Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 4

[Oldmansour]

>Weird? Weird how?
>Head off in her direction and gesture for Rin to follow

>The place's got, well, water-people all over the place. Except for one girl that looks normal. Well, like a normal human, anyway, just naked. Lily reports as you make for the water, Rin falling in just behind you.

[DracoOmega]

>Water-people? As in people made of water? What are they doing? And how many are there? Roughly.

[Oldmansour]

>Water-people? As in people made of water? What are they doing? And how many are there? Roughly.

>Yeah, people made of water. And they're acting like normal people would at a park. But it's... really weird. I see a couple down there havin' a picnic, but there's no food, no blanket, nothing. I just recognize the motions. Most of em are just walking around the water, some are sitting by the waterside. I'd guess there's about a dozen, maybe more, I can't see through the trees too good. And none of em are talking, not a word. I'd think I was dreaming, if I didn't know better.
>And that woman, the normal one? Rin asks.
>She's just sitting there, staring at the big tiger statue. Just as quiet as the rest of em.

[DracoOmega]

>Presumably there is no such statue in the park we modeled this after?
>Assuming not: Tiger statue?

[Oldmansour]

>Presumably there is no such statue in the park we modeled this after?
>Assuming not: Tiger statue?

>There is not.
>Great big thing. Lily answers. Big and mean lookin'.
>"Probably Kiku's work." Rin says aloud. Is it made of metal? she broadcasts.
>Think so. Iron or lead or steel or something grey and shiny. Except its eyes, they're solid red.

[DracoOmega]

>What sort of aura do you sense from the people there? Both kinds of them.

[Oldmansour]

>What sort of aura do you sense from the people there? Both kinds of them.

>I haven't actually tried that. Lily admits, sounding slightly abashed. You do that kinda thing better than I do.
>All of a sudden, Rin grabs your arm, stopping you in your tracks. "Mistress, I hear something ahead!" she whispers harshly. "Sounds like water. I think it's those water things Lily saw."
>Down the path ahead of you, there is a curve, and sure enough, you spot movement coming around the curve. The figure, of medium height has a distinct head, four limbs and a torso, plainly a humanoid figure. Except it seems to composed of water rather than skin, and has no fingers, no toes, no facial features of any kind.

[DracoOmega]

>What does the figure appear to be doing?
>And what can we sense from it?

[Oldmansour]

>What does the figure appear to be doing?
>And what can we sense from it?

>It is walking in your direction at a rather casual pace.
>A quick scan reveals the magical force of the Water Champion driving the thing.

[DracoOmega]

>Be on your guard. It is the power of the Water Champion that gives these form and motion, and we cannot be sure what they might be capable of, should he wish them to act. Assume they are potentially dangerous, though do not take hostile action unless they do first.
>Let's try to give the one approaching a wide berth if we can, and keep our eyes on it if it does anything threatening

>I think you should return to us, Lily. This is not the best place for us to be separated.

[Oldmansour]

>Be on your guard. It is the power of the Water Champion that gives these form and motion, and we cannot be sure what they might be capable of, should he wish them to act. Assume they are potentially dangerous, though do not take hostile action unless they do first.
>Let's try to give the one approaching a wide berth if we can, and keep our eyes on it if it does anything threatening

>I think you should return to us, Lily. This is not the best place for us to be separated.

>On my way. Lily reports as you and Rin step far to your left, clearing the path for the watery humanoid. It doesn't seem to take notice of you as it walks in your direction, but then again, such mannerisms could be hard to determine from a being with no face. But it seems almost casual. If it were a man, you might think he was simply out for a stroll.
>You sure you don't want me ta blast it before it gets too close? Rin asks quietly, her right hand shaped into a claw.

[DracoOmega]

>I am sure. We will not be the aggressors here, unless we are given good cause, and it would hardly be conducive to fruitful negotiations to lay waste to his creations for no reason other than that they were his. I do still hope that someday he may come to see the error of its ways and choose another path; we are not enemies simply by nature, no matter how firmly he may believe that is the natural order of things.
>Continue cautiously forward

[Oldmansour]

>I am sure. We will not be the aggressors here, unless we are given good cause, and it would hardly be conducive to fruitful negotiations to lay waste to his creations for no reason other than that they were his. I do still hope that someday he may come to see the error of its ways and choose another path; we are not enemies simply by nature, no matter how firmly he may believe that is the natural order of things.
>Continue cautiously forward

>Rin relaxes her hand. All right. Her tails do twitch once however. I'll still keep my guard up, of course. she adds wryly. You'd expect no less.
>Rather warily, you and White Rose proceed down the trail, keeping a very close eye on the watery humanoid. Remembering what happened the last time you encountered the Water demon, your heart rate elevates as you and the waterman draw closer and closer. You can almost hear Rin bristling behind you, especially when the two of you come abeam each other.
>Quite to your surprise, the aquaform humanoid simply walks past you as though you weren't even there. It simply continues its stroll down the path.

[DracoOmega]

>Well, I shall consider that a good sign, for the moment. Though nonetheless, I think it best to assume they could still turn hostile at some point, should their creator wish it. And certainly we can assume he knows that we are here.
>Continue onward

[Oldmansour]

>Well, I shall consider that a good sign, for the moment. Though nonetheless, I think it best to assume they could still turn hostile at some point, should their creator wish it. And certainly we can assume he knows that we are here.
>Continue onward

>Rin warily watches the waterman as it strolls away. Aye. Even if these things ain't scouts of his, he probably felt us enter this place.
>I'm still sort of wondering where he is. Lily's voice comes back as you see her swooping in out of the sky, joining you as you make your way down towards the pond. I couldn't see a trace of him up there.

[DracoOmega]

>Do we believe Lily was near to where we sensed Water himself, when she was further away?

[Oldmansour]

>Do we believe Lily was near to where we sensed Water himself, when she was further away?

>She appeared to be generally above it. From your knowledge of the geography of the place, Water has to be around the pond somewhere, if not in it.

[DracoOmega]

>Perhaps he was beneath the pond's surface? He is definitely near where you were.

[Oldmansour]

>Perhaps he was beneath the pond's surface? He is definitely near where you were.

>Maybe. Lily says thoughtfully. With a glance back towards the still-unreactive waterman, then speaks normally, albeit more quietly than normal, "Water's sort of weird, too. Sometimes it was real clear, sometimes it got dark and grey. Same color as that big statue, now that I think about it."
>"You said there was a normal-looking girl by the water's edge?" Rin asks her, and Lily gives her a nod. "Those water things were definately made by the demon, so I wonder why dat one's different."

[DracoOmega]

>"I suppose we shall see once we get there."

[Oldmansour]

>"I suppose we shall see once we get there."

>"I don't hear nothin' else right ahead of us." Rin reports. "Should be clear to the pond."
>Just as she says, the rest of the route ahead of you is bereft of activity, and the three of you make your way down to the park pond.
>As Lily reported, the water is a mix of crystal clear and dark grey. It is ringed by a paved walkway, and watery humanoids virtually identical to the one that passed you by can be spotted here and there along its length. Most are walking as the first one was, some are seated on the ground or on a bench. Far to your left are the picnickers Lily mentioned. All of them appear to be identical to each other, and none of them seem to react to your approach.
>The most dominant feature is, as Lily said, the enormous tiger statue seeming to rear out of the water in mid-pounce, its iron claws outstretched towards the distant shore, fangs of gleaming silver bared. It's eyes seem to glow an angry red, and the sense of strength exuding from the hard metal body of the thing is profound.
>Seemingly unfazed by the statues' fearsome visage is a rather normal-looking girl with blonde pig-tails, sitting at the water's edge, looking directly at the tiger. She is mostly back on to you at the moment, and like the watermen does not immediately react to your presence.

[DracoOmega]

>Is the tiger statue IN the pond, then?
>What do we sense from this girl?
>And she is naked, yes?

[Oldmansour]

>Is the tiger statue IN the pond, then?
>What do we sense from this girl?
>And she is naked, yes?

>It is.
>She is, at least as far as you can tell.
>The girl seems to be emitting the same aura as the Water Champion.

[DracoOmega]

>The same aura in the same way that these water constructs are linked to his power, or the same aura in that it feels like the Water Champion himself?

[Oldmansour]

>The same aura in the same way that these water constructs are linked to his power, or the same aura in that it feels like the Water Champion himself?

>The latter. Your mystic senses are telling you that the naked blonde girl IS the Champion of Water. Either that, or the Champion is somehow occupying her space while invisible to your eyes.

[DracoOmega]

>Frown slightly
>That woman... appears to be the Water Champion. To my senses, they are one and the same.

[Oldmansour]

>Frown slightly
>That woman... appears to be the Water Champion. To my senses, they are one and the same.

>Lily's wings droop slightly. Can't be. Water demon was a snake with wings.
>It might be a changeling. Rin offers. Dere's all kinds of stories about demons and monsters that can change their shape. An' if that's true here, then it's a trap.

[DracoOmega]

>What makes you so certain of that? Its aura does not seem so masked as though it were trying to deliberately conceal it, and I did not sense a change in its direction since we entered. In fact, there was something subtly different and less malignant about its presence at that point than when we last met; I would not be at all surprised if it were in this form before we arrived.

[Oldmansour]

>What makes you so certain of that? Its aura does not seem so masked as though it were trying to deliberately conceal it, and I did not sense a change in its direction since we entered. In fact, there was something subtly different and less malignant about its presence at that point than when we last met; I would not be at all surprised if it were in this form before we arrived.

>But that looks like a human. Rin objects. You really think that would be it's normal form?

[DracoOmega]

>Normal? Perhaps not. I cannot say for certain why it took that form, no more than I am sure why it created several families of aqueous picnickers; perhaps it was simply trying to pass the time of what it might view as an interminable confinement in this space? I will not presume. But as a trap, it is a rather poor one if I can clearly see through it the moment we come in contact, and to be honest, I think I would expect better if this were its intent. But perhaps I am wrong.