[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/YATXLVP.png[/img] [h1]Diamonds are Forever[/h1] [h2]Starring: ‘Thinking With Portals’ [color=077ae6]M[/color]ariette ‘Obliquely Fourth Wall’ [color=tomato]O[/color]ros[/h2][/center] [hider=Oros][center][h1][color=Tomato]O[/color]ros[/h1] [b]Age: 60/15 | Gender: Female/Female | Beast, Gravity | Skimpy Katana | Tentacles, Hammerspace | Aighorost Gifted, Elemental, Bestial, Void Touched, Innate Awareness, Awareness, Numb, Mystic artifact Minions, Reasonable, Magical overload, Transport, Gifted Item | Insomnia, Mind bent, Big brother, Clueless, Monstrous form Thick skinned, Second Specialization | Sentinel, Devourer[/b] STR: 04 | AGI: 05 | VIT: 04 | MAG: 04 | LCK: 03 STR: 12 | AGI: 12 | VIT: 11 | MAG: 10 | LCK: 07 [/center][/hider][hider=Mariette][i]Specialization:[/i] Portals, Light [i]Power:[/i] Tentacles [i]Perks:[/i] Gifted, I. Home, Blood M., Overcity S., I. Tourist, H. Handbag, Allies, Aware, A. Direction [i]Benefits:[/i] C. Doom, Reason, Minions, Retrieval, M. Might, Mana Font. [i]Drawbacks:[/i] Quick-T., Mind-Bent, Insomnia, Bane, H. Sapping [i]Str:[/i] 4 [i]Agi:[/i] 4 [i]Vit:[/i] 4 [i]Mag:[/i] 22 [i]Lck:[/i] 10[/hider] Asi stated by the placed bounty, the crystal monster had taken up residence in a subway station. With the evacuation there were less passengers traveling overall, particularly after the disturbances of the past days. That meant those stations which typically saw low traffic were even less inhabited, making it perfect for any beast that might seek to make a lair out of them. The station in particular was further from the downtown area, away from the port and the residential areas. This was likely why there was less traffic to it. It was on one of the branch lines, which ran a bit further down before heading back up and into the city. A plaza was in front of the entrance to the subway itself, with a modestly sized fountain that was currently turned off for the winter season, as well as a statue to one of the cities historical founders of note. More importantly were the small crystals that could be seen growing from the ground, piercing through pavement and concrete in jagged clusters of the technicolor spectrum. This was a result of the spreading influence let loose by the monster inside. One could feel it in their bones, the alien energy of another world that radiated from the crystals, the taste of the air as it shifted. Left unchecked it would only grow more prevalent and spread further. But that was the purpose of the bounty. The call had gone out, and it had been answered. Now it was for those who had taken on the mantle of responsibility to challenge this foe in its lair and vanquish it….. … Or simply relocate it. After all, who’d know the difference if Mariette simply had the core offered to Asengav? At the very least, that was what she was planning on attempting. Mariette stood on top of a portal directed to the floor of a building some distance away, and then simply moved the portal forward as to float towards her target on a platform. In preparation, she put her arm into a portal, fired multiple beams of light over several seconds, and trapped these bolts of light into an endless loop between two portals within that same room so that she would have their firepower at a moment’s notice later on. Returning her arm, she looked down at Bunny, clasped under her arm, and then brought down her face to nuzzle her stuffed toy a bit, before opening her Hammerspace Handbag portal and placing him inside, right next to his wife Bunny recently made by Nuncio. Could get dangerous, would rather not hold him. So, Mariette now faced forward, towards the entrance of the subway, floating above the crystal-pierced ground… Now, wasn’t there someone else that had also answered the call? [color=tomato]“This hunt again!?”[/color] An angry pink haired shrine maiden had her sword drawn, and was closing in on the monster’s lair. [color=tomato]“It hasn’t even been three months and the grand magistrate sees fit to give us a re-skin of a quest!”[/color] She scoffed. [color=tomato]“What is this, a JRPG? Oh nooooooo that would have been a [i]palette swap[/i]!”[/color] After her outburst, she started to chuckle. [color=tomato]“Let’s hope Sakura didn’t get this one. Maybe the outcome will be a little different.”[/color] She sniffed the air, and her nose guided her head in Mariette’s direction. [color=tomato]“Holy shit, what the hell smells so good?”[/color] The shrine maiden sheathed her weapon and galloped towards Mariette on all fours. Once she reached that sweet spot where she was in the portal witch’s vicinity but also far enough away as to not be a threat, she stood up and dusted off her hands. [color=tomato]“Hahaha! The hell are you doing out here by yourself? Don’t you have minions to do this sort of thing?”[/color] The maiden placed her hands on her hips. [color=tomato]“Let’s get the introductions out of the way so that we can start this hunt proper.”[/color] She placed a hand on her chest. [color=tomato]“I’m Oros. You’re Mary. Since you don’t have any minions, you’re going to need a bodyguard.”[/color] Her eyelids lowered in a seductive manner. [color=tomato]”A guard… for your body.”[/color] She hugged herself. [color=tomato]”And I’m in need of a body… to guard.”[/color] Mariette was gently opening a couple tiny portals from her eye to around her to see in all directions and not be caught off-guard, was promptly caught off-guard by the shrine maiden chasing at her direction on all fours and was almost in a state of shooting her with a blast of light while drifting away on the portal she was standing on before Oros came to a stop, Mariette looking at her somewhat in alarm, not having fired yet. Still, then she could calm down and hear her out. [color=077ae6]‘… There are some things my minions aren’t suited to handle. Very well, Oros. You may guard me during this mission. … At a distance. Over there. Without touching. Stay in front of me,’[/color] Mariette said, a bit uncomfortable with Oros’ mannerism towards the end, there. [color=077ae6]‘Leave the scouting and supporting firepower to me. My portals will ensure distance is not a factor. What of you? What capabilities do you hold?’[/color] Oros did as was instructed. Her hips swung with each step, like she was a fashion model. [color=tomato]”I’m glad you specified ‘over there’ and ‘without touching,’ because I would have tickled your butt with a tentacle.”[/color] Oros rolled her shoulders before settling in place. She didn’t take her eyes off Mariette. [color=tomato]”Other than tickle torture, I can do this thing where anything within reach of my sword gets stabbed. I’m also pretty good at getting stabbed, bludgeoned, and whatever else my partner can throw at me. And I’ve got a nifty space filled with useless shit.”[/color] She reached into her robes and pulled out a desk lamp. [color=tomato]”But there’s more to me than my kit, Mary. You sure you don’t want to talk about my other interests? Maybe my tragic backstory or something?”[/color] [color=077ae6]‘My b…? Why would you…?’[/color] Mariette looked perplexed. She didn't get it. Then Oros said, in an actually slightly amusing way, that she's a physical Magical Girl with Hammerspace. Okay. Then that last point… Mariette visibly reeled. Sure, she knew she was supposed to make allies whenever she could, to make it less likely the entire town would try to destroy her when the time came, and additionally, she had a report on Oros from the park event… but, like, watching Oros movements was making her uncomfortable… Still, she… [color=077ae6]‘W… w… wwww…’[/color] Mariette sighed. [color=077ae6]‘… Wwwwwould you like to exchange phone numbers so that we may attempt saving one another from trouble in the future?’[/color] Mariette asked, awkwardly. Oros shook her head with a chuckle, and a phone appeared in her hand. [color=tomato]”Pumpkin, you can save me any day of the week. So long as my ‘trouble’ is being really frickin’ bored.”[/color] She navigated through the menus until she got to her number, which she displayed for Mariette. When Mariette shared her number, Oros programmed it in. [color=tomato]”And of course I’ll save you Mary. if I don’t save your sorry ass when it’s in trouble, how will I be able to tickle it? GAHAHAHA!”[/color] Oros stashed her phone. [color=tomato]”Anyway, I get it. You’re all business because you don’t want to wait three months to finish the hunt. That’s fine, I’ve got your number and your scent.”[/color] She turned towards the subway. Every muscle in her body tensed up, and her hand came down on the hilt of her blade. [color=tomato]”You wanted to scout, right?”[/color] Oros lurched forward. [color=tomato]”Direct me, and I’ll follow.”[/color] Mariette was a bit confused by the constant references to the rear end, but she was thankful to get the number, anyway. So, she nodded to the having number and scent after a while. [color=077ae6]‘Thank you,’[/color] she simply said, and then the both of them could face towards the subway. [color=077ae6]‘Alright. My portals will go first. Then we’ll see,’[/color] Mariette said, and held forward her hand-mirror. Multiple portals formed, half forming a wall in front of both of them and the other half forming a geometric shape looking in most directions (including up and down) further forward, letting them look in all directions through the wall and at everything surrounding the “scout”. She then let the geometric shape of portals drift inside the station, to scout out how it looked inside, them able to see in most directions from it by the use of the wall of portals before them, at a notable distance for their own safety. Now, the “scout” had no agility at all, if it was attacked it’d be destroyed if the attacks hit the edges or the attacks would pass straight through the portals. [color=077ae6]‘Be wary that enemy attacks may pass through my portals,’[/color] Mariette warned, raising her own tentacles from her shadow just in case. [color=tomato]”Things can pass through your portals? Impossible!”[/color] Oros didn’t look away from the portal wall. [color=tomato]”I feel like I should be in there. Hopefully we you find something soon.”[/color] Oros might not have been able to participate directly, but her bestial senses were far greater than any humans, and most magical girls. Downwards the scout descended into the station. It moved along long hallways, past opened and emptied rooms as they drew nearer to the train platforms. At least the avenues of attack were relatively limited in this space. At first things seemed fairly normal. A normal train station, no worse off than the plaza outside was. But as the scout moved further in the environment began to change. The oppressive feeling of alien magic hung in the air, with groupings of multicolored crystals stabbing out from the walls, floor, and ceiling at seemingly random intervalds. The tile floor grew increasingly cracked until it vanished entirely, replaced by cavernous stone. Crystals and stone were not the only addition to this place. As it drew near the steps that led to the platform, the scout would see a pool of black liquid, viscous and impenetrable. Crystals floated within it, and with reduced distance the pool began to stir. Ripples raced across its surface in unseen tremors agitating it. The liquid then began to rise into the air, drawing together and coalescing into a [url=https://i.imgur.com/BrNydn6.jpg]bipedal form[/url] A grinding shriek filled the air as it finished constituting itself, before it turned. It then leapt at the portals, sharp claws outstretched and ready to gouge at the magical girls who seemingly laid in wait so close. This being did not seem to have the magical strength to accomplish what had been done here, merely a minion rather than the true boss. Just another obstacle on the path to resolving this situation. Oros sprinted forward. The creature’s thrust came through the portal, and she turned her body sideways. Her sword scraped along the creature’s crystalline arm, causing a few sparks to fly. She used her empty hand to grab hold of the creature’s arm. Though as she reached, her arm took on the same features as the monster she was fighting. Her fingers became long like talons, her flesh became black liquid, and her bones and nails were radiant crystal. She tugged on the creature’s arm to pull it off balance before thrusting her sword into its head. [color=tomato]”A new one for the bestiary!”[/color] Hm, that was an interesting creature. Mariette considered if she could cripple it and lock it up for examination- aaaaaaaand Oros was already upon it. Mariette grunted a bit but started to walk forward towards the portals, raising the hand with her hand-mirror to potentially shoot a blast of light if Oros looked like she needed the support. Mariette then wandered through one of her own portals and onto another portal, because she couldn’t bring normal portals through portals, but she didn’t want to stand on this ground in fear of crystal sprouting whenever, so onto another platform portal it was. She then shut the scout and replaced it with tiny portals linking directly to her eye that looked in various directions right next to her body, including down and up, and then trust her awareness and tentacles to catch any further attack. Then she drifted after Oros for now. While throwing the beast off balance was less effective than what one might have desired, the sword to the head did the job just fine. Threw was a screech and the shattering of crystal, and for a moment the monster stiffened. Then it began to dissolve, the energy from the crystal body no longer present to keep it constituted now that it had been destroyed. The liquid flowed back down into a puddle, only dirtying Oros’ outfit a little bit in the process. [color=tomato]”Felled in one shot! Haha!”[/color] Oros looked at their outfit. [color=tomato]”Normally I’d wear my enemy’s gore with pride, but this shit is COLD!”[/color] Her crystalline arm acted as a part of the construct, and it drew the black liquid off of her outfit. Once she had it all gathered up, she flicked it away, leaving her outfit in pristine condition. [color=tomato]”So did you see that Mary? You didn’t wanna-”[/color] The portal scout closed, causing the portal wall, too, to close up. [color=tomato]”Mary? Mary!? [url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2VHoS_C5Quc]MARY!!![/url]”[/color] Oros’s arm returned to normal, and she galloped into the subway. With the creature destroyed, Mariette could proceed unimpeded down the stairs to the main platform area. Where once there would have been turnstiles now there were no longer any such obstacles. However she would be able to see a couple of those same pools of black liquid up ahead, providing another nuisance to deal with as they plunged deeper into the lair. [color=tomato]”There you are!”[/color] Oros slowed her approacht. She looked visibly pale, but color returned to her face when Mariette was in sight. [color=tomato]”Are you upset that I killed that creature so quickly?”[/color] She bowed her head and turned towards the puddles. [color=tomato]”If so, you take these next two if you’d like. I’ll only intervene if they get close.”[/color] She stepped in front of Mariette and faced the puddles. Now, Mariette hadn’t really been intending to leave Oros behind, simply figuring the girl would have no trouble catching up again. Mariette looked with the mildest of befuddlement back when she heard Oros scream after her behind, and then kept looking the same as Oros looked so pale when she appeared. Still, the offer to destroy those creatures herself… [color=077ae6]‘I’ll accept your generous offer,’[/color] Mariette said. Mariette blasted a modestly weak shot of light at each of the puddles of liquid, simply intent on waking the beasts up, for they were far easier to handle when they were in a humanoid shape. She then reached out in her dimensional space so that her portal-range encompassed the entities, so that next she could make portals appear from in front of her to around them, after which she shot precision blasts of light to start needling off their limbs. Assuming everything went as intended, she’d then open an array of small portals around her directly to the crystal minions that her tentacles dove through, intent on gripping and restraining the minions. Should that be successful, she’d open a portal to her Interdimensional Home, to the protected Void Room, on the ground in front of her using her hand-mirror, and then one by one create a portal underneath the crystal minions directly to the hole in reality to have her tentacles pull them into her storehouse from which she could sacrifice them to Asengav… if everything went smoothly, anyway. The shots would wake up the monsters, as she had intended. However, one would also note something odd occurring. As the second ball of light flew forwards, it passed by one of the clusters of crystals coming out of the wall. The glow of said crystals began to rise, illuminating particulates floating in the air. Conversely the glow of the ball of light magic seemed to diminish, almost as if it was losing energy. Strange. Screeches of anger and frustration filled the air as Mariette unleashed her tentacles on the beasts. They tried to slash with sharp claws but found little purchase with how they were restrained.Instead the inky blackness that made up their forms began moving along her tentacles as if intent on going directly back to the source. One of them did get free by outright separating its arm, but it had to regrow the limb and did not have enough time to complete that before both it and its companion were pulled down into her Void Room. It seemed that this had all gone pretty well so far. [color=tomato]”Oh right, I forgot you had tentacles.”[/color] Oros looked over her shoulder. [color=tomato]”Anyway, I hope you don’t mind me saying that was kind of sloppy. That one there almost got away.”[/color] She pointed at herself with her thumb. [color=tomato]”You should practice with me. I could give you all kinds of pointers.”[/color] Her toothy grin was so big she had to close her eyes to display it. She turned back towards the severed arm, which had become a puddle. [color=tomato]”So what do we know about these creatures? It seems their cores are able to manipulate the black gunk however they please, and the crystal formations on the wall absorb your light magic.”[/color] She scratched her chin. [color=tomato]”I feel like this is going to be important when we come across the main creature. We need to learn as much as we can now.”[/color] She squinted her eyes. [color=tomato]”But what happens if a person moves closer to a charged crystal?”[/color] She stared at it for a few seconds before raising her sword in the air. [color=tomato]”Steel yourself Mary! I’m going to take one for the team! Gahahahaha!”[/color] Oros charged towards the glowing crystal. [color=077ae6]‘It did not get away,’[/color] Mariette firmly said, absolutely minding, though her gaze was currently on the crystal that had seemingly sapped the blast’s powers. Did their foe have magic-draining abilities? If so, this could be troublesome… but also of much greater value should they manage to capture it. Better send something to test it out… … … [color=077ae6]‘Sure. Knock yourself out,’[/color] Mariette responded to Oros statements and simply kept herself ready to open portals and have tentacles grab her to pull her back and save her if something went awry. As Oros charged forwards, the crystal would react to her presence once she drew close enough. A burst of colored lightning reached out from the pointed tip of the cluster, striking the girl and filling the air around her. Fortunately it had not absorbed much energy from the previous magical attack so any potential harm that might come of it was significantly reduced. It also seemed to be limited to that ‘cloud’ that they had witnessed when Mariette was fighting the monsters, so it had been an informative experiment too. [color=tomato]”Hah! That felt invigorating!”[/color] Oros’s hair was standing up on her head. Save her pony tail, which froze in the shape of a jagged lightning bolt. [color=tomato]”Do I look better like this? I don’t have a mirror on me.”[/color] She sheathed her sword. [color=tomato]”Let’s get a move on. I’ll stay in front of you just like before.”[/color] [color=077ae6]‘…’[/color] Mariette stared at the crystal/what may remain of it. She then extended a tentacle and checked if that one would be absorbed, too. It was magic, but it wasn’t specialization magic, so to say. If the tentacle was unaffected, she’d have it grab a piece of crystal, before dropping that, too, into the Void Room. If it was affected, guess she’d abstain for now. [color=077ae6]‘You look fine. Let’s move on,’[/color] Mariette said, opening some portals a bit further in to scout but keeping those around her looking about as they went further in. All while Oros giggled to herself. Mariette would find that the crystal did not react to the presence of her tentacle. A sample was thus easily retrieved and stored in her void room before the duo progressed onwards. Proceeding to the train station platforms, they would find that mundane reality had shifted to whatever strange world their foe came from. Tile and dull white had transformed to stone and crystal. While the tracks were still there, no doubt in time they would vanish as well. And at one end of the platform was a ramp that went downwards, turning this place into a multi-leveled cavern. Clusters of crystal jutted from stone, meshing with shimmering pillars of light and more exotic formations. While not impossible to avoid, they were certainly more prevalent here. Foreign magic hung heavy in the air, and the further in they moved the more Oros would notice herself becoming lighter. It was as if the alien nature of whatever was here was warring with the gravity and physics itself. Mariette would not feel the same though, thanks to her portal magic enabling her movement. The third layer would be the bottom, with pools of black liquid similar to those above dotting around the area. In the middle of the floor was a series of four crystal spires in a ring. These glowed differently, more vibrantly than the others. Close inspection could see that they were engraved with some alien language, and a mist flowed around them for some strange purpose. And floating in the middle of that circle was a [url=https://mir-s3-cdn-cf.behance.net/project_modules/max_1200/f2ae1f44964327.5823725adc583.jpg]large[/url] being. No doubt the mastermind behind all of this, it loomed over both Oros and Mariette. The time to settle this was at hand. As they moved along, Mariette would reach out with tentacles and break more crystals as if they were prevalently in the way for a potential action-sequence, perhaps dropping a few more of them into the portal to the Void Room but then throwing others to the side, simply. Then, there was the great monster that they’d come here to engage, and it was something, alright. A thrust from one of those weapons was sure to be the end of an unprepared Magical Girl. Mariette raised a hand towards it. [color=077ae6]‘Are you prepared?’[/color] Mariette asked. [color=077ae6]‘Hm, those four crystals around it… it’s possible a magical assault would be ineffective,’[/color] Mariette plainly stated. … This followed with Mariette’s tentacles lifting a couple of those crystals, pulling back in a preparation to throw. [color=tomato]”Not quite Mariette, I need to enjoy this just a second or so longer.”[/color] Oros’s eyes were transfixed on her chest as she hopped straight up and down. [color=tomato]”Sloooooow motiooooon jiggle physics!”[/color] She looked to Mariette and, sensing her disappointment, shrugged her shoulders. [color=tomato]”I mean I can’t do a bay watch joke because Lily beat me to it last season. Anyway, let’s prep.”[/color] Oros walked around Mariette in a circle and pulled out several stone slabs. The alien etching on the side made them look like sacrificial alters, and the blood stains on a few of them further promoted that idea. After lowering her sixth one, she dusted off her hands. [color=tomato]”There we go. I’m sure you can do something with these.”[/color] She turned to face the giant creature. [color=tomato]”I’m going to refer to him as the BAMF from here on out, okay?”[/color] Oros looked at the BAMF and squinted her eyes. Mariette gave Oros a confused look about the “slow motion jiggle physics”. She didn’t get it. Though, then she nodded about being able to do something with the stone slabs. She just walks around with stone slabs, huh. Now, then. [color=077ae6]‘Bamf it is,’[/color] albeit Mariette had no idea where that expression came from. The largest obstacle with giving humans the ability to fly is that they are three times heavier than they should be, and thus need large wings that no human would be strong enough to flap. Fortunately, Oros was far stronger than three grown men. A pair of butterfly wings popped out of her back, giving her the appearance of a dark fairy. Insect wings like these were preferable to bird wings for a few reasons. Butterflies were one of the few creatures that could hover in place, were plenty nimble, and it freed up her arms to hold her sword and other objects. The only downside that Oros had considered was that her wings were frail, and herflying speed was lower than it would be with a pair of avian wings. [color=tomato]”Just open a portal for me if you need me back here. But I’m taking the fight right to this BAMF!”[/color] With a powerful sprint, Oros darted towards the BAMF at full speed, using her gravity magic to keep her traction up. Before she got too close to the crystals, she’d arm herself with a metal dagger courtesy of her hammerspace and chuck it at one of the crystals. As the duo moved in the crystalline monster would respond to their presence. It turned, a low whine filling the air as it protested their presence here. The dagger flew out, impacting the crystal before bouncing away. No surprise there, it was tougher than your average rock when up against mundane weapons. Any cracks that might have been present remained small, for now. Then Oros had more to worry about as crystals rose from the ground and shot towards her like javelins. With the sharp tips that they had, getting hit was going to hurt. At the same time the pools of black ink coalesced into more of those monsters that the duo had faced before. They would rush forwards, targeting whichever girl was nearest and forcing both to contend with at least a handful of foes while the main enemy continued to launch its crystal projectiles at them. [color=tomato]”Shitsicles!”[/color] With crystals coming at her and enemies coming from either side, things looked bad for Oros. She made a sharp turn and ran straight for one of the mobs headed her way. The incoming crystal shards now had to turn mid air or lead their target if they wanted to hit her. [color=tomato]”Alright bro, it’s just you and-”[/color] Oros reached over her head, and a metal cage slightly bigger than two of the creatures appeared in her hands. It had metal bars on all four walls, a solid roof, and no floor. She hopped into the air and slammed it down on top of them. [color=tomato]”Yoink!”[/color] Oros cut off her gravity magic and pushed off the cage, allowing her to soar into a loop as the crystals still trailed her. She attempted to fly beside the rest of the mob so that the incoming crystal projectiles would strike them first. [color=tomato]”How are you holding up, Mary?”[/color] Hm, Mariette thought as she looked on. More enemies formed. Very well, then. She opened portals under the rock slabs that Oros had presented to her, leading to somewhat above where the rock slabs had been lying. This led to them immediately starting to fall, and reaching some horrific falling speeds as the portals formed an eternal tunnel around her. Her tentacles lashed out at the creatures closest to her, and… then she opened a new portal, rerouting the falling rock slabs so they would fly out at the optimum angle to utterly demolish as many of the opposing minions as possible, and then she sent one of the rock slabs falling at terminal velocity towards one of the four crystals surrounding their foe for the sake of it. She grabbed some of the remaining rock slabs with her tentacles to use as shields if needed. Or to slam down any remaining enemy minions with, her tentacles wielding them as weapons and swinging about to slam them out of her way. [color=077ae6]‘I’m doing relatively fine, thank you,’[/color] Mariette answered Oros, mostly because the big foe wasn’t shooting at her yet. Let’s see if that would change after she directed her firepower at it. Oros would quickly learn that the crystal projectiles did not have homing capability, so a simple dodge was enough to safeguard herself from them. Her cage trap was more effective, leaving the minions trapped. They hammered at the sides before approaching things from a more tactical angle, wrapping the bars in that black substance. With her Awareness, Oros could see the metal bars begin changing into the same sort of crystal that comprised their bodies. That could be a problem later. With more crystals incoming, the other minions trying to attack her would suffer as well. Someone would have limbs severed, forced to fall back and regrow them before they could rejoin the fight. Only one or two fell permanently, but with the rest of the damage done it meant there were only two left to leap at her. They claws glittered, seeking to scratch and tear at whatever they could reach. Mariette’s rock trick would smash many of the minions who had risen up as well, before they could reach either magical girl present. While a handful were able to reform, more had been destroyed to such an extent where they were simply dead. Yet that did not stop more minions from emerging, rising from black ooze and answering the call of their master. As for the remaining rock, that was when the Creature would reveal a new trick. The glow of light radiating from its core intensified, traveling up its long arms. When they were brought together a radiant beam of energy lashed out, shattering the rock slab before sweeping towards Mariette. It would go for several seconds before ending, leaving them a new danger to deal with. Mariette was considering that it was probably a good idea to dispose of the liquid, when suddenly Bamf shot a huge laser first taking out the rock and then sliding towards her. Well. Sweeping lasers were a problem, they couldn’t be portalled because they’d just hit the edge first- The portal girl dove headfirst into a portal to the other side of big, crystal and ugly, trying to make it low to make sure she didn’t hurt herself too badly when she hit the ground. She made one of her tentacles raise a stone slab in defense as she did, but as the monster had just demonstrated, they wouldn’t be a very capable defense. Mariette’s next course of action would be decided if she managed to hit the floor safely. Meanwhile, Oros had changed the composition of her body again. Her arms and legs had turned into that black matter her enemies were made out of, with crystal cores acting as her bone structure. She had just dispatched the two creatures that had jumped at her with a single swing of her katana. [color=tomato]”These guys are kind of cool!”[/color] The crystal barrage had momentarily stopped, and the minions in the immediate vicinity had been vanquished. It was Oros’s cue to move. She hopped back into the air and flew towards the BAMF. [color=tomato]”Let’s see if it’s immune to monster damage!”[/color] Oros had been splattered with some of the foreign black substance. She snapped off her ‘pinkie’ and used that to act as a core for all the extra material. The pinky crystal soon turned into a dagger. While she sprinted, she hurled the knife at the crystal again. [color=tomato]”And if all else fails… Kamikazeeeeeeeee!”[/color] Oros raised her sword over her head and prepared to give the crystal a beating. There would be no deterrent to Mariette jumping through the portal. The landing was about as rough as landing on stone normally would be, not helped by the edges of crystal fragments, but better than it could have been. The slab ended up being unnecessary as well, as the laser ended before it could track around to her new position. Even if it had not, Oros drew its attention on her own. In this case it seemed that like did not harm like, or at the very least the big one was made of harder stuff than its minions. The dagger would ricochet off of its hard exterior in a different direction, as it turned to face her and her war cry. An arm rose, white lines tracing themselves along the low half before the crystal launched forward like the ones on the ground. This time the large object separated into numerous smaller ones along those white lines, a hail of shrapnel to catch her head on. The crystal then began floating away and upwards, even as the limb started to regrow itself. Alright, Mariette thought with a grunt as she looked up from where she now lay. Time for portal battle strategy 101. From where she now lay, Mariette waved forward her hand-mirror, which shimmered with power as portals opened as she predicted the opponent’s attack. It was two portals opened right next to one another, one facing the monster’s shrapnel and one facing Oros. If Mariette’s magic worked as intended and with enough speed, one portal caught the hail of shrapnel and sent it back at the attacker from another portal above the Bamf, while Oros found herself relocated to a portal in mid-air [i]behind[/i] their giant foe, unless she felt like dodging the portal, that is, Mariette gave some room for Oros to recognize where the portal was taking her and make her own decision. Meanwhile, she herself opened a portal in front of herself as a shield preemptively, leading to just behind her for now. [color=tomato]"What is this shit?"[/color] Oros allowed herself to fall into the portal Mariette had set out for her. [color=tomato]"I didn't even hit it and it already shattered!"[/color] Perhaps the BAMF itself would be more of a challenge. Oros’s flesh returned to normal, even her wings had vanished. Instead she gave the BAMF’s torso its own gravitational field. This allowed Oros to stand on its back. [color=tomato]"Have you ever played Shadow of the Colossus? Spoiler alert!"[/color] She drove her sword as deep into the creature’s back as she could. She had seen a crystal core in it’s chest, and if it was anything like its underlings, maybe it had a weakness too. Crystals assaulted the monster from above, its own barrage directed back at it. They clattered off and stale to the floor, chipping and lightly fracturing the main body to give it more wounds to heal up. Oros would run into her own difficulty as she tried to apply Gravity magic to the monster, for it countered with its own alien magics that she had already experienced when approaching the fight. It shifted beneath her feet, throwing off her aim and keeping her blade from stabbing into center of mass as she had intended. [color=tomato]"Agro!"[/color] It then turned as her perch was disturbed by the conflicting gravity magic, remaining limb crackling with energy as it stabbed at her. Its other arm was just about finished regrowing too, and while the big one contended with Oros the minions turned their attention to Mariette as well as they clambered towards her to slash and claw without hesitation. Without her wings or gravity magic to hold her up, there wasn’t much Oros could do to evade the BAMF’s incoming strike. She pulled another stone altar out of her hammer space and used it to block the incoming blow. She clung to it, with one hand holding the top of the massive stone, and another clung to the side. She was pressing herself against it as flat as possible. The stone would dampen the lighting charge its weapon was powered with, but such a heavy blow was more than enough to decimate a mundane block of stone. It split the stone in half, ready to plow through whatever was on the other side. But the stone had broken in half with the center swinging outward into Oros. Because she was holding onto the upper half, the stone block acted as a hinge, throwing Oros’s body upwards and away from the force of impact. Such a blow would wreck a normal human, but for Oros, it was just another tuesday. [color=tomato]"Agro, I’ll avenge you!"[/color] Once again, Oros sprouted butterfly wings. This time however, all she was doing was redirecting her momentum. She looped up and around, taking all of her momentum and using it to get back at the BAMF. No screw ups this time, she aimed to take the BAMF’s head with a swing of her blade. Mariette stood up and took a step back onto a portal that then floated away from the minions while she considered a plan. Right, let’s remove the annoying little ones first. There were pools of liquid. Mariette spread her realm of influence, and Absolute Direction located an abandoned cellar with a locked door… she’d be taking a look at what she’d done later, but for now she opened portals from the pools of liquid into said cellar, intent on letting it drip away from the battlefield and be rendered meaningless for the sake of the current battle, while Mariette let her tentacles slap some minions that were getting too close. They should be adequate, as Mariette floated a bit further up. The portal opened, Mariette implementing her scheme. She would find that it was slower than expected, as if the strange substance was resisting being pulled through the portal into a different realm. It was native to this alien space after all, and whatever odd force there was did not intend to part so easily. As Oros came back for her strike after being thrown away, she would be assaulted from two directions. Crystal projectiles shot upwards to meet her in flight. More importantly, she would be able to see that same buildup in the crystal being from before. Its arms came together, another laser fired head on at her. Power against power, magic against magic, and their foe did not intend to back down. Then Mariette figured, she’d just have to [i]make[/i] it go through. Mariette created another portal, that just led into solid ground. Then, she’d have that portal shovel the liquid into the portal, force it through, administrating small movements to have it go through… also, that’s a laser. Mariette directed her other hand, and assuming she was too high for the minions to disturb, she took the remaining stone slab and chucked it at the somewhat cracked crystal, while Oros was distracting the big beast, while also using Absolute Direction to find other decently large rocks or heavy things outside of Penrose. As sturdy as Oros was, there was only so much she could do against the full might of a magical laser. She was forced to bank away from the BAMF when it opened fire on her. She was sturdy and tolerant to pain, but the lazer cooked her arm in seconds. Her arm flaked away as soon as she took evasive maneuvers. Fortunately her close proximity to the BAMF meant that the laser couldn’t track her so easily. But she had been put on the defensive. At least, until Mariette scored a hit with her stone projectile. The BAMF rocked in place, slicing the side of the subway open with its weapon. Then another rock out of nowhere, then an entire car, The monster was briefly off guard, and Oros had been granted a second opening. Maybe [i]this[/i] time, she could do something without getting totally cucked by flying projectiles, anti-magic, or lasers. Melee fighters needed a buff for sure. Oros looked down at Mariette’s position and immediately understood what she was trying to do. But Oros knew she could do her one better. [color=tomato]"Mary! Open another portal over here! Give that black shit to me!"[/color] Funny thing about cars. Mariette couldn’t lift cars, but she sure could open portals under them, let gravity speed them up and then redirect the bottom portal to fling the cars at the magic-resistant enemy. Then, Oros asked to get the “black shit”. The liquid? … Fine. Mariette rerouted the portal that was taking the liquid. A portal opened up over Oros. Normally the tar would be hard to move, but since Oros could replicate the cores of the monsters, she had no problem drawing the black mass towards herself. She tucked her knees against her chest as her entire body turned into a solid crystal. The ooze surged through the portal and surrounded the core, assimilating into a larger Oros. Her katana was too small for this form, but she held the blade between the fingers of her closed fist. The Bamf was getting pounded by Mariette’s projectiles, but it would find a moment of reprieve to counter attack. The laser started up again and was going to cut through Oros’s “ribcage.” But it was too little too late. [color=tomato]"This is for exhausting my Shadow of the Colossus jokes without dieing!"[/color] The one armed maiden drove her sword, and her fist by extension, as deep into the BAMF as it would go. While she did that, Mariette figured she could do something dramatic too. She found a truck, filled to the brim, the driver currently out for a bathroom break. She opened a distant portal, straining somewhat to get the size, to make the bottom half tip and start dragging the whole thing down with it, brakes be damned. She let it fall from one portal to another behind her to make sure it gained in speed. As she did, she jumped forward out of a portal to be closer to the beast, behind it. Then, the truck came through a portal above the giant beast, and Mariette placed her hands on the floor beneath, her hand-mirror in one. [color=077ae6]‘Fall!’[/color] Mariette commanded, straining her magic to open as wide a portal into the Void Room as needed, hoping it would be shocked enough by Oros strike into its depths that the truck would smash it down into Mariette’s little room of sacrifice. Both blows struck, one infused by magic and the other infused with sufficient kinetic energy. While it might have been able to handle one of those, both of them together was too much. The room was filled with a myriad of sound, from straining metal to loud ‘cracks’ of shattering crystal. Down the monster went from the sudden impact, nearly dragging Oros with it in the process. While Mariette would get her wis the monster was significantly reduced from the simultaneous impacts. Chunks of crystal had been left on the ground around them and its inner light flickered and sputtered from the damage to its core. It would not be healing on its own. At the same time the crystal pillars near them began to emit a low whine as their inner glow brightened. The alien magical energy intensified, the brunt of it seemingly directed to the monster in the portal as it shook and shimmered. Who knew what it could be building up to? [color=tomato]"Did it just get isekai'd?"[/color] The black fluid fell away from Oros’s body as she fell from the sky. One armed with a singed torso, but still able to land on her feet. [color=tomato]"I wonder if I can regrow my limbs with this? Something to ask the Grand Magistrate later I suppose."[/color] That went pretty well, Mariette decided. Still, the building sound made her think she didn't want to stick around. With a grunt, she dispelled the portal she'd just hit the bamf down into and then opened portals beneath her and Oros feet to the top of a building near the entrance of the subway, intent on not being around there whenever the build up met the breaking point. The two girls would be disappointed, as no explosion followed their departure. Instead the magical energy diminished and dwindled, cycled out by the natural energy of the Earth now that the beast was not around to maintain it. Soon the environment would return to normal, though there was still extensive damage to the station and the cavern nearby that would need to be fixed. But perhaps it could be an opportunity for development in the future. For now, Oros had a new monster to study, Mariette had a new (if injured) sacrifice for her patron. By all accounts, this had been a very successful outing. Deep beneath the ground, crystals glittered in the dark as they were swept along by an underground stream. They radiated energy, minute and hard to notice on their own. Perhaps something would come of this in the future, but that was for another time. For now, the duo could relish in their victory. [i]Fin[/i] [color=tomato]"No bewm? This smells like a cliffhanger!"[/color]