Libra's Lament, a Magical Girl Quest [Complete]

Overwhelm: Allows intercepting and adds 75% of opponent's Base Damage to your damage in each Intercept-conflict.
Indestructible: As the name says, can not be destroyed.

---

With your decision made, you hurry over to greet your host; Heaven is busy setting a small table, but looks up the moment you enter. "Good morning. I hope you slept well?"

"Yep, we did. Good morning"
You pause for a second to take in how different she looks untransformed, her skin as dark as the rest of Timimoun's people. It feels somewhat weird to see her like this.

"...is something the matter?"
You start and blink at Heaven in response, realising that you have been staring. It embarasses you a little to be caught, even though Ana jumps in to help: "It's a little weird how your skin changes colour when you transform is all."

"So I was told and I do agree. Not that I particularly mind, for her grace herself bears pale white skin."
"Oh, so she is... not from here?"
"..."

At least this is what you guess from the fact everyone else is black. Heaven does not answer the question and quietly motions for you to sit. "You may ask her yourself, later."

""Okay.""

All of you sit down and wait until Heaven finished her prayers, then you start on bread and a little meat. She did notice you not joining in, though. "You are not religious, I take it?"

""Not in particular."" "No."
A glance is exchanged with Ana, then you both offer Heaven a threefold shrug. "We know there are gods, but I don't think they would care much about prayers and stuff." "I don't think it counts as being religious if we simply acknowledge them."

"I guess", the older girl allows and nods her head in contemplation. Nothing else is said for a while and you eat quietly. Once everyone is done however, you speak up with a hopeful look. "Heaven? Can we have a rematch?"

It bugs you how you could do nothing to her; there is this gap between you, but it is not insurmountable. Maybe your power did grow, maybe you can get past her today. It did that kind of thing before, after all.

Heaven's eyes meet Eva's a moment later, quietly searching for something. You fret a little, but she ultimately nods. "Very well. I hope you are ready to be disappointed."


"...what? What?! How? When?!"

...you did not even start, yet Heaven stares as if you had grown a second head; she holds her bow loosely and is obviously shocked. You know Moon does not look any different and the magic does not feel any different, either. Her shouting makes no sense and you have no idea why she...

"...oh."

Bits and pieces of odd behaviour from yesterday start to make sense as you realise. This kind of reaction is actually something you encountered before. Back in Kibo... and even before, you met someone who behaved similar in New York. In this very moment, Roaring Heaven is acting so much like Eye of Truth; together with how she acted throught yesterday... it is only conjecture, but still worth a shot: "You... can see my powers, can't you?"

Wide eyes focus back on you before gradually shrinking back to normal size. Heaven masterfully gets a hold of herself and hides the signs behind a mask of calm. Then she sighs in defeat. "Cat's out the bag, I guess. What gave me away?"

Her shoulders slump a little while you smirk at her. "A friend of mine can do it, too. She had the same reaction when I met her again last month."

"I see."

Your words seem to have cheered her up a bit again, though this revelation does worry you. Heaven knows exactly how strong you are and what you can do. She knows everything about your hivemind and Ana's magic and Ludger.

Well...at least I don't have to worry about giving it away on accident?

You sigh with Rico, the thought giving you little solace. Then you push it aside and raise the Moonlight Scepter at Heaven. "So, are we doing this?"

She considers for a moment while the few early risers on the ranks keep whispering with each other; you can make out something about "Yesterday", so maybe they are talking about the last spar. Heaven herself does not seem to care, she just raises her bow in response. You nod and the fight begins.

Even though you take flight at her, your opponent gets off the first shot. She blurs just like before, though there are not that many of her shooting. You smirk and hope it will be enough to meet her with the Scepter this time.

(Intercept!

Echo: (1 2) 2 2 2 (1 2) 1

Heaven's Feel: +1000 Base Damage, +5000 Echo Base Damage, +171 dice, +123 dice, +85 dice, +224 dice, +190 dice, +79 dice, +300 x6 Hostile Fable Effect Out of Balance
= 6,872 Unified Damage, x5 Mighty Recursion Equality!
= 6,872 Total Damage

Moonlight Scepter: +6969 Base Damage, +1742 Discipline, +750 Overwhelm, +8711 Godlike Strength, dice negated, +1800 Rebalanced Existence = 18,172 Total Damage

11,300 difference, Moonlight Scepter wins!


Moonlight Scepter: +11300 Intercept Damage, +2825 Discipline, +14125 Godlike Strength, dice negated, +1800 Rebalanced Existence = 30,050 Total Damage

Echo: 2 (1 2) 2 2 (1 2) 1

Roaring Heaven: +500 Base Resilience, +2500 Echo Base Resilience, +283 dice, +351 dice, +178 dice, +75 dice, +48 dice, +305 dice, +300 x6 Hostile Fable Effect Out of Balance
= 3,740 Damage Reduction, x5 Mighty Recursion Equality!
= 3,740 Total Damage Reduction

26,310 Final End Damage

Roaring Heaven Health: 3,000 - 26,310 = -23,310
Embrace of Divinity Triggers
Roaring Heaven Health: 1)

You feel it the moment your strike connects. Or rather, you do not feel it. There is basically no resistance to your swing, muscles you did not know you had easily crushing one arrow out of the sky. The impact results in a shockwave that pushes the others away and nails Heaven against the wall... which was five metres behind her. Wood creaks and splinters before collapsing on top of the older Magical Girl.

You just stand and sit frozen. While you did expect to be stronger now, this was... more than expected. It does please you somewhere deep down, but the feeling is immediately chased away by concern for Heaven. It returns once your opponent digs herself out of the rubble, though. She is badly bruised, her immaculate outfit torn in places.

You know you should not be happy about a sight like this... and you really are not. You are happy about having grown so much. A quick Soothing Moonlight takes care of Heaven's injuries and she lowers the bow with a sigh. "...I should have expected that."

(Roaring Heaven Health: 3,000)

You curiously flex your arm and watch barely visible muscles coil like steel cables. Magic surges through this body, making it much stronger than it used to be. Heaven already lowered her bow, so you guess the spar is over. "Little will come of this now, I surrender."

It is over. You curiously turn towards the applause and beam up at the few spectators.


You talk a little more during the remaining time, with Heaven being a little more open about her Abilities. She does not tell you everything, but it is a start. The idea behind it is ingenious, too: every outside mage or Magical Girl needs to state being one while they are processed, then they are delegated to Heaven. She subtly checks their Abilities and writes up dossiers, so everyone can look up their strengths and weaknesses if they start trouble inside.

"It's harsh having to travel as much, though. They need me basically everywhere once in a while, though there thankfully aren't that many Magical Girls."
She tells you this as you approach a large building made of wood and stone, ending the explanation for now. "We have arrived."

The building does not look particularly imposing aside from standing centermost of this town and having a large garden all around it. People are wandering the pathways, some on their way to the shrine and some others just to admire the pretty flowers. Their pleasant smell fills the air, soft and faintly sweet.

Half a dozen robed figures await the three of you, each one with a faint smile and their arms folded behind their backs. There are two women, but no girls. You faintly recall the elder in their center from that one dream, though. He is the one who bows his head at you first, too. "Welcome, dear children. It is a pleasure to see you here today. Her grace is already awaiting you."

Heaven quietly moves aside and enters through a set of doors, giving you one quick nod before vanishing into the shrine. Both Ana and you imitate the man's gesture. "We are grateful that her grace will have us." "Please lead the way, sir."

Ludger curiously watches this play out by your side, but you take him to a small space further off. "Sit here, boy. Wait here."

He yips once and sits, looking nothing different than usual. Rico does not look back, but you can tell with Eva's eyes that he stays where he is and curiously looks around. The robe-bearers have been watching this with curiousity and you can see a few fond smiles, though most of them try to hide them.

After that is done, you are led into the large building and down several corridors. The elder explains how things work as you walk, pointing at the equidistant sets of doors everywhere. "The main shrine is both her grace's home and a place for any that desire to pray. Each of these rooms allows for one or two people to do so in peace, though we have a larger hall for sermons."

Ana hums in response, curiously eyeing what sparse furniture is visible behind halfway opened doors. Your own gazes wander around to take in as much as possible. "Are there more people like you working here, sir?" "Actually, are you a priest or something like that?"

"Hm?"
He looks at you in discomprehension for a moment, then snorts and chuckles. "Oh, oh no. I'm no priest or anything of the like. I'm not even staff like the others, but her grace values my opinion. If you want to call it that, you could say I'm her advisor. There are a few priests, but we do not really need anyone to direct prayer or whatever else they do."

That adds up with what you dreamed and is interesting to hear. A teenaged ruler ought to rely on someone older for advice, after all.

"I see."

This is as far as you can ask, even though you would like to know how he got that position. A door is opened right in front of you to reveal a peculiar sight; the room behind it is big and dark, with candles burning and another sweet smell wafting around. Hand of Fate sits toward the right wall, with Roaring Heaven toward the left. Centered on a small pedestal is a third girl, clad in white and red robes; her purple eyes examine you as curiously as you examine her, set in a soft face framed by pinkish blue hair. The horns curving over her ears stand out a little more, too.


She sits cross-legged and the candles cast long shadows over her form. The effect is somewhat lessened by the fact you can piece her appearance together from three perspectives, but it is impressive nonetheless. The girl in front of you nods her head and smiles, dispelling tension you did not even realise was there. "Please, enter and sit with me."

Rico walks in first, flanked by Eva to the right and Ana to the left. Cloth rustles as you stop before each of you grabs the hem of her dress(es) to curtsy as one. """Thank you for having us, your grace."""

Only then do you sit down on the big pillows you were pointed at, inwardly smiling over the gobsmacked expressions. The curtsying you practiced back at Kibo, but the greeting was improvised; they know about your powers anyway, so there is no need to hide them. The door closes behind you with a weak thud.

Forsaken God catches herself quickly, though. Her smile becomes a little brighter while the elder comes to stand by her side. Heaven offers a weak smile and Fate beams your way from behind her hood; these shadows do weird things to the reincarnated girl in particular, with how her outfit is already mysterious from the get-go.

"Now then, I was already informed about your mission in general. Please fill me in on the details and your sister's reasoning, I am curious."

So you explain as concisely as you can; how Bianca wants to reunite humanity with its Magical Girls and the scattered remains of civilisation as well. How she gathered support in her own faction -the UES- and quietly turned it around. How she sponsored Kibo so they had the opportunity to take in strays. After all that is done, you go over the current events, even though the heavy air and everpresent heat make you sweat by now. "There were... uh... used to be four major factions led or formed by Magical Girls. Kibo under Transcendent Strength, Yggdrasil under Abyss Knight, The platinum throne under... well, Platinum Throne. And your people."

There are heavy knots in your throats over what you have to say next... but Ana takes over before you find your composure: "Yggdrasil used to be a group that saw no other way out than genocide of the human race. They were annihilated by an unknown aggressor just a month ago... at least we don't know who it is. Our big sister said that her agents took care of the threat, so we don't need to worry about it."

Even though it is the truth, it still hurts to hear. Ming has been listening curiously ever since, though her brows are creased in a small frown now. You quickly carry on to finish your proposal. "Bianca wants to make sure there are no more openings another conflict can come from. The UES encompasses Europe. China, Japan and Australia are still populated and keeping themselves together. That means we are only lacking allies who can keep an eye on Africa and the Americas." "In the past, war was fought because people could not align their interests properly. All the fighting over ideology and resources is something no one should want, which is why we need to stand united."

You quietly wipe another sheen of sweat off your forehead, wondering how long you have to stay detransformed. It would not bother you in the slightest as Primordial Sun and Moon, but you decided not to transform to make a good, peaceful first impression. Forsaken God seems to think, so you keep the complaints to yourself and boil quietly. If anyone notices, they do not comment.

"First of all, I have to thank you for going through all this effort and laying things out to me. Even though I have to take this with a grain of salt because we can't confirm it, I do not think you lied to me here. There is... at least one thing you are misinformed about, though."

The older Magical Girl rises with grace while you wonder what she means; everything you told her came directly from Bianca and therefore likely from Gaia. The question whether she lied is answered with a rather swift no, though; Forsaken God unfolds a map while Heaven and Fate move a few candles to illuminate it better. They move slowly and precisely... reverently?

"There are, in fact, three major factions here in Africa," is her calm response once she can point at what seems to be borders. "Mine lies in the north, with another to the south east and the third to the south west."

All three form a loose triangle and also take up quite a bit of space, though this one is a bit bigger from looks alone. You sigh inwardly over the fact that Gaia did not lie, but most likely withheld that information on purpose; your eyes never leave either the map or Ming, though. Her gaze is mostly curious as she looks your way again. "Would you have any idea as to why this detail was not given?"

""Our sources are mean and do that kind of thing.""

Your response is almost automatic and comes in two voices, making the older girls pause for a moment. You scoot closer to look at where the borders are exactly. "She knows so, so very much... but she isn't the kind of person who gives everything away for no reason." "So if she only told Bianca about you without mentioning the other two... say, do you know how many people they have and how strong they are?"

You point at the other territories, then realise the question was somewhat broad. There is no helping it, though. Ming keeps quiet for a while wherein you continue drenching your clothes in sweat; the heat makes you feel a little bit woozy on top of it, but this is nothing you can not bear with.

Ultimately, it is Heaven who speaks, much to everyone's obvious surprise: "We have an edge population-wise, but not much. Their combat potential is unknown, but I doubt they have anyone capable of meeting her grace in battle."

Then you have your explanation right there. A part of it is that Gaia will subtly sway people to join up here, though. Yet you can not tell Ming that without having the planet herself confirm it, no one would believe you. The rest is sound, though. "Then it all makes sense, I think: I have seen the people here, they smile genuinely." "They are happy to live under your rule, so you are a good ruler with good advisers. We were told... that you could match some of the world's strongest Magical Girls in power, too."

You can not tell for sure with the faint illumination, but Ming seems to be blushing a bit under your praise. So there is definitely a normal girl hiding under the mantle of rulership, the thought of it making you relax some more. "Maybe our sources expect the people to flock to you in the long run? Or they already predicted all the factions merging under your rule, I am not sure there. What I know is that she sent us here instead of elsewhere, so it is you we need to convince."

Silence reigns for a long while after you closed, which makes you question all the things you just said. It made sense to you, but maybe you overlooked something? Going through the argument again shows no glaring weaknesses. Heaven and Fate do their best to hide their faces in the shadows, though you catch the latter nervously shifting a candle to do that. Ana keeps a sharp eye on all of them just in case; you can tell she is ready to transform, determination to watch over you rolling in from your link. They would not attack you right now, but she is careful nonetheless.

Then there is tapping outside and the door swings open with a protesting squeak while an excited voice calls out: "Look what I found!"

This is a voice you already know, which has no business being behind you. It is followed by an all-too-familiar yip on top of it. When you all turn around, there stands... Forsaken God, another one. With Ludger in her arms.

What?

Your thought process turns into a loop of this one question for a long moment as everyone just stares at each other. A lot more light comes in from the outside and gives you enough illumination to see things properly. Forsaken God, the one sitting in front of you, is blushing a deep scarlet. The same colour slowly fills the other one's cheeks as she turns to look. "Oh... um... is this a bad time? I'll just- hey, wait!"

That is when Ludger wiggles himself out of her grasp and bounces over to sit with you. "Woof!"

"Oh..."

Ana is the first to regain her composure. She looks back and forth between the two identical Magical Girls for a moment longer, but breaks the uncomfortable silence: "Since the mood you were going for is gone anyway, do you mind if we transform? Pris doesn't do well with the heat." ""Ana!""

She just gives you a sideway look and raises an eyebrow. "What? You're too proud to say anything-" ""I'm not proud, it's rude!""

Two mouths are surprisingly good to shout over someone, though you stop the argument when you hear a faint giggling. The first Forsaken God starts laughing openly soon after, even when the second one still stands frozen on the doorstep. "Ehehehe, he. Oh well, whatever. Please do as you wish."

You have a moment to admire Heaven's mixed expression -she clearly has no idea what to think- before uttering your phrases and transforming. A surge of sunlight immediately fills the room, outshining all the candles with ease. It finally reveals the still-present blushes properly, both Forsaken God's unable to get their normal colours back. Everyone in the room aside from yourself squints while trying to look at Rico, too. Ludger quickly crawls on Sun's lap to enjoy the increased warmth she gives off, so you oblige and pet him a little.

"Come over here, I guess? I do not think we are at risk from them knowing our secret."
Forsaken God nods slowly and walks past you before sitting with Forsaken God. They are absolutely identical is what you can see clearly now; not a single hair is different. The new arrival looks a little more put-off, though... urgh, you do not have to explain it all again, do you?

"Anyway, back to the topic at hand. I am currently... negotiating with the other groups. Both are led by Magical Girls, but things are going slowly; we do not really agree on how to continue."

She eyes you curiously, though her twin -?- keeps throwing glances at everyone as if she has no idea what is going on. So there is probably no connection like your own in place, they are separate. Forsaken God the second gently puts a hand on her sister's -?- shoulder to stop her from talking. "I don't get it."

"Oh, right... um..."
"If you want to trust them, we might as well... you know?"

They stare at each other for a long moment before rising; two calculating glances are thrown your way while Heaven and Fate lower their heads. The old man winks at you before taking a step back, the two goddesses addressing you at the same time: ""I would be really glad if you kept what you're going to see to yourself.""

Then they seem to forget about you and focus on each other, gently intertwining their fingers and slipping into a tender embrace. "Communion."

Only one of them speaks the word, yet you can feel the weight of its magic. Her horns recede and her hair turns a lighter shade of blue instead of purple in an instant...


...and a moment later, the horn-less girl melts. She appears to turn liquid while completely merging into the other's body; it ripples like a disrupted pond for but an instant, but only one Forsaken God is left once the motion fades. One girl who looks a little flustered and ducks her head under your stares. Though it rises after a moment, confusion visible. "I... I never asked your names..."

She is right. You realise with rising embarassment that never thought to say them, either; Ana looks a little stumped as well while you can tell your ears are as red as Ming's cheeks. "Right... I'm Pris, Priscilla Celeste Vescovi." "This is my sister, Anastasia Vescovi."

Ming nods with renewed grace and sits down again. "A pleasure, you three... two, I mean. It is difficult to wrap my head around your magic... say, can you forcibly include anyone into your hive mind?"

Her question is unexpected and gives you pause for long moments. Ana's surprise courses through your mind as well, though you are occupied making sense of something so absurd. You never even thought about doing something like this, the mere idea sounding ridiculous to you. Still, it takes a moment of disbelieving stares before you actually have a proper response to give: "Maybe, but I don't want that." "I won't share my mind with anyone I don't love."

Ana freezes up for a moment, but you just smother her in warmth before she can start getting emotional; she always gets a little weird when you say it out loud. It seems you gave the right answer, though; Forsaken God is smiling openly, her hands folded in her lap and back straight. "That is good to hear."

Then she nods her head. "Then, maybe we can agree on a deal? If there is really so much going on in the outside world, the people in these lands need to band together. They would not believe me alone, but if you could talk to them about what happens at the moment... yes, maybe that would convince them of joining me."

"...so... you ally with us if we help convince the other Magical Girls?"
"Pretty much, yes. A good partnership is built on helping each other after all, is it not?"

She is not wrong about that, but the question is whether you can help with this. Ana quietly waits as you contemplate the matter. She did agree to help you in turn, which is the first time Ming actually said anything about going along with your request. This is probably the best chance you have here. "I will see what I can do." "But I don't know how much that will be."

"Wonderful," is the first thing out of her mouth. Heaven visibly relaxes while her leader continues: "The next meeting is set in three days, so you will have a bit of leisure time for now. You're always welcome here, but free to spend it however you wish."

Her advisor chimes in the moment she pauses to breathe: "We will have a room prepared for you by the evening, so feel free to look around... after lunch, that is. We ought to eat soon."

"Um... your grace?"
That is Hand of Fate, looking unsure and also more than a little confused. Ming looks her way and nods, which prompts the girl to speak her mind: "I... I'm not sure if this is a good idea? I mean they are all just children. Can they really change those girls' opinions? It might be dangerous, too."

Ming simply smiles and waves her off. "They seem as if they know themselves well enough and it doesn't hurt to try. I will be there too, so it's unlikely anyone will pick a fight. And even then, I heard that our sentinel was beaten just this morning; with a single hit, no less."

There is a teasing note in there and Fate starts to gape at you. Her surprise and awe make you feel a little sheepish, though Heaven's calm words draw your attention: "She was lucky is all."

Her arms are crossed, but she does not seem actually angry. Heaven stated something that might very well be true, seeing how you saw her turn into many more than she had today. Ming hides her grin behind a hand, but her eyes already wander elsewhere. To... your lap? "Um... one more thing. May I, uh..."

She reluctantly motions for the dozing corgi you are still holding onto. Your own eyes go from her to the dog and back, then you shrug. A low whistle makes Ludger perk up in an instant. "Time to play!"

"Woof!"
And there he goes, almost exploding out of his relaxed position and bouncing eagerly. You point at the enchanted goddess. "Go!"

He yips again and darts off before jumping around Ming's legs. The way she squeals in joy shows you this was the right decision. It is always nice to see people like Ludger.

---

You have a few days to spend. Choose one:
(No write-ins allowed)

[] Practice and spar to get a better grasp of your new strength; you will get rusty if you do not keep it up.

[] Help out in town as much as you can, there will be some time to chat with the locals, too.

[] Socialise with the Magical Girls to learn more about them.


[] EXP-Plan
-[] Write-in what to buy
-[] Save it


+50xp A Stroke of Luck (Only Pris)
+50xp Stomped Roaring Heaven in One Turn (Only Pris)
+50xp Met Forsaken God
+50xp Met Forsaken God
+33xp Cut a Deal
+5xp Goddesses Love Cute Dogs


EXP gained: 238 + 238 + 138 = 614


(Level 2 Character Sheet Unlocked: Magical Girl Roaring Heaven)
(Level 1 Character Sheet Unlocked: Magical Girl Forsaken God)