Olivia couldn’t help buy squeal in delight when the strange robot spoke again, the stars filling her eyes growing even lager and brighter. “Oh my gosh! That’s so amazing!” the bubbly bluenette exclaimed, standing on her tiptoes, while her smile spread from ear to ear. “You’re just like Xolys!” she added happily as she pulled the small robot from her backpack and proudly showed him to “Necroid 99”.
“Hello,” Xolys stated simply.
“I’m competing to win the Power Stone so I can help him find his lost soulmate, so of course I’d be more than happy to help you, too!” Olivia went on. “So, like, how did you leave the game?!” she inquired eagerly. “Was there, like, a freak electrical storm?! Or maybe a portal?! Oh! And are from the game itself, or an alternate universe that’s just like it?!” The bespectacled bluenette had so many questions and she was so very excited to hear the answers.
To Olivia’s great relief and delight, not only was she apparently not interrupting anything important, but the skeletal, robotic fellow with the glowing yellow eyes seemed to be very interested in why she liked Gearmantic Hearts so much. Unsurprisingly, Olivia was only too happy to tell him. Indeed, sharing her interests with others was something that brought her a great deal of joy. For as long as she could remember, people had always seemed to be put off by her enthusiasm for her hobbies, often mocking her, when they didn’t simply ignore her existence entirely. They said that she was too loud, that she got too close, that her voice was painful to listen to, that her face was painful to look at. They would tell her to “fuck off”. They would call her all sorts of awful things: freak, weirdo, nut job, and even the dreadfully abhorrent “a word” (no, not asshole, although she was called that, too). Yet, even in the face of all this abuse, the love she had for her hobbies never dimmed, and neither did her love of sharing her interests with others. So if someone was curious about her favorite game, if that individual had actually asked her to share her feelings about said game, well then, she would gladly give them what they asked for…
“Gosh, well, I guess it’s kinda like there’s a fire in my chest, and this tingling feeling in my body that almost makes my hairs stand on end,” the bluenette began. “And, maybe sparks of lightning in my brain, too! I mean, there are so many fascinating characters, and I just get so excited watching them fight each other with all their special moves! Each one doing their best to get one step closer to their ultimate goal, to achieving their dreams! It really makes my heart race! And my favorite character of all is Xolys! He’s just so powerful and cool! His body is just so utterly inhuman, it’s totally mesmerizing!” she gushed, clasping her hands together. “He has the most beautiful, vibrant blue eyes, wings, and energy scythes! I could just stare at them for hours! Oh! And his tentacles! They can choke the life out of anything, but they also give the most warm and comfy hugs!” she noted with a giggle/snort, her eyes beginning to fill with star-shaped sparkles. “But those aren’t the only reasons I like him!” she clarified, adjusting her glasses, while holding up a finger for emphasis. “He’s also so very gentle and kind, and he’s always so encouraging! And then there’s his story! He’s fighting to be reunited with his soulmate! Isn’t that just so wonderfully romantic?! But no one else seems to see how wonderful he is! My heart ached so much when I saw that no one wanted to choose him, cause I knew the pain he must have felt, since no one really wants to have anything to do with me, either… So I decided that I would show him that someone did care! Even if no one was ever there for me, I wanted Xolys to know that I would always be there for him, and I felt so warm inside when I finally got to play Gearmantic Hearts for the first time, and I helped Xolys to win against every opponent! We even got a new high score! I was just so happy that I was able to help him achieve his dream, and show him that he wasn’t alone! It was one of the best nights of my life! Oh! But you must really like Gearmantic Hearts, too, since you’re dressed up as one of the characters!” she added, smiling up into the stranger’s yellow optics. “Or are you actually Necroid 99 for real?!” Olivia inquired, leaning in even closer, her smile growing even wider. “Are you who they based the character on?! Oh gosh! That would be so amazing!”
In the blink of an eye, before Nyxia could even comprehend what was happening, Earthshaker had grabbed her by the throat in an impressive burst of speed and sent her crashing into the ally on the far side of the building with such intensity that her body created a small crater in the concrete. The next thing she knew, the tribal girl was looming over her, a gloved palm placed over the barrel of The Omega Obliterator, which Nyxia wasted no time in firing. “Fucking bitch…!” she hissed through gritted teeth as her finger squeezed the trigger. However, the stupendous outpouring of destructive force didn’t even cause Earthshaker to flinch, the ruinous energy simply being absorbed into the young woman’s tattooed body. And even as her grip tightened around Nyxia’s throat, the annoying girl continued her pedantic speech. That alone was infuriating enough, but what followed was a million times worse…
Even as Earthshaker continued to drone on, even as a cracking torrent of malign energy continued to surge into her body, the nubile savage yanked The Omega Obliterator out of an astonished Nyxia’s hand. Yet, if this was meant to deter a reprisal, then the “Code Keeper” would be very mistaken. Indeed, The Neon Tempest didn’t even hear Earthshaker’s next words. Her head was spinning, her mind was racing, every fibre of her being rapidly filling with unimaginable rage…
“Y-You…” she snarled as her trembling body rose to its feet. “You… FUCKING BITCH!!!” Nyxia screamed, driving a high-heeled boot between Earthshaker’s legs with all the power she could muster. “GIVE HIM BACK!!!” she roared, her open mouth emitting a blinding beam of destruction, which smashed into the Code Keeper’s face with the force of ten thousand freight trains. “GIVE HIM BACK TO ME!!! HE’S ALL I HAVE LEFT OF HIM!!!” she cried, her rage now mixed with anguished sobs as tears began to stream down her cheeks, even as her glowing fists sent punched energy blast after punched energy blast hurtling into her tormentor’s head in a rapid series of wild blows. “HE’S ALL I FUCKING HAVE LEFT!!!”
“That was some match, wasn’t it, Xolys?!” Olivia asked as she walked back into the reception hall, her partner once again nestled snug in her backpack.
“Indeed it was,” the small robot agreed.
“I never would have expected Cindy to attack me!” Olivia continued. “I guess I should probably move to the stands for our next match, huh?”
“A most advisable decision,” Xolys concurred. “Yet, I fear with a prize as coveted as a Power Stone in the balance, our next opponent may still be determined enough to attempt an attack upon you even beyond the boundaries of the ring. I suggest we both be on our guard.”
“Right!” Olivia declared with a firm nod, while clenching her fist in determination. “But now that we’re between matches, let’s see if we can find a reporter who’ll interview us!”
Setting out into the only slightly diminished crowd, the bluenette had only progressed a short distance when…
“Oh wow!” Olivia exclaimed, rushing over to where three individuals were having a discussion. The first was an orange-haired young woman who appeared to be a sorceress of some kind, while the second was a slightly shorter and far more pissed off lady in a leotard who was waving around a wooden staff. However, Olivia barely noticed them. It was the third individual who had thoroughly claimed her undivided attention… “You look just like Necroid 99 from Gearmantic Hearts!” she told the robotic, trench coated figure, looking up into his unsetting, glowing optics without even a hint of fear. “He’s my second favorite character, after Xolys of course!” the bespectacled bluenette explained with a giggle/snort. “I really like how his energy rifle sorta looks like an old Thompson submachine gun,” she rambled on. “Especially how its drum magazine bears more than a passing resemblance to the Discs of Dayzothoth from…” her voice trailed off as she finally became aware of the others present. “Oh gosh! I’m not interrupting anything, am I?!”
From her rooftop perch, Nyxia sneered down at Kriegspiel as the queenly young woman approached. Once again, the Neon Tempest forced herself to listen through yet another tedious sermon about looking out for her teammates, and the value of sharing, yet, even so, she couldn’t keep from giving the girl an annoyed roll of her eyes. “I am so very sorry, your highness,” Nyxia “apologized”, even as her “baby’s” writhing beam gruesomely disposed of a dozen more Miseria. “I was led to believe this was a gang of rule breaking delinquents. If I’d known I was being asked to join an old hags’ knitting circle, I would have laughed in our fearless leader’s fucking face! If you and your pals are so inept they can’t kill these pathetic shit stains fast enough, then that’s your problem! I’m here to murder Miseria, not pander a bunch of weak-ass rejects from a cosplay club! Oh, and thanks for the warning,” she added with a contemptuous smirk when she was told how bad an idea it would be to piss off the club’s revered leader. “But if Rei doesn’t like how I do things, then she shouldn’t have begged me to join her little fan club in the first place!”
Still, for all that, The Neon Tempest watched closely as Kriegspiel demonstrated how a “proper” Detention Club member did things. She had to admit, her summoned chess piece’s beam was somewhat impressive, at least, for a pale imitation of what The Omega Obliterator could produce. But the choice of target, combined with the wanna be royal’s loud announcement of said target to all in earshot, was far less impressive, although it did manage to cause a wide smile to spread across Nyxia’s disdainful visage. “Hahahahahaaa!!! What the fuck was that supposed to be?!” the Neon Tempest mockingly inquired as the forewarned frog metamorphosed into a more humanoid form and fully absorbed Kriegspiel’s blast with a gong-shaped shield. “What’s the point of a fucking sneak attack if you’re gonna warn your target it’s coming?! Or are you just trying to scare them off, because actual violence frightens you?”
After having her fun at “Queenie’s” expense, Nyxia turned her attention back to her primary source of annoyance, who was even now going on about stereotypes and how she actually enjoyed taking damage from enemy attacks. “Wow, I never would have guessed you’d be a masochist,” Nyxia replied with a taunting grin. “I guess you really do learn something new every day.” And speaking of learning new things, Earthshaker now moved on to a short infodump on the relationship between Dark and Light Magical Girls, something The Neon Tempest had given little thought to, and honestly couldn’t have cared less about. Indeed, the fact that there were two opposing factions of Magical Girls in Hibusa Town was one she had only just recently discovered. Up until then, she had thought that all Magical Girls were like her, vengeful reapers of the Miseria that infested the city. Not that the revelation made much of a difference. Growing up isolated in her family’s palatial mansion, the sickly girl who would become Nyxia had never experienced socializing with others her own age, had never known the joys of making friends, or the horrors of being bullied, although her parents and their servants did their best to make up for the latter. As such, she was wholly unfamiliar with high school politics, the idea of clubs, cliques, and the other myriad demographic groups which, in their own way, carried over to the mystical realm of Magical Girls being utterly foreign concepts. The only reason she’d agreed to join the Detention Club was because Rei had been so insistent. Really, she was only here to see what all the fuss was about, and as things stood, she was less than impressed.
“Oh you will, will you?” The Neon Tempest inquired in a mocking tone after Earthshaker had declared that she would keep her from being eaten by a Miseria. “And what makes you think I’ll need saving?” she added, while placing a hand on her hip, her harsh voice suffused with indignation. “Hell, even twenty of those fucking ass wipes couldn’t even make me break a sweat!” True enough, every Miseria she had ever encountered, while admittedly a serious threat to mundane humans, were nothing more than pathetic jokes as far as The Neon Tempest was concerned, ineffectual globs of filth that didn’t have even the slightest chance of withstanding the staggering power at her command. As such, she had not even the slightest fear for her safety. “If they really want to harm me, then let ‘em come!” Nyxia declared, grinning fiercely as she lovingly ran her fingers over her enormous death ray. “My precious baby is always hungry for more! Hahahahahaaa!!!”
The Neon Tempest’s peal of psychotic laughter continued even as Rei commanded Earthshaker to “put a leash” on her, the aura of unsetting coldness emanating from the Detention Club’s leader doing little to dampen Nyxia’s deranged amusement. Yes, there was no doubt Rei was a total control freak, one who wouldn’t be satisfied until every last member of her ever growing harem was wrapped tightly around her finger in submissive adoration. After all, Nyxia was well-acquainted with that type of neediness. Indeed, she herself had been the same way in regard to her dearest brother. Yet, that had been just a single person, a single cherished shining light in the darkness that threatened to suffocate her. She could only imagine the emotional anguish Rei had endured to be so embarrassingly desperate for companionship and adoration, all while hiding it under that stoic facade. Honestly, she almost felt sorry for the club leader.
Almost.
“I’d like to see you try,” Nyxia told her rooftop companion darkly. “My baby’s never tasted a Magical Girl before, and I gotta say, I’m kinda curious to see what he’ll think of it…”
Pentius-04’s eyes widened when Chloe fearlessly walked up to her and began stroking her shield in a rather suggestive manner. Then she mentioned going out on a date… “M-My sole objective is to ensure that no harm comes to Miss Lily,” 04 replied, her cheeks starting to redden slightly. “So I shall have to respectfully decline your offer. As for being singled out, you are the only individual present who has summoned a guardian construct as well as a magical weapon, and I intend to take any potential threats to Miss Lily’s safety very seriously,” she added, narrowing her eyes at the junior coin broker, her mouth set in a thin line.
Much to 04’s relief, Chloe quickly moved on to playfully harassing the other guests, leaving her to focus on her charge. This was just as well, since Lily had also begun darting from one new arrival to another with such hyperactive rapidity that 04 was forced to repeatedly teleport to ensure she remained beside her fellow greenette at all times. Even now, she could already tell that this was going to be an exhausting night indeed…
Magical Dream Princess
3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 4 | 9 | 4 | 24 | 9
Oddball: Sweet Dreams | Barrage
Wealth and Resources (not while tf'd) | Enhanced Weapon | Power Artifact | Dual Weapon | Natural Aging | Money | Intuition
Focused | Mental Link | Hidden Death | Mana Font | Mystic Might
Alien Mind | Formless | Rival Force | Clueless
As much as MDP tried to simply ignore Chloe, the bothersome girl seemed determined to make that impossible. It was bad enough that the coin broker-in-training had shamelessly tried to flirt with her, but when she offhandedly mentioned the possibility of her and her mundane alter-ego being one and the same, it took every last ounce of the whimsical girl’s willpower to keep from gasping in horrified shock.
D-Does she really know that Magical Dream Princess and Violet Wiolet are the same person werson?! MDP thought franticly, even as Amanda protectively pulled her away from Chloe. S-She’s probably wobably just joking… Y-Yeah… It was totally wotally just a jokey wokey… she desperately tried to convince herself, the alternative being far too distressing to contemplate…
“Like, okie dokie~!” MDP told the departing junior coin broker in as cheerful a tone as possible after the Mint girl had mentioned exchanging phone numbers. “Like, Magical Dream Princess already has a girlfriend wirlfriend, but, like, we could totally wotally still be friendy wendies~! (giggle!)”
Once Chloe had finally finished with her rampant flirting, the group’s conversation then returned to the topic at hand, with much of the discussion going way over MDP’s ADHD-addled head, despite her best efforts to pay attention. In fact, there were so many ideas being thrown out that it seemed Lily was also having trouble keeping everything straight, with the green-haired girl mistakenly attributing Amanda’s pocket dimension to MDP herself. “Like, Pastel-chan has the pocket wocket dimension wension thingie wingie, not Magical Dream Princess!” the whimsical girl corrected, while dramatically gesturing to her bespectacled best friend. Said friend then introduced her companion, causing MDP’s eyes to sparkle with delight. After all, the bubbly Princess of Dreams enjoyed making new friends far more than plotting grand strategy. “Wowie zowie~! That’s, like, super duper cooly wooly~! (giggle!)” MDP gushed when she was told that Valerie was an android girl. “And it’s, like, super duper nicey wicey to meet you, Valerie Walerie~! (giggle!)” she added, before giving the girl a big hug.
Job Satisfaction | Chatty | Mana Font | Mystic Might
Cagey | Expendable | Big Brother
MDP might have thankfully been far too distracted to notice the Angel of Hope, but Lily wasted no time in greeting her, even going so far as to say that the meeting’s sizable turnout was somehow her doing… “Oh, goodness!” the Angel gasped, placing a hand over her chest. “You ascribe far too much importance to this lowly servant, most noble champion!” she insisted.
What the fuck are you even talking about, you ditzy bitch? They probably just read your stupid message on Glimmer. And don’t you fucking dare force me to give you a hug…
Chloe then proceeded to reassure her that “Casper” was perfectly harmless, even going so far as to offer her a ride on his back. “My heavens! How very generous of you!” the angelic beauty gasped, seemingly accepting the junior coin broker’s words without a shred of doubt. “But, if this humble servant may be so bold as to offer some minor clarification, she was not frightened by your guardian, merely in awe of his imposing majesty!” she added. “As such, this unworthy handmaiden would be simply overjoyed to accept your most gracious offer!”
Seriously? Do you think I’m some kinda moron? I could smell your BS from the other side of the fucking planet! Still, being able to ride something that badass looking isn’t an opportunity I’m about to pass up!
As she glided atop Casper, the Angel noticed that someone had actually climbed inside the construct, and as she gently sat herself in a comfortable position, she smiled down at them. “Please do not let this humble servant disturb you,” she told Aurora in a kind and soothing voice.
Yeah, as cool as riding on this thing is, there’s no fucking way I’d wanna be inside it. What a freak…
Connie
3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 3 5 | 4 | 6 | 22 | 5
Oddball: Nightmares | Tentacles
Enhanced Weapon | Power Artifact | Mystic Artifact | Ally | Interdimensional Home
Focused | Mental Link | Hidden Death | Mana Font | Mystic Might
Alien Mind | Formless | Rival Force | Clueless
Mia
3 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 3 5 | 8 | 7 | 22 | 5
Wood | Barrage
Enhanced Weapon | Dual Weapon | Purification Artifact | Big Red Button
Blessing | Divine Competence | Gifted Item | Mana Font | Mystic Might
Rites| Arrogance | Big Brother | Clueless
Unfortunately, the Angel’s new choice of seating spot had rather painful repercussions for a certain easily-frightened masked girl. Up until now, the angelic maiden’s expansive white wings had served to shield Chloe’s fearsome guardian from Connie’s sight, but now that she was sitting atop the construct, the ironically-titled Empress of Nightmares had an unobstructed view of its full, horrifying majesty…
“Eeep!” Connie yelped upon catching sight of the undead terror, clutching her chest and shrinking back behind Gaia. Even with her verdant friend’s reassurances, and the fact that the creature didn’t seem to be hostile, its presence still left her considerably shaken up, meaning that she gave a second startled cry when she felt someone touch her hand, only to discover that it was only Lily. “O-Oh, g-gosh! I-I’m s-sorry!” she hastily apologized, taking hold of Lily’s hand with both of her own. “Y-You just s-startled me…” The green-haired girl went on to offer some reassuring words of her own, and Connie found her concern quite touching. “T-Thanks, Lily,” she replied softly, while giving her a grateful smile. “T-That really m-means a lot.”
A moment later, a paper airplane, of all things, crashed into the back of Lily’s head, startling both her and Connie. Unfolding the plane revealed a cryptic letter, one which Lily asked if Connie could decipher. “U-Ummm… S-Sorry…” she whispered back glumly. “I-I don’t like to w-watch anime w-with s-spirits in them. T-They f-frighten me t-too m-much…”
I really am useless… she thought, giving voice to a sullen sigh.
“M-Maybe Mia k-knows…” she began to suggest, before trailing off after realizing that Lily’s attention had shifted back to the main conversation. A girl Connie didn’t recognize was offering a fairly suspicious sounding deal involving the location of some of Wonderland’s weapons, after which an unseen Mariette noted the possibility of the Wonderlanders eavesdropping on the meeting, freaking out both Connie and Lily in the process. But the biggest shock came a moment later, when a strange girl with cat ears and her golem companion appeared out of nowhere and proceeded to use an artifact to encapsulate the meeting area in an energy field, which the girl claimed would prevent the Wonderlanders from spying on them.
She went on to mention the possibility of moving the meeting elsewhere, flirtatiously noting MDP’s “bounce pad” as a possible alternative, a suggestion which caused the whimsical girl to tilt her head in confusion. “But, like, everybodywody heresie weresie won’t fit insidey widey Magical Dream Princess’s bouncy wouncy housey woucey!” she protested, unaware that the mystery girl was following along with Lily’s previous misconception. “It’s not biggy wiggy enough for thatsie whatsie!”
For her part, Gaia listened intently to the various points and counterpoints being brought up, while also making sure Connie wasn’t stressing out too badly. Yet, the most intriguing event had nothing to do with the discussion itself. Instead, it was when Kayli, along with Ruby and Alicia, departed the meeting in a puff of smoke, only to return a short while later. Moving over to her adopted guardian, the verdant maiden leaned in close so as not to be overheard. “May I inquire as to what that was all about?” she whispered.
Yes, Aiko reflected, the morning’s customarily placid, if admittedly somewhat somber, melody had well and truly been shattered, their fae visitor’s cacophonous cries serving as just as much of a wake up call from normality as the ringing of any alarm clock. Lux, as the small creature had introduced herself, spoke of wraiths, pocket dimensions, and something called the Shroud, in a high-pitched and highly frantic voice that was rather hard for Aiko to follow. She should really learn to pace herself and employ proper cadence, the music teacher couldn’t help but think. Such important information needs to be conveyed calmly and clearly. However, all Aiko really needed to know was that a student was in trouble, and that, apparently, she and her fellow teachers would be able to save them, if only they became…
“Magical girls…?” Aiko echoed aloud, her tone filled with confusion. “W-What do you mean by that?” she inquired, adjusting her glasses with a trembling hand. Having never watched a single magical girl show growing up, the poor young woman was completely at a loss as to what Lux was talking about. Kohaku mentioned something about children’s shows, which really didn’t help much, but before her question could be answered more comprehensively, both Shinobu and Emiko volunteered to become said magical girls, seemingly without a shred of hesitation. More than slightly startled by their enthusiasm, Akio resolved to watch and see exactly what the small fairy had in mind…
Shadow Dragon
twave
BrokenPromise
FaithfulMuse
Noctis
Majoraa
TaintedMushroom
MrSkimobile
Izurich
