Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 5, Part 2

[Oldmansour]

>"By several orders of magnitude."

>Haruka chuckles. "Indeed."
>"But..." Carnation starts, looking at Haruka with empathy. "How did you... I mean..."
>"How do I handle it?" Carnation nods. "Because it's what I do. When one is born with the powers and abilities I was, one can either choose to use them for good, use them for ill, or try and repress them. The third option wasn't available to me, and I'm not the sort of person to take the second choice. Fighting the good fight, trite though it may sound, is what I do. And as you girls have taught me, there's always more powers to learn. And that things that are impossible don't necessarily have to stay that way."

[DracoOmega]

>"From the very beginning, I have always wanted to create a better outcome than people told me was possible and I've been very blessed by the ability to actually accomplish this - even if there's still much more work to do."

[Oldmansour]

>"From the very beginning, I have always wanted to create a better outcome than people told me was possible and I've been very blessed by the ability to actually accomplish this - even if there's still much more work to do."

>Haruka smiles her smile full of quiet strength. "There always is. And days like today help people like yourself, Carnation, should help you grow accustomed to the task at hand."
>"I know. And I'm grateful for the chance, Haruka. I'll try not-"
>She stops as Haruka holds up her hand. "I know you won't, Carnation. You may be inexperienced, but your heart is in the right place. As an old friend of mine liked to say, the raw material is all there, you just need a little time in the fire."
>Carnation giggles a bit at Haruka's turn of phrase, then she looks between you and her. "Are you sure that you wouldn't rather work with Lotus?"
>"Not for this exercise. I would very much enjoy the opportunity to work with Lotus in such an exercise, but not this time."

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm certainly this is not the only time we'll be working together, after all."

[Oldmansour]

>"I'm certainly this is not the only time we'll be working together, after all."

>"Knowing Kenyu, I'm certain he would be willing to provide the opposition as well, should the need arise."
>"Which brings to mind a note of strategy I should mention. If you wish to discuss strategy now; we could wait until the group's all together."

[DracoOmega]

>"No, if you have something to say, please go ahead."

[Oldmansour]

>"No, if you have something to say, please go ahead."

>"As you wish."
>"I believe our partners are balanced in power and effectiveness as well as we can make them. However, I don't believe that any one of our groups is capable of besting Kenyu in a straight fight. Even I would be hard pressed to match a Grey Jewel at full power. Correct me if I'm wrong, Lotus, but you seemed to be hard pressed when you fought him by yourself, yes?"

[DracoOmega]

>"It's true. I certainly wasn't ready to throw in the towel when we stopped, but I can't be certain how much more power he might have been holding in reserve as well."

[Oldmansour]

>"It's true. I certainly wasn't ready to throw in the towel when we stopped, but I can't be certain how much more power he might have been holding in reserve as well."

>"Sen is an effective ally, so I would lay the best odds on you and she against him. But I don't know if those odds would be all that good. If one of our groups encounters him by ourselves, I would recommend falling back and awaiting reinforcements."

[DracoOmega]

>"Reasonable. Our goal is to win, not to show off, after all."

[Oldmansour]

>"Reasonable. Our goal is to win, not to show off, after all."

>"So you expect our group to get separated during this exercise?" Carnation asks her.
>"Yes I do. We've done this sort of scenario before. When faced with a large area with hostiles inside, such as the airport, we will separate and cover more ground to find and neutralize them all. Moving around in one big group means our power is all in one place and we can handle any one threat, but there's no telling what the other hostiles might be doing in the meantime."
>Carnation nods. "So who'll be going where?"
>"I haven't yet made that decision. It isn't just up to me, after all. Lotus and I are joint field commanders. I may be more experienced, but it wouldn't be right to make unilateral decisions for both involved parties. Too, she knows your group far batter than I do, and knows what environments suit each of you the best."

[DracoOmega]

>"Are you anticipating the locales in this exercise to be that varied?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Are you anticipating the locales in this exercise to be that varied?"

>"Up to a point. I don't know if you're familiar with the Mayoiga airport terminal, but it has a lot of areas that are very open, and a lot that are more enclosed, places like the arcade or bar. There will also be part of the exterior landing strips simulated, and outdoor environments naturally favor some over others."

[DracoOmega]

>"I was thinking more about magical obstructions, traps, and similar things. If we're treading into a prepared domain, it might present obstacles more diverse than the typical contents of an airport - you might be more familiar with what to expect in this regard than I."

[Oldmansour]

>"I was thinking more about magical obstructions, traps, and similar things. If we're treading into a prepared domain, it might present obstacles more diverse than the typical contents of an airport - you might be more familiar with what to expect in this regard than I."

>"If you're asking if the Protectors are capable of laying out traps and obstacles for us to overcome, the answer is yes. All of them save Kenyu are willing and able to manipulate a battlefield to their advantage, both in mundane terms and magical terms. Even Camille. She specializes in traps that do not harm, rather disable or render unconsciouness, but she's nearly as effective as the others. Wataru, Cynthia and Ioana have all had professional training in that area, from their experiences in the armed forces and law enforcement."
>"But Kenyu won't do that?" Carnation asks.
>"He considers it dishonable. He may not be a full-blooded Oni, but his sense of honor is just as strong as a full-blood. He'll lay traps to save people's lives, but in this environment that's not necessary."

[DracoOmega]

>"Win by direct contest or not at all, hmmm."

[Oldmansour]

>"Win by direct contest or not at all, hmmm."

>"That's how he operates if he has any choice in the matter. In this environment, he would prefer to fight alone and, as you say, directly. But he won't stop the others from laying out tripwires, setting up pressure traps, that sort of thing. All of us will need to be on guard for environmental hazards. Have you or any of yours had experience in that field?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Some, though not likely as threatening as traps the Protectors can muster; my Amber Lotus excels at disarming magical obstacles."

[Oldmansour]

>"Some, though not likely as threatening as traps the Protectors can muster; my Amber Lotus excels at disarming magical obstacles."

>"Then you'll need to make Sen let you take point to sweep for traps from time to time. She's a powerful ally, but trapfinding is hardly her forte. And you will need to be firm. She is not stupid, but she can be stubborn."

[DracoOmega]

>"I'll keep that in mind."

[Oldmansour]

>"I'll keep that in mind."

>"And I assume that you, Carnation, have had little in the way of experience with this sort of thing." At your colleagues' nod, Haruka continues, "Then you'd better leave that up to me. I should also caution you, Lotus, that you can expect the Protectors to attempt to block our own detecting magics. Among the abilities of the Blood Jewels is the ability to generate jamming fields that interfere with communication and divination magics. I don't know if those fields will affect your powers, but do not be surprised if your own mystical means of sensing supernatural phenomenon is limited during the exercise."

[DracoOmega]

>"I will keep that in mind as well."

[Oldmansour]

>"I will keep that in mind as well."

>"Is there a way to break their jamming field?" Carnation asks.
>"Not with Kenyu here. His Dawn Jewel would make the field too powerful to break by any convenient magic. It would take a great of time and effort to break a jamming field he creates, and doing so would be like sending up a signal flare. Every one of the Protectors would know the location of the person trying it, and be able to ambush them."
>"Although again, I don't know if that would hold true for your unique brand of magic." she adds.

[DracoOmega]

>Smile
>"I suppose we may find out today then, won't we?"

[Oldmansour]

>Smile
>"I suppose we may find out today then, won't we?"

>"Well if you're going to try, make sure you have someone keeping lookout for you. Ioana is an expert at tracking down disruptions in a jamming field."

[DracoOmega]

>"I don't know that it'll come to that, but neither of us knows how much it will mask my extrasensory abilities in the first place. We'll have to play this by ear."

[Oldmansour]

>"I don't know that it'll come to that, but neither of us knows how much it will mask my extrasensory abilities in the first place. We'll have to play this by ear."

>"Very true. I'm simply advising caution if you're going to try."

[DracoOmega]

>"Of course."

[Oldmansour]

>"Of course."

>"If we do, it would probably be better if we did while we're still together." Carnation suggests. "Our powers work better that way."
>"That's true, but that also means you're all in the same spot." Haruka points out. "And thus an easier target."
>"Doesn't that also mean the six of you will be with us to keep lookout?"
>The eagle smiles faintly. "That is also true. Perhaps we should keep that option open."

[DracoOmega]

>"It would help with the rest of your detection abilities, and if we can disable it quickly enough...."