Remove ads

Magical Girl Escalation Taylor (Worm/Nanoha)

Reader mode
Silently Watches said:
I can give you a few details, I suppose. You are in the air above some random buildings, maybe a hundred feet high. These guys came out of a stairwell. The energy blasts were spherical, kind of a reddish color. Your mask is not in night-vision mode right now so you don't know how they're dressed, though you do know that they look like they're all carrying something in their hands, maybe weapons.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Yeah, there's no way this isn't planned. They could be mercenaries wielding Tinkertech lasers, probably backed by some sort of thinker.

They jumped from a probably inhabited building, that implies they had a spotter or some other means of seeing Taylor. That brings a potential fourth enemy to the fight that's out of sight.

But here's the thing: how did they find us?

If she's going through an usual route, then that implies they have been studying her long enough to reliably know which ways she'd go.

However, we know she's venting. Odds are she's flying around without direction, it makes it less likely that she's going through a set route.

That leaves the other possibility, that they knew we'd be here, in this specific place.

But how? They could have been following Taylor from the hospital, but I can't imagine chasing a flyer through foot or car can be easy, nevermind breaking and entering a building on the go. So that leaves waiting in place.

Again, how could they know she'd go through here, and even more, in such an upset mindspace? It's just too coincidental to be random luck.

So that leaves the option of a thinker, maybe a precog, determining this is the most likely plan for an ambush to succeed. That they knew she'd be flying on this place, on this time of night, in such a state.

It could be Ziz'd up Tattletale, though I'm still betting on the gross snake.

@Always Late, @landcollector, @Faraway-R, @Racoras, mind piping in on this?
 
LancerisDead said:
Yeah, there's no way this isn't planned. They could be mercenaries wielding Tinkertech lasers, probably backed by some sort of thinker.

They jumped from a probably inhabited building, that implies they had a spotter or some other means of seeing Taylor. That brings a potential fourth enemy to the fight that's out of sight.

But here's the thing: how did they find us?

If she's going through an usual route, then that implies they have been studying her long enough to reliably know which ways she'd go.

However, we know she's venting. Odds are she's flying around without direction, it makes it less likely that she's going through a set route.

That leaves the other possibility, that they knew we'd be here, in this specific place.

But how? They could have been following Taylor from the hospital, but I can't imagine chasing a flyer through foot or car can be easy, nevermind breaking and entering a building on the go. So that leaves waiting in place.

Again, how could they know she'd go through here, and even more, in such an upset mindspace? It's just too coincidental to be random luck.

So that leaves the option of a thinker, maybe a precog, determining this is the most likely plan for an ambush to succeed. That they knew she'd be flying on this place, on this time of night, in such a state.

It could be Ziz'd up Tattletale, though I'm still betting on the gross snake.

@Always Late, @landcollector, @Faraway-R, @Racoras, mind piping in on this?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Since you asked to give my opinion...

It can be a case of you reading a little too much into it. It's not that they knew Calamity Witch would be flying over at that specific time and place. It could be they put a number of ambush teams on high-rise buildings in case someone flies by. Less of a planned confrontation, and more of a target of opportunity.

A chance of one team getting to the right flight path is negligible. A true master ensures that all paths lead to victory (i.e. all the approaches are covered).

Then again, this can be supported or disproven by determining one thing - how many fliers are currently operating in Philly?
 
..... So colorful spherical blasts, launched by multiple people, all who are holding some kind of object in their hand? >_> <_< >_> And our barrier jacket is how it'd look with most any Calamity Witch template, people say? Honestly the TSAB theory looks pretty damn good at a glance.

Counterpoints to it.... they attacked from fairly-close range but not melee (doesn't fit usual Nanoha MO does it? For either of Midkemia or Bekla styles) , and without announcing themselves or anything (does TSAB do that? Can't remember how Chrono showed up). Also importantly, we didn't seem to notice any sort of barrier going up (seems likely if they'd tracked a Logia and found it with a puppet), and nothing from Perfect Storm on either it detecting a barrier or on those blasts.

So i'm suddenly very wary about hilarious/troublesome misunderstandings here, but can't say if TSAB is likely or not. On the Cape side, good points were made.... seems like either a Thinker to have set up the ambush, or a Stranger to have encountered us randomly and repositioned to get the drop so fast. Not even sure with Cape powers if we can assume multiple attackers, or if Clone+Blasts+Stealth is too broad even for grab-bag types.

Also, Hah! I remembered right about a night-vision mode on our jacket....I reaaally hope Taylor activates that without needing a vote, and a little sad she didn't do so during the update (is it like modern Nightvision with white-out issues around lights? or whats downside to having it always active at night or based on light levels?)
 
Racoras said:
..... So colorful spherical blasts, launched by multiple people, all who are holding some kind of object in their hand? >_> <_< >_> And our barrier jacket is how it'd look with most any Calamity Witch template, people say? Honestly the TSAB theory looks pretty damn good at a glance.

Counterpoints to it.... they attacked from fairly-close range but not melee (doesn't fit usual Nanoha MO does it? For either of Midkemia or Bekla styles) , and without announcing themselves or anything (does TSAB do that? Can't remember how Chrono showed up). Also importantly, we didn't seem to notice any sort of barrier going up (seems likely if they'd tracked a Logia and found it with a puppet), and nothing from Perfect Storm on either it detecting a barrier or on those blasts.

So i'm suddenly very wary about hilarious/troublesome misunderstandings here, but can't say if TSAB is likely or not. On the Cape side, good points were made.... seems like either a Thinker to have set up the ambush, or a Stranger to have encountered us randomly and repositioned to get the drop so fast. Not even sure with Cape powers if we can assume multiple attackers, or if Clone+Blasts+Stealth is too broad even for grab-bag types.

Also, Hah! I remembered right about a night-vision mode on our jacket....I reaaally hope Taylor activates that without needing a vote, and a little sad she didn't do so during the update (is it like modern Nightvision with white-out issues around lights? or whats downside to having it always active at night or based on light levels?)
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
If I'm remembering right, it's and improvement on light levels, not like real life night vision.

...Silently Watches has said Aisha got a different power this time. /paranoia intensifies
 
Faraway-R said:
Then again, this can be supported or disproven by determining one thing - how many fliers are currently operating in Philly?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Taylor, Samantha, and two others, though one rides on a construct rather than having inherent flight.
Racoras said:
Also, Hah! I remembered right about a night-vision mode on our jacket....I reaaally hope Taylor activates that without needing a vote, and a little sad she didn't do so during the update (is it like modern Nightvision with white-out issues around lights? or whats downside to having it always active at night or based on light levels?)
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
It will get turned on next chapter. I wanted to keep the attackers' identities a mystery as best I could.
 
Last edited:
Shaseyu said:
Well, we are not a random someone.
We are Calamity Witch. We are looking just like one of that poor sods that were brainwashed and turned into weapon by the Lost Logia TSAB is looking for.

Add to it that TSAB team supposed to make contact with us, but doesn't have any idea where are we or who we are. They could use the radio, but is it even on?

So, theoretically, they could just go look for any magic they detected.
And they found Calamity Witch.

...don't think it's them, but theory looks sound.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
No:
Silently Watches said:
If they catch wind of such a Lost Logia existing, they send in an Enforcer to investigate and take care of it if it's causing a problem. That's why Chrono was after the Jewel Seeds; it's why Teana was after the Mariage. If an Enforcer is enough to handle the problem without disrupting the lives of the general populace, great. If the Lost Logia in question has been tamed by a friendly nine-year-old or become devoted to a teenager who wants to make her world a better place or been neutralized as a threat in some other way without intervention, wonderful. If not? Well, Presea found out what happens next. They don't send in a covert strike team to assassinate people in the dead of night. They don't prop up revolutionaries or incite internal strife. They don't have the time or patience for that.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Also, I think we originally called them in Calamity Witch costume anyway?
Silently Watches said:
Indecision wages war in your head for a second, but then you take off your hat and mask.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
(Though that might've just been hat and mask, and they didn't comment at the time either, so...?)
 
Silently Watches said:
Depends on what your battle plan turns out to be.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
We need a Sadistic rating on this site...

Hmmm...

If those on the roof are normals, then Recursion Field should leave them out, the same with fliers or Strangers and even odds with Thinkers.

However, we've used Recursion Field several times before so they may expect it and not leave her breathing room to prevent her from casting it, which works in our favor since I don't think anyone's seen Samantha use it before.

I'm kind of on the fence on changing my vote to favor getting the hell out of dodge since this is so shady it's not even funny any more. We have to assume this people have info and good one on Taylor and her abilities, even more so given she's Triumvirate level cape and has shown that quite recently, so they have an at least decent plan to even think to try and capture her.

Again, anyone mind giving their thoughts on this?
 
Last edited:
crhoades said:
makes no sense whatsoever.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Spectral Waltz said:
That would be retarded on every possible level?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
landcollector said:
I highly doubt the TSAB team would just randomly ambush and open fire on someone.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
This:
Shaseyu said:
Well, we are not a random someone.
We are Calamity Witch. We are looking just like one of that poor sods that were brainwashed and turned into weapon by the Lost Logia TSAB is looking for.

Add to it that TSAB team supposed to make contact with us, but doesn't have any idea where are we or who we are. They could use the radio, but is it even on?

So, theoretically, they could just go look for any magic they detected.
And they found Calamity Witch.

...don't think it's them, but theory looks sound.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
And do you honestly expect a team sent by TSAB to contain a Lost Logia to not have some way of detecting said Lost Logia, especially when it's active? And especially when (IIRC) at least one of the team has had personal experience fighting said Lost Logia?

No One said:
Also, I think we originally called them in Calamity Witch costume anyway?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Nope:
Silently Watches said:
"I said, this is Lieutenant Tiburon of the TSAB," he says. His voice has lost much of its anger, yet none of the steel lurking behind the emotion. "Identify yourself."

"Cal—" On second thought, maybe introducing yourself by your cape name isn't a great idea. The PRT agents and Velocity both thought you were a villain based on your name and your Barrier Jacket, and while this Tiburon guy can't see what you look like, he can still react to your name. You'd rather not make a worse first impression than you may already have. "I'm Taylor." Nothing else appropriate to say comes to mind, and then you hear yourself continue, "Hi?"
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Silently Watches said:
Just like before, dark triangles and wires pop out of nowhere and tap into pieces of the radio. The holographic screens appear afterwards. A quick check to make sure Perfect Storm is showing them to Dragon, and you give her a nod. "This is Taylor, from Earth Bet. Is anyone there?"

"TSAB Enforcer Command, Lieutenant Azera speaking. Where did you say you're from again?"

Great, somebody who doesn't know what's going on. That's just what you need right now. "Earth Bet. I'm the only mage on my world. I talked to this Tiburon guy a few weeks ago. I'm kind of in a time crunch here, but we need to know how magic blocks out telepathy."
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
And finally: Magical Girl Escalation Taylor (Worm/Nanoha) | Page 288 (because I'm not quoting 3/4 of a chapter)

They only know us as "Taylor." There was a video connection on the last communication, but we still used the name "Taylor", and it's never mentioned if we are in our Barrier Jacket or not.
 
Last edited:
Silently Watches said:
You are in the air above some random buildings, maybe a hundred feet high. These guys came out of a stairwell.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
LancerisDead said:
They jumped from a probably inhabited building, that implies they had a spotter or some other means of seeing Taylor. That brings a potential fourth enemy to the fight that's out of sight.

But here's the thing: how did they find us?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
You know, I just thought about something.
These guys charged out from some random building.
We assumed it's an ambush, someone planned to attack us.
But what if it's just a misunderstanding?

What if we accidentally stumbled upon some gang's hideout, they saw us flying around and decided we know about them and planning to attack them?
And so they decided to attack us first?
 
LancerisDead said:
@Always Late, @landcollector, @Faraway-R, @Racoras, mind piping in on this?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
If I may belatedly chime in:
Silently Watches said:
You are in the air above some random buildings, maybe a hundred feet high. These guys came out of a stairwell. The energy blasts were spherical, kind of a reddish color. Your mask is not in night-vision mode right now so you don't know how they're dressed, though you do know that they look like they're all carrying something in their hands, maybe weapons.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

While the likelihood of Tinkertech weapon is high, I wouldn't say the most likley suspect is Coil, but I can see why folks'd get that idea. I'm still in the camp that this is an ambush by our friendly neighborhood drug cartel. One, we already know they like to hide among occupied civilian structures. Two, we know they bring in outside support for massive pushes to bleed their enemies dry. Three, our taking an RPG to the face and getting knocked the fuck out was very prominent, almost certainly making the rounds despite Samantha doing her level best to kill everyone on the other side. Four, we've seen Silently Watches up-gun mooks before to give them fighting chances against capes as far back as the E88 breakout. We've seen MS-13 bring in not only rockets, but mortars as well.

My conclusion is that this is the next part of Mara Salvatrucha escalation: Bringing in their Tinkertech assets.
 
Shaseyu said:
You know, I just thought about something.
These guys charged out from some random building.
We assumed it's an ambush, someone planned to attack us.
But what if it's just a misunderstanding?

What if we accidentally stumbled upon some gang's hideout, they saw us flying around and decided we know about them and planning to attack them?
And so they decided to attack us first?
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
The only ones with blasters is winter hill and they mostly have ice based powers, and aside from that winter hill see themselves as trying to clean up the gangs the have no reason to attack us. The lack of gun fire is also a point in favor of it not being gangs all of them have unpowered members with guns, and yet we have no mention of gunfire.
 
Silently Watches said:
I can give you a few details, I suppose. You are in the air above some random buildings, maybe a hundred feet high. These guys came out of a stairwell. The energy blasts were spherical, kind of a reddish color. Your mask is not in night-vision mode right now so you don't know how they're dressed, though you do know that they look like they're all carrying something in their hands, maybe weapons.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Yeah, this sounds like the TSAB. Maybe Master'd TSAB, but still TSAB. That, or either new mages that've worked out a ghetto Device or mercs with Tinkertech. I'm hoping it's the TSAB, even if they are Master'd, because them finally getting here would make teaching the Adepts much simpler.

landcollector said:
No, but I also expect them to not be trigger-happy fuckwits like our assailants seem to be here.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
If they were Master'd, it'd make sense. @Silently Watches do we know if MS-13 have any human-capable Masters on their side, from any briefings we've seen?
 
[X] Aerial barrage
-[X] Drop a Wide Area Search and a Bursting Flare Shooter aimed at the ground in front of them to gather data and provide cover while getting some height on them... a hundred or two hundred meters should do.
-[X] Call Sam, ask her to teleport here and bring up the Recursion Field.
-[X] Once she's here and you get information about these guys abilities and numbers, attack. Sam will cover you.
--[X] Light them up with as many Flare Shooters as you can.
--[X] If there is more of them or they seems actually dangerous, don't hesitate to use Temporal Sludge and Solar Wrath.

Regardless of who the enemy is, right now the best mode of action is to safely explode them and talk/interrogate them. If it's TSAB, then most likely we will recognise that they are mages and could come to accord while dodging laser beams, which is a right and proper way of deling with this kind of situations.
On the other hand, these people being TSAB is highly unlikely, because the first thing they would have done would be setting up a barrier (I can't remember what it's called in the anime).
 
Last edited:
[X] Aerial barrage
-[X] Drop a Wide Area Search and a Bursting Flare Shooter aimed at the ground in front of them to gather data and provide cover while getting some height on them... a hundred or two hundred meters should do.
-[X] Call Sam, ask her to teleport here and bring up the Recursion Field.
-[X] Once she's here and you get information about these guys abilities and numbers, attack. Sam will cover you.
--[X] Light them up with as many Flare Shooters as you can.
--[X] If there is more of them or they seems actually dangerous, don't hesitate to use Temporal Sludge and Solar Wrath.
 
Always Late said:
If I may belatedly chime in:


While the likelihood of Tinkertech weapon is high, I wouldn't say the most likley suspect is Coil, but I can see why folks'd get that idea. I'm still in the camp that this is an ambush by our friendly neighborhood drug cartel. One, we already know they like to hide among occupied civilian structures. Two, we know they bring in outside support for massive pushes to bleed their enemies dry. Three, our taking an RPG to the face and getting knocked the fuck out was very prominent, almost certainly making the rounds despite Samantha doing her level best to kill everyone on the other side. Four, we've seen Silently Watches up-gun mooks before to give them fighting chances against capes as far back as the E88 breakout. We've seen MS-13 bring in not only rockets, but mortars as well.

My conclusion is that this is the next part of Mara Salvatrucha escalation: Bringing in their Tinkertech assets.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Yeah, it' definitely be more likely that Coil springing from nowhere; though it still doesn't explain how they knew we were here, nor why they knew this would be a good time to attack without Thinker support.
 
Adding even more confusion to this, wouldn't it be better to rush them into melee? They're probably expecting to be fight us from a distance, and Flare Blade plus Knight Armor plus Blitz Action could probably do a good job on them, unless they have a powerful Brute among them.
 
LancerisDead said:
Adding even more confusion to this, wouldn't it be better to rush them into melee? They're probably expecting to be fight us from a distance, and Flare Blade plus Knight Armor plus Blitz Action could probably do a good job on them, unless they have a powerful Brute among them.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Isn't Flare Blade basically a magical lightsaber and thus too lethal for anyone without a Barrier Jacket? I may be wrong.
 
Reader mode
You must login or register to reply here.
Remove ads
Back
Top