[Coolshaymin]

"Oh right, I guess you are as confused as me..." Reimu noted as she floated after their combined efforts to defeat the dark snowman. "Yeah, a little help across would be great," Mona agreed with Yukari. "... Alright, I guess you two are not that bad. Though carrying you both across would be a little bothersome. Hold on," Reimu remarked as she floated down to land next to them. "Hold on to my dress," Reimu ordered simply. "... That is... an odd suggestion... but if it will get us across," Mona relented after a moment and holding on. Reimu waited a moment before using boundary powers to teleport them to the other side if they were both holding on.

"To answer your question though, I am Reimu Hakurei, and this is Yukari. Yukari got us  here with her Gap powers that can open holes between anything that can be defined as a border. I am the Shrine Maiden of Hakurei Shrine, my job is to protect the boundary of Gensokyo... though that is a lost cause right now anyway. I don't really know what a Persona is though, divine rituals and instruments are just kind of our primary gift to help keep order," Reimu replied simply as she began moving toward the castle, keeping an eye out for anyone that could be a problem.

"... So she just opened a portal to the Meta Verse like that? Sounds a bit fishy to me... Have you heard of Gensokyo, Joker? That's honestly a new one for me..." Mona asked back to Joker. "... You two are new to Li, aren't you?" Reimu added as their reactions seemed a bit evident of that. "... Li?" even the cat seemed confused by Reimu's question. So much for Meta Verse expert.

[PolarStarQuote]

Joker seemed to flat line a bit at Reimu's suggestion. Hold onto her Dress? Well, If she says so, Joker held onto his Madk, thinking he was gonna have to hold onto a Dress while she flew, but instead, was Gapped over to the entrance, smiling happily. "Ah, Much better than what i had in mind." Joker Said, as suddenly he darted over to the Door, Inspecting over the side. Seemed clear of enemies for now. Passively listening to Reimu's Gensyoko Shpeal, he stopped upon hearing Yukari's ability. "That sounds a bit...Powerfull?" He would ask, clearly noting how Yukari's abilities were far beyond OP, as she giggled, placing a finger to her lips as if telling him to Shush until Reimu was finished.


"Well, your abilities seem to hurt Shadows, Not to mention you look the part of a Shrine Maiden. How bad could it be?" Joker would say, smiling as he looked at Mona. "Havent heard of a place called Gensyoko, But...Sounds familiar. Like i heard of it from a game or something..." Akira would say, before shrugging. "Anyways, Now that you've told us your's, Ill tell you about Ours...Arsene!" Joker would call out, Summoning his Persona in a Blue Fire, Chains wrapped around Akira's arms to keep Arsene in control.


"This is a Persona. They're the powers awoken to us once weve either accepted the truth for who we are at heart, or ripped off the mask that society had forced us to put on. Arsene here has been my Persona since the beginning, Though ive been known to switch to a few new ones here and there." Akira would say, As he let Arsene vanish. "They grant us elemental abilities, As well as physical strength. However, They can only be summoned here, in the Metaverse." Akira would say, As he started walking into Cirno's Palace proper.


"So...What are you guys in the Metaverse for anyways?" Akira would ask, as Yukari smiled. "Were here to help Reimu here acquire a God to Invoke, to allow her use of there abilities...Since you seem so confident in the workings of the Metaverse, what would you reccomend?" Yukari would ask, as Akira smirked. "Why stop at small Fry...Lets go for the Shadow at the very top of this Palace!" Akira suggested. It WOULD be the most powerfull thing to Invoke in this world, After all...

[Coolshaymin]

"She is definitely one of the more dangerous Youkai, but her powers can not get us home," Reimu replied to Joker's question after she finished. Mona meanwhile scouted ahead while they talked, making sure there was no approaching danger he should warn them about. "... I don't like the idea of invoking Cirno..." Reimu said after a moment as she made sure to try and stay out of general sight now that they were in the castle. She did not want attracting more attention than needed as an idea came to mind. "Though, invoking her ego actually sounds like a good idea now that you mention it. It is probably pretty strong when she thinks herself as the strongest," Reimu deduced, seeming to get more into the idea.

"W-Wait. We can just mess with the shadow, remember, Joker? There is a risk that she could get a Mental Shoutdown. We should steal the treasure!... You know, to get her to hand over that power," Mona suggested, his previous excitement betraying his final choice of words. "... Treasure?" Reimu asked... clearly ignoring the excited outburst. She was a bit more focused keeping an eye out on the area.

[PolarStarQuote]

Joker stopped, as Mona brought up a good point. Thats right, Trying to kill the shadow would have bad conscequences...Though, He had no idea WHO Cirno was...Though, How bad could it really be to make her confess whatever little sins she did with her own mouth?....Though, at the same time, They'd need a calling card for that, and they didnt have access to Yusuke and his magical art skills.

"Mona, We cant steal the treasure unless we send a Calling Card, And we dont have a Calling Card, Nor a way to make this Cirno girl see it." Akira said, As it seemed he would have to explain more. "You see, Every person's palace has a Treasure inside...If you kill the shadow, then the person in real life will suddenly suffer a Mental Shut Down. However, Making the shadow return to there true selves, Stealing the Treasure and taking it out into the real world, will cause the Palace's Owner, Cirno in this case, to suddenly feel the need to confess there sins, and try to submit themselves to Justice." Joker said,  explaining to Reimu the concept of Palace's.

"However, most of the time, That Treasure will not appear unless the Palace's Owner, Cirno, Knows that were here, attempting to steal her treasure in the real world outside of the Metaverse. Thats what we call a 'Calling Card', To let them know what we are doing, under the guise of the Phantom Thieves." Joker said, nodding as he hoped that would explain it all, as Yukari clapped happily.  "Well explained Mister Phantom Thief...So, It seems the options are to Beat this Shadowy Cirno up until she gives without killing her, Or, Me or Reimu could Gap out to deliver a Calling Card, And make Cirno understand what is happening." Yukari said...


"We Phantom Thieves have this ideal, where we wont act unless everyone is on board with a Plan...So, Whats the idea Reimu? Leave this palace and save Cirno the Trauma, at risk of permanant damage, or Take the long easy way?" Joker asked, looking to Reimu, smirking. Seems he was game with whatever she had in mind...Steal the Treasure, or just confront Cirno! "Honestly, You two are the best way back to society, so im leaving this choice to you."

[Coolshaymin]

"... So, if we just beat her up we could cause a Mental Shutdown?.. That's bad, right?" Reimu questioned as she thought about what Joker has just revealed to her with the help of his friend. It certainly sounded bad. "To put it lightly, yes," Mona responded solemnly as he seemed to calm down a bit now after he almost forgot about the calling card in the excitement. "And if we steal this treasure, Cirno would repent her actions and submit herself to authorities?" Reimu continued on for confirmation to see if she got this all down.

"Correct. However, when the real world Cirno is aware, her Shadow will be extra alert so we will need to be extra careful and we have to do it in one single shot or the chance is loss. That is why we usually make a route first so we can get the treasure. However, if one of you can warp right back, we might be able to alert her and just nab it," Mona answered in a bit more depth to how these operations usually went. Well, that did sound like it would be a good idea if they could do that... Though she did not know for sure. Still, gaps were quite useful tools so it was probably likely. Reimu looked to Yukari as if for an answer if they could do that.

After a moment of more thought, the Shrine Maiden weighed her options. She... had nothing against Cirno to basically kill her, which was pretty extreme. She could be annoying but she was a bit more friendly with Youkai than typical for her position. And, if Cirno is bad enough to have a palace, maybe changing her views would be a good light to shed.

".... Alright. I will deliver a calling card to Cirno. She may be annoying but I'd rather not put that on her if it can be helped. She is so ironically hot headed normally I doubt her Shadow will listen to reason without nabbing her treasure. I assume you already have a way to make a Calling Card in mind, Yukari? I don't think you would bring it up as an option if it was not actually an option," Reimu inquired. It's not like she could just gap up a calling card addressed to Cirno unless there was actually one already made... Could she? Was the border between existant and nonexistant a thing?... She'd... rather not think too much on that.

[PolarStarQuote]

Joker seemed to Smile, As Reimu agreed to do this the old fashioned way. Time to Steal a treasure! Joker nodded, turning to face Yukari as he had hoped to hear her plan to deliver a Calling card, "The Calling card doesnt have to be a Card exactly, Right? I can just gap a few markers and papers and hold it in a way that Cirno will see it~" Yukari said, Clearly her plan not being very Magical, but, hey, it would work...

Joker nodded, turning to the Door and peeking over. Past the front gate was a Long Hallway, adorned with various Potted Tree's with no leaves, And ice sculptures of Shadow Cirno pointing her sword in the air, smirking confidently. And through the center of the hall, traveled a small blue-furred dog.



"Great, a dog Already...Alright." Joker would say,  before ducking and weaving over to the back side of a potted plant, to hide from the dog, a Shadow overcoming his body as he does, seeming to hide him from sight. 

(Everyone! Roll atleast a 13 in Dex to avoid getting caught by Pascal!)


kNOMf4k5p_1d20+2=13

Joker ducked into cover, barely getting by as he motioned reimu forward, hoping she would follow... Yukari, however, just seemed to manipulate the border between what was Hidden and what was Revealed, making her invisible to everyone else.

(If you succeed the Stealth Roll, you can also attempt to deal a Sneak Attack, by rolling 15 or Higher! This counts as a Critical hit, but you may only use one attack in this fashion before starting a real battle.)

---

Cirno's Bukeyashiki 

Shadow Cirno's Awareness; 0%

1d20

[Coolshaymin]

fhKahfSkp_1d20+4(Reimu's Critical Stealth Technique)
p_1d20+4(Mona's hiding)

Mona quickly took cover near a potted plant as well, making sure to stay out of sight and wait for their leader to make the first move... Which, guess in this case the first move belonged to Reimu... Wait, where did she even go? He couldn't see her hiding anywhere. And it was true, Reimu was nowhere to be seen at all, completely gone in every sense of the word as she used her signature technique, Fantasy Nature, to escape this plane of reality for a moment and become untouchable and generally not there... Her border powers may be as OP as Yukari's it seems.

p_1d20+1(Surprise Fantasy Seal from beyond the border. 42%)
p_1d20(Kick Follow Up. 8%)
p_1d20+1(Yin-Yang Finish, 22%)


When it appeared that no one was there for the thieves to be helped by, several orbs of light appeared behind the dog and blasted him with their purifying might, caught completely off guard. The time restraint of Fantasy Nature ran out and suddenly a shrine Maiden appeared out of nowhere to try and divekick the dog while he got assualted by her special move. However, landing next to him instead, she fired a Yin-Yang Orb to rush into him and deal extra pain before jumping back to fight it off... How... Seriously, this girls' powers are insane.
1d20+4·1d20+4·1d20+1·1d20·1d20+1

[PolarStarQuote]

Joker raised a brow, looking around to find Reimu had just flat out vanished. Well, fine, if you wanna do it the easy way... Joker watched as Pascal was assaulted with various blasts of light, sending the dog to howl in pain before flying across the hall floor, smearing the black ooze of its blood before, Exploding in a burst of black ooze, Making Joker stand up and smile. "I think Yusuke would say this is easier than cleaning his brushes...Lets go!" Joker said, as Pascal was easily defeated. Just like when Ryuji's final confidant evolution made him able to insta kill a few enemies. Sneak attack success!


Joker darted to the side wall of the next door at the end of the hall, Opening it up to reveal a open, Ice-themed Courtyard, with various shadows dressed like Samurai, with Iron masks covering there face. The courtyard was home to various tapestries of Cirno in a Feudal-art style, holding various blades, And holding her swords to the necks of various enemies, like Yuuka Kazami, Mima, Remalia scarlet, and one of Cirno holding up a rubbery, cup, As well as Sakuya's dress, With the tapestry labeled "The Secret Revealed by our Samurai Queen!"


Meanwhile, Sakuya would feel angry, but for no reason wherever else she was...


Regardless, There was many Rakes and Stones across the Open Space, as well as pillars upholding a few various homes. as well as the various enemies there-in. It was almost like a massive Zen-garden, with Snow in place of Sand.



(There are currents 5 enemies paroling the Snow Zen Garden. Roll a 14 in DEX in order to  be hidden without getting spotted. If you successfully hide, you can deliver a Stealth attack for a Instant Crit, as usual, on a roll of 15 or higher.)

[Coolshaymin]

zdgBR7x_p_1d20(Reimu's Stealth)
p_1d20+1(Mona's Stealth)

"He probably would say something like that. We aren't even near our destination though, so don't get cocky!" Mona advised before following along with Reimu heading forward. Reimu could not help but look around at all the statues... These statues were... "That idiot is stealing credit for all my victories.... Except that last one. I have no idea what's that about..." Reimu stated rather annoyed until she looked at the cup statue... Less said about that, the better. Coming up the garden, Reimu and Morgana both hid behind rocks out of the enemies' sights. Ready to get the drop on them, Reimu and the cat looked at targets and then to eachother before giving a nod.

Reimu quickly moved towards a guard but made sure to stay out of sight. Getting the jump, she put her palm to his face and then blasted a Yin Yang Orb for a quick and powerful strike. Mona on the other hand, got close enough to utilize a a spell, and then cast Garudyne to attack them with a harsh and cutting wind based attack.

p_1d20+3(Reimu's Stealth Yin Yang Orb, 33%)
p_1d20+3(Mona's Critical Sneak Garudyne on a guard, 33%)
1d20·1d20+1·1d20+3·1d20+3

[PolarStarQuote]

(Quick change to Akira's Stats and moveset, Since i was originally using Akira as a Duo Character with Arsene. Looking back on it, that was a fairly stupid idea, And will be rectifying. Akira's stats are now as such;

10 total points to distribute

Discipline	Stat Pts	MOD
STR	8	-1
DEX	18	+4
CON	6	-2
INT	10	+0
WIS	14	+2
CHA	14	+2

Akira would present a smile of his face, With a approving thumbs up. "Great work guys, There's just Four more to go!" Akira would say, As he began to sneak towards a next target, as the Shadow Reimu and Mona attacked exploded into great big black blood! Scratch one Bogey!

o5iQElgMp_1d20+4=24 (Stealthin' on 'em.)

With his Stealth done Well, Akira vanished into a black blot of speedy movement, landing in place of the Sakuya statue, Before Summoning Arsene, and Unleashing a Direct attack on a passing Shadow!


p_1d20+2=15 (Cleave, 18% x 1.5 = 27%!)




With Akira's Attack, The Shadow's mask would be ripped off, As the Demon Transformed, The Very Snowy landscape shifting into a Round, Blizzard Arena, To keep the other shadows from running in and making more problems for everyone! How nice of them. Akira scowled a bit at himself for a Non-direct instant kill, But, It wasnt to be expected, As Akira was far from a heavy hitter.




"Ow!!! Hey, Buddy, The hells your Problem!?" The Scorpion demon would ask, Clapping its Scorpion's Claws, as Reimu and Mona would be pulled into the battle.

"How Strange...What on earth does Scorpions have to do with Cirno's Cognition?" Yukari would muse aloud, as Akira would Shrug. "Something to kill i suppose! Ready Everyone?"




(Another Demon arrived to aid Sekmet...)

---

Sekmet 1x
HP: 27%/65%
Status: Snippity Snappity, Scorpion Casualties!

Tamlin 1x
HP: 27%%/ 60%
Status: Wished he didnt have to get out of bed today.

1d20·1d20

[Coolshaymin]

"I don't get why a scorpion or any monster would be weird. They are just creatures of her mind right?" Reimu asked as she jumped to battle alongside Akira. She took out some sealing charms and began to toss them at the scorpion like demon to help finish him off. "They are still part of her cognition. These monsters still represent parts of her," Mona explained as he took out his slingshot and pulled it back. He shot a rock at the skeleton's pale faced backup. He then summoned Zoro and cast razor sharp typhoon on the shadow. The winds cut extra deep and extra sharp as they were quite effective at taking down the Shadow.

Reimu pointed her palm at the Scorpion and channeled a Yin-Yang Orb and got ready to fire a great big blue Yin-Yang Orb at the Scorpion. The ball flying at him and attempting to destroy it with it's holy magic properties. "Well, that would explain the evil snowman outside. I can't tell you though. I am not some expert on the symbolism of scorpions," Reimu stated.

lj8w8S1Np_1d20+4(Sealing Charms on Sekmet, 15%, 5% extra damage if unholy)
p_1d20+3(Yin-Yang Orb on Sekmet, 22%)
p_1d20+3(Slingshot on Tamlin, 8%)
p_1d20+3(Garudyne on Tamlin, 33%)1d20+4·1d20+3·1d20+3·1d20+3

[PolarStarQuote]

"Well, To be fair Morgana, Didn't Futaba's Palace have a bunch of Half-naked Lamia's and Chimera's? I didn't think any of those would be part of any cognition of her...Unless the nudity represents-- Know what, She's my Kinda-sorta sister, So im gonna stop right there..." Akira said. Akira, Who's the Cognition master here, You or Morgana? Regardless, Akira would Draw his Gun, Attempting to shoot Sekmet and Tamlin between the eyes!


4OU39yl|p_1d20+4=11 (15%, Ranged, Sekmet)


p_1d20+4=17 (15% Ranged, Tamlin)

Akira would bite his lip as his first bullet missed Sekmet, as he took a deep breath. "Calm down....Arsene!" Akira would call, as his Persona erupted in bright blue Flames, Summioning a Pillar of Black Unholy energy to go against the grain of Reimu's Holy Magic!


p_1d20+4=15 (Eiha, 15% Dark Element, +5% If Holy.)


Sekmet would find himself Groaning loudly, as Akira's Eiha would collide with Reimu's Yin-yang orb, with Sekmet stuck in the middle, Making the Scorpion yell out in pain! He wasnt exactly Holy or Unholy, But, Anything is bound to get Fried between heaven and hell like that! Akira would grin in a Cat-like way, Nodding over to Reimu. "If only you had a Mask. We make a pretty good team." He would say, as Sekhmet would be reduced to little but a Bright white skeleton, falling over into peices!

Tamlin would Initially use his spear to Back-hand the Sling-shot pellet away, only to get directly smacked upside the face by a Razor-whirlwind, Making him Groan loudly as he flopped over, Body bleeding out Black Ooze as Morgana's whirlwind sent the Knight into his Final Rest!






With that done, That only Left 3 Enemies...However, With three enemies dead, That also left alot more leeway to just rush past and get to the next room. Akira would help everyone back away into a Corner where no guards would see them, narrowing his eyes. "So, Reimu, What shall we do? Rush for the exit, or take out another one or two?"

(3 Enemies left. You may, as usual, deliver a Stealth attack for a Instant Crit, on a roll of 15 or higher to get the jump on a enemy. However, Due to the lack of enemies, you may now also attempt to  Rush for the Exit, and succeed upon a Roll of 15. The choices are yours and yours alone!)

---

Cirno's Bukeyashiki









Shadow Cirno's Awareness; 0%

---

Akira Kurusu
HP:000%/130%
Status: Feeling Sly as a Cat.


1d20·1d20·1d20

[Coolshaymin]

Reimu flipped her charms stick before pocketing it as her's and Joker's combined attacks finished off the enemies that they got the jump on. She looked over the area, there were still a few guards left but she should be able to sneak by them with the others now. She did not want to exhaust herself too much in case Cirno was a threat and the others probably should not exhaust themselves too much either. "Alright, let's make a break for it," Reimu suggested with the exit in sight. Mona nodded as he prepared to follow her leader. "You're also not so bad yourself. It's a nice distraction from the usual bullet dodging," Reimu added to Joker's compliment before looking at the remaining guards... Alright, time to make a go inside.

dbRN0mU9p_1d20+4(Reimu's Stealth Roll to sneaking past the guards)
p_1d20+3(Mona's Stealth Roll to sneaking past the guards... Just barely)

Reimu moved from hiding place to hiding place, warping at the last moment when she felt she was about to be seen. Fortunately she was able to get by the guards in this manner fairly easily. Finally she made it to the exit of the area and waited for the Phantom Thieves... Yukari was probably just going to gap to the other side, she's not really an issue.

Mona moved quickly, though he had more issue than Reimu, not being able to fancily warp in and out of space. He barely managed though, able to get by without being caught. Now they just needed to wait for Joker to get by them. Come on, Joker, you can make it past these guards! You're a phantom thief!

1d20+4·1d20+3

[PolarStarQuote]

qOAofMTKp_1d20+4=16!

With a Nod, Joker would begin a sudden Dash himself, After Mona's sudden running, Joker would then perform a Overly-stylish Flourish, Jumping and flipping onto a Rock, and then leaping off said Stone, To Barrel toward the exit, and making it right past the guards without notice! One might ask why he had to do all that mess just to make it past some guards, But clearly, you dont understand Style!



With that Rush, Reimu, Mona and Joker would escape the First Stealthy Plight, and would soon come into a series of Halls, Until reaching a small opening, And inside...

A Safe room! Joker would relax, As Yukari would be sitting in one of the Icy Chairs, holding a warm cup of tea. "Oh, Reimu, Glad to see you~ Having fun?" Yukari would ask, as Joker plopped down onto one of the chairs himself. If One were to squint a little, the Cognition of the room would phase inward and outward, Revealing the image of a Boxing Ring, With steel chairsd, and a DeDeDe Symbol on the floor...Seems this cognition was weak enough so shadows would not appear.




"The Next room  is the main throne room. Shadow Cirno is there, waiting for you," Yukari would say, Smiling as Joker raised a brow. "Wait, What? That seems...Awfully small, for a Palace." Joker would say, as Yukari giggled. "Cirno is but a child. Plus, She has a small brain as is. Only fitting~" Yukari would say, as Joker shrugged, seeming to understand the Jist.


1d20

[Coolshaymin]

Reimu and Mona nodded as Joker met the group and began heading down the halls to a room they entered. Inside they found Yukari waiting for them to complete their stealth mission up until this point. "It's a nice change of pace," Reimu answered simply, as she took a seat and... noticed the room flicker. "Good to know she is close. Doesn't matter that the palace is small, it makes sense with how smart she really is," the shrine maiden replied as Mona took a seat as well. "So, what is up with this room anyway? The border between mind and reality seems unstable here," Red and White noted as she looked around. "This is what we call a saferoom. You're right, this is where the distortion is weakest, no shadows will come in here. It's what we use to plan out and look back at the situation. Speaking of, from how you've been talking, sounds like we are not in Japan, right?" Mona questioned, now that they have some free time.

"You're right. This is a palace," the shrine maiden replied simply. "H-huh? No! I mean the world outside! The castle!" Morgana reliterated. "Oh, right, that too. To get here you guys must of been on Li. This planet has been taking people from all over various worlds and sometimes the land itself. It's under the threat of a mind control plague called the Starvia. I think you guys will still need some help after we leave. We will take you to the Life Sphere," Hakurei offered simply with an explanation as she got up. "While we can talk, I also want to deal with Cirno as fast as possible so I can get home."