[center][url=https://i.imgur.com/gmRTrWA.jpg][img]https://i.imgur.com/5ZqyPyV.png[/img][/url][/center] [i]WOADIDYOUSEETHATIJUSTCUTADRAGONINHALFWAITREALLYDOIACTUALLYHAVETHATKINDOFPOWERWOAHIMAFRICKINBADASSDRAGONSLAYERDENIWOHOO[/i] Ronin gently sheeted her sword on the other side of the dragon’s head, her expression [i]barely[/i] able to keep moderately cool, as she turned to Nightwing to make sure she was alright and not had died for some reason. Except, she quickly didn’t have time for that, for now she looked back to see where Faith was, and- [color=9b83de]‘-!’[/color] Ronin did not have the time to think another coherent thought before she’d taken off at a dramatic speed, charged by her own Reinforcement magic. She basically threw herself with all her might to grab Faith and pull her away from the beast currently trying to feast on her, a highly inefficient Reinforcement barrier trying to fit itself in-between them to give her the needed time. [@people at the park] [hr] [center][url=https://i.imgur.com/Y8OSnvr.png][img]https://i.imgur.com/OPMf9l2.png[/img][/url][/center] So, Mariette was about to fire at Hyun Long… when her awareness picked up that she was being fired upon. Immediately she dropped, except what was actually happening was the portal on the ground-floor of the nearby building rose to bring her back, and at the same time she was opening a portal to block the incoming vines… except she failed somehow, and it caught some part of her, pulling at her, but instead of pulling her off the platform she’d already headed a bit of distance down the portal and was pulled into the side of the midair doorway, opening additional portals to block herself from being pulled over the edge. She grunted in pain before a blast of light burned the vine off her, and she descended into peeking at the scene. Except, somehow, she was caught anyway and her arm was burned off. Somehow. [hr] [center][url=https://i.imgur.com/iLfQK1p.png][img]https://i.imgur.com/2C1b19j.png[/img][/url][/center] [color=57a345]‘… There are evil-looking magic crows looking at me!’[/color] Eli suddenly stated, looking over at the rooftop of the warehouse, lifting her slime-hands to raise Reinforcement barriers around her, just in case. [hr] [i][color=A2DFF6]‘There are evil-looking magic crows looking at Eli!’[/color][/i] Mariette heard in her ear. Her mind was barely functioning right now, though, too busy dealing with massive pain. Out of sheer desire not to let Eli get kidnapped, a portal opened directly underneath Eli leading to right beside Mariette, intended to recover Eli. She needed Eli’s healing anyway. Thanks to gravity, Eli seemed to be falling through the portal to Mariette’s side. Though she seemed to get hung up on something as only half of her body came through the portal before bouncing up, like a convict hanging from a noose. With a flustered sound, Eli fired something, then she and a wolverine tumbled through the portal. It had a hold of her neck and it wouldn’t let go. Even as blood poured out of its rib cage, it thrashed and attempted to drag Eli further away from Mariette. That was when it happened. Doors opening up, shutterings lifting , sewer lids sliding away. Wherever a wolverine could come from, there was one. Eli hadn’t been able to notice them before, but the area was now suffused in magical energy. The wolverines were the minions of a magical girl. Everyone knows about the honey badger, but the wolverine, sometimes called a glutton, is no slouch either. While wolverines don’t boast the same defensive abilities, they can get twice as big and can run quite a bit faster too. While a honey badger can run at about thirty-two kilometers per hour (twenty miles per hour), a wolverine can run forty-eight kilometers per hour (thirty miles per hour) and blow past them. But what really makes them dangerous is how powerful they are for their size. They have huge appetites and often chase big game like moose, caribou, and mountain goats. They are also capable of fighting other vicious predators like wolves and bears. Inuit natives of Alaska reported that a half-ton polar bear once crushed a wolverine to its chest, but then dropped dead when the cradled beast tore out its heart. Clearly they were dangerous without magic. There were five wolverines now. Five wolverines, and one man. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/tg0TKNE.png[/img] [b]”Face off.”[/b] [color=888888]— Vermin Killer[/color][/center] [b]”Mariette? Not who I was expecting to run into.”[/b] Only Vermin killer’s coat shrouded everything but his head and an arm, which was on something in his coat. [b]”Though it was a chance encounter I was prepared for.”[/b] The crows swarmed overhead, circling in the rain. It was hard to tell how many there were. [b]”It was only a matter of time before Asengav threatened Mint operations.”[/b] He stopped walking, but the wolverines only inched closer. [b]”Though perhaps even a vermin can be spared, so long as it is useful.”[/b] He grinned. [b]”You will tell me exactly what happened here, as well as identify everyone you worked with. If I am satisfied, you can help me with a job and I’ll let you go.”[/b] When Eli fell down, her arm had transformed into a sawed-off shotgun for close combat blasting, just the thing to ram up the chest of a creature trying to kidnap her and then fire. Being slime, being bitten in the “neck” didn’t exactly hurt her, but she was panicked regardless as she fell to the floor. She gave an alarmed yelp as the wolverine still pulled at her… Except, that’s when an explosion of tentacles burst out into all directions from a very much not-in-the-mood Mariette. Tentacles struck out against the approaching wolverines, and two utterly pierced the closest one holding Eli and ripped it apart to pull Eli close, Eli herself startled at Mariette’s ferocity. Underneath a portal was opening for them to escape across town, while Mariette glared threateningly at Vermin Killer and her still-fine hand wielding her hand-mirror glowing up with a Light-magic blast. The eyes warned that should he try something, she’d blast him. She was in no mood for negotiation. Vermin killer countered by whipping something out of his coat that flew in her direction. She felt her mind being stabbed with shards of glass, and held her head to keep the pain at bay. All of her portals disappeared in an instant and her tentacles recoiled in their advance. [color=077ae6]‘KAH!’[/color] [color=57a345]‘M-mistress!’[/color] Mariette cried out in pain as the shattered mirror cut into her sixth sense that she used for her portal navigation got cut, and she fell into her knees with any portals she was forming cracked open at the seams, while her tentacles jolted like pained limbs, writing shadows around her. Reacting instantly, the completely unaffected Eli jumped to place herself in-between Mariette and the Vermin Killer, aiming her gun-arm at him and her other arm shapeshifting into a reinforced shield to protect her mistress, but her expression was panicked, she knew she couldn’t protect Mariette if Vermin Killer actually attacked. [b]”It was hard to get much out of Justine’s castle after it was destroyed, but we were able to divine how the inside of the castle looked. Did you know she had shattered mirrors in all the hallways?”[/b] Vermin killer adjusted his hat. The crows descended to his position, surrounding him. It remained to be seen what they would do. [b]”Let me tell you what happened here. You aided some magicals in a raid on one of our strongholds. They killed one of the magical girls on guard and stole resources that didn’t belong to them.”[/b] He gazed towards the blood stain where the wolverine used to be. [b]”In addition to this, you’ve killed one of my underlings. I can appreciate when vermin bites back, but this does not bode well for you.”[/b] He fret his brow and turned back to Mariette. [b]”But I’m not a heartless person. I’m willing to forgive this if you help me. The Dreamscape Almanac, I require it for a time. After which it shall be returned to you.”[/b] Mariette raised a pained glare at him, very much irritated about having to experience this setback. Still, the price he was asking for… the Dreamscape Almanac? What could the Mint possibly want such a thing for? Still… that was a cheap price to pay. She’d already had the contents of the Dreamscape Almanac copied, for an entirely separate reason, so she’d effectively be giving up nothing by handing it over, her own copy still in her library. She hardly had a choice in this situation. [color=077ae6]‘… Eli, go retrieve it,’[/color] Mariette said eventually. [color=57a345]‘Kh…’[/color] Eli made a less than pleased noise about the command to leave her mistress side. But… [color=57a345]‘… Where is it?’[/color] she eventually asked, because she honestly didn’t know. [color=077ae6]‘The shelf with books in my room. You’ll find it decently quickly,’[/color] she said. She then glared at Vermin Killer. [color=077ae6]‘Would you… put that away a bit? I can’t send her home while you’re pointing it at me…’[/color] Mariette grunted out at him. The Vermin killer didn’t budge an inch, but a crow hopped next to the shattered mirror. [b]”Nothing funny, please. It’s not the only one I have.”[/b] One of the wolverines crept closer to Mariette, but ultimately kept its distance. The crow picked up one side of the mirror and tugged at it, pulling it further away from mariette. [b]”Far enough?”[/b] Mariette nodded, and with some pain she then opened a portal into her Interdimensional Home on the floor, and after a last worried look at Vermin Killer Eli jumped through, after which Mariette rerouted the portal to a wall in the adjacent building, not wanting a link to her most important place manifested near a would-be enemy. The portal girl then stayed silent, crouched as she was still feeling intense pain, her tentacles lying dormant around her, but not extinguished. If she was ambushed after handing the book over, they’d be her only defense. Except Eli, of course. A number of seconds later, she switched the portal again and Eli came through, holding the book in her slimy hands. [color=077ae6]‘… This, was what you wanted, correct?’[/color] Mariette asked, grabbing the book from Eli with her good hand, offering it forward for her attacker, her expression still irritable.