Things were finally looking up for Masahide, finding himself welcomed back into the Kendo club and once again in good relations with his cousin. His normally stoic visage had been replaced with a idle smile for the past few days, causing some gossip about the school as to the shift in his attitude. He didn't care, nor did he take any notice. For once, he felt at ease with everything going on, but he kept himself diligent with his work about the town. Today however, was one of the days he took for himself- as he had promised Yamato he would. What better to do then to visit the Cafe that had been introduced to him?

"Thank you," He offered to the barista, bowing his head as he placed his payment- a sizeable tip- upon the counter. Without waiting for thanks or appreciation, he merely took his espresso and made his way towards the back of the venue. It'd been awhile since his last time here, and even now he could still remember the friendly soul that lead him here. She had gone out of her way- even to the point of humiliation to assist him... It slowly dawned upon the boy that this might be a chance to welcome another into his life as he had done with his cousin- though on much less forced terms.

As the thoughts crossed his mind, Masa couldn't help but chuckle, taking a small sip from his cup before giving a content sigh. It was then that he noticed he wasn't the only one here, spotting a few others as well as Shizuka- merely offering her a nod if she noticed. However, she was in the company of another- and Masa dared not interject. 'Perhaps this is what they called a date?' He thought, unable to help the wicked grin that creased his lips as he watched out of the corner of his eye. It didn't last long, however, as the man finished his coffee and made his preparations to leave. Disposing of the cup, he made his way towards the entrance to the door- though stopping short as an oddly dressed duo stepped forth.

'What the hell?' Masahide internalized his curse as his eyes glanced between the two oddities before him. Perhaps they were just in costume, or merely strange in their own right... 'No reason to assume the worst,' Masa thought, though nothing could shake his unease as he glanced about the room and those within it. The breaking point came when the men reached for what looked like a mask, prompting Masa to growl under his breath before recoling.

'Who are they?!' He internalized, the palpable feeling of dread arising from his stomach. He then remembered hearing the rumors about cultists and their relations to the kidnappings... But here in broad daylight? They must be crazy... Without a second thought, Masa turned round to warn the others, though felt himself topple backwards as he felt the collar of his shirt ruffle from behind. He had no opportunity to correct himself, being forced back further into a few more people that he had not noticed at first. If it had been just the two, he might have had a fighting chance- lashing out with a savage right that connected and staggered one of the cultists, but when he felt the sudden pang of pain as the needle broke through the flesh of his neck, Masa knew his time was short.

Already his vision had become blurry, unable to make out even the simplest of outlines as the figures before him became nothing but a blur. As he offered one last futile strike against his assailants, a heavy force struck the boy on the back of his head. With nary a sound, darkness overcame Masahide, as he slipped into unconsciousness.

==~==

Mako stared at the notebook in his hands, feeling conflicted. Precious few of the pages had been filled up with what could only generously be called, "findings" on the nature of the kidnappings taking place in the city. He'd made connections, tangents, written down suspicions and whatever semi-pertinent information he could compile, but trying to connect it in a meaningful way was an exercise in frustration, not to mention it just made him look like a crazy conspiracy theorist. He had his hunches, his theories, but that was really about it. Nothing that would force anyone he confronted to tell the truth, anyway.

Of course, perhaps that's the problem, he thought to himself. Maybe I'm going about this the wrong way. It's not like I've tried asking directly yet.

It was a risky proposition, with few guarantees of getting any legitimate answers, but it would be better than nothing. Certainly better than his rather non-productive sleuthing. If he was turned down or misled, it wasn't like he was losing anything, anyway- he still had all the information he'd already acquired. And even being denied could have beneficial information for him, depending on how the person he asked reacted. He nodded to himself.

So, it's a plan, then. I find someone that I suspect is operating with the group, and ask them straight. Preferably someone who's been involved for a decent amount of time- Rui or Sa-- erm. Someone. Someone else.

He rolled his eyes at his foolishness before rising, fishing for his wallet in order to pay for his coffee, when something outside caught his eye. A movement, unnatural and violent. And then there were people in masks walking through the front door. And then they pulled out a variety of bludgeoning implements and other nasty-looking devices, someone threw a punch, and chaos ensued.

Two of them noticed Mako looking rather dumbstruck, and leapt for him. Instinct took over as the shocked look fell from Mako's face. His fists clenched.

His elbow flew into the face of the man on Mako's left, and judging by the sound and feeling coming from underneath the mask, something had been very broken. He turned smoothly, driving a fist into the gut of the person on the right, luxuriating in the pained gasp that escaped their mouth before whipping a forearm across the side of their head, sending them careening to the ground. His vision went red as the last logical part of his mind questioned why these idiots were attacking in broad daylight silenced itself. The logic didn't matter at this point. These were enemies. They were trying to hurt people. He would hurt them back.

Arms attempted to grab him from behind, and Mako reacted, his head whipping back, the back of his head colliding with the man's masked face again, eliciting a fresh cry of pain, before he sent an elbow smashing into his solar plexus. By this point, some of the others had noticed Mako making a nuisance of himself, and were moving toward him with cautious determination. Mako grimaced- even being skilled, the advantage in numbers would be his downfall at some point. He grit his teeth.

Fine, then. You want me? I'll make you work for it.

He ducked under the swinging baton of one of the kidnappers, driving his shoulder into the man's gut and throwing him back into a collection of chairs and tables. He then winced as he felt a hard blow across his shoulder blades, before a hand holding a cloth moved into his field of vision, reaching for his face. He threw himself backwards, backhanding the offending cultist across the face and trying to backpedal, trying to find a wall he could put his back to, to keep anyone from sneaking up on him.

No such luck. Another blow came to his right side- that was going to bruise. He turned, seeing the kidnapper rearing back with his baton for another blow. Mako caught the man's wrist as it descended, twisting hard, grinning savagely at the now-thoroughly abused man's cry of anguish before wresting the baton from his grip and beating him across the face with it. He didn't waste time seeing the bastard fall, leaping over him toward the other kidnapper coming to back up his partner, bringing the baton down savagely, smashing into his shoulder. Mako raised the baton again, sending a smashing blow to the man's side, and again, and again, beating the man senseless. He raised his arm for another strike--

And felt one smashing into the back of his head, sending his vision sideways. Before he could recover, a fist slammed into his gut, forcing his breath from him in a wheeze. He couldn't really see, disoriented as it was, but he could feel it as the kidnappers still standing smashed into him, shoving him up against the wall and pinning him. He struggled, but it was little use- he was still reeling from the blow to his head.

"Hurry up! Hurry up! Quick, before he gets loose again!"

He heard the voice rasping in his ear, before a rough cloth was pressed up against his mouth and nose, the chemical it was soaked in making his head swim further.

Fuck, fuck, FUCK!! No!! I can't... you can't... I have... to...

The color was rapidly draining from the world, his vision going dark as his struggling began to cease. As the darkness closed in, he laughed ruefully to himself.

I guess I'll see... whether or not I'm right... one way or another.

...Guys.

...Please.

...Come... find me...

Most everyone headed out early in the morning. Surprisingly, Noboru was late, he heard that he decided to stay in the hospital that night. Everyone else had arrived, and as expected Matthew was here first. If Rui didn't head out earlier it looked like Matthew was ready to try and one man this entire ordeal.

After awhile, everyone had arrived, the intention was to head out as soon as possible.

"I will wait out here... I don't think we can afford to wait anymore, if anyone comes late I'll bring them over", he said.

"Right..."

---

The crossroads again, but there was a new path that went beyond the two dungeons from the other week. This one led to a larger square with three long paths that led to each of the three dungeons, as they expected. There was almost relief when they saw the dungeons, first of all it confirmed that this was still the same incident they were pursuing, and next of all... One of them actually said "Moritomi", which confirmed that was the dungeon pertaining to Mako.

"There's three this time... Me and Kami will lead two parties, but that means I'll need to assign someone to the third...", he commented. Moritomi Home for the Disturbed, Hall of the Slain, and Super Magical Runway. Everyone could tell which one was Shizuka's. Silently everyone nodded and said to themselves, "it's definitely the Super Magical Runway".

"I will lead the party for the Super Magical Runway, Matthew, Sato and Akane. Kami, you will take Alexei, Kotori, and Riku", and now for the third party... Who should lead it...?

"Tadao, you will lead the third party. Take Chiaki, Ryan, and Seighardt with you", he said. Tadao ever the cooperative of Kazuki's posse, accepted graciously. He then turned to the navigators.

"Ayano will be navigating Kami's team while Megumi will monitor mine. Tadao, you will not have navigation support, so stick to scouting out the dungeon until one of the other two teams are free to relay support", he ordered.

"Now, we'll take a moment to prepare before we head out"

@floodtalon@oblivion666@sen@takaru@haru nyan@itano123@diabolicalrhapsody@i-am-x

Kotori Shirohane - Warakuma Shopping District: Shirohane Residence | Saturday, June 27 2015 - After School

Kotori had been in her room, sitting at her desk and working on the weekend's homework when an unexpected sound almost made her jump in surprise. It took her a moment to realise that all it had been was her phone letting her know someone was calling which had interrupted her concentration so suddenly - and leaving her to feel a little silly for being so surprised. That feeling however was quickly lost when she saw who the caller was - one Shinichi, Rui. A sinking feeling began to take hold once again - given what had happened on the previous weekends, such a message rarely bode well. After a moment's hesitation, Kotori answered the call and found her fear to be entirely warranted - there had been another kidnapping. However, as Rui quickly explained the situation, the worry she'd harboured a week before too came to be when it turned out that this time around there had been three victims - and only took a turn for the worse when he mentioned that they knew one of them to be her underclassman and fellow Agriculture Club member, Shizuka.

Kotori was immediate in her agreement to meet up first thing in the following morning to mount another rescue - even if the worries wouldn't make for a very restful night.

Kotori Shirohane - Mirror World: Crossroads | Sunday, June 28 2015

Kotori was still quite out of breath from having rushed over to the warehouse as quickly as possible. Once there, she found both Matthew and Rui already present - the former looking rather worried and impatient to finally get going, understandably. It didn't take long for the rest of the team to arrive one after another - and those present didn't want to wait much longer for any late arrivals today, given the unprecedented scope of operations; including the two newest members Ryan and Sieghardt.

As ever, a brief shiver came over Kotori as she entered the Mirror World - no matter how many times she came here, she still couldn't get used to the strangeness that surrounded them at every turn. However, much like the times before, she pushed on nonetheless as the navigators quickly identified the quickest way to the kidnappees - and thereby leading them once again to a crossroads, splitting off into three rather distinct places: the Moritomi Home for the Disturbed, the Hall of the Slain and the Super Magical Runway. Kotori blinked at the rather odd line-up - not just because one of these seemed a bit out of place next to the others, but because she also recognised the name as that of one of her classmates, Mako Moritomi. Worries crept up once again - even if she knew them to be irrational, she couldn't help but wonder if these kidnappings had something to do with her, given how two of them were relatable to her.

Shaking her head to put the nagging fears aside as well as she could, Kotori focused her attention back to the matter at hand as Rui began to assign the groups. He'd be leading Matthew, Sato and Akane into the Super Magical Runway under Megumi's supervision whilst Kami would be the lead for Alexei, Riku and herself with Ayano's support. Finally, Tadao would be leading Chiaki, Ryan and Sieghardt to scout the third dungeon. Though Kotori would have liked to help with what by all accounts appeared to be Shizuka's captivity, she still agreed to the composition - after all, there were still others that were caught inside these strange places and these would be no less dangerous and therefore in need of everyone's abilities to reach, including her and Kikuri-Hime's healing spells.

As such, she'd given a slightly reluctant nod as they gathered everything they needed, made any last minute preparations and got ready to head out. As they exchanged some final good luck wishes and the like, Kotori gave a small bow to the group heading to Shizuka's aid before speaking. "Uhm... please bring her back safely," she said, the worried tone evident in her voice - even more so when, as she began speaking, she realised that saying such was really not all that necessary, given that that was the exact purpose for which they'd come here after all; leaving her to briefly fidget with her fingertips before quickly turning back to join her own group and give a nod to show her readiness to proceed onwards, lingering worries notwithstanding.

JUNE 28TH 2015, SUNDAY
Mid-day
It would be a regular Sunday morning, but like a weekly chore, Sato had gotten a text from Rui the night before. Three people had gotten kidnapped by the cult, and it took place in broad daylight at the Star Drop Café, or rather, the cosplay café. As Sato walked to the old warehouse, his mind immediately thought of the people he’d seen there… Shizuka, Kenji, Akira, Mako…? Were the latter two even regulars? Despite the circumstances, Sato found a bittersweet smile on his face. who knew that the cosplay café would come back to haunt him like this.

The team met up in the mirror world, at the crossroads from last time. Ryan and Sieghardt (who’s presence surprised him a little, but he barely knew Sieg so he decided not to talk to him) were there, new additions to the group. Did they have enough people if there were three dungeons, let alone enough navigators? Hopefully they had the skill, luck, and endurance to get by with whatever they got.

They walked further down the Mirror World path, only to stumble upon a square branching off three different ways. The dungeon labelled “Moritomi”, and the one unanimously agreed to be Shizuka’s, made Sato’s stomach lurch. His suspicions were confirmed. For the first time, he had actual connections to the victims. Two of the them, at once. It wasn’t like he could choose one to take on first, so he looked to Rui for the formations.
As Sato expected, Rui wasted no time in dividing the team into parties. Sato was with Rui himself, Matthew, and Akane, and they were to lead the exploration of the ‘Super Magical Runway’.

Everyone broke off for a minute to get any last-minute preparation done, and just before they were going to start, Kotori approached Sato’s group to tell them her wish.

“Don’t worry.” Sato replied. “We’ll save her, no matter what. I promise.”

Matt || Saturday

“Wh-what should I wear tomorrow? Uhhh this is the first time I’ve been...:” Matt was in his room looking through his closet that was pretty damn bare, he looked through his few casual shirts and his only dress shirt.
Matt put all his thoughts about the day ahead to the side as he checked his phone.
The next few moments were a total blur as he ran out through the complex, down the street letting his feet drag him to the what seemed to be the destination.

Huffing and heaving Matt talked in between breaths in a total blur. All he knew was the bastards had gotten to Shizu, the person he wanted to keep out of this the most, on arrival he was prepared to fight through the police to the scene but Rui arrived while he was still simply panicking.

Remembering parts of the evening later, Matt thought on how distraught he must have seemed and how Rui tried to calm him down. He was in his room that was now even more of a mess from before he left, unable to sleep Matt kept thinking, trying to think of why, but no answers could come as the boy finally faded away into a dreamless sleep.

Sunday

Unsurprisingly Matt felt no better about everything than the night before, getting up early he was ready to go in moments and left for the warehouse as soon as he was prepared. Being the first one there made the boy impatient and with every moment it grew, though in worrying so much he seemed to have practically ignored the fact there were two other people that were kidnapped.

Just as he was about to grow too impatient to wait anymore the others started to finally rock up and they entered the mirror world to the crossroads.

Upon entering Matt recognised the path that would lead to the one he wanted to save straight away and it took everything to resist just running straight through ‘super magical runway’. Instead he stayed put and listened to the groupings, of course it didn’t matter if he was put in another group he would have followed the same path anyway.
After the groups were decided everyone made final preparations for the fights ahead, and Matt waited with his group until Kotori came over. In his state Matt had almost forgotten who was here but she came over expressing her wish for everyone to bring Shizu back safely.

“Of course, I won't let a fucking thing happen” as it turned out Matt hadn't calmed down at all….

Despite the fact that the park wasn't empty, it certainly felt like it was for Ayano. There were mothers with their children, middle-aged businessmen, old couples, and students from both Warakuma High and other schools but despite the abundance of people, the brunette felt the heavy silence between her and Kami. Needless to say, it was a very awkward situation. She even overheard two housewives thinking they were a couple going through something due to the distance and silence of the two teenagers, when she heard this, Ayano looked away from the boy and her she covered her face with her hands to hide the blush on her face. She groaned, people sure are quick to assume such things nowadays. She glanced a quick look at the boy, opening her mouth to say something but just as she was going to a familiar duo appeared out in the corner of her eye.

It was Rui and Kazuki, she wasn't sure how to feel. On one hand, she was thankful for them appearing and intercepting her conversation before it even started, who knows how embarrassing that would've ended, but on the other she felt shorthanded...

"Am I interrupting something Kami?"

When the boy said that, the light blush that had subsided earlier had returned with full-effect. In a way he kind of did interrupt something...but that was something the girl didn't want to admit outright. After the initial shock, Kami began to unravel just what exactly kind of evidence and data he had discovered, if it was as urgent as that Kazuki guy had asked then surely it must be something eye-popping.

As the boy told the three of them what he had discovered so far, Ayano felt a chill run down her spine...It was one thing to read an enthralling murder-mystery novel, or play a visual novel with a similar genre or premise, but to actually be part of such a thing was decidedly leaning towards the "scary" side of the spectrum rather than "fun", or "entertaining". The whole concept of "salvation" for the cultists reminds the girl of a series of games she had played before, the whole "zealot's askew perceptions of paradise" concept was a little trite but nonetheless scary when one were to think deeply about it. Were this a RPG, Ayano would be confused on whether they're the Law faction or the Chaos one. Kami continued with his report and Ayano earnestly listened, taking mental notes as best as she could.

Lady Asai...It was the name that one cultist said in Alexei's dungeon. She still couldn't believe her eyes when a shadow was summoned from that cultist, it was something out of a horror movie needless to say. Shaking her head, she returned her focus to the woman named Asai, who was apparently the cult leader's deceased wife and the Mirror World is their "paradise", it sounds like something out of Silent Hill...Crazy cults, dead wives communicating through their husbands using otherworldly things, confronting the inner psyche and the monsters born from one's flaws, what next? Will Warakuma be covered in fog? Will they be entering a dungeon full of blood, rust and a certain entity with a shape for a head? And just when you think it'd be easy to just go ahead and kill the cult leader, he's sealed himself away deep in the Mirror World, just great. If that man didn't sound like an end-game boss, Ayano doesn't know what is. She's already calling dibs that he'll have two forms or something. And that concludes Kami's report, certainly a big chunk of data had been revealed to them, and if anything it did make understanding the cult an their motivation's a little easier. Eventually, Rui and Kazuki left, leaving Ayano and Kami alone once again...She breathed deeply and faced the boy, a small smile on her lips.

"Do...you want to get some ice cream?"

After all, he must be beat after all that investigating.

---

No rest for the wicked, that's what it seemed like for the Investigation Group. This time, they had three victims chosen to go this "paradise" while the name's weren't exactly familiar to Ayano, she nonetheless felt a sense of justice that she just needed to save these three. When they had reached the crossroads, she glanced at the names of the three structures that they'd be facing...
"Moritomi Home for the Disturbed", "Hall of the Slain", and "Super Magical Runway".
Seeing the name of the last almost made Ayano laugh, she hummed the tune of "One of these is not like the others." to express her surprise at the dungeon, but then one remembers that life and death are on the line. The brunette steeled herself, no matter how many times she's done it, she still feels a sense of uneasiness and anxiety whenever she has to summon Dantalion.

Ryan had almost gotten lost on his way to the warehouse and had luckily been saved by a passerby. They directed him towards the warehouse with a knowing smile, likely assuming he was going there for some teenage mischief. Ryan shivered as he passed into the Mirror World, it felt strange. He met up with everyone and stared at the three destinations that lay before him.

There was the Moritomi Home For The Disturbed, the Hall of The Slain, and the... Super Magical Runway? Ryan resisted the urge to laugh, this was a life and death scenario. Seriously though? It couldn't be more out of place. Rui decided to lead the party for Super Magical Runway and Ryan died a little on the inside. Of course he was going to get put with one of the creepier dungeons. Was his dungeon creepy? A question for another time.

Ryan turned towards his group and put on his best smile. "I guess I'm going to be working with you guys. I'm Ryan, it's nice to meet you all."

Akane Hanazawa // Mirror World - Crossroads
Sunday, June 28th, 2015

Ah, back here again. She thought as they've returned to the crossroads. However, this time there was a new path that wasn't here before, One that lead to 3 more paths. So it's 3 people this time, hmm... Given the way everyone was acting when they all assembled, she can guess that one of the people they were here to save was someone that they knew. One of them being more obvious and worse than the others, that one being Matt.

Though, she would come to find out that one of the three was a classmate of hers, Mako Moritomi. She didn't know him all that well but still, it doesn't change the fact she knows him and that he needs to be saved. Given the amount of people they needed to save, she wondered who was going where. Once the lineups were decided, she grinned. "Back in the A-Team, huh?" While making an expression that basically said, about damn time.

Before they about to head off, Kotori came over to them and asked them to bring the person back safely. She smiled before nodding in Kotori's direction as if saying, you can count on us. As Kotori headed back towards her group, Akane looked towards the direction of the dungeon they were heading off to and made an off-handed comment about the name of the dungeon. "Super Magical Runway....With a name like that, I wonder if the person is just as strange..." she joked.

She could tell as soon as she said it that it probably wasn't exactly one of the most appropriate things to say, despite meaning no ill will, especially considering a certain person in particular who isn't exactly calm at the moment. Opps

The dungeon was gaudy, full of bright and girlish colours, but also neon lights and spotlights, it was like a psychedelic little girl used the brightest colours in the box and draw something. Still, it was very obvious who was at the end of this...

"Hmmmm... I didn't know she had that kind of side...", he was of course referring to how bright everything was. She was always so reserved otherwise.

The beginning of this dungeon was a run way... Well, or rather, it was the entrance hall, it was almost like they went to a convention center which was holding a fashion show, and this entrance hall served also as an exhibition hall. Mannequins lined the sides, all wearing costumes, some he recognized from various anime and games, others not so much.

For now, they seemed to be going fine...

"Everything seems clear for now, but I'm sensing shadows further up ahead",

"Well, nothing else to do but advance. Let's go".

---

Kami led the party through into the dungeon. It had a grand feeling about the entrance, tall pillars and not out of place in ancient ruins. Walking into it almost felt like going into a large ruin in an RPG, the large stone doors, stone floor, and sculpted pillars gave this place an ominous feeling, nothing but cold stone with the occasional discarded junk. The statues sculpted into the pillars though had distinct features, as if they were of someone in specific, most guessed it was probably whoever they were going to save, but regardless the party continued.

"Ayano, do you sense anything ahead?", he inquired.

Ayano's scanners would begin to pick up signals from the room they were actually in already, but something would seem off... Still, it didn't seem those signals were moving in or showing hostility. Would it be safe to move ahead...?

---

Another hospital... Not that Ryan and Seighardt would know. Somewhere, Akane and Matthew were glad they didn't have to go to the hospital dungeon. Still, Tadao seemed to be leading them quite carefully. As soon as they entered the dilapidated hospital, they were already carefully inching every corner of every room. This hospital though didn't seem functional at all, graffiti everywhere, family pictures at each bedside, but upon closer inspection they were all the same... Every family member was scratched or blurred out, except for the youngest child.

This was a unnerving detail, especial since this place was so quiet. They'd already scoured a few rooms, but haven't encountered a single thing, it was unsettling, plus combined with the hospital atmosphere... It was almost as if they walked right into a haunted house of some kind...

After everyone was ready, Rui lead his team of Sato, Akane and Matthew into their dungeon of choice, 'Super Magical Runway'. Sato wasn't sure what to expect, but upon taking his first step into it, he got exactly what he expected. It was incredibly garish, with neons of the brightest colors in a crayon box. The name foreshadowed this kind of design, but even then, it was an eye-strain to say the least. And if this was the Shizuka that Sato had met, it also didn't make much sense to Sato. What kind of side of herself was she hiding...? Sure, she was an employee of the cosplay cafe, but this... was something different entirely. Never would he had expected such a place to be fitting to Shizuka.

The 'Runway' part of the title made more sense when Sato realized they were standing in a large entrance hall with all the makings of a fashion show, stalls and mannequins filling the room with all sorts of costumes and outfits. As they made their way through the rather large hall, Sato realized he recognized some of the costumes, but only a few. They were from a videogame he watched Rokurou play once. What was it... Performa 3? Platformer 3? Purseowner 3? Something like that. The name escaped him. Ignoring the decor, Sato and the rest of the team continued through the exhibition center.

Megumi informed them that while the coast was clear for shadows at the present moments, there were likely a cluster of shadows up ahead. There was no where else to go but 'up ahead', so Sato stuck close to the others as they walked forward.

Kotori Shirohane - Hall of the Slain: Floor 1 | Sunday

Even if the nagging fear could not be entirely abated, the reassurances of Akane, Matthew and Sato did bring Kotori some relief when they all agreed that they'd definitely bring Shizuka back safely. She gave a grateful bow once more before hurrying back to her group and tried to put the worries aside in order to focus on the task at hand - rescuing whoever may be caught in the rather ominously-named Hall of the Slain.

Giving one last look as the groups split up into their respective dungeons, Kotori gave a brief bow as she silently wished them all the best of luck before following Kaminari's lead. By her side were both Alexei and Riku whilst Ayano would be covering the navigation duties for them. Kotori was rather thankful that she had these proven and reliable companions beside her as she nervously began to glance about the entrance that they drew close to. Crumbling pillars lined the path that lead to a large stone door; a sight that wouldn't be entirely out of place in a novel.

As the came closer, some of the ruined pillars began to instead show some semblance to craftsmanship about them - and as they reached the door, there was an induitable likeness carved into them, though their dilapidated state made it difficult to tell of whom it may be; though given the way that such places usually reflected their captives, it was likely to be the kidnapping victim or someone very important to them. The figures did seem vaguely familiar to Kotori, but she couldn't tell for sure - instead, she quickly shook her head lest she try to read too much into the weathered stone.

Having passed through the large door, Kaminari spoke up to address Ayano and asked for her to scan the surroundings. Luckily, they didn't have to wait for long as she could soon report back - with the rather worrying news that there were indeed readings in the very same room. Kotori quickly began glancing about to try and see where these shadows might be - only for Ayano to continue on and note that something was odd about these readings. They were neither moving nor being overtly hostile as usual - that sounded almost familiar as Kotori thought back to the strange dungeon that was an enormous tower on the outside but a sprawling open battlfield on the inside with shadows which had ignored them upon it. Was this case perhaps a similar one?

With the uncertainty surrounding their situation, Kotori couldn't help but feel nervous - though luckily, the three at her side all seemed to be far less fazed by all this; a small measure of comfort at least. Taking a breath to calm herself, Kotori instead prepared herself for the upcoming dungeon - and feeling the presence of Kikuri-Hime within herself as ready as ever did help somewhat to alleviate some of her worries.

Akane Hanazawa // Mirror World // Super Magical Runway F1
Sunday, June 28th, 2015

The moment she entered the dungeon......she instantly regretted it. By no means this was made out of fear or anything...well maybe it was, out of fear of what she was seeing at this very moment. Her eyes twitched as she could feel a sharp pain in her eyes. The painnnnnnnn...the nightmareeeeee.....

"ARGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" she couldn't hold it back anymore, the ungodly design of this dungeon will be the death of her. "MY EYEEEESSSSSSSS!!!" she continued before breaking into a laugh, deciding to be serious. "But seriously, the colors are just awful. I think I've just found a new reason to beat the shit out of that shadow, anyone who makes something like this needs to be buried 6 feet under." she said with a sigh as she continued walking with the others with her hands behind her back.

"We should probably have a serious talk with the girl (Shizuka) about her choice in colors...." she muttered to herself as they walked down the hallway and past the mannequins. Shaking her head, they moved on.

When Kami's group had reached the entrance of the dungeon Ayano couldn't shake the feeling that they were embarking on some quest to gather the four crystals or something, it just felt like they were in a classic 80's-style RPG or going off to raid tombs and find ancient relics. Although it certainly lacked the charm of both of these things and went in a more ominous and unnerving direction, it's the Mirror World, so obviously something labelled "Hall of the Slain" would put up warning sirens, even that whole "Super Magical Runway" sounds just as dangerous despite its cheesy name.

Without any delay but still with some hesitation, Ayano summoned Dantalion once more, the blue flames surrounding her as she summoned the Goetic demon as it appeared behind her, various holographic screens appearing in front of her. She nodded to the party as they ventured into the dungeon, wishing them good luck. Not even a moment's pass did she already get strange readings on her screens, they didn't seem hostile but for how long until they start springing into action and tear the group asunder? Wouldn't that be an unfortunate sneak attack? Adjusting her headphones and grabbing on the mic, she urged the party to move forward.

"Be on your guard guys, the signals I'm getting aren't hostile, but better safe than sorry."

More mannequins...? Well, there didn't seem to be any shadows here, this must be exhibition hall of some sort though. Everywhere the party looked, these mannequins had some large props with them, most of which were weapons. Megumi wasn't sensing anything strange, so Rui headed forward to open the door, but as soon as he touched the handle, the spotlights behind him went crazy and the room was turned into a psychedelic dance floor. The lights around the mannequins dimmed, and as he turned to observe what was happening, all of the mannequins sprang to life, wielding their props as weapons, Rui found himself immediately blocking an attack with his blade, a mannequin wielding a colossal cannon with twin tails, but it was quickly repelled, everyone else seemed to be under attack too.

"They're really fast... But, not very sturdy. Just be careful, if you attack recklessly their speed will let them punish you", they weren't the only ones who were fast though... Rui began to cast Sukukaja on himself as he barked an order.

"Stand back to back to each other, and wait for my signal", he said. He needed a perfect moment to catch all of these costumed mannequins in a good Gale Slash, and give his party a chance to clean house. Matthew should be well suited to it with his fire spells, but thinning them out would be a big stride all the same.

---

They're... They're moving... This is what Ayano thought as she watched her screen. Of course, Kami and the party he was leading was moving, but the signatures she saw before were also moving... They still weren't hostile, but this was disturbing.

Meanwhile, on Kami's end, he and the party swept through some norse soldier-looking shadows that appeared from time to time, although they took an appearance similar to undead, skeletons or zombies really, and occasionally there'd be a big knight type, otherwise, things were progressing nicely... Yet, at the same time things didn't feel right... Still, all they could do was continue moving on. As they moved along though, the features of this area became more and more worn away, though fortunately this dungeon was rather straightforward, go through some doors, up some stairs, through a hallway, it was all rather simple. They even passed a big dining hall too.

Eventually the party reached a kind of hall, it was empty, no shadows in sight, but as Ayano was spotting on her sensors now... Those signatures from the first room were surrounding the party at the same time, but as she would report this, the party could see nothing.

---

This dungeon was turning out to be more a puzzle and a horror game experience than a dungeon... Barely any shadows, and what few they saw scampered off in fear. Hallways seemed to repeat, each time they looped around a new door would be open, and so on... This would've been a boring experience if not for the occasional ambient sounds. Screeching noises that sounded almost like screaming, somewhat unintelligible words muttered in the distance, shadows moving where there should be nothing... Ever-stoic was Tadao in the lead, but it seems the atmosphere was beginning to get to him too, he began to look around more than when they started out.

Eventually they came to a ward. Except, it was in prime condition. The white curtains billowed to a wind that the party could not feel, with windows showing out to a pitch black outside, and a dim light from a source no one could see. With everything cleaned up though, this looked less like a regular hospital, and more like a mental ward. There wasn't much in terms of physical medical equipment, but more homely items, books, board games, and so on... A small lounge was here too... Though despite all that, the pictures on the shelves, were still the same as when they walked in. Whole family blotted out some way or some form, except for what appears to be the youngest child.

"We have no navigation, we should wait here for a bit until one of the other navigators contact us. For now, I feel like this room is key to this dungeon. It's unique first of all, but there also seems to be no way forward from here...", he said. They should probably investigate this place...

So far from what they can see, the book case seemed to stand out a bit more, the TV by the little lounge was blinking at unexpected points, there was one bed with messy covers in comparison to the immaculate made other beds, and the wall on the back had even more pictures...

@Sho Minazuki@oblivion666

Ryan jumped at every sudden sound, constantly looking around to see if something was going to jump at him from an unseen corner or just slightly too dark shadow. It was nerve racking, knowing that anything could try and kill him at any time. "Why couldn't I have gotten Super Magical Runway. I might have even preferred the Hall of The Slain over this." He mumbled to himself as he observed the photos on the walls. The entire family was scratched out except for the youngest. What a strange detail.

They finally stopped at a ward that stood out from the rest of the dungeon. Mainly because everything was really clean. Their leader decided to have them investigate the room and Ryan moved over to the TV.

Matt || Super Magical Runway F1

Walking through to the dungeon Matt was quite literally going blind with rage, with every eye popping bright colour he saw he got dizzier and a headache that got worse with every moment. Walking through the dungeon his urge to burn everything grew and grew as he tried to ignore the surroundings and the comments made, but one comment pissed him off worse than he already was.

“You try burying anyone six feet under and I’ll fucking burn you with the rest of this place” Judging the mood he was in right now it would be hard to say if he would seriously try that or not.
Matt then stayed silent until Rui opened a door which lead to some crazy dance floor where the mannequins around started coming to life.

Seeing this as an opportunity to lash out Matt couldn’t hold back,
“IM GOING TO FUCKING BURN IT ALL [MARAGION]” Summoning Kresnik Matt let loose.

As they approached a door at the end of the hall, Sato noticed a feeling of unease. The mannequins that filled the huge room seemed eerily dangerous, with weapons as props. They made sense, being cosplay, but it was a bit unnerving in the middle of the mirror world.

And of course, the dungeon was too happy to be as it seemed. As soon as Rui touched the handle of the door, the room sprang to life. The lights freaked out, dimming in places with spotlights swinging in all sorts of lights like some knock-off rave. Worse yet was that the mannequins also literally sprang to life, as Sato narrowly avoided being hacked apart the head by one of them brandishing a katana. Sato retaliated with his persona, hacking it apart with a swing of its scythe.

They were all surrounded by the horde of mannequins. They didn't seem particularly strong, but this was a game of numbers that they were easily losing. They didn't need to hit hard, just fast, and Sato couldn't really do either. So he sunk behind everyone, facing the door, letting the others deal with the bulk of the crowd while he knocked off anything closing in from the back. While it wouldn't be the end of the world if someone got hit by one of the mannequins, it's pretty likely they could, so Sato summoned his persona again, casting a Marakukaja. Just in case. It was as he did this, did Sato hear just how pissed off Matt seemed to be. Accentuated by his accented speech, Matt's persona set fire to the crowd of mannequins. The wall of fire pushed them back, ironically giving the team breathing room.

Lacking anything like that, Sato merely drew his bow and launched an arrow. It whizzed past Akane's ear, cracking through a mannequin's head. Sato cringed when he heard the arrow snap, but it was accompanied by the sound of the mannequin's 'skull' breaking, so it wasn't all bad. Truth be told, Sato wasn't really aiming, he was just making sure to not hit the others. It worked out well enough, so he repeated after making sure there wasn't anything creeping up.

Akane Hanazawa // Mirror World // Super Magical Runway F1
Sunday, June 28th, 2015

The moment Matt exploded and finally reacted, Akane burst out laughing. She was surprised that he held out for as long as he had. Well, it's better then bottling his anger up and brooding to himself and potentially making things worse for them. That isn't to say she potentially made things worse, but hey, he's so pissed off now his flames will be more intense and put on a better show, right? Him going berserk might be interesting as well, who knows.

As they kept walking, this time being some sort of exhibition hall, they didn't come across any shadows. Just those same ole mannequins, Though.... looking suspiciously at them, Don't recall them having weapons before, she laughed awkwardly to herself, having a a similar feeling to it. As the lights dimmed, sure enough, they sprang to life. Similar indeed, "Just like the garbage from before..." she said to no one in particular, recalling the similarities to one of the previous dungeons. Though, they aren't be controlled by strings this time. Well, at least not any they were aware of anyways.

Before they knew it they were attacked and barely blocking in time before they ended up standing back-to-back as Megumi gave her analysis and Rui, his orders. "Speed, huh?" she said to herself. Well, that leaves just... Vile assault wouldn't cut it here, nor isn't it a time for defense. "Let's start with this...." she mumbled to herself as she started casting Matarukaja on everyone to give them more firepower. After all, they needed to take out as much as possible.

As they waited on Rui's signal, she summoned Setanta as she prepared to follow up with a Kill Rush.

Rui waited for the right moment, for the mannequins to line up perfectly. His Persona's Gale Slash would not be able to catch all of them, unless they were close enough, it's reach wasn't unlimited after all. Everyone kept a keen watch, and then in one final moment, he summoned his Persona, which only appeared for a mere second before the area around the party was swept up in a whirlwind of slashes. The mannequins now stopped in their tracks were blasted away by Matt's powerful fire Persona Kresnik with the spell Maragion, and after that, it was just cleanup. This little battle was not particularly difficult... But it could have been a lot more troublesome had they not had area of effect spells. They were just lucky they were properly equipped for this.

Beyond this room was a set of stairs, it seemed to lead up. This was the only way forward, so they took it.

The second floor was rather... Strange. It was darker, and the design looked more like a regular house, but it was of course suspiciously spacious, like these dungeons usually were. At the very end was a giant door, or rather, TV. What the party was looking at could only be described as a Let's Play of a dating sim game, but after awhile there were pointers that made it clear that the main character was a girl, as if the male subjects weren't a give-away that is. This area of the dungeon was a bit easier on the eyes, but eventually the progression on screen stopped, and the screen did turned perspective, now the party was looking through the boy's point of view, and there was a set of choices...

> Embrace her
> Kiss her
> Reject her

Anyone here could rush to make a choice themselves, but... It's probably likely this was a little meaningless. Then again the area they were in had the feeling of playing a game in a dark bedroom... This probably had more meaning for the one they were rescuing than anyone else here. So what to pick? Or maybe he should just bust the screen...

---

It was a somewhat unsettling rest for everyone... Ryan tried to examine the TV, there was a remote, but the channels all were the same. Nothing. Just static and more static, and even more static. Tadao was examining the beds... Or rather, doing up the only unruffled bed, and found a picture. Unlike the others though, this one wasn't blotted out, but as he examined it for a few moments, he thought he saw a shadow flicker in the corner of the picture, startled, he dropped it.

The static on the TV that Ryan was looking at began to show a featureless face, black, with two round blank eyes, and a crescent curved smile, he wanted to look away, this was a pretty terrifying experience, but he couldn't. The longer he looked, the more that face began to become clear, the lines became savage, the flickering became faster, and within moments the TV burst, it's screen shattered. Everyone turned to the now destroyed TV, and inside it there was another picture... It was similar to the ones that were plastered everywhere, all faces blotted out except one, but this one had two that were not blotted out. Upon closer inspection, the eldest child in the picture had a noose around his neck.

Although what was most interesting was on the back, there was a name, "Haku"... This dungeon felt more like an unravelling of a mystery than well, a dungeon... Nothing seemed to be out to attack them, no shadows, nothing. It was like they walked into a horror game of sorts. Still, the name might be a key of sorts, and perhaps related to the difference in picture on the front. Maybe there was a way forward in this room... It was like this room was giving them a way to identify the people in the pictures.