Ignition (MTG/Multicross, Planeswalker PC)

[Alivaril]

[x] Go downstairs and eat breakfast. Some of the other kids should be waking up right about now, but you still need to eat.
-[x] Head back to your room if some of them start acting cruel once again.

[x] Type while you eat: Send PM to Jeanne on a forum (or in Instant Messenger if she give on in her profile)
-[x] Don't give specific details, but write that you are in same city, QB approached you, but you did not make a wish before doing research on MGs.
--[x] Ask about the situation in the city and whether or not she wants a new MG in "her" city.


Your hand unconsciously seeks out the pendant around your neck as you consider the perks of just grabbing some food and leaving.

With its comforting form in your grip, it takes only a few moments to reach a decision. You can't let the thoughts of other people rule your life. If you're paralyzed by worries about what could go wrong, you'll remain like that forever: paralyzed. That being said, contacting Jeanne is pretty important. So why don't you do it while eating?

Course set, you let go of your pendant, grab your laptop, and head downstairs before your burst of confidence can fade.


Your minor act of not-quite-rebellion is well and throughly crushed by a new inclusion to the dining room. Hung on one wall of the room is a sign that you don't remember seeing before:

"No electronics at the table."

Below it is a picture of a cell phone marked off by an X.

...That's not really what you had expected to force you back upstairs, but it wouldn't be a very good idea to ignore the new rule. They'd probably confiscate your laptop. Before you hurry away, you load up a plate with some sausages, eggs, and toast.

You're able to retreat back to the safety of your room before any other kids show up. You can always try again later.


Once your laptop has booted up and you've shoveled down a few mouthfuls of food, you set up a temporary account under the name of "Wishmaker" and start trying to write a message to Jeanne. You have to discard almost a dozen versions before you find something you're at least semi-happy with.

From: Wishmaker
To: AJeanneWhoHatesBoats

Hello! Kyubey approached me yesterday and offered to turn me into a magical girl. I live in the same city as you. Would you mind if I do end up becoming one?

Also, does the city even need another magical girl, or would I just get in the way? I tried to look at the news, but it's hard to distinguish between a witch attack and an "ordinary" death from unnatural causes.

I haven't made a wish yet and made sure to do some research on the subject first.​

It doesn't even take five minutes for you to receive the quiet ding signifying a new message. You click on the link and wait impatiently for it to load.

[Invalid message ID]​

...Okay, that's weird.

You receive another three messages in rapid succession, but they all give out the same error when you try to read them.

[Invalid message ID]

[Invalid message ID]

[Invalid message ID]​

You're just about to give up when one finally loads.

From: AJeanneWhoHatesBoats
To: Wishmaker

Why would I mind? Witches don't care who tries to exterminate them, so why should I? Having more magical girls around means less work for each one of us. I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have, but we should probably meet in person for that. I don't spend much time on the Internet.

The situation in the city is kinda awful. With just three of us to split the workload, witches keep falling through the cracks. We aren't as bad off as some other cities, but a few dozen people still die to witches every month. We're too heavily outnumbered.

There's a nice little cafe near where I live: Azure Lily. Would you be able to meet with me there in about an hour?​

A quick search reveals that the cafe she mentioned is about two miles away. A bit far to walk, but you're in pretty good shape; you could get there just before the deadline, or even sooner if you decide to take a bus.

"I do not recommend going out to meet with Jeanne Lorelle. You will be much safer if you remain here."

You almost fall out of your seat as Kyubey jumps on your keyboard and curls up directly on it. You're starting to understand why some people think he has a cat somewhere in his ancestry.

"Jeanne Lorelle is the most famous magical girl in the city. People will take pictures and remember you if you choose to meet with her. Speculation will run rampant. Right now, I am the only one who knows about your potential. Should you settle on this course of action, that will change, and your chances of being attacked by a witch will increase significantly as a result."

---

[] Accept Jeanne's invitation and head over there now. There's no reason to procrastinate.
-[] Thank Kyubey for his concern anyway.

[] Decline.
-[] Try to keep messaging her.
--[] What do you ask about? (Write-in)
-[] Explain that Kyubey just told you not to meet with her.

[] Write-in

 

[Alivaril]

[X] Accept Jeanne's invitation and head over there now. There's no reason to procrastinate.
-[X] Thank Kyubey for his concern anyway.


You stare at the worried bunnycat for several long moments. As much as you dislike the possibility of adding Jeanne to the long list of people who dislike you, spending a day twiddling your thumbs appeals even less. You have to go back to school tomorrow, and school means other people. It would be nice to know you'd done something useful over the weekend.

And anyway, if the people at school realized you were a magical girl candidate, maybe they'd stop acting so hostile. Maybe.

Okay, you don't honestly believe that, but you hold on to the slim hope nonetheless. Now, how to phrase your desire to leave in a way Kyubey would accept...?

"Thank you, Kyubey, but I think I'd be safer around a magical girl than in a building full of miserable orphans."

Moments later, your conscious mind catches up with the second half of your sentence and you instantly pale. If witches are born from high concentrations of negative emotion, this place would practically be a breeding ground for them.

If Kyubey notices your sudden distress, he doesn't remark upon it. He moves off your keyboard, his tail twitching in agitation.

"If you are set on this course of action, I will not stop you. I will, however, follow you and try to ensure you do not die. Should you need to make a contract, I will be there."

...You're not quite sure if that's sweet or creepy. Still, it's not like you can do anything to stop Schrödinger's bunnycat, so you ignore him and turn back to your computer.

From: Wishmaker
To: AJeanneWhoHatesBoats

I can make it. Is it okay if Kyubey comes with me? He's worried about the possibility of a witch targeting me and decided to invite himself along.


From: AJeanneWhoHatesBoats
To: Wishmaker

He tends to do that. Don't worry about it. You'll get used to him popping out of the woodwork with little to no warning.

I didn't really think of that. Sorry! Do you have a cell phone? I think my home phone is listed under my profile, but I could give you my cell number just in case one does decide to show up.

​

She lists what is, presumably, her cell number just underneath her question.

You glance over at the nightstand next to your bed. Your battered old phone is still perfectly functional, even if it can't do anything besides phone calls, texts, and take really crappy pictures.

You grab it and dutifully add Jeanne Lorelle to your contacts list. The only other number on the list belongs to Ms. Tsukino, the owner of the orphanage. You're not quite sure why you bothered to add her; it's not like she actually likes you. Nobody does.

From: Wishmaker
To: AJeanneWhoHatesBoats

Added you to my contacts.


From: AJeanneWhoHatesBoats
To: Wishmaker

Okie! Who should I watch out for? Like, any distinctive physical features?

​

You hesitate. You could still back out. If you continue now, she'll have at least some idea of who to look for. What if she isn't actually as friendly as she seems?

Stuck between two decisions, you reach for your pendant once more.

ACTION.

You yelp and jerk your hand away from the suddenly red-hot piece of jewelry.

"Are you hurt?"

You stare at your palm. No new burn marks. The skin isn't even red or swollen. Just to be sure you weren't imagining it, you poke your pendant. While it isn't hot anymore, it's still quite a bit warmer than it really should be.

"No, I'm fine." You mumble, wondering if some magic from Kyubey has started leaking into your stuff.

From: Wishmaker
To: AJeanneWhoHatesBoats

I'll be wearing blue and white. I keep my black hair in a ponytail. See you there.​

Thirty minutes later, you're really starting to regret leaving the orphanage. It feels like everyone is silently judging you, waiting for the slightest excuse so they can start flinging insults. You hunch over and try to make yourself as unremarkable as possible.

If anything, it only makes even more people take notice. You briefly consider asking Kyubey to turn you into a dragon. Maybe then, they'd gawk for a totally different reason. Not to mention dragons are awesome.

You hunch even further in on yourself and shelve that thought, thinking of how many stories involve evil dragons being slain by noble warriors. Or worse, the stories where they're killed with poison. Anyway, knowing your luck, you'd turn into some sort of monstrous abomination by wishing for that.


Twenty minutes after that, you're across the street from Azure Lily, wringing your hands and seriously considering going back. Jeanne is sitting at a window seat, sipping at a cup of coffee with one hand and texting with the other. You notice several people taking pictures of her as they pass the shop.

Spoiler: Jeanne

Looking at her makes you feel woefully under-dressed and very, very tiny.


[] Retreeeeat! Coming here was a bad idea.
-[] Go back to the orphanage.
-[] Go buy an armful of stuffed animals. You really need something to hug.
-[] Go buy a burner phone. You can call her on that. She'll understand, right...?
--[] Call her once you have it.
-[] Wander around aimlessly for a while.
--[] Buy whatever looks interesting.

[] You came this far already; you might as well see it through.
-[] Try to avoid acting like a shrinking violet. People are staring, but they're mostly focused on Jeanne, right...?
--[] Oh god they're staring at you too.
-[] Ask for advice on what to wish for.
--[] If she asks, don't tell her about your specific situation.
---[] Especially not who you're related to. You've seen where that knowledge leads.
-[] Ask her what kinds of magic the other magical girls in the city have and/or what roles they fill.
-[] Ask her what fighting witches is like.
-[] Write-in questions?

[] Write-in

Spoiler: QM's Note on Voting

Changing the wording of the vote won't directly change the actions of other people toward you; it'll just change whether or not you direct an unusual amount of attention toward it.

 

[Alivaril]

The following covers what the general public knows about witches & magical girls. Some of it is wrong.


Witches


- Witches are monsters created from the negative emotion of humans. They try to spawn more of themselves by causing suicides, killing people, and generally spreading despair.
-- Normal humans cannot effectively fight witches. If you see one, run.

- Witches, with only a few exceptions, are too weak to survive in the outside world. They hide within pocket dimensions called "barriers" and target those who wander nearby.

- Witches can gain new abilities by killing magical girls.

- Witches will often adopt a form based on the circumstances behind their creation. For example, a witch born from the negative emotion created by a hospital might take the form of a syringe.
-- Witches are weird.

- Witches specifically target girls with magical potential, as a sort of pre-emptive strike.


Magical Girls


- Magical girls are created by Kyubey, an adorable creature which the Internet has fondly labelled a "bunnycat".
-- Kyubey has multiple bodies and can operate them all independently of one another. It's unclear as to if he's a hive-mind race or just one entity with multiple bodies. Most people assume the latter.
-- The vast majority of humans believe Kyubey to be a spirit created from positive emotion.
--- Many believe that if there's a large enough concentration of positive emotion, Kyubey will gain another body.
-- Kyubey can speak, and be spoken to by MG candidates / magical girls, telepathically.

- Whereas witches are the physical manifestations of despair, magical girls represent hope.

- What marks someone as "qualified" to become a magical girl is unknown.

- If the source of a magical girl's power completely runs out of energy, they will die.
-- It can be recharged, but few people know the specifics. Most people assume Kyubey does it.
-- If the source of their power is destroyed, they will die.
-- Once a person becomes a magical girl, they cannot be turned back into an ordinary human.

- Males cannot become "magical boys", much to the displeasure of many of them.

- In exchange for a lifetime of fighting witches, magical girls get to have a single wish fulfilled. It is not all-powerful and the exact limitations are unknown.

- Magical girls can use magic. Duh.

 

[Alivaril]

[X] You came this far already; you might as well see it through.

You take several deep breaths, square your shoulders, and march toward the entrance. It would be a waste of time for you to have come all this way only to turn back now. Your dad told you to follow your heart, and so you shall.

Well, most of your heart is actually screaming in terror right about now, but you're trying to ignore that. You'd prefer to listen to the part which wants to learn more about magical girls and what they do.

Kyubey darts out from underneath a nearby bench and hops up onto your shoulders as you head inside, curling up around your neck. Several of the people watching Jeanne instead choose to switch their focus over to you.

-[X] Try to avoid acting like a shrinking violet. People are staring, but they're mostly focused on Jeanne, right...?

You do your utmost to ignore their stares and pretend they're just watching Kyubey. For all you know, they might very well be. Why would they bother to pay any attention to you? Besides the fact that he's riding on your shoulders and Kyubey only does that for magical girls or girls with potential and your mother killed people and ignoring them now!

You've only been inside for an instant before Jeanne notices you and beckons you over. Her awareness of her surroundings is actually rather impressive, especially considering she had been texting right up until that moment.

"Hello there! It's nice to meet you. I'm Jeanne, but you already knew that. Please, sit down." she smiles radiantly and gestures at the chair across from her. You briefly wonder where your legs are supposed to go, considering the small size of the table. It seems like a wonderful recipe for kicking one another if you don't keep very still.

"I'm Jade. Shouldn't we go someplace a little more private to talk about this?" you ask, trying very hard not to appear as terrified as you feel. More and more people are bringing out cameras and phones to record the two of you.

Jeanne waves a hand airily. "If I say something I'm not supposed to, Kyubey will deal with it."

...Does she even realize how creepy that sounds? You reluctantly sit down.

"So, what did you want to know about? Or we can just turn this into a social visit if you'd prefer. It's always nice to meet new people."

Without bothering to ask if you actually drink it, she orders tea for you and some assorted pastries for you both.


-[X] Ask her what fighting witches is like.

Jeanne is silent for quite a while. You aren't really keeping track of how long; all you've noticed is the sudden absence of her dazzling smile. You try to avoid panicking in the interim. You don't succeed, but you think you mostly manage to keep it from showing.

"Different." she says at last. "They're eldritch abominations that are, quite literally, formed from the stuff of nightmares. At least, that's my personal theory. They and their barriers do follow some some of internal logic, but they're often very strange and don't really obey little things like gravity and space. No two witches are alike, so it's rather difficult to come up with standardized tactics for fighting them. You just have to keep alert and try not to get eaten."

She notices your look of horror and waves a hand dismissively. "Oh, that barely ever happens now. Things were much worse before magic went public, but now new magical girls can just apprentice under someone more experienced until they learn what they're doing. If you do decide to become one of us, here's some essential advice: opt for overkill and stay alert. You can't be sure a witch is dead until after you've seen its seed, and even then, a few of its familiars might be hanging around."

"...Seed? Familiar?" You'd been under the impression that Kyubey was the only magical girl familiar; if witches are going around making their own little minions, that's kinda scary. It would fit with the 'perfect reverse of magical girls', though: Kyubey makes magical girls, while Witches make whatever the evil version of Kyubey is.

"Oh, right. Familiars are like little mini-witches that can grow up into another witch if they kill enough people. As for grief seeds..." she reaches for an embroidered white purse next to the table and produces a tiny black sphere with silver ornamentation. What looks like a needle is going straight through it.

"They're what you get after a witch dies."

DESPAIR/SADNESS/GRIEF​

You can easily believe it's the corpse of a witch. Even looking at it brings up memories of your parents dying right in front of you. Jeanne completely misinterprets your anguished expression and hastily continues.

"They're not dangerous or anything, don't worry. Well, not unless you stab yourself with it, but you'd have to do that intentionally. They sort of hover a teensie bit above your hand when held, see? We get them from killing witches and can dump the waste produced from using magic into them. Magical girls don't really 'run out' of power; instead, the source of our abilities 'fills up' with waste."

...That's actually rather weird. It does depend on what kind of waste is produced, but you suspect the first law of thermodynamics might be just a tad displeased with them.

"What do you do with a grief seed after you've used it?" you try to avoid looking directly at the wretched thing. Surprisingly, the aura of despair becomes a lot less noticeable when you aren't focusing your attention on it.

"We give them to Kyubey. He can safely destroy them. Unfortunately, a used grief seed will hatch into a witch if it's left for too long."

You blink. "Only the used ones?"

"Yes. Unused ones can be kept around forever."

It seems a little odd that witches would feed off the waste from magical girls, but you suppose it fits into them being their polar opposites. You breathe a sigh of relief when Jeanne returns the grief seed to her purse. 'Safe' or not, it was doing horrible things to your mood. You don't need any external assistance to feel awful, thank you very much.


-[X] Ask about her experience as a magical girl. Pros and Cons. How does this impact her personal life? Public's Impact on her? (You are very sensitive right now to how people around you see you right now. You don't need more judgement. You need as much information as you can before stepping foot into this gig.)

Her serious demeanor vanishes, her smile returning once more. You have the feeling this is something she's more comfortable with discussing.

"It's been amazing. My life used to be awful, you know? My mom is dead and my dad was a violent drunk. I did pretty good in school, but I feared going home at the end of every day and tried to stay with friends as often as possible. Sadly, I didn't have very many of those and was too scared to tell them why I came over so often. ...Well, anyway, he eventually ended up in prison and I got to become a magical girl. If I had to categorize it into pros and cons..."

"Pros: I get to save lives and help people, and they actually remember and appreciate it. Everybody loves us. My living conditions have vastly improved. I can use magic. My reflexes, aim, durability, and speed are all orders of magnitude better than any ordinary human. I never gain weight, no matter what I eat. I can stop myself from aging, so I'm functionally immortal. Fighting witches is actually pretty fun, at least for me."

"The cons are that I have to deal with the same bu- the same nonsense as every other celebrity. While tabloids are reluctant to directly attack me or other magical girls, they make up for it by doubling down on everyone around us. It's extremely annoying. Even if I do something 'bad', they blame it on the people around me being a 'corrupting influence' instead of letting me speak my own fucking mind."

You barely notice her curse, suddenly reminded of the crowd of people staring at you both. Just when you'd finally managed to (mostly) forget they were there. Even if they can't hear the exact conversation or if Kyubey is wiping their memories or something, they're still taking pictures of you, possibly even recording the non-secret bits. It wouldn't take very much digging at all to find out what your mother had did, or how fond your father was of explosives. Combining the two would give them plenty of fuel for turning everybody against you. And that's without making use of your own flaws; they probably wouldn't be that generous. You wouldn't even be able to go outside without somebody recognizing you and why did you think it was a good idea to come here?

Lost in a spiral of fear and panic, you almost completely forget about Jeanne. You flinch when she puts one hand over your own.

"Relax. They'll get bored and move on to the next 'scandal' after a few days, don't worry."

Maybe for most people, but somehow, you suspect they'll be focused on you for weeks.


[] Try to ignore the crowd watching your every move.
-[] Fail. Panic anyway.
--[] You need to get out of here right now. The destination doesn't matter, just so long as it gets you away from all the stares and judgment and silent loathing.
-[] Focus on why you came here: finding out what you need to decide whether or not you want to become a magical girl.
-[] Jeanne said they tend to leave magical girls alone, right...? So if you contract quickly enough, maybe they'll go for an easier target. Focus on that.
--[] Or maybe you'll be the exception to the rule.
-[] Focus on Jeanne's hand instead. It feels nice.
--[] Try very hard to avoid blushing and/or acting like a stammering schoolgirl. You're sixteen, for pity's sake.
--[] Ruthlessly stamp down the part of you commenting on how nice it is.
-[] Focus on the food and tea when it finally arrives.
-[] Pull Kyubey down from your shoulders and hug him. He can survive being squeezed and you really need something cute to cuddle.
-[] Ask for advice on what to wish for.
--[] If she asks, don't tell her about your specific situation.
---[] Especially not who you're related to. You've seen where that knowledge leads. Even if the entire city is going to know soon, you can still delay it as long as possible.
-[] Ask her what kinds of magic the other magical girls in the city have and/or what roles they fill.
-[] Write-in questions



[] Thank Jeanne for her help and leave. You're already panicking and it will only get worse the longer you stay here.
-[] Go back to the orphanage.
-[] Go buy an armful of stuffed animals. You really need something to hug.
-[] Wander around aimlessly for a while.
--[] Buy whatever looks interesting.

[] Write-in

Spoiler: OOC vote: Jade's Last Name

Name meanings are mentioned a page or three ago.

If you have more than one name you'd prefer, please vote by order of preference. (1, 2, 3, etc. in the box instead of an X)

[] Agni

[] Agnikai

[] Hideaki

[] Keahi

[] Kouki

[] Rosa

[] Rylie

[] Summers

[] Write-in

 

[Alivaril]

[X] Try to ignore the crowd watching your every move.
-[X] Focus on Jeanne's hand instead. It feels nice.

You carefully shove the crowd around you out of your mind, focusing on Jeanne's hand instead. She saw you panicking and made an active attempt to try and comfort you. She's not hostile, yet. She's even acting rather nice. Without other people to poiso- turn her against you, there's a chance you could be friends with her. Maybe. Or at least part on amicable terms before she can learn to hate you.

--[X] Just take a few deep breaths and try to calm down.

You close your eyes and take several deep breaths. Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words will never- okay, that's a lie. They hurt too, and in your experience, the latter all too often seems to lead to the former being thrown as well.

"Feeling all better?" Jeanne asks, squeezing your hand gently. It isn't as comforting as she intended; you can feel the strength behind her grip and know that, if she wanted to, she could crush your bones to dust.

"Yes." you lie.

-[X] Focus on why you came here: finding out what you need to decide whether or not you want to become a magical girl.

You divert some of your focus from Jeanne to your close goals. You hate your current lifestyle. Something needs to change; even if you don't decide to become a magical girl yourself, maybe you'll find something else you could do. Something fun. Something that won't involve people staring at you.

Now much calmer, you open your eyes and give Jeanne a weak smile.

-[X] Ask her what kinds of magic the other magical girls in the city have and/or what roles they fill.

"Unfortunately, we don't really fight together as much as we used to. There are just too many witches to stick together; even if we can kill a witch more than three times faster while we're teamed up, finding them still takes quite a bit of time. But to answer your question..."

She raises one arm and a glowing green bow drops into her waiting hand. It's the exact same shade as her eyes.

"I'm our long-ranged support and overwatch. It's my job to watch over my teammates, ensure nothing sneaks up on them, and generally interfere with the efforts of the enemy. Kae- Radiant Dawn is our healer and primary DPS. In combat, she blasts the enemy with giant laser beams. Out of combat, she heals us of any injuries we may have sustained. Oh, and she sometimes heals normals in exchange for large amounts of money, which she shares with me and Cloudseeker.

"Cloudseeker is new. She only joined us three months ago, after our old teammate moved to Osaka. She's our tank, although that's not to say she just stands there and takes hits. A lot of witches have piercing attacks which can ignore armor, so that's a really bad idea. She uses thin air as a jumping platform and repeatedly hits the enemy with a giant sledgehammer. She's quite good at keeping their attention off the rest of us."

She pauses and glances at a nearby clock. You catch the slightest flicker of a smirk cross her face before her regal demeanor reasserts itself.
LOCATE/SEEK/DETECT
"Speaking of magic and what we do... there's a witch a block or two away from here. Last I checked, it was still focused on constructing its barrier and making familiars, so it shouldn't be too difficult to kill. Would you like to come along and watch?"


[] You'll gladly take eldritch horrors over other people any day. Go with her.
-[] Keep hoping that she could actually become your friend. It's been a long time since you were invited to do anything.
-[] Remain as far back as possible while keeping her within line-of-sight.
-[] Stay right next to her.

[] Decline her offer and go elsewhere. That doesn't seem particularly safe.
-[] Go back to the orphanage.
-[] Go buy an armful of stuffed animals.
-[] Wander around aimlessly for a while.
--[] Buy whatever looks interesting.

[] Write-in

---

The vote for Jade's last name is still going.

 

[Alivaril]

[X] You'll gladly take eldritch horrors over other people any day. Go with her.
-[X] Keep hoping that she could actually become your friend. It's been a long time since you were invited to do anything.

You glance around at the people watching you two. Risk being waylaid by other people once you separate from Jeanne, or stay with her as she goes off to fight a creature of nightmare. It's not really a decision at all, is it?

"I'd like to come with you, if that's alright."

Jeanne's smile widens. "Glad to hear it. In that case, off we go!"

Without even bothering to wait for the food to arrive, she gets up, pulling you with her. Despite her infectious and somewhat painful enthusiasm, you can't help but notice that while she did remember to pick up her purse, she didn't leave any money behind.

"Shouldn't we pay before we leave?"

She shrugs. "I have an account with them. They're used to me doing this; the staff will get to have the uneaten food, I still pay for it, and everyone goes away happy."



-[X] Remain as far back as possible while keeping her within line-of-sight.
-[X] Clutch onto your heirloom like it's a lifeline.

About five minutes later, you stand just inside the entrance of the witch's barrier, staring in amazement. If this is what an incomplete barrier looks like, you don't want to know what it would look like when finished. Kyubey sits curled around your shoulders, staring at your neck for no discernible reason; maybe being inside barriers makes him feel sick? It would fit in with the popular 'spirit of positive emotion' theory.

The floor of the barrier is made up of black and white tiles, stretching off almost as far as you can see. Several towers dot the landscape, each one the size of a skyscraper. A few broken-off marble pillars are also placed at irregular intervals, but those are much smaller.

Just like Jeanne mentioned earlier, space is twisting around to form artificial walls and kill-zones. On a hunch, you glance up, and sure enough, the ceiling is a mirror image of the floor in complete defiance of gravity.

A large number of creatures are chewing at the ground. You suppose those would be the 'familiars'. They could look kinda like horses... if you closed your eyes, chugged about six bottles of alcohol, and did several different kinds of drugs at once.

"You scared?" Jeanne teases.

"No." you lie. Of course you're scared; you've seen cars smaller than some of those things. Regardless, you focus on the remnants of your courage, grab your pendant, and amplify it.

...You're not quite sure how you knew to do that, but you aren't going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Especially since the not-horses in front of you have very big teeth indeed.

"Liar." she grins. "Don't worry, it's nothing to be ashamed of. Try to stay out of my lanes of fire and you'll be fine. If you had a notepad, now is the part where I'd tell you to take notes, but I don't think you brought one. So... Do try to keep up!"

She manifests her bow and a quiver of arrows and charges ahead, shooting at familiars as she goes. Each and every arrow curves around to pierce directly through their skull and continue on toward more familiars. Out of curiosity, you try to keep track a few of her arrows to see how long they last.

Regardless of how many familiars each one hits, they all last for about fourteen seconds. You can't tell if she's showing off for the potential recruit or if she just really prefers homing arrows.

You try to hurry along in her wake, but it's quite difficult. Even if she is intentionally going slower than usual to let you keep up, she is missing quite a few familiars and you have to skirt around to avoid them. They seem more than happy to ignore you. Mostly.

One of the ones she missed, a horse-monster-thing the size of a large dog, charges at you. You start dodging out of the way and almost succeed. The wretched little thing apparently received a special exemption from physics. It alters course in midair and tears out a chunk of flesh from your waist.

You let out a brief scream of pain and kick the familiar away, clutching at your side. The familiar disintegrates upon contact with a nearby pillar, but that's little consolation. You can feel the blood flooding out from between your fingers.

You look back up, expecting Jeanne to come to your aid. But... she's not there. Jeanne just charged blindly forward and completely forgot about you, leaving a trail of disintegrating familiars in her wake. You can't even see her anymore, just where she's been.

You don't remember noticing the nearly-weightless bunnycat leap off your shoulder, but Kyubey has vanished as well.

(Status Effect Acquired: Witch's Kiss)
She never cared to begin with, did she? ​

A wave of fear and despair hits you like a sledgehammer. An oddly appropriate comparison, considering who Jeanne is teamed up with.

Of course she didn't. If she did, she wouldn't have left you to die.
​

You stumble after her, biting your lip to prevent further cries of pain. You know if you make a sound, the witch or its familiars will find you. Or both.
​

Why bother? They'll find you sooner or later.​

You collapse against a nearby pillar, tears streaming down your face. You are going to die in here.

So what? It's not like you've actually been genuinely happy for a long, long time.​

It's almost a relief, actually. Or it would be, if it didn't hurt so damn much.

The pain will go away soon.​

Fortunately, it isn't nearly as awful as it was. You can hardly feel it, although that might just be the blood loss talking.

Go to sleep. You will get to see your parents soon. Don't you want that?​

You distantly notice familiars streaming in and forming a circle around you. You honestly find it difficult to care anymore. All you want to do is sleep.

They're laughing at you.​

Of course they are- wait, what? That thought did not belong in your mind at all. You're pretty sure familiars don't even have lungs to laugh with.

You grip your pendant, grab hold of the tiny flicker of outrage, and amplify it. Your mind, even with all its numerous flaws, is your own. Trespassers will not be tolerated, especially ones that make you even more miserable than you already are. You don't need help with that, thank you very much!

(Status Effect Lost: Witch's Kiss)​

Unfortunately, shoving the influence out of your mind makes the pain return in full force.

Kyubey is standing on the very pillar you're leaning against, his back arched in a manner eerily similar to that of a frightened cat. You're not sure if he ever left at all or if the thing just made you think that.​

​

"Make a wish, Jade! Hurry!"

You open your mouth to oblige him, not even sure what to wish for but knowing you need to do something. Unfortunately, it's a moot point. All that comes out when you try to speak is blood. Well, isn't that just wonderful.

Without the witch poisoning your thoughts, you find that you really don't want to die. Your life sucks and you really hate yourself, but those are both things which can be fixed. Eventually.

"You can speak your wish telepathically, Jade. I will hear it."

Kyubey says something, but it's rather difficult to focus on his words. Something strange is happening. An odd burning feeling is rising in your chest. The closest comparison you have is when your mother tried to poison you, but that isn't quite right. It doesn't hurt, for one thing; it's even eating away at the pain coming from your chest.

Your contemplation of the odd feeling is interrupted by a familiar leaping straight at you.

"Now, Jade!"

It's times like this that you really, really wish you had an armful of explosives and a set of matches. Well, no matter. You have the next best thing.

(Mana Awakened)​

The world around you turns into a glorious cataclysm of flame.

Screw being a magical girl; you don't need to become one to use magic. Sure, the overchanneling effects are going to seriously suck later on, but that's not your problem right now! That'll be your problem later, and you can figure out how to deal with it then. In the meantime, you're going to just enjoy yourself.

(Ability Acquired: Pyrokinesis [Rank 1])

(Ability Acquired: Overchanneling, Red [Rank 2])
​

Despite the superheated air and the inferno all around you, you instinctively know fire will never hurt you. Not mundane fires or ones you create, at any rate. Magical flame from other people might manage to harm you, but anything else is just going to be comfortable. You might even be able to drain power from fire once you're more experienced.

Your clothing is not so lucky, but your modesty (and the rest of you) is protected by a globe of fire. You aren't too worried. In the future, you can probably figure out some way to make permanent clothing out of fire. Or lava. Lava or magma would be better; that way, you'll just have to focus on getting it to hold still instead of trying to turn fire into a solid object. Unfortunately, that's still vastly above your skill level, but it's worth trying later on.

You add "take a lava bath" to list of activities to try later. That sounds awesome right now, although you'll need to figure out some way to ensure you don't drown. That would just be embarrassing.​

(Trait Acquired: Fire Immunity [Rank 8])
​

The odd emotional impressions you got from your pendant are much clearer now. It's designed to provide you with mana and amplify your emotions. Which emotion doesn't matter; if undirected, it will just strengthen whichever emotion is strongest at the time. If directed, you can target it toward a specific feeling.

​

(Ability Improved: Mana Sense [Rank 1])
​

You may not be able to use fire itself as a power source (yet), but you can still manipulate your personal reserves of power. Well, that and the steady steam of power you can drag from your pendant. It's not really good for anything yet, but maybe you could manage something with some practice.

(Ability Acquired: Mana Control, Red [Rank 1])
​

Your ruby shows up on your new senses as a wonderful source of mana: all the power of a volcano contained within a tiny little piece of jewelry. Unfortunately, you can't access all of it at once; you suspect those limits were implemented intentionally to keep you from burning out or exhausting it as a source of power. But that's bor-ring! You should break the safeties as soon as you can.
​

(Red Mana Source Discovered: Heirloom Ruby [Rank ?])
​

All the familiars around you are dead, but you still have plenty of time left like this before you'll need to turn back to normal. It's awesome. You briefly wonder if this is what drugs would feel like; if so, you've really been missing out. Your fears have been burned away, consumed by the flames licking at your skin. And clothing. And everything else. On a hunch, you tug your ponytail in front of your face. Dad always told you to be careful and make sure your hair didn't set on fire. But now your hair is fire. He hee.

Anyway, what to do? There are so many things you want to do, but so little time to do it in! You could go kill Jeanne for her betrayal. It may not have been intentional, but then again, it may have been. Or, in the same vein, you could go kill all the people who tormented you. They're a bit far away, but you know hatred will make this state last longer. Any strong emotion, really, but you have quite a lot of pent-up hatred to burn. Heh. Burn.

You dimly note that you would ordinarily feel horrified by merely thinking about doing such a thing, but you find it quite difficult to care right now.

Or, or, you could play with your new abilities! Right now, your only trick is "more fire". While more fire is always good, you'd kinda like to be able to do something else.

Finally, you could go kill the witch before Jeanne has a chance to. That'll show her not to rush ahead without you! Hmph.





[] Kill Jeanne. You're sick and tired of people abandoning you.

[] Kill the people who tormented you. It's long overdue.

[] Burn the witch! Hehe.

[] Play around with your new powers.
-[] Anything specific you want to try? (Write-in)

[] Try to turn back to normal. Backlash sucks, and if you're sick for the next several days, that's time you aren't spending on having fun. You'll still need to deal with some of the overchanneling damage, but it won't be as much as you would have if you just kept going.

[] Write-in

 

[Alivaril]

[X] Burn the witch! Hehe.
[X] Play around with your new powers.
-[X] A FIRE DRAGON - BECAUSE DRAGONS ARE AWESOME!
-[X] This. Is. Awesome! I am the Fire-Goddess! Ok, now how to make this even better!? How hot can I make these flames? Can I shape and compress them? Ooh! Let's try making it as hot and tightly packed as possible, and see what happens! Focus it on the witch, keep the heat and flames from spilling outside her immediate area, and we're cooking with plasma!
--[X] While you're headed for the witch, use her familiars for target practice and to test the awesomeness that is the fourth state of matter.


You decide to go off and BURN THE WITCH! It's too bad you don't have a stake to burn it at. Mmm, steak. You wonder if steak cooked using magical fire would taste different than something made with mundane fire. Either way, it sounds delicious. And what about dragons? They eat lots of steak and breathe fire, don't they? Maybe you can turn yourself into one.

You briefly try to force your body to take the shape of a dragon, then wince as your nerves object to the abuse. You might be able to change into a dragon when you're more skilled, but right now, not so much. Maybe you could just make a dragon from scratch? It's easiest to turn Red mana into fire, but that doesn't mean that's all you can do with it.

You try to shove Red mana into the outline of a dragon. You aren't planning on making anything large yet, just a little baby wyrmling. You can feel it take shape in your mind's eye, can practically feel the scales underneath your hand. Unfortunately, the whole framework bursts apart the moment you stop actively forcing it into shape. At least you know it's possible.

(Ability Discovered: Red Mana Constructs [Rank 0])​

What about pyrokinesis in general? Can you make the fire rolling off you even hotter? You briefly expend some power toward that purpose, then frown. While you can do that, it's more efficient to just make more fire instead of hotter flames. Disappointing. Going for specific shapes is also a bust. What about compressing flames? ...That does work, but you have to constantly force it into shape or it just breaks apart into a fireball. You can't manage to make plasma, much to your disappointment. Unless you need a compressed ball of blue flame for some specific reason, it looks like "more fire" is better.

Having finished your experimentation for the moment, you skip toward the path of most resistance and the source of all the Black around you, humming as you go. More of the wretched horse-familiars try to charge at you, but none of them manage to get any closer than fifteen feet away. While useful, that really interferes with your attempt to use them for target practice.

♪Like fire
Hellfire
This burning in my skin...♪

You try to remember the rest of the lyrics. Something about lust or love. That's something you should remember to experiment with later, when you're not on fire. You've made yourself ignore those feelings for far too long, and ignoring your emotions is a big no-no. Isn't your hair the right color for dressing like Nono? But her hair wasn't actual fire, so maybe not. Any normal dress would simply be incinerated anyway. You aren't skilled enough to shape fire into pseudo-cloth right now, so that's not an option either.

You glance down and consider the aura of fire radiating off of you. The path of least resistance is a sphere around you, but what if you provide resistance? You wouldn't want for Jeanne to mistake you for a familiar or even the witch itself; if you do decide to try and kill her, you'd prefer to strike first. Or she might even be strong enough to prevent you from killing her at all, which would be quite annoying.

You shove the flames down so new waves start just below your neck and go downward from there. You think your improvised dress looks beautiful, although you know you can do better eventually. But eventually isn't now, so that's kinda irrelevant!

You stop at the edge of a white-colored tower made of Black, glancing around in an attempt to find an entrance. Failing to find one, you elect to make your own, flooding the not-stone with Red until it melts.

Inside the tower is a large, distorted room with a ceiling that can't seem to decide how close it is supposed to be. It changes three times while you watch. Arrayed around the room are black-and-white sketches. Just at a glance, you notice a black gun against a white background and a white shield against a black background.

The witch itself looks like a massive suit of black-colored armor, easily fifty feet tall. It's armed with a large lance and a shield. The area around it is thick with Black, Black, and more Black. Making more fire in the face of that is much more difficult than expected.

Of course it is. You're just a foolish, weak little girl; why did you think you could fight a monster by yourself?

You can feel despair clouding your mind as the witch does its utmost to make you give up once more. Too bad for it that the artificially-induced despair is not enough to counteract your OVERWHELMING RAGE.

(Status Effect Resisted: Witch's Kiss)​

You compress the path of fire you've left in your wake into multiple spheres and start flinging them toward the witch, furious. How dare it try to meddle with your emotions! Again! That didn't work for it last time and you're certainly not going to let it happen a second time, not while you have the power to stop it.

Oddly enough, instead of using its shield to block, the witch decides to dodge your fireballs instead. Since that just lets them spread fire within the tower, you aren't going to complain.

"Aww, is the wittle witch afwaid of fiwre?" you taunt it, choosing to ignore the fact that it almost certainly cannot hear you over the crackling of flames.

"You're... on fire. I'm not sure if that's awesome or disturbing. Just what did you wish for?"

You glance to your left and notice Jeanne staring at you, wide-eyed. You're rather impressed by her ability to find you among all the fire. Her words inserted themselves directly into your mind; apparently, the bunnycat isn't the only one who can have telepathic conversations. You're rather angry she didn't tell you about that earlier.

You return the majority of your attention to the witch. It's running out of places to run. Heh.

"Explosives. Lots of explosives. I didn't use my wish on that, though. You left me to die."

"Hey, you had been kissed by a witch! The best way for me to help you was to kill it as quickly as I could. The familiars weren't going to hurt you."

"One bit off a massive chunk of flesh from my waist. I was going to bleed to death."

Jeanne is silent for several long moments, during which time you finally manage to hit the witch directly. It lets out a high-pitched wail and starts rolling around on the ground. Since the ground is on fire, that just makes it worse.

"You're using up too much power. It's almost dead. You really don't need all this fire."

"You can never have too much fire." you answer automatically, throwing another fireball.

"No, really. You're just wasting magic at this point. I know I said that overkill is a good thing, but this is rather excessive."

"Nah. I don't produce magical waste. It's just going to really suck later."

"...Hold on, what?"

You ignore Jeanne in favor of staring at the disintegrating witch. You can't see its grief seed yet, but this surely counts, right...? You stride forward, intent on grabbing it before Jeanne can.

You don't have to wait very long. The witch finishes dying after only a few more seconds, leaving behind a grief seed. You pick it up. Although you don't actually need it, you're seriously tempted to eat the grief seed just to spite Jeanne. You give it an experimental lick, then grimace. It tastes disgusting. Not worth it.

You turn back toward Jeanne. She's staring at you in horrified fascination while the barrier disintegrates around you both.

Sadly, the surge is about to end. You could extend the surge using hatred, but you don't actually hate Jeanne, not yet. Oh, you could easily summon up quite a bit of hatred if you tried, but right now you just feel sort of apathetic toward her. She seriously screwed up and almost got you killed, but that just makes her incompetent, not malicious.



[] Try to kill Jeanne.
-[] With fire. Lots of fire. The town will look pretty against a backdrop of flame.
-[] Some other method?

[] Just maim her a little.

[] Let the surge end.
-[] Tell Jeanne to bring you back to the orphanage just before it ends.
-[] She did what she thought was best, even if she was wrong.
--[] You can still be friends with her.
-[] Give her a hug.

[] Write-in

---

EDIT: There's another vote going on alongside this one. It's kinda important.

 

[Skyllian Blitz]

That's a pretty big fucking mistake to forgive. Yes she gave us access to fire, but in the process she proved that she's an incompetent cunt who shouldn't be allowed to handle a goldfish let alone a living person.

Click to shrink...

Fuck her. Seriously, she can go straight to hell.

Click to shrink...

chillax mate 'Tis only a quest. Just remember to have fun, mm'kay?

 

[Alivaril]

Spoiler: OOC Vote

[X] Allow travel to other works of fiction.

[X] Let the surge end.
-[X] She did what she thought was best, even if she was wrong.
[X] The grief seed doesn't seem all that useful for you, but maybe it could be traded to a healer MG in exchange for helping with the mana burn you've racked up, and healers are always good to know.


You stare at Jeanne thoughtfully. She almost got you killed with her sheer stupidity. You're not quite sure what a witch's kiss is, but you're guessing it has to do with the suicidal despair the witch forced upon you earlier. Jeanne could have at least dropped you off with one of her teammates, or really done anything other than leave you in a pocket dimension full of monsters and plenty of ways to hurt yourself. Leaving you with Kyubey doesn't really count as dropping you off in a safe place.

Jeanne isn't suitable as a friend. You'd never be able to trust her. At least your old friends had a good reason to abandon you, while she really didn't. However, that doesn't mean she has to be an enemy, especially since she knows a healer. You could really use one of those right about now.

"I'm going to be in dire need of medical attention quite soon. Can I trade this in exchange for some healing from Radiant Dawn?" you hold up the grief seed.

"I- why did you-" Jeanne makes a visible effort to shake off her bewilderment. "No. I mean, yes, I'll get you some healing, it's my fault you got hurt in the first place. But after that display, you're going to need the seed more than we do."

"No, I don't." you repeat impatiently. You already went over this. "I'm a girl with magic, but I'm not a magical girl. My magic doesn't produce waste, it just wrecks my everything. If it helps you understand, think of me as the product of a wish." Who knows, maybe that explanation is actually true.

"That's not- fuck it. Kyubey?"

"If I am not mistaken, she is telling what she believes to be the truth. Jade has yet to make a wish." Kyubey trots out from a distorted section of space. "She is not a magical girl. I recommend you accept her offer, Jeanne; I expect you will need as much power to heal her as you would for a normal human."

"...Oh. Um, in that case, I guess we'd be happy to accept. But how-" Her face turns bright red as your aura of flame falters. "Hold on, are you even wearing anything under there?"

"Yes. A pendant."

"That doesn't count!"

You shrug. Not your problem. Your biggest concern right now is whether or not the ground will hurt upon impact, as it is approaching rather quickly.



You wake up in perhaps the softest bed you have ever been in, your brain feeling happily fuzzy and warm. You lay in a cocoon of blankets for quite a long time before you feel even the slightest urge to open your eyes and look around.

You're in an excessively large bedroom, easily seventy feet squared. There isn't very much furniture to fill the empty space; aside from the bed you're sleeping in, there are only a few wardrobes, a nightstand next to the bed, several sets of drawers, a massive flat-screen television, and a digital clock that would be right at home in a sports field. One wall is taken up entirely by windows looking over a tranquil blue lake.

Glancing at the clock reveals that it's 1:40 PM, on... Thursday. You've been unconscious for most of the week. Glancing down, you notice that you're in a rather comfortable blue silk nightshirt. Your pendant hangs around your neck, where it belongs.

The events of Sunday come back in a rush, reminding you of how you'd acted while under the effects of the surge. Specifically, how little you'd cared about putting on some actual clothes. You roll over, bury your face in a pillow, and scream in embarrassment.

Thankfully, Kyubey doesn't let you stew for very long, padding over next to you and curling into an adorable little ball.

"I do not understand how you acquired your 'magic'. No wish exists for the purpose of granting humans any of the abilities you displayed earlier. In fact, your powers don't fall under any of the possible systems which could be described as 'magic'. None that I am aware of, in any case. It could prove to be quite the potent weapon against witches."

"As such, I am willing to do something for you which I have done for no other magical girl in all of history: spend my own power to make your soul invincible. Even should your mortal vessel be destroyed, your soul will remain and allow you to construct a new body out of magic."

"However, I cannot keep this offer open for very long. With that in mind... would you like to make a wish, Jade?"


[] Make a wish.
-[] Write-in

[] Decline his offer. Again.
-[] Explore the area around the house. You're not quite sure where you are, but it looks interesting.
-[] Explore the house itself. Whoever owns it certainly has far more money than they really need.
-[] Try to find some way to get back home.
-[] Practice your magic until somebody shows up.
--[] What do you focus on?
-[] Go back to sleep. Soooooo comfy...

[] Write-in

Spoiler: OOC Details on Potential

So unless we fuck up hilariously, it should decrease as the quest continues?

Click to shrink...

If Jade becomes happier and/or more stable, yes, her potential will go down.

In terms of game mechanics and perks, it's a trade-off of sorts. If she's more stable and happier, she's much less likely to randomly generate grief from extreme amounts of self-hatred, paranoia, and general trauma. If she's miserable and traumatized at the time of contracting, her maximum reserves will be significantly larger, but her misery will be generating grief.

Kyubey is improving the offer since now is pretty much the optimal time in terms of maximum potential; stability is not really a concern for him. Although she was not awake for it / doesn't remember it, Jade has just spent the past several days in pain. This is right after being hit with suicidal despair and almost being eaten alive by a witch. Since she has powers of her own, her life is likely to go uphill from here, and a happier life = less potential.

 

[Alivaril]

[X] Try and get more information
-[X] Why exactly is he so insistent to make us a MG?


Kyubey goes silent. Almost a minute passes before he speaks once more.

"My species looks after over a hundred worlds, helping the inhabitants of each and every one of them fight against witches. We have done this for hundreds of thousands of years. What you demonstrated this past week was something none of us had ever seen before. If you die, we may never find out how you did it. That alone is enough reason to maximize your chances of survival, even ignoring the massive impact you could make in the war against witches.

"I would prefer if you kept this information to yourself. Humans seem to have trouble grasping the idea of an alien species that is actually interested in helping them."


--[X] Also how long is the offer open for?

"Until you die. I don't expect that to take very long if you don't contract."

...Thanks, Kyubey.


--[X] "How exactly will you make my soul invincible?"

"You lack the knowledge to understand the exact process. Suffice to say it will be reinforced and encased in a protective shell."


--[X] "Are there downsides to this process?"

"Nothing that I consider a downside, but the very nature of the procedure would require me to change the structure of your soul. I expect some humans would object to that."

---

Spoiler: Invulnerability

Yes, he can actually deliver. Being meguca is suffering, but that part of the offer isn't a trick for once. Besides the whole soul gem / witchout thing.

[] Make a wish.
(will start another round of voting)

[] Decline his offer. Again.
-[] Explore the area around the house. You're not quite sure where you are, but it looks interesting.
-[] Explore the house itself. Whoever owns it certainly has far more money than they really need.
-[] Try to find some way to get back home.
-[] Practice your magic until somebody shows up.
--[] What do you focus on?
-[] Go back to sleep. Soooooo comfy...

[] Write-in