glitchdoka episode 3

"Hey, Dane," Sora greeted his friend with a grin, stepping into the hospital room. "How's it going?"

"Not bad," Dane replied with a shrug. One of his arms was bandaged, lying useless at his side.

They talked for a while, and then Sora reached into his bag, pulling out the CD he'd brought.

Dane smiled. "Oh man, you seriously found it?!"

"I said I would, bro. I keep my promises!" Sora flashed a thumbs-up at his friend, and smiled back.

"Let's listen to it right now!"

"Sure thing," Sora said. He let Dane set up the CD player, and took one of the earbuds he was offered. The two of them had to lean close to listen to the music properly, but they didn't mind. They were friends, after all.

Sora focused on the music for a while, but when he looked over at Dane, he noticed he was crying. He let the song finish, and then took out the earbud. "I'll be around later, alright, buddy?"

"... yeah."

Sora picked up his stuff and left Dane to his thoughts.



Cody slashed his paints at the eldritch creature, and it dissipated along with its barrier. As the terrible scene faded and Cody dismissed his blue suit, Sora called out,

"Cody, that was awesome!"

"Heh, thanks. But I'm not just putting on a show." Cody hopped down from the lamp post he'd been balancing on, effortlessly. "This is serious stuff here. You've gotta remember just how fecking dangerous these things are."

"Got it!"

"But isn't there supposed to be a Grief Seed?" Dani asked.

"Not this time, meow!" Mila hugged Dani's midsection and smiled up at her. "'Cause that was just a Familiar, not a Witch. They don't have Grief Seeds!"

"So the Witches are getting away...?"

"Yeah, but I can't let the Familiars just run around. For one, they'll hurt people just like Witches do. For another, leave them be and they'll just turn into the Witch they came from."

As the trio walked back, Cody asked, "You two decided what you're gonna wish for yet?"

Sora looked up at the night sky, sighing. "Nope. How about you, Dani?"

"I don't really know... say, Cody, what was your wish?"

Cody came to a sudden stop.

"Er..." Dani quickly added, "you don't gotta tell us!"

He shrugged.

"... let's just say I never got to take me choice. I got no regrets, but if I could choose? I'd spend some time thinking about it."

The three of them were silent for a moment, and then Sora spoke up.

"Hey, Cody. Can we make a wish for someone else?"

"Eh?"

"I just know someone who could use a miracle. Can I use my wish for them?"

Mila looked up at him, innocently. "You mean Dane?"

"How'd you know about him?!"

"I'm innocent, meow! But no, the contractee doesn't have to benefit from the wish. You wouldn't be the first to do it, either."

"But that story's pretty sad," Cody went on. He looked at Sora, his expression serious. "You sure you want his dream to come true? Then you've gotta be clear as crystal. And you'll wanna be sure whether it's his dream you want to make true, or yours."

"Cody..." Dani started, but he talked over her.

"Depending on what you want, those two things are pretty fecking different."

Sora frowned. "Yeah, well, what's it to you?"

"I don't want you being disappointed, s'all." Cody shrugged. "You'll regret it if you make the wrong wish."

"... maybe you're right."

"It's pretty much a lifetime decision. Don't feel bad about not bein' able to make it easily."

"But I want your wishes as soon as possible, meow!" Mila chimed in, smiling.

"That's no good," Cody flicked Mila's forehead with a finger. "You can't be impatient, Mila. Be a good girl and wait for them."

"Okaaay!"


Later, Dani laid on her bed, looking up at the ceiling. "This is a toughie..."

"I can't give you suggestions, it's against the rules!" Mila piped up, sitting in one of Dani's many chairs.

"I guess I can't just want to become something..."

"Do you want to be powerful, meow?"

"No, no. It's just... I can never settle on one hobby. I'm always wandering from interest to interest. I've never really found anything I can settle on. If  I could be devoted like Cody is, that'd really be something, wouldn't it?"

"You'd be much more powerful than Cody as a Puella Magi!"

"Huh?"

"Depending on what you wish for, of course! But you'd make a huuuge Soul Gem, meow. You're more talented than anyone I've ever met!"

"Someone like me, that powerful? Ahaha..."

Dani laid back, shaking her head.



Cody strode towards the fountain, only to pause when he heard footsteps behind him.

"Don't you fuckin' get it?" Kris asked. "You're getting these innocent motherfuckers involved in this. It's your fault!"

"They were chosen," Cody shrugged, turning towards her. "So they're already involved."

"You're the one helping them become Puella Magi. What the hell do you have to say for yourself?"

"Interesting how worried you are."

"They'll just cause problems, don't you get it? That Dani Martin especially."

Cody smiled.

"So you've got an eye on her, too. She's talented, ain't she?"

"I'm not gonna let her make a contract. If you get in my way, I'll fuckin' gut you."

"You think someone more powerful than you will cause problems, huh? You're hopeless."

"Listen, you asshole, I don't want to fight you."

"Then let's not meet again, yeah?"

Cody turned and walked away. Kris grit her teeth, looking up at the sky, but didn't say another word.




Sora walked out of the elevator, sighing as he met up with Dani.

"Sorry I kept you waiting."

"Huh? Weren't you gonna go see Dane?"

"He's not doin' too good," Sora shook his head. "It's too bad. Let's head back, okay?"

As they walked out, something caught Dani's eye. She stopped, staring at the wall beyond the bike rack. Sora paused and looked back.

"What's wrong?"

"Look there..." Dani pointed to a strange sphere in the wall. Mila gasped.

"A Grief Seed! It's going to make a barrier, meow!"

"No way..! Not here, of all places!"

"We've got to run away!" Mila tugged at Dani's skirt. But Sora paused, looking at the seed.

"... there'll be a maze again, won't there? Dani, you should call up Cody. He'll be able to handle this."

"I don't have his number..."

"Damn," Sora frowned. He paused for a moment, and then nodded, resolute. "Dani, you've gotta go get Cody. I'm gonna stay here and keep an eye on the Grief Seed."

"No way!" Mila cried. "You won't be able to get out once the barrier forms! What if Cody can't get here in time to save you?"

"But if there's a maze," Sora said, "it'll be hard to find the Witch. I'm not gonna let this thing just terrorise the hospital. My friend's in there!"

Mila scurried over to Sora's side, hugging his midsection. "I'll stay with you! When Cody gets here, he can use telepathy to find me! I'll guide him through the barrier."

"Thanks, Mila," Sora patted her head.

Dani nodded, dropping her bag. "Then I'll go get Cody!"

She ran as fast as she could, suddenly glad for all the practice she got running after Krypto. Sora watched as the Grief Seed glowed -- and then he and Mila disappeared as the barrier formed.

He took Mila's hand as they walked through the Witch's maze. Bones scattered across the landscape, making pathways and walls, and the stink of flesh pervaded the air. Finned serpents swam through the air, seemingly ignoring the pair.

"Are you scared?" Mila asked, in her innocent voice.

"Well... yeah."

"Pick a wish, and I'll make you into a magical boy, meow!"

Sora gulped. "If I really have to, I will. Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you, Mila. I won't let anything happen to anyone."

They strode up to a cage of bones, shielding the Witch's Egg. "But," Sora went on, "I can't just make that wish lightly. So I won't do it unless I absolutely must."


Dani and Cody ran towards the hospital. Dani led him to the place where the Grief Seed was, and Cody revealed a barrier. He spoke telepathically to Mila, "I'm here. What's going on?"

"It's not hatching yet, meow," Mila thought to him. "We should be okay!"

Dani took advantage of the telepathy to say, "Are you okay, Sora?!"

"I'm doing just great! No need to worry about me."

"Don't use any strong magic," Mila warned them. "It'll wake up the witch faster. So come in quietly, okay?"

"Okay," Cody replied. He and Dani stepped through the barrier.

They walked through a hall of bones and flesh, with something pulsing between the seams.

"Geez. Me heart near stopped when I heard what you two pulled, but I reckon you've done right this time."

"Sorry, Cody..."

Cody turned to reassure her, and saw Kris following them. Dani turned when she saw the change in his expression.

"Didn't I tell you we shouldn't meet again?" Cody asked, fixing his eyes on her.

"This is my hunt. Fuck off."

"Nope. Sora and Mila are in there, we've gotta make sure they're okay."

"I'll take care of them."

"Take care of them, huh? Yeah, right. Me, I don't trust you." Cody took his brush and painted a thick line which wrapped around Kris, knotting around her and attaching itself to nearby bones.

"You fucking moron! Is this your idea of a good plan?!"

"I'm not trying to hurt you, but keep on like this and you're gonna get hurt."

"This witch isn't like the ones you've fought before you fucking IDIOTS! Just listen to me! It's more than you can handle!"

"Be good, Kris. We'll let you go when we're done. Let's go, Dani."

Dani hesitated, looking up at Kris. Kris looked back at her, with an expression which almost seemed desperate under her anger. But after a moment, she complied.

"Okay..."

Dani and Cody snuck through the Witch's barrier. Cody pushed aside a loose bone once some sea serpents had swum through the air and past them. They went down the hall, and paused at a door which glowed with a soft green light.

Cody opened it and peered inside. This room had no bones -- instead, it was teeming with green leaves, a room full of life. Cody led Dani by the hand as they walked through.

"Hey, Cody..."

"Yeah?"

"I've thought of a lot of wishes since Mila came to me."

"You ready to decide?"

"Yeah. But I don't think you'll like what I chose..."

"Try me. What's your dream?"

"I can't ever focus on one thing, not really. I'd like to be able to choose something and be really good at it! But I just kept skipping from subject to subject..."

"Yeah?"

"But your devotion to fighting Witches is amazing. You save people, Cody. And you said that I can save people, too! That's just... I really liked hearing that."

"Heh, you're welcome."

"So I think that to fulfill my dream, all I need to do is become a magical girl! I can focus on saving others, I know I can. And I'll be proud of myself! That's my dream!"

"It's not easy." Cory kept walking as he spoke. "You don't get any time off. You'll get hurt, too."

"But you're still trying so hard, Cody! I want to be like you!"

Cody stopped in his tracks, gritting his teeth.

"... no you don't."

"But..."

"I'm just playing it cool. Me feelings don't factor into it, because no one understands. I'm alone, don't you get it? And if you become a Puella Magi, you'll be alone, too."

"No, that's not right."

"Isn't it?"

Dani's voice was determined. "No, it isn't! You're not alone now, because I'll fight with you! I'm your friend, after all!"

Cody turned to her, his expression conflicted. "You really wanna do that?"

"That's right!"

"Fecking... damn..." Cody smiled, waveringly. "I guess I'm not your mentor any more, huh?"

"Hehe, I guess not!"

"But you can't just waste this opportunity. You've gotta think careful about that wish of yours."

"A contract's a contract, and you've gotta get some benefit from it. You can have whatever you want!"

"I don't really know..."

"Hey, I know. If you can't pick a wish by the time this Witch is dead, let's wish for a huge cake!"

"A cake?!"

"Yeah, to celebrate! We'll celebrate becoming a Puella Magi team!"

"Can I really become a magical girl for cake..?!"

"If you don't like it, think up a wish yourself!"

Suddenly, Mila's voice cut into Cody's head.

"Cody! It's hatching! Hurry!"

"Got it!" Cody transformed, and painted a protective cage for Dani before leaping into battle. He fought like a man possessed, because he knew he wouldn't be alone in his battles.

They burst into the Witch's chamber, a green, lush paradise. Sora waved them over behind a huge leaf, and they ran to him.

"You got here just in time!" Mila chirped. "And now it's coming..."

A shadow descended on the greenery. Cody stepped forward, his brush at the ready.

"I'm not even gonna give you a chance!"

He slashed at the air, painting thick streaks which lashed out at the shadow. It was flung from one side of the room to the other by his powerful strikes, and Sora pumped a fist in the air.

"Yeah! Go get him!"

Cody painted a thin streak in the air, and it wrapped around the shadow, slicing it in half.

Blood seeped from it. It collected on the ground and rose up, a hideous maggot of a thing which rose above Cody. Before he could react, it opened its fowl maw, and bit his head off at the neck.

"No--", Dani breathed as Cody's blue suit dissipated. He fell to the ground, headless, and the blood maggot descended to feast upon his corpse.

Sora and Dani watched, horrified.

"You two! You've gotta make your wishes quickly! Before it finishes--!"

Sora and Dani held onto each other, terrified.

"Hurry! Make the contract!"

"How about fuck you."

Kris leapt down onto the scene, bearing no hint of the paint which had once kept her bound. She stared at the maggot.

"This is /my/ hunt."

The maggot surged forward, biting at her -- and she leapt back. She jumped from leaf to leaf as the monster tried to swallow her. As she leapt backwards, she fired bullets into its mouth, large calibers meant for hunting huge prey. Blood poured out of blood, duplicating the creature again and again -- and Kris shot it, again and again. Finally, there was no more blood for the creature to bleed.

As the monster faded, Kris strode towards the two of them, her clothes shimmering and turning back to normal.

"You two are fucking lucky. Remember this, because this is the prize we Puella Magi win. It's a shitty prize, so don't even try."

The barrier faded around them, leaving them back at the hospital. Dani felt as if she were near tears, and Sora put a hand on her shoulder.

As Kris went to pick up the Grief Seed, Sora glared at her.

"Give that back. That's Cody's Grief Seed, damn you!"

"This is Puella Magi business. Don't get involved. You don't have the fucking right."

Kris walked away. Mila smiled as Sora curled his hands into fists and Dani cried.