Flandre's Quest (Touhou) World - (Madness Quest)

[HymnOfRagnarok]

Has Remillia come close to catching up with Flan at times?



Incidentally, I'm kind of curious what they'd think of us having Mami's Soul Gem still. But this is something still relevant to the Quest and which the Kyouko's might take quite poorly, if they knew we had her and didn't volunteer her.

 

[BoundaryPhantasm]

What kind of inspiration did Flan inspire in Homura?

 

[Entropy Judge]

It looks like votes are locked now.

Spoiler: Tally

[X] Go to the church.
- [X] See how Lutecia is doing.
2

[X] Hijack a building of manga writers and force them to write a short story.
-[X] The Incredible Adventures of an Ordinary Gate Guard, Hong Meiling.
-[X] Take a copy for yourself.
1

[X] Go to your room.
- [X] See how Headless is doing.
3

Has Remillia come close to catching up with Flan at times?

Click to shrink...

Hmm ... up to the end of the Nanoha arc, Remilia could have brought her back easily. After that point, Patchouli hasn't yet found where Flan is.

Incidentally, I'm kind of curious what they'd think of us having Mami's Soul Gem still. But this is something still relevant to the Quest and which the Kyouko's might take quite poorly, if they knew we had her and didn't volunteer her.

Click to shrink...

Oh, the usual - horrible monster, why would you do that, I hate you, etc. It would lower their opinion of her, but it's not something that would cause a break in relations. They probably would ask who else she's carrying around.

What kind of inspiration did Flan inspire in Homura?

Click to shrink...

The first time we saw Homura grinning, it was right after she got back from discovering that you can bring individuals from one timeline to another (via their Soul Gems, if nothing else) with no apparent repercussions. Kyouko was still sane, still has her magic, can still function as a Magical Girl. Therefore, Homura can do the same with others and defeat Walpurgisnacht with her power, if not with her own two hands.

 

[HymnOfRagnarok]

The first time we saw Homura grinning, it was right after she got back from discovering that you can bring individuals from one timeline to another (via their Soul Gems, if nothing else) with no apparent repercussions. Kyouko was still sane, still has her magic, can still function as a Magical Girl. Therefore, Homura can do the same with others and defeat Walpurgisnacht with her power, if not with her own two hands.

Click to shrink...

....That's actually pretty brilliant. I mean, those Magical Girls will still need Grief Seeds to sustain themselves unless Homura wants to put bullets in the back of their heads or toss them back into storage for long periods of time. But still an excellent idea, if her power allows it to work.

 

[Entropy Judge]

[X] Go to your room.
- [X] See how Headless is doing.


You shrug and keep walking toward Homura's, though not as quickly as she is. You aren't in any rush, after all, and with her acting so … oddly … it might be better if you didn't meet her. And while you could go back to the church, Lutecia is still recovering, and there isn't much you can do to help. Really, there's not much to do right now. You sigh. If there were more Witches, it wouldn't be so bad, but unless Walpurgisnacht shows up, you probably just wasted time here.

You peek into the house before slipping in, making sure you don't run into Homura, and you hear singing coming from her rooms. Not her, but the volume probably means she's in there. You wonder if you left the dishes in there – you don't remember, but it's not important. You sneak past and make your way up to your room and curl up on the bed. Sleep comes quickly.

---

You look around, frowning. It really did get dark, it seems, though you can still see perfectly well. Humans might have a hard time of it. Headless and her kin – you should probably start calling her something in your head to give her some identity – aren't around, so you decide to go exploring. It'll give you a sense of any damage this place sustained … you know it's just a constructed place, and it's pretty cosmetic if there is any damage, but you were attacked by something that could affect you and Headless, so it's not a bad idea.

You don't find any damage in the common areas or your own areas, nor in the accessible areas of Headless's rooms. Either there wasn't any damage, or they managed to take care of it. You almost try to contact Headless directly when you remember there's one more area you need to look through and dash for the tower.

It looks different from the last time you saw it – the red stones are paler, and it seems almost faded in strength. You wish Patchouli had explained what the tower was, and why you were unable to alter it like you could the rest of your headscape. On a whim, you look over the edge, but it still plummets farther down than you can see, and you head into the workshop. It's untouched as well – empty bookshelves, warding areas etched into the floor, tables and chairs and desks, all immaculate. The only difference is that the trapdoor leading down is open. Of course, you can't leave such a mystery unattended! You stare around in shock – instead of the basement or tower column you were expecting, you find yourself in a pool of blood! It is, of course, much harder to see through, but your movement isn't hindered much, and you swim down, curious about how deep it is. You get perhaps twenty meters before your head breaches the bottom of the liquid, and you look around, confused, until Headless pulls you onto the stairs that run along the outside of the room. Gravity is still down, but the blood is held up … strange. The tower interior seems to be about sixty meters across, but much like the outside, it doesn't seem to have a bottom. You glance at Headless.

"I haven't reached any bottom, no." You nod.

"How far down does it go?" She shrugs.

"At least a few thousand meters. Though, the blood is usually farther down than this." You turn as a bubble bursts through the blood, and a mass of black sludge falls down the shaft. "Residue from the needle, probably. It's been doing this for a while." You glower down at the sludge as it leaves your vision. If this area isn't merely a construct, but is a representation of your own self, that would make sense. You shake your head and jump back into the blood to head back to the constructed area. It doesn't feel weird there. Headless follows you silently.

"Are you okay? And was it much trouble getting this place back to normal?" You do notice that it's much cleaner – less destroyed furniture and better-maintained. Headless nods and sits down in a stuffed chair.

"Yeah, it just … well, I mostly got feedback from you, nothing direct. And cleaning this place up wasn't hard at all, just boring." You share a grin for a moment, but then Headless gets serious again. "Do you really think it'll come? Homura probably doesn't even know what draws it here, and if it doesn't come, you might as well have pushed the magician to punch a hole through so we can get someplace that's actually interesting." You sigh and flop over the table. Mirroring your own thoughts again. You look up at her.

"Sorry, just thinking in single-file again. Hmm … rebuses?" You groan to yourself at Headless's grin. She's been waiting for this, you just know it.

---

You spend the next couple days flitting back and forth between the church and Homura's. Lutecia wanted to leave immediately, but agreed to stay until she can beat Madoka in a physical contest, just running through an obstacle course. Since she didn't even make it through the course the first time, you felt obligated to smile victoriously as you carry her to the bath. She takes her convalescence well, though, and you bring some of the things you'd been working with her on from Homura's. And, for all that it's fairly boring, you find that you enjoy yourself.

You open the door to the worship area to get ready for Lutecia's piano lesson and freeze. There are usually a few of Kyouko's girls there, but it looks like nearly twenty are there now, including two of her guardians, and they all seem to be in bad shape. You check the two nearest you, and they're suffering from identical symptoms – their eyes are no longer glowing, but the red has been infused into their eyeballs themselves, they seem to be dead, but they aren't injured in any way. Of course, not having any apparent injuries doesn't mean they haven't been attacked ….


What do you do?

[ ] Take Lutecia back to Homura's.

[ ] Go see if Kyouko is okay.

[ ] Go find Mami and bring her here.

[ ] Other?


EDIT: It is now Thursday, 14 April, ~4:30 PM.

 

[veekie]

[X] Go see if Kyouko is okay.

 

[HymnOfRagnarok]

[X] Go see if Kyouko is okay.

We're here, and Kyouko is most likely the problem, so better to investigate that than go haring off to find someone else. At least see if she's around.

 

[FelSpite]

[X] Go see if Kyouko is okay.

 

[Entropy Judge]

Votes are not locked, Current Tally is
[X] Go see if Kyouko is okay.
3

 

[Stormgear]

[X] Go see if Kyouko is okay.

Seems legit. Also the paling of the scarlet tower is... worrisome.

Wonder what that's about.

 

[Entropy Judge]

Also the paling of the scarlet tower is... worrisome.
Wonder what that's about.

Click to shrink...

I'm sure it's fine, nothing to worry about.

More interesting is that Flan's total energy supply is - assuming that the tower is a scalar representation, which may not be true - somewhere south of one percent.

Anyway, votes are locked!
[X] Go see if Kyouko is okay.
4

 

[Entropy Judge]

[X] Go see if Kyouko is okay.


You don't know exactly what's going on, but if something's happening to Kyouko's minions, something might be happening to her, as well … or she might know what's happening, or she might not be aware of it, or something else. Regardless, you're pretty sure that you should check up on her, so you leave the church and head for the stairs to the basement.

"Hey!" You look up to see Agito and Lutecia coming down the stairs. Oh, right. You grin and wave.

"Lessons are on hold for now," you say, and they frown worriedly.

"Is something wrong?" You shrug at the fairy.

"I don't know. Well, probably, given the state of the girls in the church, but whether it's a problematic 'something wrong' or just a nuisance 'something wrong' is something I'm going to check on. You should probably wait upstairs, don't know how long this'll take or what's going to happen." You wave at them and bounce down the stairs, slowing when you reach the basement. More than a dozen girls are in here, but something definitely happened here, going by the blood everywhere. Only a few of the girls were killed, but their deaths were quite messy. You step down into the room, and something crunches under your foot - looking down, you see shards of glass of several different colors. You frown as you float across the room. You didn't remember to check the Soul Gems of the girls in the church.

You pause at the door, staring at one of the guardians. She's dead, one of those killed by the others, but more interesting is the fact that her neck is too long. Humans, even magical ones, simply don't have meter-long necks. You kick the corpse gently, but when it doesn't move, you open the door and head into Kyouko's world. Like before, you're on a simple path with heavy fog banks to your sides, but a heavy wind blows from right to left. It's not enough to deter you, however, and you walk forward. Several minutes pass before you hear a strange sound - horseshoes on brick. Continuing forward, you reach a large area free of the fog. Sayaka is in the center, surrounded by blades embedded in the bricks, and past her is a large grey horse pacing before the path forward. The horse looks at you, and Sayaka follows its gaze before snapping her eyes back to the horse. You wait at the edge of the clearing as the horse turns back to Sayaka.

"Did something happen out there?"

"Probably. A bunch of Kyouko's girls are in the church, with something wrong. The two I checked had their eyes turned red. I came down to the basement, and it looked like there was a fight, because a few of them were killed with weapons, there were at least a few smashed Soul Gems, and one of the ones who was killed had a meter-long neck." Sayaka shakes her head.

"All I know is that Kyouko started freaking out, and when I tried to see if she was okay, this thing came and drove me back. Been trying to figure out if I need to fight it, or if I should let Kyouko have her space." You consider it for a moment, then shrug and walk forward. The horse turns to face you, and you wonder whether it's a youkai horse, charmed, or simply a created thing … though, really, only the last one would have to be fought. Sayaka frowns at you, swords ready to support you if need it. You keep moving until you're two lengths from the horse, and it pounds its hooves against the floor. You stop and smile at it, and a trace amount of power bleeds from you.

"Now, you are going to let us through, do you understand? Or am I going to get to kill you?" As you stare at it, the horse shudders and dances to its left and then its right, before finally running off to the side, vanishing as it hits the fog. Not really what you wanted - but that means it's not a created thing, it has some instincts. Sayaka taps you on the shoulder as you stare after it, and you glance over at her.

"Thanks," she says with a grin. She seems a bit flushed, but otherwise fine. "I tried to scare it off earlier, but I guess I'm not very frightening, huh?" You shake your head and float high enough to flick her forehead before the two of you continue forward, Sayaka jogging and you flying just behind her. You could easily pass her, or carry her along, but it's simpler this way. After a minute of running through the fog-shrouded path, the scene changes immediately to the church. Kyouko, wearing her normal clothes, is breathing heavily in the main aisle, and Sayaka rushes forward to help her. "Kyouko!"

You fly past them to the pulpit, to stand watch over Momo as the horse from before stares at her. You give the horse a pointed look before turning to the girl. She's breathing regularly, and doesn't seem to have any injuries. Her eyes flutter open, strangely pearlescent, and she looks at you. "Are … are you an angel?" You can barely hear her voice, but you smile at her anyway.

"Fear not," you say quietly, before dropping next to her. "I'm not an angel, but I'm not here to hurt you, either." Her eyes widen and she shakes her head as she desperately tries to grab your arm.

"Don't -!" Her breath catches in her throat. "Don't hurt my sister, please …." Her breathing is ragged, now, and you nod, smiling, as you take her hand.

"Kyouko hasn't done anything to warrant my wrath, either." Which isn't to say you necessarily won't hurt her, or kill her, if that's what she wants. You never did make a final deal, after all. She smiles and her eyes close. Her breathing returns to normal as Sayaka pokes the top of your head.

"Don't hog the sleeping beauty, Flan," she says with a grin as she kneels next to her. You scowl as you stand up. The horse is gone.

"Hmph. So, is she well enough to be moved, now?" Sayaka shakes her head.

"Nope. Not until she wakes up, at least." You stare at her for a moment, then at Kyouko.

"Oh." Sayaka nods and stands up as well.

"She seems to be alright for now, though - whatever happened to you doesn't seem to have affected her." Kyouko nods absently as she watches her sister sleep.

"That's good. Thank you, Sayaka, Flandre." Her voice is raw, like she'd been screaming or something, and you narrow your eyes. "If you two wouldn't mind -"

"Not at all!" Sayaka interrupts her and pats your shoulder. "Kyouko and I are going to move her surviving girls in here so that she can keep a better eye on them. Would you mind helping?" You look at her, and your eyes flick to Kyouko, still unhappily watching Momo.


What do you do?

[ ] Explain that Momo did wake up and talk, so she should be moved.

[ ] Explain that, since at least some of Kyouko's minions seem to have turned on the others, moving them into the barrier might not be a good idea.

[ ] Agree to help.
- [ ] Tell Homura what happened.
- [ ] Go back to Lutecia's lesson.
- [ ] Talk to Lutecia and Agito about it.

[ ] Don't help.
- [ ] Tell Homura what happened.
- [ ] Go back to Lutecia's lesson.
- [ ] Talk to Lutecia and Agito about it.

[ ] Other?

 

[Drasis]

[X] Explain that, since at least some of Kyouko's minions seem to have turned on the others, moving them into the barrier might not be a good idea.

 

[veekie]

[X] Explain that, since at least some of Kyouko's minions seem to have turned on the others, moving them into the barrier might not be a good idea.
-[X] Also tell them what Momo told you, and mention her strange eyes when she woke.

 

[Entropy Judge]

Votes are not locked.

Spoiler: Current Tally

[X] Explain that, since at least some of Kyouko's minions seem to have turned on the others, moving them into the barrier might not be a good idea.
1

[X] Explain that, since at least some of Kyouko's minions seem to have turned on the others, moving them into the barrier might not be a good idea.
-[X] Also tell them what Momo told you, and mention her strange eyes when she woke.
1

 

[ShadowAngelBeta]

[X] Explain that, since at least some of Kyouko's minions seem to have turned on the others, moving them into the barrier might not be a good idea.
-[X] Also tell them what Momo told you, and mention her strange eyes when she woke.

Well, this is getting weird. Good thing we're Flandre "Gives no Fucks/Can Kill 99.9% of Anything on a Whim" Scarlet.

 

[FelSpite]

[X] Explain that, since at least some of Kyouko's minions seem to have turned on the others, moving them into the barrier might not be a good idea.
-[X] Also tell them what Momo told you, and mention her strange eyes when she woke.

 

[Entropy Judge]

Votes are locked.

Spoiler: Current Tally

[X] Explain that, since at least some of Kyouko's minions seem to have turned on the others, moving them into the barrier might not be a good idea.
1

[X] Explain that, since at least some of Kyouko's minions seem to have turned on the others, moving them into the barrier might not be a good idea.
-[X] Also tell them what Momo told you, and mention her strange eyes when she woke.
3

 

[Entropy Judge]

[X] Explain that, since at least some of Kyouko's minions seem to have turned on the others, moving them into the barrier might not be a good idea.
-[X] Also tell them what Momo told you, and mention her strange eyes when she woke.


You look back at Sayaka and shake your head. "No. Unless you can figure out why they were fighting and how to keep them from doing it again, it would probably be a bad idea to bring them in here." Sayaka frowns and turns to look at Kyouko as the redhead scowls at you.

"You think I can't take care of anyone who tries something?" Her spear appears in her hands and she points it toward you. You raise an eyebrow in surprise - that Kyouko has a death-wish isn't new, but that she would risk herself and her sister so casually is. You cross your arms and give her a condescending look.

"If you can stay awake and alert the whole time, and don't get overwhelmed by superior numbers, and no one has any abilities that trump yours, and you stop doing stupid things like threatening me, you might be able to take care of any of your agents who go rogue. Unless you're in a similar state to the one we found you in." Kyouko stares at you for a moment, then shakes herself and drops the spear before staggering toward the wall and slumping onto the bench. Sayaka glances at you before hurrying over. After a moment, Kyouko looks bleakly at you.

"'m … sorry. I meant … if we bring in the ones who are still alive, I can make sure that my hold over them is still secure, and anyone who tries something will have to do it in a one-on-one situation where I'm expecting trouble." Her explanation rings hollow to your ears, but she seems more normal now.

"And the horse?" You sigh at the bewildered look. "Big grey thing, was keeping Sayaka away from you, and was staring at Momo when we got here." She shakes her head.

"I … don't know what that is."

"Maybe a Familiar managed to sneak in, somehow?" Kyouko winces at Sayaka's suggestion - the implication that her security is even worse than she thought probably wouldn't be a good feeling. You clear your throat and crouch by Momo, tracing your finger along the side of her face.

"All that, of course, leaves aside the fact that Momo has woken up, at least a little." You pause, finger frozen on the far side of her mouth, and glance at the two magicians. "She spoke to me, asked if I was an angel and asked me not to hurt you. I'm really rather surprised you didn't notice us talking when you came up. Her eyes were … iridescent, almost filmy, like something was affecting her, so maybe you should get a second opinion on her condition. Or a third or fourth, I suppose." Sayaka shakes her head as you stand up.

"We didn't notice anything except you sitting there, watching her for five or six minutes. I poked you because you didn't seem to notice us." You stare at her. That doesn't match your memory of what happened, so …. "Maybe something is targeting you?" She gets up and starts to walk toward you, but you wave her off.

"If something is affecting me, it's something powerful enough to affect you, as well - and if it's something that can affect me without anyone noticing, then this whole place is dangerous." Kyouko stares helplessly at her sister. "And since our experiences don't quite match up, that means that one of us, at least, is being affected, so getting out is certainly the smarter choice." Sayaka frowns and starts to reply, but you're all distracted by the sound of footsteps, and you turn to see Homura walking down the aisle, pistol in her hand and wearing her shield. Kyouko and Sayaka both turn to face her more fully, and she raises her left hand.

"Lutecia contacted me," she begins, and you smile. Such a smart girl. "It's good that she contacted me, and not Mami, because I'm not sure if she really believes that we're going to turn into Witches - Kyouko is probably selling her that you two believe it, but it isn't necessarily true, and she probably hasn't worked up the nerve to ask Kyubey, either. If she doesn't believe it, and she came here, she'd come in ready for a fight, and probably snap when she finds the truth staring her in the face." She glances at Momo, then stares hard at Kyouko. "Kyouko, you're losing control. Your troops are starting to turn into Familiars, and since you're not a Witch, they're out of control. I had to kill two of them on my way in here." Sayaka gives Kyouko a horrified look and steps back - between her and Momo. The redhead shakes her head.

"No. No! I … I just need to bring them in here. I can … can keep them under control. Then when Momo wakes up, you can taker her out, take her away from here …." Sayaka swallows and her eyes flick toward you.

"Kyouko, Flandre said …." She trails off as the other magician shakes her head furiously, hair whipping about. Homura gives you a level look before turning her attention back to Kyouko.

"Flandre? Can you hear me?" You stop paying attention to the magicians as the unknown thought traces through your head.

"Lutecia?" You murmur the name, and you think you sense a feeling of relief.

"Yes. Mami is coming. I didn't contact her, and it looks like Kyubey is with her." A scowl flashes across your face. If she's coming here now, she's probably ready for a fight - this is a barrier, after all. On the other hand, this isn't something that necessarily involves you, and Lutecia is a guest as well, so you don't have any real reason to get involved.


What do you do?

[ ] Stay and watch the (probable) fireworks.
- [ ] Don't get involved.

[ ] Inform everyone of Mami's arrival.

[ ] Go out and delay Mami until someone comes to explain.
- [ ] By fighting.
- [ ] Play keep-away with her Soul Gem.

[ ] Diplomacy!
- With Mami.
- With Kyouko.

[ ] Guide Mami to Kyouko.

[ ] Go up to Lutecia and wait for everything to calm down.

[ ] Other?


DM Note: Unless you vote otherwise, Flan's going to tell Lutecia to stay uninvolved. Choosing to fight Mami is, unless voted otherwise, nonlethal - Flan will hold back on killing blows and deliberately fight to keep Mami in place.

 

[Drasis]

[X] Inform everyone of Mami's arrival.
-[q] Wonder if you can get popcorn in time. Mami does seem to have a tendency to make unfortunate decisions.

 

[veekie]

[X] Go out and delay Mami until someone comes to explain.
- [X] By fighting.

Lets hope the others have a solution to things.

 

[Entropy Judge]

Votes are not locked.

Spoiler: Current Tally

[X] Inform everyone of Mami's arrival.
1

[X] Go out and delay Mami until someone comes to explain.
- [X] By fighting.
1

 

[Neo-Chan]

[X] Inform everyone of Mami's arrival.

Fucking hell this quest is insane, the MC is a sociopath with a bullshit amount of power and the sane people are to weak to stop her and my god if it isn't hilarious ill admit when the 2nd Madoka loop started i expected it to end very quickly and with everyone dead. Im honestly amazed everything hasn't gone to hell yet, i cant wait to see what happens next.

 

[Entropy Judge]

[Votes are locked.

Spoiler: Current Tally

[X] Inform everyone of Mami's arrival.
2

[X] Go out and delay Mami until someone comes to explain.
- [X] By fighting.
1

 

[Entropy Judge]

[X] Inform everyone of Mami's arrival.


"Alright, Lutecia. Thank you for telling me - I don't think I'll try to stop her, and she shouldn't have any reason to try anything on you or Agito. Just wait up there until I come up, okay?" There's a short pause.

"Okay, Flandre. Take care of yourself." You frown as your sense of her fades; was she expecting a particular reaction from you and didn't get it? It seemed like something was missing …. With a shrug, you turn away from the magicians and sit down on one of the benches against the wall. Homura and Sayaka frown at you.

"Are you okay, Flandre? Is something wrong?" You smile at Sayaka and shake your head.

"I'm fine. Thank you for worrying. I simply wanted to get out of the immediate view, since I'm not as involved as the three of you." The healer's frown intensifies. "Lutecia just told me that Mami is coming, and Kyubey seems to be with her. If, as Homura is implying, she does try to attack you three, I'd like to avoid being targeted simply because I'm up there with you." Sayaka blanches and starts to say something to Homura, but the black-haired girl brushes past her and moves toward the door. She isn't halfway there when a chain-like lattice sprouts in front of it, and when she stops to turn back, a small prison forms around her.

"No. You … you're not going to go and fight her, Homura. I'm not going to let you. She can get here if she wants to, and if she does, we'll talk. I'll explain things to her, make sure she understands. It … won't be long, now. Momo will wake up soon, and Sayaka can take her somewhere safe." Kyouko shoves the blade of her spear into the brick floor of the pulpit and transforms fully, the Soul Gem on her chest black and oily. She kneels next to her sister and strokes her hair gently.

"Kyouko?" She shakes her head.

"No, Sayaka. You don't need to do anything right now. Mami won't do anything, not to us. It'll be fine." She gives the other girl a sad smile, and your eyes narrow as you see a red glow limn Sayaka. She nods and walks to the nearest pew to sit down. So Sayaka is being controlled, at least a little … although to be completely fair, that might not have started until more recently. An explosion rattles the room, shaking Sayaka from Kyouko's control, but Homura doesn't make a big enough hole to escape from, if she made a hole at all. Two more layers cover the existing cage, making it almost impossible to see into it, and Kyouko eyes you. You shrug and smile sweetly. No cage covers you, and the links over the door melt away. "… You don't know everything, Homura. You make mistakes, and you can be beaten. Mami will listen to me. I know she will." It looks like you're going to be waiting until she comes, so you look around. Unfortunately, there's no piano in this version of the church. You sigh and lean back, closing your eyes. It's only a few minutes before the doors to the church burst open, Mami in the lead with a musket in each hand, Kyouko following her, spear at the ready. They hesitate when they see the cage, then Mami ducks to the right, the same side of the church you're on, and Kyouko leaps onto the back of the rearmost pew on the left.

"… Sakura-san?" Her voice trembles just a little bit, and her face is pale. She's wary, but not afraid, and you grin.

"Hey, Mami. It's okay, that's just Homura. She thought you'd try to fight us, decided to go out and fight you, so I stopped her. I don't want anything to happen to you." She stands up and wrenches her spear from the floor, leaning it over her shoulder as she offers a weak grin.

"Sakura-san, where is the Witch creating this barrier? How did it get here without you noticing?" Kyouko's grin fades and she looks back at Momo for a second.

"I told you before, right, Mami? That I'm turning into a Witch? This is my barrier. I made it, to keep Momo safe. Don't you believe me?" The blonde magician takes a deep breath.

"… Sakura-san, I don't know what's happened to you, or who did this to you, but … if you are turning into a Witch, I have to stop you. Maybe I can't save you, but I can make sure you don't hurt anyone." The spearhead clashes against the floor as Kyouko stares uncomprehendingly at Mami. "Kyouko and I will take Momo, and between myself and Miki-san, we'll make sure she's taken care of. You don't need to worry about her."

"Mami … Mami, this is something that's going to happen to all of us eventually, it's not something that was done to me! Ask Oriko!" Kyouko hops forward, moving closer to Sayaka, still on the pews, apparently ignoring her other self.

"Yes, Mikuni-san. She did this, didn't she? We'll have to deal with her, after we take care of you. Scarlet-san, would you be willing to assist us? I can't ask you to fight Sakura-san, but if you can help us defeat Mikuni-san and her allies, I would be most grateful." She turns her head, looking at you while keeping Kyouko in her line of sight, and you tap your thumb against your lips. You don't need the help to defeat Oriko and Kirika, but this would give you the best chance to actually catch and defeat them, so …. "You don't need to answer now, and I'm sure you'll want to check with Alpine-san before you make any decisions. Please don't interfere with this fight, however." She turns and lines up her right-hand musket, aiming down the barrel at Kyouko, and Kyubey leaps onto the back of a pew near her.

"Wait! Wait, Mami. I … fine, you aren't going to believe me. Then …." She takes her Soul Gem from its place on her chest, transforming it to its ruined egg-shape as she holds it up. "I … can't - won't - make you do this. I'm … I'm sorry, Mami. I wish it could have turned out better." She makes a fist, crushing the Soul Gem in her hand - then frowns and opens it, looking at the Grief Seed that is now sitting there. She has the slightest moment to stare, horrified, and looks up at Mami as she fires. Ripples of chain-links burst into existence, blocking the shot, and Sayaka shrieks. Kyouko leaps forward, but the links ripple outward, and she has to waste time carving through them.

The chains surrounding Kyouko burst outward, and a horde of blank-faced Familiars wearing garish outfits flood the suddenly-expansive church. Kyouko leaps back and cuts Homura free; the black-haired girl takes out a weapon and faces the horde as Mami spawns a multitude of muskets. Then Sayaka stands and turns to face the magicians, blades at the ready. You can see the shield-shaped mark on her neck, and the tears streaming down her cheeks. The final curtain of chains dissolves, and Kyouko's Witch sits on the grey horse from before, dressed in a multi-colored garment and carrying a strange, scintillating spear or scepter. Where her head should be, a candleflame burns. Behind her, sheltering Momo, is a small bundle of chain-links. You nod appreciatively - she hasn't turned on her family - and like the Witches before this, her Familiars ignore you, lining up to face the three magicians opposing their master.

Everything is silent for a moment, then Sayaka hurtles forward, blades crossed as she tries to engage Homura. Kyouko darts between them, her spear blocking the swords, and the Familiars rush forward, some launching fireballs as they hop onto the pews. Homura switches to the left side, and she and Mami open fire at the same time, Mami's many muskets cycling to take out many of the Familiars as Homura's weapon spits a steady stream of bullets. Kyouko's Witch, for now, simply waits and watches.


What do you do?

[ ] Don't interfere unless attacked.

[ ] Join the fight.
- [ ] Alongside the Witch.
- [ ] Alongside Homura's group.

[ ] Take Momo somewhere safer.

[ ] Leave.
- [ ] Go see if you can find Oriko and Kirika.
- [ ] Talk to Lutecia.

[ ] Other?