[X] Plan Bait and Switch
-[X] Moons blasts with Scorching Sunlight, then Sun casts it again with Radiance on Brave Heart, almost but not quite at the same time.
--[X] Pris will attempt to get some distance from Brave Heart after the initial attack, don't want to get hit by her spell
-[X] Soul trys to knock out Paladin, or at least keeps her busy enough so that she can't help Brave Heart
-[X] Chi will be ready to Lockdown Brave Heart, if she runs after Pris or otherwise gets separated from Paladin
-[X] Gang up on Paladin after Brave Heart is taken out
Your staredown lasts but a second as magic builds almost visibly in the air. This has to end before Brave can do any more. You bring both scepters around in synch, one mouth intoning only fractionally slower than the other: "Scorching" "-ng"
Your opponent reacts in an instant, crouching in preparation for her own attack.
"Ava-"
"Sunlight!"
Moon's beam evaporates the rain it touches before hitting Brave square in the chest; the hit does nothing to interrupt her focus.
(Scorching Sunlight: +20480 Base Damage, +19 dice = 20,499 Total Damage
Brave Heart: +600 14165 Base Resilience, -100 Standing Still, +117 dice = 14,382 Total Damage Reduction
6,117 Total End Damage
Unwavering Shield (-4,211): 1,906 Total End Damage
Heroes Never Die: Damage negated
Armour Removal negated)
It is swallowed by a sudden miasma, just like before. You can see the same energy slowing down its force this time, doing something to make your opponent take so much more to defeat.
"-tar of-"
"Sunlight!"
You push as much magic as you can into this second beam, knowing well that you have to make it count. Soul and Paladin are moving somewhere at the edge of your vision, then everything brightens when another lance of bright light illuminates the dark street; its heat lets wetness fade even from your surroundings.
(Scorching Sunlight: +20480 Base Damage, +213 dice = 20,693 31,039 Radiance
Brave Heart: +600 15,598 Base Resilience, +208 dice = 15,806 Total Damage Reduction
16,767 Total End Damage
Unwavering Shield (-4,211): 12,556 Total End Damage Absorbing Aegis (90%): 1,255 Total End Damage
1,255 Final End Damage
Brave Heart Health: 2,250 - 1,255 = 995
Armour Removed
Burn Not Applied; opponent is soaked and it rains)
A flood of powerful magic crashes into the swirling aegis that protects Brave, finally pushing through and past it. The air itself seems to crack and groan from your spell's impact; her tunic ruptures and tears where the light burns through it with abandon.
You barely see her face over how bright the light is, feeling your opponent almost being thrown back but standing her ground somehow. You have little more than a heartbeat to notice the smell of burnt flesh.
"-Retribution!!"
It is a roar, full of anger and hurt. Your only warning, allowing you to at least get Sun out of the way before the hurricane of enraged swings moves in.
(Avatar of Retribution: +5400 Base Damage, +2700 RAGE, +4171 dice = 12,271 Damage
Avatar of Retribution: +5400 Base Damage, +2700 RAGE, +4801 dice = 12,901 Damage
Avatar of Retribution: +5400 Base Damage, +2700 RAGE, +4861 dice = 12,961 Damage
Avatar of Retribution: +5400 Base Damage, +2700 RAGE, +1262 dice = 9,362 Damage
Avatar of Retribution: +5400 Base Damage, +2700 RAGE, +4678 dice = 12,778 Damage
60,273 Unified Damage, x2 The Mighty Have Fallen Equality! = 60,273 Total Damage
Primordial Moon: +700 Base Resilience, -45 Smite = 655 700 Total Damage Reduction
59,573 Final End Damage
Primordial Moon Health: 94,771 - 59,573 = 35,198
Affinity Kill Triggers!
Primordial Moon's Moon-Affinity has been sealed!
-Veil of the Lunar Goddess has been sealed!)
A flurry of slashes opens wide gashes all over your body, nearly taking an arm and a leg off as she darts past. Brave is little more than a blur to your eyes... but unlike last time, something follows in the wake of her spell. It creeps into your body from every single cut, mercilessly burning through it and taking away the glow of your veil. It simply vanishes, turning dark.
Before you can even comprehend what is going on in the sudden dark or turn your other body around, you hear a clank and Soul cursing. "No, you don't!"
"Fuck you! Energy Surge!"
One of you sits while the other quickly tries to disentangle her legs, but you do not need that one's eyes to see the eruption coming from Unyielding Paladin. It is different than the shroud surrounding Brave, much more potent and powerful. Her shield breaks away and leaves only a second blade; the heavy armour fractures before bursting to reveal a skintight suit. Within the half-dark of this rainy afternoon, where all of you are orbs of light, she turns into a shining beacon.
"Sorry, Julia."
She is upon you far too fast.
(Silver Bulwark: +2000 Base Damage, +135000 Energy Surge, +1886 dice, +500 Hostile Legend Effect Out of Balance = 138,886 Total Damage
Primordial Sun: +105 Base Resilience, +11604 Veil of the Solar Goddess, -2500 Bad Positioning, +5972 dice, +500 Rebalanced Existence = 15,681 Total Damage Reduction
123,205 Final End Damage
Primordial Sun Health: 2,100 - 123,205 = -121,105)
Something jumps at the swinging figure from behind, but a thrown sword impales the spider before it can hit. You do not feel the pulsating blade, that is how fast it is over; one vision fades out in an instant, the other set of eyes only perceiving the bright form being cut in two vertically. A shockwave rushes out from that point, tearing into and through the next block; every building in its direction collapses, older material finally giving out under the additional strain.
Your left side stands for a moment longer while the right already impacts the ground in a wet noise; Soul shouts something in the background, but your eyes only wander back to the bloody Brave next to you. She does not look happy at all.
(Two Minds Joined in Harmony
Primordial Moon Health: 0)
The last thing you think you hear is but a whisper: "I thought you were different..."
And with a loud grumble from the heavens, your vision fades for good.
. . .
[FAILURE/EXPECTATION] It went badly, just like I thought.
[UNDERSTANDING]
[GRATITUDE/ASSISTANCE/NOTHING] I see.
Thank you again for taking the time for my selfishness, Void.
[ACCEPTANCE/EXASPERATION]
[FONDNESS/BALANCE/PREDICTION] It really is alright, Balance.
You are a nice enough person to make those predictions for.
[INTERRUPTION/EMBARASSMENT/NOTHING] Do you really have to stare like that, Void?
[PROXIMITY/SIZE/CONFIRMATION/REALITY]
[NEGATIVE/UNDERSTANDING/BALANCE] They are so very small, Cosmos. Yes, I have to look that closely.
I will never understand what Balance finds with beings that tiny. . . .
You feel as if something horrible almost happened, the thought rushing through your mind in a heartbeat. Brave Heart is staring at you, waiting for an answer.
Plan?
[] Write-in
[] EXP-Plan
-[] Write-in what to buy
-[] Save it
=====
Allies:
-Primordial Moon: [94,771 / 98,781], ready
-Everyone Else: [Full Health], ready, Sun's Modifier Save at 5,792
Opponents:
-Brave Heart: [2,250 / 2,250], annoyed, Unwavering Shield for 4,211, Absorbing Aegis at 18,086
-Unyielding Paladin: [22,500 / 22,500] , Unwavering Shield for 4,430
-Supreme Tech: Neutralised, secured by Chitin Dancer
-Soldiers: Left Behind?
(UES) Magical Girl Brave Heart
Julia ???
a.k.a.: The Champion of Europe
Stats
Health: 2,250
Base Damage: 495
Base Resilience: 600
Magic Modifier: 220
Affinity: Change | Justice | Story
Weapon
Blade of Judgement
Level 11
Attacks Per Turn: 3
Affinities: Change | Justice
Ability: Return | Prime Evil Slayer | Magical Girl Slayer
Spells
Avatar of Retribution
Level 45
Base Damage: 5,400
Magic Modifier: 5,400
Affinity: Change | Justice | Story
Ability: Slash Hell | Smite | Affinity Kill
Heavenly Lance
Level 10
Base Damage: 500
Magic Modifier: 20
Affinity: Justice | Story
Ability: Anti-Air | Juggernaut | Hit by Modifier
Abilities
Absorbing Aegis
-Sum up all damage negated by Heroes Never Die; add 100% of this sum to your Base Damage and 75% of it to Base Resilience; this holds on until the end of battle
-When Total End Damage dealt to you is above 60% max. Health, reduce it by 90%
Inhuman Skill
-Sacrifice two moves to negate an enemy's action
Heroes Never Die
-The first damage directed at Brave Heart each turn is nullified
The Mighty Have Fallen
-Double Total Damage dealt against Magical Girls of higher growth
Tide of Change
Level 15
-Increases Maximum Health and Base Resilience
(UES) Magical Girl Unyielding Paladin
Alicia Alessi
Stats
Health: 22,500
Base Damage: 2,000
Base Resilience: 9,000
Magic Modifier: 2,500
Unwavering Shield Layer a defensive bulwark around an ally
Level 6
Base Damage: 3,000
Magic Modifier: 1,500
Affinity: Protection
Ability: Boost All | Damage Barrier
Healing Hand Lay your hand on a wound and have it vanish
Level 4
Base Damage: 4,000
Magic Modifier: 600
Affinity: Protection
Ability: Heal
Abilities
All-Enduring Plate
-Treat armour piercing Abilities as one tier lower than they are; immune to all effects that lower Base Resilience.
Shieldwall
-Reduce Total End Damage by 50%; if defending another, reduce Total End Damage by 90% instead
Unyielding Resolve
-Immune to movement-impairing effects
Energy Surge (Active)
Level 15
-Add 15 times your Base Resilience to all attacks, but do not reduce damage from incoming attacks; this Ability can not be activated on a turn it was deactivated and vice versa.
Rigid Armor
Level 15
-Increases Maximum Health and Base Resilience
=====
+10xp Disappointed Brave Heart (Only Pris)
+15xp Threatened Them Enough to go Lethal (Only Pris)
+25xp Your First Death
Julia's Bad End
or "why didn't she cast Avatar of Retribution right off the bat?"
Just like before the wall turns into so much dust when Unyielding Paladin's shield-charge meets it. Her instincts had been right, the trio that attacked you was catching their breath arranged around the intersection.
All wide eyed in surprise. You leap into action to press the advantage. The blue twin was much sturdier than the pink twin, you'll knock the staff from her hand before she recognizes you're there and-
"Pr1SoN &f Si/k!"
Strands of silk fill your vision and cover your body. Your slightest movements pull them taunt and imprison you totally. The aggravating sensation of magical imprisonment takes hold.
"Not again!" you howl
Unyielding Paladin cuts most of the silk away with a wide swing of her sword, "Here."
You take the offered arm and are yanked free quickly enough to blur your vision. Her aim is something you can trust, so as you fly you shout.
"Avatar-!"
With your unburdened hand you slam the blue twin into the wall.
"-of Retribution!"
Jumping forward on a shaky foothold robs you of your typical speed. A pair of slashes disable your first target, but the other twin barely squeaks out of range.
Right into your comrade's arms. Unyielding Paladin pulls her shield close, trapping the active twin's head under her arm. The black-clad swordswoman hisses in frustration as she fails to get a tighter circle, probably trying to intervene in your capture.
She's going to be tricky to catch. And you still aren't sure where the imprisoning girl is hiding. You crouch to pull the blue twin over your shoulder in a fireman's carry, it wouldn't do to have the hidden girl retrieve her.
"Let them go!" Soul Queller insists.
Unyielding Paladin pokes her sword at the girl she's holding!
"I have a counter proposal. If you release Supreme Tech our arms would be full."
"Hey! You promised!" you protest.
"Lemme go!" the pink twin shouts, muffled by having her head trapped under Paladin's armpit.
"Otherwise," Paladin raises her voice, "I would have to do whatever is necessary to ensure the survival of Supreme Tech. You understand."
What is she doing? These dregs would sacrifice anyone to save their own skins!
You force yourself to calm down. That is what she's offering, they'll have to see that. They drop Tech and everyone walks away for now. Not ideal, but you can't fault her reasoning since these two could escape from your current group even if you weren't weighed down.
"Okay, we'll give you Tech if you-"
Paladin cuts her off, "Nope! What I was pointing out was that you could probably escape if I had to unwrap Tech while carrying this bundle of joy."
Everyone is quiet and still for a moment.
"They'll be fine. Brave Heart says they're healers and they're adorable twins. Everyone would be a lot better off if these two get to spend time healing the sick instead of being chewed up by your pitiful rebellion."
"Scorching"-"Sunlight!"
A bright light erupts from under Unyielding Paladin's shield. A Ray shoots from your shoulder into her's.
"AAA!!!" There's a scream and the smell of burning hair mixed with burnt meat.
Unyielding Paladin's sword arm falls limp, followed by the rest of her in suddenly white-hot armor.
How could this happen? What did you miss?
You were wrong, or even if you were right it's too late now. The twins aren't hero material anymore.
With a curious mix of rage, shock and disappointment you tighten your grip on the twin you were carrying. Blood spurts from the corpse.
Silk shoots out from several directions. You try to avoid some but are entangled anyways.
Soul Queller is screaming something you have no care to understand and shaking the pink twin. She must have burned herself to death killing your friend. Good.
It's not your happiest thought, but it stays with you while Soul Queller cuts your trapped form to ribbons.
It came to my attention that several things need a few tweaks.
Changelog Sun
There was a mention of Sun's Super Ability being objectively stronger than Moon's; after some consideration, I find myself agreeing.
Veil of the Solar Goddess All opposition crumbles on my chosen path, for I guide your way.
-Add 100% of your Magic Modifier to basic attacks and reduce Total End Damage by 100x the sum of all your combined Levels. If you fight alone, also add 25% of your Magic Modifier as aditional resilience.
-Immune to mind-altering effects.
Additional Changes (retroactive):
-Sunlight Scepter's Base Damage now grows by x1.4 per Level (previously x1.25)
-Sunlight Scepter's Magic Modifier now grows by x1.6 per Level (previously x1.8)
Because before, putting a few points in Sun's weapon was casually making her achieve strength she should not have without serious investment.
Sunlight Scepter: Spellslinger removed from the Shop. (I realise it should not have been there in the first place) Primordial Legacy removed from the Shop. (The players do not seem interested in going solo anyway) Consuming Light removed from the Shop. (As it was disregarded as a viable option)
Solar Seal added to the Shop (to make up for the loss in survivability a little) Event Horizon added to the Shop.
Recent discussion makes me realise that while giving one girl linear damage was okay at the start, it is detrimental now.
First thing on the list however... an exponentially scaling damage-nullification appears rather bad to me in hindsight.
Veil of the Lunar Goddess Even in the darkest of nights, even if you can not see me, I will watch over you.
Level 13
-Increases Maximum Health and Base Resilience.
-Total End Damage below 13,000 is nullified; immune to mind-altering effects.
Retroactively:
-Moonlight Scepter's Base Damage now grows by x1.6 per Level (previously +40)
-Moonlight Scepter's Magic Modifier now grows by 50 per Level (previously x1.35)
-Moonlight Scepter's Levitate was replaced with Intercept
-Primordial Moon's Maximum Health now grows by x1.6 (previously x1.7) and starts at Veil level 2 [as it should have]
Moonlight Scepter: Judgement removed from the Shop. Radiant Conductor removed from the Shop. Primordial Legacy removed from the Shop. Self-Sufficiency removed from the Shop.
Moonlight Scepter: Overwhelm added to the Shop. Reflected Godlight added to the Shop.
[X] Plan Baleful Diplomacy v2.5
-[X] Refuse Brave Heart politely and ask her to stand down - you are not here to kill, and the remote detonators in her teammates were disabled already.
--[X] If the opposition isn't attacking and is willing to talk, explain your point of view - their pursuit has gone long enough you were asked to intervene. You hope for a peaceful resolution, but will not back down. Supreme Tech is alive, and if they surrender there will be no harm to them. Also, you have a non-lethal spell so you won't be forced to kill them.
--[X] In case hostilities break out, drop Paladin with Baleful Eclipse and dodge Brave Soul's attack the best you can, to disengage. Chi binds Brave Heart the moment Paladin is no longer an issue. Reassure Brave Heart her teammates will be fine.
---[X] Or, if it's unnecessary or impossible, hit Brave Heart with Sunlight Scepter followed by Baleful Eclipse.
-[X] During battle, Chi is keeping an eye out for the soldiers. After all the girls are secure, or in case of emergency, reports what they're up to. Her main priority is Brave Heart though.
-[X] If Brave Heart refuses to detransform after being caught, drop her defense and then hit her with Baleful Eclipse to knock her out. Soul may also contribute. And if one of the girls is afflicted by Affinity Kill, try dropping and reapplying the transformation once Brave Heart is down.
-[X] Secure everyone and go to Clockwork Queen and Judge to share the news.
There are many things you could do, many things you could try... but in the end, with that feeling of impending doom in the back of your mind, you decide to try talking to her first. Both of your scepters are lowered, but not dropped. Brave Heart relaxes fractionally, yet her gaze is still sharp and switches from left to right in quiet watch.
"I... I can't do that. We are here to capture the three of you, so can you not stand down?"
Soul smirks at the baffled silence; Brave blinks in confusion and Paladin... sighs? "Are you for real? Right now isn't-"
"And what makes you think you can take us in?"
"-you are not seriously doing that?"
You suppress the joy over getting an actual response; it would not help at the moment. She is at least willing to talk to you. Now how to go about it... "Well, we do have Tech's and Paladin's bomb-implants disabled. And the situation does not look that good for you in the first place, is what I think."
Your words only make Brave's eyebrow rise, her scepticism very obvious. This time, Paladin actually snorts. "Those little things? I could take them out myself if I wanted to."
"Uh..."
That was not the response you expected. Brave works the fingers around her blade's handle, maybe she is trying to relax them? Either way, her next words make your hopes of solving this peacefully shrivel up: "I don't think you understand the situation you're in. My orders are to kill every Magical Girl on sight. I can make an exception for the two of you and let the rest go as I escort you back. Don't you want to see your sister?"
Or rather, you could solve this peacefully. But only if you give up here and go with her. Telling her Bianca is orchestrating this is out of the question. For some reason however, Paladin flinched; you almost did not see that, so minor was it.
This is about as clear as it can get: they will not stand down, not like this. You are outclassed and know it. And they know it, too. Her bargain is not even that bad, she would let everyone go and make it so you can see your big sister. You might even think about it if Bianca was not involved in all this already.
In a sense of cosmic irony, both sides in this conflict are probably acting on orders from similar sources; hers issued by the Ministry of Defense, yours by the Minister of Defense herself.
With a doubled sigh, you nod. ""I see; neither of us wants to hurt the other, but we have to finish this somehow. But... heh. I do have one thing you don't. A Spell that doesn't kill no matter how hard it hits.""
You immediately charge to different sides, making use of the split-second of surprise. ""Baleful-""
Brave Heart jumps after Sun, keeping herself between your aim and her ally, who still keeps Soul at bay. ""-Eclipse!""
You can feel magic coalescing within yourself, sunlight and moonlight mixing to form something else; it is still incomplete the moment you let it burst out of your scepters, only barely visible in the dark afternoon. One half passes through Brave Heart's chest without stopping, making the girl stumble on the wet concrete; it starts to bloom into a faint flash only when both parts meet around Unyielding Paladin.
(Baleful Eclipse: +81282 Base Damage, -4064 Passing Through Resistance, no dice, +500 Rebalanced Existence = 77,718 Total Damage
Unyielding Paladin: +9000 Base Resilience, -100 Standing Still, -6750 Juggernaut -2250 Armor Pierce, +1125 Adamantine, -529 Smited, +500 Legendary Existence Out of Balance = 7,246 Total Damage Reduction
70,472 Total End Damage
Unwavering Shield (-4,430): 66,042 Total End Damage Shieldwall (50%): 33,021 Total End Damage
Unyielding Paladin knocked out......
But she refused.)
The ground shakes for a moment, your Spell being much, much stronger than the last time it was cast. Your hope for it having grown stronger paid off.
Unyielding Paladin became unseen within the sphere of dark light for a moment while Brave Heart catches herself and turns around- "pRI??0n of S!&K!" -but gets caught in Chi's web with an indignant scream before she can do anything. "No!... Alicia?"
You stare at the glowing form on the ground; Paladin is on her hands and knees, panting heavily... or at least you guess that this is her. Her transformation is gone, leaving a tall girl with short hair; the rain soaks her blouse within moments, making it cling to her skin while she shakily clenches a fist and pushes herself up.
This is wrong. It should have knocked her out. Why is she still standing?
""Baleful Eclipse!""
(Baleful Eclipse: +81282 Base Damage, no dice = 81,282 Total Damage
Alicia Alessi: +5 Base Resilience, -2000 Unable To Move, -3 Juggernaut, no dice = 1,998 Extra Damage
83,280 Final End Damage
Alicia Alessi Health: 100 - 83,280 = -83,180
Alicia Alessi Knocked Out.....)
Another trail of light crashes into the older girl, making her flinch and fall to the ground with a wet thud. "What... stop! Leave her alone!"
You turn one head to Brave Heart, who is still squirming in her binds and tries to burst them with pure strength. It does not work, but her frantic attempts and the panic in her expression make you feel somewhat bad. "I... I don't know what's going on, but I had to make sure-"
The justification is cut off when you find the girl still concious, her eyes focussed on yours with a fierceness you never saw before.
(But she refused)
You flinch back from the downed girl, who tries to get to her feet again; Paladin helplessly shivers on the cold stone, a slight trickle of blood coming from a scraped knee where she fell on ruptured ground. She can not get back up, her body numb and disobeying. Fingers claw uselessly at the wet concrete, nails breaking and leaving traces of red to mix with the water. They gleam sickly from your own light.
After a moment of thought, you decide against casting at her any more. You put down the Moonlight Scepter and carefully use your magical strength -since when were you that strong?- to prop Paladin up against a bigger piece of rubble. Brave watches your actions suspiciously, but her thrashing grows weaker once she sees you leave her friend alone.
Soul has been watching the whole event from the sidelines, sword lowered and with an expression you can not really read.
"So... are you giving up now? If you promise to be good, I can tell my friend to let you out."
It is really easy to see how unexpected your offer is for both Brave and Soul; they both blink a few times until actually having comprehended the offer. Soul does keep quiet despite her visible displeasure, though; she seems to trust you with this.
Brave Heart, on the other hand, contemplates this for a long time. She weakly tests her bindings a few more times and Chi comes out of her hiding place in the meantime; your light makes their soaked forms shine.
Paladin is still breathing shakily, one arm slung over your shoulder; she does not look as if she can speak and the rest of her is still unable to move. She is not unconcious, but definitely out.
Chi's spiders pull the cocooned form of Supreme Tech back to you as well, presenting Brave with yet more proof of her loss.
That is, until you hear the crunching of boots marching over broken concrete. Soul raises her weapon again and Brave Heart's face lights up... until the first soldier rounds the corner, that is; her hands are raised with their palms facing your way, the rifles slung to her side. Another eleven men and women follow after her until all of them stand arrayed in two rows of six, illuminated by your light.
The rain lets up by now, going to a light drizzle from the merciless storm it was the last few minutes. It does not help any of the soldiers or Paladin, though... Tech is only a little wet because the cocoon kept most of her dry.
"What are you doing?"
"My apologies, ma'am."
One of the men steps forward and gives the three of you a respectful nod before adressing Brave again: "We can't risk any more than this. We are outmatched, even if we could maybe take one of these girls down. With all of you captured, orders are to cut our losses. I believe you are only interested in those three?"
The last part was directed at you, which you confirm with a slight nod after exchanging glances with your friends; Soul grimaces already and you do not like this kind of attitude either.
"Good. Pretty sure whoever sent you will treat them better than the brass does."
This has you reevaluate in an instant, even though you are not sure who he means. The soldier tips his hat before returning Brave's wide-eyed stare sadly. "Contrary to what they told you, Magical Girls are really no different than normal girls. They aren't any more monstrous, either. Getting away from people like us ought to do you good, kid."
He waits for a bit, but the bound Magical Girl is too stupefied to respond; you can see her shivering a little, but are not sure if it is because of the rain or what he said. You yourself feel... warm. It is nice to hear even people on their side saying it.
Soul breaks the silence, a sharp glance at a few soldiers in the second row who are smirking and giggling quietly."What are your subordinates snickering over?"
You noticed them before, but decided not to say anything. When the spokesman turns to look, one of the women speaks up with barely suppressed laughter: "This is a mixed contingent of German and French origin. And it was the Krauts who chose to surrender early."
Both Chi and Soul snort in response, but you have no idea what they mean. No one explains it, either; the soldiers not laughing roll their eyes, but everyone smiles now. Even the spokesman, who waves the other woman off. "Look at that, the Baguettes are getting uppity."
There is more snickering, but it dies down when Brave Heart speaks at last: "...please let me out. I surrender."
She sounds so broken and miserable... you would love to wrap her in a hug, but are not sure if that is okay. There is no fight left in the older girl, so you nod at Chi; she nods back and has the strands loosen, slowly lowering their prisoner to the ground. A faint warmth courses through you from afar, Ana apparently having picked up on your relaxation and content.
Brave Heart detransforms the moment she is free. Her head is down and she bites her lip, though; a lot of her face is hidden by a wave of red hair, almost hiding the gaze directed at the ground. You give the soldiers a look, but some just shake their heads gently and the rest looks unhappy. Their speaker gives one last look to the defeated Magical Girls, then adresses you again: "Say, has any of you seen Nightmare Child recently?"
The name makes Brave look up after all; you decide to respond while switching positions, so that you can warm Paladin with your sunlight. "I did." "She's staying at the place we are at." "Should I tell her something from you?"
This time he directly looks at you, not the group in general. There is a smirk playing around his lips. "Yeah, thank you. Just tell her old Leon is still alive and kicking."
"...okay?"
For some reason, everyone finds your hesitation funny. The soldiers salute, then march off and leave you alone with the girls you caught. Brave is looking down again, standing in the drizzle with just a white blouse and a cream-coloured skirt that quickly get soaked.
You do not get to talk to her; the last duo of soldiers raises their hand at someone right as they pass the corner, alerting everyone to a newcomer. You see her a moment later as she comes the opposite direction, looking perplexed and intrigued.
She strides casually, the long, black hair almost flowing over her back. A simple white blouse and purple skirt is what she wears, with only a buckler strapped to her arm speaking of weaponry. There is still something... odd about her. You can almost see it, a tiny flicker all around her figure as she looks you over. Her eyes finally rest on Chi, who has started gathering her remaining spiders. "Chi." "Queen."
They bump fists before the girl turns back to you... and... bows? "I take it you are the team Strength sent to my assistance. Thank you very much for your aid; I am Clockwork Queen, it is a pleasure to meet you."
You look at her for a moment longer, then try to imitate the gesture as best as you can. "It's nice meeting you, too. I'm Primordial Sun-""-and Primordial Moon."
"Same with me. I'm Soul Queller."
Soul shifts her wings so they form a small roof over her head, however the feathers can align like that. Once she does however, Queen looks around and bows again. "Oh, my apologies. I should have thought of that first."
Then she pushes a hand into the buckler on her arm, up to the elbow... before pulling out several umbrellas in vibrant colours. "Here you go."
Each of you is handed one, but Brave makes no move to take it. Instead of making her, you just wave the new Magical Girl off and hook Moon's arm into Brave's. She looks up in surprise, but does not seem able to meet your smile for long. This way, at least she will not get any more wet.
Not that it helps Paladin much; you can only dry one side at a time and she is still out of it, limp at best. With Clockwork Queen's help however, you manage to get her up and walking; Chi helps while Soul carries Supreme Tech.
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
It is like this that you reach a few somewhat stable looking houses close to the city border; there are meadows just a few dozen metres away, stretching near-endlessly into the distance. A road leads right through them.
What tells you this is your destination, however, is the dozen curious girls peeking out here and there. They cheer the moment someone recognises Queen, waving you in with bright laughter and helping you with the girls you carry. Everyone avoids Brave, though.
Oh... that... could be a problem?
She is well-known after all... of course that would happen. At least no one looks angry? Or maybe it is just that the girl you are still clinging to looks so miserable no one feels the need to be angry?
It is no lie; Brave appears as if she might break into a thousand tiny pieces at the slightest gust of wind. Perhaps everyone is just considerate.
"Man, you look as horrible as I feel."
Well, except for Judge. You start to beam the moment you see her nonetheless, even though she sits wrapped in a thick blanket and with some kind of hot drink. Her eyes have dark rings, but twinkle anyway; the first Magical Girl outside Ana you ever actually talked to. ""Judge!""
She blinks and looks your way, then squints. All the other girls watch curiously, but no one says anything; Queen looks interested as well, so everyone is probably wondering how you know her. Judge herself smirks and gives you a mock-salute. "Sun, Moon. When did you start glowing like flashlights?"
Flashlights? You are rather sure you are not that bright. After a moment of thought, you shrug at the older girl... as well as you can with one of your four shoulders right next to Brave's. "Sometime in the last two weeks." "But you're sick, you should rest." "Actually, maybe I can do something about that..." "Oh, how was your journey?"
Soul taps the back of your head with a wing, making you stop babbling; a look around shows most people confused, probably unable to follow. ""...sorry.""
At least Judge is having fun; she snorts and sips from her tea. "Ugh, I'm pretty sure magic ain't doing anything to this. You're sure getting around if you made it here before... what are you doing?"
You snuck up on her as best as you can with a corona of golden light, now you are right in front of her and pat a hand on her forehead. "Tehe, Become Whole Again."
Magic surges right through your limb and into Judge, making her have a corona as well for but a moment. When it fades, she blinks up at your smiling face; the look she has over feeling better makes you giggle. "Spring says this isn't going to cure your sickness, but it can take away the symptoms."
You did play with that idea before and called back to check, but ultimately decided against bringing Judge along. It probably was the right decision with how tired she looks.
Excited chatter is already breaking out while Soul and Queen lift Paladin into another room to change her wet clothes; you can hear your names a few times, but ultimately pay it little attention. Chi keeps by your side, surprisingly unwilling to socialise. A curious glance gives you but a shrug.
Not that you do not understand her, but she seemed rather good at meeting people before. Perhaps it is the unusual situation? Or she feels weird with her skeleton missing? Can a spider-swarm feel weird about that?
"Anyway, we can make it in three days if you take Judge off of our hands; carrying her would slow us down quite a bit and I know Winter likes her schedules."
"The German is strong with this one."
"...I do not disagree with her, you see."
"Ah."
It looks like Soul and Queen get along... somewhat. You wonder a little, but ultimately decide to let it slide again. Instead you focus on Judge with a smile. "Looks like you're coming with us."
"I do? How do you know?"
... Oops?
You heard the older girls talking with Eva, but told Judge with Rico. It is not actually a secret, but you do not feel well talking about it in front of so many strangers. You are going to tell your friends on the way. "I'll tell you later."
"...sure."
Her raised eyebrow does nothing to alleviate your embarassment, but at least you are not blushing.
Brave does not talk to anyone and you feel bad to have her in a situation like this, which is why you say your goodbyes to everyone as soon as possible without seeming rude. Clockwork Queen sees you off with another bow. "It was a delight. May we meet again."
The trek back to your hovercraft goes without a hitch; nobody speaks and the atmosphere feels... not tense, but still loaded. It stopped raining at some point and you have Judge helping out with Paladin, so both of your bodies can focus on Brave.
"It will be okay, I promise."
"..."
Somehow, it does not work.
. . .
That is when you begin to feel it; this weirdness scraping at the back of your mind. A shiver runs over your backs, making you speed up without even realising. There is confusion and panic coming from Ana, so she can tell there is something weird going on. Placating her is difficult without actually knowing what happens.
Once you are all inside and sit in the spacious main cockpit, you gently let go of Brave and turn to everyone. The feeling cycles through your very being, becoming faster; you know what that means. "Um... I am... probably going to fall asleep soon. Don't worry about me, yes?"
"These girls... they are forced and indoctrinated into fighting for ideals not their own, slaughtering those like them. I can't imagine a worse tragedy no matter how hard I try; we were supposed to be the future of humanity, the begin of a new era. Instead we were made fuel for the end times, discarded, and now what remains is again used to incinerate us. It is a masterful mix of pragmatism, efficience and evil. Because, after all, who else but Magical Girls could take the fight against Magical Girls and win?"
-Magical Girl Abyss Knight
Mission Rating: Outstanding
=====
+100xp Dropped Someone Out of Your League (Only Pris)
+20xp Met Division Nightmare (Only Pris)
+15xp Met Clockwork Queen (Only Pris)
+10xp Reunited With Judge (Only Pris)
+400xp Completed Operation Lost Cradle (Only Pris)
+1xp Moral Support (Only Ana)
Just like last time...
EXP gained: 545 + 545 + 1 = 1,091
Total EXP: 1,272
=====
(Unlocked Level 0 Character Sheet: Magical Girl Clockwork Queen)
Ugh...
(Unlocked Level 0 Character Sheet: Magical Girl Unyielding Paladin)
(Unlocked Level 0 Character Sheet: Magical Girl Supreme Tech)
Recovering had been an arduous task, so Gaia found; a great many people had to be observed and nudged onto the right path to avoid total annihilation. She succeeded so far, but things were still not as stable as she would like. Much of her success, on the other hand, was because of her currently favourite human.
"You should take a break, Bianca."
Not that the girl listened to her advice. Working all the time was not good, it gave her deserts... not that it was visible on her avatar.
Much to Gaia's surprise, the brunette actually put down her pen and wandered over to slump onto the couch she was lounging on; one of the sandwiches the girl made for lunch was offered and Gaia took it with a smile. "I'm surprised."
"I can afford to take more breaks at the moment; there is less to do."
Bianca Vescovi in one statement. The girl was smart and a hard worker, not to mention a Magical Girl. She was the perfect choice back in the day already, although a lot of people were in her favour even without some... 'nudging'. She was young for a Minister of Defense, but a great many paradigms had to be ignored these days.
And with that, Gaia's thoughts wandered back to some of her recent plans and how they backfired. Cosmos beyond, it would take centuries to recover from this setback. The results and advancements of her humans were really not worth the losses this time.
In short, Gaia had screwed up. The Will of the Earth, all-knowing in regards to humankind's past, whose manipulations were calculated centuries ahead, had screwed up.
But she had been lamenting about this for years already; right now, tending to Bianca took precedence... even though Gaia knew the girl would not like today's topic. She noticed a few... things going on on her surface.
"You'll have to call your friend in the UD, there is a demon attacking a new Magical Girl in Japan."
"...what? How did it even get there?"
She had her avatar shrug, seeing that the answer was obvious. Teasing Bianca came to mind, but she decided against it; her Magical Girl was a sensitive one, even though she pretended not to be. "Portal."
There was a moment of silence while Bianca swallowed a bite. Their gazes never left the other's eyes in the meantime, though. "Coincidence?"
"Unlikely; I thought the same when the first one showed up half a day ago, but this one popped up in the same area."
"... just let me finish this."
And of course...
"You're not going to tell the twins this year either, will you?"
"..."
No response, just as usual. Not that Bianca needed to speak her mind; Gaia knew it anyway, the anguish and self-loathing hidden behind that stoic expression. Despite the fact that Bianca was the greatest human being ever born, the girl was ashamed of her power. Ashamed of what she used it for.
So very human... and that was what she loved about them all. So many facets to their minds, all the intricacies. This one had a will of iron, but a heart of glass. She kept functioning despite it, though; a most inspiring thing.
Not that she could say that to the girl in front of her. As the silence stretched, Gaia began to figure that this would go like all the other times she brought up the topic. Bianca's mother knew she was a Magical Girl, seeing that anything but the truth would not have helped explaining her absence for months at a time.
Yet, the bond between her and her two half-sisters was far, far deeper for one reason or another. Bianca refused to pull them into her world by bringing up the topic, guilt-ridden as she was.
Just as expected, the girl quietly finished her small meal and went back to work, ignoring Gaia's presence. They discussed this before, but each time ended the same way until Bianca stopped to indulge Gaia; the Earth did not hold it against her.
In the end, Gaia decided not to continue. Bianca would find out soon enough... that things had changed.
A pair of crying twins, soldiers swarming through the city of Verona on the hunt for any more invaders. It was a weak creature, nowhere near the power of the demon that attacked the newly created Heart of Light. Fodder.
That attack was not meant to kill the twins. It was meant to trigger their transformation.
Gaia had accepted the watchers on her surface for now, seeing that they did nothing to endanger her plans. Now they brought a Forgotten and threatened the few things that kept Bianca stable, who she needed. They were waiting now, until they could establish contact with the twins without anyone else nearby.
She felt [AMUSEMENT] course through her entire being at the thought. If the twins would end up anything like their sister, which their attention implied, she would see them tended to. Make sure that they were not alone at any time.
Plans began to form and Gaia had her avatar dissolve.
Your eyes snap open the moment a tremor goes through your ride; it seems to be slowing down.
Bianca...
"Oh, back in the land of the living?"
Judge throws a smirk your way, which you ignore in favour of taking in your surroundings. Tech is still out and Paladin seems to work her arms as best as she can; Brave... sits right by your side, in the same position she had the moment you passed out. Judge and Soul are lounging opposite to you while Chi is further to the front, keeping an eye on the controls.
Big sis...
You do not pay much attention to the metallic and leather-clad interior this time either, your thoughts rushing in a way they never did before. Judge seems to get the message written on your faces, seeing that she becomes serious rather quickly. "Something happen?"
A Magical Girl?
Soul frowns your way also. "If you hadn't warned us in advance, we would have thought you fell into a coma. What was that and how often does it happen?"
Why? How? When? You said you're not!
You almost brush off your friend; then you realise what you are about to do and crush the dread occupying your mind. Calm, I need to do this in order.
After taking a few deep breaths, you let go of the frowns. "I... don't know. It happens once in a while and by now I know the signs." "Each time... I dream of places I never saw, of people I never met... all of them in the past. My sister confirmed that those things actually exist, it's not just dreams."
Bianca told you, right. Now you finally understand where she got all that knowledge; being allied to Gaia, having been out there herself... how did you not see that before?
No, that is not fair. In hindsight there are signs, but you could not put them together before. The thought of Bianca being a Magical Girl never crossed your mind after she denied it. If what you just saw was true... what would make her lie to you? It is not just secrecy, you are sure of that.
"Oh... really? That sounds kind of neat... and disturbing. Saw anything troublesome?"
You just shake your head in response to Judge. Right now is not the time to tell her about this. Or anyone else on this ride. "I... I think I just learned a few really important things. But I need to ask my sister about them first."
No one challenges you on that, even though Brave's eyes narrow; her face is still pale, the fire in her eyes gone... but you can see vague interest. Anything she might have asked is pre-empted by Chi, though: "Good timing then, we're landing in a minute or two."
Bad timing, Chi...
You suppress a sigh and tally up all the things you need to do. It is getting late already...
What do you do with your remaining day? Pick two:
(No Doubling Down; both actions are with both bodies)
[] Call Bianca right now; you need to know if what you dreamt is true.
[] Help Brave get used to her new surroundings and introduce her to your friends
[] Talk to someone about what you saw
-[] Ana
-[] Strength
-[] Spring
-[] Night
Controlled Connection
-You can control the impulses you send to and receive from Sun and Moon; negates pain-backlash and emotional resonance.
World Eater: New Ability
Advanced Connection
-Capable of auto-synchronising attacks with anyone in the hive mind for 150% Total Damage; all sides know what the other sees and hears. Negates pain-backlash and emotional resonance. More difficult to surprise.
Primordial Sun: Weapon Upgrade
Sunlight Scepter
Level 13 -----> 14 -----> 15
Base Damage: 522 -----> 730 -----> 1,022
Magic Modifier: 7,168 -----> 11,468 -----> 18,348
Attacks Per Turn: 3 -----> 4
Affinities: Sun | Balance
Ability: Modifier Save | Knockback | Batter
Primordial Moon: Ability Upgrade
Veil of the Lunar Goddess
Level 13 -----> 14 -----> 15
Health: 28,051 -----> 44,881 -----> 71,809
Base Resilience: 650 -----> 700 -----> 750
No-Sell: 13,000 -----> 14,000 -----> 15,000
Primordial Moon: Ability Removed
Shining Protector
-Capable of redirecting Final End Damage against an ally to yourself up to twice per turn
Primordial Moon: New Ability
Mistress of the Tide No harm shall come upon you for as long as I stand
-Capable of redirecting any Final End Damage against allies to yourself
-Moon may synchronise Spells with allies at will; Spells generated that way deal 10x their regular damage and automatically have all Abilities evolved to their highest stage, but are never permanently available to anyone involved in the synchronisation.
[X] Call Bianca right now; you need to know if what you dreamt is true.
[X] Help Brave get used to her new surroundings and introduce her to your friends
Deciding what to do first is hard; you have to talk to Bianca yesterday, but leaving Brave alone right now is a decided No, too.
And then, as if you did not have enough problems already, your connection warbles and snaps back into place... much like a lot of your magic did lately; now that you actually think about it, quite a bit about you feels different. Not much, just slightly off. As if something changed.
Ugh...
Only that in this case, it is a familiar feeling. With the connection comes another field of view, showing you half of Kibo's main plaza and bringing excited chatter. It also brings you a wave of surprise and confusion from Ana, but you quickly soothe her. This is not new, though it took much longer when you first developed. Your sister now has to adapt to seeing out of three pairs of eyes and hearing with three sets of ears.
At least now you know that the hovercraft is already visible and slowing down, which is mostly why there are so many people around the plaza. The other reason is Flowey, the weird plant-mutant; she lounges on the concrete with a happy smile while cuddling up to her 'mother', who is busy chatting with some other girls you do not know... and Strength. People seem intrigued, some a little scared... and some blush over a weird comment about tentacles from the Japanese girl.
Anyway... "I'm sorry, Judge... but there are things I have to do today. It's really urgent. I'm... pretty sure Spring or Autumn can show you around."
You do not feel like saying that you can see them waiting for your group already; Chi probably called back once you left Kursk. Arc is around as well, together with a quartet of golems that carry stretchers.
Your friend just makes a dismissive motion before turning back to the window. "It's fine, we've got time."
The craft lands and you wait patiently for the other girls to carry your prisoners outside; Tech and Paladin are placed on a stretcher each, then they are carried off with Spring walking by their side. Soul hops out and wanders away with a casual wave and an actual smile; it is good to know that giving her something to do and succeeding actually made her feel a bit better.
You are next, wandering down the ramp with apprehension; Brave wants to let go of you, but you gently pull her along. She does not protest, though her gaze quickly goes to the ground again; she looks so small even though she is taller than you.
Ana quickly wanders up with a frown, your blank faces ghosting through your vision; she glances around, but pulls you away from the ramp instead of asking immediately while Judge and Chi come out.
But before your sister can ask what happened, you are interrupted: "Friend Pris!"
Namely by a set of slimy tentacles slinging around your waist and pulling you into a squishy hug. "Mph"
Brave flinched at the sight and seems to tense up, but her stance falters almost in the same moment. Her eyes are still on Flowey, though; the plant chatters happily without a care for the mess she makes out of your clothes. "I was so worried when I heard you went out to fight other people, it must have been really dangerous. The sun today is really nice and warm and everyone's so nice and-"
Flower gently pries her off of you with her own leaves by that point. "Be nice, Flowey. That's rude."
"Oh... I'm sorry."
The appendages squirm around you for a moment longer, but then the girl gently sets you down. After a quick transformation and detransformation, you got at least the slime out of it. "It's okay... just... give me a warning next time so I can transform first?"
Your dismissal brings back the smile and a cheery "Okay!", though Flower just shakes her head in exasperation. For some reason, it does not take long for 'mother' and 'daughter' to say their goodbyes after a moment of introductions; maybe Flower saw your expressions earlier and wants to give you some space.
"Looks like everyone made it back alright. Good job, you two."
And there is Strength, coming in with a wave. You nod in return, but the somber mood around your little group does nothing to discourage her from lighting it up. "So you're Brave Heart?"
Brave snaps to attention the moment she is adressed, her posture becoming straight once more. "Yes....um..."
"Transcendent Strength, I'm basically owning the place. Nice to meet you."
They shake hands a little awkwardly, one side tensing up before slumping again and the other obviously ignoring all of it. Actually... "Ana, Strength?"
""Hm?""
"Can you keep Brave company for a bit?" "I need to call my sister over something... right now, that is."
That brings you three sets of curious stares, though one of it is laced with confusion. Brave does not say anything before Strength answers, though: "Sure, just ask Winter to check. You know the way?"
"Yes. Thank you."
The wave of exasperation from Ana precedes her response, even though it does not show in her agreement; you throw her an apologeptic look -as weird as it feels to see it directed at yourself also- before turning back to the girl you 'rescued'. "I'm sorry about this, but I have to do it right now." "I'll introduce you to everyone once I'm done."
"...it's fine."
Your double-frown accurately portrays every thought you have on that quiet answer. With a quick wave to Strength, you run off.
"Alright, let's get you set up. Any of your girls you'd like to share a room with?"
Not that you can not listen in on what they are talking about, after all; Ana keeps watching Brave, taking in every bit of her appearance. The girl looks crestfallen, much different to the proud and fierce figure you met more than two months ago. When she just shakes her head without meeting anyone's eyes, your sister sighs. "Strength? How about we stuff her with the twins? They sleep in the same bed anyway."
""Hey!""
You can feel Ana flinch over hearing your voices; the sudden shift from one perspective to three must be even more jarring for her than going from two to three is for you. "Not that I mind, but you could ask me first."
There is a flicker of a response, but nothing coherent comes over. Oh... uh...
You quickly glance around to make sure no one is nearby, then continue: "We're not far enough to talk telepathically. I had the same thing happen a while ago, my perception just merged together. It took longer than yours, though. We can hear and see everything the other hears and sees, but that is it."
"Hm... would you like that?"
Brave does not respond to Strength's question and Ana is too busy listening to you to say any more. Getting used to this will take a while.
"Well, I didn't hear a no. I'll ask the twins about it later. For now... let's get you some food."
Even with just sight and hearing you can hear Ana's stomach gurgle in response; it makes you giggle a little, despite the indignation she peppers you with.
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
Sitting in this room all by yourself feels weird. Winter let you in and told you to wait for a bit, so here you are. The time was spent explaining to Ana what is going on as best as you can, even though she can not answer.
You also learned that Strength can hold a conversation all by herself; she has been talking for minutes without stopping, jumping from one topic to another even if Brave does not respond at all.
Your attention is diverted from the other girls by the already lit screen on the wall, it showing a symbol on its uniform blue background all of a sudden; you quickly press the buttons you were told, making all colours dissolve and realign to reveal your big sister. Her suit is the slightest bit wrinkled and she looks tired, but brightens up over seeing you nonetheless.
Both of you just smile at each other for a moment; even if you are half the world away, just seeing Bianca makes you feel better despite everything. "We're going to see each other again soon, right?"
Her response is a determined nod. "Yes, we will. How have you been doing?"
"...a lot happened, now that I think about it."
You ponder what to tell her for a moment, but then sigh and push the thought away. No keeping secrets here. "We just came back from... ah... 'pacifying' Brave Hearts team? It went really well, we got them all. But Brave will need a lot of work is what I think." "And her friend Paladin is really amazing. I hit her with a spell that should have knocked her out... twice... and she still stayed concious."
For some reason, this makes your big sister sigh in response. She rubs her eyes before looking aside. "If you see her, tell her that I'm looking after her sister for now. That should help her relax a little."
""Her sister?""
"Yes. Magical Girl Assassin. She agreed on working for us as long as her sister would be cared for and not sent into the field."
"Oh."
That... explains quite a bit and makes you feel a little bad about having to take the girl away, even though it was necessary. Nonetheless... "It's still amazing, isn't it?"
"Yes. I wish I was half the sister she is."
You can feel Ana being uncomfortable over listening in, so you use some of your capacity to smother her in warmth. Doing that also helps you not becoming indignant over what Bianca just implied. "Going further back, I adopted Ana."
Bianca only blinks once, then she laughs to herself quietly. "Of course you did. Mother will be more than just a little confused."
This has you shrug, seeing that you will not budge on the matter. "I already made my peace with that. You don't think she will refuse?"
"...no, not really. She will just need some time to get used to her. As will I, I think. But that is a two-way street, Anastasia will need time as well."
And all of a sudden, the apprehension turns into relief before flooding back and forth between all of you. That is nice. "It's good that you think that way." "She is a part of my mental link now, which means you could not refuse her even if you wanted to."
You throw a wink at your sister, who raises an eyebrow and offers the ghost of a smile. "Is that so?"
"Yes. In fact, she can hear every word you're saying and see you through my eyes."
"Good to know. Welcome to the family, Anastasia."
Another surge of joy comes from further away, which makes you giggle a little. Bianca's next question has you stop, though. "I am hearing a lot of 'me' and 'I' from the two of you, is there any reason for that? Are you having an argument?"
Right. I never told her.
You shake your heads in response, but pause for a moment. "Um... how to say this..." "I guess you could say..." "There are still only three sisters in this family?" "Well... it's just that both of me turned into one?" "This is hard." "Anyway, I am no longer two people, so saying 'us' or 'we' would sound arrogant."
The realisationg that you are babbling again comes a little late. In difference to most others however, Bianca does not seem bothered by it at all. She just nods in understanding, apparently not at all alienated. "As far as magical effects go, yours does not seem so bad. By what name do you go now?"
"Priscilla."
"...come again? Why Priscilla?"
"Well... Eva and Rico is for each of me, but I myself can't take one of those, right? Gaia gave me the new one. Priscilla Celeste Vescovi."
Her expression falls blank the moment you mention Gaia, but it vanishes once you say your full name. Bianca snorts heavily before breaking into chuckles, much to your surprise and confusion.
"Pfft, tehehe. Yes, that sounds much like her."
You smile over the obvious implications as well, but return to a serious expression soon; now everything has been said and there is only one topic left. Your big sister picks up on the mood as well, dropping her good cheer in an instant to match. The look in her eyes is strange, though; as if she already expects something bad... or maybe it is not dread after all? How confusing. "Bianca... I... I had a dream, right after we finished in Kursk. I just woke up a few minutes ago. It was one of those dreams again."
You only had two of them before. One about the Unified Dark, one about the Unified Light. Bianca only nods in understanding, her expression carefully void. "I see. What did you dream of?"
""Gaia."" "It was about you, too... and..." "I think it was from the day I awakened my powers."
Actually, this is the first time you can put a proper date to one of those visions. Bianca frowns for a moment, though her face quickly relaxes back into a poker face. It would be marvelous against anyone else, hiding everything.
You are not anyone else. This is your big sister, someone you love. Even if she was rarely home, you can read her well enough. You see the tiny wrinkle by her nose where the frown does not completely recede, this slight indention on her left cheek where she is biting on her tongue. You see those tiny signs and already hate yourself for having to do this. "You lied about not being a Magical Girl."
A beat.
Another.
Her pupils dilate, but your sibling does not say anything. Ana pauses in her eating to focus on your conversation, surprise and curiousity evident in her mind.
"No."
Bianca breathes out after this one word before closing her eyes. "I... didn't lie about that. I am no Magical Girl, just a monster masquerading as one."
You only raise an eyebrow over that statement, then another when Bianca does not say any more. "That sounds dumb. There is a lot of horrifying things out there, but all those girls are not bad people. You told me that in the first place... so what makes you different?"
"...that I chose."
"Huh?"
Bianca slowly turns her gaze aside, casting a hateful glare at something you can not see. It quickly withers into something much more miserable. Then you recall the other thing you dreamt about. "That Magical Girl with the UD, the White Reaper... that is you?"
"...yes. I wouldn't have needed to join them, but I took their offer anyway. I could have refused. I could have left at any point. I could have spared the humans I killed. I didn't do any of that."
"And you killed Knight, too?"
"...yes."
You slowly breathe out to get a moment, trying to take in all of this; the implications were already on your mind when you first woke up, but now you got them all confirmed. Your friend... murdered by your big sister. The girl that even Strength is afraid of... is Bianca. She has no idea, if the rest of your dream is as accurate.
"The dragon destroying New York... that wasn't you, was it?"
"No."
Bianca does not meet your gaze; in this very moment, she looks as broken as Brave. Her shoulders are slumped and the woman you always aspired to be like seems so tiny for once in your life.
It stops when you speak again, having made up your mind long ago: "I don't care. Everyone makes mistakes and you're allowed to make yours. The important thing is that you try to make things right... that is what you're doing, right?"
"..."
She does not respond, but that already tells you enough. Bianca would have denied it if she really had other reasons. After giving her a moment to get herself back together, you speak up again to change the topic: "I'm sorry for bringing this up. I just had to know for sure."
There is no movement on the other end for a while; you just look at each other. It was never so visible how much your big sister is actually hurting under her usual behaviour, so much so that you can see on her face how she slowly builds herself back up. How all the pain drains away and is pushed away.
"It's fine", is what she says in the end. "You deserved to know anyway... I just never had the courage to say it."
This statement has so many implications that make you sad. Bianca was scared of your judgement, of being hated by her own family. The fact she even thinks of that makes your chests throb. "You... back then, you said that you would always love me. I think the same. I love you, Bianca. I always have and always will. I don't care what you did in the past and I wouldn't even care if you refused to take responsibility. So please don't ever think I would stop loving you, okay?"
It is sad that you have to tell her this basically over the phone, but there is nothing you can do about it. Tears roll down Bianca's cheeks and she audibly sniffles after you finish; then she slowly wipes them off with a handkerchief, only for more to follow. "T-Thank you. Thank you..."
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
Ana stalled Strength and Brave by eating a lot, which is nice of her. You needed a while to talk things out with your sister. Bianca looked at least somewhat happy by the end of it.
Once you get back out and meet with the others however, there is a bark followed by Ludger running up and jumping around your legs in joy. "Oh, there you are! Come here!"
He yips excitedly and runs over to your other body to get cuddled. You notice Ana's eyes closely following the dog, even though she never showed much interest in him; on the other hand, Strength just shakes her head with a smile. "I mean, I've seen a lot of dogs before... but none that were as happy as that Corgi."
You do not bother responding to Strength, instead you hold the dog out to Ana, who hesitantly scratches his head. Ludger starts panting immediately, much to her delight and your amusement.
You stop watching the spectacle with four of your eyes once Strength taps your shoulder, though. "Anyway, I wanted to ask... do you mind Brave staying with you?"
The girl in question is watching Ana play with a faintly curious expression, but you have the feeling she can hear you just fine. You are not far away from her, after all. This is proven correct the moment you respond and see her perk up a little: "I don't mind, there is an unused bed in my room and the company will be nice."
"Good to hear. What about you, Sun?"
You blink up at her the moment she turns around, then tilt your head a little. "Um... you kind of already asked me. I'm no longer twins."
"...that explains a lot. If you excuse me, I think I need a drink over that one."
Strength does not look as dumbfounded as you thought she would, though her being able to get what you mean so fast surprises you a bit. On the other hand, you are rather sure she was not joking right now. "Okay. Don't drink too much, yes?"
"Pff, sure. See you tomorrow."
After an exchange of waves, you are alone in your group of younger girls... and Brave, though she can not be that much older. Even if she is quite a bit taller than you.
There is one thing you know was amiss until now, though. "So, let me guess that Ana was too shy to talk to you so far?" "Hey!"
Brave nods after a moment of thought, turning to your sister with a note of apprehension; Ana just huffs and pushes her indignation away, then shakes the older girl's hand in greeting. "Nice to meet you. I'm Anastasia."
There is a momentary silence and you almost expect her to stay quiet entirely, but Brave does respond in the end: "I-Its nice to meet you, too. I'm Julia."
Julia? That's a cute name.
After thinking it, you actually say it out loud and are rewarded with a light blush. Ana rolls her eyes before letting down the dog, who quickly wanders up to the new person and sniffs her leg. "So... you're new here, I guess it would be good to show you around? Oh, and we usually call each other by our Magical Girl names, but mine is weird to use in conversations so just Ana is okay."
"Um..."
Julia looks as if she expects to be interrupted with how long she draws that pause, but a subtle nudge to Ana makes sure she does not say anything, either. A few moments pass, then the girl seems to have gathered her resolve some more. "I see. If it is okay to ask... what is your Magical Girl name?"
"World Eater."
"..."
She does not seem terribly surprised, though you can tell she is not sure what to say now. "I guess that makes sense... but... please just call me Julia."
"Okay! But then you call me Priscilla, too."
"...that... is not your name, though? Or wait, was it? I think I heard something else-"
Brave is starting to get more animated, but also more flustered. You stop her with a light tap to the shoulder to get her attention. "'I' is both of these bodies, we aren't separated in mind anymore. This part of me is Evangeline-" "-this part of me is Rico-" "-but both of me are Priscilla."
...going by her expression, Brave seems to be wanting one of Strength's drinks right about now as well. Ana giggles a little before giving her shoulder a consoling pat. "On the bright side, I don't think it can get any more weird than Pris. Once you get to terms with her, you're good."
"Okay... I guess?"
You accept this as the best you can get and take both their hands to lead them around. "Anyway, it's time for you to meet all the people."
Except the girls from Yggdrasil, that is. You... rather not have them meet just yet. Julia does not protest your lead and even squeezes back a little bit. You call that a success.
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
"What do we have here, a new face?"
For some reason, you never thought to check Ana's room for Sky. Yet this is where she was, so she is the last one you can introduce your new friend to. Julia nods and offers her hand for a shake. "Brave Heart, but please just call me Julia."
She bounced back somewhere between Winter and Chi, regaining some confidence and managing to talk without stuttering. It was really interesting to see how fluidly the transition went; the fact everyone so far welcomed her with open arms probably helped.
Even if the new girls are scared of her, everyone living in this city is so open; they will get around, too. In this case, Sky simply tilts her head before feeling forward. She is not transformed, though Julia has yet to notice her blindness. "A pleasure. I am Black Sky... but please call me-" "Eep!" "-Irene."
Your new friend squeeks in surprise when a hand pushes against her chest, but does not flinch back. Sky's hands wander upward and to her shoulders, then over the one outstretched arm and to her hand. Then do they shake hands. "My bad, I thought you were a little smaller."
You probably should have warned her. On the other hand, now you get to giggle over how flustered she gets.
You chat a little with Sky before leaving Ana with her and heading to your own room. Julia seems much more positive than when you actually returned. Chi even gave you a nightgown that would fit her so she does not have to sleep in her underwear; your clothes are definitely too small to borrow.
Once inside your place however, you can see Julia's face fall visibly. The smile is gone in an instant and she slowly slumps onto the nearest bed -yours- with a sigh. "You're a nice person... just like I thought. But I didn't expect everyone to be so nice..."
It feels as if there is something she does not say, but you are not sure it is a good idea to bring that up. Ana and Sky are chatting over what else you did over the evening, so you ignore that part and keep focussed on Julia; she looks so fragile again... it figures that this whole situation was not just a one-off thing. Right now, though... what do you do? Don't be too overbearing.
"If you want to talk about it, I will always listen. Yes?"
"...Thank you."
She does not say anything else, so you take the dismissal for what it is. Instead you wander over to your wardrobe to pull out your own pyjamas and also spread out Julia's temporary nightgown. "Don't mention it."
"...you're one person? How does that work?"
""Hm?""
You glance back at the unmoving girl from below your shirts, swiftly pulling the rest over your heads and putting them aside. "Oh, I have no idea how it works." "I got a mental connection when both of me awakened their powers." "It grew over time... when we first met, it was still in a really basic form. I only just figured out how to not project pain from one body to the other." "Thinking about it, it has been maybe a week since I became one? I got used to it really quickly."
It really has been but a week, which is incredible. Julia nods in understanding, though curiousity is warring with something else in her posture. You decide to help her along: "Is there something else?"
"...um... yes. You said you were talking to Ms. Vescovi?"
You can guess where this is going; trying to make a secret out of it now is not going to work, so honesty it is. "Bianca? Yes, we did." "I think she is sponsoring Kibo... or something like that." "Either way, she has a lot of intel and useful information for Strength all the time." "And she was the one who asked us to take you all in. I... uh... couldn't really tell you that back there, it's supposed to be a secret." "Everyone here knows, though."
"...at least that explains how you knew."
She says nothing else on the matter, but you can almost hear her previous view of the world take another crack. Poor thing...
In the end, all of you go to sleep quietly.
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
[...]
Primordial Moon Health: 74,869 - 70,300 = 4,569
Affinity Kill Triggers!
Primordial Moon's Balance-Affinity has been sealed!
-All is Equal has been sealed!
-Two Minds Joined in Harmony has been sealed!)
You do not know how long it was since everything became dark. Things gradually start to realign, but you do not actually think. You do not need to to know something is missing. Something important.
Some time later, you realise with growing horror.
Eva!
A part of you is missing, a big part. A part that was there for you, that was you. It's gone! The familiar warmth and gentle thoughts are no more, leaving behind a gaping hole where you know they should be. You can not feel anything but yourself. Only Pris... no, Rico. You are no longer Priscilla, can no longer be. Half of you is not there.
It feels so lonely... it is so impossible.
You should be dead.
[ERROR]
. . .
Break Not Found . . .
The first thing you hear upon waking is a faint breathing. Your eyelids slowly slide open to reveal your room, just like you remember it being. Having only one set of eyes is weird.
Your chest clenches horribly, but it brings no pain. Just a feeling of emptiness that already dominated your dreams. With a slight turn, you find Anastasia by your bedside. Her blond hair is disheveled and she naps quietly in a chair.
A girl no older than you, someone whom you cared for enough to include her into what used to be a budding hive mind. But now? Seeing her in such a state does not make you feel anything. It should though, should it not?
What is more, your connection with her is gone as well.
For some reason, it does not bother you next to everything else.
Don't cry.
You just turn your head back towards the ceiling, its pristine white sight allowing you to just lie without having to think. Thoughts of getting up cross your mind, but are quickly discarded. What sense is there in doing anything without you... without Eva?
So you just contemplate everything and nothing, waiting for something to happen.
"Ugh... oh. Pris? You're awake!"
Until Ana wakes up and almost shouts at you. You blink and turn her way in response, keeping down the urge to vomit at the reminder. "Not Pris. Eva is gone, so I'm just Rico."
Pris is the amalgamation of you both. With one missing, you can no longer have that name. Ana flinches and fresh tears gather in her eyes, but she quickly wipes them away with a sad nod. "I know... I... I don't know what to say. It all happened so fast... She hit Eva and then you both screamed and fell and... and she just killed Eva without caring at all. Then I killed her..."
Ana shakes and you have half a mind to take her hand for comfort. But which comfort could you possibly give right now? The question makes you reconsider, dropping the limb again before she notices. There are other urges, to shout or cry or break something... but what good would any of that do?
You can not remember ever having felt like this. Everything is so bleak right now.
"...you've been here a full day, are you hungry?"
"No..."
"Oh, okay... thirsty?"
"No."
It is not even a lie. You do not feel like having anything, your stomach as cold as the rest of you. In fact, you just want her to... "Go away..."
The reaction is instantaneous; Ana's face falls and she slowly lowers her head in response. The shaking gets stronger, but stops when she gets up quietly. "Okay..."
It is little more than a whisper and she sees herself out, making you realise with horror that you just hurt your dearest friend. A part of you wants to call her back, to apologise, but... this is your own fault, is it not?
You do not say anything, just let her leave to cry and silently apologise.
. . .
Line No Longer Recognised . . .
The sun rose behind the curtains and it is brighter outside when Ana returns. She washed up and got changed... and she has a tray with food and juice. "I'm back and I brought breakfast."
You are still not hungry and tell her so, but the girl just purses her lips and shakes her head. "Nope, not having that. You have to eat something or you get sick."
Does that really matter much?
You do not say it out loud, but turning away from Ana and going back to staring at the ceiling ought to get the message across.
It does not, though. She just sits down by your bedside and picks up a fork. "Come on, open up."
You do not and there is a long moment where you stare at each other over the piece of sausage. Ana's expression grows more grim and she slowly pulls back the hand. "Okay, have it your way. You are going to eat."
Then she takes the fork to her own mouth and starts chewing, slowly and deliberately. You watch with a hint of curiousity, wondering what Ana plans to do like this; that is, until she leans forward and presses her lips to yours, exploiting your surprised gasp to force the chewed meat right into your mouth and as deep as she can.
You swallow almost on instinct, coughing a little after the fact. Ana wipes her mouth and glares down at you. "You brought this upon yourself."
She continues to force feed you everything on the plate, including the whole glass of juice. You could resist, but there is no point in doing that, either. She does it again by dinnertime, and next morning and the day after...
It continues like that for a while, with other girls dropping by a few times before staying away. Spring and Flower come by rather often, even though you do not really talk to them. They do not mind just filling the silence with chatter, which is... nice. You can not bring yourself to smile or thank them, though.
Ludger stands guard by your bedside every night, but even he can not keep the nightmares away.
Then Bianca is there, with your mother right by her side. They both look horrified at seeing you, the realisation of how you must look like making you avert your eyes. The only times you take a bath or clean up is when Ana forces you, which is the same as most anything else these days. Strength pulls you out of bed for walks for some reason, but this is all the exposure you have to the outside world.
You can not really remember anything that was said the moment your remaining family left. All that you do recall is the visible pain in your big sister's eyes, sympathy mixed with an understanding deeper than what you could expect. Mother is the only one who stays around, though. Bianca has so much to do... and you can not blame her for that. You want her to stay with you no matter how selfish it is, but in the end all of you know how wrong this is. No one says anything.
You start eating by yourself after their visit, slowly working yourself out of the abyss you fell into. The pain dulls over time, Eva's absence becoming less prominent in your mind at least during daytime.
Don't cry.
At some point, you decide to push it out of your mind. Eva would not want you to be a mess like this forever, too. You are sure of that.
Don't cry.
Getting up by yourself is an ordeal in itself, with every fiber of you wanting to just lie back down a little longer. You force yourself on your belly instead, then push and sit up. Ana flinches out of her seat at the sounds, the book she has been reading dropping to the ground with a dull thud. "Rico? What is it, do you need to go pee?"
"No... I'm going to do something."
"Oh. What is it?"
"Don't know..."
She does not ask any more, just quietly follows you out of the room. Ludger shadows the both of you.
Ana stays by your side and helps with everything she can... she used to try sleeping with you, but her hugs felt way too familiar and you pushed her away with barely suppressed tears at the time. Near everything she does these days reminds you of your sister.
You suppress that thought, too. For right now, you just want to do something, anything.
Several girls you pass on your aimless wandering stop to chat a little, but the conversations do not leave lasting impressions on you; they are not worth remembering anyway, just casual chatter without any meaning overall.
At some point you meet your mother who is talking to Spring, but their attention quickly shifts once they notice you. The same concerned questions, the same answers... Spring does offer you something, though: "Say... if you don't know what to do, how about some sparring? I could make a few summons for you to practice on?"
Your mother does not like the idea at all, you can tell at a glance. To you however, the idea of getting back into shape is tempting. There are still people suffering out there, are there not? If you got stronger... maybe you could protect them from having to feel like this?
So you agree and are led to the training grounds.
"I am the radiance of the future, Magical Girl Primordial Sun!"
There is a bitter feeling on your tongue over the irony in those words, as well as a cold disappointment when the familiar echo of Eva's phrase coming in synch with yours remains absent.
Right after your armour forms itself and the veil brightens up your direct surroundings with sunlight however, you notice that something is different. There used to be five spells you knew; two your own, two from your twin, and one that you cast together.
One of Eva's is still there, warped and weird to your senses even without casting it. The other... is gone, though replaced by something new. Something wrong and also right. The thought of using it makes your fingers twitch, the sense of power its presence provides unsettling to your mind.
After a moment of thought, you decide to test it. "Spring? Can you do something stronger than trees?"
The older girl gives you a surprised look that quickly morphs into a frown, but she nods. "I can, but are you sure?"
"Yes."
There is a small audience is what you notice absentmindedly, not that it matters. Your mother and the Seasons are all there too, watching worriedly.
"Blossom!"
Spring's voice rings loud and clear just as usual, but this time her magic does not form into small forms rising from the ground. It makes a few huge things come.
(Blossom roll: scuttled, set to 100
10 Flora Guardians summoned)
They rise, each one at least eight metres tall. Ethereal fog gently emanates from their green bodies as they regard their summoner, then their surroundings with animalistic interest. All of them together only barely manage to stay within the bound of the open field. There is oooing and aaaing from the audience, even some applause.
You regard them with casual disinterest, then nod at Spring. She quickly leaves to join everyone else at the sidelines.
It does not really matter how pretty they are, though you might have cared in the past. Your scepter rises, but you frown and push it into the ground to stand by your side. This will not be necessary right now. Instead, you raise both hands and grasp this irregularity within your magic, have it rise up and power outward right into the first being. Your voice sounds almost hollow as you intone its name to make the spell take shape: "EmPtY VOiD"
Some people in the audience grab their heads in pained grimaces at the sound... and from your hands forward spills a malevolent vortex to engulf half of the field. It only covers seven of the ten creatures at first, but they are quickly devoured; the rest are pulled inside while the first are still screeching in fright and pain.
(Empty Void: +350000 Base Damage, no dice = 350,000 Total Damage per piece
10 Flora Guardians: +2000 Base Resilience, no dice due to existential terror = 2,000 Total Damage Reduction per piece
348,000 Total End Damage per piece
Large Enemy(50%): 174,000 Total End Damage per piece
They become undone within moments, the vortex swirling for a moment longer before dissolving. You had a hard time not making it suck in the audience; going by their shocked expressions, they definitely felt the pull.
Everything is silent as you regard the patch of nothing that your magic produced. Actually commanding it forward pulled off a plug somewhere within your mind, making all the feelings come back up. You quietly drop to your knees.
Don'tCryDon'tCryDon'tCryDon'tCry-
You do not cry.
You scream, up to the heavens above and hell below. Until your throat burns and your voice becomes hoarse, you scream.
Only then do you cry, feeling arms all around you but not any warmer for it.
All wide eyed in surprise. You leap into action to press the advantage. The blue twin was much sturdier than the pink twin, you'll knock the staff from her hand before she recognizes you're there and-
"Pr1SoN &f Si/k!"
Strands of silk fill your vision and cover your body. Your slightest movements pull them taunt and imprison you totally. The aggravating sensation of magical imprisonment takes hold.
"Not again!" you howl
Unyielding Paladin cuts most of the silk away with a wide swing of her sword, "Here."
You take the offered arm and are yanked free quickly enough to blur your vision. Her aim is something you can trust, so as you fly you shout.
"Avatar-!"
With your unburdened hand you slam the blue twin into the wall.
"-of Retribution!"
Jumping forward on a shaky foothold robs you of your typical speed. A pair of slashes disable your first target, but the other twin barely squeaks out of range.
Right into your comrade's arms. Unyielding Paladin pulls her shield close, trapping the active twin's head under her arm. The black-clad swordswoman hisses in frustration as she fails to get a tighter circle, probably trying to intervene in your capture.
She's going to be tricky to catch. And you still aren't sure where the imprisoning girl is hiding. You crouch to pull the blue twin over your shoulder in a fireman's carry, it wouldn't do to have the hidden girl retrieve her.
"Let them go!" Soul Queller insists.
Unyielding Paladin pokes her sword at the girl she's holding!
"I have a counter proposal. If you release Supreme Tech our arms would be full."
"Hey! You promised!" you protest.
"Lemme go!" the pink twin shouts, muffled by having her head trapped under Paladin's armpit.
"Otherwise," Paladin raises her voice, "I would have to do whatever is necessary to ensure the survival of Supreme Tech. You understand."
What is she doing? These dregs would sacrifice anyone to save their own skins!
You force yourself to calm down. That is what she's offering, they'll have to see that. They drop Tech and everyone walks away for now. Not ideal, but you can't fault her reasoning since these two could escape from your current group even if you weren't weighed down.
"Okay, we'll give you Tech if you-"
Paladin cuts her off, "Nope! What I was pointing out was that you could probably escape if I had to unwrap Tech while carrying this bundle of joy."
Everyone is quiet and still for a moment.
"They'll be fine. Brave Heart says they're healers and they're adorable twins. Everyone would be a lot better off if these two get to spend time healing the sick instead of being chewed up by your pitiful rebellion."
"Scorching"-"Sunlight!"
A bright light erupts from under Unyielding Paladin's shield. A Ray shoots from your shoulder into her's.
"AAA!!!" There's a scream and the smell of burning hair mixed with burnt meat.
Unyielding Paladin's sword arm falls limp, followed by the rest of her in suddenly white-hot armor.
How could this happen? What did you miss?
You were wrong, or even if you were right it's too late now. The twins aren't hero material anymore.
With a curious mix of rage, shock and disappointment you tighten your grip on the twin you were carrying. Blood spurts from the corpse.
Silk shoots out from several directions. You try to avoid some but are entangled anyways.
Soul Queller is screaming something you have no care to understand and shaking the pink twin. She must have burned herself to death killing your friend. Good.
It's not your happiest thought, but it stays with you while Soul Queller cuts your trapped form to ribbons.
Your eyes snap open abruptly, but you only lie to stare at the ceiling. Whatever kind of nightmare that was, it was awful.
A glance at the alarm shows you it is still much too early for even the sun to be up. Going back to sleep seems prudent, though your drowsy mind does take a sharp turn around the moment you hear it. A faint noise, muffled and broken, coming from the other bed.
There is not much of your light to go with, but it is enough to see Julia's covered form. She has the blanket drawn over her head and is sobbing into the pillow, curled up and shaking.
For a moment you consider getting up and comforting her... but this does not feel right. She waited until you fell asleep before even starting to cry, maybe even waited the whole day for you to leave her alone. You know the feeling; sometimes you just wanted to be alone to cry, too.
So you just lie still and wait for sleep to return.
PoV-switch! Choose three!
[] Ginevra Vescovi
[] Ming Lin
[] Mary Coburn
[] Patrizia Alessi
[] Samantha MacArthur
[] EXP-Plan
-[] Write-in what to buy
-[] Save it
=====
+5xp Met Brave Heart (Only Ana)
+5xp An Actual Family (Only Ana)
+10xp The Truth
+25xp Unbalanced Reflection (Only Pris)
EXP gained: 35 + 35 + 20 = 90
Total EXP: 130
=====
(Bianca's Character Sheet was renamed)
(Unlocked Level 4 Character Sheet: Magical Girl Primeval Earth)
(New Shop Item Unlocked: Sun)
Maybe I mentioned it just in passing on Discord... not that matters all that much.
To give those unfamiliar with the mainline context: Magical Girls come in three types.
1) Gets new clothes and magic upon transformation (regular clothes are stored)
2) Switches to a separate body when transforming (stores regular body)
3) Body is replaced by a magical construct, probably (?) always comes with the No Longer Human Ability
The second type is no longer injured when they detransform, seeing that their regular body never got hit. Third type becomes immune to any kind of lasting injury (sans death) if they adapt the proper mindset.
A sharp claw rips through your bodysuit and cuts open your side as you leap, making you yelp over the sharp pain. Rico already got to her feet and is running around the spider that turns after her; you use the moment and get up as well, then run around its other side and join your sister in the middle of the street.
The power from within flows freely as you scamper out of the blocked path and slowly realise what happened.
You are Magical Girls. And that is not good. If someone sees you...
In a panic, you force whatever this is down on instinct; the light around you dies down... no wait, you are still transformed. Rico detransformed, though.
Shaking your head, you quickly do the same and then continue running; the gash in your side burns horribly, but you do not care. You are a big girl, you can bear it.
[X] Ginevra Vescovi
[X] Samantha MacArthur
[X] Mary Coburn
A faint buzzing woke Mary from an already forgotten dream, making her blink at the dark ceiling while her fingers already wandered to the alarm. She kept it as quiet as possible to make sure her roommate would not get woken up; others should not be pushed into her own problems, not to mention how someone might try to make her slow down.
The small woman sat up gently and looked down at the illuminated display in her hands. Three in the morning it said. The same time as yesterday and the day before. Ever since her first day in this city, Mary knew something had to change. She was fed up with being too weak to make a difference.
So she had set her alarm as early as she found reasonable, especially after all the lying around she did the remaining time of the day. Next were the same actions as the previous days, a forming routine that definitely would make her capable of actually being useful the next time something like New York happened.
It was... tempting to just go back to sleep. But she knew she had to make a difference by herself. God does not exist, for if he did, all those catastrophes would never have happened. She rather believe in no god than a malevolent one.
And yet, despite her determination, she still sat on this mattress and contemplated. Wondered how long she might have to do this until she actually could do it without forcing herself. If ever. Maybe this was how she had to live from now on? She did not feel like doing any exercises at all, not even actually like getting out of bed in the first place.
...
Mary quietly slid the covers off, then put down her alarm on the nightstand. Train until breakfast, eat... more training?
She did not really have much else to do at the moment... or anything else to bring up the motivation for, really. With that latest success, though... a thought came unbidden: maybe she already was on a good way to the strength she wanted?
This kind of thinking was anathema right now; Mary wanted to go out and do her exercises until everything felt numb, from her pinky toes up to the tips of her wings. She needed to get stronger, else she would just lie down and grow weaker each day she did nothing.
But... maybe... not just yet?
A calculating gaze wandered to the alarm, then to her slumbering roommate. After some more consideration, Mary sighed and wandered back to bed. The cold air stroked her naked skin and made the woman shiver, but she ignored the sensation just like most everything else these days.
After setting her alarm to four thirty, she slid back under the covers and rested her head. Have another hour of sleep, train, train some more, the twins visit... maybe some ice cream in the afternoon?
It was like this that Mary fell back into slumber.
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
Another long day. She really needs to take a break.
Even though Bianca Vescovi was anything but a child at this point, it was natural to be concerned about her wellbeing. What mother would not worry?
The only thing Ginevra could do was waiting and hoping, though. Her oldest was distant, even more so ever since she returned from whatever horrors she saw outside of Earth. She would not slow down for any reason; the girl hurt herself in a way that made the elderly Vescovi shiver in the depth of night, when she could not find something to take her mind off of it and ignore Bianca's state. She wanted to do something about it, yet all her efforts made in the last eight years were easily dwarfed by what the twins did without even knowing something was wrong. Her daughter would not let her help, so the best she could do was wait until she was needed.
Ginevra sighed and returned to the task at hand, putting this tangent out of her mind like so many times before. She just had her first test with the new students and grading was always a wonderful way to pass the time.
That was, until the she heard the door open and shut a moment later, the characteristic one-two of Bianca's light steps slowly moving from the hallway to the living room.
"There is some dinner in the kitchen, dear!"
By this point she called it out without even thinking; with how often her daughter worked longer hours than Ginevra herself, she got used to cooking for her again. She would also clean, but Bianca kept the small place she lived in neat and tidy anyway. It was as humble as it appeared from the outside, a small living room and two bedrooms with sparse furnishing but high-end electronics.
Bianca did not respond at first, but her steps getting out of their rhythm for a moment told the older woman enough. A few minutes passed in silence and Ginevra continued checking answers until her daughter entered the room at last. She held two glasses of juice and quietly slid one onto the table next to her. "Thank you."
Mother and daughter had little need to talk to feel comfortable around the other. Bianca never spoke much to begin with, despite all attempts to get her out of her head at least somewhat. A quiet honour student was what she had always been.
Today however, there was a slight tension in the air. A quick glance to the side confirmed that Bianca had yet to sip from her drink and was eyeing her mother with a carefully calmed expression. Her taking notice was acknowledged, seeing that the young woman next to her began to speak.
"The twins called me today."
"I see."
Her response was almost automatic, but that did not mean she was not interested. Quite the opposite, in fact. Ginevra left the second to last test lie halfway through before carefully laying down her pen. She wanted to press every bit of information out of her daughter already, but held back; the girls were safe and sound was what she told herself. Bianca already confirmed that a week ago. "What did they call for?"
"They know about me."
These four words had alarm bells ring in her mind; there was only one secret mother and daughter hid from Eva and Rico, that of Bianca being a Magical Girl herself. With how her oldest looked like... "They aren't judging you, are they?"
"No... the opposite, really."
Bianca sighed before turning her head away. "But that's not the point right now. Their magic grew just like I thought it would and they are now much stronger than they used to be. Do you remember Brave Heart?"
How could she not? The girl responsible for the fact her baby girls had to flee and maybe die out in the wilds, she had been on Ginevra's mind every once in a while. She would definitely not forget her face.
...and she would definitely not forget the shame of having slapped her after waking up in the hospital. "Yes."
Being angry and hurt was one thing, but lashing out against a child was never acceptable. Never.
Once upon a time, a few years ago, she actually thought it acceptable to hurt Magical Girls. But over the years, Ginevra came to realise just what a horrible thought that was. Magic was an awful thing, but as Bianca pointed out to her time and time again... these girls could not choose their fate. Wanting someone punished for being born wrong made her feel... very uncomfortable with herself.
"A team led by her was dispatched to follow some girls leaving Europe; the twins brought in a few allies and captured all of them."
Oh? Wait... "What?"
Her girls were fighting people that strong, bringing themselves in danger?
"I asked for them specifically... don't look at me like that. They met the girl before, at the time they were still weak. With how fast Balance grows, they could probably catch her by surprise.... besides, it seems Eva made a big impression on her when they first met. Brave Heart would have taken them alive anyway."
The quickly growing anger at her oldest sapped away over the calm explanation and Ginevra sipped from her own drink in thought. Then she downed all of it over realising how dry her throat was. "Okay. I will not judge you, but please don't-" "I will do it again. Very soon, too... I need someone I can trust to do these things and the person I usually ask is not... um... capable of giving off a good first impression."
It was at this point that Ginevra finally noticed; her daughter was still holding that drink, with the slightest ripple going over its surface. Bianca was shaking, almost unnoticeably. There were other tells, such as the fact she leaned a bit closer to her mother.
Oh.
Sighing, the older Vescovi dropped the matter for now. Then she took her daughter's glass and placed it on the table before gently pulled the girl into her side. "I see. What else happened?"
The tension in Bianca's side dissipated a little, then she leaned her head against Ginevra's shoulder and began to talk.
In the end, she did have three baby girls. One of them was just not as open about it than the others.
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
Had there been anyone to observe, they would have found the procession weird; anachronistic, even. Several dozen men and women had gathered to investigate a certain foe's absence, led by their fearless queen. Younger than any of the adults, she marched before her subjects; both to be a shining example for them to follow, and to intercept any threats that might crop up.
This is not what the potential observer would find anachronistic, though. The reason for this is twofold.
For one, all except the young woman leading and one man walking right behind her were riding horses, with a dozen unmounted animals following the group's rear. For two, near everyone was clad in robes, tunics, or plate armour in rare cases.
"Anything of note, Sir Walsh?"
It was a melodious voice, young and full of vitality yet laden with maturity. Her armour gleamed in the evening sun, becoming a beacon to all those following behind. The man by her side responded to the question after a moment of turning his head, though he never opened his eyes. Neither did the girl look back. "Nothing, your majesty. We are closing in on the city, but... hm. I think I have something, but we need to walk another hour before I can say for sure."
The young Queen merely nodded, affirming that she heard her knight.
So they carried on, those making up the entourage quietly talking to each other about what they were supposed to look for in the death zone they entered.
For years now, none of them had ever been this far to the east; refugees that fled the slaughter wrought by those who annexed these lands informed the platinum throne of its state, yet all the good it brought them was the ability to prevent further incursions.
And yet, voices whispered further in the back, the Queen had brought more food than necessary, as well as medical supplies. Word of fierce fighting in this area had reached them, being the main reason for this whole expedition.
No matter how hard they tried not to let their theories reach however, the man known as Sir Walsh heard each and every one of them. For it was this reason alone that made his expression war between a smile over his ruler's golden heart and a frown over what he could sense far up ahead.
The city came into view before the sun finished her descent, lying quietly. Every sign of decay and ruin made the tension rise within each weary heart, yet no one dared speak out against the queen's order. Every passing minute increased their fearfulness of a sudden attack, though at some point adrenaline ceased and relaxation slowly flooded through their veins.
Throughout it all, the queen showed no signs of tension. Only unease about the fact there had been no one to meet them once they passed the city border. She knew from previous meetings that Yggdrasil's sentinels were capable and alert.
Her trusted knight's voice made the young woman turn, though: "Set up camp near the street over there and seek shelter in those ruins. I want the horses tended to before nightfall."
There was a chorus of "Yes, sir!" and everyone got to work; in the meantime, both Walsh and his ruler slowly wandered off to the side, with the man leading now. He carefully whispered his findings to the curious queen: "This city is a single ruin. Everything closer to the center was obliterated and there is nothing to be found in the rubble. I found one place of interest, but nothing else."
There was a moment of heavy silence, one of the few of which he wished not to be able to perceive his ruler's expression. Emotions fought heavily, sorrow about the children that lived in this city against worry about whether they went to sow chaos elsewhere.
"I see, lead me there."
"Just so, your majesty."
"...and, Terrence?"
"Yes?"
"The sun is going to set within minutes."
"... I see. Thank you for informing me of the fact, your majesty."
He grumbled quietly that nobody saw fit to correct him on the matter earlier, but ultimately said nothing about it. Let the queen giggle about his reaction, she laughed far too little for the time he knew her anyway.
The stars saw to illuminate their journey even when the sun itself had sunk behind the horizon; considerate steps of heavy boots cracking concrete were the only audible sounds the two humans made. Yet the rustling of abandoned animals surrounded them; cats and dogs stalking through the night, hunting for food. A larger breed growled at them as they passed, but a single heavy stomp from the queen made it whimper and flee into the night.
When they reached what Sir Walsh had mentioned, the girl slowly plucked a flashlight out of the small bag her knight carried. When she shone it at her surroundings, the scenery became apparent.
Around them were swords. All uniform, all pristine. A nigh endless field of blades covering several dozen metres, with many a weapon lying on the ground as if dropped. Around the sea of those however, everything was rammed into the concrete with enough force to crack it all around their point of impact.
The beam continued to wander, ultimately coming to rest on an indentation in the center of those several dozen metres of gleaming metal.
There stood five dozen plus one blade, ornately struck into the ground in circles of ten. The one blade in the center was plunged deepest... and all of those weapons were coated in ash, black where all of the others were still shining.
Neither of them needed to tell the other what this was. As one they stepped forward quietly, kneeling in front of the first ring and folding their hands in prayer.
Now they knew that they would not find anything here. Sir Walsh could tell his liege was shedding tears; gentleman that he was, he said nothing and pretended not to notice. Only after they both rose did he offer her a handkerchief and a quiet nod, the response to which was the same. After her tears were dried, they quietly turned and left the empty grave behind.
He would discreetly relay the news to his fellow knights, that Yggdrasil had fallen. None of them would be happy to hear of this, for they all had hoped to subjugate those girls; not only to bolster their own numbers, but also to give them an actual home. Proper food, an education, clothes to wear... no child deserved to be forgotten. Not even those that turned against humanity.
In the end, even if it was another obstacle to the platinum throne removed... it felt bitter.
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
You did not really sleep, more like slumbered until a few minutes before your alarm rings. Then you get up without much fuss despite parts of you wanting to lie down longer, shushing them as you go. Brave... Julia slides out of her covers a minute after you, puffy eyes blinking in the early sunlight. She only watches as you work quietly, getting dressed and making your bed in tandem. Ludger gets a few headscratches every time you pass him, though he seems happy dozing some more. Ana is doing similar, though you just found out both her and Sky sleep in their underwear.
Once you are done and your new roommate decides to follow your example, you offer her a friendly smile. "Good morning."
The reply comes a little reluctantly, partly muffled by a quickly folded blanket. Julia soon brings her bed into pristine condition far faster than you did; she must have a lot of experience with this. Once she put on her clothes from the day before and folded the nightgown, you motion for her to follow.
A trip to the bathroom -and her realising that you know she cried- later, the two of you meet Ana and Sky for breakfast. Matching your sister's pace is much easier now, seeing that you can tell where she is and she knows where you are.
After a hearty meal however, it is time to split from Julia for now. Asking Spring to let you skip class to show Julia around comes to mind, but the girl herself shoots you down in an instant. Then Chi comes along and offers to take care of your new friend for now; she says she has to take some measurements anyway, so you are okay with that.
What to do in the afternoon? Choose four:
[] Check in on the girls you captured yesterday, they should be awake by now
-[] Double Down
[] Flower wanted to show you something yesterday, maybe she is up for it now?
-[] (Optional) Bring Brave Heart
-[] Double Down
[] Get to know your new roommate
-[] Double Down
[] Autumn and Strength are doing something near the dining hall, time to investigate
-[] Double Down
[] Training sounds good
-[] Write-in what to do (One action per character per subject)
-[] Melee training (who?)
-[] Dodge training (who?)
-[] Skill training (who?)
-[] Spell practice (who and what?)
[X] Check in on the girls you captured yesterday, they should be awake by now
[X] Flower wanted to show you something yesterday, maybe she is up for it now?
-[X] (Optional) Bring Brave Heart
-[X] Double Down
The first nice thing you notice during lunch is that the girls from Yggdrasil are all there, too. Igni eats noticeably less than anyone else, but Soul has a lot more than the other girls. Plus, the smaller girl wears loose, sweaty clothes. Is she exercising?
Your wonder aside, Igni just stoically listens to conversations nearby at the point you occupy the table next to them. Waves and greetings are exchanged before you start talking to them.
After some consideration, you use one body to quietly talk with Igni about stuff and the other for Soul... who you notice bounces a lot with rapid movements. At least parts of her do. You did not really pay attention to the matter when you saw her before, but her chest is much smaller while transformed. Weird.
"See something you like?"
Mirror's teasing question makes you avert your gaze and colours your cheeks pink, which in turn prompts Soul to look down. There is a poke of curiousity from Ana, who is still listening to Sky... but you really do not know how to respond except not at all. You did not even want to stare.
Soul on her part just shrugs it off and finishes the bite she was chewing. "Guess you're at the age where it starts becoming relevant... did you start growing yourself?"
You just shake your head at the older girl and think back to your family. This kind of thing is genetic, right? "No, but I don't think I will grow that much either way. Um..."
You risk another glance before trying your hardest to focus back on Soul's face, who huffs good-naturedly; everyone else at the table giggles, with Truth nudging the smaller girl a few times. Once the humour is over and done with, she whispers something that only your group -and Ana- can hear: "One of the benefits of being here now... honestly, is that we actually have access to bras again. Poor Soul was wobbling and bouncing wherever she went untransformed."
"...okay, stop. We're done with this topic."
Soul protectively folds her arms in front of her chest and throws a weak glare around; then she takes in her remaining meal for a moment. "I guess I finish this and take a shower. See you later."
Her statement is followed by a tiny girl stuffing the remaining food into her mouth and then running off. She reminded you of Ana for a moment with how fast she inhaled her meal. After you all watched her leave, Mirror puts down her own fork and sighs. "There she goes. Anyone up for some shows later?"
Iron and Truth raise their hands, as does Igni after a moment of thought. Some girls from neighbouring tables chime in about it as well. You can only shake your head, seeing that there are already plans on your end. "Sorry... I need to check on a few things."
"You mean the UES-girls you took in yesterday?"
Oh. They know. Of course they do, Strength did not really make it a secret. Igni shivers barely noticably, but does not say anything... great going there, me.
In the end you do not respond, which is about as much of a confirmation as actually saying yes. The other girls shrug before finishing their own meals. "Good luck with that, then."
You have the feeling that Mirror wanted to say many other things, but she leaves it at that and no one comments further. This is how you say goodbye as well and split up.
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
Maybe you should have given your sister some kind of warning beforehand; Ana is getting seriously confused trying to follow you wandering two different hallways and doing entirely different things. Your apologeptic pokes are only responded to with what maybe feels like a headache and her lying down in the grass outside. She closes her eyes and seems to simply follow your perspective for now.
That is... not really a problem for you, aside from the fact you are being mean to your sister again without meaning to.
On the other hand, you want to go and see what the Flower's neat thing is; she looked so excited when she mentioned it before, but just dropping by for five minutes to see that feels incredibly rude.
Which means you have to get the other things done faster... at least the infirmary is easy to find; they marked the door in about any language imaginable, many in scripts you can not even read. On the inside you find a small reception area manned by an older boy; he looks up from his book as you enter before giving you a friendly smile. "Hey there. Are you here for one of the girls?"
There is some shifting through papers once you nod, then he pushes some kind of list over. "That's no problem, I think they are both awake. I just need your name on here... uh, Magical Girl name, I guess? Yeah, thank you."
He quickly checks the time and writes it next to your name, then takes back the list and waves you through. "Go on in."
You feel a little weird about the fact the list was empty before you wrote on it.
In the meantime, you also finally found Julia; your roommate is sitting on a wooden bench right outside the dorms, a towel on her head and clad in a light purple sundress. She seems to contemplate something, but snaps out of it and turns her head the moment she hears you approaching. "Oh... did school let out already?"
"It did."
"...how does that even work out here? Do you have teachers?"
It is good to see her opening up to the place. While one part of you goes about explaining how classes work, you also take in the sight of Unyielding Paladin bound to her bed. Her eyes are on you the moment you enter, the same with Supreme Tech... though the latter does not try to get up... and sneers at you.
"Um... good afternoon?"
Neither returns the greeting, so you awkwardly make your way to Paladin's bedside. With her, you at least know what to say.
"I see... I guess one has to make do with what they have out here. Um... did you check on my team, by any chance? They...uh... Strength? She told me not to see them for now."
This time you can give Julia a brighter smile. "I'm actually doing it right now... uh... could you... maybe... give me some hints how to talk to them? Supreme Tech in particular?"
While your roommate frowns in thought, you speak up to Paladin. "You're really amazing, you know? I don't think I have seen anyone that tenacious before."
Her eyes regard you with calm, but there is a certain edge to it. That makes sense, considering what you learned about her. Time to cut to the chase. "I called my big sister yesterday, right after we made it back here." "And why should I care?"
The sudden interruption surprises you into a pause, the bound girl quietly staring up at you. Then you frown at her. "Rude. But... isn't it obvious from how I look? I'm Evangeline Vescovi."
Both girls blink before staring at you a bit harder than before, you notice absent-mindedly. "Anyway, Bianca said she will keep your sister safe for the time being. You don't need to worry, okay?"
"I never really talked to them outside of our missions", Julia reluctantly admits as you wait for the bedridden girl to answer. "Alicia is easy to get along with most of the time if you get used to her sarcastic streak, but she usually stays professional in the field. Aside from that... sorry, I can't really help you."
You are a little ashamed about having used the time she was not looking at you to take a closer look at her... 'person', which Ana is giggling about by now. "I-It's okay, thank you. I think they look well, though someone bound Paladin to her bed."
The bound girl is quietly regarding you, searching your eyes for whether you spoke the truth. This... makes you realise how easy it would be to lie and manipulate someone like her. Her and her sister both. Bianca would not do that and neither would you... but how could she know that?
In the end, Unyielding Paladin sighs and nods. "I see. That... that's good to hear, thank you."
Julia finishes giggling about your previous words at the time you move over to sit with Tech, so you use the opportunity to ask something else: "Actually, I was wondering what you did while I was in class?"
"Mhm..."
She hums in thought for a moment, then starts counting on her fingers. "First I was shown around the most important buildings you didn't get to show me yesterday. Then I went to talk to Chitin Dancer and have my measurements taken properly... brrr."
She shudders, making you reach out to squeeze her shoulder in sympathy. "Yeah, that is creepy..."
A sudden realisation makes you groan in a mixture of fright and exasperation; at least you can limit it to only one body... though it probably would not change anything about the continuous sneer Tech looks at you with. Julia blinks and gives you a concerned look. "Are you alright?"
"...I just realised... I'm probably entering puberty, I started growing recently. That means Chi needs to take my measurements again. And again. And again..."
"Oh... there, there. It will be okay... I guess?"
You are grateful about the light pats on your back, though they show Julia has little experience comforting someone; they are too light. "Thank you..."
"How long are you going to stare at me? I don't want anything to do with the likes of you."
With the existential terror going through your mind at the moment, you really do not see why you should bother with someone that mean. Instead you enjoy Julia's pats while they last, get up and take your leave without a word. The boy at the counter waves you goodbye once you are out the door.
Ana is still giggling. Until you remind her that she is going to hit puberty at some point as well.
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
You did spend some more time with Julia before everyone met up again; she seems to adapt to the new situation much more quickly than anyone else so far, though there is still a certain edge to her.
Maybe that was why you invited her to come along on whatever experience Flower is going to take you on. Ana's friend does gross things with her magic, but she is ultimately a sweet person; exactly what Julia needs to get a good look at how these girls really are. It might be a little bit much to start out with Flower, but this is a risk you are willing to take.
"...why do you have sewers that large? And why aren't they stinking?"
That is a good question, all things considered. Your gaze wanders from Julia to Ana to Flower, the latter of which is not meeting your eyes; she is walking ahead, leading everyone else down the weakly illuminated channels.
"Um... I think this is better shown than explained."
Sky looks unusually timid about the matter, carefully stepping around puddles on the sidewalk and keeping her eyes on your surroundings, as if something might suddenly jump her.
"I don't get why it should stink in here in the first place", Flowey chimes in from your chest. The plant-girl has been rubbing her cheek on you ever since you entered the place, making you carry her and purring in content. Everyone is transformed, so you are basically the most light there is. "I would live here if it weren't so dark. There are lots of nutrients in the water and the air is nice and moist."
She continues to babble, but it is little more than a mumble anyway; everyone else is looking at her with open alienation... except Flower, that is; she just seems resigned. "Just to make sure no one gets weird ideas: don't drink that water. You will regret it."
...you could guess that already.
There is not much conversation afterward, everyone just wanders through the musky air; it does have a faint, sweet note similar to how Flower's garden smelled, but far less overwhelming. That might be overshadowing the usual smells in here.
The silence begins to stretch and you start to notice how your light throws shadows everywhere, making them dance in an eldritch rhythm while the girls around you move. Something slithers here and there, making it clear why Flower is coming to this place.
"There is one of your... um... friends living here?"
"...yes."
She does not elaborate and you can tell how nervous she is until Ana bumps her shoulder. Anxiety slowly passes under your sister's smile, but neither of them tells you anything; there is just a steadily growing apprehension, but a positive one. Ana looks forward to whatever you are going to see soon.
You can not really read Sky's expression, but Julia is carefully gripping her sword and eyes every shadow. Your own scepters are quietly raised as well, even though you know there is nothing harmful here. Something just makes you feel on edge, as if there was a horrible monster sliding through the darkness.
Then, before you notice, you reached your destination: a large, circular room mostly taken up by brackish water. The pool lies still, emanating the same scent you smelled earlier but a bit stronger... and now that you look around, you notice that the channels all lead around it, taking water out but never leading any of it in.
A handful of nightlights flicker to life in one corner, dimly illuminating a stone table; it is soggy but clean, with several stone blocks set up by its side right at the wall.
"Here we are."
Flower looks around a bit while Flowey finally lets go of you -how can she be so heavy?- and slithers off to explore. The tension is still there, you know something is watching everyone.
Then it rises from the depths of that centered pool.
Two of you take in the sight with a mixture of awe and fear. It is... not the same as Night, but this does feel incredibly intimidating. Julia freezes up for a moment, but quickly calms herself with deep breaths. Her blade is lowered slowly and she waits for what it does; the other three girls look visibly more relaxed, though the only ones entirely unaffected are Flower and Flowey.
"Ohhh!"
Flowey jumps into the pool with a splash, then swims over to where the creature looms over you. She sucks up to its slimy body and quickly climbs upward, giggling and whooping the entire way. Flower turns to look at you and raises a hand at the massive body. Tentacles the size of you wriggle and writhe as its large eyes focus on each of you one by one. "Well... this is more like what I usually get out of evolving an animal. He scares everyone who sees him, so Arc made him a place to live. We don't really need sewers that big, after all. I... never really gave him a name, but everyone just calls him Cthulhu."
You take in her words and quietly stare up at the behemoth before you. It does not feel particularly scary to you, mostly unexpected and awe-inspiring... but there is some of it. You quietly wave at the creature, but it does not react... at least Flowey darting around its head takes some of the creepiness out of the situation. You can hardly see its head with how far it is away from your light.
"Anyway, I like to have tea down here; it is quiet and cool. Would you mind a cup?"
You just stare at Flower for a while, trying to make sense of this situation.
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
...in the end, you also have to make sense about how you enjoyed this. It was nice to just sit around, have hot tea and chat a bit. Even Julia seemed to get into it at some point despite of how tense she was at first, sating her curiousity about Flower's powers.
Your smaller group still breathes a little more freely once you leave the sewers; Flowey and Sky stayed with Flower to clean up. Now it is just Ana, Julia and you. Your sister and friend both talk a little more animatedly about something you do not really bother listening to, instead realising that you forgot the time so harshly that you missed dinnertime.
You quickly rouse your companions and rush as fast as you can to get some food.
All of you go to bed with smiles this night, and you make sure that Julia gets used to the city over the next two weeks. You do some other things, but most of your time is spent socialising with the girls you met. All of you are waiting for whatever Strength and Bianca had planned with the city, seeing that no one in the know is willing to tell.
Once the day comes however, you can only stare in awe.
All Magical Girls capable of flight are outside of the city border when it locks down; all the buildings glisten for a moment, then the ground begins to rise. It soon passes your direct line of sight, rising higher and revealing smooth edges where it was driven into the ground. Thrusters stabilise the city's ascent into the sky, carefully bringing it on-course towards Europe.
"There it goes, Grand Architect's magnum opus."
Autumn exchanges smiles with you while the flying city rises higher and begins to flicker, its cloaking field becoming active to shield your journey from view.
Strength already awaits you once you get back inside. Her expression is rather serious, especially because there are two folders in her hands. She beckons you into her office, just you and nobody else. Ana is listening in of course, but she spends the time in the cafeteria for now. There is cake to celebrate takeoff and your sister promised to save you a few pieces.
"I will make it short: we still got work to do. Your sister called last night and gave me the details."
Both folders are placed on the desk, but Strength slaps a hand over one of them. "She originally wanted to have you do both of these, but I talked her out of it. We need this done, so I'm going to take care of the mission in America."
You simply nod quietly, but the other girl continues to smile for some reason. "You know... I really should have made a picture. Her face was glorious when I told her that I know."
"...know what?"
"That she's the White Reaper.... don't look at me like that."
You quickly get the shocked stares wiped from your faces, but surprise is still evident in all three of you; nobody even spoke about the matter after that one day, so how did Strength find out? "Um... why do you think that?"
The girl just sighs and leans back, her gaze focussing on thin air and going into a distance you can not perceive. "I... had my suspicions for a while now. You look like her, she is larger than life even untransformed... and she fits the age. I probably just hoped she would be and part of it was bluffing, but... I guess I was right in the end."
You quietly shift in your chair, wondering what to do. You know Bianca hurt Strength in some way before, but- "Don't worry, I won't sabotage her work or something like that."
Her words make you snap out of your considerations and leave you looking at the older girl wide-eyed. She can not read your mind, so how did she... she probably guessed. You do not like how she worded her response, though. "But you haven't forgiven her."
"...nope. I probably never will. But I made my peace with what happened, being petty about it now would make all of it be for nothing. Funnily enough", she closes with a coughed laughter, "you can like someone even if you hate them."
That makes no sense.
"Anyway, back to your mission."
Missions Selected.
. . .
Transcendent Strength: . . .
The Juggernaut's Remains (Operation: Coronation)
No matter how hard the world was hit, those who suffered the most were without doubt Russia and the United States. I saw my own country burn to the ground, those who survived fleeing to join the Chinese. The Americans did not have a convenient ally nearby, whatever was left of their people scattered to the wind.
Magical Girl Platinum Throne took up the duty of leadership in North America. Her retainers slowly regain land thought lost and integrate every settlement and tribe they find into her growing empire. Her people prosper, yet she ought to be hostile to an outside force moving in after spending most of her rulership in the neighbourhood of Yggdrasil.
Launch Date: Now (13th of July) Known Allies: Variable Confirmed Enemies: None
Possible Combatants: Platinum Throne, Retainers of Platinum Throne, ???
We have not heard anything from Africa for almost a decade. Communications broke down soon after the war began in earnest and as far as I know, civil wars were mixed into the madness over there. If a goddess rose... I'm curious what kind of person she would be. A gentle one, certainly. But how would one convince her that those coming from the outside have truly come to help, and to ask for her help in return?
Forsaken God rules a vast part of Africa after building up her own nation. Years have passed since she assumed command, yet she never fell into becoming a tyrant; her people rever her and she herself goes to great lengths to protect them. This journey to her stronghold will be the first establishment of contact with African leadership since WWIII. Her cooperation in reuniting the world is essential.
Launch Date: Now (13th of July) Known Allies: Variable Confirmed Enemies: None
Possible Combatants: Forsaken God, ???
-World Eater ("Was that ever in question?")
-Black Sky ("Everyone needs to do their part. If you need me, so be it.") Strength calls dibs
-Chitin Dancer ("Well... why not?") Strength calls dibs
-Brave Heart ("I feel so antsy just sitting around and training... if you would have me?")
-Budding Flower ("I'm not sure bringing myself and Flowey is useful... but we will give it our best shot.")
-Eye of Truth ("The others might rather stay home, but I am good to go.")
-Spring's Dream ("I can't help but be worried...) Strength calls dibs
-Nightmare Child ("That... might not be a good idea") [also has to keep an eye on Kibo while Strength is gone]
-Clockwork Queen ("It should be about time I make myself useful again")
-Grand Architect ("I'm going to go over there and to America anyway, so I might as well tag along now")
-Ludger ("Woof!")
[] Team
-[] Primordial Sun
-[] Primordial Moon
-[] Write-in optional member 1
-[] Write-in optional member 2
=====
+2xp Lots of Talking (Only Pris)
+10xp Met Cthulhu (Only Pris)
+15xp Had Tea With Cthulhu
+15xp The Flying City
+450xp A Story Cut Short
EXP gained: 492 + 492 + 480 = 1,464
Total EXP: 1,609
=====
(All known Kibo-Magical Girls: Level 3 Character Sheet unlocked) [except Broken Might]
(Soul Queller and remaining Yggdrasil-girls: Level 3 Character Sheet unlocked)
(Nightmare Child: Level 3 Character Sheet unlocked)
(Unyielding Paladin: Level 2 Character Sheet unlocked)
(Brave Heart: Level 4 Character Sheet unlocked; Brave Heart spent EXP)
(Black Sky: Level 4 Character Sheet unlocked)
(Judge: Level 3 Character Sheet unlocked)
(New Shop Item Unlocked)
=====
I made some adjustments to streamline Libra's overall structure. There was quite some cutting and rearranging, which will ultimately lead to this Quest being somewhat shorter than originally intended. So have some EXP right now to compensate.
It was about to rain, Kaede noticed. That was just like the previous days, probably a little early for the middle of May. She did not mind it that much, though; the rain allowed her to stay inside and play around a bit without either of her big sisters making a face at her.
She was thirteen now and had been a Magical Girl for more than a year, member of the strongest group in the world.
Okay, her sisters had been around for three years now, but Kaede was getting there; she had lots of experience and was really, really strong.
To top it off, they had a day off today; the police ran riot control and no one attacked Japan for once. That was a wonderful thing to wake up to... but it only came a close second after her sister Miyuki's pancakes.
Speaking of, her big sisters were also there and seemed to do their homework. Or... well, Yukari was. Maybe she tried to be the responsible oldest sister again, even when neither Kaede nor Miyuki were actually diligent.
Not that it mattered much; all of them being together was enough, especially with everything going down in the rest of Asia. America was gone and Russia basically destroyed... and a lot of other countries over there, too. Kaede did not really remember all the names.
She knew that it was them that held Japan together, though. Eighty million people were under their protection.
Then the phone rung.
Three heads turned with black hair waving, and Yukari went to take the call. She talked quietly for a few moments, then put the machine down with a sigh. "Time to head out, there is trouble coming."
"What kind of trouble?"
"Code Black."
Kaede dropped her controller in surprise and Miyuki gave their oldest sister a disbelieving look. They all knew that Code Black meant only one thing. One thing that was really bad and she really did not want it to happen.
But Yukari nodded, determination written all over her face. "The bitch is coming here."
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
It was weird, Kaede pondered while soaring through the air in her older sister's grasp. The White Reaper had not come to Japan before and now, in 2006, the war was almost over with how all those nations were gone... so why was she coming now?
Faintly, the thirteen-year-old realised how stiff her sister's grip was at the moment; it made sense to be a little scared with how dangerous they all knew this opponent was... but all her previous enemies had not been on their level. The Transcendent Trinity was powerful enough to make the difference.
And today, that dastardly monster would fall. She would punch it to pieces if Miyuki did not blast it first!
Right now though, her older sister's brown hair fell into Kaede's face and made it difficult to see anything; the rain did not help, either. But they were almost there, almost at the coast... their opponent was coming in from China, so they would not allow them to set a single foot onto their home.
Today would be a day to remember!
When the shoreline came into view, they could already see the bright light illuminating the dark clouds in the distance; a heavy feeling settled into Kaede's stomach and she knew that the White Reaper was there.
They all stood still under the premonition, hardly daring to breathe while every movement felt as if they were in slow motion; death was coming their way...
Then Yukari... no, Transcendent Will took a deep breath and slapped her cheeks, the dark blond hair sticking to her fingers for a moment.
Kaede followed her oldest sister's example and tried to get herself into position. She was Transcendent Strength, the strongest girl in the world. No one would get past her today.
And between them stood Transcendent Heart, who already moved to make their enemy pay for her very first mistake. It should be the last one, too.
To come in over the air was just an invitation to get shot down by the pink energy that gathered around the tip of Miyuki's staff, her white combat dress fluttering in the air current produced by gathering that much destructive power.
She aimed for a moment, then smirked and let loose. "Starlight Breaker!"
The ground cracked as her power surged forward, the sphere breaking and blasting into the sky in a bright light that cast away the shadows for miles. The clouds were scattered by its pure power and the rain stopped, as there was no longer water that could fall.
(Starlight Breaker: +300000 Base Damage, no dice = 300,000 Damage
Starlight Breaker: +300000 Base Damage, no dice = 300,000 Damage
Starlight Breaker: +300000 Base Damage, no dice = 300,000 Damage
900,000 Total Damage
Equilibrium: No Damage Scion of Magic: 1,800,000 Total Damage
Equilibrium: No Damage)
But all it did was to show them their enemy; when the light died down, the bright white figure stared down at them without a single scratch. It was as if god herself had come down upon them, Kaede realised. A merciless goddess of slaughter that took up speed in a way she could not follow.
She tried to move, to do something, but she was so slow and their enemy so fast. Before any of them could act-
(The Equaliser: +3830224 Base Damage 3830 Disciplined, +1915 Superior Discipline, +28725 Superslayer, -25000 being careful, no dice = 9,470 Total Damage
Transcendent Heart: +600 Base Resilience, +8824 dice = 9,424 Total Damage Reduction Unstoppable
-the monster descended from the heavens and brought down her waraxe on Heart, sending the sixteen-year-old flying.
""Miyuki!""
Transcendent Heart was thrown through the air with a crunch and before either of them could do anything... right in front of Kaede's disbelieving eyes, her big sister's transformation dissolved. Yukari was far faster than her, already blinking forward to catch the falling body.
But Kaede already knew... she could feel it deep in her heart.
Her big sister was gone.
Her vision blurred and the girl's knees gave in, feeling weaker than they ever did. The large gauntlets that were her arms and hands crushed the ground as she sat and stared.
"Miyuki? Miyuki?! Wake up, please!"
That was Yukari, holding onto their sister and calling out to her...
But then she looked up and her eyes widened. "Kaede!"
Huh?
Looking up, she found the Reaper standing above her, weapon raised and then hands on-
(The Equaliser: +3830224 Base Damage 17350 Disciplined, +8675 Superior Discipline, +130125 Superslayer, no dice = 148,150 Total Damage
Transcendent Will: +1500 Base Resilience, +3484 dice = 4,984 Total Damage Reduction Unstoppable
148,150 Total End Damage
Carry On (50%): 74,075 Total End Damage
74,075 Final End Damage
Transcendent Will Health: 11,500 - 74,075 = -62,575)
-her back that pushed her aside before the weapon connected, a sickly crunch followed by a splatter of gore over her back and side already telling her of what happened.
When Kaede managed to bring herself to look, Yukari was sprawled onto the ground a few metres away from her. Untransformed. Unmoving. And everything below her waist was gone.
Something within her broke.
And tears began to flow.
Her sisters were all she had... without them... without Yukari and Miyuki, what was there to live for?
Kaede turned when she heard a quiet splash, only to find herself face to face with the White Reaper again. This time, there was no one to save her... but she did not even want to.
It was not fair... first her parents, now her sisters... she had nothing now...
Transcendent Strength did not stand. She waited for the monster to raise that axe of hers, tears spilling from her eyes but never once obscuring her vision anymore. She would not sob; that one thing she would not give her, this person that took everything from her.
And then the Reaper stopped, her red eyes focussed on Kaede.
There was no warmth in them... but something else.
The hammer was a moment away from its strike, but that never came. Her courage began to waver as time passed and the rain started anew.
"W-What are you waiting for? K-Kill me!"
Her words had the other one narrow her eyes and Kaede got up to her knees, trying desperately not to break down. "Just do it, I don't want this life anymore! Let me be with my sisters again!"
Living without them... would be worthless.
But something in the monster's eyes changed. She lowered her weapon, never once breaking contact with Kaede's own gaze.
Then the White Reaper turned around, crouched and took off at high speed, leaving behind nothing but two corpses and a broken girl.
Kaede collapsed to the ground and screamed, her heart almost giving out as the adrenaline stopped pulsing through her veins.
She had lost everything.
And the sight of her assailant would be forever burnt into her memory.
