2015-02-20 - Penumbra Games
| Title: Penumbra Games | |
|---|---|
| Summary: Shadows have been going missing all over the school! Is it the work of a Clow Card...or a g-g-ghost?! | |
| Who: Cardcaptor Sakura, Cute Wolf Tsukiko, Fuu Hououji, Tomoyo Daidouji (NPCed by Minako Aino)
| |
| Where: Juuban Elementary Sports Fields | |
| OOC - IC Date: 28 May 2014 - 02/20/2015 | |
<Pose Tracker> Kozue Kaoru [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.
It's a bright Spring afternoon at Juuban elementary. As the sun wends its way towards its apex in the sky, Yoshiyuki Terada stands at the front of his physical education class in the gym. Having shed his business suit for a grey sweat-suit, he still appears every bit as serious despite his casual pose, "Today we're going to be practicing our gymnastics to work on our strength, balance, and flexibility. I'd like everyone to set up the mats for basic floor exercises."
Rika, energetic and eager is the first to the storage closet, which is normally neatly organized with all the equipment they'll need but upon opening it, looks startled "Sensei. Everything is-" The gym teacher looks inside only to find its empty, and he appears just as puzzled by it. "It was all here this morning." The class begins to whisper, and as if on cue, the gym door bursts open. The nasally, petulant voice of Juuban's vice principal resounds throughout the gym as he shouts, "TERADA! Get out here!" He disappears around the corner almost immediately, taking off towards the field.
At a hurried pace, he heads outside, and despite not being asked to follow, the class does anyhow, the blinding glare of the sun's light obscuring their vision for only a few moments before they saw it. In the middle of Juuban's extensive athletic fields was all the equipment, and so much more, stacked like cordwood. The pile was at least fifteen meters high. Club supplies, gym equipment, and so much more. One would even swear they saw multiple overstuffed boxes of manga crowning the pile. The Vice Principal appeared to be brow-beating the gym teacher off to the side, "I don't care if it's impossible! I want these delinquents caught before others follow their example! Is that clear!? It's your responsibility!"
It didn't stop there, classroom after classroom of stacked up desks, projectors, and computers which the students are all forced to clean up. Despite the joint effort, everyone is exhausted by it. Come lunchtime, it's half of what everyone is talking about. Speculation of how this was even possible had come up with wild rumors, gossip about ghosts, curses and... the strange realization that everyone's shadow was missing.
Most students laughed it off until they put it to the test. Even standing in direct sunlight, no shadow was cast, none at all. Spooky~ Pictures of students without their shadows are quickly going viral on the sister school website. "Did you know, that in Turkmenistan there are so many Ghost Kaitou that no one has a shadow? Shadow theft has become so commonplace that the people just live with it. Lately they've become so bored that no one there is frightened by them that they've migrated to-" -BONK- "You're such a liar!" "-Japan for new prey!"
As the day drags onward to close into a nearly moonless, overcast night, a feeling of uneasiness might be felt by anyone in Shitamachi. A swelling of arcane power that swirls around Juuban like a vortex; it feels neither good, nor evil, but wrong for reasons one can't place. Kero is the first to feel it, but certainly not the last! Whether one goes to Juuban or not, what one has heard or not, people are drawn to the Juuban Public School fields seem inert, quiet, and empty. The thin crescent of the moon casts long shadows which are barely discernible from the darkness, and everyone who arrives gets the feeling that their arrival is noted and watched by whatever presence might be here.
<Pose Tracker> Cute Wolf Tsukiko [Juuban Public School (6)] has posed.
-EARLIER-
The incidents of the piled equipment struck Ikiko as unusual, but more of an inconvenience than anything. But when everyone's shadows go missing, that's when she starts worrying. Thinking about the desks and such she helped sort out, nothing seemed to be actively cursed... but what could steal shadows? And what did the thief plan on doing with them?
This calls for more investigation...
-NOW-
Cute Wolf Tsukiko prowls the middle of the fields, looking around warily as she tries to get a sense of where the presence is located. While she doesn't like being out in the open like this, she dislikes the possibility of being ambushed next to a building even less.
As the wolfgirl looks around, she tries to avoid looking at where her shadow /should/ be. It's been missing since lunch, and its absence unnerves her if she pays too much attention to that fact.
"This is kind of creepy," she murmurs to no-one in particular.
<Pose Tracker> Sakura Kinomoto [Juuban Public School (4)] has posed.
It does not occur to Sakura, at least, not immediately, that the desks and other mischief is the work of a Clow Card. Like the others, she believes the explanation of pranksters completely.
"G-G-G-GHOSTS?!" It is more of a squawk than a little girl's voice. Her hands begin kneading uncontrollably into her palm, rubbing nervously as her head bobs side to side. Every few seconds, there is a nervous peek around her surroundings, desperate to try to perceive any kind of supernatural ability before it becomes evident. Anxiety is clear on her face, her eyes welling up and almost impossible to hold back. Under her breath, she mutters, "IhateghostsIhateghostsIhateghosts."
It is a mantra at this point that she eventually silently tells herself to get through the day.
Once the day is done and the night comes, she explains her absence to her family as a 'sleepover at Tomoyo-chan's!' Which is not entirely far from the truth; she fully expected to sleep over, especially with Sonomi's strong (understatement, of course) approval. Wearing one of her best friend's fine creations, a red cape flowing at her back and a matching hat to boot, she is nervously working her way around the school yard while a small stuffed animal, beast-like creature trails behind slowly.
"I don't get it," The beast is stumped, "How can you be losin' it like this over ghosts but yer' fine with Clow Cards?! Clow Cards are /waaaaaaaay/ scarier in some cases, y'know." The guardian wears a matching cape, finely fitted to show off his bravery fully.
"Don't joke about this!" a tiny voice shoots back, creeping quietly, "Clow Cards aren't scary. At least I can capture them..."
<Pose Tracker> Minako Aino [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Tomoyo Daidouji has already been recording the last few minutes with her camcorder. She has tried to film everyone of Sakura-chan's Clow Card battles, but unfortunately has missed recording a few of them already. She's grateful that she could be here today to film Sakura-chan battling in such cute clothing!
Tomoyo turns the camera away from Kero (who had been preening at the camera since Tomoyo pointed it in his direction) back to Sakura.
"Don't worry, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo says encouragaingly. "You will definitely capture it." You are now marked as an observer in +pot, +odds, and +initiative.
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
As luck would have it, a few members of the Infinity Computer Club were at Juuban today (whether helping their Juuban countertparts or merely seeing what the 'competition' is up to, who can say?), and with word of the mysterious relocation of gym equipment circulating as rumors tend to, Fuu Hououji happened to catch wind of it as well.
It was easy enough for Fuu to develop an excuse to her parents as to why she'd be out late; Akihabara's game stores can cover a proverbial (and sometimes literal) multitude of sins, and it would hardly be the first midnight launch Fuu's been to, even on a school night. As long as neither her health nor her grades suffer for the occasional late night out, Fuu's parents are reasonably permissive of their younger daughter's odd comings and goings - a fact which has frequently been useful for a certain green-garbed Magic Knight.
And on that note, the Magic Knight of Wind approaches the Cute Wolf and the Card Captor, smiling and bowing politely to the two younger girls (and their nonmagical friend). "Good evening, Tsukiko-san, Cardmistress-san," she greets them ... and then pauses to look curiously at Tomoyo. And specifically, at the camera.
Not suspiciously, nor in an upset manner ... just curious.
Juri Arisugawa has disconnected.
<Pose Tracker> Kozue Kaoru [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.
Creepy is a word for it Cute Wolf. The school grounds are quiet and still as Tsukiko and the Magic Knight of Wind arrive yet they both feel as if they are unwelcome. The feeling of uneasiness grows as the personage of the Cardcaptor steps onto the field, with the Beast of the Seal, and the eager Tomoyo in tow, their voices stretching across the mute field and marring the silence.
The sentiments of the presence here are pretty clear, whatever is here, does not want them here. Everything continues casting long shadows which flicker in and out as clouds pass over and reveal the moon except for the Juuban students, and yet none of their minds necessarily connect that Juuban students are the only ones without shadows.
Slowly Sakura is eclipsed by a particularly dark shadow. It hesitates over her form for long enough that they might have time to look up, and see the statue from the front of the school hovering over her as if held by invisible and incredibly strong hands. It drops with a thud, an attempt made to crush her, spidery cracks forming upon it as the marble makes contact with the ground. They have time to take in a shape upon the ground, roughly 'man-like' in size and shape, though as indistinct as any shadow. The Shadow is here, and it will fight to keep its freedom.
Its only then that cacophonous chaos erupts, as windows from the buildings all around the field shatter. More shadows, stolen from the students of Juuban, slither towards the center of the field, their shapes gathering together in a murky puddle that builds upon itself as more and more umbral shapes join with it. The now amorphous mass roils, shadowy tendrils erupting from it. And yet the attack doesn't come from it. It instead comes from behind from the sides, a barrage of desks and projectors by shadows that remained behind in the buildings flung haphazardly at them by an artillery of shades to split their attention away from the central mass.
The Magic Knight of Wind gets a different sort of assault. Rather than the silent and gentle theft from the Juuban students, it is more like a rough tearing sensation as the Shadow tries to steal her shadow as well, which if successful, would slither across the grounds towards the pile. What does a shadow know about the one who casts it? Well whatever knowledge it holds now 'The Shadow' knows too.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru transforms into Youma Form The Shadow! COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Fighting in the shade on Sakura Kinomoto. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has finished attacking. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has cancelled their attack on Sakura Kinomoto. If there are more attacks that need to be +cancelled, please hold all +attacks until the process is complete. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has fully healed herself. She is now ready to take on 3 opponents! COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Fighting in the shade on Sakura Kinomoto. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Fighting in the shade on Cute Wolf Tsukiko. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji transforms into Magic Knight! COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used The Shadow Knows! on Fuu Hououji. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has finished attacking. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji narrowly dodges Kozue Kaoru's The Shadow Knows!, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Fuu Hououji is Quipped! Fuu Hououji's Fade ability activates! Fuu Hououji's Flash ability activates! Analysis performed by Kozue Kaoru! COMBAT: Cute Wolf Tsukiko fails to dodge Kozue Kaoru's Fighting in the shade, taking 20 Fatigue damage! Diversion applied to Cute Wolf Tsukiko! COMBAT: Sakura Kinomoto fails to brace Kozue Kaoru's Fighting in the shade, taking 21 Fatigue damage! Diversion applied to Sakura Kinomoto!
<Pose Tracker> Sakura Kinomoto [Juuban Public School (4)] has posed.
It only takes a few steps before Sakura and Kero-chan both realize they are not alone; Keroberos' ears flutter briefly before he perks upward before relaxing. "Ah! Cute Wolf-chan and Knight-chan! Good to see ya!"
While Kero-chan was more calm, Sakura reacts in a manner similar to a cat being startled. Her body lurches upward as she rests on the balls of her feet, and the hairs on her skin rise upward. "H-HOOOE!" she calls out, not-so-quietly. It is not that the Magic Knight of Wind and Cute Wolf Tsukiko are not welcome (to the contrary, in fact), unexpected surprises on top of being on edge about potential supernatural presence cause her to react with physical shock. Though she is 95 percent certain of this being a Clow Card, that last 5 percent is enough to cause her obvious stress.
"Aaaah, sorry about that, Cute Wolf-san and Green Knight-san!" she sheepishly bows her head for a few seconds before looking back up, embarrassed at her reaction. Quietly, she allows herself to share her inner turmoil. "Ijustreallyhateghostsandeveryonesaidtheywereheretonight." Her hands are tightly grasping onto the sealing wand, wringing in nervous behavior. When she realizes Fuu's surprise towards Tomoyo, she collects herself. "This is.." she pauses for a few seconds, attempting to come up with a nickname for hiding her best friend's identity, "Plum Voice-chan!"
It was the best she could do on short notice.
On the subject of short notice, Keroberos is quick to point out to Sakura the statue, and while she is fairly nimble, she is not fast enough to avoid the onslaught completely. She rolls backwards over herself and a few pebbles and earthy remnants cover her clothes, she begins to pick herself back up with a wince. "Kero-chan! What even is this card?!" Her eyes are attempting to find it, researching the area around her with great concern.
"It's Shadow!" he calls out, hopefully loud enough for the other girls. "It's a pretty mischievous card, but it can pack a real wallop if yer' not careful! So keep an eye out, girlies!"
COMBAT: Sakura Kinomoto has used Kero-chan Check! on Kozue Kaoru. COMBAT: Sakura Kinomoto has finished attacking. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly braces Sakura Kinomoto's Kero-chan Check!, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Sakura Kinomoto is Psyched! Kozue Kaoru's Block ability activates! Kozue Kaoru's Parry ability activates! Analysis performed by Sakura Kinomoto!
<Pose Tracker> Cute Wolf Tsukiko [Juuban Public School (6)] has posed.
The sight of the other two magical girls (and Kero) helps Tsukiko relax a bit. "Hi Knight of Wind, Cardcaptor!" she calls to them. "Nice to know that I'm not the only one noticing that something's up."
The wolfgirl glances towards the camera-wielding Tomoyo, then back at Sakura. Something seems off, but Tsukiko can't quite place what. Outfits are outfits, and while she hasn't seen many magical girls that have multiple outfits, she can tell that that's not what seems to be awry.
Her train of thought gets derailed by the sound of shattering glass, and she turns just in time to see the projector that slams into her. "So this is what a Clow Card feels like?" Tsukiko calls to Kero and Sakura as she regains her balance and looks around. "Where /is/ it?"
Without a definite target to pursue, the wolfgirl looks towards the origin of the attacks and growls menacingly in that direction.
<Pose Tracker> Minako Aino [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
"Ah!" Tomoyo gives a little sound of surprised delight as Fuu pauses to look at the camera. The framing is perfect! She couldn't have picked a better angle! "Wind Knight-san!"
Tomoyo made a habit of knowing all of the magical girls out there. As many and magnificent as they were, there was none quite as magnificient as Sakura-chan! Still, she wanted to capture as many videos of them as she could, too! Everyone should see how amazing they were!
In the background, Tomoyo catches sight of Cute Wolf Tsukiko and zooms in to get a better shot. From behind the camera, Tomoyo waves a hand in greeting.
Unfortunately, things are not peaceful for long; the clow card called Shadow attacks.
"Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo calls out in obvious concern for her friend. Fortunately, Sakura quickly recovers, much to Tomoyo's relief.
Tomoyo quickly turns her attention -- and the camera -- to the other two magical girls. Are they okay too?
COMBAT: Cute Wolf Tsukiko has used Moonlight Growl on Kozue Kaoru. COMBAT: Cute Wolf Tsukiko has finished attacking. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru perfectly dodges Cute Wolf Tsukiko's Moonlight Growl, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Dodge! Kozue Kaoru's Fade ability activates! Kozue Kaoru's Flash ability activates!
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
The fact that the cameragirl recognizes her gives the Wind Knight cause to bow her head and smile briefly - VERY briefly, as the presence of The Shadow looms unexpectedly .... followed by a
- YANK!!!*
hat leaves the Magic Knight reeling, even though she has absolutely no idea what just happened. She hasn't yet noticed that something specific has gone missing; give her time and a reason to look down, and she might. "Shadow-san, is it?" she comments as Kero-chan identifies the card we're up against; "Let's see if the wind can help tie it down for you ... Winds of Admonishment!!"
There aren't THAT many obvious targets, but the Magic Knight's binding wind spell is directed at the 'central mass' of gathered shadows. Hopefully the magical tornado that Fuu conjures will help restrict The Shadow's attacks and mobility, at least a bit.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Winds of Admonishment on Kozue Kaoru. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru fails to brace Fuu Hououji's Winds of Admonishment, taking 17 Fatigue damage! Fuu Hououji is Psyched! Trap applied to Kozue Kaoru!
<Pose Tracker> Kozue Kaoru [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.
As Kero-chan calls the Shadow out, all of its tendrils freeze. A tendril lashes out to pick up the previously dropped statue, lashing around it to hold it above itself. It then snaps the statue in twain, showering the area with mortar and pieces of marble, as a demonstration of its power. Its shadowy tentacles posing and flexing in the aftermath. Was the Clow Card really showing off? Yes. Yes it was. Fuu's winds slam into the shadow, and the mass is momentarily cast apart by tempestuous gusts of wind, which keep it in place.
When Tsukiko growls at it however, the Shadow looks like it is shrinking away from her, collapsing upon itself bit by bit until it vanishes from the center of the swirling gale. Was it really frightened away!? Not exactly.
Moments later it rises up beneath Tsukiko, to make her footing unstable, as if to indicate to both the Magic Knight and her that it won't be bound nor intimidated so easily. It then surges towards the Magic Knight flowing like water to try to knock her aside. It continues moving, tendrils lashing out towards the Cardcaptor to attempt to hold her in place, while at the same time tugging her towards the main body of the shadow.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Uncontrollable on Cute Wolf Tsukiko. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Flowing Shadows on Fuu Hououji. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Clinging Shadows on Sakura Kinomoto. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has finished attacking. COMBAT: Cute Wolf Tsukiko narrowly counters Kozue Kaoru's Uncontrollable, taking 5 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Bind Break! All of Kozue Kaoru's debuffs are cleared! COMBAT: Cute Wolf Tsukiko's counterattack, High-Speed Kick, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Kozue Kaoru! COMBAT: Fuu Hououji narrowly braces Kozue Kaoru's Flowing Shadows, taking 8 Fatigue damage! COMBAT: Sakura Kinomoto narrowly counters Kozue Kaoru's Clinging Shadows, taking 3 Fatigue damage! Exhausted, Tangle, and Trap applied to Sakura Kinomoto! COMBAT: Sakura Kinomoto's counterattack, Gone with the Windy, partially gets through, doing 19 Fatigue damage to Kozue Kaoru! Critical Counterhit!
<Pose Tracker> Cute Wolf Tsukiko [Juuban Public School (6)] has posed.
As her footing becomes unstable, Tsukiko lashes out with a stomping kick at the Shadowy ground. While the Shadow ripples out of the way of the wolfgirl's stomp, it does leave a patch of clear ground for her to stand on. "Nice to meet you, Plum Voice!" she calls to the cameragirl with a wave.
Tsukiko turns and glares at the Shadow. "So you're actually somewhat physical, huh?" she says, sizing it up and dashing towards it. "That means that this might actually work!" The wolfgirl leaps towards the shadowy mass, trying to bounce across it like a springboard.
COMBAT: Cute Wolf Tsukiko has used Overrun Bounce on Kozue Kaoru. COMBAT: Cute Wolf Tsukiko has finished attacking. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru fails to brace Cute Wolf Tsukiko's Overrun Bounce, taking 20 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Cute Wolf Tsukiko is Psyched!
<Pose Tracker> Sakura Kinomoto [Juuban Public School (4)] has posed.
"To--Plum-chan!" she catches herself, despite her off-guard concern.
The great thing about having best friends, particularly one as smart and clever as Tomoyo-chan, is that she knows she can rely on Tomoyo making smart decisions and allow herself to focus on what is at stake. Though she is concerned about the Magic Knight and Cute Wolf, she has faith in their abilities. After confirming Tomoyo's safety, she brings herself mentally back into the fray and keeping her guard up.
Sometimes, however, your guard is just not enough. While her concern was on those ahead of her, she feels a tugging on her leg and begins to slide. Out of panic, she holds onto the wand while her other hand digs in a pocket to throw out a card in front of her. Swinging wide enough to bring the beak to the card, a magical circle begins forming underneath to summon the card she had been able to invoke. "WINDY! Create a huge gust of wind!" A gust of wind blows forth as the anthropogenic wind-woman springs from the card to chase after The Shadow.
Once freed, she slowly brings herself up with the help of the sealing wand before keeping an eye out. Perhaps Kero-chan had been correct about Clow Cards being somewhat more dangerous than ghosts are, but she catches herself before delving too deep and she finds herself in another decoy situation. This time, Sakura goes on the offensive.
"Time to fight fire with fire!" Directing the sealing wand towards the mess in the middle of the field, she guides the anthropogenic wind towards the direction of the tendriled darkness. "Let's clean up some of this mess, Windy!"
COMBAT: Sakura Kinomoto has used Showing Off on Kozue Kaoru. COMBAT: Sakura Kinomoto has finished attacking. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly dodges Sakura Kinomoto's Showing Off, taking 5 Fatigue damage! Sakura Kinomoto is Psyched! Kozue Kaoru's Fade ability activates! Kozue Kaoru's Flash ability activates!
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
The shadows charge towards the Wind Knight as if they're going to sweep her away, but the green-armored girl stands her ground, planting herself like a rock in the river - and while the impact rocks her back on her heels, the Magic Knight holds her ground and is not knocked flying.
Of course, while shadows may not be physical enough for the winds to hold, they don't have any real mass to strike with, either. The Magic Knight of Wind finishes recovering her balance and stands up straight, looking towards the two younger girls. They seem like they're not doing as well as they should be; at least she can do something to help with that. The Wind Knight gathers her will and her focus, bringing her left hand up in front of her, then calls out, "Winds of Healing!" and in response, a soothing, balmy breeze gusts forth, bathing Tsukiko and Sakura in healing magic - not enough to completely recover their strength, but enough to offset some of the pain of their injuries and let them keep fighting at full strength a little longer than they might otherwise have managed.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Winds of Healing on Sakura Kinomoto. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Winds of Healing on Cute Wolf Tsukiko. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking. COMBAT: Cute Wolf Tsukiko accepts Fuu Hououji's Winds of Healing, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Cleanse! All of Cute Wolf Tsukiko's debuffs are cleared! COMBAT: Sakura Kinomoto accepts Fuu Hououji's Winds of Healing, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Cleanse! All of Sakura Kinomoto's debuffs are cleared!
<Pose Tracker> Minako Aino [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
"Cute Wolf-san's okay!" Tomoyo announces to the camera when Tsukiko gives her a wave.
Tomoyo's camera follows Tsukiko as she leaps towards the mass in the middle -- then is swiftly turned to Sakura as she hears her friend begin to summon her next clow card.
Already, Tomoyo-chan can't watch the video itself...!
<Pose Tracker> Kozue Kaoru [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.
Tsukiko finds that the Shadow is more solid than it appears, and if it were made from aught else but shadows, then the sound of her feet contacting it would be -SQUELCH- but instead, it makes no sound whatsoever, inky bits of blackness flying everywhere, like water droplets. Sakura's gusts of wind cut through it like knives of air pressure, severing huge portions of tenebrous substance from the main mass. They flop around on the ground, before dissolving, and not returning to 'The Shadow'. Perhaps they went home instead, to the humans they belong to? Who can say?
It's more cautious when the next gust comes forth, the shadows thinning about into a wide curve that whips around the field just as it's buffeted by the Cardcaptor's magic. One part of it latches upon the ground to keep the rest of it from being bound or blown away, while the Magic Knight's winds sever the remainder of it that had connected to the Cardcaptor. It takes it some time before the entirety of its oily body touches down upon the ground.
Faced with the possibility of changing tactics or being bound early, it decides the former. Its main body vanishes again, dissolving into the ground, before individual shadows slither back to the Magic Knight and the Cardcaptor. For a time, they look like they'd never left, reattaching to each of them, but that is part of the deception. Suddenly their shadows erupt, trying to slam into them head on in a betrayal most foul.
Tsukiko on the other hand has a computer, then a projector thrown at her from behind with a shattering then a tinkling shower of glass, as the Shadow decides to get physical too... just from a distance.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Face Yourself on Fuu Hououji. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Face Yourself on Sakura Kinomoto. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Fighting in the shade on Cute Wolf Tsukiko. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has finished attacking. COMBAT: Sakura Kinomoto perfectly dodges Kozue Kaoru's Face Yourself, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Dodge! Sakura Kinomoto's Fade ability activates! Sakura Kinomoto's Flash ability activates! COMBAT: Fuu Hououji narrowly dodges Kozue Kaoru's Face Yourself, taking 30 Fatigue damage! Fuu Hououji's Fade ability activates! Fuu Hououji's Flash ability activates!
<Pose Tracker> Sakura Kinomoto [Juuban Public School (4)] has posed.
Once felt, the Winds of Healing are refreshing. Her passion sparks and her eyes widen in excitement. True, Clow Cards were dangerous, but it was a different kind of sensation to be fighting amongst friends, or at least, people Sakura trusts. Not to mention, every interaction with a Clow Card, even if it is unsuccessful at first, gives her hope to prevent The Great Catastrophe Kero-chan makes mention of here and there.
Her steps are quick, replacing the Windy card with Fly and invoking its ability, "FLY!" She saddles herself and rises, just in time to avoid being entangled by the web-like tendrils. Instead, she is navigating her way through by zig-zagging through the attempts of the card to attack. Satisfied with her progress, she leaps off to reach into her pocket to pull out the familiar wind card.
Twirling the wand in her gloved hands, her left hand throws the card in front of herself, bringing the bird beak down upon the face of the card. "WINDY!" Summoning the magical wind once more, she points towards the center of the field where the shadowy mass lurks, "Wind doesn't leave a shadow!"
While the Cardcaptor is working with the magical girls, the Beast of the Clow finds his way back to Tomoyo. As quiet as he can (for Kero-chan, at least), he brings a paw to the side of his mouth and exercises discretion by using her actual name, "You know of any lights around here, Tomoyo-chan? Maybe we can buy them some kinda diversion or somethin' while they figure this out?"
COMBAT: Sakura Kinomoto has used Innovative Setup on Kozue Kaoru. COMBAT: Sakura Kinomoto has finished attacking. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly braces Sakura Kinomoto's Innovative Setup, taking 1 Fatigue damage! Kozue Kaoru's Block ability activates! Kozue Kaoru's Parry ability activates! Blind and Stun applied to Kozue Kaoru! COMBAT: Cute Wolf Tsukiko perfectly dodges Kozue Kaoru's Fighting in the shade, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Dodge! Cute Wolf Tsukiko's Flash ability activates!
<Pose Tracker> Minako Aino [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
"That's right!" As if a lightbulb has suddenly gone off in her head, it comes to Tomoyo. Though not as athletic as her best friend, Tomoyo is still quick on her feet. As she races into the school building, she tries to catch as much of the battle on film as she can through the school's tremendous windows.
The first light inside the building turns on, lighting up a hallway. A half-minute later, an adjacent hallway suddenly lights up as Tomoyo races to tap the school's lightswitches.
<Pose Tracker> Cute Wolf Tsukiko [Juuban Public School (6)] has posed.
Now that she has a better idea of Shadow's capabilities, Tsukiko is more prepared for the bombardment of computers and such. A dive one way, a roll the other way, and she avoids several projectiles; a sudden halt in the middle of a run, and a desk lands where she would have otherwise been.
As the barrage eases up, the wolfgirl darts forward, circling the encroaching shadows and lashing out with kicks whenever Shadow tries to flow away. The lights do catch her eye, but her focus is on the shadows.
COMBAT: Cute Wolf Tsukiko has used Herd the Quarry on Kozue Kaoru. COMBAT: Cute Wolf Tsukiko has finished attacking. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly dodges Cute Wolf Tsukiko's Herd the Quarry, taking 4 Fatigue damage! Kozue Kaoru's Fade ability activates! Kozue Kaoru's Flash ability activates! Tangle and Trap applied to Kozue Kaoru!
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Considering that somehow, the Wind Knight never actually realized her shadow was missing, naturally she continues not to realize it when it seems to reattach. And then she thinks there's a flicker of movement, out of the corner of her eye; she glances that way to see ...
Was that a fist? Or a headbutt? Or something else entirely?
She's barely able to turn with the force of the blow, for all the good that does, and winds up sprawled on the ground and in a LOT of pain. She still has her wits about her, though, and her sword materializes out of a flare of green-tinted light - followed by a frantic scramble to her feet, a lunge, and an attempt to spear that shadow - even if it's her own - to the ground.
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Sword Strike on Kozue Kaoru. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru fails to counter Fuu Hououji's Sword Strike, taking 7 Fatigue damage! COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru's counterattack, Uncontrollable, fails to get through, doing 0 Fatigue damage to Fuu Hououji!
<Pose Tracker> Kozue Kaoru [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.
Sakura's shadow appears, frustrated, by its inability to catch up to her with its seething mass of blackness. It makes one last attempt to snatch her out of the sky on Fly, before falling back to the ground, gravity exerting itself even on its 'mass'. It moves to rejoin the quickly reemerging center mass, which as it reappears is caught off guard, by the gale force winds, which it can't exploit due to the lack of air leaving a shadow. Vaguely it considers trying to use the shadow that Windy's card casts, but it has no time to actually attempt this under the force of its assault. The best it can do is bear down and take it, the gusts pressing it flat against the ground.
Which is when Tsukiko strikes, hitting the Shadow with a barrage of kicks attempting to cage it in. It rolls with each blow, but is unable to escape. Between the force of wind and the constant assault, it looks a little harried. It tries to exploit a certain gap to escape, trying to rush past the Magic Knight, but when it does, it is split in half by the sword neatly, both halves of the amorphous shadows falling. However, it starts to fight again, the bisected masses acting independently, one surging towards the Cardcaptor to try to slam her right off her wand in mid-air, the other towards Tsukiko to try to smother her beneath its weight.
Which is when... the lights come on. It starts slowly at first, the stadium quality flood lighting of the field coming on one by one, and each source of light is like a physical blow to the Shadow. Its no longer silent, instead it screeches like a whipped puppy, trying to move away from that light, only for more to come on, preventing it from fleeing. Inside the school the lights come on as well, dissolving the shadows that remained behind as artillery support. One by one, each of their shadows return to them, this time without any intention of betrayal. The rest flee elsewhere, back to their homes presumably.
In the center of the field is a lone remaining shadow, and now with all of its gathered power gone, the main body shimmers into view. Roughly seven feet tall, its robe held tightly to itself, no part of the silhouette within is actually visible. And it doesn't seem to have any intention of staying around to play with them any longer either. It turns, the hem of the robe sweeping across the ground, and starts to walk away and flee agonizingly slow under the 'spot light'. It is not a creature of darkness after all, but under the dominion of The Light, and submissive to its whims.
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Flowing Shadows on Sakura Kinomoto. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Flowing Shadows on Cute Wolf Tsukiko. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Tomoyo Does a Thing on Kozue Kaoru. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has finished attacking. COMBAT: Cute Wolf Tsukiko narrowly braces Kozue Kaoru's Flowing Shadows, taking 15 Fatigue damage! Cute Wolf Tsukiko's Block ability activates! COMBAT: Sakura Kinomoto narrowly dodges Kozue Kaoru's Flowing Shadows, taking 16 Fatigue damage! Sakura Kinomoto's Fade ability activates! Sakura Kinomoto's Flash ability activates! COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru accepts Kozue Kaoru's Tomoyo Does a Thing, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! Blind, Stun, and Trap applied to Kozue Kaoru!
<Pose Tracker> Cute Wolf Tsukiko [Juuban Public School (6)] has posed.
Tsukiko struggles against the cloak of Shadow, squirming out of its grasps. As the lights press against Shadow, the wolfgirl escapes the card's grip and gets some distance. From the corner of her eye, she spots her own shadow, finally returned to her.
She takes a breather as Shadow starts fleeing, running a hand through her hair and murmuring "Lycan Locket!" There is a faint glow around her as she reinforces the hunting nature of her wolven side.
<Pose Tracker> Cute Wolf Tsukiko [Juuban Public School (6)] has posed.
Tsukiko struggles against the cloak of Shadow, squirming out of its grasps. As the lights press against Shadow, the wolfgirl escapes the card's grip and gets some distance. From the corner of her eye, she spots her own shadow, finally returned to her.
She takes a breather as Shadow starts fleeing, running a hand through her hair and murmuring "Wolf's Blessing!" There is a faint glow around her as she reinforces the hunting nature of her wolven side.
COMBAT: Cute Wolf Tsukiko has used Wolf's Blessing on Cute Wolf Tsukiko. COMBAT: Cute Wolf Tsukiko has finished attacking. COMBAT: Cute Wolf Tsukiko accepts Cute Wolf Tsukiko's Wolf's Blessing, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Surge applied to Cute Wolf Tsukiko!
<Pose Tracker> Sakura Kinomoto [Juuban Public School (4)] has posed.
Let there be light. In that very moment, Sakura's confusion over its sudden appearance is a weakness that The Shadow fully exploits. Once the card snatches her, she rolls into a perfect somersault directly into Cute Wolf Tsukiko, sucking in the hair and wincing. "Oof!" she cries, rubbing her back. For a few seconds, she is stunned by the attack before looking back towards the Magic Knight and Cute Wolf, "Sorry about that. But-" Sakura stops for a second before realizing the card was in its true form.
"All right, guys, we're almost there!" Even though she is a rookie when it comes to the Clow Cards, she is experienced enough to know the true form was a positive sign. Though she is not sure how exhausted the other girls are, Sakura's cheery attitude resurfaces past her wear and tear.
The Windy card is replaced to her pocket as she draws another. Completing the Clow Card invocation, she tosses the head of the bird onto the card after throwing it in front, "WATERY!" From the yellow gust of wind surrounding the girl, the blue mermaid surfaces from the card with a hiss, eying up the Shadow Card's true form and ready to pounce. Though Sakura is well and aware shadows are capable of forming underwater, it was time to give her new 'friend' her time to shine.
"Watery, create a barrage of water!"
COMBAT: Sakura Kinomoto has used Waterylogged on Kozue Kaoru. COMBAT: Sakura Kinomoto has finished attacking. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly braces Sakura Kinomoto's Waterylogged, taking 2 Fatigue damage! Kozue Kaoru's Block ability activates! Kozue Kaoru's Parry ability activates!
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
It's a useful chance for the Magic Knight of Wind to catch her breath and gather her focus again, and she does exactly that. By the time she's fully regained her composure and her wits, the field lights are on, and The Shadow has been confined to a specific form - apparently, its true shape, or something much like it.
The Wind Knight smiles in response to Sakura's cheering words, raising her sword in a salute, then turns her attention towards The Shadow. "Let's try this again ... WINDS OF ADMONISHMENT!!" she shouts, casting her binding spell once again now that the card-spirit is in something resembling a corporeal form, and once again the sorcerous whirlwind forms as Fuu tries to cage The Shadow within it ...
COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has used Winds of Admonishment on Kozue Kaoru. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly dodges Fuu Hououji's Winds of Admonishment, taking 10 Fatigue damage! Fuu Hououji is Psyched! Kozue Kaoru's Fade ability activates! Kozue Kaoru's Flash ability activates!
<Pose Tracker> Minako Aino [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Once her task is completed, Tomoyo throws open the windows on the upper floor of the school building. Tomoyo holds continues to film -- this time from a higher vantage point from before. From here, she's able to film everyone easily!
Her camera moves over to Cute Wolf just in time to catch her body grow warm with light -- then quickly races over to Sakura-chan, who's just summoned Watery! Tomoyo's lens follows Watery's path to Shadow, then bounces over to Wind Knight as she summons a whirlwind.
"Magnificient!" Tomoyo exclaims as she presses an open palm to her cheek. All of them are really amazing magic-users!
<Pose Tracker> Kozue Kaoru [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.
The reaper-like Shadow turns around, expecting Windy it raises its voluminous sleeves to try to steel itself against the coming onslaught. Instead it gets struck head on by Watery, the deluge nearly knocking it off its feet, and halting its advance. And yet, its robes do not seem to actually get quite wet. Like it was touched, yet wasn't at the same time.
The Magic Knight on the other hand boxes it in with a new whirlwind, which as the winds descend upon it, causes the fluttering robe of the Shadow to rise up, then disappear, as it reappears right beside the whirlwind. Looking upon it all, it weighs it chances of making it back into the shadows without being sealed first, and decides to fight, rather than flee.
Its arms raise again, shadowy appendages appearing and extending to try to grasp ahold of each of the Mahou Shoujo gathered and pull them to the ground, before the inky blackness would spread over them and attempt to smother them. Clow Reed made the Shadow to look like a Reaper. Was there really any doubt that it wouldn't go down without a fight?
COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Fear the Reaper on Sakura Kinomoto. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Fear the Reaper on Fuu Hououji. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has used Fear the Reaper on Cute Wolf Tsukiko. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru has finished attacking. COMBAT: Cute Wolf Tsukiko narrowly dodges Kozue Kaoru's Fear the Reaper, taking 55 Fatigue damage! Cute Wolf Tsukiko's Flash ability activates! COMBAT: Sakura Kinomoto narrowly braces Kozue Kaoru's Fear the Reaper, taking 55 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit! COMBAT: Fuu Hououji narrowly braces Kozue Kaoru's Fear the Reaper, taking 13 Fatigue damage!
<Pose Tracker> Cute Wolf Tsukiko [Juuban Public School (6)] has posed.
The darkness engulfs Tsukiko, who struggles to get free. It's disorienting, smothering, and reminds the wolfgirl of floating in extra-thick water. That thought gives her the idea to swim out from the shadowy smother, and she gets free a few moments before she would've passed out.
She gasps and takes a few deep breaths, trying to get clear air back into her lungs. Staggering back to her feet, Tsukiko glares at Shadow. "The piles of stuff this morning was annoying," the wolfgirl growl, starting to move towards the reaper-like form. "The lack of shadows this afternoon was unnerving." More steps, speeding up. "And now you damage this school and try to bury us in darkness? HOW DARE YOU--!"
That last shout rises in pitch as Tsukiko speeds up to inhuman levels, turning into a silvery blur that strikes like a lightning bolt towards Shadow, slowing back down to normal once the wolfgirl has passed the cloaked form.
COMBAT: FINISHER! Cute Wolf Tsukiko has used Silver Wolf Tackle on Kozue Kaoru. COMBAT: Cute Wolf Tsukiko has finished attacking. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru fails to brace Cute Wolf Tsukiko's Finisher, Silver Wolf Tackle, taking 56 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit!
<Pose Tracker> Fuu Hououji [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
The shadows settle over the Magic Knight of Wind .. and then her sword flashes, catching and reflecting the light as it slices through the layers of darkness, buying her the chance to escape un-smothered. "You really are a persistent one, aren't you, shadow-san?" she asks (albeit rhetorically), smiling at the cardspirit as a breeze starts tousling her skirt and her hair, ruffling the loose cloth of her jacket's exposed sleeves. "I'm afraid you've just made a bad mistake by lashing out so desperately, though ..."
The ruffling and tousling pick up further as the Wind Knight's sword vanishes, and she draws her arms up and back before flinging her hands forward with a call of, "Emerald Cyclone!!" It *seems* like her hands are empty - but the gesture seems to gather the breezes up from around her and fling them at The Shadow in the form of gale-force winds, focused enough that their wrath is confined to The Shadow after Tsukiko's repeated passes - but hammering the cardspirit mercilessly, trying to rip pieces of it away ...
COMBAT: FINISHER! Fuu Hououji has used Emerald Cyclone: Full on Kozue Kaoru. COMBAT: Fuu Hououji has finished attacking. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru fails to dodge Fuu Hououji's Finisher, Emerald Cyclone: Full, taking 81 Fatigue damage! Critical Hit!
<Pose Tracker> Minako Aino [Infinity Institute (9)] has posed.
Tomoyo lets out a little "Ah!" of surprise as the Clow Card attacks, attempting to pull the girls to the ground. In an instant, the camcorder is quickly set on the windowsill as Sakura falters. "Sakura-chan!" %R Tomoyo's brows furrow with concern, as she leans slightly out of the window, hoping to get a better look at her friend from there.
"Don't give up, Sakura-chan!" she calls out.
COMBAT: Minako Aino has used Don't Give Up, Sakura-chan! on Sakura Kinomoto. COMBAT: Minako Aino has finished attacking. COMBAT: Sakura Kinomoto accepts Minako Aino's Don't Give Up, Sakura-chan!, taking 0 Fatigue damage! Sakura Kinomoto is Cheered!
<Pose Tracker> Sakura Kinomoto [Juuban Public School (4)] has posed.
The shadow manages to wrap around appendages, dragging her to the ground and across the earth. Her costume is being dirtied by the second with grass and dirt stains, after all the hard work Tomoyo had put into it, she growls and tries to halt the damage to the cloth in vain. Wiggling in its clutches, she manages to sneak the Windy card out of her pocket while the Magic Knight of Wind and Cute Wolf Tsukiko attack the Clow Card. It is at that moment Tomoyo's words reach her and give her the emotional boost she needs. "I can't let you do this any further!" Once in her hands, she weakly tosses it out and tries her best to waddle the wand towards the card, summoning the ever-so-loyal Windy card once more.
"Wind, create a binding chain!" She cries out, her hair blowing in the wind while being restricted by the reaper's touch, "WINDY!" Allowing the anthropogenic wind woman to rise from the card and circle around it, breaking its clutch on the Mistress of the Clow and freeing her from its hold.
Upon being freed, the sealing wand dances in her hand, both hands grasping tightly as the magical circle glows golden underneath her feet, "Return to the guise you were meant to inhabit!" Drawing it above her head, she dashes forth with energy to cast and bring down towards the front of the bound card in an attempt to seal, "CLOW CARD!"
COMBAT: FINISHER! Sakura Kinomoto has used Overwhelming Power on Kozue Kaoru. COMBAT: Sakura Kinomoto has finished attacking. COMBAT: Kozue Kaoru narrowly braces Sakura Kinomoto's Finisher, Overwhelming Power, taking 48 Fatigue damage! Kozue Kaoru is unable to keep fighting! Kozue Kaoru's Block ability activates! Kozue Kaoru's Parry ability activates!
<Pose Tracker> Kozue Kaoru [Ohtori Academy (8)] has posed.
How dare it? It had been trapped in a card for so long. Now that it was out, it only wanted a little fun. It wanted its freedom. That didn't put its actions in the right, but it certainly /dared/ to do a lot. The Shadow faces Tsukiko's tackle head on, and as its struck, its blasted backwards and knocked over, the shadowy smothering appendages disappearing as it does so. It rises again, however, there was nothing for the silvery blur to purify. For it was not evil, merely capricious.
Fuu's cyclone erupts around it, and for a moment it is buffeted about within the cyclone, backwards and forwards. Within the fabric of the robes their appears to be nothing, but a shifting amorphous silhouette. When it lands upon the ground, it seems, diminished somewhat, smaller, but not yet defeated.
It isn't until Windy hits it full force, that it begins to give way. And yet it puts up a fight, the air blurring as shadows gather from within, rather than without, to try to defend it. For a while, it billows about, like its robes within a wind tunnel before... 'Return to the Guise you were meant to inhabit!' It struggles mightily for a second longer but then the thought crosses its mind, 'Maybe it won't be so bad, serving this master.'
Theres an almost vacuum pressure, as Sakura's wand strikes the air, the Shadow is sucked right towards the space where the beak contacts, before forming the card marked by a robed personage surrounded by the sun, the stars, and the crescent moon, the words 'The Shadow' emblazoned at the bottom. It then flutters in the air, before moving right into her grasp. It was hard fought, but The Shadow is now hers. All across the track and field area is a prismatic shimmer of light, as all the cast away and broken objects vanish, and return to their original positions, repaired and whole. Along with every single broken window. There was no sign whatsoever that a fight happened at all.
...That part doesn't show up on Tomoyo's tape, but she did get wonderful footage of Sakura, Tsukiko, and the Magic Knight of Wind, didn't she?
