Fandom Persona 5: The Meta War CLOSED

[Nellancholy]

The past few days had gone by fairly uneventfully for Shiro. The pain of the grievous injuries suffered at the hands of those loathsome sellswords in the Metaverse had soon dulled to a mild stiffness. It was possible to draw blood in that world, certainly. But the death proffered there was death in spirit even more than body, and that was just as decisive and deadly. The gang had set up camp in Ginza for the time being, though their little "operation" there would hopefully come to an end soon. The notion of shiny, clean hunting grounds with rich folk and tourists milling around seemed more appealing at first, but rich people meant more security, and more attention on the kind of scruffy louts they were. Even lifting a wallet was risky. Thankfully, they probably wouldn't need to stay there for much longer.

Sneaking into the school was a bit harder than it was before. Things seemed to be more tense than usual, and everyone was on edge. A few of the students seemed to be wearing the Order's pendants, too. Shiro couldn't wait to see the look on the Matriarch's face when they wiped the Order out...

"I have no intention of dressing in the manner of a fat cat like you." Shiro glanced at Morgana as she joined the rest of the Thieves at their table. "Do you believe we can garner wealth from our endeavors?"

She looked around at the others. For better or worse, she tended to stand out, and even the newcomers must have had strong impressions of her. "You have grown, Ogawa. Or what little you could in these past days. Let us go once more unto the breach, so that you may win your vindication." That sentence carried some hint of approval.

 

[accursedjobber]

The last screw was firmly replaced as Isao finished installing the boy's toilet vent back into place, after fishing out a sports bag jostling with contraband instead of baseball bats. Even if Isao could fall into the safety net of the no damage or harm fallacy for his vandalism he couldn't extend that towards a bag filled with contraband. Isao was kept busy in the days between retracing the spots he used for the investigation of cryptid 7 for stashing spots and researching the names of his compatriots to be placed into his investigation journal.

Though this didn't go far as Isao didn't want to dig a bigger hole for himself not to mention it felt intrusive to peek at people's private records without proper legal recourse. It wasn't like it would be needed in Isao's over confident opinion they seemed to be relatively well adjusted individuals, even as he went down his profiles notes in his notepad.

Ann: Despite prior actions seems normal as a caring and non crazed girl with a moral compass despite past information gathered from peers, not matching with peers.

note: Self may be compromised by grudge, amend grudge by acquiring monetary repayment.​

Masami: No extreme behavioral traits noticed, was able to converse with her, no abnormal reactions noted about cryptid.
Morgana: personality seems more well rounded and decent with capacity for good humor /pg 12 - continue on observation notes for it
Shiro: Very determined and brave in a fight though traits outside of it is a rough and rude towards others, probable delinquent.

Note: never follow alone into a dark alley, probably has a pocket knife and a confirmed strong arm​

Tragedy: Confirmed to be the bystander in Ginza, extreme dedication and commitment if first exposure to carry on, need further assessment.

Isao's dissatisfaction over the abundance of empty space caused by the lack of time and information invested into it, his presumptions that there would a pattern of depravity were so far off, well in a majority of cases even if it was still too early for any assessments. Quickening his limp as he attempted to reduce his lateness while hefting the sports bag through the libraries door as he approached the group catching only Shiro's words.

"Sorry for my tardiness" Dropping the bag with a clutter underneath the table as he slumped into the chair thankful that his shoulder was finally free of it's shackle and finally relaxing. Already regretting volunteering to smuggle stash the weapons inside the school in a effort to save time and trouble.

 

[Anthem]

Breaking his usual norm of staying silent during these meetings, Imato would clear his throat before speaking out as his more relaxed demeanor quickly turned into one showing professionalism and dedication to the matter at hand. "Now then, since everyone is here I believe it would be in our best favor to go over the plans once more. I doubt I have the need to remind you all but just in case... Our time to train and prepare is coming to a close, the Order's forces are gaining too tight of a grip on the community." Amidst his speech, Imato made his way over to the sports bag that Isao graciously trudged to their meeting area and carefully pulled out a small journal that he had hidden within the bag. Inside were notes along with photos of students and passerby's that had the Order's emblem in some form on their attire.

"I hate to be the one to say it, but if this continues we're effin' screwed." He would blatantly say before taking a seat once again, sighing as he thought of what to say next carefully before continuing. "That leaves us with planning for the infiltration, we need to decide on what our plan is and assign teams if we must." Imato thought back to when the thieves were in the Metaverse Café, discussing ideas such as having teams for different parts of the job. He figured that making a plan for this now would be best, since even if someone like Baron is there to help them the fight will be a tough one no matter what. "So, I end with this... What's your ideas? We need 'em." He finished as he returned to his silence, ready to take mental notes of what would be said.

 

[Nellancholy]

"Finally! Some initiative." Shiro uncrossed her arms, making eye contact with the serious boy through his mask. Then again, most of the time spent with this bunch so far was with her peering through the dark visor of a helmet that covered her entire face. The newcomers had acquitted themselves well enough over the past days as they grew into their Personae. Being able to blow things up was hardly a proof of good character, as those mercs showed very well. But at least they knew how to work together and use their Personae without stepping on each others toes. "If anyone else wishes to draw up plans for battle, I will hear. If all are in one accord, I shall follow."

She drew her hands apart slightly on the table, as if unfurling a map or a blueprint. "A frontal assault like that on Kajiki's palace is unlikely to be our way in. At least, not by itself. You've spoken much of 'diversion', and I'm quite ready to shoulder that role. Thrud and I can weather whatever they bring to bear...the best among us." Even if she had her doubts, she did not voice them. And really, it was quite true. "And when the time comes to clear the stage, we do not lack in speed either." Part of every operation was the exit. "I make clear only that those of us who choose to attack the laboratory and take the Matriarch's treasure should be certain in their abilities. Don't make me have to go in there myself."

 

[That Weird girl]

Morgana smiled at Masami's commented and then frowned at Shiro's comment and shook his head, "I am not-" Morgana paused and watched more people file in to the group and listened to Imato and Shiro and nodded. The cat did not care who did what as long as the job got done and now that he was more confident in his abilities he felt like he could take the treasure but he also thought the newbies could also do it. "I can take the treasure...i'll be like ninja Morgana and that horrible lady won't see me coming and then YOINK!" Morgana made a motion in the air with his paw.

It was never that easy...Ann rolled her eyes at Morgana hating his idea and thought it was stupid as hell. "How about you go with Masami and Tragedy and get the treasure." Morgana sighed and nodded, "Ok it sounded cooler in my head...can my code name be ninja?" Ann pressed a finger on her temple and heaved a big sigh, "Focus Morgana. This is the most important battle of our lives and if you fuck it up trying to be cool then Suzuki takes over Tokyo for good." Ann tried to hammer in the serisouness of the situation to her cat friend.

Morgana knew he was not going to fuck it up but sometimes treasure made him go crazy and do stupid things. He was sure to be a good teammate and help out but he also wanted the money. The cat was starting to believe in the Phantom thieves a little bit but he was still using them for easy access to palaces and the treasure. Morgana did not let anyone know that though because he would be kicked off the team if they found out. It was just luck that Kajiki had treasure and was a bad person and same with Suzuki too.

"If we actually pull this off," Morgana looked at everyone, "then my friends we will become legends among the metaverse and the Meta mercs will not stop until they killed us. HAHAHAH." Morgana was loving the sounds of those angry jerks as they realized the Phantom thieves took over their employer. "Remember the baton pass," He said, "you kill a shadow and transfer your power to the next person by giving them a high five...use that and I am sure Suzuki's shadow will perish and so will the meta jerks."

 

[Maeve Valor]

At Shiro's statement directed to her, Masami nodded appreciatively. She was happy with the acknowledgement in her growth. She herself liked to think she was bettering herself in increments each day as well. The same thing went with the others though it seemed. Everyone was changing, prospering in some way over the past few days.

As Imato kicked off the infiltration plan, a few others joined. With Shiro's warning about whoever went in should be certain of their skills, Masami thought back to their time in Mementos. After all the training that has happened, she can unquestionably say that she had a good handle on her abilities. And even though she didn't fully trust her teammates with her personal life just yet, she trusted them when it came to fighting on the battlefield.

Once she heard a few of the other's opinions she threw in her voice as well starting by responding to Morgana, "Yeah I never really got how our power-ups can happen from a simple high five in the Metaverse, but I digress. Splitting teams between Shiro, Isao, and Ann with You, M, and I isn't a bad set up. We will definitely need you to be on treasure duty for a clean escape if Shiro is going to be on the other team. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to bring some sort of communicator or walkie-talkies as well since our cell phones don't work there."

 

[TreasureSniper]

Sougo had been missing school for a few days now, apparently, he was sick or something based on the messages he gave to his friends. Despite this, he had been keeping up with Masami's reports. He was pleased that she was able to get into the volleyball team, but at the same time, he couldn't help but worry about her, since he wasn't at school to personally oversee the operations. "Good work with the tryouts, I am pleased to see that you are a woman of your word. Proceed cautiously and report any suspicious actions. I apologize for not being there to talk to you in person. Something came up on my end...I've left a flash drive of all the evidence you need on your parents. I will let you decide when you wanna pull the trigger...they are your flesh and blood after all." Sougo had no intention of blackmailing her at this point, simply letting them make the choice would be more appropriate. After all, he had more pressing matters to attend to. Unfortunately, he had to cancel his plans with Kasumi, as he had to prioritize his Metaverse operations. The Metamercs have become much more active lately, making it much more difficult for him to gather information. But all the same, he knew still had to press on for the sake of Maruki's research.

At long last, the day of infiltration had arrived. Everything they had been working towards will either come together or fall apart on this day. Sougo felt strangely proud of how much this group has grown. Although his training regime can be tough and unforgiving at times, he was happy to see that they have grown exponentially stronger. Who knows, at the trajectory, they are going, they just might pose an actual threat to the All-father. But for now, at least, that was just all wishful thinking. After all, they were still no match for the stronger meta mercs, at least not alone.

The jingle of the cafe's entrance bell could be heard, signaling the arrival of their mysterious aloof ally. Baron entered the store, carrying a large suitcase that looked it came from a warzone. "Ah, everyone is here, perfect." Baron greeted them with a playful salute before putting the suitcase right next to the group's table. "As promised, I have procured the supplies you'll need for this operation." Baron methodically opened the suitcase, revealing an assortment of tools and consumables for the team, all placed in foam-fitting brackets. "Communicators/level scanners. Helps keep you guys in touch with one another and has a built-in scanner to tell you what your enemies are capable of. " Baron took out watch-like devices, one of each of them, even for Morgana. It was a special type of tech that worked properly within the Meta Verse, likely the same tech used by the meta mercs. "Smoke bombs for quick escapes. Remember what I said before, this is a marathon, not a sprint, so please pick your fights." He had already taught them not to fight every shadow they fight as it would exhaust them for the final fights. "Some consumable elemental bombs..." They were small, resembling something like firecrackers. "They aren't that strong, but you're meant to use them to exploit the shadow or Meta Merc's weakness, just enough for you to gain a temporary advantage" Hopefully they understood the concept of elemental weaknesses by now, considering he took a considerable amount of time explaining it to them during their training sessions in the metaverse. "And finally, some cans of soda. To refresh your energy." It was hard to tell whether he was joking or not, but in the past, these sodas somehow restore their stamina to use their persona for some unexplainable reason.

"In terms of roles. As discussed before. I will be shadowing all of you during this entire operation. At this moment, I believe all of you are strong enough to take on the palace guardians and some of the Meta Mercs provided you use the proper strategies I have previously discussed." He reinforce how important it was for them to not go about this alone, and work together as a team. "You phantom thieves are a team, lean on each other, work as one. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts, remember that." He didn't want any of them to go about this alone. He had already invested a lot of time and effort in them, so it'd be a shame to lose them now.

That Weird girl Nellancholy Anthem Maeve Valor accursedjobber

 

[accursedjobber]

Taser check, reload pellets check, Handcuffs check,. Isao was fully set on this adventure, recovering from their entry into the metaverse. Slotting all the tools of the trade into his mock vest, unaware of the fact that they were usually filled with protection plates. Though this felt like extra in comparison to his main weapon, 'the count' in their training sessions Isao found out many things such as his weakness to fire or how the count only had variations of 'bufu' and a boast to freezing people, all thanks to this Baron's training sessions.

Isao had no misgivings about the set forth plan or inquiry's about it, it seemed logistical to have the two most experienced members split equal into the two groups not to mention having a person who can use a healing power on each team would help even things, though he decided to leave most of the planning to the experts, Isao knew that in the academic knowledge of how to commit a meta crime he was sorely lacking. So he just geared himself up stashing a couple of Baron's generously provided equipment for later use, running with the excuse to cover his silence concocted of apprehension and excitement instead with attempted pragmatism . Mas-Swan's question was answered with some swanky bracelets and Baron's parting words.

Well no time like the present, Isao was done with all his prep work. Showtime, his equipment was all here and the blacked out exterior of his modified riot helmet acting as his mask.
" This is Cryptic, All ready on my end " Isao spoke into the bracelet as he waited for the signal towards the operation start.

 

[Nellancholy]

The moment had come, the long-anticipated clash. Shiro and Thrud had not necessarily made the leaps and bounds the newer members had in the past days, but they were a bit surer in their ability. Thrud's apparent ability to dispel the underhanded esoterica that Shadows and those mercs equally used had become more consistent, even if it didn't last long. But as long as they tried to cast such contemptible sorceries, Thrud would stand to resist them.

This time, it would be very different. Shiro dared not to assume that she would be able to soundly thrash those mercs this time around, but she would meet their strength head on no matter what.

The sensation of her motorcycle helmet felt very familiar by now, its protection sufficient but its weight almost absent. Thrud's engines and her heart beat as one, and the two walked out of the void of the Metaverse to the entrance of Suzuki's palace. The imperious structure looked no different from the outside than from within: an ancient artifice of hewn stone, with cables and steel doors betraying the high-tech base within. It certainly expressed the contrast between her genuine spiritual gift and how she had let her utterly mundane greed and ego cloud her motives, driving her to schemes and malice.

They were soldiers of a sort today, marching to siege a castle. Shiro and Thrud paused for a moment, allowing the others in the group to ready up before they began their assault.

 

[Anthem]

All the work that had lead up to this current moment was running through Imato's mind as he looked at the palace where he had awakened the power that lead him to where he stood today. Through the training and observations he had made, the teen felt much more confident in his fighting capabilities in this world whether it be on his own terms or with the power of his persona backing him up. The control of his persona's actions had improved greatly from the beginning, which would allow for much more coordinated attack other than wild charges into hordes of shadows. Along with the ability to control such power, the ability itself seemed to grow as well as Imato gained more knowledge of the spells and attacks within Loki's arsenal.

The immature thought of being able to properly dispose of the Meta Mercs did not dare to enter his mind, as he knew that even with this gain of power they had obtained... they were still no match for those hunters quite yet. Though the time for a proper beatdown would come in due time, and that'll be when Imato challenges one of those freaks to a true duel in hopes of taking one down permanently.

For now though he stayed in the shadows as he waited for their time to strike, believing that it would be best to stay out of sight as long as possible, even outside the palace that they were going to infiltrate. The thief would take the time to readjust his mask, accounting the new form it took as he believed it changed to better fit his current ideals. The mask seemed to almost be a blend of the one he uses in real life and the previous one he wore in the metaverse, it would cover his whole face even the eyes which now had tinted lenses in them so he could see but no one else could see his eyes. Satisfied with his current waiting position, and being ready for combat he would hold the communication device up so he could speak into it. "Tragedy, ready to move in." He spoke into the communicator with a serious tone before returning to a more relaxed state, crossing his arms in wait.

 

[That Weird girl]

Everything was going to plan it seemed. Ann was confident in her abilities to support her teammates by healing them and taking away buffs that would harm them in battle. She could also lower the shadows attacking power and raise her teams defenses. Creating a diversion would be easy especially with Shiro and Isao fighting. Why would Baron help them so much? It seemed not every persona user was against the thieves even though it was them vs the world literally and figuratively. Ann wondered what meta mercs would show up this time…hopefully not a bunch.

“Panther, ready to go when you guys are,” Ann spoke into her communicator towards Shiro and Isao. She held her sub machine gun in her right hand ready to squeeze the trigger on some shadows. Carmen was also eager to fight and protect the team as well, also making men or women fall head over heels for her would be a bonus. Ann was happy with the new people’s progress and could not wait to see them succeed on the battle field.


“Mona here,” Morgana spoke into his communicator, “now we have two choices…we could go in guns ablazing and face Suzuki’s shadow head on or we could sneak around and find the will seeds scattered around to weaken her but it will take time.” Morgana was indifferent about either option but he didn’t want his other teammates to have to keep fighting when they didn’t have to. The cat actually was starting to have a heart and care about his team which was usual for him.

“Your call Swan and Tragedy,” Morgana said and was by the entrance of the palace making sure he was ready. He was also ready to transform into his bus form for a quick escape after they defeated her. He was very confident in their abilities to do that and knew they would get the treasure.


Kasumi was sitting on a bench by the school drinking a soda. She didn’t know what to think about Masami joining the volleyball team and Kamoshida having his eyes on her….it took a little bit off of her but yet she still was his bitch in a way.

 

[Maeve Valor]

As if on queue to Masami's suggestion, the Baron arrived providing them with all the items they could possibly need for this mission. After gathering the proper equipment and hearing Baron's words of encouragement, Masami was ready as ever to infiltrate. Because of all the training sessions, she felt that she could rely on Morgana's knowledge and Tragedy had the firepower to make up for the strength she somewhat lacked in. As for herself, she knew that her purpose would be in damage control and making her teammates even stronger. Regardless, her heart pounded in her chest at the danger they all were willing to throw themselves into.

As she gazed at the palace, she had taken cover against the corner outside a separate building. In response to the two options Morgana gave them she spoke evenly into the communicator, "Since we already have the palace mapped out, it should be easy to snatch the will seeds. It might end up taking just as long as it would going directly battle. Potentially, the only difference would be less injuries in the end. At least that's my vote, what do you think Tragedy?"

Ideally, she would like to just go in and begin their assault against Suzuki, but even with a solid plan like the one they had so much was inevitably unknown such as which Metamercs will rear their ugly heads. She didn't want Ann, Shiro, and Isao to have to distract them anymore than needed.

 

[Anthem]

Upon being asked of his opinion on the matter in hand, Imato would take a moment to decide as he observed the palace and thought back to all they had learned about the inside. Finding all of the will seeds would be rather easy with their current knowledge of the layout of the palace, but he was concerned about one thing above all... time. Time wasn't with them on their current mission, if they took too long that could give fools such as the Meta Mercs the perfect opportunity to quell their charge and end them all. This had to be done with precision and speed to ensure a complete domination over the enemy.

As the thief thought of an idea, he knew it would sound unethical but it was the best one he had to keep things quick. "We're running on a tight schedule, while we have to worry of injuries we can't allow that to slow us down. But if we must weaken the Matriarch, maybe it would be best to have two stay and fight while the fastest of us goes to find the seeds." Imato explained into his communicator as the thoughts ran through his brain like an out of control highway, he finally realized the severity of the mission they were so close to embarking on. "In our case that would be you, Morgana. Think of it as a scavenger hunt, and the grand prize is the treasure of the Matriarch." He would joke a bit, finishing his thought with that. "Either way, we have to make this fast. I'm indifferent on it." Imato finally confirmed, not caring how they get the job done as long as it gets done with minimal flaws.

 

[Nellancholy]

High above the tomb/lab/ancient ruin, a tall, neatly-groomed woman paced through the pure white room. The heels of designer leather shoes tapped lightly on the cold floor as she looked impassively over the tulpas that silently returned her gaze. The creations that she had made, conjured out from the miasma of the Metaverse and imparted to her devoted followers. Those who would fight and kill, first in the Metaverse...and then in the material world if necessary, for the sake of a unified...harmonious world, all in her grip.

Though ultimately...these devious little creations belonged to her, and would heed her commands even above their supposed masters. All the inhabitants of the world should be thankful for the chance to offer all they had to her and prostrate at her feet. That was after all, the very lowest price they could pay for the noble, ever attainable act of guiding them to enlightenment. And despite this...some ungrateful little interlopers had dared to infiltrate her domain, and attempt to ruin all she had built for the sake of some perverse sense of justice. At least the Metamercs were the type to see reason, and lend their assistance. And if they somehow felt short...she would have to intervene herself. The perfect world would not be any less perfect with a few annoying stains wiped out from it.

Moving over to a control panel, the woman flicked a few switches, activating more security measures throughout the building. If they wanted to come to her so badly, she certainly shouldn't let it be too easy for them. Machinery whirred to life on every floor, the incubation chambers pumping out more Shadows and various traps engaging in response.

She reached for a lever...only to notice that the door she wanted to open was already ajar. The usually unflappable woman strode over to the hidden room in the back of the lab, her gaze falling onto the pedestal where the mask of Metatron sat, unfazed despite its failed attempts at tempting (or at least bellowing at) Masami.

"So that's what you've been up to..."

Maeve Valor Anthem

---

Meanwhile, at the front of the fortress, Shiro's grip tightened around her machine gun. Everyone was in position. It was time. "We move as one, Thieves. Think not of death...let us ensure our victory dawns this day." Taking a few more steps forward, she leveled her weapon and fired off a burst at the sturdy steel door, intending for the sound of gunfire and bullets leaving deep dents in the reinforced steel door to alert the inhabitants. "Come forth, errant scum! I shall impart upon the lot of you the regret of not killing me when you had the chance!"

accursedjobber That Weird girl TreasureSniper

 

[TreasureSniper]

And now, the thieves have predictably returned. As luck would have it, most of the Meta Mercs were busy with much more lucrative contracts, though they still manage to spare a few of their men. Rex was tasked with being the Monarch's bodyguard. He found it to be a strange role as he believed himself to be more effective as a frontline, leading her shadow patrols and cult folk. He had been stationed here a few days now and was getting rather bored of his assignment, but even so, his professional and vigilant attitude still remained. He had been assigned as team leader for the day, and despite doubting they would see any action on this day, he still relishes the opportunity to showcase and improve his leadership. "It's been about a week since our last encounter with the Phantom Thieves. What makes you so sure they will come today, Matriarch?" He might as well make some conversation with his employer while he patiently waits for any infiltration attempts.

////////////

At the entrance of the fortress, apart from the squad of shadows, the only Metamercs present were RoadKill and Haze. Upon hearing the sound of bullets hitting the door, both Haze and Roadkill would jump off from the ramparts, landing in front of the entrance. Meanwhile, the third Meta merc station there, Fixer, makes himself visible at the top of the rampart, choosing to stay up there where the others could not reach him. "Hey Hey! Its been a while huh? Looking good as always, Panther! And...hm stronger as well.." It seems that even without any additional tools, the MetaMerc was able to sense that his opponents were a lot stronger than before. Haze sighed, palming his face in shame of his partner's actions. "Haze, Roadkill, stop messing around. Deal with these chumps. The All-father wants them alive, but they don't necessarily have to be in one piece." Such a gruesome and violent outlook in life was not unusual for a MetaMerc, after all, they were essentially mercenaries. "Right...." Haze responded, immediately summoning his persona to release a cloud of the enfeebling gas from their previous battle.

"Well..whatever happens, know that isn't personal..I'll try not to break too many of your bones. Especially you, Panther." Roadkill winked at the femme fatale as he activated the engines inside his roller skates, lighting up the exhaust ports with strong flames. Seconds later, he disappears into a red blur, constantly running around the phantom thieves, looking for an opportune time to strike. While he was definitely much faster than before, showing just how much he was holding back, upon careful observation, there clearly a distinct pattern in the way he ran around his enemies.

This entire time, Baron had been watching the action from afar without saying a word. He could easily just tell them what to do next, but once again, that would defeat the entire purpose of this mission. This was supposed to be the Phantom Thieves' true debut, not something that happens as a result of chance, but a deliberate decision to go against the hostilities and toxicity present in this world. "Go on thieves, show them what you are made of..." Baron silently thought to himself, rooting for the underdog to win.

 

[accursedjobber]

Jesus, is opening a dooring going out of style. Well that was the signal if any for Isao as upon hearing the sounds of virtuous gunfire, spun out of his obscuring cover overseeing his culprit teammate following his perception of a thug and their words as he pointed in a dramatic sense befitting of a phantom thief, well at least in Isao's opinion.

"Freeze right there!" the count followed Isao's orders as his target's inanimately ensured the hit as the floor covering the distance from the fortress to the diversion teams locations were covered in ice sheet as the ground smoothed over with extra care taken for the exit chokepoints done to attempt to slip any occupants such as the fast one(as indicated by their redness) from meeting them as Isao's plan to attempt to make the journey to catch the thieves as much of a hassle as possible and abuse the range offered to him.

Stopping when he felt it was sufficiently covered, the drain of using mabufu causing him to slump back into his elevated position up a floor overlooking the street. If heaven forbid they needed to go inside he was confident his teammates had their ways, as truthfully this plan did rely on fickle emotions. That could wait for another time though as Isao reached for the baron's sodas hoping that the crutch actually worked as a simulant to get him through first half of this cat and mouse game reaching for it with dirty indulgence as he began his contributions upon the hope that soda restored cryptid energy.

 

[Anthem]

With the Meta Mercs coming onto the scene of the battle it was time for those of the infiltration squad to make their move, so Imato would emerge from the shaded area he hid within and spoke into the communicator once more. "Mona, Swan, now's our time to advance. Leave these fools to the others, I'm sure we'll have our own problems to deal with either way." The thief spoke briefly, putting faith into the distraction squad before making a mad dash towards the opening into the palace. Since the Mercs were currently in battle with Ann, Isao and Shiro, now was the best time to sneak past their defenses and destroy the Order from deep within.

Upon entering the palace, it was soon clear that defenses had been increased by a considerable amount. Imato cursed under his breath before swiftly making his way to cover, onlooking the shadows that roamed to protect the treasure of their devoted leader. Believing that the other two members would quickly follow in toe with his infiltration, the thief would start culling the herd by silently taking down any weak enough shadow that dared stepped too close to his position all while making subtle advancements throughout the interior. 'While I would much more prefer an all-out brawl, these fodder only stand in the way of our true target. And wasting our energy before facing the Matriarch would be less than ideal.' Imato thought to himself while looking back to observe the progress of his squad-members.

 

[That Weird girl]

Morgana

“Good luck you two,” Morgana said a little nervous to go out on his own to find the seeds. The gadgets Baron gave them could be enough to handle the traps that Suzuki had laid out for him. He nodded when Imato said it was time to move out and separated from the two moving deeper into the palace of the crazy cult lady. There were spotlights everywhere and Morgana could feel the guards being alert but he managed to sneak by. But no matter how nimble he was Morgana still activated a trap of poison arrows which hit him. “Argh1” the Bakeneko yelped attracting a large group of shadows. Morgana looked at them and took out his sword ready for battle.

“A freaking cat?” One of the guards chuckled, “this should be easy enough.”

The guard slashed at Morgana with his sword and was surprised to see him Still standing although it did hurt him. “Big mistake,” Morgana smirked and summoned Zorro who blasted the shadow guard with a blast of wind that almost obliterated him. The shadow retaliated by hitting him again and got in a second hit. Morgana did an upwards slash on him with his sword killing the shadow. “Ugh I don’t have time to fight you losers,” Morgana complained, “can you just tell me where the Will seeds are?”

Another shadow charged at Morgana sending him into the wall of the palace. “Guess you are not the reasoning shadow,” Morgana said getting up and taking a sip of a soda Baron gave him. The cat then sent a hurricane of wind at the shadow group knocking them down and getting another chance to attack if he wanted.

“Not very smart underestimating a cat,” Morgana quipped and smiled as he ran past them down a hallway. He could feel himself getting closer to the first seed but then a tulpa user jumped in front of him stopping him in his tracks.

“What do you think you’re doing!” She exclaimed at the cat and held out a electric baton, “Matriarch Suzuki said no visitors!”

“Actually I’m with the phantom thieves and we are allowed to visit,” Morgana said as he blasted her with a gust of wind and sent her into a wall. The girl growled in annoyance and got up charging towards Morgana to strike him. This girl wasn’t that strong compared to him so he took the hit and slashed at her with his sword. “So this is what Suzuki’s security is like huh?” Morgana taunted, “I’d like a challenge.”

“I was just going easy since I don’t like committing animal abuse,” the girl retorted back and threw her batons to the side and got into a defensive karate pose, “I was the top student in my dojo.” She then kicked Morgana in the head, it was powerful enough to make him stumble back and become dazed for a second.

Morgana was too dazed to see another attack from her and got jabbed in the gut. He regained his composure and shot her several times with his slingshot staggering her and went in for the finisher stabbing her tulpa with his sword in the stomach, the girl wasn’t dead but she was ejected from the Metaverse. “Easy as cake,” he muttered cockily and grabbed a key from her tulpa’s corpse that disappeared.

He walked to a door at the end of the hallway and unlocked it using the key seeing the first will seed. “First one done,” Morgana spoke into his coms to the others. He grabbed it and smiled but then the doors closed automatically and poison gas began filling the room.


Ann

She was indeed ready for a fight. She stood next to Shiro and Isao with a serous look on her eyes. She pulled out her whip and smiled thinking this would be fun to fight some shadows. Of course the girl was going to look sexy while doing it because that was her thing. The femme fatal glanced at Roadkill and smiled at him, “Hey Roadkill is that date still on?” She didn’t think that they could be together since they were on different teams after all.

Ann let out a stream of bullets from her sub machine gun at a few shadows taking out a few of them. She then used Agi and hit a shadow with it killing it. Of course she would be on the lookout in case her teammates needed help. But she didn’t think they needed it right now.

Seeing Roadkill race around them so fast made him hard to track and could give him an opening to knock one of them down. “Guys be careful,” Ann warned of Roadkill’s unpredictable behavior and tried to be guard as much as she could but she had a feeling he would attack her for being the most open out of the two.

Ann hoped her teammates would be triumphant against Suzuki since she didn’t know how long they could fight the mercs and if they got backup. But she felt a lot stronger than before and definitely wouldn’t be the one almost bleeding out this time.

 

[Nellancholy]

"I did not." The Matriarch answered Rex matter-of-factly. Gingerly, her bony hand retrieved Metatron's mask from where it sat, cutting off the power supply to the immediate lab. The production of tulpas would halt for the time being, but the rest of the base remained operational. And besides...the numbers of her army were already more than sufficient to wear down those fools who had marched up and practically announced themselves. "I knew they would return at some point, leeches like them are never satisfied to leave empty-handed in their incompetence." She held up the mask to emphasize her point. "As for the time or the day, I believe it was for your team to determine, Rex. Or...just wait for them to hand themselves up as they have, I suppose."

Moving back to the main section of the lab, Suzuki glanced over at the monitors that displayed details of every part of the base. The rabble at the main gate were causing a fine ruckus, brawling as they were with the Order's defenders. But they were gaining no ground, practically letting wave after wave sally forth and fight them. Unless...

Suzuki's breath quickened ever so slightly as she switched to observing the inside of her base. Yes...the remains of a battle. A guard had chanced upon another one of the Thieves who had taken advantage of the diversion outside and slipped in. That little scrapper had beaten her up and ejected her as expected, only to fall into a trap that was filling rapidly with poisonous gas. "Foolish little beast..." She grumbled under her breath. Even so, she flipped a switch, allowing a vent to open up at the top of the trapped room and offer it the slightest chance of escaping. A human would have trouble fitting through, but whatever that thing was...it'd fit in just fine. Allowing it to escape in this moment would have it either expose the location of any other intruders by regrouping with them...or fall to any other traps and defenses it ran into. ( That Weird girl )

As for the other intruders...why not hurry the process along a bit? Suzuki turned up a dial, allowing the microphone on the control panel to pick up her voice. "Dear children, precious little lost lambs." Her voice dripped with condescension. "If you so covet the power Metatron and I have so kindly imparted to our followers, all you needed to do was ask. Join the Order. Become part of our family. The power the Metaverse carries is not unknown to you...so why fight against those who are using it for good? To unite, not divide. To help each and everyone of them overcome the hardships they face there, in the outside world. Not to serve their own desires alone as you do! Wearing those masks...sneaking around in the shadows. Simply come to me, and I will tear those delusions away from you..."

She didn't actually expect them to comply, of course. But if she could plant a seed of doubt in their hearts...they might falter. Or they might rush to confront her...and blunder straight into the trap she had laid. Sliding a few switches, she released several of the tulpas into the base to stalk them. Myrmecoleon, Basilisk, Orthrus...the beasts emerged from their pods and obediently crept through the corridors.

The Thieves were a wily bunch, but if they tried to barge in through the elevator shaft like last time...they would find it now guarded by a web of lasers. Which they could slip through, agile as they were. But they might be tempted to make their path easier by disabling the large, conspicuous power conduit on one of the walls of the shaft...set to electrocute them if they tried. ( Anthem Maeve Valor )

"Now, why don't you go help your friends outside, Rex?" The Matriarch raised an eyebrow. "If they happen to make it here...I can welcome them myself." It was an offer, not a demand. ( TreasureSniper )

---

As for the outside...

Thrud tore through several of the weaker Shadows, her arms crashing through their ranks with a few decisive swings like a wrestler delivering repeated lariats to a smaller opponent. Her strength was exerted without reserve, and she still had plenty more to spare. She could easily soar over the unfocused horde and break into the base, but she was needed here, the better to make herself the largest target on the battlefield. Deliberately, she spread her wings and fired her jets only in short bursts, the loud noise and large movements drawing the attention of the Shadows while giving them the opening to strike her only with blunted and glancing blows. Any that attempted to strike her with electricity were soundly rebuffed, shards of ice and blades of wind hardly faring better. Fire...that might be a concern. And once any of the higher-ranking mercs actually joined the battle, things would kick up a notch even if they didn't quite want to.

In the midst of the chaos, Shiro didn't hesitate to fire into the target-rich environment either, delivering a hail of bullets that prioritized volume over accuracy. Just like their last meeting in the subway tunnels. Roadkill may have been fast, but the fact that he was already down here mixing it up with them instead of sneering down at them from the walls clearly indicated he was the most expendable, and the weakest link nonetheless. Shiro kept the trigger clamped down, focusing fire on his vicinity. Even if she couldn't hit him outright, his dodging would likely put him in the path for Panther or Cryptic to take him out with a solid blow. ( accursedjobber )

 

[TreasureSniper]

Rex couldnt help but roll his eyes at the Matriarch's statement about leeches. Despite being a MetaMerc, even a person like him had standards and some level of self-awareness. Upon seeing the intruder on screen, Rex merely remained silent, choosing to see how things would play out. From the looks of it, the trap the cat sprung was foolproof. With the toxic gases filling the small enclosure, he couldn't help but look away for a moment. While he didn't particularly like animals, animal cruelty like this seemed a bit much. However, upon seeing here opening a hatch to allow it a chance of escaping, he couldn't help but wonder what exactly was the purpose of this.

But it was soon revealed to be a ploy to lure any other thieves who might have been able to slip through the defenses, a cruel but effective strategy that preys on the camaraderie of thieves. Damn, this Matriach is as cold-blooded as they come. Rex almost seemed impressed. Almost. However, in spite of all of this bag of tricks she had in store for their guests, he couldn't but have sinking feeling that it was all for not. These thieve were planning something, they wouldn't attack the palace so recklessly. And with Baron backing them up, the sky was the limit.

"Now, why don't you go help your friends outside, Rex?" The Matriarch raised an eyebrow. "If they happen to make it here...I can welcome them myself." It was an offer, not a demand.

"I'm afraid that won't be necessary. I've been tasked by the All-father to stay by your side. Besides, those three should be more than enough to handle those greenhorns...." "should" is the most appropriate word for that sentence. However, the All-father himself told him not to intervene unless a certain someone shows their face.

///////////////

The femme fatal glanced at Roadkill and smiled at him, “Hey Roadkill is that date still on?” She didn’t think that they could be together since they were on different teams after all.

Back at the gate, Roadkill responded to Ann's offer with genuine enthusiasm, changing his direction towards the girl while winding up his fist to slam it right into her guts. "Hell yeah it is!" he replied while making a beeline towards her. He wanted to knock her out first. That way he can start using some real force on the other guys. However, Isao's sudden massive sheet of ice caught the speedster off guard quickly losing traction and slipping forward towards Ann. His hand landed on something soft. It took him a second later to realize what it was, quickly jumping backward with a face as red as his outfit. "My sincerest apologies. Hahaha second base already and we haven't even gone to dinner yet.." The speedster joked as he apologized for what had happened. Even the shadows present stop for a short moment to comprehend what had just happened before resuming their onslaught.

Haze on the hand wasted no time engaging the enemy, firing a few potshots at Shiro while hiding behind his physically invincible persona. The MetaMerc finally decided to unleash his debilitating gas once more. Its shoulder opened up revealing a few pods of missiles. A torrent of missiles would soon fly out towards the direction of the group. Just as expected.

A few days ago, Baron had given the phantom thieves a few quick summaries of the MetaMercs they have met so far. Which included Haze. Aside from releasing the gas straight from his persona, it was also capable of shooting missiles that contained said gas toward a distant opponent. However, they were easy enough to intercept with gunfire and would disperse rapidly when exposed to heat. Baron had hoped they remembered this lesson.

Roadkill, on the other hand, was something else. Ripping his mask off, he finally summoned his persona, Hellbiker. The biker persona quickly sent a wave of flames onto the floor, melting all the ice away. The flame eventually flowed back into the biker, and then onto Roadkill, briefly covering him in a green aura. The humanoid biker disappaited into a ball of flame which returned to its master, causing his foot engines to begin ticking like motorcycle engines that just shifted into high gear. The aura of flames remained around him, forming a heat shield.

Roadkill, while most of the item acting like a class clown, is actually a fairly capable member of the MetaMerc when he puts his mind to it. Unlike many MetaMerc, he doesn't really rely much on his persona, but instead on the buffs it provides. With his skill, speed, and boosted stats, he is able to blitz through the opponents in record time. However, he does have a massive weakness. He overheats really fast especially when fighting other flame users. Once overheated, he would become a sitting duck for a few seconds as he catches his breath. But until that time comes, he is nigh untouchable

With that, the red speedster charges at the group three times faster than before. His first target was Shiro, delivering an incredibly fast punch to her gut. Though the punch itself wasn't especially strong, the explosive fiery impact that detonates after was would leave a nasty sting. He would repeat this process for all the members of the attacking squad, including Ann. He was confident his heat shield would protect him from any upcoming ice-based attacks. "You can't keep up with me! Just look at my speed!" He yelled, clearly high on his own speed. He was in the zone.

 

[That Weird girl]

His hand landed on something soft. It took him a second later to realize what it was, quickly jumping backward with a face as red as his outfit. "My sincerest apologies. Hahaha second base already and we haven't even gone to dinner yet.." The speedster joked as he apologized for what had happened. Even the shadows present stop for a short moment to comprehend what had just happened before resuming their onslaught.

Ann blushed a deep red as well despite getting slammed in the gut. She took a moment to process what happened like the shadows and realized she kinda enjoyed that. What was with her and falling for bad guys? She knew that she should not fall for the enemy who literally slammed her in the gut seconds ago. She giggled at his little joke about getting to to second base before dinner, "That was a little too fast even for you but I will forgive you but you are paying for dinner." Before Ann could strike him with her whip he ripped off his mask transforming into the hellbiker.

Ann resisted the fire but it still hurt her as Roadkill delivered a incredibly fast punch to her gut, she flew back a few feet from the impact. She could feel several of her ribs were broken Now if this was in real life Ann would be killed because of her broken ribs but in this world things were different. The femme fatal got up and spat blood on the ground, she looked at Roadkill and blew him a kiss then sent Agilao that directed at him. Carmen then activated Marakukaja and raised her allies defense for a couple of minutes. Ann saw the missiles and remembered what Baron said to them and Carmen shot out fireballs at the missiles before they could hit her team.

"Gonna take more than a punch to take me out of the game," Ann said to the Hellbiker and peppered him with bullets from her gun not wanting to hurt Roadkill but she had to for her team. Ann was hoping she could distract Roadkill enough for Isao to land an ice attack but was thinking maybe he would too fast so perhaps she would have to fight him with fire since it might overheat him. He could obliterate Carmen easily but Ann decided to fight fire with fire. Carmen shot a fireball at Hellbiker and then followed up with another one.

TreasureSniper Nellancholy accursedjobber

 

[Maeve Valor]

As Tragedy was dispatching a few of the shadows that has wandered too far and alone, Masami helped out a few times but was mostly on the lookout watching for if more Shadows were coming around the corner and whatnot. After going through a few rooms, some air ducts, and traveling along some scaffolding all while making sure to avoid the surveillance cameras. Everything seemed to be going quick and smoothly that was until they came to an abrupt halt when they saw the elevator shaft in the distance. Lasers zigzagged sporadically throughout the hallway. While it was possible for them to get through the lasers, she didn't really want to risk trying and blow their chance at the element of surprise. Instead, she looked around the room using her hyper observant ability that that they all seemed to possess when they were in the Metaverse. Along one of the walls connected from the elevator shaft was a power box that glowed blue when she used her ability. She nudged Tragedy signalling him to use it as well and take a look at the conduit. It didn't take much to notice that it was tampered with though with some of the wires being connected to other ones of a different color and the panel wasn't screwed all the way shut. If this was the real world, she would just think that the maintenance guy around there was just bad at his job, but this was the Metaverse. Masami reasoned that the only logical explanation for anyone to mess with the conduit here would be to tamper with it.

"I'm not sure if you're seeing what I'm seeing Tragedy, but we're screwed if we use that. I'm not that confident in my knowledge of live-wires; So are you up for some acrobatics or take the long way and try our luck from the windows?" Masami said as she continued to inspect the power box seeing if she could make sense of any of it.

 

[Anthem]

Imato would use the observation ability just as Swan had done to observe the power box, immediately seeing the discrepancy of it being opened by someone or something before looking deeper within to see the wiring that had been highly tampered with. He tried to work out how to rewire such a mess but was unable to due to the wires being in such a mess within the box as well. From that point Imato would sigh as he stepped away from where he stood, going towards the way they entered the hall. "I have no knowledge of such wiring either, but I'd rather not take more time than necessary and go the long way around." He would explain before starting to strip off his overcoat. Imato's plan was to attempt getting through the lasers to the elevator shaft with hopefully no alarms going off, but to do so he would need to make sure nothing skimmed the lasers, even his looser clothing such as the coat.

The boy's white, messy hair would be revealed as he put down his hood before taking off the whole overcoat, which uncovered a leaner body type than what could be seen while wearing the coat. Imato would stretch slightly before cracking his neck and facing the lasers, determination in his eyes despite being hidden by his mask. "So if you'd excuse me, m'lady, I'll be making my way through." He said, almost sounding like Morgana with the cocky / confident tone within his voice. Within an instant, Imato dashed forwards towards the laser barricade and started weaving his way through with simple hops and slides at first before they evolved into more exaggerated flips and tricks. He stopped once he had reached the final set of lasers, since they were right in front of the elevator shaft and then proceeded to turn back to face his ally. "I believe it's your turn now, Swan." Imato called out, the smirk he had could be heard within his tone of voice at that moment.

 

[Maeve Valor]

White hair was not something that she was expecting when Tragedy put down his hood. She set this information aside for later thinking that there wasn't that many people at the school who also had hair like his. She figured she might be able to figure out who he really was under the mask if she was every feeling up to a little detective work one day - which being the con artist that she was, of course would want to because old habits die hard. For the time being though the most prevalent challenge on her mind was the one she faced getting passed the lasers.

Masami was a competitive person and took his cocky attitude as if he had thrown down a gauntlet. Masami curtsied, mocking his chivalrous behavior as she responded, "It would be my pleasure."

She believed that Tragedy had the right idea by making sure no loose clothing got in the way so she wrapped the bottom of her slit dress around one of her legs. Even though it looked funky it still got the job done. Once she felt that she was ready she made her way through the lasers slower than Tragedy did though her movements seemed more fluid and deliberate as if she was doing yoga poses or even prepping for some sort of contemporary dance. During the last few steps she made, her dress had unwrapped itself from around her leg and flowed out behind her. She froze immediately letting the fabric fall back to her making her do a sigh of relief. She was very cautious for what very little she had left to go through and was successful. She smiled smugly to Tragedy from under her bird skull mask, "Crisis averted, let's hurry and get a move on shall we?"

She acted just as confident like he had as she walked passed him, but inwardly she knew that if there were judges there to rate their performance Tragedy would have been the one to get the higher score.

 

[Nellancholy]

"Guwah!"

Shiro doubled over for a split second as the fiery punch struck her, the torrent of lead spewing forth from her faltering. Damn it...had she misjudged Roadkill's speed? With his Persona summoned, he was even faster than before...and now he could attack from both fronts. Thrud's armor seared slightly, their sympathetic connection echoing the damage taken.

"Vile, damnable..." She muttered under her breath. After striking them initially, of course he would back off. Not daring to stay in reach of their retaliation...she wanted to call it cowardly, but it was only sensible.

Haze launched his own attack as well, the missiles bearing toxic gas launching up into the air in an arc, almost like artillery shells...or clay pigeons. Carmen's spell restored some of their strength, and perhaps even Thrud could weather another one of the Hell Biker's blows. But...that would all be for naught if those missiles landed. As vapid as she was, Ann certainly wasn't slow, nor was she quite as careless as the time they first met. She slung balls of fire at the hail of missiles, aiming to detonate them in the air like they planned. Quite a few of them were struck by the wave of heat and blew up quite harmlessly, their debilitating payload dispersing prematurely.

But just for good measure...

Shiro pulled the latch of her gun's chamber open, feeding another belt of ammo in with a well-practiced motion. "Did you expect to strike us down that easily?!" Thrud dashed backwards, kneeling and unfurling her wings to shield Shiro as she opened fire into the air, shattering the remainder of the missiles. The initial danger had passed..but Thrud falling back, making less of an obstruction of herself, meant the Shadows had more room to move and attack, not to mention Roadkill himself...

( That Weird girl accursedjobber )

---

Things were not going quite as the Matriarch had planned...but the ball was still firmly in her court. Hell, she had all the balls in her court.

The little cat thing hadn't made itself visible again just yet...but its two companions had come into view, openly jumping through her next line of defense and making a beeline to the elevator shaft. It was no problem. Suzuki's angular face turned serious as she peered into the surveillance monitors. Those two...one of them seemed to be the little brat that had messed with Metatron's mask the other day. But this time around...she seemed to have a different companion. Not the brute who forced their way straight into this lab with their raw strength.

Excellent. The entrance into the lab from the elevator shaft had been resealed. Sturdier and more secure than any other gate in the building, it was unlikely either one of these little ants had the strength to tear it open again. If they happened to head straight here...they'd find only a dead end before them.

Hm...a dead end.

Yes, the next move was becoming clear to the Matriarch.

She turned another dial on the control panel, setting the lasers to deactivate in less than a minute. They had already served their purpose.

A high-tech drone, not much smaller than a dinner plate and of a similar shape, slid out of a panel in the wall a little further back from the corridor and powered on.

As it hovered into the air, hologram projectors flickered to life, emitting the splitting image of a certain menacing, lethal specter, wrapped in chains and cloaked in shadow.

There it was: the Reaper.

Or at least...a convincing illusion of it. Not even the Matriarch could harness the true power of the actual thing. Nor could this hologram take so much as a hair off the Thieves' heads. But its startling appearance would serve well enough.

The lights in the corridor dimmed, and all the other machinery seemed to fall silent. Only the Reaper's chains were audible as it floated down the corridor, heading towards the elevator shaft. Would the Thieves try to fight it? Of course not. And when they fled into the shaft to escape from it...two possibilities lay before them. Either they'd run straight to the top floor and batter themselves in vain against the lab's gate.

Or they'd have to get out on another floor, delaying them further. Perhaps they would then fall victim to one or more of the tulpas she'd released earlier...

Or perhaps they'd find a vent or a switch...some hidden system that would allow them another path into the lab.

( Anthem Maeve Valor )