Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 2, part 2

[Oldmansour]

>As I said, it came into contact with me. I was lead to it in the forest outside of its shrine.

>But the Tiger was destroyed ages ago. How was this possible?
>Ran nods slowly. "I'm prepared to give you the benefit of the doubt."
>Kiku, however, seems much less than satisfied. She says nothing, however, for the moment.

[Hello Purvis]

>I couldn't tell you. I was not aware it had been destroyed to begin with. It certainly seemed to be doing alright for itself.
>"Thank you."

[Oldmansour]

>I couldn't tell you. I was not aware it had been destroyed to begin with. It certainly seemed to be doing alright for itself.
>"Thank you."

I know it's been months, but, the Tiger stated that it was a ghost, a pale shadow. That it had died ages ago, though it did not say how, or why. This was referenced back on page 11 and 12 of thread one. It said that you were speaking with an echo, a memory, of the creature it once was.

[Hello Purvis]

Oh right. I forgot that it blatantly said that. Sorry, mate. =I

>Replace that first part with: Thinking on it, I believed it mentioned it was just a shadow of its former self. I assume it was some sort of ghost, in light of what you've told me?

[Oldmansour]

Oh right. I forgot that it blatantly said that. Sorry, mate. =I

>Replace that first part with: Thinking on it, I believed it mentioned it was just a shadow of its former self. I assume it was some sort of ghost, in light of what you've told me?

No worries, bro. It HAS been months, after all. I'd lay odds there are details I'd forgotten, as well.

>Ghost.... Ah, yes, a lingering remnant of something deceased. Yes, that would make sense. I remember encountering that phenomenon the last time I was here. A being of that power could well leave something behind, after its death. And it may have insight I would not, being terrestrial. What did it tell you?

>Ran continues, "Since you seem to have some answers, perhaps you could settle an old curiousity of mine.... Come to think of it, I don't believe we've been introduced, any of us. I am Ran Yakumo, founder, owner and president of Yakumo Jewelers' Worldwide."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I would like it if you did not spread my name in connection with this event, both of you. It would things much easier."
>Once both agree, introduce ourself.

[Oldmansour]

>"I would like it if you did not spread my name in connection with this event, both of you. It would things much easier."
>Once both agree, introduce ourself.

>Ran nods. "I can respect that." Kiku maintains her silence.
>Since you are still in your transformed state, did you wish to ID yourself as Magical Lotus, or Byakuren Hijiri?

[Hello Purvis]

>Well, the former is not really a name or useful identification...
>"Kiku?"

[Oldmansour]

>Well, the former is not really a name or useful identification...
>"Kiku?"

>It is a title, apparently. Although, The Purpose is the only one who has directly referred to you as such. It could serve well enough if you wish to keep your true name concealed, at least from those you do not implicitly trust.
>The silver-skirted miko exhales slowly, then turns her head away from you to look out the window. "I can understand the desire to keep one's identity secret."

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod. "It's just easier if it's harder for our enemies to learn about us, which is why I have no intention of just causally mentioning that you were here. I am Byakuren Hijiri."

[Oldmansour]

>Nod. "It's just easier if it's harder for our enemies to learn about us, which is why I have no intention of just causally mentioning that you were here. I am Byakuren Hijiri."

>"Wait." Kiku cuts you off as you get to the second syllable of your name, still not looking at you. "What you say makes sense. The less we know of each other, the less likelihood our enemies will learn anything of us FROM us." She finally turns her head to look at you out of the corner of her eye, her expression dark. "I don't know how you know my name, and Yakumo-san obviously doesn't share my reservations. But I do not know your name, nor should I. Should WE." she corrects herself to include Ran. "I will consent that a sharing of information, of aid, between us will be beneficial. But I don't need to know who you are."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"In that case, you may refer to me as 'Magical Lotus'. Or simply 'Lotus', if you prefer."

[Oldmansour]

>"In that case, you may refer to me as 'Magical Lotus'. Or simply 'Lotus', if you prefer."

>Ran gives you a quick smile before turning her eyes (which seemed to carry an amused look) back to the road. Kiku nods, much more slowly.
>"And now, Lotus," Kiku speaks in a very measured tone, "while I would like to know how you knew my name, I believe Yakumo-san was asking you something?"
>"Ah, yes." The kitsune replies. "Thank you for reminding me. About those youma. During the war, I'd assumed for the longest time that their energy syphoning powers were just one of their sources of offense. But later, I fought one of their masters on OUR side that seemed to hint that there was another reason behind this, that the stolen energy had another purpose. But we never found out what."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"From what I understand, the one who made that youma, as well as the youma I fought a few days ago, is currently weak, and is attempting to restore its power."
>Do you know anything beyond that?

[Oldmansour]

>"From what I understand, the one who made that youma, as well as the youma I fought a few days ago, is currently weak, and is attempting to restore its power."
>Do you know anything beyond that?

>"That might explain why this youma was much stronger, as you say, than the last one." Ran replies. "If that other youma had gathered some energy before you destroy... Sorry, purified it, then its creator could have recharged itself. But that doesn't explain what happened during the war. The creators of the youma I fought didn't use any energy from them, not the last time I fought them."
>In the past, much of the energy gathered by the demons and their tools was collected by the Anchor, the Foothold, to be used as a weapon to shatter the Seal, and release the demons still on the other side. The remainder of this stolen energy was sent back through the seal. But there is no anchor this time, and I have not sensed more energy than previous times sent back through the portal, after your defeat of the last youma. If the Bat has not consumed all that energy herself... Without an anchor, I am not certain what she would have done with it.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"In the past, the energy was being collected for use in shattering the seal so that they could enter this world freely. But that's not happening this time, because while in the past they were summoned here, the one we face now has somehow made it to this world without a summoning. So either it's consuming the energy itself, or it's using it for a purpose I do not know."
>Where is the portal?

[Oldmansour]

>"In the past, the energy was being collected for use in shattering the seal so that they could enter this world freely. But that's not happening this time, because while in the past they were summoned here, the one we face now has somehow made it to this world without a summoning. So either it's consuming the energy itself, or it's using it for a purpose I do not know."
>Where is the portal?

>"Are you saying someone in OUR world brought this force to Earth last time?" Ran asks. For her part, Kiku doesn't seem entirely surprised. Ran continues, "That doesn't make a lot of sense. The Lunarians had every advantage over us without those youma. And they were using youma before Terrans were. It was overkill."
>"Perhaps they were tricked by these otherworlders." Kiku muses. "The forces of darkness could well fool a Lunarian as easily as a Terran."
>I am unfamiliar with the term 'portal'.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Perhaps I misunderstood you. WHen you said the energy was sent back, I assumed that meant there was a point of connection it was being sent through.
>Do you know at what location the being entered this world?

[Oldmansour]

>Perhaps I misunderstood you. WHen you said the energy was sent back, I assumed that meant there was a point of connection it was being sent through.
>Do you know at what location the being entered this world?

>Ah, a rift. The term 'portal' was unknown to me. Well, the great Seal encompasses the whole of this world and its moon. There was no one place where it was sent back to the sealed realm; it depended on each demon and their location.
>I am afraid that my knowledge of terminology of this side is still limited, but I will do my best to answer in terms you know. The first demon, the Bat, pierced the seal somewhere in the city, near the center of the city, close to a... I believe the term is 'fountain'. This may refer to the Marian Saigyouji memorial fountain/statue, said to be in the geographic center of new Mayoiga. The seal is thin there.
>The second demon did so in a larger body of water, a lake, outside of town.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>A second? But both youma I faced were made by the same one...
>Wait. Is the second one the one I'm about to be up against?

[Oldmansour]

>A second? But both youma I faced were made by the same one...
>Wait. Is the second one the one I'm about to be up against?

>I believe this to be the case. It is unlikely the Bat would have had the power to make two youma, unless the one at your current destination is weak, incomplete, like the first one you fought.
>I confess, I was not expecting another demon to follow the Bat so soon afterwards. More time past between summonings in previous invasions.

>"The Terrans that used youma," Kiku asks Ran while you converse with the Purpose, "They used them against the Lunarians only?"
>"At first. Always at first. But their allegience, and their sanity for that matter, seemed to slip as time wore on. That was true for the Lunarian youma-masters, as well. Nearly all of them, anyway. We assumed it was a consequence of the youma-sorcery at first, but we got hints at something even more sinister at work as time passed."
>"Otherworldly corruption?"
>"Seems plausable."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"That would be my guess, as well. The 'youma-masters' were not actually the youma's masters; they merely summoned the ones who made the youma. And those summoned demons likely had their own agendas."

[Oldmansour]

>"That would be my guess, as well. The 'youma-masters' were not actually the youma's masters; they merely summoned the ones who made the youma. And those summoned demons likely had their own agendas."

>"Like freeing the rest of their kind, it seems. And Terrans and Lunarians did make their own youma, for their own purposes... All KINDS of purposes..." Ran trails off. "But even in this, it's possible these 'demons', you called them, could have been using those people even then."
>"Have you any idea how many we're up against?" Kiku asks you. "There can't be too many, of their presence would be common knowledge by now."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Right now, no more than a handful. I think it's only two or so. The problem is when more come. As you both saw, just from the youma they made, that they are not to be trifled with."

[Oldmansour]

>"Right now, no more than a handful. I think it's only two or so. The problem is when more come. As you both saw, just from the youma they made, that they are not to be trifled with."

>"Have you confronted any of them, or merely their weapons?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"Not yet, no."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"I have spoken with one after purifying its first youma, but I have only fought the youma."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I have spoken with one after purifying its first youma, but I have only fought the youma."

>make that briefly spoken

[Oldmansour]

>"Not yet, no."

>"I have spoken with one after purifying its first youma, but I have only fought the youma."

>"That could mean it was afraid to face you."
>"It's not impossible." Ran adds. "Some otherworldly forces aren't dissimilar from your schoolyard bully, in that regard. They fear people that stand up to them, especially when those people prove they can stand up to them successfully."

[Hello Purvis]

>"It is possible, but I think it would be a poor idea to assume it."