[center][url=https://i.imgur.com/Y8OSnvr.png][img]https://i.imgur.com/OPMf9l2.png[/img][/url][/center] Mariette looked a bit at the gathering of Su, Silhouette and Trixy. It seemed they’d work well together. That was all she could ask for. Another individual appeared. To Eliza, she used the key and she was transported into a black void she could stand on. There was a few seconds of absolute nothing, long enough that one could wonder if she had somehow gotten lost between worlds, when a portal opened in front of her. It led into Mariette’s office, where Mariette was seated behind a desk, and in front of her were Su, Helga, Trixy, Silhouette, Lily, Alexander and soon enough would also be Dan, Dina and Hilaria. After the dolphin appeared with his crew, Mariette nodded to them. [color=077ae6]‘That is everyone gathered. Good. I’m happy you could join us, Eliza. Dan, Hilaria, Dina, thank you for responding to my quick summon. Justine is about to begin her assault, and I wanted you here before it happens,’[/color] Mariette said, looking over them. To address some questions. Helga’s question about the keys first. [color=077ae6]‘The keys are magical artifacts that are checked for by traps before they go off. They only work if they’re held by the person they’re made for, to prevent enemies simply stealing them. Making a new one would take some amount of time, time which we do not have. As such, please stick close to someone who has a key, and those with keys, please do not lose them,’[/color] Mariette requested, nodding to them. Then, there was Lily… avoiding her question with a straight lie. Mariette stared at her for a bit, trying to puzzle together why Lily would lie to her. It probably wasn’t anything that could come to harm Mariette, Lily wasn’t that kind of person, but it still made her worry. Fortunately, she didn’t have to worry for long, because Alexander came out and explained. Mariette blinked a bit at him. [color=077ae6]‘An [i]old minion of mine[/i]?’[/color] Mariette asked, frowning. She didn’t [i]have[/i] any old minions. Trying to understand who he was talking about made Mariette draw a complete blank. Still, what Alexander said next made her forget about that piece of information. [i]Brainwashed?[/i] She took a couple of seconds to consider it. Could she be brainwashed? She considered her patron, and… [color=077ae6]‘It’s possible,’[/color] she said, but then dismissed the question. [color=077ae6]‘But at the moment Justine is mounting an attack intending to kill me. I do not have the luxury to worry right now. Let us focus on getting through this alive.’[/color] [color=077ae6]‘The enemy will be carrying with them my bane…’[/color] Mariette sighed a bit as she resigned herself to that the whole world will know her bane. [color=077ae6]‘… Cracked glass and lit candles. However, cracked glass only hurts [i]me[/i], while candles have a moderate effect on all servants of Asengav. That’s why I need you. You’ll be unaffected by the banes that hurt me and my companions. I will maneuver you around the compound with portals, I ask you cooperate with my allies.’[/color] [color=077ae6]‘Speaking of banes, we do know Justine's. It's [i]True Love[/i]...’[/color] Mariette sighed a bit. [color=077ae6]‘Something I've been a bit short on. However, perhaps you could help with that?’[/color] Mariette asked, glancing over Lily and Alexander, and a little over Trixy, Silhouette, Su and Helga. She wasn't entirely sure about various relationships there, but who knows? [color=077ae6]‘I have borrowed this from my companion, Eli,’[/color] Mariette said, placing a map on the table. It’s the Super Map, showing up like a video-game mini-map showing the names and locations of everyone in the mansion. [sub]Like the marauder's map in Harry Potter.[/sub] [hider=Map of Mansion][center]Basement [img]https://i.imgur.com/HvDbOHb.png[/img] Ground Floor [img]https://i.imgur.com/4qfBxHO.png[/img] Second Floor [img]https://i.imgur.com/4fKWofh.png[/img] Third Floor [img]https://i.imgur.com/s7e53Dq.png[/img] [/center][/hider] They were currently in Mariette’s office on the second floor. The map was currently showing that quite a few people were on the third floor, on the “Artillery Opening Fire Line”, but there were others that were spread across the mansion, and numerous in the monster room below. Possibly notably, yhe map showed a girl called Olivia Giles in the Treasury right behind Mariette. [color=077ae6]‘I will use this map and my portals to control the flow of the battle,’[/color] Mariette said. She then reached for a box and placed numerous small high-tech looking metal objects for everyone, opening a portal to get some more for the excess amount of people. [color=077ae6]‘Please keep in contact with these, and if my companion talks to you through it, listen to her,’[/color] Mariette said. [color=A2DFF6]‘Hello, I’m the companion,’[/color] said the communicator. [color=A2DFF6]‘If you want to talk to someone in specific, say their name, and it should automatically patch you through. I’ve already entered the names of Su and Helga into them, as well.’[/color] Mariette nodded to show that she was authentic. She wasn’t entirely comfortable with letting people know this girl existed, yet, these were very desperate times. The Trespasser was the only other girl who would have perfect supervision of the battlefield, she had to be able to contact everyone without suspicion if something happened to Mariette. [color=077ae6]‘I have a force of around 40 other magical girls at this time, but most are weaker than the average. I hope you can help make sure they survive, as well. However, there are the other champions of Asengav, with strength similar to mine. They are…’[/color] Mariette gestured to paintings on the wall, because there were paintings of the other champions of Asengav. [hider=Tell them about their allies][color=077ae6]‘[url=https://i.imgur.com/iLfQK1p.png]Eli[/url] is a smile-harpy-girl with Reinforcement and Darkness speciality and Third Eye. Stealth and reconnescence is her speciality, but she will still block attacks and heal wounds as needed.’[/color] [color=077ae6]‘[url=https://i.imgur.com/N53ToUw.png]Lea Keuffer[/url] is a green fairy-like monster girl. She’s a wind and insect specialist, and can cloud entire corridors in her bugs. Effective against close-quarter combatants without much magic, and otherwise an effective ranged attacker.’[/color] [color=077ae6]‘[url=https://i.imgur.com/5o9ObXJ.png]Freya Cameron[/url] is a werelamia monster girl with rock and beast specialization. She has sacrificed her magic capability for monstrous might in close quarter combat.’[/color] [color=077ae6]‘[url=https://i.imgur.com/PYJSxqe.png]Esther Lassen[/url] is a wood-specialized monster girl. She’s embedded herself in the wood of this mansion. Through her, the mansion itself will be an active combatant against our foes.’[/color] [color=077ae6]‘[url=https://i.imgur.com/OoibQu3.png]Josefin Hermansson[/url] is an Oddball: Mana specialized girl. She can steal mana from one person and give to another, or absorb mana from enemy magic. She’s also exceedingly lucky. If you’re out of mana, ask for her. She has a considerable amount stored up.’[/color] [color=077ae6]‘[url=https://i.imgur.com/sqHfYs3.png]Taihei Kumi[/url] is our item-maker. She’s gravity specialized, and is also the toughest girl alive. Nothing short of a Killing Blow can probably hurt her. Unfortunately, she's also incredibly unlucky. Beware if you're close to her.’[/color] [color=077ae6]‘[url=https://i.imgur.com/ad92PvD.png]Tullia Barese[/url] is an ice-specialized girl with massive magical firepower. Count her as a massive power offensive strength. She will spend the first part of this battle whipping up a blizzard.’[/color] [color=077ae6]‘[url=https://i.imgur.com/3tj5n3Y.jpg]Victoria Tretyakova[/url] is a physical powerhouse supported by ice-speciality and duplication. Make use of her many clones.’[/color] [color=077ae6]‘[url=https://i.imgur.com/4rEtFz1.png]Suzette Laderoute[/url] is a powerful empath. She can manipulate the emotions of the battlefield and is also a powerful offensive magical presence. Use her as such.’[/color] [color=077ae6]‘[url=https://i.imgur.com/m4rTXOi.jpg]Ronja Koskela[/url] is a Reinforcement and Psychic arachnid. She is support, first and foremost, let her heal your wounds and shield you from harm, though she is capable of considerable psychic firepower. Find her if you’re hurt.’[/color] [color=077ae6]‘[url=https://i.imgur.com/MkfZ90q.jpg]Jelena Dias[/url] is a metal-specialized girl that hides large amounts of metal in her hammerspace handbag. Formidable at mid-to-close range combat. Her Third Eye also helps detect enemy mischief from afar.’[/color] [color=077ae6]‘[url=https://i.imgur.com/D8A8SOp.png]Mayra McCullough[/url] is a dragon monster girl, fire and darkness specialized. She’s a jack of all trades, magically and physically powerful, if a bit chaotic in nature.’[/color] [color=077ae6]‘If a ball of hostile spirits shows up outside the building… do not bother it. It’s an ally, regardless of what it looks like.’[/color][/hider] [color=077ae6]‘Outside the mansion is a great field of snow, filled with traps and monsters to exhaust our foes before they reach the mansion. The mansion itself is also filled with traps, mostly designed to work even if they have shields. Psychic blasts, focused sonic blasts, emotional manipulation, as well as numerous occasions of simple spells like burning them if they touch any surfaces or sudden spikes and explosions. In addition, Mayra has cursed all the windows, so if they get in through those without thinking they will be cursed with a variety of effects. As Esther has joined with the mansion, she can also close corridors or doorways and lock our enemies in with the traps, and we will use that to our advantage.’[/color] Slight pause to breathe. [color=077ae6]‘As champions of Asengav, we also have a [i]lot[/i] of minion monsters at our disposal, expendable bodies to throw at our foes, let them take hits for you. Of course, we will use my portals to avoid enemies and try to get them from behind, but know I can’t portal where there’s shattered glass. As such, I cannot properly fight today, but I will ensure you all can fight to the best of your ability.’[/color] Mariette breathed in a bit heavily. Time to tell them about that. [color=077ae6]‘I have a plan in case we start to lose. I have the ability to make this dimension collapse, which would kill everyone still stuck inside it. If this happens, your priority will change to getting out of here as soon as possible. You are my allies, and I am not going to risk your lives more than I already am. Upon the start of the destruction, the place will start to crumble and fall apart over the course of one to five minutes, and I shall ensure portals try to take you out of here. People with Overcity Shift or their own Interdimensional Homes should be able to escape on their own, keep track of them. That’s why I called you, originally, Dan, to see if you could lock or keep our enemies within this dimension while we escape…’[/color] she sighed a bit about what she was about to say next. [color=077ae6]‘… but upon further consideration that feels like I’m putting you at risk, and I don’t want to do that.’[/color] Now, ideally, this was when Dan offered to risk his life for her, but one thing at a time. [color=077ae6]‘After such a collapse I’ve made arrangements to flee to the dimensional home of Vermillion Veronica,’[/color] she said, nodding to Silhouette and Trixy, before looking to the rest again, [color=077ae6]‘who I hope is prepared for a possible follow-up invasion. Everyone is free to come along, or I can simply put you back in Penrose. Your choice.’[/color] [color=077ae6]‘It is imperative we take out Sonia, Justine’s maid, as quickly as possible. Not only can her warping powers likely supply her with an infinite amount of my banes, she’s a teleporter that could appear and disappear with their forces wherever. The traps are in large parts to take her out if she teleports directly into the mansion, no matter where she appears. Not only that, but if she’s around and I start collapsing the dimension, the escape of our foes will be trivial and they’ll likely be able to pursue me, making this whole defensive operation pointless. Taking out Justine is also a priority, of course, but if we take out Sonia it’s possible Justine cannot get out of here on her own.’[/color] [color=077ae6]‘That should be all. Any questions or suggestions?’[/color] Eventually, after that, Justine appeared at the front, it was visible on the map. Mariette breathed out a bit in relief, she was afraid Justine would appear right inside the office and just slaughter them all before they had a chance to react. Then, she looked at the names, and came to a realization just at the same time as Eli sounded in through the communicator. [color=57a345]‘Mistress! Justine’s appeared with a small army! And, she has brought some Beacon forces with her!’[/color] … Oh, you’re serious. [color=077ae6]‘I’m… not going to ask anyone to fight Beacon for me. I can send home anyone who doesn’t wish to,’[/color] Mariette said, her tone suddenly filled with a bunch of dismay. [color=077ae6]‘… It seems their “do not make alliances with horrors” rule is dead if they’re willing to make peace with the person that blew up their base and brainwashed their girls trying to conquer this world in order to have me killed. I suspect they’ll turn on one another as soon as the battle is over, if not before.’[/color] Now, there was the possibility that Justine had just brainwashed those that appeared and Beacon wasn’t involved at all, but Mariette wouldn’t expect herself to be that lucky. [color=077ae6]‘Regardless, it seems it’s time to do battle. Stand by. Do any preparations you need. I will portal you wherever you want to go, but for now, let them face the blizzard. In the meantime, it’s time for me to open up some of the stars in the skies. Anyone’s got any magic missiles to spare?’[/color] … [color=077ae6]‘There’s a lot of Beacon names missing. Expect a second strike force.’[/color] Primarily, there was a single name on there that Mariette definitely would have expected to be there. [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] [@BrokenPromise][@Ariamis][@Card Captor][@FamishedPants][@AtomicNut] [hr] [center][url=https://i.imgur.com/gmRTrWA.jpg][img]https://i.imgur.com/5ZqyPyV.png[/img][/url][/center] Why, of course Justine was the one who was kidnapping people around Penrose. Who else would it be? Mariette? Ronin giggled as she put away her phone with the message from Hilde. Right, then. Then Sakura appeared with her patron. Ronin grinned widely and waved at her. [color=9b83de]‘Hey, Sensei! Glad you made it!’[/color] she said, partly for her allies to potentially realize this was also a friend. They couldn’t really give an update, but, oh, well! That one over there was Aurelio, the one Penny had recommended. Unfortunately, he was going with the headlong assault. Which was a shame, since she had to- [color=9b83de]‘We’ll go with the infiltration group. Need to get as close to Mariette as possible, taking her out early would complete the mission, after all,’[/color] Ronin said, nodding about the rest. Very well. That’ll be all there. [hider=Deni][i]Specialization:[/i] Reinforcement [i]Power:[/i] Twin S., Shapeshifting [i]Perks:[/i] M. Training, Flexibility, Fated, G.o.o. Jail, BigDamn H. [i]Benefits:[/i] Free Agent, Genki Girl [i]Drawbacks:[/i] Alone, also in debt to Crimson Cradle [i]Str:[/i] 7 [i]Agi:[/i] 7 [i]Vit:[/i] 7 [i]Mag:[/i] 8 [i]Lck:[/i] 6[/hider] [@Shifter_Master][@Ariamis][@ERode][@Ponn][@Flamelord][@Crusader Lord][@Majoras End][@AtomicNut] [hr] A lonely gothic mansion stood before the assault squad, in a field of deep snow. The building ahead has windows to basically every room, albeit the windows were enchanted and cursed, making looking inside difficult. In the basement, among a group of monsters, stood three girls. [center][img=https://i.imgur.com/ad92PvD.png]https://i.imgur.com/u1b416E.png[/img][img=https://i.imgur.com/3tj5n3Y.jpg]https://i.imgur.com/P2tVfst.png[/img][img=https://i.imgur.com/N53ToUw.png]https://i.imgur.com/5TcL6Af.png[/img][/center] Tullia stood in the middle of the room on a pile of snow, summoning her magical power while holding a focus artifact that brought her power to their maximum efficiency, her icy dragon hulking over her and gripping her shoulders, focusing even more power into the mighty magical staff of an artifact she held. The exit out of the basement was blocked by a massive amount of snow, and by it two girls were inspecting the monsters. [color=c1eb9b]‘The monsters have been prepared, specifically for your snowy landscape,’[/color] Lea spoke, looking over the giant hulking beasts, as well as the smaller, growling ones. [color=c1eb9b]‘Each has the locations of our traps mentally imprinted upon them by Ronja, they won’t enter their trigger area.’[/color] [color=9c87c9]‘Hahaha, awesome! I wish I could fight them myself!’[/color] Victoria said with a grin. [color=9c87c9]‘Me and my duplicates are ready to harass the crap out of their flanks! Are we ready!?’[/color] Victoria asked, and a roomful of similarly grinning Victorias stood ready behind her. [color=6cbad4]‘We’re ready,’[/color] Tullia said with a sigh, focused her magic power, and lifted her staff, an artifact more powerful than a regular magical weapon. [color=6cbad4]‘I call upon the power of the Bifrost. FREEZE THIS WORLD OVER!’[/color] she called, and an explosion of ice-magic blasted out of her. Lea stepped forward and grabbed the side of the staff to supply some of her wind-magic, and together, wind and ice magic mixed with the power of the staff… And as Justine made her announcement, a blizzard manifested. Snow and ice filled the air, the temperature dropping, vision turning worse because of the snow and wind suddenly manifesting in the air itself. It wasn’t actually hurting them, it was just wind and snow, but the blizzard regardless raged to make life as uncomfortable as possible. This was when small portals started opening around the enemy forces, on a range as to avoid the shards that no doubt were brought. Now, Mariette had her weaker magical girls spread across the mansion fire their attacks through these portals, intent on taking out the weaker targets to leave Justine without backup. Blasts of fire, electric bolts, light and ice beams and otherwise just beams of power, bullets and arrows, any available ranged weapons would start assaulting the troops. All the attacks were of a weaker variety, but they would not let up. Mariette knew she could recharge even if she ran out of mana, so she would never let up. If enemies fired on the portals they would close (which would be hard enough because the portals only opened for a very short time to let someone shoot through them), and if the enemies got closer to the portals they would close. For now, it was just harassment to make the enemies desperate, the big things came ahead. The big things that, along with a huge swath of Victoria clones, just dove into the snow as to head towards the soon-to-be battlefield to attack. The doors to the basement closed, leaving Tullia and Lea alone to focus their blizzard upon their enemies. If someone were to fly directly at the mansion at incredible speed... that was what the artillery line was for. They'd face sudden and focused firepower, hopefully enough to discourage such an approach. [@anyone that went with the main team]