The Devil’s Fortune.
A very spooky red (very red) casino nestled in the heart of Mirage Springs, it was stated to be the Society's previous headquarters prior to its takeover of the city, according to Kimberly and Jordan. Lupe said there was a big deal going on here… thus, the five were posted up on the rooftops of one of the adjacent buildings. Not any building, a store in which Lupe would say would give them a view of their “VIP entrance.” Or, well, a parking garage that only top Society members and their affiliates would enter. Jordan was, as per usual, on the edge of the building with binoculars.
Meanwhile, Lisa, her back pressed against the parapet, was once again in a reclined position with her hands on her stomach.
“... Your friend better not be lying to us,” Jordan mused out loud.
”We can trust her, I swear,” Lisa turned towards Jordan.
“... Then her ass should have been up here with us,” Jordan shook her head.
”... Then we’d be minus a spy!”
"Yeah! A spy that’s not spying ain’t a spy at all!" Ella said. She was sitting next to Lisa in a similar position, except her fingers were tapping on her legs. "What’s the worst that’ll happen if she lied? We can totally handle it!"
"We’ll just kill her," Saskia nodded, playing with their knife. They crouched next to Jordan, looking over the parapet.
”I mean…” Lisa shrugged as she rolled her eyes. ”If she worked for The Society, we were passed out in her apartment all night…”
"Oh yeah, she had plenty of opportunities to kill us!" Ella said cheerfully. "Though I stayed up till she went to bed too… but she woke up first."
"I wouldn't have minded dying that night," Saskia muttered.
”... I wanna do it again!” Lisa shouted as she hopped to her feet.
“... And pass out again?” Jordan whimsically said as she glanced over her shoulder.
Lisa pouted, crossing her arms. As Jordan laughed, looking into her binoculars.
“Wait! Hold up!” Jordan shouted as she leaned forward a bit.
“What is it?” Kimberly asked.
“A Black SUV, all tinted windows, just went into the secret entrance,” Jordan called out as her eyes didn't come off her face. “... I don't see any other cars.” she shrugged.
“A convoy going through the streets of Mirage Springs would ring a bell,” Kimberly snorted.
A few minutes passed.
“... A white sedan just went in,” Jordan added.
“Are you three ready to go in?” Kimberly asked. “Remember, we are not here to start a fight.”
”Yes!” Lisa said.
Lisa dug into the pockets of her cargo pants and pulled out a tiny metal device that she held high in the air—a tracking device. The plan was to bug the Endless Seven and Dollhouse delegates with Lisa’s spiders and then see what dastardly plans Morningstar was cooking up.
”... Could I still mark them with my infestation spell?” Lisa asked.
“... No,” Jordan answered.
”Aw,”
"I'm ready," Saskia stood up, looking very relaxed about the whole thing.
"Wait!" Ella hopped to her feet. "What do we do if we're spotted?"
"Kill the witnesses."
Kimberly smiled.
“... We run,” She simply answered before she turned to Jordan and nodded her head. “Jordan.”
“Right,” Jordan raised both of her hands in the air and they were placed in a swirling coral-pink dome that grew bigger and brighter before they all just appeared on the rooftop. It disoriented Lisa, like teleportation always did. Suddenly they were on one roof, then now they’re on another way taller one! Her heart was spinning as she felt dizzy… she stumbled a few steps.
"Argh," Ella groaned, bending over and looking a bit sick. "I'll never get used to that."
Saskia rolled their eyes, seeming completely unphased. "Let's get to work. What do you need us to do, Lisa?"
Lisa shrugged, before she looked to Kimberly and Jordan for instructions.
“We’re going to stick together, and stay out of sight,” Kimberly said, grabbing the Artistic Integrity with both hands, as she glanced at the doors. “This is the VIP section of the casino. There shouldn’t be a whole lot of foot traffic - which works against us.” Kimberly shook her head.
“There is a large dining room that they do their meetings in,” Kimberly said. “We’re gonna plant the bugs on them there… you three are there in case we run into trouble.”
“But, you know I can just teleport us out,” Jordan crossed her arms, rolling her eyes.
“Yeah, I know,” Kimberly said, rolling her eyes as well. “Let’s just get a move on.”
She then pointed at the door to the roof, which definitely should not be unlocked. Jordan walked over to it, then put her hand on it… Lisa looked on as she heard a series of slides and clicks before she pushed the door open. She gestured towards it…
“... Ladies,” Jordan grinned.
“Why thank you?” Kimberly laughed as she walked in, and Lisa followed after them… Saskia and Ella were right behind them, and Jordan was in the back. As they were led through the halls like a bunch of ducks, Lisa briefly wondered how much recon the two got before they got here. Because they certainly didn’t tell them anything. Though, it didn’t matter, as it seemed Kimberly and Jordan had their best interests at heart. Maybe. This part of the Devil’s Fortune wasn’t a casino, but a hotel… and it was oddly barren. Lisa couldn’t even hear anyone, but she never really been in hotels so she wouldn’t know!
Eventually, Kimberly lead them to an incredible ornate dining room. It was something out of the movies! However, they were on the upper balconies, looking down, and the room was completely empty.
“Alright,” Kimberly looked between everyone present. “Are we clear on what we’re here for? We’re not going to jump the gun, right?”
"Yup! We’re the backup for if shit goes wrong, while you guys are planting bugs on em! I think!" Ella said cheerfully, brandishing her channeler. "Or wait… are Lisa’s spiders planting the bugs?"
"I’ll stop her doing anything stupid," Saskia said, surveying the room over the balcony’s banister. They crouched down, narrowing their eyes as they watched for anyone entering.
The door on one side opened… and two gigantic Werewolves in knight's armor came through. They had to be over ten feet tall and carried massive swords over their shoulders as they walked over to the corners of the dining room on one side, patiently taking guard. When they walked in, Lisa activated her eyes of the Arachnid Spell… a spell that made her grow extra eyes on her temple, forehead, and cheeks and gave her a full view of the room. Following behind them, four people walked in… the first to come through was a tall man (Like had to be around seven feet tall) in a suit, and he calmly walked over and sat at the head of the table.
The next person to come in, taking a seat next to the man was a massive obese man with a permanent scowl on his face. The next one to come through was a tall woman with long raven-like black hair and a lustful smile on her face. She took a seat across from the obese man.
The last one through, was a familiar face that they saw in Morningstar Banking… that woman with the blonde hair and suit and had that strange pike-like weapon strapped to her back.
”Weird…” Lisa whispered out loud. ”Are they the Endless Seven or somebody else?”
"Wouldn’t really be the Endless Seven if there were ten of them…" Saskia whispered back. "One must be Mala’Boolaan’s replacement."
"I bet it’s the really tall one!" Ella said in a hushed tone.
"... I think it’s the other woman."
“To my knowledge,” Kimberly whispered. “The Endless Seven have some way to assume human form. Either by abscision or some other form of magic… have you ever heard of Glamour?”
"Oh, like fair folk use?" Saskia tilted their head. "In folklore."
“Yes, sort of… It’s a popular form of magic that lets Abominable, Afflicted, and other Paranormals with inhuman features appear normal and blend in with humans,” Kimberly began. “There are many forms of it and many ways to apply it… and knowing the Society, getting Glamour would be easy.”
“Hey, the door’s opening!” Jordan silently pipped up.
The door on the other side opened, and a group of five people walked through in the formation of a V… at the head of the formation was a tall tall man with a pony tail, and at his left was a woman with a cowboy hat and an AK-47 held with both hands.. To his right was something strange, even within the bounds of magic. A walking mannequin doll wearing a white nurse-outfit like outfit. Strangely feminine… with each step the Mannequin seemed like it was about to fall over. It was creepy. So creepy.
To the left of the girl was a tall older man with greying hair wearing a white suit, holding himself up by a cane. He had a stoic facial expression and Lisa thought he was oddly… hot. To the right of the spooky mannequin was tall black woman with a stoic expression on her face also wearing a suit.
The man with the bun and the woman with the gun took a seat while the mannequin doll remained standing. The older man and the strange woman stood in the corners of the room, much like the werewolf knights.
”... And they’re Dollhouse?” Lisa asked Kimberly and Jordan. ”The old guy is kinda hot!” She laughed.
"Lisa, your taste sucks," Ella scrunched up her nose.
“Stay focused,” Jordan whispered. “... And I think so,”
“That’s Luis, Natalie, and Heinrich,” Kimberly said, “I dealt with them before when I was in Miami…”
Both Kimberly and Jordan shuddered.
“... They are not to be messed with,” Kimberly said, “But, we’ll deal with them when we’re stronger.”
"So we just watch?" Saskia asked, eyes narrowed.
"How are we going to bug them?!" Ella tilted her head.
Kimberly turned her head towards Lisa and whispered to her, “Lisa, are you ready?”
Lisa nodded, as she summoned some tiny spiders from behind the five, and while they were wrapped in glowing cocoons, she dug into her pockets for tiny listening devices. The spiders burst out with ant mandibles, and she placed them in their tiny maws. They carried them down the walls…
“Worry about those four,” Kimberly pointed at the four that the group believed were the Endless Seven… “Place one on the table and try to slip one in the pockets.”
”Mhm…” Lisa trailed off, as she did as instructed and ordered the spiders to plant the bugs around the table. They used their webs to attach them to the table before sliding the listening devices into the shoes of the Endless Seven…
… The strange woman that was with Dollhouse turned her head to the five, and Lisa’s eyes widened.
”... I think we’ve been spotted!” Lisa said in a normal volume.
The woman pointed at them and shouted,
”... We got intruders!”
Everyone turned their heads towards their spot on the balcony, and Lisa hopped to her feet.
”... SHIT!”
“Jordan!” Kimberly shouted as she pulled out Jacob’s Revolver, “Time to go!”
The older man disappeared, leaving behind a burst of wind. He appeared down the balcony, and Lisa only had seconds to respond before he disappeared again. In the blink of an eye, Lisa was sent rolling down the hall, feeling Shayton’s hand slam against her chest. She could hardly breathe as she gasped for air. When she came to a stop, she looked up to see Shayton in between her and the girls.
"Lisa!" Ella yelled, brandishing her channeller and… starting to go through her magical girl transformation.
"Shit," Saskia scrambled to their feet, slicing their hand wide open. Blood spilled out, forming a bullet that they aimed and shot toward Shayton.
Shayton looked over his shoulder at them, before disappearing in a burst of speed again… and Lisa could feel herself get yanked as she was thrown in the trajectory of Saskia’s attack at blinding speeds. The bullet dug into Lisa’s shoulder and she screamed in pain. Saskia paled, eyes widening in panic.
“Jordan!” Kimberly aimed the revolver at Shayton.
“Working on-” Jordan was cut off as a bladed tendril made out of human flesh came out of the strange woman’s hand and wrapped around her ankle. It snatched her away as Jordan raised her hands and a coral-pink sphere appeared… and all time was slowed within it. Including the tendril coming out of the black woman’s hand.
"Back off!" Ella shouted, now in her magical girl form. She held up her wand, a burning beam of light shooting out of it and towards the tendril where it wasn’t in the coral-pink sphere. The beam burned through the tendril, and the woman’s expression didn’t change slightly.
At the same time, Saskia’s blood pooled towards her back and formed a long tendril. They ran forward, sending it out in an attempt to wrap around Lisa and pull her towards them. It grasped Lisa’s leg, and yanked her towards them as she flipped off Shayton with both hands, quicking waving them around wildly… though, it hurt.
Shayton disappeared in a burst of wind and appeared on the other side of Kimberly… with Jacob’s Revolver in hand. He examined it and said,
“Hmmmm… interesting design…” Shayton felt it getting telekinetically yanked from his hands as it flew right back into Kimberly’s hands.
“Thank you, Jordan!” Kimberly aimed Jacob’s Revolver back at Shayton. However, the two werewolf knights ran up and slammed their swords on the ground as they growled and barked at them. The mysterious lady had made another bladed tendril and attached it to the banister and propelled herself forward.
From between the two knights, walked the man in the suit with the blonde hair… he had a smile on his face as he clapped his hands together, “... I remember you three,” He began. “By some miracle and failure of all logic, you made it this far…”
He laughed.
“... But your luck, ends here.”
Ella turned around to look at him, head tilted in confusion. "Who are you?"
“Ignatius,” He introduced himself. “We met at the bank. Except I looked… different.”
"Ohhhhh!" Ella clapped her hands together (awkwardly because of the wand). "The one who sent those weaklings after us!"
“And thank you for getting rid of them,” Ignatius folded his hands behind his back as he looked at the two werewolf knights. “However, Morningstar has ordered your deaths…”
He pointed at them, and the rabid Werewolf knights lunged at the group.
“... So, just die fast, we have business to attend to, morons.” Ignatius adjusted his suit
"It'll take more than this to kill me!" Ella shouted, as her legs lit up with a shimmering, prismatic light. She jumped forward, swinging one leg up to intercept and kick one of the Knights. He raised his sword to block the attack and slid backward towards Ignatius.
Saskia rolled their eyes behind her, tendril letting go of Lisa as it shot towards the other knight, and pierced through its face, cleaving through it cleanly. He stopped, grabbing his face, and a sizzling steam came out as he regenerated.
Lisa flipped over, as spider legs burst from her back… she was still bleeding, but she was still going to fight. It was time to whip out a tool in her arsenal that the Old Coven found disgusting. She loudly wretched, as she opened her mouth like some kind of unholy maw, and a spray of spiders came out her mouth and went towards the knight that Saskia had injured. It covered its body, as Lisa willed them to force their way into its regenerating wounds… then they healed over, as Lisa activated Acid-Burst and the acid exploded out of the knight’s head as it fell to its knees.
It hit the ground with a thump, as Kimberly shouted, “EVERYONE! BUNCH UP!”
Lisa turned on her heel and ran over to Kimberly and Jordan. A coral-pink dome appeared around them, slowly beginning to spin, and then quickly accelerating. Saskia ran into the dome, blood tendril sucking back into the wound in her hand.
Ella was the furthest away. She was mid another kick towards the remaining Knight, forcefully stopping her momentum and spinning around on one foot. She started running over towards the dome….
However, in a burst of speed, Shayton grabbed her and threw her over the banister onto the table.
”... ELLA!” Lisa shouted, extending a hand out to her friend.
Before she vanished along with the others.