Current
Going in a trip over the weekend. Will be back on Sunday, probably no RP posts until then
7 yrs ago
>That awkward moment when you learn the religious revival movement you were headin was actually a vehicle for a Lovecraftian Abomination masquerading as a God to jack your body and take over the world
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likes
8 yrs ago
>That moment when you realize that you can only do fandom RPs because you're bad at original characters. This is what I get for never playing DnD
Age: 22/15 | Gender: Female/Female | Light Ranged/Melee | Barrage/Third Eye | Beacon Enhanced Outfit/Sorcery/Get Out of Jail/Blood Magic/Wings/Dual Weapon | Shine Spark/Perfect Life/Gifted Item | Vow of Patience/Excommunication 10/9/11/15/7
Nodding, Alicia relaxed as she left the monsters to Connie and Mia. The duo were very effective at that, sending the incoming patrol running away in terror at imagined phantoms. All except the minotaur, and that was handled by FanFan. “Don’t fall too far behind,” Alicia told her, when instructed to go on ahead while she dealt with the now bound monster.
Preparing to move on to the stairs, the group paused as Joanna and her friend caught sight of a trap of some sort. “Good eye,” she remarked, shifting to the side to dodge the pressure plate as they headed up the stairs.
Then shutters slammed shut on both sides and lava appeared at the top of the stairs, rolling towards them. Had someone stepped on there plate, or was there another trap they missed? She wasn’t sure but there was no time to dwell on the ‘why’. They had to keep from being roasted alive! Too bad FanFan wasn’t here.
“Mia, make a barrier to block the lava. Those with Reinforcement, support that barrier,” she directed before looking to Tenebra. “While it’s stalled, get rid of the lava. Condense it or move it or whatever you have to do so we can get past.”
Despite the quick response, things were still a bit touch and go. But they made it to the other side mostly unscathed, and entered the foyer above. They had just barely gotten a look around when a monster slammed the doors open, sliding across the floor to the stairs and setting off all manner of traps in the process. Then a detonation rocked the roof above, though at least it did not collapse on them. While she might have a strong disdain for Mariette, Alicia had to admit that the portal user had put some strong construction into her manor.
Glancing at the paintings, Alicia’s attention turned to Ronin. “I have x-ray vision. But something about this place is proving difficult to see through. I’ll need you guys to cover me for a moment so I can focus.” She then turned her attention inwards, activating her Third Eye to cast her sight beyond the limits of normal human sight. She’d already looked in the basement, but found she could only make out the shape of a room. To see specific things inside she needed to concentrate. So she’d survey for likely candidates, then focus on those. First the foyer, then the hall at the top of the stairs.
For now she worked as fast as she could manage, well aware of the ticking clock looming over them. Hopefully they still had time.
Ilmarinen was indifferent to his secondhand inclusion from Reaver, focused on the task at hand and not the sort of personality to make a big issue of small details. They would see how things panned out.
Varjo giggled, pleased to find such a warm reception from Viva. So many others tended to ignore her or ran away whenever she showed an interest in playing with her. It wasn’t her fault that they didn’t want to have fun. “Maybe after the mission,” she answered cheerfully. “Good friends are always so hard to find.”
Examining the weapons, Reaver would be able to tell that Seppa basked in the praise that he gave her. She was not a very complicated individual, and someone showing such regard for her craft and arsenal were sure to meet with approval from her in turn. “Oh, definitely. I made the one’s your holding on to right now,” she replied with a grin. “I’ll keep that in mind the next time I’m in the forge.”
She then looked to Viva, humming in thought. A spectral limb reached over to the pile of goods as she rummaged through what she had. “Hmm, I think I may have something you could use,” she muttered. Eventually she produced a moderately sized axe, the edge of which was coated in frost and a chilled handle.
“Here. This one creates icy gusts when you cut the air plus the usual ice benefits. I didn’t bring much in the way of equipment I could offer you,” Seppa noted. Having given Viva what she could, she distributed some toys to the others in their little operation. It was only fair to share the love, so long as the items she gave out were returned. Aside from Ilmarinen’s bullets anyways. Getting those back would be tricky at best.
Nodding, Louis looked over the group. “I’ll leave this to you then. If everything goes as planned Anja will join you for the finale. Good luck.” With that he turned, making his way out of the warehouse. His presence was no longer needed.
Grinning, Varjo took Viva’s hands in her own, once they were no longer occupied by weapons of course. “Come on, let’s go. We’ve got a party to crash.” She was eager to get to work, and to show the poor monster girls at the Sanctuary just who they should put their trust in.
“Indeed, let us depart,” Alma agreed as she pushed off of her resting spot. If she had noticed the look Viva gave her, she said nothing of it. For now, the trio exited the warehouse, making their way along at a decent pace. After all, they could not act until the other team had.
As they moved along, Varjo did not hesitate to speak with their newest comrade. “So how long have you been in town?” she asked. “I just can’t believe we haven’t run into each other before now.”
Meanwhile, Seppa gathered up the rest of her gear, and led Reaper in the opposite direction to the strike team. “There’s a camera across the street,” she told him. “I figure we start smashing her surveillance net and Penny will come running eventually. Then we lead her on a merry chase, and pull her into the Overcity.”
Coming to a stop next to a boarded up storefront, Seppa nodded to where the camera was hidden. “Go on and smile for our friend,” she directed, grinning and waving directly at it. Then moments later a spectral limb slammed into the machine, tearing it free of its mooring and tossing it high into the sky. Then on to the next one, to repeat the process.
Age: 22/15 | Gender: Female/Female | Light Ranged/Melee | Barrage/Third Eye | Beacon Enhanced Outfit/Sorcery/Get Out of Jail/Blood Magic/Wings/Dual Weapon | Shine Spark/Perfect Life/Gifted Item | Vow of Patience/Excommunication 10/9/11/15/7
Rising upwards, Alicia reacted swiftly as she found tentacles circling downwards towards her and from all directions. The direct barrage ended as her bow shifted into a blade, light spinning and slashing as she cut down any appendage that drew too near.
A grunt escaped as FanFan warned that it would take her time to break through the wall, fully prepared to hold out and buy as much time as needed. But it turned out to not be needed as Tenebra and Sonia created a portal out of the basement. “Go,” Alicia called, unleashing more blazing arrows to clear a path for everyone to slip through.
Ending up in a hallway near where they had been, the group wasted little time in moving forwards. They couldn’t linger, not when Mariette knew of their presence. Reinforcements could be on their way even now. The only choice was to keep moving and push through any opposition. It was a point further confirmed as turrets opened up with light magic bullets along the next hallway, including behind them. Alicia grunted as they impacted against her uniform, taking at least a few blows before protective barriers went up.
Like Ronin she returned fire, her own Light magic allowing for accurate shots to hit the turrets and dismantle them. She nodded along with Ronin’s comment. “No splitting up. Besides the portals, we don’t know what Mariette’s numbers look like. We can’t afford to dilute our strength.”
That just left the question of what to actually do. “We need to go up,” she added, still firing. “Mariette isn’t going to be down here with the fight going on outside.” At the very least going up could let them aid the other assault team, and that would be just as useful. They just had to be careful of one particular detail, as she glanced towards the stairs and the incoming patrol. “I suggest we make our own paths if we can. The stairs are probably booby trapped.” FanFan and Tenebra would be useful for that, the only question was whether the walls out here were as reinforced as the ones in the Void Room had been.
For now her Third Eye activated as she scanned the walls, searching their immediate area to see if there was anything worth investigating first. With her bow at the ready, she prepared to hit the patrol the second they rounded the corner.
Arriving at their destination, Reaver and Viva would find the occasional mental nudge guiding them in the right direction whenever they became uncertain about the path they were to take next. Eventually they wound up at a train shed, and would find the employee door unlocked to enter inside.
Inside, Louis was waiting for them. But he was not the only one present. The rest of the team undertaking this operation was there, a group of four. One was a busty woman with wild hair, pointed ears, and a long tail. She had on a flashy outfit to go with it, and had several weapons of varying shapes and sizes laid out around her.
Then there was a white haired girl with oversized ears, a fluffy tail, and an outfit that shifted between white and black and was very elaborate to watch in how it seemed to draw attention everywhere. She held a glimmer in her eye, one that spoke to the animal nature lurking beneath the surface as she eyed the newcomers cautiously.
A third girl rested higher up, floating in midair with casual ease. Though her hair was also a light grey, her eyes glowed with an offputting red color, though they might not notice her at first. But she certainly noticed them, and a smirk played across her features as she looked over the duo. “Oh, now things are getting interesting~”
Lastly a boy was off to the side, flipping a coin like some sort of discount Two-Face knockoff. You know, if Two-Face had magic powers. And wings. He also had red hair, with a long ponytail, and a generic green military outfit. But just like the previous girl, it would be easy to miss him if one was not paying attention.
With Reaver and Viva entering, Louis looked over to them and nodded. “Good, you’re here. Now we can begin.” He pointed to the first girl with blond hair. “Reaver, this is Seppa. She’ll be running distraction of Penny with you. You don’t have to die for the cause, just stall her as long as possible.”
Looking to Viva, he then gestured to the remaining trio in order. “Viva, these are Alma, Varjo, and Ilmarinen. You’ll be going with them to infiltrate the Sanctuary and make a mess of things for the daring rescue.”
Smiling warmly, Varjo clasped her hands together as she looked down at Viva, with a possessive look in her eye that all but reeked of danger. There was something wrong about her, and she made no effort to hide that fact. “Oh, you’re so cute! We’re going to have a lot of fun playing together Miss.”
Meanwhile, Seppa picked up a couple items and stepped over to Reaver. She handed him one after the other, while at the same time looking into his eyes. “Here. This one is a reinforced shield, and the spear drains Lightning magic and other forms of electricity. I made them myself, so you can be sure they’re the best quality. Just keep in mind that it’s a loan, nothing more. If they come out of the fight in one piece then I’m going to want them back, got it?”
Age: 22/15 | Gender: Female/Female | Light Ranged/Melee | Barrage/Third Eye | Beacon Enhanced Outfit/Sorcery/Get Out of Jail/Blood Magic/Wings/Dual Weapon | Shine Spark/Perfect Life/Gifted Item | Vow of Patience/Excommunication 10/9/11/15/7
The time had come. The assault was underway, and now it was time for the second team to deploy. Glancing over to Tenebra, Alicia nodded along with her comrades. "Sounds like you can do either option," she noted. "The more confusing we make it for them, the better."
With everyone transformed and disguised, she turned to Sonia and placed her hand on the table. "Take us for a ride." Everyone else did so too, and in the blink of an eye they found themselves at their destination.
Finding themselves seemingly floating in midair, Alicia took offense to the omnipresent darkness. A flick of her wrist sent a pulsing ball of light into the air, as her Third Eye kicked in. They had suspected that this route would have strong defenses, but this wasn't entirely what she had expected. She looked around as Mariette spoke, but there was no sign. Not that that was much of a surprise. Portal tricks, no doubt.
"Not until you let them go," she called back, a demand they both knew would never be met. Especially not now.
She tensed as Mariette announced what this place was, bracing herself against the wind as it whipped past. Then portals opened up from below, and they were beset upon by a myriad of tentacles and appendages. Her wings flared outwards, launching Alicia upwards before she flipped in mdiair. She drew back her bowstring and fired, a barrage of light arrows to cut through the tentacles as they drew near.
As she did so she called to her companions. "Wall over there," she called to FanFan with a gesture. "Take it down!" While they did that she would focus on defending her allies. She was not going to let anyone be taken out so soon.
Something that probably should have been posted before but wasn't. Whoops
Sometimes, the best location to meet would be a clandestine one, hidden from peering eyes. Other times though, the best location was a pizza joint that you owned, so all the excess produce in this time of high supply and low demand could be gotten rid of. Virtuous Pie, after all, had suffered greatly in the last couple of days, with two of its three employees dead or missing, while the third was on a “break”. It left the restaurant, already operating in the red, in quite a bind, and thus, a group of magical girls belonging to the Ebon Mint was certainly happy to help the business out.
By help, of course, it meant eating everything in the storage rooms before they went bad.
Sunhi, seven feet tall even when cradling her knees against her chest, tossed in pizzas into her mouth like they were crackers, her dark-skinned bulk talking most of the space in the pizzeria. Contrasting with her otherwise wild appearance, the yellow-framed glasses she wore occasionally sparked and sputtered, some miniscule circuitry within it struggling to cope with whatever demands she had made of it.
By the counter, Dyvrene multitasked as always, a dozen psychic appendages flickering out with deadly precision to dice onions, slice pepperoni, apply tomato sauce, and roll dough. The cat-eared girl leaned against her floating hammer as she used her real hands to fiddle with an antiquated camera. With no natural proficiency towards mechanical objects, she seemed to be having some small trouble, but the smile on her face and the intensity in her gaze showed that she enjoyed it, if nothing else.
A familiar stood in place of Misery, the reclusive magical girl having no interest in showing up in person for a meeting that really could have just been Zoomed instead. A patchwork teddy bear that leaned heavily on the ugly-cute aesthetic, it sat opposite of Sunhi, occasionally splatted by food residue from the heavy eater. The teddy bear didn’t say anything though, only silently judged the others through its mismatched button eyes.
Louis, his gorgeously teal hair billowing dramatically in a wind of his own making, was similarly unhappy with having been made to wait for Al Sharke for the briefing. Though the oldest of the Mint operators present, the years in the ‘family’ had made him less loyal rather than more, and he leaned against the wall. If it wasn’t for the fact that the bastard broker had promised him a gig at the opening ceremony of the upcoming Olympics, he would have been a no-show to this particular mission. Since he was here though, he opted to act resigned and petulant, eating his vegan pizza with the gravitas of someone chewing away their last meal before execution.
Reaver was one of the last people to arrive, and had extended formal greetings before sitting down in a rather unoccupied space, and tentatively getting some food for his own. Probably some devil's food cake. After all, it was a place called Virtuous Pie. He rapped his fingers as he eyed the assortment of colleagues in the assault, wondering the best way to make this work. He was wearing the same three piece dapper suit he had used in the ill-fated rave. Businesses were businesses.
Unlike Al Scarpe and Al Sharpe, Al Sharke was perpetually overworked and underrested, a combination that showed in his gait and his diet. With a sealable mug of coffee practically attached to his jaw and a collection of puppets in his breast pocket that squirmed like stressed-out businessmen on the night of a project deadline, he slurped obnoxiously at the lukewarm coffee as he pushed into the pizzeria, yellow eyes gazing at the five that had gathered. Though he shared the same build as his brothers, broad-shouldered, barrel-chested, and chicken-legged, the monstrous broker still managed to look gaunt despite his godly genetics. His suit didn’t fit him all that well, and the flesh of his face hung loosely on his skull.
Basically, he looked like shit.
“Right,” Al Sharke croaked, fat hands reaching inside his pockets to pull out four crumpled manila folders. Then he made a face, first at the number of folders present, then at the number of people present, then at whether or not a familiar counted as a person or not. The screw in his head creaked weakly, before he shook himself out of his lethargy and handed them out to the people present.
“Basically, it’s a simple mission. Penny’s a problem, but she’s not a problem if she’s not there. Reaver, you obtained the ability to shift to the Overcity. That’s good. We shift her there, then ruin Sanctuary. Uh...hrm, Dyvrene will support you with not dying against Penny. The rest of you will be doing a sewer dive.” The brain fog was settling in now, and the monster drank more coffee, wondering if he had accidentally ordered decaf. Definitely wasn’t kicking in, the caffeine and all. He banged the back of his head against the wall, creating a dent in the plaster. Nope, that didn’t help either.
“I’m sure you have...questions, but just read the dossier.”
The dossier, however, contained details for a completely separate mission, one that wasn’t even in this particular plane of existence. Something about inciting a goblin uprising in one of Beacon’s experimental facilities in Skirqrow? Some very irrelevant stuff, for sure.
Reaver did raise his hand. "Uh, capo? There seems to have been a mix-up. I also heard caffeine alone is no good. I have some sugar-rich devil's food cake left." He said nonchalantly. "I will also see to talk about a certain shopkeeper running out her mouth. Secrets don't last much in Penrose…"
He sighed, before adding. “I decided to invite one more able bodied person. I hope if that is alright. She loves people. As in, eating people. Can be useful to paint the town red. Hope you do not mind.”
With that there was a knock at the door to the storage room, perhaps it was good timing, or perhaps it was simply a prearranged event. Either way, the person on the other side didn’t wait long before opening the door themselves and walking in, revealing to the assembled party Viva. She stepped into the room quietly, closing the door behind her as she went. She settled down a bit behind Reaver, her nose in her phone ever since she walked in.
She would glance up every now and again to survey the other people in the room, but was content to keep her attention on her phone until she was addressed directly.
The atmosphere in the room turned deadly on a dime. Reaver’s Third Eye allowed him to see the fluctuations in magical energy clearly enough. Psychic energies coalesced in the air, invisible to the naked eye, but more concerning was the darkness that seemed to bleed out from within the walls, dripping like oil as Viva entered. The sounds of cooking had stopped; for a tense moment, only the giantess’s nonchalant consumption filled the air.
Al Sharke looked at Viva, then at Reaver, and sighed. This was just more paperwork for him, really, and he wasn’t all too happy with it. The monstrous dealer slumped against a wall, sighed a second time, then shook his head too, the puppets in his breast pocket mimicking that movement. “Let me get this straight,” he began. “You gave the location of a Mint meeting to...someone else. Important information, really. Could be worth a lot to, say, certain other people. Straight up gave that to your friend over here. Didn’t think there was any better way to do this, any method more...”
Al Sharke twisted the screw in his head. The word that he had on the top of his mind never came to him though, so he discarded that train of thought.
“She’s cute enough,” Louis piped up. The magical boy shot a sparkly-toothed smile in Viva’s direction. “Just get her to sign a contract, and I’m sure it’ll work out.”
Sunhi licked her teeth for crumbs of crust and cheesy sauce, then reached to roll up another pizza. There weren’t any though, and she raised a brow at Dyvrene, before settling on Reaver. “Bad move. Don’t care though.”
The psionics that suffocated the room ebbed away, but the darkness that stained the walls remained.
Al Sharke let out another melodramatic sigh, and extended both his hands outwards. “The cake, Reaver. And your hand, girl.”
"More than friend. She is kin." Reaver admitted as he saw tensions up. " Close kin of the kind that lies would not have worked very well on. I assume responsibility over the unpleasantness my indiscretion might have caused." He added, without batting an eyelid, and giving up his cake.
“Blood calls to blood” Viva would agree as her phone vanished into her hammerspace “I found Reaver again only recently. I would have followed him here regardless, telling you all was his idea.” She would add as she extended her own hand.
“Ok.” was Al Sharke’s curt response. One fist grabbed onto Reaver’s cake, bringing it to the Mint broker’s facehole and jamming the whole thing in. The other grabbed onto Viva’s hand. Inbetween the chewing of soft cake and the licking of sugary frosting, he said, “By the powers invested in me, we recognize you now as a Mint operative, effective immediately. Obey all orders, and you will be rewarded in turn.”
Something within Al Sharke’s palm dug into Viva’s hand, and one of the puppets in his breastpocket wriggled ecstatically, settling down as the pain faded. With that done, he wiped both of his hands on his pants.
Louis furrowed his brow. Disgusting.
“Alright, no dossier then,” Al Sharke said, his tone sounding just a bit more energetic now that he had some sugar in him. “I’ll explain it verbally. Once. No questions.”
Another psychic appendage was manifested by Dyvrene, equipped with a notebook and pen.
“There’s a monster in Penrose’s sewers. Big but immobile. Drains magical energy to grow more powerful. Only had kobolds and goblins to eat. Sanctuary has magical girls and infrastructure too. One team will deliver this monster into Penny’s Sanctuary and enable its initial growth, while disrupting attempts to organize a counterattack against it.”
Sunhi finished off the last of her pizza, before cracking her wrists. She could see why she was summoned for this mission.
“Second team works to deal with Penny. Make her disappear when Sanctuary most needs her. Got word that her popularity’s dropping low; this should be enough to finish her off, socially. No need to kill, but if you do, that’s a bonus.”
The patchwork plushie continued to do nothing, because it was just a plushie.
“A monster destroys the infrastructure of the Sanctuary, while the leader has abandoned it. With that, the choices of those displaced will be between an organization that still wishes them dead, a smattering of small factions who will soon no longer exist, and the Mint.”
An inelegant, dirty little plan. Louis shook his head, then reminded himself of the Olympics.
“Capiche?”
"Io Capito." Reaver said. "I look forward to working with you all." The young man finished, defaulting to his polite stance.
Viva’s hand would split and curl back onto itself once she got her hand back from the Mint broker, she had been tempted to bite back at first, but knew that was a recipe for disaster easily enough that she didn’t. It would reform into a clawed mockery of a hand for a moment as she pondered which avenue would suit her best. “Glad I dropped in on this after all” she would say with an amused drawl as her hand returned to normal “As this sounds fun”
In a time approximate to 'now', Reaver would find himself being contacted by the Mint. Unlike some normal Magical Girls, this was not done by texting. Instead it was psychic message, the mental equivalent of getting a rock thrown against your bedroom window. Once they were certain he was paying attention, the actual message would be sent.
'It's time. meet us in the Industrial District and bring your partner. Near the train yard'
That was all that would be said. Some distance away Dyvrene and headed in the same direction. She had played her part, now she had to get to the meeting spot. It was time to get to work.
Ronin walked forward and got one of the candles which she lit in preparation. It felt strange holding it, and she suppressed the urge to shudder. Within her, an instinct to fear this wax candle still lingered, an expectation to be repelled by the light, that it was supposed to hurt her. Yet, she was able to take it without particular reaction, subverting her instinctual expectations. She smirked by herself about it. Alright, let’s get going!
… But before that, Alicia asked her a question. Ronin blinked at her a bit, and realized with a start. “Oh, shit. This is the person that can 100% tell if I lie to her.” So, with a grin on her lip, she just had to form the sentence in her mind, double-check it, and then say it!
‘In a sense! Me and Justine are just after the same target, and I’d be hard-pressed to do this operation on my own, so teaming up made sense! She’s not the typical person I’d consider teaming up with, no, I like to consider myself one of the good guys!’ Ronin called, happily. So far, so good.
Confirming that what was said was the truth, Alicia nonetheless still found herself curious. Business would have been a reasonable explanation, albeit one she was wary of. This was another, but it did leave some questions of motive and intent behind it. Of course Justine trusted her, but who knew what their foe actually thought in the first place.
It was a pity she couldn’t be more open. Not while Sonia was still here. She would have to be satisfied with one sided confirmation in that case.
”I see. I’m glad to hear it,” Alicia assured the girl, before proceeding to that next point she wished to address. ”What did Mariette do to you guys? I know why Justine is doing this, but if you were after the same target before meeting then you must have a reason for it.”
Ronin had a minor moment of panic, because Mariette hadn’t done anything to her and she didn’t know how to lie her way out of that one, but then she had a little stroke of genius. Ronin grinned widely.
‘Nonono. Not Mariette. Asengav is the one I have a bone to pick with! He’s the eldritch horror that likes to kidnap and mind bend girls to do his bidding! We need to deprive him of his champions as soon as possible, or this world will surely feel the consequences sooner or later…!’ … Nailed it! Even managed to mix that bit in with the mind bending, just because, can’t hurt for Alicia to know that~!
Listening, Alicia nodded as Ronin explained what her situation was. ”Ah, alright. That makes sense,” she agreed. it wasn’t a lie, and Mariette possibly being brainwashed by her patron would not have been the biggest surprise to learn. After all Justine had just left, and she was basically doing the same thing. In spite of that, knowing it was brainwashing did not change the facts of what she had to do. This would not have been the first time Beacon did something like this, and the manipulation was not as clear here. How much of it was brainwashing, and how much of it was Mariette’s genuine personality? Could they afford to take that chance?
No, she had to continue this path. There had to be justice for the fallen.
Still, she had the answer she was looking for. Although ready to move on, the fourth member of Ronin’s group caught her eye again as she interacted with FanFan. ”Is she going to be a problem for this mission? She doesn’t seem like the sneaky type,” Alicia observed coolly.
Ronin looked over at the girl Alicia was talking about, and Ronin could not help it. She laughed, letting out a bit of tension as she did, because the idea was just so amusing.
‘Lady, we’re going to be discovered the instant we breach into Mariette’s domain. We’ll need her,’ Ronin replied with absolute certainty and a touch of amusement.
Knowing that Princess would not be an issue was good, but Alicia caught on what it was that Ronin had said. She sounded awfully confident that this infiltration wouldn’t be so much infiltration as it would be a running fight. It made the Paladin wonder just why she felt that way.
So she returned from the Princess to Ronin. ”Is that so? That’s good to know,” she replied, one hand holding her bow while the other rested on her hip. ”Are there any other insider tips we should know before going in there? I would prefer not to be taken off guard.”
Ronin chuckled a bit. ‘Sorry, never been in there. Just, be aware Asengav has more champions than just Mariette. It’s not unbelievable that we may be facing a dozen or so of them, in addition to other reinforcements, monsters and traps. It largely depends on if Mariette expects to be attacked or not.’
Listening attentively, Alicia nodded as Ronin warned her of other potential champions, traps, monsters, and the like. They had known this wasn’t going to be easy, and dealing with a being like a Horror was always going to put them up against a lot. Especially with someone like Mariette.
”We’ll just have to keep our eyes open going in,” Alicia said once Ronin had finished. It was not a lot to go on, but it was all they had. ”It sounds like you’ve been working on this for some time now. i’m surprised I haven’t seen you around town before.”
‘I was seeking through the Overcity when I met Justine, and she took me to Penrose. I had assumed working with Justine meant any chance of an alliance with you of Beacon was void, heh. I instead went to the monster queen for aid, but she died, and,’ Ronin sighed. ‘Quite the community you’ve got here! Always someone stabbing someone’s back, eh?’ Ronin giggled, before spinning to go back to her little group. ‘But let’s get each other through this alive, shall we?’
That sounded like quite the adventure. Sparse on details, but those did not seem as important right now. Like Ronin had said, they needed to focus on getting through this in one piece. ”Agreed.” With that Alicia returned to her own group as well, to prepare for their imminent teleportation
Alicia nodded to Aurelio as he assured her that the others would remain safe. Sadly she couldn't be in two places at once, as she certainly did not trust Justine enough to think her own people would not be used as cannon fodder. They would need to be careful. "Good," she replied with a nod before her attention returned to Justine.
Her brow furrowed as she glanced at the beastmen in suits, not entirely satisfied with their simple description as 'business partners'. But that was an acceptable risk at this point. More concerning was the girl that stepped forward, who Justine called her 'canary'. She had no doubt that Justine was telling the truth, but she also had no doubt as to where these 'canaries' came from.
For a moment she wanted to rise, unleash a flash of purifying light and dismiss this whole charade of the girl with her expendable brainwashed soldiers. Everything in her heart revolted against it. but then other emotions intervened. Practicality, anger. She could always restore them to their senses afterwards, if any were left. And when Justine was dealt with they would likely be restored anyways. For now it had to be accepted, though it left a bad taste in her mouth to do so.
Then the meeting moved on. "Thank you," Alicia said as she took one of the mirrors and slid it into her pocket. She would need both of her hands for her bow after all.
With the mission about to get underway, Alicia stood back from the table as Sonia prepared to teleport the first wave. "Lady Luck is always smiling on you," she pointed out to Sally with a grin, before looking over those present. Her gaze lingered a moment longer on Kimble, before traveling across Hyun and Aurelio. "Be careful out there. Mariette won't go down without a fight, and I don't want to lose anyone else."
then in the blink of an eye they were gone. Still on her feet, Alicia materialized her bow as she waited. Justine's group would be drawing Mariette's attention now, so all they could do was wait until they were confident that their opponent was firmly focused forwards on the more immediate danger.
As she did so, she looked to the other Beacon members who had remained to help in the infiltration. "Be ready for anything," she warned. "We don't know what we're walking into in there, and with only two entrances to that dimension the other one will likely have some defenses, even if they're minor ones." There was more that she wanted to say, but she couldn't do so while Sonia was still here. There was only so obvious she was willing to be about the imminent betrayal once this fight was over.
Not that she had the opportunity to in any case, as the excitable pink girl made her presence known in almost dizzying fashion. "Alicia Hayden, leader of the Penrose chapter of Beacon," she replied, figuring it would be better for her sanity to not fall too far down the rabbit hole. She felt bad with FanFan drawing more attention, but the Ascendancy girl could handle herself. Probably.
Instead she turned to Ronin, the leader of the band who would be accompanying them. "So, are you also one of Justine's 'business interests'?" She looked familiar, but Alicia couldn't quite peg where she may have seen the girl before. Since her group would be taking part in the infiltration, hopefully she was aware of what she was getting herself into.
Glancing at this present, Alicia would admit she was not all that surprised the more rag-tag group did not have anything to add to the preparations. They did seem more like extra muscle, compared to someone with a vested interest in the outcome of this operation. She just hoped they wouldn't prove to be a problem later on. That Laughing Girl seemed like she would be an issue, for one.
There was one other arrival, but given who it was Alicia did not pay attention. It was mostly because she was distracted by a message from Rachel regarding information that she had learned. "Well, who could possibly have guessed that one?" she muttered to herself. Seriously, did Justine know any other tricks, or was mind control her go to for everything?
Thinking as much, she returned to the situation at hand as Justine laid out her thoughts. It seemed they would be splitting up, with one group outside to draw Mariette's attention and another to duck into her mansion when she was busy. It would still be really dangerous, but that was a given on this mission. And it seemed almost natural that she'd be part of the infiltration team while Justine put on a show outside.
"Alright," she agreed with a nod. Looking to the others, her gaze fell upon one person in particular. "Aurelio, you go with Sally and Kimble. Watch their backs." Of course that was not the only reason for her decision, but she would keep that to herself. They needed to have someone who could provide a buff when the time after Mariette was defeated came. Justine would not be able to escape so easily.
Alicia then looked to the remainder of her group. "I'd like the rest of you with me. Even with the distraction, any entrance leading directly into the building is likely to be heavily guarded. Beacon was not about to walk into a slaughter without using every asset they could to avoid it.
That left one other question, inspired by what Rachel had told her. If they did this then Beacon was not going to blindly march in like they did the first time around. She had a strong hand here, and she intended to use it.
"So who are they?" she asked gesture, a sweeping gesture moving from the Red Nest members, and moving to the shadowy figures behind their vampire hostess as well. "If we're going to fight alongside these people, I'd at least like to know who it is I'm supposed to be trusting with my life." Ronin's group had already introduced themselves, so there was no need to retread old ground. With her Light spec, she would know if Justine was lying, so if there was no answer at all then they were going to have 'problems'.....
One way or another, she would find out if her suspicions were right.
Alicia nodded to each member who had chosen to participate in this action, shaking their hand and giving them a warm smile to accompany it. "Thank you. I appreciate your willingness to do this, despite the circumstances we find ourselves in." Like the Howell Twins, she would not have blamed them if they had balked at being part of an operation with Justine and the danger that she represented.
With the team ready, they departed via teleporter and arrived at their destination. Glancing around, Alicia took in the furniture that had been laid out, as well as their companions. It was a motley assortment of individuals, the sort that she probably would never have associated with were it not for this particular. Still, if someone wanted to come and bleed so Beacon didn't have to, she was not about to complain. Though the movement in the shadows behind Justine was a bit concerning....
"Alright," Alicia replied before taking a seat at the table. Things were silent, with little effort made to interact with the other group that had already been present. Although she had her suspicions about Justine, for now she went along with it. They would just need to be prepared when the time came for this relationship to end.
One more group would arrive before Justine again, motley in composition but for an entirely different reason. She didn't recognize anyone with them, but they certainly looked determined. She was going to need to ask about this before they left.
Nodding as Justine laid out what she had learned, Alicia would speak in turn. "We were able to detect the same entrances that you did, and I agree that the one closer to the core is likely to be more heavily guarded. The building you detected is a mansion, sitting in a black void where mirrors serve as stars. The area around the mansion is a field of snow that is thick enough to obscure anything that may hide under it. It should be possible to walk on it." Then again, having a second entrance that went to nothing at all would have been odd.
"That's what we were able to learn from scrying," she finished. "Considering the resources at her disposal, I doubt Mariette will just let us walk up and stab her." She glanced around to the other two groups to see if they had anything of value to add. If not, they could get to planning.
"...I'm just saying, I think there's a lot more tension in the reconciliation of those two worldviews that you're not giving enough credit."
Another day at Beacon HQ. With things as they were in Penrose and less time spent dealing with rioting and fights, that meant more attention could be devoted to mundane occurrences. One of the things Alicia had set up was tutoring, to ensure that their members did not fall behind in their academics while school was in the state that it was in now. That way they would be prepared for when regular society returned to normal, rather than lapsing.
Admittedly right now it was more like a book club, but that was a small detail.
Alicia sat at the head of a circle, with six other magical girls making points in the ring around her. "Honestly I think you're overthinking it," Chelsy remarked with a small groan. "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."
Looking towards the redhead, Alicia would remain holding her cordial demeanor. "True," she agreed with a small nod. "But what if it isn't. That's the sort of thing we're here to talk about. Literary analysis is important to understanding the mindset and themes of a work.
A finger rose to hush Gabriel before she could chime in. "And don't say anything about Death of the Author, got it? We're not stepping into that minefield." Concepts like those were an argument that she really wasn't qualified to have, any more than she was qualified to be a teacher in the first place.
Before she could go on her phone buzzed as a text was received. She paused, reaching down into her pocket to glance at it before returning to the meeting. It would only take a moment after all.
[The time has come. We shall meet at the underground parking lot. I will be waiting~]
Her blood dipped in temperature, grip on her phone tightening for a moment at those words. So here it was, the moment at hand to stop whatever Mariette was up to and avenge those who had been subjected to so many dark things because of her was at hand. A chance for justice, for revenge. It would not go to waste.
[I'll be there] she replied swiftly before her gaze rose back to the group. "Sorry, but something's come up. We'll have to cut this short, and you'd better get ready for action. This one is going to be tough" With that said she turned and headed out of the room, heading back to her office.
There were only a few things she would need to do. Rachel would be informed of course, so the Ascendancy would be prepared both for the operation and for carrying on in Penrose. Then she would do the same for the girls under her command, with messages sent out to those on patrol. Those she knew would not be attending like the Howell twins and Penny would be left out, but otherwise she would marshal what she could before they made their way to the parking lot.
op2024
VitaVitaAR
Izurich
Genkai
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Knight 7
