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The Child's Dream
Its a quiet night along the city streets, after yesterday's Fall it seems many people are scared to go out tonight, having been reminded of their mortality, and the dangers that constantly lurk in the supernatural night. Of course, not everyone is so cowardly. For whatever reason, some people still wander the streets, whether they're simply on their way home, or perhaps even looking for trouble, it matters not.
A flash of white fur can be seen passing by. A small, cat-like creature with long, floppy ears stops, and looks around at anyone nearby with its beady red eyes before walking off into a nearby alleyway
Leonardo Watch would be walking home after a long day of taking pictures. The nexus had many places to take amazing pictures of things people might not otherwise be able to see and when you see everything it's hard not to want to take as many as possible.
Today his pictures lacked the presence of any human life though. He could only assume it was related to the supposed end of the world that never happened. Leo would be sighing as he walked home.
"Feels like everyone might be making a big deal over this Nyx business. Regardless of what may happen it's just a day like any other."
*Haruko was wandering the streets this night. Why? Well she just wanted to see if anything was happening, but upon noticing the beady red eyes of the Incubator dashing around, she grinned and thought.*
What's the matter? Something going on?
The creature soon darts out of another alleyway back into the streets. It glances at the two assembled, before its "voice" can be heard loud and clear resonating in both of their heads
You could try talking Haruko, there are no secrets here. Though, I will admit I was hoping for more individuals whose abilities are combat-oriented.
The creature looks directly at Leonardo, beady red eyes staring at Leonardo's own. Though they could never be said to exhibit emotion, the creature regards Leo with something resemling curiousity.
Since I have found you, and there is still time, I was wondering if you would like to have a brief discussion. We have been curious as to the exact nature of your ability for some time.
Senri walked the streets with an air of carefreeness, odd, considering what has been happening. She smiled as she walked along the road, passing Leo in the process. Perhaps her carefree aura would stand out?
She noticed a familiar white cat and watched him. She quietly followed.
Cute cat... I wanna pet it...
O-oh, sorry... figured you wanted some secrecy.
*She then looks at Senri.*
Er... hey there. His name's... Kyubey.
Leo would be suprised to hear Kyubey's voice directly in his head. He'd look back at Kyubey as his eyes began to open revealing their usual glowing blue pattern. Leo would gasp for a moment as he saw Kyubey in a light that none other had before.
"W-what are you exactly? And what do you need from the all seeing eyes of god?"
Jiyu walks down the empty streets of the city for a night stroll wearing a blue jacket over his black blazer.
As he strolls down, he looks from left to right and sometimes behind him, trying to see if anyone's out.
"Hmm, so the rumors were true, the streets are really empty. It must have to do with that Nyx thing that happened last night."
Kyubey...? That's an odd name, but cute in its own way. Pleased to meet you, Kyubey-chan!
Senri smiled and reached her hand out, attempting to pet Kyubey.
Kyubey pays no attention to Senri, allowing her to stroke its soft white fur. Its eyes are focused primarily on Leonardo's own. Of course, he can't help but notice the blue glow, but that offers relatively little information
I wouldn't say need exactly, but especially in a world as strange as this one, the ability to get so much information so quickly would be a great boon to anyone.
Kyubey makes a show of licking one of his front limbs and cleaning one of his ears, much like an ordinary cat would, before beginning to walk off into a nearby alleyway. He turns to those present, before tilting his head for them to follow
Still, if you would like to know more, feel free to follow me. I was hoping to find some of you after all. Consider this a favor, or a preventative measure if you would.
With that, Kyubey runs into a deeper part of the city, towards a series of warehouses.
Haruko and Leonardo would likely notice a faint magic trail on the air, if they cared to look for it that is.
Homura wanders the streets, glancing about curiously before she spots the gathered group and... Grr, hopefully, Seni's too old for that thing's tastes. Regardless, she'd walk up and stare at the Incubator with a fire in her eyes, her voice sounding cold as she speaks to it.
"My my, I would have thought that Senri-chan was a bit out of your age range, Incubator. Or is this about something else hmm? I'm quite curious about this little gathering."
The girl pushes her glasses up and looks around... Senri, Haruko!? And... Leo, yeah they'd met once before. How odd to see all this. Despite that, she'd start following the dammed thing with a glare at its back on her face.
Leo would decide to follow the strange creature for now. He wasn't sure what to make of what he had seen with his eyes as it was beyond description but he knew that this Kyubey was a creature he didn't want to get on the and side of.
He would follow the magic trail as he sees it without even trying.
"What did I get myself wrapped into this time?"
Kotori hides behind a corner, looking at the group
.................
Homura turns to Leo with a shrug, chances are it's a Witch hunt, but who even knows at this point?
"I believe it's leading us to a battle, Leo-kun... But, that's simply a guess based on my past dealings with the Incubator, so I can't be entirely sure at the moment."
She'd glance around, feeling as if someone's watching... But not quite able to figure out where from.
Out of the corner of his eye, Jiyu can see Kotori hiding behind a corner while spying on the group that he just now noticed. He decides to silently walk over to her to not reveal her position.
"You know, whenever I see someone spying on people, I just know that there's something up."
Oh, Homura-chan! Thank goodness you're here. I think Kyubey has something he needs us to do.
He said he needed someone with offensive skill.
Homura sighs at Haruko, a muttered curse flowing from her mouth as she realizes the idiot actually trusts this thing.
"The Incubator. Don't use its name. And beyond that... If it's a Witch hunt, I'll help. Beyond that? I'm not doing anything for the Incubator, the thing's a monster and I don't trust it as far as I can throw a car. You shouldn't either."
Shhh!
Kotori shushes Jiyu
They're gonna lead me to it!
I just know it!
"A battle? Ehhh, it's just like back in Libra. I'm not much of a fighter. I've always played more of a supportive role in fights and even then I don't really like violence."
Leo would look a little upset with circumstances but not so much that He'd leave. What's more, he didn't even seem to show any real signs of fear.
It was as if either he didn't understand just how serious the circumstances were or perhaps he was used to things like this.
Kyubey glances back at those following him as he scampers off towards the warehouse district.
He stops in front of the third warehouse door he sees, jumping up onto a nearby trash can and looking at the group
How very observant of you Homura Akemi, though you would know that for sure if you bothered to check. As I'm sure you're aware, these Witches are almost alarmingly common, not that you'd be complaining of course. For those who don't know, allow me to give you the basics,
after all, it would be terrible if you didn't know what you're getting into
Kyubey looks over at the currently-closed warehouse door, the place is rather run-down and doesn't look like its been opened for ages. The door would be easy to break down, if its even locked. Kyubey flicks his ears as he glances back over to Homura
or perhaps Homura Akemi here would prefer to explain. If I am so untrustworthy after all, it wouldn't make any sense to follow me here, or listen to any of my explanations.
Jiyu hides with Kotori and whispers to her.
"Lead you to what?"
(edited by Jiyu-Hatanaka)
W-why wouldn't I use his name? He's been trying to stop these witches. And.... there might be a really big one coming...
Shhh!
Kotori follows the group as they follow Kyubey, trying her best to keep hidden
"Sheesh, I'm only trying to ask a question..."
To not get in Kotori's way, he climbs up a building with his parkour skills and stealthily follows the group as well
The girl glares at Kyubey, her clothes bursting into light as the Magical Girl outfit forms. A small metal shield would appear on her right wrist, before light flashes from it and a pistol appears in her hands.
"Frankly Incubator, you may be an evil bastard but I will admit your intel is good... Regardless, I shall explain the basics myself."
She'd pause for a moment, looking around at the group before raising her voice.
"Hmm... I guess you could call them monsters, I'm not a technical guide or anything so don't expect all the details. But, Witches are things that feed on human despair, they kill people. Most often by either sending out their "familiars" to devour people... Which will create a copy of said Witch if they kill enough humans. Or with a "Witch's Kiss". Those tend to involve the victims killing themselves... As for their combat skills, that depends entirely on the Witch we're dealing with, all are dangerous, unpredictable, and all of them are otherworldly to the point of just being wrong and unnerving."
She then glances around at everyone, eying them curiously before looking at the door.
"At any rate, that's a basic gist. Any questions?"
*Haruko reaches into her bag, looking toward the warehouse.*
And one's in there, huh?
Kotori pops out of her hiding spot and runs to the group,
Pointing at Homura victoriously
I knew that If I followed you around long enough you'd lead me to one!
Walking around while munching on a candy bar wasn't one of the things Eito did frequently. So he inevitably savoured it.
Spotting the group he'd quickly finish up and walk over to them.
"Heya,everyone!"
Homura would look down at her Soul Gem, magic flowing through the air as she attempts to feel the Witch inside the building... If there is one... She then sighs as Kotori jumps out, the girl does realize she could of just joined like a sane person, yes?
"You could have asked. I already said I'd take you into one, did I not? Simply put... There was no need for this "stealth", Kotori-chan."
Huh? Kotori? What are you doing here?
.........................
Kotori is at a loss, the truth settles, and the only response that comes to mind is....
SHHHH!
Kyubey's ears twitch for a moment, beady eyes regarding the group present. The creature licks its paw, imitating a cat's manner of cleaning part of their head before gesturing to the door again
There are a few details you forgot to mention. One is that they most commonly spend their time hiding in their own little worlds called "Barriers", which makes them undetectable to most, though I have no doubt Leonardo here could find them if he wanted. These "Barriers" are closed off to most people, with those who can detect them typically being able to force it open
Finally, the creature jumps down from the trash can and leaps up to the doorknob, twisting it with his paws before jumping off. The door swings open inwards, revealing a long hallway. It seems fairly ordinary, if poorly lit, as Kyubey glances around at the rest of the group, not taking particular notice of any of them
and of course, they are frequently opened to let in those the Witch believes to be potential victims. I would suggest dealing with it before too much trouble is caused
Homura is able to feel the Witch alright, in fact, the Witch's magic has the same intensity as she might expect from an average one a few feet away. But of course, very little is in sight
While the others seemed preoccupied Leo would take a look in the warehouse with his own abilities. His eyes would open widely as the glowing blue patterns would projects from his eyes forming blue circles of light in front of both of them that would bare a similar resemblance to glasses of sorts.
He would move his vision to the warehouses interior as he scans every nook and cranny for any sign of this witch. He wasn't sure what to look for but he assumed the witches aura would be obvious when he saw it.
After leaping from building to building, Jiyu stops when the group approaches the warehouse. He then jumps off of the building and stylishly lands on the ground.
"Why's this warehouse so important?"
Jiyu then casually approaches the group with his hands in his pockets
Leo looks to find the entire warehouse seems to be filled with a malicious aura, much like the magical traces he found on the way there. It seems most concentrated in a point near the hallway entry. Of course, the warehouse itself is also filled with various boxes and disused pieces of equipment, but those are of little interest. Worthy of note is that he cannot seem to find anything moving inside the warehouse itself, instead he simply sees an extreme concentration of energy at what seems to be some sort of entry point, the hallway visible through the door extends for quite a long distance, much farther back than the warehouse itself has space for
"Didn't I say? I'm not a tech manual, Incubator. Those details might be useful in the long-term, but I don't see how they're very relevant to our current hunt. I can get us in, and we're not going to be let in, so no I didn't mention those."
Homura shrugs and follows after Leo, stepping in front of the man with her gun held out. And her magic still searching for their target's Barrier... It feels a bit tougher than normal too, this night may be quite painful all things considered.
"Alright, keep wary everyone. This thing feels dangerous, so don't mess around with it."
Seeing no other threats inside the warehouse Leo would get curious as to what exactly the concentration of energy was.
"Might as well see what this is about. I better be careful, my eyes are getting all weird just from looking at this."
Leo would open the door to the warehouse before starting to walk in. His goal was to approach the energy point without getting too close.
Don't worry. I can handle this.
*she pats her bag with the hand that hadn't gone into it before*
I've been waiting for this...
"Okay then..."
Having followed the group to the warehouse,Eito starts following Leo while looking around for anyting out of the ordinary.
"Not even sure why i'm here but fuck it,might as well help..."
Since everyone looks like they're getting prepared for something, Jiyu takes out his two silver brass knuckles from his pockets and slips them on his knuckles.
"I have no idea what were doing, but I'll try to follow along."
Jiyu then follows the group into the warehouse.
Kyubey walks alongside the group as they enter the warehouse. For the first few feet it looks utterly ordinary. Then the hallway begins getting darker and darker. If you looked along the walls you might notice some odd, runic script decorating the place. It looks odd, but might be decipherable if one wished to pay it attention
Leonardo and Homura are easily able to detect the energy point. Shortly ahead, in full view of the group, a glowing circle can be seen, floating in the air. The circle is bordered by a series of reaching, vine-like arms, entwined in each other's embrace. The arms look almost flat, and two-dimensional, in addition to their pitch-black coloration.
Similarly, an emblem is emblazoned in the middle of the circle, two arms circling outwards, each ending in an almost beckoning, welcoming hand. Kyubey's eyes scan the group again, ears twitching as he glances at Homura
Seems we have another person here. Not that its important. But do you really think I would go out of my way to inform you people of just another Witch Homura Akemi? As I mentioned, they often open up their barriers for those they perceive as victims. I trust you can tell what that means.
This Witch is special then, Incubator-san?
She joins the conversation, drawing her Shortsword, then remembering the large box in her right hand.
(edited by Kotori_K)
Eito walks over to a wall and touches it,looking at the script.
"Come on,half-assed nordic lessons I was forced to take and soon forgot..."
"Don't dissapoint me now."
Eito starts staring at the script intensely,focused on trying to find what it says.
Jiyu silently looks around the room
"......."
The girl would look up to the runes for a while, trying to get a read on them before she moves forward. Might be something useful in it after all. She then moves on, glaring upon seeing the vines in front of them...
"Hmm, either someone is in there right now. Or it's opening the thing up for us for some reason, that'd be my guess anyway... As for the Witch, yes it feels oddly powerful, is perhaps akin in nature to Walpurgisnacht?"
Homura glances at the emblem in front of her, eying it warily as she walks forward a bit. Gun pointed at the thing and a bit of light glowing on her shield as she advances slowly.
.... It means it sees us as victims.
Well, most likely some of the others here, anyway.
Leo would look over all of this while thinking hard. He almost seemed like while he understood how strange it all was he also didn’t find it too out of the ordinary personally.
In the end he would simple decide to let someone else get close to the circle first and would try to decipher the runes. He wasn’t sure if he really could but perhaps his eyes would be able to see something mystic in the script.
“This is all pretty bizarre. Almost reminds me of home...â€
(edited by Leonardo_Watch)
Breaking concentration for a moment,Eito turns to Haruko.
"Hey!"
"..."
"Fair enough."
(edited by Eito)
The bizarre script seems unique at first glance, being formed of some strange, black symbols that dance across the wall. After looking at it for a few minutes however, Eito would begin to notice something. Although they're in some weird text, the symbols actually resemble ordinary letters quite closely. Of course, with his eyes Leo is able to pick up on this almost immediately. The script reads
Come play with me
Over and over again, spread across the hallway's walls. Everything about the script seems to point to the circle, as though inviting all who read it inside
Kyubey simply stretches before walking alongside Homura as she approaches the emblem
I was wondering how much you knew about that. Yes, this Witch in particular has managed to absorb many others. I'm not sure of the number of course, but enough for Haruko's first guess to be correct.
Kyubey sits to one side of the circle and begins cleaning himself for the moment
At this point they really don't see much of a difference between most of you and an ordinary human. Not enough for them to care anyways. Give it a few weeks and it would likely absorb enough to emerge from its barrier, and at that point no one would be happy
The emblem almost seems to grow closer to Homura as she approaches, its simplistic, black hands reaching out invitingly. In fact, even if she stops, it would seem to be growing bigger as the arms reach out towards the nearest person
Then we have to stop her, of course. If nothing else because it's humane.
And because there's no way everyone is going to be allowed to go out like that. So how do we end up in there?
"What.The.Fuck."
"Yo,this is some Lovecraft shit we're walking into."
He quickly walks away from the wall he was at,completely rejoining the group,pointing at the wall.
"It says 'Come Play With Me'."
"Imma be honest with y'all,i'm ready to bail. You've seen horror movies,yeah?"
Eito draws his knives.
(edited by Eito)
I assume we just enter, It thinks we're victims after all, it should just let us in, right?
And Eito-san is right, this place is terrifying.....
Ehehehehe~
I can't wait to fight this thing!
(edited by Kotori_K)
Upon reading the words on the wall Leo would immediately begin shaking in fear.
“W-what is this? W-why did this turn into a horror movie all of a sudden? A-are there ghosts or something here?!?â€
The once unreactive Leo suddenly would be sent into a state of fear by these events he might’ve also seen in a horror film or game. It seems the idea of actual ghosts scared him more than any sort of horror he might stumble upon with his eyes.
The girl sighs and goes forward, despite not really wanting to deal with this crap... She can't exactly leave things be.
"It might be best if you did leave, Eito-kun. I can't, you, on the other hand, are a cause for concern... Really I'm not so sure about anyone here, regardless though, it has to be dealt with."
Homura looks back at Leo and shakes her head, were it only something as simple as ghosts.
"No, just the Witch inside that barrier... She's expecting us too, which makes things all the worse really."
Finally, she looks back at Kotori and sighs, does this girl have any clue what they're getting into here?
"Kotori, you remember the Witch I told you about? That one I didn't beat, whatever's in there is kinda like here. This is very bad, and it's not something to be excited about in the least bit either."
Getting interrupted from looking around by Eito, Jiyu looks over to him
"Come play with me? Maybe it wants us to play uhh Monopoly or any of those other board games with us."
Jiyu then chuckles at his own joke which was clearly unfunny
Eito stares at Kotori.
"First of all,you need a psychiatrist AND a psychologist."
He then walks over to Leo,snapping his fingers.
"Second of all,you need to snap out of it,pal."
"The shell shocked always die in horror movies,so get your shit together."
Oh, So it's gonna be hard?
.......................................
She looks at the box in her hand, then holds it to Homura
Here, It's a Christmas gift.
A little late, but now's better than ever...
Leo would seem to calm down at Homura’s reassurance. Its almost amazing how fast he goes from fearful to back to his usual carefree demeanor.
“Just this witch thing then...thank goodness. I don’t know how I would have dealt with a ghost...those things are super creepy.â€
Leo would begin approaching the circle to observe the extending arm.
“Is it normal for these arm things to be reaching out?â€
As Homura approaches the barrier, the emblem seems to grow until she feels the emblem's hands grabbing hold of her own arms. Immediately these hands yank backwards, dragging her inside the barrier before returning to their original position, beckoning the others in the area. As Leo approaches, these same arms begin reaching out towards him as well
Kyubey seems satisfied walking away from this, instead stepping over to Leo and laying down by him
If you'd prefer to wait out here I would like to discuss the manner of your ability. After all, I could see why many would value it. Though, I am currently unsure of the limits it has. Would you care to tell me everything they showed you about me? In return I would be willing to answer some of your questions.
After having been dragged inside the barrier, Homura finds herself in a long hallway, much like that of a school. However, there is a great lack of color, the ground itself is a pitch black, while the barren school walls are a faint grey. The hallway extends in two directions, one to her left and one to her right, and every ten feet or so is decorated by a pitch-black rectangle, likely a door of some kind. Towards the end of the left hallway Homura is able to see more long, reaching arms.
The arms are pitch-black, much like the floors, and appear two-dimensional in form. This makes it difficult to tell exactly how far away they are, but they appear to be quite miniscule against the halls, so it is likely she has a decent amount of time
(edited by Incubator)
Homura nods and takes the box, despite everything going on she'd open it with a smile on her face... And then look slightly downcast, didn't even think of getting Kotori anything. Regardless, upon seeing what's in the box, she'd quickly attach it to her shield and nod gratefully... She'd rather not test it in a fight, but can't hurt matters either.
"Thank you, you didn't really have to get anything for me. But um thanks."
She'd then turn to Eito and sigh, horror movies? This isn't something like that... And normal? Hahaha, as if Witches have a normal?
"There's no such as normal where Witches are concerned, but... That's a bit more abnormal than usual sadly. As the Incubator and I, both said this one is more dangerous than common Witches. Summed up, it's a few different normal Witches mashed into one more powerful being."
Upon appearing in the "school" however, she'd glance around for a moment to check and see who exactly is nearby. Regardless of anything else though, she walks forward and veers off to the right. Going down that hallway and aiming her gun in front. Along with attempting to open one of the doors, and preparing to shut it rather quickly should anything be inside.
(edited by Homura-Akemi)
"FUCK THAT!"
Eito runs behind Jiyu after witnessing Homura being dragged in.
"TAKE HIM FIRST!"
Kotori enters the barrier as well
Its a cover for your buckler.
It's to protect it, so you can use it as an actual shield....
I put some special enchantments on it...
Double Barrier and Earth. So it should protect against magic as well as help you keep from getting knocked around....
But using that will probably drain a bit of your magic too.
Either way, Merry Christmas!
Sorry for the wait!
*Sighs....*
I'll go first. It's my duty, after all.
*She charges the hands! Fate take her!*
Jiyu turns around and looks at Eito again
"Wait what the fuck?"
Leo would look back to Kyubey with his eyes fully open but not activated. After looking at them for a moment he would close his eyes and put his hand to his head. He seemed like he was having a tough time with something.
“I suppose you could say that the biggest limit of the eyes is my own lack of understanding. I can see that your not what you seem but what exactly you are is hard for me to tell since I’ve never seen anything like you.
To put it more simply, just because I can see what you are doesn’t mean I can exactly describe or determine it. Well not on my own anyway.â€
"Don't look at me,Sonic,you're the only one of the two of us who knows what the fuck he's doing!"
Eito is trembling in not so slight fear.
"Might as well be you taking the lead,yeah?"
"...I guess."
Jiyu turns around and starts walking towards the barrier with a blue and red aura glowing around him, while saying something under his breath
"Speak up buddy,if you're gonna insult me for being a cowardly asshole,I wanna hear it upfront."
Eito follows after Jiyu,taking deep breaths to calm down.
Haruko charges the emblem's hands, they eagerly grab onto her as the new nearest person in order to drag her inside of the barrier. While Haruko does this, Kotori acts like a reasonable person and goes around the arms, simply leaping inside the circle and vanishing from the sight of those outside
Like Homura before them, Kotori and Haruko finds themselves in a long hallway, much like that of a school. However, there is a great lack of color, the ground itself is a pitch black, while the barren school walls are a faint grey. The hallway extends in two directions, one to her left and one to her right, and every ten feet or so is decorated by a pitch-black rectangle, likely a door of some kind. Towards the end of the left hallway Kotori and Haruko are able to see more long, reaching arms.
The arms are pitch-black, much like the floors, and appear two-dimensional in form. This makes it difficult to tell exactly how far away they are, but they appear to be fairly small against the hallway's background so it is likely they have a decent amount of time.
To their right they see Homura, apparently fleeing the arms, she opens one of the doors on the nearest side, inside of which she finds...
Another hallway, identical to the one her, Haruko, and Kotori are inside. Looking down this hallway there don't seem to be any arms yet. However, there are much longer rectangles along the sides, where one would find lockers inside an ordinary school. Beyond this the hallway is entirely identical.
Outside the barrier Kyubey tilts his head at Leo, thinking for a brief moment before twitching his ears
So although you can see practically anything, when it comes to entirely new experiences this sight does not make them any easier to comprehend. This greatly limits their usefulness in a world such as this, but in any other world, or if one was capable of compiling such massive amounts of data in a short period of time, their value would likely be limitless.
As for what I am, that is fairly simple. As Homura said I am known as an Incubator, a foreign species who has come to Earth in order to make contracts with individuals, granting their wishes in exchange for their service as Magical Girls. Of course, everyone benefits from our interaction,
but some people feel cheated regardless.
As with Leo and Homura before him, the hand-like emblem seems to grow and reach out towards Jiyu as he approaches, beckoning all those around to enter
Jiyu turns his head to the right and looks over at Eito once again
"I'm not even insulting you, I'm just talking to myself."
Jiyu then literally jumps into the hand because he's brain dead
(edited by Jiyu-Hatanaka)
Leo would look up at the mention of not being from earth. That concept was familiar to him as his own world was full of thing not from his own earth.
“So what exactly are you? An alien or some being from another dimension? I guess the bigger question then would be what exactly are witchs and where do they come from?
My eyes can see more than what’s in front of me too. I could look through time to figure that out but I don’t really like using the power of my eyes irresponsibly like that. Not too mention that if I look at something I shouldn’t they might break as well.â€
"..."
"Fair enough,I do it all the time so I can't really judge you."
Having finally calmed down,Eito starts walking next to Jiyu.
"So,we doing this or what?"
He motions at the circle.
Homura considers looking into a "locker", but for some reason, that feels a bit dangerous for little possible gain. Instead, she simply keeps moving forward and attempting to find the rest of them, she's got no clue on the rest... But, Kotori's constantly using a bit of magic, and thus she'd attempt to feel out the girl's presence, if Homura got any clue, she'd start rushing off toward Kotori. Otherwise, she simply moves forward and keeps searching the hallway with no real aim behind it.
Homura would almost immediately be able to find Haruko and Kotori directly behind her, in the direction she entered. Perhaps I should have described this better, but regardless regrouping doesn't seem to be difficult in the slightest
"Why wouldn't we? Those others might need our help."
Kotori decides to take the path Homura followed, repeating her explanation of the shields abilities as she catches up to her and comes into earshot
Well then.... I guess it's time we start the show, huh?
*She holds out her hand, a silver ring adorning it just like the other Magical Girls. From the ring, a sea green egg-like gem appears. Haruko catching it in her hand.*
I can't change this poor Witch's fate, but I can at least save others from her wrath!
*Her arm extends to the right, before swinging down and to the left! The gem being thrown aside as her arm swings. A few feet away, it forms into a sea green circle. The circle and Gem flying at her, washing over her with a matching light. When the light fades, the gem is now embeded under her left wrist, and her outfit has been replaced with a kimono-inspired sea green top, black skirt, and a flower hairband.*
Let's do this!
*She'd then run after Kotori and Homura!*
Realtalk that took way longer to write than I expected. And I'm insanely nervous about it.
"Survival of the smartest."
"In this case,the smartest thing to do is to walk away and never speak of this again."
"However,since I know that isn't much of an option at this point,I say we go in now and finish with all the tension."
"You have got to be kidding me."
"You know what?"
"Fuck it."
"Now or never!"
Eito sprints over to the circle before slowing down and walking around the hands.
The arms reach out to Eito, grabbing a hold of hi before yanking back into the barrier, and returning back to the way it was. Now it is only Leo and Kyubey remaining outside, far enough that the arms don't reach out to them
Outside the barrier, Kyubey would roll onto his back, beady red eyes looking into Leo's own.
So your eyes don't allow you to see everything after all. They have their own limits, some things that you are unable to see, otherwise you risk destruction. In addition to the limits imposed by your own human understanding. What exactly these off-limits things are is a valuable question, but unfortunately it seems unlikely for you to have the answer to that.
As for myself, yes, I am an alien of sorts. Though, I do originate from a different dimension, so do most of us, as is the nature of this "Nexus" place.
Witches are known as "those who sow the seeds of this world's destruction". They're terrifying creatures who exist primarily to sow misery and despair among the humans, feeding off this despair and ultimately the humans themselves who often commit suicide right outside their barrier. There are several ways a Witch is formed, one of the most relevant here is being dragged in from another universe. As barriers are rather unstable compared to a normal part of reality, Witches get dragged in with higher frequency than most beings
Having regrouped, Haruko, Homura, and Kotori run along the new hallway, its quite uniform, seeming to loop over and over again. With so few details it is difficult to tell exactly how long or how far they've run, however, looking ahead in the distance, there seems to be a set of rectangular double-doors, like the kind one might expect at a school exit.
Eito is dragged in in time to see the slowest of the girls run off into a side hallway.
Like the trio before them, Eito finds himmself in a long hallway, much like that of a school. However, there is a great lack of color, the ground itself is a pitch black, while the barren school walls are a faint grey. The hallway extends in two directions, one to his left and one to his right, and every ten feet or so is decorated by a pitch-black rectangle, likely a door of some kind. Towards the end of the left hallway Eito is able to see more long, reaching arms.
The arms are pitch-black, much like the floors, and appear two-dimensional in form. This makes it difficult to tell exactly how far away they are, they appear to be almost the size of an ordinary arm against the hallway's background so it is likely they are rather close. There seems to be two dozen of these arms, these arms reach out towards Eito, aiming to grab hold of his arms and legs
(edited by Incubator)
So she did it... Grr, it's not a shock. But what a pain, yet another person who's foolishly doomed herself to a horrible fate...
"Well, I guess you became a Magical Girl hmm? Well, I hope you know how to use that fancy weapon. Or if not, that you learn very fast... And, expect something to be behind those doors."
Homura walks up to the double doors, she'd slowly open them and point her gun around wherever they lead to. Wary eyes darting around the area as she prepares for the worst, the Witch.
Jiyu then angerly puts his phone back in his pocket and storms out of the warehouse
Kotori infuses herself with an earth enchantment before following Homura, also taking extreme caution
I've been learning plenty. I'm not the same girl from that puzzle.
*There is a much stronger sense of pride around her...*
"Nope."
Eito starts running to the right hallway,not even taking a moment to examine the hands.
"Not dying tonight!"
As Homura approaches the "double doors", she might notice a three hands seeming to peel themselves off of the much larger black rectangles. They immediately lash out, aiming to grab hold of Homura's left arm. Six more on each side seem to emerge from nearby "lockers", six each reaching out to Kotori and Haruko. The arms seem to be rather small, roughly as wide as one would expect from an eight-year-old child, but considering the fact the lockers are only five feet or so away, it is likely they're close
Poor Eito immediately begins running from the horde down an almost featureless hallway. Glancing to either side he sees a series of tall black rectangles, each roughly the size of a doorway. Glancing back Eito would find the arms just seem to keep extending, able to keep up with his rapid pace, they would seem to neither shrink nor grow, instead keeping relatively close to him throughout the chase.
Ack!
Kotori steps away from the arms and slashes at them
Keep off!
"Oh come on!"
Eito runs into the rectangle on the right,shoulder first.
Ugh, nothing that unexpected. The girl leaps back as arms shoot at her, a black card forming in front of her gun's barrel as she fires off a round at one of the arms. Of course, the woman dressed like Homura with darkness in place of a face and a guillotine on the end of a rod would burst forth from her card. Blade slicing about wildly around the arms as Homulilly hovers in front of her Summoner.
Leo would look back towards the circle in the middle as if wondering how the other might be doing. Kyubey was certainly an intresting being. The beast red eyes oddly reminded him of one of the elder blood breed in the most chilling of ways.
They were creatures who had no humanity whatsoever and not only that but they were almost unkillable. The first time Leo had layers eyes on one its mere presence of aura had causes his eyes to begin bleeding but that was also when he learned their greatest weakness.
He wondered if Kyubey was the same way. That perhaps if he really did try to comprehend what he was seeing then maybe he could find Kyubey’s qeakness at the cost of feeling that pain again.
Such a thought perhaps wasn’t even worth consideration. Kyubey didn’t seem to be a threat to anyone despite what Homura said. The witches were more a threat and perhaps would be a better use of his time to detect. That being said there was still one more question bugging him about Kyubey.
“Actually, I’ve been wondering...why do any of this? I understand the danger of witches but something tells me you aren’t doing this out of the kindness of whatever you may call a heart.
What do you really gain from all this? More importantly, why the curiosity in my eyes in the first place? I have to wonder if your similiar to the being that have me these eyes in the first place.
I don’t think it necessarily did so out of something like spite or to entertain itself. It had a reason however involuntary it was for me. So what’s your reason for creating magical girls and fighting witches? What meaning is there behind it?â€
*Haruko's eyes seem to unfocus for a moment, as she backflips away from the hands.*
See? No problem?
*A familiar enough weapon for her, a chakram, appears in her hand, as she throws it at the grabbing arms.*
I'll admit to having not finalized soul gem percentages yet, but I will say that was likely a small boost to corruption.
Kyubey simply tilts his head at Leo, in spite of his larger speech. The creature's ears twitch as it asks him one, simple question.
How familiar are you with the concept of entropy? The idea that the universe will eventually run out of energy and fade into nothingness?
Eito slams into one of the side doors, emerging into a similar hallway. In addition to the rectangular "doors" on the sides, there seem to be some sort of longer, larger rectangles alongside the walls, around where one would expect lockers to be were this an ordinary school.
Before he has the chance to close the doors, the arms are on top of Eito again, forcing him to quickly choose a direction to run in, left or right.
As mere familiars, the hands are no real problem for Homulilly, she quickly eviscerates them,
causing them to begin to fade and dissolve. The one Homura shoots herself gets a hole where the bullet passes through. However, this isn't enough for the being to begin fading away, instead it finds itself as another of Homulilly's victims, a few inches away from Homura's arm.
Homulilly's slashing manages to strike the "door" as well, breaking open a hole in it.
Kotori would be able to slash through four of the arms before they're able to reach her. The remaining two are able to briefly latch onto her before being cut down themselves. She can hardly feel them, yet looking down where they connected, her skin seems to have begun turning black and two-dimensional, similar to the background around them.
Haruko throws her chakram at the arms, however they are too spread out for her to be able to pierce them all in one go. She cuts through four of them, before the remaining manage to grab hold of her arm. Like with Kotori, she's hardly able to feel its contact, instead she would find her own form beginning to shift, somewhat resembling the area around them. While the arms latch onto her, the area around them would begin to shift to a black, almost flat appearance. Though Haruko herself can hardly feel anything wrong with it.
Through the hole Homulilly created Homura gets a glimpse of the outside. It seems to be a playground, black and flat like the rest of the place. It has a single swingset featuring two of your typical swings, and a rather tall and steep slide. Overall the playground is rather simple and unassuming, what one would expect from a poor neighborhood, with a misshaped black floor, much like the typical woodchips one would find on many a school playground
Around the outside of the playground are many shadowy, humanoid forms. Their attention seems to be on each other, and they don't seem to have heard the noise Homura and the others have no doubt caused. They also don't seem to have noticed the figure inside.
Sitting in the playground alone, curled up into a ball, lies a single, small, humanoid figure. The figure's back is to the girls as it raises its head, glancing around at all the other humanoids. A few more of the black hands sprout from this figure, reaching out to the humanoids around it only to be ignored. A faint crying sound resounds throughout the area, much like that of a weeping child
"Won't you things just fuck off?!"
Figuring going right so far has gone well for him,he once again starts sprinting to the right,panting. Meanwhile,he draws his gun,not aiming or loading it yet.
"Just a little more..."
...........
Kotori is freaked out a bit by seeing the change to her skin
...........
R-right.... Don't get touched.......
..........
T-this place..... Is freaky....
I might... need to do it here.... today... regardless of how prepared I am.....
Homura grimaces as she stares at what... Well, no way to know for sure. But it seems like the Witch. Or at least a great aspect of the thing than most familiars.
"Alright, I'm not entirely sure if that's our target out there... But, I think it's worth killing regardless an-"
Upon seeing Haruko however, she'd quickly point a finger toward the arms on the girl, Homulilly springing into action with a sadistic glee as she swings her blade up, aiming to slam the thing down and slice the familiars right down the middle.
"Guess we should deal with that before planning anything else, right?"
*Haruko has been grabbed!*
Oh no.... bit of a problem here!
*She'd try pulling her arm away from the grasping hands, and failing that, she'd likely try summoning up a chakram in her other hand to slice at the arms point blank.*
OOC: It's getting late for me so blame that. :P
(edited by Haruko)
“I don’t really know anything about that. Its pretty obvious that nothing lasts forever but entropy sounds like a new concept to me.â€
Leo would think about this concept briefly as well but in the end it seemed irrelevant to his own worldview. He had loved and lost but to think the universe would one day end due to a lack of energy? It seemed somewhat insane to him after everything he had already witnessed.
He had seen creatures that were somehow able to exist eternally and people using their own blood as some sort of biological weapon. To him these were signs that entropy couldn’t be true but despite this he didn’t think to interrupt Kyubey. Everyone was entitled to their views.
Geh, This place.....
Kotori would take the time to watch over her allies, slashing at any arms that would try to sneak up on them while Homura is busy with Haruko
the arms continue chasing Eito as he runs down the hallway. Rather than slow down, they almost seem to have sped up, and are slowly gaining on him.... Luckily, he sees a single white door towards the end of the hall. Its most recognizable for being the only thing in the area that's neither black nor grey. There is only about a foot between him and the arms now, but it seems likely he can make it to the door.
As with the familiars beforehand, Homulilly and Haruko have little trouble dispatching the pair attached to Haruko. Though, by the time they is able to do so the strange phenomenon has spread across roughly half of her arm. Haruko would find that arm reacting a touch more slowly than she might be used to, but there doesn't seem to be any sort of injury for her to heal. Fortunately for Kotori her brief contact doesn't seem to have left enough of a mark to affect her movement. More familiars emerge from the set of lockers behind the group, though they seem to be far enough away that they're not likely to be a threat at the moment.
The hole Homulilly left behind remains, with little seeming to have changed outside of it. The child in the middle of the playground looks up again, finally turning around to look at all the others around it. Dissapointed, the figure returns to its kneeling position
Kyubey would roll around on the ground a little more, finally ending up on his stomach as his beady red eyes stare into Leo's own.
It would make sense that your primitive species wouldn't view entropy as a problem. After all,
it is quite a long time away. Allow me to explain it simply
In every single action taken, a small amount of energy is rendered useless, typically given off in the form of heat or left to fill empty space. You'd probably never notice if you weren't looking for it, things like Global Warming would seem like a more pressing issue
However, for more advanced civilizations like my own, we recognize the amount of energy consumed by all societies across the universe comes together to be quite massive. While not immediate, if we don't take action to stop this eventual universal decay, then we would not be able to effectively combat it and delay the inevitable.
This, is where you humans come in. After some time scouring the universe, we were only able to find one thing that produces more energy than it consumes.
Kyubey would stand up and trot around to the front of the Barrier, flicking his tail towards it as a demonstration
The power generated by emotion is something my kind could never understand, but it is something we can use to combat the effects of entropy. Whenever a Magical Girl gives into despair and finally hatches into a Witch, a massive amount of energy is generated, far more than the girl is likely to consume. Thus, we bring more energy into the world and combat the inevitability of entropy. Of course, we acknowledge the sacrifices these girls make, and reward them with a single wish, whatever they desire, in exchange for their service. Until their time is up,
these girls also help by minimizing the negative effects of our actions, namely hunting Witches,
in order to help ensure humanity is around for as long as possible so they can continue providing a massive amount of energy and allow us to delay the inevitable.
After all, imagine if your species were to eventually manage to leave Earth, and reach out to all the others among the stars. Wouldn't it be terrible to learn that there's no longer anyone there?
As always, Kyubey gives this entire speech without a hint of remorse, regret, joy, any kind of emotion. He states it as though giving a simple calculation, a problem to be solved using whatever tools are at hand
Thanks Homura-chan.
*She'd flex her arm a bit, noticing how slow it gets...*
I hope there's no lasting effects from this. I'd hate my first hunt to be my last. So, I take it the witch is beyond that door? Either way, probably better to be in there than be here.
OOC: Also think I'm conking into sleep land here.
"Oh fuck,oh fuck,oh fuck!"
He quickly loads his handgun with a clip from his jacket and starts shooting at the arms as he rapidly approaches the white door.
Leo almost couldn’t believe that Kyubey was openly talking about something so horrible like it was nothing. A bit of rage at such an abuse of feelings caused a rise in him but he knew better.
This creature before him was of another species entirely. He understood now that Kyubey was very similiar in nature to the elder blood breeds who only viewed humans as cattle. Kyubey too only viewed humanity as an ends to a means and worse yet was that he couldn’t be angry about it.
It was the girl’s choice and they were allowed to make it of their own will.
“Girl’s sacrifice? So that means you at least tell them first, right? Or as a being with no emotion do you not realize that that’s something humans would want to know...
I can’t say I approve of something like this but in the end I’m human and you’re not. I also won’t question someone’s choice to sacrifice them self. I have no right to question something like that when I was too cowardly to do so...â€
OOC: Since the main fight hasn't started yet, and I DO intend to have it live up to expectations, I am open to the idea of pausing the thread for now and continuing at a more convenient time. When would be the best time for all participants to convene again to finish this, or would those remaining prefer to try finishing it? If giving a specifc time, please include your timezone so I can convert.
Two votes for delay so far
One vote to keep going
(edited by Incubator)
OOC: Same time works any night.
OOC: I'm pretty damm tired and have been sick recently, so pausing would be for the better here as well. I need to actually rest tonight sadly.
OOC: Then its official, majority rules. If continuing the same time tomorrow would pose a problem for any of you, please contact me on discord. Everyone present is either my friend or in the same server I am, so it should not be an issue. Though, considering I do have work this weekend, would Sunday night perhaps work out better?
OOC: Its a bit early, but considering the time most of these participants are around I had thought it might be worth getting a head count, after all, if everyone is ready and willing there's no real reason not to start somewhat ahead of schedule, since there are currently three groups (Leo having a lovely chat, poor Eito getting chased, and the three girls nearing the end) this would also serve to let me know who I need to update for.
If anything has come up to where you would prefer this be further delayed, please take this chance to say so. I'm more than willing to work with you on that front, especially since this will likely take a few hours to finish
OOC: Well, I can join.
OOC: Low signal right now but I might be able to post.
OOC: For Homura, you sound rather uncertain, I don't mind delaying it if you would prefer to wait until another day when you're feeling better, after all you mentioned being sick last time.
For Jiyu, you could, would be near the entrance you might remember with Leo. Though, I would prefer to wait for Haruko, as they are part of the group closest to the end
OOC: Nah, I'm still a little sick but I already did that one fight today. Shouldn't be a big deal! And ye probably best to wait on Haruko.
OOC: Moo.
OOC: Moo
The Eito's rapid bullets go through the arms with little trouble, too little in fact as it hardly seems to slow them down. He manages to shoot down two or three of them, its difficult to tell with how closely packed they are, before needing to reload. He rapidly approaches the white door, based on the fact you can't see the hinges it is likely a push door, but who really knows with this place?
Jiyu walks back end towards the end of Kyubey and Leo's conversation. The catlike creature walks away from the barrier and towards the open warehouse door, stopping to glance back at Leo
We tell them everything important, and answer any questions they may have truthfully. After all, we recognize your species as a sentient one, and thus you have a certain amount of value. As such we make sure to tell them everything about the contract, how it forces them to fight these creatures in exchange for granting their desires. We hardly think they would accept believing that somehow this will let them live forever, but I will admit to not understanding humans very well.
Kyubey stops at the doorway, looking back at Leo with its beady red eyes before nodding towards the open door they came from
At this point I doubt that either of our presence has any effect on whether or not the others succeed. So, unless you would like to further discuss the nature of those eyes of yours, I'll be on my way.
The barrier's emblem remains unchanged to both Jiyu and Leo. In spite of Kyubey's words it seems the Witch is still around, if they so wished to delve in.
The strange shadow on Haruko and Kotori doesn't seem to be going away any time soon, outside the somewhat broken doorway the playground remains utterly unchanged throughout their brief discussion. Although the dozen arms coming from behind them, in the direction of the hallway they came from, seem to have gotten somewhat closer, they're nowhere near close enough to be a threat yet.
Uhh..... how about moving on?
I don't really wanna die to paper hands.....
I'm going to agree there. If nothing else, I don't think going back is an option, so let's keep going forward.
Jiyu slowly walks over to Leo with his hands in his pockets
"So, I guess we'll be working together."
Welp!
Homura-san seems to have zoned out!
Assuming there aren't any hands on the door, Kotori opens it and walks in the room cautiously
*Assuming Homura was zoned out as well, Haruko goes to open the door!*
Right!
Kotori infuses herself with wind and rushes to the group,
Slashing at any that she would reach
Homura, Haruko, and Kotori exit the "school" and walk into the next part, one which most closely resembles a playground. Homura tosses two bombs, one at the nearest grouping of humanoid figures. This bomb explodes and wipes out six of them with ease, leaving a large space into the playground itself.
Her other bomb approaches the crouching figure in the middle of the playground. At first the lone, crouching figure doesn't seem to notice the bomb flying towards it. However, shortly after it crosses into the playground popular, onto its worn, uneven ground. four hands emerge from the back of the crouching figure to intercept the bomb. This bomb explodes, eradicating the hands that grabbed it and leaving the lone figure itself unharmed.
The figure's crying noise reverberates throughout the area, though it is impossible to make out much of anything from it. Alerted to their presence, the lone figure stands up and turns around.
Now that its standing, they are able to more easily tell it to be the silhouette of a young girl, probably no older than Kotori, with long, flowing hair. Its white eyes open wide, and a single, white crescent crosses its face, something like a grin. Four more of those flat, papery arms from earlier emerge from the figure and reach out towards the closest individual, Kotori in this case.
The other figures standing around the playground don't seem to have noticed anything. They continue looking between each other as though absolutely nothing was wrong
So you're gonna attack me first, huh?
Changing direction towards the lone girl, Kotori infuses her blade with wind, and when the arms reach her, she'll jump and spin midair, using the blades wind to create a cutting vortex surrounding her, and keeping her momentum as she approaches.
I got you, Kotori!
*She stops on a dime, throwing a summoned chakram at the hands reaching out for Kotori. Using her good arm, which isn't quite as good at throwing as her bad arm....*
Homura's shield clicks and time grins to a halt, she'd rush forward with incredible speed and pass by Kotori. The rifle in her hands glowing with purple energy as she aims it at the front of their foe.
"Hopefully this one doesn't shrug off bullets, but no telling until I test things out."
A dozen bullets fly from the gun as pulls back on the trigger, Homura's magic covering the things and raising their stopping power as she herself darts away. The bullets would stop mid-air as usual, before starting to fly again and hitting around the time Kotori's 3/4ths of the way to their foe. Homura simply stands back and watches from afar, rifle now aimed at the rest just in case they get involved.
OOC: Soul Gem 10% dark
(edited by Homura-Akemi)
Homura stops time in order to get their action in first. Jokes aside, she makes it between Kotori and the arms, firing a dozen shots at the Witch herself. Once time resumes most of them would fly by the extended arms, striking the Witch and causing her to stumble backwards, closer to the "swingset" on the other side of this "playground". She watches the other familiars, just in case they began moving, but they seem to be actively ignoring everything around the Witch. One of them glances over to Homura and Haruko, but makes no motions yet, returning to its place among the others
Kotori slashes at the arms around her, taking three of them out with apparent ease as she leaps onto the playground's boundaries. One nearly reaches her before being caught by one of Haruko's chakrams and dissapating from that blow. By now Kotori is most of the way to the creature.
While Homura is looking off at the familiars to her sides, a half dozen of the "hands" would emerge from the ground around behind her, reaching out, two at each of her arms and one at each of her legs.
As for the Witch itself, it slowly steps further back into the playground, before seeming to reach out to Kotori with her own arm.... They seem to be rather slow to respond to all this
Homura leaps back, her shield glowing with light as a purple barrier forms all around the girl, taking the shape of a bubble she's inside to be exact. The hands would, of course, slam into it for a moment. This sends the bubble flying back before Homura smashes it to shards. She'd then crush her Persona card with a quick bullet, Homulilly sending blades of darkness flying out from her hands and toward the foes in front of them. They'd simply be aimed to slice the things to ribbons in a wide arc, not very strong, but strong enough to cut something fairly weak.
OOC: Soul Gem 15%
(edited by Homura-Akemi)
Lets see....
Homura-san said it's really strong...
As Kotori comes within range, she'll use her enchantment to dash at her highest speed past the witch, slashing at the outstretched arm, then she'll dash back towards the witch,
Passing again, slashing at her back, before dashing a third time, hopefully back out of range
Kotori! Don't get so close to that!
*She'd try closing the gap and throwing a pair of chakrams at the little, retreating girl!*
Geeze... I wish I had more offensive magic...
(edited by Haruko)
Homulilly successfully slices through the familiars, as one might expect, they offer rather little resistance, though they do push Homura slightly towards the Witch, looking down her feet are rather close to the rough part that indicates the "playground" proper. Eight more arms emerge from the ground in front of her, much like those before. As they're simple familiars, it likely never occured to them to do anything else. This time two would be aimed at each of Homura's limbs, half of them stretching high before going for her arms with the other half remaining low to the ground to grab her feet.
As soon as Kotori nears the Witch it moves with uncharacteristic speed. Its left "arm" seems to unravel, into a paper-thin mess, much like the everything else in the area. This thin, ribbonlike appendage wraps around Kotori's sword arm, and begins spreading the same, thin black effect across her flesh. Her sword arm is now completely flat, though this doesn't seem to affect her ability to move it beyond slowing her down a little, of more import is the faint pressure she feels from the Witch's arm around her own.
Haruko steps onto the "playground, tossing her chakrams at the Witch. One chakram slices clean through the Witch's right arm... Too cleanly in fact, as soon as its passed through paper-thin ribbons connect the severed appendage to the Witch itself, and in moments its almost like there's no wound at all. Her other chakram embeds itself in the Witch's chest, eliciting a change in the creature's face, from its constant, childish grin to a look of surprise, or shock. It looks away from Kotori back to Haruko, before extending its right arm towards her, based on what happened to Kotori, you might be able to guess what happens next...
Kotori's arm turning to paper completely freaks her out, and she drops her sword, however, as it separates, the wind enchantment unleashes itself, causing a gale of cutting wind to surround the area, if this wind cuts her free, Kotori will rush as far as she can away, if it fails, she'll try to pick up her sword with her right hand and slash at the arm grabbing her,
Then rush away
*Haruko doesn't need to use her power to know what's coming. She attempts to jump back, if that isn't enough to stop the arms, which it probably isn't, she'll start swinging rapidly with another chakram. Trying to cut the arm to pieces as it keeps on coming.*
I think she's distracted if you two want to do something!
Homura darts back as her Persona once again rushes to defend her, bladed rod flailing about madly as Homulilly rushes toward the hands.
"That should deal with them for a bit, now let's see about the Witch."
Time grinds to a halt again, this one far briefer as the girl is close to her foe now. She'd change out the rifle for a shotgun, loaded with ice dust rounds in fact. Blasts of cold energy and icicles flying into the Witch's back legs, assuming the attacks worked, it'd have the side effect of freezing the thing's legs down to the ground as well. Homura simply backs away a few feet before starting time again, not keeping it up long to save her power.
OOC: Soul Gem 20%
The Witch's paper-thin arm is cut to ribbons by Kotori's gust, allowing her to dash closer to the middle of the playground, near Haruko and the others. Unlike with Haruko earlier, its arm remains broken, though the creature itself doesn't seem to mind.
Haruko stops her charm just in time as the Witch's right arm unravels into paper-thin ribbons of shadow, these ribbons extend like a spear, unfortunately for Haruko there doesn't seem to be much of a limit to how far it can extend, in spite of her jumping back it manges to pierce the shoulder of her unaffected arm, from this wound the same effect as all previous contact with the Witch's minions, a faint shadow spreading giving her shoulder and throwing arm the same shadowy, thin appearance as the Barrier. Though aside from a slight slowdown their performance doesn't seem to have altered much.
Homulilly slashes at the hands, the persona's strength allowing her to easily tear the familiars apart, one manages to grasp the persona for a moment, but it seems the shadowy effect is having a harder time spreading across it.
As for Homura herself, she steps into the playground, time frozen once more, and fires at the Witch's only set of legs, this one is bipedal after all, they're briefly covered with a familiar, white ice, but in moments this ice begins to take on the properties of the barrier, before vanishing into the Witch itself.
With all three of the girls in the "Playground" area, the Witch's crying turns to cackling, maniacal laughter. From each of the "Playground"'s edges a massive, shadowy arm reaches towards the sky. Several dozen of these surround the area, meeting in the air far above the middle of the area,
before expanding to the side to shut out what little greyish light there was. As the arms meet, the "Witch" seems to begin melting into the ground. Once the girls are completely surrounded in a shadowy dome, they find it quite hard to see the area around them, or even each other. What they do find, is a pair of red eyes looming out from the darkness. They feel a faint breeze as something moves in the shadows.
OOC:Since Haruko doesn't seem to have thought of much of a way to use their ability yet, I'll give an idea. For the sake of this thread, whenever you wish to make use of it, simply tell me who you wish to look into, and I'll give you information on any attacks that are likely to be headed their way next round. I wouldn't advise keeping that system as its quite a bit of effort on the GM's part, but you'll probably be able to figure something better out when you have time
Well, this just figures doesn't it? No real shock to see the frigging thing showing its true form...
Time to start the real fight.
"So now we see the truth? Oh well, no need to get freaked out. Keeping calm is important in these things."
Despite her words and mostly flat tone, Homura's not exactly calm herself at the moment... But,
despite that, the girl commands Homulilly once more. This time the Persona twirls about like it's dancing, dressing fluttering about as wind picks up around her. Finally, she'd toss her hands out toward the eyes as a tornado forms, standing about 10 feet tall and 5 wide as it rushes across the ground, presumably picking up anything else that might be there as well. Homura, on the other hand, toys about with her gun, quickly replacing the ice dust and loading in fire. She'd raise it to the sky and pull the trigger, a large fireball blasting out of the gun and lighting up the area around her.
"I'd suggest sticking close to me if you can see that! Seems as if splitting up might not be for the best this time."
Gh!
Not good......
This thing is useless!
Kotori doubles her body's wind enchantment, then she stops and listens to the wind, using it to give her a gist of the witches location and movements, and once she has an idea, she'll use that knowledge to hopefully find a safe path back to her sword, picking it back up with her working right arm before stopping to listen to the wind again
*Despite wanting to prove herself, Haruko was pretty aware of the bad situation they're in. Her arm(s?) are paper-afflicted. And Kotori had a paper arm as well. Spllitting up was just asking for the Witch to pick them off one by one. So she gets closer to Homura, trying to watch her back while Homura watches her's.*
So.... what's the plan once this thing shows itself again?
Homura's shot lights up the area perfectly, allowing Kotori, Homura, and Haruko to see each other with ease. In spite of the light, the Witch itself remains... Difficult to distinguish. They can tell a vague outline of a simplistic, humanoid creature with a lizardlike head and pointed teeth. The figure seems to be hanging down from the roof of the dome, rather than actually touching the ground. Its red eyes glare at the group. The figure retracts a little, hanging over Homulilly's tornado as it passes by. Meanwhile, the stirring from earlier has become visible, well, as visible as the Witch at least. Two dozen of the shadowy hands that have been hounding the group this entire dungeon speed out from the walls.
Six of these hands are coincidentally dealt with by Homulilly's tornado, which whips through the familiars and tears them off of the walls, soon after being torn away they dissapate. Kotori searches for her sword, only to find it having taken on much of the same, paper-thin black qualities as the rest of the barrier, before her very eyes the process finishes, and Kotori's old sword melts into the ground, absorbed by the barrier.
The Witch itself bends over, bringing itself up and above the tornado while its two, evil red eyes stare at the group. While its familiars approach them from the ground, the Witch herself extends one, three-fingered hand towards the group. Each of these fingers rapidly expand and sharpen to spear-like points that attempt to skewer the trio
Kotori would feel the movement in the air as the creature raises its hand to attack, and would jump to her side to avoid the attack, then rush to Homura, turning and throwing a flame infused knife at the witch
My weapons gone!
All I have are knives!
I see, if we're fully afflicted by that thing then we become a familiar. It's no wonder she thought we were victims even with our power.
*She would be busy talking and only barely, hopefully, dodge the spear. Taking a moment to look at Kotori, eyes unfocusing and a little magic expended to see if anything will happen to her next turn...*
If this works, I should be able to protect you, Kotori.
Homura sighs at Kotori's lack of weapons... Well, despite her reservations a black katana with burn marks on the blade appears in Homura's hands, she'd give it to Kotori.
"It can channel magic, but using too much will damage the blade... And um, once it gets going it should just keep working. That's the gist."
Sword handed off, Homura would focus on her Persona. The tornado splitting into two half sized versions. One would rush upward toward the Witch and form blades, aiming to slash into it's... Whatever passes for the main body. The other, would dart across the ground and aiming to slam into the monsters rushing at them... Homura's attempt to dodge, however, isn't so well thought, and in fact, she'd simply form a small barrier far quicker than usual... And burn more magic for her efforts of blocking.
OOC: Soul Gem 30%
Kotori can feel the Witch's attempt to spear her narrowly pass by, managing to rip the edge of her clothing. Talk about too close for comfort.
As for Haruko's attempt, she does step out of the way of he worst of it, rather than impaling her stomach as intended, the witch's finger would pierce her left side. As with all other injuries here, a blackness spreads from the wound, the Witch's attempt to absorb her, leaving her now with half her right arm, her left shoulder, and much of her left side near the stomach under these effects. Fortunately it does little to actually affect her body's function.
Homura finds her barrier to serve little purpose against a creature this strong, with only a faint deflection the Witch's spear finds itself embedded in Homura's right lung as opposed to the intended heart. As with all other injuries, Homura's body and clothing would begin to take on the barrier's properties from this area, gaining a faint black coloration and appearing to be paper-thin. Fortunately this doesn't majorly effect function, but the hole in her lung might.
Homura's first tornado whips into the air towards the Witch. As large as it is, the creature's attempt to dodge her attack only succeeds in ensuring its "head" is not the portion that is struck.
Instead, it manages to hit the point where the extended arm meets its shadowy, puppet-like main body, slashing across it and causing some jagged edges to become visible around the edges of the shadow. It seems damage will be difficult to see as well, and while the creature doesn't seem too harmed, it immediately retracts its fingers, sparing Haruko further spreading.
As for Kotori's knife, the knife flies through the air, completely unnoticed by the Witch. It embeds itself in what passes for the Witch's skull and gives off a faint flare as it discharges the energy into the creature. Though very little injury is visible, the creature focuses its eyes on Homulilly and Kotori.
Homulilly's second tornado goes around the edge of the area, towards Homura and Kotori's position. The dozen hands in this area reach out for the pair, and for the most part are torn apart by the tornado mere inches away from them. However, four arms total manage to grab onto the girl's legs, spreading a small amount of that same, papery-black feature before being ripped away themselves.
No longer stabbed, Haruko looks into Kotori's fate. She sees the Witch circling around her and Homura, still hanging from the ceiling. Suddenly she sees a dozen of her hand-like familiars emerge from the ground, grabbing Kotori just in time for Witch herself to lunge forwards. In a flash, she sees Kotori disappear down the creature's maw, while Homura panics and begins firing at the Witch in question.
Of the six familiars nearest Haruko, two manage to latch onto her legs, spreading the same inky-black appearance that the rest of the barrier has while they can. The other four reach out, two for each arm. She feels the arms on her leg attempting to pull and drag her towards the edge of the dome, away from the others and into contact with a larger area.
The Witch itself, wary of her opponents, seems to shift around the roof of the dome in order to come closer to Kotori and Homura. She keeps her eyes on Homulilly, before rapidly extending her uninjured left arm in an attempt to smash the persona into the ground.
*Haruko was about to do something about Kotori, when suddenly she is grabbed. Even if she stops the familiars, it'd leave Kotori wide open.... so she does what she has to do.*
Homura! The Witch is going to go after Kotori next! Her familiars are going to emerge from the ground around her!
*With the warning now issued, she proceeds to use her weapon (which IIRC she hasn't thrown yet. If she has, she summons up another one) to attempt to slash at the arms grabbing for her, and then the ones actively dragging her.*
Ngh.... I think we might be... overmatched....
Oh yeah. Soul Gem would be moderately used. Probably like 20%?
(edited by Haruko)
Around me?
Hearing Haruko, Kotori changes her wind infusion to fire, then surrounds herself with flames, if her arm really is paper now, it'll probably burn off, along with any paper she'd go near, either way, she'll use the wind to rush to Haruko and slash at the arms grabbing her as much as she can
Homura grimaces as the blade goes into her throat, she'd mutter something to herself and stare down at her Soul Gem... Ugh, the body's not real, just a vessel for the Soul, pain's not real either, don't waste time on it. Homura says a few words, despite the blood gurgling into her throat form a punctured lung. She'd still sound fairly calm outwardly, and her eyes now appear glassy and a bit blank.
"Gah... I'm assuming you two aren't great healers or anything right? Well, I'm not going to die so let's not worry too much. As for being outmatched, just try not to think about it and focus on winning."
Homura's shield produces one of the healing salves Kotori had given her some time again, she'd slather the thing around her wound as magic flows from her hands. Put together, she'd still need a bit of rest to get moving again, but at least it'll keep her costs down. The wound would start patching up at a decent rate as Homura simply waits. Homulilly however, slams her blade into the path of the Witch's arm, matching inhuman strength with her own and cackling, dark magic would form on the Persona's back as a pair of large "Hands" of her own. As the blade clashes, she'd aim to reach behind the Witch and bash her down into the blade, hoping to slash off her arm.
OOC: Almost forgot, Soul Gem 50% by the time that's done healing.
(edited by Homura-Akemi)
As weak as familiars are Kotori and Haruko have no trouble clearing out the remainder of the hands, leaving them a fair distance away from Homura.....
Fortunately for Kotori none of this stuff is actually made of paper. Otherwise literally everything would be on fire right now. Instead Haruko is simply able to feel the heat coming off of Kotori.
A dozen familiars emerge from the ground near Homura, their initial target nowhere in sight, the shadowy hands instead reach out to the injured girl on the ground, aiming to latch onto her and drag her towards the edge of the area.
As for the witch itself, it remains completely focused on Homulilly. She sets her blade up for the Witch to descend upon it, and shoves the creature down to ensure its arm remains in the way. Unfortunately for the person this works a little too well, the creature's hand is split along the blade, leaving half of it to crash harmlessly into the ground, and the other to go over the blade and crash into Homulilly with an incredible amount of force. Regardless of what happens to the persona, the Witch would rear back, its right arm obviously injured, and retreats to hang off the ceiling, watching its victims carefully. The Witch seems to be slowing down a little, but its not ready to give up just yet.....
*With a moment to breathe, Haruko would look up at the Witch.*
I think now's our time to go on the attack, what do you two think?
Homura-san!
Hanami throws two lightning infused knives at the hands around Homura, if they strike, the lightning will chain to every other nearby hand as Kotori rushes back to Homura, slashing at the arms grabbing her
Well okay then....
*Haruko would sigh at the loss of a group attack and instead focus on the Witch herself. Pulling out the spellbook she had thrown at her a few days ago, and with a complex set of hand motions would throw a basic fireball at the Witch. Hopefully knocking her back down to the ground.*
The girl, who despite her injury was, in fact, standing up would leap into the air. Eyes still blank as she ignores any lingering pain from her now partly healed wounds, she'd aim her gun down to the ground as more fireballs burst out of the shotgun, blasting her through the air a few feet and causing her to land away from her foes, plus hopefully burning what Kotori left behind.
"I'm fine... Mostly, it's not like my body matters that much anyway, long as there's magic left I can keep myself alive."
Homura's voice is flat and level, despite everything going on she actually feels... Well, best not to think too deeply about that. Homulilly, on the other hand, is doing... Alright, she'd slam into the ground and a few bash marks appear on Homura. Despite that, she's not out yet and instead would rush behind Haruko's fireball, a mad chuckle escaping the Persona as she swirls her blade all around before sending a burst of wind after the flames. They'd hopefully both stoke the fire out, and cause it to rush toward their foe faster.
Between Homura's fireballs and Kotori's lightning, the familiars are easy to dispatch, they simply dissolve into the ground again for the moment. After all, a Witch has no limit to the number of familiars.
It is incredibly difficult to tell exactly where the Witch connects to the roof, so Haruko's fireball ends up aimed simply around its torso area, as opposed to some sort of legs as she might have hoped. The Witch hardly notices it until Homulilly's gust turns the flames into a raging firestorm.
Half a dozen familiars immediately burst out of the roof around the Witch in an attempt to block it, but they merely dissipate in an instant. The flame engulfs the creature, and burns brightly. The Witch's laughter turns into shouts of shock and agony as it glares at Haruko.
The Witch is now alight with flame, and doesn't seem like it will last much longer. It glares at Haruko, the source of this latest discomfort, and immediately extends and expands its torso, rushing towards the girl, maw open wide, in an attempt to swallow the nuisance for good.
The Witch's split right arm is noticably falling apart as it is licked by the flames, it seems the Witch itself has begun to dissolve, much like the familiars beforehand... Now is a perfect time to finish it off.
Haruko-san!
Hanami rushes in front of Haruko, expelling a large burst from her flame enchantment, hoping to take the hit and burn the witch as much as she can
Kotori!
*Haruko would then get back in front of Kotori, preparing to slash the Witch's head as soon as it gets close enough! Here's hoping Homura does enough that that bite doesn't land...*
Homura sighs as time grinds to a halt once again, before anything else, she'd blast the last few fireballs from her gun into its mouth. 3 at this point in fact, before quickly darting to Haruko and... Just moving the girl, she'd place the girl about 30 feet off to the left of their foe... She'd then smirk and draw the last of her bombs, walking up to the beast's mouth and tossing her explosive into the thing, she'd then dart off at a high pace and draw her rifle again. Time resuming as the fireballs and bomb both go off in the Witch's mouth, hopefully, it's as much of a weak point as she expects... In case not, Homulilly darts in front of the thing with her blade pointed at it. Ready to counter any moves made.
OOC: Soul Gem... 75% after all that abuse.
(edited by Homura-Akemi)
Thankfully for Kotori and Haruko, Homura does the sane thing and decides NOT to let them stand in front of the open maw of a creature easily ten times their size. Because that tends to be bad for your survival rate. Instead, after moving everyone out of the creature's way, the Witch is surprised to find herself biting down, not on the girls, or even the ground, but the pure heat, light, and force of Homura's bomb and fire. This causes enough stress for the creature's head to split. It shakily retracts a little, looking around at the girls, before finally giving into the flame and dissapating.
With the Witch gone, the rest of the barrier is soon to follow, the dome crumbles first, giving the three a glimpse at her shadowy, humanoid familiars standing around the playground, still acting as though nothing had happened. In a few moments, they vanish too, along with the rest of the black and grey world, leaving no traces of the blackness behind, though of course more normal injuries would still be there. The three find themselves inside the empty warehouse, various boxes strewn about either broken or rotting. Homura hears a familiar *clink* noise as a single, black ornament strikes the floor behind her. The ornament has one long, thin end, and another thick and bulbuous. On the end of the bulb is a simple, hand-shaped decoration.
The Incubator is nowhere in sight, it seems he decided to leave while they were still within the barrier, as such, the three girls are left alone in the empty warehouse.
(edited by Incubator)
*Haruko's first thing is to check her arm, hopefully finding it back to its regular self.*
Phew.... man, apparently hunting Witches is tougher than that tower was.... Still, we did good, didn't we?
OOC: Also with the boss down I'm gonna go pass out now. It's 3:15AM.
(edited by Haruko)
...............
Welp.
There goes that chance.....
Kotori picks up the Grief Seed
Can I have this one?
Homura sighs in relief and grabs the grief seed... Or would if Kotori hadn't already taken it for some reason, why in the hell does someone who's not...
"Why? You aren't a Magical Girl, right? So I'm not entirely sure what you'd need it for... Besides, I'm damn near a Witch at this point, I could spare it. But why do you need it?"
She eyes Kotori curiously, looking down at the mostly black jewel on her hand for a moment... Grr, what in the hell is Kotori thinking?
My uncle wanted one, He wants to study them, maybe find a way to replicate them without needing witches.....
That way finding them wouldn't be as much of a problem.....
But if you need it, I can go find my own..
Now that I know what to look for.
Homura sighs as light flashes from her shield, she's still got a few left after all so it's not issue for now. She's run the grief of her soul gem into the seed before her clothes went back to the normal jeans, black t-shirt, and leather coat of usual.
"It's fine, I'm not doing that badly... Now, I need to get home and get some rest! this was a lot tougher than I expected, so hopefully, it doesn't become a common thing."
The girl would walk off with a cheerful wave to Kotori, the former flat tone replaced by her usual light and happy voice... Geez, good thing she's had worse than a lung stab before, otherwise well... Breaking down wouldn't have been outta the cards, which would have been all the worse given she dealt with most of the heavy work here... Those two need to practice, and Kotori might finally be outright better than someone if this is what Haruko's got.
Bye!
Kotori waves to Homura, then heads back to her crater, GS in hand