It had been a couple of days since the rave, and Lily had gradually recovered from her mental exhaustion. She was still sad and depressed, but at least she now had the courage to walk outside. She had seen the news covering cases of vandalism and murder, but it was but a glimpse into the magical unrest that now plagued the wintry city. She sighed, and leaned against the railing of her balcony, reminiscing about an encounter she and Alex had before the rave. [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/n6ZwXiO.png[/img][/center] Are they magical girls, or are they witches? Not knowing was part of Rockstar’s appeal. Witches and rock-stars had been on a bit of a decline over the past few months. Recently Endsinger had been silenced, and a few months ago Beacon visited a cathedral that a coven called home. Not even a minute after their arrival and the coven was scattered. Even the cathedral was left in shambles. Not a good day for witches at all. Admit it, if you came back to Penrose after a long vacation, only to find Beacon chased out your coven and destroyed your home, you’d be pissed too. It was only a matter of time before they destroyed the rest of Penrose. And the Rockstars had every intention of beating them to the punch. They had to practice their music anyway. It wouldn’t be fair to test their tunes against an unstable building. Nope. If your tunes can’t ruin a perfectly good home in one blow, you’re probably out of practice. But hey, destroying abandoned malls was a fun warm up. The old mall growled as it was shaken on it’s foundation, causing Lily’s motorcycle to tremble before it jumped off an uplifted concrete slab serving as an impromptu ramp. She landed to a half-circle skid, and exhaled a breath of wonder. [color=fff200]”Geez...This mall has seen better days.”[/color] She stood up from the motorcycle, and gave a thumbs up to Alex, letting the motorcycle collapse into a ball of lightning once Alex had exited the vehicle. The two of them could hear the wild laughter of the rock-star witches from within the mall. [color=fff200]”And if Ixion is right, the source of the tremors are a pair of witches.”[/color] She summoned her bow, and twirled an arrow between her fingers. [color=fff200]”Are you ready, Alex? We might need to ‘rock out’ this time, tee hee~”[/color] Alexander flicked Lily on the forehead “[color=aba000]Boo, that was a horrible pun. Bad Lily.[/color]” He then sighed “[color=aba000]Still...none of this makes much sense; it sounds like they’re the only ones in there...so why are they making such a racket? On top of that, [i]how[/i] are they making actual tremors with just music? If this is the kind of mess they can cause when they’re just messing around, I’m kind of worried about the destruction they can cause when they’re actually trying to kill someone.[/color]” Lily yelped from the flick, and giggled in embarrassment as she held a hand on her head. [color=fff200]"Maybe, but that was stone cold of you, Alex."[/color] She then listened as Alex spoke, moving forward with her bow out and an arrow nocked. [color=fff200]"Yeah, they're not any mundane musicians, that's for sure. We need to stop them before they decide to start their tour of destruction."[/color] Once again, she took the lead, making sure Alex stayed behind as they traversed through the mangled mall in search of the wicked witches. Due to the extremely loud noise, Alexander was hesitant to boost his senses. Enhanced hearing would just deafen him, and he was afraid what other enhanced senses would pick up. So he let Lily take point, as she had better ranged capabilities (and most likely better reflexes). “[color=aba000]You still got that ring on you? You’re such a crazy driver that I’m worried it might have gotten lost during one of your stunts, and I [i]really[/i] don’t want to have to make another one.[/color]” As the case usually is for run-down malls, it was dark. There was no power, and there didn’t appear to be any skylights. The witches did get louder though. Their laughter having been replaced by AFI’s Miss Murder. The music itself didn’t sound particularly loud, at least not loud enough to bring down a mall. Though Lily wasn't a Light specialist, she intensified the electric bowstring of her weapon to illuminate their immediate surroundings. She considered firing electric arrows that would burst with discharges, but she decided it would be a bit too wasteful. She also believed that Alex would detect any danger with his acute senses. Alexander could feel some dust land on his shoulder. It was difficult to discern with the music playing, but he could hear a support structure crack overhead. Something was falling towards them. “[color=aba000]Fuck![/color]” Alexander cursed as he realized what was going on. Not willing to waste any time when he didn’t know how much he had, he held Lily in place “[color=aba000]Incoming![/color]” and put a barrier around them. It was once their defenses were up that he allowed himself to look up to see what was coming at them. Thanks to Lily’s bow, Alexander could identify the giant concrete slab coming at them. It was so robust that when it landed on Alexander’s shield, it only cracked. Metal re-bar held the chunk in place, and only a few pebbles managed to break free. Such mundane dangers were hardly a match for Alexander’s shields. Despite looking like she was wary of any surprises, Lily was still startled by Alex's touch. She aimed her bow up, and screamed as she saw the slab shatter against the barrier. [color=fff200]"Aaa! That scared me."[/color] She turned to Alex with a nervous look. [color=fff200]"Th-thanks, Alex. You saved me from becoming a pancake, with butter on top."[/color] Once Lily’s bow glowed at maximum brightness, the two could make out a directory map in the center of the isle. There were hundreds of stores, from a D&D mini shop to a laser tag adventure. It seemed the entrance they took wasn’t too far away from the indoor plaza. Aside from being filled with a lot of shut down eateries, there was a stage mapped out for community events. The path ahead would sweep to the right and lead directly into the plaza. Lily swept her index finger on the dusty map, drawing a circle around the plaza. [color=fff200]"They must be here; musicians always go up on the stage. But...Maybe we could actually catch them by surprise this time."[/color] She turned to Alex, her eyes bright with an idea. [color=fff200]"What if we split up? You could try going up to a higher floor and see if you can get above the stage. I would wait for your signal over by the entrance to the plaza, peeking behind the corner. Since they're playing music, we might actually get the drop on them."[/color] She looked at her bow. [color=fff200]"I want to make up for the lich fight and actually fight smart."[/color] Alexander shrugged “[color=aba000]Eh, it sounds workable.[/color]” He made the barrier slowly expand until it pushed off the debris on top of it. Once that was clear, he dropped the barrier and began climbing to the ceiling, using his enhanced jumping powers, and barrier platforms. Once he was as high up as he could get, he made a barrier walkway straight to the stage, to get over them. He then checked to see if they had noticed him at all, and to make sure that Lily was in position. The Plaza was a giant open space that went right to the ceiling of the mall. Unlike the hallway, the plaza had a canvas top that let diffused sunlight through. All the shops looked dark, and giant stalagmites poked up from the ground here and there, often through broken floor tiles. A fountain had once been the centerpiece of the plaza, but it had been ruined, and the pool below was filled with more stone than coins. The balcony that overlooked the plaza had seen better days, but might be able to support someone if they were careful. Two pairs of escalators lead up to them from where Lily and Alexander entered the room. [b]”The stars that pierce the sky!” ”He left them all behind!” ”And how his children cried!” ”He left us all behind!”[/b] Far to the back of the plaza, was one of the witches. She wore a black dress that had a low cut in the front, and a large arch that almost left the entirety of her back bare. Her emerald hair bounced with every swing of her drumsticks. She was surrounded on nearly all sides by her drum kit, which looked to be made of volcanic glass. Any time she struck a drum, it briefly pulsed with green light before going dim again. Much like Lily had anticipated, she was playing on the stage. The guitarist didn’t seem to be present, and the acoustics of the mall didn’t give any help in locating them by sound. But they had to be close. Lily waited until she no longer heard Alex's movements, and then moved up against the corner, peeking into the plaza. She raised an eyebrow upon seeing only one of the witches on stage. [color=fff200]"Huh? Where's the other one?"[/color] She quietly mumbled to herself, and saw that Alex was in position. She gave a quick thumbs up to him. Letting him know she was ready to dash in there. Then she drew her bow, preparing for a power shot, charging electrical energy into her arrow. After seeing Lily’s thumbs up, Alexander nodded and jumped down. In mid fall, he surrounded himself in a large barrier. He hit the stage with a mighty crash, and the barrier vanished seconds after that “[color=aba000]You know, I was working on some clever quip to break out...but fuck it, I’m just going to beat you up. Do you have any idea how much trouble you’ve been causing? [/color]” The green haired witch ceased her playing. She didn’t look surprised, but the displeasure was evident in her scowl. [b]”Not the best time to stage dive, kid.”[/b] A stalagmite just off the edge of the stage exploded, showering the boy with stones. That alone wouldn’t have done much to Alexander, but the emerging guitarist was another story. Her blue twin tails flickered like a flame as she cruised through the air. A single swing of her guitar was enough to knock Alexander onto his back, at which point she landed on his chest and rode him to a halt at the other side of the stage. Once the dust settled, they could see that the guitarist was also a fan of wearing black. But she wore less outlandish clothes. Just a black hoodie with shorts. Though her hoody wasn’t zipped up, revealing her bikini top. One breast had “ROCK” printed across it in big white letters, while the other one had a star design printed on it. [b]”Rocked by a shooting star.”[/b] She grinned. The green haired witch tapped one of her drums, and a stone shackles emerged around Alexander’s wrists and ankles. [b]”There’s the quip you were looking for.”[/b] The drummer turned in her seat to look at Alexander. [b]”I like to focus on my music, but it’s hard not to notice someone trying to walk across the ceiling.”[/b] She folded her arms. [b]”So what were you saying? Something about beating us up? Did you bring anyone to help you with that?”[/b] At that moment, a brightly glowing arrow was launched, hitting the central big drum, followed by a great discharge of electricity. [color=fff200]"He brought his girlfriend!"[/color] Lily announced, having run the entire distance across the plaza shortly after her shot landed. She had morphed the weapon into a staff, and let loose with a flashy bolt of lightning, aimed to hit the both of them in a line if possible to cause them to scatter. She then followed this up with jumping and weaving, drawing attention away from Alex. [color=fff200]"The only stars you'll become are twinkling ones when I blow you away!"[/color] With their two opponents distracted, Alexander was able to shake off the shackles before they closed around him. He then flared his Beast magic, and his helmet cracked open as his now long hair exploded out of it, while his clothes also changed. “[color=aba000]What she said![/color]” He brandished both his wand, and his new sword, as he charged at the blue haired witch, refreshing his forcefield as he did. Lily’s arrow may have struck the drums and exploded, but the drum kit was still in one piece. It didn’t even budge, being that the entire kit was rooted directly into a giant stone. It had managed to startle the witches though, to the point that the drummer nearly abandoned her drum kit. Alexander had little trouble standing up. Witches don’t weigh very much, and neither do rock stars. The guitarist stumbled off of Alexander and raised her ax to brace for his incoming blow. The fight had begun in earnest, and the rock stars were done warming up. [hider= they really like this song guys][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQEq0hN3pd0[/youtube][/hider] The drummer had just enough time to rake her drumsticks across several symbols. This caused the Drummer and her drums to be elevated by a giant stone pillar, denying Lily her shot. Then she did a drum roll that caused the pillar to launch a flurry of spikes in Lily’s direction. She knew she was at a disadvantage at range, as her lightning attacks would be easily mitigated by any stone defenses the witch might conjure up. However, Lily had a plan. She responded to the spike projectiles by performing a 780-degree backflip to dodge them, and landed her feet against the vertical section of the second floor, using that as a platform to spring herself further up towards the green witch, running the rest of the way up the stone pillar. Then, once she reached the top, she performed a time-accelerated spinning kick towards the witch, aiming to knock her off the drum set. Lily’s speed was enough to keep her out of the path of the stone spikes, but the drummer was aware she was trying to get close. She dropped her drumstick across her symbols , causing spikes to jet out of the top of the pillaf, barring lily’s advance. Then she activated the kick pedal, which made a deep bass sound and detonated the top of the pillar. The wall Lily was trying to run up was broken into large chunks and shoved towards the wall. Meanwhile, the drummer and her kit was thrown into the air, where it looked like it would descend on the other side of the plaza. [color=fff200]"Oof!"[/color] Lily exclaimed as the pillar erupted in spines, causing a couple of the rocks to graze her. Using her time magic to slow her fall, she avoided slamming against the west wall, and turned to see the boulder heading at her. She bit her lip, but realized it was a feint made to catch Alex. She didn't expect the girls to be so agile considering the type of magic they utilized, but that meant she had to begin suppressing their movements. She took a deep breath, and began shooting arrows that moved curiously slow. She strafed as she made these slow shots, charging them with her time magic. Soon the witches would realize the trick to her seemingly useless attacks; the arrows were enchanted to turn back in time once they pierced a solid target, shooting again from where they first moved, accelerating with every iteration. Lily's plan was to surround the entire plaza with these arrows, and force the witches to slow down lest they get shot from every direction. However, the plaza was not a small space, and Lily’s spell was complex. It would take her some time to fire enough arrows to lock down the witch’s location, and the arrows would only eat up more mana as time went on. It was quite the gambit, but it might work. Alex and the guitarist had been at it too. After getting shoved back, The guitarist rolled their neck until it cracked. [b]”Girlfriend huh?”[/b] The guitarist rolled her shoulder in her socket. [b]”Don’t suppose you’re into partner swapping?”[/b] Stone bracers appeared on both of her arms before she charged towards Alexander. The Guitarist's question caught Alexander off guard “[color=aba000]Partner swapping? Wait, are you saying you want to fight her instead of me?[/color]” Shaking off his confusion, he charged to meet his opponent, blade ready, with his rod in his off hand, prepared to strike when their initial blows had been made. [b]”Fight? In the bedroom maybe.”[/b] As the drummer passed overhead, she struck a single drum. Before Alexander and the guitarist could collide, She hopped into the air and a stone boulder flew under her legs and smashed into Alexander’s shield with enough force to break it. Since Alex was prepared for a blow, he was able to hit the boulder and roll it away before it caused him any harm. Apparently the drummer had managed to fire it from the pillar her drum kit had been previously attached to. [b]”Then again, I think Vanessa is into smarter guys!”[/b] The guitarist landed on the boulder and started to run away from Alexander, but given that she was on top of a boulder, that just caused it to pick up speed and carry the guitarist towards Him. Alexander was shocked “[color=aba000]wait...what!? You’re actually flirting with people you just met, who are trying to beat you up!? I didn’t think you were [i]that[/i] crazy.[/color]” He made a barrier ramp over him, that would send the incoming boulder over him and into the air “[color=aba000]Also, ‘bedroom’, really? Isn’t that a little soon?[/color]” He noticed Lily’s slow moving arrows and sighed mentally ‘[color=aba000][i]I [/i]really[/i]hope you’ve got some kind of plan there Lily, because those don’t look like they’re going to hit anyone[/i][/color]’ The guitarist wasn’t watching where they were going, so they didn’t even notice they were going up a ramp until it was too late. [b]”What the helllllllllllll-”[/b] The boulder soared through the air before crashing into the ground, throwing the guitarist towards Vanessa. All the drummer had to do was extend her arms to catch the guitarist bridal style. [b]”Are you alright, Jessica?”[/b] The drummer raised an eyebrow. [b]”That guy’s shields are as dense as his skull!”[/b] She pointed at Alexander. [b]”I’ll have to soften it up later.”[/b] Vanessa looked at Lily, who was continuing her strategy. She was about half way done with the first floor. [b]”Let’s focus her down first. She might be easier.”[/b] [b]”Hell yea!”[/b] Jessica hopped out of Vanessa’s arms and hung off the side of the drum kit. Venessa stomped on her kick pedal, and the drum kit was once again launched into the air. She brought her drumsticks down on a symbol, then beat away on her drums. A stalagmite rose up between lily and Alexander and grew stone spikes, acting as a barrier. Using barrier platforms, Alexander was able to get over the stone wall and into the air. Spotting the drummer girl, he made one more barrier to launch himself off as he rocketed to her like a ballistic grumpy missile. While in mid flight, he covered himself in a more aerodynamic cone shaped barrier ‘ While the drum kit was still in the air, Jessica kicked off and flew towards Lily. She had enough momentum that she could run along the wall. Jessica held her guitar behind her back, ready for a mighty swing. Lily hoped that the girls ignored her by purposefully slowing her projectiles in order to set her technique into motion, but it seemed she didn’t have the luxury, quickly changing their minds after the drummer caught Jessica. But then, as she reeled back the name she heard in her mind, she lifted an eyebrow. [color=fff200]"Jessica...Have I...Heard that name before?"[/color] Then, as the guitarist came in for the swing, and Lily saw a particular sticker on the guitar, Lily realized it. [color=fff200]"NO FRICKING WAY!"[/color] She transformed her bow into a staff to block the attack, but Jessica was stronger, and slammed her right in the chest, causing her to recoil in pain. [color=fff200]"Jessica and Vanessa! I..Ugh...remember now!"[/color] She cartwheeled to avoid the following attack, and afterwards prepared to continue evasive maneuvers, shooting lightning bolts to keep her away, also looking out for the drummer’s advance. [color=fff200]"Do you remember me? I’m Lily Hanson, the girl from school!"[/color] Even if it seemed hopeless, she would still try to reach out to them. [color=aba000][i]Wait, what did Lily say? Does she actually know these two?[/i][/color]’ Alexander wondered, having only caught bits and pieces of what she said. [b]”!”[/b] Jessica ceased her swinging, allowing Lily to get a bit of distance. [b]”Really? You were a frickin’ magical girl?”[/b] Lily nodded to confirm Jessica’s question, hoping that they would be willing to talk now instead of trying to kill them. Vanessa landed just a few feet behind the guitarist. [b]”This doesn’t change much, does it? They came here to stop us.”[/b] [b]”I guess.”[/b] Jessica noticed the slow arrows were quite close to her now, and decided to swing her ax at them. At which point they restarted, traveling a bit faster now. Even if Lily was only able to do half of the lower floor, it was still enough to eventually turn the lower floor into a death trap. The rock stars seemed to notice this. Jessica groaned. [b]”Maybe we can capture them?”[/b] [b]”We can try. No promises.”[/b] Vanessa turned just in time to see Alexander headed straight for her. She immediately banged out an improv tune that threw several pillars up in front of herself, while the ground beneath Lily attempted to shackle her feet. The guitarist was approaching Lily, but more cautiously this time. She held her ax with one hand, and her other hand appeared to be holding a pair of stone handcuffs. [b]”Don’t knock ‘em until you’ve tried ‘em. That’s all I’m going to say!”[/b] Her footsteps became faster, and the restarting arrows had almost hit them again. Turns out, her wish came true...But not in a way she wanted, as she heard the two mentioning the possibility of capture. Having already seen how they could mold the earth to catch Alex, she predicted the wobbling ground beneath her to attempt the same, and jumped to avoid the shackles. [color=fff200]"Why are you doing this?"[/color] She asked. [color=fff200]"Music is supposed to be a gift to share with others, not used for destruction and vandalism."[/color] She turned her weapon into a bow, and pulled out two arrows; she deftly aimed them in a way that would allow her to shoot both witches simultaneously. She would release the arrows the moment either one of them would do anything aggressive or approach her. [color=fff200]"If you want to vent your frustrations, there’s so many better ways to do it! Now stop, or we won’t hold back!"[/color] It was her last attempt to end the fight peacefully. That was as much as she owed to the twins who reached out to her in the past. Alexander, who heard everything clearly this time, crashed through the chunk of stone in his way, but was slightly thrown off by it and missed his target. He dismissed his barrier and began to talk “[color=aba000]Wait, I’m confused; are we fighting or not? We were told that there were a couple of witches causing trouble here, and we came to clear them out...but you two seem to actually know Lily, and even go to the same school as her. So…?[/color]” Vanessa had been startled by Alexander’s sudden appearance, but wasn’t about to stop her performance. She raked her drumsticks across the symbols before slamming them into one of her drums. Her drum kit had been walled off from all the incoming arrows, and a pillar shot out from behind Lily and intercepted her mid-air. Before Vanessa could retaliate against Alexander, he brought the back of his hand across her face, throwing her over the drum kit and into the stone barrier she made. The rockstars might have quick reaction times and hardy defenses, but the drummer herself did not inherit the sturdy quality of her specialization. She rebounded off the wall before collapsing on her drum kit, her arms and legs hanging off the drums. The drums sticks rolled out of Vanessa’s hands as she made an anguished moan. Lily was able to fire at Jessica, but the sudden hit from behind threw off her aim. One of her arrows grazed the guitarist’s cheek, while the other one found its way into her femur. Jessica grit her teeth, and fell to one knee. Before Lily fell onto the ground, stone-like tendrils emerged from the earth and caught her, only to coil around her limbs. Jessica and Lily were below the incoming arrows, which were on their third pass through the Plaza. Forth, fifth... [b]”Lily, I play music for one reason, and one reason only.”[/b] She dropped the shackles and stroked Lily’s face as more stony appendages wrapped around the lightning girl. [b]”To express myself artistically. If the world wasn’t so destructive, I wouldn’t be so destructive.”[/b] Jessica batted Lily’s weapon out of her hand, which skidded across the floor. [b]”I’m going to deal with your boyfriend, then we can talk as much as you like.”[/b] Jessica turned around and walked towards Alexander. She remained crouched, as the arrows overhead were moving fast enough to cause her harm. This prevented Jessica from taking advantage of her superior running speed. Lily’s strategy seemed to be working. Lily’s head hung low, her eyes shaded by her hair. She visibly trembled, still bound by the rings of stone. [color=fff200]"That...is your reason? Just because something’s gone wrong, you have to make it worse? Just because of that, you’d spread chaos even further?"[/color] She grit her teeth, and then lifted her eyes up to her; they burned with rage. [color=fff200]"That...That’s just an excuse! A weak reason to do terrible things! You don’t have any passion for music, no artistic value! You only care about how to use your music! To hurt others!"[/color] Her eyes developed a ring of Roman numbers that circled her whites, counting up to twelve. [color=fff200]"I’ll never forgive...Girls like you!"[/color] Clock hands then formed, and they turned back a full revolution. At that moment, Lily disappeared, causing the rocky bonds to fall and crumble. Jessica then heard the furious girl’s voice above her; she had moved her body back in time to the point she launched herself off the wall. Her body had grown taller and more defined, and her hair grew long, currents of electricity zapping across the strands as if she was rapidly aged to a woman in her thirties; a new form of Monstrous Metamorphosis, now also warped by her Time-magic instead of only Lightning. Instead of before, when she was moving higher up, she had lifted her staff in a double-handed grip; it crackled and glowed with a great yellow light. She swung the staff down, and an axe-blade of brilliantly shining lightning formed, the edge of the blade sharpened to single electrons; it was a Killing Blow capable of splitting matter at the subatomic level. [img]https://i.imgur.com/87Q2kAs.jpg[/img] [color=fff200]"[b]UKKO’S AXE![/b]"[/color] A yellow light, and once it faded Lilly collapsed to the floor, bruising and scraping herself upon scattered rubble strewn all over the place. Lily’s time arrows had vanished along with her magical girl outfit. After such an outburst Lily was both physically and mentally exhausted she collapsed to one knee, panting, her glasses askew on her face. [b]”You don’t really think that’s true, do you Lily?”[/b] Jessica seemed to have rolled out of the way of the attack, as there was a perfect scorch mark to her right where the blow had landed. [b]”I’ve fantasized about going on a date with you. Even after I heard you had a boyfriend I still dreamed about stealing you away.”[/b] Blood oozed out of Jessica’s shoulder. [b]”But magical girl life is complicated. You end up spending most of your time doing the bidding of your patron, if only because you’re scared of them. And when that thing you obsess about vanishes for a few months, well…”[/b] She lowered her head. [b]”I guess we’re not going to get to talk after all. But it was nice to see you again.”[/b] Jessica collapsed, as her arm and leg separated from her body. The battle was over. Alexander let out a sigh “[color=aba000]Well that was way more awkward and dramatic then I expected.[/color]” He walked up the fallen Jessica and kelt down by her. Then, one by one, he reattached her limbs with healing magic. Once she was in one piece again, he walked over to Lily and helped her to her feat “[color=aba000]Can you stand on your own?[/color]” [color=fff200]"I-I can, just let me...there."[/color] Lily stumbled back up, wincing a bit from the pain on her knees and elbows from the scrapes she got. She also felt exhausted, shaking a bit as she leaned on Alex for support. She looked at Vanessa, and spoke quietly. [color=fff200]"I should have known...I had the chance to help them, but I didn’t. They had no friends, nobody to tell them right from wrong."[/color] Though Jessica was back in one piece, the pool of blood around her was a reminder of the wrath that led her to commit such a grisly act. She dropped to her knees, holding her face in her hands. [color=fff200]"It’s all my fault. I wasn’t the friend they needed, I was always so distracted, I..."[/color] Tears began flowing from under her palms. After a short moment, she wiped her cheeks. [color=fff200]"Maybe...Alicia can help them. Purifying them wouldn’t hurt, right Alex?"[/color] She looked up at him with wet eyes; her glasses were still crooked. Alexander shook his head“[color=aba000]Not hurt, per say, but it might feel disorientating if they’re corrupted enough.[/color]” [b]”Would that really do anything?”[/b] Vanessa was still hanging off of her drum kit. [b]”I appreciate your attempt to spare us, but being a group of angry witches is just a rumor. We are Mint agents.”[/b] She closed her eyes with a sigh. [b]”I doubt they will forgive our failure here.”[/b] Lily was startled by Vanessa's voice, and hid behind Alex. [color=fff200]"Yiih! You’re still conscious?!"[/color] But it seemed she wasn’t in fighting condition, and Lily gradually lifted herself up to meet her eyes. [color=fff200]"Wait, did you say Mint? I...I think I’ve heard of them before."[/color] She adjusted her glasses. [color=fff200]"Wasn’t Mrs. Veronica an ex-member, or something? So they must be a bad group. Why would you work for people who want you to destroy stuff?"[/color] She asked, wanting to learn more. “[color=aba000]A better question is; what was your job?[/color]” Alexander spoke up “[color=aba000]I thought you both were just messing around, but you just said that you ‘failed’ here. What exactly did you ‘fail’ to do? Because what little I know about the Mint is that they’re basically a capitalist cult, and random destruction doesn’t seem very profitable to me.[/color]” Vanessa’s eyes moved onto Alex. [b]”Pardon the brief summary, but my head is pounding right now.”[/b] She winced. [b]”The Mint has complex motivations. Nothing they do is ever straight forward. They’ll tell you to call up a pub to complain about a pizza, and somehow that will factor into a suicide bombing at city hall.”[/b] The drummer closed her eyes. [b]”Naturally, we are not told why we do these things. For all I know, you stopping us could have been part of their plans all along. If you’re here, you’re not somewhere else. Regardless if our failure was predetermined or not, the Mint is surely running out of uses for us.”[/b] Vanessa looked to Lily. [b]”As for the ‘why’, Jessica said it herself. We feared the Mint. They beat us, slew our puchuu, and our options were to convert or die. I do not pretend to be a brave person.”[/b] She seemed to briefly lose conscientiousness before forcing herself awake. [b]”I am aware of our situation, and I do not pretend that you two owe us anything. I will cooperate with anything you want us to do, and I’m sure Jessica will agree. If you want this ‘Alicia’ to purify us, we can do that. But then we’re going to need employment. Someone who isn’t afraid of taking on two former Mint agents.”[/b] Lily sighed, having managed to calm down. [color=fff200]"I see…"[/color] She held her arm, looking aside. [color=fff200]"But, even so...Don't worry, okay? Alicia told me that these White Coins the Beacon uses can replace your old Patron's magic with theirs. They're not some crazy inquisition like everyone thinks they are. If you go to them, they will save you from the Mint."[/color] She sniffed, and went over to take Vanessa's hand, helping her up to sit. [color=fff200]"I promise you. So please, give them a chance."[/color] With a groan, Vanessa sat up. [b]”Are you sure?”[/b] Alexander nodded “[color=aba000]The local Beacon has mellowed out [i]a lot[/i]. If you go to them, tell them your story, and then ask to join up, as long as you play by their rules, you should be fine. It’s the out of towners that you have to be worried about; these ‘Ascendancy’ people. They [i]are[/i] basicly a magical inquisition. But if you join Beacon, and don’t look like monster girls, then they should ignore you. Honestly, if you want to get away from Beacon, then they are a really good bet. Since I really doubt that the Mint is willing to start a war with Beacon over you two, no offense.[/color]” Vanessa stared off into space, not making eye contact with either Lily or Alexander. [b]”If this Beacon is as benevolent as you believe, then we can cast our lot in with them.”[/b] A shuffling sound had everyone turning towards Jessica. It seemed that she had woken up. She forced herself onto her knees and looked at her hands. [b]”No way.”[/b] she grabbed her shoulder. [b]”My past was flashing before my eyes I should be dead!”[/b] She chuckled. [b]”Some emo rock band we turned out to-”[/b] Her eyes locked on Vanessa and Lily’s hand, which were still locked together. [b]”Hey!”[/b] [b]”Tch!”[/b] Vanessa released Lily’s hand. [b]”How much of the conversation did you hear?”[/b] [b]”All of it.”[/b] The drummer placed her hand under her chin. [b]”And does that sound good with you?”[/b] With a sigh, Jessica looked at the ground. [b]”Beats what we’ve been doing. Doesn’t seem like we have much of a future otherwise.”[/b] She shrugged her shoulders. [b]”I’ll be really sad if we have to turn into a Christian rock band though.”[/b] Lily gave a wary smile as she put her phone to her ear. [color=fff200]”Well, I don’t know if they care about your style of music, heh...”[/color] After a moment of talking, Lily put the phone back in her pocket, and addressed the rock girls. [color=fff200]”I explained the situation to Alicia. She said she’ll send Beacon girls with White Coins here. We can, uh...Keep you company while you wait.”[/color] She glanced towards Alex, hoping he’d agree with her. Alexander shrugged at Lily’s glance and sat down on a barrier he just made. [color=fff200]”Umm...I know we just fought...And I...Said some hurtful things...Did hurtful things...”[/color] She bit her lip hard. [color=fff200]”I’m sorry. I hope that someday, we can be friends again.”[/color] Vanessa sighed. [b]”I’m sure it’s going to be fine.”[/b] [b]”Just make sure you visit us, okay?”[/b] Jessica looked at the pool of blood she was kneeling in. [b]”Is that [i]my[/i] blood? How am I even alive?”[/b] [hr] No one would notice, but they were being watched. An individual cloaked in magic pulled his head away from a slit in the canvis top of the mall. [b]”It would seem both of our plans worked.”[/b] With a wave of his hand, Vermin Killer’s magical cloak dissipated. Contrary to what many might think, the Mint cared a great deal more about their members than most. People were a resource, and even the less useful ones still had a use. That was why entering into their ranks was so easy. Best case scenario, your new talent turns out to be pretty good. Worst case scenario, you ended up with weaker girls who could at least act as a distraction. And even if you were to die, you’d come back ready to serve a few decades later. No, the Mint was a [i]loving[/i] group that could never forget anyone who served them. Even if the rock stars were no longer affiliated with Mint, they still had a debt to pay. And it was just like Al said: everyone paid up eventually. [b]”Ciao, friends.”[/b] With a snap of his fingers, Vermin Killer dispersed into a flock of crows.