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Magical Girl Quest - The Fire That Burns

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[X] Secretly cool the sand in her sandcastle, so it stays damp longer and easier to work with. Warm our sandcastle so it dries out and becomes crumbly faster.
 
[x] As you build your sandcastle, heat and cool small sections to change them into glass. Give the castle things like glass windows.
 
[x] As you build your sandcastle, heat and cool small sections to change them into glass. Give the castle things like glass windows.
 
[X] Secretly cool the sand in her sandcastle, so it stays damp longer and easier to work with. Warm our sandcastle so it dries out and becomes crumbly faster.
 
[X] Secretly cool the sand in her sandcastle, so it stays damp longer and easier to work with. Warm our sandcastle so it dries out and becomes crumbly faster.
 
[X] Secretly cool the sand in her sandcastle, so it stays damp longer and easier to work with. Warm our sandcastle so it dries out and becomes crumbly faster.
Number of voters: 3


Vote locked.

It's a thing.
 
Man where are all the voters? Just one more vote than last time so its better but where is everyone?
 
Can't speak for anyone else but I've just been swamped with work lately which has cut into my time doing literally anything fun.
 
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    • You extend the range of your control as you start roughly shovelling sand into a pile, pausing for a moment to bring out your sword as a makeshift shovel, albeit one you need to carefully watch to make sure it doesn't melt the sand. While your pile grows, you glance over at the other two and as subtly as you can, grip the temperature inside of the sand she's working with, not changing it, just slowing down the rate that the heat is seeping in. There, that should do. Now you need to actually try to win until your castle mysteriously dries out.

    Admittedly, you've never built a sand castle before and this was the second time you'd ever been on a beach, your arrival here notwithstanding, so you kinda had to make things up as you went along. Actually, I've never seen a castle in person either. Maybe I should take Una when this is all over?

    Despite your musing, you keep a careful hold over the temperature in your grasp, never letting either of them slip away. I could let my sword burn my castle, but there is no way they wouldn't think it was intentional. Passing off the idea with a shrug, you look over at their pile of sand and nod. About the right height. Stepping back, you look at your mound of sand, then back to your sword. I bet I could... Your sister catches your look and pauses, glancing at her partner, who nods with a little smile. Alright then, show me your swordsmanship Una. You never would have thought that you'd be having a contest over who could cut a sandcastle into shape the best, but life was strange.

    A cut off the top to level it out, sword angled almost flat to sweep the sand away. Your sisters blade isn't nearly as thick as yours, so it takes her three attempts to have a perfectly flat top, flatter than yours. How sharp is her sword? Making a note to check later, you take your sword in both hands, slowly lowering it a little bit into the castle, then repeating it again on the other side. One set of towers here, the other here. Cuts made, you slide your sword in flat and run it through the sand, carving out what will eventually be the top of the battlements, stopping before you cut your towers off.

    Now, how to get this sand off. You scratch your chin, crouching next to it and looking at the tiny cut. Maybe I could Push it, but that would probably just demolish the entire thing. Your sister starts carefully moving the sand off with her hands, Willow helping where she can. You reluctantly give up on anything fancy before pausing. Heeey. You quickly freeze the sand on top, just enough to hold it together and lift as a block, showing it off to your opponents with a smirk.

    Your sister puffs her cheeks out, turning back to her scooping as she quietly plots something with Willow. Alright then, outline done. You have a rough square shape with four towers poking up at each corner. Should I hollow the inside out? It would fall over easier if I did. Nodding to yourself, you take your sword and carve another block of sand out of the middle, lifting it and leaving the walls standing freely. Alright, now I start warming it. You start off gently, making sure not to cook the water out too quickly.

    Details. You start poking the battlements into existence, using your finger to draw a path for people to stand on. Once that's done, windows come next. You get halfway through before you feel one of the walls suddenly shift, the wt sand holding it together losing cohesion as it dries out. Good. You glance over at the other two, their sand was still practically dripping. I'll definitely fail first.

    As if to mock you, a minute later you feel Willow suddenly slump towards her castle, it's only the quick grab by your sister and you freezing their castle that leaves it standing. Thankfully, neither of them noticed your help, Willow shaking her head and going back to carefully detailing the gateway of her castle. That was close. You heat your castle more, the air closer to the inside of an oven than the blazing sun. This should do it. You move to start detailing the gate, completely unsurprised when the wall crumbles around your hand, taking two of the towers with it and half of your castle. Done.

    You sigh as you quickly cut off your heat manipulation, dropping back onto your heels as you look at the half destroyed castle. The other two look over, smugness visible on their faces as they silently gloat at you from their still standing castle. "Yeah yeah, laugh it up." You try to force a grumpy look on your face, not that hard considering recent events, but seeing the two of them start quietly giggling to each other forces you to smile. Standing, you kick down the remaining walls and make your way over, inspecting their castle as you approach. "How is yours going then?"

    You walk around to the front of their castle, smiling when you see the little smiley face carved into the front door. "Not bad." They nod as you lean down to look at their work. It's really pretty good.

    "Better than yours." You grunt as your sister smirks, reaching over to ruffle her hair, ignoring her squawks as you let sand trickle from your hand as you do so. "Old people like you can't do it right!"

    You have to muffle the urge to laugh as you play along, dropping to your butt and grabbing her in a sideways hug. "Old am I?" She nods as she struggles in your grip, your fingers creeping towards her feet. "I'll show you how old!" She starts writhing as you run a finger down the bottom of her feet, completely unable to stop her giggles as you 'punish' her.

    "Nononoooooccceeerrrreeeiii-" She cuts herself off as you bend her leg back, letting the wind gently blow your hair across it. "I GIVE I GIVE!" You stop your gentle torture for a moment, letting her catch her breath in great heaves. "You aren't that old." Your fingers creep downwards again and she squirms. "No no NOT OLD NOT OLD!" You nod, satisfied with her submission and let go of her, amused as she just flops onto your lap. "Stupid Cerys, that tickles."

    "That's the point." She grumbles, but your response is cut off by a gentle giggle at your side.

    "You two are cute." You blink at her, noticing that she was sitting off to the side of you the entire time, having to shuffle away to avoid Una's flailing limbs. "Mmm." She yawns, eyes drooping. "Wake me up... later." You roughly jolt your sister off of your lap as you reach over to catch Willow before she can fall over, falling asleep in your arms. Goddamit. You wiggle, your sister sitting up off of your legs as you stand, shifting to carry Willow in your arms. Your sister stands after you, looking worried as you inspect the sleeping girl.

    "She looks... fine, just sleepy." She's paler than earlier, but she did look like she'd just fallen asleep. A thought occurs to you. "We should get her out of the sun." The sun was practically blazing down onto you, Tohru's doing you assume, but it was a little too harsh. Willow was so pale right now that the half an hour you'd spent outside already had her skin starting to turn red, she'd probably start burning if you stayed out any longer.

    The two of you move off of the beach, taking shelter beneath a shaded bench, lying Willow down with her head resting on your lap.

    "Do you think we should go back?" Your sister shuffles closer to you, leaning against your side and looking at the sleeping girls face.

    You nod, brushing a few stray strands of hair out of Willows mouth. "She'll feel better after resting in a proper bed." Your sister nods and you restrain the urge to sigh, glancing at the setting sun. Has it really not even been a full day yet? Everything had happened so quickly... Later. You push the thought away, letting your sister rest for a little bit longer before you nudge her. "Fly back." You wait for her to grab you and take off, moving at a much more sedate pace.

    Daiyu calls up to you from the doorway when you set down in the garden, an empty plate in hand. "Dinner's ready!" Sabina stops doing... whatever it was she was doing by the pool and stands up, diverting when she notices you.

    "She fine?" You do your best to ignore the urge to hit her and nod.

    "Just sleeping, I'm going to put her to bed." Evidently she doesn't have anything to say to that, seeing as she teleports into the kitchen and starts making herself a plate. "Una, could you get plates for us?" You tilt Willow in your arms a little and she nods, moving with a purpose as she barges into the kitchen. Haaaah. You carry the girl upstairs, letting your shoulders drop when you are out of sight. She's been getting weaker fast, will I even be able to wake her up in the morning?

    You bite your lip as you undress her, sliding her under the covers and cringing as you catch the smell of her clothes. Bath, you need a bath. Restraining your desire to drag her into the bathroom, you make sure she's sleeping comfortably and leave the room, taking one last glance before you let the door quietly click shut. Una is waiting for you downstairs, two plates held in her hands, one lifted towards you. Taking the offered plate, you sit down at the table, the two empty spaces rather conspicuous, an awkward silence hanging over the table.

    Sabina finally interrupts the silence, letting her cutlery clatter onto her plate as she leans forwards, setting her elbows on the table. "I know you don't want to hear this." You turn to her, warning in your eyes. "Glare all you want, I'm asking what's best for her." She sighs, rubbing her face. "Should we just let her sleep?" She holds a hand up before you can interrupt. "I know what you think, but I was talking with Gaia while you were away." You pause, setting your cutlery down for the moment. "She'll be sleepy at first, like now. But after the first day or so, it'll start hurting, getting worse and worse." You frown, but she keeps going. "Then her body will start falling apart, while she's still awake."

    She shifts under the tables stares. "She can only sleep for so long before the pain gets bad enough to keep her awake. I know what you said, but is leaving her like this really the best thing to do?" You really, really want to stab her right now, if only she wasn't right. "She said there's a good chance she'll go mad from the pain before she dies." She lets out a long sigh, leaning back in her seat. "It's up to you, but I just wanted you to know that what you are doing now is cruel, the more you let sentiment hold you the worse it's going to get for her." The table is silent after her words, waiting for someone to say something.

    "I agree with her." Your head snaps up as Cuifen speaks, complete disbelief on your face. "Conditionally, when the pain gets too bad, but..." She sighs, rubbing her face. "Isn't that just as bad? Letting her suffer until the pain gets too bad?" She shakes her head and sits back. "I think, that perhaps we should ask her." You bite your lip, torn between wanting to strangle her and the knowledge that she's probably in the right here.

    "She shouldn't suffer." The anger in your body turn to ice when you hear your sister quietly speak, hugging her knees in her chair. "This isn't fair, but she shouldn't suffer." She looks up at you, the tears you had expected absent, a lost look on her face. "Why is the world so mean?"

    Your toes curl as you try to keep your frustration out of her sight, moving to crouch next to her and set a hand on her head, gently leaning it against your chest. "It's because I wasn't strong enough to stop this." You rest your chin on her head, guilt and helplessness and anger tearing at you. Like I deserve.

    "Then." She clutches your shirt as she thinks, little shivers running through her tiny body. "You just need to be strong enough to make the world better?" You nod and she falls silent, thinking deeply.

    The room gives you your moment, at least until Sabina gently clears her throat. "Well?" You look up at her from your place, your sister pulling her head back and resting it on your shoulder to do the same. "What are we going to do?" The table is silent as minutes pass, indecision clear on their faces. It's down to me, why is it always down to me. You let your head drop, taking a deep breath before sighing. Stop running away. You rest back on your heels, gently pushing your sister until she's sitting against her chair. I already know what needs to be done. You stand, the rest of the room following you with their eyes. I've done it before, I can do it again.

    You step away, your sister shuffling out of her seat as you do. "Stay here." Your words are firm, but gentle and she stops, dropping back into her seat. "But-" She tries to object but you cut her off. "Stay." You feel their eyes follow you as you leave the room, climbing the stairs as calmly as you can. Her door swings open in near silence, just the woosh of displaced air as you close it behind you and a quiet click.

    I'm a monster. You stop at her side, gently sitting on the bed and brushing her hair out of the face, cold sweat covering her pale skin. She doesn't respond, even when you rest a hand against her cheek. You don't deserve this. You're innocent.

    You take a deep, steadying breath and shift closer, so you can reach her face with both hands. If I break her neck, she might not die instantly. You bite your lip, desperately ignoring the part of you screaming at your thoughts. The temple then. You gently lift her head onto your lap, hands shaking as you set her down and turn her head to the side. Ok, just... right there. Blood flows over your tongue as your teeth dig deeper. I can do this I can do this I can do this-

    The silence is interrupted by a quiet thump, a cracking noise filling your ears.

    You gently tuck her back into bed, smoothing out the ruffled hairs and resting her cheek on the pillow.

    Above her head, one of her screens snaps into place, clear as crystal for a single moment.

    You softly pad down the stairs, enter the kitchen and sit down, dragging your sister onto your lap as you do so.

    No-one says anything, letting you stare into space as you hug your sister tightly.

    They quietly shuffle out as you sit there, Daiyu being half-dragged as she looks back at you.

    "I'm proud of you, big sis." You look down at her. She's not crying. "Next time, we'll be stronger." She nuzzles her head under yours. "Right?"

    You slowly nod and she smiles.

    You let her cuddle, your mind stuck on the words you'd seen on Willows screen, her last objective.

    Quest Failed.

    Quest: Extinguished
    Objective: Kill Ignition Knight
    Reward: Your life


    You stay there all night until a familiar voice makes you look up.

    "Well done." Gaia stands next to you, a serious look on her face as she looks down at you. "Are you ready to go?" It takes a moment for your brain to register, remembering her terms. When she dies.

    You nod, gently waking Una as you stand. She yawns sleepily, clinging to you as you stand. "I need to go." She blinks, looking between you and Gaia.

    "Oh." She lets go of you and steps back, a serious frown that looks completely wrong on her face staring back at you. "Go get stronger, ok?" You nod, gently ruffling her hair

    "Stay safe, I love you." She nods back and the two of you leave. A silent helicopter waits for you outside and you climb in, the trip passing in silence as you pass over the ocean.

    "You did the right thing." You don't look at her, watching the waves far below. "Not the easy thing." You move a bit further and suddenly you are back home, the fire crackling away next to you. "You can call help, once a day." She steps forwards, giving you an awkward hug. "Good luck."

    You blink, transformation exploding out of you as you kneel, a line of bullets flying where you were. You throw a wall of fire in that direction, head snapping around as you try to get your bearings. Open field, craters everywhere, soldiers of both sides fighting around, neither side aiming at me yet. They are surprised. You take the initiative, setting everything inside your range on fire. I have space. You extend your sense to it's maximum range and shoot upwards, cutting out the fire.

    Counter Force soldiers to the left, Clocktower to the right. You pause and Gaia speaks. [I don't care what you do, survive.]

    [] Go Left
    [] Go Right
    [] Write In...
     
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  • Threadmarks
    • Was there any way to actually save her? A path we could have taken that didn't have to end here?

    Or was she doomed no matter what we did?
     
    [J/K] Kill anything that moves/breathes/lives via temp control and gratuitous amounts of doom blasts.
    -[J/K] After about an hour butchering take a break and find a marker and some wood.
    --[J/K] Make signs about danger ahead and don't enter the doom bubble.
    ---[J/K] Place signs outside the doom bubble range, use Alpha and Omega.
    ----[J/K] Peace out inside bubble until your interrupted by anything.
     
    We really need barriers that can be used inside the doom bubble, it would make thing much more munchkinable...

    Also DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
     
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