The back and forth between Pris' two bodies is very interesting, but also very confusing. It took me several re-reads to get what was happening in this scene.
"Oh, it's quite alright. I had a few girls come up for a few rounds of sparring... and with Ludger, too. This is definitely the strongest canine I've ever seen."
Well, of course. Ludger is Magical Good Boy, after all
About the BEFRIENDING mission : we should gather as much information as we can before deciding on a team. Strength has given us two days to decide, no need to rush.
Some questions for Pris to ask : Who are the Kibo girls being stalked ? The UES ones doing the stalking ? Where is this happening ? How good are our allies at non-lethal take-down ?
That last one is especially important. We know that Brave Heart at least is convinced that magical girls are pure evil, and she is fighting for the "good guys". We should focus on immobilizing our targets without hurting them, maybe with Chi's webs, or Flower's plants ?
I'm thinking of the soldiers here : the UES' girls consider them their comrades, and might go on a roaring rampage of revenge if we smack them too hard.
On the other hand, Sky's tactic against the chinese soldiers worked perfectly, so I might be overthinking the problem
I definitely want to take Ana, for narrative reasons. She is our sister and we need to stick together ! (No, the bonus xp doesn't factor at all in this decision, why ?my preciousss...)
So for now :
[X] Time to have a talk with Nightmare Child
Maybe some advice for us ?
[X] Go see Flower and explore her garden
Even if we don't end up taking her, this girl has been traumatized recently and would surely enjoy some time with friends.
[X] Training might be good
-[X] Train Soothing Moonlight's Target by Level to heal the same target multiple times with a single cast
Nope, Moon was always the tank.
What shocked Sky was the fact Moon just took the damage, ignored her bleeding shoulder (that was an ugly mess at first) and just calmly healed herself.
I did not realize we had days to prepare. I feel like an idiot.
[X] Time to have a talk with Nightmare Child
[X] Training might be good
-[X] Train Soothing Moonlight's Target by Level to heal the same target multiple times with a single cast
-[X] Dodge Training
I'm considering a couple levels in the spells, but I'll refrain for now.
Nope, Moon was always the tank.
What shocked Sky was the fact Moon just *took* the damage, ignored her bleeding shoulder (that was an ugly mess at first) and just calmly healed herself.
Welp, I fail at reading comprehension, I somehow thought it was Sun sparing, with maybe Moon siphoning the damage to herself with Shining Protector ? But that didn't make sense either.
Anyway, thank you for the clarification.
[X] Time to have a talk with Nightmare Child
[X] Training might be good
-[X] Train Soothing Moonlight's Target by Level to heal the same target multiple times with a single cast
-[X] Dodge Training
[X] Training might be good
-[X] Train Soothing Moonlight's Target by Level to heal the same target multiple times with a single cast
-[X] Dodge Training
[X] EXP-Plan World Eater Team Missions
-[X] World Eater - Advanced Connection - 500 XP
-[X] World Eater - Life Sense 3 -> 4 - 30 XP
-[X] World Eater - Life Sense 4 -> 5 - 40 XP
-[X] Sun - Consuming Light - 350 XP
[X] Training might be good
-[X] Train Soothing Moonlight's Target by Level to heal the same target multiple times with a single cast
-[X] Dodge Training
[X] EXP-Plan World Eater Team Missions
-[X] World Eater - Advanced Connection - 500 XP
-[X] World Eater - Life Sense 3 -> 4 - 30 XP
-[X] World Eater - Life Sense 4 -> 5 - 40 XP
-[X] Sun - Consuming Light - 350 XP
If a magical girl casts a spell on Sky with a physical effect, does she take damage ?
For example :
>Supreme Tech casts More Dakka !
>Rifles appear all around her, and open fire.
>Sky eats lead !
>Sky's health... ?
If a magical girl casts a spell on Sky with a physical effect, does she take damage ?
For example :
>Supreme Tech casts More Dakka !
>Rifles appear all around her, and open fire.
>Sky eats lead !
>Sky's health... ?
Ana seems to want to give chase for a moment, but then she sighs and turns to you with a frown. There is an accompanying sting of exasperation. "Why is Rico running off?"
Rico (Sun) leaves for Winter, Eva (Moon) stays with Ana.
I admit that the style is somewhat confusing, but trying to follow two perspectives at the same time ought to be difficult.
But seriously, Sky's defense is pretty insane. It is supposed to be, seeing that she has basically no offense to speak of.
The fact she got a Synchronize-Spell with tons of damage is actually the reason she can hit outside of her weightclass; that much offense was a lucky coincidence, not a part of her kit.
[X] Training might be good
-[X] Train Soothing Moonlight's Target by Level to heal the same target multiple times with a single cast
-[X] Dodge Training
[X] EXP-Plan World Eater Team Missions
-[X] World Eater - Advanced Connection - 500 XP
-[X] World Eater - Life Sense 3 -> 4 - 30 XP
-[X] World Eater - Life Sense 4 -> 5 - 40 XP
-[X] Sun - Consuming Light - 350 XP
If we do the Soothing Moonlight training, we should probably level it up to 10 first.
Leveling it up after training will undo some of the training, and those extra two levels will give a huge increase in how much the training makes it heal.
[X] Training might be good
-[X] Train Soothing Moonlight's Target by Level to heal the same target multiple times with a single cast
-[X] Dodge Training
[X] Training might be good
-[X] Train Soothing Moonlight's Target by Level to heal the same target multiple times with a single cast
-[X] Dodge Training
New
[X] Training might be good
-[X] Train Soothing Moonlight's Target by Level to heal the same target multiple times with a single cast
-[X] Dodge Training
[X] Training might be good
-[X] Train Soothing Moonlight's Target by Level to heal the same target multiple times with a single cast
-[X] Dodge Training
[X] Training might be good
-[X] Train Soothing Moonlight's Target by Level to heal the same target multiple times with a single cast
-[X] Dodge Training
[X] EXP-Plan World Eater Team Missions
-[X] World Eater - Advanced Connection - 500 XP
-[X] World Eater - Life Sense 3 -> 4 - 30 XP
-[X] World Eater - Life Sense 4 -> 5 - 40 XP
-[X] Sun - Consuming Light - 350 XP
You want to defeat most of your opponents, not kill them. If you were spending EXP anyway, why did you put it into the lethal Spell instead of boosting the Non-Lethal one?
You want to defeat most of your opponents, not kill them. If you were spending EXP anyway, why did you put it into the lethal Spell instead of boosting the Non-Lethal one?
Because we still can boost the Non-Lethal one without risk of overshooting shortly before the fight, unlike the lethal one. We still have EXP saved up after all.
The lethal one will need to stay at it's current level lest we accidentally kill someone again, like the soldier.
And raising it before a training action will make Pris notice the damage increased, negating that risk.
You want to defeat most of your opponents, not kill them. If you were spending EXP anyway, why did you put it into the lethal Spell instead of boosting the Non-Lethal one?
The lethal one also has higher damage potential in case we come up against someone very durable.
It also only occupies a single twin and not both. Leaving the other to either shoot at a different target or heal.
-Ordnance: Secondary attack mode; allows to use the given attack at high range and adds an additional 40% of its Base Damage, but the user has to be stationary while firing it.
[X] Time to have a talk with Nightmare Child
[X] Training might be good
-[X] Train Soothing Moonlight's Target by Level to heal the same target multiple times with a single cast
-[X] Dodge Training
After promising to think about it and saying goodbye, you make to leave. Then you stop at the door and look back at Strength. "Um... do you know where I can find Night?"
She thinks for a moment before shrugging and flipping through the report again. "Beats me... she likes sitting around and staring into the air, though. Maybe someone else has seen her?"
"Oh... I see. Thank you."
"You're welcome."
You leave with that, suppressing a sigh at having to actively look for Nightmare Child. On the other hand, her liking to be alone is at least a good hint.
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
Instead of asking around for the absent Magical Girl however, you fly. Looking over Kibo becomes rather easy from a hundred metres above the city; your eyes are incredibly good, making you able to actually see the people below properly. Did you always have that since you awakened as Magical Girls? Not that you ever really needed the sight before, though it is nice to have.
Either way, Night is quick to be found; she sits on a roof further to the city's outskirts, overlooking the countryside. With how cloudy it is today, the temperatures are actually nice... even though it might rain later.
When you touch down next to her, the older girl only spares you a quick look before turning back to watching whatever it is. There are cables coming out of her ears and you can faintly hear some kind of music playing. "I take it you have time to talk now? Please sit."
You do as told, sitting down on the edge to her left and right after a moment of contemplation. Night fiddles with something in her pocket and the music stops, then she pulls two plug-like things out of her ears. She does not say anything for a while, though her posture relaxes somewhat. "Bianca never mentioned having siblings, but the similarity is striking. Anastasia already told me about you, too."
Silence reigns again after that, but not the oppressive kind. With no idea how to respond right now, you keep quiet and wait for what Night wanted to talk about. Her face is relaxed, even though her eyes are roaming the countryside as if they were looking for something. "I did not really have anything to tell you in mind, my reasons are rather more selfish. Would you mind staying around for a bit?"
Her confession does leave you a little confused, but you simply nod and make yourself more comfortable; there is other stuff you want to do today, but spending some time up here seems fine. You already went through the trouble of finding her, after all. "I don't mind... if you tell me why?"
It ends up as more of a question than you wanted it to be, but Night does not refuse you. She only folds her hands in her lap and closes her eyes. "That's fair. Ever since I awakened my powers, I could hear the dead screaming and pleading wherever I went. Sites of major battles or other great losses of life are generally worse than regular places, but it never really stops... I can't explain why, but it does stop when I'm close to Bianca. And to you, as I now know."
That sounds... weird. And sad. You have half a mind to stop yourself from just hugging into Night; she might not like that. "So... always? Even when you want to sleep? That must be hard... I can't even imagine..."
The closest your mind comes is imagining a few more people included like Ana and them having a conversation about something while you want to concentrate... or sleep. But at least you could tell them to wait a bit, or talk about whatever later. Night just shrugs in response, though. "The first month was the hardest. I adjusted over time... but I am grateful for even just a few minutes of blessed silence."
You try your best not to grimace at her; this does not sound healthy... everyone in this world is messed up in one way or another after all. On the other hand, you can help her out a little bit; that has to count for something.
It takes you a little while of quiet until you finally manage to get out your question, though: "Um... Night? Can I hug you?"
There is no reaction at first, though her lids open and reveal green eyes to look at you curiously. Night ponders this before shaking her head. "I'd rather you didn't. It is nice of you to offer, though."
So you were right about it; this is the first time you actually thought about being considerate and not hugging someone, is it not? You make a mental note to keep that in mind, then lie on your back to watch the clouds.
Actually, this is pretty nice.
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
Two hours pass before you leave Night; she actually smiles when you take off, giving a little wave. It was different than what you usually do, though it did give you some time to think about how to go about the other things you have in mind today. There is training to be done... and you need to talk to Soul and Igni. With the decision to help them made, there is no way you are backing down... even though you want to, a little bit.
Over the half hour you are with them, neither of the two talks much to you. Iron flicks through some kind of manual, not caring for the tension either. All you really left was a bit of companionship and candy bars you brought from the cafeteria. You like sweets a lot, so maybe they will help them a bit as well.
As your visit draws to a close, though... despite of how intimidated you are of whatever makes your friends so miserable, you do approach one other topic you thought about before. "Soul? Um... I wanted to work on my dodging in a bit. Can you help me?"
You are aware of the fact everyone is looking your way this time... and speaking of ideas, you quickly ping Ana. Hey, I was thinking...
The immediate shock from the other end reminds you that she had no idea you could send direct thoughts; there is also a bit of pain coming along, so you keep yourself short: Maybe you should try knocking people out with your bubbles instead of blowing them up?
"Oh, why not... just let me get dressed."
Soul's response is overshadowed by a mixture of hurt, annoyance, and curiousity. You have the faint feeling Ana is trying to respond, but nothing like actual words makes it to your end. By the time you return to focus on the room, Soul is already out of her pyjamas.
Igni puts her book aside -a different one than yesterday- and gets up as well. She does not say anything though, just leaves the room after throwing on a jacket.
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
Before you can actually start to do anything aside from transforming, a yip alerts you to Ludger running up from behind. He yips again and starts jumping up your legs until you crouch to pet him. He was with Ana, though... "Urgh, you're such a jerk..."
Oh, there she is. And Truth is around, too... actually, so are Mirror and Iron. Where did they all come from?
You shake off the thought and go to hug your sister with the one pair of free arms. "Sorry... I had no idea that would happen."
"Well, I have a headache now, so please don't do it again."
You do not feel anything about it for some reason, but Ana would not lie. Still, this is not what you were here for; it is time for training. Which brings you to the question what she is doing at the training grounds. "Are you trying out that suggestion I had?"
"...yes."
You let go of both her and Ludger, the latter quickly running over to get more petting from your other body. Soul is watching everything with an unreadable expression though, so you stop and get back to her. "I see. Oh, by the way, this is Soul Queller."
The two greet each other more... reluctantly then you would have hoped. Before you can comment however, a groan reaches your ears from the sidelines. Truth is sitting on the ground and holds her head; all three eyes are closed. Um...
Soul snorts lightly before calling over and motioning for Ana: "What, is she that strong?"
The response takes a moment, mostly because Truth is rubbing her face a few times. Then she looks again... but at you. Did you do something?
At least there is no one but from the Yggdrasil-girls here to listen when she walks closer and starts ranting: "No, my dear. Aside from the fact I can count the amount of Magical Girls more deadly than World Eater on one hand, with most of those being elites. But I can tell you what Sun's and Moon's Balance is about now."
Ana pales a little at the mention, though you can only absentmindedly push some warmth her way. The last part got your attention; it has been a while since you actually thought about Balance.
Truth does not seem to notice with how she continues immediately... while motioning at you. "Ignoring the private stuff for now... you know exactly which one I am talking about. Anyway... last time I saw you, you could barely match a somewhat experienced Story. Now you're starting to measure up to Legends... within less than a month? And what kind of insane experiments did you do with your dog?! The mutt could take on Iron and Igni if he wanted to!"
You have the faint desire to exchange looks with yourself over the rant, but you rather not do so right now. Ana listens with interest while everyone else is basically just staring at you. A weak blush finds its way on your cheeks despite your best attempts to keep it away, quickly growing to your ears when Truth continues: "I mean, seriously! Knight took years to get where she was, you have been at it for... what, three months? And you're already coming close to her defensive power, not to mention spell power..."
The mention of Abyss Knight does leave you with a tinge of pain, but it drowns in embarassment over what Truth is saying... in the end, you just look away and hope she does not continue talking. Though... wait.
Your spells are not that strong; Knight never showed you her spells, but you are pretty sure they were strong if Truth actually mentions them. That is why you motion for Truth to wait and turn towards a training dummy someone put up far away. "Let me just..."
You aim your scepters with trepidation, but no hesitation. ""ScorchingSunlight!""
The beams you create are far more powerful than you remember them being, rushing forward to meet their mark in an instant; yet they merge together only right before impact, just as usual.
(Scorching Sunlight: +20480 Base Damage, dice do not matter = 20,480 Total Damage Scorching Sunlight: +20480 Base Damage, dice do not matter = 20,480 Total Damage
40,960 unified damage, x2 Absolute Connection = 81,920 Total Damage
Training Dummy: +50 Base Resilience, no dice = 50 Total Damage Reduction
81,870 Final End Damage
Training Dummy Health: 500 - 81,870 = -81,370)
The onslaught of light rips right through hardened wood and metal alike, burning and melting all of it in an instant before tearing a trench of scorched earth into the ground behind where it once stood.
That... was much stronger than it used to be. "T-Thanks for telling me... it grew again..."
"You can go higher, actually. Try standing still and aiming properly... Soul, mind going up and being their target?"
"Sure..."
Soul takes a step to the side and sighs quietly. "For every being that ever was, there will come a time to die. I am Magical Girl Soul Queller!"
Magic wraps around her and reveals the winged form you are so familiar with. Said wings stretch wide for a few moments, then the girl takes off. "How high?"
Her voice is a little more lively now, maybe from being in the air? Going by how Truth is smirking, she probably figured something like that. "I think five hundred should be good to demonstrate!"
Soul tips one wing her way, then flaps both strongly and ascends at speed. You can hardly see her clearly for a few seconds due to how fast she is. Once the girl does not rise faster than you can follow anymore, she has begun to get small even for your newly found super-sight. Truth watches both her and you. "You should start aiming."
""'Kay!""
Then your eyes focus on the tiny figure in your vision; wind will not do anything to the trajectory of light, which means you can just aim straight at Soul. Magic flows readily and coats your scepters for a moment as you square your feet and keep still, then you call out your sunlight again.
(Scorching Sunlight: +20480 Base Damage, +8192 Ordnance, dice do not matter = 28,672 Total Damage Scorching Sunlight: +20480 Base Damage, +8192 Ordnance, dice do not matter = 28,672 Total Damage
57,344 unified damage, x2 Absolute Connection = 114,688 Total Damage
Target is not there - Attack ineffective)
The beams rush out even hotter and brighter than before, not scattering at all until they merge right before Soul... but she just rolls out of the way in one fluid motion, letting them pass and scatter in the distance. Far, far away.
One can see how impressed Ana is even without the connection in place. So are the others and you get a few congratulatory slaps on your shoulders while Soul gracefully glides down again. Her face is expressionless and twitches a little, but she quickly stops whatever it is and gives you a nod. "Not bad. Anything else before we get started?"
You shake your heads and split off in response; only one of you will train with Soul, you also want to try something else. Ana gets going to a part further down the field and starts on her work, too... wait, when did Sky get here? "Just you, Sun?"
"Yup!"
At least practicing to dodge is not as taxing, seeing that it is mostly for your muscle memory; you can put some more focus on Soothing Moonlight, your first healing spell.
It started emanating several threads of light instead of just one beam quite some time ago, you even can move them somewhat to heal several people at once. Right now, you are wondering if you can move them better. Maybe even to wrap around the same person; with each one having the same power, this should be a big increase to your healing power.
"Soothing Moonlight."
The first thing you notice is that the shine is brighter than before. The next one is that there are more threads than before. Maybe its healing power and spread are related?
Either way, you just aim at Soul's back because she is the closest to you, but she sidesteps it with a huff and continues coaching you. More threads wrap around Ludger, Ana, Iron, Mirror, Truth... hehe, they are all shining for a moment.
But then the light runs out and you are back where you started. So you cast again, this time with focus on yourself... well, Sun. It is easier to aim away from yourself and the light does not bother you much as you scramble to jump away from Soul's sword.
When you try moving a second thread around however, it... is pushed away by the one already going for yourself. You try to move another in, but the same thing happens. The strands do not want to get close to each other, it seems.
You try coaxing them closer on the next try and the one after, but it does not work.
This continues for quite a while, with you trying everything you can think of to make the streams merge while stumbling around the place under Soul's guidance. Ana does something or other on her part of the field; whatever it is seems to help, seeing that the place is not completely torn apart.
The sun is already on her way to the horizon when you finally have a new idea; instead of merging the beams at their end, why not do it at their beginning?
So you take aim at Truth again, this time concentrating on the feeling of your magic gathering. "Soothing Moonlight."
It comes and... right before separating into ten at the tip of your scepter, you push it so it stays together. The beam still separates into different paths that spread out... except there are now nine you can count before it runs out. One of them was decidedly brighter than the rest, too.
You cast again and repeat the process, making sure that yes, you did count correctly. Nine threads, with one of them being brighter. You aim that one at Iron...
(Soothing Moonlight: +7020 Base Damage, dice do not matter = 7020 Damage Healed
Soothing Moonlight: +7020 Base Damage, dice do not matter = 7020 Damage Healed
14,040 Total Damage Healed
Iron Memento is at full Health)
The success fills you with warmth and you are tempted to let out the joy, but... no, you need to see if you can do more about this.
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
You manage to merge another thread together with your big thread, but this one was a lot harder to get there. Combining two all over so you get five bigger ones is... possible, but you did not do much with that. Your first priority is to get as many together into one as you can. The more threads you try to keep together, the more difficult it becomes to keep them together.
Now it is time for dinner though. And you are determined to take Soul along; so you just take her hand while also gathering Ana and Sky. You will have a big group to eat with today.
Soul does seem as if she wants to shake you off, but her hand relaxes after a moment. Success!
Open Missions:
For Their Own Good (Operation: Lost Cradle)
The girls currently... 'employed' by the UES do not actually suffer. Even though it is only because of Bianca that they are treated this well, simply offering them an out is not going to be enough. Some, like Brave Heart, even truly believe that others like her are the source of all evil. It is a wretched practice to indoctrinate children like that.
A returning group of Magical Girls is carefully followed by UES-enforcers and a few soldiers; they are aware of the threat, though they do not act on it. Your task is to intercept the enforcers, defeat them in battle, and take them alive.
Launch Date: June 28th Known Allies: Variable Confirmed Enemies: UES military, Brave Heart, Supreme Tech, Unyielding Paladin
Possible Combatants: Clockwork Queen, Judge, ???
(Available data will be offered once the mission is selected)
-World Eater ("Of course I will!")
-Black Sky ("If this is important to you, I will certainly lend a hand")
-Chitin Dancer ("I can not do much in terms of actually attacking, but there are other things I'm good at)
-Budding Flower ("...there has to be something I can do to help.")
-Mirror Memento ("I have business with Brave Heart anyway")
-Soul Queller ("Sure...")
-Eye of Truth ("We both know how I could assist")
-Spring's Dream ("I can't help but be worried...) -Nightmare Child ("That... might not be a good idea")
-Ludger ("Woof!")
What do you do after dinner? Pick two:
[] Go on a mission
-[] Lost Cradle
--[] Write-in up to two additional team members from the list
(This option is an automatic Double Down)
[] Ana was talking to Flower before that training session, so now she is all by herself again. This can not stand.
-[] Double Down
[] Bug Winter until she plays with you
-[] Double Down
[] Somehow, it is always Rico getting the exercise... run a few laps
-[] Double Down
[] What is Spring up to?
-[] Double Down
[] More training, always more...
-[] write-in what to train (one action per character per subject)
[] EXP-Plan
-[] write-in what to buy
-[] Save it
=====
+2xp The Nightmare Rests Peacefully (Only Pris)
+20xp Traumatised Truth
+5xp Your First Mechanics Exploit (Only Pris)
+6xp Hey, You Can Do Something That Does Not Kill People! (Only Ana)
EXP gained: 27 + 27 + 26 = 80 Total EXP: 811
=====
(Unlocked Level 1 Character Sheet: Magical Girl Nightmare Child)
(Updated Character Sheet: Soul Queller)
(Updated Character Sheet: Black Sky)
(Updated Character Sheet: Iron Memento, Mirror Memento)
(Updated Character Sheet: Eye of Truth)
=====
I kind of forgot to update the last three when you met them before, so I am doing it now.
Furthermore, I added the number of threads you can merge to Soothing Moonlight in invisible text.
Truth does not seem to notice with how she continues immediately... while motioning at you. "Ignoring the private stuff for now... you know exactly which one I am talking about. Anyway... last time I saw you, you could barely match a somewhat experienced Story. Now you're starting to measure up to Legends... within less than a month? And what kind of insane experiments did you do with your dog?! The mutt could take on Iron and Igni if he wanted to!"
Anyway, assuming we still have more time before the mission since for the life of me I can't figure out how many days are left on their timers.
[X] Ana was talking to Flower before that training session, so now she is all by herself again. This can not stand.
[X] Somehow, it is always Rico getting the exercise... run a few laps
[X] EXP Plan Power Conduction
-[X] Primordial Sun - Sunlight Scepter: Spellslinger - 350 XP
-[X] Primordial Moon - Radiant Conductor - 180 XP