Chapter 167 - What Would You Give Up?
The Emerald City looks like it's been hit by a natural disaster of some sort around you, but the state of complete ruin it's in is more reassuring than the ominously looming intact buildings. Buildings are piles of rubble and dust. The street and the earth beneath it has been churned up or burned away in a rough line. This furrow in the streets and structures was carved out by your momentary use of Twilight earlier. The sheer destructive capacity of that weapon tore through any traps or surprises that could have been hidden in its path, even just the indirect splashes of its power that leaked out past your battle. As such, you can be sure that it's a safe route to walk down. Teleporting is still technically an option, but if the Emerald City is able to complicate Leonie's significantly stronger anomalous method of transportation then it can almost certainly interfere with a long-distance teleport. And with so many people tagging along, ending up somewhere you shouldn't be would have dangerous consequences.
"And didja really just buy that? All of you?"
Kyoko's attitude has endured the restoration of her humanity, clearly, but the ordeal has left its marks. No teasing energy joins the former Magical Girl's voice, only dull skepticism. She and Sayaka both are following behind you with unsteady steps, stumbling over little rocks and uneven ground as they go. Neither has a scratch on them on account of Sayaka's healing, but the strain of manifesting EGO for the first time clearly takes a lot out of somebody once it's done. The pair are currently wearing civilian clothes in lieu of any combat-focused uniform. In a more immediate sense, it kept Kyoko and Sayaka alive and secured the third marker. That much sets you at ease. As a scientist, you're overjoyed. For a long time, only one person was capable of manifesting personal EGo gear. Carmen and her team did plenty of research on Kali's armor, but one point of data isn't enough to make real conclusions. Angela had mentioned two of the Library's guests managing their own manifestations, but you never got to see those for yourself. But having two new EGO users, both of whom would be willing to cooperate with testing and experimentation? It's an unprecedented success. One observation you've already made is that a state of severe exhaustion occurs after demanifesting. Kali didn't experience anything so drastic, so either it decreases with experience or her own talent counteracted this effect. There will be time to learn more later.
"It's not crazy, alright? Don't try to make me the bad guy here." Ashley replies. Keeping her in close proximity to two vulnerable allies would be risky if she wasn't in worse condition herself. That little scratch on her Soul Gem Argalia made is taking its toll. The Magical Girl looks dead on her feet, stumbling over small obstacles and responding a note slower than normal. It doesn't appear to be worsening, but she's also turned down healing. Oh well. You'll have time to deal with that later.
"You kinda are the bad guy here, though." Sayaka points out bluntly. "In case you haven't been paying attention. That Wizard you're working for did this!"
She throws out her hands dramatically, gesturing to the surrounding landscape of the Emerald City. The overenthusiastic gesture nearly unbalances her. Before Sayaka can start to fall, Kyoko moves to support her. The two lean against each other for a moment before separating. By the way neither react, you don't think either one noticed what they just did.
"I guess it's not really a traditional good guy base of operations, but doesn't actually mean-" Ashley protests, only for Kyoko to cut her off.
"We aren't talkin' about aesthetics here. Did ya not see what she's doing? You think that the 'good guy' runs around with an army of reanimated corpses?" Kyoko drawls. If she were less exhausted, Ashley would be having this conversation at spearpoint right now. As things stand, the bitterness in her voice is about as sharp.
Ashley's face goes a shade paler. "That's… not great, I know, but… we were desperate! We were just using whatever we could!"
Kyoko glares at Ashley and a brief ripple of heat washes over her surroundings. You make a mental note of the feeling and compare it to the heat that Kyoko would put off as a Distortion. It's much weaker than what you've seen before, though the fact that Kyoko can still call on such effects even without her EGO active is worth investigating. This one looks to have been directed, too, judging by how uncomfortable Ashley looks. That could just be the intense glare Kyoko's giving her, though.
Sayaka doesn't restrain herself to just glaring. "Not great? Desperate? They told Kyoko to kill herself! We both almost died dozens of times since we showed up here! What could possibly be good about any of this?"
At this point, you're a bit worried about the pallor of Ashley's face. All the color has drained from her skin, matching the far-off look in her eyes. For a moment she appears somewhere else entirely, before snapping back to the present with an expression of confused horror.
"I-I'm sure that was a mistake! Or a misunderstanding! Or fake! It-" she points frantically towards you. "could've been tricking you to make you think you're seeing things that aren't there!"
"Excuse me?"
"Do you wanna repeat that?"
The combined pressure of Sayaka and Kyoko's glares is enough that you fully expect Ashley to faint if left alone. It's not just a metaphorical pressure either; you can feel a weight filling the air and stirring the dust from the ground even as it's not aimed at you. It would be best to cut this off before it escalates any further.
"It's not relevant at the moment. We have a schedule to keep. None of you have the breath to spare for both walking and arguing at the same time." you say, ending any further conversation. If the circumstances allowed it, you would be moving much faster than you and the kids are right now. Leonie went with Argalia to track down Homura, which means the easy method of travel is out. Worse, they still haven't returned yet. You still don't really like Argalia based on what Angela said about him, but you would be responsible if Leonie was hurt and anything happening to them would imply something also happening to Homura.
The four of you proceed further in silence. It's an uncomfortably peaceful walk. You cleared out the inbuilt defenses when you made the crater you now walk through, but there should be enemy forces converging on you right now. Two combatants unable to fight and a hostage you need to keep an eye on? It would be the perfect time for an ambush. The lone soldier you have to spare, not standing at attention near one of the three already-located markers, flits in and out of existence in the nearby streets ready to open fire on anything with the slightest shred of hostility. It finds nothing. The way you see it, there are three possibilities. The first is that the Emerald City's forces are amassing for a single, overwhelming assault. If this is the case, then you're in an awful position. Surviving on your own is one thing, but doing so while defending three others is exponentially more difficult. Another use of Twilight would likely be necessary, and that would leave you with less options for the final battle with the Adult Who Tells Lies. The second, similarly problematic option, is that they're being held back to avoid being caught in a planned attack. If you're being optimistic, it could just be that the Emerald City is starting to run out of troops. There must be a limit either to the rate or number that can be produced, otherwise you would have been overwhelmed from the start. Between your teams and Isabeau's confrontation with the city's ruler, the enemy's numbers might just be running thin. Of course, working under that assumption would be foolish. As much as you'd welcome such a pleasant surprise, expecting it is another matter entirely.
It takes only a few minutes of cautious marching before something happens. A shimmer of blue accompanied by a faint silver slips out from one of the alleys nearby, crossing the ravages street to stop at you side in a heartbeat. Sayaka and Kyoko both react on instinct, reaching for weapons that aren't there. Ashley trips over a piece of loose gravel and nearly falls forward before you catch her and drag her back to her feet. Argalia takes his place in the marching order effortlessly, every movement smooth and natural in spite of the scrapes and wounds dotting his body.
"Argalia. Homura isn't with you. Did something go wrong?" you say.
"It's exactly the case." Argalia confirms, not sounding particularly bothered by the fact. "Someone's made quite the effort to keep our mechanical friend isolated. Even with Leonie's help, pinpointing where she's ended up and then getting there was rather problematic."
"And you just gave up on going after her?" Kyoko accuses. Argalia still looks unbothered.
"Certainly not. But tracking isn't my area of expertise, and by now she's surely left wherever she was when Leonie and I were sent after her. It was just the most reasonable choice to take my leave, wouldn't you agree?" the Distortion muses. "And on another topic, you look rather different than you did when we last met, Kyoko my friend. Are you sure you're feeling alright?"
In contrast to his caring words, Argalia's voice is high and playful, still humming with song-like cadence. You cut the line of question off before Kyoko or Sayaka can answer.
"That can be discussed later. For now, we need to reach Homura. She is likely in danger if she's being kept intentionally isolated from help." you command. The response from the rest of your party is immediate. Even Ashley unconsciously jolts to attention.
"Ashley Taylor." The girl in question straightens further when you address her. Your expression is stony and cold as you stare her down, brilliant red eyes meeting her own cherry-tinted gaze. "If one of the people in my care is in danger, I will protect them. Do you plan on interfering with this?"
"I- No, I won't." Ashley chokes out.
"What, do you expect us to just take your word on that?" Kyoko asks. The red-haired girl leans towards Ashley menacingly, and the other girl flinches away.
"Hey, I don't want anyone to get hurt! I just-"
"It's fine. I believe you. You'll continue following us for now." you answer, cutting off sputtered defenses and ending the argument before it begins. She's not lying, that much is obvious. Perhaps you'd be nervous about taking a more fervent opponent with you, but Ashley is clearly shaken by Kyoko and Sayaka's accusations and too wounded to pose a major threat so long as you pay attention to her. You'll have more options once everyone has rejoined, but as it is leaving the child unattended is too much of a risk.
"Now onto our course of action." you begin, though that is as far as you get. All at once, the ribbons Mami made each person before entering the Emerald City twist a fourth knot along their lengths. The fourth marker has been located, which means it's time. A mental command to the three soldiers you left behind and their presences vanish from your awareness in a rush of smoke and force. There's a momentary feeling of something stretched snapping back into place signifying time within the Emerald City being cleared of interferences. The fourth must have been destroyed by either Mami or Homura. With that, Homura can use her abilities freely. All that's left is for her to retrieve the rest of you so that you can all together disarm any defenses keeping Madoka prisoner and rescue her. It'll only be a moment's wait before you find yourself in the colorless world of Homura's frozen time, ready to take further action.
Only a moment's wait.
Just a moment.
The moment passes, then the next, with only quiet. The others keep their silence, awaiting your next word, but it doesn't come.
Something has gone wrong.
—————————
Homura could do nothing but stare at the body.
She had seen it before. So, so many times. More than she could count. The memories of Homura's past failures flooded in, unwanted. It had hurt to watch every time. At some point, she grew to expect it. You could only fail so many times before that failure became normal. Before the chance of success became something impossible and out of reach. Expecting the end didn't make it any easier to watch. And Homura did watch, every time. It was worth it, no matter how much it hurt, for the barest chance that Madoka could be happy. She had to be happy some day, free from all this. The reasons why were dull and distant now, but that fact remained.
Staring at Madoka's lifeless body once again, Homura felt like she was being torn apart. But the pain was thin and weary, more a memory than a real emotion. She had carefully hollowed herself out when making her final resolution, leaving an empty space that pain of any kind couldn't cleanly fit into. Broken herself in the perfect way so that she could not break again in any way that might impair her mission.
Homura did not cry. She did not scream and weep at the sight of the corpse. She did not curse the unfairness, the cruelty that took Madoka's life from her time after time. She did not beg and plead and ask anyone who was listening to please, please bring her back. She did not ask why, why, why couldn't she live? She only stared at the body in the small, cold room. Anything else would distract her from protecting Madoka.
But Madoka was dead.
No, this wasn't failure yet. Homura could still fix this. Her machinery spun with all the terror and grief that she did not feel, trying to think of anything that she could possibly do. In that state of absolute concentration, she didn't notice the presence looming behind her, slowly reshaping the room from a prison into a grander form.
"Not even a frown? I was hoping for something more explosive, but you are rather committed to your frigidity aren't you?"
Homura didn't acknowledge the voice. Madoka needed her. Homura reached out, feeling the flow of time between her fingers and taking hold. She could just drag Madoka back. Everything would go as planned.
"At least the little girl didn't disappoint. I could look at that expression for hours."
But no, that wouldn't work. The explosion had originated from Madoka. Either an item placed on her or some sort of effect attached to her. Could she exclude the explosive and only rewind Madoka? No, not without knowing where and what it was.
"She begged for you to come at first, you know? For a while. Eventually, she started hoping you'd never come. What a shame you managed to disappoint her both times."
She could still try, but every mistake would mean Madoka would die again. Would it be worth it? It wasn't that different from what Homura had always been doing. Every time she went back, Madoka suffered. Those deaths were Homura's fault, the blood on her hands. She had prolonged Madoka's pain. But as long as she lived, it would be worth it.
"I wonder how that old moth would react to this. Would she just be mad that I ruined her plans, or do you think she actually cares about any of you?"
Rewinding became more expensive the further back she went, and Homura didn't have enough time left to reach back to before Madoka was captured. She would only have a few attempts. If she didn't succeed, Madoka's pain would be for nothing. Still, it would be worth it as long as she was safe.
Homura sat there, gaze still locked with Madoka's unseeing stare. This would be for the best. For Madoka's sake. Nothing else mattered, so there was no reason to hesitate. And yet she just couldn't do it. Madoka didn't deserve this. She shouldn't have been the one hurt. She should never have been involved at all. Homura couldn't hurt her further. She just couldn't. But she still had to save her.
X! The gears spun faster, spurred on by the desperate thought. X could do something. She was always able to fix things where Homura couldn't. She could save Madoka, surely. Homura stepped up to Madoka's body and reached down. There was only so much left of her. What would X need? Would it be better to take Madoka to X or to bring X to Madoka?
She knelt down and placed her hands on Madoka's face. For a moment, Homura's intricate internal mechanisms stopped. Her skin was already cold. It shouldn't have come to this. If Homura had been better, smarter, if she had more to give, she could have done something. But Homura had always known exactly who she was. Even if she gave up everything she was, it would never be worth Madoka's life. Surely, though, it could have made some difference?
Something wet trailed down Homura's unchanging, artificial face. It fell from her cheek and landed in the gore below.
The silence was suddenly broken by the sound of clapping. Loud, vigorous, cheerful. Homura whipped around, rifle in hand and aimed at the intruder. The Adult Who Tells Lies, the Abnormality who killed Madoka, stood with a wide smile across her pale white face, bringing her clawed hands together in wild applause a final time. Madoka's cell had become a towering coliseum ringed with rows upon rows of spectator seats. Everything was made up of jagged green-black crystals sprouting right from the ground.
"There's really no need for tears, darling. You're young. I'm sure in time, you will love again."
Homura said nothing, keeping her aim locked on the Abnormality. She didn't pull the trigger, but didn't lower her rifle either. If she fought, she'd lose. That was clear enough, but maybe she would be able to get Madoka to safety if she was careful.
"Oh, don't just give me that look! I'm here to solve all of your problems." the Abnormality said cheerfully. Homura's finger on the trigger tightened just barely not enough to fire.
"No." Homura said, voice utterly still.
"No?" the Wizard repeated, sounding somehow surprised that Homura would refuse. She wouldn't really be so easily fooled. "But I have exactly the solution you need! After all, there's nobody else who can bring your little doll there back to life."
Homura nearly pulled the trigger. Instead, she stared the towering Abnormality down without a single twitch. The Wizard took her silence as permission to keep talking.
"It'll be simple for the both of us. I bring her back to life, and you take her and leave. Find some hole to hide in until you rust away, it doesn't matter to me as long as you're both gone. Doesn't that sound fair?"
"What reason could you have to offer to save Madoka? It's your fault that she's dead." Homura answered. She couldn't trust the Abnormality. Madoka's life was too precious to be risked so carelessly.
The Adult Who Tells Lies just laughed, dismissing Homura's accusations with a casual wave of her hand. "Oh, I just wanted the little girl out of the way. Whether she lives or dies really doesn't interest me in the slightest. And while I'm sure I could dismantle you right here, watching you abandon all your friends sounds much more entertaining."
Homura lowered her rifle ever so slightly. That reasoning fit with what she knew of the Abnormality who commanded the Emerald City. It was just like the Incubator in that sense; it would be useful to Homura if it could benefit by doing so. "Even if that's true, I have no reason to trust you. I can't possibly depend on someone so unreliable for Madoka's safety."
"But you can! The best lies are the true ones, after all." the Wizard said brightly. "I could conjure up an illusion of you packing your bags and leaving in a snap, but it wouldn't matter. You have to choose to abandon them to get a real impact."
"If I were to leave, what would happen to everyone else?"
"Oh, they'd all die! Painfully, too, if I have any say in it." the Abnormality gleefully confirmed. "But you don't really care about any of them, do you?"
Sayaka, Mami, and Kyoko were Madoka's friends. It would hurt Madoka if they died. And X had sworn to work with Homura to keep Madoka safe. How would they react if Homura left with Madoka? Sayaka would hate her. She always hated Homura eventually. There was no point in trying to avoid that. Mami was less consistent, but she would naturally despise Homura for betraying her new mother. Kyoko wouldn't be hurt as personally, but she was friendly with Sayaka and Mami in this timeline and so she would be upset on their behalf at the very least. X… somehow, Homura hoped she would understand. She always understood, even when Homura didn't. She wouldn't hate Homura for keeping Madoka alive.
None of that mattered though. Homura silenced those thoughts. Only one thing was important: what would keep Madoka safe? Homura couldn't trust the Abnormality. Even if it had selfish motives, such erratic creatures wouldn't always act logically even if they laid out a reasonable course for themselves. On the other hand, it was a chance for Madoka to live. Homura had done worse for chances. She had given everything she had and everything she was for a chance. If it kept Madoka alive, what did anything else matter?
Madoka would feel betrayed. She would be hurt.
She wouldn't hate Homura, she never did. But she wouldn't trust her anymore. Homura would undoubtedly destroy whatever goodwill she had built in this timeline if she accepted the Adult's offer. Madoka would want Homura to turn back. She would want Homura to stay and fight, even if it cost her life. That was always Madoka's decision.
Homura's hand shook, still aimed towards the smirking Abnormality's head. Madoka always sacrificed herself. Why? Why did she always have to throw her life away? Didn't she understand that she deserved to live? Why was the world always worth so much more than her? Madoka had saved Homura time after time, and yet Homura couldn't protect her even once. Now here she was, entertaining the offers of another creature hoping to exploit her and Madoka both on the hope that it would let her save the girl who saved her.
That had been her wish. To be strong enough to protect Madoka. She was given a shield, not a weapon, and as many chances as she needed. But her wish could never be granted. She was still too weak to protect Madoka, so she cast her shield aside along with everything else. It still wasn't enough. What else did Homura have to give?
"No," she agreed, and the Abnormality's smile grew wider and sharper. "my only priority is to keep Madoka safe. Nothing else matters."
"Excellent! We have a deal, then?" The Adult Who Tells Lies extended an open hand down to where Homura stood, still perched over Madoka's body. The light caught unnaturally on the gloomy crystals that sheathed its skin, making the shadows trapped inside dance in bizarre patterns.
Homura reached out in turn. Then, at the last moment, her wrist twisted and she flicked a grenade towards the Abnormality's face.
