Summer had spent the last week juggling preparations to start at a new school and fixing the church she'd accidentally destroyed. Normally this wouldn't be a problem, but as punishment for it she was only allowed to use a small amount of her magic as she worked, so she had barely gotten halfway through. She wished she could be assisting with the Red Coin studies, but she understood the importance of fixing the mess she made and made peace with what she had to do. Hopefully she'd be allowed full use of her magic soon. It was because of this that she didn't hear the announcement of rulership that was loudly stated through Penrose.

---

In the past week, Shion had managed to get to two Mint "agents" and successfully obtain the coins they had. Unfortunately, this did not include any Black Coins, but instead consisted of five Silver Coins, eighteen Bronze Coins, and several handfuls of the almost useless Copper Coins. As she was now, she was sitting alone in a small cafe typing on her phone, finalizing her findings after some recent testing. Normally this testing would have waited, but being attacked the week prior and the embarrassing failure to destroy the spider girl had driven her to complete it. Her natural affinity for viewing the world around her mathematically had driven her to derive a numerical system for her magic. As she was told by her mentor Makoto, she had a magic rating of sixteen, rather high. As such, she determined that she has sixteen hundred "points" of magic. From her testing, it appeared that each clone of herself that she made required about one hundred "points," while firing a railgun without her weapon required about six hundred. It was no surprise that she had failed to fire one as strong as she had intended. Further, she found that upkeep of each clone required about ten points per day, based on how quickly she regenerated mana.

At the moment she had twelve clones out and about through the city leaving her with a mere four hundred to use against her current target, a girl who often came to this same cafe. From her experiences collecting coins the past week, she estimated that it took about fifty points to scare away the average magical girl, and she assumed it would take about 200 to defeat most enemies in a close quarters battle. This conclusion came from her skill with her magic calculated against her mana reserves, rather than raw magical might against raw magical might. She also found that having a clone or two do the required calculations for a technique for her, while leaving her open to an attack when she reabsorbed them, could vastly improve her fighting capability at the cost of a few hundred points to summon the clones. With all that in mind, she felt much more confident going forward with her plans. She finished typing a memo of this information into her phone and pulled up a recent discovery instead, a supposed news outlet called the "Penrose Independent." Looking at its stories through the perspective of a magical entity led much more credence to it than viewing it as a standard person would. So much so that Shion decided to have two of her clones work towards finding out more about the group and possibly setting up a meeting with one such journalist. Shion knew that she desperately needed to improve her list of magical contacts if she were to meet her goals. Having finished checking for a new article, she set her phone down and waited for her prey to enter. That is, she did until a voice boomed out, declaring itself the new ruler of the town. This would need attending to...

---

Dissatisfied. Emily, or rather Lucifer, had been hard-pressed to forgive herself for being absent in the face of such a huge enemy weeks back. She'd come to learn that in the stadium, a monster of giant size had formed and caused a havoc around the area. Thankfully, other magical girls had shown up and dealt with the situation, but it made Lucifer feel no less guilty of being useless. Her one goal in life was to protect and serve innocents, and being a no-show at such an imperative time was unforgivable in her eyes.

Back then, she'd caught wind of, in comparison, small fry that she immediately set out to deal with. And it was only after the situation had calmed down did she learn about it. Perhaps this was the price to pay for having a 'patron' who treated her no better than dirt. It was frustrating, but she couldn't do anything about it now. And over the past few weeks, she'd been doing her best to pay the people back. She occupied her free time mainly with volunteer work, and had now become friendly with a few normal people.

Of course, there was nothing to say about her fellow magical girls. As usual, she tried to avoid contact with them, for their sake. Had any heard the nasty rumors surrounding her, they might, out of a sense of justice or the urge to fight, challenge her. And then what? What comes out of a fight between magical girls? Nothing productive, that was for sure. The true enemies were those who would damage and harm innocents, and.... -- no, there was no "and". She couldn't think that way anymore.

"...I think that's clean enough. I hope they are happy."

Emily had just finished cleaning the outside of the pawn shop she had found soon after her arrival. Needless to say, one of the people she'd made friends with was the owner of this particular establishment. He helped her get her hands on something that she wouldn't have normally obtained otherwise, so it was the least she could do. But now that she was done, at least for now, she supposed she should be on her way.

It was when she had decided this that a voice rang out across all of Penrose.

‘Magical denizens of Penrose!’

‘I am Cindy Ford, champion of the Thunderbird. I hereby designate myself as the ruler of this city.’

‘If you wish to contest my claim, then face me in combat. In absence of such, I will assume rule has been deferred to me.’

‘As ruler, I will hold sway of how this city is run. I will wish to know who lives in my city, and be quick to rally those I need in times of peril. If you cause trouble in my city, then it will be within my right to banish you from these lands, with punishment should you return.’

‘If you wish to support me, then I welcome you to contact me. Standing atop Penrose Town Hall will be seen as seeking an audience with me. Those who join me will be under my protection, and I shall wreak havoc upon those who threaten my vassals.’

‘I do not intend to interfere in the lives of Magical Girls. Your personal goals and lives are your own. Live as you have, it is your city. However, I require you to acknowledge that I am your ruler, and act accordingly when I appear before you or demand something of you.’

‘That is all.’

It did not take even a second for Emily to register a bad feeling in her gut. It took a lot of courage, or a strong lack of mental capacity, to announce something as bold as becoming 'ruler of the city', and this mysterious person had done just that. But what was the point of being a 'ruler' if she wasn't going to do anything except ask to be acknowledged? Was that just vanity? Or was she lying? Emily couldn't ascertain the truth by simply thinking about it. If she wanted to know, which given how bold and strange that declaration was, she did, then she would have to meet this person.

The problem with this was that she did not intend to bow down to any other magical girl. And that had a good chance of leading to something violent, if this person wasn't happy with her answer. Or the questions she may ask. Emily did not wish to engage in a battle with another girl, that much was certain, but that kind of declaration could not be ignored, even by her. So she would take the risk.

Emily found the first hidden spot available, and transformed into her magical girl form. Her immodest clothing and strong personality now laid out for all to see. Wasting no time, Lucifer used her magic to propel herself through the air, soon landing atop of Penrose Town Hall. "Speak up, Cindy Ford." she demanded. "State your intentions. 'Ruler of the city'? What are you trying to start?"

Coming in for the day with Alicia, Janet tried to avoid the people that had clearly shown disdain for her. Thus far it hadn’t been too bad being back at Beacon. At least no one was trying to kill her, though that was only because the higher ups had made a verdict. Break a rule though and that could reverse pretty quick. Not that she had any plan to make that happen.

Through the hustle and bustle that was Beacon HQ she spotted her friend, Penny. Or Janet hoped that they were still friends. Before coming back to Beacon she hadn’t really returned any texts or calls which was pretty rude of her. Shuffling up she spoke quietly. ”Hey Penny, sorry about not responding to you. I was uh… I’m not sure really. Scared I guess.”

Penny would be startled from the book she was reading with and look up in confusion, at least until she saw who it was, for while Peny was slowly starting to be treated better by the majority of Beacon it had only progressed to the point she was ignored rather than treated with suspicion. ”Hey Janet” she would reply with a smile as she closed the book. A glance at the cover revealed that it was an introductory book to the types of magic. “Don’t sweat it, things have been rather crazy for you the past bit, and being put on trial can’t have been easy” she would add brushing aside the apology as unnecessary.

“What’s your plans for today? I’m on standby till Five or so” Penny would ask glancing at the clock on her HUD as she did. She often floated around Beacon’s schedule, filling in for injured or sick girls and when no one needed to be filled in for she stood on standby for a block of hours, doing research unless she got called for.

Penny not seeming to have been worried about the issue made Janet feel a little better. Glancing at the clock across the room the blonde shrugged a bit. ”I don’t really know. I’m supposed to stay with Alicia when on mission. I don’t think they really want me out of sight right now.” She said frowning. ”I can’t blame them though. I hurt them all, even if it wasn’t me in control.” Dropping her hands to her sides. ”Might be nice just to go out and chill. Haven’t been able to do that in a while.”

Penny didn’t bother trying to hide her snort “I can blame them” she started standing up “You were tagged by some seriously messed up magic and they have the audacity to pin the blame on you” she let out a huff and shook her head. “Thank the Gods for people like Alicia”

“I’d be down for a hang out if you want, here or elsewhere. They’ve got my number if they need me” Penny would offer, she knew from personal experience just how exhausting it could be to always be on edge around people who are supposed to be friends.

It wasn’t surprising for Penny to take that stance. But Janet really didn’t want to talk about that experience, not here and now anyway. ”I think I need a break from this place. I could stand to just get something to eat out somewhere like a normal person.” Heading to the exit, Janet stealthily slipped her backpack off and left it inside thanks to her Incognito. After getting outside and down a couple blocks she summoned it back to herself, putting it back on her back. That bit wasn’t as sneaky but she didn’t really care if Penny saw it.

“Lead the way” Penny would say leaving the book on the couch she had been resting on, someone would return it to the library they had here. She held off in pulling on her disguise till they were closer to the edge of Beacon property, trying to make sure they had as much time as they could get out of Penny’s time limit.

Stretching and looking up into the sky Janet let out a heavy sigh. They were walking about, the people around them not thinking anything of the two girls even as they talked. ”You know, when I originally became a magical girl I thought it would be a second chance to make a difference. But so far it’s almost as much of a curse as it is anything else.”

“I take it Beacons recruitment department has better funding than their PR department then?” She would joke, double taking at the reappearance of the backpack, before shrugging it off. “Still, I get what you mean.” She would continue after a moment “Especially as I wasn’t given much of an option, just dropped in to the deep end.” with a silent sigh Penny pushed away her thoughts, she was here to help out Janet, not revisit her growing list of grievances “Mind if I ask what brought this up?” she would ask “Or is it the obvious?”

Rocking her head back and forth a bit Janet tried to form her thought into words. ”I didn’t choose to take on this whole thing to be put on trial again. I never wanted a repeat of my first life. Now the people I’m suppose to be working with hate me. Or some of them do anyway. I figured you would understand coming in from the outside.” Relaxing a bit after looking tense she waved off the issue. ”Is what it is though, I guess. Things are changing. Just kind of wish I wasn’t a part of it.”

“The obvious, and yeah I definitely get the ‘hate from people you work with’ issue. There is a reason so few people in Beacon know what I look like when I’m disguised after all” Penny agreed nodding as she did “Upside, You know for fact that Alicia’s always got your back and it’s always good to know who your friends are.”

“Not much I can say in regards to being the lynch pin for change, other then I know it sucks, and having one of the Gods responsible for it on speed dial doesn't do much to help with that” Penny would remark scowling at the sky as she did so. “All we can do when faced with change is choose to grow or to break”

”I suppose.” The detail wasn’t something that was new to Janet. It was something that she had intended to live by. But at the same time she didn’t expect to be corrupted and made to do terrible things and face the consequences. Can’t really plan for that.

Janet walked silently for a minute. The conversation had taken a negative turn as far as she was concerned. Her thoughts went back to everything that had happened up to this point. Damn would it be nice to start over. No guarantee that would turn out much better though. Remembering the Coin she had the thought crossed her mind that she could use it. There were many unknowns to that. It was being tested after all.

So lost in thought for a bit the small girl was run into by a passer by. That wasn’t entirely uncommon, but it startled Janet and she yelled out. ”Watch where you’re going!” Even though she was in the body of a little girl she showed for a moment that that had not always been the case. The guy glared back briefly but didn’t waste his time responding. ”Dammit.”

“Jackass” Penny would call out as the man continued his way. She had been tempted to force an apology from the guy, knowing she likely could easily, but refrained, he wasn’t worth the effort. Didn’t stop her from picking up a pebble at tossing it at the guy though.

“You mentioned food” Penny would say after checking that Janet was okay “You pick the place I’ll pay” she offered figuring they could use a break from the topics they had just left.

”Right, I was already kind of getting us there.” The place Janet had in mind really wasn’t that far from HQ. In this case it was a burger joint. That wouldn’t seem too amazing but it was something that she, when she used to be a he, had much when in prison. Odd how a craving doesn’t die even after being free for a while.

They were seated in no time and waiting for their orders. Which left the time between to talk again. ”Sorry about just dumping all that on you. I just needed to vent.” Putting a couple fingers on her temple she shook her head. ”Enough about me for a while. What’s been going on with you?”

Once again Penny would wave away the apology “I get it, trust me I do. As for me” the monster girl sat back in her chair and thought for a moment, there was a fair amount she had going on that Beacon didn’t know about. Not that she was intentionally hiding most of it from them, just that it didn’t often come up.

“Well, at the moment I’ve been following some leads on The Vixen. She’s a monster girl that has been targeting Beacon girls for some reason. I’ve been building a computer as well, partly because I find it fun and partly to track the Dragon that wants me dead and I’m rediscovering the joys of having a crush and having that in the back of my mind all the time.” She would shrug “And I still find it bizarre that that sounds perfectly normal for me now.”

Managing a smile after a bit Janet seemed to relax. Aside from the magical nonsense it was nice to hear something kind of normal for a change. Leaning her elbows against the table she scooted forward. ”A crush? Anyone I know?”

Penny couldn’t help but chuckle, the fact she had a crush was the most interesting thing at the moment, not that she was tracking down a mass murderer, or that there was a dragon that was trying to kill her. No it was the crush, and sadly she would have to agree.

“Yes, you know them, no I’m not going to say who.” Penny would reply “Just realized it the other day, and no idea if she’d feel the same way”

Stopping to think for a moment Janet tried to think over who all she knew. Not that it was all that important to her per se, but it was something to occupy her at the moment. Penny tended to be all over the place though so it was hard to say what she was doing when not at HQ. The only thing that came to mind was that Penny and Alicia had gone out shopping recently. And Janet only really knew that because Alicia was supposed to keep an eye on her and was informed. Might be reaching to assume. ”Well I hope that goes well. Honestly never thought I’d have the opportunity to see young love again.”

“It’s just as interesting to experience it again as well” Penny would say unable to stop the smile spreading across her face as she indulged in the feelings for a moment “Also interesting to be able to keep a mostly steady head while crushing on someone” she would add setting aside her thoughts on Alicia, as best as she could at any way. She was also surprised that Janet hadn't tried to pry more, but was going to take the minor blessing.

“Heard you encountered a new coin of some type, if the rumor mill is to be believed” She would bring up instead “What’s the word on those?” though allied with Beacon Penny was often the last to be let in on the goings on that didn’t involve a fight of some sort.

Really shouldn’t be a surprise that Penny had heard about the new coin. Seemed information was hard to keep under wraps. Hell her own trial had leaked out hours after it was over. ”I don’t know all the details exactly, but supposedly it’s supposed to be able to change a magical girls, well, magic. We haven’t seen anyone use one yet though so hard to say exactly what that means.” Doing her best not to let on she had one at one point. During her original encounter with Binky she’d put the coin in her backpack and had been kind of hiding it. Beacon girls couldn’t have Black coins so she wasn’t sure what Beacon would do should they find her with a Red one. Thus far though it appeared that Beacon had taken interest in what the coin could do.

“Sounds interesting, wonder how the Beckoners are going to view it?” she would muse aloud. The robotic girl wouldn’t deny her curiosity in regards to this new coin, both as to how it worked and how common it would become.

Janet shrugged, not really able to offer any insight on that front. ”Who knows. Having a Black Coin is big time against the rules at Beacon, so they could take a similar stance.” Their drinks arrived and Janet took the opportunity to sip a bit of her sweet tea. ”Kind of hard to tell what the Beckoners will do right now.”

“With the Black Coin’s connection to Mint I don’t blame them” Penny would say as she fished out a piece of ice from her water to chew, pointedly ignoring the metaphorical weight her own Black Coin seemed to gain. There was also the point about the Beckoners, that gave Penny pause, as she did have a little insight about something that was coming due to her Patron, though she wasn’t sure if she should say anything.

Taking her time to much at the ice she came to a decision “I know a little about what they are up too” She would mention after crunching away her ice cube “Laat made another deal with some of them, and told me about it the other day. I don’t know all the details” Penny would lean forward talking a little lower as she did “But part of the deal was that I protect Alicia, from anyone, other Beacon members included. I think there might be a schism in the upper echelons of Beacon, and that it’s going to get messy, likely soon.”

Sighing and leaning on one elbow against the table the blonde shook her head. ”Not sure I need that many clues to see that potentially happening. I’m not sure how the leadership works internally, much less between other cities that Beacon occupy. But I can see at some point there being a conflict. It’s only a matter of what kind. I would hope cooler heads prevail. Beacon has huge potential to include more people. But it isn’t easy to turn such a large ship.” Pointing to Penny and then herself. ”Exhibit A. We’re allowed in but we aren’t quite part of the whole thing. Kind of makes sense for you, you do still have another patron so there is some potential for conflict of interest. But I think you get what I mean.” The waiter came back to take their orders and Janet stopped.

Ordering a full size bourbon burger seemed to confuse the man, but he took it nonetheless. Moving over to Penny he took her order, a double bacon burger, and promptly left. ”One advantage to being a little girl, eat a third of the meal and save the rest for later.” Janet quipped for a little lighter mood.

“All to well” Penny would agree to Janet’s statement about Beacon’s treatment towards them. She still saw the value of Beacon, living on the streets as she had before she came to Penrose taught her a lot about the rougher side of the magical world, but working alongside The Beacon reminded her that people are still people, magic or not.

“Nice” she would chuckle at the frugal advantage of being a kid again, before chiming in with “I’ve seemed to gained the ability to eat just about anything it seems. Everything from glass to copper wire, and I can’t even say it tastes bad, just different”

”Really? Guess I never thought about stuff that isn’t food tasting like anything.” Pondering it a moment she tried to figure out how that would give much energy. Then again, Penny wasn’t your usual magical girl. Often times she seemed more machine than anything else. The robotic girl was probably the most modified magical girl she’d seen. And that only ever seemed to be more true as time went on. Janet furrowed her brow a bit as something came to her mind. She wasn’t even quite sure how to put it and her tone conveyed it just a bit. ”What’s it like being mechanical?” Glancing up she was genuinely curious.

Penny opened her mouth to reply, but stalled out when she fully processed the question. “It’s… Hard to explain” She would get out finally a look of concentration on her face as she spoke “I’m aware of a lot more of what’s going on in my body for starters. A lot of the things that a body does naturally I can pull up information on, and watch the data in real time as it happens. Body modification works differently as well, I've got a lot more options, for example I’ve installed a chainsaw in one of my arms.” Penny would explain raising her right arm up a bit as she did.

“Senses are changed too, sight is cleaned up so I’ve got 20/20 again” She would smile at the reminder that she no longer had to wear glasses, they had always annoyed her when she was the one wearing them “Hearing I think is better, but it could be that I’ve just got better capabilities when it come to processing sound now. Touch and taste are screwed up when I’m unsealed“ She would explain tilting her head side to side as she recalled the things she was explaining “Everything tastes really bland, and it feels like i’m wearing heavy duty gloves all the time and smell is in the same boat as hearing.”

“There is also some really weird things, like I can hook up to anything that’s electronic if I’m close enough. Doesn’t matter if it’s got wifi or not, but I think that has more to do with the magic than anything else, and most of my memories are stored in my head like a computer drive, and if I try I can pull them up and re watch them, but otherwise my memory is the same. I’m better with numbers, unsurprisingly, as I literally have a calculator in my head” As Penny talked it wouldn’t be hard to see her genuine enjoyment of these weird quirks that came with being robotic.

Thus her hesitation before bringing up the next thing would be rather notable “The weirdest thing is that I think that I could pull up my own code, for lack of a better term” She would say face scrunched up as she knew that wasn’t right, but didn’t know how to explain it any better “And I think I could edit it if I wanted to but I’ve been afraid of finding out, as I have no idea what that would do to me.”

”Damn. That’s covers a lot of stuff.” Pondering the last part that sounded pretty risky. ”I don’t think I would mess with the code either. Take it from me, having your brain tampered with is not any fun.” Obviously Janet was referring to Justine.

“That’s only the stuff I know for fact, I’m pretty sure that there are still hidden systems built in, as my gauss system turned on back at the hospital for the first time so it wouldn’t surprise me that there are more surprises for me to find” Penny would reply taking a drink “And I know as well”

“One of the things I have learned is that my Monster is different from most, and it affects me differently because of it. When I Redline, I don’t ‘lose it’ like other monster girls do, I don’t go berzerk and black out.” As she spoke Penny would lean forward and clasp her hands together as she stared at the table as she seemingly got lost in the recollections what what it was like for her “Instead all of my emotions get a hard and forced shutdown, along with my humanity and all the other things that makes me human. When that happens all that is left behind is logic and the goal of destroying whatever pushed me over that edge. Nothing else. But I’m still aware, inside my own head and I can’t forget what I did or the reasons I had for doing it either.”

“So I know what it’s like to have my head messed with, it’s why I can blame beacon for blaming you. You're not you when stuff like that happens.” Penny would have a distant look on her face as she gazed at some memory from her past, before she gave a full body shake and put on a smile “Sorry. Didn’t mean to bring the mood down” she would apologise. Mentally berating herself for moping again.

”Don’t worry about it. I don’t expect we get the chance to talk about the things that haunt us all that often. I probably could with Alicia. But most of the others in Beacon I feel would turn me in for heresy or something.” Glancing around a second she sat up a bit more and leaned forward, lowering her voice. ”I know whatever was used to change me back from a monster girl didn’t completely get rid of the effects. I can still lose it if I go through metamorphosis or whatever they call it. It hasn’t happened yet, but I can feel it.

Their food arrived and Janet sat back as they were served. Taking the knife there Janet cut up the food like she’d mentioned and waited for them to be alone again. ”Not that it is for everyone, but I kind of wonder if there is a way to replicate that potion.” Taking a bite of the burger she wouldn’t elaborate unless prompted.

Penny sent a grateful smile at Janet, as the small blond was right. Penny hadn’t really had much of a chance to talk about a lot of the things that weighed on her when it came to the magical world and her curiosity was piqued by what Janet had said, but the food had arrived before Penny could ask about it.

“Wait.. Potion?” She would ask visibly confused “What potion?” As Penny thought about it she would realize she didn’t actually know what had happened to Janet, other than the brain washing, as she had assumed that the other girl had gone through a purification ritual. It was what had prompted Penny to start researching the rites in the first place after all.

”The one that… She paused absently eating and talking when she realized that Penny had no idea what she was talking about. Putting her food down she adjusted her attention back to her friend. ”That was used to purify me. As far as I know it was the only one that existed. But I was told it came from some magical twins here in Penrose.” Not wanting to get anyone they knew in trouble she omitted Alicia from the explanation. Maybe she was talking too much but it seemed she’d brought up something that Penny had taken real interest in.

“Didn't know there was more than one way to be purified” Penny mumbled as she turned over the idea in her head, moderately annoyed at her limited knowledge when it came to magic. She often wondered why Laat had intentionally left her so ignorant of magic. Was he trying to prolong how much time he had with his ‘Chosen’ or was it he just felt that the information wouldn’t have had any use to her due to her proclivities towards magic.

“What… What was it like getting purified?” She would ask after a moment.

That was an interesting question. How does one describe being purified? ”Hm. Give me a minute.” Sitting back Janet looked up at the ceiling as she pondered the question. After a couple minutes she piped up again. ”It’s um, hard to explain. I don’t know if it was because of the way I was purified but it felt like floating through space. Even though I was alone it was soothing and all the negative energies just seeped out into the void. It was amazing even though it was like being a speck in the universe.” It was surprising how hard it was to recall the experience. It was very out of body which was probably why.

Penny would smile softly at the imagery that the description would bring forth “Sounds like quite the experience” Sitting normally Penny would make sure to commit that description to memory; as it was now a lost hope for the robotic girl. Beacon could no longer help her become freed from her own taint, all because of their dealings with Laat. That fact didn’t hurt as much as she felt it should.

Watching her friend for a moment she poked at her food. ”Why do you ask?”

“I’m coming up on my first year anniversary of waking up as a monster” Penny would start, nibbling at her burger as she did “And due to the prick who is my Patron, I’ll likely never wake up as anything else. So I guess I’m just wondering what it’s like to be human again“ she would shrug somewhat helplessly at the end, not really sure how to explain how that made her feel. As it just didn’t have much of an impact on her, even though she felt it should have. Perhaps she was just numb to it at the moment, or perhaps it was the monster in her that didn’t care, but it was frighteningly easy to just accept the fact that she would forever remain a monster.

”A year?” Janet had only been a monster girl for a short time and she had hated it. She could only imagine if she had been that way so long. ”Well, if you want me to I can keep an ear to the ground for anything that can help.”

“Yup, same anniversary as me joining the magical community in fact” Penny would answer “And I’d appreciate it.” She wasn’t going to hold out much hope for anything being found, but she appreciated the gesture.

”Any time.” She said smiling as she picked up her food again and took a bite. While it was impossible to completely get away from the whole magical girl aspect, at least their time was more casual than the usual passing during some battle.

When presented with the videos, Sammy immediately went to work observing them. She raised a magnifying glass up to the laptop's screen to get a better look. Of course this only made the pixels larger and didn't provide a true close up of any details. Sammy put away her magnifying glass with a nod.

”Uh huh, Uh huh.” A cat jumped into her lap, which she started to pet once it curled up. ”Well, it's clear that all of these crimes are magical in nature.” She pointed at the cat. ”I have some eyes on the street, and I believe this to be the work of an organization or two instead of random happenings.” The cat was purring. ”Without personally visiting all the crime scenes, I can't give a definite answer as to what it is. But I was able to witness a few spells being used on pedestrians. They had no effect beyond startling them!” She nodded. ”So it's clear that someone, somewhere, is trying to cook up a nefarious scheme that involves hurting a lot of people! And I only know one organisation that could have such a dark goal.” Sammy paused for dramatic effect, Amaryllis could practically hear the implied drum roll for her answer. ”It's Beacon!” She leaned forward and slammed the table with her little fist. It startled the cat into running off. ”A few weeks ago, I was chasing down an evil magical overlord called Binky, and Beacon stopped me from bringing them to justice! I wouldn't be surprised if she seduced them all with riches and power.” She looked away from Amaryllis. ”But it's just a hunch. I haven't found a way to tie the everyman's sudden immunity to magical phenomenon to this yet.” Sammy's eyes snapped back onto the busty school girl. ”But I think it's a lead worth following!” She took another bite out of her danish. ”By golly! We need to track down some of these leads! I've been avoiding Beacon, but If Beacon is as righteous as they say they are, then they'll need to answer for why they aren't doing anything about this!”

That was when Cindy Ford's announcement came through the restaurant.

”A takeover by a random Magical girl? Blast! Why didn't I see this with my deductions? I think this is a lead worth investigating too!” Sammy was about to hop off her seat when she suddenly froze. ”Oh.” She sat back down. ”I have a few friends I hang out with. We all escaped from Binky, we were her experiments. Some of us will never be the same. A tale for another time perhaps.” Sammy rubbed the back of her head. ”I think you should meet them sometime though. You and Lotus would get along well enough.” And with that, she ran out the door.

@ERode

To declare ownership of the city like Penrose was a rather bold move. Being a major hub for activity the chance of there being a conflict of interests was inevitable. As of late the majority of magical attacks had been somewhat curbed by a protective barrier that had been placed on the average citizens. The effect had actually driven off a den of monsters she'd been attempting to dislodge for the last few weeks. So up until this point the city had mostly been quiet on the surface as far as the magical world is concerned.

Shannon wasn't sure if something was wrong with her or if it was just Penrose, but making friends here had proved to be particularly challenging. There was always some thing that she could not seem to overcome. Perhaps she had just run into the overly stubborn though. And here again she was stepping into another situation with someone that, very likely, was headstrong. Not that she had a problem with it. Being a Puchuu girl she didn't hold any allegiances with an organization like those in say Beacon or the Mint were. Nor were there any grand plans to be thwarted. So arriving at Town Hall to speak with Cindy wasn't that much of a problem. Though to some extent the idea of being forced to pay homage to someone that hasn't earned it was not really desirable.

Scaling Town Hall it appeared that only one other had yet to arrive. Standing by Emily the magical earth girl smiled and offered a hand to shake. "Glad to see I'm not the only one here. My name is Shannon Bron." After her greeting she looked about them for others they should meet. "Have to say, I was not expecting my day to go like this when I woke up this morning."

Penny let out a sigh as she looked across the open cave again. She was out of her depths when it came to tracking someone and she knew it, the fact she was hunting after a Beast spec just made it all the worse. But she needed to keep trying, for as long as she was in Penrose at least.

Shaking away those thoughts Penny walked the cave again, it was the most recent lair that ‘Vixen’ had abandoned, if Penny was reading the signs right. After all what she got from the Independent didn’t point directly to this lair, but she found it after searching around the last area the monster had been reported being sighted. The Vixen tackled an unknown magical girl and tumbled into the ocean with her. There was little evidence to go on, but searching around did bring her to this cave opening. There wasn’t anything that pointed towards where the murderous monster girl would go next. Nor was there much to point towards the girl that used to live here before Vixen removed them. Dried blood stains and piles of ash told a dark story of what had likely happened to poor girl and Penny couldn't help the fresh spike of anger at that, for as desperately as she wish that Vixen wasn’t Thalia she had a hard time separating the two in her head.

There was also the fact that she was running out of time, if what Laat had told her last night was true.

“Penny.” Veronica's voice startled her out of her thoughts again. “How are you making out with the lead I sent you? Did Mika tell you anything interesting?”

“Told you already” The robotic monster girl would reply once she was sure her surprise wouldn’t bleed over into her voice, she had forgotten that Veronica could open a channel whenever she wanted with the comms device she had been given. “Only got a name from Mika, lead me to a reporter from the Penrose Independent. Got more information from her, but nothing that points towards Thalia directly. Hell I’m not even sure if Vixen is Thalia yet.”

With an audible sigh Penny would move to sit near the mouth of the cave looking out towards the water “All I’ve got are lists of where Vixen was seen, and I’m not sure how to use that to find out where she will be, so not great over all to answer you first question.” Despite her frustrations Penny was somewhat glad to hear from the Coin Broker, as Veronica did offer to help find Thalia, and Penny did need the help if she was going to succeed.

Penny could hear the sound of footsteps coming towards her. Sure enough, Veronica was there in the flesh. She had her hand to the side of her head. “Right, I forgot you told me that part already.” She folded her arms behind her back before walking deeper into the cave. “It's been a busy morning.” Veronica approached the bloodied wall and placed her hand on it. “Seems like you're making headway though.” she turned around to face Penny. “If they handed you a dosser, I wouldn't mind looking at it with you.”

“Doubt the days are going to get any easier” Penny would reply fishing out the folded papers she had gotten from Olympia “This is all I got from the PI” she would explain before tossing it to the more experienced magical, not bothering to stand up “Not much of a dossier, just a list of info and names of who reported it.” Veronica caught the papers with one hand and folded them open in front of herself.

“Mind if I ask what has you busy?” Penny would ask as Veronica looked over the papers. Partially out of curiosity, but mostly to try and take a break, mentally, from hunting down her old friend.

“The mint decided to let me go.” Veronica didn't look up from the pages as she responded.

Penny just blinked at that admission, and when she finally wrapped her head around it she couldn’t help the laugh that escaped. “That sonva bitch” she would say shaking her head “That explains part of why Laat told me not to care about the Mint any more”

“Follow up question if I may, what did you do that ticked off the Mint?” She would ask as she stood up rather curious as to what might have happened.

“Long story. Let’s focus on this first.” Veronica folded the pages in half and passed them back to Penny. “So they witnessed the Vixen chase someone off a cliff and into the water? I remember reading about that.” She extended her hands out and laptop appeared in her hands. It took her just a moment to brush the black tar off of it before running a search on it. “There's an article about it on the Independent's old server. Yes, apparently a magical girl was chased into the sea. The witnesses remained on the scene for hours to catch the vixen when she resurfaced, but she and her victim never did. Interesting.” Veronica gave Penny a sideways glance.. “So if she never came back to shore, then the victim couldn't have been killed in this room. But we have an unexplained blood stain that we need to demystify.” Veronica opened the lap top again. “Also,I'm not in a place to critique the independent, but doesn't a cave with a bloodstain in it seem like a strange thing to miss? There's no mention of the cave anywhere in this article. Though perhaps even more interesting, they have a picture of the cliff side, and the cave isn't in the picture.” She shut her laptop. “So how did the Vixin manage to take her prey into the water, and surface in a cave that didn't exist at the time?”

When Penny looked around the cave, she could see claw marks all along the walls. It could have been a mad creature flailing against the walls, but it could have also been.. “She dug it out” Penny would mutter quietly as she ran her fingers across one of the claw marks on the wall.

Turning sharply she surveyed the cave again but this time she called forth her divinely gifted knowledge as she started to mentally rewind the cave. A theory was starting to form in the cyborgs mind, but she was missing pieces “Vixen dug the cave out, possibly from the inside” She said again louder as she started analyzing the stone walls of the cave before narrowing her eyes at the sandy floor.

There was a soft metallic click as her hidden metallic limbs unfurled from her back and in the same moment started to probe deeper into the sand. She was looking for a tunnel or something like it, it would explain how Vixen got from the water to inside the cliffside

Veronica nodded. “We also don't know anything about the victim. It's possible they had a specialization that helped them dig this cave to escape the Vixen. Regardless of what theory you go with, we're standing inside someone's grave right now. And if they didn't enter from that entrance...”

Penny had dug pretty deep, but managed to hit the true floor of the cave. With a bit of searching, she found a hole that lead deeper into the earth. What made this hole interesting though was that it looked like it was filled with rocks. As soon as Penny moved a few rocks out of the way, she could see the remains of an ornate wooden flute. It appeared to have been smashed under the rocks.

“You found something?”

Penny didn’t reply, she barely heard the question, her eyes were riveted to the broken flute she had uncovered. Slowly she knelt down and gently picked up the shattered fragments of wood, hoping she was wrong, praying it wasn't the flute she thought it was, wishing that it was just a trick of the light.

But she wasn’t, she knew this flute, could recognize it anywhere. After all it was Thalia’s healing flute. An artifact she had used a few time to help her friend and a hunt. Now broken and buried in a cave that Vixen had dug.

That would mean Thalia was… That she had become… her friend was… Thalia was… Vixen.

There was a soft crash as Penny fell against the wall of the hole she had dug. She was holding two of the larger parts of the broken flute in her hands, staring at them hopelessly.
She stayed that way for quite some time, unresponsive as she tried to come to grips with the revelation about… about Vixen. That she had proof now that they were…

Forcing out a breath Penny simply set aside her emotions, she couldn’t deal with them, not here not now. Not without tearing the cliff face apart. So she set them aside, she wouldn’t forget, she would just ignore them for now. So she could either break down in peace or rage and vent in solitude. But that would come later, when she got home.

“Yeah, I found something” Penny would call out in answer, her voice wavering as she did. She would slip the mouthpiece of the flute in to one of her storage compartments as she did, so she would still have proof later. She held the other piece up so that Veronica could see.

Veronica had moved to the edge of the hole Penny had dug. “I see.” She jumped into the hole with her. “Well, if you found something that belonged to the killer, it's just a matter of time before you find the Vixen. Otherwise, it might point to their mysterious victim.” Veronica adjusted her collar before putting her hands behind her back. “Say Penny, do you remember that story I told you while you were building the Earth Bastion?”

Penny would push herself to standing as she nodded her agreement of what Veronica had said in regards to it being a matter of time till she found her quarry. “I know whose it was” She would admit before turning to face the ex-coin broker “And yeah I remember” she would add narrowing her eyes is suspicion at the sudden change of topic. “Why do you bring it up?”

^{*For you kids who weren't around for the last RP, Veronica visited Penny and told her a story about being a former Beacon girl who went on to have a forbidden romantic relationship with a monster girl. The monster girl had a debt placed on her head by mint, so Veronica left Beacon and joined the Mint, offering to pay the debt that was owed. The monster girl left her afterwards, never to be seen again.}

Veronica Paced around penny. “I told you that story was a farce, didn't I?” She waved her hand. “I wanted to instill in you a lesson, that you were gullible and needed to be more careful. I think it's fair to say you've grown a bit since then.” Veronica spun on her heel so that she was facing the cyborg. “But that was a lie. That story was true all along.”

Penny turned to keep her eyes on Veronica as the older girl paced, unsure of what was going to be said. To hear that the story she had been told was, in fact true, had to monster girl rock back on her heels for a moment.

Then came the doubt and the anger. Because it was so easy to believe that Veronica was once again messing with Penny, trying to teach the girl another lesson. So Penny stayed still as she searched Veronica’s face, searched for something that would help her identify what was truth, the only sounds that came from here was an odd metallic latching and unlatching.

“And why should I belive you now?” She asked softly, nearly pleading, because she wanted the story to be true. Wanted to be able to trust that Veronica understood the pain. Wanted to know she wasn’t alone, and to have proof that life still goes on, but Veronica had taught her first lesson well, and Penny couldn't just blindly accept such a turn around anymore.

”Look on the bright side. Regardless which is the truth, you know I've been honest with you at least once.” Veronica tucked her hand behind her back. ”Even though I'm not affiliated with mint anymore, I will still grant you aid in chasing the Vixen. Perhaps I’d like to see one of us get closure?” She shrugged her shoulders. ”Regardless, it's important that you know the Mint still has you in their clutches. I'm not sure if they will pursue you for being one of my former agents or not, but this is something you should be aware of.” Veronica spun on her heel again. When she stopped, she was looking over her shoulder at Penny. ”Maybe they'll even send you to kill me.” She looked ahead and walked out of the pit. ”Turning against one's own patron isn't for everyone, but I feel liberated not working in their shadow anymore.” Veronica seeped into a shadow and disappeared, but not without a few parting words. ”You might want to try it sometime.”

As with their last meeting Penny would stay very still, not bothering to respond to the girls parting words, until she was sure that Veronica had left. Sighing she ran a hand down her face, the silver lining in all of this was that she could finally tell the Mint to piss off if they came looking for her. She had no intention of working for them ever again. She also longed for the very freedom that her… acquaintance had just gained. Slowly an Idea was starting to form in the robotic girls head about how she might be able to go about fulfilling that desire.

Before she could get too lost in the forming plan an enchanted voice would echo across the city jarring her from her thoughts. Sighing again while shaking her head Penny would turn to look out of the cave again. “You weren’t kidding when you said everyone would hear the start.” She muttered to herself.

With a shrug Penny started to move out, intending to head to town hall to at least talk with this ‘Cindy Ford’ but would stop and cast another glance back at the various fragments of wood that were scattered about in the hole. Quickly and silently she would pick up every single piece of it she could find and place all of them in their own compartment. She would figure out what she was going to do with them later, it just didn’t feel right to her to leave them abandoned here.

With that task completed she would set off towards town hall. She could use the distraction form everything she learned here. As she left, one of her spider legs would lash out causing the cave to collapse in on its self, before slipping back into hiding.

On her way to Town hall, her thoughts would drift back to the conversation she had last night with her Patron.

---

A collaboration with @Vocab...

---

The space in a shadowy corner of the plaza fell away into torchlight and darkness, a tunnel no wider than a throw pillow. A small shape skittered out of this eldritch entrance, a nimble spider formed of ivory and sinew. It scanned the area briefly before seeking shelter in the shadows of a nearby building, striding past the rapidly closing portal.

The bone spider watched silently as the Overcity consumed the Cathedral, and curiously studied the pursuit of the feral girl. Then, at last, a moment of stillness as the city of Penrose caught its breath.

The bone spider started forwards, satisfied by its apparent solitude. As it exited the midmorning shade, the sun's rays highlighted a different kind of sinew, a much more prismatic display as close one eye step to the in place of the bone spider walked a disheveled young man in an unzipped hoodie, holding a large book under one arm and a white mug in his free hand. He idly sipped at his drink, eyes studying the conspicuously missing cathedral from behind white-rimmed glasses.

"Looks like someone forgot to give a shit about subtlety today," he said, his delivery golden brown with vocal fry.

The brief quiet of the plaza was chased away by the sounds of motorcycle engines growing louder, a chorus of machinery and machisimo that echoed off of the nearby buildings. The young man turned, aiming a tired looking frown in its direction. "Speaking of which..."

Rebecca had scarcely left her position since the Cathedral vanished. Darkness cloaked her form, huddled into the corner of a building nearby, keeping herself almost entirely obfuscated from an outside view. With her sister on training suspension after the whole Street Attack debacle, and Olympia dealing with other issues, she had been forced to take over on her duties as Vixen Tracker. It was a bad job for anyone to get stuck with; how Charlotte had managed both watch duty and being a journalist, on top of dealing with her Patron, was entirely beyond her.

That said, this was something especially appointed by The Boss. As a backup plan, but appointed nonetheless. She let herself fail on the mission. To that end, was she was constantly watching the zero sight of the Overcity Shift - occasionally glancing over to a flip phone, equally as masked, to check if Christine had sent any more messages. If the Vixen returned, she had to be ready and waiting to get on the move, immediately. Even despite knowing her absolute direction on the material plane, she wasn't nearly as fast. There was no way she could catch up in the event of an attack.

As Rebecca watched, though, her attention was directed elsewhere. To the clamorous, revving engines nearby, and the lone man standing at the sight of the Cathedral. For a brief second, she paused, evaluating the situation as best she could, deciding whether to alert Christine, or the Boss, or call for help, or anything similar. But she wasn't sure it was anything to be worried about. Instead, her instinct for journalism kicked in - that same spark that Charlotte failed to capitalise on when she misinformed the masses. Still cloaked in darkness, she faded from her spot, quickly shifting to another area on a building a tad closer to the man. Then another shift. And a third - until she was without doubt close enough to overhear anything that might go on.

Thirteen bikers rolled into the plaza, their elaborate white leathers invoking the image of the Crusaders of old rather than a typical biker gang. The fact that they all carried cruciform swords at their belts probably helped solidify the feeling of 'Deus Vult' that rolled off of them in waves. Although, the sawed-off shotguns in their hands and strange golden symbol emblazoned on their backs probably weren't sanctioned by the Latin Church. Twelve of them, all wearing black gas masks, took up positions by the entrance to the road they had come from.

"Oh..."

One biker - particularly notable for his white gas mask, veritable mane of golden hair, and having drove in at the head of the pack - parked his motorcycle next to the disheveled young man and dismounted in one smooth motion. "Brother!" he cried.

The white gas-masked man brought the youth into a tight embrace, pinning the latter's book arm to his side while the mug hand awkwardly hovered behind the man hugging him. A large symbol, emblazoned in brillant gold, dominated the back of the large man's leather coat.

"It is so good to see you again, Brother!" The gas-masked man stepped back from the hug, gripping the other's shoulders and looking him over at arm's length. "You're neglecting the embrace of sleep, aren't you Lee?"

"To my credit, I tried to get some last night," Lee said, gesturing with his mug. "But more work came in the last minute, and it couldn't exactly wait until morning." He eyed the other's robes. "What is that, twenty gallons? You came loaded for eldritch bear."

"With all the energy we sensed here, it seemed appropriate to the task." The blonde glanced over the conspicuously empty plaza. "The cathedral that stood here... it wasn't Cremated, was it Brother?"

"The fact that you remember where it's supposed to be should be answer enough, Len." Lee glanced at a nearby biker, who was now staring at him from behind his gas mask. "Liquid," he amended.

Len (Liquid?) sighed. "Forgive me Brother, but I'm at a bit of a loss. I had thought the energy gathered in this area was tied to the return of The Beast... yet I don't recall any of the Scriptures mentioning such a disappearance as part of it."

"The Beast?" Lee said. "...no, for the moment it's still firmly dead. It appears someone took the cathedral into the Overcity."

Liquid (Len?) stared at him for a beat. "Overcity?"

Lee smiled, but it could have easily been mistaken for a grimace. "Ah, right, you're not caught up on local terminology. You might be more familiar with it if I called it Ukhu Pacha."

"Ukhu Pacha? How? Why in the Angel's name would anyone bring it there?"

"There was a fight here between some of the local players, or at least some of their forces. It's a common strategy here to pull the fighting into Ukhu Pacha in order to minimize collateral damage, maintain some sense of subtlety..." Lee gestured to the empty space wth his mug. "...except the one who tried it here pulled the Door open too far. Usually they're precise enough to grab the combatants and nothing else, but... I suspect all that Fear energy caused her to panic."

(Why not settle for calling him) Liquid Len stared at the space again. "Brother, what manner of Servant can call upon such power so casually?"

"Not necessarily a Servant, though I know of some who are both." Lee took a drink from his mug. "More along the lines of the Sages, if I had to make an inaccurate, but recognizable comparison?" He paused, presumably to let that process. "They call themselves Magical Girls. Fighting evil by moonlight... winning love by daylight... never running from a real fight? That song and dance is their raison d'etre."

He took another slow sip. "At least, for most of them," Lee admitted. "But I digress. There are so many Doors to Ukhu Pacha here that some civilians pass through it on their way to work, none the wiser of what they're doing. It's almost a power of convenience for Magical Girls to create their own Doors, temporary as theirs may be."

"I will have my Disciples take heed of your warning." Liquid Len crossed his arms. "...but what of this minority you mentioned?"

"Some simply try to use what they have to get by. Mercenary work, for instance. Others are content massacring civilians. With those ones, motive tends to be a roll of the dice between twisted ideals, bloodlust, and harvesting materials."

"'Materials?'" Liquid Len seethed.

"Organs, blood, bones. Depends if they've been twisted into cannibalism or are in need of ritualistic materials. The former's alarmingly common among corrupted Magical Girls."

Liquid Len's hand drifted towards the cruciform sword at his hip. "Corrupted by what?"

"That's unclear, actually. The energy required to turn a Magical Girl 'Dark' isn't actually tied into what they refer to as 'darkness magic,' but some spiritually corrosive power that isn't traceable to a single source."

"A shame. I would have gladly delivered them into the Archangel's embrace on principle alone."

Lee grimace-smiled. "Well, if you're interested in cleaning up the streets, you could try to get into the local Beacon's good graces."

Liquid Len paused, righteous fury breaking upon the shores of confusion. "Why would I want to get into the good graces of that cabal of Hippocratic Oathbreakers?"

"Sorry, another unfortunate local term," Lee said with a shake of his head. "There is a group of Magical Girls explicitly dedicated to the protection of mankind from the supernatural, and quite the reputation for doing so with extreme prejudice. They even have their own non-denominational religious overtones. Play your cards right, and you might get along like a house on fire."

Lee took another sip from his mug. "Hmm. Actually, take that with a grain of salt," he amended. "The local chapter is trying to shift away from the whole 'murder all the Monster and Dark Magical Girls' angle, exploring purification as an alternative. You might hit it off well with the fundamentalists, but the reformers may give you trouble."

Liquid Len's face was obscured, but the smile in his voice wasn't. "I appreciate the warning, but we both know how persuasive I can be, Brother."

Lee looked at him without humor. "They're also coming out of a crisis where one of their own was mentally controlled into an act of domestic terrorism. For the love of all you deem holy, try to enter that meeting bone dry. I'd rather you spend as much time as you can before entering your Archangel's embrace."

Liquid Len nodded gravely. "Is that why you're offering so much information without mention of repayment, as required of your station?"

"You've said it yourself. We're like Brothers, you and I." Lee took another sip from his mug. "And besides, it's not like you couldn't have found it all out yourself, given enough time. But I figured you should hear it as soon as possible, especially since the local Runners are already making contact with Magical Girls."

"And potentially jeapardizing our chances of allying with them," Liquid Len deduced. "Perhaps it was fate that we were able to meet here then, Brother."

This time, Lee's expression definitely favored a smile. "Perhaps it was."

It was at that moment that the Overcity spat out a slew of Magical Girls, bits of cathedral masonry, and a bunch of utterly confused parishoners.

Several things happened at once. The twelve sentries turned at once, bringing their shotguns to bear. Liquid Len, realizing what was happening, began to tell his subordinates to hold their fire. And Lee, focused on the bikers and those emerging from the bowels of the Overcity, was abruptly no longer holding a mug.

His hand, now free, looked much like the bone spider that had been scuttling around the plaza a few short minutes ago, his fingertips (spidertips? bonelegs???) were wreathed in prismatic strands of webbing. With a flick of his hand side

The plaza was visibly empty of life apart from those who had just returned to it, the crowd of Magical and non-magical persuasion unaware of any other presence in their midst.

Huddled into a crevace between building and debris, Rebecca kept her Awareness attuned hearing trained on the troupe of motorcyclists. It wasn't a group she'd seen or heard about before - nothing the Boss was interested in, clearly - but a keen sense of curiousity kept her vicariously involved in it all. The mentioning of terminology utterly alien to her, their seeming obliviousness to Magical Girls and their operations; the information was practically worthless the more she listened in. The talk of Archangels, and "Ukhu Pacha", and chapters. If it wasn't for their apparently serious demeanour, or the swords, she would have left then and there. But she stuck around.

And her gut proved to be right, as the girls she watched enter the Overcity originally, along with the Cathedral, emerged once again. Except they completely failed to notice the existence of a biker gang, barely a walk away from where they stood. Rebecca recognised a few of the ones that came through. The Beacon Seraph Alicia, the recently acquited Janet, another Beaconite by the name of Summer, and the Ebon Mint operative Eliza. Two other, unknown figures stood near Alicia and Janet as the others left, but to her dismay, there was no sign of the Vixen. There was information saying that she could Overcity Shift, but she did earlier; chances were she couldn't get out on her own.

At the very least, Rebecca needed to make herself useful. The Vixen would be stuck there for a while, if she was correct, and with Beacon talking in earshot with people she didn't know, her curiousity got the better of her, and she pulled out a notepap to begin writing down everything they mentioned. The bikers may have been useless, but the existence of magical coins outside the scope of Platinum was something entirely new. If she was interested, no doubt the Boss would be too. Paired with the pictures of the Cathedral, this information was bound to make up for losing track of the Vixen for a short while.

nullify

Soon after all visible Magical Girls left the plaza, Lee glanced over at Liquid Len and the rest of the bikers. "You can relax now," he said, grimace-smirk in place.

"This might just change everything, Brother," Liquid Len said, tone bordering on rapturous. "These Red Coins... if that detective is able to divine the future with their power, we may be able to use one to find Magreat before a war can break out. Countless innocent lives could be saved!"

"Assuming we can get ahold of some before anyone else, let alone achieve magical Yahtzee with them," Lee pointed out. "The second word of this magical currency spreads, many of the other Servants will come to the exact same conclusion and seek them out. It'll become a race to get the Coins, and the collateral damage could be catastrophic. The situation could devolve before Magreat even shows his face."

"But do we not still hold the advantage, Brother?" Liquid Len insisted. "We know who is creating them, and who is now taking steps to protect her. Is it not still possible to broker an alliance, obtain enough Coins for our purpose without using force or subterfuge?"

"Maybe," Lee conceded, "but be careful; Beacon's internal politics may be under even more strain soon. To say nothing of the politics outside their halls."

"What do you mean, Brother?"

"The Beacon is a much more visible organization than whomever that girl developed them for in the first place. The local Magical Girls will find out before anyone else, but the Runners are starting to exchange notes with them. Hell, I've even gotten reports of Magical Girls leaving their own graffiti for Runners to find. Knowing them and their Code of Abacab, it'll go up on someone's blog at the first opportunity. And that runs the very real risk that Christoph Magreat himself could find out about those coins." Lee took a sip from his mug, which had rematerialized in his hands at some point. "He was dangerous enough to kill the Viceking two years ago, the first great 'myth' of the Internet. Magical Girls, for all their impressive strengths, would find it much harder to murder a Horror, much less one of the Viceking's calibre, and alone at that."

"To this day, I still find that difficult to believe," Liquid Len countered. "All that is certain is that he published a blog detailing the Viceking's murder, and five days afterwards his description of the corpse was accurate to the last detail. I would have an easier time believing he had just predicted the murder rather than actually doing it, let alone posting a pre-emptive confession." He crossed his arms, looking off to the side. "I met the man, once, long before this mad manhunt. I don't think his motive behind posting that blog was the victor's urge to gloat and claim the credit. Or, as some would claim, how he actually murdered the Viceking."

"One of the Brothers Sleep managed to possess a man through a two year old videotape. Killing one of the Gods of Our Fears with a blog? It doesn't seem that far-fetched in comparison, and there quite a number of other incidents I could point to to counter this arbitrary threshold of skepticism."

"If you could kill someone, Fear or otherwise, with a blog and the intent to kill, a great many more souls would be in the Archangel's embrace."

"Fair point," Lee conceded. "Which is why it's possible that the blog wasn't what killed him. There is a third option, though - if I were to represent that murder as Magreat shooting the Viceking, the blog could be the gun in that metaphor. Not quite what killed him, but instrumental in that act by delivering the metaphorical bullet."

"In that case, what would you propose was his bullet?"

"The research of another man, Julian Dipiere. I got the chance to investigate his personal library in his home, several months ago. He owned the entire collection of Dipiere's works, all first editions. He'd known less of the Fears than Magreat did, and his discovery was almost as dangerous." Lee shook his head. "It's a miracle that Dipiere decided to be sincere in that last interview, when outright he stated his work could let mankind achieve godhood. If he hadn't tanked his credibility in academia right there and then, people might have actually attempted following through on his reseach. And, eventually, found out that it actually works."

"How would you know this?"

"Because I asked."

Liquid Len didn't ask who. Judging by his body language, it looked like he knew exactly who he was talking about.

"So you believe where Dipiere unlocked a great secret of life, Magreat used it to discover a great secret of death."

Lee nodded gravely. "The way I see that line of thought, it branches into two terrible possibilities. The first is that he used that research to discover its opposite, as you just voiced."

Liquid Len paused. "What could the other one be, then?"

"He didn't reverse-engineer Dipiere's research to find out how to kill an immortal." Lee paused, taking a careful sip from his mug before he spoke. "The Viceking's death was only part of Magreat's own quest for apotheosis."

There was an uncomfortable moment of silence.

"Then how did he kill the Viceking?"

"Look, are ya'll... Ah' don't even know, deluded, or some shit?" called out of a voice off from the side, belonging to a brown haired girl, dressed like a soldier, walking out into the plaza towards the motorbikes. "Cus', ah'm pretty sure it's illegal to sell guns to schizos. The fuck are you lot even on about anymore? 'Vicekings' an' all this shit, I canne tell if you're takin' the piss or actually stupid. Ah' thought you's were gonna be interesting, too, what with the fancy swords and shite." she sighed, as she stopped walking and crossed her arms, evidentally part confused and part annoyed, "So what's 'ya deal, eh?"

The bikers looked to Liquid Len for their orders. Liquid Len glanced at Lee without turning his head.

Lee lifted the mug to his lips, but didn't tip it quite far enough to drink. "Local Magical Girl," he murmured, just loud enough for Liquid Len to hear. "Lacks the Spark of a Beacon operative, as well as the corruption a Dark Magical Girl or Monster Girl would be steeped in. Neutral party." He then sipped a little before lowering the mug.

Liquid Len gestured for his men to stand down. Then he turned to fully face the girl. "I would ask you the same question." He began to circle her, studying her carefully as he paced. "Your uniform is well-tailored, but you do not carry yourself like a soldier. Nor, for that matter, as a child playing at one. A warrior, though, no doubt about that. And from that look in your eyes," and here he paused in front of her, eyes to deadlights. "...you have seen things that most people are blessed enough never to see in their entire lives. Beasts in the shape of mankind, manifestations of their deepest fears. In some cases, in a horrifyingly literal sense.

"My conceit - my 'deal' - is that I too am a warrior, seeking truth." Liquid Len resumed his circling, only to pause again so that from her prespective the other bikers were in sight behind him. "We have been exposed to different truths in our lives, a blessing and curse of the human condition. I speak of what it familiar to me, and I regret and envy how it does not hold true for you. I learned a great many of these truths on the highways and backroads of this country, hidden in the trees of its urban jungles. Despite these revelations - or perhaps to spite them - my men and I dedicate our lives to preserve as many innocent ones as we can. Sometimes, words are not enough to do so." He gestured towards her sword, very slightly. "Surely that is a familiar truth to you?"

Liquid Len gestured to the girl with an open palm. "I have told you my conceit. And so I ask you to do the same."

"So ah'm right then, you're a bunch'a fuckin loonies." Rebecca retorted, keeping her peripherals on the so called Len as he circled her, "Dunno what you's lads are on about or nothing, but m'ah 'conceit' ain't dealing with crazies circle jerkin over their power fantasies and other shite. Ah'might give you's a listen if ya were to actually talk like a normal person for fuckin once, but if that's a bit too hard for you's, then, well..."

She reached into one of the inner pocket for her uniform, and pulled out what appeared to be a kind of badge.
"Area's off limits to the public right's about now. Pendin' investigation on the disapperance and destruction of the Penrose Cathedral. If you's wouldn't mind clearin' out, there'll be no reason for legal escalation, get me? Ah wouldn't wanna have to call in some backup to forcefully remove you's from the area or nothin, and ah'm sure you's'd rather not either."

Lee went to drink some more from his mug, then paused. He glared inside of it for a second, then tipped it upside down. "Hold that thought," he said, "I need to refill my mug." Having said this, he shifted his book over to his mug arm, freeing up his other arm. He casually reached into his hoodie, going for an inside pocket. Using the opening of his jacket as cover, he almost casually moved an FBI badge into the girl's line of sight.

After a second to let Rebecca process what she spotted, he replaced the badge, made a movement that suspicuously looked like pressing a button, and then took out a metal flask. "We've got thirty seconds," Lee said, as if discussing the weather. "Before anyone realizes their equipment isn't malfunctioning. He and his men are DEA. There's a business card in your back right pocket. Don't reach for it now. Call the number in a week. We'll discuss this again without the encoded messages then." He finished pouring liquid into the mug, then smoothly replaced the flask. He also made that pressing motion again. "No, Officer, no trouble at all."

The moment he mentioned something in her back pocket, Rebecca turned to glance at Len. A second later she turned back, facing Lee once more, but this time with a small smirk on her lips.

"A'ight, fair's to ya." she said, placing the badge back into her outfit, "Seem's you's ain't a bunch of lunatics after all, eh? Sure, ah'll bite." any semblance of a defensive stance she held prior seemed to drop immediately, as she acclimated to the group and relaxed, "Still, you's got no business 'ere. Disappearing cathedrals ain't really your thing, or did you's get a new hobby?"

"Tempting idea, but I'll leave the landmark stealing to Carmen Sandiego," Lee said. He glanced over at the santified chunks of rubble and grimace-smiled. "She leaves less of a mess than the amateurs, anyhow."

Liquid Len coughed. "At any rate, it seems I've spent long enough in this immediate area." Liquid Len nodded to Rebecca. "I wish you luck in your investigation. I only had the one opportunity to visit this cathedral before today - it would be a shame if it were my last."

"Aye, it would be. It were a nice place once." Rebecca replied, and began walking off to the side, around the bikers and Lee, to the point where Binky and the others had reappeared previously, "If you's get any information yourselves, or somethin' like that, you make sure you's give us a heads up down at the station, a'ight? Ah don't want any withholding of shite that could be useful - terror attacks ain't worth screwing about's with."

As she came to the site, she pulled out her phone and started dialling up a number.
"See you's around then, eh."

Liquid Len turned to his men. "Brothers," he called. "Prepare yourselves! We're leaving."

Liquid Len looked back at Lee. "Until we meet again."

"Likewise."

Liquid Len began to walk over to his motorcycle.

And that's when they began to hear the keyboard playing.

As she finished dialling the number, Rebecca raised the phone to hear ear, and began speaking in a hushed tone. She backed off, into the shadowy corner of some of the rubble, and vanished into the darkness as Lee and his cohorts began their charade. None of this was especially interesting to her; the most intriguing part, in reality, was how quickly they had adjusted themselves to her bluff. The obfuscation field had tipped her off originally, but it had become much more obvious now that these people weren't ordinary, and, to her slight concern, weren't as well versed with Magical Girls as she would have expected.

Within seconds of her shadow step, she arrived back at her watch point - the place she had started the whole encounter. Phone still to her ear, she kept an eye out below.

"Aye, that's right. 'Ere, let the Boss know, will 'ya? Is probably nothin', but y'know how she gets with this kinda shite. I dunno about you's, but if this does turn into somethin' fruitful for us, I don't wanna be on the side that din't give her the info in the first place."

A tall door stood freely in the plaza, open to an epileptically colorful but largely incomprehensible otherworld.A conspicuous figure in the shape of a man stood in the center of the opening, hands at his hips. For a moment, he stood as a white absence in the midst of the chaos.

The silhouetted figure stepped out from the edge of the ontological orifice, facing the opening while walking backwards from it.



"Fuck you and your Volvo, I had the right of way!"

The suited man turned away from the portal, and pausing in visible confusion at the 15+ people who were staring at him. Without looking away, he reached behind his back for the keyboard and hit the power button and the music, which must have been programmed to loop, cut off. His attention shifted to one gas-masked man in particular, ignoring the portal closing in the background.

Then he spoke.

"Lenny Bruce."

"Jordan Dooling."

"We meet again."

"It's been a long time."

They both paused.

"Are all drivers in this city so aggressive? Is it a traffic thing, or maybe the road design?" Jordan asked, gesturing towards the direction he came in from. "I mean, I know D.C. has a reputation for its whole wheel and spoke road layout... thing, but I never knew other city planners took it as a challenge."

"Uh... no, it only seems to be those Volvo drivers, the majority of drivers here are fine," Liquid Len(ny Bruce?) said. "Listen, how about I give you a ride?"

"No, no, it's okay. I appreciate the offer, but I still have a few more miles to walk this morning before I hit my step count goal." Jordan cheerfully tipped his hat to everyone. "Well, you guys have fun at your costume contest!"

Then he just walked away, whistling to the tune of "X Gon Give It To Ya" as he left.

Liquid Len shared a wordless glance with Lee, before he got onto his motorcycle and departed the plaza amidst a contemplative chorus of engines.

Lee stood there for a moment, calmly watching them drive farther and farther away. "I'd say it's time for me to make my exit," he said, opening another tunnel into torchlight and the sounds of skittering bones. "Lee Richards withdraws cooly, stage left."

He waved with his free hand, though perhaps it would be more accurate to describe it as a flicking gesture over the shoulder.

...

But there was someone there who noticed something about the gesture. The girl walked over carefully, bending down once she was close enough to inspect the card he had left behind.

No name. Just a number, and an odd phrase on the back.

With a brief glance towards Speedwagon, Joanna Fujo put in her pocket.

---

A week later, a communion took place in Penrose. Three people, three girls, met one night, in a hotel room, somewhere in the middle of the city. It had been a week since the disappearance of the Cathedral, and the attack on the stadium; The Boss had been promptly informed of all the goings on soon after they occurred, and had scheduled the meeting well in advance, at Rebecca's recommendation. She was stood towards the door, maintaining distance from the two others that had accompanied her. This wasn't the kind of meeting she was typically invited to, by any stretch of the imagination, and while there was a degree of anxiety, she felt somewhat honoured.

Sat atop one of the beds was a muscular woman, adorned with what appeared to be an apron, as though she had been plucked from a kitchen to attend the event. Her legs were crossed, and though she paid no heed to Rebecca on her left, her attention was found focussed solely on the person to her right, whom she watched with nervous, anticipatory eyes. Most every other night besides this one she would have been found behind a stove, combining ingredient after ingredient to please a full restaurant. Instead, she was here.

All at the behest of this woman - this girl - with her fingerless gloves, reddish purple hair, topped with a patchwork hat, and complimented with an equally patchwork coat. While the two girls behind her looked on, eager and anxious for their meeting to begin, the girl stood, next to the window, bathed in the moonlight of Penrose in the night.
"Sasha."

"Yes ma'am?" the chef started, now stood up from the bed, "Are we starting?"

"Probably." she said as she turned, and drew a smartphone from her pocket, "Keep an eye on her." her gaze sat trained on Rebecca as she dialed a number with one hand, and Sasha manoeuvred herself into the hallway. The anxious expression of Rebecca escalated into a modicum of fear as the giant, muscled woman placed herself to her side, but upon seeing that Sasha had no intention of hurting her, though, she began to relax.

With the last number entered, The Boss turned back to the window. A soft vibration filled the silence of the hotel room, as she lifted the phone to her ear, and cast her gaze once more unto the skyline, waiting patiently for the other end to pick up the call.

The phone was picked up halfway through the second ring. "Hello," said a male voice. There was a distinctive tinge of vocal fry in the greeting. "Who may I be speaking to?"

"This is Cynthia Martell, Chief of Police for the PCPD. Is this Lee Richards I'm speaking to?" she replied, with a slight glance back towards Rebecca.

"Yeah, I'm Lee Richards," he said, without missing a beat. "I presume your subordinate passed my number along to you?"

Cynthia took a step away from the window, and approached the small hotel table, upon which was laid a number of folders.
"That's correct." she flipped one open, and skimmed through the pages, "Now, mind explaining to me what your people were doing around our investigation? And more importantly, what you're up to here in Penrose?"

"I'd be glad to do so," Lee said. "...in person."

"This is a secure line, sweetheart." she said, lifting a pen from a pot nearby, "Had enough wiretapping incidents in the past year to know when to use 'em, and I'm pretty sure now is a good time. At the very least..." with her left hand, she began to write out a transcript for the conversation, "At the very least you can give me a synopsis."

"...fair enough." Lee paused for a moment. "It directly relates to the large number of gangs that have converged upon Penrose in the past several weeks. As part of the local police, you've likely noticed the wave of suddenly unfamiliar iconography, and an vast uptick in graffiti."

A second folder was opened, accompanied by the further flitting of paper. Dozens of police reports, within various parts of the city, pertaining to various individuals and organisations, littered the pages - courtesy of a few well placed calls.
"Aye, that we have. And with all this crap with the Cathedral, and that attack on the Stadium, we've been stretched thin." Cyntha responded, nestling the phone into her shoulder, pushed up to her hat, to allow a free hand for the documents, "But why would the DEA and FBI be interested in some petty street gangs migrating to the city? Unless there's some grand conspiracy here, I believe it's our purview to deal with it."

Lee sighed. "Well, normally you'd be right. If these were just a large hodgepodge of gangs descending on your fair city, it wouldn't be as high of a priority. The thing is, until the tail end of 2015..."

There was a pause, and the quiet sound of Lee sipping whispered from the reciever. "...these gangs were fragments of a larger criminal empire," Lee continued. "Each one compartmentalized, given their own 'trademark' kinds of drugs to place on the market, deliberately made to look from the outside as a large number of unrelated but closely competitive gangs. But at the end of the day, they were all under the thumb of one man. Your subordinate heard me refer to him as The Viceking."

"And this so called Viceking was killed by a man named Christopher Magreat, I've been informed. Using scientific research and a blog." a hint of sarcasm lingered beneath the words - a personality choice for Cynthia, "Lemme rephrase the question. I did some digging, read Dipiere's "The Perfect Paradox", and I'd like to know why you people are impersonating law enforcement - which, I should remind you, is a felony - and wasting my time."

Cynthia then reached to a third folder, this one much smaller than the others, and fished out from it a rough transcript of Rebecca's conversation from earlier in the week.
"Lets get to some proper dialogue, and start again, shall we? I've got a lot of stuff here I don't understand, and you've got a lot of answers: Fears, The Viceking, Archangel's, Magreat, Dipiere, and research on Godhood. Care to explain?"

"In the interest of proper dialogue, though, we might as well get the whole 'stones and glass houses' part out of the way now," Lee said, before taking another sip. "I know that you know that she knows that I know what she really is. And we both know she doesn't work for PCPD. Now we can continue without any bush-beating." He took another sip.

"Few people in this city can see the full picture of what goes on in Penrose. Independent research can only get you so far, when you're not sure of where you should be looking. And I'll admit, you did well reading The Perfect Paradox. Even going into this conversation having read that, though, we've still got a lot of ground to cover to get you fully up to speed. So..." Lee took another sip. "I might as well ask you where you want me to start."

"I suppose you're right, a military uniform isn't particularly indicative of a police officer." she turned her head towards Rebecca, "Maybe you should start carrying around that Artifact I set aside for you, and listen?" when Rebecca nodded in the affirmative, Cynthia returned to the notes, disinterested in the fact Lee had heard the short interaction, "The graffiti. What is it, how is it read, how is it used?"

"'Subjects should, for the sake of clarity, avoid using graffiti for the sake of gang symbols. Graffiti is a means of communication. Write words, or leave a symbol representing either shelter or Fossils. Don't use it for petty gangs, or else you'll cause confusion and people will think it's a new type of Fossil.'" Lee took a sip, presumably from the mug mentioned in Rebecca's report. "A direct quotation from The Code of Abacab, a blog run by an influential Runner by the name of Scarecrow, and one that is generally memorized by others who are Running From The Fears. For the sake of clearing up some of the unfamiliar terminology, 'Fossils' are another name for referring to the Fears themselves."

Lee took another sip. "But about the graffiti itself. While symbols for safety tend to change - for reasons that are easy to puzzle out - if those places are referred to in written graffiti they'll refer to them as 'Trips.' Named so because... well, if you Trip, you stop Running. Also a neat way to signify their impermanence," he added, almost as an afterthought.

"On the other side of that coin, each Fear is associated with some form of symbol, one that stays generally static over time - you can ask your subordinate to draw you the symbol used to designate the Archangel's influence, if she hasn't already. It's the gold one she saw on the back of the bikers' leathers."

"Of course," Lee continued. "Sometimes there'll be blog urls sprayed up during a conversation in graffiti, or at least meaningful fragments of them. Most Runners use Blogger instead of Wordpress, so they'll likely work in the logo to differentiate it from standard graffiti. And while it's common to see them use the 'Simple' theme, they'll at least attempt to use more colors than black and white."

"They'll use these if they want to facilitate online discussions, a more direct set of messages that may be too sensitive or lengthy to get across with spraypaint." Lee sipped. "According to the Code of Abacab, the person for whom the url is intended for is supposed to spray over it with the specific color they were conversing with, to indicate that they've seen it. It's also considered bad form if a Runner who is a third-party does this, unless asked to by either the one whom it was intended for or the original writer themselves."

Cynthia scribbled out the explanation in short hand, forming a near incoherent mess of swirls and squiggles with her weaker hand. Some of the information was useful, other bits not so much, but when Lee finished his speech, she tore the page from the binder, and slid it across the desk in the direction of Sasha. She took it, skimmed it over for a few seconds, nodded, and pulled out a flip phone.

"So the Viceking was one of your Gods, like the Archangel; one of your Fears." she began, as she moved across to pull a laptop from a bag off to the side of the bed, "I'm sure you understand the concept of Patrons. Where do the powers you people wield come from?"

"That's a little situational," Lee admitted. "For the most part, it's power passed directly from the Fears to their servants. Sometimes that manifests as a symbiotic relationship, like between The Morphs and their Nests, though for others it tends to be a direct gifting of power. It could also be given as part of a deal with Jack of All, but that path eventually leads to pain and suffering.

"Otherwise it's either tied to possessing relics of an eldritch nature," Lee continued, "...or, in rarer cases, unlocked from within a person, provided the right set of circumstances occur. I suppose you might reconcile that situation with a Magical Girl realizing her bloodline."

"You're willing to give up an awful lot of information, aren't you, Lee? I don't know your world, I don't know your people, and I don't know your practices - and we're still having this conversation." she said aloud, withrdrawing the pen from a second sheet, where the tapped the page twice, in seemingly nothing more than a subconscious tick, "What are you going to ask me for in return? And just how much can I ask for? - how much information is too much?"

Lee sighed deeply. "Listen, Cynthia, or whatever your real name is... originally, yes, I was planning on sticking to the FBI story," Lee admitted. "While it would have been a half-truth, I would have contextualized the Fears and their servants as merely a mundane collection of migrating gangs and domestic terrorists, and convinced you to focus some of your attention on them rather than my allies."

Lee took a long pull from his drink. "Within hours of setting this plan into motion, though, something unforseen changed the situation. It was quite the lightshow. Due to its nature, I doubt either of you missed it."

"You wanted me to waste my time dealing with your problems, so you could, what, find Magreat first? Why would magical protection for mortals get in the way, hmm?"

"The exact wording protected 'those under a Veil Of Ignorance,'" Lee solemnly said. "Runners, though? They know about the Fears, and barring mental trauma will continue to be aware of this until the day they die. Which means that well-intentioned wish is drawing a lot more attention to those people because that protection doesn't cover them, and innocent people are dying thanks to that little loophole."

Lee took another sip from his drink, and then the sound of liquid pouring into the mug made its way through the reciever. "Of course, I can't go directly to the Beacon and ask for them to be protected. I know the offenses their higher-ups deem punishable by excommunication. I know that by the average Magical Girl's definition, I serve a Horror. As soon as that fact came to light, either my contact's life or my own would be in jeopardy, along with their interest in protecting those people."

On the other end of the call, Cynthia sighed. A few footsteps, only barely audible, followed, and then came the sound of an object coming into contact with something soft, underlayed quietly with the creaking of wood. Near enough five seconds passed, with Cynthia laying face down on the bed. Sasha and Rebecca looked on with a modicum of worry, but soon after, their Boss rolled over onto her back, and placed the phone back up to her ear.

"You want me to help protect them, don't you? Talk to Beacon and get them to keep an eye out, maybe deviate some of my resources to your innocent friends." the sound of her climbing off the bed found its way down the line, followed by the dragging of a chair across carpet, "You're scared, aren't you? It's not a case of getting magical girls on your side, it's because things are fucked - enough to tell an outsider whatever they want to know."

Cynthia glanced off towards Sasha, who quickly ended her phonecall. She walked over, taking not two steps to get to the chair, and handed the phone off to her Boss, who quickly began typing up a message.

"Let me tell you some truths. You don't get my name, but I head a news station - the Penrose Independent. The company's listed under Cynthia Martell. I employ several dozens of magical people, and letting Beacon know about your friends is pretty fucking easy." when she finished typing, she turned the phone towards Sasha, who placed herself between it and Rebecca. Once read, she nodded, "What Fear do you work for, Lee? What do they do, what do you represent - everything."

"...well, in the interest of 'keeping the truth truthful...'" Lee's end of the line was silent for a moment. "I work for the Fear of Memories. Of what they hold. Of losing them. Of becoming nothing more than one, and one day becoming even less than that." Lee took a sip from his mug. "As for what I represent... I suppose you could say I represent the memory of what I once was."

Lee took another sip. "I can't say for certain what will happen in the coming days. Just know that everything will soon change. It's only a matter of our apocalypse versus theirs." Lee paused. "And for what it's worth, I apologize if I offended you earlier, with my commentary on your organization's... blog design."

Off to the side, barely audible to Lee, was the sound of talking - one voice, steeped thick in a Russian accent, appeared to be arguing with the familiar, Scottish voice of Rebecca. A few words were audible. “Beacon," “The Independent,” “Your job.” It was fragmented, practically unrecognisable from the actual words being spoken, but the discussion seemed heated: Rebecca wasn’t happy with what she was being ordered to do.

”The website is a stop gap. It’s good enough for now.” Cynthia replied, ”But onto actual business - here’s your deal. I’ll get word to Beacon, see about protecting your little runners. And my standby Tracker team will keep an eye and ear to the ground for ‘em, too. Can’t guarantee all of them live, but they’ll be safe where I can find ‘em.”

A similar scraping of wood against carpet found its way down the call, as Cynthia pushed the chair out from under the desk, and took a step towards the window once again. ”I want everything you know in exchange. You said it yourself, there's still so much that I don't understand, and you've piqued my interest. Fears, Magreat, Blogs, Dipiere's Research... All of it exists and I never noticed. That's something worth learning about." at the window, she took one more, cursory look across the city - lips crested with a smile, "That's the Banker's offer. Deal? - or no deal?"

"There is so very much to learn," Lee agreed. "It will take time for you to do so, and some lessons will have to be shown, rather than explained over the phone. Language, though useful, does not always lend itself to accurately describing the eldritch." Lee took another sip from his mug. "Do you accept that?"

”Deal."

"Then consider it struck. Pleasure doing business with you," Lee said.

Cynthia removed the phone from her ear, and promptly ended the call.
"You's really want me ta do this shite?" Rebecca asked, now that silence had fallen over the room. Her argument with Sasha had ended and all three stood in the quiet.

"You are not monster girl or dark magical girl. You will be fine. More importantly, you know he will have recorded that conversation, yes?"

"Aye, 'ah might be fine. But fuck's gonna 'appen if ah ain't?"

"I'll sort out your story and protection later. If anyone, aim for Penny or the Seraph, Alicia. Main objective is giving them the information, your secondary objective is just that - secondary." Cynthia then turned back around to face the two, "Of course I know, Sasha. That's the idea."

Rebecca sighed. "A'ight fine, ah'll fuckin'... Ah's best be getting paid extra for riskin' me arse, Ma'am."

---

The dark clouds that surround Penrose seem to grow ever dimmer each day, with no sign of reprieve. Serial killings and terrorist attacks almost seem common place in this society of ours - a statement no man nor woman should ever have to make with serious intent. With such awful events occurring on a near enough daily basis, it is to be wondered if the streets of Penrose will ever return to their once and former safety - and if the people that walk them will ever trust that peace again.





The word "Catastrophe" scarcely does the days incident justice. With as many parties involved as their were, it was inevitable for a large number of civilian casualties. But, as we have been informed by onsite Reporters, who assisted in recovering bodies with the emergency services, the numbers of dead built up over the course of the battle were "truly staggering".

Following a monster attack on a stadium full of civilians awaiting a baseball game set to take place that day, the arrival of a number of Magical Girls - including one, seemingly a stimulating factor to the destruction, and presumed servant of a Horror - began the spiral of death that persisted until a Greater Horror, spawned by some or another Patron, was slain.









The Vixen had been missing for days. Her time spent in the Overcity took much longer than she originally intended; the charge up of her newly gained Overcity Shift was much longer than any typical usage of Evolution, and once the bloodlust had subsided she understood why. Third Eye allowed her to see entrances to the Overcity, but actually opening them was a different endeavour altogether. It took a special skillset, a special kind of poweer - one she herself didn't possess. But that girl did, one of the Beacon operatives who accompanied Alicia to the Cathedral.

When she finally emerged from The Overcity, she was on the outskirts of Penrose. As calmly as possible, minding her own hunger and lust, she mad her way back to the lair. She had no intentions of staying long. A few days later, she would abandon the place, leaving a blood drenched lair, filled with refuse, broken pieces of her kills, and their weaponry. The ritual folllowed soon after, for days when nothing could satiate her boken mind. Bleeding herself, to feel the pain, and then consuming that blood, to appease a sense of taste, and drown out the lust for a little while more. And then she would sleep. And the next day, the cycle would repeat.

What a horrid creature she had become.



In the two weeks since the Cathedral incident, The Vixen had relocated twice. Kills had been limited, Magical Girls and mundane humans alike had begun paying closer attention to how things were around them. The Penrose Independent, publishing their stories on her movements, her kills. Nobody had come after her since Olympia attacked her, but the encounter left her paranoid, on edge, evcen more so than usual. Bloodlust left her weak most days, on top of the bleeding, forcing her to seek more inadequate means of satisfaction, both for her hunger, and sanity.

The end of the two weeks, though, spelt something different. The voice of Cindy Ford rang across the city, rousing her from a slumber perturbed and barely passable. Her robes remained damp and sticky with the last nights blood, but heat dried them out quickly. Just another part of her daily routine, something she barely needed to think about. Her attention was soundly drawn elsewhere - to the self proclomation of Penrose this entity made. Better judgement would have kept her out of the situation. Beacon, The Mint - every Magical Girl faction, Patron, and otherwise, would almost inevitably wind up at the location of the transmission. It was only a matter of time.

But better judgement had never been The Vixen's strong suit, even less so now. Mad as she have been, she was still smart. This made sense, this was rigt, this would be helpful. She packed up what terribly few belongings she had left, barely even enough to fill a pocket. A cellphone, a photograph, a key to a storage container, and nothing more. She emerged from a door, into a dimlit back alley of Penrose, where not even the sun could reach thanks to the angles of the buildings. And then she ran.

Far. Fast. The Vixen emerged from a fire escape, up the wall of some apartment complex, and dashed across one roof to another. Up a second wall and down a third, then across a busy street, along a windowsill, and finally, up the side and onto the roof of Penrose Town Hall. There, two girls waited for her. Two girls she had never come across before, addressing the mysterious "Cindy Ford". She eyed them warily, the blades sliding out of her gauntlets, and a pressure building at the back of her mind, in the face of potential prey.

"Who the hell are you two," she growled, mentally and physically prepared for a fight in seconds, "And where's Cindy Ford?"









Atop a nearby building, just a few blocks away from Penrose Town Hall, but with a clear view of the structure, a Magical Girl stood, observing the scene. Her light brown hair flittered in the wind, as she held a somewhat rigid stance. Waiting for something. One hand on the scabbard of her blade, and one at her side, occasionally brushing her locks out of her eyes, Rebecca Suthers stood waiting.

Some minutes following, a second girl entered onto the roof. The stairwell door opened with some difficulty in the wind, but eventually, from behind Rebecca, the tanned skin, teenage form of Christine approached.
"Looks like The Vixen turned up." she commented, pointing off towards the Town Hall, where the many tailed figure of The Vixen had just launched herself onto the roof, "Guess the Boss was right after all..."

"Fuck d'ya mean she was right? What, she predicted this shite?"

"When Cindy Ford made her announcement. 'This'll attract near enough everyone in Penrose. The Mint, Beacon, the Patronless - hell, I'll bet The Vixen will be there.'"

Rebecca sighed, looking back from the building and to Christine, who was holding a sheet of paper.
"Guess she's always been good at predictin', eh?" there was an obvious tinge of anxiety to her voice; that confident, Scottish accent she presented to Lee and the Timberwolves was dimished greatly, "Issat me story?"

Christine nodded, and handed the sheet over.
"The better target is Alicia. Penny doesn't exactly have much sway in the Beacon, but you should be aware that, if the Informants are right, Alicia has a Light Specialisation." she paused for a second, to let Rebecca take in the information of the sheet.

"And? What's this vague-as-shite story got's to do with some cunt's Specialisation?" Rebecca queried in response.

"It means she can tell if you're lying." with those words, a semblance of realisation dawned on Rebecca's face, "That's why your story is vague. As long as what you say is truthful in a non-explicit sense, the Boss thinks you'll be fine."

"Are you's 'avin a fuckin' laugh? You want me ta' go up to a fuckin', a fuckin'-" a heightened sense of panic rose in Rebecca's voice, "Beacon operative an' 'ope she doesn' notice 'ah ain't being truthlike? You're shittin' me!"

"Or be suspended. Like your sister. Somebody more competent can do your job if you wont. You might be a Tasker now, but you're still a Journalist." Christine fired back, her threat clearly striking a chord, "Just... stick to the story. You'll be fine, okay? Sasha is on standby in case you need to be evacuated."

The anxiety didn't fade much at all with the promise of a safety net, but even still, the shaky Rebecca nodded her head.
"Fine, 'ah... aight, 'ah can... 'ah can do this... 'ah can do this."

Christine took a step away from the edge of the roof.
"I'll see you back at the Vista. Sasha will meet you when you leave, and escort you back." With that, she swung back open the door to the stairwell, and made her way out of the building - leaving Rebecca to ruminate, and prepare.








The voice of The Lady crept into her head. Katelyn was shacked up in what could only be described as a home - or, at least, what had been her home for the past while. It was far the traditional stereotypes people created for a monster's lair. Members of The Web had provided her with an apartment, poorly looked after, and lacking any real size, but it did its job well. She rarely stuck around, but still, the three room place had become as much a home to her as her old home. Back before she became a Monster Girl.

"Why should I?" she asked back aloud, breaking the silent air of her apartment with the question. Besides the living room kitchen combo, and the bathroom, the only other room the apartment possessed was the bedroom - where Katelyn found herself sat. Atop her bed, tail and wings stretched out behind her, this was the most comfortable she could ever be. And yet, the room barely held comfort at all. It was bland, lacking any kind of proper furniture besides the bed and a wardrobe. The curtains were drawn perpetually closed, with the only lightsource beind the overhead lights, illuminating the white-beige walls fully.

The only thing of note in the room was the corkboard that lined the majority of wall beside her bed. And, more particularly, its contents. Dozens upon dozens of photographs lined it, pinned to the wall with an equal number of pieces of paper: news articles, from the Penrose Independent and various other sources; hazy photographs from bystanders; evidence of dubious nature. Every inch reeked of "conspiracy theory".

Katelyn twitched.
"Yes, but-" her words were cut off by another burst of sound within her head.

"Of course I do!" she shouted, frustration mounting in her voice, "I just... need to prepare."

"You know what for. I'm not stupid, you can read my thoughts. You know exactly what I'm preparing for." the anger that rose within her for a moment subsided quickly. She couldn't afford anger. She didn't deserve emotion. This was a mission, that had to be surgically, and tactically, performed. Her fight with Elroy and his lackies showed her that much. Running in with the plan to completely annihlate wasn't good enough anymore. These people were stronger than she originally thought. If she wanted to deal any real damage - make any real headway on her goals - she needed strategy.

Silence lingered for palpable moments. Katelyn was still, and quiet, reminiscing for some time. Staring at the corkboard.
"That way of fighting... just doesn't suit me..." she finally said, with a slight chuckle, thinking back to the good times - so many years ago, "I don't think I can ever really be like that... I was fast, but she was always better. Always."

Another pregnant pause followed. The Lady said nothing, Katelyn said nothing. Unlike before, though, this silence wasn't uncomfortable. It was consensual - neither was willing to break it, nor what it represented in that moment. However, after nearly a minute, Katelyn finally forced herself up from the bed. She donned her disguise, grabbed a jacket from her wardrobe, and made her way into the living room.

"I know you know that too." Katelyn retorted, as she pulled out a door key, and exited the apartment, "You're right... They probably will be there. Now is the best opportunity I have."

“Beacon?” Amaryllis blinked. It wasn’t as surprising as she had thought, really. Considering her past clashes with the Beacon Buddies, as well as how opaque the organization was to begin with, it wasn’t too great of a stretch to consider that some faction of Beacon was involved. Heck, it was even pretty damning that the Maiden of Mystic Darkness hadn’t been apprehended successfully by Beacon, despite the fact that she was clearly an agent of Horror and clearly at fault for the Penrose Stadium incident. But ‘Beacon is the greatest evil’ was also something of a meme in the magical world…

She wouldn’t dismiss Sammy’s theory, but she wouldn’t trust in it completely either. The namedrop of ‘Binky’ was something more worth pursuing, after all. A magical overlord of the evil kind? Amaryllis leaned forward, her ample bosom spilling over the top of the table as she sipped contemplatively on her iced water. Regardless, it was going to be a whole lot of talking. Slipping a hand into her bag, she extracted her smartphone and sent a quick ping to Rina, a slightly silly smile on her lips.

Allegedly, a magical being by the name of Binky has been experimenting on magical girls, and is under the protection of Beacon. Might be worth looking into.

Her tone was officious, only a ‘Dear Rina’ and ‘Sincerely Amaryllis’ separating it from a written letter, but Amaryllis still hadn’t moved up to the level of ‘texting buddies’ with her fellow ally of justice yet, and even this amount of friendly communication was rather novel for the sword wielder. She couldn’t linger though, not when a new person (seriously, who the hell even was Cindy Ford?) was declaring their sovereignty over the city. Arching a brow at Sammy, Amaryllis stood up as well, her stance prepared for her words awkward as always. “Um, you don’t th- wait, I mean to say that I’m going…to be comi- huh? Lotus? …d-do I kn-” At that point, Sammy had already shot off, and Amaryllis let out a self-deprecating sigh. “Yeesh, we’re going to be going to the same place anyways…”

Without a pause, she also ran out the door.

Then she returned, because dining and dashing wasn’t ok.

Only for the waitress to point out that her bill was already cleared because “Manager said it was on the house”.

So she ran out again, and by then, Sammy’s small frame had already melted into the crowds of much taller people.

Amaryllis sighed, striking, in that instant, the silhouette of a forlorn beauty in a bittersweet romance, the very picture of regretful despondence.

And, with that same sort of despondence, she spoke the only magic words in the world that would allow her to become someone brighter.

"𝕿𝖍𝖊 𝖑𝖔𝖛𝖊 𝖔𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖒𝖔𝖔𝖓, 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖌𝖗𝖆𝖈𝖊 𝖔𝖋 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖕𝖊𝖙𝖆𝖑𝖘..."
@BrokenPromise@Rune_Alchemist

About a week ago...



It was a slow day at the police station, though the effects of last week's incidents could still be seen in the long row of witnesses trying to explain what had happened during the baseball game; however, none were quite able to recall the events in detail. Due to the increased number of patrols issued to officers, Veronica had to take over at the booth, typing out meaningless dribble for hours on end.

"...It was a bunch of grey aliens I think," one overweight woman claimed. "They dressed up in cables, and and fought against energy beings from another dimension!" Fortunately for her, it was her break after that one, and she could go to her office to enjoy a cup of hot coffee. However when she closed the door, she heard a familiar voice:

"That's a bit too much caffeine, even for a policewoman, miss Vermillion." The cup of coffee floated up from the desk, swaying back and forth; Veronica saw that it was manipulated by the shadow the cup cast, taking the shape of a hand. "You'll stay up all night, you know."

“Good thing I have you to share it with then.” Veronica recognized the voice as the same one she gave her report to a while ago; only now there was a hint of bitterness to it.

"You must already know why I have come early this time, so I'll make it quick; we know of your lies." After the shadow let the revelation sink in, it continued while swirling the cup around her. "One of our agents happened to discover what we first assumed to be a territory dispute between two pairs of twins. But as the other twins ran from the grave site, the operative saw the body they carried off; it was Amber's."

The cup stopped, and with a hard thunk landed back on the desk. Veronica then saw how the blinders in the window turned shut, casting the room in striped shadows. A large, humanoid shadow slowly grew against the back wall; it resembled a mobster with a gun in its hand.
"You've been embezzling Black Coins behind Ebon Mint's back, Veronica, and that's a big no-no. You've also run behind on your missions, and instead sent your agents on unreported assignments." The desk lamp was put on, and it was pointed towards her. "Who got the Black Coin? What are you scheming? This is your last chance to come clean." The shadow twirled its gun in a cartoony fashion. "Otherwise, we'll have a problem. And in our line of business...problems are not tolerated."

“Hmmm, yes, I think I said those exact words to the last Vermillion Veronica.” She folded her arms.
“Thank you for putting everything the Mint knows in front of me. Counter interrogations waste so much time. And you've already wasted so much trying to piece together events that happened weeks ago.”
The shadow froze for a few seconds, before it continued looming over the room, the shape fluttering at its sides as if it was an empty trench coat.
Veronica lowered her arms to her sides. She had hoped that the Bates would hand the body to Soth before it could be discovered. But she had a contingency plan in place, and it was time to run with it. “Honestly, I had no idea who's body that was. It was just some info I picked up on a whim. You know what I think? I think a plant put it there. They must have recovered her body from the rubble of Justine's castle to frame me. Yes, that makes the most sense. Certainly more sense than an Ebon coin broker trying to cover the existence of one coin. After all, I've been embezzling coins by the dozens. What use do I have for a single black coin?”

Now the shadow’s fluttering increased, as if it picked up on a gust of wind. “Now that’s rich, coming from you.”

“It was rich coming from our unknown higher ups as well.” She shook her finger at the shadow. “And speaking of plants, that's exactly why I have a hard time accomplishing all of the Mint's objectives in a timely fashion. I need to run verification missions and find out more about where these tasks are coming from. Do you know how embarrassing it is to destroy your agent's own ship?”

“That doesn’t excuse your behavior,” the shadow answered, clearly not amused by her cute antics.

She took in a deep breath. ”Explaining my 'scheme' in detail will take time neither of us have, so I'll help you grab the gist of it. Do you know what the greatest spy organization in the world is?”

The shadow chuckled menacingly, and seemingly picked out a lit cigar to smoke. “A wise gal, eh? Well, what is it, blondie?”

”Facebook.” She started to pace around the room, but the light stayed focused on her. ”Facebook is the intelligence gathering capital of the world. They share everything they see and everything they do. It's an organization that spies on itself and everyone around them, and most importantly, it's entirely transparent!”

The shadow’s fluttering now resembled wisps of flame, and the room was gradually turning into a shade of red. “What are you implying?”

She fret her brow. ”If you know someone's email address or name, you can find them on Facebook. People willingly give everything they know, even their secrets, to Facebook. Mark Zuckerberg has personally prevented school bombings, ended marriages, and made billions on information people willingly gave him. If only his sights were more lofty than just the money he could earn.” Veronica turned to face the shadow. Its finger was tightening on the trigger. ”We can talk about this in detail later. Right now, I'm trying to stop a horror from destroying the world. The entire reason why I sent the Bates after that body was so that Soth would reveal his plans. One of the black coins I 'stole' was given to him purely so that I could spy on him from a safe distance. He wants to put himself in a human vessel, but the process will have negative consequences on the entire world. We'll stand a better chance against him if we work together. But if you pull that trigger, I can't guarantee you'll be around to do anything about it.”

At first, it seemed as if Veronica’s words fell on deaf ears, and shadows of flames seemed to envelop the red walls, slowly rising up to the ceiling. But then, the room turned back to it’s normal color, and the lamp was turned off. The shadow on the wall returned to resembling a trenchcoat-and-fedora-wearing humanoid, it’s arms no longer in sight on the silhouette.

“Hey toots, you’re a smart broad,” the shadow spoke, in a somewhat friendly, gangster-type tone. Next to him appeared more shadows, looking like him.
“You’re good at handling people, with good ears on the street, and better eyes on the cash. You’re one of our best agents.”

On walls perpendicular to the first shadow appeared more gangster shadows; these ones held tommyguns pointed towards her, and she realized she was quickly surrounded by shadows pointing those guns on every wall.

“And that’s why we gotta close this contract.” At that moment, the shadows walked off the walls, having materialized into black shapes, and opened fire.

Most girls try to transform before a fight breaks out, but Veronica was of the type that could swiftly transform whenever she wanted. A black nova erupted from the police officer, transforming her into the Ebon Vampire. The residual energy emitted from her transformation was able to protect her just long enough to sink into the ground. The gunmen wouldn't have time to see where Veronica emerged from. The door to the office was knocked off its hinges as Betty charged inside. With a single swing of her katana, she was able to clear out most of the shadow gangsters as soon as she entered the room. The mobsters were quick to aim their weapons at the newly arrived. By the time they opened fire, Betty had already teleported behind them and cut them down. ”Betty Barton, reporting for duty!” Her voice was confident, but the hands on her blade were shaking. Veronica's desk had been blown into kindling, and bullet holes lined all of the walls. If Veronica was ever to use this cover again, there would be a lot of paperwork to fill out.

She dropped out of the ceiling, landing beside the window. A few of the tommygun rounds had managed to pierce her shoulder, but such small wounds were nothing to her. They would heal in time. ”You were not the best choice against me.” She tore down the blinds, letting more light into the room. ”Should you manage to survive this encounter, let the Mint know that I will be suspending all of their assignments indefinitely.”

The shadow seemed undisturbed by how swiftly Betty eradicated the shapes. From the way his fedora moved, she could tell he shook his head. “You still haven’t figured it out....The Ebon Mint always collects their debts. And sooner or later, you’ll pay it.” Betty charged at the smokey shape on the wall and tried to cut it with her sword, but to no avail; it had already faded away by the time she made her mark on the wall. Soon, sounds of commotion quickly rose from outside the office.

”This place isn't safe anymore.” Veronica threw open the window. ”This way.” Veronica's companion just nodded and ran for the window. Together, they jumped out of the window and took the fire escape straight to the street level. They did not appear to be pursued, nor where they attacked while they left.

Veronica had to wonder if they wanted her to escape. Surely the Mint wasn't this sloppy. You don't send an officer to announce the termination of another. Not when they were in Veronica's league. Either he was putting on a show and really did want Veronica to escape, or they were underestimating her. Regardless of the situation, it changed very little. Veronica was no longer a Mint coin broker. While it would have been beneficial if she could stall them a bit longer, she knew that this outcome was inevitable.

”So um.” Betty and Veronica were still running. ”Now what?”

”Phase two.” Veronica placed a hand on the side of her head. ”Attention all Cradle agents: The Mint has cut their ties with us. If you’re a Mint operative, execute extreme caution around new coin brokers and non-Cradle operatives. They know where your allegiance lies, and you won’t fool them.” Veronica stopped in a back alley and looked around herself, making sure there really was no one following her. ”We’ll have a discussion about this later. For the moment just be aware of it. And prepare yourselves. Something big is coming to Penrose, and we will be ready to fight it.” The shadows on the walls seemed to swallow the occupants of the alleyway, and all was quiet again.

---

Back in the present day...

Lily woke up to the familiar sound of Alex's frustrated screaming, and mixed a giggle with a yawn as she stumbled out of her room; she was wearing a bright yellow Pikachu-themed onesie, complete with ears and tail accessories. "Oh, it's another new friend! Good morning, li'l buddy! Oh, and good morning to you too, Alex~" She watched as Alex stomped off to feed the animals, smiling after him. He tries to hide it by being grumpy, but he really cares for them. Ixion's voice spoke back to her telepathically. "Indeed. He is a kind soul." It was then, as she took out juice form the fridge, that she heard the voice of a magical girl ring out across the city. The juice carton dropped to the floor, spilling its orange contents as Lily ran to the balcony. "There's trouble afoot, Alex! Let's go! She hopped on the railing of the balcony, and reached for the sun in a dramatic pose:
"Let my spirit gallop across the field of clouds, and strike my foes down with thunderous applause!" She then fell down the building, her eyes closed, and in a dazzling sequence was caught by her motorcycle as she finished transforming; the vehicle had also changed appearance to match her new Eastern-dancer motif, with stars formed of lightning bolts and colorful flags that trailed behind. Once Alex got on board, they rode off, ready to face off against the new threat.

---

At the Beacon headquarters, Sylvia stood up from her seat, and began walking away, to the briefing hall. However, she momentarily lingered by Alicia, and without turning, spoke: "Come with me. We got a new job." Once various members of the local Beacon force have gathered Sylvia spoke: "Ladies...And gentlemen." She nodded towards Aurelio, giving him a little smile before she continued. "I just received reports of some unaffiliated magical girls at Town Hall having announced their intentions on taking over the city. Now, this by itself is not cause for alarm; our main priority is to eliminate the emerging monsters that would threaten the city's populace. However, we are also tasked with preserving peace. To that end, I need volunteers to negotiate with them. If the conflict escalates to outright hostility, you are to retreat; our Beckoners have warned us of a 'great darkness' approaching, and we need to be prepared. We don't know where it's coming from, but stay vigilant, everyone! May the light of Beacon guide your way, over!"

---

A bolt of lightning struck into the rooftop by Emily, Shannon and the Vixen. After the bolt, Cindy Ford hovered where it had struck, staring between them blankly, measuring them up with her eyes as she floated aimlessly. Behind her emerged a following her gang of girls jumping up from an open roof window, each of them snickering as they saw the contenders. ‘I am Cindy Ford, ruler of Penrose. Have you come to seek my protection?’ Once Emily made her query, the blue monster girl stared sharply at her, a few sparks of lightning arcing around her body. Behind her a couple of cronies were holding themselves from giggling. Cindy answered calmly and focused. ‘I'm starting an age of peace and prosperity for Penrose. As long as I am the ruler, I won't let anyone disturb this city, whether they're Beacon, Ebon Mint, or even a common Magical Girl like you. I will bind these unruly streets into a community which will stand the test of time, and destroy any who oppose me.’

Once Lily and Alex they reached Town Hall, Lily climbed up the side of the building until it flew right off. Then, as she back flipped with the vehicle, she dropped down with a spinning flourish, letting the motorcycle disappear into a crackle of electricity in the air after Alex also got off; she wanted her entrance to be positively shocking. When she took a look around her, she was surprised to see that she wasn't the only one going to see Cindy Ford, as there were two other girls present to see her; a girl she didn't recognize, and one she did. "Shannon! Eeee!" She squeed, and glomped her friend, spinning her in the air as she hugged her. "I'm so glad to see you again! How are you doing! Did you find the gibbetygong you were looking for? Fought any monsters! Hey look, I got this new outfit, isn't it cute!" She ran her motor-mouth at twice the usual speed using her magic, making her speech difficult to follow. Cindy glared at her, eyes narrowed in an expression that could be interpreted as annoyed.

‘Silence, bedlah girl.’ With that statement, Cindy now looked to them all. ‘If you accept my ruling, then we will have no problems. If you wish to battle me, then I will arrange for you a tournament, in which you will be smas-’

Cindy suddenly stopped mid-sentence and looked up before anyone else did, and the rest saw that the sky seemed to unnaturally darken, with black clouds gathering. ‘… Tina,’ Cindy commanded, and a girl with long black hair behind her nodded and promptly started focusing. The Vixen’s Third Eye revealed to her that the girl was focusing Beast-specialized magic into the distance. The weather started to get worse, as winds built up, forming small whirlpools of wind, leaves and small branches taken aloft as they travelled down the streets and parks. Soon, everyone else in Penrose saw the ominous signs encroaching from the north, and to their horror saw that far in the distance, some actual tornadoes were forming, slowly approaching the city. Lily looked spooked, and hid behind Alex, her hands on his shoulders as she peeked over him; her jewelry audibly jingled as she shook. ‘Found it,’ Tina stated, and pointed towards the graveyard; it seemed that the ominous signs were coming from that direction. Cindy turned her face to stare in the direction. ‘It seems someone unruly has turned up. Very well. Listen up!’ she turned to everyone gathered around. ‘I, along with my forces, will deal with this disruption. You can all stay put. But first, let us hold the tour-’
"No way! I'm going!" Lily summoned her motorcycle, waiting for Alex to get on board. "This dark stuff at the graveyard is full-on Horror territory if I've ever seen it! Isn't that right, Shannon?"

Alexander quickly transformed on his way to Lily, when he noticed the juice on the floor "...dammit Lily. Fuck, I don't have time for that" he then reached the balcony and jumped down to get onto Lily's bike "I swear, it's always something in this fucking town"

***

‘Silence, bedlah girl.’

Alexander suddenly had a flashback to a very tacky castle 'Dammit, not this shit again! Why does anyone even want this place? It's like the magical worlds ghetto, only not as low income and dirty.'

And then the storm appeared "Of course; when it rains, it fucking floods" He grumbled as Lily too cover behind him. However, not long after that, Lily loudly declared that they were going to fight whatever the hell that was. Alexander sighed and got on. 'What is with this place!? was the whole town built on a huge ass Indian burial ground or something!?'

@ERode@Flamelord

---

Could people

Just for one day

Not cause problems in the city?

Sitting atop one of her rooftop perches, Rina had to suppress a groan. She could hear this Cindy from where she was, and quite honestly if she wasn't already occupied then she'd just snipe her from a distance. The archer sat, legs over the edge of the building trying her best to enjoy a doughnut, but that commotion was making it really, really, difficult too.

It was then she got a little beep from her pocket.

"Gah?!" Slightly startled by the unknown noise, Rina fumbled with the doughnut...only to have it fall out of her grasp and tumble to the street below. She could only watch in horror as the treat smashed into the ground, lamenting its uneaten, doughnuty, goodness. What was even that beep -

Oh right. Her phone.

Boy she was glad no one saw that.

Slightly red from embarrassment, Rina pulled the phone out of her pocket. Who could have possibly been texting her? It had been a really long time since she actually had any sort of texting friends with something. Was it Amaryllis? What should she even say? What could Amaryllis even be talking to her about? Trouble in the city? Maybe just to hang out?

Allegedly, a magical being by the name of Binky has been experimenting on magical girls, and is under the protection of Beacon. Might be worth looking into.

Oh.

It was a business text. Of course. She shouldn't have expected anything else. This was quite the informative text however, and a good thing she was able to get this information before she contacted this Alicia Penny gave her the number for. Time to reply.

Now.

riiiight about now.

Rina stared at her phone a few seconds, internally panicking slightly. Right, but how to reply? Business? Friendly? It had been awhile since she had ever done this sort of thing so to say she was rusty at social stuff was an understatement. Mention the weather? She did want to at least, be amicable to Amaryllis, but she had no idea what she could even talk about. Ah she was taking too long to think about this she didn't want Amaryllis to think she was purposely taking too long to text back.

Understood. Already in the process of potentially setting up a meeting with a Beacon representative. May not be available for backup soon.

Right, okay, hit send. Good enough. Right, yes? Seemed good. Okay, this next one would be a bit easier.

Alicia. I got this number from Penny, a monster girl currently working with Beacon. She said you are the person to talk too about this. I am interested in meeting you to discuss a partnership of sorts. Just a magical girl without a patron in need of a bit of assistance hunting down a lead on an attack that happened involving some spirits. Will come to whatever meeting area you designate.

...that felt too long. But being sent a random text asking for a meetup to someone you've never met before was sketchy. She wanted to make a good impression, after all. Hm. Maybe she'd get a reply soon. Sliding the phone back into her pocket, Rina sighed, slouching over.

"...My doughnut..."

Training was, naturally, an important part of the Beacon’s organizational structure. New recruits had to be taught how to use their powers effectively, as well as how to work both alone and as part of a team. For a sizable organization, it was one of the main advantages they had against the myriad of enemies that opposed them, and they were quick to exploit it.

That was why Alicia was currently preparing for another training session. Beacon HQ had areas laid out, walls reinforced with magic to prevent external damage so the occupants could practice combat and magic. The new renovations after the bombing were nice, though she hadn’t had much time to exploit them beyond hearing descriptions in meetings.

She already had a couple of novices set up on the other side of the area, mock sparring for the moment with occasional input provided on her part when she felt that they needed it. Currently transformed, she was waiting for the rest of those scheduled to take part to arrive In her head she ran over possible exercises to test Aurelio and put him through the paces. Sylvia wanted to know what he could do, and she was more than happy to find out.

Aside from those already in attendance Janet was also due to arrive. Though she had been acting rather peculiar the last couple of days, and by that meaning no one had seen her in the last couple of days. She didn’t answer her phone when called, but did respond to texts after several hours. And from the Beckoners any concern over the girl was dismissed and reassurance was given that the girl was fine. So to know that she would be coming was a relief even though she seemed to be running late.

In that time two girls walked in. They were not transformed and no one there seemed to recognize them or know how they got into HQ to begin with. Their presence seemed to have drawn some attention though as several heads were peeking in through the doorways trying to catch a glimpse of the strangers and their activity. Both looked pretty nervous though as they glanced around, overly self conscious of the eyes on them. Spotting Alicia they froze where they stood. After a few seconds though they seemed to recover their confidence. ”Alicia.” The girl with the slightly curled blond hair greeted.

Turning towards the sound of the door opening, Alicia broke into a warm smile as she found herself addressed. She did notice that they seemed a bit nervous, and tried to put the both of them at ease. After all, this was supposed to be a welcoming place, and the members of Beacon like family. A team required trust, and that was the best way to build it.

“Hello,” she replied, stepping forward and offering a hand. “New recruits, or transfers? I don’t think I’ve seen you two around before.” Any resemblance to Janet was completely missed, understandable when most recently she had seen her with blue hair, among other things. “I was about to have a small training session, but don’t let me get in your way if you’re planning on practicing.”

Glancing back at Jenna for a second, Janet tried to piece together a way to explain things. It wasn’t like she hadn’t mulled over it the last couple of days, but now in the moment it was harder than anticipated. ”You actually know us more than you may think. I, or I guess we, are Janet.” She gestured to the girl behind her.

Waving her fingers playfully Jenna smiled. “Hello.”

Unaware of the powder keg he was walking towards Aurelio was glad that the upswell of curiosity just happened to also be in the direction that he was headed, as one it was quite the gathering of Curiosity which was always good to have on hand, and two he didn’t want to be late, granted he wasn’t exactly going to be early either, but that wasn’t here nor there.

He entered the training room just a moment before Janet and Jenna started talking with Alicia, but with his ears he was still able to clearly hear what was being said.

That answer was not the one that Alicia had been expecting, and she frowned a bit on the off chance that they were pulling some kind of prank on her. That wouldn’t be very nice, though she would accept it with due grace.

A few seconds passed and it became clear that this wasn’t some kind of joke, that it was indeed real. Her eyes widened in disbelief, flickering between Janet and Jenna as if trying to cope with what she was now seeing. “Janet? But...how...What happened to you?” she asked, worried about whatever had happened to change her from the girl she knew into this.

Putting her hands up to slow her friend down, Janet made an effort to explain. ”I’m fine Alicia. Really.”

”Mostly.” The other girl spoke up. ”I’m Jenna by the way.”

Snapping her head back she glared at her twin. ”Not helping.” Back to Alicia. ”We’re still adjusting, but we’re not hurt.”

Speaking a little lower so the other people standing further away couldn’t hear. ”Beacon needed someone to test the thing we discovered.” Even though they had permission to talk about the Red Coin they didn’t want to just blurt it out for everyone to hear just yet. Not that they could hide it forever with Janet keeping her first name.

That didn’t explain much, though Alicia was at least glad that she was alright. Jenna would be mostly ignored at this point, the Seraph choosing to focus on one thing at a time instead just so she didn’t get even more stressed than she was already.

“But why?” she asked, still clearly confused by what was going on. “You just stopped being a monster girl, why would you want to change again?”

”I didn’t exactly. But they wanted to see if I would go through with it. A test of loyalty.” Opening her arms to each side. ”I had to prove myself. Maybe it did a little more than I bargained for but it isn’t the end of the world. I can live with the changes.”

Confusion changed to realization, and with it something else blossomed. Alicia took a step back, her frown growing as her fists clenched in a rising anger. Things were starting to make sense, and with that realization came a disgust rising in her core. “Seriously?” she spat, no longer needing to look between them even if Janet said she was okay with this. “That’s not right.”

She began moving, dodged around them both as she headed for the exit of the gym with a firm intent. “You two stay right here, I’ll be back. I need to give a couple people a piece of my mind….”

The moment Aurelio felt the disgust pouring off Alicia he knew it was time to step in. he had been hanging back and just observing as he was as curious as everyone else, he just had the advantage of superior senses.

Thus when Alicia dodged around Janet and Jenna she would find herself face to face with Aurelio. “Woah now, slow down and take a deep breath before you go racing off to force feed someone their own shoes” he would say partially screening her from going any further. A blanket of calm would flow from him as well, one that could be easily ignored if the three girls wanted to.

All set to brush Aurelio out of the way, the wave of calm that flowed out from him washed over Alicia, jarring her from her anger and bringing her back to her senses as she was reminded of her Virtue. Yes, this wasn’t right, but what’s done was done. They couldn’t exactly take this back, could they?

“Alright, I suppose it wouldn’t really help anything,” she agreed with a sigh, shoulders sagging a bit as she took a step back. Her smile returned, even if it wasn’t quite as bright as it had been at first. “Well, I guess that means we’re all here for the practice sessions.” Her gaze settled on the twins, unsure as to whether they were merely letting her know what had happened, or actually looking to take part. She could accommodate whatever their intention was.

Both the twins were visibly relieved that Alicia had been stopped by Aurelio. Even though things weren't 100% at least no one would be taking any rash actions just yet. ”Great. We haven't really been able to do much with our magic yet.”

Given that they were about to start it seemed like a good point to transform. Janet raised her left hand as Jenna did her right. Speaking in unison they recited their new incantation.
"May the oppressed and broken find shelter beneath our banner."
"May the oppressed and broken find shelter beneath our banner."
The air around them began to swirl. Two lances bearing banners appearing in their hands they each held them high as the rest of their transformation played out. Janet’s blonde locks grew down to her knees, Jenna’s doing likewise while notably shifting to a lighter shade to her twin’s. Dresses glowing they burst with a flash. As the light died down the girls new uniforms formed around them, Janet with her knightly armor and Jenna in her lighter gambeson.

Aurelio was taken aback by just how easy it had been to calm down Alicia, but would recover quickly, after all he wasn’t one to snub good luck. Looking on he watched the twin transformation with a measure of curiosity, especially the incantation, as for someone like Janet, who seemed to be a magnet for personal change, it could tell you a lot about the person.

“Oooh, fancy” He would say taking a step closer to examine the arms and armor they carried.

“And if we are starting with transformations, I have to say mine’s rather lackluster” He would say before being overcome by a puff of smoke that would vanish quickly, revealing him to be no longer transformed.

“As it tends” Another puff of smoke, and a moment later he was back in his costume.

“To be” again he was out of uniform.

“Over rather quickly” and again in his costume “The speed is rather handy though” He would tack on with a grin.

Alicia watched Janet and Jenna as they showed off their transformation, quietly curious as they did so. Twin Souls were always intriguing to her, and she enjoyed seeing in what ways they were similar and different to each other. The same would probably hold true for Janet too.

“You’ve already seen mine, so I don’t think we need to repeat that,” she noted once Aurelio was done with his own demonstration. It did seem convenient, if a bit underwhelming. But there was more to this life than just transformations, and she didn’t spend too long dwelling before moving on to address that.

Having gotten a bit of distance between herself and the others, the next thing that Alicia did was produce Star Seraph, the familiar weight of the bow hanging easy in her grip. “Now then, I don’t think I’ve seen you fight before Aurelio, and obviously it’s anyone’s guess with the two of you, so what weapons do you have? It will make working out what to do for training easier.”

With a flourish Aurelio would draw his cane and hold it out, balanced on the tip of his finger, for the others to see “It’s sturdier than it looks, but it’s main use is as an amplifier for my spells” after giving them a moment to examine it he would twirl it around so that he could lean on it “I’m more of a mystical combatant then a physical one. I specialize more in support magic then straight offensive spells as well.”

”Yeah, for whatever reason our transformation is a little flashier than before. And weapons, other than the lances Janet has her fists and I have Huxley.” Janet smashed one armored fist into the other hand while Jenna brandished her gun.

”My magic seems to lend a lot more to support now as well. It changed to Reinforcement and Psychic. Obviously I now have Twinned Soul so Jenna has the same magic. Jenna’s power though, it’s a little…” She trailed off.

Picking up where her twin left off. ”We haven’t figured it out yet. I doesn’t seem to do anything.” She shrugged with a slight hint of frustration as she dropped her arms to her side.

Alicia found her question answered with an eclectic assortment of weapons, though she did appreciate the cane for being fairly unique. Most people didn’t tend to have a cane, the more magical types either going with a staff or a wand primarily. “That sounds useful,” she agreed.

Once again though, Janet and Jenna were successful in stealing the attention. To their credit, however, they did seem to have a problem that needed to be addressed while Aurelio was just here for practice. It was nice to see what he did, but helping them figure out what they could do with their magic, that was a bit more important.

“Really? What seems to be the problem?” Alicia asked, turning towards Jenna with a slight frown, free hand resting on her hip. “If you want we can try and work on that, see if we can figure out what it’s intended to do.”

” I don’t want to take up a bunch of time. Besides, we need to get a grip on all our magic.” Putting away the pistol she thought over the problem. ”When I try and use my power it’s like something is missing. I need… an example?” Jenna wasn’t really sure that made a lot of sense but that was the best way she could think of explaining.

“That sounds… annoying” Aurelio would say as he mulled over the issue. It was the first time he could think of hearing about a power that wasn’t instinctively understood. “Well if you need Jenna” he would begin turning towards the girl with the issue “we can always split off and try to figure things out” he would offer as he snapped his fingers and three clones of him would appear in their own clouds of smoke “As being in more than one place at a time is kinda my favorite trick”

Alicia nodded slowly, her comprehension growing as Jenna explained her problem. That did seem tricky, and unfortunately it wasn’t something she could particularly help with. Reinforcement maybe, but definitely not Psychic. It just wasn’t in her skill set.

It seemed that Aurelio had a solution for that, and she was intrigued as he split off into a couple of duplicates of himself. “That seems handy,” she noted as she observed the quartet. “I’m alright with that, if you’d like to try and see if that helps.”

When Aurelio used his power Jenna raised an eyebrow. Duplication? She was pretty sure that she didn’t have third eye but she could identify the power immediately. More than that actually, she understood it. A red glimmer flashing over her eyes and she could feel her magic shift slightly. Raising up a hand she paused for a second before snapping her fingers, mimicking what the magical boy just did. Just as it happened with Aurelio’s clones, three clones of Jenna appeared in puffs of smoke. ”What the hell. I couldn’t do that before.” Looking at her clones for a moment she was quite confused.

If Aurelio haven't been already paying attention to Jenna he would have missed the flash of red that proceeded Jenna’s mimicry, add in the fact that she mimicked his output exactly and the white magician was starting to get a suspicion. “Something tells me that it’s not going to be that easy” one of the clones would say as they walked over and started poking one of Jenna copy’s.

“Can you do it again?” Another would ask the original Jenna looking back and forth between the two twins as they mulled over this new puzzle piece.

Aurelio himself would turn towards Alicia “Testing a theory. Try out your Power, feel free to use me as a target if you need to” He would say pointing at his third clone who would just sigh and move away from the group incase he was chosen as a target dummy.

“Huh, that’s unexpected,” Alicia remarked as Jenna suddenly revealed a use for her power, making three clones to match the ones that Aurelio had made. Judging by her appearance, even she hadn’t been thinking anything would actually happen from that. So they were all learning something.

She had some idea of what Aurelio was getting at, but using him as a pincushion wasn’t needed. “Offensive magic may not work, but we can try,” she agreed as she turned, raising a palm before shooting a beam of light from it at a placed target on the other side of the room - one who wasn’t Aurelio. Having displayed a combat application of her problem, she turned to see if Jenna could do what she seemed to be doing.

There was no flash this time around and Jenna didn’t notice any change or prompt for the power that had just been used. After a bit the girl shrugged. ”Don’t think it worked.” Spawning another clone she nodded. ”Yeah I still… seem to have Duplication”

“Hmm, the mystery grows” Clone the Second would say looking at the newly formed clone, dramatically stroking his chin.

“Indeed, the question becomes now...” Poke and Prod would agree trailing off as he tried to figure out the holes in their theory.

“...Is that her real power or not” Thankfully not a Target Dummy would finish as6 he returned to the group, moving to stand by his clone brethren.

“Regardless” Aurelio would comment after a moment of thought himself. “We know she has one. We can keep working towards figuring that out, or work on her other magical aspects, or work on teamwork, or work on all of the above.”

Turning towards Alicia he would give another snap of his fingers and his clones would vanish another puff of smoke “Your call Seraph”

Alicia wasn’t too surprised as her display had no effect, Jenna still demonstrating her Duplication power. It was curious to find out, but she was confident that her friend would grasp more of her new abilities as time went on. It was just a matter of being patient and taking things one step at a time.

“I would say working on teamwork is the most important,” she decided as the others looked to her for what to do next. “We know Aurelio is mostly a support fighter, and the two of you are a bit closer to jack of all trades. I’m a ranged fighter myself, with some close in options. We just need to make that all work as a unit. Ready to begin?”

”I am.”

”Same here.”

---

”Well, that was fun” Kyle would comment as he stretched. They had spent quite a while training, working on variety of both simple and more intricate training methods that Beacon had at its disposal and now it was nearing lunch time. So the group had decided to call it quits for now and head to the cafetiera.

“Hey Alicia, have you ever thought about carrying around a quiver of real arrows?” the boy would ask, folding his hands behind his head as he walked.

A sigh escaped as Alicia worked her shoulders, well worn out from a good exercise session. There was nothing like it, and now she was heading to join the others with a growing appetite. “No, why?” she asked, confused as to how it would be in the first place.

“There was another bow user I met at one of the other HQ’s that got a wood girl to make her a set of solid arrows so she could conserves her mana. She came up with the idea to try and overcome her low reserves.”

Nodding, Alicia could understand what Aurelio was getting at. It was something that she had thought up, and something that she had rejected as well. “It’s not a bad idea, but I don’t have access to hammerspace item storage. So either I’d have to carry around a thing of arrows, which would be awkward, or just stow them all around town. Then they could be found by someone else.”

”For all we can do it’s the practical that sometimes stops working.” Janet said with a slightly amused smirk. Moving along with the others she huffed slightly. This was the first time training with her new form. ”I definitely needed some practice. Not even counting my magic. I wasn’t quite used to my new body. It’s uh, a little different.”

“Hmm, fair point” Kyle would concede after thinking it over, he figured the other girl must have had hammer space as she never seemed to take issue with carrying them around. Only other option was to have someone make them in the field, but he wasn’t sure of anyone who could do that.

“If Duplication ends up sticking around it makes a really good training tool if you’re willing to spend the mana. After all muscle memory does get absorbed along with all of the other memories if you recall the copies correctly.” The magician would explain to the twins, figuring they could easily share such with each other due to their psychic magic.

Transforming back into normal as they made the walk, Alicia nodded in approval as her intentions were understood. It just seemed like it was more trouble than it was worth. “Speaking of magic, since you’re a magician I don’t suppose you know any card tricks?” she asked as they rounded a corner, nearing the cafeteria.

It could never be said it was hard to get on Kyle’s good side, but if there was one sure fire trick, it was to ask him about stage magic. “I know tons” He would said with a massive grin “Card tricks, rope tricks, vanishing acts and more. I was thinking about becoming a legit stage magician before I signed up with Beacon.” he would explain as he started to dig through the pockets of his school uniform but came up empty handed “Doesn’t seem like I’ve got any cards on me at the moment though.I know I’ve got some in by backpack, I’ll grab them after lunch.”

”Look forward to it.”

Jenna following along she was being a little quiet. Not that she was the quiet one, quite the opposite so far, but she was trying to sort something out in her head. Not really paying attention to the others there she attempted to make another clone by snapping her fingers but coming up with nothing. Doing it a couple more times she glanced up realizing she probably looked ridiculous. ”Hm, sorry what are we talking about?”

Alicia hadn’t really noticed Jenna’s distraction, more interested in Kyle as he listed off what he could do. It definitely seemed impressive, and she was looking forward to the demonstration. “We were talking about the old fashioned kind of magic,” she explained, glancing over at the twins momentarily.

“If that was what you planned to do, what changed your mind?” she followed that with, focus returning to Kyle. It seemed like that would be a lot easier than this after all, and she was even in the organization itself.

“I got what I thought was a joke email” Kyle would start with a chuckle, he never got tired of explaining this “It promised a lifetime of adventure and magic while I protected the world from darkness. At the time I was bored, and figured, what the hell might as well see if it was a bot or someone with an odd sense of humor. So I replied to it and promptly forgot about it, thing is about thirty seconds later a Puchuu came tumbling out of my computer screen, with a rolled up contract in it’s mouth.” He shook his head thinking about the black bunny like Puchuu that was his Beckoner “Spent a good few hours discussing everything that I could with the little guy, to make sure I wasn’t dreaming, but it wasn’t a hard sell really. After all who doesn’t want magic, plus this way I can be a real magician and a stage magician. You’d be surprised how much they benefit each other.”

Turning towards Jenna he would ask “Any trick you’re wanting to see?”

”Me?” Lifting a hand up to her chin Jenna gave it a little thought. It wasn't something she'd ever given a consideration. Having been dragged into a world of magic the illusion of magic seemed distant. ”I don't know. Anything really. Can't say I've had much opportunity to see a magic show so I never really thought about it.”

Alicia nodded as Kyle relayed his story. Since she was a magical girl it wasn’t the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard or seen, but it was pretty up there. “Sounds familiar, though my introduction to them had a bit more pomp and circumstance,” The corners of her mouth lifted in a smile as she flashed back to the memory. “Guess that’s a bit more usual when one of your distant ancestors was a big time heroine.”

She took to the front of the group as they neared the cafeteria, glancing back as Jenna expressed her indifference. “Well, I guess you’ll have time to think about and come up with something impressive while we eat,” she observed. She did have a meeting with Sylvia planned, but after that she was looking forward to seeing what he came up with for the impromptu show.

Overall it had been a productive training session, one that left her ready and invigorated for what the rest of the day might bring. Hopefully it would be just as exciting.

There's an emergency.

The Beckoner overseeing Summer's work in the Overcity relayed the news that something was happening in Penrose. Summer wasn't told what, just that she had to leave. She had fifteen minutes to prepare, but it didn't feel right to leave the cathedral unfinished. So with a burst of magic she transformed into her Magical Girl attire and grabbed an over-sized mallet from her handbag, posing with it above her head. Her magic allowed her to turn herself, to outside perspectives, into a cloud of dust with the mallet rapidly leaving and reentering the cloud at various angles, as the cloud moved its way across the cathedral, repairing everything it covered. By the time the fifteen minutes were up, the cathedral was almost completely fixed. How the Beckoners planned to use the repaired cathedral or send it back to Penrose was beyond her, but she was ready to leave.

Several minutes later she arrived at HQ, slightly out of breath as she burst through the door and went looking for someone who could direct her towards her first mission since her mistake of an Overcity Shift.

---

Shion arrived on a roof next to Town Hall, sitting down and prepared to stay out of everyone's way until it was her turn to speak with the champion of Thunderbird. Another Shion sat some distance away on the ground, waiting as backup. The two ignored the tornadoes and focused entirely on the roof of Town Hall, as there was surely another Shion who would be closer to the events that had captured everyone's attention. As it was, these two had a very important job to do, one that could potentially net them everything they needed to move forward in her plans; making a deal with Cindy.

Unsurprisingly the announcement had drawn a number of others. As more began to arrive at Town Hall Shannon kept a pleasant air about her. Some were more wary of strangers. Addressing the question leveled from Vixen the Earth girl replied. "My name is Shannon Bron, nice to meet you." Making no sudden moves the way that Vixen took a stance was clearly suspect of others. "And I'm sure Cindy Ford will be along shortly." Perhaps it was unwise to stand so casually but it seemed the best way to keep things calm. It wasn't like she was being timid though. More less concerned than anything.

As predicted Cindy arrived, in a rather flashy way it would seem. The arrival was enough to make Shannon start and face the floating monster girl. Getting "I am here to speak with you Ms. Ford. I would like to hear more about how you plan to protect the city." It was hard to say how Cindy would respond. Someone coming in and declaring themselves ruler out of seemingly nowhere was a odd move. It said something about her character but not enough to know how fit she would be to actually be a leader. Any details would be great. Generally anyone seeking to protect humanity was an ally. But that was yet to be seen.

Before much else could be said, Lily and Alex arrived. As per usual the lightning girl was energetic as ever. Being jumped Shannon hugged her friend back. Nearly missing what was said her Awareness managed to keep up with Lily's speeding through her words. "I'm great. My monster problem resolved itself. Been enjoying a little break." Prying her friend off she wondered sometimes how much the girl missed. Chuckling at the last question she shook her head. "I was there when you got that outfit silly. I swear." The brief reunion was sadly brought to a halt as Cindy continued.

It seemed that there was already had a plan on how to deal with people that opposed the new Lightning girl. To some extent it was a relief to Shannon that it would be a tournament rather than some other potentially more destructive method or outright attack. The full explanation was cut off as something sinister was brewing on the horizon. All attention turned to the growing darkness. Barking orders Cindy told those not in her circle to stay put. But as Lily confidently stated, sitting around was not in their nature. "No disrespect Ms. Ford, but we have a vested interest in defending our home here. Surely you can understand that many of us as magical boys and girls have sworn to protect the citizens of this world despite its perils. We cannot sit idly by and watch." Having spoke her mind she nodded to her friend Lily and raised her staff. Not planning to let anyone stop her she leapt up to be caught by a chunk of earth hurdling through the air. The impact would have plastered lower Vitality girls but Shannon could rely on her fortitude to protect her from it. While not quite flight it was a good way to cover great distances. Time would tell if disobeying one of Cindy's orders would come with consequences or if a shared cause could bridge that gap.

Mac had positioned herself outside the grave yard. No way was she going to walk inside on her own, but arriving early did save her from trying to rush to the location of the summoning last second. Driving was fine, flying was fine, but imagine being so bad ass that you can just walk to your destination and arrive there before everyone else.

Honestly, she took a taxi, but nobody else had to know that.

It wasn't until now that Mac realized that these magical girls had never really interacted with her. For the past decade or so, she had mostly been studying people from her corner of the stage, peaking around the curtain to make sure all the actors were in the right place. For as much as she knew about Alicia, Binky, Eliza, Su, and all the rest, most had never heard her name. Only Aria had really talked to her, and even she didn't know too much about Mac. She certainly wouldn't call her a close friend or anything like that, but those few interactions did prevent her from going insane. Maybe one day, they would all get a chance to see her.

But that would be pretty serious, and not at all good.

That was enough sappy thoughts for one sitting, it was time to work. As soon as everyone else dragged their asses over here anyway.

---

@Rune_Alchemist

Mika was smiling as she pushed a certain someone around in a wheelchair. The sky was getting dark, and there was some announcement about a new leader of Penrose, but there were other magical girls that could deal with that. It would be a long time before Mika ran off by herself again.

"Good day for a stroll, ay, Lupa?"

What happened during the skeleton incident made Mika sad. But it was like Helga said: They would find a way to save her. It was evident Lupa wanted Mika to live, and that couldn't happen if she was constantly blaming herself for what had happened. Keeping her head up was the best way to honor what Lupa did for her. That didn't mean Mika would forget about the event any time soon, but she wouldn't let her friend's sacrifice consume her.

“It is.” Lupa wasn't really talking. Mika had made a dream catcher and filled it with those jewels on Lupa's head. She wasn't really good at making Lupa walk, as Mika had to focus on where she and Lupa were going. She practiced in the hotel and nearly ran the wolf girl over a balcony. So for now, she'd just use a wheelchair to help her get around. Even if she behaved like a doll, Mika couldn't confirm Lupa's sense of self was gone. And even if she didn't, these types of outings had to be good for Lupa. As a side effect of wearing the jewels, Lupa would occasionally speak bits of dialog that Mika was telling herself. “Wait, I don't need to go to the pit stop today. Su probably got breakfast on her way out of town.”

Mika smacked her forehead. "How silly of me!" Of course, she should be going anyway just to see if Veronica has anything for her. Not that she actually saw her. Mika would just notice a note had been placed on her person when she left. But such things hadn't happened for a week now. She didn't know Veronica, but it was still concerning to think that something happened to one of Su's bosses. "Well, we still haven't eaten yet!" Of course there was another reason why Mika was so eager to go to the pit stop every day. That was where that nameless girl had given her a large portion of her meal. She wanted to know her name, she wanted to say thank you. She wanted to eat that crumbled mess of a donut on the ground.

“Donut! Or doughnut if you're a british-english speaker.”

Mika picked up the donut, or at least what was left of it. Normally she'd just scarf it down and thank the food gods that blessed her with a free donut, but that wasn't right. This would be the second time Mika had decided to partake in free food without offering anything in return. The situation was also a bit different than last time. She was no detective, but this donut didn't just roll off a plate. It hit the ground with a considerable amount of force. If she was a detective, she might try to deduce possibilities until she found something that sounded good. But she was a magical girl. She could do one better.

Mika set the donut in Lupa's lap before diving into a trash can. When she emerged, she was a fully transformed magical girl. There was a napkin stuck to one of her ears, but that was fine. Now her superior nose could pick up on the scent on the donut. Or more specifically, it's former owner. The scent seemed to be coming from the roof of this building. Though it was unclear if they tried to throw the donut at someone, or simply dropped it. "You don't throw food at people unless you hate them. And donuts are way too soft! Haha!" Mika was proud of her deduction.

“I'll become an ace detective in no time.”

So Mika decided to go ahead with her plan, which she hatched just a few seconds ago. Still transformed, she ran into the nearest bakery and purchased a dozen donuts. Mika was an expert donut connoisseur, and she wasn't going to get any of those nasty donuts. She grabbed apple fritters, Bavarian cream, long johns, sour cream, cronut, glazed, but she stayed away from the dreaded powdered-jelly filled ones. She made her purchase swiftly, and everyone was more than happy to help the “gypsy” get out of the bakery as fast as possible.

"Alright Lupa, let's go!"

Mika needed to mentally command Lupa to get out of the wheelchair and wrap her arms around Mika's shoulders. Mika placed the bag of donuts in her mouth started to scale the building. This was hardly difficult, as Mika was fairly strong, and could make her own holds with the claws on her fingers and toes.

Before long, Rina would be alerted to the sound of something crawling up the side of the building. When she inevitably looked up, she'd she a feline magical girl holding a bag in her mouth. One clearly marked with the insignia of the local bakery. And she wasn't alone, a girl with a wool cap was hanging off of her back.

“My shot at love is finally here!” Lupa wasn't looking at anyone when she said this, and the response caused Mika's eyes to expand into saucers. She needed to take direct control of Lupa for a moment. “Sorry, I have a habit of pretending to be my friend's thoughts.” A short pause. “Because it embarrasses her.” Another moment of silence. “I mean, she might want to be friends with you, or more, whatever you're okay with. Maybe you could just see how it goes and decide on things in a couple of months.” Rina was pretty sure she could hear a few crickets. “Man I love playing jokes on my friend. I'm Lupa, this is Mika. She bought too many donuts, so just take the bag out of her mouth and we can share them with you.”

---

@Erode

A magical girl was always at her most vulnerable while she was transforming. Unlike in the TV shows, their opponents weren't always chivalrous enough to wait for the good guys to power up to full fighting strength. Most would take the opportunity to crush their opponent flat. Fortunately, magical girls are indistinguishable from their true selves, minus a few traits. So most girls are safe so long as their transformations are fast, or done in a secluded place where they risk little chance of being discovered.

Amaryllis had chosen to transform in front of a restaurant. There were no obvious dangers. No present magical girls, no monsters, just the darkness looming in the sky. This seemed like as good as any place to transform. But as she would soon discover, that was not the case.

”Gaaahhhhhhhh!” a timid-looking girl ran up behind Amaryllis and bear-hugged her. ”Not so fast, Mint scum!” In her current untransformed state, Amaryllis was about as strong as her attacker. Before she could even think about what to do next, the timid girl let go of Amaryllis and shoved her closer to the wall. Once she regained her footing, the timid girl “trapped” Amaryllis between her arms, her body, and the wall of the restaurant. ”Don't even think about transforming again!” She fret her brow. ”I know a special technique to make it impossible for you to react! So don't even try it!” She squinted her eyes. ”I-I really don't want to use it.”

---

Su was flying back into Penrose. This all had to be connected somehow. The weather, Amber's missing body, she had no proof but it all had to be connected.

”Boteg, I'm going to investigate the disturbance.” It was only a matter of time before he contacted her about it. Might as well just speed things along. ”This one looks bad. I'm going to need backup. Send Helga this way on the double!” A burst of wind erupted behind Su, accelerating her through the sky.

---

Boteg was standing in his office in his “human” form, which looked more like a man with the head of a golden dragon. "Watch thyself, Sky Scare. Thou shall not become reckless." he placed his fingers against his temple. "Dragon's Scare, Sky Scare hath beseech thee for help. Prithee grant thy ally assistance, less a waggish dread-bolted foot-licker end us all! Hollowed ground is thy destination. Fare thee well, Dragon Scare."

---

Penrose’s cemetery was an eerie place. With the dead piling up by the day, it seemed like the graveyard was constantly expanding. There was always a few open holes in the ground, and construction equipment was always on hand. The graves use to be at least ten feet apart, but the space had narrowed considerably over the years. There had been an article a while back about the costs associated with a funeral were going up because things were getting so full. It suggested cremation instead, calling a traditional burial “a luxury for the excessively wealthy.” And perhaps such a statement was true. Most of the graves were marked with polished marble, rows and rows of ebony leading up to an onyx mausoleum. The bates ventured closer with their cargo in tow.

For the dark-aligned twins, it would not be hard for them to know they were not alone. Horror minions lurked in the shadows, flitting, hiding, occasionally looking about the scene for any possible intruders. It was already a creepy sight if there was one, but the onyx mausoleum itself seemed to be the source. It emanated a dark energy, an alien kind of vibe that for any regular person would send their survival instincts into an utter frenzy. For a magical girl, there was no doubt a horror, a greater one, was doing something here.

"The king has arrived!" Elroy raised the body over his head, as if he was going to throw it, then gently placed it at the foot of the crypt.

Regina shook her head. "We’ve brought the final component, as promised."

”The master sends his….regards for the splendid job you have done,” a man standing in the mausoleum entrance said with a slight amusement in his voice, his eyes taking the form of disturbingly black orbs without pupils, ”You shall find your final payment in the large coffin to the right of this building. And no, it is not a trap, as my master as told me to reassure you...fleshy things.”

The man then made a motion with his hand, to beckon two minions to gently take the body. They gingerly lifted it, taking proper care to not damage it, before swiftly moving past the horror-inflicted man and into the crypt. The man then made a small chuckle, before folding his hands and approaching the Bates a bit more formally.

”The portal will get the body to its destination, while Lord Soth provides forces here to provide...an ample distraction. Meanwhile-”

Before the man could finish, a wave of energy seemed to pass over the graveyard, coming from within the portal. Then from within, eyes began to open, several sets of them even as many slender tentacles grasped the entrance way of the mausoleum from the inside. They gave off a vibe Regina and Elroy would perhaps find ultimately familiar by this point in time, though the man who had been talking to them turned around in a panic and bowed his body to the ground. In fact, many of the minions had manifested only to bow in a similar fashion.

’Rise, worms. You have a duty to uphold, and the vessel i placed you in nears its end. Be glad, for it shall return to the void. the voice of Soth rung out into the air, aimed at his own minions, though taking on a decidedly different air as he seemed to gaze over at the bates-

’Ah, you both have done splendid work. The body is arriving at the ritual site, to be implanted with the proper parts and prepared bits. Indeed, things shall begin very shortly.

I am sure my worms here have told you where your reward lies, including the bonus from a time ago, and rest assured i am paying well for this…

….But really, mortals do seem to indulge in that driving sense of greed, haha!!! It is most...fascinating.

Elroy had already plunged his hand into the lid of the casket, and was able to wrench it off with relative ease. "Looks like a trove of magical coins, some pieces of paper with Benjamin's face on them..." Some of the contents were floating in the air, given the weather conditions and how violently Elroy parted the lid from the coffin.  "I don't see eyeball in here though. Which is weird because you typically expect to find a body inside one of these things. "

Regina fret her brow. "Where's Annabelle? You said that she'd be here as soon as we did this for you!" She folded her arms. "Where. Is. She?"

’Ha...hahaha…..HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

The voice of Soth boomed aloud in laughter, though he seemed ultimately amused and relaxed than anything. Even his minions laughed along with him, picking up into a small chorus briefly until their Lord became silent once again.

’Ah, but i did say once my plan was completed my use for the girl would be at its end. That time has not yet come, but shall very soon be made manifest.

Do not fret, young one, you will…...soon have her in your arms~

Before i begin, however, you may briefly converse with the girl.

In front of Regina would form a small portal of inky darkness, whose center would begin to clear up like a mirror. Eventually she’d see the face of Annabelle herself looking back at her, the horror’s magical girl waving...but her smile rather weak, as if forced by some means. However...things perhaps didn’t feel completely right regardless, as minions and flashes of the corpse and various odd shapes moved about in the background just behind Annabelle.

"Annabelle?" Regina put her arm through the portal and tried to take hold of her hand. Just to make sure it wasn't an illusion. The sensation Regina felt on her hand was genuine. There was no one's hand that could feel like this but Annabelle. "What's going on? Are you alright?"

”Ah...it really is you, Regina. But...i don’t know what’s going on, just that on my end we’re ready with the body and ritual site,” Annabelle said, as she gripped Regina’s hand back with a small squeeze to try to reassure the both of them, ”I kinda wish i was there with you right now, really....i feel a bit odd right now, to tell the truth.

But...boss told me he’d say what’s going on when i got to talk to you.

Regina bit her lower lip. "Well, I'm here now. So you can tell me."

The writhing mass of eyes and tentacles seemed to go silent for a moment, as if contemplating something, before Soth began to speak once more.

’Of course, young one. I think this shall be a...most educational time.’

Soth’s tentacles began to reach out more from the mausoleum, as if adjusting himself to speak. Like a teacher preparing to give a lecture...or a berating. What was perhaps certain was the feeling in the air seemed to darken, physical space warping as just a bit more of the great Horror emerged into the earthly plane. Several tentacles even caressed the edges of the portal the Horror had formed for Annabelle and Regina.

’The ritual i am about to perform is rare, i would dare say it is also something that will be very trying to even those adjusted to my power...like my Herald here. Some horrors cannot fathom this ritual, even.

That being said, my Herald shall be in your waiting arms the moment this is all over with, as promised. I will have no more use for her at that time. In fact, i shall bring her to you myself, as a token of….i suppose mortals call it ‘gratitude’?

The weather of this planet will also undergo a...temporary shift of temperament during the ritual. At least in this area. It is a finicky process….but mortals tend to rebuild and move on, so i think nothing of it truly.

However, i cannot be interrupted during this. So the center of this ritual shall be protected by me directly, and i offer great rewards if your group is to prevent any…’undue intrusions’ upon my territory during it. I shall see to those rewards personally~’

Regina didn't look away from Annabelle during the entire explanation, but it satisfied her. "Alright." She released Annabelle's and looked towards Soth. "Then I will make sure no one interferes with the ritual." She turned around to walk away. "And like I told you before, I don’t care about those other rewards. You'd better be telling the truth about Annabelle though."

’I am Soth, the Abyss, a natural force of the universe. I lie not about my offer. You shall have her in your arms, once this is finished.

But until then….Regina Bates.

Annabelle bit her lower lip, afraid to let Regina go...but not wanting to stop her either. Maybe she’d be safer farther away from the school? Ah...but before she could say a word, the portal silently closed in front of her. Likewise, a new small portal appeared near Annabelle in turn, inky black to its core as ever. She knew what this meant...

’The ritual will begin, now.

I want the tempered organs to be implanted first, alongside the bodily alterations that have been started.

I am preparing the extension into this realm, so begin the chanting to lock in the coordinates.

Prepare my forces as well...we soon shall have the most amusing visitors~’

"Wait! Let me text my friends about this." Elroy punched in a few buttons on his phone. "Alright! Let's rock and roll!"

The Bate walked away from the mausoleum. They were joined in their walk by the Beacon Buddies and several minions.

"They could come from any angle." Regina pointed along the fence line. "The minions shall serve as a distraction, I want the stronger monsters closer to the mausoleum." She turned to face the Beacon Buddies. "The lot of you will guard the four sides of the cemetery. You will receive reinforcements once we know what the enemy is doing..." Regina continued to give out orders as Soth's units moved into position. With every second Penrose wasted, their power would only grow. It was practically nightfall the cloud cover was so dense, which was when Soth's forces were at their strongest. Regina would finally rid herself of this miserable world, and all who caused her to suffer along with it.

---

Good, good, everything was going...smoothly. A new peon to help her, Penny potentially being drawn to her side...the only things she needed to keep in check was making sure none of it got out. The Mint might prove troublesome, but even their vast information networks couldn't reach. The best kept secrets were ones never told, after all.

But yet, sometimes, you had to let your secrets out if you wanted help with them. The girls from the Archive had been rather mute recently. Understandable, given what she assumed about their organization. Couldn't go around trusting random girls who just wanted help ressurecting something that really likely shouldn't be. She honestly didn't trust them either.

But then, she didn't trust anyone.

Chloe ducked into a small tea house. A bit out of the way, and much better than that stupid bar she had found those girls at. Classier and much less sketchy, not to mention they actually had edible drink and food. Alochol. Yuck.

"I need to talk about our arrangements." A simple text, along with her current location. If they came, exellent. If they didn't...well. Just more people that weren't worth saving. She ordered herself some tea, and waited.

About a minute passed. Then there was a notification on Chloe's phone.

"We'll be there in 10 minutes."

Ten minutes? Well they certainly had swift travel time. She had been prepared to wait for at least thirty minutes before they showed up. Well, she'd just enjoy some tea and a light lunch before they showed up them. She did hope they would be punctual. She was a busy girl, after all and had other things to attend too.

About nine minutes later, the tea house's front door opened, and a familiar voice softly drifted in.

"...this looks like the kind of place Lee would pick," Collector Delta commented. She wasn't transformed at the moment - because, really, what would be the point of that? They'd already seen each other without their Magical Girl outfits on, after all.

Scribe Xi glanced around appraisingly. "Maybe when we're not here for business," she said. Then she noticed Chloe, sitting alone at her table. "Ah, there she is."

"Ah," Chloe quickly took note of the Archive girls as they entered the shop. Quickly she waved them over, giving them a friendly smile. "I trust you girls are doing well? I've had a rather lovely past few days, myself. It's always so relaxing when things go according to plan." She waved over a waiter, who brought over a small menu for the three of them. "Care for a drink or anything? I'll buy."

The girls sat down, with Collector Delta electing to sit next to Chloe, and Scribe Xi sitting across from her.

Xi shook her head. "I'm fine, but thank you for the offer."

"Hmm... I do feel thirsty." Delta eyed Chloe's cup with interest. "What kind of tea did you order?"

"A Black Pearl," Chloe replied with a smile. "A black tea grown in Indeonesia. One of my favorites. They have almost anything you could want, so feel free to get whatever you want, Delta." Taking a sip of her own tea, she continued. "So what have you girls been up too, hm? I've been kept rather busy myself."

Delta got the waiter's attention, and ordered a Black Pearl for herself.

"We went before our superiors to propose the project, laying out the details we'd discussed in your home," Xi explained. "And after some deliberation on their parts, we received the approval to move forward."

She steepled her fingers. "The Analysts who've been assigned to the project have been advised on the time-consuming nature of the production. At the moment, they're monitoring the sample to establish a baseline."

"Excellent." Chloe replied with a smile. "Anyway I could potentially help? I have my hands a bit full with working on things on my end, but I think I could squeeze something here and there for you girls." Good, good, things were moving along well then. She had been worried they had simply taken the sample and left, but it seemed they were mildly trustworthy after all. "I did offer collaboration of sorts."

She didn't like being in debt with others. That's one of the reasons she left Penrose, out of the major influence of the Mint...but she could tolerate it. For awhile.

"If you're willing to take the time to 'squeeze something here and there' for us," Delta started with a straight face. "There are a few places you could start."

Xi closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. "It would help if you've kept notes on what power sources you've introduced to them, and the effects they've had on their progression. You might be aware of this already, but replicating that data isn't exactly possible."

"Massive amounts of love?" Chloe said with a giggle."More seriously, I have tried a number of things, all yielding different results. It was quite an annoying process, especially since I was doing most of it myself." She took a quiet sip of the tea, running a finger over the rim of it as she sat it back on the table. "My lord feeds on those impure and uses them for sustenance. I cannot say what exactly qualifies as that, however, but usually any soul not connected to him in some way works. That is to say, Etheric energy, or energy derived from refining souls into power."

"The sooner you're able to provide us with a record of that process, the better. Especially if some of those other stimuli damaged or destroyed the prototypes. By your own admission, it would be rather time-consuming and labor-intensive to gain another sample," Scribe Xi explained.

As Xi talked, the waiter came back with Collector Delta's tea. She nodded, and gracefully raised the teacup to her lips. "A very complex flavor," she noted, her tone not unpleasant. "How appropriate."

"It would also help if we knew the process you used to create the sample," Xi continued. "Depending on the details of that procedure, we may be able to consider new potential power sources, or discover ways to optimize the synthesization."

"Hmm...a record?" Chloe frowned lightly. "...unfortunately that is not something I currently possess." That however, wasn't very helpful...and if anything, she was helpful to people as long as they were useful to her. "If you give me a few days or so, I could likely make a thorough transcript of the processes I tried, however the process to make it is rather...complex and requires a direct ability to interact with souls." Taking out a pencil and scribbling something on the back of a reciept, Chloe began sketching a representation of the process.

"My lord desires purity in everything." She began, drawing a circle and shading certain parts of it, enlarging and seemingly causing it to bloat slightly. "The soul for example, is a very impure thing. In simplest terms, he takes the impurities and feeds on them, directly turning it into energy for himself. The leftover power is crystalized." Chloe drew another circle, having left off most of the bloat so it was smaller. "But it takes quite a number of souls to get anything substantial, and the crystals do need a host of a suitable, pure candidate to incubate and grow. Until now I have been using myself, but anything that has had its impurities removed should work."

Delta, who had been intently studying the diagrams being drawn, looked up at Chloe. "How exactly have you incubated them?"

"Hmm, my charm and good looks?" How to explain it well? "The easiest way to explain it, is that I am an extension of my lords will. A crystal myself, so to speak." Chloe began leaning forward slightly in her seat. "The crystals, when coming into contact with impurities can be used to draw out the impurities of those souls. Those impurities are then grown into a new crystal. I suppose you wouldn't need a host, but I do not have the resources to grow one using a crystal as a base so I settled on smaller ones, with the intent to make a few more...pure souls, to help with that endeavor."

"So it is possible to use an existing crystal to create another one," Delta said, taking a thoughtful sip of tea. "And while you're aware that you've lacked the resources to do so, does that mean you're aware of exactly what resources would be required?"

"Well, the obvious answer is time and spiritual energy for the crystal itself." Chloe replied quickly. "As for whatever else, I do not have a place to discreetly house it. Once it started growing, I have no doubt there would be curious people who wanted to investigate. Curious people who may not exactly...approve of what I am attempting to do, for example. The amount of magical energy it would give off would likely be quite high and attract all sorts of undesirables." Chloe frowned, pursing her lips.

"...aside from that I can not say what would be needed. I made the first on accident almost, and the rest by careful trial and error each with a slightly different method but I'll include those with the information I'll send you all later."

"Well, we certainly have the discreet facilities," Xi said. "Depending on whether we are able to make headway in that direction, we'll requisition more security for caution's sake."

Delta took another sip from her tea. "And what method will you use to deliver that information to us, when you've compiled it?"

"You're the one with the super shady and secretive organization, you tell me which method would be best." Chloe replied with a sigh, frowning lightly. "You haven't exactly given me very many options to contact you outside of a number, which isn't the most suitable for our needs...as well, I'd like to at least inspect the facilities you'd be using myself at some point."

"A fair request," Delta conceded, after nearly finishing her tea. "And one we intended to offer you anyway. I'm sure the Analysts would want you present at some point after the baseline monitoring is completed, to observe how the sample reacts to your presence and influence."

She got out a small notepad and pen from her pocket, writing out the address to a P.O. box. "Electronic transmissions aren't always secure, and considering the nature of the information... well, I'm sure you're familiar with the concept of a dead drop. Leave the package there when you've prepared it."

"Indeed. I've used a few dead drops before in my time with the Mint." Chloe smiled, taking the paper and slipping it into her dress pockets. "Now that we've gotten all the business out of the way, I have more things to do. If that will be all, ladies?"

Xi nodded. "Yes, that's plenty for now."

"Pleasure to keep working with you," Delta said, smoothly finishing her tea.

"Excellent, then. I'll have the information ready in two days." Finishing her own tea, Chloe stoodand swiftly made an exit. So many things to do, so little time, but as long as Penny was allied with the Beacon...this may be the most opportunity she's had in a while.

"Alright," Alicia replied with a shrug, mostly to herself, as Sylvia informed her that they had work to do. Rising to her feet, she collected her stuff on the table that she needed before heading after the other girl. If anyone else followed with they could, but she wasn't going to force them to do so. There were enough members around today that they probably wouldn't be needed for whatever this job was.

Arriving in the larger meeting hall, she remained near the front as a crowd gathered to hear what Sylvia had to say. Hearing the situation, she had to admit that she was a tad amused, though she did manage to keep from saying anything out loud that might draw an unwanted reaction. After all, did anyone seriously think that this wouldn't end in a fight? In this town? That was practically wishing for the impossible.

Still, as a Seraph she supposed it was her obligation to go out there and make sure nothing too important blew up. She'd helped with Justine before, and what was a would be city conqueror compared to that?

Before she could volunteer, the buzzing of her phone distracted her. The number on the other end wasn't one that she immediately recognized, but at least it was a text rather than a call. There didn't seem to be any harm in checking, and she tuned out Sylvia for a moment in order to do so.

Alicia. I got this number from Penny, a monster girl currently working with Beacon. She said you are the person to talk too about this. I am interested in meeting you to discuss a partnership of sorts. Just a magical girl without a patron in need of a bit of assistance hunting down a lead on an attack that happened involving some spirits. Will come to whatever meeting area you designate.

For a moment Alicia had to wonder what Penny was doing, handing out her phone number to random strangers without her permission. But after a bit of minor annoyance she returned to focus on what the message actually said. The fact that there was no name included was worrisome, though she wasn't opposed to the idea of a meeting regarding a partnership. And if she had really gotten it from Penny then it was probably legitimate. She wasn't sure if they had the kind of information this mystery person was looking for, but friends were scarce enough that she wasn't immediately opposed.

Slipping her phone back into her pocket, she met Sylvia's gaze now that there was nothing to draw her attention elsewhere. "Sorry, but it looks like something's come up for me. Besides, I don't want to hog all the fun for the rest of you." That said, there was another reason to her decision. She still had her doubts about whomever it was that had sent this message, and if it was some kind of ruse or trap, she would rather walk into it herself instead of letting the culprit roam free, potentially putting more unsuspecting Beaconites at risk. Not after what had happened with Justine.

Her mind made yup, Alicia would excuse herself if allowed while wracking her brain, trying to decide on a good meeting spot. And then maybe she'd have a chat with Penny about her contact information. But she had plenty of time for that, right?

@Ariamis@Shifter_Master@t2wave

“Huh?”

Before she knew it, Amaryllis found herself in the weirdest situation she’d been in in a while. Pressed against the wall, the blue-haired beauty could only widen her eyes at the person that pinned her there to begin with. This was…someone that looked almost exactly like her? Not in their proportions, of course, for Amaryllis was magnitudes greater there, but in every other aspect, from their general appearance to their clothing choice, it was eerily similar. Like looking at someone dressing up as you. Like a glitch in the matrix. It was repulsive but also fascinating.

Well, mostly it was embarrassing.

Shrinking away from the implied threat as well as how that ‘timid-looking’ girl’s actions drew the attentions of the crowd, if only briefly, Amaryllis’s brain sped to overdrive even as her Sword chastised her for letting her guard down, six points of pain burying themselves into her calves. Oh god, what if someone she knew saw her like this? She didn’t want to be branded as a lesbian at school! Who was this girl anyways? And why was she ‘mint scum’? She wasn’t even wearing any minty clothes! Wait…the appetizers? A tentative sniff confirmed it. Oh no, she really did smell of mint!

“Er…” Amaryllis squeaked out, ignoring the MAXIMUM HOMICIDAL RAGE of her patron and her weapon, “H-hi? Do I…know you?”
@BrokenPromise

Across the city scape, unawares of the issues she was causing Alicia by passing out her number, Penny was finally in sight of the roof top meeting. She was late by the looks of things, if the group of people she could see where any indication, but seeing as she had started from one of the furthest places she could have started from she felt she had made good time.

When she got closer to the town hall she scaled it with one great leap, the hover modules flaring to life moments before she landed giving her a relatively soft touch down. Her arrival would go mostly unnoticed as in the same instant the clouds would start to darken rapidly, and just as quickly as Penny had arrived many of the people who had arrived would start to depart.

“Gods damn it all” Penny would sigh as she looked in the direction of the graveyard, knowing beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was part of the grand Chaos that Laat was talking about. “I just want to talk with someone and…” her rant would trail off as she turned to look back at remaining girls that were still on the roof top. For she recognized on of the other girls up here, she was a mess but Penny would be able to recognize her anywhere.

“Thalia?” She would ask aloud too stunned to do anything else in the moment.

@Ariamis@Vocab