The remaining dolls, at Lillia's draining spell, began to slow. They were stumbling, quite clearly crippled by the magic that had been used against them. It wasn't as if Arinne had feared them at any point, but now that she didn't even have to be concerned about being attacked(at least not effectively, as they were struggling to even remain on their feet), the blonde girl was able to observe them quite a bit more effectively.

While the craftsmanship of their components were fine, what was notable was that the method of their composition, everything about them in terms of magical craft, was, to put it simply, shoddy.

If these were created by the killer, then surely that killer put vastly less effort into them then they had the killings themselves. The use of displacement to remove not just one organ, but many, was undeniably a complicated craft. But these dolls were, while dangerous, quite magically unimpressive. However, it also allowed Arinne to perceive the nature of their very creation on a deeper level. The use of human blood and an internal organ within a mechanical shell... some combination of necromancy and alchemy?

Even though the dolls were still somewhat active, Arinne decided to voice her opinion.

"They're trash," she said, "Complete fodder. Whatever their motivations may be, our new Jack the Ripper should be embarrassed."

She cocked her head towards the already-destroyed dolls, leaking blood onto the floor.

"Unless, of course, they're a byproduct and not the goal."

[@Rin][@Raineh Daze][@TheFake]

[hr]

Soon enough, the remaining dolls had been dispatched. The closed space remained active in spite of this, the limb mechanical frames still lying there uselessly on the ground. They were quite clearly bleeding very real blood, however, and something fleshy could be seen inside of those with larger injuries.

Now, perhaps, was the time for a closer investigation.

[@KoL][@Anza][@Bartimaeus]

[hr]

It seemed as if the dolls were unable to locate the magi in the alley... at least, for the moment. They seemed to know something was there, but not how to target them. They circled slowly, turning their expressionless heads about blankly as they attempted to locate their prey. There was a strange clicking sound, suddenly, and then each of their heads turned in unison to focus on the spot where the cloaked magi were hidden.

It was time to act, before the dolls did.

[@Aviaire][@Rabidporcupine]