Puella Magi Yuki Magica [IC/PG-13/Started/Accepting]

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

[color=#000000]Elison continued the attempt at a pursuit of Lerna, but each step she took proved more and more fruitless. She had to keep [i]going[/i], however. There was no way she was going to warn [i]anyone[/i] if she didn't get a move on. Besides, even if Lerna got there first, Elison still had a chance. She [i]knew[/i] Lerna. Lerna wasn't so mindless that she'd attack anyone on sight, unlike the vast majority of other witches. Seeing her stop momentarily only confirmed what Elison knew all along. Elison collapsed onto her knees out of exhaustion, trying to catch a breather and rest her poor legs. But as she looked up, Lerna seemed to be on the move again.[/color]

[color=#ee82ee][i]'Am I too [b]late[/b]?'[/i] [/color][color=#000000]Elison asked herself in thought.[/color]

[color=#000000]...[/color]

[color=#000000]Lerna stopped. She had sensed the presence of something that she never thought would see the light of day within her labyrinth, and she had seen a number of humans accidentally stumble inside her barrier. What she had sensed was a Grief Seed of another Witch, and she had sensed that Tsume was holding on to it. That in turn opened up a whole new possible intention that Lerna probably overlooked. Still, Lerna still had her original hunch, and she wasn't going to let it go until she learnt otherwise. She dashed ahead of Tsume's direction, blocking her path by the time she stopped, and some Troys had accompanied her with a message.[/color]

[img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/y2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/o2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/u2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/space.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/a2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/r2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/e2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/space.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/n2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/o2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/t2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/space.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/w2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/e2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/l2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/c2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/o2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/m2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/e2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/space.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/h2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/e2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/r2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/e2.png[/img]

...

[color=#008080]"I'd be [i]careful[/i] with that thing if I were you,"[/color][color=#000000] Kyubey warned as Yeumara took pictures of the labyrinth with her cellphone, [/color][color=#008080]"The familiars could be momentarily blinded by that flashing light, and they could just as likely be provoked by that momentary blinding as they would any attack."[/color]

[color=#ffa07a]"That means they attack [i]back[/i], right?"[/color][color=#000000] Yeumara asked.[/color]

[color=#008080]"Without a doubt,"[/color][color=#000000] [/color][color=#000000]Kyubey answered, before continuing with her warning, [/color][color="#008080"]"And that's especially dangerous with [i]these[/i] [/color][color=#008080]familiars. They can be lethal to the ill-prepared."[/color]

[color=#000000]The warning had sunk in well, as Yeumara stopped taking pictures. She was only intending to take one more, but that warning on the flash fresh in her mind, she put her cellphone away again, deciding that one more photo wasn't worth it. That's when she saw Lerna for the first time... only to seem horrified at her appearance.[/color]

[color=#FFA07A]"Oh god... is [i]that[/i] supposed to be a witch?"[/color][color=#000000] Yeumara asked nervously.[/color]

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Tsume stopped in front of the Witch, her weapons having been dismissed earlier, as to not potentially provoke the Witch into thinking she was hostile. She then watched as the Troys assembled in front of her, first with a "Y" rune, followed by an "O", then a "U", and even created spaces between words. After some quick study, she made out the message and instead humbly bowed to the Witch. [color=#800080]"I am not your enemy."[/color] Tsume declared, her head lowered. She held up the Grief Seed as she paid respect to the Witch. [color=#800080]"Your friend, the pregnant Magical Girl, is in trouble. She is about to become a Witch. I do not want her to become one, especially not in here. I have seen what happens when a Magical Girl falls into despair within another Witch's Barrier. The results are...unpleasant...Please let me give her this Grief Seed, and I will leave, as you requested. I will even take my colleagues with me."[/color] The experienced Magical Girl was hoping to play to this Witch's emotions. If there was some shred of humanity within her, she would relent, but if not, then Tsume was finished. She would most likely not react in time to the Witch's attack. But if Kuro needed Magical Girls, then she was more than willing to help recruit this one, even with her condition.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

[color=#000000]Of course, it was rare for a Magical Girl to get far trying to reason with a witch, but the fact that Tsume tried anyway seemed to [/color][i][color=#000000]say[/color] [/i][color=#000000]something about her. Lerna couldn't quite put her finger on it, though. However Tsume's intentions were at least clear to Lerna now; the former had wanted to give the Grief Seed to Elison so that she could cleanse her Soul Gem. But was that what [i]Elison[/i] wanted? Lerna wasn't too sure herself, as Elison had never decided whether to go through the portal she opened up earlier or give her her Soul Gem. But one thing was for sure; Lerna [i]definitely[/i] wasn't about to let Tsume influence on Elison's will to be saved. The Troys had returned with a fresh message for Tsume to read, and Lerna wasn't making the slightest movement [i]anywhere[/i] [/color][color=#000000]until she read it.[/color]

[img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/i2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/space.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/a2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/m2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/space.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/a2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/w2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/a2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/r2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/e2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/space.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/o2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/f2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/space.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/t2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/h2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/e2.png[/img]
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[img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/i2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/t2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/space.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/f2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/o2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/r2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/space.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/h2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/e2.png[/img][img]http://kirie.net/~melon/app/madoka_rune/font/r2.png[/img]

[color=#000000]The message may very [i]well[/i] have implied that Lerna couldn't care less. But was she supposed to?[/color]

[Merci]

"Y- yes, but never that strong..." Kuro whispered back, the broomstick flying over the witch.

Upon sight, her head began collecting all the memories of its past. The Hikari sisters, Elison and...her sister, G...? G....? [i]Galina.[/i] The older sister wanted to protect the younger - whose situation was made worse when she became pregnant, and was damned by the whole school - but upon the older finding out that she was unable to be the absolute benefactor when the younger made a contract, courtesy of none other than Kyubey himself, she fell into despair. Attempting to drown, in failure. A completely messed up set of circumstances.

A disturbingly familiar set of circumstances.

As she and Yeumara, along with Kyubey sitting on the normal girl's shoulder, continued to circle the skies, Tsume engaged in direct conversation with the monstrous witch.

Since that pregnant girl made a contract, chances are the baby would've been destroyed by Kyubey during the trans-

[color=#800080]"Your friend, the pregnant Magical Girl, is in trouble."[/color]

That. Is. Impossible. Simply impossible. But, who was she to doubt Tsume, who possessed the ability of Magic Vision? That veteran girl shouldn't even know about it all, yet her words fitted exactly into the memories collected by Kuro. So somehow...there was a pregnant magical girl...?

"Kyubey! What did Tsume mean by that?!" She yelled at the white creature, who probably understood everything better than anyone else.

[color=#008080]"Elison's wish was specific enough." [/color]He replied, which was all Kuro needed to know.

"...I see. Kyubey, control this broomstick, alright?" She turned to the human afterwards. "And Mara-chan, you may want to start considering your wish... I- I'm not sure if Tsume, Gale and I alone will be enough..."

Then the witch-costumed girl jumped down, landing next to Tsume. And instead of the broomstick getting out of balance or falling out of the sky anything, Kyubey jumped from Yeumara's shoulder onto the stick's head and started 'piloting' it. Somehow, the feline creature knew how to control it, but it was only natural seeing as he was the one who granted everyone's wishes in the first place.

"Tsume, this witch can talk, but it cannot be reasoned with..." Kuro told her comrade, in a fearful tone. This girl, she was really afraid of the witch before them. "If we don't kill it now, we will all die...the only reason it's bothering to take its time in the first place is because it knows that [i]we cannot escape.[/i]" Holding out both of her arms, dual broomsticks materialized in them. "[i]Dammit...[/i] [b]Galina Hikari, do you fail in protecting yourself like you fail others?"[/b]

With that taunt, four large hats suddenly fell out of the sky, one of which enclosed Tsume and Kuro. However, when Lerna would attack that hat, she would discover it empty. In two of the other hats were the two magical girls... and Kuro emerged from one to deliver fireball-like attacks from her broomsticks like cannons. The witch-girl hoped that this would give Tsume enough time to prepare her own attack, as she herself was pretty weak.

[Premier Alexander Romanov]

Tsume analyzed the much more complex wall of runes laid out before her, furrowing her brow as she raced to decipher Lerna's meaning. Finally, just as Kuro swooped in, she figured out what the Witch was trying to say. Unfortunately, Kuro had to intervene. Tsume looked over to an unoccupied platform off to Lerna's side and gently tossed the Grief Seed over before the hat closed in around her. Rather irritated that her new partner of not even an hour was ruining her plan, she hoped Lerna...or Galina, as Kuro called her...would not attack, and would be willing to let Elison use the Grief Seed. That same Grief Seed turned as it went through the air, and managed to land on the platform spinning like a disk, its points twirling around its spherical body. It spun towards the edge, but stopped and curved back towards the center as it lost speed, and eventually stopped near the middle of the platform. If Elison truly wanted to use the Grief Seed, she would have to make the effort to go fetch it, but Lerna was perfectly capable of breaking the Grief Seed or even sinking the platform, so Elison would never be able to cleanse herself, though this would make it so that Lerna was the one deciding for her. Tsume, on the other hand, was going to have a long talk with her younger associate, especially about Witches and how Kuro knew the Witch's real name.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

[color=#000000]All of a sudden, Tsume was placed under a Magical Hat, and as Lerna curiously peeked underneath, she was gone. Lerna was confused, but kept a cautious eye on her surroundings nonetheless. Sure enough Kuro had launched some fireballs at Lerna, but before they got anywhere [i]near[/i] the witch, they were rebounded by a familiar barrier.[/color]

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tE05-_6DRro"][color=#000000]Persona 3 OST - Master of Shadows[/color][/url]

[color=#000000]The rebounded fireballs immediately returned to and incinerated the magical hat in whence they came, but as per Lerna's previous discovery, it was unlikely that the attacking Kuro would be inside. It was clear that Kuro had fully intended on making that attack, giving Lerna no choice but to fight back. It was also clear that Kuro had summoned these magical hats in an attempt to buy some time, but unfortunately for her, Lerna wasn't that [i]stupid[/i]. Preparing some fireballs in each of her arm heads, which Kuro kindly 'taught' her, Lerna stared down her targets, and, figuring it to be wise striking down all three at the same time, fired a couple of fireballs at each of them.

...

Elison, who'd only just recovered from her failed attempt of a chase, got back up and literally [i]bolted[/i] to Lerna's location.[/color]

[color=#ee82ee]"Wait!"[/color][color=#000000] she called out, trying to get the Magical Girls' attention, [/color][color=#ee82ee]"Don't try to attack her! She's too [i]strong[/i][/color][color=#EE82EE]!"[/color]

[color=#000000]The girls, however, resumed with their previous actions, obviously not having heard her. Whether E[/color][color=#000000]lison [/color][color=#000000]was still to far away or the girls just flat out refused to listen, she didn't know, although she was hoping for the former. What she [i]did[/i] know was that she was running out of time, and despite running as fast as her weighted body could move, she wasn't covering enough ground.[/color]

[color=#ee82ee]"STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!"[/color][color=#000000] she cried out one last time, in a desperate bid to stop Kuro from launching the fireball that would be shot at Lerna, but it was too late. Defeated, Elison collapsed onto her hands and knees, just one tile short of where Tsume managed to throw the Grief Seed at earlier. She could think of naught but break down and watch the hopelessness above her.[/color]

[color=#EE82EE]"They're so screwed..."[/color][color=#000000] Elison murmured, before her eyes sank back down to the ground, [/color][color=#ee82ee]"...and it's all my fault..."[/color]

[Merci]

As Lerna destroyed the three magical hats, Kuro let one of the broomsticks in her hands disappear and hopped onto the other, before rushing forth towards the girl Elison Hikari, who had cried out dramatically. As she learned from a witch's mistake and [i]past[/i] memories, she didn't quite know that they had interacted before, but could guess that maybe the pregnant magical girl knew about this witch. Flying faster than the witch's attack could reach her (hopefully...) the broomstick suddenly disappeared, and she fell onto the ground near Elison.

Then she grabbed the Grief Seed, before glancing at her own Soul Gem. It was no good, having already darkened more than halfway. It would need a witch's full Grief Seed to purify, but this one had already been consumed by half. But she could still use it to slow her corruption and escape, before finding another witch...

This left her with a dilemma. Use the Grief Seed on herself and attempt to escape from this impossible monstrosity, or use it on Elison and hope something good happens.

"You're Elison, right?" She asked, but didn't wait for a reply. "You're Galina's mistake, and only you can fix that. Try to do something I can't."

Closing her eyes, Kuro shoved it towards Elison's Soul Gem before she could protest, letting it absorb all the despair within it. By some Talking-Is-A-Free-Action rule, this all lasted only a few seconds, and the grey seed dropped to the ground afterwards. The witch girl then remained sitting on her tile in front of the collapsed pregnant girl, staring up into space, trying to keep her own Soul Gem's corruption from spreading further and hoping Lerna wouldn't attack her. Hopefully, this girl had the potential to change their fates.

If not, they were doomed.

[i]Having gone this far, what was the point in advancing? Only three days away...this is stupid. If we can't even beat this thing, how do we expect to beat Hurricane Hallow...? To think that encounter three magical girls in one day was good luck...[/i] She shook her head. [i]Will the next two days be as bad?[/i]

[TotalObelisk]

Gale hung back as the others attempted to fight off the Witch, though with little success it seemed. Gale had never seen a Witch like this one before and it seemed neither had the others. She spotted the other girl as Tsume attempted to reach her, puzzling over her precense, she didn't seem to be attacking the Witch and it didn't seem to be attacking her. She was at a loss, she was inexperienced and had no idea what to do.

"Aren't you going to help them?" Gale heard Kyubey's voice echoe in her head "There's not much point in being part of a team if you don't help."

[b]"But... But what am I even supposed to do?"[/b] She asked [b]"For all I know I'll just get in the way."[/b]

She could swear she almost heard Kyubey sighing in her head. "If you don't help them, then they might die. I can always make more contracts but it's rather bothersome to lose talented Magical Girls."

Gale ignored him and remained where she was.

[Admiral_Stalfos19]

[color=#ffa07a]"Then [i]why[/i] the hell did you let Black Snow attack the thing in the [i]first[/i] place?!"[/color][color=#000000] screamed a panicked Yeumara.[/color]

[color=#008080]"Her name is Kuroyuki Epsilon, for one,"[/color][color=#000000] Kyubey mentioned bluntly, before moving onto say a little thing that happened to be considered "pep talk", [/color][color=#008080]"And for two, [i]any[/i] witch can be overthrown with the right mindset, even ones as powerful as this one. One just has to analyse the witch's strengths and weaknesses."[/color]

[color=#ffa07a]"But..."[/color][color=#000000] Yeumara paused, expecting Kyubey to intervene, but he hadn't, [/color][color=#ffa07a]"But that means Kuro-san has to keep [i]fighting[/i][/color][color=#FFA07A]..."[/color]

[color=#008080]"Not on her [i]own[/i], she doesn't,"[/color][color=#000000] Kyubey stated, [/color][color=#008080]"There are four others that can currently help her, and that includes [i]you[/i]!"[/color]

[color=#ffa07a]"M-... me?"[/color][color=#000000] Yeumara asked hesitantly, before[/color][color=#000000] [/color][color=#000000]remembering that she could still make a wish, [/color][color=#ffa07a]"Oh, right, I can still do [i]that[/i]. I should probably [i]think[/i] of something..."[/color]

[color=#000000]...[/color]

[color=#000000]Lerna had tried to shoot a few fireballs at Kuro while she was flying towards Elison, but Lerna had missed... [i]barely[/i]. She hadn't [i]anticipated[/i] how quickly Kuro could move with that broomstick of hers, but now that it was gone, Lerna took another chance. It was strange how Lerna was only going after Kuro for the moment, but in a way it made sense. Elison refused to bring harm to her own sister, even if she [i]had[/i] become a witch. Gale seemed too hesitant to do anything. Yeumara needed to make a wish before she [i]could[/i] do anything. And Tsume had holstered her weapons in an effort to prove that she wasn't hostile. All these current situations could change in a heartbeat, so Lerna still kept an eye on the other Magical Girls. But she kept her attacks for Kuro.[/color]

[color=#000000]...[/color]

[color=#000000]Elison remained still, having no idea what to do. Should she kill Kuro just to stop Lerna from trying to fight? Or should she continue doing the job a Magical Girl was [i]supposed[/i] to be doing? She looked down at her Soul Gem to see that it was... kindly refilled? Well obviously not [i]fully[/i], otherwise it would be a perfect magenta, but still... why? Why didn't Kuro fill up her [i]own[/i] Soul Gem and try to make an escape?[/color]

[color=#EE82EE]"You shouldn't have tried to save me,"[/color][color=#000000] Elison said in a disheartened tone, [/color][color=#ee82ee]"You should've tried to [i]kill[/i] me..."[/color]

[color=#000000]At this time, Lerna charged up a few fireballs, and launched one of them straight at Kuro. The others were shot around her, in Lerna's effort to supress her.[/color]