If there was one thing Alexander loved about his tails, it was how disposable they were. No amount of damage done to them could put his life in danger. Oh sure, it could hurt like a bitch, but that was all it really did. Fortunately, anger was a hell of a painkiller. "It just never fucking ends, does it?" he seethed as he quickly patched up the damaged tail with magic. While he wanted to charge into the incoming soldiers and fuck them up, he had noticed someone take some really nasty hits. As much as he wanted to just leave it to the other healers, he just couldn't get the sight of a dead body on the floor of a throne room out of his mind.

With a flare of magic, he was off to the girl who had gotten shot, and her friend who was keeping her up straight. Before anything else, Alexander threw up a barrier around them to keep them covered "Hold her still for me" he didn't actually need her still, but thought that letting the friend feel like she was helping would make her feel better...or something. Alexander got to work healing his patient, fixing the wounds in her shoulder and chest 'Geez, these look nasty' healing magic or no, Alexander wasn't a doctor. He couldn't tell for sure, but he thought that the chest wound looked lethal. But between the wound being partially covered up by clothing, and his lack of a medical degree, he could only guess. "There, she's not going to die" he said when he finished up.

With his conscience satisfied, he let the barrier down and let his magic run while through his body as red markings began to appear on his body. Swelling with power, he drew his weapons and let out even more tails, while layering his body with a forcefield. He charged into the oncoming solider, a murder blender made of fluff and rage.

“Neko-baba, I just realized you aren’t a neko anymore.” Sakura cursed themselves for being so careless. She was supposed to be thinking before acting, and already she had made a mistake. But that was alright, as it seemed like she hadn’t been bothered by it. Surely if Dina thought she was going to screw up she wouldn’t have involved her with the vanguard. Whatever that was. It sounded important though.

“Got it. Nobody will see us once I’m done! Send someone for me once we’re ready to go!”

Sakura had some difficulty remembering where the storage room was, but she was also too proud to ask for assistance finding it. But it didn’t matter. She found it easily enough. She had several buckets of paint on her person when she headed out of Sanctuary. They were stacked up in her arms, and the end of her tail was coiled around a few too. Maybe ten or twelve gallons of paint. Enough to cover roughly four-thousand square feet provided you were going for thin, even coverage. But when compared to the size of Sanctuary.

“Fu-King-Hell!” Sakura’s eyes wandered up and down the massive gate. “It’s going to take a gallon of paint just to cover the front door! But Neko-Baba… Maddam-Baba has put her faith in me. I must succeed in this! For all the big oppai magical girls!”

But Sakura wasn’t going to just start flinging paint around. She had looked at the paint cans and knew that it was water based. That meant that she could make the paint go further by adding more water. And guess who happened to have magical water?

“Fucking brilliant, Pink-Sama!” That was Sakura’s nickname for herself when she did something ingenious.

She blasted the gate with a burst of water, then dipped her tail in one of the paint buckets and started slathering it all over. “Huh? It’s running a lot more than normal.” It was running quite thin. “Was that too much water? Maybe I can compensate by adding more paint.” Sakura slid her tail deeper into the paint bucket, only to discover the mouth of the can was smaller than the girth of her tail. “Shit! The paint can is biting me!” She flailed her tail about as the paint started to run down her tail. “Think! Think!” With a mighty flick of her tail. She smashed the paint can against the gate. Her tail burst free, and the paint clung to her skin with little or any of it getting on Sanctuary’s outer walls.

“Fucking Hell, Pink-Sama!” She sprayed herself down as Sanctuary continued to reveal its location to everyone.

---

Oh how the tables turn. For a moment, Chloe would have been fine seeing Al another day. Especially if Wisdom was going to come back with another magical girl. But this was for the best. She had been preparing for her return to Penrose, and that largely depended on how Al responded to her.

”There you are, Al. I’m glad you felt my return was worthy of such fanfare.” She placed her hands on her hips, but maintained stern. She always took Al seriously, at least when it came to talking with him. ”You want one reason? I’ll give you several. Lets start with the last time we spoke. You asked me to bring down the Golden Trove. In response to your request, I had Elvira throw a very special party for all the Penrose darlings. The rave wiped out two squadrons of Ascendancy girls and cleared the Penrose Independent off the map. The long term effects of the rave are still being felt now. Distrust in Beacon has never been higher, too the point Penny has divorced herself from them. But the relevance to the task at hand is that weeks after Su visited the rave, she, Boteg, and Helga all fled Penrose. They no longer felt safe due to how frightining the rave was. She did give the Golden Trove to Oros for a time, but she went MIA a week or so later and the Golden Trove’s guests have since left. It took time, but I managed to bring down the Golden Trove in such a way that they will never suspect the Mint was behind it. And this is just reason number one: I did what you wanted.” Chloe strutted back and forth in front of the wall Al had projected his silhouette onto. ”The second reason is that I’m the most competent ‘agent’ you have. Most of the strong agents followed Veronica’s lead and defected from the Mint, Reaver and Viper were unable to assassinate the Cardinal… am I missing anyone? I know you’ve got a few dozen agents up your sleeve but I doubt they’ve accomplished even a fraction of what I have. But please, name them now before we move on.” She folded her arms behind her back. As she spoke, she could feel her serious façade slip away. ”The third reason is, well, connections. How many of your agents have sat in Veronica’s lap for a photo up? How many have crossed tongues with Penny and survived to tell the tale? Your enemies know I’m a Mint agent and they still trust me. Only those goody two-shoe light bulbs and similar sorts can’t stand me. Want to know what Cradle is up to? I can do that. Want eyes inside of Sanctuary? Use mine. It can be a curse sometimes, being this loved. But I manage the attention somehow.” Chloe approached the shadow and tapped on Al’s “head” before bringing her finger to her chin. ”The fourth reason is that you aren’t that stupid. Sure, you’re a brute that uses fear and violence for everything, but even you know killing me wouldn’t be worth it. I’m sure you’d be successful, but why? Everything I do benefits your nefarious schemes, even when I’m not aware of what they are. It’s not like it’s that hard to cross the Mint and get away with it. I hadn’t realized going to New York for a month or so was anything close to a ‘Houdini act.’ There are quite a few debt dodgers hanging around Penrose that you’ve been unable to do anything about. How many coins did Veronica escape with? How about Penny, any closer to getting her to pay up? Staying on my good side is in your best interest.” Chloe moved her arm over her forehead and leaned over Al’s shadow. ”I don’t know if that was enough to convince you to let me live. But if anything should change your mind, it should be the fifth reason.” She used her other hand to trace the outline of Al’s shadow.

”I'm going to save your life.”

In the blink of an eye, the group founds themselves in the garage thanks to Aurelio's powers. Alicia was slightly thrown off, as she had figured they would be teleported to Bolorton, or at least traveled through the Overcity, but this worked too. She assisted Aurelio in packing up the equipment, and soon enough the group hit the road for Bolorton.

They started near the edge of town, and with the use of magic were soon zipping down the road. "I'd like to see any cop try and pull us over," Alicia remarked with a grin. At this rate they would get here in no time.

Glancing over to Aurelio as he wondered about their arrival time, she gave a small shrug in return. All while doing her best not to interfere with the bonding moment going on in the seats behind them as Hyun and Serenity laid out some of their issues. "Hopefully not too long, though I suspect it will be a bit faster than one might think. Hopefully Bolorton would still be standing when they got there.

There was only one thing that was bothering her right now as they made their way towards the combat zone. "Still, all this stuff with Wonderland, it's annoying that we just have to sit here and take it from them." She frowned, turning her head to look out the window. After everything they had dealt with, why was this one so insurmountable?
_{@Ariamis@Shifter_Master@Crusader Lord}

@Ponn@Majoras End

Mac didn’t feel bad about talking to her superior the way she did. It was all in good fun, he sort of deserved it, and he was competent enough that he wouldn’t make that mistake again. What did have Mac a little upset was that somehow, she hadn’t noticed the arm of a metal giant coming at her. A normal magical girl’s elbow was one thing, but a giant? Something this big? Clearly she had been getting way too into character. Having a talk mid-battle was never a good idea. But hey, she took that blow like a champ and got away with a broken rib.

The ground’s rapid approach was more troubling.

But only if you couldn’t control gravity.

The real issue with slamming into the ground was the sudden stop. Even a more gradual stop had its risks and wouldn’t be comfortable with a broken rib. Thus, Mac opted to create a gravity well above and ahead of herself. Instead of flying towards the ground, gravity would pull her up enough to the point she was soaring over it. From there, the gravity well moved with her. Air resistance would slow her down over time. But that wasn’t going to help her very much. Mac wanted to heal up, and Iron Mouse wanted to dish out some damage. Her regeneration helped with that, but it wasn;’t enough. She wanted to eat something. She could borrow through the tin man with some effort, but with that curse would it even be worth it? She just had to rely on Finn to take care of the hearts. For now, she’d eat something a bit softer. Maybe something closer to wood or straw.

The scarecrow.

Gaia was doing a good job of keeping it busy, and it also seemed to be drawing in magical power to feed itself. There was a risk of some crossfire happening, but Mac liked her chances here. She was already moving pretty fast. She just had to hit the scarecrow before anyone else did.

”Behold! I, Iron Mouse, sha-”

Better just leave the mouth open for now.

She reached out with both of her hands and grabbed onto the scarecrow’s peg-leg. She swung on it like an olympic gymnast going for gold on the high bar. Only there was a key difference. Rather than doing a sick triple flip and sticking the landing, Mac bit down on the corrupted creature’s leg. Her hands were getting hot from all the friction, but her teeth were sawing into the straw man on all sides. Against a mouse or a wolf, it was a bad day to be a stick.

"FUCK!"

Was all Finn could respond with when Justine told him the soldiers broke through containment. It was also partly out of surprise when someone caused him to careen off his intended course. His weapon cut through the chain with ease. Finn's attention snapped to Iron Mouse as she explained what black magic bullshit the Tin Man was working with. "Oh NOW you tell me?!" The boy yelled back in response, gritting his teeth as he contained his irritation. But she had a point. Something like this would be useful for the Cradle. As she went to work, breaking the chains apart with her gun, Finn swiftly took out the remaining ones until the hatch holding the hearts was wide open.

Then Iron Mouse got knocked away, leaving him to face this beast alone.

He wouldn't have time to react when the Tin Man tried to hit him with a back swing. Driving his sword into the giant's arm, Finn narrowly avoided suffering the same fate as Mouse did. But for how long?

"This place is getting crazy, Finn! The spades broke through and are shooting everything that moves!! Is everything okay on your end?!"

The enemies broke through their defenses? That's even worse.

"I'm stuck dealing with the Tin Man alone, what do you think?" Finn responded almost too calmly...

"Mother of- Look, if this is too much, just say the word and we can blow this joint!"

Finn glanced back at the Tin Man's hearts.

"...Nah."

This really was getting ridiculous, and he didn't exactly have any other ideas that didn't involve using his new powers. So if this didn't work? He'll be ripping this bot's arm off and smacking him around with it. He casted his free hand at the collection of hearts, and focused on shifting them into the Overcity alongside himself.

---

Awe. She looked so nervous. Oliver remained patient as Connie introduced herself. With his spirits evacuating the last of the civilians, that gave him a bit of time to talk with her. "It's nice to meet ya, Connie." The ghost smirked. When she thanked him for helping evacuate the town, he waved it off with a chuckle. "S'nothin! Looked like ya needed the help anyways, now we just gotta wait until.....Oh shit." First, Justine called out that the flying soldiers were also suicide bombers, then he saw that the spades slipped through the barrier and began opening fire on...well...everything.

"Well then!" Oliver quickly grabbed Connie and sprinted away from enemy fire, talking to Finn through their coms. As long as nothing happened to him, the phantom could take a bullet or two as long as Connie wasn't hit. The collective of spirits and clones on their end began their retaliation against the card soldiers, Oliver expending more mana to keep their numbers from dropping.

“So, what did ya think?!” Nykannis asked once the final episode of Beautiful Guardian Gunslinger Alexis had concluded. “Pretty awesome, right?!”

“Well, it may not have been as whimsical as my favorite magical girl shows, but it was still quite enjoyable,” Violet replied. “Although, Xylannis seemed to be nothing more than a fictional version of yourself.”

“Damn straight!” Nykannis confirmed with a grin. “That’s what makes her the best character!”

“If you say so…” Violet replied. “In any case, thank you for letting me see it. As an avid follower of magical girl series, I’m honestly surprised I’ve never heard of it before.”

“There’s a very good reason for that,” Nykannis explained. “It doesn’t actually exist in your universe.”

“What?”

“It’s from another universe,” Nykannis reiterated. “One that’s over a hundred and fifty years further along the timeline than your own. So even if yours does get its own version, it probably won’t be made for another few decades, at least. Then again…” she muttered thoughtfully. “There are analogs of certain individuals from that universe in this one, existing over a century before their counterparts’ births, so maybe it’ll be sooner than that…”

“Another universe?” Violet echoed, her eyes widening in amazement. “So there really is a multiverse out there…”

“You bet your sparkly ass there is!” Nykannis confirmed. “In fact, if you like cute things so much, I have just the person to help me prove it!”

Tapping a small holoconsole, Nykannis brought up an image depicting several clusters of shimmering spheres, grouped in such a way as to almost resemble trees.

“I surreptitiously inserted a tracking device into the inner workings of his Syllogismobile, so I’m able to follow his various wanderings with pinpoint accuracy,” Nykannis explained. “He makes for such a wonderful source of amusement,” she added with a smirk. “Almost as entertaining as that clockwork kid in Esper Land. Hmmm… It looks like he’s transitioning to a new reality plenum right now. Let’s see where he ends up… Oh, wow!” the mad scientist exclaimed when one of the spheres began to emit a golden glow. “He’s going there?!” A few more taps on her holoconsole, and the image on the main display shifted to a candle-lit corridor inside what looked to be a gothic castle. A stunningly beautiful young woman in a sparkling blue evening robe was walking down it, followed closely by an oversized… bedsheet ghost? With tentacles…? “Nyahahaha!” Nykannis cackled in maniacal glee.

“What are we even looking at?” Violet inquired.

“Oh, you’ll see, Princess!” Nykannis replied. “This is gonna be great!”

---

“Hasn’t tonight been simply wonderful, darling?!” the blonde beauty was saying to her sizable companion as she walked along the corridor. “All the various games and activities were immensely enjoyable, and the ambiance is positively enchanting!” she continued to gush, a dazzling smile spreading across her lovely face as she spread her arms wide to encompass their somewhat creepy surroundings. “I only wish we had been able to see a real ghost…” the fair maiden added, her smile drooping into a slight frown of disappointment. “Oh well… Perhaps we’ll have better luck in the art roo… Hm?” she inquired as a steadily growing hum caught her attention. “Whatever could that be?”

The azure-clad maiden’s query was answered a moment later as, with a loud “*VOP!*”, a faint, spinning shape began to slowly materialize a short distance ahead of her.

“I-I don’t believe it, darling!” she cried happily. “An actual ghost!”

As it came into better focus, the blonde beauty saw that the strange, shimmering, semi-transparent object appeared to resemble a gyroscope, and was about the size of an easy chair, or small desk. At its center was what looked to be a control panel of some sort, and a small, cushioned chair. However, it was the figure sitting in that chair that caused the lovely lady to gasp in amazement.

“Oh my goodness! It’s a little dog!” she exclaimed, her enchanting visage taking on a look of delighted wonderment. “A little ghost dog! Oh, and I simply love his outfit! It’s positively adorable! Oh, gosh, darling!” she added as a thought occurred to her. “Do you think he’s a friend of Winston’s?!”

“I do apologize, my dear young lady,” an almost comically refined voice spoke up. “But I am afraid I have yet to make the acquaintance of anyone by that name. Moreover, I have just now arrived in this reality plenum for the first, and quite probably last, time. Thus, I believe the odds of my knowing any of its residents to be exceedingly slim. Furthermore, I am most assuredly not a ghost!”

“Y-You can talk?!” the blonde beauty gasped in astonishment.

“Why of course I can talk, my good lady,” the dog replied. “Why are so many people so astounded by that fact? Oh! But where are my manners? I’ve been babbling away for nearly half a minute, and I’ve yet to introduce myself! A thousand pardons!” Removing his top hat, and giving a small bow, he continued. “Parrthineas E. Doxxon the First , at your service! But you may call me Parr, for short.”

“I-It’s very nice to make your acquaintance, Parr,” the fair maiden replied with an elegant curtsy, before kneeling down to get a better look at both the strange canine and his even stranger contraption. “I’m Olivia Bell, aka Magical Maiden Ethereal Rose, but you can just call me Olivia,” she told him. “And this dashing gentleman behind me is my darling Xolys,” she added, gesturing to the towering bedsheet ghost.

“Thyerg’Xolys, Master of Xhar’doth,” the looming figure intoned in an otherworldly, but still exceedingly polite voice. “It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance as well,” he added with a bow.

“Likewise!” Parr replied, holding out his paw for them to shake.

However, when Olivia reached out to take it, she found that her hand completely passed through the offered appendage, causing the fair maiden to give voice to a startled gasp.

“Goodness me!” Parr exclaimed. “It would appear that I am still somewhat out of phase… Haven’t quite ‘settled in’ yet, as it were,” he added with a chuckle.

“Settled in?” Olivia repeated, looking quite perplexed.

“Into this reality plenum,” he clarified. “That is to say, this universe.”

“Y-You’re from a different… universe?”

“Quite correct, Miss Olivia,” Parr confirmed. “You see, I am something of a traveler, although I must admit, not entirely of my own volition.”

“Whatever do you mean?”

“Well, it all began quite some time ago, in a universe most distant,” Parr explained. “I had taken up a professorship at my old alma mater, Fae Creek Academy, and was hard at work on a recreation of my esteemed father’s greatest invention, the Far Prior Machine, when I had a most fascinating conversation with a visiting scientist. Seeing that I had reached something of an impasse in my efforts, they encouraged me to start work on a new project, one completely unrelated to the accomplishments of my renowned progenitor. Thus, inspired by their tales of the vast omniverse in which all possibilities exist and where even works of fiction can be found as fully manifested realities, I resolved to create a conveyance capable of reaching any world I could dream of, and this is the result of that endeavor,” he announced, gesturing to the strange contraption in which he sat. “The Syllogismobile!”

“Oh wow!” Olivia exclaimed, her eyes seeming to glitter with wonderment. “That sounds absolutely fascinating!”

“Indeed it is, Miss Olivia!” Parr agreed. “Unfortunately, my trans-plenumic engineering skills weren’t quite up to the task, and upon activating my cross world conveyance for the first time, I found myself utterly lost, adrift on the turbulent tides of the vast omnidimensional ocean! Now I travel from plenum to plenum, in the hopes that I might some day return to my home universe.”

“T-That’s so very awful!” Olivia cried, her azure eyes beginning to glisten as tears welled up.

“Now, now,” Parr consoled her. “My current predicament, while indeed troubling, is not without its benefits. After all, I do so love exploring, and I now find myself with ample opportunities for such activities!” he noted with a chuckle. “With that in mind, I would be most grateful if you could enlighten me about my present surroundings.”

“Oh! Um, of course!” Olivia replied. “I would be happy to! This is Marrywell Academy, a school for Magical Girls in London, England,” Olivia explained. “Although we’re currently in a castle next to the school that Miss Valeria created for our slumber party,” she added.

“My word!” Parr exclaimed. “This entire edifice was constructed just for a slumber party?”

“Yes, that’s right!” Olivia confirmed happily. “Miss Valeria is so very talented when it comes to building things, so when she found out that my friend Bonnie and I were planning a sleepover in the possibly-haunted music room, she completely demolished it and constructed this lovely castle in its place, all in one night!”

“How extraordinary!”

“It really is!” Olivia agreed with an enthusiastic nod. “Especially since we didn’t know she was the one responsible at first, so I thought that perhaps the rumors about the music room’s haunted piano sending people to another world were true, and that, instead of sending us there, it brought the castle here! Oh! But even if that wasn’t the case, there must still be some truth to it, because you’re from another world yourself!”

“Ah, but I arrived here via my Syllogismobile, and not the transdimensional tune of an enchanted piano,” Parr corrected. “Although it is quite a fascinating coincidence, I must admit!”

“But what if the piano was what drew you to this universe?” Olivia persisted. “You said yourself that you have no control over your destination.”

“Perhaps,” Parr conceded. “But did you not say that the music room was completely demolished?” he asked. “Would not the piano have been destroyed along with it?”

“Well, since it’s a haunted piano, then maybe its ghost is still around,” Olivia suggested.

“A most intriguing possibility, to be sure,” Parr noted. “Though in any case, I must inquire if your universe possesses any means by which I might be allowed to return to my universe of origin,” he added. “You mentioned that this was a learning institution for Magical Girls, correct? And if they are anything like the students of Fae Creek Academy, then they are no doubt in possession of a vast and varied array of intriguing abilities, so would you happen to know if any of your classmates, or faculty members, for that matter, have the capability to transverse the plenumic barrier?”

“Um, well, the students and teachers here have all sorts of amazing powers, but I’m not sure if any of them can travel to different universes…” Olivia replied with an uncertain frown. “And I don’t really know every student and teacher here, so maybe if there’s someone here with a Grimoire involving travel to another world…” she mused. “Maybe someone with an Alice in Wonderland Grimoire?”

“Grimoire?”

“Oh, they’re the enchanted storybooks that give Magical Girls their powers,” Olivia explained. “Do things work differently in other universes?”

“Indeed they do,” Parr replied. “In fact, magical powers are entirely absent in some universes, and even when they do exist, their methods of operation vary quite drastically. For instance, in one particularly peculiar universe, certain young ladies are able to wield remarkable mystical powers, but only until they receive their license to operate a motorized conveyance, at which point, their abilities completely vanish!”

“Gosh… That does sound rather inconvenient,” Olivia noted. “And speaking of inconvenient, now that I think about it, Alice didn’t really have a great deal of control over her travels, so an Alice in Wonderland Grimoire probably wouldn’t work… Oh! But maybe someone who’s good with machines would be better? Someone who could make something like your Syllogismobile!”

“Someone like this Miss Valeria?” Parr inquired.

“Yes!” Olivia confirmed. “She can be a little intense, but I’m sure once we explain things, she’ll be more than happy to—”

“I do not believe it would be wise to seek out Miss Valeria at the present time,” Xolys advised. “She appeared to be rather… occupied when last we saw her.”

“Oh gosh, darling! You’re right!” Olivia noted. “She did say something about having a secret planning session with Charlotte, so we probably shouldn’t interrupt them. Who knows what exciting new activities they’re setting up for us?! Maybe turning the art room into a haunted art gallery, where the paintings come to life?!”

“Dear me, that sounds like the most delightful fun!” Parr declared. “And fret not, Miss Olivia,” he added. “I can simply run a quick scan to determine if this reality plenum can indeed provide the assistance I require.”

With that, the dapper canine produced a wand-like device, featuring four spinning protrusions with a small glowing sphere at the end of each. Three additional, slightly glowing, prongs sat atop it, and as he slowly moved the device across the surrounding area, a faint wedge of golden energy extended from them. After the beam had made a full 360 degree sweep of the corridor, Parr examined a small readout on the lower portion of the device.

“Hmm… Yes, yes, I see…” he murmured. “Well, that is rather disappointing, but not entirely unexpected,” he noted, returning his attention to Olivia once more.

“So, you didn’t find anything that might help?” the blonde beauty inquired.

“No, I regret to say I did not,” Parr replied. “Yet, I would not say my visit here was entirely bereft of value. After all, I was provided the opportunity to meet a most charming young lady and her imposing consort,” he added with a wink. “Now then, it would appear that the possibility particles by which my conveyance is powered are almost fully replenished, but before I depart, I should like to learn a little more about you and your fellow students. That said, would you be so kind as to answer a few questions?”

“Oh, of course!” Olivia agreed with a nod. “What would you like to know?”

“Most splendid!” Parr declared, clapping his paws together excitedly. “To begin, you had mentioned that magical powers were bestowed by enchanted storybooks in this universe, and I was curious as to what your tale might be.”

“It’s an altered version of Beauty and the Beast,” Olivia replied. “It’s a story about an imperiled maiden, who gets transported to another world and is saved from some horrible villains by a gorgeous creature. She and the creature become the closest of friends, and she decides to stay with him for the rest of her life.”

“What a fascinating tale! And I assume Master Xolys is the creature in question?”

“Yes, that’s right!” Olivia acknowledged.

“How very interesting…” Parr mused. “In that case,” he added, turning to gaze up at Xolys’s towering form. “Are you the same being from the original tale, or simply a recreation of him, formed via the magic of the tome?”

“I am indeed the same being,” Xolys confirmed. “As a pandimensional entity, I am capable of transcending time and space, allowing me to exist in multiple realities simultaneously, albeit only via the link of an enchanted storybook. Thus, I cannot travel the myriad reality plenums freely, nor can I enable my dearest Olivia to visit Xhar’doth, no matter how much we both might wish it,” he added, tenderly wrapping a tendril around the fair maiden’s elegant hand.

“I see… And this maiden from the tale, she was the Olivia of your prime universe, correct?”

“Yes,” Xolys replied with a nod. “We share a special bond, she and I. Throughout all the realities in which I exist, she is present as well,” he explained, while Olivia smiled up at him. “Thus, our connection shall always remain.”

“My word! How sublimely beautiful!” Parr gushed as a tear glistened in his eye.

“Do you have a special someone Parr?” Olivia asked.

“Thankfully, I do not,” the canine traveler replied after wiping his eye with a handkerchief. “I can only imagine the anguish they would feel at my sudden disappearance, waiting and wondering when, or even if, I would ever return! Still, I was fortunate to have many dear friends, like my old roommates, Miss Sarah and Miss Mela,” he added with a wistful smile. “They both had such intriguing abilities!”

“What could they do?”

“Well, Miss Sarah could shapeshift into any animal, while Miss Mela could turn into an apple!”

“An… apple?” Olivia asked with a confused frown.

“Yes, indeed!” Parr confirmed. “A talking apple, with a face and everything! It was really quite extraordinary!”

“Gosh, that must have been quite something!” Olivia marveled. “I know someone who can turn into a tiger, but I never considered someone turning into a fruit or vegetable before… It doesn’t really seem like it would be particularly helpful…”

“You know, if memory serves, I believe she actually started life as an apple, so it would perhaps be more accurate to say she was able to turn into a human,” Parr noted. “Oh, but since we’re on the subject of abilities, what are some of the magical talents of your classmates?”

“Let’s see… There’s Wilhelmina who can summon ghost sailors and enhance the abilities of her allies, Chinami can become a very powerful knight, Tesni can summon a staff that can grow very large, Nessie can control water, and my roommate, Suzuya, can turn into a fox girl with lots of really soft tails and fire magic! Oh! And then there’s Miss Reinhardt! She can actually improve the capabilities of our Grimoires! It’s just too bad her power only works on enchanted storybooks… Otherwise, she might have been able to help fix your Syllogismobile…”

“Fear not, Miss Olivia,” Parr reassured her. “I have no doubt that I shall one day cross paths with someone who can provide the solution I seek! In fact, the wise scientist who inspired me to construct my Syllogismobile in the first place was an accomplished omniversal traveler herself, so there is even a chance she may be the the one to help me return home at long last!”

“Oh, gosh, I truly hope so!”

“As do I! And now, Miss Olivia, Master Xolys, I must bid you both a fond farewell! With luck, we may yet cross paths again at some point in the future! Tally ho!”

An instant later, there was the sound of a loud “*VOP!*”, and the next thing the blonde beauty and her sizable companion knew, both Parr and his Syllogismobile had vanished without a trace.

“Oh my goodness, darling! That was absolutely amazing!” Olivia gushed. “Oh, I simply cannot wait to tell Suzuya all about it!” she added with a happy giggle, before sobering slightly. “I only hope Parr can find his way home soon… I know he enjoys exploring new places, but I could tell he misses his old friends a great deal.”

“I am sure that in the fullness of time, he shall indeed attain that goal, my sweet,” Xolys told her gently.

“You’re right, darling. And who knows? Maybe his friends are searching for him right now! I’d like to think that’s what our friends would do if we ever got lost in the omniverse, and I’m just so happy we’ve made so many wonderful ones in our short time here at Marrywell!”

“Yes, the decision to come here has truly brought with it a great many blessings, indeed,” Xolys agreed. “It pains me greatly to think of all the years you were forced to spend bereft of friendship, and thus, I am so profoundly happy that you have been granted such admirable companions at long last, my sweetest rose.”

“Thank you, darling,” Olivia said, standing on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. “And just think! If all this could happen at the site of the old music room, imagine how much fun a sleepover in the art room will be!”

---

“NYAHAHAHA!!!” Nykannis cackled as she deactivated the interdimensional viewer. “He’s such an IDIOT!!! That stupid mutt seriously thinks he’s gonna get help from the same person who sabotaged his pathetic little contraption to BEGIN with! Nyahahahaha!”

“And I take it that person was you?” Violet asked pointedly.

“Of COURSE it was!” Nykannis replied between bouts of maniacal laughter.

“Why?”

“Because it’s fucking hilarious! He actually succeeded in building a fully functional Syllogismobile, and he STILL hasn’t figured out what I did to it! It’d be SO painfully easy to fix, too! Yet here he is, blindly going from world to world, hoping that he’ll just happen run into a person who can actually help him. And the REALLY great part is, when he finally DOES, he’ll realize just how much of a colossal moron he really is, and even THAT probably won’t break him, because he’s just THAT FUCKING CLUELESS!!! Nyahahaha! See?! It’s comedic genius!”

“No,” Violet corrected in an icy tone. “It’s sadism.”

“Whatever,” Nykannis replied flippantly. “I wouldn’t expect a goody-two-shoes like you to understand. Anyway, I think we’re done here,” the mad scientist added, while hopping off her command chair.

“Is this the part where you erase my memory?” Violet inquired with a notable lack of concern.

“Normally, yes,” Nykannis confirmed. “But I’ve decided it would probably be best if I held off on that,” she added. “See, I’ve been thinking, Princess, and I’ve come to the conclusion that if I did go through with wiping your mind, somehow, someone would find out about it. That’s just the way things work in this reality plenum, especially where your girlfriend is concerned. And that’d be considerably worse for me than if I just let you leave as-is, so that’s what I’m gonna do.”

“How very magnanimous of you,” Violet replied in her typical cool tone.

“I’d like to think so,” Nykannis agreed, completely ignoring the heiress’s sarcasm. “Although I’d appreciate it if you never speak a word about anything that happened to you today.”

“There is no need to worry about that,” Violet replied. “I believe we have suitably reconciled, and as such, you have my solemn vow that I shall never reveal any of the actions you felt justified to take against me.” Then, smiling broadly, and giving a playful wink, she added. “Like, it’ll be our super duper special wecial secret wecret~! (giggle!)”

“Yeah, I think it’s time for you to go,” Nykannis muttered, while opening a crackling portal.

“And this will take me back to Penrose?” Violet asked.

“Yep,” Nykannis confirmed. “To the same rooftop you met Phase Two on. Although…” she added, pulling up a small holo display. “I might know of an even better destination…”

---

Even as her botanical barrage laid waste to the club soldiers and their armored vehicles, Gaia’s eyes widened in a mixture of shock and horror as she watched the vine tendrils she’d sent to ensnare the scarecrow be corrupted by the bizarre monster and turned against her.

“W-What?!” the verdant maiden gasped as the twisted vines wrapped around her and then began swiftly draining away her mana. “H-How is this even possible?!”

A feeling of profound exhaustion flooded the nymph-like beauty’s rapidly weakening body, while her once vibrantly green skin dulled to a sickly pale brown and her luxurious emerald tresses withered into dry, brittle, blackened strands. Indeed, it felt as though her very life force was being sucked away, and it wasn’t long before she was struggling just to breathe. However, just when it seemed like she was about to pass out, Gaia heard a voice calling to her. A moment later, comforting arms were holding her in a protective embrace, the mystic power flowing through them filling her with energy and vitality once more. Sighing in welcome relief, the verdant maiden watched as her rescuer’s power disintegrated the corrupted vines in a flash of emerald light, even as a small, mouse-eared girl moved in to eat engage the scarecrow.

“You are most welcome, Annabelle,” Gaia told her fellow Wood Mage with a warm smile when the girl thanked her for taking such good care of her sunflowers. “And thank you for saving me from that hideously corrupted foliage,” she added, gripping her staff and taking up position next to Annabelle. “It would be my great honor to fight these defilers of Mother Earth at your side!”

Looking out over the battlefield, Gaia saw that Mayra had recovered from her earlier soaking, and was now augmenting the botanical bombardment with fire magic.

“Good thinking, Mayra,” the verdant maiden told her draconic friend. “I am most grateful for your assistance as well!”

Charging up Nature’s Blossom with mystic power, Gaia was just about to fire off a blast, when she heard Justine call out. Not only had the flyers penetrated their defenses, but they were also armed with bombs…

“Connie!” Gaia called over her ear piece. “Airborne troops have breached the barrier and are dropping bombs on the town! Get to the evac shelter as fast as you can!” she instructed. “And I thought you said you could handle them, Justine!” she added with an annoyed scowl as she aimed her staff at one of the spade soldiers and fired a condensed blast of emerald energy. Hopefully, it would be strong enough to not only eliminate her aerial adversary, but also push him away from the town to explode over his fellow soldiers…

Meanwhile, the power boost provided by the Angel of Hope allowed the new arrivals to finally finish off the strange, armless girl.

“You are most welcome, valiant champion!” the heavenly beauty told Nefer after the Egyptian-styled girl thanked her for the help, the cheeks of her radiant visage reddening slightly in response to the mysterious maiden’s flirty wink. “It brings this humble servant such great joy to know that her meager assistance was put to such splendid use!”

However, her jubilation was short-lived.

From her vantage point high above the battle, the Angel watched its latest developments unfold with increasing concern. Even though a vast number of enemies had been eliminated, the Wonderlanders’ artillery bombardment continued, causing a breach in the barrier that a squad of flying spade troopers had slipped through to wreak havoc on the town.

Fuck… That blood magic bitch is clearly no match for these guys. I mean, they’ve got rotary cannons and rocket launchers, for shit’s sake! And here I am, forced to be a useless fucking pacifist! Well, at least I can try to save some of these kind and helpful souls from these vile villains’ senseless savagery!

Waving her radiant staff over the besieged town, she sent a swarm of glowing spheres racing towards each of those working to evacuate the populace. The barriers they generated would not be particularly strong, but they would serve as adequate protection from shrapnel or flaming debris.

That should help for the time being. Still, I would have thought Miss ‘One Woman Army’ would have made it to the artillery by now… What the fuck’s taking her so long?

While all this was transpiring, Connie was trying to overcome one of her biggest challenges- socializing with someone she’d never met before. Thankfully, even in light of her clear nervousness, things seemed to be going rather well, with the ghost boy finding her timid and anxious nature endearing. However, before their conversation could get too far, the pair heard Justine’s warning about the flying spade soldiers, which was immediately followed by said soldiers opening fire on everyone below with an assortment of powerful weapons.

“Eeep!” Connie yelped in startled surprise as Oliver scooped her up and began running to the evac shelter even as a nearby building exploded. A moment later, she heard Gaia through her ear piece, telling her to get to safety. “I-I-I k-know!” she told her worried friend in a panicked and shaky voice. “I-I’m o-on m-m-my w-way t-there r-r-right n-n-now!” she added, the attacking soldiers, coupled with the fact that she was currently being held in the arms of someone she had only just met, bringing her nervousness to a fever pitch. Indeed, she had only ever been carried in such a way on precious rare occasions, and never by a boy! Needless to say, the chalk white cheeks of her mask seemed to be turning a brighter shade of crimson with each passing second. And although the shelter did seem to be the safest place in town, Connie could only wonder how long that would remain the case…

---

As it happened, help for that particular problem was on the way, even if their sense of urgency left a little something to be desired. Thankfully for all concerned, they were about to receive a bit of unexpected assistance…

As the Beacon quartet’s enchanted van sped along, those inside would hear an annoyingly high-pitched voice cheerfully call out, “Hyiiiiiiieee~!” A moment later, a colorful rainicorn pegasus pulled up beside the vehicle’s passenger window, with a smiling pink-haired girl riding atop it. “Like, Magical Dream Princess heard that this towny wowny with a really funny namey wamey that Magical Dream Princess totally wotally forgot is in lots and lots of trouble wouble, and, like, you need to get there super duper fasty wasty, so, like, she’s heresie weresie to helpy welpy~! (giggle!)” the whimsical girl declared. “But, like, she needs your helpy welpy, too~! So, like, if everybodywody thinky winkies super duper happy wappy thoughts about getting to the towny wowny right nowie, Magical Dream Princess can, like, makey wakey a magical wagical dreamy weamy portal wortal thingie wingie to take you right theresie in a blinky winkie~! (giggle!)”

---

Back at Bolorton, a concealed spade soldier was taking aim on Gaia even as she blasted his squad mate. However, before he could fire, a baleful beam of yellowy-green incandescent annihilation stripped the skin from his bones and then his bones from existence, until all that was left was a wisp of dissipating dust on the wind. Simultaneously, a series of crackling nega-matter vortices tore open inside a half dozen approaching tanks, savagely twisting and warping them into inconceivable geometries as the very fabric of reality itself was brutally rent asunder. In mere seconds the once imposing war machines had become little more than knotted strings of metal, scarcely thicker than a human hair…

“Hey, guys,” an amused voiced called out. “Need a little help?”

‘You’re right! I’m her friend!’ Jelena answered with a happy grin to the question if she was “Alice”’s friend, and Mariette was relieved Jelena followed along with the “Mariette is apparently Alice” thread.

Mariette’s question of what was next was not properly answered. Setting up an outpost before moving to Penrose. Though, then there was the report about the failure of Dormouse and the OZ Unit. The portal girl was a bit startled when the table went flying, it was such a complete switch in personality from the queen. Then again, on a second thought, it was perhaps not entirely unexpected. Mariette looked at the device on the queen’s arm, it looked important. Of course, Jelena was here to look at it with a Third Eye.

Then… the Queen somehow replicated Mariette’s portal magic using one of her hairs. What was with people somehow reproducing the one thing that made her unique recently?

Then, as the Queen vanished… the pocketbook was left behind.

Jelena was already on it, starting to wander over to look at one of the cleaning servants that were acting. ‘Heeey, what’s the pay around here? Do you do a lot of work? How many hours of free-time do you get?’ Jelena asked as she wandered, and just, you know, coincidentally walked so she blocked the line of sight to the pocket book.

That’s when Mariette dropped it through a portal into her own secure little magical handbag that she has in her perks. With one eye behind her eyepatch, she could portal her sight in that eye to look at the notebook, and then reach to turn the pages with her tentacles inside said hammerspace handbag.

Mariette had to read quickly; she had to place it back as soon as possible. It also occurred to her that this could be a test to see if she was honest or not, and as such she was mentally preparing for a quick escape because if so she had handedly failed the test.

__________________________________________


Mayra sliced apart those specific soldiers… but noted that she hadn’t succeeded in dodging the bullets. She spat out the bullet in her mouth and looked down at her lightly bleeding body.

‘Huh,’ Mayra made a curious noise. So, it wasn’t like it was bothering her a lot, 16 vitality and all that, but the fact of the matter was that her leg was hurt and she wasn’t as fast as she thought she was. Though, it did serve as a reminder that maybe she wasn’t as invulnerable as she previously thought. … Mayra shrugged and grinned. ‘Oh, well!’

… … … Way over there… Penny was being confronted with the enemy leader. Mayra was intrigued, and as any curious person that happens to also have no sense of consequences, wanted to get closer. Maybe she could help save Penny’s life. That’d be cool.

Mayra applied her OTHER specialization, Darkness, and hid her presence. It is perhaps easy to forget among all the fireworks, but Mayra also has an assassin’s specialization. With that, she rapidly snook through the battlefield, using pieces of debris and cover to get closer. She just wanted to get closer to where Penny and the Queen was, to be able to launch into the fray as a dramatic unexpected backup.

Yes. That would be really cool, Mayra thought, as she left the defense of the town to the rest.

__________________________________________


‘Huh? Ah!’ Miko made an alarmed sound at suddenly being hit by a piece of burning debris.

‘E- Miko!’ Ronin immediately jumped and along with Miko instinctively healing herself, she also had Ronin on her healing her to the best of her ability.

‘I’m fine. Let’s do something about the bombs,’ Miko told with a stern expression.

‘A, yeah, we can do that!’ Ronin replied, smirking.

Both sisters now turned and looked upwards. Now, the shields the twins could make with their small amount of magic were not enough to hold nor cover everyone, but they had a different use. Ronin and Miko together materialized shields in the shape of discs. Then, as a pair, they spun and

‘Homing barrier discs!’

‘Seek out and destroy the bombs!’

The two of them flung their discs. Supported with a light Air-specialization enchantment, the shields sought out and blew apart the bombs that were being dropped upon their allies. Of course, the shields themselves also broke by the force of the bombs, but that’s why Ronin and Miko didn’t settle for just two. They manifested disc after disc, throwing them out quickly making another to throw that one as well! They didn’t need to make a giant barrier that covered everyone if they just surgically blew out every threat out of the sky!

Now, if everyone else was getting away, then they’d join in but keep covering the sky as best they could!

The Engine felt a brief spark of satisfaction as she finished tearing the Lion to shreds. The fact that it continued to pursue her was a mixed blessing. The damage it inflicted on her was wide spread and significant. Some of that was because she had refused to face it, but their last exchanged told well enough that standing to face the beast wouldn’t have helped her get off lightly.

Still, she directed seething cloud of nanites she had slaved inwards. Her physical stability was in the yellow, and her mana reserves were nearing the red. A moment or two to repair and refuel was all she would need before she resumed her task of stopping the artillery that was still pounding away at the city. And for the moment it was safe enough, as there was nothing save the remnants of the devastated APC and soldiers were nearby for the moment.

A surge of magic, strong enough that even with her deadened senses she could sense it. Put an end to the though of catching a quick moment. She recognized the work of the portal witch on sight, but that did nothing to relax her. If anything, it was more reason to be on edge.

A belief that was proven to be correct not event a moment later. Even before the portal fully opened The Engine could recognize who it was that was planning on stepping on to the battle field.

That changed things; not significantly, at least not as far as the Engine was concerned. She was only out here to inflict as much damage as she reasonably could to the forces of Wonderland before the evacuation was complete after all. Something that sounded like it was more or less finished, if the intel coming in from her surveillance points were accurate, but she would wait until a more directed update before acting on that information.

Which mean that she now had a very small window of opportunity to launch an attack on Wonderland’s HQ.

The reintegration of the nanites was rushed, expedience now taking priority over efficiency. Her refueling, and sudden retooling, was complete just before the Queen of Hearts began speaking. As the enemy queen opened her mouth to speak The Engine lashed out. A metal ball twice the size of a bowling ball rushed past the Red Queens head with the force of a cannon shot. Seeming to simply be a missed attack, but only if one assumed that the Red Queen had been the target.

She hadn’t been.

No, the Engine had aimed at the closing portal behind the Wonderland’s leader. And there was just enough time to see her bomb punch into the wall on the far side of the portal before it closed. She had no idea how effective it would be, but she infused it with as much Importance as she could before she threw it. That and it had twenty of those augmenting crystals settled into it as well.

Shifting her attention away from where the portal had been The Engine spoke up, cutting off the Red Queen again. I ͟ha̵̷v͟ȩ̕ ̀n̨͡o͘͘͞ r̵̛ȩ͟͠aş͢o͡͏n̴͡ ̧t̛͠͏o̸ l҉̀͝i̡̕s̨t̴̀͢en̸ t̕͏o ͟͡òr ̴b͞e̡͜͢l҉i̕͡è̸v́͜͏e͡ ̧҉͜a͏n̷y̸t̴h͞i̷̴n̨g̶̢͞ ́͢y͟͡o̷̵͜u̸͢ s͠a̧͡ỳ͘.҉

Normally she might have been willing to at least humor her enemy. Normally she would use the time spent in conversation to regain her energy more fully. But this wasn’t normal, here and now it was The Engine unconstrained, not Penny. And that changed things.

Unwilling to let the momentum betaken from her The Engine blitzed forward. Though the rush was more feint than actual assault. The artillery still needed to be rendered inoperational after all and that was something she could still accomplish. A flat out fight with the Red Queen would serve only to get The Engine destroyed at this point. And if things turned for the worse The Engine knew she had at least one ally near by.

---

---

“All units be advised” Penny’s crisp voice would call out from all of the headset she had passed out earlier. “The Queen of Hearts has joined the fight. I repeat, The Queen of Hearts has joined the fight.”

“What’s the status on the civilian evac? Because we might need to leave and soon.”

---

It was times like this where it was all to apparent that Tina and Ellen weren’t frontliners, as the moment Tina was hit Ellen was shouting out her name.

Before she could anything Alex was already on the job of patching up her sister, assuaging her rising panic before it could make her things even worse. She was no more a doctor then he was, but she did know a fair amount about animals, both of them did, so she knew it was bad.

“Thank you!” Ellen would say emphatically, Tina nodding a shaky agreement. It was a closer breath with death then either of them was comfortable with.

Before Alex was able to fully take off, he would feel further Beast magics, further augmenting him. A pale shadow of what he himself was capable of, but more help would always be appreciated. At least that is what Tina and Ellen thought.

As he raced off the sisters fell back into the shelter, neither willing to risk the open air anymore. Still one could hear the start of a more light hearted conversation as they descended below. “Why is it the good ones are always taken?

---

“I get what you mean.” Aurelio would say with a rare grimace. ”This is the first time that I’ve heard about Beacon stepping aside in regards to a situation like this.” It was strange and perplexing to the young man. Even if he was one of the more vocal advocates for peaceful and non-violent interactions with non-Beacon members, he knew that there were situations that called for it sadly enough.

“Only thing I can think of is that Wonderland isn’t lead by a dark magical girl, but that feels like a stretch to me.”.” He would offer up his best guess.

Before that conversation could continue a rather unique individual would make their presence known. Being the gentleman that he was, Aurelio politely rolled down his window in time for them to hear Magical Dream Princess’ offer. One which the emotion mage was fully willing to go along with. He even started prepping some of his own magic to help everyone hit the right state of mind.

But he didn’t trigger that spell, instead he turned towards Alicia with a raised eyebrow. She was given the lead on this mission, and he wasn’t one to try and gainsay her. She was a good friend after all.

That wasn’t to say he wasn’t tempted though. The closer to Bolorton they got, the worse the atmosphere felt. Unsurprising for a battlefield really, but it hurt him nevertheless to feel.

---

The dragon landed on her broken legs with a reflexive wince and mild gritting of her teeth, though standing on her knees she didn't allow herself to fall flat on the ground either. As the golden road dissolved into nothingness once more, and the emerald fountain disappeared once more, her eyes fell on the limp corpse and rolling head on the ground. Turns out this thing wasn't in Kansas anymore, or anywhere else of worth now. Kiyome then looked back at Akhenaten and Nefer before giving an affirming yet thankful nod to the duo.

"Bothersome little pest that was, but in the end it died like the rest anyway.

My thanks for helping me avoid becoming roadkill, and in finishing this thing off. Couldn't have done anything there without you two coming in when you did."

With a light grunt, then, the monster girl then conjured a pair of Horror Minions with one on either side of her. They would each support one of the dragon girl's arms, helping transport her toward the interior of the town. It would be an effective means of transport, at least, though she'd have to use magic to help them more swiftly move past danger due to the invading Spades. Even from a distance the swordswoman could tell the back lines had been penetrated, frustratingly so, as she silently huffed at it all.

Her mistress was not someone who couldn't fight, but the whole situation was becoming worse and worse by the second and she didn't like it. And no obvious route of retreat for civilians seemed to exist either, from what she'd seen thus far, to boot. Bah. Poor logistics was always frustrating to deal with. Even so, new arrivals seemed to be doing some good against the other monsters of note as the obvious giant death robot rampaged about and so forth. At this point she would look back at the duo who had assisted her rather vitally once more as she began to move toward her new destination.

"I'm heading back to see if I can at least help against the mooks getting inside the backlines. I won't be much good against the big ones out here as I am right now anyway."

That was all there was to it really. Truth be told it would be better use working on the mook situation if she could, and having enough magic reserves to spare would assist in that. Frankly making sure her mistress was ok was her top priority regardless of the situation here otherwise. In that vein she'd give silent commands to the minions carrying her back into town...though she'd conjured a couple more minions otherwise as she moved along and give them a proper verbal command.

"You two, tear off those feet off right now and bring them to me intact so I can get those slippers off and keep them. Then stay close and screen against the enemies for us as we go in to find Mistress Eliana."

...Sometimes, there wasn't going to be a golden path going all the way home. Just an old brick road paved with false promises and dangers ready to chew you up along the way. But once you chose a path, all that was left was to keep walking that road until its end one way or another. But she'd take the deceased armless girl's magical slippers as a prize and store them on her person for now, at least, as she continued on her way without skipping a beat.

Well, not literally skipping for obvious reasons, but she wasn't going to take a pause in the middle of all of this either. There was work to be done. Besides, she would conjure more horror minions within the town as or when she came into contact with Spades. Flying minions and standard ground ones alike would be perfect to sick on the foolish enemy soldiers in her mind.

---

Eliana briefly grit her teeth as she flung up a smaller barrier around the place the unconscious civilians had been placed inside of, using her magic to pull Tina, Ellen, and Alex into the barrier's protection as well. The cosmic gypsy would move closer to the three as she put in the effort to strengthen her own barrier, adding layers and more magical power to it as time went on to shore it up more and more. A repulsing dark energy magical barrier that'd send projectiles and enemy troops flying away and unable to get in. Stronger than her larger barrier, though it being notably smaller made this easier to empower and improve at least. By the time Alex zoomed out to fight alongside an enraged Lilly, Eliana moved to stand right next to Tina and the (hopefully now patched-up somewhat by Alex) Ellen.

"Please get inside with the civilians! I'll strengthen and hold up this barrier as much as I can to keep them out from here!"

And she's do that, both improving/strengthening the barrier by pumping in more magic and magical energy as well as improve things by adding additional layers to said barrier as well. All with the aim of putting in as much as she could to improve the defensive qualities of the barrier and its magic. She would protect these lives with her very life, just as she'd always done!

Even so she would quickly use her Absolute Direction to get quick check of the location of her compatriot, however, revealing that Kiyome's sword (the object she was in this instance using the skill to locate and knew about rather well) was getting increasingly closer. Good. She was alive! Thanks the stars. Perhaps she'd be able to assist against the Spades in the town as well!

@Ariamis@Majoras End@Card Captor

---

---

---

Hyun was certainly someone who stood by their point of view, at least, and held firm enough on it. At least from what the magical maid could tell thus far. The other girl likewise seemed rather committed to the Beacon and its ideals as well. That much was at least a good sign of sorts, perhaps, when it came down to looking at the potential danger of someone like her 'relapsing' as it were. Well, potentially relapsing. She'd heard a few things at Headquarters about the matter whilst she'd been there, both before and after her 'surprise' upon arrival and after she'd been bailed out proper.

Redemption was not something lightly given either. Much less finding mercy in a world neither of them had shown any to in the past. That much was for certain. Especially with an organization as 'vehement' about their mission as the Beacon was, where those such as the Inquisition frankly existed as a body in the first place as part of achieving that mission in the first place. At the same time, however, she'd found new friends...people who seemed to see her as herself, really, rather than as some repository of incredibly eldritch knowledge and data that would madden anyone else exposed to it too directly.

...She still wanted to ask Cardinal Ishtar later about what had happened at HQ. Her sudden illegal seizure and incarceration and such, etc. But right now wasn't the time for that.

"Well I can certainly say this outfit wasn't my personal choice at least. HQ gave me a Red Coin as part of some compensation for what happened after I first arrived there. The magic in the coin did the rest really, along with another unintended side consequence of the gift...just as long as a certain name isn't mentioned aloud it won't rear its head I hope."

She let out a small sigh, the sound of 'that voice' echoing in her head from memories, before a small smile came to her face and her tone turned more upbeat. No, now was not the time to think about that. Please no.

"I do look forward to working together with you as well, Hyun, and I mean that. Harsh sounding or not, though, you are right that we both are on the road to redemption and earning Beacon's respect...myself far more so than most could ever imagine I think. And I will continue to see that reality of my situation every day and night without a doubt.

Though in truth, I'm glad to have friends here who I can trust and help along their own paths too. I don't often feel I deserve such a thing, anything like that at all even, and yet they chose to extend a hand to me anyway. For that...for them being that light of hope shining in the darkness of what I came into at first...for that I'll be eternally grateful to them.

And perhaps we can one day be friends as well, eh?"

It sounded so sappy. So stupidly sappy and optimistic, like it came out of some random anime or cheap TV show. But she meant it all the same. Alicia, Aurelio, even Penny. Others had extended a hand to her, giving her a light of hope even in the great darkness she'd found herself mentally trapped in after becoming human. She'd feared just being abused and killed by others from day one, and was even more unused to being human. Was that fear all gone? No...not really. But she had persevered thus far, learned some, grown some she hoped, and would do nothing but her best to move forward no matter what came or what happened along the way.

Just one thing, one day, and one step at a time. They'd get there one day! She knew it.

But for now, she hoped they'd get to Bolorton in time to actually help do anything for those being attacked there. Beacon and Wonderland seemed on edgy enough terms as it was already. They were a messy enemy to handle for sure.

@Shifter_Master@Flamelord@Ariamis

As Iron Mouse flew through the air, she used her Gravity magic to redirect her vector of movement, and took on a different target: the Scarecrow, something even the intelligent monster didn’t predict. It was too late to defend itself with ropes of straw, and screeched as Iron Mouse latched on to his wooden leg and in the same motion swung around the pole, her teeth cutting through it in a circular motion and splitting it in half. The moment it did, the Scarecrow lost his connection to the enchanted earth, and lost his magic as it fell in midair, screeching like a banshee. At that exact moment, before the monster would get to touch the ground again, Annabelle shot a mighty Solar Beam from her sunflower-tipped staff, blasting the creature into ash.

“And there! Thank you, fellow Mahou!” She waved to Iron Mouse before turning her attention on the remaining troops. As a result of the maneuver, Mac felt pain on her reddened palms as they burnt from the friction, making punching or climbing more arduous. Mac’s teeth were also now an ugly brown from the saw dust, unless she hid it with Iron Mouse's illusion.

Gaia successfully shot down a flying Spade soldier, making sure that the projectile had enough kick to it to send the soldier away before it blew up on the field outside Bolorton. The Angel of Hope also assisted in protecting the guardians of Bolorton, applying forcefields that enabled them to run through the scattered fiery debris without problems.

---

Finn, having avoided being thrown away by the Tin Woodsman, managed to jump into the exposed hatch on the mechanical monster’s chest, and activated Overcity Shift in that space. As Finn found himself in the familiar dimension, standing on a checkerboarded field, the hearts had also shifted with him; though they continued beating like regular hearts, their glow had lessened in intensity, and the curse ended.

Back in Bolorton, when the giant robot lost its power supply, it suddenly stopped moving, and began to fall…That was when Gaia and the Angel of Hope, who had been observing the battlefield, realized the direction it was falling. With an earth-shaking thud, the last member of the OZ Unit crashed right through the double barriers that protected the town, breaking them, and leaving the town fully exposed. Now, even regular club soldiers could encroach on the town, though in moderate numbers due to the effective defenses mustered by the defenders.

---

Justine chased after a Spade wielding a rotary cannon as she blasted a storm of blood bullets while also avoiding being turned into Swiss cheese by counterfire. She scowled as Gaia berated her, and regret swelled in her heart as she failed to live up to their expectations of keeping the skies clear
”I’m sorry!” She yelled, and with another barrage of projectiles managed to bring down another Spade soldier; this one dropped onto a grassy patch between two buildings before exploding, causing the fires to slowly reach both of them.
”Argh! They keep flying over the damn buildings!” However, despite her frustration, she and Gaia had both managed to thin the numbers of the remaining flying squad enough for the few remaining ones to not pose a major threat on their own…That is, until they heard a crash to the north, followed by a crack as the barriers fell.
”Barrier’s down!”

---

Lily followed as Alex went to apply curative magic to Ellen and Tina. She provided covering fire as the Spade wielding the assault rifle came around for another sweep, managing to keep the flying soldier away as they were protected by Alex’ barrier from the surrounding fire. She realized he would go on the offensive against the encroaching enemy, and renewed her Agility-boosting spell on Alex.

”I’ll distract the soldiers while you go in Alex!" She suggested, and began to perform hit-and-runs on the ground level, shooting rapid volleys of lightning arrows while dashing into cover in-between bursts. The Wonderland troopers, occupied by Lily, barely had time to notice as Alex slingshot himself up with his tails, tearing into the invaders while absorbing the enemy fire through use of his barriers. He was also assisted by various magical constructs such as Oliver’s clones and phantoms, able to take down some of the troopers but more importantly dividing the enemy’s attention. As a result, Alex was able to defend the north side of town, though as a result he had dropped to 60% mana.

---

Mayra, as unpredictable as ever, had a change in pace, and went for a sneaky approach, blending into the chaos of the battlefield using her darkness magic. She slipped through encroaching forces, hopping from shadow to shadow until she crossed over the hill. There, she saw as Penny, or whatever form Penny had taken, was facing off against the Queen of Hearts.
As the two of them were surrounded by fires from the napalm payload of the cob cannons, Mayra noted that some had also reached the artillery, causing the crew for some of them to be killed or abandoned.

The Queen, however, was focused on Penny, and grimaced as Penny launched a projectile at her…Or rather, past her, as the Wonderland monarch came to realize too late. It turned out to be a bomb, and it flew through the portal the moment before it closed.

---

At the Wonderland party, Mariette and Jelena worked together to retrieve the pocketbook, with Jelena purposefully staying close to Mariette as she distracted the servantfolk with inane questions, which the servants did not answer.
As Mariette was about to drop the pocketbook through the portal, Jelena happened to move just enough for Mariette to notice a monstrous Penny through the portal with her Awareness. She threw a shape past the Queen and in through the portal, and Mariette realized it to be an activated bomb. However, as she was right in the middle of a spell requiring concentration, she did not have time to produce another portal and escape.

Suddenly, she felt Jelena hug her. A metallic sphere enclosed them as the pocketbook was snatched into her magical handbag, followed by a deafening, gigantic explosion that turned her vision white.

The very next moment, she realized she was on the floor, with Jelena on top of her: she had enchanted her metal body into a shell to bear the brunt of the explosion, leaving Mariette mostly unharmed. However, Jelena did not fare as well; her arms and legs, designed to be detachable, had blown off her, and the rest of her was blackened, smelling horrid. She was miraculously still alive, though critically injured, and had transformed back due to losing consciousness.

Mariette quickly deduced with her Awareness that the garden party was in complete chaos; the grass was on fire, the tables were destroyed, and servants laid dead, charred black. She saw that one of the Queen’s court laid among the fallen, the girl with the butterfly motif, while Hatwington was sitting against the side of the stairs, holding a broken device and clutching at his chest, heavily injured. Farther away, another Mahou had turned his body into an blackened armadillo-like shell as he leaned against a wall, his legs wobbly. There were screams and noises in every direction. Mariette peeked into her handbag with a tiny portal on her inner eyepatch, and saw that it was unharmed. However, as more of the Queen’s court started to rush in to investigate what happened, she had to decide between reading and putting it back.

---

Back at Bolorton, the Queen turned back to Penny with a furious look.
“You treacherous knave!” She yelled, and blocked the Engine’s feint attack with her sword.
“Dormouse, wake the villagers!” She ordered as she swung back. Dormouse, still reeling from the realization of the bomb, blinked.
“Your Highness-”
“DO IT!” the Queen bellowed, and proceeded to perform a fast array of slashing attacks, each one capable of cutting through Penny’s strengthened body, managing to cut deep into one of the Engine’s legs and lower torso and forcing the Engine on the defensive lest she be sliced into pieces.
Dormouse took a deep breath, lifted her staff, and her eyes flashed purple as she cast the spell.

Back at the shelter, the sleeping villagers turned uneasy, and woke to screams of terror and fright, having suffered dreadful nightmares. Then, pandemonium soon erupted as so many people in such little space began to fret and panic all at once:
“What is this place?”
“How did I end up falling asleep here?”
“Mcdonald, get off me!”
“Let me out!”
Soon villagers began attempting to run out of the shelter, and the evacuation force realized they needed to be stopped before they got outside.

---

Akhenaten grunted, this time sounding glad, when Kiyome thanked both him and Nefer for the help. “Oh, don’t mention it. I’m usually pretty tough, but when a cutie like you is in trouble, I just can’t resist~” Nefer responded, and took out an artifact from her pocket; it looked like a small wand with a stylish star at the tip. “Now hold still…” She poked Kiyome in the chest with the wand, and she felt as restorative magic from the Healing Artifact soothed her, closing her wounds and even setting her bones back in place a bit. However, while now capable of standing on her own, she was still not in a condition to walk, and so required the minions to support her. “That should keep you stable. Now you owe me a date…Just kidding~” She laughed a bit, and then turned to face some approaching club soldiers. “Ooh, there’s some tech. I want me a piece of that!” She then charged in guns blazing, followed by Akhenaten who gave one last look and a nod back at Kiyome before following after her.

With that, Kiyome proceeded to loot the corpse of the faux Dorothy, and procured a pair of ruby slippers with curly tips, with the torn off legs still attached to them. Once she removed the legs from the slippers, she could tell they were potently enchanted simply by holding them. Then, she retreated back into Bolorton proper, her minions making sure she would be protected by stray Wonderland soldiers on the way.

Eliana created a protective barrier over the Bolorton shelter, ensuring the building wouldn’t be destroyed if an artillery piece would hit it as she continued layering and strengthening it, dropping to 80% mana in the process.

---

Hyun Long nodded as Serenity explained her appearance was the result of a Red Coin. “I see. From what I’ve heard, Red Coins can cause some unusual changes. Well, consider yourself lucky; I know some have gotten much worse makeovers from using them, like rainbow-colored hair, tartan patterned-clothes, and being reduced to the height of a fire hydrant. At least you are not an eyesore. Just remember that you represent Beacon like the rest of us.”

She then smiled as Serenity further clarified her feelings of gratitude. “I’m glad to hear that.”
She offered her hand for a handshake. “Let us be friends, so that together we can-Kiyah!”
Suddenly, Hyun yelped in surprise, her hand having quickly withdrawn as Magical Dream Princess made herself known. She was riding on a magical horse with both a horn and wings, resembling a combination of a unicorn and a pegasus. Though she had some difficulty following the bubbly magical girl’s language and was uneasy about the suggestion overall, with Aurelio’s assistance she soon got the gist of it. “Very well then. Let’s channel the spell, Paladin Seraph.” She then closed her eyes and clasped her hands together, thinking thoughts of personal joy.

As the rest followed MDP’s instructions, a shimmering pastel-colored portal emerged, it’s insides swirling with fluffy clouds and five-pointed glowing stars. The van drove through it, and it emerged on the outskirts of Bolorton, south-west of the plaza. The Beacon members saw how the town was ravaged by Wonderland, complete with a shimmering double barrier, burning buildings, and bodies littered around. Alicia saw how Lily and Alex worked together to curb the tide of troopers wearing club symbols on their helmets; one of the known insignias for Wonderland. They also saw a lot of smoke and vapor coming up from the north where the troopers were coming from, as well as the sounds of gunfire and explosions around them.

They then heard Violette chime in through their communicators:
“What just happened? I noticed from the GPS that you suddenly arrived there. Well, that doesn’t matter now. You need to head to the shelter to the south of the plaza and build the teleporter! Hurry!”

---

Al’s shadow nodded as he sighed. “I suppose you make a point there. Golden Trove did end it’s business, and with none the wiser on how or why.”
He then scoffed at the second reason Chloe provided. “I knew I was putting too many chips on Reaver to handle the job, but eh, you gotta know when to fold ‘em. The Beacon’s operations took a hit, and that’s all that matters in the long run.”
The third reason caused him to chuckle. “You’re no Marilyn Monroe kid, but you have talent, I give you that. Sometimes the subtle approach does work better.” He didn’t react to the tap on the wall, and simply listened for the rest.

Once Chloe was done, Al sighed. “Really now? You’re going to save my life?”
Then, as Chloe was leaning against the wall, her finger drawing a line on it, he surprisingly stepped out of the central shadow; she was now leaning directly against him. Having to crane her head up to look at his face, his formidable stature seemed even more immense, the tiny puppets on his chest writhing like tormented souls as she stared up close at them.

Chloe then saw as he picked out a white package sealed with the Mint’s emblem from his pocket; it seemed to contain magical coins. He offered the package to her. “Here; the pay for the Trove and rave jobs. Now, what’s all this about life-saving nonsense?” He afterwards took out a cigar, and lit it as he leaned against the wall he came out of. “Good joke if I ever heard one.”

The large amount of distractions that were currently plaguing the goons were really helping Alexander out. As what fire his defenses were taking weren't enough to break through his barriers before he could restore them. This made it much easier to tear through the invading soldiers 'This feels like it's getting me nowhere, but I can't go charging through to try and find where they're coming from, since I've got a building full of civilians to keep safe. Dammit, what's even the point of this; these things are way too organized and numerous to be just a random bunch of monsters. Somebody has to be leading them, but what are they even after!?'

His musing/brooding was broken when a larger than normal monster tried to jump him. In response, Alexander created a clone which he then flung right into the creature's face, while the clone unleashed every swear he knew at his original self. The sudden body in it's face threw it off enough for Alexander to get in there and bisect it. The clone managed to get off one last "Fuck you" before it popped.

'Although, it does feel like I'm packing a bit more power than normal, I wonder why. Bah, I guess it doesn't really matter all that much. With me being stuck here on defense, I guess the best I really can do is the keep killing these things and look for any important looking ones. Who knows, I just might luck out and take out a field commander or two, that should make this easier. I just hope that someone's out there working on fixing this while we're here holding them back.' He swung his sword and managed to cleave through two of the monsters at once 'Ohh, A double kill.'

One second, he was in a town overrun by chaos.

Then one second more, all was quiet.

Finn's idea actually worked! Now to just call Maura and tell her to open the Cradle real quick. But a part of him did want him to just wait a moment before shifting back, y'know? Enjoy the brief peace before having to deal with that headache a bit longer. And yet, it wouldn't be fair to leave the others there to fend for themselves, or set a good example for them.

He took a deep breath in, then a deep breath out. Right, let's drop these hearts off while there's still time. He began picking them up off the checkerprint ground. "Open up the Cradle, got you some souvenirs!" Just in case, he stepped over to somewhere darker. On cue, the nearest shadow turned opaque enough for Maura to peek through. As Finn tossed her one heart at a time, her brow rose.

"Everything alright at Bolorton?"

"Escalating. The card soldiers had begun breaching our defenses. I hadn't been told any specifics before I shifted out of there but you can imagine how it'll get worse."

Maura grimaced. "What do they want with a town like that? I doubt Bolorton just so happens to have a Nexus too."

"Set up a stronghold, send a message, subjugate the residents, anything goes. I tried to look further into the dimension they're from but unless I kill one of their own and steal their identity? I won't be able to get a closer look at the leaders."

"Actually, about that~!"

Be it blessing or curse, their shared business partner had decided to pop in from behind Finn, startling the poor boy. "You might wanna put a pin in your whole 'Negotiating with Wonderland' plan, kid!" Jennifer began to explain, her clock eye projecting the frontlines or what was left of them where the Queen was trying to parlay with Penny. "Looks like since Penny has her quaint little cult going on, they'd rather place their bets on her than someone they've never even heard about!"

That made Finn's blood start to boil again. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" He groaned, the grip on his weapon tightening.

"I know! It's too damn obvious Penny was gonna attack 'er instead of listening to the broad! Though that's really gonna look stupid when she realizes Mariette was on the other side of the portal she bombed!" The false witch rambled on. When Finn gave her a confused look, she elaborated: "Queenie invited her to tea, that's why she didn't help you enter the castle."

Then his expression twisted into one of exasperation. He sharply inhaled through his nose, then out. "What else." He growled through his teeth. As much as Maura felt like she should go ahead and close the portal, she stuck around. Finn had her sympathies with how ridiculous all this sounded.

"Let's see... Thanks to your little stunt, the Tin Man's corpse ended up destroying what remained of the barriers keeping Wonderland out. But the OZ Unit's officially no longer a problem, so that balances out I guess." She began listing off what he missed. Finn's eyes widened in guilt. How was he supposed to prevent that?! "The Dormouse, the one leading the attack, apparently has dream magic too _{Mari's gonna have a damn field day} and woke the civilians up with nightmares so bad they're in a state of panic... And Beacon finally arrived thanks to a certain Pinkalicious Princess."

Oh, NOW the lightheads finally arrived in the fight?! Now, he knew the thought was hypocritical with his team taking help from Nefer, but BEACON of all people having to get some from the walking sugar rush?! Hah! That was something he was more willing to hang over their heads after this! And the civilians...hopefully Oliver can work that out, cause he was at a loss there! At this point Finn was taking deep breaths as to not let his anger get the better of him.

Maura decided to finally speak up. "And I'm guessing you just showed up to tell him all that? What happened to 'staying out of the spotlight'?" She asked Jennifer, crossing her arms.

Jen looked back at her with her brows risen. "Oh, forgot you were here too. Anyways, Doc's already on the field, so as long as I use a cover everything'll be peachy!" She answered nonchalantly. "But you and I will talk LATER, we gotta head back before someone else takes all the good targets!" Jen hooked an arm around Finn who chose to just...say absolutely nothing right now and winked at Maura. "Toodeloo, Wretch!"

"Was that really fucking necessar-"

They shifted out before he could finish chastising the mad woman.

---

Since he had the bright idea of shifting to the Overcity above ground, once Finn appeared again he could be seen being carried under the arm of a scarlet-clad medic. The stranger flew back to the ground and set him down. "Right. There's someone else over there stalking our favorite queens, but there's a greater chance she'll back Penny up so I'd take advantage of the distraction. Otherwise, do what you want!" She advised him. With a nod, Finn borrowed a chameleon's camouflage and began sneaking closer to where the Queen of Hearts and Dormouse were located. He just had to take out the latter, right? Just got to get close enough to strike, swiftly and quietly.

The disguised Jen meanwhile had concidered following him, if not to give the queens some choice words she had for the two of them.

...

She shook her head. Nah, she wasn't that stupid. Not much else she could do this late in the show, ergo...

Assuming there was enough room for her, Nykannis would probably notice Jennifer's sudden appearance, the witch sitting on one of her shoulders. "Let me just say, I don't pity whoever has to pay for the damages."

---

"I don't get paid enough for this!"

Oliver gritted his teeth. He and Connie made it to the evac shelter, only for the civilians inside to suddenly break out into a mass hysteria and attempt to leave. Dumb fuckin' idea in all honesty, concidering there were still enemy soldiers his phantoms were holding off! They were gonna get themselves killed if they didn't do something. But what? Moving a reasonable distance away from the crowd, he set Connie back down, and summoned a couple more armor-clad spirits to hold the crowd back guard the door until he thought of something. "Christ, I can probably make something to calm them down but I need time. Don't suppose you deal with empathic magic or something like that, Connie?" He asked her, having already begun ad-libbing something to mimic the aformentioned spec.

Though if the soldiers decided to try their luck and attack them again, the ghost was willing to say "Screw it" and go find somewhere else to take cover. Didn't seem like he was straining himself with how much summons he was juggling.

Fried, baked, char-broiled or blackened, it didn’t really matter how Mac had her prey. Wolves weren’t picky eaters. So long as it was made of meat, they’d eat it. Mac was a magical wolf, and she only required magical sustenance. She used her tongue to clean the sawdust out of her teeth. Her regenerative powers should be working twofold now. While the harm to her body hadn’t been too severe, she did need to keep up mana levels if she was going to keep all of these spells going.

That is to say Mac was fine, but how would Iron Mouse react to this?

”Oh yea? Thanks to you too!” Iron Mouse hadn’t fared quite as well as Mac had. She was charred all over and had some burnt hay sticking out of her coat. There were even a few splinters if one cared to look close enough. ”How am I supposed to stylishly rip up the battlefield when I look like I fell down a chimney?” Annabelle No.3 had already turned her attention to the club soldiers of course.

But now there was a bit of a problem. Mac found herself without any additional orders, and several fronts to engage in. There were tons of people protecting the civilians already, and Annabelle No.3 was trigger happy and dull enough that she’d overwhelm the clubs with little issue. She’d only get hit a second time hanging around her. Assisting Penny was unnecessary to all of her patrons goals, and she hadn’t received word if she should engage Lily or not. What was Mac to do?

While she wondered, Beacon arrived.

Beacon’s arrival raised several questions. They had been slow to arrive, and did so with the help of… Oh god no. Not her, not again. It was too soon for Mac and MDP to meet again. It was all too much and Mac looked into her sword for answers.

“Wonderland has acknowledged our announcement to give aid to the civilians.” Ishtar answered, though she averted her eyes. “As long as you carry symbols of Beacon on your person and don’t engage the enemy you have diplomatic immunity. However, should Wonderland ignore our treaty and stage a direct attack on you…” She sighed. “...You are permitted to defend yourselves. However, I sincerely hope it won’t come to that.”

Really now? Did Beacon truly believe that if they kept their hands folded that Wonderland would keep to themselves? That was just one more reason Mac couldn’t stand the lot of them. You’d think a group that was run by the Ascendancy would be a bit more preemptive with Wonderland. But Beacon did so love its lip service. Aglobal, nay, multidimentional entity like Beacon had no reason to stand by while the innocent were harmed. Fortunately, this was a state of affairs that Mac could deal with.

Iron Mouse, blackened as she was, dug into the ground. But she wouldn’t surface for some time.

…

…

…

@Crusader Lord@Shifter_Master@Flamelord

Maybe the Beacon girls spilled out of the vehicle, maybe they drove towards their destination, but as they moved towards their objective they would spot a familiar girl behind them.

An old recruit seemed to have returned to beacon. Suwako Makiyoshi looked just as tired and glum as the last time they saw her. Her small body was shorter than her bow, even when considering the height of her horns.

Anyone who had been around Penrose Beacon long enough would remember her calm demeanor. She wasn’t above getting flustered, but she was mellow for a rookie and you really needed to search her face to find out what she was thinking. Right now her brow was crossed. It wasn’t enough to wrinkle the skin on her forehead, but it was just enough to show she was annoyed. Her fiery gaze was cast on the destruction before her. More importantly though, she had her bowstring pulled back. The arrow she was preparing to fire was the size of a man.

“This goes against the Beacon code. How can we stand aside while these raiders pillage the homes of the innocent?“ The beacon crest on her kimono glimmered as she let loose her arrow. The arrow’s girth was larger than some trees, and could be more easily compared to a battering ram than a nimble arrow. It flew into the club soldiers near Lil and Alex and smashed them back. It didn’t slow up and instead kept going, going deeper and deeper into their ranks.

Of course, Alicia’s eyes saw something else. Suwako was not there at all, and everything from her voice to the arrow was an illusion. Though the arrow was fake, it was masking a gravity spell that pushed everything in front of it.

“Don’t be timid! Get the civilians out and reclaim their home!” The illusion of Suwako charged towards the frey. “For the people! For Beacon! For the cardinal!”

---

Sure, Al was an intimidating guy. But after a short conversation, Chloe had gone from having her life threatened to being paid. She’d sigh in relief if she hadn’t already anticipated this outcome. But as far as Chloe’s plans went, that was a mere bump in the road. It really wasn’t in the Mint’s best interest to kill her. Chloe slipped the envelope into her jacket.

"Pleasure doing business." She pushed herself off of Al. Partially because she didn’t want to be covered in cigar ash, but also because leaning against men was not really her thing. Aurora was at least cute enough to warrant her attention. But Al? " I agree I’m not Marilyn Monroe. She died young. That’s not something I plan to do. Though you might become James Dean if you’re not careful." Chloe leaned up against the wall beside Al, though she made no attempt to look at him. Across from them was a dingy wall. Just some old brickwork that was long overdue for a pressure washing. No windows, and it had been graffitied one too many times. Not by anyone with artistic talent either.

"Penrose isn’t a simple place, you know? Not like it was months ago." She smiled and tipped her head back. "I was excited for it all! I could terrorize people with my ghosts, poison my patron, flirt with Penny, mess around with Beacon girls. The world truly was our oyster. Of course there was always a horror or two waiting in the wings, but that was just a backdrop, curtains on the edge of the stage." She closed her eyes and reminisce before looking back at Al. "And now? The ascendancy is out in full force, Wonderland’s forces are drawing closer, there isn’t a whole lot one can do on their own anymore. But the Mint doesn’t care about your setbacks. I mean, they’re the type of organization that would threaten you with death if you needed to unexpectedly leave. They might even approach you in some dark alleyway and threaten you with death!" She leaned her head against Al’s arm. "Even Elvis would have difficulty pleasing the Mint. I can’t imagine the situation is making them very happy. They value control and knowledge above all else, and I can’t say you’ve been a shining example of that recently." She quickly raised her hands. "Not that it’s your fault of course! You don’t get to choose who you recruit, nor do you decide when the next big bad arrives. The Mint doesn’t let just anyone become a coin broker. They must have had faith in you to give you a crack at Penrose. But that’s just comforting words, isn’t it? It doesn’t matter how long you work for them, we’re all just tools, even the mighty brokers." She looked up at Al. "But there’s a way out of this for you. Maybe you have an agent that’s proven they’ve got moxy. That they’ve got the skills to lead others and get the job done. Give them a promotion, let them handle Penrose, and you can wash your hands of this. Worst case scenario, that agent gets killed and you’re out an agent. Best case scenario, that agent turned coin broker owes you a pretty big favor." Chloe looked at her nails. "Saving your rear is wholly something I have the power to do. Don’t get me wrong, it won’t be easy, but I understand Penrose and its people better than you and any of the other knuckleheads under you." With a hop, she left her disguised form and turned into her magical self. This gave her enough of a boost to reach Al’s shoulder. She hung off of his arm while looking into his eyes. "Come on, Al. You gotta know when to fold them, but with me you can go all in."

Gaia smiled in grim satisfaction as she watched the Spade she’d fired upon explode above a squad of Club soldiers, pelting them with flaming shrapnel.

That’s one down, at least…

All in all, the battle actually seemed to be turning in their favor, with every member of the Oz-themed unit having been eliminated, save the towering Tin Man, and it looked like he was on his proverbial “last legs”. Indeed, as Gaia watched, the magical boy who had climbed atop the metallic colossus shifted away with its multiple hearts. Bereft of its apparent power source, the Tin Man wobbled for a moment, before falling with an almighty clang.

Right onto the twin barriers shielding the town, completely shattering them both…

Damn it… Gaia hissed under her breath. Of course that was going to happen…

“Oh my heavens! How absolutely awful!” the Angel of Hope cried in horror, placing her trembling hands over her open mouth.

Seriously?! Are you fucking kidding me right now?! Aaaaargh! Well, at least the artillery’s died down a bit… I guess that’s something… Still… With nothing to shield them, the poor souls of this innocent village are now completely at the mercy of these horrid invaders! And I fear I lack the mana needed to create the Aegis anew! Oh, whatever shall we—

An instant later, the heavenly beauty’s thoughts were cut off by a barrage of missiles, energy beams, actinic lightning, glowing crystalline spikes, and swirling streams of warped reality, which utterly laid waste to the closest Clubs attempting to take advantage of the fallen barriers.

Whirling around, both the Angel and Gaia were greeted with the sight of over two dozen ultra-tech magical girls, all heavily armed with a dizzying array of incredibly bizarre and incredibly powerful-looking weapons.

“Mother’s Mantle…” Gaia whispered, her eyes widening in stunned amazement.

What.

The.

Fuck.

Meanwhile, Oliver had carried Connie to the evac shelter, where the now-awakened townsfolk were starting to have a bit of a freak out…

As was Connie herself…

After the incredibly harrowing and embarrassing experience of being bridal carried through a war zone by a boy she’d only just met minutes before, the timid girl felt like she was on the verge of a full-scale panic attack. And maybe a heart attack as well…

Ohgoshohgoshohgoshohgosh her frantic mind raced as she was presented with yet another distressing sight, the townsfolk’s frantic hysteria only adding to the kind-hearted girl's own. Then she heard Oliver ask her a question. “O-Oh!” she gasped, having been slightly started by the sound of her name. “U-U-Ummm, w-well… N-N-Not r-really…” she replied, her masked visage looking very despondent. “I-I, u-umm o-only h-have n-n-nightmare m-magic,” she explained. “A-A-And, I-I d-don’t r-really t-think t-that w-would h-h-help v-very m-much… I-I’m s-sorry f-for b-being s-so u-useless…” she added in a soft whisper, while hanging her head in despair.

“Awww, like, don’t worry, Connie Wonnie~!” a startlingly cheerful voice called out from behind them.




“Magical Dream Princess is heresie weresie to helpy welpy~! (giggle!)”

“M-Magical D-Dream Princess?! W-When did y-you g-get here?!”

“Just nowie~! (giggle!)” the whimsical girl chirped as she skipped into the shelter. “Like, hi, everybodywody~!” she greeted the gathered villagers with a bright smile and an energetic wave. “Magical Dream Princess knows thingie wingies are super duper confusing wusing and scary wary right nowie, but, like, everythingie wingie is gonna be okie dokie, cause, like, this is just a really bad dreamy weamy, and Magical Dream Princess is gonna makey wakey it into a super duper sweety weety dreamy weamy instead~! (giggle!)”

With that, the whimsical girl waved her glittery wand and sent a prismatic wave of dream magic through all the frightened townsfolk, instantly placing them in a contented slumber, while sparkly pink clouds were conjured to catch them before they could fall to the hard floor.

“Ta daaa~!” MDP declared, striking a cute pose. “All better wetter~! (giggle!) Wowie zowie~!” she exclaimed a moment later. “Oliver Woliver’s heresie weresie, too~! (giggle!)” Bouncing over, she quickly wrapped both the ghost boy and Connie up in a group hug. “Magical Dream Princess is super duper sorry worry she took so longy wongy to get heresie weresie, but, like, she was super duper busy wusy making waking some new friendy wendies~! (giggle!)”

“N-New f-friends…?” a still rather shaken up Connie asked.

“Yeperoonie~! (giggle!)” MDP confirmed. “In facty wacty, they’re right outsidey widey~! (giggle!) Cause, like, they wanted to helpy welpy too~!”

---

After making a suitably grand entrance, the members of Phase Two set to work annihilating the Wonderland forces. Team Tertiarius, being composed of aerial combat specialists, took to the skies, where they began methodically vaporizing the remaining Spades with polyphasic photon blasters, monomolecular hyper-quantum hyperion lances, and variable-vortex digi-destructo cannons. Simultaneously, the long-range heavy bombardment specialists of Team Quaternarius set their sights on eliminating what was left of the Wonderland artillery. Focusing their attention on the field pieces furthest from where Penny was engaging the Queen of Hearts, they began their assault with a world-shattering blast from Quaternarius-01’s superheavy infinite hyper-hellbore siegebreaker cannon. The ruinous cylinder of annihilation it vomited forth effortlessly penetrated the hillside behind which the artillery had erroneously believed they were protected, gouging a molten hole through the mound of earth, before utterly obliterating the hapless war machines beyond.

And as for the advancing Clubs, well…

“Hahahaha! This isn’t even a challenge!” Primus-04 laughed in sadistic glee as she incinerated several Club troopers in a gout of technomantic flame.

“I believe that is the entire point,” the calm voice of Primus-06 replied as she impassively watched her pet cyber-shark go on a feeding frenzy throughout the Clubs’ ranks, sending limbs and gore flying in every direction. “After all, for what other reason were we given life?”

Meanwhile, the one who gave said life was admiring her handiwork…





“Nyahahaha!!!” Doctor Nykannis cackled maniacally. “Now THIS is what I’m talking about!”

Even as she watched her creations tear the Wonderlanders to shreds, data accumulator-tipped mechadendrites extended to scan various pieces of Wonderland tech, a rifle here, a helmet there, while a quartet of drones detached from the Monarch of Mad Science’s towering Combat Form to run a full spectrum analysis on the Tin Man’s remains. Simultaneously, a fifth drone also detached, only to blink out of existence a moment later, having shifted to the Overcity in order to analyze the Tin Man’s hearts (even if it had to follow them into The Cradle to do so).

It was about then that she noticed the approach of one of the local defenders, a green-skinned young woman who greatly resembled a forest nymph.

For her part, while initially startled by the new arrivals, Gaia had quickly realized that they were on the same side. Not only that, but the largest among them was somewhat familiar…

“I thank you for the most welcome assistance,” the verdant maiden told the technomantic titan looming over her. “If I am not mistaken, you are that scientist my dearest Connie and I met at the Christmas party,” she added. “Doctor Nykannis, correct?”

“That’s right,” the Mad Scientist Supreme replied with a grin. “I normally tend to avoid getting involved with this kinda shit, but these guys needed a proper field test, and I thought the little clusterfuck you’ve got going on here would serve to facilitate that rather nicely. So you and your pals can just sit back and enjoy the sh— WHAT THE?!!” Nykannis exclaimed in shock, her train of thought having been momentarily derailed by the sudden appearance of something on her shoulder. An instant later, she had regained her composure, after realizing exactly who the strange young woman in question was. “Oh, hey Jen,” she greeted her chaos-craving friend. “So, I guess you finally decided to experience the insanity of this reality plenum firsthand, huh?” she inquired with a smirk. “They’re beautiful, aren’t they?” the Monarch of Mad Science added, gesturing to the various members of Phase Two. “I gotta say, they’re easily some of my finest work, all either Diamond or Challenger Grade. Hell, take the Grand Magistrate out of the equation, and they’d cream Justine, Penny, and Rachel in less than two seconds.”

However, before the disguised (false) Witch of Time could respond, Primus-01’s voice sounded out. “Deployment Zone secure, Doctor Kannis,” she stated. “Should we now move to eliminate the Wonderland Monarch?”

“Negative,” Nykannis replied. “That’s Penny’s fight,” she added, her many eyes glowing with even greater intensity as a toothy grin spread across her face. “And I’m VERY interested in seeing how she fares…”

In the blink of an eye the Beacon team arrived in Bolorton. Surveying the battlefield from her limited area, things did not seem to be going well in spite of the influx of magical girls. Sure they were doing damage to the approaching Wonderland forces, but Wonderland troops were now entering the city streets, putting the place directly at risk. It seemed they were still in time to have some impact on how things turned out.

Glancing towards the sky, Alicia nodded along with Violet's surprised statement. "Magic happened," she explained succinctly. What else needed to be said?

With them now in the city they needed to get to the shelter so they could set up the teleporter. "Alright, let's go. Wonderland isn't going to wait for us," she told Aurelio as the car drove down deserted streets. With the city about to be imminently invaded, haste was of the utmost importance if they wanted to get the civilians out. She shuddered to think of what Wonderland could get up to with helpless people. As much as it bit at her to not be able to do anything, she knew that this was still an important task.

Yet an unexpected distraction presented itself as they drove along. Glancing in the rearview mirror for a moment to get a better look at the combat going on behind them, Alicia paused as she spotted someone unexpected standing on the side of the road. "Suwako?" Even if she was not surprised by seeing Suwako, finding her here was an unexpected jolt. She watched with wide eyes as Suwako ranted at the injustice present before racing off to attack Wonderland.

For a brief moment she was possessed of the impulse to go after her. But the more she thought on it the more something seemed off. Sure, it was possible that Suwako had ended up here like so many of Penrose's magical girls. That part was hardly unusual, especially by magical girl standards. However she'd always known Suwako as a relatively softspoken and withdrawn girl, with firm opinions that she had trouble expressing. It was quite different from this.

Rising in her seat, Alicia frowned as she turned back to look at Suwako. Her eyes glowed as she activated her Third Eye, and was met with the truth of the matter. Returning to her original position, she nodded to Aurelio. "Keep going," she told him. "That's just an illusion, someone trying to drag us into the fight. But we need to get the teleporter set up first. Making sure the civilians are out of harms way is most important." Especially with Wonderland starting to breach the city proper.

For now they needed to do the task they had been assigned. And really, she was done being misled by illusions and other such schemes.
_{@Ariamis@Shifter_Master@Crusader Lord@BrokenPromise}

Nope. None of this is important. Jelena’s life is in danger. Mariette grabbed Jelena and Overcity Shifted away, then immediately portalled for home to get Ronja (healer) to look at Jelena. None of this was important.

That she completely and utterly forgot she had the Queen’s notebook in her hammerspace handbag was a separate issue altogether.

__________________________________________


Waaaaaaaaaaaaait for it. At some point it would be Mayra’s perfect time to interfere. Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaait for it…

Just going to watch Penny and Queenie going at it for a bit.

__________________________________________


Miko and Ronin are going to keep helping keep artillery at bay. They weren’t mentioned by a single being in the last series of posts so guess they can just keep doing that.

‘Waaaait, don’t go! You’ll be hurt!’ In lack of anything else, Miko can try to establish a barrier to block the townsfolk from running panicked straight out into the battle, while Ronin stands and watches her back with sword and more thrown barrier discs.

‘Oh, hey! Beacon! I’m actually glad to see you!’ Ronin called, seeing the Beacon team arrive. I assume she saw them, anyway.

---

...The healing did not go unappreciated, though Kiyome would simply give a grateful nod back at Nefer in response for that particular bit. Woman seemed to not be able to help herself to certain extent, could she? Monsters or not, magical folk for a surety were just as fickle and varied as anyone in the world of the mundane. Though beyond this her words to the golem-man were true, she did know how to play a good game of Senet when it came down to it. More important than that for the time being, however, was safely and securely attaching the magical slippers her waist and then continuing on with support from the conjured horror minions. She had to make it to where Eliana was before they made any sort of retreat. Though given her mistress' nature, she had almost certainly already resigned herself to sticking around to ensure the civilians were out of here.

If the worst occurred, though, the swordswoman would do what she needed to otherwise.

With her minions running interference to keep off any of the stray enemy soldiers from her personally, she would conjure a few more on the way in and give them further orders: Secure some of the dead enemy weapons along the way, if any, with those most intact or fully intact being preferred. A couple or even three fully-intact weapons, at a minimum, would be an optimal minimum if she could manage it. If not? Then she had the slippers. Any minion who got a useful item would stick near her, whilst the rest would work with those from the other batch to continue to run interference. This would likely be the last she would be allowed to conjure in unless it was to keep Eliana safe, she figured, and so she had the minions supporting her pick up their pace to that end as well.

And then Kiyome and her escort would eventually get far enough into the plaza to see the chaos going on. This included a certain familiar magic and presence standing at the entrance of what seemed to be a shelter. Eliana. Letting the soldiers fight Alex and Lily, or anyone else already there fighting, Kiyome and her escort beelined it toward where Eliana was. Once behind the barrier, the two minions supporting her would be commanded to take any other trophies taken along the way (if any) and hold onto them as they remained with her. As for any remainder?

...They would be sent to go out and kill some soldiers alongside the other defenders. They'd done their job to get her there to where she wished to be. Now they were of no use save for the two staying with her to help her move (and hold onto any other loot acquired along the way, if any, whilst the slippers remained close at hand as one of her hands moved to her own waist to keep a firm possessive grip on them).

---

As the civilians began to wake, Eliana could hear their scrambling and surprise even from where she stood at the entrance to the shelter. With that in mind she pushed herself slightly further to create a small repulsive barrier at the entrance doorway to prevent anyone getting out from the inside. Otherwise she continued her work on the larger protective barrier being augmented in both strength and layers to keep out both enemy soldiers and enemy artillery fire. She knew her magical energy was dropping to an extent from all of this, but it would be worth it! They just had to get the civilians out of there and it would all be ok. They had to!

But increasingly things were getting worse. The shattering of the remaining outer defenses, as soldiers now poured inside toward their position, and the panicking civilians were just the tip of the greater iceberg. They had no seeming means of escape at the moment, and that was going to be the hardest part. Exist. Escape. Likewise she hadn't heard back from her sword wielding ally for a bit now to boot. Was she still out there fighting on the perimeter? No. If the barriers were falling she'd begin moving back toward where herself, Lily, and Alex and so forth were. She knew that much well enough about the one who served her, even if she hadn't exactly asked for such a thing in the first place nor desired such. But Kiyome was an ally and friend by now all the same, so she couldn't just leave her here!

Then came the visual she had been waiting for. The sight of her compatriot, accompanied by a number of conjured horror minions (two supporting her it seemed), caused the Cosmic Gypsy to let out a reflexive small sigh of relief. At the same time, however, her compatriot as she got quickly closer would have her condition become more and more visible by Eliana's eyes and senses. Not that she didn't have some supernatural sensory capabilities already in her possession anyhow. But Kiyome didn't seem to be in as fighting a shape as she and the minions with her were allowed to pass through the barrier, and whilst the swordswoman seemed to dispatch most of the remainder of her minion escort back out a frown began to pull down on the edges of the Cosmic Gypsy's mouth.

"You're badly hurt, Kiyome, I can tell. You can't even walk on your own!"

"My apologies for worrying you, Mistress. I got a little patching up from a Healing Artifact someone had out there, at least, and retreated when I could not longer hold the front line alongside the others out there still. Even got at least one trophy for the road with these slippers."

One hand was securely gripping a pair of potently magical slippers tied to the swordswoman's waist, that much Eliana could tell out of the corner of her vision. Where had they come from though? She'd have to ask later, once they made it out of the situation and saved the civilians. Even so, the swordswoman's other hand once again conjured Kiyome's unnaturally long blade back into it as the minions seemed to help her sit down on the ground next to Eliana.

"I don't care! You shouldn't throw your own health away so...so stupidly! I know I asked you to help here as well, but I want you to come back alive as well."

"...Of course, Mistress," the other magical girl said, her voice sounding a bit more somber now than the almost military-drilled yet formal tone she seemed to use around her, "But with the situation turning by the second I would suggest we come up with an escape route before the situation becomes inescapable."

She was well aware. She was...she was very well aware of that indeed.

@Ariamis@Majoras End@Card Captor

---

---

---

Serenity had smiled and reached a hand out in return to shake with Hyun, though the sudden appearance of MDP would likewise shock her as she recoiled in surprise. Wait, what was she riding on? Was that a Unipegasus?! Hadn't those gone extinct on Earth over-...never mind. Ultimately the magical maid would follow MDP's instructions as the rest were, trying to conjure some kind of happy thoughts to help fuel the magic that would get them there even faster (she hoped). If Alicia and the others were willing, she follow with them in this case.

And they would emerge onto the other side of a near-hellscape.

Smoke and mist rising from the North, the sight of burning buildings and homes, and sounds of battle and the gunfire and explosions occuring around them that rang and clang out in a horrendous din were just the start. There were also soldiers donning one if the insignias of Wonderland, that she could tell on sight (with a small and visible grimace), but Violet's voice would snap her out of the brief moment of taking things in and back to the mission at hand. That was right. They were here to evacuate people, not make war with-

“This goes against the Beacon code. How can we stand aside while these raiders pillage the homes of the innocent?“

-wha?

The beacon crest on her kimono glimmered as she let loose her arrow. The arrow’s girth was larger than some trees, and could be more easily compared to a battering ram than a nimble arrow. It flew into the club soldiers near Lil and Alex and smashed them back. It didn’t slow up and instead kept going, going deeper and deeper into their ranks.

Who was this? This person hadn't been with them at the base, nor was this person sent on the mission! On top of that, she seemed to be from Beacon (according to the crest on her body) and was actively trying to provoke them all to attack the Wonderland soldiers. If her presence and actions didn't fool the soldiers into attacking all of them in the process. It was nothing short of a potential disaster if they let this happen, even if the best of intentions were on the line...it wasn't a perfect situation by any means in general.

It was right to assist the afflicted denizens, but at the same time there was also the politics at play that couldn't be ignored. Beacon, for better or worse, could be pulled into an entire war if they did this on their own. They'd be going rogue! And even if helping the civilians here was right, was it right to drag the rest of the chapter and members into this because of the actions of a few who decided for them? There was more to it, dang it all!

"Suwako?"

Eh? Suwako? Was that the name of this horned girl trying to prod them to action? She couldn't recall meeting her before, though considering how many members were in Beacon and the constant stream of events since her own 'reincarnation' it was not much of a surprise either. Yet this smelled of something fishy, and that wasn't because it literally smelled of fish either.

"Keep going. That's just an illusion, someone trying to drag us into the fight. But we need to get the teleporter set up first. Making sure the civilians are out of harms way is most important." "

Ah. Serenity let out a small sigh of relief from her seat, taking a couple deep breaths to steel herself a bit more as well, though she still felt a small pang of frustration at the very concept. An illusion to try to goad them into attacking Wonderland? Someone wanted them to fight too, that much was for sure. But not wanting to take too many chances, she grabbed her own communicator to use to call Violet back.

"Violet, someone out here just tried to use an illusion of a Beacon member named 'Suwako' to goad us into attacking Wonderland's forces. Alicia was able to see through it, but wanted to send back info just in case whoever did that tries anything else while we're out here. We are still en route to the civilians."

This was not good, but reporting back clearly to Violet over the comms about it ASAP was the action she took for the sake of communication. Like Huyn had said, at least to the effect of, they were members of Beacon...and despite the road the two of them in particular saw ahead they had to do their best with that. At the same time, however, the magical maid felt somewhat more trust in those close to her to a certain extent if she were to be honest. Alicia, Aurelio, etc. Those who had stuck by her side and that she had sought to stick by in turn. She had been able to see other good people within Beacon, that much was sure, and it gave her hope moving forward. At the same time, though, there were also those who had taken up the offensive against her merely for her existence...

...indeed, Serenity still wanted to talk to Cardinal Ishtar later and ask her about what had happened back there at the base. If she knew anything about it. Anything at all.

Serenity then looked at where Alicia was sitting, before her mouth opened with a quick question.

"By the way, Alicia, who is Suwako? I didn't get much of a chance to meet some of the other members locally here, at least with everything that's been going on since I...ah...'came to be'."

Not that many had wanted to talk to her either given the circumstances and the root of her existence. A very ugly root indeed. But at least something basic about this 'Suwako' might help in avoiding future deceptions using the other magical girl's visage. Hopefully. Maybe.

@Ariamis@Shifter_Master@BrokenPromise@Flamelord

“My Queen” Ellen would shout a reply “The civilians are up and aren’t happy!” Her shouting was not to do with panic, though there was a bit of that. It was more to be sure she could be heard over the pandemonium of the shelter.

Both her and her sister were doing what they could to hold back the tide of people. But they were not bult for this, not if they wanted to keep people unharmed. They had the advantage of being Magical girls, so by that fact alone were stronger than they looked, but that would only count for so much.

So neither of them really questioned the spirits that showed up to assist, there would be time for that later.

---

The Engine wasn’t concerned with a struggle for dominance against the Queen of Hearts. That was her objective here, so when they clashed The Engine simple roll up and over her opponent, it was as if Gravity had no hold on her for a moment.

That wasn’t to say she was completely out of the way when her enemy started her counter assault. The gouge on her leg was more the proof of that. But those were the only wounds that were inflicted as The Engine continued to dance away from the rest of them. Her eyes were locked with the Queen of Hearts and slowly as the one-sided attack progressed The Engine would display a large fanged grin. A mocking and taunting grin.

Internally The Engine was recalculating, behind her Snoopy gave her a clear image of the devastation that was being rained down on the artillery placements. So that objective was taken care of. Her surveillance points were keeping her updated on the mounting chaos back at the town proper. But her own presence there likely wouldn’t be a large contribution.

’Why did no else one reply?’

So, she recalculated, as she dodged and weaved and parried. All focus put towards staying just barely in reach, but not enough to gain anything more than scratches.

And then suddenly with a slight tilt of her head, The Engine vanished. The air around her warping the only clue as to the nature of how, but one that Wonderland was sure to recognize. Not that where she had gone would long be a surprise.

Door mouse would find her first, as she would feel The Engines arm wrap around her neck as she was pulled back into a choke hold. At the same time the smaller girl’s limbs would be constrained by the tendrils that the Engine still had employed.

A moment later an ear piercingly loud electronic whine would split the air, a warning of what was at the ready. One wrong move and the Doormouse would perish. The Engine watched the Queen of hearts carefully, the mocking smile still present, but partially hidden by the Doormouse herself.
And above them all storm clouds began to roll in.

---

Landing in the town was just as stomach churning as Aurelio had expected it too be. It wasn’t because of the magical teleport, no he was far, far to used to such things for that to be it. It was more the atmosphere of war that got to him. Though it was oddly blunted he would come to realize a moment later.

“Understood.” He would reply to Alicia as he made he was towards the densest conglomeration of emotions, which was mainly Panic and Confusion at the moment. Because as far as he could tell someone had already gone around and gathered up all of the civies here, but for what reason they did that he couldn’t yet tell.

Still, A puff of smoke later and a pinkish clone would appear and take off after the illusion. “Going to try and keep some eyes on it” He would explain. “Might give us an idea as to what it was, they were trying to make us do.”

Something that would hopefully be of use. Though if it has anything to do with the twin sources of Rage on the outside of the town he wasn’t sure if he wanted to know. One of the angers felt normal, but the other one was just wrong It was far to flat and static for an emotion and made his skin crawl just looking at it. The farther he could stay from that the better.

In little more time they would reach the entrance of the Shelter.

Wasting no time Aurelio would leap out of the car, two clone poofing into existence behind him as he raced over to help. His clones moved off to the side, as they were basic ones without any magical capability, and started working on getting the teleportation Beacon set up. Inside would have been better, but they could move it later if needed.

Aurelio himself planted himself in between Oliver and Connie and began syphoning as much Panic as he could out of the civilians. The confusion wasn’t as detrimental to their situation at the moment, not if they could get them calmed down at least. “Evening you two,” He would say though grit teeth “I’d do a proper introduction but I’m not sure now’s the time. Either way, name is Aurelio. Glad I could make it in time to help.”

Justine continued flying above Bolorton, firing beams of crimson at the few Spades who yet lingered, as well as incoming troops on the ground, and incurred a wound on her shoulder. Alex continued fighting successfully, managing to avoid serious injury through Reinforcement magic and aggressive use of his tails to counter the incoming fire. As part of repelling the latest wave of Wonderland troops, he also managed to fell several monsters that had accompanied the assault; different from the Wendigos, these were ogre-like, with hunched over bodies; they carried bags full of the same sort of helmets that the troopers themselves wore. What the intended use for them was, Alex couldn’t tell, though he had a feeling it wasn’t anything beneficial to the villagers. He was doing well, though at 45% mana reserves he knew he was merely buying time before a big enough wave would force him to stage a retreat.

”You bastards! Take this! And this!"
Lily continued providing support to Alex, he could tell that she would grow more and more reckless and ferocious as the fight went on; she would spend less time in cover, and more time aggressively bombarding the Wonderland invaders with lightning arrows. It would reach a point where she would seemingly let herself get hit just so she could continue firing, letting Alex’ barriers absorb the damage when she had the opportunity to relocate to safety. Alex would realize these were signs of her encroaching Monstrous Metamorphosis.

Past the sunflowers, Alex could see tanks, having managed to drive through under the cover of smoke, accompanied by soldiers escorting them. The tanks fired from the main cannons, and their shells brought down one of the sunflowers as it approached the northern buildings. However, one of the tanks was soon destroyed by a barrage of iridescent weaponry, the smoke obscuring the direction.. Gaia and Angel of Hope, however, saw the source from their high vantage point; a group of monstrous Mahou with advanced technology had joined the defense against Wonderland. The ground units nearby, of course, were surprised by their sudden appearance, and were only now staging a counterattack, managing to take down one of the new arrivals through combined firepower of enchanted bullets and cannon shells. The other two tanks rolled past the fallen sunflower, and were taking aim at the defensive line Alex had set up.
Annabelle continued to support the sunflowers with her magic, but with so many enemies getting near she grit her teeth and retreated back towards the square, setting up smaller sunflowers in the streets to draw enemy fire.
“Gaia! Iron Mouse! We need to fall back!”

The news of reinforcements for the defenders didn’t escape the Queen’s notice, as she heard Heart commanders relay through her comms. “New enemy sighted! They possess weapons we have never seen before!” It was in that moment of distraction that the Engine took her chance, and taken Dormouse hostage. The Queen squinted, her sword held close as she gauged her opponent’s intentions. Dormouse could barely scream as she was choked, tears in her eyes as she shook in pure dread.
However, the Queen seemingly spared no sympathy for her own minister, her face like stone as the Engine made a warning whine. “Coward,” she coldly stated, and gripped her sword tighter.
“Very well then, kill her. The moment you do, I will make you regret ever crossing blades against me.”
As she said that, her sword began to glow; she was charging up magical power.

---

Mariette successfully escaped from Wonderland with an Overcity Shift followed by a portal back to safety, and delivered Jelena to Ronja. The spider girl then immediately began emergency Reinforcement spells on her heroic companion, stabilizing her in the process and saving her from death. However, as her condition was, she would spend a long time recovering.

---

At the shelter, Oliver was the first one to respond to the growing confusion and chaos among the civilians, and had full-plated phantoms assigned to watch the door, deterring the more meek villagers. However, some of them villagers, especially the burly farmers, were so enraptured by terror that they were not deterred by the slow-moving and detached guards, and managed to shoulder-tackle en masse through the door, scattering one phantom’s armor like pottery.
As Oliver helped reassemble the spirit’s possessed pieces, he felt his mana reserves to have dropped to around 85%: still very much in fighting condition.

Ronin and Miko managed to catch the few who had run out before they got too far with the use of regular barriers and disc-launched ones, tripping one of the farmers; he then proceeded to cover his head with his arms and cry like a little girl. Fortunately, before the situation escalated further, Magical Dream Princess provided a soothing spell of slumber; like the three fairies in Sleeping Beauty, rainbow-colored dust sprinkled over the villagers as they descended on bubble cushions, their eyelids shut and hearts calmed with sweet dreams.

---

Hyun Long was visibly appalled at the sight of Bolorton, her fiery fists tightly clenched. “Acknowledged,” she immediately replied to Alicia’s command, and kept her eyes peeled as Aurelio drove towards the shelter. She blinked in surprise at the sight of Suwako, surprised that Alicia had recognized her. Then, once Alicia revealed the truth, she gasped. “The audacity! But why would they do that?” As Aurelio chimed in with his own suggestion, Serenity had taken the initiative to report on the strange sighting. Violette sounded confused. “Suwako? She used to be a member of Penrose branch, but…” Serenity could hear typing sounds. “She had been relocated elsewhere. She hasn’t operated in the Penrose area for a long time. We will be conducting an investigation on our end. Paladin Seraph, if you can, assign someone to follow after the imposter from a safe distance and find out their identity and what their objective is if possible, but focus primarily on evacuating the civilians. Over and out.”

When Violette’s call ended, the car stopped before the shelter, and Aurelio’s clones began building the teleporter outside the shelter; compared to the heavy-duty-model back at headquarters, this one was smaller, mainly consisting of a central round pad wide enough for a single person to stand on, a magical power generator, interface unit with an LCD screen and keyboard controls, a couple of suspended rings and staked struts to hold the construction in place. While not designed for durability, it was split into easily recognizable parts, and thus was easy to build. Hyun Long, took up defensive positions nearby to make sure the building process wouldn’t be interrupted.

---

On her way back to Bolorton, Kiyome had fortunately only met a couple of Wonderland troopers, one of them seemingly wounded by a stray bullet and another who slowly crawled their way through the grass; both of them were quickly disposed of by her summons. She had successfully managed to use her minions to capture two of the crystal-augmented assault rifles as well as a crystal sniper rifle from a fallen Spade.

After a detour over from the east side of town, avoiding most of the assaulting force gathered at the north side, she reached the town square where Eliana was providing supportive barriers around the civilians, making sure the encroaching fire from the nearby buildings wouldn’t harm them. Once Kiyome arrived, she sent the minions to cover the flanking sides of town to slow down the enemy forces.

---

Al chuckled at Chloe’s counter-reference, and pointed the cigar away, letting the cigar ash drop away from them with a couple of taps of his forefinger. “Rebel Without a Cause, eh…That was a good movie. Shame about the race accident.” He listened as Chloe explained what she had in mind, and when she finished, Al dropped his burnt cigar, and lightly stomped on it.
“You know, I’m not supposed to talk personal with the agents. Keep it strictly business, as you know. But I’m starting to get tired of this. Back in the good old days, I had multiple areas to look after, a lot of business dealings and whatnot. I even earned as bit of vacation. But then Veronica had to go and screw it all up. Ever since she left, the wise guys upstairs decided to tighten up on us brokers.” He lifted his hat a bit, and Chloe saw a glimpse of a black tattoo on his forehead. “Chained us like dogs, they did, and the organization was forever changed for the worse; without the freedom we once had, our operations got downsized, as did our recruitment. But I got it the worst, since I had history with her. Was sent on a wild goose chase that led to nothing. Suppose that’s when they realized their motto wasn’t holding up as well as they hoped. Soon, we were a joke for how we handled Penrose.”
He tipped his hat down took out a new cigar; this one was special, if the gold wrapping was anything to go by.

“I don’t know if it was spite from the fiasco, or all the crazy magic they saw happening here, but they figured this would be a gold mine, that if I just pushed the competition out, they’d get rich and we’d get back to the good times. Well, too bad the mine’s also holding pockets of volatile gas, and they forgot to bring the canary.”

He lit the cigar, and blew out a smoke ring up to the sky. “I tried to make it work. Hell, even got a foothold on one of the major businesses. But I see the bubble, and the Great Depression that’s beyond it. I can send a hundred agents to stab at the problem, it’s not getting solved. This Big Apple’s rotten to the core.” He paused to take another smoke. “You’ve seen it, right?” He gestured to around Chloe. “Some Horror getting summoned every Tuesday, monsters throwing earthquakes like they’re downing drinks at a speakeasy, not to mention the latest Lewis Carrol carousel. Penrose is cursed, and I don’t mean the fun kind. I would like to kick someone to the office here and then kick back myself.” He coughed.
“But going all in with you? I see your bluff.” He blew smoke right in her face. “You got moxy, kid, but that's not enough to cut it as broker. All I see is a dame who ran off and then tries to talk big. You gotta prove you got what it takes; experience, ambition, the will to get your hands dirty. Show you got a full house, and no bats in the attic” he said as he pointed at the side of his head. “Maybe then I’ll reconsider.”

Make no mistake; the sudden arrival of unexpected reinforcements was wonderful, especially since he had burned through most of his energy and Lily looked close to entering her berserk mode. On the other hand however..."Tanks? Fucking Tanks!? What is this bullshit!?" It was starting to feel like he was an extra in a WW2 movie written by someone who clearly didn't have enough oversight, and Alexander really didn't like that. And then there was the fact that the reinforcements were a bunch of high tech monster girls that he hadn't even heard of before 'Well...okay that actually kind of makes sense' he realized after thinking it over for a few seconds 'I hadn't even heard of this place before today, so of course I wouldn't know about any of the local factions'

Once there was a brief lull in the fighting, Alexander spotted an important looking girl among the newcomers. He hustled over to her before any more shells could be fired their way and addressed her "Hey, I'm from out of town, and all I really know about all this is that a bunch of monsters were attacking civilians. So I was wondering if you could tell me what the fuck is going on here!?"