[center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/3BsCbZX.png[/img] [color=CCBFFF]"B-but I wasn’t gunna kill it! : C"[/color] [color=888888]— Trixy[/color][/center] [sub][@ERode][@FamishedPants][@twave][@Crusader Lord][@Flamelord][/sub] Even if Trixy’s vine shot didn’t score a hit, it at least did half of what she wanted by stopping Mariette from firing on Hyun. A dopey smile crossed her face as she watched the portal witch escape. It wasn’t the best outcome, but Hyun had a chance now. Though Sil’s transmission turned that smile upside down. [color=CCBFFF]"O-oh."[/color] She hung her head. Trixy thought she had really been on fire during this mission, but she hadn’t considered that Mariette might not realize her intentions. It would be harder for cradle to settle things peacefully with her now. Especially since Beacon opened fire on her. But the alternative was chancing Hyun turning into some rotisserie chicken. Which was appetizing, but there was something to be said for a cutie as well. Trixy extended her arms to catch her, but Lenna had a height advantage thanks to some barriers that Trixy’s arms just couldn’t match. Not that it mattered too much. Trixy just didn’t get to hold girls very much, unless it was during a fight, or her date was smacking her around. But it was enough just to see Amaryllis’s gambit pay off. Veronica’s voice echoed in the minds of all nearby cradle agents. [color=#bd71e8][i]“Done? Preparing evac, stand by.”[/i][/color] The situation only got more grim when Trixy heard Rachel’s orders. [color=CCBFFF]"Deal with?"[/color] She stood up a bit straighter. [color=CCBFFF]"Waddaya mean? You got a new cutie for your squad, courtesy of everyone’s teamwork!"[/color] The cradle was opening up under Trixy. Bubbling tar that was darker than the dead rave. [color=CCBFFF]"I mean, I’m not going to pretend that there aren’t some horrible corrupt girls out there, but look at what we just did together!"[/color] Trixy spread her arms and gestured at everything. It didn't matter that no one was looking at her. [color=CCBFFF]"She was eating people a few seconds ago, and look! Are you telling me that she gets a chance and we don’t? I mean-"[/color] She half choked. [color=CCBFFF]"Is this really how it’s going to be? Us versus them to the very end? ...Can’t I bury my friends first?"[/color] Trixy’s voice cracked. She placed both of her hands on her gun. Cereza and Cerise’s bodies had gone somewhere, but she couldn’t disobey Veronica. It was bad enough that she disappointed Sam, and not becoming a corpse herself was a top priority. [color=CCBFFF][i]"Sam, can you get away? Veronica’s pulling me out."[/i][/color] Trixy had no intention of firing on anyone, but this wouldn’t be the first time her plans blew up in her face. She was on the other side of the barrier she had made earlier, and all of the beacon girls were above her. So long as she was ready to fire on any Beacon coming through the hole, it should make her a bit harder to reach. [color=CCBFFF]"Cereza, Cerise, I’ll bring you justice."[/color] [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/SbnCKDQ.png[/img] [color=75c159]“You know what? Salt is in RN.”[/color] [color=888888]— Tetrad[/color][/center] [sub][@AtomicNut][@DarkwolfX37][/sub] Did the fight end? Yes. Did it end without any of her opponents dieing just like she wanted? Yes. Was it a satisfying conclusion she could be proud of? Hell no! Tetrad had difficulty processing what even happened. The timid bear/bird girl suddenly went into mom mode, and then there was a spirit rip move, and that trap came back, and then, what the hell even was that? When did she walk onto the set of a sitcom? Exit stage right! Now now now! [color=75c159]“NO!”[/color] Tetrad marched towards Jimmy. [color=75c159]“No I agreed to ONE date! I don’t even think I did that, but you know, I’m doing it anyway! Because you stopped attacking.”[/color] Her eyes were as wide as saucers. Tetrad pointed at herself with her thumb. [color=75c159]“I had everything under control! You could have run! I didn’t ask you to put yourself in danger. And those 'hints' were pretty crappy FYI!”[/color] She lifted her finger up in front of Jimmy’s face. [color=75c159]“ONE! O-N-E ONE! That’s what we start with.”[/color] She spun on her heel so that her back was pointed towards Jimmy. [color=75c159]“You only get more if I enjoy it, alright? And quit looking so pathetic!”[/color] She shuffled her cards about until she had a few blue ones, which she tossed in Jimmy’s direction. [color=75c159]“Kingqueen69 right? I’ll send you a message later.”[/color] She really wasn’t interested in Jimmy, but contacts were contacts. She glanced at Shion. Not the most social sort. Thanks to her link with Veronica, she knew a bit about the girl. Shion was being chased by the mint, which [i]should[/i] mean she could be an ally of Cradle. But this seemed like a weird time to exchange contact information. Not only that, but it was clear she was a solitary type that didn’t like working with others. A bit on the grumpy side too. At least that was the vibe she got. But just walking away was the N.E.E.T. thing to do. [color=75c159]“So yea, that was a really cool attack. I’m sure it would have screwed up any other magical girl.”[/color] Tetrad gave Shion a thumbs up. [color=75c159]“Did you need any help healing up?”[/color] Her eyes shifted side to side, then she leaned in close to speak quietly. [color=75c159]“Alright so I’m at least fifty percent sure this guy is going to try and slip me a mickey, so if you wouldn’t mind exchanging phone numbers with me, I’d feel a lot safer. Also, who knows? Penrose is a small place. We’ll probably be bumping into each other a lot.”[/color] [hr] [center] [img]https://i.imgur.com/v3fpd2k.png[/img] [color=tomato]“You pulled me out here for [i]this[/i] shit?” [sub]Lub you Lei Zi lolz.[/sub][/color] [color=888888]— Oros[/color][/center] Talking directly with other patrons was not something that happened very often. Usually getting a horror to appear for any reason was an accomplishment in and of itself. Though when you start throwing around terms like “overt interference,” you’re bound to shake someone’s tree. Something was burning up as it passed through the atmosphere. A pink lotus mounted on a flesh bud zoomed towards Lei Zi. Air friction had set it on fire, but this just seemed to change its color rather than burn it. The lotus pedals and flesh all turned black before arriving at their destination. A few meters away from Lei Zi the burning abomination floated. Once the fire burned out the black flower started to bloom. The inside of the bloom was a dark crimson, but the real star of the show was the pink haired girl that sat in the center. The [url=https://i.imgur.com/704dEtN.png]shrine maiden in black[/url] uncrossed her legs and stood up. She used her katana’s scabbard to support herself as she raised. With a yawn, she straightened out the rim of her skirt. She examined her effects, straightening every bell and bracelet she wore. At no point during her self inspection did she release hold of her scabbard, but she made no effort to draw her weapon either. After straightening out her back, she stepped out of the flower. [color=tomato]“The first Oros, Hand of the collective entities known as Aighorost, stands before you, to remind you that they will not all be conceived for another ten-thousand years.”[/color] She placed a hand on her hip. [color=tomato]“I want you to think about how childish a newborn is, and then realize they are ten-thousand years younger than that. You think they’re going to give a shit about what number Lei Zi you are or what type of force your god bears? They can’t even change their diapers!”[/color] Oros took the hilt of her blade and pulled it part way out of the sheath. Some images flashed across the blade. [color=tomato]“Well whatever. The babysitter’s here to spar words with you.”[/color] The blade slid back into the sheath. [color=tomato]“Pretex is a pretty word, but I think ‘excuse’ works better. One of these super dangerous horrorlings shit the bed already, and they haven’t killed any magicals yet, right?”[/color] She rolled her neck before reaching inside her uniform to scratch her breast. [color=tomato]“Even if they did, horrors drop monsters in this shithole all the time. Don’t see anyone crying into the heavens about it though. This whole thing just feels like a waste of time. But hey, since we’re on the topic of ‘interference,’ let's talk about that rave that went tits up.”[/color] Oros pulled her hand out of her uniform and sniffed her fingers. A smile crossed her lips. [color=tomato]“Tian Rong sent his lighting directly into that pit of debauchery and murdered ‘em by the dozens. Wasn’t that ‘interference,’ or is he above other patrons in all this?”[/color] “Horrors do beget further horrors and monstrosities,” Lei Zi replied. “But calling forth such powerful monsters remains taboo. All Patrons, Horror or not, are expected to operate within the rules of this ‘chessboard’, lest all caution be thrown into the wind and Patrons go to war in place of their so-called Champions. If you’re the caretaker of one not yet born, then surely you know this much.” The shrine maiden placed one hand to one side, her other hand to the other. “Competence may be granted. Power may be granted. Safety may be granted. All within limitations that a human soul can bear.. Aighorost, however, deigns to fight in place of their warped child, when their power, no matter how infantile the wielder, can see that girl whisked away instead. If that’s not flagrant interference, what is?” She neither smiled, nor frowned. “My lightning has always been a boon of Tian Rong’s. Though my emotions may have gotten the better of me, the power I displayed with the help of my artifact is not on the realm of a Deity, but rather within the realm of nine generations of magical girls. Does that answer your concerns, Oros?” Oros was staring at the moon, picking her nose and flicking what she found into the night. She wasn’t even facing Lei Zi as she spoke. [color=tomato]“Right right, flatulent interference, I didn’t forget what we were talking about.”[/color] Oros’s pulled out a scroll while her lotus lily floated towards Lei Zi. [color=tomato]“Firstly, I’d like to show you the Patron Doctrine of Fighting, herein referred to as the PDF.”[/color] She held it out to Lei Zi and tapped the parchment with her finger. [color=tomato]“A blessing is placed on a person or place, and has ‘subtle but real effects.’ Killing a shit-ton of magical girls is about as subtle as your outfit.”[/color] She hid the PDF. [color=tomato]“But of course it’s not enough to participate in this game of ‘chess’ with just one rulebook. The Grand Magistrates, or GMs to save time, have made supplementary documentation to over rule the PDF to better maintain the ‘game’ we’re all playing. I’m referring to the Doctrine of Combat Supremacy. Herein referred to as the DOCS. And if you look at this scroll-”[/color] When Oros read the document, her eyes bulged out of her head. [color=tomato]“What trickery is this?!”[/color] She grit her teeth and turned to look at Lei Zi. [color=tomato]“Oh you Grand Magistrates are a sly lot! I know Tian Rong is one of them! I know how they work! Aighorost was one not long ago…”[/color] She shoved the scroll between her breasts. [color=tomato]“Well whatever, I should have known they’d pull a fast one on me. Playing with causality and the space time continuum to retcon things.”[/color] She looked up into the heavens and screamed. [color=tomato]“All those mother-trucking gorelions! I still remember their textured tongues sliding along my back! Pulling us into the dark abyss of their necks! A single pillar druid couldn’t beat one of them! How do you justify this Grand Magistrates!? Howwwwwww?!”[/color] With a sigh, she folded her arms. [color=tomato]“Where were we? Right, not all patrons can rush to save their champions, and Aighorost is one of them. Pretty sure he doesn’t give a shit if Faith’s there or not. Someone smacked Aighorost and now they’re just screwing around.”[/color] She used her thumb to press the rest of the scroll down. [color=tomato]“But whatever, I play your game [i]this time[/i]. No more horror avatars going forward. Does that work for you?”[/color] “That’ll work [i]wonderfully[/i],” Lei Zi replied. She had been silent and unmoving as Oros began her theatrics, the neutral expression of watching someone else go on a temper tantrum settling over her features. Yes, Aighorost [i]was[/i] a child, or even less than that. Kicking against his ‘cradle’ was understandable, doubly so when his caretaker was also a child. “And I hope you continue to operate within the bounds of both the PDF and the DOCS moving forward. They are, after all, mere guidelines working within the rationale of the Realm’s Precepts, which encompasses the Laws of Magic.” Down below, it appeared that Aighorost’s ‘fit’ this time had been summarily dealt with by the magical girls in the area. “Do well to educate your Patron, Oros. Horror though they may be, it’d be a cruelty to watch an unborn child be cannibalized after being laid low by penalties they do not comprehend. And perhaps you’ll be there to give Justine her dues too.” Oros was nodding along to Lei Zi. [color=tomato]“Yea I’ll get right on-”[/color] She froze. [color=tomato]“Hold up, that shit stain is still alive?”[/color] Oros picked up her katana and slid it out of the scabbard to examine the blade again. [color=tomato]“A lot of people are still alive? I saw the city was mostly empty and-”[/color] She slid the blade closed. [color=tomato]“Shit, I’m not gunna cry. I’m not!”[/color] She placed a hand over her mouth. [color=tomato]“Alright, this is. This is interesting.”[/color] She folded her arms again and huffed. [color=tomato]“I dunno if Faith is going to make it, but it’s clear Aighorost is gunna need help with this sector.”[/color] Oros was about to leap off the edge of her lily pad, but stopped. [color=tomato]“Right, I need to submit some documentation to the Grand Magistrates before I join. What a pain.”[/color] She grabbed Lei’s hand and shook it. [color=tomato]“Thanks for calling me here. Seems like a lovely place. Kicking Justine’s ass sounds like great fun.”[/color] She jumped back into her lotus, which closed up and blasted back into the sky. “Remember,” Lei Zi called out as Oros left. “Get it approved first with the Office of Certification before submitting it to the Credence Scrolls. Not through Private Mail.” [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/5UALozg.png[/img][/center] [sub][@AtomicNut][@Ponn][@FamishedPants][/sub] The spirit wolves did [i]not[/i] idly stand by while Elora typed on her keyboard. They had [i]set upon her,[/i] and were biting into her flesh with every stroke of the keys. When she ignored them and continued deploying countermeasures, they got more aggressive. One bit onto her hand and crushed her fingers in its grasp. Another bit into her jacket and tore it off of her back. A third wolf grabbed her by the hair and ran backwards, carrying her deeper into the park as other wolves nipped at her legs and arms. Ampodryl stood its ground as Shoggy approached. She had been able to deflect its lasers into its eyes, causing the creature to wince. Then Shoggy became something more, something sinister, she was lashing out in Ampodryl’s general direction. The great wolf was more agile than many would assume, and was able to leap clear over Shoggy and land behind her. This would have been a great time for Ampodryl to sweep its tail at Shoggy, or pounce on the exposed Emily and Sakura. But it was instead looking in the direction of Faith. Ampodryl was blind now and could only hear the sound of his champion. It didn’t turn around, instead "looking" in the direction of its champion. But shoggy did turn around, and burned through the [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZVyHH-voR8]wolf’s leg.[/url] Ampodryl struggled to stand. Souls swarmed around its form, but this was just a bold display of power before it charged forwards. Only three legs. Just three legs, but it could still run. It didn’t get much further before Shoggy burned off it other hind leg. Ampodryl’s torso slammed into the ground. It seemed to flinch, like a living creature might. But its rear quarters were not required to survive. Furthermore, they were not required to run. Even if it had just two paws left, it could still drag itself forward. Ampodryl had managed to pull itself to the halfway point. Shoggy would not let up her assault, angry as she was. She continued to blast it over and over again with light beams. The heat got so great that the hound’s evergreen coat caught fire. One had to wonder why such a sadistic creature was doing this. Ampodryl may have been trying to score a kill. It could have also been concerned for Faith. But surely a horror wasn’t capable of feeling compassion. Even Oros felt confident that Faith meant nothing to her horror as a whole. If she was wrong, then it was possible horrors could become something more than horrors. Such a thought was sheer blasphemy though. Blind, lame, and burning. It only had one option left. Souls welled up around Ampodryl’s mouth, and a large, shining blade appeared in its maw. As this abomination’s last act of defiance, it drew in all the souls around itself to prepare its hidden technique: the sword of souls. With a mighty heave, the cursed blade spun as it closed in on Hilaria’s position. That was all it would do. Having used the last of its strength, Ampodryl howled at the moon. Just as Shoggy finished incinerating it. The rest of its charred needles fell to the earth, and the green flame that burned in its breast went out. All that was left was the chared remains of a tree that looked like a dog. Mother earth’s growth returned to the last segments of the mayor park, making it look like new again. The hole in the sky closed up. The moon looked down on everyone like the giant eye of a horror before being shut out by the clouds. The horror had been defeated. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/NgWhiMr.png[/img] [color=cfff04]”Hmmmm...”[/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, Overcity Shift, 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 +44 STR: 21 | AGI: 21 | VIT: 21 | MAG: 20 | LCK: 15 Earnings this post: Fought a horror, stood up to some cradle agents, then messed with the ascendancy/Hilaria and stood up to beacon: 1 Gold 12 Silver 14 Bronze Remaining: 1 Gold, 14 Silver, 16 Bronze Total: 8 Gold, 130 Silver, 144 Bronze [/hider][/center] It was fine. Without Mac's intervention, Faith would survive. Though just as a precaution, she was able to use her gravity magic to hold back Hilaria's jaw for cutting all the way into Faith's spine. This was the end of the battle. Everything should play out just as her patron willed it now. Her mana was running low, and she really needed to be elsewhere. It would not be good if Lotus woke up right now.