"What do you mean they were taken?" Yachiyo asked over the cellphone that Archer held against his ear.

"It means that one minute they were seen talking with a kid, before getting drugged and taken away by a group of hooded figures before anyone could even think to call the police," Archer replied as he looked over the panic that had inevitably developed upon two young girls being kidnapped on a busy street. Most witnesses and bystanders just assumed it had something to do with the Yakuza or a new developing criminal organization. "The Magius have taken the initiative to deal with us… I should've been prepared.

"I thought they'd be safe." The frustration in Yachiyo's voice was clear through the phone. "I didn't think the Magius would try something like this, not in front of so many civilians."

"They don't care apparently," Archer replied as he watched the police talk with the witnesses. "And Iroha and Yuma were taken because we underestimated them."

"Is there anything that you can learn? Where could they have taken them?"

"They didn't get out clean. Plenty of trails for me to track, but the issue is that they all split off into different directions. It's impossible to tell who took them and if they were smart, they would've also set up several false leads to keep me occupied."

"Will you be able to find them?"

"It's not a matter of if, but when… And whether or not there would be anything left of them to save." They still knew too little about the Magius and their methods. There was no telling what they would do to their prisoners.

There was a long silence over the line before Yachiyo spoke once more. "The others won't take this well."

"Neither are we," Archer admitted to himself. In the end though both he and Yachiyo had to keep their heads if they were ever going to have a chance to get their loved ones back. "Don't say anything until I get back, especially to Kyoko."

Normally Kyoko would figure out that something was wrong just a bit after he did. Her instincts were good in that way. Recently though it seemed as if she was being distracted by something. He had assumed it was simply from the fatigue of recent events… but now he realized that there was something else. Something that was honestly a blessing as it stopped her from running out of the house and chasing blindly after the Magius at that very moment.

"Get back soon. I'm going to need your help to keep everyone calm," Yachiyo replied before hanging up.

Archer put his phone back in his pocket before making his way back to the Villa.

Another failure. Yuma was another broken person that he failed to save. Another he failed to protect. What was the point of existing if his presence was a curse to everyone around him? To the people he couldn't help but care about no matter how much he tried to force himself not to.

"Excuse me."

Archer stood in place and turned cautiously toward the man dressed immaculately in a suit. In his hands were a pristine white envelope that he held out in front of him.

"A message, from a mutual friend."

Archer stared at the man, quickly debating whether or not to kill or capture the man in front of him for interrogation, before cautiously grabbing the letter. The man quickly bowed his head and walked away leaving him alone with the message.

Sensing that there wasn't a single bit of magic on the letter, Archer surgically opened it with a single swipe of his finger. Inside was a gold pendant and a page that he took out to read.

The Magius will have brought them to Hotel Fendt Hope, a rumor of their creation. Attached is a pendant that will allow you to open the entrance that will appear at this location in two days.

Good luck. I expect great things from you.

Sincerely,

Oriko

Archer's hand tightened, threatening to break the pendant in his grasp, before his grip eventually lightened. In the end all he could was open his hand and stare at the pendant resting on his palm.

"Why would Oriko give you a way into the Magius's base?" Yachiyo asked.

"We never did figure out her motive or her allegiances for that matter. With her foresight she could stand to gain something from all this or it's simply another trap," Archer replied after explaining what had happened to everyone there. It was practically a miracle that Kyoko was still in her seat though she looked ready to jump out and start her own rescue effort any second now.

"It doesn't matter," Kyoko said impatiently. "We just go there, kill a bunch of Magius, and then drag Yuma out."

"Yea. Let's smash them and save Iroha," Felicia growled.

"Do we really have to kill them?" Madoka asked. "I know they took a few of us bu-"

"Either we kill them or be killed," Archer replied. "There's no room for mercy, not if we're going to rescue those that were taken from us."

"But… it might be too much for us," Sana replied. "Hotel Fendt Hope is an Uwasa itself according to Ai and it's going to be filled with Black Feathers and Shadow Servants."

"How big is it?" Tsuruno asked.

"Very big. Huge," Sana informed them. "It's where a lot of the Magius stay when they can and where they do most of their work."

"Then they might not have the numbers to patrol every hallway. If this pendant Oriko left us works, then we could infiltrate their base," Tsuruno replied much to Archer's surprise. It was the same conclusion that he had come to. "The pendant might not work, but we don't have much of a choice. Gotta take this gamble and hope we get lucky."

"Is there anything else AI can tell us?" Yachiyo asked.

Sana shook her head. "Just that it's constantly changing and that entrances to it are constantly opening and closing on a regular basis."

"Explains why we have to wait two days," Tsuruno mused. "We might not have much time before it closes either."

"Then we go know and set up at that location for when they do show up." Kyoko stood up only to have Archer clamp down on her shoulder.

"We'll only have one shot at this and possibly have the element of surprise. If we go now they'll know we're coming."

"Then what do we do?" Kyoko shouted.

"Get some rest. You've had a long day."

"Bu-"

"They won't be prepared for us to find their base so quickly and you're not going to help Yuma if you're too exhausted to fight. These two days also gives us time to make what preparations we can," her turned to everyone else at the table. "The same goes for you all. Get rested and prepare. That's all we can do for now."

"That sounds like a good idea," Madoka agreed. "I'll give Ren a call, see if she and Ereshkigal can help."

Archer shook his head. "I don't think they should-"

"If they want to help then we should let them," Madoka interrupted him. "Even if you're worried, they're strong. I know they can help."

"Fine," Archer conceded. At this point they had very few people that were reliable and could be trusted. Putting aside his personal feelings on the matter, Ereshkigal was more than capable in a fight and Ren… well she had proven that she could survive at this point.

If only the same could be said of them.

"You don't have to join us, you know," Yachiyo said to Kaname as she stood in her room.

"Iroha and Yuma are both my friends," Kaname replied as she finished applying oil and varnish to her quiver. She wiped her hands on a wet cloth before putting her arrows back inside.

"You haven't known them that long. How well do you even know them?"

"It just means that I want to get to know them more after we save them."

Stubborn like Iro- Tamaki.

Yachiyo saw little point in trying to dissuade the girl any further, so instead she focused on making sure that Kaname was ready for what happened next. "You seem a bit short on arrows."

"I haven't had a chance to restock, not since our last fight with the Magius," Kaname said as she inserted the last arrow into the mostly empty quiver.

"Couldn't you have Archer make arrows for you?"

"He can make the arrows, but I have to put my own magic into them." Kaname explained as she took out a pink tipped arrow and caressed it gently between her fingers. "It doesn't feel right otherwise, and I'll miss most of my shots."

"How long can you keep fighting with what you have then?"

"I can make them entirely from my magic. But it uses a lot more energy and if I use too much…" Kaname grabbed the scar on her arm. "It hurts… and I don't want to know what will happen to me if I keep going."

"We'll keep you in the rearguard then. Keep you out of the heaviest fighting until there's an emergency," Yachiyo said as she immediately began to rethink their formation.

With Iro- Tamaki captured and Kaname low on ammunition, they would have lost most of their ranged support. Archer would be the only one left to fill that role, but at the same time he was also expected to join the frontline when necessary. He was powerful, the strongest among them in all honesty with an incredibly diverse arsenal, but there was only so much that he could do on his own and they were at risk of spreading him too thin. Especially when he also had the safety of his Master to think about.

But then again Archer and his family had just come to this house. Was their safety really worth more than Tamaki's? Was Tamaki worth risking everyone else in this house? Everything that they had built?

Everything… that she had helped to build.

"You know… I always thought I wasn't very brave," Kaname commented as she set aside her quiver.

"You held your own back there at the tower," Yachiyo replied.

"I guess, but that's just because I was afraid of doing nothing. Like I had to do something." Madoka smiled sheepishly at her. "In the end I'm kind of a huge scaredy cat."

"Then why do you fight?"

"I guess I'm more scared of losing the people I care about. I don't think I could handle leaving anyone behind or being responsible for that."

Yachiyo knew that was like. Much too well. "How do you keep making friends so quickly then? If you're just going to be afraid of losing them?"

"Because… spending all my time alone and worried about what could happen, doesn't seem like a way to live to me. Even if it would hurt to lose them or if they end up hurting me, I still want to do it anyway. Because it's better than the alternative."

Kaname said that, but she didn't know the true pain of loss. To be responsible for everyone that fell around you, to use their body as stepping stones to survive.

This villa, this whole farce, was something that Yachiyo should've ended a long time ago. Once this was all over and they saved Tamaki from the Magius, she'd disband the group. Send them elsewhere where they'd be safer.

They didn't need to be around her and suffer from her curse. The one that came from her own wish.

When Yuma opened her eyes she was surprised to find herself lying on a bed. She was even more surprised once she remembered what had happened to get her here in the first place. She quickly sat up and took stock of her surroundings.

No windows and solid looking walls. The only way out was through the door, which looked to be made with some sort of thick steel. It wouldn't be an issue with Magecraft, but she couldn't even call upon it at the moment. There was something that was stopping it. Likely runes or a field that had been placed around this room.

She stood up, walked to the door, and gave it a quick tug. Locked. She grabbed the handle with both hands and pulled.

Yea. Definitely not getting out like this. Her best bet-

She looked around the room for something she could use as a weapon.

-Would be when someone opened the door to check on her.

There was a wooden chair at the corner of the room. That would work, though the desk next to it grabbed her curiosity. Why would they give a prisoner a desk to use and even a few books to read? As she looked through the books her eyes grew even wider.

There was a grimoire on Magecraft surprisingly enough. Not the only one too, there were actually quite a few books on her desk that any Magus or Magical Girl could feasibly make use of.

Before she could go through them though, a clanging sound came from the door. She quickly grabbed the chair and did her best to squeeze against the wall just behind the door.

They'd open it, step inside, and then she'd bash them from behind.

Or at least that was the plan. Turns out the door opened outwards on her end so she was seen immediately. Didn't stop her from immediately running forward and swinging the chair down though. Instead of a triumphant slam, the chair was stopped by a single hand from the girl that opened the door. The same one that had drugged her and Iroha, Yuma realized.

"And here I thought I'd get to know our aspiring little Magus," Touka said as she casually ripped the chair out of Yuma's hands.

Yuma tried to charge at her only to slam into her outstretched hand and thrown onto the floor with a single shove.

"Magical Girls are naturally stronger than humans," Touka told her smugly. "And even if you had Reinforcement, you'd never be able to keep up with me.."

Yuma growled, much like Kyoko did when something really pissed her off. "I won't become a Magical Girl."

"Tut-tut," Touka shook her head in disappointment. "At this rate you'd only be useful as fodder for the Witches."

"What?" Yuma asked.

"Well, we have to make Grief Seeds somehow and the best way to do that is to have familiars become Witches by feeding on human emotion. You wouldn't be eaten, not that quickly at least, we'd just put you to sleep and let your nightmares feed the familiars."

Yuma had to get out. But the only way to reach that open door was to get past this Magical Girl in front of her.

"I wouldn't try anything if I were you," Touka told her. "You're not going to beat me and I'm not replacing anything that gets broken."

If there was one thing that she had learned from Archer, it was to pick your own battle, so Yuma simply stood up and glared. "So what, going to put me to sleep now? Have me fed to your Witches?"

Touka began to look thoughtful. "No. Not yet. We wouldn't get much from you and you might end up interesting me. Even if you are inferior, Magi are rare so I shouldn't just toss one away. Besides, you have much better value as a hostage."

Yuma punched Touka. In the face. As hard as she could. And yet the Magical Girl didn't even look fazed.

Touka simply smiled and drove her fist into Yuma's chest.

Yuma collapsed to the ground grabbing where she had been struck. She couldn't breathe, she could only gasp as an inferno seemed to roar within her own chest.

"We could use another Servant," Touka said casually as she wiped off her own fist. "And if he proves too much trouble then we'll just bind him to another Master."

"Don't… hurt… them," Yuma gasped between breaths.

"I'm being quite merciful, giving them a chance to work for us after everything they did. If they listen, then we'll have no issues. Otherwise… well I'll make sure to let you know what happens," Touka smirked as she made her way back to the door and closed it behind her. "Maybe then you'll finally make a wish."