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yumemigaoka2023-11-13 03:47 pm
beautifuldreamermods) wrote in yumemigaoka2023-11-13 03:47 pm
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Event #6: Deadly Ever After
“Even now, no one knows the secret that lies under the cherry blossoms in full bloom. Perhaps one might call it “loneliness.” But the man no longer had to fear loneliness, for he had become loneliness itself.”
Sakaguchi Ango, “Under The Cherry Blossoms In Full Bloom”
Welcome to our second Disturbance event! To recap for new players, Disturbances are surreal and dangerous dreamscapes that draw directly on the struggles, fears and emotions of a single character, similar to the TV world dungeons in Persona 4 or the Heartscapes in Blue Reflection Second Light. They're unique among Outlying Locations in that they vanish once resolved and incubate extremely powerful enemies at their core who must be defeated to save the person at its heart – in this instance, it's our very own Ango!
Using the descriptions in the log below, you may freely toplevel and have characters explore and investigate as you please! The descriptions given in this log are to give direction and progression to the events but please feel free to play around within the bounds of what's established as much as you like. Characters wishing to investigate and uncover additional hints and lore nuggets at the heart of the dungeon should indicate they are investigating in the comment header of their toplevel.
To clear the event and prevent a negative outcome on the plot that will effect both the Dream Sphere and Yumemigaoka, characters must clear both the Mid-Tier and Boss Combat Encounters by the OOC deadline of November 30th.
ARRIVAL
- As the mist between dreams begins to clear, Dreamers find themselves wandering through the narrow, crooked streets of a feudal-era Japanese city. Squat buildings made of dark wood and weathered plaster seem to sigh under the weight of their sloping, tiled roofs, paper windows shut tight against the cold night air and the prying eyes of strangers. A blood-tinged full moon hangs heavy in the sky, casting long, eerie shadows. Its cold light washes out all color, save for one… the soft petal pink of the cherry trees that line every street of this place. Tangled trees grow from gaps between buildings and from cracks in the stone pavement, laden with blossoms despite the mid-November chill.
While Ango’s dream looks like something straight out of a made-for-TV samurai drama, the ground is littered with the garbage of modern life: empty cans, snack wrappers, crumpled paper and cigarette butts. On closer inspection, most of the buildings are little more than shoddily constructed movie set pieces, empty on the inside apart from even deeper piles of trash.
The city spread in all directions, but the Dreamers’ destination is clear. Perched on a high stone bluff, the white walls of a samurai lord’s castle gleam in the moonlight. Even from a distance, it’s clear that the grand castle is a ruin, held together – or torn apart – by the roots of hundreds of massive cherry trees.
!THE TEMPLE
In this foreboding place, the old Zen Buddhist temple is an island of uneasy calm. Behind high stone walls, the temple’s ornate buildings and courtyards provide a safe spot for Dreamers to regroup. Savers have set up a medic station beneath the intricately carved wooden roof of the main hall. A towering (if somewhat dilapidated) pagoda makes the temple easy to find even in the maze of dark streets between it and the castle.
Despite the temple’s age, it’s clear that this place has been cared for. The ever-present garbage has been swept aside, so only fallen sakura petals cover its pathway. The main worship hall that would normally hold the sacred images of Buddha is empty, but there are still offerings of incense and rice wine on the altar where a statue once sat. Maybe Ango used to believe, but all that remains now is a lingering desire, a longing for something to believe in.
There are no Torments here, only the occasional Figment tracing meaningless patterns on the sand in the meditation garden.
Despite the temple’s age, it’s clear that this place has been cared for. The ever-present garbage has been swept aside, so only fallen sakura petals cover its pathway. The main worship hall that would normally hold the sacred images of Buddha is empty, but there are still offerings of incense and rice wine on the altar where a statue once sat. Maybe Ango used to believe, but all that remains now is a lingering desire, a longing for something to believe in.
There are no Torments here, only the occasional Figment tracing meaningless patterns on the sand in the meditation garden.
!NAMIKASE SHOPPING STREET
In the old days, large temples often had a nakamise – a row of open-air shops lining the street between the inner and outer gates of the temple precincts, selling everything from incense and prayer beads to snacks and souvenirs. This nakamise offers an even more baffling array of goods: ghoulish papier-mâché demon masks and suits of samurai armor alongside plastic rice cookers and vintage 90s fashion, daruma dolls and good luck charms next to broken mobile phones and expired bags of curry-flavored chips. The accumulated junk of Ango’s mind is stacked high, spilling off shelves and onto the floor. The open storefronts beckon curious Dreamers to step inside, but to be honest, most of the items for sale are nearly indistinguishable from the garbage on the ground.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: As Dreamers walk past, they’ll hear clattering and groaning from within the shops. If they don’t quicken their pace, they’ll be attacked by a Torment formed from an aggregate of random items. With a TV for its head and many limbs made from broken guitars and umbrellas held together with cheap toys and old clothes, it’s not an especially powerful enemy… but it will continue to re-form itself from available junk until Dreamers manage to drive it back into its trashy lair, so it’s more troublesome than it looks.
Dreamers who jump onto the tiled roofs to bypass the Torment will find themselves smacked back down to the ground by a large, vaguely humanoid creature with huge wings covered in black feathers. It’s no angel, though… it’s a Torment in the shape of a tengu, the winged guardian spirits of mountain temples. This tengu wields a heavy iron staff, smashing roof tiles (and unlucky Dreamers) with every blow. Its face is covered by a scowling, long-nosed mask. While this physically powerful Torment will be a challenge for all but the strongest and most agile Dreamers, breaking its mask will cause it to dissipate into a cloud of feathers.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: As Dreamers walk past, they’ll hear clattering and groaning from within the shops. If they don’t quicken their pace, they’ll be attacked by a Torment formed from an aggregate of random items. With a TV for its head and many limbs made from broken guitars and umbrellas held together with cheap toys and old clothes, it’s not an especially powerful enemy… but it will continue to re-form itself from available junk until Dreamers manage to drive it back into its trashy lair, so it’s more troublesome than it looks.
Dreamers who jump onto the tiled roofs to bypass the Torment will find themselves smacked back down to the ground by a large, vaguely humanoid creature with huge wings covered in black feathers. It’s no angel, though… it’s a Torment in the shape of a tengu, the winged guardian spirits of mountain temples. This tengu wields a heavy iron staff, smashing roof tiles (and unlucky Dreamers) with every blow. Its face is covered by a scowling, long-nosed mask. While this physically powerful Torment will be a challenge for all but the strongest and most agile Dreamers, breaking its mask will cause it to dissipate into a cloud of feathers.
!RESIDENTIAL AREA
Once Dreamers pass through the outer gate of the nakamise, they’ll emerge into a quiet residential district. The stately upper-middle-class homes have all fallen into disrepair, but glimpses into their walled gardens can be had through gaps in the decaying plaster. The cherry trees are larger and wilder here, their branches growing up through buildings and bursting through the uneven streets. Most of the buildings are dark and empty, but light flickers through the torn paper windows of one of the larger residences.
Upon entering the dilapidated estate, Dreamers will find that the flickering light comes from a series of old-fashioned film projectors that have been set up inside its rooms, beaming grainy black-and-white footage onto cracked walls.
Ango may be a novelist-turned-screenwriter, but here, he’s a movie star. The films consist of short, silent clips spliced from snippets of memory, all featuring Ango and three men who are clearly close friends. They laugh over glasses of bottom shelf whiskey in a Tokyo basement bar, they get shot down trying to pick up girls in Kabukicho, they crash on the floor of Ango’s apartment after all-night marathon writing sessions, they pose for stupid selfies at each other’s book signing events. But as Dreamers wander through the sprawling house, the films begin to change… one by one, Ango’s companions disappear. The lighthearted clips are interspersed with scenes of funerals, drunken arguments, and empty seats at the bar. Ango in bed staring wide-eyed and sleepless at the digital clock as it ticks over to 4:00 AM. Ango running, even though he knows that he’s already too late. Ango fidgeting in the smoky waiting room of a loan shark’s office. Ango punching a hole through the cardboard wall of his apartment. Ango trying not to cry. In the final reel, Ango is alone, drinking cheap shochu from a paper bag and wandering Tokyo’s streets at night.
When Dreamers finally leave the house, they’ll notice a splatter of fresh blood on the street.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: While the house itself is free from dangers, Dreamers exiting the building will suddenly be attacked from above by bird-like Tormets that tear at their hair and clothes. In Japanese superstition, seeing birds at night is a bad omen. These may be smaller than the tengu before, but these black-winged creatures are still a danger to inexperienced Dreamers - they attack in swarms with their sharp beaks and clawed feet, and they seem determined to steal anything shiny… including Sandglass weapons!
Upon entering the dilapidated estate, Dreamers will find that the flickering light comes from a series of old-fashioned film projectors that have been set up inside its rooms, beaming grainy black-and-white footage onto cracked walls.
Ango may be a novelist-turned-screenwriter, but here, he’s a movie star. The films consist of short, silent clips spliced from snippets of memory, all featuring Ango and three men who are clearly close friends. They laugh over glasses of bottom shelf whiskey in a Tokyo basement bar, they get shot down trying to pick up girls in Kabukicho, they crash on the floor of Ango’s apartment after all-night marathon writing sessions, they pose for stupid selfies at each other’s book signing events. But as Dreamers wander through the sprawling house, the films begin to change… one by one, Ango’s companions disappear. The lighthearted clips are interspersed with scenes of funerals, drunken arguments, and empty seats at the bar. Ango in bed staring wide-eyed and sleepless at the digital clock as it ticks over to 4:00 AM. Ango running, even though he knows that he’s already too late. Ango fidgeting in the smoky waiting room of a loan shark’s office. Ango punching a hole through the cardboard wall of his apartment. Ango trying not to cry. In the final reel, Ango is alone, drinking cheap shochu from a paper bag and wandering Tokyo’s streets at night.
When Dreamers finally leave the house, they’ll notice a splatter of fresh blood on the street.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: While the house itself is free from dangers, Dreamers exiting the building will suddenly be attacked from above by bird-like Tormets that tear at their hair and clothes. In Japanese superstition, seeing birds at night is a bad omen. These may be smaller than the tengu before, but these black-winged creatures are still a danger to inexperienced Dreamers - they attack in swarms with their sharp beaks and clawed feet, and they seem determined to steal anything shiny… including Sandglass weapons!
!BACK ALLEYS
Following the trail of blood will lead Dreamers to a neighborhood of narrow back streets that run alongside the river. Occasional paper lanterns provide just enough light to see by, but this is a place for people who don’t want to be seen. Dreamers will begin to experience the unsettling sensation that they’re being pursued through the twisting, claustrophobic streets. A faint odor of smoke lingers in the air, reminding Dreamers just how quickly this whole city could burn to the ground.
Dimly lit neon signs outside the cramped back-alley bars advertise cheap booze and all-you-can-drink specials, and the sound of Showa-period pop songs echoes from inside. If Dreamers peek inside, though, they’ll find that the buildings here are like everything else in this city: empty façades stapled together from plywood and cardboard, an illusion that falls apart under the slightest scrutiny. The tinny music is coming from an old cassette player.
Dreamers will notice that one of the bars is little more than a burned shell reeking of charred wood and gasoline, still faintly smoldering in the cold air. Outside, there’s more blood on the ground.
Something shiny glints from the floor of the burned wreck - a pair of cracked sunglasses. Ango’s sunglasses, the silly prescription-strength ones he always wears because he’s self-conscious about being nearsighted. The fake building went up in flames so quickly that some of its contents have survived, trapped under fallen debris.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: Dreamers will find themselves constantly looking over their shoulders, unable to shake the feeling that something is following them. Whatever fears and worries they might be running from in the real world will manifest in the shadows, chasing them off the relatively well-lit path and into even darker, narrower side streets. It’s easy to get disoriented here, where the streets seem to bend back on themselves in ways that violate the basic rules of geometry. Dreamers will need to think clearly to find their way out, or risk being lost with only their own fears for company.
⧖ INVESTIGATION: Dreamers who investigate the wreckage of the fire will soon realize that they are being followed… by Ango himself!? He’s standing silently on the roof of the neighboring building, dressed in a formal samurai costume with a sword in his hand - a sword that’s still dripping with fresh blood. Besides him stands a mysterious woman wearing a pink kimono. With her long dark hair, she almost resembles a certain idol… but the glint in her eyes is cruel.
Dimly lit neon signs outside the cramped back-alley bars advertise cheap booze and all-you-can-drink specials, and the sound of Showa-period pop songs echoes from inside. If Dreamers peek inside, though, they’ll find that the buildings here are like everything else in this city: empty façades stapled together from plywood and cardboard, an illusion that falls apart under the slightest scrutiny. The tinny music is coming from an old cassette player.
Dreamers will notice that one of the bars is little more than a burned shell reeking of charred wood and gasoline, still faintly smoldering in the cold air. Outside, there’s more blood on the ground.
Something shiny glints from the floor of the burned wreck - a pair of cracked sunglasses. Ango’s sunglasses, the silly prescription-strength ones he always wears because he’s self-conscious about being nearsighted. The fake building went up in flames so quickly that some of its contents have survived, trapped under fallen debris.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: Dreamers will find themselves constantly looking over their shoulders, unable to shake the feeling that something is following them. Whatever fears and worries they might be running from in the real world will manifest in the shadows, chasing them off the relatively well-lit path and into even darker, narrower side streets. It’s easy to get disoriented here, where the streets seem to bend back on themselves in ways that violate the basic rules of geometry. Dreamers will need to think clearly to find their way out, or risk being lost with only their own fears for company.
⧖ INVESTIGATION: Dreamers who investigate the wreckage of the fire will soon realize that they are being followed… by Ango himself!? He’s standing silently on the roof of the neighboring building, dressed in a formal samurai costume with a sword in his hand - a sword that’s still dripping with fresh blood. Besides him stands a mysterious woman wearing a pink kimono. With her long dark hair, she almost resembles a certain idol… but the glint in her eyes is cruel.
!CASTLE DUNGEON
Dreamers who skip the back alleys and proceed towards the center of the city will soon reach the fortified outer walls of the castle. Isolated on a sheer cliff cut by the river, the main keep can only be reached by a long stone staircase that winds through boulders and battlements. The path is frequently blocked by the thick, gnarled roots of cherry trees that have broken through solid stone. Petals float like snow from the hundreds of trees above, growing through the windows and walls of the ruined castle.
Finally, Dreamers will reach a courtyard that’s dominated by an even larger cherry tree encircled by sacred shimenawa ropes. The shimenawa mark the boundary between the mundane and the spiritual, the home of an enshrined deity. The enormous tree certainly has a divine presence, with branches outstretched over the courtyard like the many arms of the Buddhist goddess of mercy.
Passing warily beneath the sacred tree, Dreamers will find the castle gates open and unguarded. Those expecting the castle to be another hollow set piece will be surprised to find that the lowest level, the dungeon, is packed from floor to ceiling with books. Thousands upon thousands of books, all tossed into haphazard piles so dense that Dreamers are forced to climb over them in places.. Oil lamps set into the monolithic stone walls provide just enough light to read by, so they'll see that every book bears the same author's name: Sakaguchi Ango. But every novel is half-filled with blank pages, some trailing off after only a few lines of text. These are the stories Ango never finished. Amid the heaps of books are crumpled sheets of loose paper - rejection letters from publishing agencies, unpaid bills, and torn-out magazine articles featuring scathing reviews of everything Ango's ever written.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: There's no obvious way to reach the upper floors of the castle. No staircase, no ladder, no crack in the heavy wooden beams that make up the ceiling. But fans of ninja movies and escape rooms will realize that this is actually a ninja trick house - a building designed with secret hiding places and concealed escape routes. Astute Dreamers will notice that there's an area of the floor that's suspiciously clear of accumulated junk - above it, a section of the ceiling can be pulled down to reveal a hidden staircase.
Making one's way across through the neck-deep mess of books and paper will prove to be treacherous, though. One careless move can cause an entire stack of books to collapse, and the piles of garbage provide precarious footing.
Finally, Dreamers will reach a courtyard that’s dominated by an even larger cherry tree encircled by sacred shimenawa ropes. The shimenawa mark the boundary between the mundane and the spiritual, the home of an enshrined deity. The enormous tree certainly has a divine presence, with branches outstretched over the courtyard like the many arms of the Buddhist goddess of mercy.
Passing warily beneath the sacred tree, Dreamers will find the castle gates open and unguarded. Those expecting the castle to be another hollow set piece will be surprised to find that the lowest level, the dungeon, is packed from floor to ceiling with books. Thousands upon thousands of books, all tossed into haphazard piles so dense that Dreamers are forced to climb over them in places.. Oil lamps set into the monolithic stone walls provide just enough light to read by, so they'll see that every book bears the same author's name: Sakaguchi Ango. But every novel is half-filled with blank pages, some trailing off after only a few lines of text. These are the stories Ango never finished. Amid the heaps of books are crumpled sheets of loose paper - rejection letters from publishing agencies, unpaid bills, and torn-out magazine articles featuring scathing reviews of everything Ango's ever written.
⧖ HAZARD ALERT: There's no obvious way to reach the upper floors of the castle. No staircase, no ladder, no crack in the heavy wooden beams that make up the ceiling. But fans of ninja movies and escape rooms will realize that this is actually a ninja trick house - a building designed with secret hiding places and concealed escape routes. Astute Dreamers will notice that there's an area of the floor that's suspiciously clear of accumulated junk - above it, a section of the ceiling can be pulled down to reveal a hidden staircase.
Making one's way across through the neck-deep mess of books and paper will prove to be treacherous, though. One careless move can cause an entire stack of books to collapse, and the piles of garbage provide precarious footing.
!CASTLE LIBRARY
Dreamers who make it past the trick staircase will be met with an awe-inspiring sight: the entire upper part of the castle is an enormous library, with bookshelves reaching up several stories into darkness. A network of dangerously narrow ladders, balconies and catwalks provides access to the upper shelves. The books are an eclectic, disorganized collection of the works of every storyteller who's had an impact on Ango, whether they ever wrote them down or not - from Edgar Allan Poe and Akutagawa Ryuunosuke and Agatha Christie to the nameless drunks who shared their life stories with strangers on the subway, all bound in rich leather like treasured tomes.
The cavernous room is lit by the haunting glow of floating paper lanterns, just like the ones sent down rivers on the last night of the Obon festival to guide the spirits of the dead to the next world. The floor here, too, is covered in paper and forgotten books. As Dreamers explore the vast space, a cold wind will sweep through and stir the loose pages. The library seems empty... but they aren't alone.
The cavernous room is lit by the haunting glow of floating paper lanterns, just like the ones sent down rivers on the last night of the Obon festival to guide the spirits of the dead to the next world. The floor here, too, is covered in paper and forgotten books. As Dreamers explore the vast space, a cold wind will sweep through and stir the loose pages. The library seems empty... but they aren't alone.
!THE FOREST
When Dreamers touch the sacred tree in the center of the castle courtyard, the air around them will momentarily shimmer... and they'll find themselves standing beneath the same tree, now surrounded by a castle in an even more advanced state of ruin than before. The roots and branches of countless cherry trees have completely consumed the library, eating through its walls and roof until little of the original structure remains. The trees bloom profusely until sakura petals blanket the courtyard nearly knee-deep in places, obscuring wide cracks in the pavement below. There's a madness to their beauty, a feral taint to their faint, sweet fragrance.
She’s been waiting.
She’s been waiting.
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[Zeke takes off at an alarmingly speedy run, then one of those bounding leaps only Dreamers can really do. The tengu Torment immediately moves to intercept him, swinging its staff to crack Chaosbringer over the head -- only for him to grab onto that staff mid-leap. Ha!]
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Which means her main challenge here will be aiming. It's something she figures more and more when she sees the way both the Torment and the other Dreamer move. She's practiced with moving targets, but.. well, it's one thing to know you'll just hit a bag of sand when you miss an attack, and it's another thing to know you'll hit a Dreamer.
Maybe she just has to hope her attacks are still relatively weak enough to just bounce off the man.
Still, she focuses, waves her wand, and a ball of energy shoots for it. Her aim seems to be on point, since it flies directly at the tengu-like Torment. ]
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[But that isn't just bad play or idiocy on his part; Chaosbringer is deliberately distracting the Torment. So when Ilya's energy ball zips in, it strikes true, sending the Torment staggering backwards. In that moment, Chaosbringer nearly bisects it, sending feathers showering everywhere as it loses most of them on its chest as part of its desperate dodge.]
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But seeing him on the offence now? It's leaving her even more awestruck. She honestly isn't sure if she ever saw anyone be this powerful. It's like he could take down any Torment with just one strike.. ]
W-Wait, wouldn't you have destroyed it if that hit?!
[ It looks like it to her. That blow was so powerful..
But at least the girl is making sure to stay useful too, rather than just speaking up. The moment she realises the Torment is dodging, she charges up another energy blast from her wand, sending it right over towards the spot the tengu retreated to. ]
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[ Granted, Prisma hasn't been hunting Torments for long enough to know that much.. Especially when the people she has gone on hunts with are often people who use attacks that seem a little less.. violent than Chaosbringer's, let's say. This is the first time she's seeing this sort of power being turned on a Torment, and apparently it still isn't enough.
The girl sure isn't going to doubt his words, after all. ]
I-- I thought you--
[ She notices the Tengu-like creature trying to move closer to Chaosbringer, which makes Prisma quickly swing her staff to fire off another ball of energy at the Torment, forcing it backwards again. ]
I thought you could easily beat anything..! [ Yes, Chaosbringer.
You just seem that cool to a 13 year old. ]
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If Torments were easy to defeat, they wouldn't be Torments, now would they?
[To be fair, Chaosbringer is putting up a pretty good fight as he and the kenku duel, sword and staff clashing with excessively loud noises. It would look cooler if they weren't out of two separate genres: the Torment is all wuxia, whereas Zeke looks like he wandered out of Conan the way he's fighting.]
And it's why teamwork is bloody important!
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But before the girl has the chance to say anything about teamwork in the first place, she's noticing something. As she fires off another energy blast at the Torment, and as she watches Chaosbringer fight it.. There's something a little strange here, right? Sure, Torments are strong, but between them working together and Chaosbringer being strong too, the Torment should at least be showing signs of growing weaker by now.
Yet.. it isn't. ]
S-Sir, do you think it's possible there's something special about this Torment..?
[ She sounds a little shy about voicing it, but it feels too potentially important to just keep it to herself. ]
It's not growing weaker at all.. Almost as if fighting it in a normal way isn't doing the job..!
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[Damn thing is jolly good at dueling, that's for sure! The two of them seem fairly evenly-matched, sword and staff whacking violently at each other with crackles of electricity punctuating each motion, but even Prisma's help isn't managing to turn the tide in their favor.]
Got any ideas?
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[ That's definitely more of a surprised little squeak than an actual word. D-Does she have to give input here? She? Prisma feels like the least qualified person in the area for sure, especially compared to who she's here with.
There's a fear of giving a stupid answer that might make him think less of her, but on the other hand, Prisma knows that staying quiet also isn't really good - especially when this battle somehow doesn't seem to be making progress at all.
So-- ]
W-Well, I was thinking-- [ Sorry, but she has to momentarily stop shooting at the Torment. It's hard to do both that and speculate at the same time, especially when she is so shy and worried about said speculation! ] It's a little strange how, even though that Torment seems like a tengu, i-it's only wearing a tengu mask, right? It's not like it is its actual face..
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[
Wait, wasn't this an entire plot of an Ace Attorney case?Chaosbringer immediately gets on board with her idea, launching a surprise kick that comes an inch from impacting the tengu's beak. It ducks back, suddenly cautious and protective of its own face, letting Chaosbringer press the attack.]And of course, either way you can just shoot it in the back a lot!
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It doesn't take her too long before she manages to snap herself out of the surprise though, quickly saying: ]
Y-- Yeah! I'll distract it!
[ After all, that thing can't both avoid her attacks and avoid Chaosbringer trying to come for its face, after all.. So even though the girl is starting to feel a little tired from all the magic she's already been using, she charges up her wand once more, firing an entire row of energy blasts towards the Torment. ]
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[This proves to be a mistake.]
[Maybe one or two of her bolts might have been easily ignored, but an entire row slams into the Torment's back, one after another. It's tough, but even it has its limits -- its body jerks forward, just in time for one of Chaosbringer's armored boots to come up and kick its mask clean off.]
[As the tengu mask arcs through the air, the rest of the Torment dissipates into shadows and bad memories, as if it had never been.]
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Her jaw is practically hanging on the floor. It's that kind of stare. The kind that's just completely filled with surprise and confusion, like she can't believe that her guess was right on this one.
At first she's staring at the empty spot the Torment left behind like that, but then she turns to look at Chaosbringer instead. ]
It.. worked..?
[ The girl sounds so confused. She truly can't believe this!! What's going on, Chaosbringer!! ]
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[Zeke whirls his sword once before slapping it into its completely arbitrary sticks-to-the-back position, then launches himself into the long jump necessary to land right in front of Prisma, all cool-like.]
You were a great partner!
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R-- Really?
[ The words slowly manage to escape her mouth, despite her mind still clearly spacing out.. ]
I was.. that good..? I just-- um, I really wanted to help you, but I wasn't sure if I could..! [ Because Chaosbringer is this cool. What does she have to bring to the table in comparison?
B-But he's calling her a great partner...!! ]
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[Sure, he may have more experience, but every Dreamer can fight. Why else would they find themselves bringing weapons into their own sleep?]
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[ It's such an obvious and objective fact that the girl can say it without any sense of self deprecation in her tone. It's like she's just saying the sky is blue. Just a simple fact. ]
You really just believe anyone at all could help you, even when there's probably so much you could do on your own..?
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Strength isn't everything, you know. Look at Ai-Doll, for example. She's everyone's vision of an ideal Dreamer, but her combat skills aren't the best in the DU. Even if we make it really simple, you can attack from a distance a lot better than I can. When you really get a handle on things, who'll be able to stop you?
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O-Oh, gosh.
A cool person is having faith in her. That's what's happening here, right? It makes the girl stare at the other with such wide eyes, just allowing her hair to get ruffled without any resistance on her part. Instead she's just trying to process the thought of someone as cool as Chaosbringer having faith in her.. ]
I-- I'll try, then! I'll continue to do my best to get a handle on things.. I-- I mean, I really want to be just as cool as you one day..!
[ One far off day, but one day all the same. ]
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Don't worry. You will be!
[After all, the only thing that stopped anyone from being as cool as him is that they just didn't go for it! The people who didn't chain themselves back would always surge ahead. And if she has a goal in mind, and the willingness to chase it, she'll succeed. End of story!]