[center][h2]The Phantom Warrior[/h2]
[h3]Starring: 
‘Horror Movie Antagonist’ Melisa
‘Plays with dolls’ Anaya Hathaway[/h3][/center]

Normally, downtown Penrose would be bustling with people, a hotspot of partying and late night activity. College students, tourists, day workers, plenty of people looking for a good time. You know, what you would expect from a place like this.

The evacuation of the city had reduced the amount of people considerably. Yet there had still been those willing to brave the elements and the danger. But now a new threat had emerged. Rumors and stories mostly, but they spoke of a shadowy figure, one moving without qualm or opposition. Some claimed he was a hero, fighting evil like Batman. Others claimed he was a very gimmick themed thief. Whatever the explanation was, there was no doubt that he had to be dealt with.

And so late at night, two magical girls assembled downtown, to put an end to this armored menace once and for all. 

Hearing about this strange description of animated armor, and being something of a similar nature, a small metallic doll arrived to investigate. While she was still very new to this magical monster girl thing, her first friends had let her know that they were there in part to fight monsters and protect people. So this would be her first proper foray into doing just that. 

Having some advanced knowledge that she could be fighting something she decided to collect and bring along some scrap metal and piping she'd located in some of the more adandoned parts of town. For the beginning she would be cautious as she and a walking mass of metal followed her. 

 It was there that another doll would float up next to Melissa, matching in size, yet appearing more carefully crafted down to the smallest details. Then another, and a third. They all appeared intrigued at their temporary partner.

 [color=mistyrose]"Looks like they taken a liking to you!"[/color] Anaya walked over to the metal doll after them, squatting down to talk to her. [color=mistyrose]"And I can see why! It's not every day you meet a doll monster-girl. I'm Anaya, and these are my kindred spirits. Literally."[/color] she smiled, motioning to the puppets.

Seeing more dolls show up around her, the monster girl began to get excited. They were like her! Well... to some extent. She could see that spirits inhabited these figures. Looking up as a magical girl came, her suspects for these creatures were affirmed. Smiling brightly, Melisa offered a tiny hand to each girl and doll there. [color=pink]"Wonderful to meet you. I'm Melisa. Wow, I never thought I'd meet another animated doll."[/color] She was clearly ecstatic to meet them. 

[color=mistyrose]"A pleasure to make your aquaintance! These vessels are for my spirits to inhabit, so they can fight alongside me. Besides that, I handcrafted them myself."[/color] Anaya smiled. The puppets chatted amongst themselves in excited whispers, one of them circling Melissa curiously. [color=mistyrose]"So, I guess you're my partner for this bounty? Armored phantom, was it?"[/color] The spirit girl had heard about the bounty from the others at HQ, and she was curious enough to take it. 

The girl nodded. [color=pink]"Yes. I heard about it and got excited. I'm not really sure what to expect, but maybe it can teach me something about my own, er, body I guess."[/color] She would shrug a bit. [color=pink]"Kind of new to all of this stuff."[/color]

Anaya straightened herself up. [color=mistyrose]"Ooooh, you're new to this?"[/color] she tilted her head. [color=mistyrose]"Well, I'm not sure you'll figure out what makes you tick or not, phantoms are tricky like that. But bounty hunts are like side jobs. Containing monsters, escort missions, fighting other magical girls even, you never know. You do get paid for the job though, but how much you get depends on how dangerous it was."[/color] She explained.

Interrupting their conversation, the sound of shattering glass filled the air. It seemed that the foe they had come to deal with was afoot. But could they keep up?

[color=pink]"Oh shoot!"[/color] Brought back into the task at hand, Melisa hopped up to look at where the thing was running. Managing to catch a glimpse she pointed in the direction of their target. [color=pink]"Sickum."[/color] With that command the metalic creature that had been following her shifted and lept into action. Bounding after the armor it sought to grab or cut off its escape.

Melisa herself would wave for Anaya and the others to follow as she started running after.

The trio of puppets would swiftly fly ahead, weapons at the ready. If they managed to catch up to the target, they would attempt stall them for the two to follow up after them. Anaya would run up to Melissa, picking up the doll if she was lagging behind.

Moving above street lights and along rooftops, the armored figure became a bit clearer. It was samurai armor with a ceremonial mask, just as they had been told it would be. It was painted a dark red with yellow trim, the mask twisted into an almost demonic visage. Presumably that was how it looked normally, but in the shadows of the night it was made particularly spooky.  
 
While the girls followed it in its flight, their Familiars took the lead. The armor moved upwards, not necessarily to the rooftops but along balconies, lower structures, and the like. It was giving them a run for their money. 
 
Carrying out their mission would be a bit more difficult though. The trio of puppets would feel its wrath first as they moved to stall. The armor drew a shining blade, an antiquate katana enhanced by the magic that had enchanted the armor in the first place. It slashed at the puppets, forcing them to either dodge or be damaged by the sharp weapon.  
 
As the metallic being closed in to grab it, it would find the armor much more agile than one might expect. It leapt and sprinted, proving quite difficult to snag. Not that anyone had  expected it to be easy. Were they prepared for the force it could bring to bear?

 [color=mistyrose]"Son of a-! Hey, [b]stop!![/b]"[/color] Anaya was forced to retract her puppets away from the phantom vigilante before it could destroy the vessels. [color=mistyrose][b]"I just want to talk!!"[/b][/color] she called out, amplifying her voice with sound magic so it could reach it.

Despite the pleas made of the armor, it did not stop. Whether it was because it did not want to or because it was unable to do so for lack of intelligence was unclear at present. Whether she sought to continue pursuing that dialogue was her own decision, but at least her dolls were  safe.

After several attempts to grasp the armor came up with nothing, the metallic creature rattled and dove forward. Blasting apart the shrapnel spread out to try and move around the armor. It would all begin to collapse around it to try to ensnare and begin pulling it toward the mages.

The next threat then made itself known as the metallic creature shifted tactics. It sought to surround and envelop the armor, then drag it back to the magical girls. Despite how strong the armor might be, it was not resistant to this as it was engulfed in spite of its speed and flailing. That was when it decided to turn the tables, flipping to instead rocket towards the duo with a bit of an extra boost before the mechanical being could realize what was going on.  
 
Despite the bindings in place, the armor strove with inhuman strength as it readied its blade and slashed at Anaya. Hopefully she could react quick enough to avoid the wicked steel blade as the armor moved on to the offensive. 

 [color=mistyrose]"Tch-?!"[/color] Anaya barely managed to move out of the way, the armor managing to slash through her leg. But she can shrug it off for now, her regeneration can deal with it. She swapped one of the puppets out for her own phantom knight. [color=mistyrose]"Play with them for awhile!"[/color] she called out, letting her knight fight the other. She needed time to figure out what kind of spirit they were facing. If the demonic warrior managed to break through, she'd have her guns at the ready with a sound enchantment.

Taken back with the sudden turn, Melisa summoned her cannons. Being closer she was better able to feel out what was going on with this creature. Particularly her Metal and Spirit magic told her that the katana was likely the source of the magic. [color=pink]"Watch the sword."[/color] Speaking of she would aim at the blade and fire several shots. She would see if her own combo of magic could reign in this embued items.

Metal clashed against metal as the samurai armor fought the scrap metal creature. This was added to by Melisas cannon shots, aimed at the blade that it wielded. That was a difficult target though because of the fast paced combat between Anaya's creature and it, so she was only able to score a glancing hit, at least for now.

Still, it did earn a pause from the samurai. A low groan filled the air, emanating from the armor like a ghostly wail rather than a  person. Taking a step back, it readied its blade behind it before darting forward to slash at her. It was much more prepared than the last attack upon Anaya, and that made it all the more dangerous as it sought to bypass the metal knight and strike her instead. 

[color=mistyrose][i]"Shit!!"[/i][/color] Seeing the samurai bypass her knight, Anaya rapidly fired sonic bullets at it's sword. While the knight waited for the right moment to step in and attack again.

Bits of metal began to fly in the direction of the sword iteslf to try and surround it. On one side it would try and cover it which could potentially dull the blade it would also allow the material to try and transfer Melisa's magic to the blade and hopefully overpower the spirit within. In theory she might be able to calm, seal, or perhaps take the weapon for herself.

Despite how fast and skillful the armor might be,it was not agile enough to dodge the next attempt. It interrupted its attempt to attack Anaya at least, though that had been compounded by the sonic bullets used against it. 

As the armor stumbled back, a more mental battle began. Melisa would find that the Spirit was stubborn, prideful, and resistant to her efforts. That was likely why it had been running around and attacking things, whether it be simple anger or rejection of this future in which it had no place. How would she approach this challenge, and bring rest as well as peace?

Sensing a connection, she tried to keep hold of that. Raising up her hands she would try and get the spirit's attention. [color=pink]"Wh- hold on. There's no need to fight."[/color] Seeing as it was a katana she could only assume it was a spirit of a Japanese warrior. Bowing as respectfully as she knew how she would point to herself. [color=pink]"Look at me. I'm sealed inside an object too in a world I don't understand. We have magic that can help you though. What do you need?"[/color] She hoped her magic would bridge any language barrier there might be. 

Melisa met with turmoil, discontent from the spirit that she came in contact with. While there was initial resistance, the language barrier was not one that applied much when it came to spirits. They could commune on a level far beyond that of spoken language. That might just be for the sake of drama, but it was at the very least a unique experience. 

That said, the nature of the spirit in question meant that it was a bit less vocal and eloquent than Melisa was. “Release from these shackles. Purpose.” There were only so many reasons a restless spirit would try to act in the mortal coil, so this matched fairly well with what Melisa might expect. It didn’t necessarily make things easier, but it helped.  

That wasn't the most clear. Wracking her brain for a moment, she would try and feel out her magic. [color=pink]"You wish to be freed from the sword?"[/color] The doll would ask.

Melisa would quickly find that the spirit seemed to become better at words the longer it conversed with her. That made things easier at least. "Release from being a trophy, as an object of amusement, and freedom from that cage of metal and glass." Given what the spirit had said before, it seemed he was not the sort eager to leave the mortal coil. Not just yet. 

Looking off in the direction of the museum things would begin to click. Now that was something of a conundrum. The woman herself knew that just letting this thing go was not what the job called for. They were being paid to recover the armor. Despite this her monster form felt differently. It too had been kept in a case for many years. Looking to Amaya the tiny girl would groan a bit. [color=pink]"It doesn't want to be locked up anymore like it was in the museum."[/color] A thought passed through her mind, but she would wait and see what the other girl had to say.

 [color=Mistyrose]"Hm..."[/color] Putting her pistols away, Anaya carefully walked up to the phantom, checking if there's any major damages to the armor and sword. [color=mistyrose]"Hey, if you'd like, I can get a new vessel for you. You wouldn't have to go back to that museum anymore. Is that alright?"[/color] Anaya suggested to the spirit.
 
The armor paused, turning to look at Anaya as she made her offer, before speaking to Melisa once more. "What kind of vessel?" She would not see any major damage, since there had not really been any inflicted by them or by others it had attacked for this time. 

Seemed the communication was limited to just herelf. Melisa would relay the question.

[color=mistyrose]"I'm glad you asked! I hand craft all kinds vessels for my spirit partners!"[/color] In a boost of confidence, Anaya began to explain. [color=mistyrose]"The suit of armor I summoned is one example of such. I can also do different kinds of dolls ranging from porcelain to ball-joint, and even custom orders like this!"[/color] With a snap of her fingers, one of the life-sized dolls was summoned. [color=mistyrose]"So what do you think? If you have any ideas as to what you want, I can whip something up in no time!"[/color]

The armor eyed the life sized doll carefully, with a keen gaze that one could at least imagine. It didnt seem like he hated it, which would have to be good enough. "That is acceptable," he conceded after a moment. Thoughin doing so he carried the tone of someone not fully satisfied. Presumably the spirit wanted it a bit closer to the authentic deal.

Having agreed upon that, however, there was one last issue to address. At least in its mind. "And what of purpose?"

 [color=mistyrose]"Purpose? Well, what is it that you desire? What do you wish to do?"[/color] Anaya would ask.

"To serve. To fight. To protect."

 [color=mistyrose]"Maybe you could work with one of the factions here? I work with Beacon, for example."[/color]

The suggestion provoked a pause. DId the spirit even know what Beacon was? How much it knew of magical girls and that lifestyle were still unclear. Still, it was a pretty good suggestion to deal with this dilemma. 

After a moment, it nodded. It likely would have bowed or something, if it could. "I will explore. and discern which Lord is worthy of my service." 

The monster girl wasn't really sure about that proposition herself. She hadn't really encountered much of Beacon herself, other just today. Anaya didn't seem to be like how they were portrayed to her, but it was still early. Besides though, she had another idea. [color=pink]"I know some people that need protecting. They're not a big group or anything, mostly a hodge podge of people. But they had some trouble recently and I know they would appreciate assistance."[/color] Just in case she didn't say the name of the place. 

The comment by Melisa earned another nod from the spirit. It was another place for him to investigate, and to decide where he should devote his loyalties. "I will seek out this group as well and hear their tale. My choice shall be my own." 

[color=pink]"Great!"[/color] The girl brightened up with a sudden childish glee. [color=pink]"Oh, do you have a name?"[/color] She would look curiously.

The question brought a pause, as if the spirit was struggling to remember who he was. But eventually an answer was found. "....Iwanari Tomomichi. I believe that was my name. It is familiar." 

Anaya smiled. [color=mistyrose]"Well, Mr. Tomomichi, let's see you to a vessel of your liking first."[/color] She would summon a few more empty vessels for him to choose. Whichever one he picked, Anaya would help move him to it from the armor.

After confirming that Anaya did not have any dolls that were amored like his current shell, the japanese spirit would set to deciding on a new body. Certainly he was not the pickiest sort, but it seemed that he did have some preferences from fragmented memories of an old life, when he was still alive.

In the end he settled for a tall form, one with long black hair. Lithe in movement, but with some muscle build to it. It fit the sort of aesthetic he was looking for as a warrior, while still being pretty good looking.

The choice made, Anaya would move the spirit over. Eyes flickered over as the armor stilled and fell, no longer bound upright by magical force. It took several moments for the spirit to gain control, to feel out its new body and adjust to various sensations. Once it had, it was able to respectuflly bow to both girls. "Thank you both for your aid. Many things are strange to me, but I shall endeavor to learn now that I have the chance to do so." 

Once Iwanari chose his new body, Anaya would send the rest of the vessels away. She bowed back in return. [color=mistyrose]"I can help get you some new equipment later, if you wished. That aside, it's no problem at all."[/color] She'd collect the armor off the ground, relieved at the outcome.

[color=pink]"This turned out great. We can put the armor back and we have a new friend."[/color] She would help pick up some of the armor.

Their new samurai companion cracked a slight smile as Anaya offered to help him get some equipment, clothing, and the like. "I am in your debt. I will feel much better once I have my bearings, as well as a blade at my hip." 

A blade? Hmm... Melisa would look over the katana and feel it out with her magic to get an idea of how it was made. With her abilities she should be able to make something similar if she can find the right material. [color=pink]"I might be able to make something like this."[/color] 

Everything gathered up they would bring it back to the museum while working out details with Iwanari. He would stick around with them for at least a little while longer, until he was better situated to handle the modern world. Meanwhile, the girls would recieve their bounty for the successful return of the armor. All in all, it had been a good nights work.