Onigokko (IC Thread)

[Sei]

Hospital Building
Time Unknown (Late Evening)

Fukuda Masahiro

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.

With your body encased in armor, a new power quickly rises from within you. Your mind does not process it. Your body does not realize it. But threw this materialization of a small miracle, you gain so much strength that you are able to lift the undead creature clear over your head with ease. Wishing simply to protect your friend, you hurl the flailing body further than humanly possible and send it flying over towards two of the other creatures.

The first to feel the force of your display is the one at the base of the stairs; its whole upper body getting caught by the hapless form. The next is the ghoul pushing itself off of the floor next to Keigo. All three of the decomposing foes collide and crash on the ground with a single, harmonized, fleshy sound.

Battle Calculation

Spoiler:

Masahiro's Speed
-8 (Masahiro's AGI) > 5 (Ghoul's EVA)
Masahiro's Attack
-18+5 (Masahiro's STR) - 5 (Ghoul's DEF) = 18 damage
--Follow-Up damage (Ghoul 3): 13 HP - 9 damage = 4 HP
---Follow-Up damage (Ghoul 1): 8 HP - 9 damage = 0 HP

Ghoul 4 takes 18 damage.
Ghoul 4 is dead.
Ghoul 3 takes 9 damage.
Ghoul 1 takes 9 damage.
Ghoul 1 is dead.

Two of the bodies fall apart with one semi-dead monster still clawing around. The weight of its brethren however restrict its movement and it can't seem to get up the strength to free itself. Almost as if realizing this, the ghoulish creature begins to struggle more.

Keigo Yamamoto

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.

Your weapon of choice stabs down and the nuisance chewing away at your ankle. Your confident that you can't miss in attacking something so slow; however, you decide now is as good a time as ever to deal with this particular enemy. And sure enough, having used up all of its energy in its last attack, the creature is easy prey for you. Your spear breaks away the rotten muscle, lodges itself between the brittle vertebrae, and decapitates the creature all in one go.

Precision Check

Spoiler:

Dice Roll to check for fatal strike.
Enemy is unable to act.
Precision granted.

Battle Calculation

Spoiler:

Keigo's Speed
-14 (Keigo's AGI) > 5 (Ghoul's EVA)
Keigo's Attack
-12 (Keigo's STR) - 5 (Ghoul's DEF) = 7 damage
--Precision: 7 damage x 1.5 = 10.5 damage

Ghoul 2 suffers 10.5 damage.
Ghoul 2 has been decapitated.
Ghoul 2 is dead.

Akira Kyokushin

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

Sticking to the same strategy as before, you aim for the creature's legs once again and hope that this time will yield better results. Being the only one fast enough to even land a hit on the creature, it's up to you to cripple it to the point where the rest of the team can damage. Otherwise, you realize that you have a long and arduous battle ahead of you. The only question is whether or not the enemy will give in first or the building...

Precision Check

Spoiler:

Dice Roll to check for fatal strike.
Dice Roll of 16 or more needed.
Die rolls 5.
Precision failed.

But as fate would have it, your luck comes up bad once again as the giant insectoid perceives your attack and avoids fatal injury once more. Gritting your teeth at the tenacity of your opponent, you do the same as before and simply adjust the angle of your attack. You may have failed in crippling the target, but you can still hit it. What's more, your weapon this time is 'special' and you can feel power flowing from it as you swing at its body.

Spoiler:

Akira's Speed
-22 (Akira's AGI) > 17 (Beelzebub's EVA)
Akira's Attack
-18+6 (Akira's STR) - 8 (Beelzebub's DEF) = 16 damage

Beelzebub suffers 16 damage.

The monster lets out pained cry so loud it threatens to bring the weakened structure down on top you. With your weapon easily breaking through the exoskeleton and buggy flesh of the beast, more of the acidic puss from before jets out from the wound and lands on your stomach as you draw back.

Akira suffers 4 damage.

Having already been struck twice, the insect looks at you with rage in every single one of its eyes. While it has managed to avoid serious injury until this point, you can tell that it isn't exactly pleased with your attempts. But you can feel that you are pushing it into a corner. You have landed 2 solid attacks and you have done serious damage on both occasions. The beast is slowly being worn down and you feel that soon it will fall. But you know from experience that such only means it's starting to get desperate.

Readying your weapon once again, you begin to move in to deliver the final blow. However, as you do, the creature lets out a furious cry as a set of miserable wings erupt from its back. Seeing this development, you quickly hault, but not before the enemy moves in on you. You raise your weapon to guard, but the long, mantis-like leg extending from its back flails and bends in a violent, unpredictable manner. Unable to perceive where the attack is coming from, you can only guard your head as a force nails you in the side and sends you flying to the bottom of the stairs.

Precision Check

Spoiler:

Dice Roll to check for fatal strike.
Dice Roll of 18 or more needed.
Die rolls 10.
Precision failed.

Battle Calculation

Spoiler:

Beelzebub's Speed
-20 (Beelzebub's AGI) > 16 (Akira's EVA)
Beelzebub's Attack
-35 (Beelzebub's STR) - 18 (Akira's DEF) = 17 damage

Akira suffers 17 damage.

With its oppressor pushed back, the fly-like creature lets out a lesser cry and quickly lifts itself off of the ground with its wings. Soon after, it zips away through the hole leading outside. While the muffled buzzing of its wings resounds loudly at first, it soon dies down and becomes nonexistent.

It would seem that you have driven off the pest. However, you're sure it's not the last time you'll be seeing it. Your gut tells you so.

---

Monster Stats & Abilities Revealed

Beezlebub
ATK (35), 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).

Flight: Possessing a miserable pair of wings itself, the Beelzebub is capable of flight.

All of the Beelzebub's abilities have been revealed.

Ghoul
HP (15), 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.

[Blackdeath6031]

Kuboiha Shizuka
School Building – Time unknown
HP: ??/MP: ??/Will: 9/SAN: ??

Seeing the face of a miner striking gold on Ethan's face, Shizuka smilied in spite of their situation.

"Shizuka, catch!"

Moving his right hand to catch the piece of chalk, he quickly moved to use...

"Take care of her, Shizuka. I'll be back."
Pursing his lips bitterly as he sees their slumbering princess enter his field of vision, Shizuka clicked his tongue and pocketed the chalk, moving his body to slip his arms under Haruka's body and carry her slightly further away.

Muttering a slight prayer under his breath even though he had doubts it'd work, he faced their weight and lightly slapped her cheeks impatiently.

"Oy, Haruka-buchou. Just how long do you plan to be out?!"

Darn it...
Within his head as he started to try and remove their dead weight, he felt wells of despair as he reflected upon both this and the last fight.
...Why? Why am I the only one whose not fighting?!
After all those years I've trained...and yet its still not enough??
Don't fucking screw with me!

Maybe they're afraid of you? What you can do...what you are?

Shizuka froze for a moment, then obviously more irritated, he resumed slapping Haruka's cheeks, much quicker and forceful than before.

"Hah..." He whispered while twisting his face in incredulous disbelief. "As if...what I am? I'm a normal human, that's what!"
Until that happened, at least...​

[Optimus]

Mark Walker
Location: Hospital Building
Time Unknown

-"HEY! One of the corpses is still moving, someone take care of it fast! I'll go pick Akira and let's get the fuck out of here as fast as possible!"

When approaching Akira, he feared that the bug's attack had killed him, but thankfully he'd been only knocked away. After a quick examination he seemed to have suffered some burns due to its acidic puss and a wound in the place where the monster had struck him, and he seemed to still be conscious. Good, as far as things went. For now. While he hadn't suffered any deadly wounds, they'd at least need a first aid kit. Something they did not have, or rather they did not bother to look for. And now it wasn't the time to stop to look for one, not in this kind of place.

-"Well damn. Can you stand up Akira?" - Said Mark, extending his hand towards Akira-

[Bloble]

Sakaki Tetsuro
Abandoned School, Hallway
Time Unknown, Late Evening

As the black fire burned through his body, only one thought crossed Sakaki Tetsuro's mind.

it hurts

He'd been prepared for pain. He had been ready to try and take an attack capable of smashing an ordinary person to pieces, even.

it hurts

But this wasn't any ordinary attack. These flames did not exist naturally. Even as he writhed and screamed, Tetsuro felt the pain down to his very soul.

it hurts

He stumbled back, and fell to the floor, the back of his head smashing into the ground, and his sight erupting in a blinding white flash for a second.

it doesn't hurt

That was enough. The mundane, simple pain was enough to bring him back to his senses. Tetsuro shut out the pain, ignored the steam rising from his clothes and the blood in his mouth, and rose to his feet, unwilling to let his foolish students fight that thing by themselves.

No, it wasn't a thing. He heard it. Grinning. Speaking to him. It was amused. It was intelligent.

And, Tetsuro realised, it was unimaginably cruel.

The teacher sprinted forward, his legs pumping and pushing his body towards the enemy. His hand hadn't let go of the baseball bat despite the pain, and the teacher's grip only tightened as he neared his opponent.

And Merry.

"You...!" He could've cursed his student for running straight at something that could kill a man with a blow. He could've screamed at Merry to stop, and get back. He could've begged, and tried vainly to catch the small shape that seemed to be moving like the wind itself, but he didn't. Instead, Sakaki Tetsuro locked eyes with the monster before him, and answered its challenge.

"Don't get cocky!" He yelled, and leapt forward, swinging his sword across, and aiming to slice the monster's head from its shoulders.

[Mellon]

Troph
Mysterious Building, Main Lobby
Time Unknown, Evening

Since their little exploration trip seemingly fell on the wayside with the appearance of this new and interesting interloper (and Evgenia already disappeared, presumably looking for the so called "info wall" on the second floor), Troph calmly sat down, seemingly content to just observe the conversation occurring between Akira and this Nakami Nao. Things were progressing somewhat smoothly on curing Rolanda as well, as Akira, under Rolanda's instructions, started bandaging her up with surprising efficiency.

From the look on her face as she glared at Nao, it seemed that she was already healthy enough to maintain her normal disposition. Indeed, what would they do without that delightfully petty and quite over-confident little girl?

"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..."

Hoo? Impossible to see? No monsters? This was... peculiar to say the least. He would expect at least some sort of ambient lighting, from the moon and the stars at the very least. But who knew? Maybe this place had no moon or stars? A desolate world deprived of light. Next someone will tell him that this is a parallel world that reflects the dark nature of mankind or whatnot. As for the monsters... there was really only one reason why they would not come out would be due to something stopping them. Those so called "Cadavers" they met surely did not need any sort of light to hunt their prey, so they would definitely not be hindered by the darkness.

Paying close attention to the situation, Troph, quite uncharacteristically for him, sat silently with his back to the wall and his eyes clouded in thought.

[Sei]

Abandoned School
Time Unknown (Late Evening)

Aki Fumi – “Crimson”

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

Just as these words leave your lips, you feel something "intrusive" making its way into your body. The sensation is discomforting, yet soothing; itchy, yet energizing. It is as if countless little fire ants are eating their way through every inch of your body and filling it with a gentle warmth once reaching your very flesh. You know this to be nothing else but the feel of magical energy. Some how, it is returning to you and fills you with nothing short of simple ecstasy.

But you can't help but wonder how.

Seeing how no one else around you seems capable of such a thing, you hone your mind in on the stream of energy passing through you and sensitize your senses to it. Before too long, you find yourself fixated on the unconscious Haruka; a person void of any kind of magical energy whatsoever, but pouring it out as if it is unlimited.

With your power somewhat restored, an opponent behind you, and an unexpected development taking place before you, you can't help but feel that the surprises will never end. In the back of your mind, you feel compelled to thank Haruka for the entertainment once she awakes.

Aki's MP restored by 25.

Merry

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!"

You lunge forward with only your life to lose. Everything is pushed aside, even your own sanity, as you put everything you have and more into this desperate attempt. Physical limitations break away as your mind goes numb. All noise fades away as your target draws nearer. Moving as if the wind itself is behind you, the need for survival gives rise to untapped potential which immediately begins to wear away at its mortal container.

The distance is trivial.

Your body is ready.

Your heart is racing.

As you reach out, you know well in your mind that the success of your efforts is guaranteed. You're only inches away, and the opponent is far too large to evade properly in this closed space.

Precision Check

Spoiler:

Dice Roll to check for fatal strike.
Dice Roll of 16 or more needed.
Die rolls 20.
Precision successful.

Battle Calculation

Spoiler:

Merry's Speed
-26 (Merry's AGI) > 20 (Mephist's EVA)
Merry's Attack
-22 (Merry's MAG) - 15 (Mephist's M.DEF) = 7 damage

Mephist suffers 7 damage.

You grab a firm hold of the demon's leathery knee and call out the single verse which activates the spell. Soon, you both see and feel the contorting distortion occurring withing the monster's body. It only takes a few seconds, but that's all it takes. With a muffled crack, you confirm that your plan is a huge success.

Mephist's AGI & EVA reduced by 5.

But one thing sticks out in your mind as odd. Despite the sheer amount of pain such and operation would cause to anything, you target hasn't let out so much as a whimper. Naturally you expected the black giant to be a tough opponent, but this is something completely different. As a cold chill races up and down your spine, you slowly lift your head and find yourself gazing directly into eyes glowing in the darkness.

With a low, monstrous sigh, the monster's arm rises from the side and reaches for your body. As the situation sinks in, you decide that now is the opportune time to retreat now that your foe is crippled. Having already established that you are faster than it in prime condition, you make a big jump back to escape the monster's grasp.

However, it doesn't happen. Despite being able to establish a short distance between you and the enemy, it still reaches you, grabbing a firm hold off your head. You soon after feel the monster's talon pricking at the sides of your head and the slow, crushing pain of its clutch. Weightlessness soon follows as it lifts your small body several feet into the air, dangling you well over its own giant height. Helplessness is what comes next... As the black beast releases a breath which could be confused for smoke, you feel your body drop from its suspension as you weight sends you into a short free-fall. But the real terror comes in seeing the giant's fist speeding towards your body, sinking deep into your stomach, and feeling certain that the resulting force will make your insides burst.

Battle Calculation

Spoiler:

Mephist's Speed
-15 (Mephist's AGI) > 7 (Merry's EVA)
Mephist's Attack
-[50/2] (Mephist's ATK) - [15-5] (Merry's DEF) = 15 damage

Merry suffers 15 damage.
Kurogane Merry: 90 HP - 15 damage = 75 HP
Merry's Will -1.

You fly backwards, just as your comrade had done before you. You hit the floor hard and tumble over your own head and shoulders upon doing so. You can't deny that you're hurt; however, surprisingly, your body isn't blown apart. But in the end, that doesn't alleviate the massive point in your gut.

For now you've avoided death, but you can't help but wonder exactly how much longer you can do so. After putting everything into your attack and still failing to hamper your opponent's morale, you can't help but feel despair slowly creeping up on your heels.

Merry's Will and Sanity -1.

Sakaki Tetsuro

"You...!" He could've cursed his student for running straight at something that could kill a man with a blow. He could've screamed at Merry to stop, and get back. He could've begged, and tried vainly to catch the small shape that seemed to be moving like the wind itself, but he didn't. Instead, Sakaki Tetsuro locked eyes with the monster before him, and answered its challenge.

"Don't get cocky!" He yelled, and leapt forward, swinging his sword across, and aiming to slice the monster's head from its shoulders.

As you close the gap between you and your challenger, you watch in horror as the little girl is plucked from the ground and sent tumbling past you as you advance. Painfully aware of what has just happened, you steel your emotions, if only momentarily, and ignore the student for now. You thought that you could make it in time, but you couldn't. All that is left now is to end this fight and get everyone to safety.

With just a few feet left between you and the beast, you lunge forward with all your strength and swing to end it all in one strike.

Precision Check

Spoiler:

Dice Roll to check for fatal strike.
Dice Roll of 16 or more needed.
Die rolls 14.
Precision failed.

Battle Calculation

Spoiler:

Tetsuro's Speed
-12 (Tetsuro's AGI) < 15 (Mephist's EVA)
Tetsuro's attack has been avoided

Tetsuro's attack has missed.

"Pathetic..."

In the midst of your attack, you hear the monster utter something in its low, booming voice. Faster than you can even react, the giant quickly turns its body to face you, raising its leg up at a sharp angle, catching you in the stomach, and bringing you up and over its head as it completes its turn and throws you to the dusty floor.

Refusing to give in, you push yourself up and get back onto your feet. But no sooner than you can do this and face your enemy, the giant catches you in the shoulder with a high-speed hammerfist that sends you flying sideways into the bloodied wall.

Battle Calculation

Spoiler:

Mephist's Speed
-15 (Mephist's AGI) > 4 (Tetsuro's EVA)
Mephist's Attack
-50 (Mephist's ATK) - [25-5] (Tetsuro's DEF) = 30 damage

Tetsuro suffers 30 damage.
Sakaki Tetsuro: 188.5 HP - 30 damage = 158.5 HP

"If you couldn't save a child back then, what makes you think you can save one now?"

Without even turning to meet your gaze, the black monster says something cyptic and distant.

---

How Desperate Are You~?
I'm sure I've told you this before, but I feel I should remind you in case you've forgotten. You see, in this lovely little world, one's will to live and one's ability to remain sane are key to survival. I suppose... But should you find one of these lacking, you can always trade a few points from one to boost up the other. And if you so choose, you can even use your Sanity to boost your Will up to high-tension at 25~ The boost you get from high Will this way isn't neccesarily as potent as if it's obtained naturally, but it still gives a nice bonus of +5 to everything needed for combat.

However... I suppose I should warn you that doing this isn't as convenient as it sounds. Because if you reach high-tension through expediated means and fail to finish off the target... why... you may just find your "spirit crushed"~ Do take care~

---

Monster Stats & Abilities Revealed
ATK (50), AGI (25), EVA (25), MAG (35), M.DEF (15)

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.

Large Body: When fighting in a small space, AGI and EVA reduced by 5 due to having a large body. However, because the space available to prey becomes limited, opponent's AGI and EVA reduced by 3.

Close Combat: When engaging a target in close-quarters combat, enemy's EVA and DEF are reduced by 5.

Destroyer: Ignores special defenses.

Taunting Mercy: One per turn, when attacking an opponent, ATK stat can be reduced by half during damage calculation. The target's Will is then reduced by 1. During the same turn this is done, Mephist can attack again.

All of Mephist's abilities have been revealed.

[Airen]

Akira Kurogane
Mysterious Building, First Floor
Time Unknown, Late Evening

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

Before Nao could respond, the sound of someone descending the stairs triggered my reflexes, and sent my eyes towards the relevant section of the room, my muscles relaxing only when I confirmed that the person descending from the second floor was, in fact, Evgenia. From here, it seemed that nothing bad had happened to her, although I blinked at the sight of the rifle she was no carrying, wondering what sort of luck she had to have to find something like that in an abandoned place like this building...

After all, in a world like this, wouldn't most weapons already be put to use? They weren't the only people in this world, and something like a rifle would have been very useful against the Cadavers at the riverside.

I suppose the gun's origin didn't really matter though, I was just glad that my classmate hadn't been attacked by something while she had been upstairs.

And Evgenia had actually brought up a very good point.

Logically, in order to ensure we could maintain out health in this place, we had to locate a source of drinkable water. The Cadavers seemed to have come from the river, so I wasn't too keen on drinking anything from there, but judging from the fact that Nao had given me an unopened bag of chips, it seemed that there was a supply of packaged food around her somewhere. Maybe not in this building, but close enough that she could go to the stock and return to this place before nightfall.

And where there was food, there was almost always water. People in the modern age liked the convenience of bottled water, so it wasn't unreasonable to guess that a case or two of the stuff would be lying around somewhere in this place. If we couldn't find anything, we could always go for the tried and true method of boiling water in order to sterilize it.

Guess it was time to look around for a bit.

"You're right Evgenia," rising to my feet, I smiled apologetically at Nao for interrupting our conversation, and started towards my descending friend, "We need to find water if we're gonna survive for more than a couple of days. Bottled water is probably a bit much to hope for, but maybe we can find some sort of pot to boil the river water in?" I paused for a moment, eyes closed, then, "You wanna go look around together for a bit?"

I was trying to be as positive as I possibly could, so as to ease the tension for my classmates a bit, but as I turned back towards Nao, it was obvious that I was a bit worried.

"Troph, don't be so quiet, we'll all be okay, I promise." I didn't know if he was bothered about the current situation or not, but I decided to try to comfort him anyway, "Talk to Nao-san for a bit while I'm gone, she seems like a nice girl," I smiled at Nao for a moment as I said this, "Watch out for her and Rolanda for me okay Troph? I'll be back in a bit."

Even if Evgenia didn't want to go, I was determined to explore this place a bit more, to insure that it would be a safe haven for me and my classmates.

[SeiKeo]

Evgenia Ivanov
Mysterious Building, Lobby
Time Unknown, Late Evening

Without comment, I drifted into place behind Akira, searching around the deserted mansion. One person, exploring a building by themselves... never good. Ends in disaster, without a doubt. Two people? Better. Much better. Plus, unlike her, I could... hmmm...

A quick test of Perun's bayonet told me... yes, sharp. Unlike her, I could stab people.

[hero]

Fukuda Masahiro
Location: Hospital Building
Time Unknown


"..."

He grabbed the last ghoul who retained consciousness by the head. He was now so powerful that he managed to lift up the entire body that way with no effort. He slowly placed it on the ground for it to stand. Then, he stared right into its eyes. There was nothing. As much as he wanted to believe the contrary, Fukuda Masahiro finally understood that what now stood in front of him was no longer human.

"Good night..."

His fist retracted in the blink of an eye, and with mighty strength, he punched the creature straight in the face. The force of the attack was enough to send the thing flying against the wall, breaking several of its bones. It then fell back to the floor, completely dead.

It was over.

Now that the giant but monster had decided to retreat, silence returned to the stairwell. This had been their first fight for their survival. Had their performance been good? Or had they simply been lucky to make it out alive? Maybe a little bit of both. Truth was that, as his armor disappeared from this world, Fukuda Masahiro couldn't help but to smile in relief.

"... Shit."

Smile that disappeared the second he saw Akira on the ground, seemingly dead. However, he soon found out that his life was not in danger. There were a few wounds here and there, but it was nothing that would stop their advance. Thank goodness. As Mark offered Akira a hand to help him stand up, Masahiro simply stared at him.

He stared. And Stared. And then...

"...Do you need a piggyback ride?" He asked, his face an impassive mask.

-------

It turned out that Akira was capable of moving on his own. A quick glance revealed that neither Maiko, nor Keigo needed a piggyback ride either. Well now, it was time to continue. If they wanted to go back home, the first step was to reach the first floor and get out of the god damn hospital. But before they did that, Fukuda Masahiro had something he needed to do, and something he needed to say.

"I am sorry." He said, as he kneeled down next to one of the human corpses. Contrary to what one would have thought, he was not speaking to the body, but to his classmates. "I always had this power of my own." He searched the ghouls one by one, looking for a wallet or some sort of ID. "But I was selfish, and I hid it. Had I used it sooner, you guys wouldn't be as hurt as you are right now." The task finished, he stood up.

"That's why I am sorry."

[I3uster]

Maiko Kisaragi
Location: Hospital Building
Time Unknown

"I-it's okay Masahiro...p-people don't like those w-who are d-different..."
She could understand his way of thinking, and what was more important, he was brave enough to give up on it once his friends were in danger. He was truly admirable.

"Y-you looked r-really cool there M-Masahiro...a-a-anyway, we should try to g-get to the first f-floor, any ideas?"
She quickly tried to change the subject. It was probably uncomfortable for Masahiro too...

[Satehi]

Akira Kyokushin
Location: Hospital Building
Time Unknown

“I’m fine, I’m fine. That was a pretty hard hit, but I can stand by myself.” Akira said, getting up from the floor by himself. He wouldn’t accept help getting up just from that. “I don’t think that will be the last we see of that creature. But more importantly… I think I at least deserve an explanation for what’s been going on. None of this makes much sense.”

He looked at Masahiro first. “That armor that you pulled out of nowhere, power… what are you talking about? And this stick- it’s better than the previous one I held, I could feel that much when I hit the spider fly.” Waving it around a bit for emphasis, he looked at Mark. “ I don’t get it. What did you do to this thing?”

“I…I can’t be the only one who doesn’t get what’s going on, right?”

[Mereo Flere]

Merry
School

I thought I had been prepared for a lot of things. Getting torn apart, set on fire, smashed and slammed...

I never expected it to simply laugh in the face of my attack.

I had felt stronger than I had at any other point in my life. I was faster, tougher - all around better. It felt like I was invincible, that I could take on anything.

But, in the face of my so called power, it didn't even miss a beat. What should have been shock - at least a moment of surprise - as its own joint was locked down wasn't something that even had to be shrugged off. It didn't even seem to acknowledge I had done anything at all before it grabbed me by the head.

I knew, logically, that my plan was successful. That it wouldn't be able to move as freely as it had before. Yet, even though that was true, it still lifted me up with laughable ease, grabbing me just when I had thought I had made my mistake.

Part of me really believed it was going to be over then. Maybe it would crush my head, maybe it would call a flame to roast me while I was still in its fist. Instead, it let me go... only to swat me away before my body could even reach the ground.

It didn't hurt as much as I expected to. Certainly, more than I had hoped - but compared to the force it had tossed that man around...

It was clearly playing with me, even now.

Clutching my stomach, I somehow managed to stagger to my feet. I tried to summon up the previous strength I had - only to find it was gone, held back by fear and doubt once more. It was then I saw Tetsuro almost embedded into the wall - and I knew immediately that the creature had not held back on him.

"Why?" I wondered out loud, questioning the difference between Tetsuro and I.

The creature said something to Tetsuro again, taunting him with a message I wasn't quite sure what to make of. Did it know about Yuki's death at the jaws of the wolf? Was it familiar with us? Was that why it hadn't been surprised?

I... wasn't sure. I just knew that I couldn't run in there again. After that brief taste of power, I felt so useless now. But, what could I do?

I glanced back at Tetsuro. He was too far away to protect any of us right now. But, if he were here, I knew exactly what he would do - or rather, what he had already done.

I took a deep breath, and stepped forward, in front of the group once more. This time, I didn't charge at the beast; I knew I wouldn't be able to pull off that sort of attack a second time. However, there was one thing I could do.

"I won't be afraid," I told myself. "I can't be afraid."

My legs fell into a stance. My breathing became steady once again. My eyes narrowed at the creature, staring into the face of evil incarnate and met its grin with a grimace. Blood boiled as I forced myself to remember everything it had done, and the pain in my stomach was numbed by thoughts of what it would do if I were to let everybody down.

...I hadn't led a perfect life, but right now this was my role to play. If necessary, my body would become a shield against that infernal flame for the others. However, if it accepted my challenge - if it chose to meet me head one, then...

I would do whatever I could.

"Come, Monster, and face your judgment, as all evil should!"

XXX

Counter Attack Prepared: Attachment - aimed at the joints once again.

[Chaos Greyblood]

Keigo Yamamoto
Time unknown
Hospital

"Ahhh, that was totally bothersome. These blasted creatures..."

Keigo just shook his head as the ordeal had ended for now. He wanted to say that he hoped this won't be repeated, but he has a better chance winning the lottery than not see any other horrible creature again. He looks around to see the devastation caused by the arachnid creature and the bodies of the undead that were no longer animated and sees that this was nothing but reality in front of his eyes. He grimaces for a bit as he feels up his ankle; it's still in one piece, but he won't be able to run long distances for a little while with the way it is. It would be better that someone should look into it quickly before moving on.

He seems to agree with Akira's sentiments as he is in the dark about the whole thing almost as much as he is. "I don't know that much about it any more than you do. There were only a few rumors about it, some friends told me of that strange ritual and that's it. I thought it was some kind of stunt, like playing with a ouija board or calling a medium to comunicate with spirits. I suppose there is a twist with the whole thing."

He grimaces just a bit as he bends down and touches his ankle. "Before we get moving and invite that large spider back into our midst, I think one of you needs to take a look at my ankle. I can run for a bit, but I won't be able to do a marathon for long."

[Bloble]

Sakaki Tetsuro
School

"Urk!"

There was a sickening crack as Tetsuro felt his body smash into the wall at high speed. He wasn't sure whether it was from himself or from the wall, but either way, the result was the same.

Pain.

His stomach burned, and the teacher felt bile and blood in his throat. His bruised organs protested their rough treatment, but Tetsuro was simply thankful that he'd survived the hit without any internal bleeding. Even though it felt like a hole had been punched through his abdomen, the teacher would survive.

His shoulder was worse, though. A sharp ache signified major damage. Not surprising, since he'd just taken a direct hit from that thing. Upon closer observation, the wall had broken and his bone was fine. The teacher experimentally tried to raise a hand, but immediately gave up once he realise that his shoulder had been dislocated from the blow.

Status: Bruised, hurt, but he would live for however long it took for that thing to finish him off.

Of course, this assessment happened in a split second, right before Tetsuro fell from the wall like a broken ragdoll and flopped weakly to the floor.

it hurts more now

This was even worse than the previous pain. Unlike that magical flame, this pain was a more familiar, more painful one. A human pain.

too much it hurts too much

His eyesight blurred, but Tetsuro looked up anyway, struggling to keep himself aware of the situation even with his last remaining threads of consciousness.

please dont make me move again it hurts too much

The world swam and once clear shapes were now indistinct figures in mud. But Tetsuro still recognized the large form of the Mephist standing in front of him. The glow of its eyes was gone, meaning that it was no longer looking at him.

Good. It had lost interest. He had done good, right? He could go to sleep now, right? He could give up now, right?

"If you couldn't save a child back then, what makes you think you can save one now?"

"Ah."

His breath stopped, caught in his throat. Tetsuro's empty eyes regained a single spark.

Right. He had failed. When was that? What was it?

the woman's dead body

the schoolgirl's head lay upon the floor

they laughed and laughed

"pathetic. you can't even protect a girl."

ah, that's it

the man known as Sakaki Tetsuro cannot protect anything

His hands clenched into fists. It was right. He couldn't protect anything. He couldn't do anything then, and he couldn't do anything now. What was the point of it all? All those years, had they been for nothing? Had he not advanced a single step since then? Was he forever stuck in that moment, unable to move past it?

Whatever the case, it was true. He had failed again. All of his training, for nothing. All of his tears, for nothing. All of his pain, for nothing.

Nothing.

Nothing.

He was nothing.

Just like back then.

Wait. Who was that?

In his blurry vision, a smaller figure arrived from the side and stood before him, shielding his eyes from the monster. A tiny, small form erased the large one from existence, letting him feel safe again.

Ah, yes, that's how it happened.

His wounds ached, and the tiny, weak person stood there to shield him with its fragile arms and slow legs. Despite its own weakness, despite knowing that he had failed, despite its own fear, the brave little person stood there to protect him.

Yeah, that was it. That was when he had failed.

It didn't hesitate. It didn't tremble despite its own pain. It didn't run even when it could have. It became a thin wall between Tetsuro and death.

Was this reality, or simply a memory? He couldn't recognize a difference. But he felt the same.

Weak. Pathetic. Unworthy. Hurt. Bleeding. Wounded. Bloodied and bruised. Bleary and shaky. A failure. He could remember the next events clearly. The figure would be struck down, and rise time and time again. He'd try to move, only to scream as his body revolted and failed to rise. He'd watch, as finally the figure failed to rise, and the laughter invaded his mind until it all went black and red.

Had he changed? In all those years, would the exact same thing happen again? Would his nightmare invade reality?

"Come, Monster, and face your judgment, as all evil should!"

No.

A shuffling of feet upon stone. A wounded body rose from the ground, dragging itself up.

Not again.

It walked forward, up to the trembling figure.

He wouldn't fail again.

With a sickening pop the dislocated shoulder popped back into its socket. Tetsuro didn't even flinch. His hand tightened around the bat, which he hadn't let go of even through all the punishment.

"No." He placed a large, scarred hand on Merry's head. "That's enough." He said softly. He met Merry's eyes and slowly shook his head. "This is not what you should be doing. Becoming a shield for the future is the job of us adults." He smiled weakly, and stepped in front of his student, shielding the frail figure from harm, where previously he wasn't able to.

He had changed. He had improved. He had moved past his weakness.

He had become someone capable of protecting others.

The man's body was wounded. His spirit was almost exhausted. He could barely see straight.

It was nothing he hadn't felt before.

The man glared at the monster before him with sharp eyes.

"I won't... fail again." Tetsuro said, and levelled his bat towards the Mephist. "Go ahead, try and strike me down." He challenged the invincible beast once more. "But I promise this. As long as I live, you will never kill them."

[Helias]

Odo Tougas
School Building - Hallway
Time Unknown

A disgusting sound. A crack as a body hit a wall with tremendous force. Horrible sound. A crack.

There is something wrong here. Nothing is that strong. A crack as a body hit a wall. A disgusting sound. A crack.

It is not possible. Bloody mess. Monster. A crack.

That thing is a monster. Nothing is that strong. Monstrous strength. A crack.

It is a predator. Predators feed on life. Bloody mess. A crack.

That thing is a monster. Monsters are evil. Monsters must die. A crack.

Monsters hunt monsters. It is a monster. A crack.

Killers are monsters. Monsters hunt monsters. I am a monster. A crack.

I am nothing. I am a void in existence. A crack.

Okay mister voice in my head, tell me who you are right now.

I am you. I am your self. A crack.

Really? So you're me. Then why won't you do what I say and SHUT THE HELL UP?

I am your true self. I obey none. I am a monster. A crack.

What the hell do you mean, 'my true self'? And what the fuck is this crack you talk about?

I am you. I am a void. I am your true existence. A crack.

Just answer the damn question.

I answer to none. I demand control. A crack.

There's no way in hell I'm giving into some voice in my head that goes on and on about fucking cracks. Now shut up.

"I won't... fail again." Tetsuro said, and levelled his bat towards the Mephist. "Go ahead, try and strike me down." He challenged the invincible beast once more. "But I promise this. As long as I live, you will never kill them."

Oh not this "I care more about my students' lives than my own" crap again. It get's old pretty fast.

Kill the monster. You are a monster. I am a monster. Monsters kill monsters. A crack.

...You know what? For a creepy murderer voice in my head, you make a good point. I probably should help him.

"I am a hunter." I mutter under my breath. As I say this, a the sound of a gunshot goes off in my head. My eyes begin to emit an eerie silver glow once more. As I say this, I also pull off my left boot. I reach inside, and pull out my knife. I grab it with my right hand, and put my boot back on.

"Tetsuro," I say to my teacher, "you aren't in this alone. As long as WE live, YOU will not be killed." Saying this, I walk up beside Tetsuro, and enter a defensive stance.

"Alright monster," I say to the beast, "show me what you've got."

Mystic Eyes of Recollection, Use 1:
[Evasion +4. Grants mild buffs against enemy types previously encountered. Cost 3 MP per turn active.]

[Verg Avesta]

Rolanda A. Knox
Park, Mysterious Building
Time Unknown (Late Evening)

“Wait.”

Rolanda, who had been silent until then as she checked her condition, suddenly called everyone to halt. It was not the voice she had usually used in the school. It was as if cracks of her true personality where shown in the tone, with her weakness currently affecting her mental preparation. Rolanda spat some blood on to the ground with indifferent expression and took her bag from the floor.

“You. Evgenia. What rifle is that, magazine size, rate of fire, what’s the effective range, what type of ammunition does it use, et cetera…tell everything.”

With a swift movement Rolanda took out something from inside her bag and twirled it with her hand. It was a sleek shape, something out of a movie rather than of real life. It held an aristocratic air around it the way normal weapons could not. Silver-colored, long barrel with words Fortis est veritas” and “Quid est veritas” etched on to the opposing sides. Pockenholz handle had been crafted to fit Rolanda’s hand perfectly, and the whole weapon truly had an aura of cherished companion, with more love poured into it than would have been normal.

Rolanda was now sporting a sleek-looking, 10-chambered flintlock revolver with a strange smile, and not a nice one, on her face.

“If you’re heading out with her and taking our only real weapon with you, does not that make us sitting ducks here if something does decide to barge in? That is something I’d like to very much avoid. And the thing is, I have a gun here, but unfortunately, I have no ammunition”, Rolanda sighed. “Fortunately, though, I am rather adept when it comes to jury-rigging ammunition to fit other weaponry, and Decaloque here is not picky about what she shoots out.”

Rolanda gestured with her hand towards Evgenia. And while she did so, she gave a sideways glance towards everyone else in the room. Rolanda’s mind was working on many levels at that moment. One, she would have to seal up the entrance with her----

“---Wait a minute.”

Rolanda put her hand in her bag once more, and brought up something new. It was a large packing tape roll. She took out a finger-length chunk of it, walked over to Akira, and slapped it to her arm as if it had been a bandage. Smiling somewhat unnervingly, Rolanda pointed at the piece of packing tape at Akira’s arm.

“If you get in trouble, or encounter something you know will kill you, rip that in two. It will alert me”, she simply said, before looking back at Evgenia.

----- And while you two scurry around this place, I’ll get to work. Sealing up the entrance. Trapping what needs to be. And most importantly…

Rolanda’s eyes narrowed.

I’ll start drilling out information from those who remain.

Rolanda put her hand in her pocket and took out a cigarette, lighting it up. She took a drag and seemed to enjoy the smoke lingering in the air.

Though, other than that, those words…..that spell the Club President read…Wonder how long it would take me to crack open?

Rolanda smirked.

“Forsaken life is woven into thy vessel”, huh? Wonder who was the lucky guy? Or were we all…?

[Optimus]

Mark Walker
Location: Hospital Building
Time Unknown

“That armor that you pulled out of nowhere, power… what are you talking about? And this stick- it’s better than the previous one I held, I could feel that much when I hit the spider fly.” Waving it around a bit for emphasis, he looked at Mark. “ I don’t get it. What did you do to this thing?”

“I…I can’t be the only one who doesn’t get what’s going on, right?”

-"... I guess that in a way, you're right. I don't have the time to explain all the jazz, and I'm also kind of a newbie, but I think that can wait for when we're in a safer place. However... It would be best to think we are some kind of almighty sorcerers that go around throwing fireballs or can strengthen themselves to crazy levels of physical power, but the opposite. I know this sounds a little suspicious, but try to trust us as long as we're in danger, okay?"

Now it wasn't the time for secrets. In this world where death could be found as soon as you turned around the corner, it was best to state the truth bluntly. There would be plenty of time to explain the details though, once they...

"Before we get moving and invite that large spider back into our midst, I think one of you needs to take a look at my ankle. I can run for a bit, but I won't be able to do a marathon for long."

Damn.

-"It'd seem that thing simply hit your bone. Usually you'd need some ice to stop the inflammation but we don't have that right now, nor any first aid kits. If you think it starts swelling then report as fast as possible. Let's get the heck out of this place, now.

Oh, and no need to hold my hand, for now. If there's anything that makes my mind go poof, I'm trusting you guys to kick me in the nuts and make me return to my senses."

[SeiKeo]

Evgenia Ivanov
Mysterious Building, Lobby
Time Unknown, Late Evening

“You. Evgenia. What rifle is that, magazine size, rate of fire, what’s the effective range, what type of ammunition does it use, et cetera…tell everything.”

Hmmm... interest in weaponry.... smoking... what a model teen we have here. Luckily, responsibility isn't an asset at times like this. "Russian custom, ten rounds, bolt, 500 meters at reasonable, 7.62 NATO, special armor piercing, thirty rounds at the moment. Too bad we aren't in the states, gun shops are wonderful places." There's a reason zombie apocalypse movies are always in America - guns flow free, and what's a survival situation without guns?

Well, ours.

“If you’re heading out with her and taking our only real weapon with you, does not that make us sitting ducks here if something does decide to barge in? That is something I’d like to very much avoid. And the thing is, I have a gun here, but unfortunately, I have no ammunition”, Rolanda sighed. “Fortunately, though, I am rather adept when it comes to jury-rigging ammunition to fit other weaponry, and Decaloque here is not picky about what she shoots out.”

A... the devil? Does she think she's a pirate or something? Why in the world would you have that thing... eh. "It handles military-spec rifle ammunition?

[Sei]

Kuboiha Shizuka
Shizuka froze for a moment, then obviously more irritated, he resumed slapping Haruka's cheeks, much quicker and forceful than before.​

Kuromusi Haruka
Abandoned School
Time Unknown (Late Evening)
HP: 44/ MP: 0/ Will: 5/ San: 5

"Oy, Haruka-buchou. Just how long do you plan to be out?!"

I think I hear a voice. A familiar voice. A voice that's calling out to me.

"Oy~, Haruka-chan~ Just how long do you plan to let this go on~?"

It's dark and I can't see. But I'm pretty sure I've heard this voice before. Not the same as before, but still one that's called out to me in the past. Alien, yet familiar, I can't tell myself when it was that I heard this voice. And the fact that my head feels like it's about to split open isn't helping much either. And then, to make matters worse, a rapid, heavy, continuously numbing shock begins to assail my face. As if calling me from the world of darkness, light stretches across the horizon and everything is peeled away. Once my eyes are open, I once again find myself looking at none other than Shizuka.

"...Shizuka? ...What's... going on?"

Not waiting for him to respond, I roll my head to the side a little to see if I could make sense of the situation myself. What I see nearly causes my heart to explode from my chest.

"...!"

Sakaki-sensei, Merry, Fumi, and Ethan were all staring down some kind of monstrous black giant more terrifying than any movie could prepare me for. No... Judging by how things look, it would seem that they're fighting it. Sakaki-sensei himself looks like he could kill over at any moment and Merry doesn't exactly look so good herself... But why... no... HOW was any of this happening?

"...Is this a dream?"

I try to reason with it.

"This is not a dream."

I try to deny it.

"This is reality."

But in the end, I'm left with no choice but to face what is before me without a shadow of a doubt.

"Don't you remember? What they did to you? What they've taken from you?"

A voice that is not my own resonates in my head again. It heightens the pain and the confusion to levels beyond unbearable, but I can tell that it wishes me no harm. It's not something as nice as a memory or my subconscious thoughts, but it's not something as malicious as an evil spirit either. That much simple rushes into me. Knowledge which wasn't there before, but is there now. In the end, all it wants to do is whisper only to me... and say that I need to remember.

Haruka's Sanity -2

It takes no time to recall it all. What happened back at school. What happened when I woke up. The reason why my head hurts so much. And, what happened to Justin... Everything which was blocked by a wall of pain becomes floods back into me and virtually drowns my soul in hatred. Before, I was scared and confused at the sight of this monster. But now... I can't tell if I'm shaking in terror or in joy at seeing the pitiful state of these people. The twisted pleasure it gives me is so entrancing, that I can't help but crack a smile.

"Haruka-chan~ If you so wish, I can give this to you. It can't replace the love you've lost, but it can take away the pain you've gained~"

As the nauseatingly soothing voice retreats into the dark corners of my mind, I'm finally able to hear my own hysterical laughter.

[Sei]

Fukuda Masahiro

"I am sorry." He said, as he kneeled down next to one of the human corpses. Contrary to what one would have thought, he was not speaking to the body, but to his classmates. "I always had this power of my own." He searched the ghouls one by one, looking for a wallet or some sort of ID. "But I was selfish, and I hid it. Had I used it sooner, you guys wouldn't be as hurt as you are right now." The task finished, he stood up.

Carefully searching the decayed bodies and there clothes, you're disheartened as your search comes up with nothing. While you're sure that these poor souls had identities at some point, as it stood now, they had none. Whether or not they lost such identifying items in their lifetimes or after their deaths is also a mystery you will have to live with. In the end, these individuals died without even a name to claim. It is a sad truth which speaks of just how cruel this world you've wound up in is.