The Maid and Her Princess

III. The Changing of Times

"So, another angel came out from the altar, who had power over fire," Audrey mused.

Madoka ignored the girl's strange words for a moment. She had slipped the woolly cloak over herself, with an uncomfortable awareness of her appearance spreading along her skin. She remembered why she did not dare like Her Highness in the first place, though her nakedness had already been seen by her countless times before.

Furthermore, she was annoyed with the girl. In an effort to dry her off, the girl tested another fireball on her then used her magic to... deoxidize it or whatsit. Either way, she did not get drenched by water and to her chagrin, the girl had another way of getting rid of fire off of her body the whole time.

It was not like she had any prior experience on being on fire and emerging unscathed. Rather, she did not usually remain intact after being set on fire.

"We've established that one, fire doesn't go into the storage portal. And two," Audrey sighed heavily. Madoka knew that tone all too well. She was jealous. "You have once again gained another ability. Fire immunity, who thinks of that? By the end of this whole thing you'll be an unkillable tank if we ever DO find the Links or whatever."

"Well," Madoka clapped her hands and felt the talisman thrum in the lines of her palms. The artifact survived Audrey's flames, but the burnt silver tag beside it was a blackened smudge compared to its former glory. "I do like being alive."

Audrey gave her an incredulous look, but Madoka was already moving back to the edge of the crater. She had no idea why she knew the talisman could fit both halves of the Guardian inside of it, nor what they could possibly use its remains for. But she clapped her hands again, feeling the golden Knotting strands jolt through the air. They funneled into her palms. She instinctively raised her arms skyward, then outstretched them out to the sky as if she was welcoming its fall. The strands of light shimmered like torchlight, distorting the air before snaking inward to the storage talisman. It was time to use the "large portal" setting she had in mind reserved for things larger than the Crystal Lizard.

The portal's hexagon encompassed the entire crater and rumbling shook the earth as the Guardian began to sink into its celestial depths. Madoka was transfixed for a moment at the sheer ridiculousness of it all, but a certain someone's voice wobbled out beside her.

"Whoa!" Audrey nearly tilted into the crater.

"Careful," Madoka groaned, scooping the girl up and lifting into the air with her wings out.

The girl shut her mouth instantly and the earth roared beneath them. The portal remained impassive, glowing like the surface of a frozen lake under moonbeams as the Guardian's red bottom half sank into it. Knotting magic crackled from its edges, stretching further into the fog as dirt and smoke rattled and writhed with its source of heat gone. Then, the portal also snapped shut, hissing with a final release of energy.

All that remained was the sniveling of fires with nothing but earth to burn. The Guardian's remains were safe with them, though Madoka was not sure what to make of it. Its massive image towered over her inside her mind. It was a golem, shaped like an extremely proud two legged beast, but it was cut in two. Surprisingly, the mountain of dirt that it was buried on did not come with it. Perhaps, her mind set it as the portal's only target. She remembered where she saw something like the Guardian. The Hall of the Frost Queen, where she fell into that frozen beast's eye and met... Her.

She struggled to remember that kind god's emissary. The Frost Queen herself, a dragon supposedly, of an age long gone and the golem that dwarfed the mountain itself. She too, was a Sovos, but more regal and taller. That strange space, where she got the burning rune on her shoulder from. She closed her eyes and suppressed the urge to laugh. Not out of joy. Not out of the madness she felt when she first heard Audrey say she was from another world. One out of sheer disbelief and acceptance, like when one's seriousness wound taught like a bowstring had finally released the arrow of truth. It was out there, hitting a mark of some kind and she, Madoka, would have to accept where it lands.

She definitely was on the level of a kind goddess or something, because there was no other explanation on how she survived this far.

The red beast inside the portal certainly made everything else in it, Crystal Lizard included, as small as a stack of golden coins compared to it. Its head was shaped like a helmet, but as she explored it in her mind's eye, she noticed that its interior had a chair inside of it like a throne. That must have been like the seat of where a driver might be on a coach.

It was too much to say, but she believed that the so-called Guardian was not actually a living creature at all. It was a means to an end, a war machine that stood taller than a Palace.

"No wonder why Ceghinort called the Guardian a Country level threat," Madoka breathed, finally letting go of the talisman. Audrey had wriggled out of her grasp at some point during her contemplation and was now floating by her closely. Too close! Wait, what was she thinking? "Audrey?"

"Yeah?" Audrey glanced at the talisman, but then looked down the crater, which had completely turned into a mound of black dust and foul-smelling ashes.

"If you get too close to me like this, don't blame me for being rude," Madoka growled. The girl instantly shyed away, distancing herself away and crossing her arms.

"Do whatever," she scoffed, but stuck her chin out like a dare.

Madoka was momentarily left unfocused, wanting to grab the girl then and there in the middle of their flight, but then she realized that the flaming devastation from the Guardian's sudden disappearance was rising quickly. Noticing the girl's listless expression, Madoka poked her side.

"Should you do something about the fires here?" Madoka asked. "What if the fires never stop?"

"O-Oh," Audrey sighed. "This place is a dump. A total disaster. It's all our fault, but, surely that skeleton man won't mind if there's a lake here, right?"

"Again?" Madoka was already flying backwards a few wingspans away.

The bubble hovering above the world started as a marble sized orb, matching the color of her eye. Then it became boulder sized. As it became gargantuan like a blue moon, a deep and dark at its center overshadowed the smoke itself. Audrey's core did not show, meaning that this vast sphere of roiling water she conjured in a few minutes did not even scratch the ocean of her magic.

The moon sized ball of water descended, nearly knocking the wind out of Madoka as it began to fall. She realized that wind was the sheer pressure disturbing the atmosphere. Once again, the fields of ruin became upturned. Broken up ground burst like muddy capillaries, spewing dirt and water sky high as the dark blue ball inflicted its wrath upon the earth. After conjuring up the barrier with her Crystal, she managed to scoop the destructive little troublemaker into her arm and escape the blast zone. A swelling bulge of foul smelling water followed, then the stormy noise of the uproar pushed far above their own screams.

One scream was made up of genuine terror with a hint of excitement and pride. The other, Madoka's, a series of groans and a stream of apoplectic curses. The impinge of her massive water ball did indeed put out the fires, but now it sent a tidal wave made out of mud racing across the field in all directions. After her head past a third cloud and the sunlight illuminated the blanket of dissolved grey mist below them, Madoka unleashed a tirade of her annoyance.

"Don't you know restraint, Audrey?" Madoka scolded her. "Look at what you've done!"

"What did I do?" Audrey looked down and dared to protest against her. "There's nothing even down there to blow up. L-Look, I even made a nice little lake!"

"Little lake?" Madoka frowned. The massive body of water covered the majority of the Petal like those portraits of the seas hung up on the Palace's walls. It even stretched into a thin river all the way to the mountainside like a steel blue serpent. Audrey took advantage of her distraction and slipped out of her grasp. "You call that a lake?"

"It was all dirt and stuff anyways, what's the big deal?"

The two bickered in the sky like an angel and devil fighting over who sinned the least. They were in their own world, between a blue sky above them and a sea of grey clouds below them. Madoka was about to swear when a strange sense of approaching Knotting magic instantly alerted her. She instantly caught the glimpse of a shadow approaching them at their height in the shape of a figure. The barrier seemed to react to her raised instincts, blooming into a brilliant white column of light in front of her as she moved to guard Her Highness from this mysterious stranger. She caught a glint of gold hanging from their back shimmering in the clouds.

Golden wings? She has seen those before. That had to be...

"It's Mister Luxgor," Audrey tugged her sleeve. "You think he saw all of this?"

"Think?" Madoka groaned incredulously, but she did not lower her shield. She was not sure if the intense aura around the Guild Master was a killing intent or wariness just yet.

The shadow quickly turned into a disheveled version of Luxgor.

"You there! State your intentions, or—"

"Guild Master Luxgor," Madoka used Knotting magic to carry her words through the wind, calm as if they were discussing a commission. The intent instantly dropped when he heard her voice.

"You two...! You survived?"

So, Ceghinort did not inform him that they were still around? Madoka thought that was odd. Or perhaps, he was a straggler from Livertorjan? How far did the destruction reach? The old Guild Master was now floating right in front of them, not daring to touch the white magic barrier that she raised like a shield. Seeing that his killing intent was extinguished, she lowered it. The shockwave from Audrey's magic bubble had dissipated and they were far above the clouds, it was a wonder how Luxgor managed to breathe up here. She was breathing because of her Knotting magic and Audrey had her Wind magic, but this man's Knotting Strands were not as stable.

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"We did," Madoka grunted. Luxgor's wings faltered as he took in the sight of them. What he saw must have disturbed him greatly, since he dropped a few wingspans below her and threatened to sink in the clouds. Before she moved to catch him, he recovered from his shock.

"So that massive magical force wasn't Wild... it was...!"

"Eheh," Audrey made a sheepish noise, while ducking under one of Madoka's blade like wings.

"You two have become..."

"What has happened to Livertorjan?" Madoka asked. She felt anxious over something or someone over there, but she was not sure who. As the sharp wind slapped her skin through her tattered clothes, she assumed it was Lady Saze she was worried for. Luxgor shook his head.

"Does it even matter?" He looked like he was on the verge of tears. He shook his head when Madoka glared at him for an answer.

"Livertorjan and Tritorjan had survived the ordeal here. We... We were rebuilding when the Sky opened up," he still glanced nervously at Madoka's wings and whatever Audrey was doing behind her. "I hurried here to protect the fleeing survivors of Gladeban."

Survivors... Madoka felt guilty again.

"Come, come," Luxgor urged her, though his voice was a lot more ragged and less angry with them. "We have much to discuss over both of your... transformations."

Madoka glanced at Audrey, but she was still watching the small sea she created. The Guild Master was indeed trying to keep himself together. The sky seemed to clear out, grey turning a shade of blue. It only highlighted the waters below and the chaos of the ground. A stray cloud strung across the sky like it was putting on a show, trying to prove that life could still exist in this corner of the country. Madoka glanced upwards, squinting against the sunlight that had emerged. The shape of the Uracksheegal was nowhere to be seen.

The way Luxgor looked was one of pure sorrow, locked in by a struggling dam. The lines on his face were etched, hair now fully grey and whispering what the two of them had missed while they were up there in the Sky Beast. Madoka still did not know how much they understood of the creature, while she herself still felt a surreal mix of feelings over what she had gone through. Gechick's earthly face glanced back at her in her mind with serenity, but her body was shattered into splinters from their battle.

They had all lost a lot, have they not?

"Earth now unploughed, now nature is left to order the chaos," Audrey mused beside her. "Dirt to shrub, grass to forest. Well, chaos I caused, but still..."

Madoka grunted.

"Shall we follow him?" She heard herself ask. "He was quite sad over the chaos you caused."

"Er, nae waah," Audrey gulped. "Yes. We should. Didn't Ceghinort say we should go to the Capitol?"

Madoka shrugged. It was her call. As the Royal in this strange party— this House Dalion— she had the duty to follow Audrey even if she chooses not to obey the kind god.

Audrey hovered past her and broke into flight. Madoka flew behind her silently. They were going to have to speak with people she did not want to face at the moment. Would they hate her for all of the damage they caused? Would they cast them out for not stopping the Guardian fast enough? Or was Ceghinort's words on the River of Souls enough to make them understand? It was not like Audrey would not be able to handle being left alone, but her dream of adventures would be cut short if they kicked us out, right? She thought to herself.

A small patch of grassland greeted her as she descended to the fields. It was like a rare patch of snow, far away from the princess's magically created sea. More splotches of the field were visible in the area and the silhouette of Ceghinortan's massive palace loomed. She could see its oddly domed shaped architecture through a misty haze wrapping around divided karsts left untouched by the Guardian's magical blasts. Below her on the field, tents and a larger crowd of people were resting.

Based off of how the Guild Master looked, she thought there would be a lot less people who made it out alive. As she landed, she realized her boot accidentally stomped on a red flower. This Petal reminded her of the one they first visited where they took up their first commission and defeated a King Slime.

She remembered the small cliffside they climbed on and wondered if that Grotto was still there under Audrey's other puddle. The fact that Madoka had to specify which body of water in her head made her shudder involuntarily. She felt the princess's gaze on her back and then a finger poked her back.

"What are you thinking?" Audrey tried to sound innocent with her question, but that only made Madoka worry. "I know you remember this beautiful lake I made and hey! It's still here!"

"Still here— I'm not worried about the lake, I'm worried about what's underneath it," Madoka groaned.

The air was silent as they approached the tents. She did not recognize anyone because they were covered in dirt and obviously had gone through hell last night to be here. Luxgor continued in, shoulders slumped. He did not even wait for them to catch up, nor did he turn back. The atmosphere of this camp was quiet, so she detected light footsteps approaching her. A familiar white and silver scaled Sovos man turned the corner and greeted them.

It was the Acting Guild Master, Drezgor, wearing a similar broken look and mud-caked armor. Bits of blue metal poked out from his disheveled and tattered cloak, like the lakes and patches of grass marring the barren wasteland. Madoka still stood between him and Audrey like a wall. A light smirk spread against his thin lip when he noticed her stance. He shook his head.

"Yo," Drezgor waved, his face instantly returning back to a gloomy expression. "Should have known you two survived the ordeal."

"Greetings, Sir Drezgor," Madoka lowered her head, still feeling guilty.

The three stood awkwardly, facing each other with little to say. She did not want to ask what was next for them, yet the Sovos held her gaze anyways as she stared blankly. Finally, he spoke again.

"We're headed to Ceghinortan soon," he folded his arms. "I'm sure you're well aware, but we really don't have anywhere else to go. So what is it, House Dalion? What has gotten you two looking so downcast? What's the Status Report?"

His eyes narrowed on Audrey, who squeaked.

"I— Uh, we got lost in the side quest. Er—" she paused, collecting herself. "What happened here while ee were away?"

Drezgor scoffed. Audrey shrunk. Madoka stood tall against him in case he dared to lash out. She knew that the princess was hiding their visit inside the Uracksheegal for reasons she did not know, but Her Awkwardness was a lot worse than she imagined.

"You were right, of course," he sighed dejectedly. "We should have prepared for the worst when you warned us that the Sky was about to open up. But this...!"

He swept his hand across the empty fields.

"We stopped the metal monster that arrived," Madoka interjected, uncharacteristically feeling like she needed to justify herself. "And defeated the wyvern."

"Yes, you two have done well. We, on the other hand, without House Dalion's and Luxgor's shield we wouldn't have survived the metal Sky beast's attack."

Madoka watched Drezgor's thin red lips move around with Audrey for a while, but her interest in what he was saying vanished. She was more distracted by her shoes. She was standing uneven from all the dirt caked on her soles so she dragged her feet along the grass to scrape it all off, carelessly leaving a trail of dirt.

Feeling a bit rebellious, she debated internally whether she should to follow after familiar glint of blue armor moving away around a tent nearby or stay. Let her master and the Guild Leader to sort whatever plans they had out for the land. Audrey was locked with him anyways, chattering away about the giant magical water ball she created. That made her scoff and eliminated her desire to stay obedient, so she trotted away.

The Sovos figure Madoka found herself walking a short distance away was, of course, Eraziror. He had an expressionless face, but she could sense the ordeal has left him in a terrible mood like the rest of the people here. She even walked by several children and dejected women, squatting down and doing chores in preparation to move. So many empty faces, yet no one talked, and neither did she. His ear twitched, clearly aware that she was following him, but he silently lead her or just decided to wander out to the outskirts without acknowledging her.

He stopped between the border of an incline. Green grass survived where he stood and crumbling dirt rolled downhill into the craters below. Eraziror tossed a stick as far as he could, but Madoka still remained silent.

"Think we're so small, huh?" He stared at the sky and yelled, watching it bounce down into the loosened dirt. The resonance in his voice trembled from its rawness, but had an undercurrent of loss. "When Gods battle, where do we go? In the dirt?"

He scoffed. Madoka gathered a handful of dirt on the ground, watching the undeniable strands of Knotting magic dance within the clump. As she dropped it, she willed the falling pieces solidify into a stone chair. She did not even have to gesture for the magic to obey her anymore. Then, she unceremoniously plopped her bum on it and let the Sovos man vent.

"I should have known you two would survive this all," he sighed. "Should have known you'd be at the center of the mess, your strength would stop that sky beast. Are you two just goddesses that have descended from the Celestial, playing around with the rest of us? Do you care about all the lives we've lost?"

Madoka considered what he said, but did not answer. He was correct, but only halfway. She apparently was a kind goddess, a title she would never admit aloud. But Audrey? She was truly deserving of the title "goddess," no matter how annoying or mysterious she was.

However, she was conflicted. Ceghinort said that the lives lost during this battle were not hers or the Princess's to worry over, or so she justified. The guilty feeling did not subside. She knew she did not have any status to claim that she cared about other people and that weight settled on her heart like a stone. Eraziror finally faced the maid. He grinned, though he looked like he was surrendering to madness.

"I know what you are, Madoka," he declared. Madoka tilted her head at him and looked at him blankly. "You're what we should be. Your strength is what all of us Commoners should be aspiring to be. I'll catch up to you one day. I swear. And I'll find a godsdamnned fairy to make my wish true."

"T-That's not necessary," Madoka stammered. His sudden compliment made her flinch, nearly toppling over from losing her hold on the magic forming her rocky stool.

"Come on, come on," Eraziror waved a hand, but froze and became serious again. "Do you think any of us could have stopped this? Perhaps, was there a sign we could seen to avoid all of this?"

He glanced upward.

"No," Madoka finally said, joining his gaze towards the sky. It had fully cleared out into a vast blue ocean, tinted with rainbows left from the mist of Audrey's destructive Water Ball. "The Sky Beast wasn't something that could be easily contained. We barely managed to stop it."

Silence fell between them.

"We..." Eraziror breathed. He was unable to comprehend something about her, his eyes narrowing then widening, but she could not tell what he was thinking.

Then her own eye started to sting with a jolt of energy. She groaned in the pain tearing at her vision.

"Are you... Are you alright?" Eraziror moved to support her, but stopped before she could say he stinks. "I've been meaning to ask about your whole, uh, situation with that eye. It's hers, isn't it?"

"I'm fine," she lied.

Madoka glanced at the Sovos. The magic stopped channeling through her eyes and Audrey's familiar presence lifted. She decided he was smarter than she thought, so she nodded.

"Just another thing that places you two far above us, besides your wings now," he sighed. "You're constantly changing, just like everything around us. There's songs that proclaim these troubled times. Monsters rising up from the Labyrinth, the Sky opening up, the words of gods and goddesses spread through gold. The works. I still find it unbelievable that it's happening right underneath our noses. And above our heads. You know, they sing about a Hero coming, too."

"A Hero?" Madoka had forgotten about that prophecy. That Night Operator, Shadow, had spoken of a Hero appearing in Esmeralda, but she had assumed Audrey was the Hero back then. She felt a gaze on her coming from Eraziror.

"Yeah, so Madoka, what songs do you think will be sung about you?"

She stared back blankly.

"I'm not a Hero," Madoka mumbled. "I hope whoever he is can clean up the messes these monsters cause, whoever he is."

"Damn, right," Eraziror seemed to be cheered up by their conversation, though Madoka found it increasingly awkward. His eyes were focused on something behind her. Audrey's green cloak fluttered around the tent. No wonder, she felt her cheek still tingling from the Vision Swap. She was tracking where Madoka was through her eye. "We're headed to the Capital, then..."

"Then?"

"I'll start my next adventure," he laughed. A bittersweet feeling settled in the silence. "One where I'll get my wings."