[center][h1][i][color=778899]Amaryllis Evenings[/color] and [color=FF1493]Sophia von Zeerover[/color] V.S. [b]The Artemis Knight[/b][/i][/h1][/center] [hr] A crescent moon shone over the silent cityscape of Penrose this night, the sickle of the Huntress-Goddess primed for another harvest. Cold winter stars sparkled in the heavenly abyss, as down below, mundanes proceeded with their lives, desperate to get everything back to normal after the sheer chaos of the last few months. But though the Ascendancy brought some measure of peace, monsters still roamed the darkness, their blades sharpened and prepared to take more lives. The gleam of ice glinted from atop a skyscraper. From such a vantage point, a creature, composed of angular plate armor that looked as if chipped from a glacier, balanced itself upon the needle of a radio tower. Its size and weight should have made such a feat an impossibility, and yet, there it was, its greatscythe leaning against its shoulder as it crouched, frosted eyes scouring the entirety of a city for another target. But soon, it didn’t have to. Moonlight glinted off another blade that night, a Sword of silver, embellished by roses. Singing as it grazed the concrete of the skyscraper, the Sword swung once through the air, drawing a double-helix as it hummed. Another night was upon Penrose. Another monster was to be slain. Wreathed in celestial fire, graced by the rusted petals, the Knight of Rose made her proclamation, standing prouding in the arctic gale. [color=778899]“Amaryllis Evenings, Knight of the Rose! May the flower of your heart be reflected within my silverlight!”[/color] Shortly thereafter, a ghastly ship swooped down out of the clouds, drifting down almost like a car as it stopped above and behind the moonlight rose knight. Its right broadside faced to where the beast was, black cannons glinting ever so slightly in the night air. Moonlit streams of light seemed to caress the figure of the ship, piercing through the holes in the sails and casting a great silhouette upon where the monstrous creature stood. Upon the edge of the ship stood a figure, however, a pirate-adorned human that was silhouetted in the night...all with their back to the moonlight, and their arms crossed with haughty pride and a wicked grin to match. [color=FF1493]“Ere’s only one reapin’ goin’ on tonight in this here city! So prepare ta’ taste the might ah’ve Penrose’s best powder an’ steel, ya’ wannabe!”[/color] [b]“Hrm…”[/b] A rumbling noise exited through the slits of the knight’s armor, sounding like the crumbling of ice floes rubbing against each other. Standing up, it brandished its scythe over its head, spinning it round and round and round as the winds howled with increasing ferocity. Instantly, the area around the two magical girls was suffused in a chilling blizzard, snow slamming into them from the sides as if a cyclone fused with a snowstorm. Visibility dropped to zero moments later, and already, goosebumps formed on Amaryllis’s skin. Her nature as a magical girl made her sturdier than some, but without Environmental Shielding, it was only a matter of time before she froze. The Knight of Rose remained calm though. Amidst the raging storm, silver buds emerged in the air, locked to place by her unique magic. Bending low and closing her eyes, she allowed her memory of the Artemis Knight’s location to be her target, and allowed her Sword to be her guide. A burst of speed, and she shot forward, lunging from the space above the radio tower. [color=FF1493]“Fire airburst rounds!”[/color] the pirate shouted aloud, extending her right arm as the cannons of her ship fired out a volley past Amaryllis at where she’d last seen the creature standing. Maybe she could soften up the target some? Sophia’s cannonfire reached the target first, fiery ordnance blasting through the winter cover. The snow parted for a moment at the explosive blast, but revealed that there was nothing there. Amaryllis landed upon the radio tower that the frozen scythe-user had been crouching on moments before, and yet, even though the blizzard was clearly centered on this tower, she saw nothing. Where had it gone? It had gone to Sophia. Behind the pirate girl, bone-chilling cold emanated, the decks of her spectral ship suddenly coated with black ice. Soundlessly, the reaper had gotten aboard, and with a powerful swing, it aimed for her torso, aiming to bisect her completely. [color=FF1493]“Heh.”[/color] She knew a good deal about tactics, one lucky boon of hers in being born into the world as a magical girl, and the moment that blizzard had gone up she knew something was fishy. She wasn’t all-knowing, but there were only certain sound decisions that could branch from popping up a smokescreen. Fleeing was one...ambush was another. Had this creature not read The Art of War? However, the sudden black ice upon her ship was nothing but a momentary indication of something bad going on. A boarding axe barely even came up in time to help block the blow, along with a small golden barrier, though the pirate inevitably felt herself slide quickly to the side as the blow rang through her weapon and into her arms. Spinning on the icy deck to quickly turn around, though, the pirate then quickly let her weapon fall down and fire off a shotgun-like blast at the icy knight as her back slammed into a wooden wall. At the same time, though, a chain arm seemed to shimmer into existence over the top of her own right arm...all as her ten fingers shone with her usual ten golden rings to boot. As Sophia fired her shotgun, a powerful explosion resounded, but not outwards. Her own hand flew back at the force of the eruption, a plume of ice bursting from the barrel instead. Looking at her Boarding Axe, the reason behind the misfire became evident: the weapon had frozen over. So too, did that freezing chill settle against her back, the wooden wall she had crashed against also sporting a black ice that was clinging onto her now. And before her eyes, snow once more obstructed her vision, the Artemis Knight melting back into the blizzard. Three sharp whistles sounded; through the storm, ballista bolts of ice shot at her sequentially, aiming for different parts of her body as black ice continued to consume her, and her ship, whole. Sophia snapped the fingers on her free chain-arm-covered hand, a bit of powder quickly detonating under her feet and helping her leap up higher on her ship in a hurry. Two of the ballista bolts of ice would crash into the space where she had been standing as well, impaling it thoroughly in the process. She was now standing atop the main cabin of it, though, a serious look now donning her face. As more of the ice bolts came for her, she lashed out with her chain arm and used it to swiftly pull herself about the freezing ship’s rigging to dodge the remainder. All the while...she kept her eyes out as best as she could, leaving the arm to itself somewhat to automatically help pull her about to safety. The ghost ship was groaning now, under the weight of all the ice, and her chain-arm too was suffering the effects of prolonged exposure, its flexibility worsening over time. No time to rest though, and hardly any time to breathe. Each lungful of air seemed to freeze her at the core further, freezing winds whipping into about her now that she was fully exposed to the elements. Black ice raced up the rigging now, shattering the network of ropes with the terrible crunch of an iceberg. Above too, the Artemis Knight fell, dropping down upon Sophia with its scythe spinning like a saw. Gritting her teeth, the pirate had little time to react if at all. The freezing chill and the ridiculous shenanigans of this enemy were already something as it was, and the chain arm pulling her along wasn’t seeming in its best condition...much like herself in this weather. But she had a plan, a stupid one at least, and now seemed to be the time to execute it. She nor her patron were going to truly like it though. The pirate girl channeled her magic into her outfit, specifically on her right side, casting a spell and firing off a focused detonation of powder from her right side. While the clothing channeled her magic rather well and protected from outright damage, she hissed as the heat and the obvious pain from the self-afflicted explosion rocked through her...and of course the sudden jolt as her spell sent her flying [b]hard[/b] towards the radio tower and very suddenly far off of the side of her ship. Yet as she was propelled away, and her ship was still just in sight of her for the moment, the pirate girl smirked and shot an imaginary finger gun at the Artemis Knight and her ship. [color=FF1493]“Bang.”[/color] All at once Sophia’s transport ship seemed to suddenly detonate like a magical bomb in the blink of an eye, unleashing a very distinct and mighty conflagration as the Artemis Knight would be headed still further down onto the ship’s deck. Even Sophia herself was sent flying farther out towards the radio tower by the explosion despite her distance. The flying ship’s magical powder stores had been blasted by a gunpowder spec spell, one which the pirate had just used after blasting herself off of the side of the ship. Such a small spell, but ultimately big and ‘sacrificial’ results. She could almost already hear the angry creaking noises, and the exasperated chain klinking, but for the time being the pirate honestly did not care in her mind. At least this time her ship hadn’t been torn apart by a monster...but instead had departed in a truly big bang! It was an explosion of fire and fury that could drive back even the storm. Flames clung to Sophia as she was blasted back by the force of her own attack, the Artemis Knight consumed amongst the conflagration. Had she done it? Had sh- With the howling of the wind, the Artemis Knight appeared before her, the lower portion of its body a frosty gale as it hurtled towards the airborne pirate. Partially melted by the flash of heat, half its helm sported cracks and fractures that leaked with blue light, but whatever injury it sustained was not enough to thwart it. Scythe poised into a swing, it aimed to finally put an end to Sophia. In that moment, the Gunpowder Girl collided into something remarkably soft. [color=778899]“Don’t worry, I’ve got you.”[/color] Cradling her like a dance partner, Amaryllis twirled atop the radio tower, switching places with Sophia right in time to clash blades with the Artemis Knight. Instantly, her Sword froze over, her already pale skin growing paler as black ice raced up her fingers and onto her arm. Yet, the Knight of Rose’s smile was implacable, bold and brilliant as the fiery demise of the ghost ship allowed the faintest sliver of moonlight to slip through the storm. [color=778899]“And I’ve got you, too!”[/color] Steel ivies sprouted from nick she made in the scythe, wrapping around the haft and onto the frozen reaper’s own arm, before shooting back towards Amaryllis’s left. With a creaking of glacial metal, the Artemis Knight turned to storm again, attempting to fly away from both magical girls, only to stop suddenly. The chain had been drawn taut. It could not flee any further than it already had. Once again, the storm settled in, visibility dropping to zero. But this time, the Artemis Knight had nowhere to hide. [color=FF1493]“Heh...at least take meh’ out ta’ dinner first, lass.”[/color] The scorched pirate let out a small chuckle at her own teasing comment, all whilst standing balanced atop the radio tower where her ally had previously stood. Yet as she stood there, a pair of brown wings emerged from the back of her outfit, bracing her against the icy winds of the renewed storm as she leveled her boarding axe and aimed it forward towards the end of Amaryllis’ chain. The stance Sophia had struck was a bit imposing, however, almost like a fallen angel of death had freshly unfurled its wings whilst standing atop a grim spire. Even her directed gaze bore into the storm itself towards the Artemis Knight, the magical girl’s glaring orbs like heated balls of fire as an utterly wicked grin once again took over her face. [color=FF1493]“[i]But ya’ screwed up by stayin’ and facin’ us in tha’ first place, you filthy wretch![/i]”[/color] [center][i][u]Focused Assault Activated[/u][/i] [i][u]Gunpowder Spell: “OverShot” Cast[/u][/i][/center] The pirate’s words came out in a vicious growl, and as she spoke she discharged her weapon towards where the Artemis Knight would be at the end of the chain of silver’d ivy. Mana coursed through the magical girl’s weapon, magic pulsed within the firing chamber, and a mighty fire with its accompanying great spew of magical shot erupted from the end of the boarding axe. A combination of Focused Assault, and a magical spell to ‘overcharge’ her weapon’s attack, which shot forth with a great roar past Amaryllis and towards the intended target. As the magical shot funneled out of its barrel a second time, Amaryllis grit her teeth and yanked on the chain with all her might, pulling the Knight forward before it could dodge in any fashion. A shuddering impact resounded as the focused blast shattered its skull, and from the veil of snow, the headless form of the Artemis Knight flew out, tumbling towards the Knight of Rose. [color=778899]“Goodnight.”[/color] Seven flashes in the span of an instant. Before its body could crash into Amaryllis, what remained of the monster was turned to frozen chunks in a spray of argent sparks. Its scythe bounced, skidded across the icy rooftop, before melting into white vapor. The blizzard died, and once again, the building was bathed in moonlight. Once again, winter has ended. After a few moments Sophia let out a small sigh, and began to become slightly wobbly where she stood upon the radio tower as the tension from battle began to release. Despite that, a victorious and goofy grin was once again on the magical girl’s face, replacing the malice she’d shown to the enemy. Albeit...she looked rougher for the wear. Her attire had done wonders to prevent worse, but being caught in her own explosion hadn’t done any ‘good’ for her either. [color=FF1493]“Whew! Weh’...weh’ did it, Amaryllis! Another monster slain ahn’ another victory! Haha! Penrose will sleep safely tonight ahn’...a-ah...”[/color] The pirate let her weapons shimmer away as she rambled in her exhaustion, save for the rings on her fingers of course, before pumping an excited and happy fist into the air...and then finally teetering about a bit too much forward before ultimately falling straight down once more. [color=778899]“Ah, careful,”[/color] Amaryllis said, clipping her Sword to her belt as she caught Sophia. The fight itself hadn’t lasted as long as she had thought it would have, but the effects of the temperature definitely took its toll on the two magical girls. Letting out a breath, she brushed her frosted bangs out of her face and hoisted Sophia up in her arms, princess-style. The pirate had done most of the heavy lifting here; the knight may as well help get her back into a safe bed after this. [color=778899]“Sophia, from whence do you rest?”[/color] [color=FF1493]“T-Thank yeh’, but ah’ really don’t ave’ ah’ place ta’ stay though, never have or been able ta’...least’ ta’ tell ya’ tha’ truth,”[/color] the pirate admitted somewhat reluctantly, somewhat looking away to avoid eye contact as her tired body was carried in her ally’s arms. Amaryllis blinked, then sighed. [color=778899]“Understood. I’ve no great amount of amenities, but I can promise a roof and a bed, if nothing else.”[/color] And without another word, the Knight of Rose was off, a Pirate Queen in her arms as she returned to her abode.