[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/dIXIuEs.png[/img] [color=ade81b]”Who is this small, sassy kitten?”[/color] [color=888888]— Betty “Biohazard” Barton[/color] [/center] Keijo was not something Betty was wholly unfamiliar with. She hadn’t participated last time because she didn’t want to interfere with the other Cradle agents’ chances of winning. But there was far too much at stake this time to simply stand to the side. Fight Justine was starting to become more than a strong desire. It had formed into a need. If she didn’t beat Justine in the ring, she wasn’t sure if she could live with herself. Her heart skipped a beat when the bracket was revealed. It was too much to hope to fight her in the first round. But it looked like she would have a chance at her in the second round. Provided she beat her first opponent and Justine didn’t lose to Mariette. It wasn’t perfect, but it was also a lot better than she could have hoped for. In her head, her battle would have been better suited for the finals. But Betty wasn’t sure how well she’d fair against the likes of… She actually didn’t know most of these people. Which brought a very important question to the front of her mind. Who was Kimble? It turned out that Betty didn’t have to wait to find out, as the girl sought her out just to trash talk. Betty opened her mouth to speak, but then it clicked. One of her distant memories of last trip’s Keijo fight. [color=ade81b]”You’re [i]thee[/i] Kimble? The one that took out Penny in a single blow?”[/color] Betty was a little concerned now. She was going up against someone who was quite possibly the strongest Keijo fighter in the bracket. It was possible that fighting and Keijo skill didn’t transfer over to each other very well, but the idea that she was fighting someone who could take out Penny so easily was frightening. This was going to be quite the first round. Should she quit? Was there even a point in going on? [color=ade81b]”Well, I think you’re-”[/color] Her brow became cross. [color=ade81b]”A worthy opponent! But Justine is someone I have to fight myself! It would be satisfying to watch you take her out with a single swing of your hips. But all the same, I’m going to fight tooth and nail for that match up, so don’t think I’m going to quietly sink into the depths without a fight!”[/color] With a twirl, Betty cast her Christmas clothes aside and revealed her [url=https://i.imgur.com/W20aQi2.png]swimsuit form.[/url] [color=ade81b]”So let’s skip the trash talking and get in the ring, unless you’re afraid of getting your paws wet!?”[/color] [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/VpuM4Dq.png[/img] [color=e3bbc6]”Time to go swimming!”[/color] [color=888888]— Aria[/color] [/center] BP is too lazy to go back to the previous page to coppy all the header stuffs, so instead he’s got a header thing here, even though there’s nothing interesting for this character to do at the moment. OR WAS THERE?!?!?!? [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/SYLaJgW.png[/img] [color=cfff04]"Let's go skinny dipping!”[/color] [color=888888]— Tonya “Mac” Murphy[/color] [hider=Tonya “Mac” Murphy] [b]Age: 24/11 | Gender: Female/Female | Illusion, Gravity Body | Power of Friendship, Regeneration, Third Eye | Moirai Coercion, Soul Jar, Martial Training, True Sight, Parasite, Gifted, Awareness, Overcity Shift, Mystic Artifact Magical Overload, Paragon, Blessing, Gifted Item | Monster Form, Big Brother, Arrogance, Vendetta Redirected Magic, Second Specialization | Non-Standard Limbs, Destroyer[/b] STR: 05 | AGI: 04 | VIT: 05 | MAG: 03 | LCK: 03 +46 STR: 21 | AGI: 21 | VIT: 21 | MAG: 20 | LCK: 20 Earnings this post: Keijo Practice, +1 gold Remaining: 8 Gold, 30 Silver, 39 Bronze Total: 12 Gold, 162 Silver, 183 Bronze [/hider][/center] Mac couldn't be seen, but she was tailing Aria since she met up with Sam. Now that she was going away to prepare, it would be possible for the two to converse. It was pretty easy for Mac to keep up with the weaker magical girl. Mac had become a beast over the past few events, and there were few girls that could outpace her in anything. But she still had to figure out how to talk to Aria without alerting Dan. An illusionary magical girl wasn't really an option, as she wanted to talk to Aria as herself. But if there was one thing Iron Mouse had taught her, it was that Dan wasn't totally omnipotent in his own world. He could make small mistakes like fail to account for one magical rodent woman. Surely he'd miss an illusionary voice whispering into Aria's ear. [color=cfff04]"It's been a while.”[/color] Aria came to a stop. For just a moment, her face betrayed genuine confusion, but after a quick look around, she smiled. [color=e3bbc6]”Mac? It's been a while. How have you been?”[/color] [color=cfff04]"I spoke with Veronica like you suggested, and I've been able to keep my presence hidden from Penrose at large. Now that she's gone, things are going to get harder.”[/color] She smiled, though Aria wouldn't be able to see it. [color=cfff04]"Though as you can see, I still manage.”[/color] [color=e3bbc6]”I'm glad it's working out for you.”[/color] Aria folded her hands behind her back. [color=e3bbc6]”You wouldn't happen to be approaching me [i]just[/i] for a little chat though, would you?”[/color] [color=cfff04]"I just noticed that you weren't going to enter the tourney, which seems a little unusual for someone who likes money as much as you do.”[/color] Her grin deepened. [color=e3bbc6]”Gold isn't everything, but it can get almost everything. Maybe you'd like to subject yourself to some buffs of my design?”[/color] [color=cfff04]"I would, but I'm trying to keep a low profile. don't think it would be good for me to appear again.”[/color] [color=e3bbc6]”Can you disguise yourself as a cat girl for a while?”[/color] [color=cfff04]"Excuse me?”[/color] [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/kQjuu2h.png[/img] [color=tomato]"Let’s have some fun."[/color] [color=888888]— Oros[/color] [/center] Did anyone wonder what happened to Oros after she was abducted by a mysterious shadow? When Oros was released from her shadowy prison, she fell straight down into a dumpster, which was filled to the brim with garbage. [color=tomato]"The hell?!?!"[/color] She was right behind the radio building in some alleyway. Though perhapse a bit more concerning was the presence of [url=https://i.imgur.com/9K9VxqY.jpg?1]Sasona.[/url] She recalled fighting with the girl during the last time skip. The one Ascendancy girl with the power to control conceptual darkness, and could stab at her heart with just a thought. [b]”Your dark heart will be its own undoing!”[/b] [color=tomato]"What is it with the Ascendancy and their painfully generic one liners?"[/color] Oros was answered by a frigid gust of wind. She leaned forward just in tome for the arctic gale to blow past her, but it chilled whatever it touched completely solid. The trash she had been standing on moments earlier had been frozen in place. She tumbled off of the dumpster moments before some long white hair shattered it like glass. It seemed that Sasona was not alone, and was being accompanied by [url=https://danbooru.donmai.us/data/sample/sample-65cad4dc3c0292acf76fed3c12f9db4c.jpg] a nun with long white hair.[/url] [b]”Atalya, here to bask Penrose in Beacon’s light!”[/b] Oros stood up. [color=tomato]"Are you guys trying to make a tournament out of this?"[/color] Atalya shrugged her shoulders. [b]”Like we’d talk to an interloper like you! Sisel, now!”[/b] [b]”Your darkness shall be illuminated!”[/b] Oros didn’t even have time to turn around before [url=https://cdn.donmai.us/original/88/7e/__bridget_guilty_gear_drawn_by_yamamoto_souichirou__887e779390408fab3d9a6ec1ba0979f0.jpg]a small nun with questionable sexuality[/url] flung her yoyo at Oros. But Sisel didn’t even need to hit her target, as one swing of the yoyo caused Oros to teleport directly in front of her. [b]”Now, Nura- GAH!”[/b] Oros hadn’t been able to turn around, but she did manage to drive her elbow hard enough into Sisel’s face to shatter their jaw. As fast as Oros was, it gave the [url=https://static.zerochan.net/Maxwindy.full.795468.jpg] relatively plain looking nun with thigh highs[/url] a chance to stab Oros with her sword. With a growl, Oros attempted to cut them in two. But Sisel and Nura seemed to transform into a pile of burning dynamite, which exploded shortly after Oros cut through it. Her smoldering body was thrown across the asphalt. Once she rolled to a stop, it became apparent what had happened. Nura and Sisel were both standing beside another nun, one with [url=https://www.wallpaperup.com/uploads/wallpapers/2017/10/15/1108617/bf916514cfc118e0d33f74a91594448b-700.jpg] Long hair and a black undershirt[/url] She was holding a single stick of dynamite, which disappeared into her hammerspace. [b]”Thank you for the assist, Rue. The day is always brighter with your explosions.”[/b] Nura smiled. [b]”I simply cleanse my targets in flames, I wish I could do something for Sisel, however.”[/b] That was when a sixth nun, one with [url=https://art.ngfiles.com/images/657000/657254_seviesphere_junia-celestina-jucy-nun-v1.jpg?f1541281410] a very indecent outfit[/url] showed up. [b]”Fear not for Sisel, for Beacons light will make her whole again!”[/b] And with a simple thump of her staff, Sisel’s wound was completely reversed. Not only that, but her mana reserves had been doubled, and she had HP regeneration so strong that for the next ten seconds, she could heal back to full instantly from any attack that didn’t outright kill her. [b]”Thank you, Makayla!”[/b] Sisel said. [color=tomato]"OP powers, check."[/color] Oros got her feet under herself. [color=tomato]"Uninspired dialog, check."[/color] She forced herself upright. [color=tomato]"Bringing six people against one anyway because you’re cowards, fuckin’, tripple check."[/color] They were all standing together in a line. Sasona was that conceptual shadow chick, Atalya had wind that could freeze things solid just by touching it, Sisel could teleport people closer to themselves, Nura seemed really strong, Rue must have time magic, and Makayla was a token big breasted healing slut. This fight was winnable, but she needed a plan of attack. Something Oros would need more time to enact. [color=tomato]"I’m not going to lie, even if you’re Ascendancy, I didn’t expect you to escape. I mean, it got nerfed pretty hard, but it should have taken you a bit more than a week to get out."[/color] [b]”Fortunately, you brought that disgusting robot inside.”[/b] Sasona folded her arms. [b]”She managed to fix the teleporters in beacon HQ while fighting off monsters in just a few seconds, and used them to teleport across dimensions back to this one. I simply used them before they were destroyed again.”[/b] She gestured towards her friends. [b]”Beacon was busy, but a few of my sisters agreed to come and teach you a lesson.”[/b] Oros reeled. [color=tomato]"Beacon teleporters can jump across the continuum? And neither I nor my patron, who despises Beacon, thought to destroy teleporters we couldn’t use?"[/color] Oros growled and threw her head back. [color=tomato]"This feels like a huge oversight by the Grand Magistrate! I doubt my patron has anything nice to say about this! How can there be stakes if everything is easy to overcome?"[/color] [b]”You’ll find that I’m not so easy to overcome, monster!”[/b] Sasona pointed at Oros. [b]”You’ll pay for trying to tarnish Beacon’s shine!”[/b] [color=tomato]"Whoh, hold up!"[/color] Oros raised her hands. [color=tomato]"I mean I get why you’re upset. But let’s remember that I didn’t kill you!"[/color] [b]”The things you did instead!”[/b] Her lips trembled. [color=tomato]"Well, you can’t hold that against me!"[/color] Oros pointed at herself. [color=tomato]"Those nasty mental mutations are all gone now!"[/color] Sasona folded her arms. [b]”As is a great deal of your power, I imagine?”[/b] [color=tomato]"I mean, you’re not wrong, but-!"[/color] Atalya brushed her hand through her long, white hair. [b]”Can you just kill her already?”[/b] Oros looked at all the girls present. [color=tomato]"You’re not going to try and pierce my heart again, are you? I need it now that I’m not a monster anymore!"[/color] She looked at Sashona. [color=tomato]"Give me another-"[/color] Before Oros could get out another word, debilitating pain brought her to her hands and knees. There was an intense pain in her chest. When she opened her mouth to yell, no words came out. The only thing she could expel was the blood pooling in her lungs. [b]”Mercy is wasted on you, as pitiful as you are!”[/b] Sashona’s sisters watched with glee as Oros bled out. First it was just black spikes shooting out of her heart, but her own shadow had turned into a bed of spikes that stabbed at her every limb. Eventually she was too weak to even hold her body up, and she sunk into the spikes. Her senses dulled. The pain subsided with the light in her eyes. As she laid their dying, her fading thoughts were with her family that she might reunite with in death. Sisel giggled. [b]”Passing judgement on monsters is always good, but being able to get vengeance in the same action makes it that much sweeter, does it not?”[/b] [b]”It does!”[/b] Sashona hoisted her cross over her shoulder. [b]”Leave the body for the rats.”[/b] Everyone turned around to walk away, save for Sisel. [b]”Wait.”[/b] Sisel took a step closer to the body. [b]”My eye detects the workings of magic. Dark magic is working on her body.”[/b] [b]”Is she regenerating?”[/b] Atalya stood at Sisel’s side. With a wave of her hand, a frigid wind froze Oros’s body solid. [b]”Bring her closer, and I will mince her wicked body! There will be no place for the wicked to hide this day.”[/b] With a nod, Sisel swung their yoyo into the air. Oros should have teleported right next to them, but her body remained in place. Sisel swung again, but had the same result. [b]”Atalya?”[/b] [b]”Very well, I will deal with the vagrant myself!”[/b] Atalya leapt through the air, spinning her hair in a slicing motion. But Oros was not a prone target waiting for a swift execution. She had increased her metabolism to warm her body to where she could move under the ice. If Atalya could keep her eyes on Oros at all times, she might have noticed her eyes open up from inside her icy prison. Moments before she could land her mark, the beast woman stood up and thrust her katana through Atalya’s neck. With her body spinning, she practically decapitated herself. [b]”Ahhhh!”[/b] Sisel whimpered and stumbled backwards. The rest of Sashona’s friends turned to look at Oros. [color=tomato]"I didn’t want to kill her, she had one of the better character designs out of you lot."[/color] Atalya’s blood coated Oros’s sword and her right arm. Though what most of them noticed was that her look had changed. Oros’s was back in her dark priestess garb. She was a monster girl again. [color=tomato]"But I guess that’s the price of being over confident. I’d have captured her instead, but clearly that’s not viable anymore. Blame the Grand Magistrate if you’re furious."[/color] She used her free hand to wipe some of the blood off of her hand before licking it off of her finger. [color=tomato]"Well? You’re not going to let me just walk away are you? Let’s tussle!"[/color] No sooner than Oros was done speaking did another bomb blow up right in front of her chest. [color=tomato]"That’s so cheap!"[/color] She called out as she flew through the air. Sashona, Nura, and Rue surrounded Oros to keep her cornered up against a wall. Makayla ensured they all had proper healing buffs on. Sisel on the other hand was a bit shaken. She did not seem too inclined to join in. Oros was on the defensive. With three girls attacking her at once, there was hardly room to launch a counter attack. They were clearly a team, layering their attacks in a way that offered no openings while also avoiding each other. Oros would expect nothing less from an elite unit. But Oros was presented an opening when Sisel attempted to use her yoyo to teleport to a safe vantage point. She was pretty adept at intercepting such magic, and space slipped through a wormhole to Sisel’s location. Sashona’s cross plunged into a brick wall and nearly leveled the building it was attached to. Sisel looked up at the girl that seemed to teleport to her location. [color=tomato]"You cowards really need to stop using magic like that."[/color] When Sisel looked down at themselves, Oros’s sword was already inside their stomach. With a swift upward swing, they were split in two. [color=tomato]"Sorry Bridget fans, maybe next time."[/color] [b]”Sisel!”[/b] [color=tomato]"Who’s next?"[/color] Another explosion erupted beside Oros’s head. This time, it was strong enough to blow off her arm. [color=tomato]"Fuck! Again?"[/color] [b]”You will regret existing, monster!”[/b] The remaining four Ascendancy girls made a defensive wall. Sashona and Nura stood at the front with Rue standing just behind them. Makayla was a bit further back, making sure the remaining magical girls stayed alive. Aside from Makayla, it did seem like Oros had cleaned out the more frail Ascendancy girls. It would get hairy if they found a way to surround her. And with a wall on either side of her, they just needed to get behind her somehow. Oros kept her sword up. It was hard to tell how much of the blood she was coated with was her own, and how much belonged to her opponents. Barring her missing arm, her torso was charred all over from explosions, and there were no shortage of holes from being stabbed by shadow magic. She could run away, but she liked her odds. Oros took a deep breath and ran forward. [color=tomato][i]If she is using time stop, she needs to be doing something to shock herself.[/i][/color] Oros kept a close eye on the girl, and got the answer she was looking for. While Rue had yet to get hit by a single attack, there was a small amount of blood on her earing. It had a lot of fine points on it, and she looked like she was reaching for it with her open hand as Oros charged in. There was no blood on her hand from prior uses, but Makayla was keeping them healed up, so there was likely why there was no evidence of her using it. [color=tomato]”Bingo.”[/color] As soon as Ru went to activate her time stop, Oros briefly gave herself a dense outer shell. So dense in fact that she couldn’t even move with it on. A cluster of explosions erupted all around her, but it wasn’t enough to break her defenses. [b]”Creature!”[/b] [color=tomato]”I’ve fucked people who called me worse things than that!”[/color] Oros’s shell broke and she sprinted towards Rue. Sashona and Nura stood together to brace for impact, but Oros dove over their heads and landed behind them. Rue was quick to turn around and hold her knife up, while Nura and Sashona maneuvered around to protect her. [b]”Surely you did not think you could charge through us to get to Rue?”[/b] Nura grit her teeth. [color=tomato]”Actually, I wanted to get better acquainted with your healer.”[/color] Oros extended her arm towards Makayla. Before the three beacon girls could rush down Oros, she shifted to her home world with Makayla, and just Makayla. … … … [color=tomato]”Man, never thought that nerf to my ability to void shift would actually be a buff. Can you imagine how much more dangerous that would be to use if the radius was big enough to bring your friends along?”[/color] Makayla took a few steps backward and held her staff out between Oros and herself. [b]”What is it that you plan to do with me?”[/b] [color=tomato]”Well, I had a few ideas.”[/color] Oros walked closer to the healer. [color=tomato]”I thought I’d capture what few of your friends remained and lock them up in here.”[/color] She stepped on Makayla’s foot, and she fell onto her back. [color=tomato]”Then I just thought we’d all kind of sit tight and, you know...”[/color] Oros looked the girl up and down with a mischievous grin. [color=tomato]”Hah! No, I’m just kidding! I just thought it would be easier to murder you if your friends weren’t crawling all over my back. Instant healing from any wound for ten seconds is really annoying!”[/color] Oros lifted her foot over the nun’s head. [color=tomato]”Let’s see if you run out of mana before I run out of stamina!”[/color] … … … When oros teleported back into the alleyway, only fifteen seconds had ticked by. If even that long. She had returned with Makayla’s shattered corpse under her foot, and her remaining opposition looked like they were searching the area. Or perhaps they had anticipated she would return, and spread out so that they could more easily surround her. Sashona and Rue were on one side, and Nura was on the other. Their fists trembled when they saw another one of their fallen allies. [color=tomato]”Well I’m not going to run away.”[/color] A tentacle sprung out of Oros’s severed shoulder to act as a makeshift arm. [color=tomato]”Six against one isn’t a good match up in real life. You really need a big area to properly make use of your numbers, and a crowded alleyway just isn’t that good.”[/color] She shrugged. [color=tomato]”Now that there’s just three of you, I think you might stand a chance.”[/color] Oros wasn’t going to get caught off guard by Rue’s bombs again. When she reached for her earring, her fingers would brush up against a long, slender tentacle. It had coiled around her earring and was prepared to yank it off. She attempted to cut the earring free, but a second tentacle had coiled around her arm. That wouldn’t have stopped her, but the tentacle was joined by many more. A proverbial nest seemed to erupt under her feet and were crawling across her legs and torso to bind her arms. [b]”Tentacles!”[/b] Sashona rushed to Rue’s side to help free her. [b]”Sashona, no!”[/b] Nura’s words reached her friend just in time as she turned around to see a massive crystal alter sliding her way. It seemed to have been kicked in her direction by a reasonably strong magical girl, and had a glowing magical girl riding on top of it. Sashona raised her arm, and shadowy spears flew out to try and stop it. But the crystal slab reflected so much light that it couldn’t be stopped by shadow magic. It acted like a prism, launching multicolored rays of light in all directions. [color=tomato]”Be thankful I’m not flashing colors to cause seizures. That would be really diabolical.”[/color] Sashona stood her ground, raising her cross to smash through the slab and it’s rider. It was hard to see with them glowing so brightly however. Oros was able to dive over Sashona’s head for the second time this fight, and plunged her sword through Rue’s chest. She was too strong to die from a single swing, but it didn’t take Oros long to pull the sword out and divide the woman’s torso in half. With tentacles binding her limbs in place, there was little she could do to defend herself. The tentacles borrowed into her open flesh untill she stopped moving. [color=tomato]”Man, that one really broke my heart. That was such a cool outfit.”[/color] There was no waiting for Oros to heckle them further. Sashona and Nura had cornered Oros at the end of a dead end street. [color=tomato]”Well you’ve taken a tole on my mana reserves, but there’s only two of you left. Too many people died here for you to give up now, right?”[/color] But Sashona and Nura weren’t paying attention to Oros’s heckling. They were throwing shade at each other. [b]”Was keeping the monster occupied so hard, Nura?”[/b] [b]”I had o idea she had her legs locked around the alter! I swung as hard as I could at her, and it shoved her towards Rue when she blocked it!”[/b] [b]”Don’t you think at all?”[/b] [color=tomato]”Hey!”[/color] Oros shouted. [color=tomato]”This is already a really long post. We don’t need to hear-”[/color] [b]”Silence!”[/b] [color=tomato]”Sheesh!”[/color] Mad as they might be, the Ascendancy didn’t get careless just because they were upset on a mission. They still had a monster to taker down. Oros didn’t have a lot of room to maneuver either. It wasn’t like jumping above the ally was an option when both of her opponents were so physically strong. As Nura prepared to run Oros through, she’d find that her thrust had a lot more power than normal. That was largely because Oros was using her gravity magic to pull her in as close as possible. Oros raised her sword just as the two ran each other through. While Oros’s beastly nature made her impervous to pain, the same could not be said for Nura. This bought Oros the seconds she needed to release her sword and swipe at Nura’s head. Oros’s hands had turned into sharp talons,which had no difficulty stripping away the girl’s flesh. Her head was reduced to a bare skull in seconds. Sashona's cross crushed both Oros and what remained of Nura. As durable as Oros was, that was the attack that broke both of her legs. She reached for her sword, but it was still trapped in Nura’s torso, which had been mashed into her right arm. Nura was made out of stronger stuff than most magical girls. Even with Oros’s tremendous strength, she wouldn’t be freeing her sword with Sashona so close by. [b]”You know what I think?”[/b] Sashona hoisted her cross over her head again. This would be the final blow. [b]”I think we might have found a way to make you shut up.”[/b] [color=tomato]”Not likely.”[/color] As Sashona’s cross descended, Oros drew her left hand (it was a tentacle at this point) and pulled the dark sword that mint girl had given her out of her hammer space. She could only do so much against a giant club, but guiding the attack into her left shoulder was far better that taking it directly in the face. Her left shoulder snapped once the attack landed. After deflecting the attack, Oros sent out a tentacle to swat Sashona in the shins, causing her to fall forward onto the sword that skewered her friend seconds ago. [b]”Ngh!”[/b] [color=tomato]”You done yet?”[/color] Oros took hold of the Ascendancy girl’s head and drove swarms of tentacles into her eyes. She didn’t have long to scream before every hole on her face was filled with an appendage. At last, it was quiet. It was unlikely she was going to finish that interview today. She’d have to call Pak-a-fist up to schedule again. … … … Oros dragged her body through the snow. Her legs were fractured, she didn’t have the mana to keep her left arm in tact, and her torso had been stabbed and crushed with numerous weapons, not to mention the bits of her that were burned by explosions. [color=tomato]”And that’s how you do it!”[/color] She didn’t know where she was going, just that she couldn’t return to the Golden Trove. They were expecting her there. She needed to recover first. [color=tomato]”Yea, Eden had a pretty good plan, but she didn’t solo six Ascendancy girls, so who really cares?”[/color] She fell against a tree. [color=tomato]”Anyone can just blow a psychic nuke, right? Just gotta push a button in the right area.”[/color] As she slid down the tree, her blood coated it. [color=tomato]”Though being unkillable sounds pretty useful. It’s not really my style though.”[/color] Oros laid in a heap at the foot of the tree. [color=tomato]”I mean a hero has to struggle to get what they want. Nothing’s ever easy for the hero. Not if they’re interesting.”[/color] It was time for Oros to switch into hibernation mode if she wanted to survive. [color=tomato]”What… What the fuck am I struggling for?”[/color] Oros’s eyes closed, and a single tear frose on her cheek. … … … A picture of Oros engaging six nuns still hangs in Mia and Connie’s room. The type of masterpiece that can only be captured by a hero who was really there. [hr] [center][img]https://i.imgur.com/GInLRmw.png[/img] [color=tomato]”Now for the part some of you might care about.”[/color] [color=888888]— Oros[/color] [/center] Oros raised an eyebrow at Amanda. She was unsure how pretending to be lewded by someone could invoke this much ire. It wasn’t an undesirable reaction, but it was unexpected in a way that even Oros didn’t like. Moreover, she had a… youthful appearance. She wasn’t really in the mood to hunt for a replacement for Eliza, but Oros’s interest was piqued. Maybe it was how such a little body could display so much emotion that intrigued her. Once Amanda got to seven, she stood up. [color=tomato]”That’s the kind of anger that only a quick game of Keijo can cure!”[/color] She pointed over her shoulder. [color=tomato]”If you want to spank me for real, I’m afraid you’re going to have to do it there. Dan only lets Penny beat people up outside of sports.”[/color] [color=orange]”Oros!”[/color] Pak-A-Fist waved her hand. [color=orange]”We should catch up!”[/color] [color=tomato]”Yea, we should. Maybe after the tourney.”[/color] She turned back to Amanda. [color=tomato]”Anyway, I’d be cool with sparring. I don’t mind aggressive opponents. Gotta be ready for the Rachel-Champion-Oros Giga Battle.”[/color] She patted the purple haired girl on the shoulder. [color=tomato]”Or don’t, your call.”[/color] As soon as Oros departed. That oddly unnamed magical girl followed after her. … … … Now that Oros was in the sunny beach side of the dimension, she decided to put on that [url=https://i.imgur.com/YXCL0kG.jpg]yakuza jacket.[/url] She was standing on an island all by herself, overdressed as she was. [color=tomato]”Just gotta keep my swimsuit hidden for as long as possible.”[/color] And she was numb, too. So being dressed up like this did not cause her any discomfort. [color=tomato]”Still gotta do my stage play, might do that while I’m waiting for fights to wrap up.”[/color] That was when the nameless [url=https://i.imgur.com/z7Zl2eR.jpg]quiet girl[/url] landed just a few feet away from her. [color=tomato]”Oh cool, you showed up.”[/color] Oros stretched. [color=tomato]”I guess this is where the generic bad guy says everything is going according to plan. But since I’m a good guy, I guess I can say something like IT’S ALL COMING TOGETHER!”[/color] Oros chuckled. [color=tomato]”Right, but we’ve likely gained the attention of a few people by now, so maybe don’t act too weird? Even if nobody reads this long ass post, people like to skim and read the colored text.”[/color] With a shrug, the quiet girl was covered in sparkles, which dissipated to reveal her [url=https://i.imgur.com/ZkQW0fE.jpg]swim suit.[/url] [color=tomato]”There we go, and you’re even smiling now! Well, in your art anyway.”[/color] Oros looked around. [color=tomato]”Guess we’d better get you some sparring partners.”[/color] She snapped her fingers, and a portal opened up. [color=tomato]”Courtesy of the big guy. Don’t fight them all at once.”[/color] She chuckled again. [url=https://i.imgur.com/E7VRz1Z.jpg]That[/url] was [url=https://i.imgur.com/G3tmjGG.png]when[/url] a [url=https://i.imgur.com/4u6zNHI.jpg]literal[/url] army [url=https://i.imgur.com/GOQkEhn.jpg]of[/url] girls [url=https://i.imgur.com/VcBrunC.jpg]with[/url] strangely [url=https://i.imgur.com/JkMcjTk.jpg]feline[/url] features [url=https://i.imgur.com/mtcPmyJ.jpg]and[/url] cat [url=https://i.imgur.com/dThNtEh.png]shaped[/url] swim [url=https://i.imgur.com/Uw45sic.png]suits[/url] came [url=https://i.imgur.com/M9MAeAE.jpg]out[/url] of [url=https://i.imgur.com/QTXJsgx.jpg]the[/url] portal [url=https://i.imgur.com/JXWOB4j.jpg]one[/url] at [url=https://i.imgur.com/pQd9MpS.jpg]a[/url] time until [url=https://i.imgur.com/8KKVAa1.png]the[/url] island [url=https://i.imgur.com/BWxzUGM.jpg]was[/url] full. [color=tomato]”Of course if you’re anything like me, those odds don’t scare you. And let’s be real, we’re pretty much the same person.”[/color] Oros was about to leave the island when she sensed the quiet girl was still looking at her. [color=tomato]”What? You want me to hold your hand? Look, I don’t need practice. I’ve been on a ground hog day loop for fifty years. If you think I never played any Keijo, you got another thing coming.”[/color] Oros continued to walk away. [color=tomato]”We’ve got this in the bag. Just keep doing exactly what I tell you to do.”[/color] She looked over her shoulder. [color=tomato]”And it wouldn’t kill you to talk every once in a while, you know?”[/color] The quiet girl nodded before looking back at all of her challengers. Maybe she could share a few of them? But she wouldn't have long to find someone to take them off her hands. The first one was already in a combat stance. [color=cfff04]"Don't get distracted! Fight me!”[/color] The quiet girl rolled her shoulders, revealing a butterfly "tattoo" nestled under her swimsuit.