Hm... On one hand, during the Sahou fight, Demon Blade was able to evade the roots of the Yokai he had contracted with prior. Sahou had her surrounded, and had 3 ApT. On the other hand, there is a massive horde of instruments surrounding Demon Blade, and she has assistance here. Or at least, someone who's also threatened by the instruments. And one of her shop items does require engaging in battle while surrounded on all sides.
Time for me to be the idiot who votes for a write in:
[X] Amongst the beasts lies a fragment of the song to seek; Dodge and weave as ripples of water upon a moonlit pond.
The grand piano was a rather unnatural beast. It's lid slammed up and down while the pearly white keys acted like fangs, clattering together in it's mouth. Drool slobbering down it's lips as it struggled to break free of the spectral hand that had grasped it's form. Unfortunately for it, despite being a creature straight out of a horror movie, a greater nightmare was now praying upon it.
"Come here you~!" Hanako screamed with a manic laughter. Her spectral body shot like a bullet through the air before her claws sunk into it. With absolutely no hesitation, the urban legend began to tear the instrument apart. It desperately struggled to fight back, but that only served to fuel the girl more as it fell apart piece by piece. The piano didn't bleed for it had no flesh, but what escaped it's lips was definitely a melody of pain.
Hanako: 285 Base Damage +N/A Dice = 285 Total Damage
Grand Piano: 200 Base Resilience +N/A Dice = 200 Total Reduction
85 End Damage
Grand Piano: 1100 - 85 = 1015 HP Remaining
Shred!
Base Resilience: 200 - 4 = 196 Base Resilience
Hanako: 285 Base Damage +N/A Dice = 285 Total Damage
Grand Piano: 196 Base Resilience +N/A Dice = 196 Total Reduction
89 End Damage
Grand Piano: 1015 - 91 = 936 HP Remaining
Shred!
Base Resilience: 196 - 4 = 192 Base Resilience
"More! More! Cry more!" Hanako cheered, her lips smeared a bloody red as the wood began to splinter. "Playing with you is so much fun! Kakaka!"
Demon Blade was unmoved by the sight, immediately dashing at the string instruments surrounding the group. The Muramasa Blade glinted in the light. Before the demonic hurdy-gurdy could even react, steel began to carve into it.
Muramasa Blade: 150 Base Damage +20 Dice = 170 Total Damage
Strings: 125 Resilience +NA Dice = 125 Total Reduction
50 End Damage
Strings: 210 - 50 = 160 Remaining Health
The swordsman clicked her tongue. "Tough."
Strings flailed through the air as the beastily instrument recovered from the pain and quickly tried to consume the magical girl once more. Or at least it would have if it wasn't for the bandaged fist slamming into it. The hurdy-gurdy fell to the floor, playing it's final note before shattering into pieces. Demon Blade's eyes quickly appraised the young fighter, his hands surrounded by a light mist that left the lingering scent of rot and filth in the air.
"Um," Momohime spoke as her flaming eyes glanced towards the young girl who was still toying with the piano. "Is she alright?"
"Hanako's the manifestation of a ghost story, what did you expect?" Kei grunted. "But I think we can leave the piano up to her. Doesn't look like it's going to escape any time soon. Not that I particularly want to be in this room any longer as well. What the fuck is going on?"
"I… have no clue. I think this is part of the test?" The mousy woman admitted. "Though I didn't expect it to be so…"
She didn't need to finish, the young boy quickly got the point as he nodded with a sick look. That scene with the piano was probably going to haunt her dreams for a while. Shivers would have crawled down her spine just thinking about it if Demon Blade wasn't in control of her body at the moment.
"Hold your bile in for a little bit more Momohime." The magical girl in question stated as the instruments grew closer. "We've got more problems then that-"
"GAH!" A scream echoed through the concert hall. The group whipped their head around only to find one of the instruments had wrapped it's strings around another Examinee's arm. It tried to pull them in, but whatever daze they had been in was quickly wiped away as they struggled to break free. Not helping his case were the violins joining in, each chomping to attack their free limbs.
"We need to-" Momohime began to shout only to be suddenly interrupted by Demon Blade jumping out of the way as the rest of the instruments lunged at her.
"I'll take care of the ones here." The swordswoman grunted before turning towards her fellow Youkai contractor. "Kei, was it? Your strength is sufficient. It may seem like a selfish request but can you handle rescuing the other examinees?"
"Of course!" The blonde grunted. "And if the ones over here get too much for you then head towards Hanako. She's a brat but there's no doubting her strength."
"I do not expect to need assistance but very well." Demon Blade nodded. It sounded like a solid plan in theory but… Momohime's thoughts were interrupted as the magical girl turned towards her. "If you're worried so much then go with him. I will not fault your will on this."
"Eh?" If she had eyes right now, she would've blinked. "Are you serious?"
The blackhaired woman pointed a finger at herself. "You'll both be right here and over there. If things get bad, I'll know about it at the speed of thought. There's no time for doubts, so just go."
"Right!" The flame vibrated up and down while Kei nodded, the two of them blasting forward towards the examine who was suspended by string in the air, looking in horror as the instruments began to nibble at his skin. Momohime glanced at her partner before turning back towards the instruments. "Do you have any ranged attacks?!"
"I've got the spectral hand but if I release that then the piano will be over us in seconds!" Kei cried as his sneakers squeaked against the polished concert halls. "What about you?!"
"Demon Blade is the one with all the Blade Arts!" The aspiring exorcist cried. "This projection is the only Art that I know!"
"So you're useless?!"
"I'm sorry!"
"Nevermind! I got this!" The foul order grew stronger as the boy thrusted out his hands. "Just gotta hope I make it in time! Deathly Bound!"
Cost: 100 HP
Kei Kagami: 1200 - 100 = 1100 Remaining Health
The bandages around Kei's clothes began to throb and thrash, as if something was trying to break free. White cloth slowly became a rotting, scaly green that crawled down his arms and onto his hands. Flesh morphed and cracked, and Momohime couldn't help but flicker as the high schooler's hands stopped being well hands but instead became reptilian lizards heads, jaws opening to reveal sharp fangs as the slits in their fleshy yellow eyes bead across the room. Kei leaped through the air, and the slimy tongues of the lizard heads flickered in and out as he brought them down on the violins.
Privacy Invasion: 285 Base Damage, +N/A Dice = 285 Base Damage
Strings: 125 Resistance, +N/A Dice, -31 Armor Pierce = 94 Base Resistance
191 Total Damage
Strings: 210 - 191 = 19 Health Remaining
Chomp. With jaws of steel, a loud cracking sound causing a distorted screech to pierce through the air. Instantly the strings stopped digging into the examine's skin, dropping them to the floor. Kei didn't even pause for a moment though as the scales creeped up his throat and engulfed his head. Soon enough, the boy's head had become a near identical lizard head to the one on his hands, a gurgling sound escaping its throat as it chomped down on another violin. Momohime glanced from the three headed lizard monster to the monstrous but still human-looking little girl.
...Which one was the Youkai and which one was the contractor again?
No never mind. That was a topic for when they weren't in the middle of a fight. Momohime forced her luminescent body through the air before hovering over the dazed examinee. A woman, now that she looked closely. One whose brown hair was tied up into a ball behind her head, filled with sharp metal needles and pins of various sizes. Her outfit was reminiscent of a green kimono, but with various cuts that made it look like a cosplay outfit or street wear instead of formal clothing. The projected flame quickly leaned inwards before squeaking. "Are you okay?!"
"I… Yes." The woman shook her head before reaching into her hair and taking out two needles. With a flick of her wrist, the metal shot through the air, crashing directly into the wrecked violins that Kei had left behind. Although their size was small, the remains of the instruments cracked on impact, leaving behind one final note before collapsing onto the floor. "Thank you for the rescue. That was… Deeply disturbing."
"This entire concert hall is horrifying." Momohime had to agree.
"Kh! Kh!" Kei chirped out in a language only understandable by his lizard brain brethren.
Strings: 105 Base Damage +N/A Dice = 175 Total Damage
INTERCEPT!
Privacy Invasion: 285 Base Damage, +N/A Dice = 285 Total Damage
110 Difference, Privacy Invasion wins
Privacy Invasion: 110 Intercept Damage, +N/A Dice = 110 Total Damage
Strings: 125 Base Resistance, +N/A Dice, -31 Armor Pierce = 94 Total Reduction
16 End Damage
Strings: 210 - 16 = 194 Remaining Health
One of the remaining violins launched it's strings forward, only for it to be caught in the jaws of Kei's lizard heads. With a wild yank, the nightmarish instrument flew forwards only to be smacked with a solid punch- Uh, Headbut- Momohime didn't even know what it was at this point. It didn't do much to the thing, but it stunned it long enough for the needle woman to get back on her feet and launch another needle at the third violin, ending it's tune and leaving the last violin of the section on it's lonesome. Two flame eyes, two human eyes, and six lizard eyes all turned to glare at it.
It let out a high pitched tune that sounded suspiciously like a whimper before retracting all of it's beastial qualities and falling on the floor. The three aspiring exorcists all looked at the now normal violin that sat there on the floor as if trying to become a dust magnet. Momohime was the one who spoke up first. "Is… Is it playing dead?"
"Khhhheeeep." Kei let out as he began to revert back to a human, the scales retracting down his neck until it was only covering his jaw. "Seems so."
"Well unless it's going to try and sneak attack us-" Four lizard eyes, four human eyes, and a burning gaze all glared at the instrument. It quivered before they all relaxed. The examinee that they saved bowed her head towards the two. "Then I think we can relax for now."
She quickly whipped her head back up and brushed her bangs out of her eyes. "My name's Saki Onoda. It's not really like me to make such an uncool entrance but y'all- Er, the two of you really saved me there."
"It's nothing really." Momohime spoke before her flame grew brighter. "Wait! The other examine-"
"FUCKING HELL!" A voice roared through the concert hall, clear even among that cacophony that was the noise. Everyone quickly turned to see the other examine on the floor, a burly man dressed in black leather with an unshaven beard, pull a flute out of his chest and toss it to the floor. He raised one of his tree trunk-like legs and it began to vibrate before turning into a car wheel, slamming into the poor instrument and grinding into dust. The rest of the woodwinds, buzzing through the air like insects, all began to shoot towards him but he already began to ride on out of the concert hall as the sound of an engine could be heard. "Goddammit fuck this floor! I'm trying another one!"
The door slammed shut behind him.
Momohime slowly bobbed up and down in the air before closing her eyes only to find Demon Blade's open. The Muramasa Blade slicing through one of the woodwind insects like it was made of butter. Things on her end were going…
"The situation isn't critical." The magical girl declared as she dodged string after string of attack. "Though my blade isn't sharp enough to slice through these youkai cleanly on their own… Hmph. Blade Art Number 3. "Crescent Moon."
Cost: 125 HP
Crescent Moon: 200 Base Damage, +N/A Dice = 200 Total Damage
Strings: 125 Base Resilience, +N/A Dice = 125 Total Reduction
75 End Damage
Strings: 210 - 75 = 135 Remaining Health
Muramasa Blade: 950 - 125 = 825 Remaining Health
Demon Blade grunted as the stormy wind left her blade. The instruments took the brunt of the art but still stood tall. The swordsman used the intervening time to launch another gust of wind before her feet shot backwards as she tried to gain distance. "Once this exam is done we're going through another bout of training. My current skill with the sword is… insufficient."
The way her reflection growled out the word was sharper than anything the mousy woman had ever heard her say. If she could, her body would have shivered, but instead she just snapped open her flame eyes and let out a nervous laugh. "Um, Demon Blade is having some problems but I think she can handle herself for a bit longer."
"And of course Hanako is having way too much fun with Mozart's Academia Nightmare over there." Kei grumbled.
"Mozart's Academia- Eek!" Saki screamed as she turned towards the sight of the bloody little girl tearing chunks out of the grand piano in the center stage. At this point, Momohime had begun to pity the poor thing as it struggled and failed to escape the spectral hand it was under. Every time it tried, Hanako just took that as another opportunity to shred more of its body into pieces. A terrified, countryside ridden dialect escaped the fashionable woman's lips. "That certainly ain't gonna leave mah head for a while!"
She paused before hastily covering up her mouth. "I-I mean!"
"Ya get used to it." Momohime let out a bitter drawl as she nervously chuckled. "At the very least, you didn't have to see what came before it…"
"While we're all being all buddy-buddy, can someone tell me what the hell we're supposed to do here?!" The high school boy growled as he glanced into Momohime's flame. "In case you forgot, I missed the instructions!"
"Well they wouldn't have done you much good." The seamstress sighed. "All we were told was that one of the instruments here would have a piece of a song. That and to 'listen carefully and go with our gut instinct'. Fat lot of good that did…"
"Oh right!" Momohime perked up, trying to ignore how one of Kei's lizard head-hands used it's slimy tongue to snatch a flute out of midair and begin chomping on it like it was an afternoon snack. "Saki, would you please tell us what exactly happened to you?"
"Well it's a bit hard to explain but…" The woman waggled her hands. "I was following the instructions, right? Listen closely and all that? Then suddenly one of the instruments stood out from the crowd, and I swear on my needles it was playing a song I hadn't heard since I was a child! I began to reminisce and enjoy the song- Next thing I knew the thing and it's friends were trying to bite my limbs off!"
The remaining violin in question let out a sad note that almost sounded like an apology. No one listened to it.
"I guess we can assume the same about the others who got caught in the daze.." The aspiring exorcist muttered to herself as she recalled the examiner's words. "Then when he said to not listen too carefully to the instruments what he actually meant was that they have a lure."
The songs of the muted ensemble were hypnotic. Playing old and forgotten tunes, they lured humans to play them. And the moment when they were satisfied they devoured their players. Though for some reason, Momohime herself hadn't been affected by it… Was it because she was a magical girl?
"I do not believe I had anything to do with it." Demon Blade spoke over their connection. "Whatever the cause may be, it's best we see it as a blessing in disguise for now."
"So, what?" Kei spoke up. "We gotta try and figure out which instrument here isn't a nightmare monster out to eat us alive? I can barely hear jackshit and that's not just because I have headphones on!"
Momohime glanced around the concert hall, trying to see if there was some hidden instrument hiding in a corner somewhere. After a few seconds of fruitless effort, she shook her head. Although lacking a neck, it was more of a little wiggle-waggle in mid air. "At the very least, I doubt any of the instruments attacking us is the correct one. Even if it was, we aren't going to find it in this cacophony."
She listened in closely to the ensemble once again. Nothing stood out to her, nothing but the absurd racket as the instruments fought for dominance over her ears. The princess came to a decision. "The forgotten orchestra likes a conductor. Their torched wish to be played has created a symphonia of chaos. That is why, this Momohime believes we must bring their final performance to an end."
"...I agree." Saki nodded as she pulled a needle out of her hair. "Listening to this any longer will make my ears bleed. I'd have preferred to cremate them, but as Youkai, I don't think their bodies will really burn anyways."
"I'm cool with beating these fuckers down." The remaining exorcist nodded. "So what's the game plan?"
"Meet back up with Demon Blade." Momohime ordered. "Sticking together will prevent us from being overwhelmed. After that, keep fighting until the concert is over. Understood?"
"Yes ma'am!" The two shouted before charging over towards where the magical girl was. Momohime didn't follow them, instead closing her eyes and letting her presence flicker out of existence. When she opened them and found herself carving through one of a violin, her reflection was waiting for her.
"...While assistance is appreciated, it's not strictly necessary." The swordsman spoke. "I can handle myself well enough."
"Ahaha." Momohime laughed nervously before collecting herself. "But I think it would be best if we saved our energy? I can feel how tired you are already."
"...Perhaps you are right." The magical girl muttered. "Exhaustion. What a strange feeling."
"We'll take a break after this." Being a black company slave, she knew full well the importance of saving her energy. "For now, let's just focus on defeating the orchestra."
"Very well." Demon Blade spoke. "That I can do."
Momohime didn't know exactly how long it took for the demonic orchestra to finally be put to rest, but it was exhausting work. A lot of it boiled down to the repetitive task of dodging and weaving. Demon Blade nimble on her feet and the attacks from the ensemble were fairly simple to predict. The ones that did hit her… Well she couldn't even feel most of them and the one she did stung as much as a bee. That didn't mean she particularly wanted to get hit though, so Kei served as an excellent destruction as having a rampaging lizard brained high schooler chomp through your ranks was very noticeable. Most of the actual fight itself boiled down to Saki and her just finishing off the instruments that the lizard boy didn't manage to completely destroy.
On the bright side, she was able to cause enough pain and suffering to satiate the Muramasa Blade's bloodlust enough that it had begun to heal. At least until the very end of the battle.
"Gah!" Hanako suddenly cried as she attempted to grab onto the rampaging nightmare piano. "No no! Stay still will you! I'm almost done tearing you to pieces!"
That was, patently, not the right thing to say to the creature as it struggled more. Squirming and biting before eventually, the worst outcome happened. It slipped free of the spectral hand it was under.
"Get back here!" Hanako cried, but it was too late. The Grand Piano had already begun to run rampaging, limping all the while but still slobbering as it hungrily approached the group of exhausted exorcists. It was starving, the appetizer of flesh that it had earlier only serving to make it roar as it let loose a chorus of diminished notes. Demon Blade clicked her tongue, Muramasa Blade glinting in her hands as she charged forwards.
Saki's hand immediately shot towards her hair as she brought forth another needle, this time with a peculiar green thread wrapped around it. "Hardship Memories - Broken Needles!"
Cost: 100
Saki: 500 - 100 = 400 Remaining Health
"Blessings be upon you!" The woman prayed, the needle glowing for a bit before the seamstress flicked her wrist. The needle shot through the air, piercing not into the piano monster, but into the flesh of Demon Blade herself. The magical girl barely even felt the pin prick, but whatever art Saki had used began to affect her. It was exactly as she had said, the needle was a blessing, a prayer, and Demon Blade knew exactly what it did.
No matter how fast the creature acted, the first move would always be hers.
"Much appreciated." The black haired swordsman nodded. "Now then. To bring this performance to it's finale, Blade Art Number 1."
Demon Blade vanished into the mist. Out of sight, but not out of mind. The grand piano didn't have any time to comprehend where the magical girl had gone before she was suddenly right behind it. The Muramasa Blade growled, hungry for life. And so, she carved. "Misty Slash."
Cost: 250 HP
Misty Slash: 400 Base Damage +N/A Dice = 400 Total Damage
Misty Slash: 400 Base Damage +N/A Dice = 400 Total Damage
800 Collective Damage
Grand Piano: 158 Base Resistance +N/A Dice = 158 Base Resistance
642 End Damage
Grand Piano: 295 - 642 = 0 Health Remaining
Muramasa Blade: 901 - 250 = 651 Health Remaining
In two slices, the deed was done. The demonic piano stepped forward a few more steps before letting out a sad little lick and collapsing in on itself, falling into shards of broken instrument.
The magical girl took a breath before placing her sword in its sheath. "I believe that with this, we are done."
"...Alright, I'll admit it." Kei spoke with wide eyes as his transformation came undone. "That was awesome!"
"Hm, that Art was…" Hanako trailed off before her grin split wider than a child's ever should. "Hahaha! I've never had a cursed swordsman for a friend before!"
"I'm just relieved that the fight is over." Saki mumbled as she plopped down to the floor, exhausted. "I'm freakin exhausted y'all."
"...Sorry that I wasn't able to help out that much." Momohime apologized as she projected herself back into the building.
"Don't humble yourself." Demon Blade shook her head. "You can take pride in my achievements. We are reflections after all."
"But doing that is a bit…" It didn't make her feel like she was contributing was the problem. Even if the sensation was there, she wasn't the ones making decisions.
Before her moping could be continued, there was a sound. The sound of an instrument, causing every exorcist in the concert hall to freeze as they all glanced towards the source. Only to find… The violin that had decided to play dead and promptly forgotten about floating up into the air. Their bodies tensed, ready to fight, but the instrument didn't even seem to care for them as it floated up to the center of the stage and began to play.
The tune was different this time. A gentle melody with neither the rush or ferocity of the symphony that had preceded it. At the same time however, it was a rather lonely piece. Filled with melancholy and nostalgia for days long past. The exorcists in the room closed their eyes and listened, knowing that this was the song piece they were searching for.
Eventually it came to a close, the melody drawing out it's final note before the violin did the closest equivalent it could of taking a bow. Burning flames erupted around the wood, and it peacefully accepted it, falling to the ground as gray, cremated ash.
"...The heck was that about?" Kei asked as soon as it was burned away.
"Tools exist to be used." Saki declared as she stood back up on her feet. "But they also have souls, and in this case, desires. The instruments here… if I'm understanding this right then they're kind of like a Shami Choro or a Koto Furunushi. Instruments that grow old and forgotten without the proper burial rights are transformed by their grief into wild beasts. My guess is that any of the instruments in this room would do. The problem was simply that they all wished to be heard at the same time but refused to cooperate with each other. By removing the other instruments, the violin was able to play it's solo and ascend to heaven… Or however that works for Youkai."
"You seem to know quite a lot about this." Momohime commented, causing Saki to give her a grin while patting her needle filled bun.
"The Youkai I'm contracted with is the Hari Kuyo, the festival of broken needles, which is all about giving your thanks to the needles you've worked with. I guess that makes me kind of an expert on this subject huh?" The seamstress explained before wagging her finger at the two. "That's why ya gotta make sure to respect your tools, aight?!"
"You can contract with festivals?" The mousy woman heard the high school boy mummer, but it didn't surprise her that much. Someone had thought about the idea, and it was widespread enough that it tried to breach through into the weighted world. Youkai were already formeless, weightless entities. Trying to box them into the concept of 'living, sentient creature' was a fool's errand.
"We should probably get moving soon." Momohime spoke up, glancing towards the exit. "We're on a time limit, remember? I haven't kept track of how long it took us to get one of the song pieces but we still have the rest of the exam to go through."
"Breaks are allowed though, right?" Kei spoke up. "I gotta go to the bathroom."
Hanako snickered, and the boy blushed bright red before waving his fists. "Oh shut up!"
"The bathroom is my domain! Ka ka ka!" The little girl in the red dress laughed. "Enter if you dare!"
....The flame ignored the comedy routine happening next to her before turning to her fellow exam taker. "What about you?"
"Haha! Yeah, uh, about that…" Saki trailed off before letting a sigh. "Really sorry, but I'm going to call it quits here. I thought I was prepared for the exam but well, my prayers didn't exactly work out for me that well. Plus I honestly don't think I can keep going. I am wiped. I just don't have the energy that you kids have."
"We're twenty three." Momohime and Demon Blade said in unison, causing the seamstress to go bug eyed.
"That was you?!" She shouted, and Momohime was lucky her pout was hard to make out through her flames. Why did everyone think that she was so young? "Jeez, remind me to call you up to go drinking some time! Ah, wait a moment."
With a flourish from her hair, Saki pulled out three needles. Two with red string, and another in green. Softly, she bent down and prayed, invoking her art once more. The needles glowed with her blessing before the seamstress stood back up and handed them to Demon Blade. "Here, these should serve you well."
Cost: 300 HP
Saki: 400 - 300 = 100 Health
"A-Are you alright?!" Momohime cried as Saki's face began to pale. "You shouldn't strain yourself for us!"
"Nah, It's alright. If I'm going to drop out here, might as well help the ones who saved me pass instead." She waved before gesturing to the needles. "The green one is for action, the red one is for reaction. Got that?"
"Thank you." Demon Blade nodded as she pocketed the needles. "Your sacrifice is much appreciated."
"Man, when you say sacrifice it makes sound way more dramatic than me quitting like a chicken." Saki scratched her chin. "I'm just going to train harder and hopefully make it through on the next exam. Hopefully we'll be coworkers someday!"
"Yeah." The flame grew brighter. "Good luck!"
"Same goes to you!" The seamstress cried before raising her hand into the air. "I withdraw my candidacy!"
Instantly, the two paper girls were once more by her side. Saki gave one look at them before giving her fellow exorcists a wave. At least, it seemed like she was about to before one of the origami humans smacked a piece of paper on her forehead. "Ow! Didja have to be so roug-"
And then, as if she was never even there, Saki Onoda was gone.
"...Right then. I'm going to take a leak, I think I saw a bathroom downstairs." Kei waved. "What about you Momohime?"
The aspiring exorcist thought about it before letting out a sigh. "I think I'll follow you downstairs as well. If the other floors are like this, then I think I'll be getting a lot of use out of a pair of headphones."
To think this was only the start of the Exorcist Exams. Momohime was beginning to feel like this was going to be a long night.
"You think this counts as stealing?" Momohime asked as Demon Blade examined a pair of headphones in front of her. "We don't have to pay the examiner right?"
"I believe these headphones are nothing more than an illusion created by the weightless space. Solid, believable illusions, but illusions nonetheless." The magical girl replied as she placed the headphones on her head. Momohime could feel the weight on her ears and wow, that was soft. They fit snugly around her head as well. She was definitely going to buy one of these once the exam was over. Er, after she got something to use them on of course. "I believe these will do. No cord either, so it won't hinder us in a fight."
"Huh?" Momohime's flame squinted as she looked at it closer. "Then how are you supposed to use them?"
"The box says something about 'bluetooth'?" Demon Blade replied, giving her a questioning look. Momohime shook her head, the term wasn't familiar to her either. "Then I suppose it doesn't matter. It's a convenience for us at the very least."
There was a loud banging sound as Kei kicked open the door to the men's restroom and walked back on over to the pair. "Alright! I'm done!"
"That took a while." The magical girl raised an eyebrow. "Perhaps you found your business more work than you expected?"
Momohime was lucky that her body was currently a spectral green flame otherwise she'd be burning a bright, hot red right now. "Please stop saying stuff like that with my mouth!"
"Er, gross. But also yeah." The former office lady shot the boy a scandalized look and his face immediately dyed crimson as he began to wave his hands. "No! No! Not like that! I just had Hanako check on something for me!"
"Oh?" Demon Blade replied. "Do tell."
"You know how she's a toilet spirit right?" The blonde elaborated. "I used that to have Hanako scout out all the floors in the building so we know what we're up against."
"That's great!" Momohime cheered.
"I know right?! It's like the best idea I've ever had! What they say about genius occurring on the toilet was true!" That was not a sentence she needed to hear. "We've got this trial in the bag!"
"Pfft, hahaha!" Someone laughed, and it took the trio a minute to realize it wasn't coming from them. Their gazes all turned towards the stairwell where a man in his early twenties walked out. "Sorry, I just heard something so astonishingly foolish that I had to laugh."
One glance at him and Momohime instantly knew what kind of person he was. Messy ash gray hair paired with mocking silver eyes, the only thing he was missing was a smug smirk. Not because he definitely wasn't doing it, but because it was hidden behind a strange device that covered his mouth. A screen, with a line that showed the sound vibrations of every noise that came out of his mouth, connected to a pair of dials on his ears. The rest of his outfit wasn't quite as outlandish, a pair of black shorts and a black jacket, unzipped to freely show the white undershirt beneath that utterly ruined whatever image he was going for with the scantily clad anime girl emblazoned on it.
Momohime uncomfortably turned her gaze away. There were some outfits she didn't know how people wore in public.
"If we're mistaken, then feel free to correct us." Demon Blade declared before narrowing her eyes. "In return, we'll teach you something as well. A lesson in attitude, that is."
"Demon Blade!" The aspiring exorcist hissed. "Don't fight with the other examinees!"
"If it were against the rules, then mister Odo over there would be stopping us right now." The swordsman gestured to the examiner who didn't even budge from where he was leaning back behind the counter. "But you're right, I don't wish to get into pointless fights."
"Neither do I. It's just pitiable after all." The man shook his head while clicking his tongue. "You idiots don't even understand how to pass this trial. If you're just going to flounder around like that then give up now."
He reached a button on his ears before his voice was filtered through a synthetic autotune. "DuMb aSS!"
"Alright you nerdy bastard!" Kei shouted, taking a step forward. "If you're so clever then why the hell are you on this floor, huh?!"
"Because I've completed the trial. DuH!" The ashen man declared, causing the aspiring exorcists to freeze. He began to walk to the counter, and the lackisdaisl examiner slowly adjusted his shades. "I'm turning the song in."
"What?! Bullshit!" The high schooler shouted. "There's no way you finished all seven floors that fast!"
"Did you actually think the song was split into that many parts? FuCkINg NoRMieS." He scoffed. "What kind of song could be split into seven? Let alone one you'd have to play like that? It'd be totally impractical for this exam."
"Oh?" Odo spoke up. "As far as I'm aware, the one on the seventh floor hasn't been defeated yet."
"I took one look at him and figured it out." The cocky man scoffed. "Not that hard when it's so blatantly obvious like that."
The examiner grunted, lips twitching upwards. "If you're so sure then let's give it a listen."
"Oh I'll let you listen alright." The man reached into his jacket pocket before slamming his smartphone onto the counter. "I've got it recorded right here. Don't want any LeACheS to piggyback off of my hard work."
"Why you…" Kei growled, only for Demon Blade's hand to shoot out and trap his arm in a vice grip. The young boy looked at her and the magical girl only shook her head. He grit his teeth and began to kick at the floor as Odo plugged his headphones into the smartphone and gave it a listen.
"Hm." Odo hummed. "There's a bit of improvisation here?"
"Yep. Thought it would give it a bit more FLaRe." The gray haired man spoke. "I call it 'Wanderings of a Mind'."
"It's my song you know."
"A cover then?"
"...I'll allow it." The examiner declared before holding out his hand. "Give me your packet."
With a flourish that was entirely unnecessary, the cocky man took his packet out of his pocket and handed it over. Odo looked it over a bit before pulling out a stamp and speaking. "Raizou Magari, Pass. The hints written on the paper. I'm going to guess by your outfit you want the Kunai next?"
"Right on the money." Raizou grinned, causing the examiner to nod before pressing something and handing the paper back to him. The cocky man gave his thanks, turning to leave Tower Records only to pause right before leaving the building. He gave the trio a side glance. "I'd help you out, but I'm not the kind of person who listens to ear grating things. LaTeR!"
"Then leave jackass!" Kei shouted, before fuming and turning to his partners. "Can you believe some people?! Complete pencil dick energy! I bet he's the kind of guy who tries to cancel people on twitter."
Momohime stared, trying to understand the incomprehensible nonsense coming out of the young boy's mouth. "E-Excuse me… what?"
"He's got that sort of vibe you know?" The blonde high schooler continued. "Like he thinks he's a chad, but is really just a virgin loser."
"Yeah!" Hanako cried as she popped in upside down through the ceiling. "You said it big bro! He's not bad enough to go on my enemies list, but that guy was a total jerk! Though you're a virgin too!"
"You didn't need to add that last part!"
"I-If you're in high school you shouldn't be having sex!" Momohime cried. "That's just, it's just wrong! Wait until you're older!"
"Or save it until you become a wizard!" Kei's youkai contractor popped in. "That way I'll be able to use magic too!"
"Oh just quit it already!" The blonde shouted before turning to the magical girl. "And I'm not serious, sorry. You'll get the jokes when you're older."
"Didn't you hear me when I said I was twenty three?!" Momohime shouted for what had to be the fifth time this week. This was getting old real fast.
"Seriously?! I thought you were fourteen! You're a magical girl and everything! Those girls aren't older than eighteen!"
Momohime paused, and was glad for the fact that flames didn't have tears to cry.
"Puberty was not kind to us." Demon Blade sighed. "But enough with the chitter chatter. Hanako, what can you tell us about the floors above?"
"Well… I want to say there's about three more that haven't been cleared. The good news is, none of them have as many instruments as the concert hall! The bad news is that they're all stronger than those guys." Hanako danced in the air as she plopped herself on Kei's shoulders. "There's the seventh floor but that guy is seriously tough so we shouldn't go there just yet!! The fifth floor is super boring and has about three or four enemies. Then there's my favorite floor! It also only has one guy but it's on, guess what, the third floor!"
"You serious?!" The high schooler's eyes widened. "And it has a-"
"Yep!"
"Alright!" He shouted before turning to Momohime. "There's a super powerful Art I can do that'll make this floor a cake walk! We gotta go right now!"
"Ka ka ka! Silly big bro! Did you forget already?" The bobcut girl laughed. "If you use that Art now, I'll be out of the fight for hm… I want to say the rest of the trial?"
"So it's a choice between clearing a floor without taking damage and handicapping Kei, or going through one with moderately tougher enemies and not trying to get hurt is that it?" Demon Blade asked before turning towards her reflection. "Which one do you think we should go with?"
"Um, well…" Momohime thought before nodding. "Well I think we should go with…"
[] Floor Five - Ska
[] Floor Three - Jazz
"We're doing recollection already? Well alrighty but y'all better be grateful for this."
+3 EXP Find Your Way
+10 EXP Met Ryuu Ondo
+8 EXP Met Kei Kagami/Toilet-Bound Hanako
+85 EXP That's a lotta Instruments
+8 EXP House aint got shit on us
+3 EXP Met Saki Onoda
+3 EXP Met Raizou Magari
A young woman in her twenties, whose brown hair is tied up into a ball behind her head, filled with sharp metal needles and pins of various sizes. Her outfit was reminiscent of a green kimono, but with various cuts that made it look like a cosplay outfit or street wear instead of formal clothing.
Stats
Health: 500
Base Damage: 150
Base Resilience: 105
Magic Modifier: N/A
Attributes: Dream | Prayer
Weapon
Contract
Level 3
Attacks Per Turn: 2
Attributes: Needle | Bless
Ability: False Existence | Unerring
Huh. More and more pieces that something happened to Momohime.
A contract neither can remember that ended up with them acting as a reflection living on both sides. Or perhaps "living" as it appears Momohime may have frozen in her aging(?) or something and it looks like she may not have any... nostalgic memories to get lost in from the instruments.
To some degree Momohime feels like an existence that exists merely for the sake of being a reflection.
... Anyway.
Damage upgrade? Damage upgrade.
We can go to Level 5 on our weapon (30+40 XP) and pick up a spell to use in battle with that Phantom Moment one for 50 XP.
The songs of the muted ensemble were hypnotic. Playing old and forgotten tunes, they lured humans to play them. And the moment when they were satisfied they devoured their players. Though for some reason, Momohime herself hadn't been affected by it… Was it because she was a magical girl?
"I do not believe I had anything to do with it." Demon Blade spoke over their connection. "Whatever the cause may be, it's best we see it as a blessing in disguise for now."
Alrighty then. So. I'm in favor of the Ska floor, so as to not handicap Kei. Even if he has an Art that will finish off the Jazz Floor easily, I'm not a fan of incapacitating an ally. That leads into experience spending.
At the moment, Momohime has 1 ApT. Without knowing what interval (if any) she'll get increased ApT at, I'm not in favor getting a spell. Yet. ShadowAngelBeta raises a good point though; Increasing our damage output has numerous benefits here. One of our current shop options wants the Muramasa Blade at level 10 or higher. There's also the fact that Momohime's Magic Modifier is not tied to the level of her Muramasa Blade; Rather, it is tied to the same Ability as her Resilience. Which I believe is Emblaze The Fire.
As such, my exp plan below goes to help the Muramasa Blade's basic attack's Offensive String by an average of 62 (50 base damage, 12 Magic Modifier roll increase) compared to the 100 of ShadowAngelBeta's, increases's Momohime's basic Defensive String by an average of 87 (75 from base resilience, 12 from Magic Modifier), and leaves enough experience to purchase Missing Moment and/or level any of our other levelables at least once.
Also, @InfiniteDaze , a mechanics question: Does leveling Reinforced Steel affect the current health of Muramasa's Blade?
[X] Floor Five - Ska
[X] Exp Plan: Slowly Burning Candle, 124 -> 74 exp
-[X] Muramasa's Blade 3 -> 4 (30 exp)
-[X] Emblaze The Fire 2 -> 3 (20 exp)
Edit: Coming back 2ish hours after the fact to edit in combat math? There are worse things to do with one's time. The following samples use the varying instruments from the first floor as our bases for computation. If you don't want to read through it all, it summarizes to the Grand Piano. ShadowAngelBeta's plan still has Momohime lose to it one on one, whereas my plan would set Momohime all but immune to it's damage output, and able to deal damage to it with basic attacks to slowly heal up the Muramasa's Blade.
Muramasa's Blade: 150 Base Damage +25 (avg 1-50) dice = 175 total damage.
Grand Piano: 200 Base Resilience + N/A dice = 200 total resilience
175-200=0. No net Damage.
Grand Piano: 230 Base Damage + N/A dice = 230 total damage.
Demon Blade: 150 Base Resilience + 25 (avg 1-50) dice = 175 total resilience
230 - 175 = 55 End Damage.
Demon Blade: 300 - 55 = 245 Health
Muramasa's Blade: 150 Base Damage +25 (avg 1-50) dice = 175 total damage.
Strings: 125 Base Resilience +N/A dice = 125 total resilience
175 - 125 = 50 End Damage.
Strings: 210 - 50 = 160 Health
Strings: 175 Base Damage + N/A dice = 175 total damage
Demon Blade: 150 Base Resilience + 25 (avg 1-50) dice = 175 total resilience
175 -175 = 0 Net Damage
Woodwinds have even lower stats, and so generally can't hurt Momohime.
Muramasa's Blade: 250 Base Damage +25 (avg 1-50) dice = 275 total damage.
Grand Piano: 200 Base Resilience + N/A dice = 200 total resilience
275-200=75 End Damage.
Grand Piano: 1100-75=1025
Grand Piano: 230 Base Damage + N/A dice = 230 total damage.
Demon Blade: 150 Base Resilience + 25 (avg 1-50) dice = 175 total resilience
230 - 175 = 55 End Damage.
Demon Blade: 300 - 55 = 245 Health
Muramasa's Blade: 250 Base Damage +25 (avg 1-50) dice = 275 total damage.
Strings: 125 Base Resilience +N/A dice = 125 total resilience
275 - 125 = 150 End Damage.
Strings: 210 - 150 = 60 Health
Strings: 175 Base Damage + N/A dice = 175 total damage
Demon Blade: 150 Base Resilience + 25 (avg 1-50) dice = 175 total resilience
175 -175 = 0 Net Damage
Woodwinds have even lower stats, and so generally can't hurt Momohime.
Muramasa's Blade: 200 Base Damage +37 (avg 1-75) dice = 237 total damage.
Grand Piano: 200 Base Resilience + N/A dice = 200 total resilience
237-200=37 End Damage.
Grand Piano: 1100-37=1063 End Damage.
Grand Piano: 230 Base Damage + N/A dice = 230 total damage.
Demon Blade: 225 Base Resilience + 37 (avg 1-50) dice = 262 total resilience
230 - 262 = 0 End Damage.
Muramasa's Blade: 200 Base Damage +37 (avg 1-75) dice = 237 total damage.
Strings: 125 Base Resilience +N/A dice = 125 total resilience
237 - 125 = 112 End Damage.
Strings: 210 - 112 = 98 Health
Strings: 175 Base Damage + N/A dice = 175 total damage
Demon Blade: 225 Base Resilience + 37 (avg 1-50) dice = 262 total resilience
175 - 262 = 0 Net Damage
Woodwinds have even lower stats, and so generally can't hurt Momohime.
Good to know for the future. Muramasa's Blade is currently at... 651/950? Not terrible; Slipping in a few basic attacks with Muramasa's Blade to keep it topped off seems advisable. Not sure if the grand piano yokai will count towards the check made by Muramasa at the conclusion of the current arc for increasing the max health of Muramasa's Blade, but if it does, that will be neat.
[X] Floor Five - Ska
[X] Exp Plan: Slowly Burning Candle, 124 -> 74 exp
-[X] Muramasa's Blade 3 -> 4 (30 exp)
-[X] Emblaze The Fire 2 -> 3 (20 exp)
Just got into this story and am really enjoying it so far. I do have some concerns about this exam however that hopefully somebody who's been more involved can address for me.
I'm not sure Momohime won't collapse from exhaustion before she can finish the exam. One battle already has her tired and there's at least 2 or three more encounters just in this stage of the exam. Then there's the boss fight if we're lucky. Otherwise she'll have to do one of the other mini-exams first.
I'm also not clear on the mechanics of the exam. Namely how multiple people (that aren't working together) can pass. Just from this music mini-exam it sounds like once a floor is cleared other examinees can't get a piece of the song from it. That's not as bad as the requirement to actually pass the exam though. To quote: "The exam for tonight is quite simple. In order to pass, you must exorcise the youkai holding this space together and escape." So if the youkai is holding the exam space together then how can more than one group actually pass. After all once one group passes the youkai will be gone and the exam space will fall apart, ending the exam. Did I miss something?
I did consider holding enough exp in reserve to purchase Celestial Origin, but decided against it for the moment for a couple of reasons.
One being, Blade Arts consume the health of the Muramasa's Blade. If we can't deal enough damage to repair with basic attacks (and it's Drain property is surpressed during Blade Arts), then we run the risk of depriving Demon Blade of her weapon until it can be repaired... And we don't know how to do that mid exam. Drain also only restores health equal to 5% of the damage dealt by the Blade.
Another reason is that Celestial Origin's inspiration came from being surrounded in combat on all sides; Considering that the remaining floors have fewer but tougher foes than the floor we just completed, Celestial Origin seems less likely to be useful.
Finally, we've been receiving a lot of experience so far in this exam, on a per update basis. I don't see it as impossible that we get 21 experience during the next update or two, which would put Celestial Origin back in the budget based on my plan.
On a quasi-related note, the stat increases we get from leveling anything aren't going to get better for a while, based on my knowledge of the system. For a quick reference, here's what leveling each of our Weapon/Abilities does for us:
Muramasa's Blade: Each level up to Muramasa's Blade raises its Base Damage by 50, and raises it's ApT by some amount at some unknown interval. We don't know what it's ApT growth is yet, but leveling it up further can help reveal that.
Emblaze The Fire: Each level up to Emblaze The Fire raises Demon Blade's Magic Modifier (MM) by 25, for an average boost of 12 whenever it's rolled, and raises her Base Resilience by 75.
Mold The Wax: Each level up to Mold The Wax raises Demon Blade's Max Health by 150.
Barring new Abilities or other outside effects, these rates of increase won't change.
Typically in CWMGQ, offense is valued is very highly, with resilience growing less per level than base damage on the character's weapon. In addition, Magic Modifier is typically raised by leveling up the character's weapon, whereas Demon Blade's is linked to the same Ability as her Resilience. Demon Blade is, whether intentionally or not, built more as a dungeon crawler than a glass cannon like most Magical Girls.
