missleading: (☼ o28.)
Minako Arisato ([personal profile] missleading) wrote in [community profile] daybreakacademy2019-10-24 09:58 pm

THE THRILL OF THE HUNT

WHO: Characters listed here
WHAT: The Phantom Thieves (and others) infiltrate the palace of a pair of mages who have been murdering innocents in the British countryside
WHEN: October 13
WHERE: A small town in Great Britain
WARNINGS: Some gore, will update as necessary

"Vivianne and Roland Wolfe. Murderers. Amusement park."

The Outland seemed to pulse, as if the world beat like a living heart.

"Coordinates accepted. Beginning navigation."

The red-eyed icon on Ren’s cell phone began glowing brightly as the space around the team began warping as flashes of red and black seemed to rewrite the tenuous reality.

As the world once again came into focus, a scene of horror and carnage unfolded. The team was now in an amusement park, its walls and rides sheathed in garish gold plate that sparkled eerily under a blood-red moon. The whir and creak of highly suspect machinery echoed through the park as rollercoasters sped through the park. Those sounds, however, might well not exist for the extended, sustained screams of terror, shrieks of pain, and the weeping, pleading, and groaning of the dying.

Littering the ground were corpses - shadows, in this world, but bleeding and dismembered as any true human might be. In every case they were missing body parts, grisly trophies taken from them after they breathed their last… or at least, one would hope. Spotlights scanned the ground as those shadows that still lived fled in desperation. A spotlight affixing itself to a fleeing shadow would lock on as one of the mages, Roland in a white suit and tie splattered with blood and Vivianne in a blood-red cocktail dress would swoop down, chasing them with any number of means such as small cars, paragliders, or even glowing magical disks. In all cases, the result was typically the same. The shadow would run, screaming or sobbing, as they were chased down. In most cases the mages would toy with them, perhaps shooting out a kneecap, or speeding by and lopping an arm. This grisly "game" would continue until the mage grew bored, ending the shadow and claiming some kind of gruesome trophy.

Notably, both mages had glowing yellow eyes and somewhat sunken, distorted features - clear signs that these were not truly the people but their shadows, the lord and lady of this palace of horror. And they were thirsty for even more blood.
prisoneroffate: (008)

INFILTRATION

[personal profile] prisoneroffate 2019-10-25 05:24 am (UTC)(link)
Joker gave the team a meaningful look as he crept alongside one of the many blood-spattered walls of the park.

“It’s showtime.”

There was no emotion in his words, not even the typical cocky lilt that Joker usually carried with him in this form. The words were grim and deadly serious. It was time to get to work. With a wave of his red-gloved hand, he lead the party into the carnage and darkness. They had a treasure to find.
lastexit: (309 - Creatures of the Night)

[personal profile] lastexit 2019-10-25 06:25 am (UTC)(link)
Maya's stealth suit wasn't active, but the full gray catsuit was more than enough to blend her into the shadows and darkness provided she wasn't in direct light. And with an owl-like mask, she'd fit right in with any actual phantom thieves. She'd save activating the invisibility for when she needed it. The outlands were always 'fun' for her senses, the very magic of the world was different there. So the soundscape around her changed with it.

And the sounds belonging to Joker, which she might need to ask about later. Also why they had a child along, the one with the hat. The thief she met in a dream made sense.

"Cheerful." She didn't feel anything looking at all the carnage, it wasn't exactly real. But- she wouldn't feel much anyway, just walking into this place caused that familiar numbness to wrap around her senses, "Any idea what we're after? I might be able to listen for it better with something to visualize."
bolderfell: Cool. Not my problem. <user name="nappotuna" site="tumblr.com"> (NOTICE 🗡️ Any trouble?)

[personal profile] bolderfell 2019-10-25 06:17 pm (UTC)(link)
"...Who knows."

Apparently there to bring down the aesthetic value of the whole team, Therion's only change to his usual guy-in-a-hoodie wardrobe was the addition of a baseball cap. Still, somehow, just that and his hood made his features difficult to discern in the darkness. It was his magic at work, keeping what he looked like from sticking in anyone's mind. For him, avoiding notice was as automatic as breathing--even among the people he was supposed to work with. He probably didn't mean anything by it. ...Probably.

At the very least, he didn't seem keen to flit off on his own into the carnival of horrors around them. The corners of his eyes were tight as he pulled his hoodie collar up and over his nose, though Therion didn't otherwise flinch from the bodies on the ground or the awful wailing. He scanned the area slowly, taking in the gaudy decor, the spotlights, the gleeful, cartoonish ostentation of the mages' Shadows' hunt. This is what they were about, behind their deadly carousel: fun and games. A roller coaster thrill.

"If I had to guess where to look for it, though... I'd search whatever this park's biggest attraction's supposed to be. The scariest, the fastest." Though, given their penchant for trophy-taking... "Or wherever you win prizes for skills."

He nodded in the general direction of the entrance.

"Info booths usually have maps or ads for the biggest hits. Might give us a hint if we find one."
nor_iron_bars: And in my soul am free (No that ain't your style)

[personal profile] nor_iron_bars 2019-10-25 11:45 pm (UTC)(link)
[Jail nods approvingly at Therion's suggestion, agreeing with his point.]

[She looks the same as ever, hammer slung casually over her shoulder. She has some new equipment on her belt, prototypes she's testing, to see how well they handle this unusual space between the physical and mental... but she's got some more blunt instruments to back them up, if it comes down to it.]


What I wanna know right now is where not to go. They ain't looking for us yet, but that don't mean we're safe just walking around. I'd bet good money there's gonna be traps around here, 'specially once we start getting closer to where we need to be.

[Her gaze traces lightly over the surroundings, searching for something out of place, any more subtle threat to counterbalance the obvious display of blood and violence.]
foolishjustice: (Crow-Ah...)

[personal profile] foolishjustice 2019-10-27 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
Akechi, or Crow as he calls himself here, is clad in his bright, princely outfit and red mask, but his expression is far less cheerful. He's seen a lot of corpses in his life - made some of them, even - but this level of gruesome dismemberment and gore is still enough to make his stomach turn. Fortunately, he was prepared for it, and doesn't do more than grimace at the sight.

"Traps in Palaces can vary a lot. A map is a good start, though. In places like this, they generally aren't too heavily protected. An info booth is supposed to be open to visit, after all."
prisoneroffate: (006)

[personal profile] prisoneroffate 2019-10-27 04:00 am (UTC)(link)
Immediately west of the team, a ramshackle, bullet-hole and bloodstained visitor's booth still stood, with maps hanging off a rack. The map itself showed a chaotic scene with a lot of "attractions" positioned haphazardly around a large, central room tagged as the "Trophy Room". All of the rollercoaster tracks seemed to radiate outward from this point, something Joker noticed immediately as he started tracing his finger over the pathways as he held the map up for the rest of the team to observe.
lastexit: (310 - Misty Moonlight)

[personal profile] lastexit 2019-10-27 04:45 am (UTC)(link)
"Everything sounds like murder, I don't really think anywhere is somewhere we want to be." She was getting used to the subtleties under it, other sounds from the shadows on the ground. The things that were people, but not real. No, don't expect Maya to make sense of that. She was glad her mask kept her entire face out of view, cause the sound of this place was definitely having an impact.

The map was giving them a destination, and routes. She didn't like it. At all. "Places I definitely wouldn't want to go is on the roller coaster tracks in a crazy murder carnival."
bolderfell: There are two types of posers: wannabes and JoJos. <user name="nappotuna" site="tumblr.com"> (VOGUE 🗡️ Peacock strut.)

[personal profile] bolderfell 2019-10-27 05:38 pm (UTC)(link)
"Obviously." Literally on roller coaster tracks was a bad place to be in any circumstances. "But all roads lead to Rome. Or something."

And they wouldn't get anywhere if they didn't start somewhere. If the Trophy Room was the heart of the park, it might well hold the 'heart' of this Palace thing, too, as far as Therion understood what they were doing. (Admittedly, it was all kind of abstract, but whatever.)

"Assuming the Trophy Room's our first priority?" began Therion, glancing at the others for agreement or dissent before he continued. "Following the tracks will get us there, but they don't exactly offer cover from around or above. And I doubt trying to blend in with the locals will get us far, since it looks like everyone but those two," he said with faint distaste, "is fair game for target practice. So it's a matter of staying completely unseen without missing any traps ourselves."

Straightforward to say, difficult to pull off. After another measuring glance across his team, Therion's gaze flickered off towards the roller coaster rails, as hard to catch and keep hold of as his codename: Smoke. "I might be able to help provide cover for one or two people if needed, but I don't have much experience sniffing out supernatural traps."
nor_iron_bars: Alone that soar above (Keep doing what you're doing)

[personal profile] nor_iron_bars 2019-10-27 07:44 pm (UTC)(link)
[Jail... keeps looking back from the map to the coasters, a thoughtful expression on her face.]

[This can't be good.]


Wonder what direction those go in...

[Oh no.]

The tracks ain't much cover, but if we could get one of the cars on 'em going towards the Trophy Room, and going fast enough? We might be able to get in and out before they have a chance to react.
foolishjustice: (Crow-Simple deduction.)

[personal profile] foolishjustice 2019-10-28 10:29 am (UTC)(link)
Hiding in here is easier than it is in the real world, but we still do need at least some cover.

[He examines the map, looking for anything that might be boarding for a roller coaster.]

We might also find some useful things in the 'attractions'. It's pretty common for these places to be full of puzzles that reflect the owner's mindset.
prisoneroffate: (004)

[personal profile] prisoneroffate 2019-10-29 03:04 am (UTC)(link)
[ Joker nods along with the discussion ]

We can at least use the tracks as a guide to stay on course. Investigating the rooms might not be a bad idea...

[ And as he says this, a horrific scream, followed by the sound of flesh tearing and a soul-wrenching gurgling noise follow from a nearby tent ]

On the other hand...
lastexit: (310 - Dark Lady)

[personal profile] lastexit 2019-10-30 04:48 am (UTC)(link)
"No offense, I'd like to get the hell out of here as quickly as possible and don't wanna visit anything we don't have to." She wasn't looking at the group, or the map, she'd diverted her attention to the carnival trying to track the sounds she could almost hear, variations in the landscape. Nothing she could be concrete of at this distance. There was too much noise in the Outlands. But... it was there.

Maya flinches at the screaming. But not the screaming, she can hear the magical damage done to the soul of a shade in the space. Which was another thing that she didn't like to hear. "Let's just follow the tracks to wherever we're going."
bolderfell: What do you mean, you can't tell it's bedhead? <user name="nappotuna" site="tumblr.com"> (MUSS 🗡️ Too early for this.)

[personal profile] bolderfell 2019-10-30 03:31 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yeah. On our feet, thanks." Whether he was more appalled by the noise coming out of the tent or Jailbreak's suggestion they zoom in on a modified nightmare roller coaster, sight unseen, was unclear. "Strapped into an open car, on rails, a hundred feet up? We'd be sitting ducks. I'm not going up there."

Shaking off a shudder, Therion edged further forward into another shadow. There, he adjusted the bill of his cap and faded even further into the background, near impossible to keep eyes on.

"It may be we have to duck into one of the tents or rides to avoid that spotlight, but if we don't have to, let's not."
nor_iron_bars: Voice aloud how good (And I love it)

[personal profile] nor_iron_bars 2019-11-02 04:50 am (UTC)(link)
[Jail shrugs amiably at her suggestion being discarded.]

Maybe next time.

[WHAT 'NEXT TIME', JAIL, WHEN DO YOU THINK THIS SITUATION IS GOING TO COME UP AGAIN???]

[She traces lightly over a path on the map, then straightens up and turns away.]


This route's the shortest, looks like. Let's go while the going's good.

[She doesn't fade out as dramatically as Therion, but she seems to always be just out of reach as she saunters casually from cover to cover, never quite stepping into the line of fire despite her seeming ease.]
shockingblue: (Straight On)

[personal profile] shockingblue 2019-10-25 11:47 pm (UTC)(link)
Gunvolt had come in expecting this mission to be... something. But he truthfully had never expected anything like this. After merely seeing what the Palace had looked like on the inside, any doubt he had about being here evaporated in an instant. If this is really how the Wolfes saw themselves subconsciously, they needed to brought down... and if Ren and Minako had a plan to do it non-lethally with a way to force them to answer for it? He was all for it.

He'd even suited up in costume like he had been suggested to... though his outfit was significantly less showy and garish as the Phantom Thieves. Clad in a black spec-ops suit and wearing a pair of night vision goggles, Gunvolt, or, for purposes of this mission, Wraith, unlatched the snap on the holster for his Dart Leader. Though it was a costume, all of his equipment was heavily runed for protection and stealth capability; nothing about him came in half-assed. ...In fact, between the outfit and the name, he might have been trying too hard.

"...Don't like this. They're going to be moving targets and they'll have an elevation advantage at all times. Fittingly, this area's a kill-zone. Gonna need to do something to turn the tables."
playitagain: (🍌 69)

[personal profile] playitagain 2019-10-26 02:33 am (UTC)(link)
Nana tries to hide the fact that she feels sickened to her core.

She grew up away from this world; away from a world where some mages could do such terrible things, away from easy sight of power corrupting so absolutely, away from finding this sort of depravity. She is dressed in a violet jacket, with a skirt and white shirt, and a fanciful mask. Nana walks with ease, a little past Gunvolt.

Maroboshi, she said her nickname is. "Phantom," or illusion.

She stops as she comes in behind Gunvolt -- eyes drift down to him -- and then she nods to him. "...All right," she says. "I shouldn't be surprised. Maybe... if we stop the roller coaster, somehow? Or maybe we need to find a way to get on it."
highelves: (set2e)

[personal profile] highelves 2019-10-26 05:10 am (UTC)(link)
Disgusting. Unlike Nana, Ana does little to hide her disdain. Her distaste for these...monsters is blatant in the way her lips are pouting and her brow is furrowed. Her own outfit is befitting of a phantom thief, and the thief herself -- Wing -- looks at the roller coaster and nods.

"The latter sounds like a more feasible option. If we stop the coaster they'll still be on the higher ground; we need to make this an even playing field."

And probably use their stealth to their advantage.
buddinghopes: (are you SERIOUS)

[personal profile] buddinghopes 2019-10-26 08:36 am (UTC)(link)
The mask she added to her outfit for the sake of this mission does very little to hide the fact that Lia--Snowdrop as she'd requested to be called--is sneering at the sights of the Palace. How completely and utterly revolting. She studies the roller coaster for a bit, letting out a soft 'hm' as she thinks.

"We'll have to be quick about it so we're not lingering on the tracks. I don't think I wanna know what'll happen if we end up on the wrong side of those spikes on the carts." She grimaces. "Anyone have any ideas for getting up there?"
strings_theory: (ida22)

[personal profile] strings_theory 2019-10-27 12:10 am (UTC)(link)
What a disgusting mess, though honestly things like gore and the smell of death doesn't bother her much anymore. Such comes with the life she'd led even up to this point. She's quiet as she looks around the area, taking in little details and what she could use to her advantage if it came down to it. Hell, maybe the black catsuit that's actually zipped up and half face mask makes her blend in a little better if she could just find some shadow to work with.

Suitably, Stone Free is nowhere to be seen just yet, she didn't want to put all of her cards on the table just yet.

"Sounds like a plan to me, I can probably get up there the quickest once we get the freedom to do so. Bonuses of strings, I guess." Which is precisely why this dumb-ass decided on using Corda, literally just Italian for string.
prisoneroffate: (008)

[personal profile] prisoneroffate 2019-10-27 02:54 am (UTC)(link)
As the party discusses their plan, they see a spotlight fix on a shadow who appears as a young blond woman of about twenty. She screams in terror and makes a break for it, attempting to cross the tracks to escape the light. As she moves, the team sees a visible burst of electricity run down the rails, causing her to scream in pain before collapsing on the tracks, convulsing from a paralytic shock. There's the eerie sound of a rollercoaster cart raising up, the telltale clacking as it reaches the apex before it is unleashed, hurtling toward the incapacitated shadow with spikes bared and a white-suited man cackling as he braces excitedly for impact.
playitagain: (🍌 68)

[personal profile] playitagain 2019-10-27 03:22 pm (UTC)(link)
Nana's eyes widen and any mask of calm is broken, the moment she sees the young woman collapse. She tenses, fingers curling at her sides, and then turns to look at Jolyne. Her eyes look at the rest, too.

"This is going to take a lot of my stored up light," she says, and offers no explanation.

The light is the glittering light in the pommels of her two swords -- one the red one of the Student Council President, the other more normal. It dims -- and their feet lift as a wooden platform with a giant painted yellow star appears. It then lifts straight into the air under all of them, rising up fast, as a stage prop wooden tower begins to rise higher and higher -- towards the tracks. Nana looks up and swallows.

Then she shouts: "Go!"
shockingblue: (Determination)

[personal profile] shockingblue 2019-10-31 02:22 am (UTC)(link)
Gunvolt looks between Nana and Jolyne... his instinct was to jump into action to try to save the woman who was shocked. But if Jolyne could get to her faster, he'd trust her to do that. After all, Minako had another plan, and disabling the shocking rails would also be top priority... and he was best suited to that job.

"All right. Leave overloading the rails to me. I can dump enough volts into the ride to fry it. Just keep clear of the tracks when I do. I'll wait for your signal."

GV drew his Dart Leader, and started shooting darts at the base of the rail tracks, each shot lodging in pretty deeply. Azure lightning crackled between his fingertips, ready to unleash the moment the word was given.
buddinghopes: (hmmm)

[personal profile] buddinghopes 2019-10-31 03:07 am (UTC)(link)
Similar to Gunvolt, Lia's first instinct would've been jumping in herself, but she refrains. She can't teleport anyone else with her, so saving the woman was probably a bit of a long shot.

"If you need me to be a distraction, I can do that. Teleporting means I can make sure I don't get hit. Just tell me where you need me to be."

She's ready to go.
highelves: (with a broken heart)

[personal profile] highelves 2019-10-31 03:41 am (UTC)(link)
This is bad. Ana looks at the cart rushing towards the woman, and then at the man. She's tempted to use her water to silence him, but that would ruin their element of surprise, wouldn't it? Though when Lia brings up being a distraction...

"If we need a diversion, I can help with that as well. Otherwise, I think I'm better off hanging back until we can secure a route on the tracks!"
prisoneroffate: (003)

[personal profile] prisoneroffate 2019-10-31 05:18 am (UTC)(link)
The combined might of stagecraft and Persona whisk the shadow away from harm as the bladed cart comes careening by. That said, it does mean that the attention of the cart's rider is now locked on the team.

"What have we here? Interlopers?"

The cart's rider, Vivianne, raises her arm. Several of the corpses littering the ground explode in a burst of gore, their blood and organs congealing into blades that then launch themselves at the team.
shockingblue: (Flashfield)

[personal profile] shockingblue 2019-11-01 08:59 pm (UTC)(link)
Gore lances. That's not something Gunvolt thought he'd be dealing with today, but given everything so far in this horror show, he was less surprised than he thought he'd be.

Frankly, he was glad he had practiced control of his powers by now. Even with the targets marked nearby, he threw up his Flashfield and kept the lightning in check from jumping out of it towards the rails yet. In a zone around him, GV created a bubble of lightning; harmless to his companions, but fully capable of deflecting or destroying the lances being launched at him.

But it does take some intense concentration to keep the Flashfield under control. He doesn't bother retorting to Vivianne, figuring someone else would be better suited for that... and he couldn't be distracted, especially if the call came to trip the rails.
Edited 2019-11-01 21:00 (UTC)
playitagain: (🍌 69)

[personal profile] playitagain 2019-11-02 02:22 am (UTC)(link)
"Gh--" Nana hisses as one of the bloody blades strikes a near-miss on her. There is a little cut on her left flank, and some of the blood staining the purple and white outfit is Nana's, not the corpse's. Her breath catches, before she calls out: "They're sharp!"

She turns towards Vivianne, and her green eyes are hard. She lunges forward, rushing over the battlefield with both blades held out to each side. She leaps as she gets close, slashing with both swords simultaneously.

"Why are you doing this?" she shouts.
highelves: (and the devil himself)

[personal profile] highelves 2019-11-02 08:38 am (UTC)(link)
Ana reacts just in time to surround herself with a water shield, which also covers Lia since she's the closest one in the vicinity. It blocks most of the blades, though some of them do get through, which Ana manages to avoid narrowly.

She's quick to act and uses her water to get herself onto the battlefield as well. She makes note of Nana's injuries but doesn't comment on it. There's no time for that. They have to stop Vivianne, and Ana isn't letting her get away with the mess she's made. She'll let Nana do the talking. She's mostly here for backup.
buddinghopes: (I'm listening)

[personal profile] buddinghopes 2019-11-02 08:46 am (UTC)(link)
Lia gives a grateful nod to Ana at the shield, ducking one that managed to get through. Once she stands fully upright again, she holds one hand out, a rapier appearing with a flash of white.

She gets a running start before leaping into the battle--she'll settle for just getting closer for now, rather than attacking.

... But she is ready to teleport at a moment's notice.