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CMGQ: Parallel

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Unnamed25 said:
1 hour 4 minutes left (at time I made this post), the bbcode looks like normal text but it updates itself, its the "In x hour(s) and x minute(s)" thing on this post:
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Oh, you guys were talking about the time a post was made then.

Anyway, the votes are tied if that was the case so a tiebreaker using one of the votes that just shown up wouldn't be out of the question.
 
*sigh* For clarity, Votes are locking at 3 PM PDT, just under an hour from the time of this post.
 
[X] The Chaser of War

I wonder if I'm starting to take on too many magical girl quests?... Nahhhh.:V
 
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The tally system is weird on SV. I'm probably just not used to it.
Adhoc vote count started by OverReactionGuy on Oct 6, 2017 at 5:08 PM, finished with 78 posts and 36 votes.
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For the record if y'all leave it tied I'm just picking between the winners arbitrarily. Don't want to get halfway through update preparation only to have the tie breaker go in a different direction.
 
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Chase Start
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    • Halfway across town, a demon's skull dissolves into fine vapor as a shaft of ethereal light passes through it at two hundred miles per hour.

    His partner ducks back behind the building where they'd been hiding before you can fire again, so you let out a breath and allow your bow to dissipate, the glowing longbow dissolving into sparkling motes of light as you turn and resume pacing along the edge of the office building's roof.

    Normally, you'd be taking a more direct and aggressive tack with a demon incursion, but that was when you'd had Hero and Conquest to cover the areas that you couldn't see while hunting. Now that they've up and disappeared without warning, you had to find somewhere overlooking the area and try to cover the whole thing by sniping anything that set foot outside of your blind spots.

    You know you're missing some of them, that some of them are managing to sneak by you, but you can't go down there and flush them out like you want to because your only backup decided to up and vanish while you were out of town for a few days. The next time you see those two you swear you'll—

    Your train of thought is forcibly derailed by the rooftop access door exploding off its hinges and a demon rushing at you with a roar, ax held over its head. You have good reflexes, but the door was only a dozen feet away from you and demons take big steps, so it's all you can manage to throw up an arm to block the heavy two-handed chop from the demon.

    (Demon's Bladed Ax: 200 Base Damage, +2 Dice, +10 Surprise, x3 CRUSH= 636 Total Damage
    Magical Girl War Chaser: 1,000 Base Resilience, +1,426 Dice, -50 Rushed = 2,376 Damage Reduction

    0 Total End Damage

    Magical Girl War Chaser: 2,000 - 0 = 2,000 Health Remaining

    A Promise to Keep!

    Demon Footsoldier: 750 - 7 = 743 Health Remaining)

    By all conventional logic, the blow from the ten-foot demon who looks like his diet consistes entirely of steroids and protein shakes should cleave you in two from shoulder to hip. Instead, the massive, ugly weapon just stops upon meeting your upraised forearm, accompanied by a slight crunching sound as the metal of the blade is placed in contest with your magically enhanced durability and found to be the more pliable of the two.

    The demon stares dumbly at his weapon for a couple seconds, which gives you plenty of time to grab his wrist with both hands, kick his feet out from under him, and—with a twist and a heave—throw him bodily off the side of the building.

    (The Ground: 0 Base Damage, No Dice, +500 Hard Stop At The Bottom= 500 Total Damage
    Demon Footsoldier: 50 Base Resilience, +10 Dice, -5 Holyshitwhatthefuck, -100 *Incoherent Screaming* = -45 Damage Reduction

    545 Total End Damage

    Demon Footsoldier: 675 - 545 = 198 Health Remaining)

    You peek over the edge to see whether the fall was enough to finish him off, then nail him to the ground when you see him twitch.

    (Godlight Starbow: 2,500 Base Damage, +1291 Dice, +500 Stationary Target= 4,291 Total Damage
    Demon Footsoldier: 50 Base Resilience, +7 Dice, -10 Stunned = 47 Damage Reduction

    4,244 Total End Damage

    Demon Footsoldier: 130 - 4,244 = -4,114 Health Remaining)

    "Dick."

    The fact that he actually made it up to the roof is an issue, though. It means you're missing too much, which in turn means you had to put your distractions aside and focus. You shoot a demon attempting to dash across an intersection a few blocks away and resume your rounds, the issue of your missing cousin and her friend shelved for the moment.

    ——/LINEBREAK IDENTIFIED\——​

    The next morning, you chew thoughtfully on your Frooty-O's (part of a balanced breakfast) as you read the note you found upon returning home yet again.

    Mary,

    Plutie and I got in a fight and she stormed off somewhere. I haven't seen her in more than a day and I'm getting worried, so I'm gonna go find her. It shouldn't take long, so you probably won't even see this note before we get back, but just in case, right?

    —Penelope​

    You found the note sitting on the kitchen counter when you returned home from Grandma Reed's funeral upstate. That was two days ago, and you're reasonably sure she didn't leave the same day you were scheduled to return.

    Since getting back home, you've received absolutely no contact from either of the girls, which is more than a little concerning. Penny can be a space case sometimes, but you'd think she'd at least remember to call.

    What you're going to do about it though, that's the million dollar question. You'd like to go looking for them yourself, but someone needs to stick around and guard the town, and three days is plenty of time for any trail you could follow on your own to go cold. At the same time, you can't just sit around doing nothing. You growl in frustration and go at your breakfast a bit more aggressively than before.

    You're just finishing up your bowl when your phone starts to ring. The ringtone informs you that it's your work phone, the one you use for magical girl business, rather than your personal phone, and you hurriedly fish it out of your pocket and hold it to your ear. "War Chaser speaking."

    "Mornin' Chaser," says a voice you instantly recognize as Lieutenant Randall from the local police department. Randall is the only man you've ever met who can combine an Irish brogue with a Texan drawl and still come out come out somewhat intelligible. "You're th' one who put in a request t' be informed if any combat forces got moved through the area, aye?"

    You nod on reflex, despite the fact that he can't see you. "Yeah, that's me."

    "Well, dependin' on yer disposition toward Counter Force soldiers settin' up in town, I have either good news or bad news."

    You plop your empty bowl in the sink and lean against the counter, frowning. "Elaborate please."

    Randall coughs and there's a sound of shuffling papers on the other end of the line before he responds. " 'Parently someone up th' chain heard about those demon buggers we been gettin' an' decided it was suspicious. They're sendin' a couple squads and some mages over t' bunker down and fend 'em off 'til they figure out what's up with 'em."

    You blink and stare across the room speculatively. "Huh. That is good news."

    "T' be honest Chaser, that's about th' opposite of what I expected from you, considerin' how insistent y've been on minimal publicity."

    "Don't get me wrong, I'd still prefer to stay as far off the radar as I can manage, but it looks like I may have to leave town again on short notice, and the girls aren't around to pick up the slack. Getting some CF people here to deal with any attacks that might happen while I'm gone is actually really convenient."

    "I see," Randal says as if you'd just revealed one of the fundamental secrets of the universe, "Take it y'll be wantin' me to pass that along t' th' Chief?"

    "If you would, please."

    "Not a problem. You take care on your business, y' hear?"

    "I'll do my best. If that's all?"

    "That's all."

    You grunt an acknowledgement and hang up, crossing your arms as you stare at the picture sitting on the shelf across the room. The Counter Force soldiers provide a neat solution to your first problem with hunting down your wayward friend and cousin, and you think you just might know someone who can help with the second one…

    ——/LINEBREAK IDENTIFIED\——​

    The drive up into Old Canada wasn't the longest trip you've ever made on your Harley, but there's a pretty big difference between cruising down the interstate and navigating the winding back roads that lead to your destination.

    It takes a couple misadventures with busted road signs, but you eventually find yourself rolling down a long gravel driveway to come into view of a large house—more of a small mansion, really—built to resemble a log cabin.

    You park your bike and dismount, strolling over to the door and knocking twice. A moment later, a girl maybe a couple years younger and most of a foot shorter than you opens the door.


    You smile and sketch a small wave. "Hey Blanc, what's up?"

    The shorter girl blinks at you once, slowly, then immediately tries to close the door.

    "Wha— Hey!" You exclaim, bracing a hand against the door before she can close it completely. "What kind of welcome for an old friend is that?!"

    "The amount of good things that could result from your presence here is measured in negative numbers," she says, shoving at harder at the door. "Now go away."

    "No can do," you reply with a grunt as you match her push with your own. "I need your help with something."

    Suddenly there's the sound of a window slamming open from above you and a voice calls out, "Hey, is that Mary?"

    You glance up reflexively at the sound of your name, which proves a mistake when Blanc takes advantage of your momentary distraction to knock your hand away and slam the door, locking it as soon as it's closed. "The answer's no, now get lost," she says, her voice muffled by the thick wood of the door.

    You huff and take a few steps back so you can look at the window above the doorway without putting a crick in your neck. Leaning out of it with her hands braced on the sill is a girl who looks like nothing so much as a younger Blanc with long hair. She smiles broadly at you and waves. "Mary! Hi!"

    You smile and wave back. "Hey there, um…" You cock your head and point at her. "Pearl, right?"

    She shakes her head. "Nope, I'm Argentée. Perle has short hair like Sis."

    "Are-shawn-tee…" you sound out slowly, trying to mimic her pronunciation. Your attempt apparently wasn't that good, judging by her giggles.

    "Close, but no cigar," she says with a shake of her head. "You can call me Silvie if you want; lots of people do so I don't mind."

    "No no, I'll get it right eventually," you reply with a wave, "I just need to say it a bit more."

    "If you say so~" she sing-songs teasingly, before pulling back into the window to lean her elbows on the sill and rest her chin in her hands. "So, what are you doing here? We haven't seen you in ages; is it just a social visit or is it mysterious magical girl things?"

    You frown up at her. "How did you know I was a magical girl?"

    "I didn't until just now. Thanks for confirming my theory~"

    …Well shit, she had you there. You'll need to watch out for that kind of thing in the future. After a moment Argentée coughs to break you out of your thoughts and motions for you to continue talking.

    "I'm… not here on magical girl business as such, but it's not just a social call either. I need your sister's help with something but, uh…" you glance back down at the—now locked—door, "It looks like she's not in a helping mood."

    Argentée hums speculatively. "I could probably convince her for you, but it'll cost you."

    You look back up at her and raise an eyebrow. "Cost me," you inquire flatly, crossing your arms.

    She smiles back at you smugly. "Yep. I want you to show me your magical girl transformation first."

    You raise your other eyebrow. "That's it?"

    She nods enthusiastically. "Yeah, I bet it'll be awesome!"

    You shrug, taking a few more steps back and rolling your shoulders to loosen them as you drop your arms to your sides. You close your eyes, breath in deeply, then exhale.


    A wave of power sweeps out from you at the declaration. Invisible, inaudible, intangible, but still very much there. Reality seems to tense, as if holding its breath in anticipation as you touch something inconceivably greater than yourself and allow it to flow into you. For a single, infinite instant, there is no distinction between the greater form and the lesser, only you.

    In that moment, the day is as night in comparison to your brilliance.

    You blaze with a Light that is indescribable in any mortal language. Your hair glows a color that is not a color, but the very definition of "Red". Your eyes burn "Blue", and your heart shines "Gold".

    For that small eternity you are more than what is…

    …and then you aren't again. You blink a couple times and shake your head to clear it, then glance up at Blanc's sister to see if she's satisfied.

    Honestly in your opinion, your MG form isn't that interesting. Sure, your hair and eyes glow a bit, but your outfit hardly even changes from what you wear around normally, there are barely any frills. What kind of magical girl doesn't have frills?

    The dress-up sequence must be a lot more impressive than the end result, though, if Argentée's slack-jawed expression is anything to go by.

    You raise your eyebrows at the girl and smirk a little. "Satisfied?"

    Your question seems to snap her out of her stupor, and her mouth snaps shut with a click. "That," she begins solemnly, "was one of the coolest things I have ever seen. Be right back."

    The last word is barely out of her mouth before she vanishes and a stream of excited chattering in what you're pretty sure is French begins to echo from further inside the house.

    About two minutes later, Blanc opens the door and glares sullenly at you. "Stop glowing like an idiot and get in here, I don't have all day."

    You shrug and start toward the door, allowing the power flowing through you to slip away, back to wherever it came from. Your transformed form flickers once, like a dying lightbulb, and then vanishes, leaving you normal once more as you step through the doorway into Blanc's (very nice) house. She leads you down the hall to a drawing room, closes the door behind you once you're both inside, and plops down on one of the sofas and crosses her arms. "Alright, what do you want?"

    You fish Penelope's note out of your pocket and pass it to her, before sitting down on the opposite sofa. "I found that on the kitchen counter… three days ago, now, and I'm pretty sure it was there for at least a day before that."

    Blanc frowns as she reads the note, then flips the piece of paper over to check if there's anything on the back. "Did you try calling them?"

    "Of course I did," you reply, then sigh and shake your head. "Penny won't pick up, and Plutie's won't even connect."

    "So you came to me for…?"

    "You were always the best one at magic stuff. I can do magic, but it's all instinctive. I wouldn't know the first thing about how to put together a spell to try and find them."

    Blanc hums noncommittally and nods along, staring intently at the note the whole time. Suddenly, she takes a deep breath and snaps loudly at the door. "Argentée! I know you're listening!"

    There's a squawk of surprise and a thumping noise like someone falling over from out in the hall, and a moment later the door creaks open to reveal Argentée lying in a tangled heap on the floor with a shorter-haired girl who could only be her twin. Blanc sighs and massages her temple, muttering "Of course you dragged Perle into it too," under her breath and confirming your suspicions.

    "How about," she suggests with a pointed glare at the younger girls, "instead of eavesdropping you go make yourselves useful and get the guest bedroom ready so Mary doesn't have to sleep on the couch."

    Argentée, managing to untangle herself enough to sit up, protests. "But we want to know what you and Mary are talking abou—"

    "Now, brats!"

    Argentée squeaks and scampers away, dragging her poor sibling behind her. You watch them go, then turn back to Blanc and raise an eyebrow. "Guest bedroom?"

    "I need to put some stuff together before we can go, and by the time I'm done it'll be dark. Easier for you to just stay the night and we can leave in the morning."

    "My bike does have a headlight," you point out. Blanc just stares at you flatly.

    "How many times did you get lost on the way here?"

    You glance away, embarrassed. "…Two or three."

    "So you want to try again… at night." Blanc snorts. "And here I was, thinking masochism was Plutia's thing."

    "Fine, fine, I take your point," you grumble, before meeting her eyes. "So you'll help me find them?"

    She nods once. "Yes. They're my friends too. I'm no more eager to see them run off and get into trouble than you are."

    With that, both of you rise, and you head outside to wheel your bike over to the garage where it would be out of the elements.

    ——/LINEBREAK IDENTIFIED\——​

    The next morning, you are awakened by the scent of frying bacon. Prompted by the growling of your stomach, you follow the heavenly aroma until you locate the kitchen. Blanc is sitting at the table, steadily devouring a stack of syrup-soaked pancakes that has to be at least a foot high. She pauses long enough to grunt in acknowledgement of your arrival, then returns to massacring her breakfast.

    Argentée, meanwhile, waves cheerily and chirps "Good morning, Mary!"

    You mumble back something that might vaguely scan as "g' mornin' " and plop down in a spare chair.

    Argentée giggles. "There'll be some more food in a little bit—"

    "Two minutes," Perle interjects from where she stands by the stove.

    "In about two minutes. You want some juice while you wait? It might help you wake up."

    You nod and make a vaguely agreeable noise at the prospect of sugar intake. Argentée gets up and grabs a jug of orange juice from the refrigerator and pours you a tall glass, which you promptly drain without coming up for air. She raises her eyebrows and pours you another glass, which you take to with a slightly more moderate pace while you watch Blanc eat. It's honestly kind of mesmerizing, watching the small girl tear into a serving of food nearly as big as her head. Where does she put it all?

    You're about halfway through your second glass of OJ and feeling much more awake when Argentée puts a plate with covered with bacon, eggs, and (a reasonable number of) pancakes down on the table in front of you. "Thank you, Argentée," you say with a smile.

    Her eyes widen and she beams. "Oh wow, you got it right!"

    "Said I would, didn't I?" you reply with a wink, before taking a bite of bacon. Which is immediately followed by another bite because hot dayum this is some good bacon. "My compliments to the chef as well," you call over to Perle, who blushes and ducks her head bashfully.

    "So," Blanc starts, having apparently finished her plate off while you weren't looking, "How are we heading back down to the States? I didn't see a sidecar on that bike of yours."

    You grin and waggle your eyebrows mischievously. "I hope you like hugs~"

    Blanc groans, while her sisters both giggle. "Okay, better question: Which one of the gang are we going after?"

    You frown. "What do you mean?"

    She gestures broadly as she takes a sip of her own juice. "The tracking spell I've got can follow the trail they've taken, but it can only track one person at a time, and I can't just change which one that is whenever I want.

    "Now, ideally they've both been following the same path, since Penny was supposed to be chasing Plutia in the first place. Realistically though, we need to decide which one of them we're going to track specifically."

    You nod, frowning thoughtfully.

    [ ] Plutia has been missing the longest, she needs to be found the quickest.
    [ ] Penelope left most recently, so you can probably catch up to her quicker.

    +100xp Not your first rodeo.
    +36xp Three dozen dead demons.
    +25xp Reconnected with Blanc La Neve!
    +5xp Met Argentée La Neve!
    +5xp Met Perle La Neve!

    171 EXP Gained = 171 EXP Total!

    [] EXP Plan?
    [] Save your EXP
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Not sure on who to follow, but...

    For XP, we obviously need to pick up the Health and Resilience mods. Possibly level them, but eh. Then there's our weapons mod as well. That's 95XP minimum. We can either wait an update and buy up the ability and/or spell after or we can upgrade some of the above that we did buy. Or our one spell.
     
    [X] Penelope is left most recently, so you can probably catch up to her quicker.

    Conquest is supposed to be the tank, so I'd prefer to get our DPS back first.

    [X] [EXP] Plan Basics
    -[X] Purchase Etherlite Resistance
    -[X] Purchase Etherlite Endurance
    -[X] Purchase Focused Godlight
    Total XP Expenditure: 95

    We should definitely get the health and Resilience modifiers first, followed by what sounds like an upgrade to our basic attack method. We can fight out what to upgrade next after the next update.
     
    LostDeviljho said:
    Clarification: Focused Godlight is an upgrade to the Starbow. It is not required for the bow itself to be leveled.
    Click to expand...
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    Ah. Kay. Rereading it sounds like a stacking buff to our attacks.

    Subject to "The Devil in the Details" that we don't know of course. *Shrug*

    Can you tell us how Memory in Amber works? I figure we've probably used it before the story started and I'm curious as to how it manifests.
     
    [X] Plutia has been missing the longest, she needs to be found the quickest.

    Plutia is more likely to need the help. Her phone is dead, so this spell might be the only way to nab her before she ends up in trouble above her neck. And if there's less problems there we might have a better shot backtracking to rescue Hero Drive.
     
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