SolarGemX
The Crystalized Sun
- Location
- Somewhere in the Cosmos
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Thanks I forgot for a moment.
Perhaps For Love, Or Maybe Justice (A Tokusatsu/Magical Girl Quest)
- Thread starter Kermie
- Start date
- Original Superhero
SolarGemX
The Crystalized Sun
- Location
- Somewhere in the Cosmos
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Honestly you could do a lot.... have them replace the og characters, be Companions, have them be completely unrelated to the main quest, the entirety of TORNA (Massive AU?). Heck theres the Flesh/Blade eater debacle could make them ageless. Or if you want One of them could be Rare Blades. Hmm Rei Driver and Akemi Blade? 2 drivers? 2 blades who are flesh eaters thanks to Amalthus experiments? Kosmos and T-Elos are a thing (amd probably the closest thing to Aegis levels of power). Little thought experiment.
If the trio were blades, what would their elements, powers, Field Skills and abilities be? Would they have a custom weapon?
Rei: Light or Dark, something like Gilgamesh (from DMC 4) as a weapon, powers... hmm, maybe the ability to fully armor their weilder? F.Skills could be Keen Eye, Focus and Super Strenght.
Akemi: Dark or Wind, Katana Weapon, Powers.... Hmm...Maybe Life Steal ? F.skills would be Dark Mastery, Fortitude, and Assasination.
Himari: Electricity, gauntlets maybe?, Power involving de buffs, F. Skills would be Salvaging Mastery, Acient Wisdom and Lockpicking.
SolarGemX
The Crystalized Sun
- Location
- Somewhere in the Cosmos
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Neat. My ideas are:
Mario AU
Sonic AU
Kingdom Hearts AU
And do to me downloading it just 2 days ago... Hololive/V tuber AU... yes really.
Have not written ANYTHING just throwing it out there.
Mario AU- Starts with a story teller about to weave a tale... but Bowser breaks the bounds of the story and makes a mess of their library, ruining several books which include Mario amd a book called Perhaps for Love or Maybe Justice, before the Mario Bros drive him off.
The story teller notices the problem and asks Master Hand to help him put things back on track.
Rei Akemi and Himari now have copies in the Mario verse. People would choose their race (Like Human, Koopa, Boo, Star Sprite, Shadow Siren etc.) And then choose a universe. Paper mario verse, Mario amd Luigi Verse or Crossover Madness verse (Includes some of the main line plataformers and ALL the spin off titles from the same verse Including Yoshi island, Donkey Kong, Wario land, Luigis Mansion, The sports games, the Racing games, The Rabbid Games and MARIO PARTY (THE HORROR).
Sonic AU- Has the Trio plus extras being born in Mobius and can choose between beimg Human or Mobian (choose a species) Been a Speed, Flight or Power character, specializing in Speed, Power or Tech fighting abilities and having a special Chaos stat for well... Chaos and Magic.
You could Start during the Classic or Modern Era and choose a Faction between Imdependent, Heroic, GUN (Hey maybe you could make them not be irrelevant? Maybe make your own robots), Eggman or the Babylon Rouges. I think Rei is a wolf and Akemi is a cat.
KH- This would actually start in the normal PfLoMJ verse but before canon, Umbra got a massive headstart here and one of their "shade" experiments led the Heartless to this world... Chaos ensues. Rei and Akemi are still in the guild and are about to escape when the Heartless come and just wrecks everything... Rei would try to defend herself and Akemi and almost fail... until the weird dreams she was havimg would end up with her getting a Keyblade, soon enough to save Akemi, but far to late to precent the destruction of her world. She would then wake up with Akemi in a other world be it Transverse town, Hollow Bastion, Twilight town or another place.
Hololive/Idol AU- this is a bit more out there tbh... but It would involve the Trio and their lives as V tubers. You could play it straight or have their personas be real, powers and all. Also im just Imagining Umbra as a v tuber agency in this world and your main rivals.
Kermie
Surprisingly Not A Frog
- Location
- Somewhere On The Planet
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
It's so meta you just gave Purrson a stomachache. That's how meta this was. +50 EXP, +10 EP, can you people please write slice of life like normal omake writers?/s
Hey look! It's Project Prometheus!
Also circling back to the Xenoblade 3 thing, Rei & Akemi would obviously have to be from rival factions. First meeting had them fighting to the death, then something happens to strand them together and they have to work together to survive. Himari could be one of the support classes from X, since we DO have a Full Metal Jaguar in the main story. Maybe a Blast Fencer?
- Location
- Philippines
- Pronouns
- He/Him
All these AU ideas and we still have not done anything for an HSR AU.
Kermie
Surprisingly Not A Frog
- Location
- Somewhere On The Planet
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
FINALLY! SOMEONE SAID IT!!!
Rei=Destruction (Nameless), Akemi=Hunt (Xianzhou foreigner like Guinaifen?) Himari has Erudition (and probably works on the Space Station ngl).
And also, if you're gonna make an AU, from now on pleasepleaseplease actually show the characters doing things in that AU. There's only so many "quest creation votes" I can read before I start docking EP for unoriginality.
SolarGemX
The Crystalized Sun
- Location
- Somewhere in the Cosmos
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Ok...got ya... sorry for that.
- Location
- Philippines
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Ok, boss.
Hmm... Can we, the questers get a private room for brainstorming these? The thread might get bloated if we do it here.
- Location
- Philippines
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Like Caelus/Stelle? Is she also a Receptacle?
Kermie
Surprisingly Not A Frog
- Location
- Somewhere On The Planet
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
Everybody, PM me if you're interested. It's open for everybody who wants to write Omake.
No, more like Himeko or March.
Also when I'm looking back at the actions to see If another run through finds something interesting I've missed this caught my eye.
.....Hey I mean if we want to look at the corpse of something probably some-what ajacent to kyubey whatever it's an option. Kind of weird. but it has the question marks. Which is curious.
SolarGemX
The Crystalized Sun
- Location
- Somewhere in the Cosmos
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Another thing for next week's plan hopefully. Who knows?
Pride 2.12: Who Are The Archmages?
Kermie
Surprisingly Not A Frog
- Location
- Somewhere On The Planet
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
Magic:
[X] Step
Level Up:
[X] Plan: Void Knuckle
-[X] +6 to Physical
-[X] Trigger V. Burst
[X] Step
Level Up:
[X] Plan: Void Knuckle
-[X] +6 to Physical
-[X] Trigger V. Burst
Atry/Gargoyle
Dormouse
Blackbeard
Hatsume
Dormouse
Blackbeard
Hatsume
Wednesday, March 5th, 2080, 2:55 PM
Jun's Place
You are Rei Maruki. And right now, you are trying your best to freshen up. Jun, Himari, and Akemi are all running around Jun's house, trying to make sure that you look nice— a hair clip, a small amount of mascara, and heck, even some lipstick. Akemi's taken up the main brunt of the job, applying the makeup and now straightening out your tie. Kira asked you to look good, but this is a bit much, isn't it?
>Style is always important, especially when meeting someone very powerful!
Aren't you against anybody associated with the government?
>Nah, it's Himari's sister and her friends. I'll give them an exception.
Through some weird coincidence, you've gotten one of each group of spirits that you've met so far. You checked with Atry. Apparently, of the people who were brave enough to sign up on an important day like this, the sticks that they used to pick ended up landing on her, Dormouse, Hatsume, and Blackbeard. Somehow.
Akemi finishes braiding your hair into a nice ponytail. Less chance of your hair getting into your eyes on the off chance that the situation goes hostile. You know it probably won't go that way, especially considering that Kira gave her word that this invitation wouldn't go wrong. But just in case.
"Are you sure that we can't come with you? From what I've tested while walking outside, people are only able to see Purrson once they've talked with either of us for a while, so it should be safe."
Damn, she really cares about you. She cares a lot. -Hatsume
Yeah, she does. In fact, you genuinely wouldn't be surprised if Kasumi (she was a real crewmate, may she rest in peace) put something in the section of her will asking Akemi to go find more friends. A bit snarky, but it's not like she'd be alive to see your reactions.
Anyways. "Nope, sorry. The invite Kirata sent me early yesterday specified that it had to be only me. Not you, not Kirata, not even Purrson."
From the corner of your eye, you see Purrson chowing down on a chocolate bar, while lounging on the new cat bed Jun installed. Apparently, whatever you did in his soul allowed him to become semi-physical, so you bought him chocolates to eat. To your knowledge, he doesn't need the sustenance nor does he get sick, he just likes the taste.
>And he is so real for that.
It's always good to enjoy a tasty treat every once in a while.
Purrson jumps onto the coffee table, just barely not knocking over one of Jun's coasters onto the floor. "She's got a point, Akemi. Besides, Kirata can see me, and she'd probably not want me to weigh in on a private meeting between some of the greatest sorcerers in the world… and Rei."
"Thank you for your vote of confidence." You snark.
That's when Jun and Himari find the opportunity to walk in from the kitchen, where they were just talking about a few seconds ago. "Hey guys, look alive. Kirata says that we've only got a few more minutes before she opens up a portal over there in the hallway." Jun says.
Now that gets you all moving. Himari whips out her phone and starts texting (is she trying to distract her sister?) while Akemi and Purrson shift from doing your makeup to giving you some extras. Some steel wool in your breast pocket here, a metal card in your back pocket over there…
When it's done? You just sigh. You're in a fashionable blue-black suit, with a pair of flexible black pants (all reinforced against ripping) multiple pockets on the inside and outside (for hiding phones, knives, and your gun with the safety on) and a tie (with a metal wire inside, for a last-ditch weapon). And yes, your hair's still in that fashionable, practical, yet uncomfortable ponytail. Geez, you already miss your twintails…
Looking good. Not my style, but I appreciate an outfit that can kick butt in more ways than one. -Hatsume
This is definitely tailored, has to be to fit this well. How much Jun, Himari, and Akemi collectively spent on this, you're not sure that you want to know.
Himari whistles in appreciation. "Dang, you're looking good! Glad to see that the outfit we commissioned for you to fit in up there in Eiganjo is looking good."
[PRICEY]
…these lovable freaking idiots.
"I… ok, I'm not even gonna ask how much this cost. Thanks. I'd imagine that Akemi's getting a custom outfit like this too?"
The woman in question nods. "Yup, but that's for later. Now c'mon, you've got a meeting to get to!" Akemi says, before pushing you down the hallway.
"You can chill, she's not going on a date!" Jun yells down the hall.
"I dunno man, my sis just told me one of her friends is looking for a match… oh, and get me Sora Kisei's autograph!"
"Good luck! Try not to get killed horribly!"
You can and will kill for these idiots. Like, that's pretty much set in stone by now, this just solidified it.
…I mean, that's one way of showing affection.
3:00 PM
At exactly the second the clock hits three, a ripple of energy runs through the room. A sphere of wind appears right in front of you, before it opens up vertically to reveal a long brown hallway. Kirata is standing there, dressed in a casual jacket and shorts.
…we may be overdressed.
[COMMIT] [TO THE BIT]
Gargoyle's right. You gotta project confidence. "Kirata. Are all your colleagues ready?"
She just scoffs, clearly holding back the urge to smile. "Geez, that's my line Maruki. I'm honestly unsure if I should even be letting your colleagues and my sister here see this much."
You turn around. Akemi, Jun, and Purrson and Himari are just standing there, watching you two. Jun shrugs. "Hey, I'm pretty sure both Rei and Akemi both know multiple state secrets. Your opsec is out the window by now."
"Ugh, stop being so right… Rei, I'll need your phone. Just to make sure we can't be tracked."
You fish it out from your pocket— oops, that's the steel wool, try again— you fish it out from your other pocket and toss it to her. "It's already got tracking off, but you're free to have it."
Kirata nods, before gesturing for you to follow her as she begins walking down the long hallway. "Alright then. Rei, come with me. Everyone else, we'll be back in a few minutes."
You take one last look back at your friends, before taking a step over the boundary of the portal and leaving.
3:01 PM
???
Wind envelops your eyes for a second, and when you can open them again, Kirata's nowhere to be found.
Well, shit. -Hatsume
Correct. You try to look behind you, but the portal's already gone. Welp. You take a few steps forward, walking through the hallway. You take a left turn, and walk past a few rows of pictures. Serious people, with serious faces. As you walk down the hall, you squint a bit. For some reason, you have some odd compulsion to look at them…
Any clue who they are, lass?
Do you recognize the people?
[Mental DC: 50/70/100]
[38+23=61. Good Success.]
[Mental DC: 50/70/100]
[38+23=61. Good Success.]
They're Japanese, and important to the history of magic. You can easily figure that out from just context clues. But, uh…
>Brain fart?
Yup. You see a picture of a tall, lanky man in glasses and what looks like a wizard hat ([???]) and a woman wearing a clean black suit, but you can't exactly pin the faces to the deeds. Did they commit war crimes? Solve climate change? Kill a dragon? Unfortunately, it's not coming back to you right now.
Ah well. You just walk forward, taking a right turn this time. The brown wooden floor seems to stretch onwards, as you walk forward to the door at the end of the hall.
And you keep walking.
And you keep walking.
…And you keep walking. Hey, the door isn't getting any closer. It's still about twenty feet away from you. The fuck?
Hey, what's happening?
[Mental DC: 30/50/75/90]
[62+23+5(EP)=90 Incredible Success!]
[Mental DC: 30/50/75/90]
[62+23+5(EP)=90 Incredible Success!]
You look down at your feet, and…
Wait, what? -Hatsume
They look like they aren't actually moving forward, or even hitting the floor at all. It looks like they're slipping off the floor, causing you to not be able to move at all. You're moonwalking. What the fuck.
>It's like friction's been turned off, but you can still stand up straight. Maybe try hopping forward?
You try that, squatting down before leaping forward- but to no avail. The elegant door at the edge of the hallway seems to get a miniscule amount closer, before you just ever so slightly feel it- you're being pulled back. Damn.
Darn! It's like some sort of whirlpool!
Ok Rei, think. There's nothing behind you, and transforming to get out of this situation presents a lot more possible problems than solutions. So what's happening?
Well, it has to be some sort of spell. That's clear. But you've been invited to a private ceremony with the Archmages, so Umbra wouldn't be here— from what you've heard, unlike in China or America, Kirata and her coworkers are on fairly equal footing. So why would they stop you?
It hits you. They're trying to judge you, test you. Not only that, they're stalling. Their attempts to gauge your personality by what you thought about the pictures didn't work because of your brain fart, so they're trying to see how you react to this.
Hm, it's certainly one way of testing a trainee. -Hatsume
Ok, so you're not going to get angry. You are not. But how can you get out of this miniature gravity vortex?
Move!
[Physical DC: 60/100]
[33+30+20(Figured out the trick)+17(EP)=100. Incredible success!]
[Physical DC: 60/100]
[33+30+20(Figured out the trick)+17(EP)=100. Incredible success!]
Well, from what you can tell, it's centered on your feet, and that's how you're being pulled back. So if you can maximize your air time, you should be able to do this.you're being anchored to this position. So the more air time you get, the more you might be able to resist the vortex… maybe. And without transforming, the thing that can get you the most air time is… of course! You learned this back in Guild training, thanks Solferina.
Wall run time? -Hatsume
>Fuck yeah physics exploits.
You bend your knees, before exploding into the air. As you feel the vortex pull your feet back, you shift your weight to the left before kicking off the brown wall, leaving a small indent there.
"Hey Archmages! If you're trying to slow me down, you're gonna have to work harder than that!"
The gravity pull lessens a bit, and you take that opportunity to jump off the other wall, land on the floor, and sprint. All that, right before using all your power to grab through the door handle and frame, and launch yourself into the room at the end of the hall.
Phew. Still got it.
Hell yes!
[👍]
Across from you are the four Archmages of Japan. Aside from Kirata, who looks smug, they all seem to be various shades of frazzled, all of them looking away from a computer showing the hallway you were just in so that they can take a look at you instead. One with pure white hair that reminds you of Akemi's readjusts her rounded sunglasses as they were falling off, a HumaGear sitting behind her has eyes wide, and an older man in a suit sitting on the left has to close his dropped jaw.
Now that the gravity isn't pulling you back, you take a breath, and put on your best retail service smile. "Hello there. I'm Rei Maruki. But you probably know me as Kirata's friend."
You jump into the closet free chair in the room. It spins around and rolls a bit, but you use that opportunity to correct your balance, and lean an elbow on the round table in the center of the room as you get there. Your smile turns a bit too toothy. "And shouldn't you all be greeting me in a more polite manner? I expected more of the best thaumaturges in Japan. Except you Kirata, you're great."
Smooth. I approve.
As Kirata smiles and rolls her spinny chair over to join you, the other three Archmages look at each other.
Hi, my name is…
[Social DC: 75]
[48+19+10(Figured out the trick)+10(Looked really fucking cool)+10(Kirata vouching for you)+3(EP)=100. Incredible Success!]
[Social DC: 75]
[48+19+10(Figured out the trick)+10(Looked really fucking cool)+10(Kirata vouching for you)+3(EP)=100. Incredible Success!]
It's the woman with long hair who speaks first, taking off her sunglasses as she does so. She has a short but powerful laugh, before rolling up her chair and looking directly at you with milky-white eyes. However, it seems that she's addressing Kirata when she speaks. "Ha! This is your friend, child? She's perky! I like her." She then turns to you. "You may call me Yuki."
"Yuki", Second Archmage
Arguably the most mysterious of the Archmages. This is one of the few times you've seen her eyes, and they're even more intimidating when she's staring at you personally. The Archmages were under the "DO NOT APPROACH" list for the Guild. You have a feeling that she was one of the reasons for that.
Arguably the most mysterious of the Archmages. This is one of the few times you've seen her eyes, and they're even more intimidating when she's staring at you personally. The Archmages were under the "DO NOT APPROACH" list for the Guild. You have a feeling that she was one of the reasons for that.
The other two shake off their shock and roll up to join you and the other girls at the round table. When the HumaGear speaks, you recognize their voice from the observatory. Their voice is a mixture of exasperation and… excitement?
"Well, I suppose we should congratulate you: I was planning to run your face past a facial recognition database, but you seemed to have your own thoughts about those plans. It is genuinely quite impressive what you did there. The name is Sora Kisei, they/them pronouns please, you probably recognize me from my observatory."
Sora Kisei, Third Archmage
The third Archmage and the only one who specialized in astronomy, notable for being a HumaGear who developed an unprecedented capability to wield magic. Notably nonbinary/agender (you don't think they ever specified) and will tell you to piss off if you genuinely believe in astrology.
Oh, and remember to get his- sorry, their autograph for Himari!
The third Archmage and the only one who specialized in astronomy, notable for being a HumaGear who developed an unprecedented capability to wield magic. Notably nonbinary/agender (you don't think they ever specified) and will tell you to piss off if you genuinely believe in astrology.
Oh, and remember to get his- sorry, their autograph for Himari!
The man with graying hairs is the last one to speak, and he looks at Sora as he talks. "Sora, you shouldn't just admit something so incriminating like that, we've got a reputation to uphold. But yes, we were attempting to stall for time on my and Sora's recommendation.Apologies for that, you can ask the questions first. I'm Akasuki Bashira— you can call me Akasuki, we can ditch the formalities now."
Akasuki Bashira, Fifth Archmage
Arguably the Archmage who you least care about (but you'd rather not say that out loud) Akasuki has the dubious honor of being the fifth Archmage. While you doubt that his magical proficiency is the same as say, Kirata's, he's a world leading expert in the new and exciting field of Alchemy.
He's also kind of a bore? Like, outside of his work, he's got a normal house, likes anime and taking occasional hikes, and is dating someone that the press hasn't been able to find out the identity of yet.
Arguably the Archmage who you least care about (but you'd rather not say that out loud) Akasuki has the dubious honor of being the fifth Archmage. While you doubt that his magical proficiency is the same as say, Kirata's, he's a world leading expert in the new and exciting field of Alchemy.
He's also kind of a bore? Like, outside of his work, he's got a normal house, likes anime and taking occasional hikes, and is dating someone that the press hasn't been able to find out the identity of yet.
You brush a stray hair to the side, before just deciding to get to the meaty questions. "Thank you for the opportunity, because I've got some things to say. I imagine that you guys are fighting against the Void as well?"
Sora sits up a bit. "Yes, actually! Just like you, me and Akasuki are Kamen Riders-"
"Striker. Call me Striker Roze when I'm on the job. I'm not really in this to save civilians, I'm just trying not to get me and my friends killed."
Kirata leans back in her chair. "In all honesty, I don't see much difference from my point of view— you're both fighting Shades and all those evil, after all. But go on."
Akasuki sighs. "I see that you're the demanding type. Very well then. Is there anything you want?"
"There's an organization trying to hijack the parade on Awakening Day. What I want is some assurance that you will all help me investigate a few things and make sure that Umbra doesn't hurt my friends."
>Very good, put the demands upfront.
Yuki blinks, twirling around the sunglasses in her hand. "...and that's it? No demands to stop the parade? Any recommendations for us to prevent any civilian casualties? I'm not judging, simply curious."
…I mean, is that our problem? Like, is it? Genuinely?
"None of my friends are going to be at the parade in person, I've checked. Besides, I doubt you could stop that parade if you tried. And in all honesty, I just want a peaceful life with my friends. No more Skull Faces, no more operatives, no more Shades. If it comes down to it, I'll try to destroy Umbra and anybody else getting in my way, but I'm not really here to save the world. I just want your help with this investigation. And in exchange…"
The Archmages all lean in. You see Akasuki even raise an eyebrow.
"I'll be your lab rat, for any of you, on request. Kirata already investigated my now sealed Void Glyph, but I'm willing to reopen old wounds. And aside from that, in exchange for all of you telling me what you all know about the Void and Archmage No. 1, I'll tell you what I know about the criminal organization that raised me; the International Assassin's Guild."
Not bad, laying it all out on the table. That's a good start when it comes to negotiations.
Akasuki looks at the other Archmages (>that doesn't even sound like a real word anymore) and gestures for them to roll their chairs back. His face seems to have settled into hard neutrality. "You drive a hard bargain— please give us a second to discuss." They then all start to whisper to each other.
Can you hear them?
[Mental DC: 50/70/90]
[87+23=110. Great Success!]
[Mental DC: 50/70/90]
[87+23=110. Great Success!]
Well, you can definitely at least hear Kirata, who is basically stage whispering.
"See, I told you that she would be beneficial for us! She can tell both of you where all those random extra guys alongside the Skull Faces are coming from!"
And the other three are a bit quieter, but you can still hear them pretty well.
>No, they're pretty quiet right now. It's just that you pay really good attention.
"Are you sure about that? She seems awfully amoral, could be a loose cannon…" Akasuki whispers.
"C'mon love, Kirata's a good judge of character. Besides, she isn't giving us a bad deal at all. It took ages for me to replace my arm when an Operative took it off last week, it'd be good to cut them off at the source." Sora whispers back.
Also— love? Is this Kamen Rider dude gay?
…you aren't?
You never considered it! For most of your life, you were either worried about adjusting to normal society or not dying! It wasn't exactly a top priority!
Finally, you manage to make out what Yuki is saying. You don't know that much about her, but it's clear that she's secretive. What she's saying barely registers in your ears- it's almost under her breath.
"I like her. She'd fit right in with the people I know— and for once, that isn't an insult."
You don't miss how everyone's eyes widen when she says that last part.
"Yes, she may be questionable when it comes to morality. Who cares? She doesn't strike me as the type of person to let any civilians die underneath normal circumstances, and her heart's in the right place in the end. Help her out, and we'll make back double if not triple what she's asking of us. If we all pester those boring government workers enough, it shouldn't be that hard to find some more festival security."
>I like her. She's cool.
The four scoot back up, before Yuki addresses you. "We'll do our best to fit something into our schedules. I have no need for money, so I'll give you some of the cuts I get from acting as a bodyguard."
You're sorely curious about who the fuck has the money to get her as a bodyguard and about her "penniless lifestyle", but you decide to just let that pass by. "And as for my offer of being your lab rat?"
Sora grimaces. "Please no. That's weird. We're just gonna give you some of the rumors we've heard about but don't have the time to pursue because of our schedules. If you complete them, we'll try and see what else we can give you."
Akasuki follows up on what Sora said. "But before then, we have to do one last thing to test your worth."
And this is the part you were dreading. "...let me guess. You've gotta spar with me?"
"How did you—"
"I heard Kirata talk about it while she was on call with Himari."
Lasses and lads are just louder when they're having fun. It's just human nature.
You don't miss how all three other Archmages give Kirata various exasperated looks. "Ok then. First though, we need one more person here for the last part of this explanation."
Wait, another person? -Hatsume
From the doorway, you hear the voice of someone you don't know. It's deep… but friendly?
"Hey guys! I got boba!"
Hey, who…?
[Social DC: 60/80/100]
[29+19=48. Fail!]
[Social DC: 60/80/100]
[29+19=48. Fail!]
You have no goddamn clue who this is, or what his vibe is. You feel like you should know him, but it's not registering. For once in your life, your ubiquitous social energy has run out. Shoot.
Well, it's reasonable to assume that our luck would run out eventually. Especially considering the BS you pulled with Kirata.
[DAMN.]
"Uh… who are you?"
The man who's walked in has a stocky build, a clean shaven face, and some well brushed brownish hair that reaches down to his ears. You'd pin him as about Akasuki's age. He blinks as you ask him who he is. "Uh… oh! Sorry about that— you're Rei, right?"
"Takeshi, who else in this room could be Rei? It's just us and her." Yuki yells, blank white eyes staring at him, annoyed (?). Also, are those eyes natural?
You can ask about the eyes later. Stay on target. -Hatsume
"Alright, alright, don't bully an old man like me! Even though I'm pretty sure I'm younger than you, Yuki…"
>How??? That Yuki girl does not look like she's more than 30???
More questions for later, you suppose. You focus back on the conversation as this "Takeshi" turns to face you. "Um, hello there, Rei. Uh, man, this never gets easier."
…Should we leave? Does he have dementia?
>No, let him cook.
He sighs, pinching his nose for a second. "Ok, may as well just say it. Me, Akasuki, Sora and a bunch of other Kamen Riders are all working together in a big organization to fight Umbra after they popped up a while ago. We can offer you or any of your other Rider friends membership and the benefits that come with such. It's called the WRL; the Worldwide Rider League! We have a bunch of people in Japan and not many more places, please don't judge, I started it up five years ago and recruitment drives are really hard."
"I…"
I mean, you have to at least respect that captain's honesty.
Takeshi Ishinomori
The most experienced Kamen Rider active in Tokyo, and maybe even Japan. Incredible when it comes to ass-kicking. Somewhat mediocre when it comes to number crunching and acting normal.
The most experienced Kamen Rider active in Tokyo, and maybe even Japan. Incredible when it comes to ass-kicking. Somewhat mediocre when it comes to number crunching and acting normal.
"Thanks for the offer, I guess? I'll think about it. But why me? I'm pretty much…"
>A monster?
A killer? -Hatsume
Wildly independent?
"Ok on my own," you put forward, "And I think both of the people I work with most of the time would be considered Magical Girls, so no luck there."
"It's not very demanding," he retorts, "it's less like a secret fraternity or conspiracy and closer to a country-wide support network. Besides, you don't have to rely on it; it's just there to make sure that younger Riders or any other masked heroes don't get into more trouble than they can handle. And as for your friends, there's a sister organization that my old friend made, so they can talk to her when she has the time."
Younger Riders. For a second, your mind turns over to Fuji. Yes, he probably would have been able to defeat that Shade, but what if he didn't? What if you hadn't pursued that rumor? What if he had lost, or what if the Shade had hit a gas line with its fire attacks…?
If your eye twitches a bit, Takeshi politely pretends not to notice. "Ok, I'll keep this WRL membership thing in mind. Maybe I'll tell my friends. First though, can we all just talk about what we know? And can we make it quick? I'm getting really tired of expositions and long lectures."
"Rei's right, there's not that much that we know that she doesn't. Can we just try and give her the bullet points?" Kirata asks.
Takeshi raises his hand, which is holding a plastic bag. He sets it down in the middle of the table, before pulling up a chair of his own. "I also have some things to share. Oh, and does everyone want the boba tea I brought to sip while we do some explaining?"
"Ooh, me!"
"Child, could you fetch me some of the oolong Takeshi brought?"
"You know what, I'll be needing some sugar for this."
You reach over to grab a drink of your own. You're probably gonna need it.
Eh, it's not rum, but close enough.
To Make A Long Story Short:
- The Archmages told you about the Vanishing. A phenomena where when enough Void magic is applied to a building, that building essentially becomes the "property" of a Shade, before that building retroactively disappears. Apparently, multiple chunks of red-light districts have been taken away that way. Is that what would have happened if you had let the Archfiend run wild?
- The Archmages told you about how they've been trying to fight Umbra, but the Shades that they send out usually disappear upon killing them, leaving no trace. Takeshi seconded that, saying that capturing any Skull Faces that were any more than the lowest-level grunts was difficult. They'll pay you a good bit if you successfully land a capture mission.
- The Archmages told you that they've been studying the Void, but all they found out was the whole "conglomeration of negative emotions" thing that you already figured out. Also, Kirata was supposed to be spying on you. You want to be surprised but you really aren't.
- The Archmages told you where the hell you are: the Yagami-Yamaguchi Magical Vault, the well known museum where the history of Magic so far is currently documented. It's closed today, and you're on the upper floors. Those pictures you saw earlier were the pictures of Japan's previous Archmages.
- As it turns out, Takeshi's a member of the Japanese Diet— no, he's not a health expert, he's part of the government. He keeps his day job and his Rider duties separate, apparently. That's where you thought you recognized him from.
- You told everybody else about the Guild. Reactions were mixed from "that's horrifying!" (Takeshi, Sora) to "oh no, not another problem to deal with." (Yuki, Akasuki)
- You told everyone that Akemi needs Shade Cores to live, and about the very difficult handling conditions for their transport and storage. Takeshi said that they have a few in storage, but it'll only be enough for a few months since their Cores may have lost some of their magical potency.
- You told everyone a bit about Will, Sparks, the spirits inhabiting your head rent free, and Purrson.
3:41 PM
Yagami-Yamaguchi Magical Vault
Takeshi leans back in his chair, sipping up the last of his brown sugar milk tea. "Well, that's certainly interesting. We've known about Will as a concept, but we thought it worked a lot differently. We thought that instead of there being a minimum "floor" to transform, that anybody's Will could be raised by the things Yamaguchi left for us."
Wait, what? Curiosity wells up to the surface of your mind. "Wait, that Yamaguchi? Yamaguchi Izanagi? The first and best living Archmage here? Doesn't everyone say he's on leave?"
You know damn well he isn't. Plenty of people do. What you don't know is the truth.
Akasuki sighs. "Yamaguchi helped mentor me, and later Sora once they hit Singularity and gained sentience. After the first batch of Japanese Archmages died, he was the one to invite all of us to be the new guard back in 2070, and the one to recruit Kirata five years ago. He's arguably smarter than all of us in this room combined."
Takeshi's brows furrow, and he looks away for a second. "He was my old friend, and worked for Umbra for a short time, but he left after something he never spoke to us about. He helped me get out of their evil genetic experiments, and pioneered some of the Drivers some of the newer Riders use. He disappeared four years ago, but we've still been seeing Drivers pop up, appearing to people that apparently have enough Will to hit that "floor" you spoke about, Rei. I wouldn't be surprised if he had some sort of after-death protocol that's still in effect today."
A genius… and does anybody know how his creations are made? How they work? -Hatsume
You relay Hatsume's thoughts, but everyone shakes their heads. Surprisingly, it's Yuki that speaks up this time. Her black jacket ruffles as she speaks and puts it on the back of her chair. "I never got to know that old fool that well, but I consider myself a good judge of character and a very prescient person. The artificial Drivers and surgeries he did are not only safe, but compatible with Will and any other sources of magic. He had to keep the info hidden, however, just to make sure that nobody would try anything funny. I think the boys in the WRL could gain access to it, but it would take a while."
Takeshi scratches the back of his head. His smile seems a bit sheepish now. "Um, took the words right out of my mouth, Yuki!"
Hm. Interesting…
If Atry has any more thoughts, they aren't fully formed yet, so you put your attention back on the people in front of you. "Are these… Drivers the only way to transform?"
Sora leans back. "No, there are other ways. Being struck by a Rampant Glyph and naturally absorbing it. If you're a HumaGear or other artificial being like me, it'd be pretty easy to get modifications for a transformation. Gaining enough Will, as you said."
At that, Takeshi takes out something from his pocket. His arm ever so slightly trembles, as you see it— what must be a Will Seed. A blood-red crystal, speckled with dots, shaped like a teardrop. The pressure it emanates is clear. If you didn't know better, you'd think it would shock you if you touched it.
Yuki sips the last of her tea out of her boba straw, and holds up a single finger. "…don't forget being Inspirited by a yokai like me. That's an interesting one."
You look at Yuki in awe and confusion. What? You— well, it's not the weirdest thing you've heard this month, doesn't even crack the top 5, but still!
Takeshi notices you looking, and silently gestures for you to save it for later. You like the dude. While he's definitely got some darkness in some way, he wears his heart on his sleeve. It's… kind of refreshing, if you're going to be honest.
[Heart On His Sleeve]
Takeshi's been through enough tragedy to know the value of honesty. Once per update, he can reroll a failed Social check with advantage, but he gains a -20 malus to any rolls attempting to deceive.
Takeshi's been through enough tragedy to know the value of honesty. Once per update, he can reroll a failed Social check with advantage, but he gains a -20 malus to any rolls attempting to deceive.
Akasuki pushes up his glasses, tossing away his boba to a trashcan on the side. "Alright, I think that's enough talk," he says, sneaking a peek at his watch, "we've only got about twenty more minutes before our rental ends. Do you still want to spar, Rei? Just so we can… consider how much value you'll be bringing to this endeavor. Pick any one of us to fight, it'll be a good benchmark for your performance. I'll heal you afterwards."
"Mister Bashira, please quit with the corpo talk. I know it's in your blood, but still, quit it." Kirata snarks. As she does, she takes a look back at you, silently encouraging you.
The lass really does want you to do this. You should, just for her.
"Sure, I'll do it. I want to spar against…"
Plan Phase!
Who will you spar with?
[ ] Kirata
-Despite not having any transformations or much physical prowess, she's still got high magical power.
-Might help her out with those self confidence issues?
[ ] Sora Kisei
-Hey, it's been a while since you sparred with a HumaGear. You're kinda curious if they can match up to your mentor.
-Aside from that, they don't seem unreasonable to deal with as a Kamen Rider. It's just the magic that'll hurt.
[ ] Akasuki Bashira
-All in all, probably the most normal out of the bunch. Also probably a decently strong Kamen Rider on the physical side, but it won't be too bad.
-You might get to learn about the capabilities of Alchemy. You don't really know much in that field, after all.
[ ] Takeshi?
-???
-Are you sure about this?
-You're interested in what a Will Seed can do. You also might get your butt kicked so hard it's not even funny.
[ ] "Yuki"?
-???
-Are you 100% sure about this?
-A complete unknown, even to you. What's a yokai, even?
-She has whitish pupils— maybe blinding her could work?
Environment Info:
Yamaguchi-Yagami Magical Vault Arena
-Secure and partially created by Archmage magic. You won't be spotted by Umbra or the Guild.
-Durable as hell. Go all out for victory!
-Whoever you choose to fight against won't try to beat you up… at least not too hard. (You will not die upon losing.)
Available Moves:
Rider:
-Centurion Overlay
-Malice Overlay
-Secret Six Samurai Overlay
-Plunder Patroll Overlay
Magic:
-"Flowing Fluidity" (2 Uses Left)
Assassin/General Techniques:
-Silenced Pistol "Shinigami"
-Body Recalibration
-Trigger Void Burst
Combatants:
-You.
-Whoever you pick.
[ ] All-Out Offensive [Centurion/Plunder Patroll]
All in for this, Captain?
Aye, General.
-Use Plunder Patroll to give your opponent a dark weakness.
-Then, activate Trigger Void Burst.
-Farm Awakening. Deal numbers.
[ ] Maximum Wonderland [Malice/SSS]
>We never did get to show off our full power…
Perhaps we can help with that. -Hatsume
-Start in Malice form, and use as many debuffs as possible on the opponent.
-If it starts to get more aggressive/powerful, swap to SSS, use Ninpo Dash to give them Disadvantage, and then swap back.
-Then, finish them off with either one of your finishers!
[ ] An Elegant Solution [SSS]
I mean, it can't hit us if it can't see or touch us. Basic stuff, really. -Hatsume
-Start in Secret Six Samurai form.
-Activate Flowing Fluidity at the start of the fight, to increase your chances of not getting hit.
--And then use Ninpo Smoke Bomb on your opponent, just to be extra safe.
-After that, keep on throwing shuriken until it's dead! Alternatively, swap over to someone else who can deal good damage.
Or…
[ ] (Write-In)
-Try not to have your plan go over five sentences, please.
Plan Template:
[ ] Plan Anti-Anti-Magic
-[ ] Who do you want to fight?
-[ ] Rei's Actions
-[ ] (If you made a write-in for Rei, explain it here.)
Author's Note:
This chapter fought me, and then fought me, and then fought me again. The second scene with the Rei introduction is something I'm still shaky on, and I eventually got to a point where I realized that any more yapping would get boring for both you and me, so I deleted a whole chunk (the "Long Story Made Short" part is what remains). If you want more in-depth details on what the Archmages know, just check out their introductory sidestory here.
Happy voting heroes. And if you don't vote, please tell me what you loved about the chapter?
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this is....probably gonna be the only time in a while we're gonna use Atry willingly since the vault (plus a lot of archmages) is a pretty secure place for pesky umbra rivals to not see and connect the dots on our identity.
I'll come back in the morning to see the fight suggestions.
Note: I want sora just to see humagear fight outside of the flashbacks of Rei's Mentor. It'd be nice.
I'll come back in the morning to see the fight suggestions.
Note: I want sora just to see humagear fight outside of the flashbacks of Rei's Mentor. It'd be nice.
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Interrresting.
I like the archmages a lot. They all seem distinct, fleshed out, and are definitely characters I want to learn more about.
Impressed and delighted Rei did so well in the meeting! She's come so far from fumbling interactions at the anime store!
I really want to learn more about Yuki. Maybe we should fight her!
I like the archmages a lot. They all seem distinct, fleshed out, and are definitely characters I want to learn more about.
Impressed and delighted Rei did so well in the meeting! She's come so far from fumbling interactions at the anime store!
I really want to learn more about Yuki. Maybe we should fight her!
I really want to learn more about Yuki. Maybe we should fight her!
Much as I know Rei's gonna get ass kicked either way,
I rather not have an ass kicking all the way to next week thank you very much.
Kermie
Surprisingly Not A Frog
- Location
- Somewhere On The Planet
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
Oh thank god their personality came through holy fuck I thought that part I failed at
Remember!I really want to learn more about Yuki. Maybe we should fight her!
The goal isn't to win. You will not win. I have the sheets for all five of them and the chances of winning are slim to none. If Rei can rack up some style points and show her personality, that'll do just fine.
Kermie
Surprisingly Not A Frog
- Location
- Somewhere On The Planet
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
Also, was it a good move for me to summarize that meeting with "A Long Story Made Short"? Because that's 500 words I had to toss away. Granted, those 500 words made me as bored as watching Season 3 of I'm a Slime, So What, and also made me want to die in a hole, so maybe it's for the better.
Of course! picking the complete unknown and the no.2 though just sounds like it will be very irritating (on our side) to try to make style plans. Please no I'd like the humagear that reminds Rei of her mentor for both lore and less frustration lmao.
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I'm actually interested in fighting Bashira, because alchemy combat would be neat to see.
Sparring with Kirata feels nice to me but I also am really tempted to go for one of the hard mode fights.
I definitely enjoyed the formal introductions to the Archmages and basically this universe's Kamen Rider Ichigo.
I don't mind one way or another about summarizing something you felt too demotivated writing, more words to read is nice, but not if it's at the expense of feeling like pointless padding.
I definitely enjoyed the formal introductions to the Archmages and basically this universe's Kamen Rider Ichigo.
I don't mind one way or another about summarizing something you felt too demotivated writing, more words to read is nice, but not if it's at the expense of feeling like pointless padding.
- Location
- Philippines
- Pronouns
- He/Him
I'd pick Kira for this reason, and to help her become a Magical Girl.
Say, @Kermie , how much of a power gap would there be if she did compared to her fellow archmages, if there is any?
Kermie
Surprisingly Not A Frog
- Location
- Somewhere On The Planet
- Pronouns
- He/She/They
Yeah, you have a point. After a while, I realized that the actual scene both all of you and I were here for wasn't the meeting, but the intro. Weird how that worked out.