>>34178317
>[ ] The taint.

>>34178317
[ ] Fear.

>>34178317

> [X] Fear.

>>34178317
[ ] Weakness.

>>34178317
>Weakness

>>34178317

[x] Fear

>>34178317
>[x ] The taint.

>>34178359
>>34178380
>>34178515

> [X] Fear.

His voice, a harsh rasp echoing through the years:

"-Is it death that you fear, boy?"

Hands and knees, scrabbling. Crimson footprints in the snow. Limping onwards, your staggering steps kicking up flurries of it in the still air, sweat freezing on your upper arms and brow. Bare feet, aching from contact with the ice, bare legs and arms and hands, already skinned raw.

What do you fear, KELL?

What do you fear?

------------------------------------------------

Stiff and slow, you wake. Your mind feels numb, pinched, as sense slowly returns - Your hands flexing before your face, the vapour of your breath breaking around them.

You've been dreaming again.

You sit up, and cradle your head in your hands. A sour taste lingers in your mouth, as you rise to your feet - Padding soundlessly on the thick crimson carpet, entering the washroom. You pause for a moment, head down, regarding your reflection in the cracked mirror - Leaning your hands on the edges of the stone basin.

At some point - Long ago, long past the point where it could have mattered - your eyes have turned grey, too.

You wipe a hand across the cloudy glass, and rinse your face in cold water.

-------------------------

The nameless manor is ancient, yellowing - A rambling, epic monument to failure, rich with noble rot. It's first light, outside: The wan glow of the sun limning the horizon, slanting golden rays through the windows. Your room is just one of many - You've never bothered to count, but they're all the same: Furniture veiled beneath thick dust cloaks, the faint scent of age, of mildew, lingering in the air.

Your long coat flutters, as it come to rest on your shoulders. It is dust-dry, with the consistency of heavy leather, weighted to fall at your feet; As achingly familiar as your good right arm.

It's what you wear, night after haunted night, when you go out-

Every night-

...to make the world sane.

(Continued)

>>34178639

Outside, the breeze rustles the green grass; The faint thrill of plaintive birdsong coming from somewhere far, far away. In the full light of dawn, the world is golden, renewed.

You turn away, and descend.

Down the spiralling steps. Past the gargoyle-mouthed door, down, down into the dark, and the faint drip-drip-drip sound of meltwater. Your footsteps are measured, slow, unfaltering - Your shadow slanting sharply before you, lit by a heatless glow.

In the distance, at the end of the corridor, a faint glow issues forth. From it, you can already-

[ ] ...smell the faintly bitter scent of cigarette smoke.
[ ] ...smell the distant fragrance of red sake.
[ ] ...hear the haunting, ethereal melodies.

>>34178691
>[ ] ...hear the haunting, ethereal melodies.

>>34178691
>[ ] ...hear the haunting, ethereal melodies.

>>34178691
[ ] ...hear the haunting, ethereal melodies.

>>34178691
>[ ] ...smell the distant fragrance of red sake.

>>34178691
[ ] ...smell the faintly bitter scent of cigarette smoke.

>>34178691
>[x ] ...hear the haunting, ethereal melodies.

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>>34178698
>>34178707
>>34178715
>>34178733

The sound is plaintive, oddly plangent - Like a long-ago memory, blurred by nostalgia and the passage of time.

The room beyond is workshop and library at once; The sole occupant has made it his new lair. Tall, his rangy form sheathed in knotwork leather, you glimpse the faded tracery of tattoo lines and dots that coil across one cheek like ivy. Feathers and small scrimshaw charms hang from his sleeves, from the raised crest on his back, swaying with each slight motion.

To one side of the oaken table - Scarred, the varnish scabbed and worn by deep strokes - is an elaborate contraption; A pair of speaking trumpets twisting around one another, a twin phonograph. Below, a crystal stylus runs along the grooved edge of a record, the ghostly music in full flow. The rest of the desk is cluttered by pots of unguents, brushes, worn and tattered books hastily bound in pale skin, fragments of yellowed bone, cogs and gears and a compass that rotates along it's own axis, glowing with inner light-

...The paraphernalia of a Makai Priest.

Itadori of the Crow Tribe; An odd people, a fey people, a long line of diviners, oracles, mediums. As you draw closer, the music turns into a hissing cacophony of discordant squawks, loud enough to make you wince - Wince, and shake your head.

He's listening to the voices of the recent dead, or the unborn. Either, both - To the Crow Tribe, the difference is academic.

(Continued)

>>34178953

"Kell-!"

To you, Itadori has always been a curious person; Not that all Makai Priests aren't curious, given their calling. But his youth and fierceness troubles you - More like a warrior than a witch priest. You've always supposed that a Priest needed age to attain the feats of lore and wisdom necessary to his office; None of the ones you've seen have been younger than mature middle age.

...But you suppose everyone needs to start somewhere.

He turns. His eyes are black-centered and gold, his face lean, craggy - The priest smiling slightly, awkwardly, as if he's been caught out.

"-Lord. You're early."

The stylus lifts from the record, ending the moaning music. His fingers, stained with paint, twitch slightly.

"No trouble last night, I trust...?"

[ ] "-No trouble."
[ ] "There were *two* Horrors, not one."
[ ] "...Now that you mention it..."
[ ] "-What were you doing?"
[ ] "The Wing's functioning well."
[ ] "My Madou Lighter needs a recharge."
[ ] Write-in.

>>34179043
>>[ ] "There were *two* Horrors, not one."
>[ ] "My Madou Lighter needs a recharge."
How can you not notice two of the buggers.

>>34179043
>[ ] "There were *two* Horrors, not one."
>[ ] "My Madou Lighter needs a recharge."

>>34179043
>[x] "-What were you doing?"
[x ] "There were *two* Horrors, not one."

>>34179043
>[ ] "The Wing's functioning well."
"It seems like we aren't the only ones to hunt Horrors."

>>34179057
>>34179068

> [X] "There were *two* Horrors, not one."

His eyes widen, slightly.

"-Ah," Itadori says. Then, rather more uncertainly: "Ah." His gaze flits to the Bagua mirror on the table, as if it has betrayed him. With one hand, he reaches up - Scratching, absently, at his cheek...

"Upon my soul," he says, quietly. "-that is unfortunate."

'Unfortunate' is an understatement. You remembering bathing in raw flame - Burning, writhing, your flesh beginning to char-

He drops his gaze, and sighs. Absently, with a skill born of long practice, he begins to sift through feathers and trinkets on the table; "...Strange that the Watchdogs didn't tell you. I'll have to reconsecrate the Mirror - There's something about this city, something that..."

> [X] "My Madou Lighter needs a recharge."

Before he's lost himself in his mumbling - In whatever abstruse occult business Makai Priests are tasked with - you drop the lighter onto the table. It's a heavy, baroque piece; gargoyle-mouthed and solid, and it *clunks* as it settles onto the table. Itadori's first work, something he's always been exceedingly proud of - He flinches at the sound it makes, and gathers it to himself in both hands.

"Let me see...Yes, yes, no crack in the bindings, the capstone's still intact...Yes, I can do that."

He looks up. "Kell. Lord. You used the entire charge?" Itadori's brow furrows, his fingers stroking the Madou Lighter's intricate carvings. "...Need to expand the chamber, hold a second one..."

> [X] "The Wing's functioning well."

Birdlike, he bobs his head - His chest puffing out with pride.

"A fine Gouryuu, isn't it? If they'd let me make another one, I could have..."

-He stops. Falls silent.

(Continued)

>>34179257

"Well. I could have," Itadori finishes, rather more awkwardly than before. It's something you've never pressed him about: Why a member of the reclusive Crow Tribe has been pressed into service as a Makai Priest. Some disgrace, perhaps, or some taboo - He's been conspicuously close-mouthed about it, but you think that it might have something to do with his fascination with artifacts.

Most of the Wing's twelve-foot span and form was derived from the husk of an Apostle Horror - Though the cadaver was hammered into soul metal for greater strength. Modifications were made, however - The center reforged to accommodate a Makai Knight's armour...

-Though you're the first one who's actually ever donned it.

Maybe that's why he works for you.

> [x] "-What were you doing?"

He starts, and makes to say something - But a glance past his shoulder tells you everything. A cracked tome, the pages yellowed with age, depicting an ivory-masked golem, the arms ending in reaping blades-

...Another of the heretic Sigma's mad, genius designs, no doubt.

Itadori shuffles his feet. "...I was just looking," he says, as if expecting reproach.

> "It seems like we aren't the only ones to hunt Horrors."

"What?" Itadori stiffens, his eyes narrowing. "-I don't believe it," he hisses, his neck cording - Fingers curling into a fist. "...To send another Knight, this early - Lord, this is an *insult* to us. To *you*."

"This District is *yours* to hold-"

[ ] "...It wasn't another Knight."
[ ] "-Not like that. They were...I'm not sure what they were."
[ ] "Tell me - Are there any other Makai Priestesses in the District?"
[ ] "Whatever they were, I don't think they were sanctioned."
[ ] "Do the names 'Mistral' and 'Etoile' mean anything to you?"
[ ] Write-in.

>>34179340
>[ ] "...It wasn't another Knight."
>[ ] "Tell me - Are there any other Makai Priestesses in the District?"
>[ ] "Do the names 'Mistral' and 'Etoile' mean anything to you?"

>>34179340
>[ ] "...It wasn't another Knight."
"It was two girls.
>[ ] "Tell me - Are there any other Makai Priestesses in the District?"
>[ ] "Do the names 'Mistral' and 'Etoile' mean anything to you?"

>>34179340
>>[ ] "...It wasn't another Knight."
>[ ] "Tell me - Are there any other Makai Priestesses in the District?"
>[ ] "Do the names 'Mistral' and 'Etoile' mean anything to you?"

> [X] "...It wasn't another Knight."
> "It was two girls."

He stops, mid-sentence, as you relate last night's events to him. It seems surreal, even to you - The pitch-black Horror, all bile and corroded metal and rivets. The two maidens, darting and weaving and striking, courage and fear and heart-stopping dread-

And the power, the quickening power that ambled across your armour, the racing heat that remade you from within as your hand closed around Mistral's spear-

Itadori's expression is somewhere between confusion and disbelief - Cupping his chin, settling into his chair in a loose slouch as he ponders the implications, the possibilities, turning it over and over again in his head...

"...I've never heard of anything like it, Lord," he says, slowly. "*Two* of them, you say? Against a Horror? That's - Pardon me - Knight's work." A quick aside glance. You nod, and he goes on. "...Women can't use Soul Metal, or don a Knight's armour. To face something like that..."

He shakes his head.

"-Brave. And foolish."

He frowns.

"I don't like this, Lor - Kell. These women...They might be dangerous."

> [X] "Tell me - Are there any other Makai Priestesses in the District?"
> [X] "Do the names 'Mistral' and 'Etoile' mean anything to you?"

"No," Itadori begins - And holds up a warning finger. "...But that doesn't mean it isn't possible."

They're a strange, insular lot, the Priests: As separated by their rivalries, their families, their glories and shame as any night. The Shrine of the Southern Watchdog - Seitenshi - that lays claim to this city has long been protected by the Seijou clan...One that you know very little of.

"Still, those names..." He gives you a sidelong glance. "-Unusual, to say the least. If I may presume...I don't think that they're Makai Priest at all." A grim smile. "-A true Priest would know better."

(Continued)

>>34179572

"As to what happened with the armour..." Itadori spreads his hands, his shoulders lifting in a shrug. "...That's entirely outside my experience." His gaze turns analytical, curious. "Do you feel any different?"

You're...uncertain. Are you any different?

"At any rate - What do you think we should do, Lord?"

[ ] "Find them, if we can. Warn them."
[ ] "Leave them alone. They're not in our way."
[ ] "...I should have a talk with the Southern Watchdog."
[ ] "-Ally with them, perhaps. We may be on the same side."
[ ] "I'm not sure. Itadori...Does anything in this city make sense?"
[ ] Write-in.

>>34179588
>[ ] "...I should have a talk with the Southern Watchdog."

>>34179588
>[ ] "...I should have a talk with the Southern Watchdog."

>>34179588
>Find them, if we can.

>>34179588
"Find them and talk this through. With information we will be able to decide on a course of action and possibly draw lines in terms of responsibilities.

Didn't you say that this city is unusual? Could this be related?"

>>34179588
[ ] "...I should have a talk with the Southern Watchdog."

"Even if the girls are not found so easily I doubt that the Seijou clan is ignorant of them."

[ ] "-Ally with them, perhaps. We may be on the same side."

Rolled 1, 7, 47 = 55 (3d100)

>>34179588
>[ ] "...I should have a talk with the Southern Watchdog."
Hey OP, I just got here and I want to say I really enjoyed this and the previous one-shot, I haven't caught up to JQ yet I just wanted to say I appreciate everything you do

> Find them, if we can.
>>34179692

> "With information we will be able to decide on a course of action and possibly draw lines in terms of responsibilities."

-Yes. For now, you have very little to go on - There's much about the situation that eludes you.

But still...The question remains. Who, besides a knight, would *want* to hunt Horrors? Why?

> "Didn't you say that this city is unusual? Could this be related?"

"Right." Itadori's brow furrows. "...From the records, the Horror manifestations in this city - They've sparse, over the past few centuries. Perhaps it's something about the land, the nature of the people, or even the presence of the Watchdog, but..."

He shakes his head. "-For two to emerge at once, on the same night...That's unusual. Unprecedented."

"...And deeply worrying."

> [X] "-Ally with them, perhaps. We may be on the same side."

Itadori gives you a sharply considering look - For a moment, it seems like he's about to say something...And then he stops himself.

"As always, I defer to your judgement, Lord."

>>34179617
>>34179624

> [X] "...I should have a talk with the Southern Watchdog."
> "Even if the girls are not found so easily I doubt that the Seijou clan is ignorant of them."

That's right. This is their District, their domain; Either they've been remiss in their duties, or...

-There are always alternatives, but the alternatives are never pleasant.

He nods. "-As you say, Lord. I'll make the nec..."

You feel it before it does. A shift in the stilled air of the chamber, the illumination-orbs flickering; a momentary chill in your bones, the presence of something passing, then gone. And from the far end of the chamber...There's a long, protracted sound, like the hiss of a whispered threat.

At the far end of the workshop, where a vast pair of black-lacquered doors stand, there is a quiet click - As slowly, with ponderous dignity, they begin to swing open.

(Continued)

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>>34179836

(Thanks; It's been a pleasure.)

"Lord-" Itadori begins, and you hush him with a look. The room beyond is a vast, empty space - Starlight-dark and midnight-silent, whispers breathing through the gloom. A white-marbled path stands out against the black tiles, leading to a single raised plinth of the same; A plinth which now holds a single red letter, branded with a wax seal.

-An Orders Document. An absolute command.

The doors shut behind you, as you emerge from the secret chamber.

[ ] "-Itadori. Change of plans."
[ ] "Another Horror? Already?"
[ ] "-About time."
[ ] "Speak of the devil."
[ ] Write-in

>>34179859
>[ ] "-Itadori. Change of plans."

>>34179859
>[ ] "Speak of the devil."
"Maybe our mysterious hunters are also there."

>>34179859
>[ ] "Speak of the devil."

>>34179859
>[ x] "-Itadori. Change of plans."

>>34179880
>>34179885
>>34179900

> [X] "Speak of the devil."

It's sooner than you expected - But perhaps you shouldn't be surprised.

Itadori's rattled - More sensitive to the phenomena than you are, it's no wonder that he's gone pale, his Adam's apple bobbing in his throat. He's so rattled that he moves to hand your Madou Lighter back to you, unaware that it's already exhausted; A significant look stops him in his tracks, and he - belatedly - fumbles for his own, rather more humble, device.

A slow *scrrtt* of steel on flint. An emerald flame grows your from shoulder-high fist, as you touch the fire to the Orders Document. The flames devour it hungrily, crackling and leaping - When you release it, the ashes whirl away, sparks flying up in a mad whirl: Coalescing into burning words, words that hang before you in the heated air.

> Beneath the petals,
> Within the stone,
> The flowers of sin blossom into slaughter.

And beneath it: A symbol, an iris, a stylized lily...

-Fading a little at a time, as quickly as it came.

> [x] "-Itadori. Change of plans."

"R-right." he fumbles for pen and parchment, transcribing the burning words at they fade. The scritch-scritch-scritch of his writing concludes in a flourish, as he makes a rough approximation of the symbol.

"...A flower," Itadori murmurs, his brow furrowed in concentration. "-Lord, what does it mean?"

[ ] "'Within the stone'? Just like last night..."
[ ] "'Blossom into slaughter'...I don't like the sound of that. At all."
[ ] "So much for clear instructions."
[ ] "Find out."
[ ] Write-in.

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>>34180071

(My apologies, forgot my image.)

>>34180071
>[ ] "So much for clear instructions."
>[ ] "Find out."

>>34180071
>[x ] "So much for clear instructions."
>[ x] "Find out."
>[ x] "'Within the stone'? Just like last night..."

>>34180071
>[x] "So much for clear instructions."
Not that we should be surprised about that
>[x] "Find out."

> [X] "So much for clear instructions."

Your orders have always, always been obtuse...But this is particularly unclear, even by the usual standards.

> [X] "'Within the stone'? Just like last night..."

You remember. Last night - The crimson-hued nightmare of the heart chamber, the boiling rage of the Horror fighting to be born. Strange; Often, Horrors lurk within cursed artifacts or places of great evil, waiting for a weak-willed human - One crushed beneath the burden of his own karma - to approach. When they find a host, the Yin Horror departs the shell that contains it...

And in that moment, the host's life as a human is over.

A terrible death. The most miserable and ghastly suffering a soul could ever endure - To turn the body into a hollow husk, to dress it in wings and claws and hooks, reborn as something with an infinite and remorseless capacity for evil.

But for a *place* to become a Horror, for it to take root not in flesh, but in stone...

You push the thought away. You'll deal with it when you get there.

> [x] "Find out."

"Of course." Itadori's head bobs, like the crow he resembles. He hesitates: "Lord, it might take some time-"

[ ] "-You can find me in the training room, after."
[ ] "I'll be in meditation. Tell me when you're done."
[ ] "I'll be outside. I need to clear my head."
[ ] Write-In

(System: Makai Knight KELL, at the start of each chapter, has a 'floating' bonus that is unassigned. Training will boost his weapon skills for the rest of the night; Meditation increases his Will save and lessens his wound penalties. Independent investigation might uncover other details. When a new arc begins, the bonus resets.

I'm slightly simplifying things tonight, so that we'll - hopefully - be able to finish the chapter in one sitting.)

>>34180226
>[ ] "-You can find me in the training room, after."

>>34180226
>[ ] "-You can find me in the training room, after."

>>34180226
>>[X] "I'll be in meditation. Tell me when you're done."

>>34180226
"I will be checking my armor for effects of last night's situation."

Our armor changed. We kinda should look at that.

>>34180303

Didn't it change back?

>>34180303
>Our armor changed. We kinda should look at that.
It turned back and even our designated mechanic has no idea what the hell happened.
It's something we'll have to figure out with experience.

(My apologies, I lost the connection for a moment, there. Writing now.)

>>34180226
>[ ] "I'll be in meditation. Tell me when you're done."
>[ ] "I'll be outside. I need to clear my head."

Can't meditation clear our head ? We need to be focussed for the next fight

>>34180478
Reread the post and stop being so dense, Near.

>>34180490
1.) There is a precedent for combination requests in Makai Quest. Some were also granted.
2.) You can correct me, but please keep this thread polite

>>34180303

(Those two have it right.)

>>34180378
>>34180393

> [X] "-You can find me in the training room, after."

The training room. The dimensions of the manor are uncertain, ever-shifting - It is need and intention that brings you where you should be, not the simplicity of architecture.

A Knight's training spans a wide range of disciplines. The straight sword is the Knight's most common weapon - But by no means compulsory or even preferred. There is the spear, the scimitar, the executioner's sword, the claymore, the bow...

-You favor the axe.

As you are now, your namesake's great halberd would be nigh-impossible to wield; It is a weapon for epic battle, to be grasped in your armour's mailed fist for frantic seconds. For the humbler strength of a mortal man, the axe is just as effective.

With an ease borne of long practice, you begin the long, repetitive regimen of practice strokes and turns that you've learnt by rote. Turning the axe, rotating and checking the angles of stroke and attack, parrying and switching hands - One to another, from a single grip to a double-handed grip for splitting foes like cordwood. There is an elemental brutality to axe-fighting, an inherent fury in the great swings...But the killing edge is in position to harm the enemy for a much smaller percentage of time, as compared to the blade and point of a sword.

It is about swinging and circling, moving and evading, choosing the moment to land the blow - And making that single, terrible blow the killing stroke.

You put your shoulders and back into the loops and turns, making your weapon hum as it cuts the air. You turn hard, swinging around, chopping the axe in a figure-eight; Frost fumes from the blade, beads of sweat glistening on your skin. Your muscles stand out stark and taut, like corded cables, against your flesh.

The old man was hard and cold and bitter to the end, but you have to admit:

He trained you well.

(Continued)

>>34179257
>...Strange that the Watchdogs didn't tell you.
Those guys will always be dicks or at least shady as shady can be. Guess it comes with the territory.

>>34179257

Why does he keep calling us 'Lord'?

>>34180661

The axe swings and loops in your hands, your muscles remembering the old skills and training. There is force in each blow, every stroke meant to knock the killing head into a foe and *un*-make him; One or an army, it doesn't matter.

So much of your life is spent in rehearsal. All of it pantomime coaching in preparation for the real thing, for a few minutes of stark, unutterable horror.

One last stroke. The throat of the axe in your left hand, the haft in your right. The faint metal scratch of the killing edge against the rock floor, leaving a deep furrow to join the many that already criss-cross the ground, sparks flaring dully in the gloom.

The doors creak open, and Itadori clears his throat.

"-KELL. I have something."

-------------------------------

Back in the workshop, once again. The bitter smell of incense hangs in the air, with the fainter reek of ash; A ghostly, St. Elmo's fire glow lingering in the air, a foxfire illumination that sheds no heat.

Itadori looks exhausted, but proud - Dark circles under his eyes, an easy grin coming to his lips.

"-It's a club," he says, shortly. "A nightclub in the city: The Fleur-de-Lys." The Priest crooks an eyebrow, as if to acknowledge that it should have been obvious to him. He has a map of the city spread out before him, a finger tracing across it - "...Normally, it'd be no trouble locating it, but - The place was warded, somehow. Made to be overlooked."

He taps the location, lightly - "Right here. At the very border of the city's vice district; A site with an interesting history. There's always been a club, there...Though the place has burnt down and been rebuilt - Four times, now. The most recent owner purchased it at a pittance...He's held it for half a year, now."

(Continued)

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>>34180661

(You are, in fact, a Lord. Makai Knights are nobility by virtue of their status, barring a few rare exceptions. Itadori is admittedly using a rather archaic form of address.)

Itadori makes a gesture, a flick of his wrist - Producing a card decorated by looping sigils, silver against black.

"It's invitation-only...So I took the liberty of obtaining one for you."

[ ] "Popular, is it?"
[ ] "-Sounds unlucky."
[ ] "Warded, you say? How?"
[ ] "Is the Horror inside?"
[ ] Write-in

>>34180824
>>[ ] "Warded, you say? How?"
>[ ] "Is the Horror inside?"

>>34180824
>[ ] "Warded, you say? How?"
>[ ] "Is the Horror inside?"

>>34180824
>[x] "-Sounds unlucky."
>[x] "Is the Horror inside?"

>>34180824
[X] "Warded, you say? How?"
>>34180824
[X] "Is the Horror inside?"
Fucking wards probably shield that shit way too well for him to tell us anything of worth though...
[X] Write-in
"Good work. Anything more you can tell me? Any quick way to get out that doesn't involve going through the walls?"

>>34180824
[X ] "Popular, is it?"

>>34180824
>[X] "Popular, is it?"
>[X] "Warded, you say? How?"
>[X] "Is the Horror inside?"

>>34180900
That is probably important if we are in a densely populated area.

> [X] "Warded, you say? How?"
> [X] "Is the Horror inside?"

"I...can't say for sure." there's a distinctly apologetic note to Itadori's voice. "-It may be. It's a ward meant to conceal, rather than to protect...But there's something unusual about it." His shoulders lift in a shrug. "...It feels like it's...tied into the surrounding area, somehow. Like there's two wards, overlapping each other - Joined so perfectly, it's impossible to tell them apart."

He turns to the Mirror on the scarred surface of the desk - Twisting motes of light showing only snow.

"See? There's too much interference. Further scrying is impossible."

> [x] "-Sounds unlucky."

He acknowledges the point with a little nod.

"Very unlucky. The previous owners all came to bad ends - And the fire, last time, killed several dozen people. And yet they're still drawn to it..."

A slight shake of his head. "-It's something I'll never understand."

> [X] "Popular, is it?"

"Quite. Expensive, too."

> "Good work. Anything more you can tell me? Any quick way to get out that doesn't involve going through the walls?"

"-No. It's the main cause of the casualties, the last time - The only way out is the way you came." Itadori frowns; "...Not even a secondary entrance. Strange."

[ ] "...I'm liking this less and less."
[ ] "-So I'll *have* to investigate personally."
[ ] "It feels like a trap."
[ ] "We'll just have to make do, then."
[ ] "A crowded nightclub, with a Horror...This could go badly wrong."
[ ] Write-in

>>34181074
>[ ] "We'll just have to make do, then."
Go already.

>>34181074
>[x] "It feels like a trap."
>[x] "We'll just have to make do, then."
It's not like we can back off because it's a little dangerous

>>34181074
>[ ] "-So I'll *have* to investigate personally."
>[ ] "It feels like a trap."
>[ ] "We'll just have to make do, then."

>>34181074

>[X] "-So I'll *have* to investigate personally."
>[X] "It feels like a trap."
>[X] "We'll just have to make do, then."

> burnt down several times
> no second exit
> area is inundated with wards
Yea, it's the Manhole cover episode all over again. They used the constant rebuilding of the house as cover for constructing a massive-ass spell array from the very stones it was made from that probably constitutes an easily-activated, direct access to the Makai realm.

Fun times.


>>34181074
All that being said:
[X] "It feels like a trap."
[X] "We'll just have to make do, then."

It really can't be helped.

>>34181265
Thanks for reminding me of that ep again, makes me want to rewatch Garo again or catch the new season.

>>34181292
>the new season.
It's NOT CRINGEWORTHY! Quite different, but in a good way. Not sure about the girl sidekick, but at least she's not actively detrimental to efforts.
>Thanks for reminding me of that ep again
Horrors that manipulate and/or use prior existing insanity a best.
> makes me want to rewatch Garo again
Do it.

>>34181292
I should catch up, I first started watching GARO because of the first thread of this, but I got distracted by KR after I finished the first season

File: city.png (1.04 MB, 1280x720)

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> [X] "-So I'll *have* to investigate personally."
> [X] "It feels like a trap."

"...It rather does, doesn't it?" Itadori agrees.

> [x] "We'll just have to make do, then."

He sighs, his palms pressing together - Before managing a wan smile.

"Let's hope it'll be enough."

------------------------------

Night. Out in the city, once more - At the witching hour, the late hour where the streets begin to empty out, when the neon lights turn hard-edged and glossy, like solitary stars in the sky. Your long strides beat time with each step, the sweep of your coat trailing in your wake: Taking you ever-closer to your destination, away from the wan golden glow of the residential district.

The change is a palpable one; The way the paved streets show the first cracks, graffiti scrawled over the walls in angry, anonymous scribbles. There's a smell, a foul, reeking sweetness that comes with decay - A grime that clings to everything, like a film overlaying the world. A place where the glittering face of the city gives way to another...You walk faster, your lips set in a thin line.

The Fleur-de-Lys is a grey slab of a building - Like a stone monolith, hastily adorned with the bright, burning sigil - the neon glow so intense, faint sparks flicker at the edges, an array of cables hastily ratcheted into place. There's something raw, almost crude, about the place; But there's an intensity, too, magma-hot and magnesium bright. Music - Hard and discordant and pounding - pulses in the background, pane of red glass filtering the light into a hellish glow, casting gaunt shadows on the winding line of revellers outside - A line that moves with commendable speed, the shadows swaying underfoot in the flickering radiance.

(Continued)

>>34181345
I-I never watched Garo at all

>>34181368
My first such show was Kamen Rider Wizard.
And now I'm ruined. Wizard was shit, but the attitude of the MC in the first episode was so awesome that I hate Gaim.
And I'm not sure if I could watch Garo, as I'm very sensitive to cheesy CG.

>>34181535
>My first such show was Kamen Rider Wizard.
I'm so, so, so sorry

>>34181455

Like the ventricle of a heart. Like a red cavity, pumping with sound.

The effect is disorientating. You draw a deep breath, to clear your head, to focus.

------------------------------

BEFORE:

The foot-long steel dart is cool in your hand - The head wickedly barbed, a steel covering just behind. It slides back with a *click*, to reveal the crystal - Burning with the actinic green of Madou Fire - worked into the weapon, smoldering with lethal potential.

"I call it a 'Hunting Dart'," Itadori says, with pride. For all his virtues, naming is not his strong suite.

"Just throw it - A flick of the wrist is all you need, the imbedded Soul Metal sliver does all the work - and when it hits something..." He spreads his hands. "...It begins to burn the target, and it *never stops*. Even a Horror would be seriously distressed by it - It's Madou Fire, after all."

"...But, uh - I haven't quite finished balancing them, yet. It's delicate work, and - Ah, you know - there's a lot of things that can go wrong." He hesitates, then adds - "...I'm sure it'd be useful, though..."

[ ] "I'll stick with what I know." (Expands the Madou Fire reservoir of your Madou Lighter by one.)
[ ] "-You have my permission. Do it." (Gain three Hunting Darts.)
[ ] "There might be trouble tonight. I'll need the armour." (Boosts the defensive value of KELL's Runes of Protection.)

>>34181535
>cheesy CG.
Only the third season uses cheesy CG.
>the attitude of the MC in the first episode was so awesome that I hate Gaim.
Watch, hmm. Any other season that isn't Ryuki, the MCs usually have slightly less annoying attitudes.
>My first such show was Kamen Rider Wizard.
My condolences.
>>34181500
Get to it. You could watch the first three episodes before this thread is done.

http://www.nyaa.se/?page=search&cats=0_0&filter=0&term=Garo&user=93569

>>34181657

(System: Itadori - Or any allied Makai Priest - can work on various items and/or improvements each night.)

>>34181657
>[ ] "-You have my permission. Do it." (Gain three Hunting Darts.)
Sticking all in someone might come in handy.

>>34181657
>[ ] "-You have my permission. Do it." (Gain three Hunting Darts.)

>>34181657
[X] "I'll stick with what I know." (Expands the Madou Fire reservoir of your Madou Lighter by one.)

Nice toy, but we're operating in an area with lots of people.

We shouldn't try to go Batman on this operation if we're not sure it'll hit someone it's not intended for. Makai Knights aren't the Ordo Malleus.

>>34181747

(My apologies, I'll add that Hexer's right on this one: For those not familiar with the series, Makai Knights have a taboo against killing humans.

The rare exception to the rule are tainted humans - Effectively, diabolists - and those who have been stained by Horror blood, which invariably means a painful, agonizing death.

Different Knights observe the rule with varying levels of concern, but it's generally considered unknightly to kill mortals - Especially innocent mortals.)

>>34181657
[ ] "I'll stick with what I know." (Expands the Madou Fire reservoir of your Madou Lighter by one.)

An extra heal might be useful plus I'd rather wait until he balamces them before using them.

Even though Fire is the solution to everything

>>34181657
>[x ] "I'll stick with what I know." (Expands the Madou Fire reservoir of your Madou Lighter by one.)

>>34181657

[ ] "There might be trouble tonight. I'll need the armour." (Boosts the defensive value of KELL's Runes of Protection.)

>>34181747
>>34181802
Welp.

>>34181660
>Watch, hmm. Any other season that isn't Ryuki, the MCs usually have slightly less annoying attitudes.
Can you suggest one with awesome fight choreographies?

>>34181657
>Armor
Just a hunch.

>>34181881

Gaim and Double are pretty good.

>>34181657

> [X] "I'll stick with what I know." (Expands the Madou Fire reservoir of your Madou Lighter by one.)

Kouga had like unlimited reserves of madou fire in the show. And we only get ONE use? That's hardly fair.

>>34181881
To add to my vote:
"Don't throw them out, though. Come back to me once you managed to balance them."

>>34181891
Eh, Gaim's fights basically consist of people randomly hitting each other with blunt fruits knives. There is no rhyme nor reason to those fights.

>>34181909
I think later on he had to recharge it more often. Maybe that was a specialty of his family's gear.

>>34181891
>>34181881
Yea, Double has a pretty good rep and a nice system. Agito is fun too.

Go Full Patrician and watch the original. Err. /lit/ speak aside, it's really pretty fun.

>>34181909
>>34181964

Kouga had the ring supply it half the time.

>>34181368
The same thing happened to me, I wanted to watch Flowers but Gaim took all my freetime. At least I do have to say that the Garo in Wonderland movie was fun.

>>34181657
>[X] "I'll stick with what I know." (Expands the Madou Fire reservoir of your Madou Lighter by one.)
>"But get back to me when you finish balancing them. I can see how something like that would be useful."

>>34181964
How many episodes does Double have?
Nyaa is giving me conflicting results. It looks like there's a lack of subs for later episodes.

>>34181657

[X] "I'll stick with what I know." (Expands the Madou Fire reservoir of your Madou Lighter by one.)

>>34181881
Watch Double, it's pretty fun. Do try the original Garo, it had great fights.

>>34182051
49 not counting movies and specials, check out the Kamen Rider General on /m/ if you need any help, they're usually cool about that

>>34182051
Forty-nine.

Huh? I'm pretty sure it's completely subbed. One sec.

>>34182091
>>34182051
http://over-ti.me/releases/kamen-rider-w/

No batch, sorry. And yes, use O-T.

>>34182143
>w
Ah, that explains it.
I read a few weeks ago that it's written like that, but I completely forgot. So I literally searched for Double on Nyaa.

>>34181747
>>34181822
>>34181831
>>34181909
>>34182054
>>34182038

> [X] "I'll stick with what I know." (Expands the Madou Fire reservoir of your Madou Lighter by one.)

Itadori nods - "That's probably a good idea," he admits, turning the Hunting Dart over and over in his hands. "...As of now, they're still - Well, a bit too volatile."

> "Don't throw them out, though. Come back to me once you managed to balance them."

"Certainly, Lord."

--------------------------

NOW:

"Pass?"

The bouncer is an impressively muscled man - Big, broad and tall, skin busy with tattoos - with the faintly hangdog expression of someone who leads a nocturnal existence. Past him, the inside of the club is fogged with smoke, the air juddering in time to the pounding beat; Light freckling and dancing across the smoke dome, beams of gold and green and blue spearing up into the crimson gloom, like lassos of light.

He has one big hand out before him, thick fingers splayed. Something - An innate sense of caution, perhaps - stops him from planting that hand on your chest.

You reach back, and he tenses, instinctively - Only to relax when you produce the black-and-silver card, tilting his head, squinting to regard it. "Hnh..." he mutters, sizing you up uneasily - "...Never seen you here before. Okay-"

He's stepping back, lifting the velvet rope, when - Unaccountably - someone collides with your side. Your right arm's pressed up against something warm and yielding, encountering creamy skin when you turn your head...

(Continued)

>>34182282
It begins

>>34182369
It already began

>>34182282

-It's a girl. Dark hair, so black it's almost violet - Blue eyes, bright with mischief, full lips curving in a impish smile as she latches on to you, midnight twintails trailing in her wake. They fall almost to her waist, accentuating her lissome form - Athletic, slender, and...not really wearing very much.

Her outfit is minimal - Feet arched high on stiletto-heeled boots, laced to the knee - a string bikini-top under a glossy black jacket, unfastened to reveal the smooth, supple flesh beneath. Gloves and tight-fitting shorts, clinging to the curve of her pert behind-

But it's her posture that takes your eye, the balance of her legs, the confidence in the set of her head - And the clarity in her gaze.

"-And I'm with him~!" she laughs, slim fingers fanning her hair back - Her gaze meeting yours, for the space of a second...One eye closing in a wink. "...Isn't that right~?"

[ ] "...Who *are* you?"
[ ] "-No, it's not."
[ ] "...Yes, she is."
[ ] "-Let go of me. Now."
[ ] Write-in

>>34182431
Shit where's that Gif of Ray J just staring at someone that's what we should do

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>>34182431

OP, does she look something like this?

>>34182431
>[ ] "...Yes, she is."

>>34182431
>[X] "...Yes, she is."
>[X] "-Let go of me. Now."

Just to fuck with their expectations. But really, it'd be more effort to stop her at this point.

>>34182431
>>[X] "...Yes, she is."

I say we let her come, either she is a horror, she is one of those magical girls, or someone that we will have to protect anyway, might as well keep her near.

Also if we are wearing one of those leather coats that Makai Knights like in the club, I think I will laugh.

>>34182431
>[x] "...Yes, she is."
Let's check her for Horror shit once we're inside

>>34182469
Hopefully not

0/10

>>34182431
>[ ] "-No, it's not."
Fuck this bitch trying to get a freepass in

>>34182431

> [X] "...Yes, she is."

Why not?

>>34182534
For the record, I bet she is just an innocent girl who will get caught in this. So either she get's killed or she get's infected by some Horror Blood.

So maybe it would be better to let her get in.

>>34182431
[X] Write-in
"You... must be mistaking me..." Play up the slightly-confused-yet-irritated angle. If she buys it she'll think we're not too bright, if she doesn't she'll still feel rebuffed and try for something less amateurish next time.

Either way, she'll be out of our way for the time being, and horror or simple wannabee freeloading human without any idea what's going on she'll be one liability less to think of.
[X] "-Let go of me. Now."

>>34182514
> horror
Priestess trying to be cool while lacking the prep to get in, more likely. Meddlers gonna meddle.


>>34182215
Ha! Yea, it happens.

>>34182431
>[ ] Write-in
See if there are any signs that she is an enemy or potential ally -tattoos, weapons, etc.
Then whisper in her ear "Only if you answer my questions inside".

>>34182469
>Vampy
Hexer, does this remind you of your childhood?
Because now I'm imagining a certain RTL2 plush vampire with Black Rock Shooter as a guest on the show.

>>34182511
>Also if we are wearing one of those leather coats that Makai Knights like in the club, I think I will laugh.
...You don't happen to have an image lying around, have you?

>>34182610
My bet is that she's one of the magical girls and tries to get a free pass with her outfit. She probably doesn't know that we are a knight.

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>>34182689
This is what Knights and Priests tend to wear, looks very gaudy.

>>34182633
We could show her the Lighter's flame, Horrors react to it and that's what Knights use to identify their targets when they are hiding as humans.

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>>34182713
That's possible, but offensively amateurish still...

>>34182689
> swish swish swish

>>34182652
Never really watched that show to be honest, iunno why. I know vaguely what it is, but that's it.

>>34182777
Wouldn't that you know alert who's probably behind all this and you know fuck us over?

>>34182823
Only if we do it here and now in front of everyone, instead of like, off in a corner

>>34182849
Why did I just get the image of some chick running off screaming thinking we're going to set her on fire?

>>34182484
>>34182503
>>34182511
>>34182514
>>34182534

> [X] "...Yes, she is."

She laughs, a lilting, silvery sound: Favoring you with a quick smile, her grip on your arm relaxing, just a little.

>>34182633

There's something strange about this one - She's close to you, taut, radiating heat. There's a pleasant fragrance to her, one you can't quite place...And a scar, an old one, along the nape of her neck. She seems to notice your regard, and shifts slightly to draw away - Her gaze lowered, just for a moment, a fractional hesitation to her graceful, easy motions.

> "Only if you answer my questions inside."

She gives your hand a quick squeeze, then laughs as if you've made a joke.

The bouncer rolls his eyes, and waves you in.

----------------------------------

Inside, it's...Well, it's chaos. The noise actively assaults you, making the pulse pound in your temples - The nocturnal club room fuming with smoke, vague shapes huddling or gambling or drinking or dancing. On a raised stage, dancers gyrate to the pounding beat; It's hot in here, body-hot, sweat-warm. The girl's hand is cool in yours, as she pulls you ahead - Her gloved fingers circling yours, as she shouts something; something that's entirely lost in the noise.

You're jostled from every side at once, but the girl clears a path towards the bar - A soiled curve of epoxy under a series of hard white lights. The bartender is an androgynous figure with too many piercings, who doesn't clean the glasses so much as swipe them with a dirty cloth.

> [X] "-Let go of me. Now."

She's saying something, again - Your ears are still ringing.

"...least buy me a drink first~!" she laughs, easing herself into one of the seats - Long, long legs crossing with a silky scrape, canting her head to the side to regard you. "...your name?"

[ ] "What's yours?"
[ ] "-Kell."
[ ] "What are you *doing* here?"
[ ] Buy her a drink.
[ ] You don't have time for this. Leave her at the bar.
[ ] Write-in.

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>>34182777
>>34182810
So the coat doesn't fit at all, but the clothes underneath are a perfect fit.
Would a knight just give his coat away at the garderobe?
Or would that soil their honor?

>>34182810
>Never really watched that show to be honest, iunno why. I know vaguely what it is, but that's it.
I only watched it because children watch almost anything and it was right in the anime block of the channel. However, some of the jokes went far past the head of children. Like jokes about car driving.
Then again, we are a nation of drivers...

>>34182901
>[ ] "What are you *doing* here?"

>>34182901
>[ ] "What's yours?"
>[ ] "-Kell."
"Are we here for the same reason?"

>>34182901
>[ ] You don't have time for this. Leave her at the bar.

>>34182901
Don't care what we tell her not impartial to saying our name is Steve but we have to Make sure to Examine the Club and it's occupants more closely but don't be suspicious about it.

>>34182901
>[x] "What are you *doing* here?"
I'm still pretty suspicious of her, but look around the club while we grill her, we might see something

>>34182901

>[X] "What's yours?"
>[X] "-Kell."

>>34182916
>Would a knight just give his coat away at the garderobe?
No, they have lotsa things in there and it basically is a uniform/sign of service.

>>34182901
[X] "What are you *doing* here?"
[X] Write-in.
"...are you even old enough to drink? You don't act the part".

Light insults, what could go wrong?

>>34183090
>they have lotsa things in there
Like goldfish.

>>34183090
>No, they have lotsa things in there and it basically is a uniform/sign of service.
Plus it's really cool

>>34183090
>[X] "What are you *doing* here?"
Maybe she could be here with a similar reason as us, and she's just pretending to be an airhead. Hopefully.

>>34183090
>>34182916
Basically the coat is a symbol that represents the knight, and generally they go everywhere with them... and I mean everywhere (with some exceptions, I think Kouga did take it off to use a disguise a time or two).

If I remember it right the Knights also inherit the coat (or the pattern of the coat) alongside the Knight Title, so each coat represents a specific knight and his lineage... is that right?

>>34183186
>If I remember it right the Knights also inherit the coat (or the pattern of the coat) alongside the Knight Title,
Yea, only whoever is Garo at the time wears the White Coat With Triangle™, for example. Same is true with the Silver Knight. Not sure about others.

>>34183164
Well, you know what they say about certain types of allies making enemies superfluous, right?

...I might be too paranoid.

>>34183142
Like goldfish, exactly.

> [X] "-Kell."

"Kell~" Her lips move, shaping the word, tasting it - Then she nods, a slight cant of her head.

"Sounds foreign," she says, her fingertips tracing slow circles against the countertop. She catches the bartender's eye and crooks a finger, indicating a bottle that's basically indistinguishable from the others around it. It's mostly full of a clear, oily fluid that roils in the gloom, two thimble glasses following it a moment later.

> [X] "What's yours?"

"Noire," comes the answer - Turning to face you, now, frank interest in her blue eyes. Her smile's crooked, but earnest; "-That's pretty foreign too, right~?"

> [X] "What are you *doing* here?"
> "Are we here for the same reason?"

"Haaaah, I wonder~?" she muses aloud, resting her chin on her gloved hands; Retrieving the bottle, with a fancy little spin, and pouring a measure into the glass. The liquor flows slowly, heavily, almost viscous - As she lifts the glass to toast you, with a wink.

> [X] "...are you even old enough to drink? You don't act the part."

That silvery giggle again - "Let's find out, shall we~?" Maybe she's taken it as a dare, because she swigs the drink without flinching - It might as well be spring water, for all the effect it has on her. This time, she pours you one, an expectant expression on her impish features; There's something oddly innocent about her, despite her provocative posturing - A kind of playfulness, a wonder, that's somehow survived.

(Continued)

>>34183245

Noire's brow furrows, slightly - Her lips curving in a pout.

"That's...almost a little disappointing," she sighs, regarding the bottle dolefully - Sinking a second glass, her slim shoulders lifting in an easy shrug. But then that easy exuberance returns; she doesn't seem to be taking things seriously, as if it's all a game to her.

"Kell-kun~" she says - But it doesn't sound right to her, somehow. There's a faint flush to her cheeks - Maybe the alcohol really is having an effect. The beat changes; Another number pumping through the underfloor speakers, which is really just a variation in the wall of noise. The crowd claps and cheers and roars approval - The dancers beginning to gyrate the other way.

"-Kell, then," Noire continues, her eyes suddenly serious, her sombre words carrying over the momentary pause.

"You should go home. Like, right now." Then that coquettish, almost challenging gleam returns to her eyes - "...Well, unless you can *dance*."

[ ] Write-in

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>>34183410
>"...Well, unless you can *dance

>>34183410
"Are you speaking of danger or of embarrassment?
Either way, I can handle myself.

Are you sure that you should be so careless at this place? The situation might turn difficult soon."

>>34183410
>[x] Go dance and teach her the secret dance skills of the Makai Knights (aka, you don't know what you are doing.)

We shouldn't draw too much attention to us. So let's pretend to do this while we draw the Horror's attention.

>>34183410
>[ ] Write-in
Don't drink. "You can have this one too".
It's hella dirty, and we want to stay focussed.

>>34183410
>[ ] Write-in
"I've actually got business here. If... when I am done, I promise you a dance, and you promise to tell me what you're really up to".

Also
>>34183482
This.

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>>34183410
"You should worry about yourself, first"
Horror time soon

I just realized now is an appropriate time to post this

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>>34183410
Time to dance

>>34183410
>Noire continues, her eyes suddenly serious, her sombre words carrying over the momentary pause.
Shit, it's going to start isn't it?

>[ ] Write-in
>I can take care of myself

>>34183410
>"Don't worry about me"

>>34183482
>>34183504
>>34183524

> Don't drink. "You can have this one too".

Noire shrugs. "Please yourself," she says, diffidently. You note that she doesn't drink, either; she seems oddly fidgety, now, her gloved fingers drumming against her thigh. Her attention wavers, looking past you, lingering on the crowd...Before she shakes her head, her eyes settling on your face.

> "Are you sure that you should be so careless at this place? The situation might turn difficult soon."

A nod - "This is a *bad* place," Noire agrees...And then she smiles, as if doesn't matter. "-But I'm a bad girl. You could say that we're made for each other." There's a note of self-deprecation to her voice - For a moment, her smile wavers.

> Either way, I can handle myself.
>>34183638

She eyes you, sidelong - "...Maybe you can," she allows.

"But if not...It's your funeral."

>>34183626
>>34183493

"Really?" Her eyes widen - She clearly didn't expect that. The flush in her cheeks deepen, and - For a rare moment - Noire seems lost for words. But then, her gloved hand closes on your - More gently, this time - as she leads you onto the dance floor.

The music is...Well. You wouldn't say that it's music at all. Around you, figures caper in a sort of mass convulsion, a wild, heedless, ecstatic frenzy that looks like a fit of possession, or a psychotic episode. It's warm, so warm that - for the first time in a long while - you feel overdressed in your coat.

Another surprise is how Noire feels - As she eases against you in a close hold, as you turn her about the glowing tiles of the floor. She's shorter than you, by almost a head...But her body is toned, curvy in all the right places, a natural grace at odds with her oddly tentative movements.

In this unguarded moment, there's something vulnerable, almost shy about her - She has to look away, murmuring brief advice; "Loosen your shoulders - Turn your head...No, too much. And swing out. And back, then again."

(Continued)

>>34183410
>"Dancing is a skill you pick up in my line of work."
>"Well, dancing of a sort. A very dangerous sort. But, I'm sure the lessons carry over."

>>34183910

Her footwork is faultless - It's hard to keep up with her, every motion expressive and measured, so close that you can hear Noire's breath quicken, just a little - as the initial tension drains from her shoulders, letting you take the lead.

Overhead, glittering lights rotate, casting down a blizzard of illumination like snowflakes.

"You're...surprisingly good, actually," Noire whispers, her head against her chest - When she looks up, her hands rest lightly on your forearms, as if afraid to break the contact. It's a strange gesture, almost lost in the pounding rhythm, but you can hear her just fine. "Still too rigid, though - Your shoulders are too tight..."

Her voice trails off.

"-Where did you learn to dance?"

[ ] "By watching you."
[ ] "About five minutes ago. I'm a quick study."
[ ] "-I had a great teacher."
[ ] "...Well, it's not too different from what I usually do."
[ ] Write-in.

>>34184003
[ ] "...Well, it's not too different from what I usually do."

>>34184003
>[x] "...Well, it's not too different from what I usually do."
Man, I hope the Horror hasn't been busy while we've been distracted

>>34184003
>[ ] "...Well, it's not too different from what I usually do."
"The principle is the same. This just a little more forgiving."

>>34184003
>[ ] "-I had a great teacher."

Was sorta a dick but pretty cool guy

10/10 would Makai

>>34184003
>[x] Write-in.
It's time that she entertains herself, and we go to work. Say goodbye, walk away.

>>34184003
[X] "...Well, it's not too different from what I usually do."

>>34184003
>[ ] "About five minutes ago. I'm a quick study."

>>34184103
Why would you flee from one of the magical girls?
We could get answers afterwards.

>>34184051
I'm assuming it's near here that's and that's why she wanted to dance

>>34184003

>[X] "...Well, it's not too different from what I usually do."

>>34184188
Well she is either the horror, or a magical girl. By now I feel that a Makai Priest would have understood that we are a knight.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=ZQB6F1NopK4#t=75

>>34184003
[X] "-I had a great teacher."

>>34184235
Or a mortal ally of the horror that had second thoughts.

>>34184235
I still want to check her out with the Lighter, I don't think she's the horror but she's been putting me on edge

>>34183910
So we are wearing the longcoat in the club

That's ridiculous, but also funny.

Guys, her name is Noire and she has a scar near her neck.
I'm pretty sure that one of the girls also had the same scar.

>>34184285
That's too attention grabbing,we probably would need to take her to someplace where no one could see us.

>>34184249
No, I feel that a mortal ally of the Horror wouldn't need help to get past the bouncer... probably.

>>34184292
Hey, the first rule of being a Makai Knight is to take the longcoat everywhere, and I really mean everywhere.

>>34184313
We can't be too sure about this, but I hope you are right.

>>34183992
>>34184019
>>34184051

> [X] "...Well, it's not too different from what I usually do."
> [X] "The principle is the same. This just a little more forgiving."

"Mystery man," Noire says, fondly. Her hand comes up, as if to cup to your cheek...

-Then she lets it fall, suddenly, her gaze going distant.

> [X] "-I had a great teacher."

"Mmm-hmmm," she murmurs, her attention miles away - As you swing and readdress, the pace of the dance playing itself out.

You remember the room of the swinging blades, the spikes that would rise and fall from the ceiling and walls, like the champing teeth of an uneven maw.

> It's time that she entertains herself, and we go to work. Say goodbye, walk away.

You separate. Noire seems like she's about to say something - But then she glances away, and reaches for the packet of cigarettes in the front pocket of her open coat. Her motions, curiously, are clumsy, fumbling; Affected, as if putting on a show for someone. A brief look is enough to tell you that she's never smoked before, her blue eyes tracking to either side, alertly, as she puts one to her lips...

Someone brushes past you, without looking. You glimpse a face, hard and pale and sinewy, a face surgically preserved to it's fullest effect; A face that probably cost more than the tailored suit he wears. His arm slides around Noire's slender waist from behind, circling her, drawing her close - She stiffens, for the space of a second...Then relaxes, leaning into him, putting the lissome grace of her form to use.

"-tor of this club," he's saying, with a smile that's friendly but slightly fixed. "-radiant down there."

Noire laughs, a silvery, affected sound. "...owe the pleasure?" she answers, her face upturned...

-Just as you feel a hand settle on your shoulder.

(Continued)

>>34184188
It's a little blunt, but we don't know what the Horror is doing now. Do we want to kill it before continuing our talk with magical girl ?

>>34184385
>-Just as you feel a hand settle on your shoulder.
PUNCH REFLEX

One of the dancers, a male one - His face half-hidden behind a mask, bolts sticking from his neck, the zipper across the mouth styled to look like a lipless grin. He's dressed in white mesh, with brief blonde hair; Impossibly thin arms and legs, slender and elegant.

He shakes his head, mutely. His grip tightens.

He's not alone. There are two more figures approaching, sloughing from the crowd like a snake sloughing skin - Both masked, both moving with the same surreal grace.

Noire doesn't seem to notice your predicament, as her new admirer steers her away; You catch a snatch of - "...the lady care for a light?" - a brief, neutral glance aimed somewhere in your approximate direction. In contrast to the hard lines of his face, the hand around her waist is perfect; Clean and manicured, the skin white and unblemished and uncreased, the flesh plump and supple.

Nails, black-painted, dig into your shoulder - Pausing, as they encounter the wire-mail of your coat.

[ ] To the dancer: "Take your hand off me. Now."
[ ] To the dancer: "All right, I'll go with you. No need to make a scene."
[ ] "...So that's how it's going to be."
[ ] To the older man: "-No need. I have one, too."
[ ] Write-in

>>34184611
>[X] To the older man: "-No need. I have one, too."

>>34184611
[X] "...So that's how it's going to be."
[X] To the older man: "-No need. I have one, too."

>>34184611
>[x] To the older man: "-No need. I have one, too."

>>34184611
>[ ] To the dancer: "Take your hand off me. Now."

>>34184611
>[x] To the older man: "-No need. I have one, too."

Is there particular reason we don't have a talking medallion?

>>34184611

>[X] "...So that's how it's going to be."
>[X] To the older man: "-No need. I have one, too."

>>34184611
[ ] "...So that's how it's going to be."

Shits going to get real fast.

>>34184713
I think our hero is a fallen knight, or rather he took the mantle of a fallen knight and his armor is incomplete, so he doesn't have a talking ring yet. If I remember right, his armor is weaker than normal too.

>>34184611
>[ ] "...So that's how it's going to be."
>[ ] To the older man: "-No need. I have one, too."
"This makes things easier.
Do you want to talk or do you have other intentions?"

>>34184773

(KELL is actually a newly-minted Knight. This is his first assignment - You're right in that his armour is weaker than normal. In fact, it's practically new compared to the ones handed down over generations.)

>>34184642
>>34184633
>>34184656

> [X] To the older man: "-No need. I have one, too."

Your voice cuts across the narrow distance. The flat strength in it knifes through the cacophony, at the exact moment the music stops. The older man - The manager, he must be - pauses in his tracks. The look he gives you - Over his shoulder - is flat, unfriendly.

His eyes narrow.

> [X] To the dancer: "Take your hand off me. Now."

He doesn't seem about to agree - Until the manager nods, slightly. His hand uncurls from the clenching claw, and you cross the space to them in long strides. Noire's lips tighten, as the manager's arm falls to his side; There's a flicker of confusion in her eyes, then concern, then a calm.

She stops in her tracks, too. Looking back at you, the cigarette between her lips like the most natural thing in the world.

It's a tableau. The three of you, and the three white figures in the distance, closing in.

The Madou Lighter is in your hand. When you flick it open, emerald flame crackles forth. Noire dips her head forward, like *scrrrt*ing sparks flickering around her as the point of her cigarette flashes to flame; She takes it between her fingers, her hand closing slowly into a fist. Her eyes are blue, depthless, and entirely human.

There's a message for you, in them.

Be ready.

The manager's eyes are green. Venom green. Toxic green, black distortions that might be glyphs swirling within the irises.

> "This makes things easier. Do you want to talk or do you have other intentions?"

He draws himself up to his full height, expanding. He's a big man - His body is soft, out of the habit of regular exercise, though scars mark his cheeks. A deep breath, then a bellow:

"The club is CLOSED!"

The exodus begins.

(Continued)

>>34184924
Well, the Madou flame probably tipped here off.

So I guess it's on.

>>34184713

(Not every lineage has one. They're exceedingly hard to make.)

A murmur circles the room, as the crowd is thrown back like a cloak. You stand in the midst of an expanding circle, as revellers scurry for the doors - Some stumbling, some running, others vanishing into the back rooms like shadows. Even the dancers hurry from the raised dais.

Some of them. The others move with deliberate purpose that quite belies their nudity, as the trio that closes in on you expands to a half-dozen. Then nine.

Noire takes a step back. The look on her face is utter confusion - Not because of the predicament she's found herself in, but because of you. *That* - and only that - is what's utterly alien to her experience...But you see her tense, her lissome form poised.

The manager ignores her. You, and the narrowing circle of dancers, are the only things that matter in the world.

And he spits two words - Two words that combine spite and bitter hatred:

"Makai *Knight*."

[ ] Write-in

>>34185043
>[ ] Write-in
Horror

>>34185043
"Are we playing the name-calling game now?"

Though I guess answering in the same vein would be funnier. Especially if the girl played the straight man.

So this is better >>34185063.

>>34185043
>[ ] Write-in
At your service!

>>34185088
>>34185063

You don't talk to Horrors in the show. Usually, there's nothing you want to say to them, and move right on to the hitting.

>>34185043
>"Makai *Knight*."
"Henshin."

Get to the smiting.

>>34185043
>[x] Write-in
Well let's get started, go after the boss first

>>34185139
Good point.
Punch them to death. No questions asked.
Ask the girl if she wants to take some of them.

>>34185043
>[X] "Well, this escalated quickly."
>"Noire, can you handle yourself here? I can hold them off if you need to escape."

Cleave and smite.

>>34185043
Tell Noire to leg it

>>34185043
Memorize those exits

>>34185316
You mean all one of them?

>>34185043
At present, you and the girl don't have a lot of room to maneuver. Create some, preferably by forcing the dance back or attacking him.

File: 1387500763267.jpg (77 KB, 500x500)

77 KB JPG

>>34185316
It's like you aren't even reading it

>>34185102
It really depends, Rei did, but Kouga was more stoic and serious

>>34185382
Aren't we currently playing the serious dude?

>>34185366
Maybe he meant it differently, like "remember where the exits are"

>>34185139

Your duster whips back. Like every Makai Knight's coat, it's far larger within than without - Enough for your hands to close around the haft of your axe, the Soul Metal head weighing as much as a newborn. From the toe of the blade to the heel of the beard, it has a smile on it wider than your hand, razor-sharp and peerless.

You spin the air, with a flourish. A rapid, one-handed rotation that traces a burning circle in the air, a blazing halo - The Horror flinches, shies back...

-And nothing happens.

The light wobbles, and dies.

Nothing happens.

In a flash of belated realization, you think-

-the *wards*-

"-Kill him," the Horror hisses, thick fingers reaching for Noire's wrist. His words are sibilant, clicking, shedding even the vaguest pretense of humanity, now - A hateful black speech that makes the fabric of reality curdle, that blisters the air around him. "Leave the w-"

And then Noire's hand - Her fingers still curled around the cigarette, the tip smoldering with a hot green ember of Madou Fire - flicks up from her side, and stabs him in the eye.

The Horror shrieks. A high wail more of fury than of distress, reeling back - His mouth yawns open, impossibly wide, throat and jaw unlatching into an impossibly wide maw that shrieks along with him. His shirt tears, barbed chains bulging from the base of his spine, uncurling into short, sharp blades that lash out at everything around it...

And then all hell, quite simply, breaks loose.

KNIGHT QUEST

EPISODE 2(I)

TO BE CONTINUED

>>34185421

(Gentlemen: My sincerest apologies, but it's around 4 AM here and I'm utterly exhausted. I simply cannot keep my eyes open for a moment longer - My apologies for the cliffhanger, but I really badly need sleep. I was hoping to have this be a one-and-done, but I'm afraid that time flies when you're having fun.

Good night and God bless. I should be able to finish this sometime next week.)

>>34185449
Go to sleep already.

Thanks for running.

>>34185421
>-the *wards*-
Oh yeah, shit

>>34185449
No problem OP, thanks for the thread it was great

>>34185421
Aww snap, just as I get back.

Great run, OP.

>>34185316
See
>>34181074
>"-No. It's the main cause of the casualties, the last time - The only way out is the way you came."

>>34185421

> The light wobbles, and dies.

Well, fuckballs.

>>34185449
Thanks for running, OP.

>>34185449
Cheers for the thread OP

>>34185421

> And then Noire's hand - Her fingers still curled around the cigarette, the tip smoldering with a hot green ember of Madou Fire - flicks up from her side, and stabs him in the eye.

Wow. Wowwwww.

I like this girl already.

>>34185477
Oh missed that

>>34185479
>Well, fuckballs.
That's why we set the entire building on fire. Or ourselves once we've transformed.
> that doesn--
No, they actually do the latter in canon.

>>34185526
Happens to the best of us.

Does anyone else think that the cigarette thing was a test to see if we were the dude with the magic lighter?

>>34185532
>That's why we set the entire building on fire.
but that would kill people tho

>>34185566
Everyone already left

>>34185566
They're already leaving and will be gone once we actually get to the part. Remember, the building the club is in was built for only that purpose.

>>34185557
No. The one who asked if she wanted a light was the manager.

>>34185582
>>34185603
I assumed he meant that we do it before we enter for some reason

>>34185612
But she was confused at getting his attention.

>>34185043
>Noire takes a step back. The look on her face is utter confusion - Not because of the predicament she's found herself in, but because of you. *That* - and only that - is what's utterly alien to her experience...But you see her tense, her lissome form poised.
So Noire doesn't know about us, that means either she doesn't know Mistral or Mistral didn't say anything, assuming she's a magical girl of course

>>34185658

Why would Mistral know anything about us? She only saw us in armour.

A pleasure as always OP. It was a pleasant surprise to see this in the catalog after i got off work. I took the liberty of archiving the thread for you.

Youma Quest continuation when?

>>34188510
>Bumping dead thread
I wish I could punch into the face until he finally makes sage visible again.

>>34188666
*moot
Also, I'm Satan.