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


Lily nodded as Gaia came up with a plan using Connie’s magical expertise. With a wave of purplish vapor, her spell made towards the magical mollusks: the creatures’ snores turned erratic and restless, signs that they were captured in a hex that induced sleep paralysis, ensuring that they would not wake from their night terrors. 
[color=fff200]”Good job, Connie!”[/color] Lily cheered for her fellow magical girl with an approving pat of her hand on the latter’s shoulder. Next, Alicia suggested that the twins make their way through the passage, to which Lily added:
[color=fff200]”Yeah, and Alex too! You three will make it through, I know it!”[/color]

Ronin was the first to enter through the maw of the stone walrus head into the passage. In a clever move, she used barriers to traverse through without touching the floor of the passage, avoiding any possible traps that relied on direct contact. Her self-applied barriers nonetheless proved vital in navigating through the cramped path, as the sleeping oysters and their blade-sharp shells scraped repeatedly against her magical defenses as if walking through a motionless wood chipper, eroding them at a slightly alarming rate. However, she only needed to apply the barrier once after passing around the corner before she saw light at the end of the tunnel, and emerged out, with Miko following right after.

The twins found themselves at a stone corridor very reminiscent in style to the ones in Justine von Visceral’s castle, back when they had begun their adventures in Penrose: There was a red carpet that ran through the center, and sconces set on walls lit the walls, showing banners of crimson red, all of them carrying the familiar emblem of the Wonderland tyrant. There were four suits of imposing plate armor on rectangular display stands, holding halberds upright and carrying Diamond insignias. The left end of the corridor led to a stone staircase that led to an upper floor, while the right end led to a more spacious area; based on the map and direction they entered, it was most likely the castle foyer. 
There were also several wooden doors reinforced with iron.

The twins turned their heads, and saw one more door, though this one carried the same magical rune as the one they saw in the wine cellar. Based on the map and the turning passage, they recognized this to be the same door their friends were trapped behind. In addition, they now recognized the small passage they came from to have been stylized like a face with a wide open mouth. However, unlike the stone walrus, this one was wooden, and carved to resemble a strange man with a small hat and a square-shaped nose. Next to the passage was a wooden mallet with a hole at the tip of its hilt, hanging from a wall hook, reachable by hand from the floor. The mallet had the word “Carpenter” carved to its side.

[hr] 
After a long and probably torturous journey with a certain pastel-colored magical girl and her equally annoying entourage of freaks, Mac finally saw the royal castle in the distance, embroiled in a great battle of sorts, with various fish-like creatures and sealife battling it out on magically generated currents of water against the royalist defenders. And up in the far distance, a raging battle against a fearsome beast against a monster queen.

[hr]
“Don’t get used to it!” Rachel voiced her disdain amidst the siege, performing a maneuver similar to a wall bounce off of a barrier to avoid a ballista bolt of earthshaking whirlwind from Gryphon.
The general of the queen’s army turned out to be quite a difficult opponent for Rachel as she pursued her through the open skies around the castle: the monster queen, much like a Mongol horse archer, was able to accurately shoot at any angle while circle strafing with unnatural agility, turning out practically impossible to engage at melee, which Rachel seemed to be limited to. 

That is, until Mayra intervened using projectiles of her own, handed out by Brittany as she seemed to channel Mayra’s Big Backpack from proximity and pulled out bombs and vials of combustible concoction. Then, with her dragonian brawn, hurled them at great speed, bombarding the winged liontaur. The monster raised a clawed front foot to deflect some of the projectiles, but nonetheless was burned by the various explosives and chemicals, angering her immensely.

“FACE MINE WRATH, DRAKE, AND FALL!” 

She screeched, and drew three immense arrows at once on her bowstring, focusing magical energy into them before they were launched in a spiraling triple barrage. 

“TRIPLE MOCK TURTLE!”

Mayra was able to dodge one, deflect another with Rachel’s assistance, but the third one was coming straight at her…When Brittany jumped, having launched herself with some kind of firecracker. “SUPERMAN THAT (OH)!” She yelled, holding her fist before her like a certain caped crusader.
Rachel scowled. “NO!”

At that moment, the diminutive shopkeeper sacrificed herself for Mayra by letting herself be impaled by the arrow that blasted her off to the distance on impact, coughing up blood before falling, though she could glimpse Rachel hurrying to catch her.
“PITIFUL…” Gryphon taunted as she conjured a new arrow.
[hr]
The queen quietly opened portals and followed after Mariette as she worked her magic with the next mirror, content with the family bonding time that she believed she was spending with her daughter. Though she knew she had little time to bask in maternal matters, knowing that there were eyes on her. And then, as they reached their next destination, Mariette was accosted by more of her minions, who seemed less co-operative. The situation escalated fast as suspicion and doubt quickly overcame these Horror cultists: despite their usefulness, she couldn’t stand the control that the Patrons had over their chosen soldiers, just like what happened with Alice long ago.

Her purple eye flashed, and she witnessed a stalker from beyond, the surveillance of Asengav provided by one more, secret servant. She would not stand for more spies to her work. She pointed her Storyslayer forward, and gathered great magic to it.

“I love my daughter, more than any mother could possibly love their child. All I do is but mere stepping stones for her to realize her destiny. To that end, I will do what must be done. All of you will be delivered from bondage…Even Blick Winkel shall not escape." Her eye flashed again, as she read the story.

"[b]Severance[/b]!”

Then, she made a horizontal sweep before her…And all the girls previously bound to Asengav’s will now had their mindbending severed, their free wills restored. Even the secret watcher, whose true name was Nina, was met with this fate, having been cut through the letters of one word in the story itself.

Like black ink, the Queen shook off the smoky magic residue left behind on the sword, as a new line had now been written where before there was blank papyrus.

“Now then, if any of you continue to oppose my Ali-Tch! Intruders!”

Fully focused on them and her great story-shattering spell, the Queen happened to leave her mirror open and unattended in her lapse of attention, something which she would learn to regret immensely as Mika and Su both managed to throw themselves through the red mirror and into the room with Mariette and the Queen herself.

[hr]
Chloe received a silent reply from Viper, a sign that she had received the new orders. However, only time will tell if she managed to warn her subordinate in time before she was caught by the Queen’s forces. Of course, Glimmr began popping off with alarmed posts about strange flowers that began to bloom from the magical populace of Penrose…