PlaguePaladin
The Bird Lady
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Do I have to rewrite my plan, or...?
Confringentur 2; a Madoka Magica / Fate/Stay Night sequel
- Thread starter SVS
- Start date
- Crossover
- Pronouns
- Mr
[X] Plan Gem for a Gem
-[X] Accept the deal
--[X] And leave Asunaro
---[X] If they do not honor it, have everyone capable blow this place to high hell with no concern for collateral. If they want to mess around, then we'll give them the Mt. Hiei treatment.
---[X] Before leaving, ask if they even know why Kirika and Oriko killed in the first place, and if they believe that a bad person can turn a new leaf. If they're just relying on Kyubey for information, then honestly they deserve sympathy for not figuring out what he's like yet.
Hope you dont mind me stealing it and giving it a name but I'll post it anyway so we have a default option.
- Location
- Around here
Good. I am immensely dissatisfied with these rewrites. I wish I hadn't deleted them in the first place. If I hadn't spent half of the previous quest's life planning for this sequel I'd probably just quit all together after this. The first two are demonstrably worse in quality than their original versions, with only minor changes because I don't want to deal with this update any more than I already have, and I didn't even bother changing the third one because Mami was already beating on Kazumi before any debuffs.
That would be a waste of my time more than it would solve anything. I usually have no problem cranking out a decently-sized update on a per-day basis, but when I'm expected to juggle combat for 18 people with as many items that all need to be addressed, and when it takes multiple updates just to move the story along by just a single call to vote, that's what frustrates me. What frustrates me even more is having to redo all of that because I wasn't able to squeeze in one specific item that would have completely changed the dynamics of every combat encounter.
Honestly? Fuck if I care. I don't even want to do this at the moment. Come back at whatever time tomorrow is for you and maybe I'll be in a better mood.
EDIT: Guys, seriously, stop giving these shoddy replacements likes. I don't want to see that. These don't deserve to be liked. They deserve to be shamed for being the inferior replacements that they are.
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- Location
- Germany
[x] Plan Exchange of Information
-[x] Accept the deal
--[x] and leave Asunaro
---[x] Since the two of you are currently not fighting: Talk to them!
---[x] You want to eliminate the fake witches as well
---[x] Kyubey is not a reliable source of information (Tell them about witches)
---[x] If she's willing, offer to tell her most of Quest 1
I'm not sure whether the Pleiades currently know that we have the homunculus; I'd rather not betray that by accident. Also, excellent fight scene @SVS , and yay, a chance to parlay!
-[x] Accept the deal
--[x] and leave Asunaro
---[x] Since the two of you are currently not fighting: Talk to them!
---[x] You want to eliminate the fake witches as well
---[x] Kyubey is not a reliable source of information (Tell them about witches)
---[x] If she's willing, offer to tell her most of Quest 1
I'm not sure whether the Pleiades currently know that we have the homunculus; I'd rather not betray that by accident. Also, excellent fight scene @SVS , and yay, a chance to parlay!
[X] NMS
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PlaguePaladin
The Bird Lady
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] K4lepo
- Location
- Around here
Just a fair warning, there is a very real chance that this quest will end over this fuckup. There is no way I can undo the fuckup that was deleting the original three updates, nor is there any way I can present the rewrites in a way that will make me happy or preserve the impact of their original versions. We have two wasted pages completely devoid of context, and I don't know at the moment if I will ever be okay with the idea of going forward from this point when I am currently this frustrated with my work; and if I can't go forward from this point and be happy with it, then I will not be.
If I never see any of you again, I want to apologise for my behaviour last night. Yes, I was angry and frustrated, but that was no excuse for me to take it out on any of you, and I am sorry.
Don't bother responding to this or giving it any kind of reaction. There is a very real chance that I will not see it if you do.
If I never see any of you again, I want to apologise for my behaviour last night. Yes, I was angry and frustrated, but that was no excuse for me to take it out on any of you, and I am sorry.
Don't bother responding to this or giving it any kind of reaction. There is a very real chance that I will not see it if you do.
PlaguePaladin
The Bird Lady
- Pronouns
- She/Her
That's why with the K4lepo plan we're literally going to commit mass-destruction if the deal is not honored.
"If there's no neutral ground between us, then your city itself does not count."
Or at least, that was my though process.
"If there's no neutral ground between us, then your city itself does not count."
Or at least, that was my though process.
- Pronouns
- Mr
[X] Plan Gem for a Gem (Less War Crimes, More Diplomacy)
-[X] Accept the deal
--[X] And leave Asunaro
---[X] If they do not honor it, have everyone capable blow Angelica Bears to kingdom come. While you have no interest in causing more collateral than necessary, make it a point that you mean serious business in getting your sister's Soul Gem back.
---[X] Since you're entering something of a cease fire at the moment, try and get an answer for why Niko created a homunculus in the first place. Because now "Hijiri" has an interest in killing them for giving her false memories of a life that wasn't hers.
---[X] Your side wants to eliminate the fake Witches as well; why insist on dragging this war out when we can work together on the same goals?
---[X] Before leaving, ask if they even know why Kirika and Oriko killed in the first place, and if they believe that a bad person can turn a new leaf. If they're just relying on Kyubey for information, then honestly they deserve sympathy for not figuring out what he's like yet.
---[X] Once you get out of the city, beg Kirika not to tell Mom about this.
I thought I would try to splice together the votes a bit so we don't get stuck in a tie limbo.
@Swedish15 The worry about telling the Saints about Hijiri is understandable, but Mami's apartment is well fortified enough thanks to Caster so I'm confident that we'll be able to intercept them before they get the chance to abduct her. Also I think we already mentioned Hijiri to Mirai.
@NMS @SaintBenot I modified a portion of you guys' plan to fit in the vote if you want to give it a look.
@PlaguePaladin I hope you don't mind that I toned down the bit about mass destruction. I don't think the Saints are going to pull a fast one on us when they went through a lot of trouble to "revive" Kazumi.
@Enetious You're the master planner, so your insight would be appreciated. No seriously, I suck at crafting votes.
-[X] Accept the deal
--[X] And leave Asunaro
---[X] If they do not honor it, have everyone capable blow Angelica Bears to kingdom come. While you have no interest in causing more collateral than necessary, make it a point that you mean serious business in getting your sister's Soul Gem back.
---[X] Since you're entering something of a cease fire at the moment, try and get an answer for why Niko created a homunculus in the first place. Because now "Hijiri" has an interest in killing them for giving her false memories of a life that wasn't hers.
---[X] Your side wants to eliminate the fake Witches as well; why insist on dragging this war out when we can work together on the same goals?
---[X] Before leaving, ask if they even know why Kirika and Oriko killed in the first place, and if they believe that a bad person can turn a new leaf. If they're just relying on Kyubey for information, then honestly they deserve sympathy for not figuring out what he's like yet.
---[X] Once you get out of the city, beg Kirika not to tell Mom about this.
I thought I would try to splice together the votes a bit so we don't get stuck in a tie limbo.
@Swedish15 The worry about telling the Saints about Hijiri is understandable, but Mami's apartment is well fortified enough thanks to Caster so I'm confident that we'll be able to intercept them before they get the chance to abduct her. Also I think we already mentioned Hijiri to Mirai.
@NMS @SaintBenot I modified a portion of you guys' plan to fit in the vote if you want to give it a look.
@PlaguePaladin I hope you don't mind that I toned down the bit about mass destruction. I don't think the Saints are going to pull a fast one on us when they went through a lot of trouble to "revive" Kazumi.
@Enetious You're the master planner, so your insight would be appreciated. No seriously, I suck at crafting votes.
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- Location
- United States
[X] Plan Archer's A Charming Guy (part 1)
You have only a brief moment to confirm the identity of the two unknown servants before they spring out and attack; they are both woman, with the darker-garbed of the pair being the one you guess is Lancer. She wears a dark, skintight bodysuit decorated in black and gold, and as she charges forward with two spears, the brilliant ruby hanging over her brow gleams as it catches the nonexistent moonlight. It reminds you of a Soul Gem. Her face is uncomfortably familiar - is that Assassin? - though framed by hair of a slightly redder shade than that belonging to Nurse Ortensia's Assassin. That can't possibly be Assassin, you think, as you scan the enemy servant with your master's vision.
Spoiler: Lancer of Blue
Your master's vision confirms that the enemy's Lancer is in fact not your own team's Assassin. You recall Assassin having a twin sister; this is most likely her. Her physical parameters are on the higher end of average - that, in and of itself, isn't enough to cause you worry - but her ability to slay the divine is worrisome, because it means she can bypass Rider's protection and potentially harm him. In addition, her final skill and her second Noble Phantasm leave you terrified. Why can you not read them? Attempting to do so is like staring at the witch-runes for far too long; or worse. You feel your mind going numb before you force yourself to pull away and focus on the battle in front of you.
Of course, your worst fears are confirmed when you see the enemy Lancer making for Rider, while Berserker and her master make for your own Berserker and Kirika. The enemy's Berserker is tall, with long bright crimson hair blowing in every direction even without a breeze, and a sword and shield that gleam even without light. She wears white and red and leather armour of brown, and a fur-lined cape flows out behind her as she and Berserker clash blades. You trust Berserker to have a handle on his opponent, but you still believe it pertinent to check on the enemy Berserker, in case she too has something off about her that might throw the battle against you.
Spoiler: Berserker of Blue
The enemy's Berserker leaves you completely stupefied. Her physical parameters are all on the higher end, matching those of your own Berserker, except all of them have an additional modifier attached to them. Her skills are similarly on the high, and she possesses three Noble Phantasms. As she clashes blades with Berserker, her mental faculties appear to be similar to his; she doesn't appear to be affected by the Mad Enhancement you had expected would plague a Berserker. In fact, she seems as competent as Kirika's Berserker, if not demonstratively outmatched in terms of the versatility of their current weapons. A shield and sword can only get you so far against an opponent whose weapon can be anything.
You don't have any more time to dwell on these new opponents; you've got your own battle to fight. Tomoe-san and Kyouko break off to focus on Wakaba Mirai and the girl who looks like Kazusa Michiru, and as soon as you take your eyes off Kirika the orange-haired girl has pile-driven her through the roof, leaving only you and Oriko to deal with Asami Saki. You know Oriko doesn't have the footwork to keep up with someone as fast as Asami Saki, so that just leaves you. "You seem lost," Asami Saki says to you, as electricity writhes around her arms. "Do Lancer and Berserker really have you that worried? If you'd prefer, you can surrender right now."
"No thanks," you say, drawing your bow and readying a flight of arrows. "I think I'll trust in my team's servants and take my chances against you."
You loose, arrows of ice soaring not to where Asami Saki is, but where you think she will be. You aren't trying to seriously harm her; if you do that, her Saber who has yet to make an appearance may decide to step in and fight, so as long as you can immobilise without grievously harming Asami Saki, you'll be satisfied. Her lightning whips lash out at you, but Oriko throws up a barrier between you and Asami Saki's attack, breaking it immediately to retaliate with a barrage of mana bolts from her drones. No matter how many times Asami Saki dodges, you'll repeat this as many times as it takes, because it's all part of the plan. The plan to herd Asami Saki into position so you can take her Soul Gem.
A position Asami Saki seems none too keen on letting you herd her into, as she immediately bounds backwards to the building next to this one. Uttering "Trace on," under your breath, you course mana through your body to Reinforce your legs as you bound off in pursuit, with Oriko following not far behind. Are you sure you should be following me?" you ask, as you loose another volley of arrows towards your opponent. What if someone else needs the help?"
"Nobody else is in immediate danger," Oriko replies, calling on a pair of barriers to herd Asami Saki into the path of your arrows' flight. "I should be able to help you for a little while, at least."
You'll trust Oriko to know best, and resume the attack. Asami Saki bounds off of Oriko's barriers, letting her hands get caught in your path of your arrows rather than anything more vital. "I don't really need these to hurt you," she says, bounding forward and proving her point by punching you several times in the face with her frozen-over fists. You quickly recover, loosing another volley of arrows as you fall back. "Is that all you can do?" Asami Saki asks, pulsing her coils of electricity to heat the surrounding air before your arrows can freeze her any further. "Your arrows are cute, but if that's all you can do then you're hardly a match for m-"
A giant, transparent hand silences Asami Saki, its swift punch sends her flying as Oriko says "You really shouldn't brag so much," before her drones scatter, reforming into a series of barriers.
Asami Saki picks herself up, water dripping from her sleeves as the coursing electricity wrapped around her arms melt the ice covering her hands. "You're Lancer's master, right?" she asks Oriko. "What are you doing hiding him away? Scared Saber will beat her again? Scared she'll die?"
"No, I-" Oriko's words are cut off as the roof shakes. The entire building shakes, courtesy of the two dueling Berserker casually crashing one another through its walls at every opportunity. The orange-haired girl had done the same thing, pile-driving Kirika through the roof and into the building below; now, it would appear that the two Berserkers are alternatively attempting to either aide their master, impede the enemy master, or impede one another from either attempt. You won't take your eyes off the battle to check which Berserker is winning, but- "Kirika!" Oriko's eyes go wide, and she immediately turns tail and makes for the hole in the adjacent building's roof.
"I'm guessing something bad has happened to the little black one?" Asami Saki asks. "That would be such a shame, wouldn't it? After all those girls she's killed, wouldn't it be fitting for something bad to have finally happened to her?" Oh, that does it. You don't waste any time bringing your bow up, loosing another volley of arrows towards Asami Saki. "That's more like it! Let's get back in the swing of things, shall we?"
You have only a brief moment to confirm the identity of the two unknown servants before they spring out and attack; they are both woman, with the darker-garbed of the pair being the one you guess is Lancer. She wears a dark, skintight bodysuit decorated in black and gold, and as she charges forward with two spears, the brilliant ruby hanging over her brow gleams as it catches the nonexistent moonlight. It reminds you of a Soul Gem. Her face is uncomfortably familiar - is that Assassin? - though framed by hair of a slightly redder shade than that belonging to Nurse Ortensia's Assassin. That can't possibly be Assassin, you think, as you scan the enemy servant with your master's vision.
Spoiler: Lancer of Blue
Your master's vision confirms that the enemy's Lancer is in fact not your own team's Assassin. You recall Assassin having a twin sister; this is most likely her. Her physical parameters are on the higher end of average - that, in and of itself, isn't enough to cause you worry - but her ability to slay the divine is worrisome, because it means she can bypass Rider's protection and potentially harm him. In addition, her final skill and her second Noble Phantasm leave you terrified. Why can you not read them? Attempting to do so is like staring at the witch-runes for far too long; or worse. You feel your mind going numb before you force yourself to pull away and focus on the battle in front of you.
Of course, your worst fears are confirmed when you see the enemy Lancer making for Rider, while Berserker and her master make for your own Berserker and Kirika. The enemy's Berserker is tall, with long bright crimson hair blowing in every direction even without a breeze, and a sword and shield that gleam even without light. She wears white and red and leather armour of brown, and a fur-lined cape flows out behind her as she and Berserker clash blades. You trust Berserker to have a handle on his opponent, but you still believe it pertinent to check on the enemy Berserker, in case she too has something off about her that might throw the battle against you.
Spoiler: Berserker of Blue
The enemy's Berserker leaves you completely stupefied. Her physical parameters are all on the higher end, matching those of your own Berserker, except all of them have an additional modifier attached to them. Her skills are similarly on the high, and she possesses three Noble Phantasms. As she clashes blades with Berserker, her mental faculties appear to be similar to his; she doesn't appear to be affected by the Mad Enhancement you had expected would plague a Berserker. In fact, she seems as competent as Kirika's Berserker, if not demonstratively outmatched in terms of the versatility of their current weapons. A shield and sword can only get you so far against an opponent whose weapon can be anything.
You don't have any more time to dwell on these new opponents; you've got your own battle to fight. Tomoe-san and Kyouko break off to focus on Wakaba Mirai and the girl who looks like Kazusa Michiru, and as soon as you take your eyes off Kirika the orange-haired girl has pile-driven her through the roof, leaving only you and Oriko to deal with Asami Saki. You know Oriko doesn't have the footwork to keep up with someone as fast as Asami Saki, so that just leaves you. "You seem lost," Asami Saki says to you, as electricity writhes around her arms. "Do Lancer and Berserker really have you that worried? If you'd prefer, you can surrender right now."
"No thanks," you say, drawing your bow and readying a flight of arrows. "I think I'll trust in my team's servants and take my chances against you."
You loose, arrows of ice soaring not to where Asami Saki is, but where you think she will be. You aren't trying to seriously harm her; if you do that, her Saber who has yet to make an appearance may decide to step in and fight, so as long as you can immobilise without grievously harming Asami Saki, you'll be satisfied. Her lightning whips lash out at you, but Oriko throws up a barrier between you and Asami Saki's attack, breaking it immediately to retaliate with a barrage of mana bolts from her drones. No matter how many times Asami Saki dodges, you'll repeat this as many times as it takes, because it's all part of the plan. The plan to herd Asami Saki into position so you can take her Soul Gem.
A position Asami Saki seems none too keen on letting you herd her into, as she immediately bounds backwards to the building next to this one. Uttering "Trace on," under your breath, you course mana through your body to Reinforce your legs as you bound off in pursuit, with Oriko following not far behind. Are you sure you should be following me?" you ask, as you loose another volley of arrows towards your opponent. What if someone else needs the help?"
"Nobody else is in immediate danger," Oriko replies, calling on a pair of barriers to herd Asami Saki into the path of your arrows' flight. "I should be able to help you for a little while, at least."
You'll trust Oriko to know best, and resume the attack. Asami Saki bounds off of Oriko's barriers, letting her hands get caught in your path of your arrows rather than anything more vital. "I don't really need these to hurt you," she says, bounding forward and proving her point by punching you several times in the face with her frozen-over fists. You quickly recover, loosing another volley of arrows as you fall back. "Is that all you can do?" Asami Saki asks, pulsing her coils of electricity to heat the surrounding air before your arrows can freeze her any further. "Your arrows are cute, but if that's all you can do then you're hardly a match for m-"
A giant, transparent hand silences Asami Saki, its swift punch sends her flying as Oriko says "You really shouldn't brag so much," before her drones scatter, reforming into a series of barriers.
Asami Saki picks herself up, water dripping from her sleeves as the coursing electricity wrapped around her arms melt the ice covering her hands. "You're Lancer's master, right?" she asks Oriko. "What are you doing hiding him away? Scared Saber will beat her again? Scared she'll die?"
"No, I-" Oriko's words are cut off as the roof shakes. The entire building shakes, courtesy of the two dueling Berserker casually crashing one another through its walls at every opportunity. The orange-haired girl had done the same thing, pile-driving Kirika through the roof and into the building below; now, it would appear that the two Berserkers are alternatively attempting to either aide their master, impede the enemy master, or impede one another from either attempt. You won't take your eyes off the battle to check which Berserker is winning, but- "Kirika!" Oriko's eyes go wide, and she immediately turns tail and makes for the hole in the adjacent building's roof.
"I'm guessing something bad has happened to the little black one?" Asami Saki asks. "That would be such a shame, wouldn't it? After all those girls she's killed, wouldn't it be fitting for something bad to have finally happened to her?" Oh, that does it. You don't waste any time bringing your bow up, loosing another volley of arrows towards Asami Saki. "That's more like it! Let's get back in the swing of things, shall we?"
[X] Plan Archer's A Charming Guy (part 2)
Before her brain had registered that she was being attacked, Kirika had been rammed through the roof by the orange-haired girl. She hit the floor, hard, wincing as she crashed into a piece of rubble dangerously close to where her Soul Gem sat on her back. Maki Kaoru, landing beside her, quickly turned and delivered a powerful kick to Kirika's side, sending her flying into the wall.
"So, you're one of those two little murderers, right?" Kaoru asked. "How's it feel, knowing that the shoe's on the other foot now?"
"It'd feel better if the shoe actually fit, 'cause you're seriously out of date with that accusation" Kirika replied as she pulled herself up, readying both her claws and her body for her opponent to charge again. "I haven't killed anyone in eighteen months. If I did, Oriko'd be really mad at me."
"Would she now?"
"She's my everything," Kirika replied. "I'd hate to disappoint her." Kirika swung her claws as she charged forward, but Kaoru made no effort to dodge her blows, only crossing her arms in front of her face. Kirika's claws sliced cleanly through the fabric of her opponent's clothes, but shattered the instant they struck the flesh underneath. Or what passed for flesh, that is. "What?" Kirika tried again, and again, calling on her claws and striking at her opponent three more times in rapid succession, but each time she tried her claws were broken when they struck Kaoru's arms.
With her opponent's sleeves torn to shreds, Kirika could now see what was going on. The skin on Kaoru's arms was completely smooth and black, like a piece of obsidian. "You done yet?" Kaoru asked as the skin of her legs turned the same glossy black colour as her arms. "Then it's my turn." Her single kick was easy to avoid, her punch easy to block; but even the passing of Kaoru's leg was enough to knock the wind out of Kirika's lungs, and her punch easily shattered Kirika's arm.
"Guess it's time to get serious, then," Kirika said, wincing as she forced her broken arm into a fighting posture. "Time Alter: Double Accel!"
Kirika leaped forward, using the force of her own body's acceleration as a projectile weapon against her opponent as she drew another set of claws. Her claws still shattered against Kaoru's blackened skin, but this time the force of her kicks moving at two-times speed was enough to send the orange-haired girl flying. Kaoru crashed into the wall with enough force to leave a crater, and had to quickly pull herself to safety as Kirika struck, her claws embedding themselves in the wall. Kaoru retaliated with another kick, but Kirika released her hold on her claws, performing a backflip up the wall to avoid the attack, before dropping with her legs spread open. With one swift motion, she caught the orange-haired girl's head between her thighs, twisting her body around as the two of them fell to ensure a clean blow to Kaoru's immobilised head. That was finally enough to draw blood.
"You're almost as fast as Saki," Kaoru said as she pulled herself up, wiping away the blood running down the side of her face. "That's good; means you might actually be a challenge!"
"You're wrong," Kirika said, tensing her body to pounce as soon as she declared "I'm faster. Time Alter: Triple Accel!"
Kaoru ducked, attempting to strike with a rolling kick while Kirika was still airborne, but Kirika was faster. Wheeling her body around in midair, Kirika retaliated with a kick of her own. Only Kaoru's timely raising of her arm prevented the kick from liquefying her head, but Kirika had already kicked off of Kaoru's arm before she could counter. The pair grappled as Kirika rebounded into her opponent, with Kirika again drawing blood when she headbutted Kaoru, before sending her flying with a three-times-speed kick to the chest. "I'll be taking your Soul Gem now!" Kirika proclaimed as she charged towards Kaoru at three-times speed, only to be interrupted as the wall beside her was blown to pieces.
Two dueling servants came crashing through the wall just as Kaoru picked herself up off the ground. The two Berserkers were opposites in every way; one, a male with dark hair and black armour; the other, a female with bright hair and white cloth. Their weapons were a blur as they fought, neither shield nor sword, nor whatever the male Berserker was holding - for the weapon appeared to change its shape with every swing, attempting to find purchase where the female Berserker would allow for none - finding their opening to harm the enemy. The ground under their feet shattered as they fought, and the entire building shook as its foundations gave way to the rage of the clashing servants of madness.
"Berserker!" Both Kirika and Kaoru shouted to their servants in unison, sparing only a moment from their own battle to look at one another as they both called out to the same servant.
The female Berserker was the first to break their stalemate. When the chance presented itself, she spun her entire body around, using her long cape like a combination of whip and shield to break through the flurry of blows coming from the male Berserker. Her attack forced him to duck, but that only brought him in range of a punishing blow from her leg. The male Berserker tossed his weapon into the air as he flew, repositioning himself to land on his hands in order to deliver a series of punishing kicks when the female Berserker attempted to close the gap during his flight. His weapon came down in the form of a hammer, crashing against her raised shield as he quickly retrieved it, renewing the onslaught.
"Kick her ass, Berserker!"
"Don't let him beat you, Berserker!"
The female Berserker spun again, once more using her cape as a weapon, but this time the male Berserker was prepared. He parried her blows, before breaking his weapon into two smaller swords, striking through her defenses once, twice, before rejoining them into a single weapon to strike thrice. The female Berserker was thrown, back through the wall, and for a brief moment it looked as though the male Berserker would join his master in the fight against her orange-haired opponent; until the female Berserker - bloodied, but not yet broken - dove back into the fight again, tackling the male Berserker and crashing their bodies through the opposite wall.
Without wasting a beat, Kaoru lunged as soon as the coast was clear of their rampaging servants, but Kirika ducked. She grabbed the orange-haired girl's outstretched arm and used it as leverage to fling her opponent across the empty room. Crashing into the wall, the orange-haired girl disappeared from Kirika's field of view for an instant, before reappearing behind her.
"Got you!" Kirika cried, wheeling her entire body around as she drew her claws. "I wonder how much it'd hurt if I stuck these claws right through your face-!" Her claws penetrated, but they penetrated the air, and not the face of her opponent. "What?" Standing by the wall where she knew she had kicked the orange-haired girl into, Kirika could now see another girl, except this one had long blue hair, and was holding an open book in her hands. Their eyes met, and for a brief moment Kirika could see her own amber eyes reflecting in the sheen of the other girl's glasses. Then, the sound of cracking glass filled her ears, and she wheeled around in time to see the orange-haired girl's fist breaking through one of Oriko's barriers. It took only a fraction of a second more for her hand to punch through the barrier, and both her and her opponent's eyes went wide as Kirika felt something penetrate through her intestines, before her body lost all feeling below the waist.
"Kirika!" That was Oriko's voice... Oriko's gotten a lot taller lately, Kirika thought; and the ground's gotten a lot closer, too.
Oriko looked down at Kirika, who was splayed out on the ground with a fist-sized hole going clean through her body; then she looked at the pair of girls who stood over Kirika. An army of drones formed behind Oriko, each one thrumming with mana. "Oriko..." Kirika barely managed to sputter out the name. "Be careful, they... The orange one's skin is like diamonds; I couldn't put a scratch on her."
"Is that so?" Oriko asked. Her eyes narrowed, and her drones formed into a pair of long barrelled lattices. "Then I'll just have to hit her with something that can."
"You might want to reconsider attacking me right now," Kaoru said. "Wouldn't want to hit this, would you?" In Kaoru's hand, her blackened fingers slick with blood, was a bright orange diamond. "So, what's it going to be? Revenge, or reason?"
Just then, an enormous explosion rocked the building, and a brilliant violet light set the sky ablaze.
Before her brain had registered that she was being attacked, Kirika had been rammed through the roof by the orange-haired girl. She hit the floor, hard, wincing as she crashed into a piece of rubble dangerously close to where her Soul Gem sat on her back. Maki Kaoru, landing beside her, quickly turned and delivered a powerful kick to Kirika's side, sending her flying into the wall.
"So, you're one of those two little murderers, right?" Kaoru asked. "How's it feel, knowing that the shoe's on the other foot now?"
"It'd feel better if the shoe actually fit, 'cause you're seriously out of date with that accusation" Kirika replied as she pulled herself up, readying both her claws and her body for her opponent to charge again. "I haven't killed anyone in eighteen months. If I did, Oriko'd be really mad at me."
"Would she now?"
"She's my everything," Kirika replied. "I'd hate to disappoint her." Kirika swung her claws as she charged forward, but Kaoru made no effort to dodge her blows, only crossing her arms in front of her face. Kirika's claws sliced cleanly through the fabric of her opponent's clothes, but shattered the instant they struck the flesh underneath. Or what passed for flesh, that is. "What?" Kirika tried again, and again, calling on her claws and striking at her opponent three more times in rapid succession, but each time she tried her claws were broken when they struck Kaoru's arms.
With her opponent's sleeves torn to shreds, Kirika could now see what was going on. The skin on Kaoru's arms was completely smooth and black, like a piece of obsidian. "You done yet?" Kaoru asked as the skin of her legs turned the same glossy black colour as her arms. "Then it's my turn." Her single kick was easy to avoid, her punch easy to block; but even the passing of Kaoru's leg was enough to knock the wind out of Kirika's lungs, and her punch easily shattered Kirika's arm.
"Guess it's time to get serious, then," Kirika said, wincing as she forced her broken arm into a fighting posture. "Time Alter: Double Accel!"
Kirika leaped forward, using the force of her own body's acceleration as a projectile weapon against her opponent as she drew another set of claws. Her claws still shattered against Kaoru's blackened skin, but this time the force of her kicks moving at two-times speed was enough to send the orange-haired girl flying. Kaoru crashed into the wall with enough force to leave a crater, and had to quickly pull herself to safety as Kirika struck, her claws embedding themselves in the wall. Kaoru retaliated with another kick, but Kirika released her hold on her claws, performing a backflip up the wall to avoid the attack, before dropping with her legs spread open. With one swift motion, she caught the orange-haired girl's head between her thighs, twisting her body around as the two of them fell to ensure a clean blow to Kaoru's immobilised head. That was finally enough to draw blood.
"You're almost as fast as Saki," Kaoru said as she pulled herself up, wiping away the blood running down the side of her face. "That's good; means you might actually be a challenge!"
"You're wrong," Kirika said, tensing her body to pounce as soon as she declared "I'm faster. Time Alter: Triple Accel!"
Kaoru ducked, attempting to strike with a rolling kick while Kirika was still airborne, but Kirika was faster. Wheeling her body around in midair, Kirika retaliated with a kick of her own. Only Kaoru's timely raising of her arm prevented the kick from liquefying her head, but Kirika had already kicked off of Kaoru's arm before she could counter. The pair grappled as Kirika rebounded into her opponent, with Kirika again drawing blood when she headbutted Kaoru, before sending her flying with a three-times-speed kick to the chest. "I'll be taking your Soul Gem now!" Kirika proclaimed as she charged towards Kaoru at three-times speed, only to be interrupted as the wall beside her was blown to pieces.
Two dueling servants came crashing through the wall just as Kaoru picked herself up off the ground. The two Berserkers were opposites in every way; one, a male with dark hair and black armour; the other, a female with bright hair and white cloth. Their weapons were a blur as they fought, neither shield nor sword, nor whatever the male Berserker was holding - for the weapon appeared to change its shape with every swing, attempting to find purchase where the female Berserker would allow for none - finding their opening to harm the enemy. The ground under their feet shattered as they fought, and the entire building shook as its foundations gave way to the rage of the clashing servants of madness.
"Berserker!" Both Kirika and Kaoru shouted to their servants in unison, sparing only a moment from their own battle to look at one another as they both called out to the same servant.
The female Berserker was the first to break their stalemate. When the chance presented itself, she spun her entire body around, using her long cape like a combination of whip and shield to break through the flurry of blows coming from the male Berserker. Her attack forced him to duck, but that only brought him in range of a punishing blow from her leg. The male Berserker tossed his weapon into the air as he flew, repositioning himself to land on his hands in order to deliver a series of punishing kicks when the female Berserker attempted to close the gap during his flight. His weapon came down in the form of a hammer, crashing against her raised shield as he quickly retrieved it, renewing the onslaught.
"Kick her ass, Berserker!"
"Don't let him beat you, Berserker!"
The female Berserker spun again, once more using her cape as a weapon, but this time the male Berserker was prepared. He parried her blows, before breaking his weapon into two smaller swords, striking through her defenses once, twice, before rejoining them into a single weapon to strike thrice. The female Berserker was thrown, back through the wall, and for a brief moment it looked as though the male Berserker would join his master in the fight against her orange-haired opponent; until the female Berserker - bloodied, but not yet broken - dove back into the fight again, tackling the male Berserker and crashing their bodies through the opposite wall.
Without wasting a beat, Kaoru lunged as soon as the coast was clear of their rampaging servants, but Kirika ducked. She grabbed the orange-haired girl's outstretched arm and used it as leverage to fling her opponent across the empty room. Crashing into the wall, the orange-haired girl disappeared from Kirika's field of view for an instant, before reappearing behind her.
"Got you!" Kirika cried, wheeling her entire body around as she drew her claws. "I wonder how much it'd hurt if I stuck these claws right through your face-!" Her claws penetrated, but they penetrated the air, and not the face of her opponent. "What?" Standing by the wall where she knew she had kicked the orange-haired girl into, Kirika could now see another girl, except this one had long blue hair, and was holding an open book in her hands. Their eyes met, and for a brief moment Kirika could see her own amber eyes reflecting in the sheen of the other girl's glasses. Then, the sound of cracking glass filled her ears, and she wheeled around in time to see the orange-haired girl's fist breaking through one of Oriko's barriers. It took only a fraction of a second more for her hand to punch through the barrier, and both her and her opponent's eyes went wide as Kirika felt something penetrate through her intestines, before her body lost all feeling below the waist.
"Kirika!" That was Oriko's voice... Oriko's gotten a lot taller lately, Kirika thought; and the ground's gotten a lot closer, too.
Oriko looked down at Kirika, who was splayed out on the ground with a fist-sized hole going clean through her body; then she looked at the pair of girls who stood over Kirika. An army of drones formed behind Oriko, each one thrumming with mana. "Oriko..." Kirika barely managed to sputter out the name. "Be careful, they... The orange one's skin is like diamonds; I couldn't put a scratch on her."
"Is that so?" Oriko asked. Her eyes narrowed, and her drones formed into a pair of long barrelled lattices. "Then I'll just have to hit her with something that can."
"You might want to reconsider attacking me right now," Kaoru said. "Wouldn't want to hit this, would you?" In Kaoru's hand, her blackened fingers slick with blood, was a bright orange diamond. "So, what's it going to be? Revenge, or reason?"
Just then, an enormous explosion rocked the building, and a brilliant violet light set the sky ablaze.
[X] Plan Archer's A Charming Guy (part 3)
The opening shot was fired by Mami, her muskets firing in sequence one by one on the girl who was her opponent. Wakaba MIrai had made straight for Kyouko, so that left Mami with the black-haired girl, the one who looked like Kazusa Michiru but wasn't. In the brief second between when Mami's muskets were discarded and when her new volley was ready, Kazumi charged, swinging wide with the long black weapon in her hands. It wasn't quite a spear - more like a staff with the arms of a cross near the head - and it came down like a hammer. The roof splintered from its blow as Mami jumped out of the way. "Sorry!" Kazumi shouted, as Mami landed on the roof of the building next door. "I promise this'll go a lot smoother if you just stand still!"
"How curious," Mami said, calling on another volley of muskets, which opened fire as soon as they were ready. "Are you concerned about the collateral damage, or about me?"
"Yes!" Kazumi swung her staff around, catching Mami in the stomach. Despite the crunch that resounded as the staff crashed into Mami's ribs, it was Kazumi who was wincing the harder of the two from that attack. "I don't want to hurt you! I just don't want you to hurt my friends!"
"Mami!"
Kyouko turned her head as the impact of Kazumi's attack echoed, but her moment of distraction was enough for Mirai to take the lead, dealing a punishing blow to Kyouko as she yelled "Keep your eyes on me, moron!"
"I'm fine, Sakura-san," Mami said as she scrambled to her feet. Her breathing was harsh - that attack had definitely broken at least one rib, she was sure of it - but she wasn't about to let a few broken ribs slow her down. "Keep your eyes on your own battle!" It wasn't as though she was missing her shots; each one had found their mark on the black-haired girl. But like the other girl Mami had shot at, the black-haired girl's body kept regenerating with every shot Mami took.
Mami called on another musket, but Kazumi swing her staff, knocking the weapon's shot far off into the distance. But at this close a range... Ribbons wrapped themselves around Mami's leg to form a turbine-powered greave, and with a cry of "Turbina Dinamo!" she kicked, sending Kazumi flying high into the air. With her opponent airborne, Mami opened fire, but rather than letting her body absorb the hits, Kazumi swung her staff in a wide arc, blocking each bullet in sequence before landing, and charging Mami with her staff. A ring of muskets formed around Mami as the two dueled, muskets firing in sequence as Kazumi blocked or tanked each shot made on her.
On the building beside them, Rider clashed spears with the enemy Lancer. Rider was faster on foot than his opponent, but she was far and away more flexible, more fluid, able to bend her body to avoid his strikes in ways he had never seen before, save perhaps from his master and her allies. Rider struck with all his speed, but the enemy Lancer gave him no opening to exploit his speed; and unlike him, she wasn't limited to just the one spear. As soon as he had struck, her fingers traced the Tiwaz rune, and she called down another three spears to prevent him from reaching her. She wasn't so much throwing her spears as she was launching them, as Caster might with swords from Babylon. Rider parried with his shield, but spears found their way around to his backside. Rider spun around, taking the hit but preventing the spears from penetrating his heel. She really was able to harm him, huh?
Arrows from Archer, some kilometers off, soared overhead, striking who-knows-which enemies. The enemy's Saber and Rider had yet to show themselves, but with Archer off providing fire support, Saber guarding the otherwise-useless master of Assassin, and Rider and Berserker being kept busy with their own battles, Rider didn't know if their team could even handle those opponents appearing. Spears clashed, and Rider brought around his shield to bash the enemy Lancer's face in. Instead, she used his shield as a springboard, leaping high into the air and avoiding the next thrust of his spear, before tracing the Tiwaz rune once again and calling on spears of her own to rain down. Their bodies were a blur of colours as they clashed, spear and shield and spear in constant flux
Mami had no trouble ignoring the fight between Rider and the enemy Lancer, but Kazumi made the mistake of diverting her eyes for just a moment to watch the clash of spears between her servant and her enemy's; in that moment, Mami struck. A volley of musket-fire overwhelmed Kazumi, a swift kick disarmed her of her spear, and a flick of Mami's wrist called forth a trail of ribbons marked with crimson Berkano runes along their length. In seconds, Mami had Kazumi immobilised within her ribbons. The black-haired girl struggled against the bindings, but the Berkano-laced ribbons were too strong for her to break free of.
"I'm terribly sorry about this, dear," Mami said to Kazumi, reaching for the crimson bauble hanging from her right ear. "This will only hurt for a moment." Mami tugged, ripping the Soul Gem from Kazumi's ear. Mami didn't smile as her eyes locked on the thin trail of crimson trickling down Kazumi's earlobe, but as long as her opponent wasn't going anywhere, she felt comfortable pocketing the Soul Gem.
"G̸i̷v̵e̵ ̶t̴h̸a̸t̶ ̷b̵a̸c̵k̷.̵.̶.̴" Kazumi growled, struggling even harder against her bindings. "G̷̥͓͝i̴͉̇v̷̝͊͗ę̶̝̏͠ ̸̯͍̀̆ḭ̴̥̀͑t̷̟̍ ̸͖̖̅͋b̴̖̞̌ä̵͙̈́c̸̢̻̋k̸̢͕͑!̵̡̇̄" Before Mami could reinforce her bindings, Kazumi had ripped herself free, grabbing for her staff before leaping on top of Mami. "T̸͖͔̈́h̶͖̻͍͆̚a̵͖̣̅̾ṱ̸̊̈͠'̷̬̝̀̀ş̵͙̉͝ ̸̖̱̱͑̓̕m̵̢̋̾̎ḯ̸̟̖͘ń̷̘͖͇ḕ̶̡̲̚!̴̠̠̅͠ ̵̜̠̌G̵̢͍̊í̷͓̘v̶̡͕̼͑e̷̟̺̐͘ ̷͕͈͓̂i̴͈̾̆͂t̸͕̓ ̷̡̔͌̈́b̴̳̪̿̈̆͜a̷̘̗͒c̵͔̅͒k̶̳̞̝̀ ̶̺͆͂t̵͔̫́̂̈́o̷̗̜͑̆̑͜ ̷̛͕̏͘m̴̦̭͆e̷͔̮͑!̷̨̬͆" Kazumi's charge knocked Mami to the ground, pressing her staff tightly against Mami's neck to keep her pinned down. Wild mania filled Kazumi's eyes; she leaned in, biting down on Mami's ear. Sharp pain shot through the right side of Mami's head, and something wet stuck to her cheek and the side of her jaw. When Kazumi reared her head up, Mami could see a piece of her ear clenched tightly between Kazumi's bloodstained teeth.
Kazumi spat Mami's ear out and leaned in again, biting her neck this time. Mami felt Kazumi's teeth break the skin, but before she let the girl tear a chunk from her neckk, she called on a volley of muskets, forcing Kazumi back and off of her as her guns expended their ammunition. She clamped her hand down on her neck, bu that did little to staunch the bleeding, and left Mami with only one hand with which to fight back. It's not like she'd actually die if she bled out. Throwing caution to the wind in the name of finishing the fight quicker, Mami eschewed putting pressure on her neck wound and called on a volley of muskets for each hand.
Mami fired, all guns blazing, but Kazumi brought her staff up. "L̸̙̦͆͝ĩ̸̙͍̟̈́̇m̸̭͓͈̿̓̈́̐ì̵̡̠̓ţ̸͔̱̝̐̈̚͝i̶̩̜͍͆̍̈́́ ̵̫͒͌͛Ȅ̶̝̽̀̇s̶̺͉̥̞̐̚t̴͚͕͐̊̎ë̸̱̹́̾r̸̞̬̔̾ͅṇ̷̛̲̲i̵̮̺̲̭͑̚!̷̦́̆" Her screaming was unintelligible, but at this point words were clearly no longer necessary. A brilliant light coursed outwards from the centerpiece of the staff, burning away all of Mami's bullets, before a massive explosion rocked the building. Rather than a mushroom cloud, the violet burst of light shot skyward, growing arms as it reached its point to form a cross shape high in the sky.
You turn your head just as a massive explosion rocks the building next door, burning your eyes on the brilliant violet cross lights up the night sky. "What was that?" you ask.
"That was probably Kazumi," Asami Saki says. "She can be rather... Well, I think explosive is the right word, when someone touches her Soul Gem." Did that mean Tomoe-san successful in securing the Kazusa Michiru lookalike's Soul Gem? But then... Is she okay now? "Don't worry; Mirai informs me that your friend is fine. A few broken ribs, maybe, and she's definitely lost some blood, but she's mostly unharmed."
You didn't even realise you had been holding your breath, but as Asami Saki confirms Tomoe-san's safety - what proof do you have that she's telling the truth? - you hear yourself exhale. "Akemi-san, there's two girls down here with Kirika and I," you hear Oriko's voice calling from inside your head. So that was why she dove after Kirika earlier. Does that mean something's happened to Kirika? "They... They've got Kirika's Soul Gem, and she's too badly injured to move on her own."
Oh, fuck. Apparently, 'you aren't out of the woods just yet' isn't enough to describe exactly how not out of the woods you are. Assuming Tomoe-san is still alive after that explosion, your team has secured one of the enemy's Soul Gems. But then, they've also got one of your team's Soul Gems... And it's the one belonging to your Big Sis, too. Mom is going to kill you if she finds out.
"So, how about we make a deal," Asami Saki says. "By now, I'm sure you've heard that your little serial killer friend is currently without a Soul Gem, no? Let's make a trade. Hers, for Kazumi's; how does that sound?"
[ ] Accept the deal
-[ ] and leave Asunaro
-[ ] but keep fighting
--[ ] What's the plan if you decide to keep fighting?
[ ] Reject the deal
-[ ] What do you counter with? (write-in)
The opening shot was fired by Mami, her muskets firing in sequence one by one on the girl who was her opponent. Wakaba MIrai had made straight for Kyouko, so that left Mami with the black-haired girl, the one who looked like Kazusa Michiru but wasn't. In the brief second between when Mami's muskets were discarded and when her new volley was ready, Kazumi charged, swinging wide with the long black weapon in her hands. It wasn't quite a spear - more like a staff with the arms of a cross near the head - and it came down like a hammer. The roof splintered from its blow as Mami jumped out of the way. "Sorry!" Kazumi shouted, as Mami landed on the roof of the building next door. "I promise this'll go a lot smoother if you just stand still!"
"How curious," Mami said, calling on another volley of muskets, which opened fire as soon as they were ready. "Are you concerned about the collateral damage, or about me?"
"Yes!" Kazumi swung her staff around, catching Mami in the stomach. Despite the crunch that resounded as the staff crashed into Mami's ribs, it was Kazumi who was wincing the harder of the two from that attack. "I don't want to hurt you! I just don't want you to hurt my friends!"
"Mami!"
Kyouko turned her head as the impact of Kazumi's attack echoed, but her moment of distraction was enough for Mirai to take the lead, dealing a punishing blow to Kyouko as she yelled "Keep your eyes on me, moron!"
"I'm fine, Sakura-san," Mami said as she scrambled to her feet. Her breathing was harsh - that attack had definitely broken at least one rib, she was sure of it - but she wasn't about to let a few broken ribs slow her down. "Keep your eyes on your own battle!" It wasn't as though she was missing her shots; each one had found their mark on the black-haired girl. But like the other girl Mami had shot at, the black-haired girl's body kept regenerating with every shot Mami took.
Mami called on another musket, but Kazumi swing her staff, knocking the weapon's shot far off into the distance. But at this close a range... Ribbons wrapped themselves around Mami's leg to form a turbine-powered greave, and with a cry of "Turbina Dinamo!" she kicked, sending Kazumi flying high into the air. With her opponent airborne, Mami opened fire, but rather than letting her body absorb the hits, Kazumi swung her staff in a wide arc, blocking each bullet in sequence before landing, and charging Mami with her staff. A ring of muskets formed around Mami as the two dueled, muskets firing in sequence as Kazumi blocked or tanked each shot made on her.
On the building beside them, Rider clashed spears with the enemy Lancer. Rider was faster on foot than his opponent, but she was far and away more flexible, more fluid, able to bend her body to avoid his strikes in ways he had never seen before, save perhaps from his master and her allies. Rider struck with all his speed, but the enemy Lancer gave him no opening to exploit his speed; and unlike him, she wasn't limited to just the one spear. As soon as he had struck, her fingers traced the Tiwaz rune, and she called down another three spears to prevent him from reaching her. She wasn't so much throwing her spears as she was launching them, as Caster might with swords from Babylon. Rider parried with his shield, but spears found their way around to his backside. Rider spun around, taking the hit but preventing the spears from penetrating his heel. She really was able to harm him, huh?
Arrows from Archer, some kilometers off, soared overhead, striking who-knows-which enemies. The enemy's Saber and Rider had yet to show themselves, but with Archer off providing fire support, Saber guarding the otherwise-useless master of Assassin, and Rider and Berserker being kept busy with their own battles, Rider didn't know if their team could even handle those opponents appearing. Spears clashed, and Rider brought around his shield to bash the enemy Lancer's face in. Instead, she used his shield as a springboard, leaping high into the air and avoiding the next thrust of his spear, before tracing the Tiwaz rune once again and calling on spears of her own to rain down. Their bodies were a blur of colours as they clashed, spear and shield and spear in constant flux
Mami had no trouble ignoring the fight between Rider and the enemy Lancer, but Kazumi made the mistake of diverting her eyes for just a moment to watch the clash of spears between her servant and her enemy's; in that moment, Mami struck. A volley of musket-fire overwhelmed Kazumi, a swift kick disarmed her of her spear, and a flick of Mami's wrist called forth a trail of ribbons marked with crimson Berkano runes along their length. In seconds, Mami had Kazumi immobilised within her ribbons. The black-haired girl struggled against the bindings, but the Berkano-laced ribbons were too strong for her to break free of.
"I'm terribly sorry about this, dear," Mami said to Kazumi, reaching for the crimson bauble hanging from her right ear. "This will only hurt for a moment." Mami tugged, ripping the Soul Gem from Kazumi's ear. Mami didn't smile as her eyes locked on the thin trail of crimson trickling down Kazumi's earlobe, but as long as her opponent wasn't going anywhere, she felt comfortable pocketing the Soul Gem.
"G̸i̷v̵e̵ ̶t̴h̸a̸t̶ ̷b̵a̸c̵k̷.̵.̶.̴" Kazumi growled, struggling even harder against her bindings. "G̷̥͓͝i̴͉̇v̷̝͊͗ę̶̝̏͠ ̸̯͍̀̆ḭ̴̥̀͑t̷̟̍ ̸͖̖̅͋b̴̖̞̌ä̵͙̈́c̸̢̻̋k̸̢͕͑!̵̡̇̄" Before Mami could reinforce her bindings, Kazumi had ripped herself free, grabbing for her staff before leaping on top of Mami. "T̸͖͔̈́h̶͖̻͍͆̚a̵͖̣̅̾ṱ̸̊̈͠'̷̬̝̀̀ş̵͙̉͝ ̸̖̱̱͑̓̕m̵̢̋̾̎ḯ̸̟̖͘ń̷̘͖͇ḕ̶̡̲̚!̴̠̠̅͠ ̵̜̠̌G̵̢͍̊í̷͓̘v̶̡͕̼͑e̷̟̺̐͘ ̷͕͈͓̂i̴͈̾̆͂t̸͕̓ ̷̡̔͌̈́b̴̳̪̿̈̆͜a̷̘̗͒c̵͔̅͒k̶̳̞̝̀ ̶̺͆͂t̵͔̫́̂̈́o̷̗̜͑̆̑͜ ̷̛͕̏͘m̴̦̭͆e̷͔̮͑!̷̨̬͆" Kazumi's charge knocked Mami to the ground, pressing her staff tightly against Mami's neck to keep her pinned down. Wild mania filled Kazumi's eyes; she leaned in, biting down on Mami's ear. Sharp pain shot through the right side of Mami's head, and something wet stuck to her cheek and the side of her jaw. When Kazumi reared her head up, Mami could see a piece of her ear clenched tightly between Kazumi's bloodstained teeth.
Kazumi spat Mami's ear out and leaned in again, biting her neck this time. Mami felt Kazumi's teeth break the skin, but before she let the girl tear a chunk from her neckk, she called on a volley of muskets, forcing Kazumi back and off of her as her guns expended their ammunition. She clamped her hand down on her neck, bu that did little to staunch the bleeding, and left Mami with only one hand with which to fight back. It's not like she'd actually die if she bled out. Throwing caution to the wind in the name of finishing the fight quicker, Mami eschewed putting pressure on her neck wound and called on a volley of muskets for each hand.
Mami fired, all guns blazing, but Kazumi brought her staff up. "L̸̙̦͆͝ĩ̸̙͍̟̈́̇m̸̭͓͈̿̓̈́̐ì̵̡̠̓ţ̸͔̱̝̐̈̚͝i̶̩̜͍͆̍̈́́ ̵̫͒͌͛Ȅ̶̝̽̀̇s̶̺͉̥̞̐̚t̴͚͕͐̊̎ë̸̱̹́̾r̸̞̬̔̾ͅṇ̷̛̲̲i̵̮̺̲̭͑̚!̷̦́̆" Her screaming was unintelligible, but at this point words were clearly no longer necessary. A brilliant light coursed outwards from the centerpiece of the staff, burning away all of Mami's bullets, before a massive explosion rocked the building. Rather than a mushroom cloud, the violet burst of light shot skyward, growing arms as it reached its point to form a cross shape high in the sky.
You turn your head just as a massive explosion rocks the building next door, burning your eyes on the brilliant violet cross lights up the night sky. "What was that?" you ask.
"That was probably Kazumi," Asami Saki says. "She can be rather... Well, I think explosive is the right word, when someone touches her Soul Gem." Did that mean Tomoe-san successful in securing the Kazusa Michiru lookalike's Soul Gem? But then... Is she okay now? "Don't worry; Mirai informs me that your friend is fine. A few broken ribs, maybe, and she's definitely lost some blood, but she's mostly unharmed."
You didn't even realise you had been holding your breath, but as Asami Saki confirms Tomoe-san's safety - what proof do you have that she's telling the truth? - you hear yourself exhale. "Akemi-san, there's two girls down here with Kirika and I," you hear Oriko's voice calling from inside your head. So that was why she dove after Kirika earlier. Does that mean something's happened to Kirika? "They... They've got Kirika's Soul Gem, and she's too badly injured to move on her own."
Oh, fuck. Apparently, 'you aren't out of the woods just yet' isn't enough to describe exactly how not out of the woods you are. Assuming Tomoe-san is still alive after that explosion, your team has secured one of the enemy's Soul Gems. But then, they've also got one of your team's Soul Gems... And it's the one belonging to your Big Sis, too. Mom is going to kill you if she finds out.
"So, how about we make a deal," Asami Saki says. "By now, I'm sure you've heard that your little serial killer friend is currently without a Soul Gem, no? Let's make a trade. Hers, for Kazumi's; how does that sound?"
[ ] Accept the deal
-[ ] and leave Asunaro
-[ ] but keep fighting
--[ ] What's the plan if you decide to keep fighting?
[ ] Reject the deal
-[ ] What do you counter with? (write-in)
First of all, here are the original three Chapters that SVS' deleted. Next let's pretend that Archer was never a part of the vote. I don't care that Archer doesn't get to do some fancy stuff at no notice, not at the cost of making everyone feel stressed out and killing SVS' muse. Problem solved, as there was nothing wrong with these original chapters as written and I personally found them quite refreshing due to the great fight scenes and choreography.
@K4lepo I'll look over things vote wise in a little bit (only recently woke up), but don't sell yourself short - anyone can make a good plan with enough time and focus, even NMS and WanderingTwix have made some good ones when motivated enough.
EDIT: Looking over the plan, I like it considering the circumstances. Can't exactly do anything to retaliate without putting Kirika in danger, even with Archer as if they see any projectile from him they could crush Kirika's Soul Gem in a moment (I miss time stop).
[X] K4lepo
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PlaguePaladin
The Bird Lady
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Just as long as we make sure to follow the KISS method in the future, this can probably be prevented from happening again.
Anyways, I'll follow the plan of:
[X] K4lepo
Since the alterations are acceptable. I do hope that SVS is okay.
[X] K4lepo
PlaguePaladin
The Bird Lady
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Alright, Enetious, I hope you're okay with some criticism, because I decided to make comment on your original vote.
Sorry if that wasn't good criticism, but I think you could stand to improve your voting by a lot.
[] Plan Archer's A Charming Guy
-[] Master Vision is on by default to check out the new enemy Servants
-[] (Archer) Fleur de Lys as planned, targeting the Saints and their Servants to charm and debuff them for a time, and then prepare to Eye of the Euryale Ramses II
--[] Depending on the situation, Eye of the Euryale any male Servant that's giving them trouble (Saber if he decided to come out or Rider if he survives the shot to the heart once), otherwise provide general fire support
Okay, this part could be way simplified. It has a ton of working components and complex parts. Also, do remember that SVS asked for more specific plan names. I would work it like:
[] Plan: Charming & Defense
-[] Master Vision the enemy Servants
-[] (Archer) Use Fleur de Lys to debuff enemy opponents and provide fire support
--[] Use Eye of the Euryale on Ramses, but if another susceptible Servant gives a lot of trouble, use it on them instead
This way, there's a lot less conditional actions. Because of that, it's less confusing to read and internalize and gives SVS an easier time with more freedom. I actually do like how you use Bold to make NPs stand out; that makes it a bit easier to follow, and harder to miss something. And yes, the plan name is boring, but we don't need really interesting plan names. Not to say that we can't have interesting plan names; they just need to be more descriptive.
-[] Rider will use Dromeus Komētēs to take advantage of Archer's distraction in order to blitz the couple of Saints before them and to steal their Soul Gems
--[] Saber will cover him to make sure that their Lancer doesn't try any tricks, and while Archer takes care of their Rider
--[] Mami will focus on Witch Girl while Kyouko focuses on Wakaba
This part contains a lot of needless separation, redundancies, and weird formatting. I would work it like this:
-[] (Achilles) Use Dromeus Komētēs to take advantage of Archer's debuffs and blitz the saints to steal their Soul Gems, while Diarmuid covers him to make sure that Scathach doesn't try anything
-[] (Mami & Kyoko) Have Mami focus on the Witch Girl while having Kyouko focus on Wakaba
Like before, the simplification makes it way easier to go through everything, and helps to connect actions. Also, note my use of parentheses to mark character actions; this helps the separate parts pop out, and also makes it easier to read.
-[] Berserker will overpower and overwhelm the enemy one and then try and target their Berserker's Master in order to aid in trying to get their Soul Gem; divert to take on their Saber if he decided to go on the offensive
--[] Kirika will be focusing on Orange Girl to steal her Soul Gem while you focus on their leader to distract her; you have reflexes built up enough over the many years you've been looping to adequately stall your opponent even without time stop, so use them, and Reinforce your body to help you keep up somewhat
Same as before. This could probably be simplified, and you could stand to remove a lot of the fluff on the Kirika vote. SVS already knows all that stuff, so you don't need to write an essay on it. This could go like:
-[] (Lancelot, Kirika & Homura) Have Lancelot work with Kirika and Homura to blitz Boudica and her Master in order to get their Soul Gem. If Sigurd joins in, have Lancelot divert to fight him.
That's half the mass of your vote, but still gets the same point across while being clearer on what's happening. If multiple characters are working on the same goal, conjoin their vote. If it starts to get large enough that you kinda blank out, do it like this:
-[] (Character 1 & 2) Do a thing
--[] (Character 3) Do another thing that works on top of the aforementioned thing but it separate
Because like that, it keeps everything tidy while providing a good break-up of character actions. You could have Homura as Character 3 if you wanted her to do something more than just join in. I should also note; at this point we should refer to people by name rather than using Class names, because either we have to do a rather chunky longer name (I.E Saber of Blue) or we refer to them by only class name, which can get confusing.
-[] In general, don't put their Saber's Master in any real danger enough to warrant Saber coming out to fight, so don't prioritize her for Soul Gem stealing and binding, just fend her off
--[] Oriko will be providing battlefield control and defense to whoever needs it and to corral the Saints to where they need to be; she'll use precognition to also provide warnings telepathically
I don't think I have much to say here, but you're building Oriko's vote off of Diarmuid's vote without proper explanation. You should only do that if these actions build off of eachother, and explain why, while you're at it. And yet again, you have a problem with making too many reactive parts. So something like:
-[] Try not to aggravate Sigurd's master enough to make him join the fight
-[] (Oriko) provide battlefield control with precognition and give defensive aid to whoever needs it
So all in all, a more simplified version of your vote would be something like:
[] Plan:
-[] Master Vision the enemy Servants
-[] Make sure that you don't hurt Sigurd's Master enough that he's forced to join in
-[] (Archer) Use Fleur de Lys to debuff enemy opponents and provide fire support
--[] Use Eye of the Euryale on Ramses, but if another susceptible Servant gives a lot of trouble, use it on them instead
-[] (Achilles) Use Dromeus Komētēs to take advantage of Archer's debuffs and blitz the saints to steal their Soul Gems, while Diarmuid covers him to make sure that Scathach doesn't try anything
-[] (Mami & Kyoko) Have Mami focus on the Witch Girl while having Kyouko focus on Wakaba
-[] (Lancelot, Kirika & Homura) Have Lancelot work with Kirika and Homura to blitz Boudica and her Master in order to get their Soul Gem. If Sigurd joins in, have Lancelot divert to fight him.
-[] (Oriko) provide battlefield control with precognition and give defensive aid to whoever needs it
It's still not great, but it provides a lot more simplified and easier to follow version. Characters are properly separated with parenthesized names to help make them stand out, there's a lot of open-ended plans that leave a lot of breathing room for what SVS tries to write, there's a lot less fluff for that matter, characters are properly named, and it's properly formatted.
All in all, I think your biggest problems are:
1. You seem to write 1000 words when 10 will do, providing a lot of needless fluff that gets confusing and gives too much to think about when SVS has to write.
2. You don't leave a lot of breathing room when writing stuff, a lot of which might not even get used, which wouldn't be too bad if it weren't for problem #1 causing these problems to multiply against each other
3. Your formatting is off; you seem to use the double-hyphen even when those actions have nothing to do with each other
4. You separate a lot of stuff that should be packaged together, and just as well, you're bad at saying who's doing what; providing names like Saber in an Apocrypha, or making it really hard to tell that Homura's vote is supposed to be about Homura, not Kirika.
-[] Master Vision is on by default to check out the new enemy Servants
-[] (Archer) Fleur de Lys as planned, targeting the Saints and their Servants to charm and debuff them for a time, and then prepare to Eye of the Euryale Ramses II
--[] Depending on the situation, Eye of the Euryale any male Servant that's giving them trouble (Saber if he decided to come out or Rider if he survives the shot to the heart once), otherwise provide general fire support
Okay, this part could be way simplified. It has a ton of working components and complex parts. Also, do remember that SVS asked for more specific plan names. I would work it like:
[] Plan: Charming & Defense
-[] Master Vision the enemy Servants
-[] (Archer) Use Fleur de Lys to debuff enemy opponents and provide fire support
--[] Use Eye of the Euryale on Ramses, but if another susceptible Servant gives a lot of trouble, use it on them instead
This way, there's a lot less conditional actions. Because of that, it's less confusing to read and internalize and gives SVS an easier time with more freedom. I actually do like how you use Bold to make NPs stand out; that makes it a bit easier to follow, and harder to miss something. And yes, the plan name is boring, but we don't need really interesting plan names. Not to say that we can't have interesting plan names; they just need to be more descriptive.
-[] Rider will use Dromeus Komētēs to take advantage of Archer's distraction in order to blitz the couple of Saints before them and to steal their Soul Gems
--[] Saber will cover him to make sure that their Lancer doesn't try any tricks, and while Archer takes care of their Rider
--[] Mami will focus on Witch Girl while Kyouko focuses on Wakaba
This part contains a lot of needless separation, redundancies, and weird formatting. I would work it like this:
-[] (Achilles) Use Dromeus Komētēs to take advantage of Archer's debuffs and blitz the saints to steal their Soul Gems, while Diarmuid covers him to make sure that Scathach doesn't try anything
-[] (Mami & Kyoko) Have Mami focus on the Witch Girl while having Kyouko focus on Wakaba
Like before, the simplification makes it way easier to go through everything, and helps to connect actions. Also, note my use of parentheses to mark character actions; this helps the separate parts pop out, and also makes it easier to read.
-[] Berserker will overpower and overwhelm the enemy one and then try and target their Berserker's Master in order to aid in trying to get their Soul Gem; divert to take on their Saber if he decided to go on the offensive
--[] Kirika will be focusing on Orange Girl to steal her Soul Gem while you focus on their leader to distract her; you have reflexes built up enough over the many years you've been looping to adequately stall your opponent even without time stop, so use them, and Reinforce your body to help you keep up somewhat
Same as before. This could probably be simplified, and you could stand to remove a lot of the fluff on the Kirika vote. SVS already knows all that stuff, so you don't need to write an essay on it. This could go like:
-[] (Lancelot, Kirika & Homura) Have Lancelot work with Kirika and Homura to blitz Boudica and her Master in order to get their Soul Gem. If Sigurd joins in, have Lancelot divert to fight him.
That's half the mass of your vote, but still gets the same point across while being clearer on what's happening. If multiple characters are working on the same goal, conjoin their vote. If it starts to get large enough that you kinda blank out, do it like this:
-[] (Character 1 & 2) Do a thing
--[] (Character 3) Do another thing that works on top of the aforementioned thing but it separate
Because like that, it keeps everything tidy while providing a good break-up of character actions. You could have Homura as Character 3 if you wanted her to do something more than just join in. I should also note; at this point we should refer to people by name rather than using Class names, because either we have to do a rather chunky longer name (I.E Saber of Blue) or we refer to them by only class name, which can get confusing.
-[] In general, don't put their Saber's Master in any real danger enough to warrant Saber coming out to fight, so don't prioritize her for Soul Gem stealing and binding, just fend her off
--[] Oriko will be providing battlefield control and defense to whoever needs it and to corral the Saints to where they need to be; she'll use precognition to also provide warnings telepathically
I don't think I have much to say here, but you're building Oriko's vote off of Diarmuid's vote without proper explanation. You should only do that if these actions build off of eachother, and explain why, while you're at it. And yet again, you have a problem with making too many reactive parts. So something like:
-[] Try not to aggravate Sigurd's master enough to make him join the fight
-[] (Oriko) provide battlefield control with precognition and give defensive aid to whoever needs it
So all in all, a more simplified version of your vote would be something like:
[] Plan:
-[] Master Vision the enemy Servants
-[] Make sure that you don't hurt Sigurd's Master enough that he's forced to join in
-[] (Archer) Use Fleur de Lys to debuff enemy opponents and provide fire support
--[] Use Eye of the Euryale on Ramses, but if another susceptible Servant gives a lot of trouble, use it on them instead
-[] (Achilles) Use Dromeus Komētēs to take advantage of Archer's debuffs and blitz the saints to steal their Soul Gems, while Diarmuid covers him to make sure that Scathach doesn't try anything
-[] (Mami & Kyoko) Have Mami focus on the Witch Girl while having Kyouko focus on Wakaba
-[] (Lancelot, Kirika & Homura) Have Lancelot work with Kirika and Homura to blitz Boudica and her Master in order to get their Soul Gem. If Sigurd joins in, have Lancelot divert to fight him.
-[] (Oriko) provide battlefield control with precognition and give defensive aid to whoever needs it
It's still not great, but it provides a lot more simplified and easier to follow version. Characters are properly separated with parenthesized names to help make them stand out, there's a lot of open-ended plans that leave a lot of breathing room for what SVS tries to write, there's a lot less fluff for that matter, characters are properly named, and it's properly formatted.
All in all, I think your biggest problems are:
1. You seem to write 1000 words when 10 will do, providing a lot of needless fluff that gets confusing and gives too much to think about when SVS has to write.
2. You don't leave a lot of breathing room when writing stuff, a lot of which might not even get used, which wouldn't be too bad if it weren't for problem #1 causing these problems to multiply against each other
3. Your formatting is off; you seem to use the double-hyphen even when those actions have nothing to do with each other
4. You separate a lot of stuff that should be packaged together, and just as well, you're bad at saying who's doing what; providing names like Saber in an Apocrypha, or making it really hard to tell that Homura's vote is supposed to be about Homura, not Kirika.
Sorry if that wasn't good criticism, but I think you could stand to improve your voting by a lot.
- Location
- United States
I hope SVS is okay as well. Hope I didn't drive him off...
Ooo, I'm loving the criticism, that's so much better than how the original vote was formatted! Formatting more neatly for plans like this has always been a weakness of mine, though normally it isn't this bad when I have access to a proper computer to look over and refine it after I write it up initially (Xenforo 2 makes it a huge pain to edit larger plans on a phone, at least on mine anyways). Would've been great to have it like this back when I formulated it.
- Location
- Around here
I actually wish you had never put forth the effort to do this. Seriously. I hate the rewrites, but I hate even more the fact that your attempt at rewrites prove I didn't have to delete my originals or change all that much about them to accommodate. That ruins it even harder for me, because now I can't even be unhappy about settling for my shit, because I know your shit came out better. There is no possible way I come out of this situation being happy with the result, not unless I can un-delete the originals.
No, I am not okay. I am furious with myself for having deleted the originals, and I can't even think about coming back to this without getting mad at myself for having done that. I tried, I really did. I woke up this morning, thought to myself "I guess I can try coming back to it today" and then a few hours later I was fuming because I knew I had fucked up and there was no way to fix my mistake. Fuck, I don't even feel good about coming back for long enough to post this.
So why am I coming back if I'm still pissed and I hate what I've turned out? It's simple; I still have things I want to write, and I don't have anything better to do with my time. I've used writing to fill my free time for so long that I don't really know how else to spend my time if I'm not writing or thinking about what I'm going to write. That said, there are going to be some changes made to the way things are done around here, because this cannot happen again.
First, if you think I've done some wrong - mechanically, structurally, whatever - you are more than welcome to bring it up to me. In private. Enetious, I know this sounds like it's being aimed at you specifically, but it isn't. In other quests I've run, I have had players flat-out tell me "You're wrong" when they didn't know what I was trying to do. I will not have that happening here. If you have a problem with something I've written, bring it up to me in private. If you undermine my authority in public, you will be asked to leave.
Second, and this one is directed towards Enetious specifically, we aren't doing Alaya DMs anymore. That's done with. Every single item you've sent to Archer this quest has made me stop and go "What the fuck is that?" and I'm frankly tired of dealing with having to figure out what something does or try to figure out if I should even allow. So I won't.
Third, we are not pokemon. You do not need to micromanage the specific attacks our servants make, unless there is a specific reason for having them use that attack and you can articulate what that reason is. Otherwise, just a general skeleton of your preferred battle plan is fine; leave the figuring of the detail up to me, unless there is a specific purpose you want to see accomplished from having someone do something specific.
Fourth, do keep in mind what I am and am not able to accomplish with my writing when making a vote. This isn't directed specifically towards Enetious, but since you've worked with me the longest I expect you have a better understanding of my capabilities and what I like to see in a vote than the rest of the crowd. Keep that in mind when giving me future submission. Everyone else, the same applies to you. If you give me a vote and I think it's going to be too difficult for me to write, I will let you know to change it.
EDIT: Oh yes, and fifth. If you bring this incident up, you will be asked to leave, and I will not be polite about it.
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- Location
- United States
Oh don't worry, these are the actual originals that I told you I had cached in the PMs, not the altered ones (they weren't really rewrites since I mostly just changed/tacked on things at the end of the last two chapters, the vast majority of the setup, tone, and writing quality came from your original chapters).
Also nice to see that you're setting up some concrete rules, maybe you should even tag it as an informational post? It really draws the line in the sand, so to say, so it's a lot easier to not overstep our bounds at any point. Sad to see what gave Confringentur it's name is going away, but I suppose outside of sending Archer NPs it never had any true use - just an antiquated remnant of Astra's setup for the original quest, I suppose.
Day 5 Chapter 17
- Location
- Around here
[X] Plan Gem for a Gem (Less War Crimes, More Diplomacy)
You turn your head just as a million white lily petals fall from the sky, burning their beauty into your vision just long enough for it to matter. "What was that?" Asami saki asks.
"That was probably our Archer," you say. "I'm not sure what all of that was about, but I trust Archer not to do something like that without a reason."
"Uh-huh." Asami Ssaki nods; strange; you two should be fighting right now, shouldn't you? "
You're glad you aren't fighting when an urgent message reaches your mind's ear. "Akemi-san, there's two girls down here with Kirika and I," you hear Oriko's voice saying from inside your head. So that was why she dove after Kirika earlier. Does that mean something's happened to Kirika? "They... They've got Kirika's Soul Gem, and she's too badly injured to move on her own."
Oh, fuck. This is just what you needed to hear, that the Saints have one of your team's Soul Gems in their possession; and it's the one belonging to your Big Sis, too. Mom is going to kill you if she finds out.
"How about we make a deal," Asami Saki says. A deal? Wasn't this the girl who just a few nights ago was talking about this being a war of extermination? "By now, I'm sure you've heard that your little serial killer friend is currently without a Soul Gem, no? Well, one of ours is currently without a Soul Gem as well. So, let's make a trade. Hers, for Kazumi's; how does that sound?"
You know what? You're going to grill AsamI Saki over this, because for a girl who was talking about exterminating your side no matter the cost, suddenly offering you a deal is just a little too suspicious. "Weren't you the one who said this would be a war of extermination, with no neutral ground between us? Why offer me a deal now, when you've already gone and made your position very obvious?"
"Kazumi is too important to leave in your team's hands," Asami Saki says. "As much as I hate to give up one of your side's Soul Gems, I can't afford to let Kazumi remain with you."
Part of you wants to call Asami Saki's bluff; to test her, to see how important this 'Kazumi' is to her; but the smarter part of you refrains, because they have Kirika's Soul Gem. You wouldn't let them have the Soul Gem of any member of your team, but you refuse to stand for letting them walk away with your Big Sis. Risking that push, calling Asami Saki's bluff and biting off more than she's willing to give you, might only lead to something bad happening to Kirika. "I understand," you say. You aren't stupid, though. You won't let them know how important Kirika is to you. "In that case, on behalf of my team I'm willing to accept your offer. Kirika's Soul Gem, for Kazumi's."
Asami Saki nods, and you give her a moment to issue her orders to whichever member of her team has Kirika's Soul Gem. "Tomoe-san, one of the Saints has Kirika's Soul Gem, so we're making a deal. We give them Kazumi's Soul Gem back, and they give us Kirika's Soul Gem back."
"Kure-san? Oh... Yes, of course. I understand, Akemi-san. I'll give this back to her at once. She's been... Quite temperamental without it, so this is fine."
"Are you okay?"
"I won't die, though I can't say I'm the best I've ever looked."
"Okay," you say to Asami Saki. "Tomoe-san is going to give Kazumi her Soul Gem back. Did you get confirmation from your side that Kirika will get hers back as well?" An "Of course," from Asami Saki does little to inspire confidence in your ability to trust her. "You should know that if you go back on this deal, I have no problem instructing Archer to level Angelica Bears."
"I see," Asami Saki says. "You're really serious about getting that little goblin's Soul Gem back, aren't you?"
"I will not tolerate you calling my older sister a goblin," you say, earning you a wordless scowl from AsamI Saki. "Besides, I thought your complaint with us had to do with the fake witches, not with the past actions of Oriko and Kirika. We'd like to see them gone as well, you know; why insist on dragging this conflict on when we could be working together towards a common goal?"
"How do we know we can even trust you?" Asami Saki asks. "Kyubey told us how you turned Tomoe Mami against him, and how you allied with a pair of serial killers to drive him out of Mitakihara. Even if I believed you when you said you wanted to get rid of the fake witches, why should I trust anything you say with a track record like that?"
"And you think the Inucbator is any more trustworthy than I am?" You won't say it, but you honestly feel some degree of pity for Asami Saki right now if she's that willing to take the Incubator's words at face value. "Do you know why Oriko and Kirika killed in the first place?"
"To keep Kyubey busy so he wasn't able to contract with the girl he wanted to."
She really does believe everything the Incubator tells her, doesn't she? She isn't wrong; but she's missing so many key elements to that story as to make what little she does know worthless. "Let's try something different, then," you say. "Why did Kanna Niko create the homunculus named Hijiri Kanna?"
Asami Saki shrugs. "She never told me her reason," she says. "It was something she said she had to do once she made her wish; I never bothered asking her to tell me more than that. Why do you ask?"
"Because I've spoken with Hijiri Kanna, and she's expressed a rather unhealthy desire to kill her creator for making her and giving her false memories of a life that isn't hers."
"I see." Asami Saki passes you, likely having received a message from her teammate that the deal is complete. "I'll be looking forward to the day when we don't have to do this any more," she says. "Despite how I might come off, I don't particularly enjoy this business. I just happen to need you girls gone, and taking your Soul Gems is the simplest way to accomplish that."
"Before you go, let me ask you something," you say. You hear Asami Saki's footsteps stop at your words, and you ask her "Do you believe it's possible for a bad person to turn over a new leaf?"
"If there is a God, then I'd pray to him for that to be possible."
With those words, Asami Saki disappears, rejoining her allies and leaving you and yours to return to Mitakihara to lick your wounds. Some of you will have more wounds to lick than others. "What happened to you?" you ask Tomoe-san as soon as you get a look at her. Her face and shirt are covered in blood, and there's a fairly large chunk missing from her right ear that leaves only the topmost edge still attached to her head. Are those teeth marks in her neck, too? "I guess you weren't kidding when you said you've looked better."
Tomoe-san nods. "That girl became quite aggressive once I took her Soul Gem," she says. "She pinned me down with her staff, and..." She gestures to her face and what remains of her ear. "This was the result." Oriko and Kirika appear next, with Oriko leading a bloodied but whole Kirika by the hand. Upon spotting them, Tomoe-san turns to Oriko and says "The rest of my ear is over on that building," as she points to the roof next door. "I'll be fine if you choose to regrow it instead, but at least if we pick it up we're leaving one fewer piece of evidence."
"Of course," Oriko says. Turning to Kyouko, who had come over with Tomoe-san, she asks "Sakura-san, could you go and retrieve Tomoe-san's ear so I can patch her up?"
Kyouko grumbles, but to her credit she goes off and retrieves Tomoe-san's ear. Oriko sits Kirika down on the roof, and you take your seat beside her. As soon as the two of you share a glance, you both have only one thing to say to the other. "Mom cannot find out about this."
"You girls sure are keeping a lot of things from Minako," Archer says, choosing that moment to appear. Rather than addressing you and Kirika immediately, Archer looks to Tomoe-san as Oriko sets about healing her ear, saying "Looks like Kazusa did a number on you, didn't she? Does it hurt anywhere?"
"It did at the time," Tomoe-san says. "Thankfully, Mikuni-san has gotten quite good at using Uruz, so I imagine I'll be feeling right as rain in by morning." She touches a hand to her neck, gently fingering where 'Kazumi' bit her, adding "I just hope this doesn't leave a mark."
A "Psh" sound escapes Kirika's lips. "If someone asks, just tell them your boyfriend got a little overzealous."
"I'm single, Kure-san," Tomoe-san says. "My boyfriend was being an inconsiderate jerk, so I dumped him. You know that."
"Don't think I've forgotten about you," Archer says, turning on Kirika's words to face you and she. "I heard you two whispering about keeping something else a secret from Minako earlier this morning, too. Want to tell me what that was all about?"
[ ] Say nothing
[ ] Tell Archer about Kirika's tattoo
When you return to Mitakihara,
[ ] Wat do?
You turn your head just as a million white lily petals fall from the sky, burning their beauty into your vision just long enough for it to matter. "What was that?" Asami saki asks.
"That was probably our Archer," you say. "I'm not sure what all of that was about, but I trust Archer not to do something like that without a reason."
"Uh-huh." Asami Ssaki nods; strange; you two should be fighting right now, shouldn't you? "
You're glad you aren't fighting when an urgent message reaches your mind's ear. "Akemi-san, there's two girls down here with Kirika and I," you hear Oriko's voice saying from inside your head. So that was why she dove after Kirika earlier. Does that mean something's happened to Kirika? "They... They've got Kirika's Soul Gem, and she's too badly injured to move on her own."
Oh, fuck. This is just what you needed to hear, that the Saints have one of your team's Soul Gems in their possession; and it's the one belonging to your Big Sis, too. Mom is going to kill you if she finds out.
"How about we make a deal," Asami Saki says. A deal? Wasn't this the girl who just a few nights ago was talking about this being a war of extermination? "By now, I'm sure you've heard that your little serial killer friend is currently without a Soul Gem, no? Well, one of ours is currently without a Soul Gem as well. So, let's make a trade. Hers, for Kazumi's; how does that sound?"
You know what? You're going to grill AsamI Saki over this, because for a girl who was talking about exterminating your side no matter the cost, suddenly offering you a deal is just a little too suspicious. "Weren't you the one who said this would be a war of extermination, with no neutral ground between us? Why offer me a deal now, when you've already gone and made your position very obvious?"
"Kazumi is too important to leave in your team's hands," Asami Saki says. "As much as I hate to give up one of your side's Soul Gems, I can't afford to let Kazumi remain with you."
Part of you wants to call Asami Saki's bluff; to test her, to see how important this 'Kazumi' is to her; but the smarter part of you refrains, because they have Kirika's Soul Gem. You wouldn't let them have the Soul Gem of any member of your team, but you refuse to stand for letting them walk away with your Big Sis. Risking that push, calling Asami Saki's bluff and biting off more than she's willing to give you, might only lead to something bad happening to Kirika. "I understand," you say. You aren't stupid, though. You won't let them know how important Kirika is to you. "In that case, on behalf of my team I'm willing to accept your offer. Kirika's Soul Gem, for Kazumi's."
Asami Saki nods, and you give her a moment to issue her orders to whichever member of her team has Kirika's Soul Gem. "Tomoe-san, one of the Saints has Kirika's Soul Gem, so we're making a deal. We give them Kazumi's Soul Gem back, and they give us Kirika's Soul Gem back."
"Kure-san? Oh... Yes, of course. I understand, Akemi-san. I'll give this back to her at once. She's been... Quite temperamental without it, so this is fine."
"Are you okay?"
"I won't die, though I can't say I'm the best I've ever looked."
"Okay," you say to Asami Saki. "Tomoe-san is going to give Kazumi her Soul Gem back. Did you get confirmation from your side that Kirika will get hers back as well?" An "Of course," from Asami Saki does little to inspire confidence in your ability to trust her. "You should know that if you go back on this deal, I have no problem instructing Archer to level Angelica Bears."
"I see," Asami Saki says. "You're really serious about getting that little goblin's Soul Gem back, aren't you?"
"I will not tolerate you calling my older sister a goblin," you say, earning you a wordless scowl from AsamI Saki. "Besides, I thought your complaint with us had to do with the fake witches, not with the past actions of Oriko and Kirika. We'd like to see them gone as well, you know; why insist on dragging this conflict on when we could be working together towards a common goal?"
"How do we know we can even trust you?" Asami Saki asks. "Kyubey told us how you turned Tomoe Mami against him, and how you allied with a pair of serial killers to drive him out of Mitakihara. Even if I believed you when you said you wanted to get rid of the fake witches, why should I trust anything you say with a track record like that?"
"And you think the Inucbator is any more trustworthy than I am?" You won't say it, but you honestly feel some degree of pity for Asami Saki right now if she's that willing to take the Incubator's words at face value. "Do you know why Oriko and Kirika killed in the first place?"
"To keep Kyubey busy so he wasn't able to contract with the girl he wanted to."
She really does believe everything the Incubator tells her, doesn't she? She isn't wrong; but she's missing so many key elements to that story as to make what little she does know worthless. "Let's try something different, then," you say. "Why did Kanna Niko create the homunculus named Hijiri Kanna?"
Asami Saki shrugs. "She never told me her reason," she says. "It was something she said she had to do once she made her wish; I never bothered asking her to tell me more than that. Why do you ask?"
"Because I've spoken with Hijiri Kanna, and she's expressed a rather unhealthy desire to kill her creator for making her and giving her false memories of a life that isn't hers."
"I see." Asami Saki passes you, likely having received a message from her teammate that the deal is complete. "I'll be looking forward to the day when we don't have to do this any more," she says. "Despite how I might come off, I don't particularly enjoy this business. I just happen to need you girls gone, and taking your Soul Gems is the simplest way to accomplish that."
"Before you go, let me ask you something," you say. You hear Asami Saki's footsteps stop at your words, and you ask her "Do you believe it's possible for a bad person to turn over a new leaf?"
"If there is a God, then I'd pray to him for that to be possible."
With those words, Asami Saki disappears, rejoining her allies and leaving you and yours to return to Mitakihara to lick your wounds. Some of you will have more wounds to lick than others. "What happened to you?" you ask Tomoe-san as soon as you get a look at her. Her face and shirt are covered in blood, and there's a fairly large chunk missing from her right ear that leaves only the topmost edge still attached to her head. Are those teeth marks in her neck, too? "I guess you weren't kidding when you said you've looked better."
Tomoe-san nods. "That girl became quite aggressive once I took her Soul Gem," she says. "She pinned me down with her staff, and..." She gestures to her face and what remains of her ear. "This was the result." Oriko and Kirika appear next, with Oriko leading a bloodied but whole Kirika by the hand. Upon spotting them, Tomoe-san turns to Oriko and says "The rest of my ear is over on that building," as she points to the roof next door. "I'll be fine if you choose to regrow it instead, but at least if we pick it up we're leaving one fewer piece of evidence."
"Of course," Oriko says. Turning to Kyouko, who had come over with Tomoe-san, she asks "Sakura-san, could you go and retrieve Tomoe-san's ear so I can patch her up?"
Kyouko grumbles, but to her credit she goes off and retrieves Tomoe-san's ear. Oriko sits Kirika down on the roof, and you take your seat beside her. As soon as the two of you share a glance, you both have only one thing to say to the other. "Mom cannot find out about this."
"You girls sure are keeping a lot of things from Minako," Archer says, choosing that moment to appear. Rather than addressing you and Kirika immediately, Archer looks to Tomoe-san as Oriko sets about healing her ear, saying "Looks like Kazusa did a number on you, didn't she? Does it hurt anywhere?"
"It did at the time," Tomoe-san says. "Thankfully, Mikuni-san has gotten quite good at using Uruz, so I imagine I'll be feeling right as rain in by morning." She touches a hand to her neck, gently fingering where 'Kazumi' bit her, adding "I just hope this doesn't leave a mark."
A "Psh" sound escapes Kirika's lips. "If someone asks, just tell them your boyfriend got a little overzealous."
"I'm single, Kure-san," Tomoe-san says. "My boyfriend was being an inconsiderate jerk, so I dumped him. You know that."
"Don't think I've forgotten about you," Archer says, turning on Kirika's words to face you and she. "I heard you two whispering about keeping something else a secret from Minako earlier this morning, too. Want to tell me what that was all about?"
[ ] Say nothing
[ ] Tell Archer about Kirika's tattoo
When you return to Mitakihara,
[ ] Wat do?
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PlaguePaladin
The Bird Lady
- Pronouns
- She/Her
[X] Plan: Licking Wounds
-[X] Say nothing; That's for Kirika to say.
-[X] (Kirika) Your lips are sealed. You really don't want to face the resulting punishment.
-[X] When you return to Mitakihara, have a small debriefing to get a general consideration of our enemies capabilities and weaknesses. It might also be smart to stay vigilant tonight; they might not honor the deal for more than it takes to recover from this battle.
I feel as if there should be more, but I can't think of anything. I decided to contribute to voting more recently, due to having more time and energy to do so.
-[X] Say nothing; That's for Kirika to say.
-[X] (Kirika) Your lips are sealed. You really don't want to face the resulting punishment.
-[X] When you return to Mitakihara, have a small debriefing to get a general consideration of our enemies capabilities and weaknesses. It might also be smart to stay vigilant tonight; they might not honor the deal for more than it takes to recover from this battle.
I feel as if there should be more, but I can't think of anything. I decided to contribute to voting more recently, due to having more time and energy to do so.
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- Location
- Around here
If you can't think of anything, you can always answer whether or not Kirika would tell Archer about her tattoo.