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

[Oldmansour]

>Did the main body of the Tar which we saw seem to be positioned in some way that could connect it to the drainage pipes upstairs?
>Did we notice the aftereffects of any metallic transmutation back upstairs when we left again?
>For that matter, was the scent upstairs similar in kind to the one by the Tar itself, if more faint?

>It is possible it could have extended into the walls or into the floor, and spread itself that way, but you saw no obvious indications of that.
>You did not.
>It was different, slightly. The scent upstairs stank of swamp water and decay, fungus and rot. The odor around the Tar was similar, but it also had a potent tang of rust to it as well, which the area above did not. Kiku also mentioned two odors that she could not put a name to, which she did not mention when you above.

[DracoOmega]

>Then what reason could we see for the water upstairs to react similarly at the same time as the Tar downstairs?

[Oldmansour]

>Then what reason could we see for the water upstairs to react similarly at the same time as the Tar downstairs?

>Theoretically it suggests a connection between that water and the Tar. But you have enough evidence to disprove this theory, too.
>You can see no ready explanation for this phenomenon.

[DracoOmega]

>"Then can you suggest a reason why the water upstairs might have started to froth at the same time as the Tar, if there was indeed no connection between them?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Then can you suggest a reason why the water upstairs might have started to froth at the same time as the Tar, if there was indeed no connection between them?"

>"Not without knowing more about your own power." the Water Champion answers. "It could be that your power 'leaked', or that your contact with the Tar caused it to go out of your control, affecting something else as well. You used the word 'instability' earlier. Perhaps your own power became as unstable as you made the Tar. It could be any of these. Or none. I really don't know."

[DracoOmega]

>"You say that you were not aware of the Tar's presence at all, though? Even so close to where you were?"
>"I am curious how a liquid could disguise itself as rock, though, as you said earlier. Can it change its physical appearance so much?"

>"Though I suppose the most pertinent question is: how did it get there in the first place? Could it have somehow tagged along on your journey through the barrier?"

[Oldmansour]

>"You say that you were not aware of the Tar's presence at all, though? Even so close to where you were?"
>"I am curious how a liquid could disguise itself as rock, though, as you said earlier. Can it change its physical appearance so much?"

>"Though I suppose the most pertinent question is: how did it get there in the first place? Could it have somehow tagged along on your journey through the barrier?"

>"The Tar is an insidious predator. If one isn't looking for it, one will not see it or sense it. I was not looking for it, obviously. I had no reason to, it shouldn't have been here."
>Loise seems curious for a moment. "Rock on your world must be different than Makai's."

>"That's the only explanation that makes any sense. The gap I opened in the barrier was small, and it shut almost immediately behind me. But a Makai-jin could have followed me through, if it was fast enough. No more than one, though. If that Tar pool followed me, it's the only predator that did."

[DracoOmega]

>The Tar was visible to pretty much all our senses, yes? Sight, smell, and supernatural?
>Are there any rocks nearby that we could point to?

>"You are confident of this? Because if there could be more, or if they have some other means to travel here, both our kinds may have a serious problem."

[Oldmansour]

>The Tar was visible to pretty much all our senses, yes? Sight, smell, and supernatural?
>Are there any rocks nearby that we could point to?

>"You are confident of this? Because if there could be more, or if they have some other means to travel here, both our kinds may have a serious problem."

>It was.
>There are stones near the water's edge, which are grey. The pebbles along the wodded trails are a mix of white, brown and grey.

>"I am confidant, for one simple reason, Magical Lotus. If there had been two Makai-jin that close to me at the time, and I had been unaware of both, I would have been killed."

[DracoOmega]

>"The place where we found it was not altogether that close to you, considering. If it had been actively chasing near to you when you passed through the barrier, would it have been lying dormant several rooms and a hallway away?"

[Oldmansour]

>"The place where we found it was not altogether that close to you, considering. If it had been actively chasing near to you when you passed through the barrier, would it have been lying dormant several rooms and a hallway away?"

>"Certainly it would have. It doesn't chase, it waits. I told you, it's an ambush predator."

[DracoOmega]

>"But you said that the window of time to follow you through the barrier was narrow, and that it would need to have been very close to you at the time, yes?"

[Oldmansour]

>"But you said that the window of time to follow you through the barrier was narrow, and that it would need to have been very close to you at the time, yes?"

>"I can't explain why it came after me. But it had to have done so, it's the only way it could have gotten here."

[DracoOmega]

>"And could it have arrived that far away from you, if it entered when you did, through the same means that you did?"

[Oldmansour]

>"And could it have arrived that far away from you, if it entered when you did, through the same means that you did?"

>"It must have."

[DracoOmega]

>"Once already, you said that it should not have been possible for some entity to reach out through the barrier, yet I know that it did so. If we cannot explain that, forgive me if I am not altogether certain this could not be likewise. It is not that I distrust you, but I am... cautious to assume this is a wholly isolated incident, already resolved. I hope you can appreciate that, given the nature of what it involves."

[Oldmansour]

>"Once already, you said that it should not have been possible for some entity to reach out through the barrier, yet I know that it did so. If we cannot explain that, forgive me if I am not altogether certain this could not be likewise. It is not that I distrust you, but I am... cautious to assume this is a wholly isolated incident, already resolved. I hope you can appreciate that, given the nature of what it involves."

>"Taking into consideration the dangers of the Makai-jin, I can understand your fear for your world. I truly believe that the Tar you destroyed was the only predator that followed me. But, I cannot guarantee that a Makai-jin didn't follow the other three Champions that have entered your world." Her words make a pang of dread run down your spine. "If one followed me, it is possible the others were followed, too."

[DracoOmega]

>"And I suppose that means there might be no telling where one could show up."

>"One advantage we seem to have over you is that the Tar's presence was extremely obvious to us, even from a fairly considerable distance. If any future encounters are at all similar, at least we do not risk being caught unaware. Though that does little good for any bystanders, if one is somewhere on the other end of the city."

[Oldmansour]

>"And I suppose that means there might be no telling where one could show up."

>"One advantage we seem to have over you is that the Tar's presence was extremely obvious to us, even from a fairly considerable distance. If any future encounters are at all similar, at least we do not risk being caught unaware. Though that does little good for any bystanders, if one is somewhere on the other end of the city."

>"If indeed the others were followed as I was. I can't even confirm that."
>"You were fortunate, Terran. In more ways than one. I still have no idea how you survived intact."

[DracoOmega]

>"I held very tightly to my own will. And I had help from friends. Though I do not mean to sound as though I take it lightly; I saw a large enough glimpse of what might be that I cannot help but shudder at it."

>"How common are these things on Makai? Is there anything else I ought to know about them?"

[Oldmansour]

>"I held very tightly to my own will. And I had help from friends. Though I do not mean to sound as though I take it lightly; I saw a large enough glimpse of what might be that I cannot help but shudder at it."

>"How common are these things on Makai? Is there anything else I ought to know about them?"

>"Since you are clearly one to hope, Magical Lotus, you should hope that a glimpse is all you'll ever see of them."
>"Fortunately for us, the Tar is not among the most common predators of Makai. At least, not in my experience. And as for what you should know, the most important things to know about any creature of Makai is how to spot them. You may be confidant in your ability to see them, but you were fortunate this time. It is usually that the Tar is found only in patches of poorly lit ground that disguise it, or patches of black water as well."

[DracoOmega]

>"Lighting and visibility would have mattered little, I think. The smell was almost overpowering."

[Oldmansour]

>"Lighting and visibility would have mattered little, I think. The smell was almost overpowering."

>"It may smell differently on your world. Or perhaps your senses yield different results than ours."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Possibly so. Have things here smelled strange or unusual to you?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Possibly so. Have things here smelled strange or unusual to you?"

>"Most everything has been unusual to me. Since I'm not from your world."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Likely so, but does Makai not have rocks and dirt and something akin to plantlife? I would hope there's something in commmon, on some level."

[Oldmansour]

>"Likely so, but does Makai not have rocks and dirt and something akin to plantlife? I would hope there's something in commmon, on some level."

>"Certain aspects of the geography are similar to each other, yes. But the types on one world are alien to the other, and vice versa."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Sadly, it would take quite a lot of research to narrow it down beyond that. Someday, we can make some cognitive scientist's day by finding out. But that's for later. I do have a question about the Tar, though. If you can't sense it much of the time, how do you find it when it is around? I can't imagine you just bumble around blindly."

[Oldmansour]

>"Sadly, it would take quite a lot of research to narrow it down beyond that. Someday, we can make some cognitive scientist's day by finding out. But that's for later. I do have a question about the Tar, though. If you can't sense it much of the time, how do you find it when it is around? I can't imagine you just bumble around blindly."

>"Each Child has their own way of seeking out the traps and the predators of Makai. No two Children have precisely the same array of powers and senses. Speaking for myself, I have a..." She pauses in consideration. "This will be difficult to explain, but I have found that my psychic sense is my best tool for locating Devouring Tar pools around me. It has a somewhat narrow range, but it is the most accurate of the tools I have."

[Hello Purvis]

>"Ah, that sounds very useful. What else can you sense with it? Has it served you at all here?"