Isabeau, you're talking about our talk with Isabeau, The Adult is attacking now because something Isabeau did pushed her.
That's the only thing of big importance we did directly to the Emerald city.
“Human Resources” Shouldn’t Be This Literal: A PMMM/ProjectMoon Quest
- Thread starter Lepidoptera
- Start date
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- Tags
- library of ruina lobotomy corporation project moon puella magi madoka magica eldritch horror magical girl crossover eldritch protagonist female protagonist fluffy gore non-human protagonist suffering violence discussion is always good civ good decisions identity crises nuclear moth detected parenting powers activate
Isabeau, you're talking about our talk with Isabeau, The Adult is attacking now because something Isabeau did pushed her.
That's the only thing of big importance we did directly to the Emerald city.
- Location
- America
Or The adult being aware of Madoka's potential and if Madoka left to the library then the Adult couldn't access her, thus would be unable to 'contract' her either through herself or Isabeau
(also, thinking about The Adult in context of Madoka...Anyone else think Madoka is kinda the antithesis of the Adults concepts? Like would have negative synergy somehow?
(also, thinking about The Adult in context of Madoka...Anyone else think Madoka is kinda the antithesis of the Adults concepts? Like would have negative synergy somehow?
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That's not really something we did though, and Lepi explicitly told it was something we did.
If the Adult knows Madoka's potential, there is no reason she would have learnt it only recently, since she has been preparing her town since quite some time, before we even learnt about the library, Madoka spent the whole night outside the library too, with us getting close to her hours ago, she could have struck far sooner if that was the only criteria.
Meanwhile, our conversation with Isabeau was recent, the last thing we did before coming back here in fact, so... it's not difficult to see that potentially losing her strongest ally would make the Adult move.
- Location
- America
Maybe the curse was applied sometime after Madoka returned from the library, I'll note that after making the decision to go to the library, Lepidoptera said that they'd have to accelerate some things because of it, which to me means the decision to go to the library is what forced the attack. That's a meta-reason, I admit, but still a reason.
Also, in the interlude, it's noted that the Adult knows about X and the people around her, the magical girls with her training against doppelgangers of said magical girls, and X doesn't have anti-scrying measures, Argalia is always able to find (and be found by) X when she wants to talk to him.
It could simply be the Adult wanted to have the encounter play out differently, possibly set up some things throughout a normal school-day and set the stage a bit more, possibly pulling in more bystanders and having a few more options to manipulate Madoka into taking a bad deal, but if Madoka's at the Library, she can't be manipulated like that simply because she wouldn't hear about anything before it's over, or another visit to the library would make her just that little bit more mentally stable or self-sufficient...or the curse the Adult cast on her would be caught and analyzed, tipping her hand just that bit more.
EDIT: The Adult can do Brute Force, but they Love manipulation, being able to beat down X's door and kill her doesn't mean she wants to win like that.
Also, in the interlude, it's noted that the Adult knows about X and the people around her, the magical girls with her training against doppelgangers of said magical girls, and X doesn't have anti-scrying measures, Argalia is always able to find (and be found by) X when she wants to talk to him.
It could simply be the Adult wanted to have the encounter play out differently, possibly set up some things throughout a normal school-day and set the stage a bit more, possibly pulling in more bystanders and having a few more options to manipulate Madoka into taking a bad deal, but if Madoka's at the Library, she can't be manipulated like that simply because she wouldn't hear about anything before it's over, or another visit to the library would make her just that little bit more mentally stable or self-sufficient...or the curse the Adult cast on her would be caught and analyzed, tipping her hand just that bit more.
EDIT: The Adult can do Brute Force, but they Love manipulation, being able to beat down X's door and kill her doesn't mean she wants to win like that.
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Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Sadly the next chapter is ending up a bit more involved than I had expected, and as such is going to be out tomorrow instead of today. Fight scenes are hard, apparently, especially when one character has a lot of different abilities and another has very broad and vaguely-defined abilities. I can only work with so much.
I can't share any more words that might give things away, but I can offer some images. Specifically, this image:
I can't share any more words that might give things away, but I can offer some images. Specifically, this image:
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
We chose the Argalia option simply because having just Argalia with us means X can go all out in ways that we don't need to worry about since Argalia himself is a Color-level fighter.
I wouldn't be surprised if X decided to pull out a giant Worm Sword and start whacking the shit out of the Adult with it.
She got an even higher attunement with Eternal Mimicry (And isn't that fitting for what X seeks right now) than Gebury does with Mimicry after all.
Hopefully, the consequences aren't too bad.
I have contemplated the possibility that X should attack the Adult instead of retreating, but I dismissed it since having X do that would more likely result in her being extremely damaged (from the Adult or from her timer), and possibly killing a lot of people too with the chance of her true self leaking through (alongside the possibility of it failing due to how Rejection works).
Not to include any other unknowns the Adult has hiding up her sleeves. Especially since I doubt she would've attacked us without a plan in mind for the possibility of X just saying "Fuck it! How about you fight someone on the same rank as you?".
The risks of staying are...dangerously high vs the return we would get.
X and Argalia are also two exceptionally good stallers.
For once, Argalia is amazing at blocking range attacks (Of course, probably not all Range attacks, but still he does have the skill needed to deflect things with a giant unwieldy scythe) and can easily buff X in a fight, X on the other hand hits extremely hard due to Eternal Mimicry and has her Pinks Helix for meatshield/cannon fodder purposes. Alongside the experiences and stats, both of them have (one is a color, the other spams E.G.Os).
Argalia is also the least likely to get distracted if say, X suddenly keels over because of Rejection and can keep calm in that emergency case.
I wouldn't be surprised if X decided to pull out a giant Worm Sword and start whacking the shit out of the Adult with it.
She got an even higher attunement with Eternal Mimicry (And isn't that fitting for what X seeks right now) than Gebury does with Mimicry after all.
Hopefully, the consequences aren't too bad.
I have contemplated the possibility that X should attack the Adult instead of retreating, but I dismissed it since having X do that would more likely result in her being extremely damaged (from the Adult or from her timer), and possibly killing a lot of people too with the chance of her true self leaking through (alongside the possibility of it failing due to how Rejection works).
Not to include any other unknowns the Adult has hiding up her sleeves. Especially since I doubt she would've attacked us without a plan in mind for the possibility of X just saying "Fuck it! How about you fight someone on the same rank as you?".
The risks of staying are...dangerously high vs the return we would get.
X and Argalia are also two exceptionally good stallers.
For once, Argalia is amazing at blocking range attacks (Of course, probably not all Range attacks, but still he does have the skill needed to deflect things with a giant unwieldy scythe) and can easily buff X in a fight, X on the other hand hits extremely hard due to Eternal Mimicry and has her Pinks Helix for meatshield/cannon fodder purposes. Alongside the experiences and stats, both of them have (one is a color, the other spams E.G.Os).
Argalia is also the least likely to get distracted if say, X suddenly keels over because of Rejection and can keep calm in that emergency case.
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- Location
- America
Ok...but what was the original plan for facing the adult? since X was planning to do that as soon as possible to give the Adult less time to dig in.
Were we planning to have the rejection issue solved beforehand? Were we going to recruit people from the Library somehow?
I realize that wondering about the could have been's is unproductive, but I still feel like this development was something the adult was forced into doing since she's forsaken the home turf advantage and the magical girls were used to hold-up Argalia, that this situation, despite the adult having the 'initiative' is better than what an assault on the adult would have been.
I think... the Adult would have preferred that her magical girls got exposed to a higher dose of the Light so they could more easily Distort, both because she enjoys suffering, and because she would have been able to manipulate them and influence how they might Distort. See, Leonie, if it weren't for Argalia, the Adult would have the perfect tool that she could enjoy the quiet suffering of.
I wonder how the fight will go?
InB4 Madoka Interlude: Battle in the mind to determine whether she Distorts or Acquires EGO with the Adult's Curse alongside Madoka's Doubt in one corner, Madoka in the other, and Ayin and Carmen Cheering her on from the sideline
Were we planning to have the rejection issue solved beforehand? Were we going to recruit people from the Library somehow?
I realize that wondering about the could have been's is unproductive, but I still feel like this development was something the adult was forced into doing since she's forsaken the home turf advantage and the magical girls were used to hold-up Argalia, that this situation, despite the adult having the 'initiative' is better than what an assault on the adult would have been.
I think... the Adult would have preferred that her magical girls got exposed to a higher dose of the Light so they could more easily Distort, both because she enjoys suffering, and because she would have been able to manipulate them and influence how they might Distort. See, Leonie, if it weren't for Argalia, the Adult would have the perfect tool that she could enjoy the quiet suffering of.
I wonder how the fight will go?
InB4 Madoka Interlude: Battle in the mind to determine whether she Distorts or Acquires EGO with the Adult's Curse alongside Madoka's Doubt in one corner, Madoka in the other, and Ayin and Carmen Cheering her on from the sideline
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
We wanted to wait until the end of the day, for the girls to unwind, and for X to search for the Judgement bird, before laying siege to the Adult's city proper with support from Argalia.
The Rejection issue would've been something to take into account yes, (X would've needed to work alongside someone else once we besiege the Adult regardless, but by then the group's mentality wouldn't be shaken like it currently is), and as for recruiting people...
We would've gotten more chance to see the development with Isabeau if the original plan had followed through. It most certainly would have Homura still active and not in literal pieces that's for sure.
We don't know for sure what Argalia was held back by. It could've been one of the "Cloned" Distortions the Adult was whipping up, it could've been magical girls, it could've even been a horde of basic minions the Adult is more than capable of summoning.
There's a high chance we could get jumped by a bunch of Distortions/Magical Girls/Minions by the next chapter.
Perhaps, it wouldn't be difficult for the Adult to utilize that moment to turn their doubt towards us. Do note that E.G.Os are more than capable of fighting against us too.
However, the situations that each E.G.Os/Distortions required to manifest are wildly volatile and unpredictable, it's one of the reasons why the idea of having Madoka obtain an E.G.O was thrown in the garbage bin way back when we were discussing how we could help her feel less useless.
Outside of people not wanting Madoka to fight in the first place, it was also noted that it was too risky with a volatile chance of going completely wrong.
She sure took her time gloating over Leonie that's for sure, back then Leonie explained that she was used as an 'example' to the other girls. The Adult is probably hella salty over Argalia using her ego against her.
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- Location
- America
Can the Adult be..."forcibly invited" to the Library? Is that possible? I've never played Ruina so I don't know
Can Leonie somehow move this 'space/dimension' through whatever portal/leak lets the abnormalities into Mitakihara?
(Did we ever figure out how they get here?)
Can Leonie somehow move this 'space/dimension' through whatever portal/leak lets the abnormalities into Mitakihara?
(Did we ever figure out how they get here?)
Huh, what?
No it wasn't, not at all. Why did you think we accepted her to go see Binah? There is full expectation that she will get EGO sooner or later, and we have more encouraged it than anything, we outright discussed how to extract it and potential consequences.
EGO isn't in the garbage bin, it's our current main solution.
You can't be mind controlled in to doing it though, and I don't really see a way to get the Adult to sign without any mind control, she knows the place, she don't want to come back, especially since the pumpkin is there.
Huh, what?
No it wasn't, not at all. Why did you think we accepted her to go see Binah? There is full expectation that she will get EGO sooner or later, and we have more encouraged it than anything, we outright discussed how to extract it and potential consequences.
EGO isn't in the garbage bin, it's our current main solution.
You can't be mind controlled in to doing it though, and I don't really see a way to get the Adult to sign without any mind control, she knows the place, she don't want to come back, especially since the pumpkin is there.
The Puppets would disagree with you on the mind controlled point.
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
It was accepted once Angela came around. But earlier than that? Back when X was still writing up the Abnomality encyclopedia for Madoka?
Right in the garbage bin, it was completely unviable then due to a lack of foundation + X worrying about NThere running around and other threats. We didn't even want to lend her an E.G.O from ourselves for self defense purposes because it might cause her to fight when she should instead run.
The main point is, extracting and manifesting E.G.Os/Distorting is a painful process that isn't viable in an attack/defense strategy.
If say MG No. 5 can manifest E.G.O/Distort, then sure it's a boon, but no strategist would rely on such a risky gamble when the E.G.Oist/Distortion might be detrimental or completely useless.
It's risky, unreliable, could have the subject killed before they manage to complete their mental journey, or worse have them turn against you due to the nature of a mental realization.
Thing is, that's not what you had written, you didn't say that EGO was garbage then you said EGO was garbage, point.
If you are not talking about the current situation, you should precise it, we can't read your mind to see that your point about EGO was for when we hadn't found the library.
Also:
*Look at Philip and Xiao doing it mid fight and getting big boosts out of it*
Yeah, no, that's false, you can absolutely get EGO or distort in the middle of a fight, the problem is lack of having it happen reliably, not it being debilitating.
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
You are literally repeating my points. That's what I meant-
Actually, you know what, I'm not gonna debate this anymore.
2.5.4 - I Should’ve Known
Lepidoptera
Mother of Monsters, Unverified Impuritas Civitatis
- Location
- Indeterminate Unknown
Chapter 142 - I Should've Known
The Adult's hands rise the slightest bit from the arms of her throne, and you can't wait any longer.
"Argalia and I will hold her. Get Madoka awake and get to the Library, now!"
You and Argalia charge forward in tandem, leaping from scattered planetoids in erratic paths. Behind you, Mami nods reluctantly. A single motion sends a golden ribbon lashing out to bind Madoka and Homura together, then drags them up onto Kyoko's back. Kyoko stands unmoving, flames flicking erratically under her cracked, glassy skin.
"We'll catch up, just go!"
Slowly, hesitantly, Kyoko turns away from the battle before breaking into a full run. It takes only a few steps for her to reach the end of the floating island, turning the sprint into a series of flying leaps from block to block. Mami turns to follow her, a screaming Hitomi carried along behind her with another ribbon.
You return your attention to the battle before you. Masses of emerald peel away from the sides of her throne, releasing a horrible grinding sound as they are carved out. The freshly-formed things snap into shape, becoming rough, blocky humanoids. Not just featureless silhouettes, though. You can spot one fashioned with ringlets like Mami's, and another with Madoka's ribbons. One cluster of ten bears an odd resemblance to the Sephirot. Another oddly-shaped group emerges just behind them, which you assume must be the rest of the Reverberation Ensemble. The clumsily-formed things move with all the grace you'd expect of such roughly-hewn creations, slow stumbling steps interspersed with bursts of motion as they leap from block to block. The horde spreads out almost aimlessly in all directions.
You don't give the statue-imitations time to disperse. A single step kicks off the block under you, and in the same motion you force Mimicry through the head of the nearest golem. It shatters without resistance, but the body beneath twists unhindered to drive a fist into your side. The strike would be easily avoided, but in that moment a splitting pain strikes your skull. You grit yourself teeth and bear it, dragging Mimicry down and carving your foe in half. It breaks apart, and at the same time you feel a tearing sensation run across your chest. Your skin splits open, letting a thin gout of blood trickle down your chest and pool on the ground beneath you.
Damage reflection? Some sort of sympathetic magic? You're not sure, but it clearly either only replicates the attack or can't fully affect you for some reason, because all you have is a headache and a shallow cut across your stomach while the minion is shards on the ground. Still, it's something to work around.
The other statue creatures haven't been idle as you caught your breath, six lunging at you from different directions. The extra axis of motion offering by the floating platforms lets them spread out in otherwise impossible directions, charging in from every way. A faint snarl overtaking your stoic expression, you let Mimicry fade and draw your first sword.
The light is sucked from the air as the puppets converge on you, painting a backdrop of deep blue night sky. Silver flashes within the dark, and you emerge alone with the unmoving but seemingly undamaged automata collapsed behind you a heartbeat later.
As you suspected, no sudden pain follows you as you leave the collapsed heap behind. A Sword Sharpened With Tears might still be a sword, but as a weapon it's less physical and more psychological. Against foes whose mind and body aren't one and the same, it won't leave a scratch on their bodies unless you actually want to. Even if the Adult's enchantments can reflect mental damage, you can weather that sort of assault without issues.
Nearby, Argalia dances through the horde. A few scattered shards show that he fell for the trick at first as you did, but the Color Fixer has switched from scything through his foes to bodily tossing them off into the reaches of the Route. Between the two of you, the swarm's numbers are already declining rapidly.
A cluster of crystals bursts into existence in front of you, suddenly forcing you back. You stare with irritation at the Adult, who mirrors your expression as another burst barely misses you. There's no warning before the mass of emeralds appears, burning with a strange un-light and gradually painting the faded blue of Leonie's Route an ominous green. To the Wizard's apparent irritation, none are forming near either you or Argalia. The Blue Reverberation's lone eye flickers in a motion one might compare to a wink before he dives through the newly-forming forest of geodes and kicks the final statue-creature so far up that it vanishes out of sight.
"Now that's just inconsiderate, isn't it?" the Adult Who Tells Lies complains, waving a hand and casting out an array of spears of oozing shadow which scatter through the air. You dodge and weave between the wicked implements, forced away from the Adult by the density of the assault, but to your surprise the projectiles change course just slightly to miss you as they draw near. As they do, a faint hum fills the air. "Here I was trying to play by your rules, and you go and do that."
"I wasn't aware this was a game, and I hardly see what's so unfair about not wanting to be stabbed. Would you care to explain the rules?" you ask in an irritated tone. You don't really care, but talking at least as effective at stalling for time as fighting. Pressuring the Adult enough to hold her attention here isn't an easy task, even with her clearly holding back for some reason you don't have the energy to decipher. At the same time, you mentally signal your team.
"How far have you gotten? What's Madoka's condition?"
"The scenery has changed three times so far. I believed that was enough distance to slow down and begin working on waking Madoka." Mami reports back.
"Don't wait for me. Angela can send an Invitation once you're gone." you relay before cutting communication. You can feel Mami's insistent protests in the back of your head, but your mind is made up. The time it would take for you to catch up would be too long a period of vulnerability. You can only hope that Mami doesn't do something foolish.
In the present, the Adult taps a clawed nail against her throne's arm. "I'll be the first to admit I'm not quite sure. I do hopeI haven't done anything to offend." Another tap, and the crystalline spire that had spread across the Route's floating blocks are reduced to tiny glittering particles. The Adult drags her nail back, and the shining dust whirls into a hurricane. You raise a hand and let Sound of a Star loose against the maelstrom, pale blue light bleeding against the winds and scattering them. Argalia dives back, pulling his coat up to catch most of the particles against its surface. The emerald dust scatters against the leathery deep blue, then crawls along its surface like a swarm of insects leaving trails of withered black in its wake. Before the strange swarm can grow too heavily, Argalia falls back between two close-floating blocks. You catch a glimpse of another colorful landscape appear behind him right before he vanished into it.
Instincts scream at you to move just before a wall bony spikes burst from the dust storm centimeters from your body. A sword appears in your free hand and sweeps in a wide arc to turn them aside, though two still find their way to your body. You pull back and reposition, letting the storm of emerald grains close in before scattering it again with a renewed burst of energy. The two bone needles are reduced to splinters before whatever effect they were supposed to deliver can take effect. Through the obscuring particles, you catch sigh of Argalia reappearing from over the top of the back of the Adult' throne and landing a spiraling slash against the Aleph. His scythe first only scrapes against her skin, meeting the same defensive field you did, but the second strike cleaves through it and carves a tiny chip from her cheek. In the same elegant motion, the blade crashes into her raised hand and abruptly ends what you recognize as a teleportation spell. The Color Fixer dives to avoid the enraged sweeping of the Adult's claws, falling into another Route with a practically theatrical flair. The Adult snarls at him as he vanishes, at which point you shoot her in the face again. It doesn't do any damage, but it feels good.
The storm of emerald dust suddenly stops, and the glittering particles hang in the air for a moment before swirling together all across the Route. The wave you were pushing against is suddenly a gaping abyss of a mouth filled with row and rows of filthy blackened teeth. Mimicry extends just as the jaws snap shut, holding them open long enough for you to recall your remain soldiers to your side and release a full fusillade into the newborn creature's maw. Whatever the Adult summoned tries to pull away, but Mimicry extends further and leaves its mouth locked in position as you blast away. One final bullet shreds the back of the creature's throat, and you barely have a moment to celebrate your victory before a glowing green stone is sent flying through the gap and towards you.
The resulting explosion sends you flying through the empty air of the Route, only stopping when you impact the side of another floating block. You are immediately forced to swing back to the top of the block to avoid the diving lunge of a winged, skeletal wolf-thing, shaping Mimicry into a clawed glove to grip the plush surface. From there a bat with far too many wings for its body glares as you, gathering silvery light in its eyes, and is immediately perforated thrice over by a bright crimson spear formed of interlocking clawed hands. Your sword-now-spear then shifts to a hazy, smoky white and coils like a whip around another flying creature, crushing it to incapacitation and throwing yourself in the direction of another block in one motion. Sound of a Star takes its place illuminating your body, freeing you from gravity's clutches long enough to land upside-down on a block above you and kick off of it back towards the Adult.
"We're holding steady, how much time do you need?" you call back to Mami as you demanifest your soldiers and reposition them across the Route.
"I- I am not sure. This is more difficult than I had thought, even with Kyubey's direction." she answers, voice straining to remain composed even over the telepathy network. You don't miss her shiver as she mentions Kyubey, either.
"Don't worry. I know you can do this." you assure, bracing yourself for the next assault.
The Aleph glares at you, smile dimmed ever so slightly, and opens her hand. Shadows spill out in a frantic torrent, barely-human shapes lit by an ominous green light reaching out at you. You can feel a mess of emotions from the oncoming wave, pain and terror and hatred all at once. These aren't just an attack or summoned creatures; they used to be people. You The last dregs of consciousness scream at you, begging for something, anything to end the pain. The mass of darkness continues to unfold like a great flower, rows and rows of unformed bodies falling atop one another and spreading through the air.
Colors flash as you dive forward and cut away the tide. The shades don't fight back as you pierce and tear them to shreds, fading away with one last gasp of pain before another rushes forward to replace it. Your body is a blur. But even so, it's not quite enough to hold it back. With every heartbeat the grasping hands grow a little closer, nearly enough to touch you. You hear movement below you, and out of the corners of your eyes see enormous hands covered in shaggy dark fur riding up from below to close around you. The only option now would be to retreat, to move backward. That is obviously a trap, and one you have no intention of springing. You've just about had it with the Wizard's garbage.
You grip Mimicry in one hand and focus on the feelings that tie it to you. The love you feel for your sister, your coworkers, your agents, your children. That warmth, first and foremost, which always carries you forward. It serves as an anchor, a light against the shadows closing in around you. Next is something colder, the lonely darkness that warm light was meant for. It is there in every moment you fail, in every reminder that you are nothing more than a copy of a copy of a copy of a dead man. A tool designed to accomplish a purpose, who falters when demanded to so much as think of anything else. From this emptiness blooms a hunger, a desire to fill your life with something to silence that knowledge. You pull that hunger up to the forefront of your mind, and with one swing of Mimicry the world turns red.
The massive hands reaching up to crush you are reduced to clouds of vaporized flesh and bone. The roiling tide of screaming souls is silenced, revealing the Adult sitting smugly behind it. Another teleportation spell flickers to life around her, and the realization strikes you. The Adult isn't here to fight you, she never was. This is about Madoka. You're not sure why, but it's the only answer that makes sense. The Adult is trying to catch Madoka before she can hide in the Library. A second realization strikes you; that this should have been obvious. The Adult thinks you think like her, and she would never think of Madoka as anything more than a weapon. The idea that you really don't intend to have her ever Contract is unthinkable to someone like her.
It was clearly also unthinkable that you would manage to push through her little trap, judging by the Wizard's smug look. She barely even has time to react before Mimicry crashes into the side of her skull, annihilating any concentration she may have had on her spell. Argalia was able to find a way to go around the Adult's defensive barrier, but Kali wouldn't've needed something like that. In this moment, neither do you. An impossible force crashes through one, three, five, ten, twenty layers before hammering into the Wizard's flesh. A sickening crack fills the empty air, and you stare in cold satisfaction at the chunk of crystalline flesh torn violently from the side of the Adult's face. Cracks run along the rest of her features, spanning nearly past her nose and passing over her left eye. She looks utterly shocked, as if the idea that you could hurt her like that is really impossible. You know it's just superficial damage, but you can't help but applaud internally in triumph at your little victory. Argalia has paused in his dismantling of the Adult's forces, staring fixated at you as you pant from the exertion. Knowing your audience, you can't resist giving a tiny bow before pulling back your guard.
Victory it may be, but only a temporary one. The Adult glares, and the air thickens. In the distance you see Argalia slow in his dismembering of a large worm creature with insect wings, fighting against the weight of the Abnormality's malevolence. Another gesture, and you feel an overwhelming force throwing you back. Before you can respond you are cast out into the distance, reaching for platforms that shatter beneath your grip. You call out for Sound of a Star once again, letting its glow first waive away the pressure dragging you away then flare against the momentum carrying you. When you finally decelerate enough to land, you can only stare at the path of destruction your sudden transit caused.
While you prepare to teleport, Argalia is forced onto the defensive. Monstrous creatures swim through the air, ready with open mouths and outstretched claws each time he emerges from a Route. The creatures don't last long, carved into pieces by elegant, precise strikes, but the threat of being swarmed has held Argalia off from closing distance with the Adult.
You flash into existence nearby and immediately have to deflect a sphere of faded purple sludge which hisses and burns as it splashed against the nearby ground. You swear you see tiny eyes in the fluid out of the corner of your eye, but your attention is more focused on dodging the scattering rays of dark energy thrown by an offhanded gesture by the Adult. You feel her attention shift to you as you weave between the ribbons of blackness. Just as another force seizes your body, you let starlight wash over you and nullify her grip a third time. The Adult's eyes narrow just before that same starlight crashes into her. She hardly flinches, instead waving a hand and watching intently as a cube of murky green energy forms around you.
As you prod the walls enclosing you with different weapons, scanning for weaknesses you can exploit, the Adult's attention returns to Argalia. The Color Fixer weaves through a maelstrom of projectiles, but is unable to approach as the Adult gathers the energy for yet another spell. As you've come to recognize, it's another attempt at teleporting away. You abandon your efforts to break the cage surrounding you and begin focusing on your own teleportation, but compared to an Aleph-class Abnormality specialized in magic you're not nearly fast enough. You're going to be too late.
"You have to go now. How close are you to waking Madoka?" you ask, feeling Mami's frantic energy over the connection even before she replies.
"I need a little more time!"
"The Abnormality's going to be there any second. Just cut the mark off if you have to, you can heal her afterwards!"
As you give that last order, the spell finishes. With a sigh somewhere between satisfied and relieved, the Adult Who Tells Lies vanishes. You appear at the empty platform that held her throne moments earlier. The remains of her summoned forces swarm you, but without their master's direction the assault is disorganized and feeble. You deploy your soldiers around you to hold the beasts at bay and gesture for Argalia to approach you. He sails through the dying battlefield, landing on the platform next to you barely a second later. You pull the Distortion into a loose embrace and teleport, taking the two of you and Leonie as far in the kids' direction as you can.
"We need to catch up to them." you say. Argalia nods and raises Leonie into the air. A flick of his wrist sends his scythe swinging in a wide arc, and in through the gap left in their air you can see your destination. Before you've fully processed what's on the other side, you've already leapt through.
The scene that greets you is desolate. Leonie's Route has formed a sunset beachside, obsidian-colored sand stretching out forever in either direction. A rosy purple ocean washes against the shore, illuminated by the sun just barely glimpsing over the horizon. The Adult Who Tells Lies is standing, not sitting, in a deep furrow carved into the earth, and holding Madoka's unconscious body in a clawed hand. Kyoko remains in her full Distorted shape, standing protectively over Homura's fallen form. Cracks line one side of her body. Sayaka leans on Mami for support, dark green gemstones encrusting her sword arm and left leg. Hitomi is sheltered behind the pair, hyperventilating.
The Wizard raises a hand, ready to unleash some new horror, but before it can happen her eyes meet yours. The light around her shifts, and the Abnormality disappears before you can take another step.
Taking Madoka along with her.
———————————————
Madoka…
[] Pursue Into The Emerald City
[] Retreat and Recover in the Library
———————————————
Der Freischütz's Sapling - Observation Level 3/3
Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Schadenfreude's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
CENSORED's Sapling - Observation Level EXPUNGED/REDACTED
Always remember that being a Magical Girl is suffering. This does not exclude all other life from experiencing an equal or greater suffering.
The Adult's hands rise the slightest bit from the arms of her throne, and you can't wait any longer.
"Argalia and I will hold her. Get Madoka awake and get to the Library, now!"
You and Argalia charge forward in tandem, leaping from scattered planetoids in erratic paths. Behind you, Mami nods reluctantly. A single motion sends a golden ribbon lashing out to bind Madoka and Homura together, then drags them up onto Kyoko's back. Kyoko stands unmoving, flames flicking erratically under her cracked, glassy skin.
"We'll catch up, just go!"
Slowly, hesitantly, Kyoko turns away from the battle before breaking into a full run. It takes only a few steps for her to reach the end of the floating island, turning the sprint into a series of flying leaps from block to block. Mami turns to follow her, a screaming Hitomi carried along behind her with another ribbon.
You return your attention to the battle before you. Masses of emerald peel away from the sides of her throne, releasing a horrible grinding sound as they are carved out. The freshly-formed things snap into shape, becoming rough, blocky humanoids. Not just featureless silhouettes, though. You can spot one fashioned with ringlets like Mami's, and another with Madoka's ribbons. One cluster of ten bears an odd resemblance to the Sephirot. Another oddly-shaped group emerges just behind them, which you assume must be the rest of the Reverberation Ensemble. The clumsily-formed things move with all the grace you'd expect of such roughly-hewn creations, slow stumbling steps interspersed with bursts of motion as they leap from block to block. The horde spreads out almost aimlessly in all directions.
You don't give the statue-imitations time to disperse. A single step kicks off the block under you, and in the same motion you force Mimicry through the head of the nearest golem. It shatters without resistance, but the body beneath twists unhindered to drive a fist into your side. The strike would be easily avoided, but in that moment a splitting pain strikes your skull. You grit yourself teeth and bear it, dragging Mimicry down and carving your foe in half. It breaks apart, and at the same time you feel a tearing sensation run across your chest. Your skin splits open, letting a thin gout of blood trickle down your chest and pool on the ground beneath you.
Damage reflection? Some sort of sympathetic magic? You're not sure, but it clearly either only replicates the attack or can't fully affect you for some reason, because all you have is a headache and a shallow cut across your stomach while the minion is shards on the ground. Still, it's something to work around.
The other statue creatures haven't been idle as you caught your breath, six lunging at you from different directions. The extra axis of motion offering by the floating platforms lets them spread out in otherwise impossible directions, charging in from every way. A faint snarl overtaking your stoic expression, you let Mimicry fade and draw your first sword.
The light is sucked from the air as the puppets converge on you, painting a backdrop of deep blue night sky. Silver flashes within the dark, and you emerge alone with the unmoving but seemingly undamaged automata collapsed behind you a heartbeat later.
As you suspected, no sudden pain follows you as you leave the collapsed heap behind. A Sword Sharpened With Tears might still be a sword, but as a weapon it's less physical and more psychological. Against foes whose mind and body aren't one and the same, it won't leave a scratch on their bodies unless you actually want to. Even if the Adult's enchantments can reflect mental damage, you can weather that sort of assault without issues.
Nearby, Argalia dances through the horde. A few scattered shards show that he fell for the trick at first as you did, but the Color Fixer has switched from scything through his foes to bodily tossing them off into the reaches of the Route. Between the two of you, the swarm's numbers are already declining rapidly.
A cluster of crystals bursts into existence in front of you, suddenly forcing you back. You stare with irritation at the Adult, who mirrors your expression as another burst barely misses you. There's no warning before the mass of emeralds appears, burning with a strange un-light and gradually painting the faded blue of Leonie's Route an ominous green. To the Wizard's apparent irritation, none are forming near either you or Argalia. The Blue Reverberation's lone eye flickers in a motion one might compare to a wink before he dives through the newly-forming forest of geodes and kicks the final statue-creature so far up that it vanishes out of sight.
"Now that's just inconsiderate, isn't it?" the Adult Who Tells Lies complains, waving a hand and casting out an array of spears of oozing shadow which scatter through the air. You dodge and weave between the wicked implements, forced away from the Adult by the density of the assault, but to your surprise the projectiles change course just slightly to miss you as they draw near. As they do, a faint hum fills the air. "Here I was trying to play by your rules, and you go and do that."
"I wasn't aware this was a game, and I hardly see what's so unfair about not wanting to be stabbed. Would you care to explain the rules?" you ask in an irritated tone. You don't really care, but talking at least as effective at stalling for time as fighting. Pressuring the Adult enough to hold her attention here isn't an easy task, even with her clearly holding back for some reason you don't have the energy to decipher. At the same time, you mentally signal your team.
"How far have you gotten? What's Madoka's condition?"
"The scenery has changed three times so far. I believed that was enough distance to slow down and begin working on waking Madoka." Mami reports back.
"Don't wait for me. Angela can send an Invitation once you're gone." you relay before cutting communication. You can feel Mami's insistent protests in the back of your head, but your mind is made up. The time it would take for you to catch up would be too long a period of vulnerability. You can only hope that Mami doesn't do something foolish.
In the present, the Adult taps a clawed nail against her throne's arm. "I'll be the first to admit I'm not quite sure. I do hopeI haven't done anything to offend." Another tap, and the crystalline spire that had spread across the Route's floating blocks are reduced to tiny glittering particles. The Adult drags her nail back, and the shining dust whirls into a hurricane. You raise a hand and let Sound of a Star loose against the maelstrom, pale blue light bleeding against the winds and scattering them. Argalia dives back, pulling his coat up to catch most of the particles against its surface. The emerald dust scatters against the leathery deep blue, then crawls along its surface like a swarm of insects leaving trails of withered black in its wake. Before the strange swarm can grow too heavily, Argalia falls back between two close-floating blocks. You catch a glimpse of another colorful landscape appear behind him right before he vanished into it.
Instincts scream at you to move just before a wall bony spikes burst from the dust storm centimeters from your body. A sword appears in your free hand and sweeps in a wide arc to turn them aside, though two still find their way to your body. You pull back and reposition, letting the storm of emerald grains close in before scattering it again with a renewed burst of energy. The two bone needles are reduced to splinters before whatever effect they were supposed to deliver can take effect. Through the obscuring particles, you catch sigh of Argalia reappearing from over the top of the back of the Adult' throne and landing a spiraling slash against the Aleph. His scythe first only scrapes against her skin, meeting the same defensive field you did, but the second strike cleaves through it and carves a tiny chip from her cheek. In the same elegant motion, the blade crashes into her raised hand and abruptly ends what you recognize as a teleportation spell. The Color Fixer dives to avoid the enraged sweeping of the Adult's claws, falling into another Route with a practically theatrical flair. The Adult snarls at him as he vanishes, at which point you shoot her in the face again. It doesn't do any damage, but it feels good.
The storm of emerald dust suddenly stops, and the glittering particles hang in the air for a moment before swirling together all across the Route. The wave you were pushing against is suddenly a gaping abyss of a mouth filled with row and rows of filthy blackened teeth. Mimicry extends just as the jaws snap shut, holding them open long enough for you to recall your remain soldiers to your side and release a full fusillade into the newborn creature's maw. Whatever the Adult summoned tries to pull away, but Mimicry extends further and leaves its mouth locked in position as you blast away. One final bullet shreds the back of the creature's throat, and you barely have a moment to celebrate your victory before a glowing green stone is sent flying through the gap and towards you.
The resulting explosion sends you flying through the empty air of the Route, only stopping when you impact the side of another floating block. You are immediately forced to swing back to the top of the block to avoid the diving lunge of a winged, skeletal wolf-thing, shaping Mimicry into a clawed glove to grip the plush surface. From there a bat with far too many wings for its body glares as you, gathering silvery light in its eyes, and is immediately perforated thrice over by a bright crimson spear formed of interlocking clawed hands. Your sword-now-spear then shifts to a hazy, smoky white and coils like a whip around another flying creature, crushing it to incapacitation and throwing yourself in the direction of another block in one motion. Sound of a Star takes its place illuminating your body, freeing you from gravity's clutches long enough to land upside-down on a block above you and kick off of it back towards the Adult.
"We're holding steady, how much time do you need?" you call back to Mami as you demanifest your soldiers and reposition them across the Route.
"I- I am not sure. This is more difficult than I had thought, even with Kyubey's direction." she answers, voice straining to remain composed even over the telepathy network. You don't miss her shiver as she mentions Kyubey, either.
"Don't worry. I know you can do this." you assure, bracing yourself for the next assault.
The Aleph glares at you, smile dimmed ever so slightly, and opens her hand. Shadows spill out in a frantic torrent, barely-human shapes lit by an ominous green light reaching out at you. You can feel a mess of emotions from the oncoming wave, pain and terror and hatred all at once. These aren't just an attack or summoned creatures; they used to be people. You The last dregs of consciousness scream at you, begging for something, anything to end the pain. The mass of darkness continues to unfold like a great flower, rows and rows of unformed bodies falling atop one another and spreading through the air.
Colors flash as you dive forward and cut away the tide. The shades don't fight back as you pierce and tear them to shreds, fading away with one last gasp of pain before another rushes forward to replace it. Your body is a blur. But even so, it's not quite enough to hold it back. With every heartbeat the grasping hands grow a little closer, nearly enough to touch you. You hear movement below you, and out of the corners of your eyes see enormous hands covered in shaggy dark fur riding up from below to close around you. The only option now would be to retreat, to move backward. That is obviously a trap, and one you have no intention of springing. You've just about had it with the Wizard's garbage.
You grip Mimicry in one hand and focus on the feelings that tie it to you. The love you feel for your sister, your coworkers, your agents, your children. That warmth, first and foremost, which always carries you forward. It serves as an anchor, a light against the shadows closing in around you. Next is something colder, the lonely darkness that warm light was meant for. It is there in every moment you fail, in every reminder that you are nothing more than a copy of a copy of a copy of a dead man. A tool designed to accomplish a purpose, who falters when demanded to so much as think of anything else. From this emptiness blooms a hunger, a desire to fill your life with something to silence that knowledge. You pull that hunger up to the forefront of your mind, and with one swing of Mimicry the world turns red.
The massive hands reaching up to crush you are reduced to clouds of vaporized flesh and bone. The roiling tide of screaming souls is silenced, revealing the Adult sitting smugly behind it. Another teleportation spell flickers to life around her, and the realization strikes you. The Adult isn't here to fight you, she never was. This is about Madoka. You're not sure why, but it's the only answer that makes sense. The Adult is trying to catch Madoka before she can hide in the Library. A second realization strikes you; that this should have been obvious. The Adult thinks you think like her, and she would never think of Madoka as anything more than a weapon. The idea that you really don't intend to have her ever Contract is unthinkable to someone like her.
It was clearly also unthinkable that you would manage to push through her little trap, judging by the Wizard's smug look. She barely even has time to react before Mimicry crashes into the side of her skull, annihilating any concentration she may have had on her spell. Argalia was able to find a way to go around the Adult's defensive barrier, but Kali wouldn't've needed something like that. In this moment, neither do you. An impossible force crashes through one, three, five, ten, twenty layers before hammering into the Wizard's flesh. A sickening crack fills the empty air, and you stare in cold satisfaction at the chunk of crystalline flesh torn violently from the side of the Adult's face. Cracks run along the rest of her features, spanning nearly past her nose and passing over her left eye. She looks utterly shocked, as if the idea that you could hurt her like that is really impossible. You know it's just superficial damage, but you can't help but applaud internally in triumph at your little victory. Argalia has paused in his dismantling of the Adult's forces, staring fixated at you as you pant from the exertion. Knowing your audience, you can't resist giving a tiny bow before pulling back your guard.
Victory it may be, but only a temporary one. The Adult glares, and the air thickens. In the distance you see Argalia slow in his dismembering of a large worm creature with insect wings, fighting against the weight of the Abnormality's malevolence. Another gesture, and you feel an overwhelming force throwing you back. Before you can respond you are cast out into the distance, reaching for platforms that shatter beneath your grip. You call out for Sound of a Star once again, letting its glow first waive away the pressure dragging you away then flare against the momentum carrying you. When you finally decelerate enough to land, you can only stare at the path of destruction your sudden transit caused.
While you prepare to teleport, Argalia is forced onto the defensive. Monstrous creatures swim through the air, ready with open mouths and outstretched claws each time he emerges from a Route. The creatures don't last long, carved into pieces by elegant, precise strikes, but the threat of being swarmed has held Argalia off from closing distance with the Adult.
You flash into existence nearby and immediately have to deflect a sphere of faded purple sludge which hisses and burns as it splashed against the nearby ground. You swear you see tiny eyes in the fluid out of the corner of your eye, but your attention is more focused on dodging the scattering rays of dark energy thrown by an offhanded gesture by the Adult. You feel her attention shift to you as you weave between the ribbons of blackness. Just as another force seizes your body, you let starlight wash over you and nullify her grip a third time. The Adult's eyes narrow just before that same starlight crashes into her. She hardly flinches, instead waving a hand and watching intently as a cube of murky green energy forms around you.
As you prod the walls enclosing you with different weapons, scanning for weaknesses you can exploit, the Adult's attention returns to Argalia. The Color Fixer weaves through a maelstrom of projectiles, but is unable to approach as the Adult gathers the energy for yet another spell. As you've come to recognize, it's another attempt at teleporting away. You abandon your efforts to break the cage surrounding you and begin focusing on your own teleportation, but compared to an Aleph-class Abnormality specialized in magic you're not nearly fast enough. You're going to be too late.
"You have to go now. How close are you to waking Madoka?" you ask, feeling Mami's frantic energy over the connection even before she replies.
"I need a little more time!"
"The Abnormality's going to be there any second. Just cut the mark off if you have to, you can heal her afterwards!"
As you give that last order, the spell finishes. With a sigh somewhere between satisfied and relieved, the Adult Who Tells Lies vanishes. You appear at the empty platform that held her throne moments earlier. The remains of her summoned forces swarm you, but without their master's direction the assault is disorganized and feeble. You deploy your soldiers around you to hold the beasts at bay and gesture for Argalia to approach you. He sails through the dying battlefield, landing on the platform next to you barely a second later. You pull the Distortion into a loose embrace and teleport, taking the two of you and Leonie as far in the kids' direction as you can.
"We need to catch up to them." you say. Argalia nods and raises Leonie into the air. A flick of his wrist sends his scythe swinging in a wide arc, and in through the gap left in their air you can see your destination. Before you've fully processed what's on the other side, you've already leapt through.
The scene that greets you is desolate. Leonie's Route has formed a sunset beachside, obsidian-colored sand stretching out forever in either direction. A rosy purple ocean washes against the shore, illuminated by the sun just barely glimpsing over the horizon. The Adult Who Tells Lies is standing, not sitting, in a deep furrow carved into the earth, and holding Madoka's unconscious body in a clawed hand. Kyoko remains in her full Distorted shape, standing protectively over Homura's fallen form. Cracks line one side of her body. Sayaka leans on Mami for support, dark green gemstones encrusting her sword arm and left leg. Hitomi is sheltered behind the pair, hyperventilating.
The Wizard raises a hand, ready to unleash some new horror, but before it can happen her eyes meet yours. The light around her shifts, and the Abnormality disappears before you can take another step.
Taking Madoka along with her.
———————————————
Madoka…
[] Pursue Into The Emerald City
[] Retreat and Recover in the Library
———————————————
Der Freischütz's Sapling - Observation Level 3/3
Porccubus' Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
Schadenfreude's Sapling - Observation Level 2/3
CENSORED's Sapling - Observation Level EXPUNGED/REDACTED
Always remember that being a Magical Girl is suffering. This does not exclude all other life from experiencing an equal or greater suffering.
Last edited:
kaillll
Judgment Upon You
Damn it!
ok right, with Madoka in her grasp there is three possible outcome
First, Madoka is going to be used as bait/Bargaining chip.
Second, She is going to force madoka into contracting either with her or with QB then use her as a gun.
Three, she's going to make her into something.
Something bad.
This is bad. The Adult literally think that Madoka is our big gun so she is going to run tests on her to figure out how to use this gun for herself.
ok right, with Madoka in her grasp there is three possible outcome
First, Madoka is going to be used as bait/Bargaining chip.
Second, She is going to force madoka into contracting either with her or with QB then use her as a gun.
Three, she's going to make her into something.
Something bad.
This is bad. The Adult literally think that Madoka is our big gun so she is going to run tests on her to figure out how to use this gun for herself.
RIP.
We're down Sayaka and Homura. Can we get reinforcements from the Library?
We're down Sayaka and Homura. Can we get reinforcements from the Library?
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
No.
Or atleast, without Leonia doing some wackery where she connects her own space with the Library's space, which I am not sure if it will work.
Ugh. So she's targeting Madoka. That was her plan all along.
Well, I suppose it doesn't matter whether Madoka needs or wants power now. She's going to get it, whether that's contracting, manifesting, or distorting into it.
We are going to save Madoka is the obvious thing.
Thank you for this by the way.
It is very satisfying.
I wonder what this particular one is? Eldritch goo?
Looking at the situation...
We should evacuate the kids who are down (Sayaka, Homura, and Hitomi) to the Library. While the rest group up with X and besiege her in the Emerald City. Letting Madoka stay for a long time with the Adult isn't a risk we can take.
However...running into a siege with a small force is way too risky. We need a better plan than this.
Maybe a short reprieve to have the kids recover, or atleast to get Homura up again instead of being in pieces before we rush to Madoka.
Having Homura along with us would be a great boon. With Mami playing well with her.
But UGHHH, leaving Madoka alone for even a second feels bad!
This section reminds me of a strategy to beat the Adult's floor realization with just one librarian. The fight is designed around having everyone still alive, and normally if you're alone you can't use the gimmicks - in that case the Adult just uses a 99-99 mass attack, killing you in one hit. However, if you stack enough Smoke and Strength, and use mass attacks of your own (Xiao's page is good for that), it's possible to stagger the Adult before she can use her bullshit, and then kill her in the next turn. The moral of the story being, unga-bunga can totally substitute for the power of friendship in a pinch.
...Anyway, however this arc turns out, if you thought Madoka's complex about being a burden was bad before, then boy do I have some bad news for you.
[X] Retreat and Recover in the Library
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
After giving it some thoughts...
I think this is best for everyone.
[X] Retreat and Recover in the Library
By the way @Lepidoptera, will Argalia follow us if we do this? This is mainly because I kind of want to discuss with him what happened while he was delayed to have a better idea of whom or what he encountered.
Angela will probably be a little miffed that Argalia follows us though.
I think this is best for everyone.
[X] Retreat and Recover in the Library
By the way @Lepidoptera, will Argalia follow us if we do this? This is mainly because I kind of want to discuss with him what happened while he was delayed to have a better idea of whom or what he encountered.
Angela will probably be a little miffed that Argalia follows us though.
questioningmeme
Just be yourself
- Location
- River of Light
That's the thing! Having Argalia be there would be REALLY cool since we'll get to see him interact with the Librarian in a non (HOPEFULL X will reign him in) hostile environment.
More character interactions with the Library are always fun!
: Imagine opening your door expecting your sister and seeing a goofy ahh electric sheep there alongside her.But on the other hand...Well, I feel like a doodoo head for doing that when our sister has been so supportive of us.
kaillll
Judgment Upon You
Too bad, to Roland. our madman has done something unforgettable, No matter how someone looks at it. So if we bring him to the library, Roland will be Mad.That's the thing! Having Argalia be there would be REALLY cool since we'll get to see him interact with the Librarian in a non (HOPEFULL X will reign him in) hostile environment.
More character interactions with the Library are always fun!
But on the other hand...Well, I feel like a doodoo head for doing that when our sister has been so supportive of us.
really really mad.