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

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Um, Kiku? How did Lily's voice come from... whatever in came from on you?"
>"What is it, Lily?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Um, Kiku? How did Lily's voice come from... whatever in came from on you?"
>"What is it, Lily?"

>Kiku produces a small piece of paper shaped like a little person, with a little line of orange around its waist. "You'll recall I gave one of these to Lily before we came down here. As I said then, these shikigami allow me to communicate with people over moderate distances."
>"Well, I'm in the 'Z' section of the records up here- Did I mention this place was big? Anyway, I'm in Z, and I found where there should be another drain. Now, every drain I've found so far has been covered in bubbling water, but this one isn't. It's covered by some kinda metal. Looks like the kind of metal they make some school sports statues out of, uh.... brass, I think? Or was it copper?"

[Hanzo K.]

>"I believe we'll find more pieces of the puzzle if we go up to her. And seeing as how lead, as you mentioned earlier, is a Sealing-Type Metal, we should be fine."

[Oldmansour]

>"I believe we'll find more pieces of the puzzle if we go up to her. And seeing as how lead, as you mentioned earlier, is a Sealing-Type Metal, we should be fine."

>Kiku seems somewhat pensive at your suggestion. "Under normal circumstances, I would agree. But in this case, I just don't know..." She raises the shikigami in her hand slightly. "Lily, have you found anything else around that metal? Anything out of the ordinary."
>"Well not yet." Lily's voice seems a bit more hollow through the paper communicator, more distant, somehow. "If it's like the water, kinda didn't wanna get too close to it. But I don't see anything too weird from this side. I'm gonna go down the next aisle and have a look from the other side of it."
>"Be wary, Lily. We've already encountered one thing that could have been an enemy trap, this could well be another."
>"No worries, Kiku! I got my eyes wiiiiiiide open."
>"Indeed." Kiku states simply, before lowering the charm, and turning her eyes to you. "I know nothing of your comrades' power, beyond her ability to create pleasant scents. Assuming that is a trap of some kind, will she be all right on her own?"

[Hello Purvis]

>"It may be best to assist her."

[Oldmansour]

>"It may be best to assist her."

>She nods, pauses, then says, "I'll stay down here. I want to keep an eye on this ooze, and get a better look at that lead chamber below us."

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.
>"Alright. Don't hesitate to contact us if trouble finds you.  Oh. a thought occurs to me, can you tell how long these metals have been down here?"
>Head back up once she answers.

[Oldmansour]

>Nod.
>"Alright. Don't hesitate to contact us if trouble finds you.  Oh. a thought occurs to me, can you tell how long these metals have been down here?"
>Head back up once she answers.

>Kiku produces another one of those communication shikigami of hers and hands it you. "Just in case."
>"Given the interference, I can't be as certain as I would normally. But if I were to put a number on the lead, at least, I would put it at at least 35 years. Probably more, but I couldn't say how much more. As for the vanadium, I'm not familiar enough with that metal to be able to guess, not without a closer, more detailed analysis. The brass feels newer, less than a year old, I would guess. Maybe a matter of months."
>Your stomach growls once more as you part ways with Kiku, she beginning another spell chant as you head back towards the stairs, recreating your little ball of light to illuminate your steps.
>All is quiet as you emerge from the other side of the dark cloud, until you hear Kiku's voice come over the paper as you near the staircase leading up. "Lily, I just ran a brief divination over that brass puddle you found. It's unnatural. It has a power I can't identify all over it, and what I think is an organic component. Beware."

[Hanzo K.]

>"I'm on the way Lily, don't try anything with it just yet until I get there."
>Let's head to Lily.

[Oldmansour]

>"I'm on the way Lily, don't try anything with it just yet until I get there."
>Let's head to Lily.

>Lily does not answer either your warning or Kiku's That's somewhat worrisome. And a possible explanation for this reveals itself as you hasten up the stairs. You hear the distant sounds of what you would describe as energy discharges.
>You practically fly up the remaining stairs, and re-enter the little cafeteria, and look about you, looking for Lily. While you do not see her, there is another sound of discharging energy, and a flash of yellow light, far to your right, beyond what you assume to be many more rows of records.
>However, you yourself may have a more immediate problem. One of the bubbling puddles of water that Lily talked about is moving. Moving across the floor. When you see it, it is just outside the cafeteria, and is heading straight across the floor. However, it stops as soon as you make yourself visible.

[Hello Purvis]

>Do we sense anything new or different about it from before?

[Oldmansour]

>Do we sense anything new or different about it from before?

>Focusing on it, there is a force acting upon it that was not there before. There seems to be some kind of 'tether' of magical energy leading back to your right, towards where the energy discharges seem to be coming from. Another tether extends behind the visible puddle, out of your visual field.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Lilly! What's happening!?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Lilly! What's happening!?"

>Lily's voice answers you some distance away, "This crazy lady star-!"
>"I'm NOT CRAZY!" a strange, shrill female voice shrieks, and her declaration is punctuated by another flash of yellow light, and the sound of energy.
>The water resumes moving, this time right towards you.

[Hello Purvis]

Mmm, there's an in already.

>How large is this puddle of water?  How fast is it? How much is it defying gravity; does it give us the feeling it could reach upward?

[Oldmansour]

>How large is this puddle of water?  How fast is it? How much is it defying gravity; does it give us the feeling it could reach upward?

>It is approximately a foot and a half in diameter, roughly circular when it was stationary, distended slightly towards you now.
>At the speed it is moving, it will reach you in less than 10 seconds, which is pretty quick for a puddle.
>Although it is currently on the ground, given the fact that it is moving at all, it seems entirely possible that it could reach upwards in some way.

[Hello Purvis]

>Step to the side a couple steps, and give it a second to see if it changes course.

I think we may be able to leap over it. But that really doesn't solve the problem at hand. I would suggest taking time to cleanse it of manipulation, but I am not all that certain we have time.

[Hanzo K.]

Since we're pressed for time, I say we just give it a dose of Lotus Purification to get it out of the way.
A somewhat violent measure, but Lily's in danger, so we lack the time. I trust you aren't in opposition to this logic?

[Hello Purvis]

Not really. I'd hope we'd get lucky and could just dodge around it, though.

[Hanzo K.]

Eh, I've run over most of the possible scenarios in my head, and this was the course most likely to succeed.

[Oldmansour]

>Step to the side a couple steps, and give it a second to see if it changes course.

>Taking a couple hasty steps to the side, you note that the water does indeed change course to follow you.
>A second puddle comes into view, out from under the shelves to your left.

[Hello Purvis]

>"I'll be there in a moment! Try to keep things from escalating!"
>Is there anything in our experience to suggest that Lotus Purification definitely won't return this water to normal? Or at least to non-hostile?

[Oldmansour]

>"I'll be there in a moment! Try to keep things from escalating!"
>Is there anything in our experience to suggest that Lotus Purification definitely won't return this water to normal? Or at least to non-hostile?

>"There's another one of you?" the strange woman yells.
>"Heroes never fly alone!" Lily retorts.
>You are not aware of any reason why this should be impossible.

[Hello Purvis]

>Purify that puddle.

[Hanzo K.]

>Purify both puddles with it at that.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>One at a time, though.

[Hello Purvis]

>Let's just purify the nearer one now, the other will take a moment to get to us, and we want to observe what happens before doing it twice. Might need to vault over the first after all.

[Oldmansour]

>Purify that puddle.

>Purify both puddles with it at that.

>One at a time, though.

>Let's just purify the nearer one now, the other will take a moment to get to us, and we want to observe what happens before doing it twice. Might need to vault over the first after all.

>You decide to take the methodical approach to dealing with your water problem.
>Calling forth your baton, you direct it at the first puddle and unleash your sanctifying light. The bubbling water halts in its tracks, and the dull yellow energy attached to it dissipates under your power. The water stops its bubbling, and loses its circular shape, spreading out over the floor like a spilled glass.
>The second puddle continues its advance.

>Nearly simultaneous to your attack, Lily's voice rings out, "Lily Petal Cyclone!", and the sound of rushing air fills the area. The angry female voice shrieks in surprise.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Does the first puddle seem to be normal water now? If so, turn our attention towars the second puddle, then go to Lily's aid.

[Oldmansour]

>Does the first puddle seem to be normal water now? If so, turn our attention towars the second puddle, then go to Lily's aid.

>It does indeed, and so you turn your attention to the second puddle. This one has time enough to reform slightly, what looks like the beginnings of a blade of some kind, before you unleash your light upon it. Exactly like the first one, the bubbling stops, the tether of energy snaps and dissapears, and the puddle spreads out over the floor harmlessly, the blade-like thing making a small splash.
>Your stomach growls in hunger again.

>"Hah!" Lily crows, "Didn't see that comin, did y- Whai, wha-!?" her voice cuts off with an odd gargling sound.
>Now alarmed, you rush towards the stacks of shelves, which seem to be laid out identically to the ones behind you. The woman's voice, and the sounds of swirling air, seem to be coming from your right, so you head in that way, rapidly, making a left turn when you reach the end of the shelf aisle.
>Before you, about 20 or so feet away, in midair, is a large swirl of pink, red, blue and yellow flower petals, encircling and swirling around a writing humanoid female form, which has its arms drawn around her head to ward off the petals from her face. Your eyes reveal a foul otherworldly light around a glowing ring on her left hand. She exudes a similar aura of tainted energy, though this appears to be muted somewhat.
>Of Lily, there is no sign.