Author Topic: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3  (Read 69658 times)

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #180 on: March 31, 2018, 11:34:34 PM »
>To Rin: What's wrong?

>It's not her. she replies firmly as Semitur.... or perhaps NOT Semitur completes her spell. A form rises from the mud below you, a winged humanoid. The brown golem, sloughing off bits of goop, rises into the air towards you, its speed belying its ugly, clunky appearance.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #181 on: April 01, 2018, 12:02:36 AM »
>What do you mean?
>Let's give the golem a good old Scarlet Lotus

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #182 on: April 01, 2018, 12:20:55 AM »
>What do you mean?
>Let's give the golem a good old Scarlet Lotus

>That's not Semitur. says Rin as you move to counter the golem. Venting your frustration at being interrupted in your earlier attack, the golem is not so much destroyed under your intense barrage as it is disintegrated. The woman you thought was Semitur launches a blot of lightning up at you, but White Rose intercepts that attack with one of her Protective Discs.
>That other woman. Rin continues. When she dove for cover, I heard bone knocking against soft metal. That's the sound Razorclaw told me to listen for. She wouldn't give that away, or Razorclaw would have told me. It's the other woman, Mistress, not the one we just shot at.
>"You really are every bit as interesting as I thought you'd be." the woman you thought was Semitur says from below, and launches a pair of blue colored energy beams at you and White Rose. Not just blue colored though, you sense, they're Blue, like Blood magic.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #183 on: April 01, 2018, 12:35:43 AM »
>Try to evade the beams, shielding ourselves if this is not possible
>Do we still have line of fire on the other woman?
>Can our own senses confirm any of this without exposing ourselves too much more to the corruption in the air here?

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #184 on: April 01, 2018, 02:01:52 AM »
>Try to evade the beams, shielding ourselves if this is not possible
>Do we still have line of fire on the other woman?
>Can our own senses confirm any of this without exposing ourselves too much more to the corruption in the air here?

>She's only using a Blue Jewel, nothing you can't handle. You deploy a simple shield of blue light to handle the attack, while Rin, more agile in the air, executes a neat flip maneuver to evade it.
>At the moment, yes, but she does have cover available to her.
>If that other woman is indeed Semitur, you hesitate towards focusing your mystic senses too tightly upon her, that might give her an angle with which to attack you in another way. But that first woman used a Blood Jewel. You know that only Blood can use Blood magic, and Semitur isn't Blood. She can't be, else Razorclaw or Kenyu would have mentioned it. Or Haruka, for that matter. There is a chance Semitur has the ability to absorb Blood Jewels and use them herself, but based on what you know, that woman with the Blue Jewel cannot be Semitur.
>But she is still on the attack, and still talking. "Although not very talkative." she says chidingly. "Of course, I should have anticipated that." She draws upon her Blue Jewel again, sending a cone-shaped burst of dart-shaped projectiles at you.
>There's another clue. Not the attack, so much as the lack thereof. Razorclaw told you that Semitur has the ability to charm people with her voice, but you sense nothing when she speaks to you. Either she IS affecting you in some manner so subtle that you can't detect it- there's a worry- or she CAN'T affect you because that's not her voice.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #185 on: April 01, 2018, 02:43:34 AM »
>Block these as well
>You're sure about this?
>If we get the affirmative: Then let's make it look like we mean to attack her decoy again and change aim at the last instant. Are you with me?
>Try to angle around in a way that looks like getting a better firing angle at the decoy, but exposes the other women to a shot from us. But take care not to focus on her too obviously.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #186 on: April 01, 2018, 05:59:04 AM »
>Block these as well
>You're sure about this?
>If we get the affirmative: Then let's make it look like we mean to attack her decoy again and change aim at the last instant. Are you with me?
>Try to angle around in a way that looks like getting a better firing angle at the decoy, but exposes the other women to a shot from us. But take care not to focus on her too obviously.

>She looks like how Razorclaw said she disguises herself. Rin replies as the winged womans' attacks splash harmlessly against your shield. The clothes, the hair. And the sound was the same. I'm sure, Mistress, that's why I stopped you before. You said that your Violet light might be harmful to the people Semitur's taken the souls of. If that woman's the same as the ones outside....
>Rather than agree to your plan right away, White Rose asks, Are you sure you don't want me to keep an eye on the Blood woman? She could shoot us as we're shooting Semitur.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #187 on: April 01, 2018, 06:12:42 AM »
>Well, we'll both be keeping an eye on her until the last moment. Maybe we can even catch Semitur by surprise.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #188 on: April 01, 2018, 06:28:09 AM »
>Well, we'll both be keeping an eye on her until the last moment. Maybe we can even catch Semitur by surprise.

>Okay. I'll follow your lead.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #189 on: April 01, 2018, 07:24:17 AM »
>Then let's do this. Keep engaged with the decoy (maybe even toss out a little Scarlet Lotus to make the impression more convincing) and then when we're in position for a good shot at probably-Semitur, join Rin's power together with ours and turn our Violet Lotus on the woman at the last moment

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #190 on: April 03, 2018, 06:21:39 AM »
>Then let's do this. Keep engaged with the decoy (maybe even toss out a little Scarlet Lotus to make the impression more convincing) and then when we're in position for a good shot at probably-Semitur, join Rin's power together with ours and turn our Violet Lotus on the woman at the last moment

>"And rude." Semitur gripes. "I came a long way to meet you. You could at least say something."
>White Rose does actually answer her, "To meet US?" she asks as you fire your Scarlet light at the woman, though you do not fire directly at the woman. If she is a decoy, you don't want to run the risk of your power damaging her. The angle of your attack leaves the woman an easy evasion route to her right, which she takes with a quick beat of her wings.
>"Ah, at last." the woman says, satisfied. "I dislike being ignored. Yes, you ladies. You've drawn a lot of attention around the world, you know." She casts another spell as she speaks, the mud on the floor beginning to churn. White Rose does not give the spell time to complete, however, as she turns a blast of her White Retainer's flame on the floor. The heat of the flames bakes the mud to clay, leaving an uneven but solid surface behind. The woman clucks her tongue in annoyance and sends a jet of flame up at Rin. This attack is not difficult for Rin to evade, and she uses it as a way to fly back to your side, in a better firing position at the woman you believe to be Semitur, without, hopefully, arousing the Succubuses' suspicions.
>As the winged woman raises her arm to cast again, a dreadful roar diverts her attention. She snaps her head down to see the feline form of Kiku charging at her. With that additional diversion available to you, you and Rin join hands again, turn, and fire your Violet light again, at the woman Rin has identified as Semitur. Whether due to the unexpected speed of your attack or the diversion created by Kiku, the winged woman makes no motion to evade, and is engulfed in your Violet light.
>The effect this has is profound. The aura of darkness in the room erupts into chaos, the sense of evil going wild. But the sounds of crying, of dripping blood, leave you immediately. You are under assault from the presence of Semitur, but the psychic noise that had been assaulting you from that other source dissipates.
>Black and purple crystals erupt from the location of the woman, crystallizing your beam and tracking back up towards you and Rin.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #191 on: April 03, 2018, 07:30:14 AM »
>Let's pour more power into this - as much as we can. This is absolutely the right target and this is absolutely something she does not want to touch her and we need to end this now.
>...though if we don't seem to be able to win at this, don't let the crystals reach us, and back off before that happens

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #192 on: April 06, 2018, 03:54:31 AM »
>Let's pour more power into this - as much as we can. This is absolutely the right target and this is absolutely something she does not want to touch her and we need to end this now.
>...though if we don't seem to be able to win at this, don't let the crystals reach us, and back off before that happens

>Any doubts you had about the verity of your target are laid to rest through the sensations you feel through your Violet Light. The creature below you has multiple souls within their being. Your light allows you to touch them all, and they don't share the inherent evil of the vessel they lie within, save one, and your experience with the Stuntrons tells you this is probably the soul of the Blood woman Semitur was speaking through. And one of the others feels very different as well. It feels hot to the touch, and it reacts the most strongly to your touch. It wants to be free of its current location, and with your light upon it, it very nearly achieves this goal.
>But you cannot maintain your attack. Even with a renewed flow of force, even with Rin reinforcing your strike, the crystallizing effect continues to track along your beam. She doesn't appear to be directly fighting your attack, so much as she is using it for her own purposes. You have to cut off your attack before the crystals travel any farther, but even this doesn't stop Semitur's counterstrike. When you disengage your beam, the crystallized energy explodes, showing you and Rin with hundreds of sharp pieces of crystal shrapnel. Both you and Rin erect shields to protect yourselves, but still receive multiple cuts from the succubus' flak.
>Your beam did also have the effect of dispelling her own disguise. You see her now in her natural form, and she is as Razorclaw described her. And she is smiling.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #193 on: April 06, 2018, 04:39:55 AM »
>She's used to being smug, but that doesn't mean she's going to win. Not this time.
>Can we think of any better way to free those souls than our Violet Lotus? Any way we could target it directly? Because getting Fire's Avatar back to herself could also free up a bunch of reinforcements for our side.
>What does that Blood woman seem to be doing? And Kiku?

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #194 on: April 06, 2018, 06:27:26 AM »
>She's used to being smug, but that doesn't mean she's going to win. Not this time.
>Can we think of any better way to free those souls than our Violet Lotus? Any way we could target it directly? Because getting Fire's Avatar back to herself could also free up a bunch of reinforcements for our side.
>What does that Blood woman seem to be doing? And Kiku?

>Your Violet Light nearly worked. One or two more good shots with that might just shake at least the hot soul free, and you'd bet that that's the soul of Fire's Avatar. Your other offensive spells might work as well. Semitur might have eaten those souls, but if you can hit her with a strong blast of Scarlet, Cerulean or Vermillion Lotus, it might just cause her to regurgitate one if not more of them. Disgusting though that may be to think about, it could work. The others in your group might have the same effect, but their spells are not as non-lethal as yours, and you're not sure if killing Semitur would release the souls within her or destroy them along with her.
>At the moment, Kiku has her pinned to the ground. She appears conscious, but is not making any effort to escape at present.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #195 on: April 06, 2018, 06:36:47 AM »
>Let's give Scarlet Lotus a try this time. It's probably a lot harder to crystallize a non-beam attack.
>...but be ready to guard against such anyhow

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #196 on: April 09, 2018, 05:08:08 AM »
>Let's give Scarlet Lotus a try this time. It's probably a lot harder to crystallize a non-beam attack.
>...but be ready to guard against such anyhow

>Opting for a two-pronged attack, you and Rin employ different spells this time, she unleashing her Retainer's Flame as you direct a barrage of Scarlet Energy at the smiling Succubus. She does prove whether or not she can crystallize your attack, as she employs a different sort of defense. Gesturing slightly, a wall of shimmering violet crystal rises up before her, the energy of your spell refracting off of it, some of it absorbed by the crystal, other jags of energy flying off in random directions.
>Perhaps weakened by absorbing your spell, Semitur's wall is unable to handle Rin's attack, and the stream of white flame blasts its way through the crystal barrier. The barrier does not crumble, so you can't tell for sure if Rin's spell hits its target.
>You sense a pulse of magic around you, and your flying disc disappears.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #197 on: April 09, 2018, 07:32:03 AM »
>Can we tell what just happened?

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #198 on: April 09, 2018, 08:53:17 AM »
>Can we tell what just happened?

>Yes. Your flying disc disappeared, and as a result, you are now falling to the ground.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #199 on: April 09, 2018, 09:02:45 AM »
>Well, fix that part first
>But in a more general sense, was this something we think Semitur did? What else around us has it affected?

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #200 on: April 09, 2018, 12:57:24 PM »
>But in a more general sense, was this something we think Semitur did? What else around us has it affected?

>You think it had to have been. Both you and Rin have lost your instruments of flight and are falling. Nobody else appears to be acting hostile towards you at the moment, and you didn't detect any magic coming at you from another direction. It had to have been Semitur.

>Well, fix that part first

>To your surprise, and more than a little fright, the spell you use to enact your flying disc does not fire off as you intended. The energy that emerges from your staff emerges as a series of sparks, but no useful construct emerges. Whatever spell Semitur used to dispel your flying disc is interfering with your ability to recreate it. And by the looks of it, White Rose is having no more luck than you are.
>You hear the faint sound of laughter reach your ears. You believe that to be Semitur, as well.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #201 on: April 09, 2018, 05:45:43 PM »
>We may not have much time to think this through, but do we think this is an effect that Semitur placed on us or a field that is active in the room?
>And if the latter, would we have time to try and dispel it with Amber Lotus and still catch ourselves before hitting the ground?
>Do we at least have any way at hand to cushion our landing?

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #202 on: April 10, 2018, 10:51:53 AM »
>We may not have much time to think this through, but do we think this is an effect that Semitur placed on us or a field that is active in the room?
>And if the latter, would we have time to try and dispel it with Amber Lotus and still catch ourselves before hitting the ground?
>Do we at least have any way at hand to cushion our landing?

>You don't think it's an area effect, at least not that you can sense. You believe she targeted you and Rin specifically.
>You also get the sense that it was only your flying disc spell that's been- and being- disrupted. Your other spells and techniques should still function properly. You think. If so, you may not be able to recreate your flying disc, but the breadth of magic at your disposal should afford you options.
>Alternatively, Carnation and Chrysanthemum might be able to help you as well, should the need arise. Yuna might as well, but you can communicate with your own group faster and more easily than shouting across a room.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #203 on: April 10, 2018, 05:18:20 PM »
>Does the disruption of our flying disc extend to using Sappire Lotus to create something gentle/flexible to fall onto?
>If we think not, let's use that to catch ourselves (and Rin, if it looks like she also needs the proverbial hand)
>And, assuming this works, let's not give Semitur time to recover: aim a Vermillion Lotus right down that hole Rin blasted in her barricade

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #204 on: April 11, 2018, 09:37:25 AM »
>Does the disruption of our flying disc extend to using Sappire Lotus to create something gentle/flexible to fall onto?
>If we think not, let's use that to catch ourselves (and Rin, if it looks like she also needs the proverbial hand)
>And, assuming this works, let's not give Semitur time to recover: aim a Vermillion Lotus right down that hole Rin blasted in her barricade

>You don't believe so. You get the sense that it was only the formation of your disc that Semitur has interfered with. Either the scope of her spell was limited, or she didn't know your light was so versatile and didn't think you could use it in different ways, you can't tell.
>Trusting your instincts, you point your scepter at the ground and deploy your Sapphire light once again, not in the shape of a disc of energy, but into an angled coil of light. Despite your trust in your instincts, you're rather relieved to see this work. Contact with the coil slows your rate of descent, and you head for the ground in a much safer manner.
>Having discovered a method that works, you turn your attention quickly to Rin, to see her hands folded in front of her but in the way she does to cast her fire spells. "White Retainer's Warp Wheel!" she calls out, and a shimmering wheel of white, blue and black energy spins into existence beneath her. The kasha disappears as she falls into it. Looking around, you see an identical wheel in existence a short distance, positioned alongside and behind the crystal wall Semitur erected, giving Rin a clear shot at the succubus. She raises her hands, then you hear her swear in Eire. "She's gone!" she shouts, checking your fire.
>"She used an invisibility spell." the police chief provides.

>Lotus, did you do something to Semitur in there? Poppy's voice asks.
« Last Edit: April 11, 2018, 01:14:19 PM by Oldmansour »

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #205 on: April 11, 2018, 04:54:44 PM »
>Wait, when'd the police chief get here. Didn't we leave her well behind?
>We shot her. Not badly enough to make her stop moving, but I'm sure she felt it. Why?
>To Rin: Can you hear anything?
>If not, pay attention to our surroundings just enough with our mystical senses to see if her presence becomes localizable without staring at it too closely - be cautious.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #206 on: April 12, 2018, 07:53:31 PM »
>Wait, when'd the police chief get here. Didn't we leave her well behind?
>We shot her. Not badly enough to make her stop moving, but I'm sure she felt it. Why?
>To Rin: Can you hear anything?
>If not, pay attention to our surroundings just enough with our mystical senses to see if her presence becomes localizable without staring at it too closely - be cautious.

>You did not.
>Because the soulless out here just stopped. Poppy reports. All of them.
>Was real sudden. Lily adds. Mid-motion, mid-flight, mod-swing, they all froze up.
>Except Flandre. She seems to be muttering something, but she's not speaking any language I know.
>No wait, here they come again!

>Gimme a sec. she replies, her eyelids dropping slightly and her ears twitching. As she does so, you turn your attention to your mystic senses. The air around you feels a great deal warmer than it did before, a significant pocket of heat behind the wall of crystal Semitur erected. This heat feels unnatural, even moreso than the sensation of supernatural auras sense. You get the impression that it is the heat of the Avatar of Fire, somehow leaking out of Semitur, but if it is, you should be concerned. You detect hints of instability about that heat, as though its source was something very volatile, and not entirely stable. Though that could simply be a consequence of the soul not being where it's supposed to be, you're not sure.

>Uh, Lotus? Lily adds as you scan for Semitur. Hate to worry you, but the Fire Champion's on the move. He's, uh, coming down to the ground out here.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #207 on: April 12, 2018, 10:59:13 PM »
>I think the Fire Avatar's soul may be... 'leaking' out of Semitur. The Champion may be able to sense this; keep me apprised.
>See if we can use this 'leak' to track the heat back to its source and, by extension, Semitur.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #208 on: April 15, 2018, 01:20:30 AM »
>I think the Fire Avatar's soul may be... 'leaking' out of Semitur. The Champion may be able to sense this; keep me apprised.
>See if we can use this 'leak' to track the heat back to its source and, by extension, Semitur.

>Will do, boss.
>And if you can make it keep leaking, that'd be okay, too. Reisen adds. We could use the breather.

>The heat in the air is not difficult to track. The difficulty is keeping your senses properly calibrated, for want of a better word. The instability you feel from that psychic heat grows more intense the closer you get to its source. And the closer you get, a sound gets louder and louder in your mind's ear as well. It is the sound of someone crying. The same sort of sound you heard earlier, now that you think about it. You must have been picking up the soul of the Fire Champion even before you got to this point.
>How was that possible? Could the Fire Champion haven been affecting you, somehow?
>You try to put that thought out of your mind. Time enough to worry about that when the succubus is dealt with.

>You track the source of the heat to the east, back towards the crowd of civilians.... No, towards the police officers that shot at you earlier. All of whom are down on the ground. Either the other officers, the one with the chief, stunned them all, or one of your comrades knocked them all out. It seems to be coming from between the big Oni who did all the talking earlier and the smaller human male officer that was next to him.
>Rin appears to have reached the same conclusion. "Gotcha!" she cries, raising her hands and pointing at the location you've identified.
>"I wouldn't do that." a woman's voice says as Semitur reverts to visible status. Right where you thought she'd be. "Not unless you wish to see these people burn."

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 3
« Reply #209 on: April 15, 2018, 01:38:00 AM »
>How quickly do we think we could shield the people near her? Slower than she could attack them, even if we acted first?
>Can we see Minoriko and Yuna from here? If so, are they also within range of Semitur?