[X] Do something with big sister
-[X] Ask her about:
--[X] growth and strength of magical girls,
--[X] other known magical girls (what they can do and if they are bad guys or good guys if it is known)
--[X] unified dark and light
--[X] if she maybe understand the thing with our dreams
--[X] how we can determine how strong other people are beforehand (if possible)
Read the update when it went up, but didn't have the time to comment or read discussion until now.
Too much fluff and butterflies, not enough suffering!
Really, though, I think the problematic of having immense power and not being able to use it is somewhat less prominent than it could be. It does not take a demon invasion to make us want to use magic despite the problems accompanying it - the lives of the survivors might be difficult enough to pose certain dilemmas before the characters. I think the Anastasia chapter was the most exciting thing that happened in the quest, and it too resolved almost too neatly and with few complications.
Sometimes I think Heart of Light would have made a better protagonist. I wonder if she found her fellows.
Still, we are in for a change of scenery with the explicit goal of Big Sis being around when we finally get outed. Let's see what kind of developments Berlin will bring.
Read the update when it went up, but didn't have the time to comment or read discussion until now.
Too much fluff and butterflies, not enough suffering!
Really, though, I think the problematic of having immense power and not being able to use it is somewhat less prominent than it could be. It does not take a demon invasion to make us want use magic to despite the problems accompanying it - the lives of the survivors might be complicated enough without it to pose certain dilemmas before the characters. I think the Anastasia chapter was the most exciting thing that happened in the quest, and it too resolved almost too neatly and with few complications.
Sometimes I think Heart of Light would have made a better protagonist. I wonder if she found her fellows.
Still, we are in for a change of scenery with the explicit goal of Big Sis being around when we finally get outed. Let's see what kind of developments Berlin would bring.
Aside from that... I wanted to reward you people for actually making a plan that could succeed with Anastasia, so the peaceful times are holding a little bit longer.
Additionally, you still have Bianca right there, who can pull strings for you in the background. That is an incredible advantage... one you will no longer have when the next Update is done.
Aside from that... I wanted to reward you people for actually making a plan that could succeed with Anastasia, so the peaceful times are holding a little bit longer.
Additionally, you still have Bianca right there, who can pull strings for you in the background. That is an incredible advantage... one you will no longer have when the next Update is done.
[X] Do something with big sister
-[X] Ask her about:
--[X] growth and strength of magical girls,
--[X] other known magical girls (what they can do and if they are bad guys or good guys if it is known)
--[X] unified dark and light
--[X] if she maybe understand the thing with our dreams
--[X] how we can determine how strong other people are beforehand (if possible)
[X] Do more of this weird training
Lunch is... quiet.
You do not really like that, but there is not much you can do about it right now; both your mother and Bianca are a little tense and do not really look at each other... had those two a fight when you slept or something like that?
"Um... big sister?"
Bianca looks to Eva and you do, too. Her fork hovers in the air and she sounds curious... hm, maybe she had an idea what to do later? Or something she wants to ask?
"I was thinking... what other Magical Girls are there? What do they do and... and which ones are good and which are bad?"
She blinks at your twin for a moment while you think about it. Now that Eva mentioned it, you are curious about this too! Why did you not think of asking?
Big sis looks at your mother and... and she is curious, too! Ha, now Bianca has to tell you!
"...there are many, too many to just count them all to you. Give me a moment..."
She closes her eyes and takes another mouthful, chewing slowly... then she swallows and nods while you watch expectingly. Oh, this is so exciting! More about Magical Girls!
"Okay. The first thing you have to understand is that Magical Girls never stop growing, so all those I saw in the past probably grew stronger since."
She stops for a moment and looks down at her food. "Let's start with the one girl even you know. Nightmare Child."
You blink and nod. Yes, you heard about her; everyone did. She called lots of zombies and no one could fight her and she is still out there somewhere... ugh, creepy.
"She was... one of the UES' most important girls back during the war, holding entire front lines by herself with summons and wide-area spells. People know her and fear her... but you don't need to be afraid if you meet her. Nightmare Child is not hostile unless you attack first. She is travelling around the world recently, no one figured out her route so far."
Huh, that sounds... okay? You heard that she was really dangerous and terrible and all, but if big sister says she is okay?
"Are you sure about that, Bianca?", your mother chimes into the pause with a furrowed brow. "She... uh... she killed a lot of people."
"Yes, more than any other human being on Earth during the war."
Your big sister looks... sad again. And Eva looks like going and hugging her, but you tug at her to make her stop. She looks up and pokes you with question... but you just feel like leaving it be right now.
"But this might be what saved her."
Bianca smiles sadly and puts down her fork, then she sips from her juice and sighs while you share your confusion with your twin. "Killing another is... not easy. The mind numbs itself to protect a person from shattering once the deed is done. It gets worse in war, where death walks with everyone. But... once one passes a certain threshold, humans can no longer distinguish between single people and everything just becomes numbers. Numbers are easier to bear than lives and Nightmare Child was rarely near the people she took away.
"She killed so many so fast that the realisation of what all those lifes meant to their relatives never struck... and she is numb enough that it probably never will."
That is... hard to take in. So... killing someone is bad and people can not take it well, so they make themselves... numb? How does that work?
Huh... but is it not wrong that someone who hurt this many people does not feel horrible?
"Trust me... this girl is as broken as all the others that fought, but it could have been far worse. I'm glad she did not snap from the strain."
Hm. You really need some time to think about this. And big sis does give you the time, just waiting and eating and taking sips... and waiting...
You think you get what she means... and it probably is not a nice thing to want others to feel bad, even when they are bad. But... the UES made Nightmare Child fight, right? So is it really her fault?
Urgh... your head hurts and Eva's does, too.
"She is... probably the most powerful Magical Girl on Earth, even though it is close. Second in line is Magical Girl Transcendent Strength."
Bianca's voice makes you stop trying to think and listen again. "There is little about her... her namesake is straightforward, she is the strongest Magical Girl around. About my size, but runs around with two large gauntlets, each as big as she is. She used to be part of a group, but those girls are... no longer there."
Oh... but that sounds kind of neat; Nightmare Child is all about having lots of zombies and shiny magic and you like that because you throw magic around, too... but just punching things you do not like sounds good.
"Aside from that... she currently leads one of the two main factions of Magical Girls, the group that wants to stay in peace. I talked to her on occasion."
This is interesting, though. But before you can ask, she already stopped you: "No, talking about this in detail would take too long. I'm backing her as far as I can without anyone noticing."
Huh... so big sis is doing things behind people's backs? How mean... but it should be okay, helping out a few girls.
You realise your plate is empty by now... you already ate all of the food. Okay then, you just take your glass and sip from it like Bianca did before. Eva follows your example and you giggle over that. The adults roll their eyes... but they smile, so everything is okay!
"Anyway, the next is a whole group that takes to the field together. The Four Seasons. Did you hear of them before?"
You lean back a bit and continue sipping your juice. It is nice and cool after the warm food... but you do not know anything.
"Those four were with Russia, right?"
But your mother does. She looks curious herself, so maybe she is opening up to the whole thing?
Bianca gives her a nod and continues: "Yes, although only two were born Russian. The other two were from elsewhere, but joined up with them once they heard about each other. Magical Girls Spring's Dream, Summer's Dream, Autumn's Dream and Winter's Dream... those four are the epitome of the Legend-Affinity, the strongest that is known.
They empower each other while on the field, have a long-range effect crippling their enemies or strengthening their allies each... and their concepts are a healer with summoning powers, a spellcaster, a support mage and an assassin respectively. The only reason Russia fell despite of them was that they could not be everywhere at once."
So... Russia. That was in Asia, right? Or was it Europe?... no, that can not be. It is gone now, so you probably do not have to learn it in geography at least. But with how much power these girls have... that sounds plenty scary.
"They are with Transcendent Strength, though. I never met them in person... but their personalities vary, mostly fitting their respective season: Spring is friendly and loves to help, Summer is egocentric, Autumn is... not numb, but more subdued. Winter is calm and realistic."
"Like you?"
She blinks at your question, but nods slightly. "I guess so."
You think about asking what egocentrit means for a moment, but decide not to; you want to hear more!
"Who else is there?"
Then Bianca becomes serious.
You sit a little more straight when she looks at you like that; did you do something wrong?
"The other one you should know about right now... is Abyss Knight. If you ever meet her, do not listen to what she says and do not help her in any way."
Huh?
Big sis takes a deep breath and lowers her head.
"She leads Yggdrasil, the other faction of Magical Girls. Their goals are the same as the other's, to make it so Magical Girls can live in peace... only they do it by destroying the rest of humanity."
Huh? What?
How does that even work? Magical Girls are humans, too!
But... no, really, how does it work?
"Why do they think that will help? Bianca, what is happening?"
"I don't know. Yggdrasil stays mostly in America these days, killing the few thousand that remain there... my contacts are nowhere near them and I can't get any data. I know that Abyss Knight is planning something, though."
She stays quiet for a moment and you look at your sister; she looks so sad... and that makes you sad.
But Bianca shakes her head and it is gone. "If you ever meet her, just don't listen. I heard she won't hurt Magical Girls even if they disagree with her, only if they try to protect regular people and get in her way. She is hard to miss... tall and blonde, with a black armoured dress and a two-handed blade with red markings. Her eyes are usually hidden by a mask that matches the blade, black and red."
So... you probably should stay away from that person, if you ever see her. Even if you have trouble imagining someone who wears that much black.
It is quiet at the table for a while... but then your twin speaks up: "How strong are we?"
She looks up again and you think she is also sad, even if she does not show it. Good thing that Eva changes the topic, maybe it helps. Bianca gives you a thoughtful stare. "That's hard to tell. Your mental connection skews the whole thing even more... but if I had to guess, I would say your Growth-Affinities are either Story or Tale, considering how weak you..."
She stops and you tilt your heads. Growth-Affinities? What is that?
"What would those be?"
Boo, your mother was faster than you!
"Affinities are what determines the magic one wields. Someone with a Fire-Affinity can use fire most exclusively, with a few variations... for example. There are many and most aren't that straight-forward, though. The more Affinities someone has, the stronger a mage they are... and Magical Girls come with three of those, the third one being their Growth. It describes how fast they get stronger."
She takes another sip from her juice and refills her glass before continuing; you eagerly wait to hear more about this.
Which are your Affinities?
"There are currently five known: Story, Tale, Fable, Myth and Legend. Story starts the weakest and grows the slowest, Legend starts the strongest and grows the fastest. To give you an example, the Four Seasons and Transcendent Strength all have Legend as their Growth-Affinity."
So... she just said you are either Story or Tale... aww...
"So we are really weak?"
"Not really, Eva", your big sister answers your twin and smirks at the two of you. "Everyone has something that makes them special. Nightmare Child is the strongest all around and I know she's a Fable."
So... the strongest is only in the middle of growth? But... the others should have grown far more, should they not? Weird.
You wonder how you can tell someone's Affinities, too... actually... "How can we tell how strong someone is when we meet them?"
"You can't."
Bianca answered so fast you almost missed it. She looks at you now. "Be careful, no matter whom you meet. Today, after what humanity's twisted belief has done to them, even the weakest-looking Magical Girls can be incredibly terrifying an enemy."
"Then we just have to be friends with them and everything is good," Eva cheers and you start smiling; she is totally right!
"That's one way to see it. Anything else you wanted to know?"
Oh, you are done talking about this, too? Hm... is there something you want to know?
Ah, right! You poke Eva to let you talk and raise your hand. "Here! You wanted to tell us about the Unified Dark!"
"The what?"
Bianca gives your mother a quick look and gets up to bring her dishes into the kitchen. She starts talking while doing so, though: "The Unified Dark is an alliance of four races currently locked in war with the three races making up the Unified Light."
"Uh... Demons, Forgotten, Carnivon and the Children of War, right?"
The memory is still fresh in your mind, the names clear... and they are really creepy looking. Big sis sighs on her way back and sits down again while your mother turns to look at you with narrowed eyes.
"We will talk about that dream you mentioned in a moment... but yes. The demons of Hell make up the core, just like the angels of Heaven make up the core of the Unified Light. Forgotten were originally dolls, brought to life with magic and bent on destruction... Nivonites... that are the beings from Carnivon, are more of an amalgamation that assimilates other sources of magic... and the Children of War live in a state of constant warmongering, which is tradition, sport and culture to them."
You take this in and wonder for a moment. How does she even know all that?
"And the girls know about this why?"
"They said they dreamt of it, mother. I can't tell why they would, though."
That... kind of stops you from asking if she has any idea why you would dream of these things. So big sis does not know it, too.
But... maybe you should tell your mother what was going on over the last week.
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
After you are done telling her, you spend the afternoon doing more of this training Bianca did with you; her being there helps a lot and you think you can actually work this out.
At some point, you actually start feeling a way to move that works; Rico does, too... it is still boring, but you do not mind it as much now.
When you are done and tired, Bianca pets your heads and you go back up to have dinner. It is quiet again... most of the time.
Then...
"I thought about it, going to Germany with you."
All eyes are on your mother at once, who looks serious and meets your eyes with concern. "I can't protect you two from this, no matter how much I want to. I will do my best to try, but... I know it won't work all the time. If you two are okay with going... so am I."
You look at your big sister, then at your twin. Huh...
Eva pokes you a few times, but you are really not sure. All your friends are here, your home is here...
But your mother will come with you and you can have big sis all year, not just a month.
Ugh... Eva does not mind as much as you, but she keeps quiet for you; you can tell, she waits for your decision.
Friends... or Bianca...
Wait, putting it like that... why are you even thinking about it?
"Okay!"
Eva nods with you and you both beam at the adults. Big sis all year...
Seriously, everything has gotten so much better since you became Magical Girls!
. . .
Line Break Recognised . . .
Big sis left that evening, but she did call and prepared a lot of things for you.
You spent the next two weeks packing and playing lots with your friends and training with your scepters the same way Bianca showed you... it was tiring, but you are pretty happy.
There was some talk about holidays, but you did not have any. Your mother said people used to celebrate the last few days of your preparations, even when no one does it now.
But you did have a little goodbye-party with your friends. There were lots of people and cake and hugs and you promised to write them letters. Eva stayed mostly out of your way and with her own friends, but you pulled her into it anyway. No leaving out on fun!
In the end, it is Monday again and you sit in a car your big sister sent to pick you up; your things will be brought with another big car... and someone drives you all the way to Germany. That will take hours...
At least you start early in the morning, so you can just use Eva as a pillow and sleep some more.
A roaring Inferno... fire burns and you can not see anything besides orange flame and smoke.
Where is this and why is it burning?
...
There is a shape amidst all of it... sitting quietly. You go closer... and see your big sister, curled up in the flames. She is naked, but the fire only licks around her, never hurting her.
You wake up when something hits the car and throws it off-course.
Screams
Crash
Pain
Pain
Screeching
Voices...
"Rico! Rico!"
Someone shakes you... carefully, nice... and you feel fear and fear and fear... its not yours. Eva?
You try to push through the daze and blink at your sister. She sits halfway on you and has her hands on your shoulders and her forehead is bleeding a little... ah, you can feel the pain sting a little.
Wait... where is the block?
Eva took it away to push through.... oh.
You put it back in place and the stinging and fear goes away. After taking a deep breath, you look around.
The car is lying on its back, you are still inside... but your seatbelt was taken off and there is little room with how dented everything is.
You poke your twin to show that you are okay and Eva smiles at you... blood drips on your cheek, but neither of you cares.
"Mommy?"
No response.
You feel cold. Why is she quiet?
Eva gets off of you and you both transform as quickly as you can say the words. Then you crawl out of the splintered windows... the glass does not even matter and just scrapes over your suits without cutting anything.
On the outside... you find a girl staring at the wreck.
She snaps out of it when she sees you and raises a short sword, but does not come to attack you. She goes for the car. "Doesn't matter, doesn't matter... saving people comes first... What are you two waiting for, help me!"
The last part is called at you and you quickly follow.
There is a growl in the backside... and then it is torn open, Ludger jumping out with ruffled fur and small pupils. He barks and runs over to your side once he sees you, standing at attention while you pry away the wrecked door. The other girl cuts open the other side.
"Mommy..."
You see her first... she looks like she is sleeping and there is blood on her head...
"Soothing Moonlight!"
Eva's voice sound like bells while her magic envelops your parent.
(Soothing Moonlight: +36 Base Damage, +4 dice = 40 Total Damage Healed
Your Mother's Health: 12 + 40 = 52)
You think it does... something. The light goes into her body and seems to work... and Eva gathers herself to cast again.
Remembering something from school, you quickly put a hand on your mother's throat... yes, you can feel it. There is still a pulse, so...
But you can also feel how scared your sister is... how scared you are. Not now... now is not the time to be scared. You let your twin cast again, again, again and a few more times, even when it does not do much more after the third. The bleeding stopped and you quickly undo the seatbelt to pull your mother out of the broken car, Eva helping you with that.
Then the other girl comes back around, carrying your driver over her shoulders... and he is hurt, too.
You poke your sister and grip your scepter tighter, then she calls out her spell for the other adult; the Magical Girl carrying him smiles at you both before putting him next to your parent and changing how they lie for some reason.
"Whew... thanks a lot, you two. I'm glad you aren't hostile like most."
She gets up and takes a few steps away... and then another voice has her snap around. "I wouldn't listen to that one if I were you, kids."
You look as well and... what in the world is that?
A hand that is only bones raised in greeting... uh... she?... sits on a small hill nearby and smirks at you. "Yeah, yeah, I get that a lot. Anyway, the girl with you is an enforcer; even if she's all smiles now, she'll either arrest you or kill you."
You still stare and the other one takes up the discussion: "I wonder about that; why would I leave two girls as young as those two to fend for themselves? The UES does good for everyone, especially in keeping people like you from bringing harm... that said, why didn't you just attack me?"
The skele-girl shrugs and smirks wider. "I'm not the backstabby type, y'know? Besides, you were helping out there and I have no beef with those guys."
Then she looks at you again. "Really though, you should run; she's good, but not that fast."
An enforcer right next to you and another Magical Girl right there... ugh, how did that happen? And why?!
You may or may not be in trouble... again. This time for real, though.
[] Write-in a plan
[] EXP-Plan
-[] Write-in what to buy
-[] Save it
=====
+3xp Learned Lots of Stuff
+3xp Survived Two Weeks
+5xp Met Magical Girl Brave Heart
+15xp Met Magical Girl Judge
EXP gained: 26 + 26 = 52 Total EXP: 124
=====
(Unlocked a new Shop-Item)
Primordial Sun: Ability Removed
Incompetent:
-Every attack in melee loses 80% of its Base Damage
Primordial Sun: New Ability
Barely Competent
-Every attack in meless loses 40% of its Base Damage
Primordial Moon: Ability Removed
Incompetent:
-Every attack in melee loses 80% of its Base Damage
Primordial Moon: New Ability
Barely Competent
-Every attack in meless loses 40% of its Base Damage
=====
Well... that certainly happened.
For those that wonder, Brave Heart was dodging a shot and slammed right into the car's side.
And while the topic was up, here are the templates I use. Mostly modified versions from those crystalwatcher gave out for their Quest, sorted by strength.
Legend is bias, just like Epic is in the original. I made Legend girls far beyond what the template allows, mostly because some are just that strong.
They are pretty rare, though.
(Story) (Faction) Name
Given Name
Character.jpeg
Stats
Health: 75 - 300
Base Damage: 25 - 70
Base Resilience: 25 - 60
Magic Modifier: N/A - 40
Affinity: Whatever | Whatever | Story
Weapon
Weapon Name
Level 1
Attacks Per Turn: 1
Affinities: Whatever
Ability: Theme-Relevant
Yeah, ok, fuck both of them. I have an EXP Plan guys.
[X] EXP Plan: Take This Else Where
-[X] Flight level 4 for Eva
-[X] Flight level 3 for Rico
-[X[ Soothing Moonlight level 3
Plan is to fly into both of them and take them away. In which we then, 'dispose' of both of them. Whether that means just leaving them to fight there, or killing them both, all depends on how generous the girls feel about how they are risking other's lives.
That, or say they are BOTH arrested for endangering lives, especially the enforcer whom is whaming herself into cars left and right, and thus seemingly nearly killing our mother, or else face Rico's, quite literally, scorching fury.
Edit: Actually, Naron, ASSUMING we can insta-jib Brave Heart, what would Judge do? Attack? Cause general mayhem? Or just leave?
She'll leave. Of course, not in our character's natures to really murder. Buuut, bluffing? Maybe.
[X] Plan: The Ultimate Bluff
-[X] The Girl crashing into cars obviously works for the military. So, lets tell her who's life, exactly, she just put in danger. Bianca's Morher
--[X] Tell her that in a very quiet and angry voice.
---[X] Tell her that the two of you were assigned to protect Bianca's mother, and you have orders to kill anyone who puts her life in danger.
-[X] EXP Plan: Take This Else Where
Lets hope that this causes Brave Heart to panic like no other and get the fuck out of dodge.
Only problem would be if Judge is part of Yggdrasil. But that seems extremely unlikely.
Also, not a COMPLETE lie. I mean, they'd probably get hunted down since our mom nearly died to them. We're just letting them realize just how BADLY they fucked up.
Edit: ...god fucKING DAMN IT NARON!!!!
Edit le second: For those wondering why I'm raging, remember, clothes? That one, tiny, little detail? That would have connected us to the Magical Girls back at home? Yeah, that, but more extreme here. We are walking away from a crash without a bit of blood on us. Unlike the two normal humans. Healing we can pass off on Magical Girls. But the lack of blood and clothing damage? Yeah, no.
I don't like that plan for three reasons.
First, we have no idea if it'll be bought.
Second, it may get our bis sister in trouble.
Third, since it casts us as nominal allies, we'd have to help her against the other MG and then wait for the military. Or backstab her at some point (which won't win us any sympathy points with the skeleton)
I don't like that plan for three reasons.
First, we have no idea if it'll be bought.
Second, it may get our bis sister in trouble.
Third, since it casts us as nominal allies, we'd have to help her against the other MG and then wait for the military. Or backstab her at some point (which won't win us any sympathy points with the skeleton)
But yeah, that could be bad. Assuming Brave Heart doesn't willing mentally scar our characters by willing allow herself to be killed. But lets not assume that. Lets assume this'll all turn to shit.
Any ideas yourself on what to do while attempting to keep ourselves hidden as long as possible?
Edit le second: For those wondering why I'm raging, remember, clothes? That one, tiny, little detail? That would have connected us to the Magical Girls back at home? Yeah, that, but more extreme here. We are walking away from a crash without a bit of blood on us. Unlike the two normal humans. Healing we can pass off on Magical Girls. But the lack of blood and clothing damage? Yeah, no.
But yeah, that could be bad. Assuming Brave Heart doesn't willing mentally scar our characters by willing allow herself to be killed. But lets not assume that. Lets assume this'll all turn to shit.
Any ideas yourself on what to do while attempting to keep ourselves hidden as long as possible?
I highly doubt she'll let us simply kill her, by us claiming we have orders to do so. that's sound simply ludicrous to anyone.
Let's approach this from a priority goals stand point.
1) don't get ourselves killed (we have no idea how strong any of those MGs are, but our sister called us weak)
2) don't get our mother killed
3) don't get outed
that should be our goals, and should be our goals in that order.
1) can simply be fulfilled by flying away. but this would leave it wholly upon luck if our mother dies in the crossfire. not really acceptable.
to fulfill 2) we need to do something else. I suggest simply asking them to move their fight elsewhere. if they endanger mother we will shoot at them. neither girl seemed especially eager to hurt civilians, so i do not see much trouble with that.
if they are unwilling to change their venue, we should take mother and move her away from the fight while protecting her.
fulfilling 3) is very very hard, likely impossible here.
we'd need to make sure there is no report to the military of us. we'd likely have to kill brave heart to pull that off. She seems to have bought her brainwashing.
we'd need to make sure there is only signs of the two known MGs. we don't know if Judge uses fire, but most likely not. so there mustn't be any trace of it.