[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/K2ssvzh.png[/img][/center]

Justine smiled at Angel of Hope’s words of gratitude, and spun her spear as she conjured blood bullets, shooting them at the Spade who then disengaged. She scoffed as she dueled against the Spade soldier, Finn’s message having raced across her mind.
[color=bc8dbf][i]We have bigger fish to fry! They passed the barrier![/i][/color] She messaged back, and winced as in that moment she let a bullet graze her forearm. In return, she threw the spear, piercing the soldier right through the chest. The soldier dropped on one of the houses, and Justine’s eyes widened as the soldier’s body exploded, blowing the house up and scattering burning debris around: she didn’t notice it before, but the flying squad seemed to be equipped for suicide bombing. A piece of the burning debris happened to fly right into Miko who was in the vicinity, only causing light damage but leaving burns on her kimono and cheek.

[color=bc8dbf]”The fliers have bombs on them!”[/color] She yelled down at the local defenders, and then grimaced upon spotting Penny running rampant in the distance.
[color=bc8dbf][i]As an aside, I’m glad I never had to face her.[/i][/color]

[hr]
[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/72bEcUi.png[/img][/center]

Lily slightly wobbled once Alex took her hand, surprised by the gesture.

[color=fff200]”H-huh? I’m not burning, I’m fine…"[/color] She lied, but nonetheless followed Alex as he took them to a porch on one of the empty houses. She sat down on one of the chairs there, and sighed heavily as Alex’s tails comforted her with fluffiness.
[color=fff200]”Alex…"[/color] She mumbled, her eyes closed as she allowed herself a moment of respite from the chaos and terror. After a short moment, she spoke:
[color=fff200]”I’m sorry, but…There’s a reason this keeps happening…Why I keep pushing harder."[/color] She opened her eyes, and she noticed how the last civilians of Bolorton were carried out by Oliver’s crew and Eliana, and lifted a hand, slightly waving to them.
[color=fff200]”Thank you so much!"[/color] 

Then, with renewed energy, she turned to Alex.
[color=fff200]”I’ve realized…Up to this point, I’ve only used a small fraction of this new magic. I’ve been speeding myself and others up, but…Is that all there is to it? To manipulate the flow of time itself…It’s hard. But…I know I could do so much more with it. There’s so much potential. I could…Help everyone with it. As long as I work hard, I could even make…a miracle."[/color] She opened her hand, and her hourglass floated over it, spinning erratically. She smiled as she looked into it.
[color=fff200]”Right, Alex?"[/color]

She then heard as Justine shouted from above. [color=fff200]”What? How did they get past the barrier?"[/color] She exclaimed. That was when a shot rang out, and Alex felt a stinging pain; one of his tails had been shot by a flying Spade soldier wielding a sniper rifle, having aimed at Lily.
Fortunately, Alex had enough Agility to provide a defensive barrier to slow down the bullet. Still, the tail was struck right in the bone, quickly reminding him that the situation was escalating fast.

Lily immediately stood up from her seat and shot back with a lightning-quick draw of her bow, hitting the Spade right in the arm, causing them to drop the weapon before he retreated.
Her arm slightly shook after the shot, her expression hard.

She and Alex, along with everyone else inside Bolorton, saw that the Spade squad had closed in on the town after slipping through their defenses, and began shooting; the soldier with the rocket launcher shot down another tower even as Justine made chase. A Spade with an assault rifle opened fire on Tina and Ellen, managing to hit Tina’s chest and shoulder, and causing her to almost fall as she was held by Ellen.

[color=fff200]”How dare they? How dare they!"[/color] Lily screamed, and began chasing after the Spades on the ground, rapidly shooting upwards at them as she zipped through the Chronos Crossed roads.

[hr]
Finn disengaged from the enemy forces, having left the swarm of clucking chickens to cover his exit as he ascended up towards the half-rusted Tin Man. As he gained altitude, he saw in the distance that his enchanted bull had slowed down, having been crippled in the leg by a grenade blast, though it’s bellowing presence was enough to still claim the soldiers’ attention as they fired upon it until he fell like a noble warrior. He also saw how Kiyome’s shadowy minions were still managing to hold thanks to their regenerative abilities, though one was driven over by a tank, unable to escape, and the others were surrounded by more and more troops.

The colossus attempted swatting Finn with his free hand once he got close, but the rusted joints locked up, allowing the magical boy to dodge and strike…One of the chains, causing the broken lock to slightly droop from the side.
Just as Mac had wanted, she succeeded in redirecting Finn’s attack before she had the chance to activate the Tin Man’s heart curse.

She then proceeded to attack the other chains, disguised as Iron Mouse swatting with the butt of her rifle, and managed to destroy enough chains for the hatch to swing open as the Tin Man’s massive frame swung back and forth, managing to smack Mac with the side of a metallic elbow; she incurred moderate damage to her shoulder and her side with a small bone fracture, and causing her to be knocked away. Finn saw the metallic hearts inside the hollow compartment of the Tin Man’s chassis, each of them beating at different times as they glowed brightly. This was followed by the Tin Man’s backswing hitting Finn; however, Finn managed to latch on the arm before he was knocked away, barely holding on.


[hr]
Gaia unleashed her full magical prowess upon the battlefield, and lifted the fallen tower that had once trapped Mayra, the stalk regenerating rapidly to restore the trunk. Even the tower cut down by the Tin Man began growing anew from the stump, and developed into a short tower with the small, budding sunflower cannon. Gaia then resumed leading the botanical defense, and continued launching an array of flowery weaponry; The Tin Man was drenched even more by bursts of water on it’s shoulders and legs while purposefully avoiding the midsection, further rusting the giant to the point it was no longer capable of swinging it’s axe. However, it then began stepping slowly forward, seemingly trying to ram into the barrier with it’s hefty frame even as it’s rusted joints grinded.

At the same time, Gaia latched on to the Scarecrow with her vines, and attempted to throw the monster…But the creature didn’t budge, no matter how hard she pulled. She strained her magic, but the straw creature had taken root into the ground, having taken advantage of Gaia’s blessed soil, and drawn magical energy from it. Then, the creature further showed it’s parasitic power as a small straw hand grew from the burnt stump and grabbed onto the vine, corrupting it. Gaia felt as the control of the vine spell escaped her, and it shot out to wrap around her; unlike her own vines, which were beautiful and abundant with life, the corrupted vine looked frayed and blackened, like rope made from sickly straw. She then heard a sucking sound from the straw, and felt as her mana was rapidly drained by the magically stronger Scarecrow’s curse. Her mana kept lowering and lowering…

“Don’t give up, Gaia!” She heard Annabelle’s voice just as she was about to be drained dry, followed by feeling the girl’s hands on her own as she embraced the verdant girl from behind; Gaia felt the infusion of magic from the other Wood user, and helped her break the straw curse in a flash of light as well as restoring her back to 20% mana.
“Thank you for tending to my garden,” she gently spoke, and summoned her own magical weapon, a staff with an elaborate sunflower-shaped tip. “Now, let’s beat these Oz rejects, together!”

Gaia had also sent vines to rescue Mayra. She, however, did not need rescuing, as the monster girl had melted a hole into the tower and burrowed inside like a squirrel. She then imbued her magic with the tower, and through it’s rooted network spread a blazing enchantment on Gaia’s payload; with their powers combined, the cob cannons dropped napalm-like oil on the waves of Club soldiers, causing them to scream in agony as they burned. Upon seeing that the scarecrow was not flung, the chaotic girl decided on a whim to attack some club soldiers attempting to pass by the sunflower towers; while slowed by the damage she had taken to her legs and thus not fast enough to avoid the hail of gunfire, she powered through and ripped the soldiers to shreds, though she did have to spit out a bullet that lodged on one of her teeth.

[hr]
The Angel of Hope quickly adapted to the reinforcements among their ranks, and enchanted the new arrivals; Akhenaten flexed as he felt the surge of power course through him, while Nefer laughed, aiming her glowing gun.
“Ooh, that’s some good magic! Gives me a high like no other! Thank you, super cutie!” She winked at the Angel in a flirty fashion, before turning her attention back to the fight at hand. “Now, how about you make it back to Kansas, you little freak?”

Akhenaten grunted in response to Kiyome’s suggestion, and crushed another block of bricks the armless girl had launched at them, followed by the girl jeering. “My! People come and go so quickly here!” The monster seemed to turn desperate, as it gathered up the nearby bricks into a shell and started running, once again lifting the barrier like a curtain with an arch of bricks.
Akhenaten dashed in front and punched, but the girl had split the road in two and dodged to the left as it ran around the loop, seemingly gaining speed as it headed for the emerald fountain in the square. Nefer spotted as Kiyome was about to go for another attack, and blasted the armless girl with what looked like an explosive shell of bluish magic, breaking the shell.
“Go for it, cutie!”

In that moment Kiyome teleported midair behind the armless girl. Before the armless girl could strike with pillars made of bricks, her head was already rolling down the yellow-bricked road, like a bowling ball down a lane.
Kiyome landed on the blackened grass, and as she did, her broken legs gave out under her, and she dropped to her knees. As she did, she saw as the road dissolved into a golden wind, and the fountain returned back to normal; she had claimed victory.

[hr]
“Affirmative,” Gabriel responded to Alicia’s with a respectful salute, and walked away, causing Hyun Long to sigh in an exasperated tone. However, she did not say anything else for the moment. The Beacon squad, thanks to Aurelio’s initiative, quickly found themselves appearing out of the mobile teleporter situated behind their assigned vehicle; a van fitted with magitech and enough space to store the advanced device in. The van was situated at what looked like a car wash at a gas station on the edge of town, next to a road that led down to the countryside.

It didn’t take them much time to fold the device into a more compact shape and store it in the back of the van before they were already off, with Aurelio on the wheel. Alicia was driving shotgun, leaving Serenity and Hyun Long with the back seats. Hyun Long held her arms crossed and tapped her foot impatiently as the skyline of Penrose drifted further and further away behind them. The vehicle was accelerated thanks to Serenity’s spell, allowing the already fast vehicle to reach an even greater speed. 

However, as they were on their way, Serenity noticed Hyun Long nudging her lightly in the shoulder, and she turned to look at her.
“Serenity, I may come off as harsh and judgemental to you. But even so, what I’ve said is still true; you need to show more respect to your superiors, and prove yourself worthy of Beacon’s ideals.” Her gaze turned tighter, and she put a hand to her own chest.
“It is thanks to Beacon’s mercy that I was granted a chance at redemption, to prove myself strong enough to surpass my past self and to repay them for their kindness. I’ve been informed that such is the case for you as well. However…” She then pointed straight at Serenity, who inadvertently jiggled as they hit a bump on the road.
“You, on the other hand, need to work even harder, to earn not only Beacon’s respect, but mine as well.” She then resumed her waiting, having averted her hard gaze. “That said, I look forward to us working together, so we may both earn our redemption,” she added in a lower voice, looking the tiniest bit content.

[hr]
The Queen of Hearts smiled at the compliments she received from Mariette. “Why thank you, Alice. My, I’m glad that after all these years, you still haven’t forgotten your manners,” she spoke, and reached her hand out as the headless soldier returned the mallet back to her as if there was nothing wrong. Jelena spotted that the powerful magic belonged to the Queen, but did not fit any of the known Specializations, meaning it must be Oddball magic. However, she did recognize the signature to be the same as the croquet balls. Jelena’s attention was immediately claimed by the Queen lifting her chin up with the mallet. “But of course. Any friend of Alice’s is a friend of mine…You are Alice’s friend, correct?” She asked, sounding subtly sinister.

They then went on to partake of the catering, as a butler poured tea in both Mariette and Jelena’s teacups, and kept them refilled if they took so much as a single sip from them. The same attention was given to the crumpets, ensuring no matter how many were eaten more would take their place on the table. After some meaningless small talk, Mariette noted that the Queen occasionally seemed to write in a little pocket book. She then landed her question, and the Queen gave a dismissive noblewoman’s laugh.
“So you know of that as well? My, Alice, what a clever daughter you are. Yes, I’ve decided to secure an outpost before proceeding to Penrose. Speaking of, how doth Dormouse fare?” She asked Hatwington, who sighed. “Your Majesty, I regret to inform you that Dormouse has not been up to the task. The locals have mounted quite an effective resistance: even the OZ Unit is falling apart.”

The Queen smiled for a bit…And then flipped the table, causing the pottery to scatter into fragments and the tablecloth to rip apart.
“The insolence of those ignorant slaves!” She then glanced at Mariette, took a deep breath, and recollected herself. “Excuse me for a moment, my dear Alice. Mother has some business to attend to. But don’t worry. I will be right back,” she said, and pulled back on her sleeve, revealing a wrist-mounted magitech device. The device had numerous buttons, as well as a mounted red jewel and a screen. While not as advanced as the magitech she’s seen in other worlds, Jelena had the impression that it was quite effective for a mobile device.

The Queen took a strand of hair from her pocket, and placed it over what seemed to be the scanner part of the device. The red jewel glowed, and it projected a mirror portal before the Queen. That was when Mariette realized what was going on: the Queen had taken one of her hairs, and used it to replicate her own portal magic. She then stepped through the portal to the mundane world. However, Mariette and Jelena realized that in her hurry, the Queen had left her pocket book on one of the unflipped tables; it seems nobody else had noticed it yet, though nearby servants were cleaning up, and might discover it soon.

[hr]
The Engine managed to deflect the lion’s blade enough to incur moderate damage from a gash, and proceeded to assimilate the local metallic materials into itself while adapting to the electrical signal disruption, managing to reclaim its senses and resume its wild assault. As she continued trading blows with the beast, more and more APCs continued to be consumed, until the one at the very back began to dissolve, and a magical girl jumped out of it; she seemed to have a mouse-themed look to her, and channeled a spell in the Engine’s direction. The Engine noted a soporific effect, and while it slightly slowed her it wasn’t enough to completely deter it from its prime directive of destruction.

After enough slicing and stabbing tendrils, the Lion finally succumbed, but not before giving one last bite right into the Engine’s midsection, nearly ripping it in two before it fell over dead.
While the engine focused on reassembling itself, however, it detected a sudden burst of magic nearby, and it’s ocular sensors detected the arrival of someone new, having arrived from what she sensed to be Mariette’s portal.
“Ah, so this is the famous Penny Asimov we have heard of,” the Queen of Hearts spoke, and the Engine deduced this was the leader of the enemy forces, and thus her new primary target, as Dormouse scurried behind enemy soldiers.
“Your exploits have been admirable indeed, having rejected every Power that would try to control you with lies and fear, and building a place independent of their tyranny. Yes…”
The Queen of Hearts smiled, and summoned her weapon. At that point, the engine’s magic-reading sensors went off their limits; her sword possessed magic she was unable to quantify.

“Cease your hostility, and we shall grant you the status of vassal. Then, we shall together liberate the ignorant slaves of the tyrannical Powers. We shall even allow you to govern Penrose under our banner. However, refuse, and you shall receive no such kindness.” She then spoke, and lifted the sword to her side.
“What shall it be?”

[hr]
As Chloe wandered the streets, she happened to come across a pack of monsters; based on what she’s heard of their descriptions, she assumed them to be Wendigos, undead fiends with icy hearts. But then, she saw as the wendigos seemingly saw something behind the corner. The monsters attacked, only disappear without a sound. When Chloe came to investigate the scene, there was nothing left but scrape marks on the ground, in a circular pattern…

“Chloe, Chloe, Chloe…What am I gonna do with a broad like you?” Suddenly, Chloe heard a voice. Then she saw a familiar silhouette rise up on the wall. 

There was no mistaking it at that point: it was Al.

“I didn’t think you’d be daft enough to come back to town after your Houdini act. We had an arrangement, if you recall. You have a debt to pay. And the Mint always collects their debts. So, how’s about ya tell me? Tell me one good reason I shouldn’t paint the town red with you as the brush.”