Ariamis

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Lily gasped as the Ascendancy girls turned their weapons on the dark magical girls, confused and upset by the sudden turn of events.
”Yeah, what’s the big deal? Why are you doing this?” She asked, joining in on Alex’ questions. She blurted out a giggle at his hypothesis, only to scrunch her face.
Aah, he’s being cute again, but don’t be distracted! Focus, Lily! She thought to herself, and puffed her cheeks as she attempted catching up with the tense conversation taking place.

The Ascendancy girls kept grim faces as they nodded at Su’s suggestion.
“An acute observation, but only half-right,” Kai spoke, her eyes sweeping over the crowd. “The Ascendancy is sworn to saving those lost to the darkness. We want to cleanse you of the black magic that has taken control of you, and purify you of your corruption. But if you refuse our gift, we have no choice but to put you down.”
They looked disinterested in Mika’s pleads, even as Lily joined her, though the green-haired girl did blush at the example the cat-eared girl gave of Tetrad.
”A-And we just fought together! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

She looked at Silhouette as she made her comment, looking concerned by the attitude the other girl showed, and continued attempting to defuse the conflict.
”I mean, if they were actually bad people, they wouldn’t have helped, you know. They would have just looked on from a rooftop and gloated about how foolish we were for trying to save people, with an ominous pose and everything!”

One of the triplets shook her head. “They most likely fought to satisfy their twisted desires. But in the end, it matters not, ” she stated, looking at Silhouette in particular, and took a stance with her halberd. “They are witches,” Another triplet continued. “Having sold their souls for power. They won’t escape justice. And if you try to defend these sinners, neither will you.” She glared at Lily, causing her to gulp.

Lily then heard an older woman speak and turned her head, not having recognized the voice. However, she immediately knew who it was upon seeing her.
”Tetrad! You’ve become old!” She exclaimed, and ran to her, her hands held out as if prepared to catch her falling.
”You look just like my grandma, except without the fishnet stockings...And everything else, actually.”

The third triplet squinted her eyes at Tetrad’s question, as if she was examining her. “That curse only lasts for an hour,” she answered. “We can wait for it to end.”

“Enough talk!” Kai lifted her rifle up at Su, followed by the triplets also brandishing their polearms. “Surrender by the count of three, or die! One...Two...”

Lily panicked, and summoned her bow.
”It doesn’t have to end like this! Stop!”

At that moment, one of the triplets saw Tetrad make her move; without any hesitation, she threw her halberd at them, aiming right for her hands.

”STOP!” Lily yelled, and made a shot with her bow. An arrow hit the halberd, and the weapon was frozen in midair. A careful eye would see the projectile was colored gray, shaped like the hand of a clock, with a tiny cog spinning around it. Lily looked as surprised at the result as anybody else. Kai scoffed, and pulled the trigger, aiming at Su. However, Su didn’t feel a bullet piercing her, shifting at just the right moment with everybody else; Tetrad managed to shift the courtyard of the museum, excluding the piece of the road where the lich fell and where the Ascendancy was gathered.

The entire group had arrived at the Overcity. Like before, the ground they stood on was patterned like a checkerboard, and the air was pure and refreshing. However, unlike the last time Alex and Su had seen it, they were not on an open field, but instead in the small clearing of a forest. It was clearly daytime, as sunlight could be seen seeping in past the shade provided by the tall trees, casting everything into moderate shadow.

”...Where am I?” Lily looked flabbergasted as she looked around herself, and then at her bow. Her eyes lighted up in hesitant realization.
”Did somebody shift everyone?”

---

Helga bit the bottom of her lip as Emily pleaded to the beastly Lupa, and decided to wait instead of joining; after all, there was a risk Lupa would feel intimidated by her arrival, ruining Emily’s chances. To her great relief, it seemed to work, as Lupa changed back to her usual self.
“Lupa!” She yelled, and dove to catch her, holding her in her arms. “It’s okay, Lupa...It seems to be over.” She looked over at the stage, having seen how the ghostly audience scattered after Endsinger’s head was removed from her shoulders. However, the lingering presence of the Feral clones distressed Helga as they chased after the head, and she hoisted Lupa over her shoulder, just like Emily before.
“Hey Emily, follow me. I’ll take you to my place.” She turned, only to grit her teeth in a flustered expression. “Not like that! To heal your wounds, I meant.” She hopped up to the roof of a nearby abandoned truck, followed by jumping up to a balcony and then the rooftop of a nearby building, occasionally looking back to make sure Emily would follow. “Hurry, before they come after us!”
If it looked like Emily wouldn’t be able to move fast enough, she would carry her on her other shoulder.

---

Leena released the grip on her swords as Endsinger’s headless body slumped over her, letting it drop down with a dull thud at her side; the sharp blades pointed upwards in the shape of an X out of the lich’s back. Then, the pain hit her; with a groan of agony, she dropped to one knee, holding her hand to her mouth as she coughed out her teeth, clutching them into a fist and looking down at them.
“Rghhh...It worked...Now I wish it didn’t. But it’s...done. The U-type’s...” She slightly lifted her face up to look at Viva, her face shrouded in shadow as her eyes glared at her. “You...”
Unlike FanFan, who was distracted by the wolves attacking her, Leena was aware of
Viva the entire time. Back then, she didn’t care about her participation, putting the mission before any distractions. But now, her focus was wholly on her, especially after she wiped her mouth in an attempt to present herself better.

“Heh...” She groaned a half-laugh, and lifted her face. Viva would see that not only was her nose smashed in and red from blood, her cheeks had nasty red wounds running across them, the corner of her lip dripping red. Though she kept her mouth shut, Viva would see a couple of teeth dropping from her hand, clacking on the ground. Yet, despite the great pain she was going through, the magical girl kept menacingly staring right at her, her lips curled into disturbing Joker-esque grin thanks to “makeup” she received; years of endless battle were reflected in those cold eyes.

“Why so...cereal?”

Then, she flinched as she coughed blood. At that moment, her concentration lapsed, and the Nullification Field dropped.
“Leena!” FanFan screamed, and activated the adamantium spikes in the knuckles of her robot arms as she opened her hands and slapped the wolves before she punched them with the spikes, causing them to disappear. She then ran towards Leena, punching a wolf right in the back of the head as she rushed to protect her from the ravenous pack. Leena’s eyes shot wide, having realized her mistake. Then, she summoned a sword to her free hand as she moved by instinct to block the first wolf, her eyes having snapped to an innocuous item lying on the ground: the guitar.

“DAWN!” She screamed, hoping the rookie wouldn’t be too late.

---

"Ohohohoo!"
Cindy laughed courteously as she witnessed Aurora being aggressively snuggled, before she clapped her hands together. “Now now, easy on the guest, girls~” she spoke in an amused voice. The monster girls snapped back to attention, and gave Aurora room to breathe, brustling Aurora’s hair. “Oh, excuse me! I was so caught up in the moment~” “I got a bit too excited there, hah~” The two apologised, while Cindy resumed her attention back to Eliza.
“Back to the matter at hand, may I request thine aid ona quest?” She asked, and realized she slipped into an older dialect. “Mm, excuse me. What I meant to ask was: could you help us? As you may have seen on Glimmr, Vi-chan is planning on holding a concert.” She then frowned. “However, not everyone has access to Glimmr, or are unsure if it is actually going to be held in the first place.” She gave a sealed letter to Eliza. “I need you to send this letter.”

Before Eliza could ask, Cindy was given a smartphone by a monster girl. She sent a beam of electricity from it to the projector using her magic. By creating a temporary link between the two machines, she made an image manifest on the projector: it was the front of the Golden Trove hotel. “Please go to this location, and give the invitation to the owner. I would do this myself, but my time is taken by managing the shelter. Also, since you were also gone from Penrose for a while, I believe you’ll have a better chance making there undetected compared to my other subjects.” She then clasped her fingers together. “Your queen would be very grateful.”

---

The audience of Beacon girls were dazzled as Alicia transformed in the courtroom, taking on a new, more brilliant path in her life as a magical girl. Even the Ascendancy members showed signs of respect, if not even slight awe, upon seeing the display of the White Coin’s power. Isthar kept smiling, her arms having slowly opened to address the crowd.
”What you see is the truth of the White Coin, only possible thanks to Alicia Hayden’s courage to save her friend. Alicia Hayden, I declare you innocent of your charges.” She smiled, and waited for the reactions of joy from Kimble and the others. “Seraph of Penrose, you have now received my blessing. May it serve you well in the trials to come.”

At that moment, Serenity spoke up, and delivered a shocking speech, delivered straight from the heart. As expected, there were some in the audience who were appalled by the reveal of her former existence, including Rachel. But the rest were moved by the story’s conclusion and the brilliance of her Soul Gem. This included Tsuki of the Ascendancy, who now wept tears for the very first time in the trial, while Hudie kept her head turned away, and Elora kept typing, as if purposefully distracting herself. Isthar herself kept smiling gently.

”Yes, it is friendship that transcends the borders between us. It allows us to reach out to another, gives us strength and purpose, but most of all, is the gift that keeps giving. For ages untold, you have been one with the void, without passion or purpose. An existence that begets nothing. But now, as you have reached this epiphany, you have gained a priceless treasure that can never be lost.”
She first looked upon Serenity, and then turned her eyes to the Ascendancy after Serenity’s request. ”Serenity Gates, your prayer has been heard. I hereby sentence you to embracing the White Coin, and letting it guide you to the true path. And to honor your prayer, you may be granted one as well, Aurelio.” Juliana unlocked the white cuffs from Serenity’s wrists, letting them hit the marble floor of the courtroom with a rumble of stone.
Then, like Alicia, she was also granted a White Coin, as was Aurelio.

“Um...” A hesitant voice next to Serenity made its presence known; it belonged to Sylvia.

“Cardinal Isthar, I...” She lowered herself down to a kneeling position, hands clasped together. “I...It’s been a long time since I’ve begged like this, but...Please, allow me to have a White Coin as well.” Tears went down her cheeks, softly hitting the podium. “I...I know I messed up, lying to everyone, trying to take responsibility in such a selfish way...But, I want another chance, another shot at making things right again.” She lowered her head, and Sally, with trembling lips, nodded rapidly; she attempted to speak, but only indistinct blubbering came about. However, the intent was clear as day.

“N-Nyah, please...”

Kimble pleaded, having raised her hands up like a kitten that wanted to be picked up, her eyes also teary. Up until this point, she had kept quiet, keeping close to Alicia. But as she took the White Coin, Kimble took solace in Sally, looking on in wonder as the White Coin blessed Alicia.

“I...It’s scary, but...I want to be purified,” she slowly stated, every word weighted with conviction. “I want to be...A nyaw me. A stronger me...One that can stand by Mistress’ side.” Sally and Sylvia looked at her with shock, but Kimble smiled back. “It’s okay, nya. This is my choice. For the sake of Mistress, my friends, everyonnyah...I’ll do it.”

Isthar once again nodded. ”Sally Shamrock, Kimble. Both of you have faced great hardship in the past. Betrayed and used by others, you were abandoned in the night that is cruelty. Nonetheless, you never abandoned the hope that one day you may find yourselves on a new road that leads to dawn. Kimble, you especially have had to fight against your corruption, your fangs always at risk of finding blood. But now, your love has given you new light. May you cherish it.” The two were freed from their shackles while Isthar addressed Sylvia.

“Sylvia Starshine...For five years, you have served as the branch leader of the Beacon of Penrose. During those years, you have dedicated yourself to upholding the tenets of our order, and working towards peace. However,” she spoke with neutral tone of voice, her smile now gone.
“You have been unable to let go of the weakness in your heart. And unlike Alicia, you have accepted the natural order of this world, having lacked the will to truly change it for the better. Such qualities do not befit one with the duty of giving example to those under them, one whose destiny is to guide others.”
She pressed her palms together.
”You lied to the courtroom, attempting to claim responsibility for all sins presented. Though it was an act of deceit, breaking the vow of honesty you made here, I can forgive it; it was made with a noble intention of sacrificing yourself for the sake of your friends. Regardless, I can not overlook the grave sin you have committed; that of not trusting in your friends. You did not believe in them, and selfishly attempted to take justice in your own hands. By doing so, you attempted to rob them of choice.” Sylvia’s legs shook, afraid of what comes next.

“It’s all over...Please, make it quick and painless...” Sylvia quietly mumbled, as despair slowly crept on her face.

”Sylvia Starshine, I shall hereby sentence you...To be demoted to the rank Ophanim, stripped of the title of branch leader of Penrose, and to embrace the White Coin on your path of redemption.”

Sylvia’s eyes widened, and she took in a deep breath of relief, having collapsed to sitting on the floor from sheer catharsis. “O-Oh...Th-Thank you for you mercy, Cardinal.” She lowered her head, showing respect to Isthar. “I shall do my best to make up for my faults.”

Isthar nodded. ”Juliana, release her, and give them all the White Coin.”

Juliana did as ordered, and soon enough the rest were also granted their White Coins.
Sylvia, Sally, and Kimble concentrated, and let the power of the Coin wash over them.
Like Alicia, they were swept up in a great, brilliant warmth as the magic enveloped them, like bathed in a river of starlight. Their very essence was bolstered, the ShineSpark coursing through them like magma running underground, spreading life to the earth.

Once it was over, Sylvia and Sally had transformed back to magical girls, their uniforms looking slightly cleaner than before. But the biggest change was with Kimble, as was apparent from but a glance at her; she reached up to touch the top of her head, confirming that her cat ears were gone. She then looked behind her; sure enough, the tails had disappeared as well.

“They’re gone, nyah...Wait, NYAH?!” She put her hands to her mouth, looking surprised, while Sally and Sylvia lightly laughed. “Some things never change, huh?” Sally joked, and hugged Kimble. “Ahh, but I’m gonna miss those adorable ears, and how they tickled me~”
Sylvia scratched her cheek. “Well, I could always make a cat-ear hairband and cat-tailed belt...You know, just to make the transition easier.”
Kimble giggled, looking happy. “That sounds like fun, Sylvia. But more importantly, now I can start all new, with no regrets, nyah!”

Isthar once again smiled, and clasped her hands together. Alicia saw that her bright eyes seemed to glimmer a bit.

“Yes...I am now sure, without any doubt.”
Rachel looked at the Cardinal with a lifted eyebrow. “Um, Cardinal Isthar, what do you mean?”
Isthar’s eyes looked upon Alicia.

“To replace Sylvia Starshine, I hereby grant Alicia Hayden the rank of Seraph Paladin, as well as the title of branch leader of Penrose. Sylvia may assist you in an advisory role, but from now on you will take responsibility for the branch’ operation and well-being.” Everyone, including the Ascendancy, gasped. “Objection!” Rachel lifted her hand, looking upset. “Alicia Hayden is inexperienced! She is not worthy-”
”She has proven her worth,” Isthar spoke back with a neutral, strict tone, and looked at Rachel. ”I honor her prayer of becoming an example to all. I believe in her, as should you, Inquisitor.”
Rachel sighed, and adjusted her glasses. “Very well. I have no further objections. But I would like to remind you that it is by the Grand Ecclesiarch’s degree that the Ascendancy pacifies Penrose, using any means necessary. We will be continuing our operation as planned.”

Isthar sighed, looking saddened.
“I have not forgotten, Inquisitor Rachel. Now, I shall resume my prayers.”
With that, she closed her eyes, and returned back to being as quiet as when the trial started. Rachel nodded, and then addressed the audience.
“The trial has now ended. Spectators, leave the courtroom in an orderly fashion.” The Ascendnacy began leaving their posts, following after the audience who left with murmurs and whispers ranging from awed to tearful. However, before they could leave, Rachel stepped u to the podium. “Alicia, Serenity, Aurelio, come to the Hall of Luminous Valor. We have matters to discuss.”

---

The shopkeeper seemed pleased by Deni’s positive answer, and waved goodbye to her and Valkyire as they left the Bazaar District. Following the outlandish merchant’s directions and turning two times, the two found themselves in the Entertainment District; a more colorful locale than elsewhere, with casinos, bars, cafes, and even arcades, advertised by signs reminiscent of the type seen in Las Vegas. There were plenty of advertisers on the streets; for example, there was a large, fluffy creature with a spherical body and tall ears spinning a sign for a “Smorple Cafe” on a street corner among others. However, it was also a seedier district; a place for the more unscrupulous type who did “business” to make their lair. This was apparent as they saw magical boys in fancy suits giving out fliers before some shop entrances, advertising to passing magical girls with smooth voices and dreamy looks. There was even a side alley marked by red lights, leading to a shadowed part of the district.

It is also here where Amanda happened to wander to after her visit to one of many libraries in the Overcity. However, as she was searching for an exit, she happened to see Ronin and Valkyrie; they turned into a quieter street where game parlors set up shop, the customers absorbed by the newest fad of Magical Reality helmets.
“Oh, hi there!” A young girl’s voice called out to the two.
Amanda, on the other side of the street, saw as a suspicious-looking monster girl approached the girls holding the wooden box, an easy smile on her lips. She was accompanied by a stoic-looking dark magical girl. “Thanks for delivering the package. We’ll take it from here,” she then said, reaching out with her beastly clawed arm while the other girl nodded; Amanda saw her casting a spell of some kind with a hand behind her back. Ronin knew that they haven’t fully followed the shopkeep’s directions yet...

---

Penny continued on the offensive with new limbs, battering Sirkkeli with not only her arms, now completely covered by the metal-eating mold, but also by her additional appendages. Sirkkeli’s armor deflected the blows to her sides and back, while the alien gynoid pressed on, having managed a couple of slices to Penny’s midsection, coating her further with the acidic compound and speeding up her mana consumption: she was now at 60% mana capacity, nearing 50%.
In return, Sirkkeli received more heavy blows as she further failed to match Penny’s punches with her sword, her own armor now showing cracks that revealed grey tubes.
“Rrrgh! You’re blind to Laat’s great plan, Penny! You know nothing!!” She screamed, and cut off one of the spider limbs in a whirling slash, coating the stump’s tip with the mold and preventing it from being reattached without serious consequences. She continued the spinning slashes, aiming to cut the rest.

“Take th-th-th-th-!”
She was hit by the lightning beam that Valerie shot out; her metallic body easily conducted the powerful blast, and caused internal damage of some kind to the foe while also stunning her. She was then subsequently hit by Penny’s fearsome gauss shot, knocking her back against a wall, cracking it; she held her stomach, the armor of it pierced and bleeding blue blood, clearly pained by the combination of attacks. “Urgh! You…”

She saw as Penny rushed in for the finishing blow, as the Beacon girl planned.
”...You really are blind!”
Penny’s vision suddenly darkened; she was hit by a blast of sticky saliva that covered her eyes, revealing that Sirkkeli also had the Bile ability. The liquid was not corrosive like the mold compound on her blades, but instead acted like incredibly elastic glue as it hardened upon exposure to cool air, sticking Penny’s hands to her face as she attempted removing it by instinct. While it could be ripped away by sheer strength, she lacked the necessary agility to avoid entangling herself further into the mess unless she calmed herself down.
“See what I mean? Hahahahaaa!”
Sirkkeli cackled as she lifted herself up, holding one hand to the wall to prevent herself from falling. “You fool...I’ll tear you, piece by piece.”
She then drew a blade, intending to attack Penny while she couldn’t fully defend herself.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

@Majoras End
By the way, I edited my Cindy post a while back to correct the Aurora shenanigans to happen because of a new video instead of a misunderstanding.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Using a fearsome combination of spells, Alex used a tail-like weapon to crush the undead dinosaur that had attacked Lily. This was followed by a shining glint as a new shield was formed just in time to repel another bite. The Ascendancy triplet who was protected by his magic nodded without a hint of hesitation, brandishing her halberd. “Got it!” She jumped up the hole, and sliced down on the assaulting crocodilian monster’s snout, splitting the rotting monster’s jaw. Lily was breathing heavily, and held a strained facial expression that soon turned calmer as the gash on her body closed and healed.
”Sorry Alex, I messed up," she spoke, and lifted herself up to sit, using her Ramuh staff to lift herself up. ”But it looks like your shopping trip paid off; that move was neato."

With a clang, Su knocked the yellowed teeth out of the plesiosaur that bit her wing, causing it to let go with a bellow, freeing her. She did not manage to hit the other plesiosaurs who bent their necks, but succeeded in blasting them with a horizontal tornado; just like she hoped, their necks did end up tangled together by the sheer force of the raging funnel, and their scaly skins were cut in bending lines, like grazed by a drill.The undead dinosaurs made a big splash as they hit the water and disappeared, like sinking into Briny depths.

The megalodon hit by the triple-effective Yellow Card was successfully lifted up in the air despite the dinosaur’s immense weight, leaving the undead monster to roar, its legs still moving in an attempt to charge at her. The other megalodon was hit by a poisonous dagger, which it shrugged off as it went in for a bite; she realized that the undead were immune to even magical poison. However, the fleeting distraction proved enough for the struggling triplet to escape, aided by the obscuring enchantment the gambler gave her.

Mister Bulk’s hands formed a black aura around them as he first formed a moat around himself by mass-summoning open graves, draining the water in his immediate area to them. Then he began casting curses at any target he saw, lobbing them out as skull-shaped projectiles that wailed like souls of the damned. The spells missed, letting the others see that thee spells were those of decay and aging; it caused trees around the museum to wither, and rock and concrete to crumble, eroding them like time skipped forward. Though he found himself under fire by Tetrad’s cards, he only made the minimum effort to deflect or guard against the attacks, enraged by his desire for death and destruction, only wincing as her well-aimed Red cards managed to crack one of the shoulder orbs, releasing black mist-like vapors as it shattered.

In that moment, Mika jumped on him while he flinched.
“Arrrr! Get off me, you mangy cat!” The lich flailed, attempting to throw her off. But it was too late for the undead sorcerer, as Mika held on, powered by the Red Reverse. Silhouette then dropped down behind him, like a an assassin ready to fulfill her bloodstained contract. She lifted her dagger, about to strike…!
Then, they were all engulfed by the explosion of Tetrad’s last card, shrouding the scene in coughing smoke. Silhouette was at the border of the explosion, and performed an uncanny dodge, leaving a streak of black smoke that trailed after her before she took to the landing unscathed. Mika was less fortunate, and was hit by the blast, though thanks to being wet from her flooding spell, she incurred only very light burns on her body and clothes. However, she felt like her furry cat ears had their tips set on fire.

“Urgh! Rot away, wormfood!”
Mr Bulk shot out a quick hex with a finger gun through the smoke, hitting Tetrad. As she felt the foul curse envelop her, she realized she had rapidly aged by sixty years in human age; her hair turned grey, her skin turned wrinkly and flabby, and her posture worsened, causing her to feel much weaker and burdened than before. For the magical girls who were blessed with eternal youth, this was a disturbing sight.
“Hahaa! You are but mortal, weak flesh!” The lich clacked his jaw as he scattered the smoke with a spell, showing how his bones were blackened and his robes were on fire; he resembled a heavy metal album cover.

“Fall in despair, and DIE!”

The lich lifted his arm, about to hit her with another curse. But then, Mika came to the rescue; using skills she had acquired thanks to her bond with Dan the Dolphin, she took a deep breath, gathering her inner power. Then, Dan appeared over Mika, helping to channel the Keijo technique.
Dan yelled out in his comically squeaky voice as Mika released the energy into a forward thrust:

“RABUU RIPPURUUU OOOBAAA DURAIBUUU!”

*Crack*

“NOOOOOO!”

Like a golfball, the skeletal wizard’s screaming skull was punted right off his shoulders, soaring high into the sky before it hit the street, shattering it into two. His body fell down with a thud, seemingly lifeless.

“This isn’t the end...”

They heard the lich’ voice emanate from the remaining orb on his body.
“I’ll kill you, kill every last damn mortal in Penrose! And from your femurs I’ll build-AHHH!”

With a crack, the two orb on the lich’s shoulder was split in three. The two triplets lifted their halberds, their faces cold. “Finally it shut up.” “What a pain.” They turned. “Where’s the staff?”

“Taken care of.” Kai lifted her rifle, which glowed a faint blue, and made a shot towards a distant alley. It looked like she didn’t hit anything, before a sound like shattering glass could be heard.

“YIAAAAARclackcklackclack...”

At that moment, the dinosaurs froze, as if stopped in time, and sunk into pits of tar, followed by the tar also disappearing like evaporating water, leaving only the bones from the museum scattered. Tetrad’s aging effect also began to reverse, if slowly; by de-aging a year per minute, she felt that it would take an hour to completely revert to normal.

It turned out that the lich attempted to escape, his disembodied hand clutching on to his phylactery-encrusted staff as it scuttled like a spider, before it was destroyed by a ricocheting bullet that hit around the corner. The sniper lowered her rifle, the Blue Reverse enchantment having ended, and sighed. “The U-Type is eliminated,” she stated looking towards the lone triplet next to Alex. “Take the staff and phylacteries.” The triplet nodded in response and signalled to the others. All three triplets then began gathering the lich’ remains, pocketing the broken orbs that once housed the lich’s soul.

Lily slowly approached the group that had gathered, an uneasy smile on her face. “W-We did it. Good job, everyone.” Kai glanced at her, but didn’t respond. Neither did the triplets. Instead, the sniper looked up towards Su, and squinted. She still held the rifle in her hands.
“Hold it,” she ordered in a blunt manner, and the triplets rose; they all gripped their weapons tighter. One by one, each identical sister pointed their halberd at Su, Tetrad, and Silhouette respectively. Lily’s eyes widened upon realizing the hostile intent behind their eyes; it wasn’t the end.
“By the order of the Ascendancy, surrender, and assume human form. Refuse, and we won’t show mercy.”

---

Helga hesitated, but begrudgingly agreed to Emily’s request, putting her down at an elevated part of the sewers where the two had some room to catch their breath. “Emily, huh?” Helga answered, having crossed her arms. Then she blinked. “Oh yeah, it’s you! I won’t forget anymore. I’m Helga.” She then pointed at herself with a clawed finger, and smiled at her words of gratitude and worry. “You’re welcome. Lupa’s the kind of girl you really don’t want to mess with, honestly.”

Helga’s smile then curled into a frown as Emily turned. “Are you kidding me? You can’t go back and fight her like that! She’s gonna gobble you up for lunch! And bury your bones in a backyard,” She added, as if that part was more important. But, Emily didn’t seem to be swayed, and Helga facepalmed. “Urgh, reminds me of a certain stubborn girl...” She joined Emily.
“But I’m not saving you twice.” She let Emily go back to the surface while still keeping herself out of sight in case Lupa attacked. But to her surprise, she didn’t. She carefully peeked up from the manhole to see what was going on, ready to join Emily if she chose to attack.

FanFan made a girly scream as her mighty birdcage collapsed thanks to Viva’s unintentional intervention; her acids melted through her fingers, splitting them upon impact with the stage.
“Aaaahhh! My manicure!” She cried, and shrunk the metal arms back to normal size as she looked at the broken fingers. Her eyes then widened as she saw two wolf monsters flank her. But the proud crusader of the Ascendancy wasn’t daunted by her situation.

“Here Fido~”
She clapped her normal arms together, and absorbed the metal of her thrusters into her metal arms; not only were they repaired, they were also enlarged and reinforced, wth wicked barbed spikes lining the length of the forearms as well as her palms. The large hands then snapped around the upper jaws of the two Feral Lupas at her sides, keeping them at arms’ reach while she focused her magic on boosting the defense of the arms, able to cast spells with her normal hands. She relied on the beasts’ primal instinct to bite down on the metallic hands restraining them, causing them to pierce themselves on the barbs. It was a cruel tactic, showing the pragmatic nature of the Ascendancy. But even so, FanFan was focused on what Leena was doing.

Leena’s eyes were intense as she stared right into Endsinger’s gaze. Even if it seemed futile, she kept her swords crossed, preventing Endsinger from pulling her out without bisecting her. She gasped as her gas mask was ripped off, and made a muffled sound as her lips were claimed in a kiss. Any girl, even a magical one, would be shocked if they were caught in an unexpected smooch, and Leena was no exception. And she did struggle, sounding uncomfortable with the lack of morals that the lich expressed, and hateful at the fact she managed to parry Dawn’s greatsword.

However, the lich realized that something was off. For one, Leena was surprisingly calm in the kiss, not having released the grip of her swords or even attempted to knee her. Then, she saw FanFan’s reaction to the kiss. Instead of horror or disgust, as one might expect from an Ascendancy member, there was but a grin. Then, upon tasting something she didn’t expect, she knew she was played;

Teeth braces.

Leena hit her swords together, and at that moment FanFan lifted her normal arms and performed a glowing magic circle of bright gray.
Leena’s teeth braces, having been prepared with activation runes beforehand, then released the compressed steel they had hidden, an example of internal magic contained in enchanted items. They expanded into two wide blocks shaped like an =-symbol that slammed forward with the force of a power fist, punching Endsinger in the face. With luck, she might even be cut against her ensnaring swords.

---

Once again the courtroom went silent at Alicia’s explanation, and seemed to last just a bit longer than before, as the Ascendancy contemplated the evidence presented. “So I was correct in my original assumption,” Hudie simply stated, while Sylvia spoke up to confirm the situation with Penny. “The decision of alliance with Penny’s Patron was carried out by the Beckoners of Penrose,” she stated. “And as Alicia said, we were ignorant of the treachery involved.” Then, all eyes were on Serenity for a moment, and Tsuki nodded. “That is true. While there have been beings in the past who have attempted to disguise themselves as Beacon before with false Sparks, Serenity’s Spark is genuine, with no traces of corruption on her.”

The other members of the Ascendancy whispered and murmured among themselves as they discussed Alicia’s testimony, except for Isthar, who still kept silently praying, and Rachel, who held a menacing glare on Alicia. During this time, Aurelio could sense that there was a mix of suspicion, belief, contemplation, and fear coming from the audience, with subtle variations coming from Hudie, Tsuki, Elora, and other regular members of the Ascendancy. Rachel herself seemed resentful, with a fiery passion for justice. However, for some reason, he was unable to gauge the Cardinal’s feelings; the mysterious girl was like pure air to his inquiry.

Finally, Rachel spoke up. “She has admitted to her guilt, I see no reason to stall this any longer.” She adjusted her glasses. “She needs to be made an example to others, to show the price of rebelling against the Beacon’s will and letting corruption seep into our midst.” The other Ascendancy members looked among each other; they seemed hesitant, and Rachel stepped forward towards the Light girl. “She is a self-admitted deceiver, weak of will and unable to realize the consequences of her actions!” She pointed at her, her expression one of hate. “She is a danger to us all! Burn her and her conspirators at the stake and be done with it!!”

”...”

At that moment, something seemed to happen to Isthar; her eyes, previously closed, now opened. They were a brilliant golden color, and gave the illusion of casting light upon anything they gazed upon. The members of the Ascendancy tensed up, while the audience seemed to hold their breaths in anticipation.

”...Alicia Hayden, Seraph of Penrose.” Her voice was like the chorus of angels, so beautiful and pure that it tugged at the heartstrings of any who heard it. Sally began openly crying with comical fountain streams, while Sylvia held back her tears with a sniffle. The audience wept tears, while even the hardened members of the Ascendancy showed signs of sorrow. Isthar seemed to ignore this reaction as she continued speaking, without any hint of emotion in her voice.

”There is darkness within you, a doubt of self that gnaws you from within. You are conflicted by the feelings you harbor to those closest to you, and feel that you lack the power to change yourself.

Rachel smirked, looking like she has already won.

”...Yet, you have never let that stray you from the true path..."

Rachel gasped silently, her eyes wide in shock.

”You have fought and struggled, but never lost sight of your true self. You have never given up on doing the right thing, even if it means losing everything. Even in the darkest depths, the light of true justice, unclouded by bias, has illuminated your path, and pushed you forward. And because you risked your life to save your friend, a new hope was born.”

Then, she opened her clasped hands, and revealed that she held a White Coin.

Rachel seemed distraught upon seeing the coin. “B-But Cardinal Isthar-”

”Beacon has trusted in the ancient ways, set when the world was young. We have kept the light of the world shining through tradition set long ago, showing us the way generation after generation. But now, a great darkness is coming, one even our light of justice cannot banish.”
She wept tears of brilliant golden from her cheeks.
”Steel and fire will not be enough. We need more to withstand the coming calamity. Corruption starts in the heart...But it also ends in the heart. We need compassion, and understanding. We need a true love that encompasses all, so that the world may change.”
She put one hand to her chest, and let the White Coin slowly float away from her palm.
”The White Coin is that catalyst for change. It embodies Beacon’s love in one another, and our faith in our cause.” The coin moved down the room until it ended up hovering in place before Alicia.
Everyone else looked on in wonder and anticipation. Isthar wiped her tears, and gave a subtle smile.

”Seraph of Beacon...Awaken your love. Cast aside your doubts, and become the light that illuminates the way to the future.”

---

The mysterious stranger made a strange-sounding laugh upon hearing Ronin’s answer. “No waurri! Gud preis för juu! Kum sii!” However, upon seeing Valkyire quickly catch up to them, she blinked, and released her wrist, hiding her weapons. “Saurri saurri! Zo happi to sii kustomier. Nou meen harmi!” She exclaimed. With the kidnapping situation resolved, Ronin managed to ask her question, and the exotic shopkeep scratched her nose. “Jiru? AAH, Jippo-Jiru! Jees, Jees!” She nodded. “Maghi Serevesus, jaas. Wei wei jaas...Mutta.” She seemed to think, until her eyes lighted up. “Odottakaa!” She held her hand forward, and then ran back to her shop.The two heard loud rummaging sounds including the clanging of weapons, a broken pot, and the cock-a-doodle of of a rooster before she returned. “Paketti! Jirulle Paketti!” She had a box of some kind; it was made of gnarled wood, tied close with writhing red string, and had a couple of holes on it. There were a couple of glowing runes etched on it as well. She pointed in a direction with her other hand. “Tarun refut, raita, refut, öba burig, zoom zoom!” She made her hand into a straight line that curved left, right, left, then over something, and finally jabbed forward a couple of times to emphasize her words. “Maghi Servesesus, Jirulle. Jaas jaas?” She then asked, and gave the box to Ronin.

---

The alien gynoid hissed as her attack was dodged, her mouth opening up like a Predator.
“Blasphemer! Traitor! Heretic!” She spouted insults, and now used her sword to block the attacks Penny threw at her. Unlike the reactionary armor which managed to guard her well, her sword parries were less effective before Penny’s brute strength. Penny managed to get a punch right to her jaw, causing blue blood to trickle from the corner of her jaw. “The Great Remaker loved you most of his fated one.” She clashed with Penny, visibly struggling to hold her own against Penny, yet still not refusing to give up.

“But look at you, Stagnation!” She made a spinning slash to create distance between the two.
“By refusing change, you will only rust and turn to dust! I, Sirkkeli, will see that Laat’s will be done!” Then, Penny felt something burn on her fists, and saw that the liquid on her enemy’s blades had turned into a metal-eating mold of some kind. Unlike with Valerie’s blade, which she was forced to drop lest it spread to her hand, this infection did not expand; this was thanks to Penny’s active efforts to resist changes to her metal.

However, it did not prevent the metal-eater from actively harming her like a burning rash, causing her Regeneration to constantly run at full power. Disturbingly, she found herself unable to control the Power, like an immune system reacting to a mild sickness with full alarms, likely a designed effect of the infection to counter Regeneration users. For now Penny had mana to sustain both enchantments, but she could tell it was not a permanent solution, especially if more of the metal-eating mold contaminated her frame and accelerated the magic consumption. Sirkkeli was fully aware of her predicament and continued attacking with her dripping blades; Penny was forced to choose between outright assault and risking the spread of the infection, or avoiding blows and attempting to wear her out first before her mana runs empty.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

At the moment Lily was thrown, time seemed to slow down for her. She saw as Mika summoned a door, saw how the triplets fought around her, and how Alex was far away rescuing the sniper girl. She didn’t harbor any ill will to any of these people; in the chaos of the moment, everyone still did their very best. And she failed them, letting herself get knocked right into the waiting maw of a horrible stinky dino. But wait, this was taking a bit longer than she thought...Lily realized she had sped up her reactions, watching everything pass by slower. Of course, she was now a couple of seconds away from being chomped. Or so she thought; Su dashed in, her black wings unfolded in a terrifying but beautiful visage, slapping the giganotosaurus away. Time resumed its space as Lily rolled into a knee-down landing pose, and she gave a thumbs up to the dark magical girl.
”Thanks Su! I owe you one!"

Kai was surprised by Alex’ reveal, and blinked as she leapt back, rifle lifted up to aim at the undead dinosaur that clamped its jaws around nothing. “Beast specialist? I see.” Empowered by Alex’ magic, she took aim through the holes of the new wall, and breathed in deep. As the dinosaur bit again, she shot right into its maw; the shot was charged with kinetic energy with lowered piercing power, causing it to ricochet inside the monster’s skull and obliterate its brain. As a result, the beast fell down, still moving due to its undead status, but lacking motor functions to properly continue its pursuit. The sniper looked pleased with the result, and smiled at Alex, before she looked away with a huff, seemingly still embarrassed. “Thank you for the assistance. I appreciate it.”

Mr Bulk was still gloating as the door opened, and he turned to mock Mika.
“Do you really think you can shunt me through that door? You idiotic feline!”
But then, the skeletal lich’ jaw dropped, and his eyes blinked white in a comical fashion as the torrent of water gushed forth. “Wait wha-AAAAAHHH!” The land-dwelling dinosaurs managed to hold their ground at first, but the swirling, serpent-like flood soon swept them away, roaring and shrieking helplessly. Even the lich himself was taken by surprise, and kept a hand forward to split the waves. “Nhaaargh! I’m soaked to the bone!” He swung his staff angrily at Mika. “So you like water, eh! How about some real leviathans? I don’t need bones to cast thi-KHKHKHKH!”

The lich was stunned by Tetrad’s card. There, seeing her chance, Rina came down in a swing of her longsword; his hand holding the staff was chopped clean off by the brave magical girl in a surprise attack, and was also swept away by the flood of water, glinting under the waves. The lich turned furious, his empty eyesockets now ablaze with green fire. “You meddling children! I’ll kill every last one of you!” His two shoulder pauldrons now glowed brightly as he focused his magic, and out of the water spawned horrible undead monsters of the deep; plesiosaurs with long necks and sharp teeth that reached for Su; one of them managed to bite her wing. Megalodons with a huge maw that now assaulted the triplets, and kronosaurs swiftly raced through the waters, gunning for Rina and Lily.
”Those shoulder thingies are also the philly things!" Lily screamed as she shot at them, having already forgotten the name of the phylacteries. She shot her lightning arrows at the lich, causing him to be stunned again.
”Destroy them-Ah!" She kicked the kronosaur away before it managed to bite her, but she was flanked another that sunk its teeth into her back.
”Ngh!"

---

“I understand. I look forward to meeting your subjects,” Cindy replied to Chloe, and then turned her attention to Eliza once the dark magical girl left towards the door to her apartment. She patiently listened as Eliza explained the reasoning for her arrival, nodding at her mention of being subject to monster-related discrimination. She did not blink at the mention of the Ebon Mint. “Yes, many here are former agents of the Mint slave machine. You are not alone in your plight.” However, while she was in a good mood already, the formal greeting performed by the witch and her familiar seemed to delight the electric shape, causing her to glow a bit as she carefully clapped her hands. “Ah, this is the first time I have been properly addressed. My joy knows no bounds. Eliza Winters and Theresa, you are both welcome to stay here as long as you like.” With the elegance of a royal, she took Eliza’s hand, gesturing her to rise. However, by doing so, she caused a tingling feel to spread on her palm, like static electricity after touching a doorknob. She soon released her hold, seemingly realizing the reaction she caused. ”That’s right, my touch arcs with energies harmful to beings of water. Joy can sometimes be a blinding emotion indeed.”

It was at that moment when Chloe returned with Aurora and Divina, and she addressed them both with a curious look. “My, what adorable subjects you have, Chloe.” She looked at the crowd of corrupted girls in response to Divina’s remark. “My subjects have done what they could, but unfortunately there isn’t enough living amenities for everyone.” “Yeah, it’s been rough ever since the Ascendancy showed up.” One of the monster girls spoke up; she wore a brown tubetop and green puffy pants, and held a club over her shoulder. “After we lost girls on a furniture run, we decided to settle with what we have. Besides, plenty of us are used to sleeping on the ground, so it hasn’t become too big of a problem.” She then bit her lip. “Right, introductions. Name’s Goblina. I was running the shelter before boss came back. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“If you would like to provide assistance in the building of the shelter, you may address Goblina. Now then, where were we?” Cindy glanced at the screen, where Elvira' video began playing again. “IT’S VI-CHAN!” The girls seemed to turn crazy with a snap, their eyes having turned to hearts. “VI-CHAN! I LOVE YOUUU!” Aurora was quickly surrounded by a pack of overenthusiastic fans as they expressed their affection for the internet idol, and soon found herself smushed between the ample chests of two heavily built, thick monster girls.
Cindy giggled. “Looks like you have already made some friends, Aurora~”
It might have seemed like heaven to an outside observer, but to Aurora, who lost not only her personal space but also her breath, it was hell.

“VI-CHAN! VI-CHAN! VI-CHAAANNN!!!”

---

The insectoid cyborg’s dripping blade created sparks as it’s blade crossed with Valerie’s. The otherworldly monster girl seemed shocked and appalled at the act, hissing and clicking with clear fury as it pushed against the blade. “Don’t interfere! This is the fate of all Stagnation!” She spat out.

Penny then leapt over Valerie, aiming to flank their opponent. But, as Penny brought her mighty fists upon the back of the insectoid, the armor shifted; spherical mounds of armor sprung up and deflected Penny’s blows, as if the armor itself actively parried Penny’s blows, receiving only minor damage from her destructive attack.
“You’ve become weak, Penny!” The monster girl buzzed, and in a swift maneuver kicked Valerie in the stomach; it was distressingly powerful, sending the brave defender back from the impact, the armor on her front having cracked.

“You were the chosen one, and you threw it all away!” The inhuman gynoid swung her swordless arm in a backhand at Penny. But just as it was about to hit, another blade sprung out from the elbow, also coated with the strange liquid. It was then, as Valerie recovered from the blow she sustained and lifted her blade once more, she noticed that something happened to it. To her horror, she saw how some of the foul liquid that was smeared on it from their clash gradually spread on its own. Like some kind of inorganic, acidic mold, it rusted and corroded the metal as it continued expanding over the surface; it would soon reach the grip of the blade if Valerie doesn’t act.

---

The jury of the trial had their interest piqued as Alicia stepped forth and voiced her own part in the crimes addressed. Rachel in particular seemed to smile cruelly, as if she knew all along, but Tsuki also smiled a bit. Elora on the other hand continued typing on her laptop, seemingly ignoring the speech, though a careful ear would deduce she was actually recording every word. Sylvia shook, clearly upset by Alicia’s honesty, though she stayed quiet and also listened as Alicia recounted the tales of Kimble, of the White Coins. Even Isthar, the girl who never stopped praying with her hands clasped and eyes closed, seemed to lift her chin, if only a bit, as Alicia brought up all the events that brought the Seraph here.

The eyes that Alicia met were ones of zealous fury, of conviction of their evil and of the belief in their guilt. But, as Alicia bravely kept on going with her words of true light, the Beacon masses began to shift in their demeanour. However, the ranks of the Ascendancy was not swayed.
By the end of Alicia’s confession, the trial hall was quiet. The jury looked at each other. Finally, Tsuki spoke up.

“Why would the Beckoners of Penrose deem such a change acceptable? For thousands of years we have stood against the darkness, bringing light to all corners of the world. The Beckoners have since guided us, and have never swayed from the true path.” The masses began whispering among each other, and Rachel then spoke. “She is lying! She is a heretic who deserves the fires of Pandemonium!” She made an accusative point, causing people to gasp. “Elora lifted her head. “Do you have proof to present?” Rachel nodded. “I do. Take a look at this.” She snapped her fingers, and two Beacon girls lifted a television screen. A video began playing; it showed how Alicia secretly met with Janet, and gave her the potion that cleansed her.

“As you can see, Miss Hayden could have purified this monster girl using the traditional methods we know to work, but she instead resorted to witchcraft, resulting in an abomination that still possessed an appearance most unnatural,” she then said, pointing out the liquid hair that Janet then had. The crowd was shocked, though Hudie then refuted her. “She did confess to having collaborated with Janet and Jenna. I assume this girl eventually turned into those two.” Rachel nodded. “True, but that is not all.”

The video then changed to a photograph of Penny at the hangar, with Sylvia holding a mechanical device on her hands. “Sylvia Starshine contributed to installing illegal modifications to a monster girl who I remind you was not purified as of this moment.” Tsuki frowned, and slowly nodded. “And even now, she is still a monster, correct?” Elora nodded. “That is true. The White Coin did not change her appearance.” Rachel adjusted her glasses, causing them to glint in an omenous fashion. “Which means the Coin did not purify her, only gave her a power that doesn’t belong to her.” She grinned. “I would now like to call in a witness: June.”
The crowds parted as the green-haired girl with a sour attitude slowly stepped forth, and took her appointed seat. After swearing to speak the truth, as was required, Rachel asked: “You were at the graveyard battle, correct? Could you recount what you saw there?”
June nodded in a hesitated fashion. “Yes. As I remember, a horrible Horror was about to be summoned to Penrose, thanks to the machinations of monster twins called Regina and Elroy, as well as a dark magical girl whose body would serve as the vessel. Alicia participated in the defense, and by the end of it, the girl was purified thanks to her efforts. But...I was wrong.” Her gaze lifted up to Serenity. With a shaky hand, she pointed at her. “She...She is not a true Beacon. In fact, she is the very Horror that Alicia pretended to defeat, having succeeded in invading our world.”

Some girls in the audience fainted as the accusation was passed. Rachel was having the day of her life. “Thank you. That’s all we needed to hear.” She turned with a puff of her chest. “So, if you truly believe in our cause, would you really have purified that monster girl with witch potion, or let a reborn Horror walk the streets of Penrose? Or do you deny these claims?” She asked, trying to push Alicia into a corner. Isthar’s face turned towards her; though she did not see through her closed eyes, Alicia could tell that the Cardinal’s attention was on the Seraph now of all moments.

---

Helga grimaced, fully aware that her Sonic Strike would not be enough to stop Lupa when she was overcome by Feral’s influence. Not only that, she also knew what the wolf monster’s strategy would be; pack tactics. And Lupa was truly a master of Duplication magic, able to create clones durable enough to withstand light punishment while dealing out as much as her original form. And thanks to her speed and ferocity, it might as well have be the same as fighting eight Lupas. With the chaos of the concert going on however, Helga didn’t catch where the original was. And with Emily wounded, it was likely she would be killed if she tried to fight two of them on her own. She saw as the Beacon force headed for the Endsinger; she felt like that crew would be enough to beat the lich.
“I hate this, but I haven’t got a choice! Gotta use the Helga family secret technique: FLEE!”

She threw Emily over her shoulder, and using her arm cannons jumped out of the way of the two Ferals, causing them to collide with each other. She used the crowd to her advantage, and lost herself in the masses. However, that wouldn’t be enough, as Lupa had an excellent sense of smell. Fortunately, a manhole was nearby, and so Helga and Emily got down and dirty as they escaped through the sewers. Once Helga sensed that the music of the lich was muffled enough by the distance, she removed the deafening spell from Emily while still carrying her and running away. “Thanks for the save, hot chick! By the way, who the hell are you?”

Above ground, FanFan and Leena were smarter than the average magical girl, and saw what happened to those who attacked the ghostly audience. Thus, they jumped over the horde, with Leena performing a spinning drill dash while FanFan launched herself using her metal arms as a bazooka. “Target sighted. Going for the lockdown!” The squad leader shouted, and her eyes began to glow a menacing red. FanFan smiled. “Ooh, this is some nice music, but I do prefer classical, thank you very much~”

Now above Endsinger, FanFan enhanced her robot hands, causing her fingers to extend incredibly long, turning into the bars of a birdcage that surrounded Endsinger’s immediate location, encasing her within ten meters. “Go for it, Leena!” She shouted, and Leena dashed forward, her swords glowing as she crossed them.

“VOID ROOM!”

And then, five meters away from Endsinger, a field suddenly expanded up to ten meters in radius, causing colors to invert for everything inside. Endsinger then realized that her magical music was silenced, and the ghosts that lingered in the space also disappeared, banished by the Field that rejected all magical phenomena.

It was a Nullification Field, stopping all external magic.

Leena continued charging in, and swung her swords in a drilling stab, aiming right towards the lich’s heart. “Take this!”

---

Valkyrie followed Ronin as she ran into the mass, able to pursue her through the chaos. However, it wasn’t until the two found themselves at a street corner that the angelic magical girl grabbed the smaller girl. They were at the Bazaar; a street full of vendors that sol exotic and strange offerings; one vendor sold artifacts from the far east, including flying carpets and dancing scimitars, while another sold technological devices enchanted with various functions. “Get your dragon tears here!” They heard a man shout. “Discount potions and tonics! Healing draughts half price!” A woman was heard hollering. “Fresh Fragranta’s perfumes will have boys swarming over you!” Valkyrie was then harassed by a magical girl offering free samples of her irritating scents.

But then, as the magical girl was distracted, a hand snapped over Ronin’s shoulder. Appearing suddenly from an alleyway came a magical girl wearing strange clothes, her face covered by a furry shawl. She spoke in a foreign accent. “Well hallo thar! I hav gud deels in offir! För juu, a majik katena, yas yas! Sharep and sulicy! Fid för sammarai!” She lifted her arm, and revealed that under her robe she carried all sorts of bladed weapons, from daggers to broadsword to even a claymore. “Gud preis för juu, yas? Kum Kum!” She took Ronin by the wrist, and began dragging her towards what looked like a shop of some kind, tucked away in the darkened alley.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

There's also going for Light's association with enlightenment and knowledge like accurate recognition of enemy magic.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

"Mister skelly means business! Alex! Go heal-Oh, you’re already going!" Lily shouted after the already departed Alex as she kept moving around the courtyard of the museum, having dodged a swooping pterodactyl at the rooftop and shot it in the wing, causing it to fall. But there were more of them coming as time went on, and soon a pack circled the area. She regrouped with Su and rina, and nodded, a determined look on her face.
"A phylactery, got it! I’ll get in for a closer look!"

Mika nearly failed to summon the portal as an undead triceratops charged at her, but it was stopped by one of the Ascendancy triplets who blocked it with her halberd, her heels scraping against the concrete courtyard of the museum as she slid back from the momentum. “No you don’t-NGH!” She grunted, showing great strength as the dinosaur was stopped. This gave the beastly dancer girl enough time to create the interdimensional entrance, wide as a barn door.

Su’s tornado disrupted the flow of dark magic around the portal, preventing the bones from entering it and halting the wave of undead monsters that poured forth. The bones were then shot out, hitting two more undead pterodactyls and sending them crashing to the ground , while a larger bone was launched at an undead ankylosaurus; the beast swung its hammer tail and splintered the bone mid-air. Other bones hit various other dinos, immobilizing some and knocking others over. A couple of undead velociraptors leapt at Su in a pack attack, but Rina shot them in the leg, causing them to fall over and saving her.

Mr. Bulk noticed this, and slowly floated towards Su, his skull jaw wide open. “Foolish mortal! You have meddled enough in my plans!” He aimed his golden staff at her, only to be distracted by a lightning bolt cast by Lily who dashed towards him. “Another street rat!” Mr. Bulk shot a magical projectile resembling a spinning black scythe, but Lily dodged it with an elegant flip.
"Too slow, skellyman!"
As she continued weaving through the lich’ barrage of spells, Rina got her chance to observe the lich in action, and noticed that the orbs on his shoulder pauldrons seemed to faintly shimmer with every spell, if only for a split second. Lily’s eyes widened as she also realized something.
"I think his staff has phylacter-Kyah!!" Lily was caught by a surprise backhand, sending her flying right into the open mouth of an undead carnosaur, swallowing her whole.
“There, feed upon the street rat! HAHAHAHAHAA!”

Some smaller undead dinosaurs that rose from the portal were slammed by Alex’ ankylosaurian tail, beating the majority to submission. That was when one of the larger dinosaurs, an undead giganotosaurus, took notice of the bestial magical boy, and charged right at him; the beast was slightly larger than the tyrannosaurus rampaging towards the triplets and Tetrad, with great sharp teeth bared in full. The moment Alex reached the rooftop and set a protective barrier, the giganotosaurus bashed its head into the barrier, followed by clamping it’s jaws around the shield, cracking it in an alarmingly short amount of time. However, Alex managed to bring the sniper girl back to consciousness as her dark-tainted wounds closed clean. As she opened her eyes and saw him, a deep red color flushed over her cheeks, followed by a pained expression. “I-It’s not like I...Needed to be rescued...By a monster like you...” But despite the pain that clearly wracked her, she lifted herself up like a trained soldier, ready to leap away from the giganotosaur the moment the barrier would break or be dispelled.

Meanwhile, the remaining triplets assaulted the ogre mages in melee, cutting down one each in perfect unison. The two held their own against the smashing blows of the ogres as they countered with their tree trunk staves, but had to scatter once the tyrannosaur arrived; it lifted one of the ogres by clamping down over it with its jaws and threw it at a triplet, knocking her against a wall from the impact. “Hrgh! These undead are strong, even by dinosaur standards!”
They then heard Su’s voice, and shouted back: “We’ll cover you! Go for the summoner!”

---

The Overcity gate guards raised their eyebrows, and looked at each other with confused looks. “Penrose? I heard that the city was abandoned and left for the monsters.” “And that the Ascendancy had to step in.” However, they seemed convinced of Valkyrie’s sincerity, though they did give suspicious looks at Deni. “You will take responsibility for any misdeeds your companion may make.” They then hit the bottoms of their halberds to the ground, and a magical rune appeared on the gate, opening it. “There are currently no active portals that could lead you there,” one of them spoke as the gate finished opening. “But I have heard of a delivery service by a magical girl named Jill who can deliver anything instantaneously. You should ask for her at the Magical Services district. We have spoken.” And so, the two took their guarding stance again, and let the two pass them.

Nothing could prepare the two for the view that awaited them beyond the Crystal Curtain; there were buildings of many stylish, both ancient and modern, and signs with strange and mystic runes on them scattered everywhere. While some shone with arcane illumination, the brightest signs belonged to shops and restaurants, with fantastic imagery and wordplay among them. The streets were bustling with magical folks both familiar and weird; magical girls and boys walking beside fairies, dragons and even strange monsters outside the realm of imagination.

The two had to hold hands tightly to avoid being separated by the current of mass that drifted in one direction or another. Some magical girls could be seen above, riding on brooms and skateboards enchanted with flight, while others rode flying mounts like griffons and pegasi. The air was fragrant with scents of flowers and berries, mixed in with more questionable smells, resulting in a mostly neutral mix of olfactory sensations. As they observed their surroundings, they noticed that the street itself seemed to slightly move similar to a conveyor belt, helping them move faster in any direction they wanted. The buildings themselves rose high into the clouds themselves, each one as tall as Bhurj Dubai, if not even more. Valkyrie and Deni now had to decide on their next course of action.

---

Helga gnashed her teeth as the Endsinger’s magic rumbled against her; though she could not see the sounds that came from it, and thus did not fall completely for her enragening spell. However, it was enough to make her tense up, as thoughts of violence crept up in the corners of her mind, causing her to strike even harder at the ghosts, her eyes more intense. Worse still, as she could not hear the chaos of the battlefield around her, she was oblivious of Lupa’s monstrous change.

Still fighting against the swarm of ghosts, cutting the ethereal figures like flailing cobwebs, Helga was unaware of the wolf pouncing upon her. But, in that fateful moment, Emily sacrificed herself, and threw herself in the way, and intercepted the wolf’s bite with her arm. Wolf-Lupa’s fangs easily punched through her defenses, and crushed the bone, while her claws stabbed her sides. It was then, as blood sprayed, that Helga only noticed what had transpired. “LUPA!” She screamed loudly enough for people to hear over the music, and performed a stabbing uppercut on the wolf while it was biting into Emily, hitting it right in the abdomen. Then, she released the charge of Sound Magic she had through her palm cannon, delivering an explosive blast of high-frequency sound. Even if she was her friend, she would not be holding back against her, as she had someone more important waiting for her at home.

After the blow knocked Lupa-Wolf back and the two of them got a moment of reprieve, she turned and saw what happened to Emily, and her eyes widened. “Fire Chick!” She shouted, and with a touch of her shoulder applied the deafening enchantment on her as well, sparing her from the cacophonous concert as she reeled from the injury. She had nothing to say to Emily, even if she could hear her; her actions would speak more than any words. Then, anticipating another attack, she took a defensive stance, claws held up, ready to grapple the wolf monster and in turn help protect the one who saved her life.

---

“Ooh, good one rookie!” FanFan giggled at the one-liner Dawn made, and made sure the Bouncer would be unable to dodge the blazing beam by using her robotic arms to grab hold of hislegs, causing the Bouncer to be pierced by thesearing projectile. At the same time, she used her normal hands to cast a spell, causing a metal shield resembling a plate to expand from her arms and cover her above, preventing the Bouncer from being able to punch or grapple her away with his numerous arms without first breaking the shield. She then continued casting layer after layer of metal over the plate while still tightly holding on; Dawn now saw how the Ascendancy agent was a master of both melee and magic, able to perform both tasks simultaneously while lesser fighters would only be able to accomplish one of the two.

Leena skid to the side of the Bouncer and deflected a punch aside with one of her arms, only to counter with another and slice it right off. Of course, it barely diminished the monster’s attack power as he had more than enough to compensate. But this was just a warmup; the incredibly agile magical girl proceeded to perform an empowered cross-slash, her swords glowing brightly.
“We don’t have time for fodder.” The slashes seemed to extend beyond the swords’ reach, bisecting the Bouncer in a single slash. What was a fearsome monster easily able to hold its own against even a large group of regular magical girls was effortlessly taken down by the teamwork of the two veterans, falling in an earth-shaking tremor. Leena continued moving towards Endsinger without skipping a beat, slashing forwards through the ghosts like they were blades of grass. “Dawn, flank her!”

---

“There are many indeed who have yet to comprehend the wondrous flavor of green tea,” Cindy stated, and sipped on her cup, as she listened to Chloe. She stifled a burst of laughter at her initial answer, and then gave a knowing smile once she gave a more comprehensive one. “I understand how you feel, Chloe. My subjects also come before all else.” She poured some more tea; Chloe saw that a warm glow now emanated from the crackling monster’s cheeks.
“They are my treasure, my precious. And I won’t let anyone hurt them; not the Ascendancy, or anyone else.” She poured some more tea for Chloe. “They need someone to guide them, to show them the path to the future. And only I can bear that cross as leader of Penrose, for it is my destiny.” She took another sip, and was approached by one of the residents of the shelter. “Oh, a new arrival? Take her to me.”

She then turned her attention back to Chloe. “As we share a common belief of protecting those under our rule, I have a proposal: join me in an alliance, so that we may crush the despots of the Ascendancy together, and deliver an age of peace and prosperity to Penrose to all.” She then stood up. “Now, I have other business to attend to. You may now enjoy the entertainment in the television room if you wish to. Think about my offer.” With that, she walked away.

Eliza was guided by one of the dark magical girls occupying the shelter to an underground chamber titled “Television room” by the words scraped on the door. It was here where other monster girls and dark magical girls were watching internet videos; they used a smart phone hooked up to a wall projector by a bootleg cord installation, and sat around in old chairs and sofas that were salvaged and repaired. A fail compilation was currently running, causing the crowd to scream and holler in laughter. Cindy then arrived in the chamber, and approached Eliza. “Greetings, visitor to my realm. I am Cindy, the queen of Penrose,” she addressed herself. “Are you a friend of Penny the Home Builder? Or did you happen to find this place by chance?” She asked, curious to hear her answer. “Regardless of reason, all who are lost and abandoned are welcome in my domain as long as they do not seek to harm my subjects. Now, tell me your name.”

---

Penny easily smashed through the feeble monsters, her fists tempered in battle against foes far greater. She got a few scratches and bites, but her Regeneration made them futile efforts to stop her rampage. At the end of it, she was surrounded by foul corpses that slowly degraded into black ash, scattering into the cold winds of winter. But, as she was about to move on, she heard somebody approach.

From a dark alley, she saw the silhouette of a female shape slowly walking towards her. But, as the light of the moon illuminated the arrival, Penny couldn’t help but reel back at the sight; she resembled an insectoid robot with a human woman’s shape at first glance, with a helmet fitted with mandibles. Her body was covered from head to toe with sleek interlocking plates, resembling a kind of futuristic power suit, but Penny realized that it was neither of those things; she seemed like such a mix of biological and mechanical elements that no distinction could be made between the two. The outer ridges of her body seemed to slightly shift and lock into place, like the chitinous armor itself was alive and sentient, microscopic needles popping any snowflakes that would touch her. It was like nothing seen on this planet, suggesting she was an extraterrestrial magical girl.

“Stagnation...” A voice mixing a woman’s with that of higher-frequency buzzing came from the monster girl. “I have searched long, but at last I have found you.” She lifted an arm to her side, and a curved blade sliced out from her elbow, clearly as much a part of her body as the arm itself. “As Laat Al’O Fan is my witness, I won’t rest until your whole being is destroyed and made anew!” And then, with speed matching Penny’s at her fastest, she dashed forward, clearly aiming to swing her blade at her; she saw how the edge was now covered in some kind of greenish-black liquid, as if the weapon itself excreted it.

---

Rachel’s gaze stayed stern as Aurelio expressed his sentiments about the Ascendancy, but she did blink when he mentioned Penny’s name. “So it is true then…” She spoke back, surprisingly lenient with Aurelio. “The soulless automaton has been granted our sacred Spark.” She then continued listening, surprisingly possessing more tolerance than before for the magician’s defiant behavior, likely due to the revelation he gave her as well as him agreeing to her order. Her arms crossed, she seethed with resentment towards him when he was done. “There is also no place for an attitude like yours. As punishment, you will be attending the trial. Dismissed.” She scoffed as Aurelio teleported, and then disappeared herself, leaving the Confessional empty.

---

Kimble quietly purred as her locks of hair were swept by Alicia’s gentle touch, her company solace in the dreary atmosphere they found themselves trapped in after Juliana abruptly left, seemingly called in for an assignment. Sylvia seemed to wake from a trance-like state as she was nudged, blinking with a look of surprise. “” H-Huh? Alicia…” She spoke quietly, appreciative of her encouragement. Sally on the other hand seemed to still be depressed. “Chance? I don’t like my chances, and they’re the best around.” She replied, and went on to stuff her face with cake. “But Alicia is right,” Sylvia spoke, and lifted herself up to sit properly. “There is still one way that you can survive.” She took a deep breath, and then, in a low voice, said:

“You need to lie.”

Kimble’s ears sprung up in surprise, and Sally gasped. “Wait, what? You mean-”

“Correct,” Sylvia interrupted. “I am the one who led us into this mess, and it is my burden to bear. I will take responsibility for everything that’s happened here. But to do that, you must all corroborate my story, and accuse me.” She turned to Alicia, and placed her hand on her shoulder. “That means you too, Alicia.”

Sally blinked. “But wait, didn’t Rachel say that there’s going to be Light users at the trial? Wouldn’t our lies be exposed?”

Sylvia shook her head. “Based on the way she reacted, I don’t think so. It is possible that the Ascendancy doesn’t have any active Light girls employed under them. Which means you will be the only one who can detect lies, Alicia.” Her eyes turned sadder. “I know, it sounds crazy. But this is our only chance to avoid having everyone executed. So please, Alicia...”

At that moment Juliana teleported into the hall, having taken a disciplined pose with her arms behind her. “Line up and follow me; the trial shall begin soon.”

Sylvia looked at her, and then whispered to Alicia’s ear: “Promise me you will do the right thing.” Then, she was lifted up by Juliana, followed by the others, who then began their walk towards the Hall of Divine Judgement.

Her encouragement may not have had an even effect on everyone, but Alicia remained resolute in her belief. They would face this, and they would deal with it together.

Or perhaps not, as Sylvia explained her plan. The Seraph tensed, frowning anew as the plan was laid out. Play along? Accuse Sylvia of everything? It was a selfless, a noble thing to do to sacrifice herself for the sake of everyone else there. Knowing who they were dealing with, it was a good choice.

Yet despite that she could not shake the feeling gnawing at the pit of her stomach. So many of the decisions that they were being accused of, so many things they had done, those had been because of her. She might not have been involved with the ShineSpark, but she was the one who had spared Kimble, who had invited the alliance with Penny, who had cured Janet. If anyone deserved to be executed for that, it was her.

Yet she kept those thoughts to herself, doing the very thing that Sylvia wanted her to do. “I promise,” she muttered back before rising to her feet and moving to follow to the Hall of Judgment.

As the others in turn began to stand and follow the procession to the Hall of Judgement, however, Serenity felt something drop into the bottom of her stomach at the thought of Sylvia’s plan. On one hand she couldn’t deny that Sylvia had some points...especially about the likely lack of Light girls...but at the same time the idea of going along with that plan felt insane. Her heart throbbed at the idea of a sacrificial lamb being made out of Sylvia, if it even worked, and the maid felt she knew Alicia well enough to at least think the other girl might just follow through with Sylvia’s request.

Yet standing up and following along as Juliana beckoned them to follow her, though at first within her mind shouting out a silent prayer to the spark or whatever righteous force could save them and poor Sylvia, Serenity eventually looked over to the girl as she walked along near her. For a second she thought back to the other girl’s glimmer of kindness and compassion, performed in giving them cake and asking for her name, as something within her seemed to bubble up from deep down. The pale-haired magical girl then lightly bit her lip, before she felt the words roll off of her lips.

“To answer your question...my name is Serenity...Serenity Gates. I am one who has sworn a Vow of Compassion, a thing which I pray will hold true this day.”

“Serenity...That is a beautiful name.”
Juliana did not look back, devoted to her duty of escorting the accused, but Serenity saw a glimpse of sorrow coming from her, followed by a softer expression. “I will pray for you.”

Aurelio would appear in a muted flash of light beside the procession before they had made it into the Hall of Judgement, his hat and monocle donned once more and an easygoing smile yet again gracing his lips. “Hey everyone” He would greet softly as he matched step with the group as they ventured into the Hall of Judgement. “Glad I was able to make it”

Despite his relaxed appearance, one could still see his lingering frustration due to tight grip he had on his cane and sharper than normal edge to his gaze, though considering the dark mood hanging onto those that were accused perhaps it would go unnoticed? Regardless he wasn’t one to allow his friends to wallow if he could help it and slowly and softly a mix of Calm and Confidence would emanate out from him and lightly settle upon his allies. No real magic was instilled with the emotions, he didn’t want to risk the accusations that might come from any buffs, but a bolstering of moral sometimes had a stronger effect than any spell,which was his aim to begin with.

He did not know what was coming, but he would stand with his friends as best he could.

Juliana opened the gates, and the girls saw that the Hall of Divine Judgement had changed; unlike the futuristic look from before, with the holes on the floor and ceiling, it now resembled a courtroom from the renaissance period, with seats on either side of a walkway that led to a podium where the accused were sent to stand. On the far side of the court were seats for the Ascendancy as the jury, as well as the Beckoners above them; like Colonel Cuddles, none were recognizable. They also looked unnerving and ominous compared to the cute and angelic Beckoners the girls were used to.

Aurelio was guided to a seat in the audience as the praying girl he saw before took the seat of the judge. The entire time, she continued silently praying with her hands clasped together and eyes closed. She sniffled, and Rachel, standing next to her, called out: “Cardinal Isthar has called the court to order.” At those words, the entire chamber, including the members of the Ascendancy, all turned deathly silent.

Then, a minute later, Isthar lowered her head again in a slow nod, and Rachel continued: “The members of Beacon belonging to the Penrose branch are accused of the following sins: colluding with monsters, witchcraft, severe neglect of one’s duty, abandonment of one’s area of jurisdiction for months, and severe heresy,” she added, giving a look at Aurelio specifically. “How do you plead?” Tsuki asked, standing on Isthar’s left side.
“I plead guilty!” Sylvia suddenly spoke up, before anyone else had a chance to. “I was the one who ordered Alicia to spare Kimble and any other nonhostile monster including Penny. I was also the one who decided on making the White Coins, and distributing one to Penny. This is because I don’t believe that killing of monster girls or other innocents, regardless of how corrupted or evil they may seem. I hoped to convert Penrose into my beliefs by force, but I failed.” She then sighed, and made a meaningful look to Alicia. “I now realize it is all my fault. However, my wish is that you spare the others, for they are innocent,” she added, and then turned silent. Tsuki put a hand to her chin, clearly thinking, while Rachel simply glared; Alicia couldn’t tell if she saw through Sylvia’s lie or not. It was not clear if Isthar listened until she slowly nodded again. Rachel now asked: “Alicia Hayden and Serenity Gates, can you confirm Sylvia Starshine’s statement, or otherwise corroborate her story?”

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

@Majoras End
Valerie is accepted; you can add her into your latest post if you want to. And yes, battle music can be included in any post.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

@Majoras End
Sure. And the character sheets you've posted are accepted.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

Black Sky Moritomi

---

Kaito had thought it was weird when the catgirl suddenly dropped in front of him. Usually other girls would run after seeing his avian legs, but this girl seemed to like them for some weird reason. Well, she looked like a monster girl, so perhaps it was a feeling of camaraderie among abnormal looking people. Kaito didn’t have long to think on it before she suddenly gave him a very wet, very shivery hug. Kaito’s eyes widened; for a moment he thought she went in for an attack, but there she was, holding him. It ended as fast as it began, but the damp feeling she left stayed.
”You’re… welcome?” He spoke, but it seems she wasn’t listening, having already left.

That… was weird. Kinda nice, though. Most people want to kill me. A hug is a great change of pace. He shivered slightly in the cold as he felt the dampness start to sink in. ...Aside from her being soaking wet. He prepared to take flight again, trying to find the “prey” that the Queen told him about...

Then the wights and ogres showed up. Then the prehistoric skeletons. And then they became prehistoric zombies. Like… really? Zombie dinosaurs? This city was weird enough without dinosaurs, thank you very much, much less zombie ones. And then a bunch of magical girls showed up, clearly intent on dealing with the sudden influx of ghouls.

This is what I get for being complacent, he thought bitterly, summoning a brace of spectral swords hovering around him, eyes already darting about for some suitable shadows to dive into. He had to move fast- he had to go after the source, before it got to summon too many minions and overwhelmed them all.

Then again, he thought, watching the Inquisition girls curbstomp some wights, they seem to be handling it pretty well so far.

Do not get comfortable, Champion. Even an ordinary necromancer would be a fearsome foe. This creature is far beyond that. You must proceed with caution.

Kaito wasn’t overly enthused at the prospect, listening to the thing blather on about being “extinction” or whatever. Even worse if I have to listen to him rant the whole time. His eyes caught a sufficiently deep pair of shadows; one somewhat nearby, just behind the undead vanguard, and one closer to the museum, where the Lich awaited.

Perfect. Now he just had to get the rabble out of the way. He ran forward, ghostly swords weaving and thrashing around him as he aimed to flank the wights and destroy them with his newly summoned weapon.

---

Kimble's sad countenance turned to a genuine, if struggling, smile upon seeing Alicia. "Mistress, I'm glad you're here. Sorry for having to be rescued again..." She mewled, and closed her eyes. "Those other girls...They called Mistress a traitor," she bared her fangs. "They said many hurtful things about you. I couldn't stand it, so...I took revenge. But I wasn't strong enough..." She let her tail fall to the ground; the tip of its fur was burnt off. "I'm sorry, Mistress."

Rachel pointed her finger at Kimble. "That thing gouged an eye out from one of your fellow sisters!" She retorted, and then shifted her pointing to Alicia. "And you will answer for having brought a beast to our holy grounds." She turned away, facing the exit as she listened to Serenity's question, and reached her hand up to her chest as if to clutch something; this gave Aurelio his chance to sneak in some healing magic to Kimble, before the Inquisitor faced the girl.
"...Any lies at the trial shall be known by a user of light magic. Aurelio, follow me. Violet, your squad may take a rest. Inform the next squad to move in on U-Type 3."
Violet saluted, a big grin on her face.
"Understood, Inquisitor."
She activated the teleporter, and the squad disappeared. Kimble, soothed by the magic, pressed her head against the bars of the cage, causing one of her ears to flop out. "Please, mistress...Could you pet me, one last time?"

---

Rachel took the dapper magical boy back to the Confessional. She still seemed imposing and accusatory, but this time she spared him the physical abuse as she crossed her arms. "I am aware of the Vow you have taken, Tanner; you have sworn to uphold Kindness in all matters. Thus, it is possible you are innocent in all this. However," she bluntly stated, "to fully prove yourself as loyal to Beacon and its cause, we need you to perform a mission."

She began circling the interrogation table Aurelio was sitting at; her image accordingly shifted on the wide mirrored window set to the back wall. "A dark magical girl calling herself "Vi-chan" is going to hold a meeting of corrupted beings under the guise of a party. You will use your connections to the underground magical girl population, and find out the location and time of this party. If you do this successfully, you will be pardoned for your sins."

She stopped, and pulled out a bracelet from her pocket; it resembled an electronic health measuring device, with a different set of runes and a small interface of buttons and a LCD screen. "This device will transmit any audio in your vicinity straight to our database, allowing us to listen in. It has been enchanted to be immune to scrying magic such as Third Eye, so as long as you keep it under your sleeve nobody can detect it. Any questions?"

---

It was at that moment that Juliana teleported back in the containment area; she entered the cell, having brought a strawberry cake to the prisoners. "Here. You must be hungry." She set the tray down, and cut the cake into slices.She then gave each one a plate and spoon to eat the cake with. "Thank you," Sylvia quietly spoke, having begun eating quietly she was visibly distraught by what had happened to Kimble.
Sally on the other hand had begun to cry, and sobbed as she also expressed her gratitude. "Cake as my last meal...Well, I suppose my weight doesn't matter at this point, ehe..." She attempted to joke, but it fell flat. After giving Alicia her plate, she then went to Serenity. "My name is Juliana," she then spoke to the maid girl. "I do not recognize you." She held the plate towards her. "May I ask you for your name?"

---

Helga soon arrived at the graveyard, grimacing at the sight of the ghostly concert. "What the hell? This place might as well not be a graveyard with all this not-actually-dead going on around here." As soon as she heard some kind of music playing, her eyes widened, and her sharp teeth were bared. "Sound magic!" Using her Specialization, she created sound-nullifying plugs inside her ears, deafening her. She then ran forwards, spotting Lupa already in the fray. "LUPA!" She screamed, and extended her claws, joining her in the fight. Together, with both of them using a bestial, wild style of combat, they synergized well in a feral dance destroying the specters surrounding them.

Brittany nodded, smiling as Su bought the Ether Staff.
‘An excellent choice, ma'm! The Ether Staff will enhance your magical abilities when used.‘ She watched as everyone left running out the door, and put her hands to her hips.
‘Well that went well, Agatha!‘ She turned to her Patron, and patted him on his head, giggling like a child.
‘Now, let's go look for Sammy, starting at the Pit Stop.‘ She closed the shop, and hopped on her flying broom, exiting in a fashion most witch-like.

---

Lily sped through the mostly empty streets, no longer deterred by traffic like before. In a way, she was glad there weren't as many civilians around, as they would then be safe, but on the other hand she knew this wasn't normal, that people should be free to walk these streets without fear. She had been complacent for too long; now she had to act.

She thought about going higher to look for Alex, but was surprised as she heard his voice in the distance.
"Alex! Get on!" Lily shouted back, and braked in a circle, creating a donut-shaped trail in the snow before Alex had hopped on and she continued on her way.
"You ran off without me!" She scolded him; even though he couldn't see her expression, he could tell she was upset.
"Don't you realize how dangerous that is! You could get hurt and I wouldn't know! You dummy!"
To make her point, she decided to pass through a tight alleyway at full speed in an effort to slightly spook him.
"Don't ever do that again, Alex. Anyway, I saw the news, and there's monsters! Get ready!"

---

Rina's sword shot sliced through the tough hide of the undead sabertooth tiger, and mid-pounce its head was separated from its shoulders, causing it to slump down, its head rolling to its side. But then, the headless body rose up, and slowly stalked towards Rina, the tiger head snarling, one eye still on her.

Lily and Alex had reached the back entrance of the museum of natural history, and skidded to a stop. The two of them heard disturbing roars and screeches coming from the front side.
"Let's try and get them by surprise this time,"
Lily spoke in a lower voice, and hopped up to the roof, waiting for Alex to catch up before she moved stealthily forward, her bow held in her hands like a huntress in the forest.

There, floating on the other side and with his back to them was the bulky lich; he was laughing and swinging his golden scepter back and forth, unleashing more necromantic magic by the second. Lily took aim,pulling back on her bowstring made of crackling electricity, and waited for Alex to make his move before she would a Barrage of lightning arrows upon the undead sorcerer.

Mr Bulk once again was pierced by the electric arrows, and flinched from it, though it didn't seem to slow him down. "More vermin, here to squirm before their last breath!" He pointed his staff towards the ground in front of the museum, and summoned another portal; this one was much bigger than the last one, a swirling abyss of black and purple. "Come to me, life forgotten by time!" Bones were drawn from the museum and thrown to the pool, from which even more dinosaur zombies emerged: megalodons, allosaurs, anykolaurs and more.

The triplet nodding, having accepted Tetrad's introduction as she swirled her halberd around, cutting the legs off a wight before landing a bisecting blow in a single motion. "You are correct. We have arrived here a fortnight ago, here to pick up the pieces of our outer siblings." Another triplet hopped in to block a strike aimed at her back, the two seemingly telepathic as they moved on to move in perfect synchronization with their swings and dodges. "We are Xelda, Yselda and Zelda." The third triplet landed from above balancing on her weapon, and joined the two in their deadly performance like she never left. "The Sworn Sisters, here to purge Penrose of magical pollution."

With the triplets blessed by Tetrad's suit of Swords and Kaito coming in with a flanking maneuver, the wights did not endure for long, hacked part in a hurricane of glinting steel. However, Kaito was not left unscathed, and suffered three hits on himself. He then came to realize he was inflicted with a curse, lowering his STR, AGI and VIT by -3 until the curse was lifted.

The spinning scythe cut through the undead ogre mage despite the resistance in their fattened gut, leaving an awful mess before the blade stopped and the ogre dissolved. And then, another ogre mage was shot down by the sniper girl, who had now crouched down at the edge of the rooftop to take her shots. However, this turned out to be a mistake, as the magic missiles shot by the ogres hit her. She rolled back to cover, but was too late; she was hit by the black orbs, an groaned in pain. One of the triplets cried out.

"Kai!"

---

Cindy had moved to a small corner of the hideout at one of the deeper levels when Penny returned; based on the desk and swivel chair carried there, it seemed to work as her temporary office of sorts. She turned around to greet Penny, holding a stack of laminated papers. "Oh, greetings, Penny!" She greeted, and smiled as she saw Chloe. "This must be your squire then. Ah, I jest," she added, and laughed in a conserved manner. "Penny has spoken many good things about you, Chloe. She also told me that you would be willing to join in an alliance. Would you like a cup of tea as we converse?" After learning that Penny would leave, she nodded. "Very well then. You are always welcome, Home Builder." She then gestured for Chloe to sit down at a nearby table. "So, tell me about yourself, Chloe. What do you treasure most?" She asked as she poured some tea.

---

Like Peter Pan leading Wendy to Neverland, so did Valkyrie take Ronin's hand, and the two flew off from the ruins of the castle. Though the magical realm they were in is known as the Overcity, it is actually part of a greater nexus of realms called The Sprawl; it can take many forms, from the most beautiful of vistas to the most horrifying of landscapes. Like a dream, it keeps ever shifting, and even major landmarks may move as they years go on. However, one place has always stood firmly in place, anchored by primordial magic; the Overcity.

Carried by magical winds, the two of them soon saw the Crystal Curtain; a great wall that separated the chaotic Sprawl from the nexus of magic, above the cities of mortals. The Curtain shimmered turquoise when seen from afar, though its colors shifted like the northern lights. The walls rose incredibly high, and patrolling the perimeter were magical girl guards, ever valiant.

Valkyrie knew that trying to cross by air would not only be foolish but outright suicidal, as the guards had the right to strike down any who would cross so. Instead, they found themselves at the gate; studded with jewels the size of car tires and engraved with great runes, the door was made of adamantite, the most durable malleable substance known in the magical world. Two magical girls were guarding the gates, and lifted their palms towards them. "Halt! State your name and business," they shouted out.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

@Asuras
Accepted.

@Shifter_Master
Corrupted Reinforcement works according to how we discussed it. Otherwise accepted.