The Maid and Her Princess - Chapter 57: Chapter 57

"It looks like it ain't dead yet," Audrey said as she got up.
The two both sighed collectively. Madoka barely had time to retrieve her axe before a familiar and terrifying feeling overwhelmed her senses. Audrey felt it as well this time, tensing up. Madoka was running thin on weaponry. She realized the bow she had was shattered and the axe looked like it was on the verge of breaking after cleaving that wing.
"Say," Madoka mused as they attempted to scramble away from the pulling sensation. The pressure was beginning to overwhelm the entire cliff side.
"Huh?"
"Nevermind," Madoka said. Obviously she cut the beast's wing off but getting it in the storage portal seemed like an ordeal.
"I already stored the wing, Madoka," Audrey sighed. She could read her thoughts like an open book.
"Really?" Madoka asked. Her excitement was cut short by a large cracking sound. The two looked at each other. "Uh oh."
The ground quaked and began to descend towards whatever was causing that terrifying pressure. The two tried to scramble up the falling cliff but it was too late. Madoka slid downward and saw a gaping violet and black portal hovering in the depths where the dragon fell. Was it summoning that?
"Madoka!" Audrey screamed. Madoka felt herself being absorbed into the portal. She held tightly onto the cliff side but it was useless. The crack further up shattered and the girls plummeted down to the portal.
This feeling...! Madoka realized that she felt this way falling into the Conqueror's eye. Was the dragon pulling them into itself? Wind and ice splashed her face and she gritted her teeth. They were going to find out soon, she thought as a wave of nausea overtook her and her vision streamed into blackness.
No, she refused to shutdown now.
Though, she felt like she was being forced through a tight tunnel. Her persistence struggled as whatever had its pull on the maid released shortly after. Madoka crashed on solid ground. Something sent prickles on her skin, making her sit up. Wild grass? She glanced around, unsure of this unknown territory she was forced into.
It was only when she glanced to the sky that she noticed it. The sun itself was black, glowing with a malevolent purple that cast its sinister light over the land in this world. No sign of the dragon or whatever summoned that portal anywhere near her. There were ruins of destroyed castle walls near her but even closer someone lay face first in the dirt.
"Audrey!" Madoka crawled over. The ominous glow shadowed over everything, flickering with pale white flashes as the black sun through its weight on everyone. She pushed the body over and screamed. A skull faced her, crumbling to dust under the atmosphere's oppressive aura.
"Here!" Audrey's voice called out. Madoka shuddered after she peaked at more skeletons lying in what appeared to be a field between the castle ruins. "Hurry!"
She did not have to hear Audrey's urges twice. Madoka found her huddling in a sunken rampart. Weapons were strewn about on the ground but they did not seem suitable for use at first glance.
"W-Where are we?" Madoka asked but Audrey pointed out an opening.
"Beats me," Audrey shrugged. "Some kind of magic shenanigans is happening in this place. Gravity's all twisted up at the edge over there. You see that?"
Madoka followed her finger out to what appeared to be a battlefield engulfed by the lurid purple and black light of the "sun." As Madoka looked around she could see the land become twisted and distorted at its borders. Trees, rocks and even some of the castles threatened to collapse into the depths. However; they did not sink below into whatever void was beyond it but instead they floated off into the heavens like they were falling upward. This place was evil. The hateful sun simply floated in the sky and beckoned the destroyed terrain into its maw.
"I guess the dragon put us in its own dimension," Audrey said.
"Dimension?"
"A subspace, of sorts. I read a lot about these things in science fiction novels," Audrey said. "Like a cupboard that no one else can use, or the storage talisman for example—"
Something moved in the middle of the battlefield, shaking off weapons and skeletons. The night sky as a storm began to swell with wisps of shadows wrapping around the floating structures and ruins. Madoka found it difficult to concentrate, but she recognized the creature in the center was the dragon.
Madoka made a sudden connection in her memories. When she met the Frost Queen, she ended up in a strange realm like this one. Could this be something similar? She had to cast the guessing aside when the roar of the beast shook the ruins they crouched behind. It was in agony, squealing and writhing but still Madoka could not hear its thoughts. She has never come across such an unsightly creature, nor could ever dream of doing anything that could harm it.
"Jesus," Audrey muttered, breaking the silence. "Just how big is this dragon's health bar? It's only got one wing now!"
"Then let's tear the other one off," Madoka growled, drawing her axe and inspecting it. The blade looked like it had little life left.
"What are you," her friend was suddenly shocked by Madoka's determined declaration. "Some kind of war machine? Battle junkie?"
"Can you use magic still?" Madoka asked, undeterred by her comments. Audrey's core flickered like a dying candle. It was barely able to illuminate anything in front of her.
"Not really," Audrey sighed. "I-I'll see what I can do."
"Be careful," Madoka did not want to know what would happen if those magic circles broke completely. One of Audrey's explosions came to her mind and the thought made her shudder.
"Yeah, yeah," Audrey scrutinized her. "I'm useless again but I promise—"
"That's not what I was thinking," Madoka snapped. "We got to get arrows or a way closer."
Another roar shook the ground, tearing the ruins apart. Weapons from ancient racks cluttered on the ground. They dove into the haze and crouched behind more weapon racks and piles of skeletons. They were probably soldiers and meals for that beast, Madoka hoped it did not spot them.
Madoka noticed some of the weapons around them had faint traces of golden chains surrounding their blades. The weapons without any golden aura crumbled and wore rust, having lost their purpose ages ago. History lay in ruins here, she thought as she inspected one of the glowing blades with her hand.
It did not shock her but she knew it could carry its weight in battle, if not temporarily. These odd manifestations of power made Madoka uneasy. Perhaps she could use magic all along. Or maybe the magic of these items and chains called to her. She scooped several swords up and strapped them underneath her cloak. Audrey evidently did not see the properties of these weapons but did not question her maid.
These will do, she thought as she strode by Audrey.
"I-I'll give it my best shot!"
Madoka could hear Audrey chasing after her. If she could not see any glowing arrows, she would have to get close and personal with that mighty beast. The view of its massive body writhing in anguish was darkened by the evil sun. She brought a finger to her lips and silenced Audrey as they snaked between piles of armor and destroyed buildings.
They began to sneak behind it but suddenly it stopped its roaring, twisting its neck towards their direction. A loud crash of metal broke Madoka's concentration. She turned and saw Audrey awkwardly standing over a pile of clanking armor. It was obvious that she kicked it over by accident. Two glowing yellow eyes pierced through the haze in their direction. The master of this dungeon had discovered them.
Madoka groaned.
"Uh," Audrey stammered starkly. "Run!"
Instead of using magic, the beast lunged a baleful claw at them. Madoka leapt away and Audrey pulled the serpentine talisman out. The claw tore through the air, leaving a spray of purple, ominous sparks. Stumbling over piles of debris, she turned and witness a large series of explosions blaze in a trail from the dragon's swipe. The magic engulfed Audrey's glowing shield.
"Audrey!"
The dragon swiped again but its target was Madoka. She growled and prepared for an opening. Only the sound of hissing air and her heartbeat matched the perilous terror of the dragon's brutal eyes and swift movements. She scrambled and dodged, noting that while the beast was slow and weakened from their previous battle she could not stay for long. Those sparks were growing in intensity and ready to burst.
Madoka was running out of room to run.
"You stay away from her, you bully!" Audrey's voice called out. Madoka could recognize the ethreal tone of her voice calling out magic. She knew she had to regroup quickly or get swept up in both the dragon's volatile swipes and Audrey's needlessly large explosive spell.
Kind gods, she thought desperately as she scanned for a way out. It was too late. Madoka heard a deafening combination of roaring and rumbling but she was blinded by the colorful detonation of many spells. Shielding her eyes with a fluttering sleeve, Madoka dove to the ground. Her teeth rattled and soul shook. She could not help but feel like she was the useless one in this fight.
"Hey, Mad!" Audrey yelled out for her from somewhere behind the explosion. "Get up on the hydra's back, Madoka!"
"Mad?" Madoka recovered, the sheer shock of the embarrassing nickname taking her out of her head. "H-Hydra?"
It was not like Audrey could hear her embarrassment, but the massive beast was now facing her friend. Madoka unsheathed one of the swords from her cloak. It was time to test these ancient weapons out and protect her friend. The dragon's tail was swiping erratically, but she did not have the time to wait for an opening.
She leapt and felt the force of the tail's strength beat into her chest as she latched on. This must have been the most violent hill she has ever traversed! The beast was preoccupied with Audrey's magic to notice her. She might as well be an insect on her adversary's back. The beast's armored scales threatened to slice her if she held on wrong. The length of its tail was as long as one of the Estate's hallways but Madoka eventually grappled her way onto the back.
It did not take long for the dragon's wing and brute shoulders to make it difficult to hang on, so she straddled a gap of scales on its spine.
"This is it!" Madoka raised the glowing sword above her head and drove between a weak spot with as much strength as she could muster. The sword punctured flesh but shattered at the tip. A low, moan of pain emitted from the dragon and it shook violently. "And another!"
Madoka stabbed again using another sword.
"Rah!" the dragon's voice broke Madoka's concentration. It sounded almost like pained speech but the shaking was too much. Madoka felt the wind and ominous sparks scraping her skin as she plummeted under the ominous sky. It was uttering something, Madoka was certain as she prepared for a tough landing. "Gra....vi..."
"Madoka!" She heard Audrey shout from below her. She was not trying to catch her, was she? Madoka thought, but realized Audrey was warning her. She turned her head and saw the dragon's tower sized claws crashing down on her like a wave. "Go!"
"Go?" Madoka asked herself, certain she was going to die. "Go where?"
A gust of green magical wind blasted against Madoka. Kind gods, she groaned as the magic collided against her body. The claw narrowly missed Madoka as she was slammed by Audrey's spell. It still hurt but she was still alive!
"Be mine, O Gravity!" Roared a deep, male voice. The impact of its meteoric claw crushed the ground, leaving a powdered mess of ancient armor and rocks. Madoka twisted her view as she realized the dragon was speaking. Something was shimmering in the center of its back from where she stabbed it. "Hng!"
"Audrey!" She called out weakly. Audrey was not amidst that crater. The ground was glowing as a spell circle expanded outward from the crater. Confusion terrorized Madoka. What was it casting?
It was still chanting in a language that overpowered Madoka's ears, but she saw the effects of the spell happen as the spell circle reached where Madoka floated. Floated? Madoka realized that her descent ceased and she was engulfed in a disorienting weightlessness. A glowing circle floated up nearby.
"Audrey!" Madoka called. She was struggling to orientate herself for a better view of the shrinking ground.
"Oh, so that wasn't you," Audrey's voice called out. She was distracted in a time like this? Madoka sighed. "I was, like, that voice was way too deep to be Madoka."
"Do you really think my voice is that—"
Before the two could bicker as they floated above the calamity below, the dragon started to hum. Audrey glanced upward at the evil sun above them which was getting closer. But Madoka noticed the dragon had a ring of aging magic around what she assumed was its heart. Another feeling tightened her throat. It was getting harder to breathe! Madoka gulped in air. Audrey was trying to propel herself with her legs like she was swimming in the air, mouthing something at Madoka.
She made some odd gestures but threw an exasperated look at Madoka's confused expression.
"Just do whatever," Madoka mouthed back. Audrey pointed at the axe and made a throwing motion at the dragon. The dragon was not giving them any time and the spell circle was glowing more intensely by the second. She wanted her to throw her axe at the dragon. Got it, Madoka guessed but it was difficult to even move. The black sun was pulling them closer. Audrey's core flared even brighter and a gust of rushing Wind magic struck Madoka.
This again! Madoka flung straight towards the dragon. That princess...! Then she realized she had enough momentum to move in this strange magic spell. As she began to plummet she realized she would not be able to throw the axe. Audrey's spell did not let up. She was channeling everything she had, Madoka thought.
"Therefore, I will pay you back for all the trouble you caused us!" Madoka spun in the air using Audrey's boosting winds. She closed her eyes as she descended upon the dragon like a falling star, but her axe caught flesh and the sickening sound of cutting wormed itself in her ears. She aimed for the head.
The resistance caught Madoka and she lost her grip. She closed her eyes expecting the worse the ground had to offer and shielded her face for the incoming pain. The humming cacophony from the spell circle faded.
"Gust!" Audrey called from above. Madoka felt the wind burst upward against her face, catching her like a net before she tumbled onto the dirt.
She spat out dirt and rolled over to see what she had done to the dragon. The wing was gone and the axe was embedded in the beast's neck. It twitched and the beast gurgled out fountains of dark green blood and purple sparks blasted out of its wounds. Madoka had to crawl back quickly to avoid its death throes. Its inhalations became desperate and ragged as it thrashed the dirt and the sparks. After some time the grim spectacle slowed to a halt as the dragon raised one clawed limb skyward to the abyssal sun.
"Madoka!" Audrey landed in a gust of her own magic and rushed to Madoka. All she could do is point at the dragon. It stood upright on its once mighty hind legs reaching skyward with its front claw. More noticeable than the axe hanging out its wing was that magic ring around the center of its chest, glowing prominently like Audrey's own core.
The whole beast began to make a sickening, crumbling sound. Madoka drew the last glowing sword she took from the ground and Audrey leapt behind her readying her core. The corpse shook before bursting into harmless light, raining wisp-like feathers upon the grass. Madoka instinctively covered Audrey and prepared for whatever sinister thing it planned next.
"Is that a person?" Audrey suddenly gasped.
Madoka turned in anticipation and saw a small figure falling from where the dragon's head used to be. Both girls approached the small being nervously, never once did they let their guard down. The person was definitely like the Frost Queen but appeared to be a small boy with pointed ears and scaly arms sprawled out in a crater created by the missing dragon's death. He was clad in a gossamer yet regal attire and covered in gruesome wounds. Those wounds Madoka herself inflicted.
"An elf?" Audrey kicked the boy over. It was Madoka's turn to gasp as she realized the boy must have been the dragon, covered with wounds, green blood and burned. The frame before her fared no better. A magic ring slowly spun around his heart, matching its dying beat.
He opened his yellow eyes but they fogging over but Madoka put her blade to his throat. Instead of resisting, the boy whispered something Madoka could not understand.
"Sister? Mother?" Audrey suddenly responded incredulously. "Don't guilt trip me, YOU'RE the one who tried to kill us first."
A small smile revealed his fangs as he said something else. Audrey looked ghastly as the boy continued speaking. Madoka wondered since he was capable of speaking like the Frost Queen she could not read his thoughts. Like other people. She felt her throat compact itself with guilt, for this whole time they were killing a young dragon and nearly lost their lives.
"Audrey?" Madoka asked but the boy began to cough up blood as his body twisted hideously. Instinctively, she moved to stab the boy but the sun emitted a scream. A sinister black beam through him from the sky and forced the two to leap back.
Audrey said nothing as the boy was enveloped in the pale light melting until he was nothing but massive bones. Madoka could see the outline of something falling to the ground with the bones as they made a cluttered mess. The light faded. Audrey suddenly broke the silence with a mixture of disbelief and excitement.
"We're uh... dragon slayers?" She said quietly. Madoka stood shocked. "I-I'll explain what it said later, but we gotta go get those things. Woo!"
Loot? Madoka wondered as she followed her friend to where the boy died. There was an ominous, swirling mass writhing in an endless pit behind where its body was. Audrey paid it no mind as she excitedly scooped the dragon bones into the portal. Madoka caught the sight of a shimmering, exotic glow amidst the bones as she helped. It was a pitch black sphere, perfectly round with a glowing purple aura to it. Madoka had to pick it up with both hands.
"That's its heart," Audrey said. "C-Careful, it's heavy!"
"Heart?" Madoka put it in the portal. "I'm guessing the dragon told you that."
"Precisely, my friend!" Audrey tossed the last bone in the portal and sealed it shut. "Now then."
The realm was peaceful, save for the ominous purple light, evil sun and the dark sky polluted with floating ruins. There was nothing trying to kill them anymore here. A question came to her mind, but she knew she was not going to like the answer.
"How do we get out of here?"
"Oh," Audrey put a hand to her chin in thought. She guided Madoka to the edge of the pit, where that massive and ominous portal sat below. She gulped but Audrey was unfazed. "Over here! LEEEROYYYY!"
Her voice echoed as she leapt into the portal. Madoka sighed and gulped. She had enough of falling from these recent days and hoped this would be the last time for awhile.