Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 3, Part 5

[Oldmansour]

>"It is not, but I feel we are getting rather sidetracked here. Perhaps we cannot be certain that more of their number are due to arrive, but it seems even more foolhardy to assume they are bluffing, without means to confirm either way. And their powers already explicitly and demonstrably include domains outside that of their stated title, so it seems a very poor attempt at misdirection. I have never had any intention of engaging these beings under the belief that I know fully what they are capable of - I already know better than to assume as much. What we do know beyond any doubt is that their power is vast and beyond the reach of most others to hinder, and that lives are actively at risk so long as they remain unchecked. I do believe the goal of this meeting is about how best we might cooperate to safeguard them?"

>"Which is why we need your help." Haruka says. "Thus far, you and your colleagues have proven to be the only ones capable of damaging these Champions, and you've obviously dealt with them more than any of us here. But the fact is, there is only four of you, and many more of us. It's simple math, the odds are far better for these Champions encountering a representitive of the organizations represented here, or of a practicioner of the arcane arts like Madame Knowledge, than they are to meet you and yours. Is there anything at all you can tell us about their weaknesses or capabilities that might help us fight them, even if just to hold them at bay?"
>"Haruka's right." Komachi adds with a nod. "Maybe we can't beat 'em, but we can't just stand by and wait for you girls to do all the work."
>"This coming from you, Sarge?" the thus-far silent female officer says with a wry smile. Rather than be offended, Komachi simply chuckles.

[DracoOmega]

>"What you say is true, of course - we cannot be everywhere at once. But I am afraid one thing I do not know is any other means by which they can be noticeably impeded. Believe me, I wish I had one to share. If any of you have any suggestions about how their power might be probed in some way that could lead to you fashioning your own methods to combat them, I am open to hearing them, but otherwise I feel the best ways you might be able to help are with reconnaissance and helping to extract bystanders caught near any future altercations and help keep others from approaching. The fewer people we need to keep watch on, the better able we will be to concentrate on our shared adversaries. We can share some of what we know of their goals and methods, which hopefully may help a little."

[Oldmansour]

>"What you say is true, of course - we cannot be everywhere at once. But I am afraid one thing I do not know is any other means by which they can be noticeably impeded. Believe me, I wish I had one to share. If any of you have any suggestions about how their power might be probed in some way that could lead to you fashioning your own methods to combat them, I am open to hearing them, but otherwise I feel the best ways you might be able to help are with reconnaissance and helping to extract bystanders caught near any future altercations and help keep others from approaching. The fewer people we need to keep watch on, the better able we will be to concentrate on our shared adversaries. We can share some of what we know of their goals and methods, which hopefully may help a little."

>The golden eagle youkai gives you a smile. "Since the first time any one of us shrine maidens have encountered these Champions was today, what we know about their goals and methods will be a bit limited."
>"And speaking of reconnaissance." Patchouli's mother says slowly. "Have you by any chance managed to discover a way to track these creatures movements?"

[DracoOmega]

>Can we still sense Fire?
>Could we at least sense Air when she was actually present, rather than hiding?

[Oldmansour]

>Can we still sense Fire?
>Could we at least sense Air when she was actually present, rather than hiding?

>A quick scan reveals the presence of the Fire Champion right where you left him.
>You could.

[DracoOmega]

>"I can sense their presence and the use of their powers, sometimes from a considerable distance. I have been unable to locate Air since they went into hiding, but I expect they will not be able to remain so inconspicuous if they are to act. More subtle and localized activities sometimes require closer proximity to detect, but all of us have that capability, and here I expect that some of your arts may function as well. What familiarity do you have with youma?"

[Oldmansour]

>"I can sense their presence and the use of their powers, sometimes from a considerable distance. I have been unable to locate Air since they went into hiding, but I expect they will not be able to remain so inconspicuous if they are to act. More subtle and localized activities sometimes require closer proximity to detect, but all of us have that capability, and here I expect that some of your arts may function as well. What familiarity do you have with youma?"

>"Youma?!" Haruka exclaims.
>"Ya've heard that term before?" White Rose asks her.
>"During the first war with the Lunarians. But we always thought they were a creation of Lunar magic, that we Terrans eventually came into possession of ourselves to use against them. Are you telling us they're not? That they've something to do with these Champions?"

[DracoOmega]

>"I'm afraid I cannot speak to their origins, but simply that some of the Champions have created and employed youma as their servants. I fought and purified several of them over the last short while."

[Oldmansour]

>"I'm afraid I cannot speak to their origins, but simply that some of the Champions have created and employed youma as their servants. I fought and purified several of them over the last short while."

>"What do you mean, 'purify'?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Restore what was used to create the youmi to its pre-youma state."

[Oldmansour]

>"Restore what was used to create the youmi to its pre-youma state."

>"You can even do that?" Makie says. "I had read that was impossible."

[DracoOmega]

>"I've heard others express similarly, but I assure you that I have done it."

[Oldmansour]

>"I've heard others express similarly, but I assure you that I have done it."

>"Ah, so we're not the first people you've spoken to about these Champions and their youma." Madame Knowledge observes.

[DracoOmega]

>"There were some bystanders at a previous youma attack with some measure of their own power, who recognized it for what it was. There was not much time at that juncture for detailed explanations - certainly nothing like this. We had not even realized quite the scope of this ourselves at that time."

[Oldmansour]

>"There were some bystanders at a previous youma attack with some measure of their own power, who recognized it for what it was. There was not much time at that juncture for detailed explanations - certainly nothing like this. We had not even realized quite the scope of this ourselves at that time."

>"Oyah?" Chisato asks with some curiousity. "And who was this powerful good samaritan?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Forgive me if this sounds impolite, but I would rather keep the identity of private citizens whose involvement in this matter has been only incidental, well... private. At least without getting their permission first."

[Oldmansour]

>"Forgive me if this sounds impolite, but I would rather keep the identity of private citizens whose involvement in this matter has been only incidental, well... private. At least without getting their permission first."

>The smaller bird youkai appears about to protest, but Haruka stills her with a nod. "We can respect that."
>"But Onee-sama, wouldn't it be better to know just who in town can fight these things?"
>"True. But we respect Lotus and her colleagues privacy, so we shouldn't begrudge her extending the same courtesy to someone else."
>Chisato hmms thoughtfully. "Yeah, that's a good point. I hadn't thought of that."
>"And besides." Haruka adds, tossing a smile in your direction. "If Lotus or White Rose thought it was critically important that we knew, I imagine they'd tell us. True?"

[DracoOmega]

>Nod
>"Of course. The entire purpose of this meeting is minimize the likelihood of more people being injured, as far as we are able."

[Oldmansour]

>Nod
>"Of course. The entire purpose of this meeting is minimize the likelihood of more people being injured, as far as we are able."

>"Just tell me one thing though, if you can. These other people, were their powers able to damage the youma at all?"

[DracoOmega]

>"To some extent, at least, though I suspect it may still have ended more poorly had I not been able to intervene."

[Oldmansour]

>"To some extent, at least, though I suspect it may still have ended more poorly had I not been able to intervene."

>"But that means that the youma at least are still vulnerable to Terran magic, and that means that those of us here can at least combat something of this threat and have a hope of victory. But I have to ask, how did you ever find a way to purify a youma? No one was able to do that before."

[DracoOmega]

>"I fear this is an entirely inadequate explanation, but one of the core aspects of my abilities centers around... what I suppose you could essentially call purification. I simply drove out the... 'darkness' that had gripped the youma, and left it free of it. I imagine this is an altogether unhelpful way to put it."

[Oldmansour]

>"I fear this is an entirely inadequate explanation, but one of the core aspects of my abilities centers around... what I suppose you could essentially call purification. I simply drove out the... 'darkness' that had gripped the youma, and left it free of it. I imagine this is an altogether unhelpful way to put it."

>Most of the mikos around you chuckle warmly. "Not to a shrine maiden." Makie answers you. "We ARE exorcists, after all."

[DracoOmega]

>"Well yes, but I imagine practitioners of your arts have already tried doing so in your own manner and didn't find it worked to restore youma, no?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Well yes, but I imagine practitioners of your arts have already tried doing so in your own manner and didn't find it worked to restore youma, no?"

>"No. No one could. Our magic was able to fight them, destroy them, but not REstore them, I've read."
>"I was there." Haruka adds. "And the books are right. To fight a youma was a terrible thing, not only because it was powerful, but not having any choice but to destroy it was even worse."
>"And we of the arcane arts had no more success with the youma, either." Madame Knowledge says, her narrow eyes fully upon you. "Some of the greatest minds of that generation found no way to restore an object or person that had been turned into a youma, and yet somehow, you, a mere child, claim to have found a way."

[DracoOmega]

>"I mean no presumption, and I certainly would not claim greater wisdom or intellect than any of those who fought against them in past. I can only imagine the toll it must have taken on some of them. Youma are creatures of frighteningly negative emotion."

[Oldmansour]

>"I mean no presumption, and I certainly would not claim greater wisdom or intellect than any of those who fought against them in past. I can only imagine the toll it must have taken on some of them. Youma are creatures of frighteningly negative emotion."

>"Is this another one of those things you don't know?" the elder wizard asks with very thinly veiled sarcasm.

[DracoOmega]

> "I would be more than happy to demonstrate the technique to you, if you feel there is something that could be learned from it. I respect that your knowledge of the formal underpinnings of magic is far beyond my own. It was the same technique I used this morning to free the lycanthorpe of the dark malice that was gripping her."
>To Komachi and the other officers here: "I don't know if either of you happened to catch that part of it?"

[Oldmansour]

> "I would be more than happy to demonstrate the technique to you, if you feel there is something that could be learned from it. I respect that your knowledge of the formal underpinnings of magic is far beyond my own. It was the same technique I used this morning to free the lycanthorpe of the dark malice that was gripping her."
>To Komachi and the other officers here: "I don't know if either of you happened to catch that part of it?"

>Chisato shakes her head. "You had that part all sewed up before I got there. Makie?"
>"Yes, I did." the manta- or possibly stingray- youkai says with a nod. "The lycanthrope wasn't just turned back to normal, she was freed of that black power that had corrupted her. It was amazing. What WAS that darkness, anyway?" she asks you. "We didn't have much time to talk after that, after all."
>"Yeah, demons have dat effect." Rin remarks.

>Lily's voice returns at this point, Now that you got me thinking, though, I think I'm forgetting something, somewhere I'm supposed to be.... Am I forgetting somewhere I'm supposed to be?

[DracoOmega]

>Gently: No need to worry about that. Right now, you just be with your family.

>"I'm not fully certain. To be honest, it felt similar to the youma and other examples of demonic taint we've encountered, but I spoke with the woman afterward and she was unable to think of any point in the recent past where she might have come into contact with such a thing. It is a matter I intend to continue to investigate, when time permits. It may be unrelated to these larger matters, but I have a nagging suspicion it is not."