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Lildear18Sonia's knives impacted against Alex' barrier, and dropped to the floor after the magical wall was destroyed.
She flicked her arm to her side, and new knives appeared between her tightened knuckles. Helga nodded, and wrapped an arm around Alex' waist. "Roger! Try not to get killed, Big Mac!" She shouted, and leaped up through the hole on the ceiling, carrying Alex with her. Sonia scoffed as she glanced at the two before they disappeared, and her eyes then moved down to squint at Makoto.
"Vandals are to be punished with death. Iron Maiden!"
She threw a knife with a red gem at the hilt of it. The gem glowed once Sonias finished her incantation, and suddenly knives replicated at an alarming rate from the original knife. They formed a complete sphere around Makoto, their bladed ends pointed right at her as they stayed still in the air for just a millisecond before they launched, leaving her no room to dodge.
Alex and Helga found themselves in the foyer of the castle, fitted with candles and broken mirrors, with a great chandelier at the ceiling. They didn't have much time to marvel at the interior decorating, however, as they saw shambling shapes emerging from shadows; it was a horde of girls wearing maid outfits, and their arms were stretched outwards, their glazes glazed like zombies as they shuffled slowly towards them. "Dammit, I forgot Justine employed normal humans as servants. They're also controlled by her." She punched one out of her way. "This way, through that door; it's a bit into the castle, but I know the way to the central staircase. Try to keep them off our flanks!" She then shouted, and threw off several that jumped on her as they waded through the swarm of ensorcelled servants.
Penny made a mighty leap just as Doris' ice golem dropped Earth Bastion, her strong legs kicking her off like a rocket towards the colossus and aiming at the weak point at her flank. Doris responded by bringing a fist down at the magical robot girl in a great slam. Penny was ready, and shot her gauss discharge, fracturing the icy arm right at the shoulder, causing it to fall as well. But then, just as she was about to hit the crystal, she was parried by a red sword. Penny managed to drop down to land with an earth-shaking thump, and saw that it was Curie who intervened.
"I don't know how you managed to survive my ultimate attack, but I swear on my honor; you won't last a minute against my Atom Slicer technique!"
Her one eye showing past her bangs of air seethed with fury, and she also landed on the island, her stance wide as she pointed the sword at her. Then, she drew in a breath, her eyes closed, and let it all out in a great scream.
"Hi-YAAAAAHH!
A shockwave of power blew out of her, sending rocks flying around her. Like a Super Saiyan, she and her weapon developed a red aura that glowed around them. Her hair also turned spiky, and seemed to be less affected by gravity as it slightly lifted, waving behind her. Fully powered up, she charged right at Penny, and delivered a slash on her torso. Penny, the most durable magical girl out of them all, realized that not only did the attack cut through her metallic body like a hot knife through butter, but it also left the wounds tainted with painful radiation, preventing her from regenerating them.
Alicia, Scout and Anaya managed to swim or swing their way out from under Earth Bastion as it hit the water, carrying the former easily to shore with a big wave. They saw how Curie and Penny fought each other, but had little time to help their ally as Doris turned towards them.
"Removing all limiters. Transforming into Super Mode."
The golem remolded, shrinking down to about the size of Earth Bastion. However, instead of a fat monk, it took the shape of a muscular Shaolin monk with legs, and jumped to the shore. Then, it drew in air, and blew a breath of cold right at the three girls; Scout and Anaya fared better, and only slightly slowed down from the freezing effect of the magical spell. However, Alicia was less fortunate, having been drenched from the cold water; magical ice formed around her body, freezing her in place. She was protected from hypothermia thanks to her Enhanced Outfit shielding her body from temperature changes, but she was unable to move her limbs.
Amber had no desire to pursue treasure at this time. She wasn't stupid, Justine's plan was bad news. All the loot in the world wouldn't make a lick of difference in her “new world.” There was nothing stopping Amber from collecting the booty once the threat had been taken care of anyway. Besides, it was too convenient. If Justine had a huge horde of treasure, she would probably be smart enough to keep it someplace far away from any entry or exit from the castle. That was more than likely a trap to put off would-be burglars. Without making a sound, Amber allowed water to run out of the end of her cannon. She ascended the stairs, careful to duck below the mirror's reflection. As she approached each candle, the pool of water she was walking in would come up like an octopus’s tentacle and extinguish the lights. Amber doubted they had any magical power, but staying out of the light was how she typically did things.
Amber avoided having her scattered reflection shown in the mirrors, and doused the candles, leaving only faint moonlight coming from the windows to illuminate her ascent. She soon got to the archway, and what she saw took her breath away; the hall she peeked in looked like a cathedral, or a ritual chamber, with stone pillars running down both sides of a red carpet that lead up to a stone altar. A familiar girl was laying on it, dressed in a white gown of pristine condition; Lily. She looked like she was peacefully sleeping, though the pirate girl knew it couldn’t be of natural causes.
Behind the altar, the hall stretched out to accommodate a massive glass window, which fully showcased the nearly complete blood moon, casting the entire room in a reddish tinge. And there, sitting on a throne in front of the window and looking straight at her, was a girl dressed in luxurious gothic attire. But even without her appearance giving it away, Amber could tell who she was:
"Why hello there, Amber Bianchi," Justine spoke, with words both courteous yet seething with contempt. Amber didn’t respond. She just approached her, the water building behind her with each passing second. But Justine was unphased.
"I did wonder why the candles in my tower were snuffed out. I assumed pirates were more rambunctious thieves." She giggled, though it sounded more menacing than friendly.
"What does bring an outdated outlaw to my humble abode? Surely there are better targets to pillage from, hm?" She asked, and lifted up a golden goblet filled with red, viscous liquid. But she would get no response. Expected. She continued.
"Or are you so foolish as to try and rescue Lily? What would you even have to gain? Or...Was it the Mint who sent you?"
Justine smiled at those words, and sipped on her goblet.
"Indeed, it was I who had your ship sabotaged. I have...Spies with the Ebon bankers myself. Talented schemers, the lot of them...But awfully prone to getting entangled in their own webs. Perfect spiders for a bat to snack on, hm hm~"
She crossed her slender leg, and leaned on her arm, looking amused. Then, her smile turned into a frown.
"Janet, be a dear and eliminate this meddling mariner. I have far more important business to matter to than dealing with mere peasants."
”Yes my Lady.” A voice echoed through the room. It’s origin seemed to come from all around. Stepping into view from behind a column, Janet’s red eyes glowed with anticipation. Since becoming one of Justine’s followers she had really only been able to do one thing. She had waited to be called upon to do another service for her master. ”I was told about you. I didn’t anticipate getting the chance to kill you so soon.” Of course she placed herself between Amber and both Justine and Lily. Her disguise melting away the girl’s monstrous water form took shape.
During the entire exchange, Amber had remained silent. The water gently sloshing behind her was the only response Amber gave her new foe. As tense as the atmosphere was, Amber couldn't help but grin. Even the appearance of Janet's new form didn't shake the pirate. ”Do you really want to know, Justine?” Amber had her cannon pointed at the floor. She didn't look especially hostile. ”I think you must have a pretty interesting reason to go forward with such a ritual. You were even willing to sacrifice your sister for it.” The pirate extended her hand. ”Wanna share?”
Amber’s words never reached Justine as the sound in the room dropped off. There was an unnatural silence where not a sound was heard. Janet raised a finger to her lips as if so shush the other girl. Justine smiled in return, and gave her servant a thumbs up; an ancient sign Roman emperors used to signify that the winning gladiator in the arena executes their opponent.
The pirate sighed. ”Oh well, was worth a shot.”
Amber fired a cannon ball directly at Janet and let the recoil carry her backwards. The water pooled behind Amber shut around her like a clam. The water around Amber started to build up speed. Amber would need to grow her water barrier a bit before she became a real threat, but for now, she had much more mobility. The pirate floated inside her barrier, which was rolling straight for Janet.
Were Janet still simply a magical girl then Amber’s particular set of skills would have easily outmatched her. However, thanks to the boost in magic granted by Father she could better hold her own. Bending back the cannon ball made contact but her fluid body deformed before bouncing back into place. Not that it didn’t hurt but she was well suited to reduce most high impact damage.
With the ball of water barreling toward her the monster girl opted to test their strength. Rather than avoiding the attack she reached out with a hand to touch it. Both were manipulators of water. Focusing her control Janet tried to disrupt the flow of water and collapse the barrier.
Amber was ready to split Janet apart with her high speed water barrier, but it became apparent very quickly that Janet's magical affinity was not only water, but that she was magically stronger than Amber was. The pirate noticed right away that her barrier was slowing down, and despite how hard she focused on the barrier, she couldn't stop it from splitting apart and landing on the ground in a puddle.
”Um...”
Amber was dumbfound. But her shock didn't last for long. The pirate used the puddle to slide backwards with the momentum of her next shot. The projectile was a a rope net with large ball bearings to make sure it opened coming out of the barrel.
Diving forward the water that made up her opponent's body stretched out and split. Weaving between the netting she reformed on the other side. Drawing back one of her limbs, Janet struck out at Amber. Though it didn’t show the monster girl did still have her weapon. Integrating perfectly with her form the water rushing forward became a solid razor edge aiming to run the pirate through.
”There she blows!” Good thing Amber was trying to gain some distance. If she hadn't tried to slide backwards, she'd be in range of Janet's vile blades. But the distance gave the pirate girl enough time to to put her cannon between herself and the attack. Janet was much stronger than she looked though, and the blow threw Amber backwards even faster. Almost too fast. The pirate grunted while she attempted to regain control of her feet. ”Stronger magically and physically huh?” Despite this terrifying realization, the pirate was still grinning. ”But if everything passes through you, how will you stop me from doing this?” The pirate fired her cannon again, this time the projectile was a spear with a rope attached to it. But Amber didn't fire at Janet. She seemed to be firing at the altar that Lily was laying on top of.
It didn’t take but a moment for Janet to realize the new target. Despite not being in the direct path to intercept there was still the rope. The additional limbs granted by her transformation kicked into action. Though she was made of water, Janet didn’t seems to have issues solidifying herself. Wrapping two tentacles around the rope they bent and kinked the line to slow or stop it’s movement. To prevent potentially getting dragged back though she raised one arm and slashed through the rope.
”You have a lot of tricks” Whirling around in place the harpoon that had been fired came whipping around back at Amber. Letting it go as it would fly at the Ebon girl she wanted to use it as a distraction. Flexing her own ability to manipulate water a jet of what had been thrown around the room launched Janet at Amber once again. Distance was not her friend, though she did have more options than when she was simply a magical girl.
”Scurvy rat!!” Amber cursed to herself. The pirate would have loved to flap her jaw some more at Janet, but she needed to put her feet into action again. Or at least the water under her feet. She swiftly slid to the side, and the spear smashed into the floor hard enough to punch through it. The pirate gave a quick huff out of relief, but Janet was still flying towards her opponent. Sliding backwards would not be enough this time. Amber brought her cannon to bear. ”No kissing!” she blurted out before firing a round of grapeshot point blank.
Already in motion there wasn’t much changing direction when Amber took aim. Janet made the briefest expression of disgust before getting a face full of pellets. The impacts caused her body to blast apart and water splashed everywhere. Wriggling and writhing for a moment the water seemed to try and come together before settling into several puddles on the floor.
”Hah! In your face!” Amber wiped some of the slime off of her face and took a few steps forward. ”Alright Justine, Hand over Lily and nobody else has to get hurt.”
Justine had done nothing but observe the fight that unfolded, and raised the back of her hand to her mouth for a giggle.
”Bold till the very end...But it is futile.”
As Amber walked across the pooled water it began to stir. Rising up around the girl, watery tentacles wrapped around Amber’s legs. Drawing back together Janet’s form came together and snaked its way around to restrict her movement. ”It’s not that easy pirate girl.” Due to the health saping that came with her conversion Janet had to sit quietly with her hunger. But she now had prey in her grasp. Her fingers becoming sharp she slashed across Ambers arm to draw blood. Grasping the wound it bleed directly into her hand and mingled with her liquid form.
The pirate barely had time to yelp before the monster girl had her in her clutches. Amber wasn't especially durable, only slightly more so than a baseline human. She certainly didn't have the type of vitality that would allow her to withstand a blow from a monster like janet. And with nearly all of her limbs ensnared, Amber wasn't able to wrestle free from her opponent. The pirate's foe was stronger than her, faster than her, and more magical than she was. Amber failing wasn't an outcome that should have surprised anyone. With her limbs held firmly in place, there was little Amber could do but wait to become Janet's lunch. Even so, she wasn't without hope. The pirate had an ace up her sleeve. She always did. One last card to turn the tables.
”Ahhh, I see your game plan!” The pirate chuckled, despite the grievous wound to her arm. ”You know I'm Ebon Mint. So of course I'm going to have a black coin on me. If you can get me to use it, you'll have that much more leverage over everyone. But you made an error.” Amber grinned. ”The difference between a pirate and a bandit is that a pirate's heart is fueled by adventure. A bandit is all about the booty, but a pirate cares equally about the risks, the thrill, and the effort they put into getting their hauls. Using the black coin would cheapen that, which is why I don't carry it with me.” Her hand shot up to point at Justine.
”A blood sucker like you, someone whose diet consists of nothing but insects smaller than herself, will never understand how a pirate's heart ticks. ”
Justine’s smiling lips revealed a fang at the corner of her mouth as it turned into a scowl. ”What game are you playing?”
Amber rammed her cannon at the ground. ”You might one day have the world Justine, but you'll never possess the heart of Shining Scale!”
Amber fired her cannon. With nowhere for the cannon ball to go, the ground erupted into stone shrapnel. Justine braced her face with an arm as the air was filled with smoke, and both combatants disappeared from view. But as the smoke settled, Amber could be seen shuffling closer to the altar where Lily laid. Only Amber was no longer a small pirate girl, but a mature looking woman. She looked like she just left her retail job a few minutes ago. Though she was tired. Her classes were cracked, and her platinum blond hair was filled with dust. Her uniform was totally disheveled; torn and soaked with blood. Despite the excruciating pain she had to be feeling, she was smiling at her new body.
”M-my body, I have my body again! Haha!” She hugged herself, but she was shaking.
”Now I can pick up guys at the tiki bar and run with them on the beach!” The woman didn't take another step. She immediately collapsed to the ground in a heap. Shining Scale's quest was over.
Thrown about by yet another blast it took a moment for Janet to piece back together. The move was one of the last things she expected. But perhaps there simply was no other option. This nonsense was wearing on her. Good for her that Justine had invested a significant amount of magic into her conversion. Not going to take chances that the woman that just collapsed was playing opossum she approached. Justine said nothing, her expression indiscernible.
”I must admit, I wondered if you were up to the task, my dear Janet, but you have proved yourself in the end. You may feed from her blood. Then, guard the entrance. I cannot waste any more time.”
Janet’s arm turned into a blade; she intended to drain the body dry to try and quench her blood lust. Getting into a fight just kicked that into high gear. It was similar to when she attacked the Beacon HQ. Some victims that hadn't died right away learned the hard way. There were still others outside trying to interrupt her Lady and she had to remove this factor.
“H-huh?” Sue had just come up the stairs. She was in human form, and was tightly holding onto Amber's hat. The familiar had seen a picture of Amber's original body once, and she was able to identify the businesswoman laying on the ground. “No...” Janet's blade was still wedged in Amber's body, and Sue could see the vampire sitting behind the altar. That must have been Justine. Yes, the Justine that was responsible for Deni's death. The one that had Lily kidnapped, and now the murderer of her closest friend. It was difficult to take in, or even accept that it was real. Sue wanted to believe that she was mistaken and Amber was just hiding somewhere out of sight. But as a familiar, she could feel her special link with her magical girl. And the woman laying on the ground was undoubtedly her. Sue's breathing changed, and her eyes became wet. She wanted to scream, she wanted to drag Amber and Lily out of there. There was even a part of her gentle spirit that wanted to see Justine slain by her own hands. But she was weak. Too weak to save Deni, too weak to save Amber, and too weak to retrieve Lily.
But it didn't have to be that way.
“I-I...” Just need to become stronger. Just a little stronger. She refused to become a monster. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to dip into some dark power to protect what she cherished. With a trembling hand, Sue lifted the black coin out of her vestments. It was so black that it was impossible to discern its shape. It was like looking directly into a shadow, even when held out to the light. When she tightened her fingers around the coin, she could feel a spike of pain. Yet she kept her hand closed around it. Her blood vessels were turning black, an onyx flame consumed her, and she screamed as a pool of black tar oozed all around her feet. But just as quickly as it all started, it came to an end.
Sue was no longer before the monster girls. Instead there was a blond woman in steampunk attire. Two massive black wings sprouted out of her back, causing the woman to groan in pain. ”Ahhh!” She hugged herself, but the pain had stopped at that point. ”Uhh...” Her eyes were still wet, but there would be plenty of time to dry them later. ”Alright.” Sue lowered her arms to her sides. ”I'm not going to forgive you for this, Justine.”
The tears had already dried on her cheeks, glistening like stars. ”But you, you can still live if you stay out of my way.” Sue didn't wait for a reply,. She immediately started to march towards the altar.
Justine turned her head, and her eyes widened at the sight of Sue. She grimaced, and stood up from her seat.
”Another intruder! You know what to do, Janet.”
No rest for the wicked it seemed. No sooner had she dispatched one enemy did another appear. Turning as she removed her arm, the red of the blood began to dissipate and Janet returned to her blue color. The intruder presented a black coin before using it herself. Was it the one Amber had mentioned? It didn’t really matter as the woman transformed before her eyes. So this was the power that the Ebon Mint offered to their followers. Whatever the threat Janet had a singular task, and that was to protect Justine no matter the cost.
Ignoring the opportunity to stay out of the fight the monster girl rushed to intercept the dark magical girl. Though the blood she consumed didn’t sate her hunger it did help bolster her from some of the drain the battle had inflicted thus far.
”You are not allowed to interrupt my Lady.” To draw attention she let loose a jet of water to bar Sue proceeding.
The stream of water was moving pretty fast, but it swerved to avoid Janet’s target. At first, she wasn’t sure what had caused her shot to miss. But Janet could feel the air moving in the room. It wasn’t just her water, dust and stone was being kicked up into a cyclone. Before long, Sue's body was completely surrounded by a small scale hurricane.
”I gave you one chance, you fuckin' hussy!” Sue spread her legs apart and placed her fists on her hips. Not unlike a karate master. ”Now I'll bury the lot of you together!” Sue's fists flew forth like bolts of lightning, punching towards Janet. While punching the air in itself wasn't harmful, her strikes were causing distortions in the air. The projectiles themselves were invisible, but the air currents carried dust and debris in their wake. It was at this point that Helga and Alex managed to make their way to the bottom of the staircase; they could make out the sounds of fighting at the top.
Justine’s four black bat wings flapped gracefully as she quickly ascended to avoid Sue’s air magic. She knew from first glance that she had to hurry with her plans.
”Take her out of the room, Janet. Keep the sacrifice safe, at all costs,” she ordered, and flew outside to the balcony through an open door. She spread her arms, and basked in the red light of the blood moon, an ornate dagger wrapped around her red nails.
The blood moon had fully formed.
”Yes...It is time.”
She flicked her arm to her side, and new knives appeared between her tightened knuckles. Helga nodded, and wrapped an arm around Alex' waist. "Roger! Try not to get killed, Big Mac!" She shouted, and leaped up through the hole on the ceiling, carrying Alex with her. Sonia scoffed as she glanced at the two before they disappeared, and her eyes then moved down to squint at Makoto.
"Vandals are to be punished with death. Iron Maiden!"
She threw a knife with a red gem at the hilt of it. The gem glowed once Sonias finished her incantation, and suddenly knives replicated at an alarming rate from the original knife. They formed a complete sphere around Makoto, their bladed ends pointed right at her as they stayed still in the air for just a millisecond before they launched, leaving her no room to dodge.
Alex and Helga found themselves in the foyer of the castle, fitted with candles and broken mirrors, with a great chandelier at the ceiling. They didn't have much time to marvel at the interior decorating, however, as they saw shambling shapes emerging from shadows; it was a horde of girls wearing maid outfits, and their arms were stretched outwards, their glazes glazed like zombies as they shuffled slowly towards them. "Dammit, I forgot Justine employed normal humans as servants. They're also controlled by her." She punched one out of her way. "This way, through that door; it's a bit into the castle, but I know the way to the central staircase. Try to keep them off our flanks!" She then shouted, and threw off several that jumped on her as they waded through the swarm of ensorcelled servants.
Penny made a mighty leap just as Doris' ice golem dropped Earth Bastion, her strong legs kicking her off like a rocket towards the colossus and aiming at the weak point at her flank. Doris responded by bringing a fist down at the magical robot girl in a great slam. Penny was ready, and shot her gauss discharge, fracturing the icy arm right at the shoulder, causing it to fall as well. But then, just as she was about to hit the crystal, she was parried by a red sword. Penny managed to drop down to land with an earth-shaking thump, and saw that it was Curie who intervened.
"I don't know how you managed to survive my ultimate attack, but I swear on my honor; you won't last a minute against my Atom Slicer technique!"
Her one eye showing past her bangs of air seethed with fury, and she also landed on the island, her stance wide as she pointed the sword at her. Then, she drew in a breath, her eyes closed, and let it all out in a great scream.
"Hi-YAAAAAHH!
A shockwave of power blew out of her, sending rocks flying around her. Like a Super Saiyan, she and her weapon developed a red aura that glowed around them. Her hair also turned spiky, and seemed to be less affected by gravity as it slightly lifted, waving behind her. Fully powered up, she charged right at Penny, and delivered a slash on her torso. Penny, the most durable magical girl out of them all, realized that not only did the attack cut through her metallic body like a hot knife through butter, but it also left the wounds tainted with painful radiation, preventing her from regenerating them.
Alicia, Scout and Anaya managed to swim or swing their way out from under Earth Bastion as it hit the water, carrying the former easily to shore with a big wave. They saw how Curie and Penny fought each other, but had little time to help their ally as Doris turned towards them.
"Removing all limiters. Transforming into Super Mode."
The golem remolded, shrinking down to about the size of Earth Bastion. However, instead of a fat monk, it took the shape of a muscular Shaolin monk with legs, and jumped to the shore. Then, it drew in air, and blew a breath of cold right at the three girls; Scout and Anaya fared better, and only slightly slowed down from the freezing effect of the magical spell. However, Alicia was less fortunate, having been drenched from the cold water; magical ice formed around her body, freezing her in place. She was protected from hypothermia thanks to her Enhanced Outfit shielding her body from temperature changes, but she was unable to move her limbs.
Amber had no desire to pursue treasure at this time. She wasn't stupid, Justine's plan was bad news. All the loot in the world wouldn't make a lick of difference in her “new world.” There was nothing stopping Amber from collecting the booty once the threat had been taken care of anyway. Besides, it was too convenient. If Justine had a huge horde of treasure, she would probably be smart enough to keep it someplace far away from any entry or exit from the castle. That was more than likely a trap to put off would-be burglars. Without making a sound, Amber allowed water to run out of the end of her cannon. She ascended the stairs, careful to duck below the mirror's reflection. As she approached each candle, the pool of water she was walking in would come up like an octopus’s tentacle and extinguish the lights. Amber doubted they had any magical power, but staying out of the light was how she typically did things.
Amber avoided having her scattered reflection shown in the mirrors, and doused the candles, leaving only faint moonlight coming from the windows to illuminate her ascent. She soon got to the archway, and what she saw took her breath away; the hall she peeked in looked like a cathedral, or a ritual chamber, with stone pillars running down both sides of a red carpet that lead up to a stone altar. A familiar girl was laying on it, dressed in a white gown of pristine condition; Lily. She looked like she was peacefully sleeping, though the pirate girl knew it couldn’t be of natural causes.
Behind the altar, the hall stretched out to accommodate a massive glass window, which fully showcased the nearly complete blood moon, casting the entire room in a reddish tinge. And there, sitting on a throne in front of the window and looking straight at her, was a girl dressed in luxurious gothic attire. But even without her appearance giving it away, Amber could tell who she was:
"Why hello there, Amber Bianchi," Justine spoke, with words both courteous yet seething with contempt. Amber didn’t respond. She just approached her, the water building behind her with each passing second. But Justine was unphased.
"I did wonder why the candles in my tower were snuffed out. I assumed pirates were more rambunctious thieves." She giggled, though it sounded more menacing than friendly.
"What does bring an outdated outlaw to my humble abode? Surely there are better targets to pillage from, hm?" She asked, and lifted up a golden goblet filled with red, viscous liquid. But she would get no response. Expected. She continued.
"Or are you so foolish as to try and rescue Lily? What would you even have to gain? Or...Was it the Mint who sent you?"
Justine smiled at those words, and sipped on her goblet.
"Indeed, it was I who had your ship sabotaged. I have...Spies with the Ebon bankers myself. Talented schemers, the lot of them...But awfully prone to getting entangled in their own webs. Perfect spiders for a bat to snack on, hm hm~"
She crossed her slender leg, and leaned on her arm, looking amused. Then, her smile turned into a frown.
"Janet, be a dear and eliminate this meddling mariner. I have far more important business to matter to than dealing with mere peasants."
”Yes my Lady.” A voice echoed through the room. It’s origin seemed to come from all around. Stepping into view from behind a column, Janet’s red eyes glowed with anticipation. Since becoming one of Justine’s followers she had really only been able to do one thing. She had waited to be called upon to do another service for her master. ”I was told about you. I didn’t anticipate getting the chance to kill you so soon.” Of course she placed herself between Amber and both Justine and Lily. Her disguise melting away the girl’s monstrous water form took shape.
During the entire exchange, Amber had remained silent. The water gently sloshing behind her was the only response Amber gave her new foe. As tense as the atmosphere was, Amber couldn't help but grin. Even the appearance of Janet's new form didn't shake the pirate. ”Do you really want to know, Justine?” Amber had her cannon pointed at the floor. She didn't look especially hostile. ”I think you must have a pretty interesting reason to go forward with such a ritual. You were even willing to sacrifice your sister for it.” The pirate extended her hand. ”Wanna share?”
Amber’s words never reached Justine as the sound in the room dropped off. There was an unnatural silence where not a sound was heard. Janet raised a finger to her lips as if so shush the other girl. Justine smiled in return, and gave her servant a thumbs up; an ancient sign Roman emperors used to signify that the winning gladiator in the arena executes their opponent.
The pirate sighed. ”Oh well, was worth a shot.”
Amber fired a cannon ball directly at Janet and let the recoil carry her backwards. The water pooled behind Amber shut around her like a clam. The water around Amber started to build up speed. Amber would need to grow her water barrier a bit before she became a real threat, but for now, she had much more mobility. The pirate floated inside her barrier, which was rolling straight for Janet.
Were Janet still simply a magical girl then Amber’s particular set of skills would have easily outmatched her. However, thanks to the boost in magic granted by Father she could better hold her own. Bending back the cannon ball made contact but her fluid body deformed before bouncing back into place. Not that it didn’t hurt but she was well suited to reduce most high impact damage.
With the ball of water barreling toward her the monster girl opted to test their strength. Rather than avoiding the attack she reached out with a hand to touch it. Both were manipulators of water. Focusing her control Janet tried to disrupt the flow of water and collapse the barrier.
Amber was ready to split Janet apart with her high speed water barrier, but it became apparent very quickly that Janet's magical affinity was not only water, but that she was magically stronger than Amber was. The pirate noticed right away that her barrier was slowing down, and despite how hard she focused on the barrier, she couldn't stop it from splitting apart and landing on the ground in a puddle.
”Um...”
Amber was dumbfound. But her shock didn't last for long. The pirate used the puddle to slide backwards with the momentum of her next shot. The projectile was a a rope net with large ball bearings to make sure it opened coming out of the barrel.
Diving forward the water that made up her opponent's body stretched out and split. Weaving between the netting she reformed on the other side. Drawing back one of her limbs, Janet struck out at Amber. Though it didn’t show the monster girl did still have her weapon. Integrating perfectly with her form the water rushing forward became a solid razor edge aiming to run the pirate through.
”There she blows!” Good thing Amber was trying to gain some distance. If she hadn't tried to slide backwards, she'd be in range of Janet's vile blades. But the distance gave the pirate girl enough time to to put her cannon between herself and the attack. Janet was much stronger than she looked though, and the blow threw Amber backwards even faster. Almost too fast. The pirate grunted while she attempted to regain control of her feet. ”Stronger magically and physically huh?” Despite this terrifying realization, the pirate was still grinning. ”But if everything passes through you, how will you stop me from doing this?” The pirate fired her cannon again, this time the projectile was a spear with a rope attached to it. But Amber didn't fire at Janet. She seemed to be firing at the altar that Lily was laying on top of.
It didn’t take but a moment for Janet to realize the new target. Despite not being in the direct path to intercept there was still the rope. The additional limbs granted by her transformation kicked into action. Though she was made of water, Janet didn’t seems to have issues solidifying herself. Wrapping two tentacles around the rope they bent and kinked the line to slow or stop it’s movement. To prevent potentially getting dragged back though she raised one arm and slashed through the rope.
”You have a lot of tricks” Whirling around in place the harpoon that had been fired came whipping around back at Amber. Letting it go as it would fly at the Ebon girl she wanted to use it as a distraction. Flexing her own ability to manipulate water a jet of what had been thrown around the room launched Janet at Amber once again. Distance was not her friend, though she did have more options than when she was simply a magical girl.
”Scurvy rat!!” Amber cursed to herself. The pirate would have loved to flap her jaw some more at Janet, but she needed to put her feet into action again. Or at least the water under her feet. She swiftly slid to the side, and the spear smashed into the floor hard enough to punch through it. The pirate gave a quick huff out of relief, but Janet was still flying towards her opponent. Sliding backwards would not be enough this time. Amber brought her cannon to bear. ”No kissing!” she blurted out before firing a round of grapeshot point blank.
Already in motion there wasn’t much changing direction when Amber took aim. Janet made the briefest expression of disgust before getting a face full of pellets. The impacts caused her body to blast apart and water splashed everywhere. Wriggling and writhing for a moment the water seemed to try and come together before settling into several puddles on the floor.
”Hah! In your face!” Amber wiped some of the slime off of her face and took a few steps forward. ”Alright Justine, Hand over Lily and nobody else has to get hurt.”
Justine had done nothing but observe the fight that unfolded, and raised the back of her hand to her mouth for a giggle.
”Bold till the very end...But it is futile.”
As Amber walked across the pooled water it began to stir. Rising up around the girl, watery tentacles wrapped around Amber’s legs. Drawing back together Janet’s form came together and snaked its way around to restrict her movement. ”It’s not that easy pirate girl.” Due to the health saping that came with her conversion Janet had to sit quietly with her hunger. But she now had prey in her grasp. Her fingers becoming sharp she slashed across Ambers arm to draw blood. Grasping the wound it bleed directly into her hand and mingled with her liquid form.
The pirate barely had time to yelp before the monster girl had her in her clutches. Amber wasn't especially durable, only slightly more so than a baseline human. She certainly didn't have the type of vitality that would allow her to withstand a blow from a monster like janet. And with nearly all of her limbs ensnared, Amber wasn't able to wrestle free from her opponent. The pirate's foe was stronger than her, faster than her, and more magical than she was. Amber failing wasn't an outcome that should have surprised anyone. With her limbs held firmly in place, there was little Amber could do but wait to become Janet's lunch. Even so, she wasn't without hope. The pirate had an ace up her sleeve. She always did. One last card to turn the tables.
”Ahhh, I see your game plan!” The pirate chuckled, despite the grievous wound to her arm. ”You know I'm Ebon Mint. So of course I'm going to have a black coin on me. If you can get me to use it, you'll have that much more leverage over everyone. But you made an error.” Amber grinned. ”The difference between a pirate and a bandit is that a pirate's heart is fueled by adventure. A bandit is all about the booty, but a pirate cares equally about the risks, the thrill, and the effort they put into getting their hauls. Using the black coin would cheapen that, which is why I don't carry it with me.” Her hand shot up to point at Justine.
”A blood sucker like you, someone whose diet consists of nothing but insects smaller than herself, will never understand how a pirate's heart ticks. ”
Justine’s smiling lips revealed a fang at the corner of her mouth as it turned into a scowl. ”What game are you playing?”
Amber rammed her cannon at the ground. ”You might one day have the world Justine, but you'll never possess the heart of Shining Scale!”
Amber fired her cannon. With nowhere for the cannon ball to go, the ground erupted into stone shrapnel. Justine braced her face with an arm as the air was filled with smoke, and both combatants disappeared from view. But as the smoke settled, Amber could be seen shuffling closer to the altar where Lily laid. Only Amber was no longer a small pirate girl, but a mature looking woman. She looked like she just left her retail job a few minutes ago. Though she was tired. Her classes were cracked, and her platinum blond hair was filled with dust. Her uniform was totally disheveled; torn and soaked with blood. Despite the excruciating pain she had to be feeling, she was smiling at her new body.
”M-my body, I have my body again! Haha!” She hugged herself, but she was shaking.
”Now I can pick up guys at the tiki bar and run with them on the beach!” The woman didn't take another step. She immediately collapsed to the ground in a heap. Shining Scale's quest was over.
Thrown about by yet another blast it took a moment for Janet to piece back together. The move was one of the last things she expected. But perhaps there simply was no other option. This nonsense was wearing on her. Good for her that Justine had invested a significant amount of magic into her conversion. Not going to take chances that the woman that just collapsed was playing opossum she approached. Justine said nothing, her expression indiscernible.
”I must admit, I wondered if you were up to the task, my dear Janet, but you have proved yourself in the end. You may feed from her blood. Then, guard the entrance. I cannot waste any more time.”
Janet’s arm turned into a blade; she intended to drain the body dry to try and quench her blood lust. Getting into a fight just kicked that into high gear. It was similar to when she attacked the Beacon HQ. Some victims that hadn't died right away learned the hard way. There were still others outside trying to interrupt her Lady and she had to remove this factor.
“H-huh?” Sue had just come up the stairs. She was in human form, and was tightly holding onto Amber's hat. The familiar had seen a picture of Amber's original body once, and she was able to identify the businesswoman laying on the ground. “No...” Janet's blade was still wedged in Amber's body, and Sue could see the vampire sitting behind the altar. That must have been Justine. Yes, the Justine that was responsible for Deni's death. The one that had Lily kidnapped, and now the murderer of her closest friend. It was difficult to take in, or even accept that it was real. Sue wanted to believe that she was mistaken and Amber was just hiding somewhere out of sight. But as a familiar, she could feel her special link with her magical girl. And the woman laying on the ground was undoubtedly her. Sue's breathing changed, and her eyes became wet. She wanted to scream, she wanted to drag Amber and Lily out of there. There was even a part of her gentle spirit that wanted to see Justine slain by her own hands. But she was weak. Too weak to save Deni, too weak to save Amber, and too weak to retrieve Lily.
But it didn't have to be that way.
“I-I...” Just need to become stronger. Just a little stronger. She refused to become a monster. But that didn't mean she wasn't going to dip into some dark power to protect what she cherished. With a trembling hand, Sue lifted the black coin out of her vestments. It was so black that it was impossible to discern its shape. It was like looking directly into a shadow, even when held out to the light. When she tightened her fingers around the coin, she could feel a spike of pain. Yet she kept her hand closed around it. Her blood vessels were turning black, an onyx flame consumed her, and she screamed as a pool of black tar oozed all around her feet. But just as quickly as it all started, it came to an end.
Sue was no longer before the monster girls. Instead there was a blond woman in steampunk attire. Two massive black wings sprouted out of her back, causing the woman to groan in pain. ”Ahhh!” She hugged herself, but the pain had stopped at that point. ”Uhh...” Her eyes were still wet, but there would be plenty of time to dry them later. ”Alright.” Sue lowered her arms to her sides. ”I'm not going to forgive you for this, Justine.”
The tears had already dried on her cheeks, glistening like stars. ”But you, you can still live if you stay out of my way.” Sue didn't wait for a reply,. She immediately started to march towards the altar.
Justine turned her head, and her eyes widened at the sight of Sue. She grimaced, and stood up from her seat.
”Another intruder! You know what to do, Janet.”
No rest for the wicked it seemed. No sooner had she dispatched one enemy did another appear. Turning as she removed her arm, the red of the blood began to dissipate and Janet returned to her blue color. The intruder presented a black coin before using it herself. Was it the one Amber had mentioned? It didn’t really matter as the woman transformed before her eyes. So this was the power that the Ebon Mint offered to their followers. Whatever the threat Janet had a singular task, and that was to protect Justine no matter the cost.
Ignoring the opportunity to stay out of the fight the monster girl rushed to intercept the dark magical girl. Though the blood she consumed didn’t sate her hunger it did help bolster her from some of the drain the battle had inflicted thus far.
”You are not allowed to interrupt my Lady.” To draw attention she let loose a jet of water to bar Sue proceeding.
The stream of water was moving pretty fast, but it swerved to avoid Janet’s target. At first, she wasn’t sure what had caused her shot to miss. But Janet could feel the air moving in the room. It wasn’t just her water, dust and stone was being kicked up into a cyclone. Before long, Sue's body was completely surrounded by a small scale hurricane.
”I gave you one chance, you fuckin' hussy!” Sue spread her legs apart and placed her fists on her hips. Not unlike a karate master. ”Now I'll bury the lot of you together!” Sue's fists flew forth like bolts of lightning, punching towards Janet. While punching the air in itself wasn't harmful, her strikes were causing distortions in the air. The projectiles themselves were invisible, but the air currents carried dust and debris in their wake. It was at this point that Helga and Alex managed to make their way to the bottom of the staircase; they could make out the sounds of fighting at the top.
Justine’s four black bat wings flapped gracefully as she quickly ascended to avoid Sue’s air magic. She knew from first glance that she had to hurry with her plans.
”Take her out of the room, Janet. Keep the sacrifice safe, at all costs,” she ordered, and flew outside to the balcony through an open door. She spread her arms, and basked in the red light of the blood moon, an ornate dagger wrapped around her red nails.
The blood moon had fully formed.
”Yes...It is time.”
