Persona 2129 Quest #51

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/rt7mRjQs
Persona List: pastebin.com/UU6Ed5RY
Takashi's Stats: pastebin.com/tt34mHGs
Blackened Void Info: pastebin.com/wLBjhqgf

Other urls found in this thread:

pastebin.com/UU6Ed5RY
twitter.com/SFWRedditImages

[5:23 pm, 6-Jun-2129 (MONDAY)]

“Excuse me, may I have a moment?”

You and Takauji are mucking around the corridor near the cafeteria when the familiar voice floats through the almost deserted area. Feminine, wrapped in a hint of British, composed and firm. Rinako Ichimonji, the ever-so-strict vice president of the student council, stands behind the two of you, silently watching. You turn around to greet her.

“Um…” Even before exchanging words with her, you know that Rinako is a whole new kettle of fish compared to Eriko. The rumor mill speaks of her often, a dutiful girl with a cool demeanor that almost seems to clash with her vivid blonde hair and supermodel-like appearance. Where Eriko blazes through hotly—muscles pulsing with energy, seeking a challenge, always always continuously striving forward—Rinako is not far behind, cooling and fanning the flames her best friend has created, a serene expression on those pretty features, providing much needed restraint lest Eriko run the student council into the ground. Their personalities are like night and day, a juxtaposition that is supposed to be irreconcilable. Yet, they say the two girls are inseparable. There is no reason for you not to believe them.

The same people also say that Rinako becomes a bloodthirsty maniac onto the sports field. Legends speak of the inferno burning through the vice-president’s eyes as she grows several pairs of fangs. Her opponents tremble before her demonic wrath, getting down on her knees and pleading for mercy with salty tears flowing from their eyes. But it’s far too late. A dozen three-pointers have been scored and the first half isn’t even over.

In all the fairness, the rumor mill is not known for its reliability. They are probably exaggerating, others say and you would be inclined to believe them. Still...there was that incident from the spring sports competition. Why Rinako had chosen Kaz Inaba for target practice, you do not know. You do not want to know. The matter of fact is, Kaz had shivered during drama practice, when one of the club members brought the topic up in passing. In that very moment, upon seeing his dumbstruck and horrified expression, the entire club knew his pain. As one, they chose to offer their silent condolences. The vice-captain went out and bought him an ice-cream. Minty-flavored, just the way he liked it.

Getting back on topic, you are unsure how to address Rinako. She’s obviously not going to be all casual about it. You do not believe for a second that you have earned the privilege of addressing her by her first name. Then, what should you call her? Rinako-sama? Vice-president? Eriko’s best friend? That last one might be even more an insult than her first name.

So, you opt for the inoffensive, safe and polite route, which is what normal people do when they greet a stranger for the first time.

“What is it, senpai?” You ask.

“I need to talk to you about something.”

“What about?”

“Something important.” She glances over at Takauji. “It’s private in nature. Forgive me.”

“Naw, it’s cool, senpai.” Takauji responds, cheerful as usual. “I’ll leave you to it. Takashi, I’m going on ahead. See you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, see ya.” You wave to him as he retreats down the hallway, then turn to the blonde girl. She’s staring at you, her eyes full of intent, as if you were an animal in a cage to be examined. It can’t be helped. A knot of tension kneads itself in your stomach. You attempt to not avert your eyes. It’s a success so far, but for how long?

IT'S HERE

We will die here, I know it.

Let's not forget to get in a couple of duels this week.

She's going to tell us to stay away from Eriko isn't she?

The surroundings are quiet. In the distance, the last stragglers of the student body stumble out the school gates.

“I told Eriko I was on a bathroom break, so I’ll make this quick. Are you Akikazu’s friend?” Rinako says suddenly, catching you off guard.

“I…uh…yeah, I am, senpai.” You say, then add, “Is there a problem?” in a manner that is polite and challenging. Rinako either hasn’t picked up on it or knows and pays it no mind.

“No, there isn’t.” She replies. “The truth is, I was once Akikazu’s friend, too.”

“Really?” You blink. “He never told me.”

“Eriko, Akikazu and I were a trio of good friends back in middle school. As you can see, that isn’t really the case.” She sighs, softly. “It’s good you are looking out for him. He’s rough, but deep down he’s a decent person. So, keep it up.”

“Thanks, I guess?” You say, unsure. “Eriko said the same thing.”

“I’m not surprised.” Rinako comments. “She cares about him a lot. If only she was capable of taking her own advice…”

“Pardon, senpai?”

“I'm saying that my best friend is a hypocrite.” Rinako says, "It's rather infuriating to watch."

“Senpai, what exactly are you telling me here?” You ask.

“I'm getting to that. I believe you need to give the two of them a push.” Rinako states. “Eriko and Akikazu are stuck in a deadlock. They both think the other is unapproachable for their own personal reasons, when in reality all of their problems could be solved if they just came forth and be honest with each other.”

Her voice raises slightly at the end and her fists clench. Anger radiates off her. You take a step back, surprised. She notices it and places a hand on her chest to steady herself.

“Sorry, I shouldn't lose my temper like that. But I keep telling Eriko about this, she hasn’t listened. Either that, or she knows and refuses to make a decent effort.”

A polite reminder that this is a chaos thread.

Nope

Yes, good son of men, rebel against the Lord

You blink. “Does that have something to do with how I saw Akikazu shouting at Eriko earlier in the semester?”

“Oh, that. That was partially my fault.” Rinako answers, looking none too pleased with herself. “I tried to create a situation where they could talk to each other, but it just turned into a shouting match because of Akikazu. In hindsight, I should have seen it coming.”

“You’re Eriko’s best friend, senpai? Can’t you tell her about this?”

“Like I said, I have. Eriko is deliberately blocking me out. Just because I’m her best friend she thinks she can act like a child…” Rinako growls. “Has she forgotten Akikazu used to be more than that? Why did that situation with his father happen?”

“His dad?” You repeat. “What happened?”

Rinako’s eyes widen. “You don’t know?”

“Should I?”

“Everybody in the school knows about it.”

“I’m new here.”

“Oh.” Her eyes dart to the side, just for an instant. “Yes, I suppose that would explain it.”

Was that supposed to be derogatory? Rinako gives that impression of a disinterested queen talking down onto the peasants. She’s just like that Katsukawa girl, except Rinako isn’t a complete bitch. “Akikazu has never told me about my family. Granted, I haven’t really told him about mine, but still. Did what happened to his dad make him depressed or something?”

“You’re half-correct. I think the first thing you should do now is dig deeper into it. It’ll give you a bit of insight into his issues.”

“Couldn’t I just ask him directly?” You ask.

“Knowing Akikazu, he’d probably just shout at you a lot." Rinako answers, seemingly a bit annoyed. "It might be worth a try. He seems to like you a lot.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard of him talking to you, senpai. The student council’s information network must be greater than I thought…”

...

Man, we tried, Rinako. She didn't listen. Though that was back when we had different rules, and we had a pretty bad penalty to our roll as a result. We'll try again now that they're more forgiving.

>“Akikazu has never told me about my family
>my

“We aim to please.” Rinako sighs and glances over to a nearby digital clock. “I’m sorry, I need to get back to the student council room. I’ll say goodbye here, then.”

“That’s okay. Thanks for the talk, senpai.”

“Goodbye, Takashi Wakui.” Rinako says, nodding in your direction. “Be nice to Akikazu. If you do ever find out about his issues, bring it to him directly instead of sidestepping around it. He’ll appreciate it more.”

With that, the two of you depart for your respective destinations.

>Maybe you should talk to Akikazu soon…

[9:30 pm, 6-Jun-2129 (MONDAY)]

Hey Fumika
How are you?
Is there a particular reason for why you have decided to communicate with me tonight?
You are distracting me from important work.
Whoa chill out
I just wanted to see what you are doing
I take it you will not stop until I answer? Very well, then.
As of present, I am observing the subject in the Forgotten City while simultaneously working on some personal programming projects of mine.
The subject has yet to show any sign of movements. The programs I am developing are related to my background as a mercenary.
Does this answer your question?
Uh yes
Then, goodnight.
Wait what
Can’t we have a conversation

It’s too late. Fumika is now offline. You groan and put down your phone.

>Maybe you should catch up with Fumika at some point…

>Maybe you should talk to Akikazu soon…
>Maybe you should catch up with Fumika at some point…
Great now I have to remake the schedule again.

[8:10 am, 7-Jun-2129 (TUESDAY)]

The apartment feels lonely in Shizuka’s absence. Fortunately, it is a sensation you are slowly acclimatizing yourself to, one arduous day at a time. Besides, in an age where tablet screens have almost completely supplanted paper, your nee-san is only a single video call away. The Internet is truly a miraculous invention bestowed from the kitchen sink of pantheons that the world’s religions believe in. It’s hard to imagine an era when it didn’t exist. Why, humanity relies on it for so many things. If it were to suddenly disappear, the streets would no doubt be packed of riots before the minute was up.

While walking to school, you can’t help but notice a conversation between two boys…

“Hey bro, remind me when the exams start?”

“19th of July, you doofus. It’s right after Marine Day.”

“What? Are they expecting us to cram in study during a national holiday? Is the school staff comprised of sadists?”

“Shouldn’t be a problem if you maintain consistent progress for the rest of the semester.”

“Ugh, don’t talk to me about that. You know that I have shit to do at home…”

“Man, imagine if you got really sick around the exam period, like for a whole week or two. You’d miss out on all the important classes and totally bomb.”

“Dude, you’re making me more and more depressed. Stop it!”

You spot Takauji and Kanade up ahead and run up to greet them.

We can do both of those inbetween classes. No need to reschedule our week.

[4:00 pm, 7-Jun-2129 (TUESDAY)]

“Another day down, thank god for that…”

“Let’s go and get some ice-cream. It’ll be my treat.”

“Everyone, don’t forget to put away the chairs! Veleis-sensei has been complaining about it a lot.”

“Aw, what’s the fuss, Kanade? It’s not like anybody cares…”

“Well, I do! Now, let’s get to it!”

Classes have ended for the day. What shall you do?

>Call the team to the Blackened Void (Exploration)
>See what Akikazu is doing (Hanged Man S-Link)
>See what Fumika is up to (Hermit S-Link)
>Look for Kozue Yusa (Death S-Link)
>Visit Aria in the hospital (Devil S-Link, boosts random social stats)
>Fight randoms in the Battlegrounds (Gain C. EXP, reputation and increases WILLPOWER)
>Study in the library. (Increases INTELLIGENCE)
>Go to the gym. (Increases WILLPOWER)
>Wander around the city (Random encounter)
>Custom option.

>“Man, imagine if you got really sick around the exam period, like for a whole week or two. You’d miss out on all the important classes and totally bomb.”
...Stop that.

>>See what Akikazu is doing (Hanged Man S-Link)

>See what Akikazu is doing (Hanged Man S-Link)

>See what Akikazu is doing (Hanged Man S-Link)

>“Man, imagine if you got really sick around the exam period, like for a whole week or two. You’d miss out on all the important classes and totally bomb.”
Is that supposed to be foreshadowing?
>>See what Akikazu is doing (Hanged Man S-Link)

>>See what Akikazu is doing (Hanged Man S-Link)

Is Drama Club not meeting today? Tuesdays are when it's open. Did our missing so many meetings mean that we didn't hear Kaz's announcement that it wouldn't be happening today?

>Fight randoms in the Battlegrounds (Gain C. EXP, reputation and increases WILLPOWER)

>Custom option.
Go to Drama Club, as was in our schedule. I see what you're trying to do here, Thorn. It's not working!

It happens in Persona 3. MC gets sick, you loose a week of summer break

I forgot to put it in whoops. You can still vote for it if you like.

>Custom option.
Go to Drama Club.

So I guess we aren't doing Drama today so how about we adjust the schedule like this
>Tuesday
Akikazu
D-d-duel
>Wednesday
Hang out with Fumika or Visit Aria
Kozue Yusa at night
>Thursday
Drama club
Duel at night or Forlon Abyss

Drama CLub

>Tuesday
Drama club
visit Aria

>Wednesday
Study
Kozue Yusa, Fumika, or Aki SL

>Thursday
D-D-DUEL
Visit Aria

>Tuesday
Drama
Duel
>Wednesday
Aria
Akikazu
>Thursday
Fumika
Duel

Visiting Aria once during the week and just before she gets discharged is enough.

Change one of the "Duel" to "Study" and im down for that

I'm personally expecting that something will keep us from being there when she gets discharged, because that's when she's going to be in one of AETHER's patented "all the bystanders die horribly" abductions and otherwise we might interfere with that. Just you watch, the only reason she hasn't mentioned anything about some "adware" on her phone is because she's too self-conscious to bring up even the slightest of her troubles.

>>See what Akikazu is doing (Hanged Man S-Link)

Not to mention Mitsuru so generously signing us up for summer school when we totally don't need it.

And FOR GOD'S SAKE, people, we NEED to do the Forlorn Abyss soon. We can't just keep Chikashi chained to the bonfire forever. I'm starting to suspect that his roommate might be either a future Abomination or HaHeHiHoHu.

Drama club.

That works.

Change this to Drama club

>DEV S-
You forgot to update it.

Yeah, HaHeHiHoHu could be Ming. They've got kind of a similar speech pattern.

>Tuesday
Drama
Duel
>Wednesday
Aria
Akikazu
>Thursday
Fumika
Study

Drama club barely wins. If I haven't updated the pastebins correctly it's because I was busy and did this shit in a rush. Okay then, writing...

Perfect

We should do the death girl S link on sunday then.

Yeah id be cool with that
Wonder what the poor girl is doing right now

>Fumika has more END than us
Pretty embarrassing.

BUT DEV user. WE NEEDS IT.

“I should go to drama club today…”

You follow your words and head down to the amphitheater. You enter the doors…and nothing much happens at all. You sit down in a chair, greet your fellow club members whose names (and faces) continue to escape you like the reasons behind the world’s greatest heist and wait for Kaz the begin the usual introductory speech. It’s loud and enthusiastic and there’s a smidge of chocolate around the patch of skin near his lip. The thing sticks out like a sore thumb on the club president’s shining face. Everybody has noticed it, yet nobody has the gall to verbally point it out. In fact, Kaz ignoring the blemish on is otherwise perfect appearance somehow makes him even more charismatic than usual. If you had been a woman, you would have felt strange vibrations around the part below the torso.

“Okay everyone, let’s get to work!”

Kaz then begins matching everyone up in groups to practice snippets of various plays. You are assigned to a romantic love comedy about demons. There are two details about the play that don’t sit well with you: it’s a romantic love comedy and it’s about demons. What’s the point of making the characters demons if they’re just going to act like humans with wings and magic? Also, how are the two main characters supposed to fall in love with each other if they apparently despise each other with enough force to blow up the solar system? Where is the logic in this setting? You voice these one hundred percent legitimate concerns to the vice-president, who frowns and tells you that a: it’s fiction and b: shut up and listen, because assigning roles already takes too long and we're running out of time.

Okay then, you say to her, I’ll follow along but I’m not playing as the girl, got it?

Then a scene is acted out where the main characters’ ‘best friend’ shove them in the back while both are drunk, causing them to trip over, lock lips and simultaneously have aneurysms.

You are starting to regret not jumping into Kaz’s group when you had the chance.

It’s nonetheless a valuable experience, meaning that feel yourself become slightly more charismatic and understanding of the world around you. Somehow.

>Your CHARISMA has increased by 4 points!
>Your UNDERSTANDING has increased by 3 points!

You then go home thinking about whether or not the Lovely Eight café serves ice tea. It is only until stepping onto the train and beating an office lady for the last remaining seat that you realize that you hadn’t interacted with Kaz much today. Your bond has been strengthened, that is true, but it’s like covering an already sturdy wooden bridge with a carpet of sticks.

Well, it’s not bad to have the day off, you think to yourself. At least Kaz didn’t ask you to help resolving a bullshit love triangle between two of his lady friends.

[6:30 pm, 7-Jun-2129 (TUESDAY)]

It’s night time—the period where all of your friends except Fumika are doing their own little things in their own corners of the city and probably shouldn’t be disturbed.

You wonder what you should do.

>Eat out somewhere (Random encounter)
>Call available team members to the Blackened Void (Exploration)
>See what Fumika is up to (Hermit S-Link)
>Visit Aria in the hospital (Devil S-Link, boosts random social stats)
>Fight randoms in Gaea Stadium (Gain C. EXP, reputation and increases WILLPOWER)
>Study in your room (Increases INTELLIGENCE)
>Go to the gym. (Increases WILLPOWER)
>Custom option.

>>Fight randoms in Gaea Stadium (Gain C. EXP, reputation and increases WILLPOWER)

>>See what Fumika is up to (Hermit S-Link)
I only want to check up to make sure Best Girl isn't mistreating What'sHisFace.

>Fight randoms in Gaea Stadium (Gain C. EXP, reputation and increases WILLPOWER)

>See what Fumika is up to (Hermit S-Link)

>Fight randoms in Gaea Stadium (Gain C. EXP, reputation and increases WILLPOWER)

>>See what Fumika is up to (Hermit S-Link)

>>Fight randoms in Gaea Stadium (Gain C. EXP, reputation and increases WILLPOWER)

>See what Fumika is up to (Hermit S-Link)
We will change the Fumike with the Duel on the chart

Cool, a tie. Maybe I can do a final destination vote properly this time. Reply with numbers only or else it won't count.

1. Duel
2. Visit Fumika

>>See what Fumika is up to (Hermit S-Link)

1

2

1

2

1

Visit Fumika
We will just switch the days

>Tuesday
Drama
Fumika
>Wednesday
Aria
Akikazu
>Thursday
DUEL
Study

1

2

1

1

2

1

2

Option 1 it is.

ay yo kaz DDS or raidou

Yes

smartass

>>Takashi: Go and duel someone.

That sounds like a really good idea. Punching your fellow classmates in the nose and humiliating them in front of the student body is just the thing you need to work out the kinks in your system and distract you from the imminent monstrosity that is the end of semester exams. You put on your shoes, chomp down a bunch of candies to regain your mana and head outside.

Upon passing the alleyway near your apartment block, the narrow stretch of concrete that smells like all nooks and crannies in the world combined and is the entrance to an otherworldly nightmare that could give Tsugumi nightmares for weeks, you realize something. The last time you duelled someone, you used Ippon-Datara only. That had gone well, but you believe that it’s only because your opponent was weak. Tonight might be different. Your Auxiliary Personas give you an incredible advantage. Using them could lead you to a succession of victories. If your secret was discovered, however, then…

You shake your head. This decision is one that needs to be made quickly. Otherwise people are going to notice a high-schooler staring into an alleyway as if he was in love with it or something.

>Please choose the four auxiliary Personas you would like to bring, or select none at all.
>Persona List: pastebin.com/UU6Ed5RY

Narcissus, Koppa Tengu, Makami, Matador.

Makami(D), Melchom(D), Principality(D-), Koppa Tengu(D)

Let's bring Koppa-Tengu, Oni, Matador and Obariyon. along.

Koppa Tengu, Matador, Narcissus, Principality

Hey don't bring anything that resists light! We already showed that we are weak to it when we dueled Celeste.

>Narcissus, Oni, Matador, Melchom
I personally don't think we should use them, but it'll be good to have them at least.

and? We can bullshit we figured out a technique to mitigate it. besides Principality is mostly for heals.

Yamata-No-Orochi Obariyon Koppa Tengu Narcissus

>Obariyon
>Narcissus
>Matador
>Makami

Just use Oni for Tarukaja on first turn and switch back.

Had we gotten Ippon Dodge light, people could buy that.

>get hit in the face
>hey guys I totally dodged that

don't we only get weaknesses when our persona is out?

Nope. It must suck to be weak to ice and live in a cold region.

Yamata-noOrochi
Matador
Makami
Narcissus

No, we've always got our elemental resistances and weaknesses. That said, Personas can learn to overcome those weaknesses, we could just say we've done that.

>using the San Drain persona
Really guys?

And if we get hit with another Hama spell while we have Ippon-Datara out and we clearly take a lot of damage from it?