Chapter 4 – Archive Panic Pommel

 

Thatti Nezura knows she shouldn't indulge information so lightly. The daughter of a Domina is bound to attract trouble when she reveals that much. She's been in hiding, lying low, trying to avoid any kind of notice at all. That was supposed to be the plan. Lay low, investigate, find the one who hurt them. Over the next few days she cannot avoid Caleb asking her question after question, trying to get to the heart of who she is, what her motivations are. She won't take off her mask just yet, her mother taught better than that. Curse her.

She says as they head downstairs via a massive spiral staircase into the 56th basement floor, where the supposed archives of the school were. "You can be in on it." She turns to Caleb and Veronica. "You could be in on this, maybe help me." She grins and leans against the wall, looking up. "Or not.. you're just good friends." She looks back at them. "Who knows, this might get dangerous. I'm a fighter, my family are some of the most powerful people ever. I just.. don't wanna drag anyone into unnecessary danger." She said. The other day, Diane approached her again during lunch, demanding the girl's wand and her surrender. Thatti swung at her again until she ran off. It wasn't a pretty sight even if she hadn't unleashed her full capability. Gems were shift and untrustworthy, Thatti knew that much.

"Don't forget, this whole school is going to be watching you. They know you're an outsider." Veronica said.

Thatti shrugged. "Not to mention, I need to lie low and not draw any attention to myself." She said. "That's my own prerogative." She sighed. "So yeah, if you're interested, there's danger. My family has a bad reputation.. I want revenge on the one who hurt them. But if you're not interested, I won't force you into anything. That's just me." She put her hand on her chest as if pledging.

Caleb scratched his head. "Why don't you tell me what you're doing down here in the archives first? Also, who were those creeps?"

"The Instrumental Sins of the 7 roses." Thatti said, her face turning serious and grim. "They're some of the most powerful Gems out there. The reincarnations of the generals of Pink Diamond, the one who rebelled against her master, the first Domina. And you met their reincarnations today."

"But... didn't you kill one of them?"

 

"Nah." Thatti smirked. "Her name was Diane of the Roses, she was the Scarlet Rose of Pride. One of the seven. But no one can easily kill a Rose gem. They regenerate and resurrect quite effortlessly." She took a deep breath and looked at Caleb and Veronica. "I think they're responsible for my... loss. I might have to deal with them."

"What is your loss?" Veronica asked, taking out a notepad and writing small notes while Thatti was talking.

"Someone dear to me was taken. Ahem, anyway. I need to get researching." She dodged the question and went past an electronic door, massive shelves full of datagrams and discs in archived aisles ahead. Caleb looked at Veronica and followed her through the aisles. Soon Veronica showed her to an aisle in far back and searched through the shelf, coming across a single section.

"The history of Gems is in these databases. You'll probably find out everything you've ever wanted to know about Gems in Xi." She started flipping through pages of an archaic disc and its holographic projections, it's footage old and crispy, but not deteriorating. "Now I need to find the information on the 7 Roses. I have a really bad hunch that they're somehow connected." Thatti said her eyes scanning over all the information in the database.

"The 7 Roses are a group of seven Gems, reincarnations of the army general who fought alongside Pink Diamond, against the first Domina. Each embodies one of the 7 instrumental sins- Pride, Wrath, Greed, Lust, Gluttony, Envy and Sloth. Their own personalities are different, each in their own way is dangerous, capable of massacres and wars-" Thatti put a finger on the disc and it stopped spinning. "I know all this already." She looked at Veronica, "I'm looking for info on the Jack of Roses, an ally. They murdered our entire court, including someone very important to me.. That’s the main murder culprit."

"You really think one of these 7 gems are connected to the attack that led to your, uhm, loss? How do you know?" Veronica asked.

Nezura took a deep breath. "I just know okay. This is more important to me than you might ever realize."

"Okay but, if these so-called, Rose sins are as powerful as you say, aren't you putting yourself in a lot of danger by going after them?" Caleb asked.

"Oh, I'm not. My mother sent me to this school- I just knew inevitably they'd come after me. Call it fate." Thatti didn't know why she had to keep being so careful. She'd already exposed herself and her abilities. And what else could they do to hurt her? "If any wanna try me, I'll let them have a piece." She held up her wand as if shaking a fist.

 

 

 

"Only a piece? Such a tease you are." A feminine voice said, the kind that drips with grace and sweetness. The 3 went on alert and turned towards a lanky figure with a spear, short punk purple haircut and glimmering translucent gown over a vivid green leotard.

"So close, so very very close. But, not really. Really, really not that close." The girl bowed. "You! You're one of them!" Thatti pointed her wand.

"At ease my friend. Well let's not say friends. We are not really friends, one isn't truly acquainted until they feel that beauties of each others taint. And I respect you far too much to insult you like that." The gem bowed. "Apologies for my manners. Allow you to introduce you, my grace."

Thatti crossed her arms. "And that.. is..? "

 

"Petal, at your service." Petal said, twirling like a ballerina and jumping close. "The Instrumental sin of Lust."

"She is what she is." Thatti looked at her hands in frustration. "We're in the middle of something and you're getting in the way." The girl started to march towards Petal as if on a warpath. "Unless you get talking yourself, miss gem."

Petal laughed. "Ohoho hoo hoo! She's a firecracker!" The girl laughed and skipped past her as Thatti tried to chase her down. "But that is rude, you should never interrupt a gem in a good conversation." The girl grabbed Thatti and leapt in the air with her, throwing her right in the air. "Ask a gem how many lovers they've had! This is a conversation piece." The girl jumped high and spun in the air before landing on the floor, hands gripping Headhunter until it turned into a broadsword.

"What the fuck are you on about? Why are you here?!" She yelled.

 

Petal laughed and shrugged, her arms crossed and a wide smile. "Ahh! What am I doing here? I'm here to see my sweetheart of course!"

The girl smiled.

 

"Who's that?" Caleb asked.

 

"Mmh..?" Petal thought. "You know who. Your sweetheart, your beloved, your honeyhoneeeey. Your- lover!" She bowed again. "I'm just messing with you. Sorry, let's not resort to blows Miss

Nezura. I'd rather take you out for dinner. If you'd be so kind to hand over your wand first, we can do a duet tonight, you and I."

Thatti grit her teeth. "Bon Appétit!" She charged forward with her sword forcing her to block, Petal deflecting the blow with her a spin of her spear before she launched her own and knocking Thatti off the floor. On one leg she balanced, fighting like a ballerina with her weapon. She laughed and grabbed Thatti's arms, holding her up in a dance. "Dance dance dance!" Petal laughed, twirling around and around and landing on Thatti's head as if on a ballet stage.

"Hey hey hey!" Caleb grabbed discs off the shelves and chucked them at Petal. "Leave my friends alone! This steel hard dick won't let you fuck around with her!" He shouted. "Oh my!" Petal held up her hand. "You poor boy. You should take care of your princess." She sped over to Veronica by a ledge to the lower floors, and gently spinkicked her over the ledge. "Veronica!" Caleb ran to grab her hand.

 

 

 

Petal's opponent got up. "I'm done playing around here." She held the wand to her had and posed. Leave your mark, God's Spark." She was enveloped by the blue light and reformatted in no time, taking on the minty-skinned red eyed form from before. Suddenly her wand turned into razorwire attached to a held handle. "Code 2: Impetus Overcharge." Caleb finished pulling Veronica up and turned around. Petal was being overwhelmed by a blur of electricity zooming at impossible angles. Her attack formations were too fast, her defense was just not able to keep up. Petal was knocked and blasted away, landing into a whole shelf that toppled over.

Thatti, hitting her with a barrage of blows, Petal attempted to fight back but was being parried by the impetus overcharge's blinding speed. "Got to be done with some finesse." Petal held up her spear. "Accent Petal! Spear Mastery." A white glow enveloped her, and a red flame shot up her arms, swirling to her spear and her feet.

"Dance of the Roses, Whirlwind Scythe!" Petal shouted, pointing her staff forward posing as a flurry of petal-shaped energy bolts cycloned through the air waves. "I'll never have mercy on you! Not after what you shitheads did!" The girl shouted as she aimed for her spearpoint. "Code 17: Grievous Nova!" A black projectile shot through the cyclone, blowing all the petals away and penetrating Petal's skull. Her eyes went wide, blood dripped from her forehead and she fell over to the ground.

She rolled out the dust and tried to get up, but stumbled and fell down, her arms twitching as she looked back. Thatti pointed her wand and soon, Petal was back on her feet, her body reformed and regenerated, but seemingly tired out.

 

 

 

The two students looked at their protector. Her blue pigtails, mint tinted skin and white eye- sclera all had the same minty glow, as if they'd been dipped in a mint-scented goo. "So," the girl took a deep breath. "That gem is one of these seven Roses? She wasn't so tough." The girl sighed, her shoulders drooping. "So, research trip boinked. Where are we going for dinner tonight?" The girl asked. As she walked, she stumbled, tripped and landed forward- Caleb catching her.

With his mouth on hers, lip to lip. The two kissed.

 

Petal took her spear and stabbed herself. "Rose's Blossom: Deus Libidinis" She said, blood forming from the stab wound. "I'm not the one you're looking for. You're just wasting your time. But if you insist on testing my lust.." Petal's body began to glow an opalescent concert of colors, her spine rapidly extending out a dozen meters like a centipede as her head warped, face peeling off to reveal rows of teeth underneath. Petal's legs and mouth split as her body extended into a slithering, winding maw, her arms lengthening into 2 more mouths and her arms becoming multiple arms. She was a many-mouthed behemoth, a living tongue-like centipede of a

monstrocity with a dozen tentacles in back. At the top her body forming into a long shark-like head. Her teeth became razor-sharp, long fins protruded from her ribcage and spine, her tail lengthened into a pointed fin.

 

 

 

Caleb's eyes looked up as the gigantic maw of Petal's Blossom form descended down, his lips pressing tighter into the girl. The razorteeth slammed right into her neck, cutting into her skin and tearing at her flesh. They drained all sense of self within an instant, leaving nothing but an empty shell. The girl's head neck and below bitten clean off. Her wand dropped to the ground. He was stuck smooching her in mid-air.

 

 

 

He looked up, seeing himself kissing her decapitated head, blood splattering all over him. She, or her head rather dangled like a pendulum watch counting its own fate, pulled by her hair stuck in the Gem. Slowly, she was pulled away from his lips and finally her head was swallowed by the enormous mass. He watched the body squirm down Petal's throat and neck with no difficult at all.

 

 

 

"Caleb!!" Veronica shouted. She ran to help but was swatted away by a swipe of a tentacle immediately.

The magical girl had lost her head.