Tempestuous Reflection
Some time before the detention club met...
The protector worried. It was in her nature to do so, for she saw threats that the schemer could not perceive. However, it was also in the nature of the schemer to make plans when the opportunity or the need arose and this time, needed her plan they did.
”No. I’m really not, Slyvi. But I don’t think we have any other options.” She sighed as she responded, massaging her temples in their mental space.
”We have to practice. Not only is it good for us, it is also good for Hibusa Town.” Less Miseria meant more people on the streets. More people on the streets meant the illusion of safety. The illusion of safety meant that over time, people would be moving into Hibusa Town. It would not quite get rid of the rumors, but it seemed like solid logic to the schemer.
”I know… I’m just… I’m worried about Hotaru. What if she thinks… that we’re taking away her role?””Then she can speak up for herself, as she likes to say. Look, Slyvi,” the tall woman lowered herself to meet the eyes of one of her charges,
”I’m… not sure I know why she did what she did. And while I know she’s our friend, I think we’ll have to make sure she doesn’t get to front until she’s talked to us.”As if I’d want to front. No, I need my strength to get rid of that light whore.Indeed. Unbeknownst to them, despite the metaphorical distance between the three girls, Hotaru had been listening in on their conversation. It was something she discovered recently by sheer blind luck - she had been trying to find something to do alone in Shuuko’s head when she discovered that she could tune into her companion’s conversations if they did not focus on keeping it private.
”So please be careful, okay? I know I can trust you with this. You’re the best at keeping an eye out. So if Hotaru returns-”Be careful? No, Ember. YOU be careful of that lying, cheating-”I’ll stop her. I know… I just wish we wouldn’t have to hurt Hotaru.” Slyvia let her head hang, her hands wrapping around her shoulders as she tried to give herself some warmth, but ultimately failed. She remained that way for several moments before she spoke up again.
”I promise to watch out. She won’t get past me.” Steel rung in her voice as she made her vow, but Hotaru knew that it would not be enough. Especially now that she knew of their attempts to block her. She would just slip by them, avoiding their grasp instead of relying on brute force. They could plan for her all they wanted; she would accomplish her goal this time.
With that resolution firm in her mind, Hotaru left the two others to their own devices as they took control of Shuuko’s body at night and had her transform into her magical girl attire, ready to face Miseria. Or at least so it would have been, had Hotaru been present with them. Without her, the large gauntlets covering Shuuko’s hands might as well have been shackles that bound their wrists together. Large, unwieldy and difficult to use properly, they were not exactly the ideal beginner’s weapon.
Which was why Ember and Sylvia decided to practice on the myriad of the monsters lurking in the narrow alleyways, tracking down a group of six.
Normally, the gauntlet around Shuuko’s hand would have splattered all six of them across a nearby wall, but without the warrior’s expertise, the other two squashed a mere one by dropping the gauntlet from above. The creature’s miserable existence exploded all over their surroundings, coating everything with a thin paint of nightmarish fluids, including Shuuko’s open mouth.
The coughing, hacking and retching that followed could be heard through the entire neighborhood, no doubt attracting friend and foe alike.
Upon hearing the noise, a mildly curious Nyxia, who had just finished gleefully massacring her
own cluster of Miseria, decided to locate its source. There were many possibilities for the cause of such sounds, but none of them included the sight the Neon Tempest was greeted with when she reached her destination. There, below her, was the club’s high-strung “High Priestess”, the metal-fisted girl looking as if she were about to vomit, even as five Miseria closed in around her.
“What the fuck…?” Nyxia muttered, her mind having some difficulty comprehending the incongruous sight. Although the Neon Tempest hadn’t ever bothered to remember the girl’s name, mundane or magical, she knew that the self-proclaimed “High Priestess” was serious, focused, and, she had to admit, rather competent when it came to culling Miseria. Yet, the shuddering, retching young woman before her now was the complete opposite of that image, a pathetic, distracted figure in dire need of rescuing. Nyxia had no clue as to the reason for this discrepancy, but she had all the reason she needed to kill Miseria, and so that was precisely what she did.
With a loud screech, the Neon Tempest’s oversized death ray disgorged a writhing tendril of ruinous energy, one which she swept across the ring of Miseria before the creatures were even aware they were under attack. Once the last one had been vaporized, Nyxia dissipated the baleful beam and called down to her ostensible ally.
“And here I thought you were supposed to be one of the club’s stronger members,” she sneered, while placing a hand on her hip.
“What happened? Did Oros force you to eat some of the dog shit she calls food?”The thing tasted beyond foul, almost as though someone put a big ol’ helping of Despair into Shuuko’s mouth. To say that it sent shivers down the body’s spine was to make the century’s greatest understatement as Ember had no words for the gut-twisting experience that it bestowed upon all of them. Then, of course, as though to add insult to injury, Nyxia showed up and blasted the Miseria they had intended to use for practice, annihilating the whole group in a split second. Exactly how she, along with Sylvia, had intended their bout to go.
”I suppose… gah…” Ember tried to start her sentence, but she almost gagged. The taste lingered in her mouth, turning her words into a grim reminder of what happened.
”You wouldn’t believe… bleh… that I’m testing… something new, correct?” It was technically even the truth as far as the schemer was concerned as she was trying to figure out how to correctly pilot Shuuko’s body.
Unfortunately, as welcome as Nyxia’s arrival had been, her presence did pose a problem. Namely, Shuuko would look incompetent - even more so than she already was - in the eyes of the Club if she stated her need for practice. It would also look suspicious if she denied Nyxia’s assistance, as the three of them had tried to build up a reputation of being team players. And yet, all of that seemed to be on the verge of crumbling into dust right now.
“Testing something new?” Nyxia inquired with a raised eyebrow, the Neon Tempest’s skepticism clear in her voice.
“What? How to be as much of an ineffective hindrance as possible?” the teal-haired young woman added with a derisive sneer as she literally looked down on the gauntleted girl from her elevated perch.
”I suppose that much venom is well-deserved given my difficulties.” Shuuko’s body coughed a couple more times to clear the lungs before she drew back to her full height and turned towards Nyxia. Splotches of Miseria blood still clung to her clothes, but she made no effort to be rid of them.
”Nevertheless, it seems I have strayed onto your hunting grounds. I believe I owe you an apology for that. I had not intended to disturb your nightly ritual.”Nyxia actually seemed slightly taken aback by the apology, such a response being wholly unexpected.
“W-Well, uh, I don’t actually have any ‘hunting grounds’,” the Neon Tempest replied with a frown.
“I just kill Miseria wherever I find them, s-so there’s no need to go apologizing,” she added, her voice and visage betraying her awkwardness.
“In fact, the only reason I came over here was because I wanted to see what was making all that disgusting noise.”The body’s eyes widened slightly as Ember failed to mask her surprise, trading a glance with Sylvia in their mental space. The protector shook her head to indicate she did not know either. Then again, they have not spoken much with Nyxia. She seemed a ball of rage and hatred directed at the world, looking for targets of opportunity. But the way she spoke right now did not give that impression. Maybe Ember just had not been paying enough attention to the Tempest? She quickly re-evaluated her views and considered her words.
”I understand,” she nodded, a smile growing on her face.
”So maybe I will apologise for coughing up my lungs in your vicinity.” The smile reached her voice as she spoke, becoming too much to be taken at face value.
”But if it is as you say, would you mind some company? My many-eyed companion did not wish to join me tonight.” Because Ember did not even ask, but that was beside the point. Getting to know Nyxia better would serve their interests in the long-term, even if they did have to be careful about what they did in the raygun-toting girl’s presence.
“Uh, I guess that’d be fine,” Nyxia conceded. While she’d never previously entertained the idea of working alongside any of the other club members, aside from her partner, she had promised Roche that she would try to be more sociable. Plus, the self-proclaimed high priestess herself seemed far more cordial than the Neon Tempest had ever remembered her being during any of their previous, admittedly brief, interactions.
“So, um, what exactly were you testing, anyway?” she inquired, genuinely curious as to what could have placed the normally rather competent young woman in the horribly compromised position she’d found her in.
Fortunately, Ember had a lie prepared for this exact question.
”I am attempting to find new angles for using my gauntlets, in both the figurative and literal meaning of the word,” she spoke as she folded all but her index finger on her right hand and used it to indicate her left.
”I have observed that I rely mostly on swiping attacks as though it ought to be natural, which leaves me with limited room to maneuver or change up my tactics.” If she did not wish to reveal her ability to teleport, but hopefully, Nyxia would be able to figure that out. The rest of the picture would build itself in the other dark girl’s mind.
With that, she started to walk, only to stop almost immediately. All but frozen on the spot, Ember let a slightly embarrassed smile take over Shuuko’s face before she asked the question that just came to mind.
”Do you have a pattern you usually use for your patrols? I believe it might be in our interest if we followed your preferred route.”“Not really,” Nyxia replied with a shrug from her position on the roof edge.
“I usually just search around until I run into some Miseria. The fuckers are pretty much everywhere, so it never really takes long,” she added.
“Plus, I can kinda sense where they’re gathered. Anyway, I also usually do my hunting from up here,” the Neon Tempest continued.
“Not only does it give me freedom of movement, it also gives me a better vantage point from which to find and kill the little shit stains. That’s not to say I don’t enjoy slicing them apart up close from time to time,” she clarified with a sadistic grin. Then, a thought occurred to her.
“Y’know, if ya wanna try new moves out, have ya ever thought of using ranged attacks?” she inquired.
“I know ya got those huge ass claws, but you can also make stuff outta clay, right? Have ya ever thought of makin’ somethin’ ya could throw at an enemy ya either couldn’t or didn’t wanna get close to?””I appreciate the advice along with the consideration, however, if I do wish to use ranged attacks, I will have to take a different route.” Ember made Shuuko’s voice sound genuinely thankful as she spoke, turning back towards Nyxia and raising her gaze to meet the dark girl’s eyes head on.
”For one, the substance I use may look like clay, but it is more akin to flesh. And for two, it is difficult for me to summon it in the middle of combat.” Perhaps if they had Hotaru, they could try to have one of them concentrating purely on summoning the stuff, even if they did not have that luxury right now.
”I believe the best ranged attack I could manage is grabbing one of my bodies to disrupt my enemies, yet I feel that would be counter-intuitive.” A small smile came to Shuuko’s mouth as the body spoke, her tone becoming light to indicate some kind of a joke.
“Oh, uh, okay,” Nyxia replied, not exactly an expert by any means on how the other girl’s abilities operated.
“It was just an idea. Anyways, I guess I’ll just follow you and make sure ya don’t get completely fucked over while ya try out those new moves of yours,” the Neon Tempest added with a smirk. If nothing else, the gauntleted girl would serve as adequate bait.
”That would be much appreciated,” nodded Shuuko’s body, beckoning Nyxia to join her on the ground. The roof was not exactly her place even when Hotaru contributed to their movements, so now it would likely turn into a disaster if she tried her hand at fancy acrobatics. Indeed, they would be lucky to get the basic attacks down until the next time something big happened, because Hibusa Town always seemed to have something in store for the four of them.
Not noticing the odd thought, Ember piloted the body slowly at first, then with the help of Sylvia, they took off into a run. Every movement felt as though they balanced on a narrow, wooden beam above a pool of water, with two concrete weights on their arms, the gauntlets almost dragging the body after themselves with their inertia. They kept their balance for now, but they could fall any time they made a careless movement, so they had to pay close attention.
Unfortunately for the two, Miseria had been attracted to the noise she made. At least two dozen of the sorrowful things showed up in an alleyway, with more rushing in from the sides. The two dark magical girls found themselves outflanked. A perfect, target rich environment for Nyxia and a perfect ground for Shuuko to ‘experiment’.
This time, when the body rushed the creatures close by, Sylvia and Ember did not put as much force into their slam. Nevertheless, the heavy iron gauntlet struck like the wrath of a hammer, squishing the Miseria. Its flesh burst open just like before, but at least its contents did not scatter with quite as much force, not to mention Shuuko had her mouth closed. That meant Ember’s idea could work, even if their efficacy would be reduced to a fraction of what it had been with Hotaru’s help.
While Nyxia would have preferred to remain on the rooftops, she decided to relent to her companion’s obvious wish for them to operate side by side. The Neon Tempest didn’t know what, exactly, was wrong with the gauntleted girl, but
something was undeniably off about the High Priestess, and so she figured it would be best to stick close, at least for the time being. The fact that such positioning meant that she was unable to deal with the current ambush
was slightly annoying, but it also allowed her to display some of the melee skills she’d been telling her ally about. With a series of mighty thrusts and slams, she used the energy bladed edge of her beloved death ray to cleave through and impale several of their swarming foes at once. Kicking one to the alley wall and pinning it in place with her high-heeled foot, she fired a massive energy blast point blank into the malign creature’s head, utterly vaporizing it, but leaving the wall behind it unscathed.
“ Hahahahahaaa! These fuckers are absolutely pathetic!” Nyxia cackled as her twin eye beams sliced another Miseria in half vertically.
“Need any help with yours?” she inquired, sparing a glance Shuuko’s way.
The High Priestess moved with more care and contemplation than Nyxia had seen before. It almost seemed like she calculated everything beforehand, but still ended up coming short several times, as while the Ultraviolet Rainbow dismantled everything around her in a flurry, Shuuko’s body was still in a chaotic melee. Miseria kept attacking her, slowly picking away at her defences along with her body. Ripping up the clothes. Coming at her from seemingly unexpected angles when Nyxia had seen the other girl dodge worse.
The attacks too, seemed off. While a certain degree of bumbling about could be expected from someone who tried to expand on their arsenal, this went beyond that, as Shuuko acted like some unholy combination of a mechanical puppet and a drunk sailor. Her blows left her off-balance several times, which the Miseria capitalised on, not to mention that she never followed through properly. Very little finesse could be seen as she executed the Miseria one by one instead of cleaving through them like she usually did.
”I am all right,” called Ember as she deflected a Miseria with her gauntlet on the left, only to open herself up to another one on the right. Some of her skin got damaged as well, for Nyxia could see the tell-tale black marks of Miseria eating into flesh.
”This is just another body.”“Uh, okay…” Nyxia replied, although both her voice and visage betrayed her skepticism. Admittedly, she didn’t fully understand how the other girl’s abilities functioned, so it could have been entirely reasonable that this particular “body” was merely defective in some way, but the Neon Tempest still couldn’t help but feel there was more to it than just that simple explanation. That said, Nyxia hated when people tried to pry into
her personal matters, so she wasn’t about to do the same to Shuuko. Instead, she simply waited for the gauntleted girl to finally finish dealing with her opponents, even if the lackluster display was at times painful to watch.
The warrior made it look all too easy. Injuries kept mounting as Shuuko’s attacks refused to be more on point than before, so much that it took her several minutes to be rid of her opponents. Needless to say, this was a far cry from her previous performances, so maybe… maybe they should sit the next crisis out. They had to be able to reach Hotaru, no matter how deeply she retreated into her own corner, because this? This would take weeks at least, if not months.
Ember let out a sigh using Shuuko’s body.
”It’s all right! We’ll be okay,” said Slyvia, trying her hand at sounding reassuring but… Well, she was a teenager and Ember was an adult. It did not help.
”It appears as though this will take time to perfect. Maybe you are correct; I should try to invest my time into ranged attacks if I am able to.”“Yeeeeah…” Nyxia replied with a doubtful frown.
“Something tells me that probably won’t work either. Your main problem seems to be accuracy. Getting your attacks to land right. I thought that just came naturally to magical girls,” she added placing a hand on her hip.
“I mean, it did with me, and whenever I’ve seen you fight before, you’ve never been so… sloppy. Something’s obviously wrong,” the Neon Tempest stated in her typical blunt manner, narrowing her eyes as she gazed intently at Shuuko.
“Beyond just ‘trying new moves’. I’m not gonna pry into what, but you should really try and work it out before we face something bigger than these measly fuckers,” she continued, gesturing to the fleeting remains of the Miseria they’d wiped out.
“Cuz something tells me your partner isn’t gonna be coming to your rescue like I did.”It was beyond obvious.
That realisation smashed into Ember’s consciousness like a none too gentle hammer, sending it flying at least several hundred metres. She thought that she had done an adequate job of at least making it seem like she knew what she was doing, but if she noticed herself… then of course others would pick up on it as well. Which meant that the problem was greater than she had thought. Not only was Shuuko’s social situation challenged, was there even a use for a dark magical girl who could not fight?
”I… I see,” was all she could respond as Ember had Shuuko’s body suck the air through her teeth.
”My gratitude for the feedback. It seems I really should stop embarrassing myself, huh?” Her voice became distant as Shuuko’s body tilted up to look at the stars, which seemed exactly as unreachable as the solution to their problems.
”I can front if it’s really bad,” offered Sylvia in an attempt to further reassure the schemer, but the latter only shook her head both in their shared mental space and in real life. Could she even solve the problem? Maybe if she started experimenting with the bodies in her spare time. That work always suited her, so if she could maybe turn them into sacrificial vessels of some sort, then they might have a chance.
It would hurt Sylvia beyond belief. Ember too, would be in agony. But did they have any other choice?
For her part, Nyxia was feeling equally awkward. She’d never been good in social situations, and Shuuko was practically a stranger, but even so…
“Um, have you talked to anyone else about what’s bothering you?” the Neon Tempest tentatively inquired.
“Someone who’d actually be able to help?””Thank you very much for the suggestion, however, I have already tried that solution,” responded Ember, which was technically true. She did discuss it with Sylvia and she even tried talk with Hotaru but the latter seemed impossible to move away from her position.
”And yet here I am, balancing on the razor edge of pretense, having believed it was a fortress wall.” She allowed herself this much honesty at least.
”Or perhaps… shall I indulge your question? Pray tell, what method of solving this infuriating problem would you choose?” Shuuko’s body turned back towards Nyxia with a smirk on her lips.
“Well, first I’d have to know what the problem actually is,” Nyxia replied in a tired deadpan.
“Since you’re being so cryptic about it, I imagine it’s kinda personal, and I don’t really do ‘personal problems’ all that well, but if ya still want my help, then ya need to tell me what’s going on.””And therein lies the problem which nests inside the problem which further nests inside the problem, like an infinite fractal.” Ember commanded Shuuko’s body to sigh.
”Nevertheless, I appreciate the perspective. I will consider it, however, it is something that benefits from more than one night of sleeping on it.” She then started moving in the direction of Nyxia, towards where her home lay.
”I wish you the most pleasant of hunts. I hope we meet again in better circumstances.” “Uh, all right then,” a confused-sounding Nyxia replied.
“Um, thanks… You, too,” she added with an uncertain frown as she watched the gauntleted girl depart, before muttering under her breath,
“What a weirdo…” And with that, Ember was off to try and tackle the issue by herself once more.
Member
Lewascan2
Haha
BrokenPromise
Lonewolf685
Not a Sayan
SkyeOfStars
Neziul
Scrawl Banditta