Well Nia is exactly what I expected from Sabina's teammate. So here are my thoughts on this interlude, though this is all speculation:
Firebase Amazon, Counter Force HQ, France
So apparently the Counter Force is in France, which is kind of surprising. I can't recall where the second base that we attacked was since Cerys never asked but I think it was said somewhere that it was in Europe. It was still the middle of Clocktower territory last we saw, so either the Counter Force has been widely successful or they have a truce with the Clocktower.
More Demons, an undead monstrosity of some kind, maybe we'll even get back to fighting the wizards.
So apparently the Counter Force, or at least Nia's unit within the Counter Force, is no longer fighting the Clocktower. Which is a good thing since the Counter Force is not, in fact, the enemy in this quest. We want to make peace with them and work with them to stop the real demon invasion. I don't want to fight them anymore, though we might not have a choice if they decide to attack us. It would also be good to have Sabina meet her teammate.
The commander doesn't bother hiding his exasperation as you start humming to yourself, which really just tells you that he'll probably die soon too. Either that or he'll survive, really you were being a little presumptuous, it's been like what, eight days since they started attacking?
Nia is just like Sabina! Such disregard for the possible death of her commander makes her seem similar to how Sabina was during the attack on the first Counterforce base. She is very aggressive but unlike Sabina she does not appear to have somebody like us to stop her from doing something too reckless and getting injured or killed. She may have something similar to Sabina's mental changes, just with a gun instead of a sword.
Every time I do she seems to appear out of nowhere to remind me.
You can't resist the urge to glance around and make sure she isn't here, but you also know she's perfectly capable of standing well outside of the base and watching you from her personal treefort.
At first I thought that this was about us, but the comment about the treefort makes me think that there is instead another magical girl who is stronger than Nia at the base.
I don't really have an idea about this fight with the Not!Demons, but Naron's vote seems good. Also, as an aside about the Not!Demons, Cerys should realize that they are not actually demons from hell since she has both fought a real one and gotten a vision about them.
[X] Shoot the smart one with
Burning Rain, then put a lotta holes into the dumb one
Also, Rukia, now that it has come up in thread the last few chapters could you have Cerys start asking questions about the world situation or at least show some thought about the world situation and her own lack of knowledge. Maybe give us a space to write in questions so that we don't make more blind decisions, or have Cerys look on the internet (we know the island has it) for information about the world? I don't want another case of "too late you're going on a mission/not the right time/should have done it earlier, ask questions later" immediately after Gaia helps us get set up. I also want to know what "helping get set up" actually entails because that is incredibly vague. I don't want to make a decision on what to do or where to go without understanding what has been going on. Cerys has made enough dumb decisions based on lack of information. Besides, she doesn't really trust Gaia or Karen so she should want to go and get information herself from multiple sources so she doesn't make more mistakes and endanger the group again. Maybe she could talk to the Counterforce, I think we still have Annabelle's number unless Cerys conveniently forgot about that as well, for their perspective if they are not actively hostile or to a captured member if we cannot talk to Annabelle.
