Alexander89
Pet the pretty kitty? Y/N
- Location
- Italy
Some things change. Others stay the same. I can say for sure this quest has been a magnificent development.
[X] Plan Girls' Day Out
God A Sword (CWMGQ Spin off #64)
- Thread starter InfiniteDaze
- Start date
[X] Plan Girls' Day Out
- Pronouns
- They/Them/Bushcat
[X] Plan Girls' Day Out
-[X] Hang out with someone (Lan)
-[X] Hang out with someone (Dark Grasper)
-[X] Hang out with someone (Phoenix Guildy)
-[X] MAGICAL GIRL TRAINING TIME
--[X] Work on your spells (progress towards acquiring spell token)
-[X] Hang out with someone (Lan)
-[X] Hang out with someone (Dark Grasper)
-[X] Hang out with someone (Phoenix Guildy)
-[X] MAGICAL GIRL TRAINING TIME
--[X] Work on your spells (progress towards acquiring spell token)
Vote closed
InfiniteDaze
Too lazy to leave the house
- Location
- I wish I could stay
LOSS VALHALLA
InfiniteDaze
Too lazy to leave the house
- Location
- I wish I could stay
"Really, if they wanted to do such a thing, the least they could've done is set up a reservation." With a loud crunch the recording ended, leaving Fenrir alone to gnash his teeth in silence.
A low growl escaped his lips. "Goddammit! Who does she think she is?!"
Taking a deep breath, the guildy kicked back on his chair and glanced up at the information he had managed to collect. It wasn't particularly hard, even with Grasper on the lookout. The video clip of that soccer match—he'd begrudgingly admit was almost worthy of the title of Guidly Soccer—had been all over the internet. That's how he managed to track them down in the first place. Figuring out who they had been hanging out with was child's play, and from there began his near week and a half long investigation of their current activities.
Learning where they were staying, who they were hanging out with, what activities they were up to outside of school. It was almost to the level of a stalker, except he was a professional and this was his job in the first place. The hardest part of all of this was making sure that Grasper didn't catch on to him. Or rather, that should've been the hardest part about all of this.
After careful observation and investigation into this… Adolescencia, the wolf guildy had finally decided to take his surveillance a step further. Making sure that only the mundane civilians were inside the cafe, he secretly tried to implant some recording devices- And was promptly caught once the boy Valkryia had an eye on swapped shift with his mother.
"She's just a regular human," Fenrir mumbled to himself, gripping his arm. "Doesn't even have any magical power."
He had checked just to make sure. Sure he hadn't had the time to do a deep investigation, but all he could find when searching for Yuen Liang was an avalanche of cosplay photos. So many he wondered if she was a full time model, but apparently she was just "doing it as a hobby" while she worked at the cafe. And yet, as a hobby cosplayer cafe owner, she had somehow managed to instantly spot and remove every single recording device he had planted in the cafe and managed to single out it was him when he was stealthily making his retreat.
Their eyes had met for a moment. Reflected in the mirror, was someone with no magic or power to speak of… but her skill in everything else froze him on the spot.
Taking a deep breath, the tactician sent the results of his investigation up towards his superiors before pressing the call button on his Guildy Gear. "Striker Armadillo Guildy, report to the tacticians room. We're about to transition to the next phase of the plan."
A shy, quiet voice came out from the other end of the call. "Really? Has it been approved? N-Not that I've doubted you! But are you really sure about this-"
"Yes it's been approved!" he growled into the Envy Gear. "Get over here so I can fill you in on the details!"
"I'm on it sir! Though this is kinda- Never mind that!"
Rolling his eyes at his fellow Valhalla member's speech pattern, Fenrir Guildy idly tapped his finger as the words of his "Vice Commander" came to mind. This plan could not fail, both for the sake of his pride and High Valhalla. He'd pull this off and that would be the start of his climb back towards Yggdrasil's side. No, he'd gain the respect of everybody-
"Reporting in, Fenrir sir!" The nervous figure of Armadillo exclaimed at the top of his lungs as he walked into the room already saluting. "I'm a bit worried about going this far- But I'm always ready to do my duty!"
" 'This far?' " The tactician scoffed. "We're already dealing with two renegade units, not to mention a magical girl herself. If we aren't going to go all out, then we've failed before we've even begun."
"Yes, but attacking a civilian establishment? Not that I'm worried or anything but-" Armadillo fumbled around with his hands before rubbing his Guildy Gear. "Don't we only go this far in special cases?"
"This is a special case." Fenrir gestured towards the monitor as he pulled up a specific file that he managed to get before his investigation went to hell. "There's been a security breach…"
And thus, the longest nightmare I had ever experienced would begin.
"Goddammit!" Phoenix yelled as she pressed her face into the counter. "I'm so bored!"
"You should be grateful you know." Grasper replied as she continued to type on her phone, thumbs going so fast that it was practically a blur. "I would've thought you'd appreciate being able to go two weeks without getting into a fight."
"I mean yeah, but…" The ponytailed girl struggled for words before slumping over. "It's not like we're doing anything either! Hong's been training this whole time and the only thing I've been going is homework and getting beaten up by-"
"I'm here," a certain blue haired martial artist declared as she walked into the cafe. "I'd like a plate of curry please, Mrs. Liang. Club was really active today."
And yet despite saying that, Lan didn't even look like she had broken a sweat.
"Coming right up," Mom cried as she began moving towards the kitchen. "You want some as well Hong?"
"After last night's dinner?" I asked, flopping like a dead fish. "I'm good, thanks."
My childhood friend plopped herself down on to the seat next to me before giving a side eyed glance. "...What's up with him?"
"Math test." My voice came out in a groan. "Grasper had me staying up all night studying."
"Hong is statistically more likely to succeed in his exams when there's someone there to tailor the material to his specific needs." The girl in question adjusted her glasses before flipping her phone towards us. "See? The data is right here."
"...Have you just been taking data on everything Hong's done?" Lan asked, only for Grasper to nod. "That's uh, kinda creepy."
"See why we call her a stalker!?" Phoenix laughed as she slapped the smaller girl on the back, causing her to let out a grunt.
"It's important data!" Grasper protested. "WIth observational research I can fine tune my calculations to be more efficient!"
"Sure," the avian Guildy agreed with damning sarcasm. "And what have you learned?"
"Well for starters…" The black haired girl poked my exhausted body's sides. "Hong, transform."
"Here?" I complained, looking around to find the cafe empty. "Hold on. Mom! Mind if I close up shop?"
"Go ahead!" She cried from the back. "Your food will be ready soon and I need to grind the event anyways!"
"Event?" Grasper blinked. "For which game?"
"Super Robot Wars-"
"Tail On!" I cried, cutting her off as I transformed. "I am Magical Girl Tail Red."
"...Does he have to say that every time?" Phoenix asked.
"It's part of the magic, yes." Grasper nodded, though honestly I would've said it when I transformed either way. "But speaking of, according to my calculations Hong should be 93.42% of the way there towards fixing his engine."
"Well I could've told you that." my fellow redhead grumbled. "His magic has been speeding up in general. Like his soul is unclogging itself after decades of eating junk food."
"He's not going to start expelling impurities right?" Lan asked. "Some of the guys at school think that martial arts stories are real and I don't want them to be correct."
"I don't think that's how this works?" I piped up as I closed my eyes and began to focus on my magic. "It's more like exerting a muscle. If muscles operated like liquid."
"Liquid huh?" I heard Lan get up from the counter before there was the sound of… the sink? "Like this?"
"Like wha-" Was all I could get out before suddenly a rush of cold assaulted me. If I hadn't been doing all that training, I wouldn't have been able to keep my magic from going out of control and giving me terrible soul cramps. As it stood, the only thing I did was stand there. Water dripped from my twintails as I slowly opened my eyes and glared at the culprit. "Really?"
"I don't know much about magic, but I do have experience with something similar." Lan shrugged as she went to fill up another cup of water. "You remember the weapons I used against those weird bugface things right? Riptide and Redtide? What do you think is the difference between the two?"
It was not really a sight I liked to remember but I racked my head before coming up with the obvious answer. "Ones made of water and ones made of blood?"
"Right, right." She nodded. "And what's the difference between blood and water?"
Oh now this one is obvious! "One's red and the other isn't!"
"...Yes, but also no." Grasper sighed as she turned towards Lan. "You're trying to say that it's thicker isn't it?"
"Yeah, Riptide is a wave of water so it's good for general area and brute force attacks. Redtide is made of blood, and it's thickness makes it good for more penetrative attacks," the veteran magical girl explained before holding out the cup towards me. "You'll get it better if you swirl your finger through this."
The water was cool to the touch, but I plunged my tiny finger inside of it and began to spin while Lan continued to talk. "They each require different needs, but both magic and martial arts operate on that feeling of flow. It's in understanding how to utilize that force that one is able to use techniques. You've already got a grasp on how to control your physical strength right?"
I did. It was hard to put into words, but strength and tension… When I unleashed my martial arts, I turned my body into a conductor of physical force and unleashed it all into my fists. In a sense, it was like the water that I was swirling with my finger right now. Clear and smooth.
But magic wasn't like that.
It still flowed through my body, but it was thicker and stronger. When I wasn't forcing it to move in a specific direction, it trickled down slowly through my body. I circulated the flow of mana through my body, feeling it's characteristics. It most definitely wasn't water, but for a few seconds I struggled with how to describe it. Then, it hit me. Or rather, I smelt it. Wafting in from the kitchen, the scent of Mom's cooking drifted into the cafe.
Oil.
My magic was like oil.
Not exactly cooking oil, but not gasoline oil either. It was an oil specific to me, my very essence that burned brightly whenever I ignited it. As if my magic was responding to me, I felt power rush through my body ready to go off at any moment. Yes that was it! By controlling the feeling of the oil, where it ignited and how, I was able to 'use' my spells! Magic is energy and spells are just how you use that energy! Then when I was creating Twintail Assault… Subconsciously I was adjusting the flavor and amount of oil I was using so that when I ignited the spell I had created a totally new one.
That meant that if I could just get the proportions right then I should be able to create new spells!
"This…" I held out a hand in front of me as it shook, magic ready to be sparked at any moment. "This is magic stuff."
(+1 Spell Token)
Grasper's head whipped towards Lan's, eyes wide behind her glasses frames. "How?! His grasp over his magic is at 99%! If he wanted too, he could fix his engine right now!"
"What can I say? I know my stuff." A cocky smirk grew on Lan's face. "And I've been Hong's teacher for years now. I know what he's like. Don't think you can just get ahead with a couple of numbers."
"Bullshit your method of teaching is sink or swim!" Phoenix cried, rubbing her arms for a reason I could very much relate to. "I'm still sore from yesterday!"
"You're training martial arts. Of course it's going to hurt." Lan rolled her eyes. "That's how you build up muscle and skill. Just give yourself some time to grow and you'll get better."
"I'm growing faster than you in one area…" The ponytailed girl mumbled, only to freeze as the cafe suddenly dropped ten degrees. Phoenix quickly turned around and began waving her arms. "Height! I meant height!"
"Nice save," I said to myself more than anyone else. Although I hadn't been on the receiving end of a 'Blue Smash' in weeks, I had gotten smashed in the stomach for poor choice of words more times than I would like to admit. Personally I blamed Twirl, but I wasn't going to say that out loud, so I quickly tried to change the subject. "Your grandpa's training is supposed to be way harsher right?"
"Hm? Well, I guess." Lan nodded idly, twirling a finger through her twintails. "Personally I think my sister and I have more experience actually teaching people since we're often assistants in the dojo when it's open for the season. Gramps likes to focus on the more advanced stuff, iron palm and the like."
"Iron palm?!" Grasper suddenly blurted out, her eyes going wide. "You mean that training where you smash your hand into burning hot sand for 60 days?!"
"Yeah that's the one." Lan raised her hand, idly glancing at her palms. "I did it myself when I was like, ten? Gramps was hesitant but I pushed through with it along with the other disciples. In the end I came out of it okay, but I've seen people get really sick and have to quit halfway through the training."
We all stared at her wide eyed before Grasper spoke up. "...Why would you go through with that?!"
"At a certain point, martial arts becomes about conditioning your body," she replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "When I was younger I was… really into getting into every martial arts technique I could find. There was even one time where I spent my entire summer vacation learning under every master I could, no matter the style."
"Ah, I think I remember that." It was way back when my memory was foggy but… "You got mad because most of them ran away crying right?"
"It's not my fault all the so called 'big names' turned out to be frauds," Lan muttered darkly. "All their 'skill' and 'popularity' came from cons. If I didn't expose them then they would've been crushed by the new wave of magic users anyways. Speaking of, I've heard about practitioners who incorporate martial arts into their styles and martial artists who use magic but they're hard to find and most magical girls just rely on their magical instincts. Super annoying."
"Practitioners who use magic…" Grasper muttered, turning back to her phone before her thumbs started blurring again. A few minutes later her face lit up and she handed the device over to Lan. "Like this?"
My childhood friend stared at the screen, her eyes laser focused as she took in whatever was on the device. "Oh! I've never seen a fighting style like this before! Is it just the result of magic or… No these movements don't have roots in eastern or western martial arts! It's similar, but a whole new style!"
"It's Elven Martial Arts." The ToHO user explained. "There are few videos of it for now, but they have their own history of fighting styles and techniques."
"Elves, huh?" A shiver ran down my spine as an eerie laugh escaped Lan's lips. There was a glint in her eyes I hadn't seen in a long time, a seemingly bottomless abyss with an insatiable appetite. She was a master of martial arts, a genius in fighting. That was something I've known for a long time. But the thing I had forgotten was what drove her to become that. The simple fact that Lan was a martial arts maniac. Like a demon possessed, she took in every movement of what was happening on screen never turning her eyes away for a moment. Practically slobbering over it. "Heaven truly is wide huh? I was only looking at human martial artists, but there are more than just humans now. Gah! I'm so dumb! I had eyes, but I failed to see mount Tai!"
"Uh." Phoenix scooted back before leaning over towards me. "Is she alright?"
"She's been through this phase before," I replied back in a whisper. "We're just going to have to deal with being her test dummies for the next few training sessions."
"Oh that's a relief- As if that makes it any better!"
"Food's ready!" Mom called, entering into the cafe before placing Lan's plate on to the counter, causing her to instantly snap out of it. A bright red blush appeared on her face as she quickly turned away from us before beginning to scarf down her food. Mom merely chuckled before turning towards me. "Hong, no magical girl transformations at the table. It's rude."
"Ah sorry!" I cried, dispelling the transformation before taking a seat and blinking. "Wait didn't I say I wasn't in the mood for curry?"
"It's not curry." She replied with a smile as she placed a plate of lo mai gai in front of me. "I've been getting into dim sum lately and I wanted you guys to try it."
"Oh yeah!" Phoenix cried, practically drooling already. "Do you have any cheung fun?! I haven't been able to eat any in months!"
"Months? What do you mean months?" Grasper asked. "Did you have dim sum that often?!"
"You're just mad because the only thing people get you is cold cha siu bao."
"I can order my own take out!"
"Sorry, but not yet." Mom replied with a shrug. "It's a pretty tough skill to master and getting good ingredients for a cafe like ours is pretty hard. I'm probably going to have to ask Emu to leverage her connections soon. But enough about that. Hurry up before it gets cold!"
We all looked at each other (Except Lan who was already finishing her plate) before shouting as one. "Let's eat!"
The food was good, as always. Well, it was scalding hot and I'm pretty sure I burnt my tongue, but I had faith in my mom's cooking. Judging by everyone else's reaction, I'm pretty sure there wasn't anything majorly wrong with it. Regardless of if I just swallowed poison or not, we spent the rest of the day just making idle small talk, drifting from one topic to another at seemingly random. Homework, idols, everything and anything we could think of as we simply just hung out.
"Well, I'm off." Lan waved as she stood at the door. "It's been fun but I've got a test tomorrow."
"Glad I'm free of that," I muttered, thinking about my own trials. "See you later then."
The blue haired girl just gave us a wave before closing the door on her way out. The bells jingled for a bit, ringing throughout the cafe before Phoenix stretched. "That was a good meal but I'm going to go get some exercise. What are you two gonna do?"
"I still have more shows I need to catch up with." Ultraman was fine, but Manarangers was still preferable in my opinion, even if the latest developments have been kind of iffy. "What about you Grasper?"
The black haired girl didn't respond, instead silently staring out the window. Her eyes squinting as she fiddled with her glasses. I poked her arm. "Hello? Grasper? Everything alright?"
"...Is that really…?" I wasn't sure if the analyst actually needed glasses to correct her vision but from the way she was concentrating I don't think Grasper was getting a good look at whatever she was staring at. "No. They wouldn't be so bold as to…"
"Hey! Stalker!" Phoenix shouted, tapping Grasper with her foot. "What are you staring out now?"
"77- 83- 97- 100% Chance I'm staring at-!" The girl suddenly let out a panicked scream and that's when I saw it. Outside the window there was something growing closer and closer, something that was specifically running towards the cafe. It was fast, blurring through the streets before with a flying leap it lunged at the window, the sound of glass shattering drowning out Grasper's shout. "Everyone look out!"
Mom came dashing into the cafe but it was too late. The intruder was already here. Jumping over the broken glass, it suddenly split into three copies of themselves before they each dashed over towards one of us. It was only on instinct and muscle that I was able to react as the intruder suddenly launched a fist towards my face. Still I braced I myself for impact- Only for it to never come as the attack simply vanished. Dazed and disoriented, I was only able to get my bearings as a cry shot through the cafe.
"Gah!" Grasper yelled as the intruder grabbed her in a headlock, stealing the frames off her face before crushing them in its hands. Anger burned on the analyst's face even as her eyes began to scrunch up in pain. "Why you-!"
She didn't have time to finish that statement as the intruder kneed her into the ground, knocking the wind out of her before tossing her like a rag doll to the floor. "Dark Grasper neutralized. W-Was that the best move? Fenrir said to take her out first so it probably was!"
It was only then that I managed to get a good look at them. The intruder seemed human at first glance, but on closer inspection one could see that the red plates that covered their body weren't armor, but rather actually a part of their flesh, even as they were absolutely studded with bone spikes. If that wasn't confirmation enough, their face was absurdly angular, their jaws filled with visible teeth as their tiny eyes darted about in the slitts of their mask. But honestly the thing that caught my attention the most was their size. Not because of how large they were. Rather it was the opposite. They were absurdly small, barely even reaching up to my waist.
"C-Careful," Grasper coughed out as she grabbed on to my pants. "That's-"
"ARMADILLO!" Phoenix roared, fists already raging as she readied her Guildy Gear. "The hell do you think you're doing?! Attacking us in broad daylight?! Are you serious?!"
"Sorry- Not sorry- Kinda!" Armadillo Guildy stuttered out. "I don't really want to do this- But orders are orders- And this is an emergency!"
The guildy cocked his head to the side before nodding. "Understood! Proceeding with the plan! Rollout!"
With a manic energy, the Guildy tucked in on himself, the spikes edging his armor locking together like teeth on a gear as it snapped into a sphere. A gust of wind tore through the interior of the cafe as he began to spin at high speeds, bouncing himself around Adolescencia's walls. The sound of chaos and destruction met my ears as he vanished from my sight, smashing into every bit of furniture we had. Just when Phoenix and I were about to transform however, the orb launched itself towards us, splitting into three as it did.
"T-" Was all I managed to get out before two of the orbs began to descend upon me. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as I tried to call upon my magic to be just a single second faster than the enemy was. But it wasn't enough. Or rather, it seemed to reject me. A headache tore through my skull as the scaled Guildy descended upon me, the other orbs vanishing as he launched himself straight at me. I wasn't able to save myself.
Someone else did though.
A boom ripped through the cafe as something smashed into Armadillo, sending him off course just enough so that he only smashed into the counter behind me. There was a light chink as he unfurrled himself, something clattering to the floor as smoke whisped through the air. The world came to a stand still as we all turned towards the source.
"Didn't I tell you to make a reservation?" Mom said in her usual carefree tone, but her eyes were anything but relaxed. A sharp coldness that I had never seen before, her gaze was like a knife's edge as she held a sturdy grip on the gun in her hands. "Honestly. Some people."
What was this? Who was this? I had seen many things since I first awakened as a magical girl, but the woman with the loaded pistol still laser focused on the Guildy felt like an entirely different person from the Mom I knew. Since when did she even have a gun?
Armadillo seemed to be just as confused as me, but for different reasons. "Y-You hit me?! How?!"
"Oh please. Don't delude yourself," The red haired woman scoffed. "As if I wouldn't be able to figure out such a cheap trick. I only needed to see it once to get the hang of it."
With that she pulled the trigger again, the blast ringing in my ears as the bullets smashed into the Guildy's scales. "You guys don't like being known right? This little thing can't do anything to you, but it will draw attention."
Armadillo grunted before glancing out the window behind him. Suddenly he let out a nervous whine before furling in on himself again. "Rollout!"
Instantly he split into three before proceeding not to attack us but rather speed past us and-
"He's going into the house!" Phoenix shouted as we all scrambled to our feet and began to chase after him. We all burrowed into the living room but it was already a wreck as his three copies suddenly split off into different directions. "Dammit! His ability is always so annoying!"
"A-Armadilo is probably…" Grasper spoke up, but her voice was lost in a dazed confusion.
"Here," Mom suddenly reached into her pocket before pulling out a pair of cosplay glasses, which were really just frames with some lenses attached. "Take these."
"...Adequate." The black haired girl grunted as she fixed them to her face. "According to my calculations there's a 95.67% chance that Armadillo is after something!"
"The hell's so important that they had to break into our house?!" Phoenix cried as we all began to hussle through the halls.
"Whatever it is isn't important, we just got to find him before he gets it!" Grasper shouted back. "Now split up and go!"
"Right!" I exclaimed, dashing up the stairs as I looked at the mess the hallway was in. Doors had been smashed open, pictures had been knocked down, it was like a hurricane had passed through. "Tai- Agh!"
The pain continued to rip through my head as I tried to transform again. I grit my teeth as I pushed myself to keep standing. "Dammit! Why now?!"
Alright let's think Hong. What the hell was Armadillo after? This was the first time that any Guildy had directly attacked my home, not counting Crab. If he wanted to capture any of us, he could've done it back when we were all in the cafe, so it probably wasn't any of us. Was he after something in the lab? No, how would he even know what was in the lab? I didn't know what was in the lab and if there was something that the Guildys were after, security measures were already in place. Think! What could count as a special emergency!?
Something that the Guildys would deem important… Something that they would be aware of... Something like- Like the tapes Drag had left behind.
"Oh no." I let out before a fire blazed through my veins, pushing me through the halls before bursting into my room. It was absolutely ruined, but that wasn't what I was paying attention to. Rather, it was the Guildy standing in the middle of it, cassette tapes in his hands.
"As if I'd let you!" I shouted, throwing myself at Armadillo and tackling him to the floor with my larger size. The spikes dug into my skin but I persisted, trying to claw the tapes out of his grubby little hands still grasping on to them tight. "Hand them over!"
"I can't do that- Well I could but- I won't do it!" Armadillo shouted as he threw me off. I let out a cough of pain but I quickly picked myself up.
"Hong!" Grasper shouted as everyone else bursted into the room. "Are you alright?!"
"Crap crap crap. This is bad. This is so bad." Armadillo muttered as sirens could be heard from the distance. Suddenly he titled his head before stiffening up. "Are you sure Fenrir? Not that I'm doubting you but- That is true!"
"Give! Them! Back!" I roared only for him to suddenly split into three and dodge me, sending me crashing into the walls of my room with a loud bang.
"High Valhalla exists to eliminate any threat to the Guildys at all costs," The short monster recited nervously as it held the cassette tapes high in the air. "S-Something like Noble Heart's dying will can't be allowed to exist! Executing orders!"
And then suddenly the Guildy tossed the Cassette Tapes to the floor and stomped on them hard. The crushing sound resounded in my ears, both inside and out. I could only stare transfixed as the dying wishes of Armadillo's comrades were utterly demolished by his own hand. Crunch. Crunch. It was a bad melody, but one I couldn't get out of my head.
"Haa… Haa…" Armadillo breathed out. "Orders complete. Commencing phase two."
I wanted to move, to tear off his scales one by one and rip into him with my own bare hands. Yet like a limp puppet, my body refused to answer. It was almost like I was watching through someone else's eyes.
That was probably why I wasn't even able to register when my mouth began to spill out words, until the finale reached my lips and my magic flared. "Awaken, O Sleeping Demon. Show the world once more the terror of your wrath."
The fires of hell engulfed my body, but I didn't care. No, I welcomed them. Because this was a hell I had called upon with my hands. Who was I? Myself was jumbled together, lost, burnt away, until I was merely a burning flame given flesh. Blood of nightmares, heart of darkness.
"I am Magical Girl Tail Infrared." I declared, my voice for once a cold fury rather than the proud demeanor I typically held. "And you have fucked up."
...Of course things would end this way. For the me-who-isn't-me, this was the only way things could end.
"Ah- Uh!" Armadillo stuttered out before splitting into two, one of the copies charged towards me while the other broke my fucking door by charging into the balcony and jumping off and furling himself into a ball. "Rollout!"
Trying to distract me with a failed path? As if that would work on a master of destruction like me.
"Shadow Steps." I hissed out, blending into the shadows. The attacking Armadillo vanished and instantly I was charging, directly at the heels of the rolling beast as it rumbled and tumbled through the streets. The flames of nightmares and ruin pushed me forward, our race towards the ever present end continuing onwards as Armadillo tried to shake me off. WInd blasted my face, pushing my hair back as I readied the Inferno Saber, already burning hot from the sheer wrath coursing through my veins. "You cannot escape from your end! Oblivion Rush!"
The Guildy let out a pathetic screech, creating a copy that dashed to the left and one that dashed to the right. But it was too late, for I was already upon the fool. In a burst of speed, I appeared behind him and began my assault.
Oblivion Rush: 250 Base Damage, +112 Dice = 312 Total Damage
Oblivion Rush: 250 Base Damage, +215 Dice = 465 Total Damage
Oblivion Rush: 250 Base Damage, +138 Dice = 388 Total Damage
Oblivion Rush: 250 Base Damage, +134 Dice = 384 Total Damage
1,549 Unified Damage
Armadillo: 240 Base Resilience, +165 Dice, -120 Too Fast To React = 285 Total Reduction
1,264 Total Damage
Each of my blows were filled with fury, rage, wrath, destruction. The beast before me had committed an unforgivable sin, and for that I would be judge, jury, and the executioner. Beating the Guildy within an inch of its life-
Armadillo Guildy: NONEXISTENCE ERROR
Only for it to suddenly vanish once more. The other copies screamed in terror as they disappeared from my vision. "I'm sorry Fenrir! I can't do this!"
"GET BACK HERE!" I roared, the umbral darkness blasting me forward as I hunted down my prey. "YOU WERE THE ONE WHO CHOSE THIS PATH! YOUR EXISTENCE SHALL END HERE!"
But it was too late. The shadows whispered where he was, but both of his copies had dashed off into drastically different directions. Neither was fake, they were simply a choice that hadn't been made. Armadillo had obscured himself with his own possibilities. I had run out of strength to walk the shadows and by the time it would recharge, the thing would split into more and more possibilities just to lose me.
This was it. He had escaped.
I, had failed.
The shackle on my wrist came to life with a piercing beep. A rat's voice screeching me into my ear. "Hong! Where the hell are you!?"
"...Drowning. Deeper. Darker," I breathed out, feeling the heat in my chest consume me. "I won't forgive him. I can't forgive him. That arrogant fool. As if the blind could choose which path to walk."
"Huh?!"
"The shadows grow long." My head grew fuzzy as the magic keeping me together dispelled itself. "Say your goodbyes."
With that the spell was undone, leaving me as myself. My head was a jumbled mess, and all I could do was collapse onto the wall and stare into the bright sky above. The heat of the sun burned into my skin, but I didn't care. The only thing I could even do was exist, breath, and try to get my thoughts sorted out.
I wasn't sure how long I sat like that until someone I knew, someone I didn't want to know, found me.
"Well?!" I heard Lan ask. "How is he?!"
"It doesn't look good that's for sure," Phoenix replied, peering into my eyes. "Like his magic is trying to cannibalize itself."
"I'm… Fine," I managed to get out. We were all hiding away in Twirl's laboratory while the police were investigating what had occured upstairs. Mom said that she had it handled but this close of a run in with the law was- Never a good sign you have to MOVE. "Gotta- Gotta find Armadillo-"
I pushed myself off the medbay only for Phoenix to sit me back down. "Uh-uh. You aren't going anywhere. I'm not even sure you can transform in that state, at least not without becoming Tail Infrared again."
"I've never heard of anything like this happening," Grasper muttered to herself as her fingers flew across the keyboard. "The alternate form thing was weird by itself but I could pass that off as just a magical girl thing."
"So it's like an illness you didn't manage to catch?!" Lan shouted, only for Grasper to glare back at her.
"I'm sorry for not expecting soul cancer!" the bespectacled girl snapped before shutting off the computer. "I can only calculate what I have data on!"
"Shut… up." I clutched at my head, it hurt like hell but I pressed on. "Not your fault. It's mine. Infrared told me… Gah!"
Something pierced my brain. It was sharp, like the shadow in question was listening in on me.
"Wait, hold on a minute." The analyst stared at me incredulously. "You spoke to Infrared before?"
My head nodded weakly. "Said she was a symptom… That the 'festering and rotting would soon be fatal'."
"And you didn't tell anyone?!"
"I…" Why hadn't I? It would've been so easy. And yet I hadn't. I kept silent. In the jumbled mess that was my brain, I searched for an answer. Yet when I opened my lips, someone else spoke with my voice. "I didn't want to believe her… I didn't want to worry you."
Suddenly a bright pain crashed into my head. My cheeks stung, but not as much as I felt inside as Lan grabbed my collar and glared at me with tears in her eyes. "You idiot! Why the hell would you try to keep that hidden?!"
"...Suddenly everything becomes clear," Grasper sighed as she pressed a hand against her head. "I saw the signs but… I didn't think it would come out like this."
Phoenix glared at the tinier girl. "Alright what the hell are you talking about?"
"I'd say it myself but the person in question"—She gestured towards me.—"Wouldn't believe me. It's something he needs to figure out for himself."
"I don't have time for that." I tried to get up again, only for my legs to grow shaky as I collapsed onto the ground. "Need to make… Armadillo… Pay…"
"67.73% chance that he's suffering from some form of shock," The black haired girl sighed as Lan placed me back onto the bed. "And a near one hundred percent chance that he won't stop trying to go after Armadillo regardless of what we do."
There was silence in the lab for a minute before Phoenix gripped her fist and nodded with determination. "I'll do it."
"Huh?" Grasper blinked.
"I'll go after Armadillo for him. It's not like I don't have my own beef with High Valhalla," The ponytailed girl growled. "You can figure out where he is right?"
The black haired girl slowly nodded. "Well I can try and calculate some things-"
"Great. Do whatever you have to do, just make it quick." The avian guildy turned towards me and looked me in the eyes. "That's alright with you right?"
For a moment I remained silent before nodding and lying back down on the bed. "...Yeah."
"Alright now that we have that sorted out can we please go back to how to stop Hong's own magical girl form from trying to kill him?!" Lan shouted. "You can come up with a cure right?!"
"Not a physical one, no," Grasper replied, only to wilt back as Lan glared at her with full power. "I-It's not like that! Based on what I've managed to figure out, I think the issue is more a mental one that happened to be amplified by magic then something that can be solved physically!"
She quickly pointed towards me before continuing to babble. "This- Tail Infrared seems to be in a… disagreement with Hong. If they come to an agreement then this whole problem will have a 89.76% chance of fixing itself!"
If we come to an agreement… That wasn't happening.
"Agh." I grunted, grabbing my head. "I'm not even sure how we talked to each other the first time. It was something that she initiated on her own…"
The analyst quickly gave me a look. "Was it dreamlike?"
"I thought it was a dream afterwards," I admitted. "I woke up so suddenly like it was just a nightmare but… She had written something with my own hands, so I was never really sure…"
"Alright." Grasper nodded before pulling out her phone and beginning to type on it. "I've mentioned before that my skill set includes hypnosis right? This is just a theory but I might be able to magically put you into a lucid dream state that would allow 'Infrared' to manifest. It would allow you two to meet but if things go wrong it might make the problem fatally worse. Maybe you won't ever be able to wake up, maybe you'll never be yourself again."
"So it could easily go wrong huh?" I glanced up at the sterile ceiling. I already felt like I was on death's door. This wasn't a problem that I could ignore and hope to go away. I had too… Had too… I made up my mind. "Cast the spell. I need to sort this out with her once and for all."
"I understand." An agonizingly long minute passed as Grasper closed her eyes. After what felt like an eternity later, she opened them again and adjusted her glasses. I could feel the magic charge within her pupils, making my hair stand on end. "The spell is complete. Whenever you're ready, just tell me."
"You better come back safely again alright?" Lan swore as she grabbed my hand and gripped it so tight it felt like my bones were going to break. "If you wake up and you're not yourself… I'll personally smash your head in until you're thinking straight again."
I smiled weakly. "Sounds like… That'll hurt."
My old friend nodded. "Like hell."
"I'll hold you to that then." I glanced over towards Phoenix who was already getting ready to set off. "Hold them off for as long as you can. Once I've got everything settled I'll join you on the battlefield."
"Hey! Who the hell do you think you're talking to!?" The ultimate ultroid unlifer shouted. "I'm a former Vice Commander! I can handle the likes of Armadillo by myself! If you aren't fast enough I'll just pummel him to the ground before you can even get your revenge!"
I laughed before turning over to the last person. "And Grasper-"
"Don't say anything," The petite girl interrupted as she stared into my eyes. "You don't have to say anything. I already know. Just keep that feeling in your chest and don't let go alright?"
My head nodded dumbly as I stared deep into her pupils. I never realized how fascinating they were, how big they were, like the entire world was fading away. Everything except for faded away, muffled voices as my body grew as light as a feather. Thoughts becoming loose and fluffy. Before I even realized it, I couldn't move a single muscle.
"We'll be waiting for you," someone spoke. I couldn't tell who. "And, goodnight."
Magic blinded my view and my consciousness faded.
I didn't open my eyes.
"You sure this is the place?" Phoenix asked as she stared up at the chain link fence.
"The signal is coming from in here." Grasper replied over the line. "As for how to get it-"
"I got it." The ponytailed girl didn't hesitate for a second as she jumped, causally scaling over the fence before jumping off, landing on her feet without a single scratch.
"...Right." The analyst said flatly.
"As if a fence could keep a Guildy out." Phoenix shrugged before examining the area. "A construction site? Really?"
"I did a bit of digging. Apparently the company behind it went bankrupt so it's just been sitting here for years half finished." The girl on mission control explained. "Be careful though. The tight space is perfect for Armadillo's Rollout."
"Which means they probably picked this place on purpose." The avian guildy cursed as she wandered inside. Rusty nails littered the ground as the floor creaked beneath her. "Odds that this is a trap?"
"100% chance the Fenrir picked this place intentionally." A growl escaped Grasper's lips as she mentioned the name. "You know how he is."
"Then let's just skip this whole anticipation part, don't want to play into that bastard's hands any longer then I have to." Phoenix cracked her shoulder before cupping a hand to her lips and shouting. "OI! I KNOW YOU'RE HERE YOU FUCKS! COME OUT AND FACE ME LIKE A MAN!"
"...Way to go." Grasper deadpanned.
"Hey they're gonna show up eventually." She shrugged before returning to yelling. "HEY! LISTEN!"
"Oh for Yggdraasil's sake would you please shut up?!" A familiar nasally voice entered her ears as Phoenix glanced up through a whole in the ceiling. Fenrir sat untransformed, as anemic as always while a sharp fang porturted through his teeth. He glared at her through messy hair. "Having to listen to your voice is a form of torture that could violate the geneva convention."
"Right back at you." The former vice commander growled. "You have some nerve looking so at ease after that little stunt you pulled! I didn't know Valkyria was so into disrespecting the dead!"
"Do not bring that bitch up right now!" Fenrir bit back. "I did what I had to for the Guildys! Nothing more, nothing less! That kind of security breach couldn't be allowed to exist!"
Phoenix cocked an eyebrow. "So it wasn't on your commander's orders then?"
"It was for Yggdrasil's sake!"
"But did she order it?"
The canine Guildy glared at her before sparks appeared in his hands before he shot it right towards her, causing it to ricochet throughout the construction site. "...I grow tired of this. I know she would have approved of my plan."
"Cheap asshole!" Phoenix shouted back as she dodged the bullet, tapping the Ponytail Gear on her wrist. "If you're ready to throw down then bring it on!"
"Idiot," Fenrir snorted. "I'm not the one you'll be fighting."
It happened in an instant. Before she could even transform, the sound of whirling wind reached her ear, from behind her. Phoenix turned around but all she could see was a red comet, blurring before smashing into her body. Her burning red blood blended together with Armadillo's red scales as he tore her to smithereens. Inside became outside until eventually, what was once a human of flesh and blood aws a mere smeer on the ground.
Rollout: 1000 Base Damage, +472 Dice, +666 Horrific Speed Gap = 2138 Total Damage
Phoenix Guildy: 15 Base Resilience, +11 Dice, -8 Too Fast To React = 18 Total Reduction
2120 End Damage
Phoenix Guildy: 250 - 2120 = -1870 Remaining HP
Armadillo unfurled himself, letting out a huff and a puff glancing over at the corpse of Phoenix Guildy. "Did I do it right? I mean she looks pretty dead but- It is Phoenix we're talking about!"
"Yes, and that's exactly why you should get ready." Fenrir rolled his eyes. "That pain in the ass is just getting started."
AS IF I'D DIE LIKE THAT!
MIRAGE REVIVE!
Phoenix: 0 + 250 HP = 250 HP Remaining
The former vice commander's body went up in flames. As if her death had just been an illusion, the red haired avenger burst out of it with a roar of fury. It was a horrific sight, but none of the Guildys watching the scene batted an eye. There was a reason that Phoenix Guildy had been the vice commander of Azure Wing. Even if she wasn't the strongest, the fastest, or the smartest, there was one thing that separated her from other Guildys. She was bloody, clothes torn and damaged, but she didn't care about any of that as she pointed straight at Fenrir. "Listen up! The dead should never be messed with in this world, because they hold a grudge! And grudges? Grudges will never die."
With a growl of burning fury, she held up her wrist. "Ponytail Gear, Ignite!"
Magical circles formed around her as she was adorned with blazing armor. The power of the Ponytail affinity coursing through her veins as the helmet materialized over her face, completing the transformation. This was the unending flame, the immortal warrior. She who would never die until she had gained her rightful vengeance. Phoenix Guildy.
"I have my own reasons to be pissed at you guys, but I'll be pulling double duty today," the avian guildy declared as she got into a fighting stance. "My engine's been ignited, can't you hear it roaring?!"
"Striker Armadillo, take care of this." Fenrir waved. "I don't have time to get into a pointless fight."
"Yes sir!" The short guildy saluted before pausing. "But are you sure I can do this? N-Not that I'm doubting you or anything but-"
"Quit it with that annoying speech habit of yours!" Phoenix interrupted. "Pick to an answer and stick with it!"
"Do whatever you can to fight her," the tactiation ordered. "If you kill her, kill her. If you fight her, fight her. The only thing you must not do is run away."
"Understood." Armadillo nodded, as his body began to bounce with a maniac energy. "I'll attack her in every way possible!"
"It doesn't matter how many ways you attack me." With a stomp, her magic flared. The truth was simple. "I won't die."
Burning bright, the immortal warrior set the stage. Unstoppable force met immovable object.
Thus, they charged.
[] Sucker punch him in the face!
[] BURNING PHOENIX KICK GO!
[] Write In.
A Spell Token has been acquired. Token Development counter reset to 0/6.
Select a use for the token:
[] Create new spell
-[] Describe spell concept
[] Upgrade a previous token spell
-[] Twintails Assault evolves to Twinned Tails
[] Brake Decoupling
[] Save Token
+24 EXP Words never to be heard.
+18 EXP Mind Shattering Fury
82 + 42 = 124 EXP
AN: So if you read my long AN note last update you might remember how I said I was thinking of starting a patreon. Well I got a scale and it turns out I'm really underweight right now so here check it. I'm not really taking money for this quest specifically (Due to the over abundance of expies, usage of art that isn't mine, multiple people helping me out, etc) but I will accept money for generally supporting my writing. Plus I've got two stories that are patreon exclusive (for now) up there as well. Shameless plug aside, this update is way too long so I'm going to go do something that isn't writing now. Have fun!
A low growl escaped his lips. "Goddammit! Who does she think she is?!"
Taking a deep breath, the guildy kicked back on his chair and glanced up at the information he had managed to collect. It wasn't particularly hard, even with Grasper on the lookout. The video clip of that soccer match—he'd begrudgingly admit was almost worthy of the title of Guidly Soccer—had been all over the internet. That's how he managed to track them down in the first place. Figuring out who they had been hanging out with was child's play, and from there began his near week and a half long investigation of their current activities.
Learning where they were staying, who they were hanging out with, what activities they were up to outside of school. It was almost to the level of a stalker, except he was a professional and this was his job in the first place. The hardest part of all of this was making sure that Grasper didn't catch on to him. Or rather, that should've been the hardest part about all of this.
After careful observation and investigation into this… Adolescencia, the wolf guildy had finally decided to take his surveillance a step further. Making sure that only the mundane civilians were inside the cafe, he secretly tried to implant some recording devices- And was promptly caught once the boy Valkryia had an eye on swapped shift with his mother.
"She's just a regular human," Fenrir mumbled to himself, gripping his arm. "Doesn't even have any magical power."
He had checked just to make sure. Sure he hadn't had the time to do a deep investigation, but all he could find when searching for Yuen Liang was an avalanche of cosplay photos. So many he wondered if she was a full time model, but apparently she was just "doing it as a hobby" while she worked at the cafe. And yet, as a hobby cosplayer cafe owner, she had somehow managed to instantly spot and remove every single recording device he had planted in the cafe and managed to single out it was him when he was stealthily making his retreat.
Their eyes had met for a moment. Reflected in the mirror, was someone with no magic or power to speak of… but her skill in everything else froze him on the spot.
Taking a deep breath, the tactician sent the results of his investigation up towards his superiors before pressing the call button on his Guildy Gear. "Striker Armadillo Guildy, report to the tacticians room. We're about to transition to the next phase of the plan."
A shy, quiet voice came out from the other end of the call. "Really? Has it been approved? N-Not that I've doubted you! But are you really sure about this-"
"Yes it's been approved!" he growled into the Envy Gear. "Get over here so I can fill you in on the details!"
"I'm on it sir! Though this is kinda- Never mind that!"
Rolling his eyes at his fellow Valhalla member's speech pattern, Fenrir Guildy idly tapped his finger as the words of his "Vice Commander" came to mind. This plan could not fail, both for the sake of his pride and High Valhalla. He'd pull this off and that would be the start of his climb back towards Yggdrasil's side. No, he'd gain the respect of everybody-
"Reporting in, Fenrir sir!" The nervous figure of Armadillo exclaimed at the top of his lungs as he walked into the room already saluting. "I'm a bit worried about going this far- But I'm always ready to do my duty!"
" 'This far?' " The tactician scoffed. "We're already dealing with two renegade units, not to mention a magical girl herself. If we aren't going to go all out, then we've failed before we've even begun."
"Yes, but attacking a civilian establishment? Not that I'm worried or anything but-" Armadillo fumbled around with his hands before rubbing his Guildy Gear. "Don't we only go this far in special cases?"
"This is a special case." Fenrir gestured towards the monitor as he pulled up a specific file that he managed to get before his investigation went to hell. "There's been a security breach…"
And thus, the longest nightmare I had ever experienced would begin.
"Goddammit!" Phoenix yelled as she pressed her face into the counter. "I'm so bored!"
"You should be grateful you know." Grasper replied as she continued to type on her phone, thumbs going so fast that it was practically a blur. "I would've thought you'd appreciate being able to go two weeks without getting into a fight."
"I mean yeah, but…" The ponytailed girl struggled for words before slumping over. "It's not like we're doing anything either! Hong's been training this whole time and the only thing I've been going is homework and getting beaten up by-"
"I'm here," a certain blue haired martial artist declared as she walked into the cafe. "I'd like a plate of curry please, Mrs. Liang. Club was really active today."
And yet despite saying that, Lan didn't even look like she had broken a sweat.
"Coming right up," Mom cried as she began moving towards the kitchen. "You want some as well Hong?"
"After last night's dinner?" I asked, flopping like a dead fish. "I'm good, thanks."
My childhood friend plopped herself down on to the seat next to me before giving a side eyed glance. "...What's up with him?"
"Math test." My voice came out in a groan. "Grasper had me staying up all night studying."
"Hong is statistically more likely to succeed in his exams when there's someone there to tailor the material to his specific needs." The girl in question adjusted her glasses before flipping her phone towards us. "See? The data is right here."
"...Have you just been taking data on everything Hong's done?" Lan asked, only for Grasper to nod. "That's uh, kinda creepy."
"See why we call her a stalker!?" Phoenix laughed as she slapped the smaller girl on the back, causing her to let out a grunt.
"It's important data!" Grasper protested. "WIth observational research I can fine tune my calculations to be more efficient!"
"Sure," the avian Guildy agreed with damning sarcasm. "And what have you learned?"
"Well for starters…" The black haired girl poked my exhausted body's sides. "Hong, transform."
"Here?" I complained, looking around to find the cafe empty. "Hold on. Mom! Mind if I close up shop?"
"Go ahead!" She cried from the back. "Your food will be ready soon and I need to grind the event anyways!"
"Event?" Grasper blinked. "For which game?"
"Super Robot Wars-"
"Tail On!" I cried, cutting her off as I transformed. "I am Magical Girl Tail Red."
"...Does he have to say that every time?" Phoenix asked.
"It's part of the magic, yes." Grasper nodded, though honestly I would've said it when I transformed either way. "But speaking of, according to my calculations Hong should be 93.42% of the way there towards fixing his engine."
"Well I could've told you that." my fellow redhead grumbled. "His magic has been speeding up in general. Like his soul is unclogging itself after decades of eating junk food."
"He's not going to start expelling impurities right?" Lan asked. "Some of the guys at school think that martial arts stories are real and I don't want them to be correct."
"I don't think that's how this works?" I piped up as I closed my eyes and began to focus on my magic. "It's more like exerting a muscle. If muscles operated like liquid."
"Liquid huh?" I heard Lan get up from the counter before there was the sound of… the sink? "Like this?"
"Like wha-" Was all I could get out before suddenly a rush of cold assaulted me. If I hadn't been doing all that training, I wouldn't have been able to keep my magic from going out of control and giving me terrible soul cramps. As it stood, the only thing I did was stand there. Water dripped from my twintails as I slowly opened my eyes and glared at the culprit. "Really?"
"I don't know much about magic, but I do have experience with something similar." Lan shrugged as she went to fill up another cup of water. "You remember the weapons I used against those weird bugface things right? Riptide and Redtide? What do you think is the difference between the two?"
It was not really a sight I liked to remember but I racked my head before coming up with the obvious answer. "Ones made of water and ones made of blood?"
"Right, right." She nodded. "And what's the difference between blood and water?"
Oh now this one is obvious! "One's red and the other isn't!"
"...Yes, but also no." Grasper sighed as she turned towards Lan. "You're trying to say that it's thicker isn't it?"
"Yeah, Riptide is a wave of water so it's good for general area and brute force attacks. Redtide is made of blood, and it's thickness makes it good for more penetrative attacks," the veteran magical girl explained before holding out the cup towards me. "You'll get it better if you swirl your finger through this."
The water was cool to the touch, but I plunged my tiny finger inside of it and began to spin while Lan continued to talk. "They each require different needs, but both magic and martial arts operate on that feeling of flow. It's in understanding how to utilize that force that one is able to use techniques. You've already got a grasp on how to control your physical strength right?"
I did. It was hard to put into words, but strength and tension… When I unleashed my martial arts, I turned my body into a conductor of physical force and unleashed it all into my fists. In a sense, it was like the water that I was swirling with my finger right now. Clear and smooth.
But magic wasn't like that.
It still flowed through my body, but it was thicker and stronger. When I wasn't forcing it to move in a specific direction, it trickled down slowly through my body. I circulated the flow of mana through my body, feeling it's characteristics. It most definitely wasn't water, but for a few seconds I struggled with how to describe it. Then, it hit me. Or rather, I smelt it. Wafting in from the kitchen, the scent of Mom's cooking drifted into the cafe.
Oil.
My magic was like oil.
Not exactly cooking oil, but not gasoline oil either. It was an oil specific to me, my very essence that burned brightly whenever I ignited it. As if my magic was responding to me, I felt power rush through my body ready to go off at any moment. Yes that was it! By controlling the feeling of the oil, where it ignited and how, I was able to 'use' my spells! Magic is energy and spells are just how you use that energy! Then when I was creating Twintail Assault… Subconsciously I was adjusting the flavor and amount of oil I was using so that when I ignited the spell I had created a totally new one.
That meant that if I could just get the proportions right then I should be able to create new spells!
"This…" I held out a hand in front of me as it shook, magic ready to be sparked at any moment. "This is magic stuff."
(+1 Spell Token)
Grasper's head whipped towards Lan's, eyes wide behind her glasses frames. "How?! His grasp over his magic is at 99%! If he wanted too, he could fix his engine right now!"
"What can I say? I know my stuff." A cocky smirk grew on Lan's face. "And I've been Hong's teacher for years now. I know what he's like. Don't think you can just get ahead with a couple of numbers."
"Bullshit your method of teaching is sink or swim!" Phoenix cried, rubbing her arms for a reason I could very much relate to. "I'm still sore from yesterday!"
"You're training martial arts. Of course it's going to hurt." Lan rolled her eyes. "That's how you build up muscle and skill. Just give yourself some time to grow and you'll get better."
"I'm growing faster than you in one area…" The ponytailed girl mumbled, only to freeze as the cafe suddenly dropped ten degrees. Phoenix quickly turned around and began waving her arms. "Height! I meant height!"
"Nice save," I said to myself more than anyone else. Although I hadn't been on the receiving end of a 'Blue Smash' in weeks, I had gotten smashed in the stomach for poor choice of words more times than I would like to admit. Personally I blamed Twirl, but I wasn't going to say that out loud, so I quickly tried to change the subject. "Your grandpa's training is supposed to be way harsher right?"
"Hm? Well, I guess." Lan nodded idly, twirling a finger through her twintails. "Personally I think my sister and I have more experience actually teaching people since we're often assistants in the dojo when it's open for the season. Gramps likes to focus on the more advanced stuff, iron palm and the like."
"Iron palm?!" Grasper suddenly blurted out, her eyes going wide. "You mean that training where you smash your hand into burning hot sand for 60 days?!"
"Yeah that's the one." Lan raised her hand, idly glancing at her palms. "I did it myself when I was like, ten? Gramps was hesitant but I pushed through with it along with the other disciples. In the end I came out of it okay, but I've seen people get really sick and have to quit halfway through the training."
We all stared at her wide eyed before Grasper spoke up. "...Why would you go through with that?!"
"At a certain point, martial arts becomes about conditioning your body," she replied as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "When I was younger I was… really into getting into every martial arts technique I could find. There was even one time where I spent my entire summer vacation learning under every master I could, no matter the style."
"Ah, I think I remember that." It was way back when my memory was foggy but… "You got mad because most of them ran away crying right?"
"It's not my fault all the so called 'big names' turned out to be frauds," Lan muttered darkly. "All their 'skill' and 'popularity' came from cons. If I didn't expose them then they would've been crushed by the new wave of magic users anyways. Speaking of, I've heard about practitioners who incorporate martial arts into their styles and martial artists who use magic but they're hard to find and most magical girls just rely on their magical instincts. Super annoying."
"Practitioners who use magic…" Grasper muttered, turning back to her phone before her thumbs started blurring again. A few minutes later her face lit up and she handed the device over to Lan. "Like this?"
My childhood friend stared at the screen, her eyes laser focused as she took in whatever was on the device. "Oh! I've never seen a fighting style like this before! Is it just the result of magic or… No these movements don't have roots in eastern or western martial arts! It's similar, but a whole new style!"
"It's Elven Martial Arts." The ToHO user explained. "There are few videos of it for now, but they have their own history of fighting styles and techniques."
"Elves, huh?" A shiver ran down my spine as an eerie laugh escaped Lan's lips. There was a glint in her eyes I hadn't seen in a long time, a seemingly bottomless abyss with an insatiable appetite. She was a master of martial arts, a genius in fighting. That was something I've known for a long time. But the thing I had forgotten was what drove her to become that. The simple fact that Lan was a martial arts maniac. Like a demon possessed, she took in every movement of what was happening on screen never turning her eyes away for a moment. Practically slobbering over it. "Heaven truly is wide huh? I was only looking at human martial artists, but there are more than just humans now. Gah! I'm so dumb! I had eyes, but I failed to see mount Tai!"
"Uh." Phoenix scooted back before leaning over towards me. "Is she alright?"
"She's been through this phase before," I replied back in a whisper. "We're just going to have to deal with being her test dummies for the next few training sessions."
"Oh that's a relief- As if that makes it any better!"
"Food's ready!" Mom called, entering into the cafe before placing Lan's plate on to the counter, causing her to instantly snap out of it. A bright red blush appeared on her face as she quickly turned away from us before beginning to scarf down her food. Mom merely chuckled before turning towards me. "Hong, no magical girl transformations at the table. It's rude."
"Ah sorry!" I cried, dispelling the transformation before taking a seat and blinking. "Wait didn't I say I wasn't in the mood for curry?"
"It's not curry." She replied with a smile as she placed a plate of lo mai gai in front of me. "I've been getting into dim sum lately and I wanted you guys to try it."
"Oh yeah!" Phoenix cried, practically drooling already. "Do you have any cheung fun?! I haven't been able to eat any in months!"
"Months? What do you mean months?" Grasper asked. "Did you have dim sum that often?!"
"You're just mad because the only thing people get you is cold cha siu bao."
"I can order my own take out!"
"Sorry, but not yet." Mom replied with a shrug. "It's a pretty tough skill to master and getting good ingredients for a cafe like ours is pretty hard. I'm probably going to have to ask Emu to leverage her connections soon. But enough about that. Hurry up before it gets cold!"
We all looked at each other (Except Lan who was already finishing her plate) before shouting as one. "Let's eat!"
The food was good, as always. Well, it was scalding hot and I'm pretty sure I burnt my tongue, but I had faith in my mom's cooking. Judging by everyone else's reaction, I'm pretty sure there wasn't anything majorly wrong with it. Regardless of if I just swallowed poison or not, we spent the rest of the day just making idle small talk, drifting from one topic to another at seemingly random. Homework, idols, everything and anything we could think of as we simply just hung out.
"Well, I'm off." Lan waved as she stood at the door. "It's been fun but I've got a test tomorrow."
"Glad I'm free of that," I muttered, thinking about my own trials. "See you later then."
The blue haired girl just gave us a wave before closing the door on her way out. The bells jingled for a bit, ringing throughout the cafe before Phoenix stretched. "That was a good meal but I'm going to go get some exercise. What are you two gonna do?"
"I still have more shows I need to catch up with." Ultraman was fine, but Manarangers was still preferable in my opinion, even if the latest developments have been kind of iffy. "What about you Grasper?"
The black haired girl didn't respond, instead silently staring out the window. Her eyes squinting as she fiddled with her glasses. I poked her arm. "Hello? Grasper? Everything alright?"
"...Is that really…?" I wasn't sure if the analyst actually needed glasses to correct her vision but from the way she was concentrating I don't think Grasper was getting a good look at whatever she was staring at. "No. They wouldn't be so bold as to…"
"Hey! Stalker!" Phoenix shouted, tapping Grasper with her foot. "What are you staring out now?"
"77- 83- 97- 100% Chance I'm staring at-!" The girl suddenly let out a panicked scream and that's when I saw it. Outside the window there was something growing closer and closer, something that was specifically running towards the cafe. It was fast, blurring through the streets before with a flying leap it lunged at the window, the sound of glass shattering drowning out Grasper's shout. "Everyone look out!"
Mom came dashing into the cafe but it was too late. The intruder was already here. Jumping over the broken glass, it suddenly split into three copies of themselves before they each dashed over towards one of us. It was only on instinct and muscle that I was able to react as the intruder suddenly launched a fist towards my face. Still I braced I myself for impact- Only for it to never come as the attack simply vanished. Dazed and disoriented, I was only able to get my bearings as a cry shot through the cafe.
"Gah!" Grasper yelled as the intruder grabbed her in a headlock, stealing the frames off her face before crushing them in its hands. Anger burned on the analyst's face even as her eyes began to scrunch up in pain. "Why you-!"
She didn't have time to finish that statement as the intruder kneed her into the ground, knocking the wind out of her before tossing her like a rag doll to the floor. "Dark Grasper neutralized. W-Was that the best move? Fenrir said to take her out first so it probably was!"
It was only then that I managed to get a good look at them. The intruder seemed human at first glance, but on closer inspection one could see that the red plates that covered their body weren't armor, but rather actually a part of their flesh, even as they were absolutely studded with bone spikes. If that wasn't confirmation enough, their face was absurdly angular, their jaws filled with visible teeth as their tiny eyes darted about in the slitts of their mask. But honestly the thing that caught my attention the most was their size. Not because of how large they were. Rather it was the opposite. They were absurdly small, barely even reaching up to my waist.
"C-Careful," Grasper coughed out as she grabbed on to my pants. "That's-"
"ARMADILLO!" Phoenix roared, fists already raging as she readied her Guildy Gear. "The hell do you think you're doing?! Attacking us in broad daylight?! Are you serious?!"
"Sorry- Not sorry- Kinda!" Armadillo Guildy stuttered out. "I don't really want to do this- But orders are orders- And this is an emergency!"
The guildy cocked his head to the side before nodding. "Understood! Proceeding with the plan! Rollout!"
With a manic energy, the Guildy tucked in on himself, the spikes edging his armor locking together like teeth on a gear as it snapped into a sphere. A gust of wind tore through the interior of the cafe as he began to spin at high speeds, bouncing himself around Adolescencia's walls. The sound of chaos and destruction met my ears as he vanished from my sight, smashing into every bit of furniture we had. Just when Phoenix and I were about to transform however, the orb launched itself towards us, splitting into three as it did.
"T-" Was all I managed to get out before two of the orbs began to descend upon me. Time seemed to slow down to a crawl as I tried to call upon my magic to be just a single second faster than the enemy was. But it wasn't enough. Or rather, it seemed to reject me. A headache tore through my skull as the scaled Guildy descended upon me, the other orbs vanishing as he launched himself straight at me. I wasn't able to save myself.
Someone else did though.
A boom ripped through the cafe as something smashed into Armadillo, sending him off course just enough so that he only smashed into the counter behind me. There was a light chink as he unfurrled himself, something clattering to the floor as smoke whisped through the air. The world came to a stand still as we all turned towards the source.
"Didn't I tell you to make a reservation?" Mom said in her usual carefree tone, but her eyes were anything but relaxed. A sharp coldness that I had never seen before, her gaze was like a knife's edge as she held a sturdy grip on the gun in her hands. "Honestly. Some people."
What was this? Who was this? I had seen many things since I first awakened as a magical girl, but the woman with the loaded pistol still laser focused on the Guildy felt like an entirely different person from the Mom I knew. Since when did she even have a gun?
Armadillo seemed to be just as confused as me, but for different reasons. "Y-You hit me?! How?!"
"Oh please. Don't delude yourself," The red haired woman scoffed. "As if I wouldn't be able to figure out such a cheap trick. I only needed to see it once to get the hang of it."
With that she pulled the trigger again, the blast ringing in my ears as the bullets smashed into the Guildy's scales. "You guys don't like being known right? This little thing can't do anything to you, but it will draw attention."
Armadillo grunted before glancing out the window behind him. Suddenly he let out a nervous whine before furling in on himself again. "Rollout!"
Instantly he split into three before proceeding not to attack us but rather speed past us and-
"He's going into the house!" Phoenix shouted as we all scrambled to our feet and began to chase after him. We all burrowed into the living room but it was already a wreck as his three copies suddenly split off into different directions. "Dammit! His ability is always so annoying!"
"A-Armadilo is probably…" Grasper spoke up, but her voice was lost in a dazed confusion.
"Here," Mom suddenly reached into her pocket before pulling out a pair of cosplay glasses, which were really just frames with some lenses attached. "Take these."
"...Adequate." The black haired girl grunted as she fixed them to her face. "According to my calculations there's a 95.67% chance that Armadillo is after something!"
"The hell's so important that they had to break into our house?!" Phoenix cried as we all began to hussle through the halls.
"Whatever it is isn't important, we just got to find him before he gets it!" Grasper shouted back. "Now split up and go!"
"Right!" I exclaimed, dashing up the stairs as I looked at the mess the hallway was in. Doors had been smashed open, pictures had been knocked down, it was like a hurricane had passed through. "Tai- Agh!"
The pain continued to rip through my head as I tried to transform again. I grit my teeth as I pushed myself to keep standing. "Dammit! Why now?!"
Alright let's think Hong. What the hell was Armadillo after? This was the first time that any Guildy had directly attacked my home, not counting Crab. If he wanted to capture any of us, he could've done it back when we were all in the cafe, so it probably wasn't any of us. Was he after something in the lab? No, how would he even know what was in the lab? I didn't know what was in the lab and if there was something that the Guildys were after, security measures were already in place. Think! What could count as a special emergency!?
Something that the Guildys would deem important… Something that they would be aware of... Something like- Like the tapes Drag had left behind.
"Oh no." I let out before a fire blazed through my veins, pushing me through the halls before bursting into my room. It was absolutely ruined, but that wasn't what I was paying attention to. Rather, it was the Guildy standing in the middle of it, cassette tapes in his hands.
"As if I'd let you!" I shouted, throwing myself at Armadillo and tackling him to the floor with my larger size. The spikes dug into my skin but I persisted, trying to claw the tapes out of his grubby little hands still grasping on to them tight. "Hand them over!"
"I can't do that- Well I could but- I won't do it!" Armadillo shouted as he threw me off. I let out a cough of pain but I quickly picked myself up.
"Hong!" Grasper shouted as everyone else bursted into the room. "Are you alright?!"
"Crap crap crap. This is bad. This is so bad." Armadillo muttered as sirens could be heard from the distance. Suddenly he titled his head before stiffening up. "Are you sure Fenrir? Not that I'm doubting you but- That is true!"
"Give! Them! Back!" I roared only for him to suddenly split into three and dodge me, sending me crashing into the walls of my room with a loud bang.
"High Valhalla exists to eliminate any threat to the Guildys at all costs," The short monster recited nervously as it held the cassette tapes high in the air. "S-Something like Noble Heart's dying will can't be allowed to exist! Executing orders!"
And then suddenly the Guildy tossed the Cassette Tapes to the floor and stomped on them hard. The crushing sound resounded in my ears, both inside and out. I could only stare transfixed as the dying wishes of Armadillo's comrades were utterly demolished by his own hand. Crunch. Crunch. It was a bad melody, but one I couldn't get out of my head.
"Haa… Haa…" Armadillo breathed out. "Orders complete. Commencing phase two."
I wanted to move, to tear off his scales one by one and rip into him with my own bare hands. Yet like a limp puppet, my body refused to answer. It was almost like I was watching through someone else's eyes.
That was probably why I wasn't even able to register when my mouth began to spill out words, until the finale reached my lips and my magic flared. "Awaken, O Sleeping Demon. Show the world once more the terror of your wrath."
The fires of hell engulfed my body, but I didn't care. No, I welcomed them. Because this was a hell I had called upon with my hands. Who was I? Myself was jumbled together, lost, burnt away, until I was merely a burning flame given flesh. Blood of nightmares, heart of darkness.
"I am Magical Girl Tail Infrared." I declared, my voice for once a cold fury rather than the proud demeanor I typically held. "And you have fucked up."
...Of course things would end this way. For the me-who-isn't-me, this was the only way things could end.
"Ah- Uh!" Armadillo stuttered out before splitting into two, one of the copies charged towards me while the other broke my fucking door by charging into the balcony and jumping off and furling himself into a ball. "Rollout!"
Trying to distract me with a failed path? As if that would work on a master of destruction like me.
"Shadow Steps." I hissed out, blending into the shadows. The attacking Armadillo vanished and instantly I was charging, directly at the heels of the rolling beast as it rumbled and tumbled through the streets. The flames of nightmares and ruin pushed me forward, our race towards the ever present end continuing onwards as Armadillo tried to shake me off. WInd blasted my face, pushing my hair back as I readied the Inferno Saber, already burning hot from the sheer wrath coursing through my veins. "You cannot escape from your end! Oblivion Rush!"
The Guildy let out a pathetic screech, creating a copy that dashed to the left and one that dashed to the right. But it was too late, for I was already upon the fool. In a burst of speed, I appeared behind him and began my assault.
Oblivion Rush: 250 Base Damage, +112 Dice = 312 Total Damage
Oblivion Rush: 250 Base Damage, +215 Dice = 465 Total Damage
Oblivion Rush: 250 Base Damage, +138 Dice = 388 Total Damage
Oblivion Rush: 250 Base Damage, +134 Dice = 384 Total Damage
1,549 Unified Damage
Armadillo: 240 Base Resilience, +165 Dice, -120 Too Fast To React = 285 Total Reduction
1,264 Total Damage
Each of my blows were filled with fury, rage, wrath, destruction. The beast before me had committed an unforgivable sin, and for that I would be judge, jury, and the executioner. Beating the Guildy within an inch of its life-
Armadillo Guildy: NONEXISTENCE ERROR
Only for it to suddenly vanish once more. The other copies screamed in terror as they disappeared from my vision. "I'm sorry Fenrir! I can't do this!"
"GET BACK HERE!" I roared, the umbral darkness blasting me forward as I hunted down my prey. "YOU WERE THE ONE WHO CHOSE THIS PATH! YOUR EXISTENCE SHALL END HERE!"
But it was too late. The shadows whispered where he was, but both of his copies had dashed off into drastically different directions. Neither was fake, they were simply a choice that hadn't been made. Armadillo had obscured himself with his own possibilities. I had run out of strength to walk the shadows and by the time it would recharge, the thing would split into more and more possibilities just to lose me.
This was it. He had escaped.
I, had failed.
The shackle on my wrist came to life with a piercing beep. A rat's voice screeching me into my ear. "Hong! Where the hell are you!?"
"...Drowning. Deeper. Darker," I breathed out, feeling the heat in my chest consume me. "I won't forgive him. I can't forgive him. That arrogant fool. As if the blind could choose which path to walk."
"Huh?!"
"The shadows grow long." My head grew fuzzy as the magic keeping me together dispelled itself. "Say your goodbyes."
With that the spell was undone, leaving me as myself. My head was a jumbled mess, and all I could do was collapse onto the wall and stare into the bright sky above. The heat of the sun burned into my skin, but I didn't care. The only thing I could even do was exist, breath, and try to get my thoughts sorted out.
I wasn't sure how long I sat like that until someone I knew, someone I didn't want to know, found me.
"Well?!" I heard Lan ask. "How is he?!"
"It doesn't look good that's for sure," Phoenix replied, peering into my eyes. "Like his magic is trying to cannibalize itself."
"I'm… Fine," I managed to get out. We were all hiding away in Twirl's laboratory while the police were investigating what had occured upstairs. Mom said that she had it handled but this close of a run in with the law was- Never a good sign you have to MOVE. "Gotta- Gotta find Armadillo-"
I pushed myself off the medbay only for Phoenix to sit me back down. "Uh-uh. You aren't going anywhere. I'm not even sure you can transform in that state, at least not without becoming Tail Infrared again."
"I've never heard of anything like this happening," Grasper muttered to herself as her fingers flew across the keyboard. "The alternate form thing was weird by itself but I could pass that off as just a magical girl thing."
"So it's like an illness you didn't manage to catch?!" Lan shouted, only for Grasper to glare back at her.
"I'm sorry for not expecting soul cancer!" the bespectacled girl snapped before shutting off the computer. "I can only calculate what I have data on!"
"Shut… up." I clutched at my head, it hurt like hell but I pressed on. "Not your fault. It's mine. Infrared told me… Gah!"
Something pierced my brain. It was sharp, like the shadow in question was listening in on me.
"Wait, hold on a minute." The analyst stared at me incredulously. "You spoke to Infrared before?"
My head nodded weakly. "Said she was a symptom… That the 'festering and rotting would soon be fatal'."
"And you didn't tell anyone?!"
"I…" Why hadn't I? It would've been so easy. And yet I hadn't. I kept silent. In the jumbled mess that was my brain, I searched for an answer. Yet when I opened my lips, someone else spoke with my voice. "I didn't want to believe her… I didn't want to worry you."
Suddenly a bright pain crashed into my head. My cheeks stung, but not as much as I felt inside as Lan grabbed my collar and glared at me with tears in her eyes. "You idiot! Why the hell would you try to keep that hidden?!"
"...Suddenly everything becomes clear," Grasper sighed as she pressed a hand against her head. "I saw the signs but… I didn't think it would come out like this."
Phoenix glared at the tinier girl. "Alright what the hell are you talking about?"
"I'd say it myself but the person in question"—She gestured towards me.—"Wouldn't believe me. It's something he needs to figure out for himself."
"I don't have time for that." I tried to get up again, only for my legs to grow shaky as I collapsed onto the ground. "Need to make… Armadillo… Pay…"
"67.73% chance that he's suffering from some form of shock," The black haired girl sighed as Lan placed me back onto the bed. "And a near one hundred percent chance that he won't stop trying to go after Armadillo regardless of what we do."
There was silence in the lab for a minute before Phoenix gripped her fist and nodded with determination. "I'll do it."
"Huh?" Grasper blinked.
"I'll go after Armadillo for him. It's not like I don't have my own beef with High Valhalla," The ponytailed girl growled. "You can figure out where he is right?"
The black haired girl slowly nodded. "Well I can try and calculate some things-"
"Great. Do whatever you have to do, just make it quick." The avian guildy turned towards me and looked me in the eyes. "That's alright with you right?"
For a moment I remained silent before nodding and lying back down on the bed. "...Yeah."
"Alright now that we have that sorted out can we please go back to how to stop Hong's own magical girl form from trying to kill him?!" Lan shouted. "You can come up with a cure right?!"
"Not a physical one, no," Grasper replied, only to wilt back as Lan glared at her with full power. "I-It's not like that! Based on what I've managed to figure out, I think the issue is more a mental one that happened to be amplified by magic then something that can be solved physically!"
She quickly pointed towards me before continuing to babble. "This- Tail Infrared seems to be in a… disagreement with Hong. If they come to an agreement then this whole problem will have a 89.76% chance of fixing itself!"
If we come to an agreement… That wasn't happening.
"Agh." I grunted, grabbing my head. "I'm not even sure how we talked to each other the first time. It was something that she initiated on her own…"
The analyst quickly gave me a look. "Was it dreamlike?"
"I thought it was a dream afterwards," I admitted. "I woke up so suddenly like it was just a nightmare but… She had written something with my own hands, so I was never really sure…"
"Alright." Grasper nodded before pulling out her phone and beginning to type on it. "I've mentioned before that my skill set includes hypnosis right? This is just a theory but I might be able to magically put you into a lucid dream state that would allow 'Infrared' to manifest. It would allow you two to meet but if things go wrong it might make the problem fatally worse. Maybe you won't ever be able to wake up, maybe you'll never be yourself again."
"So it could easily go wrong huh?" I glanced up at the sterile ceiling. I already felt like I was on death's door. This wasn't a problem that I could ignore and hope to go away. I had too… Had too… I made up my mind. "Cast the spell. I need to sort this out with her once and for all."
"I understand." An agonizingly long minute passed as Grasper closed her eyes. After what felt like an eternity later, she opened them again and adjusted her glasses. I could feel the magic charge within her pupils, making my hair stand on end. "The spell is complete. Whenever you're ready, just tell me."
"You better come back safely again alright?" Lan swore as she grabbed my hand and gripped it so tight it felt like my bones were going to break. "If you wake up and you're not yourself… I'll personally smash your head in until you're thinking straight again."
I smiled weakly. "Sounds like… That'll hurt."
My old friend nodded. "Like hell."
"I'll hold you to that then." I glanced over towards Phoenix who was already getting ready to set off. "Hold them off for as long as you can. Once I've got everything settled I'll join you on the battlefield."
"Hey! Who the hell do you think you're talking to!?" The ultimate ultroid unlifer shouted. "I'm a former Vice Commander! I can handle the likes of Armadillo by myself! If you aren't fast enough I'll just pummel him to the ground before you can even get your revenge!"
I laughed before turning over to the last person. "And Grasper-"
"Don't say anything," The petite girl interrupted as she stared into my eyes. "You don't have to say anything. I already know. Just keep that feeling in your chest and don't let go alright?"
My head nodded dumbly as I stared deep into her pupils. I never realized how fascinating they were, how big they were, like the entire world was fading away. Everything except for faded away, muffled voices as my body grew as light as a feather. Thoughts becoming loose and fluffy. Before I even realized it, I couldn't move a single muscle.
"We'll be waiting for you," someone spoke. I couldn't tell who. "And, goodnight."
Magic blinded my view and my consciousness faded.
I didn't open my eyes.
"You sure this is the place?" Phoenix asked as she stared up at the chain link fence.
"The signal is coming from in here." Grasper replied over the line. "As for how to get it-"
"I got it." The ponytailed girl didn't hesitate for a second as she jumped, causally scaling over the fence before jumping off, landing on her feet without a single scratch.
"...Right." The analyst said flatly.
"As if a fence could keep a Guildy out." Phoenix shrugged before examining the area. "A construction site? Really?"
"I did a bit of digging. Apparently the company behind it went bankrupt so it's just been sitting here for years half finished." The girl on mission control explained. "Be careful though. The tight space is perfect for Armadillo's Rollout."
"Which means they probably picked this place on purpose." The avian guildy cursed as she wandered inside. Rusty nails littered the ground as the floor creaked beneath her. "Odds that this is a trap?"
"100% chance the Fenrir picked this place intentionally." A growl escaped Grasper's lips as she mentioned the name. "You know how he is."
"Then let's just skip this whole anticipation part, don't want to play into that bastard's hands any longer then I have to." Phoenix cracked her shoulder before cupping a hand to her lips and shouting. "OI! I KNOW YOU'RE HERE YOU FUCKS! COME OUT AND FACE ME LIKE A MAN!"
"...Way to go." Grasper deadpanned.
"Hey they're gonna show up eventually." She shrugged before returning to yelling. "HEY! LISTEN!"
"Oh for Yggdraasil's sake would you please shut up?!" A familiar nasally voice entered her ears as Phoenix glanced up through a whole in the ceiling. Fenrir sat untransformed, as anemic as always while a sharp fang porturted through his teeth. He glared at her through messy hair. "Having to listen to your voice is a form of torture that could violate the geneva convention."
"Right back at you." The former vice commander growled. "You have some nerve looking so at ease after that little stunt you pulled! I didn't know Valkyria was so into disrespecting the dead!"
"Do not bring that bitch up right now!" Fenrir bit back. "I did what I had to for the Guildys! Nothing more, nothing less! That kind of security breach couldn't be allowed to exist!"
Phoenix cocked an eyebrow. "So it wasn't on your commander's orders then?"
"It was for Yggdrasil's sake!"
"But did she order it?"
The canine Guildy glared at her before sparks appeared in his hands before he shot it right towards her, causing it to ricochet throughout the construction site. "...I grow tired of this. I know she would have approved of my plan."
"Cheap asshole!" Phoenix shouted back as she dodged the bullet, tapping the Ponytail Gear on her wrist. "If you're ready to throw down then bring it on!"
"Idiot," Fenrir snorted. "I'm not the one you'll be fighting."
It happened in an instant. Before she could even transform, the sound of whirling wind reached her ear, from behind her. Phoenix turned around but all she could see was a red comet, blurring before smashing into her body. Her burning red blood blended together with Armadillo's red scales as he tore her to smithereens. Inside became outside until eventually, what was once a human of flesh and blood aws a mere smeer on the ground.
Rollout: 1000 Base Damage, +472 Dice, +666 Horrific Speed Gap = 2138 Total Damage
Phoenix Guildy: 15 Base Resilience, +11 Dice, -8 Too Fast To React = 18 Total Reduction
2120 End Damage
Phoenix Guildy: 250 - 2120 = -1870 Remaining HP
Armadillo unfurled himself, letting out a huff and a puff glancing over at the corpse of Phoenix Guildy. "Did I do it right? I mean she looks pretty dead but- It is Phoenix we're talking about!"
"Yes, and that's exactly why you should get ready." Fenrir rolled his eyes. "That pain in the ass is just getting started."
AS IF I'D DIE LIKE THAT!
MIRAGE REVIVE!
Phoenix: 0 + 250 HP = 250 HP Remaining
The former vice commander's body went up in flames. As if her death had just been an illusion, the red haired avenger burst out of it with a roar of fury. It was a horrific sight, but none of the Guildys watching the scene batted an eye. There was a reason that Phoenix Guildy had been the vice commander of Azure Wing. Even if she wasn't the strongest, the fastest, or the smartest, there was one thing that separated her from other Guildys. She was bloody, clothes torn and damaged, but she didn't care about any of that as she pointed straight at Fenrir. "Listen up! The dead should never be messed with in this world, because they hold a grudge! And grudges? Grudges will never die."
With a growl of burning fury, she held up her wrist. "Ponytail Gear, Ignite!"
<LET'S RIDE!>
Magical circles formed around her as she was adorned with blazing armor. The power of the Ponytail affinity coursing through her veins as the helmet materialized over her face, completing the transformation. This was the unending flame, the immortal warrior. She who would never die until she had gained her rightful vengeance. Phoenix Guildy.
"I have my own reasons to be pissed at you guys, but I'll be pulling double duty today," the avian guildy declared as she got into a fighting stance. "My engine's been ignited, can't you hear it roaring?!"
"Striker Armadillo, take care of this." Fenrir waved. "I don't have time to get into a pointless fight."
"Yes sir!" The short guildy saluted before pausing. "But are you sure I can do this? N-Not that I'm doubting you or anything but-"
"Quit it with that annoying speech habit of yours!" Phoenix interrupted. "Pick to an answer and stick with it!"
"Do whatever you can to fight her," the tactiation ordered. "If you kill her, kill her. If you fight her, fight her. The only thing you must not do is run away."
"Understood." Armadillo nodded, as his body began to bounce with a maniac energy. "I'll attack her in every way possible!"
"It doesn't matter how many ways you attack me." With a stomp, her magic flared. The truth was simple. "I won't die."
Burning bright, the immortal warrior set the stage. Unstoppable force met immovable object.
Thus, they charged.
[] Sucker punch him in the face!
[] BURNING PHOENIX KICK GO!
[] Write In.
A Spell Token has been acquired. Token Development counter reset to 0/6.
Select a use for the token:
[] Create new spell
-[] Describe spell concept
[] Upgrade a previous token spell
-[] Twintails Assault evolves to Twinned Tails
[] Brake Decoupling
[] Save Token
+24 EXP Words never to be heard.
+18 EXP Mind Shattering Fury
82 + 42 = 124 EXP
AN: So if you read my long AN note last update you might remember how I said I was thinking of starting a patreon. Well I got a scale and it turns out I'm really underweight right now so here check it. I'm not really taking money for this quest specifically (Due to the over abundance of expies, usage of art that isn't mine, multiple people helping me out, etc) but I will accept money for generally supporting my writing. Plus I've got two stories that are patreon exclusive (for now) up there as well. Shameless plug aside, this update is way too long so I'm going to go do something that isn't writing now. Have fun!
InfiniteDaze
Too lazy to leave the house
- Location
- I wish I could stay
- (High Valhalla) Armadillo Guildy
-
Armadillo Guildy
- Stats
- Weapon
- Spells
- Abilities
- Phoenix Guildy
-
Phoenix Guildy
- Stats
- Weapon
- Spells
- Abilities
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Hmm... Makes sense in retrospect. Fixing the soul issue causing the builtup stuff Infrared was talking about to spill out. Yup.
Need to kill Envy though. Like rip out his heart and spit in it.
Armadillo looks like a... complicated fight without at least three combatants. You basically need to force him into three instances where you hurt him, including the one in which he's running like a bitch from you.
Unless Truth let's her bypass and see which one he'll take? Depends on the soft-mechanics of how his power works more than anything. Cause if during his ability there's actually three instances of him existing at once then Truth wouldn't help, but if two of them are "fakes" then she should be able to see the "real" one?
Also totally willing to go dark-ish magical girl to help Phoenix.
She probably has a lot of revives saved up, but... uhh... well, that's kinda the point, using a bunch of revives just to keep up is a losing battle.
Need to kill Envy though. Like rip out his heart and spit in it.
Armadillo looks like a... complicated fight without at least three combatants. You basically need to force him into three instances where you hurt him, including the one in which he's running like a bitch from you.
Unless Truth let's her bypass and see which one he'll take? Depends on the soft-mechanics of how his power works more than anything. Cause if during his ability there's actually three instances of him existing at once then Truth wouldn't help, but if two of them are "fakes" then she should be able to see the "real" one?
If she used one stack she should have 500 HP right now? Unless there's a difference between Civilian and Gear'd up forms for her.
Also totally willing to go dark-ish magical girl to help Phoenix.
She probably has a lot of revives saved up, but... uhh... well, that's kinda the point, using a bunch of revives just to keep up is a losing battle.
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been doing is
One's
its
its
Sounds redundant. I think you meant martial arts.
hole
tactician
LostDeviljho
Flame Dragon Princess
- Location
- The glorious Pacific Northwest
- Pronouns
- Any
Infrared hit the nail on the head with this bit:
All instances of Armadillo are equally real, until he decides they aren't.
InfiniteDaze
Too lazy to leave the house
- Location
- I wish I could stay
Armadillo be a throw back to all my homies that remember the Nanoha INNOCENTS quest I did like five years ago.
(Which is a lot to ask of a person but I didn't forget!)
- Pronouns
- They/Them/Their
Okay. So. Hong and Tail Infrared are going to have a chat. And we have options for what to do with our new Spell Token.
Creating a new spell... Don't really have any ideas for that right now.
Upgrading a previous token spell, specifically Twintail Assault into Twinned Tails. Which I'm guessing makes it into an actual Clone Self, or makes it last for more than a single action in some way. Which seems pretty good.
Brake Decoupling... I'm guessing this is an upgrade to or a replacement for Brake Release, or does something to Transience Engine: R.. We have been working towards it for quite a while, so that's tempting.
As far as Armadillo Guildy... Okay, so. Phoenix Guildy outright cannot hurt Armadillo Guildy without forcing him to confirm a path early. So Phoenix Guildy's best goal is unfortunately trying to survive. Phoenix does have a ton of revives at her disposal, and I don't think that's she's died onscreen prior to this. Since she's transformed now, the combat math changes ever so slightly in her favor. Rollout is still a one-hit kill, but any single basic attack is not. Except that Unravelled Paths is going to ensure that Armadillo Guildy attacks her from three different directions, and that makes any two of them combined lethal... If Phoenix isn't clever.
You see, Double Hit doesn't require both Attacks to go at the same target. They can go at two different targets. Such as two different Armadillo Guildy's out of the three that are hitting her. Based on Armadillo's behaviour so far, once two of his copies are attacked, Armadillo is going to dissipate those copies, leaving Phoenix alive after the first hit.
Now, the worst possible scenario, because I love to tempt fate: Armadillo makes two binary choices each time he takes an action. One of them basic attacks Phoenix, and two of them are him using Rollout along different paths of attack. He hits with Rollout, Phoenix revives. He dissipates the copies that had used Rollout, since they have hit their spell limit. Then, since the instance of Armadillo remaining has not use Rollout, he is able to do so again. This is without even getting into the absolutely ridiculous bullshit that Armadillo can do defensively, where he can essentially infinitely dodge an opponent by projecting clones, and disappearing the ones that aren't attacked.
Now, Tail Red and Tail Infrared actually have at minimum two counters to this strategy built into them. Ray from REDHEAD makes one continuous attack across all three instances of Armadillo Guildy at the cost of 3 Attacks, which can be begun with an Ignition Rush as long as it uses the Blazer Blade. Tail Infrared can use Teleports Behind U to teleport her strikes from Oblivion Rush behind Armadillo Guildy, allowing her to spend two uses of it in a single Oblivion Rush to hit Armadillo Guildy.
Combined with Ignition Rush/Oblivion Rush making Tail Red/Infrared actually faster than Armadillo Guildy when he's using Rollout, this actually makes Tail Red/Infrared a horrifyingly effective combatant against Armadillo Guildy. Throwing in one more level of Sprint to get High Speed Combat level 2, and Tail Red / Infrared can actively track Armadillo Guildy while he's using Rollout. Throw in two levels of Sprint, and with Inhuman Agility, Tail Red / Infrared can actually keep pace and outmaneuver him.
But that's for later. As it is, I think the best plan for Phoenix is to try and punch as many Armadillo's at once as she can.
Creating a new spell... Don't really have any ideas for that right now.
Upgrading a previous token spell, specifically Twintail Assault into Twinned Tails. Which I'm guessing makes it into an actual Clone Self, or makes it last for more than a single action in some way. Which seems pretty good.
Brake Decoupling... I'm guessing this is an upgrade to or a replacement for Brake Release, or does something to Transience Engine: R.. We have been working towards it for quite a while, so that's tempting.
As far as Armadillo Guildy... Okay, so. Phoenix Guildy outright cannot hurt Armadillo Guildy without forcing him to confirm a path early. So Phoenix Guildy's best goal is unfortunately trying to survive. Phoenix does have a ton of revives at her disposal, and I don't think that's she's died onscreen prior to this. Since she's transformed now, the combat math changes ever so slightly in her favor. Rollout is still a one-hit kill, but any single basic attack is not. Except that Unravelled Paths is going to ensure that Armadillo Guildy attacks her from three different directions, and that makes any two of them combined lethal... If Phoenix isn't clever.
You see, Double Hit doesn't require both Attacks to go at the same target. They can go at two different targets. Such as two different Armadillo Guildy's out of the three that are hitting her. Based on Armadillo's behaviour so far, once two of his copies are attacked, Armadillo is going to dissipate those copies, leaving Phoenix alive after the first hit.
Now, the worst possible scenario, because I love to tempt fate: Armadillo makes two binary choices each time he takes an action. One of them basic attacks Phoenix, and two of them are him using Rollout along different paths of attack. He hits with Rollout, Phoenix revives. He dissipates the copies that had used Rollout, since they have hit their spell limit. Then, since the instance of Armadillo remaining has not use Rollout, he is able to do so again. This is without even getting into the absolutely ridiculous bullshit that Armadillo can do defensively, where he can essentially infinitely dodge an opponent by projecting clones, and disappearing the ones that aren't attacked.
Now, Tail Red and Tail Infrared actually have at minimum two counters to this strategy built into them. Ray from REDHEAD makes one continuous attack across all three instances of Armadillo Guildy at the cost of 3 Attacks, which can be begun with an Ignition Rush as long as it uses the Blazer Blade. Tail Infrared can use Teleports Behind U to teleport her strikes from Oblivion Rush behind Armadillo Guildy, allowing her to spend two uses of it in a single Oblivion Rush to hit Armadillo Guildy.
Combined with Ignition Rush/Oblivion Rush making Tail Red/Infrared actually faster than Armadillo Guildy when he's using Rollout, this actually makes Tail Red/Infrared a horrifyingly effective combatant against Armadillo Guildy. Throwing in one more level of Sprint to get High Speed Combat level 2, and Tail Red / Infrared can actively track Armadillo Guildy while he's using Rollout. Throw in two levels of Sprint, and with Inhuman Agility, Tail Red / Infrared can actually keep pace and outmaneuver him.
But that's for later. As it is, I think the best plan for Phoenix is to try and punch as many Armadillo's at once as she can.
[] Armadillo's hesitance is his greatest power, but also his greatest weakness like all of you. Press him not just with your attacks, but your words as well. Sear his will with your words as you fry his body with your flames.
... *shrug* I think it works, but want to make sure what I'm saying is understood first. Basically, if Envy hadn't been riding him that entire thing I'm guessing all of his instances would have been used with him stumbling over his words, so exploit that.
Not sure if we should pick up Decoupling now or later though tbh. I'm not sure if that's appropriate, thematically I mean, to get before we've seen the fight going on in there, like... we should buy it when its resolving rather than now when it kinda feels like its jumping the gun? idk though.
Although if we're meant to pick that up to help resolve it that's another thing, I'm just not sure which was intended...?
... On the other hand Crimson Avenger is both hot and okay on the site (unlike Bloody Queen [possibly]).
... *shrug* I think it works, but want to make sure what I'm saying is understood first. Basically, if Envy hadn't been riding him that entire thing I'm guessing all of his instances would have been used with him stumbling over his words, so exploit that.
Not sure if we should pick up Decoupling now or later though tbh. I'm not sure if that's appropriate, thematically I mean, to get before we've seen the fight going on in there, like... we should buy it when its resolving rather than now when it kinda feels like its jumping the gun? idk though.
Although if we're meant to pick that up to help resolve it that's another thing, I'm just not sure which was intended...?
... On the other hand Crimson Avenger is both hot and okay on the site (unlike Bloody Queen [possibly]).
Depends on the soft mechanics of how the double hit is executed, but yes.
That's what we're supposed to do with it. We need a spell token to finish fixing Brake Release.
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LostDeviljho
Flame Dragon Princess
- Location
- The glorious Pacific Northwest
- Pronouns
- Any
To be clear, decoupling Brake Release from Grand Blazer (aka "fixing" the engine) has basically nothing to do with the Infrared stuff going on. They're two separate issues that happened to be noticed at the same time.
Ah, thank ye.
I'll just throw that in right now then.
[X] Armadillo's hesitance is his greatest power, but also his greatest weaknesslike all of you. Press him not just with your attacks, but your words as well. Sear his will with your words as you fry his body with your flames.
[X] Brake Decoupling
I'll just throw that in right now then.
[X] Armadillo's hesitance is his greatest power, but also his greatest weakness
[X] Brake Decoupling
- Pronouns
- They/Them/Their
[X] Spread the rage. When Armadillo attacks as three, make two of him feel your anger. Revive with as little health as possible.
My best idea for drawing out the fight as long as possible. Something tells me that with Fenrir not having gotten permission to do this, he won't be able to do it for terribly long before something goes wrong to change the fight.
[X] Save Token
I like all of the options for spending the token, but I'd prefer to hold it in reserve for the moment. We can spend it later on. As far as Brake Decoupling... I mean yeah, removing the forced Grand Blazer activation on the second turn of Brake Release would be very good. But I'm also very tempted by the possibility of upgrading Twintail Assault. And coming up with a new spell would be also very interesting, but heck if I have any ideas at the moment.
My best idea for drawing out the fight as long as possible. Something tells me that with Fenrir not having gotten permission to do this, he won't be able to do it for terribly long before something goes wrong to change the fight.
[X] Save Token
I like all of the options for spending the token, but I'd prefer to hold it in reserve for the moment. We can spend it later on. As far as Brake Decoupling... I mean yeah, removing the forced Grand Blazer activation on the second turn of Brake Release would be very good. But I'm also very tempted by the possibility of upgrading Twintail Assault. And coming up with a new spell would be also very interesting, but heck if I have any ideas at the moment.
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LostDeviljho
Flame Dragon Princess
- Location
- The glorious Pacific Northwest
- Pronouns
- Any
I feel, after some deliberation, that previous vote options may have unduly weighted the brake release option, and thus I must clarify:
The Spell Token vote options are all roughly of equal plausible importance. If one of them were an absolute necessity or effectively obligatory, it would have just been an automatic action and there would not have been a vote.
- Brake Decoupling does exactly what it says, and decouple Brake Release from Grand Blazer so that it no longer involuntarily casts.
- Brake Decoupling is not urgently required to maintain or improve Hong's health, physical or metaphysical. The current state of Brake Release, while not ideal, is stable and reasonably sustainable.
- Brake Decoupling will not, in any way, interact with Transient Engine: R.
The Spell Token vote options are all roughly of equal plausible importance. If one of them were an absolute necessity or effectively obligatory, it would have just been an automatic action and there would not have been a vote.
Ah... Eh.
I'll stick with it I think. I prefer the um... "passive" upgrade to the "active" one right now. I don't disagree with saving it or spending it on the spell we have either though.
I remember we already bang'd out... either all or all but one of the soft mechanic exploits we currently have available (and I think one completely new one I(?) stumbled into) and I wouldn't know where to begin with making a new spell tbh... maybe a solid "oh fuck that noise" defensive spell, but we have the COAT exploit to figure out I think... or I think that was one anyway?
Eh.
We got a restrain/blind, two flavors of attack, and mobility. Hong is kitted right the fuck out as far as spells are concerned.
... Though if we could fix Grand Blazer I'd be happy. Boosts himself into the air and then... hangs there and let's gravity drag him back down for the actually attack.
... Goddammit Hong.
I'll stick with it I think. I prefer the um... "passive" upgrade to the "active" one right now. I don't disagree with saving it or spending it on the spell we have either though.
I remember we already bang'd out... either all or all but one of the soft mechanic exploits we currently have available (and I think one completely new one I(?) stumbled into) and I wouldn't know where to begin with making a new spell tbh... maybe a solid "oh fuck that noise" defensive spell, but we have the COAT exploit to figure out I think... or I think that was one anyway?
Eh.
We got a restrain/blind, two flavors of attack, and mobility. Hong is kitted right the fuck out as far as spells are concerned.
... Though if we could fix Grand Blazer I'd be happy. Boosts himself into the air and then... hangs there and let's gravity drag him back down for the actually attack.
... Goddammit Hong.
- Location
- Earth
[X] Upgrade a previous token spell
-[X] Twintails Assault evolves to Twinned Tails
I have no real opinion on combat votes... honestly, this feels like a situation where Phoenix will just stall until Hong shows up. There may be some way to get past Armadillo's Unravelled Path with just Phoenix, but I do not see it.
For the Spell Token however, well. There is really no reason not to spend it immediately. Of the two given options, I like the above more at the moment. It will turn TTA into a Clone-Self spell, and consistently having two Tail Reds on the field is a powerful boost.
-[X] Twintails Assault evolves to Twinned Tails
I have no real opinion on combat votes... honestly, this feels like a situation where Phoenix will just stall until Hong shows up. There may be some way to get past Armadillo's Unravelled Path with just Phoenix, but I do not see it.
For the Spell Token however, well. There is really no reason not to spend it immediately. Of the two given options, I like the above more at the moment. It will turn TTA into a Clone-Self spell, and consistently having two Tail Reds on the field is a powerful boost.
- Pronouns
- he
[X] Armadillo's hesitance is his greatest power, but also his greatest weakness like all of you. Press him not just with your attacks, but your words as well. Sear his will with your words as you fry his body with your flames.
[X] Upgrade a previous token spell
-[X] Twintails Assault evolves to Twinned Tails
[X] Upgrade a previous token spell
-[X] Twintails Assault evolves to Twinned Tails
Alexander89
Pet the pretty kitty? Y/N
- Location
- Italy
[X] Armadillo's hesitance is his greatest power, but also his greatest weakness like all of you. Press him not just with your attacks, but your words as well. Sear his will with your words as you fry his body with your flames.
[X] Upgrade a previous token spell
-[X] Twintails Assault evolves to Twinned Tails
[X] Upgrade a previous token spell
-[X] Twintails Assault evolves to Twinned Tails
- Location
- Ekaterinburg, Russia
[X] Save Token
There is, actually, one reason to save the token - if you are both:
1) Going to use it to upgrade the spell, and
2) Don't intend to bolster the Fenrir's copy of your powers.
Because, really, the last thing we need is the asshole going cloning on us.
I mean, my next vote is probably going to be something like this:
[z] Enough is enough, attacking your home? It has gone too far. Get Dark Grasper to track down Fenrir Guildy's base of operations and/or usual haunts and figure out how to put him down, permanently.
Highwind
To Rise From The Ashes
- Location
- Brazil
I doubt Armadillo can do that sort of thing.
Back when he almost killed Hong, Armadillo split into three, and two of the instances went after Hong. The third, presumably, went after Phoenix:
However, when he was about to strike Hong, Armadillo dismissed both of his other instances before the attack connected, not just one of the two that would hit Hong:
This gave Yuan the chance she needed to hit Armadillo with a bullet, which threw him off-course and saved Hong.
This implies two things: first, that Armadillo has to dismiss his other instances once he commits to any one choice, or at least when he commits to an attack; and second, that he has to be aware of a threat or capable of reacting in order to split.
This means he probably can't use his other instances to take more actions after committing to one attack, that he's vulnerable to surprise attacks whenever he doesn't have another instance active, and that he's vulnerable to surprises and counters in the split-second after he commits to an attack.
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LostDeviljho
Flame Dragon Princess
- Location
- The glorious Pacific Northwest
- Pronouns
- Any
He does not. That was actually a major misplay on behalf of Armadillo, which comes down to Armadillo being... poorly suited to hard offense, mentally.
- Pronouns
- They/Them/Their
This is another misinterpretation of Unraveled Path. It is not that Armadillo must be aware of a threat. All that Armadillo must do to be able to create additional instances is make a binary decision. Armadillo could make a binary decision between 'eating ice cream for breakfast' and 'eating oatmeal' for breakfast, or even 'watch TV' versus 'fold my laundry'. Unraveled Path, by it's own wording, cares about binary decisions.
It is a terrifying power.