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Uncertainty Propagation

Chapter 1: The Search

Her friend pouted at her from the screen of the tablet propped between her monitors. It was an adorable expression, and in any other situation, she would have caved by now. "But it's been almost two weeks, Risa. Maple Tree's not the same without you."

Kaede was giving her a pleading look, and Risa glanced away from the screen in guilt. "I know. I promise I'll log back on soon, but I really can't tonight." No matter how much she wanted to spend time with Kaede, no matter how much she missed conquering players and exploring the virtual landscapes of New World Online, tonight was simply out of the question.

"You said the same thing Monday," Kaede tried. "And tomorrow's Friday. There's even a new event this weekend."

Risa didn't know what to say. All she could do was apologize. "I'm sorry. It's something I can't get out of.

There was silence between them, Risa not wanting to end the call. Not like this. Not with Kaede upset with her. But as the quiet stretched on, Risa returned her eyes to the video screen. Now it was Kaede looking away.

"Do you . . ." She trailed off for a moment. "Do you not like this game anymore?"

Risa blinked back her surprise, then laughed a bit. "No, silly, it's nothing like that. Okay, look." She took a breath and gathered her thoughts. She didn't want to make a promise she couldn't keep. That's why she would try extra hard to make this one a reality. "Saturday night. Let's have a sleepover at my place, okay? We'll stay up all night exploring Level Three."

Kaede lit up at the proposal. "You mean it?"

Risa gave her a confident nod. "Yeah. I mean it. It's not fair to keep you waiting. I'll clear my schedule, and we'll —" A whimpering sound near her desk interrupted her. She began to panic slightly as Kaede's brow furrowed, but she forced a smile and picked up where she left off. "We'll meet up after dinner. So this Saturday, for sure. Hold me to it, okay?"

"Okay, but —"

"Sorry, Kaede. I have to go. This Saturday, promise!"

"Risa, wai —" She ended the call and let out a sigh. Hanging up on her was the last thing she'd wanted, but best to play it safe. She'd come up with an excuse for when they saw each other at school tomorrow.

Risa leaned back in her chair. "I told you not to say anything while I was on the phone," she said, looking down at the floor beside her. The white fox sitting there tilted its head and whined again, putting its paw on her foot. "I know, I know." She sighed and glanced at the door, then at the clock on her desk. It wasn't terribly late, but her mother probably wouldn't question it if she were to turn in early.

As she stood, the fox made its way to her bed, hopped on the mattress, and waited near the window. Risa pressed a single button to turn off the monitors, then walked over and killed the lights. And then just to be sure, she opened the door, poked her head out, and called to her parents downstairs. "Goodnight, Mom! Goodnight, Dad!" Her parents called back to bid her goodnight.

Promptly shutting the door, she walked over to her closet and removed an old pair of trainers. Then, after putting them on, she went to the window. "Ready, Oboro?" The small fox yipped in reply. She pet his head gently. "Tonight's gonna be different. I can feel it." She stared at the silver and white rings on her left hand, smiling to herself. Then she opened the window as quietly as she could. Oboro snuck through, followed by Risa, who balanced on the outer sill as she closed it. Then she leapt to the ground, landing easily beside the small fox.

She cast a final glance back at the house. No change. She could still see the living room light filtered through the blinds. With any luck, she'd be back before they even went to bed. Hopefully.

The pair snuck down the street, Risa keeping watch for cars or late night stragglers, especially neighbors or anyone else who might recognize her. Once she was a block or two away, she opened her left palm. The silver ring on her second finger shone blue, spiraled apart, and reformed in her hand as a round lapis set in a silver stand.

She stared at it carefully, worried at its color. She remembered when it was bright azure nearly two weeks ago, and dark cobalt just last week. Now it was murky, like someone had spilled black ink onto a navy swatch on a palette. Worse yet, she could feel the toll it was taking on her magic. Had for the past few days. Definitely not good. She couldn't let this continue. Tonight, she wasn't going home without a Grief Seed.

Kyubey had told her the basics before her wish. Fight witches, collect Grief Seeds, clean your Soul Gem. Rinse and repeat. And he'd warned her that a sullied Soul Gem was a liability. But Kyubey hadn't exactly stuck around after the contract.

Not that she could blame him.

The problem was, he hadn't mentioned any strategies or tips for finding witches, and she'd never thought to ask. That was proving to be a costly mistake. She'd gone out hunting just about every night, but she only ever found familiars. Familiars which were still dangerous and needed to be dealt with, but of course never dropped any Grief Seeds. And over the span of two weeks, fighting them was becoming more and more like a grueling dungeon grind with no chance to resupply before the boss. Far from an ideal scenario.

Not to mention, bosses were always more difficult than their minions. She had yet to face an actual witch, and if she found one tonight, she was guaranteed to be at a disadvantage. Her magic was already strained and exhausted. The only silver lining was that she wasn't alone.

She had Oboro, after all.

The fox looked at her, waiting patiently on her shoulder. He let out a small whine, and Risa pet him with her free hand. "We'll be fine." He licked her fingers and she smiled at him. Then, she began again down the street, heading in the direction of the school.

She crossed a couple of roads, zig-zagging and taking detours in an attempt to pick up a witch's signal. When she made it to the school gate, she walked the campus perimeter. No luck. Next she decided to scout the retail districts, thinking that maybe witches hid near more populated areas.

Half an hour later, she was in the town square, surrounded by short, wide buildings with glass storefronts. There were a few bars and restaurants still open, and she took care when passing them to be quick and inconspicuous. She walked down the sidewalk probably a kilometer or so, turned and crossed two streets over, then turned and headed in the opposite direction. She wasn't worried about getting lost; she knew this area pretty well, and she trusted her sense of direction, and even if that failed, she had the GPS on her phone. But no matter where or how far she went, her Soul Gem never glowed. All the while, Oboro stayed quiet on her shoulder, staring at the jewel in her hand.

After finding zilch in the busier areas of town, she ventured back into the subdivisions. It wasn't until she was ready to give up and proceed with Plan B that her Soul Gem started giving off a faint light.

Finally.

She followed the trail, steps quickening, not wanting to let it get away. This was going to be the one. A turn here, a straightaway there, and soon her Soul Gem, though still dark and tainted, was enveloped in a bright blue halo. The trail led to the back of an old, boarded-up shop, and Oboro jumped from her shoulder, taking a ready stance at her side.

She looked around, and confirmed the coast was clear. Raising her hand, she pushed with her magic, and the labyrinth seal responded, a yellow glyph appearing before her. There was a pair of wavy lines, top and bottom, that merged into the outer circle. On the inside, those lines spiraled like drills to the center, while squares and triangles haphazardly filled the empty space, arrayed in discontinuous, sweeping arcs.

"You ready?" she asked. Oboro barked once, then growled at the sigil. "All right, then. Let's go." They jumped through the gate together.

She landed on a sandy island, surrounded by violent whirlpools. The sky was red, and large tilted rings of floating black and white squares spun around the island. Above her, simple shapes combined to form inverted boats, pacing back and forth across a transparent sea. In each boat, a single human-like doll with domino eyes and saw-tooth hair made of blades.

Per usual, the labyrinth was off-putting to say the least. But what bothered her most was the frustrating realization she had upon entering. The magic here was strong, sure. But not stronger than some of the other labyrinths she'd faced.

Which meant . . . this probably wasn't a witch.

She'd have to end this quickly.

Risa triggered her transformation, her school clothes replaced in a vibrant teal cyclone of light. Her skirt and white shirt became blue shorts and a gray side-less turtleneck top, while her white trainers changed to black, knee-high boots. The outfit was completed with a silver breastplate, a dark blue scarf, and an open coat, gray with blue accents.

The moment she transformed, the labyrinth sprung to alertness. The airborne tiles grew and spun faster, and geysers erupted from the water in between the whirlpools.

She smirked, summoning a dagger to each hand. Time to get to work.

The first attack came from above. The sailor dolls began raining down a torrent of razors and shears, and Risa dashed about to avoid them. A quick glance at Oboro showed he was doing the same, dodging the raining projectiles with ease. She knew after the first few fights that she didn't have to worry about him, even if she always would. When the familiars exhausted their weapons, the sailors brandished candy cane swords and flew down to attack.

Big mistake.

Risa stood her ground and met each oncoming attack with a parry, then with a slash, cutting through the familiars one after another. When a handful approached at once, Oboro leapt over her in a sideways spin, his tail igniting and sending a wall of fire at the oncoming targets. They vanished in the flames.

With the boats taken care of, mannequins began rising from the sand. Their heads were inverted pyramids, their arms made of chains. Risa didn't give them a chance to approach. Dashing through their ranks, she cut down as many as she could, before they could even attack. Behind her, Oboro jumped into the fray and shot a steady onslaught of fireballs from his mouth as the familiars spawned, knocking them back and often burning them to ash. When Risa beheaded the last mannequin on her side, she regrouped with Oboro.

That's when the ground began to shake, and waterspouts rose from the ocean around them. The rings of squares that circled the island suddenly dispersed in various directions, then accumulated at a single location just above the raging water. They came together, growing and changing shape, taking on recognizable features. First fins, then claws. The body grew a tail that curved like a snake, and at the tip appeared eyes and teeth.

Risa readied her daggers. When the snake-like appendage lunged, she leapt high into the air, dodging its strike and positioning herself above the neck. She focused hard on her magic. "Wind Cutter!" she exclaimed, swinging her daggers in succession. Two spinning discs shot out from her daggers' blades, rapidly growing in size and flying at the monster. The first sliced cleanly through the tail; the second bisected the body. Its pieces shuddered, the tail immediately falling apart and into the water. The rest moved haphazardly, as if trying to reform. Risa landed and watched, panting from exertion and keeping her weapons at the ready, as clumps of black and white squares separated and disappeared into the foam. Eventually, the entire thing lost its shape.

The columns of water fell into the sea, and giant waves grew and surged inland. Risa's eyes widened. "Oboro!" She dashed over and grabbed him, clutching him to her chest just as the water swept over them. A second later, she was submerged and tossed about by the currents.

Then the water stilled, and she floated there. Her feet touched the ground. The water disappeared.

She was back at the abandoned store.

Risa breathed a sigh of relief and looked at her partner. "You okay?" Oboro chirped in reply. She set him down on the ground, but he hopped to her shoulder and nuzzled into her neck. Risa laughed. "I'm glad you're safe too." Her eyes skimmed the ground nearby. "Looks like I was right. It was just a familiar." She dispelled her costume and summoned her Soul Gem.

She couldn't keep going like this. She needed a Grief Seed. But what was she supposed to do? She had been searching high and low for just shy of two weeks, and with nothing to show for it. Familiars were supposed to be the witches' minions. With all the different familiars she'd faced, why hadn't she seen a witch yet? Was her luck just that bad?

There had to be an explanation. She'd have to ask Kyubey next time she found him.

"Thanks for the help, Oboro." She reached up and scratched him behind the ears. "It's gonna be a long night. Get some rest, okay?" The fox licked her cheek and gave a small bark. Then, his body began to glow until he was just a white silhouette. The light dispersed into particles that swirled and rushed towards her, merging with the white ring still on her hand. The glow then disappeared, leaving Risa alone in the empty lot.

She pulled out her phone and looked at the time. 10 PM. Her earlier plan was to return home before her parents went to sleep, but that chance had gone out the window. She wasn't going home without a Grief Seed. As far as she knew, the only way to get a Grief Seed was to fight and kill a witch. But before she could even do that, she had to find one first. And apparently, witches were nowhere to be found. Not anywhere in town, at least. So that led her to another option. A plan she'd come up with earlier this week. An idea she'd saved for when she was desperate.

Well, now she was desperate. It was time to expand her search.

A/N: Hello everyone! This is Polyglyph, diving into not one, but two new fandoms. This crossover probably shouldn't exist, but for better or worse, it does now. Our two VR heroines are about to get a cold dose of fictional reality, and I'm not pulling any punches. Where is this going? Well, I have an outline and a few chapters already drafted. But beyond that, we'll see.

Thanks for reading, and see you next time.

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