Persona Unleashed

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

『System/Persona Speech』

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The creatures that had attempted to attack Ayato were now all frozen under the gaze of the deep green eyes of Dagda. The piercing glowing eyes of the deity felt as if they were piercing them like a sharp knife, and not to mention the power they could feel radiating off of the entity.

Not only was it Dagda that made them feel a sense of hopelessness, it was also the eyes of the person that summoned him that made their skin crawl. Ayato's eyes remained unblinking as the radiant blue glow continued to illuminate his pupils, staring intensely at the group.

Ayato could feel the power that now coursed through his body. Glancing behind himself, his eyes locked with Dagda's as they silently stared back at each other before simultaneously giving a nod. Ayato smirked before facing the group of strange creatures, though he did notice something in the corner of his eyes.

'Oh, how very helpful.'

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『Current Persona』

● Dagda - [Arcana: The Fool] [Leve: 1] [Inherit: Curse] [Resist: Fire, Ice, Electric, Wind] [Weak: Bless] [Strength: 5] [Magic: 5] [Endurance: 5] [Agility: 5] [Luck: 5] [Skills: ⓘ]

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In the corner of his vision was a good number of details regarding his newly summoned Persona, the very same High King of the Tuatha De Danann. From the looks of it, he was quite powerful for a Persona that was merely at level one. He was also resistant against a number of elements too, that was very good indeed.

The stats certainly weren't insane, which was expected since Dagda was only at level one, but it was higher than the stats the protagonists typically had in the games with their initial Persona. They usually had the parameters at a two or a one, and maybe a three thrown into the mix somewhere in there as well.

Also, since Dagda was his only current Persona, it would seem that he was automaically placed at the forefront of Ayato's mind. Due to this, he could feel that his body was gaining a large boost in power. It felt absolutely exhilirating! Anyway, quickly focusing on the information icon for the skills, a new panel soon opened.

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『Persona Skills: Dagda』

● Eiha - [Deals light Curse damage to the target/targets] [Cost: 8 SP]

● Heat Riser - [Increases the Attack, Defense and Agility of a single selected target temporarily] [Cost: 30 SP]

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'Hoh~? Heat Riser, now that's interesting.' Ayato's smirk grew wider upon seeing the incredibly useful skill that appeared in the list. He wasn't too surprised to see Eiha, a basic Curse Skill, but Heat Riser was another story. It was a very useful skill to have, and typically appeared in Personas that were higher level, not a level one.

He was curious before at what kind of Persona he'd end up summoning, and it seems that Lady Luck was really on his side. The being he summoned was a very powerful god from Celtic Mythology, and an entity that appeared in the Shin Megami Tensei game, more specifically, the one that appeared in Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse.

『Alright, kid. Let's show these scrubs what true power is like! I hope you don't disappoint me』Dagda voiced as he glanced back down at his summoner. All Ayato did was respond with a smirk as Dagda gave an amused 'hmph' in return.『Time for clean up, kid!』

"Let's go." Ayato dashed forwards with newfound speed as the creatures were taken back by the sudden display of agility. While not fast enough for them to not be able to keep track of him, it was still above the speed a normal human could run.

When he arrived in front of one of the creatures, Ayato delivered a swift punch to the mask that it wore. Unlike when he kneed the first one he encountered, Ayato's fist caused the mask to crack before falling apart, the creature was sent flying back and crashing onto the ground, still alive, but in major pain.

'Would like a weapon, but this is fine.' Ayato thought before easily avoiding the club of one of the other ones. Though before it could stumble past him due to its missed attack, he kneed it in the stomach before delivering a swift uppercut. 'Damn, I think I snapped its neck. That must have hurt... unless it's dead already.'

『Not bad, kid. Don't worry, that thing died right when you hit it. The force behind that punch was concentrated directly towards it brain, that thing's done for』

'You can hear me?'

『Hmph, of course』Dagda gave an amused 'hmph' as he responded to the question.『I can hear exactly what you're thinking, kid.』

"Not sure how I feel about that..." Ayato muttered in a flat tone smashed two others into the ground before jumping back to avoid another one. Ayato curiously looked over to see Dagda easily wiping the floor with the other five that went to attack him. As expected, Dagda was way more powerful than he was. "Let's finish this quickly, Dagda! Eiha!"

From what Ayato knew, he could use the same skills that Dagda had unlocked even if the guy wasn't summoned, as long as he was at the forefront of his mind that is. It would just be far less effective if he did so. However, since the dude was summoned right now, the attack that Dagda would unleash would be far more powerful compared to what he would produce himself.

Dagda snorted before crossing his arms after sending a simple kick towards the head of one of the creatures, effectively killing it instantly as the kick snapped its neck, and Ayato could have sworn the kick also permanently stretched the creature's skin that connected the neck to the head.

Soon enough, Dagda's green eyes flashed for a second before a black and red energy formed underneath one of the four creatures. Right after, a pillar of the same energy emerged through it. The pillar exploded the unlucky creature as it was sent flying upwards a few meters before crashing on the ground.

The other three were also unlucky as they were far too close to that last victim, which allowed the explosion to catch them in the cross-fire. They were all sent flying backwards with scorch marks on their bodies, though the marks weren't caused by something like fire, it was more of a corrosive scorching due to being hit by Curse energy.

'I see, that makes sense.' Ayato couldn't help but note as he also finished dealing with the other five that had decided to attack him instead of Dagda. Probably due to fear of the imposing deity. 'Since this isn't a game, the Skills can very well hit more than one target.'

True to his thoughts, Eiha was typically a Skill that could only attack a single target, but since the three of whatever those things were had been caught up in it proximity, they too also fell victim to the attack. The Skills were pretty much area of effect now, though he doubted that it was the same for Skills that directly target individuals.

Such being Heat Riser.

『Level Up』

『Kuragasaki Ayato felt a surge of energy inside』

『Your Hit Points and Skill Points have increased』

『You are now able to create Personas up to level 2』

Ayato was a bit taken back by the sudden message, though he did quickly smile soon after upon realising what happened. True to the notification as well, Ayato did feel a sudden wave of energy flow through him for a second before it quickly went away. Checking his Character, he noticed that both his HP and SP increased, just like it said.

『Dagda has levelled up』

『Your Magic has increased by 1』

『Your Endurance has increased by 1』

『Your Agility has increased by 1』

『Not bad, kid. Not bad at all』Dagda voiced as he floated back over towards where Ayato was. His arms still crossed over his chest as he looked down at his summoner.『I look forward to seeing just how strong you can become』

"Thanks for the help." Ayato smiled as Dagda just snorted before disappearing back into the Sea of Souls. As he did, Ayato suddenly felt a majority of the power that he had suddenly wash away, causing him to stumble a bit before he straightened himself out. He gave a small sigh as he looked around. "That was exhilarating. As fun as that was, I better get moving..."

He had wasted enough time as it is, well maybe wasted wasn't the word to use, but he better get moving nonetheless. Looking up at the sky, he noticed that it was probably around three or four in the afternoon. He wasn't sure how long it would take for him to find anything that may resemble a civilisation, but he hoped that it wouldn't extend into night time.

He might have been able to deal with those things easily, but who knows if there was something far stronger that appeared during the night or something. He didn't want to risk it. He was just starting out after all, so he wasn't exactly the strongest despite having a Persona. He knew very well he wasn't invincible.

Added onto that fact, he wasn't sure if summoning forth Dagda every single time he needed to fight was a good idea. So, unless he keeps on levelling Dagda up as much as he could to increase his own power or he finds himself a weapon, that's all he can really do. The clubs of those things weren't it, he could tell just by holding one that they'd break pretty quickly.

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"What the hell.."

Ayato couldn't help but stop as he arrived at a rather strange looking place, his eyes gazing over what looked to be some kind of settlement that rested upon what looked to be a pillar of stone, a rather massive one at that. The building looked to be made of wood and rested on a massive tree atop the pillar of stone.

He was staring at it from the opposite end of one of the bridges that lead towards its location, the bridge going over the lake that surrounded it. If he was being honest, the building just looked like a massive freaking tree house. Also, it kind of looked structurally dangerous. It didn't really looked like it had strong foundations, but whatevs.

It hadn't taken him too long to reach here, probably around twenty minutes or so actually. He had noticed it from a distance, but when he arrived close up, he truly saw what it was for its strange wonder. Along the bridge as well he noticed a number of people riding over, some carrying large bags and others with carriages and such.

Just by looking at them, he could guess that they he was probably in a world that may not be in modern times. The clothing they wore weren't commonly seen where he was from, if at all. Their clothes looked pretty old fashioned, and mostly brown in colour too. Nothing really to fancy.

While he may not wear the most colourful of clothing, with his clothes consisting of only black and white, he still looked quite modern. It was due to this that he noticed a few people looking at him a bit strangely as they rode and walked past him, though he couldn't really care too much.

『They're most likely merchants』Dagda's voice suddenly sounded in his head as Ayato flinched slightly in response. He was NOT expecting the deity's voice to suddenly speak. 『Just look at the stuff they're carrying. It's pretty obvious』

'Jesus, Dagda. You startled me there...' Ayato inwardly sighed as he decided to start crossing the bridge alongside the merchants. Might as well find out what this place was, and perhaps ask for some information regarding certain things. 'I guess I'll ask around for some information...'

『Be careful with that, kid. Don't want to be found suspicious』Dagda chimed in as Ayato seemed confused by the statement. Dagda, sensing the confusion from his summoner, decided to elaborate.『Avoid asking anything that may sound suspicious. Such as what those things we thought back then were, we don't know if they're commonly known or not. For all we know, they may worship those pathetic scrubs. Highly doubt it though』

'I see, thanks for the info.' Ayato mentally nodded his head in understanding. There was still too much he didn't know about this world, and asking about a lot of things may bring about undesirable circumstances. Plus, with Dagda being a God of Knowledge, it would be best to listen to the dude's advice.

Upon crossing the bridge, Ayato looked to see a massive elevated wooden platform that rested below the main building that was built and shadowing over the area. He saw that a number of the people coming over were all setting up different items on the ground and more. It would seem that Dagda was right about them being merchants.

He'd definitely have to check out their stock later, for now...

"Excuse me."

"Yes? How can I help you, young man?"

"Can I ask what this place is? I'm kind of lost right now, so I'm not entirely sure where it is I am." Ayato asked casually as he got the attention of one of the passing people. The question he asked was a simple one, and the answer could give him some good insight and information for the future.

"Oh, this is Wangshu Inn. It's located just south of Dihua Marsh."

"Dihua Marsh, huh...?" Ayato muttered quietly as he heard that. Must have been the area he had walked through to get here, he did take note of the location of the sun and which way it was moving. He didn't recognise any of the names, not surprising. "Thank you so much, sir."

"No worries, young man."

"Have a nice day." Ayato gave a small bow to the man as said person started walking again. Ayato soon turned his attention up towards the main building. 'An Inn, huh? If that's the case, then I should be able to stay the night here, maybe more. Perhaps also maybe get a map or something...'

Nodding slightly, Ayato began walking up the wooden path that climbed the tree towards the main building. He did notice an elevator of sorts lifted with ropes before, but he wasn't really sure if he was allowed to use that. Meh, not like he really minded. This place had quite the damn view.

It didn't take him long to reach the top as he jogged inside before looking around curiously, the place was pretty spacious with stairs leading to higher levels. The elevator he saw before probably took its users to the top level of this place.

"Hello, young man. How can I help you?"

"Hm?" Ayato turned his attention back to his front as he saw an older man wearing a dark greyish tang suit, he had black hair along with a moustache and beard. 'Wait, did he just speak English? Is that a universal language in this world or something...?'

He had noticed how the male, despite appearing to be Asian, spoke in very fluent English. The only reason he spoke to the man before in English was due to the merchant looking to be a westerner. He had lived in London for a number of his years in the past, so his English had developed greatly during that period.

In all honesty, Ayato felt that English became more of his main language than Japanese. Anyway, back to the previous topic, was English universal here? He'd have to hold off on that assumption until he speaks with others who may not appear to be western in appearance.

"I wash just wondering if I could book a night or more here at this inn."

"Of course. This is an inn, after all." The man chuckled in response as Ayato just gave a small laugh. It was kind of a stupid question for him to ask, but he had to make damn sure. He wasn't sure if inn meant something else in this world, you never know! "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Huai'an, I run this inn alongside my wife."

"A pleasure to meet you, Huai'an-san. My name is Kuragasaki Ayato, just call me Ayato." Ayato gave a small polite bow. He noticed the confused and surprised look on the man's face, but ultimately ignored it as he decided to ask his next question. "Where can I book a room?"

"Oh, just head on over to the receptionist desk over there. You can see my wife over there." Huai'an pointed towards a desk that wasn't too far away, and the woman standing behind it was waving calmly over towards them. She must have overheard what they were talking about. "Anything else I can help with?"

"No, thank you for everything." Ayato gave a small smile as Huai'an did the same before walking off. 'Wait, crap! I don't know how the currency works here! Damnit, alright I'll have to improvise and hear her out about the costs before anything...'

"Welcome to Wangshu Inn. I am Verr Goldet, I run this inn alongside my husband. You already know that though." The woman gave a small bow and introduced herself politely as she addressed Ayato. "Your name is Ayato, correct? I overheard you talking with my husband. How many nights would you like to stay with us?"

"...How much is it for each night?"

"Each night here at the Wangshu Inn will cost 2,500 Mora."

'The fuck is Mora, fam?' Ayato's eyebrow twitched a bit as he heard the foreign currency term. He had heard all kinds of currencies before, Dollars, Yen, Euro, Pounds and more. This was another world entirely, he didn't understand its currency system! 'System, if you're there. How much balance does 2,500 Mora equivalent to?'

『2,500 Mora is equivalent to 50 Balance』

'Fifty, huh? Okay, simple math, divide 10,000 by 50 then times by 2,500... Okay, so that means I have a total of 500,000 Mora. A lot more than I thought.' Ayato nodded mentally with satisfaction. He was honestly afraid that he might not have enough, but that worry wasn't needed apparently. 'System, please convert 350 Balance into Mora.'

『Converting now...』

"I'd like to book seven nights here then, if that's okay that is." Ayato spoke as Verr waited patiently for him to decide. That should be enough time for him to get settled in as well as get some information from this place, this place was actually a good info gold-mine in his opinion.

With the number of merchants that seemed to be gathering around this place, there was no doubt he could probably get some information off of them. Also, he noticed a number of books on the shelves, unless they were story books, he could get some info from them as well.

"Very well, that will be 17,500 Mora."

"Okay." Soon enough, a small pouch of what felt to be coins suddenly appeared and dropped into Ayato's hand. Ayato glanced at Verr, and was kind of confused to see that she didn't give any reaction to the strange phenomena. 'Hm, maybe supernatural powers aren't out of the norm here...?'

"Let's see... 2,500...10,000...17,500. Okay, I shall put you into the registration list soon enough. Please wait a moment." Verr nodded as she had opened the pouch before counting up what Ayato saw were golden round coins. She then proceeded to write something down into the book on the desk. "Okay, I'll take you to your room now. We hope you enjoy your stay."

"Thank you, Verr-san." Ayato gave a smile as he nodded at her. Verr then proceeded to walk out from behind the desk and began to head up to the next level of the building, which Ayato calmly began following after her. 'I should ask for a map later, I need some intel on the geography of this place...'

"Here we are."

'That was fast...'

"If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask. I'll be up with some water for you in a moment. Have a nice day." With that, Verr proceeded to walk back down the stairs as Ayato looked at the door before opening it and entering curiously. When he did, he looked around to see that it was a relatively big room with all the necessities, a bed, a few chairs, a table, and more.

"Not bad, not bad at all. Now I just need to have a shower, hope they have a shower or a bath..." Ayato sighed before walking over towards the bed and sitting down along the edge of it. It was pretty comfortable, wasn't the best, but not uncomfortable.

◄Quite the interesting individual you are. Even I would have never expected such a turn of events. I am truly curious, where and how far will that false mask bring you? Hehe~►

'What the? Dagda, was that you?'

『What are you spouting nonsense about, kid?』

"Guess not..." Ayato frowned, he could have sworn that he heard a voice just now. Looking around, there obviously wasn't anyone in the room with him. Yet, he had definitely heard that voice, it was as loud and clear as Dagda was. Which was saying something as the deity was in his damn head. 'Was I imagining it...?'

Looking around for a bit longer just in case, his eyes soon looked towards the open window. When he did, he widened his eyes considerably when he saw what looked to be a butterfly fluttering past before disappearing into particles.

'No way. That butterfly... was golden.'

"Ayato, I've brought you your water."

"Th-Thanks. Give me a second!"