[ Of course it's the Prince disguise. Of course it's Robin Hood. What did Maruki really expect?
He isn't going to make demands now that they're out here and the battle has begun. He's going to ferret out the splintered, unstable parts of Akechi that he's managed to keep hidden until tonight using every tool in his arsenal. The same way he can get people to easily open up and tell him anything, he can draw out the jagged edges of a broken mind. If they slice his palms in the process, all the better. In the history of mankind, there's never been a martyr that didn't bleed.
He clocks the intent of Akechi's attack as soon as it makes contact with its target. Maruki has spent enough time with Azathoth now to recognize the different tentacles despite their identical appearance, but without the benefit of that connection, Akechi defaults to the easiest way to determine which is which. It's smart. He gets it.
He hates it.
Watching the Tentacle of Healing crumple from one attack irritates him every single time. It's the most important one; it shouldn't have such an easily exploitable weakness. The others don't, as far as he knows. Azathoth certainly doesn't.
It isn't knocked out of the battle yet – it always takes at least a few attacks before they get to that point – but it's down, twitching weakly among the writhing mass. The other two alongside it react in kind, nullifying or reflecting the attack back at Akechi and rearing up–
So that one can buff Maruki's defenses, for when Akechi inevitably switches his target, and the other can–
Maruki wants to see something. ]
You don't know what I'm really like, Akechi.
[ Normally, the Tentacle of Assistance acts as a sort of energy source for him, ramping up his power at steady intervals throughout their training. It's a reliable friend.
This isn't training, though.
Maruki knows the tentacles don't attack, necessarily, but if he can shift his intention to using them against Akechi rather than for himself, he thinks he might–
Ah. Yeah. There it is. Get Tarunda'd, idiot. ]
To borrow a turn of phrase... If you were holding back on me this whole time, I'll never forgive you.
[ It's time to Amplify Force! Enjoy the free turn, Akechi! ]
no subject
He isn't going to make demands now that they're out here and the battle has begun. He's going to ferret out the splintered, unstable parts of Akechi that he's managed to keep hidden until tonight using every tool in his arsenal. The same way he can get people to easily open up and tell him anything, he can draw out the jagged edges of a broken mind. If they slice his palms in the process, all the better. In the history of mankind, there's never been a martyr that didn't bleed.
He clocks the intent of Akechi's attack as soon as it makes contact with its target. Maruki has spent enough time with Azathoth now to recognize the different tentacles despite their identical appearance, but without the benefit of that connection, Akechi defaults to the easiest way to determine which is which. It's smart. He gets it.
He hates it.
Watching the Tentacle of Healing crumple from one attack irritates him every single time. It's the most important one; it shouldn't have such an easily exploitable weakness. The others don't, as far as he knows. Azathoth certainly doesn't.
It isn't knocked out of the battle yet – it always takes at least a few attacks before they get to that point – but it's down, twitching weakly among the writhing mass. The other two alongside it react in kind, nullifying or reflecting the attack back at Akechi and rearing up–
So that one can buff Maruki's defenses, for when Akechi inevitably switches his target, and the other can–
Maruki wants to see something. ]
You don't know what I'm really like, Akechi.
[ Normally, the Tentacle of Assistance acts as a sort of energy source for him, ramping up his power at steady intervals throughout their training. It's a reliable friend.
This isn't training, though.
Maruki knows the tentacles don't attack, necessarily, but if he can shift his intention to using them against Akechi rather than for himself, he thinks he might–
Ah. Yeah. There it is. Get Tarunda'd, idiot. ]
To borrow a turn of phrase... If you were holding back on me this whole time, I'll never forgive you.
[ It's time to Amplify Force! Enjoy the free turn, Akechi! ]