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(But mostly just Connie)



As Connie did her best to coordinate the various Pennybots under Gaia’s control, the nervous girl couldn’t help but overhear the comments being made by some of the other girls present about their mysterious seventh “teammate” and whether or not said individual was Penny’s girlfriend. She tried her best to tune the conversation out and focus on the task at hand, just as Gaia was doing, but even so, it still caused her mask to form a frown of worry. The timid girl really hoped the chatty duo wouldn’t decide to start asking her questions about the subject. Connie knew just how much Violet valued her secrecy, and she didn’t want her own social anxiety to inadvertently cause her to reveal something to these girls that her wealthy friend wished to keep hidden.

Thankfully(?), her mind was distracted from these unpleasant possibilities by a new arrival. Sparing a startled glance towards the direction of the new voice, Connie saw that it was the strange cat maid from the Queen of Heart’s castle, the one who claimed to be an ally. Apparently, she had gained enough of Penny’s trust to be allowed access to this control center and was now chattering on about providing coffee, or anything else the Pennybot operators might require.

“U-Umm…” Connie spoke up hesitantly, while raising a quivering hand. “I-I have a r-request, i-if it’s n-not t-too much t-trouble...” If and when Cheshire Cat moved over to her, the masked maiden would inquire in a soft whisper, “S-So, u-umm, d-do you h-have anything t-that could, uh, m-maybe r-restore m-mana…?”





Meanwhile, in her private chamber, Violet was guiding her assigned Pennybots with a skill surpassing even Gaia’s. Indeed, such was her ability to multitask that her focus was able to rapidly shift to view each of the other squads as well, taking their situations into account while choosing how to direct her own. She was also able to cast her gaze further afield, which brought to her attention the combat occurring atop Covington Tower. At first, she felt a spike of panic at the sight. This was not just the headquarters for her family’s company, it was her home, and her father’s as well. Yet, despite her instinctive desire to mobilize all the defensive drones present in the mighty structure, while simultaneously pulling back her squad of Pennybots to aid in its defense, a closer look revealed that none of the fighting was actually occurring inside the massive building, but rather, was confined to its rooftop. As long as that remained the case, the young heiress knew that there was no cause for alarm. Even whatever incomprehensible ritual was preparing to be enacted was not enough to give Violet pause, for she knew her friends were already quite literally leaping into action to oppose it, and she had full faith in their abilities, Penny’s most of all. Still, despite that, and the importance of her current task, she couldn’t help but wish that she was able to join them…

Now we might actually be getting somewhere…

-Ashley Avenir




Ashley couldn’t help but frown as she listened to Iris’s answer. Not only were the missing Mavericks not all last seen at the Golden Trove, that revelation also reminded her that some of her missing GEMINI associates had also last been seen leaving the beach to explore the city. That meant the potential captors could have abducted them anywhere, making any possible rescue attempt far more difficult, to say the least. She was just about to suggest possibly enlisting Dan’s aid with the search, when she noticed a commotion over by the beach ball container. At first, the high-tech heroine simply assumed that it was just more of the Freelancers’ carefree idiocy, but it soon became apparent that something more was at play when the horned young woman (Rika, was it?) levitated off the ground and began moving with some speed towards the ocean.

“What the…?” Ashley breathed, her eyes narrowing to focus in on the strange sight. The Knight of Tomorrow doubted this was in any way Rika’s own doing, and her initial thought was that the freelancer was caught in some form of tractor beam. However, the odds of that possibility being the case swiftly diminished as Alice, the mysterious, raven-haired lady whose clock-themed attire bore an uncanny resemblance to that of a certain former agent’s, transplaced herself with Rika. Now, had the horned young woman actually been caught in a tractor beam, then it stood to reason that Alice would now be in a similar situation, speeding through the air out to sea. Yet, that was not the case, with the would-be rescuer simply standing in the knee-deep water. Furthermore, a glance at the area near the picnic table revealed that the seemingly dazed Rika had again begun levitating and was once more moving toward the ocean. So, either the tractor beam reestablished a lock, Ashley reflected. Or something invisible is carrying her…

With the odds of the later being somewhat higher than the former, and with Alice issuing some very reasonable orders, the Knight of Tomorrow snapped a quick instruction to her new ally, “Iris! Try and lock down the area around the picnic table! I’ll rescue Rika!” Aiming her techno-wand turned squirt wand, she fired a small sphere of bright green energy at the space directly below the horned freelancer. As soon as it hit the suspected mystery abductor, it would expand to form a full body manacle composed of that same emerald energy. At least, that’s what would normally happen. Now, the restraint would take the form of a large, green beach towel, which would constrict around the hidden kidnapper. While the high-tech heroine would have liked to have employed a spy ray to ascertain just what they were dealing with, the immediacy of the situation meant that such intelligence gathering would have to wait. That said, this was the first real clue as to what had befallen the others, and Ashley wasn’t about to let such a potentially critical piece of the puzzle slip away.


Staycee’s “ghost pals” descended upon Oros the Swift, but she was ready for them. With a few ki-enhanced martial arts moves, the Nomad Magical Girl made short work of two of the specters, while fending off the attacks of a third. She then prepared to face the rest of the swirling apparitions as they darted in to make their own attacks with an array of ethereal weapons and clawed hands. At the same time, enough of the smoke had cleared for the quartet of Stacys to see the group of less powerful Carnage Sisters galloping towards them.

“Looks like tha cavalry’s arrived,” Stampede Stacy observed. “But ah don’t reckon they’re fer us!”

As if to prove that point, a cannon ball shot forth to blast Esperverse Stacy’s head clean off her shoulders. 

“Ah gotcha, darlin’!” Stampede Stacy called, even as she sent her lightning lasso shooting out to loop around her ally’s wayward noggin, before pulling it back in with a firm yank.

“I’m not much for the deep south, but you’re alright, partner!” Esperverse Stacy gave her rodeo companion a thumbs up.

“Deep South?!” Stampede Stacy echoed incredulously. “Ah’m from Massachusetts!”

Meanwhile, the most psychotic-looking of this group of four Carnage Sisters opened up with her twin chain guns, sending a torrent of bullets flying towards the Stacys. Staycee and Stampede Stacy were agile enough to dodge most of the rounds, while the erratic movements of the now headless body of Esperverse Stacy prevented it from taking too many hits. However, the bulk of the fusillade wasn’t even directed at them, but rather at little Crystallis Stacy, who was nowhere near as nimble. The hail of bullets riddled her small body with more holes than a piece of Swiss cheese as it shuddered through a series of violent convulsions, the sheer force of the rapid string of impacts furiously shaking her like a rag doll. Yet, this disturbing sight was accompanied by the equally disturbing sound of hysterical laughter.

“T-T-That t-tickles!” Stacy squealed amidst her giggling fit, the bullet storm causing the little zombie no harm whatsoever.

By this point, the Carnage Sisters had gotten close enough to engage in melee, and the ditziest member of the foursome promptly tried to impale Staycee on her spear. Now, this was already a poor matchup for the pigtailed airhead, since Staycee’s scythe was sort of like an axe (which meant she had weapon triangle advantage), but it became even worse when one considered just how tough Stacyee was, especially when wearing the Obsidian Armor of Ortvonno. As such, instead of slicing through the spear before it struck her, the ectomancer simply allowed it to strike (and subsequently shatter against) her chest plate, before sweeping Ectolionis in a wide arc to decapitate her bubbly foe.

“En garde, or something like that!” Staycee shouted triumphantly as the now headless horsewoman galloped past her.

Stampede Stacy found herself in a similar predicament, with the crown-wearing Carnage Sister preparing to skewer her on her lance.

“That’s one mighty peculiar steed ya got there, missy!” the undead cowgirl remarked, even as she flung Esperverse Stacy’s head into her body’s waiting arms. “But ah reckon if'n ah git it’s legs all tangled up, it’ll go tumblin’ just like tha gen-u-ine article!” Sending her lighting lasso shooting forth once more, Stampede Stacy wrapped the crackling coil tight around the android steed’s legs. Not only did having its legs whipped out from under it cause the robotic horse to take a sudden nosedive into the pavement, but the subsequent massive jolt of electricity thoroughly fried its electronic innards, and very likely those of its rider as well.

A short distance away, Nomad Stacy had Oros the Shrewd on the proverbial ropes. However, the animal eared cook was nothing, if not tenacious. Acting with impressive speed, she produced a carrot and shoved it into the mouth of the overly talkative Kung-Fu Corpse Girl. “Glurk?!” Stacy gagged, before spitting the unwelcome orange intruder out of her mouth. “Yuck! Like, veggies might be, like, super healthy for you an’ junk, but they’re also super gross! That’s why I go for super yummy nutri-shakes! The bubblegum flavor is, like, totally my fav!”

Not one to let a reprieve go to waste, Oros the Shrewd had removed her bulky backpack and gotten some space between her and her chatty opponent. She’d also used the time to prepare her next attack, a swing of a sizable frying pan that was aimed right at Stacy’s head. Thanks to her “crazy cool” martial arts-type reflexes, the Kung-Fu Corpse Girl was able to leap away before it struck, but the sheer force of Oros the Shrewd’s swing produced a blast of air that sent Stacy flying back much farther than she’d anticipated. And perhaps farther than the pint-sized provisioner had intended as well, seeing as how it caused Stacy to crash into the side of Geina’s robo-horse feet first.

“So, are you one of those people who like to roleplay roleplay?” Stacy inquired as she kicked off of the robo-horse to fly back towards Amber with her hands extended in a “crazy cool” martial arts pose, causing mount and rider to tumble over in the process. “Like, there was this one guy in my old group who was, like, suuuper into that kinda thing,” she continued as she unleashed a crackling bolt of really zappy lightning at her opponent. “He would, like, do a special voice and everything, like one of those actor people!”

As this transpired, Tactical Triumvirate S.T.A.C.-Y. had managed to place their monstrous adversary on the back foot as well, but the tables were about to turn against them…

External aid is being provided to target, the trio’s mental voices noted as one. Concentration of fire is required to counteract this development. Assuming combat formation Theta-Tertiarius.

As one, the three bioroids moved to place themselves in a concave arc facing Oros the Savage’s horned head. Firing on full auto, they sent three streams of specialized hybridium rounds drilling into the center of the massive beast’s forehead. However, in order to achieve this more effective firing pattern, the trio had left themselves vulnerable to a surprise decapitating sweep of Oros the Mad’s pitch-black blade. Well, it would have been a surprise, if not for the fact that the psychotic swordswoman was yelling at the top of her lungs, making her approach so obvious that the supplementary ocular nodes on the back of the Tactical Triumvirate’s armor weren’t even necessary. Thus, just before the eldritch katana made contact with the neck of its first victim, the Magentaite infused hair of each of the bioroids burst into a singular blinding dome of searing flame, one which completely engulfed their pitifully unstealthy foe, before sending her flying away with considerable force.

At the same time, Saw Blade Stacy continued her duel with Oros the Inventive. Despite her fearless nature, the chainsaw-wielding Ars Magi knew that she was at a clear disadvantage against her ultra-tech opponent. If she was going to win, then she would have to show just how inventive she could be as well…

“Metal, huh?” Stacy inquired with a smirk. “That sounds almost as bad as a mouthful of paint!”

Although her massive chainsaw was beginning to slow, the fact that she was locked in melee combat meant that her opponent was close enough to be within arm’s reach. As such, in a single swift motion, Stacy removed one hand from her Gladius and thrust its open palm toward Lada’s face, her fingers slipping under the fake Ars Magi’s massive bangs. The next instant, a blast of bright pink paint shot forth from both fingers and palm, and while some of it might have gotten into her mouth, contrary to Stacy’s quip, her main target was the inventive young woman’s eyes.

Meanwhile, Stitch ‘Em Up Stacy continued to tend to her patient. To the zombie medic’s great relief, Oros the Joyful seemed to be responding very favorably to both her treatment and the bits of medical trivia she’d been providing. If anything, the blood witch was responding a little too favorably. Indeed, just as Stacy was telling of how nose bleeds often indicated feelings of strong romantic attraction in many anime and manga, Oros the Joyful began slowly pulling her closer for a kiss.

“Oh! Um, I really appreciate your desire to thank me,” Stacy told Suki as she pulled away. “B-But, um, I don’t think it would be very professional of me if I made out with a patient. At least, not before we’ve gotten to know each other a little better,” she added. “P-Plus, you’ve lost a lot of blood, which may be impairing your cognitive functions, and I’d never want to take advantage of anyone when their judgement might be compromised!”

In another part of the battlefield, a Marrywell teacher’s assistant continued to face off against a copy of the school’s enigmatic guidance counselor.

“Woah! You’ve always got a trick up your sleeve, huh, Miss Fang?!” Stacy noted with a laugh when Oros the Wise transformed her rapidly extending hand into another copy of herself. It was easy enough for Stacy to blast the doppelgänger back with a bolt of lightning before it could tackle her, but the attack did little to actually damage the duplicate. However, before she could employ a stronger attack to rectify that, the patchwork young woman found she had a new threat to deal with, in the form of the original Oros the Wise flying toward her, foot first. “Dang, ya really know how to keep a girl on her toes!” Stacy told the counselor as she used her superhuman reflexes to catch the incoming foot with both hands. Then, leaning back on her heels, she used her foe’s momentum to spin the older woman around, before sending her flying away in the direction of two of her metamorphosed clones that were in the process of menacing the second quartet of Stacys.

Said second quartet was also being menaced by the second (much more fearsome) quartet of Carnage Sisters. At least, until the four robotic young women and their equally robotic steeds were quickly annihilated by a barrage of lightning arcs, energy beams, missiles, and shimmerlings.

“Wow, that was totally awesome!” Storm Witch Stacy cheered.

“I know, right?!” Cyberslime Stacy agreed.

“Hey! Let’s do one of those crazy cool team combo attack things on those crazy freaky guys over there!” OG Stacy Stitches suggested, using her recently reattached arm to point at Oros the Wise and the two masses of teeth she’d been thrown into.

“That sounds totally super gibbous! Staceella replied, her enthusiasm causing even more tiny stars to pour forth from her mouth. “But, like, I’m not really good at fighting, and stuff,” she added. “So I’ll just cheer you guys on!”

“Okay! So, like, how should do our crazy cool team combo attack thing?!” Cyberslime Stacy inquired.

“Oh! I know!” Storm Witch Stacy spoke up, waving her hand excitedly. “I can make these crazy cool portal dealies, so, like, what if I opened up portals to the inside each of those toothy guys, and then you guys fire all your lightning and lasers into ‘em?!”

“That sounds super freaking awesome! OG Stacy replied with a big grin. “And, like, since this is a super combo attack type dealie, we gotta go all out! she added, her grin growing even wider. “So I’m gonna use my Super Mega Ultra Zappy Zap!”

“Hells yeah!” Cyberslime Stacy agreed. “And I’ll use my Big Blastacular Blamo Barrage! (That’s the name I just thought up for my ultimate attack thing!)”

“All right!” Storm Witch Stacy called. “Let’s, like, totally do this!”

With a wave of her Stormy Staff, the witch-themed girl tore open two circular portals, rimmed with crackling blue lightning. A moment later, OG Stacy and Cyberslime Stacy called out the names of their ultimate attacks and sent said massively overpowered expulsions of destructive force surging through the twin portals. Unfortunately, as was all too often the case, Storm Witch Stacy’s portals didn’t actually lead where she’d intended them to. On the bright side, their destination wasn’t someplace on another planet, or in another universe, but rather a location relatively nearby. Thus it was that two random rooms inside Axis Mundai would experience the full, cataclysmic force of a lightning-themed Killing Blow and a hyper laser/nanoslime bullet/mega missile maelstrom, respectively.

Hopefully the rooms in question didn’t contain anything important…

Speaking of Axis Mundai, it had just received a new patient, although rather than B@B, it was Scylla that crashed through one of its towers mouth first, the flying toaster-like Framewerk having easily dodged out of the path of the plummeting pink meteor. No sooner had the multi-headed monstrosity come to rest, then the hospital’s apparent owner began shouting obscenities. Simultaneously, four more Carnage Sisters showed up and began making a series of feeble (and one possibly not-so-feeble) attempts to cause Scylla harm. And if that wasn’t enough, far above, B@B had morphed into a very odd flying saucer and fired a pair of sausage-shaped railgun rounds.

“Cool story, loser!” Shark Tooth Stacy mocked the ranting man over her external speakers as she activated Scylla’s Phase Shifter. “But ya know what they say. When life gives ya lemons, SQUIRT ‘EM IN SOMEONE’S FACE!!!”

With the twin railgun sausages in all likelihood obliterating the various Carnage Sisters assailing Scylla’s now incorporeal hull, only the “totally not a virus” one remained. While the Cruxi had never attacked invasively before, at least as far as Stacy knew, her Framewerk had still been equipped with the most potent anti-virus system Project Grand Slam could devise. Only time would tell if that untested system was up to the task of eliminating her current unwelcome visitor…

It’s rather nice to have other competent people around.

-Ashley Avenir




As Dan gave his response, Ashley became more and more convinced that the shark man really wasn’t responsible for the disappearances. Once he’d finished explaining things via a visual aid, Gale decided to occupy their host’s attention with a game of catch, while Iris, the spider girl, made Ashley a rather compelling offer. “I think that might prove mutually beneficial,” the Knight of Tomorrow agreed in response to the idea of another team up between GEMINI and Maverick (although initial impressions of the arachnid young woman’s associates definitely left something to be desired). “I’m inclined to agree,” Ashley replied when Iris echoed her own thoughts on Dan’s innocence in regard to the missing people.

The Knight of Tomorrow’s eyes widened when Iris proceeded to test the limits of Dan’s magic by attempting to cast a damaging melody on herself, only for it to become utterly harmless. Of course, a prohibition on harm did not equate to one on detainment as well, something Ashley and Iris seemed to realize at the exact same moment. She really is quite insightful, the high-tech heroine was forced to concede. It was a shame she was a monster in league with Maverick, as someone with the sharp mind and maturity Iris possessed would be most welcome indeed among the members of her own ever-dwindling team. Iris went on to further display her insightful nature by questioning the far less appealing “Book Kidd”. The answers the goat boy gave provided even more evidence that it was still possible for people to be restrained, but not, it seemed, against their will.

“That’s definitely what it sounds like,” Ashley concurred after Iris posited that Dan’s apparent arrival in response to the distress of the cult’s victim seemed to indicate that the shark man could detect negative emotions. “But if that’s the case, I can only think of two possibilities as to why he hasn’t located our missing comrades,” the Knight of Tomorrow added. “Either they’ve been captured and are being sedated so as not to produce any negative emotions, or, they’re concealing their whereabouts on purpose, which then begs the question, why?” As she voiced these musings, the high-tech heroine noticed that Mika had begun scouting out the periphery of the gathering, perhaps in an effort to spot late arrivals, or get a better perspective on the situation. Perhaps Ashley herself needed a better perspective as well…

“Iris, when and where was the last time you saw Billy and the others?” the Knight of Tomorrow inquired. If, like the missing members of GEMINI, they were last seen at the Golden Trove, then perhaps a thorough exploration of that location should be their first course of action.





Connie, Gaia, and Violet followed Penny as she led them to the Pennybot command room. Upon reaching a T-intersection, the Mechanical Monarch informed them that she had a separate room prepared for Violet, so as to conceal her presence from prying eyes.

“Thank you for the accommodation, Penny,” the heiress said with an appreciative smile. “I believe a private room shall prove most conducive to maintaining my anonymity.” Turning to Connie and Gaia, she added, “Until next we meet, I wish you both the best of luck.”

“G-Good luck t-to y-you, t-too!” Connie stammered as she waved a trembling hand at the departing heiress.

With that, the trio split up to their respective chambers and workstations. However, while Gaia seemed right at home in the ultra-tech command chair, despite her botanical, nymph-like appearance, Connie felt no small amount of trepidation at being placed in such a seemingly important role. Even after a short tutorial helped her to grasp the basics of the chair’s user interface, the masked maiden still felt very much out of her element. After all, she had never played many video games, and what she would be doing here would have major, real life repercussions. Sensing this, Gaia set up a private communications link with her timid friend in order to provide some encouragement.

“Worry not, little sister,” the verdant maiden’s soothing voice spoke over the headset. “I know this all seems quite overwhelming, but you needn’t take full command right away. In fact, if you would like, I can oversee our assigned units’ combat functionality myself, while you simply watch over the combat zone and alert me to any impending threats or new developments. How does that sound?”

“O-Okay,” Connie replied, mustering up her resolve. “I-I’ll do my b-best!”

Gaia smiled. “Then let us begin.”

While the Pennybots were perfectly capable of autonomous action, they clearly benefited from the oversight and direction provided by a competent commander, in a smilier way to units in a real-time strategy game. Similarly, those units also occasionally benefitted from more direct micromanagement, and it was here that Gaia truly excelled, with her natural high skill and APM now further augmented by the superhuman reflexes of her magical girl form. At the same time, Connie, while initially hesitant, was growing increasingly proficient with looking over the “big picture” and calling attention to any places where the Wonderlanders were attempting to launch a sneak attack or breakthrough, as well as any civilians that might potentially be caught in the crossfire and needed to be protected.

Meanwhile, Violet had acclimated herself to her own command chair even more rapidly than Gaia had. The Daughter of Mother Earth might have been an avid gamer, but the daughter of Thane Covington had designed similar command and control systems for Covington Industries’ own line of combat drones, drones she had a direct hand in creating. Of course, as Violet well-knew, the Pennybots were far more advanced than anything CI had built up until that point, and so, she did not need to employ quite as firm a hand in their guidance as they set about vanquishing the Wonderland invasion force. Instead, her efforts were most firmly focused on providing encouragement and positive affirmation to the units under her care. Indeed, this was no different than the cheerful optimism she displayed towards her various whimsical creations as Magical Dream Princess, and she found that such a role came naturally to her, even in this more refined and mature state.

Looks like I'm not the only one with questions.
-Ashley Avenir




When Ashley and Mika finally arrived at the beach, Dan had just started his typical cheery “fun in the sun” routine. Unlike Mika, Ashley wasn’t particularly uncomfortable about wearing a bikini in public. After all, she had gone to the beach numerous times with her family, and her normal esper attire was quite revealing on its own. Dan’s beach-themed magic wasn’t particularly disconcerting either. What was significantly troubling was the number of people present. Or, rather, the lack of people. Even if one didn’t count Maverick and GEMINI, there were dozens of freelance espers in Pax Septimus, all of which Dan seemingly wanted to see attend his seaside gatherings. Indeed, the initial gatherings had boasted sizable turnouts, but now, a little over a week into the forced vacation, the total number of people in attendance was a mere twelve…

While some were clearly unbothered by any of that and got right to their favorite beach activity, it was something of a relief for Ashley to see that she wasn’t the only one who had misgivings about the troubling development, even if the first to voice their concern was a monstrous member of Maverick Alternative. The Knight of Tomorrow listened as the spider girl made several inquires that she herself had been planning to ask, and couldn’t help but frown when Dan pleaded ignorance. Her frown only deepened when the monster boy who bore an uncanny resemblance to Bookman gave a pathetically unconvincing response to allegations of attempted human sacrifice, and she glared at the goat boy from behind her green visor. Once again, the high-tech heroine was forced to concede that Dan’s presence seemed to be doing as much good as harm. Even so…

“Dan, I know you just want everyone to have fun,” Ashley began, easily catching a beachball thrown at her without breaking her stride as she walked up to the shark man. “But the fact that so many of our companions are missing is making that difficult. Are you truly certain you had nothing to do with their disappearance?” she inquired. “That the magic you’ve infused the city with hasn’t somehow taken them elsewhere? I just think we would be able to enjoy ourselves a lot more if we knew they were safe.”

Oh, it’s you again.
-Nyxia Torrentia, Neon Tempest of the Ultraviolet Rainbow


Nyxia wasn’t too concerned when Sink Queen made her appearance. The aquatic dark magical girl had never been antagonistic before, and had even provided useful advice. Thus, the Neon Tempest saw no reason to be hostile towards her, or to refuse her request.

“That’s fine by me,” Nyxia told the new arrival as she lowered the Omega Obliterator’s crackling barrel. “I’d be happy if I never saw that bitch again for the rest of my life.”

Here we go again…

-Ashley Avenir




Ashley sighed as she looked out the window of her and Mika’s room at the Golden Trove. The sky was a clear, vibrant blue, and the entire city seemed to gleam in a bright, super-saturated way that made the world outside appear not quite real. That was unsurprising, with Dan’s magic spell having turned Pax Septimus into a warm-weather beach resort, despite it nearly being (US) Thanksgiving. If she was being honest, the Knight of Tomorrow had mixed feelings about that development. On the one hand, the city was finally the pleasant, safe, and peaceful place she had always hoped it could someday be, one free from crime, monster attacks, or violence of any kind. However, on the other hand, that peace was forced, not voluntary, something Dan’s most recent, passive-aggressive “invitation” only served to accentuate. Thus, it wasn’t truly real, but merely a facade, like the one the shark man had draped over the formerly cold, dilapidated city. Real change couldn’t be affected simply by waving a magic wand, or snapping one’s fingers. It needed to be worked at, and for Ashley and her teammate, it was time for that work to continue.

“I don’t particularly care for it either,” the high-tech heroine replied to her feline-themed subordinate. “Especially in light of the others’ disappearance, but this is the only way we’re going to get any answers.” As instructed, they had played along with Dan’s whimsical ways for the past week, but now, with the director and other members of their team having vanished, it was clear they needed to take a rather more proactive approach. “I know he was brought here by a member of The Hand, but if Dan’s really as devoted to pacifism as he claims, I doubt those who’ve gone missing are in any danger,” she added. “That said, I still want to know what he’s done with them. If he’s even the one responsible to begin with…”

While certainly powerful, there was another, perhaps even more god-like being at work besides the cheerful shark man. Indeed, his presence in the city was a direct response to that individual’s still-not-fully-understood plans, plans Ashley, or rather, her grimoire, was central to. Yes, if anyone else could cause the leaders of both Maverick and GEMINI to vanish without a trace, it was (the also missing) Sharr Webber. Yet, since Dan seemed to have knowledge of and control over most everything else that was happening in Pax Septimus, with any luck, he would also be able to shed some light on that mystery as well…


While Penny darted off to confront Osiris, the Stacys prepared to take on the other Oroses. However, true to her name, it was Oros the Swift who made the first move, blinking transplacing herself with Stitch ‘Em Up Stacy. This left the startled zombie medic in the perfect position to receive the over-eager affections of Oros the Joyful.

“H-Holy freaking carotid artery!” Stacy yelped. “That’s one heckin’ nosebleed!” Not wasting a moment, she conjured her medical kit and namesake floating needle and thread. Pulling an ice packet from the kit, she chucked it at the young woman rocketing towards her on twin jets of high pressure blood. Next, she sent her needle to tightly stitch the packet onto her “patient’s” nose, closing off the crimson torrent and, hopefully constricting their blood vessels enough to halt the hemorrhaging. In the event this “treatment” caused the airborne Oros to fall to the ground, Stacy would quickly move to catch her.

“Gotcha!” the medic declared with a grin. “You’re in good hands, so just relax!” she reassured her patient, even as she squeezed the cold pack to apply additional pressure. “This should work to stop the bleeding, but if it doesn’t, I’ll just use one of these crazy cool little lightsaber type dealies to cauterize it!” she added with a grin, holding up the instrument in question. “But don’t worry, you won’t feel a thing! Also, did you know that the crazy cool medical name for nosebleeds is epistaxis?” the undead medic inquired. “What helped me remember that when I had to take my exam was that it kinda sounds like ‘epic stacks’, like really heckin’ huge stacks of playing cards, and the word ‘card’ makes me think of ‘carotid artery’, which can cause posterior nosebleeds, like the one you probably got just now! Oh, and since I need to keep applying pressure to your nose for at least ten more minutes, would ya like to hear about all the various crazy cool references to nosebleeds in world language and culture while we wait?!”

Meanwhile, Oros the Swift had appeared in the midst of four Stacys (namely Crystallis Stacy, Stampede Stacy, Staycee, and Esperverse Stacy), and promptly deployed a smoke bomb.

“What in tarnation?!” Stampede Stacy exclaimed, readying her lightning lasso to respond to an attack at a moment’s notice.

“W-Where’d everybody go…?” little Crystallis Stacy wondered.

“Did they lose their heads?” Esperverse Stacy asked as she scratched her head with the flat of her chainsaw.

“Worry not!” Staycee declared with a confident grin, raising Ectolionis, the legendary Scythe of Specters, high. “My ghost pals aren’t bothered by this smoky stuff!”

Indeed, the floating forms of the myriad conjured shades swirled through the obstructing clouds with impressive speed, seeking out and descending upon the Stacys’ most unwelcome visitor. Unfortunately, the smoke also prevented the Stacys from noticing the quartet of carnage sisters that were rapidly speeding toward them on their robotic steeds…

“OMG! I, like, totally love your animal ears and tail, girl!” Nomad Stacy told her opponent as she used her superlative martial arts skills to block Oros the Shrewd’s flurry of ladle strikes. “They’re, like, suuuper adorbs! And you are, like, sooo rocking that giant backpack!” the self-proclaimed Kung Fu Corpse Girl added, before dropping down and delivering a Crazy Cool Kick to the provisioner’s tiny legs in an attempt to topple her over backwards. “I, like, can’t even! Oh! Do you, like, play D&D by any chance?!” she inquired, while following up with a Crazy Cool Elbow Slam to the cute cook’s stomach. “I was, like, suuuuper into it back in high school! I made this crazy cool Monk that could, like, shatter one of those stone golem guys in a single strike!”

Towards the center of the battlefield, just beyond where Penny and Osiris clashed, the monstrous Oros the Savage rampaged towards where Tactical Triumvirate S.T.A.C.-Y. stood at the center of the Stacy Squad’s “formation”. Taking note of how the standard rounds of their Poly-Spectrumic Hybridium Assault Rifles were insufficient to truly harm the massive beast, the three bioroids leapt back in unison, mere seconds before the demonic creature crashed into their position with a mighty roar. Not wasting a moment on crude speech, the trio conducted a rapid threat assessment/response formulation via their mental link. Greyite rounds possess insufficient potency to counteract target’s accelerated regenerative factor. Switching to Magentite/Saffronite coated Silverite/Obsidianite rounds for next firing solution. Engaging attack pattern Delta-Epsilon.

Moving with preternatural agility and uncannily perfect synchronicity, the members of the tactical triumvirate positioned themselves at precise points around their monstrous foe and unleashed another withering hail of fire from their ultra-tech assault rifles. This time, the torrent of hybridium rounds penetrated much deeper into Oros the Savage’s tough hide, before exploding in bursts of searing, and highly corrosive, mystic flame, while also generating localized anti-magic fields in an effort to prevent any further regeneration around the points of impact.

“Hey, got any food for the rest of us?!” the smirking Saw Blade Stacy called to Oros the Inventive after the young woman with hidden eyes finished gulping down her hotdog. “Cuz I totally forgot to order pizza!” The next instant, the punk-attired Ars Magi revved up her Gladius, the giant magitech chainsaw whirring to life as it was raised to clash with Lada’s nanotech great axe. It was a pity her Elementum was only truly effective when fighting Voids, Stacy reflected, but she knew that if anyone was creative enough to find a viable way to employ it against another Ars Magi, it was her.

On the other side of the battlefield, a second quartet of Stacys (in particular the “original” Stacy Stitches, Cyberslime Stacy, Staceella, and Storm Witch Stacy) were blasted into the air by a mighty jet of wind generated by Oros the Oracle, who followed that up with a volley of several swirling blades of razor-sharp cutting wind. While this attack had little effect on Cyberslime Stacy, it succeeded in slicing off one of Stacy Stitches’s patchwork arms.

“Woah! Someone should really think about issuing one of those weather advisory dealies!” the patchwork girl exclaimed. “The fight’s barely started, and I already lost an arm!”

“Don’t worry Stacy!” Cyberslime Stacy reassured her teammate as she rapidly extended one of her arms to whip out and attempt to grab the severed appendage. I’ll get it back for ya!”

“Thanks, Stacy!” Stacy Stitches cheerfully called out to her slimy friend, completely oblivious to the fact that the gusty conditions were an attack, rather than a natural weather phenomenon.

However, Staceella and Storm Witch Stacy, not being anywhere near as durable as their two companions, were in significantly greater danger. At least, they should have been. As it happened, all the rapid midair spinning had caused Staceella to become quite dizzy, to the point that she was beginning to feel sick…

“H-Holy freaking crescents you guys…” Staceella stammered as she clutched her stomach. “I-I think I’m g-gonna…”

The next instant, the antenna-headed girl puked up a stream of tiny five-pointed stars. Of course, these weren’t stars at all but hundreds of shimmerlings. The tiny, sparkling creatures promptly dissolved the wind blades before they could reach either Staceella or Storm Witch Stacy, and then continued on to rain down upon the rapidly approaching second (and apparently far more dangerous) quartet of carnage sisters, searing them with star-hot mystic energy.

“Holy wow, those guys look super scary!” Storm Witch Stacy exclaimed upon finally catching sight of the android girls and their robotic mounts. “This zappy zap should soften ‘em up!” she declared, pointing her stormy staff at the advancing foursome and unleashing a crackling arc of blue lightning.

“And here’s another to make ‘em even softer!” Stacy Stitches added cheerfully, using her remaining arm to direct another powerful blast of lightning towards the four robo-horsewomen.

“And here are some crazy cool lasers and missiles for good measure!” Cyberslime Stacy chimed in, unleashing a withering barrage from her various nanoslime-formed rotary cannons, missile pods, and death rays. “Kazap! Kazow! Kablamy!”

At the same time as this was transpiring, Oros the Wise had (wisely) chosen to engage the Stacy Stitches from her home reality plenum.

“Oh! Heya, Miss Fang!” Stacy called out in a jovial voice that was completely incongruous with the extremely threatening situation she was in. “Is that a Stretch Armstrong impersonation, or are ya just happy to see me?!” the patchwork young woman inquired with a grin and a wink, even as she leaped backwards to put some space between her and the rapidly extending arm. “Well, whatever the case, I think this calls for an extra super zappy Kachow!” she declared, placing her cupped hands together and unleashing a massive, blinding bolt of jagged lightning at the magical guidance counselor’s sickeningly elongated limb.

Meanwhile, high above the battle, in the space between the tallest tower tops and The ARGO’s looming form, Shark Tooth Stacy continued her duel with the Oros of Shock and Awe. In response to Scylla’s attempt to chomp it into bits, Breakfast at Brittany’s served up a helping of EMP blast-to-the-mouth, opening the multi-headed Framewerk’s jaws and sending it spiraling away through the sky. This was followed up with a side order of rocket propelled pop tarts. However, by this point, Scylla had stabilized itself and was more than ready to intercept the twin missiles with several point defense energy beams emanating from the toothy maws of each of the bizarre Framewerk’s smaller heads.

“Screw pop tarts!” Stacy retorted over Scylla’s speakers. “I wanna chow down on some meat!

With that, she activated Scylla’s Extreme Booster array, sending the multi-headed mechanical monstrosity hurtling up into the air, only to plunge down upon B@B an instant later, like a toothy, neon pink meteor.

“Death from above, ding dong!” Stacy called out with a peal of unhinged laughter.

The psychotic shark toothed young woman knew that Scylla had been designed to savagely hammer its opponents into a waiting anvil, and while none of her allies particularly fit that description, she figured that the towering, recently conjured hospital was a more than suitable replacement…
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