There's a mix of resolve and excitement around the dorm that night; they're going to Tartarus. The whole of SEES is set to get a pass in the grinder today but the rest of their plans require tweaks based on individual schedules, so Minako is meeting with everyone one by one to take notes. So much to do until the full moon, so little time, and it shows.
Trying to keep busy until the clock literally strikes twelve, they're all moving up and down the stairs, swapping for the new weapons that got delivered, refilling portable med kits and adjusting their evoker holsters. And every time Akihiko crosses Minako in a corridor during her rounds, at the bottom of the stairs or near the table, there's static shock. They're not touching; he's just skimming the air that's next to her and she's sort of doing the same and it's somehow so much worse.
By the time they step into the Tower of Demise, Akihiko is so edgy with tension he swears he's going deaf from the rush.
She's talking with her brother and they're splitting in teams, the goal being to take Aigis through both compositions with different leaders by swapping her with someone halfway during the Dark Hour. Akihiko, Minako and Aigis are up first, with Yukari as support and tackling the newest block, while Minato, Mitsuru and Junpei are set to start slightly lower and climb from there to warm up.
Climbing up from where they last unlocked a teleporter, they enter the Yabbashah block for the first time. It's darker, metallic and full of nooks where shadows can ambush them and Yukari looks uneasy.
"Wow, it feels like forever ago when we last came here."
Minako rubs her friend's back in passing.
"I know, that's why we're going to start slow and ramp up as we can, it's been a little while. Aigis, come here."
The robot comes to attention, and she continues.
"We're here so you can map your parameters to what we can do, I don't really know how you work in groups, Ikutsuki only inferred you were always deployed in solo. Right now, Yukari is the most important member of this party and I want your priority to be her safety. Since you're both attacking from afar, and I'd hate getting shot in there, aim carefully. Listen to her cues, she knows what I mean."
"Battle parameters updated."
Minako laughs and Yukari chips in.
"That's way too formal Aigis. Try saying something like 'Alright I got this' instead."
Aigis repeats after her, a little stiffly.
"Alright, I got this!"
Akihiko, keeping watch until they're good to go, raises a fist, pointing to their right. They got company. The girls flex their weapons in reply and deploy.
It takes a few fights to warm up and Minako slowly amps the rhythm, engaging bigger groups of foes in quick succession. Initially, she needs to shout her commands to Aigis but the mechanical maiden adapts quickly and has a good enough combat routine to spot where she can intervene.
Akihiko is grinning as they fight; they're both at the front and dancing around one another like they've always done this. It was two lifetimes ago since he punched something to dust, and it just feels good to pummel shadows to get rid of all the pent-up energy. And he's got quite a bit of it.
Minako is doing a gesture to Yukari and Aigis toward one of the shadows to request gales and zuppressing fire then dives back his way, sidestepping behind him with evoker in hand to summon beams of darkness toward some of the other threats. He covers her on the way, discouraging one inky appendage headed toward her back with a few rapid jabs but takes a bad hit for it.
Akihiko stands his ground nonetheless, grunting through the pain and guarding as Yukari is already raising her evoker. Io's healing takes effect to refresh their cuts and bruises, while Palladion sweeps half of the field in a bullrush.
Minako's eyes briefly glaze over to commune with Fuuka, then she puts three fingers on his shoulder to request support and steps in front of him, using her naginata like an extended sword to slice him some breathing space. He dances back under the swipe and behind her with his evoker to his skull, calling Polydeuces to rain down mayhem on everything. The air pressure flips upside down and blinding bolts of lightning start exploding around them to vaporize the rest.
Feels good to be alive!
They're standing back-to-back, panting hard. Their shoulders are barely a finger apart, her hair is dancing because of static, and Akihiko laughs as motes of fading darkness snow everywhere.
Yukari is shaking her head like he's insane, but Aigis takes it in stride, impassive.
"Hot Damn' As they say."
Both teams meet back in Tartarus' lobby to swap Aigis with Junpei and they deploy back again, mixing it up. Minako confers with her brother for a minute and runs back their way.
"The Shock Troop is back on the menu, Yukari on sniper duty, I'll support. We'll get to the next roadblock and call it a night."
Iori woops in delight and high fives Akihiko on the way to the teleporter pad. They make a good frontline duo and the next shadows they cross will have no chance. They prove that confidence right over the next floors.
The trio of powerful entities blocking the stairs upward end up being fire-oriented, so Iori is assigned to take point, barely affected by the inferno that engulfs the room in short order. Liquid red flames are bathing the floors and Yukari is focus firing one of the strange contraptions to take it down, doing her best to stay out of hazard range.
Rolling this way and that to dodge the chaos, not quite resistant like Junpei but way more mobile, Akihiko is working double-time to follow his companion's blade strikes with resounding cracks of his gauntlets. They just need to take one out of the fray and things will get better but in the meantime he's switching from one to another to keep them busy. Minako has her evoker firing nonstop to actualize her repertoire of personas, eyes trailing scarlet haze, expending energy continuously to contain the effects of the heat around them all.
Cinders from the shadow's attacks extinguish almost before they touch them, countered by the motes of life from a musician apparition. A small fairy is next, zipping around her head and blowing shooting stars Akihiko's way. As the power takes effect, he can swear Minako's hands are raking his hair like a whisper, shielding him from the worst of the flames' sting so he can keep the shadows busy and out of her way. Then it's a two-headed wolf from hell that seems to leap from behind her to assist Junpei with a howl of power that makes him grin in delight. Takeba scores a bullseye with a satisfied cry and a bastard sword cleaves the weakened target in half.
"Perfecto!"
Two to go.
It's a ragtag band of tired teenagers that make their way back to the dorm in the gloom of the Dark Hour, Iori keeping them awake with an agitated retelling of his exploits at the front. Yukari is complaining about the smell of smoke on her clothes to Fuuka, everyone's a little grimy and hairstyles are a little wild across the board, but none of that matter.
He fought until his shoulders ached and his knees started giving way, until her eyes ran out of red tears of fire to summon figments of her soul. And now they're all spent at the back of the group, barely grazing their sooty fingertips in passing, content.