[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/NgWhiMr.png[/img] [color=cfff04]”Risking the termination of my contract was enough to get me quoting myself at the start of every post.”[/color] [color=888888]— Tonya “Mac” Murphy[/color] [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: 5 Gold, 111 Silver, 120 Bronze [/hider][/center] After helping with the, um, “appeasing” of Soth, Mac took Tonya to her apartment, slept with her, and then treated both of them to a shower and breakfast. Wait, that came out wrong. Mac had a modest sized studio apartment, and she didn’t have any comfortable furniture to sleep on. So she decided to just have Tonya and herself sleep in the same bed. Just sleep. Tonya was out cold, and she wouldn’t wake up until her mana reserves had fully recovered late morning. The Beacon girl was sitting across from Mac. She looked rather pleased, eating her sausage links. She rolled them through her eggs to coat them in yoke before shoving the messy links into her mouth. She hummed with delight as her taste buds sang her a symphony. Mac just looked on, only having taken a bite out of her toast since breakfast began. The festive magical girl stopped eating, and her eyes scanned MAc up and down. [b]”What?”[/b] Mac was using illusionary magic to hide her more monstrous bits, and had convinced her that she was just a normal magical girl working for a puchuu called “Betamax”. But Mac was staring because she was still wondering how this happened. She saved her enemy from a fate worse than death, carried them to her apartment, gave them a place to rest up, and was now feeding them breakfast. All in defiance of what her patron would have wanted. Surely they would catch onto Mac at some point, but she could fix that by ensuring Tonya left Penrose forever. Or she could just kill her, which was the far easier option. Yet she stayed her hand. Why was she doing all this? [color=cfff04]”I’m just glad you’re okay.”[/color] [b]”Right. Breakfast is good, you should eat it while it’s warm.”[/b] [color=cfff04]”Fascinating…”[/color] Mac had taken a look at Tonya’s future. She was still brainwashed by the Bates, but now that they were gone, it looked like she was going to head to New York, as that was the beacon branch she had come from initially. They’d discover something was wrong with her. It was strange, since seeing her fate change in the spool was an indication that this was the new course fate had chosen for this particular girl. That was to say that the Moirai were aware of what happened, and chose to run with it. Or at least that was what Mac suspected. She imagined they could simply show her being killed by Mac if her death was desirable. But it seemed like fate had changed its course and Tonya’s previous fate had been changed. Mac wasn’t sure if the Moirai had forgiven her for her failure, or if her particular thread was of so little importance they didn’t care that she had been spared. [b]”Thanks for breakfast, by the way! I’ve gotta go, but you’ve got my number!”[/b] After stuffing her head with toast, she grinned. [b]”So uh, did you want me to pay you or anything?”[/b] [color=cfff04]”That’s not necessary. You take care!”[/color] …And just like that, Mac was alone again. And she was no closer to figuring out why she had done what she had done. But by this point, she was done worrying about it. The sky wasn’t cracking open, the Ascendancy wasn’t busting down her door, and Penrose seemed to be well. All in all, nothing bad was happening. With a sigh, Mac resumed eating her breakfast before it got cold. She had a meeting to attend. But not before she showered. … … … After weaving through some dense foot traffic, Mac went to one of Penrose’s many parks. It was charmless, and shaped just like every other park. Come to think of it, most of the parks Mac visited kind of looked the same. She hadn’t even bothered committing their names to memory. Even when people talked about parks, it was always “a park” like everyone was supposed to know where it was. Though when you offered to meet a former coin broker, and they insist you meet them at “the park,” they probably mean to say that regardless of where you go, they will find you easily enough. It would be creepy if it wasn’t a very common part of Mac’s line of work. She chose to sit on a park bench in a relatively secluded part of the park. It was about ten on a weekday, so there were a few joggers and not much else. Penrose wasn’t exactly known for its tourism, and saw most active use during the morning, evening, and weekends. At this hour you mostly got retired joggers and homeless, with the occasional magical girl pretending to be a school girl. Or a business executive. Veronica sat down beside Mac, dawning a black suit and briefcase. She popped it open and went to type out a message on the laptop hidden within. [color=#bd71e8]”Unfortunately, circumstances beyond my control have made it possible for the Mint to learn of your existence. Though they should remain ignorant of your presence for a while yet. Apparently, they didn’t like how I was running things. ”[/color] She didn’t look away from her laptop. [color=#bd71e8]”Do you still want my assistance?”[/color] [color=cfff04]”Yes.”[/color] To say that Mac had been eagerly waiting for the day Veronica wasn’t Mint would be an understatement. Though all the same, she did find Veronica’s removal from power a little strange. Sure, she was essentially stealing from them, but she also seemed like the only one with a shred of competence. She even had the best agents in her pocket. Their loss, her gain, she supposed. [color=cfff04]”What I want is simple. I want you to make me disappear for a time, and then I want to reappear again.”[/color] [color=#bd71e8]”Simple would be making you disappear. Reappearing afterwards is the hard part.”[/color] She nodded. [color=#bd71e8]”It can be done though. What am I going to get in return?”[/color] [color=cfff04]”I have information on just about anything you could want to know about, past, present, and future.”[/color] [color=#bd71e8]”Nothing a mystic artifact can’t show me.”[/color] [color=cfff04]”Not like this.”[/color] Mac sighed. [color=cfff04]”Veronica, there’s something big coming. Many magical girls are going to be abducted, and someone with your power is not going to be off of their radar.”[/color] [color=#bd71e8]”I cannot be kidnapped.”[/color] [color=cfff04]”I’m not surprised you feel that way, but realize the reason why I want to disappear is so that when they arrive, I can come out and they will be none the wiser.”[/color] [color=#bd71e8]”So you wish for me to hide you until a string of kidnappings happen all over Penrose?”[/color] [color=cfff04]”I didn’t let you down last time, did I?”[/color] Veronica gave Mac a nod. [color=#bd71e8]”You knew exactly what Penny wanted, and supplied me in advance. But one cannot be too cautious when dealing with people as secretive as yourself.”[/color] She grinned. [color=#bd71e8]”Very well, a temporary contract. I will keep you hidden until this kidnapper leaps into action. In return, you will act as one of my agents until they are dealt with. And if this kidnapper should never come, you will be hiding a very long time.”[/color] [color=cfff04]”That works.”[/color] With a deep inhale, Mac braced herself. [color=cfff04]”So, going for the armpit again, or-”[/color] But Veronica, much like the fat kid at the all-you-can-eat-buffet, was more than happy to help themselves. It didn’t catch Mac by surprise, but that didn’t make it any more pleasant. Once Veronica bit into Mac’s flesh, she grit her teeth and rolled her head back. It was hard not to liken Veronica to a cheetah while she was but a gazelle in her jaws, frozen, waiting for death. She resigned herself to Veronica’s control, allowing her to guide Mac onto her back. The bench was cold, but Veronica was warm. Though nothing was as hot as her neck, which Veronica had yet to release. There was a fair amount of discomfort, but Mac refused to scream. Veronica pulled her teeth out of Mac, who gasped as the “vampire” withdrew. Her stomach rose and fell with each hurried breath, only for her to realize that she couldn’t get up. Veronica was sitting on top of her now, but she didn’t look that heavy. Even so, her arms should have been totally free. Yet they felt cold, and refused to move. The cooling sensation rose up her body, like she was sinking into a pool of snow. As her body got colder, it became harder to move. Eventually, she could only breathe, move her eyes, and speak. It was impossible to see what she was sinking into, but she had some ideas. It was still unsettling. [color=cfff04]”What’s going on?!”[/color] Veronica spit Mac’s blood onto a contract. [color=#bd71e8]”I’m hiding you. See you in a bit.”[/color] Just as the cold was about to creep over her eyes, she closed them. The sensation of cold rushed over her face, and then, nothing. She didn’t remember what happened next, and wouldn’t think of anything until she was awakened. [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/iHJBY7s.gif[/img][/center] [table][row][cell][url=www.Nicetrylolz.com][color=red]Cradle.net[/color][/url][/cell][cell]Chat room # 4[/cell][/row][row][cell][center] [color=orange]Veronica[/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/oBCiGlB.png[/img] Admin [color=9e6135]8 posts in 2 days[/color] [color=aaaaaa]Last seen 2 hrs ago[/color] [/center][/cell][cell]New chat room. As usual, discussing ongoing operations is off limits. That's what the magicoms are for. Remember to treat everyone with respect, Trixy.[/cell][/row][row][cell] [center][color=orange]Trix N Traps[/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/q7DdNsh.png[/img] Agent [color=9e6135]1024 posts in 2 days[/color] [color=lime]Online[/color][/center][/cell][cell] Hey! HEY! This forum was all my idea! This is a great way to show people outside of CC what we are all about. That, and getting all you cute girls in one place so that I cat with you all day long is good too![/cell][/row][row][cell][center] [color=orange]Medi Girl[/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/1XINGeU.png[/img] Agent [color=9e6135]32 posts in 2 days[/color] [color=aaaaaa]Last seen 1 hrs ago[/color] [/center][/cell][cell]Are you Implying our Magicom conversations don't do the exact same thing?[/cell][/row][row][cell][center] [color=orange]Blair[/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/CWs0jKc.png[/img] Agent [color=9e6135]97 posts in 2 days[/color] [color=aaaaaa]Last seen 4 hrs ago[/color][/center][/cell][cell] Typing is such a drag too. It's a lot easier to just have a group over coms. [/cell][/row][row][cell][center] [color=orange]B3H[/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/1KfMGMb.png[/img] Agent [color=9e6135]312 posts in 2 days[/color] [color=aaaaaa]Last seen 2 hrs ago[/color][/center][/cell][cell]It's nice to have a log of our conversations though. We can also talk to people outside of CC. I see the benefit of having a forum.[/cell][/row][row][cell][center] [color=orange]Trix N Traps[/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/q7DdNsh.png[/img] Agent [color=9e6135]1024 posts in 2 days[/color] [color=lime]Online[/color][/center][/cell][cell] That's the spirit! Now who wants to talk about their favorite flavor of ice cream?[/cell][/row][row][cell][center] [color=orange]B3H[/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/1KfMGMb.png[/img] Agent [color=9e6135]312 posts in 2 days[/color] [color=aaaaaa]Last seen 2 hrs ago[/color] [/center][/cell][cell]I think all ice cream is great. But I like strawberry most. [/cell][/row][row][cell][center] [color=orange]Trix N Traps[/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/q7DdNsh.png[/img] Agent [color=9e6135]1024 posts in 2 days[/color] [color=lime]Online[/color][/center][/cell][cell] I've been meaning to get a lick of Betty myself.[/cell][/row][row][cell][center] [color=orange]Veronica[/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/oBCiGlB.png[/img] Admin [color=9e6135]8 posts in 2 days[/color] [color=aaaaaa]Last seen 2 hrs ago[/color][/center][/cell][cell] You've been warned on multiple occasions not to make advances on Betty, Trixy. I have spoken with the others, and we all agree that this has become little more than your personal hangout. I'm pulling the plug immediately. [/cell][/row][row][cell][center] [color=orange]Trix N Traps[/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/q7DdNsh.png[/img] Agent [color=9e6135]1024 posts in 2 days[/color] [color=lime]Online[/color][/center][/cell][cell]Wait! Give me another chance![/cell][/row][row][cell][center] [color=orange]Faith in Bananas[/color] [img]https://i.imgur.com/vvCmq7b.png[/img] Member [color=9e6135]1 posts in 1 Hours[/color] [color=lime]Online[/color] [/center][/cell][cell]Strawberry and banana flavored ice cream is my favorite! [/cell][/row][/table] A phone screen showed the Cradle's new forum and recent posts made in it. The owner of said cell phone sighed and glanced at what she had written. [b]Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough[/b] A written response to the question posed earlier was in the text box of the forum, but it had yet to be sent. The situation had escalated rather quickly and now it seemed like posting would simply be a waste of time. If the forum was going to be shut down, then why even bother? Or so Samantha felt. She gave one last glance at her cell phone before putting it on sleep. She had important business to speak about with Veronica at a school. Today would serve as a debriefing from that Graveyard incident. Still, she couldn't help but feel the slightest tinge of disappointment. Well, she would probably get over it soon enough. [hr] Penrose had a few different schools, but only one called itself “Penrose middle school,” and that was where Veronica had told Sil to meet her. It was a rather unremarkable building. Its paint had been faded by the sun and was starting to peel off the wood building. The sidewalks were all cracked, and the American flag flying out front was in need of replacement. Locating Veronica wasn’t hard. She was in disguise, shooting hoops in the basketball court. The rope net had weathered away a long time ago, and the pavement markings had worn away with it. Once Sil aproched, a puff of black smoke covered Veronica, only to reveal her seconds later as a magical girl. [color=#bd71e8]“We could have talked about the mission over coms, but lI figured you’d want to… well… you know.”[/color] She folded her arms behind her back. Inspecting her surroundings, Samantha could only appreciate how open the place was. It was nowhere near as cramped as the interior of The Pitstop, for example. Suppressing the urge to grin like a child on Christmas morning, she turned her eyes towards Veronica. [color=red]"Of course. I appreciate it."[/color] she told the vampire, finally placing her phone into the pocket of her coat. Sam had yet to have changed herself, opting to remain like this for the time being. She was admittedly quite eager to get on with the program, but a quick debriefing was in order. Given their connection and the words of other agents, this had to be more of a formality than anything, but in this case she did not mind. The black-haired girl gave a concise summary of the events that had transpired, at least those that she knew of or was involved in, to Veronica. [color=red][s]"...and that's when I told Soth, 'It's just been revoked!' before punching him so hard he died, the end"[/s][/color] [color=red]"...at which point, some other members arrived on the scene and I exfiltrated the area."[/color] Sam concluded. Her involvement relatively minimal to the others in the area, who had managed to prevent a horror from manifesting and destroying the world, while she merely removed a couple of threats and got carried around. The Crimson Cradle in general was happy with her performance, but it inevitably would have meant nothing if those other girls had failed. In the future, if such a thing happened again, she would need to make sure she was in the thick of it, as she did not trust in luck siding with them again. An expert was required for imperative tasks. For now, though, she had a question that had been nagging at her since the event. [color=red]“What is the importance of Mika, if you don’t mind my asking?”[/color] Veronica shrugged her shoulders. [color=#bd71e8]“She is an unaffiliated third party. A low-risk messenger that lets me contact people outside the Cradle.”[/color] She extended an arm towards the school. [color=#bd71e8]“Typically I try to minimize contact with her, but the Mint is not stupid. They may even be aware of what Mika [i]really[/i] is, which is why I have to change up my plan a bit.”[/color] The next part was said through magicoms. [i][color=#bd71e8]“It is still too early for them to discover what makes Su special. So we will make Mika seem special as a decoy. They likely know you risked your life to save her, and that makes her very important to my plans.”[/color] [/i] [color=red]"I see. Not a bad idea, but I don't expect those from you."[/color] Samantha nodded, apparently satisfied by the answer. A second later, she opened her mouth, as if she had forgotten something. [color=red]"If that is the case, though, wouldn't retrieving her have had the same effect?"[/color] she nearly pouted. [color=red]"Instead, I..."[/color] she trailed off. Veronica raised an eyebrow. [color=#bd71e8]“I’m unsure if she would have continued to aid us if you bailed with her. I understand keeping her alive in that situation was hard, but surely trying to run off with a determined cat would have put you in even more danger, no?”[/color] She smiled. [color=#bd71e8]“Besides, wasn’t it fun? Hacking that knife through both of their necks?”[/color] She placed a hand on her chest. [color=#bd71e8]“Pressing your blade through them while they could do nothing to retaliate? Seeing the look on their faces once you had actually done it?”[/color] Veronica bit her lip. [color=#bd71e8]“Living through that with you was invigorating.”[/color] Sam went quiet for a moment. As she thought about the time spent in the graveyard, a small smile crept upon her lips, before she suddenly transformed into her magical girl form. [color=red]"...I can't say you're wrong. It certainly was an enjoyable experience."[/color] It was hard to tell if it was Sam or “Sil” speaking. [color=#bd71e8]“I’m sure the other agents will be talking about that one for a while.”[/color] Silhouette was, as a perfectionist, rather used to hearing praise when completing a mission, as she rarely settled for less than the best possible outcome. But it would be false to say that she didn't feel just a bit pleased to hear it from Veronica. [color=red]"Given the circumstances, I merely did what I thought was necessary in order to best fulfill both objectives I was given."[/color] came her rather monotonous response in spite of acknowledging her rash, bold actions during the graveyard event. Many would have called such an audacious display overambitious, but in a world that required wolves, acting as a sheep only meant you were going to be eaten. The corners of veronica’s lips curled down. [color=#bd71e8]“However, I wonder if your choice to finish the fight quickly wasn’t also influenced by your lack of faith in your second specialisation.”[/color] She crossed her arms. [color=#bd71e8]”I haven’t seen you use your dark magic much. Have you been training with it? ”[/color] The mahou shoujo assassin's gaze drifted away from Veronica for a moment as she brought up Sil's second specialization. [color=red]"Certainly not."[/color] Sil denied Veronica's accusation, almost as if offended. But she continued. [color=red]"I won't pretend like I'm as capable with it as I am with Time magic, but even given the short amount of time I've spent with it, I'd like to think I'm comfortable enough with it to have it not be a liability in battle. Besides, I probably didn't need a second specialization for both of them."[/color] Sil's own shadow disappeared into her, and then as she held her arm out to the side, a pitch-black figure emerged from it and stood motionlessly next to her. Of course, the figure resembled the silhouette of, well, Silhouette. As it was given no orders yet, it remained stationary. The magical girl looked at Veronica. [color=red]"Even so, I do not skimp on bettering myself, as you can see."[/color] [color=#bd71e8]”I would expect no less from you. And I was there with you when you assisted Mika with it.”[/color] She unfolded her arms and walked closer to Sil. [color=#bd71e8]”What you saw, what you felt, what you thought. I experienced all of it as you did.”[/color] A massive hand of darkness rose out of the ground and crushed Sam’s shadow out of existence. [color=#bd71e8]”And I think that if that is your only trick, you are wasting your potential. You are capable of so much more than just creating lesser versions of yourself.”[/color] When the hand opened again, there was a high caliber sniper rifle in its grasp. [color=#bd71e8]”Surrender Crono Rend and take that gun. We’re going to spar with just shadow magic, and that knife will just distract you.”[/color] Veronica extended her hands, and a pair of revolvers appeared in both hands. They crackled with dark energy, and had knives extending out the base of the grips. Silhouette frowned. To her, ChronoRend may as well have been her clothing. She could probably walk around with no clothes on and still not feel half as naked as she would without the blade that had served her all this time as a magical girl. But if that was what Veronica wished... The girl reluctantly parted with her dagger, retrieving the high-powered rifle from Veronica's shadowy grasp. It did not feel as natural in her hands as her blade did, even if, in her human life, she was more likely to use something like this than a blade. Still, she was no stranger to this kind of weaponry. [color=red]"I've got so much more than a single trick up my sleeve."[/color] Sil told her, getting a feel for the weapon she was now holding. [color=red]"But I suppose, at least in an offensive sense, you might be right. I could use some tempering."[/color] The hand sunk into the ground. [color=#bd71e8]”That’s the response I expect from my top agent.”[/color] Veronica slid her heel behind herself. [color=#bd71e8]”Shadow magic’s focus is espionage and curses. Some would say it’s weaker in a duel like this, but I’ve never found that to be the case. A sharp mind is the key to using such magic effectively.”[/color] Veronica crossed her wrists together in a special [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ppyyl6JQeo&feature=youtu.be&t=54] stance[/url]. [color=#bd71e8]”Killing is in your blood. Like the day you used the coin, let your instincts guide your weapon.”[/color] The fight was what most would call an unfair start. They were standing in an open basketball court with nothing but the shadows from the chain link fence and basketball hoops standing between them. Veronica’s weapon choice was clearly geared for a medium to close range fight, where Sam’s sniper rifle was designed for a much greater distance. That and Veronica was trying to get even closer. The shadow under Veronica popped out of the ground and raced towards Sil with her employer still on it. She raised her sights towards the assassin and fired. Fair fights weren't really Silhouette's thing, so she was no stranger to a battlefield favoring one combatant over another. That said, she was typically the one pressing an advantage, not the one being stuck in a disadvantaged state. Fixing that would be key to taking the upper hand against Veronica, though if she were using the link between Sil and her, that might not be possible. But that was no excuse not to try. Considering this was supposed to be sparring with the intention on helping Silhouette improve her skill with Darkness, Sil didn't think Veronica would abuse that. It would defeat the purpose of sparring in the first place. To better familiarize herself to her fresh specialization, she opted against merely blocking the small arms fire with her durable coat. Instead, she concentrated deeply and and her image began to waver, her form darkening in color for a moment. The bullets did not collide with her, but instead passed right through her as though she were a ghost. Sil exhaled and her image returned to normal. Her training up until this point had favored utility over offense. But that didn’t prevent her from noticing just how important positioning and surroundings were for this magic. Because unlike Time, Darkness' effectiveness wasn't a constant. There simply wasn't a situation where Time magic was better or worse, but that wasn't true with Darkness. With minimal shadows around, things weren't as easy for her as when she was shrouded in the night. Merely one of dozens of things she would need to know if she was going to ever 'master' Darkness. At least she had a teacher to help things along. Silhouette didn't simply stand after evading the bullets and wait to be hit, she hastily retreated towards the chain-link fence. Lady Luck with her, she'd reach it before Veronica reached her, and thus be able to use it to put enough distance between them to actually use the rifle she now wielded. Veronica stopped in place once Silhouette turned to flee. The particular revolvers Veronica had needed to be manually reloaded like real revolvers, so Silhouette had an opening to run. But Veronica had only fired eleven of her twelve bullets. She must have been counting, because she instinctively leveled her gun with Sil. [color=#bd71e8]”We measure distance only by what stands between shadows.”[/color] She fired her last round. The bullet was black and left a trail of smoke in its wake. It flew past Sil and though the chain link fence, spreading the cloud around. By Veronica's statement, the distance between them was closed. Veronica took a step inside the smoke, and silhouette was able to hear the sound of shells falling to the floor. But this was happening right next to her. With little else to warn her, Veronica flew out of the smoke. She swung her revolver over her head in an attempt to impale Silhouette with the knife attached to the base of it. Silhouette was moderately surprised to witness the last bullet Veronica fired essentially being a smoke grenade. It was a creative and effective means of providing someone with their specialization a way to close the gap, or to get away if need be. This had to be part of Veronica's 'lesson'. [color=red][i]I see. So if there aren't enough shadows, you simply need to make some. Simple, but interesting.[/i][/color] She really wanted to experiment with methods she could use to implement this finding in her fighting style, but that would have to wait. Veronica wasn't going to go easy on her because this was a means of practice. In fact, if anything, she was probably gonna try to hammer these teachings in. [color=red]"Is that so?"[/color] Silhouette's voice was nonchalant, almost like she were discussing the weather as the knife effortlessly plunged straight through her. But perhaps more concerning to her was where it was coming from. It wasn't from the female figure before Veronica, rather it came from behind her. As if on cue, the Schatten would disappear as soon as its identity was figured out, and simultaneously, the true Sil would launch her counterattack in the form of a rifle butt to Veronica's stomach. Veronica was a durable target, but Sil's strength was more than enough to throw her back into the darkness. As she flew backwards, she swung her arms and the trail of smoke followed her arms. This briefly gave Veronica the appearance of having two wings made of black smoke before she vanished from sight. The wings had become a collapsing V shape, lined with the K-bars that Veronica used in her last sparring session. Sil had intended to take a shot at Veronica while she was recovering, but the woman used the force of her own attack to retreat and retaliate, denying her the ability to do so. What appeared to be a spike of shadow erupted out of the ground in front of Sil, deflecting most of the K-bars launched at her. One, however, got around it and embedded itself within her arm. Hissing in pain, Silhouette propped the rifle up against her and used the opposite hand to retrieve the blade now stuck in her. Pain like this really was not going to slow her down. She was simply irritated that the knife had found her to begin with. Were she Veronica, no doubt the shadowy construct she made on the spot would've completely protected her. She was beginning to see just how many areas she truly needed to work on. [color=red]"Is there a reason?"[/color] Sam asked, out of the blue. [color=red]"To use such obsolete weaponry? I notice many magical girls who use guns do the same. Some even use muskets, those idiots. But I almost never see modern weapons. Use a relevant DMR or at least an M4A1. Humanity has progressed in weaponry at a rapid pace, no reason a magical girl shouldn't take advantage of that."[/color] Sil wasn't simply monologuing. She also used the time to place her right hand in stasis, except for her trigger finger. But more than that, she dragged the palm of her left hand over her stasis-infused right hand, leaving what would look like a blade of darkness extending from the top of it. She needed a way to properly defend against Veronica's close-range attacks, and this rifle wasn't going to do that. ChronoRend would be much better in that regard, but that was obviously a route unavailable to her right now. [color=red]"But...I noticed you twist your elbow to absorb the recoil of your guns. So I suppose it makes sense for you to be using those... 'guns', given that inclination. Yet because of that, you've only got twelve shots."[/color] she went on, picking up her rifle and leveling it towards a particular direction in the smoke. [color=red]"Or should I say, 'had'?"[/color] Veronica would find that the bullet Sil fired from her rifle after saying this would be rather accurate, given the low visibility conditions she was placed under. [hider=Heating up] [youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6SVt7_4wSU[/youtube] [/hider] [color=#bd71e8]”A novice would assume such.”[/color] Veronica didn't have enough time to reload, but she flew out of the smoke, fanning the hammer on her revolver. This allowed her to quickly put up a smoke field moments before the rifle round hit her. Sil tried to hide it, but Veronica had noticeably irritated her. She didn't take well to having her experience questioned, least of all not by her own employer. But she bit her tongue and did not allow it to lead her actions. Actions brought about by anger were predictable, after all. [color=#bd71e8]”Magical girls can find benefits to using old weapons. Like how the chambers of this revolver are each filled with a shadow exactly the size of a bullet. The reload time is truly exhilarating.”[/color] Veronica continued to fire volley after volley of bullets, but they were radiating outward from her initial shield. They exploded into more smoke walls, gradually creating a dome. [color=#bd71e8]”I'm not pleased that you fell back on your time magic, but that is an interesting application of the two working side by side.”[/color] The dome continued to grow. It towered over the school and would soon obscure Sil in shadow. [color=#bd71e8]”But I'll have to be a little harder on you if you're going to disobey me like that.”[/color] Being shrouded in darkness was of no detriment to Silhouette - quite the opposite, really. Yet, with her opponent being Veronica, the benefits she would receive were unlikely to be worth the risk. With the skill disparity between them, Silhouette would need to play defensively. ...or would she? It had been some time since they had last sparred, but Silhouette clearly remembered Veronica's advice once their session had been completed. She had basically been told she needed to work on being more aggressive during a fight. And that was true. Sil knew she favored a strategy in a straight fight catered towards counterattacks, rather than launching her own. In that case, she would neuter Veronica first and press the attack afterwards. [color=red]"You of all people should know just how important it is to have a creative mind when it comes to these powers."[/color] Sil replied. [color=red]"When will I ever be stuck with one and not the other? The benefit on weaving the two together would be greater than separating them. Otherwise, why even bother having both? So long as I know the fundamentals, I'll be good."[/color] Sil threw her rifle into the air, but just as it was about to leave the extent of her reach, she touched the butt of it and it froze in place. For now, this was to get it out of the way so she could focus on the next step of her master plan. The next bit required a lot of concentration on her part, but she conjured two shadow spikes, very similar to the one before, only the tip of both of them slowly morphed into what appeared to be fan blades. Naturally, they began spinning. It certainly could have been done quicker, and at first, they weren't spinning particularly fast. There was only so much Sil could do with her Darkness spec. But that soon changed. The shadow-born fan began increasing in RPM at an alarming rate. This would be the only evidence that Sil was even using her Time spec here, and it had a profound effect -- clearing the smoke in front of the fans away. The fans were able to blow away some of the smoke, but there was something under the smoke that was firmly rooted into the ground. A tar-like substance that had been allowed to construct itself behind the smoke. It had a few holes in it, but those were starting to close up with time. Veronica had stopped firing her guns, so it wasn't evident where her current position was. The shadow that was cast on the ground rose in the air to help continue building the dome. Sam had not stopped it, but she had managed to slow it down. Sam, unfortunately, did not own the Wind spec, so it was doubtful that keeping the fans up after Veronica used more sturdy methods would provide any result aside from wasting mana. The two fans sunk back into the ground, disappearing. They had done what she wanted them to do as best they could. Samantha reached upwards and touched her gun, releasing the weapon from Stasis. Wielding it, she formed small orb-like blobs of darkness on multiple places on the gun. One was underneath the barrel in the shape of a bipod, on each side of the stock, and finally one on the trigger, covering it. Sam clutched it tightly for a few moments, before setting it on the floor. The shadow beneath it rose from the ground a little bit, dragging the gun towards the other end of the dome behind her, where eventually it came to a stop. [color=red]"I'm curious. What sort of scheme are you cooking up here, Veronica?"[/color] she asked. Veronica couldn't simply be creating a smokescreen just for the darkness. No, there had to be another reason. Sure, it was obvious, but the smokescreen was to hide something. Sam had a feeling she knew what, too. It would probably be best to escape from this potential tomb, then. Silhouette, wary of the possibility of Veronica hiding behind any part of this smokescreen, nevertheless made her way towards the wall of smoke and attempted to pass through it, her bladed arm at the ready. Sil was able to run through one of the holes in the wall of tar before it sealed itself shut. When she turned around, she would see the dome. Veronica was standing on top of it with her arms folded. There was a considerable amount of distance between them. [color=#bd71e8]”Remember that this is practice, Sil. The goal is not to win, but to learn. By restricting yourself to your shadow magic, you're forcing yourself to not fall back on old habits.”[/color] Samantha likely noticed that the dome was not perfectly rounded on the outside. The tar had created two large bubbles. They were large and imposing, towering over Veronica's comparatively small form. [color=red]"Of course I know that. I'm not a child."[/color] she retorted, eyeing the bubbles. [color=red]"It might not be obvious but I've already learned a great deal. And I'm not even using Time magic as anything other than a supplement, I'll have you know."[/color] [color=#bd71e8]”You are using it, regardless. But I can hardly fault you for wanting to win a sparring match. Winning is the one thing everyone wants to do.”[/color] When the bubbles popped, they scattered revolvers into the sky. All colt 45s. [color=#bd71e8]”Even I am not beyond that impulse.”[/color] Veronica's shadow stretched, fractured, and expanded, like a black tree growing before Sam's eyes. Each black tendril took hold of a gun and started to fire on Sil's position.The sky was filled with black bullets as the red rouge danced like a hurricane. Though she had her eye on them, Silhouette wasn’t entirely sure what to expect from the spheres. She was not made to wait long however, as they erupted and sent a copious amount of revolvers into the sky. This, honestly, wasn't too far from what she expected, though it was still disturbing what this woman could come up with. Silhouette was expecting the plan to be creating a dome of tar with which Veronica would launch knives from every direction at her. But this works, too. Sil started dashing in a path that would cause her to circle dome as she suffered from this bullet-hell. She raised short walls of shadow as she did so, keeping her profile low enough to use them as cover from a majority of the fire. Since she couldn't spend enough time forming a more durable wall, they would shatter when the concentrated fire hit them, hence her continuing to run. She would form new ones between her and the weapons as she continually circled the area, managing to keep what bullets did manage to hit her to non-vital areas that she though she could regenerate quickly. [color=red]"I can't help but wonder if you're enjoying this a little too much."[/color] Silhouette finally caught her bearings long enough to throw up a sturdier defensive wall ahead of where she'd be running. It looked similar to a phone booth made of shadow, as far as general shape went. Even though she didn't conjure this thing up halfheartedly, it wasn't likely protect her for very long against a barrage like that. [color=red]"...I almost want to ask if you've been watching spaghetti westerns while you send me to play babysitter, given your infatuation today with these things."[/color] she found herself more fatigued than she should be. Sil would notice that she was unable to heal her wounds, no matter how superficial. [color=#bd71e8]”Just a reminder, but what makes that rifle so powerful is that it disables a magical girl's ability to recover during combat. The downside is that the wielder is also subjected to the curse.”[/color] [color=red][i]Ah, so that's why the pain wasn't going away.[/i][/color] Sam cursed under her breath. A mistake of this magnitude was something only a rookie would make, and that pissed her off more than anything. Of course, the only one she could blame is herself, and the only thing she could really do was ensure that it would never happen again. She probably wouldn't be alive to make the mistake a third time if she did. [color=red]"I could almost cry for forgetting that."[/color] she admitted. Veronica briefly stopped firing. [color=#bd71e8]”But if you must know, it's simply a weapon I'd like to practice with.”[/color] A spring board popped out of the tar under Veronica's feet, throwing her on top of Sil's barrier. [color=#bd71e8]”Maybe I'll let you try them next time.”[/color] She aimed down every side of the box and started firing Silhouette's small barrier was definitely showing signs of its impending demise. A crack began to form where the fire was concentrated most. And then another crack. And another, and another, and another. Finally, the biggest crack of all appeared, only this time it wasn't on the barrier. The crack, as it were, was the sound of a large caliber gun being fired, notably from behind Veronica. The culprit was the very rifle they had just been speaking of. But the oddest part was that Silhouette was not there to fire it. It fired further from their position, the large-caliber aimed directly for the back of the girl standing on Sil's construct. The bullet slammed into Veronica's back, throwing her off of the top of the barrier. The shadows stretching out of her back vanished, and the dome that was in front of the school bubbled away into nothing. Even after Veronica's body came to a stop, her revolvers were still falling out of the sky. [color=red]"Veronica?"[/color] Sil called out to the woman, her eyes trained on the floored vampire. [color=red]"You--"[/color] Briefly, she was cut off by one of the weapons smacking into her head as it fell. It hurt quite a bit. But she was more concerned with the pain from the wounds she sustained that had yet to heal. Veronica didn't respond to Sil's words, not even twitching a finger. Silhouette looked back towards the rifle, that was sitting on the floor upright, supported by the little bits of shadow she'd left on it. It really was not feasible to aim that thing without direct line-of-sight on the target this way, but Veronica took the bait Sil had laid out for her and hopped on what essentially was a giant target. That shot otherwise had a very low chance of landing. Even Sil had to admit she was surprised that worked out. She wasn't sure if that'd be too practical in a real fight though. The assassin approached the unmoving body of Veronica, her pace slowing to nearly a crawl as the adrenaline from the fight wore down. Despite what seemed like it might've been the possible death of her employer, she only showed mild concern. Sil eventually made it within arm's reach of Veronica, exhaling. [color=red]"You're not gonna suddenly jump up and try to spook me, are you?"[/color] Sil asked her as she turned the downed woman onto her back. [color=#bd71e8]”You're pretty good.”[/color] Veronica remained on her back. [color=#bd71e8]”Summoning small fragments of your Schatten is a useful tactic.”[/color] She fret her brow. [color=#bd71e8]”But I would not resort to something as childish as a 'jump scare' while you have that weapon in your hand. I have a bit more class than that.”[/color] She sat upright and pulled her corset top apart. It wasn't something Sam got to see very often, as Veronica's hair often obscured it. But it looked like she had placed a steel plate across her back to absorb most of the shock. When she pulled it out from behind her hair, there was a large dent that was an inch or so deep. Sam managed to catch a glimpse of a bruise before Veronica laced her back up again. As much as she liked to hear praise from Veronica, she ignored it for now. [color=red]"Are you alright? I tried keeping the mana in the chamber to a minimum but that didn't look like it felt pleasant."[/color] she worried, glancing at the metal plate. She imagined that a fully-formed bullet would've had no difficulty killing a target through the plate, given how much damage it did here. [color=red]"Definitely a weapon meant to terminate, not neutralize."[/color] [color=#bd71e8]”It’s a powerful weapon. I was careless. Hmm, distracted is more accurate.”[/color] She placed her fingers on the side of her head.[color=#bd71e8]”What do you think about the web forum for the cradle? Trixy has been trying to get me over magicoms for the entire fight, and I know she wants to convince me to leave it up. I've only spoken to a few people about it, but what are your feelings?”[/color] A massive black hand came out of Veronica's shadow and opened up, revealing Chronorend in the center of its palm. [color=red]"You're asking me? I..."[/color] Samantha suddenly felt lightheaded, and nearly toppled over. Regaining her balance, she took this opportunity to sit down in front of Veronica. A rather small Schatten appeared from behind them, presenting the rifle as Veronica presented ChronoRend. The two exchanged weapons, and the shadow handed Sil her weapon before sinking back into her. [color=red]"Not that I have a particular interest in the thing, but is there really a strong case for shutting it down? The fact of the matter is that anyone who doesn't wish to use it doesn't have to."[/color] Sil gave her thoughts on the idea, feeling refreshed in both mind and body as her healing was finally able to come into play. Regeneration was something she shouldn't take for granted. [color=red]"You're always welcome to terminate it if you feel it's a bigger problem than it's worth."[/color] [color=#bd71e8]”I'm aware of what my options are, but Trixy is a bit of a handful.”[/color] Veronica pulled her phone out of her vest and looked at the screen. [color=#bd71e8]”Everyone else has been keeping it fairly civil, but I do not believe I can administrate this with everything else I have to do.”[/color] She shifted her gaze from her phone to Sil. [color=#bd71e8]”I wish to know your personal opinion. Is it something that you see yourself using in the future?”[/color] Silhouette took pause, raising her hand to her chin. After a moment, she spoke. [color=red]"You know, I honestly would have scoffed at the idea not too long ago."[/color] she admitted. [color=red]"But now... well, I can see the value of at least getting acquainted with the other members of the CC. Not that I am fond of working in a group, but the inevitability of such a thing has dawned on me after the last few earth-threatening events. I suppose I would use it."[/color] [color=#bd71e8]”In that case, I have a small side assignment for you.”[/color] Veronica tapped the side of her head, and Samantha could feel the magicom channel open up in her head. [b][i]”Thank you Veronica! Thank you for choosing to listen to me!”[/i][/b] [i][color=#bd71e8]”You know I'm only responding because you're being a nuisance. You will not repeat this behavior in the future.”[/color][/i] [b][i]”Of course of course! So, have you decided to not flush my beautiful forum down the toilet along with my hopes, dreams, and dignity? Or do I need to explain-”[/i][/b] [i][color=#bd71e8]”Trixy, right now you’re going to need to do a lot more insisting than talking. Do you think you can manage that?”[/color][/i] A pause. [b][i]”Yes.”[/i][/b] [i][color=#bd71e8]”You may be familiar with Silhouette. She was the first one into the graveyard where Soth’s ritual was being conducted. Do you remember her? A single word response please.”[/color][/i] [b][i]”Yes!”[/i][/b] There was clear excitement in her voice. [i][color=#bd71e8]”I cannot look after cradle net myself, but she and I see its merits as a resource for the organization. She has told me that she is interested in using it to that end.”[/color][/i] Veronica locked eyes with Sam [i][color=#bd71e8]”The two of you are going to administrate Cradlenet together. But you are going to do most of the heavy lifting. Her only job is to make sure you don’t take things too far. Do you understand?”[/color][/i] [b][i]”Yes!”[/i][/b] [i][color=#bd71e8]”If she tells me that you’re doing anything I don’t like, or she is made uncomfortable for any reason, it’s coming down for good next time.”[/color][/i] Trixy groaned like a sad dog. [b][i]”Yes.”[/i][/b] [i][color=#bd71e8]”I’ll make the necessary changes then,”[/color][/i] [b][i]”Can she come on? I’d like to run some ideas by her, see what she’s all about.”[/i][/b] [i][color=#bd71e8]”She’s on right now, actually.”[/color][/i] [b][i]”Really?!”[/i][/b] Sil could hear the smile in her voice. [b][i]”You’re kinda quiet, huh? But you like the idea of keeping the forum, so that’s good. Do you like the layout? How about the color scheme?”[/i][/b] Veronica pulled her fingers away from the head, signaling that she had “disconnected” from the call. [color=#bd71e8]”I apologize our spar was so short today. In the future I’ll make sure to leave the phone in the car.”[/color] she folded her arms behind her back and proceeded to walk away. [b][i]”Did you read the latest posts? I wasn’t going overboard with my flirting was I?”[/i][/b] Giving a nod to Veronica before she walked away, Sil thought about Trixy’s questions. [color=red]"To answer your previous questions first, the general aesthetic of the website serves its purpose well enough, I suppose."[/color] Silhouette spoke with much less enthusiasm than her fellow Administrator. She opened her phone and glanced at the website. Now that she looked at it, she did have a few nitpicks. [color=red]"The site seems to favor a darker, red-and-black scheme for the most part. But why is it that names have a pumpkin-orange coloring to them? Not the biggest fan of the brown coloring, either, but it doesn't contrast as badly. And speaking of the brown coloring, is there a bug with the website? It says you have over a thousand posts in a single day. That can't be right."[/color] [b][i]”Actually, I’ve been on for two days, so it’s not as many posts as you think. That and I tend to write short responses in the chat room so that I don’t get cut off by someone else.”[/i][/b] She laughed. [color=red]"I see."[/color] Silhouette did not actually, in fact, see. She ran the math in her head, and even if every single post took at most 3 seconds, she would've spent an entire hour of her day merely doing the act of writing and submitting those posts, not factoring in other things such as how long it took her to come up with the reply, or how long she had to wait to get something to reply to. Silhouette was honestly reminded of the time when she learned people typically spend at least two hours of the day with their eyes closed due to blinking -- it was rather jarring in a way. [b][i]”But uh, good points about the colors. It’s just that red and black are sort of, I dunno, don’t they almost scream ‘super edgy and evil organization incoming’? ”[/i][/b] She sighed. [b][i]”Alright I’m going to level with you. I was in mexico for a time and left the coding to a guy I found there. He built this forum from the ground up, coded it and everything. Stuff breaks and we saw a lot of random down time. But I just really liked having something that only we understood that he made from scratch. Now that I’ve been called back to Penrose I just kind of handed the code to Veronica, and she retooled it to be Cradlenet. I do like those colors but I can see about making those changes. I don’t want to change it too much though.”[/i][/b] [color=red]"...I think I can see why you'd have issues, but the truth of the matter is that this is supposed to be used for the betterment of the Crimson Cradle now. And given what we tend to do, is the 'super edgy' vibe really all that unfitting for us?"[/color] she refuted. [color=red]"We're definitely not what the Beacon pretends to be: some rainbow and unicorn-loving faction that brings hope and joy to every soul we meet. Or if we are, I was never informed. That said, I am merely giving my opinion on what I feel would fit the organization's image best. Consider it a suggestion from someone not exactly talented in this field. My purpose here is less to give input on what the site should be and more to make sure things don't get out of hand in regards to your behavior."[/color] [b][i]”I think that’s fair. But, uh.”[/i][/b] Trixy hummed. [b][i]”What is our mission right now anyway? I mean the mint wants information, Beacon wants rainbows and ice cream, but I don’t feel like Cradle fits either of those.”[/i][/b] [color=red]"Ours is but to do or die."[/color] Sil replied. [color=red]"...But now that you mention it, I suppose we haven't explicitly established a particular goal that I am aware of. But Veronica would not create a faction like this without purpose."[/color] [b][i]”I see…”[/i][/b] Sil couldn’t help but get the feeling that Trixy didn’t actually see. [b][i]”I suppose Veronica will tell us in time. But speaking of having an image, do you think we need a mascot?”[/i][/b] Trixy’s voice became energetic again. [b][i]”I was a mascot for a basketball team once. Most of them were losers, but they couldn’t wait to see the dancing bear strut his stuff!”[/i][/b] Sil brought her hand to her chin, as she thought of the person best suited to be the Crimson Cradle's mascot. [color=red]"I don't believe it would be a bad idea. And I think Mi--"[/color] she cut herself off. [color=red]"...er, well, I think that could wait for a while. Besides, we have a logo and that should suffice for the time being."[/color] Sam spoke in a curious tone. [color=red]"And about that... it looks like a professional made it. Was that your work?"[/color] Trixy was quiet before responding. [b][i]”Oh that? Um, yea. I mean, I talked to Veronica about getting us uniforms. But that didn’t fly so I settled on designing a logo for Cradle. Made ‘em into badges. So I guess you could say we made it together. The dot-matrix inspired banner for the site was mostly my doing though. Why, do you like it?”[/i][/b] Silhouette would personally thank Veronica for vetoing a uniform. Her time in the military back when she was a human had made her sick of them. Most looked stupid to her anyways. [color=red]"Yeah, you could say I do. It looks to be of high quality, and the design is both unique and fits the Cradle. You're pretty good... at these sorts of things, I take it?"[/color] [b][i]”Babe, I’m good at all sorts of things. Fighting, creating, I can do it. [s]I’m pretty sure I could do you too.[/s] If you have any requests, I can probably throw something together.”[/i][/b] [color=red]"I'll take you up on that offer. I'm... rather lacking in artistic talent, so to speak, but there's a small project I need to do that requires someone who is. I'd owe you a favor."[/color] [b][i]”Big or small, I do them all!”[/i][/b] Trixy chuckled. [b][i]”But speaking of graphics, or uh, 'appearances,' I didn't get a good look at you at the graveyard. Wanna send me a pic of yourself?”[/i][/b] She hummed. [b][i]”Actually, we should make it a date. I-I mean, we should meet up. Though I do have a diner in mind. It's really cute, and the food tastes great for the price.”[/i][/b] Silhouette was quiet on the other end for a moment. [color=red]"I'm gonna have to say n---"[/color] Samantha's stomach growled loudly. [color=red]"--yes, that sounds like a plan I could get behind. I'll meet you there."[/color] she told her fellow agent. Though her sparring today was not particularly long, it was eventful, and Samantha's eyes were opened to new techniques she may be able to put to use in a fight, which was a positive. On the negative side, however, was that Samantha felt like she could eat a mountain of food the size of the horror at the baseball field. Hopefully this place wouldn't disappoint.