The Masked Invitation - Looking for the Smile

Chance arrived at the carnival with the attire supplied to her from her guest, Naito-san. Apparently he had a plan to lure out the Smiling Man, who had recently hosted a webshow saying "come where the clowns meet", and used his own information to determine he was targeting females at the end of their rope. Chance really didn't have anything she was stressed with,.. or actually she did. It came down to her purpose, and her time within the room. She wished to be free, but was caught by her duties. It was a catch 22 that would not let her go, and it brought a frown to her face as he began on her way into the Carnival. The young girl walked through the crowd with heavy eyes and her arms loosely crossed. Thanks to her strengths, she was probably the perfect bait to lure out this Smiling Man, and Naito-san most likely knew that. Why else would he volunteer her so readily? Regardless, Chance continued onward through the crowd with a pitiful expression and wandering eyes. Her cellphone was in her vest pocket, just incase she needed to make a quick called to Naito-san or the others. But at the moment, she had one goal and that was to find this Smiling Man. Hopefully this wouldn't take too long, as she wandered past long lines to rides and even a few carnival clowns who seemed to be attempting to spice up the situation. Hopefully the others were ready and on standby just incase something happened...

Traits:

The Tsurinai was grinding his teeth at this point while looking at his cellphone. First there was a message from the Smiling fool that didn't seem quite right. It was against his character altogether. Then another followed soon after, showcasing his Shadow and apparently some ridiculous notion that he was in love with his sisters. What the hell was that about? The silver haired teen took a few breaths before calming down. "Don't get worked up. Only a child would ever get worked up from such nonsense." With Naito finally calming down, his silver eyes looked up to see his Attendant heading into the carnival. She looked surprisingly normal after a shopping trip in Shibakuzoi, and even wore his contacts well. Those Attendants were an interesting bunch, and they surely adapted well. What made this even more interesting was how she was so willing to play as bait, even though her life could be in danger. The perfect tool. Waiting a few seconds for her to go in, the Tsurinai would soon follow behind with a confident stride. On his arm was a fellow classmate from 2-A he had asked out on a "date" to the carnival. Of course he was just using her aswell, but she seemed so happy to be there. Such an airhead..

Walking with the female, he would glance around the carnival, while keeping an eye on his Attendant just incase. He couldn't let her out of his sight, just incase the Masked Man did pull her aside for something. The problem was there were many people, so it was easy to lose someone if you weren't careful. Especially when the target had access to Limbo, and dragging people into it at will. There was also a chance others who held the potential were here. That strange ninja woman Azame had told him about and also the people who attacked him within Limbo before. Everyone was a threat here, The silver haired teen would need to keep his eyes and ears open during this little foray through the crowd, while also keeping a safe distance away from Chance.

'Alright, game time.' Kahn thought as he entered the carnival, but he was rather surprised at how popular it was. This would make it difficult to keep track of Chance or Naito should The Masked Man try to grab either of them. However, he had to be careful as the pink ninja heroine, Scarlet, would undoubtedly pick him out of the crowd easily. He could not afford getting side-tracked by one of her heroic speeches. After all the safety of others was at stake here, granted Chance and Naito could probably handle themselves, but still who knows how powerful these individuals were? Chance was very brave for willing to be bait, after all they knew very little about this masked man. In fact, s/he had most likely been observing humans for a long time. Which brought up a question in Kahn's mind. Was she human or just playing at being human? ....This was not the time to ponder such questions. They were here to back up Chance should things go south, and that was a promise he intended to keep. Another failure would not be acceptable here!

Wendy's Kun would enter right after Naito, but on the opposite side. Well actually, a few impatient people seemed to shove him in that direction, so he just shook his head and went with it. He was still surprised to see how many people were here, perhaps it was the spring fever. Everyone wanted to be out and about after being in their homes for a majority of the winter? Who knows, people will do what they want to do. Kahn would look around the carnival, and glance over in Chance's direction. He maintained a safe distance from her as to not arouse suspicion. Occasionally, he would stop and observe the prizes at a few game stands. Almost, like he was looking for the perfect gift, but after confirming it was not there, then he would move on. Fortunately, he learned a rather cool trick that would help keep Chance safe, and keep track of him/her.

He had already tagged Chance and Naito as friendlies, so they would have green dots above their head. This allowed the red headed young man to locate his allies easier. He stopped at a game stand, and flicked open his cellphone and sent a message to their extra hand, Noctis. Telling him to hang tight by the entrance, and that another message will go out if he is needed. Kahn noticed that Chance was getting close to a group of clowns, perhaps this is where the clowns meet. They would have to wait and see.

Chance titled her head at the various events around the carnival as she continued on her search. Who would have thought a man wearing a mask could easily blend in here. Maybe that was why he chose a carnival out of all places to hide out? Chance began to fiddle with her hair, not out of being nervous but being curious on why such a man would be using Limbo this way. That message displayed on the website depicted him as some sort of Messiah. He wished to save people, but why go about it in such a mundane and awful way? Limbo had negative effects on people thanks to the Shadows, and even if they were put in the world of their dreams, those Shadow would still prey on their minds. They would become empty shells of their previous selves, brainwashed by creatures that saw them as food. Did he not know the calamity he could cause by putting people in such situations? Humans seemed to always abuse the power they had no idea how to control. Limbo was not the first time. She gave a slight sigh before continue deeper into the Carnival, look for any sort of sign that could be used to their advantage. She moved slow enough for the others to follow.

Still no signs of activity? Was this the correct place? Where else would clowns meet? The silver haired Tsurinai mumbled beneath his breath as his date tugged on his arm to play another game with her. Complying, he'd follow along while making sure to keep a vacant eye on the Attendant just incase. Something didn't feel too right here, and there was a chance this wasn't the right place. If that was the case, then where else would clowns meet? What did they mean by clowns? Actual clowns or was it a meaning for something else? Perhaps he had jumped the gun by coming here. Though the foolish girl on his arm seemed to be enjoying herself, he was not. "This could have been the wrong location. Yoro's Riverside Carnival was the best bet if they were speaking of literal clowns, but there is a chance this was not what they meant." Today was just not his day, but that stoic expression never broke. Not for a single second. This game of waiting would go on until he was completely sure this was the correct location the Masked Man spoke of. That Smiling Fool was a damn pain. The waiting game went on..

Kahn kept moving as Chance moved, seems as though no one was making a move yet, which was both good and bad. It was because it meant that Chance was safe, but bad because it meant that they were not any closer to finding this masked man. They needed a clue or a direction that would help them, and Kahn had a skill that could give them the hint they needed. He glanced over toward Chance and saw that she was going to pass a ride with a line in the next few meters. He then turned his head toward the ride, and began to approach it. He saw Chance cross his line of sight, but he did not flinch or pretend to register her presence. S/he was just another person in the crowd after all. He passed directly behind as she passed the line, and then he got behind a tall man who was once the last person in line. She was not far away, meaning that if someone was stalking her, they should be in range of his new ability. It was most certainly now or never. The young man adopted a motionless waiting pose as he used his new ability. One that did not require his persona, therefore it would avoid causing a scene.

A scan extended fifteen meters in a circle around Kahn, with him being the center. The scan would reach out and detect anyone with a persona or supernatural powers within this circle. Naito and Chance would fall in these categories, and if his eyes fell on him, then he would see green spheres above their head, indicating they were friendly. These 'tags' would remain for three minutes, adequate time that would allow Kahn to see any of his other 'tags'. Once the scan was complete he would look around the area, acting as though he was looking for someone, to see if any other tags appeared.

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A cold chill ran through Chance's spine as her eyes went to her phone. She wanted to send a status update to the team, but sadly her phone seemed to be malfunctioning. It suddenly turned off, even though the batter was fully charged. What was going on here? The red tint suddenly came over view and Chance's golden eyes looked upward. "N-No! I thought we had more time!" The Attendant yelled up at the sky as it seemed Limbo was finally transferring over to the real world. Was everything going to come to an end? Humanity was going to become Shadows? Chance looked back at Naito-san and then further back at Kahn-kun. Shaking her head, she extended her hand and called forth her Compendium. "I won't let this world be destroyed. I can't.." As she mumbled she noticed the massive tower that appeared in the carnival. It wasn't there before.. No this tower was alive. It was a Shadow escaped here into the real world! The sounds of slime and goop could also be heard around her, and Chance's eyes flickered to see pools of darkness forming amongst the crowd. The Shadows were coming into the real world... Limbo was becoming even stronger. Did this mean it also crossed into the Velvet Room?! Were her siblings and Master okay?

Biting her lip she raised her book up and flipped the pages. Running her finger upon the page and then pointing towards the sky, she would speak. "I summon thee, Rain of Arrows!" As summoned, a stream of arrows began to fall from the sky. However instead of being a complete blanket of arrows, they were precise and went to hit the Shadows only. Not the innocent people who were also scattered about the area. Once performing her attack she ran back towards Naito-san and shook her head. "Naito-san, were we too late? Is Limbo the only reality left here? Can't you do something?!"

Attack Attack:

The Tsurinai was caught dead in his tracks the moment his "date" seemed to go into some sort of daze. He looked at her with narrowed eyes and then looked upward towards the sky to see the sudden tint of crimson. Exactly what was going on here? Could it be related to the Smiling Fool? No, it didn't feel like it was. Whatever the case, the silver haired teen pulled his arm from his now catatonic date and witnessed the arrival of Shadows into the area. Well this was better than any date, so he would need to thank these Shadows for that; but still what was going on? He had taken note the doorways to Limbo seemed to be ripped apart, leaving gaping holes for a massive Shadow to travel through. And to make things worst, a towering Shadow appeared on the scene that seemed to stretch upwards. As he was looking upward he noticed the rain of arrows coming down to pierce through the various pools of black that were surrounding the area. This must have been the work of Chance. It was an impressive display of power. Those Attendants were useful.

When she came up to him, the Tsurinai looked up at the sky with an indifferent expression. "Calm down. We'll figure things out once we destroy the enemies. If the horde is destroyed, assist me in destroying this larger Shadow. We can't let something like that roam freely in this world, even if Limbo is crossing over. Also keep your eyes open. Anyone could be here watching." With that said, the Tsurinai would kneel to conceal his position before focusing upon the card of the Emperor. Slowly it descended before him he'd crush it in a firm grip and cause it to burst into azure bits. In that moment Baal would appear on the scene with a sound of thunder. The Samurai Armored Persona took its massive blade and launched over the countless people. Its main goal was to keep the tower stationary so it wouldn't do any damage that would be too complicated to explain. So coming downward onto the Shadow it would drive its blade through the lower part of its body until it completely went through. The Persona would then tilt the blade upward so it cut up into the Shadow while sending the tip down into the dirt. It basically acted as a stake to keep the Shadow from moving, if of course successful.

In the meantime, the Tsurinai began to ponder to himself. If this was not the correct area the Masked Man was located, then where was he? Where did clowns meet? Things were getting quite complicated. Well one step at a time. This abnormal situation needed to be dealt with first.

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Kahn was looking around, for other supernatural beings, when he noticed something, everyone in the line seemed to freeze, they were all almost lifeless. He looked up to see the sky turn red, and a symbol appeared in the sky. That could not be good, at all. This entire place felt...weird it almost reminded him of Limbo, but still this was too odd. What the heck was going on, was the main thought on Kahn's mind while he made his way out of the and toward Chance. Where there were once doors to Limbo, there were gaping holes. That was quite concerning, but was more concerning was the fact that tower-like shadow decided to come out of one of them. As he looked up he saw a hail of arrows rain down, that must have been Chance or Naito.

He moved over to his two allies, who were discussing what was happening. Chance seemed to panic, while Naito seemed surprisingly calm. Who knows how long he had been fighting these things, maybe it just didn't surprise him anymore. He saw a card appear before Naito, and watched a samurai figure appear, and impale the large shadow with his blade. Damn, Naito was quite experienced with fighting these things. Maybe, he could learn a trick or two. With the tower creature immobilized, Kahn turned to the pools of darkness that Chance attacked. "Good news is that these two are the only enemies here, according to my scan. Let's take these things out, and figure out what we did wrong." With that said a blue card appeared before him, and he reached up in crushed it within his hand. The armored form of Richard the Lionheart appeared above him ready for action. The persona kneeled and leaned forward so its head was against the pommel of the blade it carried. A stance that was often adopted for prayer before a battle.

Multiple crosses of the Christian faith, as it was the dominant religion in England, embedded themselves with pinpoint accuracy into the Shadows. This would avoid harming any civilian. These crosses would glow a bright golden color banishing the darkness that they touched from existence.

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The rain of arrows showered the hundreds of Shadows that were gathering upon the area, and they did wipe out quite of bit of them. However even after the attack a good hundred or so were left and surrounding the area. This of course until the stakes of light came their way. Though the majority of the horde dodged the first attack, they were inevitably stuck by the second wave of the attack and vanquished in a plume of bright light. This cleansed their area of the Carnival of the horde, but the massive Shadow still remained.

Horde:

Speaking of the massive castle, it would be attacked before it could make its first movement towards the Persona-Users. And though it was lucky enough to deflect and avoid one of the attacks from the Samurai, it was struck hard and downed thanks to it. To make it worst, the Tower was now pinned into the ground from the Samurai's blade. So now it was to focus on recovering.

Shadow Castle:

Chance nodded towards Naito-san and took a few moments to calm down. She did not know her attack had not finished the smaller Shadows, but the light show showed the remaining Shadows demise. The Attendant looked towards Azame-kun and gave a nod for a thank you. With those Shadows dealt with, it meant she could assist Naito-san with the massive one that was towering over the area. His Persona had not only downed the Shadow but pinned it in place also. This caused the Attendant to begin to flip through the pages of her book. "Yes, this isn't the end. I apologize Naito-san. Please allow me to assist you both alittle longer." From her compendium came the card of the hanged man, and the card of the Emperor. On the face of the former card would be Genji Kano's Belial, and the other would have the form of Naito-san's initial Persona, Jinmu-tenno. "I summon thee, The Hanged Man and Emperor!" On her command the cards shattered into pearls and the two replica Personas were summoned to the field. Belial would spin his spear and point it towards Naito-san, sending a healing wave over the human. Once this was complete, Jinmu would point its blade towards the downed Shadow, sending a defense lowering aura over the Shadow to make it more suspectable to attack. With this done, both Personas would revert back into their card forms and float down into Chance's compendium. "There, I lowered its defense. You two, show me the potential you humans hold!"

Attack Attack:

As the Tsurinai was speaking to his Attendant, he saw the remains of the Shadow horde moving behind her. Grabbing her to pull her out the way, he was caught off guard by Azame's sudden appearance. To make things even more surprising, the classmate summoned a Persona he had never seen before, and dispatched of the remaining smaller Shadows in a single moment. To think there were other users out there who could hold their own in a fight. Heh, other than Barbados the Tsurinai believed the rest to be nothing but a nuisance. This was a surprising turnabout to say the least. Naito would look towards the red haired boy and give a thin smirk. "I suppose you're good for something, aren't you Azame? Just don't get in my way, and we may make a pretty capable team." It was a rare sight to see the silver haired teen praising anyone, but the moment was short lived as his attention turned back towards the towering Shadow. Apparently it was having trouble thanks to his last attack. This was an opportunity that couldn't be passed so easily. So looking towards his Attendant, he would allow her to start the first stage of the assault. She already knew what he'd want her to do. After all this time fighting by his side, she could read him very well when it came to strategy and attacks. When she summoned two Personas, one of his own comrade's and then his own initial Persona, the Tsurinai's eyes would narrow. These Attendants never ceased to surprise him with how far their powers could stretch, and just how strong they actually were. Perhaps this was the reason most of them were barred from ever getting involved with human matters. But now Chance did not have a choice, as she was captured in this pseudo-Limbo aswell. This wasn't just a fight for survival for humanity, it was also for the Attendants aswell.


"Well done Attendant. Now Azame, with me. We'll cause this tower to come tumbling down and then figure out just what's going on here." With this said, the Tsurinai extended his arm outward towards his Persona to give the next order. The massive Samurai would leave its blade embedded in the Shadow and would then grasp the tower and repeatedly headbutt the monstrosity into the ground. As long as it stayed stationary, there was no worry that it would harm any of the dazed people scattered around the carnival at the moment. This was their best chance to finish it off.

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As the light vanished, 'Wendy's Kun' would smile at his handiwork. That was one enemy down and another to go. Kahn nodded toward Chance after s/he thanked, nothing else had to be said. Though he was a little surprised when Naito made a comment towards him. Granted, there a little jab in there, but Kahn ignored it and would return the smirk, "A team huh? Never thought I'd hear those words come out of your mouth, but if you're gonna be beating up shadows. Then count me in too."  He would reply turning back to the situation, Chance seemed to already know what to do. She summoned two separate personas, and then said that she had weakened the enemies defense. Granted, Kahn was surprised to see that an attendant summoned two personas, "Neat trick you got there." He would comment, before Naito told him to strike agains the main shadow with him.

"Right, let's push our advantage!" He would say, and his persona would stand from its praying stance. The kite shield with the medieval English lion would disappear as Richard's left hand reached for something on his right hip. The old king would draw a second blade, and move to assist his samurai ally. How odd to see two warriors from different time periods, and backgrounds fighting alongside one another. The knight would reach the creature's legs and plunge both of his blades into the shadow's legs hoping to immobilize it permanently.  

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The continued assault on the Tower caused the Shadow to begin to crumble and fall apart. It had already reached its limit and was destroyed by the countless attacks and debuff. However, even with the tower's destruction, the sky remained tinted red and the abnormal effects had not subsided as of yet. Was there even more they would need to do to revert these changes, or was the world permanently stuck in this manner? They had their victory, but in the end did it mean anything for them?

Shadow Castle:

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