Magical Girl City: Empire of Ice

It took a while to get ourselves situated. Between the piles of corpses covering the ground and the now treacherous staircase, there was a lot to deal with. Granted, it wasn’t like we had to clean the place up, but we needed to do a minimum just to be able to leave.

Then there was the top floor penthouse. Clearly, it was much larger than it had any right to be. Not just for a building like this one, but because it literally was too large for the building. That was even taken into consideration how the building had expanded due to the misty miasma.

The actual exploration of the site didn’t take long, but what we found definitely deserved attention.

It wasn’t hard to piece together what happened, or rather, what had been happening. The dead, the humans we killed showed signs of severe symptoms of magical energy poisoning. Their outfits were like makeshift hazmat suits. Not that they were well made enough to stop them from mutating.

The reason as to why they didn’t fully mutate and become monsters, well, we didn’t have anything conclusive, but it wasn’t hard to make an assumption. Not after what we found.

One of the larger rooms, though, calling it a room was difficult. Especially when they’d done some do it yourself construction and knocked out the walls to expand it. Instead of multiple small rooms, they had one large room filled with tables, beakers, and all kinds of items fit for a lab, or rather, in this case, a drug lab.

Talia poured over it all with glee and horror. Muttering all the while looking over everything, gasping at the absurdity of it all. Crates filled with glass vials were set aside. Some were ajar, having only been partially filled. Picking one up, I really wasn’t sure what to think as the crimson liquid inside swirled.

“Any idea what these are?” I asked, showing one of the vials to Talia.

She glanced, squinted and shrugged. “No idea, I mean, they have a large variety of materials here. I can’t exactly say what they were making specifically, but I might have an idea.”

“And that would be?” I asked after a momentary pause.

“Huh, oh, well, they might be healing tonics. They accelerate a person’s natural healing.”

“That… would they work with the citizenry?” I asked, “After all, last time I saw a vial of glowing liquid, the person changed into a monster.”

“I don’t think it would. Even a basic tonic would be enough to cause mutation or magic sickness in the uninitiated. Which is why I’m not too sure… I mean, there are a lot of items here. Lot of herbs, materials, and what not.”

“But they were human? Not something else?”

“Definitely. And they weren’t mages, or magic users. Which is what’s so concerning…” Talia muttered.

While we talked, Liche and Joan were taking their own looks about. Before long though, Joan called out and pointed to a particular box of supplies.

The box itself wasn’t very special; its contents had been mostly empty. Herbs were carefully placed inside or had been at one point. What attracted our attention was what was stamped on the side.

An image of a curled-up dragon.

“Dragon Gang?” Liche was the first to speak. “Is it possible these guys were working with them?” She continued, muttering.

I didn’t really have an answer for that. Not when we were sitting inside what was clearly an illegal alchemy lab. Worse, those healing tonics weren’t the only vials we found. As for the contents of those vials, Talia couldn’t even begin to guess, nor did she dare to. Not without further research.

Not like I was just going to quaff these things before getting them checked. I at least had that much sense.

Still, we had vials of who knows what, and quite a lot of them. Then there were mysterious pills set aside in plastic bags. All the guns sequestered in another room, and all the other stuff.

Of course, the real point of interest was the back of the penthouse, about where the leader would have lived. There was the central part of a larger array that worked throughout the penthouse. An array that Talia began examining the moment she’d noticed them. At the center of it all, was a small altar with a crystal imbedded into it.

We didn’t go around touching things as Talia took her time examining it all. It didn’t take her long to come to a conclusion, “It’s a basic workshop array. A combination of defensive, isolation, and space expansion functions are built into it.”

“That sounds rather advanced.” I say.

“Not really, I mean, it kind of is, but it explains why the proportions are off. This part of the building was being modified by the array here, which was being powered by this Magic Core.”

“Magic Core?” I ask. “Is that really a Magic Core?”

“Yes, well, it’s a Fake Magic Core.” She says after a minute. “They’re not difficult to make, but at the same time, they’re not really worth making. They produce a constant supply of magical energy, but it’s an incredibly small amount compared to a true Magic Core, that, and it won’t ever improve. It’s basically a mass of crystallized magical energy.”

I couldn’t help but repeat that in my head, a mass of crystallized energy then? Vague memories of my newly implanted knowledge came to the fore, further informing me of just what that was.

“I’m guessing there was an incident, and there was a containment breach?” I ventured.

“Yeah… the array isn’t well made. Doesn’t help that the array itself is rather, basic, and clearly modified. It can only handle so much power, and well, I’m guessing something happened and it started leaking energy. You can see a few points where the array lines were beginning to leak. It’s also clear they didn’t use proper materials for the array lines, so it seeped into and distorted their surroundings.”

She points out a few areas.

“The issue, is, I’m not sure what the order of events were…” Talia says with a frown.

Joan though, was the one to speak. “If… if there was a leak and they didn’t catch it, what would happen if the energy were to flow out and into the rest of the building?””

Nobody answered, not because we didn’t know, but because we understood.

“It probably wasn’t thick enough at first, but given enough time, maybe they started to realize the issue, but by then it was too late. Night had already fell, people started changing, and so they started to fight them off.” Talia offers.

“Possible, but… There was that odd vortex down there, and well, these things.” Joan points to one of the many sightless horrors decorating the floor.

“What are you suggesting?” Talia asks.

“I mean, what if… what if it was contained, but somehow, something breached into the building? I mean, if the upper floor was leaking, I don’t think this occurred over a single day, they were probably aware of it. I don’t think a single building would change this much in a single night, would it?”

Talia frowned at Joan’s observation… “You’re not wrong, but… having a workshop actively leaking energy breaks containment and… Mm… maybe that is what happened? Using magic to expand space is relatively safe, so long as it’s done properly. They clearly cut corners so, it’s possible? It would explain why the building is expanding like it did.”

“I suppose, without proper protections in place then, a breach happened?” I followed up with. “Into…” I consider my words, thinking back to what I say, “Whatever lays beyond?”

“More or less, at least, in theory? I don’t really know. But it is possible.”

“Will it fix itself? Or is this something we need to worry about?”

Talia shrugs. “I don’t really know. I’d like to think that with the core no longer feeding the arrays, everything will go back to normal and the breach will heal, but… just in case, maybe we should alert the police?”

“I’ll make sure to do that… Still, wouldn’t letting magical energy leak out like this be similar to actively polluting the city?”

“More or less, yes… That this wasn’t caught is, worrying…”

And Talia wasn’t wrong. A lab like this should have been caught. is the reason it wasn’t caught due to it being relatively contained? Or is it partly due to how understaffed the police currently are? If something hadn’t torn itself out of the building, would this building have continued to alter and change? What would have happened if it was allowed to continue to exist?

In line with that thought… Was this intentional on the Dragon Gang’s part. Were they actively spreading magical material, getting them made into tonics and drugs, only to distribute them among the populace…

Wasn’t that just inviting trouble? Why destabilize the city more? What would they have to gain from this?

The answer was obvious and yet… if they caused the city to collapse, and removed the police chief, what would there even be left to take over?

Honestly… this was too much for me to deal with…

At best, I could let Taylor know after we’re done here, as for now… well, we had the right to loot, didn’t we?

The boxes of drugs were collected, with plans to bring them to the police station, or at least have analyzed. Waste not want not and all. Anything too dangerous or hazardous was to be burned. Or properly disposed of.

As for other kinds of loot? I’m sure the Wizard Gang would enjoy new firearms. They’d probably pay for them. And other than that, I mean… there wasn’t much. Being humans, they didn’t drop any coins. Not even the hulk or the smaller guy, let alone the leader.

The only other gain was the leader’s pistols. One gold, the other silver. Each packed a punch and used a frankly absurd caliber. What made them unique, according to Talia’s examinations, was that they formed a circuit when held in each hand.

This circuit, mimicked our body’s natural strengthening capabilities. The pistols were clearly silver ranked.

These specific pistols, when held properly, slowly worked magical energy into the body, strengthening them, only…

“Wouldn’t this be dangerous for a normal citizen?” I had to ask.

“Maybe?” Talia said, unsure. “The array lines are a bit complicated, but it might purify the energy, so, as long as they have a way to mitigate poisoning, it might work fine…”

“And I don’t suppose that’s the end of it?”

“No, I mean… given time, and with proper medicine to mitigate the dangers of magical intake, in theory, these pistols would allow anyone to become receptive to magic. I won’t say it will make someone a mage, or magic user, but they will become supernaturally strong, at least, a bronze rank equivalent.”

That… was a dangerous prospect. Not just that, but… how did something like this get in the hands of a gang leader? One affiliated with the Dragon Gang? I mean, would the Dragon Gang have intentionally just given this to him?

Despite its apparent value, for us, magical girls, it might as well have been worthless. After all, our natural growth vastly outpaced whatever these pistols could do.

Still, our focus went to the rest of the loot. With how much there was to grab, it was clear we wouldn’t be able to carry it all at the moment. Especially since, the remaining stone soldiers had all perished while holding the line for us, as we had fought the hulk, and the smaller figure. Luckily, there were soldiers down on the main floor.

There, it was obvious that they hadn’t just been idling about. As the floor was strewn with dead monsters. With Fathom and my knights sporting a wide variety of wounds.

After a quick once over, the soldiers were mobilized and worked to carefully bring the crates of stuff down. While doing that, and after having taken the core out, it was clear the building was slowly but surely going back to normal.

Oddly enough, the biggest reason for the rapid change, was because most of the mist was flowing into the one floor where the vortex had been. As more fog flowed in, or rather, as more magical energy flowed in, the pull lessened and the area began to settle. Until finally, it all stopped and the apartment that had been breached was now back to normal, for the most part.

While that was happening, we made sure to stick around. Taking out the occasional pack of monsters that came surging in. Attracted, either by the mass of energy, or by the faux magic core we had on hand, I couldn’t be sure.

Either way, with that out of the way, the patrol ended without much more trouble. The real trouble started next day.

I ended up having to leave work early to give a proper, in-person report to the police station. That, and I was requested to bring with me the contraband I had recovered. Not that I was stupid to bring it all. Just enough for them to have a sense of what I had on hand.

Luckily, Leo was more than willing to let me go. Nobody really complained, especially when Taylor made a point to call the office and requested me to come in for an ongoing investigation. Said investigation involved what was all over the news.

That being… the apparent blood bath in an older apartment complex in the Western Residential District. From what reports were saying, it looked like it was the result of a gang war, or something. Another sign of the rapidly decaying public order in the city. Hell, even the police chief was on the news today, giving a brief speech about how they had it all in hand.

And honestly, I didn’t believe her one bit. And neither did anyone else. Ever since the new year, since the blood moon, though, it wasn’t like the average citizen was aware of that specific detail. Ever since then, there has been a notable pall hanging over the city.

People noticed that fewer police were out on patrol. That response times had increased. The only reason they weren’t panicking was because of just how capable the surviving officers were. For now, it seemed like everything was holding together, and that given time, it may even improve.

Yet, with the Dragon Gang doing whatever it was doing, would the police even have a chance to recover? And just how long did they have before the Dragon Gang made another big move?

Still, was that any of my problem? Honestly, I wasn’t sure. And even if it was, what could I even do about it? For now, little to nothing. Getting caught in the middle of their war was not something I could handle. Not with my current level of strength.

With those worrying thoughts rattling in my skull, I pulled up at the police headquarters and brought up a box of crystal vials filled with colored liquids.

It wasn’t hard to bring a large sample size. Just get a nearly empty crate, grab a little of this and that, each vial having its own unique tint made it even easier to pick out. Well, and of course the pills.

The moment Taylor saw the contents of the box; she clicked her tongue. “I highly doubt this is all of it.”

“Just a bit of everything, the rest is back in my warehouse.”

She sighed.

“Fine, whatever, your report, repeat it back.” She commanded, and so I did, not wanting to fight with her about it. And honestly, as I repeated what I told her after the patrol, well, it gave me even more of a reason not to backtalk to her.

She was glowering. Her entire body quivering. Fingers moving as if strumming invisible strings. Only when I finished did she pause, but even then, it was for a moment. When she looked back at me, her eyes didn’t focus on me. Instead, they seemed to look around me, search, as if she was seeking anything.

Eventually, she clicked her tongue once more, her rigid posture loosened. “Take that down to the forensics lab. She’ll deal with this…” She said, dismissing me with a wave of her hand as she immediately went to work. Glancing back, I noticed her pulling out her phone, rifling through her contacts.

The moment she finished dialing she sent me withering glare that told me all I knew, to get out now.

It took a bit of work to find the lab. It was in the subfloor, under the whole precinct. It needed special clearance, and apparently Taylor’s command had spread by the time I found where I needed to go and that alone was enough to get me access.

The ride was short, but I wasn’t sure what to expect, well, maybe a little. I’d seen the occasional detective show, but… the forensics lab was a whole other thing when I finally went down. It looked like a part lab, part manufacturing floor. The space was frankly, massive.

The air was sterile. Dry, in a way that had me licking my lips in just a few breaths. The air itself was almost, empty, as if all the magic had been sucked away. On stepping through the opening, I could feel the air pulling at me, as if it were trying to suck me dry.

In a few steps I found myself before a large, currently empty desk. A single button set at the center of it. I stared at it and set down the box I was carrying. I looked around a bit, looking for any signs of life. Considering if pressing the button was the right call.

Eventually, I just shrugged and pressed it. A sharp, piercing buzz rang through the floor. I winced at the sudden assault on my ears, but just as quickly as it came, the buzz faded away. Dying off in some unknown corner of the lab.

And not a moment later, a figure came barreling in from the depths, atop an office chair, literally riding it as it careened. I stared, bewildered as it smashed into the desk, nearly throwing its occupant over the desk, only for her to faceplant against its surface.

Before I could speak up, or even ask what the hell just happened, she jolted up, shot me a grin and announced, “Emi here to help! Now, what do you need!”

She looked at me. I looked back at her. Her eyes were amber, bright, sparkling even. Her lab coat, maybe a size too large, the sleeves a tad too long for her arms. Her hair was pulled back and tied into a long braid, though, it looked a bit messy. I also noticed the dark circles under her eyes, the slight pallor of her skin, like she’d not seen the sun in quite some time and probably hadn’t eaten all that much lately.

She blinked, slow-like. Her head tilted, I could almost hear her neck creak with the action.

“You… you’re not anyone I know.” She said, slowly, and her eyes drifted to the crate. Uncaring for anything else she reached over and pulled it close, pulling out vials and pills, humming to herself. Totally forgetting about me for a minute.

Only after checking the contents of the box did she jolt back to attention and give me a long look.

“You’re not new here…” She said… “Not a dog, definitely not.” She said with a sniff. “Rabbit?” She muttered. Blinked. “Oh, you must be Pria.”

“Prima.” I answer back.

“Right, the little rabbit Grim and Taylor has taken an interest in.” She said, finally, and extended a hand. “My name’s Emi! Or rather, Emilia! I’m in charge of the lab here!”

“Prima, Prima Belle.” I said, taking her hand… Though, it wasn’t a firm shake. Her arm just kind of, went limp like a noddle as I shook her hand.

Awkwardly, I let go, and she continued to hold on, and after a few more blinks let me go hesitantly.

“So, what can I do for you?” She chirped.

Something told me, this was going to be either very bothersome, or very interesting.