The Maid and Her Princess - Chapter 58: Chapter 58

There was wind.
Madoka hurled through a slipstream of cold purples and dark blues. Her vision swirled with colors not quite correct, crammed through a lens of a small tunnel. Like a telescope with dazzling, translucent shards instead of focusing mirrors and lenses. Her cheeks were licked by turbulent air. Every inch of her body tried to separate into different categories of parts as she shook through the flight.
Bone from flesh.
Solids from squishy liquids.
Flesh from nerves.
Eyes from dark and light.
The twin moons gazing inward and outward in a spectacle of flashing and twinkling.
And memories rushing alongside her matching her fall. Those were all she was left with in the brief flight in the odd light. If the princess was on the other side of this godless place Madoka made it a priority to give her a piece of her mind when she got out, of each category. As the alien pull withdrew its grasp on her body, daylight patiently waited for her to crash through this bizarre aperture.
She slew a dragon in a realm not cut from the same cloth of her reality. The palace was her reality, but it was now replaced by months of snow and tough wind's blades whirled around her like splinters from smashed wood. Madoka was sure she crashed through several trees too. Her velocity was not slowed this time by wind nor spell. The pain meant nothing but it arrived quicker than her eyes could catch even a glimpse of snow.
Dirt and layers of snow slushed out beneath her bulk as her face met the ground.
"Shi—" Madoka groaned. She did not bother rolling over to check her surroundings.
Everything hurt and she was tired of everything. Was this how Audrey felt about this world?
"Madoka?" Footsteps crunched hurriedly towards her.
Speak of the devil, Madoka did not bother responding. Her concern was the payment from what she put the maid through. Technically, it's your fault, I wanted to run! Audrey's voice rang in her head. You're such a battle junkie! Sometimes the long amount of time Madoka has spent with her allowed her to predict what the princess was thinking or what she would say. That deep connection with Audrey disturbed Madoka a little.
"Please, no!" Audrey's hands felt Madoka. They were still warm, like comforting warmth like a campfire instead of a painful flame that leaves scars. She felt herself being flipped over. "Gods, no. Madoka?"
Madoka just looked up at Audrey and beheld her gaze beneath the sun and trees. When she moved to get her healing talisman Madoka forced her arms to grab the girl in for a long embrace. She found herself weeping. She had no idea why and at the same time many reasons to. There are a lot of things that can take these moments away from her for all of eternity.
Audrey did not say anything and remained there. The soft moan of the winds carried the both of them into night.
"Okay," Audrey said, finally moving off of Madoka. "Can you stand?"
Madoka's bones cracked when she moved them but she could get up. Audrey studied her movements and gave a satisfied look. She still felt embarrassed that someone of Audrey's status cared for her. Perhaps she will never get rid of that feeling.
"We seem to be in the same spot we were before we fell into that weird place," Audrey said looking around. "We'll get some rest here if its safe. Bet that dragon scared everything away for now."
"That dragon is dead, right?" Madoka breathed. "N-No more of that for now."
"Yes, Madoka," Audrey said. "You got us out of that situation yet again and I hit you with my—"
"It is good," Madoka interrupted her. "Your magic saved me. Who or what was that boy?"
Audrey was busy pulling the tent out when she stopped to think.
"That was the dragon's human form," she said. "I guess. Maybe the dragon was its alternate form. He called me his mother. Or sister. Or something like that. Could you believe that?"
"That sounds..." Madoka's voice trailed off into silence. The implications of Audrey being a mother was scary enough for her to shake in her boots from fear.
"I wonder why its magic worked like mine," Audrey looked down to where her heart was. "And why I could understand what it was saying. Perhaps there's dragon blood in me or something."
"Y-You, a dragon?" Madoka stuttered. The former princess looked herself over and shrugged.
"I dunno," she said. "I don't feel dragon-y. Dragonic? Draconic? Whatever. Do I look like one?"
"No," Madoka replied quickly. Audrey clicked her tongue in frustration. "W-Why do I get the feeling that you wanted to be a dragon?"
"It'd be cool! I could, like, fly and stuff!" Audrey twirled the tent's post upright and plunged it into the ground. Madoka rolled her eyes. Stuff according to Audrey sounded nefarious to her. "Speaking of dragons... We still have to get to the top of this mountain."
"I know, I know," Madoka said, but her tone was laced with protest. They had fallen lower but at least there was no dragon after them. "What do we plan on doing with the bones and its heart?"
"No clue," Audrey admitted. "Perhaps we can sell them for some money! The heart's mine though. Need it for cultivation."
"Didn't you say that was dangerous?"
"Yeah! But that's the fun part!"
Madoka failed to see how any of this was fun. The more Audrey explained anything the more she wanted to get the hell off this mountain. It gave them enough trouble.
"I keep saying this, but believe me," Audrey said with a sigh. She stared up at the peak of the mountain. "That's what stands between us and getting out of here and ending the tutorial zone— I mean, uh, rejoining society."
As Madoka slept alone in her thoughts she could not decide which was scarier. Society amongst commoners or the idea of Audrey being a commoner. Perhaps it was the simple times of having duties set before her that made her complacent in her life. She rolled over and groaned. She liked being simple. What was wrong with that? She would pass out moments later dreaming about how good a dragon wing's meat would taste.
The next day, they got to walking.
"Say, Madoka," Audrey said. Boots crunched on snow. Fog and clouds overlooked the mountainside with an uncaring gaze, splitting between the peaks like lovers letting go of each other. Madoka's thoughts were elsewhere. "I've been thinking."
"You're always thinking," Madoka mumbled but straightened her voice out proper before Audrey could ask her to repeat herself. "Of what?"
"Magic, for lack of a better term, well," Audrey said, obviously processing her thoughts. "Never existed in my old world."
"Really," Madoka mused. It never really existed in her own world as well. Those gifted in the arcane usually did not end up as slaves. Or perhaps could find a better life anyways.
"People of this world must be higher beings," Audrey peered up through the trees. Madoka followed her gaze, only to realize that the clouds were gray and getting closer and closer with each step. "Being able to see magic, use it, even comprehend a fraction of it has got to count for something."
"It sure is amazing," Madoka guessed. She did not know where Audrey was going with her thoughts.
"I'm sure you don't think you have mana," Audrey ducked under a branch. "But I think you have a different form of those mana strand thingies. Just waiting, around the corner."
"Why do you think that?" Madoka asked. "Why do you want me to use the arcane?"
"I guess it's just important for me," Audrey looked away. "Sorry for being selfish. I think you have many cool abilities that are magic on their own. They don't really need to have a certain form or mana strand. They just are. Like, the animal whisperer thing. Or your killing intent thing you mentioned during one of our fights. That always made me curious."
"Curious?"
Audrey turned to Madoka and stood there with her eyes closed. A massive pulse of negative emotions burst from Audrey, making her flinch. Had Madoka not seen that coming, she probably would have cowered. She clutched her head as birds overhead scattered. The emotions faded a second later, but the blade was white hot. The scar would last, even if the ignorant princess could not see it.
"T-That was quite terrible of you," Madoka breathed. "Can we please just keep walking?"
"S-Sorry," Audrey muttered. "No one besides you can tell intentions like that. You're, like, a super empath. You're not sensing emotions and willpower, you're pulling them to you and feeling them."
"Please," Madoka repeated herself firmly. "No more tests on me."
Audrey motioned to say something but instead turned and said nothing. Madoka hoped she got the message through her. Her "gifts" were no one's to mess with, she determined. She did not even want them in the first place.
"It was a shitty thing of me to do," Audrey finally admitted, halting. They found themselves at the base of ancient stones and steps. From the angle they stood at, the stairs looked like they led straight to the heavens and the stars. "I won't do that again."
"Good," Madoka said. The word was hollow, however, for she did not believe her this time.
"The ruins are up this staircase," Audrey finally said, taking out the glowing serpentine talisman. "Then I can find out what this god really wants from me."
"Then let's get to it," Madoka grumbled. Audrey was inconsiderate, her actions were impulsive and sprang up like the mist. Just because she realized she was being who she always was it was always too late.
Even after her apologies, Madoka still felt the cold dampness settle on her skin with that uneasy feeling until enough time washed it away. And when it came back again, the mist stung her skin even worse. She began to wonder if she resented her princess. Was she upset with Audrey being who she was or was she simply lost in her own foggy and idealized perception of her princess? How could she judge such a person who has lost everything? Twice, no less. One for each life as odd as that seemed. She suddenly hated herself for feeling selfish and not wanting Audrey to test things on her.
It was her, Madoka remembered. She has not lost eveything because Audrey was still around dragging her everywhere. Her steps overpowered her thoughts, pushing her mind back into silence. For a simple maid, Madoka knew she was doing a lot of thinking, and that was dangerous for slaves. They were climbing quite high up. The clouds were below her and yet Madoka could breathe just fine. After walking enough, something nearly stopped her from walking. The princess halted, and it was evident that the same familiar and unwelcome feeling swelled and threatened to burst upon the both of them. Her hair raised and her spine tingled as she reached for a weapon, only to feel her hip instead. Silently, Audrey continued. Madoka forced her steps to follow, and the ruins rested before them. They were made of a pure and smooth material, humming as the two got closer. The clouds were beneath them, with the stormy atmosphere above them blocking the sun above them. There was a lot of room here, she looked around. If only there was not a dangerous and alien structure beckoning them to come closer. Not a single snowflake disturbed any of its surfaces, despite the weather raging around them. Could any normal person stand tall upon this place?
Audrey said nothing but channeled her storage portal.
"Containment Magic: Box!" she declared. At once, the hexagonal portal manifested and out popped a box on the ground. Satisfied, she scooted it next to one of the altar's pillars. "It's looking like this being and I are going to have a long conversation. Maybe I should get a couple of scratching posts or something..."
Madoka instantly dove into the box and began to watch Audrey approach the pillar. To her surprise, the former princess climbed on the altar unharmed but her knees shook in nervousness. Those strange symbols became illuminated as they activated. The world around them grew dark as the symbols expanded in a massive dome all around them with the princess at the eye of the storm. She watched in horror as black smog burst from the cloud blanket beneath them and surrounded Audrey!
Just what was happening in there? Madoka struggled to move out of the box, only to realize she was rooted in place by a magical force brought on by the ruins.
The clouds swirled violently but somehow, Madoka knew it was most likely Audrey's doing. That girl...! Madoka sighed and loafed in the box. It never wavered against the winds' howling above her. She would purr if she knew what that sounded like out of fear or for comfort.
Lightning flashed within the smog and a magical hum bellowed beneath it all. A faint shape began to raise above the altar through the scar of white clouds and jagged streaks of harsh blues. It was a pitch-black, ringed sphere. It was the dragon's heart! Curiosity struck Madoka, but she still had to sit on the sidelines and pray that Audrey was safe. The stormy weather and black smog blotted the mountain, and she could no longer see any daylight anywhere. The rumbling and chaotic noise seemed to be originated inside of the altar. Was a battle taking place inside of that sphere? A rumble forced her to rest back inside the box. She peeked through the cracks of the box as a blast of magic pierced through the magical barrier, then another, and then another! A loud clang and shattering noise screamed as the smog started to dissipate, the black sphere crackled and burst with lightning and the storm instantly cleared. Did Audrey win if she was in a fight with that god? The alien feeling was gone or perhaps Madoka was getting used to it, but she did not want to look over the box until she felt the sun on her skin. A glowing orb she knew all too well stood at the center of the ruin's center platform. Not a single rune or symbol rang out into the horizon and even the winds were peaceful. Her breath was clear as well, but fogged as her lungs puffed in and out more air.
"Audrey?" Madoka leapt out of her box. She yearned to know if her friend was alive.
Audrey stood there silently, her serpentine talisman crumbling to pure dust in her fist, not turning to greet her maid. The core was the second thing Madoka noticed, with the familiar two bands and an additional two glowing orbs running around their neon elliptical paths. As the barrier faded, Madoka saw something drip off from Audrey's arms and hand.
Blood.
Madoka rushed to her friend, feeling the solid and metallic flooring clank beneath her ragged boots. The ruins did not react to her presence. Audrey was breathing heavily. She inspected her friend all over, unsure what to do. Her face was covered in blood and Madoka was covered in worry. Unlike her princess, she could not use a talisman to heal her.
"W-What happened to you?"
"I'm fine," Audrey breathed, but spat out blood.
"No, you are certainly not!" Madoka sat her friend down. For a moment she caught a glimpse of the wide world before her. Everything was as clear as day as far as she could see. The Palace of Pelé was frozen, shining through the translucent ice granted by the sun. Madoka was surprised to see that the palace made up almost all of the Hall of the Frost Queen. All buried in ice, with exposed chunks completely shattered by the damage caused by their battle with the dragon.
Beyond it, diaphanous sands of a sprawling desert lay towards the south, temple-laden jungles reached to the west alongside unfettered grassy plains, and beyond that a volcano on an island far away surrounded by an azure ocean. Madoka's head swam. The world was truly getting bigger. She shook out of it.
"H-How can I help you?"
"It's fine," Audrey's core flickered. "Just give me a moment, okay?"
That did not make her maid feel any better about the situation, so she tore her cloak apart and wrapped bits around her friend's head and shoulders. Small wounds on her forehead. Are these slash marks on her arms? What happened in that fog?
"I leveled up," Audrey said with a slight wheeze, gesturing at her core. Madoka saw nothing but blood soaking through her cloak. "The dragon God, he..."
The girl fell silent, Madoka realized she passed out. Her body was still warm, a trait she gained when she encountered Ares.
"Oh, Audrey," She sighed. She knew she must get her fallen princess to safety or their journey would be in peril. She looked down the steps.
It was a long way down and even further after that into the woods.