God A Sword (CWMGQ Spin off #64)

Voting is open
I kinda like that all of us could be right with our guesses/analysis of the update. I am approaching this from a purely mechanical/magical side, which is my bad but the psychology is more or less being laid out on display while that isn't really.

I do think we should keep my point of the nightmare Infrared named being an actual Nightmare in mind. Can't do much about it, but should keep our ear to the ground on any Wishes coming up (or that might have been mentioned already, but I can't remember anything).
Word from the Discord, about speculation:
LostDevilJho On Discord said:
Also holy shit Ender nailed it
I am somewhat inclined to trust the quest's beta reader to some degree. In addition, Infrared is part of Hong, whereas Nightmares are separate entities. Is it impossible that she could become her own being at some point? No. For the moment however, she is not a Nightmare, and is a part of Hong. And one that put things out very bluntly, even if Hong didn't like it.
 
It is fundamentally impossible for Infrared to be any flavor of Children of Nightmare, simply because the fundamental nature of their existences are not compatible.
 
Fuck it's been like a week and I entirely forgot to close the votes ah well.
Scheduled vote count started by InfiniteDaze on Feb 23, 2021 at 10:58 PM, finished with 22 posts and 6 votes.

  • [X] Plan Noble Engine
    - [X] Listen to Chameleo Guildy's Final Thoughts
    -[X] Continue Fixing The Engine
    -[x] MAGICAL GIRL TRAINING TIME
    -- [X] Wall Running using Ignition Rush and Boot is neat. In Chameleo Guildy's memory, let our feet color not only the ground, but the walls as well.
    [X] Plan "I might need therapy"
    -[X] Hang out with someone (Lan)
    -[X] Continue Fixing The Engine
    -[x] MAGICAL GIRL TRAINING TIME
    --[x] Learn to run on walls like you're the goddamn Prince of Persia. Except better.
    [X] Plan Continue to seduce Childhood friend and get gainz
    -[X] Hang out with someone (Lan)
    -[X] Continue Fixing The Engine
    -[X] EXERCISE BOI EXERCISE
 
ENVY VALHALLA
A lot had happened since I had first encountered the Guildys. That was probably why I had forgotten one crucial fact about Chameleo. He liked to ramble, a lot.

Even when I had first encountered him, he had just gone on and on about whatever topic came to his mind. When given the chance to record his final words? He took that opportunity and ran with it. I had honestly just considered skipping through the tape and seeing how the whole thing ended, but there were two factors that stopped me from doing so.

The first was that it would defeat the purpose of listening to these things if I didn't listen properly. Even if it was just a wandering monologue, if these were the final words that Chameleo had decided on then I would choose to respect them.

The second was that honestly I have no idea how to operate these things and I'm afraid I might just break the tape or something.

Which meant that I had to sit through the entire ten minutes that the chameleon spent, listening to his every word with both a trace of sympathy and a truck load of salt. It was only when he got through the history of dating sims of all things, that he finally began to get to the point.

Click.

"Thus! Ever since the nigh-perfect Shiori Fujisaki graced the screen of Tokimeki Memorial, red heads have always been at the pinnacle of the world!" Chameleo declared like that made any sense. "This is true even among us Guildys! Who is it who stands at the very top?! Why a pair of red haired twins of course! And who is the only commander who can stand as their equal?! None other then Drag herself, the most powerful and beautiful redhead of all!"

The nasally voiced guildy paused before his boundless energy disappeared with a sigh. "...And that's why I'm about to face the biggest challenge of them all. My first battle with a magical girl and it happens to be a red haired pretty boy who could also turn into a red haired loli. There's no doubt about it: This will be the greatest challenge in my life."

A distorted bang made its way through the terrible audio. "Dammit! I shouldn't have kept skipping out on training! No, but there's no use for a loser like me to put in the effort! It's a total waste! But even a loser still has their pride you know?! I ain't going to go running! I'm gonna take that riajuu living it up at the top of the ladder and show him that even a chameleon has it's claws! And then- And then I'm going to-!"

Chameleo audibly paused. "And then I'm probably going to have to apologize to that girl he was with. Shouldn't have done that! I should
not have done that! Stupid, stupid! Gah! And he said I was on the news as well! If word finds out about this the commander will take away any funding I get! No, maybe worse, those Valhalla jocks will come to beat me up again! I can't have that! Have you seen Medusa's transformation?! She goes from being so pretty to being buffer then a wrestler! Even if we're both reptile Guildys, she just scares me! And she acts all familiar with me as well! No wait, could it be she's into me? Hold it Chameleo! It could be that she just acts this way with everyone! Don't get fooled again! Your heart can't take another 'actually I only saw you as a friend'!"

There was a brief sound of what was definitely manly sweat before he bounced right back. "Wait a minute! That bastard has probably never been friendzoned before! He's probably using his magical girl status to get all the girls! I need to teach him the pain in my heart! This man cannot walk around unpunished!"

Click.


I had no idea what Chameleo was talking about but it was probably something dumb.

Click.

"At the very least, the commander has got to agree with me on some level right? Even if she's a winner of life, she's so busy taking care of worthless people like me that she doesn't even have time for romance," Chameleo concluded. "I can't thank her enough for that really, but I wish she put aside some time for herself. Maybe it's all the frustration that caused her to agree when I asked for permission for the duel with that Tail Red?"

He paused before speaking, for once, slowly. "...It's a bit odd really. Our unit has never acknowledged an order to actually go and fight a nearby MG. It's more of just a formality by the generals at this point. Just what was it that caused the commander to agree so suddenly? The moment I mentioned the name the color in her eyes changed to one I've never seen before. She looked both scared and resigned. Honestly it kinda freaked me out."

"I don't want to die," Chameleo continued. "That's obvious. Even if I am a bottomfeeder, I still stare up at the top of the ocean. There are so many games that I haven't played. No, there are so many things I haven't done. I don't want to play the game of love, I want to have a romance. To find someone who can handle my true heart's colors and paint me the world. But in the end, Guildy's are always prepared for death. If I don't make it back, if this truly is my final 'Bad End', then…"

There was an audible gulp. "Then I want my death to be a satisfying one."


And thus, Chameleo's last words came to an end. Yet, the recording didn't end there.

A skip in the tape, before a different voice picked up again. Of course, all the voices these tapes had recorded of the dead. A girl's. Gentle, lyrical, and all too familiar.

"'Scared and resigned' huh? I suppose that's how it would have looked," Drag Guildy mused. "I was just reading the wind, really. The air that I thought would remain stagnant forever had once more begun to flow. That is, after all, what happens whenever those twintails appear."

The girl sighed before letting out an awkward laugh. "Sorry, I suppose I must be confusing you huh? That is, if these tapes are going to their intended recipient. For all I know
they could've caught on to what I was doing and raided my place. But that would be the worst possible outcome so I'm just going to be an optimist and hope that these tapes arrived successfully. And that recipient would, of course, be you. Tail Red."

"By now, I've surely met my end, whether at your hand or someone else's," The commander declared. "It must've been quite the shock right? To discover that we're as human as you are… Or perhaps you already knew that. To me you're an enigma. Too earnest, too honest, too much heart to be related to the devil that I know. But you are in fact Tail Red, that's a certainty. And if that is the case then you must have some connection with Doctor Xiong."

A tired breath left her lips. "How much you do know, how much you don't know, I'm probably not even helping aren't I? Sorry for being so cryptic, and you'll probably hate me for this, but please just bear with me for now. I'll explain more once you get to my tape, I promise… If that day comes."

"It's been around 3 days since Chameleo died. I've already made my peace with his and Lizard's deaths." And for a moment, her voice was fragile. As if it could shatter at any moment. "Rabbit is up next. I don't want her to die, but at this point I need to ride the flow or crash and burn. You're probably thinking horrible things about me. That I'm a monster who sent her own subordinates marching towards their deaths. And you're probably wondering just now why I would do such a thing."

There was a pause before she continued speaking. "...There is no stopping the inevitable. You're a spark, Tail Red. And us Guildys are going to be the ones that burn. But at the very least, I thought that I could delay it a little. So I'll admit it. All the duels, all the fights, they're nothing but something to distract
you. To divert your attention away from being a normal MG and standing in the spotlight. And if you're as ignorant as I think you, then they'd serve to prepare you for what's to come. Call it a gift from me, or maybe you could call it a curse. Either way, it doesn't matter."

"By this point I'm sure you want nothing to do with me," Drag, Xu Mei, concluded. "But play my game one last time, please. Listen to all of the tapes. In order. Don't just skip to mine. Because even if our souls are transient, music is the one thing that's eternal."


With that, the recording met its end.

Click.



"A little to the left… Now go right…" Phoenix instructed as she squinted her eyes. Suddenly they flew open as she began to shout. "No! No! Too right! Too right!"

The closest analogy that I can use to describe what happened next is that I was struck by a sudden muscle cramp. Except instead of having anything to do with my flesh and blood physical form, the cramp happened directly in my soul. As if a part of my very existence was straining itself. I quickly doubled over where I stood, crashing onto the ground as I let out a hiss of pain. "Ow! Ow! It burns! Yeesh!"

Once more I had found myself experimenting in the lab, something I found myself doing a lot of for some reason. I didn't really test the limits of my abilities back when Twirl was around, or at least not as hard as Grasper was pushing me. Suddenly, I had found myself practicing how to run around on walls with the glasses wearing girl furiously taking notes. It was fun… Generally speaking.

The constant flopping on my face in the early stages hampered my enjoyment somewhat. I had eventually managed to get the hang of it somewhat. The effects of Boot were really helpful there. Incorporating it into my fighting style on the other hand… Well I should probably go and see Lan about that. She could probably teach me something later.

Well with that done, we moved on to the more 'relaxing' part of my training where I made sure my soul wouldn't explode and kill me or something. Grasper herself had suddenly gotten busy with something, wasn't sure what, but luckily there was someone else qualified to help guide me through the process.

Hopefully.

The pony tailed girl who acted as my instructor let out a wince. "Okay… This didn't go as well as I thought it would."

"You think?!" I couldn't help but cry as I rolled onto my back.

"Okay just, take a deep breath. Relax. You're not breaking anything as far as I can see." Phoenix squinted her eyes. "Nothing that isn't already broken. How did you even do this to yourself?"

"Honestly I didn't even know anything was wrong until a few days ago." I sighed. "It's not like I had anything to compare it to, you know?"

"Mmh yeah, gotcha gotcha." Phoenix nodded. "I went through the same thing myself while I was learning how to Brake Release."

My head instantly perked up. "You had to learn how to Brake Release?"

"Yeah? You didn't?" The girl tilted her head.

"Nope." I shook my head. "It was just something I knew how to do when I awakened as Tail Red."

"Lucky bastard. It took me six months." Phoenix replied as she sat down on a nearby chair and sighed. "But I will admit, I didn't have to worry about triggering Burning Phoenix Kick by accident. If I had to learn how to do it with your soul I'd have probably killed myself five times over by now."

"Only five?"

She let out a laugh before giving me a cocky smirk. "Trust me, death is as much of a learning experience as anything else."

"I'll take your word for it." I mumbled as the pain finally began to dull down. "Speaking of taking things, can we take a break?"

"Mmh, yeah sure. It's hard to get it when you're distracted." The girl let out a noise as she rolled back her shoulders. "I'd show you myself but, well, it's not like you have the Truth affinity. I feel for you man, really do."

"I appreciate the sentiments." I replied. "Though while we're on the topic, how exactly did you learn how to Break Release?"

"Oh it's kind of a funny story." Phoenix smiled fondly as she looked off into the distance. "So one day my commander comes up out of nowhere with this huge 'Eureka' look on his face. Then he said something along the lines of 'I've got something that can change Guildy combat forever!' before proceeding to stare into a mirror for like the entire night. Nothing the rest of the unit and I could do until he suddenly started vomiting up the previous days lunch which was fucking gross."

My face scrunched up. "Ew. Good thing I don't eat as Tail Red."

I don't even think the calories would actually do anything but now that I think about it, wouldn't my appetite be smaller? Wait, could I potentially cheat the system by eating food in my regular form and then continuing on in my magical girl state?

It's a good thing I'm not that much of a glutton otherwise I feel like I'd be breaking into a science man wasn't meant to know.

The mental image at least made my fellow redhead laugh. "Yeah good thing huh? Though it's not the worst fucking with your magic can throw at you. Anyways once we had forbidden Pegasus from doing something stupid like that again, he obviously needed a labrat. And that's where I came in, since my ability would negate most of the harm I could accidentally cause my body."

Phoenix let out a sigh of nostalgia. "And thus began a six month long training montage as I tried to decipher the nonsense Pegasus was throwing at me. Not that I can blame him any more. Staring at soul shit is hella fucking weird. So eventually I managed to trigger Brake Release for the first time and well, after a bit of practice I was able to do it on the fly. Needless to say I was totally pumped, but Pegasus himself got distracted with his next big thing before he could learn the technique himself. The guy was a total scatterbrain like that."

"He sounds fun to have been around," I couldn't help but comment as I pushed myself up to my feet. "I know living with women who bounced around from project to project made my life exciting to say the least."

"Yeah." The avian guildy said wistfully. "He was the best… Anyways that's enough of that. We should probably move on to that thingy Grasper said to do."

"Mmm." I let out as I summoned the Blazer Blades to my hand. "Gear Shift."

For the first time in a while, the Doll affinity slotted into my soul. It was odd, being hyper aware of how your own magic changes, but I was beginning to get used to it. Especially as I began to feel the flow of power transition from within me and into the Blazer Blades themselves. Of course I wasn't just going to sit there and wait. Quietly, I transitioned into doing some light swings as the skills Lan had engraved in me took over my body.

It was hard to believe that when I first got this specific affinity, I was as awkward with the sword as I was. Now I barely even had to think about what I wanted to do, muscle memory and training doing the rest of the work for me. And when I didn't have to focus on that, the imperceptible impossible sensation of magic was all the more clear. I could feel the way that it twisted and turned in my body, and it almost reminded me of making a dish at the cafe. There was a base ingredient that made up the 'core' of it, and then as the Doll affinity warped it, flavoring was added to the meal.

...Was I just hungry?

It was after a couple minutes of silence had passed when I realized Phoenix was biting her lips. There was something in her eyes, and I could see her mentally struggle with something. Before I could ask what was up, though, the ponytailed girl clenched her fists and took in a deep breath. "Hey, sorry for distracting you but… You're listening to those tapes from Noble Heart right?"

"Yeah?" I replied as I made a downward swing. "Do you want to listen to them as well? You probably knew them better than me after all."

"Well, I wouldn't say we were that close… Maybe I'll give Swan's a listen," the avian guildy replied slowly. "It's just… Did Drag, you know, say something?"

"I haven't listened to Drag's myself yet. She wanted me to hear them in the order I dueled the rest of the unit in." And I wouldn't simply just disrespect her wishes. After all, I wanted to hear from the people I had briefly called my friends as well. "But she did show up in the end of Chameleo's tape for a bit. Said some stuff that kind of confused me… Why do you ask?"

"It's just, well, I don't know how to say this, but…" Phoenix hesitated for a moment before continuing. "One of the last things that Pegasus did before he died was discuss something in person with Drag. I don't know what he said but whatever it was, Pegasus came back to the Azure Wing base super frustrated. Said something about Drag having the answers but refusing to give them."

"That's a relatable feeling," I couldn't stop myself from muttering.

"Tell me about it. The guy was practically doing the same thing to me whenever I asked him about it." My instructor let out a bitter laugh. "Said he was looking into the 'big truth behind everything' and didn't even clarify what that meant. Only… For once, it didn't seem like he was looking into the truth in order to prove it right, but to show that he was wrong."

" 'If what my eyes show me is an illusion, then I would be doubly blessed. But on the off chance it's not, then I can't just dismiss it. No matter how painful it may be, I must expose the Truth. Because scars will never heal if left hidden in the dark.' " Phoenix quoted before letting out a kick. "I didn't think much of it at first but then… Two weeks later, Azure Wing was wiped out."

The mood in the lab turned somber, and I did my best to focus on my magic. "...You still haven't explained how that happened."

"It's not a memory I like to relive." She flashed me a bittersweet smile. "It's not even something that I can believe even happened. Sorry, but I still can't share it just yet."

"That's fine." I nodded. "Everyone has their secrets."

"But even still, I can't help but want to know the truth." Phoenix's eyes suddenly burned with an intense fire as she stared into her fist. "The reason why my friends had been consigned to death. The truth behind that."

I didn't press her on what 'that' happened to be. I couldn't help but think of something.

Secrets. If I could describe my life ever since I had become a magical girl, it would have been using the word secrets. Things I had never known about were being revealed to me or were mocking me from the dark.

That Lan and Erina had been magical girls.

The truth behind the Guildys.

Twirl's relationship to Drag. And by consequence, how Drag seemed to know me.

My entire life now seemed to be being pushed forward by mysteries I didn't have the answer to. Questions I didn't even know to ask, let alone who to ask them to. The frustration seeped into my movements, as I continued to swing the blades even after the magic had filled their containers. Faster, sharper, I cut through the air.

"I think we've both found ourselves in similar situations," I spoke before I even noticed it. Phoenix perked up, her eyes staring at me as I forced myself to continue. "Someone we knew and cared about held a secret, but died before they could tell us what it was."

"So what?" She replied. "Does that mean we were both abandoned."

"I wouldn't say abandoned…" But at times, it certainly felt like it. "But at the very least, it's a shitty feeling."

"It is, yet it ultimately can't be helped. The only way you could ever learn everything about a person is if you have the Truth affinity like I do." The avian guildy tapped below her eye. "And even then, it's not like I can read you like a book. Sucks, but I don't think I'd ever want to know everything about a person anyways. What I see is already enough."

"...To pursue it or not." Oddly, a certain Fox came to mind. " 'I lie not for me, but for you.' "

"Well, it doesn't really matter how much it hurts." Phoenix shot up from her chair before walking over to me and placing her hand on my shoulders. "Heroes will stand up and fight regardless, right?"

A laugh escaped my lips as the good cheer came back. "Of course!"

"Then let's get you in tip top shape so we can kick some Valhalla ass!" My partner grinned as she pumped her fist in the air. "Look out Guildys, because we're coming for you!"

To us, the ones left behind-

Regret was not a word we could live by.



High Valhalla's base in Huolu City wasn't exactly what one would call "Lived in". It was a consequence of how that particular Guildy unit operated. Unlike Noble Heart, who had set the city up as their dedicated base of operations, High Valhalla was constantly on the move. There was simply no time to add little personal flares and touches. Though, as a unit that gained direct funding from the research-based Unit 01, it was still a higher quality residence then any place Noble Heart had ever stayed in.

Not that anyone would be able to tell if they looked into one particular room.

"Dammit!" Fenrir shouted, fist smashing onto his desk as he crumpled up a piece of paper and threw it to a pile of similar detritus. His personal quarters were, to put it simply, currently a complete mess. Trash and half eaten food piled up all around the guildy only to be ignored as he pulled out a new piece of paper and started scribbling from scratch again. "That plan won't do either!"

So distracted as he was crystallizing his latest scheme that the wolf didn't even notice when the door to his room was abruptly opened. A light cough cut through the stale air. "Tactician Fenrir."

The guildy in question quickly whipped his head around before suppressing a growl. Great, it just had to be her. "What do you want?"

She stared at him without responding. Fenrir let out an annoyed sigh before standing up and giving the girl a painful salute. "Tactiation Fenrir Guildy reporting, Vice Commander Valkyria."

"At ease," Valkyria commanded and his limbs quickly dropped. It was just a shallow gesture anyways. He didn't know how long he could hold that pose for her anyways. His 'vice commander' quickly gave a glance around the room before sighing. "I see you've been neglecting your cleaning duties. I'll have to report this."

"...Apologies. I'll get on it soon." The wolf choked out. It was a casualty of his work, bitch. "Let me guess, you aren't here just for a check up are you?"

"Correct." The brown haired woman nodded. "I've got a message from Commander Yggdrasil."

"From the commander?!" he exclaimed. "Why didn't she come down herself?"

"She had a meeting with the General. And as her vice commander, it fell upon me to relay the message." Fenrir suppressed the urge to click his tongue at the words. "Not to mention that I wanted to have a word with you about the topic myself."

"Well this better be important," the guildy declared as he sat back down in his chair and gestured at the state of his room. "I'm in the middle of doing my job, as you can clearly see."

"That is precisely what I came to talk with you about." Valkyria stated calmly. "Fenrir Guildy, as the result of not once, but twice failing to carry out your plans to fruition, it has been decided that you will have only one more chance to complete the objectives. You should be grateful we're even giving you that, as it cost us a significant portion of our budget to Deadly Venom and the death of one of our own."

"Hmph. A Guildy is always prepared for death. It was Medusa's own fault she wasn't good enough to follow through with my plans," Fenrir scoffed.

The vice commander's eyes turned to steel as her fist clenched. "Choose your words carefully, Fenrir. Mocking the dead is the one thing I won't allow. Especially not one that died as a warrior."

"...As you say." Fenrir clamped his jaw shut tightly. Yeah, right. Valkyria was probably just pissy that her nigh-useless Honor affinity didn't work on Guildys. There was no way that she could deny Medusa was one of the weakest of the unit. "Don't worry, the last operation didn't yield no results. I was able to… analyze that random variable. The next plan I come up with will surely finish things once and for all."

"Is that so?" Valkyria raised an eyebrow. "Don't forget they have Dark Grasper on their side. And unlike before, Phoenix is no longer going to be constantly exhausted. They're in a much better position then they were when we first arrived here."

"Doesn't matter," the wolf casually dismissed. "I've already factored that into account."

Phoenix was a complete and total meathead with absolutely zero regard for personal safety. The only reason she was still even alive right now was because of that ridiculous ability of hers. He barely even had to consider the fact that she was a vice commander tier Guildy. Instead of a Phoenix, that idiot should've been called Cockroach Guildy.

Then there was Dark Grasper. Fenrir could at least grudgingly admit that Valkyria had a point. Despite the fact that her physical ability was laughably shit, she was still the genius behind the Gear system. Not only did she have the abilities of all Valhalla Guildys memorized, her Glasses affinity would be able to create both brutal and efficient tactics against them.

But of course, even she had her weakness. Besides her obvious dependency on her glasses to function, the girl still needed time to calculate her plans. As long as High Valhalla was on the offensive, their likelihood of winning would increase. It was something that was confirmed in the previous failed assault when she spent most of the fight just curled in the alleyway. Keep her occupied and off her game and the girl couldn't calculate for shit.

And of course, there was that bitch, no it was a bastard apparently, that had utterly ruined his brilliant plan to take care of Phoenix and Grasper in one stroke. That magical girl, Tail Red. A completely random variable that he hadn't foreseen emerging. But it wasn't like she was a total mystery anymore. Not only did he have first hand recordings and accounts from both Valkyria and Rhino, that magical girl had been reflected by himself.

It was not something that he liked to remember. In fact, it wasn't even something he could remember. The entire incident just gave him a big headache trying to recall it. Still, there was enough of a lingering sensation that he could quite confidently recall and plan around every single one of the twin tailed girl's abilities.

Magical Girls. The words made him sneer. Idiots who got devoured by their own powers. But the moment they were reflected back in Fenrir's mirror, their end was imminent. Everything about them was laid bare before him. Strength, weakness, and all. Over the years, the amount of those 'invincible' warriors that had met their ends due to his plots and schemes had become near uncountable.

"In the end, Magical Girls aren't anything special." Not compared to him anyways. Ah, the Envy affinity was truly something wasn't it?

"I'd advise you to keep a clear head. If the reports are to be believed, the Red Braver, Tail Red, demolished all of Noble Heart by themselves, Drag included," Valkyria chided him as she crossed her arms. "Arrogance on our part will just be our downfall. Or need I remind you that that overconfidence is the exact reason why you lost your position as Vice Commander."

The words brought Fenrir to a halt. Tension filled the room as their eyes met. For a moment, it wouldn't have been surprising if one of the two were to launch a sudden attack. Yet despite the hatred clearly burning in the tactician's eyes, the only thing he could do was grit his teeth and swallow his pride. "...I'll keep that in mind."

"See to it. That's all I have to say." The brown haired girl nodded as she spun on her heel before pausing just as she was about to leave the room. "And for what it's worth, I'm sorry that things had to come to this."

Fenrir just kept his mouth shut and the vice commander seemed to take that as enough of an answer. She shut the door behind her quietly, and the wolf guildy closed his eyes until he heard the sound of her footsteps vanish down the hallway. Then, they snapped open wide. Fire ran through his veins as he grabbed his latest sheet of paper and immediately began to tear it to shreds.

"That fucking bitch!" he roared. "She dared to bring that up?! And even apologized when it was her own fucking fault?!"

A primal scream left his mouth. He wasn't sure if his room in this facility was soundproof. At this point, he didn't even care. "Curse you, Valkyria Guildy! There is no way in hell that we could ever coexist under the same sky!"

It was her fault.

It was all her fault.

He had been going downhill ever since that woman stole his position away and made it so that he could no longer stand by the great Commander Yggdrasil Guildy's side. Yet he couldn't dare to make a move against her. No matter how much he wanted to stab her in the back, to rip her to pieces and cause her to die a dog's death, he kept himself in check. After all, if he were to do that, then there was no way that his beloved would ever take him back.

But.

Yet.

In the end, Fenrir Guildy's feelings never went away. It was only in these moments of privacy could he truly explode. Furniture cracked as he rapidly punched into his desk. His chair went flying through the air, smashing right into a nearby mirror and cracking it to pieces. Sounds of destruction and ruin blending together in his ears, so lost as he was in rage. Eventually he lost the energy to keep up his rampage, but that still didn't stop his mind from brewing up a storm. For some reason though, in that mix of dark and dreadful thoughts, a certain memory came to mind.

Tail Red. Fenrir didn't know why, but that name was on his lips. There had been something different about when he had used Mirror Match on her. Something that hadn't happened with other magical girls. And he wasn't just referring to the seering, blinding pain he had blocked out in his memories.

She lingered. Like a stain that refused to be scrubbed away. A feeling that he just couldn't shake off.

"If I had a power like that…'' Fenrir muttered to himself as he stared into his hands. "Then the world would be mine."

Deep in his soul, the Envy affinity sparked.



As a result of a new part timer, Hong's workload has decreased. Behold the power of capitalism. Hong now has a free Passive Action to use during downtime updates, in addition to the three regular actions.

Pick (3) Actions and (1) additional Passive Action

Active Actions
-[] Hang out with someone (Insert Who)
-[] Advance Laboratory Reclamation (Floor 2 - 0/4 complete. Next Objective: Make Way Into Second Floor)
-[] Continue Fixing The Engine
-[] Do something else?

Passive Actions:
-[] Fuck you, do your homework.
-[] EXERCISE BOI EXERCISE
-[] MAGICAL GIRL TRAINING TIME


+9 EXP Memorandum: Chameleo
+3 EXP Train that magic, boy!
+12 EXP Fenrir is kind of a shitter.

98 + 24 = 122 EXP

New Shop Item Unlocked.
 
Last edited:
[x] Plan Obviously, plus Glasses
-[x] Hang out with someone (Dark Grasper)
-[x] Continue Fixing The Engine
-[x] Continue listening to the tapes
-[x] Fuck you, do your homework.


It's tempting to do Lan instead, or even check how a social action with Hong's mom would go. I suppose I'm not sure about homework either, but I still feel nervous about skipping it much.

EDIT: I just went to the next guildy. Forgot rabbit's was watched earlier.
 
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[x] Plan Obviously, plus Glasses

I'm not entirely sure why we keep doing the homework passive action, because I don'tremember it giving us any actual benefit. The exercise one was a requirement for Thin Red Line, but studying never seemed to do much. I'd personally switch it for another Magical Girl Training action because we really need to improve, but at this point that spending an action to study is half meme, half tradition. :V
 
[x] Plan Get help, read tapes
-[x] Sign up with the Counter force as a independent
-[x] Continue Fixing The Engine
-[x] Continue listening to the tapes
-[x] MAGICAL GIRL TRAINING TIME


cause they have a bunch of magical researchers who probably can help with our soul problem.
 
[x] Plan Obviously, plus Glasses
-[x] Hang out with someone (Dark Grasper)
-[x] Continue Fixing The Engine
-[x] Continue listening to the tapes
-[x] Fuck you, do your homework.
 
Improve Hong's INT and WIS stats so that he's less dumb in fights :V
If that's the objective, I'm pretty sure we should be the ones doing the study actions. We're supposed to be Hong's tactical brain.

I expected that and I'm somehow still disappointed. :V
Surely this can't be just it. Surely, all this diligent studying pays off in other ways besides 3 exp.
Better grades? An unseen bonus to combat? A gold bronze tin star from Ms. Huang? :V :V

...Can we add subvotes to that action, like we did with training? Make it a group study/do-your-homework session with someone else to get both the 3 exp AND hang out with someone in addition to the usual Hang Out action?
 
I expected that and I'm somehow still disappointed. :V
Surely this can't be just it. Surely, all this diligent studying pays off in other ways besides 3 exp.
Better grades? An unseen bonus to combat? A gold bronze tin star from Ms. Huang? :V :V
If Hong were actually improving, he'd stop getting exp.
 
If Hong were actually improving, he'd stop getting exp.
Jesus, that's sad. I can't even bring myself to joke about it.

[x] Plan Obviously, but also training
-[x] Hang out with someone (Dark Grasper)
-[x] Continue Fixing The Engine
-[x] Continue listening to the tapes
-[x] MAGICAL GIRL TRAINING TIME
--[x] Wall running, learn how to actually use it in a fight.
 
So, question.

Do we want to buy Inhuman Agility before the next training session?

If so, now is the time to include it in votes.
 
Jesus, that's sad. I can't even bring myself to joke about it.
That's because xp in CWMGQ system represents your drive to improve, not actual improvement. It's unfortunate in this case.
Otherwise, I think that Phoenix is recognizing the Transient Engine: R. in Hong as something she has herself, and is uncomfortable about it. I'm fine with giving Grasper some time to work on whatever's got her attention.

Inhuman Agility wise, I want to hold off on actually purchasing it for the moment. In the case that Fenrir Guildy is about to ambush us, I want it as a surprise to pull on him after he copies Tail Red's sheet, with her suddenly getting something he doesn't have. Training with it in Soft Mechanics in Boot is still good though, as that will let Lan help with incorporating it into fighting style. Once the Engine is fixed, I'm curious in trying out training with Coat to see what we can do with it.

[x] Plan Transient Friendship
-[x] Hang out with someone (Lan)
-[x] Continue Fixing The Engine
-[x] Continue listening to the tapes
-[X] MAGICAL GIRL TRAINING TIME
--[X] Incorporate wall running and the like into your fighting style.
 
[x] Plan Transient Friendship

he would immediately gain the ability, so...
I figured it was a dynamic copy rather than a snapshot of what the target cam do when it is activated. That would be too easy.

Anyways, I have a question about how Inhuman Agility interacts with BOOT's effect of negating terrain penalties

Could we fake having Unreal Agility if we buy Inhuman Agility and equip BOOT?

As I understand it, Inhuman Agility lets us perform impressive feats of agility and acrobatics, but nothing too crazy. The almost impossible stuff is reserved for its evolution, Unreal Agility, and the blatantly impossible stuff is only possible if you have Impossible Agility.

Meanwhile, BOOT's effect allows us to ignore terrain modifiers while moving, allowing "freedom of movement accross nearly any terrain that is theoretically traversable."
This should include running on water, which is already something in Unreal Agility's territory.

Of course, this is assuming the Inhuman Agility we'll buy is separate from and still available while BOOT is not equipped. If it's really only a part of BOOT then they shouldn't "stack".
 
[x] Plan Transient Friendship


I figured it was a dynamic copy rather than a snapshot of what the target cam do when it is activated. That would be too easy.

Anyways, I have a question about how Inhuman Agility interacts with BOOT's effect of negating terrain penalties

Could we fake having Unreal Agility if we buy Inhuman Agility and equip BOOT?

As I understand it, Inhuman Agility lets us perform impressive feats of agility and acrobatics, but nothing too crazy. The almost impossible stuff is reserved for its evolution, Unreal Agility, and the blatantly impossible stuff is only possible if you have Impossible Agility.

Meanwhile, BOOT's effect allows us to ignore terrain modifiers while moving, allowing "freedom of movement accross nearly any terrain that is theoretically traversable."
This should include running on water, which is already something in Unreal Agility's territory.

Of course, this is assuming the Inhuman Agility we'll buy is separate from and still available while BOOT is not equipped. If it's really only a part of BOOT then they shouldn't "stack".
Boot synergizes well with Agility, but it's not straight up a +1 Agility level or anything.

Boot can let you run on most any surface, but it won't let you do the other bits that Unreal Agility would give you, like scooby-dooing up a series of falling rocks or any of that.

Also Boot still can't let you run on water. Not without a pretty hefty Ignition Rush boosting you across.
 
[x] Plan Transient Friendship

[X] EXP-Plan Acrobat
-[X] Sick Flips (100xp)

Personally, I have the feeling that Agility ought to be bought before wall-running can be made combat-viable; I also see no reason not to buy it immediately so it can be trained with. There appears to be no benefit to buying it later, after all.
 
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