The Strange Truth [Dungeon Traversal Round 2]

Philemon wrote:

As the message stated, there would be a straight path underneath the Dysfunctional City. It stretched down to a large golden door that seemed to shine so bright it illuminated the entire pathway. Though there were no Shadows to be seen, it was safe to say Limbo would bring its loyal guardians to its side when danger arrived. However for now, Elizabeth would be standing at the entrance, near the red door that led into Limbo. In her hand was her Persona Compendium, and on the ground beside her was what appeared to be a bag. Limbo didn't seem to see her as a threat to attack. That, or no Shadows wanted to be wiped out by the strange woman in blue. No matter the reason, Elizabeth stood off to the side while humming to herself. Her golden eyes looked down the pathway that seemed to resemble a cylinder, or an old service tunnel to a city. The ground was damp and the walls were covered in grime. The only saving grace to the tunnel was the beautiful golden door that stood so defiantly towards the end. Though Limbo was an artificial world, it didn't mean it held no beauty. Elizabeth was rather new to the world, but she had a certain understanding to what was lovely and what wasn't. Having her liberty from the Velvet Room gave her a new look upon life.

Dungeon Map & Key:

Tsurinai had dropped Genji off back at the dorms before heading back into Limbo. He was determined to get the first clue, and thanks to his personality of not wishing to rely on others, he decided to tackle the battle alone. He would be more than enough for whatever stood in his way. Atleast, that's what the silver haired superiority complex'd student told himself. "Alright, let's get this over with. If all goes according to plan, I won't have to waste more than five minutes in this hell hole." Naito spoke in complete confidence of his ability, as his blade formed within the palm of his left hand, secured in its usual scabbard. With a confident stride, the teenager began to make his advance into the main passage of the dungeon, heading towards the golden gates that awaited him at the end of the tunnel. This wasn't the first time Naito had been through this very tunnel. Infact, the first time was when he was partner with Kano Genji and Reiguu Eijji. The results of that adventure were.. less than favourable. The fact Eijji had the same weakness as him did not help things whatsoever. Infact, it almost got them killed. From that moment on, Naito had made a promise to himself never to work with someone who shared a weakness with his own Persona. It was foolish, if not overly dumb altogether. Tsurinai cursed the fact it had happened, and had gone into rigorous training to make sure it would never happen again. Now here he was, looking to take on everything by himself. It was either arrogance or confidence that drove him. Of course, there was a thin line between the two.

The silver haired perfectionist knew that without the first clue, he could never find who was throwing the unsuspecting students within Limbo. There was one thing for sure. It had to be someone who could keep an eye on their fellow students, and probably had the means of keeping detailed information on them aswell. He needed contacts in the various school clubs, that was for certain. Perhaps he could find something of use that way. Either way, Naito needed to focus on the moment at hand, and that was traversing this dangerous world of Limbo that seemed to have a mind of its own. Though he was never personally thrown into Limbo to face himself from some third party, he did wish to stick a blade through the chest of the person behind the disappearances. After all, the culprit was playing with his possessions.

Tsurinai Stats:

The blue door leading into the Velvet Room would slowly open to reveal the figure of a young attendant. Entering would be none other than Chance. s/He had a duty to deliver items to the guests, and thus that was why he was here. However, she was not expecting the guest to charge so head first into the fray. Great! Now the Attendant would have to wait by the door till he headed back over. That wasn't too bad. She'd be able to watch quite easily from her position.

[Feel free to continue to skip me in posting until you head back to the entrance]

It seemed like Limbo was not stirring as of yet. Did it not know his presence, or was it just biding its time until he got even deeper within its bowels. Tsurinai did hear the sound of the door towards the entrance, but he continued deeper within, as it was too late to turn back now. That would be time wasted on his traversal. Was it foolish for him to go it alone this time, after what happened last time? Maybe. But with his new found strength, and knowledge, he knew what he was getting into this time. Atleast he told himself he did. Tsurinai's over confidence was probably one of his many weaknesses. Facing Shadows down by himself seemed like trivial work, seeing how he had the most experience out of the other Persona-Users he had met, but even he knew one false step could be his end. "Might controls everything. Whoever is behind this world of Limbo must have competent power to be able to control it so. This world is literally their oyster, and it's a shame they're using it as a nest for Shadows. Though, something is bothering me.." Naito continued to walk as he narrowed his eyes in thought. "Something that Shadow said is starting to make me think, however. It said the world would be lie free without humans, if Shadows took over. That was an interesting statement." Perhaps it was right. Humans were a plague. Perhaps Shadows could do much better if they had a competent leader. Was this what the culprit thought aswell? Perhaps this culprit and Naito weren't so different after all. That would probably scare any other person, but it caused a thin smile to come across Tsurinai's face. "I look forward to battling you, Culprit. I've always been a fan of brains over brawn. No muscled idiot could create a world such as this." Was it a sad day when Naito had more respect for a potential serial killer, and not his own fellow Persona-Users? Perhaps, but he really didn't think of things such as this.

Tsurinai Naito knew one thing was completely clear every time he hung around those who thought themselves as his "friends." They didn't understand him. Something his Shadow threw in his face when they had clashed before. Even when the silver haired boy didn't mean to be rude, apparently he was, and was looked down at because of it. The more they misunderstood him, the more he distanced himself from them. Was he really so hard to understand? His upbringing wasn't so amazing to where he learned to interact with others in an easy way. Infact, his upbringing made him even more difficult to interact with, from the point of view from the average person.

Tsurinai:

"O-oh hello! Child of promise, I am Chance and I will be your Attendant for this dungeon traversal!" The Velvet Attendant was caught off guard as s/he bowed towards the new comer with a smile. "Another guest is currently working their way towards the end of the dungeon. If I'm not mistaken it is.." Chance removed her handy notebook and opened the pages to review notes. One page held a drawing of a sneering long haired boy with the name "Tsurinai Naito" under it. Most likely a drawing from his sister Justine. "Ah! Yes, the young guest Tsurinai Naito has began his journey within the bowels of Limbo towards the golden gates. Ah! Wait, Kano Genji-san? I have something for you." Chance would close her book and dig in her pockets. Removing two items, s/hed hand Genji a bead and a Traesto gem. "These are yours for the mission complete. William has told me to deliver them. I was going to give Naito-san his own, but he's far too deep in the dungeon for me to reach him safely." The Velvet Attendant would grasp the tip of her hat and look towards the golden light at the end of the tunnel. "You guests never cease to amaze someone like me."

-Items given

1x Bead

1x Traesto Gem

-Initiating PvS Combat Phase-

As the male continued to press further within the dungeon, Limbo would begin to shift and turn as the walls began to bleed a black fluid. This tar like substance would form into two familiar figures. Standing up from the ground, both Shadows would take familiar forms. They began to dance in a carefree form as they blocked Tsurinai Naito's path towards the Golden Doors. Limbo was now awake and ready for action. Last time the Persona-Users attempted this journey, they were grossly underestimating the power of the Shadows. Would they make the same mistake this time around, or did they have the resolve to push towards the end and receive the clue regarding Limbo? Whatever the case, various cryptic messages began to form on the walls of Limbo warning the Persona-User not to push any more forward and to "turn back." This was truly a round two. Who could come out on top? The Shadows or the Users?

Dancing Hand 1:

Dancing Hand 2:

"Uh umm.. That's against regulation, but okay then." The Velvet Attendant reached into her pocket and removed Naito's items aswell. "If you use them for yourself, there will be punishment, Genji-san. So don't do anything tricky, okay?" The Attendant would give a slight bow before turning back towards the doorway. "I suppose my purpose here is over. If you both succeed, please visit Master Igor in the Velvet Room with the clue. We will anxiously await your return." Chance gave one last smile before entering the Velvet Room and leaving the area altogether.

"I was wondering when you'd all show. I was beginning to think you'd cowered in fear of what was to happen this time around." The silver haired student gave a thin smile towards the circumstances before him. Suddenly, a card would appear before him that would slowly float down before his body. Reaching out with his right hand, he'd crush the card in his palm and cause an eruption of power to leave his body. The first Emperor of Japan would make its presence known, as it dash forward with blade in hand. Performing to swift slashes, the samurai armoured Persona would perform a kill rush on Hand 1, before vanishing back within Naito's subconscious. The imperious student would stand with confidence, not worried about the Shadows this time, whatsoever. He had come across these types before, and they were more inclined to perform bufu based skills from his experience. This was nothing but child's play! "Submit or suffer the same fate as the pathetic Shadows before you. I don't have time to play games with the likes of you all." His tone was condescending, if not arrogant. Though, he did have the room to speak so arrogantly. Tsurinai's strength was competent, if not dangerous if you were on the opposing side. The main problem with that was no one knew which side they were on, when it came to Naito. One moment, he could be your ally, and the next your enemy if you did something he disproved of. He surely was complicated.

stats:

The boy's first attack was a success, slashing the first Dancing Hand clearly in half, destroying it. However, there was still one Shadow left to defeat. If a Shadow could feel natural fear, there was a slight moment where it would have possibly been overwhelm by it. However, it'd try its hand at an attack. Snapping its fingers, a small pillar of ice would form beneath the silver haired Persona-User. It had cast mabufu which would perform a small amount of ice damage to the human before him. During all of this, Limbo watched the battle with irritation and annoyance. The dungeon seemed to shift and turn at this moment while the pathway began covered in a black sludge. Something strange began to happen through this however. The dungeon seemed to force itself into a constriction, bringing the large golden gates even closer than they were before. Now instead of needing to travel 60% through the dungeon, the Persona-Users would only need to travel 40%. Why this happened was.. unknown.

Dancing Hand 2:

Tsurinai brushed off the second attack with a flick of the wrist. The dancing hand knew its number was up, so why was it still attempting to attack here? Had it no shame nor fear? Whatever the case, Naito wouldn't hesitate to summon his Persona once again. This time its target was the remaining dancing hand, and it would look to perform another kill rush like before. If successful, another Shadow would have fallen by his blade, and the silver haired imperious king would relinquish his scabbard. The Shadows were much weaker this time around, which meant he was improving in not only combat methods, but over all experience. Even his Persona seemed to be gaining some wind beneath its wings. No matter, Naito would notice a sudden chance in Limbo. More specifically, the Golden Doors that were further down had moved closer some how. Was this Limbo submitting to him? Or did it have a plan of action? Whatever the case, Tsurinai would need to stay vigilant. Giving a thin smile, he'd cross his arms and begin a confident stride once again through Limbo. "Well, whatever awaits at the end of this tunnel will be nothing to worry about. But.. " The student would look over his shoulder back through the tunnel to see a familiar figure running his way. He'd narrow his eyes and continue his press forward. "Never minding his own business." Though the silver haired perfectionist spoke with a condescending manner, he still held a thin smile upon his face. "Kano, forever the tool tossing himself infront of moving trucks for the greater good. I suppose we need more people like that in this annoying world." The boy laughed to himself as he continued onward towards the golden gates. When he got the chance, he'd make sure to use a dia skill to recover alittle bit of health. After all, low health could become a serious problem if the final encounter of the dungeon was up ahead. Tsurinai would be lying if he said he wasn't anxious to see what would be standing in his way before reaching the first clue. It his theories were correct, the culprit behind the disappearances was probably a student or official in Kizuna Academy. At the same time that didn't explain the disappearances before the surplus of students started going missing. He'd have to get information on the first disappearances to see if there was any more of a connection between the people involved in the disappearances. Without being a target from the culprit himself, Tsurinai really had nothing to work off of. Hopefully with the first clue, there would be something to work on. The question was if he got the clue, would he share such information with the other Persona-Users? Perhaps he had a right too. After all, they were the targets not himself. It'd be selfish to exclude them from getting their revenge, wouldn't it be?

Stats: