NSMS
Probably evil, unfortunately.
- Location
- A rapidly widening tear in the fabric of reality
We flashed Kyouko past!Kyouko's Soul Gem whilst Homura was around, and later showed Homura Mami's head, IIRC.
Flandre's Quest (Touhou) World - (Madness Quest)
- Thread starter Entropy Judge
- Start date
Chartreuse32
Writing from the Birdcage
[X] Show the group sans Saya the note. Explain that whoever wrote it might have ensorcelled Sayaka. Ask them to spy on the meeting in case things go sour. Work out a signal to tell them when you need help.
-[X] Go spy on Kyoko's Kooky Cultists in Kazamino's Church. Remain unseen and avoid conflict.
-[X] Go spy on Kyoko's Kooky Cultists in Kazamino's Church. Remain unseen and avoid conflict.
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Encounter
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Bah. Wasn't going to post this until after the meeting and associated events wind down, but ... I'm impatient. :/
Remilia Scarlet watched the band of refugees file through the pass. Night was falling, and the weary rear-guard soldiers - tonight's sacrifices - set to work as their kith and kin continued onward. They set up torches, dug short trenches, planted palisades and stake traps. None of them would help. Not even the terrain would help them much, as their pursuers were quite capable of climbing the higher elevations and dropping onto or behind the soldiers. They knew it, yet they still worked, for each injured or slain pursuer before the forces clashed increased their chances of victory. Not survival, of course … but perhaps the enemy they faced would be unable to catch the refugees. Remilia watched them work.
Barely a hundred years, and humanity was falling to pieces. She'd been here a few weeks, but already she knew the rumors: their enemies were devils - false; they would eat the slain of both sides - true; they were impossible to kill, and those seemingly slain would rise again when you took eyes off them - false; their numbers were limitless - effectively true. Their enemies were mongrels, savage beasts that lived to kill and eat, and their numbers were indeed vast. The rearguard of less than two hundred would stand against a horde of thousands, at least … and their pursuers were but a roving band that had split off from a much larger company.
Night fell, and the enemy rose. What had taken the weary humans most of a day to traverse would be crossed in a few short hours by their foes. The humans waited. Some slept, others sang songs of honor, of love, of death. Others still simply waited, blade in hand, for the inevitable tide of death. She wondered if this group might be important somehow, if it might be one of the few to reach a sanctuary … but no, safety was too far, their enemies too numerous. They would die, unless she intervened. They were not important in the grand tapestry of fate. She watched and waited - and listened as the howls filled the night air.
She watched them run, their bestial lope capable of crossing distances quickly even before taking into account their greater strength and speed. The hunters arrived first, their equivalent of a scouting party, meant to savage the morale of their prey before the warriors arrived to enact the slaughter. Yet, against the minimal force of humans, the seventy hunters would be more than enough, and both they and their prey knew it. They howled with their peculiar mix of fury and glee and charged up the pass and crashed through the flimsy obstacles in their way. With a roar of desperate rage, the soldiers counter-charged.
The warriors wore chain armor, carried stout shields and sharp swords, and the clash of metal and flesh seemed to drive their enemies back. But then claws and teeth came into play, and the guardians of humanity began to fall. Here a warrior had his skull crushed by a flailing claw as he tried to recover from the rush. There a sword bit into the skull of a foe, only for claws to seize the arm and pull the man out of the ranks to be torn apart. It seemed hopeless, for men died in greater numbers than the beasts they fought. It was mad, it was terrible, and Remilia smiled at the bloodshed. This was why she watched humans, this desperate flailing against an overwhelming enemy, summoning the courage to get up as many times as necessary. A soldier was pulled out of the line, his neck savaged and tossed to the ground. Still, he drove his blade into the meat of an enemy's leg, then chopped at the spine of another before his head was crushed by the stomp of a furred foot. Another soldier had his shield torn from him, ruining his arm - he dropped his sword in shock as a claw tore his jaw from his face. He found the strength to charge his opponent, and furious strength saw the monster thrown into several of its own kind. It was all glory, the brutal death and churned mud. It was hideous, and Remilia watched.
Her smile grew as silence claimed the pass, and she laughed silently. Somehow, defying the fate the world had in store for them, the warriors had survived the initial onslaught. They numbered thirty who could stand, maybe another score with enough strength to fight … but they had, somehow, defeated the scouting force their enemy had sent. Yet the thousands of warriors that followed - a mere fifty men could never defeat that host. And they would not have to, for the Scarlet Devil drifted down in front of them, and with a wave of her hand, glittering crimson chains encircled the soldiers. There were no shouts of alarm, no fear. These men were dead, and they knew it. Before them stood a child, and with the rush of battle fading, they could hear the advancing howls that had signified doom for a generation and more. Remilia grinned, the madness in her eyes flowing throughout her body. The first of the beasts entered the sight of men, and Remilia charged forward.
Bodies exploded as she tore through the massed ranks. She could propel her body faster than the speed of sound - and had, for this initial charge - and her feet and claws could strike faster still, even as she darted through the press, ducking and slamming, carving apart the formation of nightmares. Limbs flew and howls of wrath turned to pained keening. But even a queen of the night has a limit, is unable to maintain peak efficiency forever, and Remilia was not at her best. As she slowed, as the creatures were able to surround her, even strike at her, she imbued a small amount of power in one foot and snapped it up. The beast in front of her disappeared in a spray of bloody mist as the scarlet bullet flew up into the night. Remilia took advantage of the confusion and threw herself straight up, then slammed into the ground below with supernatural force, killing dozens and sending scores more tumbling.
The humans' battle for the pass had lasted a mere two minutes. Nearly an hour passed before the overwhelming might of the vampire broke the horde, tearing it from thousands to mere dozens and sending the survivors fleeing into the night, howling of a devil greater than themselves. She used her magic sparingly - the creatures had none of their strange mages or greater kin with them, and so she felt safe using only her natural weapons to destroy them. Not even the great spear had made an appearance, for the size of the horde had not merited it. She had not come out unscathed - she had taken scores of injuries even a human could survive, and almost thirty that were notable by her standards - but the overall expenditure had been minimal. She stitched the rents in her skin, smoothed it over, left it unblemished. The ragged dress she wore, less resilient than her flesh, was mended, returned to its pre-battle condition as though it had not participated.
She turned and looked up at the pass. The men had gone, perhaps fled in terror, perhaps to warn the others of a more terrible evil behind them. She flew up to the site of the defense, and she saw it was not quite abandoned. One living soldier, moderately wounded, waited there for her. He bowed respectfully, then went to one knee and began to speak. Without a care for the man's words, Remilia darted next to him, flipped him around so his back faced the ground, tore out his throat, and greedily drank the lifeblood that spilled forth, staining her face and dress. She dropped the lifeless body to the ground and considered her options.
Barely a hundred years, and humanity was falling to pieces. She'd been here a few weeks, but already she knew the rumors: their enemies were devils - false; they would eat the slain of both sides - true; they were impossible to kill, and those seemingly slain would rise again when you took eyes off them - false; their numbers were limitless - effectively true. Their enemies were mongrels, savage beasts that lived to kill and eat, and their numbers were indeed vast. The rearguard of less than two hundred would stand against a horde of thousands, at least … and their pursuers were but a roving band that had split off from a much larger company.
Night fell, and the enemy rose. What had taken the weary humans most of a day to traverse would be crossed in a few short hours by their foes. The humans waited. Some slept, others sang songs of honor, of love, of death. Others still simply waited, blade in hand, for the inevitable tide of death. She wondered if this group might be important somehow, if it might be one of the few to reach a sanctuary … but no, safety was too far, their enemies too numerous. They would die, unless she intervened. They were not important in the grand tapestry of fate. She watched and waited - and listened as the howls filled the night air.
She watched them run, their bestial lope capable of crossing distances quickly even before taking into account their greater strength and speed. The hunters arrived first, their equivalent of a scouting party, meant to savage the morale of their prey before the warriors arrived to enact the slaughter. Yet, against the minimal force of humans, the seventy hunters would be more than enough, and both they and their prey knew it. They howled with their peculiar mix of fury and glee and charged up the pass and crashed through the flimsy obstacles in their way. With a roar of desperate rage, the soldiers counter-charged.
The warriors wore chain armor, carried stout shields and sharp swords, and the clash of metal and flesh seemed to drive their enemies back. But then claws and teeth came into play, and the guardians of humanity began to fall. Here a warrior had his skull crushed by a flailing claw as he tried to recover from the rush. There a sword bit into the skull of a foe, only for claws to seize the arm and pull the man out of the ranks to be torn apart. It seemed hopeless, for men died in greater numbers than the beasts they fought. It was mad, it was terrible, and Remilia smiled at the bloodshed. This was why she watched humans, this desperate flailing against an overwhelming enemy, summoning the courage to get up as many times as necessary. A soldier was pulled out of the line, his neck savaged and tossed to the ground. Still, he drove his blade into the meat of an enemy's leg, then chopped at the spine of another before his head was crushed by the stomp of a furred foot. Another soldier had his shield torn from him, ruining his arm - he dropped his sword in shock as a claw tore his jaw from his face. He found the strength to charge his opponent, and furious strength saw the monster thrown into several of its own kind. It was all glory, the brutal death and churned mud. It was hideous, and Remilia watched.
Her smile grew as silence claimed the pass, and she laughed silently. Somehow, defying the fate the world had in store for them, the warriors had survived the initial onslaught. They numbered thirty who could stand, maybe another score with enough strength to fight … but they had, somehow, defeated the scouting force their enemy had sent. Yet the thousands of warriors that followed - a mere fifty men could never defeat that host. And they would not have to, for the Scarlet Devil drifted down in front of them, and with a wave of her hand, glittering crimson chains encircled the soldiers. There were no shouts of alarm, no fear. These men were dead, and they knew it. Before them stood a child, and with the rush of battle fading, they could hear the advancing howls that had signified doom for a generation and more. Remilia grinned, the madness in her eyes flowing throughout her body. The first of the beasts entered the sight of men, and Remilia charged forward.
Bodies exploded as she tore through the massed ranks. She could propel her body faster than the speed of sound - and had, for this initial charge - and her feet and claws could strike faster still, even as she darted through the press, ducking and slamming, carving apart the formation of nightmares. Limbs flew and howls of wrath turned to pained keening. But even a queen of the night has a limit, is unable to maintain peak efficiency forever, and Remilia was not at her best. As she slowed, as the creatures were able to surround her, even strike at her, she imbued a small amount of power in one foot and snapped it up. The beast in front of her disappeared in a spray of bloody mist as the scarlet bullet flew up into the night. Remilia took advantage of the confusion and threw herself straight up, then slammed into the ground below with supernatural force, killing dozens and sending scores more tumbling.
The humans' battle for the pass had lasted a mere two minutes. Nearly an hour passed before the overwhelming might of the vampire broke the horde, tearing it from thousands to mere dozens and sending the survivors fleeing into the night, howling of a devil greater than themselves. She used her magic sparingly - the creatures had none of their strange mages or greater kin with them, and so she felt safe using only her natural weapons to destroy them. Not even the great spear had made an appearance, for the size of the horde had not merited it. She had not come out unscathed - she had taken scores of injuries even a human could survive, and almost thirty that were notable by her standards - but the overall expenditure had been minimal. She stitched the rents in her skin, smoothed it over, left it unblemished. The ragged dress she wore, less resilient than her flesh, was mended, returned to its pre-battle condition as though it had not participated.
She turned and looked up at the pass. The men had gone, perhaps fled in terror, perhaps to warn the others of a more terrible evil behind them. She flew up to the site of the defense, and she saw it was not quite abandoned. One living soldier, moderately wounded, waited there for her. He bowed respectfully, then went to one knee and began to speak. Without a care for the man's words, Remilia darted next to him, flipped him around so his back faced the ground, tore out his throat, and greedily drank the lifeblood that spilled forth, staining her face and dress. She dropped the lifeless body to the ground and considered her options.
From the looks of things, Remillia is doing a thorough search for her sister in her own way.
OctarineShrike
Avatar of Mandos
Is this Lycanthropic Purge era Eberron? Or a historical World of Darkness setting maybe?
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Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
No, this is still the world she stepped into after freaking out when Patchouli told her she lost Flandre. She's just venting. By murdering thousands upon thousands of horrible gribblies.
Nope. There are a few (very vague) hints in the wording, but unless you already know the setting very well it (should be) very difficult to make the connection.
[X] Show the group sans Saya the note. Explain that whoever wrote it might have ensorcelled Sayaka. Ask them to spy on the meeting in case things go sour. Work out a signal to tell them when you need help.
-[X] Go spy on Kyoko's Kooky Cultists in Kazamino's Church. Remain unseen and avoid conflict.
That said I imagine our 'signal' would be "everything exploded"
-[X] Go spy on Kyoko's Kooky Cultists in Kazamino's Church. Remain unseen and avoid conflict.
That said I imagine our 'signal' would be "everything exploded"
[X] Show the group sans Saya the note. Explain that whoever wrote it might have ensorcelled Sayaka. Ask them to spy on the meeting in case things go sour. Work out a signal to tell them when you need help.
-[X] Go spy on Kyoko's Kooky Cultists in Kazamino's Church. Remain unseen and avoid conflict.
-[X] Go spy on Kyoko's Kooky Cultists in Kazamino's Church. Remain unseen and avoid conflict.
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Current Tally:
[X] Show the group sans Saya the note. Explain that whoever wrote it might have ensorcelled Sayaka. Ask them to spy on the meeting in case things go sour. Work out a signal to tell them when you need help.
-[X] Go spy on Kyoko's Kooky Cultists in Kazamino's Church. Remain unseen and avoid conflict.
3
Edit:
... Okay, I guess I'll lock this, then ....
[X] Show the group sans Saya the note. Explain that whoever wrote it might have ensorcelled Sayaka. Ask them to spy on the meeting in case things go sour. Work out a signal to tell them when you need help.
-[X] Go spy on Kyoko's Kooky Cultists in Kazamino's Church. Remain unseen and avoid conflict.
3
Edit:
... Okay, I guess I'll lock this, then ....
Last edited:
Kazamino Cultists
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
[X] Show the group sans Saya the note. Explain that whoever wrote it might have ensorcelled Sayaka. Ask them to spy on the meeting in case things go sour. Work out a signal to tell them when you need help.
-[X] Go spy on Kyoko's Kooky Cultists in Kazamino's Church. Remain unseen and avoid conflict.
You stretch as best you can while wrapped up, then wriggle yourself out from under the bed, leaving your cocoon for the moment. Standing, you stretch and twist until you're comfortable, then you drag the sheets and blankets out and toss them back on to the bed. You can put them back on properly later; right now, you don't really feel like it. Instead, you leave your room and sneak down the hall toward the other guest rooms. Lutecia, Agito, and Saya aren't in their rooms, which you find somewhat troubling. More interesting is that Mami and Madoka left things in their rooms ... perhaps they're coming right back here after school? You start to head downstairs, then decide to check the library. Quietly - and keeping in mind Lutecia and Agito's prank before - you open the door and slip through, then look down on the room from the railing.
"No, no - start here, then make this stroke, like so." It seems that Saya is teaching Lutecia and Agito how to write with the Japanese script ... or starting to, anyway. Lutecia seems to be learning more quickly ... or else she's just more careful and not making mistakes.
"Aargh!" You back out as Agito groans in frustration. Well, Lutecia won't be available, but it should keep Saya out of your hair while you talk with Homura, at least. You carefully close the door and head down to the kitchen. You hum softly to yourself as you make a cup of tea, and sit at the foot of the table as you drink it, taking your time. You can almost imagine Remilia at the other end, her own teacup in front of her as she looks out the window at something. When you finish, you head for Homura's room ... and then stop and listen at the not-quite-closed door.
"I'm sorry, Homura-chan! Are you okay?" Madoka? Maybe today is a day off for them? You open the door a bit more and peek inside. Homura is standing in the middle of the room, shirt off, and Mami is to her right, holding something against her shoulder. Madoka is in front of her.
"I'm fine, Madoka. It just pinched a little." Madoka bobs her head and turns to her left, head down. Mami sighs.
"Really, Akemi-san, we're worried because we don't know how comfortable or painful this is for you, so whenever you actually react to something, we take it seriously." She takes a step back. "Raise your arms." Homura obeys her, and you nod in understanding. They're giving Homura a false arm; that must be how she had both arms when you met her at the Witch. You step into the room and lean against the wall.
"How does it feel?" Homura rotates her wrist, her elbow, then finally the whole arm, then shrugs.
"... It's fine. I think the connection to my back is weaker, though." Mami nods.
"That would explain why it started hurting before - not enough support, combined with how much strain you were putting on it, and it became loose enough that -" Mami stops in the middle of her explanation when she sees you.
"My sister always told me not to interrupt magicians while they're working," you say, and Homura turns her head enough to glare at you through one eye. Mami frowns as you close the door and sit on one of the benches along the wall. "But it's good you're all here; I wanted to talk about something."
"I don't suppose we have a choice?" Homura asks dryly. Mami shakes her head a little and steps behind Homura, putting her hand on the black-haired girl's shoulder. Madoka puts her hand on the front of her shoulder, and there are twin glows of pink and yellow, and Homura winces.
"It's about tonight," you say when the glows fade, and Mami glances at you and Homura before stepping back and crossing her arms.
"Hmm ... you want to talk to us about something happening tonight, Akemi-san wants to see if we can get her a useable arm for something happening tonight." You raise an eyebrow as you look at Homura. She simply looks ahead and pretends to not see you. "I'm up for a discussion about tonight; are you, Kaname-san?" The pink-haired girl looks unhappy and nervous, but nods.
"Well, I'm going to have a meeting with someone at the tower in Kazamino," you say, and they both freeze. "I got a letter a few days ago, asking to meet me, and I think I'm going to go. Buuut ... well, Sayaka. You two said she started acting weird after she got a letter, and then she ran off to Kazamino and hasn't been back since, right?" Mami nods slowly, eyes hard. Homura sighs and lowers her arms, and Madoka hands her a loose shirt.
"And you're planning on going despite knowing that, Scarlet-san?" You grin.
"Yup. See, I don't really expect whatever sorcery Kyouko is using - or whoever she's with - is going to work on me ...." Mami and Madoka look slightly confused, and you glower at Homura again. You aren't sure if she's withholding information on purpose, but it would help if she would stop. "Right, so Kyouko's recruiting, right? Well, all the girls I've seen over there use the same style of sword, and they all have red-glowing eyes. Homura says Kyouko's magic is red, like yours is yellow and Madoka's is pink, so -"
"You think Kyouko is controlling those girls, and probably Sayaka as well." Mami nods, brow furrowing in concentration. She doesn't even notice you glaring at her for interrupting. "That ... might be possible. It doesn't sound like Kyouko, though - I have trouble believing she would control people like that." You shrug.
"I'm willing to believe the possibility that someone is controlling Kyouko and making her affect everyone else. But that's what it looks like." Mami sighs, and Madoka looks at the three of you in turn, nervousness apparent. She seems to be the most naïve of them. "Anyway, how are you guys at long-range observation?" There's a long moment of silence.
"... Not good enough. I could maybe get scopes or binoculars and sit on another building, but it's supposed to rain tonight, so I'm not sure how useful it would be. Especially if you aren't out in the open ... and a similar problem crops up if we try to wire you - the rain will probably drown out a lot. And even if we could manage to keep an eye on you, we'd be forced to do it from across the river, so coming to your assistance might be difficult." Homura sits down with something approximating a look of disgust.
"And since Kyubey cannot communicate with you, Scarlet-san, we won't be able to use telepathy to keep in touch and warn you even if we do see something." You are beginning to really regret your moment of kindness, and you turn to scowl through the wall. "Er, Scarlet-san?"
"... I think Lutecia might be able to come up with something," you say after a moment, "but she's with Saya at the moment, and I get the feeling this is something you don't want her know about." Three nods answer you, and you shrug. "Well, if I need help, so long as you're nearby, I'm sure I can come up with some kind of signal ...." Mami looks curiously at you, but Homura narrows her eyes, then pales noticeably.
"Noth-!" She starts to shout, making everyone look at her, then visibly has to calm herself down. Mami frowns at her, then gives you a penetrating look. "Nothing that would cause people to notice something's wrong, or that would cause too much property damage." You pout - that means you can't impersonate an angel!
"Hmm ... uh ... no ...." You sigh. Right, Homura doesn't want you to have fun.
"Um, do you know for sure that something bad will happen?" Madoka looks around the room. "Maybe this letter is from someone else?" You sigh; so naïve.
"It may be that we're planning for a circumstance that won't ever come, but it's safer to be ready for a problem." Madoka nods.
"Huh. I can't think of anything ...." You scowl and head for the door. "I'm going for a walk; we can talk later. See if Lutecia has some ideas, okay? Don't push her, though; if she cant, she can't." You firmly close each door behind you as you leave the house. A quick look up reveals that it's overcast but unlikely to rain for a while, so you don't take out your parasol. You start walking toward Kazamino. If they are the ones who want to meet you, they'll be making preparations too, won't they?
You walk along the streets of Kazamino, secure in your invisibility. You crossed closer to the Tower, checked it without finding anything, then began walking toward the church. Now ... you're pretty sure cities aren't supposed to feel like this. It doesn't feel like a human city, it feels like humans are encroaching on a youkai's territory, and know it. They're afraid of something, and you've had to stop a few times because you were sure someone else was wandering around, just like before. Still, you're almost at the church ....
You stop as someone tumbles past you into the street. Several more young men follow their friend, and you turn to see four of Kyouko's girls glaring at them, eyes glimmering redly. The one in front runs a hand through her hair.
"You've had several chances to stop misbehaving in our territory, punks. Not only have you not stopped, you've escalated. Last chance - do you swear to never try anything like this again?"
"Ha! Piss off, you dumb -!" You take a step back as the leader leaps forward and drives her boot into the idiot's teeth. Her followers swarm forward, and she pulls out a knife and slams her first victim to the concrete sidewalk. While he's stunned, she yanks his right arm around, twisting it for leverage, and pulls back his middle finger. With it separated from the others, she puts the blade against it and presses the blade deep into the finger. The boy screams, and with the knife momentarily stuck in the finger, the girl lets go of it, using both hands to keep his arm steady. Then a fifth girl, one you hadn't noticed, stomps on the blade, severing the finger. You wait until they're occupied with their next victim to slip by them.
You smile as the screams continue, but they aren't what you're here for. You walk for another couple blocks before reaching the church, and you frown at the scene as you approach. There are a couple small carts sitting by the walkway leading up to the church, and a couple girls are discussing what to do with them - keep them here or take them somewhere, it seems. Another small group - three older girls, four younger ones, and even a couple of boys - are using mops to wipe at the front wall of the church. You take a closer look at the church, and your frown deepens.
Superficially, it still resembles the church you remember, but you can tell that many of the broken windows have something blocking the way in - maybe just clear glass, maybe something else. Weirdly, the strange feeling affecting Kazamino doesn't seem to extend here. It feels like a human place, not a youkai place … maybe it's due to Kyouko's power? The main doors are open, and you slip in, making sure you keep out of everyone's reach by flying above them. Inside, though, you soon have to land and be more careful. It's much cleaner, completely picked up, and someone is burning incense - myrrh, it smells like. In one room that you remember being collapsed, an older girl - red-eyed - is giving lessons to younger children, both boys and girls. You head into the main worship area and float up to keep out of the way and out of sight.
You count thirty girls sitting in the pews, and another six leaning against the damaged stained-glass wall. The six girls are all armed, and all carry two swords. The pulpit catches your attention, because there's a spear sticking out of a wooden board behind it, impaling an arm. Hmm …. Four of the robed figures Homura mentioned are present as well, standing behind the pulpit … and two of them start looking around shortly after you arrive. You frown, wondering if they can sense your presence through the invisibility. Shaking off the thought, you keep looking around the room, and you stare at the area behind the pulpit, below the spear. There's a small shelf, or maybe a bench, and there are Grief Seeds sitting there. Forty Grief Seeds … though, if all these girls are 'magical girls,' then they probably need that many. You can't help but wonder where they're coming from, though - Witches don't seem to grow on trees, after all. Then your eyes narrow - they must be Kyouko's followers.
Below you, sitting in a shadow in the corner, is a piano. You have to keep yourself from squealing, and you carefully drop down to investigate it more closely. It's a bit over two meters long, the wood is stained a rich red color, and it seems to be in excellent condition ... though you won't know that for sure until you actually hear it. You run your fingers along the keys and sigh to yourself. Not the time, unfortunately. You float back up to a higher perch and keep watching the girls. You spend another fifteen minutes being bored, but apart from the two guardians looking around, none of the girls move. You shift restlessly.
What do you do?
[ ] Head back to Homura's.
- [ ] Wait until it's time for the meeting.
- [ ] Talk to someone.
- - Who? Subject?
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Stay out some more.
- [ ] Look at clothes.
- [ ] Look for a store likely to have a piano.
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Stay at the church.
- [ ] Ask to play the piano.
- [ ] Keep watching and avoid trouble.
- [ ] Try to sneak into the basement.
- [ ] Other?
DM Note: It's around noon, the meeting is for midnight.
-[X] Go spy on Kyoko's Kooky Cultists in Kazamino's Church. Remain unseen and avoid conflict.
You stretch as best you can while wrapped up, then wriggle yourself out from under the bed, leaving your cocoon for the moment. Standing, you stretch and twist until you're comfortable, then you drag the sheets and blankets out and toss them back on to the bed. You can put them back on properly later; right now, you don't really feel like it. Instead, you leave your room and sneak down the hall toward the other guest rooms. Lutecia, Agito, and Saya aren't in their rooms, which you find somewhat troubling. More interesting is that Mami and Madoka left things in their rooms ... perhaps they're coming right back here after school? You start to head downstairs, then decide to check the library. Quietly - and keeping in mind Lutecia and Agito's prank before - you open the door and slip through, then look down on the room from the railing.
"No, no - start here, then make this stroke, like so." It seems that Saya is teaching Lutecia and Agito how to write with the Japanese script ... or starting to, anyway. Lutecia seems to be learning more quickly ... or else she's just more careful and not making mistakes.
"Aargh!" You back out as Agito groans in frustration. Well, Lutecia won't be available, but it should keep Saya out of your hair while you talk with Homura, at least. You carefully close the door and head down to the kitchen. You hum softly to yourself as you make a cup of tea, and sit at the foot of the table as you drink it, taking your time. You can almost imagine Remilia at the other end, her own teacup in front of her as she looks out the window at something. When you finish, you head for Homura's room ... and then stop and listen at the not-quite-closed door.
"I'm sorry, Homura-chan! Are you okay?" Madoka? Maybe today is a day off for them? You open the door a bit more and peek inside. Homura is standing in the middle of the room, shirt off, and Mami is to her right, holding something against her shoulder. Madoka is in front of her.
"I'm fine, Madoka. It just pinched a little." Madoka bobs her head and turns to her left, head down. Mami sighs.
"Really, Akemi-san, we're worried because we don't know how comfortable or painful this is for you, so whenever you actually react to something, we take it seriously." She takes a step back. "Raise your arms." Homura obeys her, and you nod in understanding. They're giving Homura a false arm; that must be how she had both arms when you met her at the Witch. You step into the room and lean against the wall.
"How does it feel?" Homura rotates her wrist, her elbow, then finally the whole arm, then shrugs.
"... It's fine. I think the connection to my back is weaker, though." Mami nods.
"That would explain why it started hurting before - not enough support, combined with how much strain you were putting on it, and it became loose enough that -" Mami stops in the middle of her explanation when she sees you.
"My sister always told me not to interrupt magicians while they're working," you say, and Homura turns her head enough to glare at you through one eye. Mami frowns as you close the door and sit on one of the benches along the wall. "But it's good you're all here; I wanted to talk about something."
"I don't suppose we have a choice?" Homura asks dryly. Mami shakes her head a little and steps behind Homura, putting her hand on the black-haired girl's shoulder. Madoka puts her hand on the front of her shoulder, and there are twin glows of pink and yellow, and Homura winces.
"It's about tonight," you say when the glows fade, and Mami glances at you and Homura before stepping back and crossing her arms.
"Hmm ... you want to talk to us about something happening tonight, Akemi-san wants to see if we can get her a useable arm for something happening tonight." You raise an eyebrow as you look at Homura. She simply looks ahead and pretends to not see you. "I'm up for a discussion about tonight; are you, Kaname-san?" The pink-haired girl looks unhappy and nervous, but nods.
"Well, I'm going to have a meeting with someone at the tower in Kazamino," you say, and they both freeze. "I got a letter a few days ago, asking to meet me, and I think I'm going to go. Buuut ... well, Sayaka. You two said she started acting weird after she got a letter, and then she ran off to Kazamino and hasn't been back since, right?" Mami nods slowly, eyes hard. Homura sighs and lowers her arms, and Madoka hands her a loose shirt.
"And you're planning on going despite knowing that, Scarlet-san?" You grin.
"Yup. See, I don't really expect whatever sorcery Kyouko is using - or whoever she's with - is going to work on me ...." Mami and Madoka look slightly confused, and you glower at Homura again. You aren't sure if she's withholding information on purpose, but it would help if she would stop. "Right, so Kyouko's recruiting, right? Well, all the girls I've seen over there use the same style of sword, and they all have red-glowing eyes. Homura says Kyouko's magic is red, like yours is yellow and Madoka's is pink, so -"
"You think Kyouko is controlling those girls, and probably Sayaka as well." Mami nods, brow furrowing in concentration. She doesn't even notice you glaring at her for interrupting. "That ... might be possible. It doesn't sound like Kyouko, though - I have trouble believing she would control people like that." You shrug.
"I'm willing to believe the possibility that someone is controlling Kyouko and making her affect everyone else. But that's what it looks like." Mami sighs, and Madoka looks at the three of you in turn, nervousness apparent. She seems to be the most naïve of them. "Anyway, how are you guys at long-range observation?" There's a long moment of silence.
"... Not good enough. I could maybe get scopes or binoculars and sit on another building, but it's supposed to rain tonight, so I'm not sure how useful it would be. Especially if you aren't out in the open ... and a similar problem crops up if we try to wire you - the rain will probably drown out a lot. And even if we could manage to keep an eye on you, we'd be forced to do it from across the river, so coming to your assistance might be difficult." Homura sits down with something approximating a look of disgust.
"And since Kyubey cannot communicate with you, Scarlet-san, we won't be able to use telepathy to keep in touch and warn you even if we do see something." You are beginning to really regret your moment of kindness, and you turn to scowl through the wall. "Er, Scarlet-san?"
"... I think Lutecia might be able to come up with something," you say after a moment, "but she's with Saya at the moment, and I get the feeling this is something you don't want her know about." Three nods answer you, and you shrug. "Well, if I need help, so long as you're nearby, I'm sure I can come up with some kind of signal ...." Mami looks curiously at you, but Homura narrows her eyes, then pales noticeably.
"Noth-!" She starts to shout, making everyone look at her, then visibly has to calm herself down. Mami frowns at her, then gives you a penetrating look. "Nothing that would cause people to notice something's wrong, or that would cause too much property damage." You pout - that means you can't impersonate an angel!
"Hmm ... uh ... no ...." You sigh. Right, Homura doesn't want you to have fun.
"Um, do you know for sure that something bad will happen?" Madoka looks around the room. "Maybe this letter is from someone else?" You sigh; so naïve.
"It may be that we're planning for a circumstance that won't ever come, but it's safer to be ready for a problem." Madoka nods.
"Huh. I can't think of anything ...." You scowl and head for the door. "I'm going for a walk; we can talk later. See if Lutecia has some ideas, okay? Don't push her, though; if she cant, she can't." You firmly close each door behind you as you leave the house. A quick look up reveals that it's overcast but unlikely to rain for a while, so you don't take out your parasol. You start walking toward Kazamino. If they are the ones who want to meet you, they'll be making preparations too, won't they?
You walk along the streets of Kazamino, secure in your invisibility. You crossed closer to the Tower, checked it without finding anything, then began walking toward the church. Now ... you're pretty sure cities aren't supposed to feel like this. It doesn't feel like a human city, it feels like humans are encroaching on a youkai's territory, and know it. They're afraid of something, and you've had to stop a few times because you were sure someone else was wandering around, just like before. Still, you're almost at the church ....
You stop as someone tumbles past you into the street. Several more young men follow their friend, and you turn to see four of Kyouko's girls glaring at them, eyes glimmering redly. The one in front runs a hand through her hair.
"You've had several chances to stop misbehaving in our territory, punks. Not only have you not stopped, you've escalated. Last chance - do you swear to never try anything like this again?"
"Ha! Piss off, you dumb -!" You take a step back as the leader leaps forward and drives her boot into the idiot's teeth. Her followers swarm forward, and she pulls out a knife and slams her first victim to the concrete sidewalk. While he's stunned, she yanks his right arm around, twisting it for leverage, and pulls back his middle finger. With it separated from the others, she puts the blade against it and presses the blade deep into the finger. The boy screams, and with the knife momentarily stuck in the finger, the girl lets go of it, using both hands to keep his arm steady. Then a fifth girl, one you hadn't noticed, stomps on the blade, severing the finger. You wait until they're occupied with their next victim to slip by them.
You smile as the screams continue, but they aren't what you're here for. You walk for another couple blocks before reaching the church, and you frown at the scene as you approach. There are a couple small carts sitting by the walkway leading up to the church, and a couple girls are discussing what to do with them - keep them here or take them somewhere, it seems. Another small group - three older girls, four younger ones, and even a couple of boys - are using mops to wipe at the front wall of the church. You take a closer look at the church, and your frown deepens.
Superficially, it still resembles the church you remember, but you can tell that many of the broken windows have something blocking the way in - maybe just clear glass, maybe something else. Weirdly, the strange feeling affecting Kazamino doesn't seem to extend here. It feels like a human place, not a youkai place … maybe it's due to Kyouko's power? The main doors are open, and you slip in, making sure you keep out of everyone's reach by flying above them. Inside, though, you soon have to land and be more careful. It's much cleaner, completely picked up, and someone is burning incense - myrrh, it smells like. In one room that you remember being collapsed, an older girl - red-eyed - is giving lessons to younger children, both boys and girls. You head into the main worship area and float up to keep out of the way and out of sight.
You count thirty girls sitting in the pews, and another six leaning against the damaged stained-glass wall. The six girls are all armed, and all carry two swords. The pulpit catches your attention, because there's a spear sticking out of a wooden board behind it, impaling an arm. Hmm …. Four of the robed figures Homura mentioned are present as well, standing behind the pulpit … and two of them start looking around shortly after you arrive. You frown, wondering if they can sense your presence through the invisibility. Shaking off the thought, you keep looking around the room, and you stare at the area behind the pulpit, below the spear. There's a small shelf, or maybe a bench, and there are Grief Seeds sitting there. Forty Grief Seeds … though, if all these girls are 'magical girls,' then they probably need that many. You can't help but wonder where they're coming from, though - Witches don't seem to grow on trees, after all. Then your eyes narrow - they must be Kyouko's followers.
Below you, sitting in a shadow in the corner, is a piano. You have to keep yourself from squealing, and you carefully drop down to investigate it more closely. It's a bit over two meters long, the wood is stained a rich red color, and it seems to be in excellent condition ... though you won't know that for sure until you actually hear it. You run your fingers along the keys and sigh to yourself. Not the time, unfortunately. You float back up to a higher perch and keep watching the girls. You spend another fifteen minutes being bored, but apart from the two guardians looking around, none of the girls move. You shift restlessly.
What do you do?
[ ] Head back to Homura's.
- [ ] Wait until it's time for the meeting.
- [ ] Talk to someone.
- - Who? Subject?
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Stay out some more.
- [ ] Look at clothes.
- [ ] Look for a store likely to have a piano.
- [ ] Other?
[ ] Stay at the church.
- [ ] Ask to play the piano.
- [ ] Keep watching and avoid trouble.
- [ ] Try to sneak into the basement.
- [ ] Other?
DM Note: It's around noon, the meeting is for midnight.
Sinsystems
Patron Librarian
[X] Stay at the church.
- [X] Try to sneak into the basement.
Because everything evil at a church is in the basement.
- [X] Try to sneak into the basement.
Because everything evil at a church is in the basement.
[X] Stay at the church.
- [X] Try to sneak into the basement.
- [X] Try to sneak into the basement.
Chartreuse32
Writing from the Birdcage
@Entropy Judge what is that one girl teaching? Do everyone boys and girls have red eyes or is it just the magical girls?
[x] Stay at the church.
-[x] Ask to play the piano.
-[x] Ask to play the piano.
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
Math; the kids looked younger than Flandre.
Only the older girls; the younger girls and the boys have normal eyes.
Entropy Judge
Recurring Bouts of Misanthropy
... :shrug: Yeah, it is. Flan doesn't know it, though she does suspect it given that Homura lost her arm to Sayaka in the basement.
[X] Stay at the church.
- [X] Try to sneak into the basement.
4
[x] Stay at the church.
-[x] Ask to play the piano.
1
- [X] Try to sneak into the basement.
4
[x] Stay at the church.
-[x] Ask to play the piano.
1
Chartreuse32
Writing from the Birdcage
[X]- Leave the church, wait until sundown a few hours a few hours before the meeting, then raid the basement. Avoid conflict if possible.
-[X]- If fighting is unavoidable kill all witnesses and clean up the bodies. More company for Headless (the severed head)!
Obviously there's evil shit going down in the villain's basement, but the church is too full of witnesses right now and those guard are onto us. Even if they don't have red eyes, there's something weird going on with the rest of these kids in this creepy commune if there are boys working for Kyoko and a severed arm is pinned to the back wall in plain view and nobody questions it. Downstairs there will probably be guards, and assuming this is a normal basement there will only be one way in or out. Unless we want to cut our way through the congregation and get Kyoko after us before the meeting even happens should things go wrong, we should wait until more people go home and the guardians aren't looking for us.
-[X]- If fighting is unavoidable kill all witnesses and clean up the bodies. More company for Headless (the severed head)!
Obviously there's evil shit going down in the villain's basement, but the church is too full of witnesses right now and those guard are onto us. Even if they don't have red eyes, there's something weird going on with the rest of these kids in this creepy commune if there are boys working for Kyoko and a severed arm is pinned to the back wall in plain view and nobody questions it. Downstairs there will probably be guards, and assuming this is a normal basement there will only be one way in or out. Unless we want to cut our way through the congregation and get Kyoko after us before the meeting even happens should things go wrong, we should wait until more people go home and the guardians aren't looking for us.
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Well, it's not like Flandre is one of the sneaky-sneaky types, so if someone will spot us, it likely would be their problem, not ours. And there is high chance of conflict anyway, as far as current votes go.
And this should concern Flandre, because?
I mean, canon Kyoko is one of my favorite characters, but frankly, I do not see a possibility of a "completely peacefull resolution" even if there are a lot mindscrew-powers involved and somehow Kyouko may not be a main source of it. Especially with Flandre as our protagonist. And yeah, I also do care about Homu more, and we still have alter-Kyoko's soulgem.
So, unless anyone has better ideas (maybe even with chance of avoiding bloodbath in the nearest future)..
[X]- Leave the church, wait until sundown a few hours a few hours before the meeting, then raid the basement. Avoid conflict if possible.
- [X] If fighting is unavoidable kill all witnesses and clean up the bodies. More company for Headless (the severed head)!
- [X] Take the arm on your way out (as we can present it to Homura later and see how she would react to it)
P.S.
We may also add a line about possible mastermind behind all of this (or any other clues possibly related to it), or maybe someone wants to go to the "meeting" first and then investigate basement...
Flandre is actually ridiculously good at stealth. She just rarely sees the point in sticking to stealth.
That's what I also meant with doubling the specific word. Cuz there are people with abilities to do something stealthy and, well, sneaky-sneaky types who would either prefer stealth to anything else or even try to stick to it completely (regardless to the actuall ability and/or consequences sometimes). And Flandre is not one of them, so stealth isn't her preferred method by any means.