AN: Reuploaded after some technical stuff over the last few days

Fate/Kaleid Liner Prisma Taylor

I could have gone my whole life without learning what the smell of burning flesh was like.

After the explosion, everyone who could have hauled ass, myself included, did, charging off to where the sound had come from. Honestly I kind of think it was mob mentality... Or maybe we all simultaneously decided that if it was caused by the Nine that we could gang up on them and take them out now.

Instead, we found a half-collapsed and flaming building with a burning body in some kind of pod and a bunch of miscellaneous gadgets everywhere.

Immediately a couple of people started poking around the ruins, but after a few minutes, the fire department pulled in, with Miss Militia on her motorcycle just behind them.

As soon as she stopped, she began yelling "Stand back! This is a crime scene!" and the like and the crowd began to disperse.

Glory Girl was next to me and tapped me on the shoulder. "Hey... You can track people who tried to get past your wards, right?"

"Yeah, I think I said I could try something like that," I replied back. "Why?"

"Because I am absolutely certain that it was Bonesaw or one of her creations trying to get into my house last night and try to recruit Amy. If we can track her back to the Nine's hideout then we can tell the PRT where they are, organize a raid, and all the city's heavy hitters can fall on them like a ton of bricks."

That was a good point. Since the exploded building seemed to take precedent over the meeting, Glory Girl and I flew off towards the Dallon House.

Along the way, Opal started buzzing. "Princess, Lisa's trying to call you again—"

"Not now," I replied.

"Something wrong?" Glory Girl asked

"No. This is more important," I said sternly and with finality.

Landing at the Dallon property, I could instantly notice the gash in the lawn and the scorch mark from where my lightning trap had struck the attempted intruder.

I waved Opal over the scorch mark and then generally around the property while imagining some kind of drone or tracking animal picking up traces of what had been trying to force entry, then pointed her straight out the house's foundation and imagined her picking up any data that might be left in the protections I left on this home. All the while lines of mana traced her movements.

Then she, sarcastically, quipped: "You know I could have just done this myself without you wasting mana, right?"

"...It's more fun my way," I defended with a pout.

"Well, at least you're honest."

One last bit of magic created a glowing white ball with two glowing wings, not unlike Opals, which floated before me and then began moving. I gestured to Glory Girl and took off to follow it, first running and then flying as it began to take to the air and speed up.

For about five minutes, the ball flew in a straight line, but then, as we began to approach a section of the docks full of warehouses, which gave me a start and made me to think that my Dad was working so close to where the Nine might be hiding, it went ballistic and started flying in random directions, spiraling, zig-zagging, ascending, diving, and in general just flying all over town, crossing its own path several times.

Glory Girl and I must have given anyone on the ground looking up one hell of an air show as we chased the damn thing across town.

...I was definitely going to have to workshop this spell with Opal before I used it again.

Eventually, it came to a stop and floated straight down, and as Glory Girl and I followed it down we found ourselves levitating in the intersection between a few alley-ways and observing a ball that was just floating in place, doing nothing.

Glory Girl looked around confused. "So, wait, are the Nine hiding in one of these buildings?"

"I don't know," I said with a shrug. "I think this spell might be a dud... If nothing else we can tell the PRT that I tried to Track down the Nine and have them check out the area, but..."

Opal buzzed again. It was different from the other buzzing though. "Princess, Lisa is trying to text you now. She says you need to talk and that it is quite urgent."

"Tell her I'm busy and I'll get back to her as soon as I can," I lied.

I didn't care what she had to say or what she thought was so important, she lied to me... Was probably using me, planning to betray me as soon as it was convenient just like Emma... I wasn't going through that again, and I didn't give a shit what excuses that scheming, lying, traitorous bitch had pulled out of her ass to try and manipulate me into thinking she was my friend.

"Princess... I really think you should—"

"Later!"

"Princess, I'm serious I don't think she would be this persistent if—"

"I said later, Opal!"

"...Did you two have a falling out or something?" Glory Girl asked hesitantly.

"...Yeah. Kinda. It's not important right now."

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself. Being angry right now didn't help anyone.

I was about to suggest getting out of here and calling the PRT when Glory Girl suddenly fell out of the air. It was only a short fall, but I still landed to help her up.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," She replied, "but..." She looked down to where her knee was scraped.

And then I heard footsteps coming up from behind us.

I turned, just in time to see a muscular figure in dirty, tattered clothing slowly walking towards us. A large ax in one hand, and a heavy-looking chain leading to something white strapped to his back in the other. All topped with a hideously scarred face and cleanly shaven head.

Hatchet Face looked dead at us, his mouth twisted into a snarling sneer, and with a great guttural roar, he exploded in speed, coming right at us.