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A Princess's Show
Its late at night, far later than any sane person would stay out after. By now almost everyone has abandoned the city streets, almost as though they're haunted. Of course, in a sense they are, night is when all manners of demons and monsters find best to prowl.
While most people find some reason to be home by now, there are always others. The daring type who not only brave such stories, but actively seek them.
As one of such people remaining on the city streets, for whatever reasons you may have. A flash of white darts across your vision and into a nearby alleyway.
*the 5'9 tall gundam is caught off guard when he was doing his daily late night walks*
Wait... what in the what?
(edited by Strike_Noir)
*Despair was still trying to find her apartment but due to people trying to rob and begin attack, it's really not helping her...*
*Despair soon stopped at the moment she saw the flash of white*
Well, guess I'm going to get sidetracked again...
*Despair would soon go into the alleyway she saw whatever that thing was went to*
*he snaps out of his train of thought and follows the flash of white and runs into Despair*
What the... where did that thing go?
Despair and Noir run after the white flash, it seems to have been a bizarre, cat-like creature. they can't help but notice the red, egg-shaped markings on the creature's back. The creature looks backwards, beady red eyes catching sight of the pair seemingly following it. The creature emerges from the alleyway onto a separate street and darts around the corner to the right.
*he runs out of the ally after seeing what it looked like*
Now I know what that looks like... still trying to find that thing.
*he activates the Divine Striker pack and boosts to catch up to it*
Ok... guess were chasing a cute cat-like monster... I'm not even surprised anymore
*Despair kept following where every this creature is going... and hopeful this will not be a waste of time for her*
A strange man with an even stranger appearance, his eyes a red deep enough to match the creature's, and his hair a pale green watches the pair as they follow it. He mumbles something, adjusting his tie with a huff. He stalks behind the pair, his feet making no sound as his shoes connect with the ground. This could be fun.
Kotori chases after QB, a generic sword in her hand
The pair emerge from the alleyway, to find the creature waiting patiently, just to their right. It stares at the two with its beady-red eyes, before a voice can be heard in their heads
So you two are following me after all. I thought it might have been a coincidence
The creature stretches, both paws against the ground in front of it as cats are known to do, and begins licking its paw as though cleaning itself
It must be part of this whole anomaly. Since one of you is a machine and the other has almost no potential at all.
The creature stops licking itself and instead stares straight at Noir
Unless.... Would you happen to be using one of those "Plumes of Dusk" that several machines have around here? Either that or you're configured to be able to detect these sorts of things. After all, many groups must be aware of this place by now
F-H and Kotori emerge shortly afterwards, overhearing Kyubey's last bit of conversation, but the creature doesn't decide to address either of them yet
*after slowing down he sneers at the cat thing*
I have one in my chest to keep all of my systems in check.
*Night is the best time for Witch hunting, of course. Fewer potential witnesses and casualties that way. And that is why Haruko was on the prowl that night! Slinking through the streets, dashing through the alleyways, looking for barriers with no sure knowledge of how to track them!*
*Star suddenly appears inside of a barrel*
...I don't even have an explanation for how I ended up here. Even more so inside of a barrel. I'm starting to think I've developed a terrible sense of direction. How this sense of direction defies all logic, I have no idea.
Kotori grabs Haruko's shirt as she passes, stopping her
Oi.
Witch, here.
QB
He smiles slightly, leaning against the wall as he watches the encounter from a bit further back. A Plume of Dusk? How cute.
*Despair was just confused... what did this thing mean by Plumes of dusk and all of this other shit...*
... What?... Look cat-thing, my name is Despair... it's not a fucking nickname and what do you mean by Plumes of dusk, me having no potential or any of that other shit you said... this is my fourth fucking day here in the Nexus... and I have no fucking powers at all
(edited by -Despair-)
(Suddenly, a skeleton turtle would rise from the grave behind despair) clonk
Whoo boy, someone's edgy.
Calm down black hair.
Being new is scary, but trust me, being hostile isn't a good way to make friends.
I learned that the hard way.
She walks over to the group
Heyo Incubator-san.
Witch tonight?
Stronger than last, or not?
(The skeleton turtle would zombie walk to kotori) clink clank
Almost instantly, all interest the creature had in Noir is lost. It starts to walk in circles around those present, though its mouth never moves its voice rings clearly in the heads of those present
So it is just one of those, similar to an Anti-Shadow Weapon. Nothing of note.
The creature looks over to Star's barrel, its beady red eyes betraying no sense of surprise
I must say, your very existence defies rationality. I'm almost tempted to observe you further,
but there doesn't seem to be much of a point to it.
The cat-like creature rolls over on its back, almost playfully as it casts its gaze towards Despair
That's exactly what I mean. You have no abilities, almost no potential, you know nothing, and yet you're still able to see me. Ordinary people can't do so, yet you don't seem extraordinary at all. Its almost like I'm finding one enigma after another ever since I came here.
The Incubator rolls back onto its feet, taking note of the rather large group gathered, and begins walking towards a distant mall
You guessed correctly Kotori, though, I can't really say how strong this one is... Its another abnormality. Rather, the Witch itself is much weaker than the one you faced last time, but it has put about as much effort into growing. I probably should have informed people earlier, but we wanted to see how long its growth would proceed in such a peculiar manner.
(The skeleton would glance at incubator) ...clonky clank?
Right!
She looks to the mall, and follows QB
So even without Homura-chan's help, we should be able to do this....
*he looks at the cat as he holds his beam rifles*
I am not those Persona slinging androids. I use it to amplify my beam weapons and boosters... I don't even have a persona.
(The skeleton would wave to the robot) cling clank clink!
(edited by Dry-bones)
*he sees Dirty Bones and waves*
Hey there Dirty Bones.
*Despair sighed*
Maybe im somehow special after on in my life and that's why I can see you... or maybe its because I have seen so much craziness in just four days... I don't really know
*Despair would just follow, pretty much not really caring about going home anytime soon*
(edited by -Despair-)
(The skeleton zombie walks to the robot)
... you're not wrong...but I would say that I do deserve some attention, being so strange...so, what I'm hearing is there's something to kill? Where is it, and are there any people near it? I'd rather not have to deal with collateral damage. In fact, this might be time to field test my new weapon. Not sure what it will do, but that's the point of a field test.
So... could it have applied its development into something else...?
Like maybe its minions?
("Dirty bones" would scratch its head in confusion).....?
(edited by Dry-bones)
The man, seemingly fading in and out of reality itself, there one second and gone the next begins to trail the Incubator and Kotori. Maybe there he'll find what he's after.
I meant to say Drty Boineys. Sorry I got this cat thing that I am worried about.
*Spongebob is walking through the city*
The city sure is big! I wonder where you can get a krabby patty?
(The skeleton throws a rib bone at the cat thing) clank!
(edited by Dry-bones)
The creature continues walking along, Star, Kotori, Haruko, and F-H following it towards the mall. It briefly glances back to the girls in turn
While I will admit your antics are interesting to watch Starwaddle, I had been observing for some time and there were no discernable patterns in your actions. Thus we deemed further observation to be useless. However, from what little we DO understand it is probably a good thing you deigned to accompany us.
Kyubey looks back at Kotori as the group approaches the glass doors
Based on you and Haruko's performance last time, I am unsure of how well it would go. Fortunately the mad goddess here is going to be of some help, and I hope Haruko has figured out how to leverage her general abilities more effectively.
The automatic doors open, in spite of the sign clearly stating the mall to be "closed" The creature walks across its open, central aisle, gated shops visible to the group's left and right
Haruko has the right idea. This one's growth seemed to be directed primarily, not at itself, but rather letting its Familiars absorb the energy. Ordinarily this would allow them to evolve, but, perhaps because they remain in the domain of the Witch that spawned them, they simply didn't.
Finally, the creature turns right, easily avoiding the skeleton's thrown bone and walking down a side path, towards a few boarded up doors labeled "construction zone". The creature glances at F-H, and waits expectantly by the closed doors
I take it you are a newcomer here? At the very least, we have yet to be able to observe you in any significant amount. However, since you can clearly hear me, it is obvious you have some amount of potential. If you wish, we could use all the help we could get. Plus that would give me a wonderful opportunity to observe you.
(He nods to the cat thing agreement) CLANKY CLANK!
*Despair would soon leave...*
*Spongebob walks up to Despair*
Hi! do you know how to play the screaming game?
If we need some extra help, I could always contract.
I'd rather wait till I have a garenteed method of obtaining GS, but if need be I'm ready at any time.
Kotori looks around at the area
So the witch itself isn't too powerful compared to the last, but it's familiars are all much more powerful than they should be?
The man bows, a smile stretching across his face. He doesn't speak with his mouth, but in a similar way to the Incubator.
New? No; however, this is my first time in the field. I've seen a lot of your kind recently, Incubator. I'm honored you would ask for my help, unfortunately though, I am much like you in a sense. A third party, simply here to observe.
So you've been watching me...well, I'm not surprised. Just know that there a method to my madness, and that those who try to hurt my followers, donators, friends, or family will be dealt with.
*Star pulls out a blue electronic sword from seemingly nowhere, along with a blue shield with a lot of magic runes on it*
Guess it's a good thing I bought this shield before I came back to the Nexus. Should hold off most attacks without breaking...I think.
Well, I've put some work into it... I won't know how good it is until I try it out. And it seems like this is the time.
OOC: I've been sick IRL TBH since the last one ended basically so.... not huge progress.
(The skeleton just makes clanking noises) CLANK CLAKING CLAP PAP
Kyubey's tail flicks back and forth in front of the closed door. Its beady red eyes continue staring at F H for a while
A lot of my kind? I will admit, I have felt the presence of a few other Incubators around, however, I have yet to get into contact with them, as far as I am aware there are rather few unique members actually present in this Nexus.
Next, the creature looks over to Kotori, almost bored
Not all of them, rather, two familiars in paricular seem to have gotten the most of it. Our current theory is based on the importance these figures had to the Witch. Considering you humans' reliance on sentimentality it seems like the most solid theory so far
Kyubey glances over at Haruko, straight-faced as ever
Just remember, of course you have that one unique ability, but are likely capable of using other forms of magic. For example, your friend Sayaka Miki's main ability is regeneration, but she is also quite adept at physical enhancement. Any actual magic skills are seriously lacking, but physically she is one of the stronger girls I've seen
Without further ado, the creature uses one of its long, armlike appendages emerging from its ears to gesture to the blocked doorway
I would appreciate it if someone here were to break that down. Its in the way, and considering my size and shape, I'm in no condition to do so myself.
*swings at the door with her sword, slicing it into bits and pieces of what was once a full door.*
I'm as sane as I am insane. I may not look like it, but even I have a serious side.
(edited by Starwaddle)
So, witches come from magical girls.
Which come from Incubators....
But seeing as you view this world as an anomaly, that means you're new to this world.
Which means witches are new to it as well.
She begins fiddling with her left ear
So.... does that mean that you're doing something different with these new magical girls?
Or is it an effect of the anomalous nature of this world that's creating this new "breed" of witches?
..................
Oh god I sound like my uncle......
(This time, he throws a femur bone at star In fear) CLONKY CINK
*he grabs the bones and hand it back to the Dry Bones*
uuuh... no bad idea.
CLONK KINK CLINK CONT CLANK
Star is what gave my brother Blue Duel new upgrades so attacking is a no go.
Ok....clank
Got it... other forms. Well, we'll see what comes to me, then.
*She'd look over at Kotori.*
No, it's a good question...
Bad idea indeed...truth be told, I love playing the fool, but this fool is one who knows more than she let's on. I'm a master tactician, and someone who is blessed with divine knowledge and strength. All that matters to me is the safety of those I protect, and the protection of the Nexus itself. You could say the Nexus has become my wonderland, though which direction it's in, well, that's something for me to know, and everyone to find out...but enough about me being so serious and rambling on about myself! Let's go kill stuff!
Clank...
The door shatters behind Kyubey, revealing a wide, open area with various bits of scaffolding strewn about. It seems the walls had hardly finished. The creature continues staring at Kotori
Thank you for that Star.
Now then, allow me to explain it clearly to avoid any misunderstandings.
First, Witches here predate my own arrival about a month ago. As you may have overheard in my conversation with the newer person watching from the back, there are other Incubators present that I have no real knowledge of. This Witch could have easily been one of their doings.
Second, how long I have been here does not affect this Nexus’s existence as an anomaly. It is most common for timelines to proceed regardless of each other, not draw others in. That alone warrants the tag. But not only that, time itself is rather screwy. You probably never noticed, but it’s anomalous nature allows ordinary people to be in multiple places at once. , yet to them it’s all one solid timeline. This is likely due to time bending in on itself at some points. Must be quite the headache for Chronos.
Kyubey prances through the open door, walking towards the center of this open area. As he approaches, a circle of intertwining flowers and banners seems to form in the air. This circle makes a gateway of sorts, one with easily enough room for two or three at a time.
In the middle of this circle, the silhouette of a small, humanoid creature wearing a dress and one of those weird cone hats can be seen
Finally, as you can see here, Witches live in their own pocket dimensions known as a Barrier for the most part. These subspaces are notably less stable than any normal universe, and thus more likely to fall through the cracks and end up here.
Okay, the time thing I know about. It's nice how things can fit together, yet be so strange. As for the incubators, I think I've seen one or two before I went away for a few months. The pocket dimension thing? I didn't know about that. Most of the time the things I have to kill are out and about in the streets of the Nexus. So, do we just hop in?
*Haruko just kinda nods along, she's gotten this bit before.*
The basic jist is we go in there, a Witch attacks, we beat it.
And it'll be tough. Really tough.
OOC: Too late to join, or could I hop in?
OOC: Go ahead, just make up a reason to be in a closed mall, probably related overhearing the sound of Star brutalizing a door.
Well then, it's a good thing I'm immortal and have an entire armory in my pocket...welp, no time like the present!
*Star jumps in, ready for what she would call "fun with a side of murder"*
(He suddenly throws a bone to where someone's will come from)
Kotori walks in after Star, looking at her
Do you happen to have any swords I can use?
My last one turned to paper....
A black and red blur darts into the mall, he'd look around curiously at the group... Why in the heck is that girl carrying a sword? And standing next to bits of a door, he'd expected something odd from those sounds, but this is absurd even to him.
"So, is there a reason for the random property damage? Or do you people just smash things for fun, not that I don't love breaking stuff myself. But at least come up with a reason for it."
He'd walk after them and tap his foot, clearly awaiting some explanation for why exactly all these people are breaking doors in a frigging closed mall.
Oh yeah sure here.
*Summons a magical sword into Kotori's right hand*
Remember to always shop at Star's Shrine and Forge for your weaponly needs! If it doesn't work for you, it your double your money back! As for the door, I love property damage! Ahh, it's so nice when you don't get to pay bills for stuff you destroy because you can fix it instantly.
Kyubey flicks his ears a little, beady red eyes looking at Haruko
Basically yes, but you knew all the risks beforehand, so its not like....
That's about when Kotori and Star jump into the barrier. Kyubey turns around and looks up at the gateway
I forgot how eager she tends to be. But it'll probably be fine. She might even feel right at home in the madness of a barrier.
and for their eagerness, Kotori and Star dive through the barrier's entrance to find a large hallway. The floor and walls seem to have been colored in with crayons, most browns, and yellows, with a hint of blues that have no right to be there and some white spots where a child likely would have missed.
Inside the hallway are a few, similarly colored potted plants, with a strange, flatish appearance.
No matter how they turn or walk around the plants, it would appear absolutely identical.
Further on, the hallway ends with a wall, splitting into two different directions.
back outside the barrier, Shadow arrives on the scene. Kyubey scratches behind his ear, almost as though he had been waiting
Long story short, two teenage girls just jumped inside a monster's personal realm so they could eliminate it and prevent anyone else from being hurt. The door was simply in our way, and its far easier to just break it as opposed to taking the time to undo the boards and unlock the door.
With that, Kyubey nods to whoever is left present and jumps into the gateway himself, emerging beside Kotori and Starwaddle
Oh, you're coming with us this time Incubator-san?
Kotori cuts the 2d plant nearest to her, partly as a way to test the sword, and partly because the last 2d object in a witch barrier almost turned her to paper
Shadow stares at the barrier in shock, he sighs to himself before darting off, all they'd see is a black blur of motion as he runs straight into the barrier after them. Wasting no time before deciding to get involved himself.
Huh...so this is a barrier... whoever designed this place was either drunk, high, or both... probably both. So... I'll take right and you take left? Oh, the sword is made to be very durable to a lot of things, but that's about it. It's yours for free, considering how easy it is to make.
Cool. But I'd rather stick together....
I...... have bad experiences with being in a dungeon alone....
She takes a quick look down both of the halls
Okay. So...left to right sound good? Oh, and make sure to get away from an enemy when I tell you to. Wouldn't want you to get hit in the crossfire or explosion that could happen because of my field testing, now would I?
Well, I guess let's go help them!
*She dives on in! Wheeeee!*
Kotori walks by one of the plants, slashing it as she passes. Her blade passes effortlessly through the plant, leaving both blade and plant intact. Kyubey keeps a safe distance behind the girl
You said you wanted to contract. That would require my presence, so I am going to have to follow you inside. Oh, and don't waste your time attacking random objects. You might annoy the Witch.
Shadow and Haruko emerge through the barrier's entrance to find a large hallway. The floor and walls seem to have been colored in with crayons, most browns, and yellows, with a hint of blues that have no right to be there and some white spots where a child likely would have missed.
Inside the hallway are a few, similarly colored potted plants, with a strange, flatish appearance.
No matter how they turn or walk around the plants, it would appear absolutely identical.
Further on, the hallway ends with a wall, splitting into two different directions. He finds the girls in question near the end of the hallway, looking down both sides
Looking down both sides of the hallway, Star and Kotori find.... Two entirely identical to the one they are currently in. From the potted plants to the split at the end, every detail is the exact same
Besides, we ARE getting some backup. Haruko was still out there, and someone I don't believe either of you have met as well. I hope this "Shadow" decides to tag along so I can watch. He doesn't appear very often, so any opportunity is a nice one
"Hmmp, so I guess I've got a bit of backup this time? Try not to slow me down too much people, I'm the second fastest thing alive after all!"
He'd shout loudly enough for them all to hear, before quickly darting off down the hallway Star and Kotori are looking at... Tch, what a pain in the ass that it's the exact same as this one.
"So all these hallways are the same? Did some jackass build this place to be annoying on purpose, or did it just come out that way by default? Either way, I guess we should stick with each other and try to keep track... Anybody got something they can leave as a trail to know where we've been?"
Kotori looks behind her, seeing the two
Ah, another one of those furry humanoid creatures....
Hello, do you happen to know a blue one named Sonic?
She looks again down both halls
I'll follow your lead....
I can leave knives as a trail.
I have about 100.
... I'm tempted to just break the walls to find something to kill.
Shadow would smirk at Kotori upon hearing his name, so she's met the Blue Blur eh? Good to know he's still around and kicking.
"You could say that we know each fairly well, in fact, yeah. That jerk's the reason I'm only the second fastest thing alive after all."
Despite his seemingly annoyed comment toward the other hedgehog, Shadow's tone betrays a fondness of his rival, as does the slight smile growing on his face as he walks forward a bit and... Smashes on the of the plants with a quick kick, he'd then look back at Kotori and shake his head before walking forward.
"No need to waste weapons, we can just break these plants, assuming they're all the same hallway then that'll serve to tell us where we've been well enough."
Kyubey watches Shadow as he dashes past the others, once again reaching a split in the hallways that leads to two absolutely identical passages. The creature flicks its ears and follows Kotori towards him
You can go ahead and abandon any sense of architecture you might have. Nothing has to fit in one of these Barriers. Fortunately, the creature in question believes you to be prey. So its only a matter of time before we find them.
Kyubey looks behind his shoulder at Star, tail flicking playfully
You'd have an easier time tearing a hole in reality itself.... Not that I doubt you might be able to do that, the point being that if you somehow managed to break something like that, the world would just reshape itself to fix it. Its a waste of your time.
With that, Kyubey runs ahead of the others, darting down the right hallway.
A faint rumbling sound can be heard coming from behind them, almost as though there was a stampede
*A noise emits from behind the wall, a loud yelling of sorts*
PLEASE! Someone help me! I can’t get out and I’m VERY hungry!
Shadow flips around and eyes the source of the sound, he'd stand at the ready to begin moving full tilt in an instant.
"Prey huh? I may not be Sonic, but I am the Ulitmate Lifeform! Underestimating has been the death of some pretty damn tough foes!"
Not looking back!
Kotori runs after QB, enchanting herself with wind to increase her speed
Well that sounds like a challenge...but I think I'll have to hold off on that. Looks like it's time for a bit of genocide... hehehehe...
*Star turns around with a look of bloodlust...and then turns around again when Kotori runs off.*
Oh, were leaving? Damn.
*Star follows Kotori, running like there was food in front of her.*
(edited by Starwaddle)
Wow... this place is weird.... yet oddly like something I'd have drawn as a kid.
*She shudders a bit at the flatness, looking at her arm even though it's long since gotten better.*
As Biri hears the sounds outside the wall he tries his best to be louder to get someone’s attention, dropping to his knees after using all his energy to make such a noise
*Talking to himself* I’m gonna die here aren’t I? Why.....why am I forsaken so much....I just wanted to fix my mistakes and now I’m trapped.
OOC: As far as moving, what are you doing Haruko? Following Kotori, or staying with Shadow for now? Also, I haven't forgotten about you Biri, I'll add you into my next post
(edited by Incubator)
OOC: I wasn't even aware we could see Kotori! Though I suppose the smart thing to do would be to follow her so, yeah, that! :P
OOC: I know just my character is a little on the down side at times. He gives up way to easily and you’ll see it through out the story
Shadow remains in the hallway for the moment, turning around to face his foes.
After a few seconds, the rumbling grows much louder before a massive wave of creatures emerges.
They are all humanoid in shape, and seem to be wearing some manner of either suit or dress. They have arms and legs as one might expect, but their heads are replaced with all manner of objects,
from flower bouqets, to simple tiaras, to microphones. All drawn in the same, childish style as the walls and potted plants. Its impossible to count how many they are. The wave splits, going off in each direction, with half of the unknowable number surging towards Shadow.
Haruko, Star, and Kotori, all run off down the right passageway after the Incubator, another identical hallway. However, upon reaching the end of this one, the four find both sides, rather than leading to the same hall, lead to a much shorter one. These hallways end in a simple, purple and orange curtain, colored in the same style as everything else.
It seems like they have another victim in here. They're not dead yet, but I don't know how long that will keep up
OOC: Oh boy, having come in here earlier, means there's unfortunately only one place for Biri to be
Biri, having found himself lured into the barrier, shouts for the others from a... Somewhat different area. Looking around he seems to be all alone in an auditorium. Much like everything else, the auditorium has a wide variety of colors, from orange, to blues, to greens, and yellows,
. There are four pillars, two on the far walls to each side that don't quite seem to belong, but then again, does anything here? The entire auditorium looks as though its simply been sketched with a crayon, instead of being something you'd find in reality.
Biri, however, is not alone here. Down on the auditorium stage is a small, humanoid creature. They're wearing a pink, dress and a special white sash that reads "princess". While the creature has arms and legs as one might expect, their face has been replaced with a simple white pawn, the chesspiece as you might imagine. In addition, in their right hand they hold a childish, star-shaped wand, and gesture it around the stage, seemingly unaware of his presence. As with the auditorium, the creature looks like its been drawn in crayon. At the moment, he seems to be alone in the stands.
Going right!
*Star runs down the right Hall*
The hedgehog sighs and... Darts off, a blast wave would rush out across the area as he turns around and begins running away from them, boosting up to Mach 1. Shadow might just be able to kill them all if he tried, but it seems like a waste of energy.
"Tch might be a lot of these things, but I doubt they can keep up with my speed."
Shadow would keep on running, darting down the hallway and aiming to follow after the others. He Simply maintains his current speed, for now, no need to go above a light jog unless they're able to keep up with him after all,
I don't care where I'm going!
Kotori runs after shadow and Star
W-wait! Kotori! We're supposed to be working together to beat the witch!
*Haruko goes running off after Kotori! Keeping one eye on Kotori, and one on the lookout for anything distinctly witchy.... as the saying goes.*
*A look of terror appears on Biri’s face as he reaches for his right eye*
My....eye it’s missing? MY EYE IS MISSING!!!!!! *He breathes heavily and fast as if he good passout at any moment*
SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!
(edited by Biri_Tagomi)
Shadow immediately runs down the hallway, the creatures falling well behind him. As soon as he rounds the corner and they're out of sight, they seem to catch up, bursting into the next hallway only to fall behind again as he continues running.
Shadow catches up to Haruko, Kotori, Starwaddle, and Kyubey in time for the group to emerge through the curtains, and onto the stage of a large auditorium. They burst onto the stage near a small, humanoid creature. They're wearing a pink, dress and a special white sash that reads "princess". While the creature has arms and legs as one might expect, their face has been replaced with a simple white pawn, the chesspiece as you might imagine. In addition, in their right hand they hold a childish, star-shaped wand, and gesture it around the stage, seemingly unaware of his presence. As with the rest of the barrier, the creature looks like its been drawn in crayon. The creature stops its dancing as the others emerge, and immediately begins running towards the stands.
There they are, don't think about its appearance too much, as with the rest of this place, you can never really tell how dangerous it is.
the auditorium is wide, with rows upon rows of seats, its rather similar to a concert hall when you get past the weird colors. Near the middle rows they are able to see Biri, sitting in a seat and seeming to have a panic attack. Understandable considering where they are. throughout the auditorium there are four pillars, spread in pairs against the side walls... The pillars seem to shift for a moment....
As for Biri, he is able to see, in order, a black and red hedgehog, three young girls, and a small, white. catlike creature emerge from the left side of the stage. The creature that had been putting on some performance seems to panic at their appearance and, while still a good distance off, begins to run towards him.
Shadow would dart off toward their foe, it may look weak but he's not going to play around with this one. He leaps up into the air and curls into a ball, shooting out toward the beast in a blur of red and black as his spines spin at it.
"Let's end this thing quickly before it can cause us trouble, I'll get up close and personal for now!"
He'd then lash out with a quick pair of blows, his fists aiming to smash the thing's wand arm and hopefully send it flying away from the witch.
OOC: To sum up, most of Shadow's attacks are fairly light, but hit many times. I'd call homing medium, and punches light.
OOOOOOH NOO, NO NO NO NO GET AWAY FROM ME YOU FREAKY PAWNHEADED MONSTER! DO NOT TOUCH ME!!! *Biri reaches behind himself to grab a notebook in his back pocket* O-o-oh I hope this still works without my eye. Tropelet! *As he says this word he vanishes and appears next to the others*
So that's what we kill? Well then, genocide time!
*Star jumps toward the "princess", firing a series of magic bullets from her sword while in midair before slashing wildly at it when close enough*
W-w-what the heck!?! Who are you all and what’s happening!?!
*Biri reaches for his eye in a surge of pain causing him to scream*
Stay calm, citizen!
*Snrk*
We can take care of this.
*She produces her Soul Gem, before Transforming in a burst of light! Avatar change not needed because I never RPed after the last hunt.*
Alright, time to set this poor girl free!
*She'd materialize a chakram, tossing it at the "Princess." Because why overdo it when you aren't sure what she'll do?*
Kotori sticks with Biri, looking to protect him rather than chase the witch
I'll stick with you.
Don't worry.
*Biri looks Kotori with a confused yet upset look*
If I could not worry I would but there’s this thing I’m missing known as......MY EYE!
It’s a glass eye enchanted with the power of magicians from a time before, it helps me use my spells and such. I’m just lucky enough that it teleported me here instead of somewhere else. It allows me to see too and that’s another plus, so please if you could help me then HELP ME!
(edited by Biri_Tagomi)
Shadow's first hit causes the creature to fly forward a few feet, landing almost comedically on its face on-stage. He moves in to follow-up around the same time Star's energy blasts and Haruko's chakrams fly towards it....
The same time a massive hand swings downward from above the rightmost set of pillars. The hand smashes straight through the projectiles, with a shockwave of force emanating out from its impact, slamming into Shadow and Starwaddle, with little more than a ripple effect on the others
Meanwhile, another hand swoops down from above the leftmost set of pillars, scooping up the princess creature and raising it high into the air.
Looking up for the tops of the pillars, one would find them to be legs, rather than immobile pieces of marble. The legs reach upwards to another humanoid figure, similarly colored to the rest of the area. They're each wearing a suit, one a simple business suit, and the other a much fancier tuxedo, or rather, it would look fancy were it not drawn in crayon. The figure wearing a business suit's hand is the one that slammed into the edge of the stage, while the tuxedoed figure's hand delicately carries the Princess.
Rather than a head, the tuxedoed figure has a chesspiece, a king this time. Similarly, the figure wearing a business suit has the head of a Queen chesspiece, The Queen seems to be paying most of its attention to the group on-stage
After a faint rumbling, a horde of those creatures Shadow might recognize, all sorts of small, humanoids with various heads from bouqets of flowers to banners to tiaras, burst into the auditorium from a series of doors along the top. They take their seats off the stage, eager to watch the show unfolding before them.
The incubator remains near Kotori and Biri, unable to do much of anything himself.
I don't know how you managed to get into a Barrier while looking for your eye, but I seriously doubt you'll find it in here. If you feel some sort of pull, perhaps any suicidal thoughts, do your best to ignore them from now on. A lot of people go missing like that.
(edited by Incubator)
I couldn’t, this place reminded me of my family. We are descendants of magicians and because of that we have the ability to use magic, however my family was killed due to a mass of darkness and evil. This place let off the same aura that creature who killed my family did so I had to come here and figure everything out. But without my glass eye I won’t be able to do anything right now except run into stuff due to bad depth perception
(edited by Biri_Tagomi)
The blow slams into Shadow, sending him back a good ways, but he's still able to stand up and glare at his foe, only a bit hurt by this strike.
"Hmm, not bad but I've been hit much harder and stayed alive, you'll have to do better than this to take down the Ulitmate Lifeform!"
He smirks and starts running, rushing for one of the legs of the creature holding the Princess and aiming to leap onto it. Assuming that it's fairly flat, he'd land on the thing and continue running up, his absurd speed carrying him right up to the thing's leg and hopefully getting to its shoulder in a blur. If he made it, Shadow would leap off and aim another Homing Attack at the Princess, trying to send her flying back down to the ground from her perch.
*Star, not expecting a giant hand, gets hit by the shockwave, sending her back a few feet*
Ow! Well, looks like it's a game of chess. Well, guess I'll have to do some strategy...and by that, I mean get a little bit crazier... hehehehe! Change: Dragon Form!
*Star suddenly grows a pair of black dragon wings while a light suit of armor takes the place of her clothes. Her eyes gain small slits, and her body becomes more mature*
Ahh... it been awhile since I've been able to do a bit of genocide. I hope these souls taste better than my last meal! Hehehehe! I'll let you have the first move, meal!
*Haruko looks up at the two giant figures....*
O-oh.... I think I get what you meant by channeling her power into her familiars now....
Geeze, how are we gonna beat three of them with just me!?
Just for that you're getting an extra bit of corruption, Haruko. :P
No lie here but this group is very interesting.....I have never seen so many people with such different abilities in one place. It’s almost as if we were destined to meet together, if that’s the case you guys can help me locate my eye. If we can find it I should be able to help out a lot more. That is if you’re willing to allow me to do so.........uhhhh excuse me but what’s your name by the way you mysterious white creature?
(edited by Biri_Tagomi)
The moment Shadow steps off the stage the horde of familiars in the stand's eyes all lock on him at once. The pillars are well behind this massive grouping, his first attempt, to simply step by them, is met primarily with their continued presence, the creatures remain in Shadow's way, throwing a few small objects at him, ranging from flowers, to concessions, even to rocks. None of these would hurt very much, but it is a clear warning to stay away.
As for Star, the Queen gladly obliges her, while she's busy transforming, the creature's other arm swings down at her with pulverizing force. Fortunately the change is quick, giving her a few seconds to react to the creature's next strike. When this blow hits the ground, another shockwave would emanate, knocking around anyone within a few feet.
The King lifts the Princess up to his shoulder, where she looks down at the group from way up high. It looks at Biri almost affectionately before beginning to wave its wand... Storm clouds begin to gather high up in the auditorium.
Kyubey lazily curls up on the ground near Biri and Kotori, apparently unconcerned by all the fighting going on around him. He briefly glances up at Biri, voice ringing in the head of all those present
Call me Kyubey, not like it matters. I doubt we'll be seeing each other much. Any help you can give would be appreciated, but there are already enough extraordinary people, searching for your eye would be a waste of my time.
Kyubey rolls over on his back, slightly further from the fighting, and looks over to Haruko
Well, if you really wanted to you might be able to challenge the things in a direct fight, raw power and all. But honestly, no matter how big they are, they're still just familiars. The hedgehog has the right idea there. Attacking them's kinda a waste of your time.
I... Uh.... I mean, there's no reason Biri's eye can't be in here, I guess. You'll have to consult him for that, its nothing I planned on.
*Biri studies Kotori’s body language*
Judging by your stance you are expanding your mana radius I believe. If it’s to search for my eye I hope you do find it, after all it should basically be easy to fine due to the immense amount of mana it produces.
OOC: No worries, Kotori. I'm honestly fading fast myself.
Power-wise, sure. But size wise?
Either way, one of those big ones grabbed the Witch. How are we going to reach her? Climb?
*She would take a moment to survey the area for any obvious methods of ascension. And, should she not find one, would ultimately indeed give climbing a familiar a try.*
Shadow sighs as the things get in his path, he'd curl into a ball before spinning around a while and blast off through the crowd. His aim still being to reach the King and run up its leg, but this time he's Spindashing through the mooks in his path, hopefully, they're weak enough to just die from the impact as he charges forward and, if he reaches the leg tries to run up it once more.
*Star flys back before the fist can slam into her, and she decides to give the queen a taste of her own medicine by flying up above her quickly before slamming herself down into the queen sword-first.*
Hehehehe! You're mine! Who needs new weapons when you ARE a weapon!? Now, die!
*She slashes wildly and fiercely with her sword, shooting energy out in many directions...these directions not being her allies.*
But anyways Kyubey finding my eye is very important. The power it holds can definitely help out in this situation you are having. I have dealt with familiars such as these before but they were very weak. With my eye I should be able to at least give your group a boost of power that can help take them down
(edited by Biri_Tagomi)
OOC: You gotta tell me if its here Biri, I can't decide things for your character.
OOC: oh sorry my bad I guess I forgot too. But yea it’s definitely here very close by
(edited by Biri_Tagomi)
OOC: Ok, can the GM account for that?
OOC; 2 AM? Some of the players falling asleep? Seems like a solid time to delay it to me. especially with me getting up in five hours. I won't be able to do it for a few days, but perhaps Sunday night would be ok to continue? If everyone's ok with that, just give me a time that would be most convenient to bring this back up
And yes, I can adjust for the eye to be here somewhere, I guess.
(edited by Incubator)
OOC: I'm off Sunday so it works fine for me. Beyond that I mean... same bat time same bat station always works. (Well that's a lie because we always seem to start an hour earlier than the stated time. :P )
(edited by Haruko)
OOC: I can do Sunday night... But uh not till after 12AM, might be best to go on sans the Edgehog, or at least I'll have to join mid-fight.
OOC: I would say yeah I’m good with whatever time. Most of my time really is spent working on some things here and there so I should have free time on Sunday
(edited by Biri_Tagomi)
OOC: I'm okay with any time.
OOC: someone ping me or something when its happening pls
OOC: same here I am a bit forgetful so if I don’t get reminded I’ll miss out on the fun
OOC: I’ll try to ping you on PMs Biri, since I don’t know if another way to reach you.
EDIT: Since you have Discord, add me as a friend, my id is bgammax#0268
There are discord groups for the site, but I’m not in any of them at the moment, so friending me is better
As for Kotori, I’ll easily be able to message you on Discord
So then, I’ll probably continue Sunday night around 11:30 PM CST so Shadow here misses one or two rounds at worst. So, well, for everyone else I’d suggest taking a nap or something beforehand, at least, that’s my plan.
(edited by Incubator)
OOC: There is I have discord too. If you want then I can join on discord, besides if you pm me on discord there is a bigger chance of me seeing it anyway my discord is the same as my name on here anyway
EDIT: alright I sent the request to your discord. So have we decided on a time for Sunday?
(edited by Biri_Tagomi)
OOC: Alright, sorry for such a long delay. I'd like to know who all I DO have still so I know what to update for. I know there's one person who's likely to simply be running late, and two more I believe will be here around now. However, that leaves two previous participants unaccounted for, so I'm bumping this and asking to be safe
OOC: http://www.starfox64.baldninja.com/wav/falktail.wav
OOC: here
Shadow's brief analysis of the moo... I mean familiars proves to be correct, the creatures immediately in his path get thrown to the side as he dashes by them, drawing the attention of all their like, in addition to the King. Shadow begins to run up the creature's leg. The King piece, "eyes" set on him, raises its right arm to sweep the arm down its body towards Shadow, aiming to knock him off.
The Queen, with nothing else to focus on, turns its attention back to Kotori, Haruko, and Kyubey on the stage. It raises its own left arm and brings it swinging down to shatter the stage,
breaking the construct to reveal a great void below them. The planks they are standing on lift up into the air before sliding into the abyss, overall giving them a good five or six seconds to react before falling into the void.
The Princess, her attention momentarily caught by Shadow's boldness, breaks its focus. The storm clouds near the infinitely high roof begin to part for a moment as it watches him, amazed at the performance, only to shake its head and continue channeling something. The storm clouds grow a thick, smoky black near the top of the area, crackling with energy
Kyubey wisely spends this time jumping towards the nearest person, Kotori, beady eyes staring into Haruko, his expression seeming to ask "why aren't you doing anything?"
As a Magical Girl, you can do a lot of things that defy your expectations, or in some cases even common sense. I knew I should have given you a bit more instruction. For now, just try jumping off these boards, onto the Queen familiar's arm, and using that as a springboard. Its really quite simple, kinda like one of your Japanese animes.
(edited by Incubator)
Kotori uses her infusion to jump to safety
Oof!
Catch the small one!
Got it!
She throws an earth/Lightning enchanted knife at the princess, the knife shatters into a mass of electrical shrapnel
Well it's not every day I get tossed into a crucible like this without any real backup!
*She hmphs slightly before jumping off the wood and onto the arm, as instructed. Calling back....*
Kotori! Try and at least get onto the arm, okay!?
*She then attempts to springboard up it and hopefully to like the shoulder of the Queen. It wouldn't be entirely to the Witch, but at least she'd have a better vantage point to continue.*
As Kyubey attempted to jump to the safety of Kotori's arms, she leapt away from him, leaving the poor creature to fall, and fall, and fall, and fall, and.... You get the point, he falls into the void beneath the stage, soon a speck of white against the infinite blackness. The creature doesn't seem to complain or anything, it just falls silently. Looks like you're spared the commentary for now
Kotori jumps from the stage to land directly in front of it, the nearest safe spot available, and directly in front of the horde of now-agitated familiars. The small, crayoned-in people with their various heads turn towards her at once as her knives fly over them, before moving towards her, a solid mass of strange shapes an sizes, all hoping to push her off the edge and into the void behind her.
The "Princess" from her position on the King's left shoulder, sees the shrapnel flying towards her, waving her childish, star-shaped wand. The King seems to treat this as a command, raising its left arm to simply block the shrapnel from reaching the "princess", it is rather slow, so were you closer it likely would have had some success.
As planned, Haruko leaps onto the Queen's arm, using it as a stepping point to leap upwards to the Queen's left shoulder, the Queen turns to Haruko, its chess-piece of a face "looking" directly at her. The Queen raises its right arm, as one might when trying to squash a bug, only to be interrupted by....
The clouds, crackling with energy, finally split open momentarily. From the clouds three bolts of lightning, cartoonish and drawn-in like the rest of the barrier, launch themselves towards Haruko,
Kotori, and Kyubey.
As one might expect from lightning, each of these bolts moves incredibly fast. The first one to reach would be the one aimed directly at Haruko, reaching her high-up position in a split second. If it hits, it would feel like a real bolt of lightning, quite shocking I know.
Next is the one aimed for Kotori, rather than actually striking her, the bolt aims for the ground just between her and the horde of familiars. The familiars step back, saving her from their action for now, instead she must deal with the lightning's impact, the full force of a thunderbolt striking near her to blow her towards the pit
From his position falling in the void, Kyubey gets struck by lightning, fur blackened and burned from the impact. It is now almost impossible to see him, blackened fur against a black void
Kyubey!
*Haruko would call out to the descending spec as it falls away entirely without a care in the world. Though her distraction at her patron's fate would leave her open wide for the lightning strike. Being at the center of it, she doesn't go flying back as Kotori might, but instead she spasms on the spot. The pain? Pretty bad. The spasm? Enough to prevent her from attacking this round. Thankfully it stopped the fist, though.*
C-c-c-curse you.... witch.
Thankfully for Kotori, her wind enchantment lowers her weight, so she was less pushed by the impact and more thrown by it, She manages to grab onto a curtain and keep herself from falling into the pit
No recovering from that.....
Don't wanna fall there...
She begins climbing the curtain till she reaches a wall, then she attempts to leap, If she's capable, she'll leap onto the King piece, If not, The queen, and if not that, then she'll jump as far into the stands as she can, Infusing herself with lightning along the way
The lightning wouldn't hurt as much as Haruko might think, not that its any weaker, she simply doesn't feel the pain as intensely anymore. Of course the lightning goes through her and into the familiar, somewhat scorching its shoulder. The Queen seems to blame Haruko for this, and swings its right arm horizontally in an attempt to sweep the girl off its shoulder and crush her against the nearby wall.
Kotori leaps as far as she can into the stands, she descends roughly three-fourths of the way up the stands, in the middle of the horde of familiars. None of them are very strong of course, but that doesn't stop the ten nearest from trying to grab and pull on Kotori's limbs. Based on her last experience extended contact with these things may not be advised.
Shadow, of course agilely evades the King's arm. It only takes a matter of seconds to traverse to the top of the figure, approaching the Princess on its right shoulder. Of course, after his little escapade with the regular familiars, the pair are both more wary of him. The princess touches her wand to the King's shoulder, and the familiar's form seems to waver a little. As Shadow approaches the Witch, ten of the smaller familiars, each the size of a regular human in their own, crayon-colored suit and heads of various types of objects burst out of the King's shoulder in front of him. While his homing attack would easily knock aside three of them, the other seven attempt to grab him, merely to slow him down enough for....
The King's next attempt to swat him. Raises his left hand, the King also attempts to grab Shadow,
trusting the weaker familiars to slow him enough to actually allow contact.
If one looks carefully, they might see a flash of white near the top of the auditorium, darting between members of the horde of familiars.
Hah! So he was right to be wary of greater force, the jewel in his hands glows and the Hedgehog shouts Chaos Control for all to hear. One second, the hand is flying toward him and he can't evade the mooks, two he's grabbed, three he vanishes for a moment only to appear next to the Princess and unleash a flurry of punches and kicks aimed to bash her right down to the ground.
"Good thing I was ready for a counter move! Shame having to resort to Chaos Control so fast, but I want to get this fight over with quicker than the speed of sound!"
If his foe is actually falling down to the ground, Shadow would then run down before kicking off whatever he's perched upon and aiming to pursue her with a Homing Attack. Even if it missed,
he's taken much worse falls without a scratch.
No touch!
Kotori expected this, and expends her lightning enchantment, blasting anything within 10 meters of her with a burst of lighting as she leaps to the king's leg and begins running up it, using her wind to propel herself and grabbing 2 knives out of her pouch for later use.
If Shadow manages to knock the princess down, Kotori will infuse both knives with lightning, throwing them at the falling princess at, well.... lightning speeds
(edited by Kotori_K)
*Oh yes, of course, naturally it blames her. It wouldn't blame its boss or anything for treating it like the expendable minion it is. However, Haruko does something perhaps unexpected, leaping not over but onto the moving arm and attempting to run across it to the right shoulder. She also fails a spot check on the mysterious white thing.*
Almost there!
Shadow's Chaos Control works mostly as intended. He manages to get to an angle where he would be able to strike the Princess into the ground, and successfully pummels her off of the King's shoulder.
Seeing this, Kotori throws her knives in an attempt to intercept the falling Princess, around the same time Shadow attempts his follow-up homing attack. However, moving much more quickly than it ever had earlier, the Queen's left arm almost seems to materialize under the Princess, closing its hand around the Witch in order to protect her from the blows.
Meanwhile, the King takes this chance to thrust its right arm at Kotori, aiming to inflict a crushing blow that would knock her back towards the middle of the auditorium, the same area where the white flash may have been noticed before
As for Haruko, the Queen seems distracted at the moment, and pays no further heed to her, hardly able to feel the girl like a fly on her shoulder.
Kyubey's voice can be heard again, though as it speaks directly into their minds it would be difficult to tell where exactly its coming from,
Things seem to be going pretty well, but you might want to try doing something large. Especially while one of the familiars can cover it. Looks like your only real choice is to go through part of it at this point. Or you could flip around acrobatically like the Ultimate Lifeform over here likes to do. That might distract it.
*Seeing the Witch start falling, Haruko prepares to attack as well, before the Queen intervenes and defends her.*
Oh, this is great. Bring her up here, Queenie.
*Haruko seems to be preparing something in the event the Witch makes it up to the shoulders....*
Kotori waits for the last second, then takes a page out of Haruko's book and leaps at an angle that will propel herself onto the arm, immediately enchanting herself with earth to stabilize her landing, Grabbing a knife and enchanting it with a double earth enchantment and ramming it into the arm, so even should she be unable to stand, she's still able to hang.
Hopefully, the arm will continue as she plays chicken with it and ram into the knee she leapt from, damaging itself.
Whether that succeeds or not, Kotori will use her knives and wind to continue trying to climb the king
"Hmm... I haven't used that power in quite some time, but I won't get any better with it unless I use it. Very well! Allow me to show why I'm called Ultimate Lifeform!"
Shadow's Homing Attack would have placed him upon the Queen's hand, before anything else?
He pulls the golden rings on his hands off, they'd clang to the ground as a golden aura glows around Shadow.
"THIS IS MY POWER, WITHOUT LIMITS UPON IT!"
Whereas before the Hedgehog could have sent cars flying with his blows, now... Tanks aren't so heavy, Right? He'd be moving faster and hitting stronger, so with that new power Shadow quickly aims to find a good point to grab hold of his foe's hand and attempt to rip it open with raw force.
He can't keep this up forever, but it'll amp him up to hopefully end this before that's an issue. Assuming he got it open, his Chaos Emerald would glow again as 3 spears of raw energy form above his head, they'd then quickly rush to the Princess and aim to impale her.
OOC: Chaos Spears, I'd call em medium Almighty damage if anyone cares to know.
The Queen continues to not notice Haruko, especially not now that there is a very angry mammal attacking its hand.
Unfortunately for Kotori, she finds herself barely scraping by the King, its arm not crashing into its own knee, but rather scraping just by it. Seems the familiars are spacially aware of themselves. Would be rare for a self-hit. Kotori latches on near the hand, and rides the thing down to the floor. As she starts climbing up, a familiar, white-furred creature seems to ignore the situation around them and leaps onto the arm a little ahead of her, tail flicking impatiently in the air
You're doing a pretty good job not dying so far. But, considering your condition, I wonder how long you can keep that up You just gonna keep trying until you find yourself unable to move?
Shadow massively enhances his strength and begins to pry the Queen's hand apart, as strong as he is, there are few spots to get a good grip on a few fingers, so any attempt to open it is slow going. Unfortunately for him he doesn't have that kind of time, the Queen's right arm moves in an attempt to smack Shadow like a Mosquito, covering the Witch in another layer of the creature's arm once it connects. Isn't Kyubey's advice so helpful?
Geeze.... I can't believe I have to be the distraction....
Hey Queenie!
*Haruko would abruptly spring up and summon up a weapon, striking at the head as she goes, before flipping off the top of the head onto the other shoulder.*
Can't catch me!
Yep! That's the plan!
Here's the other one!
Kotori leaps as high into the air as she can, then, using the wind to propel herself downwards, doubling her earth enchantment, and adding both a wind and earth to her blade to strengthen and sharpen it, She points her sword at the hand where the witch would be.
The wind enchantments push, along with her now massive weight would force her down at insane speeds as she attempts to pierce THROUGH the hands and into the witch expelling over half her mana in one attack
COMEON!
The Hedgehog blocks the blow, slamming him backward as he digs his feet into what passes for ground up here... He'd be forced to leap off in fact, only getting back by rocketing toward her with yet another Homing Attack at the hand which struck him, of course, this time it's many times more powerful than usual as well.
"Okay, I'm starting to get really angry with all of this crap! Prepare yourself for my biggest move yet!"
He stops short as Haruko begins aiming to grab it's attention, however... Seems likely that'll distract her for a while, he's going to pull a big gamble here, but if she doesn't notice him being gone long enough it could work. He'd focus again, this time actually Chaos Controlling into the hand itself, he'd expect to get smashed for this normally, but hopefully, Haruko will keep that from happening long enough. From there, he takes a few seconds to gather up energy as a look of rage crosses his face.
"CHAOS BLAST!"
Red mixes into the gold aura around Shadow, for a moment he justs looks pissed as hell, right before a massive blast wave of Chaos Energy goes out around him. Normally it'd spread around a couple blocks range and toss cars about inside that... Here all that force is contained inside of the hand, his only saving grace being that fact it spreads out from his body, despite that, Shadow's still hurt to an extent, though much less than his foe should be. He's also hoping it would smash the hand open, if so he'd dart out of it in a black and red blur to try and get at a safer range.
Haruko leaps up, striking at the Queen's head. It doesn't seem particularly bothered by this motion. However, as she approaches the other side of the Queen's shoulder, she spots the Witch,
snickering as it watches the other two attack the hand it used to be in.
Shadow's action takes place before Kotori's, for convenience sake. He finds there to be quite a bit more room in the hand than he might have anticipated, seeing as its currently empty. His Chaos Blast would provide enough force to open the creature's hand long enough for him to escape, but after seeing his target is no longer there he very well might do another, more efficient way to leave, so how he does is up to them.
As for Kotori, she expends most of her energy into striking the hand, successfully cracking the one that attempted to crush Shadow, the topmost layer, and driving through the next enough to poke through to where the Witch was. I assume Shadow will have moved out of the way by then,
but hey, that much is up to him.
The King, after recovering from its previous attack, attempts to grab Kotori with its left hand, to slowly begin crushing the girl.
Kyubey does his best to dash onto the King's shoulder to get a better vantage point, soon enough reaching its left. He doesn't make any further comment on the fight's progression so far.
A look of blinded rage crosses over Shadow's face, oh fuck this he's chaining all his Chaos into one last move of doom, he guesses there's enough room to just leave by running, or if not would simply smash out with his superior strength. In which case he'd run at... about mach 2 this time, actually holding back a great deal as Chaos Energy flows around him. He'd also hear Kotori flying past as he runs away, long gone before she hits.
"Chaos Control, once more."
This time, rather than warping away it's effects are a bit changed. Time grinds to a halt for all but Shadow, in 1 second he's leaped up and is rushing at the Witch, in 2 he's nearly hit her with his Homing Attack, 3 he'd land next to her, 4 he shouts in rage as the red power from before gathers up again, 5 his Chaos Blast slams outward and into the Witch, actually forced into the shape of a small cone her size as he points his hands at her and glares, as time resumes the attack would already be slamming into her given how close he is, a matter of seeing if she can dodge an attack she's already struck by really... And, At this point, he's out of Chaos Energy, and feeling a bit worn down from taking his rings off... Still, he's got a good bit of raw combat left.
Ugh!
Dammit!
That would have been SO COOL!
Stupid witch!
Kotori deftly avoids the hand as it reaches, and re-enchants herself with wind, running up the queen's arm and throwing four knives, Two Lightning enchanted and two earth, The lightning ones moving at their rightful speeds and the earth ones shattering into a huge spread of shrapnel in an attempt to cut off her escape routes, all aimed at the witch
I will hit you!
*The Witch is distracted. The Queen didn't notice her. This is the moment! Haruko taps into the power of fate to attempt to see where the Queen will be in... just a moment. Haruko flips from her destination shoulder directly to that predicted location, summoning up a second Chakram and swinging both down, with full force of gravity, at the (hopefully in position) witch!*
I think it's curtains for you, Witch!
As Shadow may have noticed earlier, the Witch has no real ability to react to his Chaos control. It continues laughing as he suddenly appears behind it (insert edgy meme). It snickers all the way until he blasts it, knocking the Witch off the Queen and into the air, badly battered.
This knocks the Witch straight into Kotori's oncoming lightning knives, the knives strike home, causing the creature to spasm a little in pain, in addition to slowing its velocity, the shrapnel approaches the creature....
Using her ability to look into the Witch's fate, (I never thought of that one honestly, nice.) Haruko sees it flying through the air only to be struck in mid-air by Kotori's knives, finally being cleaved in twain by Haruko herself to finish it off. Now that she knows exactly where she needs to be, Haruko leaps off towards the empty space before Chaos's blast. As predicted, Shadow soon sends the Witch flying towards her, it looks like the Witch would simply go past, until Kotori's knives strike it directly, slowing it down long enough for Haruko to bring the chakrams down on the creature, her bladed rings slicing clean through the creature.
Once the Witch is struck, Haruko gets peppered by some of Kotori's shrapnel. Its not much more than an annoyance to her, but hey, friendly fire is what it is.
With the Witch defeated, the whole area begins to crumble and fade, flickering in and out of existence as the source of its energy vanishes. Kyubey looks up at the others and comments
Do be careful, remember, they're not gone yet, it takes a moment.
As it begins to fade away, the Queen takes one final chance, swinging its left arm at Kotori as she climbs on its right, aiming to crush the pest that had so harmed her, seemingly unaware of the fact she'd cease to exist in moments.....
Similarly, the King sees Shadow's flash of energy, having struck the Princess. To the very end it attempts to fulfill its duty, balling up its fist to smash through the Queen's head, stone-like shrapnel flying through the air in addition to the King's fist attempting to smash into the Hedgehog.
Shadow's not having any of that nonsense, he'd quickly leap into the air once more and Homing Attack the fist, clashing power against power as he spins round and round into his foe's fist. Spines clashing against the stone-like stuff this damned thing is made out of, he can't beat it out most likely, but he just needs to hold it in place for a bit.
HA! TAKE THAT!
Kotori pushes herself off the witches arm in an attempt to choose when she'd fall rather than wait for the queen to vanish underneath her, before hearing QB
Wait they do-
She'd get clipped by the fingertips mid-sentence, and sent careening to the floor with the force of the impact
Gah!
Look out you two!
*And as if on cue, Kotori takes the hit.*
Kotori!
*She was herself, of course, heading toward the ground. But she lands on her feet with a degree of grace, bowing a bit in the direction the witch had been.*
Rest now.
*And then run over to check on Kotori.*
While Shadow doesn't manage to stop the thing, even for a moment, he does slow it significantly. The fist flickers faster and faster with the rest of the area, pushing Shadow within inches of the wall before the barrier finally collapses, bringing the Familiars and wall with it.
Kotori is smacked into the ground pretty hard... That's probably gonna be a few stacks, but hey, she's not dead at least. Haruko goes over to check on her, seeing how her friend is doing.
Once the barrier has faded, the group finds themselves in the hollow shell of an under-construction segment of the mall once more. Shadow's still a few floors in the air, but he'll probably land just fine. His rings clatter to the ground fairly nearby, so it'll be easy to put them back on.
Kyubey trots over to check on Kotori as well, whether he's genuinely concerned or not, he asks the obvious question
That looks like it took a lot out of you. Can you still walk? I've gotta say, I don't know how you do it
Kyubey flicks his ears a little, before stretching, extending his front paws towards Kotori
You know, it would be really easy to remove that little inconvenience of yours. All you would have to do is ask.
A small, black gem clatters to the ground behind Kyubey, the gem seems to have a metallic cage around it, one long point sticking out from the rest. The gem sticks into the ground, long point first. On top of this gem is a simple, star-shaped symbol. Kyubey briefly glances over at Haruko
I do believe that's yours. Since none of the others present have any use for it.
Shadow lands easily indeed, touching the ground with both hands down to it before quickly getting back up. He'd smirk to himself as the rings clatter down next to him. Placing them back on his wrists, the Hedgehog breathes a sigh of relief as his golden aura fades and his powers return to normal.
"Phew, that was a pretty tough one I'll admit, but I've fought robots way stronger than her before so eh. Tough, but nothing too bad for me!"
He may have been boasting through the fight, but it's fairly clear he can back it up by this point. Shadow's out of breath and worn down, but after all that, the Black Blur isn't even truly hurt, just tired.
"Anyways, what in the hell was this crazy thing? I've seen some weird supernatural stuff in my time, but monsters like that are a new one even for me!"
Despite having rushed in to help, he still wants some answers about this entire mess, what exactly is a Witch anyways? And why were these kids hunting it?
I'm OK!
Kotori giggles as she raises a thumbs up into the air
Hahaha!
That was fun!
She then stands up, slightly dizzy from the landing, holding a wall to keep her balance
oof....
Yeah, It did....
But for the first time I can remember....
I can still stand after a battle I put my all into....
She leans against the wall
Oof.....
It's called learning to conserve energy....
She stretches her arms
And I could....
It would be easy...
But since when do I ever do the easy thing?
I'm getting stronger!
Hard work is the only way to go!
So thanks Incubator-san, But I think I'm gonna hold off for now.
See how far I can get on my own.
..................................
After so many failures in a row, This felt good.....
She looks at the Grief Seed with a smile on her face
Called witches Shadow-san.
Basically, Incubator here gives girls power like Haruko's, if they fulfill certain conditions, the girls turn into those monsters, which need more girls to kill them.
They're generally bad news, though I don't exactly know what they do that's dangerous.
*Seeing Kotori get up just fine, and seeing her feel better about herself for once, Haruko goes to grab the Grief Seed and pocket it.*
Yeah.... Kotori knows the basics there. Kyubey grants a wish, we fight Witches, but if our Soul Gem gets corrupted, we become Witches ourselves. It's... a delicate balancing act, I guess you could say.
[I]Kyubey seems to ignore Shadow initially, but after offering so much assistance on short notice, he does at least deserve an explanation. So, Kyubey glances backwards at Shadow over his shoulder, his voice ringing out slowly and calmly, like one would when teaching a child[/I]
That thing was what's known as a Witch. Witches are "the ones who sow the seeds of the world's destruction." What they most commonly do is apply a curse to humans, driving them into despair. Most commonly they'll cause their victim to commit suicide just outside their barrier, the odd stage you fought the Witch in, and then absorb their fleeting life essence to grow stronger and sustain themselves.
However, when a Witch gets strong enough it emerges from its barrier, no longer needing it. At this point they're known for wiping cities off the map in the blink of an eye.
[I]With that, Kyubey flicks his tail and looks over at Kotori, regarding her in the same manner[/I]
Suit yourself. But I wonder, just how many people will you lose while "seeing how far you'll get?"
[I]Kyubey turns his attention back to Shadow, since Kotori mentioned Magical Girls turning into Witches, it seems like a point that needs some correction[/I]
My job is to grant the wishes of select girls, like Haruko here, one thing they desire, and in exchange they become Magical Girls, whose job it is to hunt down these Witches before they get too strong. This one was starting to approach "city leveling" strength, so it hardly even made a distinction between victims. Most people, even the magic-sensitive, are unable to detect their presence under normal circumstances. So by making so many Magical Girls I help keep the population down and prevent any disasters from happening
(edited by Incubator)
Dangerous huh? He'd guessed that much from it... Huh, so that's the way these things work eh?
Too bad Tails isn't around, bet he could rig up some kinda tech for finding these things.
"I see then, well I guess I won't focus on them too much in my efforts. Smashing Eggman's forces is my main goal, but I'm always willing to lend a hand where I can... Just try not to get in the way too much or something, but you guys did pretty good this time, so I'll see you around I'm sure."
He could stick around to ask more, but Shadow's had enough madness for one night, instead he'd dart out off at high speeds. The sound of him shattering the sound barrier as he runs off into the night could likely be heard by those still there, but he's long gone before it'd be possible to react.
Kotori shrugs
People live and people die.
That's a part of the cycle.
If they die, its because they bit off more than they can chew.
I'm nobodies keeper.
Leave the "Protecting" stuff to Sayaka-san.
I like my friends, and I'll fight for them and help them.
But if they die, then they're just following the cycle like everyone will.
Kotori smiles, completely convinced of her view of the world
We all die someday.
It's only a matter of when we do.
And what we do with our time alive.
Kyubey immediately turns back to gaze at Kotori, beady red eyes gazing into the girl's own. He pauses for a moment, before speaking up again
I'm beginning to think I'll never understand you humans and your emotions. That almost sounds like something I would say. After all, what is one life anyways?
Kyubey steps a little closer to Kotori, she had never seemed like this before, so he did want to ask a few questions
I wonder, what exactly happened? I take it this occurred in one of the areas outside my range of viewing. I like to keep a watch on every major event, but sometimes outside interference prevents such a thing.
Hmm....
I always sorta believed it...
But this is the first time I've really lost someone I consider important.
It didn't really hurt that much.
I looked up to him, yeah.
But he made his choice.
She shrugs
Maybe I've been spending too much time with uncle.
But I think seeing someone pass with my own two eyes just sorta, solidified what I already thought into something I knew.
Kyubey tilts his head for a moment, before simply turning and starting to walk on his way
That's not a normal reaction to losing someone important to you. Most people end up blaming themselves. I suppose there are always exceptions
Kyubey begins to bound off, however, in a moment, he turns to address anyone who might be remaining
I should be going, but while I'm here, are there any questions you might wish to ask me? I'm not good at guessing what you humans might consider important information, so I though it was worth asking
Nah! I'm good! Thanks though Incubator!
Kotori walks home, proud of herself