Senshi at War IC

[Estralita]

Like many cities, this particular one has little natural greenery. Normally the park would at least offer some respite, but despite being early June, the majority of trees still hadn't grown back leaves. Never the less, it was a nice day out, and the park was still a wide open space for people to walk, read, and enjoy being outdoors. Just a brown one.

Something draws you to this park today. In particular, to the ornamental fountain in the dead center of the park.

[Smeggedoff]

Sanko huffs as she jogs through the park.
Partly due to something her sister did that morning, mostly due to the exertions of exercise, and part due to the weird feeling she has today.

Shrugging it off she decides to take a break and cool off by the fountain.
Sitting on the rim she brushes a few stray hairs from her forehead and takes a pull from her water bottle, relaxing in the cool mist drifting from the gurgling spray.

Taking another drink she looks around to see who else is in the park today,

[Mono Vertigo]

Ren likes going to the park when the weather permits it, even though there's inevitably at least one kid who stands, stares, and points, asking what's wrong with the lady, and then their mother invariably provides embarrassing answers, or none at all, which might be a bigger embarrassment.
Still, no reason to hide. It's not like she was any more horrible to look at than the average passerby.
Her parents haven't allowed her to get a bike for years, but she recently saved enough to buy herself roller skates in secret. She's not very good at, yet keeps going, unsteadily.
She notices Sanko at a distance, and waves at her. (She'd roll up and greet her properly, but she fears she's going to faceplant if she goes too fast.)

[Epinephrine_Syn]

Rebecca had a long day. A good day, but very tiring nonetheless. Bike riding was a practice that she kept in check every now and then, it gave her such a freedom of movement to everywhere. You could go through the mountains, you could swift your way from school to the store, to the martial arts studio, and to the library in no time at all. She was on such an endeavor right at that moment, actually.

The sun bore down on her in an intense manner as she passed the fountain while trekking through the park. Certainly wasn't crowded enough to warrant slowing down, but Rebecca did so anyway. A thought came to her. Maybe… maybe it would be a good idea to take a small snack break. Relax, sit by the fountain, chill the jets on the black and purple bike for five minutes.

Rebecca stretched her legs, finding herself already seated at the fountain, with her eyes looking out at the other kids nearby. Ren was waving at Sanko. As charismatic as Rebecca could 'seem' at times, she really got nervous when actually initiating conversation. For now, it was time to be a Bird Watcher. Maybe she could get her binoculars out and literally watch them. Maybe that would be extremely weird when they'd probably gravitate to the fountain anyway. But the binoculars were unpacked and in her hand, for whatever reason, already.

[Kyrinthic]

It seemed like such a good day for a walk, the sun was out, but it wasn't oppressive, the park seemed like a great idea, and it was for a while. Just enjoying the day for once, but then her worries came back to her as always, everything just feels so surreal. Yuna sits beneath a tree near the fountain at the center of the park and takes out her notebook. She never used to carry it around, but it was small enough to fit in her purse, and she wanted to have it on hand whenever she remembered something.

As she takes her thoughts to the past, or is it the future? Its so confusing, but she tunes out the world, not even noticing the other girls biking past, as she sits in her own little shady nook under the tree trying to remember things she does not want to think about but knows she must. Every fleeting memory could contain a clue after all...

[sakuuya]

Anaïs has mixed feelings about the weird lack of greenery at this park. On the one hand, she's still not feeling up to watching happy couples wander hand-in-hand through a beautiful landscape, so this relative desolation mirrors her mood. On the other, though, everything in Japan just sucks--spring doesn't even happen right! Nice is probably beautiful right now. There's more green space there in general (because it's better), and plants respond to seasons like normal.

She rode her bike here, just to get out of her head, but it had caught a flat almost immediately after entering the park. Just her crummy luck. So now she's pushing her disabled bike awkwardly through the park, fuming at the world in general for heaping yet another indignity on her head. If she remembers correctly, there's a hardware store on the other side of the park that probably sells bike patches, but getting to the other side of the park means putting herself on display the whole way across. She looks down as she walks (toward the center of the park, because it's the shortest distance) so she doesn't see the stares she's sure she's getting.

[Estralita]

Sanko, Rebecca
Both Sanko and Rebecca see Ren, but even though she's only a few meters away, she almost seems to be falling away for them. Then, though they remain seated firmly on the fountain, the world suddenly feels like it's tilting sharply. Like gravity is suddenly pulling sideways. Behind you, the fountain's gurgling starts sounding muddy and thick.

Anais
Sometimes people who look down see more than those who look up. Out of the Corner of her eye, Anais sees something long and green speeding along the path heading towards the fountain. A soft, cool, fountain, where she could forget her troubles. Forget everything...

Ren
Ren sees Sanko waving from the fountain, and Rebecca nearby, but blurred, like a heat mirage blocking her view. The heat, which had been normal for Spring, suddenly seems unbearable, and Ren feels incredibly thristy...

Yuna
As Yuna attempts to remember the future, something stirs. The feeling of something feeling off with the world. Twisted. Like the feeling coming from the fountain...

Make a Support Roll vs enchantment drawing them closer to the fountain

[Smeggedoff]

Sanko waves back to Ren, taking note of the other girls from her class who seemed to be in the park.
Probably a coincidence she thinks, as long as it's not some cruel prank

[sakuuya]

Anaïs starts turning her bike toward the fountain, then looks up, startled. Why the heck had she wanted to go there? There are people at the fountain, for one thing. That isn't the weird thing, though. The weird thing is that the fountain is making everything around it look like an optical illusion, or like the unfocused background of a movie. Whatever's going on there, Anaïs decides to steer clear of it, though she does feel an uncharacteristic rush of affection for the two girls sitting there. She's seen them around school, she thinks, but doesn't know either one well enough to explain why she's so well-disposed toward them all of a sudden.

"Good afternoon!" she calls, waving and trying to ignore the optical illusion (or whatever it is) surrounding the fountain.

Support Roll: [roll0]
Overcharge Dice, if Necessary: [roll1][roll2][roll3]

EDIT: Welp, that's definitely a success...and two Heart overcharge right off the bat. Rockin'.

[Mono Vertigo]

Ren could use some fresh drink. Gotta get a soda later.
(For a second she thinks about the fountain, but... it's an ornamental fountain. You can't drink from one usually, or it tastes awful.)
She advances slowly toward Sanko and Rebecca, not so much out of prudence as because it's difficult. She stops halfway through, though, as she starts realizing there's a lot of girls from her school around. Is it going to turn badly? Aww, dang, she just wanted to practice rollerskating! Besides, that sudden heat wave in Spring is weird. All in all, she's got a bad feeling about it all.

[Kyrinthic]

Yuna pauses and blinks, something feels off... quickly closing her journal and sliding it into her purse with the pencil she looks up and around. Oh hey, lots of familiar faces, she really should pay more attention. But her focus is quickly drawn towards the fountain, something is odd there. She climbs to her feet and takes a slow step in that direction, trying to figure out what it is that seems out of sorts about it.

[Epinephrine_Syn]

Turns out that maybe those binoculars are necessary after all. Rebecca pulls them up to look at the familiar faces falling away, as she practically feels a force tugging her backwards rather than downwards. Fascinating. Something… extremely bizarre was going on, and now was the time to… maybe not quite panic yet, but close. Rebecca drops a small coin in the air, to convince herself that she's just having some kind of seizure. Oh geez if this is a seizure maybe she should call for help, or something.

"Uh, I… I feel really… really weird. Is this 'just' me?" Her voice slowly goes up in volume, looking around at the fading faces.

[Estralita]

Anais, Yuna, Ren

Just as soon as it came on, the urge to approach the fountain faded. At the same time, the haze around the fountain thickens, until the two girls, as well as the entire fountain, vanished from sight. The people around the fountain continued about their business. None of them so much as glanced at the fountain.

Sanko, Rebecca
The tilting continues, until gravity's efforts to keep them in their seats failed, and they fell backwards. But instead of falling into the water, or slamming into the stone of the fountain, the two fell into a pile of leaves and mud. Not dried up brown leaves, but bright green, healthy leaves, and flower petals. Like what should have been on the trees. Overhead, they hear a loud buzzing noise.

[Smeggedoff]

Wait... why is everything getting so... tilty?
*splat*
"Ah! What the?" Sanko yells before slipping in the mud slightly as she tries to stand

[Kyrinthic]

Yuna hesitates for a moment as the fountain warps in front of her before rushing forward to the place the fountain used to be, 'No no, not yet! I'm not ready yet' she exclaims as she scrambles around trying to find some trace of the fountain.

[Mono Vertigo]

Okay, that's a freaky one.
Ren dashes to Yuna, and predictably loses balance and scrapes her knees, but it's not distracting her one bit.
"Have you - have you seen that?", she asks Yuna, "We can't be the only ones who saw that, are we?!"

[Epinephrine_Syn]

"I…" Rebecca stood up, taking glances around and wiping the mud off of her form. "This… is not good. I… okay where am I? I'm definitely going crazy. So, need a hand?" The girl offered her hand out, very thankful she was in clothes that were relatively okay with being messy, and not some really hard to wash or fancy gown.

[Smeggedoff]

Sanko takes the offered hand, mumbling thanks as she finds her feet.
"What just happened?" she asks, looking around

[Epinephrine_Syn]

"I… I'm not sure. I take it you don't recognize this place? Also… why is the sky suddenly loud? My ears are kinda sensitive, it hurts." Rebecca takes out her binoculars, looking off into the distance for any familiarity.

[Kyrinthic]

Yuna looks towards Ren, her expression somewhat frantic, "I dont know! I dont know! but... but but they were here.. and now they are gone.. and thats bad, bad things happen to people that dissapear." As she babbles, she crawls around where the fountain was, trying to find any indication of what happened to the other girls.

[Estralita]

Yuna
As Yuna searched for the fountain desperately, her hands felt something fluid, and gooy that she still couldn't see. This field suddenly grabbed hold of Yuna, sucking her in and tossing her into a pile of mud and leaves.

Anais, Ren
While none of the people in the park noticed the missing girls or fountain, some of them raised their eyebrows at the slight commotion the girls were making. Then, suddenly, Yuna faded away, just like the fountain. And just like the fountain, the people lost interest when she disappeared.

"Oh Dear, Oh Dear, Oh Dear!" What looked like a giant green worm rushed over to the girls. "Oh Dear. Stormy isn't ready for this."A large red book trailed after him.

Sanko, Rebecca, Yuna again.
Once you all have a chance to get your bearings, and adjust to the sideways orientation, you are able to take in your surroundings. It appears to be a tunnel of water, where all the water is rushing clockwise, like it was spraying from a hose, or a fountain. Underneath there feet was a soft muddy carpet, through which you can feel the water still rushing underneath. Leaves like the ones that belonged on trees, grew out out the mud, and more leaves grew out of those leaves. Behind them, a wall of marble blocked the exit, and at the other end...

A dragon. That was the closest word. But dragons (normal dragons, if you could call them that) didn't have gigantic fly-eyes or feathers on their wings. And when they opened their mouth to roar, they didn't sound like a mix of a buzzing mosquito's whine, and a thunderclap.

I hope I described that well enough that I justified my asking for a Stay Calm Roll from Sanko, Rebecca, and Yuna. Also, since we are now in the Nightmare offically, I got a basic map of the field right here (https://yarukizero.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/magical-burst-battlefield.pdf) Currently, you are in the Flower Garden, the youma is in the Abyss

[Mono Vertigo]

"Oh dang! Look, another disappearance!"
They were not going to be next, were they? She jumped back up on her feet and clumsily stepped back prudently.
That was when the worm appeared. People aren't paying attention to anything much, it seemed.
"... what's that? Do you have anything to do with all this?" she asks (in direction of the worm, and not so much directly to the worm; she hopes it's not actually it she heard talking).

[sakuuya]

Shocked, Anaïs lets go of her bicycle, which clatters to the ground. The sound masks the worrying worm, but she hears Ren's questions.

"No! Why would I know what's going on?!" she replies, assuming the other girl was talking to her. As she turns to face Ren, though, she sees the giant worm and falters. "I--holy crap, what is that?"

[Kyrinthic]

Yuna's cry of surprise as she is grabbed and yanked into the other world never registers in the park as she finds herself in this impossible reality.

Her scream trails off as she lands on her butt in seemingly relative safety, to look around and try to take in her bizzare surroundings.
She quickly sees Sanko and Rebecca, exclaiming, "You're ok! thats amazing, we need to get out be.." before she is interrupted by the odd roar, snapping her attention to the horrific being at the far end of the odd landscape. Her sentence abrubtly stopped, Yuna stares at the creature, scrambling back until its very clear there is no escape past the marble wall behind her.

Barely keeping a handle on her sanity so as to not just start screaming, she stammers, "W...what the..." while her brain is screaming at her to flee.

[Estralita]

Anais, Ren
The worm hopped up in surprised at the girls addresses. "You see me? Right here? That means- Oh dear." It looked like it was going to say more, but the book that hopped alongside the worm bopped it on the head."Oh, yes. Privacy. Almost forgot." The book hopped into the worm, which, sped around the two girls in a circle. A very slight shimmer appeared in the air around them. Then the worm slowed down, and the book popped out again "There. Now we can talk without attracting attention. Now, did you see what happened?"

[Smeggedoff]

Sanko climbs to her feel and looks at the dragon/mosquito/bird hybrid thing

"huh" she decides "well that's a thing"

She holds out a hand to help Rebecca to her feet, noticing Yuna was already beside her, while keeping the other hand firmly on the marble wall

"So, uh. Either of you know what's going on?" she asks, licking her suddenly dry lips as she staves of panic by the slimmest of margins

[Mono Vertigo]

"Holy crap!"
Everything was managing to be even weirder than expected, but pointing at the strange creatures and blubber incoherently wouldn't achieve anything.
It might also be slightly hypocritical. Hard to tell when you're dealing with critters you're not even sure are one entity or two.
Chill.
"Well, yeah, the fountain turned all weird, like a mirage, and those girls disappeared. But seriously, what's going on? Who are you? Am I having a heatstroke?"

[Epinephrine_Syn]

"I…" There was a moment of silence, the girls and worm around her enfolded, and she gulped slightly. "I… okay. Enough weirdness has just happened, that I'm not going to question this one right now. Please explain, if you would." Her knees buckled a little, but she did her very acting best to look reserved and composed in the face of perhaps the eldritch end. Don't let it scare you, fear wants to consume, please, hold on, be firm, and you will be fine.

[sakuuya]

"A-are we dead?" Anaïs adds to the litany of questions. "Is that why everyone else disappeared, because we died? That's perfect. Exactly what I wanted to happen today." She continues grumbling to herself, glaring alternately at the worm and its book. After all, if she was already dead, they couldn't do anything to her, and if she wasn't, well, it seemed like she would be soon, what with all the crazy stuff happening around her.

[Estralita]

Anais, Ren
The worm looked rapidly back and forth between the two girls in confusion. Anais's question made his eyes ug out slightly, like a cartoon character."Dead?! No, no, no. I just put a weak notice-me-not field around us, so the people around wouldn't be suspicious. Only mahou senshi or potential senshi can notice us now. Just as the Youma did around the fountain. Which was part of the point, unfortunately. Youma like to get rid of potential problems." he added, the worry and sadness creeping back into its voice.

The book, which had fallen to the ground, hopped back up. The cover, previously blank, suddenly burst into sparkling runes. The worm reacted to the action. "I know, but we don't have time! Stormy's too hurt to take on the Youma here, and those girls..."

Yuna, Rebecca, Sanko

Just as the girls had gotten their bearings, things began moving. The wall of marble spun around, and the water, previously moving clockwise, shifted. Instead of a tunnel of water, the girls were in a spiral of water. Pulling the girls closer to the dragon's wide mouth.

The girls in the Nightmare are moved from the Flower Gardens to Elysium.
Also, Rebecca is inside the Nightmare, and still owes a Stay Calm Roll. I think you got mixed up on what group she was with, Epinephrine_Syn (Do you have any nicknames you prefer, so I don't have to type that out each time?)

[Smeggedoff]

As Sanko starts to slide, her eyes widen in realisation
turning back to the wall she begins to wade against the current.
"oh-kay, anyone have any ideas? 'cause I don't think we want to get much closer to bugzilla over there"

[Kyrinthic]

Yuna feels the marble shift at her back as the water picks up speed, sliding her closer to the last place she would ever want to be. "No no no! this never happened, whats happening!?' she cries out confusedly as the enormous creature looms closer.

Sanko's comment snaps her out of her near panic and she blinks looking over at the girl, she replies 'I...I dont know, this is impossible..' as she looks around the spinning water for anything like an outcropping or edge to hold on to.

[Smeggedoff]

"Beats the heck outta me" replies Sanko, raising her voice over the churning water "But impossible or not, I guess we gotta deal? Damnit, I feel useless but maybe people noticed we vanished and help is comin? I dunno"

[Mono Vertigo]

"The what and what now? What are we supposed to do anyway? We're, just... well... girls."
Ren so far was doing a decent job at not freaking, but she couldn't figure out very well what was going on at all.

[sakuuya]

Despite the worm's reassurance, Anaïs isn't particularly certain she's alive, because this keeps getting crazier and crazier. She takes a couple calming breaths, clenching and unclenching her fists.

"Look...you," she says, unsure of how to address the worm, "I don't have any idea what you're talking about. If you need something from us, you need to explain it better than that, and if not, just let us go!" She's not doing such a great job keeping calm, and her voice rises a touch hysterically as she talks.

[Estralita]

Anais, Ren

The worm slumped a bit. "I know, I'm sorry. I'm so new at this, and the danger-" The book nudged him rather forcefully. "Good idea."

At this, the worm turned to the book, and hopped inside, like the book had done to the worm earlier. The book trembled for a moment, then exploded in size. Now the size of a flatscreen television, the book floated up to eye level, and opened up. The two girls saw an animation of an indistinct monster in a smoky bubble, surrounded by humans, who ignored it.

Despite the worm's disappearance, his voice was still audible, with a bit of reverb. Youma are spirits of pure chaos, beyond normal human comprehension. When they emerge, they create tiny pocket realms in the cracks of the world. They survive by draining life and stability from the world around them, with people being the most powerful source of stability. A white aura appeared on the page, leading from the humans to the monster. The monster grew in size, and grew more distinct features, claws and wings. The humans caught in the aura began disappearing.

Since Youma are completely separate from the human world, most humans cannot even perceive them, let alone fight them. Tsukaima, like us exist. A book and a worm appeared on the page. But we have no way of fighting except when directly threatened, and so Youma refuse to attack us. But we do have ways to combat them indirectly. You see, a small percentage of humans are born with a spark of chaos inside them. One of the humans, a girl, turned to the monster in shock. The spark fades with age, but if it is brought out by a tsukaima, The girl turned to the book and worm, and began glowing.They become become Mahou Senshi, Magical Warriors able to travel to the Youma's realm, and fight them on their own terms, along with their own special magical powers. The girl turned to the monster, began glowing, and blasted the monster, which faded away.

And so we tsukaima, familiars you might say, seek out those with that spark, to keep the world safe for all.

The book slammed shut, and the worm popped out. "Did that help? I hope we were clear enough. Would you become magical warriors to protect the world? It is a dangerous mission, and if you don't want to do so, just walk out of the field. It's harmless. "

Rebecca, Sanko, Yuna
Sanko and Yuna successfully move towards the back, while Rebecca stays in place, possibly frozen in fear. But the girls are all pulled forwards again towards the monster.

Yuna and Sanko successfully move back into the Flower Gardens, only to be pulled back into Elysium. Rebecca is moved to Purgatory.

[Smeggedoff]

Sanko pants with the exertion of moving against the current. At least it seemed to be working and all three of them were... oh crap.
"Rebecca!" she yells "Move! Come on, Hurry!"

[Mono Vertigo]

"I have a spark of chaos?"
Ren thinks a bit more, latches on the most comprehensible part.
"Magical powers?"
Whatever kind of powers she gets, she'll find a way to make them useful. Ren adapts. That's what she's done for years.
"I would!"

[sakuuya]

"So if youma are beings of pure chaos, and we have a seed of chaos..." Anaïs pauses, letting the implication hang. "Actually, I don't care. Let's do this."

After all, what has she got to lose?

[Epinephrine_Syn]

So much to process, and her brain had at some point entirely stopped thinking about surviving. This place was surely getting to her. Rebecca became dimly aware of some screams, then louder ones. She wasn't even afraid anymore, just… deep in thought. Empty thought, both rife with emotion and devoid of it at the same time. Thinking so much that her vision faded, lost in her own thoughts...

Everyone was staying still. Sure, they looked like they were moving, but distance was relative. She could feel her own mind expanding, all of the magic.

"Hurry!"

Rebecca snapped out of it, alarmed and snapping her head side to side to look for the source. "I, wait!" Her head snapped backwards to the others, a good distance behind her, mental illusions shattering amid the stars. "I think I understand, but… what we must do, but..." Rebecca's mind went blank, so much of what she was thinking just faded, almost as if holes were appearing in her memory, significant nervousness flooding her previously stoic face.

Her legs trembled, and she tried to get them to move.

[Kyrinthic]

Somehow Yuna finds her calm center, if only due to being overloaded with the impossibility of it all, and hating the idea of watching someone else die because she did nothing. Tuning out all logic in the face of the chaos, she acts.

Yuna stumbles to her feat in the rushing water, trying to maintain a stable position as best she can as she lets herself slide a little closer to Rebecca without letting herself free entirely. She reaches one hand out to Rebecca and the other back towards Sanko

"I..dont know whats going on..but that thing cant be good, we need to get away, come on!" she calls out to her friend.

[Smeggedoff]

Sanko take's Yuna's hand

[Epinephrine_Syn]

Rebecca's legs moved, fast as they could. At least now she could move rather than being paralyzed with the perhaps dark distraction from the reality around her. Though that extra thinking did leave her with a more level head, calling out and trying to reach her friends, reach with a single hand while she tried to disjoint what she perceived to the the distance and the actual distance mentally.

[Estralita]

Rebecca, Sanko, Yuna

Through the combined effort of the three girls, Rebecca is moved back alongside them.

Between all the movement of the girls and the field, I'm going to say all three are not in Elysium.

Ren, Anais

Upon hearing the two girls responses, the Worm gave off a sigh, mixed with relief and worry. "Alright then. I need you two to concentrate hard. In order to use and control this power, you need to focus your mind and desires. Think of one thing you want more than anything in the world. It doesn't matter what it is, just so long as you can dedicate yourself to the thought."

[Mono Vertigo]

"It's not a trick, is it?"
Ren threw a suspicious side glance at the worm and book, as if the last straw that made the whole situation look like a bad joke was the request, and not all the weird sights.
It was just a thought, though. It was not like she had to say it out loud.
And so, she concentrated. At first, it was a bunch of disorganised and contradictory desires: live normally, have cool powers, have to rely on no one but herself for protection, have no one mess with her again, figure out what people are actually thinking instead of always having to expect the worst, never be hurt again...
But amidst all that chaos, there was one raw idea that rose and overshadowed all the others, being the cause and consequence of every other wish.
I want Asagi dead.

[Epinephrine_Syn]

There was something of a relative quiet as the group of girls managed to get back together. Fighting the stream, but collectively together. "Okay. So…" Momentary silence filled her up. "So, while we're… running… man I'm out of breath. I'm not, usually this bad at running, am I?" She clapped a hand to her chest. Whatever this horrid place was, she wanted out. The things that didn't bother her while she was lost in thoughts crept up and hurriedly terrified her.

"We can't… just keep running. Are we even going anywhere? We need to figure out an… end game… to this…" More desperate breathing.

[Kyrinthic]

Relieved that they are now all as far as possible from the bizarre creature, Yuna wonders how long she can keep up walking against this current herself, never having been notably athletic after all.

Nodding along with Rebecca, she gives a helpless shrug, "I don't know....You hear about people disappearing....not reappearing...and most people didn't seem to see..... the fountain and you disappear.... so I don't know what to do..." she responds, also breathing hard already with the exertion of fighting the water.

[Smeggedoff]

Sanko growls slightly
"Well, I don't plan ta go down easy if it comes to it. Anyone see if there was anything behind it? Someplace to escape to if we rush im and get past?"

[sakuuya]

As Anaïs scrunched her eyes shut, her first thought was of going home. Her life would be better if she was back in Nice, she was sure of it. But as she let her warm memories play out, dissatisfaction crept in around the edges. They'd all abandoned her once she moved--even Corinne, even own mother. Even if everything went back to the way it was, she couldn't escape the knowledge that they were ready to throw her away.

Letting her old friends' silence depress, letting the bullies here push her around, letting Hideki's rejection hurt her...that was her weakness. She knew, intellectually, that she shouldn't let any of it get to her, but she couldn't help it. She was weak, and it was killing her. I want to be in control of my own life...

[Estralita]

Ren, Anais
As the two girls focused on their hearts desires, the began to glow softly. "Yes, just like that!" the worm said excitedly. The book exploded open, and the worm rushed over to the book, and began reading aloud. The bubble the group was in began to darken, and runes appeared spiraling around the two girls. As the worm spoke in strange sounds, more runes appeared in the spiral, spinning faster and faster around them. The runes shifted into two line spinning in opposite directions. Then the spirals broke loose, and struck the girls on the back of their neck. A blinding light flashed. When things dimmed, the two girls were...changed.

The worm looked on the girls with awe. "It worked" he whispered. the book in front of him snapped shut. "Oh, yes we need to hurry. All magical girls have the ability to pierce into a Youma's pocket. The knowledge is imprinted with the powers."

Sanko, Rebecca, Yuna
As they spoke, the watery conveyer moved them towards the monster again. It let out a whine, perhaps in impatience...
Back to Elysium you go :smallwink:

Sorry this is taking so long. You'll get a chance to meet the worm soon enough, though.

[Mono Vertigo]

Ren took the time to look down at herself. She looked like a spunky fairy heroine.
Amazing!
But it was not the time to gaze at her costume, she had people to rescue. She ran ahead to penetrate the pocket's wall.

[sakuuya]

Anaïs gasped as the light faded. She must have misunderstood some of the worm's chatter earlier, because she had kind of assumed she'd just get the power to shoot lasers at monsters or something, not this full-on transformation.

"Thank you!" she says to the worm with a hasty bow before hurrying after Ren.

[Estralita]

Ren and Anais have no trouble finding and entering the youma's lair. It was like walking through mist ; offering no real resistance. Just one step from the worm's bubble into a Nightmare.

The second the two landed on the field, the Youma, a fly-dragon hybrid let out a second roar, and charged forwards with loud thumps. Water, mud, and leaves flew everywhere.Between the youma and the two empowered girls were Yuna, Sanko, and Rebecca, standing clustered in the tunnel

The worm and book appeared next to the two. The worm called out to the girls. "Oh no! Overhere! You'll be safe here!"

We're finally ready to fight an actual Youma! Took me long enough to get us here!
Youma moves to Purgatory.
Acted this round: Youma
Next to act: Ren
Yet to act: Anais
Rebecca, Sanko, and Yuna can act outside the initiative, since they aren't actively fighting yet.

Youma is in Purgatory, Yuna, Sanko and Rebecca are in Elysium, Ren, Anais, Worm and Book are in Flower Gardens.
Map (https://yarukizero.files.wordpress.com/2014/06/magical-burst-battlefield.pdf)

[Smeggedoff]

Sanko looks blankly a the worm and the cosplayers
"Sure. Why not" she mutters, renewing her efforts to wade through the current, pulling rebecca behind her

[Mono Vertigo]

"What the hell is that?!"
Ren stops in her tracks as soon as she enters the Nightmare. How is she supposed to fight such a horrible monster?
But something guides her. There's electricity in everyone's body, she vaguely remembers from a biology book, and a feeling inspires her to control her own. She hits the center of her chest, and an electric current runs briefly though her body. Now, she has the reassurance that if something goes wrong, she can jump-start her body back to a better shape.
(That might not be how electricity is supposed to work for people, but, she knows instinctively, this is how it works for her.)
With that protection in place, she resumes her run toward the fly-dragon.


[Using Life Bomb, moving to Elysium. Turn goes to Anais.]

[Kyrinthic]

Yuna quickly spins to look at the two new arrivals, barely recognizing her classmates in the strange outfits. As she blinks in surprise, the rushing water, sudden turn, and weariness combine to land her on her rear as water rushes over her as she lets out a startled 'Woah'.

[sakuuya]

Anaïs rushes forward in a flash of silver light...or maybe not, because when the light clears, there are two of her, one back where she'd entered the battle and the other right up in the youma's face. It's hard to tell which of them shouts "Platinum malevolence reflection!", but the one near the youma held up the mirror she carried and pointed it at the youma. Something that looked like a silver-plated version of the youma's own claw reached out, far too big for the little hand mirror, and slashed at its progenitor.

Minor Action: Create marionette in Purgatory (1 Attack Overcharge)
Major Action: Melee basic attack from marionette. [roll0] + 8 = ?
Damage: [roll1] + 2 + X = ?

Overcharge dice (if necessary): [roll2][roll3][roll4][roll5][roll6][roll7]

Actual rolls (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showsinglepost.php?p=19784630&postcount=65)
Attack: 15
Damage: 4
Overcharge Accrued: None!

Total overcharge: 1 Support, 1 Attack

Youma's turn!

[Estralita]

Ren, Anais

The youma flinched at the marionette's attack, and lashed out the puppet. It screamed in anger high pitched and deep at the same time and charged forwards to meet Ren. The vibrations running through the field, and hit the newly made magical warriors. Ren, closer to the creature, felt it shaking her to the bone; making it hard to think. The leaves growing out of the mud ripped out, and flew towards her, like knives...

Yuna, Rebecca, Sanko

The girls, pulled all over,had much less resistance against the monster's screech as the sound felt like it was trying to make them explode. Then as suddenly as it started, it stopped and the madness of the field faded away. The three girls found themselves in a grey, semi-transparent bubble. A giant green worm,and a small red book popped out of the bubble. The worm began pacing( if a worm can pace) watching the battle. "Two is more than one. But are two enough? it muttered to itself.
.
The marionnette's attack is successful!

The youma attacks the marionette, Attack roll is 13, Anais may make a Defense roll for the Marionette, but if it hits, it's down. Either way, after the attack, it moves to Elysium.

Ren, make a Support check with a -2 penalty. Number to beat is 12

As it is the end of the turn, everybody is pulled one Position. Anais is in Elysuim, Ren and the Youma are in Purgatory, everybody else is in Hades.

Acted this turn :Ren, Anais, Youma
Yet to act: None
Next to act: Anais

[Smeggedoff]

Sanko looks shocked at the sudden change in environment... again.
looking back and forth between the battle and the worm she snarls and punches the bubble
"Hey, what's the deal? I wanna fight that thing too!"
I'm not gonna sit here and be helpless!

[sakuuya]

Anaïs' mirror image lightly dodges the youma's attack, but as the real thing is pulled back toward the abyss, the image almost merges back with her, leaving her just a little blurry--although that could also just be from the force of the monster's charge, which shakes her down to the bone. Despite the pain from the razor-sharp plants, Anaïs raises her mirror and attacks it again, her voice just slightly out of sync with her marionette's. She focuses all her hate on the big ugly thing, which isn't hard, because holy moly this hurts.

Marionette Defense Challenge: [roll0] + 7 + 3 = 19
Overcharge Accrued: 1 Magic

Support Challenge[roll1] + 1 = 8

Melee Basic Attack: [roll2] + 8 = 16
Damage: [roll3]

Also, hit the youma with a Hex for her minor action.

Overcharge dice, if Necessary: [roll4][roll5][roll6][roll7][roll8][roll9][roll10][roll11][roll12][roll13]

Total Overcharge:2 Heart, 1 Fury, 1 Magic

Ren's turn!

[Mono Vertigo]

Anais' double image disturbs Ren a little - wait, which is which? - but not significantly so. Doesn't matter to know which one is an illusion (if any), only where the enemy is, and it's right in front of her.
She runs up, attempting to bat away the knife-like leaves with an oversized axe, then strikes down, her weapon even faster than a whip.

Support against Bleeding: [roll0]+3
Overcharge: [roll1]

Melee attack against the youma: [roll2]+5
Damage: [roll3]+2
Overcharge: [roll4]
If it hits, putting up Reflector on myself.
Staying at Purgatory with the youma. If I'm Bleeding, using my minor action to try and shake it off: [roll5]+5.
Overcharge: [roll6]

[Estralita]

Ren, Anais

Close up, the two girls were able to see the Youma's features more clearly. The trasparent wings that had patterns of leaves, giant bug eyes, and the vines growing out of it's legs that batted aside both girls attacks like they were nothing. The youma then whipped around and slashed at Anais (possibly still angry about the earlier attack from the double) before letting out a second cry sending both Magical Warriors reeling.

Sanko, Yuna, Rebecca
The bubble bent in response to Sanko's punch, before snapping back into place. Yhe worm jumped a little in surprise. "Don't do that! Its not- Wait, you wish to fight out there as well? Are you certain?"

Youma's Defense roll beats both attacks. (I'm surprised too)
Currently, both Anais and Ren are taking a -2 penalty to all challenges.
Now, on the Youma's turn, first Basic Melee Attack against Anais. Roll to beat is 9. If she fails, take 5 damage.
Next Support Roll against Youma for both, or become stunned. Roll to beat is 13

Everybody is pulled into Hades. Those in the bubble stay put.

Next to Act: Ren

[Smeggedoff]

Sanko scowls angrily at the worm "Who'd want to sit back and get saved like.. like a.. something that can't defend themselves!" she fumes "Of course I'm certain!"
She pauses, seemingly realising she's yelling at a talking worm "Why? Are you the reason my classmates are out there with superpowers?"

[Kyrinthic]

Still sitting on the ground where she fell, though the water is no longer rushing over her legs, Yuna takes a moment to absorb the impossible changes on this already impossible nightmare.
Watching the newly minted magical girls fight for a moment before she even realizes that they are in fact her classmates, she turns towards the worm and Sanka, her brain finally catching up, "I think being saved is better than...running, or whatever we were before?"

She slowly stands up, watching the fight unfold, "I do wish I could help, but what can someone like me do against something like that?"

[Mono Vertigo]

Sluggish from the cry, Ren nonetheless swings her axe again. Better cut up that plant fast.
As her upper body turns, she looks back at the other girls. Are they watching her? What are they thinking of her? Are they worried? The knot in her guts is telling her she might not be able to beat the dragon-fly-plant, even with Anais' help.

Support against Stunned: [roll0]+3
Overcharge: [roll1]
Whatever happens, trying to attack the youma again, and putting a Reflector on myself if I hit: [roll2]+3
Overcharge: [roll3]
If I'm not Stunned, also trying to Steal Action: [roll4]+3
Overcharge: [roll5]
And if that hits, moving back to Hades. Bleh, Stunned.

Next round: Anais.

[sakuuya]

Anaïs' dual form wavers just enough that the youma's claws pass through empty air, but she's still impaled by those leaves, not to mention shaken up by the roar. Still, she slashes back at it with another illusory claw.

Passive Defense: 7 + 4 = 11

Support vs. Stunned: [roll0] + 1 = 6

Hex the youma again as a minor action if not stunned.

Melee Basic Attack: [roll1] + 6 = 13
Damage: [roll2] +2 = 4

Overcharge (if necessary): [roll3][roll4][roll5][roll6][roll7][roll8][roll9][roll10]

Total Overcharge: 2 Heart, 1 Fury, 1 Magic

Youma's turn, then!

[Estralita]

Ren, Anais
This time the two struck the creature hard, cutting deep into the dragon's shoulder and forearm. The creature screamed even higher as it lashed out at Ren, and the leaves spun around them for a second hit. Muddy Water gushed from the wounds, and something else exploded from it. Memories. The fountain, from the outside. the Park, When it was healthy. Leaves, trees, water, clouds, all flashed by rapidly. All with an overpowering emotion attached.mINE.

aLL MINE.

The message came with flashes of a different memory. More indistinct. Another girl with inhumanly bright yellow hair with a wand dropping to her knees in pain

NO oNE TAKES WHAT'S MINE[/I]

Sanko, Yuna. Rebecca

The worm anxiously looked back and forth between Yuna and Sanko. Yes. I-no" It glanced back towards the book, which had flopped open showing pages of glowing runes."We can grant you the same power, if you really wish for it." The worm headed over to the book, reading the pages. "Right now, all I need from you is for you to focus on something you want more than anything in the world. Your greatest desire. That will give the power something to latch onto, and allow you to transform."

The worm looked up. "Now, are you sure this is what you want? To fight youma like this one? With the situation in the City, it likely wouldn't stop at one."

Both attacks get through, and youma is bloodied!
Attack vs Ren Roll to beat is 13
Support vs Bleed. Roll to Beat is 21
Next to act:Anais

[sakuuya]

Anaïs thanks her lucky stars that monster decided to attack someone else for once--even if her head is still ringing and she hasn't stopped bleeding since the fight started. Even with this new magical power flowing through her, she felt exhausted, and she knew that she'd never make it if she kept ignoring her wounds. Instead of taking another stab at the monster, she focuses her power inward, hoping that it can heal as well as harm.

Anaïs is already bleeding, so that support roll doesn't matter for her.

For her action, she'll try to remove her conditions with Status Recovery: [roll0] + 3 = 9
Overcharge, if necessary: [roll1][roll2][roll3][roll4][roll5][roll6]

If she can only remove one, it'll be Stunned.

Ren's turn!

EDIT: Crap, I am not rolling well this battle. At least I'm not getting much overcharge, but, c'mon. :smallsigh:

[Smeggedoff]

Sanko stares at the runes

I need to be stronger, the STRONGEST, stronger than anything else

She focuses with burning intensity

then nothing can control me again

A fire flickers in her soul

And then... then

a fire that casts more shadows than it illuminates

then I'll be strong enough to kill THAT man

Shadows like dark glass, with cut-throat edges

slowly

[Kyrinthic]

Yuna sits staring at the strange creature talking to her, confused by the impossible and dreamlike quality of the situation. "You mean, I could stop them? Stop this all?" she asks hesitantly, as if unsure how that could be possible, but hopeful that it is the answer to the terrible future.

But she only wavers a moment before she understands what she has to do. She slowly climbs to her feet, this new hope filling her with courage to clearly speak the same singular thought she is having, "I wish to have the power to stop what is coming and fix the future".

[Mono Vertigo]

Such strong emotions, and they're not even hers. And who's that?
Ren is having difficulty standing her ground and batting away more leaves, even at the speed she swings her weapon. Turning to Anaïs, she tells her: "Try to get away, I can manage this!"
With that advice, she throws her axe high into the air like a mere plastic toy; at its zenith above the youma, it suddenly drops straight down, gaining tons in weight, roaring like thunder as it violently hits the ground (and hopefully hitting just as violently the monster before touching the ground).

Defense: [roll0]+6
Overcharge: [roll1]
If it fails, Reflector will reflect up to 3 damage.
Support against Bleeding: [roll2]+3
Overcharge: [roll3]
Then attacking the youma (if it hits, putting a Reflector on Anaïs) with a Boost (inflicting 1OC on my Magic attribute): [roll4]+3, damage [roll5]+3
Overcharge: [roll6]
Using my minor action to Steal Action afterward: [roll7]+3
Overcharge: [roll8]
If it succeeds and I'm Bleeding, using my second minor action to shake it off with Support: [roll9]+3
Overcharge: [roll10]

Next turn: Anaïs

[Epinephrine_Syn]

The desire, the desire above all else. She had trouble 'concentrating' on a desire, however. And besides, questions arose. So many questions.

"I… well, I mean, we don't have a choice, do we? I mean, if we're not going to do this, these will rampage on. Regardless, I like magic. And you already made the simple wishes. Hm." The problem with making a desire such as this was that it needed to be, from the bottom of her heart, and she didn't know. There was honestly a whole lot to learn. Indecisiveness was killing her, off in the distance, she could 'feel' magic already flowing through her own body.

Was the choice already made? She hated everything being uncertain, and not knowing what to do, and how the gaps in the other wishes would lead astray. She envisioned her family, envisioned the worst that could happen, and what would happen if her anger were… misdirected. That would be horrific. "Regardless, we do need to help them. And if there's danger, we best prepare for it."

All the passion had gone from her voice again, although this time her voice and eyes were in full crystal sharp focus.

"I, want to know. I want power, I want… everything really, who wouldn't." Something was… off about her voice. "Knowledge… is power. Power to never be, ruined again. Take back… what is lost." A moment of clarity. A pause to think of exactly why she had chosen the words that she chose, and already she remembered things, both of her own and impersonal experience. "With these words I complete the contract, realize my potential, and summon myself into existence."


A bright shimmer of light cascaded across her form, finality of the beginning, and just in time too, as the other girls had already completed their comparatively quick and easy desire solidifications "Now I know. And knowing... is half the battle." A grin was upon her face, eyes closed, watching things only to be guessed at.

[Estralita]

Yuna, Rebecca, Sanko
The worm's eyes widen at Yuna's wish, but it otherwise doesn't react to their wishes. It looks down at the book, and begins reading aloud, although the girls cannot discern the meaning of it's words. Silvery Runes similar to the ones on the book's page appear in the air as the bubble darkens. The runes surround the girls, spinning around each girl in a dizzying fashion, coalescing into three ribbons of runes that strike the girls in the back of the neck. A bright white light flashes, blinding them all. When their eyesight cleared, they were back in the Nightmare, watching the creature attack their friends. But this time was different. The three girls were in new odd outfits, and a feeling of power resonated in them...

Ren, Anais
The creature had grasped Ren's axe as it came down, holding it away from itself and pushing it back. But suddenly, it let out a second roar, and flew forwards, slamming Ren aside in the process. It approached what looked like a second group of magical warriors, right where their classmates had been...

The youma beats Ren's attack, and launches it's own attack. Roll to beat is 16.

Yuna, Sanko and Rebecca are in Purgatory, but are quickly pulled to Hades. The youma moves to meet them, also staying in Hades. Ren and Anais move to the Abyss.

Already Acted: Youma
Next to Act: Yuna
Yet to Act: Rebecca, Sanko, Ren, Anais

Alos, if you guys could post your Resolve and Overcharge in your turn summaries, I'd appreciate it.

[Kyrinthic]

Slightly dazed by the impressive display, Yuna takes a small step backwards as she looks down over herself, seeing a tight purple bodysuit with pulsing yellow circuitry and a matching short yellow skirt. In a dreamlike state she reaches down to the pouch at her waist and draws out a large futuristic laser rifle as if she knew it was there all along, despite it being far to large to have possibly fit in the pouch.

Everything feels like its moving in slow motion as she watches the Monster push the girls fighting it aside and rush towards her while she brings her weapon up, she feels the new power in her surge forward as she pulls the trigger and fires at the terrifying insect dragon.


Free Action: Boost
Major Action: Attack
Attack Roll: [roll0]+9
Damage: [roll1] +2
Free Action if I hit: Inflict Stunned
Minor Action: Hex

Potential Overcharge: [roll2]

[Smeggedoff]

As the light clears Sanko looks down at her hands in wonder.
Surprisingly, the heavy bronze shackles feel almost weightless and nothing feels constricting, even the extra fiery hair that's sprouted into three distinct tails feels natural.

As the three of them are dragged towards the monster Sanko takes a breath, the nightmare now feeling strangely comforting.
With a grin she curls her hands into fists tight enough to make the leather creak and cries out as she pounds them together
"YAH! You don't look so big anymore" She taunts as a glow infuses her
She pounds her fists again "In fact, I'm not sure you were ever scary"
A third pound and her hair is glowing like flickering tongues of flame and her eyes are shining red
"Or maybe... I'm just ALL FIRED UP!"

Her grin widens

"Maybe you should be too. BURN!"

At her command a firey wolf leaps from her eyes, clamping it's jaws onto the monster


Minor action - Empower, granting self excited Status
Major action - used as minor action to use Hex, 1 damage on youma every turn until scene ends


[[Next turn - Ren! I choose you!]]

[Mono Vertigo]

Ren pants under the effort, using all her strength to keep standing and fight.
The arrival of more fighters on her side motivates her to hack again at the creature savagely. Electricity buzzes around her and her closest teammate. "Let's keep going!"

Attacking: [roll0]+3.
Overcharge: [roll1].
If successful, putting a Reflector on Sanko.
Next turn: Rebecca.

[Epinephrine_Syn]

Rebecca liked her outfit, as discordant as it was between the military helmet and boots and straps, and the elegant caps and jewelry crested and sparkling over her silky cloth. Some kind of odd mood had come over her, like an entirely different neural pattern. It felt simultaneously like she had woken up and not at all like herself, and she recognized this as she casually watched her friends tackle the youma. Like something was 'absent' from her mindset. Questions for later.

Now, it was time to help take down the beast. Pull the Knowledge from Space itself, as she idly skied on the youma's rift in closer. Strands of what appeared to be pages surrounded the arena, closing in on the youma. Or was it… cyberwebs closing in with little spiders crawling along the surface, the very interpretation seemed to change with the way you merely thought about the incurring magic flooding in from the void beyond.

With this, Rebecca drew a fierce expression, held both hands towards the youma, and shouted the words Power Word: Web!


Accidentally rolled an extra d6+12
I'm currently treating Power Word: Web as an attack with the additional rider, Bound status effect. I currently have a 9 Support, with the Battle Sorcery trait that gives me +3 in combat, for a +12 total before I roll my dice.

Special Attack
An attack with a special effect will generally be a Moderate (16) effect, with the restriction that it cannot be a Minor Action. Treat it as a basic attack with an additional rider (such as causing a Status Effect), much like a typical attack-based Magical Talent.

"Bound: Movement uses a Major Action. –2 to all challenges."

I suppose Anis is up now, then the round begins anew.

Also, I find it extensively funny that the autocorrect on my computer keeps trying to correct youma to houma.

[Epinephrine_Syn]

[roll0]+12

extracharactersgohere?

[sakuuya]

Anaïs is exhausted and, frankly, disturbed that her attempt to heal herself failed. She takes heart that the girls who had disappeared with the fountain have joined the fight, but she's still in rough shape, and all she can think to do is get away from the youma.

I can't tell if Anaïs is supposed to make a defense roll, but just in case: [roll0]

Action: Disengage. Anaïs moves to Hades, leaving her Marionette in the Abyss.

Overcharge (if neceesary): [roll1][roll2][roll3][roll4]

Resolve: 12/18
Overcharge Accrued: None
Total Overcharge: 2 Heart, 1 Fury, 1 Magic

The youma's the only one left to go this round, right?

[Estralita]

The barrage of attacks clearly took it's toll on the creature. It fell to the ground and put up no resistance as it was dragged back into the edge of the field, where it bumped against the blue wall that represented the sky.

nO.

The buzzing was softer than before, but still insistant.

nO tAKE. yOU wILL nOT tAKE wHAT'S mINE!

With that declaration, it stood up straining against the web, and let off a piercing scream.

Ren's attack didn't hit but the other's did. Youma is stunned and bound.

Youma mkes one final support roll, attempting to cause Bleeding. Roll to beat is 10. Since everyone is in the Fear Aura, and the Youma is bound, I'm ruling the two challenge penalties cancel each other out, so roll normally.

Next to act: Sanko

[Smeggedoff]

Sanko switches her stance with a growl
"Yours? YOURS?! WE ARE NOT COMMODITIES TO BE CLAIMED! Take this! Molteeeeeen..."

Sanko raises her leg back as it to prepare for a kick, visible straining against the air before curnching her other heel into the ground. A plume of liquid stone hissing through the water before she rockets forward, still mid-kick leaving a seething streak of cooling magma in the floor

"...DRIVEEEEEEEEEER!"

As her raised foot catches fire from the friction of the air, she reaches the end of her dash and releases the spin kick into the monster, stoking the flames that are already curled around it.


Major Action - Dash attack
Minor Action - Hex
[roll0] (I'm not sure what stat I'm supposed to apply, Fury seems apt? Adjust if I'm in error.
Damage if the attack hits
[roll1]
((I choose you! Yuna!))

[Kyrinthic]

Seeing the blast from her gun push the creature back, the lightning still coruscating over its body, Yuna stands straighter and more confident. "We are not yours, you cant have us!" she yells as she brings her rifle up, the gun itself whirring and clicking as it expands into a larger rifle, mirroring its owners confidence, a wide white bolt blasting towards the creature with a sizzling sound.



Free Action: Boost (again, whee!)
Major Action: Attack
Attack Roll: [roll0]+9
Damage: [roll1] +2
Minor Action: Hex (second stack, more lightning crackling around the youma)

Potential Overcharge: [roll2]

Current Overcharge: 1 attack, 1 support (+1 or more attack from above rolls)


Rebecca is up next

[Estralita]

The last barrage of hits started causing a change in the dragon-fly. It's form began shaking. Not like the dragon-fly itself was shaking. Like the Monster's was beginning to weaken, and it took extra effort and concentration to keep it's body together. The last attacks by Sanko and Yuna broke that concentration.

The effect of the last attack hitting was rather...dramatic. The monster exploded into a mixture of oily black bubbles, and blue-green powder. The blobs of dark power shot out towards the edges of the pocket dimension, before suddenly freezing in place and shooting back together, like they reached the end of an elastic tether. When they collided, the blobs reformed into an oddly small crystalline form shaped like a water droplet. It shimmered like a puddle of oil in the road after a rainstorm. Above them all, the powder wafted away, and the water tunnel dissolved. When it finished, the girls were alone in a blank grey room, with a small gemstone as the only sign the monster ever existed.

Well, almost alone. The worm somehow ran forwards to meet them, with the book hopping after it. "Great job, everybody! Stormy will be very impressed!"

[Smeggedoff]

Sanko resists the urge to growl at the little worm
"Great. Fantastic even. So now you can explain some things yeah? Who are you? who's stormy? and what is all..." she gestures vaguely around the room "This."
she pauses
"and that monster thing... and especially what is THAT?"
her last question is punctuated with a pointed finger at the gemstone

[Mono Vertigo]

Ren, tired but relieved, fell on her ass on the neutral ground, laughing.
"Whoa. That was something. Have you seen what I can do with the lightning and that axe!? It's the greatest thing ever!"
Her face turned to the worm, finishing a chuckle. "Alright, now we're all safe again... what's actually going on? I'm seconding all those questions."

[Kyrinthic]

Yuna remains standing, just staring at where the monster was, her rifle slowly lowering without thought, folding in upon itself impossibly to become something small smaller than it started.

In a quiet and slightly unsteady voice she adds, "I...think I need to know too.."

[Estralita]

The worm had been rushing over to the middle of the group, only to be tripped up by the girls' questions. It skidded to a halt, and looked around at them all. "Oh, I'm so sorry. One of the main duties of tsukaima- familiars- such as Book and I is to answer your questions. It wouldn't very good of us to create senshi and send them out to fight youma with no help. Now, where to start..."

The worm pondered the question for a few moments, gazing around the "room". ""Well, where we are is a crack in reality. Youma spawn inside them and latch onto what is near to survive. Such as the fountain, and the park. Since you beat the Youma though, it should close up once we leave."

Its eyes landed on the tiny gem the size of a marble, and lit up. "Ooh, I've never seen one of these close up!" It rushed over to the gem, with the book (named Book apparently) trailing more slowly and deliberatly."These are very special. Its hard to describe exactly what they are, you know. People have all sorts of names for them. Oblivion Shards, Chaos Stones, Jewel Seeds, Go-"Book prodded the worm impatiently. "Well, yes. The important thing is that these are basically magic in its purest form. If you have enough, and know how to channel that magic, Oblivion Shards can perform miracles."

[Epinephrine_Syn]

"Yes, well… is there anything else they can do? Also importantly, are we in any danger, either via burnout of magical energies, or via being the subject of huntings?" The woman pondered this new place, and all the world that there was to explore. Her elements were Knowledge and Space, both combining with these tears should allow for some interesting changes to the world. It just depended on what exactly she wanted. What they all wanted. The way she was now,

"As for our cadre of newly crowned mages, I think it would be best if we all decided on something important to wish for in a mutually satisfying manner, and collectively gather these stones." Her hands twitched, wringing together at her stomach, not out of nervousness, but feeling the raw desire to cast magic, to make 'something' happen, and resisting doing that until she'd properly thought out the consequences of magic usage.

[sakuuya]

"Why didn't my magic do what I wanted it to do?"[/COLOR] asks Anaïs, still clearly the worse for wear from the battle. She licks some of the blood from her lips before explaining. "Did I not wish hard enough?"

Also, Anaïs has enough fallout for a minor Heart distortion!

[Estralita]

The worm blinked in confusion, turning towards Rebecca. "What else can they do? They can do anything if you have enough. That's the point. But now that you've removed all the corruption from it, the shard is safe until you wish to use it." Wormy turned back to the gem. "One of you should absorb it into your Senshi Symbol on the back of your neck. It'll be safe there, and you wouldn't have to worry about losing it."

The worm continued to stare at the gem for a few moments. "It's so pretty, isn't it?" It murmured, before Book prodded it in the side sharply. The worm jumped up in surprise, before turning back to Rebecca. "Oh, yes. Danger. Sorry, forgot. As far as magic is concerned, it works the same for you as for Oblivion Shards. Remove corruption, when you first notice it, and you'll be fine. Danger from Senshi..."The worm turned towards Book, who rocked back in what might have been it's version of a shrug. "We both just arrived last week. I can't tell you much about how the Senshi in this city operate." The worm tilted it's head, thinking. "Although there seem to be a lot of them in this city."


Apparently satisfied with this answer, the worm turned to Anais. "Don't worry, you didn't do anything wrong. I've been told that for Senshi, learning magic is like learning any other skill, it just takes practice. Learning how to call upon it, direct it, and release it. It takes time, but once you get more experience, it'll be fine. Although speaking of Release: the worm suddenly approached Anais and looked her up and down rapidly. It looks like you've got some minor magical corruption from how hard you pushed yourself. If you want, I can show you all how to release it here."

[Smeggedoff]

Sanko stiffens and begins feeling the back of her neck.
"If they can do anything then why hasn't anyone used them to stop these monsters from appearing?" she asks, scowling at the worm

[Estralita]

The worm's eyes widened, but it kept its composure"Because no one has collected enough to do that, I suppose. The bigger the change, the more you need. And that would require altering the fundamental nature of multiple universes. A huge change like that...I have no idea how may that would take. Hundreds, maybe."

[Kyrinthic]

Yuna looks dissapointed by the answer, even if it wasnt her question as she finally relaxes a little bit, "could we maybe I dont know, slow them down a little with less?"

[Epinephrine_Syn]

"I feel like we're going in the wrong direction. Erasing completely would obviously be difficult on a cosmic scale, but perhaps we could change the nature of these beasts. Warping reality to be more friendly and causing the … what are we calling these things…? Anyway, making them be nicer, or at least a neutral force rather than being actively hostile and malicious." Rebecca pondered, and managed to sit on a giant red and purple book that she'd conjured as a seat.

[Estralita]

"Youma." The worm answered, frowning in thought."Change them? I never thought...Umm, Book? Book hopped forwards and fell open, revealing strange diagrams and silver runes on its pages and hovering above them. The worm examined the pages, then slowly shook it's head. "I don't know. Something like that wold still need to have an effect worldwide. And it would also need to create an ongoing effect to keep making the Youma complacent. That would also require a lot of power." Book slammed shut and righted itself.

The worm sighed, then smiled up at them. "Well in any case, there's no need to make a decision today. That's only one Shard, and I wouldn't recommend trying to make any sort of wish with a single one. Unless it was something really simple, like wishing for ice cream."

[Mono Vertigo]

Ren sat in front of the Oblivion Seed, imagining miracles to conjure. "You know, we don't know when we're gonna get other ones, so we should save it for the time being, in case we need something minor but important."
She didn't want to think too much about the part of the process where they'd have to discuss and decide all together what to do with it exactly, even though that was the best way to go. She could think of a million small things to ask for, yet none at all. She looked up to the other girls. "I don't hope to see more monsters" - which was a blatant lie, because the fight was so exciting - "but we fight well together, so if we stumble upon more of them, we shouldn't have trouble getting their Seeds" - which was honest and more hopeful than she's used to be toward people.

[sakuuya]

"What did you say was wrong with me?" Anaïs asked, but gently. The beating she took left her in a bad mood, but she could only focus it inwardly--no matter what the worm said, she definitely screwed up. Everyone else here, though...she felt much more warmly toward them than was typical for her here in Japan. Probably 'cause they saved my useless butt.

Out loud, she said, "If there's anything magical wrong, yeah, I want to know how to fix it."