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Perhaps unsurprisingly for someone who had said they [i]needed to focus[/i], Captain Goodhope pretty much ignored Olivia’s continued ramblings. Incidentally, the maritime maiden wasn’t the only Magical Girl to respond to Olivia’s greeting, as Lumiere also addressed the azure-clad beauty. However, in a somewhat ironic twist, Olivia herself was unable to hear the angelic girl’s words, as they were drowned out by the clamorous cacophony of the surrounding battle. A battle that now seemed to have reached a pivotal stage.

Olivia gave voice to a sharp gasp as a truly enormous Pageless made its appearance, but contrary to what one might think, it was not a gasp of fear, but [i]delight.[/i] Indeed, while the other Pageless had been cute, this new arrival was positively [i]adorable![/i] Olivia simply loved its spiked wheel, the crossbow-cannon-thing at the end of its arm, and the aesthetically pleasing asymmetry of its three spindly legs. Then there was the way its black orb of a head, with its glowing, almost sad eyes, fit so snugly into the dramatically upturned “collar” of its “neck”. And let’s not even get [i]started[/i] on its menacing, spiked crown-thing… In fact, the elegant maiden was so enthralled by the sight of the twisted construct that she almost didn’t hear Lumiere’s urgent call to destroy it. Indeed, the angelic maiden’s hastily conjured barrier was even now being chipped away at by the monstrosity’s powerful blows, while the the other Magical Girls raced to her aid. 

[color=LightSkyBlue]“Very well…”[/color] Olivia sighed, her lovely visage momentarily marred by a despondent frown as she watched her fellow Magical Girls assault the towering creature. One managed to slice off a leg, while Captain Goodhope herself conjured even [i]more[/i] of her ghostly crew, their spectral muskets peppering the monstrosity with enchanted gunshot. [color=LightSkyBlue]“Xolys, darling,”[/color] Olivia called to her consort. [color=LightSkyBlue]“Would you please be so kind as to assist them?”[/color]

[color=MediumBlue][i]Of course, dearest,[/i][/color] the eldritch horror replied, giving a rough approximation of a respectful nod.

However, before the Master of Xhar’doth could take even a single action, the construction site was rent by a massive expulsion of mystic power. Even a relative novice like Olivia knew there could only be one explanation for such an occurrence: the Grimoire had been found, and a new Magical Girl had been born. 

[color=LightSkyBlue]“Oh wow…”[/color] Olivia marveled aloud as the dust cleared, and she was able to catch her first glimpse of the latest addition to their ranks. [color=LightSkyBlue]“She looks like a witch! I wonder what her powers are like?”[/color] she wondered, her features taking on a thoughtful, yet still excited expression. [color=LightSkyBlue]“Maybe hexes? Or perhaps potion brewing?”[/color] Whatever they were, the new girl would need to employ [i]all[/i] of them if she hoped to survive the massive Pageless looming over her, poised to strike. Unless, of course, she received a little help…

As it transpired, that help would come not from the dark and imposing form of Thyerg’Xolys, but rather a blindingly bright missile, one whose glorious radiance made the sun itself seem to pale in comparison. Like a blazing comet, it shot down from the heavens to strike the gargantuan Pageless’s raised appendage. Once again, there was a massive burst of power, and in its wake, the source of the radiant attack was revealed to be… A [i]sword?[/i] 

Someone had thrown a [i]sword?[/i] Olivia’s mind raced with questions. Where had the still-glowing blade come from? Who had thrown it? Were they now without a weapon of their own, and thus utterly defenseless against any other Pageless that might still remain? [sub]Would they be her friend?[/sub] And what horrendous damage had their weapon’s cataclysmic arrival inflicted upon the massive Pageless? Unfortunately, the answer to this last, and most pressing question soon turned out to be “not nearly as much as she had initially imagined”. Yes, one prong (claw?) of the crossbow-thing (or was it perhaps a pile driver-thing?) at the end of the Pageless’s appendage had been sliced off, but, although a little battered, the rest of the weapon was still very much intact and ready to be employed against the newborn Magical Girl.

And that’s where Xolys stepped in.

Having finally gotten close enough to the colossal Pageless, the eldritch horror opened his tentacled, lamprey-like maw and unleashed a blast of otherworldly power. It was a rare occurrence for the Master of Xhar’doth to face a foe that rivaled himself in size. Normally, he could destroy any opponent in just a single shot, but in this case, he would  have to limit himself to one aspect of the gargantuan gestalt. Naturally, he chose what remained of the crossbow-pile-driver-thing. The space between the two imposing monstrosities seemed to twist and warp as a whirlwind of deep blue, ethereal lightning and flame spewed forth. Crashing against the beweaponed appendage with all the force of a pressure hose, the mind-numbing torrent of unreality swiftly began transmuting and reassembling it in a mad, kaleidoscopic frenzy. Flowers of luminous crystal seemed to blossom, before shifting into masses of writhing, slime-covered tentacles, followed by clusters of bulbous, pulsating boils and excessively veined, unblinking eyes, from which poured streams of prismatic, alien blood. After what seemed like an eternity to those who had the misfortune of watching, but was actually only a few seconds, the entire, rapidly shifting mass exploded in a sickly, wet, and crunchy sounding detonation, leaving only a handful of writhing, worm-like tendrils to fall to the ground before swiftly dissolving into viscous, black smoke.

[color=LightSkyBlue]“Ooohh~! So pretty~!”[/color] Olivia cooed, her eyes taking on a very dreamy look as she clasped her hands over her chest. [color=LightSkyBlue]“Isn’t he just the greatest~?!”[/color] she inquired of Goodhope, blissfully oblivious to the fact that the maritime maiden was concentrating so intensely that her eyes were squeezed shut and her tightly clasped, trembling hands had begun to take on a rather concerning pallor. [color=LightSkyBlue]“Oh, but don’t worry!”[/color] the azure beauty hastened to add. [color=LightSkyBlue]“I think all your ghost sailors are pretty amazing, too! Oh, goodness!”[/color] she gasped as she finally turned her focus towards something other than Xolys. [color=LightSkyBlue]“There are so many of them now! They’re like a little army!”[/color] she added with a giggle, which abruptly stopped as a thought occurred to her. [color=LightSkyBlue]“So, um, if you’re a captain, does that mean you have a ship, too? Does it fly?! It probably doesn’t, because if it did, you could have it show up now and blast that impressively-sized Pageless with its cannons! I imagine that would be quite the sight to see! Oh, but maybe it [i]can[/i] fly, but it just requires too much mana? You know, you look a little unwell,”[/color] the babbling beauty observed with a slight frown. [color=LightSkyBlue]“Are you feeling all right?”[/color]