The Quest For Earth (CMGQ spinoff)

[Naron]

Shan took her weapon with a thankful nod.

"Heh, yeah. Who would have thought that a pig would have been harder to kill than the snake??

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She nodded once more while sheathing Will. "I agree. Though... I do think this one was more defensive in comparison. It tried to run first, too." At least she thought that was what it attempted, not that it helped the creature.

Noticing how the cat began to swallow their fallen enemy, Shan took a bit of distance to the body. A bit of sweat gathered on her brow from the fast movements she had done; her speed had definitely increased in comparison to before.

 

[AsuraKyoko]

A wicked grin split Alice's face as the boarmadillo collapsed in front of her. She rested the haft of her scythe on her shoulder as she walked over to the other girls.

"Heh, yeah. Who would have thought that a pig would have been harder to kill than the snake??

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"I agree. Though... I do think this one was more defensive in comparison. It tried to run first, too."

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"Yeah, that thing was tough. I'm glad we killed before it got away, it will make a nice addition to my collection." She said with a smirk. "Once my cat finishes with the body, let's head back for some breakfast, shall we? I'm starving."

 

[Naron]

"Yeah, that thing was tough. I'm glad we killed before it got away, it will make a nice addition to my collection." She said with a smirk. "Once my cat finishes with the body, let's head back for some breakfast, shall we? I'm starving."

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"Yeah, let's." Shan was getting rather hungry herself, she had to admit.

Once Twilight had closed to them, she offered her raised hand once again. "Good work. I think we can do some really devastating things with that teleportation of yours." She tactfully refrained from mentioning how the other woman's scythe had appeared to not do anything at all. Seeing how more than half of Shan's own strikes had been repelled, there was obviously magic at work.

 

[ReaperofInterest]

"Yeah, finally having some breakfast sounds great. And after we eat, we can decide what to do with the other animals Hero and Lion found."

Cheshire was definitely happy that the fight was over, but she couldn't help but feel unhappy. The only contribution she had been able to make was at the final blow, and even that had been with Crimson's sword. It was abundantly clear to her that she'd need to get stronger for the battles ahead

 

[AsuraKyoko]

Once Twilight had closed to them, she offered her raised hand once again. "Good work. I think we can do some really devastating things with that teleportation of yours."

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"Yeah, it's pretty useful, isn't it?" Alice replied with a smile as she returned the high five. "I'll have to practice with it more later, see what other tricks I can do."

 

[Naron]

"Yeah, it's pretty useful, isn't it?" Alice replied with a smile as she returned the high five. "I'll have to practice with it more later, see what other tricks I can do."

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"Definitely," Shan told Twilight with a smile. Teleportation, even though it was slightly conditional, was a powerful tool. She felt she should not suggest ideas just yet, though; letting the other woman try to figure things out by herself was probably better for now.

Cheshire was definitely happy that the fight was over, but she couldn't help but feel unhappy. The only contribution she had been able to make was at the final blow, and even that had been with Crimson's sword. It was abundantly clear to her that she'd need to get stronger for the battles ahead

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She almost missed it; Cheshire's little smile had gradually turned into a frown. Shan could at least guess that it had to do with the battle, but was not entirely sure. Instead of risking a misunderstanding, she clapped the other Magical Girl's shoulder with an encouraging smile and a nod, then went off to study the armor on the boar that Twilight's cat had not yet enveloped.

Thank goodness for the fact she already carried a light scent of iron with her wherever she went; the little bit of actual blood on her weapons would not be noticeable at all, meaning she did not have to retransform.

Once again presented with the size of the boar however, Shan had a thought and turned her head toward Twilight. "Say, do you think we could ride your summons?" She just realised she had yet to ask for the other girls' names... but now was not a good time, unfortunately.

 

[AsuraKyoko]

"Say, do you think we could ride your summons?"

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Alice pondered for a moment before replying, "Probably, but they don't last very long, so it wouldn't be that useful yet."

 

[Naron]

"Probably, but they don't last very long, so it wouldn't be that useful yet."

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"That is a good point." Nonetheless, Shan liked the idea of riding such large creatures; that would be good on their feet, too. "Though that will probably improve soon, with a little luck."

Her shroud coalesced gently, weakening and strengthening in accord with Dorothy's magic. Considering that her ribs still had to heal and the cat would apparently still need a while to devour that thing, she took a few steps back and decided to discard thoughts of proper timing.

Once she could face both of them at once, Shan bowed with a smile. "Anyway, I never really got to introduce myself properly. I am Shan, Magical Girl Crimson Harvest. It is a pleasure."

 

[AsuraKyoko]

Anyway, I never really got to introduce myself properly. I am Shan, Magical Girl Crimson Harvest. It is a pleasure."

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"And I am Alice, Magical Girl Twilight Wanderer, though I'm pretty sure you figured that out already," she said with a grin. "The pleasure is all mine."

 

[ReaperofInterest]

"Maria, Magical Girl Quantum Cheshire. So Alice, what happens to the things you cat spits out if they die? I mean, if you make it spit up the boar, will you still be able to summon the boar again if it dies? And if the boar does die, will the corpse remain? Because depending on how it works, we might be able to use this thing to take care of our food supply."

 

[AsuraKyoko]

"Maria, Magical Girl Quantum Cheshire. So Alice, what happens to the things you cat spits out if they die? I mean, if you make it spit up the boar, will you still be able to summon the boar again if it dies? And if the boar does die, will the corpse remain? Because depending on how it works, we might be able to use this thing to take care of our food supply."

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Alice turned towards the inquisitive girl. "Yeah, I can summon it again if it dies, luckily. The corpse tends to dissolve into this shadow sludge stuff in a relatively short time period, so there isn't enough time to do anything like cook it. Also, it tastes like..." She shuddered at the memory, "I can't really describe it, but suffice to say it's awful. It also isn't really filling. All in all, I would not suggest eating my summons unless we have no other choice."

 

[Naron]

"And I am Alice, Magical Girl Twilight Wanderer, though I'm pretty sure you figured that out already," she said with a grin. "The pleasure is all mine."

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"Maria, Magical Girl Quantum Cheshire.

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Getting responses made Shan feel warmer; she was now on first name basis with four out of seven people. Five if one counted Dorothy, who never even asked them to call her by any other name.

Knowing each other's names was the first step to becoming friends. This subject, however, she decided to delay until she was not still recuperating from getting some ribs broken and they were reasonably safe.

She curiously listened to the other girls talking about Alice's summons; quite frankly, she rather not eat something made of someone else's magic. Alice's assurance that it tasted awful only reinforced that opinion.

"Well. Either way, it should make for a useful protector for our more vulnerable teammates," Shan provided with a thoughtful glance at the partly swallowed creature. Ellen and Dorothy could both be hidden behind something this big, making it much less likely for enemies to get at them.

 

[Alphaleph]

Wincing, the young woman slowly shook most of the blood off of her swords in two flicks before sheathing them. Then she smiled at Cheshire by her side and held up a hand for a high five. "Good work, everyone."

Her voice was even and bright, as she could already feel Dorothy's magic fixing her busted ribs; it would take a little bit of time, but not particularly long. So there was no need to bother them with her injury.

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High Noon's worry was seemingly excessive as Crimson Harvest finished off the boar as the former found a better position. Exhaling an audible sigh of relief, she approached the celebrating Magical Girls.

"Great job for the kill," High Noon said as she nervously glanced at the cat trying to swallow the boar and adjusted her grip on her weapon. She then continued her comment to Crimson Harvest. "Are you alright? You were thrown pretty hard there."

Once she could face both of them at once, Shan bowed with a smile. "Anyway, I never really got to introduce myself properly. I am Shan, Magical Girl Crimson Harvest. It is a pleasure."

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If her face were visible, High Noon felt that it would be red as she remembered that she hadn't introduced herself to her current companions. She felt fortunate that her transformed form concealed it completely.

"Ah, I haven't done that either, have I?" High Noon sheepishly said as she used one hand to play with her 'hat's' rim. "Samantha Colt, Magical Girl High Noon as you've heard. Hope we can get along."

Alice pondered for a moment before replying, "Probably, but they don't last very long, so it wouldn't be that useful yet."

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"Well, if nothing else, that should be long enough for those of us with shorter transformed period to rest without slowing us down too much," High Noon commented.

 

[Naron]

"Great job for the kill," High Noon said as she nervously glanced at the cat trying to swallow the boar and adjusted her grip on her weapon. She then continued her comment to Crimson Harvest. "Are you alright? You were thrown pretty hard there."

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The other woman's concern was appreciated, though Shan merely waved it off with a smile. "Nothing big, a few cracked ribs. Dorothy's healing powder is already fixing them."

"Ah, I haven't done that either, have I?" [...] "Samantha Colt, Magical Girl High Noon as you've heard. Hope we can get along."

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"A pleasure." That made six out of seven, leaving only Lion.

This day was going great, Shan found.

 

[AsuraKyoko]

"Samantha Colt, Magical Girl High Noon as you've heard. Hope we can get along."

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"A pleasure," Alice said with a smile and a curtsy.

"Well, if nothing else, that should be long enough for those of us with shorter transformed period to rest without slowing us down too much,"

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"That is a good point," she replied, "though it does depend on how long it takes to summon."

As if on cue, the last of the boar vanished into Grinning Remnant, and the cat walked back over towards the girls. It sat down by Alice's feet and began licking its paw.

"Well then," she looked at the others, "lets head back, and get some breakfast."

As a group, they made the short walk back to the camp.

 

[Naron]

Shan was quite content on the way back, though she left her companions alone for the time being. Dorothy's magic had healed her right up even before they got going, so she could stroll along without unnecessary caution.

Though she tried to keep her eyes on the surroundings and clear a bit of a path for the other girls. Her blades were good for that, after all.

When they returned, Shan cheerfully waved at everyone. They probably knew it already because Ellen kept an eye on them, but she felt saying it herself was okay. "We are back, and we return victorious!"

 

[AsuraKyoko]

"We are back, and we return victorious!"

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Alice walked over towards Cecilia with a satisfied smile. "Man, that was refreshing! Should be useful in the future, too; that guy was tough. Oh, for those of you who didn't get to see, I'll summon him for you."

Grinning Remnant hopped down from Alice's shoulder and opened its mouth far too wide, as the boarmadillo slowly started to silently emerge. As that was going on, she turned to Ceci. "So, do you know what the plan for breakfast is?"

 

[ReaperofInterest]

Cheshire had a smile on her face as the girls walked back into the clearing where they had set up. It had been nice to unwind a bit from the fast paced battle, short though it turned out to be. Still, she had heard somewhere that exercise whets the appetite, so breakfast may very well be more enjoyable than last night's dinner was.

 

[Familiar]

Marissa finds herself standing near the gap that she had opened in the barrier for the hunting party's departure, doodling caricatures of their impromptu group into the side of a spire. She doesn't have a marker or any other tools of the like, but when it comes to her spires she has no need. She runs her finger lightly along the surface and it crumbles, leaving a groove in the stone. the line curves to meet the end of another acutely, and she lowers her hand to inspect her work. It's rough but recognizable, like the others.

A cat chewing on a scythe, alongside four swords embedded in a line, a disembodied face set in a grin with slitted eyes, a gun imposed over a sun, and a fairy riding a dog. As she raises her hand to draw the figurehead of a ship, her gaze is momentarily drawn to the gap in the barrier once more.

She had meant to go with, to do her share of work despite her issues with the decided course of action, but had hesitated at the memory of her inconsequential stabs against the snake. By the time she had resigned herself to at least playing distraction, the group had already vanished into the forest. So she finds herself here, outlining a crystal with sharp eyes into stone, using her fingernail to draw out thin eyelashes.

She's just beginning on drawing out a fighter plane when a shout from just a few paces away shocks a startled yelp out of her, and she quickly turns her head to see Shan at the opening of the fortification, the front of her outfit rumpled but otherwise intact. A tilt of the head to look behind her reveals that she's the only one with visible signs of contact with the enemy.

Wiping her hands together to knock away most of the coating of dust that had built up, Marissa greets them, "Welcome back."

 

[Naron]

"Welcome back."

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Shan smiled at Marissa and walked over to her while the others made their way further into the camp. A glance at her friend's doodles made the smile widen slightly, but she said nothing. From what she gathered so far, the other woman would probably be embarassed to be reminded of those.

"It worked out well enough," she told her friend. "From the look of it, those raptors are not moving either, at least not yet." Considering that there was no fighting here, that much was obvious.

On the side, she could see Alice starting to show off her new summon; that was a rather useful ability to have, she thought.

But thinking of Alice reminded her of what happened right before they headed out. Shan doubted that Marissa had meant to make her this angry, and perhaps not even noticed due to Lion's quick reaction. She considered whether it was a good idea to interfere, and figured that doing so would likely be for the best. Marissa did not talk all that much unless prompted.

Which was why Shan stepped a little closer and lowered her voice. "Listen, it's about A-, ah, Twilight. I don't know why, but what you said to her earlier upset her a lot. She seems to have calmed down over the hunt, so maybe you should go talk to her."

 

[Battleship_Fusou]

"We are back, and we return victorious!"

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"Man, that was refreshing! Should be useful in the future, too; that guy was tough. Oh, for those of you who didn't get to see, I'll summon him for you."

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"Good to hear you took care of it alright," Lion replied with a slight smile. "How did the fight go though? What stood out to you about that thing? We might encounter another and since the rest of us couldn't really see what was happening it'd be good if we could know what to expect."

"So, do you know what the plan for breakfast is?"

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Lion thought about their options for a moment before she answered. "It's probably going to be leftovers from last night, Ali," she responded, "We haven't hunted down or gathered anything else and if we want to get a move on then we likely don't have time to do that for breakfast. Lunch can be whatever we gather though, so there is that."

"From the look of it, those raptors are not moving either, at least not yet."

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"No, they're moving but not towards us," Lion said with a small frown as she looked in the direction of the creatures, "It looks like they're heading towards where you fought the boar, though probably not at anything approaching their max speed."

 

[AsuraKyoko]

"How did the fight go though? What stood out to you about that thing? We might encounter another and since the rest of us couldn't really see what was happening it'd be good if we could know what to expect."

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Alice paused for a moment as Grinning Remnant finished coughing up the boarmadillo. She gestured over to it with a smirk, indicating the armor plates. "These plates are insanely tough. Crimson was the only one that was able to really punch through them directly, and even then it was really durable. Hell, the most effective thing we did was when Cheshire and Crimson both rammed Crimson's swords into its eyes, that was what finally managed to put it down." She knocked her knuckles against the side of the creature in demonstration. "Also, this guy hits pretty damn hard. With just a single hit, he sent Crimson flying, and he also smashed through a tree pretty easily."

Alice pondered for a moment, before speaking again. "Actually, if you guys want to see what you can do against him, go right ahead. You might be able to find some other sort of weakness that we can exploit if we run into another one. Oh, and don't worry, he won't fight back." She directed the boarmadillo to walk over to the other side of the fenced in area, so that it would be out of the way of everyone else.

"It's probably going to be leftovers from last night, Ali," she responded, "We haven't hunted down or gathered anything else and if we want to get a move on then we likely don't have time to do that for breakfast. Lunch can be whatever we gather though, so there is that."

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"Oh, leftovers isn't a problem. Hell, we've eaten a lot of those in our time, haven't we, Ceci?" Alice smiled fondly at the memories. "And really, you know me, I'm not picky. I can eat just about anything, and I'm happy. That being said, I probably shouldn't be the one to go on any hunting trips, since, well, anything I kill doesn't really stick around long enough to get cooked..."

 

[Familiar]

"Listen, it's about A-, ah, Twilight. I don't know why, but what you said to her earlier upset her a lot. She seems to have calmed down over the hunt, so maybe you should go talk to her."

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Marissa considers that for a moment. She hadn't stuck around long enough catch an immediate reaction to her admittedly petty barb. She also hadn't expected much from it, having only caught bits of the dispute yesterday, and later making a blind stab at a possible sore point in her frustration. It seems that she may have inadvertently hit on an emotional wound rather than a bruised ego. She hadn't noticed any ill feelings from Twilight Wanderer when letting the hunters out earlier, but she isn't really the empathetic type. Best to trust Shan's judgment on this.

"I'll... see to it," she settles on, before shifting the topic. "Really though, there's no point trying not to use her name. That cat's been out of the bag from the beginning. Neither of that pair have been discrete with the other's name." At all. From what she's seen, Twilight Wanderer may not even be capable of discretion.

"Hell, we've eaten a lot of those in our time, haven't we, Ceci?"

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The conversation happening in parallel obligingly illustrates her point.

 

[Naron]

"I'll... see to it," she settles on, before shifting the topic. "Really though, there's no point trying not to use her name. That cat's been out of the bag from the beginning. Neither of that pair have been discrete with the other's name."

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"Alright, and fair enough."

Shan offered a faint smile as she had to agree with her friend. Marissa was not wrong there. Though she had to admit by herself that it would be nice to have such a good friend along. Ellen was great, but they barely knew each other and Shan feared that the trust between them remained rather one-sided for the time being.

Sighing, she looked over the summoned boar and recalled the question Lion asked her earlier.

"Good to hear you took care of it alright," Lion replied with a slight smile. "How did the fight go though? What stood out to you about that thing? We might encounter another and since the rest of us couldn't really see what was happening it'd be good if we could know what to expect."

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"It's... well, you can see how thick the armour plates are." Shan raised her voice a little so the other women could hear her properly. She pointed at the boar's eyes. "Targeting weak points seems to be the only way to get at it. The only times my blades actually cut were when I hit where the armour was already open." And her first Bloodletter, for some reason. She was not sure, though it did have armour-piercing qualities in the sharpness of its edges.

"The tusks are quite dangerous; it is only thanks to Dorothy," where she gave the younger girl a thankful smile, "that I got away intact after taking its attention."

She stopped there and considered the creature in front of her, then turned to Marissa. "Say, would you mind using your spires to attack it from below? There may be no armour there, so that might work as an alternative."

 

[Familiar]

"Say, would you mind using your spires to attack it from below? There may be no armour there, so that might work as an alternative."

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Approaching the pig cautiously to gauge its reaction, Marissa takes a moment to respond. "I'd... rather not. It's one thing to attack something that's actively trying to eat or maim me, but I'm not comfortable with using it as a test subject." When it shows no sign of violent action, she puts a hand on its head. It's actually kind of cute in the same way elephants are.