Resonance Days

by TakerFoxx

Falling their mutual demise at each other's hands, Kyoko and Sayaka wake up in a strange world. Now, with Kyoko's soul gem missing and Sayaka's humanity and personality only partially restored, they must band together to survive.

16. Help, Part 1

Help, Part 1

Dipping the sponge into the warm water, Kyoko lifts it to scrub the back of the small girl sitting in front of her. "Jeez," she says, gingerly moving the sponge over pink bruises, "Look at yourself. Told'jah rushing in like that was stupid."

Though her admonishments are gentle, the girl still cringes. "Sorry," she mutters.

"Sorry, nothing. You were damned lucky you didn't get your stupid head taken off."

The girl's bare feet kick at the shallow water covering the ceramic tiled floor. "That wouldn't happen."

"Oh? And what makes you so sure?"

In answer, the girl turns enough to smile brightly at her, though for some reason, Kyoko cannot make out her face. "Because you were there to look after…"

A name was spoken, but the dream was already dissolving. Kyoko awoke just enough to register how incredibly shitty she felt. Her whole body was shivering with cold; her limbs felt like dead, limp things; her throat was raw and throbbing; she was so hungry she could eat Sayaka's tail raw; and her head pounded something awful. And to top it off, it felt like she was curled up in the corner of a hard, metal room. She had no idea how long she had been sleeping, but it had either been far too long or too short. Either way, she felt horrible.

She drifted there for a few minutes, her discomfort preventing her from slipping back to the warm embrace of sleep but still unwilling to wake fully. But the pain in her stomach and in her head drew her out little by little. Plus, she had a bitch of an itch on her nose that was screaming for attention.

Cracking one eye open, Kyoko saw nothing but blurry shadows. She tried to lift a hand to scratch her nose, but it was just too heavy. It felt like all the life had been sucked out of her limbs, leaving her with big, floppy dead things that she could barely lift.

And then she felt something tickle around the itch and heard an angry sounding buzz.

Eyes popping wide, Kyoko smacked the huge beetle off her nose. It flopped onto the floor where it flopped and hissed for a bit before righting itself and crawling away in a huff.

Moaning, Kyoko settled back into her spot, which, as it turned out, actually was the corner of a hard, metal room. She scratched at her nose with still-heavy fingers and found that the itch was the result of a gigantic bug bite, probably courtesy of her beetle friend. Great. So that thing had been sucking away at her soul smoke. She hoped the lingering poison would give him cancer or something.

While being scared awake hadn't made her feel any less like crap, it did restore mobility somewhat. Kyoko blinked several times to clear her eyes and looked around. They were still in the cargo bay of the wreck of the Void Walkers' ship. Mami and Charlotte were curled up together in the other corner, still asleep. Neither of them looked especially well, but it looked like Mami was coming down with something, if the way she was shivering and sweating was any indication. Sayaka was sleeping in her wheelchair, which meant that she had the most comfortable bed in the place. She also didn't look so great. Not as bad as Mami, but her face and fingers kept restlessly twitching and she seemed to be muttering something. Also, her tail was covered with something shiny, though whether fishes could sweat or she was secreting some kind of gross mucus Kyoko couldn't tell. And her hair still looked hilarious.

Out through the smashed ruin of the cockpit Kyoko could see enough pale light to confirm that it was early morning. She wondered if she should rouse the others or try to go back to sleep. On the one hand, she did not want to get up. Her body just felt too beat up to even try tackling the long trek through the woods. But on the other hand, given just how much pain she was in, there was no way she was going to be able to sleep again.

Screw it. With a grunt, she pushed herself onto unsteady legs. Once she was reasonably sure of her balance, she staggered over to the cockpit. Maybe she'd be able to kill a bear or something. A bellyful of bear meat would go a long way toward feeling better.

Kyoko emerged blinking into the cold morning light. Early birds were chirping, insects were humming, and the whole place smelled like pine and dirt. If she had been leaving a camping tent, she might have breathed deeply, smiled, and gone for a bracing jog. Instead, she was limping out of crashed airship feeling like the floor after an elephant waltz with no food, no clean clothes, and all too mindful of how far from help they were.

Ah well. She'd had shittier days. Kyoko stretched, winced when her joints protested, scratched her nose, and turned to go look for some sign of food.

She came face-to-visor with someone wearing full-bodied, high-tech green armor and carrying a futuristic assault rifle.

Kyoko and the helmeted intruder stared at each other for a moment, neither of them moving. Though she couldn't see the other girl's face, she got the impression that she was just as surprised to see Kyoko as Kyoko was to see her.

Then the armored girl recovered. Snapping into a defensive position, she brought the rifle up and pointed it at Kyoko's head. "Don't move," she said, her voice buzzing through the helmet's speakers. "Get down on the ground, and put your hands on your head."

Kyoko calculated her chances of winning this fight and came up with a depressing conclusion. Then she shrugged and summoned a spear. Ah, hell with it. She couldn't die, so surrender or get beat down, it would all end the same way.

"I wouldn't try it, love," said a voice with a British accent, this one unfiltered by speakers. Looking over her shoulder, Kyoko saw another armored person standing nearby, rifle aimed at Kyoko's back. She had dark skin and chiseled features, with braided hair falling around her neck.

Then two more armored thugs appeared, these ones wearing helmets identical to the first one. They took position on either side of Kyoko, surrounding her. A fifth one appeared on top of the ship's wreck, covering her from above.

Everyone stood still for a moment, waiting for someone to make a move. The unhelmeted girl studied Kyoko's face. "You know, we did just tell you to get on the ground and put your hands on your head," she said. "And yet, I can't help but notice that you haven't. Why not?"

Kyoko shrugged. "I don't like taking orders from people who don't even have the manners to introduce themselves first."

"Hmmm, sassy." The black girl smirked. "Though I can't help notice that you're looking a little banged up. Run out of gas?"

"Nah, some assholes tried to kidnap me," Kyoko responded. "Didn't much like that, so me and my friends threw them out the window." Tilting her head to one side, Kyoko asked, "You guys with the Alliance or something? 'Cause if so, your security sucks."

The black girl frowned in puzzlement. "The Alliance?"

"Uh, yeah? You know, the Free Life Alliance? Big floaty city, not too far from here?"

"The Free Life Alliance? No! Why would we be part of them?" The black girl lowered her rifle, though she still kept it pointed at Kyoko. "And if you think you're near Cloudbreak, then love, I've got some bad news for you."

Crap, they must have been taken farther than anyone had thought. "Uh, okay," Kyoko said. "So, uh, you gonna shoot me or tell me who you are? 'Cause you may have noticed, but I'm about thirty seconds away from collapsing."

The black girl seemed to consider this for a moment. Then she lowered her rifle to her side, and her companions did the same. "Well, if what you say is true, then it looks like you'd had a tough enough time as it is." She nodded to Kyoko. "I'm Janelle, of the Persephone Protectorate. We heard of a wreck and were sent to investigate."

"By who?"

"Our leader." She looked Kyoko up and down. "So, you say you got kidnapped, huh? Mind expanding on that?"

"Not really."

Janelle laughed. "What, afraid we're going to sell you out to them? Don't worry love, we're an independent organization. Whoever you're afraid of, we've got nothing to do with them."

"Sure," Kyoko said, tightening her grip on her spear. "But I'm kinda new here, so you're gonna have to forgive me if I don't take strangers at their word."

"Fair enough. Keep your secrets then. In the meantime though, you should probably come back with us and get looked at. No offense kiddo, but you don't look so good."

"I had a bad night," Kyoko said flatly. "And hey, offer's appreciated and all, but seeing how I don't know you and you don't know me, how about we all go our own way instead?"

Janelle laughed again, and this time a couple of the others did as well. "Oh, come on. If we meant mischief, all we'd have to do is shoot you in the head and put you in a sack. Hell, it probably wouldn't even take that. You look like a stiff wind would knock you over."

"Better not start blowing on me then," Kyoko said with a smirk. This got another round of laugher, and Janelle sighed and slipped her rifle into a clamp on her back. She nodded to the others, who also started to put their weapons away, but a second later they all had them out again and focused on the ship.

Charlotte stood in the large hole in the cockpit, looking very surprised. Slowly she raised her hands up. "Uh, okay," she said, looking back and forth. "This is…not what I was expecting." She glanced over to Kyoko. "Kyoko, why are there a bunch of supersoldiers pointing guns at us?"

"Hey, don't look at me, they surprised me too," Kyoko said. "They call themselves the Persephone Protectorate. Ever heard about them?"

"Not really, no."

"That doesn't surprise me at all," Janelle said, shaking her head. "City girls. Sheesh." She waved her hand over to her helmeted companions. "Okay girls, take it easy. They're not going to bite." She looked to Charlotte. "Sorry about that. Don't worry, we're here to help."

The look Charlotte gave her was anything but trusting. "Uh, yeah…sorry, but a bunch of military-types pointing guns at people really isn't a great way to build trust. Who are you people? Who are you with?"

"We're with ourselves," Janelle said. She extended a hand. "Relax, we're the good guys. Think of us as park rangers meets the Marines. This place is mostly unclaimed, so someone has to make sure travelers stay safe."

"Park rangers," Charlotte said, not lowering her hands. "With…assault rifles. Right." She quirked an eyebrow. "I'm guessing you get some pretty big bears out here?"

"Okay, so it's a bit more than that," Janelle admitted. "There's actually something of an ongoing problem in this forest that we're trying to take care of.

"Problem?" Kyoko said. She glanced to the forest. It seemed peaceful enough, but in her experience, that meant absolutely zip.

"Yup. Bad guys, so to speak." Janelle glanced around, her face troubled. "And speaking of which, we really should get you and your friends out of here quickly."

"Why?" Charlotte said suspiciously. "What's out there?"

Janelle hesitated a moment before responding. "You guys ever hear of leechers?"

Of course Kyoko never had, but judging by how pale Charlotte's face got, she most certainly had. Whatever these "leechers" were, they were something scary.

"Oh," Charlotte said, as if that word explained everything. "Oh." She swallowed. "Yeah, that…let's do that then."

One of the helmeted girls helped Charlotte down from the ship, while another two went inside to retrieve Sayaka and Mami, who were still out. Kyoko suddenly had a very bad feeling about this. Sayaka and Mami were defenseless, while their new "friends" turned out to be otherwise, there wasn't a whole lot she and Charlotte could do about it.

"Relax," Janelle said, coming up to her. "Scary suits aside, we really are the good guys. This place just can get a little rough." She tilted her head to one side, examining the wreck. "By the way, that ship isn't yours, is it?"

Kyoko shook her head. "No, it belonged to the creeps that tried to snatch us."

"Smashing. We're short on spare parts, and that's some good salvage there." Janelle walked over to inspect the ship.

Once she was gone, Kyoko sidled up to Charlotte, who was sitting on a rock looking very scared. Aware that one of the soldier-types was keeping an eye on them, Kyoko leaned over to whisper, "I don't like this."

"Me neither," Charlotte said.

"If they're lying, we're fucked."

"Yeah, I know." Charlotte cast an apprehensive glance back at the forest. "But if they're telling the truth and we don't go with them, then we're really fucked."

Kyoko frowned. "Why? What are you so scared of? The hell are leechers?"

Charlotte took a deep breath. "Well, you know how back in the world of the living, sometimes people would get kidnapped for their organs and such?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, it's like that," Charlotte said flatly. "Only instead of your organs, they're after your soul." She looked up to lock gazes with Kyoko, her eyes full of fear. "And you don't die. So you never, ever leave."

…

The night spent in the wrecked ship had been hard. The trek through the forest was a waking nightmare.

Charlotte stumbled forward, concentrating on putting on foot on the other, trying to ignore how every step sent shooting pain up her calves and hips, trying to ignore how dry her throat was and how empty her stomach felt. She kept pressing forward, though in time she wasn't so much walking as she was continuously falling forward without ever actually reaching the ground.

She and Kyoko were marching in line with those Persephone Protectorate guys, whoever they were, heading toward their headquarters, wherever that was. Mami and Oktavia were both being carried. Mami was still out, completely oblivious to the armored woman that was giving her a piggyback-ride. Charlotte was worried sick about her, both due to her condition and the fact that they were being carted off by strangers. Unfortunately, there wasn't a great deal she could do about either one. She was only on her two feet by sheer force of willpower, else she would have been slung onto someone's back as well.

Oktavia was likewise being carried on another soldier's (or whatever they were) back, though unlike Mami she was awake and unhappy. She bounced along, her arms slung loosely around her carrier's neck, her face tired and openly wondering how in the world they had gotten into this situation. When she had awakened to find several strangers carrying guns surrounding her, Kyoko had to intervene before she started shooting off wheels again. And despite all the reassurances she had been given, it was clear that she distrusted their so-called rescuers as much as Charlotte did. But like Charlotte and like Kyoko, there wasn't a thing she could do about it.

Charlotte stepped on a branch only to have it twist under her. She stumbled to one knee.

"You okay?" said one of the helmeted girls. She held out a hand. Charlotte hesitated a moment before taking it.

"Yeah," she said brusquely. "Just slipped, is all." She took a deep breath and forced herself on.

Kyoko was a bit ahead of her, though that was like to soon change. The redhead was in better shape than Mami but worse than Charlotte. She wasn't even disguising how much her gait had become a stumbling limp, or how much she was starting to sway. Like Charlotte, she had refused the offer to be carried, though she seemed to be moments away from collapsing.

Grimacing, Charlotte tried to distract herself by trying to figure out a way out of their predicament. She had never heard of these people, so there was no reason for them to be who they said they were. Okay granted, if they did intend evil, they would hardly need to lie and win their victims' friendship. Like Janelle had said, Charlotte and the others were in such terrible shape that all they would have to do was shoot 'em and bag 'em. Still, given how they had recently been blindsided in Cloudbreak of all places, Charlotte wasn't going to drop her guard. It was just that she unfortunately didn't have much of a guard to drop.

Ahead of her, Kyoko's staggering steps slowed to a stop. She tried to lift her foot, only to slowly droop to the ground. One of the nearby soldiers had apparently been waiting for that to happen, as she was already in position to catch her before her legs gave out entirely.

"Whoa. Easy there, tough guy," the soldier said. She slipped the rifle off her back, attached it to her leg, and hoisted Kyoko up in its place. Kyoko muttered something rude sounding, but she slumped against the girl's back and lay still.

"How about you?" said the soldier nearest to Charlotte, the one that initially offered her a ride. "You ready to give in?"

Charlotte wanted to snap back something prideful and defiant, but then she reconsidered. She might be in better shape than Kyoko, but that wasn't saying much. And if she was going to be honest, she really wasn't going to last much longer. If this did turn out to be a trap, she was going to need to conserve all the strength she could, for as much as that counted.

"Sure," she said grudgingly. "Thanks."

Chuckling, the soldier likewise transferred her rifle to her leg and knelt down. "Come on, princess," she said, holding her arms low and waiting.

Charlotte climbed onto her back and held on. Holding onto her legs, the soldier stood up with enviable ease and they were once again on their way.

While she was thankfully no longer on her feet, the ride was still a nightmare, but it was a noticeably smaller nightmare than before, for which Charlotte was grateful. She was still famished and hurt all over, and bouncing around like a grade-schooler's backpack was not at all a pleasant way to travel, but hey, an improvement was an improvement.

In fact, as she was carried along, the steady rhythm of the soldier's footsteps actually became sort of comforting, and Charlotte found herself slowly drifting to sleep.

She dozed for a time. How long, she couldn't tell. But the next thing she knew, she was waking with a start just as the soldier was lowering her to the ground. As they were obviously still in the forest, this was likely not a good sign.

"Wait, what?" she said, groggily rubbing her eyes. "Where are we?"

"Shhhh," the soldier said. She looked around, and though her features were concealed by her helmet, Charlotte got the impression that she was nervous. "Don't move, and keep quiet." She pulled her rifle into her hands and walked off to join the other soldiers, who had formed a perimeter around them with weapons drawn and at the ready.

Blinking in confusion, Charlotte took a look around. She had been laid in a relatively soft bed of moss at the foot of a large tree, as had Mami, Oktavia, and Kyoko. Mami and Kyoko were still asleep, though Oktavia was awake and worried.

"What's going on?" Charlotte whispered to her.

"Not sure," Oktavia whispered back. "But they said something's out there. I think they're expecting an attack." She scratched the back of her neck. "Also, the forest has gotten seriously weird."

It had. Before it had been plain brown bark, green foliage, and pine needles. Now there were springy, purple plants bouncing up and down on their stalks like slinkies; green-trunked trees that curled up like corkscrews with heart-shaped leaves that kept opening and closing; and white flowers with blinking eyes for irises.

Charlotte had only encountered this level of weirdness once before, but that one encounter was enough to give her a good idea of what had happened. "Wait, are we in a witch's barrier?" she said, her voice rising to a squeak."

"Nothing so interesting, love," Janelle said, walking up to them. Scanning the area, she kept her rifle at the ready while she talked. "There's lots of madwomen and feral witches in this place. Let's just say they've had an effect on the landscape."

Oh. That made sense, though it was still bad news. Given the trauma girls brought with them, madness was a common problem with both Puella Magi and witch alike. Not everyone was as lucky in finding help as Mami and Charlotte had been. More often than not, those wild girls would band together to form violent packs called covens, and their collective madness would shape their surroundings.

If that was the case, than that explained why the Persephone's Protectorate went around fully armed and armored. It also explained why there would be leechers in the area. Madwomen and feral witches made for both dangerous hazards and easy prey, depending on who you were.

"Keep you voices down," Janelle said. "There's a coven nearby. And we're pretty sure they're hunting us." She went off to go hold a low conversation with one of her girls.

Swallowing, Charlotte gathered up Mami and held her close with one arm, and with the other took Oktavia's hand and held it tightly. Oktavia glanced at her, saw the fear on Charlotte's face, and gather up Kyoko like Charlotte had done with Mami. Kyoko struggled a bit and muttered something, but didn't wake up.

They lay still, listening to the sound of their own breathing and the soldiers' footsteps. Beyond that, there was nothing, which only served to make Charlotte even more uneasy. Despite not seeing anyone, she had the crawling feeling that someone was watching them.

Keeping her eyes on the forest, Oktavia leaned over and whispered, "Sorry, what are we hiding from this time? I lost track."

"Shhh," Charlotte hissed back. "I'll explain after…"

Her voice trailed off. She saw someone.

A naked girl was crouching in the branches of one of the trees, partially shrouded by shadows. Charlotte couldn't make out much, but her body was covered with dirt and pieces of bark, her orange hair wild and unruly, and her fingers unnaturally long, each ending in curving claws. Even through the darkness Charlotte could still make out the glitter of mad, orange eyes.

Charlotte opened her mouth to shout a warning, but it was too late. The attack was already happening.

Immediately the air filled with shouts and the sound of gunfire. Several sleek shapes darted in and out, hitting the soldiers with swift and sudden strikes before retreating as quickly as they came. The soldiers stood their ground, standing back-to-back and shooting everything that moved.

Charlotte pressed herself further back into the moss and tightened her grip around Mami. She was no coward, but wild covens were not a threat to be taken lightly. Despite their madness they lost none of their fighting prowess or powers, and it was said that their magic's potency increased with their insanity.

Not far from where they were hiding, Janelle and two other soldiers were onset by several wild girls. There seemed to be five of them, though they moved so quickly that it was hard to tell. They darted back and forth, striking long enough to draw attention only for another to hit the soldiers where they weren't looking. Janelle and her companions stood with their backs to each other to prevent this, but they were outnumbered.

As Charlotte watched, a wild girl came crawling along the underside of the overhanging branches like an unnaturally nimble sloth. Once she was directly above the trio, she locked in with her legs and lowered her upper body. A shimmering net set with sparkling sapphires appeared in her hands, ready to be dropped on her prey.

Screw that.

Lunging forward, Charlotte struck out with her wires. They lashed up and struck the madwoman's bare thigh. She cried out and dropped, her limbs thrashing like a spider cut from its web. She landed near Janelle's feet rolled, somehow becoming tangled in her own net. She screeched and thrashed, only for Janelle to take one look at her and put her down with a shot through the forehead.

Unfortunately, that only drew the coven's attention. Charlotte saw more madwomen in the trees, looking down at where the four of them were huddling. The looks on their faces spoke of ill intentions.

Charlotte exchanged a glance with Oktavia and an understanding passed between them. They moved Mami and Kyoko between them and sat up the best they could. Oktavia held out a hand and two wheels appeared in the air in front of her. Charlotte did the same, ready to strike out again with their wires. Both were already worn to the point of exhaustion, but they would be damned before they let these unfortunate freaks take them without a fight.

The madwomen struck. The nearest, a girl heartbreakingly young, dropped from the tree and ran screaming on all fours, her wild hair streaming behind her and her mouth gaping open.

And then she showed up.

One moment she wasn't there, the next she was standing between the charging girl and her intended prey. She wore the same sort of armor as the others, but she immediately stood out. For one, instead of an assault rifle, she grasped a rapier in her right hand. Tiny gems sparkled from the golden hilt and the blade shone silver. For another, shimmering, gossamer wings sprouted from her shoulder like those of an enormous butterfly.

A fairy, Charlotte thought numbly. I'm teaming with a mermaid and being saved by a fairy. Call it in, it's time to go home.

The wild girl didn't so much as slow down. She leapt for the newcomer's throat, dirtied hands outstretched.

The winged girl barely moved. A couple flicks of her blade, and the wild girl was dispatched with as much ease as one might swat a fly. She went down and lay still.

It was then that Charlotte saw that the soldiers had more reinforcements besides the winged girl. More armored soldiers had joined the fray, and the tables were turned. The madwomen were driven off or put down much as the one with the net had been. But as efficient as they were, none were close to matching the winged girl. She moved with a grace like light given form, her flicking this way and that. And every time it did, wild girls screamed. And wild girls fell.

And before Charlotte knew it, it was over.

She lay where she was, hand still raised, imaginary heart pounding. She watched as the soldiers quickly secured the area. Those that had been wounded were treated, while the defeated madwomen were gathered up and taken somewhere Charlotte couldn't see without effort. The winged girl exchanged a few words with Janelle, patted her on the shoulder, and walked over to where Charlotte and her companions were lying.

As she approached, she pulled off her helmet, and it was all Charlotte could do to keep from gasping. Her skin was the color of creamy milk and completely without blemish. Her cheeks were dimpled, her chin pointed just enough to give her something of an exotic flair, and her feathery green hair flowed over her shoulders in waves, still in perfect condition despite being recently being confined in a helmet. But it was her eyes that took Charlotte's breath away. They seemed to change color with every movement, going from yellow to red to green and then to blue in the space of a few steps. And they shone with a brilliance that reminded Charlotte of a dance of calliopes flying in front of the sun.

She was undoubtedly the most beautiful person Charlotte had ever seen in her life.

The winged girl knelt down when she reached the four. "Hi," she said, smiling. "I'm Lily, the commander of the Persephone Protectorate. Are you girls all right?"

Dumbstruck as she was, Charlotte could only stare. She managed to stutter out, "L-let me g-get back to you on th-that one," before her eyes rolled back and she fainted dead away.

…

Once again, Kyoko slowly floated back to consciousness. Even as she did, she still noticed that this time was still considerably more comfortable than when she had awoken in the wreck of the Void Walkers' ship. Instead of shivering in the cold, hard corner of a metal room, she was snuggled between a soft mattress and warm blankets. Her throat no longer felt ravaged, her aching body was in a lot less pain, and there wasn't a gigantic bug clinging to her nose. All in all, it was a major step up.

She still felt like crap though. Well cared for crap, but still crap. And she was famished.

Opening her eyes, she was greeted by the blurry sight of florescent lights and a spinning fan. She reached up to scratch her still-itchy nose and was pleased that it didn't feel like a floppy dead thing this time.

Someone was playing music nearby, from a very familiar sounding instrument. Kyoko turned her head to see Sayaka in the bed next to her. The mermaid looked considerably healthier than she had before. She was wearing a plain cotton tee-shirt and was sitting up, which was a good sign. Her eyes were closed as she played a melody Kyoko hadn't heard before on her harmonica.

Kyoko lay still, listening to her play. Since it wasn't that creepy song from Sayaka's ghostly orchestra, she had no problem with enjoying the tune. And it was a very nice one: energetic and fun, but with a tinge of solemnity. It reminded Kyoko of fairies and elves dancing in a field beneath the light of the moon. She wondered if Sayaka had made it up herself. Probably she had.

Finally the song ended, and Sayaka lowered the harmonica with a contented look on her face. She glanced over to Kyoko and her eyes lit up when she saw that her friend was awake. "Kyoko!" she exclaimed, straightening up. "You're up?"

Grinning, Kyoko lifted an arm to weakly wave at her. "Heya, Sayaaaaa…"

Sayaka's face turned dark.

"aaawordfish," Kyoko quickly corrected herself. Her voice was rough, but not enough to be a problem. "Nice song. You write it?"

Sayaka relaxed, apparently accepting "Swordfish" as a passable recovery. Then she actually blushed at the compliment. It was kinda adorable. "Er, yeah," she said, scratching the back her neck. "Just messing around. You okay?"

Kyoko nodded. "Sort of. Better, anyway. How long was I out?"

"Almost a day, which is impressive, as I had you pegged for being down for two at least," said a new voice. Kyoko turned to see a medium-sized girl with glasses and a curly brown hair tied into a frizzy ponytail approaching. She was wearing green scrubs, which made her job screamingly obvious.

"Well, I've always been a stubborn bitch," Kyoko said as the doctor checked the readings on the machine the IV drip was hooked up to. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw Sayaka roll her eyes and shake her head.

"So I hear," the doctor said. "How are you feeling?"

"Like a piece of very comfortable roadkill. Which is actually a step up."

The doctor frowned at the machine. "Be that as it may, I wouldn't recommend you get up just yet." She glanced over to Kyoko. "In fact, you would do well to get a few more hours of sleep."

"Why?"

The doctor tapped the readings. Kyoko craned her neck to get a look, but it was all gibberish to her. "The details are kind of technical and multisyllabic, but in layman's terms, your soul is on the mend but still out of whack. Your wounds and energy loss aren't much, but whatever that magical tranquilizer they stuck you with is, it's done a number on you. Combined with that heavy electric shock, your vapors got turned into a veritable cocktail of weird."

Kyoko looked over to Sayaka and raised her eyebrows. Sayaka just shrugged unapologetically. "Hey, we were five seconds away from getting vivisected," she said. "I needed you awake."

Rolling her eyes, Kyoko sank back into her pillow. "Yeah, I guess you've got a point. Good call. Just don't do it again without asking first, okay?" To tell the truth, she wasn't as annoyed about being ordered to more bedrest than she would have been under normal circumstances. She still felt like crap, and some more sleep in a nice soft bed instead of a cold hard wreck sounded fantastic.

Still, she couldn't sleep just yet, not when she still had more questions. "So, I take it you're with the Per…Per…" She frowned. The hell were they called again?

"Persephone's Protectorate?" The doctor nodded. "Yes. You're at our headquarters now." She smirked. "Apparently there was some excitement bringing you in, but nothing unmanageable."

"Yeah?" Kyoko's interest perked. "Did it involve a super-skinny emo chick with no legs flying around?"

The look on the doctor's face told her that this was not a question she had anticipated. "I…no, no I don't believe so." She tilted her head to one side in puzzlement. "Someone you're familiar with?"

"It was a bunch of crazy naked girls," Sayaka put in.

Kyoko's head whipped toward her, though she regretted it when her headache flared up like a bad case of brain freeze. "Ah!" she groaned, pressing a palm against her forehead. "Wh-what did you just say?"

"A coven of madwomen," the doctor explained. When Kyoko paused in her pain-induced cringing long enough to stare at her in askance, she added, "Sometimes girls just can't adjust and lose their sanity as a result. Many of them end up banding together, and if left unchecked, will often devolve into animalistic behavior. The ones that attacked you were a particularly savage example." She shrugged.

"Oh," Kyoko said. That was disturbing. It seemed every time she turned around, the afterlife exposed another troubling aspect. "Well. That…sucks."

The doctor shrugged again. "It's sad, yes, but that's the reality of the world we live in." She gave the machine's readings on Kyoko's soul one last look. "In the meantime, I know you've probably got more questions, but you really need to get some rest. Lily wants to talk to you once you're able, and she'll be able to fill in on anything you want to know."

Kyoko frowned. "Lily?"

"Their leader," Sayaka supplied. "Don't worry, she's cool. You'll like her."

Yeah, well, we'll see about that. Rather than make an issue of it, Kyoko decided to ask one more question, one that, come to think of it, really should have been her first. "Okay, but…Mami? Charlotte?"

Sayaka grinned. "See for yourself," she said, pointing with her thumb to the bed beyond her. Kyoko craned her neck to see.

Mami was lying in the bed, fast asleep. She looked pale, but not deathly as she had been the other day. An IV drip identical to the one in Kyoko was taped to her arm. Charlotte sat next to her bed in a plastic chair, also asleep. Her upper body was slumped over Mami's still form, her hand tightly grasping Mami's.

"Yeah, Charlotte was actually kind of okay," Sayaka told Kyoko. "At least, compared to us. So she was able to get up faster. Mami's really worn out though. Hasn't woken up yet, but they say she'll be okay." She looked to the doctor. "Right?"

"Of course. She's just used too much magic in too short a time. She should be awake again roughly the same time as you two. And speaking of which…" The doctor scowled and pressed her finger against Sayaka's nose, forcing the mermaid back down toward her pillow. "Bedrest applies to you too. Save the harmonicaing for when you're better."

Sayaka gave her a sour look, but nodded.

"Sounds good to me," Kyoko said, shimmying deeper into her blankets. "But before I conk out, there's one itsy-bitsy problem that kinda needs fixing first."

"Really?" Frowning, the doctor leaned over Kyoko. "And what's-"

Suddenly Kyoko's hand shot up to grab the doctor by the wrist and pull her in close. Taken off guard, the doctor tried to pull back, but froze when she saw that, for just one moment, Kyoko wore a look of mad desperation similar to those associated with the wild girls.

"Bring me food," Kyoko rasped. "Right the fuck now!"

…

Hours later, Kyoko emerged from the infirmary well-rested, well-fed, and freshly showered. She was not quite fully recovered though. Small aches continued to plague her, especially around her head, but the doctor had pronounced her well enough to get up and move around, so she did just that, albeit with an armed escort of course.

The headquarters of the Persephone Protectorate was not exactly pretty. The infirmary was actually the nicest room, partially because if there was one place where sterile bareness was to be expected, it would be the infirmary. The whole of the complex was composed of low, grey bunkers made from concrete with sloping walls. The majority of the facility seemed to be underground, with the surface primarily just being a lot of short, ugly buildings; dirt; and fences contained within some very high walls. There wasn't much in the way of vegetation, and what weeds she saw poking their way from the ground were all nasty looking black things covered with spines.

This "Lily" person was apparently in the sparring yard. According to Sayaka, she had been by a couple of times while Kyoko had been asleep. The mermaid seemed to like her well enough, though Kyoko was reserving judgment until she actually got to meet her in person. Still, she had saved Kyoko and her friends when they were probably doomed to collapse somewhere in the forest, didn't turn them in, and gave them medical treatment and food. That counted for a lot in Kyoko's book.

Kyoko was led to a dirt clearing nestled in the shadow of four bunkers. That one black girl…the hell was her name again? Janette? Janet? Anyway, whatever the hell her name was, she was there, wearing a pair of dark green pants and a protective vest of the same color. She held a wooden rod about two meters in length and was clacking it against the staff held by her sparring partner.

And as for her partner, well, if the word "partner" was meant to imply some level of equality, then in this case it did not apply.

Now, Janelle was good. Kyoko could see that at once. But the woman she was sparring with made her look like a rank amateur. She wasn't even bothering taking the offensive. Instead, she just stood in one place and turned aside everything Janelle tried with quick, almost contemptuous turns of her wrist. Every now and then she would turn one of Janelle's strikes against her, sending her staggering back. Though Janelle was always quick to recover and resume her offensive, she never even got close.

What was more, this woman was easily the most gorgeous person Kyoko had ever seen. And what was more, she was a freaking fairy. Though not the cute Disney kind. This was more of the scary, regal fae kind. With giant butterfly wings. Kyoko could only stand and stare in awe.

Finally, Janelle's opponent seemed to tire of the game. Suddenly taking the offensive, she smacked her staff against the bottom of Janelle's and twisted around, taking it out of Janelle's hands. Another spin, and Janelle's legs were swept out from under her, and she found herself lying in the dirt, the tip of her graceful opponent's staff pressing against her throat.

Well, I guess I found Lily, Kyoko thought, grinning. She stuck her hands in her pockets and fiddled around with Elsa Maria's compass.

"Yield," Lily said, her voice as beautiful as the rest of her.

Janelle stared up at her for a moment, eyes wide. Then she smiled. "Did that already years ago," she said, and they both laughed.

As Janelle pulled herself off the ground, Lily turned to see Kyoko watching them. "Ah, Kyoko Sakura," she said, shouldering her staff. "Good to see you awake."

"Not me. That bed was damned comfortable."

Lily laughed, and Kyoko wished that she would again. "Care for a round?" Lily said, lowering her staff.

Kyoko cast an apprehensive glance at Janelle, who was heading toward one of the bunkers. Even with most of her skin covered, she could still make out bruises. "Uh, I just kinda got released from bedrest…"

"Didn't you just say you wanted to go back?" Using the pole in her hand, Lily flicked Janelle's discarded staff up into her free hand and tossed it to Kyoko. "Come on, I'll go easy on you."

Well, why not? Kyoko and Lily saluted one another, and then fell into an easy rhythm, clacking their staffs together without much aggression. "So, I imagine you and your friends want to be on your way soon," Lily said.

Kyoko hesitated. How much should she tell her? "Something like that, yeah."

"I'm not surprised. Invading the Withering Lands isn't something to be put off."

Kyoko almost faltered. "What, what?"

Lily smiled. "Your friends told me. Oktavia and Charlotte. While you were asleep." At Kyoko's incredulous look, Lily laughed again. "Oh, don't worry. We're not in any way connected to the Alliance or the Void Walkers. Honestly, your secret's safe with us."

Maybe so, but Kyoko was going to have to have a talk with them about how secrets lost their use once they stopped being secrets. One didn't have to have a connection to an enemy in order to sell someone out to them.

"At any rate," Lily said. "Charlotte said something about getting back to Cloudbreak and starting over."

"Something like that, yeah," Kyoko said, guarding her tone.

Lily shrugged. "Well, that makes sense. Don't want to start until you're ready, right?"

"I guess," Kyoko said without much enthusiasm.

Of course, Lily caught it at once. "Is something wrong?"

"Eh," Kyoko shrugged. "It's just…you ever plan something out, trying to figure out all the…I dunno, variables and whatnot, and try to prepare for everything. And then something goes really wrong, and you find yourself on the road a month early, in a thirty-year-old car with half a tank, no money, no map, and you just know that this is it? You've started, and there's no way to go back and try again?" She shook her head, wondering why she was rambling like this. "I dunno, that's just the feeling I get."

"I think I understand," Lily said. She stopped sparring with Kyoko and stepped back, planting the butte of her pole in the dirt. "Though I have to ask: do your power include any sort of prescience?"

"Pre-what now?"

"Do you possess any sort of psychic abilities?" Lily explained. "Such as a sixth sense or the ability to sense the future?"

"Oh, like the Force?" Kyoko laughed. "I wish. Nah, just good old-fashioned intuition."

"I see." Lily thoughtfully rubbed her chin. "Well, while trusting you gut is…admirable, I wouldn't put too much stock in it. Instinct can often lead one astray."

Kyoko shrugged. "It's worked pretty good for me so far."

"Has it?" Lily shouldered her staff and started walking toward the edge of the sparring circle (or rectangle, as it actually was). Tossing her staff to one side, Kyoko moved to follow her. "Well, if you say so, though I should point out one tiny detail…"

Suddenly Lily dropped low and lashed out with her staff. Kyoko's legs were swept out from under her, and she hit the dirt with a surprised oomf!

Kyoko tried to rise, but this plan was discouraged when she found the end of Lily's pole pressing against her neck.

Smiling, Lily tapped her staff twice against Kyoko's throat and removed it. "Your instinct told you that just because I had put away my weapon and started walking away, we had stopped sparring. And it also told you to trust me when I said I would be going easy on you." She squatted down and offered Kyoko her hand. "Don't trust instinct. Trust only what you know, and even that can at times be suspect."

Kyoko stared at the offered hand. Then she grinned and took it. "Okay, lesson learned," she said as Lily pulled her to her feet. "Again."

"As is often the case. Now, sparring time's over for real now." Lily again headed away from the sparring ring, this time tossing her staff aside. "Come on, let's go see how your friends are doing."

…

"I feel like such a wimp," Mami said weakly.

Smirking, Charlotte squeezed her fingers and leaned over to give her a quick peck on the cheek. "A wimp. Right. That's what I love about you, sweetie. Only you could kick that much ass and still think of yourself as a wimp."

Despite her poor condition, Mami still managed enough sass to give her a look. "The only thing?"

"Among various others," Charlotte clarified. "Come on, you were hand's down the biggest badass in that fight. How on God's green Earth does that make you a wimp?"

From the next bed over, Oktavia chose that moment to break in. "You know, if you want to get technical about things, we weren't really on God's green-"

"Not the time, Tavi," Charlotte said, playfully exaggerating her exasperation. She look down to Mami, who was smiling and shaking her head. "Seriously, from what comes this latest trip down Beat Yourself Up Lane? Because the scenery's getting kinda familiar."

Mami sighed. "Maybe. But when it comes down to it, I didn't get hurt that bad. Maybe a few bullets here, and a little stabbing there, but what Kyoko and Oktavia experienced was far worse." She reached up to touch Charlotte's cheek. "Even you were more grievously harmed than I, and were using powers you had never even known you had on top of it. Whereas I just took a couple bullets and one quick stab through the foot, and those all closed up quickly. What right do I have to collapse after-"

The rest of her sentence was swallowed up by a weak coughing fit. Shaking her head, Charlotte picked up a glass of water with a little straw and helped Mami take small sips. "She gets like this when she forgets to take her meds," she said to Oktavia.

Mami broke away from the straw long enough to say, "So do you."

"You guys take meds?" Oktavia asked, sounding surprised.

Charlotte sighed. "Tavi, we live in a town where just about everyone has some serious PTSD. Everyone does, their first few years in."

"I don't."

"Yeah, well, you're…naturally cheery?" Charlotte shrugged. "I don't know, I'm not a psychologist! Maybe it'll kick in later. At the worst possible time."

"I don't think that's helping, Char," Mami said, her voice slightly chiding.

Charlotte winced, as she always did when her mouth got her into trouble. "Yeah, I'm gonna shut up now," she muttered, slumping slightly in her seat. Mami rolled her eyes and shot an apologetic look over to Oktavia, who fortunately seemed more amused than anything.

"So anyway," Oktavia said as she leaned back against the bedhead with her arms folded behind her head. "Charlotte's actually right. Come on, you were awesome. So what if you needed a little more recovery time?"

Internally, Mami knew that they were right, but that didn't change how she felt. It rarely did, and as Charlotte had pointed out, this was a well-worn road for her. She couldn't help how she felt, no matter how much she wished it was otherwise.

So rather than argue further, she instead moodily sank back into her pillow and looked around. Upon awakening, she had first thought that they were back in Cloudbreak's clinic. Charlotte had then explained things, but despite both her and Oktavia's reassurances, Mami found the idea of being in the hands of complete strangers to be very troubling. She decided to reserve judgment until she learned more, but for now, she couldn't help but feel scared. Certainly, these Persephone Protectorate people could claim that they had no ties to Oblivion, but there was nothing preventing them from lying.

Eventually someone showed up with breakfast. It wasn't much: just scrambled eggs mixed with spam and peppers on top of a couple of corn tortillas along with a Styrofoam cup of coffee, but Mami did not care in the slightest. In fact, she ended up downing it so quickly that she barely tasted it, though she did need Charlotte's help to keep from spilling. After that came a second helping, and a third. By then Mami was feeling considerably better, and was able to sit up and feed herself without help.

"Sure you don't want another one?" Charlotte asked as Mami scraped the last few bits of egg from her plate. "Two more, and you'll have tied Kyoko's record."

Mami paused long enough to give her a look, and then resumed. "The day I try to match Kyoko in any sort of eating competition is the day I turn in my sanity card." Then she frowned. "Though please tell me that they didn't allow her to have five cups of coffee."

"Nah, we warned them ahead of time," Oktavia said. "She got orange juice."

As Mami was cleaning up, the door to the infirmary opened, and in walked Kyoko. The redhead seemed well enough, albeit walking with a slight limp. Though judging by the look on her face, something was clearly troubling her.

But all of that went straight out of Mami's mind when she saw who was entering next. Based upon Charlotte and Oktavia's very complimentary descriptions, this must be the Protectorate's enigmatic leader, Lily. Mami had to admit, while Oktavia had done most of the describing, hearing her wife so enthusiastically agree to such a flattering account of another woman's beauty had hurt a bit, even though she knew she was being a bit silly. But now that she was seeing Lily for herself, it was all she could do not to stare with her mouth hanging open.

Chuckling, Charlotte squeezed her fingers and said, "I know, right?"

As soon as Kyoko saw that Mami was awake, she immediately perked up. "Hey, look who's up!" she said, rushing to Mami's bedside. "How ya doing?"

Mami smiled. "A-All right. A little weak. But better. What about yourself?"

Kyoko grinned and shot her a thumb's up. "Just peachy. The fairy's called Lily. She's the boss around here or something."

"I suppose that's accurate enough," Lily said, walking over to stand next to Kyoko. "Hello, Mami. I'm glad to see you awake."

Mami swallowed. God, her voice was beautiful. "Ah, thank you."

"I assume Charlotte and Oktavia here have filled you in on the situation?"

"As much as we could," Oktavia chipped in.

Lily nodded. "Good. Kyoko and I were just discussing your current predicament. And…" A dark look fell across her lovely features. "I'm afraid that if you wish to return to Cloudbreak, you're going to run into one or two obstacles."

Mami did not like the sound of that at all. "What…what sort of obstacles?"

"Nothing of the sort that's going to come after you, fortunately," Lily assured her. "Though we'd better wait for all of you to be a hundred percent before we go over them."

Charlotte tilted her head to one side. "Wait, you mean the covens and leechers?"

Mami felt her chest seize up. "There are covens?" she gasped.

Charlotte blinked. And then, noticing Lily giving her a sour look, immediately cringed. "Oh. Oops."

"There are LEECHERS?" Mami was now all but shrieking.

Sighing, Kyoko pressed a palm to her forehead as Charlotte tried to calm her wife down. "Nice going, Charmander."

Mami, it should be noted, was now edging near outright hysteria. Yes, she had known that there were dangers. Yes, she had known that there were monsters out there. But having so nearly lost two of her dearest friends to a surprise kidnapping attempt and then dropped into a forest full of covens and leechers was a personal hell. "We…we have to get out of here!" she cried. She tore the IV out of her arm and tried to kick her way out of the bed. "We have to get out of here right now!"

"Whoa, easy there!" Charlotte said, grabbing her by one arm while Kyoko went for the other. Together, they tried to wrestle her back into the bed, though it was not an easy task. "Calm down, honey! You can't-"

"NO!" Mami seized Charlotte by the collar and pulled her close, desperate to make her understand. "We can't stay here! We need to leave, before they find us and-"

"Mami," Lily said. She didn't raise her voice or even add much inflection. Still, Mami stopped thrashing, though her eyes were still wide and her body trembled.

Kneeling down next to the bed, Lily took Mami's hand and said, "I know this is all very frightening, but you're safe here. They can't get to you. You have my word."

"Seriously," Kyoko told her. "We're like three stories underground in a concrete bunker in the middle of a badass military base. I think we're good."

Mami was less than convinced. She still remembered being attacked by a feral witch three days after her death, and like everyone else she had heard horror stories of the things that took place in soul harvesting laboratories. Her mind was now filled with visions of both ripping teeth and invading syringes and tubes.

But she stopped thrashing at least. Being under military protection helped, even if she still didn't know whose military it was. Forcing herself to calm down, she nodded and whispered, "Okay. Okay."

Smiling, Lily patted the back of her hand and stood up. "I know it's scary, but try to hang in there. Just rest up, and we'll talk again once you're ready." She glanced to the others: first to Oktavia, then to Kyoko, and finally settling her gaze on Charlotte. "And that goes for the rest of you. This conversation is postponed until you're all a hundred percent. So work on getting there."

Charlotte snapped off a lopsided salute. "Aye-aye."

With a satisfied nod, Lily turned and left the room. Once the door clicked shut, Mami sighed and sank down. Shivering, she burrowed deeper into the covers until they were up to her nose.

"Covens," she moaned. "Covens and leechers." What a world.

Charlotte grimaced. "Well, yes," she said, her tone indicating that she probably had a similar reaction once she had found out.

Mami's eyes roved up to focus on Charlotte. "Where in the world are we?" she said, her voice muffled by the blanket.

"Some place called the Etherdale," Charlotte said with a shrug. "I think I've heard the name before, but never got any details."

Mami closed her eyes. "Oh, God help us."

Snorting in derision, Kyoko walked back to her bed. "Why should He start now?" she muttered, mostly to herself.

With that, she leapt up, stretched her body out flat, crossed her legs, and entwined her fingers behind her head while in mid-air. Landing while already fully reclined, Kyoko turned her head this way and that, searching the area surrounding her bed.

"So," she said. "Where's the button to call for room service?"

…

"All right, I'm just going to give it you girls straight," Lily told her surprise guests. It had been several hours since she had last spoken to them, and since Kyoko, Mami, Oktavia, and Charlotte were now as well as they ever going to be, they had decided to finally get the full picture.

To that end, they were now meeting in Lily's private office. It was surprisingly Spartan insofar as decorating was concerned. The only ornament she could see was a very pretty sword hanging on the wall.

Which wasn't to say it was empty. The rest of the wallspace was covered with maps and bulletins. A whiteboard covered one whole wall, and was covered with scribbles, flowcharts, and various ramblings in several different colors. Her desk was neatly organized, which was a very good thing, given that the sheer number of papers and books would have overwhelmed it otherwise.

A folding table had been set up in the middle of the room. On it was a map of the forest. The girls gathered around while Lily swept her hand over its surface. "Etherwood has always had a major problem with covens. It sits between two spawn sites, Devil's Vista to the east," she pointed at one circle landmark along one edge, and then moved to another, "and Widow Hills to the southwest. And thanks to these mountains, getting proper patrols in there has been-"

"Spawn sites?" Kyoko interrupted, scratching her head. They're…like those cities that people show up in after they die, right? Like Genocide City?"

That bit of information took Lily by surprise. "You came from Genocide City?"

"Yeah, we both did," Oktavia told her. She shivered. "Place was freaky."

"You barely saw any of it," Kyoko said, nudging her. "You didn't even see the apartment."

Oktavia swatted her hand away. "Not exactly sorry for that."

Lily stared at them. "But, Genocide City's in the Withering Lands!"

"Only just," Charlotte said, holding up a hand with her thumb and index finger curved together with a few centimeters of space. "They got out and came our way."

"Ah," Lily said, nodding thoughtfully. "Well, that explains a couple of things." She shrugged. "Anyway-"

"Why do they have such creepy names?" Oktavia interrupted. "Who names them?"

Mami said, "They come prenamed."

"How do you know?"

"Street signs, mostly," Charlotte told her.

"Ooohhh," Kyoko said, her brow rising. "Like 'Now Entering Hell Town, Population You'?"

"Essentially," Mami nodded.

Kyoko frowned. "Place has a weird sense of humor."

"Yes, well, it does, I'll agree with you on that," Lily said, a hint of impatience in her voice. "But as I was saying, thanks to the mountains, this place has always been pretty isolated, so getting in proper patrols has been difficult, and those who have spawned here had difficulty getting out." She sighed. "It wasn't long before a coven resulted, and once that happened, inevitably this forest became thick with them."

Kyoko raised a hand. "Hold on, let me see if I've got this right. So, these girls die back on Earth, and they wind up at one of these creepy-ass cities. But because these ones are way out in the sticks, there's no one there to help them out and tell them what's going on. So they start wandering around, getting all scared and confused, and eventually just snap and go crazy?"

Lily slowly nodded. "Essentially, yes."

Kyoko stared at her. "But…okay, there were other girls in the same boat, so instead of all going crazy together, why not just band together and…I don't know, make a town or something?"

"It often happens that way," Lily said. She frowned. " Unfortunately, thanks to the juxtaposition of two spawn sites, the bad energy bled off into the forest and…hastened their deterioration. And once you've got one coven established, it doesn't take long for their collective madness to start influencing their surroundings. Before too long, there's another, and another, and, well, the problem becomes self-sustaining."

"So now if a girl dies and so happens to show up and one of these two places, she's pretty much doomed to go crazy and join a bunch of lunatics?"

"Unfortunately, that was the case."

Kyoko blinked. She sat down in a nearby folding chair and put her head in her hands. "Fuck."

Oktavia swallowed. "What…what happens if they've just shown up and run into one of these covens before they've gone crazy?"

Lily cleared her throat, but said nothing. Oktavia looked to Mami, and then to Charlotte, who were avoiding her gaze. Kyoko didn't though. She stared straight at the wheelchair-bound mermaid, eyes hardened as if to say, "What do you think happens?"

Oktavia sank into her seat. "Holy crap," she breathed.

"Wow," Kyoko agreed. "I mean, I knew there was some fucked up stuff going on here, but…wow."

Mami turned to Lily. "But that's why you're here, isn't it?"

"Exactly," Lily said. She pointed at a small gap in the mountains that surrounded the forest. "There's only one actual way into the forest if you're going by land, and from the sky there's not a whole lot to see, so Etherwood pretty much stayed off the map for a long time. But a few decades back, some people finally decided to go have a look and see what's in here. They found the spawn sites and an unusual number of covens wandering around, which horrified a lot of people." She rolled her eyes. "So after the usual political rigmarole, it was eventually decided that something needed to be done about it."

"Enter you guys?" Charlotte guessed.

"Enter us," Lily confirmed. She waved a hand over the map. "We were sent to break down this nightmare, which we do by finding and capturing the covens and sending them back home to be…well, rehabilitated, as well as try to save any newcomers before the covens get their paws on them. On top of that, we also set up cleanser beacons to purge all the negative energy that's been building up here."

"And they are?" Kyoko wanted to know.

"Pretty much exactly what they sound like."

Kyoko nodded. "Gotcha."

"Right," Lily said. "And once the cleanup's done, we're to secure outposts outside of both Devil's Vista and Widow Hills and patrol both of them heavily, making sure that something like this doesn't happen again."

"Ah," Kyoko said, raising an eyebrow. "Hence all the military hardware."

"Pretty much, yes."

Charlotte frowned. "Where are you from, though? You said you were an independent organization. Who sent you?"

"We are independent, in that we're privately owned and mostly privately funded, though we've been given government grants." Lily shrugged. "We're from Seagirt though, if you want to know."

"Ah," Charlotte said knowingly.

Oktavia blinked. "Sea what?"

"It's a city, a big one," Charlotte explained. "Capital of large human territory called Achelonia."

"Not Alliance then?" Kyoko asked.

Charlotte shook her head. "No. Relations between them and us were said to be on the warmer side of neutral, last I heard."

"Exactly," Lily said. She turned around to point to another map, this one detailing a larger area. Etherdale was circled, and a path was drawn from it to a city. "If we can get you back to Seagirt, you'll be able to find a flight to take you to Cloudbreak, no problem."

Kyoko folded her arms over her chest. "Then why do I sense a problem?"

"Because you've got a brain." She frowned. "Or, once did, and now…forget it. See, things were actually going pretty well. We managed to break apart a few covens, get a few beacons in place and not have them break down or get ripped apart, and on the whole, we were looking to get Etherwood cleaned up in a year or two, tops."

"But?" Charlotte pressed.

Lily sighed. "And then we found the leechers."

Now it was Oktavia's turn to raise her hand. "Okay, can someone fill me in on exactly what leechers are? I got a few bits here and there, but I'm mostly just picturing people chasing each other with leeches."

"Leechers are…" Lily glanced over to Charlotte and Mami. "Well…"

"Monsters," Charlotte said flatly. "They kidnap or buy people, lock them up in a dark room, and drain their souls away. And once they're dry, they nurse them back to health and do it all over again. And again. And again. Forever, if they can."

Kyoko looked horrified. "Jesus Christ, why?"

"For these," Lily said.

She walked over to a filing cabinet and pulled a metal suitcase of its top. Placing it on the table, she flipped the latches, opened the lid, and turned it toward the girls. Inside were eight plastic vials, each one with about five tiny, sparkling gems inside. Each jewel was the shape of a teardrop, and were sorted by color. However, the colors changed and shifted in hue, and the stones seemed to be filled with some sort of murky, swirling substance.

Speaking in a hushed voice, Mami said, "Are those what I think they are?"

Lily's mouth set in a straight line. She nodded. "Crystallized soul vapors. Inhaling someone's soul gives you a brief burst of energy and a feeling of euphoria." She took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "Naturally, once that was found out, it didn't take long before people saw how to profit from that. Then they started getting creative, mixing the vapors with various substances. Then they found out how to solidify them, making things so much more efficient." She picked up the vial of blue stones and held it up to the light. "Unfortunately, it takes a lot of vapor to make a single, decent crystal. Each one of these required someone to be drained dry at least three times."

Mami had gone pale. Reaching behind her with a shaking hand, she grabbed a chair and hastily sat down. "But…I'm sorry, but these leechers were poaching the wild girls, right? Wouldn't their madness…contaminate the product?"

"Actually, it's a selling point." Lily tapped the vial, making the murky substance recoil. "These are called 'crazy drops.' Swallow one of these, and you're in for the one hell of an insane trip. Literally."

"Jesus fucking Christ," Kyoko breathed.

Charlotte eyed the suitcase warily. "Okay, not to be rude, but you have a box of them at hand why?"

"Because we were trying to backtrack their business and find out who they've been selling to." Lily replaced the vial and closed the suitcase. "Unfortunately, they have some pretty high connections, so we haven't been able to make a lot of headway." She lowered her voice and leaned in closer. "In fact, we're pretty sure that this explains why it took so long for our operation to get approved."

Charlotte sighed. "Because some Seagirt high-and-mighty is dirty?"

"Exactly. Sure enough, as soon as we found these guys, things back home started to get real complicated. We had three random inspections from people we had never even heard about in the space of a month, of the 'Obviously trying to find some excuse to shut us down' variety." Sighing, Lily place the suitcase back on the filing cabinet. "Our grants keep getting blocked, the tabloids got real nosy and dishonest, and generally things just became a mess. They couldn't shut us down outright, seeing how this forest is unclaimed by anyone and we're independently owned by some people who are filthy stinking rich, but they have stirred up enough trouble to make proceeding a pain in the ass. And then things got bad."

Her four guests sat in silence, waiting for the rest of the bad news.

"Three weeks ago, we found ourselves cut off completely," Lily said with a scowl. "No communication, no supplies, nothing. We haven't had any sort of aircraft on base for over two months, so we can't fly out. Every time we try to call them up we get dead air, and the one way out has been blockaded by the leechers. Heavily."

Kyoko scratched her head. "But aren't you guys packing some serious hardware?"

"Yes, but so are they. And they can resupply while we can't. Fortunately, we saw something like this coming and made sure to stock up with whatever we can get our hands on, so it's not like we're hurting for food and other necessities, though vehicle maintenance is starting to become a problem." Then the edge of her mouth curled up in a small smirk. "Fortunately, about a week ago, we found something that's going to change all that."

"What?"

"Their base," Lily said proudly. She pointed at a point that had been circled with a heavy black pen and had a large X drawn through it. "It's located here, in this swamp. Not a big place, actually, though it does look like they've been there for a while. We've been scouting them out ever since." Her smile grew. "And as it so happens, it's not only more lightly defended than the road, but it looks like we've got them outgunned by a significant amount."

Kyoko blinked. "Wait, what?"

"That was our reaction too, but then we go to thinking: they came here intending to dig in and hide, taking some wild girls here and there while staying out of sight. We came here intending to take on the covens directly while being real big and obvious about it." Now Lily's smile had matured fully, becoming an outright grin. "So, who do you think showed up with the bigger guns?"

"So why don't you just go in and take them out?" Charlotte wanted to know. "Won't that fix the problem?"

"It'll be one hell of a start," Lily nodded. "And actually, we're going to be doing just that in one week's time. Once their nest is crushed and their leadership taken, clearing away the blockade will be a simple matter, and with any luck, we'll find enough dirty connections to clear up our problems back home."

"Oh," Mami said, brightening. "Well, that's good." She glanced from one face to the next. "That's good, right?"

"It's very good," Lily agreed. She sobered a bit. "And that's actually what I wanted to talk to you about."

Charlotte's eyes went wide. "Wait, hold up," she said, her voice squeaking. "Are you saying you want our help?"

That got quite the reaction. Kyoko's eyes opened very wide. She looked skeptical, and opened her mouth as if to protest, but then seemed to reconsider and sat back into her chair, thinking. Mami was clearly troubled, no caught between her heart to do what it claimed to be the right thing and her head telling her to do the smart thing. Charlotte's reaction was very similar. She stood with her hands on her hips and head bowed, tail fidgetingly wrapping around her leg as she weighed their options. And Oktavia, it should be noted, actually looked excited at the prospect, no doubt driven by her former self's love for justice. Or maybe it just sounded like fun.

Seeing all this, Lily stated, "I'm not pressing, but the extra help will be a huge asset, especially ones that the leechers don't know about and won't see coming."

Kyoko's face twisted up in confusion. "How? There's only three of us!"

This got her a nasty look from Oktavia. "Excuse me?"

"You're a fish," Kyoko said bluntly. "No matter what, you're not coming."

"But…wheels!" Oktavia said in disappointment.

"It's in a freaking swamp," Kyoko retorted. "We're not pushing your wheelchair through a freaking swamp."

"Swamps have water!"

Lily cleared her throat. "And horribly mutated crocodiles."

Oktavia's face went white, and any desire to tag along dried up in that instant. "Oh."

That out of the way, Kyoko returned to her original question. "So yeah. From what I saw, you already got a bunch of girls backing you up. How in the hell are three more going to make any sort of difference?"

"The rules are different now, Kyoko," Lily told her. "This sort of fighting isn't like how it was back in the world of the living. When no one is able to die and even the most grievous wounds heal in minutes, you need to do everything you can to outnumber and overwhelm your enemy. Three capable warriors with abilities unknown to the leechers can make an incredible amount of difference."

Mami lightly cleared her throat, drawing everyone's attention. "May we discuss this first?"

"Of course," Lily said with a graceful nod. "Take all the time you need."

…

Charlotte stood in the shadows next to one of the bunkers, watching the sun set overhead. Mists rising up from the more twisted parts of the forest rose up, giving it a strange, pinkish hue. Shivering, she stuck her hands into the pockets of the goosedown jacket she had been lent and wondered if she should go inside. She had been warned that the temperatures fell quickly, and was quickly finding out how true that was.

She didn't though. She needed to think, and by habit preferred to do her thinking in the open air.

Unfortunately, the air around here was a far cry from that of the Nautilus Platform. For one, it stank. There was a small horse corral near the back of the facility, and the stench of their manure combined with something oily and foul, like a long abandoned mechanic's garage. She supposed that she had the forest's mutations to thank for that. They had the good fortune to have crashed near one of the Protectorate's cleanser beacons, else the smell would have prevented them from getting any sleep at all. Though she had to wonder why the beacons at the base didn't ward off the reek.

Still, fresh air was fresh air, even if the adjective was called into question, and Charlotte found it easier to think out here than she would indoors. She missed the smell of salt, though.

Lily's request was a tough one for her to work her mind around. Logically, if the Protectorate had enough firepower at their disposal that an attack was already planned, then Charlotte, Mami, and Kyoko would not be needed. This wasn't their fight, and picking a fight with leechers could end badly in so many ways.

On the other hand, Lily and her girls had saved them. There was no chance in hell they would have lasted long in the forest, even without the covens. And with the wild girls added to the situation, they would have been screwed, pure and simple. Those caught by them often ended up joining, but only after they had come to share in the same lunacy as their captors. And the methods by which that usually came to pass were the stuff of nightmares. That had been a real close thing.

Besides, Charlotte was not at all opposed to bringing a little cup of Shiva to these leechers. Soul harvesting was a despicable trade as it was, and leechers were the absolute worst kind of scum. At least dockengauts had sadism naturally ingrained into their nature. Leechers didn't even have that as an excuse. It wasn't right for magical girls to prey on other magical girls like that, not after all they had learned.

As she stood turning the problem around in her mind, Charlotte noticed someone approaching out of the corner of her eye. A pair of someones, to be exact. Kyoko and Oktavia were coming down the asphalt path, the former pushing the latter along in her wheelchair, and chatting amiably. Or rather, they were bickering amiably, which did seem to make for a comfortable baseline in their relationship.

"…all I'm saying is that these wheels can let me do a lot more than you think! I can lie on one and go real high in the sky, and rain down death by train from above!"

"Uh-huh. And then Annabelle Lee dodges them all and cuts you to pieces. Or you run out of juice like Mami did. Face it, they're just not practical."

As they passed by, Oktavia caught sight of Charlotte standing next to the road and waved. "Hey, Charlotte. You okay?"

Charlotte nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just doing some thinking."

Leaning over the wheelchair's handlebars, Kyoko said, "About whether to suit up and throw in or sit back here twiddling our thumbs?"

Charlotte sighed. "Well, it sounds like you've already decided how to vote."

"Damn straight. Lily saved our asses. And hey, these leechers sound like right assholes. Seems a simple enough decision to me."

"Yeah, right until the part where they knock you out, drag you into the basement, and stick you full of tubes," Oktavia said wryly. "Or did you miss the part where Lily told us what would happen if you lost?"

"Sure I did," Kyoko said, flicking the mermaid in the head. "I also noticed the 'if.' Kind of changes things a bit, those ifs."

Shaking her head, Charlotte turned and walked away while the kids continued to argue. It was official. Those two were doomed.

She kept walking until she found an area where several wooden benches sat in front of a small stage. Mami was sitting on one of the benches, her back to Charlotte. She appeared to be deep in thought, no doubt over the same subject that was troubling Charlotte.

Well, two heads were better than one. Charlotte walked up to the bench and sat down next to her. "Hey," she said, her breath visible in the rank night air.

Mami smiled. "Hey," she responded, leaning over to kiss Charlotte's cheek. "Out for a walk?"

"Something like that. Stinky night, isn't it?"

"Very. Here."

Mami passed a warm mug into Charlotte's hand. Charlotte took a sip, and her eyelids fluttered in ecstasy. "Oh, hot chocolate. Sweet, blessed hot chocolate. If we weren't already married I'd get right down on my knees and propose here and now."

"That would have been nice to know three years ago," Mami said, cradling a steaming mug of her own. "It would have made things a lot easier."

"Mmmm. But the story wouldn't have been nearly so interesting."

"There is that, yes. It was interesting, I'll give you that."

They shared a laugh at the memory, though it was short lived, and sobriety soon returned. Stirring her mug with a small straw, Mami said, "I've been doing some thinking. About what Lily said."

Charlotte sighed. "Me too. Kyoko's already made up her mind to join in, no surprises there. What about you?"

Mami shuddered. "Char, I'm not going to lie to you. I've seen some very scary things since we came here. Dead Drop City. That dream eater. Void Walkers. Dockengauts." She hesitated a moment before adding, "Jezebel."

Charlotte nodded. "The valks," she said, rubbing her shoulder.

"Exactly. But those leechers scare me more than anything else, even more than Oblivion. If Oblivion catches us, it'll be as if we never existed. But if those leechers catch us, we'll wish we never existed." Mami swallowed. "I…I don't want to face them."

Charlotte quirked an eyebrow, but she said nothing. She knew that Mami wasn't through talking.

"But…but I know that there's…" Mami took a deep breath and slowly let it out. When she tried again, her voice still had a slight quaver, but remained steady. "I know…that they've caught girls already. Wild girls, ones that were already in pain. They're hurting them now, and I just can't…"

Her voice caught, and she turned away. Charlotte looked down to the now unimportant mug in her hand. She sighed.

"You weren't awake for this, but when we were attacked by that coven, I got a good look at a lot of those wild girls, the sort these leechers are hunting," she said. She sipped her hot chocolate and said, "Some of them didn't look much older than eight."

Mami looked at her. "So, you've decided?"

"I think so, yes. You?"

Mami nodded. She still looked scared, but that was okay. Charlotte was too. "Yes."

"Good. Well." Charlotte raised her mug and smirked. "Let's go get those bitches."

Laughing, Mami raised her own cup and they clinked them together. "Yes. Let's."

Feeling a bit better, Charlotte then examined her fingertips. She pointed one at the ground. A thin, golden wire shot out to strike the dirt with a tiny puff and quickly retracted. "Well, on the bright side, at least I've got these now. Still trying to figure out how I never knew about them, but hey, better late than never."

Mami nodded. "And you're certain you've never used them before? Not even by accident?"

"Nope. I'd remember if I did." Charlotte held up her hand, palm facing the sky, and created a small, glimmering domed web over it. "Kind of neat though. Reminds me of your ribbons."

"I was thinking the same thing. Do you think there might be a connection?"

"Could be." Charlotte moved her hand up and down, making the dome lightly bounce. "I've heard rumors of that sort of thing happening, though it could just be coincidence." Then her smirk curled higher. "Though speaking of which, I couldn't help but notice that I wasn't the only one breaking out some fancy new abilities."

Mami's face turned beet-red, and she quickly turned away.

Laughing, Charlotte pressed forward. "Come on, Mami. How long have you been able to make those clones?"

Mami muttered something under her breath, but she answered. "Well, do you remember those classes I used to take? The ones that were about honing our abilities and possibly discovering new ones?"

"The ones you always tried to get me to go to? Yeah, I was wondering why those stopped all of a sudden."

"Well, now you know." Mami shrugged. "I…accidentally duplicated myself one night, and it disturbed me so much that I dropped out of the class and never tried doing that again."

"Until a few days ago?"

Mami nodded. "Until a few days ago."

"Huh." Charlotte rubbed her chin. "So, when you say you don't even want to clone yourself again…"

Mami closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "No, Charlotte."

"Oh, come on!"

"No, Charlotte!"

Charlotte stuck her lips out in a pout. "Not even for my birthday?"

"You don't even have a birthday, Charlotte!"

"Christmas then?" Charlotte suggested. "Deathday? Anything?"

Muttering to herself, Mami turned to glare at her irreverent wife. "I am not treating you to a threesome, especially one that involves another me!"

"All right, all right!" Charlotte said, laughing. "Keep the kink to a minimum. Got it." Then she turned her attention back to the golden jungle-gym in her hand. "Though come to think of it, these really do…even things up, wouldn't you say? Puts us on equal footing, if you catch my meaning."

Mami had to quirk a smile at that. "I don't know. At my ribbons are soft. Those look like they'd cut off my circulation."

"You don't have any circulation, Mami. And hey, practice makes perfect." Charlotte retracted the wires with a sharp zipping sound.

"Doesn't that hurt?" Mami asked.

Charlotte shook her head. "No, not really. Tickles something fierce though."

"Well, that's good." Mami started to lift her cup back to her lips, but she paused mid-sip and frowned.

Charlotte noticed. "What's wrong?"

"I just thought of something," Mami said, lowering her cup. "In all this excitement, with Lily, the wild girls, and the leechers, we seem to have completely forgotten about the Void Walkers."

Charlotte stared at her for a moment. And then her eyes went wide. "Oh, damn it all, you're right. Do you think they ended up in the forest?"

"I don't know," Mami said, shaking her head. "Annabelle Lee almost certainly did."

"Yikes. Maybe she's…" Charlotte left the thought unfinished. She felt a little queasy. It was true that she despised Annabelle Lee and her crew for what they had done, but there were some fates that she wouldn't wish upon anyone, not even them.

…

Two days ago…

One moment, she was lying motionless in a shallow pool of swamp water. Her eyes were open but vacant. She didn't move, she didn't breathe. To all appearances, she seemed to be dead.

And then Annabelle Lee's eyes snapped into focus and she came awake choking.

Gagging and retching, she lurched up, fingers clutching at her throat. Something was blocking her air passage. Not only could she not breathe, she couldn't cough or vomit. Grimacing, she punched herself in the chest and in the stomach, trying to dislodge the obstruction.

It worked. Finally, a large quantity of mud was loosened, and she double over and spewed out foul water and other such filth. It kept coming up and coming up, to the point that Annabelle Lee was convinced that soon she would be puking out her soul vapors as well.

But finally, she got enough out, allowing her to take a shaky breath. She hunched over sobbing, feeling too sick to rise, too weak to get out of the pool. She wanted to die, now more than ever.

And then she heard a twig snap.

Annabelle Lee froze, or at least tried to. Her body kept shaking, sending out little ripples. Still, she could hear the sound of something approaching, something large and heavy. It was lumbering through the swamp, and coming her way.

Swallowing, Annabelle Lee raised a trembling arm and stared down at the loaded claws still strapped to her wrist. In her condition, she couldn't defend herself against a pushy calliope, much less the behemoth heading toward her. But she had to try. The alternative would be-

And then a massive arm came out of nowhere to seize the back of her skirt. Annabelle Lee was yanked off the ground and hauled away as easily as a feather pillow. She screamed and tried to slash at her attacker, but she was so weak that she couldn't even activate her claws' spring mechanism. And there was no one to hear save for the reptiles and insects. As such, Annabelle Lee was carried helplessly away to meet an unknown fate.

…

So yeah, this chapter was supposed to go up two days ago on my birthday, but stuff happened and I didn't get it done on time. But hey, better late than never, right? So…happy belated birthday to me, and happy belated Easter to you, and happy Cheap Candy Day to everyone?

So, like I said last chapter, things are going to go into an episodic format from now on, with even adventure being divided into about two-to-five chapters or so, or however many they need. To tell the truth, this specific one wasn't originally going to happen until halfway through the series, but I honestly couldn't think of a good adventure to kick things off and this was the best one that fit. Starting with Help probably isn't the best idea, but I don't have a better one, so I guess I'll just have to wing it.

Anyway, I've unfortunately been having some crazy insomnia attacks lately, so I'm going to take a break from writing until I can get things stabilized again. Hopefully it get settled soon and we can get back on this.

Until next time, everyone!