[center][h3]...Elsewhere...[/h3][/center] [@Erode] [color=ade81b]”You tackle people you love?”[/color] Betty lifted a finger to her lip. [color=ade81b]”Football isn't nearly as aggressive as I thought it was.”[/color] She lowered her shoulders. [color=ade81b]”B-but anyway! Amaryllis, the thing about the mint is that you don't really know who they are. They could be anyone! I just know they want to attack a V.I.P. I'm protecting, so I need to be on my toes.”[/color] She pointed at the girl and swirled her finger in the air. [color=ade81b]”I thought you were walking after us, and just decided to transform. Naturally I had to do something.”[/color] That was when a [url=https://i.imgur.com/O1Yi8r3.jpg]regal-looking girl[/url] approached. If Amaryllis had spent enough time in Penrose, she might have seen Scarlet Hallewell a few times. She had family in England that were trying to get her into a number of prestigious public schools. But if the rumors were true, Scarlet wasn't a very pleasant person to be around. Things like starting fights with students and going out of her way to sabotage a teacher's lesson plans. It seemed Scarlet was content with her tutor, whoever that happened to be. Scarlet glanced between the two girls. [color=#bd71e8]“A milkmaid and her cow.”[/color] [color=ade81b]”M-milkmaid!”[/color] Betty stammered. Scarlet strut her way towards Amaryllis and squint her eyes. [color=#bd71e8]“Amaryllis? Yes, you were at the stadium a few weeks ago. I remember the name.”[/color] Her eyes flicked downward. [color=#bd71e8]“And your udders are just as freakishly huge in costume as they are out.”[/color] Scarlet placed a hand on her hip. [color=#bd71e8]“I do not typically reveal myself to strangers. However, I've taken an interest in your sword.”[/color] She stepped closer. [color=#bd71e8]“You see I have a collection going. A magical rapier like that would fit in [i]wonderfully[/i] with the rest of my weapons.”[/color] She looked down at Amaryllis, as if she was examining some insect. [color=#bd71e8]“I do not know how you managed to get a hold of such a weapon.”[/color] The woman in red relaxed her stance and turned away. [color=#bd71e8]“But I suppose you hold it for a reason.”[/color] Scarlet looked over her shoulder. [color=#bd71e8]“Though in the future, I'd suggest finding a more secluded place to transform. It's not quite like it is on TV or comics. You're at your most vulnerable that way. You also might want to consider working with someone who knows a thing or two about all this magical girl nonsense. You can only get so far without an extensive network.”[/color] And with that, she vanished into the crowd. It wasn't long before Betty followed behind her. Then a little voice called out. [b]”Where were you?!”[/b] [center][img] https://66.media.tumblr.com/17c38dc4eb13fbeb22547a6ffc4c1627/tumblr_pi25c6jISs1w6599so1_640.png[/img][/center] Sammy was riding on the back of a giant tiger, who looked massive under her tiny body. [b]”The Cindy Ford thing was too crowded. But I smell something foul on the horizon. I've deduced that this darkness can't mean anything good.”[/b] She patted the tiger on the side. [b]”Want a lift? Big Tony here can take us right to the action!”[/b] [hr] [center][h3]...Cindy's place[sup][sup][sub]TM[/sub][/sup][/sup]...[/h3][/center] While Penny was stomping off, an [url=https://i.imgur.com/GfRIUUc.jpg]octopus girl[/url] soared over head. There were no wings on her back or anything that might assist her with flying, but she was. Though such things are hardly out of the norm for a magical girl. Her costume looked dated, almost like she walked out of a vintage movie. The tentacles on her head were held together under a bonnet, with the rest cascading down the back of her dress. The strangest thing about her was the massive chest she was carrying, which looked like it had been unearthed from the ocean floor. The metal bands were rusted, the chest itself covered in barnacles, and there were a few star fish that were stuck to the chest as well. Despite the size of the chest, the girl carrying it didn't seem burdened by it at all. Once she was hovering over the roof top, she descended with grace and made a soundless landing. Her eyes were wide open, like she was possessed, and she was passing her gaze over everything. [b]”Hmmmm.”[/b] She took a few steps towards Cindy before standing on her toes. [b]”Hmmmm.”[/b] when she fell back onto her heels, there was an audible clunk as a large object shifted around in the box. [b]”Proud posture, relatively tall, and you certainly look like a thunderbird's champion.”[/b] She shrugged her shoulders. [b]”Hmmm, but even more like a lightning bird's champion. Regardless, you are Cindy Ford, no doubt about that.”[/b] The octopus girl lowered the chest on the ground. Once it was off of her shoulders, she hopped backwards onto it. [b]”I'm Lotus. They call me the terror of the deep in some parts. I wouldn't call myself a queen, but the waters right outside Penrose harbor are my territory.”[/b] Lotus placed a hand on her chest. [b]”Cindy Ford, or do you prefer your highness? Hmmmm. Regardless, I am not one of your subjects. Though we are neighbors.”[/b] Lotus's expression remained unchanging through her description. Just a wide eyed stare and straight pair of lips. [b]”There is another one who rules over the forests of Penrose. If you are Penrose's queen, that makes us the rulers of your neighboring nations.”[/b] She gestured to the chest she was sitting on top of. [b]”We would like to congratulate you on your ascension to queen hood with this gift.”[/b] Lotus hopped off the chest and stepped off to the side. [b]”Hmmmm. I seem to have misplaced the key. Surely a rusted lock won't impede the queen of Penrose? But do be careful not to destroy the contents.”[/b] She folded her fingers together. [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/QvNUXM6.png[/img][/center] [@Flamelord][@DarkwolfX37][@Rune_Alchemist][@Shifter_Master] [color=f200f2]"Agreed."[/color] [color=c9272c]"Of course."[/color] Elroy snickered at Alicia's comment before her arrow flew over hiss shoulder. Before it detonated, both twins vanished in a puff of smoke. The Bates had demonstrated their ability to shadow step previously, and the storm had darkened the fight to the point where they could freely do so from virtually anywhere. The arrow illuminated the area, but neither Elroy nor Regina were there anymore. Regina had reappeared a bit further away, and Alicia fired another arrow before taking cover behind a gravestone. But that arrow would also miss its mark, as Regina seemingly vanished and reappeared elsewhere. [color=c9272c]"Hey!"[/color] Elroy's chains wrapped around Alicia and pulled her body to his shield. Apparently he had been hiding behind a grave stone just behind her. [color=c9272c]"I think I see tin can."[/color] Sure enough, Penny had just come through the smoke wall. [color=c9272c]"We should go say hi!"[/color] Elroy took off running. Alicia was bound in place on the front of his shield, but she wasn't entirely helpless. Only her waist, legs, and left arm were pinned by the chains. It was still possible for her to move her right arm and torso. [color=c9272c]"Thanks for the assist, tin can! I was waiting for reinforcements!"[/color] The initial shadow step threw Rina off Elroy's trail, But it wasn't long before the chatterbox was giving away his location again. He was a pretty strong runner, even without shadow stepping, but so was Rina. However, she would find her path impeded by sniper fire. Regina was shadow stepping all over the battlefield and firing before reappearing somewhere else. Rina had incredible reflexes, but she wasn't expecting an assault like this. The first two shots struck her in the shoulder and thigh. It hurt, but it was nothing her regeneration wouldn't take care of in a few minutes. Far more noticeable were the curses the bullets were laced with. Rina noticed she couldn't hear, and her weapons felt considerably heavier. She would need to do something if she didn't want to end up like Swiss cheese. Summer was not ignored by the Bates. The dragon head that hovered by Regina's side had since flown over to Summer's position and began biting her. Summer had the physical prowess of a normal human being, and was woefully under equipped to avoid the ensuing attacks. Summer's magic wasn't able to warp the dragon in any way that would effectively weaken it. Instead, her magic turned to making Summer's body like a dog's plush toy. Every time she was bit, her legs and head expanded while making an adorable squeaking sound. The pain was negligible, at first. But the curses quickly compounded every time the dragon nipped her. Defense crush, mana burn, crippling pain, Summer's magical reserves were being put under a lot of duress. Something had to be done before her magic finally gave out. [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/J6L6WUu.png[/img][/center] [@FamishedPants][@Vocab] Shona seemed to falter in her grunting voice and posture as her strike was deflected by Silhouette's bare arm, seeming like expected to cut right through it. Silhouette took the window of opportunity, and thrust the deadly dagger. The attack cut through her barrier, but failed to kill her. Shona then engaged in close combat, swinging her sword with precise yet powerful blows, before she made a sweep and leapt back. [b]"A squire? I was knighted by the holy Beckoners, and given the sacred duty of crusading against the darkness."[/b] She stabbed the sky. [b]"While you are nothing but a wretched villain, skulking in shadows and murdering others!"[/b] An aura of bright light enveloped it, extending out of the blade as she Reinforced herself. [b]"I commend you for your ability to pierce my defenses. To respect that, I'll show no mercy."[/b] And with that, she once again charged, now using her vastly improved reach to her advantage; the empowered blade shimmered and scattering beautiful traces of her swordsmanship with every slice. [center][img]https://78.media.tumblr.com/4bea0f5298c687f13222714ecfd3dad3/tumblr_pczx4qmC3p1w6599so5_r2_640.png [/img][/center] As the duel between the blade-wielders continued, the Horrorlings resumed their coordinated tactics on Mika and Lupa. Even though the two girls used their bestial might to demolish the smaller monsters, they proved to hold their own. Even worse, they kept rushing out of the mausoleum, like a never-ending tide of darkness. At one point, as Lupa performed a roundhouse kick, they jumped her, stabbing with their sharp-ended tentacles, and using them to pull on her, towards the mausoleum while Mika was forced to fend off a similar wave of attackers. [color=tomato]"Lupa!"[/color] Mika dropped onto her hands and kicked at a few horrorlings. Her lower half briefly turned into a pair of horse legs and knocked a few creature clean int the air. This made for a brief opening that allowed Mika to close the distance between herself and her friend. [color=tomato]"There's no end to them! We need to close the doors!"[/color] [color=afab2c]“It's time for the pack to come out!”[/color] Lupa had the power to transform parts of her into any animal that was next to her. Mika was able to freely turn into whatever she wanted, but only momentarily. Together, Lupa had an impressive stock of animals to empower herself with. While Mika rapidly changed shapes, Lupa picked the parts that she wanted and added them to herself. The arms of a bear, the legs of a kangaroo, The carapace of a rhino beetle. She looked ridiculous, but she was getting stronger. Once Lupa was satisfied, she dug her feet into the ground and flipped the minion into the mausoleum. [color=tomato]"Let's keep it up!"[/color] Mika and Lupa were standing back to back, totally surrounded. [color=tomato]"Let me know if you're hurting Lupa, I'm here for ya!"[/color] [i][color=#bd71e8]“Sam.”[/color][/i] Veronica's voice called out inside Silhouette's head. [i][color=#bd71e8]“Mika still has her use to me. You [b]will[/b] make sure she stays alive. You [b]will not[/b] disappoint me.”[/color][/i] That was when Katelyn came through the fog wall. [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/PJ79Jpk.png[/img][/center] [@Rune_Alchemist][@Ariamis] The magical girl that just started flirting with Su out of the blue didn't phase her at all. Amber was at the forefront of her mind at the moment, and there were no room for pleasantries. This girl was easy on the eyes, but Su knew the best things in life were always hard to get. And this girl's rampant flirting showed that she was [i]very[/i] easy. But for the moment, Su was more interesting in seeing if Alicia was, in fact, not Alicia. [b]”Uh!”[/b] It was apparent “Alicia” was shaken a bit by having a projectile explode so close to her head. [b]”Well, I can show you my true form.”[/b] She raised one of her fingers. [b]”But I'm in a standing relationship with Elroy, so a date is out of the question.”[/b] Divina's disguise melted away. Su raised her eyebrows. [color=PeachPuff]”You're one of the beacon girls from the stadium. Elroy must be your boss.”[/color] She balled her hands into fists. [color=PeachPuff]”Tell me, did any of you dig up the body of a magical girl?”[/color] The corners of Divina's lips twitched. [b]”That was a requirement for the ritual, yes.”[/b] Su furrowed her brow. [color=PeachPuff]”We're done here.”[/color] The wind kicked up around the Chinese girl and she flew into the air. The cyclones around her arms were getting bigger with every passing second. Chloe could tell she was preparing a massive spell. [color=PeachPuff]”Um.”[/color] Divina placed a hand on her chest. [color=PeachPuff]”I'm sorry if that upset you, but I'm not going to back down!”[/color] Divina jumped backwards and rows upon rows of black monoliths rose out of the ground. Before long, Su, Chloe, and her spirit pet army were surrounded by a forest of monoliths. Each one had a massive flickering eye that was glancing over everyone. One fired a laser and swept it across the front line of pet spirits. Everything in the laser's path exploded, be it spirit or tombstone. Divina's magical signature seemed to have vanished, but she was likely still around. But they had bigger problems at the moment, as more and more eyes were powering up. Helga dove out of the smoke wall and landed beside Chloe. [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/jNxFdd2.png[/img][/center] [@FamishedPants][@Card Captor][@PlatinumSkink] Tonya pointed at Alexander. [b]”We are not all about killing things! We're only [i]mostly[/i] about killing things! Aren't [i]you[/i] one to judge a book by its cover?”[/b] She lay down on her stomach and hugged the blob beneath her. [b]”I'm fully capable of allying with a monster if it's pure and innocent on the inside!”[/b] She stood herself up. [b]”Something that the two of you are severely lacking!”[/b] Tonya hopped and drove her legs into the blob's gel. It was slightly opaque, making it possible to see Tonya's legs through the blob. [b]”Now lets get this over with!”[/b] The blob used its tentacles to shove itself forward, lunging straight for Alexander. Tonya opened her umbrella and fired a barrage of apples at Emily. But these were no ordinary apples. These were apples with tiny black creatures riding them. Tarantulas with a single eye that cackled as they flew through the air. Mayra stylishly flipped through the smoke wall before landing in the area. [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/NeE16on.png[/img][/center] [@Shifter_Master][@Ariamis][@t2wave] Lily's arrows came out fast, but the cultists were quick to throw up individual barriers to hold back her assault. They cracked and shattered under the stress Lily's arrows put them under, but not a single shot hit their mark. What few projectiles the cultists managed to throw at lily were easily evaded by her sublime speed. The cultists didn't just have just lily to worry about though. Quite a few of them needed to keep a shield in place just to prevent the red and blue Aurelios from getting in. It was a battle the cultists were going to lose. The entire time, Abigail could only stare. [b]”Wah!?”[/b] While Aurelio made a fine attempt to capture Abigail's attention, Lily's words seemed to hit closer to home. [b]”How can my feelings towards Aurelio be genuine if I'm brainwashed?”[/b] Her eyes expanded. [b]”Does that mean I won't love bro anymore if you beat me?”[/b] She stood there, dumbfounded for a moment longer. The last shield between herself and Lily's arrows was about to crumble away. That was when she cast her hand towards Lily. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/wuu6Pnq.png[/img][/center] [center][hider=Abigail's Grave][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D07AXzg9Xpc [/youtube][/hider][/center] Lily was lone of the fastest girls in Penrose. But as soon as Abigail closed her outstretched hand, she was locked in place, hovering a few feet off the ground. One of the things that makes certain gravity spells so deadly is that they don't need to “hit” their target. All Abigail needed was line of sight in order to use this particular spell. The laws of gravity didn't seem to apply to lily anymore. Every twitch of her body caused her to spin, but she always remained isolated in the same spot. Since she was firing her bow, the recoil caused her to spin end over end, missing most of her shots after Abigail's spell activated. But that was just the first effect of this particular spell. Lily could feel the gravity ramping up around her, strengthening to the point where it was getting harder to breathe. If it kept up, she could black out. But even [i]that[/i] wasn't the end of Abigail's spell. The tombstones around Lily were starting to crack and break apart, and the chunks were starting to pelt her. It wouldn't be long before bigger fragments started coming her way. The gravity wasn't just effecting the tombstones either, Aurelio's clones were being pulled into Lily's gravity field too. [b]”Waaaahahahahahahaha[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlfggCECgsg]ha[/url]!”[/b] The strange monster opened its mouth and fired a laser at Abigail, covering her in the same shimmering substance that was stored in its back. It was hard to tell what its effect was, but Abigail seemed a bit more lively when under its effects. Her posture was a little straighter, and she seemed to be bouncing her weight from foot to foot. A few cultists stuck around Abigail, but with their opponents drop in offensive power, they pushed their advantage. They extended their hands and threw wave after wave of fire at Aurelio, burning up all of his neutral colored clones. It was clear they were planning on surrounding him. No one noticed Janet and Jenna's sudden arrival through the fog wall. [hr] [@t2wave] As the three stone columns erupted from the ground violently, and slammed into the barrier around the crypt, the clashing sound of their impact rang out into the air. However...the barrier didn’t seem to budge, buckle, bend, or break at all. The earth within also remained in place...though one thing did happen in the immediate aftermath of the attack. Dark cracks began to form along the lengths of the columns, branching like spider webs over their surface until they reached into the earth itself...and continued to spread briefly over the ground itself just around the columns. Then black flakes, like burnt ashes flitting about in the wind, began to float up from the crack-covered columns and ground. In fact, the columns and ground themselves were seemed to “disappear” into thin air rather quickly, until eventually nothing was left but a clean small crater next to the crypt where the attack had once protruded from. And then “it” happened. [color=red][i]’Well well, a little slave of the Puchuu making a little prod? These grounds can’t be moved if you tried to move all of this meager world’s dirt and stone at once, though I am amused by this little effort of yours to try to “disrupt” this barrier. So you will be rewarded. I shall make a miniscule effort of my own, as mortals tend to do, as practice. But what to inflict...? ….perhaps physical suffering?’[/i][/color] the voice of Soth said, ringing intrusively within Shannon’s own mind, speaking as if it was talking over a cup of tea and biscuits. [color=red][i]’...No no no, it would not be sporting, I’m afraid. Mortal flesh is frail, weak, and disgusting….albeit yours is somewhat interesting enough. But perhaps the mind….hmmm, that should be sufficient. Such a weak, impressionable mind...much like any other human.’[/i][/color] Swiftly after the voice of Soth rung in the magical girl’s head again, a swift flood entered into her mind following this. Waves of gruesome and horrific images and sounds rushed in, of maddening masses of tentacles and ever-seeing eyes that no sane mortal being should ever behold, the screams of terror and the last sensations/emotions from “acquired” human captives from the stadium attack, and scenes of Soth tearing apart planets as the mortals of these planets died by the millions in vivid and disturbing detail upon the planets’ remaining surfaces. Every single one of these images and sounds, everything had been shown in such vivid detail it was beyond what the human mind could have perceived….but not too much at all for the mind of Soth. And then the images too would suddenly cease, the invasive stream of them not flowing into her mind anymore. Like a water hose had suddenly been turned off, even. [color=red][i]’Ah…..enjoy those glimpses whilst you can. But this was an enjoyable activity, I suppose, to tide things over for now. As thanks for volunteering for this, I have a special present heading your way…..do enjoy~’[/i][/color] And then the voice of Soth, after sending its final message that echoed around the magical girl’s skull, disappeared entirely once more. [@Vocab] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/g23JIv2.png[/img][/center] The smoke wall was a confusing place to be, as it blocked nearly all of one's senses. It was teaming with horrorlings, moving about, preparing to dive into a battle at a moments notice. Shannon was aware of them, but most simply ignored her. She wouldn't see it coming, she wouldn't hear it coming. The only indication she might have gotten was a horrorling suddenly stopping its movement. But there was too much to focus on. The vibrations this creature was making only stopped because it was no longer on the ground. It had jumped to Shannon's position, and it was hungry. That's all it was, an extra mouth to help expand the void. It didn't have a name, not that it could remember anyway. Shannon didn't have the reflexes to avoid the creature. As soon as it landed nearby, it charged forward and collided with her. Rather than being thrown, the creature's tar-like body stuck to Shannon, taking her along for the ride. It wasn't long before the creature dove into a large tombstone, shoving Shannon deeper inside itself. That was when the teeth came out, and started biting Shannon as she sunk into its body. But if there was one thing she had, it was the tenacity to take blows like this. The other horrorlings must have gained wind of this discovery, because Shannon could sense them coming from all directions. But the champion horrorling wasn't concerned with that. It was just a matter of time before it eroded this shape. It would break, it would ruin, it would devour. Normally creatures in this dark space could not be seen, but the smoke wall seemed to be lifting here. Rebecca Suthers stumbled upon this curious scene entirely by accident. There was a faint veil of smoke in the distance, and she could see all of the combatants fighting the Bates just beyond it. Would she venture forth, or would she try to help this magical girl wrapped up in a tar baby? [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/NgWhiMr.png[/img] [hider=Tonya “Mac” Murphy] [b]Age: 24/11 | Gender: Female/Female | Illusion, Gravity Body | Power of Friendship, Regeneration, Third Eye | Moirai Coercion, Soul Jar, Martial Training, True Sight, Parasite, Gifted, Awareness, Mystic Artifact Magical Overload, Paragon, Blessing, Gifted Item | Monster Form, Big Brother, Arrogance, Vendetta Redirected Magic, Second Specialization | Non-Standard Limbs, Destroyer[/b] STR: 05 | AGI: 04 | VIT: 05 | MAG: 03 | LCK: 03 STR: 10 | AGI: 08 | VIT: 11 | MAG: 17 | LCK: 05 Earnings this post: Zilch Total: 3 Gold, 100 Silver, 99 Bronze [/hider][/center] Of course, there were things that even the horrorlings couldn't see. Things like Mac. In truth, the tar baby's initial bite and slam would have been a lot worse if Mac wasn't there to soften the blow. But the fight had only started, and she would be needed elsewhere. She had faith that Rebecca would do the right thing and help this girl out. That would free up Mac to help some of the other girls out.