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

[Oldmansour]

>What do we sense from it?

>You have a keen sense that this fluid does not originate from this world. Or perhaps that it was once water, but has been tainted so badly as to be unrecognizable as water anymore.
>The corridor is wide enough to accompany both you and Kiku abreast, and the feline youkai moves up to stand alongside you, her face an expression of one doing her best to keep disgust off her face.
>"Considerable taint." she states quietly. "And at least two odors I can't identify. It would not surprise me if this liquid was poisonous, if not worse."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Let me see if I can do something about it."
>Try to gather our power, and use it to urge the water to subsume and cast away its poisons as a person pursuing the noble truths would cast away her unethical desires, removing the poison and allowing the sediment to separate and fall harmlessly toward the bottom.

[Oldmansour]

>"Let me see if I can do something about it."
>Try to gather our power, and use it to urge the water to subsume and cast away its poisons as a person pursuing the noble truths would cast away her unethical desires, removing the poison and allowing the sediment to separate and fall harmlessly toward the bottom.

Very poetic.

>Kiku nods briefly, then takes a half-step back to let you do you thing.
>In a related tactic to the one you employed against the semi-natural darkness behind you, you attempt to coax the corruption out of the fluid before you. The effect here is more immediate, and rather more dramatic. The black sludge before you starts to bubble and churn, like it was boiling. The stench in the air intensifies.
>"What are you doing?" Kiku hisses.

[Hello Purvis]

I figure the more connected it is to Byakuren's ideology, the better it'll work and the more cred we'll have when it's time to beat the evil out of one of these guys.

>"Trying to remove the taint in it. Make sure nothing sneaks up on me."
>Does it feel like it's having an effect?

[Oldmansour]

>"Trying to remove the taint in it. Make sure nothing sneaks up on me."
>Does it feel like it's having an effect?

>Kiku gives you a somewhat dubious look, but says nothing. She merely half-turns, side on to the ooze, giving herself a better look at both ends of the corridor.
>Your tactic is definitely having SOME effect. Whether or not it is the effect you desire is somewhat unclear, at this point. The fluid doesn't seem to be giving off any sensations that register on your other senses, despite it's turbulent outward response. Although, for some reason, you find yourself feeling hungry.

[Hello Purvis]

>Keep at it. We can dine later. Perhaps dare Kiku to take one of those bottomless ramen bowl challenges...
>Stay calm and balanced. Just guide the water to act as water should, supporting life in all its ways.

[Oldmansour]

>Keep at it. We can dine later. Perhaps dare Kiku to take one of those bottomless ramen bowl challenges...
>Stay calm and balanced. Just guide the water to act as water should, supporting life in all its ways.

>You speculate about future dinner plans, after more immediate and pressing matters have been dealt with.
>As your attention remains focused on the tar-like water in front of you, though, your hunger intensifies, as does the bubbling of the liquid. Your efforts are certainly agitating it, though this could be a sign that its taint is boiling away. Perhaps not the most ideal manifestation of your goal, but not an entirely unwelcome one, if it's working. It's difficult to say.
>The youkai is young, supple. We must feed. We should take her, unaware.

[Hello Purvis]

>What was that red bit? How did we experience it?

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>What the-?
>"Kiku, be careful. I just... felt like I heard something, even though i didn't. I can't explain it. What I do know is that it said 'we' and that it wants to feed on you, so be alert. It-or they-is here somewhere."
>Can we sense anything from a specific location?

[Hello Purvis]

>What the-?
>"Kiku, be careful. I just... felt like I heard something, even though i didn't. I can't explain it. What I do know is that it said 'we' and that it wants to feed on you, so be alert. It-or they-is here somewhere."
>Can we sense anything from a specific location?

>Don't speak yet, until we understand what that was or something happens to threaten one of us physically.

[Oldmansour]

>What was that red bit? How did we experience it?

>It... was your own voice. In your mind. You really are hungry, after all....

>What the-?
>Can we sense anything from a specific location?

>It's hard to focus beyond your growing hunger. The predatory instinct. Yes. Yes, that's what it was. That's what it is, the instinct. The need to consume. The need... you share. Share with something. Share with the tar. Yes, you can sense it now, through the connection you've established with the liquid. It hungers. It consumes. That's what it is- hunger made manifest. You can sense more beyond this hunger, but it's hard to focus. Its need is yours.
>The bubbling and boiling intensifies even more, and wisps of black smoke drift off the surface of the tar. Kiku starts to turn again, back towards you. "Lotus..." she cautions, restrained tension in her voice. "I sense something.... foul, from that water. Something between it and you. Are you alright?"

[GuyYouMetOnline]

>Stop trying to affect the water.
>"It's... getting in my head."
>If the sensation fades after we stop: "I'm okay now. It happened when I tried to seperate the water from whatever that is that's in it."

[Hello Purvis]

>Stop trying to affect the water.
>"It's... getting in my head."
>If the sensation fades after we stop: "I'm okay now. It happened when I tried to seperate the water from whatever that is that's in it."

>Don't do any of this just yet.
>We can deal with an urge to consume; mere hunger is but a physical desire that we can set aide for the greater good. Rather, let us not forget what our dark side has told us. Do not reject the hunger; explore it, find the roots of why it hungers, what it truly wants and what it truly needs. There is nothing to fear, we walk the path of the Buddha, this is nothing compared to what he faced. Mere hunger shall not sway us.


Let's not run away from this immediately. We're stronger than this thing is, more sure of the truth of our beliefs and understanding of the universe. It cannot corrupt us, we've already faced our own darkest desires, accepted them, and have turned them toward working for the greater good. If it wishes to try to assault us with what what we've already overcome, then it may expend the effort. And in turn, it can see that we've gone beyond such things. Perhaps we can influence it.

[Oldmansour]

>Don't do any of this just yet.
>We can deal with an urge to consume; mere hunger is but a physical desire that we can set aide for the greater good. Rather, let us not forget what our dark side has told us. Do not reject the hunger; explore it, find the roots of why it hungers, what it truly wants and what it truly needs. There is nothing to fear, we walk the path of the Buddha, this is nothing compared to what he faced. Mere hunger shall not sway us.

>Yes. Embrace the need. The instinct. It is all. It is.... all? The beings around are differnent. Take them. Consume them. Make them yours. Make them vanish. Reach out and consume.
>There is more than simple hunger, far more, you know this. It goes deeper. It is not a... not a desire, not even a need. It is simply what this liquid is. It consumes everything it is not. It is bottomless, unsatiable.
>And why shouldn't it? Why shouldn't you? Everything different is food. Everything not yourself should be consumed, must be consumed.
>The black liquid is not you. Take it and drink it all down. Consume.
>The female is standing next to you, her flesh warm. Tear it away. Consume. Her blood is hot. You can smell its coppery sweetness. Open her and drink it. She is making noises, words. Freeze them and pluck them from the air. Consume.
>A need. A terrible need. It needs to consume. You need to consume, to fill, to restore, to be whole, to be complete. To drag the different things into yourself.
>But there must be a why. Mustn't there? Must not all creatures have a why, a basis of instinct? Can this... thing BE a creature? Can there be truly be something beneath this horrible empty feeling of hunger?
>You are strong. So very strong. So very centered. You are Byakuren Hijiri. You are Magical Lotus. You are, you MUST be, stronger than what lies before you.
>You are so hungry....
>More steam rises from the surface of the black ooze. A sound reaches your ears, but you can't make sense of it. Send out your will and take it. Consume. You think the liquid is beginning to undulate, swirl, as though it were swirled like fine brandy in a cup.
>You are so very hungry....


EDIT: Ow, my eyes. Sorry about the orange there, but I realized after the fact that I didn't want to use red here, got something else in mind for red, and since I'm a green lantern fan, Orange seemed a good color for 'hunger' voice. Didn't realize it was so glaring against this blue background.

[Hanzo K.]

Well guys? I dunno about you, but I'm getting danger flags from this thing.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

I still say we should stop trying to affect the water.

[Hanzo K.]

Yeah, these warning flags just scream 'Bad End'. I think that if this were a jRPG, this'd be one of those bonus bosses you aren't meant to mess with until later.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

In that case:

>Stop trying to affect the water.
>"It's... getting in my head."
>If the sensation fades after we stop: "I'm okay now. It happened when I tried to seperate the water from whatever that is that's in it."

[Hello Purvis]

In that case:

>Hold a moment.



I'm not seeing it at all, actually. It's just giving us some impulses, and Byakuren is pretty much impulse control incarnate, so there's really no way it would truly affect us. Again, we've already faced our own dark impulses, seen the delusion in them, and brought them into our own purposes, what more can this really do to us? We won't act on such things, because that's how Byakuren does.

This is just running away from the fight we came here to have, trying to overcome this thing's power and bring it into the light. There's no need to run from that, let's win it instead like we came to do.

Edit: In short, I'm not seeing bad end, I'm seeing the next challenge. Any kind of induce hunger is not hard for Byakuren to ignore, I think. She knows it's not real, because she wasn't feeling it before she came down here. And I am thinking it is possible to affect the hunger to our advantage, we just need to play some psychic Judo on it.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

Current vote is 2 to 1 in favor of backing off from trying to seperate water and evil shit, and mine is still the same. Hanzo?

[Hello Purvis]

Rather than votes, shall we discuss?

Is there any real reason to flee, when we can use this opportunity to make progress in the right way and proceed as a someone like Byakuren would wish to? As I've established, I don't think it can truly affect us. Do we have a reason to think it would, because fake impulses Byakuren can reason away and ignore? At this point, we're giving up the fight after the first shot.

[GuyYouMetOnline]

It is affecting us, and we're not fleeing. I don't know what gave you that idea. I'm just saying we should stop trying to purify the water. It's not getting us very far, and it is causing us problems. Instead, we should find the creature we're looking for. And if it is, in fact, the gunk in the water (which it may well be), then we should confront it directly.

[Hello Purvis]

I meant fleeing in the since of giving up this particular conflict. We're not affecting it because we've not really tried to affect it aside from bland purification. The next step, as I mentioned, is to see if we can manipulate the hunger aspect and judo it into doing something more useful.

If it hungers something, let us try to manipulate it to hunger for something more useful. We'll manipulate it into hungering for understanding of the world. And then we shall feed it and turn it to our advantage.

[Hanzo K.]

I'm with GYMO on this, which means a 2-to-1 in favor of giving this up for the time being.
At least until we've got more info.

[Hello Purvis]

Alright. I think we're wasting an opportunity to do things the Byakuren way in favor of possible physical violence which is not the Byakuren way. But if I can't convince yalls, so be it.

[Hanzo K.]

..You do  realize we can come back to this after investigating the rest of this place, right?

[Hello Purvis]

Presuming we haven't tipped off our enemy or gone into a trap. Given it lairs here, there's probably countermeasures of some kind.

[Hanzo K.]

Well, I still get the feeling we're missing something here. We should check the other locations down here.
And if those don't work out, then you're welcome to hammer away at this goo-thing again.

[Hello Purvis]

The thing is, that makes the presumption our enemy is just going to sit there and wait for us, and not set up countermeasures, or actively hit us while were doing some other things.  This is an opportunity we may not have again (I would say likely not, but that's a meta argument), and it's a definite chance to deal with the corrupted nature of this place right now.

[Hanzo K.]

Well, given that it's a mostly-immobile pile of glop, it's not too unreasonable for byakuren to come to the conclusion that it's not going anywhere.
Besides, some things you can't always manage to hammer out on the first try. We both should know that. I know I do.
So my point's this; We go check out the other areas, see what we can dig up, and use that time away from it to come up with a better plan.