Something Wicked (Villainous Magical Boy Quest)

I finally did it! Muahahahah. I will post it in a second.
Edit: Not exactly an work of art but it was one of the many Akira attempts I was satisfied with.

I just made this threadmark to apologize and let you all know the next update will take another month at least.

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Just kidding. 😇

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You aren't great at reading people, but you can tell Rose isn't doing okay right now. And if you can tell something is up, then she definitely needs help. Awakening magic seems like a stressful thing all around. She could use a shoulder to… hopefully not cry on.

Besides, if you're going to try and guide her development as a mage, this is the best time.

You step toward her and clear your throat. "So, Rose, what happened?"

Her smile doesn't budge an inch. Impressive. Fake, but impressive. "It's fine!"

That's not what you asked. "Okay, but like, what's fine? Why are you all in here?" You make a show of glancing around the… whatever this place is. "Were you all part of the tournament?"

She visibly relaxes. "Oh! No, that was just me. I mean, Suzu and Tomoe were here too, but they weren't, like, competing. Suzu doesn't like fighting games."

Suzune nods, raising a hand to adjust her clear glass lenses again. "They move too fast for me. I prefer strategy games."

You have no idea what the difference between a fighting game and a strategy game is—at least, not on this planet—so you nod and move on. "So you came to compete? That's pretty cool."

"Yeah," Rose says, swaying side to side idly. "It is pretty cool." Her hair and skirt sway too, as do the million shiny things clipped to them both. Something about that movement draws your eye.

1D100 => 81

There's magic clinging to one of her hair ribbons. It's become an enchanted item—not as potent as the stone you found, which you're going to call a Daisy Ash Crystal because it sounds cool, but still useful. This close, it would be harder for you not to see what concepts have become attached to the ribbon.

3D4 => 3 + 1 + 3
3D11 => 4 + 4 +4

Oh. Now that's convenient. Or it would be, if Rose wasn't wearing it. The ribbon has picked up one standard concept, Growth, and a double concept: Mimicry. Normally, trying to attach one concept to an item or other magical creation wouldn't work, but the addition of Growth seems to have stabilized the mix. The result is a magic item that seems designed to permit and encourage Mimicry at greater effectiveness. You're not quite sure what that would look like. You are, however, certain that this is an item which could grow in power over time.

You want to study it. And it might be the perfect accessory for Sasori. You also think it might be a good idea to take it away from Rose no matter what, because there's a chance it could give her the Mimicry concept, and that might have consequences.

"Do you play a lot of games?" you ask, still watching the ribbon swing. Back and forth, back and forth…

"A few!" she laughs. "I'm like, not that good at it. But I do have fun!"

"You just won the tournament," Suzune says in a flat tone.

You finally jerk your head away from the ribbon. "Wait, seriously? Okay, that's awesome! What did you win?"

"Um." Rose blinks at you, then laughs. "You know, I totally forgot! Lemme check." She ruffles through her jacket pockets, then her bag. "Suzu? I can't find my flyer. Do you—"

"I have it." Suzune pulls a folded piece of paper out from… somewhere… and holds it out.

Rose snatches it up and shows it to you, beaming. "I won, like, 10,000 yen! And an exclusive plushie!"

The photo of the little stuffed sparkcat on the flyer is super cute, even if the creator seems to have removed the plasma and the starry void eyes. Unfortunately, you can't fully appreciate that, because the flyer is also a magical item.

3D4 => 1 + 3 + 1
3D11 => 3 + 6 +5

Stone, Collision, Fierce. Not as unique a concept combo as the ribbon, but still perfectly nice. You'd struggle to find a use for the flyer in its current state since none of those concepts mesh particularly well with paper. However, you're a thaumaforge, and you know prime monster-making materials when you see them.

Less immediately useful than the ribbon, but still good. You want that one too.

And your eyes are following the ribbon again. How it dangles and shakes whenever Rose's head moves. The movement would be hypnotizing even if it wasn't magical. You are definitely staring. You should probably try and stop that.

"Did you claim your plushie yet?" you ask.

Rose freezes in place. "Oh my god. I completely forgot." She smacks herself on the cheeks and nods. "I need to go do that. Hang on for a moment."

The ribbon flaps in the air as she turns to go. It's shiny and dangly and you want to bat at it. You find yourself drifting after her as she heads to the front of the area. There's a ground-bound desk there and a few other people you didn't really see when you came in. You keep an eye on them as you follow her, but you have other things to be concerned about. Making sure Sasori isn't making any moves to leave, for example. Keeping tabs on Rose. Watching that pretty, powerful ribbon.

And you also pick up another magic item, because apparently that's just how this day is going. At least this one isn't already in anyone's possession. It's a little metal circle left abandoned near one of the machines. The word "TOKEN" is stamped on the metallic copper surface. And pressed into its very makeup are three more concepts ripe to be used.

3D4 => 1 + 1 + 1
3D11 => 8 + 2 + 10

Hunger, Poison, Strive. That's another potent combination—one that could be taken in multiple directions. Each concept shares a sense of urgency and desperation, so there's a chance that they could bleed into each other when used. A combo like that could definitely come in handy when you start making your first monster.

More importantly, there's absolutely no one who could get upset with you for swiping the token. So you pick it up and tuck it away. Yours now.

When you meander over to Rose, it's just in time to see her receiving congratulations for her victory. You're still not totally sure what that entails, so you listen in. According to the guy manning the desk, she seems to have won some manner of virtual contest. That's pretty awesome. Also awesome is the adorable little cat plushie he hands her.

"Thank you!" Rose beams widely and makes a show of tossing the plush up and catching it. "It's super cute!"

Something about that smile strikes you as a little vague. Disoriented, almost. Like she doesn't quite know what she's trying to express. Whatever the case, the guy at the desk just nods and waves her off so he can go back to… calculating damages, apparently. Also, Tomoe seems to be coming his way with a thunderous expression. You and Rose exchange glances and mutually decide to not be there when she arrives.

The two of you scamper off to the side and hide behind some of the machines. Rose stays quiet for a couple of seconds. Then she coughs.

"So, you've been looking at my hair a lot. Do you like it that much?" She waggles the arms of her new cat as she speaks, looking at it instead of you.

"Oh! No, sorry, it's just… your ribbons are shiny."

"So it's the ribbons!" Again, she visibly relaxes. You're doing such a good job of passing for human. "They're nice, aren't they? I picked them out special! Gotta look your best when you're kicking digital butt."

"For sure," you agree. "Where did you get them?"

"Why, you want a pair?"

"Yes. I have a roommate who'd enjoy them."

She giggles. "Let me guess, your roommate is very fuzzy and has cute little ears?"

"Yes," you say perfectly truthfully. "I don't know if he'd like to play with them, but I know I would, so it follows he'd like them. And he hasn't had a lot of stuff to do since we just moved. I came to the mall to buy stuff for him, but with the earthquake and everything…"

"So those books are for your cat?"

You suppose Sasori looks a bit like a sparkcat. He doesn't have any plasma, either, though. "If he's interested. Mostly they're for me, though."

"And now it's a bit late to do more shopping." She sighs. "After something like this, it's probably best to go straight home, huh… but I don't really want to." Those last words are quieter than the rest of her statement.

"If you don't want to go home, then don't?" you suggest, shrugging.

"What would I do, then? The arcade's closed for the day. And I think all this was a bit much for Suzu. She's definitely gonna be heading home, and her mom doesn't really like me." Rose falls quiet. She's still holding her plushie, but she's looking at her own hands like they belong to a stranger. "And now… I… never mind. It's not your problem."

Au contraire. If she's talking around the presence of her magic, it's very much your problem.

Under other circumstances, you'd offer to hang out with Rose and try to carefully steer the development of her power. You're not sure how long that would take, though, and you've put off Sasori for long enough already. You're going to have to suggest something shorter.

First of all, do you want to give Rose any advice on magic? If you, you'll reveal that you know about it to her, and possibly to her friends. This might include Tomoe. Shayin probably won't be pleased. On the other hand, this really is the only chance you have to get in on the ground floor, so to speak. Right now, Rose has talked shop with literally no other mage. If you're going to try and direct her down a specific path, now's the time.

Of course, you could try and do that even without revealing that you know about magic. You're not sure how well the lesson will stick in that case, though.



Pick 1:

[ ] TELL ROSE: HEALING

[ ] TELL ROSE: ELEMENTALISM

[ ] TELL ROSE: DEFENCE

[ ] TELL ROSE: OFFENCE

[ ] DON'T TELL ROSE: HEALING

[ ] DON'T TELL ROSE: ELEMENTALISM

[ ] DON'T TELL ROSE: DEFENCE

[ ] DON'T TELL ROSE: OFFENCE

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One more update... just one more update after this and we can leave the mall.