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Janine Liberi     For a select few, mirrors in Drachenblatt rarely act as they should. Often they are shrouded in mist, occasionally have eyes peering out at the world, and can be fallen through into a murderous, alien world. However, of all the things seen on the inside of a pane of glass, the most bizarre yet has sprung up; a single red handprint that lingers, never budging, always appearing on the same relative position in any reflective surface.

    The message is clear to those who can see it, even if nothing about the symbol itself indicates it; the Woodsman would like a meeting.

    Entering the Forest is like walking into an oven; a raw tension just assails all the senses at once, tasting and smelling like spice and blood, sounding like the clash of swords and the screams of the defeated. The White Pig is not only cowering in his hollow, but has burrowed into the earth to conceal himself. The source of this feeling is very apparent; the Woodsmans is waiting for them right there in front of Die Reisende's entry glade. But his form is hazy and indistinct, save for what he holds in his hands. It is no wood axe though, but a great sword, stained the brown of dried blood.

    "You've come. Good," he intones, his words booming throughout the trees. "You chased her back here. Now I can put her down, ancient oaths be damned." He walks right over and bends down, coming as close as he can to meeting the eyes of the assembled. It's the most respectful thing he's likely ever done. "But I need every ounce of power to ensure her eradication. And yours has grown beyond what I thought possible." A hand is extended to Die Reisende. Is he going to ask for their help?

          "I am taking back your Persona to add their power to mine."          
                  "Turn them over to me or I will take them."                  
August Kohler The mirror portal belonging to Die Reisende has been moved outside in the Black Forest, enlarged for use by dragons, who sadly don't appear to be here today. August opens the portal for the group, touching his hand to the mirror and opening the portal necessary. It makes the mirror sort of misty, but it's enough to step through into the glassy dark forest, as August steps through to the other side.

The fact that the Woodsman looks like that immediately puts August in a defensive mood, and everyone can read that he's expecting a problem. The redhead is in a winter coat, armed only with his revolver, his combat knife, and his mirrored bracelet that summons his Persona. As the Woodsman's voice booms around them, August listens carefully.

He's silent for a long time. The Persona-user considers the path he wants to take. He knows one thing is not an option, so another thing is the only that'll happen. But the Woodsman is a dangerous foe. He must try and be cautious about this.

There's a glance to his allies. From August, it basically means 'this is hostile', so trying to convince them to get into battle positions. And then, August takes a step forward, raising the mirrored bracelet to his eye-level. "This is mine. I /earned/ it. I'd argue with you, but I know your type. You're not going to take no for an answer." Glancing straight into it...the redhead incants.

"Persona."

The Tin Soldier rises, a burned robot soldier in a military dress uniform, with an old-fashioned rifle where one of its legs should be. It raises the gun, giving only a second for everyone to acknowledge that combat's about to start, and then moves to send out a plume of pure flame at the Woodsman, trying to ignite him. "He's a powerful regenerator. This is probably his 'true' form...we've never actually beaten him like this. Try and flank him!"

Of course August was going to fight. He'd never give up his power. He earned it. He /deserved/ it.
N'Raha     Well, Raha and Inga had been out to seek some other adventures out of Eorzea and out of her little Secret World. Which means sometimes heading out on random stuff. But that's the life of Adventurers, right? Which is why the catman is here with his favorite seer. And to back up his Not-Quite-A-Boss.

    Though as he slides into place behind August, wearing his very fancy platemail, he grumps a bit to both August and Inga. "Well, if that's the way things are going..."

    The Calling of Tin Soldier barely raises Raha's hackles. He's fought alongside Arcanists before and even a Summoner. This was... well. A little more elaborate, but still in the same realm. Though there's a twinge in his heart, his aether, like something around here needs a good smiting. Call it... God Senses.

    The rush of flame is a signal, as the catman plants his feet, slides into place in front of August, and yells. "Inga. On Kohler! Kohler, stay behind me if you can. I got this." His axe comes up and around, and he clangs it against his armor, a booming noise ringing out. "Alright, you sad excuse for a Knight, if you're a Woodsman, allow me to show you what a real Axeman can do!" He's not rushing in though, but rather waiting for the first move from the ghostly knight.
    We're playing defensively at first here.
Sanary Rondel Even after several excursions into the Mirror Forest, the axe-slinging healer still hasn't gotten fully used to the oppressive nature of the Woodsman's very existence. Although she talked a big game over the radio and seemed relaxed enough on the way in (while munching on chunk of street meat), actually stepping in and /feeling/ it has Sanary lurching briefly before she rights herself out of sheer defiance and willpower.

Can't look weak in front of everyone now, right? Right.

The Woodsman shows what may be weakness. And then it isn't. It's an ultimatum. She isn't quite sure how to take it, looking instead towards those who would actually be affected directly by said ultimatum.

Of course August wouldn't take it. Following up besides him, Sanary draws her axe with one hand while the other holds a staff behind her as she points the former at the Woodsman. "Yeah... No, no. Even if I had that kinda power to give to you, I wouldn't.  How about /you/ give /us/ your power instead? We can do a whole lot more with it than you can, and if you don't?"

She grins. The greed is evident on her face. "Then we'll take it. Don't blame us if you regret it later!" Channeling energy into August through an odd green line of light, the healer funnels energy into him to help bolster his ability to use the Tin Man even as she starts running around the Woodsman. Once she's roughly at a ninety degree angle from where August is, she charges forward with her axe swinging up at the Woodsman directly!

Flanking isn't Sanary's specialty, but even she understands the usefulness of trying to force someone to defend from multiple angles.
Inga Freyjasdottir Inga doesn't really understand what is happening, but help was requested, so here she was. With very little idea what she is getting ito, she is glad she was already prepared with all her talismans, her knife and her staff. Glad too that she is dressed warm.

Upon arrival, Inga draws the small blade from her belt. Her first order of business would be wards, as usual.

Inga nods to N'raha, then brings her blade across to slice into the skin of her opposite arm. As blood rises, she flicks it toward August, the crimson liquid forming a misty barrier around him. It has an envigorating effect, shimmering soft gold in the light.

Another ward is flicked toward Raha before she focuses on this Woodsman, allowing senses to open toward it's presence.
Lemeza Kosugi     August puts out a call on the radio that something's going on with the Mirror Forest. Lemeza hears the call, and immediately starts getting ready to take a look. He swiftly dons his trademark fedora and khaki cargo jacket, holsters his pistol and whip, holsters his claws. About time he got the chance to explore the place properly; a wall of goblins really didn't seem all that interesting to him. But the Woodsman himself? Now that is definitely worth investigating.

    Once Lemeza links up with August, though, he immediately senses something is off. The Woodsman has a sword and not the axe Lemeza had expected. The Woodsman, who the professor remembered was the one who grants the power of Persona, is demanding that power back. August is tense and on-edge, probably ready to--correction, DEFINITELY ready to fight. And on top of all that, Lemeza /actually/ feels hesitant about the ordeal. This scenario is a hot mess somehow, and there's got to be a way to make sense of it.

    Lemeza's first action is merely to equip and extend his Tenno-made claws. No attacks yet; there are just too many unknowns in play. Still, the fight is on, and he's got to move! For the moment, the professor moves to circle to the Woodsman's back -- and starts asking questions. "Woodsman. What is this ancient oath you speak of? I am unfamiliar."
Janine Liberi     The Woodsman grunts, but it carries enough resignation to it that it could also be a sigh. "Of course. Humans always scramble to retain whatever small scraps of power they can amass. As in antiquity, even now." He stands back to his full height once more, and his distorted form seems to flex, rapidly regaining focus.

    He is no lumberjack any more. He is clad in shining gold chainmail with a cape that looks made of some kind of snakeskin leather. He has a full, braided beard that meets up with flowing red locks. His whole face is consumed by hair, save for his glittering red eyes. Atop his head is a round helm with grand horns jutting out. He looks like a giant opera actor, brandishing a very real sword.

===============================STRENGTH EMBODIED================================

----------------------------EMBODIMENT OF REFLECTION----------------------------

                                   SIEGFRIED                                    
                          HE WHO IS HUMANITY'S COURAGE                          

-----------------------YOUR JOURNEY REACHES A CROSSROADS------------------------

======================================VIII======================================


The echoing force of this being fully revealing himself bounds through the mindscape that is the Mirror Forest. All present immediately know his name without words. Siegfried swipes his sword through the air, the gust generated blowing back most of the intense flames from the Tin Soldier. His wrist still gets scorched though, making him scowl. Sanary comes around to swipe up at him, and he goes to grab her axe in his free hand. This soaks the worst of the swing, but his hand still gets bloody. He looks to Lemeza, and shakes his head. "I do not answer the dead."

    He drops Sanary, and takes that sword in both hands, glancing at August and Sanary. "I'm sure the two of you remember this."

    He swings, and the surrounding forest collapses.

    Trees neatly cleaved at the base, a single perfect slash with seemingly infinite distance. What is to become of those present?
N'Raha     WELL NOW. N'raha rocks back on his heels from the sudden rush of Knowledge, the Presence of this figure in front of him, the... everything about this. the Embodiment of Strength, huh?

    And then that slash comes in, sweeping blows raking at his body, the massive sword swipe catching him across the chest, gouging a line across the mythril of his body armor. He snarls in pain, stepping back a bit, before he hefts the axe again. "An Eikon, then. That changes things." He lowers the visor into place, and then calls out. "Even here, I suppose I cannot suffer a creature like you to live."
    Bravura's head glows, the mighty Relic Axe sweeping around as the catman steps in, aiming to crack the Shadow across the chest.
Lemeza Kosugi     Oh. So that's how things are going to play out. As the Woodsman drops his guise and becomes Siegfried, Lemeza swiftly comes to realize that maybe August's plan of action is a /really good idea/. And even if it weren't, the Swordsman's insinuation that Lemeza might actually die here has gotten him rather... riled. He didn't get the answer he probed for, but he did get enough information to know how to deal with this Embodiment of Strength.

    The dramatic sword slash seals the deal. Lemeza's feet get swept out from under him by the sweeping attack, but he's still got them attached - a bit of clever preparation ensured that his Life Orbs sitting in his backpack would prevent active dismemberment and allow him to keep going for some time. The attack does bloody his ankles, but the pain and damage only serve to strengthen his resolve.

    So it's combat then. It always is. Welp, fuck this guy. Lemeza lunges pointy-end-first with his claws right at Siegfried's chest, rage starting to show in his eyes and voice. "You won't be killing ANYONE, you got that you bastard?"
Inga Freyjasdottir Inga sees the horned helmet, the braided beard, the glowing red eyes....

And she groans. So. HARD. Gods damn the Wagner!

The first blow is a terrible one. Inga is knocked from her feet, broken and bleeding. She shudders, reaching for her staff to get back to her feet. Well, at least she's bleeding already, she can use that. With her knife in hand, she directs the blood that gushes from her toward the towering being, splashing the Woodsman with blood that appears to suddenly be a painful, burning acid. "THAT HELMET IS HISTORICALLY INACCURATE! AAAH!"
Sanary Rondel      If not for the fact that the Lumberjack wasn't trying to kill them, Sanary would be a lot more enthusiastic right about now. Instead, her focus is squarely on surviving the encounter and making sure her friends and allies obtain victory! Easier said than done with the Woodsman transforming into Siegfried, the...

Wait. How /does/ she know that name? Where did it even come from? Another question in the pile of many, but her priorities are actually where they should be for once. Grunting as the Woodsman catches her weapon, she digs the blade in as much as she can before she's released just in time for that giant swing to come straight towards her. No... Everyone!

"Heads down!" THe healer calls out as she brings her weapon down to try blocking against the slash as best she can. Maneuvering isn't an option, and the blow sends her careening backwards with a brief tumble before she catches herself on the forest ground. Her arms shake as that powerful impact rattles her bones, her healing magic working double-time to stave off just enough of the pain without wasting too much time on recovery.

"You haven't slacked off one bit since the last time, huh..? G-good. It'll be even better when we take that power from you!" She shouts with a mixture of defiance and pride, charging forward once more towards Siegfried. She jumps to the left, then to the right, then looks as if she'll jump again before darting forward suddenly and...

... Not attacking right away. She feints once with a jab forwards before drawing back for the windup to a heavy downwards swing. "Well, we've grown, too! You won't catch us with the same shit again, Woodsman!"
August Kohler Siegfried. August knew that was his identity. August didn't speak of it because he thought it had cosmic significance. It seems it did. He can feel the name again in the back of his head, immediately climbing to his tongue, as the golden knight of humanity's courage. August recognizes that sword immediately, and the Tin Soldier positions itself to guard him. The slash comes through. It rends everything in its path.

Except for the Tin Soldier. It's gotten stronger. Not nearly to the level of the Woodsman, yet, but it's a decently strong Persona. Despite that, metal is still rending, as it pulls up an arm, tendons in August's left arm getting sliced by feedback from the Tin Soldier's damage. August keeps himself straight up, but he's having to stifle a scream of pain from the damage of the slash, as the Tin Soldier raises its gun leg again.

It and August start circling around, moving to try and burn into the sides and back of Siegfried's armor, trying to melt it off. August is, specifically, trying to expose the small of the back by damaging his armor with red-hot fire, though he's not sure if that'll be enough. "You should have saw this coming. In fact, I bet you did, you bastard!"
Janine Liberi     Siegfried looks around as everyone remains in fighting form after his attack. "Hm. You have indeed become stronger," he acknowledges, settling into a combat stance as everyone rushes towards him. "But this remains folly. I am Courage. I am that you carry within you as you charge towards me. This fight is foolish and short-sighted. If you best me, you lose the courage to best her, to best anyone. Victory or defeat, this will be the final fight of your lives."

    He closes his eyes and begins concentrating, holding his ground as N'raha's axe slams against against his chest, golden mail jingling furiously as it is rent. Lemeza follows up, claws threating into the small gap and cutting open the embodiment's chest, blood oozing from wounds that close far too quickly. But he is covered with more blood soon enough, a pained wince slipping between his lips as it burns him. But still, his eyes track Sanary, and he attempts to lean back to avoid the feinted attack, only to be caught by the true blow. This staggers him long enough for August to get at his back and blowtorch it. The cape seems oddly fireproof, but the mail melts into golden slag quickly enough, the molten metal adding to the burning blow.

    Finally, he's ready. He plunges that brown sword into the earth, and the tension in the air spikes. Plumes of great flame spring up from the ground beneath everyone's feet, melting the felled glass trees into boiling liquid. Again and again, fire roars up, a dragon becoming apparent on the hilt of the buried blade.
N'Raha     The catman is used to garbage like this. Both the creature he's fighting, and the sorts of attacks he's using. Well, and the mindset. Yes, that Mindset is the most familiar thing that's going on here. That... smug divinity about him. His is the only way. Tch.

    "You sound... just like Gaius." He snarls-
    And curls up as the Bad flames up around him. There's a lionlike howl of pain from the catman, as he struggles against the heat for a long moment or two... and then dives right through the other side. "COME ON THEN. IF YOU'RE THE FINEST THERE IS THEN PROVE IT!" There's a hazy red aura forming around the catman, and it's not just Inga's blood ward. Raha's whole Self is radiating Wrath. Fury. Raw Focused Anger. That axe flashes over with it, a sudden blast of raging, heavy aether, as he swings it low, aiming to put Siegfried off balance for the others. "STOP TRYING TO KILL US AND KILL US."
Inga Freyjasdottir Inga leans heavily on her staff as her regeneration struggles to keep her alive through the onslaught of heavy attacks from the strange being. Now it is fire that scorches them from the earth beneath their feet, the strange glass trees melting in the heat. Inga screams as flesh burns, yelling out "ISA!" as she gathers her anima around her, cooling the air before she lashes out. Ice begins to form at the Woodsman's feet and creep up his legs to hold him fast and allow the others to attack him with greater force and precision.

She really wishes she had a better idea what they were up against.
August Kohler As Siegfried responds, August tries to look up at him defiantly, as the metal behind him slags, but the fire burns underneath their feet. August has to quickly shout it out. "I don't want to kill y-"

August is barely able to move the Tin Soldier in the way of the flames under his feet, burning August's leg and causing him to trip to the ground, and melting into the Tin Soldier's metal, the fire super-effective against him. August screams out in pain, burning up, as the Tin Soldier moves to guard him, pointing its gun-leg up at Siegfried and firing off a rain of bullets to keep the damage going.

August will need to set up if he wants to get at the small of Siegfried's back. Hopefully, for now, August can conserve his energy with an accurate shot.
Lemeza Kosugi     ...or maybe August is an idiot after all. Siegfried, though unwilling to answer direct questions, nevertheless continues to satisfy Lemeza's curiosity about the Mirror Forest and its inhabitants. But, something's very wrong. The party had little choice but to fight, yet if this raging embodiment of Strength is to be believed.... this is a fight that cannot truly be won.

    For August. For Lemeza, however, this is effectively just a standard exchange of blows with no abnormal stakes. The fighting continues! He effortlessly dodges the hottest part of the flames, merely getting grazed and singed by the outer edges of each jet of fire. Unfortunately, the damage is beginning to add up. So! More hacking and slashing. Taking note of the mounting firepower happening at close range, Lemeza shifts to using his whip to lash out a few more strikes at Siegfried's back, looking to intensify the wounds already inflicted.

    Though, all things considered, delivering a deathblow may not be the best idea...
Sanary Rondel "Foolish? Short-sighted? You say that like you're trying to convince us. You clearly don't know humans very well!" Sanary bellows at Siegfried as she once again digs her axe in with her attack, not afraid to fight dirty and make things as painful as possible against the resilient manifestation.

Backing off to catch her breath, Sanary narrows her eye as that blade goes into the ground. She doesn't quite get it at first, but the flames rising from the very ground are easy enough to understand, and she starts darting around once more when it becomes clearer that standing her ground in the literal sense is a terrible idea.

"We gave you an offer like you gave us. Give us your power, or we'll take it and kill the Black Queen ourselves!" She's starting to sound angrier as she rushes for the Woodsman yet again,  although spotting August having some trouble even with the Tin Man on defense has her readjusting her strategy. Instead of just bashing herself against Siegfried and hoping for the best, the axe healer changes things up once again!

This time, she moves to try grabbing Siegfried's arm via wrapping her axe and staff around it. Instead of hard swings, she starts trying to jerk and yaqnk him off balance erratically, both to conserve her strength and to try turning him away from August. It's not the most flashy or impressive looking of techniques, but she's betting on her own strength to try and throw his aim and focus off!
Janine Liberi     Siegfried pulls his blade from the ground and raises it defensively as people rush from the lingering smoke to continue their assault. N'raha's low swing is mitigated by the brown blade placed in its way, but there's little he can do about the hoarfrost creeping up his legs courtesy of Inga, the ice binding his leg armour to his body in a painful way. The blade is twirled to swat away some of the bullets August fires at him, and the being snorts. "Then you'll lose this fight, boy."

    The whipcracks at his back make his gasp in pain, and he turns to snatch at it as Lemeza moves in. but Sanary grabs onto it, yanking and pulling to try and unbalance him. "No mortal could handle my power girl. It is bound to the minds of Man. To claim it would be to become akin to me. Could you handle that responsibility?"

    He lunges into action. Yanking on that whip to pull Lemeza close so he can swat him with the back of his hand with the force of a speeding car. Sanary gets elbow-dropped into the ground to try and dislodge her. N'raha is kicked to try and launch him into Inga. And finally, August gets a beady eye as that sword is raised. Shedding its brown hue to become brilliant gold.

    "This is what mercy in a fight gets you boy. Rest easy, your task is done." The sword-Gram-is thrusted, aiming to skewer August through the chest.
N'Raha     Ahhhhhh geez. Raha can do little to actually PREVENT getting booted. He's right there tanking the damn thing, but what he can do is NOT fall in a heap against Inga. He's heavy and in armor. Instead, there's a rather feline maneuver in midair, as the fcatman twists and sways with his axe, righting himself to land... and merely crash into Inga, and not on top of her. He wobbles, steadying himself and instinctively holding out a hand to help his Seer up.
    And then August is stabbed, and his blood runs hot. No. Not now, not today.
    "NOT TODAY, NOT TODAY." He's not in full Odinsrage though. It's close, though. He snarls and lashes out again, swinging deep from his gut, trying to force feeling and rage into his limbs. A SWEEP of his axe, as he limbers up, readying himself.
Inga Freyjasdottir The Seer's eyes widen as N'raha is kicked and comes flying straight for her. She readies herself to go down, watching as he twists in mid air to land before bowling into it. That certainly would have hurt.

All relief floods away when she sees Siegfried impale August and his persona through the chest. Her mouth gapes in shock. Is that truly what she is seeing?

Inga lashes out, pulling the blood that flows from her wounds out into the air, pooling and hardening to form several sharp, jagged spears. She thrusts her arms forward to send them flying toward the Woodsman, seeking to impale the creature in the spine like nailing nails into board.

And with the next sweep of her arm, blood is directed toward August in the form of another healing spell, praying that he's tougher than he looks.
Sanary Rondel "Responsibility...? It's the strong that decide what happens in this world, and if I'm strong enough to take you down? Then I'm strong enough to take on whatever that responsibility is!" That doesn't quite sound as cool as the healer pretends it does, and it doesn't really even sound that smart to herself as she's saying it. Still, the words have been uttered, and she's not going to back down now even with the deeper meaning of Siegfried's words suggesting that this is probably not a good idea.

At least not for her. Maybe for someone else, but not Sanary. Getting hoisted by Siegfried's sheer strength, she latches on as she channels healing magic into herself, willing herself to take that elbow full force and grunting painfully when she's slammed downwards. However, she keeps holding on, letting go once she finds a possible opening as Siegfried turns his sword on August.

She won't let his pain go to waste. "But before you worry about humanity's minds, worry about yourself and your own mission!" Channeling magic into her axe, the weapon starts mist over as ice gathers on the blade. Aiming low, she starts hacking away wildly at Siegfried's legs. Unlike her prior swings, however, there's no stopping period. She swings, she swings, she keeps on swinging in a breathless rush of precisely targetted chops, all aimed at whittling down the embodiment of Courage's footing!
Lemeza Kosugi     TWANG. Siegfried yanks Lemeza right into him. An unexpected development, but not unfortunate. Lemeza swiftly reacts, turning his surprise momentum into something useful, angling his shoulder into Siegfried's chest. The collision is definitely going to hurt Lemeza, but maybe he'll get some damage out of it?

    Aaaand August got run through. That's not good. That is definitely, certainly not good. Though it /would/ be a fitting end to the firebrand... who brought this on himself, really... and is receiving help from the others. Okay, yeah, Lemeza's not too terribly worried just yet. Besides, it's not like he can't undo the damage August's taking. Probably. The remains of ancient creation goddesses are a bit hard to work for a mere archaeologist.
August Kohler As Siegfried tells August he'll lose, he swallows. Sanary wants Siegfried's power - can they even take it? But as he starts to stand back up, something else is said. This is what mercy gets you. Rest easy, your task is done.

The Tin Soldier is fast enough to intercept. But it's not enough. The sword skewers through the Persona, and then the long blade continues past it, through August himself, hitting him straight in the chest. As this happens, August seizes up, trying to speak, but coughing up blood in an instant. When the sword is inevitably drawn out, both human and Persona collapse, unable to hold themselves up - but still barely hanging on. In a few moments, if untreated, August will likely die. There's not enough time to reach him, with everyone else being attacked as well.

There's a burning pain in his chest. August can feel it, but he can't move to stop it. He reaches his hand, barely, towards his chest, and the sticky red blood coats his hand. The Tin Soldier tries to move, forced by August's will. It starts to crumble, instead, metal rusting away. This is the death of a Persona user.

In what he thinks are his final moments, August reflects. His life flashes before his eyes. He had really screwed up. He was once just a mild-managed teenager, a nerd, a bullied kid. He somehow became more. A hero, a champion, someone with great power. He remembers when he met Janine - who became one of his best friends - and when he met the Panzerkatze - who became his greatest tragedy - he remembers when the Huntsman abducted him, tortured him, almost killed him. He remembers slaying the Warp Iris, which called itself the Loci Iris, he remembers slaying OMNI, he remembers becoming something more.

A leader, a hero. The Cloak of the Watch. Someone who fights against injustice. But...

August Kohler didn't know what that meant. He'd been challenged on it, recently, and found himself without a defense. What is justice? Injustice? Did he know? No, he didn't. But it didn't matter, because in these gasping breaths, August remembered what he had told Yuuki Kuran he wanted to be.

A knight, who fought for the people.

August had defeated his own Shadow, twice. But he wasn't sure if he could defeat Siegfried, not at first. He was willing to accept his death in the past - he'd die being a hero, he always told himself. But why couldn't he accept it here? Why did he not want to lie down and die, when this is exactly the type of situation he'd been expecting all his life? Give up his power. Your task is done.

No. No, no, no, no, no. The task can't be done. Not like that. There's still so much August has to do. So much he has to learn. He has to find out what justice is. He has to find out who he can be. He has to stop the Black Queen, protect his friends.

But what can he do? He's just a boy, right? But, at the same time, in that second, something does happen. August manages to get the breath to scream. Because as these memories trace through him, August realizes something very important.

August Kohler realizes who he is. And even as the Tin Soldier finally melts away into nothing but blue energy, in his final breath, August screams to the heavens.

"I refuse to die! PERSONA!"
August Kohler (BGM INTERRUPT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72OPSJWIJ0k )

Energy starts to well up around August's position, the blue energy from the Tin Soldier circling around him. It starts to change, taking on a grey-ish color, as tints of dark red bleed through it, darker than his blood. August slowly starts to stand up, despite the massive wound in his chest, spitting blood out of his mouth. He slowly, weakly, starts to smile, confident in himself. And then, the energy starts to coalesce, before there's a flash, and it explodes outwards, in Siegfried's direction.

If he moves to block with his sword, which he'll realize by power alone that he probably should, he'll find it meeting a super-strong force, as the energy takes on a shape. Eight feet tall, black armor. A knight stands, with a massive sword in his hands. His armor is sturdy and thick, making him look heavy, with mighty pauldrons on his shoulders, and a closed-face helmet, with only the hint of burning eyes behind it. The armor resembles more a highly advanced piece of technology than something from the medieval era, however, with thrusters and exhaust hanging out of the rear of his shoulders and his back, strange creases and glowing lights across the armor, and an overall mechanical stance. A black knight in power armor.

His sword is huge. It's clearly something that most would barely be able to wield with two hands, if they could wield it at all, but the knight wields it with one hand effortlessly, the sharp point of the blade clear. But on the side are a series of gears, rotating like a chainblade, as the black sword moves to clash against Gram and mash against it. Usually, Siegfried is strong enough to just force the other blade aside, with ease.

But this knight, this Persona August summoned, is superhumanly strong, perhaps nearly a match for the great warrior, if not one out-right. There's a strength of a demigod there, pushing out as much power as it can.

And August is still standing. In fact, he's healing, even without the aid of others. His flesh starts to knit itself back together, the broken bone repairing itself, blood pumping again. The cut tendons on his shoulder also start to knit themselves back together, letting him move his arm casually. He's grinning. It looks sort of mad, but from soneone who has complete and utter confidence in themselves.

"My task is far from done, Siegfried! I can't give up, not to someone like you, who was too weak to even do this job in the first place, who had to rely on teenagers to do anything! And guess what...they were better than him, so he wants their power."

The black knight suddenly moves to push Siegfried back, if he can, and then swing his blade around, moving to try and dance towards the warrior-god's side. The chainsaw blade revs up, and it slammed sideways into Siegfried, moving to absolutely rend through his flesh. Dark energy surges out of it, moving to help corrode bone and try and grievously injure him. But it's not going to be a fatal blow. August hasn't gone for the small of the back.
August Kohler "You once told me names had power, right? Well, I believe you. So remember - my name isn't boy, it's August Kohler, and if you forget that..."

The chainsaw blade is suddenly pulled back, so that it can be driven through the side with the tip, though the gears continue to rotate somehow inside, despite this /having/ to be ineffective as a blade. It still works to try and deal massive damage.

"You'll die."

The knight then pulls back, and if Siegfried doesn't move to intercept it, which is very well possible, it'll try to return to August's side - though he's no longer scared of being without his Persona, as he's brought back to full health.

"I'm not going to kill you. I'm going to make you [ansi(+xterm243, submit)]. I'm going to show you that humanity no longer needs you to fight their battles. We can do just good enough on our own!"

There's a smirk. An honest-to-god smirk. "Now either surrender, or get bowled down. This isn't mercy. This is how I'm going to get my victory."
Janine Liberi     Siegfried is forced to deal with the others as August comes free of Gram. His skin is opened by attacks, but his blade is always there to intercept any decisive damage. He begins swinging, his scowl deepening. "Cease immediately. At the very least, allow me to claim your friend's power so his death is not in vai-"

    He stops, turning to see August standing, moving, even in spite of the massive hole in his chest. "Boy, this is pitiful. Whatever you are doing, stop it right now." But as that blue energy changes, a look of shock is clear underneath that beard of his. "This power... I've seen it be-" Any elaboration he might offer is cut off by the pressing need to raise Gram to block a whirling chainsaw sword. Sparks fly as it grinds against the legendary weapon, Seigfried having to actually brace and push against the attack. His eyes settle on August, seeing his skin mend without external aid, and his shock turns to anger.

    "ENOUGH!" he bellows, that aura about him intensifying enough to be physical, trying to blow everyone back. "What little power you've made your own is not enough! I am a GOD you silly creatures! Know your place!" He begins swinging again, a repeat of that impressive cutting attack he started with. But he does it over and over again, filling the air with slashes, trying to eradicate anything that troubles him.
N'Raha     WELL NOW. That happens. The catman just watches in awe as August... Awakens. Was this what it was like when he came into his full power with Hydaelyn? Maybe. Perhaps. But it's ALWAYS good to see your fellow adventurers break their limits, push past what is possible... and boy howdy does he.
    That chainsaw sword is killer too, godsdamn, he'll have to bring that one up with Cid next time he sees him.

    That said, N'raha grips his axe as Siegfried just... wails against the dawning of the new day. There's a keening snarl under Raha's visor, as he fuels himself off of August's boundless aether, charging in at the 'God'. And that word just spurs him on even more, a broiling, angry, pious light billowing from the head of Bravura casting a holy fog over himself and the battlefield around him. "WELL. If you are a GOD. Then SUFFER like one. SUBMIT TO THE LIFESTREAM.

    Oh, and he doesn't even bother to dodge that sweeping, angry blade, those strikes raining down on his, rending at his armor, blitzing off his axe as he does the barest amount of parrying. This pain only fuels the Berserker. There's blood dripping from him, staining the ground and his axe as he leaps into the air, and swings for Siegfried... But it's not the axe that comes down, oh no. It's a full set of angy, aetherial sawblades, one after another, as the Miqo'te channels all his wrath into this eikon.
Inga Freyjasdottir To her surprise and relief, August is not out of the fight. Indeed he seems to have found a reserve of power she doesn't quite understand. Oh, she is eager to do so, to take a deeper look into /all/ of this...but now is clearly not the time. The monster is coming back, swinging that giant blade...

Inga screams. She falls, bleeding from grevious wounds. She very nearly loses consciousness, red clouding her vision. A surge of her anima fills her, buzzing in her ears. It's the only thing that saves her.

She reaches out a hand toward Siegfried, lips moving as she whispers a spell, a prayer. Sparks sizzle, crackling in the air. Lightning forks, hammering down from the sky and into the creature that claims to be a god. Maybe he is. Seems to be a theme lately.

Inga doesn't bother trying to get back up. She doesn't think she can. Even with her regenerative powers, she's not meant for fights like this.

But she's still alive.
Lemeza Kosugi     Ho-ly-mother-of-all. August just keeps pulling off stunts. Lemeza was sure he'd have to test out his Treasure of Life again, but it looks like he won't have to -- the perennially aggressive leader of the Watch just put /himself/ back together. And it looks like he has a new Persona as well. Siegfried's starting to struggle against the much stronger blows of the Chainsaw Knight. That is definitely its name now.

    But, the embodiment of Strength retaliates. He knocks the party back, including Lemeza, and starts slashing madly at anyone and everyone, clearly going for a killshot. Siegfried slices at August, Raha, Inga, and Sanary in turn, pummeling them rather extensively. Lemeza gets up on the balls of his feet, ready to start jumping around like an absolute madman to escape... but no attack comes his way. What the hell? That is infuriatingly disappointing, especially for a self-proclaimed god.

    "Hey, dumbass! What kind of god runs out of steam so easily!?" These are the words of someone now enraged, a fearless challenger denied his challenge. "You are NO god. I've KILLED a god. Your strength is PATHETIC compared to her." Jeez, did something come loose in that head of his? The answer is evidently yes, as Lemeza starts firing his pistol as fast as it can, mashing the trigger like a jackhammer and reloading every time he runs out. Which is a lot. And every single bullet is aimed at the small of Siegfried's back. Every. Single. One.
August Kohler Blow meets blow, stopping August from carving into his side, but it's enough to set Siegfried off. As the vorpal blades fly out, they smash into both the Chainsaw Knight, whose name is not actually that, and into August, who gets a nasty gash in his side - which promptly begins to heal, but it's exhausting. Despite that, the Chainsaw Knight's armor also heals, as August moves with it towards Siegfried's back, as Lemeza shoots into it.

"You should have listened. You're no god. You're a part of man. And that means we can crush you. We can overpower you with all our determination. If you survive this...I'll give you one last chance. You'll submit to us and tell us what we need to know to slay the Black Queen! DIETRICH, GO!"

Dietrich's thrusters fire up, and August leaps onto his back, grabbing little grips. The chainsaw knight moves for the small of the back, as darkness and fire both swirl around the tip of the blade, he aims to impale the 'god' through the small of his back with all his power left. "These are the consequences of your actions, Siegfried."

"Live with them!"
Sanary Rondel      Sanary can't help but stare at August in awe as his Persona changes to something unrecognizable from its usual self. It's recognizable as a general shape, sure, but the makeup of the being is unmistakeably different from the Tin Man. It's using a sword, but...

     ... But it's cool! It's not a regular sword, either! She'll have to gawk at it later, though, as Siegfried somehow stands after that array of attacks coming from all angles and the chainsaw sword slamming into Gram.

     "A god, huh? You picked a bad group of humans to tangle with, then. We've killed and revived both already!" Probably. The notion of becoming the new Avatar of Courage doesn't sound too bad to the axe healer, and her confidence swells as her allies rally to face Siegfried head on. Bracing her axe in both hands as Siegfried brings his sword to bear against them once more, Sanary starts shouting incoherently as healing magic flows through her, pulsing as each slash digs into her and heals over rapidly.

     The pain lingers, blood sprays, but the wounds won't put her down. She keeps her magic flowing towards August even as she moves to join him and N'Raha in butchering Siegfried on the front lines, axe still swinging wildly at legs of the the Woodsman turned Knight. "Submit or die! Either way, we're taking that power, and we'll finish the job ourselves!"
Janine Liberi     Siegfired is on the backleg now and he knows it. He never expected a bunch of humans to push him this far. As he swings that blade, over and over, it begins to falter and he staggers. Leaving him open to receive a blow of sawing blades from a Warrior of Light. Open to the swings of the girl who managed to block his every swing, her axe making him sink to a knee. Open to a bolt of lightning and a barrage of bullets, each one impacting his weak spot. Open to a chainsaw blade following up those bullets to pierce through his spine and abdomen.

    The Forest quakes with his roar of pain, and Gram topples from his fingertips. But something shifts, something deep and basic is understood. To go any further than this will kill him. Killing him will have consequences.

    It seems he wasn't bluffing about that. But Die Reisende's point is proven; as of right now, they're stronger than Siegfried. Hence, by his own logic, they should take it from here.

    His wounds are recovering even as he slumbers, so he should probably be fine if they leave him there. It's not like they're walking away without injuries.
Inga Freyjasdottir Inga would not follow up again. She wouldn't try to kill a being like this, when there would be consequences she didn't understand. She would try to persuade anyone else from trying either.

Inga climbs to her feet with great effort, her body healing but still in very rough shape. "Let's go...I can see to wounds later," she offers quietly.
August Kohler August has spent great amounts of energy. Colossal amounts, more so than any human could ever think they'd spend. He's weaker, for a time, not able to fight as long as most people, and he'll strain in battle.

But he won. Against /Siegfried/. As the sword is ripped out of Siegfried's back, August stares down at the slumbering beast of a man...and desummons his Persona. He moves to leave. But for once, it's not silent.

"Good fight, Siegfried. We'll take it from here."
Sanary Rondel      Sanary pants heavily as Siegfried's blade falls from his grip, the knight goes down, and the Elites that have joined Die Reisende in the Mirror Forest triumph over the Woodsman. She's about to bring her axe down one last time, too, but stops once it's clear that the embodiment of Courage has been defeated, and that Inga and August both appear to have no interest in killing him.

     Probably best to leave him alone at that. "We... We did it, huh? I knew we were... Uh... Guh."

     Words are hard, especially once the adrenaline wears off and all she's left is panting from not breathing in favor of attacking for so long. Turning to the witch, she gestures at August, Lemeza, and N'raha while stepping towards Siegfried.

     "I'll leave 'em to you, then. He... Gotta make sure he actually recovers after all this, too." She chuckles lightly, then squats by Siegfried while channeling some healing magic into him. That spine injury isn't going to heal itself!

     Or maybe it will. Who knows?