Author Topic: The Library of MotK 47 ~ Magical Librarian Squad 5-1  (Read 137435 times)

OkashiiKisei

  • Still working on the Grimoire
  • It's all about devotion
Re: The Librarians of MotK 11 ~ What makes a Librarian
« Reply #150 on: January 13, 2011, 03:03:55 PM »
I'm confused as to how Chaore could be hit by that fireball. She's supposedly non-existent, so wouldn't that make her intangible? Or is like those games where intangible enemies can only be hit by magic?

Esifex

  • Though the sun may set
  • *
  • It shall rise again
Re: The Librarians of MotK 11 ~ What makes a Librarian
« Reply #151 on: January 13, 2011, 08:08:52 PM »
She's non-existent until she's got a need to be somewhere, and given a form. Then, she's as real as any other person in the Library :o

Dead Princess Sakana

  • *
  • E is for Elodie, who swims with the fishes.
Re: The Librarians of MotK 15 ~ Magical Librarian Squad Episode 3-1
« Reply #152 on: January 13, 2011, 09:32:17 PM »
Two stories active at once in the same thread, this is going to be fun, and confusing. Good thing we link all content properly in the OP  :3



- Episode 3: Fight, Magical ★ Librarian Squad - Part I

I disliked flying. But I disliked landing even more.
As we quickly descended upon the clearing, Ruro made no intentions of setting me down carefully.
She was too focused on the two figures standing down there, which she had already recognized.
So to avoid getting slammed into the ground I had to let go of her hand while still in the air.
I fell for a second, then hit the ground hard and fell, rolling a few metres on the grass before stopping.
I slowly got up and brushed the dust off my clothes.

'Ouch. But at least I'm not injured. Wouldn't have been too sure of that if I had clung to Rur-'

My thoughts were interrupted by a loud sound, and as I looked up I saw that Ruro had 'landed' in her very own way, leaving a small crater in the ground upon impact.

'-yeah, that's what I expected.'

I heard the other Librarians' feet touching the ground behind me, and then a loud thud accompanied by happy squealing and a dull feeling in my backside.
I didn't even have to turn around to know that this was the feeling of my other half being smashed into the ground at high-speed by Roukan.
She might have found an interesting use for my tuna, but she certainly hadn't mastered it yet.
I avoided looking at the crash, because even if I didn't fully share its senses, seeing a part of you being mistreated is never a pleasant things to behold.

A familiar voice rang out on the clearing.
It came from one of the two girls standing in front of us.

?We have been waiting for you.?

?Yes, that much is obvious. What business do you have with me, Trance??, Ruro responded to the girl while taking some steps towards her.

She smiled at her old friend and extended her hand for a greeting.

?Ruro, watch out!?, Matsy shouted.

Ruro immediately withdrew her hand as something cut the air in front of her.
Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked at Trancehime.
The girl was holding her right arm stretched out to the side, and in its hand there was a beautiful slim and straight sword.

?Trance...?, Ruro stammered.

?As a friend, I advise you to leave this place at once. Turn your back and forget about Donut until this is all over. Else I will do what I have to, as you shall not be allowed to hinder Mistress Moerin's plans.?, Trance spoke with a stern expression on her face.

?But...?, Ruro started, only to be interrupted by Matsuri.

?Ruro, it's of no use. She has been absorbed by Moerin's dark powers, strengthened by the curse of the Sealed Book. She probably got one of the pages detailing the evil henchmen.?, the ferret explained.

?So, you mean...?, the red-haired girl asked.

?Yes, if she wants a fight, there is no way around it. We have to save the Princess at all cost, and we can't tolerate any delays. You have to beat her, as Magical★Samurai Ruro-tan?

Matsuri had growled the last words in the direction of Trancehime and her companion, but the dark princess just lowered her sword into another fighting stance and stared at Ruro in silence.

Whatever reaction I expected from my superior, I was wrong.
She didn't hesitate, try to negotiate, ponder the situation in a series of heartwarming flashbacks of the two fighter's friendship, scenes that would be repeated once more after the commercial break.
Instead Ruro showed a wide grin, her hands flew to the hilt of her sword and she rushed forward with her full speed preparing an Iai-style strike on Trancehime.

However, her opponent reacted just as quickly and took several quick steps back to keep her distance.
Then she turned around and dashed away into the woods, looking back over her shoulder with a taunting look signaling Ruro that she was to follow her.
The samurai-girl didn't even slow down but rushed after her opponent, her hand still resting on her sword, ready to strike at any moment.

?Go on ahead everyone, I will take care of this!? was the last thing Ruro shouted as she disappeared   from sight.

There was a moment of silence as each of us tried to understand what had just happened in the last few seconds.
Everyone was looking in the direction the two fighters left, a dumbfounded expressions on our faces.
That included the girl that had been waiting for us together with Trancehime.
As I took a closer look at her, I recognized her as Sana, a regular visitor in the library and the only one allowed to wear a hat inside the building.
Rumor had it that horrible things would happen if her hat was ever removed.
Noone knew anything specific about what those things were, some claimed she would transform into a horrible monster, others stated she would simply die on the spot.
If it hadn't been for the latter, people would probably be knocking her hat off all the time to see the former, that was just how this world worked.

?Go ahead? It's not like we even know where we should go?, Chaore was the first one to break the silence. ?Unless...?, she added, slowly turning her head towards the only non-Librarian on the clearing.

The atmosphere changed immediately.
A cold gust of wind blew through the trees as Sana slowly turned her head back towards us.
Her eyes grew wide as she realized the situation she was in.
It was one against five, she was sent here to stop us by force if necessary, and she had information she needed.
I saw Esi and Chaore from the corner of my eye, moving to the sides to surround Sana .
Even from a distance I could see a glint in Esi's eyes as she floated a bit into the air and closed in on Sana, her arm with the flaming-eye-staff outstretched towards the girl.

?Wait... I don't want to fight, can't we.... just talk about it??, she pressed out the words.

??Well, if you were to tell us the name of the place that tilde-woman is hiding at, we could let you go... maybe.??

?I... can't. She will do... horrible things...?, Sana was clearly desperate now.

?More horrible things than we will do to you??

Chaore had sneaked behind Sana and made the girl jump in shock when she suddenly spoke close to her ear.
The bunnygirl and the psychic were clearly enjoying this this a lot.

'Are we sure we aren't the bad guys here, ganging up on her like that?', I thought.

In fact though, only two of us were actively bullying the girl with the hat.
Polaris had taken a few steps back and was watching the show from a distance without a word.
As for me, my only weapon had been taken away, so I couldn't have fought at all right now even if I wanted to.
And Roukan, her speciality was summoning writing tools as projectiles, but seeing as she was happily bobbing around on my tuna like a child, there was no reason to believe she was capable of a fight.

?Uhm... I like reading!?, Sana shouted as a last resort when Esi and Chaore closed in on her even more.

??Everyone likes reading once the Librarian Squad is done with them.??, Esi replied mentally.

There was another moment of long silence as Sana's tearful eyes stared into Esi's maniacally shining ones.

Then...

?Nonne Satsuki Tristis?, Esi said, this time using her real voice.

?Huh??

I was confused.
This didn't sound like German, which was usually the only thing she really 'spoke'.
Was it some sort of code?
The I noticed Esi had turned around and was looking at Polaris.
There was also a look of utter shock and disbelief on Sana's face.
At that moment I realized, what Esi had said was the name of the place we were looking for.
Sana had lost control of her thoughts and thought of the name she didn't want to let slip, allowing Esi to read it from her mind.

Polaris nodded and stepped forward.
Again there was an illusion of the night sky and the glittering stars

'Just like before, was it the wrong name?'

Suddenly, one of the stars in the illusion lit up brightly, and I reecognized it as the North Star with the help of nearby constellations.
Its light grew brighter and then it started to move.
At first slowly, so that I thought my eyes were just playing tricks on me.
As the movement became faster and faster, everyone could see it clearly.
The star left its original positions and flew into a straight line for several seconds, then started to orbit over Polaris' position in circles.

'Any second now! It will probably fly off in the direction we need to go to guide us!'

I was getting excited as I watched the star circle around.

'Any second...'

It circled some more.

?....?

Something was not right here.

?This isn't supposed to happen, is it??, Chaore asked, her voice sounding annoyed.

Polaris cancelled the illusion and sighed with a displeased look.

?No, it's not. I'm sure the name was right, else the star wouldn't even have appeared, but something blocked it and made it lose its way...?, she replied.

?It got lost??, Roukan asked.

The moment she spoke those words, something clicked in my mind.
I could see in the other Librarians' eyes that they were thinking the same thing as me.

'Lost...'

Our heads simultaneously turned around to look at the girl that was still with us on the clearing.
She had her hands stretched out towards us, her eyes closed and her body shaking as she used her power.

?How did I forget that? Of course, this girl excels in getting lost, to the point where she has developed the power to inflict the same state on others.?, Polaris explained.

?Like a curse??, I asked.

?You could say that. As long as she isn't weakened, I won't be able to do anything. So...?, Polaris started to walk towards Sana as she spoke.

??We beat her???, Esi's voice sounded excited.

?No, I will beat her. This is personal. You all go and try to find Ruro again, so we can move on quickly in a bit.?

Noone objected.
This was the kind of situation where it was just common courtesy, and the stereotypical thing to do, to let the person that was going to stay behind do their thing and move on.
Chaore ran towards the part of the woods Ruro disappeared into, Esi following close behind her.
As she passed Sana she the eye on her staff dart around to look directly at the girl, causing her to shriek in terror and almost fall down.
I grabbed Roukan by the arm and dragged her, and the half of me she was sitting on, with me as I followed the others.

Two battles were about to begin, a battle of blades, a battle of sounds.
Who would fall, who would walk away victorious?
Find out after the commercial break!



Sorry for being a tease about the actual fight-scene. I will get to it on the next update, which will be written on Sunday. Until then, I take it we will see more from Esi's story :3

Sana

  • Good gravy!
Good gravy, the bullying :<

Alfred F. Jones

  • Estamos orgullosos del Batall?n Lincoln
  • *
  • y de la lucha que hizo por Madrid
?Uhm... I like reading!?, Sana shouted as a last resort when Esi and Chaore closed in on her even more.

??Everyone likes reading once the Librarian Squad is done with them.??, Esi replied mentally.
Oh my word, that's kind of terrifying.

:ohdear:

....

....

... >:D

Esifex

  • Though the sun may set
  • *
  • It shall rise again
One with the power to find, the other with the power to lose (things). This is the fight of the century!


Or, a match made in heaven.
PolarisxSana OTP

Jana

  • mrgrgr
  • *
WHAT

YOU ARE BULLYING SANA

I WILL END YOU

Quick Edit: I would like to write a mini-contribution to the thread, from my outsider's perspective. No promises though; I haven't a creative bone in my body.

Esifex

  • Though the sun may set
  • *
  • It shall rise again
No issue there, go for it :D

Matsuri

Ohohohoho. Battle scenes are coming up. I can't wait. :3

Esifex

  • Though the sun may set
  • *
  • It shall rise again
After leaving the Library, Esi and Ryuu veered off immediately and cut across the front of the gargantuan building. Once they'd finally come abreast of the structure, Esi stopped and touched down, with Ryuu landing behind her and turning around to keep watch.

The terrain the Library sat on was tame, for the most part. Very few extraordinary geographical features encroached on the land, the most exotic of which was a small copse of trees.

That was about to change.

Esi held her hand out, and Ruro's Administration Grimoire fell into it. Knocking the thick front cover aside, she used it as a mana battery powering a psychokinetic wedge. With her telepathy scrying the earth in front of her, she was able to force a rocky outcropping to burst up from the ground, forming an archway, and promptly began tunneling.

She strode forward, pushing ahead to keep up with the end of the tunnel, guiding the creation magics from the tome with her mind, binding light to her free hand and holding it aloft to light the way. Ryuu slipped into the cave behind her, keeping back to stay out of Esi's way.

After circling three times whilst descending, she finally straightened out and formed a level tunnel. She'd orientated it so it would extend along the side of the Library, rather than creep away from the Archives, and trying to head into the space beneath it would be counter-productive; she hadn't gone deep enough to pass the basement levels yet.

The tunnel continued for only fifty yards, before she stopped altogether and began working around her. The end of the tunnel widened, until it became a room, until it became a cavern. The walls gently sloped inward, until they met in a dome at the top of the room, nearly forty feet above. Into the walls themselves, rows upon rows of indentations formed, separated by small wedges and the occasional ladder.

In the middle of the room, a small dais rose out of the floor, and a simple chair formed on it. Esi strode over and sat down, turning the chair ? though it were still made of, and rooted in, rock ? until it properly faced the tunnel she'd just formed. Finally satisfied, she drew up a semi-circle desk around the chair.

Once the furnishings were complete, Esi snapped the Grimoire shut and banished it. A shadow of the book appeared inside one of the indentations next to the tunnel entrance.

?A good start. First, to complete the Librarian, then, to complete the Library.?



Roukan shot a glance up and down the stacks, checking the aisles to make sure she were alone, and then sank down onto her cart. She'd been up for the past two days straight, writing up a storm, working in the Library, and writing some more. Her unique ability to conjure, and control, writing utensils meant she could draft up several stories at once ? and she'd been making ample use of the technique.

She stretched her arms out, and unleashed a mighty yawn.

When she dropped her arms back to her side and opened her eyes again, Esi was standing between her and the bookshelf in front of her ? a rather intimate space, given how close Roukan's cart had been to the books. Esi's eyes were widened to their fullest, and her pupils were twitching about erratically, as though trying to focus on every aspect of Roukan's face at once.

?Whoa! Esi! Where'd you come from??



Sakana's chin was getting rather sore, but she was too tired and bored to do anything about it. Instead, she simply sat at her desk, staring at the door. Nobody - least of all, Esi - had passed through in the past half-hour, and Sakana's attention was wandering. Her tuna-half was slowly spiraling about its center-line, apparently bored as well.

Suddenly, she realized she was hearing something; a strange sound was getting louder.

Getting louder? That usually means it's getting closer...

Sakana peeled her chin off the desk ? her skin had started sticking to the cooler material long ago ? and looked up, just as Roukan came rocketing down from one of the aisles and vaulted the desk, catching her tuna-half in mid-air and clutching it tightly to her chest. Sakana gasped as the shock was transferred from one body to the other, and turned her chair to see where Roukan had unceremoniously plopped herself on the floor, crying into the tuna-half ? the strange sound that was responsible for the doppler affect earlier.

?Roukan! What's wrong? And, uh, couldja loosen up a little bit? You're making it kind of hard to breath.?

?It was ? it was Esi! She came and she ? she ? she, she stole from me!? Roukan bawled into the tuna, still clutching it tightly, as though it were a pillow.

Sakana sucked in a deep breath, still feeling tight around the chest because of Roukan's power-hug, and leaned down in her chair. ?Hang on ? Esi came to you??

?Yuh-huh! She scared me at first, because I thought I was alone in the bookshelves, and then, and then, she was there all of a sudden, and stuff happened, and -?

?Calm down, Roukan. It's alright, you're okay, and Esi isn't here right now. You're fine.?

?But, but, Esi stole from me! She said she was gonna take my experience!?

What? Experience? Wait, she took Ruro's 'control'... and that manifested as her Grimoire... she took Chaore's 'patience', and that made Chaore... what? Short-tempered? Overly impatient? She finished that cart of books in a damned hurry. Maybe it just made her faster and more efficient?

Sakana froze. What was it that she said she was taking from me? Oh, crap.

Roukan sniffled, and Sakana snapped back into focus again and looked down at the sobbing girl. Sure enough, she actually seemed diminished; her uniform was more slack than it had been when she'd come in this morning. Is she smaller?

As Roukan's crying slowly winded down, Sakana dropped down out of the reception-desk's chair and squatted down in front of the Librarian, studying her. Roukan ran a sleeve across her damp eyes, and stared back at Sakana.

Something about Sakana's inquisitive expression must've set Roukan off, because she immediately started bawling again, choking the tuna-half harder as though it were a less-live object ? like a plush toy or a blanket.

Blinking back the lightheaded sensations caused by the deathgrip Roukan had around her other half, Sakana was able to ascertain; yes, Roukan was slowly getting smaller.

Her experience...? It seems like its manifesting by sapping her maturity. Sakana stood up and cast about, looking for signs of Ruro. I hope it stops at some point, or we're gonna have to get some toddler-sized uniforms made up for Roukan. And I seriously hope this is fixable.

?Roukan? Hey. Stay here, okay? You'll be alright behind the desk. And you've got... uh... me, there. Alright??

Roukan's eyes were glistening, wet, and growing to the size of saucers as she gazed up at Sakana and nodded solemnly. Holy hell, that's dangerous. The fisherwoman turned quickly and put distance between her and the desk, heading into the Library proper.



OH NOES NOT ROUKAN TOO
WILL ANYONE BE ABLE TO STOP ESI
(Spoilers: yes)

Chaore

  • Kai Ni Recipient Many Years Late
  • *
  • You Finally Did It, Kadokawa.
Clearly I'll get fed up with this Esi bullshit as I don't have the patience to wait for you guys to sort it out and then kick her ass.

I mean, it's the only obvious solution.

FinnKaenbyou

  • Formerly Roukanken
  • *
  • blub blub nya
I do get this experience back, right? I'm not the token loli forever, right?

Spoiler:
Not that I'd MIND, because being the token loli makes school swimsuits more viable :V

Dead Princess Sakana

  • *
  • E is for Elodie, who swims with the fishes.
Here's the promised battle. Even if it is only one of two so far, because it turned out longer than expected.
And the last few lines probably show I wrote it after midnight, couldn't think of good phrasing there.
Anyway, enjoy~



- Episode 3: Fight, Magical ★ Librarian Squad - Part II

'Musou Jikiden Eishin-ryuu - Nuki Tsuke'

Ruro didn't stop when she saw the girl she was following slow down.
She rushed in at constant speed, waited for the right distance and then drew her sword in a well-practiced and elegant movement.
She would have liked to make this a proper battle, but there was no time to lose.
It would end quickly.
Of course she was holding her blade in reverse, striking with its back.
Killing anyone was not her intention, even in the heat of a battle she kept to that ideal.

*cling*

?Wha...?

Ruro's eyes widened in surprise.
Trancehime was directly in front of her, looking into her eyes.

'She shouldn't have had the time to...'

Ruro felt pressure on her blade and looked down.
Her strike had been blocked before her sword was even completely out of her scabbard.
And it had been blocked by a completely identical move by Trancehime, whose sword was half-drawn as well and crossed with Ruro's to obstruct its path.

'That can't be. She didn't have a katana before!'

As if she could read her thoughts, Hime narrowed her eyes and smiled.
When she felt Ruro reducing the pressure on her blade she moved back slightly, sheathing her sword again fully.
Ruro snapped out of her surprise and jumped back to leave the range of the strike that the girl in front of her was preparing.
But it never came.
Instead, Trancehime bowed slightly before Ruro, then drew her sword fully and prepared a new stance, all the while keeping a slight smile on her lips.
It was an invitation to a dance of the blades, and Ruro would not decline.

?Keep your focus, Magical★Samurai Ruro-tan. She is well-known for her skills, don't underestimate her.?, Matsuri whispered.

?You don't need to tell me. I have been waiting for a chance to fight her one on one for so long.?, Ruro answered, a confident grin returning to her face as well.

?Couldn't you just have asked for some sparring??

?Quiet, you! A master does not ask for sparring like a mere disciple!?

?So it's your silly prid-? Matsuri was cut off by the sudden glint of a sword-tip in front of her eyes.

'Yagyuu Shinkage-ryuu'

Ruro had drawn her sword, and she prepared her stance as well.
She held low at her side, the tip pointing away from her enemy, a stance from which she could easily strike down all incoming attacks.
Slowly she closed in on Trancehime, her eyes focused on those of the other girl, keeping herself from blinking so she would not miss a single movement.

Then it happened.
The moment Ruro came within range, Trancehime leapt forward, slashing downwards towards Ruro's shoulder.
There was no way she could get her sword up to block the strike in time.
But that was never Ruro's plan.

'Ittou Ryoudan'

The strike that Hime was executing was exactly what she had been provoking.
As soon as she saw her opponent moving Ruro withdrew her left foot and turned her body while simultaneously moving her sword upwards in an arc, then bringing it down hard while targeting Hime's wrist.

Hime let out a short yelp of pain as her hand was struck hard.
She brought her sword, which had missed Ruro when she turned, up again and smashed against Ruro's blade with all her might.
Using the opening created she stumbled back a few steps and quickly checked her hand.
There was a slight swelling where the back of the sword had hit her, but that seemed to be all.
Had the strike hit her wrist it might have broken her bones, ending the fight right there.

She thanked the heavens for her luck and looked up again.
Ruro hadn't missed that she was distracted and was already closing in again.
The two duelists exchanged a number of blows, equally matched in speed and strength.
Suddenly Ruro spotted an opening in Hime's attacks.
When the girl aimed a horizontal strike for her left side, the red-haired librarian quickly moved her feet apart and lowered her body until she almost sat on the ground, but still held a firm stance.

'Usen Saten'

She stepped forward, slipping under the strike that was aimed for her.
As the danger had passed she brought her sword up together with her body, aiming for the still outstretched sword-arm of her enemy.
Trance barely reacted in time.
She moved her feet and twisted her body, spinning around with her arm still outstretched so that the upward strike would pass behind her back.
She felt the cold wind of the stell passing her rapidly.
This hit would surely have smashed her arm.

She didn't stop, however.
Hime continued her spin, using the momentum to deliver another powerful horizontal slash at Ruro, this time aiming for her neck.
Ruro brought her blade to her front, the handle held over her head, blade pointing to the ground, to stop the hit.
The force of it resonated through her blade and numbed her hands, and she had trouble withstanding the pressure Trancehime was putting forth.
When she felt her hands almost give way to the pressure, she was forced to take a step back from the deadlock.
The moment she stepped she immediately brought her blade into an upright position again, preparing for the next strike, but it didn't come.
Hime was calmly positioning herself again.

'Is she giving me time to prepare on purpose?', Ruro thought.

The idea made her angry.
Was that girl not taking her serious as an opponent?
This was dishonorable.
Ruro raised her blade up to her head and held it horizontally while lowering her body.
As Hime saw that she stormed forward again and swung her sword down onto her crouching opponent.
Ruro grinned.
This battle was over.

'Tensetsu Ransetsu'

She took a small step back to let the sword pass her, then  brought down her own blade swiftly, aiming for her opponent's hands.
Hime reacted in time, pulling up her weapon again to smash Ruro's strike to the side.
The swords clashed, but Ruro wasn't done yet.
She quickly raised her sword again, the upward movement another slash that threatened to hit Hime's arm.
The girl took one hand off her sword and swung her arm out of the way, leaving herself completely open.
When Ruro had reached her initial position, she repeated her downward strike, taking a step forward at the same time.
Trancehime swung her sword again, and manage to deflect another hit, but the sword aiming for her was already coming back from below.
Up and down, up and down.
With precision and speed, growing faster with every strike even, Ruro continued the attack.
Each repitition made if harder for Trancehime to react and she was forced back constantly under the heavy blows.

And then she staggered.
Not being able to keep up with Ruro's speed, Trancehime lost her stance and was thrown back, her blade flying from her hands onto the ground.
Ruro jumped forward to deliver the final blow, raising her sword high over her head to make sure she would knock the girl out properly.
She brought down the sword with all her might.

?
?...
?......

?.....?

Nothing moved.

?......?

A gust of wind passed through the trees,

?That was a good fight?, Trancehime said.

?Why...?

?I admit, that was rather close. The talk about your skills is certainly justified.?

?How...?, Ruro's voice sounded dumbfounded.

?Did you forget who you are fighting??, Hime asked, looking into Ruro's eyes from a close distance.

Ruro's sword had been stopped.
At one moment, she had been striking directly at a defenseless, disarmed girl.
Then she had felt resistance.
But it was not the feeling of a blade connecting with a body, it was the feeling and sound of steel clashing on steel.
Trancehime had blocked her final blow with two chinese blades.
She held them crossed so that Ruro's blade was caught in between them, and she held the defense with a firm stance once again.

'But she didn't carry any swords with her! And summoning them that fast should be impossible...', Ruro thought, when her eyes suddenly caught something.

The diadem that Trancehime wore on her head looked different than before.
Ruro narrowed her eyes, then opened them in surprise as she recalled something.
The gem that formed the centerof Hime's diadem was split into six parts.
Right now though, only three of those parts were present.

'That's right... Six Blades...'

Within a moment it all made sense.
How she had switched weapons so quickly before.
How she had drawn not only one but two swords within a split-second.
Trancehime, the sword-princess, possessed six legendary blades, each of which she could store as a gem and summon at any time.
And, the rumors continued, she had attained mastery with each of the swords.

'I can't let her gain the upper hand! I have to end this fast!'

The sudden change to a dual-wield style had shocked her at first, but as she recalled her training Ruro realized that they had already ended up in a perfect situation for her.

'Chiraten!'

She put some more pressure onto Hime's swords to force her to move.
Just as planned the girl withdrew her left sword and struck forward with the right.
Immediately Ruro knocked aside the blade in Hime's right hand and focused on the left one.
Noone could use two swords at exactly the same time, they had to use them in quick succession to be effective.
So the first hit was a feint, the real strike would come from Hime's left.
And sure enough, the girl moved just as predicted and raised her left arm again.
If she were to follow the technique properly Ruro would have struck for her opponent's left hand now.
But she wouldn't need that.
Hime had been thrown off her balance and was wide open for a strike to the head.
Ruro raised her blade and struck once more.
She saw that Hime managed to raise her blade, but it was too late.
She would need both blades to stop such a hit.

And then Trance smiled.
The blades connected, but the resistance only lasted for a moment.
Then Trancehime's sword gave way and tilted to the side.
Ruro twitched.
This was not right.
Hime's hand was not shaking, the grip on her sword was firm.
The movement of the blade wasn't that of being knocked out of the way either.
Too late did she notice that this was not her forcing her way through the girl's last defense.
On the contrary, this was Trancehime misdirecting her strike and its power ever so slightly with a refined technique.
Ruro had never seen that kind of move before.

?You look surprised. Did you expect me to only use the Japanese techniques you know of? Please, there is far more to the art of the sword than that.?, Hime said, and then she struck.

It happened incredibly fast.
Hime raised her second blade and let it take the first one's place in blocking Ruro's sword, then she took the now free sword, quickly turned it in her hand and slashed its back forcefully the librarian's face.
The red-haired girl let out a scream at the sudden pain and stumbled back, one hand on her face, attempting another strike at Hime, this time from the side.
But again the strike was blocked without much effort by the sword-princess stepping forward into the path of the sword, catching the hit with her own blade and redirecting its force to the side, stopping it completely.
Because she had struck with only one hand, having her strike blocked like this left Ruro completely open.
She felt a hit on her arm that made her feel numb and almost caused her to drop her sword, then two quick slashes across her stomach.
One more strike from above onto her shoulder, another one to the side of the head.
Then Hime moved around her, striking her side with the handle of her sword and striking at Ruro's leg.
The librarian tried to turn around, but already the enemy was behind her, striking her back with three quick hits.
Ruro stumbled, managing to face her attacker again, only to be greeted with the handles of both blades being rammed into her stomach immediately.
Then she felt a last hit, this time with both swords at one, on her arm, and her sword dropped to the ground.

Ruro sunk to her knees.
The had been defeated by this unknown technique that was so unlike the ones she had experienced so far.
Sure, if she got enough training she would one day be able to beat even that.
But right now, she had lost.
Now, when it counted the most.
When Donut was waiting for her.
When the fate of the world rested on her success.
When everyone was relying on her to take care of this situation.
She felt herself getting close to tears as Trancehime turned her back and slowly started to walk away.

'Is there nothing I can do....?', she asked herself.

?Don't give up!?

'But I can't fight anymore....'

?You are not allowed to give up!?

This voice was getting annoying, she just wanted to close her eyes and rest.

?Look, either you pull yourself together now or I will bite your ear off!?

'Why should I-WHAT?'

Ruro's eyes flew open and she turned her head only to find herself staring into the face of the ferret that had been with her all the time.
She had forgotten about it in the heat of the battle.

?You are Magical★Samurai Ruro-tan, the hero of justice! You can't give up like this!?

'She's right... This is unjust...'

?There must be something you can do! THINK!?, Matsuri was screaming frantically now.

Ruro's eyes, which had dulled upon her defeat, regained their light.
Her body tensed up and her gaze darted around lively as she tried to come up with a plan.
She still have more swords with her, but she would only lose to Hime's strange style again.
She needed something else.
A magical sword for example.
Something powerful.
But there was nothing around to- her eyes came to a rest on the small creature on her shoulder.

'Maybe it will work!'

?Wait, why are you looking at me like that, Ruro??, the ferret asked with a concerned voice.

?Come here!?

Ruro's hand reached out and roughly grabbed the ferret, holding it outstretched in front of her.

?What are you trying to do??, there was now fear in the rodent's voice.

?I've read about this in a book! It won't hurt... probably! Just do what I tell you!?, Ruro said quickly.

She brought her head near the ferret and whispered some words, which Matsuri responded to with a nod.
She took a deep breath, then recited:

?Power of Justice that sleeps within me. Heed your master and come forth!?

To Matsuri's surprise, the words had an effect.
The ferret flew up into the air a bit and a ball of light formed on it's chest.
The ball grew brighter, the exposed the handle of what seemed to be a blade.
Ruro jumped forward and grabbed the handle hard, pulling it as she herself recited another set of lines:

?Grant me the power to bring the world revolution!?, she shouted and with one swift move drew a blade from the ferret's body.

?...?

?...?

Both Ruro and Matsuri were silent.
Ruro was definitely holding a blade, but...

?This is not what I expected.?

?Well, how would you get anything bigger out of my small body!?

?You could just have put more effort into it!?

?So now it's my fault? Maybe you should have pulled harder!?

What Ruro had received was what looked like a miniature sword put onto a handle of normal size.
It was impossible to use in combat, and certainly held no special powers.
Trancehime, who had put away her swords and was about to leave, turned around at the commotion.
Her expression changed from alerted to surprise and then to amusement.
She tried hard to hold back her laughter at the scene in front of her, but some chuckles still escaped her.
Immediately Ruro sent the miniature-blade in her hand flying towards the sword-princess with an angry look.
Trancehime didn't even step to the side, she only twisted her body to the side slightly to make the projectile miss her.

And just as the turned back, something hit her.
Right when she had evaded the blade Ruro had thrown something else, and it had found its mark.
Hime felt fur on her face and four little claws scratching her skin as they tried to grab hold of her face and climb up.
She panicked and flailed her arms, trying to knock off whatever was there on her head, but the creature was quicker.
It climbed up and grabbed hold of the gem in Hime's diadem, then pulled hard.
With a *plop* both the attacker and the gem fell to the ground and Ruro immediately jumped forward to seize the source of Hime's weapons.

Hime was dumbfounded.
She couldn't believe she let that happen.
The mistress would be angry, very angry.
But it couldn't be helped.
She had done her best, and she had lost to something stupid.
It was frustrating, but she accepted what happened.
With a sigh and a slight smile Hime walked over to the next tree and sat down.

In the distance, the voices of the other Librarians could be heard as they came closer in their search for Ruro.



Yes, all of the techniques in the battle exist, and it should be possible to use them in reality the way I described them. Having Yagyuu Munenori's "Way of the samurai" on the shelf helped for the research here. What Hime uses in the end is Wing Chun, a Chinese martial art I have practiced myself for several years. It's rather scary how a master of it can supposedly counter pretty much every move you can attack them with.

nintendonut888

  • So those that live now, pledge on your fists and souls
  • Leave a sign of your life, no matter how small...
Ha ha ha, brilliant victory. I always knew Matsy would come in handy somehow.
nintendonut888: Hey Baity. I beat the high score for Sanae B hard on the score.dat you sent me. X3
Baity: For a moment, I thought you broke 1.1billion. Upon looking at my score.dat, I can assume that you destroyed the score that is my failed (first!) 1cc attempt on my first day of playing. Congratulations.

[19:42] <Sapz> I think that's the only time I've ever seen a suicide bullet shoot its own suicide bullet

Matsuri

....



.....






8)

That was... I totally did not see any of that coming. Can't wait to see what happens next, fishy. :o


Ha ha ha, brilliant victory. I always knew Matsy would come in handy somehow.

I try :<

trancehime

  • 不聖女
  • *
  • 2017年~ 茨心R (希望)
    • himegimi
Managed to get around to reading everything finally, so I am only responding to it now!

I must say, that's quite a creative victory. Hehe

元素召唤 || pad & msl news translator robit
twitter xx motk resident whale

Lloyd Dunamis

  • aka Amanie
Quote
A bubble slowly expanded, growing in size at a horrendously slow speed.

Another bubble slowly ? painfully, excruciatingly slowly ? formed...
Magnifies Esi's irritation to Tylt's...non-irritation/boring-ness.
Wow. I didn't expect the...psyker to be the one irritated, of all people/Librarians to be irritated. Heh. xD

Also, woooords~. I had to look up several words in a dictionary~. >.< (That's just me not familiarizing myself to words I should've learned years ago, and words like "report" having a meaning I didn't know it has.)


...I haven't read Esi's 3rd part and Sakana's Ep3 of Magical ★ Librarian Squad yet  -- and eep, apparently two more story updates o_o;; -- at this point, sorry >.<;;. But my anticipation to be able to read it is just......<3


Replies to previous stories. Sorry I had it piled up. >_<;;

----------
The obligatory bikini episode~ (by Rou)
I was chuckling so hard like how I think Esi...*cough* Magical ★ Mindreader Esi-tan would've chuckled.
That, and I can't take off my grin the whole time I was reading! >/////<;;

----------
-Episode 2: Move out, Magical ★ Librarian Squad
I remember that one thought I heard from a TV show that "Penguins, as species of birds, are flying under the sea" instead of flying in the air like most bird species do. It's so nice hearing that kind-of-similar thought here; Sakana's tuna half able to fly...or rather, swim for exacting fishy terms of moving around while her own self...well, letting her tuna-half live out of water, for my thought. =w=

Aahaaa, so this is where all that "T-T-T-TELL ME" came from. :V (I'm more or less half a year late, I know. >.<)

----------
- Episode 2 Another: Darkside -
Listened to the proposed background music while reading.
  • [3:22] "Good afternoon, Rin~"
  • [4:00] Silence.
Gaaah, this is just...brilliant! >w<

I had to re-read though to completely understand it. I had imbalanced attention to what I just listened and what I read(past tense), especially if the music is grand @_@;;...

Unrelated: I remember hearing this music from one of Walfas' Daily Flash. The 200th daily flash to be specific, I think... Gave me the...(good kind of) chills. ><
2010.1212 <Sakana> The only time wasted is the time in which you really do nothing at all, not even enjoying yourself
You may send me suspicious files that could be infected/a trojan, and I'll try analyzing it for you. :3 -Mo?ware, your personal Anti-Malware Engineer

Dead Princess Sakana

  • *
  • E is for Elodie, who swims with the fishes.
I must say, that's quite a creative victory. Hehe
Spoilered just in case for those that haven't read the update yet:
Spoiler:
The very first idea was to have Ruro draw a real sword out of Matsy, then it got changed to the mini-sword/a dagger, which was supposed to be thrown and shatter the diadem. But seeing how Hime showed good reflexes in the battle, why would it hit her in such a situation? So instead it became a distraction-mini-sword and the final ferret-throw
:3

OkashiiKisei

  • Still working on the Grimoire
  • It's all about devotion
So did Trance hit Ruro with the sides of her blades too, or are Trance's swords the dullest swords in the entire world?

Or is Ruro made out of iron?

Esifex

  • Though the sun may set
  • *
  • It shall rise again
So did Trance hit Ruro with the sides of her blades too, or are Trance's swords the dullest swords in the entire world?

Or is Ruro made out of iron?

Ruro's so fast that she jumped apart at the atomic level to let the blades pass harmlessly through her 8)

Dead Princess Sakana

  • *
  • E is for Elodie, who swims with the fishes.
Ruro's so fast that she jumped apart at the atomic level to let the blades pass harmlessly through her 8)
I mentioned that Hime used her blades' backs. There is no reason for her to cut apart Ruro after all :P

Yeah what Esi said :derp:
« Last Edit: January 18, 2011, 10:24:11 AM by Psychifex »

OkashiiKisei

  • Still working on the Grimoire
  • It's all about devotion
I mentioned that Hime used her blades' backs. There is no reason for her to cut apart Ruro after all :P


I don't see any mention of that, though. Only Ruro thought/said that she wouldn't want to cut apart Hime. Hime didn't say anything like that whatsoever, and the fact you used 'slash' instead of 'hit' or 'smack' or something like that makes it sound like Trance is slicing Ruro up. The type of Chinese sword wasn't specified either. If it was specified that she's wielding two daos or some other form of saber then the back of the sword wouldn't cut Ruro, but it might as well have been a double edged sword. And I don't see how you can 'slash' someone across the chest in a cross without cutting them. If it really were daos/sabers the tips might have cut her after all. Unless they're decorative swords that are dull on all edges.

trancehime

  • 不聖女
  • *
  • 2017年~ 茨心R (希望)
    • himegimi
I don't see any mention of that, though. Only Ruro thought/said that she wouldn't want to cut apart Hime. Hime didn't say anything like that whatsoever, and the fact you used 'slash' instead of 'hit' or 'smack' or something like that makes it sound like Trance is slicing Ruro up. The type of Chinese sword wasn't specified either. If it was specified that she's wielding two daos or some other form of saber then the back of the sword wouldn't cut Ruro, but it might as well have been a double edged sword. And I don't see how you can 'slash' someone across the chest in a cross without cutting them. If it really were daos/sabers the tips might have cut her after all. Unless they're decorative swords that are dull on all edges.

Cut != cleaving or slicing a person apart.

I think you're reading too much into this.

Generally, "chinese swords" are assumed to be daos anyway

元素召唤 || pad & msl news translator robit
twitter xx motk resident whale

Dead Princess Sakana

  • *
  • E is for Elodie, who swims with the fishes.
I think you're reading too much into this.
Pretty much that. I didn't even think that far, really.
I used 'slash' to make the kind of motion that was used clear, and I assumed "back of the sword" would be enough to imply she wasn't using the edges  :V
(Also, it was not a cross-hit. Going from Hime's initial position both hits come from the same direction and hit the same place )

Esifex

  • Though the sun may set
  • *
  • It shall rise again
Also, it WAS mentioned that Trance was using the backs of the blades as well, but because of the grammar stumbling about a wee bit clumsily, it isn't readily apparent. If I'm not mistaken, the best example is when Trance starts to turn it back around on Ruro and whacks her in the face.

Also ruro was jumping around the blades on a molecular level

Alfred F. Jones

  • Estamos orgullosos del Batall?n Lincoln
  • *
  • y de la lucha que hizo por Madrid
Also ruro was jumping around the blades on a molecular level
8)

(Also I find the whole "Ruro only knowing kenjutsu" thing funny, if only because Trance gave Iji-Ruro the Chinese-inspired Watojutsu moveset a while back :3)

Dead Princess Sakana

  • *
  • E is for Elodie, who swims with the fishes.
(Also I find the whole "Ruro only knowing kenjutsu" thing funny, if only because Trance gave Iji-Ruro the Chinese-inspired Watojutsu moveset a while back :3)
1) I thought we established everyone has their own version of that stuff
2) I can't even recall where that happened
3) It wouldn't have changed a thing at all anyway about the outcome of the battle, unless Watojutsu includes the Wing Chun techniques :P

trancehime

  • 不聖女
  • *
  • 2017年~ 茨心R (希望)
    • himegimi
2) I can't even recall where that happened

It happened in my Ijiyatsu Fighting Game thread where I gave some characters their own movesets.

元素召唤 || pad & msl news translator robit
twitter xx motk resident whale

Esifex

  • Though the sun may set
  • *
  • It shall rise again
Quote from: PSL IRC
[06:08] <BasaraSakana> It was a thrown ferret to be fair ( ' 3')
[06:09] <@Esi> I'd like to meet the master who trains to defend against Ninja Throwing Ferrets
[06:09] <@Esi> cuz then I could say I met a certifiably crazy person \o/
[06:09] <BasaraSakana> Hime will teach it if she ever has students
[06:09] <BasaraSakana> Just as Ruro will teach her students to always have a ferret handy
[06:09] <BasaraSakana> Can you imagine old Hime talking to a student
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "And now I will tell you the final teaching of our school"
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "Yes, master?"
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "Always...:"
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "Yes?"
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "Always... watch out for the ferret. Always expect it! Never let down your guard! The ferret is everywhere!"
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "...."
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> "..."
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> ".... okay?"
[06:10] <Ryuu> cue ferret
[06:10] <BasaraSakana> *ferreted*

:derp:

Ryuu

  • time for kittyrina lessons
  • time to press r again
why am I awake at 6:10 in the morning talking about throwing ferrets at ninjas

http://ryuukyunplaysstuff.tumblr.com/ read about me playing league i guess