Persona 2129 Quest #49

You are Takashi Wakui, a sixteen year old Japanese high school student. In your world, half of humanity possesses a Persona—the corporeal manifestation of one’s personality as a supernatural entity. You had been an unlucky ordinary at first, lacking the potential to summon your Persona. Then the application AETHER was forcibly installed on your smartphone. It sucked you into the nightmarish realm of the Blackened Void, where you fought monsters and awakened your Persona in the process.

You are now the Wild Card of the 22nd Century. You possess the Fool Arcana, giving you the power to draw strength from bonds and wield multiple Personas at once. Already this places you in great danger, as the Fool Arcana is seen as an impossibility by the common masses. Revealing your newfound power to the common world would immediately land your head on a dissection table. To make matters worse, you and several others have been cursed as the Void’s Chosen, fated to traverse the wastelands of the Blackened Void until the end of the game. For what purpose does AETHER exist, what mysteries lie within and how is victory achieved?

Previous Threads: suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Persona 2129 Quest
Twitter: twitter.com/TwilightThorn
Mechanics: pastebin.com/Eq9mum2X
Spell/Skill List: pastebin.com/5NYivMQd
Part One Recap: pastebin.com/i1VjfnyX

Character List: pastebin.com/CtjpDzAc
Persona List: pastebin.com/MDQzgiku
Takashi's Stats: pastebin.com/nMVCCZ4E
Blackened Void Info: pastebin.com/tuUPn59L

Other urls found in this thread:

youtube.com/watch?v=VEJ8QR-PSj8
twitter.com/AnonBabble

youtube.com/watch?v=VEJ8QR-PSj8

Countless miles away, in the midst of an alternate reality where the Void’s Chosen originate from, Aria von Wittelsbach rises from her unconsciousness. Her delicate eyelashes flutter as she forces her eyelids open. She cringes mentally as tentacles of fluorescent light assaults her vision. She tries to raise her hand to shield off the rays—a little unnecessary considering she could merely shut her eyes again—and fails. A powerful weight has tied itself to her hands, her arms, every limb of her malnourished and frail body. It is the grogginess that comes with too much rest. Leave it alone, and it shall spread and make her numb. If only one’s emotions worked that way, part of her wonders.

“Oh, you’re awake.”

She still has enough energy to roll her head to the side. There is an android nurse in a snow-white uniform standing next to her bed. Thus, she concludes, she is in a hospital. Where else could she be? Certainly not at a classmate’s house. Any ordinary person would be surprised at suddenly being relocated from their school dorm to a medical facility. Aria the German girl is not an ordinary girl, not even an ordinary Persona-user by any stretch of her or anybody else’s imagination.

This is not the first time events in her life have played out in such a fashion. It is most likely not going to be the last.

Her arm twitches. Something is attached to it. An IV drip, full of precious nutrients. One of the many facets of medical science magic has yet to replicate.

“You’ve made quite a fuss around here, young lady.” The android nurse scolds. Her tone is motherly, warm. Disgusting unfamiliarity washes over said young lady. “To think you were neglecting to eat properly and not taking your medication…catching influenza on top of that! How you were granted permission to live alone is such a mystery! Why, there are certainly a few choice words I would like to give to your guardian…”

>This is not the first time events in her life have played out in such a fashion. It is most likely not going to be the last.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. No more hospitalizations under our watch, young lady.

With instinct, not conscious effort, Aria tunes out the voice. She lies in her bed. She stares at the ceiling. It’s all she can do. Despite the central heating, her body is cold. Not the outside, which is snugly wrapped in the white hospital sheets, but the inside, whispering to her of the personal transgressions she made, replaying her mistakes over and over again like a sick theatre. She shivers, but makes no move to wrap her arms around herself. The simulation, in this case, cannot hold a candle to the reality.

“You were very lucky, young lady. A friend of yours came to your rescue. He called an ambulance for you and the good men here picked you up—”

“Pardon?” Aria asks.

The android nurse blinks, then resumes her speech with that same, almost infuriating pleasant smile. “A friend called an ambulance for you. There are a lot of selfish people these days, especially now that magic has segregated humanity in two, so that friend of yours must be very good for him to come to your aid in—”

“Wrong.” She doesn’t need to think. She interrupts without giving the nurse’s words a single thought.

“Pardon?”

“Wrong. You’re wrong. I…” Aria whispers, her voice raspy, “I don’t have any friends…”

“Really?” The android nurse says, opening up a holographic screen on her tablet. “The boy who called the ambulance for you made a statement that said otherwise.”

“What?” Aria gasps.

“Let’s see here…what was his name…ah, that’s right. Wakui! Does that name ring a bell, young lady? His name was Takashi Wakui…”

>>Return to the Hazebound Woodlands.

“Hey, can I ask a question?”

“What, Akikazu?”

The blonde boy points to the grassy ground, or rather the formerly grassy ground. Any earth that has suffered a stampede consisting of over two dozen AETHER game constructs and several AETHER Players has no real reason to be covered in vegetation any more. It’s devoid of weapons, clothing or any traces of the past battle. Take a second look, and it could very well be the remnants of a passing travelling caravan.

“Did we just kill those elves?” For once, Akikazu is not irritated—a miracle in of itself. There’s a worried frown on his expression, as if he suddenly realized that he left the gas on after leaving the house.

“Uh…”

“Because we beat the shit out of them, then they disappeared.” He says, frankly. “That’s death right?”

If you recall from literally a minute ago, the bodies of the elves dissipated into black particles upon defeat. That includes for the ones of the crosses. You dig through your memory and recall that something similar happened to the black knight in Pyre Ruin Valley.

“Um, does it really matter?”

“I’d like to get my facts straight. Because if these guys were alive and they did die…goddamn, that’s disturbing.” He looks up at you. “Hey, why aren’t you freaking about this a little?”

>“Dude, I think I already am.”
>“I don’t think we can be blamed for defending ourselves…”
>“So I shouldn’t be calm at this, then?”
>“I don’t think death can apply to a construct of a video game.”
>“I actually think we might have put them out their misery.”
>“It’s not like we hurt somebody we actually knew.”
>Custom option.

>“I don’t think death can apply to a construct of a video game.”

>>“I actually think we might have put them out their misery.”

>Next Level: 48.00/50.00
SOON

>“I don’t think we can be blamed for defending ourselves…”

>“I actually think we might have put them out their misery.”
>Custom option.
"They were plague zombies, man. I'm pretty sure they're effectively already dead."

>Custom option.
"You're bringing this up now, when we're killing things that are basically zombies, but not when we killed those bandits in the Pyre Ruin Valley?"

>“I don’t think we can be blamed for defending ourselves…”
>“I actually think we might have put them out their misery.”

some combination of these two.

>>“I don’t think we can be blamed for defending ourselves…”
>>“I actually think we might have put them out their misery.”

>“I don’t think we can be blamed for defending ourselves…”
>“I actually think we might have put them out their misery.”

>>“So I shouldn’t be calm at this, then?”
Cause I am.

I AM CALM

Hey Thorn shouldn't the DCA be shown before we choose to what to roll? Because in the last thread you showed it at the same time we rolled.

Yeah I forgot, sorry. I'll try and not let that happen again.

Writing now...

>“Dude, I think I already am.”
this is what happens when you go "screw it, let's just attack them"

or when you casually swing around personas
>Celeste didn't seem to think they were "alive"

>Getting worked up over elves
They are just elves man. Dime a dozen. Like weeds.

But Metatron, what if they were secretly DEVOUT LAWFAGS!?

>lawfags
>being barbaric
They obviously were chaosfags

>Elves
>Ever not being barbaric chaotic scum.

You pause and think. “I don’t think we can be blamed for defending ourselves.”

“Yeah, I get that. But still, all I wanted was to beat them into submission, not like get rid of them forever.”

“I actually think we might have put those elves out of their misery.” You say. Akikazu raises an eyebrow, his mouth half-shaped into his traditional scowl. Taking that as a sign of continue, you proceed. “I don’t know about you, but I sort of got the sense that the elves were in pain.”

“Okay, how the hell do you know that?”

You shrug your shoulders. “…from the way they screamed a lot? Or how they were covered in a mother’s worst nightmare?”

“Mother’s worst nightmare? What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Her kids being at the bottom of the class? Dammit Takashi, speak proper Japanese for once!”

“I meant that they were covered in boils and rashes. They were heavily infected by something. A virus, I don’t know. It’s like a zombie plague, except those guys weren’t shambling corpses.”

“Then don’t call them zombies, you moron.”

“I didn’t!”

“You did so—”

“If I may interject for a moment.” Announces one Fumika Shibuya. You and Akikazu stop to stare at her. Save for a few scratches running down the side of her cheek and a bit of mud, your Spotter is perfectly unharmed from the previous battle. “I would appreciate it if you two would let me add some more depth to this argument.”

“What?” You ask.

“Takashi is right. The elves, or Denizens in this sector, were in a lot of pain. Moros verified this. However, the same can be said for Shadows, which are comprised of the negative emotions of humanity and whose mere existence is automatically a whirlwind of negativity and suffering. In terms of their overall presence, the elves were fought and the Shadows are similar.”

You think back to a couple of weeks ago, before you and your team got assaulted by that rampaging Minotaur Shadow. “We saw Shadows splitting apart elves from the inside in the past. Does that have anything to do with this?”

Fumika closes her eyes and contemplates. “Perhaps the reason why the elves and the Shadows felt so similar is because the elves were a premature stage, similar to how a cocoon will eventually hatch into a butterfly. It could be that their relationship is a parasitic one, with the Shadows acting as the egg and the elves acting as the host. Well, I believe we’ll receive more answers once we finish interrogating the sole survivor of this battle. And Akikazu?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you feel remorse for killing Shadows, despite their humanoid appearance?”

“Well, no.” He states his answer as if it is the most obvious thing in the entire world. It is a top contender, that’s for sure. “They’re Shadows. They attack without remorse and they try to kill us.”

“Then given the similarities in behaviour, you should feel no remorse for slaying the horde of elves.” Fumika says, simple yet cold. “Furthermore, it is debatable how alive a construct of a game can be. An incredibly immersive one to the extent where reality has begun to merge with it, but a game nonetheless. ”

You look further ahead, towards the trio of crosses. The fog gate has dissipated, as has the one behind you. Two of the crosses are empty, while a prisoner struggles against the restraints in the middle. Also, Celeste is there, attempting to use a combination of dexterous finger-work and nail scraping to undo the binds.

“Oh, forget this!”

Then she sets them on fire. Of course she does. The ropes crumble to ashes immediately. No caution is given for how this could potentially start a forest fire. It is more evidence of how Persona-users are magnitudes more reckless than ordinary humans.

You hear the clanking and grinding of metal from behind. It’s Knight Laurence, whose ghostly form is beginning to lose its brilliance. The summon timer must be ticking down to the end. Only a few grains of sand remain. Again, Laurence's visor remains in the same place, preventing you from seeing his true face. Despite that, his confident walk and his friendly wave give you the impression that he had a good time.

Is there something you would like to say to him before he vanishes?

>“Good work today.”
>“Remember anything?”
>“You didn’t seem all that shocked to be summoned here.”
>Let Akikazu talk to him. Laurence is ‘his’ Companion, after all.
>Custom option.

>>“Good work today.”
>“You didn’t seem all that shocked to be summoned here.”

>"Find anything in the desert?"

>“Good work today.”
>“Remember anything?”

>>“Good work today.”
>Let Akikazu talk to him. Laurence is ‘his’ Companion, after all.

>>Custom option.
"Git gud, upgrade to an Estoc. You'll be unbeatable. Also get under 70% equip load fat roller."

You don't call them fat-rollers to their face.

>“Good work today.”

Wow dude no need to call him fat

>“Good work today.”
>“Remember anything?”

Writing now...

“Good work today.” You say. “Remember anything?”

“Bits and pieces.” The knight acknowledges, resting the iron-covered fingers beneath his helmet. “Various scenes flash in front of my eyes, as if I were reading them from an artist’s portfolio. I suppose once I return I will have a nap, then ruminate on what happened today. Ho ho!”

“Return?” You question. “It’s almost as if you expected to be summoned here. Are you aware that you’re in a video game?”

The knight tilts his head, puzzled. “Game? You children slay the Feyel Alari for your own amusement? How very shocking…”

“The what now?”

“As for your first statement, why yes I did expect that this fine young man would summon me.” Knight Laurence rests a friendly hand on Akikazu’s shoulder, who now looks several degrees more uncomfortable. “Were you not aware of it?”

“What the hell are you saying?” Akikazu barks. “And to think I thought you couldn’t get any more creepier…”

“Strange.” Knight Laurence says. “I had initially believed that you children were aware of the special circumstances that have plague this world. The strange phenomena that began from decades ago...no, from your stares it does not sound familiar at all, am I correct. It seems that I was mistaken. Do forgive me.”

He looks down and sees that his body is now practically thin air. The magic that kept him supported in this Sector is inches from vanishing into nothingness. The next few words tumble out of his helmet, as if they were a bag of bricks sent down a steep hill.

“Well then, it seems I must be off. If you children ever return to the valley, find me against and I’ll explain in detail. You may also be able to assist with a task with mine. I could gladly use your assistance…!”

Then he’s gone. The Old Pendant grows cold.

>>Void’s Chosen: Receive new notification.

>[MEDIUM] See to the inquiry of Knight Laurence of Pyre Ruin Valley (Due on 11:59pm, 20-Jun-2129)

114 is next to fade, whining as he does so. Fumika grants him a tiny nod as a reward, then begins striding to the other side of the clearing. You and Akikazu follow. The elf who was tied to the cross is now on the ground, tasting the dirt. Celeste gives him a hand and he slowly pulls himself up. He looks over your party, starting from Celeste, then to you, to Akikazu and lastly to Fumika.

The elf coughs, a raspy movement that ejects grey spittle and phlegm. Then, a strange set of sounds emerges from his parched mouth.

>>Takashi: Converse with the elf.

You suddenly remember that elves don’t speak Japanese.

Fuck.

How will you communicate?

>Attempt to speak English.
>Attempt to speak elf.
>Draw pictures in the mud.
>See if Fumika is capable of telepathy.
>Give the elf some supplies.
>Custom option.

>20-Jun-2129
A month right?

>Knights didn't speak Japanese either and yet it worked out. Try Japanese, then English, then try pictures if both fail.

>>Custom option.
Remove Elf.

>>Give the elf some supplies.

>Give the elf some supplies.
>See if Fumika is capable of telepathy.
>Attempt to speak English.

>>Give the elf some supplies.
Then
>>Attempt to speak English.

>>Attempt to speak English.
Celeste was originally from America so it probably will work

>>Give the elf some supplies.
>>Attempt to speak English.

>Give the elf some supplies.
>Draw pictures in the mud.

>Give the elf some supplies.

Writing now...

You remember that you have a few Refreshing Tonics in your backpack. The liquid inside them isn’t a hundred percent water; it is a scientific mixture consisting of many different vitamins and electrolytes to provide the most optimal refreshment for the human body. Or something like that. Science classes were had never been the highlight in your middle school days. In any case, from his cracked and dry lips, you guess the elf is thirsty. Even if he isn’t, sharing a drink is likely to be a sign of goodwill.

>>Takashi: Give the elf a Refreshing Tonic.

The elf picks up the bottle in a hand sheathed in a grey leather fingerless glove. He wraps his fingers around the smooth, intended plastic, before twisting his index finger around the round pink cap.

>>Elf: Drink.

This doesn’t happen. Instead, the elf gives you a curious look matched with a puzzled frown. It’s almost innocent, reminiscent of the time you asked your mother what these strange red fruits were. Oh yeah, that’s right. Elves most likely have no idea what plastic is. How could you overlook that simple fact?

You open the bottle for him. Instantly, recognition leaps onto the elf’s features. His long, sharp features with that heavy nose and those slightly, pink puffed lips. You watch as the elf raises the bottle to his lips and chugs the whole lot in one go. It takes him less than five seconds.

Color returns to the elf’s cheeks. The elf cries something. Probably along the lines of “Fresh!” or “Thanks mate, you really saved me there!” His voice is rough, coarse and deep. Guy’s old, despite his youthful appearance. A noticeable weight tugs at his cheeks and there are scars running across his bare arms an fingers. Notches, scrapes and wedges that speak of past skirmishes and hunts. He’s also toned. Not the bulky toned seen in wrestlers or construction site workmen, but rather the athletic and fit type of toned, designed for endurance and agility.

The elf hands you back the bottle, a grateful smile attached. Celeste takes a few steps forward and gives him a grin.

“Are you feeling better?” She says in her usual, cheerful tone, a sharp contrast from the frenzy and the adrenaline filled anger you saw at the beginning of the battle. Her words are in Japanese. The elf looks at her, then shakes his head, grimacing.

“I don’t think he can understand us.” You comment.

Maybe we should give him that flask we got from the minotaur?

It’s now Celeste’s turn to frown. She tries her native English. Half of it is filtered through the dam of your incompetence. Curse the difficulty of humanity’s most common language. The elf gets it, though. His eyes light up and he begins to speak something that is actually somewhat legible.

“You understand this tongue?” His words are smooth, fluent, natural. But to you, they might as well be separated into individual chunks. Celeste nods and the elf grins. “It’s a relief. I was afraid we might not be able to converse. Young lass, do your friends speak the same language as you?”

“Um, half of them do? The other half isn’t very good at it.” Celeste says, a little sheepish. You give her a small glare and she laughs. “Don’t worry, I can translate for them.”

“Good, good. Allow me to introduce myself, then. My name is Ruvyn, a humble elven traveller. I was wandering around the forest when I was ambushed by those madmen. I would have surely perished at their hands, if it weren’t for your assistance. Thank you so much."

>Introduce yourselves.
>Ask him about the forest.
>Ask him if there’s a safe place anywhere nearby.
>Ask more about his situation.
>Ask him about the maddened elves.
>Custom option.

>>Introduce yourselves.
>>Ask him if there’s a safe place anywhere nearby.
Let's get him outta here quick.

>Introduce yourselves.
>Ask him about the forest.
>Ask him if there’s a safe place anywhere nearby.
>Ask more about his situation.
>Ask him about the maddened elves.


Expo dump

>Ask him if there’s a safe place anywhere nearby.
>Introduce yourselves.
>Ask more about his situation.

>Introduce yourselves.
>Ask him about the maddened elves.
"Why aren't you crazy like the rest of those guys?"

ALL OPTIONS

>Introduce yourselves.
>Ask him if there’s a safe place anywhere nearby.
>Ask more about his situation.

>>Introduce yourselves.
>Ask him what he calls english, and from where he learned it from/where he comes from
>Ask more about his situation.
>Ask him about the maddened elves.

>Introduce yourselves.
>Custom option.
"So, where are you from? The only other non-crazy sapient being we've found in this place has amnesia, so we're kind of lost as to what's actually going on here."

>>Ask him if there’s a safe place anywhere nearby.

Writing now...

Hmm, maybe I should reconsider having threads without at least 24-hours apart.

Running on fumes? Not enough planned?

Is something wrong?

Nah I'm just wondering if people might have missed this thread, because I announced it when most people were gone. Or maybe today's a busy day for everyone? I don't know.

Apologies. Having supper here and being a bit casual. I am here.

I much prefer this number.

Although it's not like Yellingbird can churn out another sidestory in one day.

You're fine TT. Sometimes days are slow. 17 people would be consider a lot for a lot of quests.

That might be it. If I'd waited until tomorrow to finish up reading the archive, I would have missed it as well. Too late now though.

Lurker here. I pretty much never vote unless it's a critical moment.

I think it's people being busy. You still have a large audience though.

There is nothing to shitpost about today

...

>*There is nothing to shitpost about currently

Chaos is truly the patrician alignment

Lawcucks go home.

>Chaos slaves
Don't worry, Thorn. We still love you, in spite of our limited numbers.

I've got something I've been working on, if you're interested in it. Kinda different than the usual, but...eh, I kinda got bored and had 1.5k words before I knew what was happening.

You asked for this.

Celeste is best girl, she is the most confident, most personable and hottest.

Everyone knows that White is the only correct choice

I'm always interested in the content my players create. I shouldn't be whining about the lack of players, though. Back to writing!

I agree, Celeste is the best girl to replace Takashi as the MC after he dies.

High Priestess is the cutest everybody knows that Magicians are shit

Bullshit, Fumika has more confidence, personality, and hotness than the American firebrand.

I kid, Yoshino is clearly best girl

It'll be fun once Aria goes yandere

Celeste is a best.

You stop that.

I hope not.

>High Priestess
>Better than Mage bro/broette
tip top kek

Fumika can literally not be hotter than Celeste.


>Yandere
>Fun
>Ever
And now I need a drink, only so much bad taste I can bear.


TT feel free to say stop if this gets too much.

Oh please, it is obvious who is best girl Akikazu.

what have i done

You infidels you know the Death Girls is only the right choice
Alice best waifu/daughteru

IPPON-DATARA BEST GIRL

WAS A MAID BEFORE IT WAS COOL

This can't possibly end well...

I'll try to get the snip finished by the end of the night. See if we can calm the rampant shit posting.

Hey, you wanted more activity, you got it. Don't call it a disaster, it's the future you chose.

>twilight thorn: where player :(((((((( ??? ?
>players: oh shit, better shitpost to let him know we care

You made your bed now lie on it.

hey man you asked if we were here. So we started shitposting to prove it.
Also who wants this guy as Takashis companion?

You wanted the posting uptick boss. You got it. Careful what you wish for.

Run more BRQ OR TF666 faggot!


this.

You can't calm it, it has only begun.

user, if you want Takeshi to masturbate, just vote on that.

pic related

>>players: oh shit, better shitpost to let him know we care
BQ in a nutshell.

WHO LET THE DOGS OUT?