[X] Blitz through the Barrier. Don't waste time on familiars needlessly--just try to find the Witch, and kill whatever you run across.
Running in fast to catch the Witch by surprise is probably for the best, as Stealth has a chance to fail and can easily get us trapped if we don't notice. Also, this is the most Kyoko thing of all, being that when first introduced in canon Kyoko was all about farming Familiars. My thoughts are, when farming, she probably just blitzed into the center of the labyrinths as quickly as possible to kill the Witch as efficiently as possible, not wasting Familiars she doesn't need to so they can feed and become Witches...and over time that just became her fighting style. And even if Memento!Kyoko is better on the farming Familiars part, a month isn't very long to rework her fighting style to something that can take out every Familiar in a barrier on top of the Witch with minimal Grief accumulation.
There's also that I don't think even Mami went out of her way to kill every Familiar in a barrier and went straight for the Witch, as Familiars in their parent Witch's labyrinth die with said Witch anyway. Or so the anime seemed to suggest. Thus killing the Witch as fast as possible minimizes the chances of Familiars breaking off and becoming their own Witches.
Sorry for the double post here, but I wanted to try this before I ended up forgetting about it. And it has been several days to almost a week since my above post.
The Akemi Homura that is the main character of this quest has not yet experimented with attempts to bring others into her loops by having physical contact with them when she resets time, similar to how she brings others into Time Stop.
Sorry for the double post here, but I wanted to try this before I ended up forgetting about it. And it has been several days to almost a week since my above post.
The Akemi Homura that is the main character of this quest has not yet experimented with attempts to bring others into her loops by having physical contact with them when she resets time, similar to how she brings others into Time Stop.
The Akemi Homura that is a main character of this quest HAS experimented with attempts to bring others into her loops by having physical contact with them when she resets time, similar to how she brings others into Time Stop. The attempts failed.
Edit: Changed "the" to "a" main character for clarity.
Of course she would try something. More people looping means more view points to reference and more options to change the past effectively. Although... I wonder if she did this willy nilly or aimed for those she had made bonds with...
Side note, have we effected a full reconciliation between Mami and Present!Kyoko yet? If not, that might be Memento!Mami's condition for recovery. Or at least part of it.
[X] Blitz through the Barrier. Don't waste time on familiars needlessly--just try to find the Witch, and kill whatever you run across.
There's no point in waiting around and playing games. This Witch is nothing I can't handle, and those familiars are far too easy to recreate. If it I hit it hard and fast, tear them apart before the Witch can prepare, and find the main body, then this will be a clean sweep.
Bracing myself I count to three, watching closely for any signs of familiar activity, and burst through the door spears springing into existence around me as I jolt out into the entry hall and sprint up the stairs.
Immediately, I hear half a dozen crashes from behind me--a quick glance over my shoulder reveals a horde of robots surging from open doors on the ground floor. They're wrong, as Witches and Familiars tend to be--their proportions, colors, and geometries off--but they're definitely robots. Distrubingly human-looking ones, at that. Each one is around five and a half feet tall and made of polished grey steel. They're feminine in shape, the metal smoothly curved, and sport carved smiles on sculpted faces. Blond, red, and brown hair hang wig-like from their heads, and their eyes change constantly between various ghastly, unnatural shades.
Their clothes are...not exactly tasteful. Dad would have lectured them for hours if they wore something like that into his church. On each and every one, however, there's text clearly printed on whatever they're wearing: "SU-5A::[N]" A different number follows this designation on a second line for each one of them. Susan, huh?
'Is that really important, right now?' Homura asks, as I turn and run, uninterested in fighting them all off as I search for anything out of the ordinary--the doors lining the halls of the upper floor seem identical, so far. The entire place looks like something out of the a fifties Hollywood movie. She was probably human back then.
'Witches are people too, Homura. If I'm going to--' My thoughts cut off as two Susans burst from doors ahead of me and rush forward, arms outstretched--closer now, I can see that they're simple, clamp-like grips. The kind of "hands" you'd see on a robot in the old cartoons. Somehow, I don't think getting grabbed would be good for me, though.
Before they can get close, I launch two of my spears at them, aimed for their heads. They don't even try to dodge--the spears knock them back a bit, but don't pierce their metal bodies. Pretty tough, then.
Not tough enough, though. I enchant the spear in my grasp, setting it gleaming with ruddy light, and rapidly thrust it into the head of one Susan, sending it crashing to the ground, headless. The other lashes out immediately, but it's on the slow side--I easily sidestep out of reach, and finish it off with another thrust.
'--protect everyone else, then the least I can do is learn about and remember these girls.'
All I get from Homura is a a sigh, but there's a tint of fondness to it which tells me she's not going to argue.
Up ahead, I spot a large, metal door, which looks completely out of place. It's like something out of a scifi flick--a massive metal slab with no handle. There's a camera on top, watching me.
'Huh. Maybe...' I use an illusion, disguising myself as one of the Susans, and the door slides open. I sprint through, and find myself in a long tunnel, made of--
'It's an airplane boarding tube. Stop studying it and start running.'
I rush down the hall--behind me, I can hear the clangorous footsteps of the Susans.
At the far end, there's another, identical door. It swings open as I approach, still disguised, and I throw up a Chain Barrier behind me, to stall the Susans.
The room inside is tremendously vast. The scifi theme seems to be sticking--it reminds me of pictures I've seen of the Americans' space capsules. The ones they used to reach the moon, I think.
If they were the size of a football stadium, at least...or if I were the size of a mouse.
There's a massive chair in the center of the space, and a towering statue of a man sits upon it, staring into a telescope which points up towards the large, trapezoidal window. Outside the window, I can see the moon hanging in distance, filling most of the night sky. Craters mark its surface, and it glows luminously, seeming to draw my gaze against my will.
Forcing my attention away from the moon, I notice a telephone fly by. It's the old, wire-locked type, but flies around freely in its cradle. The probable familiar seems oblivious to me, but I won't bet on that lasting.
"MRRROOOOOOOOOOOW!!! MROW! MROOOW!" "Papa. Why won't you look at me, Papa?!"
The room-shakingly loud, but instantly familiar sound draws my attention towards the statue--more particularly, it draws my attention to its feet, and the massive cat that is circling about them, pressing against the statue's legs. It seems more-or-less like a normal cat, albeit huge, except for a single, key difference--a satellite dish is wrapped around its neck like one of those cones vets put on animals after surgery.
"MRRROOOOOOOW!!!""PAPA!!!"
As I look at it, I hear a sudden ringing sound, and whip my head around towards one of the phones. It's off the hook, and ringing wildly, but doesn't seem actually aggressive yet. Staring at it, I consider my options. The cat is almost certainly the Witch, but that doesn't mean it's the only thing to deal with here. The phones, and the moon, and the statue, and everything else in the room could be important, and potentially dangerous. They're certainly distracting enough.
Summons corporeal clones of Kyouko to fight alongside her. They substantially weaker than Kyouko, are not able to use magic, and are fade away if significantly injured, but possess her own combat skills and can operate independently within reason.
Illusion (Variable)
Creates an illusion of some sort. Can be visible to anyone, or targeted. Small, simple visual illusions can cost as little as 1 EE per ten minutes. Very large or complicated illusions that target multiple senses can be as much as 200 EE per ten minutes.
Compel (100 EE/Day) [Locked by Kyouko]
The target is compelled to carry out an action or pursue an objective chosen by Kyouko. Objective or action may be changed at no cost. Only those with a stronger Ego than Kyouko can resist this.
Fire an energy ray from your Spear.
Instant Attack
100% Accuracy.
150 Power.
Very Low Damage.
Fairly easy to alter, with a little work.
Cost: 20 EE/Second, Rounded Up
Fires an energy ray from your spear.
Instant Attack
100% Accuracy
300 Power
Low Damage
Ignites target on contact.
Cost: 50 EE/Second; Rounded Up
Gloria Rosso (50 EE/30 minutes)
+100 Durability and Power. Increase Damage by one stage.
Remote Manipulation (Cost: 5 EE/minute)
Cannot be used to control complex systems, such as vehicles.
Requires conscious effort for every action.
Homing Spear (3 EE/spear)
Sets a spear to hunt a currently visible target for 15 seconds, without direct control.
Flaming Spear (5 EE/spear)
Cloaks a spear in fire to burn targets, among other things. Can be held safely.
Conjure Chain (1 EE/meter)
Durability 100
Conjure Chain Barrier (10 EE/square meter)
Durability 150
Conjure Spear (10 EE)
Durability 300
Conjure Giant Spear (100 EE)
Durability 500
Doubles Damage and Power of Magic Lance when used as a focus.
Summons corporeal clones of Kyouko to fight alongside her. They substantially weaker than Kyouko, are not able to use magic, and are fade away if significantly injured, but possess her own combat skills and can operate independently within reason.
Illusion (Variable)
Creates an illusion of some sort. Can be visible to anyone, or targeted. Small, simple visual illusions can cost as little as 1 EE per ten minutes. Very large or complicated illusions that target multiple senses can be as much as 200 EE per ten minutes.
Compel (100 EE/Day) [Locked by Kyouko]
The target is compelled to carry out an action or pursue an objective chosen by Kyouko. Objective or action may be changed at no cost. Only those with a stronger Ego than Kyouko can resist this.
Magic Lance
Fire an energy ray from your Spear.
Instant Attack
100% Accuracy.
150 Power.
Very Low Damage.
Fairly easy to alter, with a little work.
Cost: 20 EE/Second, Rounded Up
Magic Lance Variant: Lancia Rosso
Fires an energy ray from your spear.
Instant Attack
100% Accuracy
300 Power
Low Damage
Ignites target on contact.
Cost: 50 EE/Second; Rounded Up
Enchantment:
Gloria Rosso (50 EE/30 minutes)
+100 Durability and Power. Increase Damage by one stage.
Remote Manipulation (Cost: 5 EE/minute)
Cannot be used to control complex systems, such as vehicles.
Requires conscious effort for every action.
Homing Spear (3 EE/spear)
Sets a spear to hunt a currently visible target for 15 seconds, without direct control.
Flaming Spear (5 EE/spear)
Cloaks a spear in fire to burn targets, among other things. Can be held safely.
Conjuration:
Conjure Chain (1 EE/meter)
Durability 100
Conjure Chain Barrier (10 EE/square meter)
Durability 150
Conjure Spear (10 EE)
Durability 300
Conjure Giant Spear (100 EE)
Durability 500
Doubles Damage and Power of Magic Lance when used as a focus.
Weapons:
Durability: 500
Maximum Number: 1
Attack Types:
Stab: Effective Power = Power * 1.2, Standard Damage
Armor:
Durability: 50
Special Abilities
Multiplies Speed and Strength by 10
Accessories:
Durability: 15
Special Abilities
Contains your Soul
[ ] Just stare at the moon for a while. [ ] Answer the phone. It's important. [ ] You should probably go deal with the Susans instead. [ ] Focus on the Cat.
-[ ] Write-In Actions
[ ] Write-In
[X] Focus on the Cat
-[X] Use illusions to hit it in its blind spot (if it has one) and to keep it guessing on where you are and where the hurt is coming from. And make sure you know what's going on around you so you're not blind-sided by familiars or traps yourself.
HORA HORA!
KEEP YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME KYOUKO!
Edit: snap need to actually write in an idea... uuuuh...
Edit 2: stealing the subvote I liked. Thanks Spi.Guyver
I..don't really have a write in for what to do with the cat, unfortunately. Since it appears to be the Witch it makes the most sense to attack it and mostly ignore everything else. Mostly because we don't want to lose track of our surroundings and end up being blind-sided by whatever other defenses the Witch may have. And I don't have the best handle on Kyoko's way of fighting or what this Witch may be like. So....yeah...
Actually, just thought up a general overflow I can use as the write-in...maybe...
[X] Focus on the Cat
-[X] Use illusions to hit it in its blind spot (if it has one) and to keep it guessing on where you are and where the hurt is coming from. And make sure you know what's going on around you so you're not blind-sided by familiars or traps yourself.
[X] Focus on the Cat
-[X] Use illusions to hit it in its blind spot (if it has one) and to keep it guessing on where you are and where the hurt is coming from. And make sure you know what's going on around you so you're not blind-sided by familiars or traps yourself.
The distractions feel like a trap.
So let's not fall into them.
She glances over her shoulder at me, head craning back grotesquely, "Hey, Homura. You know, I don't know why it took me so long to realize." She seems oblivious to the blood staining her magical girl outfit. An unholy tableau of corpses tells the tale of her violence. Three dozen, all marked with gang sigildry, and all armed with knives and clubs. They lie in shreds, chunks, and pieces across the warehouse floor.
In the center she stands; that sword--the one she told us was just costuming, just a prop--is drenched in deep crimson fluid. Viscera and offal litter her blue-and-white blouse still, and I wonder how she managed to become so covered. Did she simply cut them so violently, or did she play with them before she killed them? Did she butcher these corpses while they were alive, or after they were already dead?
"You're a mess."
She blinks in surprise, looking down at her hands and finding them bloody before smiling, "Heh, I am, huh? Well, it was dirty work, you know? I'll clean up once I'm done, don't worry. Cops won't ever figure it out."
I keep my hands at my sides, not reaching for my gun yet. Even if she's gone mad, she's my friend, and I don't intend to give up on her that easily. I approach slowly, careful not to move suddenly, "That's good, then, but...why? Why go this far?"
She sighs, palming her face, "...You can stop being all guarded, Homura. I'm fine. Mostly, at least. Just...done with them, I guess. A bit of shock, maybe."
I relax a little. Even if she's done this, it doesn't seem like she's lost it too far. She still recognizes me, at least. I sweep my hand out to indicate the dead thugs, "The gangs, you mean?"
She shrugs, "For a start. I mean, they're definitely not worth helping, but I'm sure there are other people, too. Don't you get it, Homura? Sometimes, when we help someone, they just don't get better. They don't change, no matter how many chances we give them. They can't become our friends. It's...it's not like the shows, you know? Magical girls...we can be magical girls, but we're definitely not going to be able to make everything okay by just helping people. We need to kill the monsters--the ones who are too far gone to be helped. This is Justice, Homura."
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up at the sheer calm in her voice. I thought she was on the brink of hysteria, but we can't lose control like humans can. We can't suffer Overload. Sayaka...she's not berserk. She's not snapped, at least not like I had half-hoped.
"You've decided to kill them, then? To stop helping people, and start killing them? Sayaka...that just ends with..."
She barks a laugh, "What, more suffering? More hatred? Please, Homura, that's not how it works. Sometimes, bloodshed is what it takes to end the suffering. I treated this bastard," She kicks the corpse at her feet in the head, "Last month. I thought he'd turn over a new leaf. He really seemed to regret his crimes, when we talked. He seemed to want to be better, but you know what?"
I shake my head.
"Kyousuke's fingers are broken."
A shiver goes down my spine at those words. There's only one reason she would bring up her boyfriend, or what happened to him, "I thought it was a car accident?"
She snorts, "Yeah, that's what I thought too. That's what he told me. Then I dug into it a bit. I thought maybe he could sue the driver, but, as it turns out, it wasn't a car at all." She crushes the thug's head under her heal, a loud cracking sounds echoing through the room, "It was this bastard. Kyousuke had a loan, to help him pay for his college classes. This bastard--!" She grinds her heel into the corpse's torn flesh, a squelching and snapping noises reaching my hears, "This bastard was his debt collector. When Kyousuke couldn't pay..."
She kneels down, and rips what's left of the thug's head from his shoulders, throwing it across the room, "He broke Kyousuke's dreams. I can't fix broken fingers, Homura, and Kyubey says the tools he needs will take years to arrive on Earth. I know he's trying to find another option, but it doesn't matter, Homura."
She casually stabs another corpse as she walks towards me, and I have to keep myself from backing up from her gore-drenched body, "The person I love was broken by these lowlifes. They refused to change, to be helped, and innocent people suffered for it. I'm not going to just leave them be anymore."
She sounds like Elsa Maria, but...Elsa was never this needlessly vicious. She looked, and judged, and did what she thought was necessary. We didn't all agree, but she was always very careful. This was...this looked indiscriminate.
"What about the rest? How bad were they? Were they really that far gone?"
She sighs, "Look, they worked for that sonuvabitch. Maybe they weren't all as bad as him, but they certainly helped him, and they weren't exactly broken up about it. They were here to plan something new, after all--all ready and willing to go hurt people. These kinds of humans really aren't worth it, Homura. I know Madoka doesn't agree, but...Madoka believes in everyone, even when she shouldn't. I think it's time we were a bit more realistic."
I'm tempted to shoot her, now. Madoka is the only reason we're friends. The only reason we're able to be as happy as we are.
Madoka wanted us to be heroes. Magical Girls. Not just Collectors.
I don't shoot her, though, because I know she's still the same person she always has been. This isn't entirely shocking.
I walk up and grab her shoulder roughly. She jerks back slightly, but doesn't make to attack me, "Hey, what gives?! Look, I don't give a fuck if you disagree, Homura. I'm not going to mess things up, and Madoka doesn't need to know about this. I just...someone needs to stop these monsters."
"They're people."
She shakes her head, glaring at me, "No! They're not! People think! People grow! People are good! These things...they're just monsters, no matter what they used to be."
I grimace, and pull her close, hugging her. The feeling of blood and offal under my fingers makes me want to vomit, but I refuse, holding my friend tight, "Maybe so, but that doesn't mean they can't become people again. If someone's willing to love them, and give them a chance. That's...that's what being a Magical Girl is all about, Sayaka. The First Rule. Never Give Up Hope."
She sighs, and hugs me back, "...I'll consider it. I don't think I'll change my mind, but...for you and Madoka, I'll think it over."
"Thank you. Now, let's get this cleaned up." I release her, and we face each other, blood staining both our outfits. It will take me hours to get the red out of my blouse, but I've got a couple of spares.
She smiles weakly at me, cringing a bit to look guilty, but I know she's faking it for my sake. Even if she changes her mind about her "justice," I'm sure she'll never regret this.
Still, how could I give up on her? She's my friend.
[X] Focus on the Cat
-[X] Use illusions to hit it in its blind spot (if it has one) and to keep it guessing on where you are and where the hurt is coming from. And make sure you know what's going on around you so you're not blind-sided by familiars or traps yourself.
[X] Focus on the Cat
-[X] Use illusions to fake the statue paying attention to it as you charge a powered strike/select the most effective area to attack
[X] Focus on the Cat
-[X] Use illusions to hit it in its blind spot (if it has one) and to keep it guessing on where you are and where the hurt is coming from. And make sure you know what's going on around you so you're not blind-sided by familiars or traps yourself.
