Puella Magi Megami Tensei

[TremendousMilk3]

[X] Plan "Your Best Nightmare"

You summon up your team for this fight, watching the group as they ready themselves for combat.

(INT ROLL: 9+8)

...No good, you can't figure out what they're saying from here. But it looks like there's about six guys altogether.

"Go?" Yurlungur asks, looking at the enemies.

"Fog Breath first, bud. Then, non-lethal only, okay?" You stress your intentions.

"...Fine." Yurlungur seems disappointed, but respects your orders.

(YURLUNGUR: FOG BREATH)
(ENEMY SPEED LOWERED!!)

Fog fills the area, and the idiots begin to panic.

"Shit, it's an ambush!" One shouts, waving his gun around wildly.

"She knows, she knows!" Another one screams out.

"Stay together!" A third one pipes up, "It's just a scare tactic!"

"You're up, Lorelei." You nod to her.

She giggles, and...

(LORELEI: LULLUBY: 19, 18, 10, 8, 6, 2)

...Begins singing? Her voice echoes through the fog, and--!

Four of them just drop suddenly!

The remaining two begin to panic even more! Perfect!

"Oni, would you kindly?" You ask him.

He grins widely, "You're the best."

Oni begins to lumber through the fog, and...!

(ONI ATTACKS: 14)

The man only has a split second to scream in terror before Oni's fist collides with him. Oni laughs, looking for the last man...

(ONI INT ROLL: 1)

He grimaces from above the fog, "Where did you get to...?"

(ENEMY ATTACKS: 19)
(ONI TAKES 12 DAMAGE!)

The man fires his pistol, hitting Oni in the shoulder! "Hah, how do you like that, you fucking--!"

(YURLUNGUR STR ROLL: 19+2)

Huh? Where did Yurlungur get off to--!

Instantly, Yurlungur coils around the man, slowly crushing him!

"Sleep." Yurlungur commands as he squeezes the life out of his enemy.

Eventually, the man stops moving. Yurlungur unceremoniously drops him on the ground.

...Damn.

[] ?????????????????????

 

[TremendousMilk3]

[X] Nudge him with your foot.

You...

...

You nod to Yurlungur, and poke your head back into your apartment. "Hey, Round One is here, but I took care of it--"

You realize something just a second later. You essentially just rammed your head into Raido's stomach, as he was coming out to check what happened.

He stumbles for a moment before recovering.

You wince, "Sorry...!"

"...I'm fine." He groans, "I heard the gunfire again. They're here?"

"Just the first few!" You clarify, trying to calm your uncle down, "But I took care of it!"

"...How?" Shoji asks, getting out of his chair and walking towards the door.

"The usual way." You shrug.

Raido, registering your words after a moment, blinks slowly, "What is "the usual way"?"

"All of them are down. Five unconscious, one maybe dead." You say quickly.

"Wait, someone's dead?!" Kohaku yelps, racing behind Shoji.

"It's not my fault!" You defend yourself, "Yurlungur did it!"

"Alive."

"You were commanding Yurlungur!" Shoji shoots back, peering over the railing.

"Alive."

"I don't command them!" You dispute, chasing after him, "I just--?!"

"Alive." Yurlungur repeats for the third time.

You each stare at each other.

"...Oh. Cool." You give Yurlungur a thumbs up, "You didn't kill him?"

"No." Yurlungur confirms, "Positive."

Raido sighs, "Well, let this be a lesson to all of you. Instruct your demons properly."

"Wh-- What did I do?!" Shoji shouts, "It was Yumi's rainbow worm who almost killed him!"

"I'm not punishing you!" Raido shoots back, "I was just saying that an important bit of information could be gleaned from--!"

"Okay, it's no one's fault!" Kohaku interrupts, "No one was hurt!"

You point to the referenced "almost dead guy", "That guy probably--?"

"Not helping." Kohaku puts a finger to your lips.

[] ?????????????????????????????

 

[TremendousMilk3]

[X] "In my defense, I was left unsupervised."

"In my defense," You begin, moving Kohaku's finger away from your face, "I did, in fact, tell my demons to go for non-lethal, Uncle! It was just hard to tell if he was still alive from up here."

"You didn't go down to check first?" Raido asks, confused.

Shoji shakes his head, "Be careful! We're dealing with demons, here!"

"Of course!" Lorelei replies coldly, "And apparently, we demons are quite deaf."

Kyoko snickers, "How's your foot taste, bud?"

"Anyhow." You interrupt, "We should probably get these idiots restrained and outta the way. Kyoko, Shoji, wanna help?"

"Sure, I guess." Shoji shrugs, "I'll look for--?"

"Dibs on their wallets!" Kyoko shouts, nearly barreling through Raido to get down the stairs.

"Wait! Before we start!" You call out, and Kyoko stops dead in her tracks, "Should we, like, document the scene first?"

"No, it's alright." Raido replies, walking down the stairs, "We're technically still in a shootout, so "evidence gathering" isn't top priority. Just get the current suspects out of the line of fire."

Kyoko nods, "Good enough for me." Then, she...

...

...Oh. Right. Chain spears. Magical Girl.

...She just did this not even a quarter of an hour ago, why are you surprised?

Unfortunately for the "suspects", Kyoko has decided to dangle them from the roof. Man, they're gonna freak when they wake up!

"We don't have much time, now." Raido walks over to the truck, "Let's get this place as secure as we can."

[] ?????????????????????????????

 

[TremendousMilk3]

[X] "At least there's no HOA!"

"...You know, I'm glad that most of my neighbors are at work right now." You tell everyone, "Because this would probably freak them out to no end."

"Understatement of the year, kid." Raido nods in agreement, "Now, most of the things I can think of to defend this area are either illegal, dangerous, and/or frowned upon heavily. So, I'm thinking we make some barricades to make entry a bit tougher."

"Well, we've got a truck!" Shoji points to the now abandoned truck, "We could use that to block the road!"

"I could go see if the Jack Bros. are selling caltrops!" Kohaku suggests, "Or are those too...?"

"That truck could give some good concealment, actually!" You suggest happily, "And if we dig a pit in the other side of it and cover the top with ice, we--"

"Right, right..." Raido thinks out loud, interrupting you, "But where are we going to get bamboo? And we'll need to sharpen it until it can--?"

"On second thought, let's just try going for black ice on the road." Shoji walks off, "Kohaku, did you say something about a store?"

"O-Oh! Yeah, it's right over here!" She guides Shoji over to Jack Bros. General Store, and they both enter.

You shrug, nudging your uncle, "Let's make some roadblocks, I guess...?"

(INT ROLL: 14+8)

...Are those...?

There are echoes of car engines roaring from somewhat close by...

...You might be out of time to prepare, but you still could probably get the jump on them!

You'll have to smooth things over between Lorelei and Shoji later! Right now...

[] ???????????????????????????????

 

[TremendousMilk3]

[X] The demon returns.

With a quick dash to an adjacent wall, you peek around the corner to see...

...Six trucks, with one being particularly...?

...Is that woman the Oracle? She's wearing a black cloak, with only her black hair visible. She's tall, though, and currently standing up in the bed of the truck. You suppose this is the main force, then...

It seems the others followed your lead, getting ready for combat. You genuinely hope that Kohaku and Shoji take their time shopping.

The trucks screech to a halt, and many cultists scramble out, their eyes immediately flocking to their dangling allies.

You've sent a message to them (even if you didn't mean to), and they've heard it loud and clear.

The woman in black steps forward, groaning in frustration, "Kohaku Hino!" She screeches, "There's nowhere to run, you little shit!"

You aren't close enough to slash any tires, but you get the feeling that they're not gonna run away. You'll need to be wary of bullet paths as well, as you don't want to get anyone--!

"Are you going to sit there with your thumbs up your asses?!" The Oracle barks, "Find her!"

(LORELEI: LULLABY: 19)

Lorelei springs into action, singing her song and...!

Pretty much all of their forces fell asleep, save for the Oracle herself! Man, you bet the look on her face is priceless!

"...Of course, I don't know why I bothered bringing these fools." She sneers, kicking one of the men who fell asleep, "Looks like it's just you and me, bitch! Or are you too much of a coward to face me?!"

She's obviously goading you...

(INT ROLL: 19+8)

...But you don't fall for it.

"I'll give you one chance!" The Oracle sneers, raising her arms, "Give the girl to me, and I'll let you live! Don't... And this whole city block's going up in smoke!"

[] ???????????????????????

 

[TremendousMilk3]

[X] Plan Human of Demonic Origin

You take a deep breath...

(YUMI: CHARGE)
(NEXT PHYSICAL ATTACK DEALS DOUBLE DAMAGE!!)

...And nod to Yurlungur.

(YURLUNGUR: FOG BREATH)
(ENEMY SPEED REDUCED!!)

The fog spreads, causing the Oracle to look around.

"What the...?" The Oracle growls, "Relying on cheap tricks?!"

(AGL CHECK: 20+8)

Without a sound, you manage to get just behind her. You might not have even needed the fog...!

The Oracle produces something from her cloak...

(ORACLE: DEKUNDA GEM)

...And dispells the fog around her, coming face to face with your demons.

She snarls, about to say something nasty...

"Coward?" You repeat from behind her, "That's rich, coming from you."

The Oracle spins on a heel--

(YUMI ATTACKS: BLINDING SLASH: 19+4)
VS.
(ORACLE ATTACKS: ZIODYNE: 1)

(POTENTIAL FUSION: ZANDYNE: 5)

But she's not nearly fast enough!

(DMG ROLL: (3+21+12+2)+(10+56))
(TRIGGER BONUS: 1.4!!!!)
(TOTAL: 320)

You grin as you pull the trigger, Dawn flying out to meet your hand. Then, you strike!

She stumbles backwards, landing on her back. "You...!" Her hood falls, revealing unkempt black hair and vengeful red eyes, "...Kuzunoha...!" She roars in hatred.

Even though the concrete below her is covered in blood, you don't think she's anywhere close to death.

[] ?????????????????????

 

[TremendousMilk3]

[X] Plan I didn't know you were like that fr

You sigh, twirling Dawn in your hand, "Figures that you'd know Uncle. I'm sure he'd love to talk to you once we finish up."

Before she reacts, you quickly change your party up. Oni and Lorelei disappear, and Devil Dog and Black Frost take their place.

"Let's tear her apart, Hee-Ho!" Black Frost snarls, claws at the ready.

"Fat fucking chance!" The Oracle screams as--!

(ORACLE ATTACKS: MAZIODYNE: 16, 20, 1, 10)
VS:
(DAWN DEX SAVE: 20+4)

One heartbeat.

Lightning is falling upon you and your allies.

The same heartbeat.

Your hand moves on its own.

The heartbeat finishes.

Thunder echoes through the area, and there's a huge scorch mark beside you.

Everyone else besides Yurlungur dodges.

(YURLUNGUR TAKES 137 DAMAGE DESPITE ITS RESISTANCE.)

"Master, that was too close!" Dawn sounds out of breath, "You must pay more attention!"

Before you can even think to respond...

(BLACK FROST: TARUKAJA)
(PARTY ATK UP!)

...The fight goes on.

Yurlungur, still reeling from the Oracle's attack, manages to stick to the plan.

(YURLUNGUR: FOG BREATH)
(ENEMY SPEED REDUCED!!)

The Oracle snarls, preparing--!

"Yo, boss!" You hear a voice call from the fog, "Catch!" Something flies out of the fog, and the Oracle claims--

(DEVIL DOG: ACID BREATH)
(ENEMY DEF REDUCED!!)

The grenade explodes in her hand, spraying teargas everywhere!

"Gets me every time!" Devil Dog howls with laughter, "Dumbass...!"

Now, it's your turn. You ready Dawn...

(YUMI ATTACKS: THUNDER SLASH: 16+4)
(POTENTIAL FUSION: ZANDYNE: 19)
OOC: You know what? 16+4 is 20, so I'm gonna count this as successful (despite my better judgement). Here we go.

...And strike...?

Lightning isn't the only magic that surrounds Dawn's blade. The very air twirls and twists around it.

You strike.

(FUSION ATTACK: SUPERCELL BLADE)
(DMG ROLL: (18+112)+(10+21+12+3))
(TOTAL: 330)

Your attack connects with devastating results, flinging the Oracle back into the outside wall of the apartment. She quickly recovers, glaring at you with hatred in her eyes.

"I'll kill you...! I'll kill you!" She begins to ready another spell--

The door to Jack Bros. opens, and Shoji and Kohaku quickly exit. The Oracle and Kohaku lock eyes for a single, heart stopping moment.

"Mom...?!" Kohaku mutters in complete disbelief.

The Oracle takes aim at your friends.

[] ?????????????????????????????????????

 

[TremendousMilk3]

[X] Plan Reunions Later, Fight Now!

You almost Zandyne Jump, but with your impressive Agility, there's simply no need. You can't close the gap to the Oracle, but you can do something else.

You rush in front of Kohaku and Shoji, and try to block the Oracle's attack.

You cringe, bracing for the impact...!

(ORACLE ATTACKS: MUDODYNE: 18)
(YUMI TAKES 138...?)

...

...

...The impact never comes. You open your eyes, looking around at your friends. "Did she... Did she miss?" You ask hesitantly, performing a quick visual inspection on your friends.

Kohaku looks... Shocked, to put it lightly. She doesn't move, let alone breathe as her wide eyes look you over.

Shoji is nearly slack jawed, pure confusion painting his face. He is trying to speak, but no words are coming out.

You turn to the Oracle, who is...?

She takes a step away from you, anger and fear in her eyes. "H-How? How?! What kind of human are you?!"

(YUMI RECOVERED 138 HP!)
(ALREADY AT MAX HP: CONVERTED TO MAGATSUHI.)

You feel...

[] Write in your current emotional state.

"What are you?" The Oracle demands, picking up a knife from one of her sleeping comrades, "What are you?!"

"What... Am I?" You repeat, mulling over the words in your mind. What are you...?

[] "I am a protector of the innocent."
[] "I am the end of this charade."
[] "I am the Demon of Akami Springs. And I have returned."
[] Write in.

OOC: The full plan isn't going to be set in motion this update. The Oracle may do something drastic.

 

[TremendousMilk3]

[X] You feel relieved that your friends aren't hurt, and also a bit confused about how you aren't hurt

Confused relief. That's the only way you can think to describe it, you're extremely relieved, but also...

...How are you alright?

PRESENT...

[X] "I'm Kohaku's friend."

"I'm Kohaku's friend." You stand a little taller after saying that, "Do I need to be anything else?"

"What's wrong with covering your squad, huh?" Devil Dog draws closer, "Don't tell me you would just dip on your own?"

"Coward?" Yurlungur asks, staring at the Oracle, "You."

"Aww, gonna cry?" Black Frost laughs, "Let m-hee get a cup for your tears, ho!"

(??? [D20]: 12)

Suddenly, the Oracle stops dead in her tracks, and wretches. "Wha-- gurk...!"

Blood splatters onto the ground, falling from her open mouth.

"Aww, how disappointing...!" A voice comes from the Oracle, "Well, that's that! Good try, but I guess I'll have to get my Magatsuhi another way."

"N-No...!" The Oracle pleads before vomiting more blood, "No, I'm so--!!"

You take a step back out of reflex once you see the chest and stomach contorting and shifting. It looks like something's about to--

The Oracle bursts into a shower of blood and gore, and standing in her place...

...Is an incredibly powerful demon.

"Mmm... Let me just..." The demon woman raises one of her silver arms, and begins...?

(INT ROLL: 13+8)

...She's draining the Magatsuhi out of the cultists, all of it coalescing around her in a blinding red glow. When you can finally open your eyes again, you...

"What's with the slacked jaws, little pests?" The demon asks in a sultry voice, "They'd pledged their lives to her cause, so they've pledged their lives to me, too! They should be honored to become one with such a beautiful demon like me!"

Shoji looks to one of the cultists, then back at the demon, "He's dead...!"

"How observant." She taunts, "I suppose you're a scholar?"

"You... You killed her...!" Kohaku stares in disbelief.

"What, the woman?" The demon laughs into her hand, "She was a fool who couldn't properly use my power! I simply took it back! And besides, why should I care about one mortal life? Or any, for that matter?"

You're currently surrounding the demon with your own, but...

...You feel, in the pit of your stomach, that you're biting off more than you can chew.

"I am Lilith, young summoner." Lilith smiles at you, a snake perched on her shoulders, "And you will not stand in my way."

[] ??????????????????????????????

 

[TremendousMilk3]

[X] Plan Snake Skinning

You grip Dawn's hilt as tightly as you can, glaring at Lilith. Magatsuhi still flows through the air, but not to her.

"You'll pay for that." You snarl, pointing your sword at the demon, slipping back into habits both old and new.

"And who, pray tell, will make me?" Lilith sneers, "You? With that little toothpick?"

"Yeah." You grin, "Watch me."

(YUMI: CHARGE)
(NEXT PHYSICAL ATTACK DEALS DOUBLE DAMAGE!)

Power swirls around you like a waterspout. Then, the rest of your team launches into action.

(DEVIL DOG: ACID BREATH)
(BLACK FROST: TARUKAJA)
(YURLUNGUR: FOG BREATH)

Lilith smiles patronizingly, and snaps her fingers.

(LILITH: SILENT PRAYER)
(ALL STAT CHANGES NULLIFIED.)

She clicks her tongue, shaking her head, "No tricks, human. Just you and I, dancing on the edge of death. Won't you let me--?"

(DEVIL DOG IGNORES YOUR ORDERS.)
(DEVIL DOG ATTACKS: SHOOTING SPREE: 12, 9, 20)
(DMG ROLL: (6+6+44), (7+6+44))
(WEAKPOINT DISCOVERED: RANGED!)
(TOTAL: 383)

A stream of uninterrupted gunfire nearly deafens you as Devil Dog dumps his magazine into Lilith.

"Do you ever shut the fuck up?!" Devil Dog shouts.

"You dare strike me?!" Lilith roars in defiance, "I am the great--?!"

"You ain't shit!" He cuts her off, "If I wanted a fling with you, I'd just go to the fucking street corner!"

(NOTE: ALL OF DEVIL DOG'S ATTACKS COME WITH A FREE CHANCE AT PROVOCATION!)
(LILITH INT ROLL: 11+5)
VS
(DD CHR ROLL: 20)
OOC: oh.

"Holy shit...!" You mutter under your breath.

"For that, I shall have your head." Lilith takes aim at him.

(LILITH ATTACKS: MUDODYNE: 4)

Devil Dog rolls out of the way at the last second, cackling madly. It seems Lilith will be aiming at him for the time being...

...You may need to adjust your strategy.

[] ?????????????????????????????