While we had fought the gold rank, on the opposite end of the compound, a war was happening. Reanimated bodies slammed into the wicker men. Wicker beasts, reanimated and not, crashed into one another like angry kaiju. Empowered by the corpse pit, the corrosive blood, and the energy of the ley line. The reanimated made for a powerful force…

  Unfortunately, they were still outnumbered. More unfortunately, when Diva ran to assist me, the invaders had pushed forward.

  As everyone focused on the gold rank, the wicker men and beasts, empowered by the shamans slowly gained ground. When the gold rank had transformed, so too had the surviving wicker men. Their bodies twisting into horrific visages of incomplete demons, with organs still hanging out or visible beating hearts.

  They tore into the corpses. They overran the wall, punching through it.

  By the time we defeated the gold rank, they had managed to not only get to the tower but kill off my soldiers and even my oni lay dead, incapable of stopping them.

  The others arrived, just in the nick of time… the nick of time to witness them breaching the front door and rush into the main hall. Just in time for them to witness them defiling the shrine, and taking the ley line.

  The moment it happened; the invaders vanished. The already lifeless world grew even more lifeless. Not even an errant breeze blew. I was outside, on the ground, unable to move for not very long before Ruth came to pick me up.

  As she helped me up to my feet, I was given a view of the demon. Even dead, there was a wide, knowing grin on their face. As if to say, he knew we would lose. That even if we beat him, we would lose.

  With Ruth helping me up and my rifle as a crutch, we managed to work our way to the compound, though, about halfway…

  “Sorry…” Ruth muttered.

  I didn’t say anything. No, this wasn’t just her mistake. This was a group mistake. I wanted to be angry, truly, I did, but… what else could I have expected? None of us were exactly the leader. We had been working together. Nor did we have a command chain.

  The moment Ruth made an executive decision, everything we had built had collapsed. She should have stayed behind. I shouldn’t have chased her, even knowing that we couldn’t lose her. Diva only added fuel to the fire, pushing me on with her magic. Terra and Faust joining in just the cherry on top.

  Together, we had beaten the gold rank. Simultaneously, we had failed.

  I should have been angry. My entire body felt horrific. But… I couldn’t even muster the energy to be mad. Perhaps, that was worse than me going off on her.

  We gathered together. None of us felt hungry, but we munched on whatever we had left. Nobody felt like cooking. That night was hell, my entire body burned and hurt, but by morning I could almost stumble about with my rifle as a crutch.

  With the event over, we packed our bags and made for the entrance. Ruth took my bag and helped me down the steps. At the bottom of which we met our driver.

  She assessed us. For the first time, lifting her head.

  “It appears you’ve failed the event.” She said, almost emotionlessly. Her eyes settled on Terra for a moment, the young woman burned but said nothing else.

  “However, admittedly, you didn’t do too terribly. Most groups fail to survive the onslaught, let alone defeat the gold rank. Not only that, but you managed to fortify the base, even re-activate the defense systems. Something not every group does, but… you did make mistakes.”

  She continued.

  “The tower defense systems aren’t just a laser of death, but there is also a purge function. Instead of a concentrated beam, it can also be used to send out a wave of fire that would have dealt significant damage to the invaders. Oh, and it does turn off…”

  We all looked to Faust. He looked at us sheepishly in turn.

  “Ah, I didn’t notice that…” He mutters, scratching at his head. None of us pressed.

  “On top of that, you should have had a pair ranging out and doing guerilla strikes to prevent the invaders from setting up defenses and rituals. As this event was timed, they would be pressed, but even in a normal invasion, you don’t want to leave the other side alone for too long. In much the same way, invaders will rarely give you time to set up.”

  We all nodded, listening to her advice. Each bit made perfect sense.

  “Overall, your teamwork was fine, up until the end. Ruth, you rushed out when you should have stayed in the base. Prima, you rushed to help her, not exactly an issue, but you had to realize you were outclassed. Also, you failed to judge how much juice your contingency needed, which is why your base fell so fast.”

  I nodded. “I’m aware, and I knew that, but we couldn’t afford to lose her and it’s not like I had another choice…”

  “Which is why what you didn’t wasn’t inherently wrong. Diva, your magic, though potent, can alter the minds of those you use it on. This can be good or bad considering the circumstances. In this instance, it was neither good nor bad. The issue was, you failed to properly assess the situation.”

  Diva shook under the woman’s attention.

  “Prima had no chance against the gold rank, and Ruth alone wasn’t enough to hold them down. You should have waited until Prima managed to peel off, or until Ruth joined the fight before using your magic to bolster their fighting spirit. Doing it when you did, had Prima literally killing herself to press an advantage she did not have.”

  Diva went quiet. Deathly quiet.

  “Terra, Faust. I realize, that by this point, you had to either choose between losing three of your fellows or securing the objective. As this is an event, neither of you made a mistake. If this were real however… it would have been better if you let them die.”

  Her words rang true.

  “With a secured ley line, the invaders would be able to directly send forces into Purgatory. Even if you can reclaim it, the damage of a direct link would still have been devastating.”

  The pair nodded with grim expressions.

  “As it is… this is an event. There are no serious drawbacks. As this is your second event, the main floor and shop should be open to you. Be sure to explore it. Once you’re in the vehicle and we’re in transit, you will arrive at the Celestial Fleece, plan accordingly. Now any last-minute questions?”

  “What were they?” Faust asked.

  “Demons, more specifically, they are a kind of tree demon. Certain worlds have tribes, these tribes’ worship demonic trees. They offer these trees sacrifices, either in the form of their own people, or captives. In exchange these trees grant their worshippers powers, as you saw. This tribe, for instance, works with the mascots to help train new magical girls, like yourselves.”

  We continued to listen, soaking it in.

  “As the trees grow and feed, they yield fruit. Consuming these fruits allow normal people to become a special demon variant. The fruits typically come in different ranks, much like coins. As they originate from trees, these demons have a heavy leaning towards blood and wood type magic, thus making them weak to holy fire specifically. Fire will work, as will holy damage, but less effectively. As a side note, the tower defenses use holy fire.”

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  That… explained quite a bit.

  “Any more questions?” She asked. Nobody spoke up. Diva and Ruth were quiet. Terra seemed to be too embarrassed to keep going and Faust seemed happy with his answer.

  “Any idea what our next event entails?” I asked to be sure.

  She looked at me for a long moment then sighed.

  “I can. Each new rabbit goes through the starting events, without question. The first event mimics an elimination. The second event is a defense mission. The final and third one will be a subjugation.”

  “Subjugation?” I asked. Everyone else seemed to perk up on that particular word.

  “Yes.”

  “What will we have to do?”

  “The event will involve conquering a shattered domain. You’ll be given choices on how you do that, the specifics of how you will be doing that will be saved for the day of the event.”

  She takes a moment to let that sink in.

  “Now, any other questions?”

  “Are you certain you can’t tell us why we’re here?”

  “Beyond the fact that you were chosen? No. I do know that when your city inaugurates a mayor, that is when you’ll come to know. Or rather, those at the top will. Whether or not they share what they know is another question. What I can say though, is, do not take this second chance for granted. Do everything you can to achieve power. Do not rest on your laurels. Events are in part created to keep our kind busy and from becoming too complacent. Am I understood?”

  We all nodded again.

  “Good, now, if you would.” She opens the door of the van. “Please enter while I pack your luggage, if you need assistance be sure to ask for it.”

  We shuffled inside. I had to get help settling inside, since my body was not happy with bending or moving in general. The chair though, was heavenly. Laying in it, I near instantly drifted off to sleep.

  Not a moment later, I found myself somewhere familiar, the casino, the Celestial Fleece.

  Only, compared to last time, everything felt muted. Off.

  All around, I saw chauffeurs being handed keys. People dressed to the nines. Inside was no different. The side shop was opening and bustling. Hazy figured moved about, making me curious who they were. None of the people I had been with appeared to be here, or maybe they were and were just shrouded in starlight. Beyond that though, where a foggy wall had been, the was the casino main floor.

  Slot machines took up the front part. The various symbols represented the mascots and their coins. With stars being the jackpot. Further back were tables, roulette, blackjack, even tables for card games.

  The place was bustling with people moving about. Shouts and hisses filled the air. A giant counter that hung above announced what the jackpot was and was still growing. And that was it… at least, for the main floor. I could look up and see there were other floors, but no way to access them. Rather, the stairs were cordoned off, with a wall of starry fog blocking the way. So, with nowhere else to go, I went back to the shop near the entrance.

  It was, the same as when I first entered. More like a gift shop than a proper shop. The limited area was empty, void of anything. I found the grimoires again, but the pricing was absurdly high, compared to what it had been, nearly ten times the amount at the very least.

  There were no traits or talents for sale. No matter where I looked or asked, apparently those were event exclusive items. Eventually, I went back and traded in my coins…

  I had earned… a lot less than expected. The wicker men were at a low rate one per ten. Same with archers. The silvers had granted a number of coins, the bronze ranks had given one, the wicker beasts ten. The gold rank, from what I could see had given me only a hundred coins.

  Apparently, only when we gave them a true death did they drop any coins, though, as the days went by, we realized they could only recover to a certain extent. Even then, I really did have a lot less than I thought I would. A little over a hundred was the total tally. It didn’t help that they did a lot to reduce their own numbers… Nowhere near enough to even buy the cheapest grimoire. The general occult knowledge grimoire was now a whopping ten times more form its initial worth… With it being the biggest priced item of the lot too… Next to knowledge on alchemy.

  I did notice one new addition though, beside the set of stairs leading up was a single sign, announcing what was a casino membership card. Selling for an absurd amount of coins, it would grant me access to the second level. Whatever that meant. Along with other benefits, not that they were listed out…

  Though, seeing as how everything cost sheep coins, I had to wonder if perhaps the sheep coins had a purpose, like the other coins.

  Sighing, I just chose to exchange all my coins for cash and bronze. Doubling down on fixing my financial needs. I would likely need it soon enough. With everything done, I left the casino…

  I was awakened by the morning sun beaming through the tinted windows. Just enough to force me awake without blinding me. We drove into the city, we passed by the bus stop, the last stop. The others looked dazed or were dozing as well, only to slowly awaken as we entered the city. Once we arrived at the bus stop, we bid our final farewells.

  Only…

  “Can I get some help?” My body was solid. It didn’t want to move. Ruth and Terra both helped me out and even guided me towards the hospital. Once inside, I was placed on a gurney and taken to an office, where I met a familiar face.

  Dressed as conspicuously as last time, was my doctor. Whose name I had not gotten.

  “Well, a pleasure to meet you again Prima. I can see you had an eventful second event.”

  In lieu of a response, I just grunted. Just that movement from the bus stop to the hospital had me coated in cold sweat and feeling like I was ready to just fall over and die.

  “Admittedly, the damage to your body is quite severe. Multiple muscle tears, torn ligaments, and snapped tendons. Followed by the countless fractures in your bones, the lacerations throughout your organs. It’s bad. If you had been a normal human and came here like this, you’d likely be stuck in bed for at least a year. Multiple surgeries would need to be done to fix the numerous breaks and that’s just the beginning of it.”

  She continued to rattle on all the medical details, while marking something down on her clipboard.

  “Luckily, you’re not a normal human, but a magical girl. Even without healing, after a good day’s rest, you’ll be able to move around without too much aid, maybe a crutch. It would feel like you were moving around with razors lying under your skin, but you could. A few months down the line, you’d be completely recovered, with absolutely no permanent sequela.”

  She made a final mark on her billboard before setting it down.

  “Even better, you have me. So, let me get to work.”

  She put her hands on my body and immediately I felt soothing warmth throughout me. As she worked, she continued speaking.

  “You have a lot of ice bolstering your bones and keeping your organs together. As a future reference, if you ever get this injured avoid alcohol or hot baths, at least until you can find a healer.”

  “What would happen if I didn’t avoid alcohol or if I took a hot bath?”

  “The ice would melt, you’d probably bleed out, not enough to die, but your lungs would fill with blood and that would kill you through drowning.”

  She said almost offhandedly, sending chills down my spine.

  “I’m curious to know how you did this much damage.”

  “Ah, you know, trying to pole dance while using my ice.” I went ahead and explained the fight, she let out a tut.

  “Huh, that’s a rather interesting usage. Normally ice users can be pretty stiff, so I’m curious to see if that changes with you. I suggest you limber up before giving this another go.”

  “You don’t need to tell me that.”

  “I figured not. Most people would be blacking out from the pain by now, but really, rabbits are of a whole other breed.”

  “I can imagine…” I muttered, thinking of the rabbits I knew, including myself, every one of them was tough. From Amanda who managed to heal herself after getting her throat ripped out. To Ruth, who had powered through multiple broken bones while fighting the demon, or the wicker chief.

  As she worked, I looked up at her. Her fangs, her pointed ears. Maybe it was delirium speaking, the sudden rush of pleasure from having my pain worked away, but…

  “Say, are you a mistake as well?” She winced. Something inside me, suddenly pulsed wrongly, but before it could cause issues, it was smoothed out.

  “Not a polite thing to say, calling me a mistake.” She said, slightly exasperated.

  “No, well… I…” I told her about the alraune and the gardener. And what I was told about the succubi, vampires.

  “Mm, I can see why you have questions. Indeed, I am a mistake, specifically I am a vampire and the director of this hospital.”

  I stared blankly at her. I mean, I was told, but hearing it straight from the horse’s mouth, so to speak, was a whole other issue. And she was the director!?

  “What didn’t expect me to be a big shot?” She said with a laugh. “I suppose having a director of a hospital looking after you can be weird, but… I can’t imagine being stuck in an office all day, not when I can help newcomers out like yourself.”

  She went quiet for a moment, as if pondering something.

  “I don’t know if you could imagine, you rabbits tend to have rough times before arriving, that I know, but mistakes have a rough time here as well. We’re essentially abandoned on arrival, left to fend for ourselves. On average, we are stronger, but in exchange we don’t have the same safety net you all have. I’ve heard some cities even put bounties on mistakes, since their worth gold coins and because they tend to cause issues…”

  She trails off…

  “But what can you do? Even if this city doesn’t hunt us down, we still have Tartarus if need be. It’s just how it is…” She muttered and took her hands off me.

  “Now, you look good and ready, so make sure to stop by and get some blood drawn and have a wonderful day!”

  She practically shoved me out of the door. A quick test showed that yes, I was fit and ready. That she had done a good job. Also… it occurred to me, that I still hadn’t got her name. With a shrug, I went off to get my blood drawn, which I now knew was my payment for services rendered.

  With all that done… I was now stuck on what to do next.

  With a sigh, I headed home. It was morning, but already snow was beginning to fall. It was November now. Marking the fourth month since I had arrived in this city. A shiver went down my spine as the temperature dropped. I found no relief in my room. It was frigid.

  Money in hand, and with a change of clothes I made my way out. Snow had begun to accumulate, and it was downright freezing. With a shiver, and a groan I slowly, but surely, I made my way towards the mall to prep for the coming winter. Including, finally, a heater.

  By the time I arrived home, it was about time for a bath, and bed…

  Then… tomorrow arrived…