BrokenPromise

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

@Majoras End It's better than doing nothing. We can always switch back if meeting words comes online. Did you wanna pwn Kobalds OR save people + rek weretigers? Vampire got taken by atom and famished.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

@Majoras End I'm fine using docs if you are. But you said that doesn't work for you?

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

@Majoras End@FamishedPants

Just wanted to say that @Mateotis has notified me of who they wish to vote for, but does not feel it is necessary to post on this cycle. So after the two of you post (or tell me you wish to wait) I will post an update.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

@Majoras End There are some new hunts, but Meeting words is down for me. If you can find something else that works, I'll go on a hunt with you.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

“Tetrad, is that a Greek name?”

“French?”

”It’s a call sign, ya frickin’ nerds!”

— Tetrad, Emily, and Amaryllis

Tetrad had a functioning game room in her interdimensional home, but she had to admit the one at the Golden Trove was a bit cleaner. The Chinese motif didn’t impress her, but that could be easily overlooked. Darts, pool, and air hockey were largely the same game no matter where you played. It didn’t matter if they took place under a neon glowing beer sign or a paper lantern.

Not that Tetrad was interested in gaming at the moment.

”…I had this really sick card combo. I was like, woosh! And then I was like, yea! And then I had my strongest card…”

Tetrad was regaling Emily with tails of her heroics. Namely what was involved with chasing down her respective necromancer.  

”…I was basically the world’s best grandma for an hour. Quite the reward for saving everyone’s butt…”

Possibly embellishing a bit.

”…And that’s it. There’s only one way to tell that story, and that’s the way it happened. ” Tetrad folded her arms.

Emily had a brilliant glint in her eyes that betrayed her innocence. It was clear to see that she was nothing more than a star-struck girl, innocently believing every word Tetrad spoke. She trusted a friend more than anything else. "Wow!" she could only stare in awe at the incredible individual before her.

”You must have fared well, being in one piece and everything.”

Emily’s expression dampened a bit at the mention on how her fight went. "Um, well... I didn't really do much." She confessed. "I didn't even touch the Lich, and I nearly croaked."

”Hmph.” Tetrad made a sour expression and patted Emily on the back. ”Unlucky, but then again, you can’t really help it.” She danced behind Emily. ”You work for a puchuu. One who hates your guts. I find it kind of interesting how they are supposed to have the largest squads of magical girls, but It seems like half the time they just send their girls in without backup. It’s almost like they want ‘em to die.” A pause. ”Sorry, just remembered why you were still with Jethro, or whatever his name was.”

Emily's mood soured when Jonald was brought up. It was a painful topic for her. "I know I should cut ties with them, but I don't know where I'd go, and..." 

Jonald was Claire's friend. She found it hard to sever such a link, even though they were on terrible terms. 

Tetrad pulled out her phone. ”I feel like I should call Amaryllis to hang out, but she seems pretty busy. Have you talked to her recently?”

Emily did not wish to make things awkward around her friend. She smiled, "Um, I haven't gotten a chance to since we split up." she told Tetrad. "I think she can handle herself, but I still worry..." As if remembering something, she perked up. "Oh, but I'm glad we got all of them! Nobody else has to suffer, and the kitchen is safe!"

”The kitchen?” Tetrad needed a moment to think. ”Oh right! That one where you do community work or whatever.” She chuckled. ”That’s actually really cool. I have a hard time doing anything that doesn’t involve making money.” 

Since the topic of discussion was pretty light Tetrad decided to approach one of the dart boards. She had become accustomed to real dart boards with wooden targets and sharp darts. That was what she had in her apartment. But Tetrad was starting to warm up to the “kiddie” version of the real thing. The golden trove’s dart boards were made up of plastic buttons filled with tiny holes, and the darts themselves had rubber tips that posed a much lower chance for injury. It was fully digital, and lured in onlookers with a dot matrix display, urging them to play a game. Neither of the girls were transformed, so it wasn’t like one had an advantage over the other. Beyond skill, and Tetrad played darts frequently in her apartment. She didn’t ask Emily if she wanted to play, she just started setting it up. ”501, double in disabled, double out enabled.” She flexed her fingers before pressing the start button and jogging over to Emily. ”So the dark magical girl party, have you heard about it?” Tetrad offered Emily a dart while she spoke.

Emily had been watching Tetrad with piqued interest, having no experience with darts herself. But she had no problem playing it with a friend, that always made things better, she thought. "Yes!" she said. "It seems a lot of people are excited for it. It sounds really fun!" she looked at Tetrad, tilting her head. "Why? Are you excited, too?" she asked.

Tetrad chuckled. ”I’m surprised you even need to ask. We met at a party, remember?” She set down the darts. ”But I’m glad you did, because that means I get to fangirl about parties again!” With a swing of her hand, Tetrad snatched Emily by the torso and pulled her in close. She gave her friend a sideways glance and put on the biggest grin she could muster. ”I frickin’ love parties! The food, the dancing, the out of this world energy levels, only gambling and fighting monsters gives me a high quite like it.” Tetrad frowned, and her eyebrows settled a bit. ”But, now that I think about it, it’s kind of weird for you to be interested in something like that.” Tetrad stood up. ”I mean you like making people happy, sure, but you also seem kinda quiet? Doesn’t really loud music bother you?”

Finding herself being brought close to Tetrad caused her pause, and she was a bit embarrassed, too. But Tetrad seemed so happy talking about parties that Emily dared not to disrupt her for selfish reasons. So she listened intently, until Tetrad mentioned that she didn't look like one to enjoy parties.  

Emily shook her head fervently. "Um, I don't party often, but I don't hate them or anything," She explained. "It's just that I haven't really gotten to go to one with other magical girls before, though, so that sounds fun to me." She might not contribute too much to conversations and such, but just being around her sisters filled her with glee, assuming they weren't fighting, of course. "And, I do like concerts, so loud music is good, if anything!"

”Oh hoh! The more I know about the mysterious Emily.” Tetrad took a step back. ”Are you familiar with 501?” It’s a pretty simple dart game. You just need to score 501 points to end the game. But what makes it tricky is that your last dart has to ‘double out.’ As an example: If I needed 20 more points, I can’t just hit the 20 zone. I need to hit the outer ring on the 10 zone. The last dart has to hit a double to count. Otherwise you bust, lose your turn, and then the other player gets to go.” Tetrad pointed at the darts on the nearby table. ”The game is set up for 3 dart turns. I’ll let you go first.”

"Umm..." Emily didn't catch all of it, but she was apparently supposed to throw it and hit the board until she scored exactly 501 points. And then something about the last throw being off? Well, she'd focus on getting to that number, first. 

Emily picked up her darts and examined them. Surprisingly, they were darts. The flight was smooth, but unfortunately for Emily, she was inexperienced and didn't realize that would make the angle needed to actually stick a bit tighter. Or at least it would with a normal dartboard. Since they were using a plastic one, things should be a bit more forgiving in that respect. 

That aside, the only other thing of note was the flight. It had a gorgeous Chinese dragon design on it, and she thought it was beautiful. It even had some Chinese characters on it, too, but since she couldn't read it, she had to guess. Maybe it said "friendship" or "fun"? Probably not. 

Finally deciding to throw her darts, she raised one hand and tossed one. It... did not land on the board, falling to the ground with a light thud. "O-oh, sorry... I'm new to this," she said. But she tried again, and managed to hit the board the next two times, scoring a total of 12 by hitting the triple ring of two, and a flat six. She looked at Tetrad, and smiled, proud of the feat. "I hit it!"

”Not bad, you’d be in some serious points if that tipple was on either side of that two.” Tetrad hardly needed a moment to focus her aim, and threw each dart one after the other. Her grouping was a little loose, hitting the 5, 20, and 1 zones on the board. ”Hmm.” She walked over to retrieve her darts.

It was at this moment that both Tetrad and Emily’s phones pinged. Upon checking, there was a text message sent to them by Amaryllis.

Hello Tetrad and Emily,

I was able to take down Billy with the assistance of some of my contacts. The Ascendancy came over afterwards though, and caused some trouble. How did your lich hunts go?

Regards,
Amaryllis Evenings

Tetrad looked at her phone while pulling the last dart out of the board. ”Oh no! Work texts!” Tetrad danced off to the side and her lightning fast thumbs beat out a response. 

”Short version: Kicked some ass, took some names. Hard battle but everyone made it out alive. Save the necro but he was already dead  

Ascendancy showed up here too. Ended up needing to retreat. Not too hard.

Staying at Golden Trove. Breakfast was good. Lots of entertainment. Possibly too Asian.”

~4

Emily looked like a 10-ton weight was lifted off of her. She was relieved to see her friend was okay. She could easily sympathize with Helga when she was worried about Su. "Oh, I'm so happy she's okay! Do you think she'd want to come over?" she asked Tetrad, then retrieving her phone. After typing for a minute, Amaryllis would receive this: 

Hello, Amaryllis! I was wondering if you would like to hang out with Tetrad and I over here? I'm sure it could be lots of fun! Tetrad is showing me how to play darts right now, but if you're willing I'm sure she'll show you, too! Unless you already know how to? Oh, but if you're too busy or don't want to, then that's fine, too! 

I'm glad you're alright, 
Emily :)

With that out of the way, Emily looked back to the board. I'll do better this time, I'm sure!" she promised, picking the darts up again and taking her turn.

Another ping sounded after five minutes.

Glad to hear that everything went well. I’m still busy with work, but I can use a break too.

Could you send me the address to the Golden Trove?

Thanks,
Amaryllis Evenings.

Tetrad looked at her phone with a grin, and mashed out another response.

”lmgtfy.com/?q=What+is+the+adress+of+t…

~4”

Tetrad’s attention was snatched away when Emily hit a tipple 7. ”Oh? Looks like things are heating up!” It was probably luck though. ”Let’s see if we can finish before Amaryllis gets here.”

---

From the outside, the Golden Trove didn’t look all too promising of a place. Most of the lights that lit up the sides of the building were either burnt out or covered by snow, while the brutal architecture made it appear much more grim than the name suggested. Was this address truly the right one? Dressed conservatively in a long down jacket, a ribbed sweater, and sweatpants, Amaryllis looked over the app on her phone again. It had been a good thirty minutes since she headed off for the place, and the lack of public transportation due to the evacuation meant that it was a cold thirty minutes too.

Would be a real shame if this was the wrong place, huh.

Switching her bag of snacks and sweets to her other, less-cold hand, she rapped the door twice, before patiently waiting for it to open. Didn’t knock too loudly, of course. It would be bad if she made it seem as if she were impatient or pissed or anything. Because she wasn’t. She was just perpetually tired and hungry.

"Oh, I'm so happy you came!" Emily lit up like a Christmas tree upon spotting Amaryllis, having waited like a puppy near the door. Two friends in one place, all having fun, without a current worry about monsters or lichs? She was beginning to feel like she was spoiled. She encouraged Amaryllis to come in. "We just finished our game, would you like to play something?"

Tetrad straightened out her cocktail dress before coming to the door. ”I think Emily needs a job here. This is the first time I’ve seen someone beat the manager to the door.” She peeked over Emily’s shoulder. Her costume might have had platform shoes, but she wasn’t wearing heels right now. ”Hey is that junk food?” She reached her hands past Emily. ”Gimmie gimmie gimmie!”

“Ah, yeah, here,” Amaryllis thrust the bag over to Tetrad. It was filled with such stuff like Pocky, Oreos, Hershey’s Kisses, and other sweet affairs. Savoury chips, it appeared, were not part of the snack array that the bespectacled woman brought over. “Thought you two could share it and all, since, y’know, you’re hosting.”

Emily gave a small nudge to let Tetrad know to back up, and then cleared the doorway. “Thank you,” she said. She glanced at the bag momentarily before turning back to Amaryllis, and then motioning her to come in. “I hope your work isn’t too stressful?” Emily imagined it to be hunting monsters or the sort, but if that was the case, she thought Amaryllis would have no real trouble there. But perhaps she was mistaken.  

”We can talk about work once we’re out of the lobby.” Tetrad hurried off. ”Quick, to the game rooooooom!”

---

The three girls were gathered around a table designed for Chinese checkers. But Tetrad had removed all of the marbles so that they could use it as a meeting space. In addition to the provided snacks, Tetrad had gotten everyone a can of soda. 

”To the best necromancer slayers in all of Penrose!” She raised her can before popping it open. some of it ran down her arm, which she promptly shook off. 

“Yeah...necromancer slayers…” Amaryllis raised her can as well, feeling pretty awkward about getting rowdy when this was a three-person party. She sipped at the bubbly drink, noting the peppery undertones and the cinnamon spice in it. Weird, but good.

”I really like game rooms. It’s much quieter here.” She sipped her soda. ”So now that you’re here, did you want me to regale you with tales of my exploits? Or did you encounter something interesting?”

“And, um, as far as Billy went, I sorta ended up eating him, so it wasn’t like there was anything left behind…”

”You ate Billy? Metal!”

Emily was munching on some Pocky as she listened to Amaryllis. "Ate?" she asked, puzzled. Billy didn't seem like he would taste too good. But she was not about to press her own eating beliefs onto someone else, so maybe she should just drop it?

Amaryllis’s eyes flickered up to the corner, as she wondered briefly about whether or not the whole Hilaria business should be shared, before deciding that it was probably harmless knowledge.

“Oh, but the Ascendancy that I told you guys about? They invited this Dark Magical Girl over, but then she returned unpurified afterwards. Then we sorta ate. And now I’m here. Eating more.” As if to demonstrate a point, Amaryllis popped open a bag of choco balls and tossed them in her mouth.

"The Ascendancy let a Dark Magical Girl remain one? Am I wrong, or isn't purification their entire thing? That sounds strange." Emily thought about it. "Did she come back weird, or something?"

”I’d wager they did something to her. I could probably figure out what if I met her.” Tetrad reclined in her chair. ”Anyway, probably not worth theorizing about. Whole city’s bat shit crazy, maybe they decided dark magical girls are cool now.” She sloshed her soda. ”It’s just a matter of time before there’s a revolution of some kind and something else takes Beacon’s place.”

“She was always, sorta weird, so…” Amaryllis thought about it, then decided that, yeah, whatever. “It’d be nice if the Ascendancy did suddenly think dark magical girls were alright though. At least enough that, y’know, they won’t do anything like start a big war over it.”

”It would be, but I still say they’re nut jobs.”Tetrad set down her drink and pulled a stack of tarot cards out of her tool belt. They were normal tarot cards and didn’t have the Cradle logo on the back of them. ”We were talking about ourselves post necromancer right? I’ve literally just been enjoying the hotel. Work’s a little slow at the moment, but I’ve been making connections with some of the people here.” She leaned towards Emily, ”Hey, wanna give me a kiss?”

As if she'd been zapped, Emily jolted up, and her face turned scarlet. "K-k-kiss?!" she shook her head repeatedly. "N-no, we haven't even held hands or anything...!" she declined.

Amaryllis double-blinked. “You...want me to leave the room for a bit then? Uh, didn’t know you guys became a...c-couple and all…” What did Sammy say about magical girls again? That they became lesbians really fast due to necessity and the lack of magical boys? 

Tetrad squinted her eyes, casting a glance between the two girls present. ”Didn’t realize it was such a big deal. Fine, I’ll just take one.” Tetrad leaned forward and stuck her hand in Amaryllis’s candy bag, and pulled out some Hersey kisses. She held them up for the girls to see before giving them a wink.

“O-oh, that’s what you meant…” Emily seemed relieved, closing her eyes and placing a hand on her chest to catch her breath.. 

”Dark magical girls seem to have a lower chance of being totally nuts. Our hostess is a dark magical girl, not that you’d ever know. But then you have complete psychos like Chloe.” Tetrad unwrapped one of the chocolates. ”Monster girls though, now those are bad news. Our organization has one and they are responsible for half of our problems. It’s a lot harder for them to function like normal people, and they’re a lot stronger to boot. I don’t think they need to be killed, but if they’re up for purification I’d be okay with that.”

Finally catching her breath after a slight misapprehension, Emily looked up. “Um, isn’t that a bit cruel, though?” she asked with the crimson on her face slowly fading. “I think the idea of being able to be purified may be great to some, but to force it on people…”

Tetrad was about to shove a chocolate kiss in her mouth, but stopped. ”If someone forces violence on others, having purification forced on them is the least cruel thing we can do. Right?”

The conflict was reflected in Emily's countenance, her hesitation only betraying the fact she had to think hard on the subject. "Um..." she eventually gathered her thoughts, then spoke. "If they've actually done something, then I suppose it can't be helped... But are the Ascendancy doing just that? It sounds like they're not making a distinction between the good or the bad sisters..."

As the heat left Amaryllis’s cheeks, she began to unconsciously pop chocolates in her mouth too, listening in on the conversation between Tetrad and Emily. Did they even really need her opinion? Probably not, right? So she just kept on eating, shrinking into the plushiness of her chair as she silently mulled over their respective positions.

”You’ve been a little quiet, Amaryllis. What’s your take on all this?” Tetrad had a few cards set up in front of herself, like she was going to begin a reading.

"Uuuuh… "

Shit. 

"I guess I have this thing going on where I usually give people a chance when I encounter them? So like, if it's a monster girl or a dark magical girl that I see for the first time, I'll play nice until they end up doing something crazy, in which case I kill them." A blink. Bit psychotic, isn't it? "Or, I dunno, get Beacon to purify them. That's basically it, yeah? Innocent before guilty. Though that changes, like, if they were obviously perpetrators of really bad shit before? Such as whoever did that spirit summoning to attack random civilians, way back when."

The Sword pierced her left index finger thrice, and Amaryllis balled up her fist.

"Honestly, don't think it's that big of a problem when we cause trouble to our own kind. Just changes when you bring in outsiders."

"Oh, that was so terrible! Those poor people!" Emily remembered the destruction wrought upon the civilian populace that day, and the pain it brought. She even lost a fellow volunteer due to the attack, and the position was not easily replaced. "I can't imagine why people would do such a thing. I don't ever want to be forced to kill a sister, but I don't want that to happen again either, so purification might be the way to go..." she took a long sip of her soda before turning to Tetrad. "A-anyway, s-so, um, are you going to do a reading?" she expertly (not at all) attempted to change the subject to something less serious.

”Oh this? Yea, I was just playing.” She shuffled all the cards together. ”I don’t really think Tarot cards on their own are very magical. But Here, let’s try this…” She handed the cards to Emily. ”So you’re just going to shuffle the cards up and hand them to me. Then I’m going to draw three cards and make a reading based on your past, present, and future.” She looked at Amaryllis. ”Did you wanna try? It’s a big deck, I can probably do two readings.”

“That sounds...fun,” Amaryllis said, edging her seat closer to the table as she examined the deck. “Maybe we can all do a bit of a talent show or something?”

”Of course, if you have talents I wouldn’t mind seeing them.” After Emily shuffled the Deck, Tetrad drew three cards and placed them face down in front of Emily. Then she handed the deck off to Amaryllis. Once she had shuffled the deck, She drew three cards and placed them face down in front of her. With everything set, she shuffled the cards one last time and placed three cards in front of herself. 

”And now, let’s turn over our first card to reveal our past. This is going to pertain to something we’ve been thinking about recently. Something that may affect our future.”

Tetrad turned over her card. ”Ah, the high priestess, a card that deals with knowledge and intuition.” She scratched her chin. ”It must be referring to the last mission I took for my Puchuu. Prior to my employment in Cradle.” She did not waste any more time dwelling on it and looked to Emily’s card. ”The seven of cups. Confusion, a need to get your priorities in order.” She looked at Amaryllis’s hand. ”The five of cups. Disillusionment, if you rely on the help of others.” She looked straight ahead without making eye contact with her friends. ”Do any of your cards sound eerily familiar?”

"Um, I don't know..." Emily kept her eyes locked on the card. "It can't be that I don't have my priorities straight, right? Protecting people is number one!" She then turned to Amaryllis, urging her to give her piece. “No, not familiar in the least…”

Disillusionment...Amaryllis stopped half-awkwardly-smiling for a while. “Yeah, considering the whole Annabelle thing, I guess that sounds about right. But then again, disillusionment sorta fits no matter what happens.” She laughed again, nervously, before slurping up some gummy worms. “We live in a society, after all.”

”Tell me about it.” Tetrad grinned. ”I know I said this before, but I wish I was there for that.” She looked to Emily. ”Really? Not your Puchuu or your friends? You’ve gotta have something.” Tetrad snorted. ”This is just for fun, and I’m a pretty shit reader if I’m going to be honest. That’s why I need as much information as you can give me.” She looked down at her second card. ”But let’s reveal our second cards and see if things don’t start to make sense.”

Everyone turned over their cards. ”Seven of coins. What’s that one again?” She looked through a pamphlet that came with the Tarot deck. ”Hard work, but I’m approaching my harvest. Hell yea, seems like Crimson Cradle is starting to go places. I’m sure I’ll be due for a promotion mission pretty soon.” She looked at the other cards. ”Emily got the King of Swords, and Amaryllis got the Six of Swords. Swords represent the mind and states of conflict. If your cards are to be trusted, Amaryllis is moving on from a negative situation, and Emily has won her war, but now needs to win the peace.” Tetrad grinned, waiting for their reactions.

Emily pursed her lips. "The closest thing I can think of to a war would be between me and Jonald," she admitted. "And since you two are kind enough to hang around with someone like me, then I guess that'd mean I won..." she wasn't very confident when speaking, and scratched her head. "Um, but what would peace be in this situation?" she shook her head. "I'm sorry, I'm a bit dim, and am not good with these things..."

“Harvests are also followed by winter though,” Amaryllis mused to herself, tracing the borders of her own card. Swords were of the mind and states of conflict? Her hand slipped against her hips, for the Sword that wasn’t there. Did her card basically just symbolize her psychic, ever-violent Patron? That’d certainly be something, huh. “Not really sure about negative situations myself, cause, y’know, we all just came out of a beach vacation that was pretty alright, but, mm...Emily, in regards to war and peace, history is generally marked by discord rather than by concord. With that in mind, you may have won the war, but now, you ought to prepare for the next, y’know?”

Amaryllis scratched her chin. “Bit of an extreme example, but it’s like World War II and the Cold War that happened afterwards. If nothing’s bothering you now, it’s the best chance to ramp up.”

”See? Amaryllis has the right idea.” Tetrad poked her forehead with a card. ”Everything moves in a cycle. After harvest comes winter, then it’s time to plant more seeds in the spring. After War comes peace, then you prepare for the next war.” She held her chin. ”But Amaryllis, didn’t you just eat a necromancer? If the card doesn’t relate to the vacation, it might be something more recent than that. Or…” She turned a card over in her hand. ”This is just a bunch of silly crap that doesn’t mean anything. I dunno. Anyway!” She placed her hand on her card. ”We don’t have to worry about what comes next in the cycle, because we’re going to figure that out right now! One, two, three!”

Amaryllis’s card was the three of wands, and Emily was the five of coins.

”Uh oh!” Tetrad grinned. ”Looks like you’re going to have unforeseen expenses, Emily! Better stock up now!”

“Uuu…” Emily seemed down. She pulled out her wallet, and gazed into the nearly-empty pocket with dead eyes. “I don’t like that… not one bit!” she sighed. “Ah, um, well, I’ll find a way to deal with it, I suppose…”

Tetrad looked to Amaryllis’s card. ”And you’re going to lead by example. Cryptic, but I think it’s a cool future to have.”

“Lead by example?” Amaryllis awkwardly went for another attempt at a joke. “Hope I don’t, like, start a new trend of eating monsters, right guys? Ahaha…” She wasn’t a good example to follow anyways. Not in Penrose at least, where alliances and schemes and making full sized armies of magical girls looked to be becoming the norm.

Then Tetrad returned to her own card. ”Right I got so excited I didn’t even look.” She held her card up in front of her face. ”A second one from the major arcana? Having this many in your reading means something big is gunna go down.” After staring at the card for a moment, she started to push it back into the deck. ”Nothing particularly interesting.”

Scratching her head, Amaryllis offered her own card to Tetrad to shuffle back in, before asking, “So, uh, what did you draw anyways? I didn’t see it when you flipped it over and all…”

Tetrad shrugged her shoulders. ”Justice.” She blinked. ”A card that normally represents fairness, justice, balance and equilibrium. But I think it came up reversed.” She dipped her head. ”So it’s kinda boring, just like I said.”

“Justice in reverse?” Amaryllis wasn’t sure how cards like that wouldn’t be interesting; in fact, something about the word ‘justice’ tickled her pretentious, edgy middle school self just a little bit...but well, that was fine. At least it wasn’t the Devil or the Tower or anything like that. “And hey, I don’t think you need to worry about it too much, Emily. Peacetime preparations are like, always filled with expenses, so I guess, like, just don’t eat out too often?”

Yeah, that was as much financial advice as she could give, really.

Tetrad collected the remaining cards and shuffled them all back into the deck. ” They’re just cards. The meanings are vague enough that they could mean anything. I’m sure I could draw three more cards for everyone and they’d mean something if we tried hard enough.” The deck of cards sat in the middle of the table, taunting them. Tetrad reclined in her seat and folded her hands behind her head. ”Weird question, but if I forgot who I was, like, everything. Total amnesia like some bad JRPG. You guys would still be my friends, right?”

“Well, I’m sure there’s magic for fixing that…” Amaryllis said, scratching her cheek, “But yeah, of course. Same if it happens to me, right?”

Even if Tetrad assured her otherwise, Emily still seemed a bit concerned. Money did not come easy to her, to the point where it'd break the bank if she had to care for even a friend! Of course, despite this, that wouldn't stop her. She treasured her friends, after all. So, when Tetrad and then Amaryllis brought up amnesia, she couldn't imagine why they had to ask at all. 

"Oh, I would never abandon you. Either of you!" she cried, even sniffling. "You were so kind to hang out with me... If you guys got amnesia, then that's all the more reason to stay by your side, isn't it? Friends shouldn't abandon each other in a time of need!"

”Right, or course. I feel silly for even bringing it up.” Tetrad chuckled, and the corners of her lips curled into a smile. Even if she had been smiling all night, this one felt a lot more genuine. She leaned forward and folded her hands together. ”Feels kinda weird to use a call sign around friends.” Tetrad straightened out her posture. ”Luna Gallo. When we hang out like this, you can call me Luna.”

“Wait, Tetrad wasn’t your real name?”

As she wiped away one or two tears, Emily gave a small, inaudible clap in excitement. She repeated the name under her breath a few times. “Mmhm. Sure, I’m happy you told us!...Luna….” she tried out the name. “Oh, I suppose I should go next?” she asked, regarding the ‘talent show’. “Here…”

Danganronpa: Tower of Carnage (Finished!)

@Majoras End I don't think posting order matters too much. Go ahead.

Ask the Person Below You a Question v2

About 2 years. I had been role playing on a private forum, largely with close friends and a sibling here and there. Without getting into specifics, things gradually became toxic and not fun as they use to be. It turned me off to the hobby for a long time. I didn't really get back into it before coming here and trying it again with a bunch of new people. Sometimes doing the same old thing with new faces is enough to resurrect your interest in something.

If you could own any animal as a pet, what would it be and why?

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

@ERode Eyyyyy lmao

@Majoras End and I would like to go on a hunt, but @AtomicNut and @FamishedPants showed interest in weretigers. Any chance more hunts will pop up this time skip? It's gunna be Trixy and Eliza if that helps.

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

While Deni was alone, she would hear a voice in her head. “Hello Deni. This is ‘more than friends’ Veronica speaking. I have the time to talk to you now.” There was a groan. “Enlighten me, there’s no need to speak.”

Deni had just returned to the place Valkyrie had offered her to stay at, after a long day of making friends and fighting random monsters while patrolling… and then the voice spoke in her head. Whelp. She leaned at the wall, taking a deep breath before she… well, didn’t need to talk, just needed to think it?

‘Okay, okay. Let me just start out by saying, I wouldn’t appreciate you actually hurting Mariette. I want to save her, along with my sister. I have no idea how to do that, but I want to save them both, and possibly also the rest of the agents of Asengav. My enemy is Asengav, not those under his command. Not that I stand a fraction of a chance against a cosmic horror, anyway, but still.

What happened was that I got consumed by Caroline, but then Caroline got defeated in the Overcity, and I was left behind. From the limited information I have, I deduce that Asengav abandoned me when I was taken. My Monster Girl form was a direct link to the darkness of Asengav, through me Justine and Caroline’s Horror could have attacked Asengav directly. To prevent that, I think he severed the link, so when Caroline then left me behind I was left with no patron. Then something, I have NO clue what, gave me power. Something gave me enough power to be resurrected, where I should have died. I don’t think I actually truly died, some sliver of me remained where Caroline abandoned me, in some form of monster-state.

Regardless, I got up, looked like this, then ran into Valkyrie who agreed to take me home, and, uh, then I ran into Justine von Visceral, because that’s just how life goes. She employed me to reach Mariette… and I’m ready to help her with that if it benefits me… but I don’t want Justine laying her hands on Mariette. As I said, I want to save them. If I really have to, I’ll sacrifice Mariette to save Eli, but I don’t want that, either. I… yeah. I just basically laid myself bare before you. I’m calling myself “Ronin” because if Mariette heard “Deni” is walking about she’d recollect me in a hurry, and then it’d be game over. I’m walking around trying to make as many friends as possible, because, yeah. When the time comes, I’m going to need all the help I can get.

… What do you think?’

“I think you chose the right person to come to. Though I find it disappointing that you don’t remember the most interesting bit. Can’t be helped though.” Deni could hear Veronica write something down. “I’ll fact check everything you said with your memories, but I’m not expecting to find anything out of place. More importantly, you have a debt to cover. I pay for the elimination of monsters just like everyone else, but I also pay extra when people complete assignments. If you’re looking for one, I have something available for you.”

‘I was sort of incapacitated at the time, sorry!’ Deni said with an amused tone, smiling back where she was. ‘Oh? I’m interested. I also sort of have a party I was hoping to go to in a couple days, there’s got to be a bunch of friends I could make there. Amanda told me about it when I ran into her on the way back. Still, what do you have for me?’ 

“Do I know amanda? Nevermind. Unless you’re referring to the dark magical party, cancel your reservations, because you’ll be going to that one.” Veronica sighed. “I suspect something will happen, and I want Cindy Ford to survive it. Simply ensure she lives to the end of the party and you’ll earn 2 silver and 3 bronze.”

‘Amanda’s one of Maura's group, I thought they were working for you?’ Ronin asked, raising an eyebrow on the other side. Anyways. ‘Amusingly enough, I AM talking about the dark magical girl party. Want Cindy to survive it? Well. I will expect the worst to happen, then, but consider it done! You have a Reinforcement specialist on the job!’ Deni replied, grinning over where she was. ‘… Oh, man. I really hope it isn’t Beacon attacking, I was hoping not to make enemies with them. Spent so long having to avoid them as a Monster Girl. … OH, WELL!’ Deni commented, before ending it on a very lighthearted shrug.

“I suspect that Beacon would not be fool enough to enrage the entire magical girl community in Penrose. However, I do anticipate someone trying to frame them. This is why Cindy needs to survive.” Veronica chuckled. “If things get crazy, I’ll update you on what to do next. I may even come up with extra assignments for you, so you will be well compensated for your help. If you don’t need anything else, I’ll be off.”

‘I appreciate it, ma’am! I am still 100% open if you want to just hang out as friends sometime!’ Deni replied to the later parts, also internally relieved that it probably wasn’t Beacon attacking. She nodded, not that she knew if Veronica would know, but. ‘I’m satisfied! I’ll hear from you later, then! Have a continued good night!’

“Be well. I think you’ll like the other agents when you meet them. Well, most of them.”

---

”Platinumskink Doesn’t think I’m cool enough to have a banner, WELL I’LL SHOW HIM!”

— Betty Bio-Hazard

Betty was always on guard duty, but it usually wasn’t like this. Instead of remaining by Veronica’s side, she was stationed outside a bank vault. 

It was a bit nerve wracking though. Aside from it being the dead of night, Beacon and Mint were among the strongest forces in the city. Both of them had it out for Veronica and her agents. With the vault sealed up, Betty didn’t have the option to run. There was no way she could remove the contents and escape with them. She had to stand and fight if she wanted to complete the task she had been handed. The minutes passed like hours, and Betty had to be on her guard at all times. A single drop in her defenses could spell her doom. She made changes to her patrol paths so that no one could predict her movements. She didn’t look at her phone, or do anything that would distract her. 

With a sigh, Betty took a seat in the lobby. To call it that now was a joke, as the front half of the building opened up to the outside. Part of the roof had been blasted away and all other rooms had either caved in or been blocked off by rubble. It was by some miracle that this leather office chair had survived. It was the only comfort she had out here. If Betty had a choice, she would have preferred a pair of pants. Her skirt didn’t do much to keep the wind from nipping at her thighs. But if this was the only comfort Penrose would afford her, she would make due.

But it was here that she was able to spot someone coming. Betty couldn’t tell much about the individual from a distance. It looked like a guy wearing a top hat and a black cloak, but she doubted herself only because magical boys were so uncommon. With a tired sigh, she forced herself out of the comfort of her seat and walked towards the approaching stranger. Part of what made these types of situations hard to deal with was that Betty didn’t know what this person’s motive was. They could just as easily be a refuge trying to escape Beacon. She placed her hands on one of her swords.

”State your business!” She sounded a little meaner than she wanted to, but her situation had that effect on her.

The stranger continued to walk closer, not stopping for an instant. ”I’m just looking for a place to rest.”

”W-well, look somewhere else!” Betty drew her sword. ”It’s totally caved in. There’s only room for me here!”

He stopped in his tracks. At this range Betty could see that her initial assessment was right, and he was a boy. Fascinating. ”That can’t be the full story, can it? Just look at you, chilled to the bone.” There was just enough moon light for Betty to make out a smile. ”If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re trying to protect something, or someone.”

Betty snorted. ”That’s right. So you’ll understand if I can’t let you come any closer.”

The boy raised a hand to his chin. ”Of course.” He lowered his hand. ”You are Betty Barton, or Betty Bio-Hazard as the other cradle agents call you. You are Veronica’s bodyguard, and she has likely sealed herself away in that vault while you defend it from the outside. It makes sense, doesn’t it?”

”If you’re thinking about breaking inside, you’ve got another think coming!” In a flash, a throwing knife was already in her hand. ”Leave now, or you’ll have to pull this knife out of your head!”

With a sigh, the boy turned around to leave. Betty was just getting ready to lower her weapons when he looked over his shoulder. ”You know, it’s an interesting bit of folly, being a bodyguard.” He turned around to face her again. ”You’re so caught up protecting others, that you never consider that you might be the target all along.”

Betty had just a moment to scan her surrounding and noticed a murder of crows spilling in from the roof. There had to be at least a hundred of them, and even with her superhuman speed she likely wouldn’t be able to fend off all of them. Her other two swords seemed to levitate out of their sheathes and began fighting alongside her. With a bellow, she hurled her dagger straight for the boy’s face. It flew through the air until a dire wolf lunged and snatched it out of the air.

”I see.” The boy stroked his chin as he watched Betty fend off the crows. ”You’re using wind magic to wield multiple weapons at once. You’re quite strong too, few can make my crows bleed with a single swing.” He shrugged. ”Draw four swords or eight, I outnumber you a hundred to one.”

Betty felt a little outnumbered at the moment, but felt like the tide of combat was changing in her favor. Every swing took out a few more crows, and one had yet to land a strike on her. But she was so preoccupied fighting the crows that she didn’t notice the enemy below her. And that would prove to be costly.

She didn’t see it coming, but she could feel something pass through her knees. It wasn’t clear what happened until Betty made her next swing. That was when her thighs parted from the rest of her legs, and she fell onto her stomach. Her floating swords did their best, but the crows landed on her back and started to peck away at her flesh. 

”Regardless of how strong someone is, it is just a matter of rallying enough people to take them down.” He tipped his hat. ”This wasn’t a fair fight, and it wasn’t supposed to be.”

Betty did her best to swing her katana at the birds that were slowly devouring her. She rolled over onto her back, but that wasn’t enough to crush them. Worse, more birds landed on her stomach and proceeded to peck her apart from both sides. She could feel she was going into shock. Past events were starting to flash through her mind, and the possibility that she would never see Binky again weighed heavy in her heart. Was there a way out of this? Should she call for backup? Would anyone come? She continued to fight what seemed like a decided battle.

---

Until there came a flash of light. A bead of brilliant blue just beyond the collapsed building, which build into a streak of piercing white within a fraction of a second. Before the onset of a storm, many claimed they could feel its approach on the horizon. The change in barometric pressure. The discomfort within the inner ear, or aches in the joints. The smell of ozone from brewing electricity. All of them fell upon the battle at once, with the crescendo of a thunder crack carrying the star.

Katelyn had been on the hunt in the days since she returned from the beach. She had lost time, another two months wasted playing pretend on a fantasy resort instead of focusing on what mattered. But she still held her tenable connection to The Penrose Independent, regardless of either of their true allegiances. A call had come in - an information drop, courtesy of The Boss herself, regarding a Mint Agent that had taken to attacking one of their journalists. It wasn't on Katelyn's agenda to play hitman for anyone else, not again, but the information happened to line up. One favour completed, and one Mint operative dead.

Her Dragon's Wings had remained on standby as she watched the fight from afar. Waiting for a moment to strike. And the seconds after the other girl fell, where her target would be the least prepared for an ambush, she took her chance, flaring into life as a comet of lightning. Wreathed in electricity, and bolstered by her wind, she could cross distances at speeds faster than most individuals could perceive, which barrelled through the nighttime air of Penrose City, spear outstretched within the enchantment, on a direct collision course with The Vermin Killer.

Vermin Killer looked to be oblivious to the incoming attack, which should have been enough to kill him. When Katelyn struck, there was a bright flash and a crack like thunder. It was enough to scare away the crows pecking away at Betty. ”Gah!” She fell flat on her back, but was quick to prop herself up so that she could see exactly what was going on. But when the light levels returned to normal, Vermin Killer was still standing.

While Vermin Killer was oblivious to the attack, his more attune companions were well aware of the incoming strike. A lunging honey badger took the shot square in the chest. Non-magical honey badgers had very thick, loose skin that enables them to resist attacks most creatures would be killed by. Even though they have a modest weight of about 20 pounds, they have no problem going toe to toe with the likes of leopards and lions. Their ability to roll and slide around inside their skin helps them absorb blows that their thick skin can’t. The result was that Katelyn’s attack caused the weasel to bounce and roll across the ground, but it was only a matter of time before it got back up on its feet and hissed at its attacker. Honey badger didn’t give a shit.

”What is the meaning of this?” Vermin Killer frowned at the dragon girl. ”You couldn’t have tried to kill me a bit earlier? I suppose you were just pretending to be incompetent.”

Katelyn skid across the ground, carried by her excess momentum, internally cursing the creature that had blocked her attack. She had spent the time tracking The Vermin Killer - animal Interference had been expected, but not the kind that could no-sell her blows with relative ease.

The preserved speed from her enchantment ran its course, grinding her to a halt, before she began a run. A second wind of The Dragon's Wings absorbed her body, drawing from her wings an intense electrical charge that rapidly engulfed her body in lightning and air, until she vanished in a bolt of thunder, once more aimed at The Vermin Killer. At range, it gave the opponent a chance to react, but in close quarters, she could cover the distance in a fraction of a second. Still, she had learned from her first mistake - the moment the spell began, she leapt into the air, aiming to kick whatever animal got in her way, and then slash The Vermin Killer in the aftermath. 

Vermin Killer was not a stationary target, however. Nor was the wolf who stood at his side. By the time Katelyn had started sprinting, the wolf was already upon her. None of the vermin killer’s pets could contend with a magical girl, but they each had an edge in a given situation. The honey badger was sturdy, but too slow to land a decisive blow on Katelyn. The wolf was almost the opposite, unable to take a solid blow but fast enough to intercept an opponent before they attacked their master. Her kick landed straight in the wolf’s mouth. Katelyn was swift and strong enough to kick the wolf free, but the delay was all the time Vermin Killer needed to escape. His body split into several crows and scattered to the four winds.

”Not today. I have an appointment.”

The wolf wrestled itself to its feet before bolting away. The honey badger trudged off, but not without giving one last hiss at the girl that stabbed it with a spear. This left Betty alone with the stranger. She crawled towards her missing feet, all while keeping an eye on the dragon girl.

”Shit, fuck,” Katelyn cursed. Control over animals had been in the forecast since the information came in, but the ability to turn into crows was new to her. She looked into the sky, watching the birds disperse, and attempting to find a distinguishable pattern in their flight, but quickly gave up, as the flock vanished in different directions into the Penrose sky. ”Can’t even kill some shitty knockoff vampire, Goddamnit. Shut up, you didn’t know anything about him. Cause if you did, maybe it’d please you a bit to tell me.

”So? What’s your deal?” she called out, her gaze falling on the pitiful sight of Betty. They were a Magical Girl, but not one Katelyn recognised - and not an exceptionally skilled one, she reasoned, considering her sorry state. She began to walk towards the girl, weapon held fast, with the shaft held in the crook of her arm, and the blade pointed out towards Betty. ”Why was he here? Why try and kill you?”

Betty collected her legs before looking up at Katelyn. ”You’re coming clo- oh, okay, of course you are.” She held her arm over her chest, as the shirt had been torn to tatters in that spot. ”I’m, um, I’m not entirely sure. He said he wanted to kill me.” She winced. The snow on the ground was starting to bite at her raw stumps. ”Can you let me put my legs back on? I’ll tell you whatever you want to know!”

”Feel free,” the head of the spear dropped a little, as Katelyn released a small amount of tension from her arm. ”But try anything else and you die, understand?”

Betty let out a sigh of relief before dragging herself over to her comfortable chair. While she had sat in it many times, it felt the most comfortable right now after a harrowing fight. Her wind magic wasn’t strong, but she was able to force herself into the seat without it falling on top of her. ”Alright, thanks.” She dropped her legs onto the ground and positioned her stumps over them. ”I’m Betty, in case you were wondering.” She took her arm out from in front of her chest. Hanging on a string behind her torn uniform was a tiny lantern emitting a soft orange glow. It had cracks running all over it, but they had since been filled with gold to piece it back together. Betty’s breathing softened as her legs started to fuse back together. Her open wounds emitted an orange light, and with the passage of time they slowly closed up. ”Have you been hunting that magical boy for a while? You seem upset that he got away.”

"Betty, right," Katelyn replied. But the words were half hearted. She seemed to trail off at the end, pulled into and distracted by some other, intrusive train of thought beyond the confrontation, and beyond the conversation at hand. Her eyes were firmly pulled to the item at her chest - the way it glowed, how the light reflected slightly across the gold spider web of cracks, and the number of other intricacies to its design. For a moment, she seemed almost transfixed, until she blinked it away, and looked back to Betty properly, her expression vaguely distant. "Right, uh, sorry, yeah. Yeah, a little while. He's been a bit... difficult, to follow, sorry, is, is that a Healing Artifact?"

”Yea!” Betty’s lips twitched into a smile. ”It’s seen better days, but it gets the job done.” She looked down at it. Not only were her wounds healing, but her uniform was piecing itself back together. ”Were you hurt? I can try to heal you, but it’s a little mana intensive and I just lost my legs.” 

”No, I’m fine,” Katelyn’s response came quickly, and abruptly. Almost as soon as she had said it, she turned and walked a distance away from Betty, to stand by one of the nearby walls. Her arm raised to support herself against it, and her head pushed into the crook of her elbow as she did. ”He was Ebon Mint. An assassin of some kind. Some people I know had a member of theirs attacked. Since I kill Mint Agents for a living, they asked me to help. So why don’t we start with why an assassin wants you dead, Betty.”

Betty cleared her throat. ”Right. That.” She reclined in her chair. ”I’m part of Crimson Cradle. I’m not sure how internet savvy you are, but we operate rather openly. At least in terms of who our members are.” She swallowed. ”And we’re led by Vermilion Veronica, who was a former Mint coin broker. She’s rather adamant about ‘exposing the mint’ and ‘removing the mint.’ I think you guys would get along.”

”You’re Cradle?” her head slowly pulled out from her arm to look at Betty, practically glaring at her through her periphery. Katelyn took a step towards her, arm dropping to her side. The pose she held was unlike any Betty had seen, but amongst the variety Katelyn had displayed throughout their meeting, it was the most notable; rigid, almost professional and robotic. But the stance, though it hid her intentions and emotions, let slip something else. Her bloodlust. ”Mint Agents can’t ever be redeemed. I hope you’re not a former Mint Agent, Betty - I don’t think killing you would be cathartic. But you can pass on a message from Katelyn Everance to Silhouette. The next time I see her, she’s dead.”

”I guess I can do that.” she whimpered.

”At least you’re smart,” in an instant, Katelyn’s stance shifted again. It was calmer, more relaxed. The intense, near murderous energy she had mustered forward vanished behind an exterior of collection. With the conversation essentially over, she turned and began to walk. Through the building and towards the exit. ”Hope we can have another chat like this, Betty. Just remember that I saved your life.”

---

Betty watched Katelyn leave without a word. She’d need to rest a bit before she went on patrol again. Fortunately, the vault door opened just a few minutes later, and its occupant stepped out into the open.

“Did she, now?”

Darkest Before the Dawn: A CYOA Magical Girl Roleplay [Completed]

"No Items, Fox Only, Final Destination"

Trixy

@ERode

Tonight was the night, and everyone was thrumming with excitement. Masses of monsters and patrons, magical girls and monstrous girls alike crowded around the hexagon-shaped arena, as blindingly white spotlights seared the concrete stage. It was an encounter that only happened once every year, practically a holiday for the blood-thirsty supernatural mob. It had been two decades since the Contender’s escape from Hell became commercialized, and afterwards, everyone began to look forward to, rather than dread, the event.

After all, that flaming pugilist may be the sort of pervert that gets off beating magical middle schoolers to death, but he was also one hell of an entertainer too.

Upon the four-sided television screen elevated above the arena, the countdown began, a punkish goblin hanging from it as the commentator of the year.

“THREE!”

The crowd roared.

“TWO!”

The crowd screamed.

“ONE!”

The crowd exploded, as the music hit with the force of ten thousand fireworks and pyrotechnic displays...which really did go off, showering everything in sparks and glitter. From a heavily-chained gate on the western side of the Hexagon, jets of hellfire surged from the gaps, as the chains creaked against a violent force.

WHUMP! WHUMP! WHUMP!

“AND THERE WE HAVE IT! THE MINISTER OF RESURRECTION! THE MANIAC WHO BEATS DEMONS FOR DINNER AND CERBERUS FOR DESSERT! THE BURNING MAN HIMSELF, RETURNED YET AGAIN FROM THE LAKE OF FIRE!!!! GIVE IT UP FOR...THE CONTENDER!!!!”

And with a great roar, the doors were torn off from the hinges, chain links scattering into the hands of excited patrons who groped for a souvenir of this year’s DEATHMATCH. Dozens of revenants and banshees screamed out from the gate to hell as a hot wind burst into the arena. From the afterglow of the infernal conflagration, a flaming, naked man, muscular but with a scorched complexion, rushed out, his hands raised out on both sides to deliver high-fives to his most ardent fans. They swooned as their flesh melted against him, and he gave them dogged grins, the blue torch that burned from his left eye fed to a frenzy by the adulation of the crowd. Reaching the ring, he slammed his hands against the steel fence that barricaded him from the arena, before the heat of his palms warped, distorted the frame and he pulled the fence apart, stepping in with the finality of a juggernaut, a champion.

Raising his hands outwards with a laugh, he strode around the arena, leaving scorched footprints on the concrete as he soaked in the cheers of the crowd.

But suddenly, the lights went black, and on the eastern wing, spotlights shone, highlighting…

A maid and her phone.

The crowd was still cheering, but it was hard to say if it was for the new contender or the hype generated from witnessing the Contender. She turned her back to the crowd, arena, and even the Contender himself and walked backwards. She made a peace sign with one hand and snapped a picture. Afterwards, she typed up a short message.

Who’s gunna win?

She slid the phone inside her outfit before turning around to face everyone. They was yelling so loud, it was hard to tell if it was genuine excitement, anger, or painful confusion.

“AND A NEWCOMER! IN THIS CORNER WE HAVE A BRAND NEW VICTIM WHO’LL TRY TO SEIZE HIS CROWN BEFORE GETTING TENDERIZED, CHARBROILED, AND DEVOURED BY OUR CONTENDER. MAKE SOME NOISE FOR TRIXYYYYYY!”

In truth, Trixy was a little nervous. This place was noisy. She could feel the body heat radiating off the crowd as she approached the ring. Even her opponent was essentially a man made out of burning firecrackers. When she opted to enter this fight, she hadn’t expected such a buzz. Things didn’t look this crazy on Glimmr when she read about it. Hopefully she could end this fight and get her Glimmr a bit more exposure.

”Focus Trixy. You need to do this for Cradle. For everyone. You’ve gotta be cool about this in case Sam’s watching.”

She slapped her cheeks to psych herself up, but her hands were still trembling. When she got to the metal gate, she simply jumped over it. There was probably a cooler way to make an entrance, but that didn’t matter. The one advantage she had in this fight was that she was entirely unknown. Flaunting her prowess would have to wait until the fight itself. As she walked towards the center of the ring, Trixy made a small apple and ate it to calm her nerves. But no such luck.

“Alright fellas, keep it clean, yeah? I know it’s a deathmatch and all, but no one wants to see a boring fight or a beatdown. Sportsmanship, fellas, sportsmanship. Trixy, this is only a deathmatch for the Contender, so if at any time you want to tap out, do it. No guarantees that we’ll be able to break you two up before then though.” The referee, a spider-ogre with limbs long enough to span the entire ring, looked down upon the two fighters below. He had to be half the size of godzilla, if not taller. “Now...RINGA DING DING LETS SEE SOME FUCKING BLOOOOOOOOD!”

A skeletal babe with amazing hip bones booty-checked a brass bell, and the fight was on!

Concrete still hissing with each step, the Contender tucked his chin in, hunched his back, raised his fists. Letting out a steaming breath, he then extended one of his hands, opening it up for a shake. With a surprisingly dulcet voice, the man said, “Have fun, miss.”

Trixy was still recovering from her sensory overload when the burning undead man extended his hand. She blinked and almost took a step back, but the moment was sobering for Trixy. With her opponent so close, the cheers of the crowd and all the other excess noises were drowned out by the presence of her opponent. Normally she would never be this close to someone she was supposed to take out. But it had been stated in the rules that Trixy couldn’t use her weapon or her specialization magic for this fight. And of course, it was strictly a one on one match. She had come into the fight expecting her martial training to lead her through the battle, but she hadn’t anticipated her opponent would be covered in freakin’ fire. She might have been comically perverted, but she wasn’t a masochist.

Trixy raised her hand, and her magical wardrobe opened up beside her. She pulled out an oven mitt and slipped it on her hand. Once she was set up, her wardrobe vanished from sight. ”You too sir!” She forced a smile before shaking the man’s hand. It didn’t take long for the fire to burn away the mit, at which point she hopped backwards and raised her hands. It was time to fight.

If Trixy had thought about this before jumping in the ring with an undead champion, she probably would have watched some videos of him. But she hadn’t done that. In that respect, her opponent was just as unmeasured as she was, aside from the clear tell that he was strong enough to rip apart a chain link fence. This was not an opponent she was going to beat with raw physical force. But his speed and intelligence had yet to be tested.

Trixy moved towards her opponent, swiftly, but in stance. She raised her arm as if to drive her fist through the Contender’s head, but this was a feint. She hopped to the left, Ready to pounce on his back if he left himself open.

The Contender reverted to his own compact stance as well, burning eyes locked onto Trixy as she hopped to the left. It may have been experience or it may have been just a willingness to take any strike she lashed out, but the eyepatched judoka’s feint didn’t draw any particular reaction out of him; with chin tucked in, fists up, and elbows guarding his sides, the Contender’s defense was already complete.

”Wow, he’s goo-”

Rhythmic hissing coincided with the light shifting of his feet, and just as the pattern became consistent, he popped forward, a fiery jab to Trixy’s face to disorientate, followed by a piercing straight and then a hook below her ribcage.

A simple opening combination, but it had a lot of minute implications only seasoned audience members could appreciate. Trixy was prepared to lunge at the Contender, so most of her weight was on her front foot. This allowed her to use her back leg to step forward or throw a powerful kick, as it had a longer distance to travel to its target. Her training had prepared her for things like whiffed jabs, but it wasn’t every day they were on fire and headed for her face. Trixy pulled back her head a bit, and some of her weight shifted onto her back leg.

The straight came from the opposite side. This was going for a full extension and would have maximum power. Trixy had already accepted the fact that she was going to get burned during this match. There was no hesitation when she opened her palm and brushed the Contender’s fist to the side, putting her inside of his arms. After brushing his fist away, her arm looped around his bicep to control it. What surprised her was that the flames didn’t half hurt. He felt mildly warm, not even unpleasant. A child-like smile crept across her face as she finished stepping forward.

A movement that might have come too soon.

A hook punch was not always part of a combination like this, and Trixy was far too eager to land a blow to be aware of it. The hook punch was aimed between her rib cage and hips where it could plow directly into her organs. She had advanced fast enough that it was just a glancing blow. But it was still a punch that would have turned a normal teenager’s intestines into jello. Trixy coughed and stumbled into the Contender. Her guts were throbbing, but she had a match to finish. Her left arm was still trapping his bicep, and now her right hand was on his chest. This was where she wanted to be.

Trixy attempted to use her right leg to sweep the Contender and throw him onto his back. But that wasn’t all. Since she had a hold of his arm, she might as well have a taste of the Contender. Her cheeks split open, and her jaws latched onto his arm just as she attempted to sweep.

As Trixy’s arm latched around the Contender’s extended arm, he retracted, arm folding back. The eyepatched girl may have had an arm around his bicep, but now her arm too was viced between his steel-like forearm and his bulging bicep. A grappler, was it?

Bending his knees, he lowered his center of gravity and absorbed the sweeping kick with nary a grunt, the whites of his teeth almost incandescent as he grit his teeth. She wanted a taste of him? Go ahead! Trixy’s teeth latched onto his forearm, hot blood coating her tongue. There was a metallic taste, mixed with ash perhaps, and a smoky, barbeque flavor. Almost tasty, really.

No time to dwell though. With one fist still free and his stance stable for the time being, the Contender continued to whale at Trixy’s side with his free hand, powering through with the rotation of his hips and the compression and extension of his legs.

“C’MON C’MON C’MON!!!”

Trixy’s right arm wasn’t doing very much holding onto his chest, so she crooked her arm and did her best to protect her head from incoming blows. There was only so much she could do with her mouth latched around the Contender’s bicep, as she clearly couldn’t see where the attacks were coming from. Fortunately, she wouldn’t be in this possition for very long.

Presently, her right leg was locked behind the Contender, and her left leg was behind herself. With a quick hop, she shuffled her feet. Her left leg landed in front of herself, and she was able to pivot and step back with her right leg. This pulled her torso out of the way of incoming blows, and also helped Trixy tear the flesh off his arm. The result was that Trixy was now standing beside the contender. If it weren’t for the Contender screaming the most badass lines possible, or his burning flesh hanging out of Trixy’s mouth, they might have looked like a couple. A shame the Contender was more interested in beating up girls than dating them. He seemed like he had quite the following.

Trixy was primarily a grappler, but she was capable of striking things too. With the flesh torn away, She sucked it into her mouth before repeatedly driving her right fist into his arm. The quick meal would help heal up her bruised arm, maximizing her strength.

”What! Are! You! Made! Of?!”

Feeling the shifting of Trixy’s foot, the Contender responded swiftly as well, extending his bound arm and forcefully pushing against the biter’s shoulder. Simultaneously, he hopped backwards, the two disengaged for the moment. She had gotten off a couple of good hits though; purple welts bloomed beneath the corona of hellfire upon his arm. He shook out his arm a bit, the blood instantly drying and flaking off, and he paced around the arena.

“Sugar n spice n everything nice,” the Contender replied, lifting his arms up again and ready to continue. “Got a nice set of teeth on ya, Trixy.”

Trixy also paced around the ring, perfectly adjacent to the Contender. She wiped her mouth on her sleeve. It rolled up just enough to show a bruise before she pulled her sleeve back over it. ”Thanks!” She smiled. ”Not as nice as your voice, I’ll admit. I should have gotten your autograph before the match.” She brought her arms back up into a defensive stance and moved towards the Contender.

She wasn’t going to go for a feint this time. She led with a right jab aimed at the Contender’s face, following it with an elbow strike. If everything lined up right, she’d be able to grab his shoulder with both hands and pull him into a knee strike. It wasn’t Judo, but by this point the Contender was likely expecting Trixy to turn this into a grapple game.

“Well, if ya ever swing by Hell, I’ll sign somethin’ for ya then. Till that, you’ll have to settle for broken bones.”

And they were at it again. Trixy’s jab flickered out, bouncing off the Contender’s forearm as he bent his legs, shifting his weight from his front foot to his back. Her elbow swept over the torchbrand of his flames, and as Trixy went for her knee blow, both hands grabbing onto his shoulder, the burning man kicked off with his back foot, driving his shoulder into her gut. Her knee struck something hard as the two of them smacked onto the concrete; his pecs may have been on fire, but they definitely felt like granite.

Trixy coughed up a bit of blood from that one. She sharply inhaled, but wasn’t about to let the Contender crawl on top of her. Trixy curled her legs around either side of his torso to halt his advance. She then proceeded to give him alternating hooks to the head.

“Oh, nice response!”

With his torso locked down, a mount was no longer feasible. The Contender’s arms shifted up to the sides of his head, absorbing the impact of Trixy’s hooks as he gathered up his own strength. Though her slim arms told another story, a magical girl’s might had no correlation between aesthetic and actuality, and more welts bloomed with each frenzied strike.

Wasn’t like this was his first time on the mat though.

With a grunt, the Contender hopped into a squat, lifting up Trixy’s body as he raised himself back up on a standing position. Hooking his own arms around her legs now, he began to spin in place, building up more and more centrifugal force.

“Take THIS!”

At terminal rotational speed, he released Trixy, throwing her head first towards the steel fence around the Hexagon, before immediately pursuing and leaping into a divekick.

Trixy had occasionally wondered what bullets felt like when they were fired out of her gun. Disposable projectiles who’s only fate was to die with their target. That was about how she felt right now. The chain link fence looked like it was going to hurt. Not as much as the ensuing kick from the Contender, but all the same, it was something she wanted to avoid. Fortunately, she was flying head first towards her destination.

She opened her mouth again, her face peeling away to reveal the bottomless cavity inside of her. She ripped straight through the fence, but it would scrape against her body as she flew through it at high speeds.. Given that Trixy had run out of options, she didn’t even care.

Using her heightened reflexes, she grabbed one of the rails and swung upwards, legs first. She tried to hold her skirt down, but gravity and wind resistance was fighting against her. Trixy bent her knees as she landed on the face of the giant spider-ogre. The god of the tiny space where she was fighting, and she whispered.

”This is legal, right?”

“No, but thank you very much!” the spider-referee squealed, absolutely enjoying the sensation.

”Ahah, right!”

She kicked off his massive face and descended towards the Contender like a meteor. Her ribs might have been cracked, and her sleeves had been torn to tatters, but she still bore a smile. Trixy spread her arms wide. She didn’t care if she got an arm, torso, his head, she was going to take the Contender for a wild ride.

With Trixy having bitten a hole right through the fence, the Contender too flew out through it, sliding against the floor. He rolled, almost by instinct, and as the gluttonous maid kicked off the spider-emcee, he pushed himself off the ground as well, two searing handprints left in the ground as he launched himself feet first at his opponent’s skull.

It was evident that when the two combatants collided it was going to be a strong impact. Even if they weren’t both moving at terminal velocity, that was a long way down to a concrete floor. A decisive blow was about to be made.

It was unlikely she was going to survive a direct shot from the Contender. His body was dense, so dense that she couldn’t even bite all the way through it. Her opponent might as well have been a boulder flying up towards her. Trixy understood she didn’t have the power to destroy it, but maybe the earth did. Trixy continued to dive, arms outstretched towards the Contender.

When her hands were near the Contender’s feet, Trixy snatched him by both ankles and tucked in her chin. She didn’t let go and guided herself into a somersault down the back of his legs. This got the two of them spinning like a twirling bolas, before Trixy heaved The contender towards the earth. She was thrown higher into the air, but in an arc that would soon return her to the arena. It was bad form to land on the spectators.

“Nice fight!”

A great impact rocked the stadium, plumes of concrete dust bursting from the epicenter of the Contender’s crash into the cold, hard ground. Immediately, vespers of hellfire raced through the spiderweb fractures within the ground, before it all gave away. Hell had opened up from the crater Trixy had created with the Contender’s body, a fiery maelstrom lined with black, skeletal hands. Some magical girls paled at the horrible sight, but most of the audience were made of sterner stock, cheering instead, as the flaming man, the top half of his face squashed flat, tumbled through the abyss, flashing one last thumbs up at Trixy. She could only look on while her body soared towards the earth.

“Don’t forget this! If I’m not breaking out, I’ll be at the Seventh Circle, First Ring! Come on over some time and I’ll treat ya, Trixy! I l-”

Whatever else the Contender had to say was cut off, as the Hellhole sealed itself back up moments later, leaving a smooth, untouched floor. Only upon the arena were the last signs of the Contender, his scorched footprints left on the ground.

Trixy once again would find salvation from the iron fence’s rails. She was able to grab hold and swing herself back into the arena. The chain link fence burst on impact, but only did minor damage to her as she tumbled across the floor. She came to a stop on her hands and knees, staring straight at the floor where he had been seconds prior.

”Hell can’t be that bad if it’s got guys like you in it.” Trixy attempted to step up, but stumbled. ”Though you come on a little too strong, bleh!”

The giant spider-ogre reached for Trixy’s hand and hoisted it into the air.

“And our winner is… TRIXY! SHE CHEWED UP THE CONTENDER AND SPAT HIM BACK INTO THE UNDERWORLD! THIS HAS BEEN AN AMAZING NIGHT FOLKS, I’LL SEE YOU ALL AGAIN NEXT YEAR!”

As the crowd erupted into cheers, Trixy reached into her pocket for her phone. This was going to be the best post on Glimmr she ever made. A picture of herself after beating the Contender? With all those fans cheering in the background? It didn’t get any better than that! She pulled her phone out of her uniform, grinned like she had been practicing, and then promptly noticed a crack going all the way through the screen.

”N-no!”

Her smile faded when she realized she couldn’t get her phone to turn back on. Trixy’s gaze angled towards the floor as all hope drained out of her body. She couldn’t say when it happened. If it was when he punched her in the side, or that other time he punched her in the side, or that time he slammed her into the ground, or-

”Yea, hell is a good place for that guy.” Trixy nodded to herself, deaf to everything around her.