Author Topic: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6 [COMPLETED]  (Read 54579 times)

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #60 on: October 22, 2014, 07:30:51 AM »
>Let's place a barrier between the tentacles and White Rose. While we expect they can go around it, the idea is to buy time; and force more exertion.

>With a quick flick of your scepter, you send out a simple shield to intercept the youma's tentacles, while Rin visibly braces herself like one about to start tumbling. The youma doesn't bother to try to send its quartet of tentacles around your shield, it simply sends them straight into it.  The four appendages strike the shield almost as one, shattering the thing without slowing all that much.  Flickers of black energy run up and down the tentacles when they contact your power shield, and you have a sense that these weapons may be the best the youma has to throw at its enemies.
>Your shield did have one positive effect, though. The tentacles all came very close together when they penetrated the shield, and remained so on the other side. This means that White Rose has, for the moment, only one attack angle to cover. The agile catwoman leaps backwards through the air, gaining a very surprising amount of altitude in the doing, as the gathered tentacles slam into the ground where she had been standing, sending debris flying at great speeds. Your kasha narrows her eyes at the tentacles and holds her arm over her head, palm up. "White Retainer's Cutting Wheel!" Another disc of power grows out of the palm of her hand, this one a mixture of grey and red, and edged with numerous cutting edges, looking for all the world like a magical buzzsaw. It even sounds like a massive buzzsaw when it starts spinning, and you're sure that if the youma can feel fear, it would be at least a little dismayed at the sight of that terrible blade and its awful noise. You certainly would.

>While Rin has been employing her new attack, the two mikos have not been idle either. Lillian slaps two talismans on both of her arms, and the magical glow returns to her limbs as the enhansement spell takes a hold. The bank of fog, meanwhile, swirls about as though it was stirred, and begins to reshape into two pillairs of damp mist.


And since, I admit, I forgot to address this part earlier:

>Then let's do a temporary reinforcement, so that we can function without trouble, but without making the wounds worse for it.

>After you enact your floating shield, you take a moment direct some healing energy into your lower torso. The pain of your damaged ribs ebbs, but your breathing is still a bit more labored than normal. It's about the best you can manage on short notice, but at least it didn't seem to draw too much power.

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Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #61 on: October 22, 2014, 09:01:41 AM »
>Do we feel we could enhance ourself, to continue to be a distraction to the youma and force it to exert more effort?

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #62 on: October 22, 2014, 10:40:59 PM »
>Do we feel we could enhance ourself, to continue to be a distraction to the youma and force it to exert more effort?

>Define 'enhance yourself'.

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Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #63 on: October 22, 2014, 10:43:24 PM »
>Essentially what we did before, but moreso.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #64 on: October 22, 2014, 11:02:45 PM »
>Essentially what we did before, but moreso.

>You believe so. But it would blunt your magical capabilities in proportion to the emphasis you put on speed and strength.

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Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #65 on: October 22, 2014, 11:09:21 PM »
>Let's do this, emphasizing dexterity and reflexes, and get in there.
>"Don't worry about attacking it, just keep it busy!"

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #66 on: October 23, 2014, 01:38:12 AM »
>Let's do this, emphasizing dexterity and reflexes, and get in there.
>"Don't worry about attacking it, just keep it busy!"

>The youma presses the attack against White Rose as you focus on rearranging your stats again, swapping magical ability for speed and strength. The quartet of tentacles seperate as the youma pulls them out of the dirt and sends them forward again, heading towards Rin from different angles. The kasha merely stands there, defiant, increasing the speed and the noise of the buzzsaw over her head. You hear her say something that you can't quite translate before she rears back and lets her Cutting Wheel fly. Three tentacles are in the path of her flying cutter, and three tentacles are chooped up by White Rose's attack, a dark purple ichor spouting from the appendages as the kasha's attack cuts them to ribbons. The youma howls in pain, the last tentacle wavering in its path, forcing Rin to do no more than take a small step to the left to evade it. The disc presses on like an errant chainsaw, cutting through eventually all of the tencles' flesh before striking the main body of the youma. Only then does the Wheel stop, dissipating harmlessly against the brute's invulnerable torso, but not before leaving several dozen chunks of tentacular flesh between it and Rin.
>The youma, visibly shaken by the attack on its tentacles, reels the ruined appengages back into its second mouth as the two mikos resume their attack. "How's this fer busy?" Lillian quips as she punches her two fists forward, discharging fist-shaped bursts of watery aligned magic towards the youma. Diverted by the pain of its damaged tentacles, the brute makes no effort to dodge. The first fist is a bit off-target, striking the youma harmlessly below its neck, having no effect. The left fist however smacks the youma squarely in its jaw, staggering the thing. Makie's attack comes just after, the manta-winged youkai having shaped her fog bank into two long pillairs of water and fog, resembling the sacred onbashira poles, and launching them at the youma. The first pole impacts the youma in the temple, wrenching the thing's head sideways, and the youma falls to its foreknees, causing the second pole to fly over its head harmlessly. Nevertheless, your allies attacks have clearly taken their toll on the youma.

>"It's down! Blast it, Lotus!" White Rose yells as you charge the thing again with your newly enhansed speed.

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Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #67 on: October 23, 2014, 06:48:51 AM »
>Does its armor seem to have taken any effect from that? And how is our spell coming along on chipping away at it?

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #68 on: October 23, 2014, 09:47:35 AM »
>Does its armor seem to have taken any effect from that? And how is our spell coming along on chipping away at it?

>The invulnerability aspect of the thing's body seems undisturbed, both by this pummeling and by your Orange Lotus. However, the swirling darkness protecting the youma's core has thinned a bit. Not quite enough, you think, to leave it susceptible to your Violet Lotus, but definate progress. This may be one of the few cases where it's easier to knock down the second layer of defense while the first layer is still intact.

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Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #69 on: October 23, 2014, 10:27:26 AM »
>Well then, let's get in there an make the thing work up a sweat! Try to fake it into thinking we're leaving openings while trying to aggress on it, so that it attacks on our terms, and we can more easily dodge around such.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #70 on: October 24, 2014, 07:50:39 AM »
>Well then, let's get in there an make the thing work up a sweat! Try to fake it into thinking we're leaving openings while trying to aggress on it, so that it attacks on our terms, and we can more easily dodge around such.

>Despite White Rose's urgings, you do not attack the youma, contenting yourself to merely approach and taunt it. The centauric creature, recovering from the effective attacks from your companions, takes a backhand swing at you which you skip back away from easily.
>"What are you DOING?!" Lillian yells, almost at the same time as White Rose shouts, "What're ya doin'?"

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Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #71 on: October 24, 2014, 09:23:04 AM »
>To Rin: I've placed a spell on it to draw its own power when it acts and turn such against itself. You can see why I don't want to say this out loud!
>Keep up the baiting. Float like a Muhammad Ali!

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #72 on: October 27, 2014, 05:53:20 AM »
>To Rin: I've placed a spell on it to draw its own power when it acts and turn such against itself. You can see why I don't want to say this out loud!

>I guess. But why don't ya just shoot it in the head. Bein' that close to it's the worst place you can be.
>Rin's urging is echoed by Makie, who you sense is preparing another spell. "Get away from it, Lotus, before it nails you again!"

>Keep up the baiting. Float like a Muhammad Ali!

>Heedless of your comrades advice, you narrowly duck under another wild swing from the youma. As you do, though, you start to feel as though they just might be right. Even with your enhanced speed, you're not moving as fast as you'd want, not with your damaged ribs impacting your breathing. You've already been on the receiving end of several blows from this youma, one more could prove disastrous. And you're not sure how much longer you'll be able to stay ahead of it's swings. It's already come closer than you'd like.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #73 on: October 27, 2014, 06:47:54 AM »
>I guess. But why don't ya just shoot it in the head.

Yes, why don't we? Why are we giving the youma yet more opportunities to inflict damage upon us (which it has done quite successfully multiple times already!) so that we can charge some means to maybe punch a hole in its shield when a large hole already exists, and has been known to us since before anyone fired a single shot during this battle? To say nothing of how many times we've been directly warned here that remaining within reach of it is significantly ominous for our continued health. Any hope of impressing the 'futility of its actions' upon it seems substantially undermined by its actions having been repeatedly quite successful so far, and with no sign that this is about to change!

>How long would it take us to switch our magical abilities back to full power?
>Does the youma seem still impaired enough to give us time to do so and then take our shot, at least if we were out of range of its limbs?
>Our Orange Lotus accumulates charge as the youma uses its energy, but does not noticeably dull the power of attacks that it makes with that energy, yes?
>Where has Air been during all this, anyway?

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #74 on: October 27, 2014, 07:13:10 AM »
>How long would it take us to switch our magical abilities back to full power?
>Does the youma seem still impaired enough to give us time to do so and then take our shot, at least if we were out of range of its limbs?
>Our Orange Lotus accumulates charge as the youma uses its energy, but does not noticeably dull the power of attacks that it makes with that energy, yes?
>Where has Air been during all this, anyway?

>Between 20 and 30 seconds, approximately.
>Despite the pummeling it has taken, it doesn't appear to have lost any of its combat potential. You'd need either a lot of distance or a distraction in order to put your stats back to their default layout.
>Not as far as you can tell. It certainly doesn't seem to have lost any of its striking force since you stuck it with your Orange light.
>You haven't noticed it do anything. You've had your attention elsewhere, after all.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #75 on: October 27, 2014, 07:35:21 AM »
>Well, we may not have had much time to pay attention, but has it still been roughly nearby, observing? We would have noticed if it had flown off and was busy being magical elsewhere, yes?
>We can't easily repurpose the energy accumulated by Orange Lotus for anything else on the fly, can we?
>Just how impaired do we think our magical offense is at the moment? Would a Scarlet Lotus probably still at least distract it?

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #76 on: October 27, 2014, 07:36:51 AM »
>Well, we may not have had much time to pay attention, but has it still been roughly nearby, observing? We would have noticed if it had flown off and was busy being magical elsewhere, yes?
>We can't easily repurpose the energy accumulated by Orange Lotus for anything else on the fly, can we?
>Just how impaired do we think our magical offense is at the moment? Would a Scarlet Lotus probably still at least distract it?

>Not necessarily. The youma has virtually dominated your attention since it first charged you.
>Not with your magical ability blunted the way it is.
>It might distract it, but it wouldn't do any signifigant damage.
« Last Edit: October 27, 2014, 07:38:28 AM by Namusour »

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #77 on: October 27, 2014, 07:45:57 AM »
>Would we have any openings for a good solid parting boot/fist to the head without exposing ourself unduly to reprisal, if we were to immediately withdraw out of range afterward? Or is its reach and speed too great to feel confident in this?
>Is the effectiveness of our barriers similarly impaired by our stat shift?

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #78 on: October 27, 2014, 07:54:50 AM »
>Would we have any openings for a good solid parting boot/fist to the head without exposing ourself unduly to reprisal, if we were to immediately withdraw out of range afterward? Or is its reach and speed too great to feel confident in this?
>Is the effectiveness of our barriers similarly impaired by our stat shift?

>The youma has proven vulnerable to being temporarily stunned by strong enough blows to its head before. With your enhanced strength, a solid enough blow to its head could knock it off balance enough to enable you to get beyond its arms, legs and tail.
>Yes. You can now physically block blows better, but far less so at doing so magically.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #79 on: October 27, 2014, 08:24:07 AM »
>Give the youma a quick, but fierce punch to the head between the first exploitable gap in its own attacks. Put as much force into it as we reasonably can without sacrificing our agility: let's make this strength bonus count for something.
>Then quickly get the hell away from it and out of melee range. Put a comfortable amount of distance between us.
>Then let's reverse our self-enchant and get our full magical power back again

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #80 on: October 27, 2014, 09:11:41 AM »
>Give the youma a quick, but fierce punch to the head between the first exploitable gap in its own attacks. Put as much force into it as we reasonably can without sacrificing our agility: let's make this strength bonus count for something.
>Then quickly get the hell away from it and out of melee range. Put a comfortable amount of distance between us.

>The centaur-like youma, snarling and growling in frustration at its inability to connect with you, takes another savage backhanded swing at your head. Very narrowly you duck beneath this blow, the hairs on the top of your head tousled badly by the air displaced by the massive limb. Deciding that enough is enough, you finally answer back. With your right fist wrapped in red and white light, you though a stiff uppercut at the youma's jaw, before it launches another attack at you. The graceless youma, enraged by your display of agility, takes your glowing fist squarely on its equine chin, and its head rocks back like Frazier smoked him one.
>With the youma momentarily stunned by the force of your blow, which also weakened its dark core further, you quickly turn and beat feet away from the monstrous centaur, back in White Rose's general direction. The kasha beckons you on when you hear the brute behind you bellow, and then you hear the sound of its flame breath being launched. Right away Rin's arms move to create another wheel of hers, but before her technique forms you feel a rush of water magic behind you. Makie has casted again, and based on the sound of steam hissing angrily, she has erected another watery barrier, shielding your backside from the youma's flame and enabling you to make good on your escape. White Rose tosses the miko a quick wave of thanks.

>Then let's reverse our self-enchant and get our full magical power back again

>Once you feel somewhat comfortable about the distance between you and the youma, being just behind Rin's position, you turn your focus inward again, shuffling your stats back to their normal layout. You don't get a chance to finish this though before the youma bellows again and charges forward, plowing through Makie's wall like it was made of thin paper. Your eyes show you a curious thing about its dark heart. There are cracks forming both on its dark core and the heart it is corrupting. But you don't have time to think about it with the youma bearing down on you. White Rose and Lillian dash forward to intercept the thing while you try to catch your breath and adjust your powers. White Rose dashes on all fours, like the cat she is, and proves to be quite spritely over a short distance. When she gets close to the youma, she veers off to her left, trying to distract the thing from you. Her attempt fails, and the centaur continues its bullrush towards you. Lillian, however, is more direct. Planting herself to the right of the incoming youma, she waits until the thing draws close, then swings her own powerful, glowing tail at the youma's head. The magically enhanced appendage connects with the side of the youma's head, making the brute stagger and collapse forward, digging a trench in the damp grass as it skids to a halt. The cracks in the youma's heart worsen after this attack, but it does give you just enough time to finish your stat shuffling.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #81 on: October 27, 2014, 09:23:12 AM »
>Are these cracks in the thing that has BEEN corrupted and not in the corruption itself? In other words, does it look like we are doing more damage to whatever lies beneath this youma's being than the darkness that grips it?
>Do we think the darkness around the core is weakened enough for Violet Lotus to affect it?

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #82 on: October 27, 2014, 09:37:15 AM »
>Are these cracks in the thing that has BEEN corrupted and not in the corruption itself? In other words, does it look like we are doing more damage to whatever lies beneath this youma's being than the darkness that grips it?
>Do we think the darkness around the core is weakened enough for Violet Lotus to affect it?

>You can't be sure, you've never seen this in a youma's core before. But it does definitely appear that both the heart of the creature corrupted and the dark core that is doing the corrupting are taking damage. Which, you realize with a certain chill, makes a kind of sense based on what you've been told. Both Ran and Haruka have said that, apart from the power you've demonstrated, there is no way to save something or someone that's been turned. Conventional attacks, such as the term applies, would lead to only destruction, and that's all that's been hitting the youma.
>Again, you can't be certain, but you believe so. And you certainly HOPE so, since you're not sure just how much more of a pounding this thing can take before something tragic occurs.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #83 on: October 27, 2014, 09:43:02 AM »
>Then we better make this count. Let's give it the strongest Violet Lotus we can muster. We will not let this creature die here. We will make things right. We will save it.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #84 on: October 27, 2014, 10:26:37 AM »
>Then we better make this count. Let's give it the strongest Violet Lotus we can muster. We will not let this creature die here. We will make things right. We will save it.

>Having now the opportunity and the power to fully unleash your power upon the wounded youma, you twirl your scepter before you and, pointing it at the stricken creature, and call out "Violet Lotus: Realizations of the Wanderings!" The shaft of violet light that emerges from your scepter is larger and more intense than the previous times you have employed it, and you can sense that this is not just because of the intent behind its present usage. Your powers have grown stronger since you added Rin to your ranks, you are sure of that. But you'll have time analyze this later. Right now there's a living creature that needs your help, and you pour every ounce of will you can draw upon into your spell. To hell with damaged ribs, they're irrelevant now.
>Damaged or not, this youma's still much better made than the ones you've fought before, and its dark core doesn't give up easily. Stubbornly the dark core within the creature resists your light even as it suffuses the lifeform around it, and beads of sweat start to trickle down your forehead into your eyes. Lillian and White Rose look on, amazed at the energy you put forth. You hear Rin breathe something in Eire as she gazes at you. You're fairly certain she said 'beautiful'.
>Uncertain still if your power will be enough to get the job done, you recall the Orange lotus drawing power from the youma is still intact. Reaching out with your mind, you tap into that reservoir of power, channeling the power leeched from the youma itself into your Violet light, and the beam grows even more wide, even more intense.
>The youma's black seed is stubborn and well made, but the veil of darkness protecting it has simply taken too much damage to keep your Violet light off the core, especially reinforced with Orange energy. Brighter and brighter the core glows, and the youma howls one more time, yet the sound is muted and altered, the whinny of a horse as much as the bellow of the creature it had become. With one final push from you, your Violet light finally scrubs the dark seed away, dissipating it into composite molecules. The youma, like those before it, yells out, "The light takes me...!" as its body is subsumed in the brilliant glow of purification. The silhouette of the demonic centaur melts and shrinks, and when your light fades, a large dull white horse with a diamond shaped patch of discolored hair on its muzzle lies on the ground, unmoving and unconscious, but still very much alive.

>And then you promptly sink down to one knee, sweating and panting, momentarily drained.
« Last Edit: October 27, 2014, 10:29:49 AM by Namusour »

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #85 on: October 27, 2014, 10:32:39 AM »
>Let's catch our breath and try to collect ourselves. We did it!
>But try to spare at least a little attention to get a sense of where Air is and what they might be doing. This isn't quite over yet.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #86 on: October 27, 2014, 10:46:12 AM »
>Let's catch our breath and try to collect ourselves. We did it!
>But try to spare at least a little attention to get a sense of where Air is and what they might be doing. This isn't quite over yet.

>Despite being winded, you spare a moment to smile. Things were pretty touchy there for a while, and it took everything you had to spare, but you saved that horse. That's worth a moment's pride.
>But you put it out of your mind quickly as you steel yourself, looking around for the Champion of Air. Beating the youma may have been only have the fight. However, neither your eyes nor your mystic senses show any sign of the Air demon's presence.
>White Rose doesn't seem to share your sense of concern, as she lets out a cheer, which Lillian is quick to mirror. "We did it!" The kasha quickly runs to your side and places her hand lightly on your left shoulder. "You okay, Mi- Lotus?"

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Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #87 on: October 27, 2014, 11:55:57 AM »
Short version? Because things like that didn't work before and I'm reasonably bewildered as to why they worked now.

>"Yeah, I'll be fine."
>Let's make sure that reinforcement spell keeps up, though. No need to collapse into a wounded mess.
>"But we may not be quite done yet. Do you see the Champion of Air anywhere?"
>Let's take a more active look around. If we can't see if, perhaps we can see some sign of where it's gone.

Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #88 on: October 27, 2014, 12:06:20 PM »
>"Yeah, I'll be fine."
>Let's make sure that reinforcement spell keeps up, though. No need to collapse into a wounded mess.
>"But we may not be quite done yet. Do you see the Champion of Air anywhere?"
>Let's take a more active look around. If we can't see if, perhaps we can see some sign of where it's gone.

>No longer needing to put power into offense, you redirect your power towards your aching ribs. You think you'd like to lie down for a while to let them heal, or at least have Rin tape you up when you get home. The pain subsides once again, though your breathing is still a little labored.
>"That demon-bat flew away once we started fighting the youma." White Rose informs you as she helps you to your feet. A bit surprised, you take a longer look around. Sure enough, there is no sign of the Air Champion, either with your eyes or your mystic senses.
>"Probably didn't want to mess with ya." says Lillian as she steps towards you, grinning a toothy grin. "You, girl, have got more power than I thought. Why didn't ya blast it like that in the first place?"

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Re: Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 6
« Reply #89 on: October 27, 2014, 12:25:51 PM »
>"I misread it. Can anyone see traces of that bat?"