Justine grinned as she felt the temperature drop, and the howling winds of a blizzard scream around her as it manifested all around her, covering the snow field in a blinding white screen.
”My oh my, you even have an ice mage to give me a welcoming party through a large-scale spell? My, what a naughty little copycat you are. Then again, imitation is the greatest form of flattery~”And soon enough, Mariette’s forces were on the move; monsters and simulacrums raced through the snowy field, easily crossing the difficult terrain, while projectiles began flying from all kinds of directions. She immediately recognized the portals from whence they came through.
She glanced at the Beacon girls as she dodged and defended herself using some of her wings, particularly at Kimble who floated using Wind magic. While she didn’t pay much attention to her during the meeting, she was amused to see how much her former pawn had changed, having gone so far as to reject her monsterhood in favor of submitting to the Beacon’s tyranny.
”This blizzard is proving quite troublesome. Clear the way for us, my dear Kimble.” However, Kimble gritted her teeth, contempt clear in her eyes. Only moments before, she was happy as Alicia cheered her on before they left, having responded with words of gratitude and affirmation that she would be careful. But her mood went sour the moment the vampire addressed her.
“You don’t get to order me, you evil hellspawn!”Justine rolled her eyes.
”Very well then. I suppose we’ll all freeze to our deaths then. Is that what you want to do for your precious Alicia? To die a meaningless death and break her heart?””W-Wait, how do you-”Kimble’s eyes widened, horrified by the vampire’s cruel words, causing her forearm to be grazed by a bullet and for her to flinch. Hyun Long deflected another with her fists lifted up in a defensive pose. Justine waggled her finger with a knowing smirk, but then was struck herself in the hem of her skirt, damaging it. Nonetheless, she kept her menacing aura.
”Clock’s ticking~”Kimble bit her lip, absolutely loathing the fact she has to endure Justine’s banter. However, she knew she had no choice.
”Ok, fine! But I’m doing this for the sake of my duty to Mistress!”Kimble had summoned her magical weapon, a hand sickle, and made a spinning motion with it as she channelled her magic.
”Cyclogenesis!”Upon incantation of the spell, a great whirlwind of green-tinted wind began forming around the assault team, spinning anti-clockwise to the blizzard and leaving them in the somewhat tranquil eye of the storm. While she was unable to suppress the more powerful combo magic Tullia and Lea were casting, she was able to create a small bubble where the group would be protected by the biting chill. It also helped deflect some of the projectiles shot at them by redirecting their trajectories and improved their visibility, though only up to the radius of the whirlwind that covered the group, beyond which the blizzard raged on.
”Ngh....I can’t hold this for long!” Kimble stated, wisps of green energy visibly spinning around her limbs.
Sally and Hyun Long nodded, having acknowledged Aurelio’s Magician’s Mark with thumbs ups and respectful nods, respectively.
“Good work, Kimble! Now we can fight much better!” The former commented, and twirled her Shamrock Shooter around her index finger. “Hyun Long, let’s advance!” The latter girl nodded, a determined look in her eyes.
“Got it! I’ll start clearing us a path through the snow!” She took in a deep breath as she took a martial arts pose; her fisted hands glowed red, and were covered with hot flames, melting the snow in her immediate vicinity, before she punched forward; A dragon head-shaped burst of fire was launched, melting the snow before them in a 10-meter long distance.
However, just as she was about to run forward, Justine spoke out.
”Halt! Allow one of my canaries to pave the way forward.”Her red eyes flashed, and one of her troops began running forward; she was a magical girl with a uniform consisting of a brown skirt, a white blouse, and yellow highlights holding what looked like an ornate Winchester rifle as her magical weapon. Without saying a word, the vampire’s thrall sprinted forward, having casted some type of enchantment on herself. Soon enough, the vampire’s thrall stepped on something, and activated a magical trap, killing her with an explosive blast.
Justine giggled at the sight, showing a maniacal smile..
”Ohhoo~ I knew it! Mariette has trapped the field and mansion, the little rascal.” She glanced at Sakura, who was near her and blasting the various monsters that popped up with lightning bolts, thinning the numbers successfully.
Hyun nodded with a wavy sigh, and continued, allowing the four brainwashed magical girls to pass her. Sally didn’t seem bothered by the prospect of traps as she followed after Hyun, skipping through the melted path while shooting at an ice clone, riddling it with holes that allowed other shots to ricochet inside the structure of the construct, shattering it. “Just follow me, and those traps won’t be a big deal at-Ahh!”
Suddenly, she slipped on a patch of ice, causing her to flip. At that moment, a white, furry yeti monster appeared from the blizzard, attempting to swipe at Sally but missing due to the inopportune moment. Hyun Long gasped, about to punch the yeti, but she hesitated due to Sally’s proximity. The yeti took this opportunity to punch the blue-haired girl and steal her lighter, before it dove into the blizzard, turning practically invisible again before it appeared again; it performed a dropkick on one of the brainwashed magical girls, causing them to be knocked and dropping the hand mirror the yeti soon pilfered.
“We got ourselves a yeti!” She informed the others, and punched an ice clone that came for a swing, blasting a hole right through the construct’s chest and melting it into a puddle.
“It’s trying to steal from us!”
Justine scoffed.
”Hah. What a weak monster. Mariette is desperate indeed.”She opened the palm of her hand that held the broken hand mirror; the object now stood up on it’s handle from the middle of its palm, perfectly balanced and unaffected by the snowstorm.
”Take care of your given weapons; Mariette will do everything in her power to disarm us of them.”The hand mirror then sank down into her palm by the use of her blood magic, it’s shattered reflection having resurfaced on the back of her hand, now fused into her body. She then directed four of her other troops to respond to the ice clones, purposefully moving forward in an attempt to activate more traps. The Red Nest agents also mobilized, showing off inhuman agility and ferociousness as they took out their own weapons. One of them used a machinegun with magical engravings on it, and blasted away at any portals that popped up, forcing Mariette to close them prematurely. Another used a chain that seemed somewhat prehensile, wrapping around an ice clone and binding it. The Red Nest agent then swung the bound clone around like a massive flail, smashing other clones into pieces. The third agent seemed to be in a support role, and used cybernetic clawed gauntlets to direct two hard light constructs resembling shadowy nightmare wolves with red eyes, covering their flanks.
Justine then created a barbed blood javelin in her other hand and, as she waited for an opportune moment, chucked one at incredibly high speed right at a portal where she predicted one would open, surprising Mariette and impaling one of Mariette’s ranged magical girls straight through the chest; the eyepatched girl would realize that Justine has grown stronger since the last time.
”That’s right, Mariette, give me more of your portals!” She loudly taunted as she created another in her hand, her fangs bared in an evil smile as she flew forward, keeping pace with Kimble as she moved the wind barrier with her at a steady jogging pace, the team having gotten one-third of the way to the mansion doors.
I’ll gladly pick your slaves off. One. By. One. Tee hee~”
Sonia stared forwards, as if in a trance, before she lowered her hand.
”Lady Justine has begun her advance. I am now ready to transport you, when you are ready,” she informed Alicia.
The Beacon group nodded as their leader warned them to prepare for any possibility.
“No worries. If they have a magical trap waiting for us on the other side, I can nullify it,” Leena stated with crossed arms, and glanced at the bubbly Magical Dream Princess as she approached them. She didn’t seem as fazed as the usual magical girl would be in the presence of such an outrageous personality. “I’m Leena,” she answered bluntly.
However, FanFan seemed more enthusiastic of MDP’s attention, her mechanical hands clapping above her head with the same rhythm with the pink girl’s hops as she shook MDP’s hand with a normal one, a bright smile on her.
“Wow, thank you so much. Not many people recognize them for how stylish they are~ I also think you’re looking absolutely fabulous~” She gestured to herself. “I’m FanFan. It is nice to meet you~ Would you like to join me for a spot of tea after this is over?” She greeted her, and gave a polite giggle as MDP mentioned her bouts of amnesia. “Oh, that’s fine then~”
“All you need to remember is that Mariette and her friends are bad girls, and you’ll be fine,” Leena added, and focused her attention on the discussion Alicia and Ronin held. She stayed quiet for most of it, but interjected when Ronin mentioned the backstabbing nature of Penrose. “You get used to it.”
”It is recommended you use any tools of subterfuge for this operation,” Sonia answered Tenebra. The Ascendancy girls took out their own Disguise Artifacts, and changed their looks to resemble Mariette and Eli, respectively; the Artifacts were prepared using the memory Alicia had of the two thanks to the Beacon’s scrying machine.
“Probably won’t fool anyone for longer than a second...But it’s a second we can use,” Leena commented.
”Excellent. Now then, are you ready?”The maid asked. Once everyone had placed their hands on the table, Sonia once again channelled her magic…
And the group, this time including Sonia herself, was teleported into the Void Room.
After saluting together with Hilaria’s announcement, Dan the Dolphin seemed to be out of the loop for the rest of the discussion. He was floating around the room like an aimless balloon, spreading tiny glistening bubbles and sparkles as he went, contrasting the gothic atmosphere of the room.
“Helping out Mariette, Mariette~~Bringing smiles to all~” He hummed.
But when Mariette mentioned collapsing the dimension, he stopped in his tracks, his eyes bulging out much like a cartoon character.
“Wait, WHAT?” He then deflated, and floated sadly down to the floor, flat as a pancake.
“So that’s why you asked about it...I feel betrayed...”
However, he did perk up a bit when Mariette afterwards claimed she wouldn’t want to do that.
The dolphin created a thumb on his flipper, blew on it, and then grew back to normal.
“So you do have a heart, Mariette!” He pat her on the head.
“Phew, I’m glad it’s only a backup plan. Now, let’s all work together so we don’t have to even think about something that horrible. Okay!” She then spoke to Hilaria. “Alright, Hils!! Can I call you Hil! Or does that sound too weird? Anyway, let’s do our best today, hahaa!”
Lily nodded, agreeing with the Lesser Force. She herself giggled a bit at the dolphin’s goofy antics, helping her relax for the battle ahead of her.
Her face turned a bit red as Mariette stated she trusted her the most out of everyone.
”Th-Thanks, Mariette. I’m glad you think of me like that.” She found that to be a sweet and kind compliment, reminding her of the friendships she has read in random shoujo manga, even if it was worded more matter-of-fact than she’d have liked. But it did bolster her confidence to help Mariette out, and defend her from the likes of Justine.
She looked unsure, a finger on her bottom lip, as Mariette explained the three locations. She shook as she saw the raging blizzard from one of the portals, imagining how freezing it must be.
”On second thought, maybe I’ll go to the..eeh, foyer. It looks like it has plenty of space, and it doesn’t look super cold.” She was a bit spooked as Hilaria suddenly approached Alex, causing her to give an uneasy smile.
”O-Oh! Well, sure, it’s a good idea to, uh, work together...”Her voice turned into quiet mumbling, her eyes occasionally glancing up at Hilaria. Despite the heavy armor she wore, Lily could tell she was on a different league compared to her. Even when she knew there was no reason for it, she felt a bit clingy towards Alex.
”Anyway, I’m gonna go now. And, um, Alex...I...”She inched her face closer to Alex' with averted her eyes, hesitating for a moment, before she gave him a kiss on the lips.
”L-Let’s do our best. Um, bye.”Feeling so embarrassed she could die, Lily ran through the portal, arriving at the foyer.
”Geez, I can’t believe I did that!”Her voice could still be heard before Mariette closed the portal, causing her to vocalize her embarrassment in a brief whine.
”GWUEUEEEEEH!”After she finally managed to calm down and recomposed herself, she addressed the other girls.
”So, uh, hi...Can I help?”
While Helga didn’t care for Mariette as a person, she had to admit they were a meticulous person, having even thought of the possibility of the kesy being stolen. Then again, the dark magical girl’s neurotic paranoia was something that didn’t sit well with her, as to her it was the sign of a weak person. Nonetheless, she turned her attention to Sil when she spoke to them, irritated by the assassin’s condescending words. “I’d like to see you try, you emo bi-”
She was interrupted by Su who claimed responsibility over her, causing her to shut up out of embarrassment, her cheeks red. She waved her claws before her as if waving them. “Alright, fine, let’s just get going. The room’s starting to feel stuffy.”
The Sanctuary crowd was surprised by Dina’s sudden disappearance, but their worries were near-instantly settled by Penny informing them. “Oh, I see. My Patron can also be nosy at times,” one happened to mention. “Mine is obsessed with cheetos, and claims it’s the universe’s ambrosia.” “My Patron got addicted to videogames and now spends all our money on gacha,” another mentioned in an exasperated voice. “But at least she stopped yearning for souls of the damned, so that’s nice.”
The crowd listened as Penny once again continued her speech. The Plant girl, bruised and bleeding, shuddered as the queen approached, expecting to be publicly punished or shamed. Instead, Penny helped her stand up again, causing her to cry. “Thank you, Your Highness,” she would whisper reverently, failing to dry her tears. Even after Penny left her, she would still touch her own shoulder, seemingly savoring in the kindness bestowed upon her.
For the rest of the speech, the people quietly listened to Penny. However, it was not only because their worries were placated or they didn’t want to protest; in fact, some didn’t seem content with the ban on White Coin use, notably those who have reached towards the purification supplies. Penny herself could note that the reason for the silence was that some were starting to become tired of the many speeches they have had to listen to, yawning or otherwise distracted by things such as cellphone surfing and the like. But it also meant the people were more docile, and in the end, did accept Penny’s final verdict of agreeing with Dina’s concerns and taking a subtle stance. When the speech ended, a dark magical girl in the crowd clapped her hands, and soon was joined by the rest, the claps echoing like in a great concert hall.
Afterwards, the crowds parted, returning back to their daily lives. Penny moved on to using her hacking abilities and messaging Jenna.
It seemed as if the rest of the day would be peaceful for the Queen of the Sanctuary.
Unfortunately, some days you can’t catch a break.
Only a couple of minutes after peace returned to the Sacntuary, Snoopy detected unrest at one of the entrances to the Sanctuary. It seems there was a commotion about a monster girl who had arrived. When Penny got to the scene, she saw a
crazed-looking wolf girl with blood on her mouth and hands apprehended by a couple of the local residents.
“Get off me you bitches!” She snarled, but she was soon tied up in chains enchanted for durability as well as a dog muzzle placed over her mouth.
“Queen Penny!” Before Penny could question what had happened, Goblina came running in; she could tell it was not something good.
“We’ve got a problem here, and we need you to settle it.”
Soon enough, the monster girl, whom a friend of hers identified as Belladonna, was brought before the queen in public court, however Penny wanted that to be set up; whether she was judge, or granted someone else the position, she could decide. In private, Goblina explained the facts of the incident, mentioning how a magical girl and a monster girl called Reyina and Cataliira accompanied Belladonna on a search for food when they happened upon a lone civilian.
They claim that without provocation, Belladonna murdered the civilian, and soon after they were chased by Beacon magical girls until they reached the Industrial sector, where they managed to lose them, and afterwards Belladonna was apprehended when the girls told the local guards.
But regardless of what the arrangements were, Goblina would start the session.
“Belladonna Susi, according to eyewitnesses from two locals, known to the royal court but kept anonymous for their protection, have witnessed you to have murdered a civilian, and in the process leading a pursuing force of Beacon into the Industrial sector before losing them, thereby risking the discovery of the Sanctuary. How do you plead?”
The wolf girl thrashed around, attempting to break her chains. “So what? I managed to lose e’m anyway. Who gives a fuck about those dipshits?”
Goblina sighed. “So you don’t deny the claims made against you?”
“What, you’re gonna point fingers just cause I murked some normie? I can’t eat that canned shit, I need fresh meat to survive! Is that so bad?”
The crowd, however, was not pleased.
“She’s a menace, kill her!” “Execute her!” “Off with her head!” They yelled as they shook their fists, boo’d, and even threw empty cans at the wolf girl before security put a stop to it.
Belladonna struggled again.
“Hey, you can’t kill me! I need to eat humans! You all would have done the same in my shoes! This isn’t fair! You’re all a bunch of damn hypocrites!”
Goblina bit her lower lip, and looked at Penny. “Do you want to ask more questions, or are you ready to hand out your verdict, Your Highness?”
Rachel squinted as the twins expressed their doubts about the success of the weapon program.
“A safe course of action?”
She visibly trembled.
“Caution?”
She suddenly slammed her hands on the table.
“You purposefully integrated a simulacrum of a monster into your consciousness, and allowed it direct control of your body’s functions!” She shouted.
“What you have done is a grievous breach of conduct that has risked everyone’s lives in Beacon! And you dare talk back to me about safety?”
She was visibly agitated.
“It is only through my mercy that I have not yet purged that foul abomination from your soul and forgiven you for crossing against your fellow sister, and in return I expect your unswerving loyalty and obedience.” She clenched her hand into a fist as she rambled. “This is no time for us to falter! The enemy is at our door, waiting for a chance to tear us apart as we are our most feeble! But we won’t compromise, and we won’t back down!” She pointed at them. “When the weapons are complete, the only darkness we will know is the one they will behold, when we ride as valkyries and strike them down!”
She finally paused, taking a deep breath as she adjusted her glasses.
“But if you are so wary, design the weapons so that they can’t be meddled with by dark forces. And, if I hear any more complaints…” She spoke in a low, but sinister tone, and opened her drawer. “I will have to conduct a ‘disciplinary evaluation’ on the both of you.” While the twins didn’t see what items the Inquisitor was searching through, based on their experiences with her, they could tell it was nothing they would find nice or pleasant. “Dismissed.”
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