Onigokko (IC Thread)

**Satehi** · June 23rd, 2012, 09:50 PM

Akira Kyokushin
Hospital Building - Time Unknown

He saw the beast again, but this time Akira did not hold back. They were surrounded, and there would be no running away from it this time, with the moving corpses covering the door. Instead, he simply listened to his gut feeling- and charged at the monster. He had no interest in fighting the corpses, given they were simple lackeys. The others could handle those instead. His only interest was destroying the beast.

His feet simply glided over the stairs, quickly ascending up to the beast. He moved his arm behind him to swing at the monster in a smooth maneuver, a sign of his own learning in the martial arts. He had never trained to fight against giant insects, but his target was clear- the legs.

Considering this was an insect, its body would probably be covered in some sort of exoskeleton. That left the joints as the perfect area to attack. Furthermore, if its movement was crippled by the blow, it could no longer avoid their attacks or attempt to burrow away as it did before. The legs would be the prime target- that was the decision his instincts and thought process had led him to.

Reaching the last step of the stairs, Akira moved no further- instead, he swung the stick straight at the legs of the monster.

**Optimus** · June 24th, 2012, 06:46 AM

Mark Walker
Location: Hospital Building
Time Unknown

Trapped between the Belzeebub and the Ghouls, there was little he could do except hide and hope that Masahiro would act as coldly as he did back then. Of course, that was like asking that abomination to stop eat them and have a tea party with the corpses it just revived.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH...!"

It wouldn't work. Even when stressed like that he knew that monster most likely had some plan. It would slaughter them all. And he did not want to die.

The sound of a interruptor being smashed by a fist.

Nerves. The most important thing about nerves is conduction of impulses. Starting from the spine, there are three specific sets of nerves I need to pay attention to. Brachial plexus, lumbar plexus and the sacral plexus. Structure analysis still incomplete due to lack of knowledge and time.

Let's go.

Hoping that he would become more capable of dodging the enemy attacks, he poured prana into the main nerves in charge of moving the limbs to increase his reaction times.

-Reinforcement skill
Use 2:
[Special Ability. Increase 1 stat (Strength, Defense, Agility, or Evasion) by 5 for a duration of 2 turns. Can be used up to 3 times in one turn. Cost 10 MP per casting.]

-Increase Evasion.

MP: 72

**I3uster** · June 24th, 2012, 11:23 AM

Maiko Kisaragi
Location: Hospital Building
Time Unknown

Everything just happened too fast.

Her heart was still racing from the running as the creature made its return known.
And it didn't help the situation.

Absolutely panicking, she could not even scream, now certain of her death. Instead she looked at the being and its formerly human familliars, her eyes wide open.

Was this some kind of divine punishment? What for? She never comitted any crimes, did she have to suffer for something her brother, her sister, or her parents had done?

Or maybe it was just what she always had thought. She was not meant to exist. She was worth nothing, and fate itself tried to correct the terrible error it had made in allowing her to be.

More and more negative thoughts clouded Maiko's head. Maybe it wasn't so bad to die after all. Masahiro was by her side, was he not? Akira and Mark, two of the very small group that she could call friends were here.

Even this new Keigo person was not a bad companion to die with...

And Keigo was the person who got her out of this trance.

"Here I come!!"

This was what she needed right now. The will to survive.

Maybe she was ready to die. Maybe she made up with the world already.
But her companions didn't.

And as long as they didn't, it was her obligation to help them get out of this alive, as best as she could.
Her resolve hardened. And Masahiro did his best to help this process.

"TAKE THIS-!"

He was infuriated about the parody of human life this beast controlled, and Maiko could only agree with him. However, what he did was not the best approach to this.

As the beast broke through seconds ago, fear was the most prevalent emotion on Maiko's mind. It lead to a small, stupid thought of gallows humor, but this little thing might help them out in this situation...
I wish I was that monster. I could just dig myself to the ground floor without any problems...

With her "lance" gripped firmly, she shouted towards the attacking Masahiro:
"D-don't kill it! W-we just h-have to wound it! I-if we c-cut off its escape paths b-by surrounding it w-we might be able to g-get it to d-dig to the g-ground floor!"

Her voice almost broke towards the end, though it was hardly the time to think of something as trivial as this.

In a faint whisper, more fitting for the usually calm Maiko she told the remaining group: "D-don't worry, I c-can take care of m-myself..."
She pointed the stick at the incoming Ghoul horde, anxiously hoping that it would hold them off. She didn't know if she could harm something so human-like, even if they were clearly no longer alive.

If only she was here...

On the other hand, she had an obligation to fulfill. They wanted to survive, so she had to do her best to ensure that.
"W-we have t-to k-k...make those t-things go away first!"

She aimed her stick at an incoming ghoul's throat, and then closed her eyes as she thrust it forward.

**SeiKeo** · June 24th, 2012, 05:48 PM

Evgenia Ivanov
Mysterious Building, Main Lobby
Time Unknown, Late Evening

"Info wall..."

Oh, naturally, the second floor? The second floor, of course. It's always where I don't look, isn't it? Then again, if it was where I looked, I wouldn't be looking. Unless we're being led anyways.

Originally Posted by Airen

“Evgenia,” calling out for my classmate, I smiled nervously, “Could you help me with this? I don't want to mess up.”

"Oh... no, you seem to have it under control, and we haven't more than four moments to waste. Probably." In all honestly, she could use the help. But, priorities. Whatever this 'info wall' was, it was most likely something fairly important, and also quite possibly something time-sensitive. If we didn't look at it and it turned out to be sensitive, we would be done for. Wheras... with Rolanda, whether she'd live or die was most likely decided by now. In the field, you can only do so much for a person, so, let it flow as it may with what support could be provided.

"Best not to go anywhere though, the body doesn't like to wander as the mind. Feel free to let that run, though."

That said, I drifted away from the huddle of a group on the floor, making for the left staircase.

**Sei** · June 24th, 2012, 07:53 PM

Abandoned Hospital
Time Unknown (Late Evening)

Originally Posted by Chaos Greyblood

Keigo Yamamoto

Keigo makes a strong two-handed swing with the metal pipe to strike at the left side of the torso and then...

The pipe connects and the decayed flesh offers very little in manner of resistance. The impact causes the undead target's body to contort, wrap, and tear as the blunt weapon rips through its side and lodges itself in the creature's stomach. While showing no signs of pain at the attack itself, the ghoul lets out a loan, dull moan as it realizes it has been injured. In retaliation, it swings its decaying arm at your head, but you manage to avoid it.

Battle Calculation

Spoiler:

Ghoul 1 suffers 7 damage.

However, while you were preoccupied with the enemy before you, another of the monsters sneaks up behind you and lunges at you with a strained burst of speed. Pulling a last minute maneuver, you jump back to avoid it, but it just barely manages to grab a hold of your ankle. Not wasting anytime, it quickly brings its jaw up and sinks it teeth in. You tell yourself it doesn't hurt much, but you can still feel the fuzzy pain of its teeth grinding against your bone.

Battle Calculation

Spoiler:

Keigo suffers 3 damage.
Yamamoto Keigo: 80 HP - 3 damage = 77 HP

Originally Posted by hero

Fukuda Masahiro

Despite this, he drove his arm back and then thrusted the reinforced metal stick forward, with the clear intention of stabbing the beast with it.

And then...

You put the full ability of your body into your attack and back it with the weight of all your rage. The gap between you and the insect-like creature is closed in no time and you weapon stabs forward with enough force to bring a normal person to their knees. Unfortunately, your opponent is far from a normal human being. Just as your weapon comes into the target's zone, it zips out of the way and scurries back out of the hole it made.

Battle Calculation

Spoiler:

Masahiro's attack has missed.

Still recovering from your reckless charge, you don't have enough time to react when the wall behind you also comes crumbling down and the monster reappears. Turning on your heel, you prepare to defend yourself from the inevitable attack. What you didn't count on however is the creature attacking from a distance, opening its mouth and spraying you with a thick, white mist. In horror, you soon realize that you're being encased in the same semi-fluid webbing you saw before. It's incredible heavy and strong. You won't be able to move properly like this.

Battle Calculation

Spoiler:

Masahiro's AGI and EVA reduced by 3.

Originally Posted by Satehi

Akira Kyokushin

Reaching the last step of the stairs, Akira moved no further- instead, he swung the stick straight at the legs of the monster.

Minding the situation, yet taking advantage of the opportunity, you attack the creature from just out of its field of vision as it closes in to devour Masahiro. Aiming to cripple the beast and solidify your victory, you aim for its leg joint and swing with superhuman strength.

Precision Check

Spoiler:

To your surprise, the giant bug notices your attack and skillfully moves to rob you of your intended target. Despite this, you continue with the attack and redirect your attack at its body. It's quick, but not quicker than you.

Battle Calculation

Spoiler:

Beelzebub suffers 16.5 damage.

With a loud crack, the metal pole collides with the creature's body and elicits a bone-shredding scream from it. The area that was struck swells and burst, sending a bulbous, green puss flying out into the air. Having a bad feeling, you quickly withdraw and open up the distance between you and the creature. However, some of the puss still manages to land on your left arm and immediately fills the air with the sound of sizzling. The small spot where the puss hit you has been burned noticeably and you quickly deduce that it's some kind of acid. Perhaps not the most threatening defense, but definitely troublesome.

Akira suffers 4 damage.

Originally Posted by Optimus

Mark Walker

Hoping that he would become more capable of dodging the enemy attacks, he poured prana into the main nerves in charge of moving the limbs to increase his reaction times.

Coordinating your attack with your friends and using your sorcery to increase your ability, you feel confident in the success of your charge. However, after watching Akira withdraw you soon realize that this creature is faster and craftier than you initially thought.

Even still, you carry out your attack and give it an honest effect. But to no surprise, your attack is easily evaded. Despite the creature's size and tight space you've lured it into, the creature continues to elude your efforts; it simply rips through the walls and creates space to move. And that doesn't bode well for the structure of the building...

Battle Calculation

Spoiler:

Mark's attack has missed.

Originally Posted by I3uster

Maiko Kisaragi

She aimed her stick at an incoming ghoul's throat, and then closed her eyes as she thrust it forward.

Precision Check

Spoiler:

Unable to look at your target, you close your eyes and strike blind in hopes of pushing back the assailant. Through the sudden darkness, you hear the pole jab the target, feel the force of your attack stop, and then wait as the wall before you lifts off the end and another thud fills your ears.

Cautiously opening your eyes, you look down at the floor where the ghoul lays with a decent section of its right shoulder pushed in. It doesn't look like you did much damage; however, at least for now you've managed to knock it back.

Battle Calculation

Spoiler:

Ghoul 3 suffers 2 damage.

But before you can take a breath of relief, the last ghoul dives at you from the side, knocking you over, and pinning you on the ground. Despite its eroding body, the weight is still too much for you to move off of and you are left helplessly looking into its dead eyes. At its mercy, all you can do is watch as it lipless mouth slowly parts as it head dives down and a sharp pain races through your shoulder.

Battle Calculation

Spoiler:

Maiko suffers 2 damage.

Monster Stats & Abilities Revealed

Beezlebub
DEF (8), AGI (20), EVA (17)

Burrow: Beelzebub possesses the ability to dig through almost any surface to travel, retreat, or attack its prey.

Corpse Possessing Swarm: Beelzebub has the ability to produce a swarm of flies from its abdomen which can possess and control corpses.

Devil Thread: Once per turn, the Beelzebub can spray its target with a strong thread which reduces AGI and EVA. The thread can be broken through a single or combined effort of 15 STR.

Poisonous Puss: When hit, the Beelzebub releases a acidic puss which deals damage to the attacker equal to 1/4 of the damage taken (rounded to nearest whole).

Ghoul
ATK (15), DEF (5), AGI (8), EVA (5)

Lunge: The ghoul makes a desperate attempt to catch its enemy. AGI +7 during attack. Can't act next turn.

All of the Ghoul's abilities have been revealed.

**MssrNeko** · June 25th, 2012, 02:50 PM

Ethan Kane
School Building - Main Entrance
Time Unknown

Somewhere I can hear the laughter of some sadistic higher being as they watch us. Faster than you can say "whiplash" we were thrown into yet another dangerous situation. After killing the poor guy, the monster ahead beckons us to come closer. Like some kindly older gentleman telling kiddies that he has candy for them waiting in his van.

Stranger fucking danger.

Acting quickly, Sakaki-sensei drew his baseball bat and threw something back to us. Telling us to leave him, our teacher steels himself to fight the thing in front of us. I as much I agree with his intentions, I refuse.

Next to me Merry joins our teacher in his fight, standing near him. Hopefully he had a plan to back Sakaki-sensei.

Originally Posted by Kuboiha Shizuka

"Ethan, can you look through the prez's pockets for a piece of chalk?"

Nodding, I quickly shift Haruka into easier position. Not dwelling on how she would react if she woke, I swiftly check her pockets until....

Yes! A small piece of chalk.

"Shizuka, catch!" I toss it to him. That's when I notice something, the object that Sakaki-sensei threw back.

A gun.

Hesitant at first, I grab the weapon. I can't do much with Haruka on my back, but I'm not going to be unarmed at least.

**hero** · June 25th, 2012, 07:33 PM

Fukuda Masahiro
Hospital Building - Time Unknown

"...?!"

His eyes widened as the attack he had launched was effortlessly evaded by the disgusting creature.

---Fast.

Faster than anything Fukuda Masahiro had fought against before. He realized then that they wouldn't be able to defeat that thing on their own. They were five mere humans, after all. If they continued to challenge such a beast, they would only find death at the end of the road. But, at the same time, if they didn't fight against it, the outcome would eventually be the same.

You could say that the second strong emotion he felt was fear. Indeed, his heart skipped a beat the second the wall behind him crumbled and the giant arachnid came out of it, ready to counter-attack. He knew that he was now the main focus of attention and that he wouldn't be agile enough to dodge what was coming to him. His instincts were sharpened enough for him to reach that conclusion before a split of a second had passed.

"Guh-!"

The next thing he knew, he was on the floor, his body trapped in some web-like substance. He remembered it all too well, it was the same fluid he had seen in the very same hall where they met the creature. That meant that thing was responsible for the death of the people whose corpses were now attacking them.

---He wanted to kill it. He wanted to destroy the cause of so much suffering with his own hands.

But what could Fukuda Masahiro do? He had been reckless, he had attacked without thinking, and now he was paying the price. He was bound by something so strong that his hands alone could not break. Even if he could find a way to free himself, he was certainly not capable of defeating their predator. He lacked the many things needed to do so.

There was no need to show off; Fukuda Masahiro was not a superhero. He couldn't fly or walk through walls, nor did he own a sword of promised victory. The only special thing available to him was the ability to bring mundane items into existence. A chair, a book, an apple, maybe a clock, if lucky. However, there was nothing that would guarantee the success of the 'spell' he casted. He had not even mastered the only thing of use that he had been given.

What a joke.

...If they continued to challenge such a beast, they would only find death at the end of the road. But, at the same time, if they didn't fight against it, the outcome would eventually be the same...

Why fight then, if there existed a less painful way to die? If they gave up, everything would surely end in a matter of seconds...

-------

It was a memory of a distant past.

"Waaahhh, Onii-chan! Don't goooo!"

"Aniki...! Sniff... Sniff..."

"We wanna go with you..."

It was Fukuda Masahiro's last day at the orphanage. It had taken quite a lot of time, but the people who ran the place had finally found a family that could take care of him and was more than willing to do so. Naturally, the boy was happy to hear the good news, but sadly his friends weren't. It was quite selfish of them, yeah, but the truth was that they loved him too much to let him go.

Over the past few years Masahiro had acted as a brother figure of sorts, protecting these children -who were all younger than him-, helping them to overcome their fears and showing them how good can life be if you looked at it from the right angle. And now, all of a sudden, he had to leave! They didn't even give them time to make a proper good bye party. Just yesterday they had all sneaked into Hades -a bathroom on the ground floor that had been closed down- to make sure that absolutely no ghost resided inside the orphanage.

"Now now, who taught you to be such crybabies?" He said, as he patted their heads one by one. He was just a kid, too, but in doing so, he really resembled a grown up. "Wipe off your tears, there is nothing to cry about... Right?"

He beamed a wide smile.

But...

"... What if you forget about us?" One of them asked, teary-eyed.

"Don't be silly. You guys will always be in my heart." The boy said confidently, putting his hand on his heart. "And you know that, out of us, I have the best memory, or so Sensei claims. So there."

"But...! But what if you get your memory stolen and forget about us, huh?" A more stubborn kid repeated the same question.

"I'll travel around the world to get it back then, hehe."

They reluctantly accepted that answer.

There was silence. A silence so heavy that neither side could get themselves to speak. It was a goodbye. One of those goodbyes where you don't know if you will see that person again. Even when one of them found the words they wanted to say, the mouth would open only to close again right after. If they tried to say a word they would burst into tears.

"Hmmm?" Fukuda Masahiro noticed some suspicious movement among his 'troop'. "What are you guys doing?"

They all kept quiet, but it was not hard to realize they were up to something. Most of them were giving a kid with glasses encouraging looks, and some of them were trying to push him closer to where Masahiro was. Knowing him as one of the shyest members of the crew, Fukuda knew he was keeping something inside he needed to let out.

When he asked what it was, the kid simply extended both of his hands together. There, was a beautifully crafted pendant. It was not a masterpiece, but it was clear that a lot of effort had been put into it.

"Ah... T-Thanks." At that point, Fukuda Masahiro could no longer contain his tears. "I will... I will definitely never forget you!"

-------

...If they continued to challenge such a beast, they would only find death at the end of the road. But, at the same time, if they didn't fight against it, the outcome would eventually be the same...

He didn't care.

He wanted to live. And he wanted to fight for that life, and for that of others. Because they too had something or somebody to return to. Someone who was waiting for them, something that needed to be done. If that was so, then he wanted to fight and protect them until his last breath. Even if he was weak, even if he didn't have what it took, he wanted to fight for it.

*Slash*

The threads that enveloped him were destroyed in an instant.

I was dreaming.

In my dream, I became another person. I became a person who fought to change the inevitable. I didn't know who this person was or how did his face look like, but I could feel him strongly. His feelings were my own.

Clang.

A metallic sound.

And with that, his figure shot forward like a bullet. Fukuda Masahiro did not have the time to reason what he was doing. When he spotted Kisaragi Maiko and Yamamoto Keigo being attacked by the four reanimated corpses, the only thought that crossed his head was 'I have to help them.' It did not matter if he was not strong enough to protect them.

He was certainly strong enough to try.

The person in my dream found himself searching for more and more power. Because he had people he wanted to protect, and because he had treasures he couldn't afford to lose. The person who I become in my dream needed this power to keep being who he was, to stick to the true nature of his existence.

"KISARAGIIIIIIII-!"

He quickly grabbed the ghoul, lifted over his head and threw it at the other three, careful not to hit his other comrade in the process. Everything had happened so fast that not even Masahiro himself had noticed the drastic change in appearance that had taken. He was now inside a stylish armor seemingly taken out of a shonen manga. Its helmet covered his face completely, and the red cape attached to it flowed from his shoulders gracefully.

"Sorry, I was selfish." He said, not looking back. "Are you alright...?"

The person in my dream was crying inside from a sadness that was too much to bear. But smoldering deep in his heart, I noticed a feeling... A feeling of determination to meet this sadness head-on.

He faced those who he had promised to respect and protect, even after death.

Deep inside it hurted. To betray their expectations of him.

"I won't let any of them lay a finger on you again." But this was the decision he had taken. "If they do...

I'll kill them."

It was a violent, intense and passionate dream. There was so much pain and so much spirit in it that I felt the urge to scream.

Back then, I simply wished these kind of dreams would stop.

**Sei** · June 25th, 2012, 07:38 PM

Originally Posted by Bloble

Sakaki Tetsuro

Sakaki Tetsuro looked into what could very well become his death.

"Go ahead." He whispered softly. "Come at me. But don't think you'll kill me as easily as you did that other man."

Abandoned School
Time Unknown (Late Evening)

Watching you from a distance, the black giant tilts its head and flashes it teeth, almost as if it were amused. As you fully set into your stance, the creature takes a single step forward, lifts its left arm, and points at you. This serves as the sign that it recognizes your challenge. It is a dark designation that you will be the first to die.

Realizing that you have forfeited the first move, the giant graciously moves to accept your offer. Expecting it to be faster than you, you carefully take in the subtle movements of its legs, its shoulders, and the shifting of its massive weight. Your grip tightens and you prepare to counter as soon as it comes into range. But it doesn't. Instead, you see a violently burning black flame accumulating in the palm of its lowered hand.

Following your instincts, you try to move to the side, but the attack comes far too fast. Before you know it, your stomach is burning, your in the air, and have been sent flying back several feet. You land flat on your back and the heavy impact causes your head to rock back and hit the floor as well. Pain begins to rushes through your body soon after faster than it is able to be numbed. However, despite the pain, you immediately will yourself off of the ground so as not to let the creature out of your sight.

Battle Calculation

Spoiler:

Tetsuro suffers 45.5 damage
Sakaki Tetsuro: 234 HP - 45.5 damage = 188.5 HP

Through the steam rising from your body, you can see the giant standing at the end of the hall, standing proudly. It's monstrous face once again gives off the impression of a mocking grin as it raises both of its arms and taunts you to come forward.

"Come at me..."

Do Be Careful
Ah~ I see that you tried to perform a counterattack. Can't say I blame you, but... perhaps it would be wiser next time to observe your opponent first~? You see, it's not too difficult to see when someone is preparing to do so and the... "more intelligent" creatures in this lovely little garden won't just rush in. Furthermore, as I sure you're painfully aware of, just as there are two ways for you to attack, there are also two ways for your enemy to attack~

So, I suppose I'll leave you with this. A physical attack can counter a physical attack and a magical attack can counter a magical attack. Counters are useful, but they can lead to a great deal of pain when used incorrectly~ Perhaps you could even try "aggroing" an enemy to bait them?

Monster Stats & Abilities Revealed
ATK (50), MAG (35)

Shadow Flame: Mephist is capable of creating powerful black flames which it can manipulate into projectiles to attack its enemies. Cost 25 MP. Spell speed = 25.

**Optimus** · June 25th, 2012, 08:15 PM

Mark Walker
Location: Hospital Building
Time Unknown

For the second time in his life, Mark Walker felt true fear. Masahiro's charge with his Reinforced stick and his own had been a failure. Behind him, the Ghouls were chomping on Maiko and that Keigo guy. As fast as he was, there would be little he would be able to do if the entire building collapsed around them.

I don't want to die. I don't want to die. I don't want to die. Oh god I don't want it to hurt.

The ghouls or the bug monster. Both were equally horrid choices that would result in pain either way. His legs started shaking at the thought of being bitten by those monsters or being enveloped in silk.

... There was a dim light of hope. Masahiro had dropped his stick when the Belzeebub attacked him. There was a chance.

-"AKIRA! GRAB THE STICK MASAHIRO DROPPED AND HIT THAT THING WITH IT, NOW! TRUST ME! IT'S A SPECIAL ONE!"

He had said something incredibly stupid, but there was no time to reason. Believeing that the monsters would react to his yell, he retreated to a safer position between Akira and Masahiro and braced himself from a possible attack from either side.

**Chaos Greyblood** · June 25th, 2012, 10:02 PM

Keigo Yamamoto
Time unknown
Hospital

This is starting to look more like a real life horror story by the minute. Every action couldn't be any more scripted with such dark tones that it is likely that things will get ugly as time goes by. The arachind creature was causing quite a stir with all that digging and spitting webbing and the general area is going through some wear and tear as the battle escalates. Everyone is doing their part as they struggle to survive together as they committed themselves to go for the first strike. Things could be worse, but at the very least it went better than anybody had hoped for. Just then, events begin piling up and something happens to Keigo!

"Krrgh!"

Keigo winced in pain for a bit as he felt something small, round and slightly sharp as one of the ghouls just took a nibble on his ankle. He hissed for a bit, telling himself that this is absolutely nothing when it comes to pain and his features turned fierce for a moment as he saw that his attacker was wide open for his counterattack. He wasn't going to miss this opportunity as the other ghoul he just hit was disabled for the moment and he's planning to survive this encounter no matter what.

"Miserable piece of shit!!"

Keigo firmly sets himself into position, sets the metal pipe's pointed end downward and stabs towards the creature's back of the neck. There is no way he was going to miss the attack. He would move out no sooner the pest has been dealt with. He feels that something bad may happen if they stay where they are. He couldn't quite point his finger on it, but they needed to moblize and do so now.

"Any support you're willing to give me right now could be quite a windfall, guys!" He called out to the party. "And we'd better get moving! I don't like how this place is looking right now!"

**Mereo Flere** · June 25th, 2012, 10:21 PM

Merry
Abandoned School - Evening

It was amazing, really, how so much can change in the span of a few seconds. It had been a good idea to study the creature; though there were still so much I didn't know about it, what I learned told me that my original idea was unlikely to succeed - and that its threat extended beyond the physical reach of its limbs.

Fire. It could create fire, and throw it at us. It had happened so fast; one second Tetsuro was standing in front of me, and then he went flying somewhere behind me. I didn't dare take my eyes off the creature, but I knew that he had hit the floor hard. Thankfully, from the way he started to pick himself up, Tetsuro was okay...

But I had no idea how many more hits like that he could take. I did know, however, that it would be more than any of the rest of us could take.

There was another thing I was worried about - something that made my heart skip a beat when I realized it. This thing could speak in our language, it could understand us... and I had no doubt that it knew what it was doing. It was evil - not by instinct, not by nature, but by choice.

This changed everything.

"Ethan," I said, the soft tremble of my voice betraying my nervousness. "Put Haruka down. You can't afford to let your aim be off because you're carrying her on your back. I need your help for this - just shoot when you see an opening. And Tetsuro," I said, as my teacher stood back up. "Just... follow my lead."

Getting close was dangerous. Keeping your distance was also dangerous. Between the two options, I would settle for the range where I could still do something.

I knew it was a gamble, even before I began to move towards it. If it wanted to, it could throw one of those fireballs at me, just like it had thrown one at Tetsuro. I trusted my instinct, though, trusted in the fact that it wanted us to charge at it.

I didn't ask why. It was completely confident that it could win any confrontation against us. How it killed us... for it, it was merely a matter of preference.

I wasn't running at it simply to hasten my own death, however. Charging in without a plan... that was something a hero in a shounen manga would do. I... well, I at least had some idea of what I wanted to do.

It might have been insane. It might have been impossible. I didn't care. I left behind all of the doubt in my heart as I ran, believing in one thing:

Where there's a will, there's a way.

-4 Sanity
+4 Will
Current Sanity: 4
Current Will: 25

From the beginning, I knew that it was pointless to stick it to the floor like I had the black skeleton. It was strong, much too strong for that sort of plan to work. So, when I reached out with my hand towards the creature, I focused my power on one thing and one thing only: Its knee.

This wasn't a creature that we could topple in a single instant. There was no way it was that weak. Still, by sealing its joints with attachment, by taking away the freedom of its movement, every attack that would follow would be made easier.

I could only hope that it had no idea what I was going to do.

"Attach!"

**Satehi** · June 26th, 2012, 03:57 PM

Akira Kyokushin
Hospital Building - Time Unknown

He had… missed!?

The unsightly insect had reacted and avoided taking his strike on its leg joint. To have avoided the injury on its leg, this thing was fast- faster than anyone Akira had faced before.

But he was still faster. A change in target and the metal stick had still managed to score a hit on the creature, albeit not in the location he had wanted.

“Tch..!”

The acid that had sprayed out of the wound had gotten on him. Not too dangerous, but it had left a burn mark.

This was a dangerous opponent. Incredibly fast, capable of moving through the building with ease and spitting out webbing that just binded Masahiro. Even if one could hit it, it released that acidic puss. And at the speeds it had moved at, he was the only one in the group who could hit it- Masahiro and Mark were too slow. His own speed didn’t seem fast enough to avoid it either, and it seemed to be angry at him. This monster was almost certainly the one that had killed all those people in the hallway they were just in.

It should have felt rather frightening. But it didn’t- Akira had felt more pumped than ever. Excitement rushed through him, and he prepared to strike again. There was a big chance that they could all end dying here, but there was always a little danger in any fighting. It just wouldn’t be the same if there wasn’t.

Then-

-"AKIRA! GRAB THE STICK MASAHIRO DROPPED AND HIT THAT THING WITH IT, NOW! TRUST ME! IT'S A SPECIAL ONE!"

-What? Had Mark snapped under the pressure and lost it? How could a stick be ‘special’er than any of the other ones?

“Have you gone crazy!? Ugh -Fine!”

Then again, a lot of crazy things had happened- he would trust Mark, just this once. Switching sticks wouldn’t make their situation any worse, at least. And Mark seemed pretty serious about it- it didn’t seem like he was crazy just yet.

Leaving the stick in his left hand, he moved to duck downwards and grab the stick that Masahiro had left when he’d been webbed. Discarding the old stick as he picked it up, he looked around and-

There.

-charged at the creature once more, the reinforced stick in hand. His decision had been simple to make, and the fact that even a successful hit would result in a spray of acid hardly deterred him. This creature might have been able to prey on the humans before with ease, but Akira was not going to be easy prey for it.

“Hah!”

He swung the stick, aiming again directly at the leg joints of the monster.

**Sei** · June 26th, 2012, 08:05 PM

Park, Mysterious Building
Time Unknown (Late Evening)

Originally Posted by Airen

Akira Kurogane

"Sit up, please," pulling Rolanda into a sitting position after most of the complex procedures had been taken care of, I began to wrap the gauze around the wounded parts of her body, moving whatever torn parts of her clothing threatened the now sterile nature of her wounds. I wasn't particularly thinking about modesty, after all, both of us were girls, and I wasn't moving too much of her clothing around anyway, but finally, after I bound the gauze in place with medical tape, I allowed myself to relax a bit, my expression returning to a less cold, but still rather passive one.

"There, I think I'm done."

Using the tools at your disposal and carefully following your classmate's instructions, you manage to effectively treat the girl's wounds. Though you weren't too sure of your medical ability at first, you can safely say that you've just done a doctor somewhere proud. In fact, following Rolanda's instructions, you feel that you've just done a job others would think impossible. With that in mind, you feel your spirits lift and feel you can breathe with relief.

Akira's Will +1
Rolanda regains 55 HP.
Rolanda: 20 HP + 55 HP = 75 HP

Of course there is a limit to what you can do, but that does not lessen the deed. So long as Rolanda gets some rest and doesn't push herself, you feel confident she'll be well again in due time.

I couldn't really think of anything else to say at the moment, so, looking away from Rolanda, I turned back towards the strange girl and asked-

"How many other people are in this place besides us? Do you know?"

"Depends," the girl answers immediately as she tosses a bag of potato chips at you, "If you're talking about this building, then I'm pretty sure it's just me and you guys. If there was someone else here, I'm sure they would have made themselves known by now. Buuut, if you're talking about this world, that's a completely different story. Sadly though, I wouldn't be able to answer that for you. This place is weird and people tend to die off pretty often."

Seeming to have lost interest in the conversation, the girl's eyes drift up towards the ceiling as she childishly rocks back and forth on the floor.

"Blood and iron to the flames. Mind and body cast into Hell... Those are the words, right?"

As the girl looks off into nothing, you can't help but feel that she knows more than she is letting on.

Originally Posted by LeopardBear

Evgenia Ivanov

That said, I drifted away from the huddle of a group on the floor, making for the left staircase.

Climbing the stairs, you go up to the second floor in search of the "info wall" the mysterious girl was talking about. You expect it to be off in one of the wings, but what you find comes as somewhat of a surprise. Upon reaching the top, you're greeted to the sight of the wall immediately in front of you being covered almost completely in writing. By the looks of it, some of the text has become illegible with age and some is just illegible due to poor handwriting. Regardless, though it may take some time, you figure there absolutely has to be something useful here.

Spoiler:

As you examine the scene, you can't help but notice a familiar option resting against the wall at the right end of the hall. Confused as to what it may be doing here, yet somewhat eased by its sight, you walk over and retrieve it without even thinking.

Obtained Perun.

**Airen** · June 27th, 2012, 09:41 AM

Akira Kurogane
Park, Mysterious Building
Time Unknown (Late Evening)

Originally Posted by ???

"Depends," the girl answers immediately as she tosses a bag of potato chips at you, "If you're talking about this building, then I'm pretty sure it's just me and you guys. If there was someone else here, I'm sure they would have made themselves known by now. Buuut, if you're talking about this world, that's a completely different story. Sadly though, I wouldn't be able to answer that for you. This place is weird and people tend to die off pretty often."

Seeming to have lost interest in the conversation, the girl's eyes drift up towards the ceiling as she childishly rocks back and forth on the floor.

"Blood and iron to the flames. Mind and body cast into Hell... Those are the words, right?"

As the girl looks off into nothing, you can't help but feel that she knows more than she is letting on.

I accepted the food without a thought, my hands instinctively opening the bag of potato chips as I turned my thoughts towards the situation at hand, wondering what that last sentence had to do with any of the other things this girl had told me. It seemed a bit random in the grand scheme of things-

-No. I had heard something like that before...

What had Haruka said?

Originally Posted by Haruka

Blood and iron to the flames. Mind and body cast into Hell.
The heart falls upon thy sword and forsaken life is woven into thy vessel.
The inferno is birthed from collective sin spilling out and thrown to the four directions.
Death and rebirth. Constructed five times over, the defiled body paves the way to unholy ruin.
Even still, a hollowed being is a simple price to pay.
Therefore, I announce---
You whoms fate shall be chained to my own as mine chained to yours,
in accordance with price to claim the Holy Grail, if your avarice extends beyond emotion, reason, pain, and torment, then answer!
I am the one who will become all the good of the world of the dead.
You are the one who will become all the evil of the world of the living.
So, great keeper of balance clad in chaos, step through this magic ring and release me from these chains which bind reality!
Allow me the chance to grasp that which is seeped in blood and sorrow!

Those were the words of the ritual that had apparently sent us into this place that resembled a nightmare. I supposed it made sense the girl would know it if she was here in this place, after all, who would come to a world like this of their own free will? Looking around the room a bit, I realized that Evgenia had yet to return from her trip up onto the second floor, and felt a small feeling of paranoia, wondering if some sort of monster was still lurking in this supposedly safe place. I hadn't heard any screams, but that didn't really rule anything out in a place that was full of creatures that had no right to exist in the modern world.

Should I go up after her? Or just wait here?

It was probably best to trust in my classmate. After all, if we were going to be stuck here for awhile, we would have to move out of each others sight at some point...

Besides, I would feel weird leaving Rolanda and Troph by themselves with this stranger whose name we still didn't know...

Still, the girl seemed nice enough...

"Those words are from a ritual right?" Smiling in an attempt to be friendly, I directed my complete attention towards the strange girl, "If we can't go outside it looks like we'll be stuck here for the night. My name is Akira, what's yours?"

Haha, look at me, attempting to be more social...

What a night.

**Sei** · June 27th, 2012, 10:32 AM

Park, Mysterious Building
Time Unknown (Late Evening)

Originally Posted by Airen

Akira Kurogane

"Those words are from a ritual right?" Smiling in an attempt to be friendly, I directed my complete attention towards the strange girl, "If we can't go outside it looks like we'll be stuck here for the night. My name is Akira, what's yours?"

Hearing your words, the girl brings her sight back down to level. Pausing for a moment, she begins to place all of her belongings back in her bag, save for what seem to be a couple of shrubs and herbs, and looks over towards the west wing for a moment.

"Well, it's not like we can't go outside. It's just that it'll be dark soon and the fog makes it near impossible to see at night. As unbelievable as it may seem, it's actually safer to move at night around here. Because the monsters don't seem to be out as much..."

After trailing off into a moment of thought, the girl's face lights up as if she'd just remembered something. Soon afterwards, her head finally moves to return your gaze and the girl's face glows with a brilliant smile.

"Oh. And yeah. Guess I did forget to give you my name. It's Nao. Nakami Nao. It's a pleasure to meet you, Akira-kun~"

**I3uster** · June 27th, 2012, 10:59 AM

Maiko Kisaragi
Hospital Building - Time Unknown

It bit her shoulder.

She wounded it only slightly, and the pain that filled her mind right now was like a lesson to her.

If you are weak, there is only more pain waiting for you.

She shouldn't have closed her eyes. She should have ensured that her hit counted, but she...she was just weak again. Where was her resolve? Why did she manage to get up only to fall back down again?

Pain. She was used to greater agony, but still, this was not some girls teasing her and beating her up, this was a life-or-death scenario.

Pain equaled death.

She did not scream. She made peace with the idea of dying to protect the others after all. Even if she was worthless for protecting them, she could at least buy them time.

But it seemed that she was too useless even for this task...

Originally Posted by hero

"KISARAGIIIIIIII-!"

The boy quickly took care of the Ghoul, smashing it into the others...but what was this? He was clad in some kind of armor reminding her of an old Tatsunoko cartoon she once saw.

Was he a Kamen Rider? Or a Wizard? Where did that come from? What was even happening right now?

Masahiro...it was clearly Masahiro...his voice...his attitude...he was quite literally her knight in shining armor at this point.

Originally Posted by hero

"Sorry, I was selfish." He said, not looking back. "Are you alright...?"

She could only nod in awe at this absolutely selfless action of him. How could he even say he was selfish? The monster that attacked them must be taken care off too...but still...the boy made her the priority...

Maybe it wasn't so bad to live after all. Maybe they both could get out of this alive...and then...

Only a whimper escaped her lips. She shouldn't cry right now. Masahiro was strong, and she had to be too if she wanted to get out of here alive. With him.

Originally Posted by hero

"I won't let any of them lay a finger on you again." But this was the decision he had taken. "If they do...I'll kill them."

With new resolve, she wiped her eyes, readying her stick.

"T-thanks!"

And so she stood there, watching the toppled Ghoul horde, waiting for the next move of her team.

**Airen** · June 27th, 2012, 11:07 AM

Akira Kurogane
Park, Mysterious Building
Time Unknown (Late Evening)

Originally Posted by Sei

"Well, it's not like we can't go outside. It's just that it'll be dark soon and the fog makes it near impossible to see at night. As unbelievable as it may seem, it's actually safer to move at night around here. Because the monsters don't seem to be out as much..."

After trailing off into a moment of thought, the girl's face lights up as if she'd just remembered something. Soon afterwards, her head finally moves to return your gaze and the girl's face glows with a brilliant smile.

"Oh. And yeah. Guess I did forget to give you my name. It's Nao. Nakami Nao. It's a pleasure to meet you, Akira-kun~"

I blinked.

"They don't come out as much as night? That's a bit odd," I paused for a moment before I continued, my gaze aimed at the ceiling, "Why would monsters go away because it's dark? That would be the perfect time to attack..."

If what she said about the fog was true, then there had to be a reason that the monsters left during what could be considered prime hunting conditions for things like the Cadavers, who didn't actually use their eyes to find their prey.

Was it because... Something worse than them came out at night?

It seemed plausible enough, but I put the thought from my mind for now.

"Nakami Nao?" I smiled, "That's a very nice name, you really saved us with the First Aid kit, thank you." Looking over at her repacked bags, and remembering that she had glanced towards the West Wing I couldn't help but ask, "Do you stay in this room at night? Or do you go some other room? Wouldn't the upstairs rooms be better at keeping things out?"

It was possible that she simply liked to keep her stuff in a more mobile fashion, so that she could run if unfriendly things showed up, but I was genuinely curious.

**RacingeR** · June 27th, 2012, 02:36 PM

Aki Fumi – “Crimson”
Abandoned School – Evening

Tetsuro stood, bracing himself as he challenged the monster head on. Vaguely, Aki noticed Shizuka scribbling something with chalk, and that some of the gore from that middle aged man’s corpse had fallen on her.

But she did not care.

Her eyes couldn’t abandon the monster that stood in front of them. Pain and suffering had a limit on how entertaining they could be, and it did not seem like the other kind of entertainment would be possible in such a group.

But battle... now that was something that never got old. Not that she could’ve avoided it anyway. It was after all, what she had been born to do.

Ethan picked the gun, interrupting her thoughts. She felt her mind clearer than ever, and knew that her eyes had become two blots of red ink yet again. Crimson knew that without a plan, they would die against this thing, this demon just like her.

That was why she strolled towards Ethan, and without missing a beat, started to whisper to his ear instructions of how to use the gun. Just the basics, and she had no real way to train him, but this would be at least good enough for this battle.

She didn’t interrupt herself even when Tetsuro was sent flying backwards by the impact of a spell. It was another troublesome variable she would have to take care of, anyway.

When she finished, someone charged towards the monster. She expected it to be Odo, or Tetsuro, or even Shizuka. She did not expect to see Merry charging ahead towards the dark monster.

In Crimson’s mind, the memory of the photo that had been shown to her some minutes ago was fresh. The creature that they had killed there had been somehow fused to the floor, and she had at first suspected Tetsuro-sensei of having more than it seemed under his sleeve.

But now, if she wasn’t wrong...

This was a plan that could work.

Her presence extended forwards like a twisted miasma, the air around her shuddering with the mere action. A burst of wind was sent into Merry’s legs, making her speed up even more.

At the time the girl screamed “Attach!” a second burst of wind was prepared, to stop the oncoming counter-attack...

She hoped this would work. After this, she was going to be shit out of energy.

Use 3:

[Special Ability. Can increase up to two stats by 4 points a each for 1 turn. Cost 15 MP per stat increase.]

Increased Merry’s AGI and DEF.

**MssrNeko** · June 27th, 2012, 03:00 PM

Ethan Kane
Abandoned School
Time Unknown

Bad start to an already horrible situation. The monster ahead suddenly summoned fire - shadow fire, for fuck's sake - and hit Sakaki-sensei with it. Luckily our teacher seemed okay.

Just as I was thinking on how the hell that monster did that, Aki walked up to me and started whispering instructions in my ear. I quickly nod and carefully deposit Haruka next to Shizuka. "Take care of her, Shizuka. I'll be back." Leaving with a determined smile, I take my place with the others fighting.

Merry had just charged the monster. At the same time a weird wind picked up and she was moving even faster.

All I could do was wait. Wait for the moment...

[Ethan is targeting Mephist's head and waiting]

**SeiKeo** · June 27th, 2012, 06:50 PM

Evgenia Ivanov
Mysterious Building, Second Floor
Time Unknown, Late Evening

You.

Picking up the fine instrument, I ran my hands over the black carbon polymer, light as a feather if not for the stainless steel barrel. A flick of my hand undid my red scarf, using it to caress the material... for no effect. Perfectly clean, in order... perfect, like in a dream. It's a dream. Impossible... The bolt even glides perfectly, making nary a sound. This is...

Not to be questioned. If anything, this just is a final confirmation of life. A whisper, telling me... telling me truth.

Taking the three magazines lying next to it - ah, world - I tied two into my scarf, tucking it back into place and slotting the last one into the weapon itself. Now, this wall...

“Just out of curiosity, how did everyone else end up here? Last thing I remember is performing this weird ritual with my friends.” – Endoh Yuukimura

Correct - to be considered, phenomena not isolated. Inquire as to intent.

“Damn, these things are everywhere. This place seems like the only place I can catch my breath! Those grey things… I thought they couldn’t see us, but the minute we started to move they just lunged at us!” –Keigo

Affirmed - T-Rex strategies required.

“Yeah. Adding on to what Souma said, if you follow the river you should end up in the city. This park is pretty big, so I recommend keeping track of where you’re going. Once you’re in the city, find a nice shop or something and get some rest. Souma and I will try to explore more of the area in the meantime.” – Hisagi Shuu

World not limited - wide. City dangerous, but supplies required. Move party? House not known as secure, city worse. Do not split. Abandon?

“Okay guys, this may seem like a lot, but it’s a message of survival. First off, I think it’s only necessary that we develop some kind of system of communication. Cell phones and the like seem to have their batteries drained extremely fast whenever we use them here. From what I’ve seen, I’d say we’d get 2-3 quick calls, tops. So try to use your cellphones only for an emergency. It’s not perfect, but this wall system seems to be working okay in terms of relaying information. This building seems to get a lot of traffic and is relatively safe compared to everywhere else I’ve seen. So for now, I think it’s only appropriate that we call this Base and this message center Wall #1. Second, since compasses don’t appear to work, I’ve taken the liberty to use this building’s position to set up directions. This back wall faces north and the entrance south. With this in mind, I recommend everyone head northwest to the mist’s edge and into the city. Sadly, there’s not much hope there, but it seems to be a good place to gather supplies. It should take about 45 minutes on foot.”-Maibara Daisuke

Coordination impossible, imperative to not split maintained. All supplies must be mobile. Compasses not working, world confirmed limited and/or alter - flat, coreless, giant turtle? Sub-dimension?

I managed to meet up with a small group on my way back here. Along the way, we ran into a group of those things, Cadavers, and lost two of our own. Fortunately however, we managed to acquire one of the creature’s bodies without the others eating it. Upon cutting it open, we’ve immediately been able to determine that while it remains human in appearance, its anatomy is far from it. I’ve only been able to determine a few things because the body is so alien, but I believe that their heart is in their abdomen where the human diaphragm would be. Furthermore, the brain doesn’t seem to be located in their head, it’s mostly some kind of fluid sack with contents corrosive to the touch. I also believe them to be blind due to their movements and the fact that there are no nerves connecting their eyes to the rest of their body. We’ll be heading towards the city in the morning. Hopefully I’ll be able to find some tools to conduct a more thorough examination later.” –Ms. Takeda

Work done for you - excellent. Altered biology... what cause? Dream, dream, where are you generated? This seems to not be me...

“@Eichi: You might actually be on to something. After I used some high-level sorcery, a large swarm of monsters came out of nowhere not too long after. I hypothesize, based off of what you’ve said, that they either used or were attracted to the residual energy. There’s also the words of the ritual that sent us here to consider…” –Sora

Naturally - large scale magic present with group. Abandon/sacrifice/circle/overwhelm? Issue.

Conflicting reports on water - do not take chance. Assume unsafe unless somehow otherwise determined... issue may be non-mundane, consider risking magic - otherwise decamp for city as fast as reasonably possible.

Black armor... impossible to deal with, ignore. Situation severable.

And then, death. Irrelevant. Ignore.

I crept back downstairs, speaking in a low voice. "Water?"

Thread: Onigokko (IC Thread)

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