Puella Magi Falsus Magica (A PMMM Quest)

[X] "Before we do anything else, I want to say thank you for creating me. It's been made clear you took a lot of risks to do it, and even if I haven't turn out to be exactly who you were hoping for, I'm still here. If nothing else, I'll get revenge, for you and your sister. For you giving me life, and her giving me a body, you two deserve that much."
-[X] "I'd like to use her name, at least until her killer is killed. I'd like to be Yukina for now. Is that fine with you?"
--[X] If yes, hug her.
-[X] Once that's all hashed out ask about our grief seeds. How do we keep them from hatching?

You looked at the younger girl before you once more as you managed a small smile. She seemed so afraid, so uncertain, you could sense it coming off her body. That negativity hung around her, orbiting her as if she were the sun. You didn't point this out but you could understand how she was feeling.

Relaxing in your seat, you gave her a more friendly expression as you held up a hand. You spoke thereafter even if your voice wasn't all that good yet. Speak as you may, it would take a bit until your throat got better than it was now.

"Before we do anything else, I want to say thank you for creating me," you told her as you set down your hand. Yuri seemed surprised by this but you didn't let her blubber. You continued, "It's been made clear you took a lot of risks to do it, even if I haven't turn out to be exactly who you were hoping for, I'm still here."

"It's... It's fine. I don't regret it and I'm grateful that you hold no ill will against me," Yuri said as she fidgeted where she stood.

"Even then and if nothing else, I'll get revenge for you and your sister. For giving me life and her giving me a body, you two deserve that much," you finished as you bowed lightly from your seat. You didn't know if that was right but it just felt right.

Sai whistled from where she stood and raised an eyebrow, "Geez, how noble of you."

"In a world as cruel as this one where siblings are torn apart by murderers, I'll play the Noble that'll give justice," you patiently replied as you closed your eyes. You set your hand to lean on the table, "I'd like to use her name, at least until her killer is killed. I'd like to be Yukina for now. Is that fine with you, Miss Yuri?"

"Of course. I don't mind," Yuri replied with a determined look.

You managed a small smile as you got up. Stepping towards her, you gave her a quick hug. She was a head shorter than you and a bit on the skinny side. She was a growing girl but being a magical girl seemed to grant her eternal youth or something if Sai's words were to be trusted.

It was a shame but it will have to do for now. Yuri didn't protest or resist your embrace before you stepped back. Sai simply scratched her cheek at the sight once you were done with your first true meeting with your creator. She seemed so small... A girl like this fighting the Witch from before, it seemed so unreal.

"Well that's settled then," Sai said as she clapped her hands, "Now we can get on to business. I'm sure Yukina would like to have some words with you."

"This is true," you nodded as you tried clearing your voice of its roughness, "Namely the seeds implanted in me. How do I keep them from hatching?"

"Oh! I see. Well it's normal you wouldn't know about that," Yuri said as she glanced at you and Sai, "It will take awhile to explain. W-Why don't we get some drinks and sit down?"

"Kaito! Milk for the minors! JD for me!" Sai ordered out loud.

The bartender glanced at your group as he was serving the other magical girl present. He shot Sai a exasperated look before shaking his head. It would seem like that this would take awhile.

......
.....
....

"Now that we're in the subject, I might as well explain how GriefBorne are made," Yuri said as she had her mug of milk as she said beside Sai.

You nodded attentively as you sipped your drink. It was delicious. The nectar of beasts had an excellent taste, you would do well to acquire more in the future.

"The GriefBorne are similar to Homonculi of old. Whereas instead of being creatures living off magic, the GriefBorne work on the same base but are powered by Grief Seeds or Witch materials. The first known incident was from Asunaro in which a group of Magical Girls called the Pleiades Saints attempted to recreate a dead magical girl using materials from Witches," Yuri explained as best she could, "They succeeded after trial and errors, the exact details of their Experiments are hidden but they succeeded in making a False Magical Girl."

"A False Magical Girl?" You frowned with a confused look.

"A magical girl that doesn't have a Soul Gem or at least a proper one," Sai chimed in with a smirk, "I heard that she was pretty powerful for a fake and that's before she accepted a contract. Eyewitness reports say that she killed a Walpurgisnacht knockoff."

"That girl is incredibly powerful. But soon more GriefBornes would be made from the Pleiades' research and the craft will be perfected in you, Yukina," Yuri continued as she nodded. She pointed at your heart, "Unlike that girl, you're animated solely by the power coming from the Grief Seeds implanted in you. Your current personality and mind are comprised of the consciousness of the Witches those Grief Seeds came from. However your mind in its entirety should belong to that of my sister's. Are you following?"

"It's sort of difficult to parse," you admitted with a frown.

"Right. I'll explain in detail later but that's the gist of it. Now those particular seeds are tuned to allow your body to function. No one seed is similar to one another in order for them to harmoniously coexist. Otherwise you'll get torn apart," Yuri said with a disturbed look on her face as she recalled how many times her attempts could have gone wrong.

Sai chose this moment to speak, "GriefBorne individuals normally house only one Seed. But you have five so you could say you're special but all the more unstable. You have to be careful in managing them or else we'll all die."

"Ominous trivia aside, you can manage these Seeds and stabilize them to keep them from hatching," Yuri said as she held up her hand.

"And that is?" You asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You take your corruption and insert it to anyone," Yuri replied as she crossed her arms. She then had a serious look and said, "Never inject your corruption into another magical girl. Otherwise they will experience what I did and possibly have their Soul Gem darken."

"And if that happens you turn into a Witch. Fun, right?" Sai said as she was already halfway through her bottle of Jack Daniels.

Yuri ignored her cheeks being poked and said, "Another is to release your corruption in a location. But that would take longer."

"It's a problem for us though. GriefBorne can release their corruption in a specific area but that area would become a hotspot for Witches. At the same time, it'll be like a radiation zone for Magical Girls given such places would darken their gems," Sai said as she smiled at you.

"It's one of the dangerous abilities people want from GriefBornes. They attract Witches and could provide a suitable hunting ground for Magical Girls. Like a golden goose that just keeps giving," Yuri said as she lowered her head. She shook her head and raised it to meet your gaze, "But believe me, it wasn't my intention for that to be your fate... I just wanted my sister back."

"I understand. You don't seem like the type to do that," you observed as you studied her face.

Yuri managed to smile at your words as you looked down your hands, "So I just need to dispose of the corruption with either of these methods. What happens when I weaponize it and fill a Witch to burst with it?"

Sai raised her eyebrows at that while Yuri looked to the side to think. The thought didn't seem to come across them at all.

"You'll probably just make it stronger. Corruption in itself is negative energy and Witches feed on those so..." Yuri said with an awkward tone as she twiddled her thumbs.

"Let's not do that. We're just making Yukina more deadly by the second," Sai cleared her throat as she downed her drink. She seemed to sober up fast from your dangerous line of thinking, "In any case, let's move to the next topic."

"The hunt then?" You asked with a raised eyebrow. However before Sai could continue to speak, a furry white thing landed in front of you.

Kyubey then turned to you and looked at you in the eye, "You know, it would be so much easier if you can just skip all the steps and wish for the culprit here."

You blinked in surprise before Sai grabbed Kyubey by the tail and tossed him aside. She gave you a big smile then as you jerked your head to see where Kyubey flew. Sai held your chin and had you keep looking at her.

"One piece of advice. Do not under any circumstances make a contract with Kyubey," Sai advised you while Yuri watched the other magical girl put Kyubey in a trash bag.

"Why?" You wondered with a confused tone.

"Because it's more convenient for you not to have your emotions be a liability that can get you killed. Your seeds only get corrupted the more you use them so you have a way better deal than us," Sai said as she tapped your forehead, "Got it?"

Yuri coughed and swallowed, "Except for the whole being hunted part."

"I see. I'll keep that in mind," you replied with a small smile.

"Now with that said, the plan is relatively simple. Given that you're already a high profile target you're bound to be attacked sooner or later. You should take care to be in guard," Sai advised you with a serious look. She then crossed her arms and jerked her hand at the girl by the bar, "That over there is Chise. She'll be monitoring you in case something happens. We'll be notified and a team will be immediately sent to help you. Information is our key goal here, the more we know, the better we're off."

The magical girl named Chise took a sip of her own drink before nodding your way. You acknowledged her with a nod of your own as you glanced back at Sai.

"So I'll be a bait then. Figures," you shrugged as you closed your eyes, "Still, if it brings me closer to my goal then it's all for the better."

"Good. Then we can finally have dinner. Kaito! Food!" Sai yelled as the youth waved her off to go make some food.

Sai giggled alongside Yuri then. You couldn't help but smile lightly at this.

.....
....
...

Sleeping. It was a strange concept to be subjected to. You simply laid on the spare during in a storage room as you stared up the ceiling. The shop had closed up an hour ago and you were left alone with Yuri. The younger girl had finally fallen asleep, the day's events no doubt tiring her out.

You couldn't sleep. Or more like you didn't know how. You decided to stand up and leave to step out of the storage room you were in. It was cold the moment you stepped into the hall. The smell of cheap beer hung in the air as well as some other variety of alcohol. Not too long ago this place was packed with adults.

The lights were off and it seemed eerie. You walked around the bar in your pajamas before sitting on a stool by the counter. You observed the empty room before you closed your eyes. You could feel them, the negativity, the people's grief and you could see their outlines.

"Every single day, the Manager works me to the bone."

"Wife's out again. She's probably playing with a younger guy."

"We're going into the red this month again. Well, nothing we could do than drown our despair."

"That's the fifth job interview. I'll kill them. I swear. I'll make them accept me!"

You opened your eyes and the negative outlines vanished. You were instead looking down on a furry white creature looking at you with its beady red eyes through the darkness.

"So have you decided on your wish yet, Yukina?" Kyubey asked you.

"Wish... It's always wishes with you. There's still a lot I don't understand. I don't think I can wish for anything meaningful," you admitted as you shook your head.

"It doesn't have to be meaningful. Just wish what you want. After all, if it's something you want, shouldn't you get it?" Kyubey asked as it hopped up a table and sat down, "It's well within your power, you know? It could all be over now. For every moment you spend idle, someone could get hurt!"

"What happens to others doesn't concern me. What matters is I catch the Killer and bring them to light," you replied as you crossed your arms, "I don't understand why you're so insistent."

"It's all for the greater good, Yukina," Kyubey said as it nodded.

"Spare me the preaching," you shook your head with a sigh.

"Well if you've made up your mind, you know where to find me. You have immense potential, you know? You should put it to good use," Kyubey said as it scratched its head.

"Potential?" You frowned.

"Yes. It's what dictates just how powerful your wish will be," Kyubey hummed as swayed its tail behind its back. It stood up and stepped towards you, "You have a great potential, meaning you have the ability to touch so many lives and make so much difference."

If you wanted to make a wish, this would be a great time. No one will know but you. And no one can stop you either. It was tempting to say the least.
[] Make a Wish.
-[] (Write in...)
[] "Tell me. Have you told the same to other girls as well?"
[] "You're not making a good proposition, Kyubey. I'm not one to be caught by your wiles."
[] "No wonder no one likes you. You're always parroting the same response. You would make for a nice but broken recorder."
[] Pick Kyubey up and put it outside the bar. It was too late in the evening for you be solicited for wishes.
[] ".... I am not wearing a stupid costume."
[] Write in...

[X] "No wonder no one likes you. You're always parroting the same response. You would make for a nice but broken recorder."

But tempting was all it was to you. You made up your mind and you refused to compromise or let this go any further. Besides, this conversation will just lead to nowhere even if you both had the patience to talk forever. You would opt to do that some other time.

You crossed your arms as you sighed, "No wonder no one likes you. You're always parroting the same response. You would make for a nice but broken recorder."

"I try my best to be good at conversation. It helps me foster good relations with my contracted girls so that I can support them well," Kyubey asked it tilted its head.

"If that's what you deem good relations then I'd hate to see what bad relations mean with you," you replied with a tired tone. You walked up to it and patted it's head, "You're pretty stupid, huh?"

"My intelligence is simply enough for me to accomplish my required mission which is to aid in the eradication of Witches," Kyubey said as you scratched under its chin.

You stepped back and turned away, "Sure, whatever you say. I'm going to bed now."

"Do GriefBorne even sleep? It seems like a fruitless endeavor," Kyubey commented as you walked to the storage room.

You raised a hand in response, "Good night, Kyubey."

"Good night, Yukina," Kyubey said as it stared at you from the darkness. Its beady red eyes was all you could see from where you stood.

Opening the door to your room, you stepped in and closed it.

.....
....
...

You dreamed of a grassy field. It was bright and sunny but there was no one around. You turned your gaze to a hill and found yourself drawn to it. Your legs seemed to move on their own as you climbed the hill, rising higher and higher with every step.

Cicadas sung at the distance as you climbed. It was strange, you being in this place. Was this how dreams worked? You didn't understand but you were more than willing to explore. You climbed and climbed until you reached the very top where you found chairs.

Two chairs.

A cold breeze blew overhead as the clouds raced above you. You stared at the two chairs and reached out. You touched the purple chair and watched as the ground changed. The grass wilted and turned to sand, every greenery and ponds dried up turning to sand.

It spread far and wide as you watched the lush paradise full of life turn into a barren wasteland of ruins and sand. You looked down your hand and looked at the purple chair as it oozed with black liquid. It snakes down the sands and latched on to your arm.

You could feel so much grief, negativity beyond recognition filled the oozing black mass as it climbed up your arm. You stepped back before the structure of the chair melted into the black tar. It attacked and dragged you down to your knees. It climbed up your neck.

"Stop... Stop!" You cried out as the corruption covered your entire body. You gasped as you tried breaking free, "Stop!"

A girl stood before you as you were being swallowed by the black mass. You were drowning. It was diving in your throat and filling up your insides. You couldn't breathe as you held your hand up to the dark skies. You saw black feather drift within your vision.

Despair-

[] Escape the nightmare. Wake up.
[] Fight back... Fight back!
-[] Burn everything up.
-[] Rip through the tar with your gears.
-[] Fly to the sky away from it all.
-[] Defend yourself with your shields.