Realistic or Modern PROJECT: MAGICAL WARRIORS (IC)

[LostHaven]

• Operation: Scarlet Sky
• Prologue

• 
  Castaigne
  Forest | "...I do not like those tears."​
  
  "I am known to my 'partner' as Castaigne," replies the mask. "However, H'aaztre is also a viable name."
  
  The mask did not comment any further, and remained silent as it watched Vanguard's attempts at shaking off their pursuers. Though quiet as they may be, perhaps as a consequence of this mysterious mask beginning to slither its way into her mind, Vanguard could practically feel the disapproval oozing from Castaigne toward her methods. Though they were there to help, presumably, the creature known as Castaigne clearly did not share a similar empathy towards Vanguard's former peers. "Girl, you may not be able to afford these half-hearted attempts any further," he warns, just in time for not only Twinkle's barrier to break, but for both Rose and Heartbeat to charge them. To add salt to the wound, the little, seemingly naïve girl suddenly began to have some sort of existential crisis... at this timing? Though her control of outward emotions was more than masterful, her tears almost reminds Castaigne of a certain somebody else. Paired with the fact that he had been smelling suspicious radio transmissions for a while now, it didn't take Castaigne long to put two-and-two together.
  
  "Hildred, situation devolving," he sends a telepathic message to his partner. "One of the 'rogues' appears to also be receiving communications from elsewhere. I will hijac-"
  
  "No." There was an immediate reply, instantly shutting down Castaigne's suggestion. "No need to hijack the communication line. Or Vanguard." There was particular emphasis on the latter, as if telling the mask that if they decided to do one of the two, they should absolutely not do the latter. "There were recent rumors of Twinkle, uh... 'seeing' one of the Executives. Most rumors have a basis somewhere, so not really a surprise."
  
  "By 'seeing', you mean-"
  
  "Jesus Christ, yes, banging, you didn't have to think that one out loud. In any case, observe for now, and as for the latter issue, just allow her 'full integration' and go from there."
  
  "... understood."
  
  After some dozen seconds of radio silence, the mask finally resumes 'instructing' Vanguard. "New instructions from my contractor," it alerts her. "This will... not be pleasant. Try not to fall unconscious. If you do, that will be the end of the line for you. And your friends." Down in the corner of her eye, the console begins to display more system messages.
  
  Preparing to perform complete integration with [Vanguard]
  
  3...
  
  2...
  
  1...
  
  As the counter hit one, Vanguard would consumed with an agony several times the intensity before, as whatever is behind that mask burrows into her mind, forcing open new neuron pathways that by accounts should never have even been there, and finally establishing a link with the creature that was the mask. "Apologies. Unfortunately, we've deemed that the situation now calls for this. Please re-orient in as little time as possible, and by no means remove me until you are in a one-hundred percent safe situation. The backlash will not be pretty." By now, Vanguard would've probably figured that rather disconcertingly, this creature probably had full capability to mess with her head should it please, and they had all pretty much placed their immediate fate into its hands.
  
  Not that they had any choice besides to put blind faith into it at this point now.
  
  "I will take charge of processing all surrounding and miscellaneous information. You will focus solely on decision-making and action." It probably took a moment to really understand what Castaigne meant, but she'd soon realize that a constant stream of information of their immediate, 360-degree surroundings was being channeled into her brain. The mask had taken charge of processing any and all visual data in its field of vision that far surpassed a human's, and was sending it directly to Vanguard, entirely freeing her mind capacity of that burden and allowing her to entirely focus on everything else. In short, Vanguard was now in some sort of state of extreme concentration thanks to this mysterious, and seemingly friendly mask. "Closing your eyes may help you adjust easier," Castaigne advises. "And I will repeat: do not remove the mask, until I say it is safe to do so. Or you will not have a pleasant time. This is truly the furthest extent of my help. The rest is in you and your companions' hands."
• The Repairer
  Repairer's 'Workshop' | "You can’t exactly label it as treachery, if I wasn’t on their side to start."​
  
  “Jesus, can I catch a fucking break-” The Repairer complains as he makes the finishing touches to his latest ‘comission’. He removes his gloved hands off the girl’s head, and she just slumps over, eyes completely devoid of any and all life. These get messy. Really fucking messy. Turns out, when you do a full system wipe on somebody’s fucking head, nothing’s really stopping the lobotomised body from drooling all over the place, among other things… That is to say, even though Hildred did this quite often for the Dark Site, he had never quite come to enjoy it, or even grow neutral toward it. “How unpleasant,” he scoffs with a wide frown beneath the featureless mask. He circles around the chair that’s been bolted to the floor to face his subject, and with one fluid motion, tugs her head upright with one hand while the other supports his frame with his cane while he leans in next to her ear.
  
  “From this moment on, mine is the voice of God. Do you understand?” A faint nod. “My word is law, and you will blindly follow it to the last letter. There will be no objections, nor hesitation. From now, until your end, your only purpose is to do as told and nothing else.” His voice seems to tremble with a deep anger as he speaks these vile words, and seeing the new puppet comply with them unwaveringly only seemed to irritate the Repairer more. Of course, it wasn’t as simple as just speaking a couple of half-assed orders, which wasn’t actually necessary at all, but it didn’t hurt to affirm that the ‘procedure’ was successful.
  
  Finally done with this vile task, the Repairer moves to loosen the bindings. As he does so, he stares at his newest victim with disdain, and in that moment, “Die for me,” he suddenly orders. Without as much as a hint of hesitation, it reaches their hand to tear out their own throat, only to be stopped by the Repairer at the last second. “Stop. Bloody hell... And get out of my sight. The Dark Site’s waiting to retrieve you. Go to them, do their bidding and never let me see you again.” It complies, standing up and exiting, leaving only the Repairer to his own devices.
  
  “Goddammit,” Hildred breaks the silence by cursing aloud. Since he intentionally ‘botched’ that commission earlier, he’d been getting sent a disconcerting number of new subjects. An utter waste of his time, when he should be planning for ‘Operation: Scarlet Sky’. Unfortunately, he had to suffer multiple sleepless nights, with all this workload being dumped on him. How in hell does the Site even have that many rebellious Magical Girls to send to him? Or did Zero grow a preference for a bunch of mindless drones over autonomy? Or, even worse, did those creeps-
  
  “I suspect they are testing your loyalty, after what we pulled yesterday.” His train of thought is interrupted by Castaigne’s voice in his head.
  
  “I’m aware,” Hildred telepathically snaps back. “And I’m not a fan of it. At all. At this point, I’m going to have to leave our ‘operation’ to somebody else - and as effective those puppets are at carrying out tasks, I’d much rather do it myself. We are also less prone to being surveilled.”
  
  Their telepathic banter goes back and forth until Hildred makes his way out of the vast, dungeon-like basement, which is revealed to be connected to what was a surprisingly nice house, though situated in a less-than-reputable part of the city. As he makes his way into the ‘living room’, Hildred hears the roar of an engine growing more distant outside. It seems those Dark Site buffoons have taken their ‘product’ and left.
  
  “Let’s get out of here ourselves, I despise this place,” Hildred telepathically suggests.
  
  “Not so fast - I don’t think we’re done yet. Somebody’s in the living room. I smell thaumaturgical energy. Witch from the Dark Site.”
  
  Hearing that, Hildred’s mood immediately dropped into the negatives.
  
  “... Fuck.”
  
  KAmber
  

 

[KAmber]

Leigh Sullivan -- Blue Diamonds.
[house call.]

The room's dark. Not too dark, but dark enough for it to matter. Then again, it doesn't. Not a lot of things matter. Blue can still see with one eye, the eye that isn't there. It would be funny if it wasn't so neccesary.

The Repairer stands. They haven't seen him before, they didn't need to. And now they needed to pay the man a visit. It would be nice, if it wasn't so cruel.
It's a living room. The Repairer lives alone, even if he doesn't live here. There's only a single chair, and it's a nice one. Comfy, flat-backed IKEA single unit, letting the tassels of their cloak spill over the furniture. It works for Blue's needs. Even if it's flimsy as cardboard under their weight and their hands.

They slipped in easily. The house is Dark Site-controlled, everything is. It doesn't take too much to break in, even if it has as many alarms as the concept of 'freedom' sparks in a magical's abberant mind.
Blue doesn't mind, though. Glass doesn't shatter if it's cut well enough. Glass can be replaced. The house doesn't matter, not the same way people do.

They sit, they watch. They'd prefer not to wait, but time can be replaced. Made up for, at least. Leigh at least got to see the handiwork of the Repairer, if not the creature himself. Concentrated energy in all the right places. The complicated, messy thoughts removed... That's valuable. It's not replacable.

There's a flash of light from the corner of the room. If Castaigne's meddling wasn't ample warning, that would be. Blue Diamonds sits, legs curled into their chest, playing with a cat's cradle as they watch and wait. Burnished hair, deep cerulean eyes, and a look of placid amusement across their face. They know how to win, but they're complicating it first. Before undoing it. They'd have something better to do if anyone bothered to keep snacks in the fridge.


"Do you think you're useful?" Blue asks. That's all they need to, it's the only question that matters.

LostHaven

 

[LostHaven]

The Repairer

Repairer's 'Workshop', a week prior | "I am not in the mood to entertain you."​

Annoyed, the Repairer pushes the door open to be indeed be greeted by one of the site's magical girls. The fact that there was the presence of an 'artificial partner' confirmed it - Magical Girls naturally chosen by an 'entity' didn't possess them, since those unpleasant 'homunculi' were pretty much just surveillance drones. The room was annoyingly dark, as if their visitor was trying to set the atmosphere or something. Not that it mattered, Castaigne's mask form had more than just a few convenient features.

"Careful, Hildred. We're greatly disadvantaged if we fight here."

"Our capabilities aren't known to the Dark Site. Or even fully to Zero for that matter, they won't risk fighting us unless they're an idiot."

Castaigne's concerns were valid, but Hildred had others far more pressing than worrying about a confrontation. This place shouldn't be known to anyone, besides the Executives, Zero himself, and the 'retrievers. Hence, there were probably just two reasons they could possibly be here; One, they were sent by Zero, or a meddling executive. He'd demanded that if Zero had a 'request', he'd better have enough sincerity to come contact the Repairer himself, so most likely an annoying Executive. Or, if not, then they were here of their own volition, and wanted something from the Repairer, considering the amount of effort needed to even find this place. Sure, Hildred had never really made an active effort in hiding the location of his 'workplace', since he didn't find anything here really worth protecting, but the Dark Site at the very least was making a conscious effort of keeping their 'magical girls' away from this place.

"Really?" the Repairer seemed disappointed in Blue's question. "Unlike ones such as you, I don't need to prove my worth." Who in hell did this kid think they were? Barging into somebody else's workplace and asking annoying questions. Hildred's mood was unpleasant as it were, he had no interest in this new visitor. "I don't care enough to bother guessing what's going on in that presumably broken head of yours. Either tell me what you're after, or I'm leaving."

KAmber

 

[KAmber]

Leigh Sullivan -- Blue Diamonds.
[house call.]

Well, that's a fragile power play.

"Unlike me, your worth gets questioned." Leigh levels their head at him, making no moves to escalate the situation physically. "It's useful to take in alternative viewpoints. It's not useful to assume I have needs after deciding I don't matter." They turn back to the string in their hands, twisting it a few times and working it off a couple fingers until they make a star-shaped pattern.

The Repairer was interesting. There wasn't a motive to him, not an obvious one. Blue Diamonds wasn't much for a paper trail, anyways. They did well with the things in front of them. Battles, not wars.
There's a spite inside of him, some kind of arrogance that can't quite be observed. But not to be exploited. Hildred's the master of himself, they're not there to change that. It's a pity, still, that they can't see past the mask -- not because it's there, but because it's charged. Magical auras did more to obscure their sight than anything, but it was the most useful tool in their arsenal regardless.

Blue takes their time with the question, letting it mull in their mind against the Repairer's impatience. "I don't want to look into your head, either. What you're trying to do doesn't matter. I'm asking what you are doing. He's interested."

LostHaven

 

[LostHaven]

The Repairer

Repairer's 'Workshop', a week prior | "If you don't start asking better questions, I'm really going to leave."​

"What use do I have for the Dark Site's pet like you," is what Repairer wanted to say, if Castaigne hadn't been bugging him in his head the entire time to cool down. The last 'commission' left him with a miserable taste in his mouth, and the new annoyance paired with his already waning patience was grinding his nerves to no end.

"He's always interested," Hildred groans, the very thought of Zero making him more irate. "Prying into my business, the Executives trying to 'unravel' my plans. Every single one of them drowning in delusions of grandeur, believing themselves players when in reality, they aren't even pawns on the chessboard. They don't even have an iota of an idea of just what exactly they're letting loose." His contempt for the Dark Site was evident, but the true source of this hate? It wasn't exactly the head, Mr.Zero, nor was it the Executives or the man that had tormented him into becoming a 'monster'.

"What I am doing is exactly what my end of the contract details: cleaning up after the Site's messes, fixing their broken toys." This conversation was tiresome from the get-go. The way the 'magical girl' spoke almost exactly like an irritating Executive was just more points docked from Hildred's interest. They weren't the first to pry into his schemes. Certainly won't be the last.

"If that answer does not satisfy you, then I'm afraid you'll have to leave unsatisfied."

KAmber

 

[KAmber]

Leigh Sullivan -- Blue Diamonds.
[house call.]

"He's not always interested enough to send someone following you around." The five-point star is wound into a seven-point star, then looped around until it knits a pattern of interlocking squares. The Executives' interest was none of Blue's concern. No one's was, really. They were just good at what they do. Regardless of how badly the mad ones protest.

"I don't care about your plans," Blue says honestly. Casually. "Or your games. They don't matter. I just see what you're doing." They keep their eyes locked onto him, exuding a blasé aura of calm uncharacteristic to Zero's usual guard dogs. "I stop watching when you're useful the way you're told to be."
There's no stake in it. They're there. They'd be amused if emotion felt like it mattered, but hubris deserves the treatment of reality. It's a simple calculation. Blue idly wonders to themselves if the Repairer would be better off at the other end of his scalpel.

He's well put together. But that's all he really is.

"It's not about my satisfaction. It's not about your fear, either."

"But I'm not the one leaving." Blue didn't expect their quarry to make it past the door.

LostHaven

 

[LostHaven]

The Repairer

Repairer's 'Workshop', a week prior | "This isn't a 'conversation' anymore."​

All the while the Repairer dismisses the 'magical girl' sitting in his chair, Castaigne had been incessantly talking in his head. "Hildred, stop rushing," the mask advises. "Calm yourself first, and treat them as you would another prying set of eyes."

"This is a supreme waste of time."

"I know. It's just extra work. Bear with it."

"I'm drinking until I can't walk when we get back."

"...Please don't."

The Repairer lets out a long sigh, and taps his cane against the cold floor. "You've been talking in circles. I've heard enough, you don't actually have anything of worth to me." His tone turned deadpan, like he had exhausted his irritation and had become simply indifferent. They claimed to 'see' what they were doing, but the more Hildred pondered it, the more empty that statement seemed. The more empty most of those statements were - for that fact. "I encourage you to keep 'observing', then. I'll be leaving first, feel free to make yourself at home." He turns for the door.

"Hildred, the-"

"I know."

 

[KAmber]

Leigh Sullivan -- Blue Diamonds.
[house call.]

There was only one calculation in the back of Leigh's mind.
Now, or later.
Blue finds themselves a little glad that they stopped needing to decide on that.

As soon as Hildred tries for the door -- turning the doorknob, pulling it, any significant amount of force to nudge one piece out of place, really -- it falls to pieces. Cut laterally into chunks as if it was assembled that way, but with no disturbance to the door. It looked whole. Blue didn't move an inch.

A pile in the doorway. It's easy to step over, but that isn't the point.
Blue's eye shines back, reflecting the light through the doorway. Wrap once, twice, and the cat's cradle goes loose to a single loop of string, bereft of all its twists and knots.

That, at least, makes them smile.

LostHaven

 

[LostHaven]

The Repairer

Repairer's 'Workshop', a week prior | "To our end."
​

The door falls to pieces from the lightest touch. The Repairer doesn't seem to give much of a reaction, though. "I see," he simply muses as he steps over the mess. "Don't overestimate yourself too much, and don't rope yourself into a game you can't handle, Leigh~" he offers a 'friendly' reminder, waving his hand as he makes his exit.

( KAmber )

"Would you like me to detonate the house?" Castaigne inquires once they were of sufficient distance away.

"No need to bother. The aftermath wouldn't be worth our time. Rather, place a cognition filter over me."

"It is already done... By the way, you'd do well to hide your contempt better."

In the end, his seemingly endless spite was not directed at the masterminds of the Dark Site - rather, it was toward their 'magical girls'.

"Sometimes, when I look at their, I can't help but see them as human."

"And yet you've chosen to save 'them'."

"Some of them have found their own will. One great enough to overcome the Dark Site's clutches. That much is commendable. Besides, regardless of what happens, it will be a step forward for us." There was silence. A rare moment where both entity and chosen were in their own trains of thought. "Which isn't much, in the grand scheme of things. I still can't see the end. Will we ever fulfill mine and your wish in this lifetime?"

"..." Complete radio silence from Castaigne. Quite uncommon for their 'partner' to hesitate in bluntly speaking their mind. "Your lifetime is all the time I have left." So they basically admit to it being highly unlikely.

"Compared to what you'll have me do, I'd rather you have just asked me to find a way and stab God in the neck."

"..."

For once in a blue moon, Castaigne seemed apologetic. They didn't have to say anything for Hildred to sense that - and he seemed to find his partner's current state infinitely amusing.

"In any case, regarding our 'operation'. I've decided on sending you alone." Hildred quickly steers the subject away from pointless back and forth about a far future yet wholly undecided and unknown. "I'm probably going to get bombarded with Site's pointless shit. I intend to decline as many 'jobs' as I possibly can, but I can't turn down everything. It isn't the right time to make an enemy of the Site just yet."

"I... see..."

"That isn't a very assuring tone. Don't worry, I've prepared a prop mask. It'll do as a replacement."

"But,"

"Without you, it's harder to exercise my powers. I'm well aware. We've never needed to operate 100% for petty jobs like these anyway - I'll manage. In the meantime, you'll need to hijack somebody off the streets or something along those lines - I'll clean up for you, so just focus on your own tasks."

"Hildred I don't think-"

"There'll be no more objections, Castaigne. We'll never even dream of fulfilling your wish, if this much worries you. You'll begin tonight."

"Then, I pray for both our success."

"You are the last person who should be making prayers."

 

[Gundam Watcher 27]

Telos hopped off Vanguard's shoulder, fully committing to battle as it split apart in a flash of light, forming into the familiar pair of lethal shotguns that landed in Vanguard's hands. Despite her earlier anxiety, her breath was steady as she leveled her aim at the hole in the rubble. Both triggers pulled in unison, a blast of razor-sharp flechettes shattered through several hunks of wood, potentially forcing the charging attackers to slow their advance or take cover.

She didn't want to hurt them, anything other than the lightest of wounds. If she caused them pain or threatened their lives, how could they come to trust her and free their minds from Dark Site's grip?

No sooner had she fired than she began to run backwards into the forest as well, her heightened senses scanning for the most opportune mechanism to activate.

"There."

A cloud of dust and smoke kicked into the air as she detonated a mine pre-emptively, creating a smokescreen to cover their retreat.

One of their attackers might have the ability to blow the smoke away, but a few more precious seconds, a few more meters ahead might be what they need.

Rose heard the sound of two small explosions from a fair distance beyond. Rose instinctively rose her blade and slashed up in an arc, sending out a beam of red energy, which intercepted the shots and caused both attacks to disperse. Rose immediately ran forward, the wind behind her enhancing her speed as she ran off ahead.

Smoke blew up around her, but the wind immediately went to work, dispersing it as Rose saw through the opening that someone with two guns on the run with other escapees. Rose immediately knew who the one with two guns was, and ran after her. The wind kicked up behind her, her figure becomming a blurr, before she got behind Sibyl and launched a flying kick at her backside. The impact would be enough to cause her to fall over, while Rose stopped and landed, blade pointing at her back as she layed on the ground.
"Get up. I know very damn well you can fight. I want to surpass you by making an example of you and proving I'm the strongest."
​

 

[Nellancholy]

"Half-hearted?!" Vanguard grunted under her breath. A mysterious someone shows up to "help" them, dug their way into her mind, loaded up the forest with explosives somehow when they weren't paying attention, and still had the temerity to criticize her goals? "What do you know? I'm not going to kill them. Not even if it kills me." Despite her supposed conviction, that last sentence was harder to get out. As much as was possible, she tried to project her firm disapproval back towards Castaigne and their controller.

With Wingy suddenly unwilling to run or fight, the situation had gotten worse and worse. "Ms. Julia, can you grab her-"

Any further command on her part was interrupted by Castaigne's next course of action.

The mask barely changed, physically. But it projected its power further, needles of pure thought burrowing deep into her flesh and bone, linking with every nerve and muscle, taking the place of her eyes and ears as her mind expanded even further. Even with her eyes obscured, she could see it all. Know it all.

The knot in her stomach grew. They were in no state to run. Today was the day their uneasy peace ended, as if it wasn't obvious already.

The torrent of data streaming into Vanguard's mind gave away every breath, every step. Every wave of a branch or a single hair falling. Her brain felt like it was burning away. But she held on.

And so it was that she was perfectly aware of the burst of wind that blew apart the cloud of smoke, exposing the escapees for a moment.

A blur flew by. Despite its best efforts, Vanguard was perfectly capable of lining up an incapacitating shot in such close quarters. It was her own faltering will that held her back.

The blur aimed a kick at Vanguard's midsection, a little too slow. Bracing herself and lifting her arms into a guard, Vanguard's reinforced stature easily absorbed the blow, allowing her to slide backwards on her feet closer to Wingy and Frostbite.

And then the blur landed, declaring its intention to "surpass" her.

"Y-you. You don't need to 'surpass' me. If that's all you want you can go back to them and believe all you want that you've surpassed me. Just...let us go." She wanted to believe that her mercy would show the magical girls still enslaved that there was always another option. "I won't kill you." In a flash, her guns leveled at the ground beneath Rose's feet. "But I'll do everything short of that."

Two explosive rounds burst forth, embedding themselves into the ground for a split second before detonating. Either Rose would take the hit full on, or (far more likely) her speed would force her to dodge into the air, or the forest canopy. Either way, she'd be less maneuverable for a second, and hopefully Frostbite (or even Wingy) would get it together enough to attack her...

LostHaven Gundam Watcher 27 Heartstorm78

 

[Heartstorm78]

Julia "Jules" Heinrich
Codename: Frostbite​

Julia looked at Wingy and then a Sirius."Well, That' 's probably enough time to escape."She said. Looking at the shadow-thingy or whatever as it spoke about the too much power, Wingy had given him."Wingy, That was a bad idea.."She said. The White-haired watched as Sibylla donned a mask that was on her face, Which kinda unsettled her a bit after she had detonated a bomb and her signal for her to run, but she was about to, until Wingy had collapsed from Aoi literally speaking about the dark site. and started crying, which startled her a bit."I think you should just pick her up and run."Genesis advised. Clearly she ignored that advice."Wingy it's alright." Frostbite Coaxed. She literally didn't like the chaos and bad things that were already unfolding, she was just wondering on how long until they were captured again by dark site.

" Ms. Julia can you grab her-"
She looked in surprise at Sibylla being attacked by the blur, She knew all too well of who that was, as she watched the nun-themed magical girl take a blow and slide towards them. She watched stunned to see rose standing there, but if it wasn't for the two explosive rounds detonating, and would probably blow up rose. She Mustered up some courage to literally extend an arm out, and take a deep breath."Wrath of Ullr!"She proclaimed, as Ice Formed around her hands, and releases a multi-blast Barrage of icicles the size of her arms at Rose, Hoping it would buy time to distract her so she can grab wingy and get the heck outta here.
Mentions/ Interactions: Nellancholy Severia LostHaven Gundam Watcher 27 Spoiled Bread GrieveWriter

 

[Gundam Watcher 27]

"Y-you. You don't need to 'surpass' me. If that's all you want you can go back to them and believe all you want that you've surpassed me. Just...let us go." She wanted to believe that her mercy would show the magical girls still enslaved that there was always another option. "I won't kill you." In a flash, her guns leveled at the ground beneath Rose's feet. "But I'll do everything short of that."

Two explosive rounds burst forth, embedding themselves into the ground for a split second before detonating. Either Rose would take the hit full on, or (far more likely) her speed would force her to dodge into the air, or the forest canopy.

Rose glared at Sibyl.
"What happened to you? You were one of the Dark Site's best, and now look where you are, in the middle of some god forsaken forest-"
Sibyl cut Rose off, saying she won't kill her, but will do every short of that. Rose smirked internally.
"Spoken like a real soldier."
Sibyl fired two shots towards the ground in front of her. Rose ran forward as the explosion happened. Smoke and flame had seemingly consumed her, only for Rose to run out of it at blinding speeds towards Sibyl. The flames, smoke, and dirt kicked up from the explosion was swirling around her like a tornado, and she was the eye of the storm.​

"Wrath of Ullr!"She proclaimed, as Ice Formed around her hands, and releases a multi-blast Barrage of icicles the size of her arms at Rose, Hoping it would buy time to distract her so she can grab wingy and get the heck outta here.

Rose turned her head towards the sound when she heard the attack be called out. Sharp spikes of ice flew at her, but the tornado blowing around her with its debris had taken most of the damage away. The one attack that got through, was able to blow past the smoke part of the tornado and score a hit. The tornado dispersed, the flame, smoke, and earth blowing out in a Shockwave towards Sibyl and Julia.

Rose meanwhile had her free hand gripped around the ice spike that managed to strike her in the right shoulder. She yelled in pain as she pulled the spike out and dropped it. Blood covered the spike point, as the red liquid spilled from her wound and over her jackets sleeve.​

 

[Spoiled Bread]

Aoi / Heartbeat
Location: Forest

Well, seems like they don't want to go back. Except probably Wingy?

"Then, we will cut them up. Limbs by limbs. I will ask Mr. Zero to turn their body into dolls so I can play with them forever." Feeling delighted, Aoi cranked up her speed and approached the group in little to no time. Since they're focusing on Rose no one stopped her to practically leapt into the middle of their formation.

"Sonic, Bang!" Heartbeat yelled as she finally unsheathed her katana. The moment its dull-colored blade got exposed to the air it emanated a powerful shockwave and a loud booming voice as if someone just exploded a bomb there. The shockwave was released on all direction indiscriminately and pushed anyone affected away from the wave source. It attack all the magical girls nearby, the doctor, even Rose.

Heartstorm78 Gundam Watcher 27 Nellancholy LostHaven Severia

 

[Nellancholy]

H'aaztre's extremely generous power could only do so much when "decision making" was still in Sibylla's restrained, guilt-laden hands. Miracle of miracles, Frostbite had managed to rally, sending a volley of icicles against the determined, almost bloodthirsty Rose. If Vanguard was able to corral her into the air, she would easily have been able to drive her away from Wingy and Frostbite, but she instead chose to charge straight through the flames, even taking Frostbite's barrage head on, letting it draw blood that froze against the icicle for a moment before she pulled it out, leaving a deep gouge within her flesh.

Vanguard had seen wounds like that many times over. Caused a big portion of them too. But to see someone willingly take that...for such a cause? Dark Site's control truly ran deep.

And then Heartbeat unleashed a wave of concussive force, for which Vanguard was well-prepared thanks to the foresight the visor gave her.

"I'm sorry." She murmured.

Bracing herself, she let the explosive wave fling her into the air. Pressing her arms together, she fused her shotguns and brought Telos forth again. This kind of adaptability was something she was very used to. She had not wanted to use anything that would scar them, but that ship had sailed, at least for Rose.

In the space of the next two seconds, she did three things in rapid succession.

First, with a single thought, she commanded one of the traps in the vicinity to trigger. A tank of flammable gas activated its valve automatically, belching out its sharply-scented contents in a thick, clear cloud.

Second, she spun, pulling around the sledgehammer strapped to her back. Against any mortal being, it would seem menacing. But to a magical soldier, it was clearly the least lethal option within arm's reach. Whirling around, she loosed the hammer straight at Rose, aimed straight at her chest. If it hit, the literally boneshattering impact would fling her back several meters, though it would be ultimately nothing worse than what she had already sustained.

Third, Telos dove down in avian form, faster than a harrier. Its beak snapped open and a tiny stream of flame sparked, igniting the gas. If Rose was struck by the hammer, she could be carried straight through the wall of flame by the impact. And even if she wasn't? The cloud would threaten to sear her and Heartbeat if they didn't back away from the rogues.

Spoiled Bread Gundam Watcher 27 Severia Heartstorm78

 

[Kikimura]

Nate was making his way out of his house to do some groceries shopping.
He was still trying to ignore his new form and duties; hoping it'll never come hunt him back in life.
He went around the market and bought items and milk; making his way back to the counter and beeping the items through.

"Thank you ma'am, have a good night.

He said, making his way outside and stepping down the street. It should take him about a fifteen minutes walk to reach home.

KAmber

 

[KAmber]

Leigh Sullivan -- Blue Diamonds.
[fruit of labor.]

It isn't difficult to track a Magical, not usually. They lay low, they wait, but they try-- they try something. It depends on the person, but never on the situation.

The people who stop trying end up the most loyal. But the in-between zone, the margin of error... that's where the difficulty comes in.
Blue Diamonds works, but they wouldn't work here. Not in the open. Not that it matters. So the simple question of worth came into the picture. Staying in magical-girl form let them see, but not move -- not easily. Leigh hated the restraint. It was a choice -- not linear, not easy, not moving where it was needed. Shifting of weight becomes neccesary, and not just a formality.

Watching the target is the most important thing.
It’s not difficult to find people. It’s not difficult to tip your hand. It’s hard, however, to know the right time to do it.

For now, something simple. Blue waits. For now, their path stays steady as their partner acts as a suitable eye. Angevin didn’t have the best of a magical sense, but it had one advantage Blue didn’t.

It was simply invisible.

In shadow, anyway. No glimmer of light skimmed off of it as it skittered around to tail Nate. Better to wait, but not to watch.

 

[Kikimura]

NATHAN BOSS

Nate went into his house for about five minutes, into his room where he quickly avoided contact with his family; changing into training attire and strutting back outside to the local park for a training session.
He was big for his age, rather well toned, tall and athletic.
He started with some light jugging that led into what seemed like countless push-ups. Either way he was now stationary, changing between excersizes but not moving around too much--only to drink from a nearby sink.

He still couldn't comprehend what happened. He couldn't get his head off this whole Magical Girl bullcrap. He couldn't even focus on his workout.

"DAMNIT!"

He punched the ground angrily, walking around in circles trying to calm himself down.

KAmber

 

[KAmber]

Leigh Sullivan -- Blue Diamonds.
[fruit of labor.]

That by itself was unusual. Being taken, leaving a family unharmed, and then… being welcomed back. It was a foreign concept, or at least a rare one. Emotion didn’t make itself known or neccesary, but it did cause at least a few musings.

They watched for a moment.

Nothing. No magic, at least nothing obvious, beyond the target’s drive and their general aura. Magic didn’t just stop showing up on a person after they were affected — it stayed, for weeks or months at a time. Slowly bleeding away, but never ceasing. It reminded Blue of radiation, but, well, they made that too. The concept wasn’t unique to them. Anyone could track Leigh down with a Geiger counter as clear as they watched others with their eye.

Magic stuck to a person. It didn’t change, and it didn’t change easily. But it changes people. It’s why they try.

Blue didn’t feel pity, but they could feel change. They knew how it was, but not how it would go. Some Magicals just came back because they couldn’t do anything else.
Regardless, they didn’t mind waiting. But Leigh did need their own eyes over the subject… the park’s trees didn’t offer enough cover to block sunlight intentionally.

Kikimura

 

[LostHaven]

Castaigne

Forest | "Must be nice to be spoonfed unrivalled power."​

What did he know? That question seemed to send the creature deep in thought. One that ended with the conclusion that Vanguard wouldn't need to hear the answer to. "Are you convincing me, or yourself?" Instead, Castaigne poses a question of his own. "There is no need to demonstrate your resolve to me, girl. Conviction is something to be found only in yourself." The creature's tone wasn't exactly condescending, but it wasn't exactly sincere either. Rather, it seemed to be compromising halfway between saying what it assumed Vanguard wanted to hear, and saying some crap that sounded like genuine words of advice. Whether or not they believed their own words was entirely up to speculation. "But there is no shame in dropping ideals to prioritize the lives of you and your companions . There is a difference between stalwart resolve and stubborn idiocy." There it was. In the end, it was still more or less trying to convince the girl to fight their pursuers with the intent to kill, or at the very least, seriously maim. But in the end, the mask had to play along with their 'ideals'. Or, at the very least, Hildred would have Castaigne do so.

What followed was a rather sloppy fight sequence that seemed to baffle Castaigne. "While I understand the merit in giving certain 'codenames' to your... abilities, was there a practical reason to shout it aloud when using it on an enemy?" They ask their host, genuinely puzzled. Regardless, Frostbite's attack struck true, inflicting greivous wounds onto their attacker... Only made more lethal thanks to Rose deciding that it was in her best interests to rip the icicle out of the wound, worsening the bleeding. "... That's the Dark Site's 'strongest'?" At least somebody was talkative... "I suppose it is rather inconsequential to forgo certain knowledge when you have enough anomalous power to level a city. At least you have good sense."

Castaigne's incessant conversation is cut short due to the appearance of Heartbeat. It was more or less a two-on-two now. His immediate assessment was that Vanguard's actual combat power could not trump Rose, who possessed superior magical ability, they still held an advantage in that Vanguard, who seemed to be far more experienced in a fight, was being assisted by - and this wasn't just personal bias (this is a bold-faced lie) - probably the most reliable support.

The mask didn't warn Vanguard, since that was wholly unecessary. They did seem, however, more or less impressed by the following string of maneuvers from Vanguard. "Good. Do not relent." Whether or not Vanguard was in the mood to listen to Castaigne's advice was not his concern. He'd state what he needs to regardless. "If you are to immobilize her, the effectiveness of our other 'contraptions' won't be hindered as heavily."

 

[Severia]

• In a certain room
• Determination

• *Knock knock*
  
  "Come in"
  
  The sharp-dressing man said while pressing a button on his tablet, closing communication app he had been using.
  
  "Excuse me, sir. I'm here to give you this."
  
  It was another staff member of the Dark Site. After gently placing a parcel on the opulent desk, the young man quickly took his leave. Nothing good came from staying in an Executive's room after all. And not wanting to even set foot here was the right mindset. Then again, there was a girl who literally treated this place as her own living room...
  
  Sighed, he turned on the tablet again, at the exactly same time that Wingy pulled another antic.
  
  "Wingy!?" He swiftly tapped the "telepathic" button "What the hell are you doing!!? If you stop running like that Rose and her team will catch up to you soon!! I already told you that you absolutely need to get away from this!"
  
  Did she even hear him? What Wingy just did was a realistic and logical action from someone in a situation like that, but he simply knew her for too long. That girl wouldn't break down like that, at least not before the world itself breaking down first.
  
  Suddenly, his phone rang. Seeing the number, he clicked his tongue and received the call without closing the monitor displaying Wingy's situation.
  
  "What is it? I'm not in a good mood you know?"
  "Why is that? Shouldn't you be enjoying your little escape game right now, Sirius?"
  "If you don't stop using that stupid name right now, you won't hear anything from me ever again."
  "Haha."
  
  It's the head of General R&D department, one of the man's closest friends and the very few who knew what's actually going on between him and Wingy. Readjusting his breath, the man who was being called Sirius asked again like he heard nothing.
  
  "So, what is it?"
  "Two things. A news about another group of escapees I happened to hear and a little talk about that box in your room right now."
  "So it came from you? Spare me the first topic. I can wait for our official meeting a few hours from now."
  "Very well, have you opened it?"
  
  The moment his friend said that, the owner of the room had already picked up what was inside of the box.
  
  "... A bracelet?"
  "A newly developed model. Thanks to a certain material, it can cut off the flow of magical energy completely. I don't think I need to explain what does that mean, right?"
  "This thing... can seal Magical Girls' powers?"
  "Yeah. Our department will announce about it in this meeting, but so far we have given a handful of them to any squad going out after Rose's. That one in your room is a personal gift from me, so make sure to treasure it well and have fun with Wingy-chan when she comes back."
  
  Despite such implication, the man understood what his friend tried to convey. This would be his only insurance should Wingy chose to rebel against him for real. Hah, as if he could find any opening from that girl to use this on her. In fact, if that monster really wanted to kill him, then it might be easier to just accept it than to try and fight back. The man thought while inserting the bracelet into his drawer.
  
  "Now I'm curious. What's this news about another group of escapees?"
  "Apparently, a squad lead by Girlish Grizzly had encountered another group of Rogue Magical Girls. Considering that so far only Rose's squad had achieved any solid result, it made quite a big news here. That said, I'm pretty sure Mr. Zero is not in a better mood than you."
  "GG's squad... Well. Mr.Zero knows and controls everything. I doubt he'd get upset over something like a few of his living weapons escaped from his clutch."
  "Is it really 'a few' though?"
  
  Sure enough. With perfect preparations from the Magical Girls he had seen from Wingy's intel, they chose the best timing and opportunity to execute the escape plan, resulting in the largest number of escapees in the Dark Site's history. The man himself was "fortunate" enough to be away on duty, as any Executive who happened to stay at the facility on that day all received a harsh punishment from Mr. Zero himself. Speaking of this punishment, he had heard that it involved a certain Magical Girl who operated only on the order coming from the top ranking members, the Magical Girl who wasn't available in any of the database he had but appeared right in front of his own eye, or at least his monitor.
  
  "Hey. One more thing. Have you heard of the name 'Repairer'?"
  "That rumored Magical Girl? I've heard of it, but she isn't real, is she?"
  "... Forget it. I will see you at the meeting."
  
  After hanging up, the man looked into the tablet screen and pressed the voice button.
• 
  
  
  
  "Wingy! WINGY!!"
  
  Sirius screamed. A lot had happened while Wingy was sitting still with her face in her hands. Rose had caught up to the group, possibly just as that short girl expected when she decided to pull that stunt and stall Vanguard and Frostbite. They clashed, and then Heartbeat joined the fray. Even to someone who watched from behind the monitor like him, it was a pure mess. That said, Vanguard was doing well, as expected of the former strongest Magical Girl of the Dark Site who even got the help of that mysterious Repairer. What's more, Frostbite also did her part well and managed to injure Rose. Even without Wingy's help, those two might be able to escape and then Wingy would be taken back to the facility. By revealing the entire plan he made with her, that girl wouldn't face any serious punishment, and then they could just pursue the remaining escapees using Wingy's information on the entire plan. That could also protect himself from deliberately letting those girls escape, and then everything would just go back to normal.
  
  But... does that sound fun to you, Wingy?
  
  "Wingy!! What are you even doing!? You are a strong girl who always do everything to achieve that single goal of you right!!? If you get captured here how will you ever reach it!? GET THE FUCK UP NOW!!!"
  
  That single goal... right. To anyone else who was listening, it most likely referred to "reuniting with her sisters" nonsense that she kept talking to everyone she befriended. And yet that speech was still consistent with her real single goal known by only her and that man. If anything, it was a well thought out line as expected of someone who held the title of an Executive. If she wished to keep up with her facade and setting, then not getting motivated by that would be a bit too illogical.
  
  Star-shaped energy plates immediately appeared in front of Wingy, Frostbite and the Doc, shielding them from Aoi's shockwave. Looking at Sib who was already taking action, Wingy raised her wand with a determined gaze before pointing it at the two Dark Site Magical Girls. What Sib did were indeed outstanding moves. However, as long as that girl operated on a basis of not wanting to kill her opponents, then someone like Rose would likely ignore any damage done to her while relentlessly chasing them down. Considering that they still had two more Magical Girls in the backline, the only way to truly stop them and get away was to threaten a life, not of the strongest Magical Girl herself, but—
  
  "I'm sorry, Rose, Aoi-chan!! STARLIGHT PUNISHER!!!"
  
  Wingy screamed. Multiple star-shaped energy appeared near the girl, before suddenly gathered at the tip of the wand and formed a single gigantic energy ball. Without any delay, the short girl fired it at Rose with high speed. The position Wingy happened to be standing was a point that could make a straight line from her to Rose, and then to Aoi who stood further away. Hence, if Rose chose to dodge this attack like Wingy knew she could, then Aoi would be the one taking it. If she just aimed it at Aoi without taking this position, then there was a high chance Rose would just ignore Aoi and charged straight at Sib. However, with this setting, Rose wouldn't be the one to ignore Aoi. Instead, she would be the main reason for Aoi to receive Wingy's most powerful attack that could level a village and definitely could kill a Magical Girl. While that didn't sound like a big difference, it did put a lot of weight onto a person's decision making. Wingy who abused that psychological knowledge turned her back to Rose and then started running to Sib.
  
  "Let's go! We must not let them capture us!!"
  Wingy. Your limitation.
  
  Sirius suddenly spoke up in Wingy's mind. Based on the tone of his voice, seemed like he was somewhat impressed by her performance. Limitation, eh? Couldn't she be like determined enough to overcome something like that. Whatever...
  
  "Let's... hurry..."
  
  Wingy almost reached Sib and Jules when she suddenly collapsed. Pink light covered her short body before it revealed her civilian form. Sirius touched her forehead with his body for a while, before politely speaking to the two Rogue Magical Girls.
  
  "She just lost consciousness due to using up too much magical energy. This girl tends to act without thinking when it involves her life goal. You have my apologize, but look like one of you will have to carry her along. Don't worry, she will wake up and be fine soon."
  

Heartstorm78 Nellancholy Gundam Watcher 27 Spoiled Bread

Mentions: Heartstorm78 GrieveWriter Lily_G and possibly all the second batch. Now you see a glimpse of how you will get into the main story.

 

[GrieveWriter]

Alice- Gutter Queen

Interaction/Mention: Gundam Watcher 27 Spoiled Bread Severia Nellancholy Heartstorm78

Two major attacks, both initially aimed at Rose with one capable of striking Aoi if it missed its original target.

It made sense, despite how proactive both magical girls were, Rose was clearly the bigger threat and the rogues were blatantly aware of that. Even when pitted against each other, seeing them all using their powers again while fighting with such passion almost brought a tear to the Gutter Queen's eyes, but she had to stay vigilant.

She had pulled back her doppelgangers the moment Rose and Aoi made direct contact with the rogues, mainly due to two factors. One was Wingy, her unforeseen collapse had reduced the need for the Doppelgangers to maintain rear harassment by drawing the rogues into direct conflict. While useful, the Gutter Queen couldn't help but see it as some kind of trick on Wingy's part. She was always smarter than many gave her credit for, and Alice couldn't picture her falling down unless she had a plan.

But more than that, the mysterious aid the rogues had was far and above the greater issue. While the traps scattered around the rear of the house could've been setup on their own, the mask that Sibby was wearing that just threw the Gutter Queen for a loop, mostly because it seemed so... uncharacteristic. Sibby had a taste for certain arts sure, but the Queen couldn't see her indulging in such things in such a tense scenario. It couldn't be to hide her identity, it would be obvious to anyone in Dark Site who she was even with the mask on.

Its what made the Gutter Queen initially stop her assault, but seeing her utilize her abilities made her pull back entirely.

The Gutter Queen would never downplay the abilities of her comrades, but the power with which Sibby hit Rose with was an immense step from where she should've been. The flames only seemed to inconvenience Rose, of course, but the power behind them drew narrowed eyes from the Queen. Even if it wasn't the mask, something was empowering her. Training couldn't have taken her that far in the time since the escape.

The Gutter Queen had her Doppelgangers focus on encircling rather than direct assault, willing to let Rose and Aoi draw attention as she set about preventing their escape. All but two of the Doppelgangers made their way through the forest, giving a wide berth to the battle as they set about closing off escape routes. The only two that didn't were those that Aoi had blasted back with her prior attacks. Unlike Rose, the Doppelgangers had been picked up and tossed as far back as the treeline, only managing to return to the front of the cabin when the fight had broken out.

But with the Queen's suspicions growing more, the Doppel Duo changed objectives. With the others working on the escapees, the duo turned their attention to the doctor. As the only person with the escapees, suspicion naturally fell to her first on how exactly she had aided them. With the other Magical Girls focused on each other, the Duo set about 'Acquiring' the doctor for questioning as the Gutter Queen kept watch over the fight from the shadows.

Not that the Fight was particularly surprising, everyone was going at it more or less how they would during any other training session. Rose was going in full force, Aoi was having far too much fun given the circumstances while Sibylla and Jules did everything they could to counter their assault. Well, everything was a subjective term in such a scenario. While Jules didn't hesitate to attack in defense of Wingy, it was obvious Sibylla was holding back even with whatever power boost she had.

Her tactics and moves were good, but good wouldn't be enough to kill Rose and she had to know that. On one hand, it made the Gutter Queen's chest tighten up in joy that Sibby was working hard not to kill her friends, but that same reservation would likely drive Rose to extremes.

Aoi was a different problem altogether. While Alice usually just adored how sweet and enthusiastic the little munchkin was, she kept utilizing wide-scale AOE attacks that interfered with her teammates just as much as the rogues. It wasn't too surprising given how much she loved drawing attention to herself, but her attacks kept tripping up the Gutter Queen's doppelgangers and slowing down their progress.

It was during the last of those attacks that Wingy made her move. All of a sudden, both the rogues and the doctor had more of those star shields protecting them, followed by Wingy apologizing to their quarries before announcing an attack that gave the Gutter Queen pause.

Starlight Punisher wasn't a move she knew of beyond passing comments by several Dark Site Executives. But given context clues, she determined it was either a potent attack or a bluff that would open an avenue for escape.

Either way, Wingy unleashed a ball of condensed magical star power directly at Rose and Aoi before turning to flee. It was prior to her firing that the Gutter Queen was faced with a choice. She trusted Rose's power, that she could either withstand or evade the attack, but Aoi was a different story. The testing she'd undergone had made her predisposed to pain and taking the brunt of attacks, though with nowhere near the level of resilience that Rose had. If Starlight Punisher wasn't a bluff, the Gutter Queen wasn't confident enough that Aoi could evade it the same way Rose could.

She'd be giving up her position if she intervened, but she wasn't certain her Doppelgangers would be able to contain the rogues even with Rose continuing pursuit. But the decision wasn't too difficult to make, in the end she just had to think of what worked best for Dark Site, and HIM.

HE would want all of his weapons back alive, that would make the least amount of work for Dark Site, and may even impugn Aoi for her brash assault.

So the Gutter Queen slid down from the tree, making sure to keep her doppelgangers focused on their prior assignments as she darted from the shadows of another tree and took off at blistering speed for Aoi just as Starlight Punisher was fired. She couldn't trust that her Doppelgangers were fast enough, so her own two feet were what carried her over brush and bramble, gold dress billowing with movements made unnatural by the darkness obscuring her feet.

"Get down!" she shouted to Aoi as the attack came speeding towards them, letting Rory float away from her grasp so she could focus on building momentum. Rose could handle herself one way or another, but the Gutter Queen made sure to tackle Aoi out of the way of the blast

 

[Kikimura]

Nate Boss

Finishing his workout; Nate would sit on the bench and contemplate. He was lost in though---no...lost. completely and utterly lost. It's as if someone else's hand took over the steering wheel to his life.

"I just don't get it ... Why me?"

He mumbled to himself, biting on his nails. He chugged some water down and then got up. He was preparing himself to walk off, perhaps the best chance to approach him.
He went out of the park, looking around and taking a deep breath of air.
Mayhaps it's all going to end well? Maybe he's just exaggerating?

It's not like they'll come looking for me right?



KAmber

 

[KAmber]

Leigh Sullivan -- Blue Diamonds.
[fruit of labor.]

Chain link fence, basketball court. Blue’s always been a tactile person, and Leigh even more so.

A hand against the fence — pale, two hair ties twisted around their fingers. There’s a loose clamor as the hand allows the metal to rattle away… it drags down and settles down well enough.

Leigh Sullivan is nondescript as they can be. They watch, but not obviously — not with one eye. A mess of curly hair spills out to mingle with the interlocking metal, down from its place tucked under a paperboy cap. The glasses stay on, gold-rimmed and circular.

At least for now.

Nothing’s immediately noticeable. They angle the cap right and sit, knees in, with their back to something solid. A mockery of leaning, really, and not anything that could hold up to close inspection. It would be easy to topple the metal with their body weight… Leigh rarely puts their full weight on anything.

Two paces. Four paces. Six.

Nathan walks past them. Leigh blows out a breath.
…It’s the job.

“Do you have enough?”

Kikimura

 

[Kikimura]

Nathan Boss

Nate sighed as he made his way away from the fields. He hoped sport would keep his mind off stuff of the sort but it wasn't likely.
He paced passed Leigh, freezing at her words.

"Enough...w-what?"

He questioned, looking at the young girl leaning on the fencing. His eyebrow rose, puzzled, as he tried to think if he recognized her...maybe a friend of his younger sister?...no...he would have known her name if it were so.
But either way his interest was captured as he waited for her to elaborate; watching silently in a sort of shock state.

KAmber