A magical girl can stand for all sorts of things, but in this genre, a boy with powers can only be one of two things: a mysterious protector or a ruthless villain. You are a villain. But take heart, young man—this isn't the end of your tale.
Yes, you're destined to do battle with the forces of love and goodness, and you may perish in the attempt. But this genre is an unpredictable one, full of twists and unexpectedly dark moments, and even the cruelest villain has his reasons. If you play your cards right, you could come out on top, achieve your goals despite the magical girls' best efforts, or even earn your very own redemption arc.
So what are you waiting for? Get out there! Try to take over the world, gather an army of monsters, or pursue a self-destructive goal at any cost! Haven't you ever heard that it's the villain who makes the story?
Malign inspiration and procrastination on a university assignment have given birth to this omake. And whilst I'm here,
[X] PLANET EARTH IS AWESOME, ACTUALLY
----- Cultural Research -----
You stand, face to face, on a rooftop; you and the girl in yellow. "Please," she begs, tears streaming down her face, "It doesn't have to be like this! You're a good person, I know it! We can find another way! I don't want to have to fight you, so please, just stand down!"
You grin, ruefully. "For what it's worth, I wish it didn't have to end this way either." You're surprised to find that for once, you're being absolutely truthful. "For a human, you're shockingly pleasant to be around. If we weren't on opposite sides, I really do think we could have been friends." A sigh. "Ah, well. No use wasting time on might-have-beens. I think we both knew from the beginning that this was only going to end one way."
Her eyes harden, and she brings her weapon to bear. "Fine, then. If you aren't going to listen to reason, then we've nothing else to say. On your guard!"
The end credits begin to play.
You are Zaiyu Es Talis, and you are currently bawling your eyes out over what you will be calling "cultural research" if Shayin asks. You have been communicating with Kyoko over the "Line" application that she told you to get, and she recommended several pieces of fiction of a medium called "anime" for you to watch. In the spirit of learning more about humanity you agreed, and, well... You might perhaps maybe be a little bit addicted. Sue you, you're a thaumaforge prodigy with quite possibly the most demanding mentor in the entire fleet, you didn't have time for fiction when you were younger! Still, you've been sat mostly still for an unprecedented twelve hours, and you should probably stop crying into Sasori's fur. The poor boy fell asleep four or five episodes ago, but you just can't stop watching! It's so compelling, the romance, the tragedy, the outfits! You have fallen in love. You want to know what happens next. Just one more episode, and then you'll report to Shayin. Just one more.
Had an idea how things could be resolved without genocide. Ended up expanding somewhat. Framed it in the context of a hypothetical Magical Girl show.
Throughout the show, the Power of Friendship (And other such Magical Girl classics) is shown to be no guarantee of victory, and likewise your willpower by itself can only get you so far, no matter how immense it is. Simply running in and expecting to save the day because you care about people and they care about you is a recipe for disaster. It helps, but it only does so much, and against actually dangerous enemies you are almost certainly going to get your ass kicked, and even against lesser enemies you can get unlucky. You have to train, to prepare, to fight smart (In addition to the Magical Girl classics of teamwork and determination). And even then, you may not have a guarantee of winning. Sometimes you may even have less chance to win than to lose. And sometimes you may have no chance at all.
Then, final episode (Or episodes), things are looking bleak. While it has previously been established that cohabitation is doable, the leaders of the Estil do not care and wish to conquer the planet and remove humanity. And they vastly outclass the Magical Girls. And while a few Estil (Very, very few. Count them on one hand few) oppose the whole conquest and genocide thing, and want both species to coexist, they are not nearly enough to give the Magical Girls a serious chance at winning. Then suddenly Zaiyu, who up until this point had appeared to be a loyalist, pops up and gives the magical girls a massive powerup. And now the fight is a lot more even.
Later, perhaps in some bonus episodes, or simply a flashback after the climactic showdown is finished, the viewers get to see what happened with Zaiyu. It turns out, he was always sympathetic, and didn't want people to die (And suddenly the viewers might remember the many times Zaiyu could have killed one or more Magical Girls but just... didn't. Previously assumed to be because he didn't see them as a real threat and wanted to mock them, now they take on a different light). Problem was, the Estil need Earth to live, even if he defected and somehow managed to fight off his entire species, that just means the Estil all die, so someone is going to get genocided anyway, might as well go along with the invasion, not like it's going to change anything. Then it is discovered that coexistence can be done, yay! But the Estil leaders don't care and want to conquer Earth and get rid of the humans anyway. And he tries to figure out a way to get everyone living together in peace, meanwhile pretending to still be fully loyal. Problem is, every plan he comes up with, it seems that no matter what he does, one or both of the species dies off. Then he has a realization: Every plan he came up with has him saving the day. And he happens to have previously discovered a way to boost the Magical Girls powers a lot (Maybe some magical procedure, or maybe some artifact he stole to deny the Magical Girls the powerup). So his plan ends up being empowering the magical girls to beat the Estil, then having them available to slap down any attempt by one side to attack the other, essentially enforcing peace until both sides get used to living alongside each other.
So in the end, despite having been beaten down throughout the series ,the Power of Friendship and Co. are what save the day. Because even after they failed many times, the Magical Girls did not abandon them. And so, despite all of Zaiyu's mockery when they failed to bring the Magical Girls victory, they are the reason that, ultimately, when it came down to it, Zaiyu knew he could trust the Magical Girls with the lives of his entire species.
MITL-VERSE: The hypothetical Mitl-quests perspective of the Crystalvine incident
While you're preparing to shift your precious Plants to your new lab, (hopefully you'll find it without the printout, the Plants don't like to be moved for too long or they get antsy,) you hear a knock on your door. Odd, most of the time you don't get visitors when your beloved Plants are involved.
Leaving your new necro-biotic experiment to itself for a second, you open the door and see Zaiyu. In contrast to the earlier meeting, he seems on lot more on edge, which is strange. The Plants aren't going to hurt him!
"Zaiyu!" you beam, smile wide and allowing your comfortable necrotic aura to spill out in the hopes it can calm his nerves. "What can I do for you?"
"It's what I can do for you, actually!" he chirps, with a equal grin. Good, he's less nervous now! "Chop, chop! Time to get off the ship!" Wait, you arrived already?
"Really? I thought I'd notice when we arrived. Did we arrive?"
"Sure did! Now the base is set up and Rins is done, so it's time for you to move in. Quickly now!"
"When did we decide the order we were moving in?"
"The Captain marked this on the calendar."
You frown. "Was there a print-out?"
"It's in the shared UI, Mitl. Just look under Today's Schedule. Now, what are you planning to bring inside—"
"I need a print-out," you insist. You really do want that print out, but everyone gets so frustrated about it.
---
Eventually, once you discover that, no, there is still no print out, Zaiyu starts helping you move the Plants. It'd be a lot faster if he didn't have to keep asking what each Plant does before touching them. Surely he should know that Brightspurs have a contact poison and tend to detonate when under stress, right?
Eventually he decides it would be better to just let you store them. "Tell you what, you like them so much, you get to pack them up." he says, flying in the opposite direction to move out of your way. How helpful!
"Thank you, Zaiyu."
"No big deal. I'll handle the—what even is this." Oh, he found the Crystalvine!
"That's my sample of Crystalvine!"
"How is this a vine?"
"I convinced it to clump up for travel, It shouldn't have any effects in this state."
"Okay, cool. But if it did, what effects would they be?"
"Oh, it has its own case. Let me show you—"
"No, finish your ferns first. I insist."
Within two simple hours, you manage to get all of your Plants prepared for transport, but while your both making your way to the new lab, your poor Plants get stressed from the containment. Thankfully however, you managed to get most of the way there (though they almost hurt Zaiyu several times, you always apologise on their behalf!) without any injuries. You also have a nice chat with Zaiyu on the way!
"I'm really looking forward to terraforming earth properly, I have so many ideas about how to get the temperature higher. Give me five years and I'll have the arthropods a decent size."
"Aren't you the plant guy? I didn't realize you did bugs as well."
"You have to understand bugs if you want to understand plants. Nature is a system. Everything inside it is also a system. It's all connected." It's true, without Nature there would be no Plants, and everything would be worse without your Plants by your side! "I can't wait to see earth. I can only imagine how many changes the life there has gone through to survive the last four million years…" In fact, the thought of it fills you with nearly overwhelming joy! "You're thinking about it, too, right? An entire planet! One with the mana network to actually support us, not just another dead mudball that leeches the life from everything it touches. The space to create things that are important instead of just necessary. We could build something new, Zaiyu!"
Wait a second, he's a scout right? You just had a great idea! "We can get started on that right now! You're the first one down to the planet, so you can get away with doing all sorts of things in the guise of research! If you want to bring back all sorts of fun plant samples, the Captain can't tell you otherwise! So please, Zaiyu, collect some samples of earth's new flora for me while you're gathering fauna. We can make wonderful things together!"
Oh no, you forget not to get to loud! You've agitated the Crystalvine! And Zaiyu's holding it!
Magic roll: 5 + 8 + 6 = 19/100
The Crystalvine panics, and lashes out with its beautiful vines, accidently hitting Zaiyu in the process! The charms he's adorned himself with take most of the damage, but it still strikes his arm, turning it to crystal. More importantly, the Crystalvine finally calms down and forms into the wreath state it uses to rest in, but you need it to clump back up again to transport it.
You carefully approach it to prevent it from being startled, and begin coaxing it awake for you. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to get loud. It's just a bit further to the new lab, so if you could clump up for me a short while longer-"
"Mitl," says Zaiyu, and he looks really angry with you. "I am going to kill you."
Your about to get upset, why would he be angry with you? But then you notice that his arm has crystallised. Uh oh, he needed that arm to do... thaumaturge stuff! "Maybe I should carry the rest of this." You diplomatically suggest.
"Yes. You should."
---
Zaiyu is now VERY upset with you. He won't help you smuggle earth-based flora back to the moon.
All of your Plants are now agitated from the stress of being moved.
Well, it seems we're not going to get any Earth-based plants for the foreseeable future, unless we can convince the Captain to order Zaiyu to bring us some, and even then he might just bring us a handful of grass out of spite.
You slink back into the shadows, ignoring the part of you that demands you leap in and start devouring the pair, keeping your senses locked on the newcomer. Before, the Power coming from the Girl was barely noticeable, like seeing a distant lantern in the middle of the night. The Newcomer's Power, however, was as if someone put the sun in your face when you weren't paying attention. Whoever he is, he is incredibly strong, and you have to hope he hasn't noticed you.
??? illusion roll: D100 + 2D10 => (6 + (4 +5) ) = 15
Girl's sense magic roll: D100 => 67
Your sense magic roll: D100 => 65
You watch as something settles in his Power, before he blankets the area in it, and your can tell that he's messing with peoples perception somehow. An illusion? It's thin, so you can't stave off your hunger with it, but it seems to be messing with the travel of light here.
Before you can figure out why, you feel him disappear, and reappear RIGHT UNDER YOUR TREE-
You dart back into a crook in the tree, losing sight of the Girl and her window, but right now that doesn't matter with how this guy can apparently warp?! Still, as long as your- he's looking right at you. He's seen you.
Before you can start running, however, the coat of Power lessens around him, and you startle, cracking the tree's bark in the process. This isn't good, this isn't good, this isn't good-
His scarf comes up to you, and it's absolutely coated in Power.
Hunger Resistance Roll: D100 => (32 - 30) = 2
Mana Absorption Roll: autopass
You snatch the Power out of his grasp, and immediately scoff it down. You can feel it read you, but you don't particularly care as the pain of starvation finally subsides. Not only that, but you even feel a bit FULL for once!
Hunger - 14
You don't pay any more attention to the man, savouring the Power, until you hear him whisper. "Mithos..." he says, and you see him looking at you (,when did you stand up?) with what appears to be surprise, but not horror? He's not afraid of you? And after a second, he starts to SMILE of all things?! Why isn't he afraid?! You just ate some of his Power! Doesn't he think your a monster?!
You curl up back in the crook, but you can't find yourself tensing up anymore. He's not afraid. He's not afraid, and he made some of the hunger go away too.
His Power flares up, and you feel your own Power tremor and shake. "Hey there. Why are you hiding?" he asks. "It's okay, I'm not going to do anything. You picked something up from in there, right?" he points at the hospital. "That's why you're hanging around here. I sensed you from inside, so I came to meet you. You're Hungry, aren't you?"
Hunger Resistance Roll: D100 => (76 - 16) = 60
His scarf raises again, and you can see another serving of Power on the end of it, but this time, you hold off, which seems to be what he wanted.
"Can you see this?" He flares the scarf slightly. "This is my magic. Technically, it's in a form more reminiscent of mana, which is what magic is called when it's within a living body, but since it's outside of me right now—no, sorry, I'm rambling. The point is, you feel drawn to this power, right?"
You freeze up. He has answers. He knows you feel Hungry. He knows WHY. After a few seconds, you climb down, and you can see that he's floating a bit off the ground. You can also see he looks far different from how he looked in that hospital room. His hair is Green, his ears are pointed rather than rounded, his eyes are Yellow and cat-like, and he has far too many multi-coloured tattoos across his form.
"I want it," You rasp, desperate to know more. "Why do I want it?"
You can see him observing your own monstrous body, but you don't really care at this point. You need to know.
"Because it's necessary for your existence." He sighs, pushing the scarf and the Pow- Magic, on it towards you. "Really, did your creator explain nothing?"
"Creator?" You were MADE this way?!
"You know. The mage who brought you into existence. Or did you really think you were a natural creature? Come on, look around." He gestures towards the Hospital building. "If you can feel magic, you can feel its absence. What do you feel from this world?"
"Nothing," You whisper, every part of you unsure whether to cry or scream. "I feel nothing, except…"
"Except for the girl in that room."
You nod, still trying to process that you were artificial. You weren't BORN. You were MANUFACTURED.
"What did you feel from her, exactly?" He prods.
"I don't know," You say, and you feel your hands crushing something between their grips, but you don't have the presence of mind to tell what. "I didn't know, until you…"
Now he looks horrified. "You didn't know you were hungry?"
"I don't know anything but what I've picked up since I... hatched." Finally, you regain enough focus to look at him. "You—do you know what I am?"
"You don't know what you are. Let me guess, you also don't know where you are, why you're here, or even who made you."
You nod, desperate for the last piece of the puzzle. You know the what, and you need the how.
"You know what," he says, straining to appear calm, "how about you get down from there, I feed you some more magic, and we have the talk."
"The talk? Really?"
"The one about monsters and mages. What? What did you think I meant?"
---
"I don't know what I am or where I'm from," you tell Zaiyu, having learned his name. "Most of what I remember is just… silence. A quiet darkness with no beginning. Recently, though, I started hearing noises. Drilling sounds. Digging. The sound of voices, and then a lot of beeping and humming. Most of what I know, I learned from listening in during this period. I couldn't really do anything with that information, though, since I couldn't see or move. But earlier today, something changed. The darkness started fading in intensity and I was finally able to move. There was some kind of shell around me, so I broke it."
Were you being made by those scientists? Or were you just abandoned? Would any creator have even wanted you?
"I found myself in a white place. There was a lot of machinery there—" You start listing off the various scientific implements, until you realise he has no idea what your talking about. "I didn't want to stay," You conclude. "It didn't feel like a good place to be. And I was… restless, I guess. It seemed like I should leave, so I did."
"Just like that?" He questions.
"Well, it took a while. There were a lot of areas it felt like I should avoid, and people kept coming by with guns and shock prods. Staying away from them was troublesome. But I made it out and promptly discovered the world is too big and bright." You mean literally. Your eyes still have those splotches in them from staring at the sun for too long. "I wandered around for a while, trying to keep hidden. Eventually, I ended up here and felt… her, I guess. I stayed to try and figure out what that feeling was. And then you showed up."
He's paying attention, for sure, but you can't help but feel he shouldn't be hearing you at all. He has no reason to. But he does anyway. "You've had a rough day, haven't you?"
You shrug. "Your turn to explain some things."
"Okay, so a monster is, in a nutshell, an innately magical entity created entirely through magic. A magical entity that evolved naturally may show similar traits to a monster and vice versa, but there will always be some fundamental differences. The most important difference is that monsters, being creatures of fantasy dwelling within reality, require a steady flow of mana to support them. And I am using mana, not magic, here for a reason. Naturally-occurring creatures can generate their own mana from—" and you, the thing that NEEDS IT TO LIVE, can't?! "—some really complex metaphysical interactions that I'm not going to go into right now. All you really need to know is that if it evolved naturally, it also evolved a way to magically support its own existence. Creatures like you were created through the direct intervention of someone else, or more rarely something else, and so you're dependent on outside support to maintain your existence. With me so far?"
He's using a lot of big words, but so far you understand. Everyone but you can make mana, and you need mana to live.
"Under ordinary circumstances, you'd be supported by a contract with your creator. Wait, do you know what a familiar contract is?"
"No," you say, and a part of you feels like you should know this already. "Is it… important?"
"A familiar contract is literally what keeps a monster alive, so yeah, it's pretty important." He drums his fingers on the immobile surface of his other arm, which on closer inspection seems to be made of crystal. "A magical contract in general is basically a binding agreement between two or more parties. A familiar contract is a more specific version referring to a binding agreement between a mage and a monster. TLDR, the mage supplies the monster with the mana required to maintain its existence, gives them training and housing, and is generally their family. In exchange, the monster assists the mage with various tasks."
And you had none. You were without something you needed to live, and that's why you always felt hungry. You were always missing something. "What kind of tasks?" You'd do any at this point just to not feel so hungry anymore.
"I mean, it can be basically anything. Help with casting spells. Help with accomplishing a specific task. Help with household chores. Some people even create monsters for emotional support. You're probably a combat type, though, judging by all your pointy edges."
"…without a contract, what will happen to me?"
"I'm going to be very honest here, you were about to be in a heap of trouble. You can register that you're hungry now, right?"
Oh no. "It's like all my energy is constantly draining out of me. I feel like a bowl with a hole in the bottom. It's like—" Your voice cracks. "—it's like I'm running out of time."
"That's because you are." He hands out another helping of Magic, and you quickly snatch it up, like a dying man with water. Of course, you are dying yourself. "What you're feeling is your mana draining out through the hole where your contract used to be. This hunger is your body and soul teaming up to inform you that if something isn't done, you're going to die soon."
You're going to die soon. You're going to die soon. You're going to die soon. You don't want to die.
"But don't worry!" he says hastily, clearly seeing how you feel about these revelations. "You probably would've survived even if I hadn't showed up. After all, you'd already managed to pick up on the presence of mana inside the hospital, right?"
"And what would I have done?" You ask. "I don't know anything about contracts. I didn't even know what hunger meant. If I kept feeling like this without understanding anything… I would've just attacked her trying to make the emptiness stop."
"…that's one possibility," he admits. "But hey, it didn't happen. Don't dwell on what ifs."
"I can't just ignore it. What would've happened if I attacked her, ate her mana by force, and got hungry again?"
"I mean, it didn't happen—"
"Zaiyu. Please. I need to know."
He sighs. "Probably, having made a false correlation between attacking humans and feeling full, you would've started going after other people. Problem is, most humans don't have any magic. All their mana is wrapped in keeping their bodies functioning and their souls together. That girl you were eyeing up would've recovered eventually, but the chances of anyone else surviving without external magical assistance are… low."
You would have went on a murderous rampage in an attempt to survive. And you would have been wrong about it making you survive.
"So I was made to hurt people."
Zaiyu leans forward. "You would've been forced to hurt people in order to survive because you're literally dying as we speak. We don't know what you were made for."
"It's the same thing,"
"No, it isn't." He holds up a hand and begins counting off on his fingers. "First of all, there's a difference between causing harm because you want to and doing it because you have to. Second, you can't blame yourself for functioning according to your design parameters. That's on your creator, not you. Third, your martial inclination—and, you know, prickly bits—could easily be the result of having to escape a laboratory in your first minutes of life, not something intended. Which is still super impressive, by the way! Fourth, if you don't know what your creator wanted from you, then don't put words in their mouth. Living in uncertainty about your purpose is rough, but it's better than living a lie. Fifth… um…"
He stops, trying to think of a fifth thing to say, but you don't need it. That helped. That really helped.
"You're a kind person, aren't you?"
"What," he blurts out. "No, seriously, where did that come from? I can basically guarantee you nobody has ever said that about me before." No one's ever treated you like a person before.
"You've gone far out of your way to help me, even though I'm…" You look at your claws with distaste. "Dangerous," you decides after a moment.
"So what? I'm dangerous too. It's a good thing to be, honestly. If you aren't strong enough to defend yourself and your interests, you can't protect anything."
Being dangerous will late you protect things? "What do you want to protect?"
"Good question. The future, I guess?" He only seems half-sure about that. "This planet, if possible. And I'll protect you if you let me." He smiles and wiggles his fingers. "Want to come home with me?"
He shouldn't let you come to his home. Your a dangerous monster person, and you'll hurt him. "I don't want to hurt anyone."
"I won't ask you to." You don't know if it's something he'll be able to prevent.
"Will you help me learn who made me? Who left me here alone?"
"Oh, honey, you will have to physically stop me from diving down that smokerabbit hole."
"Then please. And… I want a name. So I can stop thinking of myself as 'the monster.'"
"Sure thing," he promises. "Now, close your eyes and don't fight me. This might feel weird, but it won't hurt."
Familiar roll: D100 + 2D10 => (83 + (8 +2) ) = 93
You can feel his Magic reach into your own, and let it in with all your trust, and are rewarded with a flood of Magic. You don't feel hungry anymore. You're free. You're going to live. He's saved your life. His Magic is sealing up the hole in your very being. You're going to live. You're not hungry. He saved you. You feel the last echoes of pain exit your body and shudder.
"Does it hurt? Did I mess up?" he asks, about to pull away.
"No," You rasp. "It doesn't hurt at all." You nudge your head against his hand, and he pets you. You can finally relax. You don't feel hungry anymore. Have you even slept since you escaped?
His hand is a gentle reassurance that this is is not a dream. You could get used to this.
So, that was the Alien right? I was expecting to have to fight him at some point, but he seems to have saved our life instead. [X] Hayase
I don't really care much about the name, as long as we're alive.
Aww that was cute.
I wonder what Zaiyu's plans are? Hopefully it isn't, like, to terraform the planet into being uninhabitable for human life or something.
I have my own reasons. Those reasons being "This is what I would prefer", as usual.
Anyways, time for rampant theorizing! The Aliens are implied to care about this planet, so it's clearly important to them. Maybe Earth is where they originally came from, and they had to leave for some reason? It's safe to say they're at least willing to fight for it.
And now it's time to actually add some random speculation that I have absolutely no evidence for! We were was created by the Titan as an attempt to revive their loved one, but was never actually awakened because "this isn't them! This isn't good enough!" And that is also why they tore out the creator-monster connection.
Aside from that, I wonder why we're so suited for combat? Were we supposed to defeat something?
So Zaiyu is clearly stronger than us right? Hope he doesn't turn out to be super evil instead of redeemable evil.
As this is unfortunately a Villain quest, and he was one of our options, I'm guessing he's bad, but according to his option at the start he should be redeemable.
I was uncertain about doing anymore Doctor Who crossover omakes since I'd already written three of them, but given how two characters in this Quest look, I saw an opportunity for an interesting scenario using my own Doctor incarnation and companion. And I'd say Doctor Who crossover omakes are easy to write given how crossover-friendly that series is.
The Estil Invasion of Earth
"Coast is clear, Lavinia," a woman called in a singsong tone to her companion after stepping out of what looked like an old police box, "If the TARDIS scanner didn't convince you of that, a walk outside ought to." This woman herself however looked nothing like any police new or old, instead her dark coat and dress more resembled a cross between a Heian noble and an undertaker, complimented by her pale, ashy skin and long, raven black hair*.
Her companion Lavinia, a much meeker girl with glasses and braids*, more gradually stepped outside of the box called the TARDIS and onto the vast spaceship the two had found themselves in. "I guess I can only think of the last time we stepped onto a spaceship we thought was deserted, it... well you remember how it went, Doctor," she muttered.
"Well then, that should make us all the more prepared for whatever may lurk on this ship, a chance to learn from our mistakes," said the raven-haired woman only identified as Doctor. "Besides," she added as she took out a metal wand and aimed it at some sort of security camera, "I never said we had this whole place to ourselves, now did I? Just that there was nobody in the immediate area. Oh, and as for 'ship', could be a moonbase for all we know, given its proximity to your home."
Lavinia only looked so reassured by the Doctor's words, but then her face lit up as she took in the design of this place, particularly the large window from which, as The Doctor had said, she could see Earth from above. "You said we landed in the 2020s, right Doctor? Then could this be... how far human technology has come? I'd guess I'd be in my eighties by now down there, if well, everything between me and you hadn't happened," Lavinia mused.
Those words made The Doctor smile, but then sigh. "Afraid to burst your bubble, Lavinia dear, but human spaceflight hasn't advanced that far yet. They'll need another thousand or so years in the future for that, ah, I should jot down a reminder for our next trip," she said.
Lavinia nodded and smiled as within her heart sank.
The Doctor however went on, "No, what we have here is an alien craft, or no, perhaps an Earthling ship after all. Of 'heretical' Estil make, I presume."
"Wait, heretical? Earthling?" Lavinia's brows raised as she asked. "Doctor, you're not suggesting we're aboard a demon spaceship? I... honestly wouldn't put one past the universe at this point."
"Believe me, Lavinia, were we on a Daemon ship you wouldn't need me to tell you. No, there's nothing demonic about the Estil, for as many criticisms I may have of their civilisation," The Doctor said. "'Heretic' is a little Gallifreyan joke of mine. Growing up on my planet, you have it drilled into your head from the moment you're loomed that our people drove all magic out of their universe at the dawn of time. The Estil, who proclaim themselves magic users, fiercely disagree."
"So they don't use magic, do they?" Lavinia asked. Getting lost in thought for a second, she then said, "I guess magic has always sounded wonderful to me, but when you take it out of storybooks and into real life, it sounds like it could get pretty scary. I've seen that time travel, psychic powers, and other worlds all exist, but can be really scary when they're not just a tale you're being told."
"Cautious as ever, Lavinia, not that I can blame you for that. As for if the Estil do in fact have magic, I was about to say 'I'll believe it when I have the proof', but I feel that rather goes against the spirit of magic, wouldn't you agree?" The Doctor said, lifting her companion's chin. "Now, as for me saying Earthling-"
"Halt, who goes there?!" barked a piercing voice with a surprisingly pint-sized owner, a young redhead alien. "You face Rins Es Talis, weapon specialist of the Estil armada! I don't know how you got here, but you've trespassed right into the heart of Estil operations! Expect no mercy- no wait, did Zaiyu bring you here without telling us? Sure sounds like him."
"Well, first off," The Doctor glared at Rins alien and walked forward, "Not only do you so rudely interrupt me, but you further insult me by brandishing a gun while doing so." Heavy as the gun that Rins carried may have looked, The Doctor was able to swiftly pull it away, but only for the Estil to immediately pull out another gun.
"Yeah, Zaiyu's definitely up to something with you. Mitl wouldn't bring anyone that wasn't a corpse or freaky plant on board, and no way would the Captain let people just wander off," Rins said, nodding all the while. "Zaiyu told us he met these girls on Earth, one of them had long black hair and another had mutilated her hair into braids. Hah, 'Tomoe' and 'Suzune' he called you, I remember! See, already I've found you two out."
Lavinia was about to say otherwise, but The Doctor pre-emptively whispered to her, "Now, we can't turn down a good alias when it presents itself." She turned back to Rins and said, "Why, you're a sharp young Estil aren't you? Shame about all your firearms. Indeed, Tomoe and Suzune, that's us."
"B-but I'm not even Japanese," Lavinia now whispered in The Doctor's ear, "And what does he mean, 'mutilated my hair'?"
"And I'm not even Earthling. Point is, these Estil don't know that" The Doctor whispered back, but then said at her normal volume, "As for mutilation, Suzune dear, Estil biology is unique in that they have sensory organs in their hair, though certain castes undertake the endurance rites of cutting or braiding theirs. Our Rins must think of you as getting above your station. All of which Mr. Zaiyu so graciously told us," she smirked, like the pieces were coming into place.
Rins then had to glare as their eyes scanned The Doctor. "Looks like that's not all he shared with you, 'cause that's looks like a sonic screwdriver! That's space-tech, well, very basic space-tech, every alien society has them, nothing on my sonic-proof weapons. But yeah, nothing humans should've developed by now," they said, then added after thinking a little more, "Wait, he said you were heir to the 'Sa-ku-ra-zu-ka' megacorp, so the only answer is you already developing space-tech."
"Trade secret, Rins darling," The Doctor smirked again, touching her nose, "but I'll at least credit Zaiyu with being kind enough to give us a few pointers."
Rins twitched, at not only Zaiyu but also Doctor 'Tomoe', they could tell when they were being talked down to. "Meeting room, now. The Captain will hear about you two," they said, tapping out an electronic message while doing so.
"Alright, alright. But I would not rate you highly on hospitality if this is how you treat all your guests," The Doctor said, holding Lavinia's arm as an incensed Rins had them march.
As they entered into the base's spacious meeting room, another Estil suddenly joined them, a slumped over scientist whose shaggy hair looked about to swallow him. "Another meeting's no surprise," he mumbled, "but while Zaiyu's still on Earth? Not that I'm concerned with him, I'd rather get back to my plants. But still, unusual."
"Zaiyu shall be dealt with, for Rins has reported evidence that he has both smuggled humans aboard our base and given them technology without our approval," the Captain said, him being tall and with his hair in a floor-length braid per his station. "Now human, I am Captain Shayin Es Talis. Would I be addressing Tomoe of the Sakurazuka corporation and her affiliate Suzune Takao?"
"The very same. We are multi-millionaires!" The Doctor said, with Lavinia thinking she was now a little too into the act.
"Really? Then let us see if that holds up to a bio-scan," Shayin said, with The Doctor and Lavinia being met with a sudden flash of green light. Before The Doctor could reply something like 'How invasive', Shayin's eyes widened on seeing the scan's results.
"This 'Suzune' is normal for what we've been told of her species, but the one calling herself 'Tomoe' possesses... two hearts."
"Actually," Lavinia spoke up to keep the cover story going, "Most humans have two hearts, I... had to have surgery to remove one when I was younger. It's been a while though, so the scar's hard to make out."
"Only way we can be sure is if we send someone other than Zaiyu down to check," Shayin said, with Mitl instantly raising his hand at the chance of getting to dissect human corpses. "Although there is another explanation, that you are of the most notorious species universally known for having two hearts: a Gallifreyan."
Rins gave another glare at The Doctor. "Ooh, if you're Gallifreyan then no way would Zaiyu want anything to do with you. You're the ones that say magic isn't real, aren't you?"
"Gallifreyans, hmm, aren't those the people who can 'regenerate'? Because them not staying dead just makes us necromancers' jobs even harder," Mitl said.
"Yeah, us Estil only get one life," Rins said while overlooking that a necromancer was right there, "so we can't afford to get soft like you Gallifreyans."
"But if you are Gallifreyan, then why are you with a human girl? Your kind doesn't associate with other races unless they violate the Laws of Time," Shayin asked as he peered closer, then insisted "Which I have not, as a Pilot of the Estil I always take utmost caution when it comes to weaving time's fabrics."
The Doctor hesitated for a moment, but tried to turn the situation around with, "Hmhm, very good, but you're overlooking something. Not all of 'my kind' are shackled to Gallifrey, quite a number of us have gone rogue. It's a surprise more haven't, given how stifling the place is. Anyway, it's perfectly possible that I can be both Tomoe Sakurazuka and a Gallifreyan who's settled on Earth, or the daughter of one, granddaughter even."
Shayin had to think that over. "Again, we have no proof, but if there are rogue Gallifreyans on Earth, then..." he muttered, "then that complicates matters. In fact, I can recall one rogue Gallifreyan whose title is infamous throughout the cosmos."
"My, do tell," The Doctor smirked.
Shayin took a deep breath and spoke, "...The Master. Could they be the one behind the Sakurazuka?"
That wiped the smirk immediately off the Doctor's face. "The Master, really? Out of all rogue Time Lords to title drop..." she sighed.
"Just as long as it's not The Rani again," Lavinia said.
The Doctor's usual smirk then came back as she said, "Oh, but humans and Gallifreyans aren't the only ones you face," with her peering right back at Shayin.
"It's not the Daleks, is it?" Mitl then groaned, "Such a one-note species. At least Cybermen are technically zombies, oh yes, and the Krynoids, I like those."
"Do not dare make light of the Daleks in front of your Captain," Shayin then scolded Mitl, "You haven't faced them in battle as I have."
"Ahem, I believe I was the one talking," The Doctor said, then went on, "As I was saying, Estil and humans aren't the only species to have been the dominant civilisations of Earth. There was another in between you, the Silurians, who fled underground just as you fled to the stars. If you invade Earth, you also face them. Suppose the three of you will just have to learn to share, won't you, Shayin dear?"
Shayin had clutched his head a lot throughout this meeting like his braid was giving him a headache, but now he clutched even harder. "Alright then, Suzune, 'Tomoe'. We'll let you head back down to Earth, but under the supervision of one of us, that way we can have hard evidence that all your claims are true. Zaiyu's loyalties are in doubt, and Mitl is... always best kept under close watch, so you shall accompany these two, Rins."
The Doctor had to groan. "To be saddled with the gun-nut soldier instead of the scientist, just my luck," she said.
"Oi, I heard that!" Rins piped up.
"Meeting adjourned," Shayin proclaimed, before any more complaints could be made.
Rins then led The Doctor and Lavinia back the way they came. But while the soldier was just out of earshot, The Doctor then whispered to Lavinia, "And that's how you thwart an invasion, my dear, or at least how you begin to. Spreading false intel is key."
"You sure do make it look easy," Lavinia said. "Like you've done this before, even."
The Doctor grinned wide. "My dear, I could go on all day. But that's another story for another time, perhaps?"
Once upon a time, in the seconds before the universe saw light, there lived a pale, miserable thing.
The great burning in which galaxies were born confused it greatly, and even though it could analyse every electron of the atoms that surrounded it and rip them apart at its leisure, something evaded it.
So for a long time, it roamed the universe, searching for something it felt was missing.
One day, it came upon a small world of green and blue, orbiting a small yellow sun.
Upon this world were those that would one day be called the Estil.
It watched them for a long time, seeing what they had and had not.
Then, it came to a decision.
Once upon a time, a baby girl was born in a village at the foot of a mountain. She grew up as any child would, and seemed to know everything but understand nothing. She had seen something in the Estil that seemed to match the hole in her heart, but discovered she could never grasp it.
And the more she searched, the more alone and scared she felt.
It would be far better for her to return to the empty stars she had once roamed, than to stay here endlessly in pain.
But when she had fallen from the heavens, her power had been changed in many ways, and to return to what she once was would be a lengthy process, once that would see the Earth turned into dust.
She didn't particularly care.
Once upon a time, a great disaster came upon the land. Monsters devoured entire villages, great cracks rendered the earth, and it seemed like there was nothing anyone could do.
A young scholar in a city by the sea thought differently. He gathered every scrap of knowledge and strength he had, and went searching for this world's destroyer, to find it and end it.
When the end came, the girl had neither a smile nor a tear on her face.
The calamities had ended, but the scholar and his friends saw worrying portents in the stars.
One day, the Destroyer, the Suneater, would live again.
The Scholar, one leg lost during his adventures, sought to sacrifice himself one last time, stabbing himself through the heart in a great ritual.
The Anathema would be reborn one day, in all of its awesome power, but so would he, to stop it over and over again.
Once upon a time, the sun rose, and fell over the horizon, and fell again.
Again and again and again.
They would be reborn, their past memories a grinning ghost in the mirror, they would remember, they would fight and they would die.
Over and over, as the Estil rose and fell, as the Earth changed and changed again, as a new species came to dominate the small blue and green marble.
He had never seen her cry or smile, not even when he stabbed her through the heart.
Nothing in this world seemed to matter to her.
Once upon, there was one who sought to save the world, to give it a brilliant bright future.
After long enough, he realised such things didn't matter to him anymore.
He was tired.
Once upon a time, there was one who decided to change things this time round.
He would not hunt down the Anathema, not this time: he would serve her and her wishes.
Perhaps, as the Earth returned to stardust, he would see her smile.
My take on a possible version of the Titan: since he has the Knightly aesthetic by processes of elimination, I decided to follow a "Lady and Knight" theme.
You don't want to be here.
Outside, Akira and Kaoru and all of the human friends you've made are sitting under the autumn leaves, eating from their bentos and chatting about school and shows and other fun things.
And instead you're sneaking around the school cloaked in illusions, holding one of those things in your hands.
A Splinter of the Void. They're a miracle of thaumaforging, a distillation of spirit and change and magic. Lady Starspite was immensely proud when she saw your first examples. They're easily the finest things you've ever made, and you hate them.
Kuro Masada is in the year below you. She's small and cuddly-looking just like Kyoko is, and she's a brilliant pianist; people call her a prodigy. Was a brilliant pianist. There's been something going wrong with her wrists; Tomoe said it was about tunnels and fish.
And it's hurt her. She shrivels up and shrinks in pain, she's listless and doesn't talk, and the other day, she had to run out of the class to throw up.
She's been spending her lunch breaks in the music room since then. It doesn't seem like she's eating.
She's sitting at the piano school when you comes in.
You don't drop your invisibility as you press the Splinter to her forehead, and look away.
You don't want to see the look on her face.
And her mouth opens, wide, wide, but there isn't any noise as her eyes shine and she merges with the piano in a beam of light.
And then the monster screams, a discordant, hurt cascade of broken strings and tuned pianos, and puts its fist right through the classroom wall.
Soon, Akira and Kyoko and the rest of the _____ will be here. They'll fight the monster, probably win. You used to taunt them during your first few fights, but you stopped doing that soon enough, and the memory makes you cringe.
As the Splinterling makes its way out of the classroom, screaming its sonic cry, you think about all the other places where you'd rather be: cuddled up on the fluffy bits of Sasori reading books together, trying to beat Akira in a race, making cakes with Kyoko in Home Economics, throwing erasers in the classroom with Rose…
The thinking muscles decided to work really well, so here it is already. Sorry about the double post.
As a side note, do any of you have any tips for racing alternative versions of yourself? Asking for an alternative version of myself.
Kai doesn't seem too worried about it though, his expression one of calm. "It's a monster. A strong one."
On the other side of Kai, Kaoru makes a full-body shudder. He blinks rapidly, eyes unfocused, and pinches the bridge of his nose.
"You all right?" Kai asks.
He makes a vague noise. "Head hurts."
"Then maybe you should stay back. Kyoko and I will handle this."
...your sorry, WHAT?! "We will?" you squeak. What could the two of you possibly do about that... that... THING!?! Granted, Kai has some sort of magic-whatever stuff going on, but you?! You were in hospital for most of your life, that doesn't exactly transcribe to FIGHTING MONSTERS! And yet... Kai still seems undetered... and you gather your own will at that. "I mean, yes! We will! Don't worry about us."
The question for now is: Which one is more trustworthy? I'm inclined to say we keep trusting Kai for now, someone who can presumably fight monsters is a better option.
I'm concerned about Kaoru. If Kai is behind somehow behind this, then Kaoru could get killed by the monster and leave us alone with him.
On the other hand, though, it could be Kaoru who's behind this, and he's faking unconsciousness to avoid fighting his own minion. Agh, I'm no good at these mind games.
I'm concerned about Kaoru. If Kai is behind somehow behind this, then Kaoru could get killed by the monster and leave us alone with him.
On the other hand, though, it could be Kaoru who's behind this, and he's faking unconsciousness to avoid fighting his own minion. Agh, I'm no good at these mind games.
"And Kai's in the lead, by clearly knowing what to do in this situation- OOOoooh, and Kaoru catches up by falling unconscious! It's neck and neck folks!"
