Betsie

Gravity slowly regained its hold on me, the transformation finishing.

There is now a new Magical Girl in this world...

And it’s me!!!

WHOO! I’m a Magical Girl!

If I wasn't so exhausted, I would have run around whooping with happiness.

K.O. is just too cute. While I stumbled to the shelter super slowly, exhausted after my magical experience, she talked about the rules she hadn’t been able to cover. She reminded me of a super shy, but serious, secretary with a soft side. She walked stiffly, pushing her oversized black and grey glasses with a very adult expression, holding a clipboard of all things.

She kind of breezed through the restrictions, though she gave me a list if I wanted to read it in more detail.

Rule 1: Save as much life as you can if you decide to enter the fight against the Torments. You do not have to fight. You can let others fight for you. We do not wish this fight upon anyone. But whatever you do, avoid killing Magical creatures, be they anything from humans to vampires. If absolutely necessary to save life, then truly, we give you our best of wishes, we are sorry you are in this horrible situation. Make the choice that you are comfortable with. If faced with Demonic creatures, attempt to come to a peaceful resolution or just get along with them if you can. If they are organisms that are merely influenced by Demonic Essence, attempt to heal them.

If an organism is made of Miasma, kill them if you are capable and willing. If corrupted, try to heal them. If not successful, we would strongly recommend killing them or they will die in excruciating agony. We are deeply sorry for any pain that this truth causes.

Rule 2: Do not depose the governments of the world and institute your own government. This is an abuse of your power and the Bond will be revoked if the government is successfully deposed. Long-term planning for overthrowing governments, and putting it into action, will be pre-emptively stopped by revoking of your bond as well.

Rule 3: This is not a rule, but rather a warning. As a Magical Girl, you will be an extremely potent source of food for Anathema and Torments, capable of pushing a Tormented zone from merely taking up the size of a room in the real world to as much as an entire state, depending on how high-level you are.

Rule 4: ...

She is super certain that I would not break any of the rules though. Her trust is so gosh-darn sweet!

I grab the massive crank to the shelter and turn it. I enter the room that every shelter has in case of stragglers. It examined the place for any Anathema or Torment signatures. I look all around, looking for any of the weapons that would activate in the presence of such signatures. Unfortunately, there is no visible signs in the sleek, futuristic room. It would be cool to look at them while I wait for it to finish examination.

Unsurprisingly, I passed muster and continued through the next door.

My eyes widen in surprise as a small blur hurtles toward me, slamming into me screaming “BIG SIS’!!!”

Small hands wrapped around me in a big hug as my little sis held onto me with all of the force of a traumatized child.

She then remembered that she was too cool for hugs and then leapt back with a steaming red face.

Oh no she doesn’t. I just got ripped into by a monster. We ARE hugging it out.

“COME HERE!” I reach out mischievously, pulling her towards me.

“EEP!” she squealed.

I knuckled her head, mussing up her hair, and tickled her mercilessly.

“Sis, noooooooooooooooooo!!!” She starts laughing uncontrollably.

Like that, I spent an hour relaxing and calming down. I had to fend off my friends’ and the adults' curiosity about my transformation into a Magical Girl, but I am prepared to fight now. I left the safety of the shelter to help the world.

And after a few hours on a direct warpath to the Torment, I stand at the towering pearly gates to the blight on this Earth.

I can feel the Miasma coming from it in waves. K.O. says that I won’t be able to fight it yet at my level. I just need to scout it out, and I’ll be able to use my trait to escape and tell the other Magical Girls what I found. That should make it less dangerous for them. I glance at my status sheet before channeling a devastating slash to rend the gates apart.

Class: Magical Girl Charity – Level 27

Base Will: 15. System Will: 85. After traits: 93.5

Base Vitality: 8. System Vitality: 68. After traits: 74.8

Base Dexterity: 13. After traits: 96.25

Base Perception: 9 After traits: 9.9

Base Speed: 11. System Speed: 65. After traits: 143

Base Strength: 14. System Strength: 100 After traits: 110

Base Charisma: 17 After traits: 18.7

Traits:

* Unique-Boundless Optimism and Bounding Steps: Stats do not need to be added to Dexterity in order to balance out Strength and Speed. Speed is multiplied by a factor of 2. Your stamina reflects your bountiful Pink attitude, endless and never exhausted.

* Color Pink: All stats multiplied by 1.1. All experience, Skills and Class, is multiplied by 1.1.

Magical Girl Charity Skills:

* Fixing Miasmic Pollution Violently: A sword art which allows you to use your stats to wield your sword properly, and to use your strength to affect the conceptual. Turns stamina into Essence which eliminates Miasma. Level 27. Unevolved.

* Fighting Exploitation: Enables you to access healing arts which prevent corruption up to a point. Minor cuts and damage to Adorable Outfit can be healed. Level 5. Unevolved.

* Adorable Outfit: Enhances Charisma and Vitality indirectly (does not show up on System stats without force of Will). Naturally self-cleans. Level 19. Unevolved.

* Helping Hand: Buff added by contact. Cannot be given to yourself. Boosts skill capabilities. Level 0. Unevolved. Cooldown involved.

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

* Bounding Stab: Cooldown=3 minutes. Teleport to any destination achievable by running and within line of sight. Level 27

* Aspect of Magic: Radiance-Pink

* Familiar Bond:&^%$%^&%$#!@#@!#$%

General Skills and Magic Aspects:

* Moderate Mesh of Drumming: A prodigy of the drums, you are an expert of drumming without Essence. Level 2. Tier 2 Evolution. Total levels ignoring evolution reset: Level 152. One comprehensive skill under this category.

* Poor Housework Connection: Out of the kindness of your heart, you always do your best with your chores around the house. You still hate doing housework with a passion and it shows. Level 11. Unevolved. All cleaning related skills are included and not expanded upon in this unless you so choose to see.

* Major Mesh of Friend Making: You have shown a remarkable ability to make friends with your startling kindness. You embody Magical Friendship even before the System. Level Magical Girl. Tier 3 evolution. All friendship related skills that you have are included and not expanded upon in this unless you so choose to see.

* Pain Resistance: Pain is dulled. Level 5. Unevolved.

* Singing: Increased vocal control and a grasp of rhythm. Level 14. Unevolved. All singing related skills that you have are included and not expanded in this unless you choose to see.

* Minor Mesh of Drawing: You have shown an avid interest in drawing, and shown an above average talent in drawing for your age group. Level 14. Tier 1 Evolution. Total levels ignoring evolution reset: 63. Skills Sketching, Erasing, and Coloring under this category.

* Poor Reading Connection: While interested in reading for your other interests, the act of reading is merely a means to an end, and it is not your forte. Level 24 Reading skill. Unevolved.

* Crotchet: A minor interest, an occasional hobby. Level 15 Crotchet Skill. Unevolved.

* Jogging: A minor interest, an occasional hobby. Hard to level without the System. Level 9. Unevolved.

I bring my sword down in a slow arc as inevitable as me becoming someone's friend when I decide to, bringing the power of friendship to bear in my sword, Will, and Strength. A glowing pink arc hovers in the air for a second, before moving at the speed of a slow walk, growing exponentially in height and girth until it reaches the gate.

The entire gate splits apart, warping in multiple sections and splitting into separate pieces with metal wails and a cacophony of clanging metal.

I rubbed my eyes in discomfort the smoke cleared and as the fist-sized pieces of rock, metal, and crystal stopped pelting and slamming into me.

I really thought that dealing with the Guard Dogs had steeled me, but I was not prepared for the disturbing scene in front of me.

An enormous banquet table was supported on the backs of literally screaming Anathema, completely unaware that I had just entered, so intense was their focus on supporting the multiple-ton table. Their wails resounded throughout the miniature world of fire and crystal that this throne room is with perfect clarity. Their clarion calls spoke of desperate unheeded apologies for whatever penance they were doing. Tears welled up in my eyes at their anguish.

All of the creatures sitting at the table seemed only annoyed by my entrance, completely ignoring the servants beneath their feet.

The food looked extremely delicious, but with an instinctual pulse of my Magic in my eyes, it revealed the truly mind-warping, festering Miasma that made up every last meal.

A roast turkey was the representation of a glassy eyed human head staring listlessly from its porcelain plate, the concept of "off with their head" embodied in the meal.

A fancy dish with calamari was in fact a symbol of the cross embedded in the anti-magic made up of thousands of conceptual cockroaches.

An orange that an extremely tiny Anathema next to the Torment was pulling the peel off avidly was... a glowing sun. Kind of off brand for the rest of the food.

Hundreds of incredibly powerful Anathema were present. I wouldn’t even stand a chance against one of them.

One of the closer ones was a haggard bulldog with a Karen haircut... with scalding brown liquid bursting out of bulging veins like a geyser, searing the nearby members of this festivity. It was also the size of an average human, but with the same super beefy proportions of a bulldog with jutting canines from hell. Each tooth was a rotting black and yellow.

Another that stood out to me was a creature literally made of eyeballs, all of them looking around nervously, as if prepared for an assassin. It was shrouded in shadows and looked ready to abandon the table. It looked almost relieved that I was here, though I am unsure how such a creature managed to do that when being made completely from eyeballs.

I tried analyzing the surroundings for this scouting, but the silence and complete lack of movement was simultaneously extremely disturbing and distracting. I was expecting to need to dodge spell after spell, fend off the grasping hands of these monsters. This... was not what I was expecting.

The world warped, but I could feel my Magic preventing the Miasma from changing my surroundings within a few meters around me. An island of sanctuary amidst these unnatural changes.

I observed the Torment at the head of the luxurious mockery of a banquet, and yet, the abomination wasn’t the one to stand up.

With immense majesty, the small figure next to the Torment stood up from the absurd festivities going on, dwarfed by the rest of the monsters. Their hands trailed along the table with a light, gentle touch, before turning to face me, walking slowly towards me. Their sneakers, so at odds with the rest of them, padded against the floor.

None of the hundreds of abominations within this mockery of a royal court joined this tiny figure. Any that stood up to join it were waved down by The King, the name of this foul Torment. I avoided paying too much attention to him. Just looking at him was hurting me. I saw my health ticking slowly down just from being in his presence.

This whole thing seemed... off somehow. I couldn’t pinpoint the reason. Regardless, I readied myself for battle while still scouting my surroundings.

The tiny monster walked as if it owned the world, like it knew I should bow before it, and my refusal to do so merely amused it for its futility. This incredibly haughty, infuriating posture contrasted starkly with its warm expression.

A precious smile graced its face, beautiful ruby lips quirked in a loving smile.

It had eyes just slightly larger than normal, most of the whites in the monster’s eyes swallowed by an iris with a gorgeous purple evoking the Roman emperors of old, amethyst facets grown in frost-like bands across its pupils akin to icy purple ivy. It had a cute little button nose and its eyebrows were raised as if surprised to see me.

It seemed like it had once had rich brown skin, before darkening to a solid stone-like gray with faint dark chocolate undertones, though it was probably spawned like that.

Its face was framed by hair so blue it would rival even a Blue Magical Girl’s hair, a shade of blue that I swear had to have been magically enhanced for hypnotic effect. Each thread had an impossible luster to it, as if the essence of sapphires were distilled into extremely soft-looking, luxurious silk. The hair extended all the way to its hips.

The threads seemed to catch on something, as if they were suspended and falling off of thousands of invisible threads attached to the monster.

Pinned on its hair is a cartoonishly large scarlet bow, but somehow it fits with the monster’s ensemble.

It had a fascinating dress; a checkered pattern of purple and pink which exaggerated its hips and waist, though its chest was flat. The skirt part and the sleeves had ruffles, while the rest was sleek and soft. The dress split into more and more lace-like purple-and-pink threads when it reached the creature’s collarbone, entwining around the creature’s neck, a weeping mask wrapped up by, but visible through, the threads. It had flared pants that extended all the way to the floor, covering its feet.

It had fancy white gloves stained yellow, rust-red, and green, the arms distorted by odd bulges.

Is it going to fight me? Despite its diminutive size, it is super imposing.

It walked up to me, easily within stab-able distance. I prepped my sword, ready to run it through if it tried anything. It cocked its head in... confusion? Surprise? And its expression changed to deeply hopeful.

Something’s off...

I started to call on my magic to kill it...

“Hi Betsie...” whispered the mons- oh my god NO! My sword disappeared back into my sparkles in shock.

I stepped back... NO!!! I hurriedly stepped back a few more steps.

No, no, no, no, no, no!

It can’t be... it is?

This.... this is impossible!

Yet... the truth is staring me in the face...

I refuse to believe it!

NO! Is this...

“Theo?! What the FUCK!”