Different Priorities... [Job]

Not wasting any time, Mythica strolled up to the large clock tower. Her smile grew ominous as she reached out a hand and rand her palm along its old stone... Looking up at the clock which ticked, she looked back down at her hands. Smiling, Mythica turned back around to face the village...

A few moments went by without event... Until suddenly a large explosion occurred! A passing wagon erupted in fire and smoke, and the entire village stopped dead in their tracks to witness the sudden destruction. As the smoke climbed higher, Mythica's giggle could be heard, and standing on top of the caravan, elegantly walking out of the smoke was Mythica, dressed fully in her battle outfit. Her yellow clock eye casting an ominous golden glow as the wreckage creaked under her... "If I can have all of your lovley people's attention! I would like to make an ANNOUNCMENT!" She yelled to the village, as a small crowd started to gather around the burning caravan as many eyed Mythica with a sense of horror.  Her appearance had changed drastically from only a moment before. Now she bore long black laced boots, an orange frilled dress, and an orange bonnet wrapped over her head, the result being two uneven twin tails on each side of her head. Her smile was ominous, and it made everyone feel uneasy.  

"Today I'd like to inform you people that every SINGLE one of you are going to be part of a little 'Social Experiment'!" She cackled as the crowd continued to watch her... Some of them shifted silently, as parents gripped their children closer. Sunset began to cast an eerie orange glow on the crowd as the destruction continued to smoke upwards. "Hehehe... Just like all of you were once born, you now fumble blindly through the current of time!" She told them. However, before Mythica could finish another voice interrupted her speech. She turned her attention to the left side of the crowd as an angry man yelled out to her. "Hey! What do you think you're doing! You just destroyed my brother's caravan!" An furious younger man pushed through the crowd and ran forwards, stopping several feet away from the burning wreckage as his hands balled into fists... His eyes slowly streaming with tears.

"Hehehe. Oh? I'm so sorry. But it seemed like the best way to get all of your eyes focused on me! You see, I'm selfish and I want all the attention on me, all the time! ANd your brother was getting in the way, so I killed him!" She cackled, stepping off the wreckage and slowly walking up to the man.  "Y- You bitch! I'll kill you!" He yelled angrily, before the glint of steel shone in the sunset's glow. The man pulled out a rather large knife from his back and sprinted up to Mythica as she silently stood there giggling from his actions... With such speed, she elegantly sidestepped the blow, and grabbed his arm. Lifting it upwards, her foot planted directly into his crotch! He withered in pain for a moment, enough for  Mythica to squeeze his wrist, causing him to let go of the knife. Within another instant she caught the blade and directed it straight into his lower rib cage. He quickly coughed up blood before falling to his knees in front of the girl. The crowd let out a shocked gasp as Mythica looked down at her fallen foe with a cruel smile. Before her foot came up again, kicking his head backwards, causing him to fall on his back with a pool of blood spilling underneath him...

"Shame you had to die before I reached the final act, but oh well. None of you will be around much longer anyways." She whispered before looking back up at the village population. She raised an arm, and suddenly a long musket rifle manifested itself in her grasp. "Heheheh! Let me show all of you the way through my time flow!" She laughed maniacally, her yellow clock eye spinning out of control! She then raised it pointing directly upwards. She pulled the trigger of her musket rifle, and a yellow beam shot into the sky. The whole village stared up in fear as it swerved through the air, before changing course completely, crashing directly into the clocktower! A large bell ring was heard as it echoed through the village as the clock suddenly stopped ticking... The face of it began to glow yellow as the hands began spinning backwards! It was slow at first, but it began picking up speed. Suddenly the bell ringing and ticking sounds of the clocktower got louder, and drilled inside the minds of every living creature in the village. Mythica simply laughed manically with her arms outstretched!  The villagers began to scream from the sensation, falling to their knees as they covered their ears. It was useless, none could stop the ringing and ticking from burrowing into their skulls. The hands on the clock spun faster and faster backwards until it aprublty stopped... All hands aligned on the 12... With one final bell ring, a torrent of yellow magic burst from the face of the clock in a shockwave. It consumed the entire village in yellow light...

A few moments the light faded... But there was no people. There were no buildings... In their place was nothing but still trees and grass. The clocktower was the only piece of civilization that remained... Already it was covered in moss and vines as if it had been there for many, MAny years... Mythica was on her knees in front of the tower, gazing at the forest she had created... She chuckled silently to herself, breathing heavily. "Now... T-That's the way it's supposed to be..." She giggled before falling backwards, out stretching her arms in the soft grass, letting the orange glow of sunset tickle her skin in front of the withered clock tower…

However, this sensation did not last forever. Mythica soon sensed the presence of another being nearby. She leaned upwards and looked, noticing a man and several other citizens looking at her. She frowned. It appeared as if her experiment wasn’t completely successful. Sighing, she slowly stood up. Now she needed to off the survivors before they could relay what had happened here to anyone else, and then work on her spell. “Sorry you all had to see that, I was hoping you’d all die quick and painlessly, but alas, we don’t always get what we want it seems.” She said, slowly walking towards the group as her weapons manifested in her hands. However, the man stepped forward and got into a defensive stance. Interestingly enough he was a wizard too. Mythica raised an eyebrow. “I WILL NOT LET YOU HURT THESE PEOPLE! THE REST OF YOU, RUN!” He yelled. How annoying. They all began to run as Mythica and this unknown wizard prepared to fight...

Clouds of smoke hung in the sky, as the stench of burning wood filled the air mixed with the dampness of rain. The ground was full of mud and ruin. Nothing was left. It was all, and utterly gone. Standing in the center of this once lively little town was the clock eyed mage herself. With a sinister grin on her face as alway. A flash of light pierced the sky as a beam of energy shot through the thick smaug straight towards her! Mythica didn’t hesitate, shifting her boots backwards to quickly dodge the shot with an acrobatic backwards cartwheel. However, that wouldn’t prove enough as the moment it made impact, the ground around it erupted with a brilliant light! Mythica forced herself to summon a barrier to take most of the hit, but the force alone still made the girl fly back a considerable distance. She landed on one knee, skidding through the mud. Looking down towards it, breathing heavily. This was a very unexpected turn of events. Interesting, maybe even fun… but still not at all what Mythica had learned to expect from this. A legal mage had been prowling about, and now they decided to finally confront Mythica, someone who they had supposedly been following. How delicious. Someone landed on the other side of the ruined town from where Mythica was kneeling. They began to walk forwards. The legal mage had heard about the clock eyed girl before, and was now tasked with spying on her… But Mythica knew they wouldn’t let themselves stand by and watch the insane time mage slaughter an innocent village. Luckily for the legal wizard, the ruins were the only result of Mythica’s magic. The people had gotten away safely, even if Mythica wanted to play with them a little.

She coughed, a drop of blood coming from her mouth as it leaked onto the muddy ground below her. This guy was powerful, to say the least. Probably stronger than the girl herself. But that would never deter her from making sure this ended in blood. Either hers or his. “GIVE UP NOW! YOUR TIME TERRORIZING THE INNOCENT IS OVER!” Such confidence in his tone… Such arrogance. Mythica found it simply exhilarating. Breathing heavily, the girl stood up slowly, keeping her head down as the rain poured all around them. She began to chuckle as the wizard in front of her looked at her with a serious cold stone stare. That’s when he felt something.. Unusual. Mythica’s aura began to expand… Engulfing the area around them. Until it touched the nearby forest. When it did, the trees began to wither and die. The grass turning a dark grey colour as it wilted and the leaves fell. Mythica wiped the blood from her mouth with one hand before holding up her arm and aiming the pistol directly at the wizard. She looked as if nothing had even touched her in the first place! The wizard widened his eyes slightly, obviously surprised that she had just taken a full hit of his, but now seemingly shook it off as if it was nothing. “I’m sorry, honey. I can’t die here… Not yet.” She said through widened teeth, her eye glowing more intensely than before. She then crossed the weapons in front of her, and released bolts of magical energy from both of them! The yellow beams swirled around the air for several moments as the wizard tried to track their movements while backing up, but to no avail! He could only form a barrier of his own a second before the magical bolts converged on his position! In a brilliant explosion of yellow light, the barrier held off Mythica’s attack, but also shattered completely! This was her chance! As the wizard was blinded by the light, Mythica charged forward, leaping off a destroyed pile of wood! She flew directly above him, ready to strike down with a melee attack! The wizard saw this at the last second and held up his own arms protected by metal gauntlets to defend against her attack. Mythica’s musket it the crossed arms, but she didn't let that stop her! The girl then fell feet first into the mud in front of him and and proceeded to slide directly underneath his legs and jump up behind him, releasing a powerful kick into his back! He grunted in pain, spinning around to hit her with a magic infused punch, but Mythica had already seen this and held up an arm to block his. She then quickly aimed her pistol directly at his stomach, releasing several shots! He was taken completely off guard! Yelling in pain as the bolts caused him to stagger before Mythica kicked him hard straight in the gut! The impact forced him back into a ruined house, dust and smoke exploding from the impact. Mythica grinned as she admired the crater he had made with his body. However, she didn’t let her guard down just yet, she knew he still had some fight left in him. Suddenly, another beam of white energy shot directly out of the ruined house straight towards her. Seeing this just in time, she was able to spin out of the way as it made contact with a tree on the other side of the village, completely obliterating it! The man yelled as he burst from the ruin, his body now glowing with his charge towards the time mage. Mythica smiled, planted her feet in a defense stance, and did not make a single move to avoid the incoming attack. Holding her pistol and musket in hand while he charged up a very powerful attack with his fists. Just as he moved forward to punch Mythica, however, she sidestepped the blow! He ran directly past her before rolling on the ground and skidding to a halt, looking back at her with a confused stare. Why would she choose to stand there until the very last minute? That’s when he noticed her look of confidence, and a very strange feeling tickling his chest. He looked down to see exactly what gave Mythica her cockiness… A yellow magic seal on his chest, slowly counting down 6 seconds. His eyes widened suddenly, before it hit zero… And an explosion of brilliant yellow light filled the air! He screamed in pain from the magical impact… And then fell silent.

A few moments passed as the clock eyed witch observed the smoking ruin from where she had last seen the legal wizard. She couldn’t sense anything coming from that area now. How odd. She guessed she probably went overboard. That, and her precognition ability wasn’t showing any signs of more fighting. With that in mind, Mythica outstretched her hands and her weapons vanished from her palms. She put her hands behind her back, humming a tune as she turned and skipped through the ruins of the town, towards the nearest road that still lied intact. What an exciting day this had turned out to be. Now she only had one more thing to check off her to do list this day, and that was to figure out where all those pesky civilians scampered off too. She couldn’t have them escape anyways. One of them had information she needed, and she was prepared to slaughter as many people as it took before that info came into the light. As much fun as fighting that wizard was, it ended up being more annoying than usual. He had bought precious time for the rest of the townspeople to evacuate, and now that made her job that much harder. She wouldn’t let that bother her, however. She needed to figure out where exactly they went, and extract what she needed from them. She’d start with the path they all ran down, their footprints were still fresh in the mud, so it appeared it would be easy to follow them. But she needed to move fast, before they reached another town. Thought in mind, she’d waste no more time and begin running, using the time magic she possessed to help enhance her speed.

Mythica had eventually tracked the group down to the path leading towards one of the major cities of Fiore. Rose Garden. Made sense, seeing as the close proximity of the city made it the ideal location for anyone trying to hide. It would make Mythica’s job that much harder. Damn that wizard! If he hadn’t distracted her for so long, she could’ve easily restraied every last villager in that damned town and find what she was looking for with ease! Now she was racing against time that she had no control over yet. It was all very frustrating. This would certainly put a dent in her plans, and she was starting to get impatient with it all. To make matters worse, a lot of those villagers laid their eyes on Mythica and knew what she looked like. They may not have known her name or her identity as a the guild master of Nightmare, but they could still describe her to anyone they met. If they came into contact with the Rune Knights, it would make her job a lot harder. She’d have to lay low for a bit so that the news of this attack faded into the wind, ands he could yet again work in the day. However, there was still a chance she could put a stop to all that. She just needed to catch up to the townspeople before they could make it to Rose Garden.

Mythica could've guessed something was amiss just by the general atmosphere of the town when she entered. She could've figured by the strangely quiet section in which she had walked in from the main road. The once bustling street was turned into a ghost town with the apparent lack of people. Odd. She knew the citizens of Rose Garden weren't far off, however. Due to the sound of commotion nearby, that her keen Inugami senses were able to pick up on. It all seemed to resonate from a specific spot. Turning her blue gaze towards the left, that's when she saw the crowd of citizens all gathering around one specific building... The Rose Garden hospital. If her intuition as a wizard didn't warn her already, her gut surly did. Knowing something was obviously wrong by now, Mythica turned and walked towards the building at a brisk pace. Her curiosity and concern for the situation heightened. Although she was sure if there was an issue that required a wizard's attention, someone else from the guild would've been sent to investigate by now. Nonetheless it was her duty to make sure everything was alright. She strolled up to the edge of the group surrounding the hospital entrance. Much to the wizard's surprise, it was blocked off by the Fiore military! Something was obviously wrong here, and she needed to figure out what exactly that was. Mythica quickly pushed her way through the group, noticing their worried expressions as she went. From what Mythica could summarize based on the little information she had gathered thus far, there was probably some sort of infection or outbreak. She couldn't think of another reason why the military would quarantine it otherwise.

Finally getting to the front, she confronted one of the soldiers standing guard outside. "What's going on?" Mythica asked without hesitation. The man took a look at her, noticed how serious she was and decided not to hold back anything. Not that he really had any reason to not tell her anyways. "S- Sorry Ma'am. Hospital is off limits to a recent virus outbreak. Nobody's allowed in or out.. Doctor's are trying to work on a-" He was cut short by another who barged through the crowd behind Mythica, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Y- You're a wizard, right! You gotta help! This city is no longer safe!" Mythica gave the woman a confused look. "What do you mean?" She asked. "I- I was one of the nurses working inside. This virus was CREATED by one of the doctors! Now he plans to develop it more and then release it to the entire city! You need to stop him!" Mythica turned again to the guard. "Uhh- Y- yeah...
We heard reports of some sort of mad scientist running rampant in there, but its far too dangerous for anyone to go in and stop him. Especially with the virus."
"I am a wizard, and it is my duty to put down troublemakers like this. You will let me pass." The clock eyed  mage said again with confidence. The guard grew nervous for a second before speaking. "Ah hell... You're probably more likely to stop this than we are..." He said moving out of the way. Before Mythica was about to walk passed him into the hospital, the girl stopped her again. "W- Wait! You'll need this!" Mythica turned to look at the woman, who in turn handed her a Bio-Hazard mask. "The virus seems to be airborn, this is what we used to get out." That's when Mythica remembered to ask what the virus even did. It had completely slipped her mind until now. "And what exactly does the virus do to the body?" Mythica asked as she took the mask. "I- It's known to make non magic users very sick.. And completely switches the magical properties of any wizard's magic that gets infected." At this statement, Mythica's eyebrow raised towards her. She had never heard of any kind of sickness that could do that. This was obviously not a minor accident. The mad scientist they were talking about must've planned this all. "Alright. I will head inside, and defeat this mad scientist and stop him from releasing the toxin." Mythica said. The girl nodded. "Please do.. I have family inside the hospital."

The guards let the wizard through as she strapped on the mask. It was uncomfortable, but a vital part of her mission if she intended to not get infected with the virus itself. The main doors to the hospital we understandably shut, locked. Mythica couldn't just barge in without risking the virus leaking out... She needed another way in. She looked upwards to the building's roof. The wizard then turned and began walking along the side of the building until she reached the fire escape stair case. With one quick swipe, a bright glow of yellow chains came in and broke off the chained lock. The metal gate opened and Mythica quickly and silently made her way up the side of the building until she was just near the top. With a powerful leap, the wizard propelled herself up in the air onto the roof. It was what you'd expect. Mostly flat, but had a a maze of vents and small chimneys. Mythica already knew her next course of action, walking up to one of the larger vents. She grabbed hold of the edges of the grate, and pulled. A few seconds, it loosened and one side broke off from it. Opening it just wide enough for the wizard to step through, Mythica was sure to close it again behind her. She crouched in the darkness and peered ahead. Nothing but black. The wizard soon began to creep forward, relying on her hearing to guide her through the tunnel. Soon she came to a drop, where the vent took a 90 degree turn downwards. Not seeing an alternative, Mythica prepared herself, and leaped. She fell for a few seconds before the vent began to curve again and she started sliding. She saw the grate ahead, and braced herself. The wizard slid out, popping the vent's cover off as she fell into a hallway. With a quick roll Mythica managed to make the landing. She stared ahead at the empty hallway... Not a soul.

The eerie silence is what got to Mythica first. She stood straight up in the hallway, observing her surroundings carefully. The hospital looked abandoned, but it was evident that it had only been so up until recently. All around her there were knocked over wheelchairs, shattered glass, open doors to the hospital's many rooms. She wasn’t sure if all the people had gotten out in time... Yet she still wanted to see what this virus's effect had on the non-magic  population. However, she couldn’t do that without the risk of getting other wizards caught in the mix. That was just simply bad for business. Which is why she needed to hunt down the scientist before he could enact his plan to release the pathogen across the city. If that happened, Rose Garden wouldn't be the only place in danger anymore. All of Fiore would be at risk if she couldn't find a way to stop his plan. Mythica observed the lighting for a minute and found it odd. The power still appeared to be on inside the hospital, but something in the air was making the light rays look a sickly green color. Most likely the virus. With her mouth and nose covered by the mask on her face, she couldn't quite use her Inugami senses to determine its properties, but figured it was in some sort of gas state. The woman who was apparently a nurse did tell her it was air born after all.

Soon, something inside Mythica's mind stirred... And she heard a voice. "Testing... Can you hear me?" Mythica knew that voice. It was the nurse she had met outside. Apparently she was some sort of wizard too. Odd Mythica couldn't feel her magical power when she was outside with her. Mythica focused and responded through the telepathic link she had just established. "This is Mythica, go ahead." "Oh thank goodness. I'm still new to this." She replied. "I'm using my telepathy to help you out. There are some things you should know that I didn't get a chance to mention outside. The doctor responsible for the virus is working on it somewhere in the sewers,
I'm not sure where, but he has many others loyal to him. They all have masks as well, and helped him orchestrate the outbreak. You could probably get one of them to talk!" Mythica nodded. "Noted. Thank you nurse...?"
"Catherine."
"Thank you nurse Catherine. Do you have any idea why he's doing this?" There was a long pause before Catherine spoke up again. "He's mad.
He feels that the virus can help reshape wizard kind, but doesn't care at all for the rest of the non magic population... The man is insane, and had apparently been planning this for months.
His name is Dr. Lazlo." The man was ambitious, Mythica could give him that. Maybe he’d make an excellent scientist for Nightmare. Of course, she couldn’t really let Catherine know that. She had a facade to keep up after all. Her main goal was stopping the virus and then finding a way to study it. This Lazlo could be the perfect solution to that problem. Mythica turned her head to the other side of the hallway, thinking she heard footsteps. "Noted. Thanks." She replied promptly before getting on the move again. Mythica lowered herself and was sure to walk as quickly and quietly as she could. If what Catherine was saying was true, the Time Wizard would probably run into several loyal doctors and nurses. This pleased her greatly. By this point, Mythica had run into many people who shared little to no empathy for the rest of the world, and they would hurt whoever they needed in order to achieve their goals. It filled her with life. However, these doctors were wasting their talents on one miniscule piece of land. Mythica couldn’t have that. She  wouldn't stand for it. Mythica would make sure this Doctor would hurt no one else without Mythica’s blessing in his quest to "Reshape wizard kind". Even if it meant hurting him and his followers in the process.

Mythica's only course of action now was to hunt down someone that would talk. Judging from what she had heard earlier, these halls weren't completely empty. The other doctors and nurses were patrolling in hopes to protect their leader from any intruders... It would not help at all. Mythica continued to stalk the hallways as quickly and quietly as she could when she came around a corner to witness a grim scene. Scattered across the hallway were the bodies of several Fiore kingdom soldiers. She rushed over to one and took a knee next to him, checking his vitals. He was barely alive... But still there. The virus hadn't killed him, yet. She didn't want to just leave them there, she was too interested in studying this effect on live test subjects, but there was nothing the Time Wizard could do for any of them right now. It seemed the guard had stormed the hospital without knowing what they were getting themselves into first. An unfortunate mistake. Although her mouth and nose was covered, Mythica's keen ears picked up movement nearby. She left the guard and hid next to the corner of the hallway, trying to listen in on where the sound was coming from. Footsteps, she could tell. As they got closer, she heard voices.

Mythica made a small hand gesture, and soon golden magic seals appeared next to her, following her every command the magic chains snaked along the floor and went towards the voices. It was three hospital workers coming down the halls. Two nurses and a doctor. It didn't matter who they were, though, they obviously weren't in a rush to get out so Mythica knew they must've been with Lazlo. She stood still and waited for them to pass as Mythica's chains snaked along the walls and roof just out of their view. Soon the three came strolling past Mythica, not taking notice of her. She snapped her fingers and suddenly all the chains reacted in perfect sync! They instantly twisted off the walls and roof towards their targets, wrapping each of the three men in tight embraces before Mythica came out from her corner kicking the doctor with a magic infused blow! The impact, along with the chain caused the man to go flying down the hallway until he hit the wall, temporarily knocked out. The other two were flung against both sides of the hallway as well... But Mythica had apparently underestimated them. That wasn't enough to keep them down. The doctor got to his feet, now dripping from head to toe with sweat. "Ergh..
Pesky wizard! You have any idea what you're interfering with!?" He yelled, holding out his hand and charging a powerful bolt of magic.

If the doctor hadn't said anything, Mythica probably wouldn't have noticed he was still fighting back. Luckily for her, he did. Seeing the bolt of energy charging up in the corner of her eye, Mythica summoned a clock face barrier just in time to block it. His magic was stronger than she had anticipated, however, and her barrier shattered with the bolt, sending Mythica sliding back several feet. With the two nurses knocked out, this guy was her only target now, and the only one that could give her the answers she needed. Raising an arm, the golden chains came back to her side, and Mythica extended her hand towards the doctor. The chains rushed towards him just as he got back to his feet. He quickly shot at them, destroying a few, but he couldn't get all before it was too late. One wrapped around his leg, dragging him across the floor towards Mythica before hoisting him up and throwing him passed her towards the other end of the hallway. He rolled with a hard thump before crashing into the wall. Mythica walked over to him, snapping her fingers as the chains appeared again and completely wrapped around him, squeezing him tightly. She knelt to his level. "Where is Doctor Lazlo?" She stated briefly. Her tone didn't even sound much like a question. The doctor struggled, but soon stopped knowing it was useless. "Ergh... He warned us someone she might send someone to stop him..." Mythica squeezed tighter. "Augh! O- Okay! Fine! He's working in the... Ergh.. Cistern underneath the hospital... Through the sewers..." Mythica stood up, turned and began walking away. The doctor called out. "Woh- Wa- Wait! You're just gonna leave me like this?!" Mythica didn't say anything, except waved her hand. The chains instantly let him go. Before he could get up however, one of them wrapped around a nearby brick that had come off from the wall, and hit him hard on the top of his head. The doctor slumped to the ground, knocked out cold.

The cistern huh? That actually made a lot of sense now that Mythica thought about it. If the doctor wanted to release a virus to the whole city, sending it through the sewers and possibly water works could do exactly that. The sewers stretched across the entire city after all, it would be a very ideal spot to start an outbreak. Now that this had dawned on Mythica, she needed to hurry. She wasn't exactly sure how to get to the sewers from here, but she was determined to find a way. There had to be some sort of grate or storm drain near the hospital she could use to get through down into the cistern below. That's when the idea of heading down to the hospital's basement popped into her head! There were maintenance tunnels that lead down there. There had to be. Every major public building in Rose Garden would have something similar. It was a safe assumption, and Mythica was willing to find out if her suspicions on the matter were correct. Not wasting anymore time thinking about it, the twin tail haired mage would follow the signs leading her towards the nearest stairwell, from there it was only a matter of descending as far as the steps would let her. She was careful not to attract anymore unwanted attention, though. With the information she had, she didn't see anymore reason to start a fight with anyone else. It would just waste her magic energy for the final confrontation. One Mythica had assumed would be tougher than what she had faced so far in this hospital. If these doctors had magic, than she was sure Lazlo wouldn't be any different. That and his magic was probably leagues ahead of the rest, seeing as he invented a virus that could apparently switch the properties of any wizard's magic. Not something she was keen on finding out for herself.

A few minutes of careful walking later, Mythica had made her way to the nearest stair well and descended into the darkness below until finally she reached the final floor, what she could only assume was the basement. If there was a direct route to the sewers from here, it was sure to be guarded by other doctors. That much could be clear to Mythica by this point, so she got her magic ready. That's when she heard more voices again. Looked like she had come to the right spot. Mythica's Inugami senses picked up on them from a distance, and she used her keen sense to locate them without much trouble. Soon, the girl found herself at doors to a large room which housed both the hospital's backup generators, and a ladder leading straight down into the sewers that lie below. And sure enough, it wasn't left alone. There were two doctors attending the generators. Mythica clenched a fist as yellow magic appeared to envelop it. Sighing she burst through the door in full force and sent a wave of magic energy towards the first doctor! Both were taken completely by surprise, and he was sent back instantly as Mythica then swung her arm towards the other, chains flying out and grabbing him by the legs, lifting him up just in time for Mythica to run up and release a powerful kick in the chest. The force sent him reeling back into the wall. The other doctor had gotten back up faster than Mythica had anticipated, however. White light came from his palm, sending magical electricity her way. Mythica wasn't one to underestimate that element, and made sure she wasn't touched by it! Rolling out of the spells way just as it clashed into another generator, the entire machine began to spark and sputter! Mythica's eyes widened when she realized what was going on. The machine got louder and louder, and the sparks grew more intense. Within a split second, Mythica's only option left was to dive for safety inside the sewers! She held out both arms and chains came from the ground, grabbing both doctors and pulling them with her as she leaped feet first into the hole. The fall was farther than she thought it'd be, but she managed to break it with a quick roll. The two doctors came soon after, falling on their backs. Not hurt, but knocked out. Just as the explosion rippled above. Mythica sighed and turned her gaze towards the tunnels. Now she just needed to follow her ears..

About 10 minutes later, Mythica found it. The cistern. It was a MASSIVE room underground. It had a dome like shape to it, and walkways suspended in its center as massive waterfalls of water poured out the walls into the black chasm below. And at the walkway's center was a tall machine... Not something Mythica had seen before. But she knew it didn't belong there. There was someone else in the room as well. A tall man in a white coat was working relentlessly on it. This must've been Doctor Lazlo. Funny. Mythica would've thought he'd have some personal protection. Then again, it was quite possible he was a wizard as well. Mythica took one look at their surroundings and summarized that this was the ideal location for her. She had an endless supply of magic energy here. Without saying anything Mythica got her magic ready. He was distracted by his machine. This was the perfect opportunity. She quickly and quietly walked down the large walkway towards the center. Once she got close enough, Mythica raised her arms and suddenly a massive swarm of golden chains appeared from the chasm below the walk way! She swung her hands towards the doctor who just now looked up to see what the commotion was, and stared in shock as a full force of the chains smashed into him! The impact causing him to roll on the ground, landing on his back on the metal platform. Mythica did not hesitate after. That machine was probably what he planned to use in order to spread the virus. With Lazlo out of her way, she could use her full power to completely decimate it. Raising her arms, the golden chains around her began to halt in their tracks. IT had become completely silent without the sound of rushing water as all time in the area seemingly froze. Soon all the golden chains she summoned would spiral in the air above Mythica, forming a long funnel like shape with a twisting end. She was prepared to drill straight through the machine when the doctor raised his hand! "S- Stop you fool! That is the only thing that can save the town!" He yelled. Mythica hesitated, and looked towards him. What did he mean "Save the town"? "The virus will cause only confusion and harm to the people of Rose Garden, I am doing my duty to protect them as a guild wizard!" She yelled back. Lying of course, but Mythica wasn’t exactly sure if this man would be a willing subject when she decided to drag him back to the guild. So she needed to keep up this fake facade of hers on for a little bit longer. "Th- That's what I'm trying to do you idiot!" He coughed, sputtering out some water. "The virus will spread otherwise, but I have developed a cure! That machine will spread it across the hospital and prevent the virus from harming anyone else!" He exclaimed. Now Mythica was utterly confused. A cure? Why? Why would the doctor responsible for the virus's creation be trying to now stop it? Wasn't his entire goal to spread it? And that's when Mythica's senses picked up a new arrival...

Steps came from behind her. Mythica turned her head slightly to see the source of this intrusion. That's when her eyes widened. It was the red haired nurse from outside. Catherine! What was she doing down here? And why didn't she have a mask on? A million thoughts raced through her head, but before Mythica even opened her mouth to ask the woman herself, she got an answer... That sinister smile on her face.. It was all Mythica needed to put the pieces together. The drill of chains dropped and vanished as they hit  the floor in front of Mythica as she turned to face her. "And you were so close too! Shame it had to be like this!" Mythica breathed heavily in her mask. "So you were responsible for the entire thing?" She asked accusingly. Catherine clapped her hands once, smiling. "Why of course, dear!" Mythica could now feel an emotion building up inside her. Not one she liked. It was anger. Anger that she had been played for a fool this entire time. She was normally the one who played people, but now it seemed like she was on the recieving end. How could she be so stupid as to let this happen? She’d make sure this girl would beg for death before the end. "Honestly, honey. I didn't expect a guild wizard to be so easy to fool. But look at you now. You were SO close to destroying the only thing in my way. Of course the doctor had to open his mouth and tell you the truth. I was hoping you wouldn't let him have a chance to speak. But of course, I hoped for too much, didn't I?" She chuckled. "Why are you doing this, Catherine?" Mythica asked, still trying to keep her cool. "Oh? But didn't I already tell you the answer to that before? I'm trying to reshape magic in this world. And this isn't a virus, but a gift. Rose Garden is only the start. Soon the rest of the kingdom will follow." She said with a smirk. Mythica's fist clenched. "You know I cannot allow that to happen. Why go through this much trouble to get me and destroy the cure anyways?"
"Simple. Up until recently I had been a nurse at this establishment, but before that, I was an accomplished scientist. Mad scientist I should add. My experiments weren't the most ethical, and as such, they were shut down by the government. I had a warrant for my arrest, so I vanished. Irritatingly enough, my work was shut down before it was completed, so I knew I needed a way to finish. Then I found out about this hospital.. Unlike the others in Fiore, it housed a very special product. A plant known as Aurosukis... One of extreme magical properties that came from beyond our world. From one of the others that could only be accessed via the Wasueki portals. I had an idea to reverse the magical energy in a wizard's body to give them magic they never trained for.. And this plant could do stuff just like that with enough experimentation. So I dyed my hair, cut it, and applied as a nurse. Over the next few months, I would steal small samples of this plant whenever I could. Finally I had gathered enough to experiment with... And in just a matter of weeks I created the perfect substance. One that would completely revolutionize magic forever..." Catherine told her story to Mythica. "Of course..." Her face got grim. "A fellow Doctor grew suspicious and investigated the missing stores of Aurosukis. Which led him to me. Lazlo tried to stop me, but the canister that housed the pathogen was knocked over in process. Shattering and leaking into the air around us. Both of us already bear its effects. The virus made us both light headed, and we were out cold for a few hours. I woke up before Lazlo and left him there as the hospital evacuated. I would've stayed and continued my work but there were still too many people around. If I had tried, my true motives would've been revealed to everyone. So I was forced to play the part of the confused hospital worker and leave before the virus spread. A few hours passed and I noticed Lazlo hadn't come out. I figured he stayed behind to work on a cure, so I started spreading rumors of seeing a mad man experimenting with a dangerous disease inside. ANd luck behold, you show up. An innocent bystander who knew nothing of what was going on. Recruiting your help to destroy his work without getting myself involved seemed like the perfect plan. Too bad you couldn't complete your mission. But thanks to your explosion, I was able to sneak in through the chaos and finish the job myself." She finished.

It all seemed clear to Mythica now. Catherine was almost as insane as she was, and she had this entire thing planned out. The entire time, Mythica's true adversary had been in front of her. Mythica took one glance to the machine behind her. If Lazlo was right, that thing would be able to spread his cure across the hospital. Catherine was probably here to destroy it. Mythica couldn't let that happen. Without uttering a word, a veil of magic rose from the chasm below and wrapped itself around the machine. Surrounding it in a swirling vortex of rushing yellow magic. Catherine simply chuckled. "Well then. If you're the final obstacle in my way, let's get this over with. Yuri! Sakura!" Suddenly, from above Mythica heard a rush of air! She leaped backwards just as two beings hit the ground where she once stood. They rose to reveal themselves as tall, non human beings. Yokai. One was a kitsune, she was slender, with long purple hair and purple fox ears as well. 3 tails coming from her back. The other appeared to be an Okami. His black and white wolf like ears gave that factor away. "Where were you hiding these two?" Mythica grimaced, getting in a battle stance. "Just some hired muscle I found in case things went south. I was hoping I didn't need them, but I will admit you are a formidable opponent." The two yokai had cocky expressions. Neither seemed to wield any weapons, which told Mythica that they were both caster type magic users. That's when Mythica felt another presence. Doctor Lazlo stood up and walked beside Mythica, getting in a stance of his own. It was relieving to know he could defend himself. Made it less work for Mythica. "If you handle these two fools, I'll keep Catherine busy." He mumbled quietly enough for only Mythica to hear. She nodded and got ready...

Mythica's unholy aura expanded as she got ready for the final confrontation. It was 2 against 1. Mythica didn't know who these two were, or what their magic was like, she had to be very careful. Her two opponents began to express their magical auras as well.. And it surprised Mythica. They were using holy magic? Were they Some sort of demon slayers? No. Probably not... Many wizards still utilized holy magic. Sakura, the female kitsune would begin to hold out her arm, and Yuri soon did the same. From both their hands shone white lights of magic... And then it came! The first attack! Mythica leaped upwards instantly to dodge based off instinct and was completely surprised by the magic they used! Holy elemental magic. One ice. The other lightning... Terrific. Mythica rolled forwards and swung her arm around. golden chains popping out of the ground and circling to hit the two yokai , but unlucky for Mythica, they seemed well prepared for the strike. Sakura managed to dodge it quickly, freezing her chain in place, while Yuri sent a bolt of holy electricity towards it! The shock instantly traveled up the chain and Mythica was force to disperse it without risking her getting hit! Without warning they both dashed forwards to converge on the wizard! With a combined attack they blasted Mythica backwards with a direct hit from both! She yelled in pain as she was sent through the air. Catherine laughing behind her henchmen as they retained their usual grin. Lazlo teleported behind the two yokai to face Catherine himself, and they instantly began a battle of their own. Mythica landed on her back, skidding across the metal, stopping just in front of the machine which still had a protective veil of magic. The two did not let up however, they both leaped through the air and prepared another attack! Sakura sent several spike of holy ice raining down on Mythica's position while Yuri sent a powerful two pronged lighting bolt as well. Mythica rolled backwards to dodge the lightning, and summoned a shield of yellow magic just in time block the ice shards. Although her attention was focused on keeping the shield intact, the two landed directly in front of her and performed a synchronized kick straight into the girl's stomach! Mythica wasn't prepared for such a blow and fell victim to her own handiwork when she collided with the magic barrier she had created to protect the machine. The veil of rushing magic sent her tumbling to the side! She had almost fallen off the walkway, but managed to to grip the edge of the metal and hang in the air... The endless unknown depths hanging below her. She grunted in strain, her face already bruised from the attacks. These two were tough, maybe tougher than that damned Ice Widow she had shivers thinking about. That's when Mythica got an idea. She turned to the darkness below her, and noticed all the water coming from the falls around them fell straight into the inky blackness. Hoping Lazlo could handle himself against Catherine as their battle continued to rage on, Mythica took a split second to think and let go! She sent two chains flying upwards around and behind the two Yokai who stared at her with confused expressions as she fell. Neither of them noticed the golden chains until it was too late! They gripped both of their ankles and pulled them over the edge as well! All three of them falling into the darkness below...

Darkness took Mythica as she fell, the light of the cistern fading from view. She felt the water, and felt it hard. Wherever she was, the water was taking her with it! She couldn't even control her own movements anymore, the current swept her along with such speeds! She managed to surface and see her, along with the two yokai were being swept down a massive tunnel. Where too, she had no idea. However, it seemed the two were determined to not let this fight end, even in their current situation. Sakura managed to extend her hand and created a massive platform of ice on top of the rushing water! Her and Yuri leaping onto it, trying to keep their balance as the liquid rushed down the tunnel! After submerging in the inky depths, Mythica realized there was something off about it. Even with her mouth and nose covered by the mask she still wore, she could tell this water wasn't normal. And not just because it was from the cistern either... But it had some sort of component mixed in as well. Could it have been the virus? Was it mixed with the water as well? She couldn't risk getting herself infected, so Mythica had no choice but to fight with magical reserves she still had. With one powerful kick, Mythica blasted herself out of the current and rolled onto the shifting platform of ice that floated on top of it. There Yuri and Sakura stared her down with hateful expressions, both of them soaking wet. It seemed like nether were planning to be in this situation. They didn't let up though, and Mythica was forced to play defense again. Strike after strike, Mythica continuously dodged and blocked, trying hard not to fall off the ever shifting platform of ice as the tunnel twisted and turned. However she was having incredible difficulty. Both of their magic countered her own, and both was holy as well. This made Mythica think that even if she could go on the offensive, her time magic wouldn't give her any advantage over them. She was indeed stuck in a very difficult battle. But she didn't exactly have the time to think about that right now, she needed to keep her mind focused on staying alive.

Minutes felt like hours to Mythica, constantly dodging lighting attacks and blocking ice ones. She never had any time to throw in her own because of the constant bombardment. Mythica's only chance now was hoping this tunnel would end before the two yokai managed to end her. And as luck would have it, Mythica could see a light coming from behind them. Suddenly the tunnel turned and straight ahead was daylight! Perfect. Mythica turned her gaze while the yokai were distracted by it, and slammed her fist into the ice below her! The impact caused it to shatter and break! The uneven balance soon came around for all of them to feel, and the three were sent back into the current! Mythica braced for a fall as they exited the tunnel and fell straight into a massive lake! The tunnel came out of a cliff edge. It appeared as if they were outside Rose Garden now. This was it... Mythica had her chance! She landed head first into the water, and while she floated downwards, she took off her mask... Opening her mouth, letting her magic do the rest.

Yuri and Sakura surfaced soon after, clambering upon the shoreline. They looked for Mythica, but realized she wasn't there. They were confused. A human would've surfaced by now, right? That's when they noticed something odd. The water began to swirl. It seemed as if something in the water was moving with proficent speed and strength. After a minute of this, the whirlpool vanished and the lake returned to normal... And then Mythica blasted out from the surface with a massive explosion of golden magic, a time seal apeparing behind her! Her mismatched eyes glowing with power as she yelled! Their own eyes widened and they got ready just as Mythica raised her arms and sent a MASSIVE blast of yellow magic straight towards them after charging up her two weapons which she hadn’t pulled out until now. Turns out the virus’ magical properties had infected the water. Mythica was probably infected now, but the magic in the water temporarily gave her a power boost. Luckily for her, her two yokai opponents weren’t aware of this and didn’t utilize the same ability as she did. They had no choice but to dodge the blast. The pressure was so intense, it ate away the rock it hit! Mythica landed perfectly flat on the beach.. With a sudden dash, she leaped straight towards the shore line, a wave behind her as it threatened to swallow up the entire strip of land at the cliff's base. Sakura wasn't having it though. She darted in front of her partner and held up both hands, white ice forming a massive dome like shield around them! Upon contact with Mythica's magic, it didn't even crack! It held strong against her assault, and as Mythica landed, she was surprised to see she hadn't even landed a scratch! Even at full power, these two could withstand her without even flinching? It must have been their holy magic... And the elements didn't help either. Stupid ice wizards...

As the water subsided, the shell shattered and Sakura came rushing out to meet Mythica head on. Surprisingly she didn't use any magic in her first attack, choosing to only try and kick the Time Wizard. Luckily Mythica's reflexes were now enhanced thanks to the boost she got from the magic infused water, and was able to block it with her forearm. But of course, Mythica was distracted by Sakura to see her partner run across the cliff edge to her left, charging up a massive bolt of lighting! Mythica had noticed it just in time, and had no choice but to break off from Sakura and leap backwards just as the bolt smashed into the ground where she stood only a second ago! Rock and dirt flew everywhere, and Mythica rolled backwards to one knee. "Give it up, little demon! Your magic can't harm us. We  possess the holy properties in our magic.. And we can counter demons like you in every state." Sakura grinned, putting a hand on her hip. She seemed very cocky now. But she had good reason to be.. No matter how Mythica wanted to look at it, she was completely right. Both of their elements, ice and lighting were complete counters to her. Normally they wouldn’t be, but there was the fact that Mythica was still a demon. Or at least, part demon. Either way, their holy magic had the potential to rip her apart if she wasn’t careful. Not only that, but the use of holy magic made them essentially god like, something her Time magic wasn't meant to kill. However, as she stared at them breathing calmly, her mind triggered a memory... And then an idea... If she managed to pull it off, it could completely turn the tide of battle. Mythica stood straight for a moment, looking towards the large pipe they had all fallen out of only a few minutes prior. "You're absolutely right." Mythica began, turning back to them. "This battle would go on until I exhausted myself. So if I can't stop you, might as well make sure that machine Lazlo created can release the cure. How fast are you, kitsune?" She asked in a tone that sounded almost like she was mocking the yokai... If that was even possible for Mythica to do at this point, she was still fuming with rage from earlier. Despite that, the Kitsune's ears flicked upwards, and so did Yuri's. "Oh no you don't!" Sakura said, leaping towards Mythica again, but she had already turned and ran. So far it was working... She just needed them to follow her. Mythica used her magic to teleport upwards over the cliff edge, landing in the woods outside Rose Garden, she could see the city not far off. She began sprinting through the forest as Sakura and Yuri gave chase close behind. While she wanted them to follow her, Mythica still had to make it look convincing. She extended a hand and released a powerful burst of magic from her pistol that cut the trunks of a few trees. They began to fall on top of her chasers. Yuri blasted one apart with his magic while Sakura elegantly slid underneath it before it fell. Soon Mythica's human physique began to show. Unlike the yokai behind her, she couldn't run forever. But she be damned if she let them catch up just yet. As Sakura shot several ice spikes towards her, Mythica would jump upwards onto a tree branch, before leaping to the next and then the next. The kitsune followed her from the trees as well, while Yuri stayed on the ground, launching bolts of powerful lighting at their bases. Mythica was quick, though and managed to already leap to the next branch before it began to fall. Finally she reached the tree line of the forest's end, leaping forwards and rolling into the grassy field. It was a straight shot to the city... But now Mythica was in the wide open with no cover. Her only option to make sure they didn't catch up was to throw attacks of her own... As well as use a spell that would enhance her mobility significantly. Mythica threw her hand towards the sky for a moment, stopping in her tracks. "Minute Flow!" She increased the speed of her time glow and was able to outrun the ice before ending up far ahead of her chasers.

As Mythica reached the city limits, she instantly took to the roof tops. This way less people were likely to see if her pursuers continued to throw magic at her. Like she predicted, Sakura was the first to follow, leaping up on the roof tops behind Mythica as she continued to sprint and jump from building to building. Yuri followed from the streets, shoving and running past those in his way. Many people stopped to watch what was going on. With her opponents still hot on her tail, Mythica scanned the horizon. She found the hospital. She turned and began making her way towards it, jumping from roof to roof with Sakura constantly throwing magic at her whenever the wizard could spare it. As the shards narrowly missed and shattered near Mythica, she began to really wish Chaoris was here. Oh how Mythica hated holy magic.

Finally, Mythica got close to the hospital. She leaped over the edge of a roof, sliding down the shingles before kicking off again, traveling very far in the air and latching onto the edge of the hospital's roof. Pulling herself up just in time to avoid a flurry of ice spikes, Mythica got to her feet and turned to see Sakura in the air above her. The Time Wizard leaped backwards just as she slammed her fist into the roof of the hospital, ice exploding from her knuckles. Mythica rolled to her feet and faced Sakura, who was now smiling at Mythica. At first, she was confused... But then picked up something with her senses.. She had completely forgotten about Yuri.. Hadn't she? Mythica turned too late to see the Okami charging up a bolt of lighting behind and above her. Before Mythica could even react, he released it straight at the Time Wizard! Her eyes widened suddenly at it made direct contact! Mythica yelled in pain as the force caused her to smash through the fragile roof, crashing through several floors! A plume of dust exploding from the crater she had just made.

Silence fell soon after. Sakura smiled as she caught her breath and straightened her back, staring downwards at the hole.. Seeing and hearing nothing suggesting the Time Wizard was still alive. Yuri did the same. "Faster than I thought she'd be..." He said in between breaths. Sakura nodded. "She grew overconfident in her ability to run. She payed the price." She said with a smirk, flipping her hair.

Deep within the hole, Mythica lied still. Broken stone and metal around her as she lied on her back facing the sky. The afternoon sun shining down through the hole... Her eyes were closed, and she lay there, not moving an inch... Until something finally happened. A smirk. A small, but still noticeable gesture on her mouth. Her face twitched slightly before finally, Mythica's eyes flickered open... But they weren't the same as before. Instead of her usual mismatched gaze... They were now dark purple. A new power stirred inside her soul that she had never felt before... But it gave her strength. SOmething was keeping her from passing out completely... And was driving her upwards. The sun shone directly through the hole onto the girl, and she reveled in its power.

As Sakura and Yuri turned from the hole to walk away, they sensed something. Movement! The Kitsune's ears twitched as she turned her head back slightly, and what she saw next was something she could have never expected. Out of the hole a MASSIVE pillar of black magic exploded from the darkness! They both instantly spun around and stared in shock and confusion. Where was the fire coming from? Their questions would be answered however as Mythica herself leaped from the shadows into the air above, surrounded by void magic. A long, demonic looking marking on the side of her face trailing down her neck. The twin tail haired wizard did not hesitate before she rolled on the surface in front of the two, and held out both her hands, demonic void claws exploded from her palms! Sakura was so surprised that Yuri had to intervene, he dove in front of his partner and attempted to use his lightning to form some sort of barrier... But it did not help. The force of the black void swallowed up his lightning and burned both of them! The shadowy magic causing smoke and heat to envelop the rooftop. From below, the guards and citizens watched in awe as they saw the edges of magic spiledl over the edge. Regaining her footing, Sakura cried out in anger and summoned a massive ball of ice, splitting it apart into a million spikes and sent it flying straight towards the demon. Mythica grinned darkly, swirling the void around her arm and straight towards the kitsune. Her ice all but melting upon touching the edges of her void. She leaped out of its way before landing right next to Mythica, hoping to beat the girl in hand to hand combat. Mythica quickly reacted by grabbing the girl's leg as she tried to kick her. Her palms burning her ankle. Sakura screamed in pain before Mythica used her Inugami strength to swing her around straight towards her partner's spell! Yuri had charged up a bolt of lighting, but instead of hitting Mythica it hit Sakura instead. She tumbled and rolled on the gravel roof top, Mythica sprinting and leaping over her to focus on Yuri. He panicked, backing up and firing bolt after bolt, but the demon's void came absorbing it. Finally she got within punching distance, and with one powerful strike, Mythica sent the wolf flying off the edge of the building, crashing into a store front across the street!

And with that, the battle was over. Mythica stood victorious on the roof top as the people of Rose Garden gathered to look upon the scene. Both yokai knocked out cold, and the purple eyed mage staring down at them. Her senses picked up a smell though, and that's when the girl remembered the virus. The only thing that caused her to win this fight was leaking out into the air. She had to get back down to the cistern and help activate the cure. Judging by the fact Lazlo hadn't already done so by now was troubling. Catherine may have been a lot stronger than the Doctor was. Without hesitating, Mythica turned and leaped down the hole in the roof straight into the hospital's lower floors. Sprinting down the steps she went back into the sewers...

Lazlo fell on his back, his body smoking, his coat torn. Catherine standing a few feet from him on the metal walkway. "Fool... Your teleportation may have let you avoid my attacks, but even with your magic reversed, it still has limits." She said. Irritated by that fight, Catherine looked up to the machine. She noticed the veil of yellow magic was now gone, and it was completely exposed. She smiled. "Seems like Sakura and Yuri got the job done... Now, to finish this." She lifted her palm and pointed straight towards the machine and charged a blue ball of magic. She released it, and it went flying straight towards the defenseless object... But it was stopped mid air. A plume of dark energy rushed from the roof above and intercepted the ball of magic. Catherine's eyes widened and she took a step back, gritting her teeth in anger. "Erghh... Now what!?" She yelled, already very annoyed with how long this was taking. The smoke parted, and Mythica stood there in a defensive stance, her purple eyes, and her arms black with demonic voids. "You know I can't let you destroy this machine.." She stated. Catherine was surprised to see the mage, and even more shocked to see the girl's mask was off. "Damn it... I was hoping you'd be too stupid to try and use the virus to your advantage. No matter. I will destroy you myself!" She yelled. Mythica got ready to fight, the fire surrounding her now as the sound of rushing water poured around them. Catherine took off her coat and cracked her knuckles, plasma forming over her fists. "See, the virus isn't so bad, is it? You couldn't have gotten this far without it!" She yelled, charging straight towards the demon. Mythica returned with a dash of her own, their two fists colliding as both woman struggled to hold their ground. Soon Catherine's foot came flying upwards in an attempt to kick Mythica, but she had gotten used to that kind of attack by now and narrowly dodged it before spinning and trying to punch the woman herself. Catherine stepped back and parried her hand away, again, and again, as Mythica continued to try and barrage the woman with her darkened fists. Soon Catherine had enough, and leaped backwards to gain some distance. "I'll just need to destroy both you and the machine at the same time!" She screamed, holding her hands together and charging up a beam of plasma. Mythica's eyes widened, and she knew she only had one option. She rushed straight towards Catherine and tackled her just as she released a beam of concentrated plasma. The blue magic diverted upwards just inches from the machine as Mythica tackled her to the ground. With an angry grunt, Catherine kicked the demon off of her as Mythica landed on her back. She grunted and got back to her feet. Catherine than placed her hand on the ground, and it instantly began to heat up! The metal turned hot red, and then started to drip. She was melting the walkway! Mythica gritted her teeth and launched another barrage of void bolts at the woman. She let go of the ground just in time to dodge and block her assault. However, by now the damage had been done. The metal walkway began to shift. With one of its 3 supporting bridges melted away, it creaked and groaned under stress. Mythica turned back to the machine, and Lazlo... But noticed he wasn't there? Oh no! Had he fallen off?! Mythica ignored Catherine for a moment who was standing on the other side of the melted bridge as she peered over the edge to the inky blackness...

"AH!" Catherine yelped in pain. Mythica turned to look what had happened, and much to her surprise, she saw Lazlo standing there behind Catherine... A needle in his hand, and jabbed in her neck. He was beaten and bruised, but appeared he had JUST enough energy to teleport one last time while the mad scientist was distracted with Mythica... He injected some sort of surem into her bloodstream. He then fell back onto his butt again, chuckling. Catherine stood there, staring wide eyed straight ahead. "N- No.. You didn't..." She whispered before dropping to her knee, breathing heavily. The blue plasma around her palms soon began to fade and turn into gas. Mythica now knew exactly what happened. He had just administered a dose of the cure to her bloodstream. The last thing Catherine could see was Mythica leaping over the gap, and kicking her in the face.

With Catherine knocked out... Mythica finally rested. Her muscles relaxed as she took a knee, breathing heavily. Lazlo sat not far from her still chuckling. "Was waiting for a distraction... Thanks..." Mythica looked up to him with her purple eyes. "I really hope you didn't just use all you had on that woman..." She replied. Lazlo waved a hand dismissively "Nah. I wouldn't waste all I had on that nut case... After all, didn't you see? I had her right where I wanted her." He replied with a smile. Mythica said nothing, and continued to stare at him with her expressionless mask. Finally he understood what she wanted to know, even without asking. "Oh uh.. yeah, the rest of it is already in the pump. Hit the switch and it will start pumping the cure through the sewers and to the rest of the city." Mythica took a breath, standing to her feet and turning to the machine. Jumping over the gap, she walked up to it. By now, this foreign magic was starting to take a toll on the Time Wizard's body. She didn't notice it before because of the rush of battle, but now she could feel all the darkness and emotion inside her. She did not like this feeling one bit. She needed it gone. She turned the switch, and the pump came to life. Gears began to turn and steam burst from its sides... She could now feel the cure in its gas like state being released... The feeling of her magic changing once again, it caused her to feel a little bit tipsy. Until finally Mythica fell into exhaustion, letting darkness take her.

How long after, she had no idea, but Mythica awoke once again. This time in a bed within the very same hospital. She could feel the time magic flowing through her veins once again. She turned to the window, her mismatched eyes staring back at her. The city was safe for now. But her job wasn’t done just yet. She needed to track down Lazlo and give him a formal invitation to join Nightmare… Of course he did not really seem like the kind of guy that would go for that kind of deal at all, but Mythica was sure she’d be able to persuae him. After all, she was a very persuasive woman..

It didn't take long for Mythica to be allowed to leave the hospital. After which she ended up looking around the town in her normal outfit that many people wouldn't really take notice of. It consisted mostly of just a regular black dress, her hair tied into two even twin tails that hung over her shoulders, half of her hair blocking her left eye. The first thing she did when they let her out was ask about the man she had saved in the sewers, they told her his name which she already knew, and directed her to his address. Looking it over carefully, Mythica quickly found herself on the way towards a nicer part of town. Not a surprise there, the doctors in Fiore were normally very well paid.

Arriving at the townhouses she found the one with the right address and silently knocked on the door several times. It took a few minutes, but the same man she had saved in the sewers answered. He looked worse for wear, that much was for sure. He didn’t seem to react the same way she expected him too when she arrived though. Something was off about him. Not that it mattered, though. She normally had a way with words. Mythica entered on her own accord and he did not try to stop her. “Well then, what’s this about? You expecting a thank you?” He asked, sounding somewhat rude. Mythica didn’t take offense to his tone, she just admired the view of his neatly decorated house. Multiple awards and trophies lined the walls. He was very well accomplished in his field. “No.” Mythica started. “I’ve actually come to offer you something else.” He rolled his eyes. “Well, I’m afraid I won’t bite. The hospital fired me due to the incident that I technically helped cause, so now I won’t be of much use to you.” Mythica turned and faced him directly, a chilling grin on her face. “Well, lucky for you my offer consists of a new job… One that pays far better than the Rose Garden hospital.”

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