Prologue 2: HEART Uncertainty
- Location
- Earth
[x] Go back, no one saw you yet
-[x] Make a wide arc to the south in case someone comes to investigate
-[x] Make a wide arc to the south in case someone comes to investigate
The cool air outside soothes your skin once you open the door; only now do you realise how disgusting the smell inside actually is.
Hungrily drinking in the fresh air, you begin to walk... but then stop for a moment and detransform, the gore that splattered over you earlier disappearing with the light. Your hair turns back from green to black and your regular clothes reappear around you.
Then you quickly get going, making a wide arc around the direct path. The risk of someone already coming from there is too high.
. . .
Line Break Recognised
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Line Break Recognised
. . .
"Haruna?"
You look up from your bowl and towards your father when he says your name; there are bags under his eyes and he looks pretty grim there. Your mother has a more worried expression.
Wait... they did not see you, did they?
Before your pulse can rise to alarming levels however, your father diffuses the situation: "There was a commotion last night and we found traces of a Magical Girl nearby. Be careful outside and keep an eye on your friends, would you?"
Oh, so they found... that. You are not sure whether that is a good thing, but at least no one saw you. Nonetheless, you give a quick nod towards your parents and eat up, the small portion all but vanishing under your chopsticks.
Food shortages are a problem, especially because some of the women are pregnant again; surplus always goes there, so that healthy babies can be born.
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Line Break Recognised
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Line Break Recognised
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"Hey, did you hear they...."
"My mom said..."
"I heard one of the soldiers talking..."
School was... weird so far. There is little else of a topic but the supposed Magical Girl hiding nearby and everyone talks about it.
You noticed how the teachers were wary around any girl they interacted with, carefully searching for unusual behaviour. Even the different groups were eyeing each other carefully the whole morning, even though no one dared to throw out an accusation just yet. If you are lucky, the search parties not finding anything will lead to people believing it was just a stray passing by.
Right now however, you can only wait and do your best trying to be inconspicuous. Which includes spending lunch with Kenji, one of your suitors. Average looks but rather smart, which is the only reason he goes to school instead of working with the adults. Most manpower is needed elsewhere, so only the girls get further education until things stabilised some more.
To be fair though, this does not really count as a school; your commune is situated in one of the suburbs of whatever city this was before and they just repurposed an old warehouse into two classrooms, where all ages are having classes together.
At least it is a warm day, so you can have lunch in the wide yard instead of having to stay inside. You carefully drink from your water and watch the other cliques sitting around on the concrete, then look back to your group.
Kenji, for his part, is an okay person; he does not look at you with obvious doubt and jokes around with you and your friends. He might marry you soon, so it makes sense for him to get along with them.
Then again, it is still about three years until you turn eighteen. You still have some time to enjoy yourself and learn a lot before having to start a family.
But why in the world were no less than three boys interested in you? There are fewer girls here so some of them obviously have several suitors, but why you of all people? You are not pretty, have no particular qualities aside from a good grasp on physics and your knack for cooking...
Maybe it is because you are not as malnourished as the rest? Being a bit chubby in your childhood, the extra pounds helped going through longer food shortages; right now you are slender, if a little too thin. Most other girls were hit worse, although they make do somehow.
Either way, staying with Kenji for the time being is the safest method you can think of. Only girls can awaken magical powers, so the boys are generally exempt from suspicion.
. . .
Line Break Recognised
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Line Break Recognised
. . .
While class is waiting for the teacher to arrive, you idly notice the class representative missing; not that the title means much, but Kusakabe does take pride in keeping things organised. Some of the other girls are whispering about is as well.
Once the brunette arrives however, she quickly gets to the front of the room and begins writing on the blackboard. "The teachers are joining the search team, so the remaining periods are self-study for today. Take out your things and get started... and no, you can't read that manga, Takeda."
She says the last part without turning around and your classmate in the second row quickly slides the booklet back into her bag, blushing slightly at being caught. Some others snicker over the scene while you already bring out your English notes.
Learning English is more important than ever before, seeing that communicating with other nationalities became a priority these days. If there is no common language to talk to each other, there would be trouble.
This is why you spent a lot of time and effort on this particular subject; with the UES being the largest remaining center of civilisation, English would be essential later in your life, no matter what you wanted to do. In fact, going overseas might be an idea once you had two or three children... maybe even earlier, if your future husband is willing to move.
You absentmindedly tap your pencil against your chin, going over your options while marking down answers to the questions on your sheet once in a while.
The nearest other bastion of humankind is the Chinese Block, holding the remains of communist China and Russia. Your only other choice would be Australia. You definitely do not want to stay in Japan, not at home where your existence could doom your entire family; if someone finds out about you, your parents might even be accused of keeping the secret...
What if I just run away and live in the wild?
The thought presents itself just like that, making you pause in your considerations. With the magic surging through you and what survival skills you have, you could make do out there; it is worth thinking about, but... you would be terribly lonely, would you not?
Now if there were someone to run away with you...
No, not really. There is no one like that. You push off that idea and return to your work.
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Line Break Recognised
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Line Break Recognised
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The hours pass by in relative silence, some quiet conversations here and there...
You almost manage to forget your situation over the work when you can feel something deep within you shudder.
"What's that?!"
Then someone gets up and points out of the window, where you can see a miasmatic cloud of red and black pulsing. It seems to turn around itself and grows more dense, more heavy... more real as you watch. The other students are looking just like you, quite a few running to the window to get a better look.
It is then that, right above a ruined building, the cloud coalesces just like the previous night. Stone is crushed as it slams into the ground, its blackish red body turning the building to dust; a pair of bony wings protrudes from its back, ridiculously small in comparison to the massive body whose back is turned towards you.
There are flames burning on those wings, and fire seems to crawl under its skin.
While the first screams of terror start, the flames weaken for a moment and lash out.
(Firestorm: +2,800 Base Damage, +656 Dice = 3,456 Total Damage
House 1: +100 Base Resilience, -50 In Bad Condition = 50 Total Damage Reduction
House 2: +100 Base Resilience, -45 In Bad Condition, -50 overgrown with plants = 5 Total Damage Reduction
House 3: +100 Base Resilience, -25 In Bad Condition = 75 Total Damage Reduction
House 4: +100 Base Resilience, -30 In Bad Condition = 70 Total Damage Reduction
3,000+ Final End Damage to each house.
House 1-4 Health: 500 - 3,000+ = -2,500)
The fire pours from every fibre of its body, lashing out at the block nearest to your school and completely annihilating it in a single blast. Sparks fly and the greenery quickly catches fire as well while the monstrosity seems to eye its handiwork.
Then it turns your way.
Those still standing in shock are shaking it off now and people start running, but you continue to stare at the monster that seemed to take its time walking over.
Only for the bellowing sound of assault rifles to fill the air.
(Soldiers 1-5, Full Auto: +150 Base Damage, +30 Full Auto, +30 Full Auto, +30 Full Auto, +30 Full Auto, +30 Full Auto, no dice = 300 Total Damage per person
Joint Damage: 300 * 5 = 1,500, x2 Synchronisation Bonus (Hail of Lead) = 3,000 Total Damage
Hell Berserker: +1000 Base Resilience, -500 Did not see it coming, no dice = 500 Total Damage Reduction
Hell Berserker Health: 16,000 - 2,500 = 13,500)
The monster roars in pain as the storm of bullets rips open its flank, tongues of fire licking out of the holes and making the air steam. It turns toward the line of soldiers that took position just a few dozen metres down the street, rifles at the ready.
Then the flames all around its form subside again.
(Firestorm: +2800 Base Damage, +537 Dice = 3,337 Total Damage
Soldiers 1-5: +50 Base Resilience, no dice = 50 Total Damage Reduction
Soldiers 1-5 Health: 150 - 3,287 = -3,137)
The flames pour down the street and incinerate their targets in an instant.
You stare in mute horror at what happened there. Those had been the only soldiers nearby, a single squad assigned to this commune to protect it from wildlife mostly... now they are dead. You can smell burning flesh and your stomach revolts.
Then there is a hand on your shoulder and someone shakes you. "Haruna, come on! We have to leave!"
The monster is still watching the second inferno it created.
[] Fight it; you have the power to make a difference, so use it![] Run, trying to fight here is meaningless and futile
-[] With the others, maybe you can keep them safe
-[] By yourself, you are better off alone; especially with what you have become
--[] Where to? (Write-in)
[] Stay frozen in indecisiveness
[] Write-in
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