"Yes: it is a weapon that seems destined to turn against its bearer. Supposedly, those with demon blood who wield it are not subject to its betrayal, but I am uncertain of how."

"... That makes it very interesting," murmurs Blair. "And I will keep it in mind, because my sister was very - the term she used was made of paper, I don't think I'll argue with it. I would like her to have some self defense besides life-stealing and a bodyguard."

"Your sister has not yet departed from the Shadow's choice. If you wish, I can ensure that she is placed into the world in a location with a sympathetic ally - someone who, like you, was placed into this world by the Shadows."

He considers.

Her options were between the high-born family with strict rules and the one where there would be monsters trying to kill her.

It doesn't take very long for him to decide. "... Yes. Please do."

"I will expend one-fifth of my power on this. Is this still acceptable?"

"Yes."

The techno-angel seems to focus for a moment - then a halo of neon light flashes around her head, and dissipates.

"It is done."

"Thank you." Pause. "Now, about the bows! What are they like?"

"To be frank, they are flashier than they are effective. Most of them are some variation of 'shoot arrows with an elemental effect.' One of them can shoot around corners, but for a gravity mage like you..."

"Quite useless and I'm better off with the gun," he agrees. "And no crossbows or, I don't know, slings or anything?"

"Not that I would consider worthy of your time, no."

Nod. "Give me an honest evaluation, how good do you consider my combat capabilities without the magic gun, especially in comparison to the monsters you know I'll be fighting?"

"You should be able to easily overcome any single lesser shadow, and groups of them should be doable. A mid-ranked shadow with minions would be a closer fight, but if you use tactics, you should prevail. You don't have enough mana to battle anything larger yet: the greater shadows are too durable, and a group of mid-level shadows would be intelligent and coordinated enough to box you in. Fortunately, your current power set gives you options for escape as well."

"So, pretty solid, but room for improvement. How does it compare to the average Majokko, and how long does the average Majokko last?"

"The average Majokko tends to concentrate too much on offense or defense, giving them very few options when their strategy fails. The universal issue all Majokko have is running low on mana, since if they expend too much they will die. It is their lifeblood and their source of power in one. The very fact that you are considering alternative methods of combat improves your chances dramatically. That said, most Majokko die in their first year. I expect you'll make five years before you attract the attention of a Master. When that happens, you will need allies. Find them, the sooner the better."

Nod. "Luckily I seem to have two allies set up for me already, if I can just locate them. Which, I picked caster, so that shouldn't be impossible." He considers. "I'm curious, what would you suggest I use my remaining power on?"

He notes that it might have been stupid to use power to get his sister an ally without checking everything first, but he's not sorry. Not even a little.

"I would suggest the targetable compass, since that will enable you to find your sister easily: once that is done, you can then use it to locate useful things such as 'the nearest shadow.' A weapon that does not rely on mana would also be highly recommended, likely the casting-gun."

She taps her chin, making a light, bell-like chime.

"I confess I'm intrigued by the spear: with the compass, it would even be retrievable. For the last option, I would likely choose either 500,000 credits or a mana battery. That is, unless there was a particular option on another card that you were intrigued by?"

"I think I'll pass on the credits, personally, with my sister likely to choose Hanged Man. I am not above begging her for handouts. Is finding the nearest shadow typically difficult?"

"Once you become known and feared, yes. It becomes difficult to hunt lesser shadows to sustain your mana once you become powerful enough. And besides that, you can use it to orient to specific shadows that you can unambiguously identify, which is useful in combat situations."

Nod. "Excellent point." Pause. "Will my sister also get the mystery box? Because I didn't even specify everything, as evidenced by my paper fan."

She shrugs. "The Creator's whims are unpredictable. I do not know."

"... Whims?"

"As you said yourself, you did not even select everything you could have. I suspect the Creator actually chose you because it amused Him to see you forcing list after list from your shadow."

"... I get free stuff because I was funny," says Blair, blankly.

The angel shrugs. "He is the Creator, He does what He wants. I might be completely wrong. Would you rather not have free stuff?"