BrokenPromise

Symphony on High

@The World Yes, that works.

Symphony on High

@ERode Keep the mana burn rank up, lose the 50 burn upgrade, and pick between esper note category suppression or monster stat debuff. Regardless of which you choose, jot down that it lasts six seconds.

@The World Try to keep your weapon details and special separate, please. The mana siphon upgrade is an interesting concept, but we'd like it to operate a bit more simply. How about hitting a target with the chain siphons 10 mana and hitting with the blade siphons 20? Then have a 50 mana cap per six seconds/post rotation and additional hits on the same target in this time frame do not activate the effect? Essentially mana earned in a round is based on targets hit rather than number of times a target has been hit.

Symphony on High

Currently evaluating the newly submitted glamors. Will get back to you folks shortly.

Honestly I don't know if this is too strong or not, I still have trouble grasping what is and isn't "Gold Rank" level.

@The World

There's no real set limit for what Gold is, at least one that is easy to quantify. But my present idea is one can be:

A: A stronger and more versatile/less situational version of a silver.

B: Two silvers smashed together.

Symphony on High

@Ponn@ERode@Vertigo

One last shot.

Ashley put everything that she dared into her next attack. It was going to be devastating, and it was going to be nearly unavoidable. Her advanced targeting protocols could maneuver her melody mid flight. It could avoid obstacles, track targets, hell, blast through them if that somehow didn’t work. All to deliver a payload of arcane armaments to their destination. The center of Orion’s wand glowed a hot white, and would leave after images in the eyes of anyone who looked at it. Her targets had no idea what was coming their way, only that it was going to be powerful. Boteg kept his sights straight ahead, doing his best to get as much distance between himself and the diner as possible. it simply remained with Ciri, who looked over their shoulder at the high tech esper. Amanda was still crying. She was still trying to digest the death of her father, or maybe she had given into despair already. It was hard to say.

“Uuh nyuuuuuuuuu!”

MDP rushed outside and fired a beam of candy, teddy bears, and unicorns at the escaping group. They would find themselves surrounded by a rainbow barrier, but would this be strong enough to protect them from what was coming?

Ciri had to nudge Amanda to get her attention. She took one hand off of her father’s remains and offered it to the oni. Maybe they didn’t know what the melody was, but Ciri could approximate when it would go off. That was a skill virtually every esper had. So when the light around Ashley’s wand collapsed, Ciri activated her own melody, just as the technobeam ripped through the air. The green energy passed through Amanda’s form without harming her, and flew on to hit what was behind it.

The back of Boteg’s neck.

While Ashley’s melody had missed its initial target, she was able to will it into hitting Boteg himself. A green explosion soaked everyone nearby in plasma. Ciri was thrown from the dragon’s back, it avoided the blast but jumped after her, Boteg fell out of the sky, and Amanda was there, still a shadow, wondering what was going on.

The dragon hadn’t gotten very high, but he came down hard. His body sunk into the asphalt road and folded it up where he slid. By this point, Amanda had rejoined the world of light and was thrown from the Boteg’s back. She landed face first on the concrete, tumbling into a nearby building and breaking through the wall in the process. But a monster would have little issue surviving contact with the ground, but the story was not the same for the precious glass sculpture she was holding. The only thing in Amanda’s arms now was shattered glass, whatever it used to be was lost to time.

With a grunt, she smashed her tiny fist into the ground and marched back outside. It wasn’t enough that they killed her father, they had to kill her too. She was still crying, but she was mad now too. Her face was red, and her hands were balled into trembling fists. But anger wasn’t a superpower regardless of how much you had. Without a way to harness your emotions, without abilities, it was nothing. Anger needed to be tempered to become a weapon. For all the anger she was feeling, she was just a confused kid. Such a tantrum would be laughed at by a true adversary. Her anger could not strike fear in the hearts of her foes. Despite this, she took a step forward, only to hop two steps back when Boteg crawled forward.

The golden dragon had a giant, smoldering spot on the back of its neck. The scales had blackened, and some had even fallen off to expose the pink flesh beneath. But boteg’s eyes did not display fear or pain. The only thing in his eyes was contempt for the one that had tried to kill them with such a cowardly attack. Now this was the sort of anger that could make someone’s skin crawl. Boteg’s present form was massive, but there was more to it than that. His kind had been hunted to near extinction. They are such a rare sight that Boteg believed himself to be the last of his kind. He had a lot of time to carry that realization too. All a human will ever experience happens between the beats of a dragon’s heart. He may run when the option presents itself, but if attacked directly? Then that might be cause to blow off some steam.

Or maybe monsters were inherently chaotic creatures.

Boteg stood upright, not looking unlike a small golden godzilla. He still towered over the structures on either side of him. It was possible that such a monster could be classified as a behemoth. His growl shook the streets, and a red fluid started to drip out of his mouth. It was too glossy to be blood, and had a mirror like quality to it. His eyes started to change color, he squared up his shoulders, but then his head twitched. It was standing at Boteg’s feet, holding a wounded Ciri in one arm while it wordlessly communicated with the dragon. While not all monsters could communicate with humans, most of them were able to communicate with each other. Though Ciri was able to “hear” the words of her friend. It was telling Boteg that they needed to go. That if they fled now, all of them could live, while a fight just invited more suffering on both sides. Maybe the GEMINI espers were vulnerable, but so was Ciri and Amanda. Reinforcements were likely en route, and leaving now was the best way to ensure everyone’s survival.

Though Boteg’s gaze never left the diner.

He pulled back his head and roared at the street. The red, chromatic liquid smashed into the pavement, uplifting everything in front of it. Everything the fluid touched turned to gold, then froze in a tidal wave of gold. Boteg had created a wall of suspended debris that looked like they had been touched by Midas himself. The quatro was quick to leave the scene. Boteg would revert to his “human” form and join everyone else as they descended into the Bastion.

MDP breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes fixed on the golden wall Boteg had made. The Pink Pounder had rushed back outside, but by then everyone had left.

“Ashwy…” MDP turned to look at the GEMINI squad leader. “As much as i wike uwu guys, i cawn't suppowt thiws type of behaviow any wongew. Pwease teww miss mowwew thawt i won't be wowking withyou in the futuwe. I hope she undewstands.” She didn’t wait for a response before departing with the Pink Pounder, who kept an eye on the GEMINI agents as they departed.

Elsewhere, a cyan haired esper observed the spectacle through her binoculars.

---

@The World@Nakushita@TaintedMushroom@FamishedPants

And so, Marrie, ever the scientist, continued to experiment. She had either end of her weapon in her hands when she reached for the strange knobs. Though she wasn’t reaching for them the way someone would normally reach for a doorknob. To someone more perverse, it might even look like she was- Well, there are no such people present, so it shouldn’t be mentioned.

A mechanical button sounded with a click as each knob was pressed. The generator made many other unusual sounds as its mechanisms slid around. The hum of a hydraulic motor, bursts of steam, and a dull thumping could be heard from deep inside the generator. Before long, Marrie could feel a warmth spread through her hands. Her mana was steadily increasing.

"At least someone posted for my section."

— Mika Fang

Mika gave Marrie a glance. She was going to tell her to knock it off, but if she wanted to play with a mysterious device, that was her thing to do. It looked like everyone else was just waiting for Mika to leave, and she wasn’t going to keep them on the clock any longer than she had to. After scooping up Angelie’s remains, she departed from the building. Maybe she could offer to meet up with them later, but what was the point? This was just a chance encounter with some freelancers. Most of them did their job well, and they just wanted to get paid before moving onto the next thing. Jacqueline didn’t want to spend time with her, so why would any of these people?

She shook the strange thought out of her head before departing. A van would arrive shortly to extract Mika and pay the freelancers.

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

"Why did we come here again?”

— Suki Oyama

It was the weekend, it was hot, and it was summer.

It was mid day by the time Roache arrived at the beach, and she wasn’t the only one that had this idea. Parasols, beach towels, and bathing suit-clad bodies stretched from one end of the beach to the other. It was the weekend, and most everyone was relaxing in the shade while the children and children at heart played in the shallow waters. A small child was building a sand castle, and another was burying “treasure,” which seemed to be a collection of sea shells. Further out there were a few people trying to surf, but there weren’t any giant waves to catch. They were mostly paddling around.

There was also a pier that reached far out into the vast blue ocean, but there were no boats presently. It did look like a group was about to go diving, so it was reasonable to think that the water was deeper that far out. Beyond the beach on either side were a few massive boulders that stuck out of the water like a dragon’s fangs.

Oros stepped out of the van and stretched. She arched her back, and every bone on her spine cracked. The blood that made up most of her uniform swirled and spread, before her magical girl uniform looked like a summer dress. She still had enough blood left over to make a sun hat, albeit a small one.

Despite the fact that almost everyone on the beach was having a good time, Suki really couldn’t connect to the joy they were feeling. She remembered there was a time she really wanted to be in a place like this with present company, but couldn’t for the life of her remember why. It was almost as if Suki had a dream about the beach, but now that she was here, the dream was fuzzy, and nothing in reality seemed to line up with what little she could remember.

There was some movement in the corner of her eye. She spotted a tuft of pink hair, but it vanished behind a parasol. Suki shrugged, unable to work up the ambition to investigate. Judging by the looks of the other girls, either nobody noticed it, or had her same reaction of not giving a shit about it.

Her eyes continued to scan the beach until she noticed a group of teenagers setting up a volleyball net. Her head froze, but she said nothing.

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

”Da cool bannah comes laytah!”

— Some Pleb

Tsubomi was so demotivated to do anything that she didn't even transform. She flung some apathy energy at the net holding girl to pacify her. Once that was done, she recovered the mascot.

-_-*

The creature seemed to lose interest in whatever it was going to show Tsubomi. It only had so much patience for someone so dense, so slow, so detached from the world. It hopped out of her hands and ran off, no longer waiting for the lethargic girl. Of course, that wasn't going to stop Tsubomi from "chasing" it, leaving the net girl by herself.

...

...

...

What just happened?

She could have sword she saw a mascot jumping all over her bike. Being new to the area, the pink haired girl had decided to pretend to have it out for the cat, but that was only because she suspected that other girl was a member of the dreaded detention club.

She had heard a lot about them from other sources. She was a light girl from the city, and like some of them, she had dreamed of purging all darkness from the world. But to live that dream you need to start small. You can't take on the world's darkness if you can't first brighten up your country, and you can't brighten up your country if you can't brighten up your city. Well, the city of light was named as such for a reason. They had chased out the last dark magical girl years ago and now just mopped up0 what few miseria decided to show up. Naturally, they wanted to expand into other territories so that they could continue to spread hope and good will. Many went to other cities and towns to spread the light, and then there was Hibusa Town. Something about an entire club of dark magical girls had a sort of allure to it. The town's low population count and high dark magical girl density made it an unattractive target to many, but others saw it as a challenge. One that many regretted taking on.

But she was not here to mingle with the club.

Regardless of intentions, that did not change what just happened. That girl had done something to her. She would have never surrendered a mascot so easily, unless... yes, they used some sort of magic on her to inhibit her emotions. In her human form, she was not as resistant to such magics. The idea of having her emotions manipulated in such a covert way disgusted her. Anyone who deprived others of their ability to make choices were not nice people. Thinking about the sort of depraved things that could have happened to her in such a state made her skin crawl.

But this injustice would not be forgotten. She knew what Tsubomi looked like, and soon enough, she would know her name, address, friends, and everything else she cared to know. Then she would stalk her, and at Tsubomi's weakest moment she would strike! And then she would know the error of her ways when she looked up and saw her better, The Magnificent Morganite!

Kurai Majokko: Tsundere Gekido

^{Those in the Darkness}

Ashbringer

• Appearance:

Mundane

REDACTED

Former

REDACTED

Corrupt

• Name: REDACTED

• Title: Ashbriger

• Age: I’m seriously unsure why age is important in an RP where everyone is supposed to be a high school student.

• Emblem: REDACTED

• Devil Arm: It is difficult to tell where Ashbringer’s Devil Arm ends and where she begins. The two extra cybernetic dragon-like appendages mounted to her back are the most striking part of her Devil Arm. She can channel her magic through them to cast spells, or use them to help rip apart her prey. Her tail may also be a part of her weapon system, and the lower half of her legs terminate into talons. Very few parts of Ashbringer won’t bring significant harm to anyone who touches them.

• Magic: She’s called Ashbringer, what else could it be?

Ashbringer can command flames. Fireballs, fissures, and jets of flame. These abilities are basic in nature, but what makes them deadly is how potent they are. Wood is instantly set ablaze, water boils into nothing, and even stone cracks under the heat of such powerful magic. She’s impossible to engage without risking collateral.

• Background:

REDACTED

• Sample Post:

I’m gunna say since I’m already accepted this isn’t necessary.

• Other: Maybe I should have just done an info card like the previous GMs.

^{Those blind to magic}

Misoka

• Appearance:

Mundane

• Name: Misoka

• Title: Archery Club President, Humanitarian Club President, Miss President, The Do-gooder, The most popular girl in school

• Age: Probably older than 9

• Emblem: N/A

• Devil Arm: N/A

• Magic: N/A

• Background:

Hibusa Town is a dark and depressing place, like one would expect with the high concentration of dark magical girls. But much like the night sky, that black void has a few twinkling lights in it. Though few of those lights shine as brightly as Misoka

Her father works in the city, and her mother sells flowers out of a local flower shop. Despite not getting to see them as much as she’d like, they love her dearly and only want the best for her. This has caused them to have high expectations for her. They expect perfect scores on all of her tests, for her to be a model student, and to be a central part of the community. Many children in her predicament would be overwhelmed by the challenge, or at least lament their lack of free time. But Misoka leaned into her parent’s expectations and took them head on. Maybe she was always going to have to work hard. As someone with a foreign father, she doesn't really look like any of the native Japanese students. But she has risen above any distrust anyone may have for her with her friendly, well meaning personality.

It’s not clear what gave Misoka this drive. She had a relatively uneventful childhood, and while the detention club messes around with her in secret, nothing truly horrible has ever happened to her. Perhaps it’s just the suffering of everyone around her that’s made her so virtuous.

Perhaps it doesn’t really matter…

• Sample Post:

I’m gunna say since I’m already accepted this isn’t necessary.

• Other: Maybe I should have just done an info card like the previous GMs.

Symphony on High

@Ponn@ERode@Vertigo

The responsibility fell on the leader, who was just a leader in name only. The ones under Ashley’s command were too busy having mental breakdowns or pretending to be Himura Kenshin. But she was a responsible one in their group, was she not? Mika and Finn were stressed out teenagers, and Estelle was a magical girl. Adults were just children with responsibilities, and that was why this was always going to fall on Ashley.

But Ashley’s indecision gave the enemy time to act. The shadows came alive around her, and Estelle sprung into action. Her attempt to purge one of the creatures greatly weakened it, but it still persisted.

As frantic as things got inside Dante’s, they weren’t much calmer outside. Amanda stumbled outside, hastened by a combination of the violent action behind her and Ciri’s screaming. Though you could only move so fast with a glass bust in your arms, moreso if you didn’t want to drop it while stepping over corpses. The Pink Pounder screamed something about his princess before diving into the establishment, removing the need for it to try and restrain him. And Boteg…

His body expanded. Fingers became talons, flesh became scale, In a matter of seconds, he grew to the size of a bus. Wings sprouted out of his back, and his tuxedo at some point melded and disappeared inside his scales. A full sized dragon was now squatting in front of Dante’s. But rather than taking flight, he lowered his head. ”Imp Scare! Child! Take thy thingamajigs and ascend my spine!”

Amanda didn’t dawdle. She rushed over to Boteg’s head and attempted to climb on top of him. He used his tail to steady her and help her climb up.

It didn’t wait for an order. The smokey shadow carried Ciri onto Boteg’s back.

They would be taking off any second now, but not before GEMINI had one final chance to stop them.

---

@The World@Nakushita@TaintedMushroom@FamishedPants

Marrie attempted to get the generator to do something by infusing it with her mana. The “mana intake port” was a small steel table with a square inset for something to be placed. Marrie slapped her hand on top of the insert to see what would happen. This was kind of the equivalent of trying to plug an American style appliance into a European outlet. Yes, Marrie was full of mana, but her mana was not in a form the generator could readily accept.

But even if she was, would it matter? The generator was on right now, likely powering things within the church. The real mystery was the generator’s secondary function, which was to also use its stored mana to magically recharge… something. The “mana output port” looked like two door knobs. Would she have better luck trying to charge herself up? Was it worth the risk?

"I knew Sovereign was a masochist."

— Mika Fang

Mika’s gaze remained unwavering. Sovereign turned down the opportunity to avoid fighting the nuns and make a quick buck, but that didn’t mean she was totally trustworthy either. Even without being affiliated with a depraved esper, she was a little weird to say the least. She produced a blade and asked Mika if she knew she could make a blade. The question was rhetorical, but Mika answered it anyway.

"I wasn’t sure you could even use spells." She honestly couldn’t recall if Sovereign had used any melodies or not in this op. She’d have to check her body cam footage later when she wrote her report. But Mika said little else as Himiko cut open her hand and bled into the engraving. Mika did note that the sharp beak protruding out of the engraving’s surface was sure to be the intended way to bleed into the device, but Mika didn’t trust it, and maybe Sovereign also suspected it was tipped with something. As soon as the blood reached the hole, The engraving shook in place. The remaining blood was drawn into the stone itself, which continued to shake for several more seconds before ceasing its movement.And then in a sexy, digitized voice it said::

”AUTHENTICATION_FAILED! PLEASE_TRY_AGAIN!”

"Guess it wants my blood." It made sense. Oros wanted Mika here for something, and that something was locked behind her blood. But how did that even work? Wouldn’t Oros need Mika’s blood to make something like this? Then maybe this didn’t make that much sense after all. But it wasn’t like there was anything else to try.

She wasn’t as flashy as Himiko. Mika pricked her finger on one of her claws and wiped it on the edge of the troth. The blood ran down as before, the machine shook…

”AUTHENTICATION_SUCCESSFUL!”

With a pop, the engraving swung open, revealing the block to be a small safe. As big as the podium was, the space inside the safe was small. It was just large enough to hold a pendant, which Mika pulled out and examined.

It looked to be a pink stone carved in the shape of a dragon, one that looked to be chasing or devouring its own tail. Mika let out a long sigh as she lowered her hand. "This must be what she wanted me to find." She turned it over in her hand. "I think we’re done. Let’s get out of here." Mika made he way back over to Angelie’s body to recover it. Her hand went up to her comm, but it seemed like Fritzi’s line was busy.

March of the White Rabbit: A Roll-Your-Own Magical Girl Roleplay

It had been a few weeks, but Miko and Ronin were unable to just let the Grief Seed sit. They found themselves tormented by its secrets. The worry and foreboding spread through their thoughts like a festering cyst. Initially they were content to hide it away, but what if it grew into something else? Magic was a wonderful thing that could grant any miracle, but as former servants of horrors, they knew too well that artifacts such as this could cause just as much harm as good. They needed to know what they were dealing with, and who better to call than the benevolent queen of all Penrose?

It didn't take much convincing. Something akin to a magical coin? Grief Seed? A reward for a harrowing mission from the C.A.P.R.I.C.O.R.N.? The Iron Queen would be a fool to not entertain a visit to her realm. And so the duo showed up with the gift they had been cursed with. But one magical girl's scrap heap was another magical girl's delectable banquet, and was Penny but someone who had such humble origins as living in a scrap heap? Penny could feel a power radiating from the seed. As someone who cannibalized her replacement just to squire more powers, she was likely tempted to "accidentally" crush the seed and inherit its dark gift. But where was the rush? If she could scan it, then perhaps she could make as many as she wanted.

And so, Penny scanned the thing. She brought all of her technological marvels to bear on this seed. But it would take time, so she likely dismissed Miko and Ronin so that she could probe it properly. There was plenty to do in sanctuary, they wouldn't be bored. They wouldn't be called back until she was finished.

When the duo was called back, Penny tossed the coin to them. Penny started by telling them what they already knew. That the seed was filled up with potent despair magic. But this was an insulator for what lay deeper inside the seed, but none of her tools were potent enough to uncover what that really was. Maybe with more time, but with the raid on wonderland coming any day now, Penny needed to prioritize preparing for what was sure to be Penrose's most important battle.

But Penny had uncovered some new information. She told the twins that the seed was like a coin, but it had a "share" function tied to it. What was being exchanged wasn't clear, but due to the nature of the magic safeguarding the seed's core, it likely had to do with emotions, or was related to emotions. Despite it's apparent composition, the possibility of it doing anything harmful or beneficial was near zero. At the very least, any effects it could have would be relatively mild.

Perhaps someone with divination magic could learn more. The seed's contents might be difficult to gleam, but someone who can look into the grief seed's past would be able to tell where it came from, and perhaps follow up with a proper investigation. Alternatively, maybe they could find an interdimensional traveler, or someone else who has seen other realities. One of the difficulties Penny had with the grief seed was that she didn't know what she was looking at, as it most certainly wasn't of this world.

Symphony on High

@Ponn@ERode@Vertigo

A mere teenager did not have the power to shove around a mighty esper. However, an emotionally unstable monster could. Only if they wanted to. Though Amanda seemed to be fine with the small distance between her and the assassin’s accomplice. She eyed the handkerchief with some suspicion. Like a small forest animal, she leaned forward and sniffed at it from a distance. Unlike a small forest animal, her eyes were bloodshot, and the light shining through the shattered window shimmered on her dried tears. She quickly snatched the handkerchief before sliding back into her corner. Amanda wiped under her eyes, but more tears were coming.

Estelle spoke to Amanda, but she seemed distracted. Her eyebrows raised as if she had been startled by something. She turned her head to look out the window and sighed. When Estelle asked if she had a place to stay, she nodded. ”Yes.”

With some effort, she stood up. Her arms were wrapped around her father’s torso, with the handkerchief hanging between her fingers. She fought back her tears before making her way towards the exit. An exit that the pounder was no longer blocking.

“Magical Dream Princess would never leave anyone.” Pink Pounder lowered his blade, suddenly sounding somber. She is a pure soul that cannot see the evils of this world, let alone the city. I am merely her sin eater, here to get tarnished in her stead. But if she wishes for me to remain out here, I can but obey her command.

MDP did not answer Ashley, and continued to watch the exchange between Estelle and Amanda. Fritzi was quiet for a time, then a long, tired sigh escaped her lips.

”I already told you the dangers of letting the patrons live. Is there a reason you’re asking me again? Are the remaining ones particularly cute? Maybe ask one of them if they’re into middle aged women for me?” Her tone shifted when she heard about the daughter. ”So he does have a daughter? We had some inconclusive evidence… Finn really stepped in it this time, didn’t he?” She not-so-cheerfully chuckled. ”In a way, I guess this works in our favor. Saves us from having to get permission to enter his house.” She cleared her throat. ”Agent Orion. We do not have the facilities to safely hold Dante’s daughter. Her father was a sandman, and her mother is more than likely a succubus. Regardless if she’s one or both of those things, she will be very dangerous if her powers manifest. She could move through walls, or curse Timekeeper again, provided she isn’t the one who did it from the start. Question her maybe, take her out for an ice cream if you must, but she’s not going to forgive us for today. If she doesn’t run straight to the Hand, she'll join Maverick Alternative.” What little joy was present in Fritzi’s voice left.

Boteg turned away from the window, suddenly surprised to see Ciri and it behind him.

Pink Pounder stood like a statue, his back to the smoldering diner.

The remaining gang members watched Boteg, save for the shadow wizards, who had just squashed the last of the fires before recovering their unconscious homies.

MDP’s mouth was slightly open. Her eyes wandered over the carnage inside.

Amanda sniffed, ignoring her surroundings and just trying to get outside without dropping her father. She looked like a silhouette by the open door, with daylight spilling in all around her.

Fritzi gave one final order.

”She needs to be eliminated, with extreme prejudice.”

---

@The World@Nakushita@TaintedMushroom@FamishedPants

Asher emerged from the smoke wall that still permeated the main hall. It smelled and tasted like shit, but the shotgun wielding pyromancer wouldn’t show it. If he was going to show his discomfort, it would have been for his smoldering hands. But that was like, weak.

Marrie on the other hand was taking things a bit more seriously. She fired up her magic senses and gazed at the large machine in the center of the room.It became evident immediately that it was a generator. The magical energies inside the machine were set up to create a “perpetual motion machine” that turned a turbine and powered the church. Though the machine required mana to function, and it wasn’t clear where the machine’s supply was coming from. There was a magical battery of sorts. There were interfaces on both ends of the machine to take and expel mana, which was stored inside the machine like a battery. Whatever was used to charge the generator, or what the generator could be used to power magically, did not appear to be present. As rough as the generator looked on the outside, it had to be a new-er construction. The bolts that held it to the ground hadn’t rusted yet, and some of the floorboards had been reinstalled, possibly to run wires or pipes under them.Was that why the construction workers were here? But then where were their tools? And where would they get parts to make something like this? It didn’t seem like any of the nuns were making use of this machine.

"Now I really feel popular."

— Mika Fang

Mika sighed. Himiko and Justin stuck to her flanks as she approached the podium. She’d have preferred if they spread out a bit, but was relieved that Justin had Himiko’s attention for the moment. It meant that she could let them speak amongst themselves without giving them her full attention. She was sure the danger had passed, but Justin was proving to be useful by protecting Mika from another annoyance. She’d smile if she could get Angelie’s severed head out of her mind.

Once they arrived at the podium, it was apparent that the papers on top of it had not been placed in any deliberate fashion. They had been shuffled and flipped through during a quick search. Though the pages appeared to be some nearly incomprehensible babble, exactly the sort of thing that might make up a mad esper’s diary.

BLADE DIARY

Duke Rhinecliff ain’t so suave.

Jesse James is named after those team rocket losers.

Ayana is a parody of herself.

Get bent, Jenny!

Crystal looks familiar.

If only the grand magistrate had time for Ananta Aroa.

I thought we were done with pokemon losers, but Chloe Rothschild has a snubbull.

Dunking on Kate would be too easy, pass.

I cannot mock Emily, wherever she is.

Mika thought about recording the page, but wouldn’t have been surprised if none of them actually existed. She also doubted it was a cipher, given how many other pages there were. Sometimes, insane people just rambled about insane things.

But the podium had another curiosity. It was quite wide and had a trap door on the back of it. This might be where the microphone or a speaker could be stored, but when Mika opened it up, that wasn’t what she was greeted with.

Behind the trap door was a stone engraving that took up the entire space inside the podium. There were depictions of various animals. Wolves, bears, foxes, squirrels, snakes, even an antelope and a moose could be found in the engraving. It was difficult to tell where one creature ended and another began. None of the animals looked happy, almost as if they were all conjoined into one massive suffering mass. The stand out, literally, was a small pointed beak from a song bird. Beneath the beak was a narrow trough that led into a hole, which presumably led even deeper into the surface. In the bottom of the engraving, someone had chiseled a message: “BloOd fOr tHE bLOoD gOd pUDdy!”

She raised her eyebrow and looked to Himiko.