck-like Shadow with the golden eyes, a tattered cloak, and a tiny crown atop its head. Small, weak Shadows lie inside its feathers and under its feet, almost as if they are clinging onto the bigger one. It seems to be almost frustrated with the other Shadow, as it stands its guard defensively, holding up one of the smaller Shadows as a shield in its wing.

Meanwhile, across from it, is a positively HUGE Shadow. It stands at no less than ten feet, and has to look down to even face the duck Shadow. Its entire body is covered in heavy armor, but it seems to have no effect on the Shadow, who turns and shifts as if it isn't even there. On closer analysis, the armor actually heavily resembles a tank; two treads pressed next to each other on its back, and a large prominent chest like the turrent on a tank, minus the cannon, which it would seem that the Shadow is using as a very long sword. It has a solid, faceless helmet, and a pair of gauntlets and boots. The boots are the most diverse thing in the outfit; they're red and very fancy, almost regal, with a lord-like air to them.

As the two Shadows get closer into view, it is much easier to tell what the noises are. The Duck King is constantly backing away from the Armor Knight, as it would seem that the Armor Knight is...talking to him! It's in perfect German, but the exact words are hard to make out, with words like 'no' and 'you' being the most discernible. It would seem they're having some sort of...argument?

But whatever they're arguing about is impossible to find out, because as people get closer, the Armor Knight suddenly detects them, and turns his head towards the group. Using this distraction to its advantage, the Duck King grabs its mini-Shadows, and flees down the path. The Armor Knight simply laughs, before turning back to the group, and speaking. Almost moving into a defensive position. His voice is rough and scratchy, but definitely masculine. "Ah! You! It's you! ...Who are you? No matter! You're here now, and that's all that matters! I was waiting for something like this to happen, because if you are here, and you are not dead, you must be strong! Which means, I will need to kill you! Oh, how delightful that will be!" But the Armor Knight does not move. He shifts his cannon-sword in his hand, and waits. For something. Is he giving the others the first move? Is he seeing if they WILL attack, so that he can determine what to do next? Whatever it is, with that helmet on, it's hard to tell exactly WHAT he is thinking.

Damita Stark has posed:
     Damita had been quietly aware of the mirror for awhile. Her own is very small, the compact best for viewing rather than climbing; but it gets bad and worrisome enough, that, at one point, she pokes her head in her parents' room, announces she'll be back in a few hours, then head right back upstairs to her bedroom with the attached bathroom, making a pitstop for her archery gear, before she continues on. Once in the bathroom, she promptly clambers through the mirror, landing in the Mirrored Forest more easily than she did to start.

     Once in there, Damita pulls on her gloves and bracers, settling herself into her archer's gear and even pulling an arrow out oif the quiver before she darts her way through the area, eventually meeting up with the rest of the group facing the Armor Knight.

     "Uh... huh. This is... weird."

     That's an understatement. She shrugs and notches her arrow nonetheless, waiting.

Ira MacNally (915) has posed:
    Sadly, Ira missed the excusion into the mirrors to handle the Apprentice. All she saw was the aftermath-a whole lot of depressed people terrified of the Mirror World. Privately, it disgusted her a little bit. So when the opportunity to take on a second incident arose, Ira was absolutely -certain- to be present for it.

    Today she's brought along a baseball bat with her. It's possibly the same baseball bat that she fought Janine with a month or so ago. It seems like it's in perfectly fine condition.

    She takes point as they walk through the forest, their group eventually attracted by the words of an argument and sounds of a struggle of some kind. Although the tank shadow is absolutely /huge/, Ira doesn't balk the least bit at its appearance, in fact puffing herself up as if to make herself look larger. The posturing only /worsens/ as the Shadow speaks to them, gleefully calling them 'strong' and claiming that it would need to kill them now.

    In fact, Ira laughs. "Oh, you think you're gonna kill me, huh, Shadow? You're going to be really disappointed. I /am/ strong! And because of that, you /won't/ be able to kill me!" Ira holds up a clenched fist, peering at the shiny, mirrored lighter she has in her hand, that eye contact drawing forth her own persona, "BEAST!"

    If other people here (such as Gudako) were expecting a measure of the god's power from Lyner's world to be retained, they may be disappointed to find that it doesn't seem to have manifested in the Beast's appearance like last time. He looks as he 'normally' does, a great gorilla-boar monster stuffed awkwardly in the finery of a prince, minus shoes and gloves. Both persona and user charge /directly/ at the Armor Knight, the Beast swinging his ham-sized fists, Ira swinging her baseball bat at its tough body.

Kazimir Volkov (920) has posed:
Kohler is out of commission, the erstwhile default head of the investigation team snoozing away. This leaves someone else to take the lead. Someone like Kazimir Volkov. He's standing in the clearing, snapping the watch in his hand open and closed. He's put out the word, and now he's in the forest, picking over the spreading debris. This is not going to be a pleasant experience, judging from the shattered glassy branches.

He looks up at the situation unfolding before him with an irritated expression. He may as well be saying it out loud, because every part of him is saying it for him: He doesn't have time for this.

He doesn't really argue with Ira punches forward and takes that tank's taunt directly... but the Duck King is not ignored. Kazmir looks to the other Shadow, the curious creature there a sample of the fantastic creations that seem to emerge from the Mirror Forest... But they're fleeing in the incipient battle.

Good enough. One problem at a time.

He turns to the Armor Knight, and looks down into his watch, viewing his reflection in the polished silver interior... Which shifts. "Koschei. Come out." He says, licking blue light roiling around him and exploding outwards. Chains erupt from the distance, a chill wind screaming through the trees as the decrepit, nigh-skeletal man manifests from the recesses of his consciousness, the rime-choked moustache and beard flying in the air. His recessed eyes burn with a terrible light, his brow surmounted with a pitted, rusty Iron crown affixed to his head... The rest, however, is obscured within the writhing mass of black steel chains that coccoon the man's body, constantly creaking and straining as he attempts to come free.

Kazimir does not make an additional statement, staring ahead with a chain in one hand and his watch in the other as a dozen long icicles manifest in the air about him, compressed from the swirling winter wind as they fire in a sequential rain towards the Armor Knight.

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    Gudako isn't far behind Ira!

    The orange-haired teen's expression is locked in its usual 8D, the girl having recovered from her injuries by now. If she is accompanied by her Servants, neither is visible today, but perceptive minds wouldn't need to try very hard to discern the two powerful spiritual presences hovering around her like mother hens.

    She seems to have neither care nor interest in either duck or knight; rather, she stays safely in the back line, allowing Ira and her Beast to charge forward while she... watches? She's really not doing anything else.

    <<We should probably help, master~,>> Caster says, telepathically.
    "Nah, not yet," Gudako says, to no one as far as anyone is concerned. "I want to see if it stuck! We should watch carefully, right? To discern any changes or specks of it? We can't do that if we're distracted."
    <<... at least have Berserker do something,>> Caster says.
    "Maybe! Let's see what this is about first."

Makoto Yuki (936) has posed:
Though he had received a radio message and text notification that something was wrong, Makoto arrives a little late, just like last time. He's still not used to the area around Alberichstadt, and ended up going back to the library he had met the local crew at to enter the mirror there. It had taken him a while just to get back there, and also, to find the correct room. Then he had been inside, and not quite alone. As before, the android calling herself Aigis came with him, correcting his mis-steps as they'd gone. Unfortunately, he hadn't entered the forest at that time either, so when he goes inside he's completely lost. It's only the noise and ambient wrongness surrounding the local Shadows that guides him and his companion in approximately the right direction instead of off along the wrong path.

"Do you think they'll be alright?"

"I was unable to perform an assessment of their strength during our prior visit. However, the fact that they have suffered no casualties so far suggests that they are competent field agents."

"Mm."

When Makoto and Aigis arrive on scene, Ira is puffed up and shouting at the great armored Shadow. This is more than a little familiar, and Makoto's thoughts drift towards Junpei for a moment. He looks basically as he did the last time he came to Alberichstadt, save that he's a little more bundled up and carrying a bokken that is doubtlessly reinforced. At present he has it planted with the tip in the ground like a walking stick, though his grip is loose and casual.

Aigis has not drawn a weapon.

"Shadows that talk?" Makoto wonders aloud, while observing Ira's Persona -- Beast -- with sharp-eyed interest.

"One of them has retreated." Aigis states, raising a finger to point towards the fleeing duck.

"Hey." Makoto points towards the Armor Knight with his bokken, drawing his Evoker with the other. "Why do you need to kill us?"

"This battle has already commenced." Aigis points out, stepping forward heavily to guard Makoto from potential oncoming attack. Neither of the pair take offensive action yet, though. It seems like Aigis is deferring to Makoto, and Makoto is going to give talking a bit of a shot.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa has come once more to Alberichstadt, the cyborg from anothe world had once again fallen into something dealing with the occult. She wondered how did it keep happening? Still she wasn't sure she'd ever get an answer but she was not going to leave, August, Hoshi and everyone else snapping in the wind. So here she was once more. She'd managed to catcvh up with the group before they ran face first into a gaggle of shadows. She was on edge as he armor knight starts to speak. It only gets worse the more the thing speaks but sh doesn't make an attack just yet, she's looking about trying to figure out if there's another trick to this fight.

"Death's not claimed me yet, what makes you think tht you will? Makoto it looks like it is can."

She seems to be intent to fall in with Aigis and makoto as she now snaps off a shot from her SMG and starts trying to eye the shadow for possible weaknesses.

Also Ira and Gaduako showing starts to fill her with a bit of dread prehaps even more than the Shadow before them...

Raine Arland (604) has posed:
     Raine wasn't familiar with this place. Like, at all. But he didn't let that stop him! He'd heard about this world and it's Mirror Forest, from time to time. Having had a spot of free time in his schedule from playing courier to the darker side of the Multiverse, he decided to head out and take a look at this place, courtesy of Ira and Gudako.

     An extra hand should help. Even if it's his hand. ...And well, Fragarach too. She was here. Floating around. Immaterial somewhere. Inside the forest, Raine could only blink and arch a brow at the location. "Huh. Well, that's new." He followed along, taking second point after Ira, and peering about warily. "Strange ass place."

     And the sounds echoing deeper in didn't escape his notice. He definitely heard that. Eventually, as they came upon the two shadows, the swordsman arched a brow. ""And then we got this." He commented casually, watching and listening as the challenge was thrown out. Thankfully one of them fled. Smart dude. The other one decided to be more of a pain in the ass.

     Well, thankfully we got a wonderful set of heroes willing to dive in and make the first move. Bravo. Truly, you are a credit to your people. Raine meanwhile just stood back, in his grasp, an ornate blade with a golden hilt formed, and he held it in reverse like a shield. No move was made.

     He was going to wait. Wait and see what this thing had to throw at them. Wait and see how it responded to those already attacking.

     Lazy? Shut up, no one asked you!

August Kohler has posed:
Duck King is gone, running as far away as possible. It is quite possibly a wise duck. Armor Knight is quite possibly not a wise duck. He stands, waiting, holding his cannonsword in one hand. But he doesn't move, yet. "Good! Good! You're gonna be a challenge! Show me what you got, giant man!" It is also quite possible he can't tell that Ira's a girl. Poor Ira. As she charges at him, with the Beast joining her, the Armor Knight finally decides to move, but only slightly. He turns his body as they strike, before lifting both his arms up. His free hand goes straight to block the bat, getting smashed straight into as it catches the blow, denting the gauntlet heavily and pushing him back. Whether it bothered him or not isn't visible, due to the helmet. The Armor Knight quickly moves from his new position forward, swinging his sword to deflect the Beast's fists. This again sends the Armor Knight sliding backwards, but nothing is dented this time. The Armor Knight moves to strike at Ira...

And then ice rain appears. As the ice strikes, the Armor Knight doesn't move, until it begins pelting into the treads on his back. Realizing that he probably can't just block this as well, he begins sprinting forward, trying to deflect icicles with his blade as he approaches Kaz. For all the armor he's wearing, he's pretty fast, above-average at the very least, and he's incredibly agile, capable of dodging and weaving through those icicles. As he moves, he shouts, apparently finding time to converse while dodging.

"You are strong, yes? Then, if I want to get stronger, I must kill you. If I cannot kill you, that proves I am not stronger, now does it? You're a challenge, and one that I fully plan to conquer! After all, death is the currency of the world, and whoever wins is surely richer in fighting! A worthwhile challenge, isn't it? Good, I'm glad you agree! That's what friends are for!" The Armor Knight begins laughing uncontrollably, as a surprise shot from Kotone's guy suddenly pelts it in the side of the helmet. It turns to look at her briefly, before moving forward again, straight for Kazimir. "And if you win, you get to brag that you defeated me! Isn't that quite the perk?"

As he finishes his sentence, he thrusts forward with his sword, before stopping. Mid-feint, the Armor Knight shifts and Pierces his sword towards Koschei, likely attempting to skewer him with the cannon. "Now! This battle is just beginning! Please, join in, show me what you are capable of! Let's dance, shall we?~"

Ira MacNally (915) has posed:
    Ira doesn't even comment about the wrong gender because she gets mistaken for a man ridiculously frequently. There's even a rumor floating around school that she actually /is/ a man with a love for cross-dressing. Nobody is brave or suicidal enough to check.

    When Ira's blow lands, the bat starts to crack and splinter. It still retains it's shape, though it's clear that one other hit with the bat will probably make it shatter. Between Ira's strength and the Tank Knight's armor, it's clear that these improvizational toys of Ira's aren't going to be able to keep up with her. The imminent destruction of the bat only seems to spur the persona and master onwards, pressing the attack and moving after the Armor Knight as he slips backwards.

    That is until the ice rain happens, forcing Ira to abruptly stop so she doesn't get hit with the bufu spell as well. It gives the Armor Knight that moment to switch targets in peace, but it's just a brief moment. Soon Ira is on the heels of the Armor Knight, loping after him. The Beast outruns her easily, leaping forward with both fisted hands high above his head as it brings them both down in a double-fisted Bashing blow.

    "Haha! That's right, that's exactly how it works!" Ira's..../really/ getting into fighting this guy. It's a little scary. "If you cannot kill us, then you are /not/ stronger! Only the strongest gets to survive!" For a second, Ira flashes Makoto a smile.

Damita Stark has posed:
     "Bone Princess! From my heart!"

     Damita's persona swirls around her head, appearing next to her. There is a haunting melody that echoes around the room as water drops out of the sky in a seemingly wave-like spray, as Damita herself starts firing arrows with a certain smooth level of grace and speed, which is practice and time earned.

     Deeps, it's a thing she can do. For now. For now.

Kazimir Volkov (920) has posed:
Kazimir doesn't seem to be all that impressed at the psychological construction of the Shadow he's fighting. Irritably, he snaps the watch open and closed, not really moving as he lets the Shadow approach through the machinegun-like rain of ice. Ira's agreement doesn't seem to make it any easier. "You are just insane." Kaz replies, clipped and businesslike as he lashes out with the chain, slamming it towards that cannon-blade. The weapon punches into the Persona, and Kaz grimaces, clutching at it in sympathetic pain as he staggers back. "That... Is not so good." He mutters... but that light surges up once again. "But you have made a mistake. Koschei! Wrap him up!" With the blade stuck into the Persona, the decrepit man writhes around the impaling strike... And rings of black steel begin wrapping up around the length of the weapon, seeking out the Shadow itself to begin binding it to the ground and environment like Koschei seems to be. "I do not have time for your stupid death game!" He hisses in frustrated response.

Makoto Yuki (936) has posed:
"... It can talk, but it's crazy."

"Affirmative."

Makoto and Aigis speak to one another casually. This isn't uncommon in battle, but since he didn't participate in the mass assault on the Armor Knight, it seems like it mostly isn't interested in him. He raises his Evoker to his head and pulls the trigger with a cry of, "Orpheus!"

A shattering sound passes through his surroundings and motes of light like breaking glass fly from the other side of his head. A humanoid with a mechanical body appears in the air around him, hovering there temporarily. It has a head that, broadly, resembles Makoto's own. It is white-haired instead of blue, and has completely red eyes and black skin, but the overall features are undeniably that of Makoto himself even if the colors don't match up. In short, it is a sort of real life palette swap. A red scarf is wrapped around its neck, and from there down the body of the Persona is mechanical.

Blue, lightly grated armor adorns the chest while a half-spherical protrusion rises from the stomach. The arms are crude, thin and far too long. The legs are ball jointed, equally clunky at the knees, and end in what resembles white columns more than true feet. Upon Orpheus's back is a great silvery harp. It draws the harp down and begins to play it to no apparent purpose... Actually, it's trying to weaken the Armor Knight's damage output with TARUNDA.

Aigis doesn't do anything fancy, or invoke her Persona. She advances to one side, keeping a clear firing line for Kotone as she raises her fingers and opens fire with guns that are evidently simply built into her hands. Spent shell casings rain down in the surroundings from her forearms, rattling together on the occasion that they land close to one another.

"Do you suppose one of us should have tried following the other one?" Makoto inquires, looking towards Damita.

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    So this guy wants a fight. Real, real bad. It seems straightforward enough on the surface, but it doesn't explain where the duck comes from. A knight must always have a quest to embark on, she guesses? But why a duck?

    "Huuuh. You're weird," Gudako notes, musing out loud: "Although, you know, they say someone who can defeat their opponents without ever lifting a finger is way more powerful than someone who has to beat them up. Isn't this the lesser way to prove us your strength?"

    Still incorporeal, Caster fidgets.
    And Berserker is getting impatient, nothing is new.

    "Ah well. Hey Ira!"

    Gudako fingerguns towards the Beast, firing thin streaks of green and black light towards the Persona. The result is... buffs! Attack/defense up, nothing to write home about, but better than if she were sitting back doing nothing.

    To Kazimir, she tsk tsks. "It's more competitive and less insane! You should get to know her better, she's loads of fun to be around!"

Raine Arland (604) has posed:
     Raine just sort of rolled his eyes at all this testosterone being tossed around right now. It was pretty cheesy! But it looked like this armored fellow really wanted a fight. So if that was the case... "Fragarach, do the thing."

     From behind him, thw girl in white appeared in small surge of magic particles, arms crossed as she observed the fight. "......" Raine raised his sword, waving it idly at her while not looking. "The thing? The thiiiiing!" That earned him a bop on the head, which elicited an 'ow' from the swordsman, before she muttered lowly.

     "Prominence." And with a spark, flames kicked up around Raine's feet, swirling around him, before being absorbed into his blade. Immediately, it burst into rolling streaks of flame, spilling over the surface of the weapon. "Alright. Let's see what this guy's made of."

     He crouched low, and then kicked upwards into the air, jumping high above, and then tucking forward into a flip as he brought the flaming weapon downward, aimed at the top of the armored knight's head.

     "Burst....Blade!"

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone isn't really sure what to think of this shadow to be perfectly honest, she's also staring to bound about and trying to not sit skill, she makes note of Raine's arrival but he doesn't seem to be moving to hamper their efforts, she does notice he's hanging back. She can't think much more about that than s the Knight's laying it on very hard to them right now. She boucnes about firing the shots when she gets a moment.

She also makes use of the help Aigis is giving her as she moves and takes he rown shots.

"We might have but we're a bit pinned down with this thing.:

August Kohler has posed:
Ira agrees with him, therefore the Armor Knight feels that he must be right, because she is strong, and the strong are right. Right? As his sword pierces into Koschei, the Armor Knight begins laughing, until the metal rings begin wrapping around its weapon and body. Struggling to pull it out, Armor Knight quickly turns to see the Beast coming at him. Working as fast as possible, the Armor Knight attempts to use his speed to shift Koschei partially towards the Beast, so that the fists will slam directly onto Koschei and his sword. The impact, however, heavily dents the Armor Knight's gauntlets and torso, and causes one of the treads to pop out, only slightly still attached to the armor. The Armor Knight proceeds to use this in an attempt to dislodge his sword, stumbling away...

And right into Damita's arrows. The rightmost tread is now completely knocked off, tumbling to the ground, and holes are starting to form in the armor. While certainly defensive, it's not as invincible as it seemed before. The rain pours directly onto the helmet, causing it to start to melt from the impact. The Armor Knight rapidly shifts his head to the side, apparently attempting to avoid it piercing to his body.

Aigis and Kotone's bullets batter his armor, causing several small holes and several more large dents, as the Armor Knight moves to slam directly at Minato. However, as he is moving, he seems to decide that Orpheus would be a better target, swinging his cannonsword down onto his head to Slash into the Persona. Tarunda is working effectively, however, and the blow is dulled heavily.

"Hm...skilled. All of you. But I will kill yo- Wait, is one of you missing?" As he steps back, the Armor Knight suddenly notices Raine's blade coming down on him. He dives forward, but it's ineffective at saving him. The flaming sword strikes directly down onto his neck, slicing his helmet clean off. Is he dead?

Lying prone for a minute, the Armor Knight turns out to NOT be dead, as it quickly shambles back to its feet. It appears to be headless, at first...until a furry orange head pops out of the neck, having hidden inside of the torso. It's feline, seemingly belonging to an orange tabby cat, but one that has not eaten for months. He is incredibly gaunt, and his fur is missing patches, leading him to look near-death. His eyes are a solid yellow, like most Shadows, confirming that he is indeed one. The Armor Knight, henceforth known as Panzer Cat, seems to be upset that his helmet has been knocked off, as he hisses. "Well, it would seem you have now finally seen what lies beneath the mask! But that won't save you! Prepare yourselves, as I use my ultimate attack!" The Panzer Cat focuses his blade forward, as he presses something on the cannon. Suddenly...smoke bursts out of the tip, surrounding him completely. And when it fades...nothing's happened?

No, something's definitely happened. While the Panzer Cat doesn't seem to have moved, his sword is gone. Where he could be is a good question that is suddenly answered, as insanely rapid footsteps appear behind Raine. They belong to the Panzer Cat, now unarmored, wearing only a noble's tunic and a pair of red boots, the cat standing on two feet. His speed is incredible, faster than any normal creature, showing that the armor was INDEED slowing him down. Panzer Cat moves to Bash Raine in the back of the head with his blade, before backflipping backwards onto one of the glass logs, narrowly landing in the one place that won't destroy his feet. He smiles, but it's an odd smile, one that shows both nervousness and pride. It seems that while he is afraid of no longer having his armor, he is much more confident of himself without it than with it. Perhaps, not everything he can do has been shown yet, as he laughs. "Now, round two? I believe this is just heating up!"

Kazimir Volkov (920) has posed:
Kazimir looks over at how Makoto and Aigis use a coordinated assault. "It is too late now." He responds to them. "We need to get through this one first now." There is a grunt, however, as the cleverness of the armored Shadow causes him to lose his grip for now. Clever. Clever enough to use the attacks of his enemies to help him.

"You are no ordinary Shadow." He mutters, especially as the true identity of the creature is revealed. "A cat?" He says. "How did you even use that armor? It is eight times your size!"

Volkov grits his teeth, looking to Raine as he is attacked by the creature. "Be careful! This one is fast. Koschei! Tie him down!" There is another flare of light as the Persona hanging about him roars hollowly... and the rattling of infinite chains lashes out as they strike like clattering tendrils, lashing out to seek towards the cat and begin confining its movement even if they cannot grasp it.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa is finding her rounds are finding weak points where her reounds do beach the super powerful armor. Meanwhile Kotone us moving but here comes the powerful attack.

"Why do you want to kill us?! What are you trying to prove."

Kotone now sees the knight is down she pauses for a moment staring for a moment she looks at the cat there's a mix of confusion and pitty there but that attack is coming now for them. She look at the Panzer Cat which. Kotone charges in again now not wanting to let things get out of control here. She finds she runs out of ammo, there's a click and she keeps going. She moves in trying to get in close and smack the shadow with the butt of the weapon.

"On it Volkov!"

Kotone opens a radio channel to Aigis to keep the shadow from hearing them.

<<Can you help with the diversion, I'm going to try to push this shell as hard as I can to keep it busy.>>

Kotone i is daring about trying to make her up close attacks not so much to damage the shadow, but to hopefully force them to deal with her and distract him for her allies.

Damita Stark has posed:
     Damita is a perversely horrible person. When the cat shows up, there is a long moment before she grins, looking up at the Bone Princess where she plays, ripping harsh, yet discordant, yet with a beautiful harmony to it. It is a thing of strangeness and blends, as she is herself.

     "Let's go, Bone Princess~! Make it rain!"

     ... it's ... pretty much what it sounds like, as a few torrents of water start dropping around the arena nearby the Cat. This is probably a horrible idea, but that's... Damita... for you.

Makoto Yuki (936) has posed:
A powerful, if dulled overhead blow hammers down onto Orpheus, causing it to fade out of existence. Makoto staggers in place, re-balancing himself briefly with his bokken. Although it's obvious that he was injured in some way, spiritually or perhaps mentally, the effects of it don't seem as pronounced on him as it is for most. Or rather, it seems as if the weariness that settles on Makoto's shoulder is something that he simply doesn't care about. Looping his bokken through his belt, he casts a quick glance towards Aigis, but she's already taking action of her own.

A similar trail of particles preceded by a shattering of glass emanates from the android, as a great mechanical Persona directs its attention towards Makoto. His movement speed seems to increase significantly, and as he squeezes the trigger of his Evoker, the reappearance of Orpheus comes much more rapidly as well. Orpheus drifts through the air like a terrible wind, playing his heart and conjuring up great bursts of flame that chase after Panzer Cat like particularly vicious will-o-wisps.

"Killing to gain strength is inefficient and has high odds of failure. Why bother, if you can think well enough to reason this much?" Makoto asks of Panzer Cat, quietly.

Aigis answers the radio call from Kotone: << I am unable to assist. I am presently providing Persona support to Makoto. This will likely draw little to no attention. >>

Kazimir Volkov (920) has posed:
Meanwhile, Volkov responds to Gudako. "This is the kind of competition you see in bad action movies." He replies. "But maybe. At least I know the Ogre gets things done." As long as those things are 'beating things up' and also recently 'carrying heavy loads of lumber and other things for the shack'.

Raine Arland (604) has posed:
     "So much for all that testosterone." Raine muttered as he landed from the strike, seeming the armor falling off and the knight struggling seemingly. Would this be over so soon? Well, he wouldn't complain. Extended battles sucked. If it ended quickly, he'd take it.

     Of course, he wasn't expecting the smoke from the cannon blade.

     Or for there to be a damn cat.

     OR FOR IT TO MOVE AT ALARMING SPEEDS.

     /OR FOR IT TO TRY AND CLOCK HIM UPSIDE THE BACK OF HIS HEAD!/

     "What the motherfriggen-" Raine whirled around, bringing his sword up to defend just too late as the cat's blade parried off his own weapon, and then bounced off his forehead. "-Fuck! Ow! Shit!" Raine stumbled back, free hand covering his forehead as blood began to stream down slowly. "God damn it! Fragarach, do the other thing!"

     And the floating girl, who at some point pulled out a handheld and was playing it, glancing up at Raine's struggle. "........" Silently, an amused smirk spread across her face. Oh yes, this was delicious. ...But she could help, shouldn't she? Sigh. It would be a pain if he died after all. With a roll of the eyes, she raised an arm towards him.

     "Negative Saber."

     Streaks of dark energy fired outwards towards Raine. That was an offensive spell, wasn't it? Why would he have her do that? It became clear when he simply shielded himself with his sword. The blade absorbed into the blade, and he smirked. "Alright, if fire doesn't do the trick, let's try this out!"

     Removing his hand from his wound, which was gradually bloodying his face, Raine burst forward into a dash, sword held back in reverse. "Soul Eater!" And once in range, after the others have tossed on their debuffs, he tossed his sword into the air, letting it spin before he grabbed it upright, and swung. The sword quickly became covered in dark energy, formed into a gruesome looking claw as he swung it towards the cat.

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    "Isn't it obvious? He wants to prove he's strong," Gudako says to Kotone, idly, before the knight sheds his battered armor and gains a tremendous boost of speed. Which it uses pretty damn impressively against Raine, no less. Huh, maybe it isn't time to be messing around after all, but she just has so little to gain here, and without any tangible gains, she can't justify expenses.

    ... well... rep grinding IS a sort of gain...
    I mean... eventually it yields SOMETHING.

    "Fine, fine, Caster, geez. Stop fidgeting."
    <<Right! Allow me, master~!>> Caster says, but...
    "Naaaaaah, not you. Hey Berserker."
    <<Nya!>>
    "That kitty looks pretty cool, huh? Maybe he'd contract with me."
    <<NYAAA!!>>

    Out of thin air appears the red-robed, pink-haired cat...fox...girl Servant of the magus, which dives into the battle with almost no hesitation, and a bit of a crazed look in her eyes. Cats and jealousy, right? Used to working with dancing fireballs and ranged support, it isn't too hard for the Berserker to instinctly work in-sync with Makoto's Orpheus, the cat making clawed lunges where the flames either distract or weaken the knight.

    "Ah, yeah, maybe we should have chased the duck after all. I think it might have been more interesting! Hey, hey, mister knight, how about you tell us what was up with that duck if we beat you?"

Ira MacNally (915) has posed:
    Ira doesn't seem all to disappointed at accidentally smashing Koschei instead of the Shadow. It's as if she's wanted to smack Kaz for a while now-and in a way, she has! Idily she makes a note to arrange for more friendly fire in the future. It shouldn't be hard, given that Kazimir's persona had the tendency to get EVERYWHERE. Just chains. Everywhere.

    "What the...it was a cat riding a suit of armor like it was some kind of giant robot?" Ira looks vaguely disappointed. "Look, Garfield, I think you're just a little outmatched here, even if you are a shadow." Ira sniffs, folding her arms over her chest. But Kaz, turns out, is right. That thing is insanely fast.

    This doesn't stop The Beast, though, because it snarls and snaps and...well, something just happened, the already smokey outlines of the persona intensifying as it suddenly grows faster and takes on a sleeker look. "Round two is /right/. Get him, Beast!" she calls out, shouldering her bat and letting her persona do the work. The monsterous persona lunges after Panzer Cat and tries to grab it.

    Should he succeed, The Beast will then stuff the cat in his mouth.

August Kohler has posed:
Panzer Cat smirks at Kazimir, apparently very proud of himself. "Because I am excellent! That's why!" The cat begins to dance on the log slightly, before leaping up into the air...and directly into the tendrils, his legs coiled as he is pulled back to the ground. While they slow him down, he is still faster than average, the tendrils only serving to stop him from moving as unbelievably fast as before. Luckily, it'll be harder for him to dodge now.

And this makes Panzer Cat panic, as it begins to rain again. It would seem water certainly has an effect on the Shadow, as it burns against his fur and bone and causes it to sizzle. Cats hate water, huh? He attempts to dance through the rain as fast as possible, diving and rolling even with the chains attached. He's ignoring them for right now, much more worried about the actual damage.

As Raine's dark energy surrounds his blade, the cat keeps all eyes on it. Moving swiftly, he attempts to dodge the strike, moving as far away from Raine's front as possible. This works, partially; while Panzer Cat avoids the brunt of the blow, part of the claw strikes into his sword arm, causing him to howl in pain. It sounds almost as if he's been tortured, as the cat begins limping, shifting his sword to his other paw. It looks like it's going to need to step up its game, if it wants to survive.

As Orpheus begins shooting his fireballs, the cat looks down to the chains tendrilling around him, and takes a deep breath. Next, it proceeds to dive forward just enough so that his fur is only singed, the tendrils instead taking the brunt of the fireballs. While prone, however, Berserker is capable of getting several good swipes at Panzer Cat, causing him to howl again. Quickly leaping back to his feet, the cat stares at Makoto. "Because /he/ always tried to face his fears by challenging them! He tried to fight through the pain, and look where he is now! He failed, because he was weak! I'm all that's left!" From how Panzer Cat gestures, it would seem that whoever he is talking about is dead, and also that he didn't like him very much. "But I'm different. I'm different! I can prove that he was just prey, and that I am better! Because I'm not him! I'm ME!" Panzer Cat's yellow eyes almost shine as he bursts out cackling, a new resolve building inside him. He grins sharply, almost like a Cheshire Cat, as he points his blade. And then, he turns.

As Berserker continues to lunge at him, Panzer Cat suddenly pauses, and then swings his sword like a baseball bat, hoping of knocking Berserker back. As he glances into the Berserker's eyes, it almost seems as if he HATES cats, a burning passion within his own. "You'd beat him easily! You'd all beat him! But me? I'm me! Not him! ME!" Panzer Cat's crazed grin only grows wider, and it is now apparent that, despite his ability to speak and react tactically, he's not all there. His mind is nothing like a normal person's, likely because he ISN'T one.

Next, comes the Beast. Panzer Cat is grabbed...almost too easily. But he holds his sword tighter. And as the Beast goes to stuff him in his mouth, he suddenly fires his cannon smoke into the Beast's face, before moving to leap backwards, hopefully in the middle of everyone else. "Now then...I will show you real pain! I will show you what HE was incapable of surviving, and why I will prevail!!" Spinning around with his cannon, he fires it again, allowing smoke to twist out and around everyone. But, no, it's not smoke. Its mist, and it is aiming straight for everyone's faces. If it is inhaled, it will try to affect their perceptions. Those who were previously their allies are now turning against them, trying to strike at them. But they're not striking to kill, or even just hurt, they're striking to maim, to do as much damage as possible. And, if they do strike, those affected will realize it's not just a normal illusion: anything that hits is agonizingly painful, and their 'allies' will not stop at one strike...better you than them, right?

Ira MacNally (915) has posed:
    Part of Ira thinks that she probably shouldn't be empathizing with a Shadow. They're shadows, right? But she herself knew that the only way she got by was being strong too. By not taking anything from anyone and facing her problems she knew she'd become strong herself. Only....if this was a /former/ student and this was all that's left, that student had not been strong enough. "Yeah? And what are you gonna do when you fail? Die, right?" Ira laughs as the Beast grabs Panzer Cat and lifts him to his mouth-only to be shot in the mouth. Ira lets out a low, pained hiss at this, rubbing her jaw.

    "But that's how it is, isn't it cat? Kill or be killed? That's how it is for everyone in here!" Mist clouds the forest clearing and Ira doesn't think too much of it for the first few seconds-that is until she sees the others around her.

    Coming /at/ her. All at once. Fury envelops her as she faces down Gudako and Kaz, Gudako sending out Berserker, Kazimir directing his persona to corral her into one spot so the Servant can get at her. "I should have known!" Ira says her voice sounding strangled, "It was only to get close to me! This whole time! How dare you!" Growling, she directs Beast to grab onto the 'chains' of Kaz's persona, striving to use it as an improviszational weapon, swinging him around like a flail at all the people she apparently pictures attacking her-that is /everyone/.

Damita Stark has posed:
     There's mist, and oh, both Princess and Damita know that it's bad, especially at Ira's reaction. She swears softly to herself in Spanish, before the girl twirls her hands around her head, doing her best to dissipate the mist, backing away as she goes. She's best at long range as it is, although she can't help herself.

     "HEY, VOLKOV! GIVE HER A KISS! IT ALWAYS WORKS OUT IN STORIES!"

     Meanwhile, Princess attempts to cast anything related to a dispel spell. Damita's not actually sure she can do that.

Kazimir Volkov (920) has posed:
Things promptly get a lot more complicated with the cat starts turning people on each other. Kazimir finds himself manhandled. Literally, as Ira grabs those chains and tries to use his Persona to strike others. "SON OF A BITCH!" Kazimir yells, falling to his knees and clawing the ground as Ira proceeds to slam around with his own Persona. Looks like he hasn't gotten the bright idea to just... dismiss it. Or can he?

Despite this, the Persona-user shakes, looking up as amplified pain rips through his body. "I do not... have time... FOR THIS BULLSHIT!" He screams, reaching out a hand and clenching it. There is a terrible groan from the Persona, and it alights, dark fires racing along it through the chains...

A moment later, abyssal blackness spikes up from the ground in waves, ripping out through the area in multiple directions in a clusterbomb around the cat and Ira herself in the form of waves of black fire.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
<<Don't worry about it then.>>

"...I had hoped it would not be yet another case, of someone seeking power heedless of the cost."

The funny thing is she's not thinking about Gudako when she makes her commen,t and then things decent pretty much into a cat fight. She's still wondering though on the beasts own plans she hers what the cast has to say and she just staqres for a moment.

The cat is all that's left of another missing person the whole fear of being prey? That's one that haunts Kotone if she's honest with herself. There's nothing that can be done now she realzies and there's aq heavey feeling in her heart.

"Are you so sure thats that the case?"
R Then coems the fog the strange fog something's gone wrong.

Her HUD flashes red, error signs start to flash something is very, very wrong. She's not feeling too good. Still memories of the raid on the XCOM base, the Sectoid commander gettiung into her head.

"...GET...OUT...OF..MY HEAD!"

Kotone is angry however she's seems to be pushing through the effect. She's now got her weapon reloadd and she's opening up on the cat. She's however very open to being attacked by those whom are effected. She does however seem be trying to just bring the cat down beore the effect gets worse.

Raine Arland (604) has posed:
     "Heh- Don't like the dark do ya?" Raine quipped, about to call on Fragarach for another volley, but then whoops. That cat leapt away and released some kind of ....mist? He wound up breathing it in and then... Whoa. ....WHY THE HELL WAS EVERYONE CONVERGING ON HIM? "Hey! What the hell!?" He yelled at no one, though staring in Berserker's direction and pointing. "You're supposed to be killing THAT GUY! Hey!"

     Did he think Berserker was the enemy they were supposed to be fighting? Way to go, loser. Why wasn't anyone listening anyway!? Crap! "Damn it fine! Then I'll take care of it myself!" Raising his other arm, Raine materialized a second sword. A Sith Vibroblade. Paired with Fragarach's sword held in reverse, he dove towards Berserker, veering left and right as he avoided imaginary attacks.

     "I'll...TEAR YOU UP!" He roared, leaping and then turning his body into a horizontal spin, both blades whirling to slice into Berserker without hesitation.

     ...off on the sidelines, Fragarach kicked her legs out, one hand on her stomach and the other pointing at the situation overall as she silently 'laughed'.

     Jerk.

Gudako Ordria (908) has posed:
    A bat of Panzer Cat's blade sends Berserker back and hitting a glass tree, before hitting the ground on all fours and growling. A bruise at best, but that's a bruise on a Servant with a very low ability to tank hits. And then to make matters worse, that mist churns out, seemingly causing some degree of infighting.

    Infighting that does not affect Gudako or her dematerialized Servant, but that sends Berserker into a frency, taking advantage of her Mad Enhancement. Or it would, if the red-robed fox wasn't caught between Raine and Ira, flanked and surprised both.

    A duo of slashes cut open the Berserker, and in shielding her master, she takes a handful of hits from the chains of Kazimir's own Persona being flung around madly by the Beast.

    Critical damage sustained, Gudako immediatly recalls Berserker, who dematerializes, safe as long as no one has anti-spiritual weapons on them right this moment and figures out where to aim.

    Caster appears in replacement, frowning and erecting a blue shield of magic around her master, directing her mirror to cover most of Gudako's body from direct attacks for the time being.

    "Wow, this went from awesome to shit in like, two seconds flat," Gudako says, still managing to maintain her 8D somehow.
    Caster just frowns even more because of all the times to take a situation lightly this is probably not a good one at all. But it's not like throwing attacks around will help matters.

Makoto Yuki (936) has posed:
Makoto Yuki is plenty used to mind-jacking effects and mysterious gases, and he's still under the effects of the speed increase Aigis placed on him, so he simply physically evades the oncoming gas. It's never a good thing to get tangled up in that kind of thing from a Shadow. To his back, Orpheus fades out of sight. To his side, Aigis falls back as well but... she doesn't have to physically breathe, so the gas doesn't have an impact on her.

He quickly assesses the situation, following the gas with his eyes to see who gets caught in it. Ira is the first, and she didn't seem stable to start with. What are the effects? What are the... ah. A charm of some sort, it seems like, although it's hard to tell if it wasn't just some sort of catch-all insanity. Doing the actual charming isn't in Makoto's specific corner, but he has some tools to deal with it if an acquaintance gets caught up in it, as is the case in this situation.

Pressing the Evoker to his temple once more, Makoto calls, "Sarasvati, clear up this mess!"

The Persona that emerges is, very obviously, not Orpheus. Sarasvati is a woman dressed dominantly in green, with white external robes and streamers. She wears a golden headdress of sorts, with dark hair spilling out the back. Her skin, where it is visible, is dark. As Persona go she is quite human-looking, and wields an instrument. Some form of lute, perhaps, though it isn't quite the same. As Sarasvati plays her instrument, a charming effect begins to descend towards Ira, trying to wipe away the external influence.

Aigis appears to be standing by in the expectation that this will draw considerable unwanted attention to Makoto, and so takes no action of her own.

August Kohler has posed:
Panzer Cat performs a little jig as his mist seems to work on a few of them. He is certainly enjoying the show, enough that when Kazimir rains dark fire, he's not quite expecting it. He attempts to leap out of the way once he notices it, but the Mudoon rains upon him, causing him to howl again as he is knocked back and forth in succession. Clutching his side, the cat grimaces, before being caught by surprise by Kotone's rain of bullets. He frantically tries to block them with his blade, but they still rip into his fur, causing some sort of dark liquid to ooze out. Probably Shadow blood.

As the mist fades, Panzer Cat soon realizes that if anyone is dead, it's only apparently the other cat (a victory that he will take nonetheless). Glancing momentarily at his wounds, he laughs sheepishly, as he moves his blade up into a defensive position, climbing back onto a log. Soon, everyone who was affected will probably be mad at him. "Well, it would seem that round two is over, and no one has won! I believe that declares a draw! Good show, all of you, I certainly enjoyed our fight very much! When I said you were strong, I meant it! What this obviously means is no one is stronger than the other, yet! Let us call for peace until later, yes?" Panzer Cat doesn't seem like he'll strike again unless attacked himself, looking back and forth at everyone rapidly. "Fighting makes friendship, obviously! Right? Right? Yes, I'm always right!"

Ira MacNally (915) has posed:
    "YOU'RE NEXT, DAMITA! DON'T THINK I DON'T SEE YOU THERE! Just you wait, I'll get you /all/!" Ira says, stalking towards Kaz with her bat, tapping it in the opposite palm. She's all ready to get her 'hitting Kaz in the face' on as the Beast manhandles his persona. That is all up until Kaz arranges for a mudoon to come out through the very chains that the beast is holding on to. A howl of pain comes from the hairy persona and he promptly drops the impromptu "weapon". Ira grunts in pain, her persona flickering incorpreal for a few seconds. Then she takes one step towards Kaz, then another. Soon she is running at him.

    Ira hurls herself upon Kaz, bat lifted, trying to pin him to the ground. She's so focused on Kaz that she notices little else, such as when Makoto swaps to a different persona (Ira's not aware that can even happen!) , and sets up some 'healing'. Mind-clearing charmdi follows, wiping away the confusion. She snaps back to herself, though rather surprised to see Kaz there. "Why are we...uh. What just happaned?"

Kazimir Volkov (920) has posed:
Kaz ends up pinned to the ground under Ira, staring up at her with that flat expression the group has come to call his 'I don't have time for this' face. "Mental influence." He says. "Now get off me before Stark tries to be funny. Someone go deal with the cat, I cannot move at the moment." 'deal with' might mean befriend or murder, he isn't specifying.

Damita Stark has posed:
     "Damn I wish cameras worked..."

     Damita is too busy packing up her bow and arrow to be willing to 'deal' with anything, a casual smirk on her face.

Kotone Yamakawa has posed:
Kotone Yamakawa kotone does lower her 2weapon for the moment, she looks t the shadow for a moment her eyes narrowes she's got no desire to finish the fight. She will fight but she's prehaps not the warrior you think it was.

"Some form of mind control... Ira."

Kotone looks right at the cat her eyes narrowing as she looks the cat over.

"You messed with our minds, fully intended to kill us in an attempt to prove your own existance? You want to befriend us now humm..... I honestly have no desire to keep fighting."

Oh someone may have got a feed of what happened, there may be intersting footage on the club house computer later.

"If this ends what do you intend to do from here?"

Makoto Yuki (936) has posed:
"Sometimes, friends fight one another, even for gain. But friends don't try to kill each other for gain." Makoto takes several steps forward, focusing on Panzer Cat with his one exposed eye. He seems to be weighing his options, and eventually comes to a decision. "I don't mind starting over and forgetting how this began. But this isn't my place, or my story." He stands aside, looking towards Ira, Kazimir, and Damita. Evidently, he's going to defer to them for the time being, unless they choose to leave the decision in his hands. It seems unlikely.

Aigis straightens up, keeping her guns trained on Panzer Kat. She states, "It is unlikely that your nature will permit you to be our allies. If Makoto believes that we should 'start over', then I will accept his decision. But I find it highly probable that you will attempt to kill us, or others, in the future. It is illogical not to finish you off while the opportunity is still at hand."

Having said their piece, the pair wait to see what the others have to say.

Raine Arland (604) has posed:
     The madness wore off after a while, and once it did...

     "....The hell happened?" He muttered, shaking his head slowly. "...Shit, wait. I uh...was fighting the cat and..." Pause. "Wait, why's that thing still there? What did I just cut then?"

     Tick tock tick tock...

     ".....FUUUUUUUUUUUCK!"

     "Shit shit shit! That was Berserker, wasn't it!? Crap! God damn it!" And Raine cursed up a storm as he realized the deception. "Okay, if it were up to me, I'd slice you in half and call it a night, but... It's not." Shrug! "This ain't my world, and it ain't my decision."

     Grumbling to himself, he added one last thing. "You guys decide what to do with this asshole."

August Kohler has posed:
Panzer Cat leaps off his log soon after he speaks, but it does not seem to be to attack; he's salvaging as much of his armor as he can find. He hefts it all in his arms, despite it piling up to much heavier than he is. Turning to Kotone, he flashes a grin. "You guys accepted the fight, there is no such thing as rules in a fight! Most skilled warrior wins, after all!" Panzer Cat wobbles slightly, however, his wounds mixing with the weight of the armor. He hops on one foot, turning to Makoto and Aigis. "Of course I will try to kill you again! I will still eventually need to prove I am the strongest, and that means killing anyone who is stronger than I am! However, I'll make sure to kill some other people to be able to match you, first; even I know when I'm incapable of winning! And then, after that, which will atleast be after our next encounter, and probably after the one after that, we will fight again, and either you will kill me, or I will kill you! That's how the world works, isn't it?"

As he says this, he quickly starts moving backwards towards the paths, realizing that his words may be unsatisfying to them, and they may try to finish him off anyways. "After all, you haven't seen everything I can do! I still have another trick or two up my sleeve! Next time we meet, maybe I'll tell you about the duck! You wanted to know about the duck, right? I'll remember that!" Another slight grin, though one of nervousness and a huge desire to not get struck at again, as he meanders down the right path. If anyone tries to follow him, they'll be incapable of finding him; he's moved as far away as possible by then. However, he's unlikely to try and beat them up again any time soon, and he's probably learned to not fight eight people at once, maybe. And who knows? Maybe he'll be slightly useful next time they come into the Mirror Forest.

If anyone takes a look around the clearing as they leave, they'll notice that Panzer Cat didn't actually completely salvage his armor: one of the treads to the armor, as well as his smashed up helmet, have been left behind. They could be useful, maybe, if there's someone out there who knows how to work with Shadow parts. Until then, this adventure is over, and hopefully everyone can get some much needed rest. And later yell at their 'leader' for sleeping while they're fighting each other.