Reality returned to Astaire as a muddled, foggy mess, needled with pain and fatigue.
Splayed out across the stone steps, only the distant sound of thunderous explosions kept him conscious. The sound of metallic shrapnel skittering downstairs to meet him, along the miniscule stone particles they brought with them, littered the background.
His comrades needed him. Rise needed him. And yet his body refused to get up. Battered, bruised, and horrendously tired, Astaire's arm was the only thing that managed to move.
What he wouldn't have given to cry out. To Yukiko, to Teddie, to Yu, or anyone. 'Heal me, please.' One cool, refreshing wave of alleviation and he'd be back. But crying out, or even whimpering, proved too taxing.
Only one thing for it, then.
The Estus Flask dulled another shade as its contents passed Astaire's lips and rekindled the fighting fire within him. In a flash, he picked himself up, drew his claymore, and sprinted up the steps as fast as his armoured legs could carry him.
It was throwing boulders. Exploding boulders. Quick as they must've have been, it was still a Giant. That was enough to formulate a plan from. Gripping his left hand, adorned with the White Seance Ring, Astaire focused his thoughts. One attunement slot. One spell. He had to make it count.
Opening his eyes, his decision made, Astaire bounded from the staircase into the fray.
He was greeted with another explosion from his right, thus he darted in the opposite direction. Everyone had spread out and taken cover behind the support pillars holding up the roof, out of the Giant's line of sight. However, that only meant that Astaire was suddenly the easiest target to hit. Multiple explosions left everyone's ears ringing as he dashed and dodged to get himself to cover.
Rise. Had to get to Rise to make sure she was alright. Between the showering shrapnel and fiery clouds of gunpowder, Astaire caught a glimpse of a familiar set of twintails on the other side. Immediately afterwards, he caught a glimpse of another boulder rocketing towards him.
No, no, not Rise! She seemed fine, but that could all change if one of the boulders exploded too closely when he hid beside her. He had to hide with someone else. Someone better prepared for the abuse.
From there, the choice was clear. Astaire galloped amidst strikes from the Giant overhead, the metal and explosions biting at his heels as he dove into cover next to Sieglinde. He placed his back against the pillar as his chest heaved in an attempt to catch his breath. "Good… Gods above… That's absolutely monstrous…" He panted.
"That's putting it lightly." Sieglinde said, chancing a peek around the pillar as the explosions came to a stop. The giant scanned slowly over its surroundings, keeping an eye out for any sudden movements. "It's an order of magnitude faster than any Giant I've ever seen before now. This won't be easy." She mused.
As thankful as she was to see Astaire not lying in a thousand pieces, it was hard to say that Rise's mood improved overall. The two veterans of the other world were in the exact same position that everyone else was in. If any one of them stepped out at the wrong time, they'd be shredded into a fine red mist. "No outright weaknesses guys, but that armour it's wearing will soak up any magic you toss at it! It'll hurt, but it won't hurt much!" Rise assessed, hoping her analysis would help conjure up a plan.
Yu's mind raced at a mile a minute. Casting ineffective magic would only serve to tire everyone out, but physical attacks weren't exactly an option either. The simple plan appeared to be 'Run up the walkways around the outside of the room and beat the hell out of it', but the team at large could barely move.
The whole situation was so damned frustrating. Everyone was looking at him intently, waiting, wishing for a plan, but… "I… we can't risk it. Even if we move, we'll be sitting ducks." Yu clenched a fist at his side until his knuckles went white. He knew it wasn't what anybody wanted to hear.
"But we can't just sit around here all day either! What're we gonna do, run away?!" Yosuke called over, making sure his daggers weren't peeking out the side of his pillar.
"We're here now Senpai, we might as well bite the bullet. It's that thing, or us." Kanji added.
Yukiko debated peeking around to steal a look at the Giant, but quickly recoiled back. "There's no way all of us are getting up there unharmed though, and if Astaire-kun's anything to go by…" She motioned to Astaire, his armour blackened and dented in places from the explosion, his face scratched and bruised. "...We can't afford many hits, if any."
"And I don't think even Yosuke's fast enough to dodge all of them!" Teddie fretted, shaking in his suit.
And undeniably, Astaire knew Yosuke was fast. Faster than himself, to be sure. Outrunning the boulders on those tiny paths around the sides of the arena was likely impossible. There needed to be another way.
Fortunately, with his chosen spell in mind, Astaire had one.
Claymore disappearing into his box, Astaire retrieved a simple talisman and a broken sword hilt in its place. With an overhead throw, he launched the latter out into the open, where it hit the ground with a metallic clink.
In less than a second, it was replaced with sound and hellfire from above. The Giant wasn't playing around.
"Have you a method of approach in mind?" Sieglinde asked from aside him, shielding herself from the shrapnel.
"I just might." Astaire nodded, turning back to face Yu as his attention was drawn to the explosion. "I'll make the first move and keep it occupied, that'll give you lot time to leg it up the other pathway!"
The first voice of opposition was a surprise to nobody. "Are you out of your mind?! Look what it did to you the first time!" Rise shouted, loudly enough to cut off Yu's own fledgling rebuttal. "It's almost like you're trying to get yourself killed!"
"Better me than anyone else!" Astaire shouted back, breaking into a sprint as he went into the open.
As Rise reeled back to scream at him further, she stopped short of herself. To her horror, she came to a realisation.
Yu didn't want anyone to go. Him being him, he'd sooner wait forever than let anyone risk getting killed.
But he couldn't go himself. He was their leader, and everyone needed him. Without him, there'd be no Investigation Team.
Difference #6: Compared to Yu and everyone else, Astaire was expendable.
Rise's heart thudded to her feet as she watched him run out into the open. The shadow of another lightspeed boulder loomed over him. It shot towards him like a bullet fired by God himself. Even as the scene seemed to move in slow motion, its speed was incredible. All that was left was the bang.
"FORCE!"
Instantly, the boulder reversed its path and rocketed upwards, striking the Giant in the torso with an almighty bang. Three more bangs sounded out as the previously-juggled boulders tumbled.
The air settled around Astaire as the effects of the shockwave he'd emitted faded out, leaving him able to pump his fist victoriously. "Hah! Take that, you scoundrel!" However, he kept the celebrations brief as he retrieved his Claymore, tucking the talisman in his pocket as he dashed for the pathway on his side.
It took a moment for Rise to process what she'd just seen. Only Yosuke broke her out of it. "What are you waiting for, come on! We've got an opening and we need to take it, pronto!" He urged her on, running after the rest of their friends as they make a break for the pathway on the room's opposite side.
Yet as Rise picked herself up and ran, she became wise to the sound of armour clinking and clanging in the opposite direction. "Wonderful, Sir Astaire! I'll support you from the rear!" Sieglinde cheered as she ran to catch up to Astaire, her own talisman at the ready.
Some part of her might have continued feeling jealous, but it was loudly overwritten by every other part of her being scared as hell. There was a time and a place, but it wasn't now.
A low, rumbling roar shook both split-up groups to their respective cores. Unfortunately, Giants were resilient. A thud indicated it had risen to its feet, quickly scooping up more boulders to launch with murderous intent. A cry of 'OI, OVER HERE!' made picking the first victim easy.
"Yes, he's aiming for us!" Astaire said to Sieglinde mid-sprint. "As soon as everyone else sneaks up behind him, he's done for!" He spoke jovially as he reached for his talisman in time with the Giant's throw.
"People from the other world are frickin' nuts!" Kanji accurately summed up as he chased after Yu. The long, upwards incline was beginning to wear him thin, but they were keeping up a good pace, even as a barrage of boulders ricocheted around them. "Just a shame that the only thing they can't do is-" Kanji stopped as a boulder exploded off the wall a good few feet below them, as deflect by Sieglinde. "-is aim the damn things!" He finished.
A curious grunt came after a notable lack of explosions. "No! No, no, no!" Astaire could be heard echoing frantically from the other side of the arena. It only took a cursory look up to realise why.
"Kanji, you idiot! We're supposed to be sneaking up on the damn thing!" Yosuke chided him as the Giant's attention shifted, moving into position to better strike at the Investigation Team. "Crap, crap, crap! What do we do?!"
The air squealed around the boulder as it shot off from the Giant's position, primed to smash Yu into pulp. Everyone's eyes widened as their breaths caught in their throats, their unified tensing up stopping them on the spot.
Desperation, augmented by a burst of adrenaline, saw Kanji throw himself to the front of the queue. He put both hands to his Greatshield and threw his shoulder into it. It wasn't going to be enough. He knew it wasn't. But he had to try. "Just piss off with this shit already, would ya?!" He cried, clutching the shield as tightly as he could.
There was a bang. An explosion. And yet the team remained unmoved.
"Eh? We're alive?" Teddie said, echoing everyone else's sentiments perfectly. Up above, the Giant recoiled once again, a cloud of black smoke serving as an afterimage of the fire it followed.
Dumbfounded beyond words, Kanji looked at the shield in his hands. Had… Had he done that?
Then he remembered. It'd been from far off, and he'd only caught a slight glimpse of it, but he'd seen it. Just before Astaire had ended the Lightning Drake, he annihilated its jaw with a shockwave given out from the shield itself.
"Kanji-kun… Do you think you could do that again?" Naoto asked tentatively, watching the Giant begin to right itself once again.
Awash with a feeling he hadn't the vocabulary to put a name to, Kanji felt every muscle in his body rejuvenate at once. "Damn right I can. Leave this asshole to me, I'll knock him flat!" He announced confidently, putting his shield between him and the Giant.
"Right. Kanji, you lead the way, we'll follow behind you!" Yu ordered as everyone quickly picked up the pace again, bracing for another boulder strike.
Again, the juggling began. Again, Kanji braced, ready to act on the drop of a dime. Any second. Any second.
"Not so fast, you wretch!"
Blood spilled from the Giant's shoulder as a sizable crossbow bolt lodged itself deeply under its skin. With a roar, the Giant reeled around and turned to face it attacked, right as another bolt lodged itself in its chest. "Well aimed, Sir Astaire!" Sieglinde cheered as she peered through her binoculars.
"Well guided, Sieglinde! Let us move on!" Astaire responded by retrieving his sword as talisman before sprinting off again.
Inside, something changed in the Giant. Something snapped.
Throw boulders one way, tiny man and onion throw back. Throw other way, shield man throw back too.
The Giant coursed with rage as it leaned back and roared skyward. "Oh, crap, I think we pissed him off!" Chie shouted as she kept pace with Yosuke beside her. "What the heck's he gonna do now?!"
A question everyone quickly regretted her asking as the Giant made its first enraged move. As before, four boulders soared in a circle as they were juggled high into the air. As before, the Giant made its move so quickly that it was imperceptible. The newly-launched boulder shot out-
And around the Investigation Team.
"What the…?" Rise looked in confusion as she followed the boulder's path. The Giant lobbed it at such an angle that it had smoothly adhered to the curvature of the walls, putting off exploding in favour of rolling around the outside. Slowly, its trajectory began to lower, aiming for- "Astaire-kun, Sieglinde-chan, watch out!"
A backwards glance was as much as either Astaire or Sieglinde could afford. Running on instinct, both of them dodged at the last second, getting blown up and down the stairs from the shockwave respectively. "Sieglinde! Are you alright?!" Astaire cried out through the smoke, picking himself up and ignoring the pain as best he could.
Sieglinde sprinted past him at such speed that it was as though she'd never been hit, although the blackened, weathered state of her armour proved otherwise. "There's no time! We need to slay this beast before it-" She paused to fire off a blast of Force, knocking another boulder away. "-before it gets any faster or smarter!"
There was one disadvantage to the roll-around shots, at least for the Giant. It required a shift over towards one side in order to properly launch one. That alone gave either team the time to prepare, but it meant that every step closer to Astaire and Sieglinde's side was another step towards a brutal, fiery end.
They were more than halfway up the walkway. They were getting closer. But they weren'tgetting there fast enough. Even from afar, Yu could see that the Giant would be in position before they could be out of range. However, hope wasn't far off.
Further up the walkway, extending up the last third before the Giant's platform, was a series of supporting pillars, their bases built on a number of small outcroppings from the main path. "Guys! If we can get to those pillars, we can take cover! Everyone give it your all!"
The run so far had been intense even for the faster members of the team, never mind anyone else. Naoto, Teddie and Rise in particular began to fall further and further behind the longer they had to run. Even then, the promise of a modicum of safety was a wonderful motivator. "Come on, come on! Almost there!" Rise gasped and panted, her legs feeling like pudding as she threw all her might into running out of harm's way.
A low rumble announced that the boulder was coming. Not a second too soon, Rise's shoes clicked off the main path as she flung her arms around the supporting pillar, holding on tightly as the explosion rocked the path behind them, the heat and sound overwhelming her senses.
But hey, at least 'Overwhelmed' was better than 'dead'. "Phew… I almost thought we weren't going to make it." Yukiko said, wiping the sweat from her brow with her sleeve. "At least we don't have much further to go, right?"
Yu peeked out around his pillar. The Giant's platform couldn't have been more than two hundred feet away. Well within sprinting distance, if they were undisturbed.
The only issue was the Giant's worsening temper. With every second that passed, it seemed to grow faster and angrier, bounding between both sides of the arena within seconds. Every time it looked safe to move, another boulder whipped up the air as it rolled down the pathway, narrowly missing the Team as they held on for dear life.
But the increased speed meant that neither Astaire nor Sieglinde were spared in the Team's place. If anything, the Giant's seemingly endless supply of boulders only began getting launched faster and faster. So fast, in fact, that Sieglinde could tell using Force wasn't going to cut it. "This is ridiculous!" She cried, barely able to move from 'Force'-ing. "We can't keep this up forever!"
Worse yet, Astaire knew she was right. He hadn't kept count of how many uses of Force he had left, but it reasonable to assume he was running on 'few' rather than 'more'. "I've… I've got an idea." He managed between casts. "Not a good one, but an idea."
The time between boulders decreased the closer they got. Soon enough, there wouldn't be time between. Which only meant that Astaire had to work fast.
Immediately after launching another Force, Astaire's hand dove into his box and painfully, agonisingly hauled out Havel's Greatshield. If it weighed a tonne usually, the glasses' effect made it weigh a hundredfold more. "Grasp this with me, hurry!" Astaire called to Sieglinde, fresh off her own cast of Force. Huddling behind the sole shield, their combined might was just enough to lift it.
As he'd done with the Lightning Drake Greatshield, Astaire focused his intent into his equipment. Slowly but surely, he felt his entire body become slower. Heavier. Harder. More akin to stone than man. Soon enough, both he, Sieglinde, and Havel's Greatshield were coated in a thick layer of solid stone.
Even moving his eyes in their sockets felt arduous, but Astaire managed. He looked up as the Giant launched another barrage. Bracing while covered in stone was impossible, given the speed difference. Luckily, that was unnecessary. The boulders struck head-on, and they exploded point-blank. But neither Knight, Knightess, nor shield gave an inch.
It wasn't what many would've called a rest. In fact, some may have considered it worse than running and casting miracles. But it was better than nothing. If nothing else, it was a distraction. Swearing he could hear his neck grind like stone as he turned his head, Astaire locked eyes on Yu across the large expanse between them. Slowly but surely, he managed a nod.
A nod which Yu returned. "That's our cue, everyone. Move up!" He commanded, stepping back onto the path proper and beginning to kick off into a sprint. That was- "Shit, watch out!" -until another boulder thundered down the pathway, forcing him back into hiding. Frustration began to take hold as Yu thumped his fist off the pillar behind him. "It's getting faster. We're still stuck."
On the other side, the effects of Havel's Greatshield were beginning to wear off. Each boulder strike seemed to shed another few shards of rock off both the shield and its wielders, and each boulder seemed to hit harder than the last.
"Rrgh, I can't stand this! If we don't get moving, this thing's just gonna kill them and come after us anyway!" Chie said. Clutching her head in frustration before raising it, eyes aflame with determination. "Screw this, we can make it! We totally can!"
Her eyes were dead set on the end of the pathway, and it was a look Yu was now well familiar with. "Chie. Whatever you're thinking of doing, don't do it." His warning sounded grave, but only half as grave as the intensifying grunts and cries of pain from the other side of the arena.
Goddamnit, she had to go. "We can't just sit here and let those two get the stuffing knocked out of them! I'm going!" And with that, leaving Yu, Yosuke and Yukiko's voices of protest behind her, Chie darted into the open and made a break for the Giant's platform.
A telltale grunt, followed by a familiar rumble, put Chie on edge. "Try me, you big, lumbering idiot! I'll knock you flat!" She shouted boastfully. The second the incoming boulder entered her field of view, Chie moved with practiced agility as she leapt into the air, letting the boulder pass under her freely. "Hah! How do you like that, you-!"
It was only when a second rumble graced her ears that the wind was knocked out of Chie's sails.
The giant had started on Sieglinde and Astaire's side before it moved to attack her.
And judging from the rumble, it'd had time to launch a roll-around shot before moving.
A turn was all Chie was afforded. It was too fast, too close. The pathway, too thin. She had nowhere to dodge. Even if she had, perhaps it wouldn't have been enough. Chie's breath caught as she looked death in the eye for the second time in a day.
"PERSONA!"
And for the second time in a day, Yosuke was on the scene. Takehaya Suzano-o punted the boulder from behind, off its intended course and over Chie's head with inches to spare, ramming the Giant itself head-on and knocking it back.
Chie stood stunned, watching the Giant topple back as Yosuke met her at her side. "Holy shit, that was close! Are you okay?!" He asked between deep breaths, rubbing the sweat from his brow.
Okay, she may have been, but Chie remained stunned.
Yosuke had just saved her. He'd saved her by punting the boulder out of the way with his Persona.
A toothy grin overtook Chie's face as she cracked her knuckles and turned on the Giant as it got to its feet, looking down menacingly over the pathway. "Oh, you are in so much trouble."
"Brilliant, Yosuke, brilliant!" Astaire shouted over as he flung off what little of his stone armour remained, boxing Havel's Greatshield as he retrieved his claymore and talisman. He turned to Sieglinde with an excitable look in his eye. "This is it, Sieglinde! We've got the bugger cornered now!"
The Giant seemed to struggle with having multiple Persona users suddenly realise they were close enough to fight back all at once. It was the perfect opening. "Let's not waste our chance then, shall we? Let's be off!" Sieglinde cried, running behind Astaire as he led the charge.
Closer and closer they drew. The Giant was still occupied. Closer, closer still. Still occupied. The end of the pathway was within reach. Just a few steps closer.
The Giant reeled around at the sound of clinking armour, reaching for a boulder without hesitation and reeling back to launch it at the incoming sound.
But it was too late. Both Sieglinde and Astaire had reached the end, and so stood on equal footing with the Giant itself, each eyeing it up menacingly with their swords at the ready.
Not even a Giant was stupid enough to think throwing boulders at such a distance would do anything useful. Luckily, there was always a Plan B. Not far from the seemingly endless mountain of boulders the Giant had been pulling from, lay a large chain attached to an even larger steel ball. From the looks of the steel brace around the Giant's ankle, it'd been recently broken off. Swiftly, the Giant leapt over and grabbed the impromptu weapon, swinging the ball in circles as it turned back to Sieglinde and Astaire.
With their respective weapons at the ready, there was little doubt in either knight's mind. It was Giant Killing Time.
It was not Giant Killing Time. It was 'Avoid Getting Knocked Senseless' Time.
"Would you ever stand still, damn you?!" Astaire cried, swinging his Claymore at where the Giant used to be, before it had leapt up and brought its makeshift flail down on where he used to be. Fighting Giants was a cinch, but fighting one that could dodge as well as he could was proving a challenge.
Not that Sieglinde fared much better. Her deep, ragged breaths escaped from her helmet with worrying frequency. "I'm… I'm alright, I just- I need time to catch my breath…" She panted, doubled over in an attempt to get back into fighting shape.
Catarina armour might've had its benefits, but its weight wasn't one of them. "Don't even dream of it!" Astaire shouted as he launched a firebomb at the Giant, stopping it from taking any more notice of Sieglinde. "I'm the one you're fighting! Me! I'll kill you myself if I have to!" He bellowed, spirits lifting as the Giant's focus returned to him.
Astaire chanced a glance to the side. They still weren't here yet. They'd been close enough for their Personas to be in-range, but far enough to be taking their jolly old time joining the fight itself.
Well, he'd just have to make do without. Stalling was for knaves.
Astaire dodged over and over, consistently ducking just shy of the Giant's range. Finally, sensing an opening, he raised his sword aloft and dove for his opponent, teeth bared as he moved in for the kill.
But his senses had been off. The Giant's flail had only delayed attacking to charge up one strong overhead strike. An overhead strike which Astaire was in no position to avoid.
The solution was obvious, then. Just don't avoid it. With a cry of 'Force!', the Flail shot back towards the Giant, the chain tangling around its hulking neck. As the monster clutched and grabbed in an attempt to free itself, Astaire's face lit up. Finally, an opening!
Heavy, brutish strikes coaxed blood from the Giant's torso alongside a pained roar. Truly, music to Astaire's ears. Music that sang sweetly, even as the Giant unwrapped itself. The hit of adrenaline from forcing the opening still coursed through his body, riling Astaire up even more. "You're in for a beating now, you are! If that's the only trick you've got-" He clutched his talisman tightly as the Giant rounded up another shot. "-then I've already won!"
The flail continued to soar, uninhibited.
Astaire had used his last charge of Force.
Oh, hell.
Like taking the brunt of a hit from a bullet train, Astaire soared back and slammed into the wall, falling into a crumpled mess at the Giant's feet. "Sir Astaire!" Sieglinde cried, running back into the fray and gunning for the Giant's leg. However, her cry had given her away. The Giant swept around and punted her with the flail, sending her rolling across the ground like a rock over a pond.
Rage bubbled over in Astaire as he staggered to his feet. No creature, from Lordran or otherwise, was going to strike out at one of his friends and live to celebrate it. He ground his teeth, he fought off the fogginess brought on by his impact off the wall. He clutched his claymore tightly in both hands.
But none of that could keep the flail from impact. It soared towards him like a shot from a cannon, ready to strike him head-first and reduce him to dust.
Just before impact, some unseen force shot the Giant in the side, sending it rolling to a messy stop in the centre of the platform. "How 'bout picking on someone your own size, asshole?" Kanji grinned, cracking his knuckles as Takeji Zaiten mirrored the motion above him. "'Cause you've been asking for it for a damn long time by now."
Thank the Gods they'd arrived, and not a second too soon. Yu, Kanji, Yukiko and Chie rushed off to keep the Giant occupied, leaving an unsteady, bloodied Astaire in capable hands.
Well, Teddie's hands. "Sheesh, he really did a number on you!"
"You don't say." Said the bleeding, battered, bruised, and beleaguered Astaire with a hard expression. "I'd hardly noticed."
"Just hurry up and heal him already!" Rise barked, knocking Teddie on the top of his head before immediately going back to scanning the Giant's weaknesses.
Amidst whimpers and moans, Astaire sighed as he felt his wounds close over. Given that most of his effort was no longer being directed towards not toppling over, his thoughts began to clear. Examining the ongoing battle, it was easy to see that the Giant wasn't going down easily. Magic was dampened by its armour, and physical wounds were hard to inflict on something so quick.
The team was struggling. There had to be something he could do. "Are you seeing anything of use, Ms. Kujikawa?" Astaire asked as he attempted to peek over and into her visor.
"I'm still not seeing any elemental weaknesses. Even after taking a beating, it's still super tough…" Rise mused. "But… There is something. It's not an elemental weakness, it's more like…" And there she dragged off, falling off into her thoughts.
There was something. There was. She could feel it. She just couldn't see it. It wasn't the sort of weakness Kouzeon was meant to seek out. But if she could sense it, it had to be possible, right? All she had to do was try. Come on, try.
Her internal struggle must've been leaking into the external, because Rise felt the back Astaire's hand brush against her arm. "Don't let up. You can do it, I know you can." He whispered gently to her.
In that moment, it seemed as though all of Kouzeon's senses intensified. What had once been a broad stroke was keenly refined into a pinpoint-accurate vision of the Giant's physicality. All at once, the weakness became clear.
"The back of its ankles!" Rise shouted, whipping Kouzeon's visor up. "The back of its ankles is its weak spot!"
True enough, a look at the Giant's armour showed an exposed section of skin just above its heel. The only problem would be getting to it. Any time any of the team, or their Personas, made to close in on the Giant, it leapt out of the way with frightening speed. At the rate the battle was proceeding, it seemed as though an end would only come once one party ran out of stamina.
That couldn't happen. "Chin up, Sieglinde, we've got a target! Move in with me!" Astaire shouted as he raised his claymore to his shoulder, running for the Giant's right side. As he went, Sieglinde caught herself on and did the same, closing in on the left.
"Don't move, everyone! Just keep hitting it with magic, or else it's gonna want to jump again!" Beamed Rise's voice in everyone's heads, seconds before Takeji-Zaiten tried swatting the Giant with his sword again. With a grunt, Kanji abstained.
From there, the barrage of magic was immense. Bolts of lightning, fire and ice cascaded around the area, dropping the temperature and raising it just as quickly. Sparks flew as the elements recoiled off the Giant's armour, doing little damage, but keeping the beast on its toes. For now, that was all they needed.
Underneath the mystical cacophony Astaire shot around the Giant's side, appearing behind it at the same time as Sieglinde. From there, words weren't even needed, save for one from Rise. "NOW!"
Perfectly synchronised, both claymore and bastard sword plunged into the Giant's skin, a torrent of blood staining the floor on contact. But that wasn't enough. Winding up even further, both Sieglinde and Astaire swung their weapons with fullest strength, so strongly that the Giant toppled forward entirely, impacting the ground strongly enough to shake the dust and debris out of the tower's every nook and cranny.
In a last-ditch attempt to win, the Giant outstretched a hand towards Yu. If it was going to die, one of their order was going to die too.
That was, until a blood-soaked claymore pierced through the top of said hand, pinning it painfully to the floor. An act that was quickly mirrored on the Giant's other side, as a bastard sword rendered the beast completely immobile.
"Oh, I've been waitin' for this." Kanji chuckled, raising his shield as Takeji-Zaiten raised his sword. "We're gonna open you up like we're frickin' can openers." A vicious glint twinkled in his eye as he spoke.
"Couldn't have said it better myself." Chie agreed as a similar twinkle ran through everyone's eyes at once, their Personas looming over them with immense, terrifying auras.
Based off how Yu alone had dealt with the Manserpents earlier, Astaire regretted not keeping ahold of another greatshield. He rushed over towards Rise and shielded his face with his arms. This was going to be messy.
"My uniform!"
"My sweater!"
"Pbbbbbbt." Spat Teddie as he cleaned the blood from his face as best he could. There were pieces of the Giant everywhere, and over everyone. There were only three exceptions, namely Kanji and Naoto, who'd both ducked behind the one shield, and Rise, who was safely within an Astaire-shaped exclusion zone.
How anyone was going to explain walking back through Junes like this was anyone's guess. They sold a whole lot of everything, but they didn't fill any pools with blood, not even around Halloween time.
But for the time being, everyone's concerns moved beyond their eventual walk of blood and shame back home. Something was happening.
Getting as caught up in the battle as they had, nobody had taken much notice of their surroundings upon reaching the top of their respective pathways. But as the remains of the Giant slid down the walls, that changed.
Another wall of fog stood before the Team, slowly fading out of existence to reveal a large, dark door on the other side, a pulsing orb of light embedded in the center. At its side, a familiar pool of light dredged up and shone invitingly at Yu. A new save point. Excellent.
The orb of light seemed noteworthy enough to warrant further examination. Unfortunately, being covered head-to-toe in Giant viscera after fending off exploding boulders did little to encourage the spirit of inquisitiveness. For now, the sweet, sweet afterglow of victory was the only major concern.
"We did it. We actually did it, Thank god." Yu sighed, wiping the blood from his face as best his bloodied hand could. "Good work everyone. Especially you two. That was one heck of a beating you took." He said, motioning his head towards Astaire and Sieglinde.
The bloodless outline of Astaire's arms across his face only became clear once he lowered them, chuckling. "Oh, please, we're used to this sort of thing. Happens all the time where we're from."
"All this and worse!" Sieglinde agreed, matching his chuckle.
Even after being pounded with boulders non-stop, even after exerting every scrap of energy they had to take down one persistent, crafty foe, they still had the energy to laugh and be modest about it. Just to look at them, Yu could sense the immense determination bound within each of them.
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Knight Astaire
"But heavens, I don't recall it ever being quite this messy, I'll admit!" Sieglinde laughed, reaching around to the back of her helmet before it emitted an abrupt click. "Nor this tiring, actually. Not even Lost Izalith made me work up a sweat like this!"
Of everything that had happened in the Tower that day, from the Manserpents, to the boulders, to the pendulums and the Giants, only one moment surprised Astaire above all others.
The moment Sieglinde removed her helmet.
It said a lot when she risked dislocating the jaws of not just the males of the group, but the females, too. Had they hung any further, they could've swallowed watermelons whole.
Blonde hair, like spun gold, short and practical. Large, innocent eyes inlaid amongst smooth, porcelain skin. Facial features that would've made the finest crafted doll seethe with bitter jealousy. There was no other word suitable enough to describe her.
Sieglinde was beautiful.
"W-What are you all staring at? Is something the matter?" Sieglinde blushed, shying away from the wall of attention set before her.
Good Gods in heaven above, she sounded even cuter without her helmet on. It didn't seem possible, but it had happened all the same. Was someone so feminine and radiant really a knight? It beggared the beliefs of everyone present.
Realising he had a girlfriend to not piss off, Yu was the first to shake himself free of Sieglinde's charms. "I, uh… just think we've become so acquainted to seeing you with your helmet on, that's all." He said. Given that he felt no death-stares on his side, that seemed to suggest that he'd nailed it.
"It's not the sort of thing I do very often… It feels as though every time I do, people begin to act terribly odd, for whatever reason…" Not only had her voice become infinitesimally cuter, but her mannerisms were like that of a completely different person. Sieglinde glanced off to the side, linking her fingers and twisting her upper body to and fro, all while her face gradually began to flush. "...Might I ask you all to stop staring at me now? Please?"
Dear god, she was like an armoured puppy. Telling everyone not to stare only made them stare harder. However, between Sieglinde's futile attempts to fend off everyone's attention, she and everyone else began to notice something.
She'd hidden her face behind her hands, but it was beginning to fade back into view. Her hands were fading away.
"What?! What's happening to Sieggy-chan?!" Teddie blurted as he flailed about, tossing blood drops to and fro.
"What on earth did you just call me?" Sieglinde asked indignantly, narrowing her eyes.
"That's what you're worried about?! Sieglinde-chan, you're fading away!" Yukiko said in disbelief.
Everyone's eyes were transfixed on Sieglinde's increasingly-less-visible hands, which she waved in front of her face, expression full of interest. "Oh, this? It's nothing really, it happens all the time when I'm summoned to another world. Isn't that right, Sir Astaire?" She said as casually as could be.
"Under normal circumstances, yes, but…" He didn't want to say it. He really didn't want to say it. "...You're not a phantom right now. Neither I nor anyone else summoned you." But there was no tiptoeing around it, as worrying as it seemed.
Even still, all Sieglinde did was raised her brow in interest. "Oh. Yes, I suppose that's true. Hmm." She mumbled, crossing what she had left of her arms. "Perhaps, since I don't remember how I got here, I'll simply return from whence I came? That would be awfully handy." She mused.
How she wasn't freaking out as much as everyone else was anyone's guess. The fading gradually began working its way up Sieglinde's upper arms, running up to her pauldrons. "Either way, It seems you're about to find out." Naoto said, cautiously flipping out her notebook.
"I am, aren't I? Ah well, such is the way of things." Sieglinde shrugged nonchalantly, affixing her bastard sword to her back and tucking her helmet under her arm. She turned to everyone with a sweet, grateful smile on her face, radiant as the sun itself. "It's a shame we didn't have more time together, I did so enjoy fighting alongside you all!" She beamed, eventually setting eyes on Astaire. "And of course, it was a delight to see you again, Sir Astaire. I can't imagine how, but it seems you've found yourself in good company."
Her words made Astaire feel strange. An unfamiliar, wet feeling began forming under his right eye as he watched Sieglinde fade away all the more, realising that this may well be the last he ever saw of her. More to the point, the first and last time he'd ever see her as a fully-fledged human. It only became clear to him how rare the opportunity had been right as it began to draw to a close.
From his side, something jabbed into Astaire's ribs. Loathe though he was to stop watching Sieglinde, for fear that she may not be there once he looked back, he diverted his attention. It had been Rise, looking up at him with a steely look in her eyes. "Tell her!" She whispered.
Astaire raised an eyebrow. "Tell her what exactly?" He whispered back.
"How you feel about her, you dummy! You couldn't tell her because you were Undead before, right?! Well now's your chance!" Rise whispered strongly in return, slapping him on the back to hurry him on. The sudden look of horror on Astaire's face riled her up even further. "This could be the last chance you get! Go on, do it!" She hissed, quickly exiting the realms of whispering altogether.
Astaire inhaled deeply, attempted to swallow his nerves, then straightened his back before striding towards Sieglinde, wearing the same determined look he wore in combat.
Inside, some part of Rise slugged herself in the gut. What the hell had she said that for?! Wasn't this, like, the complete opposite of what she was kind-of-maybe-just-a-little-bit hoping for?! All the moping and worrying about him liking someone else and now she was actively pushing him?! Way to shoot herself in the foot, idiot! What was she thinking?!
However, that part of herself was trounced by another side. True, the situation was less than ideal from her point of view. But much like with Kanami, and with Yukiko before her, it wasn't about her. It'd been about Yu being happy before, just like it was about Astaire being happy now. He had to tell her. He just had to.
No matter how much it pained her to watch.
Astaire came to a stop before he leaned forward and clasped his hands on Sieglinde's shoulders. "Sieglinde."
Every hair on Sieglinde's head seemed to bristle at once as Astaire loomed over her. "Y-Yes, Sir Astaire?" Whatever send-off she'd been expecting, it hadn't been this.
Beyond the two, everyone could feel the atmosphere shift. The mood was right. They were in the perfect position. Kanji glanced between both knights and Rise beside him, shifting uncomfortably on the spot. He wasn't actually going to do it, was he?
The pregnant silence that followed was finally split as Astaire leaned forward, catching Rise's heart in her throat. His arms slipped behind Sieglinde's back, just before he set his chin on one of her pauldrons, pulling her into a hug as best as Catarina armour would allow.
"It was nice to see you again. I don't know where you're going, but I hope you'll be safe, wherever it is."
Sieglinde's face flushed in an instant. Gods, the stares alone were bad enough, but this? This was overwhelming. Yet even in the face of being overwhelmed entirely, Sieglinde finally used what remained of her arms to return Astaire's sendoff. "Thank you, Sir Astaire. Truly."
Slowly but surely, limb by limb, Sieglinde faded away with a content smile on her face. Finally, Astaire's arms gave way once he was left with nothing to hold. She was gone.
"Dude, are you crying?" Yosuke nudged Kanji with a smirk.
"I-I ain't- Shut your face, damn it!" Kanji protested, raising a fist as Yosuke shied away.
Both sides of Rise flared up again as Astaire turned to walk back, his smile composed.
Yes! He hadn't said it, he hadn't said it! Woo! What a relief! He didn't say a damn thing!
...But why hadn't he?
"Gods above, is anyone-" Astaire cut off to let out a yawn. "-else feeling as exhausted as I am?"
As if his words had released some unseen valve keeping the adrenaline from escaping, the exhaustion suddenly hit the Team like a sack of bricks. One yawn quickly spiralled into eight more as the trek up the Fortress and the ensuing battle finally caught up with everyone. "Whew… Someone carry me back, okay?" Teddie moaned as he slumped over.
"An' you covered in blood? Take a hike, Ted, literally." Kanji grunted back, the effort from his continued boulder-deflections weighing heavily on his body.
Notebook tucked safely out of blood's reach, Naoto sighed. "As worthy of investigation as our surroundings would appear to be…" She motioned her head towards the door, light orb and all. "...I feel it would be prudent to waylay our investigation until later, Senpai."
"Don't have to tell me twice, my legs are killing me!" Yosuke complained, stretching towards the ceiling. "I think Ted might be onto something with that whole 'carrying' thing." He said, slyly sliding his eyes in Chie's direction before recoiling at her dragonesque leer.
"Good call, Naoto." Yu said cooly, shaking the fatigue from his head as he preemptively dreaded the walk home. "Everyone gather around the Save Point, I'll have us back in no time."
"Crap! I just realised!" Yosuke suddenly broke the silence as everyone trudged through the trees leading to the Statue Grove, tired to the bone. "We're still covered from head to toe! We can't walk through Junes like this!"
"Speak for yourself." Kanji said pridefully as he and Naoto walked at each other's sides, spotless.
Sensing that letting dried blood flake up Rise's room probably wasn't the wisest idea, Astaire quickly changed out of his armour and into his coat, bending his fingers back as he relished not being restricted by gauntlets.
A silvery glint caught Naoto's eye, courtesy of the ring adorning Astaire's…
Wait a minute. That was Sieglinde's ring. He was still wearing it. "Rise-san, a word?" She spoke out, leaning in to whisper in Rise's ear as she broke off from Astaire's side. "Might I ask you a favour?"
Rise gave her a curious look. "Sure, Naoto-kun, what's up?"
"I need you to keep an eye on that ring." She tipped her cap in Astaire's direction. "Specifically, I need you to message me and tell me what it looks like outside the TV."
Rise gave her an even more curious look. "Sure, I guess? You gonna tell me why?"
"If my hypothesis falls through, I shall. But I can only be sure that it will if you help me."
There was a familiar glint in Naoto's eye, one which Rise recognised all too well. She was onto something. Maybe even something big. "Don't worry, Naoto-kun, you can count on me!" Rise said with a wink before she jogged back up to Astaire's side.
Much to her surprise, the Statue Grove was surprisingly barren of new statues. Not that Rise had any idea what exactly caused a new one to be built, but if seeing Sieglinde off didn't make one, what would? At any rate, she could guess what wouldn't make one. "Ee-yuck! Even after it's gone all flakey, I still can't get it off!" Teddie moaned, shaking flakes of dried blood everywhere.
"At least you can take the suit off! What about the rest of us?!" Chie similarly moaned, trying to brush the flakes off her jacket.
"If we came out looking like this, who knows what people would think we'd been up to?" Yukiko's brow furrowed at the thought. "Nothing good, anyway."
Looking similarly worried for her friends, Rise pursed her lips. "Hmm. There's gotta be something we could do. It's not gonna matter to Astaire-kun and I, since we're pretty much home already." She sat and drummed on her cheek for a second, then, at last, an idea! "Hey, I know what we could do!"
Everyone watched intently as Rise clasped her hands behind her back and leaned over in Astaire's direction. "Soooo… Y'know how you carry pretty much all the things in that box of yours?" She asked, fluttering her eyelashes.
"Great, now I'm filthy, tired and chafing." Yosuke muttered as his dark leather armour made walking through Hell seem more pleasant. "I swear he did this on purpose." He said, squeaking with every step.
"Maybe you're just wearing it wrong. Are you sure your pants are on the right way?" Chie suggested, rolling the sleeves of her gold-hemmed robes up for the umpteenth time. "Sleeves aside, this is actually pretty comfy."
"They're comfy, but…" Yukiko lifted the arm of her crimson robes and took a cautionary sniff, turning her mouth down on instinct. "...I don't even want to know what that smell is." Although if she were to guess, it might've been a cross between a waterlogged drain and stale rot. Where such a smell had come from, she didn't dare guess.
The only one amongst them who didn't smell was, unsurprisingly, the happiest of the lot. "Mine smells like old books! Like an alluring yet modestly-dressed librarian!" Teddie said with a wide grin, skipping along as he held the front of his Maiden Skirt up.
"Anything's better than smelling like a fresh crime scene. Or looking like one." Yu shrugged as the bottom of his Wanderer's coat flapped behind him. "Besides, the smell is the least of your worries." He said with a chuckle as the forest began to fade away, taking on the more familiar appearance of the TV Studio accessed from Junes. "You guys have to walk through Junes like that."
Yosuke had clearly either forgotten or put the fact out of his mind, because his face turned as white as a sheet once Yu had said it. "Dude. No way. What am I gonna say if anyone sees me?! 'Oh, y'know, just cosplaying as a weird BDSM thief'?!" To say nothing of what would happen if his father caught sight of him. Sleeping outside didn't sound too fun.
"Guess you'd better start figuring something out then, huh?" Kanji chuckled, revelling in he and Naoto's bloodlessness as he stepped up to the exit TV first. "Personally, I'd get that squeaking looked at first!" And with that, he dove in and left a livid Yosuke in his wake, laughing all the while.
With a quick tip of her hat and a quiet 'Good night', Naoto was hot on Kanji's heels. Soon after Yu waved goodbye and set off for his own TV, only Teddie, Yosuke, Chie and Yukiko remained.
"So, uh… who's gonna go first?" Yosuke asked anxiously, backing away on instinct. He was soon caught short as a vice-grip, on par with a dragon's talon, gripped his shoulder. It didn't take a genius to guess who it was. It took even less effort to guess who was going first, then. "...Damnit."
The sun had long since settled when Rise and Astaire exited the TV, flooding the room with moonlight from the moment they stepped in. It was often difficult to gauge the amount of time that had passed from within the TV World, and the sheer scale of recent dungeons hadn't helped matters.
When Senpai had guessed that it'd be the most arduous task they'd ever faced, chances were that even he hadn't known how right he was. It staggered Rise to think about, even as she threw herself back onto her bed later in the evening.
It should have staggered her more, really. TV-Lordran was a nightmare. It was quickly proving to be as nightmarish as Astaire had made regular Lordran out to be, and then some. The only reason the fact didn't stagger her more was because one question had been etched into her mind above all others.
"Why didn't you tell her?" She finally asked, after rolling the question around in her head for far too long. From the floor beside her, Astaire pitched his head up and gave her a curious look. "Sieglinde-chan. You didn't tell her how you felt. How come? You said you liked her, right?"
Humming thoughtfully, Astaire lay his head back and stared at the ceiling. "I suppose I did say that, didn't I?" A sideways glance at Rise's increasingly confused expression egged him on further. "It's not all that complicated, really. I certainly was… fond of her, at a point. But…" He paused to let out a sigh, sounding almost nostalgic. "...That was awhile ago. I said that I liked her, not that I still did."
"Oh, that's good." Rise said before she could stop herself. Her willpower had been so devoted to not sighing the entire hotel down that the filter between her head and her mouth seemed to have slipped. "F-For you, that is! Good for you!" Easy, Rise, easy. Play it cool. If ever there was a time to put her acting skills to work, it was now. With a quiet, deep breath, she continued. "That sort of thing can be tough. Getting over someone is far from the easiest thing in the world. Believe me, I know."
"You do?" Astaire asked, shifting onto his side. He almost sounded hopeful, but perhaps that was just wishful thinking. Rise nodded, and that seemed to be enough for him. Enough to coax a small smile out of him, at least. "That's reassuring. Now I know who to come to if I begin feeling out of sorts!" He chuckled.
"Hee, you bet. I've got your back." Rise said with a smile.
"I think I'll be right, though. It's not the sort of thing I did much pondering on before you brought it up." Astaire added after a beat. "Good thing, too. I don't think I have it in me to feel that way about two people at once."
Wait a minute.
Oh, Gods be damned.
Thus it was Astaire's turn to shove his foot in his mouth, so strongly that he risked looking like a pretzel. As if his own loose lips didn't make him regret speaking enough, the way Rise suddenly stiffened, eyes fixated on him with interest, did the trick. Oh Gods, he'd done it now.
But she didn't speak. Didn't say even a word. Just lay and silently stared holes in his head, which actually felt worse. Like trying to sneak through the Tomb of the Giants and noticing a subtly-lit pair of eyes gleaming dangerously in the darkness.
Under her sweat-inducing gaze, Astaire felt pinned. He could only imagine what she was thinking.
He had someone. He totally had someone else besides Sieglinde. He'd all but admitted it to her face, and from the look on his face, he hadn't meant to do it. That left only one likely candidate, starting with a 'K' and ending with an 'Anami'. The temptation to grab a flashlight and begin shining the beam in his eyes for answers was oh so hard to resist.
No, no. Bad idea. Bad Rise, stop it. That was the exact sort of meddling that she assured herself she wasn't going to do. Cut it out. Don't slap yourself though, you'll look like you're losing it. Nonchalant. Nonchalant. Acting skills.
The sum of Rise's acting skills amounted to her throwing herself back onto her pillow to keep her face out of view. All that could make it worse was if someone took a marker and scrawled "PARANOID" across her forehead.
"Oh, that reminds me. Whatever was the matter with you earlier, during our bout with that massive Serpent?"
Did he seriously have to ask her about that now?! Of all the times, he had to choose-! Nuh-uh, nope. Not getting worked up about it. Back to acting mode. "I was… I was just off my game, that's all. There were a lot of things to keep track of, and I guess I just got a little overwhelmed. Sorry." She ended lightly.
"I already told you not to dwell on it, didn't I? There's no need for apologies. Not even the most adept of warriors can be perfect all the time. Even Knight Artorias had his faults, I'm sure." Even if Astaire couldn't list them off because who could, but that was beside the point.
Shifting around to peek over her bed again, Rise's face appeared wearing a small smile. "Thanks, Astaire-kun. For that little pep-talk earlier, too." She said softly. "I really thought I was gonna lose it back there, what with Chie-senpai…" She trailed off. It still wasn't easy to think about.
"I'd never let that happen." Snapped Astaire, his eyes hard and serious. That was, until he realised what he was about to say and quickly switched which side he was lying on. "...After all, seeing you saddened wouldn't do my mood any favours, either."
'I'd hate to see you sad,' In other words.
It was a wonder that Rise's hair didn't catch fire as she felt her face light up like a Christmas tree. Holy crap, he was making this whole not-wanting-to-meddle thing REALLY DIFFICULT. This was no good. Even with all her acting prowess, Rise couldn't seem to calm herself down. She opened and closed her mouth for a response more times than she could count, fidgeted around in bed until her covers nearly flew off altogether. Nothing was working.
And then she spotted it. Set upon Astaire's finger, glinting in the moonlight, was the White Seance Ring. The one Naoto had wanted her to keep an eye on. Not that there was much to it, really. It looked exactly the same outside the TV as it had inside.
Still, the Detective Prince wanted what the Detective Prince wanted. Plus, it was something to focus on that wasn't that. Squinting at the light of her screen, Rise singlemindedly tapped out the message relaying what she was looking it, even if it wasn't much.
Down below lay an unsettled Astaire, in a similar state of too-much-thinking. The only difference being that he didn't have a phone to distract him.
'Believe me, I know.'
Did… did that mean she was over him?
Good Gods in Heavens above, what drivel was he thinking to himself? What utter nonsense. It was so far outside a knight's realm of concerns that not even a lift from a giant crow could hope to bring him any nearer. Complete idiocy.
...But it made him feel a fair sight brighter all the same, as idiotic as it was.
"I'm gonna turn over for the night. Goodnight, Astaire-kun." Rise said from above, her covers rustling as she nestled herself in comfortably.
A wise idea indeed. Visits from Shadows aside, sleep sounded wonderful.
How unfortunate, then, that Astaire wasn't tired. As it turned out, staying awake for so long had the dual effects of making one drowsy throughout the day and annoyingly lucid come nightfall. Wonderful. Just wonderful.
If nothing else, all he could do was try. Closing his eyes, Astaire lay back and tried to set his mind to rest. Focus on drifting away. Don't focus on Rise, or Sieglinde, or never seeing her again, or all the things he never asked her, or-
"OH, HELL!"
Astaire shot upright at breakneck speed, jolting Rise awake and bolting her up with him as she quickly flicked the lights on. "Holy crap, is something wrong?!" She was right to think so, anyway. Astaire was bug-eyed, clutching both sides of his head and occasionally rapping his hands off them. He looked frazzled all over. "C'mon, speak to me!"
"I forgot to ask Sieglinde what happened at Ash Lake!"
For a beat, all was silent.
Rise looked at Astaire.
Astaire looked at Rise.
"...You idiot!" Rise bellowed back, flipping out of bed and clutching Astaire by the shoulders, shaking him back and forth. "Now we'll both never know how that story ended! Darn it, why didn't I think of that either?!" She realised, now feeling like an idiot of equal magnitude as she went about rapping on the sides of her own head.
After a period of sorrowful shouting and lamentations, both parties kicked themselves all the way back to bed.
Well, that was one way to nod off.