Renascence: A Homura Quest

ShadowAngelBeta · Dec 2, 2015

Crow said:
We should try the moeplomacy next time then.

We've already ruined our moe facade. Either we need to pull it off so well that even those who know us believe it (...) or we get Madoka to do it.

JarringToaster · Dec 2, 2015

Crow said:
We should try the moeplomacy next time then.

That failed in the 3rd Timeline.

ApocalypticFish · Dec 2, 2015

Actually, something just occurred to me.

It may not be situationally appropriate to bring this up, but...

Higure said:
Maybe next Halloween.

Hey, Higure. Do you remember this?

Edit: Not suggesting that it has to happen right now (if it happens at all), of course. It would probably be in-between the next update and the one after that.

Higure · Dec 3, 2015

It hasn't been forgotten...was supposed to release on Halloween night, but I wasn't really...yeah...

The Halloween special should be pretty soon.

That said...no update tonight.

Morpheus and Steam Sales are a devilish combination.

Higure · Dec 19, 2015

Higure said:
"...Mami, that's not the end of it. I wish it was."

She looks back at you, trembling, "...what? What else could..."

You take a deep breath, "Mami, I earlier mentioned that we are overwhelmed by Corruption if our Soul Gem becomes filled. Corruption is the essence of human suffering...Grief incarnate. As our Soul Gems grow darker, they are immersed in the stuff of nightmares...and we begin to despair. Cleansing reverses the process, allowing us to free ourselves from that Grief, but if we don't cleanse...we fall into the depths, and lose ourselves to a madness born of pure suffering. We turn inward, casting aside our fading humanity and cursing the cruel world with all of our might...at that point, we can no longer be called Magical Girls. Do you understand?"

Her eyes are shadowed as her head hangs limp. For a moment, there is no movement...then, she shakes her head. Again. Again. You can practically see the dots connecting in her head.

When she makes eye contact, it is not the gaze of a human being, but something...simpler, more primal. The essence of horror, written upon a canvass of human features.

"...no...nonononoNO....we...we...we're...IIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

The noise that rips from her throat isn't something that can be produced by the human body, and, for a moment, the world seems to quake around you...and then it stills.

She breaths, looking at you, "We're Witches...or, Witches are Magical Girls. Maybe we're not there yet, but someday...this is why you asked. I can choose us, or I can choose them...the humans. My friends, or the world. I understand."

Slowly, she stands, dragging herself to her feet. She pulls out a Grief Seed, cleansing wordlessly...blackness billows out, and her black gem loses all color.

She stares at it for a moment, before laughing, "HaHAhahahah! It's just decoration...just a lie, to hide what we really are! Look! Look at it! LOOK AT ME!"

She holds her Soul Gem out, and you and Kyouko lean forward hesitantly.

In the heart of her Soul Gem...a small metal cage. Not quite a Grief Seed...but far closer to one than a Soul Gem.

Mami lets go, and your hands instinctively snap out to catch her Soul.

Madness...madness, pure and all consuming, floods from it. Your vision blurs, and there's a hand on your shoulder.

"Stay strong, Homura."

Your beloved's voice gives you strength, and a will of iron clamps down, crushing the swirling insanity before it can consume you.

Mami collapses like a doll with her strings cut. You cradle her Soul, while Kyouko catches her body.

Eyes of flame meet your own, "She's...is she going to be okay, Ribbons?"

You shake your head, the sound of ratcheting clockwork accompanying the motion as you body shifts, "...not today. Not tomorrow. Maybe someday. For now...we can be there for her. I don't know how she'll be when she comes back...hopefully better than before, but..."

Tears drip from Kyouko's eyes, scorching the tiles of the bathroom floor.

...To be continued.

The door slams open, "Homura-chan! Don't panic, I'm here!"

You blink at the sight of Sayaka kicking the door open, Nanoha peaking from behind her shyly.

"Where's the Witch! I'll-!" Sayaka goes silent, blushing in embarrassment as she takes in your utterly unharmed state.

"...Sayaka?"

Nanoha pipes up to answer your unspoken question, "...she worked herself up worrying when you didn't come back quickly."

A weak chuckle slips from you, "Oh, Sayaka...I'm fine. Mami..."

You trail off, and Nanoha shoves by the blunette with a gasp, her tail flicking anxiously as she kneels to check on Mami, "What happened?"

"Shock. Trauma. It could be a lot worse."

Kyouko's eyes brim with sparks as she looks at you anxiously, almost disbelievingly, "...I know you said that some girls...but...it's Mami. Could it really have been worse? If you'd been gentler..."

You shake your head, "...someone would probably be dead or worse. Horrible as it may be, this allowed her more time to process...and a chance to confront herself before confronting the world. If we just keep her cleansed...she should be okay for now."

You turn to Nanoha, who is running some sort of scan using Raising Heart, "After you finish, and we get Mami home, we can pick up where we left off. There's a lot to discu-"

You go silent as Sayaka appears inches from your face, poking your forehead with a scowl, "...nope. You're messed up too, Homura-chan. Once we get Mami home, you're taking a break. Even the best sword will break if you don't take care of it...well, not necessarily, but...ah, you get the point. Business can wait until you can see straight." Her tricloptian gaze is piercing as she stares you down.

Nanoha glances up at you briefly, "I would like to hear the rest...but I can be patient for a little while longer, if you don't feel up to it."

[CENTER OF THE MIND]

--Calendar

Weapons Armor Accessories Abilities

Progressive Knife Shield of Love
- - Durability: 300
  - Maximum Number: 1
  - Attack Types:
    - Slash: Effective Power = Power * 1.2, Standard Damage
    - Stab: Effective Power = Power * 1.5, Moderate decrease in Damage
  - Special Ability:
    - Progressive: If contact is maintained with the target, the attack's effective Power increases by 10 for each second of sustained contact, assuming pressure is maintained, to a maximum of +100 Power
- - Durability: Infinite
  - Maximum Number: 1
  - Special Abilities
    - Focus for Shield of Protection
    - Focus for Time Stop
    - Required for Time Reversal
Magical Girl Outfit
- - Durability: 50
  - Special Abilties
    - Multiplies Speed and Strength by 10
Soul Gem
- Appearance
  - Durability: 15
  - Special Abilities
    - Contains your Soul
Time Stop Shield of Protection Magic Blast Enchantment Bargaining
- - Cost:
    - 1 EE/Second; Rounded Up
    - 10 Sanity/30 Minutes; Rounded Down; Totaled Daily
- - Negates a single attack entirely.
  - Cost
    - X EE
    - X is equal to the Power of the attack negated.
- - Fire an energy blast from your Shield.
    - Instant Attack
    - 100% Accuracy
    - 100 Power
    - Low Damage
  - Cost
    - 20 EE/Second; Rounded Up
  - Fairly easy to alter, with a little work.
- - Adds to or alters the abilities of an object. Different effect have different costs, and must be discovered and studied in order to determine what works and what doesn't. As always, proximity to your natural magical talents lowers Cost and Difficulty.
  - The costs listed below are the costs to enchant a handheld item. Vehicles cost 5 times this amount to enchant, and larger objects (buildings, warships, etc.) cost 5 times as much as a vehicle (25x the listed cost). All Enchantment Costs are rounded up.
    - Automation: The object or device will act on its own according to your will. (Cost: 5 EE/Hour)
    - Increase Power (1 EE/Power point. Max 20.)
    - Increase Speed (10 EE to double speed. Max 4x Speed.)
    - Increase Durability (1 EE/Durability point. Max 20.)
    - Increase Damage (30 EE to increase Damage scale by 1 step. Max 1.)
    - Enhance Other Ability: Examples include allowing plane to fly freely in hurricane, improving the sight enhancement from glasses, and making medicine more effective. Extremely exotic effects may be achieved through study, experimentation, and practice.(Cost: Varies).
    - Grant Supernatural Ability: Allow an object to do something that it normally can't. The stronger the relationship between the object and the effect, the lower the Cost and Difficulty will be (Homing Bullets and Auto Reload are relatively cheap. A Homing Cello, on the other hand...)
      
      Homing Projectiles (1 EE/Projectile)
      
      Auto Reload (5 EE)
- - Use Magic to distort the past slightly, averting a single disaster before it occurred. Very powerful, but has limits.
  - Cost
    - 500 Sanity
    - 500 EE

Mobile Version

[CENTER OF THE MIND]

Time: 6:45:13 PM
Grief: 795/1000
Sanity: 113/1000
Stability Multiplier: 0.83

Calendar

Active Effects:
[Enchantment: Increase Heart Performance. Cost: 5 Grief/Hour]

Time Stop:

Cost:
- 1 EE/Second; Rounded Up
- 10 Sanity/30 Minutes; Rounded Down; Totaled Daily

Shield of Protection:

Negates a single attack entirely.
Cost
- X EE
- X is equal to the Power of the attack negated.

Magic Blast:

Fire an energy blast from your Shield.
- Instant Attack
- 100% Accuracy
- 100 Power
- Low Damage
Cost
- 20 EE/Second; Rounded Up
Fairly easy to alter, with a little work.

Enchant:

Adds to or alters the abilities of an object. Different effect have different costs, and must be discovered and studied in order to determine what works and what doesn't. As always, proximity to your natural magical talents lowers Cost and Difficulty.
The costs listed below are the costs to enchant a handheld item. Vehicles cost 5 times this amount to enchant, and larger objects (buildings, warships, etc.) cost 5 times as much as a vehicle (25x the listed cost). All Enchantment Costs are rounded up.
- Automation: The object or device will act on its own according to your will. (Cost: 5 EE/Hour)
- Increase Power (1 EE/Power point. Max 20.)
- Increase Speed (10 EE to double speed. Max 4x Speed.)
- Increase Durability (1 EE/Durability point. Max 20.)
- Increase Damage (30 EE to increase Damage scale by 1 step. Max 1.)
- Enhance Other Ability: Examples include allowing plane to fly freely in hurricane, improving the sight enhancement from glasses, and making medicine more effective. Extremely exotic effects may be achieved through study, experimentation, and practice.(Cost: Varies).
- Grant Supernatural Ability: Allow an object to do something that it normally can't. The stronger the relationship between the object and the effect, the lower the Cost and Difficulty will be (Homing Bullets and Auto Reload are relatively cheap. A Homing Cello, on the other hand...)
  - Homing Projectiles (1 EE/Projectile)
  - Auto Reload (5 EE)

Bargaining:

Use Magic to distort the past slightly, averting a single disaster before it occurred. Very powerful, but has limits.
Cost
- 500 Sanity
- 500 EE

Weapons:

Durability: 300
Maximum Number: 1
Attack Types:
- Slash: Effective Power = Power * 1.2, Standard Damage
- Stab: Effective Power = Power * 1.5, Moderate decrease in Damage
Special Ability:
- Progressive: If contact is maintained with the target, the attack's effective Power increases by 10 for each second of sustained contact, assuming pressure is maintained, to a maximum of +100 Power

Durability: Infinite
Maximum Number: 1
Special Abilities
- Focus for Shield of Protection}
- Focus for Time Stop
- Required for Time Reversal

Armor:

Durability: 50
Special Abilties
- Multiplies Speed and Strength by 10

Accessories:

Durability: 15
Special Abilities
- Contains your Soul

[]Go Home
[]Go to Mami's

[]Rest
[]Continue Discussion

Kinematics · Dec 19, 2015

I come in after a few hours without internet, hit refresh, and as if by magic, more Renascence posted just a few seconds ago!

Anyway.. Mami took that better than I expected. Don't tell Kyouko that.

Also, we must keep Sayaka. Sayaka has earned the "I'm taking care of you whether you like it or not!" badge. She recognized the "Purple elf needs rest badly!" without any hesitation. She's too precious to lose.

Go home, grab a tub of ice cream, and cuddle with Sayaka. Tell her to take a day off from school. And Kyouko can do the same for Mami. We're at the "seriously twitching" phase — 113 sanity.

UbeOne · Dec 19, 2015

Are we still going insane? We're seeing Oktavia and Ophelia...

Ompa60 · Dec 19, 2015

I dunno, it might be a decent idea to just drop the bombs on them right now. We don't need to be as delicate about it since Mami is out of the picture (temporarily, hopefully). It'd give Sayaka and Nanoha some time to mull it over before we talk again. Plus, our Soul Gem is in a perfect state to demonstrate cleansing!

LightMage · Dec 19, 2015

[X]Go to Mami's

[X]Rest
-[X] "... sigh, it probably would be for the best to rest and continue tomorrow."

We also seem to be nearing the bit where we need to be cleansed.

Need to up our Sanity some guys. Man wow 113/1000 we near the edge!

TriggerBlaze345 · Dec 19, 2015