"Each artifact has its own thing going, pretty much."

"Neat. And you really think these concepts can stack up to an Endbringer?"

"I'm hoping they can – especially if we get lucky with your artifact and there's an exponential combo with mine or Ereshkigal's."

"Is there a way to tell in advance?"

She shakes her head. "It's impossible to know for sure if you'll even bond an artifact – they can get picky. There's... Rhythms? You can pick up once you've got experience, like I'd peg you for a magical girl shape with fire-themed powers, but I'm wrong plenty often – I'd thought Ereshkigal would get a monster shape, maybe something with lightning."

"I also only have specific artifacts – there's a few I don't know at all, a few I only know by name, and a few I've just heard rumors about. But, most of them I actually know, so there's kinda... A limit to surprises?"

"Do you think I would still be able to use my power with an artifact?"

"Don't really see why not? If it's something about your physical body, that might get disrupted while you're transformed, but it's possible to use the magic without transforming. And some capes have powers despite not being made of biology."

"Right..."

"Um. I want to help. If I can. I'll take one of your artifacts if you give me one."

"Sweet, thanks." She reaches under her bed to pull out her little box of artifacts, opening it and then holding it out. "My stash is in here – see if any speak to you?"

"Let's see what you've got." Rummage rummage rummage.

Really wide variety of assorted trinkets! About a third of them are clearly animal-themed or vaguely monstrous (there's at least two dragons, what's either a weird bird or some kind of two-legged dinosaur, snakes, various birds, various mammals, an unsettling ball of tentacles, a few disembodied body parts like a hand or eye or heart...), the rest are flowers or varyingly abstract – some smooth flowing waves or swirls with blue sparkles, two different flame designs, some colorfully geometric shape, a few music symbols... They shine oddly in the light, a strange presence to them.

She likes the look of this orangey-yellow star-shaped one with the sparklies!

"It suits you!"

"Now, put it on and focus on it – there should be an intuitive mental action after that to transform."

She clips it on to the front of her shirt. Intuitive mental action, intuitive mental action... Oh, there it is. It feels like diving into a warm bath, except the bath is fire.

Daniella is enveloped in a glowing golden light.

And when it recedes, she is changed. Her outfit has transformed to light silky cloth, an orange bustier tied together across the middle with two flowing tails on either side and a long golden skirt that starts nearly see-through at her heels and only barely manages to fade into modesty by the time it gets to her waist, with a pair of soft comfortable slippers. On her head she has a bejeweled tiara, and a short ruffled cape tied with two ribbons at her shoulders. The star gem is now mounted at her chest, and emanates a continuous stream of little sparklies that bathe her whole body.

"The Radiant Sunstone Princess! That's a damn good match."

Giggle! "Oh, I love the name. Thank you!"

Giggle! "I didn't pick it, it's just an artifact I recognize."

"Most meguca also choose an individual name to go with their artifact – mine's Decima, and then Ereshkigal's my partner's."