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Ya, but I'm not voting for it because I don't want to fight the Witch. For all we know, she can teleport and gib us in 2 seconds before we can react.
Then she could do it during the next update anyway and Madoka would go 'Wha..' rather than fighting back/dodging. If she is prepared to fight, she is less likely to be caught off-guard.
 
[X] Avoid combat for now
-[X] For now, just gather intelligence on the Class-W and Class-F beings to see how they act, especially since none of the three AIs have any context to what they're identifying.
-[X] Also if forced, test if the ability to hide in shadows is still effective here or not.
--[X] Switch to Stahl's plan if necessary. The Class W is the head of the problem, so has priority of removal.
 
The Class-F's can travel 2k in a few seconds apparently, so waiting just means being bombarded by them.
EDIT:
[X] Avoid combat for now
-[X] For now, just gather intelligence on the Class-W and Class-F beings to see how they act, especially since none of the three AIs have any context to what they're identifying.
-[X] Also if forced, test if the ability to hide in shadows is still effective here or not.
--[X] Switch to Stahl's plan if necessary. The Class W is the head of the problem, so has priority of removal.

Ten horns
[X] Avoid combat for now
-[X] For now, just gather intelligence on the Class-W and Class-F beings to see how they act, especially since none of the three AIs have any context to what they're identifying.
-[X] Also if forced, test if the ability to hide in shadows is still effective here or not.
--[X] Switch to Stahl's plan if necessary. The Class W is the head of the problem, so has priority of removal.

Votes locked, writing up.
 
Then she could do it during the next update anyway and Madoka would go 'Wha..' rather than fighting back/dodging. If she is prepared to fight, she is less likely to be caught off-guard.

The difference would be if we were cornered by familiars, we would be going AWAY from the witch instead of TOWARDS.
 
Side Story #086 and AuraTwilight's subsequent comment.
Ah, well then.

But, that isn't there goal. In fact, I am pretty sure they don't know about that. So, Kyuuby still lied. (Also, can you please not use QB? Madoka isn't English, she has no reason to use two English letters that sound like his name in order to refer to him)
 
The difference would be if we were cornered by familiars, we would be going AWAY from the witch instead of TOWARDS.
And this would help against Familiars who can move many many times faster than us how?
If we were cornered, killing the witch would be the only way to kill the familiars quickly enough to survive.

Familiars die if their Witch dies.
 
Madoka isn't English, she has no reason to use two English letters that sound like his name in order to refer to him
I meant to evoke that Madoka learnt the pronunciation from Nagisa, who pronounced his name awkwardly because she was a grade-schooler. I'll change it to 'Mr Kyubey' then.

But, that isn't there goal. In fact, I am pretty sure they don't know about that. So, Kyuuby still lied.
I guess the wording was a bit off. "To kill all humans" sounds like they are doing it on purpose. "Killing all humans" sounds a bit better.
 
4.11. - Down the Rabbit Hole
Ten horns


Votes locked, writing up.
[X] Avoid combat for now
-[X] For now, just gather intelligence on the Class-W and Class-F beings to see how they act, especially since none of the three AIs have any context to what they're identifying.
-[X] Also if forced, test if the ability to hide in shadows is still effective here or not.
--[X] Switch to Stahl's plan if necessary. The Class W is the head of the problem, so has priority of removal.

"That Class-W thing... Your creators placed it on a higher priority... So maybe it has something to do with the Class-Fs around us."

Stahl speaks:
"THAT MAY BE POSSIBLE. OF COURSE, IT IS ONLY A GUESS."

"You can guess?"

"WE ARE ESSENTIALLY A COMPACT SUPERCOMPUTER WITH ADVANCED LOGICAL CAPABILITIES. WE CAN INSINUTATE, CORRELATE. THE PROGRAMMING FOR OUR DETECTION CAPABILITIES OF THESE ENTITIES IS ORGANISED SUCH THEY ARE IN CLOSE DIRECTORIES TO EACH OTHER. CORRELATION IS THE LOGICAL OUTCOME, HENCE YOUR HYPOTHESIS MIGHT BE TRUE, OUR USER."

"You guys get more interesting as time passes by, don't you?"

"WE ARE SUPERIOR TO CURRENT CONSUMER PC EQUIPMENT. IT IS LOGICAL THAT WE WILL ATTRACT ATTENTION."

"Indeed." You reply.

You pondered on how to get out of here. However, given the estimated times Gunther just gave you, you felt that the longer you lingered, the more you were vulnerable. Thus your next objective is reconnaissance, to give your A.I.s the context they so desperately require.

"We're going to do some recon on the Class-Fs and the Class-W on them to get context for you all."

"ACKNOWLEDGED. DECLARING RECONNAISSANCE MISSION." Thus said Stahl.

If you didn't know what they were capable of, then your vulnerability would remain. Intelligence gathering would change that.

---

In self-defence, you open fire on a marauding Class-F that seems to be able to see through the tricks Mother taught you. As the Class-F entity disappears into smog and dirt, you barely manage to hold in your scream of terror.

"RECORDING INTEL: CLASS F-ENTITIES CAN PENETRATE RANK-F STEALTH MEASURES. CLASS F-ENTITIES PURSUE LIFEFORMS WITHIN A CURRENTLY INDETERMINATE AMOUNT OF ANOMALOUS DISTANCE"

"Rank-F stealth measures? You know about my trick?"

"LIKE SO MANY OTHER THINGS, WE ARE WITHOUT CONTEXT. WE HAVE SIMPLY BEEN PROGRAMMED TO RECOGNISE THEM."

You sigh in disappointment. "That can't be helped."

However, you find it strange that Stahl recognised something your mother taught you.

"Could you memo it for later, why you know about "Rank-F stealth measures"?"

"AFFIRMATIVE."

---

Making your way through this strange labyrinth of eldritch concrete and suspended reflectors, dirty and rusty all around, your desire to learn more and observe leads you ever closer to the Class-W entity the A.I.s talked about. Under the sky of reflectors and before the mind-boggling landscape of nighttime skyscrapers, you advance closer and closer, ignoring the increasingly menacing industrial landscape.

Perhaps it is regret that you're starting to feel.

Or maybe rather, it is defiance. Indeed, it isn't a very familiar emotion.

---

You are starting to make your way out of the urban jungle. You almost emerge from behind a concrete pillar, when Stahl warns you:

"STOP. THIS IS OUR ESTIMATED DISTANCE FOR AN ENTITY TO DETECT AND ATTACK YOU."

"So what now?"

"WE HAVE CORRELATED ANOMALOUS DISTANCE AND REAL DISTANCE. FROM THIS, WE HAVE DETERMINED THAT YOU MAY AMBUSH AND DESTROY THE CLASS-W ENTITY FROM HERE USING BOTH BULLET AND GRENADE ARMAMENTS. INDIRECT FIRE IS POSSIBLE GIVEN OUR EFFECTIVE RANGE IS WITHIN THIS DISTANCE, 1.5 ANOMALOUS KILOMETRES, WELL WITHIN OUR EFFECTIVE RANGE IN ITS EQUIVALENT REAL DISTANCE."

"Long range attacks? Indirect fire?"

"PRECISELY, USER MADOKA KANAME. AS SUCH, WE REQUEST YOU AIM GUNTHER AS PER THEIR ELECTRONIC SIGHTING SYSTEM AND FIRE EVEN THOUGH THE ENTITY IS OUT OF VISUAL RANGE. WE WILL INTERFACE WITH GUNTHER AND VON SCHOENKOPF TO SHARE SUPERCOMPUTING RESOURCES FOR CALCULATING A FIRING SOLUTION. WE HAVE GATHERED ENOUGH INFORMATION IN OUR JUDGEMENT GIVEN THE RISK THAT CONTINUED ADVANCE MIGHT POTENTIALLY POSE TO YOUR HEALTH AND SAFETY."

[] "Alright. I trust you guys. Let's do it! Give it your best, I'm counting on you all!" Aim Gunther and let your A.I. team calculate a firing solution to destroy the Class-W from afar.
[] "We're going to gather as much information as possible. Von Schoenkopf, Gunther, Stahl prepare yourself." Advance into the open.

AMMUNITION:
  • 34:120 5.56 NATO
  • Three incendiary 40mm grenades
---

March Thursday 31st, 7 o' Witch pm

Anime timeline comparison:
  • 26th March Mami vs Gertrud
  • 4th April Mami vs Charlotte
31 days remaining until ???
 
[X] "Alright. I trust you guys. Let's do it! Give it your best, I'm counting on you all!" Aim Gunther and let your A.I. team calculate a firing solution to destroy the Class-W from afar.

I get the feeling we're going to be using up a lot of ammo in either case... but let's see what kind of defenses it has.
 
[X] "Alright. I trust you guys. Let's do it! Give it your best, I'm counting on you all!" Aim Gunther and let your A.I. team calculate a firing solution to destroy the Class-W from afar.

Information doesn't matter if you die a few seconds later, we can gather information on it while we are killing it.
We don't need to know what music it likes, only how to kill it/etc which we can do while trying to kill it.
 
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[X] "Alright. I trust you guys. Let's do it! Give it your best, I'm counting on you all!" Aim Gunther and let your A.I. team calculate a firing solution to destroy the Class-W from afar.
 
4.12. - Down the Rabbit Hole
[X] "Alright. I trust you guys. Let's do it! Give it your best, I'm counting on you all!" Aim Gunther and let your A.I. team calculate a firing solution to destroy the Class-W from afar.

I get the feeling we're going to be using up a lot of ammo in either case... but let's see what kind of defenses it has.
[X] "Alright. I trust you guys. Let's do it! Give it your best, I'm counting on you all!" Aim Gunther and let your A.I. team calculate a firing solution to destroy the Class-W from afar.

Information doesn't matter if you die a few seconds later, we can gather information on it while we are killing it.
We don't need to know what music it likes/etc, only how to kill it/etc which we can do while trying to kill it.
[X] "Alright. I trust you guys. Let's do it! Give it your best, I'm counting on you all!" Aim Gunther and let your A.I. team calculate a firing solution to destroy the Class-W from afar.

Like thunder, you will strike down the Class-W from afar. With your pride as Madoka Kaname, you will deny it all attempts to sully your clothing like its cousins, those clawed clouds of smog, tried to.

"Alright. I trust you guys." They've kept you alive for so long, there was no reason to doubt them.

"PLEASE LOAD GRENADE." You oblige Gunther, reaching into your pink coat's jacket for a rifle grenade. Without much flair, you load it into Gunther's underbarrel grenade launcher, pulling open the breech and carefully inserting the grande in.

You then aim Gunther at the "sky", or what passed for it.

"Let's do it! Give it your best, I'm counting on you all!"

"YES MADAM." All three said in unison.

"GATHERING TERRAIN INFORMATION VIA MAGNETOMETER." The armour announced.

"CALCULATING TRAJECTORY. ACTIVATING SUPER-LONG RANGE COMPONENTS." You begin to feel vaguely like an archer, aiming high at the sky to deliver parabolic death from above, your weapon Gunther speaking to you.

"ADJUSTING FOR ANOMALOUS PHYSICS AND CONDITIONS."

Gunther's large electronic sights start beeping, directing you to to adjust the pitch and direction at which you were aiming. You oblige your silicon brothers-in-arms, moving them the way Gunther directed you to.

"STABILIZING USER." You were startled when Von Schoenkopf tightened its fit around you. Apparently, it wanted a stable platform to shoot from.

"READY TO FIRE MADAM, PLEASE PULL THE LAUNCHER TRIGGER."

Intent, focused, concentrated, your finger reached for the finger's trigger. With a focused push, you pull down on it.

You hear a small "thonk" of a sound and around a second or so later, you hear a distant explosion. You find youself morbidly enchanted with that distant sound, in stark contrast to the earlier fear and terror with which you used Gunther to defend yourself against the Class-Fs.

"QUICKLY USER. RELOAD!" Stahl intoned quite shrilly at you for delaying.

Your left hand reaches into your grenade pocket and you pull open the breech, discarding the used grenade cartridge, quickly loading in another one. Your aim is once again guided by Gunther and Von Schoenkopf, although the pitch is noticeably slower. As the sights are lit green, again you pull the trigger, another thonking sound filling the air, another explosion, slightly louder echoing.

"USER, RELOAD!" Stahl advises you again.

And indeed, you saw his point. Was it 200 metres or a hundred? You couldn't tell, but the Class-W entity Gunther and company had talked about was finally visible from where you stood. It was speeding at you, ready to mow you down.

"FIRE!"

It was a motorcycle or rather, an abomination painted by elements of it. Smoke bellowed from behind it. You were almost captivated by it.

What was it now, a hundred or fifty metres? You were staring at death in the face.

That's right, you were battling it! You readied yourself to pull the trigger...

"FIRST LAW ACTIVATION. AUTONOMOUS FIRING TO PROTECT LIFE OF USER."

Just like that, Gunther fired your last grenade. You stared on. It almost seemed like time was crawling to a stop. The grenade flew in a straight line as the abomination continued it's unending charge in your general direction. Ripping through the air, the grenade continued its flight, primed to kill. The abomination, reckless of it charged onwards, its innards roaring as it it were a motorcycle accelerating. Grenade, monster, grenade, monster. Charge and countercharge.

It ended in a fiery blast, one that consumed the monster motorcycle, consuming it in beautiful fire. You stared onwards as the fire purged the bike from existence.

Out of that inferno, a small black orb falls onto the ground. The world around you starts to distort, the highways, the skyscrapers and cement starting to disappear. You stand, almost frozen by fear, holding onto Gunther by your side.

[] Pick it up.
[] Walk away.

---

AMMUNITION:
  • 34:120 5.56 NATO
  • Zero incendiary 40mm grenades
---

March Thursday 31st, 7 o' Witch pm

Anime timeline comparison:
  • 26th March Mami vs Gertrud
  • 4th April Mami vs Charlotte
31 days remaining until ???
 
[X] Pick it up.
-[X] Don't take it home though. Take it to where you've stashed your cash instead to investigate what it is.
 
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[X] Pick it up.
-[X] Don't take it home though. Take it to where you've stashed your cash instead to investigate what it is.
 
[X] Pick it up.
-[X] Don't take it home though. Take it to where you've stashed your cash instead to investigate what it is.
 
4.13. - Down the Rabbit Hole
[X] Pick it up.
-[X] Don't take it home though. Take it to where you've stashed your cash instead to investigate what it is.
[X] Pick it up.
-[X] Don't take it home though. Take it to where you've stashed your cash instead to investigate what it is.
[X] Pick it up.
-[X] Don't take it home though. Take it to where you've stashed your cash instead to investigate what it is.
---

You hobble almost somewhat catatonically to the little black orb. You pick it up, examining it.

The little strange artifact has a motif on it, namely grilles. The grilles of a a motorcycle engine.

It looks dank.

You find yourself cringing at how you're using the language of druggies now. In all honesty, you've declined morally by quite a lot. You make a note to reflect on it later.

In all seriousness, the pointed end looked like a hypodermic needle. It looked like a syringe integrated with a payload of drugs that were highly addictive and probably caused withdrawal symptoms in anyone who hadn't used them for long.

Your thoughts were part of the problem. Why were they so violent and extreme starting recently?

Regardless, you turned your thoughts to more important matters, namely, hiding away the little artifact. If your parents saw Von Schoenkopf and company in their true forms, you might be able to fib that it was cosplay material. If they see that sharp end of what seems to be a stylised hypodermic needle, however, they might kick you out. Maybe you were getting a little bit paranoid, but you felt it was justified.

Maybe your street urchin acquaintance Kyouko knew about it.

--

You make your way to Kazamino.

It's awfully quite tonight. That, and there were heavily armed security guards wandering around the main street. Not only that, but they were armed with automatic rifles. It seemed like someone stirred the hornet's nest that was Mitakihara Bank's management. While they're weren't exactly going around and shooting people at night for fun, as you passed by one, you could tell they weren't exactly pleasant folks. The last guard you passed was staring intensely at you, as if he wanted to start shooting at you for the sake of it. You adjust your cap, as if it were tilted by his stare.

The bank was closed and yet there they were, still patrolling the area around the bank at night-time.

How exactly Mitakihara Bank managed to hire guards with automatic rifles and have them flagrantly patrol around the bank as the territory belonged to the Bank, breaking numerous regulations and laws about firearms, boggled your mind.

The late anti-corporate politician Mr Mikuni was probably rolling in his grave. Someone just needed to attach a generator to it.

---

You wander into the dirty, damp mess of a hotel that functioned as your money stash. Kyouko isn't there. You wander into your corner of the room. The stash is neat, tidy and looks dusty, as if it hadn't been touched.

She was keeping her promise not to siphon off your share of the money. Good for her.

[] Place it on the table and go home, with a note asking what it is.
[] Wait until Kyouko goes back into the hovel and ask her what it is.
[] Find something heavy in the room and try to smash it.

---

AMMUNITION:
  • 34:120 5.56 NATO
  • Zero incendiary 40mm grenades
---

March Thursday 31st, 8:30 pm

Anime timeline comparison:
  • 26th March Mami vs Gertrud
  • 4th April Mami vs Charlotte
31 days remaining until ???
 
[X] Wait until Kyouko goes back into the hovel and ask her what it is.

No point in leaving it without some way of making sure SOMEONE won't steal it.

And we're not fighting a witch anymore until we restock on 'nades and ammo.
 
[X] Wait until Kyouko goes back into the hovel and ask her what it is.
 
4.14. - Down the Rabbit Hole
[X] Wait until Kyouko goes back into the hovel and ask her what it is.

No point in leaving it without some way of making sure SOMEONE won't steal it.

And we're not fighting a witch anymore until we restock on 'nades and ammo.
[X] Wait until Kyouko goes back into the hovel and ask her what it is.

You decide to wait until Kyouko returns to your little money nest.

Of course, you grow impatient and looking for something to pass the time, you approach the hotel room's television and turn it on. it happens to be the 24 hour news channel.

"Concerned citizens have raised objections about Kaname Corporation's consumer subsidiary Mitakihara Bank hiring heavily armed guards to protect Mitakihara Bank in response to the burglary." The news cuts to one of these concerned citizens.

"Frankly, I think it's a bit overkill. Why don't they just get better vault security measures instead?" The news cuts to more louder, nuttier concerned citizen.

"Mikuni Hisaomi was right! The Kaname Corporation has gotten so much power, it thinks it can flaunt local laws and regulations concerning firearms. Kaname Junko is a dirty internationalist pig-whore..."

You turn off the television after hearing that. Absolutely tasteless misogynistic insult. You decide to simply wait, seating yourself on a cleaner part of the floor.

While waiting, you hear several successive gunshots and loud male yells in the distance. Maybe those "concerned citizens" had a point. Unless it were common criminals with automatic firearms, the only other possible source of that gunfire was those bank guards. Absolute hectic.

Somewhat nervously, you continue waiting.

Soon enough, a panting, sweating Kyouko comes storming into the hotel room. Her turqouise jacket and jean shorts looked somewhat grimy and dirty. It was as if she had tried to run away from something and tripped onto the ground.

"What happened?" You ask. You suspected you already knew the answer.

"The bank guards. They opened fire on me." Kyouko turns around nervous, her face in a mixture of shock and exhaustion.

"The bank guards opened fire on you?" Mitakihara Bank hired a bunch of trigger-happy sociopaths who opened fire on little girls wandering around at night?

You add a mental note about it.

"You heard me, I was in an alley minding my own business, when one of those bastards wandered in, saw me, called in his friends and started trying to mow me down for no reason at all."

Mr Mikuni was probably rolling so hard in his grave, that he might as well be used to power a particle accelerator.

"Seems bad."

You wait until Kyouko calms down to ask her about the little black orb you brought with you. You take it out of your pocket.

"Hey, do you know what this is?"

Kyouko looks up. She fixes her gaze on the little black object. You get an aura of want and need from her.

"Can I have it?"

"What is it?"

"It's a Grief Seed. And if you didn't know about it in the first place, you probably don't need it. But I need it."

"Why do you need it?"

Kyouko's tone becomes a bit more raspy and harsh:
"I just need it! I don't care how you got it, I just need it!"

Was the drug theory of yours right?

[] Politely hand it over to her, still insisting on what it is.
[] Politely hand it over to her, no questions asked.
[] "For ten million yen." Don't ask about what it is. Business is business, no questions asked.
[] "Promise me one favour and I will allow you to have it." She looks like she is desperate for it. Exploit her need and seize information from her.

---

AMMUNITION:
  • 34:120 5.56 NATO
  • Zero incendiary 40mm grenades
---

March Thursday 31st, 9:00 pm

Anime timeline comparison:
  • 26th March Mami vs Gertrud
  • 4th April Mami vs Charlotte
31 days remaining until ???
 
[X] "I'll give it to you if you tell me what it is."
 
Either:
[] "Promise me one favour and I will allow you to have it." She looks like she is desperate for it. Exploit her need and seize information from her.
or
[X] Politely hand it over to her, still insisting on what it is.
Both seem to give information on it.
 
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[X] Politely hand it over to her, still insisting on what it is.
 
[X] "I'll give it to you if you tell me what it is."
-[X] It isn't magical drugs, is it?
 

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