The Maid and Her Princess - Chapter 49: Chapter 49

"This is a bow," Audrey pulled the weapon out of the storage portal. Madoka watched in horror as the princess stretched the string out after putting in a considerable amount of effort. "You nock an arrow-"
"Yes I know what a bow is, Audrey," Madoka snatched the weapon from her. She was worried that Audrey would injure herself with it somehow. More importantly, she was crabby from traveling so far and not having much to eat.
"Okay, but like," Audrey tried to explain but gave up and took arrows from the portal. "It's a heavy weapon. Nothing helping you draw, no compound mechanisms or anything. Are you sure?"
"Shut it. Just tell me where to shoot."
"Okay, uhh," Audrey scanned the forest. Madoka breathed in her first technique and nocked the arrow. "There's one over there! About a football field away, er, like one hundred meters that way."
Madoka heard the deer's thoughts and silently asked for forgiveness before firing the arrow. It hissed through the air with its quiet song of death, only pushing aside the branches as gently as the breeze. The deer's thoughts ceased abruptly a moment later.
"I got it," Madoka said firmly, although she wanted to breakdown. She understood what was at stake if they do not hunt.
"What?"
"Let's go," Madoka tossed the arrows and bow into the portal before strutting towards her felled target.
"Are you certain? Madoka!" Audrey chased after her. "Wait for me!"
The two stood over the corpse a moment later.
"Bullseye," Audrey gawked. Madoka yanked the arrow outside of her game's head. The projectile was still usable although it was covered in odorous matter. "This deer has six eyes. How creepy."
"Creepy?" Madoka looked at the dead creature's wide eyes. They were frozen in its final moment. She once again apologized to it for her actions. Audrey drew a knife.
"Now this is gonna be hella gross," she remarked. "W-We're going to gut this thing now, okay? And by we, I mean me. You can look away if this is going to bother you or something."
"A-Are you certain you know what you're doing?"
"Nope! I never had to gut anything in my previous life," Audrey said, twirling the knife in her hand. "And you know, I was a princess this time. So..."
"Okay, okay," Madoka said. Audrey flipped the beast over.
"If there's anything I learned from biology class, we start with... here!"
After some time, Audrey was a bloody mess. Not with her own but she looked terrifying.
"This thing has a lot of different organs than what I remember from those frogs..." Audrey remarked. The organs were tossed aside. "I think food remains fresh in this portal, so we can skin this thing later on. Maybe we can get washed together!"
Madoka's hair raised. Distant thoughts were sneaking upon them. It would seem that the two girls were not alone. They were not the only hungry ones in this forest. Not that Madoka knew where she was.
"Madoka?"
"It seems like we have visitors," Madoka said, pulling out her axe. She has never been in actual combat before. Could she...? No. As the distant howling of approaching predators drew near, Madoka knew she must emerge successful here.
"Naeee waaah!" Audrey whined. But Madoka could sense the bloodlust boiling inside of her friend as she focused. "Well, it's time for our first combat scenario! Remember your training!"
"T-That's exactly what I'm going to do," Madoka muttered. Several shadows flashed around her but her senses could keep up. These were mere pack beasts and their speed reeked of desperation.
Hunger.
Flee!
Give in.
Death.
Hunger.
More howling but Madoka could sense one pouncing at her from behind.
"Madoka!" Audrey shouted. "A wolf's behind you."
Madoka whirled around to see the beast's claws closing in upon her. More importantly for Madoka, however, was the sight of its neck. Instinct seized Madoka and with a savage swing she watched the beast's head fly off into the forest, sprinkling the snow with fresh blood. With a Cherish style side-step, Madoka dodged the headless wolf's collapsing charge and focused on the next wolf.
Each had a set of four glowing red eyes but they faltered as they learned their prey was anything but easy. Madoka roared loud, shaking the snow off the low branches of winter-worn trees. Audrey evidently cut another one up with her wind blades, but she was unsure of herself. Four sets of four eyes each remained circling around them.
"Get yourself together, Audrey!" Madoka shouted at her.
"R-Right," Audrey stared at her glowing hands. Her voice shook, but Madoka had no time to check on her. Amidst the circling beasts, Madoka could sense one that was much more intelligent and stronger.
That one must be the leader. It snarled as the remaining wolves cowered. Madoka stomped defiantly in front of the two dead wolves at her feet. It was an invitation to its demise, Madoka growled, hopefully this smarter wolf would give it up and cut its losses.
"D-Don't suppose you think it'll flee, right?" Audrey's quivering voice slowly was rebuilding its confidence. Harsh growling emanated through the beast. Its thoughts murderous and hungry.
Wind howled, but its growl was louder.
"Save your breath," Madoka scolded Audrey through gritted teeth. The pack leader suddenly perked up, abandoning its anger and at the same time Madoka's hair rose again. A horrible darkness was approaching their position.
Madoka's eyes darted. From where was this terrible feeling coming from? The wolves burst into a full retreat. Dammit, Madoka thought. They could not flee as fast as those wolves on foot from whatever was closing in on them.
"Wh—" Audrey stumbled. "Are you making it do that?"
"Get down!" Madoka shoved Audrey as hard as she could from herself and leapt away. The ground tore apart as a black lightning spell leveled the spot they were at. Madoka felt the wind stinging her cheeks as she flung across the forest through small trees. Audrey landed somewhere close by.
"You... shoved me!" Audrey complained.
"Where the hell did your fighting spirit go?" Madoka shot back.
"Well, if you put it that way..." Audrey said. She was breathing hard. "This is supposed to be like a tutorial zone. The heck did you—"
Crunching sounds interrupted their bickering. Madoka's ears perked up. It was not the snow collapsing off snapped branches. It was the sound of bones crunching. Whoever — or whatever — cast that spell at them was devouring the deer and wolves the girls slew.
"You don't suppose that's another wolf, do you?" Madoka asked, brandishing her axe again. Stomping was heard approaching them slowly. Trees were falling over as the big creature was sniffing for the girls.
"No, Madoka," Audrey stated. Her magic core flared. "I don't think so."
As the wet sniffing and gutteral growls approached, the creature emerged. It was unlike anything Madoka could dream of, standing twice as tall as her and larger than even the trees surrounding it.
"Naee waah!" Audrey complained. "You would think our first quest would be like saving kittens from a tree or something! Not slay like a raid boss!"
It was the largest bear Madoka's ever seen. Strange murky black tentacles wriggled half of its face and strange rune symbols carved along its fur. More tentacles emerged from the runes. Black lightning darted along its right side, seemingly hurting the beast. There were no thoughts from this animal, Madoka realized as the two girls backed away from it slowly. Was it already dead?
"One, two, three!" Audrey murmured. "Three pairs of massive legs. Bro what the hell!"
"I have no idea if it knows what you're talking about," Madoka said, realizing that they were as far as they could go. "But I don't think it cares."
Bloody scraps dripped from its maw as it growled at the two. Madoka's hand tingled as she gripped her axe. A battle to the death was at hand. The beast before her seemed like it was already wounded but its size blotted out the moons behind it. The recognizable half of its face looked like a bear's. Madoka reached for its thoughts, but instead four of its red glowing eyes glared at her. The other four on its right side were blotted out by the dark tentacles.
Instantly, the tentacles reached for her and the beast wasted no time on roaring and opted for a clever strike.
"Madoka!"
Madoka heard Audrey scream but it was too late.
A tentacle swung at her and Madoka's world went upside down from the blow. Pain erupted through her stomach, but she still could breathe. That strike was much faster than the illusory Lord Leopride she fought. She careened through a tree, then another, and finally smashed into an unyielding tree. Shock fell over her as her vision refused to straighten out. She sputtered, realizing she was running out of time.
Was she always this weak?
"Answer me, kind gods!" Madoka drew her sword. Her axe flung somewhere in the depths of the woods when she was sent flying. Her eyes were blinded and something was coming straight to her. Madoka gave a quick slash skyward, catching flesh and bone with her blade. Black, viscous liquid splattered the snow. Madoka's vision recovered.
"Am I destined to serve you and the princess? Am I supposed to waste these gifts in my veins?"
She heard a loud gutteral roar, as if there was a thousand twisting branches snapping all at once in the beast's throat. It choked as Madoka saw the aftermath of her swing. A bloody and blackened stump remained instead of its left foreleg. It pounded the ground in anguish, causing Madoka to struggle for balance. Did she really cause that much damage to such a huge beast?
More, Madoka thought as it glared at her. I can do much more than just a foreleg.
"I have to!"
The beast's neck twisted unnaturally and it convulsed as it tried to stand back up. To her horror, tentacles of darkness from the side of its face weaved into each other and began to form a new leg for it to stand on.
"No you won't!" Madoka gripped her sword and dashed to the regenerating leg.
As she closed in, the bear's eyes turned purple. No... Another attack? Madoka cursed herself for falling for it. A tentacle with a mouth with sharp teeth at its end bit her shoulder, making her howl in pain. It pulled her off her feet and above the beast's gaping jaw. Madoka lurched but saw multiple rows of jagged fangs within its maw.
This cannot be the end...! Madoka was suspended in air by the tentacle's bite like a puppet. Red strands began to fall from the sky around her head. Was that her hair? She realized that the massive tentacle clipped one of her braids off. As she almost slipped into unconsciousness, she thought it was silly that all she was worried about was her hair being slashed.
The air began to hiss and static shocked her exposed skin as she dangled there. Through the pain, Madoka looked on in horror as black lightning began to form around it.
"I-I," Madoka's teeth clacked violently together as she convulsed by the electricity. "Refuse to die!"
"Oh hell no you don't! Let her go! Wind blade!" Madoka heard a voice ring out. "Bubble beam!"
Familiar green blades of winds pierced the air above her feet and freed her from the tentacle.
Bubble beam? Madoka thought incredulously as she began to plummet to the forest ground. What kind of attack spell is bubble beam?
Hundreds of bubbles sprayed in the bear's face, each reflecting starlight as they shattered directly on its eyes. It was like they were galaxies of their own, surrounded by a deadly and translucent layer. The popping noises made Madoka grin.
"So that's bubble beam," Madoka muttered as she struggled to flip her body using another Cherish stance. It was too late. Her stance was halfway due to her legs shutting down from the lightning spells the beast used on her. She could not feel any pain but she knew the crunching noises from her legs shattering and breaking would not help her in this fight. Her sword clanged on the ground next to her.
"So what?" Madoka angrily said, teetering and collapsing on the ground involuntarily. It was like someone pushed her from a spot she could not recover from. "It's just a flesh wound! I won't hold back!"
"Madoka!" Audrey's scream pierced through the bear's roars. It was stumbling back, causing more trees to topple over under its mighty frame. Madoka was pulling herself and her useless legs to the sword but stopped at the sound of her name. "Look at you! You're a mess."
"For you," Madoka gasped, grabbing the hilt of the sword. "Run..."
Right, Madoka thought. She was doing this all for her. Her princess was kneeling over her, clutching the Six-Armed Goddess talisman.
"Heal her, please," Audrey whispered to it. Immediately, Madoka felt her legs and shoulders again, hearing the sickening pop of them reforming back to normal. An alien feeling overtook her as she watched the exposed bone reseal itself beneath skin that grew over it. She shuddered and hopped back up on her feet. Audrey tucked the glowing talisman away. From there, she looked to Madoka. "It ain't over, until it's over! Take this. That sword didn't last very long but this... It seems to have been left lying around in the snow."
With that, Audrey pulled out the blood-red axe for Madoka. Madoka nodded and took it, casting the shattered sword away.
"Thanks," she kept her voice low. Her clothes were torn and the wind whipped her exposed skin but that was the least of her issues. Her hair was also one braid short. The two stared lovingly at each other before snapping out of it. Trees were crashing down as the noise grew louder. In a short timespan, this battle left a calamity of burnt remains and craters strewn across this entire area, Madoka observed.
From the edge of the woods, the huge bear lumbered towards them. Its furious lightning bolts struck out at seemingly anything and even worse, its foreleg grew back.
"Alright, you bastard," Madoka growled. "I will take you down."
"Yeah!" Audrey jumped and threw a triumphant punch in the air. "You get 'em!"
Madoka rolled her eyes but the master of the forest had already arrived.
"I'll distract it!" Audrey said. "Go!"
In Madoka's mind, the idea of Audrey attacking a colossal beast like this instead of fleeing appalled her. However, a faint voice eventually over took her own thoughts. It was Lord Leopride, taunting her.
"You are big, but I am bigger," Madoka remembered him saying. "Remember your training, do not take hits head on."
"Got it," Madoka's fist balled around the handle of her axe. "But I will become better!"
A barrage of bubbles and wind swords flew over Madoka's head, striking the beast. Madoka could sense there were still tentacles going after her. She charged anyways, employing as many Cherish dodges she could think of with ease.
Was it truly the training that made her a warrior? Or was it because Audrey was by her side lighting the flames in her soul up?
Madoka did not wait to hear another one of Lord Leopride's reminders. She hefted her axe and released a mighty swing.
One leg. Fur, blood and snow let loose like shattered specks of dust. She will clean this mess or die trying!
A massive paw accompanied by a lightning wreathed tentacle came at her like a falling star.
Two legs. The howl's volume from the bear matched the violence in Madoka's gleaming eyes. It was collapsing!
"I am no longer halfhearted anymore, you hear me?" Madoka smashed through the other legs like they were the boulders from back in her simpler days of training. "Towering beast or not I will slay you!"
The final leg. Madoka has deemed herself no longer half-heartedly. The monstrosity tumbled over. She saw what was left of the rest of its body and gasped. It was covered head to its stumps in wounds from Audrey's Wind Blades. The tentacles were struggling to regenerate as Madoka walked up to Audrey who was ragged from casting a lot of magic. Her core flickered like a weak candlelight as she tried to move and cast another spell but Madoka stopped her.
Free me.
The bear's four purple eyes were greying as they begged her to deliver death to it. Madoka gripped her axe and approached it. The tentacles bit at her but Madoka ignored them as she rose her axe above an exposed wound in its massive head. The beast must have been the size of several Royal Carriages. Silently, she plunged her bloody axe into its skull.
The tentacles stopped growing and its eyes lost their color.
"Raid... boss... down!" Audrey breathed heavily.
Madoka fell to her knees and roared as loud as she could. It was her way of letting out her relief and excess energy. After awhile, she turned to a terrified Audrey and then tentatively asked one question:
"Can we eat it?"