[right][color=1462ba][i][h2]Mariette[/h2][/i][/color][/right] [hr] [hider=An event that concerns no other player character]Another strike happened in the dark. A girl’s eyes widened where she stood in the dark as a surge of black tendrils gripped her and pulled her harshly into a portal, vanishing and leaving no trace behind. This was in a small town on the east coast, the girl was a newly born Magical Girl with long hair who’d be minimally missed if she disappeared. The same night, now on the west coast, another portal opened behind another untransformed long-haired Magical Girl who had just returned home tired from a monster-encounter. She could but glance back with a look of tired despair as the tentacles laid claim to her and pulled her into the void. This had been happening across the nation. Only a few per night, but they were happening. Occurrences were widespread as to cause minimal attention to be drawn to it per area. Magical Girls disappeared occasionally in battle, this was a fact of life. There was no need to think that there could perhaps be something sinister that was currently… hunting them. There was an alley in the night, where an untransformed Magical Girl strode forth with confidence, finished with tonight’s business. For the third time tonight, a portal opened, swinging wide behind a Magical Girl. For the third time tonight, a horrifying blur of dark tentacles surged at their victim, intending on engulfing her and bringing her back through the portal. For the first time tonight… [color=ed2a24]‘[i][b]KRRRRRRRRRRRAH![/b][/i]’[/color] A terrifying surge of fire blasted out with the Magical Girl as its origin, enveloping and eliminating the dark tentacles trying to overwhelm her and sent dark spatters of the unknown matter showering brick walls in the alley the event was taking place in, under the cover of the night-time stars. The Magical Girl swung around, lean and average in build with flowing robes, wielding a huge stick with giant spear-points in each end, her flowing extravagantly long red hair flying from the breeze her own fire had created. She grinned as the portal the tentacles had come from closed, her expression filled with blood-lust and excitement. [color=ff00d0]‘Ouch. Enhanced Transformation. I didn’t notice she had that.’[/color] Deni smirked as their latest catch turned out to be a challenge. She had stalked her occasionally the last few days along with a multitude of other Magical Girls, to learn all she could before they struck. She hadn’t learned that. [color=57a345]‘Georgia Beltran… A Magical Girl who knows to save her aces. We have to respect that.’[/color] Eli nodded with a thoughtful look on her face, considering the situation while staring at a notebook she held within her slimy wing. The two young twins looked like black harpies composed of some black fluid, and they were joined by a older girl in a long blue dress with long white hair clutching a stuffed bunny, staring forward expressionlessly with a single eye because the other was under an eyepatch. Under the eyepatch was several small portals through which Mariette had a view of the whole alley. [color=1462ba]‘…’[/color] Mariette stood, watching the fiery Magical Girl from above, herself standing with her two underlings in a fairly distant abandoned apartment, considering her next move. Their opponent this time had excellent strength, agility, vitality and magic, as well as years of fighting experience. While she was a complete solo fighter without backer that nobody would miss if she disappeared with long hair to boot, this was their toughest catch yet. Tough enough that Mariette likely would have skipped her if everything else didn’t so perfectly coincide. Their best bet had been to claim her while untransformed, but it turned out Georgia had a trick against that, too. [color=ed2a24]‘[i][b]C’MON![/b][/i] Was that [i][b]ALL[/b][/i] you had for me!? [i][b]YOU GOTTA HAVE MORE OF A FIGHT IN YOU THAN THAT![/b][/i]’[/color] Georgia shouted out into the alley, taunting them and pointing her double-sided spear down the alley where the portal had been. [color=ff00d0]‘We’re not just going to pull away after THAT, right?’[/color] Deni asked, visibly on edge and raring for a fight herself. [color=57a345]‘She knows of us now. We won’t be able to ambush her with sudden opening portals. She’s more physically able than any of us. It wouldn’t be an easy battle, it makes sense to pull back and wait for her drop her guard again, but…’[/color] Eli muttered strategy, but then turned to look to Mariette with slightly unsure eyes. Mariette considered, with Deni’s agitated look and Eli’s unsure one looking at her. Now, the enemy had turned out to be tougher than expected. It made sense to pull back. But… [color=1462ba]‘Of course we’re not pulling back.’[/color] Mariette said with a cold tone, gaining a little smile, looking to Deni and then to Eli. [color=1462ba]‘She knows of us, now. If we let her go now, she can tell others what happened to her, which in turn means they could prepare for us. That would be unacceptable. We’re taking her.’[/color] Mariette nodded as she said. Deni grinned excitedly while Eli put down her notebook and stretched some nonexistent muscles, and both harpies made ready for combat. [color=1462ba]‘Deni. Eli.’[/color] Mariette said to them, while raising a hand intent on opening portals while the other still clutched the stuffed bunny. They acknowledged with a grin and a nod, respectively. [color=1462ba]‘You’re up.’[/color] ____ Georgia stood, smirking in the alley as the residential fire from her earlier burst settled around her. Seemed like whoever attacked her had pulled back, or were considering their next move. Whatever it was, she knew she could handle more tentacles, but it did seem like whoever this was had more capabilities than just that. But her blood had just taken fire, urging for more combat. They weren’t going to just get a girl all fired up and then leave her here all hot and bothered, were they? The answer came as another portal opened behind her, soundlessly but what came out wasn’t quite as soundless. Georgia grabbed her staff with spear-ends in both directions and thrust backwards at the incoming form, hearing a satisfying clang of metal meeting metal. The fire Magical Girl looked back with a grin, and met another grin. A dark, underdeveloped little monster girl, body covered with feathers of… tar? Regardless, she was clutching a spear that had been thrust at Georgia’s back, and thrusting back had made the spears clash. Georgia spun around, fiercely swinging the other end of her double-spear at her opponent from overhead. Deni’s own spear suddenly deformed, the material swinging around in a circle and made a shield that took the blow head-on. Georgia was both faster and stronger than Deni, but Deni had a solid edge in adaptability. As Georgia hit the shield, Deni deformed under it, using the force of the blow to make the shield tip behind her and used the force to launch herself at Georgia from underneath the shield while deforming a hand into a knife. As that happened, Georgia became aware of another presence jumping her from the other side, from the top of the building. They seemingly thought she was cornered. Georgia was going to have none of that. Georgia blasted a jet of fire forth at Deni, launching herself back a few meters to avoid Eli’s attack from behind, who was dropping down with a sword held in both hands. Deni quickly formed a shield in front of her with her own liquid and shied back, while Eli formed wings and flapped, placing herself above on a wall in the alley looking down. Georgia stared at them. All she knew said that Deni should be fried stiff right about now. Unless… ah, Reinforcement magic. She grinned at Deni as she realized, and Deni grinned back, dissolving the shield back into her body. Then Georgia looked up at Eli, who had a much more serious expression, parched on the wall. Twinned Souls, eh? If it was just these two, Georgia would be fine. However… A portal appeared right next to her and tentacles charged out. The speed which they opened startled Georgia, but she could react in time, blasting a surge of fire into them while jumping away. But, then she had to blink in surprise. Eli’s wings had deformed into a shotgun, directed at where Georgia was jumping. Surely, that couldn’t actually fire- BANG-BASH. The sound of the shotgun firing from Eli’s grasp down at Georgia was quickly followed by a counter-blast of fire by Georgia, frowning in anger as this just turned a lot more complicated. The gun fired magic, not bullets, which were less lethal to a Magical Girl than bullets would be to a human, but that was still a bothersome attack. Wait, where did the other one go? That thought was quickly followed by Georgia having to spin about and kick Deni’s double-sided battle-axe out of its lethal arc. Georgia countered by stabbing at Deni’s waist with her spear, a place she knew wouldn’t be able to dodge that fast, but Deni’s body deformed twisting her torso unnaturally out of the spears range. Then the swinging axe deformed, too, suddenly curving into a chain and spinning around Georgia’s spear, locking it in place. Deni grinned at her and Georgia was getting annoyed. Also, Eli was aiming the shotgun at her again, and she felt more tentacles approaching. Unacceptable. Georgia blasted forward with full force of fire, sending herself backwards out of danger while Deni deformed aside to dodge the flames in a way impossible unless your body’s composed of liquid. The fire-girl had managed to free her spear, but it was evident that the spear wasn’t going to serve well against these fluid opponents. Deni was still grinning, Georgia was not anymore. This was some bloody mess of a battle. If she could at least take one of these out, it would be a lot easier. She directed a hand up at Eli, charging a powerful beam of fire. Eli blinked in realization, the shotgun deforming back into wings and she flapped to get away. While doing so her legs deformed into… machine guns, which opened fire blasting away at their target. Too late, Georgia grinned, in the air Eli’s dodging was a lot slower. Also, those shots were both wildly inaccurate and she could just burn the shots that would hit. Too little magic was being expanded through those guns to actually harm her. So with that, Georgia blasted her flames, surging forth at the liquid harpy who wouldn’t be able to dodge, but she realized too late Eli was gliding into a portal. Bah, it was fine. Just get her out of the game for just one moment… Then the portal which Eli flew through dropped, and Georgia could but blink in realization as she was looking at her beam flying at what appeared to be her own back. Also, wasn’t something really hot approaching from behi- Georgia jumped out of the way at the last second, as her own beam had flown through a portal hidden behind another portal directly at her back. She managed to get away, barely, she wasn’t sure how. Yet, in the direction she jumped stood Deni, grinning. Georgia gave her a stunned look, that wasn’t where Deni had been standing last she looked? Wait- BANG, Georgia was hit by a huge battle-hammer in the head that Deni had swung with perfect timing, making her drop her spear and stumble in another direction, trying to recover. But, she had somehow stumbled through a perfectly placed portal into an unfamiliar apartment. Ghr, she just needed to make another fiery explosion…! Then her face was slammed by a powerful tentacle while other similar tentacles crashed into her back, and she cried out a scream of pain as the tentacles enveloped her and thrust her forcefully through another portal, and then everything went black. ____ [color=ff00d0]‘W-woah. She was a fight.’[/color] Deni breathed heavily in excitement as both she and Eli returned to Mariette’s interdimensional apartment, several parts of her accessories notably burned. Both her and Eli’s limbs were back to normal harpy-shape instead of being deformed into strange weaponry. [color=57a345]‘Georgia Beltran was perhaps a risk to take on, but we outnumbered her thoroughly and had the tactical advantage of being prepared.’[/color] Eli noted, picking up her notebook and writing down the information about the successful capture. [color=1462ba]‘…’[/color] Of course, Mariette had merely sat in a neighboring building making portals were necessary during the battle. She had to be in the same world and reasonably close to the fight, her magic would have greatly weakened if she tried to fight from within her interdimensional home or from too far away, but now they had returned. Georgia had been snatched to their void of a storage for Magical Girls… [color=ff00d0]‘So, uh, think [i][b]they[/b][/i] have some means of dealing with her Enhanced Transformation?’[/color] Deni grinned, referring to those they were capturing these girls for. [color=57a345]‘… Let’s assume they have something. We’re collecting all these Magical Girls for them and all.’[/color] Eli replied, frowning into her notebook as she considered it. Mariette inspected her two underlings after the battle. Deni was a bit burned, but her liquid body would handle it and she looked like she had her fun. Eli wasn’t injured at all, and had successfully played her role as bait for a powerful blast. Their opponent had been more powerful than either of them on their own, but all together they ever gave Georgia a chance to rest, which led to annoyance and eventually to bad or delayed decision making. It all worked out. The two talked some more, while Mariette started closing the portals in the area… when a small cyan bit of color caught her eye. A Magical Girl jumped down from a distant building, creating a slide of ice which she then rode down to the alley where they had fought Georgia, all the walls marred with damage from the fire-girl’s blasts. [color=9fd3e0]‘Georgia!’[/color] The girl shouted out, walking carefully forward through the alley. She was wearing a blue uniform as her outfit, and had long cyan hair hanging behind her as she looked around with a frown. Mariette intentionally opened tiny portals closer to her to let them listen in to what she was saying, Deni and Eli quieting immediately. [color=9fd3e0]‘Georgia! Come out, I know this is your handiwork. Who did you fry now?’[/color] [color=57a345]‘It seems at least one person knew Georgia.’[/color] Eli commented silently, throwing a glance at Deni. [color=ff00d0]‘We’re doing multiple girls per day now. Sorry that I might miss some details when I only have hours to stalk each target.’[/color] Deni shrugged, dismissing the fault in the data. [color=57a345]‘Lillian Reed, fairly famed local Ice-specialized Puchuu Magical Girl. Deemed too popular to lay claim to.’[/color] Eli analyzed checking her notes on the person that had appeared. [color=ff00d0]‘She’s blessed with the Power of Friendship, and has tried making friends with everyone, including Georgia, apparently.’[/color] Deni smirked, showing that her stalking had resulted in some information. Eli sighed. [color=57a345]‘It is unfortunate that someone like that will have found out about the disappearances, but it’s probably best to leave her be.’[/color] Eli said, looking at Mariette. [color=1462ba]‘…’[/color] Mariette stood silently, watching the girl from above through tiny portals inside her eye-patch with her right eye, seeing how the girl’s expression went from frowning accusement to hesitant worry when it became clear that no fire-girl was appearing. [color=9fd3e0]‘… Georgia?’[/color] Lillian asked, her voice more worried and softer now, as the idea that Georgia might have lost might have just occurred to her. Mariette kept looking at her, specifically her eyes were drawn to her fairly long hair… [color=1462ba]‘We’re taking her.’[/color] Mariette suddenly declared. Both Deni and Eli flinched at this statement, turning to look at her with wide eyes and startled realization. [color=ff00d0]‘Eli… I think our mistress is becoming more bloodthirsty…’[/color] Deni had been taken aback, but nonetheless grinned, ready for action. [color=57a345]‘… And here I was happy she was more alike calm me than wild you, Deni…’[/color] Eli stated in reply, looking a little worried but ready nonetheless. Mariette threw them a quick look with her one eye, confirming they were ready while watching their target with the other eye, before a portal opened and encompassed them, bringing them back into the abandoned apartment in the same world as Lillian. Then, the darkness surrounding Mariette stirred. Black tendrils emerged from the ground around her, moving sideways into a starting position that meant that even if counter-fired, the shots would hit the wall rather than her comparatively fragile body. Then, she opened two portals to Lillian’s left and right side, through which Deni and Eli sprung out at her. Lillian was alarmed, and immediately summoned twin ice walls blocking off her attackers. That’s when her larger portal opened right behind Lillian’s surprised and panicked form, and Mariette’s tentacles surged forth. [color=1462ba]‘… Plenty of long-haired new dolls are on the way…’[/color] Mariette smirked, still clutching the stuffed bunny, as they started overwhelming another hapless victim.[/hider]