The Shattered Light (Accidental Magical Girl CYOA)

[zamin]

The little cat-bird-demon thing stared at the runes scratched onto the floor, its eye narrowed as it attempted to find a way out of my trap. "Chu~ I have to admit, I'm actually a little impressed. Most humans wouldn't have been able to learn magic of this level at such a young age."

"I had a lot of motivation." I replied, my voice raspy from disuse as I watched it poke at the runes. "And don't bother trying to call for help. It won't work, not while you're stuck in there."

"Confident, aren't ya?" the creature shook its head. "It's pointless, you know. Even though you're fairly good, you're still barely more then an apprentice. You don't have anything that can kill me."

I coughed, spitting out a mixture of blood and phlegm. "Hah. Kill you? Why would I do that?"

"Chu~" the contractor rolled its eyes. "Unfortunately, you've messed up. The moment you leave your own circle or attempt to attack me, the spell will be broken and I will be free to leave."

"I know."

"Then you know that this whole farce is completely pointless." the Puchuu said. "If you release me now, I promise that I will not kill you."

I snorted in amusement. "How naive do you think I am? You'd simply erase my memories and ruin my life from the background. I know how your kind work."

Its tail twitched. "Puu~ You're a suspicious one. But you'll have to leave that circle eventually~"

"Actually, I don't." I didn't smile - I showed my teeth. "I can stay here until I starve to death, but as long as my body remains within this circle, you won't be able to move or use your magic either."

For the first time since I'd seen it, the creature looked uncertain. "That... is pointless. I am an immortal creature. Even if you keep me trapped here for a thousand years, I will survive."

"A thousand years locked in a tiny circle with nothing to do but watch my corpse decompose?" I pointed out. "Is that really what you would call a pleasant existence?"

The Puchuu glared at me. "Fine. What do you want, human?" it practically spat.

"My sister, Emily. Give her back."

"I'm afraid I have no idea-"

"Do the words 'Magical Girl Glistering Glory' mean anything to you?"

The Puchuu stilled.

"Nobody else can remember anything about her. Not her teachers, not her friends, not our neighbors. Even our parents had no idea who she was. I thought I was going crazy." my words were punctuated by another coughing fit. "Then I found her diary, the one she hid under the loose floorboard in her room."

"Puu~" the Puchuu seemed to deflate. "I see. Unfortunately, I cannot help you."

"Why not?!" I hissed. "What did you freaks do to her?"

"She's dead, chu." the creature said, sounding almost sad.

My head spun. After everything I'd done... all my work, all my preparations... had it all been pointless?

"She was killed by a Fallen approximately six months ago." the Puchuu continued. "Her other teammates also perished in the battle."

"What's a Fallen?" I hadn't heard about any creature like that before. Some new kind of demon?

"A Magical Girl who became corrupted and twisted by the forces of evil." the Puchuu explained, speaking slowly as its tail swished behind it. "I believe that you would call it a 'Monster Girl'."

"I see." I closed my eyes, trying to calm myself down. My heart was pounding, blood rushing through my veins as I resisted the urge to scream at the unfairness of the universe. "This... Monster Girl. Where can I find it?"

"Chu~ Planning to get some revenge?" the Puchuu shook its head. "That would be pointless. Even if you do know a bit of magic, this is an old and powerful Monster. She would simply consume you."

"Heh." I coughed again, spitting out another globule of blood. "Don't underestimate me. I managed to catch you, after all."

The Puchuu sniffed. "Puu~ That was just because you got lucky, human. If I had been paying attention, you would never have been able to trap me here."

"And yet, here you are."

"Here I am indeed. Chu~" Its eyes closed. "Tell me, would you be interested in making a deal?"

My eyes narrowed. "What kind of deal?"

"Well, with the loss of most of the experienced magical girls in the area, we're hard pressed to contain the growing number of monsters." the contractor explained, tail once again swishing from side to side. "We've been trying to gather more girls, but throwing new meat at strong monsters is... wasteful. The casualty rate is too high, chu."

"So... what, you want me to hunt down monsters for you? Weren't you just telling me about how weak I was?"

"You are weak, chu." the Puchuu said. "Even now, you burn your own life force to maintain your spell. But you are skilled and cunning. We need that."

I coughed again, breathing slowly as I tried to ignore the pain in my chest. "Figured it out already, huh?"

The creature glanced pointedly at the runes on the floor. "Chu~ It's not that hard to guess. Most humans simply don't have the reserves to cast any but the simplest of spells. You don't seem to be bonded to a god and I did not see any sacrifices or magical artifacts around that you could have used to fuel yourself. Therefore, the only option would have been to use your own life force to supplement your own mana reserves."

"If you've figured it out, you should know that I don't have much time left."

"Chu~" the Puchuu squeaked. "Indeed. Based on your current rate, I'd say that you have two, maybe three more weeks left in you. But I can change that."

"How?"

"You want to find your sister's killer, yes? Take her place as a magical girl and eventually, it will come to you, chu." the contractor smiled. "You won't have to worry about dying anytime soon unless you do something stupid."

"Like what? Fighting monsters already sounds pretty risky to me."

"You won't have to worry about the small fry." the Puchuu said reassuringly. "As a Magical Girl, you will have more then enough power to destroy them. As for the stronger monsters... well, that's why we like to sort the girls into groups."

"I see..."

"You will have power, immortality and the chance to gain vengeance. What more do you want?"

"Well, a place to live would be good." I said. "I'd really like to sleep somewhere which isn't a creepy ruin or abandoned warehouse."

"That can be arranged, along with a monthly salary."

"... so, how do we do this?"

"First, you take these coins..."

 

[zamin]

I stared at the image in the mirror, turning my head this way and that to see my new body from all angles. A girl's face looked back at me - blonde hair, blue eyes, and the cutest little button nose I'd ever seen. I looked gorgeous, darling. Honestly, I didn't even mind getting turned into a girl. The only problem with the whole thing was, well...

"Did you have to make me so damned short?" I asked, glaring mournfully at the Puchuu floating near the ceiling. Ever since I'd released it from my trap, the little bugger had been very careful not to touch the walls or floor. Not that I'd have had the time to set anything else up, but I could understand its caution.

"Chu~ Sorry, but the title is Magical Girl, after all." the creature said, smiling serenely down at me. Were it not for the twitching tail, I might almost be inclined to believe it.

I turned back to the mirror. "Well, yeah. But most little girls don't have D-cups and an ass you could bounce a coin off." I bounced up and down on my heels for a minute to enjoy the view. Heh. Boobies. "I mean, I'm not complaining about my looks, but why am I a shortstack?"

"Puu~" the Puchuu squeaked. "I have no idea, chu! It was magic! Maybe you just got lucky?"

"Suuure it was." I drawled. It seemed that despite its reassurances of forgiveness, the Puchuu was not above some minor forms of revenge. "By the way, do I need to worry about having periods from now on? Cause I'm gonna be honest, here - really not looking forward to that."

"Oh, don't worry, chu!" the Puchuu spun around in mid air. "This is a magical body, remember?"

"Well that's a relief." I said, dropping the towel as I reached for the closet. I was buck naked underneath, but honestly I didn't really care if the Puchuu got an eyeful. The damned thing had made this body for me, after all. "Let's see... dresses, dresses and... what, is this a school uniform? Weird. Don't you have any pants in here?"

"You know you can make your own clothes now, right?" the Puchuu chirped, sounding far too amused for my liking. "Just try to imagine it."

"Really? All right then..." I closed my eyes, trying to concentrate on the idea of jeans and a T-shirt. For a moment, nothing happened. Then, I was suddenly wearing clothes again. "Huh. Didn't think it'd actually work."

"Just be careful, chu. The clothes you make this way will disappear soon after you stop wearing them."

"Still, this is pretty nice." I said, tugging at the too-tight jeans. Another moment of concentration, and suddenly they felt more comfortable. "I know girls who would kill to have a power like this."

"Chu~ Glad you like it." the contractor said, giving a little tinkling noise that I assumed was its version of giggling before turning serious again. "Now that we're in a safe place, I think it's time to try out your new form."

I sighed, tossing the towel over a chair before moving some of the furniture out of the way. Didn't want anything to get damaged, after all. "So how do I do this? Do I have some kind of magic wand or something that I need to wave around?"

"'Fraid not, chu. You just need to flare your power and say your transformation phrase."

"Which is..."

"I have no idea! You should know it instinctively, chu~"

Lovely. So... step one: flare my power.

Taking a deep breath, I reached deep into myself, metaphorical hands reaching for the mana flowing through my body-

- and gasped as my mind suddenly struggled to comprehend the sheer amount of power I now had. Before, it was like a tiny drip of mana that I had to carefully draw out and coax into doing what I wanted. Now, it was a veritable flood of energy, as bright as the sunlight in summer. I should have struggled to contain it, but instead the power responded easily to my grasping commands. It almost felt... excited - like a puppy that had just been thrown a bone and wanted to play.

I opened my eyes. When had I closed them?

The Puchuu had floated down to eye level and was staring at me approvingly. "Good. Veeeery good, chu. Most girls take a while to learn how to control their mana flow. Your previous training must have helped a lot. Now that you've tapped into your power, you should already should know what to say, chu~"

As I pulled up more and more power, I felt them - words that had been carved into the very fabric of my soul. I don't know how or why, but as my lips began to move I couldn't help thinking about how this all felt so right.

"Let the light of my soul burn away the darkness."

And then, there was light.

 

[zamin]

"So... how much longer am I supposed to wait?" I asked, tapping my foot impatiently. I stood on the roof of an old apartment building somewhere downtown. The night was still young - there were quite a few people still walking the streets and I could hear the murmur of conversations seeping up from the rooms below me. "When I signed up to fight monsters and madmen, I wasn't expecting things to be so... dull."

"Just be patient, chu~" the Puchuu squeaked from its perch on the roof's edge. It stared down at the street with an almost unsettling intensity. "Tonight we're going to introduce you to someone. Make sure you're on your best behavior, puu!"

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I get it. Who am I meeting with, anyway? Some of your other creepy pals?"

The Puchuu twisted its head around a hundred and eighty degrees in a way that would have broken the neck of any ordinary flesh and blood creature. It's body remained completely still as it smirked up at me. "Chu~"

"Ohsorryexcusemecomingthrough!" I ducked and spun around just in time to catch a glimpse of blonde hair as a silvery form streaked past me at high speed and landed in the middle of the roof. Glittering wings slowly faded out of view, revealing a slim, lithe form wrapped in just enough cloth to be barely considered decent. "Never fear, citizens! Magical girl Soaring Tempest is here to save the day!" she announced, striking a pose.

"Chu~" the Puchuu purred. "You're late. Was there any trouble on the way over?"

"Ah, yeah. Sorry about that." the new magical girl replied sheepishly as she dropped her pose. "I had a paper to finish. Tomorrow's a school day, after all."

"Well, as long as it doesn't interfere with your duties, chu~" the contractor said as it floated over. "Now, introductions. Soaring Tempest, this is Vengeful Radiance."

The girl blinked, apparently seeing me for the first time. "Oh, hello!" she chirped, bounding over to give me a hug. Due to the height difference, I found my face buried firmly into her bosom. "Oh, wow. You're a bit smaller then I thought. Sorry about that."

With an effort of will, I pulled myself away. "D-don't worry about it." The memory of her soft skin on mine would undoubtedly keep me warm during cold, lonely nights.

"Okies!" she cheered, completely oblivious to my thoughts.

"Chu~" the Puchuu squeaked as it darted forward to float between us. "While it's nice to see you getting along, I'm afraid that I invited you both here for an important reason."

"Oooh, is she a new girl?" Tempest asked, practically bouncing with excitement "We haven't had one here for a while!". The movement was causing some interesting jiggles on her barely covered body. Unfortunately, my view was blocked when the Puchuu once again moved, floating just in front of my face so I couldn't see anything but its fluffy butt. It completely ignored my glare, though its tail did twitch slightly as it juked from side to side to block my attempts at peering past. "Umm, Puchuu? What are you doing?" the other magical girl asked uncertainly.

"Chu, don't worry about it." the little shit twisted its head around to give me another smirk before finally relenting and moving away. "We're just playing a little game, chu."

"Well, if you say so..." Tempest said, glancing between me and the Puchuu with a strange look on her face. "So what do you need us to do?"

"For now, I want you two to patrol together, chu." the Puchuu said, suddenly all business once again. "Tempest, take her through one of the safer routes and see if you can find any Imps or other minor problems that Radiance can test herself against. If something big shows up, grab her and make a run for it, chu."

"Okie-dokie!" the other girl said, giving the mascot a salute. "You can count on me. I promise to bring her back safe and sound!"

"See that you do, chu."

"Alright. Radie, front and center!" Tempest ordered, grabbing my arm. Wait, when did she get so close? "Don't worry, I'll protect you from the big bad monsters!"

"Um, thanks?"

"Now hold on tight!" she said. "Prepare to board the Tempest Express! Please keep your hands and legs in the aisle at all times. And if you fall, try not to land on anything made of glass. It really hurts!"

"Wait, wha-"

"BANZAI" she screamed leaping off the roof with me in tow. My brief scream of fright was suddenly cut off as a pair of wings emerged from her back. They beat once, twice, and then we were zooming over the pedestrian's heads at blinding speed. "ONWARDS! TO INFINITY AND BEYOND!"

"Bye-bye, chu!" I heard the Puchuu call out from somewhere behind us.

As we began to rise over the nearby buildings, I began to wonder what exactly I'd signed myself up for.

 

[zamin]

"What exactly are we searching for, anyway?" I asked, following Tempest down a narrow alley. I had to watch my step here. This was the 'bad' part of town, the part I'd always tried to avoid in my previous life. The streets here were strewn with garbage while colorful graffiti covered the walls. The few people who were out and about at this time of the night seemed exceptionally keen to avoid us, scurrying off the moment they spotted the costumes and realized just what we were.

Well, not that I could blame them. For most people, the arrival of a Magical Girl meant that shit was either about to go down or was already hitting the fan and rampaging through the streets. While they were grateful for the help, Magical Girl battles tended to result in rather expensive property damage. In a place like this, with buildings made mostly of rotting wood and sagging brick, a single powerful girl could accidentally blow up half a street if they weren't careful.

"Shhh!" Tempest said, placing a finger over my mouth. "Be vewy quiet. We're hunting gremlins tonight."

"And gremlins are..."

"You'll see." she said, still keeping her voice as low as possible. "Now come on. We need to get there quick!"

"Get where?"

"Shush! Just follow me. And be quiet."

Tempest took us deeper into the almost labyrinthine network of dark, narrow alleyways, gracefully floating a foot or two above the ground even without her wings. I, on the other hand, had to carefully watch where I was stepping in order to avoid touching any of the... stuff on the ground. Between the garbage, rotting food and various dead rats and other small vermin, I was regretting ever setting foot in this place.

"Almost there." Tempest hissed. "Remember, be quiet."

I nodded, then realized that she couldn't see my face anyway. Creeping closer, I tried to peer around her body to see what was happening.

Spoiler: Gremlin

Ahead of us, a trio of small, grey skinned humanoids were rummaging through a particularly large pile of trash. The creatures seemed to be searching for something, making little high pitched screeches every few seconds as they dived into the garbage and emerged holding something in their paws. They would examine it for a moment, then toss it into one of the little piles behind them.

"Go for it, Radie." Tempest murmured as she nudged me forwards. "Show me what you can do."

Well, ok then. Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward, wincing as I stepped on something with an audible crack.

Immediately, the creatures spun around, ears and tails twitching in surprise as they caught sight of me. For a moment, nobody moved. Then, the largest gremlin lunged forwards with an ear-splitting shriek and everything disappeared into a blur of violence.

I cracked the first one over the head with my wand, backing up rapidly as I tried to get some room to maneuver. The other two circled around, trying to attack me from either side as their leader stumbled back, clutching its head and groaning. I dodged the first wild charge, but the second one managed to get close enough to sink its teeth into my leg. I yelped in pain and began to bash its head in with my wand. After a few frantic moments, it was finally forced to release its grip, only for the other two gremlins to move in and try to flank me again.

Swinging my weapon wildly, I forced them back momentarily before turning to glance at where Tempest was. The other Magical Girl was sitting cross-legged in mid air, looking far too amused as she watched me get torn apart by a bunch of monsters. "A little help would be - gah! - nice!" I called out, side stepping another lunge at the last moment.

"Don't worry, Radie!" she waved cheerfully. "I believe in you! You can do it!"

"No, I-" I paused for a second to smack one that had tried to nip at my heels. "I really can't!"

"Use your magic!" she called out. I suddenly resisted the urge to slap myself for being so stupid. That's right. I wasn't a squishy human anymore. I could actually use magic to fight now. The only problem was...

"How do I do that?!"

"You need to look deep into your heart! Then you go 'whoosh'' and 'bang' and 'hi-yah' and make everything explode!" she said, making big expressive hand gestures.

God damn it, Tempest.

"Not. Helping." I grunted, kicking one of the pests away from me just as another scored a line of scratches across my forearm with its sharp little claws. "A little more detail, please?"

"Don't think so much, Radie." Tempest said. "Stop worrying about how you're going to do magic and just do it already!"

"Alright, fine!" I cried out. Pointing my wand at the nearest creature, I ignored all my previous training and simply shoved my power into the device. It lit up, strange markings on the surface burning to life so brightly that for a moment I wondered if it was about to explode.

Then, it released a bolt of golden energy that streaked across the air and struck the gremlin, blowing its head off with a rather loud kra-koom! Its body fell over and began dissolving into dust as its two friends suddenly decided that they didn't like the idea of fighting any longer. With a loud screech, they turned and began making a run for it.

"Oh no you don't." I muttered under my breath, training my wand on their retreating forms. A moment later, two more little piles of ash hit the alley floor.

Then I was once again enveloped in marshmallow hell as my partner leaped forward to give me a big hug. "Yay! See? I told you you could do it!"

"T-thanks, Tempest." I stuttered, briefly trying to pry myself free before giving up and simply enjoying the sensations. "That wasn't too hard. Are there any more of these things running around?"

"Oh, yes! There's like a hundred of them coming this way right now!" she said, sounding completely unworried at the prospect of being torn apart by a horde of angry little munchkins. "They get really upset when they think something's attacked one of their friends."

"Wait, what?!" Actually, I could hear them now if I listened carefully. A thousand tiny squeaks and screeches, the beating of wings and the scrabbles of claws on stone, all of them moving closer by the minute. "So, time to run?"

"Run?" the other Magical Girl seemed genuinely confused by my words. "Why would we do that?"

I chose my words slowly and carefully. "Because there are a lot of monsters coming this way to kill us?"

"Don't worry, Radie!" she declared, pumping her fist excitedly. "I know you can do it! This'll let you level up for sure!"

"Level up?" I repeated. "No, wait. Seriously, I don't think I can fight all of those things. We need to run away before they get here."

"Aww..." she pouted. "Alright, fine. I'll help you out. Just stay here and sit tight, ok?"

A moment later, she was rising above the alleyway, silver wings glowing dimly in the night as the first of the horde came into view. There were hundreds of them, all screeching and skittering as they came around the corner and charged straight towards me. Raising my wand, I bared my teeth, preparing to take as many of them with me as I could.

And then they died.

From the sky, a veritable rain of silvery arrows fell upon the gremlins, each of them skewering one of the little beasts ahead of me. Above me, I could see Soaring Tempest, an ornate bow clutched in her hands as she fired down arrow after arrow with inhuman speed and accuracy. Her weapon thrummed as it pumped out arrows at a rate that would put a machine gun to shame. Each missile struck its target in the head or heart, killing it instantly. Within moments, the horde was gone, leaving nothing more then piles of dust that began to shift in the wind.

I stared at Soaring Tempest as she gracefully floated down, unable to think of any words to say.

"Ta-daa!" she announced, striking a pose. "Once again, Magical Girl Soaring Tempest saves the day!"

I clapped politely as she bowed. "Thank you, thank you. I'll be here all night, folks. Ah!" she froze. "Oh no!"

"What happened?" I asked, wand already glowing in my hands as I turned to see what had shocked her. "Another horde of monsters coming over?"

"I forgot to leave any for you to fight!" she wailed.

 

[zamin]

I moved over the rooftops, my eyes focused on Tempest's winged form in the distance. The other magical girl had been determined to make up for her earlier 'mistake' and had announced that she would do her best to find me something to defeat before she went home. After a long and fruitless two hours of searching through the grimy streets of the Old Town, she had decided that we would have better luck in another part of the city.

Eyeing the gap between my current rooftop and next, I tried to judge the distance. About ten, maybe fifteen feet. Should be doable. Moving back a bit to get some space, I ran up to the edge and jumped, heart stopping for a brief moment as I seemed to hang weightlessly in the air. My gaze was locked onto my destination as it drew closer, closer...

My feet hit the rooftop with a loud thump, causing a flock of nearby pigeons to panic and flutter off. I ignored them, already preparing for the next jump.

Roofhopping. Was. Awesome.

I felt my face stretch into a wide smile even as I leaped across the distance to the next building, enjoying the rush, the feeling of the wind through my hair. For the first time in what felt like forever, I wasn't worrying about the future or obsessing over the past. Here and now, there was only me, the rooftops and the moon floating up in the sky.

"Heey~" a familiar voice called out. Snapping out of my reverie, I spotted Tempest waving at me from one of the neighboring buildings. One final jump later, I was standing next to her.

"Having fun?" she giggled. I flushed slightly, suddenly realizing what I must have looked like, throwing myself across buildings while grinning like a loon.

"S-So..." damn it, why did my voice sound so high pitched? Clearing my throat, I tried again. "So, did you manage to find anything?"

"I think so." she said, holding up what looked like a crystal ball of some kind. "I can tell that there's something nearby that we can fight, but I'm not sure where exactly it is."

"Okay then." I nodded. "What's the plan?"

"Hmm..." she tapped the orb, staring into its depths as though she could see something inside. "Well, we shouldn't split the party, even if it'd be quicker. I might be fast enough to run away if we find something nasty, but you'd probably get eaten before you could scream."

I winced at the bluntness of her words, but refrained from saying anything.

"Alright, I think I got a lock on it." she smirked. "Can't see it directly, but I can see its victims. It's over... there!" she turned and pointed to her left.

Well, at least it wasn't too far away. Jumping off the rooftop, I landed on the ground without even a twinge of pain. Silently marveling at the sheer toughness of my new body, I began making my way towards the suspiciously dark alleyway Tempest had pointed towards. The other magical girl floated down next to me, her wings vanishing as she continued staring at the orb in her hands.

"Any idea what this will be?" I asked, trying to hide my nervousness. Even after being shown just how powerful my companion was, the fact remained that I've always been running away from dangerous monsters. Actually going out of my way to find one was more then a little strange for me.

"Pretty sure it's some kind of man eater." Tempest said absentmindedly, finally putting away her artifact. "Not sure what kind, though."

Well wasn't that just perfect?

I followed Tempest into the alley, already feeling vulnerable as we stepped away from the illumination provided by the streetlights and storefronts. The darkness felt oppressive, as though a strange force was pressing down on me. For a moment, I wanted nothing more then to turn back, to leave this place, to go away go away go away go away-

Suddenly, I felt my inner magic rise, growling like a dog which had spotted a stranger in its home. I fell to my knees, barely aware of the way my body was glowing as the unnatural fear was purged from my mind. "A ward?" I gasped, suddenly able to think clearly again.

Beside me, Tempest leaned down, patting my back comfortingly. "Shhh... feeling better now?"

"Why didn't you warn me about the defenses?" I tried not to sound too accusing.

The other girl shrugged. "I needed to see if you were strong enough to handle them. If something like this was enough to take you out, we might as well have turned around and gone back home."

"Ok. Ok, fair enough." I could understand why she did it, even if a part of me couldn't help but feel upset at being thrown to the metaphorical wolves. "But whoever set that ward probably knows we're here now."

"Ah, well." Tempest shrugged, apparently perfectly fine with the circumstances. "I'm sure we can handle it. And now I think I know what's behind all this!"

"Oh?"

"Have you ever fought a vampire before, Radie?" she asked, pulling me to my feet. "Cause I'm pretty sure that's what we're dealing with here."

"A vampire?!" I yelped. Those guys were serious business. Strong, tough and with all kinds of supernatural tricks up their sleeves. "Shouldn't we be calling for backup or something?"

Tempest sighed, petting my head in a somewhat condescending manner. "Radie, we're both magical girls, you know? We are the backup."

Ah, right. Magical girl. Much magic. Very power. I needed to start remembering that.

"Besides, your powers are all based on light magic, right? Do you really think a vampire is going to give you a lot of trouble?"

"Good point." I admitted. "Alright, how are we going to do this?"

Tempest smirked. "With style."

 

[zamin]

Lord Kylos leaned back into his seat, taking a moment to enjoy the feel of his toy's lips upon his cock. Around him, the crowd cheered and roared as the fighters in the arena attempted to pummel each other into submission. Despite their excitement, none were foolish enough to intrude into his private booth, the cattle tiptoeing carefully around him for fear of drawing his wrath.

For Lord Kylos, all was right in the world. His damnable sire was missing - either dead or sleeping, he didn't particularly care which - leaving him in charge of handling the finances. The Elder wouldn't care what Kylos did with the money as long as there was enough to satisfy her needs when she returned, so Kylos took the chance to indulge a little. He could always raise money via banking and playing about with the stock market, but where was the fun in that? Instead, he decided to try his hand at a handful of more... novel enterprises. Illegal fighting pits weren't the most glamorous of businesses, but they provided a rather sizable stream of cash and a steady supply of skilled fighters who might be worth turning.

Feeling his orgasm near, he seized onto his pet's hair, pulling her forward onto his dick as he released himself into her mouth. The enthralled woman moaned in pleasure, greedily swallowing his cum as though it was the sweetest thing she'd ever tasted. Relaxing his grip, Kylos allowed her to begin licking him clean, grunting in pleasure as she used her tongue with surprising skill. Perhaps he would even keep this one for a little longer then usual. He'd always had a fondness for blondes...

A deafening roar erupted from the crowd, drawing the vampire's attention back to the arena. It seemed that the fight was finally at an end. In the pit, a massive, dark skinned man roared in triumph, raising both his arms into the air as his unconscious opponent lay bleeding on the ground. Plastering a smile onto his face, Kylos stood and prepared to announce the next match. What was this idiot's name again? Oh, right.

"The winner: BLACK PANTHA!" Kylos resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the title, allowing the crowd a minute to get all their hooting and cheering out of the way before continuing. "Onto our next match, we haaave... The Great Zing versus The Iron Cobra! Place your bets folks, cause this show is about to get bloody!"

The cattle howled and surged towards the betting booth, their already heightened passions enflamed by the subtle enchantment he'd layered onto his voice. A simple trick, one his sire had taught him back when he'd been newly turned and unsure of his new abilities. It wasn't anywhere near as powerful as the one he'd used on his latest pet, but being able to affect multiple people at once made it just as useful in a variety of situations. Smiling, Kylos leaned back to watch the horde throwing their money at the counter, shoving against each other and screaming out their bets as his harried servants did their best to keep up with the pace. He mentally tallied together the profits, wondering if he had enough to justify purchasing another mansion this year. Having an extra base of operations was always useful, though getting it renovated to suit his taste would...

Kylos paused, eyes narrowing as he felt something trigger his ward. Were the police getting nosy again? Typical - even after he'd gone through all the trouble of bribing or enthralling several officers to leave his operations alone, there was always someone who just couldn't get a hint. Shoving his pet aside, he reached for his phone.

"'ello? Got any problems, boss?"

"It seems that some unwanted visitors have arrived. Get rid of them. Feed on them if you must, but destroy the bodies afterwards."

"Aye aye, boss. We'll take care of it pronto. You heard 'im, lads! Get to work!"

Tossing the phone aside, Kylos relaxed into his seat. Archie and his crew were quite possibly the definition of 'dumb muscle', but they were stubborn, loyal, and surprisingly tough. The gift of vampirism had only made them stronger, though unfortunately it couldn't do anything about the smell. Kylos had no idea what his minions insisted on smoking, but as long as it didn't interfere with their work he honestly didn't care enough to force them to quit.

The first sign that things had gone horribly wrong was when one of his minions called him five minutes later, the thug screaming something about monsters and burning before he got cut off by what sounded suspiciously like an explosion. Kylos had immediately leaped into action, his mind racing as he began signalling the rest of his servants to be prepared for an attack. The crowd shifted uncomfortably, some of the patrons panicking as they spotted his employees pulling out guns and knives.

The vampire lord pulled his own weapon out of its hidden drawer - a gleaming, silver coated rapier that glowed malevolently in the dim light of his booth. He wasn't sure who was foolish enough to attack him in one of his seats of power, but they would pay dearly for this insult.

Just as he was about to order his men to move out, the roof was blown in, a massive beam of brilliant white energy smashing through the building as though it was made of tissue paper. As Kylos blinked the light from his eyes, he spotted a small, golden haired girl drop through the hole and land right in the center of the pit.

"Hello everyone." the girl smiled, curtsying demurely before pulling out a rod of some kind out of thin air. "I'm afraid this party's over."

 

[zamin]

"Hello everyone." I smiled and curtsied before pulling my weapon out from wherever it disappeared to when I wasn't using it. "I'm afraid that this party's over."

For a moment, nothing moved. Everyone stared, their brains seemingly rebooting from the sheer WTF that I'd brought into the room. Just as I was about to start moving, someone finally decided to respond to my entrance.

"You dare?!"

Glancing up to the private booth, I spotted the speaker glaring down at me.

Hmm... pale face? Check. Fancy clothes? Check. Pompous Attitude? Check.

Looks like I'd just found the vampire. Judging by the blank, slightly twitchy expression, the skimpily dressed blonde beauty standing next to him was probably enthralled. Which meant that this particular specimen was able to control people somehow. Joy.

Having gotten over their shock, the other locals were beginning to move just a little too close for my comfort. At the front of the pack were a dozen or so of the monster's servants, each of them armed and looking rather more threatening then the scum I'd had to deal with outside.

"Who sent you here, girl?" the vampire demanded. "One of the covens, perhaps? You will pay dearly for this insult."

"Yeah, about that..." I raised my wand upwards. "Blinding Light!"

Fighting as a Magical Girl was very different compared to what I'm used to. For ordinary wizards, the first thing you learn is that magic is Dangerous. The slightest mistake, the tiniest sign of weakness, and your own magic could turn on you in an instant. Being a wizard meant careful, painstakingly methodical preparation before doing anything bigger then a party trick. It meant hours of research, testing and practice before even attempting anything that could potentially be used in combat. For a wizard, magic was like a wild beast - something that could barely be controlled and had to be carefully eased into doing what you wanted it to do.

A powerful mage could tame their magic, breaking it and forcing it to bend to their will. But they had to have a careful, constant control over their power. A single moment of carelessness, and the best thing that would happen is that your spell just fizzles out instead of blowing up in your face or warping the fabric of reality in some undoubtedly interesting but inevitably lethal manner. There was a reason why wizards liked to have councils and organizations and what not - by sharing the burden between multiple people, the magic of a spell could be more easily controlled and channeled into the form you wanted. Even though doing magic like that took longer, the chance of not having to worry about, say, having your organs turn inside out made it far more appealing to most magic users. It was all slow, careful and perfectly controlled.

But you don't become a Magical Girl by reading through old tomes and and carefully learning new ways to manipulate the aether. You can't inherit the power like a bloodline ability or an old heirloom passed down through the generations. Magical Girls are not born, they're made. They are created specially for war, designed to battle some of the nastiest creatures in existence. Their very souls are grafted with power, their bodies warped and strengthened to allow them to stand against the enemies they face.

For a Magical Girl, magic was like a tame puppy that just wanted to make you happy. A puppy that happened to be made specifically to slay demons and other magical monsters. I barely had to think about what I was doing, simply letting the power flow through me instinctively as I told it what I wanted. The metaphorical puppy barked in delight as I let it off its leash.

A pulse of mana, barely a trickle compared to the raging ocean of power within me, and the room was lit up like a second sun.

The humans fell over, many of them stunned from standing too close to what was essentially an overpowered magical flashbang. They were perfectly unharmed, though it'd be a while before they could see clearly again.

The vampires, on the other hand, had not fared quite as well. They screamed, every inch of exposed skin blackened and burned by the light of my soul. Even the Elder in his private booth hadn't escaped unharmed if the muffled cursing was any indication. Pointing my wand at the nearest bloodsucker, I blasted it with a bolt of energy, reducing the monster to nothing more then a pile of ashes. Then I moved on to the next one, then the next, and then continued on until there were no longer any vampires in my immediate vicinity.

Glancing upwards, I frowned as I realized that the leader had disappeared from sight. A single leap brought me up to the balcony where he'd been standing just a few minutes ago, revealing a rather plush private booth and the thrall's body slumped in a corner. Oops. Still, she should have been far enough to escape the worst effects of my spell. Gently, I reached out to touch her, then froze.

She wasn't breathing.

A part of me was panicking, screaming, gibbering about doctors and hospitals and CPR, about how I could maybe still save her if I tried. The rest of me felt cold. Frozen. Like there was ice in my veins. I moved instinctively, senses already scanning the area for clues.

Puncture wounds on her neck. Bloodstains on the floor. The door was ajar, hanging off its hinges like someone had barreled through it without bothering to turn the knob first.

I left the room and found myself standing in a hallway. Following the fading blood trail, I made my way deeper into the building. The corridors were empty, with only the sound of my footsteps to accompany me as I wandered through the nearly labyrinthine pathways. I felt more wards burst into life, whispers and illusions meant to turn me back. I ignored them, the golden light of my power protecting my mind even a it shattered the intricate constructs like they were made of glass.

I kept moving forwards, the defenses becoming sloppier the closer I got to my target. The wards I was facing were rushed, their effects already weakened by the flaws in their creation. They barely slowed me down, even as the vampire threw up more and more of them in an attempt to bar my way. It seemed that my foe was getting more desperate.

Good.

Finally, I found myself walking down a flight of steps leading deep underground. A secret lair in the basement? How cliche.

A flash of movement at the corner of my eyes was all the warning I received. Spinning on my heel, I turned the attack from a lethal thrust into a very painful stab into my shoulder. I hissed in pain as I felt the blade's malevolent energy. It purred, somehow drawing out more blood then it should, even as my enemy ruthlessly ripped it out of my body.

The vampire had been busy, it seemed. Clad head to toe in black armor that was almost glowing with protective enchantments, the monster snarled at me through a mouth full of bloody fangs. "You accursed little freak. I'll rip out your fucking soul for messing with me like that!"

I backpedaled, desperately trying to make some space between us. The vampire wasn't having any of that, however. It lunged forwards, the bloodthirsty sword in its hands moving with inhuman speed. I somehow managed to parry the first blow, but gasped as the second left a deep gash in my side. I tried to blast it, but my energy bolt simply fizzled out the moment it touched the armor. Ignoring my failed attack, the vampire pressed its advantage, leaving several cuts across my body despite my best attempts at dodging.

I blasted the monster again and again, yet that damned armor simply soaked up my attacks. If attacking directly wasn't an option...

"Blinding Light!"

For the second time tonight, a new star was briefly brought into existence. The vampire howled and cursed, the distraction giving me the chance to get some distance. As I'd expected, the spell hadn't damaged the monster, though I noted that its armor was smoking slightly. Perhaps the enchantments had their limits after all.

As my enemy got his bearings I began reaching deep inside myself, grasping at every little bit of power I could find and then digging deeper to pull out even more. I gritted my teeth at the sudden surge of pain, but this was nothing that I wasn't already used to.

Shaking off the disorientation caused by my spell, the vampire charged forward, its lips curled back into a victorious smirk as its blade darted straight towards my heart.

A searing beam of light erupted from my wand, slamming into its chest and sending it flying backwards so hard that its body was buried into the opposite wall. Its armor was cracked, tiny fractures spreading out from the point of impact to cover most of its front. As it cursed and swore, I thought back to the woman, the thrall I had found upstairs.

She must have had a life once. A family. Someone who wondered why she wasn't coming home. Did they believe that she had run away? Did they think that she had abandoned them on a whim? Would a parent or child cry themselves to sleep tonight, asking themselves where their loved one had gone?

Oh golden sun that watches over this world

I stared at the vampire, burning its face into my memory. It was a monster, one that had killed who knows how many innocents over the years.

Hear my cry

It had used magic to twist the hearts and minds of the people around it, feeding on them like a blood gorged parasite and using them like they were nothing more then toys for its amusement.

Let your light descend from the heavens

Its very existence had been a corrupting influence, an evil that slowly spread into the lives of everyone nearby.

Let your glory fill our hearts with hope

It was an abomination, one that would bring nothing but harm into this world.

And let your fury purge this world

Pointing my wand at the vampire, I called upon all my power, all my energy. The puppy was howling now, turning into a ravenous wolf that wanted nothing more then to destroy the enemy before me.

"Final Judgement!"

From the tip of my wand, a beam of perfect white light emerged. If my previous attack had been a candle, this was a volcano. Brilliant and bright and unstoppable, like a shard of the sun itself.

Even as my consciousness faded, I couldn't help marveling at how it all felt so right.

----------------------------------
I woke up to find a gentle warmth beneath my head and a hand stroking through my hair. A familiar voice hummed a cheerful tune from somewhere above me.

Cracking my eyes open, I found myself on a rooftop somewhere, my head resting on Tempest's lap. The other Magical Girl smiled. "Awake already? You gave me quite a scare there, Radie."

"Sorry." I mumbled, suddenly feeling very foolish. Tempest had told me to come back and get her if I thought I was going to fight something powerful. The air elementalist had elected to stay outside the building in order to prevent any of the monsters from escaping, though she had promised to come straight away if I needed help. If I hadn't rushed ahead like an idiot...

"You did well." she said, interrupting my thoughts. The other girl wasn't looking directly at me, her eyes gazing wistfully at something in the distance. "You killed almost all the vampires, including their leader. If I had known about that armor of his..." she shook her head. "Still, you managed to beat him. But did you really have to blow a hole straight through the wall and a whole bunch of other buildings?"

Oops?

"I, err, didn't know it would do that." I flushed. "Sorry?"

Tempest laughed. "Relax, Radie! We're not going to stick you with the repair bill. Not this time, anyway..."

"Well that's a relief." I admitted. I'd been planning to make a few investments, maybe go into stocks or something to try to give me a bigger budget, but right now I was very aware of my limited funds. "So what do we do now?"

"Now? You need training." Tempest hummed, running her hand through my hair again. "But that can wait till tomorrow, I think. Relax. I'll take care of you, Radie."

 

[zamin]

The next morning, I dragged myself out of bed, ignoring the minor aches and pains from all the cuts I'd received from fighting that damned vampire. Once we'd confirmed that none of the monsters had escaped, Tempest had dropped me off at a nearby park, apologizing profusely about not being able to stay and help me recover. Apparently, she had a test she needed to study for.

Before she'd flown away, Tempest had given me an ointment of some kind, along with instructions to use it regularly until I was feeling better. I wasn't sure what exactly it'd been made from, but the blueish color and eye-wateringly strong herbal smell made me more than a little wary about putting the stuff anywhere near my wounds. Fortunately, the ointment seemed to work as advertised - causing even the deepest cuts to be healed within hours. The parts of my body that it had been rubbed on felt uncomfortably tingly and itchy, but I ignored it as best I could.

I wandered around my new apartment, taking the time to explore it properly now that I didn't have to worry about having a Puchuu peering over my shoulder. I happily took advantage of the surprisingly large bathroom before my rumbling tummy convinced me to check out the kitchen. A quick search of the fridge revealed boxes of instant noodles, soups, and rice. I sighed at the lack of variety before putting the kettle to boil. It seemed that I would need to do some shopping if I wanted to have a healthy diet. Not that I needed it, apparently. The Puchuu had rather smugly explained that my new body would look the same no matter what I ate. On one hand, I could eat all the junk food I wanted. On the other, the revelation that I'd never grow any taller was more than a little annoying.

I'd never realized just how convenient it was to be a tall guy in the past. Now I had to use a chair in order to reach the higher shelves. It was humiliating, having to jump up and down on my tippy toes to grab stuff from the cabinets. My only consolation was that at least no one else was around to witness my shame.

Fed and watered, I took a quick shower, wincing slightly as the water hit my wounds. They had mostly healed by now, formerly bleeding gashes turned into little more than slightly reddened skin, but they were still painfully sensitive to touch. Afterward, I stood in front of the mirror, trying not to get too aroused by the sight of my naked body as I carefully rubbed the last of the ointment onto my skin. It itched like crazy, but soon enough the last twinges of pain had faded away into a tolerable numbness.

Concentrating on my reflection, I tried to summon a new set of clothes. Something a little loose would be good. I didn't think I could handle anything skintight just yet, even if a part of me was rather interested in learning what this body looked like in latex. A simple, if stylish sundress shimmered into being. A moment later, it was accompanied by a plain white bra and panties after I noticed the dress wasn't doing a good job of concealing my hardened nipples.

I walked around the room for a bit, trying to get used to my new outfit. Wearing a dress felt... weird, but it was something I had to get used to sooner or later. Nodding in satisfaction, I decided that I was probably as ready as I'd ever be. Focusing on the idea of getting out, I found myself appearing in the same park I'd been left in last night.

It was much livelier now. Since it was a weekend, people had descended upon the place in droves. I dodged past a dozen early morning joggers and harried looking parents, slipping seamlessly into the crowd as just another child out on a trip to the park. Making my way towards the place where I'd fought the vampire last night, I was unsurprised to discover that the street had been cordoned off. The whole area crawling with police who seemed to be tripping over each other as they tried to figure out what had happened. To the side, I spotted a stern-faced officer giving a statement to a crowd of cameras. Feeling curious, I made my way over to see what was going on.

"... and in no way is this linked to these so-called 'monsters'." the policeman concluded, glaring at the reporter in front of him. To her credit, the woman attempted to continue her questions. "But Commander, we have received several eyewitness accounts that-"

"Once again, I'd like to remind you that we deal with real problems, not whatever fanciful story you dredge out of the internet." the policeman sneered. "These criminals are undoubtedly lying in an attempt to get themselves off the hook."

"But if you'd just let us interview them-"

"Out of the question." the law enforcer insisted. "These are dangerous men we're dealing with here. We're not going to let any of them out of our sight until the trial is over."

"Sir, we just need-"

"I'm not answering any more of your questions. Next!"

I carefully backed away as the crowd descended into squabbling and squawking, each of the reporters trying to make themselves heard over their colleagues as they jostled for space. Well, that was enlightening. It seemed that the government was still doing their best to deny the supernatural as best they could. I wasn't sure why, exactly, but from the rumors I'd heard in the past, it was part of a deal they'd made with... something. In any case, the politicians did their best to suppress any sign of magic, somehow managing to cover it up with ever more outlandish bluster and excuses. Magic users who gathered too much attention tended to... disappear, especially if they did anything too flashy in public.

I wasn't sure what they thought about Magical Girls, but I wasn't about to take any chances. Drifting away from the area, I made my way towards the nearest bus stop. I had some shopping to do, after all.

--------------------------------------
Jingle jingle jingle

The bell above the door tinkled cheerfully as I entered. At the counter, the bored looking salesperson perked up slightly, then seemed to deflate as she spotted me. "Ugh. Another kid?" she muttered, before plastering an obviously fake smile on her face. "Hello! Welcome to Madame Trista's Magic Shoppe. Can I help you?"

I took a moment to examine the fancy trinkets and various paraphernalia on display. Most of it was junk, of course, but more than a few items were gleaming with minor magical effects. Nothing too powerful, but someone here obviously knew what they were doing. Keeping my face carefully blank, I stepped forwards. "Is Master Myrddin available?"

Suddenly, the saleswoman's gaze sharpened, formerly slumped shoulders perking up slightly as she realized that I wasn't some giggling teenager here to purchase some lucky charm. "So, you're one of our special customers, eh? Don't think I've seen you around before."

Maintaining my blank expression, I pulled out a piece of paper and placed it on the counter. "My owner wishes to buy all of these items. He will pay you one thousand, five hundred dollars."

Snatching up the paper, the woman peered carefully at the list and began muttering to herself. "Hmm... silvered athame, blank runestones, sealing ink... looks like someone fancies himself an enchanter. Any idea what your master wants to do with all this stuff?"

I simply stared at her blankly.

She sighed. "Yeah, figured you couldn't say anything. Still, you're, what, fourteen? Geez... why do I get all the creepy mind controllers as customers?"

I remained silent, trying not to fidget too much as the witch pulled out a box from under the counter and began filling it with the items I'd ordered.

"Here's your stuff," she said, pushing it over to me. "Now, my payment?"

I handed over a fistful of notes, waiting patiently as she counted them all before nodding in satisfaction. "Alright, looks like you haven't tried to stiff me. That's better than most of the idiots I usually have to deal with. Now get out of here."

Picking up the box, I turned and left without any outward sign of acknowledging her words. "And tell your 'owner' to come in person next time, you hear?!" she yelled as I shut the door behind me.

Keeping my pace calm, I walked down the road, keeping an eye out for any sign of followers. Once I was certain that I wasn't being watched, I ducked into an ally and began concentrating on returning home. After a few seconds, the world around me blurred and I found myself once again standing in the middle of my magical apartment. Setting my new box full of goodies on the table, I resisted the urge to cackle evilly.

Oh, the things I could do with these...

 

[zamin]

Magic is dangerous.

That is the first thing they teach you. No matter where you are or what school of magic you're learning from, that is always, always, the very first lesson.

The second lesson, Magic always has a price, is something that not everyone learns in time.

Humans are not meant to wield magic. Those that do, often find themselves... twisted in the process. Necromancers sacrifice a portion of their souls with every spell they cast, eventually transforming into one of the very creatures they control. Elementalists slowly find their personalities changing, their mindsets shifting to better match the element they controlled. Druids lose their humanity, finding it harder and harder to return to their original forms as time goes by.

In a way, I was lucky. A rune crafter generally didn't need to worry about such things. We traded speed and flexibility for permanence and stability. Even the simplest of our spells could take hours of painstaking carving, with even the slightest mistake forcing us to start all over again. My school's teachings meant that I had never had to directly touch magic - the marks I carved served as a buffer, a safety net if you will.

They were also a complete pain in the ass to use.

Unlike most wizards, if I wanted to make an enchanted item, I couldn't just snap my fingers, dump a load of power into an object and call it a day. I had to carve the correct markings onto whatever it was I was trying to enchant, check and double check that I'd gotten everything right, then carefully test it out to make sure it wouldn't fall apart or explode in my hands or something. In the past, I'd had to make do with a handyman's toolkit, using a hammer and chisel to crudely cut whatever markings I'd needed. Now that I had access to more precise tools, I could finally afford to try out some of my more... interesting ideas.

I examined the glass in front of me carefully, using a microscope to check the tiny runes I'd etched onto its surface. On my lap, a copy of Blackmoor's Comprehensive Guide to Basic Runic Script lay open, its pages covered in neat, careful handwriting and all the oh-so-helpful illustrations that I'd ever need. Seeing no obvious flaws, I finally placed the glass back into its case and put it aside, next to all the other samples I'd done over the last few days. I'd gone on a bit of a crafting spree after buying all my shiny new equipment and supplies last week.

Shuffling down to the kitchen, I pulled a container out of my freezer and stuck its contents into the microwave for a few minutes. Mmm... pasta. Cheap, tasty, and easy to cook in a big batch so that you can freeze some for later.

I collapsed onto the sofa. Mmm... bowl of hot pasta on my lap, fresh new book on the table in front of me... what else could a guy ask for?

Well, TV and internet, obviously, but it turned out that my apartment wasn't actually connected to the outside world. I'd been seriously pissed to find out that the second-hand TV I'd dragged in was about as useful as an expensive paperweight. Still, all was not lost - come next month, I'd buy one of those game console thingies and see if I could set up a gaming system here. Most of the better ones were out of my reach, but I was sure that I could find a second-hand console somewhere in this city. It wouldn't be able to play any of the new games, but I could always crack open one of my old Final Fantasy CDs or something.

As I chewed on my food, I recalled the little mental checklist I'd set up after gaining this body.

1) Learn how to fight properly
2) Find out what exactly killed my sister
3) Kill it. Painfully
4) ???

So far, progress on the first two items had been... slow, at best. I'd gone on more patrols since meeting Tempest, the two of us going through a set route through the 'bad' parts of the city. The only things we'd found were more gremlins and a handful of other minor pests. Truth be told, I was beginning to get a bit antsy. Wasn't there supposed to be more monsters lurking about somewhere?

Still, all was not lost. Tonight I was supposed to be patrolling with another new girl. Tempest had been a bit worried about leaving us alone, but the younger girl said that she really couldn't afford to miss any more days at school.

I tossed my empty bowl into the sink, mind spinning with new thoughts and ideas. The route Tempest had led me on focused mainly on the Eastern half of the city, the slums and run-down neighborhoods where the city's poorest denizens lived. It was important to keep an eye on such areas, but I was well aware that they weren't the only places where monsters could show up.

---------------------------
Sator Square was a throwback to an older period in history. A nasty fire razed half the block a few decades ago, gutting the low rise apartments that had once stood here. After the clean-up was done, the mayor at the time ordered the area to be torn down and rebuilt as a 'classy' new neighborhood. The planners had a real liking for classical greek architecture, which resulted in far too many white marble columns and statues of naked people being set up everywhere. Property values basically tripled overnight, though years of bad maintenance and bad economies had slowly driven them down again.

Now the place was almost completely empty. Boarded up windows and 'For Sale' signs were in front of nearly every building. The few people that lived here had a pinched, desperate air about them - they weren't poor, not really, but many of them knew that they were but a single paycheck away from being forced out of their homes. They worked in the docks and factories, spending hours doing back-breaking work for a pittance and feeling grateful that they could get a job at all.

I walked through these streets, my... distinctive outfit covered up by a massively oversized coat I'd found in a second-hand store yesterday. Leaves and gravel crunched underfoot as I made my way towards my destination. I double checked the note that Tempest had passed me after our last patrol.

Isabella Young

Room 6, Level 2, House 19, Sator Square

Click to shrink...

House 19 had been renovated at some point. The bottom floor held a store of some kind, its shutters shut early and its sign faded into illegibility. A forlorn 'Final Notice' sign hung over the entrance. Next to the store, a single staircase led upwards, lit only by a single light bulb hanging overhead. I walked up carefully, hearing each step creak alarmingly as I put my weight on it. The second floor had a number of rooms, with little numbers painted onto the doorways. Room number 6 was down the hall and to my right.

I knocked on the door. Silence. I knocked again, putting a little more force into it.

From the other side, I heard a thump, followed by some muffled swearing.

A moment later, the door opened, revealing a thin, barely dressed girl with far too many tattoos and a murderous expression on her face. "I already told ya, I ain't going to - wait, who're you?"

"Uh, you're... Isabella?"

"Depends who's asking." she replied, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Soaring Tempest told me to talk to you."

"Tempest?" her eyes widened in recognition. "Oh, you're..."

"I'm like her."

"Alright, I guess you'd better come in, then." she stepped aside to let me in, revealing a room that was covered in piles of dirty clothes, garbage and things I really didn't want to think about. A small TV sat in the corner, its screen shattered and useless. The walls were covered in mold and the windows looked like they were more dirt than glass.

"You live here?" I couldn't help asking. Behind me, I heard the click of the lock sliding into place. "Well, yeah?" the other girl replied, sounding a little disgruntled. "We can't all live in some hoity-toity mansion or whatever."

"Sorry," I shook my head. "I just wasn't expecting one of us to be..."

"What? Staying in a shithole?" Isabella snorted. "Rent's cheap and the landlord don't ask questions. It's a lot better than what some people get, Princess."

I shrugged. "Fair enough. You ready to go?"

"Not yet," now that I was paying attention, the tattooed girl looked a little tense. "This... this, uh, patrol thingy. What exactly are we doing here?"

"We run around, look for any monsters and kill any we find," I replied. "I already have a route in mind, so-"

"Alright, look. Listen, yeah? I, uh, might have an idea." the other girl licked her lips nervously. "There's this place I know. Just a few blocks from here. It's... it's a drug shop, see? They make all kinds of nasty shit there. The guys there, they got guns and knives and stuff. But I was thinking, if the two of us went, maybe we could shut it down?"

I frowned. "I'm... not sure we're allowed to do that. Fighting monsters is one thing, but going after other humans?"

"Hey, these ain't exactly good guys we're talking about here," Isabella insisted. "They're part of some gang, they sell H and stuff to anyone who can pay 'em. We'd be doing the world a favor by getting rid of them."

I shook my head. "Look, I don't... maybe another time?"

Isabella's face twisted, a mixture of anger and disgust. "For fuck's sake. Don't be such a pussy about it! Between the two of us, we can-"

"Do what? Shut down some drug lab?" I interrupted, temper getting the better of me. "You think that'll change anything? They'll just set up a new lab somewhere else and start all over again."

"So we get rid of them all," she countered, voice rising. "Can't mix shit if you're dead!"

"And when they find more people?" I argued. "If you get rid of some flunkies, they'll just find someone to replace them in a week. If you want to stop a gang, you need to deal with the people on top, not the ones on the bottom."

"Fine. Fine," the other girl spat, looking mutinous. "We'll leave them alone. Still think it'd be worth it..."

I sighed. "Just... change and let's get going, alright?"

 

[zamin]

The air was tense. Isabella had transformed in her bedroom, apparently reluctant to let anyone else see the transformation process. Given that it usually involved clothing disappearing into a glowy light show, I suppose I couldn't really blame her. A minute later, she emerged and I couldn't help staring.

Gone was the skinny jeans and ratty tank top, replaced by a suit of admittedly skimpy armor that managed to look impressive and alluring without crossing the line into slutty. Her tattoos were covered up and her hair let down, making her look more professional then before. In her hands was a sword that was practically brimming with magical power. It gleamed, its metallic surface exuding a sense of danger. There was a tang in the air, a hint of salt that reminded me of being next to the sea.

I mentally upped Isabella's threat rating. Despite her rather unimpressive civilian appearance, her Magical Girl abilities were probably very dangerous, especially against a ranged specialist like me. "So, introductions. I'm Magical Girl Vengeful Radiance. I'm mostly a ranged specialist, so if we get into a fight with something, I'll want to hang back and snipe at it from a distance." I raised my hand. The other girl stared at it for a moment, then gave it a tentative shake. She moved slowly and carefully, as if afraid that she might shatter my hand if she gripped too tightly. "Bella Young," she grunted. "But you already knew that. While I'm like this, you're supposed to call me..." she sighed, then spoke as if she was parroting someone. "Magical Knight Endless Ocean, defender of truth and justice and all that other crap."

Looks like someone wasn't enthusiastic about the whole magical girl gig. I tried to smile reassuringly, though it probably came off as more of a grimace. "Magical Knight, huh? How'd you land that title? Most of us seem to be just plain old Magical Girls."

"Wasn't my idea," she tapped her sword. "It was this stupid thing. Found it lying on the beach. I thought I could hock it off somewhere, but the moment I touched it, it started glowing and... yeah. Then that weird albino teddy bear thing popped up and told me that now I had to fight monsters and shit. So here I am."

"And here you are," I repeated. "Well, I suppose we should get going. Any idea what kind of monsters show up in this part of town?"

She shrugged. "Eh, I've mostly been beating up on gremlins. The little fuckers keep coming back, but they've learned to stay away from places with a lot of people."

"So we just walk around and see if we can find anything?"

"If that's how you wanna do it. I still wanna take on that drug lab, though." her fingers drummed a beat on her sword. "Someone needs to stop those assholes, and the police around here sure ain't gonna do anything about it."

"Alright, fine." I sighed. "If we don't find anything, we'll swing by the lab. I still don't think we should attack humans, but we can at least scout it out."

"Don't need to," she smirked. "I've already got the whole place mapped out. Just gimme the word and we can probably wreck that place easy."

"You said that they have armed guards, right?" I crossed my arms. "I don't know about you, but a bullet to the head is kinda lethal for me."

"Then we just need to move fast. If we shut 'em down quick, they won't have time to fight back."

I shook my head. "You know that this won't make that much of a difference, right? Once the bosses realize what happened, they'll just start it up again somewhere else."

"Don't care." she shot. "At least I'd be doing something 'stead of just sitting around and waiting for someone else to sort it out."

--------------------------
The drug shop was a run down little corner house just a few blocks away from Isabella's apartment. Even at this hour, there was a steady stream of people coming in and out - peddlers collecting their products and handing over the money they'd made. A group of large, menacing looking guys were lounging on the patio, drinking and playing cards. Each of them had a weapon within easy reach, the holstered guns on their hips making it clear what their job was.

"So how are we doing this?" I whispered to Isa- Endless Ocean, the pair of us crouched in the bushes across the road. "I can probably blast them, but it'd make a lot of noise."

The other girl smirked, her eyes faintly glowing in the darkness. "Don't worry. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve. Just gimme a few minutes..."

A mist began to rise, slowly creeping up towards the house. As distracted as they were, the guards didn't notice anything was wrong until the fog suddenly rose up, blanketing them from sight. A moment later, it dissipated, revealing their bodies slumped over the table.

"Did you just kill them all?!" I hissed, torn between horror and admiration at Endless Ocean's abilities.

"Nah," she replied, panting slightly. Drops of sweat trailed down her brow. "It's my Sleepy Time Fog. Real pain in the ass to make it so big, but they won't be waking up anytime soon."

"Nice." I smiled, holding up the baseball sized rock in my hand. The runes on it were roughly cut, and they sparked and glowed ominously. "My turn now, I guess. You ready?"

Endless Ocean nodded, hands eagerly wrapped around the hilt of her sword even as a coat of water wrapped itself around the blade. She'd promised that we wouldn't kill anyone tonight unless we had to, but it was better to be safe then sorry. Besides, broken bones would heal up eventually.

The two of us sprinted forwards. Ocean was noticeably faster then me, crossing the distance in the blink of an eye. Once I got close enough, I threw my little rock through the nearest window as hard as I could. The sound of shattering glass filled the air, followed by a massive thump as the magical flash bang activated. Ocean... split herself, creating an identical clone that smashed through the door with a loud cry. The Magical Knight waited a moment for me to catch up, then followed after.

The inside of the house was just as run down as the outside, though part of it may have been due to the rampaging clone that was taking down anyone who looked as though they might be able to put up a fight. Most of the gangsters were too disoriented from my flash bang to resist, but a few had the presence of mind to pull out their weapons. Endless Ocean and her clone targeted them specifically, putting them down with brutal efficiency. I winced slightly at the sound of screams and crack of bones shattering.

While Ocean and her clone were dealing with the fighters, I took care of the ones who were still groggily rising to their feet. A quick blast of magic and they were out like a light.

"Anyone else left?" I called.

Endless Ocean and her clone walked into the room, their swords still covered in a layer of water. It may have been blunted, but it was still a heavy piece of metal being swung around with inhuman strength. Against blinded, deafened street thugs, this had probably been complete overkill.

"I got 'em all, I think." The Magical Knight smirked. "Wrecked all their equipment too. There's a safe in one of the upstairs room. Think that's where their money is. We split it fifty-fifty?"

"Uh, sure." I shrugged. "What the hell. I'm not getting my paycheck till next month anyway."

The other girl's jaw dropped. "Wait, you're getting paid?!"

 

[zamin]

"This is just so bullshit," Isabella remarked, peering around my apartment with barely concealed envy. "You just can pop into it whenever you want?"

"Well, yeah," I shrugged, feeling just a little bit uncomfortable at my guest's scrutiny. A part of me treacherously pointed out that this was technically the first time I'd ever invited a girl to my place. As I watched Isabella poke and prod through my stuff, I couldn't help regretting that it happened to be, well, her. Don't get me wrong, she was actually kinda cute, but I wasn't really into the whole 'tattoos and piercings' look she seemed to prefer. "Hey, don't touch that!"

She flinched, pulling her hand away from the boxes I'd stacked onto the table. "Alright, alright." she said, looking a bit sheepish. "Sorry. This is all just a little... much, you know?"

I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Yeah, I get that a lot. Look, do you want any tea or coffee or something? I can probably set a pot while we talk."

"You have a kitchen?" Isabella asked, eyes widening as she pulled the door open. "Holy shit, you have a fridge and stove and everything!"

"Um, yeah?" I replied, once again feeling uncomfortable as she stared at the devices like they were made of gold. "You don't have a kitchen?"

"Nah," she shook her head, leaning against the wall as she watched me prepare a pot of tea. "Well, I got a fridge, but it's like a mini thing, you know? Yours is, like, super-huge compared to it. And my stove ain't working, so I gotta grab takeout if I want to eat anything hot."

"Can't you get it fixed?" I asked, pulling open my cupboards. Now where did I leave my teabags? Oh, there it was. I reached up, stretching on my tip toes to try to reach it.

"Need a hand, shorty?" Isabella smirked her unfairly long hands easily snatching the box that had been just barely out of my grasp. "Here."

I thanked her distractedly as I dropped a bag into the teapot. One, two, three spoons of sugar later, I left the mixture to steep and turned back to my guest. "I've got some milk in the fridge if you want some."

She opened the fridge door and laughed. "Oooh, fresh milk,even! You've got it made, girl!"

A few minutes later, the two of us sat at my table, sipping quietly at our drinks. After tasting her tea, Isabella made a face and pushed the cup away, muttering something about too much sugar. The Magical Knight leaned forwards, eyeing me speculatively. "So..."

"So?" I arched my brow, attempting to look serious. Judging by the smile that flashed across my guest's face, I'd probably failed. Stupid female body.

"How'd you manage it?" Isabella asked, gesturing at the room around us. "This place. Like, what, did you have to kill a boss monster or something?"

"I, uh, asked?" I replied.

She stared at me for a moment. "You... asked?"

"Well, yeah." I took another sip of my tea. "I told the Puchuu I needed a place to stay, so he gave me a salary and told me I could live here."

"You just... asked?" she buried her face in her hands. "Arrrgh! Stupid, stupid... All this time I've been rushing around like an idiot, trying to find a job and fight monsters at the same time and it turns out you can just get paid for this shit?! How much is it?"

"About three thousand a month." I answered, eyeing her warily. She looked like she was about two steps away from a nervous breakdown.

"Three thousand?" she repeated. "That's like, good pay! Why didn't I get any of this shit?"

I shrugged helplessly. "No idea. Maybe you could talk to Puchuu again, see if he's willing to help you out."

"I can't." she grimaced. "Haven't seen the furry little shit for... what, three, four weeks, now? He basically pointed me at that windy flying girl and disappeared."

"You too?" I frowned. I'd actually been starting to wonder where he'd gone. I hadn't seen hide or hair of the Puchuu ever since that first joint patrol with Soaring Tempest.

"Yeah." Isabella slumped forwards, the poor girl looking completely worn out. "I mean, even when he was there it was all Go here and Kill this thing now, you know? Would have been nice if he'd answered some questions."

I nodded. "Yeah, the Puchuu are like that. Little bastards never give a straight answer if they can avoid it."

My guest froze. "There's more then one of him?" she asked.

"There are supposed to be at least three or four of them in this city alone, but I've only ever seen that one individual." I informed her. "Apparently, a bunch of local magical girls got killed off by something recently. If he's the only active Puchuu in the area, he's probably running around, trying to gather as many new girls as he can."

"Huh..." Isabella leaned back, looking thoughtful. And angry. "Guess that explains why he just left a sword on the beach, then. You know, he gave me a big speech about how I'd been 'chosen' and shit. Made me feel all nice and special. But I was... what? Just a quick substitute? Someone to fill in when he needed more people?" she spat out, eyes red and brimming with unshed tears. "Fucker. Stupid, useless little - arrggh!" She stood up abruptly, chair clattering to the floor behind her as she marched out of the room. I sipped at my tea, deciding to give her some time to calm down.

A moment later, she poked her head around the corner. "Uh, where'd the exit go?"

I blinked, then scrambled to my feet. "Oh, sorry! I forgot. It usually disappears until I summon it again."

"Cool." she spat out. "Now, can you let me out? I need... I need some time to think."

"Sure." the door appeared, hanging in mid air behind her. "But if you want someone to talk to..."

"I'll... think about it." she sighed, pulling the door open. She stepped out, then paused. "For what it's worth... thanks. For answering my questions. The fly girl never wants to talk unless it's about killing shit."

"Really?" I frowned. If anything, Soaring Tempest had been too chatty whenever we patrolled together.

"Yeah. She's seen my place. And what I look like normally." Isabella made a face. "I get the feeling that she doesn't really approve of having someone like me as a magical girl."

"Huh." The things you learned about people... "Well, I'll be in the area for a bit, so if you need me just give me a call. Uh, wait, did I give you my number yet?"

After a quick exchange of contact details, I waved the older girl goodbye. The door swung shut behind her with a solid thunk before disappearing into the ether.

After verifying that she was gone, I collapsed onto my couch, sighing in relief. While I certainly sympathized with Isabella's problems, I honestly had no idea how to go about solving them. I suppose I could have offered to let her stay here, but I was worried that she might have taken it as an insult or a jab at her financial situation. Perhaps I'd pay her a visit tomorrow? Hopefully, she'd have cooled down by then.

As I turned in for the night, I couldn't help replaying the conversation in my head. A part of me couldn't help wondering what was going on with the Puchuu. Sure, we weren't exactly bosom buddies, but from what I'd read, his kind were usually pretty hands-on when it came to their charges. Yet he'd barely taken the time to point me towards a mentor before vanishing. Sure, Tempest had been a big help, especially in the first few days when I had no idea what I was doing, but lately she'd become more and more distracted, frequently cancelling or leaving early while muttering something about curfews and study times.

All in all, it was more then a little concerning. As I tossed and turned on my bed, I wondered just how long it'd be until we all got dragged into something we weren't ready for.

 

[zamin]

Between the cheesy pop music crackling through the speakers, the ancient looking jukebox in the corner, and the sheer amount of sticky plastic and chrome in the room, I momentarily felt as if I'd been tossed back in time. The diner's owner had apparently found a style he'd liked back in the sixties and had steadfastly refused to change it no matter how much time passed. The whole place looked worn out, yet had a comfortable, old-timey feel to it, a throwback to simpler times.

"What would you recommend?" I asked, flipping through the menu.

"The milkshakes are good," Isabella commented, waving over a harried looking waitress. "At least, they were the last time I came."

"Hi there!" the waitress greeted us, doing her best to look cheerful in spite of the visible bags under her red-rimmed eyes. "Can I get you anything?"

"I'll have a vanilla milkshake and a... Kennedy Combo?" I said, pointing towards the picture on the menu. "Make it large, please."

"Just get me a chocolate milkshake and a double cheeseburger." my companion ordered. "Oh, and a set of onion rings."

"Sure thing, ladies," the waitress said, scribbling down our orders as she walked away. "I'll bring them over in a jiffy! JEFF! ORDER UP!"

"So... why did you suddenly want to meet up?" I asked, watching the waitress scurry to another table. "I mean, after the way you stormed off like that, I got the feeling that you weren't really interested in teaming up again."

"Ah, yeah. Sorry bout that." Isabella slumped forwards, resting her face in her hands. "It's just... there's been a lot going on, yeah?"

"Anything I can do to help?" I asked, only to realize my mistake as her face darkened.

"No. It's... it's fine, alright?" she sighed, rubbing her eyes. "I'm not some... some charity case or something. I can deal with my own problems."

"Sorry. I'm just asking," I apologized, raising my hands in surrender. "No need to bite my head off over it."

"Right. Sorry. No offense." she leaned forwards, resting her head in her hands. "Haven't been sleeping well lately. It's made me bitchier then usual."

"None taken," I said. "But it's been almost a week now and you haven't been answering my calls. I was starting to get worried."

"Yeah, about that..." she coughed uncomfortably. "I... kinda got my line cut. Turns out the companies don't like it when you can't pay on time. Managed to flog off some of that stuff we got from the lab, so I should be settled for now."

"Didn't you take a few thousand dollars out of the safe?" I pointed out. "What happened to it all?"

"Had to pay off some debts, stock up on food, get my shitty stuff fixed..." she shrugged. "It all adds up."

"You're not broke again, are you?"

"Nah," she smirked. "Still got a bit left over. I'm trying to save it for a rainy day. Anyway, I-"

"Here's your food, dearies!" the waitress chirped, dropping a pair of trays on the table. My stomach immediately began to rumble at the smells rising from the plate in front of me. "Enjoy!" the waitress giggled, leaving us alone again.

The two of us descended into silence as we enjoyed our meals. The food was greasy and probably filled with far too many calories, but it tasted amazing.

"So... why'd you want to meet, anyway?" I asked, taking a sip from my drink. "Want to go patrolling together later or something?"

"Yeam I- uff," she swallowed. "I've been hearing about some weird things happening lately. You ever been to Hawthorn Park?"

"I'm... not sure," I frowned. "I don't think so?"

"Anyway, you heard about that building that blew up the other week? The one that's all over the news?"

I flushed. "Ah. That... I know about it."

Isabella gave me a searching look. "Right. I guess you do. What, were you fighting a demon or something?"

"A vampire, actually."

She stared at me.

"It's complicated."

Isabella sighed. "Ok. Fine." she shook her head. "But seriously? Vampires?"

"So what's going on with that park?" I asked, trying to get her back on track.

"Weird shit." Isabella said. "They're trying to keep it hush-hush, but people keep disappearing there. They show up a day or two later, but none of them can remember what happened."

"Huh. That does sound strange," I frowned. "Where'd you hear about this?"

Isabella smirked. "I keep my ears open. Also, my cousin's a cop. Told me to stay away from the park till they got it sorted out."

"Ok... but what does this have to do with the building blowing up?" I asked.

She shrugged. "Well, I dunno what you did over there, but the disappearances only started happening after you blew up that vampire cult thing. Might be related."

"There were only a few vampires. It wasn't a cult or anything like that." I protested. "Though the leader was kinda tough..."

"You think some of them might have escaped?" Isabella asked, frowning thoughtfully.

"Maybe?" I shrugged. "I was working with Tempest at the time. She said none of them managed to slip past her."

"Hmph." she snorted, rolling her eyes. "I wouldn't be so sure if I was you. Little Miss Blowhard likes to pretend that she's perfect. Almost got me killed the last time I worked with her."

"Oh? What happened?"

"She led us right into an ambush." Isabella explained. "Some kind of invisible ghost thing. A polter-thingy."

"A Poltergeist?" I blinked. "Those aren't that dangerous..."

"Oh yeah?" she shuddered. "You try fighting it next time. Crazy little shit was throwing knives and glass everywhere. And the screaming..."

"Screaming?" I asked. None of the text I'd read on Poltergeists mentioned screaming.

"It kept screaming. All the time. Damn near made me piss myself the first time I heard it."

"Huh. How'd you beat it?"

"I'm... not sure?" Isabella frowned. "Blow girl did something with this weird necklace and it disappeared."

Curiouser and curiouser... "Did you see what this necklace looked like?"

She shook her head. "Nah. Was too busy trying not to get stabbed. Even if I heal fast, that stuff hurts like a bitch."

"Ah." I slumped slightly in my seat. Guess I wouldn't get a chance to examine an artifact after all. Rats.

Isabella frowned, pushing her now spotlessly clean plate aside. "We're getting distracted. Never mind the ghost thingy, it's not our problem anymore. What I want to know is if you're ok with checking out that park together."

"Sure," I smiled. "It sounds like something worth investigating. Any ideas?"

She nodded. "A lot of the victims, they were travelling alone at night. I figure one of us can act as bait while the other follows behind and keeps watch."

"Hmm..." my fingers drummed a beat on the table. "A bit risky, but I'm willing to give it a shot. Just give me a day or two to sort out a few things."

"Like what?" Isabella sounded curious. "More of your flash bangs?"

I smiled. "Among other things. I've got a couple of projects that might come in handy, but I need to do some final tests to make sure that they'll work properly in the field."

"Well, if you think they'll help..." my companion waved at the waitress, gesturing for the bill. "Gimme a call or something once you're ready to go."

"Will do," I said as the waitress arrived. "Split the bill fifty-fifty?"

"Sure."