Nellancholy
Two Thousand Club
The other two fired off their own attacks at Shiki-Ouji, battering him somewhat as the blades of wind and streams of flame cornered and wounded him despite his agility. It wasn't quite enough to incapacitate him, and in his desperation (which he tried to veil as boldness) he unleashed a storm of lightning on the Thieves. That seemed to give Carmen and Zorro pause, but the electricity streamed over Thrud's armor, dissipating with little effect.
"Was that your last trick?" Shiro growled. "Then it's time to put an end to this charade!" With that Thrud lunged at Shiki-Ouji, arms outstretched. She had to strike decisively, but even in that split second, her grasp was unsure.
"Gotcha!" And in that moment, a blast of ice flashed forth from the darkness, striking the shikigami's legs. Without delay, a bright red chain lashed out as well, binding his upper body in place.
"Wait! An ambush?! Cowards! You bitches!" Shiki-Ouji screamed and struggled, just in time for Thrud to grab him by the neck...and tear his head off like a sheet of paper.
Shiro took a breath as the ice and chains dissipated, along with the shredded remains of their adversary. "W-who's there?" Thrud turned to face the new arrivals, her fists set.
"Why, we are simply fellow delvers of the Metaverse, dear friends." The two figures stepped into view, revealing themselves to be a young woman with straight brown hair and a man who looked much like her. Both of them were dressed incredibly strangely, even compared to the thieves. Their clothes were loose-fitting linen tunics and trousers, almost looking like pyjamas. Covering their eyes were headgear that looked very much like virtual reality goggles, trailing wires down to a padded glove on their right hands. And of course, around their necks were each a pendant...bearing the emblem of the Order of Metatron.
"Mina..." The man seemed hesitant, even timid. "...should we be talking to them? What if they're..."
"Oh, don't be silly, Jiro." The woman, apparently named Mina, waved her hand dismissively. "Such doubt will not please Matriarch Suzuki. And besides, they have tulpas too, don't you see?"
"Tulpas? And just what might-" Shiro had heard of that word somewhere before, but as to what they were... "Oh! Of course!" Thrud floated back up into the air, moving close to Shiro. "Indeed, we bear the same...tulpas as you." Better to go along with it for now.
Right on cue, Mina and Jiro's "tulpas" appeared above them, resembling a witch with a long staff and black robes, and some kind of barbarian in furs. Clearly, these beings were something resembling Personas, but...too different to dismiss. For one, instead of appearing in vivid, living color, they seemed translucent and shimmering in solid red. Almost like holograms or the images from that old video game console. For another, both of them had long, thin threads attached to their limbs, responding to their every movement. Or perhaps...directing them? The threads led off into the darkness. Wherever they came from, the source probably wasn't far, but they might be hard to track. For their part, neither Mina nor Jiro seemed to notice that their "tulpas" were puppeteered by someone else.
"Our time here is not long, at least for now." Mina smiled and reached out her hand to the Thieves. "But won't you join us on this excursion?"
"Was that your last trick?" Shiro growled. "Then it's time to put an end to this charade!" With that Thrud lunged at Shiki-Ouji, arms outstretched. She had to strike decisively, but even in that split second, her grasp was unsure.
"Gotcha!" And in that moment, a blast of ice flashed forth from the darkness, striking the shikigami's legs. Without delay, a bright red chain lashed out as well, binding his upper body in place.
"Wait! An ambush?! Cowards! You bitches!" Shiki-Ouji screamed and struggled, just in time for Thrud to grab him by the neck...and tear his head off like a sheet of paper.
Shiro took a breath as the ice and chains dissipated, along with the shredded remains of their adversary. "W-who's there?" Thrud turned to face the new arrivals, her fists set.
"Why, we are simply fellow delvers of the Metaverse, dear friends." The two figures stepped into view, revealing themselves to be a young woman with straight brown hair and a man who looked much like her. Both of them were dressed incredibly strangely, even compared to the thieves. Their clothes were loose-fitting linen tunics and trousers, almost looking like pyjamas. Covering their eyes were headgear that looked very much like virtual reality goggles, trailing wires down to a padded glove on their right hands. And of course, around their necks were each a pendant...bearing the emblem of the Order of Metatron.
"Mina..." The man seemed hesitant, even timid. "...should we be talking to them? What if they're..."
"Oh, don't be silly, Jiro." The woman, apparently named Mina, waved her hand dismissively. "Such doubt will not please Matriarch Suzuki. And besides, they have tulpas too, don't you see?"
"Tulpas? And just what might-" Shiro had heard of that word somewhere before, but as to what they were... "Oh! Of course!" Thrud floated back up into the air, moving close to Shiro. "Indeed, we bear the same...tulpas as you." Better to go along with it for now.
Right on cue, Mina and Jiro's "tulpas" appeared above them, resembling a witch with a long staff and black robes, and some kind of barbarian in furs. Clearly, these beings were something resembling Personas, but...too different to dismiss. For one, instead of appearing in vivid, living color, they seemed translucent and shimmering in solid red. Almost like holograms or the images from that old video game console. For another, both of them had long, thin threads attached to their limbs, responding to their every movement. Or perhaps...directing them? The threads led off into the darkness. Wherever they came from, the source probably wasn't far, but they might be hard to track. For their part, neither Mina nor Jiro seemed to notice that their "tulpas" were puppeteered by someone else.
"Our time here is not long, at least for now." Mina smiled and reached out her hand to the Thieves. "But won't you join us on this excursion?"