Veena stands tall before the shattering sparks ripping across the sky over Lady Syraleth's mansion. Her cloak billows in the wind as she raises her hands up toward the energy dome surrounding the estate.
Pulsing, violet magic erupts from her glowing horns as she presses her palms against the barrier. Sparking surges of demonic magic ripple like a storm from the dome, pushing back against her touch.
She strains and winces, but holds her ground. "It's strong!" she grunts. "But not strong enough!"
The barrier fluctuates with a pulse of light before shattering like glass, raining down faint in glimmering shards.
"Nice!" Vuvi yells, cocking her Boombuster. "Lead the way, Princess Inferno."
Veena's shoulders shoot up. "P-Princess?"
"What? Too proper for pet names? Ugh. Lead the way... Veeeeeena." Vuvi groans mockingly.
The trio slip into the estate under cover of darkness.
Veena leads ahead, her glowing horns shedding sparks of violet light with every step.
Vuvi flanks her, Boombuster held up to her chin as she carefully scans their surroundings, inspecting every shadow they pass.
Penelo trails behind, trembling terribly as she struggles to contain her fears, gripping her tiny dagger tightly with both paws as if it might grow stronger if she believes hard enough.
The mansion looms larger with every step they take as they approach, its windows vibrating with flashes of red and violet light.
But before they could reach the grand entrance doors, Penelo falters.
She gasps then slumps to the ground, her legs quivering as she struggles under the crushing pressure of Sylareth's dark magic.
"Penelo?!" Vuvi yelps, turning mid-step to rush back to her bunny-kin companion.
"I... I feel sick." Penelo groans, her face pale and glistening with sweat as she trembles on the floor. "It feels like this place… like it's buzzing through my bones."
Veena kneels down beside her, placing her hand between her ears. "The baroness' magic is overwhelming you. I'm sorry, Penny, but you're not strong enough to go—"
"Noooo!" Penelo wails. "I want to help Pip too! Pleeeease!"
"Calm your carrots, Fluff!" Vuvi rasps as she shuffles through her bag. "I've got something here that'll help."
She pulls out a small, squat vial filled with a shimmering pink liquid and topped with a red stopper. "Here, drink this."
"What is it?" Penelo asks as she takes the vial into her paw, inspecting it closely.
"Magical resistance booster." Vuvi smirks. "My mother made it. Best in the kingdom!"
Penelo downs the liquid without hesitation.
She blinks.
Blinks again.
Then she blushes like a ripe tomato.
"Oooooh." she moans, her eyes twirling in their sockets. "That's… niiiiice."
Vuvi tilts her head as Penelo rubs her paws over her own body, gushing about her plushiness.
"Hmmm… must be a side-effect." she murmurs under her breath.
She drags a stumbling Penelo to her feet, and the trio march forward.
As they reach the crumbling steps leading to the entrance, they are stopped by the sounds of crushing stone and distorted roars.
Two massive gargoyles leap from the facade above them, their stone wings cracking through the air as they land with thunderous booms.
The ground shakes and the monsters snarl, their red eyes blazing as they stalk towards the three women.
Penelo sways from side to side, staring at the gargoyles dreamily. "Oh… those big, handsome statues are moving!" she giggles. "They look so angry. I should hug them."
"Ugh… she's out of it." Vuvi groans.
"Penelo, just stay back!" Veena barks as violet sparks erupt from her hands. "Vuvi, right one's yours, I'll take left!"
Veena vanishes in a blink of smoke and shadow, reappearing above the first gargoyle an instant later. With a wailing war cry and her fist flaring with demonic magic, she hits her target in the head with explosive force, sending fracturing cracks through its body.
She spirals through the air, hits the ground in a perfect three-point landing, and then flicks her arm forward in an arc, launching three bolts of dark arcane energy that blast through the creature's ribs.
The gargoyle's pained roars rumble through the ground.
"That tickles!" Penelo giggles as she lay splayed out on a patch of grass, staring up at the sky with a dopey grin.
Veena teleports again, vanishing in a flash of violet light and reappearing behind her target. She hits it with a flurry of magic-powered blows, blasting into its back, tearing through wings and stony flesh. She finishes with a winding kick, flinging the monster with full-force across the cobbled path and into the steps at the mansion entrance, where it explodes it into chunks of cursed rock.
Meanwhile, Vuvi weaves around the grass lining the entrance pathway as she dodges the other gargoyle's attacks.
It lunges at her, but she swiftly rolls out of the way, sliding through the damp grass as she lifts onto a knee, flicks her Boombuster around her waist, and fires off a round of explosive magic-shot.
The projectile hits the gargoyle's shoulder, blowing its arm clean off.
The monster shrieks, and in a fit of fury, it streaks towards her, claws bared. It slashes, knocking her across the lawn.
She yells out in pain as she rolls through a hedge and skids to a halt, groaning as blood drips down her chest.
"Bastard got my boobs!" she yells out as she looks at her carved breasts.
"Vuuviiiii!" Penelo cries, jumping to her feet and sprinting toward her injured friend. But she quickly trips into a patch of flowers and begins rolling around, moaning about how soft and fragrant they are.
As the gargoyle barrels across the grass towards her, Vuvi stumbles to her feet while loading another round into her weapon with trembling, blood-stained hands.
"Nobody touches my tits and gets away with it!" she snarls.
She grabs two alchemical bombs from her belt and flings it. The first hit blasts holes through the gargoyle's wings while the second blows off its lower jaw.
It tumbles through the grass, screaming to a halt in front of Vuvi.
As it staggers to its feet, Vuvi runs up, slides between its knees, presses her Boombuster up to its stony crotch and pulls the trigger while grinning like a murderous gremlin.
"Bottoms up!"
Click.
Boom.
The blast launches it into the air, shattering it into a million pieces and raining down a cloud of dust and debris on a giggling red-head.
While the dust settles around her, Vuvi is knocked off her feet as Penelo tackles her with a hug. "You were amazing! You just exploded his… his gargoyle eggs!"
"Oooouch!" Vuvi cries, grabbing at her chest. "Focus, Penelo! You can't just—"
She freezes as she stares at Penelo.
The bunny-girl smiles cheerily, cheeks red, eyes half lidded and humming to herself as her whole body radiates with warmth and twitchy energy.
Vuvi gasps then rummages wildly through her bag, pulling out another squat vial filled with pink liquid… except the stopper was black.
"Oh no!" she mutters. "Eyes dilated, ears erect, body flushed," Vuvi says as she studies the bunny-kin's figure. "Oh no! No no no! I gave you the wrong vial."
"Aaah, nice work, Blackthorn.' Veena snickers as she appears beside them. "Libido booster?"
"Libido booster." Vuvi groans.
"Do you have more?" Penelo giggles.
"Ugh, you have to stay focused! We need to find Pip."
Penelo suddenly leans forward, staring intently at the gash across Vuvi's chest. "You're hurt." she frowns.
"I'm fine." Vuvi grunts. "We need to go!"
Penelo gently places her paws on Vuvi's breasts.
"W-What are you doing? I said I'm—"
"Shh." Veena interrupts, placing her hand on Vuvi's shoulder.
A soft, shimmering, pink light begins to glow from Penelo's paws, seeping into the wound on Vuvi's chest which slowly fades away beneath waves of healing magic.
"W-What?!" Vuvi blinks.
"She's done it before." Veena explains as she watches. "Saved my life a few times. She's got her uses."
Penelo grins. "I just touch things… and sometimes… they get better."
"Great! I'll put it on a business card." Vuvi chuckles. "Now let's go get Pip!"