InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Yaaarrrrp!"

Mami Tomoe (hatofbabylon) wrote in thedeadland,
@ 2011-11-16 16:04:00

Entry tags:

+ in person, kyuubey, lelouch vi britannia, mami tomoe, sora himoto, suzaku kururugi

[At precisely noon, while the roaming monsters once again go on the attack, Mami leaves her apartment. It's only the second time, outside of trips out to find food, that she's left the safety of the room, and though she doesn't know it, she's not exactly doing it willingly.

Before she leaves the apartment complex, she manages to break into a nearby apartment - Lightning's - and steal the rifle and ammunition the woman had managed to take from the station. She left the empty apartment, headed downstairs, and outside. In a flash of light, her clothes were replaced with her puella magi costume, and without another moment's hesitation, she headed down the road. Just far enough so that people wouldn't immediately come running.

The first few monsters are taken down no problem. Mami is careful to conserve her ammunition; she was supposed to destroy all of them, after all. But the longer she fights, the more appear, attracted to the carnage. The ribbon around her neck comes alive as she unties it, using the magical item to bind several creatures at once to make targeting them easier.

On and on she fights, nonstop. She's aware of the burn of fatigue beginning to set in, aware of the monster blood splattered over her face and clothes from the occasional close call, but she continues. She's compelled to fight, and fight she will.

It doesn't take long for everything to go wrong. Her Soul Gem was already moderately low when she arrived. It only dimmed faster and faster as the days passed, as she found out about her own failure and lost herself further to despair. It only takes an hour or two of fighting for that despair to finally sink its claws in all the way, and she snaps.

Normal people might notice the ear-piercing shriek coming from somewhere on Market Street. The supernaturally sensitive might notice something showing up in that direction as well. The Puella (and Puer) Magi will definitely feel a chill roll down their spines, and their Soul Gems flair to life.

Witch.]

((OOC: A few quick notes! This is a free, open post for anyone who wants to get their character stuck in a crazy alternate dimension, though I will not be tagging unless someone makes it to the center. If you're not one of the magi, you may, but remember the witch is extremely dangerous, and as there are plans for the magi (Homura, Sora, and Suzaku) to bring it down, your character will be killed. Otherwise, they're free to roam around, comment on the creepy surroundings, and wait for someone else to find them. The barrier will disappear when the witch is defeated, so unless a magi helps them out, they're stuck until it's gone.

Subthreads up. Go for it!))

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Outside

hatofbabylon
2011-11-17 03:27 am UTC (link)

[As the curious turn onto Market Street, they'll notice the carnage Mami left behind. Nearly a hundred dead monsters litter the street, blood everywhere. It definitely looks like someone had taken their last stand here, but there's no sign of anyone, familiar or not.

The only thing that seems out of place is the small, black orb stuck straight up by its point in the middle of the road. The point itself is spiraled, like a drill, and there's a flower charm topping it. The same image appears on the center of the sphere, with small, petal-like designs cupping the bottom of it.

Even those without supernatural awareness can sense the darkness pulsing from the object. And if they get too close, they'll get sucked into...]

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	findutopia 2011-11-17 03:31 am UTC (link)
	[ What is that feeling -- and what is Sora's Soul Gem reacting to all of a sudden? Instinctively, both as the Knight of Justice and as a Puella Magi, Sora knows she has to find the source of that scream. She fights her way there, only to find... Carnage. And in the center of it all... ] What...? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	zugzwanger 2011-11-17 04:31 am UTC (link)
	[He's out looking for Fletcher when he hears the screech. He knew what that meant. So he went to find it. And he wasn't entirely prepared for what he saw. He didn't anticipate the full impact, but he was very impressed by what he saw.] [He strode up beside Sora.] What is that? [AS IF HE DIDN'T KNOW] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	findutopia 2011-11-17 04:33 am UTC (link)
	I... don't know. [ As she draws closer, her heart skips a beat -- it looks very much like a Soul Gem. And what was it Mami had said...? ] But it feels... wrong. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	zugzwanger 2011-11-17 04:47 am UTC (link)
	[Uses his radio to summon Suzaku. But after that.] There hasn't been anything like that in this city before... [Looks over the slaughtered monsters. He had no idea it would be this big... so a certain amount of his shock was genuine.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

knightofangst
2011-11-17 11:22 am UTC (link)

[Suzaku is summoned, he wasn't very far away, killing monsters for energy. He didn't look too happy that Lelouch was outside when it was so dangerous but his soul gem was glowing and the sight that greeted him when he arrived where Lelouch was... he just stared.]

What... what is happening Rivalz? [He looked at the girl, he was wearing the zero helmet so nodded at her in greeting. Then looked back to the carnage and the black orb.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	contractplz 2011-11-17 09:17 pm UTC (link)
	It's a Witch barrier, containing the being that used to be Mami Tomoe. [ HI GUYS Kyuubey's just gonna scamper scamper up onto Suzaku's shoulder, perching on the neck of the mask. ] It's weird, though. She's really careful with her magic. What could've made her waste it like this? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	findutopia 2011-11-17 09:25 pm UTC (link)
	[ Sora glances at Suzaku once he's arrived -- what a strange outfit. But she can't think of what to say until Kyuubey arrives and drops that bombshell. ] ...no way. Mami turned into a... Kyuubey, do something! Can't you change her back?! [ There has to be a way to change her back. They can't fight Mami! They can't... ] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	contractplz 2011-11-17 11:23 pm UTC (link)
	No Witch has ever been able to revert before. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	knightofangst 2011-11-18 12:10 pm UTC (link)
	So we have to fight her. [It wasn't a question, it sounded like resignment. He knew this would come eventually, they would have to fight a witch. But not so soon, and it seemed like the other girl here had known this Mami.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	findutopia 2011-11-18 07:53 pm UTC (link)
	No. We can't... It's Mami, she's one of us! She's a Puella Magi like me! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	contractplz 2011-11-19 02:41 pm UTC (link)
	Mami was resilient, and powerful. Her Soul Gem should have been fine for a while. [ it sits up. ] Sora, you've gotta understand! The thing inside that barrier isn't Mami. It's a being that will hurt everyone in this city if left unchecked! (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	knightofangst 2011-11-20 09:53 am UTC (link)
	[Suzaku nods and looks to the girl, she seemed young and obviously knew Mami personally, this wasn't fair.] It's alright I will fight her; if she was your friend, you shouldn't have to do this. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	findutopia 2011-11-21 10:35 pm UTC (link)
	...no. I'll go too. [ She can't let this guy do it by himself. She has to help. Even if... She's the Knight. She can't let anyone get hurt. ] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	knightofangst 2011-11-22 11:31 am UTC (link)
	Alright [He was glad for the help, seeing as he had only been a Puer Magi for a day.] (Reply to this) (Parent)

The Barrier

hatofbabylon
2011-11-17 03:27 am UTC (link)

[It's eerily quiet inside the barrier, whose entrance is just a large, circular room with a single path out. For the newer magi and everyone else, it might not seem so strange. But to Homura, a veteran in fighting all kinds of witches, the lack of familiars might seem like something is very wrong. The typical mish-mash of items can be found strewn about; mirrors are hung on the walls, most off-center. Yellow roses grow in clumps throughout the room. Despite the inky blackness of the walls, floor, and ceiling, it doesn't seem like that bad of a place.

Step through the doorway and down a short corridor, though, and instantly everything warps. Beyond the room is an immense, spiraling labyrinth. It seems... alive, somehow. The walls seem to be moving, and if you take a certain turn, one might just shoot up straight in your path, blocking you from advancing. The path is constantly changing, and it's incredibly hard to keep track of where you have or haven't been.

The deeper you go into the maze, the more disturbing things get. The mirrors become cracked, some are even shattered. The roses turn black, or wither and die. And everything gets dark. And the deeper you get, the more often a new image begins showing up: nooses. Hanging from the center of the ceilings, dangling just low enough to brush against any brave explorer's head, they become more and more numerous as the other symbols disappear.

It's around here that the shadows pop up. The pitch-black outlines of two young girls will flit in and out of view. They don't do much; run about, maybe laughing, maybe crying, but they won't interact with anyone. If you reach out to touch one, your hand will pass right through them, like smoke.

When the magi (or anyone lucky enough to make it to this point) reach the end of the maze, they'll find one last door. Two more shadow figures flank either side of the door. Like the others, they won't react to any interactions from real people, even when touched. Unlike the others, they're crying, and seem almost... cracked. Like they'll shatter at any minute.

They won't stop you from opening the door. If you make it to this point... why not step inside?]

(Reply to this) (Thread)

	Re: The Barrier zugzwanger 2011-11-20 09:27 am UTC (link)
	[Lelouch doesn't hesitate to go beyond the barrier. He pulls his gun out from under his jacket. He doesn't know if it'll do any good against whatever they may find here, but he wasn't going to be caught off-guard.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	knightofangst 2011-11-20 09:50 am UTC (link)
	[It was extremely strange, for Suzaku had never seen anything like this in his life. He had activated his soul gem, so that he had transformed into the strange human lookalike of Lancelot. He sticks to Lelouch's side, he had tried to tell the prince to go home and wait, since this was dangerous. But Lelouch had not listened to him.] Stay close (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	zugzwanger 2011-11-20 10:19 am UTC (link)
	This is what you need to stay alive, Suzaku. We need to get the Grief Seed. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

knightofangst
2011-11-20 12:45 pm UTC (link)

[Suzaku did not want to think about that, it made him feel awful that the only way he could survive now was killing others who had once been like him... and like the red haired girl, who had given in and used all their magic.

But this... maze... could be dangerous and it could harm others in the city and so they had to fight the witch; Mami]

I know; there is no other way. But you could have stayed safe.

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	zugzwanger 2011-11-20 05:57 pm UTC (link)
	My role in the field has not changed, regardless of how you may see me. [And that's the commander's voice he's using.] What happened yesterday aside, I can take care of myself. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	knightofangst 2011-11-20 10:04 pm UTC (link)
	Yes but you have made no deal with Kyuubey and if these witches were safe enough for those who had not made contracts to fight, they wouldn't need Magi in the first place. [He is being as defient as he dares, after all he is Zero, adviser to the empress and Lelouch is dead, it's been a while since he had to take his orders.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	zugzwanger 2011-11-21 04:46 am UTC (link)
	We don't know why Kyuubey needs Magi. This process of creating contracts only for Magi to become Witches is self-sustaining. If there were no Magi, there would be no Witches. [Except for one] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	findutopia 2011-11-21 10:37 pm UTC (link)
	It doesn't make sense. [ Yeah, she came too. ] If witches are the problem, why would Kyuubey make magical girls at all? (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	knightofangst 2011-11-22 11:41 am UTC (link)
	No it doesn't make any sense at all. [Really what have they got themselves into (this time)?] Maybe... [Nope no ideas here. He goes back to staring around the strange maze they were in] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	zugzwanger 2011-11-22 10:59 pm UTC (link)
	Let's go. [Do you see now why he shoots that critter on sight? And will also continue to do so? He presses onward along the path.] (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	findutopia 2011-11-22 11:13 pm UTC (link)
	[ Sora keeps an eye out, but there doesn't seem to be any threat... ] Hey, um... [ What's this guy's name? The other magi had called him... ] Rivalz? My magic lets me use weapons that I pull out of other people's bodies, and that's the only way I can fight unless I bring something else. Could I use yours, if we wind up having to... (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	knightofangst 2011-11-23 02:13 pm UTC (link)
	[No excuse for shooting cute cat rabbits. Suzaku is also keeping an eye out and raises an eyebrow at the girls request. That is a very strange power to have.] (Reply to this) (Parent)

Re: The Barrier

2iimplythebe2t
2011-11-22 11:15 pm UTC (link)

[No familiars? It just means Sollux gets to the center faster. This is more like it, he figured. It was just like heading through the lair of a denizen. He ignored anyone that might try to stop him and just hovered along the paths, making his way through the maze. It didn't take him long to reach the outlines of the other Magi. He gave them each a psiionic blast, but they didn't seem affected. They weren't stopping him either, so he just pressed on without even a shrug.

This was too easy.

So he opened the door with his mind and came to a stop a few feet into the door, a few feet off of the ground.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

hatofbabylon
2011-11-23 02:36 am UTC (link)

[In a vast contrast to the rest of the barrier, the center room is bright, a white canvas with flashes of red, yellow, and black swirling around like a tempest. Set in the middle of the room is a gallows, the scaffold nearly reaching the ceiling of the enormous room.

Crouched on the platform was a ghastly creature, several times larger than a normal person; blonde hair was bleached near-white, tattered clothes were stained with blood and dirt... it was humanoid-shaped, but the skin was gray; not like Sollux's, oh no. It was an unhealthy, sickly color, pulled taut over the thing's limbs.

It was hunched over, face buried in it's gnarled, clawlike hands. Currently, it was too busy sobbing to notice Sollux, but the closer he got, the more the colors along the walls and ceiling flashed about.]

(Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

	2iimplythebe2t 2011-11-23 02:54 am UTC (link)
	[He approached, not at all hesitant. He could do this. It looked pretty small for a denizen, too. Once he got within range, he took his sunglasses off and pushed them into his pants pocket. He was ready for this. He gave the thing an initial blast so he could see exactly what he was dealing with.] (Reply to this) (Parent)