Noriko"<...We don't know. He suddenly ran off.>""<Maybe someone else here saw him?>""<Or the staff if he passed by them.>""<He has an office in the chapel too, perhaps we could have a look around...>"Shef"Oh, that makes-" SUDDENLY EVERYTHING IS PAIN AND YOU CAN'T SEE SHIT. YOUR EYES BURN. IT FEELS LIKE AN ENTIRE LEMON TREE IS FUCKING YOUR EYE SOCKETS. YOU TRY TO COUGH YOU TRY TO BREATH BUT INSTEAD OF AIR YOU GET WHAT FEELS LIKE LIQUID NAPALM.
Pepper spray. It's fucking pepper spray. The Awakened equivalent anyways. And right now your head is stuck in a fucking bubble of it. Can't tell how much damage it's doing. Only thing you've got to go off of is the pain and that's hardly a reliable indicator. You've got Yuki with you anyways, can always get her to heal you.
You force your eyes open. Pain. Part of you wishes you didn't do that. The same part of you that wants you to crawl into a hole, curl up into a ball. That dumb animal instinct part of your brain. You've gotten good at ignoring it. It hurts like a bitch sure, but it's going to keep hurting unless you pull the plug on this spell and to do that you've got to find the source.
You can barely see anything, through the tears, through the rippling surface. You can see enough though, the aura of the spell, and in the crowd an aura that matches it.
Sounds are twisted, distorted through the filter of fluid. The noise of the crowds, Hanako's voice. You can't make anything else. But above it all, above the the noise, above the pain, you hear something, a voice breathy, sultry, ringing in your brain.
"<You've been a very bad boy and bad boys need to be prosecuted, to the full extent of the law~>"Oh god, what fresh hell is this?
There's some attacks inbound now too. Five projectiles airbursting into a scatter of munitions around you and Yuki, the resulting submunitions are pretty low velocity though.
Must have some degree of control to them too - Hanako's caught up in this too, if they hit her it's game over for them.
YukiSo uh, all of a sudden this fucking bubble of liquid appears around Shef's head and he doesn't look like he's having a very good time. You send some healing his way reflexively really but it doesn't work - it's not really
hurting him. Like it looks like it's unpleasant as all hell, but he doesn't seem to really be taking damage from it.
Several magic circles fly up out of the crowd, scattering through the skies high above.
A figure leaps out of a second story window and
what the fuck is he wearing? He looks like he just walked off the set of Jesus Christ Superstar,
the 2000 edition. He's got this modified SS officer's coat that billows dramatically behind him, worn open as to reveal what lies beneath, namely a fully sculpted muscle cuirass, what appears to be a pro-wrestling title belt, and a sparsely armored pair of trousers. His headwear is similarly eccentric, a pair of shutter shades and a beret with two badges on it. He strides forwards towards you an aura of confidence about him, which well yeah, you'd need to be pretty fucking confident to walk around wearing
that. In his hands he brandishes a large curved sword, a kriegsmesser you think, Minato mentioned them before you recall, said they're very good for cutting.
Two people join him from the crowd forming up at his flanks. Honestly compared to him their attire's pretty damn tame. There's a lively girl in a colorful stage magician's outfit with a pair of rabbit ears and a tophat. There's a youthful boy wearing a cloak a few sizes too big and doing his damnedest to look even smaller.
It's the magician that initiates the attack, springing a deck of cards between her hands and launching the top five at you and Shef. They were in order the Ten of Hearts, the Ace of Clubs, the Jack of Clubs, the Five of Spades, and the Seven of Hearts. It's a pretty chaotic scatter that becomes only more chaotic as each card detonates mid-air into a scatter of projectiles looking exactly like their respective suits. Thankfully the velocities are fairly low, you could probably weave between them, if you y'know gave a fuck about dodging or had much practice with them.
The swordsman meanwhile just stands there as if waiting for your charge, readied to protect his comrades.
Shef
Status: Fine, his head is inside an orb of pepper spray, 9 cached portals
World Line: 2 1 5 3 1 5 4 4 3 3
Alterations: 5
Resolve: 2
Yuki
Status: Fine, some shielding
World Line: 6 4 5 2 4 3 4 5 3 2
Alterations: 5
Resolve: 2
Bashful Lurker
Status: Fine
Details: Hiding behind the Sanguine Swordsman.
Domineering Assailant
Status: Fine
Details: In the crowd, maintaining an orb of pepper spray around Shef's head.
Plucky Magician
Status: Fine
Details: Firing exploding playing cards at Hanako, Shef, and Yuki.
Sanguine Swordsman
Status: Fine
Details: Standing before the Bashful Lurker and Plucky Magician as to protect them.