The best way to preserve the future is to create it – Skunkworks motto

Operation Giga Pudding (D-49 hours)

The rain pattered down from the dark grey sky. NPCs and combatants alike either stayed inside or ventured out with umbrellas held close to their bodies. Many of the unfortunate ones without umbrellas had their collars turned up or their heads covered. Their attempts were in vain, as the wind blew the water drops sideways.

A young woman in her 20s with long brown hair and round-rimmed glasses stomped on a puddle, sending water in all directions.

Her black leather jacket, with a wheel logo engulfed in blue flames, was zipped up. She held a plastic bag close to her chest.

The rain matted her hair which caused the blue dyed tips to curl. Despite the heavy rain, her glasses remained dry from the relentless rain.

Once she reached the steps to the residential apartment in south of Battle City, she tested the steps with the tip of her black sneaker. Content that the steps were not slippery, she ran inside.

The warmth of the residential building hit her face, but her glasses remained free of water vapor from condensation.

She shook the loose water from her hair and the droplets fell upon the cracked tile of the floor. She checked the names stenciled on the mailboxes and ran her wet finger along the name plates till she came across Arzamas – Room 16. Then headed down towards the basement, her wet shoes squeaked on the floor.

When she reached the bottom of the stairs, the woman stopped before stepping on the floor. On the floor and ceiling the entryway glowed brightly with archaic runes when she stopped on the final step.

A nondescript voice said, “We play baseball on Tuesday, do we not?”

She pulled up the sleeve of her jacket and looked at the smeared but legible words ‘homerun’ and ‘weak’.

“Only if we can hit a home run by next week,” she replied.

“Password accepted, have a nice day Dragana,” the voice said, and the runes stopped glowing.

She continued down the hallway, each tile beneath her feet glowing with every step. As she walked, she passed by rooms labeled ‘Nexus of Extradimensional Lab,’ ‘Arcanum Vault,’ and ‘Chrono-Synthesis Chamber.’ Ignoring the demotivational poster of a broken pencil on the wall, Dragana proceeded to the end of the corridor.

Upon reaching a picture of a ginger tabby cat sitting on a branch with a big smile, Dragana stopped and closed her eyes. She pivoted to the right and walked backward three steps. Reaching out into the air, she mimicked the turn of a doorknob and took one additional step forward.

When she opened her eyes, Dragana found herself standing in a room filled with view screens and glowing glass jars. On the wall was an amused-looking cartoon skunk holding a wrench in one hand and an arcane rune floating in the other. In the middle of the room was a wooden island table crammed with an assortment of weapons, various animal-shaped masks, Whisper’s doll, a stack of Pocket Girlfriend dolls, rolls of silver wire, and sheets of copper.

Estelle stood in the corner of the room, gazing at a monitor.

“Pink is bringing the other junk later…” Dragana said, her voice trailing off.

She found herself drawn to the doll. The doll’s coal-black eyes, which she initially thought were sewn on, were empty pits of darkness that called to her.

As she moved closer, she could hear the faint sounds of children, just above a murmur. The eyes beckoned her to reach out, to touch and hold it, and her hands moved as if they had a mind of their own. Her outstretched fingers went to pick it up, but Estelle snapped her fingers and shattered the spell.

Once Dragana broke eye contact with the rag doll, she noticed that Estelle was still watching the monitor.

“Odd,” Estelle said as she crossed her arms.

Despite only meeting the White Witch of the Tower at the meeting Fort Carré for the first time and hearing stories from Marko she had gathered Estelle had a habit of making odd comments to generate a flurry of questions.

Instead of indulging her, Dagana decided to investigate on her own. When she glanced up at the screen she realized the source of Estelle’s interest.

“Why are speech balloons selling 45,000 for a stack of ten? Aren’t they just a normal F-listed item?” Dragana asked as she ran her finger along the screen to verify it was a low-grade magic item.

"It appears, someone is orchestrating a devious plan. Perhaps to significantly powered magic item," Estelle said speculating.

“A speech balloon?” Dragana replied. "Those things are utterly useless."

"Normally yes, but if one were to apply a layer of Arcane Glow Dust, which would enables the ballow to expand to an almost infinite size; however, aside from this, they are generally regarded as devoid of any practical utility, would you like a demonstration?”

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She nodded and Estelle accessed her inventory and then waved her hand. A jaw of glowing pink dust and a green balloon appeared. She opened the jaw and dipped the balloon in the dust. She then inflated the balloon till it occupied half the room. Pinching the tip together Estelle whispered into the balloon and tied the end in a knot. Estelle removed a hairpin and popped the balloon.

“MEOW!” echoed across the room in Estelle’s voice.

The jars and canisters on the walls rattled, and the screens flickered.

After the ringing in their ears subsided, Estelle said, “Typically, one can inscribe a single word within the balloon, but with sufficient practice, it’s possible to insert an entire sentence. Parenthetically, did you manage to obtain all the items on the list?”

Dragana smiled and dumped the contents of the island table. Then she sorted out a series of jars with a jelly-like substance by size and color. Estelle picked one of the jars and held it up to the light, and then opened the jar and dabbed a bit of dust on her fingertips.

"As anticipated from a substandard product. Please tell me this was found by a dumpster," Estelle said, turning away in disdain.

“It’s 80-percent pure arcane lavender from Wargold, the best on the market!” Dragana said, her voice growing louder as she balled her fists.

Estelle ignored her and retrieved a bottle with a handwritten label, ‘ARC-Lav’. Cracking it open with a twist of the cap, she shoved the contents toward her.

Dragana dipped her fingers inside, and as she withdrew them, the fine particles twinkled like stars in the night. Estelle took a pinch and flicked it off her fingers. The colors brightened, with sparkles shifting in intensity.

"99.89 percent pure," Estelle remarked as she closed the bottle. "Now, let us address the initial reason for your visit. First, however, please provide an account of the confrontation between yourself and Frau Petra."

Pushing her glasses up her nose and tossing her hair over her shoulder, Dragana began to recall her battle over the Boardwalk. How she systematically dismantled all her weapons, armor, and any magic items before finally sending her to limbo. Estelle crossed her arms and drummed her fingers across her biceps.

“Well short version is…” Dragana said as Estelle relaxed her arms and face softened. “This Frau Petra had this weapon that as she waved in the air made rays of light. At first, they fired straight, but after a bit, the light would change their angle, and oh would grow stronger after it would eat any magic items that it took out.”

She recounted how when the light first hit the ground it only scorched it, and later it burned gouges in the concrete and sidewalk.

“I think the old heifer called it her Sun Sword,” Dragana said. “A rapier or a fencing foil of some sort. I really didn’t get a good look when she was blasting me with that light.”

“Curious indeed,” Estelle said after hearing the name. “Please one moment.”

Estelle’s eyes glazed over as she reviewed the collected battle footage pieced together and sent by Montaigne. Then she scanned personal notes, Battle City Weapon Compendium Seasons I - III, and the Blue Faction forums on what additional information she could dig up.

"The Sun Sword appears to be a custom épée, similar to a foil but heavier," Estelle explained. "After consuming all the reports, its potency increases with each magical item it disintegrates. At the initial stage, it fires in the direction of the blade .02 second delay. In the second stage, the ray of light can be directed, though the precise mechanism remains unclear due to the lack of adequate footage. In the final stage, the light possesses the ability to change direction, once and possibly twice."

“Monty said you would know how to counter her sun sword,” Dragana said and waved her hand in the air. "Just in case I run into her for a rematch."

An oversized gauntlet appeared on Dragana's hand. The weapon hissed as steam spat out between the gaps in the metal plates. She opened and closed her hand.

“I was hoping to add a few star rubies, citrines, and few chants to boost my strength, oh, and speed too,” Dragana said as she took a few jabs in the air. “I just need to get close enough to punch a hole through her smug face.”

Dragana twisted her arm and began to unlatch the leather straps. Estelle pointed to the table, and Dragana dropped it with a metallic clang.

“Later I want to get the hemorrhage skill added,” Dragana continued, her voice fading when she saw Estelle shake her head. “What? No?”

"Certainly not," Estelle responded as she loosened a metal plate and extracted the gold wiring. "Defeating Frau Petra doesn’t require additional physical strength; rather, it requires you to be approximately ten percent smarter than she is. Every weapon possesses an inherent vulnerability, and every strategy has an effective countermeasure. There are no exceptions to this rule."

Dragana lowered her head and began to shuffle her feet. She then pulled up a stool to sit down.

"Would you kindly pass me that shit situated on the shelf near the door?" Estelle asked.

She walked over to the shelves and scanned the labels on the jars till she found one marked ‘That Shit’. Picking up the jar and rereading the label. Much to Dragana’s disbelief, she read the name correctly. Then she placed the jar next to Estelle by the table.

“The official chemical designation is Trixylylmethane Tetrahydrozaline Dioxotetrasulfate, which doesn’t fit on the label, so I decided to go with ‘that shit’,” Estelle said, as she made air quotes.

Estelle sorted through the rest of the contents from the bag. She began to hold jars up to the light, roll her eyes, and then sort them by name.

Growing impatient Dragana asked, “How would you beat Petra?”

Estelle paused and considered the question. Within a single heartbeat, she reviewed the list of skills Montaigne had sent her regarding the Wheels gang, cross-referenced Dragana’s fighting style and her BC abilities/skills, and integrated information about Frau Petra and the Queen Pins gang.

With this comprehensive analysis, Estelle formulated the layout in her mind.

"Create a fissure in the earth to incapacitate her," Estelle said. "Your new gauntlet will be augmented with earth magic, thus necessitating caution when facing water-based attacks. In the meantime, I need some emeralds from the Thornewood inventory and..."

Estelle stood silently, staring at her inventory screen, as she mouthed the words ‘what the…’.

She pressed a few buttons in the air and flipped through the inventory list. An image of a mini-Pocket Secretary doll icon appeared in the corner of Estelle’s vision over the inventory list.

“WARNING: Boss Kitty, inventory full!” Pocket Secretary said.

Estelle pressed a few more buttons and accessed the crew’s communication network. Her cheeks turned flaming red, and her right eye began to twitch.

> Estelle:> WHO THE HELL BOUGHT ALL THESE DAMNED SPEECH BALLOONS!?!?!?!

***