Confringentur, Mk.2; a Madoka Magica / Fate/Stay Night crossover

[SVS]

Slight correction to

Otherwise, expect the next official update either later today or tomorrow.

Click to shrink...

After looking at how little of the vote remained outstanding, I've decided that I would rather see us draw up a vote for what we should do next. I'll try to staple the few outstanding elements to the top of that update, but for how little there is remaining I don't think I could get a full update out of them, and I'd rather not make the update that's already there any more eye-stabbing than it already is. So, vote call.

[ ] Wat do?

 

[veekie]

some disaster aid of the spiritual sort (since Walpurgis' cursed mud and all) from contacts within Japan, probably from major cities that would have a heavier Church presence even in Japan such as Tokyo - they may even recruit local Japanese demonic exorcists and spiritualists and such if Walpurgis' curses prove too much for the Church's relatively meager resources in Japan to handle

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After Walpurgisnacht

 

[Enetious]

[X] Plan Tamura's Bizarre Adventures Part 3: Stardust Crusaders
-[X] Test out some applications of Inguz
--[X] Draw an Inguz rune in the air using frozen water molecules and have Nagatsuki-san shoot it with lightning to see if you can't transfer the energy shot at the rune back at an opponent (obviously you'd warn her about the test, as well as aiming any backlash away from her if she doesn't just immediately dodge out of the way after shooting)
---[X] Does it work with fire as well, considering fire is mostly the result of energy igniting a substance, and magical fire is basically just all energy skipping the substance part?
----[X] What about purely magical attacks such as Oriko's beams? Since she's not here, shoot at it with your weak magical energy shot that you sometimes use to dispose of the Incubator's bodies whenever you have to be stealthy in certain time loops; not like you'll get much mileage out of it otherwise without a specific Wish magic fueling it or an upgrade in magical energy capacity.

-[X] Test out some applications of Reinforcement Magecraft
--[X] Warning Kirika ahead of time, Reinforce your shield and subsequent sand timer and time-stop
---[X] Toki wo tomare!
--[X] Reinforce Nagatsuki-san's gun and see what happens when she shoots her elements out of it

-[X] Inform everyone that they'll be taking one last Witch for the road before they head off to Walpurgisnacht, so hunt yourselves down an enemy Stand Witch!
--[X] Take Archer with you for emergency support and so that they could cleanse their Grief Seeds after the hunt
---[X] You're intending on practicing Inguz by getting experience cleansing Grief Seeds with Archer's sword today
--[X] Talk to
---[X] Tomoe-san
----[X] about how she thinks Oriko's dinner with Caren will go
---[X] Kyoko
----[X] giving her a heads up that you told Sayaka about the party they'll be having tomorrow, and how her, Madoka, and Hitomi were invited
---[X] Nagatsuki-san
----[X] seeing if she's intending to come to the party tomorrow

Would be nice to know if Homura can block/deflect magical attacks in a pinch, especially without Oriko around. That's the most important of the remaining testing options, I think.

Not sure if Miyuki's too comfortable around everyone just yet, nor do I know whether or not she might want to spend her day off with her older friends instead; it is supposed to be a relaxation day after all so might as well check with her, though I'm sure Saber would probably push for her to go to the party for all the free food and drink coming from the Mami-machine.

 

[SVS]

--[X] Try to cheat at magical girl enchanting by transferring some of your magical energy into a rock to make a magical throwing stone; if it doesn't enchant the stone, then what does it do you wonder?

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I covered both rock-throwing parts in the last update. Your average rock won't work because the molecular structure isn't conductive to magic. We need something with a more uniform structure, like gems, Soul or otherwise.

 

[Enetious]

I covered both rock-throwing parts in the last update. Your average rock won't work because the molecular structure isn't conductive to magic. We need something with a more uniform structure, like gems, Soul or otherwise.

Click to shrink...

Oh, I thought that was only in regards to the storage of Grief, edited. The magical energy part specifically was to see if Homura could enchant things by using Inguz as a aid - much like how Mami enchanted Sayaka's bat in the anime; guess that's not the case?

 

[SVS]

much like how Mami enchanted Sayaka's bat in the anime; guess that's not the case?

Click to shrink...

What sort of enchantment were you thinking of putting on the rock? Homura can't do Alteration, so she couldn't do to the rock what Mami did to Sayaka's bat. Just angling for generic "enchantment" won't work because that's too vague for me to work with. Even if it weren't, you're comparing the technical abilities of someone who has only had a month or so to scratch the surface of what her magic has been unable to do until just now with someone who has had years to experiment in every possible way with their magic. It's just not a fair comparison to make.

Also, I should have asked this the last time around, but

--[X] Warning Kirika ahead of time, Reinforce your shield and subsequent sand timer and time-stop

Click to shrink...

What are you hoping for here? Do you think time will get any more stopped if we Reinforce our shield?

 

[Enetious]

What are you hoping for here? Do you think time will get any more stopped if we Reinforce our shield?

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Well for one, by reinforcing it's existence one could probably cut down on time-stopping costs by making it far more efficient (not that there was a particular need to cut down on costs in the first place).

There could be something to do with her hammerspace being enhanced, possibly allowing her deploy things from her shield far quicker and more easily than before (also not that useful, though in most timelines Homura did have to deploy all of her armaments against Walpurgisnacht in time-stop and it would've been useful then). Perhaps she could increase the range of her hammerspace whereupon she could store things at a range around her instead of having to touch something to do so (she could already deploy things from her hammerspace in a fairly large area around her, so that likely wouldn't be that much of a change other than a greater range for deployment).

Maybe Homura could temporarily leave certain people/objects as time-stopped after she resumes time? Idk.

Hm, so not all that much would be apparent, and while the latter most ability would have been fairly useful it wouldn't last for very long due to the whole "Homura loses time-stop sometime late into the Walpurgisnacht battle" thing. 🤔

 

[SVS]

Going to need more votes, guys.

 

[NMS]

[X] Plan Tamura's Bizarre Adventures Part 3: Stardust Crusaders

Why Tamura?

 

[SVS]

Why Tamura?

Click to shrink...

It's a reference to a gag manga featuring lots of Homuras from other dimensions. Personally, I didn't find it all that funny, but some people do.

 

[BoundaryPhantasm]

[X] Plan Tamura's Bizarre Adventures Part 3: Stardust Crusaders

 

[SaintBenot]

[X] Plan Tamura's Bizarre Adventures Part 3: Stardust Crusaders

 

[r s]

[X] Plan Tamura's Bizarre Adventures Part 3: Stardust Crusaders

Tamura had like 3 funny moments

 

[SVS]

[X] Enetious

---

The wait for Nagatsuki Miyuki to arrive has been unbearably long. The entire time you, Tomoe-san, and Kyouko spent waiting - Sayaka had gone home after an hour or so of watching Kyouko practice - was spent wishing she were not currently under house arrest. If she hadn't insisted on staying locked up with her friend for an entire week, maybe this could have been avoided. Maybe it could have been avoided if she had never turned to drinking away her problems.

Maybe next time, you can make sure she doesn't go through this all over again.

To pass the time, after your testing failed to produce a regular Isa arrow capable of Finitora Freccia's self-replication ability, you tried some basic testing with Reinforcement; what happens to you inside frozen time when your shield is Reinforced? "Just a heads-up," you make sure to let Kirika know. "It's going to get a little boring for a minute or two."

"Ugh, fine, but could you hurry it up?"

You apply some basic Reinforcement to the components of your shield, and allow time to come to a stop. Uh, just what are you supposed to be on the lookout for, exactly? Time isn't any more frozen than it would be without your Reinforcement, and without taking your shield apart - is that even something you can do? - you don't know how you'd be able to tell if something was happening where you can't see it. You know your Reinforcement was successful, but what is that supposed to mean?

You allow time to resume, too confused by what your objective was or wasn't to know if you should be satisfied with the results or not. You'll file that one away as a 'maybe' for the moment.

"Sorry I'm late," the late-coming Nagatsuki Miyuki says. "But, uh, parents; you know how it goes."

That's fine," you say. "As long as you're here now." And what perfect timing, too, because "If you're willing, I've got some things I'd like to test, and I'd like your help with them."

"My help?" Nagatsuki Miyuki asks. "Like what?"

Your finger traces the simple lines of Inguz in the frozen air, and you say "Shoot that rune. I want to see what happens."

"Okay," Nagatsuki Miyuki says, swiftly changing into her battle attire, pistol leveled at your target. "What do you think is going to happen?"

"Inguz is a rune of energy transfer. I'm hoping that I can use that property to redirect energy attacks back to their source. You've got fire and electricity, and I'd like to see where this goes."

"If it goes back to me, I'm getting the hell out of there," Nagatsuki Miyuki says, firing on your rune with a bolt of electricity. Nothing happens. "So... That's not what you were expecting, is it?"

"It is not." Upon closer inspection, nothing did not happen. Coursing along the inner reaches of the rune, you can see the electricity of Nagatsuki Miyuki's attack. "But it might not be a bad thing that what I expected didn't happen. Try it again, but this time with fire." Nagatsuki Miyuki complies, sending a torrent of fire at the rune. As it did with her electrical attack, the heat and energy of the fire is swallowed up in the void of your Inguz rune, and alongside coursing emerald sparks you can see smouldering embers of scarlet dancing inside your rune target. "Now... How do I get them out?"

"Maybe you have to send them back to the source manually?" Nagatsuki Miyuki suggested. "Or maybe, you need another rune to act as, I don't know, a link to wherever you want to transfer the energy?"

Nagatsuki Miyuki's suggestions aren't bad ones, and you decide to give them both a try. Connecting the already-active and energised Inguz rune to another Inguz rune works, as does repelling the stored energy manually; soon, you've got a torrent of fire dancing in one direction, and a surge of electricity coursing in the other. "Very interesting," you say as you oversee the results of your efforts. "Now, let's try..."

"Alright, you've proved you can redirect attacks with your rune," Nagatsuki Miyuki says, cutting you off. "But do you really think it's a good idea to try testing everything under the sun, with how little time we have left?"

"What do you mean?" you ask. "Walpurgisnacht is less than two days away. Why wouldn't I want to push the limits of what I'm capable of within the time I have left?"

"You've really never done any sort of competitive sport before, have you?"

You shake your head. "I do a little archery with my school's club, and we're having our first meet with another school on the eighth; but aside from that, you are correct. I've never done any competitive sports before."

"That's why you don't get it." Nagatsuki Miyuki removes her glasses and wipes them off, before returning them to their place. "There's nothing wrong with what you're trying to do, pushing your limits as far as you can, at least in theory. In practice, the time you spend testing out every little idea that pops into your head is time you could have spent improving the core skills you're most likely to use. I guess in your case, you can also work on niche applications you know will help." With the flick of her wrist, Nagatsuki Miyuki calls forth her sword, wagging it in your face like a disciplinary finger. "But again, that doesn't mean testing out every single idea that pops into your head. When I'm about to go into a fencing match, what I focus on are my core skills; my lunges, thrusts, parries, footwork, things like that. I'm not trying to practice crazy swashbuckling moves like I'm a pirate in an action movie or something. But that's what it feels like you're doing, like with how unfocused you were trying to test everything yesterday." The sword in front of your face disappears, and Nagatsuki Miyuki asks you "Are you like this when you're practicing for archery club too?"

"Only sometimes," you respond, thinking back to the numerous time Mochizumi-san has chided you for doing, well, exactly the same sort of thing Nagatsuki Miyuki is chiding you for now.

You don't quite catch what Nagatsuki Miyuki says as she walks away from you, but it sounded like "Shirome's going to wipe the floor with you if this is how you act during archery practice."

Once everyone is finished with their practice, the four of you meet in the center of the clearing. "We're going to track down the second of the two witches MIkuni Oriko saw last night," you say. "Hopefully, one more round of combat will get us to where we need to be, because there won't be any second chances once Sunday morning rolls around." "Archer, the girls and I are going out to hunt a witch. Your presence would be appreciated."

"Thinking you'll be up against something that bad, huh?"

"I don't know. Actually, I wanted you along because I was going to try using Inguz to clean our Grief Seeds in Lancer's absence, and I was hoping you'd do your part."

"Ahh, I understand. Where are you now?"

"Kazamino, in the wooded clearing near the old church. You?"

"Helping Kirika with her homework. She misses you, by the way; you and Oriko. I can tell Minako it's urgent if you need me right away."

You smile at the thought of your big sis missing you; you miss her too, after all the fun you had playing videogames late into the night with her. "Thanks. You don't have to rush if you don't want to. I'll tell you where to meet us."

"Alright. Until then, remember to stay safe."

"Right." With hardly any guidance, save for what Mikuni Oriko said last night, your team must set off in search of the penultimate witch. But [ ] Where should you look?​

 

[Enetious]

"You know, not to sound rude or anything, but isn't this a little... I dunno, stupid?"

"What do you mean?" you ask Nagatsuki Miyuki. "Walpurgisnacht is less than two days away. Why would it be stupid for me to push the limits of what I'm capable of doing within the time I have left?"

"You've really never done any sort of competitive sport before, have you?"

You shake your head at Nagatsuki Miyuki's question. "I do a little archery with my school's club, and we're having our first meet with another school on the eighth; but aside from that, you are correct. I've never done any competitive sports before."

"That's why you don't get why what you're doing is dumb." Nagatsuki Miyuki removes her glasses and wipes them off, before returning them to their place. "There's nothing wrong with what you're trying to do, pushing your limits as far as you can, at least in theory. In practice, the time you spend testing out every little idea that pops into your head is time you could have spent improving the core skills you're most likely to use in battle." With the flick of her wrist, Nagatsuki Miyuki calls forth her sword, wagging it in your face like a disciplinary finger. "When I'm about to go into a fencing match, what I focus on are my core skills; my lunges, thrusts, parries, footwork, things like that. I'm not trying to practice crazy swashbuckling moves like I'm a pirate in an action movie or something. But that's what it feels like you're doing." The sword in front of your face disappears, and Nagatsuki Miyuki asks you "Are you like this when you're practicing for archery club too?"

Click to shrink...

Very subtle, SVS. It probably would've been more effective if she spoke up about it on any of the other tests, rather than during the revelation that Homura could save her and her friends' lives in a pinch from all manner of energy attacks if necessary; an extra confirmed way to keep everyone alive and kicking isn't a waste of time considering Homura doesn't want her loved ones or friends to die to Walpurgisnacht.

[X] Plan Endangered Species
-[X] Where should you look?
--[X] The inner city in areas of high population density to maximize the chances of running into the last remaining Witch that you're aware of; this is Japan after all
-[X] If/When you encounter a Witch's Barrier, Kyoko is up front doing what she does best, you're in the rear supporting and time-stopping if necessary to bail people out, Miyuki and Mami are in the middle targeting the familiars and Witch according to the situation at hand; anything more specific will come as they encounter the Witch and it's familiars proper, as no two Witches are the same (aside from Witches birthed from their own familiars)

 

[SVS]

Very subtle, SVS. It probably would've been more effective if she spoke up about it on any of the other tests, rather than during the revelation that Homura could save her and her friends' lives in a pinch from all manner of energy attacks if necessary; an extra confirmed way to keep everyone alive and kicking isn't a waste of time considering Homura doesn't want her loved ones or friends to die to Walpurgisnacht.

Click to shrink...

You are absolutely right, and generally I try not to let what goes on on the other side of my laptop impact what I write, but typing out that most recent "let's try everything and the kitchen sink" vote left me frustrated me to no end, and I wasn't going to slap it onto the practice from yesterday because... I don't know. I'm not going to try to explain why this one left me so frustrated.

 

[Enetious]

On a completely unrelated topic, got some name ideas for the multiplying regular Isa arrow. Also I had no idea that Finitora Freccia (Finishing Arrow) was originally something Madoka was supposed to call out as an attack name in one of the Drama CDs; you learn something new every day, I guess.

Illimitate Freccia - Boundless/Unlimited Arrow
Inesauribile Freccia - Inexhaustible Arrow
Senza Fondo Freccia - Bottomless Arrow
Interminabile Freccia - Interminable/Endless Arrow

 

[NMS]

[x] Plan Endangered Species

 

[SVS]

On a completely unrelated topic, got some name ideas for the multiplying regular Isa arrow.

Click to shrink...

I probably should have said this when it came up, but the regular self-replicating arrow didn't work. It's a function of the amount of energy we put into the arrow plus the degrees Celsius of the air around the arrow.

At our regular output, we make ice arrows.
If we're willing to push our Soul Gems to the limit, we get Finitora Freccia Maggiore.
If we just push it a little bit into the danger zone, we get Finitora Freccia Minore.

However, if we tone down the amount of energy we're putting into our arrow to where we're below the boundary where we'd get Finitora Freccia, then we're already well below the point where we'd get any more than one arrow out of it. Maggiore works because at absolute zero, the arrow is cold enough to be ripping the molecular movement out of the water molecules around it as it flies, and the additional energy spent on Maggiore is what allows that frozen water vapour to turn into more arrows. But the regular ice arrow isn't that cold, and there isn't enough frozen water vapour to be turned into more arrows.

Also, we can spam our regular ice arrows pretty fast. It's not like we needed a "regular ice arrow Maggiore" in the first place.

Also I had no idea that Finitora Freccia (Finishing Arrow) was originally something Madoka was supposed to call out as an attack name in one of the Drama CDs; you learn something new every day, I guess.

Click to shrink...

Why am I the only person here that knows what the Drama CDs are? Seriously, for as much as I've pulled from them, I'd think at least one other person here would have gone and checked them out.

 

[WanderingTwix]

"Only sometimes," you respond, thinking back to the numerous time Mochizumi-san has chided you for doing, well, exactly the same sort of thing Nagatsuki Miyuki is chiding you for now. "I think I have a problem. Malevolent cosmic actors are forcing me to behave in ways I wouldn't otherwise."

Click to shrink...

Oh no, she's catching onto us!

[x] enetious

 

[BoundaryPhantasm]

[x] enetious

 

[Enetious]

Spoiler: Original Reply

I probably should have said this when it came up, but the regular self-replicating arrow didn't work.

Click to shrink...

*sigh* Yes, that would have been nice to know when Homura actually tried the thing out.

Why am I the only person here that knows what the Drama CDs are? Seriously, for as much as I've pulled from them, I'd think at least one other person here would have gone and checked them out.

Click to shrink...

... But it wasn't in the Drama CDs, that little tidbit - like I'd previously stated - was a line that got cut from the Drama CDs (specifically the first one) and was only mentioned in the Tiro Finale Book in an interview with Hiramatsu Masaki.

"I think I have a problem. Malevolent cosmic actors are forcing me to behave in ways I wouldn't otherwise."

Click to shrink...

Oh no, she's catching onto us!

Click to shrink...

Also didn't catch this invistext the first time, but yes, we get it. Though it's up to debate on whether or not that's not how Homura would act, seeing as how she's already mastered every skill she has available to her that isn't a complete waste (e.g. the expensive magical healing every Puella Magi can perform) from before this loop, and she's done a training session testing out her newest abilities in a controlled environment all of two times (barring that first Finitora Freccia test when we didn't even know what it did, and that session wasn't about personal ability testing for the most part anyway unlike these couple of days out of a 47-ish day period).

Training team cohesion was getting really old, and we'd done it tons of times already to the point that trying to come up with even more teamwork scenes probably would've been worse for everyone involved OOC. It doesn't help that you've previously stated IC with Homura about how excited she was to be obtaining these new abilities, which doesn't help this invisitext statement along at all.

... But like you previously said

You are absolutely right, and generally I try not to let what goes on on the other side of my laptop impact what I write, but typing out that most recent "let's try everything and the kitchen sink" vote left me frustrated me to no end, and I wasn't going to slap it onto the practice from yesterday because... I don't know. I'm not going to try to explain why this one left me so frustrated.

Click to shrink...

and I'm very grouchy from what little sleep I've gotten the past week, so don't take anything I said personally. 😩

EDIT: Spoilering my original reply due to it being created while I was in a bad mood and operating off of very little sleep (still am, technically), be advised. Feel free to skip over it if you don't feel like reading anything particularly argumentative. x.x

 

[SVS]

[X] Plan Endangered Species

---

With hardly any guidance, save for what Mikuni Oriko said last night, your team must set off in search of the penultimate witch. But where should you look? Well, this is still Japan, after all. Checking any areas with a high enough population density is bound to drop you right in the middle of a place swarming with negativity eventually. "We'll check some of the more crowded residential areas in the north," Tomoe-san says, evidently working on the same wavelenght as yourself. "There's not as much wealth in the north, so we're more likely to find hot spots of despair where a witch might be lurking."

"How do you think Mikuni Oriko's dinner is going?" you ask Tomoe-san, once the four of you form up into a traveling unit. "I don't know how well you know Nurse Ortensia, so I'm hoping she's not as... Abrasive, to everyone else as she is with me; and if she is, I'm hoping Mikuni Oriko is taking it well."

"I wouldn't be able to say," Tomoe-san replies. "I've heard stories about Nurse Ortensia's... Temperament, but I've never had to visit her myself so I can't say if what I've heard is true or not. I am somewhat worried based on what Archer told us about the Church she works for, and I hope Mikuni-san is dealing well with whatever she's being put through." Tomoe-san forces a smile, adding "But I hope that isn't the case. Mikuni-san and Nurse Ortensia are family, so I hope it hasn't come to that."

You nod your head, saying "I hope you're right," as you move down the line to "Kyouko." The redhead looks at you as you call her name, and you say "I've told Sayaka that she , Madoka, and Hitomi are invited to our get-together tomorrow night, so for your sake I hope you'll invite Sayaka."

"Blueberry already knows she's invited, so what's that got ta do with me?" Kyouko asks.

"Because you're her girlfriend. I'm sure it would mean a lot to get her invitation from you personally, as opposed to me just telling her that she, Madoka, and Hitomi could come if they wanted to."

"Oh." Kyouko looks like she hadn't considered the possibility. "Can ya tell I ain't really quick on this whole 'having a girlfriend' thing yet?"

You pat Kyouko on the shoulder, saying "I'm sure Sayaka understands. Just be sure to tell her yourself before tomorrow. Or better yet, come pick her up after school and take her to Tomoe-san's place yourself. I'm sure she'd like that."

Kyouko rolls her eyes, but rather than her usual, drawled-out "ga~ay," she says "Yeah, I guess I could do that."

"What about yourself?" you ask the last member of your party. "Do you want to join us tomorrow after school?"

Nagatsuki Miyuki considers your offer, but settles on a "I'll pass. I'm sure you can convince Saber to go, but... Eh, hanging out with the rest of you just doesn't sound all that fun, to be honest. You're my teammates, and you're just trying to be friendly, I get it. But, it's not really like we're friends or anything outside of this, and once this is all over I don't even know if I'll still want to keep doing this with you all. Yeah, if I've got the means of keeping everyone safe from a giant city-destroying witch that's one thing; but after that, when there's nothing else imminently threatening Japan and I've got a way to go back to living a somewhat normal life?" Nagatsuki Miyuki shakes her head, and says "I don't know. But even if I did know, I think I'd rather spend my last day on earth with my friends, if that's okay with you."

"Right," you say. It's regrettable that the last member of your team can't be convinced; but then again, Nagatsuki Miyuki is the latecomer here. It's understandable that she wouldn't feel as strong a connection to you as the others do.

The fact that you've never meddled in her Fate enough to draw the web of her karma around you probably has a lot to do with that. "If that's what you want, then I'll respect your wishes. We won't force you to join us, but know that your presence is welcome if you decide to change your mind."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Your team's search leads you north, passing distressingly close to the complex where the Kure apartment resides. If something were to happen there, you're sure Archer and Kirika would keep Kure Minako safe. Her downstairs neighbor, on the other hand... You don't want to let it show, but a part of you wouldn't be entirely distressed if something were to happen to that neighbor.

Eventually, you do manage to find the entrance to a labyrinth, nestled securely in a dark and dingy alleyway. Perfect. "Alright," Tomoe-san says." Sakura-san, you'll take the front; Akemi-san, you'll take the rear. Nagatsuki-san and I will hold the center and assist whoever needs us the most." She turns to Kyouko, adding "I know you'd probably be happier having Kure-san here so that you aren't alone at the front, but we're all trying to make the best of the situation we find ourselves in."

"Don't bother me," Kyouko says. "Crazy's not bad, but it ain't like I can't handle myself out there without her. Now, missing Big White's another story; I'd really like knowing we ain't gonna get surprised by whatever this witch can do, and her barriers have saved our asses enough times ta make me miss not having 'em now."

Upon entering the labyrinth, you are immediately greeted by the harsh blowing winds of the desert. Strange toys, chains of balls, old tires, and other assorted clutter litters the sandy expanse, and in the harsh winds sand is kicked up in your face as the rattle of train cars sounds in the distance. You can faintly, if you squint, make out the undulating shape of scaffolding in the distance; does the witch have some sort of roller-coaster attack? you wonder.

"Alright," Kyouko says, as she stuffs the last of a candy bar you hadn't even noticed she had been eating down her throat. "So what's the plan here? Mami? Spooky? Either'a you got any bright ideas fer how we're s'pposed a fight the goddamn desert?"

"We'll need to think of some way to keep our wits about us while we search for the witch," Tomoe-san says. "It would be just awful if one of us were to get separated from the group and wind up lost wandering the desert."

As you squint off into the distance again, you notice something strange about one of the chains of balls. It's moving. Actually, it's moving at an accelerated pace; and it's heading right for you.

Oh. So that's where the sound of train cars is coming from.

[ ] Wat do?
​

---

New
Minor character unlocked!

Spoiler: Zabaii

​

Minions of the Witch of Sandboxes. Their role is Toy Trains.These Familiars are always playing amongst themselves. A quirk of theirs is that as they roll around, all of the things on the ground stick to their bodies. As they do this their Witch collects the debris without them noticing. When their Witch is coming up with a plan for her next castle, they come to her aid. But soon they realize that it is impossible to satisfy her, no matter how hard they try, so they get bored and stray away.​

 

[NMS]

[x]Have Mami loosely tether everyone together with her ribbons.
-[x] Snipe the familiar before it gets close.
--[x]Once the familiar is dead start looking for the Witch.

 

[Enetious]

[X] Plan Bullying Poor Witch-chan
-[X] Snipe the familiars before they get too close; you and Tomoe-san are best at targeting at long range, so get to shootin'
--[X] Miyuki will guard both you and Mami while you're sniping to make sure no nasty surprises appear, while Kyoko will go on the offensive against anything that pops up near them
-[X] Inform everybody that it's possible that the Witch is hiding in the dunes below them, so they should be cautious
-[X] When they encounter the Witch
--[X] If it's using the sand to its advantage, you will use Isa to freeze a swath of land just below and around the Witch to restrict its movements
--[X] Kyoko will get in close to bind the Witch with her spears and barrier spells while the rest of them bombards the Witch with overwhelming firepower
---[X] If the Witch is made of sand to any degree like its Labyrinth, Miyuki could focus on using her fire attack to turn it into glass; otherwise Miyuki could focus on ice attacks to freeze it in place and to help make it more brittle for Tomoe-san's muskets
---[X] You will focus on freezing the Witch from the bottom up with Isa arrows focusing on splash damage
----[X] If the battle goes on long enough, use Finitora Freccia Minore while its restricted
---[X] Tomoe-san will musket as she does, as well as Tiro Finale

Difference between Miyuki and Kyoko's roles is that the former will focus on being physically present near Homura and Mami to ward off any attacks while Kyoko will bum-rush anything that gets near. Defensive and offensive roles respectively.