Jen the slug girl looked at her opponent in confusion.
She wasn't sure how long they had been playing. It seemed that every thing she did cascaded down... small things became big... ripples in the past, changing the future... her own personal history was at stake. Normally it wouldn't matter, but she was the one who changed the entire universe. She was the reason everything is as it is... or was she? Will she be afterwards?
How was this judgement...
The being cloaked in shadow had stopped suddenly... It was not moving. Then there was that strange ticking sound... getting loader until it was a roar in the abyss- and it too stopped in eerie silence. Finally the shadowy being spoke. "..Forgive me Jen, this game has taken quite a nasty turn."
"What happened?" Jen's alarm clock- the same one from her normal room appeared on the table... and it was broken. A single crack, across it's glass face. Time had stopped at midnight. The slug girl looked at it in confusion. "What does that mean?"
"I can't say," said the shadow. "However it seems our game is now the only thing with a definite start, middle and .. hopefully an end... the universe is in flux."
Jen bit her lip. "If I win.. and finish the game... does that mean time will end as well?"
The ticking sound was emphasised as he moved a piece. "If the flow of time was not restored at the end of the game.. that would be the natural conclusion... yes."
Jen grimaced. She could not win... or lose. At least until the game situation improves. She would have to go for a stalemate. But if she did this.. would her opponent do the same?
The faintest flicker of a smile was shown on the shadow's features...
Inside a ramshackled cabin, two men looked over the strange glowing tokens that passed as coin in this world. They passed it between themselves into two even piles on a wooden table. Their newly acquired 'pet' squirrel was sitting on the table, watching them with large eyes.
"So any of those any good?" Asked Cliff's father to 'Hunt'.
The bearded man nodded. "They will do," he said as he placed one of the tokens into his gun.
As the 'token' made contact with the weapon It changed into a bullet with a strange flash of light making Lilly's eyes widen at the display of magic. Cliff's father did the same, and by this strange ritual they were armed once more. Some of the tokens refused to turn into bullets much to their frustration falling into a pile at the bottom of the table, discarded as useless. Lilly found herself drawn to those tokens... what was the nature of the magic in this world? These tokens coins... strange discs made of so many colours... She sniffed at them on the table, as her senses seemed to tell her it was not just magic... these were something far more precious then that... they were closely related to Earth. She wasn't sure how she knew, but it was very clear in her mind. The magic... it used Earth as an 'origin'. Everything on this plane was about Earth... her history, her future... the transformations... where exactly where they?
There was the click of a gun being cocked. "Time to practice on the squirrel then," grinned Cliff's father.
Lilly jumped away as Hunt pushed Cliff away angrily. "Don't be an idiot Leonard! We can't waste bullets until we get out of this crazy world! We're lucky we even figured out these things turn into ammunition." Besides.. there was something about the squirrel... he stared at it.
Lilly panted, staring quietly at Hunt back... sending a few choice clicks at him. 'You're magic girl four,' she said softly. 'You're Jenny...' Why was she her old self? When did this happen in her life? What was she supposed to do?
then there was a knock at the door.
Hunt and Leonard paused. What would.. who would possibly knock at a cabin in the middle of the woods? Possibly the original owner? It did look abandoned... still.. they had to be careful. There were all kinds of crazy things here. Hunt nodded as Leonard went to the corner, armed and gestured to Hunt to open the door. If there were any surprises... there would be a surprise back.
Hunt's expression was confusion... as he gestured to Leonard to lower the weapon. " Can I help you?" he said as the young woman in front of him a little surreality.
Lilly blinked and face-pawed. "Oh... God... no..." This just got a whole -lot- more complicated.
The white haired woman smiled pleasantly. She looked... quite ordinary. She was about sixteen years old.
"Hello... I'm Jenny. I'm looking for a friend of mine... a squirrel?"
Cliff was not enjoying being a little cat-girl at all. If she had to be one, couldn't she have been one of those bigger ones? Why this type! She was short.. cute.. and freaking 'adorable'. With her big ears, long tail... dressed as an adventurer might with leather clothes and a leaf styled cloak. What was worse, they were now in a dungeon where... at least one person, always died when they played it. Esme however, was taking on the challenge with earnest. That was Cliff's character... she made her that way. To be bold cocky and... everything else she was not. They had negotiated a number of traps with relative ease but there were so many of them.
Cliff tried to remember a few of them... The DM was merciless when he played it... the way the dice rolled...
Esme took one step into the corridor, and a dart suddenly flew out.
Cliff jumped at her placing her on the ground. Was it her imagination or was there a drop of blood in the air? "Are- are you alright?" She said looking to her 'twin'.
"Oh yeah... don't worry sis it totally missed me" she smiled.
Cliff sighed. "Thank goodness. I thought... those were poisonous." But Esme was really quite strong indeed.
The cat-girl brushed down her clothes. "So, the main chamber up ahead. That must be where the real magic girl six is."
Bryan and Leslie were just behind them as they worked on the traps. Though Leslie had proven he could handle himself, he felt it best to stay look out to the young 'fake' magic girl six.
Leslie however was looking at the various pictures on the walls. Equations were littered everywhere... he had no idea quite what they all meant, but a physicist might. He did however recognise one particular equation that seemed to be on every stone. "Negative One over Twelve," he mused. That was a very important equation to the universe wasn't it? He stared at that equation as he thought of the Numbers. "Twelve... Magic Girls One, Two, Three, Four and Six... Factors of twelve... Two Sixes... Two of the same numbers..." His eyes widened. "Oh God... this is all about dimensions."
"Dimensions?" Asked Bryan. Leslie must have realised something about the numbers...
The elderly biologist nodded. "Each magic girl... I think represents a different dimension of existence. Their powers always seemed to draw on the shape that their personal number would draw on. So.. One was a singularity. That's why she... or he was a fusion of two humans. Number Two... two points drawn as a line. Two dimensional. Magic Girl three was themed in triangles. Three points that could create sharpened edges in reality- and her power seemed to encompass our three dimensional world. Magic girl Four was... a door. A portal. She is access to the fourth dimension... the one beyond our world I think" It was perhaps a gross over simplification but... that seemed to be the origin of the magics of the numbers. If only he could talk to his physicist friends for more information! This was... this was important.
"So what about six?" Asked Bryan.
"Well... I can't be exact but... Six is the first that has rotational asymmetry on a dice. You can't rotate two, three, or four points so that they looked different... but you can with Six. So... two sixes in theory 'can' exist..."
As they entered the main chamber, they saw what seemed to be strange light. Within it, was a woman. A voice started to emanate from the chamber.
"Two magic Girl Sixes can exist... but the Set of Numbers is in disarray. All of creation is unravelling..." A little Bee woman fluttered into view. "I'm Hex... I'm the companion of Magic Girl Six," she said.
"I- I have an animal companion now?" Asked Bryan surprised as she looked at her.
" No.. I'm the companion of magic girl six. You're not really Six dear, sorry." The bee person looked apologetically. "She's the real magic girl six- and... until we fix this mess, please do not make any physical contact with her. That machine has caused enough universal problems."
The bright light increased as a girl seemed to appear from the fountain of light... Her appearance seemed to cause a small earthquake as magic Girl Six appeared before them.
