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

[Oldmansour]

>Do we know much of anything on the subject?
>If not, ask for more details

>Only what you've seen in manga and other fictional media. You know they are female demons associated with sex and corruption, that they come to men in their sleep and drain their life force. You know that black mages sometimes summon them, often for the obvious purpose, and that this rarely ends well for the magician. They're depicted as comely, beautiful figures capable of disguising their appearance so as to better seduce their victims. They're also commonly shown to have mind controlling and altering abilities in addition to other black sorceries. They're fairly popular in pop culture. They occupy broadly the same niche as vampires, in that they are creatures thought to be extinct, if they existed at all.
>"All of those things are true." says Haruka. "And there are still Succubi in this world. Not very many, but some. Most of them actually live in secrecy, not using their powers much if ever. There's actually two Succubi living here in Mayoiga."
>"There are?" Poppy asks.
>"Yes. And both of them have asked me to maintain their secrecy, which I have done as neither of them have done anything to harm the city or the people that live here."
>"Semitur is not one of these Succubi." says Razorclaw. "She's a corrupter, a rapist and a killer. With an emphasis on the corrupter part. She's been plaguing this world for over eight hundred years now."

[DracoOmega]

>"I assume she is not travelling openly, then?"

[Oldmansour]

>"I assume she is not travelling openly, then?"

>"We believe she is." says Razorclaw. "But she probably won't be when she lands. We anticipate her blending in with the crowd, possibly while someone she has corrupted on the plane distracts the local mystic law enforcement, like Sawashiro-san here."
>"And how did you come by this information, exactly?" Kenyu asks him.
>"One of Divebombs' sisters is on the same flight. She contacted Divebomb once she recognized Semitur, Divebomb contacted me, and I came here."

[DracoOmega]

>"It seems safe to assume that if you were willing to go to all the trouble of coming here, then this succubus must be dangerous indeed."

[Oldmansour]

>"It seems safe to assume that if you were willing to go to all the trouble of coming here, then this succubus must be dangerous indeed."

>"But not more dangerous than your Coven." says Kenyu, folding his arms and looking at Razorclaw. "If you had that kind of warning, why aren't you and your group going after her yourselves?"
>"Ordinarily we would." replies Razorclaw. "With great pleasure. She's escaped me once before. But the situation in this town has changed now. I don't have the liberty to simply act on this like I might otherwise have been able to do, thanks to Lotus and her people. And neither do you, Kenyu, am I right?"
>The firefighter mutters something indistinguishable but doesn't say anything.

[DracoOmega]

>"So you're bringing it to the attention of people who do?"

[Oldmansour]

>"So you're bringing it to the attention of people who do?"

>"In simple terms, yes. I know the four shrines handle this sort of thing with effectiveness and discretion. And I chose to come to the Fire shrine because I knew Sawashiro-san would be willing to listen to me, I knew they were one of the two most effective shrines overall, and I knew they had a score to settle with Semitur. You've lost people to her too, haven't you?" he asks her.
>Haruka nods. "Yes. More than we lost to you, even."
>"You still blame me for Nagano?" he asks. "They came after me. I had no quarrel with your two shrine maidens, we simply stalked the same prey that day. They chose to try and destroy me once they saw my Jewels. And they paid for their mistake."
>"You didn't have to kill them."
>"I repaid them for what they came at me with. Besides, they would have suffered worse at the hands of Reiiru. But this is not the time to chew old bones, Haruka, we have a more immediate threat. None of us want Semitur walking through this town, and I can't kill her this time. Not without risking setting off the powder keg this city has become thanks to Lotus. Neither can Kenyu here. Somebody has to deal with her before she makes things in Mayoiga worse than they already are."
>"Why should we believe you care about this city?" Chrysanthemum asks Razorclaw bluntly. "Maybe this is just your way of getting someone else to risk their lives."
>The hair of Razorclaw's neck goes flat. "Do not insult me, tiger. I am a predator, the best on three worlds. Nobody hunts for me. If you're afraid to handle this demon, fine. You and your master can content yourselves with your own prey."

[DracoOmega]

>"It matters little what his motivation is, so long as the information is accurate and the threat real."

[Oldmansour]

>"It matters little what his motivation is, so long as the information is accurate and the threat real."

>"And we have no way of confirming this." says Chrys.
>"That's not completely true." Haruka disagrees. "My people are trained to detect creatures such as Succubi. And the presence of a powerful black magic user like Semitur. When that plane gets closer, we'll know if Semitur is on board."
>"And the threat is very real." Razorclaw assures you both. "Semitur has destroyed people from all walks of life. Landen, Brightbloods, Blackbloods. We've all lost people to her. And beyond that, the chaos she brings is something I personally dislike, Chrysanthemum." he says to your tiger ally. "People like her are wanton destroyers, bringing havoc and disruption everywhere they go. She's a plague of chaos, and I despise chaos."
>"Aren't you a killer, too?" Chrys asks pointedly.
>"I am a predator." he repeats. "She is a destroyer. I don't really need to explain the difference, do I? Surely you can't have forgotten everything from when you were a true tiger."
>Kiku bares her fangs at the lion. "I can arrange a demonstration of how much I've forgotten."
>Razorclaw shakes his head. "Spare your energy, it would be wasted on me. But I respect your spirit." he compliments her. "You have little fear when you look me in the eye, and yet you are a tiger. I respect that." he says, inclining his head. "If you choose to challenge Semitur yourself, Lotus, keep an eye on Chrysanthemum here. She's the sort of woman Semitur loves to corrupt."

[DracoOmega]

>"What sort of power does this Semitur possess?"

[Oldmansour]

>"What sort of power does this Semitur possess?"

>Razorclaw sits back on his haunches as he explains, "She is a magician, one of great talent. She doesn't seem to have a specialty school of magic, just very talented in a number of areas. But most of her strongest magic cannot be cast quickly. That is a weakness that you can exploit. She also possesses the ability to shapeshift, both naturally and with magic. Your mystical senses will be more reliable in tracking her than your normal senses if she tries to evade you. Except for you, White Rose." he adds, turning his head to look at Rin. "You have extremely keen hearing, don't you?"
>"Aye, I do."
>"She wears a gold chain with a fetish attached to it on her hip. The fetish is made of feather, bone and a preserved heart. It makes a distinctive noise when she walks. Listen for the sound of bone clattering against soft metal, and you can follow her."
>White Rose nods. "I'll remember. What does it smell like?"
>"The strongest scent would be the feathers. They're a mixture of bird youkai, alien feathers and tengu feathers. But it's not a strong smell. Trust your ears before your nose, Rose."
>She nods. "I understand." It startles you slightly how comfortable she seems around him.

>Lily pulls a face. "How can someone walk around with a heart on her hip and not get noticed?"
>"It is not a humanoid heart, it is a dragon's heart. Preserved as it is, it resembles nothing more than an unrefined hunk of amethyst crystal. But she can't draw power from it, fortunately for us. She doesn't know how."
>"Unless she's learned since the last time you saw her." Kenyu points out.
>"A fair point." Razorclaw admits. "Have you ever experienced dragon magic before, Lotus?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Nothing I knew of as such."

[Oldmansour]

>"Nothing I knew of as such."

>"It's a very potent kind of magic. Dragons from any world are incredibly powerful creatures. The heart of a dragon is a nexus of magical potential, but not everyone can unlock that potential. It takes a certain kind of skill, knowledge and daring. Fortunately for us, Semitur doesn't have the knowledge she needs."
>Haruka smiles her old smile. "Now I really know how badly you want Semitur dealt with. You're willing to let a dragon's heart fall into my hands."
>"I am." Razorclaw confirms. "And I know what you can do with one. But that's a price worth paying to see Semitur dead."
>"You're sure I'll kill her?"
>"I'm sure she won't leave you a choice. I know her, Haruka. I've studied her. She won't be taken alive. And I offer you the same warning, Lotus, if you choose to go after her yourself. Don't show her the same kind of mercy you showed the Stuntrons. She will make you regret it."

[DracoOmega]

>"I suppose she is practiced at taking advantage of others' mercies."

[Oldmansour]

>"I suppose she is practiced at taking advantage of others' mercies."

>"She is." Haruka confirms. "Our own people have confirmed this behavior."
>"She is a master of psychology." adds Razorclaw. "She has great skill at finding weak points in peoples' psyche and exploiting them. But," he adds, coming to his feet. You can't help but notice Kenyu and Kiku tense around you. "There may be someone you can show mercy to without giving Semitur a chance to exploit it. I know that you possess the ability to destroy a Youma without destroying the animal that was corrupted to make it. Do you have the ability to do the same thing to people corrupted by other forces?"

[DracoOmega]

>We do believe we could do this, right?
>Assuming so: "I would expect so, yes."

[Oldmansour]

>We do believe we could do this, right?
>Assuming so: "I would expect so, yes."

>It depends on the nature of the corruption, but, mostly, yes.
>"One of Semitur's other powers is the ability to corrupt other people. I don't mean to get them to do bad things, I mean corrupt them physically and spiritually. She enjoys playing with souls almost as much as she does consuming them. I can guarantee that at least one person on that plane will have been corrupted by her into some kind of demonic form, possibly even into another Succubus like her. I know that Sawashiro-san and her people are capable of exorcising that kind of demonic taint, but I also know that it isn't easy to do, and is even harder to do in the heat of battle. You, on the other hand, seem to have powers geared to do just that sort of thing in the heat of battle. You might be able to save her victims if Haruka can't."
>"Is that true?" Poppy asks Haruka.
>The eagle frowns as she nods. "In essence. I can sometimes reverse that kind of corruption, as can others here. But it isn't easy, and its never guaranteed. The power of you girls would probably be more effective than ours. Your power is a bane to evil, and evil is all Semitur's power is."

[DracoOmega]

>"But you don't believe that she herself could be redeemed in a similar fashion?"

[Oldmansour]

>"But you don't believe that she herself could be redeemed in a similar fashion?"

>"I don't believe so, no."
>"Normally I would agree." says Razorclaw. "But after what you did to the Stuntrons, I don't know if that's true anymore. You may well be able to corrupt her like you did them. But I don't believe you'll get the chance. I can't see her giving you the chance. She may even find a way to corrupt you or one of your group in the process."
>"You say that like you don't want to see it happen." Kenyu remarks.
>"I'd prefer to have Lotus and her group walking the streets rather than Semitur. Despite what they've done and the threat they represent. And I've seen what Semitur does to people." His eyes dart over Rin as he says, "That's not something I want to see more of."

[DracoOmega]

>"I will bear your warning in mind. And certainly this threat sounds like something that should not be ignored."

[Oldmansour]

>"I will bear your warning in mind. And certainly this threat sounds like something that should not be ignored."

>"So you do deal with matters beyond the Champions and my kind?" Razorclaw asks. "There was some debate among my Coven whether or not you'd get involved."

[DracoOmega]

>"The Champions are our foremost priority, it's true, but I will not turn a blind eye to any supernatural threat which endangers the people of this city. And it does sound like our powers may be better-suited for dealing with this one than many people's."
>Kiku, have you ever dealt with a succubus before, in your other line of work?

[Oldmansour]

>"The Champions are our foremost priority, it's true, but I will not turn a blind eye to any supernatural threat which endangers the people of this city. And it does sound like our powers may be better-suited for dealing with this one than many people's."
>Kiku, have you ever dealt with a succubus before, in your other line of work?

>Once, about four years ago.

[DracoOmega]

>How did it go?

[Oldmansour]

>How did it go?

>The assignment was difficult but not overly so. The Succubus in question had infiltrated a local strip club. She was working her way towards cornering her own corner of the vice in the city when she was discovered by one of the Brightbloods living in Mayoiga. When she went missing, we stepped in to handle the problem.
>Missing? Minoriko asks. Did you find her?
>Yes. She was still alive, she'd just been brainwashed by the Succubus. We managed to free her. But that Succubus wasn't as powerful as Semitur is. It won't be as easy to free the people she's corrupted. I would ask Razorclaw if he knows more about Semitur's powers. There may be more he hasn't spoken of yet, not the least being her corruptive powers.

[DracoOmega]

>Agreed.
>"Do you know anything else about her capabilities than what you've already said?"

[Oldmansour]

>Agreed.
>"Do you know anything else about her capabilities than what you've already said?"

>"Well, like all Succubi, she can fly. But she's not a very good flyer, so I don't think you can expect much in the way of aerial combat. Another reason I came to Sawashiro-san, that. Her servants may be another matter."
>"Can she summon servants in addition to corrupting people?" Poppy asks him.
>"Not that I know of. She has a broad range of magical talent, but Conjuration isn't among them."
>"Her most dangerous weapon is her corruptive nature. Every Succubus possesses a magical kiss, but Semitur can use her power with her voice, her eyes, a simple touch. Whatever you do, don't let her touch you. If she can lay hands on you, you're hers. And her kiss is even more potent."

[DracoOmega]

>"Noted."

[Oldmansour]

>"Noted."

>"You mentioned her eyes." Poppy says. "Does that mean she can hypnotize just by looking at someone?"
>"Yes, but the effect is more limited if someone is aware of her nature. She works better with victims that don't know what she is. And the effect is more pronounced when you meet her gaze. Don't look in her eyes if you can help it."

[DracoOmega]

>"You said she's a natural shape-shifter, but does she favor a particular form that you know of? I mean, from the way you describe her, I suspect I could sense her malevolence directly, but it doesn't hurt to be thorough."