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

[Hello Purvis]

So, we wait, and probably let things metastasize, or we try to deal with the problem ourself and possibly risk Eagle.

I prefer the latter, myself. We can send Eagle away and hope, and rescue her if needs be. But if we let this go, the past has suggested it'll quickly become a problem to everyone.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

An hour's quite a while, so yes, let's move now. I still think it's safer for Eagle if she's with us; yes, we know there'll be danger, but we also know we'll be there to protect her. But whatever.

>"An hour's too long, anyways. There's no telling what could happen in that time. I'm going in now. I'll handle this, and I'll let you know as soon as I have. Bye."
>Hang up.
>Where's a good place nearby for Eagle to wait? If we don't know, ask her.

[Oldmansour]

>"An hour's too long, anyways. There's no telling what could happen in that time. I'm going in now. I'll handle this, and I'll let you know as soon as I have. Bye."
>Hang up.
>Where's a good place nearby for Eagle to wait? If we don't know, ask her.

>Terminating your conversation with Lily, you turn your attention to the question of what to do with Eagle while you deal with whatever new danger awaits you with Ran's.
>The handful of people on the street appear unconcerned, or unconscious, of your sense. Eagle might not have noticed anything either, but between your remarks to her, and your abbreviated conversation with your ally, she's definately giving you the eye.
>The malicious aura seems localized entirely within Ran's, not extending to the exterior at all, to the best of your recollection. Assuming whatever's inside the jewelers stays in there, Eagle should be safe anywhere outside.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Eagle, I need you to wait a few blocks away. Things...just trust me, please. This is like how I knew that Marigold was about to be born."

[Oldmansour]

>"Eagle, I need you to wait a few blocks away. Things...just trust me, please. This is like how I knew that Marigold was about to be born."

>The Eagle folds her arms across her chest, one eyebrow firmly raised.
>"If you'll recall, I was the one the pointed out the fact that the ring was glowing to you. And I don't see no glowing rings 'round here now."

[Hello Purvis]

>"I have. It's in the store, the whole store. Just trust me, please. You know I wouldn't ask this of you without a good reason."

[Oldmansour]

>"I have. It's in the store, the whole store. Just trust me, please. You know I wouldn't ask this of you without a good reason."

>The youkai gives you an appraising look, taking a seemingly agonizingly long time. "But this isn't like Marigold. It's more dangerous. This is that danger you think you can handle but I can't." She looks towards the store's entrance, it's illuminated open sign. She gestures towards the empty alley next to the store. "Mind if I work on my task while you work on yours?"

[Hello Purvis]

>Nod.
>"Meet me back at the bus stop. Or if I can't be there, I'll call you."
>Collect Eagle's digits, if we hain't already. No Mamis >=[

[Oldmansour]

>Nod.
>"Meet me back at the bus stop. Or if I can't be there, I'll call you."
>Collect Eagle's digits, if we hain't already. No Mamis >=[

>The Eagle has no cell phone, and no digits to collect, for the next several months. And reminds you of this.
>"Bus stop works. Or hey, never know, could take no time, and I'll still be in that alley." She then lets her grin fall away, and gives you a serious look. "I don't know what this is, Byakuren, but I know how serious you're taking it. So I'll just say, good luck. And if I see Kiku, because I know she's following us, I'll tell her to stay out of your affair, too."

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>"Thank you."
>Take a moment to ready ourselves, then enter.

[Oldmansour]

>"Thank you."
>Take a moment to ready ourselves, then enter.

>While the Eagle goes around to do her thing in the alley by the building, you turn your attention to the building itself.
>Placing your hand upon the door, you feel a wave of repulsion wash over you. The aura you sense seems to be a barrier of some sort. But whatever it's true nature and purpose, it doesn't seem to be strong enough to actually block your entry. So you push the door open, expecting to find trouble within.

>You are not dissapointed. When you were here earlier today, it was pleasantly warm in here; this time, there's an unearthly chill in the air. And the sounds of battle overhead.
>There are six-foot tall heart-shaped... coffins, you'd call them, scattered across the sales floor, all upright, each with what appears to be a gauge of some sort on the front. You're not sure what this indicates.
>Some of the sales cases on the floor up the stairs in front of you have been broken, their contents on the floor around you.
>Crouching down in front of the counter near the entrance, for cover, is the aging oni, Doubles, you spoke with earlier. Except this time, he has a gun in his hand. He pops up over the counter to fire off a couple of shots at the monstrous figure in the air above him, ducking back down to avoid the blast of yellow energy the thing fires back at him.
>Said figure is another yellow-skinned figure, but this one has a shock of orange hair, spiked, on its head, as well as what appears to be fun on his arms and legs. It wears a short blue sundress, and its fingers and toes end in jagged claws. An ugly, black heart-shaped necklace is draped about her neck, and wispy tendrils of green energy trail from the coffin-things into this necklace. And it is taking fire not only from the pistol-wielding oni, but from a woman wearing a nice business suit, with ten fluffy tails, floating in midair several feet away from the youma. And currently throwing balls of energy at the thing. Both her blasts, and Doubles' ammo, dissipate against a screen of yellowish energy before the youma.
>"Human weapons are as useless against me as you are, youkai." it taunts the kitsune in a voice that screeches like a cat getting its' tail stepped on.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>No time to get them away before changing. Try to step out of sight, though.
>Transformation sequence go!

[Oldmansour]

>No time to get them away before changing. Try to step out of sight, though.
>Transformation sequence go!

>Hoping the three active figures keep their attentions focused on each other, you take a few steps to one side, and invoke the phrase, "Lotus Purity Ascension". In a swirl of light, Byakuren Hijiri transforms in Magical Lotus, Hero of the Heart!

[Hello Purvis]

>Can we sense anything new immediately?

[Oldmansour]

>Can we sense anything new immediately?

>As a matter of fact, you can. It takes a moment to place, but you have a distinct impression that giant of a man you passed outside Ran's some hours ago is inside this building. But you can't quite place where at the moment.
>You also have a sense of imminent impending danger, and you hear Doubles yell "Get down, ya fool!"

[Hello Purvis]

>Down!
>Presuming we still have the option, while down, have a better look at those caskets.

[Oldmansour]

>Down!
>Presuming we still have the option, while down, have a better look at those caskets.

>You dive forward and to the side, just as a ray of cold blue energy strikes the floor where you stood seconds ago.
>"Quick for a human." the youma screeches. "For all the good it will do you."
>Glancing at the nearest coffin, which is where one of the security officers stood before, you discern that these coffins do have seams, where they might be opened, but they appear to have been fused shut. The gauge on the front of the coffin seems to be depleting slowly.
>"Get outta here while ya can, girlie!" Doubles yells at you again, opening fire again. The sounds of gunfire sound so much louder in person than on TV...

[Hello Purvis]

>What is the youma doing? Take a moment to scruntize it.
>"Get out of here, Doubles! You aren't able to deal with this like I can!"

[Oldmansour]

>What is the youma doing? Take a moment to scruntize it.
>"Get out of here, Doubles! You aren't able to deal with this like I can!"

>At the moment, it is dogfighting with Ran again. The kitsune's energy blasts don't appear to be doing much against the youma's energy field, but the youma's return fire is equally ineffective, as Ran proves more nimble than the business suit would imply. "Your resistance is pointless, youkai! You lack the will to harm this body, and your pet oni is useless."
>"That's what you think..." you hear Doubles mutter as he reaches into this coat.
>Your furthur scrutiny of the youma reveals a 'core' in its chest, similar to the one that the last youma had. However, this core is obscured, concealed and protected by a dense black energy.
>"Dunno how you know me name, girlie, but I'm not yer average oni." He ejects the magazine from his pistol and withdraws a red-colored one from his pocket. "Haven't used these in a lotta years...." he mutters again as he slides the clip home. Standing, he takes aim at the youma again, its back turned fully to him. "Suck on this!" He fires again, but this time, the bullet sparks in the air, and makes contact with the youma's skin, exploding on impact in a cloud of red dust. The youma shudders visibly.

[Hello Purvis]

>Recall what sorts of abilites we had uncovered to date.

[Oldmansour]

>Recall what sorts of abilites we had uncovered to date.

>Offensive abilities, or supernatural abilities in general?

[Hello Purvis]

>Both.

[Oldmansour]

>Both.

>You have demonstated the ability to see beneath the skin of the youma creatures, to see the core of their being. It is unclear why you were able to see more details about the ring-youma than you can see in this one.
>You had a similar experience when your ring was in contact with the ring worn by Lily White, although that contact was much more intimate. You see could see everything about her, and she of you. And the two of you came away temporarily changed, as well. You seemed to carry a sense of the joy in Lily's heart for a while, and Lily herself seemed more composed, peaceful, like she picked up a sense of your inner strength and focus.

>In order to purify the object corrupted into the youma you fought days ago, you employed an ability called "Violet Lotus: Realization of the Wandering." This took the form a lavender-colored beam of light fired from the tip of your scepter. The doll you spoke with seemed to think that this power, to remove the corruption from an object without destroying it in the process, was unique to you.

>You have gained a sense of the supernatural forces around you, such as the aura of age and wisdom you detected when in the woods of the Metal Tiger, as well as the oddly familiar sensation you picked up on when you bumped into that tall man on the street hours ago. This sense is how you knew something was wrong here, as well.

[Hello Purvis]

>"Hurting it is only going to make it worse, Mr. Doubles! Just get out of here and let me handle it!"

[Oldmansour]

>"Hurting it is only going to make it worse, Mr. Doubles! Just get out of here and let me handle it!"

>"Ah'm goin' nowhere until everyone here's back to normal an' that thing's beaten. And no young girl's gonna tell me t'run away from a fight. Ah didn't run from these beasties the last time I met em, not gonna do it this time." He fires again, but this his bullet is intercepted by an answering burst of energy from the youkai, and it follows up by launching a heart-shaped blast of black energy from its pendant. The aging oni fires two shots into the black heart, but while both bullets explode against the thing, it neither slows nor dissipates.
>"Bloody hell...." he whispers.

[Hello Purvis]

>"It'll be alright."
>Contemplate the caskets, which is closest, and which seems to have the lowest gauge?

[Oldmansour]

>"It'll be alright."
>Contemplate the caskets, which is closest, and which seems to have the lowest gauge?

>"I hope you're RIGHT!" he yelps, desperately diving down and sideways to avoid the youma's attack, which casts off murky energy, like polluted water, when it touches the ground, leaving a black stain on the store floor.
The youma then spins and launches a volley of shots at Ran, who deflects the ones that would have hit her with her tails, each of which give off a light glow.
>The closest casket to you is only a couple feet away from you. None of the gauges you can see go any lower than slightly more than half full, most not even that far down, but there are some which do not have their gauges aimed at you.

[Hello Purvis]

>Throw open the casket.

[Oldmansour]

>Throw open the casket.

>You come to your feet and attempt to open that casket. As you noted earlier, however, it is firmly sealed, and easily resists your efforts.

[Hello Purvis]

>Reminder: Do we have a wand or scepter?