Abandon All Hope All Ye Who Enter Here [Dante Awakening]

The night was just as bustling as usual in the busy streets of Endymion. Little Tokyo was just as busy as it always were with every night being a festival in itself courtesy of its District Head. However, as much as people wished otherwise, the night was a dangerous time of day for people to roam around. Even with the watchful eye of the Cadets, people still disappear or worse. Perhaps that night will be fateful for someone...

Smoke wafted in the air as AKuma navigated the streets. He was still new to the city, but he heard fun things happened in the area of Little Tokyo-- a place very similar to his homeland of Japan. He leisurely smoked his cigarette as he walked with his hands in his pocket and saw the festivities from afar.

The warm lights and colors of the festival made him a bit happy. memories of his childhood with his mother came to mind before he became aware of his ugly family business. Life was simpler then, especially before the Eternal Divine took place. It did amaze him to see this much happiness and merriment in the city. He would definitely need to come here more often. Enjoy the food, the games-- the lovely ladies in their kimonos.

A puff of smoke snorted from his nostrils as he looked up to the sky. The stars barely shimmered with the city lights polluting the sky. It made him wish he could see even a few.

He had been there for less than a week, but he was unaware of the fact that demons could exist in this city. The talk about cadets was interesting but annoying. He hated they were so privileged, versus those who fought to survive outside the city walls. That or that one kid who was boasting how he felt great to be a part of them.

The overly zealous optimism was enough to make him sick.

Either way, Akuma knew little to what they did or how they operated. He couldn't even see demons...

... or so he thought.

As he walked along the river that ran through the part of Little Tokyo, he made his way to the festival grounds, to see if he could find anything interesting. Maybe he would find some lovely lady who wanted a cheap thrill with him.

Dante wouldn't find anyone of interest. The nightlife just didn't want to give him that time of day tonight unfortunately for him. There was nothing for him here as many people around had their own interests to settle and to mingle with their own friends. However, there was something in the nearby alleyway. A young woman seemed to stand a a certain distance away. She seemed to be gesturing him to her with a smile as she puffed from her cigarette. While it was hard to tell what she was saying, it seemed as if telling him to come over here.


If he did, the woman would begin to walk backwards and deeper into the alleyway. It appeared she was trying to lead him further away from the festivities...

The festival seemed dull to him-- despite the allure of lights and good-smelling food. Still, he could imagine feeling left out without anyone else with him. Finished his cigarette-- he stomped it out as he glanced around.

That was when he saw her.

She looked like a -- well prostitute was a poor word choice. I mean sure, he had his conflicts and wouldn't have said no, but still, he had a decent enough respect for women. Still, it was hard to not be drawn by the obvious gestures she was giving off.

The soft sound of some voice seemed to cross the air-- but he didn't comprehend it. "H-hey, you talking to me? Or..." he didn't assume further, but her gesture to follow her seemed to hint enough.

Akuma wasn't stupid. First off, he wouldn't pay a woman to sleep with him. He wasn't that desperate. Besides, he was more likely to BE paid for it than the other way around. Or at least, that was what he told himself in the perverted part of his mind.

There was a moment in him-- something that told him to keep walking and ignore the hellion.

...
...
...

"Oh, what the hell..." he grumbled and walked towards the alleyway in pursuit of the hot woman. If she wanted some cheap fun, he was game.

If she tried to deal him drugs or anything shadier than the shit he put up with as the son of a gangster-- he was out of there.

Little did he know it was one of those things his stupid pervy urges would get him into more trouble than he would bet on.

The duo would travel deeper and deeper inside of the winding paths. Soon the festivities would fade away as the distance traveled increased. The bright lights would be muffled out by the dimness of the empty alleyway. Eventually, they would stop in this particular alleyway empty of any life. Save for some garbage cans and abandoned boxes to the side. She giggled as he finally caught up to her. "Well, I didn't think I'd score me a hunk like you... Say, you don't have any friends back there, do you? You seemed awfully lonely, I thought I could help fill that hole in your heart."

AKuma trailed her further down the path of the alleyway, trying to keep up with her fleeting form. It was odd how she would get ahead of him. He heard of playing hard to get, but there was 'playing hard to get' and just plain 'annoying'. Still the alarm bells kept going off in his head that he tried to muffle. If this was some kind of ambush-- something that would use her as bait to sucker some sacks to mug-- they would of hooked the wrong guy.

It was like trying to catch Jaws with a worm at the end of a flimsy hook.

If some thugs would come around the corner, he could easily fight em off and make em hurt.

But, seemed as they reached the end of the alleyway and no one else was there. No one Akuma could consider 'there' anyway as he saw the young woman there with her huge... teeth ().

At her question about friends, Akuma shrugged and flashed a smug grin. "No one that would be more interesting than you," he said in a lame pick up line-- intentionally to give clear flattery as he approached her. She clearly was giving out all the right signals as he drew closer. "To fill the hole in his heart" was a good one as he relaxed his shoulders a bit, his heart racing with excitement.

The ally wasn't an ideal place to do this, but he found an odd exhibitionist urge in him. He wouldn't mind to get down and dirty there if that was what she was into. Still, he TRIED not to let his urges get the better of him too soon.

"And tell me," Akuma asked as he leaned closer, now a good arm's length at her. He was a bit taller, able to 'look down' at her in an almost predatorial allure of interest in her. "Is there a part of you that you want me to fill, as well?"

They could probably play naughty word games all night... but--

The woman giggled as he tried to pull the moves on her. It was so obvious in his eyes what he really wanted. My, men can be really gullible, aren't they? She replied back to him. But with what appeared to be a rather devious and sinister smile. "Oh, yes... There is a place inside me vacant just for you. Ready to fill with your meat, hot stuff... in my belly."

She began to change. The human frame turned into something the man couldn't even begin to comprehend. It was something utterly alien and unfamiliar. Yet, the whispers began to assail his very mind, threatening to drown out all of what he knew. It was a shadowy figure that took the place of the women he once was seduced by. It didn't take much for him to figure out that this was a demon and that there was no one here to save him...


And, of course, even he couldn't understand what it was saying. It was all gibberish to him, but it threatened to consume him both mind and soul. Dante was truly in danger. Nothing he had could truly fend off this monster, only a Cadet could. But, deep inside him was a seed that finally began to sprout and fight back. The small seed of mania, that was implanted within their brain during the effects of the Eternal Divide five years ago, would be released. It would be released in full splendor, without any sort of isolation, and would cause their inner selves to become prevalent. With a burst of power, Dante  would find himself face to face with their alter egos, and their body masked to protect themselves from toxic whispers of the demon.

Meanwhile, the force of his power finally awakening caused the monster to recoil back from shock. Dante would finally be able to perceive its true form and understand what it was viciously spouting at in anger.

The mood ended pretty fast before Akuma could even unbuckle his pants as the woman dissolved into a freaky black smoke with red eyes. "Gah!" he shouted and shoved himself away. He staggered to the ground flat on his ass looking at the odd mist. This was what the Cadets fought-- now he got it and why they were so dangerous. It was coming closer and its whispers were starting to ache in his brain, like nails on a chalkboard he couldn't even hear.

"D-damnit!" he roared as he gripped his head from the pain...

... and then it spoke.

"Do you wish to fly free from those that bind you?" The voice struck Akuma hard, clear as a bell that echoed in his head-- drowning out the murmurs of the demon before him. The echo hurt, and made him thrash about in pain. His eyes clenched tight as he felt hot all over him, like a bad fever. "A child of demons is still a demon, in both this world and the next. This world rejects you and denies you the chance to rise above. But if my voice is reaching you, then hope is not out of your reach..."

Akuma's hands fell to the ground as his fingers dug at the concrete ground, his fingers now bloody from the dragging. "Will you blaze forward, or crash and burn as the world demands you to?!" the voice roared in him.

His teeth gritted as he fought to fight back from the assault of the demon and the voice's pain. "I will... I will fly! I will not be held down by ANYONE!" His eyes opened wide-- revealing yellow eyes in place of his usual pupils. He slowly rose up, hearing the voice form. It was then he felt something around his wrists... Heavy, metallic weights like restraints on him. Two heavy rings of metal were there, forming gloves-- and fire that twinged on them. A glowing chain was now tied between them as if Akuma got busted.

The demon was a brief moment fleeting as he rose to his feet and the voice spoke. "Yes... that is the fire in your eyes I longed to see! I am thou, thou art i... Let thy wings of fire spread and carry thou forth. No matter thy fate to fall or soar, let none hold thou down any longer!"

The chains around his wrists began to sear and burn against him, flames starting to flicker on the heavy metals. The pain on him was too much that he almost ignored the demon entirely. With furious might and bloody hands, he gripped the chains with his hands as well as tugged with the rings around his wrists.

He pulled, feeling the searing burn on his palms as used all his might. "Ghhh... Ghr... GHRRRAAAAAAAAAA!!!" He roared and as he pulled the chains tight-- a series of snaps could be heard like embers in a fire---

--- and finally, the chains of fire snapped apart.

Fire erupted all around Akuma, easily consuming him, screams and all before the shadow demon. The very flames illuminated the dark alley and turned it into an inferno.


The flames began to part and subside in a swirling motion as something large emerged out from Akuma. From that flash of fire, Akuma had changed-- now clad in something different from his roguish-styled school attire. he had jeans on, boots and a black leather jacket with a black and red design. His hair was now a little wilder too-- and most of all was a flame designed mask along his upper face. The yellow in his eyes had vanished, but he had a strong expression under it, along with a wicked smile of his own.

He huffed and puffed, smoke billowing off his body from the sheer heat his power was giving off. Most of all-- above him, appeared a fiery avatar aglow in the same flames. It was a large, half-naked humanoid being of red skin, adornments along his body, wild fiery hair and horns protruding from his head. Fiery wings, flapped from his back, giving him an almost fallen angel appearance.

A mild chuckle escaped Akuma as he gripped the mask with his bloody hand, the chain/gauntlets on his wrist still searing on his wrists. "Heh... hehehe... Well what do you know? " he said, almost unable to contain his laughter. "Looks like the tables have turned bitch..."

He now could see the demon, clear as day, appearing to be some ****ing cat-man. "Pfft-- hate to break it to you, but I don't swing that way. But if you want to dance, let's dance..!" His words soon urged a demonic cry from the fiery being above him-- an avatar of Akuma's will to rise above the hell he lived in. No matter the cost.

"Let's heat things up, ICARUS!!" he roared, calling out his Persona's name.

As Dante awakened to his power and before the battle could begin, he would hear something clatter to his feet. If he looked down, it appeared to be some kind of gun and a few magazines. There was no way to tell where it came from, except for the fact that someone threw them down to his direction. He could easily pick them up before fighting. As the newly Psyche-Terrorist did, a voice at a distance he couldn't tell called out. "Finally awakened to your power? Good, take these and show this furball what for. Give me a good show."

Item Gained:

Senri, Level 9:

Akuma was prepared to fight, but was baffled where this handgun and ammo came from-- along with the voice. It wasn't Icarus' voice that was for sure. He quickly picked up the pistol and ammo, and loaded it. All that time working in Dalgo's airsoft shop had come in handy to how to load a gun, safety switch and all. "Heh, to be seen more than a thug, I have to become a thug. Talk about irony..." he said as he faced the cat demon.

Stats, Equipment and Persona:

Now faced with the demon, he felt energy, even from these items give him strength. "Time to die!" Akuma roared and aimed the pistol at the demon. He didn't know how it would result, but if anything his time working with the airsoft gave him some marksman skill. His aim was true as he fired a round into the cat demon, hoping it wouldn't just pass through him or something.

(Action: Used pistol and 1 shot to strike the demon. Roll for critical.)

Number for Crit: 7

Random number (1,10) :

8

Number for Miss: 1, 8

Random number (1,10) :

5

Akuma was knocked back by the odd slash attack from the cat demon. The slash tore at his shoulder, but oddly his body was resisting the damage. Or rather he was more durable than before. Whatever this 'Persona' was, it enhansed his body in ways he didn't think it would.

But pissed off for drawing first blood-- Akuma glared at the demon from behind his fiery mask. "Now I'm pissed..." Akuma growled as he rose his arms-- the fiery chain from before taking shape between his gauntlets. He pulled against them, once again straining them to break. As he did, the words just came to him almost like an instinct or prayer. "PERSONA!!"

The chains snapped apart as the fiery vision of Icarus rose up from out of him. The blazing avatar of hubris and pride glowed brightly as Akuma felt the heat of its power. "Let's make it hot! Icarus!" he commanded. The Persona, Icarus, spun in the air with his wings-- and aimed a hand out towards the demon catwoman.

Like a flash, the air sparked in front of her-- and created a mighty flash of fire right on point. The ignition point was bright and intense as fire erupted from the very air on the demon.

Though he caused it and Icarus vanished once more from view-- Akuma was surprised, not knowing he could manifest fire like that.

Stats:

(Used Agi against Demon. Does 15% more damage due to Akuma's Fire strength. Total Damage: 23

Roll for Miss: 1, 10

Random number (1,10) :

7

Roll for Applying Searing Burn on Cat Demon: 4, 6

Random number (1,10) :

4

(Fixes hp due to not counting defensive stats)

Stats:

Akuma felt the shock wave smash him into the alley wall and knocked the air out of him. He was starting to see red as felt his persona rouse in him again. “PERSONA !!”he cried. With his shout, Icarus appeared in a gust of fire and this time flew forward. However this time he charged forward with his wings and with fists forward, dove into the demon with a quick one-two combo.

Used kill rush, bonus from strike and Ppstr boost. Total: 40 dmg per hit

Kill rush roll 1
1, 2, 9, 5

Random number (1,10) :

8

Kill rush roll 2
1, 4, 5, 8

Random number (1,10) :

5

Kill rush crit
4

Random number (1,10) :

7