[IC] Viscious Virtue (Dark Magical Girls)

[blackdragon]

Midori looked at the wreckage her fireball had caused. Obviously, the police were going to be here in a minute or two, and what would they tell her father? His little girl just bombed an office building? She could just see how that conversation would go and facepalmed. Then, she made the very smart decision to go find the girl that had yanked her through the portal and give her a piece of her mind.

Fortunately, she didn't have to look far. All those magical girls, right next to the spot where the fight had happened, with a new one there? In a rabbit outfit, of all things? It didn't take a genius to put two and two together and get four. Midori leapt out of the hole she had blasted (damn, but she was hard on buildings) and stormed right on up to the newcomer with blatantly obvious violence in her eyes.

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?! I don't care what sort of powers you have, you don't rip somebody right out of a fight! Especially when they're charging up an attack! See how those offices have a new bay window? That's your fault! And it could have been a lot worse. I knew I had a clear line of fire. What if there had been people there that you didn't see?" Midori shook her head. "You've got to think before you do things like that!"

[Epsir]

Ikeda Setsuna

@ERode

Setsuna finally exhaled as the creature shriveled and died, its voice echoing away until its final epitaph - the clink of its gemstone falling to the ground - sounded over the refreshed silence of the theme park. Her blade cleansed, she steadied the scabbard and confidently slid her weapon home. Purpose executed, it locked into its place. There was no room for mercy in their work, no safety in relenting until the core of a Vice laid still before them. Perhaps their job was not truly done until it was consumed. The magical maid descended into sight, prim voice at once steel and song. Setsuna bowed her head. "Likewise. I'm grateful to fight beside someone so strong."

At that she knelt, prizing the inky gem from the ground. It was not the fear of direct combat or the sting of her wounds that frightened her the most. It was the tingling. The energizing rush of holding a true heart of darkness in her hand, the essence of the nightmares her kind fought and fed upon. Was this what the shark felt as it took its prey? Did nature really enshrine such a rich pleasure in killing, or was this simply their privilege as virtuous guardians? She didn't notice it in her first Vice taken, trepidation at the idea of enjoying the immeasurable significance of her role introducing itself as she fed.

Flat faced, she looked up at Anne, smiling faintly as she politely offered over this killing's claim. "Very well, thank you." Her fist rolled shut around the gem, popping it into quickly scattered dust in her palm. Small tongues of blue flame crept from her wounds, shimmering light returning her body to health as the raw intoxicating power of a felled vice flooded in. She shivered, nerve endings coming back to life, mind clearing.

She stood and straightened, smiling as the maid called a car out of nothing. She wasn't much of a gearhead, but knew enough to recognize class when she saw it. The guys and their car clubs who stopped by the gas station didn't drive things like that. Neon lights and colored brake pads paled before the robust, strong angles of a classic Rolls-Royce. No matter who you were... it was pretty flattering to get ushered into a stylish car by a real maid. Setsuna slid into the comfortable seating, holding her sword steady between her knees and staring out at the road surface from beside it.

It didn't take her much time to think on Anne's words. Her eyes focused on the distant lights of the city center. The flashing red navigation lights of factory buildings and windmills blended with the more welcoming glow of human occupied buildings. "We ought to keep going. We found a Vice cowering all the way out here, I'm sure it's going to be a busy night downtown. They might be better fed... but the number of victims only deepens my obligation to act. Let's go save some lives." Setsuna flashed a smile at the driver. "At the very least, let's get you a Shard for your troubles, too."

[Karkinos]

_⬛ mitsu, co. — warehouse A >> outside
_{⬜ @blackdragon; @LuckyBlackCat; @NiceSpice; @Thanarosa}

“She’s just fine.” Karen finds her voice, as if overpowered, in a crowd of presence and preternaturalism. Everyone in their thematic dress — maybe with her pink hair she’d be the protagonist but, right now, Karen feels like an audience member. Invisible. She stands transfixed as a girl’s wound puckers, reverse-moulders, and disappears in a perversion of time. She stands mesmerized in the emergence of another girl from thin air, as if melting into this dimension. Like a circus without tricks, but paradoxically, even less believable, with a harlequin to boot — so accurate, it has to be unconscious. Jungian, almost. A dream.

What can she make of it? Well, the clown girl may represent a doe-eyed innocence. The brown-haired young woman behind her, fringed in renaissance frill and roses, is that gloominess belying. And the girl dressed to hunt, armed to the teeth, is full-force reality. Together, they symbolize… a transition? Based on how they’re tiered. As for the lucky cat, she is that glimmer of golden optimism which confronts reality. And the angel, the healer — Karen didn’t at all catch the incredulity in her senior's tone — she is, hopefully, salvation.

So in this narrative she’s built, Karen can’t take Haruko’s hand, as it would just faze straight through. The dream would snap-crack-fizzle like TV static.

When she comes to, it is at the indication of a sudden heat ringing sensitive in her rabbit ears. Karen recognizes the girl-on-fire and, for some reason, starts, as if she hadn’t expected her to come around. Especially like this: the phoenix, sprung from a ring of smouldered structural steel in Warehouse B’s second story, is now traipsing towards her and shouting all the while.

The sheer irascibility and fume coming off of this girl. Mad, mad, and what for? So: you bust a hole in the wall of the abandoned property of a failed enterprise. So what? Here’s what: I saved you! Saved you from a fight that left these other girls in a state where they have to sew their own skin back together! You’re welcome, that’s what, was what Karen could’ve, should’ve, countered as the girl shook her head with finality. She can’t meet those eyes. The obduracy surfaced in her own gaze, as swiftly, rolls off, evanesces, and dies. The Karen that remains, thoroughly discouraged and embarrassed, can take no greater initiative than to herself disappear.

A mumbled half-apology — “...I’ve been intrusive” is the only part audible. Then, like a gymnast, Karen belts, kicks off the ground, kicks off a column, lands on those metal stairs extending to the upper floor. Turns back; hesitates. “I… have someone to check on.”

Haruko. Apparently, she was worth a first name basis. “It’s Karen.”

She reaches out to the clouded world outside the windows. Snap — a mirror her size, fwip, faces the conglomerate of vice-fighters. And Karen, outside, she’s falling. She’s out of there.

---

ᴍᴀɢɪᴄᴀʟ ᴘʀᴇᴛᴛʏ ᴄʜᴇʀʀʏ ᴡɪʟʟ ᴄᴏɴᴛɪɴᴜᴇ ᴀꜰᴛᴇʀ ᴛʜᴇꜱᴇ ᴍᴇꜱꜱᴀɢᴇꜱ! ♪

[ERode]

“It’s not a Shard that I need, but thanks anyways.”

Strapping herself in like a responsible driver, Anne put on a pair of white gloves, shifted the car to D, and zoomed off, obeying all traffic laws like the most lawful good motorist on the planet. Though magical girls were naturally incapable of being observed by other human beings, that same ‘invisibility’ was toggled off for the vehicles she generated. High competence in driving skill, under normal circumstances, meant that she had to go with the flow of traffic rather than dodge cars like a Fast and Furious movie, after all, and for that to be done, other drivers had to be aware of her Roll Royce’s existence. As roads got more populated, eyes were certainly drawn to the luxurious vehicle as it road smoothly up and down slopes, glimpses of a beautiful girl in a maid uniform caught behind the windshield.

Anne’s focus, though, was upon the magical atmosphere instead. Relying on her Competence to subconsciously move her body had become second nature for the Magical Maid, leaving her mind to stretch out beyond the road that she operated on. Vices in abandoned areas were elusive and could prey upon human beings without retaliation, but Vices in populated areas grew up faster, their life cycles accelerated by the density of a society. And, lo and behold, as the Rolls Royce rolled into the downtown area of Kaigo City, with its high rises and its overworked salarymen, Anne spotted the blooming of another beast easily enough. Thirty-two stories above, upon the rooftop of Westbanks Tower, an aberration of magical signature could be felt, throbbing like a tell-tale heart.

Blue eyes flickered towards the sidewalk. No parking. Blasted downtown streets. Turning to Bulwark, Anne offered a half-smile before unlocking the doors.

“Make it flashy.”
@Epsir

[Skyswimsky]

"Sugano Chinami." Kyouko repeated the fish-girl's name slowly. "Chinami Sugano..." Once more, like some sort of rare treat she had just received. It seemed like she was in deep thought for a few seconds before smiling brightly and giving the other girl a nod. "Alright, Chi-chan! We, uh..." Following Chinami's finger, Kyouko glanced at the small crystal.

"Loot!" She simply called out a single word as if that'd explain all. Right, Fluffy mentioned something about that, didn't he? "It's yours. It makes you stronger, like, maybe you'll be able to ride a shark! Can you already ride a shark? Sharks are pretty cool and actually very gentle, you know! I read about it on the internet, so it's true. But personally, I'd prefer to ride tigers." Finally, she paused for a moment to breathe.

"ANYWAY!" Only for a moment, however, as she continued. "We should go search and punch some more Vice! The Evil-stuff-things never sleep! That's their biggest advantage on us." Kyouko nodded a few times as she said all this. "Oh, and I'm new-ish too, BUT! Don't worry, as long as you give it your bestest, you'll succeed!... Eventually."

The only question was, where to go? Looking around unorganized and randomly didn't seem like the smartest of ideas. Even if Kyouko had plenty to talk about, for better or worse.

"Which school do you go to?" - "Do you know any other magical girls?" - "Do you like fish? What's your favourite animal?" - "Did you name your Keeper, too?" - "What's your favourite color?" - "What's your favourite food?" Were just a few of her questions, if Chinami didn't put a stop to it - or they'd find something interesting.

@DrowsyPangolin

[Bright_Ops]

Unknown Location.

There was a strange, icy chill in the air as the small group of thugs glanced around the rather spartan room. There wasn't any natural light in the room either; If there were any windows in this room they had cleared been covered up to the point where they were simply lost in the shadows of the room... and boy were there shadows.

The only lights in the room came from two desk lamps on that were carefully positioned on a rather well made and polished oak desk, likely costing more then any of the individuals currently standing in front of it had ever held at any one point in their lives. The lights also seemed to have been strategically positioned so that, while their soft glow did revel the man behind the desk and lit up the area in front of it, beyond that all it seemed to do was cast the rest of the room in deep shadow... shadows which rose the hairs on the back of one's neck and made your skin crawl with the feeling that something was watching from them...

"Gentlemen..." the middle aged man seated behind the desk started, his words filling the chilly silence that hung in the air with an energy and mirth of a younger man... through there seemed to be a hint of an accent of unknown origin lingering in his voice even after all these years "You all have a reputation in our line of work. A good reputation. A reputation for getting the job done despite whatever complications might have arisen. But what is reputation? Word of mouth... rumors... I have a job in mind to confirm if your reputations are more than just gossip."

Pushing himself to his feet, the aged but strangely jovial man took a deep breath. "I too have reputation. Not so pleasant I think you know..." Snapping his fingers sharply, the sound of metal grating against a poorly oiled railing filled the air as a sliding door in the wall behind the desk opened up... and reveled a man hanging upside down from the ceiling, stripped naked of clothing... and from the look of it, a great deal of his skin as well. "See this man? He does not do the job. I show you what I do with him..." walking over to what the light from the new room reveled was a sliding metal door, the man grasped the handle as he started to slide the door closed again "And now my reputation for you is fact. Is solid."

Almost as an afterthought, he man reached up to adjust his glasses before glancing back over his shoulder at the now closed and hidden door. "My wife's nephew. I'm going to be getting earful at dinner... there is no avoiding that." Remembering where he was, he cleared his throat as he turned back to his audience. "Oh yes, why I summoned you. One of my... shall we say... vassals has grown rather cocky as of late. Cocky enough in fact that he has seemingly forgotten the nature of our relationship but not... I feel, to the point where he would need to be replaced. Merely have his poor attitude... corrected."

With the confidence of a man that had no issues with torture or killing, the man returned to his desk and sat down once more. "My associate Crow will meet you outside with the stock standard information. Who he is, where he lives, his family ect. But I do not wish for him or his family to be killed or end up with bad enough injuries that a trip to the hospital is required. If you are successful in correcting his behavior while meeting my requirements then we will have a wonderful business relationship going forward... fail and..." A knowing smile appeared on his face. "Do not let me detain you."

As the gathered thugs left at a walk (through a rather fast paced walk) and the older man turned his attention towards some of the papers on his desk that needed his attention and unknown to either party, one shadowy smoke covered form broke away from the shadows of the room to follow the group of thugs with keen interest. It wouldn't feast from them... at least, not yet. After all, they were leading it towards a place that was soon to be consumed by agonizing dread and suffering of the highest degree... and if they didn't inspire that in other people, they themselves would be the ones to suffer for their failures. Win-Win really.

In the shadows of a dark, icy room barely lit by two desk lamps, shadows shifted to take advantage of the space that had just been made to get more comfortable.

[SimpleWriter]

Somewhere Downtown

The night had been extra dark. In more ways than literal. Clouds had blocked in the sun all day, thus it blocked all the light of the Moon also. Only the city's many urban lights and night life served as a source of light, and in such darkness it was easy for Vices to thrive since it was so easy for people to fall to gloom. Somewhere in the downtown, on some roof of some building stood a man. Only wind and the urban noises in his ears - he heard nothing of the constant guttural noises coming from behind him. The Vice which hunted this man was between six to seven feet tall, with only three, glowing red eyes in the center of it's body as recognizable traits. The rest of it's body was somewhere between shadowy-fog and sludge, with ever moving tentacle-y arms all around it. The face of the monster was inches away from the man, whom was meters away from the edger of the roof. As if it was pushing him on, whispering things straight into his mind; feeding.

Obviously distressed, the man took one smalls step forward when, suddenly, a girl bearing white-blonde hairs quite literally landed on the roof. "Stop this." she spoke as if addressing the man - but of course he couldn't hear a word. The girl was roughly 5'6 and sporting what would have looked like a school uniform; skirt, long, black socks and all if it was not for leg and arms protectors reminiscent of the samurais of old. Furthermore, a Katana with a longer blade than usual, sheathed, and peculiar design sat on her shoulder. Beside her, a Foo Dog Guardian growling menacingly.

A Magical Girl. The Vice's eyes seemed to rotate around it's body, recognizing the threat.

"Of course you won't." The girl kept on going, pointing out her sheathed blade towards the Vice "It doesn't matter. My name is Nagamasa Fumiko and I came here to put an end to you - and I will. That is my oath." As soon as those last four words were uttered, both the sheath and the beads collar around the Boo Guardian briefly glowed a flashy yellow color along with *cling* noise, as if something was locked on. "Sic 'em, Shishi."

The following moment went by in a flash, so to speak. As the Dog 'danced' around with the Vice, tackling or biting it at various points and generally distracting it, Fumiko moving around at great speed to counter the Vices attacks aimed at either Shishi or herself. "This is it." The handle of her sword was now flashing the same deep yellow as her whole sheath had before. Just as Shishi jumped back and out of the way, the Vice launched a last ditch effort attack on Fumiko, but to no avail. With speed, precision and skill she used her sheathed sword to deflect the attack and drew the blade in one same and fluid moment. The next second, the Vice began evaporating from the middle onward, sliced in two. Fumiko sheathed her sword and rested it on her shoulder again before sighing and looking behind her. "Persistent."

The Vice, which had been cut clean in two, was now two separate entities. One with one eye, the other with two. "Fine - Bring it on, then!"

[DrowsyPangolin]

Sugano Chinami

Chinami smiled brightly when Kyouko called her “Chi-chan”. Nicknames were reserved for the best of friends, or so she had heard. Being a Magical Girl was great, she was already making such wonderful friends!

The dark-haired girl nodded as Kyouko explained the wonders of loot, kneeling down beside the inky black crystal that the Vice had left behind. It didn’t look particularly special, but that could’ve been because of the wimpy Vice it had come from. A single pale finger extended from within the oversized sleeve, tapping the crystal. There was a feeling like a small pop of static electricity, which led Chinami to poke at the Mana Shard a few more times. There was definitely a peculiar energy about it… the girl reached a hand out and picked it up.

All the while, she had been doing her best to keep up with Kyouko’s conversation.

“I love sharks! They used to be my favorite animal! But I don’t think I could ride one. You see, I can only summon skeletons, and sharks, see, they actually don’t have many bones, they’re mostly cartilage, but there are some other neat things I might be able to summon, you never know!”

Chinami tapped at the Mana Shard curiously, trying to figure out how exactly she was supposed to use it, before finally opting to tap it against her Mana Crystal which, incidentally, only became a more intricate charm bracelet when transformed. There was a peculiar buzzing sound, a flash of violet flame, and then the Shard was entirely consumed within the Crystal.

“Oh wow.”

Fishbones felt a surge of energy course through her body. She felt slightly stronger, more capable, and all around better at being a Magical Girl than she had mere seconds before. If such a weak Vice changed things this much, what would some actual monster leave behind? This contemplation was pushed aside to turn back to Kyouko.

“You’re right! I think we should go find some more Vices, for sure! I think we, um, I think we’ll make a really good team!”

The pair of them began walking along the street. She nodded, trying to keep up with Kyouko’s barrage of questions.

“Um, I go to Kaigo Middle School… and nope, you’re the very first Magical Girl I’ve met! Of course I like fish, and all sorts of other ocean creatures too- Wait! I have an idea!”

Chinami stopped in her tracks, turning back toward the skeletal fish that swam along behind them.

“Bye bye guys, I’ll see you later.”

Chinami waved at the fish, and the fish wave their bony little fins in reply before fading away in poofs of shimmering bubbles. The conjurer held out her hand again, looking over to her white-haired compatriot.

“So I’ve got a few different favorite animals, but I really like sea turtles, and I was just thinking, there might be an easier way for us to look for Vices! If um, if I can do this right, of course…”

Chinami waved her hand through the air, focusing her mind intently on what she wanted to summon.

“A-Archelon!”

For a moment, nothing happened, and then the sidewalk was eclipsed by a massive cloud of bright bubbles. When the glimmering bubbles faded in a barrage of cartoonish pops, the goal of Chinami’s magic was revealed: a massive skeletal turtle, easily the size of a van, floated above the concrete.

“Oh wow. Oh jeez. It worked!”

Hopelessly intrigued by her own magic, Chinami raced around the turtle, inspecting him carefully before turning back to Kyouko and beaming.

“This is Archelon! He’s from an extinct species of giant sea turtles! You… you can call him Archie if you want!”

The red-clad girl climbed atop the prehistoric creature, carefully situating herself before inviting her energetic new friend to join her.

“Hop on and we can get a better view! Maybe we can find some more Vices! Or some other Magical Girls!”

Archie floated lazily as he waited for the duo to finish boarding. At any moment though, he was prepared to zip off into the skyline and reach new heights for turtle-kind.



@Skyswimsky

[Epsir]

Ikeda Setsuna

@ERode@SimpleWriter

Always an enigma, Setsuna did not waste breath in resisting the maid's apparent modesty. She, too, had her reasons. It wasn't as if they were ever afforded the time to come to an understanding either. The glossy, well-lit sights of the downtown were upon them and no sooner did they cross that threshold then the oppressive presence of a looming Vice could be felt. She only noticed after the maid, the subtle shift in the air drawing her eyes upwards through the car's roof, chasing a ghostly sensation that spoke to her just as naturally as sight did these days. The signature was muddled. Something softer already blurred the darkness. Bulwark frowned. "We're not the first to lay claim here. Oh well."

In the next moment she returned the Magical Maid's smile, and was off. As the Rolls Royce flowed with the surrounding traffic past the grounds of the Westbank Tower the passenger side door swung mysteriously open, only to pop back shut before it could do the unthinkable and ruin someone's paint job. Setsuna escaped when the door unlocked, gripping the upper frame and swinging herself out and up onto the roof. A considerate, gloved hand guided the long door closed, though wind resistance did most of the work.

Her window was short, and time was of the essence. The cab drummed softly and the chassis rocked side to side as the magical girl launched herself from the vehicle, straight onto the glimmering mirror of the tower's windows. From one pencil-thin outcropping to the next Bulwark soared, rising floors at a time from leap to leap. The drones and their keyboards within saw none of the dark blur speeding up their workplace, at best catching the gentle reverberations left behind as a boot launched itself from window to window.

Just as they couldn't be bothered to look out, Setsuna did not peer inward. Yellow lights carried out over the edge of the tower, the sounds of combat following them as she approached. Not only were they not alone in this hunt, the battle was already underway. Her vision panned left to right, searching for the telltale shape of a human dangling over the edge. None yet, a good sign. Over the rim of the rooftop Setsuna burst, arcing into the air. She turned to one side in the air, spiraling through a flip as Bulwark's eyes drank in the situation. One magical girl, a follower too dignified to be a keeper, two vices... One victim. There would be no time to wait for her partner.

Setsuna landed stiffly on the edge of the roof, gripping the hilt of her sword as she strode forward. With herself on one side of the twin vices and the yellow magical girl on the other, they had their prey surrounded. Her first priority was life. The man they were feeding upon stared forward with a dazed expression, unable to see any of the spectacle around him and still dangerously close to the enemy. He had no reaction as the blue magical girl raced up to him, drawing her weapon and passing by. With her hand holding her scabbard she reached up and seized him by the collar, practiced technique throwing the shell shocked man down onto his back behind her. All the while she bared her blade forward, accepting the danger of closing with the many-armed Vices so long as it meant seizing control. Between them, she shot a glance to the magical girl hoisting her sheathed blade up onto her shoulder. "Forgive our intrusion. We've come to hunt."

[blackdragon]

Midori shook her head at the whole mess. Looking back, though, it could have been a lot worse. One dead Vice, no dead humans. In the end, I guess that has to go down in the win column. Midori took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. It would be almost impossible to hunt Vices with her emotions getting in the way. "Well, ladies," Midori commented as she brushed off her skirt, "the night is still young, the way I see it. Plenty of time to bring down a few more vices before we have to turn in. If any of you want to join me, feel free." With that, she raced off into the darkness, to continue the search.

[ERode]

The Rolls Royce shook a bit as Bulwark shot off, but control was easy enough to regain as Anne continued to circle around the building. No parking spaces, but four traffic lights in the circuit she was making. Narrowing her eyes, the Magical Maid did the math, accounting for the flow of traffic and the duration of each traffic light, before nodding slightly. First, her breathing. Composed as she always was, it was easy enough to slow her heartbeat, even as she continued to navigate through congealed downtown traffic. Second, the window. Despite its old-style aesthetic, the Silver Shadow still had windows that opened automatically, and she slid open her side in due time. Third, the timing. She decreased her speed, slowed to a stop, and lined herself up on the same face of the building that the Vice manifested upon.

Fourth, the weapon. A Barret M82 implausibly popped out from underneath her skirts as she switched her car to ‘P’ and sat her body out of the window. It was an extraordinarily heavy weapon, especially when not propped down like it should be, and there was no way a girl like her had any qualifications for handling the big freaking gun, but Anne’s Competence filled in the gaps within her actual competence. Sighting her target from the rooftops, she wrinkled her brow ever so slightly at the presence of another magical girl, at the fact that particular spawn of sin was the ‘amorphous’ type that could split itself up after receiving damage, before timing her heartbeats and holding her breath.

Inbetween the throbbing of her heart, at the flattest of plateaus.

The trigger was pulled and the barrel flung upwards from the recoil. At many times the speed of sound, a .50 cal armor piercing bullet shot through the skies and created a massive, gaping hole in one of the Vices, before continuing its path up into the cloudy skies.
Anne wasn’t there to confirm her hit though.

The traffic light turned green and she was in the driver’s seat again, her anti-material sniper rifle sitting shotgun as she buckled in and continued circling.
@Epsir@SimpleWriter

[LuckyBlackCat]

Aki Harigae

@NiceSpice @Thanarosa @Karkinos @blackdragon

Aki turned, eyes widening as the wounded girl's flesh began to fuse back together. She winced at how agonising the process looked, but her comrade showed no sign of pain. Instead, she had the peaceful look of someone who'd woken from a pleasant dream.

With a small smile, Aki inclined her head to the girl once she'd introduced herself. "Nice to meet you too, Yonaga-san, and no problem." She glanced around the fragment-strewn area. "Well if anyone does turn up, they won't know we're here as long as we stay transformed, but we shouldn't linger in any case. There'll surely be Vices elsewhere."

Guilt shuddered through her at her own words. They'd all faced a gruelling enough challenge already, and now she was dragging them into another. "Of course, only come along if you feel you're up to it," she added, her gaze settling on each girl in turn, including the newcomer Kichi spoke to. "I imagine some of you may want to rest after that."

Just then, the redhead leapt from the blackened hole in the wall and promptly began giving Uetsuki a piece of her mind. "Oh! Thank goodness you're alright," Aki said, hurrying towards her, presenting her with the mana shard. "Here, you succeeded anyway, so take this." She spun round as a flustered Uetsuki leapt away. "Hey! It's ok, we can talk this through," Aki called, but the bunny maid seemed to have fled the scene.

Right after the redhead rushed off too, another voice addressed the group. "Great work, everyone!"

Poking its head through a hole in the fence was what looked like a white cat, with purple tufts on its large ears and an amethyst-like gem on its forehead. The creature scampered through the gap to the middle of the group, followed by two others, one pale blue and plush-like, one with vivid green and pink fur. "Don't forget all these mana shards," the white Keeper reminded the team, gesturing around the place with a paw. "You've earned them! Here, we'll help you." With that, the three began to gather up the slivers.

Aki bowed, biting back a gasp as the wound stung. "Thank you," she said, dispelling the Celestial Beacon in a flash of light, trying not to set off the injury too badly while bending down and helping the Keepers pick up the shards. "You were right... The Vices really are getting stronger." Despite her somber expression, resolve glimmered in her eyes. "But that's why we're needed. And why we need to make good use of these."

[SimpleWriter]

The blond magical girl didn't react to the arrival of reinforcement - nothing much more than a glance at them when they pulled the man from the edge of the building. Fumiko's eyes quickly scanned the newcomer; a magical girl alright. Looked like she could handle herself. Fumiko lowered her sheathed in an attack pose. "Well - try to keep up." she said as she launched herself forward on the closest of the two vices, leaving the other one for her new friend.

She and the dog moved in unison, circling around the vice, swatting away it's arms as they came at them and harassing the enemy whenever possible. Looking for an opportunity - and it came. It came fast and hard in the form of a bullet. Fumiko's vice saw it's body ripped open by the sheer force of the ammo that had just went through it.

She didn't wait. Drawing her sword she jumped forward and through the Vice's hollowed body. Her body did a full 360 degree spin on itself as she cut the vice from inside out. By the time she landed, that enemy was no more and only one was left. She didn't stop there, moving in closer to the other vice she focused on swatting and cutting away whatever arms would be aiming at the other girl while she fought, then landed beside her as the Vice took a few steps back, seemingly trying to regrow limbs. "The name's Nagamasa Fumiko." She said, at the ready.

"I'd let you finish it yourself, but I already made the Oath. Go, I'll support you."

[Epsir]

Ikeda Setsuna

@ERode@SimpleWriter

Her own words were split by a grunt of exertion is the toll of her boldness came upon her, many arms shooting out in retaliation against the creature denying the Vice its prey. Foggy tendrils lanced out and, sword flashing gallantly over her palm, Setsuna batted the away the attacks her blade could find. 'Try to keep up,' those were the conditions of their participation, a goalpost she would happily pass. With an incapacitated man behind her she stood her ground, parrying blows and slowly pressing forward on the surrounded Vice. They had a third element, all they had to do to win was hold them in check, suppress, and a maneuver would follow... It did not surprise her that the other magical girl took on the other Vice, what did was the supersonic crack of a passing rifle round. No matter how many times . The report followed, the roar of the Light Fifty below rocking her ears as the far Vice's already indistinct body transformed into pudding. She looked away from her own opponent to confirm the kill, just for a second, a mistake she felt when its piercing limbs raked her midsection. Before she had to return to her fight she saw the yellow one racing forth to finish her battle. That was her cue, too.

Bulwark grimaced. She reached out with her scabbard, pushing away the creature's 'weapons', entwining them with a twirl of her wrist around the sheath. Her own blood squeaked on the magical polymer as the tendrils ratcheted tight, reflexively trying to wrench the tool away. She raised her silvered weapon to the sky, preparing to cleave off some of the other limbs lashing out at her only to be beaten to the punch. The armored schoolgirl landed beside her. "Nagamasa Fumiko." She acknowledged the name, bowing her head the slightest while their captive Vice raced backwards. Its brackish fluids boiled from its severed limbs, new growth already beginning to sprout when given even an instant to recover. Her fist clenched, she gave back her name. "Ikeda Setsuna. I am Bulwark." Bidden, but she did not go. The magical girl's arm flexed, her stance widening as she drew back with all of her might. The Vice's sludge-like body wobbled, holding slickly to the rooftop gravel as the tentacles wrapped around Setsuna's sheath were drawn taut.

"Let's end this." One moment of grievous tension finally gave, Bulwark's torso twisting to follow the immense pull she put on the monster. Its form was wrenched out of its retreat and flung low over the rooftop by its own arms. It flew straight for the two swordsmen, back into the firing line of their unseen assistant, the instant of flight separating them marked by Setsuna briefly releasing her scabbard.

Blue eyes glanced to the warrior next to her and the way she kept her sword, stowed until the right moment. Iai. A strike that would originate from the hip, below. If that were the case she would cleave from above. Pleased to stand beside a fellow blade, Bulwark raised her weapon in both hands, cocked over her head. Jōdan, Vom Tag, the high stance. Her leading foot searched forward, coming down as a ripple coursed up her entire body, all her weight put forward as her shining sword came down in unison with her comrades' attacks.