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X-DREAMERS [mission 03: Shadows of an Island]

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Illidan Stormrage, Lord of the Illidari
<Status: Stable; Slightly worried>
<Location: Lara's Shadow World>
<People: Xander | Tien | Stan | Lara | Utakata | Joker | Mona | Sieghorse>
<Potential Enemy: Shadow Lara>

 

~~

 

He was never more thankful to be used to the cold. Seems I do have something to thank that blasted undead freak for, after all. Even so, his wings had curled inward on instinct in an attempt to conserve body heat.

 

He was honestly just glad to still be in one piece. He hoped Temeraire was okay - as far as he knew, she was still gone.

 

The sound of Lara standing up reaches him, and he stands in response. He'd needed to move, anyway, but then he heard her moving, quite quickly at that. "Lara, wait--" Illidan growled under his breath when she didn't listen, and swiftly but cautiously followed, a few paces behind. He was sure he heard other voices, too, but he paid them no mind.

 

Eventually, they came upon what was unmistakably a monastery - Illidan recognized the basic structure - but the voice inside sounded... just like Lara?

 

Another Shadow?! Good grief... how many Shadows were they going to run into?! This was the third one today...

 

~~

 

dd3hjow-314592c7-1003-4fb0-be90-c9ed8776

 

Temeraire Rhowa, Warrior of Light
<Status: Stable; Worried and relieved at the same time>
<Current Class: Ninja>
<Location: Lara's Shadow World>
<People: Oracle | Skull | Fox | Enterprise>
<Potential Enemy: Shadow Lara>

 

~~

 

Upon seeing Oracle motion to be quiet, Temeraire blends in with the shadows and follows her into the small hallway, putting her skills as a ninja to work. Looking in, however, she recognized the person who was (figuratively, thankfully) frozen in place.

 

That's Lara! Thank the Twelve she's okay...

 

Temeraire knew, however, that if she pissed off her Shadow, she wouldn't stay okay for long...

Edited by hikarinomemori

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It’s cold in the cave. Tien never did like the cold. The warmth of the fire, of Joker pressed against him, and of his own heated blush, those help--though he could do without the last one--but not enough. Not nearly enough.

 

He still kind of wants to cry. He’s been feeling tears prick at his eyes off and on for the past...how long? Since the last battle ended, at any rate. But not here. Not now. Not in front of everyone, and not while they’re still stuck here.

 

He squeezes Fractal’s hand--he isn’t brave enough to hold Joker’s--for comfort. At least in this world he can hold his spren, instead of her just hovering as a shifting pattern. She’s humming, now, a faintly familiar song. He thinks it’s the one Mother sang to him and Kaladin when they were children.

 

...He misses his mother.

 

As though that thought is a catalyst, Lara bolts to her feet. “Mother?

 

She all but whispers the word, looking around slowly. Tien only barely catches it. Her gaze settles on the long cavern path forwards, and barely a moment later she’s dashing down the path. Several calls of alarm sound out, the loudest from Stan, and almost simultaneously half of them are on their feet and scrambling after her with the other half close behind.

 

Tien’s part of that second half, following in the wake of Joker’s nigh-instantaneous leap to his feet, but it doesn’t take long before they’re all at the end of the tunnel, where--

 

Tien’s breath catches. Those same yellow eyes again, set in Lara’s face. Always the same shade, on his and Stan’s and Utakata’s and now hers. Unnervingly identical in their coloring.

 

Joker and Xander are already yelling encouragement, trying to cut the battle off before it even begins. A third voice chimes in, utterly unfamiliar to Tien, saying basically the same thing, if in a much less...sensitive way.

 

But will that help? Will that help, when the Shadow hasn’t even begun to speak yet? They’ve started to encourage her, sure, but you can’t help as much when you go in blind.

 

Old instincts. Trained into him for the sake of another man’s power. Be quiet. Listen. Figure out the motivations. Work out their game. 

 

He may have learned them in someone else’s name, may have used and wielded them in ways he wasn’t comfortable with but had to--that didn’t mean they weren’t useful.

 

So he would be quiet. He’d listen.

 

And then, for the first time in a while, he’d speak his mind.

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[Lara Rochelle - Shadow World - But in fact, I am you]

 

Lara is frozen in place. Meeting the eyes of her Shadow, she should have known this would happen. She should have guessed that she'd be facing another Shadow. And yet, it slipped past her that she even had hidden inner thoughts. Oh bloody hell, as if things couldn't be any worse.... She takes another step back, her body trembling as she looks this shadow in the eye. No, no, it can't be me, it can't....

 

"Lara, don't!" Someone's voice- is that that waiter she had seen? - chimes in from somewhere behind her. "Don't let her confuse you! She's just a reflection of your own thoughts and feelings. She can only hurt you if you let her!" She knows, she knows, but-

 

"You know yourself better than anyone else here," Xander's voice calls, much more loudly than the other man's. "You cannot let a mere phantom sway you into betraying what you already know." Yes, yes, but from the way this witch is dressed---

 

Then, from somewhere to her left, she hears an exasperated sigh. 

 

"Another one?" a young man's voice shouts in a rather vulgar manner, "Listen, lady!" When she turns her torso to address him, he's pointing very rudely at her. "If you reject your shadow, all that will do is cause it to turn into a giant monster that we'll all have to fight and guess what? Even if we beat the monster, we'll have to fight it again if you don't accept your shadow, so don't you dare reject it." He stomps "Y'hear me? Trouble will only happen if you let it happen! You can do better than that!"

 

Oracle face palms. "So much for being sneaky...."

 

Lara furrows her eyebrows. "Dear God...."

 

The Shadow frowns and crosses her arms over her chest. "Now what kind of pest is he...?" Then she smirks. "No matter. Because no matter what, you will never be able to look yourself in the eye, will you? Surely not after the people you failed to protect. You certainly remember last year, do you not?" She transforms into a rather stout looking man, and Lara recognizes that face. Kent. She changes again to a slender blonde woman, dressed exactly as Lara remembered. The same woman who attacked her just some time ago today. Amanda. "It's a shame, truly. Had you been more competent, you would have protected them. Amanda wouldn't be the fiend she is now. And what of you? Would you still be with her? Would you have left her because of the man who left you in a time of need?" She then turns into a small, slender young man with a mop of chestnut hair and round, nervous looking green eyes. Henry. "Face it, Lara, it's your fault he left you. And your fault the people you care about die."

 

Lara shudders when she looks at Henry's face. "It's better he left, we'd both have been miserable had he stayed. We were never a good match."

 

"Ah sure, keep telling yourself that. But you can't deny it's made you more insecure.... What of that Stanley you're fond of? Aren't you afraid he'll leave you like Henry did? After all, you hadn't fallen as hard for Amanda, as you did for either Henry or Stanley.... Did you? Must be the green eyes, like Amanda said, hm...."

 

"Are you going to let her treat you like that?" Oracle waves her fist in the air. "She's you, Lara, don't let her rile you up!"

 

Lara continues to shake, looking the shadow in the eye as she transforms back into the state Lara first saw her.

 

"I..."

 

"You'll never admit it. But I, Lara-love, am you."

 

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So that’s the game. Shame. Failure. Being left behind. Protection. 

 

He can work with this.

 

...But there are other things he needs to say first. Things he’d learned the hard way. He can speak from the heart, speak from his pain. “Lara…” He steps forwards. “The truth hurts. I won’t pretend it doesn’t. It hurts and you hate yourself for it. But you can’t fight the truth, and you can’t run from it forever. I tried.” The last two words are a whisper to himself. He swallows hard. Brings his voice back to normal volume. “You have to face it. It will burn. It will ache. It will hurt. It will…” Tien takes a shaky breath. “It will make you stronger. And here, where denial brings us a monster to fight? It’ll be a whole storming lot easier in the long run.”

 

One more breath. Bring it back. Encourage her. “You know yourself. You know you tried your best. You did the most you could, and…” He trails off for a moment. Swallows. “And it didn’t work.” Takes a deep breath. “So what? It’s done, immutable, unchangeable. It’s part of you. It’s made you stronger. This is your life! This is your path! This is your past! It’s you, and it’s what you can grow past!”

 

Please let this work please let this work please let this work… 

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Illidan Stormrage, Lord of the Illidari
<Status: Stable>

 

dd3hjow-314592c7-1003-4fb0-be90-c9ed8776

 

Temeraire Rhowa, Warrior of Light
<Status: Stable; Annoyed>
<Current Class: Ninja>

 

<Location: Lara's Shadow World>
<People: Xander | Tien | Stan | Lara | Utakata | Joker | Mona | Sieghorse | Oracle | Skull | Fox | Enterprise>
<Potential Enemy: Shadow Lara>

 

~~

 

Wow, someone was brazen. Still, Illidan merely watched the Shadow, even as she presumably shapeshifted. In his Spectral Sight, the aura was the same, with only the basic outline shifting into each new form in turn.

 

He didn't say it out loud, but he knew what it felt like to feel incompetent. Even so, his way of feeling incompetent was linked to that blasted brother of his. As far as he was aware, Lara had no such siblings. So he kept silent, tightly gripping his Warglaives, watching to see whether he'd need to fight or not.

 

"Ugh, gods dammit, Skull." Temeraire came out of the shadows after Skull's little stunt. "What part of 'be quiet' don't ya bleedin' get?" She pinched the bridge of her nose. "No, no, that can be saved for later." She then turned to look at Lara. "Tien's right, Lara. Runnin' from the truth ain't gonna do squat - believe me, I tried that too. Thought that I could bury the past by pretendin' it don't exist, but... it just plain don't work like that. Yeah, the past hurts, but facin' it lets ya come out stronger in the end."

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[Utakata - Shadow World - Impressive, man]

 

He hadn't been the first to get up and rush to Lara's aid. 

 

But he'd be damned if he wasn't one of the quickest to make it up there and slip into one of the side hallways. Across from him are some oddly clothed characters, masked and seem to have the same idea as he does- slip and hide away somewhere. 

 

That, of course, is completely ruined when the boy with the skull mask starts yelling. Ugh, the yelling. Utakata does not appreciate the yelling or the stomping one bit. But one by one everyone starts shouting at Lara. 

 

Why couldn't he be back home, lying against a tree in the peace and quiet? Why does he suddenly have to give a damn about other people? He blames Hotaru. It's all her fault that his ability to care for other people got kickstarted again. Why couldn't he just skip all that and exist? It'd surely be less effort. And yet, she gifted him with an entire chest of spoons to care about people, and for that he also thanks her. 

 

Then Tien starts talking. 

 

“Lara… The truth hurts. I won’t pretend it doesn’t. It hurts and you hate yourself for it. But you can’t fight the truth, and you can’t run from it forever. I tried. You have to face it. It will burn. It will ache. It will hurt. It will… It will make you stronger. And here, where denial brings us a monster to fight? It’ll be a whole storming lot easier in the long run.”

 

He pauses, as if to think. “You know yourself. You know you tried your best. You did the most you could, and…” Pause. “And it didn’t work. So what? It’s done, immutable, unchangeable. It’s part of you. It’s made you stronger. This is your life! This is your path! This is your past! It’s you, and it’s what you can grow past!”

 

He has to admit, he had no idea Tien was capable of such a speech. 

 

Damn. It. 

 

Utakata lets out a sigh of some emotion- he has no idea if it's annoyance or something else. But he glances at Tien and then to Lara. "He's right. You never wanna look yourself in the eye, it takes a lot more effort than is necessary sometimes. This time you have to look yourself right in the pupils and face yourself. What Stan told me is right- who gives a damn about your past? It doesn't matter anymore, you are who you are now because of it. And Tien's right in that it's made you stronger! Whenever you're ready, look yourself in the eyes and tell yourself that it doesn't matter anymore!"

 

He really hopes he doesn't have to fight anymore today.

 

God. Please. If you're real.

 

apK8pPF.png

 

[Amanda Evert - Shadow World - Lurking]

 

She quietly lurks from the stairs below. To her luck, none of them have noticed her. 

 

God damn it all! All of her plans have been thrown through the paper shredder! Now she has to play it by ear, and oh boy does that bother her to no end. Perhaps if she can distract at least one of them, she could go up there and punch Lara in the face. If she could distract the man in the kimono somehow, she could probably knock him out and get him out of the way. 

 

But boy is it satisfying having Lara's inner thoughts being displayed to everyone, including herself. She could be satisfied enough with the sheer humiliation of that. 

 

But then she'd be lifted up by solidarity or some other sappy crap. 

 

No, Amanda has to do more damage.

 

So she lurks, looking for an opportunity. If she could just knock out the kimono man....

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[Enterprise - The Cold and the Night]

 

She really didn't have the energy for this. It was far too cold, and her teeth chattered involuntarily. The Shadow's gibes were blurring in her ears as she struggled to keep a coherent sense of everything all around. But she was tired. Spent.

 

 

The others' voices echoed around her. Promises of strength. Promises of worth. ...maybe Enterprise wished someone would say something like that to her, but she would never admit it. She couldn't. And maybe she should say something, but the words were all gone. They were blurring like her mind, even if she knew how to string together soothing words. ...you never learn to soothe as a weapon of war; you learn to hurt. What, then, could Enterprise say? It was a foreign thing, and she desperately wanted the cold, the memories, the feelings, the everything to be over. Yet, she was in a haze and a cold world, and she couldn't let go. Not yet. (Not ever.)

 

Edited by DuskOfTheStars

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Stan -- Lara's Shadow World
[ do you hear those voices? ] - [ they're all here for you ]

 

Stan had squat down with his back to the fire in an attempt to dry his cape, staying close to Lara but trying not to make her even colder with his damp clothes. Watching her silently, he reckoned that she must have been beating herself up over Amanda's actions... despite the fact that her instincts were entirely on the money for this mission. They had just underestimated the extent of her power.

 

And the masked kid and his weird cat, too... He seemed to be the most in his element, in this world -- but it didn't seem like he had anything to do with that bony blond woman. At least he knew that Amanda herself knew little about these places, their shadow residents, and persona... but that fact only made the situation even more dangerous to everyone involved. Could he have prepared more insurance? Probably not. It wasn't in his style to regret his choices.

 

When Lara suddenly rose to her feet and called out for her mother, Stan himself snapped back to attention. "Love?" he asked. She didn't appear to hear him as she looked around, almost like a possessed woman, before breaking out into a run further into the cavern.

 

"Lara!" Stan called after her, swearing under his breath as he scrambled to his feet like everyone else. Knowing this world, it could be one of two things, and neither option was particularly good.

 

~

 

The tunnel ended in the arched stone vaults of an old monastery. The ancient appearance -- at least to him -- was entirely befitting of someone from Lara's line of profession. Maybe under different circumstances he would have found it impressive, but his eyes were trained ahead while he ran to catch up. Well versed in this tango, now, the group had been attempting to talk Lara down from her metaphorical ledge. Walking up to where she was confronting her shadow and its little speech, Stan placed one hand on the handle of his gun and the other on the card over his heart. His own shadow was an expert in seeking out his insecurities and if this world was able to pick apart someone as great as himself, then it didn't hurt to brace himself for a fight. Just a little insurance.

 

Like she was there for him, he was damn ready to be there for her. 

 

"Besides, are you going to let something petty enough to use the faces of your exes to get under your skin? Nobody makes good decisions when pressured. " Stan added to the chorus of people giving encouragement. "We both think we're destined to be lone wolves, but you can't push everyone away because some people are *******s who have caused you to internalize your worthlessness or some bull like that. Now let's kick your insecurity's ass, find the woman who ruined your birthday, and go home together."

 

"And," Stan added, pleading.  "You've spoken to my shadow. If these illusions really come from truth, then you know I won't abandon you."

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[Lara Rochelle - Shadow World - I am thou, thou art I]

 

Everyone. Everyone is behind her this time. 

 

There are a few highlights. Tien's speech- showing he'd understood how she felt, and speaking of how what she'd been through only made her stronger, it had been quite empowering. Temeraire? Her speech had been short and slightly abrasive, but she got what she meant. Utakata managed to show he cared somewhat as well, agreeing with everyone else who spoke before him.

 

And then there was Stan. 

 

“Besides, are you going to let something petty enough to use the faces of your exes to get under your skin? Nobody makes good decisions when pressured. We both think we're destined to be lone wolves, but you can't push everyone away because some people are *******s who have caused you to internalize your worthlessness or some bull like that. Now let's kick your insecurity's ass, find the woman who ruined your birthday, and go home together."

 

"And," Stan added, his words more sincere than they'd ever been in the months she'd known him.  "You've spoken to my shadow. If these illusions really come from truth, then you know I won't abandon you."

 

Lara closes her eyes briefly, internalizing their words. 

 

Her shadow, clearly flustered, sputters. "What? You believe these people?! You choose not to deny me?"

 

When Lara opens her eyes, she looks the shadow right in those horrid yellow irises. 

 

"Oh don't get me wrong. I'd refuse to believe them had I not seen for myself the thoughts and true feelings of the others. Really, I'd be bloody mortified without knowing what they've been through. They're behind me now, your words mean nothing to me."

 

The shadow rolls her eyes. "Please, Lara-love. You just wish to not let people down. You want to protect them from what's about to come, don't you?" The shadow makes one last attempt, transforming into a face Lara had never thought she would see again in her lifetime. Lara freezes, eyes wide open. From the short stature, to the uniform, to the singular grey streak in her rich, deep brown locks restrained in the familiar updo she'd known since she was young. This was a copy of the same woman who'd shown her nothing but pure love for eight years of her life, whisked away due to Lara's own naiveté. "Just like you let dearest Mummy down, didn't you?"

 

But no, this wasn't Amelia Croft. This was an impostor- no, a trick that she was playing on herself. Her shadow was using this as a manipulation tactic, to try and rile her up into giving her darkest thoughts the power. But no. Not anymore. These thoughts have brought her down for fourteen years, and she refuses to allow her own thoughts to harm the people she loves. So she once again looks the shadow in the eye, and the shadow turns back into its normal self, clearly bothered. "What the devil-"

 

"You are right. For fourteen years I've blamed myself. Whether it was Mother, or Father, or losing anyone else I'd ever loved, I always felt that it was because I let them all down somehow. Whether I failed to protect them, or I shoved them away, I always thought it was my fault that the people I loved have been lost. Even my dearest friends I believed would somehow, someday be gone. Stan had put it into words just a moment ago, but I believed I was destined to be alone. And I believed I was worthless for it."

 

The choking in her throat almost causes Lara to lose focus. "But I can't continue to hurt myself for the things in my past that are out of my control. I can't protect everyone, and that's alright. But if it's all the same to you, I would like to get everyone out of this god-forsaken world safely. Because some of these people I've known for months, and others just a few short days. But they've given me more support in just a few short moments than I have given myself in fourteen years. I'd like to change that. Because as much as I hate to say it, you're me. You're the me that I want to change, and you bloody know what? I'm proud of the woman I've become. So. If it's all the same to you, I want to grow with you, and with these people behind me. Right?"

 

"You're so bloody dramatic," the shadow scoffs, "But I suppose it's right for you to feel this way. You admitted it. I lost. The conviction in your heart tells me so. Just do me a favour, love, and do as you say you will. Don't give me a reason to come back."

 

"I won't," Lara whispers as the shadow of herself begins to fade away, leaving the familiar tarot card she'd seen everyone else obtain. This one, when she takes it, warms her heart some. The silhouette of her mother, reminding her that she's still at her side even in death, along with a III on the bottom. The empress, a voice in her mind says to her, a symbol of prosperity, femininity, and protection. She takes a few deep breaths, allowing her accelerated heartbeat to calm down a little bit before facing everyone else and speaking. "Ah- apologies for the melodrama, how about we go-"

 

Lara freezes when she hears, "AUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!!!" and the firing of a gun. 

 

 

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I am thou, thou art I.

Thou hast forged a new bond with thyself.

It brings thee closer to the truth. 

Thou shalt be blessed to be the bearer of the Empress persona, Pellonia.

 
 

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[Amanda Evert - Shadow World - Boss Battle Baby]

 

"AUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!!!" Amanda screams. What? NO! This wasn't how this was supposed to go! I was going to take her squad out, one by one! I was going to make her face herself ALONE, I was- I was--- She takes her pistol out and fires a shot at the man in the kimono- causing him to scream loudly in pain and double over his abdomen. Good, If he couldn't turn into that godforsaken beast, he couldn't get in her way. 

 

Lara looks terrified- perhaps that caught her off guard? Oh, who cares. Amanda has her right where she wants her. As her form changes into that of the wraith monster, she makes an immediate lunge forwards at Lara, trying to get her in her claws. Lara yelps as well, but she manages to do a backflip, kicking her heels off and firing a singular shot at Amanda. It hits, but the beast refuses to let itself slow down as it sends a burst of pink energy at Stan- the traitor who got them into this mess well before her initial plan. He not only dodges, but makes an attack which barely hits. She pays him no mind and goes for the weak-looking young man in the green suit nearby.

 

This was already not going how it was supposed to go.

Edited by Mikasa361

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Illidan Stormrage, Lord of the Illidari
<Status: Stable; In Battle; Inner Demon Active>

 

dd3hjow-314592c7-1003-4fb0-be90-c9ed8776

 

Temeraire Rhowa, Warrior of Light
<Status: Stable; In Battle>
<Persona: Active>

 

<Location: Lara's Shadow World>
<People: Xander | Tien | Stan | Lara | Utakata | Joker | Mona | Sieghorse | Oracle | Skull | Fox | Enterprise>

 

<BOSS Enemy: Amanda>

 

~~

 

Good, everything was going well, for the most part. Temeraire couldn't help the smile on her face when Lara came to accept her Shadow without a fight. Just like her and Enterprise, the Shadow became a card, presumably Lara's Persona...

 

And then there was a scream and a firing of a gun as Utakata was shot. Illidan's Spectral Sight scanned the room for the source...

 

And then he saw it. That beast from before...!

 

This time, you won't get away! Illidan is quick to fly into the air to avoid Amanda's attacks. If they wanted to get this over with quickly...

 

Goddess, he was going to have to release it, wasn't he? This wouldn't end well, he knew as much, but what choice did he have? "...heh. Didn't think I'd have to use it so soon." For a moment, he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to control himself.

 

Then he remembered: he had a new "anchor" now, someone he had to get back to.

 

No matter what.

 

Pay attention to this, Xander... "...I don't use this often... but you leave me no choice. Behold the power of the demon within!" Illidan unleashed the full power of the Fel within him, his entire appearance save for his eyes and tattoos becoming pitch black, and he dove at Amanda with all of his strength and speed. He would not let her get away.

 

Temeraire could only stare as he dove in. "...damn. Well, if he can pull off an epic move, so can I!" Temeraire summoned her Persona. "Remember that lil' firestorm trick, Garuda? Let's do it again." Temeraire then made a couple of hand gestures, first for "earth" and then for "heaven", and blasted at Amanda with fire-based Eorzean ninjutsu.

 

When it looked like the flames wouldn't reach, that was when Garuda fanned the flames with her wind, aiming at Amanda as well, and turning the flaming ninjutsu attack into an absolute firestorm.

 

"Try gettin' out of that, ye cheeky tart."

 

~~

 

<BATTLE SUMMARY:>
<Illidan dodges Amanda's attack.>
<Illidan unleashes the demon within and attacks Amanda.>
<Temeraire summons her Persona.>
<Temeraire performs Katon (fire ninjutsu) and aims it at Amanda.>

<Garuda uses Garudyne to fan Katon's flames.>

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Lara accepts her shadow. Tien has maybe two seconds to breathe a sigh of relief before everything, once again, goes straight to Damnation.

 

Someone screams in rage, and a heartbeat later Utakata’s screaming in pain. Tien doesn’t even get a chance to look for what before the source is already up and attacking them and Kelek’s breath what in Damnation is that?! 

 

The--the beast lunges forwards and slashes at him. Tien stumbles backwards with a yelp of pain.

 

Nearby, Illidan does--does something, Tien had no idea what. Turns dark, eyes and tattoos glowing green as the rest of him is cloaked in shadow, and dives at Amanda. Temeraire summons what can only be her Persona, a--

 

Wait, is that a...a chicken-woman?

 

The thought vanishes from Tien’s mind as Temeraire unleashes a raging fire, turning the area around Amanda into a firestorm. Chicken or not, better to respect anything that could stir up that much power.

 

Tien doesn’t even have to do anything. He doesn’t...have to do anything...

 

But he wants to.

 

That urge burning in his soul, the shadow he confronted: he hides, and he wants to stop hiding. He wants to do something. It echos in him, threefold:

 

I want to do something!

 

And, alright, everyone else had their moments; he can be dramatic about it too.

 

He pulls the card from his jacket, three moons gleaming in gold-leaf detail. With a thought, something deeper guiding his instincts, he Soulcasts it to flame. It takes barely a wisp of Stormlight. A matching blaze flares behind him, though he can feel no heat.

 

Pale blue Nomon, first moon, eldest sister, hovers in the air. One foot touches the ground, light and delicate. 

 

She uses that contact to push off and surge forwards, almost faster than he can blink, and Tien knows that under her elaborate mask is an expression of steely determination as she raises one hand. A flash of a purple form, a spiraling motion--

 

His Persona slams a purple blade into the beast’s chest. Salas, Tien thinks, Shardblade. He doesn’t know why he’s so certain it’s a Blade rather than a blade, and yet--and yet. He knows. He knows. 

 

Battle has always horrified him. He never wants to take a life, never never never. 

 

But this is different. This is--this is Cognitive, this is Shadows, this is cleansing, not killing, and he’s doing something.


Finally.

Edited by Pachimew

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Stan -- Lara's Shadow World
[ VS Amanda ] - [ Master of Shadows ]

 

Stan nodded, humming in satisfaction at Lara successfully disarming her own shadow self. It made him swell with pride when she reminded everyone from the XDRS how much they had supported her and vice-versa. Sure, sometimes they weren't that great at their job and sometimes the X-tra Dimensional Restoration Squad did more harm than good, but looking back, Stan wouldn't trade this time of his life for anything. At least that was one thing his younger self got right: it's not about the result, but about the fun they had along the way. 

 

He didn't even have the time to run up to Lara, catch her in his arms and say a few words -- I'm proud of you -- before the party was again unceremoniously interrupted by a certain familiar face. Stan could have sworn she became uglier every time he saw her, and that's not including the times where she transformed into a literal monster. He was too late when it came to closing the distance between them, but her attempt to swipe at Lara missed.

 

Even if he was distracted by the beauty of Lara's flip and landing, Stan's body acted on reflex when Amanda turned her attention to him. His arm grabbed and tossed the heavy fabric of his cape in front of him like a shield just as a speeding magical projectile struck it and dispersed along its surface in a trickle of electric energy. The force of the blast tossed up a blanket of smoke and in the momentary chaos Stan reached to his belt and drew Lara's revolver -- congratulating himself on having the foresight to reload it -- firing a blind shot in the monster's general direction. If they weren't in such a dire situation at the moment, Lara would have definitely chastised him for wasting a bullet, to which Stan would admit that he was never a good shot, only a good enough kind of guy.

 

The others probably sensed that this was to be the ultimate showdown, so to speak, and Stan definitely felt that energy in the air both literally and metaphorically. Xander's demon boyfriend morphed into a more beastly version of himself.  Both their own agents and those masked strangers had called upon their mysterious power called Persona, proof of mastery over the self, and proceeded to go all-out against Amanda. Amanda would have won had each of them succumbed to the darkness in their own hearts, but, as cheesy at it sounded, it was their bonds with their friends that helped the Squad turn the tides of this world.

 

Following Xander's lead, Stan stepped back into a defensive position. His work was considered done -- he'd let Lara have her own moment of awesome. He held his cape open like an accomplished matador, ready to intercept any more attacks, as he backed away from the flurry of projectiles flying towards the Force Monster. He looked downwards towards Utakata's crumpled form on the ground and frowned. The mechanic was sure that the man in the red kimono wasn't shot fatally -- even if it was hard to tell under the color of his clothing -- but it was a problem that should probably be tended to sooner than later.

 

"Sorry bro," Stan shrugged, impassively watching the other man suffer, but at least standing close enough to shield him from further harm. "I ain't got no healing magic. Minos says he's here to enjoy and destroy, not to parade and give aid." A pause. "You'll probably survive though."

 

 

 

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[Utakata - Shadow World - This macadamia nut is gonna PAY. As soon as I can get up.]

 

Utakata had expected Stan to run right up to Lara and give her a hug as Lara turns to address the group.

 

But a certain blonde had other plans. 

 

The shout of anger- perhaps rage, disappointment, or even anguish, who knows- utters just before Utakata feels a very sharp pain in his abdomen. The first thing he can do before crumpling to the ground is cry out in pain. Gripping his stomach, he moves his hand in front of his face to see blood. "S**T," Utakata yells out loud. 

 

That yell goes unanswered, even as the swear stumbles through his mouth yet again. Everyone else is having a whole lot of fun, even while focused on the pain Utakata can see Illidan once again sending the enemy to hell. Effin' figures he'd suplex her, it seems to be his schtick..... Utakata bitterly thinks to himself. The pain in his stomach once again takes over as he grits his teeth and grips his shoulder Ugh.... Is that what those guns do....?

 

"Sorry bro," Stan's voice seems to acknowledge Utakata as he starts to talk, "I ain't got no healing magic. Minos says he's here to enjoy and destroy, not to parade and give aid." He pauses, seemingly unsure what to say. "You'll probably survive though."

 

Utakata rolls his eyes and looks at Stan, who's moved in front of him, sort of as a meat shield. Oh, how very generous, he thinks as he grips his wound. "F**k you," he mutters under his breath. It had been enough that Stan was the only one to acknowledge Utakata's injury- not that he'd wanted to have all the attention, considering he's still reeling from his shadow world, but a little help would be nice. Regardless, the words, even if sincere, just seemed like a waste of air. 

 

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[Amanda Evert - Shadow World - KO.]
 

Even though she hadn't hit Lara, she'd managed to get the annoying mop-haired man out of the way. 

 

But, in her anger, she had failed to remember that the rest of the XDRS were present. And they'd brought some friends. First, the large purple demon, who reminds her of an elven Thanos from the Marvel comics, dives for her and manages to slam her to the ground. Luckily, her beast form had managed to survive that.

 

The next few attacks, however....

 

Catgirl Temeraire managed to get her caught in some sort of wind and fire vortex, which hurt like hell. Someone else sends needles on her while someone else sends an electric shock, and they continue to make her beast scream in pain as it dissipates, leaving her human form vulnerable to the ice that creeps up on her body. She lies there for a moment. 

 

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[Oracle - Shadow World - I tried, ok?]

 

Oracle takes the opportunity to scramble to the silver haired girl, who seems to be in a catatonic state. She looks at her and isn't sure what to do... or say.... So she crouches so she's leaning on the balls of her feet and gives her a warm smile [a/n: that does not go so well]. "Uh.... hey. You....

 

Oh no. She forgot how to words again. 

 

She feels sweat dripping down her face as the social anxiety settles in and her brain yet again realizes this is someone she doesn't know. "...Uh..... Uhhhhh....."

 

--[END OF ROUND 1]--

 

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[Amanda Evert - Shadow World - Highway to Hell]

 

It takes a good bit for her beast to recover enough to come back. 

 

Perhaps she needs her anger to once again flood her mind so that she can once again attack. But once that rage settles in.....

 

She screams at the top of her lungs as once again the wraith stone starts to glow, bringing the beast back to its full glory.

 

And it makes a lunge for.....

 

 

Edited by Mikasa361

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Illidan Stormrage, Lord of the Illidari
<Status: Stable; In Battle; Inner Demon Active>

 

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Temeraire Rhowa, Warrior of Light
<Status: Stable; In Battle>
<Current Class: Ninja>
<Persona: Active>

 

<Location: Lara's Shadow World>
<People: Xander | Tien | Stan | Lara | Utakata | Joker | Mona | Sieghorse | Oracle | Skull | Fox | Enterprise>

 

<BOSS Enemy: Amanda>

 

~~

 

...oh, Elune, no, why now?!

 

Illidan suddenly put a little distance between himself and everyone else (friend and foe alike), and froze. He almost seemed to be in conflict with himself, as if he were now trying to hold himself back lest something bad happen.

 

"...aw, man, why ye stoppin' now, mate?" Temeraire's line of sight went from Illidan to Amanda, who had managed to summon the beast again. The Miqo'te groaned. "...ah, crud. We cannae let up now, Garuda..."

 

Looked like this was going to be another hard fight. Good thing hard fights were just Temeraire's game. "Let's see what else ye can do, Garuda - think ye could spice up my shuriken a bit?"

 

The feathered Persona grinned, imbuing the knives with wind energy, and Temeraire threw several of them at the beast that was Amanda...

 

And loudly cursed when they missed. "Ugh, bugger... I hope I dinnae have tae get close tae that thing..."

 

Temeraire then glanced back at Illidan. "...an' I hope ye come tae yer senses soon, mate. We could use ye right about now..."

 

~~

 

<BATTLE SUMMARY:>
<Illidan begins to mentally struggle with his inner demon and stops attacking Amanda.>
<Garuda imbues Temeraire's shuriken with wind energy, but the thrown shuriken miss Amanda.>

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Forum Signature--Fractal2.png

 

This is the Cognitive Realm, in which Fractal is a being like any other. Tien cannot summon her as his weapon here, although he has gained a new--spren? Persona. A new ally, which will assist him here as she cannot. This pleases her.

 

She is not pleased with her inability to assist otherwise. Fractal is a scholar and traveler, her powers coming from the nahel bond on the Physical side of the realms. Here, she is mostly staying out of the way, granting Tien his power through simple presence and nothing else. 

 

Still, it is fascinating on a purely academic level to watch the beastly creature rise from the human, and it does not focus on her, which allows her to observe it better...and her human is handling the situation well, his confidence growing as his Persona backs him in this Realm. The rest of them are--

 

Oh. Hold on. There is one of them who is behaving in patterns she recognizes. A woman with long orange hair stutters in front of her, clearly lost, as the white-haired woman in military garb shakes and shivers with her gaze in the distance, the marks of tears on her cheeks.

 

Yes. Fractal knows what that looks like. She remembers moments curled in private corners and behind locked doors, tears streaming down Tien’s cheeks as he gasped under the weight of all he had taken on and rocked back and forth to soothe himself. She remembers carefully chosen rocks in his hands, turned over and rubbed smooth, and how he had learned to almost-Soulcast for the single purpose of leaning into her embrace.

 

She knows how to handle this. Fractal moves to the orange haired woman and taps a hand on her shoulder. “Allow me.” She waits for her to move aside before settling in front of the other woman, her robes bending in sharp planes. 

 

Tien is helped by sound and touch. Let’s see… Fractal casts about briefly for a rock that might match the ones her human is so fond of playing with. The rubble from earlier attacks provides a wealth of scattered stones, and she picks one that has a texture closest to the kinds Tien is fond of--smooth on one side, rough-edged on the other. She places it carefully in front of the woman, taking care not to touch when she hasn’t asked.

 

Then she sings. Tien calls her voice glass-on-glass, but she prefers to think of it as a crystal, tapped and tuned. When he falls into a state such as this, she has always sung songs that bring him calmer times, her voice inhuman but beautiful in its own right.

 

There are words. There is ‘it will be alright’ and ‘you will be okay’ and ‘I am here’ and ‘hush,’ but those are for later, when she knows if the other will accept touch or speech. For now, there is the rock offered and the sound to drown out the rest, and her own face of shifting lines to follow with the eyes.

 

 

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Ah! They’ve made her mad. That isn’t good!

 

Tien supposes it was too much to expect her to fall after one good hit like Stan’s persona, though that would have been nice. No, they’ll be fighting this one out.

 

Words rise to the tip of his tongue. Rampage, Mind Slice, Foolish Whisper… Of them, the most useful feels like--

 

“Mind Slice!” Tien calls out, and Nomon stretches her unoccupied hand to the side. A glimmer of green light shapes itself into a second Blade, notably longer than the other but otherwise the same--Mishim--and she darts forwards with the same barely-touching-the-ground grace, swinging the paired Blades up and around at the beast.

 

Those swords are meant to be used together, Tien realizes, watching--more than watching, feeling in some corner of his soul--the way she wields them. Three Sisters...different, and yet extensions of the same.

 

The attack scores soundly even as the beast is mid-lunge, and Tien thinks he probably should not be taking as much satisfaction in it as he does.

 

That doesn’t last for long.

Edited by Pachimew

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[Enterprise - Din All Around]

 

Enterprise wasn't sure what was going on. It was all a blur, so loud and chaotic, and maybe she couldn't. She barely registered the orange-haired woman from before, barely because everything is chaos all around and her voice was just one more in the din --

 

-- and then she's gone. Enterprise startled for an instant - a new presence...? This one was different. The song carried, blocking out the din around Enterprise. One of her feet brushed against something. Something she didn't know what it was. Something. Something that wasn't all around and all-smothering.

 

Enterprise's foot brushed against it again. Still motionless. She managed to focus her eyes, to see it - it being a small stone. She reached out, slowly and shakily, but it didn't move, get shaken away. And so Enterprise picked it up, brushing her fingers against the smooth part of the surface. She withdrew from the rough surface, instead squeezing at the smooth. Of course, rocks didn't have any give. Still, it was something to block out the chaos, an anchor? Was that the word?

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[Amanda Evert - Shadow World - A rage that cannot be silenced...]

 

God **** dammit. 

 

The boy in the green suit-- she'd thought he'd be weaker than that, so she paid him no mind. And yet he manages to land a hit on her. Unacceptable, she yells from somewhere within the beast, the word translating into a gurgling screech as she makes a lunge for him. It succeeds, and Amanda immediately moves towards Stan- the traitor- screeching as she all but misses him. No, no, no.....

 

 

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[Oracle- Gremlin time]

 

A strange looking persona manages to make her way towards the white haired woman. It taps on her shoulder and says, “Allow me.” Oracle nods and steps back, allowing the persona to place a rock in front of the woman. It then starts to sing, and Oracle listens briefly, letting the music calm her as well. Someone that's much more in their element than Oracle is, although she wonders briefly how it is that a persona can move around and sing of its own accord. 

 

She doesn't have time to linger, as she notices the man in the kimono curled over himself. This is something she thinks she can handle.

 

Oracle runs to him sometime while the beast is attacked with Mind Slice- "Nice one!" she yelps as she continues forward- then kneels down in front of him to try and help him up. He groans, and Oracle mentally panics. No no no now's not the time we need all the help we can--- She reaches forward and slaps him across the face. He yelps and looks up, holding his abdomen. It's bleeding, go figure. "S-sorry, but you need to try and get up!"

 

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[Mona - Shadow World - Taking the opportunity]

 

"Zorro!"

 

Mona takes advantage of the moment when the beast- Amanda, he remembers, makes a lunge for Telinar- wait no Tien- regardless, he knows Joker won't take kindly if he's hurt. So he sends Zorro- "Garula!"- and lands a pretty decent hit on the beast. She screams, and Mona takes a few steps back. "Her defense is shaky, get her!"

 

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[Utakata and Lara Rochelle - Shadow World - Not a bad duo]

 

Utakata forgets about the pain in his abdomen, but only briefly. The orange haired girl gave him a pretty good slap, he has to admit to himself. Everyone seems to be on the move, and that Amanda woman isn't allowing anybody any slack. Though she really isn't looking so hot herself, which pleases him. He doesn't pay much more mind to the girl- although as he attempts to summon Saiken, a sharp pain racks into his wound. Seems like that isn't going to happen today.

 

Instead, he does the one thing he knows he can do, wounded or not- he sends a wave of bubbles at Amanda's beast. With a snap, a good amount of bubbles explode all around her, causing a sickening yet satisfying scream. He smirks and holds his wound. At least he did something right.

 

Lara takes notice of Utakata's struggling, although she mentally praises him for that hit. While aiming a shot at Amanda (and of course, missing), she runs over to Utakata. "Hang on, let me-- Pellonia!" She cries as she crushes her tarot card, summoning the persona she had only just become acquaintances with. "Dia!" The persona nods and lowers her spear towards Utakata. 

 

He doesn't even consider feeling terrified, as he notices the pain ease up. When he looks down, the hole has closed up some, much to his relief. "Ah- thanks," he only barely manages to squeak out as Amanda makes a lunge for an unsuspecting Lara. That's not going to fly. With a flick of his wrists, the card that he quickly grabs is torn and fades into the air, as the form that takes shape is---

 

....Why does it look familiar? 

 

Just about Utakata's height, right shoulder exposed and wearing a very messy looking kimono, black beads on his neck.... And mid-length hair that reminds him of---

 

"Saiken???"

 

His persona is his own tailed beast. Go **** figure. Saiken is surrounded with this aura, similar in shape to the beast in his full form but smaller, which pushes the beast back. Utakata looks at Lara in awe, while she smirks at him. Utakata looks up at the beast. "...Amanda, your little mission here?" Utakata chuckles. "Man, did this backfire."

 

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[Amanda Evert - Shadow World - ...And yet, they silence her anyway.]

 

She had severely miscalculated, that one fact is clear. 

 

Still, her stubbornness is both a blessing and a curse, because even with the numerous hits from the majority of the group, she finds herself still standing- er, floating. She hisses, looking around to see who her next target should be. 

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