united_one | [Action] Second Clue

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[Action] Second Clue - Abandoned Hotel

[Here, have what looks like a dilapidated, abandoned hotel. Everything is black and white, bearing a resemblance to traditional film noir. The walls are crumbling, the wallpaper is peeling, and an eerie green fog permeates everything. The sickly fog is the only splash of color around. The wooden floor creaks with nearly every footstep, and the ceiling is leaking mysterious liquid in places as well.

Absolutely no one seems to be around. Places of interest may include a comprehensive library with books old enough to become dust at the slightest touch, and a secret laboratory littered with rusted, pointy, dangerous-looking instruments.]

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"!!"

Homura jumped back, raising her machine-gun at the Naoto look-alike. This thing was dangerous. Even more so if it was something within Naoto's dream.

"Doppelganger..." Homura murmured. "What are you here for?"

"Isn't it obvious?" The doppelganger laughed, gesturing at the sharp instruments pointing at a table behind him. "I am here for the body alteration procedure. You have no objections, do you... "Naoto" Shirogane?"

"! Just what are you implying?" Naoto demanded, sounding rather strained. This wasn't real... He didn't know this person!

"...Body... alteration procedure?" Homura inquired, not lowering her machine-gun.

"Explain yourself."

The doppelganger giggled. "Naoto is such a cool, manly name... But a name doesn't let one cross the barrier between the sexes. You didn't actually believe this farce, did you?"

"W-Who are you?" Naoto demanded, voice wavering slightly. She struggled to hold onto her composure and illusions, but was grasping at straws. Homura could not be here to witness this! "You look just like me... It's as if you're implying we are one and the same. There's no way such a thing could be true."

"..."

Homura didn't care.

She thought people should just do whatever they wanted as they pleased.

But there were rules.

Rules to getting what you really wanted.

She'd experienced that over and over.

"Names are nothing," Homura replied curtly, pointing and aiming at one of the doppelganger's shoulders. "Though I've quite grasped the essence of this dreamscape and what is happening at any rate."

She turned to Naoto. "Calm down."

"R-Right," Naoto said shakily, taking a step back. "I won't throw a tantrum..." She didn't sound much calmer, though. If Homura truly grasped what was happening, then how could she be so stoic about it? There was a distinct lack of disdain that Naoto found difficult to believe.

The doppelganger lifted his head and laughed sharply. "Hah! As if you know anything about this!" He sneered, pointing an arm at Homura. The sleeve of his stained lab coat slid down to reveal a robotic arm clutching onto a ray gun. He didn't hesitate to take the first shot.

Homura pushed Naoto out of the way, erecting a barrier between the doppelganger and herself.

"Run," Homura advised, letting loose on the doppelganger with her machine-gun.

"Oof!" Naoto quickly got back onto her feet. "No, I... I will fight with you." She seemed a tad unsteady, but determined. This was merely a dream, right? She wasn't going to run away. It was bad enough that Homura had already gotten this glimpse into her psyche. Quickly charging up her ray gun, Naoto shot a stream of blazing fire at her duplicate.

"So, are you ready for the operation?" The doppelganger asked, seeming amused as it quickly leaped away from the attacks. There were a few metallic dings as several bullets landed on their target and its labcoat had gotten burnt, but the doppelganger didn't seem to mind at all. It aimed its gun at the other two. For a moment, it seemed that the doppelganger had done nothing, but soon sheets of ice surrounded Naoto and Homura before shattering into many sharp pieces like little knives.

"...Hrn," Homura made no indication to stop Naoto, wincing as the ice shards cut into her.

Not stopping for anything, the puella magi unloaded the rest of the machine-gun cartridge at the doppelganger, making sure to follow the enemy's movements before tossing the firearm into the air.

She quickly rolled two grenades far behind the doppelganger before taking out a rocket launcher and firing at the opponent.

"Ngh!" Naoto flinched from the attack, but held her ground and used her gun to shoot bolts of electricity at the doppelganger, who was attempting to dodge the deluge of attacks. It couldn't avoid all of them.

"Patients must lie still for me to drill proper holes into them!" The doppelganger screeched, now looking a bit dented and fried, like a machine beginning to wear down. It fired a multitude of laser beams at Homura and Naoto as it leaped about, using the heavy machinery in the lab for cover.

Homura caught her empty machine-gun in one hand after discarding the rocket launcher and erected another shield to take on the barrage of lasers. Skidding back from the force of the blows, the puella magi grunted as she threw the machinegun back into her timer before summoning a multitude of RPGs and Bazookas.

"...Can you lift one?" Homura inquired, taking one and aiming at the heavy machinery.

"We're going to smoke it out," Homura answered, firing at the machinery the doppelganger was hiding behind, probably causing really big explosions and sending shrapnel flying everywhere.

"Next." She started her rampage. Maybe Naoto was helping too?

"One cannot know until one tries," Naoto replied. She grunted as she heaved up one of the bazookas. It was heavier than the pistols she was used to, but manageable. After a few moments of fiddling around, she was firing off crazy projectiles at the machinery alongside Homura.

The doppleganger was forced to come out soon enough when its cover had blown, literally. "Ugh! Why must you struggle so much?!" The explosions hadn't been kind to it. Dented and missing pieces of metal, it resembled a run down machine. Its movements were jerky as it aimed at its enemies, ray gun spitting out crackling bolts of lightning.

"Get ready," Homura signaled to Naoto, shifting her timer sideways.

Time froze.

As quickly as she possibly could, Homura sped toward the doppelganger, jumped behind it, and held it in place as time resumed.

"Now!"

"Right!" Naoto let loose a barrage of shots at the stationary doppelganger. The thick cloud of smoke from the attacks was soon pierced by beams of light.

"Why won't you lie down and dieee?!" The doppelganger screeched before it exploded, sending bits of sharp metal flying everywhere. Naoto winced, throwing her arm in front of her face in an attempt to shield herself from them. Was it... really over?

It was.

As indicated by a door with an "Exit" sign hanging over it appearing in plain view.

"...Are you alright?" Homura inquired, not minding the cuts on her face from the explosion.

"Well, looks like it. Maybe we'll meet again," Homura smiled, satisfied by giving Naoto a cursory look-over.

And so she left.

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[Action] Second Clue - Abandoned Hotel

Get your Bootleg Shadow, only all your yens yip yap yip

I'll take two :O

Okay TAKES YOUR SOUL

NOOO YOU LIED SOULS AREN'T MONEY

I didn't specify which currency oops

)8'|

ehehe....

MAGICS assuming that barrier isn't for special attacks B|

no subject

Damn where are all of these coming from B|

She has a bag of holding.

Haxxor B|

It's magic i don't gotta explain shit

Dramatic all out attackkkk!

"Good job Senpai!"