Mini-Grand 5106 [SUDDEN DEATH]

[Wojjan]

Loading Mini-Grand Framework... Done.

Generating Administration Personality... Done.

"Good, now that that's out of the way, we can get back on schedule."

Generating Characters... Done.

Four beings suddenly found themselves nowhere, able to see one another but nothing else. A synthesized voice came out of the nothing surrounding them.

"Okay, you probably didn't get my memo, but today was when I scheduled a quick Grand Battle for the five of us. We're planned for the first round at ten, so let's run you all through a quick meet and greet here. Don't worry, I got you covered. No need to say a thing."

"First up, meet your new colleague, Naiima. She's a doll, isn't she? Nice legs, too. This gal got the ability to tune out the sound around her, allowing her to work silently. Great thing to have if you don't like stress. She's part of a family of, oh, a thousand. Killed most of 'em before being born. That's what I call winner mentality."

"Next on our guest list we have Edward. He's the host body for a soul converted from negative energy into a positive goal. Got a job as bodyguard for a while where he comes from, but I thought he'd be better off with a career change towards fighting people. He might not look the part, but underneath that skin of his, he's all metal. Don't try to pinch him."

"Third up, the Sparkklechix. That's two k's, one x. They're a band of five... chixes, I guess. You don't need me to explain which archetypes they're supposed to fill. They basically work like every other teenage show does, song and dance saving the day. Inefficient, if you ask me. Don't be scared if you suddenly find yourself dancing along with them, it's all part of the program."

"And ending our lineup, this is Mattilus. He's got some experience on the field of fighting stuff, 'cause he was born in a tribe that focused mainly on power. He isn't that strong though, look at those arms. He likes to think he's a pretty decent mage, instead. I sure love a guy who knows how to find an alternative approach for something."

Generating Setting... Done.

The four generated characters suddenly found themselves moved, scattered in various locations on a remote island, white beaches and green forests as far as the eye could see. In the distance, a town marked the horizon, equipped perfectly to accustom all of their needs. Seagulls flew in the air over the quaint port, the dike was dotted with colorful stalls.

"Welcome to the holiday resort, Corola Cabana. I figured getting you guys some quality time together should be the first thing on the agenda, so I decided, let's give you some time off first. I heard the sushi bar in the town over there is great, maybe you should check it out. Catch some z's, get a tan, take a walk or something."

"Just a little FYI though, this holiday ain't gonna be all relaxing. You're all still written down for a battle, so you know. Condensed, you're all gonna fight each other, and you'll move to the next location when somebody dies. Supercondensed, kill everyone."

(Characters:)

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1. engineclock - Naiima - #77846E
2. Dwayna DragonFire - Edward Android, SAA-001 - #461B7E
3. Ixcaliber - Sparkklechix - #EC008C
4. Protoman - Mattilus - #4077CA

Username: Engineclock
Name: Shydrimeia Tirabassis Naiimasabradaika, Naiima for short
Gender: One of the three feminine ones assigned to her species
Race: Proud member of the Soluule (roughly translating to “Silent” in their language), a breed of giant spiders originating in the colossal forests of a distant and largely unexplored planet. Females can have a legspan of over thirty feet, males slightly less, though both have bodies rivaling a small car in size. All varieties of the species are carnivorous. The soluule are the dominant species on their planet and have a high level of intelligence, forming massive if somewhat simple communal webs in order to survive in their harsh environment.
Colour: #77846E

Biography: Naiima was born into a nest of over a thousand other hatchlings, each already with an impressive mental capacity, unique personality, and burning excitement for the possibilities of their newfound lives. Each and every one of them, however, was also possessed of the overwhelming need to turn to their siblings and devour them alive. Naiima fought her way through the hordes of her brothers and sisters, tearing the closest ones to pieces and sating her endless hunger on their fragile bodies; by the time she collapsed from exhaustion and a bursting stomach, there was only a handful of the brood left. A shadow fell over the survivors and an enormous claw reached down and separated a few of the pairs still feebly attempting to fight, sending them tumbling over the broken bodies beneath them. The owner of the claw, Naiima’s mother, lowered her body to the ground and gathered her surviving children onto her back. As she left the nesting site she named each of them, a prize for having lived through the brutal ritual that was birth among the Soluule.

Naiima grew strong and fast in the coming months, learning to use her species’ trademark ability to suck the very sound from the air and move without being detected. As she grew to unusual dimensions and developed the signifying markings, it quickly became clear that she would become one of the rare mourthaime, massive non-breeding females that ventured far beyond the range of the communal nests and defended them from the wandering predators that attempted to raid the eggsacs of the Soluule and feed on the newly hatched young. Naiima matured rapidly and was soon hunting in the dark of the forest’s undergrowth. She was fast and quiet, and one day when she vanished far from her mourthaime sisters without a trace, she was mourned as dead and another of the countless Soluule swarm fell neatly in to replace her without further ceremony.

Description: As a member of the largest subspecies of Soluule, Naiima’s spindly legs reach a considerable distance away from her abdomen and are tipped with delicate claws. Her body is a soft, silvery gray, with white markings on her underbelly that glow in very dim light. Milky white eyes are positioned at various points on her head, providing a 360-degree field of vision and giving her the appearance of being blind to unsuspecting observers. She very closely resembles an Earth spider blown up to tremendous size, complete with venomous fangs tucked demurely under her chelicerae.

Abilities: Like all Soluule, Naiima possesses the ability to dampen sound waves in the area around her. She can move in complete silence despite her enormous size, and even extend this effect to her victims: one of the most helpful signs that you are being hunted by a Soluule is that all sound disappears immediately before they strike, so that your screams cannot alert any other potential prey. Out of necessity for the sake of the hunt, she can also cling to virtually any surface regardless of gravity or other factors, including materials that would otherwise seem impossible such as water, glass, sand, and even particularly thick smoke. The end result is a giant spider that moves with absolute silence, can hide essentially anywhere, and who will sink its fangs into you while keeping you from screaming so it can eat your friends as well when they come looking for you.

On the bright side, the venom in Naiima’s fangs only has temporary effects except in unusually large doses. Various forms of paralysis, slurred speech, and other such symptoms can all be expected to wear off after only an hour or so, assuming of course you haven’t already been torn to bits and eaten.

Username: Dwayna DragonFire
Name: Edward Android AKA SAA-001
Gender: Male
Race: 'Android'. (Actually a technologically advanced faction of 'angels', Androids are usually 'built' to fight the forces of Chaos.)
Colour: #461B7E
Biography: When the Androids found a way to change something made from negative energy into positive energy, it formed into a soul. They decided that the soul needed a host body, so an empty Android was created for them by their Great Father. The soul became the empty shell's power source, giving it life that was much different from any other Android that came before. It was more like a humanoid life, with thoughts and emotions that weren't programmed into it. With their advanced technology, he gave himself the appearance of a human male and quickly became fascinated by the complex programs that already seemed to be writing themselves onto his blank slate.

While downloading the history of the place he lived in, he learned that the monarch at the time had just been injured severely in battle. He set off with sudden purpose to fix her, crafting for her the limbs she lost with the metals and magic of his own people. In giving new life to her, he swore to himself to be her ultimate protector and loyal subject from that point forward.

During his time there, he was often chosen to go on missions to explore new worlds, as the place that was his home was a hub of portals to other places and dimensions. With many of these portals left previously unexplored, he stepped into the new world with some hesitation. Though it was seamless for humans, his computer mind actually recorded the blindingly fast complex motions and distortions from bending time and space. Falling flat on his face as he usually did, he pushed himself up to look at his surroundings, finding himself here.

Description: Peach skin and chin length black hair, Edward looks to be about twenty years of age. He hides his eyes behind a visor that he crafted for himself, originally purple in color like his energy source, but known to change color with his change in emotion. He wears a lab coat as a testament to his intelligence, as well as a purple shirt, black jeans and black boots. He also wears a purple sphere-shaped pendant around his neck as a symbol of his loyalty to his monarch. When he takes down his technological facade, underneath is a metal man similar to that of a Terminator, purple energy glowing out from his eyes and the holes in his chassis from his 'power source'.

Human Appearance
Android Appearance

Emotionally, Edward is a curious and mostly confused being. He is still somewhat new to emotion, so experiencing it often gives him a feeling of intrigue or excitement as well. He is generally well-meaning towards others, but if he finds himself to be threatened he will not be so forgiving. In this state he has little regard for the lives of others, fending for his own survival before anyone else, save the monarch. He protects her with an undying loyalty, has since he was 'born', and can never seem to put a finger on exactly why he feels he must do so.
Items/Abilities: Being essentially a super-computer, psionic attacks have little to no effect on Edward, unless they target his memories of the monarch. (Psychic attacks that throw him around, however, are perfectly viable.) He is highly resilient to physical damage, his chassis made from a metal similar to titanium, infused with magical energy. This is not to say he is invulnerable, however, as heavy amounts of damage would eventually penetrate his chassis. He has a laser gun built into his right arm, firing with high intensity heat or cold depending on which setting he chooses. He is particularly adept with technological things as well, able to repair or upgrade previously broken machines and computers. His human appearance is essentially an illusion to help him get along with other humanoids better. His visor displays his range of emotion to other people as well as himself.

Name: Sparkklechix
Gender: Five females
Font colour: #EC008C
Species: Girl Band
Description: They are a fictionalised version of the band as appearing on Sparkklechix merchandise and in the Sparkklechix live action television series. They get into all kinds of wacky hijinks, often with extremely outlandish storylines, but they can make it through if they stick together. They teach kids very important lessons about friendship and teamwork.

Sara is the sexy one and is the most popular member of the band. She has long black hair and tends to wear low cut t-shirts and jeans. She is self-confident and always helps sort out the problems of the other girls.

Mindy is the pretty one. She has long blonde hair done in pigtails. She wears cute dresses, generally in pink and is quite shy around boys. She likes to have everything just so and can throw a strop when things don’t go to plan.

Zafira is the gothy one. She has short spiky black hair, a pierced lip and a multitude of tattoos. She wears leather, lots of spiked armbands, stilettos and always wears dark makeup. She has a prickly personality and can be a bit of a rebel, but she means well.

Debbie is the other one. Nobody really cares that much about her. Her hair is mousy brown and she wears glasses and a cardigan. Nobody is really sure how she made the cut. She’s always on hand to be all intelligent and shit.

And last, but not least, except in the eyes of the other members, is Atasha. She's pretty much the token black chick and was forced upon the band by their management, in the series she is their cousin from exotic Penge. She has all the attitude and then some. She is very fashion conscious and sassy and she don't let nobody tell her what to do.

Abilities: Their reality is that of a childrens sitcom/musical. Once an episode they will burst into a song and everyone will know the moves and will join in with them. These tightly choreographed impromptu dance numbers have got them out of many a sticky situation.

Biography: The girls have known each other since they were kids. One day they started singing and a sensation was born!

Now they all share an apartment in Bridgend, and seem to get involved in all kinds of shenanigans. Though they occasionally bicker and fall out, they always make up and together they can get through anything.

There was also that time when their dotty aunt Cindy took them on a holiday in space in her old VW Camper Van, which she had converted into a spaceship, but this series was not well recieved and the chixx don't like to talk about it any more.

Username: Protoman.
Name: Mattilus.
Gender: Male.
Race: Brenite- A humanoid race that is incredibly warlike and bloodthirsty. No real physical differences from humans, only psychological ones that make them incredibly nationalistic, militaristic, and individualistic, depending on the individual.
Colour: #4077CA
Biography: Mattilus was not at all liked as a child. Brenites are a race that values strength over all else, and Mattilus simply never had that in him. It wasn't that he lacked the bloodthirst of his peers, he simply was not blessed with incredible strength, nor did he strive for it. He kept his nose in books. And so he read and read, till the day of his nation's Adulthood Test- the test that decides whether or not a Brenite of said nation is allowed to live past adolescence by pitting them against the various forms of ferocious fauna found on the Brenite home world.

Most of his classmates, as well as the instructors, were certain Mattilus was doomed, and rejoiced for the bloodshed that was sure to come when he was paired against the Thyrax, a ferocious, scorpion-meets-crab beast far stronger than an Brenite even twice the age of Mattilus. They were shocked when Mattilus uttered a few words to himself and the beast that had once stood there became a vapor of blood.

So Matillus was revered. He swiftly went up the ranks, bringing glory to his nation, basking in the glow of fire that glowed from his fingertips as cities burned down, rejoicing in the quaking of an enemy he was in the process of electrifying. He was a true hero, loved by his comrades, hated by his foes.

Then, one day, while experimenting with a new form of magic, a spell backfired from inside of the young mage. He was no longer able to cast magic by hand, needing instead to read it from out a tome. His nation was displeased. Those who had once loved him turned against him. He was brought to the guillotine, forced to lug his book of magic as a symbol of his embarassment, several sniper rifles trained on him, should he attempt to open it. He was strapped in. His last words were, "Fine lot of ungrateful bastards you all turned out to be."

Then he disappeared. Whisked away to the grand battle far beyond.

Description: Though considered frail by his compatriots, Matillus is rather strong by human standards. This discrepancy in strength between Brenites and Humans is caused more by diet than genetic limitations. He is able to carry a large tome of several thousand pages at all times without feeling much weight, other than the weight of the shame he feels for the spell that got him crippled in the first place.

He's an incredibly intelligent person, having spent many years reading not only of magic, but of math and science.

In appearance, he is short and thin. He wears thin-rimmed glasses which usually have a glare of light over them, obscuring his brown eyes. His hair is grayed from years of magic use. He wears a black coat that reaches just below his knees on top of a white shirt. His pants are gray.

[Picture coming soon.]

He has emotions, as his race is known for passionate self righteous outbursts, but he has taught himself to bury his feelings below the surface. Even when enjoying the torment he brought to his enemies, he would not crack a smile. He is not a robot, simply a book that can be very hard to read.

Items/Abilities: A tome of incredible size, the first in a volume Mattilus is in the process of writing detailing every form of magic. Unfortunately, due to his horrid accident, he's restricted to tome-based magic, and he was only allowed to carry this single one to his execution.

[Ixcalibur]

The Sparkklechix could hardly be said to be surprised by their sudden change of locale; they were always getting into all kinds of crazy scrapes and having larger than life adventures. The thing that did unnerve them was the idea of being in a battle to the death. They had faced death before sure, when Zafira was nearly eaten by that escaped tiger, or when Atasha somehow got locked out of the shelter when there was that hurricane. Peril was not a problem, it was the idea of being compelled to kill another that perturbed them. They were all about friendship, not murder.

"We just won't do it!" Sara said brightly, flashing her winning smile at the rest of the chix.

"I don't know if it will be that simple." Debbie replied, uncertainly. "Those other guys looked dangerous, they might be only too happy to battle to the death."

"God, Debbie!" Mindy interjected. "Why do you have to be such a downer?"

"Yeah, here we are on a beautiful tropical island and all you can do is moan on and on about people maybe killing us?" Sara said. "I'm sure they won't want to kill us when they get to know us!"

"They might want to kill themselves..." Zafira butted in sarcastically.

"I don't know about you chix but I bet they have some superfashionable clothes shops on this island..." Atasha said brightly.

"Yeah you do that." Mindy said dismissively. "I'm going down on the beach." Debbie stood with her arms folded and her eyebrows furrowed. What was she even doing in this band? She noticed Sara and Zafira exchanging glances. Atasha sulkily made her way towards the town in the distance.

"I thought me and Zaffy could check out the forest." Sara said.

"Oh yeah, I love forests." Zafira replied enthusiastically. "Can't get enough of those forests." They turned and walked off towards the forest, giggling with one another as they got out of earshot.

"Debbie?" Mindy asked, turning her attention to the last chix left. "Beach? We could build sandcastles, or go for a swim or sunbathe or whatever?"

"I kind of want to go and see about this battle to the death thing?" Debbie said sulkily.

"But Debs! I will be all on my own!" Mindy protested.

"Okay fine." Debbie said. "But afterwards we try and do something about this battle to the death rather than just ignore it." The pair set off towards the golden sands.

"I am making no promises." Mindy said, grinning.

[Protoman]

Matillus looked around, only slightly confused at what had just happened. From what he gathered, he'd been saved from his execution by being admitted into some great celestial snuff film. But where was he?

He adjusted his glasses and got a better look at the area around him. He opened his book, put his finger on a spell whose sole purpose was recording anything he said. This was always useful for note taking on the go.

"Current location: Lush, thick woods. No wildlife sighted. No enemies noticed. No clear trail in sight. That will change in three, two... one."

He dashed his finger against another spell in his book. This created a large jet of fire that extended through the brush as far as he could see, extinguishing itself when it left his field of vision.

He continued this process as he made his way through the woods. Thoughts about the execution, the betrayal he felt because of it, the abandonment he'd suffered as all the world turned their gaze from him lingered in his head. Useless emotions now. Vengeance wouldn't be his until he completed this game. But what was up with this game, anyways? Back to the notes.

"Clearly placed here by some celestial being. Probably psychotic. Seems to have sadistic tendencies. Likely getting some sick fix by seeing such grandiose displays of power. At this juncture, this does not bother me.

Examination of Opponent A: Seems to be a spider. Keep an eye out for webs. Unclear what abilities it possesses. Gender indeterminable at this point. Very large. Avoid close range combat.

Examination of Opponent B: Wears a visor. Unclear whether or not he is dangerous at this juncture. Species indeterminable. Gender vague, assumed male by Brenite standards. Unclear abilities. Possible trade in science, based on clothing.

Examination of Opponent C: Group of squishy organisms. By Brenite standards, appear to be young females. Lack of strong armor is clear. Abilities are, at this juncture, indeterminable. Will keep a close eye on them. End initial speculation."

Matillus had finally reached the end of his self-carved trail. He gazed at a town which stood before him. The tips of his fingers crackled with energy as he remembered all the towns and villages and capitals he had razed with just an utterance and a point of his finger. He gazed at the crackling, the electricity bouncing around at his command with delight. It was so beautiful, so glorious, so breathtakingly stron----

It stopped. His finger slipped off the word it had fallen upon while he was stuck in his wishful phantasm. He had nearly believed that his "problem" had merely disappeared. Reality was harsh and icy. It tasted like cold chicken that had been far over-salted.

Reminders of this taste were always painful to swallow, usually coming amidst the sweetness of victory. This was a lesson Matillus had learned well.

He closed the book, adjusted his glasses again, and began walking into the city.

[engineclock]

creep creep went the spider, I’m coming for you

it was too warm in these trees this forest wasn’t her forest, noooo, it smelled all wrong, too wrong like a sick new sapling hollow with rot. where were her sisters, where were her brothers? no they weren’t here no, no, no one was here, no voices on the webs just stumbling clumsy thick heavy feet running forwards and back mice mice little mice, big mice, rats

predator

prey

rough rough bark under her legs tip tap tip tap no sound over the ground and the red soil, up in the trees bad trees, too green white ghost in the canopy haunting the leaves weak branches broken, no sound, all no sound white ghost in the tree looking out run run little mice this ghost hunts mice

little mouse nests, distant

noise on the wind, mouse sounds

white ghost flying from the tree, no sound, haunt the next tree, hunt for prey. little small things red and blue, open beaks open wings, no sound, no warning, hungry ghost hungry ghost no more wings feathers on the leaves, no sound. white ghost red mouth green leaves, too green. no sound.

!!fire

ghost in the branches hidden from sight, hidden haunting, smell fire smell fear. green tree burning close, not close, not far enough, no ghost in the fire no fire in the ghost. white wind, white ghost in the trees, touching here or there but never landing, no fire no fear hate the fire no fear. no fear. green trees not safe, this ghost keeps haunting this ghost hunts for mice

white ghost in the forest, no sound to hear

this ghost flies

little nests, all in a line, lines lines lines. little tunnels for the mice to nest. polite mice, nice mice. no one sees the ghost on the walls, no one sees the ghost on the roof. watch for mice, watch mice and music dancing. trapped in a web, dancing, dancing. little feet. little mice.

hungry ghost

patient ghost

[Dwayna DragonFire]

This universe seemed to have an interesting quality to it, with the fact that it changed before his very eyes to become something new. This new scenery had a strange quality to it, the sounds of the beach washing over his sensors as he looked out across the waters. A feeling he defined as 'awe' made his purple visor change to a soft orange, helping him to convey the emotion his face would struggle with.

It was strangely peaceful here, but the nature of this place made him know better. He had heard the voice telling him that there were three others here, and his new purpose was to... to...

If he had gears in his head, the sound of them whirring would have paused for a second or two. He decided that his purpose here was to survive, perhaps at all costs. The others that were placed here with him from other dimensions would also be looking to survive above him. Sometimes he wished he could get into situations that were less harmful to his being as a whole.

But he had been sent here by the Queen to find out more of this place. He could never fail her, even if that meant... defending himself against potential threats. A sad sort of blue flashed before his eyes, the need for such a thing a grim prospect, even in his mechanically oriented mind.

The voice had mentioned a town here in 'Corala Cabana', which he suspected was just another name for this first illusion. This... game... would likely change when one of the competitors 'died'... and that apparently included himself. With this in mind, his new goal became to find the town in question, because the others would likely wish to find it as well.

He set off down the edge of the beach, as it was the most logical. He would find an end to it eventually, or at least some people who could point him in the right direction. The thought still lingered at the back of his mind that if he was unlucky, there was no other civilization except for him and the other competitors, which would mean inevitable conflict wherever he went. Something akin to a sigh escaped his lips, a strange thing for someone who had no means of breathing like a normal person.

Edward tried to dodge the birds as much as he could, as even though he looked human, he was still wary of those 'statue' rumors back home. When he heard the distant sound of crunching footsteps behind him, he almost turned on the spot right there to see if he could define the people involved. The thought of possible threat popped up again, so he stopped and made certain his arm-gun was functioning properly.

The footsteps got closer, so he turned his body back towards the water, to make it look like he was contemplating the way the waves came to wash over the edge of the sand. He would wait for them to come to him first, to see their intention.

[Ixcalibur]

Atasha was on her way to the town when she became aware that she'd forgot to bring her bag with her when she'd been pulled into this battle. She wouldn't have any cash for clothes shopping! What a disaster! That was when she spotted a guy in a black suit with coattails, carrying a heavy book. She remembered this guy from the introduction. He'd clearly come well-prepared. If anyone in this competition had some cash then it was him, and she was pretty sure that with a little persuasion she could get him to spend it all on her. Guys loved spending money on her.

"Hey!" she yelled, trying to remember his name. "Matty was it?"

--------

Zafira and Sara gradually became aware of the smell of burning wood. Sara pushed Zaffy away and sniffed at the air. "What is that smell?"

"Who cares?" Zafira replied dismissively.

"No, really," Sara said, "what is that smell?" Zafira reluctantly sniffed.

"Smells like that time I burnt the post office down." Zafira suggested.

"Oh crumbs it's a forest fire!" Sara said, around them flames danced from tree to tree, consuming the forest quicker than anyone could have anticipated. Their route of escape cut off, replaced with a fiery inferno. Sara gripped Zaffy close and backed away from the advancing flames.

---------

Mindy and Debbie made their way down the beach. Mindy ran ahead, spinning and twirling and generally appearing to have a really great time, Debbie hung back, chewing her nails and staring intently at a man further down the beach. Mindy ran up and grabbed hold of her.

"Come on Debs!" Mindy said. "We're on the beach! Time to let your hair down!" Debbie pulled Mindy close and whispered to her.

"Is that the guy from before?" She pointed to the guy in a conspicuous labcoat staring out to sea.

"Still with the whole battle thing?!" Mindy laughed. "It's just some scientist having a nice day at the beach... like we're supposed to be!" Debbie rolled her eyes.

"I don't think scientists wear labcoats to-" she stopped and looked at Mindy whose face had just gone serious. "What is it?" she asked nervously.

"My sparklesense is tingling." Mindy said. "I think the other chix are in trouble!"

"I don't think sparklesense is a real thing." Debbie replied.

"Oh no!" Mindy said. "Look!" she spun Debbie around and pointed into the sky above the forest where dark plumes of smoke were rising. "It's a forest-fire!"

"I told you this place was dangerous!" Debbie said.

"There will be enough time for 'I told you so's later." Mindy said. "We have to save the others... but how?"

"I have an idea." Debbie said. "We need to get to the town."

"Oh hey, I had that idea as well!" Mindy said quickly. "Get to the town is the first stage of the idea. Let's carry it out before we elaborate further." Debbie rolled her eyes, but refrained from chastising Mindy. There was no time to waste.

[Protoman]

Mattilus glanced up at the Sparkklechik running towards him. Analyzing her actions, he searched for any signs of equipment that should be taken into account, his eyes darting up and down her. He noted that she was charging at him without a weapon, a foolhardy maneuver. Furthermore, she seemed to still lack armor, as had the rest of her group when they had first encountered each other.

Mattilus dragged his fingers across the pages of his tome, searching the dots of ink till he found a suitable spell. His fingers began crackling and chilling at the mere touch of the word, a fine frost quickly forming on their tips. The Brenite mage pulled his fingers ahead of him, taking aim as best he could.

"Bang."

He let loose with the bolt of frost, tearing the wind around him.

Atasha tripped and fell as the ground in front of her chilled and turned to ice. Attempting to stand up on the slippery ground, the pop-star noticed that the frosty stuff had gotten her dress wet. She shrieked in horror, dissolving into the type of melodrama that can only be fixed by thirty minutes of singing, dancing, and self discovery, plus some commercial breaks.

"Oh my, how embarrassing!"

"Damn."

Mattilus scolded himself for having missed. That spell had taken a lot of energy. He probably couldn't magic-up much more than a couple of sparks from his fingers after that, and he wasn't at all confident about going into close-ranged battle with this opponent, as he'd yet to see her skills. The weighty book had screwed with his aim, and once again reminded him of how much his power had deteriorated since being the great Archmage of his nation, Zauliz.

Hearing the sparkklechik scream at the top of her lungs shook him back to reality. He retreated into a back alley, hoping to regain his energies soon, worrying about the consequences of running into another opponent in his semi-defenseless state. He probably wasn't much safer around here, but he knew that he would at least escape the sparkklechik's fury, as she was still preoccupied with screaming.

Finding refuge behind one of the few boxes not yet claimed by a homeless man, he resumed taking notes.

"First encounter with a member of Opponent C. Attempted a frost-style spell and missed. Took no damage. For future records, considered a victory, as i damaged some of her equipment, and seemed to send her into emotional distress. Only ability observed was a banshee shriek she seemed to let out after taking minor injury. Unclear if this was due to pain or property damage. Will search the bestiary index later to attempt to gather information."

He leaned back against the wall, already feeling his energies creeping back into his bones.

[Dwayna DragonFire]

Edward turned his head slightly to look at the two individuals, both appearing to be female. One of them was blonde, wearing her hair in a fashion known as 'pigtails', and lots of pink. The other was a 'brunette' with glasses, which reminded him somewhat of the Queen, giving him a small pang of blue-tinted sadness. He missed the female monarch already, having considered her as his... best friend.

He accessed his memory banks to find the file relating to the competitors. One match came up, regarding five females that seemed to work better in unison than apart from one another. These could be two of the five, but he didn't get a good enough look at them beforehand to know for sure.

If he had ears, they would have perked up at the word 'battle' that came from the blonde girls lips. His suspicions were proven correct, giving him more reason to think that the females in question had probably split up in order to cover more ground. He turned in hopes of confronting them, to gain a better idea of their intentions towards him, but he saw the fire at about the same time that they did.

The two females expressed concern for their remaining companions, which probably took priority over his own demise at their hands. Though it was tempting to go to the city for help, his processors did a double-take at his desire to help rather than hinder. If he were to make allies instead of enemies, he might last just a little bit longer in this... game.

"Perhaps I can be of assistance," he said, the deep masculine voice intoning with mechanical precision. "Your earlier suspicions about me being a competitor were correct. However, I believe it could be beneficial if we were to work together." He looked almost grimly towards the forest, knowing that some quick thinking would need to be done, when an idea struck him.

"I have a weapon that can produce beams of ice," he said, which was truthful in a sense - though he neglected to mention he could switch to fire. "I could use it to help calm the flames in a quicker fashion than one would get seeking help elsewhere. It is our choice, as I'm sure you are skeptical in accepting help from those who are ultimately competing against you. A truce, albeit temporary, could be made between myself and your other comrades."

Perhaps they would think my weapon might intentionally slip, he thought to himself. "Alternatively, I could escort you to the town. I wanted to make my way there myself anyway." Because I wanted to find you and the others. His visor changed to a slightly different purple than his normal color, giving him an air of mystery to go along with his desire to portray such a thing.

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Just to let you know, I'm going to be busy all day tomorrow.

[engineclock]

tall ghost

hungry ghost

this ghost smells mice

no one sees the ghost on the walls but the ghost sees them.

tip tap little bricks, little brick shelters. hide the mice, hide the music, hide the dancing dancing mice. no mice, no mice here. mice burrow. mice hide.

this ghost could wait

but the ghost hears noise.

this ghost doesn’t wait

the ghost on the roof that no one sees is flying, white wind on the wing, over brick, over mice. no stopping. no rest. no pity for a ghost. this ghost remembers, she remembers the words. one fight, one victor. why fight if not for food, for land, for ghosts? this ghost does not want this land. this ghost does not need more ghosts. this Silent is lonely for all her days and this ghost can find food where it wants.

what does this ghost fight for

who told the ghost to fight

this ghost flies.

brick walls, brick walls, the ghost stops flying. the ghost smells sickness and white eyes over the walls see mice. smelly mice sick mice. mice not fit for picking, fit for worms, fit for earth. these mice not good for food. sickness spreads. bury the mice kill the mice the Silent must not grow sick this ghost will save them all

ghost falls, mouse squeaks.

no sound.

red mouth

but there is not only mice here for the ghost to find.

big mouse, different mouse, different fur. other fur, other smell, otherness bitterness hate. the ghost knows cloth, the ghost knows book. not a mouse? tall thing. not as tall as the ghost when the ghost rears up to show her belly and the glow of hello a Silent would know

this new thing is not a Silent. it makes noise with its mouth and the ghost knows pain.

the ghost hurts, the ghost is in pain, not too much but the ghost is hurt. no fear, no fear, no fire, ice. ice ice ice. ghost hates the winter hates the ice in the forest and the frozen eggs. no eggs no Silent no hope no fear. this ghost is brave but she is not that brave and she knows when to make an exit

white ghost leaps

clever ghost is on the wall, clever ghost and the not-mouse. ice mouse. wintermouse. this ghost does not speak, this ghost is Silent but this ghost does not fight. not now. wintermouse sees the ghost and the ghost sees Winter.

the Winter wants to know

the ghost listens with the patience only the Silent can have

and this ghost speaks to Winter.

“Why does Winter come?”

[Ixcalibur]

“See Debbie!” Mindy gloated. “I told you that he would be nice and friendly!”

“You said no such thing.” Debbie eyed their competitor suspiciously. Mindy ignored her and ran over to Edward.

“Hi,” she said. “I’m Mindy.” She started blushing and turned away so that he wouldn’t see. There was an awkward silence as Edward glanced from the back of Mindy’s head to Debbie who had folded her arms and was frowning at him.

“I’m Edward.” He said. “Would you like some assistance or not?”

“Yes please Edward.” squeaked Mindy. She turned back to Edward, carefully keeping her head down to hide her blushes. She grabbed his hand and tried pull him towards the forest fire. Her efforts did not move the android one jot until he chose to follow her. Debbie glared at the pair.

Halfway up the beach Mindy came to a sudden stop. “MY SPARKLESENSE IS TINGLING!” she exclaimed a little louder than she’d intended. Debbie frowned. “Oh no wait, it’s just Atasha. Carry on!”

--------

Atasha shivered. She couldn’t believe that that book guy had attacked her completely unprovoked. As soon as she was sure he was out of earshot she shouted after him.

“You come back and say that to my face!” She yelled, hoping to salvage her dignity in front of the bemused onlookers.

Atasha definitely needed some new ‘threads’ now and she didn’t care what she had to do to get them. She stormed off towards the nearest, and hopefully most fashionable clothes shop.

--------

Zaifra hung tightly onto Sara as the flames danced higher. “If we don’t make it I want you to know that-”

“Don’t talk like that!” Sara said brightly. “We’re going to make it! I just know we are.” She paused. “It’s just like in that song we do ‘Never Give Up’.”

“It is kind of like that.” Zafira said thoughtfully. “Shame it’s not time for the song. That would have been a good one.” Sara nodded her agreement and awaited rescue.

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By the way I did this:

[Dwayna DragonFire]

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Managed to get a short break from what I was doing. Going back to it after this post.

The blonde one seemed to accept his gesture of friendship, moving closer to him at a rapid pace before stopping in front of him. He tilted his head down slightly, more out of respect for his height advantage over her than his ability to see her, which was perfectly fine. They had a short conversation, at which 'Debbie' stood by whilst 'Mindy' was acting in a peculiar way - and then suddenly, she grasped his left hand.

Edward was grateful that it wasn't his weapon arm, as he would feel more uncomfortable if she had grasped that hand. Since he had illusory skin in place, it had the real texture and warmth of a human's skin, which made her hand feel more natural as it gripped him. He moved with her towards the forest with little resistance, knowing that if he were to suddenly stop instead of her it would end up being very uncomfortable for her. She was more fragile than he was, more vulnerable...

His memory processors fixated on her previous actions towards him, comparing it to his experiences with people on his world. The redness of her face, the way she wouldn't look at him straight in the eye... it had happened before. It was defined as 'shy' and 'bashful', which were more normal for humanoids that weren't him. He could not think of a time when such words had applied to him at all, as he was set in his ways... 'confident' in himself.

there was only a short stop, where the girl mentioned something called a 'sparklesense', but seemed to express less concern with the person involved. Perhaps she was not particularly fond of that member of the five? He didn't have much time to ponder this, as they swiftly approached the source of the fire. "I will need my hand back, Miss Mindy," he said, in a respectful tone.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, blushing furiously and quickly letting go. "Of course!" She covered her face in her hands slightly, out of embarrassment.

"Thank you," he said, a friendly yellow appearing momentarily before fading back to purple. "I suggest you stand back. It will be cold enough to harm you if you get in the way."

He turned towards the fire and outstretched his right hand, the illusion of skin disappearing from it to reveal the metal underneath. In the center of his palm was a circular disk, currently glowing the same purple as his visor. On the back of his hand, there were three buttons: one red, one blue, and one black. His left hand came up to press the blue button, at which the disk in his palm lightened to a sky blue almost immediately, indicating the ice beam.

Edward outstretched his hand, brushing his left hand underneath his wrist to push another button. A beam of ice quickly shot from the circular disk in his hand towards the trees, splashing across the sides of some and forming around the trunks of others. Through this method some of the fire turned to steam, allowing a safer venue for the girls.

"Follow me," he said, more to Mindy as she was closer and more trusting. He would lead them through the forest in their endeavour to find their friends.

[Protoman]

Despite being hit by a strong iceblast, the strange creature Mattilus had encountered returned moments later, seemingly unscathed. The Archmage was rather surprised, though he wasn't entirely sure whether it was due to the spider's durability or its sentience.

Mattilus frantically flipped through his book, searching for a spell that might be useful. Upon finding one that would be suitable, he pulled a single finger across the words, a fine vapor creating a wall between him and the large spider.

"This is for safety reasons. Should you attack, I'll simply swipe a finger across a single word. The mist you see before you will crystalize, freeze. It will shatter, likely with you in it. You'll be trapped in this 'winter,' as you seem to call it. And trust me when I say I'm a quick draw."

He waited for the spider to express a level of understanding, and at what looked like a nod, Mattilus continued.

"I can channel a great deal of magic through this tome. Not just the magic of 'Winter,' as you put it, but of the heat of a Summer, the breeze of the Spring, and the decay of Autumn. 'Winter' has come because you were attempting to attack me. I can bring winter upon you at any time. So don't cross me. Understood?"

"Without book, not-mouse is mouse, then?"

"Perhaps. Perhaps I have a few tricks up my sleeves yet. Would you really like to take the risk?"

ghost makes wintermouse far away. not-mouse controls winter. when winter comes, there is nothing. ghost cannot stop winter. not-mouse is dangerous, wintermouse makes fear for Silence. can wintermouse be a friend?

"Ghost fear winter, fear fear fear. Ghost know Winter not-mouse, Winter hide cold from ghost?"

Mattilus sat on the book and stroked his chin.

"An alliance? Certainly sounds more appealing than wiping everyone out on my own, especially considering how unfamiliar the territory is. So yes, I suppose we can join forces, for the time being."

Standing up and grasping the book, Mattilus dissipated the mist as a sign of trust, the most vital ingredient for any fledgeling alliance, and the closest the strange pair could come to a handshake.

As they ventured back into the streets, the pair caught the attention of just about everyone. Local law enforcement came, promptly to be either eaten by the arachnid or zapped by the Mage who appeared to be riding it. Hell hath no chaos like a mage and his spider.

[engineclock]

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run ghost fast ghost run on your long long legs the mice are hiding away

swift ghost hungry ghost this ghost runs with the Winter on her back. faster than mice, faster than rats, faster than the twigs the mice tap on her sides and faster than the bees the mice tell to sting her. white ghost, white ghost, no one sees the ghost in Winter

they see death

Death sees them.

run, ghost

red mouth.

Winter is light, light as a mouse, wintermouse Winter mouse . no more silence, no more Silent. poor ghost. Winter speaks. she feels it on her back and sides like a winged-thing, calling and calling and the mice fall down down down, all fall down. the mice run but Winter finds them and Winter freezes them cold and hot and cold and dead. strange Winter, odd Winter, the winter she knows is cold and cold alone. the ghost runs under Winter and thinks of these things

a nest before her, tall and pale

the ghost leaps

the ghost is on the wall, little claws on the strange strange rock. she is steady, tall white shadow on the rock but she feels Winter start to fall, down to the ground, long fall down straight down. winterpaws on her skin but her bones are smooth and there is nothing to climb and the ghost feels Winter

slip

and the ghost is over the wall and on the flat ground where the mice walk and the winged-things peck the ground when the snow covers all. the ghost can go where she wants but she cannot carry Winter, she cannot fly with another to bear. poor winter, poor mouse. no flight, falling. she tells Winter of her sorrow and Winter tells back.

“Yes, gravity has a tendency to do that. Try to be more careful, please.”

run, ghost

there is a gap, there is a valley and the white ghost flies in the air, no wings, ghosts fly in the sun and the light not the shadows where the wing-things nest and peck. Winter calls, Winter’s surprise- but the ghost lands safe, her legs are long and she lands like snow. light like wings. she flies like a winged-thing on the wind before the shadows of the ghosts fall upon them and they fly no more.

and there are mouse sounds below

Winter grows cold

“What do you MEAN I can’t have a tab? Don’t you know who I am?”

mouse sounds, mouse calls

claws on dirt

Winter speaks to the ghost and the ghost goes slowly down the wall. the ghost calls the Silence where the Silence had gone and Winter grows quiet as the snow

patient ghost, quiet ghost

creep creep, said the spider, I’m coming for you

[Ixcalibur]

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Okay quick clarification of something here. Sparkklechix are pretty famous yes, but these are not the actual Sparkklechix but rather the versions of them from their kids TV show. In the continuity of that show they are not famous. I was thinking along the lines of this, right down to the absurd storylines being commonplace. Though on the other hand I can easily imagine Ataya Atasha acting like that so this is more just for reference than anything else.

As the clerk merely reaffirmed what Atasha already knew, that the Sparkklechix were not actually technically famous… yet, she opted to try another tactic. She leaned over the desk and ran her hands across the clerk’s unshaven face.
“It’s just that I’m new in town and I don’t have any money.” She said. “I’d be ever so grateful…”

“I’m sorry miss.” The pimple faced youth squeaked in response. “I’m going to have to ask you to leave the premises.” Though he said the last word neither he nor Atasha could actually hear it. Atasha tried to speak, undoubtedly to make text whatever trace of subtext there had been in her offer, but found that she could not hear a single word coming out of her mouth.

Not to be deterred from her quest for the latest in fashion by a mere unexplainable phenomenon she pulled off her shirt and smiled seductively at the clerk. Unfortunately his attention was elsewhere, he was pointing behind her to the shop entrance where Naiima and her passenger had just crashed silently through the shop window (the door too small to admit the giant spider). Matty was gripping his tome tightly with one hand and trying to brush off shards of glass with the other.

Atasha screamed silently, grabbed the store clerk and thrust him into the spider’s path.

--------

“Isn’t he dreamy?” Mindy whispered to her friend as they trailed through the forest after Edward.

“No.” Debbie replied grumpily. “He’s a competitor. He wants to kill all of us and he’s just waiting for the right time to do it. Did you see that thing in his hand?”

“Shut up Debbie!” Mindy shoved Debs. “You are always trying to ruin things for me. I hate you!”

“…Mindy!” Debbie cried plaintively as the sobbing chik dashed after her crush.

“Leave me alone!” Mindy cried. Debbie did as she was bid. It was no good talking to Mindy when she was in this state. She looked around, the trees here were covered in thick chunks of ice, while mere meters away the fires burned on. She couldn’t let the other chix get killed by some crazy ice scientist, but what could she do?

…

A thought occurred to her. She would go to the police! Quickly she headed back through the trail of ice and made her way towards the town.

--------

Sara and Zafira held each other tight and waited for rescue/death.

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[Dwayna DragonFire]

The two were having a small argument, the one named Debbie expressing concern for the fact that he was a competitor. Thousands of calculations riveted through his mind as he whittled away more of the fire, the trails of ice left in his wake. Eventually, it would become necessary to survive a longer time than these girls, which could possibly mean turning on them. For now he was working with them towards the goal of surviving past their other opponents.

The one named Mindy had called him 'dreamy' as well, which perplexed him. Weren't dreams illusions and fantasies made when one went to sleep? He had experienced the sensation of dreaming before, but the journals he kept of them never made any sense. The Queen had told him that dreams were like that, rarely making sense to those that experienced them. In a round-about way, did this mean that Mindy found him a fantasy, or something that she couldn't understand? He was too occupied to ask her at the moment.

Edward was glancing around every so often, trying to see if the others were anywhere near. Mindy was the only one with him now, as the other girl had wandered off, possibly to get some more help with the situation. At a point through the fire, he could see two more figures huddled closely together, possibly the girls in question... or what was left of them.

"Sara!" called Mindy, taking her mind off her crush for now out of concern for the Sparkklechix. "Zafira!" she cried, noticing the two figures through the smoke and flames. The two figures seemed to stir slightly, a loud "Mindy?" managing to make its way past the sound of the flames.

The response of Mindy's name was enough to confirm for him who the girls were, so he aimed his arm carefully. A blast of ice brushed across the trees in front of the girls, steam and smoke billowing from the path.

The two girls shrieked slightly as a beam of ice came from seemingly nowhere, the air turning slightly colder near to them. Through the smoke and steam they saw two figures, one being a strange man and the other -

"Mindy!" they shouted in unison, getting up from their place on the forest floor to run up and group hug with the other Sparkklechic.

Objective complete, he thought to himself, a happy sort of yellow spreading across his visor. Realizing that the forest was still burning around them, he snapped back to vigilance, knowing that they would need to get out of the smoke and flames to be truly safe.

"I apologize for my interruption," he said to gather their attention, "But we should leave this forest as soon as possible. It is not safe for you here."

[Ixcalibur]

Atasha crept back, unable to tear her eyes from the spider as it slowly approached the clerk. Suddenly Naiima pounced and Atasha turned and fled into the back room. It was a storeroom filled with boxes of clothes and stuff. She slammed the door behind her, shoved a heavy box of clothes in front of the door and paused to catch her breath. Looking around the room her jaw dropped. So many clothes, in so many super cool styles! She had to fight off the impulse to dash from box to box, picking out an entirely new wardrobe. She pulled her mobile phone from her pocket and called Sara. She'd know what to do, she always did.

--------

In the icy clearing Sara strolled up to Edward and proffered a hand for a handshake. Edward stared blankly at it while Sara started talking. "Thank you for your help!" she said. "I don't know what we would have done without you!"

"Died, probably." Zafira interjected sarcastically.

"Yeah!" Sara agreed.

"It was no problem." Edward said modestly.

"And can you believe it Debs was going on at us, 'everyone is going to be trying to kill you' and 'blah blah blah', but you showed her." Sara gave up the handshake she had been angling for and opted instead to hug Edward. "We won't forget about this." Mindy saw an opportunity and came over and joined in on the hug. Zafira distractedly fished something out of her pocket.

"Yeah, hug, whatever." she said. "Hey Sara, Atasha called you up but she's not saying anything." Zafira hung up and put the phone back in her pocket.

--------

Atasha didn't dare move from the doorway, in case she was the only thing keeping it shut, which wasn't really likely because there was nothing banging against the other side, but you never know. She fumed silently as Zafira hung up on her and instead sent a text message.

--------

Zafira regarded the message critically. "Atasha says 'attkd gnt spdr, stk bk clths shp. plz hlp. p.s. grgs clths bk hre lol. plz hrry.'" Sara and Mindy, who had now detached themselves from the android, exchanged glances with the other chik.

"I have no idea what she could possibly mean." Sara said.

"Yeah she shouldn't text in code like that." Mindy agreed. "If it's important she'll tell us when we see her later." The chiks nodded in unison, taking a minute to fling their mobile phones into the raging fires that burned at the edge of the icy clearing.

"Excuse me." Edward said politely. "But the longer we remain here the more we are in danger."

"Of course!" Sara said absentmindedly. "Let's get out of here." She led the group back through the icy path hand in hand with Zafira. Mindy hung back and walked with Edward.

[Dwayna DragonFire]

Edward recognized the gesture that was put forward by 'Sara', something that humans called a 'handshake'. He pondered to himself whether or not it would be wise to return it, considering that at some point the truce he made might be broken. He hated to think of that possibility, but in this 'game' it was necessary to constantly think of his survival. Part of him wanted to be candid about his feelings, but the truce might end all the faster, and that was something he would try to avoid as much as possible.

Just as suddenly, he was pulled into a hug by Sara and Mindy, which was perplexing and yet gave him a feeling of comfort. Modestly, he gently reached around the both of them, pressing the 'off' button on his weapon before patting them gently on their backs. Being this close to them also gave him a strange feeling, much like the one he felt whenever he was around the Queen. What was this emotion that made his visor change a reddish-pink hue?

The strange one named 'Zafira' told them their friend sent them a code, which he tried to decipher from the sounds of the words. He reminded the girls about their situation, which made them finally listen and start heading back. The code still perplexed him, until he took into account that they could have been meant to be used as words. Phonetically, he went over the recording of Zafira's voice, cross-referencing memories and other data.

"I believe that I may be able to put some light on that code from earlier," he said. "It is perplexing that you would toss away your communications devices. Nevertheless, I believe that I have deciphered that two of the words could have been 'please' and 'help'. Further information may have to be acquired."

"So you think Atasha is in danger?" replied Mindy, who was closest to him. "I did sense something earlier, but..." she shrugged nonchalantly.

"It is interesting that you show little concern for her well being if she is part of the five," he said. "I would inquire into it further, but it may be a personal matter."

"Truth be told, we don't really know why we don't like her," Mindy replied. "It doesn't matter. I'm more interested in you." She smiled and looked at him bashfully.

"I must admit, I am also intrigued to learn more about you and your comrades," Edward said honestly. "However I believe that would be best discussed when we reach safety."

"Oh, you're so thoughtful!" she said, giggling and blushing all the while.

He actually was very thoughtful, so he decided that was a compliment. His visor turned a pleased yellow color, and he actually allowed her a rarity among him. Edward's lips actually curved upwards into a small smile, one of the emotions he had learned to properly express that was unique to himself. It was perhaps the only thing about him that was not mechanical, apart from his soul.

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Thanks for pointing out my mistake, Ixcalibur. Edited.

[Protoman]

The fifth sparkklechik had barricaded the door with a nearby table. No other windows or doors were in the room, so she figured she had created an impenetrable stronghold. Not a chance at all of anyone getting in. After all, what would the mage and spider do, burn a hole through the wall? Why that would simply be ridiculou----

Mattilus and Naiima crashed through the roof. The Mage stepped off his spidersteed and dusted himself of. He told himself that burning a hole through the roof of the building had been a brilliant plan, smugly praising his strategic prowess.

"Well well, what've we here? A lost little bird, or a rat caught in a corner?"

"Did you just call me what i think you did?! Why I have a mind to---

The sparkklechik paused. This man was powerful. Rude, about two centuries behind in fashion, and unlikely to possess skills of any sort in song or dance, but powerful nonetheless. Getting on his bad side was not a good idea. Her feminine wiles had failed her so far that day, but perhaps they would finally kick in now.

"----Tell you how dashing you look with that book. My my my, quite noble with that spider of yours. A girl could get lost talking to you."

The mage flipped through his book, absentmindedly responding, "Oh, you do me too kind."

"Oh, but I don't! You cut quite a figure in that... uh... 17th century coat thing. And my, carrying that big ol' book all the time, I'm sure you're strong as anyone."

"My, how sweet of you."

"Nooo, nooo, not at all. You're the most handsome man I've seen in this town," she said. This was true to her, as the only other man she'd really seen was the pimply boy behind the counter. She shuddered inwardly imagining what the spider might've done to him. "My, you're so handsome. No way a face like that could have any kind of mean heart. So why don't you just open up another hole in the wall and we'll walk out of here and go find my fri---"

"Yes, yes, that would be very nice. But, madame, I'm afraid that would get in the way of me killing you."

[Ixcalibur]

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Fictional version of the band from their TV show. i.e. Management didn't force Atasha on them because in the TV show they don't have management. In that she is their cousin from Penge who was suddenly introduced one episode. The chix don't care for her, but couldn't exactly say why. The management thing was noted as an explanation for that feeling. Sorry if I was unclear. I guess I will get a post up today.

[Ixcalibur]

While Mindy had easily shrugged off any thoughts of finding Atasha, Sara had not been able to. She was annoying yes, and they were all happier when she was far away but she was a human being after all and they couldn’t just leave her to die. Sara vocalized these thoughts to the rest of the group.

“Do we have to?” Mindy asked, crossly. Sara nodded that yes they had to. Mindy folded her arms and scowled. Zafira made similar complaints but with less stroppy behaviour.

“If one of your number is in trouble it makes sense to protect them no matter how irritating you find them.” Edward offered helpfully.

Mindy tilted her head to the side for a minute, lost in thought, before smiling and saying: “Okay!” As the group made their way out of the forest and started towards the town Mindy walked arm in arm with Edward, while Zaffy and Sara exchanged discreet glances.

--------

Debbie walked into the police office. It seemed pretty cheerful with the sun beating down through the windows and most of the officers on duty sat with their feet up. It didn’t seem they got much in the way of crime here.

“I’d like to report a crime.” Debbie said, to the receptionist.

“What is the nature of this crime?” The receptionist asked fetching a pen and paper from his desk.

“Murder.” Debbie replied.

“Did you say murder?” A detective in an unseasonable long brown coat emerged from a nearby office. He had the look of someone who had wanted to help people but had found themselves woefully lacking opportunities, until very recently.

“Well not murder yet…” Debbie replied. “But it’s only a matter of time!”

“Tell me everything!” The detective said, striding up to her. He was a man of action and it was time to prove himself.

“We were just minding our own business, me and the girls. We’re in a band, one day we’re going to be big stars.” Debbie said.

“Fascinating!” The detective said with no hint of sarcasm in his voice.

“Yeah, anyway suddenly we were elsewhere and this disembodied voice said we were going to have to fight to the death with these other guys.” Debbie said. “One of them is a really big spider, and then there is a guy with a big book. The other guy is a bit weird and has this colour changing visor.”

“I see…” The detective replied, his voice low and contemplative.

“He’s with the other chix. I’m worried for their safety.” Debbie said.

“And where are they?” The detective asked.

“They were in the forest last time I saw them.” She paused. “By the way your forest is on fire now. Sorry. That wasn’t us… I don’t think.” The detective started searching through his pockets for something.

“Did you know…” He said, as he produced a set of handcuffs. “That multiversal battles to the death were recently outlawed?”

“No…?” Debbie replied. “I am glad though. People shouldn’t be allowed to put people into battles to the death.”

“Precisely!” The detective smiled. “So I’m sorry but I’m going to have to put you under arrest.” He clicked the cuffs closed around Debbie’s wrist. She pulled her other arm away.

“Hold on!” she said. “Are you sure you got this right? Shouldn’t you be arresting whoever is in charge of this battle?”

“Yes.” He said. “We arrest them too. To be specific we arrest anyone who dares involve themselves in a multiversal battle to the death. It’s standard protocol.” He twisted her arm back around her back, and grabbed the other arm, locking the cuffs around it.

--------

“Hold on!” Atasha said, nervously attempting to back away from Matty and his spider steed. “Let’s not be hasty!”

“If you have anything to say I would say it now.” Mattilus replied somewhat peevishly. “I will not hold off your inevitable death much longer.”

“I could be useful.” Atasha replied, thinking quickly. “You don’t just want to kill me. You probably want the rest of the chix as well. I can arrange it, if you let me go.”

“You would arrange matters so that all your friends die just to save yourself?” Mattilus asked, with a grin. “I was worried you were going to be stubborn and martyr yourself for them.”

“I’d hardly call them friends…” Atasha muttered to herself, and then speaking more clearly she continued. “They’ll listen to me. I think. Probably. Maybe. I’ll arrange it so that you can take them all out at once. Easy.” She took a nervous deep breath and extended an arm. “Deal?”

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This is my double length post for the round. Just say if there is any problem with characterisation.

[engineclock]

ghost ghost ghost

spider spider spider

mouse under the ghost’s foot

squeak squeak

little mouse.

this ghost is a terror of mice and this ghost is faster than wind and Winter. no one stops this ghost. no one hears this ghost no one sees this ghost no one knows this ghost

this ghost hunts mice

but this mouse is small, and this ghost is full.

all the Silence knows, the Silent sing of starving in winter and Winter is no friend of ours. what will be left in winter if the mice are gone? no mice, no mice. little mice, quiet mice, all still. the Silent hunt to live. still mice still winter still Silent dead dead dead dead mice dead spiders. dead dead dead.

this ghost will save them all.

red fangs on a mouse’s neck, mouse squeaks. squeak squeak little mouse! squeak squeak ha ha ha good mouse. run mouse, run run run run this ghost lets you live. make more mice, little mouse.

this ghost will hunt your children

_______

Mattilus smiled at Atasha the way wolves smile at sheep. Of course he didn’t trust her little offer of alliance any more than he trusted her intention to turn against her friends, and even if he did he knew better than to put weight behind the words of a traitor. The spider alone was more than enough to keep track of without a known turncoat to deal with. He’d tolerate the girl just long enough for her to lead him to the rest of her group, and then he’d kill them all. Clean and easy.

“Deal,” the mage said, grasping Atasha’s hand firmly, noting her attempt to hide its trembling. He grinned reassuringly. “You and I are going to make a fine team… what did you say your name was?”

“Atay- Atasha,” the chik said, smiling back. “The last I saw of the other chix was back at the forest, I think-” she cut off suddenly as a siren blared outside. A slew of car alarms instantly went off, adding to the racket and causing both of them to wince.

“What was that?” Atasha said angrily, storming towards the door and yanking it open, only to be greeted by the fanged face of Naiima, the fur on her face matted and red. She shrieked and stumbled back as the enormous spider miraculously managed to squeeze through the doorway, turning towards Mattilus.

“Winter run,” the spider hissed, filling up the room with her twitching bulk. “Winter fly. Run run, rats are coming. Winter winter winter rats.”

“Rats?” Mattilus frowned, trying to peer around her. “What-”

“ATTENTION FUGITIVES,” came a voice from somewhere beyond the store. “COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP. YOU ARE ALL UNDER ARREST FOR ILLEGAL MARTIAL ACTIVITIES AND WE ARE AUTHORIZED TO USE LETHAL FORCE IF YOU DO NOT COMPLY. HAVE A NICE DAY AND THANK YOU FOR LISTENING.”

[Dwayna DragonFire]

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I fixed the little mistake in my post there, Ixcalibur. I'm going to be busy again today... every Saturday really... but I'll try to post again sometime soon. Consider this a reserve.

[Dwayna DragonFire]

The one named Sara was obviously the more caring one of the group, making her a better person in Edward's eyes. They headed out towards the city in hopes of finding the rest of the group, but there was more to it in his mind than theirs. The other contestants may have also made it there, he thought to himself silently, which could mean trouble.

Mindy had wrapped her arm around his, which was peculiar, to say the least. She had been touching him a lot ever since they first met, her demeanour towards him always on the stranger side. The girl obviously liked him to some degree, but these sorts of actions were usually shared between best friends or -

There it was again, the reddish-pink hue, spread across his visor that he had made for himself. It was all falling together, piece by piece, the memories of couples on his home world playing themselves backwards and forwards. The girl not only liked him, she was infatuated with him, though he couldn't think of any reason why this happened. Perhaps it was his willingness to help them instead of hinder? Perhaps it was that he helped save the lives of her friends? It was perplexing to think of all the possibilities, all the little things he could have done to cause this reaction.

Edward then went on a different train of thought, involving the girl beside him, hanging onto him. Her proximity to him did please him in some way, and her generally cheerful attitude was a good thing. The fact that she liked him was flattering in a way, and it ultimately made him feel... Made him feel...

Nothing. Her disregard for others was a flaw that stood out to him clear as day. She had shown she was all too willing to throw her comrades to the wolves for her own personal gain. Her closeness to him became significantly less appealing, so he devised a plan. They had reached the city, so he would make an excuse to detach from her, as politely as possible. He began to fashion a convincing lie, but his train of thought was cut off by a booming voice.

"ANYONE INVOLVED IN A BATTLE TO THE DEATH IS TO TURN THEMSELVES IN IMMEDIATELY," said the voice. "YOU ARE ENGAGING IN AN ILLEGAL ACTION WHICH WE ARE PREPARED TO DEAL WITH. PLEASE CO-OPERATE SO YOU DON'T MAKE THINGS WORSE FOR YOURSELVES."

It seems the game has changed, he thought to himself, of course it would not be easy. "This could mean trouble for us," he whispered to the girls, "They seem to mean business." Despite this, he had no intention of 'going quietly' as it were, already looking around and planning escape routes.

"Oh no," said Mindy, somewhat hysterically. "What should we do?"

"Maybe we should turn ourselves in," said Sara. "We're obviously doing something illegal."

"By just being here?" said Zafira skeptically, eyebrow raised for good measure. "By being put into this competition thing against our own will? I think that's pretty stupid."

"I agree," said Edward. "It is most illogical that we would be placed here unwillingly and subsequently be arrested for it. I believe that the town may be, in fact, conspiring with the person who brought us here. An alternative is also that we were placed here intentionally as part of the challenge."

"If that's true," Sara speculated, "What do you suggest we do?"

"We seem to have two options," he replied. "The first being run and hide."

"And the second?" asked Zafira, the look on her face making it obvious that option was not in her books.

"It is simple," he said, his visor turning an angry, deep red color. "We fight."

[Protoman]

Mattilus ducked behind a wall. A barrage of bullets bounced off the wall he had just peered past.

"Military men. Or police officers. Can't tell which. They aren't gonna take us alive, despite what they say. They know we're dangerous. Or rather." He looked at his spider friend, excluding the Chik of Sparkkle from the conversation, "They know we're dangerous."

How rude! Atasha had never been so insulted and put down by someone she called a teammate in her li--- wait, nevermind.

She glared at Mattilus. "If you're such a badass dangerous mage, why don't you wipe them out?"

Mattilus was beginning to regret his decision to let the Sparkklewench live. The nagging had, within seconds, drilled through his skull and implanted a big layer of rage. He cooled himself. It would be worth it. She would lead him to the others. Then they would all die. He stopped for a moment. All of them would die. That would include his spider friend. Sure, the girl wasn't incredibly high on the reason level, but she was loyal. Not worth killing. He had never killed a comrade in combat. It wasn't the Brenite way.

He shook himself. No sentimentality. The Brenite code of honor was incredibly flawed anyways. Not right to betray a teammate to save your own life, but it's fine to execute a war hero because of an injury he sustained fighting. Bunch of ignorant, ungrateful sons of bi-----

"Do you even have a plan here?"

Mattilus shook himself out of his daydreaming. No time for reminiscing. He looked through his book. He would savor the Naggingchik's death most of all.

"There's no way i'm going to be able to attack. They'll fill me with bullet holes as soon as i step outside. No chance of reading off a spell before i die. Thankfully, this book is only about 75% offensive magic. I have one spell in here that acts as a portal. but there's no telling where we'll go, and I'll hardly be able to cast anything else for a good ten minutes. If you're all sure it's worth the ri----"

"There is a squadron of military men trying to kill us for god knows what. There's not much more risk in this than in staying."

"Point made. Off we go, then."

A purple vortex appeared in a wall at Mattilus' command. Him and Atascha ran straight through, Naiima barely squeezing in before a battering ram smashed through the door.

The odd trio landed, conveniently enough, right in front of the rest of the chix and Edward.

"Oh my this is delightful."

"WE REPEAT, COME OUT WITH YOUR HANDS UP. YOU ARE SURROUNDED, REPEAT, SURROUNDED."

"Oh god damnit."

[engineclock]

yarrrr