I am well aware of how Crush functions.
That aside, @justinkal is not wrong about the matter.
Especially with Overwhelm, applied Crush always deals 2.25 times the opponent's Base Damage on the first half of the Intercept, without taking into account Moon's own numbers.
If it wins the Intercept, it is applied again on top of it.
enemies with double hit or it's upgraded versions on their weapons will be less affected by overwhelm, because Moon gets the bonus only once even if there's 2-5 hits incoming.
enemies with double hit or it's upgraded versions on their weapons will be less affected by overwhelm, because Moon gets the bonus only once even if there's 2-5 hits incoming.
[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.
-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.")
-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!")
Trying to weigh our options.
Special considerations:
World Eater earns EXP for the pool.
Ludger could also benefit in becoming the goodester boy from his EXP growth (however that works).
From a combat standpoint there are several good options. Clockwork Queen can work up to big numbers really fast and has a 1-to-1 dodge to go with her outrageous number of attacks. Brave Heart has Affinity Kill on tap with an anti-flyer spelland Inhuman Skill. World Eater can cause massive destruction and offers the Protagonist cheat of buying up Abilities mid-battle.
No one is useless in a fight, but Ludger, Budding Flower, Eye of Truth, and Grand Architect are, in my opinion, much more awkward in a fight. Grand Architect has a vanishingly short transformation time, so she's quite vulnerable during combat (even if she does transform her stats aren't great). Her golem army offers quite the punch and is somewhat disposable if we control where the battle is. Eye of Truth has anti-ghost tech and some dodging and that's about it. Her real contribution is picking up on tricky abilities before we put our foot in them. Budding Flower can make a minion or two and has Flowey for a respawning meatshield. Ludger has a good bit of 'what the fuck' going for him, plus a high charisma value for starting off negotiations (go go puppy dog eyes! ).
Expanding on Budding Flower a bit: She can't make as many minions as Grand Architect, said minions look like terrifying monsters and have to stay nearby. Her spell gives a good de-buff, but also looks really hostile. In a fight she kinda has to drain the life out of said minions and suck the life from her enemies to use her kit. It's not that she's bad, just that we have other options that seem better. I advise against bring Budding Flower unless you're planning on incorporating her in the hivemind (or feeding World Eater fresh meat (Does World Eater suffer from Flower's Grasslands? )). None of her stuff looks especially useful outside of a fight either. Sorry Flower.
For out-of-combat utility Grand Architect appears to have a major edge, building a few buildings as a show of good faith is a great gift. I suspect she could also fix or modify all the vehicles we might use. World Eater has a connection we can use to extend our reach. Brave Heart is a mixed bag, she might demand respect for her history or be notorious for her history. Clockwork Queen appears to have a little bit of everything stashed away somewhere.
Deadliest Team: Brave Heart + Clockwork Queen
Pure power, if you need to shut someone down or crank up Time Walk to over a hundred thousand to destroy it pick these ladies.
Counter Tricks: World Eater + Eye of Truth
Truth gives us info while the Hivemind tries to keep everything else in good order.
A Gesture of Goodwill: Grand Architect + Ludger
We are Kibo! Aren't we adorable and helpful?
[X] Team
-[X] Primordial Sun
-[X] Primordial Moon
-[X] World Eater
-[X] Ludger
Grab the super, which is some upgrade to radiance. it'll likely enhance both offense and defense for Sun and supers are always worth their cost.
The other 2 purchases grant Moon 1 more APT to intercept attacks and make them give more oomph.
I am in favor of taking Grand Architect with us. She won't be personally useful in combat, but her knowledge of Kibo will be better than we could hope otherwise.
[X] Team
-[X] Primordial Sun
-[X] Primordial Moon
-[X] World Eater
-[X] Ludger
I'm choosing the team on the basis of Grand Architect contributing to diplomacy, and relying on the Moon having her Mistress of the Tide to protect allies.
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."
I don't think we should go for intercept, personally. Just like event horizon, it's an entirely valid path, but we've already dedicated EXP to sun' scepter, moon's veil and our assorted Light spells. We need to focus on stuff. I have no objection to the super, of course.
I guess if we still get crush at level 10 it might be worth it? 850 EXP for winning a lot of intercepts is useful. But if so we should just get the level 10 scepter first, then buy overwhelm if it does.
I'm more personally interested in leveling the veil a bit - moon's still pretty squishy to be transferring that much damage. Also, since we are leveling our light spells anyway, we might want to bring moonlight to 15 so it meets the prereq for godlight and keeps us from wasting more training by leveling it later.
"...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..."
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 on the whole 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."
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."
I would go for Ludger and World Eater, just because they are both of use within a fight and they are working good with diplomacy. Ming shouldnt be able to resist our corki. .... But I would love to take Brave Heart with us too.
And just to rain on some peoples' parades, let me mention that each of the girls available is viable for one reason or other.
There is no "X is objectively better than Y" this time around unless you go into their specific categories, such as trying to compare Brave Heart and Supreme Tech based on their ability to fight.